Jan. 13, TQoo.] 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
29 
Chicago this month with his wife and family, bound for a 
stay of some time in the climate of sunny California. 
Mr. Jack Morley, of Saginaw, is another member of 
the Saginaw Crowd who seems to be infected by the Cali- 
fornia fever, and he will before many moons visit the 
Coast country. 
Mr. W. A. Powel, of Powelville. Ill, with his friend 
Major Geo. W. LaRue, start soon for a hunting trip of 
some duration with their friend Mr. Spears, in Mississippi. 
They will hunt bear, deer and turkey. Mr. Powel, who is 
a breeder of fine horses, will take his own favorite hunt-, 
ing horse with him all the way from Illinois. 
Mr. Neal Brown, of Wausau, Wis., will, within a few 
days, pass through Chicago on his way South with Mrs. 
Brown, for a trip of some extent. They go first to 
Havana, Cuba, and then up the east coast of Florida, hop- 
ing to find some quiet place "away from the sardine cans of 
civilization." Readers of the Forest and Stream may' 
perhaps remember the story of the pleasant little phicken 
shoot with Mr. and Mrs. Brown last September in Wis- 
consin. 
If you scratch a sportsman in these days you do not al- 
ways find a Tartar, and indeed you may discover that you 
have found almost anything — a preacher, a doctor, a 
millionaire, a literary man or what you will. Now, when 
I was chicken shooting with Mr. Brown la.st fall I had no 
idea that he had ever written a book, or was ever going 
to write one. He did not look as though he had any 
such intentions whatever, but on the contrary Avalked, 
perspired and cussed when he missed his bird, even as you 
and I. Yet now I have on my desk still another treasure 
to add to the memories of many pleasant associations 
with sportsmen in the past — no less than a handsome and 
scholarly book entitled "Critical Confessions, by Neal 
Brown." When I state that the chapters of this thought- 
ful work are on such subjects as "Andrew Lang," 
"Honore de Balzac." "William Makepeace Thackeray," 
"Degeneration." "John Smith," "A Deferred Criticism," 
"American Notes" and "Americanism in Literature," we 
shall perhaps be able to see that Mr. Brqwn can do some- 
thing besides shoot prairie chickens. He writes as well as 
he shoots, and that is saying a very great deal. The Amer- 
ican sportsman of to-day is by no means of the baser 
sort, and it may quite well follow that he has more in his 
life than is compassed by an idle day now and then afield. 
Mr. Harvey McMurchy. of the Hunter Arms Company, 
will be in Chicago early this month on his way home from 
his trip in California, which latter, it hardly need be 
said, has been a highly successful one. 
Would Guide. 
Mr. Cecil J. Huntington, of Dayton, Wyo., a stranger 
to me, writes as follows regarding his acquaintance with 
the game regions of the Rocky Mountains: "I can take 
out hunting parties through the Big Horn Mountains to 
the National Park and Jackson's Hole. I have hunted in 
Wyoming for the past eighteen 5'ears, and am familiar 
Avith the game resorts of this country. If you are coming 
W est next season I shall be pleased to show you some fine 
shooting. A good trip is to go with a nack outfit from 
Dayton, through the Big Horns into the Park, then down 
through Jackson's Hole, the great elk resort." 
Not Too Thick. 
Dr. C. R. Sumner, of Rochester, N. Y., one of the 
•Saginaw Crowd with whom I had so pleasant a shoot this 
fall, writes: "I have enjoyed the tale of the trip very 
much. I think you pt:t it on pretty thick, however. I 
had no idea I was such a good shot until I saw it in the 
paper.^ * * * After you left I had my best shooting, 
my high bag being four partridge and nine quail. Archie, 
who shot with me, killed twelve quail, but I would not 
have beaten him if he had not given me some of his 
shots." (I did not nut it on too thick about Dr. Sumner. 
He is a rattling good field shot.) 
Woolda't Sniff if They Knew. 
Mr. Horace Kephart, of the Mercantile Library, of St. 
