Jan. 23, 1890.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



which he took to be a deer. He made a successful shot. 

 It proved to be a panther. Immediately another and 

 larger one rose up near by, and with a fierce growl 

 started toward the herder. The first shot at this one 

 wounded him, and having to climb a small bluff, a few 

 well-directed shots rapidly fired put a quietus on the 

 large male. The shepherd received a bounty of §20 for 

 his few minutes' work. 



Several varieties of the cat species flourish herein great 

 numbers. Few of the carnivorous animals are kdled 

 here except by poison. A few hunters poison wolves for 

 then- pelts and the bounties. These are being quite suc- 

 cessful, as the large areas around their camps covered 

 with stretched and drying pelts attest. Fox carcasses are 

 seen at almost every camp. They are not taken with 

 hounds, but are shot 'as hunters pass about in still hunts. 

 More of these probably are slain in a day here, in this 

 dull and unexciting way than would suffice to furnish 

 sport for a large club in the North for a whole season. A 

 neighbor a few days since saw two panthers and killed 

 three deer in going four or five miles. Next day, as he 

 went back to bring in his deer he killed another. He was 

 not out specially hunting, either. 



Game, however, is becoming scarce, compared to what 

 it was. The wild turkey gobbler which we had for 

 Christmas weighed 151bs. when dressed. Stockman. 



SEEN IN MEXICO. 



THERE are so many queer things in this odd country 

 that one scarcely knows where to commence to 

 write about the strange sights that are to be seen on all 

 sides. Let me tell you about one that met my eyes 

 yesterday morning on my way to the Mexican Central 

 Railway station — a group of three Mexican sportsmen 

 fully equipped for the field. My Yankee curiosity was 

 excited and I followed them at a distance. If they had 

 just stepped out of a dime museum they could not have 

 looked funnier. One of them was armed with some 

 kind of a German or French arm of about 24-gauge, 4ft. 

 barrel, muzzleloading shotgun, with all the straps and 

 gew-gaws that belong to that impractical style of arm. 

 His companion followed with a 251bs. German tar- 

 get rifle, which I should judge was quite a fine weapon 

 to shoot at a target with from a rest, or at a soldier a 

 mile distant from a rifle-pit, but rather a clumsy weapon 

 for small game, or a jack rabbit on the run. This gentle- 

 man was followed by still another who carried an old 

 Spanish firelock that must have come over with Cortez 

 and been changed into a percussion gun by some native 

 artist whose name has been lost to fame. These gentry 

 were accompanied by several curs of evidently no pedi- 

 gree. Each sported an impracticable game-bag of the 

 English store pattern, and out of date twenty years ago. 

 These were all immaculate and evidently of recent 

 purchase. Their martial tread resounded through the 

 street as they made their way to the station and to the 

 field of bloodand carnage upon which they were evidently 

 bent. They looked like veritable disciples of Don Quixote, 

 following in his very footsteps. It must not be thought 

 however from the above sketch that there are no sports- 

 men in Mexico, for there are keen shots here as in all 

 other parts of the world, and many Mexican gentlemen 

 are fitted out with all sorts of modern arms and accoutre- 

 ments: but the every day native is about 200 years behind 

 the time. 



The country abounds in game, and yesterday my son 

 and myself bagged 22 English snipe just inside the city 

 limits, on the road to Guadalupe, in less than two hours; 

