Oct. 8, 1891.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



2S1 



malaria, of which latter we never even dreamed. At 4 

 A. M., two hours later, we were up and eating a hiirried 

 breakfast. Before that time some one on the "Skirmish 

 Line" had violated the rules and was firing in the sight- 

 less dawn. When we hurriedly pushed oiit into the flats 

 again the guns began to boom on all sides, and the swish 

 of passing hurrying wings was incessant. Opening day 

 had begxxn ! 



An hour's push brought us all four to the mouth of the 

 channel, into West Bay, and here we left the Hunter 

 brothers. Percy and I pushed on deeper in, over a jour- 

 ney which I shall not attempt to desci'ibe. Walk a mile 

 3ft. at a step, two minutes to each step, and lifting; SOOlbs. 

 every minute, and you may get a notion of it. Early as 

 had been our start for West Bay, it was 8:30 in the morn- 

 ing, and the fog was lifting, when I got my decoys out, 

 and half an hour later when I had my' boat in the' blind. 

 Meantime the firing on the fiats back of ua was inces- 

 sant, rattling like miisketry of engaged lines two miles 

 long. 



We put but few birds out of West Bay, and found when 

 morning cleared that the feed was largely killed there by 

 the lowness of the water. Still the bars were covered 

 with mallard feathers, and we knew we had found their 

 midday retreat. After a little they began to come in, 

 and Percy and myself were soon at work. I never saw 

 birds answer decoy and call so well, and for an hour or 

 so I saw the prettiest sort of duck shooting at its very 

 prettiest. I could see the bii-ds dropping to Percy's gun 

 over on the right, and before long I had down seventeen, 

 nearly all mallards. 



Presently the firing ceased all over the marsh, and be- 

 fore noon Percy pushed over to my blind, a much dis- 

 gusted man, and said he was going in. He had thirteen 

 bii-ds in his boat, and had lost numbers in the rice and on 

 the bottomless mud. I could not say even so much as 

 that, for my very best wading and pushing had only been 

 able to get seven of my ducks together. The country 

 was simply impossible to traverse, either by boat or on 

 foot. After Percy left I shot only a little while, for it 

 seemed mere cruelty and waste. I left four big mallards 

 lying in plain sight on a mud bar, which I could not 

 reach in any way contrivable. With retrievei'S, or with 

 6in. more of water, we should have had a grand day of 

 sport. 



Every locality has its own style of shooting. At Hori- 

 con there are two methods, over decoys and on the fly- 

 ways. It must be remembered that here the birds are 

 all young home-bred ones. The pounding on the marsh 

 on opening day sets them flying wildly in the morniog. 

 Then they get tired and hole uj) in the recesses of the 

 marsh, whence they do not emerge for a day or two. 

 While they are flying over the marsh they decoy easily, 

 but after they hide it is impossible to get in to start them 

 up unless the water is higher than it is this fall. A few 

 inches more of water would have added hundreds to the 

 bag of opening day this year. 



As it was, the low water played havoc with the club's 

 expectations. Instead of 500 ducks, only about 100 were 

 brought in. Col. Felton shot on Four-Mile Bay and only 

 got seven ducks. The early Skirmish Line shooters had 

 the best of it, but we heard of only thirty-five ducks as 

 high bag there, where there was shooting enough to kill 

 a thousand. The Hunter boys had their hard work mostly 

 for nothing. The party at the Big Lake did better, Mr. 

 Hall having high bag, twenty-five, Ben Dicks sixteen, 

 and so on. They brought in about seventy ducks. Ordi- 

 narily more than 300 are brought in on "first day," It 

 was 327 last year to five guns only. The average at the 

 Box is rarely fess than twenty-five per gim. Mr. Boehmer, 

 of Mayville Shanty, has bagged ninety -three in one day. 

 It was he who got thirty-five this year. Mr. Hamline 

 has bagged eighty-three birds in two days there, and ]\Ir. 

 Stone does not usually fall much below fifty or sixty, 

 never less than thirty-eight since 1884, and last year 

 seventy-four before noon. The latter gentleman, who 

 had gone to so much trouble to secure sport for his friends, 

 felt a trifle disappointed, but he was the only one who 

 felt so. Everybody else was philosophical aiid happy. 

 Indeed, the shooting was plenty good enough, barring 

 the diificulty of getting the dead birds, and the day was 

 one of utmost pleasure from a shooter's point of "^view. 

 An epicure might have "kicked" had he belonged to the 

 tenting party on Four-Mile, for every living man of us 

 went off and forgot his water jug, so the day of hard 

 work was passed without a sup to quench the thirst, for 

 what little water there was on the marsh was quite un- 

 drinkable. 



