146 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



tivkxKOH 1&, im. 



STOCKING MASSACHUSETTS COVERS. 



THE efforts of the Massachusetts Fish and Game 

 Protective Association toward restocking the State 

 with game birds are meeting with considerable deserved 

 encouragement. The attention of sportsmen in nearly- 

 all parts of the State has been called to the objects of the 

 Association in a very favorable manner, by what they 

 are trying to do, and their work now appears in a light 

 more favorable than it could have been put by any other 

 arrangement. Even the Park Commissioners, or those 

 in care of the new city park at "West Roxbury, have 

 applied to the committee of the Association having the 

 distribution of birds in charge, for quail with which to 

 stock the groves of the Park. Their object, they say, 

 is that the men, women and children of Boston shall 

 have a chance to see these beautiful birds, and hear their 

 merry Bob White in the summer time. The committee 

 will probably grant this request, being well aware that 

 the birds will naturally drift out of the park and escape 

 in the woods near at hand. But all the same they are 

 willing that the Park Commissioners shall have a chance 

 to try the birds; they promising all possible protection. 

 The committee most fears the depredations of cats, but 

 once enlist the boys in favor of the quail, and the cat's 

 will be invited to summarily leave the park on every 

 occasion. Gun clubs from all over the State are asking 

 the committee for quail and other game birds to put out, 

 and the best feature of all is that these club members 

 are constituting themselves into game protectors in a 

 manner that is very pleasing to the Association. The 

 clubs promise the best of protection to the quail, and they 

 will also ask the Legislature f or more stringent legislation 

 for the better protection of the birds. Men and boys that 

 have "'kicked'' against game legislation heretofore, are 

 now, in numerous instances, coming to the committee 

 and declaring themselves in favor of stringent protection, 

 and promising everything that could be asked, provided 

 their favorite localities may be restocked. That form of 

 the statute which permits of the shooting of woodcock 

 during August and early September, while partridge and 

 quail are still in the midst of the close season, these 

 gunners will themselves ask to have changed, making a 

 general open season on all game birds, and putting it as 

 late as necessary. They will ask this for the reason tint 

 the quail, in which they have begun to take so great an 

 interest, would not be safe, were the woodcock gunners 

 permitted to be abroad while the partridge and quail are 

 yet in their infancy. The Dedham Gun Club is among the 

 foremost and the* most earnest for restocking, and the 

 committee of the Association will doubtless supply the 

 club with birds. The leaders of the club, in the move- 

 ment, also promise to sow grain for the quail to feed 

 upon and to scatter it in winter for their sustenance. 



By the way, a little involuntary stocking with quail has 

 lately happened in Vernon, Vt. Mr. J. O. Frost, a 

 wealthy and genial gentleman, in the flour trade of Bos- 

 ton, owns a farm at South Vernon, in which he takes 

 great comfort. He is a lover of fancy stock, pigs and 

 sheep, while poultry and birds are a great delight to him. 

 Recently he procured some 30 quail from Tennesee, at a 

 considerable cost, with a Nuew of keeping them iu a large 

 inclosure on his estate. The birds came in good order, 

 and were put into a big barn chamber, till spring, when 

 better quarters could be prepared for them. By some 

 accident the window of the chamber got broken and 

 before the attendants of the farm were aware of it, every 

 bird had escaped, Mr. Frost was rather inclined to laugh 

 at his in voluntary restocking, and since the weather was 

 then very mild for February, with the ground entirely 

 bare, he calculated that every quail would survive. He 

 immediately laid in with the boys of the vicinity to 

 scatter grain about, and the chances of the birds were 

 good till the recent very heavy fall of snow, accompanied 

 with cold weather. At first the birds were frequently 

 seen and their whistling was heard in the trees, but 

 since the snow they have not been heard from. 



Special. 



THE WINTER AND THE GAME. 



