Feb. 5, 1898.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
109 
son. Phillips showed they were pets, but the justice 
fined him $25. fie appealed and the Circuit Court has 
acquitted him. 
Rabbit Murrain in Iowa. 
In Emmet county, la., the rabbits this month are 
dying in hundreds of some strange disease which seems 
epidemic among them. No one has as yet found out the 
nature of this disease, but its efl"ects may be seen in the 
dead rabbits which line the hedge rows and field fences. 
Cumberland Lodge Tax Sale. 
The property of the Cumberland Club, of Chicago, 
known as Cumberland Ledge, and situated near Lowell, 
Ind., is tliis week advertised for sale for delinquent 
taxes. The amcurt is so small that it may be an over- 
sight, and r.o doubt the taxes will be paid before the 
tax sale. Feb. 14. This club was in the palmy Kankakee 
days one of the strongest and most popular of Chicago 
and numbers to-day on its lists some of our best known 
shooters. 
Protective* 
The Sioux City Rod and Reel Club, of Iowa, was or- 
ganized at Sioux City last Saturday with a good stifT 
membership. The purpose is to stop illegal net fishing, 
more especially and immediately. Ofiicers elected were: 
Jas. O Neill. President; Chas. Hamilton, Secretary; 
David Hottenbach, Treasurer. 
The Tri-County Fish and Game League failed to get 
a quorum at its annual meeting at Detroit, Mich.. last 
week. The old officers hold over: Messrs. A. R. Avery, 
President: John J. Speed, Vice-President; Geo. A . John- 
son, Secretary-Treasurer. The League by its deputy 
H. L. Avery last year confiscated $593 worth of illegal 
game, fish and nets. 
Col. C. W. Doubledav- a millionaire of Cleveland. O., 
was recently arrested by a plain man named Wenger, 
and was last week fined $25 for shooting ducks out of 
season. This is well. The law was made for the rich 
ana the poor alike, and it should have no loop-holes 
through which a rich or a poor man can escape its proper 
penalties. It is time the game laws ceased to be consid- 
ered as rococo parlor ornaments and ormolu brie a brae 
used merely for the purposes of display. What we want 
is a plain blue china cookin-- law which shall measure out 
to violators with what measure they have meted. 
E. Hough. 
1206 BoYCE Building, Chicago. 
Three Remembered Shots* 
The expression "lynx-eyed" or '"hawk-ej'ed" is sup- 
posed to convey the idea of being sharp and far-sighted. 
The lynx, as with the whole cat family, is sharper 
sighted than the dog, or perhaps all other four-footed 
animals. The hawk, the eagle, the raven, the crow, 
and many other birds must take precedence as to power 
of sight. I believe the dogs are a rather dull-sighted 
race, especially the bloodhound. Almost everyone 
knows that the collie, the shepherd and the greyhound 
can, see better than the bloodhound. But I suppose- 
that his powerful keen-scented nose is given him to 
make up for the deficiency in sight. 
Once I accidentally or incidentally learned that the 
otter had the power of sight beyond what I had ever 
expected of that animal. I was watching a runway on 
the upper waters of the Allegbany. where the deer 
forded the river occasionally in passing down from the 
mountain over to a swamp on the other side. Here 
the river was about 200yds. wide and not very deep. 
It was a clear morning, a little after sunrise, and as I 
sat on the bank against a tree I discovered on the op- 
posite side of the river an otter lying lengthwise on a. 
log. The log lay in a slanting position from the bank, 
reaching into the river and pointing diagonally up- 
stream. _ so that the otter lay quartering toward me. 
Otherwise I might not have noticed him at all. and 
he must have got there while 1 had been sitting motion- 
less under the tree. But simultaneously with the first- 
motion I made toward raising the gun from my lap,, 
that ctter slid ofif that log into the water and was out 
of sight. 
