May 5, 1862.] 



FOREST AND STREAM, 



421 



plentiful this year, and their familiarity with the farmers' 

 possessions so great, large numbers of spring guns are set 

 throughout the Swamp, 



Lake Drummond is. and has been for years, a favorite 

 spot for deer. They are only hunted with dogs, a still- 

 hunter being an object of aversion to the natives, and he 

 is iucky if he escapes without having the tails of his shirt 

 nailed to a tree as a warning to the next tenderfoot who 

 imagines that still-hunting is the only way to shoot 

 deer. 



The "cattle-beast" is the local name given to the sturdy 

 wild cattle which roam about through the fastnesses of 

 the Swamp. They are small, undersized animals, and as 

 switt and as shy as a deer. When the farmer wishes a 

 fresh beef, betakes gis gun and he takes his dogs and 

 runs the animal to a standstill. Toe "cattle-beast" is fa- 

 vorite meat for bear, and of tentimes carries the marks of 

 severe encounters, 



it is the height of fun, if not exactly true sport, to 

 attend a coon or opossum hunt in the Dismal. Both are 

 universal favorites for the table, and nowhere can be 

 found a fit companion to the possum (unless it is a young 

 pig, which, after fattening on milk, emerges a "perfect 

 roll of butter"), and in point of flavor and delicacy cannot 

 be surpassed. Both of the animals are rich in fighting 

 qua ities, A high-spirited coon will lie on his hack and 

 whip almost anything that comes along; but in the 

 branches of the persimmon the possum is king. He is 

 subject to nothing but a "nigger." His throne ia the 

 brauch from which he hangs by the tail, and from it he 

 swings and reigns. 



For coon and possum hunting, provide yourself with 

 plenty of "niggers" and coon dogs, and start into the 

 Swamp immediately after dark. It will not be long be- 

 fore the dogs will have a coon treed. Then comes" the 

 fun. The coon is in the tree, the dogs are at its foot. 

 Tne great moon silvers the green branches. Muscular 

 negroes attack the tree with sharp steel or mount into its 

 branches. Torches of light wood blare brightly. The 

 hunters gather about. The'tree falls or the coon is shaken 

 from the branches. In either case there is a conglomer- 

 ate mass of negro, dog and coon. Thump! The clog has 

 him, and a tussle occurs, but the dog wins. Thump 

 again! A negro has smitten a brother in his anxiety to 

 strike the coon. Yah! A negro has caught a possum, 

 and inserting the beast's tail in the clevis of a hickor y 

 stick, starts for borne, the envy of his sable companions. 

 The light of the full moon, the flare of the pine knots 

 shining upon the black countenances form pictures never 

 to be forgotten. Off siart the dogs through the fields of 

 corn or reedy marshes, and on a good coon night within 

 fifteen minutes the scene will be repeated. 



Before the war "fox-running" was very popular sport 

 for the planters who lived about the Dismal Swamp, but 

 of late years has sunk into an almost "innocuous desue- 

 tude." In the ante-bellum days "any one who was any 

 one" kept a pack of hounds, and could furnish a day's 

 sport equal to that presented by anEaglish lord. But at 

 present there is very little "fox-running,*' and I should 

 entirely have forgotten the existence of many packs of 

 hounds but for the recent action of a Philadelphia drum- 

 mer, who rejoices in the sobriquet of "Tombstones," who, 

 m a fit induced by looking upon whisky cocktails with 

 "cherries in ! em," drove into Norfolk from Ocean View 

 tooting incessantly upon a huntsman's horn and followed 

 by about a hundred and fifty baying hounds, which it 

 took the owners a week to recover.* 



I suppose that about every section of tidewater Virginia 

 and eastern North Carolina affords good bird and squirrel 

 shooting. I Have driven hundreds of miles in both sec- 

 tions but have found nothing better than in the Dismal 

 Swamp. It is the winter home of the blackbird and 

 robin, and a blackbird pie, stuffed with Lynnhaven oys- 

 ters, is a dish for the gods. Tne Swamp is the scene of 

 the revelries of the squirrel and rabbit. Then, too, it has 

 the enchantment of silence, the glibtening of trees and 

 reeds and grasses; deep, soft moonlight and starlight; 

 and, best of all, the heavens of sentiment and tenderness 

 opening to you, as somehow they do not, or cannot, any- 

 where else. ' Frank A. Hetwood." 



HOW IS THIS THUS? 



