£06 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. to, 
bird with three newly hatched young ones; the old 
birds were very tame, and we got a good view of them, 
the nest was very like a mockingbird's, but made <n 
rather finer materials. 
When we had dined and rested for an hour or so, w<*. 
started again, and aftef going about a mile readied a 
strip of what is known as the blackjack country, the 
timber being mostly blackjack and hickory, and the soil 
a fine white sand. This sand made hard work for the 
pony, so the professor and I got out &nd walked, while 
the old man drove. Walking was by no means easy, as 
we sunk to the ankles every step, but we took our time 
about it, and found much to interest us on the way. In 
one place would be a number of little round heaps of 
sand, thrown up by the gophers; in another 
queer little earthworks wound about in the somewhat 
scanty herbage, showing where the moles had been at 
work just beneath the surface of the ground, and now 
and again we found the larger open burrows of the 
kangaroo rat. 
Birds were rather scarce among the blackjacks, a few 
Carolina doves and beebirds being about all we saw; 
but the wild flowers were numerous and very beautiful. 
The old man told us that every rain brought out a 
different lot of flowers. 
One would think that scarcely anything would grow 
in the fine white sand, but it is always damp a little 
below the surface, and we were told that melons and 
sweet potatoes were always a good crop, and that in 
a dry season— and dry seasons are the rule — corn and 
cotton did better in the sand than in the best of the 
so-called chocolate land, and in fact we passed one or 
two fields where the corn was looking very well in- 
deed* 
After a hard tramp of about six miles we rather sud- 
denly came to the end of the blackjacks and hickories, 
and the country was more open and park like, with scat- 
tered clumps of huge live oak trees, overrun with enor- 
mous mustang grapevines. 
The flowers here were very lovely; in one place would 
be acres of large white daisies, and a little further on 
large patches of yellow blossoms, while here and there 
by the side of the sandy trail the Mexican lanterna 
glow r ed like a camp-fire. This is a charming little 
flower, something like a verbena in shape, but with 
flame-colored and scarlet blooms mixed promiscuously 
in the same flower head. 
The sand was not so deep when we got well clear of 
the blackjacks, so we mounted the buckboard again, and 
driving for some distance through a lane between flour- 
ishing crops of corn and cotton arrived at the ranch 
where we were to spend the night. This proved to be 
another neat brick house, owned of course by another 
hospitable Frenchman with a German wife and a whole 
host of pretty daughters. We were greeted with a 
hearty welcome and a bottle of good wine, and after a 
short rest went out to set our rat traps. 
The field by the house had been quite recently cul- 
tivated, and we only found one likely looking burrow, 
where we set a bed of traps. After supper we walked 
about two miles through the sand to another field, where 
the rats were supposed to be plentiful, but although there 
was a good moon we found no sign, so tramped back 
again, keeping a good lookout for rattlesnakes, and 
after a pipe or two retired to a well-earned rest. 
Before sunrise the next morning we visited the traps, 
but found that none of them had been sprung. We 
found some better burrows than any we had seen the 
evening before and made an unsuccessful attempt to dig 
out a rat. As we had not time to stay another day, we 
left the traps and instructions with our host, who has 
often got specimens of various kinds for the professor, 
and started on our return journey. 
We reached the old man's ranch by noon, after a tiring 
walk through the sand under a burning Texas sun, and 
after dinner took the road for San Antonio, arriving 
at the professor's house in time for supper, tired, dirty, 
hungry and, alas, ratless, but having nevertheless thor- 
oughly enjoyed the trip. Purbeck. 
