180 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[March 8, 1894. 



NO LOVE LIKE THE OLD LOVE. 



"Get down, get down! Lay low!" cried a half dozen 

 excited voices in as many different keys as two of us — 

 mere boys then — were walking across a celebrated fly way 

 on Cape Cod. Somewhat bewildered at the sudden com- 

 motion which our appearance on the beach had produced, 

 we were in doubt just what to do, when a gunner in a 

 blind near by called out, "Come in here! It's a bunch of 

 brant. Don't you see 'em?" Our inexperienced eyes did 

 not at first distinguish the long, wavering line of fowl 

 that occasionally rose a few yards above the dark water 

 of the bay and then fell till the wings of the birds hardly 

 cleared the whitecaps. In a wonderfully short time the 

 great flock had crossed the bay , risen 20 or 30yds. in the 

 air, gone over the beach and disappeared in the distance, 

 bound for their favorite feeding grounds on Chatham 

 Flats. 



As the brant flew over, the gunners, hidden at inter- 

 vals the whole length of the beach, they were greeted 

 with a fusilade that was out of all proportion to the 

 small number of birds which fell before it. The few 

 brant that tumbled on the narrow beach were hastily 

 picke dup with many wordy arguments as to their proper 

 ownership, and then we had a chance to look at tbe 

 gunner who had given us a refuge in his blind. 



He was clearly one of the veterans, but still tall and 

 straight, and well able to battle with the fierce storms 

 which beset the Cape in winter. A combination of sports- 

 man and fisherman, he was roughly dressed in heavy hip 

 rubber boots, a canvas shooting suit which had seen much 

 hard usage, and a sou'wester that had passed through 

 more than one season on the fishing banks. His weather- 

 beaten face lit up with a kindly smile as he exclaimed, 

 "I'd like t' have got in the second barrel, but you see I 

 couldn't overhaul her quick enough. She's a good one. I 

 tell you. Aint a gun on this beach nor anywhere else 

 can out-shoot her." 



As he lavished these encomiums and many more upon 

 his gun, he carefully reloaded, and then rested the para- 

 gon against the sea-weed in a way so tender and affection- 

 ate that one could easily see he was in love with this com- 

 panion of many years, and indeed no aged invalid ever 

 needed greater care and attention than did this old-fash- 

 ioned, doublebarrel muzzleloader. The barrels and mid 

 rib were evidently anxious to part company, and were 

 only restrained from doing so by a piece of cod line tightly 

 bound around them, and fastened neatly as only a sailor 

 could have done it. At the muzzles the barrels were as 

 thin as paper, and the nipples were so worn that there 

 was always doubt whether the caps would stay on or 

 tumble off. A bad break in the stock was partially 

 mended with three screws and a nail, and a band of cod 

 line gave additional strength to the rough carpentry. The 

 left hammer would not stay at half cock, and sometimes 

 failed to cateh at fulL cock, but the right hammer would 

 catch at either point or not just as fickle fate decided: it 

 also had an unpleasant habit of falling off whenever the 

 gun was fired , and so it was made fast to the guard with 

 a piece of bluefish line. Then, too, there was some trouble 

 with the triggers, and unless they were in just such a 

 position when the gun was about to be cocked, the ham- 

 mers absolutely refused to catch at all. 



We examined the gun with curiosity, and I think there 

 must have been a look of apprehension on our faces, for 

 our new acquaintance exclaimed with an air of apology, 

 "Yes, I know she does need fixing a mite, but there aint 

 no one round here I'd trust her with, and I don't like to 

 send her to Boston. You'll never know what they'll do 

 to a gun, when you aint there to look out for her. Yes, 

 that's so — it is kind o' bad when you want to shoot both 

 barrels. You don't get time to overhaul ;her, and some- 

 times they both go to once, but then you ought to see the 

 birds come out of the air." 



Just then another flock of brant came in sight, and my 

 friends and I fairly tumbled over each other in our anx- 

 iety to put a safe distance between us and "the finest gun 

 on the beach." However, it did not go to pieces at that 

 time, and though we watched it with a morbid curiosity 

 during our two weeks' shooting, it was still "as good as the 

 best" when we started for home. 