The next day, Wednesday, saw the water in the dam 

 slowly creeping back over the marsh. Had the dam held 

 at first the marsh would have been in perfect order. They 

 had about a foot of water at Big Lake, and the party of 

 Tuesday went back there again Wednesday, but by rioon 

 they returned, as the tired ducks had not yet begun to 

 fly. Percy Stone and I got a few jacksnipe "near the club 

 house. In a week or so, especially with a little rain, the 

 snipe shooting on this marsh will be probably the best 

 there is in the West. There is about ten miles of the 

 finest possible ground for them. Bags of fifty, sixty or 

 seventy snipe are easy here, and the walking along the 

 wet knolls on the edge of the swamp is not hard. Last 

 year Ben Dicks killed thirty-one jacksnipe out of his 

 duck blind in one day. Yellowlegs, sand snipe and rail 

 are never noticed by the shooters here, but fairly swarm 

 on the marsh. It is a most remarkable breeditig ground 

 for all the water birds. 



I can not ask ppace to say more about the Horicon 

 marsh, but it well might take more space. I saw more 

 wildfowl there than I ever saw on a marsh before. The 

 northern flight had not dropped in at all, and the ducks 

 we saw were all local birds. About Sept. 20 the first of 

 the northern birds strike Horicon, though the main flight 

 is not due so soon. About that time, too, the Horicon 

 teal band up and start on their long journey for the south, 

 along the rail fence route earlier described so far as Chi- 

 cago. The Horicon mallards, and there are untold thou- 

 sands of them, as we can all testify who shot there this 

 week, breed on the marsh and stay there till ice. The 

 Horicon redheads are at this date still very young, and 

 are not all out of the grass. They will go south with the 

 main flight fi-om the north. We did not see all the ducks 

 the marsh held, Even the teal can not all fly yet. I saw 

 one bunch feeding on a bar, trim, beautiful little fellows, 

 not much bigger than quails. They swam slowly back 

 into the grass, not attempting to fly, though I approached 

 them within 30yds. The pintail flight from the north is 

 ppmething tremendous, they tell me. I should imp,gine 



that on a blustering day in October, when the birds were 

 skurrying down before a northern storm, would afford 

 such sport as would be hard to duplicate outside of Hori- 

 con, But you must ask old Miescke about that if you 

 want duck stories. 



One trouble about Horicon club arises from the discord- 

 ancy of the Wisconsin and Illinois laws. The season 

 opens in the former State Aug. 1, in the latter Sept. 15. 

 Furthermore, the law of Wisconsin forbids one to "export, 

 carry or convey" ducks out of the State, It may be 

 thought that the club men would disregard this latter 

 absurd law, which has been shown to be unconstitutional 

 in a dozen courts, notably those of Indiana, but such is 

 not the case, I do not know of any ducks that were 

 brought across the line, Percy Stone gave a big bag full 

 to relatives in Millwaukee, and I know all his ducks and 

 mine went there. It seems too bad that we cannot have 

 uniform game laws, at least for Indiana, Illinois and 

 Wisconsin, which are so nearly alike and so much visited 

 by the same sportsmen. The game dealers and restau- 

 rant men here, however, shall have no chance to lay a 

 charge of inconsistency against the Horicon men. Cer- 

 tainly, in consideration of the facilities their incompar- 

 able marsh affords, the latter act with dignified and 

 sportsmanlike reserve in framing and observing their 

 own laws, much more strict than those of the State. 



The wildfowl would be swept from Horicon marsh in 

 two years now if it were not protected. It is protected, 

 and I am glad of it. I wish every good marsh in the 

 West were protected. I have no confidence whatever in 

 the public's ability to take care of shooting privileges. 

 History shows the greed and carelessness of the public in 

 such matters. Preserves we must have, or the game is 

 gone. Since this is so, it is fortunate that suchrare priv- 

 ileges fall into the hands of men who appreciate and 

 value them rightly and who will take care of them. A 

 Horicon membership is now nominally $150, In ten 

 years it will be worth perhaps .|1,500, perhaps $5,000, The 

 game is going. 



The following are the names of the gentlemen now 

 holding memberships actually, though eight other mem- 

 berships are due to be issued early; L, J. Petit, Milwau- 

 kee, president; F. C. Donald, Chicago, vice-president;' 

 Frank Falk, Milwaukee, treasurer; Percy F. Stone, Chi- 

 cago, secretary. (The above, with Mr. F. T. Day, make 

 up the board of directors, who have absolue power over 

 the policy and management of the club.) The Chicago 

 members are Messrs. C. E. Felton, C. L. Hunter, L. M. 

 Hamline, W. S. McCrea, C, B. Dicks, W. T, Clark and 

 H. C. Buechner; this list shortly to be extended. The 

 Milwaukee men are S. and W, Clements, Gr. Preussner, 

 B. Leitersdorf, H. and A. H. Gardner, Louis Auer, W. 

 Sanderson and E. Merrill. Horicon members are H. 

