328 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Nov. 14, 1889. 



BOSTON SHOOTERS. 



BOSTON, Nov. 11.— The shooting season is proving to 

 be a pleasant one to the Boston sportsmen, though 

 the flight of salt-water birds has not been as heavy as 

 usual. Some of the market-gunners have brought in 

 heavy strings of coot and black duck. When they have 

 been questioned as to where the birds were found, they 

 have given evasive replies. It is evident that some net- 

 ting, or at least unfair shooting, Jias been practiced, for 

 the gunners in the ordinary way have not yet had their 

 usual success. Grouse shooting in this State is about over 

 for the season. The trees are stripped of leaves, and the 

 birds that are left are very wild. Quail shooting lias not 

 yet shown up even fairly well. Boston sportsmen have 

 visited the Cape, even where they were assured that 

 special bevies had been left untouched for their shooting, 

 but they have returned without a bird. E. M. Gillam, of 

 the staff of the Boston Advertiser, is a great lover ot field 

 sports with dog and gun. He has just returned from his 

 annual vacation of two weeks at home in New Jersey. 

 His brother, of the staff of the Philadelphia Ledger, usu- 

 ally accompanies him. This time Mr. Gillam's score 

 is 51 quail, 23 rabbits. Mr. Gillam has a setter bitch, 

 of his own training, that is proving to be a won- 

 derful field dog. He rather surprised the natives with his 

 score of birds, mainly due to the good work of the dog. 

 Partridges he reports very scarce in the section of the 

 State where he hunted. Not a solitary one was seen. He 

 says that the close time of three years on deer is being 

 observed in that State. 



Good partridge scores continue to be reported from 

 Maine. Some of them too good for the perpetuation of 

 game in that State. One Boston merchant, hunting in 

 the vicinity of Upton, made a score of 79. Deer are 

 plenty. The hunters are waiting for the first snows, 

 which still persist in turning to rain in the New England 

 States. Two or three Boston hunters will start on a deer 

 hunt in Maine, as soon as there is a prospect of snow that 

 will stick. Special. 



WADDING CARTRIDGES. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Thanks to " Nick " for his synopsis of the shotgun tests. 

 It reminds me of a curious experience I had in the way 

 of experiments in wadding, some years ago. During the 

 winter I got a new auxiliary barrel, about Sin. long, using 

 a .32 long shell, and immediately set to work with thin 

 card wads only, to decide on the best charge for the little 

 barrel. With the shell half full of powder and half of 

 shot I penetrated a certain number of sheets, and ob- 

 tained a sufficiently close, though somewhat "patchy" 

 pattern. Altering the loads, I found that with the shell 

 one-third full of powder and one-half full of shot, I ob- 

 tained equal penetration and better pattern. Experi- 

 menting with this charge, I found that one wad on the 

 powder gave a wide and irregular pattern ; two wads, a 

 close but still wide pattern, and three wads gave a perfect 

 pattern, both as to evenness and closeness, while the pen- 

 etration was equal to any loading of the larger charge of 

 powder. 



These experiments were all conducted with one wad on 

 the powder, any addition making the pattern irregular 

 and scattered. 



The curious part of the experiments lay in the practi- 

 cal use of the approved charge. With it I could kill 

 absolutely nothing, and after two or three trials on dif- 

 ferent mornings I returned to my old half-and-half charge , 

 which gave no better penetration and not nearly so good 

 a pattern, but killed the birds every time unless by my 

 fault. That there is an explanation of the trouble I do 

 not doubt, but to this day I have not the slightest idea 

 what it is. The charges were approximately £dr. and ioz. 



W. E. S. 



London, Ontario; 



MOOSE IN QUEBEC. 



TI/TONTREAL, Nov. 1,— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 U J. The laws of the Province of Quebec, passed at the 

 last session of Parliament, are now printed, and I inclose 

 according to promise copies of those relating to fish and 

 game, chapters 18 and 19. You will notice that the latter 

 permits the shooting of moose after Sept. 1, 1S89, which 

 was previously prohibited until September, 1890. This 

 change is a mortifying surprise to those interested in the 

 preservation of moose in the Province. No allusion was 

 made to it in the official statement of open seasons sent 

 out by the Government at the beginning of the year 

 which is the usual responsible authority for sportsmen.' 