I began to think the chance of shooting at him was 
pretty slim, ard the chance of killing him much slim- 
mer. But. as Nessmuk used to say, I got a good ready 
when I saw his head ccme up several yards up stream, 
and as quick as thought he made a dive, and as his 
head went imder his body rolled up. so that I could see 
most of his hinder part above water; and when he re- 
peated the maneuver the second time I took a snap 
shot at him. which stopped his diving any more. While 
I was loading (which was done in short order) he had 
worked along on to a flat rock (which I found later on) 
lying 8 or gin. under the surface. Here he stopped, head 
and shoulders showing up pretty straight, while I made 
a dead shot that seemed to lay him out flat. To load 
again was only the work of a minute. When his head 
showed again above water I fired another shot and the 
head dropped. 
It has taken some time to tell the story of three shots, 
which I suppose were made in less than three minutes. 
After stripping ofif my cuter covering. I started in to 
wade across. The water was nearly waist deep some 
parts cf the way and most uncomfortably cold. But 
I found the otter lying on the rock and barely cov- 
ered with water. There was one bullet hole through 
the body well back toward the hip: another was through 
the shoulders, and another through the head; and why 
the animal lived long enough to get the third shot was 
m_ore than I could account for. 
In those days it was seldom that we Used raised sights 
on our hunting rifles. The rifle which I used at that time 
was level-sighted — that is to say, the sights were set 
for about twenty-five rods — and for long range the read- 
er will readily see the necessity of calculating the dis- 
tance ard fall of the bullet, and how to- hold over ac- 
cordingly. 
During my time I suppose I have made several hun- 
dred close shots at game, and perhaps some hundreds 
of poor shots. But somehow those above mentioned 
I have remembered as the three consecutive pet shots 
of my life. Antler, 
Grand View. 
The Maine Cow Moose and the Boys* 
Jan. 31. — The famt)us case of the two boys who shot 
the cow moose at Canqumacgomac Lake last July was 
brought before the Maine Governor and Council last 
week. The question was on the application of County 
.Attorne}^ Hayes, of Piscataquis county, for extradition 
papers to bring the boys back from Pennsylvania. It 
will be remembered that Fish and Game Commissioner 
Carleton permitted the boys to escape to their own 
State after they were arrested last summer, on the fact of 
their confes.sion of the shooting, and on account of their 
youth. The question is as 10 whether Mr. Carleton has 
a right to take the law into his own hands and decide 
■who shall be punished ard who shall not. The hearing 
was an exciting one. The case of the boys was stated 
by W. E. Parsons, of Foxcroft, while Countv Attorney 
Hayes put Lawyer Sprague on to the stand as a witness. 
The lawyers soon accused each other of not telling the 
truth, and there was a pretty warm discussion. The 
case was finally adjourned to give Mr. Carleton time 
to prepare an argument, he being absent in Florida. 
The impression is pretty general in Maine that the extra- 
dition papers will not be granted. It is mentioned that 
there is considerable politics in the matter. 
The Sportsmen's Exhibition here in March is prom- 
ising much. Dr, Heber Bishop has secured a live moose 
or two. with a loup cervirr aird other big eame. It is 
proposed to wake up a live bear a month too early, 
to bring him to Boston for this exhibit. Dr. Bishop 
"knows where he is denned. Speci.^l. 
The Trouble wiih Indiana, 
Bedford, Ind., Jati. 25. — Editor Forest and Stream. 
Indiana has no such officer as a game warden. Indiana 
has a very able and energetic commissioner of fisheries, 
to whom she pays a yearly salary of $300 and an allow- 
ance of $500 for expenses. Indiana is one of the United 
States, and the center of ponulation is within her bor- • 
ders, if it has not been caught in a trammel net or 
blown out with dynamite since the last census. Indiana 
makes it part of the duty of her road supervisors to 
enforce her game and fish laws. Indiana probably has 
not one such officer who knows what those laws are, 
and not one in twenty of such officers even knows that 
he is expected to enforce them. Indiana is sleeping. 
Cannot Forest and Stream help to arouse her? 
HooDoo> 
Ohio Farm Game* 
An Ohio reader writes us: This mild winter is just 
the thing for our cuail. There are three flocks of about 
eight each on my farm. I have had to chase off Cleve- 
land hunters all the fall. They are a lawless set, and 
think they can do anything they have a mind to. 
