Jan. 14, iSgg.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
29 
The amendment as amended was agreed to. 
The bill was reported to the Senate as amended, and 
the amendment was concurred in. 
The amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the 
bill to be read a third time. 
The bill was read the third time and passed. 
Mr. Hoar : I move that the Senate request a conference 
with the House on the bill and amendment. 
The motion was agreed to. 
By unanimous consent, the President pro tempore was 
authorized to appoint the conferees on the part of the 
Senate; and Mr, Hoar, Mr. Teller and Mr. iBacon were 
appointed, Fred Ikland. 
A Missouri Outing. 
Our little club of royal good fellows have just returned 
from a ten-days' camp on Little Ri^'er, in Dunklin 
county, Mo. 
We left the railroad at Kennett, and went in wagons 
six miles to Coker's Landing, on New River. Here we 
employed boats, into which we piled our camp equipage 
and ourselves, and going down New River about two 
miles we came to its junction with Little River, and we 
turned our boats up stream for a distance of about twelve 
miles. We passed through what was called the Willow 
Shoot, where the water runs like a mill-tail for a distance 
of sonie four miles, and the royal work we had to do was 
enough to prove that we were made of heroic stuff that 
did not llinch before difficulties. We succeeded in reach- 
ing Snake Den Camp in good time, and got everything in 
good shape for comfortable quarters in camp, and then 
we began to inspect the territoiy to see what our chances 
tor sport would prove to be. 
The water was up high. The river was out in all the 
low lands, and we soon saw that we were surrounded by 
water on every side. But, as we were equipped with 
gum boots we boldly waded in. After a wade of about 
two miles we came upon a big "deadening," where we 
found such droves of turkeys as were utterly confusing. 
One of our boys got so bewildered that out of eighteen 
shots he killed but two turkeys, and every shot should 
have been effectual. The turkeys were on every side of 
him, and in nearly every tree over him, and flying back 
and forth before his eyes. .•• 
We got nineteen of the bronze beauties, and had a royal 
feasting season in camo for several days. Some of the 
boys were specially anxious to kill a deer, and to that end 
they waded those sloughs for miles around. They saw 
several deer, and got some reasonably fair shots at some 
of them, but they failed to ever bag their game. 
Just above where we were camped is a magnificent 
range for ducks; and, of course, we could not fail to take 
that in. We killed lots of ducks and squirrels, and when 
these were added to our turkeys we had royal entertain- 
ment. 
There is no doubt that Little River offers to the sports- 
man a place for genuine pleasure for many years to come. 
The vast wilderness of swamp can never be anything else 
but a range for game. Wild turkeys are in great abun- 
dance, deer are also plentiful, and there are few better 
places for wild ducks and geese. 
Our entire crowd counted themselves well paid for their 
trip in the sport they had, and the pleasant renewal of 
annual fellowship in camp. J. N= Hall, 
Fulton, Ky. - 
Notes on Iowa Game. 
During the season of 1898 gam.e has been unusually 
abundant in northern Iowa. 
The season has been dry and hot and favorable during 
hatching and breeding time for prairie chickens, and 
as a consequence they have been unusually abundant ; 
although as a rule sportsmen have not been able to secure 
any of the "old-time bags." One of the main reasons 
for the small bags reported is the many large cornfields 
which the chickens have learned to frequent for pro- 
tection. 
A very large amount of corn still remains unhusked in 
the fields;. and many of these fields the chickens are now 
(December) frequenting in flocks varying in number 
from five to more than 100. The presence of these large 
flocks with us is indeed a most pleasant sight to all the 
old-timers who remember so well the myriads of prairie 
chickens which inhabited the country in early days. 
Sometimes a large flock of chickens are seen to fly 
over, and sometimes alight almost within the borders of 
the town. 
Quail have also been unusually abundant this year all 
over northern central Iowa, and portions of central 
and southern Minnesota. They were favored, like the 
prairie chickens, with a dry, hot season, and have thus 
rapidly increased in numbers. 
They are seen more frequently around artificial groves 
surrounding former homes, and along hedges which bor- 
der roadways, rather than in the main bodies of native 
timber. 
The present game law has worked well in aiding to 
protect this splendid bird; but more has been done by 
the farmers themselves, who rarely permit this bird to be 
shot on their land, and who generally in other ways do 
what they can to protect and preserve them. 