Another Animal Pet, 
N ew York, Aug. 18. — Editor Forest and Stream: Some 
twenty years ago my father was the proprietor of a large 
private hospital in Germany. The property was situated 
near one of the largest forests in that portion of the 
country, and although Brother Fox is now no longer to 
be found there, at the time of which I speak he reigned 
in all his glory and caused a perpetual decrease of our 
chicken family. They became so obnoxious that we were 
on a constant hunt for them, and although we killed 
m^ny for a long time I never succeeded in capturing 
one alive, which was my greatest desire. However, one 
day on a fox hunt we discovered a fox hole, and to my 
delight it contained two. young ones. They were prob- 
ably a few weeks old and the prettiest little specimens of 
the fox family I had ever seen. We took them home 
and kept them in the house for about two. months, when 
they became too frisky and full of mischief, and we dug 
two holes in the garden, placed a small barrel in each of 
them, and that was the home of my two foxes after that. 
They were tied to a stake by a long chain. Fritz, the 
male of the two, seemed quite content and happy, but 
Hedwig, his mate, would take no food or permit any 
one to go near her, it made no difference whether we 
made her free or not, and she at last became so fierce 
and surly that she had to be shot. 
Fritz flourished, and the larger he grew the more he 
loved mischief and the more did we children adore him. 
If a stranger went within range of Fritz's chain he could 
rely on losing a part of his trousers, although the fox 
was always careful not to bite. My father gave strict 
orders that Fritz was to remain chained at all times, but 
the moment my father went to the city we would charge 
on Fritz in a body, loosen his chain and romp with him. 
He would never harm the children, but delighted in 
knocking us over by running against us; he was like a 
big dog and we treated him as one. But, alas! Fritz 
had not overcome his fondness for chickens, and one 
day in my father's absence, when we had removed his 
chain, he saw the open gate of the chicken yard, and 
before we could stop him he was among them, with the 
result that when the gardener succeeded in dragging him 
away seven of my mother's favorite hens were found 
dead. Of course my father heard that we had freed Fritz, 
and we received what we justly deserved. Thereafter 
Fritz remained chained. 
Among the patients in the house was an old man, 
who, besides being insane, was naturally a crank, and 
poor Fritz was his special aversion, for whenever Mr. 
Meyer passed, the fox attempted to play with him, as he 
did with us. One day as Meyer was passing by the 
fox's retreat he was suddenly made aware that Fritz 
was pulling at his trousers (I am sure it was merely to 
call his attention), which liberty so angered the old lunatic 
that he took the silver-headed cane he always carried 
and knocked in the brains of our playmate and friend. 
B. L. 
The Black Bear is Shy and Sly. 
Brewer, Me. — I have been very close to bears when 
they were wallowing in spring holes or picking berries; 
also so as plainly to hear them tear logs in pieces; but 
my experience is that they are as shy as any animal we 
have. I have watched moose and caribou and deer and 
otters and mink and foxes and many others, but I never 
had a chance to watch a bear. I have several friends 
who have seen bears watching them. Often on hearing 
a person one will climb a tree, and keeping its body on 
the dark side, will watch persons as they pass. Un- 
doubtedly a good many bears here seen me which I 
never saw nor suspected were near me. I have known 
them creep up to watch a person calling moose in the 
daytime. M. Hardy. 
nn\e mtd %nn. 
The "Briefs'* Pictures. 
The ilhistrations in the current edition of Game Laws in Brief, 
Mr. Charles Hallock says, well represent America's wilderness 
sports. The Brief gives all the laws of the United States and 
Canada for the practical guidance of anglers and shooters. As 
an authority, it has a long record of unassailed and unassailable 
accuracy. Forest and Stream Pub. Co. sends it postpaid for 25 
cents, or your dealer will supply you. 
New Hampshire Game 
'\ 
And the "Forest and Stream's" Platform Plank. 
Dunbarton, New Hampshire. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: In this part of New Hampshire we depend 
almost wholly on the ruffed grouse for our fall shooting. 
We had formerly a fair number of woodcock, but I 
find them growing very much scarcer each season. Our 
grouse have stood it much better, and we have to-day 
a fair supply. It has been stated within the last two 
years, at meetings of our game protective associations, 
that our grouse were increasing, or at least holding their 
own. I do not agree at all with the above. For years I 
have said the grouse were decreasing each year, and the 
cause it too much shooting, the same as it has been in 
other parts of the country with various kinds of game. 
