April 29, 1899.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
"The law prohibiting hounding is a great help to the 
deer and will cause them to increase faster in all parts 
ui the Adirondacks. 
"The deer that are now killed in the fall are nearly 
all bucks, 
"Quite a number of bear are on my preserve, but none 
have been killed lately." 
New England Gam^ Conditions. 
In reply to your letter, would say that I have no pre- 
serve. We live in summer at Mount Washington, Berk- 
shire county, Mass. The innkeepers on the Harlem road 
carry their boarders up our hills and promise them game. 
The woods and streams have been fairly drained of 
game. I suppose it is useless to hope that any place so 
near New York should be able to preserve any game, but 
I wish the law had been enforced to keep something to 
propagate. We are now without grouse or trout, where- 
as, years ago the hills and streams were full of both. 
James Macnmjghtan, 
Colorado Game. 
Mr. D. C. Beaman, of Denver, Colo., who has been 
gathering evidence regarding the effect of the winter 
upon the game, sends us the following reports from corre- 
spondents, and his own conclusions as to the game 
situation : 
Warden Wilcox, of Steamboat Springs, says that so 
far as he knows there has been no actual loss of elk in 
the Steamboat Sprmgs country ; that several bands are in 
that region in 3 to 5ft. of snow, and getting thin, but in 
no immediate danger if not disturbed and compelled to go 
up into the deeper snow. Deer do not winter there. 
W. L. Pattison, who resides in Pot Hole Valley, Rio 
Blanco county, ten miles above the forks of the White 
River, says that near his place the elk are not just now so 
plenty as in former years at this time ; that about 200 
are on the low ridges in sight of his house, and about 
seventy-five are wintering in the valley with his horses; 
that there is little snow on the south slopes, although it 
is sft. deep in the valley of the White River, that there 
has been little cold weather. Most of his horses are still 
getting along without hay. That last fall there were 
more elk in that region than for many years past; bulls 
in bands of twenty or thirty, and cows and calves in 
bands of 100 or more; that the forest fires probably had 
something to do with their presence then so low down. 
They are mostly wintering this year on Morapos Creek 
and other tributaries of the Yampa north of Pot Hole. 
Their condition cannot now be ascertained, but he does 
not anticipate any considerable loss, as the conditions 
there are not likely to be different from those on the 
White River. 
Ed, Kennan, on Wallace Creek, in Mesa county, twelve 
miles from Debeque and in the winter deer range, says 
that the later storms drove the deer down into the val- 
leys, but tliey are looking well. Some of them are feeding 
at his haystacks. 
Summarizing these reports with such information ob- 
tained from others and personal observation in a portion 
of the region referred to, it is reasonable to conclude 
that the loss of large game from the storms alone will 
not be great, as the storms interfered with the market 
and head-hunter about as much as with the game, but 
that the depth of snow and the night crusting which is 
now occurring will give the lions, wolves and other beasts 
which prey on the game such an advantage that the loss 
will be larger than that of any recent year, and if the 
market and hide-hunters, who, like the other wild beasts, 
take advantage of the helpless condition of the game, re- 
gardless of the law, unless vigorously enforced, are not 
closely watched, the aggregate loss will be greatl.y in- 
creased. 
This condition calls urgently for more paid wardens 
during the periods when meat, hides and horns are de- 
sirable. 
Taking the whole game situation in, there seemed to be 
no reason why the deer season should not be lengthened 
a little at each end, and a short open season made on elk 
and mountain sheep. This would accommodate residents 
at both ends of the line — summer and winter range — and 
also the money-spending, law-abiding hunter and tourist, 
and in connection with a strict limit on the number which 
one person may kill in a season no harm can result. 
When the game question was before the Senate, ob- 
jections were made to the open season on elk and sheep, 
and as to sheep the - objections prevailed. These open 
seasons have been pretty generally demanded by the peo- 
ple all over the State. The characteristics of the deer, 
elk and mountain sheep are not like those of the ox, but 
of the domestic sheep. One male is equal to the service 
of fifty or more females, and m.ales are now m_ore nu- 
merous than necessary for procreative purposes, and a 
short season on male elk and sheep would not lessen the 
increase. In fact, the killing off of the old ones (which, 
on account of their larger horns, will be the ones most 
sought lor) will be of advantage by allowing the younger 
and more vigorous ones a chance to assist in propaga- 
tion. 
