186 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[SeIt?. 5, 1896. 
Chickens. 
The chicken season draws on apace. Illinois shooters 
should keep in mind such points as De Kalb, Champaign, 
Mason City, Amboy and Ashton. There are chickens at 
each of these pointe, in greater or less quantity and under 
more or less diflBLcuIt environments, by reason of posted 
land, local prejudice, etc. Before many years we shall 
be valuing these birds more highly than we do even 
to-day. 
Messrs. F. F. and Richard Merrill, of Milwaukee, have 
gone to Fox Lake, Wis. , for a go at the chickens on 
ttie marshes thereabouts. Additional word comes from 
Horicon marsh that the chickens are abundant there, 
near the upper club house. The Merrill brothers will go 
to Minnesota Sept. 1 for further chicken shooting. 
The license law of North Dakota will keep many 
Chicago shooters out of that State this fall. 
There exists the old confusion of ideas as to the Illinois 
chicken date, some claiming Sept. 1 and some Sept. 15 as 
the legal opening date. There is doubt aa to the legal 
validity of either date, so it is risky to take the earlier 
date. Besides it is more sportsmanlike to take the later 
one. 
A Good Special Car Party. 
There is no prettier way than that of the special hunt- 
ing car when it comes to taking a trip with a party for a 
hunt in far away country. Not all shooters are so lucky 
as to go in this way. Of those who are so lucky there 
are some who are sportsmen and some who are not. The 
special car party in some instances is a synonym for good 
living and bad shooting — in short, of butchery and not of 
sport. Too large bags are carefully to be guarded against 
always when a number of men are hunting together in a 
good game country. There are other and better special cars, 
however, and one of that kind appears pictured at the 
head of a letter I have just at hand from Mr. W. B. Mer- 
shon, of Saginaw, Mich., whose letters have from year to 
year been read with interest by the readers of Forest and 
Stream, This letter head bears, besides the picture of the 
car which carries Mr. Mershon and his friends, a litho- 
graphed title which reads; "The Forest and Stream Co,, 
Limited" — a tribute to good sportsmanship which the paper 
long ago acknowledged. The members of the Forest and 
Stream Co. are Messrs. E. N. Briggs, president; "VV. B. 
Mershon, secretary and treasurer; Watts S. Humphrey, 
George B. Morley, H. T. Wickes, J. W. McGraw, R. D. 
" Schuitz, Frank B. Many, George Daniel Seib, H. P. Dain. 
Mr. Mershon writes that this good kind of special car will 
again carry the "Forest and Stream Co." to the West this 
fall. He adds: 
"Ever since 1883 I have been somewhere in the North- 
west, and only skipped one year, that time going to In- 
dian Territory. It is our intention to start from Chicago 
about the end of the first week in October, going some- 
where in northern Miimesota. We don't expect we will 
find game very plentiful, but we will have a good time. 
There wiU be room for you on the car if you want to go. 
You must understand tnat our main fun is derived from 
the sociability of the thing and getting away from busi- 
ness, and not that we expect or ever do get very big shoot- 
ing. I don't like to take fellows along on this trip that 
are not contented unless they can bag from fifty to 100 
birds a day. Once upon a time this would have been all 
right, but it would be downright butchery and extermi- 
nation now, 
"I found lots of sharp- tailed grouse in the Bad Lands 
feeding on the buUberries last fall. It was cold and late 
in the season, and when you stopped one of them there 
was a pile of satisfaction in it. They were about equal to 
our Michigan ruffed grouse. And, by the way, if you 
want to come up here the very last of November and take 
a few days' ruffed grouse shooting with me, I think I can 
give you some cream." 
I should need a car of my own if I were to accept all 
the kind shooting invitations like the above. Not that 
one would not dearly love to accept each and every onel 
At Chicago. 
Mr. H. E. Wills, of Alton, 111., and his friend Mr. 