Ducks and geese have been a '"good crop" in the ex- 
treme northwest portion of the State, but as a general 
rule have been quite scarce elsewhere in the region con- 
sidered. 
Rabbits are also unusually abundant, and they, together 
with the gray squirrel, -practically furnish all the hunt- 
ing the sportsman has here in winter. An abominable 
method practiced here, and one which no true sportsman 
would for a moment be guilty of. i.s the capturing of 
great numbers of rabbits by the aid of ferrets. 
The method employed is to send a muzzled ferret into 
a rabbit burrow and drive the rabbit out and into a cofYee 
sack held wide open over the mouth of the burrow, and 
then kill the rabbit with a sharp rap over the head or back 
with a club. 
It is reported that in a swampy tract of land on the 
Wapsey, a few miles east from Waverly, two or three 
young men with ferrets captured, a few weeks ago, 500 
rabbits in two or three days. 
Where the object sought is the extermination of the 
rabbit, then perhaps the use of ferrets may be excusable ; 
but under other conditions it is an inexcusable injustice 
to every true sportsman whose equal rights should be 
respected. 
The gray and fox squirrel (the fox is only a variety of 
the gray form) is also unusually abundant in northern 
Iowa this year, and furnishes fine sport for the hunter. 
Good bags are obtained where formerly it was the rule to 
return from a day's hunt witli but fe-w if any "tails" to 
show for the effort. 
Red squirrels do not appear, so far as my observations 
have extended, to have held tfieir owti with the grays 
this year. 
During this season fishernien have met with unusually 
good success with the rod, especially in the Big Cedar 
and Shell Rock rivers. The main catches have been black 
bass, pike, pickerel and red horse. In spite of the 
stringent and pretty well enforced game law of this 
State, a few "game hogs," it is reported, still persist in 
violating the law by the use of seines and dynamite. 
Clement L. Webster. 
Four Days at Quail. 
Camden, N. J., Dec, 19. — My friend, Mr. Jno, F. Starr, 
Jr., and I left Philadelphia Dec. 13 for Morgantown, 
N. C, arriving the following day minus our dcJg. Be 
sure to tag your dog for destination; otherwise you may 
meet our fate. For much to our sorrow, the dog kept on 
going, and perhaps would be on the train yet if it were 
not for the hot pursuit of telegraphy. How provoking, 
after giving every baggage-master instructions and extra 
pay for the good faith, in him, Through the courtesy of 
the telegraph operator he overtook the first section of our 
train at Asheville, N. C, but too late to get the dog for- 
warded for the day, hence our discouraged feelings. The 
train going our direction was too late for the afternoon 
start of our first venture for quail. 
We, however, had acquaintances, who came to our res- 
cue by producing two supposed-to-be very finely broken 
dogs. So off we started over hills and valley. After 
about two miles' walk we found the little dog "Hick" 
smelling and trailing, when, behold, he came to stand. I 
signalled Mr. S. to my side, when up flew one poor lonely 
bird, which I understood had been sent his way for the 
escape of a rabbit hunter. I had not finished the charg- 
ing of my gun when the dog went pell mell after the dead 
bird. In doing this he spoiled our sport, running irito a 
dozen or more scattered birds. Imagine our feelings. 
We marked a few of them, and landed four to our credit. 
Over another hill, on an angle of no less than 95 degrees, 
we reached a fine stubble field. Off went our dogs for 
a sure find. No more than five minutes had expired when 
we saw one of the dogs standing, tail up, not down. We 
hurriedly came to quarters for more of it. Finally I 
stepped in, and up went about twenty fine big fellows. We 
bagged two of them. Off goes our dog, my throat com- 
meiicing to get hoarse from calling to him, so finally l 
landed a shell of No. 8 at him; but he did not mind it. 
This got worse than I cared to endure, and we finally 
agreed to hold our dog when we found he scented the 
birds, allowing him limited privileges. The afternoon 
drawing to a close, on our way homeward we accidentally 
ran into a fair-sized bunch, and secured two more, mak- 
ing it eight for our first quarter-day. 
On Wednesday the weather is fine, brisk and ftbsty. 