WE had been paddling leisurely along the south shore 

 of Pend d'Oreille Lake, and having stopped for 

 lunch, I picked up a shotgun loaded with 7s and walked 

 along the shore with a view of shooting a ruffed grouse 

 for dinner and looking up a location for earn p. I had 

 not gone half a mile when I heard a noise in an ic closure, 

 which seemed to have served as shelter for lumbermen's 

 ittocK. Moving in that direction I jumped a large black 

 bear. I pricked his ears with a charge of No. 7, at about 

 :20yds., and he stopped to consider or to ecratch himself, 

 giving me time to draw my revolver, which failed to 

 < » on account of being rusty. On no previous occasion 

 on that trip did I take a shotgun when reconnoitring. 



Two days later, after having located a cimp. I went to 

 look for a large cedar log, and during my two hours' walk 

 flushed eight dusky grouse and I do not remember how 

 many ruffed grouse. On that occision I carried a .45c si 

 riflp. The next morning I took my pointer and 10-gauge 

 over the same ground and bagged two dusky grouse and 

 four Tuffed grouse— all we could flush. On my way to 

 camp, and not over 400yds. from it, I jumped one of the 

 largest whitetail bucks I have seen in this vicinity ; he 



fave me a standing shot at about 150yds., but then he 

 new I had the ecatterbore with me. 

 We have all had the same experiences over and over; 

 and the more we have hunted the more incidents we can 

 remember. I mention them to explain why I have spent 

 many leisure hours gazing wistfully at a Winchester re- 

 peating rifle— good weapon ; but it would be a more suit- 

 able hunting gun, in my estimation, if the magazine tube 

 could be changed into a shot barrel. I have given the 

 problem up, my head being either too thick or not thick 

 enough to tnink out the required alterations: but the en- 

 terprising company manufacturing the repeating rifle 

 could, it strikes me, place a gun on the market with rifle 

 barrel either .40 or .45 and shot barrel 12 or 10-gauge, 

 over and under or side by side. Such a gnu would be 

 appreciated by many. Rifle and shot combined now in 

 the market are either chambered for a charge not suitable 

 for a hunting rifle or complicated on account of the three- 

 barrel system. My main objection to them, however, is 

 the "tip-up action," which cannot be made to stand 

 rough handling and hard use without getting shaky. 



Mux. 



A SLEEPING BAG. 



Editor Forest and. Stream: 



Noticing a recent request for information in regard to 

 sleeping bags, and having had some practical experience, 

 which has taugbt me the great comfort and convenience 

 of those useful" articles, I give the benefit of what little I 

 know. 



In the first place a sleeping bag to fill thoroughly the 

 requirements of the article, should, I claim, have but one 

 opening, and that the mouth or at the top. The idea of 

 a sleeping bag is to keep all the animal heat of the body 

 inclosed in it, and to do that in a satisfactory manner 

 you must have no openings to let in the cold outside air. 

 The bag that I have used and which I found served the 

 purpose excellently, was made of 12oz. waterproof canvas 

 lined with sheep skin with the wool on, and was made 

 with but one opening. The dimensions (which are not 

 arbitrary) are shown in the diagram. I would suggest 

 that the width would suit most any one but a fat man. 

 The length should be suited to the'height of the individ- 

 ual, making the length from the slit or opening the same 

 as height of individual, and six inches more, with the 



v &jft f 



I 



DIAGRAM OF SLEEPING BAG. 



length above opening about two feet, This makes a fine 

 hood or cover for the head at night, and a little bag in 

 which to put dry hose or "little tricka" of any kind. 



The inside lining of sheep skin with wool on is made of 

 the same shape as the outside bag, but it doe3 not extend 

 beyond the opening; the top part of the bag being in- 

 tended only as a hood does not need to be lined. 



Preference is given to sheep skin as a lining, as it is 

 light, cheap, warm and easily procured. No doubt some 

 kinds of fur would be excellent, but would be expensive 

 and not so durable as sheep skin. Reindeer skins are not 

 easily gotten, and they would ba heavier than light sheep 

 skinB. I do not consider that, weight for weight, blankets 

 would begin to be as warm as the sheep skin. 



