Deo. 5, 189ft.] 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
449 
Maine Deer. 
RUMFORD Falls, Me., Nov. 2Q—JSditor Forest and 
Stream. 1 notice that Deerslayer remarks tbafc most of the 
deer killed in Maine are bounded. This statement is far 
from the facts. I have lived in Maine all my life except- 
ing five or six years. I have owned a gun since I was 
ten years old,- and have roamed the woods days and 
weeks, and have never known a case in the northern or 
_ western part of the State where deer were hounded. In 
' fact I never knew of a case in the State, yet I am told 
that it has been done some in the southeastern section. 
In the greater part of the State public sentiment would 
not allow business of this kind for a minute. 
A large number of deer have been shot in this vicinity 
within a few days, one of which was shot within the vil- 
lage corporation limits and not more than one-half mile 
from the post-office. Wednesday night 3.n. of snow fell, 
and early Tiiursday morning our hillsides were covered 
with hunters, out a cold sleet commenced falling, which 
froza and m3.de a crust that was uncomfortable and 
very noisy walking, so that few deer were shot, although 
many were followed all day. 
A friend and I were out and followed a deer four hours, 
and as we entered a piece of evergreen woods where there 
was not any crust, and were faso creeping upon him, a 
greenhorn came thrashing through the woods at an angle 
to us and a short distance ahead. When he struck the 
trail he started in hot pursuit. We never said a bad 
word, but turned around and started for home, where we 
arrived too late to enjoy the Thanksgiving dinner with 
the family. When we parted at the corner of the street 
the friend who was with me intimated that he hoped that 
pesky greenhorn was still running, and personally I hoped 
- he would run his head against a tree. W. W. Small. 
Too Warm Weather in Texas. 
Petty, Tex., Nov, 25. — The weather is warm and no 
prospect for a change soon. We have not yet had enough 
cold to kill the foliage sufficiently to make quail shooting 
successful, although some ordinary bags have been made. 
Mr. Jim Mc Wright told me that he on one evening bagged 
fifteen quail. He says there are plenty of the birds and 
shooting will be good alter the weeds and cover are killed 
by cold. 
An old darky who lives north of here on Rad River 
told me a day or two ago that he had never seen sue a an 
abundance of squirrels as there are this year. Ha said 
when asked if there was much game in hia neighborhood; 
"Why, boss, I never seed so many equirils in all my born 
days. You don't hab to hunt 'em ; you can stay in de 
house and kill all you wants, but Ise done quit foolin' wid 
dem no 'count things, I is. I goes out and catches me 
some big fat possums; cost too much to buy ammunition 
to kill dem tnflin' equirils; den possum is gud nuff fer 
me, boss, I ain't eat a piece o' hog in two months." The 
old darky said it was a mighty good deer that was equal 
to possum. 
A patty of hunters who returned last week from a hunt 
in the Kiamichi Mountains, Caoctaw Nation, rep jrt deer, 
bears, and turkeys plentitul, and plenty of bass in the 
streams. They killea enough deer and turkeys for their 
wants while in the Nation, but they dared not bring any 
out with them, as the laws of the Nation make it a pen- 
alty by confiscation of arms, ammunition and game, also 
a fine, for taking game outside of the Nation. Pkovo. 
A Texas Game Center. 
Velasco, Tex., Nov. 23.— W. C. Bryant's melancholy 
days have come again, but they are not the saddest of the 
year with me. I always look forward to the fall of the 
year with pleasant anticipations, it brings to mind so 
many things connected with my boyhood days, such as 
long chains of ducks and geese passing over, hauling big 
ox wagons, loads of corn, gathering pecans, trapping 
quail and a thousand things 1 cannot put in writing. 
I am killing ducks now, this being the best time of the 
vear for them — they are in the marsh lakes near the Gulf 
by the thousands. I killed a snow-white swan yesterday 
which measured 7ft. from tip to tip, and a prettier fowl I 
have never seen. 
While visiting my old friend, Frank Hawkins (the 
owner of 20,000 head of cattle and 50,000 acres of land 
under fenct), in Matagorda county, a few weeks since I 
killed three deer and one benr. I had some Divid Crock- 
ett fun with the bear; I shot him at about 50ydH. while 
crossing a road in the canebrakes with my .44: and 
thought I had him dead, but on going up he started for 
me with mouth wide open and hair turned the wrong 
way. I guess I shoot best when I am scared, for I hit 
him square between the eyes, better than I could have 
done had I been standing still and not excited. 