 Miescke, E. A. Kretchmar, L. Dietz, W. A. Van Brunt, 

 0. A. Hart, S. E. Davis and J, B. Hayes. H. Boehmer 

 is from Mayville, and T, C. Schove from Manitowoc. 



E. Hough. 



GAME NOTES, 



THE Halifax (Nova Scotia) Herald, Sept. 30, reports: 

 Major McDonnell, R. A., of Halifax, went into the 

 vfoods at Half Way Lake, Cumberland, and killed a fine 

 large moose. Franklin McLeod, Hubert Spiddle and Daniel 

 Ryan, killed three moose in northern Queens. They still- 

 hunted two on Friday last and on Monday afternoon 

 called up a fine bull near the Gardens road, "so near that 

 they went to the spot with a team and brought the moose 

 home whole, and dressed it in Mr. Spiddle's barn. When 

 dressed he carcass weighed TOOlbs. Mr. Ryant did the 

 shooting and ought to be looked after for violating the law. 

 The Gold-Hunter says: Hunters are in the woods in all 

 directions, and pretty soon moose horns will be plentiful. 

 'Twould be impossible to tell who are not out, or who 

 are planning to go. We learn, however, that bombarding 

 has been heard in likely localities where crack shots are 

 in ambush. Last week a party were out in quest of 

 moose. The familiar call succeeded in bringing to their 

 view a fine large denizen of the forest. The idea was first 

 to procure a photograph of the animal in his wild grandeur 

 as a souvenir of the trip, before taking him down. Accor- 

 dingly the camera was brought to bear with good success. 

 Having exhibited himself thus long before their admiring 

 gaze, and doubtless somevrhat suspicious of. the sur- 

 roundings, he made a sudden dash, and disappeared in 

 the forest, leaving but his shadow to tantalize the hunters. 

 [To this record should be added two bull moose killed by 

 Thos. J. Egan, of Halifax.] 



Prospects for game very good indeed. Many flocks of 

 birds nearly grown. Mild winters and comparatively 

 few hunters. Very few were shot around here last 

 season. I generally have some gentlemen from your 

 city, but they could not well get off last season. Deei- 

 are getting to be right plentiful, and the foxes (the gray) 

 are very numerous, and they are awful on game. Wo 

 have a few wild turkeys; foxes are death on them. I 

 saw a small flock of wild turkeys not long ago, and one 

 of them was right white, the first I ever saw, and I am a 

 dear lover of hunting and have killed a good many 

 turkeys. The weather at this time hot and a little dry. 



Samuel Burke.' 



jEimiNG's Obdhstary, Nottoway County, Va., Sept. 30. 



Chicken shooting is over here, they began to pack about 

 11 days ago. Ducks are here in full force and shooting is 

 fine. "More jack snipe than we have ever seen before. — A, 



Fort Pejibina, North Dakota, Sept. 28. 



Game prospects good! A, F. R, 



Hehtfohd, N. C. 



The Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective 

 Association sends us its handbook, which shows that the 

 society's membership (of 470 all told) comi^rises repre- 

 sentatives of Gl different cities and towns. The head- 

 quarters are in Boston; and communications may be ad- 

 areesed to Secy Richard O. Harding, 304 Washington 

 street. 



The October Term of the Courts opened in this city 

 last Monday, and Morello, the restaurant keeper of West 

 Twenty-eighth street, paid a fine of i^loO in the clerk's 

 oflice of the Court of General Sessions, the amount col- 

 lected against him for selling game out of season last 

 winter. 



Hunting Deer witk Bird Dogs.— In your issue of 

 Sept. 34, in my note there are two errors. The word 

 "recovering," in third line from bottom, should read, 

 "running." The words "the setter has enough," in the 

 eighteenth line from bottom, should read, "they have 

 enough." — H. Jj, 



'm mid ^ir^r fishing. 



Angling Talks. By George Daivson. Price 50 cents. Fly- 

 Rods and Fly-Taclde. By H. P. Wells, Price $2.50. Fly- 

 Fishing and Fly-Making for Trout. By J, H. Keene, 

 Price $1.50. American Angler's Book. By TJiad. Norris. 

 Price $5.50. 



The full texts of the game fish laws of all the States, 

 Territories and British Provinces are given in the Book of 

 the Game Laws. 



FISHING WITH TRAINED CORMORANTS 



By Captain ff. S. Dcomobb, B. N. E,., Master of the Falconry 

 Club 1878 to 1883. 



{.Continued from- page 308.] 



CHAP. III.— TRAINING TO FOLLOW, AND INTRODUCTION TO 

 THE WATER. 