 It is said the new law was really passed sub-rom at the 

 request of one of the ministers; certainly none who were 

 interested in opposing it knew anything about it until 

 the printed statutes appeared. Thos. C. Brainerd 



The law reads: Chap. XIX. An act to amend the 

 game laws. [Assessed to 21st March, 1889.] Whereas it 

 is necessary to amend the game laws; Therefore, Her 

 Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the' Leg- 

 islature of Quebec, enacts as follows: 1. Paragraphs 1 

 and 2 of article 1396 of the Revised Statutes of the 

 Province of Quebec are replaced by the following' "1 

 Deer, between the first day of January and the first day 

 of October m each year. 2. Moose and caribou, between 

 the first day of February and the first of September in 

 each year." 



That Massachusetts Bear.— Taunton, Mass., Nov. 11 

 — We are having a little diversion in the hunting line 

 AH hands have turned to and gone bear hunting. Poor 

 Bruin ! He started from up near Dedham about a week 

 ago, and has caused consternation all the way from there 

 to here. In Bridgewater he captured some juicy pork 

 and Ins life has been a weary one every since. I have 

 not as yet been able to find out where he came from, but 

 think probably he broke loose from some traveling show 

 He has a weakness for young pork, and when last seen 

 was chasing a fine young porker in a farmyard at East 

 launton. After scaring the woman folk nearly wild he 

 started toward the Cape. When I left home a "W hunt 

 was being organized under the leadership of Leader 

 Spary of the cadet band. I have not heard the returns 

 yet, but it he gets through this crowd he deserves his 

 freedom. — Cohannet. 



Ohio.— Ironton, Nov. 5.-There is a great abundance of 

 game, and out on Tygart wild turkeys are quite plenty. 

 R. S. Dupuy and George Howland start to-morrow on 

 their hunting trip south.— J. D, 



A Camp Parlor. — There are private collections of one 

 sort and another in Brooklyn — books, paintings, statuary, 

 faience pottery, coins, stamps, rugs, violins and bric-a- 

 brac of various kinds, but it remained for Dr. R. B. Cant- 

 rell, of Brooklyn, to start one that is probably unique in 

 its way. The doctor is an enthusiastic sportsman with 

 rod and gun, and for the last five years has been the 

 leader of a troop of annual summer pilgrims to the wild- 

 est wild woods of Maine. The entire company are 

 generally designated "maniacs" by their friends of the 

 "can't-get-away" club, and always come home raving 

 about the sport in Maine. The doctor's madness, however, 

 has developed a method by which he has converted his 

 parlors into a suggestive sort of epitome of the wild- 

 woods and their fascinations. A model log-house, canoes, 

 paddles, snow-shoes, rods and rifles adorn the walls, but 

 the pride of Dr. Cantrell is in his collection of heads of 

 wild animals and various specimens of the taxidermist's 

 art. Upon his walls are splendid specimens of the heads 

 of the moose, elk, caribou, buffalo, Rocky Mountain an- 

 telope, the black-tailed deer, and at appropriate points in 

 the parlors a black bear opens his jaws for your benefit, 

 and the bald eagle of America all but soars and screams 

 for your edification. Other birds and beasts too numer- 

 ous to mention figure in the scene, which is a somewhat 

 startling one to a stranger as he first pops his head into 

 the parlor. How many of these specimens from the 

 wilderness, are, strictly speaking, trophies of Dr. Cant- 

 rell's skill in the chase is not positively known, and he is 

 modestly reticent on that point. But he has them— there 

 is no doubt of that — and in them probably the only col- 

 lection of the sort in New York or Brooklyn. — New YorJc 

 World. 



Memphis, Tenn., Nov. 5.— 1 have been for several years 

 a constant reader of your most interesting journal, and 

 have spent many hours in the perusal of its entertaining 

 columns. I am often surprised at the scarcity of news 

 items from our southern country, as we have as good and 

 true sportsmen as can be found anywhere, and as fine a 

 territory for field sports as the most fastidious could wish. 

 Most any of our railways within from one to three hours' 

 run can land one among numbers of wild turkeys, ducks 

 and quail, to say nothing of larger game such as deer, 

 bear, etc. Bob White is unusually plentiful this season, 

 and the devotees are enjoying rare sport with dog and 

 gun. I expect to take a week's outing about Dec. 1; and 

 perhaps you may hear somefhing of me later on. Have 

 just received a fine-looking young English setter from a 

 Philadelphia kennel (which, by the way, was obtained 

 through the medium of the Forest and' Stream), and I 

 hope to report great things of him within the near future. 

 Long may you prosper.— F. W. S. 



