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FOREST AND STREAM. 



[t)EC. 2, 1893. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



[From a Staff Correspondent.] 

 Philosophy Censured by Mr. Hough. 

 ViNCENNES, Ind. , Nov. 15.— The great sage of Concord, 

 Ealph Waldo Emerson, was a thinker, but his thoughts 

 do not all bear inves igation, and at beat he must have 

 shone more as a philosopher than a newspaper man, 

 which latter follows much the harder calling. Philosophy 

 is dead easy compared to news. Emerson, in one of his 

 jagged rhymes, deprecates travel as follows: 

 "Who bides at homej 

 Nor goes abroad, 



Carries the eagles and bears the sword." 



This doctrine may do very well as applied to foreign 

 travel, for we have a good enough and big enough 

 country right here, but take it in general, it will do best 

 for him who is out of affairs and concerned only to medi- 

 tate. Travel is tlie best education, and had Emerson nad 

 more of it, he might have graduated out of philosophy 

 into the higher plane of journalism, in which he likely 

 would have been a corker, being naturally able to make 

 ic short. 



I venture the assertion that, philosopher as he was, 

 Ealph Waldo Emerson did not know how to clean a quail. 

 Further, I will venture that a great many readers of 

 Forest and Streajvi do not know how to do it. Had I 

 obeyed the advice of the philosopher whose ignorant 

 wiseness I once loved because I couldn't imderstand it 

 and didn't dare call it anything but wisdom, I should, 

 perhaps, be now carrying more eagles in my pockets, but 

 neither I nor the public at large would ever had known, 

 let us say, how to undress a quail in the speediest and 

 neatest way in the world. 



Clean Quail with Scissors. 

 To clean a dozen quail in six minutes, and do it without 

 even soiling your hngers, you need a pair of scissors. 

 The long-handled, short-bladed scissors used by taxider- 

 mists are best, as they cut bones with less exertion of- 

 strength. This morning my friend had a bunch of birds 

 befone him. Taking up one cf them he removed the head, 

 wings and feet in five brief clips, cutting off the wings 

 pretty close up to the body, and the legs above the 

 knuckle joint, just where the feathers begin. Then he 

 tore the skin of the breast, rolled it back from the sides, 

 and stripped it dow-n along the back almost in one piece. 

 A few plucks at the remaining feathers left the bird bare 

 except the tuft of feathers on the tail. Again taking up 

 the scissors the artist inserted a sharp point through the 

 flank of the bird up npar the shoulder, and made a" clean 

 cut back through the ribs to the thin part of the belly, 

 under the end of the breast bone. This was repeated for 

 the opposite side. Of course the bird then fell nearly 

 apart, the viscera being all exposed. The artist did not 

 now reach in with his fingers to eviscerate the bird, but 

 placing the points of the scissors well up in the cavity of 

 the body, just above where the heart lay exposed, 

 he made one neat clip and cut the liga- 

 ments wdiich bind the upper viscera to the back 

 bone. Then still using the scissors and not his fingers, he 

 easily and in one movement raked back all the viscera, 

 which hung quite free of the abdominal cavity and 

 attached to the tail or "Pope's nose." One more clip 

 close up to the body severed the "Pope's nose" and viscera 

 and tail feathers all fell at a stroke, the bird remaining in 

 the hand clean and free from blood. The fingers of the 

 artist were not soiled. He could have w^orn kid gloves 

 and not have soiled th em. The bird was as clean as any 

 I ever saw, and the whole operation was performed in one 

 half less tiirie than I ever saw used in doing it before. If 

 Ralph Waldo Emerson were alive I would back .John A. 

 Balmer, of Vincennes, Indiana, against liim for all kinds 

 of money in a quail cleaning match. For my part, every 

 time I go away from home 1 learn something, if I have 

 luck. This wriuJile, which Mr. Balmer learned in course 

 of his amateur taxidermic work, is worth remembering. 

 You can clean quail in the parlor in this way, and prop- 

 erly put in practice quail cleaning may thus be made a 

 family amusement, in which one's wife, if he has any 

 good one at all, should cheerfully and eagerly join. 