AS soon as all the down has disappeared from the plum- 

 age, the gate of the pen or stye may be thrown open, 

 and the birds permitted to follow their trainer, always 

 with his ba^sket or food-can in hand, to the nearest pool 

 or duck-pond — not running water — ^for half an hour's ex- 

 ercise; a genial suimy day being selected, and an hour 

 not too late to allow of their getting thoroughly dry before 

 night. While disporting themselves in the water, occa- 

 sional scraps of fish should be thrown in well clear of the 

 mob, to be raced for. 



Birds remaining lazily on the bank should be driven 

 into the water by cracking a doar-whip at them, at the 

 same time calling out sharply, "Get away, get away!" in 

 a tone eventually to be used as a signal to commence 

 work. 



Finally, the feeding call should be sounded, and the 

 basket or can loudly rattled and deposited on the ground 

 about 10yds, or so from the water's edge, each bird being 

 allowed to help himself and to gobble down a few mouth- 

 fuls (only) before following trainer and basket home; 

 then another mouthful all around, and a full feed as soon 

 as they are all perfectly dry. 



While the birds are young they should not be encour- 

 aged to follow for a longer distance than an eighth 

 of a mile at most; less, if they are on a stony road; urless 

 their wings have been left uncut, which will prevent, their 

 legs from being overtaxed and becoming bent and crooked, 



A few days of this practice and there will no longer be 

 any chance whatever of the birds getting lost. 



If the wings are uncut, of course netting must be 

 stretched over their pen, or they will be perpetually in- 

 ti'uding into the kitchen, their master's study; or drawing- 

 room, and in fact into any and every place in which their 

 odoriferous company would be least appreciated, 



CHAP, IV,— TRAINING TO FISH. 



By this time our birds will have learned to retrieve bits 

 of fish from under the water, and, what is equally im- 

 portant, to hold on to their prize; a lesson the greediness 

 of his companions, ever on the lookout for a chance to 

 snatch at the protruding corner of any scrap not properly 

 pouched, will very speedily impress upon the understand- 

 ing of each individual cormorant. 



The next step is to teach them to catch living fish. And 

 here, if a wild-caught bird be not available as "pupil 

 teacher," let us hope that one at least of the team may 

 tm-n out to be a bird of extra quick perceptions. 



In this case, he will rapidly instruct all the rest without 

 much assistance or interference. 



Failing such a bird, we have before us the only really 

 bothersome part of the training. 



If the cormorants, six hours after a very scanty apol- 

 ogy for breakfast, cannot be induced to notice a few live 

 fish, running from fom* to six to the pound, or even a 

 little smaller, placed ready for them in a small clear pool 

 or large tub, it may be necessary to commence by intro- 

 ducing them individually, one at a time, to live minnows 

 in a horse trough. If they seem extra stupid, a minnow 

 or two may be shown in the hand and thrown in before 

 their eyes. 



My birds almost always entered themselves, sooner or 

 later, after being promoted from thek exercising pond to 

 a swim up a river or trout brook. 



First one bird would be tempted, while under water, to 

 make a grab at a fleeing trout, and then the others, after 

 trying their level best to rob him of the unwonted deli- 

 cacy, would keep their own eyes uncommonly sharp- 

 skinned, on the lookout for a similar bit of luck. But for 

 this clear water is indispensable. 



Care must be taken that they do not at this stage get 

 hold of a catfish, a black bass, a perch, or any kind of 

 fish armed with spines that might lacerate the membrane 

 of the pouch. 



Brook trout, or sea trout, "weakfish" (so-called) are the 

 best quarry they can have to begin with. 



Once the ice is fairly broken, three days will probably 

 make the whole team expert fishers. 



During these days we must be careful to call them 

 ashore for a meal from the feeding basket (which must 

 be kept out of sight while they are fishing or they will 

 be pretty sure to strike work) before they have caught 

 enough to gorge themselves, and become disposed to as- 

 sert their independence. For at first, until our slaves 

 shall have learned to hug their chains, it will not take 

 quite so much as the blunders of a British Colonial Oflice 

 to remind true-bred American cormorants that "All birds 

 are born free and equal.' 



OHAPT. v.— BREAKING TO COLLAR. 



We have now to commence the final stage of educa- 

 tion, training our cormorants to give up for their mas- 

 ter's use the fish when caught. 



We provide each bird with a collar, a pliant leather 

 thong, pierced with several holes, so as to be capable of 

 extension and contraction, and fitted with a buckle. 



To this we attach, preferably by a hook swivel, a cord 

 of a yard in length, which we make fast to an iron peg 

 in the ground, or to a loop-knot in a rope sufficiently long 

 to hold the entire team at least four yards apart; the ends 



