Skpt. 5, 1896.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
198 
which runs to the extreme end of the island. The road 
runs near the railroad the whole distance and crosses it 
several times. At frequent intervals are cross roads run- 
ning down to the sea, and these are all ridable except in 
very wet weather. 
Last Sunday I rode through the village of Pleasant 
Plains, which is about fourteen miles from the St. George 
ferry, and just beyond the point where the road crosses 
the railroad track. I took a side road running through 
the Mount Loretto grounds. Mount Loretto is a Roman 
Catholic orphan asylum, where there are reputed to be 
upward of 2,000 boys and girls. The buildings, including 
a large church, whose spire is a landmark for the sur- 
rounding country, occupy a little eminence about a mile 
from the village. There is a macadam road, I believe, 
running the entire distance from the main road to the 
salt water, but I did not strike this. The road I followed 
was well graded, and by keeping to the side paths the 
riding was excellent. This road passes close to some large 
barns, near which it forks, one branch running each side 
of a lighthouse built upon a promontory which rises 75 or 
100ft, sheer from the water. I should have taken the 
right hand fork, as I found out afterward, but instead I 
chose the other, and soon found myself on the beach, 
with the waters of that part of the Lower Bay, known as 
Raritan Bay, lapping at my feet. 
The point which I desired to reach was a dock running 
out from the Mount Loretto grounds, and this I could see 
about half a mile below. The tide was out and the walk- 
ing along the beach fairly good, though too soft for 
wheeling. So I started down the beach around th^ light- 
house promontory, pushing my wheel ahead. -When I 
had covered half the distance I came across three boats 
just making a landing. At this spot some blankets and 
pieces of canvas were laid out smoothly on the beach 
above high water mark, and from these and other indica- 
tions I concluded that the party now putting ashore had 
camped on the spot the previous night to take advantage 
of the early fishing. 
I met them as they came ashore, and foimd that they 
had more fish than they knew what to do with. These 
were, however, mostly sand porgies, which the fishermen 
reported to be biting voraciously. They had been out on 
the "middle banks," where a number of other boats 
could then be seen at a distance of about two miles from 
shore. 
Refusing their kindly proflEered offer of some fish, I 
pushed on to the dock, on which I could now see several 
men fishing. I found that they were pulling in the por- 
gies at fairly regular intervals, though there was no sign 
of larger fish. 
The dock or pier on which I soon found myself is the 
first of three which put out into the bay at close inter- 
vals. The other two are reserved for the exclusive use of 
the asylum, but fishermen are permitted on the first. In- 
cidentally it may be mentioned that the fathers at the 
asylum are good fishermen, and almost any other day one 
could have seen some of them enjoying the sport from, 
the middle piei". It was once before my privilege to fish 
from this pier, after an unsuccessful morning near Tot- 
tenville, in company with two of the priests, and more 
thorough sportsmen than these modern exponents of St. 
Peter would be hard to find. They took a keen pleasure 
in what they were doing that was good to see, and they 
proved their skill by hooking a fish every time their lines 
were baited. They had a man along with them to cut 
bait and attend to their lines, and if this fellow carried 
all the fish they caught back to the Asylum I guess he 
would rather have let some of the orphans go hungry. 
Last Sunday I had a light split- bamboo bait rod along, 
and though I only caught small fish the sport was inter- 
esting enough. The porgies are running large this year 
and are unusually plentiful already, while snappers skim 
along just under the surface of the water in frequent 
schools. 
Soon after I reached the dock some of the other fisher- 
men began catching weakfish, and one man caught four 
nice fellows in about an hour's time, using shedder crabs 
for bait. 
This dock is used by the boys from the asylum as a 
swimming place, and during the course of the afternoon 
we saw a long column of them marching down, two 
abreast, for their daily dip. Some who could not swim 
stopped at the sand beach, but the majority of the boys 
came out on the dock, attended by a single priest. They 
were very orderly in undressing, and evidently had been 
drilled in this respect; for all disrobed in the same man- 
ner, first taking off their nether garments and then slip- 
ping on bathing trunks before discarding their shirts. 
