404 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



lIiIay 11, i»V>b. 



the younger birds. They were distinctly darker than the 

 old ones, and were the most comical creatui-es one could 

 imagine. The young ones struggled fiercely to bring 

 their worm to the surface, and often failed, the old bird 

 then went to their help and seemed to attend faithfully 

 to the broods, H. S. 



"Game Lams in Brief," United States and Canada, 

 illustrated, 25 cenU. "Book of the Game Laws" (full 

 text), 50 cents. . 



QUAIL SHOOTING IN DELAWARE. 



I LAY no claim to skill in handhng either the gim or the 

 pen, but wish to contribute a little during the off season 

 by a plain, unvarnished tale to the pleasure of my brother 

 sportsmen, the readers of the Forest and Stream. 



I left Chestertown, Md.^ by rail on Wednesday, Dec. 

 37, 1893, for a four days' outuig with the parti-idges, de- 

 termined to go south until I could find a place where 

 there was no snow. My hopes of pleasure depended on 

 two setters, Jake, a veteran, Ben, a black pup of two sum- 

 mers, and a trusty No. 14 gun, warranted to scatter. At 

 Dagsboro, a village a few miles south of Georgetown, the 

 brown breast of mother earth was fii-st visible. I resolved 

 to try my luck there, for one day at least. An obligiag 

 storekeeper, with a light open wagon, offered to carry 

 me Avith him to his home, four miles back in the country. 

 On the way he informed me that a yoimg fellow in his 

 neighborhood had a pointer dog and himted almost every 

 day, but added confidentially, "He can't kill nothing." I 

 said to myself, "I will put up at that young man's house 

 and cultivate his friendship; he knows where the birds 

 are and has not shot them quite all." As this house was 

 two miles further on, I left my impedimenta at the store 

 and commenced gunning at once, as it was already after 

 1 o'clock. I was now in old Sussex county, where they 

 still vote for- Gen. Jackson, where water always stands 

 still because it cannot tell which way to rmi, and where 

 almost every woods is a thicket of scrub pine, nearly im- 

 penetrable on account of green briers. A lusty young 

 blacksmith with a muzzleloader volunteered to act as 

 guide. He allowed there were no breechloaders about 

 those parts. 



Jake and Ben galloped off in fine spirits over a large 

 stubblefield. In the middle of it Ben pointed, Jake 

 backed him firmly. The birds rose when we were 30yds. 

 from them. I got a good quartering shot and killed two. 

 The blacksmith also discharged his piece and picked up 

 one of the bii-ds with a doubtful smile- I remarked that 

 I believed the other one belonged to me. I followed them 

 to the woods, took a couple of ineffectual snap shots at 

 them among the pines and then we were off for flock No. 

 2. We hunted over a lot of excellent ground, where, the 

 blacksmith assured me, there were plenty of birds on 

 Thanksgiving Day; but the dogs fomad nothing. It was 

 cold, cloudy and windy. We tried a thicket. Jake located 

 a fiock among a lot of bushes, old logs and green briers, 

 where they had taken shelter. I kiUed one as they scat- 

 tered in all directions and knocked down another at 50yds. 

 which we found after a most diligent search. 



Flock No. 3 was in a field grown up with weeds, among 

 which they were feeding. After much preliminary work 

 both dogs pointed about 30yds. apart. We walked up to 

 Jake, but found nothing. We then hurried across to Ben 

 who was firmly glued to the ground. Nothing there. 

 Then back again to Jake, who was again stiff on his 

 point, but with the same success. Finally we hastened 

 to Ben, who was now standing rigid as a statue. This 

 time half a dozen big fellows rose with a rush. I singled 

 out and killed one. The rest flew a quarter of a mile 

 and settled on the other side of a wild plum thicket. 

 Jake finally located something on a ditch bank grown up 

 with briers. I kicked up two birds, missed the first and 

 dropped the second in a peach orchard. Althongh Ben 

 ran to the spot immediately and I hurried across to him, 

 yet in spite of us both that bird joined the vast flock of 

 partridges which are shot down and never gathered in. 



