Dec. 22, 18S3,] 



F^OlRteSf AND STREAM. 



them, but in a short time they have their victim down, 

 and by mornine there will be nothing Irf t bat the hones. 



Toere was quite a large dog den or burrow near the 

 estancia, but I could nt-ver get a shot at them. They are 

 very cunnmg, and always keep a sentinel outside the 

 den, who gives the alarm on the approach of an enemy, 

 and the dogs run out and scatter in the high grass. I had 

 a pair of Spanish galgos, which were my constant com- 

 panions. They were named L-on and Tigress, and were 

 very intelhgent animalei. Wnen in the houpe they were 

 always apparently listening to the CDnversation, and if 

 ■while talking with any one I sh* uld say without chane- 

 iner the tones oi my voice or giving them any sign ISalir 

 afuera (go outside) they would boih get up without any 

 instmction on my part; they seemed really to understand 

 what we were talking about, and if we w..uld bring into 

 the conversation such sentt^nces as "Hunt the cat" or 

 '•Strnnge dog" they would dart out all excitement. 



B-fore I had full charge of this estancia, and while I 

 was going through an apprenticeship, as it were, I was 



in the direction she thought I was coming, but not once 

 did she try to call their attention to her imprisoned pup. 

 These Spanish galgos or hounds are very aristocratic, 

 and will not aFsociate with the common dogs. Tht-y st^y 

 in and about the main house and will not allow a common 

 dog to come near it, but keep them on their own territory 

 which is near the kitchen. Eowaed A. Robinson. 

 Baltimobk, Md. 



ADIRONDACK DEER HUNTING. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Referring to an article undpr the head of "Adirondack 

 D^er Hunting," and published in Forest and Stream of 

 Dec. 1, I beg leave to criticise the points taken by the 

 author of that article. 



First, I do not think deer have increased for the past 

 few years about he'-e. It is true, there are more deer in 

 certain localities. Bat then, there are large tracts where 

 there are but very few deer where they used to be plenty. 



the nearest water. The worst hounded venison I ever 

 saw was kdled in the coldest weather in D cember, 



Hordes from all around the woods would hail with de- 

 light a law that would admit of later hounding, for they 

 know they could kill more deer. Tnere is a certain class 

 here, and I suppose this is the case all around the woods, 

 that know notning about the two deer clause, but make a 

 business of hunting deer during the whole open season 

 for hounding. It is r»^ported on good authority that one 

 man at Long Pond killed over twenty deer in one season 

 by hounding. Last year on the 20 ih day of October there 

 were eighteen deer killed in the two little lakes within 

 one and a half miles of my house. This year there has 

 been a falling off of fifty per cent, in the number of deer 

 killed by houndmg due to the closing of the season the 

 10 h instead of the 20 ch as last year. 



The assertion that there would not be as many does 

 killed in October as in September is erroneous. It is, in 

 fact, the reverse. Daring October the bucks travel the 

 least of any deer. They seek some good feeding place 



UWN.SEND. 

 2Sl. 



'^^...'''■'-Ji-:'-.-^ 



AMONG THE WILDFOWL.-XIX. 



From a drawing by W. Townsend 



frat in charge of a flock of twelve hundred sheep, and 

 ived in a small straw questo or hut for three months. 

 These digs were my only compinions as I saw no one for 

 days except the man who brought me a fresh horse every 

 mnrnina', and once a week the manager. There was a 

 sm ill Fquare hole in the side of the hut about four feet 

 from tne ground which served as a window. It; roas 

 almost a nightly recurrence for my dogs to leap through 

 this window excited by some noise or scent, and they 

 would generally return in a few minutes with an opos- 

 sum, which thpy wou'd lay at my feet. Simetimes it 

 would be a skunk, and they would return smelling vilely, 

 but thpy never brousht the skunk with them, although 

 they invariably kilhd it. Taese odoriferous beasts 

 abounded on the pampas, and animals and men w re 

 constantly scented up with them. Foxes were very plen- 

 tiful, and one pair that I saw nearly every day puzzled 

 me >'0 little by disappearing when the digs got after 

 them. I watched them often to find out where their den 

 was and finally disc )vered it neatly hidden just under 

 the top of a very high bant of a di^ep arroyo. My dogs 

 would tackle anvthing from a mad bull to an iguano, 

 except a tarantula. When they came across one of 

 these they would make a great fu=(8 barking, circling 

 around but keeping at a very respectful distance. 



