498 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jan. 9, 1890. 



THOSE CHERISHED MEMORIES. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



My last fox chase resulted in a good wetting, and 

 though I didn't catch the fox I did catch a bad cold, and 

 for three days I have been nursing a fust-class case 

 of influer.zi. Not being able to go outdoors further than 

 to see that Fannie, my foxhound, was well taken caie of, 

 I "rummaged through the attic" to-day and brought 

 down my old files or the Forest and Stream, and after 

 going over the paper critic illy, and comparing it care- 

 fully with this year, I notice a. marked improvement. I 

 congratulate you' on being on the right side of every 

 question discussed, and I cheerfully commend the paper 

 to every tme sportsman. 



Jan. 1 will close the game season in Pennsylvania 

 on all kinds of game except bears, foxes, wildcats and 

 coons. Altogether the season has been a favorable one 

 for the deer, and because of the scarcity of tracking 

 snows but few have been killed. We have a few Jock 

 Darlings here, who still continue to hound and kill deer, 

 though the season closed Dec. 15. They are being looked 

 atterbyafew law-abiding sportsmen, who it is hoped 

 will see the vandals brought to justice. Just here a word 

 concerning the Pennsylvania game laws. The laws are 

 all right so far as they go, but the Legislature has always 

 failed to provide for their enforcement. What is every- 

 body's busine-s is nobody's business, and as a result our 

 game laws are generally a dead letter. Unless the good 

 people of the State take the matter in hand and secure 

 the proper enforcement of our game laws, by such means 

 as are provided in Maine and some few other States, we 

 will wake up about Jan. 1, 1900, to find our last deer, 

 wild turkey, pheasant and quail slaughtered by pot- 

 hunters. They are going just as surely as did the elk, 

 that roamed over these hills fifty years ago, and whose 

 horns still lay whitening on the mountains when I was a 

 boy, a last sad reminder of that noble animal. 



The excellent article by "Von W." in last week's 

 Foe h.st and Stream, oh the "Hill Farms of New Hamp- 

 shire," recdls many pleasant memories of boyhood da\s 

 spent on the hill farms of Pennsylvania, and of the trout 

 streams, long since dried up, where, with birch rod and 

 thread line borrowed from mother's sewing basket, and 

 with hook puccha-ed from that prince of merchants, 

 Israel Cooper, the Quaker, we lured the speckled beauties 

 from their hiding places under old log and stump and 

 rock. 



"Shall the Boy Have a Gun?" by the editor, in the 

 same number, will elicit a ready answer from all the old 

 boys who had to wait through many long years for a gun, 

 and then perhaps buy it themselves. Too many parents, 

 on the principle that you must not go near the water 

 until you have learned to swim, keep a gun away Irorn 

 their boys when they should teach them how to use one 

 intelligently and carefully, and by so doing sow the seed 

 of many of the brightest memories of after years. The 

 memories of my brat gunning exploits carry me back to 

 1856. when I first met John W. Mitchell, a Hoboken boy, 

 a year or two my senior, who was the happy owner of a 

 douhle barrel shotgun, once the property of Joseph Bona- 

 paite. The memories of the days we spent together 

 came back like strains of music from 6ome far off shore. 

 A prince of sportsmen, though but a boy, the lessons he 

 taught me in the use of a gun and in a thousand other 

 good things came to stay. Afterward a captain in the 

 Twelfth New Jersey Volunteers, he wrote me many 

 letters from the front. When the war clo.-ed I learned 

 of his going West. For years I have heard nothing from 

 him. If his eye shall somewhere fall upon these lines I 

 know he will stand up and answer to his name, and if he 

 will but wander back again to the old hills of his boy- 

 hood days he will find at least one warm friend, the 

 latch string will be outside the door, the best gun shall 

 be his, and we will live over again the clays of long ago. 



But my letter grows long. A happy New Year to the 

 Forest and Stream and all its readers. 



Frank G. Harris. 



Clearfield, Pa., Dec. 29. 