Flock four was found as twilight was falling. In open 

 ground, grown up with low bushes and sedge, Jake 

 pointed and then commenced roadmg. The l)irds were 

 running, but we were between them and the woods. 

 FinaUy a flock rose, large onotigh to fill a peach basket. 

 Before, behind and above me they darted, and they rattled 

 me to such an extent that the first barrel was a failm-e, 

 but the second one found its bird. I followed them to a 

 thicket of scrub pines. I missed the first as a half a 

 dozen flew up, but shot down the nest one that rose, as 

 he was making some intricate turns among the feathery 

 branches. On my way to pick him up I kicked up and 

 killed another. It was now nearly night. Ben was 

 missing, but I found him pointing at the edge of the 

 thicket. Three or fom- birds dashed of. into the darkness. 

 I fired at the whirring noise in a general sort of way, but 

 was well pleased to see Ben running after one which had 

 fallen with a broken wing. This gave me nine partridges 

 for the afternoon, an.d made me resolve to finish my 

 outing in Sussex. 



Bidding the blacksmith good-night, after a walk of a 

 mile I found Johnson's. An old lady was picking up 

 chips at the wood-pile. An old man was sitting by a 

 chimney-fire. A few words of explanation and I was 

 made welcome. The house belonged to a farm of 100 

 acres. On the first floor was a large living-room with an 

 immense fixe-place and two exceedingly small bed-rooms. 

 A large garret formed the second story. A good supper 

 in a kitclien 20 yards from the house, an evening by the 

 roaring fii-e in the hving-room, a night in a huge feather- 

 bed in the garret, Avith the bare shingles just above my 

 head, and I was ready for the second day's sport. The 

 ancient pilgi-im had prophesied snow, but as I lay in bed 

 wondei-ing if it had come some little substance falling 

 from a tree upon the roof, and rattling stealthily down 

 over the shingles assured me that the roof was stiU bare. 



Burt, who had turned up some time during the night, 

 was busy, as I came down, fixing the locks of his muzzle- 

 loader. He was a taU., wiry fellow of 23. His work 

 with the gun was being watched with great interest by 

 Abe, a pointer as thin as his master, with a preposterously 

 long tail. The briers had dealt unkindly with it, for the 

 last foot or two was entirely deA'oid of hah*. The kitchen 

 in which we took our meals was typical of Sussex county 

 thrift. The walls were uuplastered. There were long 



cracks of varying width in the weather boarding. The 

 door, made of half -inch boards, was kept shut with a 

 piece of twine. When closed there was a space of more 

 than an inch around it imaccoimted for. The ventilation 

 was excellent. The room was kept warm with a, red-hot 

 cook stove, although the mercury had nearly all crawled 

 down into the bulb of the thermometer. In some coun- 

 tries these chinks would have been stopped up, but not in 

 Sussex county. 



We ventured out at 9 o'clock, although it was quite cold 

 and threatening snow. We went straight to a woods, 

 where Burt knew there was a flock. Abe found them. 

 Jake and Ben staunchly backed their new friend. I 

 kicked them out from under a brush pile and knocked 

 over one. The rest took a long flight, but we foimd them 

 in a second woods. I missed a couple of shots in the 

 bushes, but finally knocked down one, which the dogs 

 failed to find. On leaving the woods Ben was missing. 

 Whisthng and calling failed to bring him. After 1.5 min- 

 utes we found him lying under a young pine with his nose 

 to a little brush heap. Under it was the wounded bird 

 within a foot of the pup's nose. Remarkable dog that! 



After a long tramp with hands in our pockets we f oimd 

 a fiock in an apple orchard. They got up Avild. I con-- 

 centrated my energies on one which went off by itself 

 and got it. When I whirled axound the flock was out of 

 gun-shot, but we marked them down in a chopping 

 among oak tops with the leaves on. We found them at 

 once. I killed the first one which made a break for 

 liberty. Then I dropped two which flew tip from almost 

 the same spot under a treetop a second apart. They fell 

 within 15ft, of each other. Then I missed the most beau- 

 tiful open shot, but still felt encouraged. 



