Jak 16, 1890. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



pcttficmf-f), one European quail (Cotwnkc communis), one black bul- 

 (puT (Pycnonolus pygmus) one kin-? snake (Ophibolus getulus), one 

 oommon black snalse {Bnscaniav constrictor), one garter snake 

 (Euttciria sirtolU) and one scarlet snake (Ccmoplmra coccineo). 

 ■Presented — One whistling swan (Q/flwtts awcrican-Ks), one specta- 

 cled owl (Syriiium pcrspictllatum). one duck h»wk (Faleo corn mu - 

 wis), two alligators (Allifjator missUssi-ppiemtn), three red-bellied 

 terrapins {Pscudemys ruuosa), one horse snake (ChUomeniscrt^ 

 cphip}iicws), one siren (Siren laccrtina). 



wine j§ug m& 0tnp 



" FOREST AND STREAM " GUN TESTS. 



THE following guns have been tested at the Forest and 

 Stream Range, and reported upon in the issues named. 

 Copies of any date will be sent on receipt of price, ten cents: 

 Co lt 12, .1 uly 35. Parker 12, h ammerless, June fi. 

 OoJLTlOand 12, Oct. 24. Remington lfi, May 30. 

 Folsom 10 and 12, Sept. 26. Remington 12, Dec. 5. 

 Francotte 12, Deo. 12. Remington 10, Dec. 26. 

 Greener 12, Aug. 1. Scott 10, Sept. 5. 

 Greener 10. Sept. 12, Sept. 19. L. C. Smith 12, Oct. 10. 

 Hollis 10, Nov. 7. Winchester 10 and 12, Oct. 3. 

 Parker 10, ham mer, June 6. 



QUAIL IN ROANOKE AND WYTHE. 



TTAVING accepted an invitation from General T. J. 

 JLX Houston, formerly of Chester, Pa., now of Roan- 

 oke. Va., manager of the Crozer Steel and Iron Com- 

 pany's works near the latter place, to engage in a few 

 days' quail shooting, I met the General and his friend 

 Captain Davis, mechanical engineer of the works, in 

 Washington. The Baltimore & Potomac train being be- 

 hind time, it was one hour late when we steamed out of 

 the station, our destination being Lynchburg, Va. The 

 environments of railroad traveling in the wee sma' hours 

 o' the night are not favorable to viewing the beauties of 

 the country through which you are passing, and we were 

 soon lulled into meditation on the personality of the trio 

 of hunters. The General is 6ft. 3in. , commanding, grace- 

 ful and dignified, educated and gentlemanly, wealthy 

 and libera], as a host the peer of any one; we could not 

 but feel that for the following week we were to be in the 

 hands of one who would care for our wants and comforts. 

 Captain Davis was a Union soldier in the late unpleas- 

 antness; he is constructed on the spare model, intelligent, 

 reticent and the possessor of a gentlemanly deportment 

 that captivates all with whom he comes in contact. The 

 third of the company is known as the Doctor. Nature 

 has been lavish in dispensing adipose material over his 

 body, which sadly interferes with his suppleness; he was 

 a surgeon in the army during c de wah,' and he is rheu- 

 matic, grizzled, and looked careworn , appearing untrained 

 for the task of clambering over the Alleghenies during 

 the following week; and such proved to be the case, as 

 twelve blisters on his feet testify to his tenderfoot condi- 

 tion. 



The officers of the train made every effort to regain the 

 lost time, but one hour behind schedule time landed us in 

 Lynchburg, where we had the mortification of seeing 

 the Roanoke train pull out of the depot just as we came 

 to a standstill. Two minutes halt would have been suffi- 

 cient time to enable us with others to have boarded the 

 train, but we were left to admire the beauties of that an- 

 cient town for eight mortal hours. We spent some of the 

 time interviewing Station Master Fairfax, and in point- 

 ing out to him the great and irremediable injury he had 

 done to us, and in telegraphing to the superintendent of 

 the road for permission to board a freight train, but that 

 worthy being absent from headquarters we could not ob- 

 tain the desired permit. 