Eugene Lahee drifted into the Western office of Forest 
AND Stream this week, each carrying a chip on his 
shoulder in regard to a certain rifle championship. They 
asked for the Chief-with-Two-Stomachs, and that gentle- 
man being now in New York concluded to challenge him 
to a match right away. Then they wanted me to shut up 
the office and come shoot ten hours or so with them, We 
compromised by an arrangement under which we pre- 
empted a gallery and began shooting at once after dinner, 
keeping it up till 1 A. M- the next morning, when the gal- 
lery keeper struck. As to the scores, there would hot be 
room in the paper to print all of them, even if all of them 
were fit for publication. We shot for the championship of 
Madison street this time, and I regret to say that those 
gentlemen wrested away from me about all the glory I 
had left aa a rifle shot, and, moreover, made dire and 
bodeful threats against the Chief-with-Two-Stomachs, 
holding his name and memory in very light esteem, and 
recalling that time when the mask was torn from the face 
of that consistent bluffer, and his fatal lack of ability to 
make good his promises as a shooter was laid bare in all 
its ghastliness. If I knew anybody in the country who I 
thought could beat these men shooting I would hire him 
and keep him up my sleeve, so to speak, until they blew 
in here again. We need more talent than this office is 
carrying when it comes to tangling up with them in a 
rifle match, 
Mr. G. Harry Marlin, of the Marlin Repeating Arms 
Co., spent a few days in the city this week, and is ap- 
parently enjoying his robust health. Although times are 
reported to be hard, it would be impossible to diagnose 
anything but three meals a day from Mr, Marlin's ap- 
pearance. 
Mr, Harvey McMurchy, of the Hunter Arms Co,, a 
man with a million friends, was in Chicago this week, 
and goes West to St, Paul and Duluth, He may get a 
day or so with the chickens in Minnesota. 
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, of New York, is expected to 
arrive in Chicago to-day en route West to his ranch in the 
Bad Lands. He will take with him from this city a num- 
ber of Chicago gentlemen, whom he will entertain at hia 
ranch on an extended hunting trip. E, Hotjqh. 
1206 BoTCK Btjildino, Chicago. 
very busy all summer getting my camps ready, and now 
have comfortable camps at Spider and Musquacook lakes, 
and can accommodate a good many sportsmen. Shall 
build snme small camps for still-hunting later in the sea- 
son. Have just come out with a party, and we had the 
finest trout fishing. Game promises to be plenty. On 
our way to camp we saw six moose and a great many 
deer, C. M. S. 
Maine's Great Resources. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
The fiish and game in Maine never were so plenty aa 
this season, especially the deer, which can be found in 
nearly every town in the State. Moose are also increas- 
ing; our wardens near the boundary report seeing many 
cows and one and two year-olds, which shows that they 
are breeding and on the increase. 
There never were so many sportsmen coming to Maine 
as this season. Our hotels and camps are full and hun- 
dreds are camping on the shores of aU our inland lakes. 
Many permanent camps and cottages are being built by 
non-residents, to which they bring their families in sum- 
mer. 
Many new ponds which we have stocked are now giv- 
ing us good landlocked salmon fishing; also in many of 
them, which were once fine trout waters, but in which the 
pickerel killed them off, and bass have been introduced, 
the trout are coming back in large numbers. The bass 
have killed off the pickerel, but do not seem to interfere 
wit\i the trout. The b^t fishing I have had this year 
was in a lake of that kind. 
We have some 300,000 Sebago salmon which we are 
now feeding. Shall turn them out in October, putting a 
large share of them in new waters — making new fishing 
grounds and also new attractions for sportsmen. 
Maine has finally found out that her fish and game in- 
terest is one of the leading ones of the State. I have been 
working for it for twenty-five years, or a long time, with- 
out much encouragement, but have lived to see the day 
that I can say I am more than satisfied with the results. 
Henry O. Stanley. 
DiXFIBLD, Me. 
Delaware River Rail Tides. 
Messrs, J. B. Shannon & Sons, of Philadelphia, send 
out a card of rail tides for the Delaware River. It is high 
water at Washington Avenue Wharf, Philadelphia: 
\m mid ^iv^r ^iBfiing. 
MEN I HAVE FISHED WITH. 
BEPTEUBBR. 
OCTOBER. 
A. M. 
P. M. 
A, M. 
P, M. 