THE present winter is a terror to game in the State of 

 . Washington. Ordinarily our snowstorms alternate 

 with Chinook winds, which, tend to lower and harden the 

 snow, and to remove it altogether from, the southwestern 

 slopes of the mountains and the higher hills. During the 

 present winter, however, the snow has accumulated until 

 a depth of 3ft. has been attained, and this, breathed upon 

 by a very mild chinook, was crusted just enough to im- 

 pede and annoy the deer, while at the same time furnish- 

 ing a splendid bridge for the coyotes, and for weeks the 

 deer were completely at their mercy. The prospect for 

 a full crop of fat wolves in our mountains during the 

 coming year appears bright. 



The first morning after the formation of the crust, as 

 fresh meat was being clamored for from the kitchen, I 

 strapped on the big snowshoes, and after a hard struggle 

 climbed up the timbered foothill a mile to the westward, 

 and at last jumped a fine buck. He bounded bravely off 

 out of sight in the bushes, and I followed slowly along 

 his trail, occasionally crashing through the thin crust 

 and pitching headlong in the snow, and my progress was 

 necessarily slow. Before he had gone half a mile he was 

 completely exhausted, and I overtook him easily. In all 

 my hunting experience I have never before seen a deer so 

 helpless. For weeks afterward the coyotes held high 

 carnival. 



A neighbor, while driving along a mountain road near 

 here, heard the barking of dogs in a thicket, and leaving 

 his team he rushed in among the bushes and found a pair 

 of stray dogs which had overtaken a band of seven deer, 

 and had already stretched three of the hapless animals 

 dead upon the snow before the deliverer reached the 

 scene. Venison will scarcely be a drug in ottr markets 

 during the coming year. 



And such weather as we have had. Blustering old 

 Boreas, having long since driven the gentle Chinook 

 across the mountains and back to her cradle upon the 

 heaving bosom of the Pacific, has in her absence ruled 

 with a rod of iron. And when some days since she 

 crept timidly back, and, peeping over the crest of the 

 Cascades, gently blew a forgiving kiss in the direction 

 of the incorrigible old wretch, he in return showed his 

 teeth (a full set by the way and in an excellent state of 

 preservation), and. the gentle creature has not since dared 

 to breathe a promise of her return. Her time, however, 

 is near at hand, when we hope to see her streaming hah" 

 in the filmy moisture, laden clouds floating up from the 



great ocean, when the warm welcome of her breath will 

 be felt upon every cheek, and when the voice of her 

 cheery coming will rustle the swelling buds overhanging 

 the mountain streams. Own Belknap. 



Thetis, ■Washington. 



Editor Forest and Stream: . 



On the morning of Feb. 25, I was fox hunting in the 

 Sagamore Hills near this place. It was hardly daylight, 

 my dog had taken a trail and gone off at a pace that soon 

 promised a start. While hurrying across the hills to a 

 distant runway, I passed through a rough piece of ground 

 covered with broken boulders and stones, and coming to 

 a springy place among tall grass and bushes, something 

 sprang up in the darkness and the scaipe, scaipe of a 

 snipe came to my astonished ears. I afterward visited 

 the place and saw unmistakable signs of his snipeship. 

 The weather was freezing cold and the ground covered 

 with snow at the time. J. E. Fuller. 



Essex, Massachusetts. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



As far as I can learn from questioning the farmers, 

 game has wintered well, but from the hints occasionally 

 given I think that shooting has been kept up in and ovit 

 of season, regardless of game laws or good common sense. 

 Kill all you can the year around seems to be the prevail- 

 ing motto among the farmer boys back in the hills, with 

 no care of the niorrow or seasons to come. They will 

 discover their error, but too late, when the covers con- 

 tain no game and their sport, as well as that of many 

 others, is gone never to return, except by restockiug. 