Being Pennsy lvanians the Lynchburgers looked upon us 

 with suspicion, believing that we were Mahoneites, and 

 they were not disposed to extend unto us the usual hos- 

 pitality extend to strangers by Virginians; but when we 

 were introduced as near relations of the late lamented 

 Col. David F. Houston, all fears of Mahoneism were dis- 

 sipated and we were extended a cordial greeting to the 

 sacred soil. At last we were at Roanoke. 



Morning came ail too soon, yet we were ere long seated 

 around the bountiful board discussing the relative merits 

 of the good things before us. Here the General unfolded 

 the programme, or rather orders of the day. He and 

 Capt. Davis would inspect the new furnace with the view 

 of releasing the contractor, while I, guided by a tonsorial 

 artist known as Mose, was to spend the day in search of 

 the "speckled beauties" of the held. You can imagine I 

 felt somewhat anxious to know what manner of man 

 this was who was to be my guide for the day, and I may 

 as well introduce the reader to him now, as I saw him at 

 that time, and unfold his character as it subsequently de- 

 veloped itself to me in our peregrinations. His name was 

 Moses Johnson, but he was universally known through- 

 out that region as Mose the barber. He is a dark mulatto 

 of good physique, surpassing foxhounds in endurance. 

 As a gu'de he attends to his duties and is always in the 

 advance, keeps the dogs well in by means of his whistle, 

 and being a good snap shot he succeeds in getting in 

 about five shots to your one. 'Tis true, you can impress 

 Mose with the fact that his place is in the rear, but then 

 your head is in danger from his gun, for he is so consti- 

 tuted that he must shoot at everything moving of the 

 game kind, whether it be dead or alive. Should you re- 

 solve to hunt apart, the first thing you hear is Mose's 

 whistle, and you have the knowledge that your dog is 

 speeding in his direction, especially if the dog belongs in 

 the region round about Roanoke, as all the canines know 

 him. But for those shooters who desire to make a big 

 bag, Mose is a valuable guide. 



Soon we are at our destination, and with loaded guns 

 proceed in the direction of the mountains. A half-mile 

 walk and Dan comes to a stand on a covey of birds. Mose 

 suggests that 1 flush the birds, but I inform him that that 

 is Ins duty. So with a rock the birds are flushed; two 

 fell to my gun, and Mose claims to have killed one; but 

 ere we had secured all the owner of the property put in 

 an appearance and expressed a desire that we' depart 

 thence, but in sympathy for me, a stranger in a strange 

 land, he ventured the information that pheasants and 

 wild lurkeys were to be found up a mountain ravine in 

 close proximity to us. Full of hope we commenced the 

 ascent, expecting to be greeted with enravishing sights 

 from the mountain top, and after climbing over rocks and 

 logs, resting every hundred yards, we finally gain the 

 summit, but no soul-enchanting sight met our view, only 

 mountain peaks as dreary as the one upon which we 

 stood. When half way up Dan, ranging on the mountain 

 side, started a pheasant, and in a vain attempt to reach 

 the opposite mountain it came within range and fell to 

 our guns. Mose, true to his impulses, had also discharged 



his gun in such close proximity to my head that, although 

 a military man, I was startled. Two other pheasants out 

 of range and a w T oodcock which sought refuge in an im- 

 penetrable brake were ail the game we saw on the moun- 

 tain. 



Retracing our steps we sought the lowlands, determined 

 to devote our energies to hunting quail on the pastures. 

 We were soon in cultivated fields, and ere long Dan flushes 

 a covey of birds, out of which we each secured two at the 

 first fire. The birds were not in the least prejudiced against 

 the mountains, for with one accord they halted not until 

 well up a diminutive Chimborazo. But flushed with 

 bright anticipations we essayed to follow. I secured an- 

 other bird, and had the satisfaction (?) of seeing Dan flush 

 and Mose shoot at a half dozen more with negative 

 results. 



