91 



FOMST AND STREAM. 



fAtG. 4, 188S, 



for a number of rods, taking all the inequalities in line 

 and never breaking rank, I stood and watched them 

 and they were not afraid, for no squirrels are allowed to 

 be shot on the old farm. At last they came to the wagon 

 gate in front of the house, and here there was trouble- 

 There was a high post, boxed up and with a board cap to 

 it, that projected high above the level of the fence. The 

 old squirrel took this right in her stride and so did the 

 next tour young ones, all going down on the opposite 

 side of the post and running on across on the top of the 

 gate. The last squirrel was a little one, apparently the 

 last of the lot, and he balked at the post. He wouldn't 

 try it, but seemed afraid. He put his paws up against 

 the post and set up a dreadful chattering. The other 

 squirrels all stopped and began to chatter too, but the 

 little fellow wouldn't move. Ho just sat and hollered. 

 All the other squirrels came on back across the gate, to 

 the other side of the post, and then sxich a chattering 

 you never heai'd. The little one didn't take any advice, 

 however, and the upshot of it was that after a while he 

 skinned down the post to the ground, ran up it on the 

 other side and got into line behind again. Then away 

 they went as far as I could see them, bobbing along 

 like a long red snake on top the fence. It was easy to 

 see that those squirrels had some sort of language, 

 though I couldn't make out whether they were coaxing 

 the little fellow or swearing at him." 



Mr. Stone, it may be remembered, is active in the man- 

 agement of Diana Club, of the Horicon marsh. He says 

 that this year there is plenty of water all over the marsh, 

 so that there will be no difficulty such as there was last 

 fall in getting about with the boats. In fact the second 

 rise of water may have beea damaging to the ducks, as 

 it may have caught many on their nests. The mallards 

 this year are nesting away back where it was dry and 

 dusty last year. 



Just what the effect of the wet spring has been upon 

 the chicken crop it is still too early to learn with any ac- 

 curacy, though the general impressioh seems to be that 

 in this State the birds did not suffer so very much. Com- 

 pared with the terribly dry season of last year, the shoot- 

 ing in Minnesota and South Dakota may be very satis- 

 factory after all this year. 



Messrs. M. R. Bortree and F. S. Baird will leave in 

 August for their annual chicken hunt near Huron, in the 

 Jim River country, Dakota. Here they get fair shoot- 

 ing, all the birds they care to eat at the farm where they 

 stop. 



The first of August is now at hand, and many are 

 making plans for a little chicken-shooting campaign. He 

 is very fortunate who can count with any certainty upon 

 finding a chicken country where he can get good shoot- 

 ing. In accordance with my promise, made earlier in 

 these columns, I shall on Aug. 1 privately notify all 

 inquirers after the whereabouts of the "game pocket" 

 over which we had a little writing last winter. There 

 are several gentlemen who have inquired personally or by 

 letter after this, and to all these the same reply will be 

 made, viz. : The name and address will be given of the 

 gentleman who gave me the information, and his terms 

 for board, etc. I have no late information from this 

 locality, but have written for it. There is every reason to 

 think the chicken shooting good. I could not, and can- 

 not now give this locality out publicly, for the informant 

 does not want the market shooters down on him. To any 

 gentleman of references the information is free as the 

 air, of com-se, and gladly given, and I only hope that, 

 diflficult and usually thankless as it is to direct any one to 

 a locality for a sportiug trip, this "game pocket" may 

 prove itself not over-estimated, and may be the means of 

 affording pleasure to some gentlemen who may in their 

 time have gone fm ther and fared worse. This year and 

 next the market shooters will about clean up the chickens 

 in northwestern Nebraska, which for the past few years 

 has been the best chicken country left in the West. The 

 Indian Nations country is pretty well shot down now. 