Philosophy, Field Trials and the Fair. 



It all happened this way. Mr. Balmer, who is the best 

 shot and leading sportsman of his town, was up at the 

 Fair a few weeks ago and asked the Western representa- 

 tives of Foxiest and Stream to come down and go shoot- 

 ing with him after the close of the the U. S. field trials at 

 Bicknell, which point is only 15 miles from Vincennes. 

 According to this programme, which fortunately was 

 found possible of carrying out, Mr. Waters and myself 

 met Mr. Balmer here three days ago, being brought 

 over from Bicknell by force and arms by Colonel Albert 

 G. Sloo, whose big plantation is about seven miles out of 

 this city. Colonel Sloo, in his large-heatted way, asked 

 Mr. Balmer to divide time with him, and so we shot all 

 day Monday with both gentlemen and Mr. Tom Sloo, the 

 Colonel's son, out on the wide acres which lie around 

 White Hall. Monday night we could not resist the 

 Colonel's hospitality and staid over with him and his 

 charming family, to be joined again Tuesday by Mr. 

 Balmer. Wednesday we shot with Mr. Balmer down in 

 the Wabash bottoms, and to-day, Mr. Waters being- 

 called South by further field trial w^ork, I am loafing and 

 inviting my soul, and debating whether or not ever to go 

 back to Chicago, and whether it would not be much bet- 

 ter to stay here and watch Mr. Balmer clean quail. 



Has a Meat Dog. 

 Mr. Balmer has a home, and a nice wife and a fine boy. 

 He also has a rattling four-year-old colt, and three dogs, 

 and a great deal of leisure time. Compared to that of the 

 city w^orker, his life is that of a prince, the more especially 

 because one of his dogs, the old Gordon, Duke, is what the 

 field trials folks contemptuously term a "ineat dog.*' He 

 plugs around, and finds birds, and points them, and you 

 can kill them, and then he retrieves them. Any of these 

 qualifications would, as I understand it, disqualify him 

 tor field trials work; but I confess they still seem useful to 

 me. When I want to go out and get some birds, because 

 there is a hard winter coming- on, I want a plain, unvar- 

 nished meat dog, with no ruffles on hiru, and a disposition 

 to point birds, and a set of legs which will work like an 

 eight-day clock. Duke has been rim over by a wagon 

 eleven times, and he only has one eye; but he can jump a 

 wire fence, and on the morning of your fourth day of 

 hunting he stands up on his hindlegs aud hollers for joy 



when he sees the gams come out. That sort of dog is good 

 enough for me, and I don't care who knows it, and after 

 a. while plenty of shooters will think the same way. When 

 it comes to field trials, it is another thing, for a day of 

 j trials running can in no way be compared to a day of 

 shooting, the purposes of each being entirely dissimilar to 

 those of the other; a fact which many overlook. When it 

 comes to having sport at quail shooting, give me a meat 

 dog or give me death, that's all I hope. Vive le meat 

 dog. 



A Good Dog Country. 



"There a,re numbers of good dogs about here, the region 

 being a sort of trainers' headquarters, and moreover, 

 being the natural home of Bob White. Colonel Sloo al- 

 ways has a good dog or two about him, and we found 

 three in his kennels when we were there. Jack W., 

 Stocking and a puppy. Poor old Jack! Ms history is ap- 

 proaching its end. His life has been a grand and success- 

 ful one in its doggy way, but now there are few glories 

 and few pleasures left for him, for he is growing old. 

 Tuesday morring we had the old fellow out for a couple 

 of hours, but he went quietly, and though he pointed and 

 retrieved his birds confidently as ever, he was gamer than 

 he was strong. He went lame, and -when he lay down at 

 the house soon stiffened up sadly. Dog heaven is not far 

 off for old Jack, I fear, and he wnll soon repose in Colonel 

 Sloo's illustrious canine graveyard. 



Fair Abundance of Quail. 