W. F. Dtttrich. 



TOWANDA, Pa., March 13. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The ducks and geese are still with us, though spring is 

 evidently approaching. I have been told by a good many 

 that they pass the summer here. This must certainly be 

 a mistake. The sun is getting decidedly tropical and 

 makes an outing rather uncomfortable. Still I hope to 

 have a parting fling at the webfeet some of these days. 

 The other kuids of game are not very well represented 

 around here. We have a quail, fairly abundant in some 

 places, which seems to have got its characteristics 

 mixed with those of the ostrich tribe. He is a ready and 

 desperate ruuner, and will not fly if he can help it. I can 

 shoot him on the ground with the best conscience of any 

 game bird I know. There are plenty of rabbits— hares, 

 of course — but one soon tires of exposing himself to the 

 hot sun for such game. Aztec. 



Mexico, Feb. 35. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The aggregate snowfall for the winter has not exceeded 

 one foot in depth. December and January were virtu- 

 ally without snow, and the total fall for February was 

 only six inches, divided with several different periods of 

 time, each fall remaining but two or three days. 



Tire rainfall has been reduced to away below the aver- 

 age, and a majority of the days of each month were warm 

 and pleasant. 



Of course all this is favorable to the game, which ap- 

 pears to be flourishing. The great numbers of quail and 

 chicken went into the winter in first-class order; the 

 autumn was warm and bright, and food for them has 

 been abuudant in all the fields, as there is much corn 

 left, owing to the stock law T which restrains swine. 



Hunting has been only slightly indulged in and this to- 

 gether with the almost total absence of snow, will enable 

 the majority of quail and chicken to survive the winter, 

 thus promising another year of numerous multitudes of 

 these splendid game birds. 



Scarcely a week has passed but what I have observed 

 great flocks of mallards, sprigtails, canvasbacks aud 

 other species of ducks: and so numerous have they been, 

 that they remind me of the time ten years or more ago, 

 when this great valley was the home and feeding ground 

 of millions of waterfowl during a greater part of the 

 year. 



Geese are plentiful, and are so fat that if one is shot on 

 the wing it will burst when it strikes the ground. In- 

 deed, I have not seen within a period of ten or more 

 years so many geese. Here in the first week of this 

 month flocks of them, often numbering 150 to 200, are 

 quietly feeding on the broad fields of wheat, and are sel- 

 dom disturbed by sportsmen. Bluebirds have been with 

 us all winter, and robins returned to their northern 

 homes along early in February. A meadow lark appeared 

 here on Feb. IT, which is the earliest I have ever noticed 

 them here. Out in the pines of our house two beautiful 

 redbirds, with their proud and dignified uniforms and 

 their clear voices, are celebrating the bright day. 

 AJjExaxdeia, Mo. J ASPER BLINES. 



"Old Betsey" Aoain. — Since the old musket has "got 

 into the papers," perhaps a little history is not out of 

 place. An older brother writes me as follows: "Your 

 experience with the old musket, as related in Forest 

 and Stream, amused me. Perhaps you do not know the 

 history of that old gun. In the fall of 1864 ('Aztec' was 

 only three years old then), a company of Confederates 

 making their way back south after Price's raid through 

 Missouri, passed grandfather's one night and called for a 

 guide around Ebenezer (a village about ten miles away), 

 as some militia were stationed there. Jimmie Lusk — a 

 boy then about fifteen years old — went with them, and 

 on his way back next day found the old musket which 

 one of the tired and sleepy soldiers had dropped. So it 

 is a Confederate relic." — Aztec (Mexico). 



West Virginia has an abundance of quail and pheas- 

 ants or ruffed grouse, the most noble birds that fly. With 

 my pointer dog Dash and my Laverack dog Bob, I 

 managed to bag 52S quail and something over one hun- 

 dred rabbits during the hunting season. We have some 

 gray snipes in spring aud a few woodcock, but they do 

 not stay long with us: they are like the ducks — we only 

 get those that are starved out on their flight and have to 

 stop to feed. We have deer, bear and turkey that don't 

 often starve out in this part, and we get a few of them 

 in season, more deer than turkeys. We get those fellows 

 in the Allegheny and Eupine Mountains, some 120 miles 

 from this place or about five hours' ride on the C. & O.— 

 W. Va. Dick, 



Quail in the Northwest Territories. — London, Ont. | 

 — Editor Forest and Stream: A friend in Calgarv. 