Parties coming South this winter, looking for a good 
game and fishing country, I would advise to come to 
Velasco, where they have a good livery stable and hotel. 
O. S. 
A Wild Gander which Left his Mark. 
A GENTLEMAN near this city winged a wild goose as it 
rose from a small pond, and has the honker minus the 
first joint of one wing. The bird of migratory proclivities 
seems contented to reside in a coop with some native 
geese, and takes to the new order of things without much 
complaint. 
About thirty years ago a gander became separated from 
his fellows and alighted on this same small artificial pool, 
where it was attracted by some native geese, and allowed 
itself to be driven with them into an inclosure. It became 
tame, and gradually the native fljck by pruning took on 
the markings and watchful, alert appearance of the Cin- 
ada wild goose. G. W. Cunningham. 
Nova Scotia Moose Law. 
Nova Scotix.— Editor Forest and Stream: We tried 
hard to get rulled grouse shooting prohibited for two or 
three years, but could not get it through. M. P. P.'s 
from rural districts would not "deprive the country lads 
from earning money by killing them for market." We 
will succeed in time. 
The section of law prohibiting killing of cow moose 
was repealed, much against my wish, as well as that of 
many others, but the majority of reports on the subject 
ruled. Cows after third year generally have twins, and 
very few are barren, so you can see how destructive such 
killing is. C. W, Buss. 
Naphtha Launches and Lone Island Ducks. 
New Yobk, Nov. 21— Editor Forest and Stream: I 
notice in your last issue that tne Qauie Protecuvd Assc- 
C'ation meets in January. Cannot something be done at 
this meeting to take up the question of prohibiting shoot- 
ing of sea fowl in Long Idand Sjuod and bays adj icent, 
either from naphtha launches or from sail boato? Of 
course, the majority of these birds are not of the best 
quality of ducks, but the sp^rt of shooting them is j ist as 
great, and in the last few years shooting has become 
worse, due to this practice. As it is now, naphtha 
launches are allowed to sail on the ducks when on their 
feeding ground, and many thousands of these birds are 
frightened and disturbed and only a very few are killed, 
whereas point shooting or shooting from duck boats with 
decoys few of the birds are shot at compared with those 
that are killed. As I understand it a law was passed last 
winter intended to stop the shooting from launches, but 
could not be enforced. Cannot this be changed at the 
meeting this wintei? This shooting, with proper rfstric- 
tions, can be made very good near New York, and it is a 
great pity to have it interfered with in this way. L. 
A North Carolina Quail Country. _ 
Hickory, N. C, Nov. 21.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
On Nov, 14 my father and I were at loss as to where we 
could have a few days' quail and rabbit shooting, and 
sought your estimable paper for information. We found 
advertised the Hickory Inn, Hickory, N. C , and without 
waiting for correspondence with the pr"pri*^tor informed 
him that we would reach there Nov. 18. Since arriving 
we have gunned two days and obtained a bag of fifty -six 
quail and four rabbits, and this with the thermometer 
ranging in the eighties at midday, allowing us to gun 
only between 8 and 11 o'clock in tbe forenoon and be- 
tween 3 o'clock and sundown in the afternoon. We used 
no hounds for the rabbits, these bfing kicked up while 
walking through the fields. We without d ffiiultyran 
find from eight to fifteen coveys of birds every day. For 
lovers of quail shooting this place is a parxdise. 
Haeey Wootton. 
Educational. 
Some hunters do not know that it ia not good form to 
ask an owner of good covers, who is als > a hunter, for 
permission to kill or scatter the game S ), instead of the 
iHual very unpleasant "Tresspas Notic— No Huntin 
Here," I applied a suggestion which wa-. and may yet 
be in the Pniladelphia & Morristown cars about putting 
feet on the seats. My notice read : 
"The owner of this land himself hunts and shoots. 
Sportsmen will and others must ba courteous." 
A friend who read it said that the "others" would not 
understand what I meant. I replied that they would in- 
quire and find out the meaning, and so learn something. 
He was pleased with the idea, and put up the same, to 
wit: 
"The owper of this land hunts and shoots himself," etc. 
I think his will create more inquiry than mine. 
JunIaTA. 
Wild Plsreons Then and Now. 
New York, Njv. 25. — tJditor Forest and Stream: I saw 
an item in a newspaper recently that a wild pigeon had 
been shot on the easterly end of Long Island, and that it 
was on exhibition as a rarity, many people going to see it. 