 and this to, mind you, in the tail end of the season, which 

 is virtually considered over. The birds are found on 

 vast level prairies that are covered with a short stubby 

 grass and an inch or so of water; at this late season it is 

 but just to state that they do not lie well but get up 

 rather wild, on the other hand they are very fat and go 

 straight away and make an easy shot, and there is 

 nothing to obstruct the view in shooting. There is also 

 here in the neighborhood most excellent duck shooting, 

 such as any sportsman might desire to enjoy, and there 

 is game of all sorts from one end of the Republic to the 

 other, along the line of the Mexican Central Railway 

 from El Paso, Texas, to the city of Mexico; and one can 

 get off at the thousand and one points under the advice 

 of the conductor, and enjoy royal sport. And as for the 

 weather, how is one to describe it? Possibly I can do so 

 best by simply saying that after my return from snipe 

 shooting the other day I was able to go to the grand 

 open bath tank in this city and plunge in, the same as 

 if it had been July 4 instead of January 6. All tourists 

 bound for this lovely climate, where the tempreture 

 does not change 20 degrees during the year, should 

 bring their shooting-irons with them, which will be 

 passed through the Customs with their other personal 

 effects, free. At another time I will give you more news 

 of this very strange and interesting country. Fusil. 



AN ESKIMO RELOADING TOOL. 



RIFLES AND DEER HUNTING. 



BEEVILLE, Bee County, Tex., Jan. 10.— Speaking of 

 rifles and the different calibers used, there is here, 

 as elsewhere, a great diversity of opinion as to the kind 

 of arms to use in order to accomplish the best results in 

 killing large game. I believe the general favorite is a 

 caliber varying from .44 to .50. But after several years' ex- 

 perience the writer has concluded that for an all-around 

 arm the .32 or .38 caliber is most preferable. I have 

 killed deer all the way from 50 to 250yds. with the .32cal. 

 Winchester rifle, and just as often dropped them in theii 

 tracks as with a more powerful arm. Unless the vital 

 part is reached the game more frequently escapes any- 

 way. There is one thing, though, to which I am partial 

 and much attached, and that is my Lyman sights, which 

 are far superior to the ordinary peep sights. 



Although it is somewhat uncommon to make double 

 shots at large game down in this neck of the world , 

 especially of the fowl family, with the rifle, I was much 

 surprised recently by having brought down three large 

 sandhill cranes at one shot with my little .32; and having 

 never heard of an instance which paralleled it, I would 

 be pleased to have some older Nimrod rise and give in his 

 experience. 



My friend F., living in Beeville, shot a large doe about 

 a year ago, which had three distinct horns, two of them 

 projecting from the same side of the head, all having 

 several prongs, which I think is a freak of nature with- 

 out a parallel. T. J. S. 



AN ESKIMO RELOADING TOOL. 



MR. T. S. O'LEARY, of the TJ. S. Hydographic Office, 

 brought down with him from Hotham Inlet, in 

 northern Alaska, a unique contrivance, made by a native, 

 for reloading Winchester rifle shells. From the accom- 

 panying figure it will be evident that the common re- 

 loading implements carried north by white traders have 

 given "points" to the Eskimo; but he has ingeniously 

 combined all the details and laboriously worked them 

 out in walrus ivory. It is interesting to note how the 

 natural deficiencies of the tusk are overcome by splicing. 



The materials used in this reloader are four pieces of 

 ivory, a brass rivet, parts of two empty brass shells, an 

 iron pin for the head of the decapper and a seal-skin 

 thong for lashing the two parts of the. decapper together. 



Near the middle of the base of the implement there is 

 a circular hole about two inches deep and of the right 

 diameter to admit a shell of about caliber .40. This hole 

 extends almost through both pieces forming the base and 

 is continued bv a smaller hole of sufficient diameter to 

 allow the passage of a primer. The arm has a depression 

 deep enough to admit the iron point of the decapper and 

 small enough to arrest and support the end of the loading 

 peg. The loader and decapper is about two inches long, 

 and has in one end a small iron pin about one-fourth of 

 an inch in length. About two inches from the free end 

 of the base a hole is bored and in it is inserted, for a 

 lining, a brass shell which has all of the head except the 

 rim smoothly filed away. In the arm, directly opposite, 

 a round ivory peg is set, to serve as a recapper. The 

 handle where it joins the straight portion of the arm 

 contains a piece of a shell about fin. long, with its head 

 all filed away except the rim, fitting into a conical 

 depression of proper size to receive a bullet. Opposed 

 to this on the base is a slot to admit the head of a shell 

 when applying pressure to force home a bullet. Where 

 the free ends of the arm and base come together the arm 

 has a guiding- peg fitted into a cavity in the base. 