The next notable event was the three dogs pointing in 

 the corner of a field among young sassafras trees and 

 blackbei-ry bushes. I walked up expecting to find a sin- 

 gle bird, when, like a young cyclone, a I'lrge flock came 

 out directly in my face. I say it to my shame, but they 

 escaped in the general confusion Avithout losing a single 

 feather from either barrel. Query. Who gets the most 

 fun out of gunning? The man with nerves of steel, 

 whom nothin'g can rattle, or the one Avhose heart beats 

 and whose nerves fairly quiver with excitement, making 

 it often a sheer impossibility to single out a bird, but 

 irresistibly impelling him to shoot into the flock with the 

 vague idea of gathering them all in? 



Another flock rose before the dogs conld locate them, 

 but lit in an old graveyard gi-own up with young pines, 

 at the edge of a dense thicket. Between the two was a 

 road. Bm-t took the graveyard and I the road. As they 

 crossed I was fortunate enough to drop one Avith each 

 barrel. These pine thickets are a splendid protection for 

 the partridges. When they once reach them two or three 

 are, on an average, as many as one will find of a flock. 

 They must light in the trees and watch Avitli interest the 

 fun going on beloAv. The last flock we foimd just at 

 dark. Jake pointed them. They were running. It Avas 

 a pretty sight to see the three dogs reading them for a 

 hundre'd yards, pointing every few steps. They flnaUy 

 got up out of gunshot and disappeared over the tops of 

 the trees. I reached home with thirteen birds. Burt had 

 shot but three times as the right lock of his gun would 

 not act. 



After supper Burt was arraying himself in his best to 

 go to a party. In fact, he Avas at a party every night 

 while I was there. "Burt," said I, "what do you do at 

 these parties?" "Hug and kiss the girls." The old man 

 growled out a reproof. Burt retorts, "You need not talk, 

 you were wise after the girls than, ever I dare be." 

 The old lady, taking her pipe from her mouth: "That's 

 so, Burtie, that's so." A general laugh. 



Friday's sun rose cold and clear. Burt was busy making 

 a sausage-shaped cover out of unbleached muslin for his 

 dogs's taU, which had been suffering severely from the 

 briers. A belt AA'as to go around Abe's loins and a crup- 

 per was to run from this doAvn his back to the cover. 

 Abe iooked upon this simple but ingenious arrangement 

 with undisguised suspicion. W^as his tail no longer to have 

 that upAvard turn and free awing of which he was so 

 proud? Abe, soon after we started, seated himself on his 

 beam ends and dragged himself along the ground on all 

 fours. The tail cover, from the lack of a stay rope from 

 below, proved a signal failure. Burt confidentially assm'ed 

 me that he proposed to do, to-day, his share of the shoot- 

 ing. 



Into the first flock that we found he promptly emptied 

 both barrels, and to his great delight kiUed two bmls. 

 He received my congratulations with a pleased smile and 

 remarked that he now understood how the thing was 

 done. While he was going through the complicated pro- 

 cess of loading I followed the flock into the thicket. 

 Here I had the satisfaction of killing tAvo birds right and 

 left in a dense clump of bushes, both of Avhich fell within 

 50ft. of me. I iuA'ariably change my shells to those 

 loaded Avith No. 10 shot when I enter a thicket. The birds 

 must always be killed very close and No. 10 is more hkely 

 to hit them if the gun is not held ti'ue. One ounce of 10s 

 with 2Mrs. Trap American wood powder make a danger- 

 ous load at a short range. 