A CHRISTMAS MISADVENTURE. 

 r pHE Massachusetts season on ruffed grouse closed with 

 J- but few bags of good size being made. " The birds 

 were very wild," is the verdict of all the gunners, espe- 

 cially when the trees were stripped of their leaves. For 

 this reason many of the gunners have sought for better 

 fortunes in Maine and New Hampshire and in the ex- 

 treme northern part of Massachusetts. A party of Bos- 

 ton gunners spent Cbrislmas in New Hampshire. The 

 day was magnificent, but they got no birds. They were 

 very wild, starting before the gunners had got within 

 shooting distance, and flying with tremendous speed till 

 out of sight. Other gunners, with rather more experi- 

 ence, tried the method of posting members of their party 

 just on the borders of swamps, and in other places where 

 the birds would be likely to turn, and shots were obtained, 

 with good results in some cases. Quail shooting has 

 amounted to but little in this State this fall, at least such 

 is the verdict of some of the Boston gunners who have 

 tried their hand. 



Just here a rather amusing story may be told at the 

 expense of a newspaper man and his friend, who went 

 "out to Dedham" after quail on Chri-tmas day. The 

 .newspaper man is a good wing shot, and has a very fine 

 setter bitch, of his own training. He is a man of kind 

 he . r t and very fond < if his dog. He is good to his friends 

 also. Among his friends may be named the secretary of 

 a prominent Boston in-titution. This friend is entirely 

 green as to the use of the erun. He was reared in Boston, 

 and his knowledge cf field sports is about as Unfiled as it 

 is possible to imagine, and his ideas of game are equal, 

 designating a woodchuck as a "sort of a squirrel"— ex- 

 act words of the Secretary— when speaking of this animal. 



% t!- i is anxious to become posted on these matters, 

 and his kind friend, the newspaper man, is willing to aid 

 him in acquiring the coveted knowledge. Thev planned 

 for a gunning trip on Christmas. The newspaper man 

 borrowed a gun for his friend, a double breechloader, 

 teaching the field, he instructed the Secretary in its use. 

 He was al,-o particularly anxious that his friend should 

 see the splendid working of his dog. The Secretary was 

 instructed to cock hia gun when the dog pointed, and to 

 blaze away when the bird was flushed. But he was 

 not instructed how to get out of the scrape if the 

 bu-d did not flush. Soon the dog came to a point 

 on something. The gun of the Secretary was duly 

 *ooked. His nerves were not quite as steady as those of 



a veteran shootisf, for he had never fired a gun in all his 

 life, but he could not afford to tell his friend that he was 

 really a little gunshy. The bird did not flush at ad, and 

 the clog went on hunting for a better point. The Secre- 

 tary lowered his gun, with rather uncertain movement 

 born of too great re-pect for what the thing might do. 

 He very carefully placed his thumb on the right-hand 

 hammer and his finger on the left-hand trigger. He 

 pulled just a little to see if he was right. The old thing 

 spoke right out in meeting and nearly kicked the Secre- 

 tary over. The poor dog cried out with pain. She had 

 received the whole charge of fine shot in her side, at long 

 range, as good luck would have it. The newspaper man 

 thought she was done for, but the poor thing is now 

 a bout over the shooting, thanks to good care and nursing. 

 The shooting for the day was over. The agony of the poor 

 dog covered with blood was too much for both. The Secre- 

 tary feels very badly over the first time he ever fired a shot- 

 gun, or rather the first time a shotgun ever fired him. 

 He made the. newspaper man promise not to till of the 

 circumstance, and that is the reason the names are not 

 mentioned here. The moral of the story is, that the boy 

 should have a gun. 



Dr. French, of Boston, has been down in North Caro- 

 lina shooting. He found the d- er quite plenty in the 

 section he visited, and other game lairly plenty. He 

 succeeded in killing three deer, one. a specially fine buck, 

 he sent home to his friend, Geo. C. Moore, a manufac- 

 turer of North Chelmsford, in this State. The deer came 

 through in due season, as due seasons go on these South- 

 ern railways, and the express bill was unduly heavy. 

 The deer was spoiled by long delay. Here is another 

 moral. Go shooting and fishing as often as you can, and 

 you will live the longer and happier for so doing, but do 

 not send home the game or fish to your friends. 