Lykens, Pa., Nov. 11.— Having enjoyed the contents 

 of your paper for some time, and not seeing any com- 

 munications from our "neck o' woods," I take this op- 

 portunity of informing your readers of the condition of 

 our quail and pheasant shooting. Quail we have in 

 abundance, more so by far than heretofore. You may 

 judge how plentiful they are when I tell you that since 

 the opening of the season, Nov. 1, I killed 100 over a 

 pointer but 15 months old. I bought him of the Quaker 

 City Kennels in October. I killed 25 birds over him the 

 third day he was ever in the field. Pheasant shooting is 

 not as good this year. The birds axe very scarce. I sup- 

 pose so much rain during the breeding Season is the cause, 

 of it. Rabbits are numerous both in the surrounding 

 mountains and fields. There are still a few deer in our 

 county (Dauphin) and should we have a close season of at 

 least five years they would be plenty.— W. V. B. 



Otsego, Chenango and Madison Counties, N. Y.— 

 Having hunted in each of these counties this fall, and 

 inquired of a large number of sportsmen, I give the re- 

 sult of my observation and inquiry. We had an unpre- 

 cedented wet spring and summer,* and large numbers of 

 nests must have been submerged or the birds died from 

 #ie gapes, because birds are very scarce. There is about 

 one bird where there were a dozen last year. One of our 

 best shots with his fine red setter has averaged about one 

 bird a day. His largest bag is four. August woodcock 

 shooting was next to impossible, as the boring ground 

 was submerged and the birds were scattered^ on high 

 ground and difficult to find. On Sept. 1 we raised three 

 birds (and killed them) on a piece where we killed sixteen 

 last year on the same day. I think this section contains 

 just about enough birds to keep the race from becoming 

 extinct. — Wing. 



The Book of "Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk-Tales," 

 by George Bird Grinnell ("Yo"), is now ready for de- 

 livery, and will be sent postpaid on receipt of price, $2, 

 by the Forest and Stream Pub. Co. Mr. Grinnell has just 

 returned from an absence of several months in the North- 

 west. 



Live Mexican Quail.— San Luis Potosi, Mexico., Oct. 

 30.— If any of your friends want live Mexican quail I can 

 furnish them. They are nearly twice the size of the 

 American bird, have white topknot and are very pretty, 

 hardy and prolific— E. A. V. 



Bears are reported to be a nuisance in the neighbor- 

 hood of the Overlook Mountain House in the Catskill 

 Mountains. The route from New York is via Kingston, 

 and Samual Thompson, watchman at the Overlook, can 

 post visiting hunters. 



George Piano, for thirty years a member of the West 

 Point Band, and famous as a hunter and fisherman, who 

 has guided scores of army officers in Orange county out- 

 ings, died at his home in Highland Falls, N. Y., last 

 Monday. 



Virginia Game. — A well known gentleman who has 

 just returned from Virginia reports quail, rabbits and 

 squirrels very abundant at Amelia Court House. 



\m Htjd 



, ® 3 ^ H Your Friends the Benefit.— If you know a good thin cr, 

 tell it and let your friends have the benefit. Being of this opinion 

 we quote the following from one of our exchanges: "Lynch. Noble 

 & Co., of the Freighi & Baggage Transfer, of Cedar Rapids la 



a press letter write: 'We have used Humphreys' Veterinary 

 specifics two years, and we cannot speak too highly of them In 

 pur judgment, none that we have ever used can compare with 

 them. One of our best horses was attacked with what the veter- 

 inary surgeons termed inflammation of the brain, and was ^iven 

 up to die, when these Specifics cured him.' Editoriallv we cheer- 

 fully give the above statement to our readers, in view' of the fact 

 that it is in harmony with what is appearing in every part of the 

 country respecting these wonderful remedies."— Baltimore (Md ) 



ANGLING NOTES. 



WITH the arrival of the melancholy days of Novem- 

 ber, the angler, in this part of the country at least , 

 finds his occupation gone. It is true that a few pickerel 

 still take hold, and here and there a striped bass pays for 

 his curiosity with his life, but with the exception of the 

 small boy with the little tomcod the season is practically 

 over. The wise fisherman will before putting away his 

 tackle for the winter, see that everything is in order for 

 the coming spring. Rods should be looked to, and if 

 needed, sent to the tackle maker for a thorough over- 

 hauling and varnishing. Anglers are too apt to leave 

 this important matter until a day or two before starting 

 on a fishing trip. This is a great mistake, for then the 

 varnish does not get a chance to harden, to say nothing of 

 the damage done to a fine rod by leaving it crooked and 

 in bad shape all winter. Reels should be cleaned and oiled 

 and flies and leaders put in a cool, dry place. Rods should 

 not be kept where there is much furnace heat, but should 

 be laid on the floor in some cool room if possible, and not 

 where they will be stepped upon. 