On returning to the pastures and meadows we began 

 to feel the necessity of food. After visiting several 

 farmhouses we finally obtained lunch. While enjoying 

 our repast the proprietor of the ranch entered into con- 

 versation with me, and finding I was a native of Lancas- 

 ter county, Pa., and acquainted with relatives of his in 

 that locality, and could give him all desired information 

 regarding them, although he was opposed to shooting, he 

 kindly gave me all information desired regarding the 

 haunts of the birds and permission to shoot over quite an 

 extended acreage in the direction of the railroad station, 

 where we desired to board the inbound evening train. We 

 secured quite a respectable bag before we reached the 

 station; soon we were on board, and in due time reached 

 Roanoke. 



The next morning at half-past four the General, Capt. 

 Davis, the irrepressible Mose and myself, with Ponto, 

 Don and Dan, embarked for Pulaski. Ponto, a grandson 

 of old Bismark, is the best setter dog I ever shot over. 

 He was kindly loaned to us by my cousin, Capt. Geo. 

 Houston, a brother of the General. We had expected 

 that the Captain would be one of our party, but pressing 

 business engagements prevented him. At Pulaski we 

 embarked on the Cripple Creek extension and landed at 

 Rich Mountain. Here' we were greeted by Capt. Bibb 

 and Mr. Body, who did all in their power to make our 

 visit pleasant for us. 



This day by order of the General, Captain Davis, Mose 

 and myself constituted a hunting party, while he and Mr. 

 Body were attending to business. We had hard tramp- 

 ing and mountain climbing to get upon the tablelands 

 where the birds were to be sought; but I had the satis- 

 faction of having the Captain along with whom to divide 

 Mose's inattention. By means of his whistle he kept the 

 dogs well in hand and he certainly had good shooting. 

 Birds were plentiful and by marking down Mose's coveys 

 we managed to have occasional shots. The afternoon of 

 this day Mose got in the line of flight of a covey of birds 

 the Captain was firing into and received a shower of No. 

 8 shot, which impressed him with the extended range of 

 chokebores. 



Dr. Butler, a true representative of the Southern gentle- 

 man, an ex-Confederate surgeon, and now surgeon to the 

 mines, joined us during the day, and with genuine hos- 

 pitality, placed his horses and dogs at our disposal. He 

 remained with us until too dark to shoot, and then piloted 

 us in the homeward direction. We enjoyed his company 

 very much, the time being spent in discussing the Vir- 

 ginia campaigns during the late war. Can it be that 

 these men sought to take each others' lives a few years 

 since, and now are vieing with each other in their en 

 deavor to entertain and extend all of the amenities of 

 refined and cultured society? Yes, it is true, the old 

 soldiers of the late war bear no malice toward each other; 

 verily reconstruction is progressing. 



It was quite dark and we were weary when we returned 

 to the commissary, but Mr. Johnson, the gentlemanly 

 superintendent, had anticipated our wants and a warm 

 supper was awaiting us, and soon we were seated around 

 the board. 



After a good night's rest we were up and soon ready 

 for the field, even before we could see to shoot. As the 

 General had business at Ivanhoe to transact and could 

 not be with us, Capt. Davis and I preferred to hunt by 

 ourselves, taking Don, Dan and Queen, a pointer Gyp. 

 We had a very pleasant time and secured good bags. 

 Mose, after a lecture by the General, hunted very success- 

 fully by himself. 



The next day, with many thanks to the General for his 

 kindness and with a promise to come again, we boarded 

 the train for the North. As we passed through Culpepper, 

 Orange, Manasses and other battlefields, we were carried 

 back in memory to the scenes enacted there nearly a 

 third of a century since, and although I have often 

 thought I would like to visit those scenes, when there I 

 involuntarily shut my eyes to obscure the sights memory 

 presented. I have no desire to recall the horrors of those 

 times. 



Altogether we had a most enjoyable time, all with 

 whom we came in contact extended unto us genuine hos- 

 pitality and endeavored to make our stay among them 

 pleasurable. We are especially under obligation to 

 Messrs. Sproul and Hodgson of Roanoke for kind atten- 

 tions. Quail are very plentiful in that region, but our 

 visit was too soon in the season to find full grown birds. 