Off we go, repeating the same journey, with our own re- 
liable dog. No more had we gotten out of the woods 
when to our joy he stood as if anxious to shoot at them 
himself. Up they get; there are three reports and one bird. 
The others go into a very dense growth of pine on one 
of those hills where one requires spikes to keep from slid- 
ing down. However, getting near our view of whei^e 
they landed, we found our dog standing. Up goes one and 
down he comes. The dog still points to my left; I move 
backward and up get another. Down he comes. "Dead 
bird, fetch." But he refused to move when I urged hini to 
fetch, and up got another bird — wrong side up — a miss. 
Coming in with the first bird he stands near by on point, 
and I score another. Finally they flew, about six in all, 
over the hill to another stubble, a distance of a least a 
mile. We came to a ditch, and as we were jumping 
across up flew a fine big covey, but I lost my balance 
and went backward into the ditch. Being unable at that 
time to locate where they went, I worked hard to find 
them, and scoured the woods, with no signs. We went 
back to the field, and around the volcano hill; our dog 
stood; up went another, and another, and on a Uttle fur- 
ther goes another. Well, I may keep on writing and tire 
you of the same thing, but I want to say any good strong 
'man able to rough it can get all the quail shooting he 
wants in any part of Burke county, N. C; but prepare 
for good dogs. We reached our horhes amply justified 
with the sport and hardship, Sunday at 8 A. M., with 
eighty-six quail to our credit and our dog feeling the ef- 
fects of it. G. E. Rhedemeyer. 
KiUed by His Dog. 
E. K. Blades, one of the best known members of the 
legal profession in Los Angeles and an expert marksman, 
was accidentally shot on the afternoon of Dec. 27, and died 
of his injuries at midnight. Blades left Los Angeles Sun- 
day evening for a duck hunt at Almitos Bay, near Long 
Beach. Blades passed most of the day on the bay hunting 
from a boat, with his dog as his only companion. He 
reached the shore about 2:30 P. M., and was in the 
act of pulling his boat out of the water. The dog was 
leaping about in the boat, anxious to reach the shore, when 
one of his paws struck the trigger of Blade's shotgun, 
which was discharged. A charge of No. 4 shot struck 
the hunter in the fleshy part of the left thigh. Blades gave 
a cry and fell into the water. The report of the gun and 
the cry of the wounded man were heard by the McGarvin 
boys, who live near by. They ran to the shore and 
dragged Blades from the water. The injured man was 
taken to Long Beach, where several doctors attended him, 
but he died at midnight. He retained consciousness long 
enough to tell how the accident happened, and to give 
directions concerning the conduct of his personal affairs, 
— San Francisco Chronicle, 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
Big Hunts. 
Chicago, 111,, Dec, 31. — ^It has been a year of big hunts. 
Never before in my connection with sporting journal- 
ism have I noted so many side-hunts, drive hunts and 
other field operations by large bodies of men. The West- 
ern Slope Hunting Association, the big jackrabbit drives 
of California, Utah and Colorado all come under this 
head, as well as countless side-hitnts, attempted wolf 
round-ups, etc. Even in the Old World, though per- 
liaps this may not classify under the head of Chicago and 
the West, the record runs into large figures. Thus I no- 
tice that a big rabbit drive took place this Week at 
Osthosen, Hesse, in which a baron, a grand duke, a prince 
and a count were among others who formed the firing 
line. They killed 2,900 rabbits, and I presume thought 
they had broken the record. In the latter supposition 
they figured without returns from the New World, where 
there are more rabbits, bigger rabbits, more hunters and 
better hunters than anywhere else on the globe. The 
paltry 3,000 rabbits killed by the noble Germans dwindles 
into insignificance before the 4,328 jackrabbits which 
Parson Tom Uzzell distributed on Christmas morning to 
the poor at Denver, the product of his big seventh an- 
nual jackrabbit hunt at Lamar, Colo, This record is 
only one of several as large, or almost as large, which 
have been made this fall in those portions of the West 
frequented by the long-eared hares, which love the short 
grass and the cold breezes of the upper plains. 
There was a modest little side-hunt at Oketo, Kan., last 
week, with thirty-nine men on the side. One commis- 
sion firm in St. Joseph, Mo., purchased of these side- 
hunters i,36olbs, of dressed rabbits, which is mentioned 
as but a small part of the net results. 