 The quail crop for this section, pretty well south in In- 

 diana, is perhaps not so good as it has been, but there 

 seems to be a fair abundance of birds. On and around 

 Colonel Sloo's place we put up eleven bevies the first day 

 • and eight during a part of the second. The cover to which 

 the birds took is very rough and full of briers, the shootmg 

 trying one's sk'll thoroughly. Mr. Balmer is one of the 

 best quail shots I ever saw, yet we only got thirty-one 

 birds on our best day. Yesterday was nearly a blank. 

 We went across the Wabash on the Illinois side, where, 

 by reason of the singular differences in legislative wisdom, 

 they have been shooting quail for six weeks. We only 

 put uj) three bevies all day, and they were wild as deer. 

 We are not getting a gi-eat many birds as yet, the weather 

 being too cold for them to move much, but we are hav- 

 ing delightful times and getting plenty for reasonable 

 sport, and enough anyhow to practically illustrate Mr. 

 Balmer's method of dressing quad and the ways in which 

 Mrs. Sloo and Mrs. Balmer cook them, each and all of 

 which is excellent in its respective way, though perhaps 

 not so intrinsically wonderful and startling as the way in 

 which I atu them. In this latter accomplishment I think 

 there could be no question as between Ralph Waldo Em- 

 erson and myself. The situation being as it is, I can at 

 present see no legitimate reason for staying here less than 

 a year, and may condescend to write something further 

 about it within the next six months or so, if not too busy 

 shooting. 



The Cuvier Club Annual. 

 Chicago, Nov. 25.— In the mail here is an invitation to 

 be present at the annual dinner of the Cuvier Club, of 

 Cincinnati, an affair which I observed the Cincinnati 

 papers mentioned as bidding fair to surpass all previous 

 events of similar nature. The menu given by the daily 

 papers shows that game has as large a place in the gastro- 

 nomic proclivities of this body as the preservation and 

 protection of game has in its purposes of organization. It 

 would have been pleasure to meet so rare an assemblage, 

 among them Col. Culbertson and "Kingfisher," through 

 whose joint graces Forest and Stream is honored. It is 

 hard to send i-egrets in reply to a letter like the following 

 from "Kingfisher," which is too characteristic to keep 

 private: 



A few days ago "the Colonel" sent you an invitation to attend the 

 annual game dinner of our "Cuvier Club," and I trusr you will see it in 

 the light of a duty to your "innard man*' to come down and partake 

 of the spread. 



It will be no "swallertail coat" affair; just a plain assembling: of the 

 club members— over 400— and a very limiced number of invited guests, 

 to eat, drink and be merry, have a good time and swap a few lies. 

 There will be no "tiowiu' bole" accompaniment, except in the shape of 

 some wine and a few gallons— 60 or 80— of '-aig noggg, with three g's. 



I have not seen t he "score sheet" (menu) yet, but it will be one that 

 will satisfy the most "facetious," as Dick Macauley would say, and 

 I'm sure you will enjoy it all, for you will be among friends and 

 brothers of the gentle craft. Come down. 



Leave Chicago Wednesday night and get here Thursday morning, 

 Z'iii, and that will give you time to "profligate 'round" a Utile and get 

 the lay o' the land before the festivities begin. 



The Kingfishers will "be thar,-' with the possible exception of "Kel- 

 pie," and we wiU all be glad to see you. 

 Call at the ofSce of the Superintendent of Mails and ask for 



Jeems Mackerel. 



Still Another Came Dinner. 



Could one have been present Thiu-sday at Cincinnati, he 

 must have hastened away to reach Cleveland, at the other 

 end of the State, in time for a certain little banquet ^here, 

 the invitation to w^hich reads for Friday, Nov. 24. This 

 comes from an ex-Chicago man, Mr, John Howley, well 

 known in insurance and in sportsmanship. Mr, Howley 

 is now of New York, and writes me from there, but it 

 seems he has a custom of coming out to Cleveland once a 

 year to eat quail, since the menu sjjeaketh thus: 



Mr. John I. Lynch, sportsman, of Canton, Ohio, and Mr. John How- 

 le3' (w-ho is also a sportsman), of New York, will take part in an 

 aneieai custom and dine with their friends at the usual place, the 

 HuUeudeu, Cleveland, Ohio, Friday evening, Nov. 24. The leading 

 subject for discussion -will be The Quail. You will, of course, be 

 with us. John A. Kejllt. 



