Jan. g, 1897.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
27 
ENJOYING HER MORNING MEAL. 
"Around New Orleans there are swamps which are al- 
ways being hunted for crawfish, and yet the supply la 
unlimited. So numerous are they that one cannot leave 
fiah on a string in the water, for they will tear the fish 
into shreds. 
"A small net about the size of a butterfly net. about ten 
cords each 3ft. long, and 5 cents' worth of meat, completes 
the outfit for one person. 
"In the swamp there are small islands and long necks of 
land which intersect one another in all directions, and 
upon which the catchers go. 
"The start is usually made in the early morning, when 
the sun does not shine so fiercely, and walking is much 
easier. 
"Arriving at their destination, they cut their meat into 
small pieces about 2in, around, each piece is now attached 
to one of the cords: after this they are thrown into the 
water, and the other end of the cord is attached to a stick 
which is stuck into the ground so that the crawfish can- 
not pull the mgat away. One usually waits a few minutes, 
and then when the cord is gently raised the catcher will 
see about naif a dozen crawfish with their pinchers stuck 
into the meat, eating ravenously. 
"The net is now gently put into the water directly under 
them, and with a sudden jerk they are landed, for as 
Booii as they strike the air they will let loose of the meat. 
"The crawfish are of a large species. The writer has 
caught some measuring lOin. from tip to tip; these are by 
no means uncommon. 
"The average catch for three persons is about an ordi- 
nary bucketful. The meat when prepared right makes a 
delicious delidaoy." 
That Meat Dogr. 
Mr. H. S Humphreys, of Indiana, writes me in regard 
to the meat dog I was looking up for a gentleman in New 
Jersey: 
"I have had many a good laugh over the 'meat dog' 
question as expounded by you, and noticed in the last 
issue that a New Jersey friend wanted a puppy that would 
make a meat dog. I have a candidate for the gentleman 
in question in the shape of a white, black and tan setter 
dog puppy, which has the making of a pure and simple 
'meat dog ' He is not fully up to the condition of having 
been 'run over by a wagon,' but can probably qualify, as 
I ran over him twice the same day with my buggy. He 
is a large dog, well muscled, in prime Al condition, nine 
and one-half months old. I have had hira on two shoots 
with me, all I have been out this fall, and he p Aats and 
backs in good shape. He is a big-headed fellow like his 
sire (photo inclosed), and is exactly evenly marked (dia- 
gram inclosed). Of course he is yet puppyiah, yet smart, 
and a very capable learner," 
Mr. Humphreys does not quite understand my idea of 
a meat dog, though I am pleased to see he has tried his 
dog on a buggy as an evidence of good faith (I didn't say 
a buggy, but a wagon). As I look at it, a meat dog is one 
which has his future behind him. I regret to note ref- 
erence to field trial winners on one side of this dog's house. 
As to the price quoted I have nothing to do, as I am dis- 
interested, and Just doing this for love of the dog family; 
but I will say that if a man has a real meat dog he is 
more precious than the price named, yea, more precious 
than rubies or much fine gold. There never was a fire 
sale of good meat dogs yet, and they are never damaged 
by water. They are always good to have on hand, and 
few there be who have them. I hope Mr. Humphreys's 
young dog will turn out to be a meat dog after my own 
heart. I may want to borrow him then. You can always 
borrow a good meat dog, because he has no pedigree to 
get tangled up in the brush and injured. He is just plain 
dog. E. Hough. 
1206 BoTCK BoiiiDraH, Chicago. 
THE WALL STILL BLANK. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Same of your readers may recall a trip I took with 
Timothyseed after the Carlin grouse in a March number 
of Forest and Stream. I always enjoyed that story and 
largely because I was in it. It was to a great extent true, 
although out of friendship to me Timothyseed counted all 
birds I should have killed as "dead birds." As a matter 
of fact last season was my first attempt at grouse, and my 
statement that I killed just one during the season will be 
readily believed by all who have hunted that bird. 
I started out by buying Trump, the pointer, and a gun. 
Trump is a good dog, but strange to say I have seen others 
that I imagine are just as good. I believe the gun is a 
fair gun, but it will not kill every bird at 75yds. even 
when in more skillful hands than my own. It is just an 
ordinary gun that up to the present time has not killed 
the owner nor any of his friends. 