Ten years passed by all too quickly, and then one beau- 

 tiful November morning found me again on that beach 

 watching for sheldrakes. As I sat in my comfortable 

 blind I heard footsteps, and looking around found my 

 friend of many years ago. Time had dealt kindly with 

 him; he was still strong and straight, but his hair was a 

 trifle more gray, perhaps, and the wrinkles in his face a 

 littht- deeper. Time, too, had dealt gently with the gun; 

 it looked about the same, and upon inquiry I found it had 

 all the old peculiarities of action. "But I tell you what," 

 said its owner, "you can tell about your hammerless and 

 all that, i wouldn't give her for the best one in Boston. 

 Why, last — " But just then a little bunch of sheldrakes 

 came out. We both put up on them, and before I could 

 shoot there was a double explosion on my left and a cry 

 of surprise. The long expected event had happened. The 

 gun had gone to pieces, and I had been in at the death. 

 Finding neither of us was hurt, I felt inclined to laugh; 

 but a glance at the rueful face of the old sportsman 

 restrained me. With tears in his eyes he looked at the 

 wreck of his precious gun. The ruin was complete. The 

 fore end was gone and the barrels had parted company 

 with each other and with the mid-rib. The stock was 

 broken short off, and the right hammer had disappeared. 



In vain I tried to cheer the unfortunate gunner. His 

 grief was too deep for words of mine to solace. All I 

 could do was to gather together the various parts of the 

 gun that had been his pride for many years, I found 

 everything but the right hammer, and though we searched 

 for an hour or more it was still missing when my old 

 friend started sadly homeward. "I don't think I'll ever 

 shoot again," he said; "there ain't another gun that could 

 kill 'em as she could." Slowly he picked his way along 

 the beach and disappeared over the bluffs across the bay. 

 To him the tragedy was complete. 



Three years more went by and last April I met my 

 old friend again. He was in his favorite blind on the 

 familiar beach, and as I approached to shake hands he 

 made as pretty a right and left on two sheldrakes as one 

 could wish to see. He was armed with a brand new 

 double breechloader, and as I looked at the gun he ex- 

 claimed, "The boys gave her to me. She's a good one, 

 but she ain't up to the old one. Yes, I've got her to 

 home. Oil her and look her over every little while. If I 

 could find that starboard hammer I'd put her together 



again, but I never could. I've been looking for it to-day." 

 There was a tinge of sadness in his voice as he spoke of 

 the old gun. The lapse of time and the boys' gift had 

 not healed his sorrow. He was still true to his first love. 



Bradley. 



Canadian Speech. 



Sorel, P. Q., Feb. 16.— Editor Forest and Stream: Pardon me for 

 again trespassing on your space. In writing -to you some little time 

 ago re what "Kelpie" is pleased to call "a misuse of the 'aspirant'," 

 my object was not to express any personal annoyance, but merely to 

 point out an error, which I am pleased to see "Kelpie" has corrected 

 in your last issue. 



Why the Kingfisher Club should class as Canadiaus every one they 

 meet in Canada I fail to see. If I meet in Vermont a full-blooded 

 African, would it be sensible to refer to him as "my Yankee friend?" 

 Canadians are fully able to take the responsibility of their own short- 

 comings, but don't try and put on our shoulders the personal pecu- 

 liarities of every foreign- born resident you come across in our coun- 

 try. We are quite used to English ignorance of Canadian affairs (as 

 recently as 1872 an English lady asked me "if we were much troubled 

 by the Indians" in Montreal, while English newspapers even now 

 refer in a casual way to a fire in Winnipeg which the Toronto brigade 

 assisted in quenching, etc). 



There is, however, little excuse for such ignorance on the part of 

 our American cousins, who have of late years so many business and 

 friendly relations wi.h us. When Hanlan first appeared in the aquatic 

 world your newspapers referred to him as tbe "Canadian sculler." 