The two parts of the base are securely lashed together 

 bv means of a seal-skin thong, which is passed through 

 two holes in each part four times and two turns finally 

 taken around each lashing. The handle contains two 

 Eskimo faces close together and chin to chin, each pierced 

 for two labrets. On the free end of the base a third face 

 is carved, apparently a woman's face and with no indi- 

 cation of labrets or other ornaments. 



The inner surface of the base contains a rude figure of 

 a fox. The inside of the arm has a very poor hair seal. 

 The top surface of the arm bears figures of three male 

 and one female caribou and of a dancing Eskimo. On 

 the side of the base not shown in the drawing are caribou. 

 The story told on the surface taken for our illustration is 

 pretty clear— a hunter on snowshoes following a caribou, 

 while his dog team comes along in his wake. At the 

 right a net stretched in the runway of a caribou has 

 ensnared one of those animals and the hunter has appar- 

 ently left his bidarka and assumed an ungraceful, but 

 probably effective attitude for increasing his cache of 

 reindeer meat. The double bladed paddle would furnish 

 a clue to the northern origin of this implement, as it is 

 rarely found south of the Norton Sound region. We can- 

 not interpret the presence of the sandhill crane behind the 

 sledge and doubt whether the artist could do any better. 

 The profuse ornamentation by means of concentric circles 

 is characteristic and yet no one appears to have learned 

 by observation how it is done. Mr. W, L. Howard, of the 

 U. S. Navy, who has traveled extensively among the 

 Eskimo of Northern Alaska, and who visited Hotham 

 Inlet last summer, does not attach much importance to 

 the picture writing of these people. One of his inter- 

 preters would carve anything that he thought would 

 excite the admiration of the white people whether or not 

 the subjects had any relation to his personal experience, 

 I have also seen Eskimo artists produce old curiosities 

 from perfectly new materials in a single night. 



The reloading implement is about 9in. long. It is 

 substantially made and is admirably adapted to the pur- 

 pose for which it was intended. As far as we know it is a 

 unique product of Eskimo skill and patience. 



T. H. Bean. 



Rock Hill, S. C, Jan. 15.— I spent over two months 

 of last winter here, was charmed, and this season I have 

 been here for some time and again am delighted, both 

 with the town, community, shooting and hotel accommo- 

 dations. I find quail quite'plentif ul (10 to 15 coveys a day) 

 and large and plump. Claiming none of the proclivities 

 of "the hog." I mention this that other sporting brethren 

 may have a chance. — E. M. 



The "Perfect" Pocket Oiler is a handy little contrivance, made 

 with special reference to the uses of sportsmen. It can be carried 

 in the vest pocket, and is neatly finished in nickel. See advt. of 

 Cushman & Denison in another column.— Adv. 



DUCKING ON GREAT SOUTH BAY. 



IT was about 5 o'clock on a bleak afternoon in Novem- 

 ber, as the Professor and Sport, with their guns and 

 gripsacks, alighted from the train at Babylon, anticipat- 

 ing a pleasant day's outing for the morrow. Entering a 

 stage they were at once driven to the dock, where Bill, 

 skipper of the Leona, and his man Friday, were 

 found awaiting them. 



The boat, a cat-rigged craft of 30ft., lay at the dock, 

 and smoke issuing from the funnel of the cook stove 

 suggested possibilities of supper, which on investigation 

 were amply realized. 



Bill suggested that the weather being a trifle wild, it 

 would be pleasanter to spend the night at the dock, but 

 public opinion being strongly against this, all hands pro- 

 ceded to make sail for the ducking grounds, which 

 were quickly reached after a fifteen minute sail over the 

 moonlit waters of the Bay, and soon the ticking of the 

 clock and the whistling of the wind— which was now 

 blowing half a gale — were the only sounds heard . 