 Northwest Territories, writes me as follows: "We have • 

 formed a rod and gun club here, with the objects at. 

 present of protecting fish and game and introducing 

 quail. Regarding the latter we have written to several . 

 parties in the United States who advertise quail for sale, 

 but they seem to be out of them. Do you think we could 

 get any from Ontario? The Northern birds, we think, 

 would be the best, perhaps the only ones that would be- 

 come acclimatized. Or do you know of any one I could 

 correspond with about the matter ? Our membership is 

 increasing rapidly, and we expect to influence the North- 

 west Assembly strongly to pass laws that we want. 

 Macleod has organized, and several other places are fall- 

 ing in line. Weather very beastly, 38° below last night 

 and 16° below at noon. I think it will touch 50° below 

 to-night. Any quantity of snow— W. H. H." I do not 

 know of any one in Ontario who could be relied on to 1 

 supply the birds, but even supposing a number to 

 have been captured and the long journey to have been 

 successful, I have grave doubts of their living through 

 the winter in that part of the country, where there is so . 

 little cover. Of course the present winter has been 

 rather more severe than usual in some parts of the West. 

 I should think that birds could be procured from some 

 nearer point than this to Calgary, I mean in the western 

 United States, as I do not think there are any quail 1 

 northwest of British North America. I have been for- 

 warding my Forest and Stream to Calgary for some 

 years, and I hope it may have been the cause of this \ 

 game protection movement. I woidd be obliged for any 

 advice you would be kind enough to give.— R. G. M. [If 

 birds could be obtained from Nebraska or southern Da- 

 kota, they would probably be better than those from 

 further east or south. At the same time we think it 

 doubtful if quail would do well as far north as Calgary. 

 Besides the danger from the winter, they would probabiy 

 find food hard to obtain, since Calgary is situated in a 

 region devoted to cattle rather than to grain growing. ! 

 Even in the great wheat-growing section of Dakota we 

 do not know that quail are found, though they do occur . 

 in the Missouri Valley as far up as White River. Quail 

 have been introduced near Salt Lake City, and we believe 

 near Helena, Mont. We do not know definitely with 

 what results in either place. If they will do well at i 

 Helena they might be tried at Calgary, though the food 

 question would still remain an open one.] 



The Goose "Hollered."— Towanda, Pa., March 8.— 

 Four sportsmen from Sayre, Pa., floated to this place in | 

 one boat by river, a distance of sixteen miles, wildfowl . 

 shooting on Wednesday last. Their bag on arrival here j 

 consisted of four ducks. Reported seeing quite a num- 

 ber. A big goose was jumped out of some willows, eight 

 barrels responding to its appearance. Although they 

 claimed it "squeaked" at every 6hot it continued on its > 

 migratory flignt. Sam Butler claimed it "hollered the i 

 loudest" at the report of his gun. — W. F. D. 



Saratoga, N. Y. — I am busy with the co-operation of \ 

 Armstrong our game warden in organizing and perfect- 

 ing a game and fish protective association. We have a j 

 good start, and I hope the trout streams, lake and the 

 fields will be well protected. We are going to plant i 

 numerous pairs of quail soon, and I am going to start my , 

 wild rice in pots very soon. We planted about olbs. last i 

 fall. Things as regards sporting are generally on the 

 boom.— Buck. 