 When he beat Elliott, Trickett, Laycock, et al, they claimed him at 

 once as the "great American oarsman." 



I have mentioned this, as many people have expressed to me their 

 conviction that Hanlan did more toward making Canada known than 

 all other agencies combined, up to his time. Would there were a 

 thousand Hanlansl Only three or four years ago a New York paper 

 (the Sun I believe), had an article on certain troubles in New Found- 

 land, and gravely attributed them to the mistaken policy pursued by 

 the then Canadian premier. I have seve r al times seen in "our own 

 paper" the expression "Canada and the British provinces," or "Canada 

 and the provinces" and this from people who have been among us. 

 What would you think if I wrote "The United States and the States?" 



In conclusion let me say, that if any former letter has succeeded in 

 removing from the minds of your American readers even one misap- 

 prehension concerning my native land, I will be very well pleased. If 

 "Kelpie" and "Kingfisher" would care to come a -little further east for 

 their next camp, I should be happy to indicate to them a place within 

 50 mil es of here, where they will get all the trout and other fish they 

 want (besides feathered game), in the proper season (no connection 

 with Mr. Hough's game pocket). And now, when next Messrs. Kelpie 

 and Kingfisher visit Canada, if they find trouble in distinguishing 

 between Canadians and Englishmen, let me recommend the following 

 "shibboleth"— if the suspect can't say it properly he is no Canuck: 

 "Harry, hop up, and run to Mr. Harris and ask him if he has a bit of 

 ash or oak, to make a hammer handle." Yours in the faith, Pintail. 



After reading in print my remarks anent "Canadian Speech," I am 

 inclined to the opinion that somebody ought to punch the heads of 

 the "intelligent compositor" and the distracted proof-reader for 

 "putting up a job" on me in order that "Pintail" might have grounds 

 for another philological lecture. I did not, as I firmly believe, write 

 "aspirant" when I meant to say "aspirate." No, sir. Kelpih. 



SNAKES AND "WHOPPERS." 



Editor Forest and Stream; 



Perhaps I sinned in killing the snake; but "Coahoma" 

 is a little hasty in putting me in the evil company of game 

 butchers and other marauders of the woods. It is one 

 thing to kill every wild thing that one sees, making a 

 sport of slaughter, and quite another to rid picnic grounds 

 of snakes and vermin, so that ladies may enjoy a whole- 

 some outing undisturbed. Their fears may be as ground- 

 less as you please, but no son of man can convince them 

 of it, and when it comes to a choice between the serpent's 

 comfort and the woman's — now "Coahoma"! 



Picnic snakes aside, I say a fervent amen to every word 

 in your correspondent's earnest plea. He is not the only 

 sportsman who has uncocked his rifle and spared the in- 

 nocent. Let us understand each other. Sam Lovei went 

 to the heart of the matter when he said: "I git lots o' 

 things a-buntin' 't I can't show ye or tell ye 'baout, an' a 

 feller that don't, don't get the best o' huntin', 'cordin' to 

 my idee." My experience with the dying blacksnake has 

 taught me more respect for his species. There is more to 

 a snake than the naturalists tell us of, and the next time 

 that I see one in a tree I will study him and let him go 

 (though if one should run up my trousers leg, "Coahoma," 

 I will not answer for him — there is such a thing as a snake 

 out of place). Yes; there are queer things in the woods, 

 and this leads me, Mr. Editor, to say a few words about 

 "whoppers." 



The gullibility of the average man when snake stories 

 are in order is proverbial. And yet, along with an open- 

 mouthed credulity about yarns that were told us in our 

 boyhood, there goes an equally unreasoning scepticism of 

 things that we never heard of until now. The same man 

 who will swear by bell, book and candle that there is (or 

 used to be) a snake with a sting in its tail, may laugh at 

 the idea of a "glass-snake" or a "compass-plant." Whence 

 it comes that the rambler who really has seen something 

 strange and worth noting feels a little diffident about 

 making it known. Se may be mocked at. The natural- 

 ists show a becoming mistrust of popular lore, but some 

 times they overreach themselves. It is not many years 

 since the Smithsonian experts pooh-poohed at the old 

 hunters who told them that prongbucks shed their horns, 

 and you can readily recall many other instances in which 

 the knight of the lens and scalpel has backed down before 

 the sage in wildcraft. Old "Nessmuk" (God bless his 

 memory!) once said in your columns: "I do not secx-etly 

 call a man a liar because he has seen and known some- 

 thing that I have not." 