I>ouis. writes in mild protest. "Many a reader of Forest 
AND Stream must have sniffed when he read that I was 
the only areat, original archivist of the Wild West!" 
They wouldn't sniff if they knew. 
Weat&er. 
The Lacey Game Bill. 
iTRTsoSS, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA- 
TIVES.— Jan. 3, 1900. 
Mr. Lacey introduced the following bill, which was re- 
ferred to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Com- 
merce and ordered to be printed: 
A Bill to Enlarge the Powers of the Department of 
Agriculture, Prohibit the Transportation by Inter- 
State Commerce of Game Killed in Violation of Local 
Laws, and for Other Purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre- 
sentatives of the United States of America in Congress 
asseriibled, That the duties and powers of the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture are hereby enlarged so as to include 
the propagation, distribution, transportation, introduc- 
tion and restoration of game birds and other wild birds ' 
useful to man. For such purposes the Secretary of 
Agriculture may purchase, or- cause to be captured, such 
game birds and other wild birds as may be required there- 
for, subject, however, to the laws of the various States 
and Territories in which they may conduct such opera- 
tions. 
The object and purpose of this act i's £0 aid in the res- 
toration of such birds in those parts of the United States 
adapted thereto where the same have become scarce ofv 
extinct, and also to aid in the introduction of new and 
valuable varieties or species of American or foreign birds 
in localities where they have not heretofore existed* 
The Secretary of Agriculture shall from time to time 
collect and publish useful information as to the propaga- 
tion, uses and preservation of such birds. 
And the Secretary of Agriculture shall make and pub- 
lish all needful rules and regulations for carrying out the 
purposes of this act, and shall expend for said purposes 
such sums as Congres may appropriate therefor! . 
Sec. 2. That it shall be unlawful for any common car-^ 
rier knowinglj^ to transport from one State or Territory 
to another State or Territorj^, or from the Distict of 
Columbia or Alaska to any State or Territory, or from 
any State or Tenitory to the District of Columbia or 
Alaska the dead bodies or parts thereof of any wild 
^ame animals, or the dead bodies or parts thereof of any 
wild g:ame birds, or the dead bodies or parts thereof of 
any wild song birds, or the dead bodies or parts thereof 
of any wild birds useful to man where such animals or 
birds have been killed in violation of the laws of the 
State, Territory, or District in which the same were 
killed: Provided, that nothing herein shall prevent the 
transportation of any dead game birds or animals killed 
in the State, Territory or District in which the same 
are killed. 
Sec. 3. That all packages containing such dead ani- 
mals, birds, or parts thereof, when shipped by interstate 
commerce, as provided in Section i of this act, shall be 
plainly and clearly marked, so that the nature of the 
contents may be readily ascertained on inspection of, the 
outside of such packages. 
Sec. 4. That it shall be unlawful for ruy common car- 
rier to transport, and it shall be unlawful for any person 
or persons to deliver to any such common carrier for 
transportation from any State or Territory to any other 
State or Territory, or from Alaska or the District of 
Columbia to any State or Territory, or from any State 
or Territory to Alaska or the District of Columbia, the 
dead bodies or parts thereof of any wild deer, elk. an- 
telope, caribou, buffalo or bison, moose, mountain sheep, 
mountain goat, bear, or other wild game animal of any 
description, or any dead body or bodies or parts thereof 
of any wild prairie chicken, qvtail, partridge, grouse, 
woodcock, duck, goose, brant, or other wild game bird 
of any description, or the dead body or bodies or parts 
thereof of any wild song bird or other wild bird useful to 
man which have been caught, trapped or killed in any 
State, Territory, or District in violation of the laws 
thereof. For each violation of this act the shipper shall, 
r-^on conviction, pay a fine of not exceeding $200; and 
the consignee knowingly receiving such article so shipped 
and transported in violation of this act shall, upon con- 
viction, pay a fine of not exceeding $200; and the carrier 
knowingly carrying or transporting the same shall, upon 
conviction, pay a fine of not exceding $200. 
