520 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 2, 1893. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



[From a Staff Correspondent.'] 



Chicago, May 26.— My old time friend, Col. E. S. 

 Bond, whom I have often called the "king of the game 

 dealers," and with whom some wordy wars are of record, 

 writes me as follows. There will be a great many very 

 sorry to hear of Col. Bond's physical trouble. There are 

 many Forest and Stream readers who may not agree 

 with him on this and other questions, but I imagine the 

 paper will not be averse to pu blishing his Philistine utter- 

 ance. Col. Bond says in his letter: 



"I inclose a short article on the snipe question. The 

 only thing that creates a doubt as to my conclusion is 

 the fear that I may be in accord with a great manv 

 sportsmen for whose opinion I have no respect. 



"I have retired from business for good. Last July I 

 had a slight attack of paralysis of the left side which 

 compelled me to give up business April 1. In 1870 I 

 spent a year on the north shore of Lake Superior and put 

 in my whole time hunting and fishing. I have been 

 thinking of writing a series of articles, giving an account 

 of my trip and may give them to Forest and Stream.— 

 E. S. Bond." 



The article reads as follows, and is of interest as bear- 

 ing upon a present question which deserves discussion: 



"Our game warden appears to be determined to stop 

 the sale of snipe, on the ground that they are water- 

 fowl and protected by law. It is presumed that he will 

 bring his suit before the ass of a justice who de- 

 cided that antelope were 'wild buck,' and will have no 

 trouble in obtaining a conviction. The fact is there is no 

 animal known in natural history as a wild buck, and it 

 would be impossible to be guilty of a violation of the law 

 by killing or having in possession an animal that has no 

 existence. The word 'buck' simply signifies sex and not 

 variety or species. While Webster defines the snipe as a 

 wader, he probably consulted Linnseus or Cuvier for his 

 definition, fifty or sixty years ago. In late works on orni- 

 thology there is no bird known as a wader, and the classi- 

 fications of all old writers on the subject are obsolete and 

 done away with. Baird, Coues and Jasper are the recog- 

 nized standard authorities in ornithology now. Jasper, 

 in his 'Birds of North America,' in the part entitled the 

 'Science of Birds,' divides birds into classes and sub- 

 divides into orders and groups. Baird and Coues do 

 the same. In the fourth class, called 'Runners,' will be 

 found turtle doves, prairie chickens, quail, golden plover, 

 and snipe; hence, if snipe are water fowl, turtle doves, 

 prairie chickens and quail are also water fowl. In the 

 fifth class, called 'Swimmers,' will be found all birds 

 with web or semi-web feet. These are properly water 

 fowl. Any bird that makes its home on the water, 

 though it may go on land for food, is a water fowl, and 

 any bird that makes its home on land, though it fre- 

 quents wet marshy land in search of food is not a water 

 fowl in any sense of the term, hence snipe are not water 

 fowl. 



"A few years ago a friend of the writer was arrested 

 for killing snipe before Sept. 15, and was taken before a 

 justice, and on the evidence of four persons who had 

 never consulted a work of natural history, and who 

 swore that snipe were water fowl, was fined $30 and 

 costs. Believing that he had been robbed without 

 authority of law, the writer wrote the Hon. L. B. 

 Crooker, of Mendota, who drafted and secured the pass- 

 age of our present law, as to his understanding of the 

 law. Mr. Crooker replied that the migrations of snipe 

 were so irregular and uncertain it was thought best not 

 to give them any protection, for which reason they were 

 purposely omitted from the law. He said further, that 

 the justice in admitting such expert testimony was all 

 wrong, and that it would be much easier to prove such a 

 justice a jackass than to prove that snipe were water 

 fowl. 



"Col. Chas. E. Felton and Wolf red N. Low, both ex- 

 presidents of the State Sportsmen's Association, and Dr. 

 Hensy Yorke, a well-known local ornithologist, were 

 also consulted and all agreed that snipe were not water 

 fowl in any sense of the word. Dealers on South Water 

 street are advised to make a test case as there can be no 

 question as to the results as soon as the case gets beyond 

 tne jurisdiction of a justice court,— E. S. Bond." 



There is this to say about Col. Bond's position, that it un- 

 questionably is that of the majority of our sportsmen, 

 although the latter will not be so uncompromising upon 

 it as the worthy writer of the above, who cares so little 

 for their opinion. In all the talks I ever had with those 

 who assisted in the framing of the above-mentioned game 

 law or who were familiar with the situation at that time, 

 I have been told that it was a time of compromise, and 

 that snipe were intentionally left out of protection, so 

 that other birds could be gotten into better protection. 