1 
7:33 
8:18 
1 
8:10 
8:44 
2 
8:41 
9:30 
2 
9:28 
9:48 
3 
9:50 
10:30 
3 
10:28 
10:49 
4 
10:54 
11:17 
4 
11:27 
11:46 
5 
11:52 
12:00 
5 
12:19 
12:19 
6 
13:12 
12:43 
6 
12:38 
1:08 
7 
1:02 
1:32 
7 
1:30 
1:54 
8 
1:51 
2:17 
8 
S:17 
3:40 
9 
2:39 
3:03 
9 
3:04 
3:28 
10 
3:21 
3:48 
10 
3:51 
4:16 
11 
4:12 
4:35 
11 
4:41 
5:07 
12 
5:00 
5:37 
12 
5:35 
6:00 
18 
5:54 
6:23 
13 
6:38 
7:01 
14 
6:56 
7:23 
14 
7:45 
8:03 
15 
8:08 
8:59 
15 
8:55 
9:08 
16 
9:20 
9:36 
16 
9:59 
10:10 
17 
10:28 
10:40 
17 
10:55 
11:06 
18 
11:26 
11:36 
18 
11:43 
11:57 
19 
12:15 
12:15 
19 
12:27 
13:27 
20 
12:27 
12:58 
20 
12:40 
li05 
SI 
1:11 
1:37 
21 
1:30 
1:42 
22 
1:51 
2:18 
22 
1:55 
S:13 
S3 
2:25 
2:45 
23 
2:28 
2:47 
S4 
2:59 
3:18 
24 
2:54 
3:21 
25 
8:32 
3:50 
25 
3:32 
3:58 
26 
4:02 
4:26 
S6 
4:08 
4:39 
27 
4:85 
5:07 
27 
4:51 
5:24 
28 
5:16 
5:55 
28 
5:41 
6:15 
29 
6:05 
6:44 
29 
6:88 
7:11 
30 
7:03 
7:41 
SO 
7:45 
8:12 
31 
8:55 
9:16 
Table showing the difference between the time of high 
water at Washington Avenue Wharf, Philadelphia, and 
the following places. The time must be subtracted ot 
added as follows: 
H. M, H. M. 
Delaware City, subtract, ... 3:39 
Cherry Island, " ....1:52 
Lazarette Station, " .,..1:00 
Bridesburg, add , 0:28 
BurUngton, " 1:39 
Iowa Prairie Chickens. 
Charles City, la., Aug. 25. — Our season for prairie 
chickens opens Sept, 10. Other years the game and fish 
laws have been grossly violated; many of the merchants 
and even county officials have been known to shoot 
chickens and spear fish regardless of the none too well 
enforced laws. This year, however, the law-abiding 
hunters have organized a Floyd County Game and Fish 
Club of fifty or sixty members. We have a game warden 
with a salary of $50 and expenses per month and half the 
amoimt of all fines that he has imposed; he promises to 
prosecute any and all violators. Thus far two parties of 
two men each have been prosecuted, costing each offender 
$15.75. 
This good work has already had its effect, and reports 
show that prairie chickens are more plentiful and less 
wild than previous years. V, V. S. 
Game of Goochland County, Va. 
I note your inquiry about the game in this section. 
Our last Legislature passed a law prohibiting the hunting 
of quail (our partridge) for two years to come, because of 
their extreme scarcity, due to the bitter cold winter of 
'94-95. At the expiration of that time they will doubtless 
be plentiful in this State. Wild turkeys are rather scarce, 
as indeed they have been for some years past. Deer have 
recently appeared in this county, and are now found in 
fairly large numbers. Ruffed grouse are rather more 
plentiful than usual. Besides these we have both summer 
ducks and mallards, black and gray, a very few wood- 
■ cock, squirrels and hares. Altogether I think our county 
will afford very good sport during the coming season. L. 
A Maine Moose and Deer Country. 
I HAVE just received a letter from A. J. Spearen, of 
Moro, Aroostook county, Me. He says: "I have been 
CHAINED 
to Business? 
Can't go Shooting? 
Do the next best thing- 
Read the 
Forest ana Streaffu 
X.— Capt, Ira Wood. 
I KNEW him better in after years, for he was only a 
child when he lef t Greenbush, and while his older brother^ 
Reuben, oversaw the capture of my first fish, as before 
recorded, it was some years later before I had the pleas- 
ure of fishing with Ira. Along in the early 50a, pelrhaps 
in 1853 or '53, he came from his home in Syracuse to Al- 
bany and called on me. He was then a young man of 
medium height, closely knit, muscular, and the owner of 
a deep chest voice, which was pleasant and melodious. 
He had been an actor, and had an engagement in the 
theater at Albany to play old men's or other parts, and 
next week I was to go with him to the theater to his 
dressing room. Like many other young fellows, I had 
thought the stage a most desirable place to strut a brief 
hour, although my choice did not lay in his direction. 
Stars did not travel with their own companies then, but 
depended for support on the stock companies, and as they 
usually had two to three different plays each week the 
members of the company had to study hard, and there 
was always an afterpiece. But this was a rare treat for 
me. I knew Charley Kane, the low comedian, who also 
tortured the bass drum in Johnny Cooke's brass band, 
and Shel. Hitchcock, my sparring tutor, who raised the 
curtain; but this did not give me the privilege of the stage 
door. Ira did. 