Special. 



Cape Cod Quail.— Taunton, Mass., Jan. 2.— I was 

 rather surprised upon skinning a quail recently to find its 

 crop completely filled with medium-sized beans. This 

 bird was shot on Cape Cod, about the middle of Decem- 

 ber, after the crops had all been harvested, with the 

 ground frozen at the time; and how and where the bird 

 got the beans is a mystery to me. In skinning a dozen or 

 more quail shot on Cape Cod andju the vicinity of Taun- 

 ton, Mass., I noticed that they were all fat, indeed, more 

 so than I have ever seen quail before at this season of the 

 year. This is, I think, owing to the mildness of the sea- 

 son and the absence of snow.— J. C. C. 



Minnesota Deer.— Forest City, Iowa, Dec. 24.— Veni- 

 son has rasped throuth this city this week en route 

 from St. Paul to Des Moires. This does not look much 

 like enforcing the Minnesota game law, when they allow 

 game to be shipped from the seat of government in their 

 own State to Ihe capital of another. Now how can 

 it be expected that small local clubs can be successful in 

 enforcing our game laws, when such acts of open defiance 

 as the above are winked at by persons who should keep 

 (and whose duty it is) to enfoice them? — Wm. H. Steele. 



A Tame Female Grouse.— Moorefield, West Virginia. 

 — We read the other day a story copied from your paper 

 about a tamed ruffed grouse. Last week Col. W. H. 

 Harness, from near Wardensville, this county (Hardy), 

 spent a night with me. He is an old sportsman, and told 

 me, among other clever feats, of capturing and taming 

 a female pheasant. Here is a pair for you, gentlemen of 

 the feather. We only claim for our services a pair of the 

 domesticated birds when we get to be President of the 

 United States.— Young America. 



Killed on the Track.— Huntington, Mass., Jan. 4.— 

 Thursday morning, Jan. 2, while the track walker was 

 making his rounds over his section of the Boston & 

 Albany Eailroad, at Huntington, about a mile and a half 

 west of our village, he came upon the dead body of a 

 woods gray fox, which had been cut in two at the small 

 of its back and both its forepaws had been cut off, other- 

 wise it was not mutilated. Who ever heard of the wily 

 fox being killed by the cars before?— H. W. M. 



TAXING GUNS IN NEW JERSEY. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Where I am now living in New Jprsey tbere are very uiany true 

 Ion era of the dog and gun, men who will tramp ovpr hill and dale, 

 through wood or sw amp for hours, and be perfectly contented at 

 the end of a long day's hunt if they have obtained a half dozen 

 shce. These m-n are for the most part former?, caip r nters, 

 masons, boat builders, e'e, and of course cannot afford either the 

 time or monev necessary to t aire them to where game may be 

 more a bun nan t. It must also he remembered that the days are 

 f«iw and far hetwpen that, they Citn spare for an outing. This is 

 my first season for sr,me y^ars in this neighborhood, but these 

 Rind fallows seemed to vie witu each other in their efforts to pro- 

 cure me the best shooting to be had: but though my dogs were 

 excellent and mv patience 1 think most commendable, I have 

 only too often returned home at night with my gun as clean as 

 v\ heu I started in the morning. 



One day tow ard the end of November, returning from an almost 

 fruitless r unt, and acromnanied by two other equally unsuccess- 

 ful sportsmen, and three tired and jrded dogs, we sionped at a 

 wayside inn, f. eling ourselves and our dumb companions in need 

 of something cheering affi-rour somewhat di- heartening dav's 

 tramp. There ' eared or standing about the big stove weie grouped 

 some e'gl.t or ten farmers and mechanics, having dropped in f-a- 

 a bit of chat before returning home to their si'ppers. Upon our 

 appearance there was the usual question, "What luck?" and 

 what had come to be the usual answer, "No luck.'" 