One of the boys had lost an arm and another a leg, but 
both could swim like fish. Soon the water was full of 
boys, so that the slower ones had hard work finding clear 
places where they could jump or dive in safety; but all 
their kicking out and splashing did not stop the fishing at 
the end of the dock, and several weakfish — than which 
there is no shyer fish in salt water — were taken at this 
time. 
Some of the orphans begged hooks and sinkers and 
began fishing themselves, with good success; but others, 
probably newer arrivals, showed great ignorance on the 
subject. A little coterie of two or three boys of this class 
were very much excited when they saw the weakfish 
coming in, and debated among themselves as to whether 
the red spotted fellows were not sharks. Presently a 
whistle sounded from the beach, and the boys fell in line, 
and, marching back to the asylum, the wharf was again 
left to the fishermen. 
A little before 6 I concluded I had had enough sport 
for the day, so I searched out a secluded spot near the 
lighthouse and had a dip in the cool salt water. After- 
ward I pedaled leisurely over to the railroad station at 
Pleasant Plains and took the train back to New York. 
My ticket cost 35 cents and the wheel was carried free. 
J. A. C. 
A repent issue of the Mattawa, Canada, Tribune and 
Nippissing Register carries a curious advertisement, that 
of the Hudson's Bay Co., which seta forth the excellence 
of a certain make of bicycle. It says: "The bicycle is no 
longer a luxury, but a necessity." It would seem so when 
the very type and synonym of Arctic traffic is to be sup- 
plemented by the flying safety express. One does not at 
first think of the upper Canadian country as the natural 
home of the wheel, but it seems the latter is to know no 
geographical limit. And the advertisement of the Hud- 
son's Bay Co. always bears the suggestive headline after 
its title: "Incorporated 1075," 
HOW TO CARRY A GUN. 
LooKPORT, N. y., Aug. 22. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
I notice in your Wheeling notes that you ask the best 
way to carry a gun on a bicycle, and I inclose cut show- 
ing my way of doing it. Had I thought that such in- 
formation was wanted I should have been more explicit 
in describing my method of doing it in my plover shoot- 
ing notes, published several weeks ago. I know that some 
sportsmen carry their guns across their shoulders, with 
and without case, but I prefer to strap mine on the wheel, 
with the barrels of the gun along the upper frame tube 
and with strap at each end around the saddle and handle 
bar tube. I also fasten a strap from the carrying handle 
of the case to the lower frame tube to keep the gun from 
swinging against my leg. In going from one field to an- 
other along the road I remove shells from the gun and 
carry the gun. in ray right hand, guiding the wheel with 
my left hand; but for a longer distance, when I wish to 
ride faster, I prefer to have the gun in its case strapped 
to wheel. J. L. Davison. 
Boston, Aug. 30. — Editor Forest and Stream: In your 
issue of Aug. 22 1 see you ask the question, "Which is the 
best way to carry a gun on a bicycle?" The inclosed 
sketch is my method. I have strapped a . 32-40 Winches- 
ter on one side and a 12-gauge shotgun on the other, and 
ridden thirty-three miles, with no inconvenience what- 
ever, except, perhaps, two bright bands on the bar where 
the enamel was worn off by the slipping of the straps. 
S. Pokes. 
Holland, Mich,, Aug. 21. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
It has been somewhat of a question to me how to carry a 
gun on a bicycle. A shotgun is too heavy to comfortably 
carry slung from the shoulder, and if strapped to the 
frame the gun case wears off the enamel, and the gun is 
in such a position as to chafe the person and makes pedal- 
ing awkward and disagreeable. A few weeks ago I was 
The lower ^figure iliuscrates Mr. Davison's method, the^upper one 
that described by our Boston correspondent. 
shown an attachment called the "snapsocket," manufac- 
tured by Foster, Stevens &|Co., Grand Rapids, Mich, It 
consists of a snap clamped to the handle bar, and a sock- 
et attached to the fork. The gun is held in a nearly per- 
pendicular position, muzzle down, and can be instantly 
removed by pushing it forward. This method of carry- 
ing the gun has the advantage of the others in that the 
gun can be carried loaded (or can be loaded very quickly) 
when wheeling in places where shots at game are had 
from the road. The sockets are made in different shapes 
to carry double or single-barreled guns; your fishing rod 
or umbrella can also be carried in it. 