As I have before stated, after a season of much sport and 
few birds I was the possessor of one bird whose death 
could be fairly laid at my door. I then and there made 
up my mind that my record could be improved and im- 
mediately started in to find a way by which I might keep 
both eyes open when shooting. I finally conquered that 
difiiculty and sjjent the remainder of my spare time dur- 
ing the winter in aiming at every door knob and picture 
hook in the house. While it made life somewhat un- 
pleasant for my family to find that every time anyone 
opened a door my gun was pointed at the knob, it did 
improve my shooting and this year my record is thir- 
teen birds; not many for those who kill fifteen straight, 
but then it must be remembered that I really got these 
birds. 
I made up my mind at the opening of the season that 
I must have one bird mounted to decorate my den. The 
early birds were so small I pat oS stuflSng them with 
anything but bread crumbs, until later in the season, when 
they would be full grown. Last week Timothyseed 
wrote me that he knew of some birds, and that if I failed 
to get one pretty soon they would be too large for my 
room. Timothyseed is my ten comm^andmiBats in every- 
thing that pertains to shooting, so when he says, "Go," I 
go. We had Trump and a pointer pup I have raised 
named Bang, two guns and plenty of enthusiasm, which, 
by the way, we needed. It was agreed that when we got 
the one bird needful we would stop shooting. Well, the 
brief history of this trip is that we walked. The birds 
were all in the city attending to their Christmas shopping, 
so that when we had traveled ten miles from our starting 
point we were still looking for our first bird. 
It looked as if it were to be a blank day as we started 
fo^ hotjae, We trudged along in a o^relesR mood, when 
suddenly Trunop began to take some interest in life, and 
presently pointed. Timothyseed was olf to the right 
with Bang, so I had this bird all to myself. 
I walked in, but no bird. Trump still on point. I kicked 
the bushes, but still no bird. Trump wouldn't go on, so 
I knew something was there. Finally I sent him on to 
flush, when a bird got up from behind a log 10ft. to the 
left and started for the next county. 
I gave her a right and left, and she turned over about 
50yd8. away. Trump pointed dead, and at the command 
"fetch" started to pick up his bird; but behold! no bird; 
nothing but tail feathers. 
I went up to see what the trouble was, and found that 
with a last effort the bird went under some old roots just 
in time to leave the tail feathers in the dog's mouth. We 
dug her out, but she was in no condition to decorate my 
den . This was the only bird we shot on the trip, and 
there is still a blank place on my wall. Legality. 
PENNSYLVANIA GAME LAW. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I don't want to go on record as a kicker against any 
beneficial change in the game laws. On the contrary, I 
would favor and work for anything that would increase 
the supply of game and protect it, and I am willing to sac- 
rifice something for that end. 
As I understand, there is a committee, or wiU be a com- 
mittee, in Harrisburg to lobby for such change in the law 
this season that will limit all shooting to but two months 
in the year — Oct. 1 to Dsc. 1, or Oct. 15 to Dec. 15. That 
is the only thing in the bill they have drafted that I fiad 
to kick about, and I feel like kicking hard. It will not 
protect the game out of season any more than the present 
law does, and will only tend to keep law-abiding sports- 
men from the pleasure of hunting; while the law-breaker 
will go on and kill all the game before the season opens, 
the same as he does now, and have more time to do it 
before the legitimate sportsman uncases his gun. 
And more. The man who loves to hunt, but who can 
get a day off only once a month, will be confined to but 
two or three days' shooting in the whole year, while the 
rich man, who can go whenever he wants to, can take the 
whole season and kill what is left after the law-breaker 
gets through, 
Give the poor man a chance. Shorten the season and 
make it universal, say from Oot. 1 to Jan. 1, if that will 
do any good; but don't out it down to only two months in 
the year. What we need more than anything else is pro- 
tection for the game out of season and a non-market law. 
Stop the sale of game and you stop two-thirds of the con- 
sumption of it and the inducement which takes thousands 
of men and boys afield, who care only for the revenue 
which their labor brings. Make friends of the farmers by 
making laws which will benefit them. Consult them and 
they will give you a great many pointers which will be 
beneficial to themselves and the sportsman. 