Our landlord, somewaat or an auLborhy upon gunning and 

 gunners, here s owly removed his pipe from his mouth a-d em- 

 phasizing bis words by gently tapping the palm of his left hand 

 with the stem, < xpressi a the following dpcided opinion: "Pro- 

 tec'ioii, yes, proper game protection, that's what we want; and 

 until we get i\ there'll be no shooting hereabouts worth speaking 

 about, and that I will tell ye. I've been reading in this paper 

 [and here he produced a copy of Forest AjN'D Stream] something 

 ahout a gun tax, and I think it a good idea. Why, Mr. Everett 

 [ind here he turned and addres6e i himself directly to me"), I'll 

 venture to say.land I think'I can speak for every man here nrts- 

 ent that wi»h the pxception of those dirty sr.eak thieves who kill 

 or di?perse before the law is up what little game we might have, 

 every sportsman in these parts would cheerfully pav a gun tax • f 

 $5. or maybe more if necessary, in order to see the proper offic rs 

 ready to enforce proper game laws as they should be enforced." 

 There was a general murmur of approval here, and there nemg 

 no dissenting voice our host continued. "As to any surplus af ier 

 having paid the officers, why that of course should be expended 

 in restocking the country with whatever game is best suited to 

 the locality." 



The landlord's speech was heartily approved of and applauded 

 by ev. rt one present, and in the general discussion that followed 

 his remarks before the dispersal of the party to their several 

 homes, I could see that this su 1 - jeet had taken a firm hold upon 

 their minds, and that they were of one opinion, and that certainly 

 in favor of a gun tax. H. B. Everett. ' 



A 



A BEAUTIFUL CATALOGUE. 



S one of the oldest advertisers in the Forest and Stream, 

 Mr. Henry C. Squires, of No. 178 Broadway, tnis city, has 

 long been known to th« readers of this journal a* an extensive 

 deah r in guns and other goods f ir the fleid. We have just re- 

 i eived from Mr. Squires his new illustrated catalogue of spor's- 

 men's supplies. In the preparation of what may justly be termed 

 an elaborate and artistic publication, Mr. Squires has gone quite 

 beyond all previous catalogue makers in this line. An illustrated 

 price list of guns and fishing tackle always possesses an in+erest 

 for sportsmen, because there is some desree of satisfaction in 

 studying even the pictures of a field outfit; but to the interest of 

 the things which are cai-alogued, Mr. Squires has here added on 

 almo=t every page tangible suggestions and reminders of the game, 

 the fish, the forests, streams, fields, mountain and shore, and out- 

 door i leasnre life In its widest and most charming phases. From 

 these beautifully printed pages the, moose looks out upon you, the 

 dter stands by the river t aLk, the woor'coek is found at home, 

 the mother giot:se gUhrds ter chhks, the trout leaps-; and iture 

 are bass and grayling, and flashing waters, with glimpses of old- 

 time log shanties; and soon inasu cession of kaleidoscopic views, 

 which irarifport one to sceutsof summerand autumn. For these 

 suggestive pagfs the catalogue is sure to be appro fated and val- 

 ued, and many a delightful reverie is in store for those who turn iis 

 leaves. Of the high character of the drawings, 'he admirable 

 taste shown in their selection and the excellent manner in which 

 the catalogue has been ptinted, by the Knickerbocker Press, it 

 would be difficult to speak in terms of too high praise. 



As an inventory of merchandise the catalogue fairly represents 

 the development so far made in the perfection of the appurte- 

 nances for land and water sport. The firearms, fishing tackle, 

 camping outfits, water cralt and kennel supplies of to-day, as 

 here displajed, are far more varied and more perfect than could 

 be shown in a catalogue ten years ago. If we would know just 

 what progress outdoor seort is msking in this rountry, and on 

 what substantial and varied linps thai progress is laid, we may 

 perhaps learn it more qu ; cl;ly and lotti] lehc-nsively" by turning 

 over the pages of s ch a catalogue thru in any other way. It 

 sets one to wondering what the next quarter of a century will 

 bring forth. 



ANGLING NOTES. 



THOUGH so far the season has not b^en one to hurry 

 sportsman South, still quite a number have already 

 left for Florida, among them Mes&rs. A. W. Dmimock, of 

 Elizabeth, N. J., and H. M. C ttling, of this city. 



