FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Feb. 1, 1816, 
Deer Horns and Velvet. 
Charlestown, N. H., Jan. 17— Editor Forest and 
Stream: In offering an additional suggestion to the dis- 
cussion r ,in your columns of the subject of "rubbing off 
the velvet," common among deer, I can but think of the 
old adage that "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." 
Although there has been nothing in the question to 
frighten the angels, and I do not admit that I am quite 
in the former category, I must confess that my knowl- 
edge of "venison on the hoof" has been confined to 
such glimpses of it as I have occasionally had when 
trout-fishing, and the nearest approach to the connec- 
tion of a gun with a deer that I ever had is that when a 
boy, 60 years ago, I saw the gun with which the last deer 
in this region was shot! 
Seriously, I wonder that none of your medical or sur- 
gical correspondents have ever suggested the true cause 
of this action on the part of the deer. "We all know by 
experience probably, how a wound or sore itches when 
it is healing, and it seems a reasonable conclusion that 
the deer suffers in the same way, when the nerves and 
bloodvessels with which the growing antler is amply 
provided begin to dry up and wither. His horns itch, 
therefore he scratches them, as all other animals would 
do, without any particular intention of polishing them, 
or getting rid of the velvet, which comes off naturally in 
the operation. Is not this the simple solution of the 
whole problem ? Von W. 
A One-Eared Rabbit. 
Way.nesburg, Greene County, Pa., Dec. 30. — Editor 
Forest and Stream: I send you by mail the skin of a rab- 
bit killed near here some time ago. It iB rather a strange 
freak, as it had but one ear, and that one situated on top 
of the head. You can sea by examination that it was 
born with but one ear. 
Rabbits were plenty here this season. Quail very 
scarce and grouse almost extinct in our county. 
An Allegheny county sparbsman's association has 
leased a number of farms in this county and released 
quite a number of quail on their preserve last spring. I 
think but for that we would not have had a bird in the 
county this fall. 
Squirrels are fairly plentiful, but our forests are being 
destroyed as fast as the industrious portable saw mill can 
eat them up. W. L. Allison. 
[The specimen came to hand and is, as Mr. Allison 
states, a curious one-eared freak.] 
An Expedition to Masbonaland. 
Starting in March next, Mr. D, G. Elliot, the eminent 
ornithologist, curator of the Department of Zoology of the 
Field Columbian Museum, Chicago, III., will leave for 
East Africa to lead an expedition from his museum for the 
purpose of collecting zoological specimens for that institu- 
tion, The expedition is likely to devote itself chiefly to 
the collecting of the larger animals, and will probably be 
absent until next December. The present plans are to 
push directly to Masbonaland and pass westward through 
that country to the other side of the Zambesi River. Mr. 
Elliot's eminent fitness for the work he is about to under- 
take is well known to all who are familiar with his past 
career, and it can hardly be doubted that his expedition 
will accumulate a great mass of useful and valuable 
zoological material. 
Peregrine Falcon in Massachusetts. 
Worcester, Mass., Jan. 16. — It is with pleasure that I 
have to offer for record the capture of an adult male pere- 
grine falcon or duck hawk (Faleo peregrinus) at West 
Boylston, Mass., Nov. 12, 1895. The bird has been mounted, 
and is now in the possession of Mr. C. K. Reed, the local 
taxidermist. I have been unable to learn any circum- 
stances attending its capture. R. H. Holman. 
Ohio Mockingbird. 
Lakewood, O., Jan. 17. — I killed a fine male mocking- 
bird which I saw feeding upon the berries of a red cedar 
that stands in my yard. It was not an escaped cage bird. 
This bird is only occasionally seen here in summer, and 
never before in winter. It breeds in this vicinity. I also 
saw to-day a small flock of crow blackbirds, those first- 
harbingers of spring; but I fear they have come too soon. 
A. Hall. 
A Florida Opportunity. 
Oxford, Fla. — For some poor unfortunate brother 
who likes to shoot and who is a sufferer from pulmonary 
troubles, there is a bit of forest here called the Scrub, 
where at a small expense ten or fifteen thousand acres 
could be made into a Bplendid shooting preserve. It is 
very hilly for Florida and is covered with small oak 
bushes, spruce pines, etc. These oaks furnish vast quan- 
tities of mast which the deer, turkeys and an occasional 
bear are fond of feeding on. 