 The law is the law as it stands, however, and the con- 

 struction of its clauses is for the upper courts, and not 

 for us. It would be a great pleasure to hear from War- 

 den Bortree, and learn his position and authorities in a 

 matter which is of so much local interest to our sports- 

 men as well as the dealers. The sportsmen certainly are 

 not without demur to his position, though they will be 

 ready to abide by the law. The question is: What is the 

 law? 



Mr. Charles S. Hampton, State game and fish warden 

 for Michigan, was in my office, and I directed him to 

 Warden Bortree, it being the wish of both to discuss 

 some sort of reciprocity treaty as to the shipment of 

 illegal game between Michigan and Illinois. Mr. Hamp- 

 ton says that the State attorney of Michigan advises him 

 not to arrest for shipment of game out of Michigan, as 

 the Legislature of 1889 intentionally abolished the clause 

 of the statutes prohibiting such shipment. Mr. Hamp- 

 ton is proprietor of the Daily Eesorter, issued during the 

 summer season, and devoted entirely to the resort inter- 

 ests of his resortful State. 



Singularly enough, there be two Hamptons in the field, 

 Yesterday also there came, by chance, Mr. O. H. Hamp- 

 ton, of Williamsburgh, Ind.; no relation of the Michigan 

 man. Mr. O. H. Hampton has been correspondent of 

 Forest and Stream since 1874. He tells me of a pleas- 

 ant day's shooting this spring in the Indian Nations. At 

 Prior's Creek he and a friend bagged fifty-nine snipe 

 each in one day. 



Mr. Wm. M. Tracy, all the way from Massachusetts, 

 writes as follows under date of May 17: "I would be 

 grateful to you if you would give me any information 

 whereby I could have what you Western sportsmen 

 would call fair prairie chicken shooting this coming sea- 



son. I would like to meet some party or parties who 

 were well equipped with dogs, conveyance, etc., for this 

 kind of shooting. I am planning to come West this 

 coming season, just where I have not decided yet, but 

 will as soon as I can hear where it is best to go." 



It is altogether too soon for any one to give advice as to 

 a good chicken locality for the coming season. No one 

 can tell yet what damage has been done by the unusual 

 rainfall of this spring:. Offhand it might do to say that 

 ordinarily Orrville, Minn., or Mitchell, S. D., would be 

 safe to start for as a central point, or at least a point of 

 local inquiry, but I would not presume to say that for 

 next fall. Last year these points were not" good, for 

 everything was too dry. This year it may be too wet. 

 The chicken crop nowa'days depends on such conditions. 

 Probably the best chicken country to which I could send 

 Mr. Tracy would be my much-discussed game-pocket, 

 whose whereabouts I cannot divulge till Aug. 1. If Mr. 

 Tracy will write me then I shall probably be in position 

 to be of much greater service to him. It is quite too 

 early to predict chicken shooting for any place yet. 



E. Hough. 



CALIBERS OF HUNTING RIFLES. 



Boston, Mass.— Editor Forest and Stream: In your 

 issue of May 19 there is an article by Ed Richmond en- 

 titled "Experience with Calibers." 



I have always held that large rifles are better than 

 small ODes for large game. The first few seasons that 

 I hunted I used a .44-40-200 Winchester repeater. With 

 it I have killed a good many white-tail deer and one 

 moose. It satisfied me very well until one day when I 

 was hunting on a bog I jumped a small buck. * If I had 

 had a big rifle I would have got him the first shot, but as 

 it was I fired nine shots before he stopped. The eighth 

 and ninth bullets fell short and the tenth broke both left 

 legs, whereat he stopped from loss of legs rather than 

 from loss of strength. Four bullets had landed in the 

 deer's haunches, one went through his neck and the other 

 tore a gash in his belly. That evening I wrote for a 

 .45-90 300 new model Winchester, with half magazine. 

 Since then I have had nothing to do with wounded deer. 



I use a split bullet in preference to an express bullet. 

 It is quartered about two-thirds of its length from the 

 point. When it hits the four pieces break away from 

 the butt, and amount to about the same as five .32" 40's. 



By the way, I have a .32-40, and I do not agree with 

 various writers as to the deadly work that can be done 

 with one. One might as well use a bean blower if he 

 intends to use a .32 40 on any game larger than squirrels 

 and rabbits. Of course I do not say that anything larger 

 than the above cannot be killed with one. I have killed 

 a deer with a .22 short; nevertheless, I would not use 

 a .22 short expressly for deer. I hold that a rifle for 

 hunting ought to be large, enough to go through the 

 haunches, bone and all, and into the vitals. A hunter 

 ought to be humane. Consequently he should use a rifle 

 that has a tremendous shock, so that he will run no 

 danger of wounding and losing his game. 