Most of the farms are posted, and the farmers take 
more interest in game protection than of old. Rabbits 
are very plenty and the laws are well observed. Ruflred 
grouse, cr partridge, as we call them, are very scarce. 
Coon and skunk are hunted very much and there are 
not very many of them. Frank E. NewtoK. 
A Deer in Oil City. 
When the Adirondacks. the Maine woods, and other 
deer regions can supply deer for the youngsters to those 
through town streets, they mav compete with Oil City. 
Here is a note from to-day's Blizzard: 
"Oil City claims the distinction of being the only 
cit}'^ of 20.000 inhabitants on the streets of which a wild 
deer has been captured alive by schoolboys. A few days 
ago Billy Condrin saw one in Hasson Park, but did 
not catch him. This morning a boy by the name of 
Downey discovered a young one in the alley between 
Hofl'man and Harriott avenues, in the Seventh Ward. 
He tried to corner the fawn near his father's barn, but 
the deer and dogs bo.unded away, knocked the boj' 
down, and in the shuffle one of the dogs nipped his 
hand. A crowd cf schoolboys, in the vicinity of the 
Seventh Ward school-house, joined the chase and had 
more fun than a little. The deer ran across Hone 
avenue, over the cemetery property, with several dogs 
and a score or more of boys in hot pursuit. In jumping 
across the street railway cut just above Hone avenue 
the deer took a tumble, and in less time than it takes 
to write it the dogs and boys were on top of it. Some 
men, who were employed near by. went to the assist- 
ance of the boys, and with ropes bound the deer and 
placed it in Mr. Hadley's barn. It will probably be 
added to the menagerie at Smithman's Park." 
This can be verified by numerous people on the hill 
where it happened. C. G. C. 
Man Wardens in Order. 
In view cf the alarming increase in the number of 
deaths from the unreasonable carelessness of hunters 
it would appear that men are in greater need of protec- 
tion than game. Therefore would it not be well for our 
State legislators to provide for the appointment of a 
corp of man wardens, composed of woodmen of suffi- 
cient intelligence and experience to enable them to dis- 
tinguish a man from a deer, and without one of whom 
in attendance no inexperienced or careless hunter 
shoitld be permitted to go into the woods, nor when 
there be allowed to shoot at any object without permis- 
sion of the attendant man warden? Something of this 
kind or the institution of boards of examiners empow- 
ered to grant licenses to such persons only as can sat- 
isfactorily prove that they never shoot until they know 
what they are shooting at must be adopted, or else those 
who have any regard for their own safety will keep out 
of the woods during the shooting season. 
AWAHSOOSE. 
Sale of Game in Clo^e Season, 
New Rochelle. — Editor Forest and Stream: I should 
be much obliged if you could inform me as to the law 
governing the sale of game during the close season. 
The game dealers of this village are openly selling and 
exposing for sale CLpail, woodcock, ruffed grouse, prairie 
•chickens and rabbits. I want "to stop it if it is a violation 
of the statute, but want to be sure of my ground before 
moving in the matter. I will spare no pains to compel 
compliance with the law, at least in my own neighbor- 
hood, if I find I can make out a case against these men. 
P. 
[The law permits the sale, of game the year around, 
provided it comes from outside a 300-mile limit beyond 
the State.] 
Scarcity of QttaiL 
By some the scarcity in counties below here is laid at 
the doer cf the flea, which is said to have killed the 
young and sitting birds; others claim that the birds per- 
ished for water during the long drought last summer and 
fall. In my opinion the case is a combination of circum- 
stances, of which I think the negro dogs play no small 
part. I drove over one plantation of about a thousand 
acres on which were fifteen families of negroes, and 
each family had from two to five half-starved dogs- 
cur, fice, etc.— all of which were allowed to run at large. 
This seems to be a fair sample of the condition all over 
tliat country, and you can imagine what a difficult mat- 
ter the mother bird finds it to secure her nest against 
the ravages of this starved army of curs. Oh, for a dog 
tax! 
mid giviir 
Fishing Up and Down the Potomac* 
Occoquan River. 