I was out on one bunt when we took two deer, a turkey 
and a very large panther. As many as twenty-five deer 
have been tilled on it during the winter. Besides these 
there are quail, foxes, wild hogs, squirrels, coons, possums 
and a half section deep clear lake with plenty of bass in 
it. Besides I expect soon to turn loose on ifc some pheasants. 
Beside the lake is a small 200 acre hammock. The bal- 
ance is scrub, two or three miles wide and eight to ten 
long; it is very thick good cover for all kinds of game and 
really fit for nothing but shooting ground, and could be 
bought for a few cents an acre. The distance is seven 
miles to railroad station and fifteen to Gulf coast. 
J. Pierpont Murdoch:. 
In Bear-Trap Peril. 
Making a reconnoissance survey in Phillips county, Ark., 
I had dismounted and crossed Yellowbanks Bayou on a 
fallen tree trunk-. On jumping from its end into a pile of 
dead leaves I was startled by a sharp "click," and dis- 
covered that I had struck my foot on a 201b. bear trap 
with teeth of a tenacious length, near enough to the place 
where the teeth are, to spring the trap, but fortunately 
without getting caught, 
Its owner had illegally set his trap without a proper 
signal to passers-by, and for fear other trap owners are 
sometimes as heedless of the comfort of their fellow 
creatures, it may be well for wanderers in the forests not 
to jump into piles of Jeaveg, T^tpoh, 
Mississippi 
H#wfu nnd %mu 
FIXTURES. 
March 16 to 21, 1896. — Second annual Sportsmen's Exposition, uncter 
the auspices of the Sportsmen's Association, at Madison Square 
Garden, New York city. Frank W. Sanger, Manager. 
SOME COMMON SENSE. 
Toronto, Can., Jan. 17. — Editor Forest and Stream: I 
have read with much pleasure the very interesting and 
instructive letters which have lately appeared in Forest 
and Stream from your able correspondents on the impor- 
tant question of fish and game protection, and have 
arrived at the conclusion that the question is very imper- 
fectly understood by the general public. The impression 
prevails that the game laws are for the sole benefit of 
wealthy sportsmen. This impression is not sustained by 
facts, as I shall endeavor to prove, and try to convince 
those opposed to efficient administration of such laws 
enacted in the interest of the public at large. 
In the United States and Canada, unlike the European 
countries, the game and fish are not protected for the 
benefit of a special or privileged class. The poorest man 
here has equal rights with the richest to hunt or fish in 
the open season. This being an undisputed fact, it should 
be the duty of every man in the United States and Can- 
ada to assist the Governments of the respective countries 
in their efforts to prevent the destruction and extermina- 
tion of these most valuable sources of food supply. 
There is also another feature to be considered : suppos- 
ing our Legislature had allowed the game and fish to be 
exterminated like the buffalo, before taking action, where 
would the people — either rich or poor — go for relaxation? 
Our game and fish supply is also a prolific source of profit 
to a number of people, viz. : proprietors of pleasure resorts, 
guides, etc. ; and will so continue if these parties do not 
kill the goose that lays the golden egg. 
The question for consideration is, how can the exter- 
mination of these sources of food supply be prevented? 
My answer is, by complying with the laws of nature and 
common sense. It is not in accordance with either to 
allow fish to be taken during the spawning season or to 
allow game birds to be shot en route to their breeding 
grounds. We would have grave doubts of a farmer's san- 
ity who would kill his stock of poultry in the spring and 
expect to have a supply of chickens in the fall. Advo- 
cates of spring shooting lay themselves open to the charge 
of being both selfish and unwise. 
Last, but not least, comes the question of hounding 
deer. From our experience in Ontario, if hounding is 
continued to the same extent as indulged in during the 
fifteen days of the open season of 1895, deer in northern 
Ontario will in a short time be like the wild turkeyts in 
the southern part of the Province, things of the past. 
Imagine upward of 3,000 deer being slaughtered in fifteen 
days in about a dozen counties, and you will agree with 
me that it is time for the brake to be applied. Very few 
fawns were seen during the past season, and an immense 
number of barren does were killed. Does chased with 
hounds for two or three weeks at that season of the year 
cannot be expected to be prolific. 
I have been amused at the many definitions of a sports- 
man in recent issues of Forest and Stream. I have not 
seen one so appropriate as Dibdin's epitaph on a sports- 
man: 
"His course was honor and correct his aim, 
His bold pursuit was.fair and manly game, 
No sports he loved but those which could be shared, 
Nought kept he which to friendship might be spared. 
