124 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Maeoh 5, 1891. 



EXPERIENCE WITH RATTLESNAKES. 



WHEN I first went West, in '76, rattlers were very- 

 plenty during tlie siitnmer months in certain pai-ts 

 of Montana, much too plenty tor pleasure for one whom 

 business, riding the range, constantly brought him in con- 

 tact with tliem. My sheep herders would kiJl as many as 

 two and three, and often more, rattlesnakes a day. 



So plenty were they that the sheep were constatxtly 

 being bitten by them, and although an old sheep would, 

 if possible, steer clear of a snake, the curiosity of the 

 lambs would lead them to investigate any peculiar mov- 

 ing object, and ijroceediug to walk up and smell a snake 

 they were usually bitten. 



The herders would carry a little paper of cooking soda 

 or a small vial of stronger water of ammonia in their 

 pockets for tise when necessary. The sheep would invari- 

 ably be bitten on some part of the head or under the jaw. 

 When first noticed the herder would catch the sheep, 

 lance the bitten place in several places with his pen knife 

 and squeeze out the poisonous water, rubbing the soda or 

 ammonia into the cuts and all around the part bitten. If 

 bitten in a vein the poison seemed to circulate so quickly 

 through the system that death soon followed. If bitten 

 elsewhere, and immediately doctored, the evil effects were 

 generally of not much consequence and the sheep was 

 all right again in a few daj«. I have seen sheep which 

 had been bitten in the heaid, and for which nothing was 

 done, swell fearfully, and finally the hair and wool would 

 come off of the head, and by degrees they would get well. 

 One day a fine mare was bitten in the jaw, and a horse, 

 used on a mowing machine, was bitten in the leg. Soda 

 was the only remedy used in each case, and they soon 

 recovered. 



My herder was once using a collie pup of which he was 

 very proud. He sent it around tlie sheep, whensuddenly 

 it jumped to one side and began to cry, and came back 

 to him; he thinking she had stepped on a prickly pear 

 was examining her foot, when he saw she had been 

 snake-bitten and was fast swelling. He was near a 

 spring, and taking off his drawers he tied a string around 

 the lower end of one leg and partly filled the sack thus 

 formed with soft mud. In this sack of mud he placed 

 the dog, and carried her with him all day, renewing the 

 mud as opportunity offered. At night when he reached 

 camp he blistered the dog's leg with turpentine, but the 

 poor thing seemed to suffer so from it that he washed the 

 turpentine off and used soda water. The next day the 

 dog was able to follow him, and in a few days was as 

 well as ever. I once cured a sheep bitten by a rattler, by 

 lancing it and using turpentine externally. Next day 

 the sheep was all right. 



A friend of mine.an old kunter,had been shooting prairie 

 dogs, on which there was a bounty of 10 cents per head 

 In making his morning round he would ])ile up the dogs 

 he had killed in one place, go on to another pla,ce and 

 make another pile, and so on till he was ready to return, 

 when he would skin each dog and take the skin to camp. 

 A rattler was concealed beneath one heap of dogs, and 

 as tbe hunter was pulling out a dog the snake bit him on 

 the arm twice. He at once hastened toward camp, a 

 mile distant, having [previously taken the precaution to 

 bind his handkerchief above the place bitten and around 

 his arm, and twisting it as tightly as possible Avith his 

 rifle rod. He was quite sick before reaching camp, so 

 that he was obliged to rest several times. In his tent he 

 always kept a cure for snake bites in a demijohn, which, 

 although often indulged in as a preventive, was never 

 allowed to go dry. On arrival, for once in his life he 

 really had a good excuse for getting drunk, and started 

 in earnest. When he felt the medicine beginning to 

 work strongly on him he loosened the bandage on his 

 arm, allowing the blood from his arm to circulate to his 

 body, and having the effect of at once sobering him up. 

 Letting the good work go on, he again resorted to his 

 demijohn, and this time keeping it up till he was glor- 

 iouly drunk. Shortly afterward his partner, returning, 

 wished to send for a doctor, but no. He said, "I am all 

 rigbt." In a few days the swelling went down, and ex- 

 cepting a little sickness at his stomach at times he was as 

 well as ever. I asked him if the bite of the snake was 

 painful. He described it as the stinging of a hornet, only 

 a hundred times worse. 



Willie hunting with a favorite pup, I noticed him trail- 

 ing and coming to a stiff point. I had all the birds I 

 wished, and as it was getting late, I tried to call him off, 

 but he would not come. All of a sudden he jumped five 

 feet up in the air and nearly turned a somersault, just in 

 time to avoid the spring of a large rattler. It was only 

 his agility that saved the dog. 



Going into my tent to cook supper I heard a rattle, and 

 lighting a match saw his satantic majesty coiled up on 

 the flour sack, close to the stove, and seemingly perfectly 

 satisfied. He was not contented very long. 