A split bullet has more shock and much more penetra- 

 tion than an express bullet. For grizzlies, where pene- 

 tration is more necessary than shock, the new Winchester 

 metal-patched bullet is first-rate. A .45-90 shooting one 

 of these bullets has more penetration than a .45-70-500, 

 much less recoil and a good flat trajectory. These bul- 

 lets have good, honest accuracy. A rifle using a large 

 cartridge ought to weigh more than 7 or 81bs.,sothat 

 there will not be excessive recoil, and if you cannot carry 

 9lbs., stay at home and leave the game in peace. The 

 recoil depends more on the amount of lead than the 

 amount of powder, though the weight of the arm is of 

 the most importance. A .22 is large enough if you can 

 get a side shot at close range and put the bullet in the 

 right place. But you do not know what kind of a shot 

 you will get; perhaps you will be lucky if you hit at all, 

 to say nothing of hitting in the right place. So use a 

 "small-sized cannon," and get what you hit. The next 

 trip you make, be humane, and take along your biggest 

 rifle or buy a larger one. Duck. 



WAYS OF THE RUFFED GROUSE. 



Once I was out in pursuit of the ruffed grouse in the 

 month of December on a bright, warm day when there 

 was a light snow upon the ground. I was in Glenville 

 and was accompanied by a man who had been more than 

 an average good shot in his own country, which was Eng- 

 land, and in truth he was one of the best at woodcock it 

 has ever been my fortune to meet. 



In passing to the timberland we went through a large 

 field interspersed with clumps of shrubbery and dotted 

 with dwarf evergreens. When we were nearly across, a 

 grouse sprang out from under an evergreen and went 

 away very swiftly and close to the ground. He evidently 

 intended to take us by surprise, as he certainly was not 

 more than 15 feet away. This was a difficult shot and 

 one which would have taxed the skill of my old friend 

 Bogardus. But the Englishman was quick and bringing 

 his gun up he delivered his first fire before the bird had 

 gone 40 feet, and by the time the grouse had reached 35 

 yardp, he had brought his second barrel to bear with a 

 like result. Never bad 1 seen a grouse, unaided by the 

 wind, move faster, as he skimmed over the glistening 

 surface, and never did my heart go out more in admira- 

 tion toward one than on this occasion. 



We followed this bird up into the next lot, which was 

 covered with low, thick undergrowth. We kept 50 yards 

 apart. When we were in about the middle of the lot the 

 grouse flew on a stump 4 feet high, and stood with his 

 tail spread out midway and directly between us. Neither 

 of us, of course, could shoot, bad we felt inclined to do so. 

 The grouse looked very handsome as he stood there. This 

 bird hearing noises around him had sought this elevation 

 through pure curiosity in order to ascertain the cause. 

 Twice since then I have seen grouse do the same thing. 

 It appears that when the bird is surrounded and hears 

 noises on two or more sides of him (he lying low in thick 

 shrubbery), he has an intense desire to know the cause 

 and will seek some elevation, a mound of earth, a log or 

 a stump, if at hand, and sometimes the lower limb of a 

 tree where he will stand and look around, and it will be 

 observed that when he takes wing from the ground un- 

 der these circumstances, he will mount up to an unusual 

 height and look all around him before going away. 



This grouse, however, did what I have never seen one 

 do; he jumped down from his elevation to the ground 



again. It happened in this wise: My companion, prob- 

 ably with the intention of taking the bird as he stood, 

 moved back a few steps so as to get me out of range, 

 when the grouse, seeming to understand this move, and 

 leaping to the ground, disappeared in the covert. We 

 followed the bird, tracking him on the snow to the heavy 

 timbered woodland, when my companion went in one 

 direction, I in another. After I had gone about 100 

 yards I started the bird again, but was unable to get a 

 shot from the den sity of the cover. The bird after going 

 about 40 yards lit in a pine tree, and as I approached he 

 got out on the opposite side in such a manner that by 

 keeping the tree between himself and the gun I was un- 

 able to get a shot or even to see him. I followed what I 

 supposed was his line of flight, going on and on. without 

 starting him again. I think I must have gone nearly a 

 half-mile in the woods when it dawned upon me that the 

 bird had played me a trick, and that when he left the tree 

 he had gone away and then taking a wide circle had re- 

 turned to the place whence he had flown previously to 

 taking to the tree, and which was just within the edge 

 of the woods. 