I carry my Winchester .23 very readily in it, and fre- 
quently ride along the streets in the outskirts of the city, 
and shoot English sparrows from the electric light and 
telephone wires. The sparrow has not yet learned to fear 
a man on a wheel, for one can ride up to them, dismount, 
remove the gun from the snap and shoot, before they 
know what is up. Arthur G. BAtnuGAETSL. 
HOW THE OLD BIRD WAS OUTWITTED. 
FiTCHBUEO, Maes.— Editor Forest and Stream: I had 
been located in a small village in Connecticut about a year 
before I got the bicycle fever, and I don't know as I 
should even then have owned a wheel if I hadn't thought 
it would bring the hunting grounds nearer my door. My 
time for gunning was limited to morning and evening 
hours and Saturday afternoons, and I lost much precious 
time in getting to and frcm the "good places." So I 
bought a wheel and soon learned to ride. Every morn- 
ing, with gun swung across my back and the best dog on 
earth trotting on behind, I went wheeling out of town for 
an hour or so with the birds. 
About a mile out of town the road ran between 
two small pieces of woodland, crossed a little brook 
and turned a sharp corner down a hill, at the 
foot of which was a small swamp. In this piece 
of woodland there lived an old partridge, full of 
years and cunning. One fine morning as I was wheeling 
along this road I made his acquaintance. My first im- 
pression of him as he ran across the road in front of me 
was that he was a mighty fine bird, and just as Geeth 
drew up stiff as a stake at the roadside, where he disap- 
peared, I tumbled off the wheel only to hear sP whir and 
roar of wings as the old fellow left for other fields and 
pastures new, I knew in about what direction the bird 
had gone, and after about a five minutes' walk got an- 
other point in the swamp at the foot of the hill; but the 
place was too thick, and I only heard that awful roar of 
wings as my friend said good-bye again. By this time it 
was the hour for me to get back again to my work, and 
so I wheeled into town, resolved on getting that partridge 
next morning. Daybreak found me on the road, and our 
performance of the day before was repeated, and I became 
poaviQced that I had a. very ouQaiog bird to deal with, 
for when the dog made his point each time the old bird 
would run until the edge of the woods was reached, when 
it would get up with a mighty whir of wings, fly back 
through the thick woods and dive into the swamp at the 
foot of the hill. I dubbed the bird Old Noisy, and for two 
weeks each morning I tried in every way to get a shot 
until Geeth and I were about disgusted. 
One night, after I had gone to bed, I planned our 
morning excursion, and hit upon a scheme that meant 
sure death to Old Noisy. I had noticed that almost inva- 
riably the bird would dive into the swamp at the foot of 
the hill at one particular spot, and to reach which he had 
to fly across the brow of the hill possibly 50ft. in the open. 
On reaching the ground next morning, I called Geeth to 
heel, while I arranged my wheel for a quick mount, and 
without taking my gun from my back sent in the dog. 
Everything worked like a charm. Geeth hadn't gone 
20ft. from the road into the brush before I saw him stop 
and make a grand old point. Making a quick rush for the 
wheel, I put up my feet on the coasters and went flying 
down the hill. The bottom reached, I tumbled off: jumped 
tne fence at the roadside just in time to see Old Noisy set 
his wings and come sailing over the hill. I knew then 
that he was coming to his death, and at the crack of the 
smokeless cartridge I saw him fold up those noisy wings 
and come bouncing on the grass at my feet. Geeth too 
heard the gun, the first shot I had ever fired at the bird, 
and he came barking his congratulations, while I stood 
cap in hand all unstrung by the exciting ride and suc- 
cessful shot. I am sorry to say I ate Old Noisy — a poor 
ending to so cunning an old bird — and I have wished 
many times he was back at his old tricks, while I might 
have the fun all over again. My wheel, my dog and my 
gun became inseparable companions; they used to ask me 
to go with them on their excursions many times that 
year, but we never got any birds that seemed to quite so 
well fill our game bag as Old Noisy. E. W. 