Yes, of course, we would be there, all of us who had 

 the chance, but there was no chance to get to either Cin- 

 cinnati or Cleveland, and regrets had to go again to the 

 framers of the interesting symposium above. 



The Carlin Huntine: Party. 

 The Chicago Evening Journal to-night, Nov. 25, reports 

 in a dispatch from Portland, Ore. : Brigadier-General W. 

 1 P. Carlin, sends to the Associated Press the following dis- 

 patch just received by him from Lieutenant Charles P. 

 [ Elliott, of the Fourth Cavalry, dated Nov. 23, Falls of the 

 North Fork of Middle Fork of Clearwater: "Carlin party 

 found on river to-day. Carlin, Spencer, Pierce, Himmel- 

 wright are well. Colgate lost. Kelly joined them in 

 mountains. Will work down river by boat." 



Will Carlin, or WiUie as his friends know him, is a 

 friend of Capt. DuBray, of the Parker, gun, who men- 

 tioned to me the trip which young Carlin was about to 

 take into the Bitter Root country. Capt. DuBray spoke 

 very highly of the young hunter's quaUty in sport, but I 

 imagine he and many others will be rejoiced to learn 

 news even no better than the above of a party exposed to 

 so dangerous a hazai'd. 



Something of a Hunter Himself. 



By the way, Capt. DuBray seems to be something of a 

 hunter, himself, as witness what I find in a Memphis 

 paper: 



Mr. A, W. DuBray, the representative of Parker Bros., the famous 

 gun manufacturers, has been in Merupbis several days. He spent two 

 days last -n-eek at Waponoca, the guest of Mr. Robert Galloway, the 

 president of the club, and was delighted with the duclc shooting there. 

 He had no difficulty in makmg th" i\m'\t of ,■)() in two hours the second 

 day. Mr. DuBray has been given a cordial reception by the sportsmen 

 of Memphis and vicinity, and bas accepted several invitations, among 

 them one from Sonierville, where he will take a bird hunt to-morrow'. 

 He has shot hundreds of deer and ma-uy bullalo on the plains, hunted 

 ostriclies and other game in South Amoi-ica and birds everywliere. At 

 the trap he is among the most espei-L in tli:_' country, but he is a thor- 

 oughbred sportsman and at his best in tlie field. Mr. DuBray is an 

 Englishman by birth, but he has lived in .America many years, and 

 now resides at Dayton. Ky. He is by birth and breeding a gentleman, 

 whom it is a pleasure to know and "a sportsman whose company on 

 any kind of a hunting expedition it is a privilege to have. 



This be high praise, but I reckon we'll have to let it go 

 at that, as I know of no dissenting voice. E. Hough, 

 909 Security Building, Chicago. 



THE HABITS OF THE CARIBOU. 