Let fame praise whom she will, we are free to let her, 
Yet underneath this turf she'll find a better I 
His placid kindness, felt where'er he went, 
Arose from worth, health, exercise, content 1 
He 'looked before he leaped 1 with steady eye, 
Never o'erlooking fallen adversity. 
In short, as says the song, 'Like fruit that's mellow 
Gently he fell, a downright honest fellow)' " 
Ranger. 
A HUNT IN THE SEMINOLE NATION, 
Oklahoma City, O. T., Jan. 5.— "Ting-a-ling-ling. 
Hello? Yes, this is Reed & Harper's. Is this Reed? Yes. 
Well, will you join us in a trip to the Seminole Nation. 
Who is this talking? O. A. Mitcher? And say, Reed, 
we have everything ready, provisions for a week, 700 
shells, tent and all. And start in two hours, so tell your 
wife and babie's good-bye. All right, count me in. Ting- 
a-ling." 
The above conversation was over the telephone on Dec. 
25, and two hours later we loaded our traps and dogs on 
the Choctaw Railroad, with tickets for Shawnee. It was 
a party of four, Messrs. Mitcher, Cronk, Kenyon and my- 
self. After a ride of two hours we reached the thriving 
little city of Shawnee and in a few minutes left overland 
with carriage and baggage wagon, reaching the town of 
Boom-De-Aye by dark. At Shawnee we struck Mr. E. E. 
Whittaker with his togs on, bound for a trip after the 
Bob Whites; and upon an invitation for him to join us, 
he sized up the outfit and climbed in. Upon his recommen- 
dation we employed a certain colored individual named 
Sambo, said to be an all-around good man and equal to a 
French cook. More of Sambo later on. 
After a bad supper at Boom-De-Aye we retired to a 
worse bed, arose early to a worse breakfast and were soon 
on our way to camp, where we arrived about noon. 
Leaving Sambo to put things in shape, we hurriedly 
donned our regalia and started out for meat. 
About 25yds. from camp our big pointer Pat froze, and 
we had a covey of quail, soon getting an even dozen, 
which Sambo said he would serve us for supper. We then 
started for deer, turkeys and bears. Separating, we worked 
up the draws and thickets. Soon two heavy reports were 
heard on the right nearly together; then one more, and a 
yell from Brother Cronk which could be heard a mile. 
Fearing that he had shot himself, we hastened to him, and 
found him dancing and waving his hat; so excited that he 
could not speak. He pointed to where lay a noble buck. 
Brother Cronk was the proudest man in the Seminole Na- 
tion. After spilling half a sack of tobacco he managed 
to fill his pipe, but could not steady his nerves to get a 
match to it. After firing up for him we hastily dressed 
the deer, and each faking a leg; proceeded to carry him to 
camp, a distance of two miles. We arrived about dark 
with our load; four as tired men could not be found in 
that "neck o' woods," and with appetites as large as hay 
stacks. 
Sambo met us with a grin and we sat down to our first 
camp meal. Soon a blankety-blank-blank from Brother 
Whittaker, and looking up we found that our French cook 
had forgotten to remove the insides from the quails' giz- 
zards, and as Whittaker had eaten three before making the 
discovery, he became very sick, and in fact we all com- 
plained of a sort of an ill feeling. And while Whittaker's 
supper was coming up we sat with short appetites and 
glared at the "French cook." 
The next five days were devoted to the speckled beau- 
ties, which were quite plentiful, with an occasional shot at 
a prairie chicken. Our game consisted of quail, chicken, 
rabbit, possum, turkey, and Brother Cronk's big buck. As 
my business would not permit of my remaining longer, I 
reluctantly left camp, hoofing it over to the railroad sta- 
tion, reaching Oklahoma City when the New Year was 
less than two hours old. Fred. H. Reed. 
DEER HUNTING METHODS AND ARMS. 
San Francisco, Jan. 16. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
From the time I killed my first deer in 1S68 I have been 
interested in everything pertaining to the pursuit of this 
wily quarry. Two points I wish particularly to touch on 
in this communication: the methods of pursuing deer and 
the caliber of rifle appropriate for the sport. I am pleased 
to read in the last issue of Forest and Stream a number 
of articles condemnatory of hounding deer into lakes and 
rivers and then butchering them in cold blood, or pad- } 
dling along their mighty feeding grounds and discharg- 
ing a handful of buckshot in the direction of all suspicious I 
sounds. All this is far removed from ideal sportsman- 
ship. It certainly affords a man of hunting mettle no 
satisfaction, for what is it that gives one his keenest 
pleasure in the pursuit of game? It is the measuring of 
his wits and skill against the crafty instincts and acquired ' 
cunning of his quarry. I look upon shooting a deer 
swimming in the water from a canoe very much as I 
would upon killing an animal fastened in a trap or in- 
closed in a corral. Though I have never tried it I should 
think "fire hunting" capable of affording satisfaction 
only to individuals of meager and lean natures. 