A little description of howl use my bag may not be out 

 of place, and it will give a good idea how a "boss" bed is 

 made in the mountains. First a layer of fine fir boughs 

 is laid on the ground ; over this is put a "gum" blanket, 

 and on that a saddle blanket or two. according to the 

 coldness of weather; if very cold most of the blankets are 

 kept to throw over the top." Then the bag is laid on. and 

 thrown over it are the rest of the saddle blankets. When 

 ready for bed boots and pantaloons are taken off, a dry 

 pair of woolen hose slipped on, and sliding down into the 

 bag the sleeper draws a clean pair of blankets about his 

 face and neck, lifts the projecting hood, and there he is 

 "snug as a bug in a rug." The clean pair of blankets is 

 all the bedding carried^ excepting the bag: for the sad- 

 dle blankets with proper care do well enough for outside 

 covering when necessary. But one needs one pair of 

 ordinary heavy, clean blankets. When rolled up the bag 

 makes a bundle only 84in. long by 10 in diameter, and 

 weighs lOibs. It need not cost more than one good pair 

 blankets, and for comfort beats any number of pairs. 



* Peairie DOG, 



"PODGERS" COMMENTARIES. 



THE idea expressed and explained under the heading 

 of "Rod and Gun and Camera" in your last issue is 

 a capital one, and your readers will hail with delight the 

 prospect of the future illustrations of all things pertain- 

 ing to sport, and that is proven by the great favor the 

 illustrations met with in your number referred to 

 (April 7). No doubt we shall see some very creditable 

 work of amateurs. Everything is pictorial nowadays, 

 and the Forest and Stream seems not disposed 'to 

 he behind in enterprise. 



The Anglers' Association of the St. Lawrence River 

 seem to be doing splendid work, as referred to in your 

 editorial column. That sort of thing is the only way to 

 inspire respect for the game laws. Capture the nets and 

 we shall see the net results. 



That Delmonico woodcock case will never come to 

 trial, for doubtless "Del." has a "pull" gastronomically 

 on the stomach of some official who has influence 

 enough to tie the bandage so tightly over the eyes of the 

 goddess that she never can "see it." But may we all 

 live long enough to see the case tried. The gourmand 

 always like3 his bird to hang up until it is a little gamy. 

 When the trial finally comes off it will be found that 

 the body has departed and only the leg remains, not 

 enough of the original bird to make out a case. The 

 next official whose business it will be to try it will probably 

 remark this is a " -leg I see' left me by my predecessor/' 

 The offense is rank and smells to high Heaven. 



You say the trout streams of Connecticut are pretty 

 well fished out. No wonder, for regardless of law or 

 decency, the people in the vicinity of the streams begin 

 to fish early in March, especially the farmers' boys, and 

 hy the time law-abiding people set out to fish there are 

 none left. It only seems necessary to make a restrain- 

 ing law for fish and game to have every man and boy in 

 the vicinity of a stream wild to infringe on it. It is pre- 

 cisely the same principle that prevails in the case of the 

 Sunday liquor law. Men who never cared before for 

 stimulants are seized with a seemingly unquenchable 

 thirst, and are frantic to find a saloon side door open, 

 failing in which (very seldom) they rush to the ferries 

 and invade the. primitive shores of Jersev. They make 

 perilous journeys to Hoboken in quest of the cup that 

 first cheers and subsequently inebriates. 



Dr. Binion writes charmingly of tarpon fishing at Fort 

 Myers, Florida, and as old a fisherman as I am, and not- 

 withstanding long experience and much good fishinsr, I 

 confess to a sense of enthusiasm and feel the tingling- of 

 the electric thrill when reading his description, that a 

 fisherman only knows when he strikes the foeman 

 worthy of his rod. I do not quite agree with the doctor 

 as to his idea that much fishing is reducing the numbers 



of this gamy fish, As long as tarpon fishing is confined 

 to the rod, as it seems perforce to be, there is little danger 

 of their annihilation. So thinks with me, doubtless, the 

 unsuccessful tarpon fisher. There are wider fields still 

 untried, for instance, over on the west coast in the wa- 

 ters of Apalachicola and St. Vincent's Island. While 

 there last fall I learned that large schools of the tarpon 

 were seen often in the channel in front of St. Vincent's: 

 but as yet no fisherman has essayed a trial of these wa- 

 ters. I have never fished for tarpon, but when salmon 

 have the floor I shall have a few words to say; and, by 

 the way, I am not quite ready to surrender the gateau.v 

 to the tarpon against any salmon of its size and weight. 

 If the Doctor wants to make a comparison I can tell him 

 where to go to get his fill of salmon fishing. 



"Camp Fire Flickerings" is not a bad heading to your 

 column of "That reminds me's," but after reading 'that 

 duck yarn in last number I suggest that you change the 

 heading and call it "Ananias, His Column." 