There was a big side-hunt, of similar nature with those 
above mentioned, held this week by shooters of Baxter 
Springs and Galena, Kan., with something like seventy 
guns in attendance, though I have not yet heard of the 
results of the enterprise. If this thing keeps up, and if 
also the rabbits keep up, we shall after a time have fix- 
tures of rabbits shooting for sweet charity's sake, which 
in due course shall attain the social importance of the 
charity ball, and which methinks will be of greater 
benefit to the poor, 
I presume I have heard of a dozen big wolf round-ups 
in Illinois, Iowa and Kansas this fall, but I do not recol- 
lect to have read yet of a single wolf being killed. Fort 
Dodge, Iowa, is the last to undertake a wolf drive. These 
big round hunts are all pretty much alike. A lonesome 
little prairie wolf comes into a farming county and kills 
a chicken or two. He is seen or suspected, and a hundred 
farmers unite to exterminate him. They have a pleasant 
dai'^ out of doors, and go home each with a sore throat, 
perhaps an aching head, but they rarely take home any 
wolf with them. The side-hunt, the round-up hunt and 
the drive hunt all seem to be institutions of civilization, 
and may be called the department stores of sport. In the 
early days in a wild country, when game is really abun- 
dant, you do not hear of any such undertaking. Each 
man does his hunting for himself, and he has his sport 
alone and in solitude. Although he may hunt for rea- 
sons other than those of sport, he is none the less typical 
of that amateur form of sport which has always seemed 
to me the backbone of national manhood, and our na- 
tional sportsmanship. Yet this is a time of trusts and of 
department stores. Perhaps the solitary man with a gun 
is a passing figure on our page. 
The side-hunt idea seems to be the product distinctly of 
the Northern commercial spirit. I do not remember 
to have read in my time of a sitigle side-hunt ever held 
in the South, Upon the other hand there obtains in the 
South one peculiarity we do not note to a similar ex- 
tent in the North. This is the practice of camp hunts, 
usually made by large parties of sportsmen. The South- 
erner is gregarious in his sport, but I do not think him 
so grasping as his Northern brother. The big Southern 
camp hunts are usually made seasons of jollity and good 
fellowship, with abundance of good cheer, good service 
and good sport. It seems to me that in the Sottth, that 
is to say, in the States to be called purely Southern, there 
is much less of market hunting than in the West and 
Northwest. The great markets have been fed mainly 
from the States west of the Mississippi River, Texas, 
Missouri and Arkansas contributing perhaps three times 
as much as all the rest of the South, The scientific mar- 
ket-hunter, who followed the wildfowl, from northern 
Minnesota to Paw Paw Bluff, New Madrid and Galveston, 
was a purely Northern product, and introduced Northern 
methods among a people less disposed to utilize, to the 
limit the bounties of nattire. Sometimes such men met 
opposition from local sportsmen, and often they have 
been compelled to leave localities where they were shoot- 
ing for the market. It has always been my belief, ever 
since I have known the South, that that region will hold ' 
its game long after the North has been depleted, and I 
must pay the Southern brethren of the rod and gun the 
compliment of saying that it is most likely among them 
that we shall find enduring the idea of purely amateur 
and temperate sport. There seems to have come down 
from some ancestral source in the South a very good 
idea of the combination of a gentleman a.nd a fowling- 
piece, of a gentleman and. a. horse, of a gentleman and a 
dog. These things appertain also to the North, and they 
come more and more to be valued- a.U over the West, so 
that we may not be accused of making odious compari- 
sons. I am only reflecting, a-s .1 look over; the record of 
the fall, that in the West I -have heard i)f';T\iany side- 
bunts, and from the South not one. -\ 
Southern Hudting Grounds. 
T have received the following CQntmunication from 
Mr. F. A. Whitman,, of Macomb, ,^ll., Wli6 wishes to know 
something about a' good Southern 'country for ftii'key and 
deer: 
"Have you any information that you are not using, if 
so could you spare me a little, on where to go hunting. 
I would like to Icnow of a place in Arkansas, Mississippi, 
Tennessee or Louisiana, where a party pf three or four 
could spend a month this winter, wnth a possible chance 
of getting a shot or two at deer, turkey and bear. We 
would' want to camp, not stop at a hotel. I have made 