Shooting deer in front of hounds on runways with a i 
rifle is a totally different matter, and a practice I do not j 
condemn. The deer is in his native element, and is in a 1 
position to use his natural means of escape. The hunter 
must act promptly and skillfully, and even then the 
chances are much in favor of the deer. Of course, pur- j 
suing deer when they can only flounder around in deep 
snow, without any chance of escape, goes logically in the I 
same category as lake shooting — mere killing, not sport, ] 
This, barring runway shooting, leaves only one sports- 
manlike method of pursuing this game, viz. , still-hunting, 
a method that will afford in a surpassing degree satisfac- 
tion, both physically and mentally, to the hunter. In this ! 
instance the deer knows every rock, bush and stump in « 
his environment. He is ever on the alert to detect the < 
least sign of danger. Eye, ear and nose ar i pressed into 
constant service by him when feeding or moving, and ' 
fortunate is he who can discover his horned majesty un- 
observed by the latter. It is wit against wit, cunning ; 
against cunning, and proud may the hunter feel who ; 
under such circumstances successfully stalks his game, j 
No undue or unfair advantage has been taken. There was , 
a "fair field and no favor." Single-handed and alone has 1 
the game been secured, and the hunter rightfully feels a 
degree of genuine satisfaction denied to the followers of 
less sportsmanlike methods. 
As to the most satisfactory calibers of rifle for deer ! 
hunting I have a pronounced opinion. My earliest ex- 
perience was with the old-fashioned muzzleloader of . 
small caliber. I then tried a Henry rifle, next a '73 model 
Winchester, then a .45-60 W., and now I use exclusively I 
a .45-90 W. I have killed deer with all of these, but . 
would as soon think of riding in the old stage coach in 
preference to a Pullman. I would, of course, shoot a r 
small caliber in case it were proven that with the metal 1 
jacketed bullet with a soft lead nose it will expand to two I 
or three times the diameter of the bullet on striking a | 
deer. This claim, however, I am not yet convinced of. 
With the weapons now available to sportsmen gener- 
ally, I lay it down as a postulate that the express system 
is far and away the preferable one. This consists essen- 
tially of a relatively light bullet with a very strong pro- 
pulsive force behind it, giving thus a very flat trajectory 
and ample penetration. Given an expansive soft bullet 
of .40 or .45cal. that will mushroom on Btriking,a cartridge 
constructed on these lines is the most satisfactory com- 
bination yet devised. Of course it must be fired out of a 
rifle adapted to it. I have found the Winchester satis- 
factory, but there are others equally good. The sights, 
shape of butt-plate, drop of stock, etc., would of course . 
vary according to the varying tastes of the shooter. 
Personally, I consider the curved butt plate on the factory 
sporting rifles as an inexcusable abomination. A shotgun \ 
butt is to be preferred on every account. Sights con- 
structed on the principle of the Lyman tang sight are a 
great step in advance of the old V, as not only a quicker 
but a more accurate sight can be thus taken. I also 
think a half magazine better than a full one, as the rifle 
balances much better, and holds enough cartridges for a 
careful shooter. Whence my advice to all sportsmen 
who can shoot and who contemplate a trip to a deer 
country is to take, say, a .45-90 and a .22-7-45, or .25-20 
for small game. Thus equipped, it is a very inefficient or 
very unlucky sportsman who cannot make a good show- 
ing as the fruits of his trip. 
Though a little aside from the object of this writing, I ' 
feel impelled to say a word about marksmanship as bear- 
ing on deer hunting. Probably not one man in a dozen 
who goes forth to slay deer is a good rifleman. Most 
know just enough to point the rifle toward the game, shut 
their eyes and pull the trigger. 
These are not sportsmen in fact, though they may be in 
intention. The last time I was out one of the party, who 
considers himself a pretty good hunter, left camp with 
thirty-five cartridges and his .44-40 rifle. When he 
returned some hours later he had only empty shells and 
one deer. Now, if a man has a laudable ambition to be 
known as a deer hunter it is his duty, and ought to be a 
pleasure, to develop a good degree of accuracy in his 
marksmanship. This is possible to nine out of every ten j 
men of good constitution and, good habits, It can not be ao* • 