I found in my scrap book the inclosed dipping, which 
shows how plenty thpy were in 1870. The item is from a 
paper of Sept. 14, 1870: 
"Immense numbers of wild pigeons passed over Ports- 
mouth, N. H,, last week.* Oa Wednesday forty-three 
flocks were counted paesinsr over the Narth Mill Pond in 
one hour. Oae person in E.liott killed sixty ut one shot, 
and several others killed during the day from 100 to 200 
doz<^n each. Dr. G. A. Cooper, of Brooklyn, shot 200 
wild pigeons in one day last week at M mtauk." 
I saw myself thousands of them crossing the Pi,li««i.des 
in the neighborhood of Guttenburg, opposite New York 
city, in 1874. E. S. 
Shooting on the Eastern Shore. 
Keller, Va., Nov. 28 — Editor Forest and Stream: 
Shooting on the eastern shore of Virginia is panning 
out well this autumn. R ibbit bunting is fine, the crtp 
being abundant; twenty-five to fifty to a man is not un- 
usual, 
Qaail are plenty, but under a two years' prohibitory 
law none are being killed. 
The coast bays are swarming with ducks. Never so 
many before: black, broadbilll, redheads; and as for brant, 
they fairly darken the sun. A gentleman just from Hog 
Island Bdy to-day reported the qaantity as being unprf- 
cedented, of all sorts. The miid weather, however, is 
operating against first-class shooting. Still, December 
will be good, as we may expect for that month the weath- 
er more unsettled. T. G. E. 
Maryland Ducks, Quail and Rabbits. 
Pennsylvania, Njv 25.— Have just returned from a 
four days' trip to O D. Foulk's place at Stockton, Md. 
When our party got there we touad two gentlemen from 
Pniladelphia, who had come down ahead of us; tbey were 
good shots and jolly fellows, and tnere was game enough 
for all. The morning we left we all walked up to the 
station, with a one-horse wagon fu 1 of game and b^ig- 
gage — geese, ducks, rabbits, quail iand woodcock. Every 
one of us had all the game we could carry, and Mr. 
Strickland and his brother, who had ducked more than 
the rest of us, had more than tw o men could get along 
with. We had a grand time, and hope to go later on for 
ducks when the weather gets coldt?r. 
Chas, H. Clarke. 
Game in Orland, Me. 
William and Foster Sjper have trapped about 100 red 
foxes tnis fall, and a shore time ago a large blacK bear 
got his toes into a fox trap. Of course ne walked i ff 
with the trap without much trouble. He was Sien with 
the trap on his foot, but made his escape. Mr. Branard, 
of Eisi Gr and, returned from Moosehead L^te with two 
large caribou. W. 0. Bl^isdell. 
Uolawful Game Shipment on Long Island. 
We reported the other day the unlawful shipment of 
gamH from Eist Hampton, L)ng Island. A resident of 
that town who complained of the illicit trf-ffiT to the 
game protector received a reply from Game Protector 
Selah T C ark, of Bay Shore, in which the protector says: 
"I cannot see anything in the law prohibiting tbese peo- 
p'e from shipping game in the months of November and 
Dicemb"r." An individual who "cannot see anything" 
in the New York game law to forbid the shipment of 
q lail, partridges and woodcock to market is not fit to be a 
game protectory 
mid §w^r SiBfiing, 
MEN I HAVE FISHED WITH. 
XXIII.— Seraeant William Patterson. 
There is some reason for believing that his name was 
William, although I do not know ic. Tne reason is en- 
tirely from analogy; he was always known as "Bill ' Pat- 
terson, and I had known other men to be called "Bill" 
whose real name was William Further than this I find 
upon the rolls of Co. H, 25 h Wisconsin Infantry, the name 
ot William Patterson, oi Potoisi; and my old friend, Judge 
Seaton, who has kindly p at^d me on affdirs in the village 
since I left it, sfy : "Bll Patterson went out with the 
25ih Wisconsin Infantry." Toerefore, as 1 have said, 
there is reason for believing bis name to be William, If 
living, he is near Portland, Ore ; but letters to him have 
been r^turrud to u^e alter being opened by another Wil- 
liam Patterson. 