Oae evening on returning to the estancia after being 

 away all day, I was met by Tigress who was very proud 

 of a litter of cubs she had. She seemed much more 

 pleased to see me than U'ual, jumping up on me and 

 licking my hands. She ran bpt^ind one of thp buildings, 

 then looked to see if I was following; finding I was not, 

 she tripd in every way to at<^ract my attention. Thinking 

 that something was wrone I went with her, and she led 

 me to a deep hole in the ground that had h°en made by 

 pulling up a large po>t. In the botto'vi of the hole was 

 one of her cuhs which had fallen in, Tne strangp part of 

 this is that the dog should have waited for me to release 

 the pup when there were several others about the place 

 all day. They told me she had been restless all the after- 

 noon, constantly going out of the Inclosure, and looking 



This is partly due to the extensive lumber jobs now going 

 on in the Adirondacks, and much more the result of 

 hounding. 



I trav led through the woods of Maine soon after 

 hounding was prohibited in that State. Deer eeemed to 

 be in clusters or herds. In some secluded ppot at the head 

 of some stream they appeared to be plenty, while in 

 other places on equally or more favorable grounds I would 

 travel for miles and not see a deer's track. I was in the 

 Maine woods again this fall and fi>und that the deer 

 were gradually spreading themselves all through the 

 woods. I agree with the author that more stringent 

 measures be taken to insure the deer supply. But who- 

 ever makes the assertion that by having the open season 

 for hounding later in the fall would be advantageous 

 both to the deer and the hunter, either has not the proper 

 protection of deer at heart or U ignorant of the faces con- 

 cerning late hounding, I admit it would be advantageous 

 to the hunter, but not to the deer. 



I believe also that it is thft general opinion that venison 

 will not be injured so much by the race in later and 

 cooler weather, in October, as in warmer weather, in 

 September. So far from this heiuij the fact, vfniann will 

 be injured more in a race of fifteen minutes the last of 

 October than it would be in a whole hour in September. 

 The reason is obvious. During the early stages of the 

 winter's coat, which comes on the latter part of August 

 and early September, the hair is short, small, firm or solid, 

 admitting of the more free escape of animal heat. But as 

 it gets later in October this hair not only becomes long, 

 but expands literally and becomes exceedingly light and 

 porous, filling up all the interstices between the hair and 

 becoming one of the beet non-conductors of heat known, 

 and thus enables the deer to stand the rigors of a north- 

 prn clime. Now, the heat does not come from without, 

 but from within. Tne fear and over-exertion causes the 

 rapid circulation of the blood and consequently the rapid 

 accumulation of animal heat, which cannot escape by 

 reason ot this non-conducting coat of hair. The deer is 

 soon over-heated, suffocation takes place and it rushes to 



and remain quiet preparatory to the rutting season in 

 N .vember. The hound will not be as likely to find as 

 many buck's as doe's tracks in October. During S- p em- 

 ber the bucks have recently shed the vt-lvet covering 

 from their horns and then they are the finest, and, too, 

 the early winter coat, which comes on with the bucks the 

 latter part of August, is by far the prettiest for mounting, 

 and as there is no trouble for the sportsman to secure his 

 allotted number in September, why should the seapon for 

 hounding be extended into October only for the plaushter 

 of the deer by meat hunter,-? I should be heartily in 

 favor of abolishing both hounding and jacking. Ic is im- 

 possible to frame a law that would please every one. 

 Hounding being by far the most destructive method 

 should have the shortest time. The present law with 

 an amendment closing the hounding season Oct. 1 would, 

 I think, gpnerfclly give as good satisfaction as any that 

 could be devised consistent with the proper protpction of 

 deer. Musset. 

 NuMBEB Four, Dee. 13. 



A liOng' Shot. 



Cincinnati, O., Dec. 8— Editor Forest and Stream: A 

 year ago Last spring I was living on a shanty boat on the 

 St Mary's Reservoir. My boat was anchored on an 

 island east of the Twin I-lands, and here it was that I 

 made a sh t that I shall remember the longest day I live. 

 I had just finished cooking breakfast and opened the 

 door to cool the boat somewhat when I noticed a bald 

 pagle flying to the ice. about 500 yards from the boat. 

 Some of the good old fishermen were raising nets from 

 the ice around my boat, among whom were Sam and 

 Charlie Marshall, Felix Sweigart, Tom Carter, Dive 

 Dines and S warts. I raised my rifle to my shoul ler and 

 pulled, exppc'ing the bullet to fall short of the bird, but 

 to the surprise of myself and the fishermen he gave a 

 sudden flip of his wings and fell. He weighed 18 niuuds, 

 and measured 7 feet li inches from tip to tip. F. B. M. 