 After this corner of Nebraska goes, there will not be any 

 real chicken country left. The shooter will have to pick 

 his shooting here and there, as he can find it, and "earne 

 pockets" like the one in question here will be of^ still 

 greater value. I must add that I cannot testify to the 

 actual value of this ' pocket" out of any personal experi- 

 ence,_ though gentlemen who shot there last fall write me 

 that it was all that could be asked as a chicken country. 



The hot weather here has stifled all aspirations for sport 

 for the present, and most of our shooters and fishers are 

 absent at the country clubs trying to keep cool. Messrs. 

 C. G. Page and N. C. Wheeler went this week up to Pot- 

 ter's Lake, near Mukwanago, Wis., after bass, but unless 

 there comes a cooler time they will hardly get any bass. 

 The Kankakee club houses are about all full now, but the 

 chief amusement is sucking straw?. 



That pleasant summer club, the Crand Calumet 

 Heights, has put in about ,f 1,500 in improvements, and 

 now has a pleasant lawn and improved buildings. The 

 fishing for game fish is next to nothing, but the location 

 on the lake shore is pleasant and restful, apart from the 

 city, as it is by only a short remove. So far as can be 

 learned, our friend Alex. T. Loyd, lately mysteriously 

 disappeared, has been living down at Grand Calumet 

 Heights Club all the time. 1 think some of organizing a 

 relief expedition and going down after him. Mr. Loyd 

 is a great explorer. It will be rf membered that he dis- 

 covered the sources of the mysterious Little Calumet in 

 a country never before trod by the foot of civilized man, 



E. Hough. 



No. 175 MONBOE fcTKEET, Ohicago. 



A GUN CAMERA. 



Hareisbtjrg, Pa. — As I understand the photographic 

 competition in the FOREST AND Stream, it is the desire 

 to get not only good pictures, but photographs of game, 

 incidents, etc , out of the usual channels. 



The ordinary tripod arrangements is hardly adequate 

 to meet sudden emergencies (taking too long to set up). 

 The hand cameras are good, but as used with the ordin- 

 ary finder on top or sides, a small moving object, like a 

 bird flying or hare or dogs running, is difficult to keep 

 "in" the tinder. 



It has been my ambition to get a photograph of a bird 

 in the air the moment it was struck by a charge of shot, 

 and I have tried to accomplish this end by attaching a 

 hand camera to a piece of wood shaped like a gun. 



Instead of looking into my finder whexa a bird arises I 



A POT SHOT. 

 (Not a portrait of "Pizarth.") 



throw my "gun camera" to the shoulder, and„whenon the 

 bird "pull" the button. 



It looks easy, and it is, to get the bird just before being 

 shot (by your assistant) or just after, but frankly confess 

 I have never caught it just at the right moment. 



You don't get very good "pictures" by this method, 

 but you will get some very queer photographs, although 

 I have secured some pretty pictures by pointing the cam- 

 era about half-way between the shooter and the game. 

 One easily learns the angle of his lens and the camera, 

 being on the under side of what correspond to the barrels 

 of a gun, is bound to hang level. But it is not "pictures" 

 you are hunting with this arrangement, but odd photo- 

 graphs, and with a little practice you will get them much 

 better than by the usual way. 



The accompanying rule drawing will give a fair idea 



What is the Interpretation? 

 The Utah law on California quail is found in Act of 

 March 13, 1890, as follows; "Sec. 4. Any person who 

 shall kill, ensnare, net or trap any quail, partridge, 

 pheasant, prairie chicken, sage hen or grouse within the 

 Territory of Utah between March 15 and Aug. 15 of each 

 year, or who shall kill, ensnare, net or trap at any time 

 any lark, whippoorwill, thrush, swallow, snowbird, bobo- 

 link, woodpecker, or other insectivorous birds, not being 

 birds of prey, except English sparrows, and the bird 

 commonly known as the California quail, shall be guilty 

 of a misdemeanor." According to this, what is the law 

 on California quail? May they be killed at no time or all 

 the year around? 