Noticing your article in a recent issue of the Forest 

 AND STREA:\t ill regard to tlie acfions of caribou imder fire, 

 I had some experience in the sumtner of 1893 that may 

 prove interesting. On the evening of July 2.5 we were 

 camped on the height of land between the Great Lakes 

 and Hudson's Bay. South of us tibout half a mile were 

 the headwaters of the Spauisli River, emptying into Lake 

 Hiu-on. North about two miles the Moose River took its 

 rise. Our camp was on a narrow ridge between two 

 small lakes. While the guide was preparing supper I was 

 as usual on the lookout for anything that might be in the 

 wilds, and I saw a caribou swimming across a narrow 

 portion of one of the lakes about 3.50yds. away. We 

 watched the animal until it rearhed the shore or low 

 water bank of the lake. My coui|)anion intending to 

 frighten the deer before it reaclir d cover attempted to fire 

 his .45-70 Wincliester, but the cartridge failed to explode, 

 making only a sliglit click. We liad not been observed 

 and the animal was quietly feeding, but when the ritie 

 snapped it instantly sprang forward like a spirited horse 

 from the lash of a whip, and after a few bounds disap- 

 peared in the timber. Considering the great distance and 

 the trifling sound made the animal must have been very 

 much on the alert. . Ten days later, on the same tri^, we 

 were canoeing in an easterly direction through a lake 

 about half a mile wide. On the north shore about a 

 quarter of a mile ofi' a caribou was traveling westward, 

 sometimes on the bank and sometimes in the water. We 

 turned the canoe in the direction of the deer, and -without 

 lifting his paddle from the water the guide propelled the 

 canoe forward. When within 2U0y(ls. the animal sighted 

 us for the first time, though we were all the time in full 

 view out in the open lake. The caribou came to a stand 

 and stared stupidly in our direction. In order to observe 

 its gait in running I fired a shot. The deer instantly 

 turned aroimd and galloped off in tlie direction from 

 which it had come, keeping in full view for 200yds. at 

 least, though it might have reached cover at any time by 

 a single bound. From the experience I have had I woidd 

 advise the caribou hunter to be very careful to avoid 

 noise and lo prevent the deer from getting wind. 



S. R. Claeke. 



Toronto, Nov. 23. 



An Interesting Time While it Lasted. 



Messrs. James and F. A. Duptjy 7-eturned home last 

 night from a ten days' hunting and fishing outing on 

 Tygart Creek, Kentucky, Their brother Dr. Van Dupuy, 

 of Dayton, was with them during the most of the time 

 but returned home a few days ago. Mr. George Howland, 

 of Tygart, also camped with tliem. During their hunt 

 they killed seventy -five squirrels, two turkeys, some quail 

 and other game. They had quite a thrilling experience 

 one morning during their encampment. About thi-ee 

 o'clock they were all awakened hy a glaring light and 

 ominous roaring and roused up to find the entire front of 

 their tent in a blaze. Big patches of the burning canva.'< 

 were falling on their beds and among their cartridges and 

 it lookedjto them on their first half-awakened gaze as if 

 the entire universe was afire. Tiie tent had caught from 

 the camp fire which Dr. Van had been up some time 

 before to replenish. By prompt work the blaze was 

 extinguished and part of the tent saved, but not without 

 some burns being received by each of the campers. F. A. 

 was severely burned on the hand and had his hair, eye- 

 brows and mustache singed, while James Dupuy received 

 bad burns on his wrist. The Dr. and Mr. Howland also 

 felt the hot touch of the fiery enemy. The embers set fire 

 to their hunting coats and in two instances was found to 

 be burning about pockets ftdl of cartridges, but Dr. Van 

 ■with a cup of water and some careful work succeeded in 

 extinguishing the fire without any explosions. It was an 

 interesting time while it lasted and all will remember 

 their experience for some time. — Ironton Republican. 



Game About Hot Springs. 



Hot Springs, Ark., Nov. 20.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 As every winter and spring brings many sportsmen to this 

 famous sanitarium, you may suggest to all the boys whO' 

 contemplate coming, to bring along their guns and tog" . 

 AVe have very good game shooting here. Plenty of quail 

 and gray squirrel shooting, and there is not much more, 

 exciting sport than the latter in our river bottom lands, 

 where the frisky little fellows have to be taken on the run 

 and leaping from tree to tree. More skill is required to 

 bag them than quail or other wing-shooting. Duck shoot- 

 ing in the lowlands adjacent to this point is fine, while in 

 the early spring we have good sport with snipe. Those 

 who like large game may find plenty of deer in the Ozark 

 Mountains all around this city, and some black bear. Our 

 markets are generally well supplied with these varieties 

 of game aU tlirough the winter season. The open season 

 on deer in this State is from Aug. 1 to Feb. 1; on quail 

 from Oct. 1 to March 1. Turkey may be shot till April 1. 

 The other game I have mentioned may be taken at any 

 time. Aside from the field shooting, I want to say to 

 brother sportsmen that we maintain a good gun club here, 

 with well-equipped grounds, and make it a point to enter- 

 tain the best we can all shooters who visit our city. All 

 they need do is to make their presence known to us and 

 we will try and afford them some sport. We shoot regu- 

 larly once a week, and our grounds are at the service o 

 visiting sportsmen every day if they desire. 



J. L. Wadi^w, 