For thirty years I have hunted, more or less each 
season over miles of ground in this section, and there is 
not a month in the year in which I do not see some 
of our game birds. In times long past many of my 
neighbors, men and boys, went gunning more or less, 
but very seldom did they shoot at anything on the wing. 
Gray squirrels were what many of them were after. A 
few grouse were killed almost invariably when on the 
ground, or sitting in a tree. Of course, even then there 
were some good wing shots, but they were very few. 
To-day things are different. Every man and boy who 
owns a gun is some sort of a wing shot, and very 
many are quite expert. In those days our game was 
not protected to any extent, as compared with the 
protection it gets now. Some grouse were shot long 
before the season opened, and all through the wintry 
montlis, when budding; also some snaring was done. 
Yet I feel confident that fully as many, if not more, are 
now legally killed each season, certainly a larger number 
comparing the supply then and now. To-day it is quite 
safe to say, that on almost any day during the open 
season there are at least ten men hunting, who are 
pretty fair wing shots, where there was hardly one years 
ago - 
Our game laws to-day are good and well enforced. 
Never in all my experience have I known of so very 
few cases of shooting out of season in this section as 
during the past two years. The members of our Fish 
and Game Commission are energetic in following up 
what is often very vague information of illegal shoot- 
ing. Mr. Wentworth, of the commission, is a first-rate 
man for the position he holds. The way in which he 
has followed up some cases has had a very wholesome 
effect on ma.ny would-be violators of the game laws. 
A few defcr are seen now and then in this section. I 
am quite sure that to-day there is a large buck not 
far from "here. He could easily have been killed, and 
would have been had it not been for fear of detec- 
tion. 
There are years now just as there have been in the 
past. Such, I have good reason to think, is the present 
year. I have seen more broods of young birds during 
the past summer and some of my neighbors report 
more than for several years. Such increase, however, 
I consider as only temporary. It is somewhat similar 
to a trout brook which has been closed for a term of 
years. At the opening trout are quite plenty, but the 
'closing lies practically advertised that particular brook, 
and almost invariably by or before the first open sea- 
son closes, the brook is in no better condition, if as 
good, as when first closed, as far as containing trout. 
The same with young grouse. The army of wing shots 
will hunt all the more, and the increase of a better 
breeding season will last but a short time. 
Our game laws, as I have said, are good; they are 
good as far as they go, but there is one point which 
they do not cover, and that is the sale of game. It is 
true we have a non-export law, which prevents the open 
shipment of our game to that general dumping ground, 
the Boston market. Yet some of our game gets there 
just the same, and many a dealer who received it is al- 
most, if not quite, willing to swear that it came from 
that indefinite location, "out West." 
What we want, and what we should have in New 
Hampshire, is the adoption and enforcement of the Plat- 
form Plank of the Forest and Stream, prohibiting the 
sale of game at all times and in all places. Such a law, it 
is claimed by some, would be too arbitrary. It will in- 
terfere with the market shooter, who to-day is killing 
ten times or more than his share of what game is 
left. It will interfere with the man who does not own 
a gun, and who knows nothing and cares less 
about preserving our game. He wants to buy from the 
dealer, no matter when, where or how it was killed. It 
will interfere with the game dealer, whose only interest 
is in the profit he makes. 
In times of long ago the supply of game in very many 
parts of the country was considered practically inex- . 
baustible. Any law then to prohibit the marketing of 
game would have been considered entirely unnecessary. 
What has been the result, and what has become of the in- 
exhaustible game? 
Something over a year ago a proposition was made, 
saying that what New Hampshire needed were game pre- 
serves, that every owner of land should own and con- 
trol all game on the land, and only those should be al- 
lowed to shoot who would pay for the privilege. This 
proposition was met at once with most decided dis- 
favor. To most of us such a law meant that a few 
men of means could control a great deal of ground 
completely, excluding from almost any chance of shoot- 
ing many who could not afford to lease any ground. 