I could relate rattlesnake stories by the bushel, but I 

 hate to. I dread to think about the horrible crawling 

 things. Only a merciful Providence has kept my feet off 

 them when it seemed as if I must have stepped on them. 

 As everybody makes it a part of their creed to killa snake 

 whenever seen, their numbers are now so greatly reduced 

 tbat it seems as if they also must follow the bufi'alo and 

 the deer; but when one realizes th^t the bite of the last 

 rattler is just as poisonous as was that, of the first, it 

 behooves him to watch his footsteps as carefully as ever, 

 and not to "tread upon the serpent less he turn and sting 

 thee." R. W. 



MOOTANA. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I was much interested in the tale in your issue of 19 th inst. 

 relating to the death from snake bite near St. Augustine, 

 Fla. I spent the whole of last winter in Florida, in and 

 about St. Augustine and the Indian River country, I 

 have often wondered after a day spent about the hamaks 

 that neither I nor my dog had received a bite from some 

 poisonous reptile. Any one familiar with the swamps 

 of Florida will not wonder at this, knowing as they must 

 that these swamps are the retreating place of almost 

 everything poisonous in the South, and in dry seasons of 

 almost the entire animal life. It is almost impossible for 

 a human being to penetrate these swamp?, and once in 

 your whole attention is taken clearing a passage. You 

 might step upon or alongside of a dozen rattlers and not 

 know it. From the time I entered a swamp until clear 

 of it I never saw my feet or that portion of my limbs 

 below the knees. Since reading of the death of this gen- 

 tleman I have known no rest. His sad death must recall 



to many of your subscribers many narrow escapes of their 

 own. What is the jaborandi remedy for snake bite ? 

 Buffalo, N. Y. Anti Snake. 



Quail in a Skunk Trap,— Towanda, Pa.— A skunk has 

 been taking too much interest in my poultry for my bene- 

 fit, I found his tracks in the snow, and they were very 

 plfHu and easy to follow. I found what seemed from the 

 number of tracks to be quite a den of them. Procuring 

 a good trap I placed it well down in the hole, and in the 

 morning the skunk was in the trap all right. T let the 

 trap remain in the same place until seven had been 

 caught; and then imagine my surprise to find a quail in 

 the same trap that all of those deadly foes of quail and all 

 birds that roost on the ground had been caught in. Have 

 they no instinct to tell them to keep away? There was 

 quite a flock I should think by the tracks around the hole. 

 I have been a reader of the Forest and Stream since 

 1881, and wish to extend my thanks to it for the many 

 pleasant hours I have enjoyed reading "Nessmuk" and 

 "Kingfisher" and many others, and may it l^ng remain 

 as it is now, the leader of sporting papers. — A. V. E. 



Evening Geosbeak in Pennsylvania. — Montours- 

 ville. Pa., Feb. 21. — In an article on the evening gros- 

 beak, published in your jiaper May 2, 1890, I advanced 

 the opinion that these birds would breed in Pennsylvania, 

 but although I kept a close lookout for them, I failed to 

 find a nest, or even see a bird through the summer. I 

 have just been informed, however, by a reliable party, 

 that he saw a pair of these birds as late as the last of 

 June. They were feeding apparently on potato bugs, 

 and came i-egularly, one at a time, to his potato patch; 

 these visits were kept up for several days. Now this, 

 together with the fact that they are quite plenty in this 

 locality again this winter, strengthens my belief that, if 

 they were properly protected from merciless gunners, 

 they would become common and regular breeders here. 

 — F. F. C. 



Birds' Nests a.nd Eggs.— St, Louis, Mo., Fob. 1.5.— 



Editor Forest and Stream: I am greatly interested in birds, 

 and especially in their nests and eggs, but I cannot find 

 any good work on the latter subject. What can you ad- 

 vise me to purchase'?— Anxiods. [A thoroughly full and 

 satisfactory work on oology is much needed. Several have 

 been projected, but almost all have stopped before com- 

 pletion. We have Davie's "Nests and Eggs of North 

 American Birds," 475 pp. Extra cloth. Price .$1.75.] 



LxNN^AN Society Meeting,— The annual business 

 meeting of the Society will be held at the rooms of the 

 American Geographical Society, No. 11 West Twenty- 

 ninth street. Friday evening, March 6, 1891, at 8 o'clock. 

 A paper will be presented by Mr. Jonathan D wight, Jr., 

 and Dr. C. S. Allen will make some further remarks 

 upon venomous snakes. — Jonathan Dwight, Jr, Sec'y. 



Bird Notes.— Perth Amboy, N. J., Feb. 28.— On the 

 32d inst, I observed robins and red-winged blackbu-ds 

 near New Brun.swick, N. J. On the 34th heard bluebirds 

 and song sparrows. To-day saw robins, bluebirds and a 

 purple grakle, or crow blackbird. Hawks a-plenty, but 

 quail are wintering well. Broadbills in the bay all 

 winter. — J. L. K. 