I made a: mistake in taking a 10-bore full chokebored 

 gun. What you want early in the season is a 16-bore, 

 right barrel cylinder and left barrel modified choke; later 

 the close-shooting gun might be desirable. Grouse. 



THE "FOREST AND STREAM" TESTS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



"She'll kill a robin ten rod every time," was in my boy- 

 hood the accepted formula in New England to denote 

 the properties of a good shotgun. Of course she wouldn't 

 and she couldn't and she didn't; but the owners, I think, 

 really believed what they said. I did then. 



I recall these remembrances in consequence of looking 

 over your shotgun tests. I am glad your range is a per- 

 manent institution, for I regard it as a great moral 

 agent. People within range of that range will not hence- 

 forth be able to tell such unmerciful lies about their guns 

 without being invited to test their performance at Clare - 

 mont. 



Now let there be the merry sound of some of these shot- 

 guns advertised to kill at from 75 to 100yds,, and let us 

 see a few charges of buckshot fired on that range. People 

 talk of killing deer at 80yds. quite as a matter of course, 

 but I never saw a shotgun that wouldn't scatter its 

 charge of buckshot over a span of 5 or 6ft. at least in 

 50yds. or less. Did you? Kelpie. 



GAME BIRDS OF THE PLAINS. 



LAST spring, as I reported through the columns of 

 Foeest and Stream the arrival and departure of 

 the ducks and geese, I thought that careful observation 

 for the year would reveal the presence of many more 

 species of game birds, especially of the Limicolse, than 

 the average sportsman is accustomed to credit to the re- 

 cently settled slope that extends from the foothills of 

 Colorado to the Missouri River. All the species named 

 below have been seen by me or carefully studied by those 

 who are perfectly familiar with Coues and Ridgway. 

 My observations commenced on Feb. 25, when the geese 

 put in an appearance, and closed on Dec. 26, when 1 saw 

 a small flock of teal on a pond near LaSalle, Colorado. 

 The list is as follows: 

 Anas bosehas Linn. — Mallard. 

 A. diseors Linn. — Blue-winged teal. 

 A, carolinensis Gmel. — Green-winged teal. 

 A, cyanoptera Vieill. — Cinnamon teal. 

 A. strepera Linn. — Gadwall. 

 A, americana Gmel.— Baldpate, widgeon. 

 Spatula clypeata Linn. — Shoveler, spoonbill. 

 Dafila acuta Linn. — Pintail, sprigtail. 

 Aythya americana Eyt. — Redhead. 



A. vallisneria Wils. — Canvasback. 



.4. marila nearctica Stejn.— Scaup duck. 

 Glaucionetta clangula americana Bonap — Golden-eye. 

 Oharitonetta albeola Linn. — Buffleheacl, butterball. 

 Hisirionicus tiistrionicus Linn. — Harlequin duck. 

 Oidemia americana Sw. and Rich. —American scoter. 

 Erismatura rubida Wils. — Ruddy duck. 

 Chen cceruleseens Linn.— Blue goose. 

 C. hyperborea Pall. — Black-winged brant, lesser snow 

 goose. 



Anser albifrons gambeli Hartl. — White-fronted goose, 

 speckled brant. 

 Branta canadensis Linn. — Canada goose. 



B. c. hutchinsii Sw. and Rich.— Hutchins's goose. 

 Olor buccinator Rich. — Trumpeter swan. 

 Fulica americana Gmel. — Coot. 



Phalaropus lobatus Linn. — Northern phalarope. 

 P. tricolor Vieill. — Wilson's phalarope. 

 Recurvirostra ameneana Gmel. — Avocet. 

 Gallinago delicata Ord. — Wilson's snipe, jack snipe. 

 Macrorhamphus scolopaceus Say. — Long-billed dow- 

 itcher. 



Tringa maculata Vieill. — Pectoral sandpiper, little 

 snipe. 