If the angler is so fortunate as to be able to visit the 

 home of the channel bass and royal tarpon, he will now 

 begin his preparations, for though the tarpon is rarely 

 taken during the winter, yet the redfish or channel bass, 

 spotted weakfish, sheepsiiead and many other varieties 

 will afford plenty of sport. 



Mr. Ed. Prime's magnificent catch of tarpon last May 

 will encourage many anglers to stay later next spring, 

 for usually they have left Florida too early to enjoy that 

 sport to perfection. Already a number of tarpon rods 

 have been ordered and the tackle dealers are preparing 

 for a busy season in this line of goods. 



Heavy rains and high water this past summer made 

 the fishing very uncertain, but many big fish have been 

 taken by those who were lucky enough to be on hand 

 at the right time. It is very fortunate that people no 

 longer brag of the number 'killed, but strive to break 

 the record as to weight. It cannot but follow that if we 

 kill the little ones, we must do without the big ones. 



Even within a few weeks some of the persevering fish- 

 ermen have been unusually successful with the striped 

 bass. 



The black bass waters were all too high during the last 

 few days of the month of the season, but that will prob- 

 ably be all the better for the coming one. The black bass 

 fishing in Raquette and Blue Mountain Lakes, in the 

 Adirondacks, has been unusually good this fall; so also 

 was the fly-fishing there in J une. There is no reason why 

 this chain of lakes should not furnish the best black bass 

 fishing in the State. 



The members of the South Side Sportsmen's Club, of 

 Long Island, were agreeably surprised this summer by 

 taking quite a number of large rainbow salmon on the 

 fly. They were in fine condition and afforded great sport 

 when hooked. It is a pity that the black-spotted salmon 

 (Salmo purpuratus) could not be introduced into these 

 streams on our coast that empty into the salt water. 

 They take the fly better, fight harder and are more deli- 

 cate on the table than the rainbow. As they spawn in 

 the spring they afford fine sport when our trout are out 

 of season. Anglers who have been so fortunate as to 

 have fished in the Columbia River and its tributaries, or 

 in beautiful Pend d'Oreille and Kamiska Lakes in Idaho, 

 will indorse this statement. The reader may form some 

 idea of their fighting qualities when it is stated by a well- 

 known New York angler that during a month's fishing in 

 the waters named, he did not remember ever being able 

 to save both fish, though he often hooked a brace. While 

 landing one the other would always tear loose and make 

 his escape. 



Those anglers who went to Maine and the Adirondacks 

 for the September fly-fishing, which is usually so good at 

 that time, were sadly disappointed. The weather was 

 as warm as at any time during the summer, and the 

 trout remained in deep water. It is rarely in those re- 

 gions that the first of September passes without frost, but 

 this year it was well on to the first of October before the 

 thermometer dropped low enough. To make up for that 

 misfortune, the deer were unusually plenty, more so 

 than in many years, so at least those who visited the 

 North Woods were repaid for their journey. 



FISHING CLUBS IN CANADA. 



"TVTEW YORK, Nov. 7.— Editor Forest and Stream: I 

 -Li see, on reading the Forest and Stream of this date, 

 that a gentleman writing over the signature of "R. O. S." 

 sails into me in a querulous mood for my article of Octo- 

 ber in defense of fishing leases of Canadian waters to 

 clubs. He does me great honor in accusing me of being 

 a selfish capitalist reveling in gold dust galore, seeking to 

 deprive the dear people of the privilege of roaming over 

 the country at their own sweet wills, fishing and shoot- 

 ing without restrictions; and he claims as evidence of the 

 views of the people of New Brunswick that 3,000 signa- 

 tures were obtained to a protest against granting leases to 

 clubs. It is the easiest thing in the world to obtain sig- 

 natures to almost anything. I could obtain a thousand 

 signatures in this city in a day advocating the speedy exe- 

 cution of the Mayor and entire corporation. People sign 

 petitions without reading them or caring what they are. 



There is nothing selfish on the part of our friend, of 

 course, in proposing to exclude clubs from New Bruns- 

 wick, and wishing to hog it all to himself and friends; 

 but such are not the sentiments of the Crown Lands De- 

 partment of Canada, inasmuch as a revenue is derived 

 from leases to clubs, most of which are made up of citi- 

 zens of the Dominion, and the Government does not 

 believe in allowing its waters to be depleted by the irre- 

 sponsible pot-fishermen, who would be governed by no 

 restrictions and consider it their right to slaughter ad 

 libitum. There is no free fishing in Canadian inland 

 waters, except on Lake St. John; its own citizens must 

 obtain leases, and Americans are placed on the same 

 footing. They are granted no privileges not accorded to 