The full tests of the game law.s of all the States, Teri-i 

 tories and British Provinces are given in the BooU oi the 

 Game Laws. • 



"FOREST AND STREAM" GUN TESTS. 



THE following guns have been tested at the FoKEST and 

 Streasi Range, and reported upon in the issues named. 

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

 Clabhough 12, May 1, 'HO. Parker JO. htftarcer, June 6, '89. 

 Colt 12, July 25. '89. Parker 13, ham'rless.June 6,'S9. 



Colt 10 and 12, Cct. 24, '89. Remington 16, May 30. '89. 

 FoLSOM 10 and 12, Sept. 26, '89. Remington 12, Dec o,'8P.Feb 6,'90 

 Francottb 12, Deo. 12, '89. Rejitngton 10, Dec. 26, '89. 

 Gheenbr 12, Aug. 1, '89. Scott 10, Sept. 5, '89. 



Greeneb 10, Sept. 12-19, '89. L. C. Smrn 12, Oct. 10, '89. 

 HoLLis 10, Nov. 7. '89. Whitney Safety 12, M'ch 6, '90. 



Lbpevbk 12, March 13, '90, Winchester 10 & 12, Oct. 3, '89. 



does. Strike those out of the codiliers' report and what's 

 left of it? And what modification, what humiliation to 

 the codifiejs after the advanced stand they have 

 taken in the interests of fish and game protection and an 

 elevated s]3ortsmanship to find in the proposed protective 

 sentiment of the State, a carping, unreasoning, greedy 

 selfishness that find in their labors nothing to commend 

 and everything to find fault with. 



The exhibition in this direction going on in committee 

 rooms and likely to be repealed in exlenso in committee 

 of the whole, are most damaging, destructive of that 

 popular interest in game and fish propagation and pro- 

 tection, which must be their life, if they are to live at all. 



"Will some one tell me how we, of St. Lawrence, are to 

 get any venison?" writes "J. H. R." Hunt andkill it like a 

 sportsman and a man! Aje you answered? By still-hunt- 

 ing? Yes, by still hunting, par excellence. But no one is 

 relegated to the moccasin in August and September — oh, 

 no! Perhaps the average outer may need further ex- 

 planation, but not "J. H. R." He knows to a certainty that 

 the places in the woods where deer resort to water — and 

 'tis very, very frequent — are largely in excess of those 

 where they may be approached by boat and jack. At 

 such places the game may be found in the early morning, 

 at and after sundown, and at noon, betime?, with such 

 certainty and frequency as to reward reasonable, intelli- 

 gent efilort in "getting venison.'' 



Indeed the chances, at such places, with proper atten- 

 tion, are in excess of those afforded to the jack-hunter. 

 Chances, I say, not all against the game, but enough, in 

 R.'s conceit, I'm sure: nor do I believe his commiseration 

 will much concern the "common outer," who is either 

 unwilling or too lazy to pursue a manly method, with a 

 manly satisfaction to it. 



Interest centers now in the fate of the codifier's recom- 

 mendations. They have made m. advance. Is there un- 

 selfish devotion in the professed protective interests to 

 support it? Saint Lawrence. 



Ogdensburg, N. y. 



THE NEW YORK LAW. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Utterances in "J. H. R,'s'' letter in your issue of the 

 19fch inst., are of exceptional interest at this moment. 

 "The nien of St. Lawrence have worked long and ear- 

 nestly for j)rotection. * * * But if after all their work 

 the deer are to be tm-ned over to the dogs * * * every- 

 where except fin] St, Lawrence, I protest. In place of 

 hounding give St, Lawrence floating" — by which "J, H. 

 R." intends to express disapproval of the prohibition 

 against floating in the report of the Commissioners. 



The protestation finds an emphatic response in St. Law- 

 rence. But it will not prevail, just now. In compensa- 

 tion for the Avater-slaughter in other coimties, we have 

 in the report prohibition of night-slaughter and protec- 

 tion to does. Does not "J. H. R." get a grain of comfort 

 in this?— just a grain? 



"Give St. Lawrence floating." At what cost, and at 

 what exposure? Why at the cost of legalizing night- 

 slaughter in all the counties, or of confining all the hor- 

 rors of jacking exclusively to St. Lawrence, "the breed- 

 ing ground of the State;" at the cost, too, of the provision 

 against killing does— for jacking is an indiscriminate 

 slaughter necessarily. Which alternative would "J, A, R." 

 choose? 



Always excepting the water butchery, this ''floating" 

 or "jacking" is the most detestable, the most degrading 

 exhibition "imaginable. Its horrors have been too often 

 dwelt upon, are too familiar to need repetition. And 

 had I been in quest of one whose detestation and whose 

 sympathies run in the right direction I would certainly 

 have sought him of the canoe and paddle. 