The full texts of the game laws of all the States, Terri- 

 tories and British Provinces are given in the Booli of the 

 Qame Laws, 



THE GUN CAMERA. 



of the "rig" and any one can fix their hand cameras with- 

 out injury to them. The method of pressing the button 

 is easily arranged. The simplest b^ing an old guitar 

 string which has all the stretch taken out of it, running 

 from the trigger on the stock to a spring near the but- 

 ton. By pulling the trigger you press the button. 

 Some of the results are rather astonishing. 



PiQABTH. 



On the oi)po8ite page is a reproduction of one of Mr. 

 Brelsford's "gun camera" photographs, and though he 

 did not succeed in getting the bird just at the instant 

 desired he certainly did secure a most ai-tistic and effect- 

 ive picture. In reply to an inquiry Mr. Brelsford writes : 

 Yours of the 24th at hand and noted regarding the pic- 

 ture of the duck rising at the water's edge. 



I wish to state that it is bona-fide and taken while the 

 bird was in the air. The negative was retouched and 

 print spotted of course to give the necessary sharpness. 

 The flight of the duck was a trifle fast for the speed of 

 shutter. A second later I would have caught the dis- 

 charge of the gun and the duck falling. I suppose I 

 have wasted over a hundred — yes two hundred plates try- 

 ing to get a picture of a bird the instant the shot struck 

 it. I have several immediately before and lots just after. 

 They don't make good pictures, as generally they are 

 either all sky or all ground. When the dogs stand I en- 

 deavor to locate the bird on the ground, and telling my 

 assistant who does the shooting to yell "now" just as he 

 pulled the trigger, snap the shutter and by having my 

 "gun camera" pointed about half-way between the shooter 

 and the bird get the whole scene about once in twenty- 

 five times, but have never gotten the supreme moment 

 yet. But still we might just happen to strike it some 

 day, and that would be our reward, 



Wooly Venison. 



A |5,000 damage suit was instituted in the district 

 court yesterday by William A. Peers, a minor, through 

 his brother, Robert A. Peers, who, by order of the court, 

 was on Tuesday appointed guardian in order that suit 

 might be commenced. The action to recover is against 

 Deputy Game Warden Charles A. Nichols, and behind 

 the whole affair is a story that would be extremely ludi- 

 crous were it not for the serious consequences entailed. 

 The ground for suit is alleged false imprisonment. 



Oq Saturday evening last, according to the allegations 

 of the plantiff, he was engaged in his occupation as driver 

 of a meat wagon. About 8 o'clock in the evening he 

 carried into the Ideal restaurant, on Superior street, a leg 

 of mutton which had been ordered, Nichols was stand- 

 ing near the desk when the meat was delivered, and 

 whether owing to defective eye-sight or ignorance of the 

 real quality of the meat, he declared it was a leg of veni- 

 son. 



"You're mistaken," was young Peers' reply, 

 "WeU, I guess I know my busmess," retorted Nichols; 

 "I know venison meat when I see it. T guess I'll run 

 you in for violation of the state game laws," The butcher 

 boy did not take kindly to the threatened deprivation of 

 his liberty and the aid of a policeman was invoked. He 

 was finally taken to the central station and locked up. 



After seeing his prisoner safely behind the bars. Deputy 

 Game Warden Nichols returned to the restaurant and 

 took possession of the piece of meat, about the "shank" 

 of which clustered several large mats of wool. He took 

 the meat and repaired to a butcher shop near bv withhia 

 prize. He asked the man in charge to be allowed to 

 place the meat in the ice box until Monday and was given 

 permission, a receipt being given him for "one leg of mut- 

 ton." 



"That ain't mutton" said the game warden knowingly, 

 "it's venison." 



Notwithstanding the butcher declared it mutton and 

 refused to give a receipt for venison. The warden sought 

 out another shop but he was given a reception that led 

 him to reflect. After consultation with several of the 

 leading butchers in this city Mr. Nichols finally came to 

 the conclusion that he had made a mistake and hurried 

 to the jail and ordered the release of the boy. The latter 

 had been imprisoned three hours and hence the suit.— 

 Diduth Tribune, July 14. 