The next flock flushed Avild and fleAv to the densest of 

 thickets. Scrub pines, hoUy bushes and gxeen briers 

 made it almost impenetrable. I shot four or five times, 

 and finally came out disgusted without having knocked 

 loose a single feather. Ben held a point in that woods at 

 least twenty minutes, as we could not find him, but he 

 patiently waited for us. I find it an excellent plan to 

 hunt htm Avith a small bell on his neck. He is a wide 

 ranger and can often be heard Avhen otherwise one would 

 in the bushes have no knowledge of his whereabouts. He 

 is so cautious that even Avith the bell he seldom flushes a 

 bird. 



The next flock- flew to a thicket of young pines Avithout 

 giving us a shot. Here I kflled one behind a pine Avith- 

 out seeing it, and knocked over a second and third at 

 short range with snap shots. On our way home, Jake 

 located a flock in a peach orchard within 100yds. of the 

 invariable pine thicket. Ben came in behind Jake, and 

 Abe behind Ben. The hunters also came in and j)ointed. 

 As they dashed for the woods I wounded one, but seeing 

 he Avould reach the cover I knocked him OA'er with the 

 second barrel. In the woods I killed one in a most acci- 

 dental sort of a Avay as he Avas threading his way among 

 the small tree trunks. We reached the house" at dark, 

 very tired and hungry, for we neither rested nor ate dur- 

 ing' the trip, but Avith a very satisfactory bag of fifteen 

 birds. 



Saturday Avas the last day of the outing. The dogs, ex- 



cept Ben, were decidedly stiff and sore. Abe carried his 

 tail Avith the utmost caution, and gave all briei-s a wide 

 berth. I was obliged to be back at the house by 2 o'clock, 

 in order to catch the up train. We started early. Jake 

 found three or fom- birds in the edge of a thicket of scrub 

 pines. It was a slim chance, Burt kicked them up, while 

 I held my gun ready for the slightest show. No one who 

 has not shot among these pines can form an idea of the 

 denseness of their foliage and how qvuckly a bird is out of 

 sight among them. I Avas lucky enough to catch one as 

 he plunged into the pines before he got forty feet from, the 

 gi-oimd. The others it Avas useless to follow. 



The next flock got up wild and went to a thicket gTOAvn 

 up with pines and scrub oaks Avith the leaves on. It was, 

 for Delaware, a nice place in which to shoot, as the un- 

 dergrowth is not thick. I missed a beautiful shot at a 

 bird which passed me and went away straight as an 

 arrow, but killed a second, third and fourth inside of five 

 minutes. The next coA^e}^ reached the woods in safety, as 

 they flushed Avild, but in the bushes I killed two very 

 doubtful cases, one of Avhich I kicked out of a brush heap 

 and which persisted in flying behind me; the other I saw 

 sitting at the root of a pine, and stepped back involun- 

 tarily to avoid pulverizing Mm, but the little fellow saved 

 me from the disgrace of shooting him on the ground by 

 whisking out on the other side of the tree through the 

 undergroAvth. I fii-ed and a shout from Burt annoimced 

 that I had been successful. Ben noAv got up a little side 

 show of his OAvn by running a rabbit, which he followed 

 for a half hour and must have driven clear out of the 

 country. A sound thrashing effectually cured him until 

 the next opportunity, when the same circus Avas invaria- 

 bly gone through with. 



"l jumped doAvn from a fence right into a covey. One 

 that went straight down was missed beautifully. A sec- 

 ond that darted through the fence and made straight for 

 the woods Avas knocked down. Following them, I killed, 

 one as he Avas indiscreet enough to try to go over the 

 pines instead of through them. Another that darted 

 through the pines I caught a glimpse of for a moment, 

 and pointed and pulled Avithout raising my gun to the 

 shoulder. I killed him. The reader will be kind enough 

 to insert between the lines a goodly number of misses, as 

 a man who wishes to make a good bag in this country 

 must take every possible chance. 



The last flock of the season Ave found in a Avoods as Ave 

 hm-ried to the house. They got away safely in spite of 

 three loads. FolloAving them I killed one that Burt 

 flushed. As it came past, well up, I tried to get my gun 

 on it. It went behind a holly tree, through Avhose dense 

 foUage I shot at a venture, as it As as my only hope. I 

 had the satisfaction of hearing it drop stone dead on the 

 other side. Another shot and another bird and my 

 season of "92 had closed. 