And w^hat an exposure of retrogression in protective 

 sentiment in St. Lawrence, this ignoring of the two 

 features that mark advancement in the right duection— 

 the abolition of night-slaughter and protection to the 



RUBBER BOOTS FOR HUNTING. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



There are many sportsmen who have never used any- 

 thing but leather for covering the feet in hunting. For 

 fishing it is almosi unanimously conceded, I believe, that 

 rubber boots are the thing. 



When sporting on dry ground, and noise in traveling is 

 not taken into consideration, low shoes or leather boots 

 are advisable of course, but in hunting on wet ground 

 the best thing the wi'iter has used are rubber boots, 

 especially so in hunting in sloughs and timber swamps, 

 for deer. Such boots in timber, when hunting deer, are 

 about as good as moccasins, with the advantage of keep- 

 ing dry feet. > ; 



One objection raised by some to the use of such boots 

 is tbat they retain the perspiration, feet becoming thereby 

 damp and ttn com for table. All this can be easily avoided 

 by a careful selection and a little carfe afterward when 

 using the boots. Rubber boots, I believe, are generally 

 one size larger than leather boots of the same number. 



If the hunter wears a No, 7 leather boot then obtain a 

 No. 8 rubber boot, which will be about two sizes larger 

 than the leather, and he will be able to wear two pair of 

 socks in colds weather, besides the feet will not. if damp, 

 feel as uncomfortable as in a close fitting boot. 



By all means have boots that are smooth inside. Felt 

 lined ones are an abomination, because it takfes so loijg 

 to dry them. When smooth inside they can be dried in 

 a few minutes by wiping them out with hot cotton rags. 

 At night hang the boots, top upward, in a warm place 

 and by morning, without wiping, they will be dry. 



The most of my shooting friends when hunting in wet 

 weather, and in wet places, use long-legged boots. I use 

 both long and short legs, the long legs in wet brush and 

 long wet grass, or if I have wading to do. 1 wore 

 leather boots made specially to my order for many years. 



In selecting the boots take those of medium weight, 

 not light, fancy-legged ones, because there is danger of 

 punching holes in light legs and feet with stubs and 

 sharp stones. 



The sportsman who has never used rubber in hunting 

 should try it once. H. L. 



SOME CURRITUCK SCORES. 



FROM a circular issued by the trustees of the Swan 

 Island Club, offering for sale a portion of their pre- 

 serves in Currituck county, N. C , we take the following 

 statement of the bags made in a series of years by the 

 members of the Swan Island Club; also the average daily 

 bag of ducks, geese and swan for one stand, counting 

 every day, good and bad, for about three weeks' shooting 

 at tbe same season of each year, except in 1890, when the 

 period was shorter. The attendants are not allowed to 

 shoot: 



for the one stand. TOTAl BAGS. 



1872- 3 634 



1873- 4 1,421 



1874- 5.... 6T6 



1875- 6 1,319 



1875.. 

 1876.. 

 1877. 

 1878. . 

 1879. . 



1881.. 

 1882. . 

 1883 . 

 1S84 . 

 1885.. 

 1888. 



..20 

 ..17 

 . ..19J< 



...19}'- - - 



...231^ 1876-7 1.443 



...18 ■■ - 



.. 16 

 .»3 

 ...23 

 ..21 

 .. 23 



18147 --iiVi 1884-.5 



1877- 8 1,352 



1878- 9 ...2,100 



1879- 80 1,805 



1880- 1 ...2.006 



1881- 2 1,384 



1883-3 2,168 



1883-4 2,120 



1888.. 

 1889 , 

 1890., 



..40 

 ..30 

 .M 



_ . _ 2,236 



1.9S5-6 2,667 



1886- 7 1.83.^ 



1887- 8 2,403 



1888- 9 ........3.000 



1889- 90 2.100 



1890- 1 So far, 2,300 



It will be seen that there has been no falling off of the 

 shooting, but that, on the contrary, it is much better now 

 than formerly, and has improved steadily. Tbe highest 

 bag of ducks and geese this season, made by a single gun 

 in one day. was that of Dr. Charles G. Weld, eighty-eight 

 birds; the next highest, by Dr. John Bryant, eighty-two 

 birds. Besides the duck shooting, which is the best avail- 

 able in the United States, unless perhaps at the extreme 

 South, the shooting at both English snipe and bay snipe 

 is unsurpassed anywhere. Bags of over two hundred 

 English snipe have been killed by a single gun in one day, 

 and seven hundred and twenty bay snipe were killed by 

 three guns in one day on the beach^ where the great 

 stretches of sand flats and shallow pools, lying in the line 

 of the spring and autumn migrations, afford extensive 

 feeding grounds of the best kind. 