Here's a Programme. 



A CORRESPONDENT writes: "I- intend to shoot wood- 

 cock, ruffed grouse, etc., in the East during the autumn 

 months; then spend the winter South, among turkeys and 

 quail; then another pummer in the northern Rockies and 

 upper Pacific coast." 



POTOMAC NOTES. 



For fine white perch fishing seek the estuaries of 

 Chesapeake Bay. The fish run exceptionally large in the 

 brackish water, and are as plentiful as mosquitoes on the 

 Jersey coast. Then, too, the grounds are easily reached 

 by railroad or steamboat, guides and boats are readily 

 secured, and proper baits occur in the water at hand and 

 along the sandy beaches. Messrs. O. C. Hine, George 

 Scharf and Jake Scharf have just returned from a week's 

 outing on the Chesapeake, about ten miles from Bengies, 

 Md. The route from Washington is via Baltimore to 

 Middle River Station on the P. W. & B. From this point 

 they proceeded to their camping place, ten miles away, 

 where they pitched their tent and had a very enjoyable 

 time. Two of the party hooked 68 perch, none of which 

 were less than Sin. long, in one hour and a half. The 

 fish were taken on a spreader, two at a time, and being 

 provided with rod, line and reel the sport was thoroughly 

 interesting. The baits used were sand fleas, which proved 

 superior to crabs and other baits. The fleas were caught 

 at night by means of lights, around which they would 

 gather in large numbers, when they were easily scooped 

 up with the hands. 



Although out of season, the boys took on the 20th of 

 July seven fine rockfish, averaging about Slbs. each. 

 Yellow perch were very plentiful, but returned to the 

 water as fast as they were taken ; like your humble ser- 

 vant, the party had no use for that unjustly celebrated 

 fish. Plenty of catfish are found in these waters also. 

 Parties living at this point say that the prospect for rock 

 and pike (pickerel) fishing next fall is all that could be 

 desired. Bengies has furnished good duck shooting in 

 the past, and President Harrison has made frequent trips 

 there during his administration. There is ten miles of 

 beach, which furnishes good sport in the fall, although 

 the gunning has been poor for the past two years; whether 

 the President has had anything to do with this or not is 

 hard to say, but from the fact that the county is a Demo- 

 cratic stronghold, there is likely something in what this 

 sentence is intended to suggest. These grounds are re- 

 sorted to by hundreds of lovers of fishing from Baltimore. 



The other day I approached one of our well-known 

 anglers with the question as to how he had fared bass 

 fishing on the Potomac during the present week. He re- 

 plied that it was entirely too hot to fish, and so have many 

 others. There has been a wonderful cleaning up of 

 Secretarial and Senatorial outfits of fishing tackle during 

 the past few weeks, and now throughout the mountain 

 regions of the country, along every wooded stream is to 

 be heard the term "Mr, Secretary," or "Senator," "what 

 luck?" Secretary Noble has departed, and with him a 

 very complete sportsman's outfit. Ex-Attorney General 

 Garland is another enthusiast with the rod and .gun, 

 especially the latter, and has gone to his Arkansas home 

 well supplied with guns and ammunition. 



Forest and Stream's "Chained to business? Can't go 

 a fishing?" is fully appreciated here by a lot of poor, 

 sweltering cusses. Ye happy mortals, who can get away, 

 go and let us hear from you and your enjoyments 

 through this great, full medium. BON. 

 Washington, D. O., July 3Q, 



Shrewd. 



Mrs. Barry— Our guide is a very shrewd fellow. 

 Mrs, .SiraBgp— Yet? 



Mrs. Barry— He always makes out his bill on birch bark aad It 

 is Fo charmingly quaint that one can't help paying him— New 

 Torh U&rcad. 