It seemed but a few moments before the sleepers were 

 shaken in their blankets and told that breakfast was 

 ready, and that it was time to turn out, the hands of the 

 clock marking the hour of five. 



But the day was dawning bleak and cold, and the high 

 wind continuing, a consultation was held and it was 

 decided to "fix out" the battery and decoys in the lee of 

 a friendly reef, this being the only place where the bat- 

 tery could be expected to remain without swamping. 



After a few moments of waiting by the gunners in the 

 battery, a rustle of wings is heard and a bunch of broad- 

 bills appear out of the semi-darkness; and swinging into 

 the decoys, are met with a broadside; and leave three of 

 their number dead in the water, while the fourth — a 

 cripple— makes desperate efforts to swim out of range. A 

 confiding redhead, which lights and swims among the 

 decoys, is the next victim, followed by a sheldrake, 

 which discovering his error as he supposes in time to es- 

 cape, towers in the air and is off down wind; but the 

 chokebored barrel of the "apple-stock" covers him and 

 he doubles up and drops in the water, fully 75yds. away. 



Again a short wait and a larger flock of broadbills 

 come toward the decoys and four float in the direction of 

 the Leona — now half a mile to leeward — and soon we' 

 have the satisfaction of seeing Friday reaching for them 

 with the scoop-net. 



Another interval and more birds come in, and when we 

 again look for the Leona, we find that she is cruising 

 about a mile to windward of us. 



But the wind, which had lately moderated, has again 

 risen and the short and choppy waves are beginning to 

 wash in over the low sides of' the battery — creating a 

 doubt in our minds as to how long we shall remain 

 afloat — so we rise to the occasion and laying aside the 

 guns, trim our craft to best advantage and stand by with 

 the bailers and look anxiously for the boat which has 

 now squared away for us and is running very fast under 

 a four-reefed mainsail before a smart snow squall. 



A few moments of anxiety, during which, however, we 

 appreciate the wintery picture presented to us and the 

 fine effect of the houses and boats at Babylon, reflected 

 against the dark gray background of the on-coming snow 

 squall, before the Leona is within hailing distance and 

 our rescue is effected by Bill in the skiff, just in time to 

 save us from an ice cold bath. 



The cabin stove looks tempting, but we tear ourselves 

 away from it to inspect the dead, which are displayed on 

 deck to the number of twenty, and we again seek the 

 stove, satisfied with our morning's work, although with 

 more favorable weather the bag might easily have been 

 doubled. Dinner and a "siesta," and as we smoke our 

 local "Perfectos" we listen dreamily to the yarns of Bill 

 and Friday about former ducking exploits. B. 



The Central New York Game and Fish Protective 

 Association was formed at Auburn Jan. 14, with W. L. 

 Gavitt as President, E. N. Bostwick and Chas. A. Ban- 

 nister Vice-Presidents, and Jasper Hammond Secretary 

 and Treasurer. The society will meet annually on the 

 second Wednesday of January. A number of amend- 

 ments urged to the game law were adopted. Messrs. 

 Kinney of Ithaca, Stebbins of Oswego, Jas. F. Lawrence 

 of Seneca Falls, and Gavitt of Lyons, were appointed a 

 committee to send in names for membership. The pur- 

 pose of the movement is to provide for conferences of 

 sportsmen to discuss game and fish legislation; and a 

 letter from Gen. R. U. Sherman was read, commend- 

 ing the society and its object. 



Names and Portraits of Birds, by Gurdon Trumoun. A 

 book particularly interesting to gunners, for by its use they can 

 identify without question all the American game birds which 

 tney may kill. Oloth, 220 pages, price $2.50. For sale by Forest 

 AMD Stream. 