The week opened with Mr. Eddy as the star. Ira played 
Brabantio to his Othello, but who the lago was is forgot- 
ten. For a boy of eighteen or nineteen Ira's make-up as 
the "reverend signior" was excellent, and he filled the 
dignified part well, as many said. Eddy was an actor of 
the robust school of Forrest and not unlike him in man- 
ner, and would bear nothing that would even slightly mar 
one of his scenes. Ira also played with Mr, Eddy in 
Richard III. that week and afterward vsdth Couldock and 
other stars of those days, I do not remember seeing him 
in comedy except once and that was in "The School for 
Scandal," but can't name the character to-day. It was 
not Sir Peter Teazle, nor Charles, nor Joseph Surface. 
Mra. John Drew played Mrs. Malaprop, a thing that 
would have been forgotten but forj,the fact that she plays 
the character to-day. 
One day Ira wanted to go fishing, said he had only 
some four hours after the morning rehearsal and did not 
want to put in all his time in going and coming to the 
fishing grounds and back. Evidently the Popskinny* was 
too far on the east side of the river and the Normanskill 
equally so on the Albany side. Fishing off the dock for 
such strays as might pass had ceased to be attractive as 
manhood approached, and after a moment of hesitation I 
said: "Have you ever fished for striped bass in the river 
here?" 
"No," said he, "the only fishing I have ever done is on 
the inland streams and on Onondaga Lake, I don't know 
what a striped bass is like. If they are near here and 
there is a chance to get one or two let's try it. How big 
are they?" 
"Down in salt water they grow big. Up here they run 
up to ilb. Meet me at the State street bridge at any hour 
you name and I will be ready with everything that 
we need." Naturally all these conversations in the long 
ago are reproduced in substance in the words that mem- 
ory suggests as she recalls the facts; no stenographer was 
present. When Ira came he found a boat hired from old 
John Cassidy, who had a fleet to let, and it was provided 
with long ropes and anchors at each end — one of those 
wide, flat-bottomed scows, built like the Dutchman's wife 
who said: "She vas so besser built for sittin' dowJi as for 
runnin' " — ^and we rowed out of the basin under the Hamil- 
ton street bridge, for there was a bridge to the pier in 
those days, and out into the river opposite the foot of 
Dallius street, which bears another name now. We dropped 
anchor just on the eastern edge of the channel; I knew 
the ranges well in those days before bridges over the river 
were built, and their piers had changed the currents and 
filled in the creek behind the island opposite the city, 
where we boys fished and swam, . 
After dropping one anchor, we brought the faoat across 
the current and dropped the other. There is a tide at 
Albany except when great freshets come down. The 
water in those days at ordinary stages varied from 1 to 
2ft. at high and low tides, but even on flood tides there 
was always a current down stream, weak or strong as the 
tide might be flood or ebb. Therefore we could fish from 
the lower side of the boat, no matter how the tide was. 
I opened a two-quart tin pail. "What's that stuff?" asked 
Ira. 
'•That s sturgeon spawn, for bait." He made no reply, 
but watched the production of some linen thread and a 
lot of white mosquito netting, which was cut into 4in, 
squares. Then I rigged him a hand line with sinker, 
about 2ft. above which was a hook on a 1ft. snell. Above 
the hook was tied 1ft. of linen thread, and, putting a 
quantity of sturgeon eggs in a square of netting, it was 
fastened about the hook by the thread and cast far out 
down stream, I had learned this mode of fishing from 
ifty brother Harleigh, who, with Uncle John Wilson, the 
ship cai'penter, and John Ruyter, the tanner, were the 
only ones who practiced it about Albany. It was an art.. 
The fly-fisher may curl his lip if he pleases, but I am a. 
fly-fisher to-day, and will say that to take small striped 
bass by this mode is more difficult than to take a trout on 
an artificial fly, after the novice has learned the trick of 
casting, _ - 
■ In order to explain this mode of fishing I will tell it aff 
I probably did to Ira, premising that the mode is obsolete 
because the sturgeon in the Hudson are nearly obsolete;: 
or, if not, their eggs, instead of being thrown away, as in 
the "good old days," are now made into caviare, which 
men otherwise truthful have said was a delicacy, and 
the Albany angler no longer fishes in this way. Perhaps 
the young striped bass, which only ascended the river to 
feed on the spawn of the shad and the sturgeon, may also 
be obsolete in these waters? 
* I confess to not linowing how to spell the name of this creek. T 
have mentioned it many times in these articles and doubt if I have 
spelled it twice alilie. It may be an Indian name or it may be Dutch. 
I think I have seen it spelled Popsquinnea, but can't say truly. Have 
expected that Col. Teller, frequently mentioned in these articles, 
whose large farm lies on this once famous fishing place, would call me 
down on the spelling of its name. 