Another reason given for an open season on these ani- 
mals is that so long as there is no open season whatever, 
the law-abiding hunter has no special interest in their 
protection as they are forbidden fruit to him, while the 
lawless hunter is not restrained by the law. But if there 
was a short open season the former would have an in- 
terest in protection that he might have some chance in 
that season, and he would thereby have an interest in 
seeing that the head and hide hunter kept the law. 
It was asserted in the Senate discussion that antelope 
had been annihilated. This is a mistake. _ Ten or more 
years ago when the market-hunter was in full play, a 
great many were killed, but during the last ten years they 
have increased, and there are now thousands of them east 
of here, as well as in Routt county. There is little 
doubt as to considerable natural increase of elk and 
sheep the last two years. It has not been large, but it has 
kept pace with the unlawful killing. . . 
A member of the fraternity of Elks in the Senate made 
a plea on sentimental grounds for the entire prohibition 
of elk killing. I am not a member of the Elks, but I have 
never Iheard of a member of that fraternity refusing to 
shoot at a ft'ild one because of liis association with the 
name. _ , - 
The lengthening of an open season is not objectionable 
with a proper Hmit as to number, in fact, it is better for 
the game than a short season, and no limit on number. 
The former game law had no limit on big game killing 
and its constitutionality having been questioned, hampered 
its enforcement and weakened it as a protective meas- 
ure, and some new legislation was absolutely necessary. 
With this there should be good hunting in Colorado the 
coming season without detriment to the game, supply. 
Senate bill 148, by Senator Smith, of Leadville, was the 
only bill pending in the Legislature which met these con- 
ditions, and its passage was absolutely necessary to save 
the big game from serious diminution before next sea- 
son. As originally drawn, it required licenses for imnt- 
ing, for guides and taxidermists, which would have pro- 
duced sufficient revenue to more than meet the expenses 
of its administration, and as these three classes embrace 
about all who reap any benefit from the. game, there seems 
no good reason why they should not contribute the fund 
required. But the Senate thought otherwise, and struck 
these provisions out. 
When the go per cent, of the people who do not hunt 
realize that they are paying the expense of protecting 
the game for the benefit of the to per cent, who do, they 
will probably favor these license features, as other States 
are doing. When these license features were eliminated 
the bill passed both Houses without other material 
changes, almost unanimously, and if not vetoed, will go 
into effect May 3, unless the Governor signs it sooner, in 
which case it will go into effect as soon as signed. There 
are still some revenue producing features left in it. 
Captain Myrick, on the Grand River, four miles above 
Debeque, says the snow has been light in the valleys and 
only about ift. on the lower mesas. 
Captain Myrick is one of the forest rangers, and has 
been within two months over a great deal of the winter 
range of the deer on the Grand River and its tributaries, 
and is of the opinion that the deer are as numerous and 
in as good order as at any time within four years past. 
M. E. Laswell, of Plateau Creek, Mesa county, agrees 
with Mr. Kennan and Captain Myrick. 
James H. Templeton, who resides in Routt county, on 
the Yampa River, above the mouth of the Little Snake 
and Lily Park, near where tlie conflict between the game 
wardens and the Indians occurred in 1897, says that the 
loss of deer and antelope will not be much more than 
usual, the wind having kept the south slopes of the hills 
mostly bare of snow; that some will be destroyed by 
coyotes on account of the crusted snow .on which the 
coyotes can run, but the game cannot. The ehc do not 
winter in that region. 
Incidentally, he says that the Indians were in that sec- 
tion again last fall and killed great numbers of deer, gen- 
erally taking hides only and not the meat, That they kept 
away from the settlements mostly and were in 'parties of 
eight or ten, probably for self-protection. 
A. S. Bennet, the game photographer at Craig, Koutt 
county, says that the deer, elk and antelope, although 
having to contend with 3ft. or more of snow, are, from 
all accounts, and to all appearances, in good condition, 
A. G. Wallihan, the game photographer, formerly of 
Lay, Colorado, but now residing at Wells. Wyoming, 
writes that thousands of elk are wintering well near 
Jackson's Hole, Wyoming, M'here the snow has been very 
light. He has lived in Colorado and in or near the win- 
ter range of elk for many years, and is of the opinion that 
neither cold nor snow is harmful to the elk, unless taken 
advantage of by the market and head-hunter, as i'^ likely 
to be the case. 