" Kelpie's" short reminiscence talk of the old flintlock 

 "Manton" carries me back to my boyhood days, and the 

 old double barrel that my governor "owned, and which, 

 out of regard for the memory of that famous old gun 

 maker, he would never allow to be modernized. There 

 were other guns in the house, which I often surreptitiously 

 abstracted for a furtive Saturday afternoon shooting, but 

 I never dared to lay hands on the old "Manton," which 

 we hoys looked upon with a sense of awe and held sacred. 

 It was about the only thing we did. Moreover we knew 

 that while our punishment for filching the other guns 

 would be of a moderate character, to lay finger on the 

 old "Manton" was a sacrilege that would insure dire 

 results. Accustomed as we were to having our jackets 

 tanned for ordinary offenses, we dared not risk this one. 

 The gun remained in its old moth-eaten green baize case, 

 too sacred to he touched, and we were proud enough to 

 be allowed to have an occasional look at it when the 

 governor took it out to oil and polish it. But, alas! the 

 destruction by fire of that part o'f the old house ended its 

 career; peace' to its ashes. 



The yachting department of last number does Mr. 

 Stephens great credit. His drawings and description of 

 that nondescript, the Gloriana, is a most elaborate and 

 creditable piece of Avork, We have heretofore had only 

 fractional descriptions and cuts of that wonderful craft, 

 but here we have her in every detail to the life and she is 

 not a beauty; but on the principle of "handsome is as 

 handsome does" we must accept her with all her ugliness. 

 By the way, in the art gallery in the Rector street Ele- 

 vated Railroad Building can be seen a splendid oil paint- 

 ing of ner under full sail, as she appeared in the race off 

 Newport. It is by a Boston artist, and well worth a 

 visit, and should become the property of the present 

 owner of the craft. 



There is much more to be said of the interesting con- 

 tents of the last number of the Forest and Stream, but 

 I have used up my share of space, and we will adjourn 

 until next week. Podge RB. 



OUR PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION. 



Editor Forest mad Stream: 



For the benefit of the community at large I would like 

 you to state in your next issue where you expect to stop 

 in adding new features to your paper. Your pigeon- 

 match type is a great thing; your illustrations of the 

 Fulford-Brewer matches were immense; your portraits of 

 men and dogs are excellent, especially *of Mike in last 

 week's issue — and, by the way, it was a happy thought to 

 publish his picture, as all readers form a mind picture of 

 the men and dogs they read of. Mike may be dumb, but 

 he don't look it; and I think his owner, the Judge, would 

 sooner leave his rod behind when starting for a trip than 

 Mike. 



But to get back to the subject of surprises, you have in 

 this week's issue made your biggest strike when you 

 throw your columns open to the "amateur photographic 

 sportsman ; but you don't realize what you have doue. If 

 you don's get a carload of negatives and pictures you are 

 lucky. I myself will send you a supply Of negatives, all 

 of fishing and shooting subjects; and there must be hun- 

 dreds of other shooters and fishermen who have an equal 

 number and will just as gladlv send them to you. 



There is nothing like pictures. While your brilliant 

 descriptive writers give us a mind picture of their sport, 

 it is not half so satisfying as the reproduced photograph, 

 where the scene can be taken in at a glance, and the 

 story of the tumbling rapids, the still pool," the osycarnp 

 with the game and fish hung up, will be read with greater 

 interest if the actual picture is before us. 



You are making a great paper, and it will bother others 

 of the same kind to keep up witu it; and this last move 

 should make it still more popular if possible. So give us 

 lots of pictures. Pioarth. 



H A R R IS BUR G , Pa . 



An Idaho Fish and Game Country.— With pleasure 

 and appreciation I noticed Mr. Hoiberton's comment on 

 my article, headed by Forest and Stream "An Idaho 

 Fish and Game Country*' (very appropriate) by me, how- 

 ever, "W here and how* I went and what I found there." 

 The different headings explain what there is to be said. 

 The former might imply, as Mr. Holberton seems to, 

 and possibly others do take it, an "ad." in favor of some 

 place in which I might be interested; the latter stamps 

 it and it was intended only as a simple report. The fish 

 and game are there, and more plentiful than I have 

 found them on the same area in the acknowledged best 

 grounds of Colorado, New Mexico or Texas. The greater 

 portion of the country is very rough, but there are here 

 and there a few miles of very fair stalking ground and 

 the Idaho laws permit hounding during the entire 

 season. If I can arrange it I will spend about three 

 months on Kaniskee and Priest lakes this coming fall, 

 and would be glad to welcome auy reader of Forest and 



by me: "Eujoy yourself and keep your hands from 

 your purse strings."— Mux. 



Many Snipe have been killed on Long Island this 

 spring, although the law forbids it. 