T. minulilla Vieill. — Least sandpiper. 

 Ereunetes pusillus Linn. — Semipalmated sandpiper. 

 Calidris arenaria Linn. — Sanderling. 

 Limosafedoa Linn. — Marbled godwit. 

 Totanus melanoleucus Gmel. — Greater yellowlegs. 

 T, flavipes G mel. — Yellowlegs. 

 T. solitarius Wils. — Solitary sandpiper. 

 Symphemia. semipalmata inornato Brews. — Western 

 willet. 



Bartramia longicauda Bechst. — Bartramian sand- 

 piper. 



Numenius longirostris Wils. — Long-billed curlew. 



N. hudsonicus Lath. — Hudsonian curlew, 



JV. borealis Forst. — Eskimo curlew. 



Charadrms squatarola Linn. — Black-bellied plover. 



C. dominicus Mull. — Golden plover. 

 uEgialitis iiocifera Linn. — Kildeer. 



JE. montana Towns. — Mountain plover. 

 2E. semipalmata Bonap. — Semipalmated plover. 

 Colinus virginioMUs Linn. — Quail. 

 Tympamiehus americanus Reich. — Prairie chicken. 

 Pedioccetes phasianellus eampestris Ridg.— Sharp-tailed 

 grouse. 



Zenaidura macroura — Mourning dove. 



It is not claimed that this list contains all the game 

 birds and allied species of this section, but other species 

 must be rare visitants. The mallard, blue-winged teal 

 and gadwall breed in the lake region of Nebraska. The 

 common teal which I saw was a straggler on the lake 

 near Greeley, Colorado, and the harlequin duck came 

 from the same locality. On these eastern Colorado ponds 

 ducks feed principally on a species of utricularia, Den- 

 ver sportsmen report very poor duck shooting this fall, 

 and claim that the flight went east of the State. This 

 accounts for the excellent shooting in Nebraska. The 

 Colorado waters have been visited by more than the usual 

 number of redheads and canvasbacks, but by very few 

 teal and mallards; while in Nebraska the reverse has 

 been true. 



The goose flight has been very light; so light, in fact, 

 that I think they must all have gone over in the night. 

 One small flock of Canadas made a long stay this fall, 

 but it sailed southward on Dec, 21. This scarcity of 

 geese has been noted throughout the entire region west 

 of the Missouri. 



Our jacksnipe is a variable quantity. This season he 

 has done remarkably well, but he may disappoint all our 

 hopes for 1890. I have often wondered at the absence of 

 snipe from pools and marshes that seem especially de- 

 signed for them. It seems as though this soil, sandy and 

 somewhat alkaline, is not a congenial home for the worms 

 upon which the jacksnipe thrive. But let the soil about 

 some pool be cultivated for a year or two, or let cattle 

 frequent the spot and by their droppings change the 

 character of the soil, not only are jacksnipe to be found, 

 but dowitchers, sandpipers, yellowlegs and plover3make 

 it their stamping ground. 



The sanderling, shot in September, is a very rare visitor. 

 So is the mountain plover, which I obtained in August on 

 the upper Wood River. Nebraska. 



Sharp-tailed grouse (the prairie variety) are becoming 

 yearly more scarce. Except in very cold weather they 

 do not come into the settled portions of the State. At 

 present they are found in the northern and western coun- 

 ties of the State and in adjacent counties of Dakota and 

 Wyoming. The mourning dove here, as throughout the 

 entire West, is regarded as a game bird. July is the 

 month for it, and from its ubiquitous habits it is found 

 not only in the timber but by roadsides, in sunflower 

 patches and wherever a pool or brook affords an oppor- 

 tunity for a bath. 



1 have not mentioned the meadow lark, which here is 

 the principal ingredient of summer pot-pies. I cannot 

 look upon it as a game bird, but it is the target upon 

 which every small boy tries his gun, and it is shot at all 

 seasons of the year. It is an outrage that men who call 

 themselves sportsmen allow this wanton butchery of 

 small birds, but until there is a radical change in public 

 sentiment such a state of affairs cannot be prevented. 