Mr. Dimmock, wkh his soft ft It hat and spectacles, 

 does not suggest the famous sportsman that he is, but 

 though small and rather delicate looking, wi;h quiet 

 manners and soft of speech, he is famous for his nerve, 

 and faces a grizzly as coolly as he catches a trout. He is 

 an exot-llent still-hunter, and not long ago succeeded in 

 stalking a big bull elk and took his photograph before 

 killing him with his Wincbe ter. J. Q. A. Ward, the 

 sculptor, another excellent sport-nnan, is generally Mr. 

 Dim mock's companion on his hunting trips to Colorado 

 and Wyoming. 



Mr. Dim mock does not believe in tarpon fi-hing with 

 the rod and reel, but inclines to the more excitiDg sport 

 of 'following these fish in a small boat and harpooning 

 them, though he prefers the great bat-like devilfish for 

 fport, and a big shark is not to be despised. His ac- 

 counts of this method of hunting up the fish and then 

 killing them is certainly very exciting and must be not 

 without, danger to the sportsman. A collection of pho- 

 tographs taken on these trips have been received from 

 him by Mr. Chas. F. Imbrie, 18 Vesiey street, whero they 

 can be seen by those interested. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



C CHICAGO, Jan. 1.— All the way from Winnipeg, Mani- 

 J toba, there comes to me Christmas greetings from 

 Mr. Thos. Johnson, in the form of an elegant Manitoba 

 souvenir, in which the photographer's ait, in some very 

 beautiful and wonderful way, has managed to combine 

 scenes of the Indian, sportsman and set ler life of that 

 north country, wreathing the whole with cereals ar- 

 ranged tastefully about the margin. The center piece of 

 the card is one of good cheer about a well-laden table, 

 and there are placed about this the figures of game birds, 

 the upper center being occupied by a buffalo skull and 

 jaw bones. The whole card is very tasty and suggestive, 

 and it would be hard to contrive a neater or more appro- 

 priate memento for a sportsman to send to a friend, 



I am air n id th' t the correspondent who writes about 

 "Locked Antlers" in the issue of Dec, 2G has chronicled 

 a case of law-breaking for his friend, who at Dec. 14, 

 "had just returned from a. hunt in the Upper Peninsula" 

 unless they had remained in the woods without hunting 

 for something like thirty days. The deer season for the 

 Upjier Peninsula close » Nov. 15, if my dates are right. Is 

 this another case of ''Oh, nob idy mmds the lavt?" 



In writing of Mr. Giinnell*s Pawnee book, Dec. 19, I 

 am afraid I got Ruth and Naomi a little bit mixed in 

 my allusion. A friend reminds me of it. I am glad to 

 see that there are readers of Forest and Stream who 

 can set one right on the Scriptures *s weil as other things. 

 1 ought to have been able to get this right, for I remem- 

 ber that when I was a boy I thought for a long time that 

 Naomi was a man, until my good parents taught me 

 better. 



A year ago last fall I wrote for Forest and Strfam a 

 little description of the efforts we made to catch "Jim 

 Curry's trout," in the Rio Grande, Colorado, not far 

 from Del Norte. Jim Curry is a conductor on the D. & 

 R. G, and I stopped at his ranch, near which is the pool 

 where this big tiout lies. As stated in the article, this 

 fish has been hooked often, but nobody can stop him. 

 He is thought to weigh 8 or lOibs. 1 was not fortunate 

 enough to raise him, but promised to come back some 

 day and fish till I did. On Dec. 19 Mr. Curry wrote me 

 from Alamosa, "I bad my rod out of the case just once 

 the pat season, on the Chama. I didn't get a chance at 

 the "big tin," and suppose he is there yet. Proved up 

 on the ranch in November after you were there, and 

 haven't seen it since. Bought some lota here and built. 

 Last March I laid off for a week, went to Espanola and 

 bought me a ranch, am going to make a fiuit ranch of it. 

 The wife, Grace and little Jim are well Don't forget us 

 if you should come this way. Always glad to show you 

 where the big fish b'e, — Jim CURRY," 