THAT NORTH CAROLINA TRIP. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In the last number of FOB est and Stream, "P. K."— who ap- 

 pears to be the "Shelly" of my recent article on "A Quail Hunt in 

 North Carolina 1 '— accuses the writer of "perverting facts." An 

 examination of the article in question will show that the. writer 

 only claims to have found six frill coveys aud some scattered 

 birds in the day's hunt. As a matter of fact, in one day's shoot- 

 ing over the same ground precisely, he and his friend Ed, hunting 

 with the two dogs, found ten full coveys. The six coveys referred 

 to should (and did) averase at lease fifteen birds apiece, a total of 

 nearly one hundred quail, and thirty-seven is not at all a large 

 bag to make under the circumstances related in the article. Cer- 

 tainly it is no more remarkable a feat than the bagging of over 

 fifty birds in three hours, referred to by the conscientious and 

 truthful "P. K." 



The reference made by the supposed "Mr. Shelley" to "Mrs. 

 Alice" is extremely unkind. The lady referred to, a most esti- 

 mable lady, has been compelled to take boarders to support her- 

 self and family, and being iu the midst of a shooting country, has 

 advertised in the spirting press. The remark of "P. K." concern- 

 ing this lady is totally uncalled for, and inasmuch as it may tend 

 to create an entirely false impression in the minds of bis readers 

 with regard to herself and her surroundings, has a direct tend- 

 ency to prevent many who might otherwise wish to do so from 

 availing themselves of her advertised offer. Besides that, "P .K." 

 does not claim, nor does it anywhere appear to he a fact, thai 

 "Mrs. Alice" was in any way responsible for the statements which 

 appeared in a Western paper concerning the wonderful quantity 

 and variety of game on her plantation; nevertheless, the writer's 

 experience on this subject was quite different from "P. K.'s " tor 

 whilegame was not quite so thick as he hoped to find it, still he 

 found six or seven coveys in a day, and all within a mile of "Mrs. 

 Alice's" house. 



As to "P. K.'s" account of his experience with Mr. She mil, we 

 have only this to say— that his statement is entirely different 

 from that which his two companions of the occasion referred to 

 and Mr. Sherral himself gave us, and was such that we. deemed it 

 better for "P, K.'s" reputation that it be omitted from our article. 

 We assure "P. K.," however, that in what was said about his little 

 difficulty with Sherral, there was no intention of reopening old 

 sores. H. W. K. 



SPORTSMEN'S JACKETS. 



WITH a shoulder black and blue from the thumping of a gun 

 used at a tournament in this vicinity, about ISO cartridges 

 being fired, the writer rises for some sympathy aTid perhaps a 

 suggestion which shall hereafter preven t the occurrence of such 

 a mauling. My gun is 7?41bs. and carefully made in way of 

 measurements, to fit the physique of the owner. Usual charge 

 for game aud trap-shooting 3%drs. of Oriental wing-shot No. 3 

 powder, lhSoz. No. 8 chilled shot, two"black-edgc wads and a card 

 over powder, one card over shot and shell crimped neatly. 



It is rarely with this load and gun or any other gun I have ever 

 shot, that my shoulder has not suffered considerably, lessin sum- 

 mer, however, than in fall and winter, when clothing is of neces- 

 sity thicker and more of it. It suddenly struck me the other day 

 that it was the fault of my jacket rather than of the gun, and if 

 any brother sportsman who has been in the same predicament 

 and found a remedy, will publish it, I lor one would ttiank him 

 kindly. My last heavy jacket was the pride of my heart, made 

 of a beautiful piece of corduroy, double-breasted, and lined with 

 cassimere; best of all. it fit; but alas! that same fit hrought the 

 butt of the gun just where it ought not to be, and the result was 

 a landscape in black, blue and green. 



When one is hunting, recoil is not noticed so much, but it is 

 there just the same, and is felt at night, due, I believe, to the im- 

 proper fitting of clothing, both underwear and outside, more par- 

 ticularly the jacket, and I question whether there is to-day a 

 jacket made in America which takes into consideration the anat- 

 omy of the man it. covers. The tailor who brings out the pattern 

 whiob shall permjt the most perfect freedom yt movement, and 