This emphasizes the utility of the hunting license with 
a coupon to be attached to every specimen. If this sys- 
tem, were generally adopted, every head without a coupon 
would be contraband and subject to seizure, and the mar- 
ket-hunter's occupation would be gone. Wherever it is 
in use it has the emphatic indorsement of the game com- 
missioners as the ro.ost effective means of protection ever 
devised. 
Mountain grouse are snow birds from choice, and in 
winter always seek the "higher regions and the heavy 
spruce timber where the snow is deep, and depend en- 
tirely on the foliage for food, and there is no reason to 
suppose any loss among them. Judge McDougal, of Gun- 
nison, says the sage chicken have not suffered at all. 
Within the last five or six years the Bob White quai! 
which were planted along the front of the range between 
Denver and Fort Collins have increased rapidly. Reports 
pretty well authenticated indicate considerable loss among 
them this winter, but the actual extent cannot be ascer- 
tained until the snow goes ofiE, as some of those killed 
may be covered by the later snows. It was mainly on 
this account that no open season was made on quail in 
the new game "law. 
In the Grand Junction region, up the Gunnison River 
as far as White' Water and up the Grand to Debeque, the 
California or Arizona quail have become very numerous, 
and the recent storms did not touch that country suffi- 
ciently to do them harm. 
Five years ago a fund was raised by the farmers and 
others near Grand Junction, and these quail were im- 
ported, and now they have become so numerous that they 
destroy the gardens and materially injure the grain in 
many places. It was generally agreed that they should 
not be killed for five years, which time expires this fall, 
and now the farmers want the privilege of killing some 
of them, both on account of their enormous increase and 
destructive nature, and that they may reap some benefit 
from their expenditure. It was at their suggestion that 
an open season on them was put in the new law, and yet 
a well-m.eant but probably mistaken assertion in the Sen- 
ate struck it out in opposition to the wishes of the people 
most concerned, as T understood them. 
Hunters are continually on the track of alligators and 
turtle, and it seems to us that if the Legislature do not 
put some restriction upon them, Florida is doomed to lose 
two of her very interesting and attractive features. The 
eggs of the loggerhead turtle on our seashore are nearly 
all taken out of their nests in the summer, while the alli- 
gator, in our ponds and lagoons, is meeting with rapid 
extinction. Call a halt, ere too late, — Indian River Ad- 
vocate, Titiisvilks Fk., April 14. 
Capt. Lafe^s Swivel-Breech Rifle. 
In 1870-71, when Fayette S. Giles and the writer were 
mapping out territory for the Blooming Grove Park, in 
Pike county, Pa., we domiciled with Moses C. We^t- 
brook while the club house was being built, and a 
very pleasant summer we spent. When fall came and 
hunting was in order, we put down the hounds on the 
tracks of the big deer which ran among the Knoles; and 
Genso C. Scott, David Dudley Field, Isaac McLellan. 
Jacob Pentz, the Westbrook brothers, Ira Chrisman, Ed. 
Quick and the rest of the local and invited hunters would 
take their allotted stands on the runways between the 
numerous lakes *and creeks, and wait for the deer to pass. 
The other day I happened to see some mention made in 
Forest and Stream of Uncle Ira's double hunting rifle, 
and wrote to Capt. Lafayette Westbrook, for particulars. 
In reply I was gratified to receive the following lines, 
which you may be pleased to print: 
Stroiidsburg, Pa., March 24. — Chas. Hallock, Wash- 
ington, D. C. — Dear Sir: I need hardly say that I Avas. 
agreeably siirprised to receive a letter from you, and to 
hear you are in the land of the living. My brother, Moses, 
whom you boarded with, is still living at Blooming Grove 
at the old place, in very comfortable circumstances. John 
C, the oldest brother, is still in Milford, holding the 
same office of prothonatory which he has held for thirty- 
three years. Not another man in the State has held that 
office anywhere near that length of time. He is now 
seventy-eight years old; Moses is seventy-two, and I am 
seventy-fotw. I was quite a politician while living in 
Pike; was in the Pennsylvania Legislature six years, and 
was the means of getting the charter for the Blooming 
Grove Association, and a liberal one it is. 