It is one of the things I like best about Forest and 

 Stkeam, that it gives a fair hearing both to the wonder- 

 bearer and his critic. A lie cannot live long in your 

 pages, and this gives us all the more confidence in telling 

 you what we have seen. Let us have the simple, down- 

 right truth about the shy d wellers in the woods; it is mar- 

 velous enough. If the general public once finds this out, 

 it may relieve the snake editor of the Sun from his un- 

 wholesome occupation. Once convince a sportsman that 

 even a snake has habits that are worth investigating, and 

 he may think twice before stamping the life out of it. 



"Coahoma," we are not so much at odds after all. You 

 are the older, and have seen more snakes than I have (no, 

 there is not the breath of an insinuation about it); but I 

 have seen one snake that has induced me "to do some 

 thinking." Perhaps further acquaintance with his ilk 

 may lead me even to espouse the cause of snakes at pic- 

 nics. Horace Kephart. 



St. Louis, Mo., Feb, 24. 



Seven live Rocky Mountain elk for sale. Exhibited at World's Fair. 

 Gentle. Price vSry low. Soper & Arter, 46 Lake street, Chicago.— Adv. 



CAPT. GALLUP ON SNAKES. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I saw an article in your ever welcome paper, Forese 

 and Stream, where a gentleman saw and captured a black 

 snake sticking to the body of a large tree some distance 

 above the ground. The gentleman also asked for some 

 information how it was possible for a snake to climb a 

 tree. This I am satisfied that I can give him an answer 

 to, as I was born and raised in a snake country and spent 

 much of my time when I was a boy in leiirning the char- 

 acter and habits and nature of snakes.* 



As far back as 1832 I accidentally learned that all fast 

 traveling snakes and tree climbers have claws; and dur- 

 ing my long journey through life I have never met with 

 but one person that had learned the secret of snakes hav- 

 ing claws. There is but one time in the history of a; 

 snake's life that this secret can be successfully discovered,, 

 and that is when the snake sheds his hide. When a snake 

 comes out of his hide, he is about as helpless as a crab, 

 when it comes out of his slough. That is when I discovered 

 that a snake had two rows of claws. These claws are as) 

 fine and as sharp as the point of a Cambric needle, and 

 can be found in little pockets or sacs, beginning about 4in. 

 from the head and running back only the length of the 

 stomach, as I could find none near the head or tail. 



It is strange but true that just as soon as a snake gains 

 his strength, if not disturbed he destroys his slough before 

 he leaves it. What this is done for is best known to the 

 snake, as that is one part that I have never learned. 



Many people contend that there are two families of black 

 snakes to be found in this country, but this I am satisfied 

 is not the case, as I know more about the black snake 

 family than any other family of snakes. Black snakes 

 are great cowards. There is but one month in the yeai 

 that they show fight, which is in May, when they are 

 mating. Like many other living creatures of God's crea- 

 tion, the male and female are quite different in size and 

 looks. The male snake is very slim, has a white breast; 

 small head and sparkling eyes. Some people call them 

 "horse, runners," which is a very appropriate name, for 1 

 am fully satisfied that no snake, and few horses in this 

 country, can outrun them on a clear track. " The female 

 snake is larger and has a different shaped body and head, 

 with a dingy blue breast. 