I crammed my baggage into my grip, dropped my birds 

 — 48 in mimber — into an old coffee sack, together Avith 6 

 Avhich I bought of Burt, his spoils for a three days' hunt, 

 and tliree rabbits which I had shot during the ti'ip, and 

 then sat down to an excellent tlinner, which Mi'S. John- 

 son had insisted on preparing, of Avhich the conspicuous 

 features were roast chicken and mince pie. Then fol- 

 lowed a hurried ride to the station behind Burt's colt, for 

 which he had refused $150, as he proudly informed me. 

 Burt promised to let me know if the birds Avere plentiful 

 next fall and I Avas to spend a Aveek AAnth him. He 

 assured me that he would locate every flock in the neigh- 

 borhood and Abe's tail should be at least six inches 

 shorter. 



Alas! the deep snows and the cold Aveather of January 

 have almost exterminated the partridge in Delaware and 

 the Eastern Shore. I Avas ctuious enough to keep a 

 record of my shooting in these thickets. I found that it 

 required a fraction over three loads to kill a bird. 



C. W. ReI0. 



THE PHEASANT'S WORTH. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I notice Avitli great pleasure your timely remarks upon 

 the beautiful Mongolian pheasant. It is fortunate tbat 

 increased facilities for transportation, together with en- 

 larged knowledge among sportsmen, have combined to 

 render the importation, trans-shix^mentand artificial propa- 

 gation of many of the choicest varieties of the pheasant 

 family not only practical but profitable. It is fortunate 

 also for the preservation. of the species that almost all the 

 varieties of pheasants are hardy and capable of adapting 

 themselves to changed conditions. 



The introduction of several of the Mongolian varieties 

 into England and upon the Pacific coast of North America 

 has passed the experimental stage, and the rapid dissemi- 

 nation of the bird over Avide areas Avill be the logical 

 result; restricted not by climatic conditions half so much 

 as by the merciless ravages of the farmers' boys. 



The three best known varieties of the Mongolian pheas- 

 ant are the ring-necked (/'. torquatus), the golden (P. 

 pictus) and the silver (P. nyctheinerus). The last two 

 sub-varieties, together with the copper (P. smmmerrivgi), 

 are conspicuous for their extremely long tails and the 

 brightness and beauty of their variegated plumage. Of all 

 the foreigners, however, none commends itself to the 

 sportsman and breeder so much as the first variety, P. tor- 

 qiiatiis. He is the prmce of his race — strong, large, unin- 

 cumbered Avith extra finery, but exquisitely beautiful just 

 the same; a big, haughty, independent game bird in every 

 sense of the Avoad. 



He has the two essential requisites for self-preservation- 

 hardihood and strength of Aving. In England his near 

 relative P. colchicus does best, as P. tonjuatas does here, 

 though the silver pheasani? has been very successfully 

 propagated in Scotland by Lord TAvef^dmouth, and is 

 fairly hardy out here. The first three vaiieties enumer- 

 ated are under protection now in this State, and are doing, 

 very well indeed. The first is becoming noticeably more 

 plentiful, and is sure to win if the small boy can be sup- 

 pressed. One of these predatory and eternal enemies to 

 bird life killed a hen bu-d a few days ago a few miles from 

 the city. All the birds upon Protection Island wintered 

 well, but owing to an accident the stock of siWer pheas- 

 ants A\'as reduced to seA^en male birds. 



The exceptionally severe Aveather of last February tried 

 tliem very hard, but they appear to have stood the test. 

 For reasons deemed prudential, the Oregon and Victoria 

 people haA-e become very shy about letting their pro.eg^i 

 get beyond territorial limits, and live birds are, therefore, 

 at present hard to get. This difficulty is about to be met, 

 hoAvever, by an importation of fifty pans from the Orient. 