Great wooded hHls piled high on either side. 
Whose million hues with Jo.seph's robe compete; 
Dark pines and giant oaks, with arms spread wide, 
And plane-trees, gums, both maples, soft and sweet. 
The dogwoods fling their blossoms to the wind. 
And underneath a carpet rich of ferns 
^With wildflower patterns) woos the tired mind 
To take that rest which honest labor earns. 
No sound is heard save now and then a break 
Where, in the pool, some bass in midair leaps. 
While Occoquan's sweet murmurs music make 
Her mimic torrent seaward foaming sweeps. 
The bloody fields of Bull Run, where the battles^ were 
fought, still pour with every .storm their red Hood mto 
the Occoquan, and thence into the Potomac, two dozen 
Utiles below Washington. 
The red clays upon the ragged hills about Manassas 
that border on Bull Run are seeking their level m the 
sea, and the impatient angler who has waited a whole 
season in vain, as we did last season, for the waters of 
Occoquan to clear enough to cast a fly, thinks it will 
not take many cycles to reach bed-rock. . „ j 
The Occoquan River is formed by the union ol Broad 
Run and Bull Run, but it is the latter which is blamed 
for all the mud. We have gone there at evenmg, when 
the stream was crystal, and found it in the morning a 
seething torrent of brickdust and soapsuds. 
The waters subside rapidly, too, but leave every boul- 
der in its rocky bed covered with J^in. of the clay that 
yellows as'it dries. If the wader with his wet sandals 
steps on one of these his heels are apt to "kick at 
heaven," but worse than this, long after the water has 
been coming down clear, if a wind springs up. the waves 
lap the sides, or over the tops of the kalsomined stones, 
*and without a shower the water will get too cloudy to fish 
with a fly. 
It may be a matter of wonder why one shotild lose 
sleep over so difficult a stream. The reason is easy. 
When Occoquan is just right, as it sometimes js for 
weeks at a stretch, it is the prettiest bass stream in the 
world, bar none. There is no trout stream of the moun- 
tains more romantic, no tributary of the Potomac where 
the fly-fisher can spend a quieter, happier day or find 
harder work. 
Its station on the Potomac shore road toward Rich- 
mond is WoodbridgCi named from the highest trestle 
on the road, which here crosses the turbid mouth of 
the Occoquan 6oft. above. 
It matters not how clear all the other streams in the 
country may be, this always looks muddy at its outlet, 
several miles below the Falls. The clay, which has been 
coming down for agts, covers its bed, and if the water 
was perfectly transparent it would still have that same 
appearance, that heart-breaking yellow with a dash of 
red. Last summer at the end of the long drought it 
threatened once to nearly clear, and the local agent at 
the little station above took a boat under the high bridge, 
and skittering a spoon, caught twenty-seven fine, large- 
mouthed bass up to 4lbs. in weight. Such a thing had 
never happened here before, either that the water was 
in condition to permit a bass to see a surface bait, or that 
any one should try in this impossible place for bass at 
all, especially with an artificial lure. But the last twelve 
months have developed several progressive anglers in this 
vicinity whose success and local fame thereby acquired 
has made them converts to advanced methods. 
At the station the angler bound for Occoquan village, 
where the fishing begins, is met by the host of the only 
inn with a "fix," as any light vehicle is called here, and 
a not too pleasant drive of 2.65 miles over a hilly, unkept 
road brings him to the hotel. 
For some unexplained reason, though only a few feet 
above the river, which flows at the foot of the street, a 
few rods away, we have never found a mosquito here at 
anv season. 
The little village is nestled among the hills with hardly 
a rod of level street, but somewhere up or down the 
valleys there seems to be always a breeze, and we have 
found -it altogether so comfortable as to have grown 
quite fond of the auaint old town, the inn and the moth- 
erly landlady who has kindly cared for us so many times. 
A mill stands a little way up the river, and past this 
we climb from the street, up some rude steps, over ilie 