Getting into the field I went straight back, and as I 

 approached the spot I kept a sharp lookout, moving 

 cautiously, when the bird flushed within 20 yards of me, 

 and I had the good fortune to stop him. He was an old 

 male grouse and one of the largest I ever saw, and I may 

 add , one of the wiliest, for I think I never had more dif- 

 ficulty than on this occasion in securing a grouse. 

 Shortly after I rejoined my companion, who had not 

 had the luck to obtain a grouse, though he had shot 

 two rabbits. 



On the way home 1 asked my friend his opinion of our 

 grouse. After some thoughtfulness on his part, he said: 

 "He's a good one." Dorp. 



Schenectady, N. Y. 



"THAT ELYSIUM." 



Harrisburg. Pa., May 21.— In looking over "Podgers's 

 Commentaries," I note the inquires where he can find 

 that elysium for which he is pining, where fishing and 

 sailing can be had at a moderate cost, and where "biled 

 shirts, tennis rachets and masculine young women don't 

 intrude." 



A friend and I, with our families (and the "family" 

 part ( is all feminine and only sufficiently "mascu- 

 line" to be fond of hunting, fishing, roughing it and pho- 

 tographing) have just returned from a trip to Cbinco- 

 teague, Va., and we found there all that the summer 

 could wish for in the way of sport and interesting objects 

 and incidents. "Podgers" may be familiar with the place, 

 and it may be no news to him to be told of it, but there 

 are others whom it might benefit to know that on and 

 near these islands they can have just the elysium that 

 "Podgers" is seeking. 



In the first place there is an entire absence of the ten- 

 nis young man and his blazer, and in bis stead are a lot 

 of as rough, good-natured fishermen and oystermen as 

 will be found anywhere on our coast, and to whose kind- 

 ness and generous hospitality we were indebted for a 

 great deal of our pleasure. An entire freedom from that 

 rough element which is often found in small fishing vil- 

 lages and mountain towns, is one of the best features of 

 the island, and the feminine contingent of our party 

 wandered every day with their cameras all over the 

 island and met everywhere the most courteous treatment 

 and many kind attentions from the residents. 



The men were after the shore buds and got all the 

 shooting they wanted by noon of each day, and the after- 

 noons were devoted to sailing and exploring the differ- 

 ent islands and marshes. 



Chincoteague Bay is as pretty a sheet of water for sail- 

 ing as any on the Atlantic coast, and during June and 

 up to late in the fall the fishing is simply immense. 

 Catches of two to four hundred weak fish, or as they are 

 called there "trout," are common. Last week they 

 were catching with hook and line drum of a 

 size to make your old correspondent J. M. S.'s 

 mouth water. Boats and boatmen (both good) 

 are plenty. Capt. Jack Snead is possibly the best for 

 gunners and fishermen there. He has a good boat, plenty 

 of decoys and is a good whistler and knows where the 

 birds "rise." From the middle of July to the last of 

 September, sportsmen cannot fail to make satisfactory 

 bags. 



In looking over the register of the Atlantic Hotel, we 

 noted when last September 386 birds were credited to 

 two guns in two days shooting under Captain Snead's 

 guidance, and we have since verified the score. In re- 

 gard to expenses, it is a cheap spot to go to. The board 

 at the Atlantic Hotel, kept by Capt. J. V. Mathews, is 

 only $1.50 per day, and no doubt lower rates could be 

 had for a couple of weeks' sojourn. The less I say about 

 the eating the better, as I was heartily ashamed of our 

 whole party. The way they devoured the oysters, clams, 

 fresh fish, crabs and new vegetables, inspired me to tell 

 the captain he was losing money feeding our party so 

 bountifully as he was doing. Captain Snead charges 

 $ i .50 per day for the U3e of his boat and services, and he 

 fairly earns it, and never leaves you till everything is 

 snug and your gun and tackle cleaned up. 



I am not writing this in the interests of the hotel or 

 the guides, but to let the readers of old Forest and 

 Stream know that within six hours' ride by rail from 

 Philadelphia is the "elysium" that "Podgers" is looking 

 for. Pigarth. 



"That reminds me.' 1 



"Mr. Billings, I don't question your marksmanship, 

 for no man can hit the game in the head as you do and 

 not be a fine shot; but why don't you 'bark' the squirrels 

 as I do?" 



"Well, my dog does the barking. In fact the squirrel 

 barks himself. See?" N. D. E. 



In " 'Podgers's' Commentaries," he says: "That cut 

 last week of the antlers of the extinct Irish deer suggests 

 the wonder how such animals ever got through theforest." 

 Rogers's Commentaries: "He probably pulled in hia 

 horns." Rogers. 