Thespian proposed by the Forest and Stream does not 
bar any one from shooting. It proposes to make it less 
of an object for the market shooter to follow up the 
game day after day. Some of the market shooters say that 
they will shoot just the same even if they cannot sell 
what they shoot. Possibly some of them may. In all 
probability none of them will. The majority of them 
could not afford to spend the time they do now if there 
was no chance of getting some money out of it. 
A large majority of the sportsmen of New Hampshire 
of to-day are interested in preserving our game, to them 
belongs the credit of our game laws now in force. Most 
of them are satisfied to bag a few birds in a day's outing. 
Few of them make large bags often. Many of them 
could not if they would. The market shooter can and 
does and will, as long as there are birds to be found. 
In times long past, when the supply of game was 
thought to be inexhaustible by legal shooting, many a 
sportsman who was a good shot made large bags. Some 
of them sold a part of what they killed. Considering the 
scarcity of wing shots and the supply of game then, 
the sale of a part of what was killed hardly classed a 
man as a market shooter. Had conditions not changed 
and were the number of good wing shots no greater, the 
game to-day would no doubt compare favorably with the 
former supply. 
I think the experience I have had furnishes a practical 
illustration of what I wish to convey. . Twenty-five 
years or so ago I owned the only trained setter in this 
vicinity. I had almost all of the shooting about here. 
I knew of a number of woodcock covers. I could hunt 
them over twice a week or so, usually finding quite a 
number of birds whenever I hunted. I could leave some 
birds in a cover, knowing I could go there again in a 
few days and find them, and very likely some more 
which had come in. I also felt quite sure that no one 
else would disturb them; and it was the same with 
broods of grouse. To-day there are a few birds to be 
found on the same grounds, but I am fortunate in not 
finding some one there ahead of me on any day I go 
there. Instead of seeing quite a lot of borings and other 
signs of the birds, I am more likely to see empty car- 
tridge cases scattered about. 
Doubtless, even under present conditions there will 
be for years to come some grouse in this section; they 
are not so easily exterminated as some kinds of game. 
Nevertheless I am sure that had the motion proposed by 
the Forest and Stream been put in force in New Hamp- 
shire ten years ago, there would have been a very much 
better supply of birds to-day. Adopting and enforcing 
it now will, I am sure, be of great bentfit to our future 
supply. 
Other States are realizing the necessity of the Forest 
and Stream's Platform Plank. New Hampshire will not 
be one of the first to adopt it. Let us hope it will not be 
one of the last. 
C. M. Stark. 
Quail, Ducks, Turkeys and Squirrels 
W [lit am sb u kg, Ind. — One hundred and twenty miles 
below St. Louis, on the mighty Mississippi, is Neely's 
Landing, Mo., a quaint little hamlet, nestled in a "cove" 
in the high hills and cliffs that frown down upon the 
river for miles above and below the hamlet. On the 
opposite side of the river the land lies low and level 
for several miles back to the eastern bluffs. Over there 
is where the quail live; all through the early summer 
hundreds of them whistle. "Bob White," while as many 
modest brown-backed hens are sitting on nests full of 
eggs, and all through July and August there are thous- 
ands of "cheepers" in the grass and weeds, darting every- 
where in chase of insects, while they are carefully and 
proudly watched over by Mr. and Mrs. Robert White. 
In September the sportsman can walk through the stub- 
ble fields and find numerous "roosts/' but seldom any 
birds, for now they lie too close and the cover is too 
rank; but from the evidences to be seen the old sports- 
man knows that in the glorious Indian summer days of 
late October his dog will find a plenty of them, grown 
into lusty fatness on the abundant feed. 
Muddy Creek winds its sluggish way through this 
region, and if the gunner is minded to have some of 
the ducks that are to be found in it he can get a few, 
but not many, by walking along the banks. Is he tired 
of quail and quail shooting? Then let him on a fine 
frosty morning that promises a hazy day, with no wind, 
start leisurely up the narrow valley at whose mouth the 
hamlet stands, and keep an eye open for gray squirrels, 
for there are lots of them in these wooded hills. There 