NOTES. 
The sportsmen of all ranks and walks are taking to the 
wheel. The famous target champion, Rolla Heikes, is an 
ardent admirer of the wheel for sport or exercise, and 
attributes much of his present good form to his season's 
exercise on wheelback. After his late winning in a hard 
race at Chicago Mr. Heikes took a day off for a long ride 
west of Chicago. Gilbert, Budd and other well-known 
trap-shooters also ride, and like the exercise. 
It is a well-known fact that wild animals and birds will 
frequently permit the close approach of a man on horse- 
back or in a wagon, at times when easily alarmed by the 
sight of a man on foot- Mr. Baumgartel in his note on 
carrying a gun points out that this unconcern, at least as 
regards English sparrows, applies to the bicycle as well as 
other vehicles. AH of which goes to show that the ad- 
vantages of the bicycle from the sportsman's point of 
view are not easily exhausted. 
Packing on the bicycle is a question of interest to men 
who camp out. If a gun may be carried into the woods, 
why not supplies and a tent? A well-constructed case 
fitting the frame will serve for a great many articles 
whose dimensions in one direction are not over 4 or 5in. , 
and the handle bars and rear fork offer other opportuni- 
ties for packing. A rider weighing ISOlbs. should be able 
to carry 40 or 501bs. of dead weight on his bicycle, with- 
out danger to himself or the wheel. 
Of course the cooking outfit would have to be condensed 
into the smallest limits, and everything including the tent 
be made with a special view to lightness and portability. 
Then too the bicycle itself would have to be humored 
over rough roads, and where the rider had to get off and 
walk he would probably find it no easy task to push it 
with its load, as those who have taught other persons to 
ride will understand. 
Such a trip could most profitably be made by two or 
more sportsmen in company. Blankets and tent and out- 
fit in general would then do double duty, and individual 
loads would be reduced. Possibly an arrangement for 
clamping two bicycles together side by side could be used 
to advantage on the return for bringing out the trophies of 
the hunt. 
Lieut. Moss, of the regular army, in making his three 
days' scouting trip from Fort Missoula, Montana, demon- 
strated to a remarkable degree the packing capacity of 
the bicycle and its ability to stand rough usage. His party 
numbered seven, and the avarage weight of riders and 
packed wheels was 233lb8. Assuming that the stripped 
bicycles weighed 231ba. apiece, they carried more than 
nine times their own weight over one of the roughest 
countries on the continent without breakdown or serious 
mishap. 
The Boston Herald, which has come to hand since writ- 
ing the above, has the following note on the subject of 
camping trips: 
A traveler lately returned from the West reports that 
cyclists of that region are just now taking extended 
camping trips. Wisconsin and Michigan, he says, are 
full of them, roving around with their outfits strapped to 
their wheels. The regular triangular case to fit into the 
diamond frame is used, and if there are a number in the 
party the camp implements are distributed among them 
and carried with ease. Some also carry light knapsacks, 
and what seems a difficult way of transporting camp out- 
fits becomes in reality efficient and labor-saving. Small 
tents of light gossamer or silk, which fold up into an ex- 
ceedingly small package, are used. The cyclists are also 
provided with rubber capes, which completely protect 
them from the rain when riding. Fishing tackle is easily 
carried, and the wheelmen on that account make fishing 
their favorite sport, though some of the more daring are 
seen with shotguns strapped to their wheels. It is aston- 
ishing into what regions of poor roads, but good camp- 
ing, these novel tourists have penetrated. No one has 
ever seen them cross an imbridged river, but they un- 
doubtedly have some way as clever as their other methods. 
They often take their wheels to the nearest railroad and 
ship them to some point where they meet them by boat, 
for canoeing is by no means impossible for camping 
cyclists. The movements of these wheelmen show that 
camping has been reduced to a science to be enjoyed by 
»ll eUissee of eportsroen, ' " 