They are fast becoming sportsmen themselves — at least 
where I go— and ought to have a share in the law-maMng 
business. 
During the summer months thousands of camping par- 
ties spend a great deal of time in the woods and along 
the streams, and nearly aU of them take guns. I can tell 
you of two places where squirrels were quite abundant 
until camps were established, and when the squirrel sea- 
son opened, Sept. 1, there were none to be found; and a 
farmer friend told me last fall that a camping party near 
his place last summer killed young quail and grouse. It 
would not be a bad law that would prohibit the possession 
of guns in the woods or in camp out of the game season, 
for there can be no other use for them than the shooting 
of game, and I believe it would be well to make farmers 
deputy game wardens whenever they can be induced to 
act as such, and the laws should protect and support 
them, ' ' t - , 
Game has been very scarce wherever I have been this 
season. There have been no quail in this vicinity, and 
very few where I usually found them quite plenty in 
other sections. 
The ferret law is a dead letter here; one-half or more 
of the rabbit hunters use them. In a little town seven 
miles from here one man told me of his knowledge of 
thirty ferrets, and said there were a great many more. 
Law-breakers and game markets do more to exter- 
minate the game than anything else. Stop them and 
the seasons are all right. J. H. B. 
Peknsylvania. 
HUNTING WITH A CAMERA. 
After a restless night trying to kill skeets, and a very 
unsatisfactory hunt after midgets in the early morning, 
it was quite a relief to be awakened by a voice outside 
shouting "Great Scott! I guess an old hoss walked 
through the spring last night by the looks of things." 
And at the camp door stood Clif with a battered tm pail 
containing the remnant of the butter, which had been 
placed in the spring the night before. "Why, the water 
is all riled up yet." 
Of cour e we were not long in turning out, and sure 
enough a moose had walked within 25ft. of camp and 
soused in the spring. 
About half an hour after, Clif, Arthur and I were 
tramping over the bog toward the river, where we 
launched an old canoe, much the worse for service 
from a windfall that had dropped across the bow. After 
stuffing some moss in tbe opening, we started down 
stream stern first. Resting my elbows on the deck, ready 
to pull at the first sight of game, coming round the first 
bend, I caught a glimpse of two deer behind the alders 
feeding, but as they were not in full view we gave them 
the go by. As we entered the long, straight stretch, in 
the distance, midway in the stream, deliberately pulling 
the grass from the bed of the river, shaking the earth 
from the roots and enjoying her morning feed, stood the 
object of our search. Arthur quietly asked, "What shall 
we do?" 
"Keep her straight in the current and drift down as 
near as we can," was the reply. 
It was a real picture indeed, for on the opposite bank 
there was a fine, ruddy-colored buck feeding, the red- 
winged blackbirds twittering in the tamarack tops, and a 
chorus of frogs. The long, wagging ears of the moose 
brushing away the flies seemed quite comical to the 
otherwise grave, ungainly creature, now in full view. As 
the canoe swerved a little, from running into a side eddy, 
all this changed, arid the ears became stationary and 
erect, with head turned toward us with an air of suspi- 
cion that something was wrong. The buck made a jump 
for cover and then Ma Moose started for shore, increas- 
ing her speed at each step. I pulled the instant she 
raised her foot to go, hoping to get a second shot; but 
gave it up and roared with laughter when she struck 
shore and started down through the open slash like a 
quarter-horse, knocking over the small tamaracks like 
pipe stems. 
When she disappeared from view we drew up to the 
bank, emptied the surplus water out and started back, 
Arthur remarking: "Well, you are the coolest sports- 
man I ever had out with me before. When you laid your 
camera down you never reached out for the rifle, and it 
was on the seat right alongside of you." 
Said I: "We have had all the fun of a hunt and you 
have no load to back over the bog four miles to camp," 
And Arthur replied: "Well, that's the best way, as 
the f>ld Injun said." 
So we came into qamp empty handed. Van, 
Th« FoaKST Aum Stbe^u ia put to preu «adh week on Tueadaii 
Corretpondenc* intencUd for pvilieation ihould reach %ts at tl^f 