Uncle Ira Chrisman has been dead quite a number of 
years. He died at Milford. In regard to the old double- 
barrel rifle that Ira hunted with when you were at Bloom- 
ing Grove, that was my gun, given to me by rfiy father, 
Solomon Westbrook. It was made by Nicolas Hawk, of 
Chestnut Hill, Monroe county, Pa., some time about 1830; 
was then flint lock. After having it some time he got it 
percussioned ; he gave it to me about 1840, I killed over 
100 deer with it and two bears. It was beautifully finished, 
mounted with pure silver, curled maple stock, barrels on 
top of each other, and worked by a spring by pulling oh 
the guard. It was the first double-barrel swivel breech 
rifle in that section of the country. Last fall I gave it to 
one of Moses' boys, to keep in the family. 
Uncle Ira Chrismann thought a good deal of "old 
swivel," as he called it. He killed quite a good many 
deer with it. The original cost, I think, was $75. That 
was a big price in those early days. The postmaster at 
Blooming Grove is John Kleinhaus, The one who was 
postmaster when you were there was Henry Kleinhaus. 
He is dead ; they were half-brothers ; Jacob Kleinhaus, the 
father, had his second wife. He was a tanner. I would 
like to meet you at Blooming Grove. I go up every sum- 
mer with my wife. I was married October, 1876, and am 
connected with the East Stroudsburg Bank, as director 
and vice-president. L. We.stbrook. 
.About the time referred to, in 1871, I was the possessor 
of a Perry self-capping rifle, which I had owned and 
carried since 1856. It is described by text and cut in one 
of Frank Forester's books. It was even more ingenious 
than the swivel breach, for, although it was not a "two- 
shoot gun," it was vastly more convenient in cold weather, 
when fingers would become so stiff as to be unable to set 
a cap on the nipple. By a leverage on the trigger-guard, a 
heel section of the barrel some 3in. in length was thrown 
up so as to receive a ball cartridge, and by the same 
action the nipple received a percussion cap from a brass 
tube which ran through the stock lengthwise. \\/'heh 
swung back into line with the barrel, the charge was readv 
to shoot, and the rifle could be loaded and fired several 
times in a' minute. The tube held tliirty-seven caps. I 
sold this rifle in 1872 to Bob Crawford, the Hudson Bay 
Company's agent at Red Rock, Lake Superior. 
Charles Hallock. 
Circumventing the Gobblers, 
Writing from Hamilton, N. C, Mr. S. W. Everitt 
tells of unsuccessful days in turkey hunting, with better 
luck in the end: I started out across the same old field 
for home where we had flushed them before. I had not 
gone far before Loie struck a trail of them again. Away 
she went, and was gone for several minutes. I stood lis- 
rening for her bark, but no sound came back. Soon I saw 
her coming; she had given it up or ran over it. I turned 
to the tight and put her out again, but she could find 
no scent of them that way. I had not gone over 20oyds. 
when I looked to my right, and there about looyds away 
in the tall grass, was a gobbler picking along content- 
edly. I dropped on my knees and my dog was coming 
toward me. She saw me go down and knew something 
was wrong, so she came to me at once. I slipped a cord 
around her neck, and half crouching I ran 200 or 300yds., 
making a half circle, so as to get ahead of him. I got in 
an old fallen tree-top and fixed myself and waited hi.s 
coming. I thought he was making for the cornfield on 
the opposite side of the swamp, where I had flushed them 
on Saturday. This was about 1:30 in the afternoon. I 
waited patiently for about fifteen minutes, I got impa- 
tient and took out my call and -began to call. I called 
a few times, but no response came. I waited about fif- 
teen minutes more, calling occasionally. After a while 
T raised up and scanned the old field, but no sign of a 
turkey was in sight. I concluded he had seen or heard 
me when I ran down there and had gone. I got up and 
got my traps together and started for home. I thought 
I would go back the way I had seen the one feeding 
and see if I could see it or find out from the dog 
which way it went. I had not gone over rooyds before 
I spied one feeding along leisurely, not over 50yds from 
where I left him and about looyds. away. I dropped on 
my knees again and decided that this time I would stalk 
it. I touched my dog and made her creep Tow, and I 
crawled along,' putting my gun ahead of me. I crawled 
about soyds.. atid raising up slowly saw it feeding aboat 
60 yds. away. I selected a tree about half way from it 
and crawled to this. About the time I got to the tree 
I noticed the little bitch get nervous^ and begiM to peep 