This family of snakes mate in May and lay their eggs in 

 June, which hatch in July. They lay these eggs in d 

 sandy soil and cover them over carefully, and never leave 

 the neighborhood of their nest while the eggs are hatch- 

 ing; and near the time for the eggs to hatch they can be 

 found near their nest waiting for the little fellows to come 

 out, when she will open her mouth and they will all 

 crawl down her throat. She will then go to her den, and 

 every good day she will come out; and all the little fellows 

 will come out of her mouth and lie in the sun; and at a 

 moment's warning she will open her mouth and they will 

 rush down her throat; and this performance is kept up 

 until the young snakes are large enough to look out for 

 themselves. I once surprised one of those old mother 

 snakes lying in the sun with her brood of little snakes, 

 and before I could find a stick to kill her, she got in her 

 den. I then went for some help and tools and dug her 

 out, killed her, cut her open, and found in her stomach: 

 twenty-seven little snakes about the size of a knitting 

 need'e. 



The black family are noted roughs; they rob all the 

 hens' nests that they can find, and if not too large swal- 

 low all the young chickens and birds that they find. I 

 have seen several fights between hens and snakes over 

 a flock of small chickens. I once found a large black 

 snake near the barn that had found a setting hen and 

 swallowed all her eggs whole, and he was a sight to look 

 at. Only to think of a snake swallowing a dozen large; 

 hen's eggs at one time, and it made such a bulk in him 1 

 that he made a poor fist of getting out of my way. And 

 what do you suppose he did while I was looking for a 

 stick to kill him? He wound himself around a pole and 

 broke all the eggs inside of him, for when I killed him 

 every egg was broken. 



Mr. Editor, when I was a boy the black snake family 

 and I were in the same line of business, although I wants 

 you to know that it was not Gallup & Co. This business! 

 was to destroy all the birds' nests we could find and eat 

 all the young ones, and many times we both met at the ' 

 same nest and then there was fun, you bet. But at one of 1 

 those meetings there was not much fun on my side, as 

 Mr. Snake had the best of it, and as it was a good jokel 

 on myself I will tell it. At one time when I was out 

 hunting young birds I f ouud a crow's nest in the top of { 

 a large scrubby oak tree that was full of green briers, j 

 and as the crows were making a great squawking around 

 the nest I concluded that I had found a prize in the way 1 

 of a nestful of young crows. I knew it would be a big f 

 job to reach the nest, but after surveying the track at 

 spell I concluded to undertake the ascent, which took me j 

 fully one hour to reach the nest; and when I got high \ 

 enough to peep in the nest all that I could remember was j 

 that my nose was within about three inches of a large 

 black snake's nose that was there ahead of me and had 

 dined on crows; and I have never been able to find out 

 who reached the ground first, or who was frightened the 

 worse-, me or the snake. And strange to say, that after 

 falling the whole length oi that tree, the most damage 

 that I received, except being badly scratched by the 

 briers, was to my w 7 ardrobe, I could see my clothes hang- 

 ing on the briers from the top clown within a few feet of 

 the ground. 



I am fully satisfied that snakes, reapers and mowers 

 have been the cause of the great scarcity of all kinds of 

 birds that build their nests on the ground, and more 

 particularly partridges that build their nests in wheat 

 and clover fields. E. B. Gallup. i 



* Capt. Gallup wrote us the other day: "Many years ago I thought 

 that I would like to learn the reporter business and applied at 

 reporter headquarters to be examined, and failed to pass the exam- 

 ination. I couldn't answer all the fool questions they asked me. I 

 suppose they thought they bad to go through the civil service law. 

 They first asked me what college did I graduate at, and whether I had 

 received an academical and grammatical education. That kind of 

 gave me the lockjaw, and I answered by saying that I graduated at a 

 common county school house that was built of red oak logs, with a 

 cat and clay chimney, and had to feed fifteen head of cattle and 

 horses night and morning; and walk three and a half miles to school 

 every morning and back home at night, when the mud was frequently 

 over my boot tops; and this school house had to be cleaned out every 

 Saturday and used as a church to preach in twice every Sunday; and 

 one of our ministers was a farmer and the other a shoemaker, and all 

 they got a year for preaching was £80 apiece and a suit of clothes 

 apiece." 