Oa that New Year eve when our surveying party re- 
turned to Pot"si from northern Minnesota there was 
quite a little visiting done by neighbors who were anxious 
lo learn of adventures nmong the Indians; and as I lived 
in tbe middle one uf three cottages, all under one roof, 
owned by a Mr. Knight, who lived on one side, and Bill 
Patterson on the otber, both neighbors called. BiU was 
then 1 think about thirty-il rte years old, I was twenty- 
three, and ' O d Poppy Kaight," the only name that 
memory recalls him ny, was probably sixty; but little, 
we&z ned and dried up, and "meaner 'an pusley," as 
farmers say. Bill was a strapping, broad-shouldered fel- 
low who had been on the Wett Coast in that early day, 
perhaps with tbe "Artronants" who went to the gold 
fields of California in 1849; a rough, swaggering fellow, 
just the opposite of O d P>.ppy Knight, whom he seemed 
to dislike in a superlative df tixee. 
Mrs Patterson and Miss Rjwena Knight, daughter of 
O. P, K., were in the family circle. The conversation 
had been general, and I had tried tn reply to three or 
four questions at once, when Puji asked: "Are them In- 
jun gir s good look in'?" 
'•Sje here, Pop,'' said Bill, who had been where the 
evening had been more bibulously observed, "what does 
an old duller like you want to talk about Injun girls for? 
I've bf en all through Sonora, Ndw Mexico and the whole 
West Coast, and I never see a tquaw that was worth a 
second look. I want to find out what them Injuns live 
on up in that cold country, where Fred SHys tnere's no 
game. I've ast that halt a dtz^n times, and you don't 
give him a chance to answer. Now you let up for a little 
'til we get at this problem of eating." Then to me: "What 
can they get to eat up then ? ' 
■'Mainly fish," I answered; "tbey dry it for winter and 
eat it without anything except salt, of which they are 
fond; but where tney got salt Defcre the white man came 
is a question. The Indians on the sea coast got it in their 
fish and oysters, and those abtufc the interior salt springs 
had it to trade with other tribes; but when you look at it 
you will see that the dwellers in some parts must have 
eaten their meat without it," 
"Bui savs he never saw a good-looking squaw," said 
Pop. "Now there's lots o' half-breeds up there, and are 
the half-breed uirls better looking than the squa wt? ' 
"P ip," said Bui, "you had better go up tnere and see 
for yourself; this thing of beauty is a personal matter. 
S..me o' tbem squaws might take a fancy to you, for they 
am'c got tbe first bit ot taste, I've seen men that has 
married f quaws, but I don't think I ever saw an ugly old 
equaw that would marry you. I'll be obliged if you will 
snut up " 
Put yourself in my place I As the host, I did not fancy 
this sort of talk; out what could I do? Although Mr. 
Kaight was Bid's landlord as well as mine, I knew that it 
would only need a word more for Bill— m violation of all 
rules of hospitality, in whica he was not well read — to 
take the old man by the collar and trousers and set him 
outside. I turned the tide by te lling of Henry Neaville's 
frczm feet, and we got along harmoniously until the 
clock said it was time for congratulations on the new 
year. As the good nights were said Bill whispered that 
we should have a deer hunt on the first day ox the new 
year, and after the rest were gone we sat down over our 
pipes and arranged for it. 
A couple of inches of snow fell early in the night on 
top of the old snow, which was about the same depth, but 
not hard. The new year of 1857 opened still and mild, 
without being bright; as perlect a day for a hunt as it 
was pt.8Sible to have. Every rabbit that had ventured 
out since midnight left evidence of its wanderio^s, and 
we saw where lue quail had huddled on the ground and 
had risen in the morning. The partridge left a broad 
trail until it tired of wading and tooa to a tree. All these 
things we r ' notf^d as we went t ff to the northwest to 
strike the Grant River. Bill wanted to talk about "Oid 
Poppy Kaight" anu I tried to keep him still. Two win- 
ters in tne woods had the usual effect of making a fellow 
think mr re than he talks. We were on a ridge and were 
about lOOft, apart. 
B.U said: "Old Pop made me mad last night, bustin' in 
the talk lo know if tqaaws was good-lookin'. What 'n 
thunder is that to hiu.? ' and then he launched out in his 
rough way and "swore like our army m Flanders." There 
was a crackling of brush, followed oy several thuds, and 
Bill's rifle i^poke. I saw nothing; the deer had been lying 
down on B.il's side of the ridge li^tenlng to what Bill 
thought oi the pr< prif ly ot O P Kaignt's icqury into 
the phytjical attraoiious of the OjiOwa maideta. and no 
doubt iec.rdd that Bid's indignation migtit take a wrong 
direction, and so considereu it tiest to leave him to settle 
it with Mr. Kaight without being a party to the row. We 
went to the place where the deer jumped, but found no 