Wildfowl. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST 
I DO not know just where Mr. Morris can find the prai- 
rie chickens which he wants. There is no doubt that they 
could be trapped readily in the winter time in many sec- 
tions of Nebraska or Dakota, but this could not be done 
or the birds sent out of the State legally. T would ad- 
vise Mr. Morris to write to State Game Warden George 
E. Bowers, Fargo, N. D., and perhaps the latter will 
give him a permit to ship birds. They could undoubt- 
edly be caught in Lamoure county, N. D., or perhaps 
near Pembina. I would suggest that the matter be left 
to Mr. Bowers, as he will know where the birds can be 
taken and by whom if he cares to have it done. I should 
think late winter would be the best time to turn the 
birds down, as they could live in a country where there 
were good corn fields. I do not think that a broad water 
course would be an obstacle whatever to the wanderings 
of the birds unless their wings were clipped. Of course, 
how the}-- would thrive is an open question. Birds which 
bred in the spring on the ground would remain with their 
jroung about the place until September, when they would 
band up and perhaps leave the country. They might re- 
turn again the next spring or the}'" might pass in and out 
of the same section all through the winter. It would 
all depend on how they fancied the country for their 
living purposes. They like a wheat and corn country, 
but there ought to be grass enough for breeding in the 
spring. In southern Illinois the prairie chickens nowa- 
days have changed their habits and in the summer live 
almost altogether in the corn fields, rarety coming upon 
the stubble fields except very late in the evening. I shall 
be glad if Mr. Morris will keep me advised of the suc- 
cess of his experimejit. 
Sjuthern Quail Couot*y. 
Mr. A. S. Horton, of Rockford, III., writes me as be- 
low in regard to country for a quail hunl in January. 
"I have been reading the Fore.st and vStrkam for th^- 
past fifteen years (am a subscriber), and the first thing I 
turn to when I get my. paper is the column headed 'Chi- 
cago and the West.' I have your book, 'The Story of 
the Cowboy,' and have read so much of your writings 
that I really feel as though I were acquainted with you. 
and I should have been long before this if I had had 
more time to myself, for a friend of mine, Mr. Chas. E. 
Whelan, of Madison, Wis., said he would give me a let- 
ter of introduction to you any time I wanted it. 
"I was in Chicago last night and got back to Rockford 
at 3 A. M. I rode all the way in with some fellows who, 
like mjrself, love to hunt, and you can probably imagine 
what we talked about — dogs, guns and shooting in gen- 
eral: and during the lulls in conversation I read about 
your last trip with the 'Saginaw Crowd.' I am glad 
somebody is having a good time shooting. I used to, 
but for several years have been 'chained to business.' 
"On our way in last night another gentleman and my- 
self made up oitr minds that if possible we would get 
away for a week or so in January or February and go 
somewhere quail shooting if we could get track of a place 
that promised good sport; and I agreed that I would 
write to you and see if }'^ou coald give us any information 
on the subject. We have been told the shooting is good 
in Mississippi, but are not very well posted on locality. 
We both have dogs and should take them with us, and 
have both shot a good many quail years ago, but haven't 
hunted them lately. I had my 'outfit' about readv to 
send to the train this fall for a quail hunt in the southern 
part of this State, but business stepped in and demanded 
that I say at home, and I stayed. 
"If you can give us any information regarding a good 
locality to go during the months mentioned we shall be 
greatly indebted to you. 
"Thank you novv for the pleasure that vour writings 
have given me in the day? that are past, and I hope some' 
da-"' to meet you in person." 
It is obvious that Mr. Horton is a man of judgment 
and knows a good thing when he sees it. T should like 
to state, however, that nobody needs a letter of introduc- 
tion to me. as T am a A^ery plain and unfrilled sort of 
man. and ahv.ays glad to see anybody who reads the 
Forest and Stream or whoso maketh or loveth a gun. 
Tn regard to the quail country which Mr. Horton wants, 
it will of course be necessary for him to go south of the 
Mason and Dixon line. If he will go to Little Rock. 
\rk.. and look un Joe Irwin, manager of the Capital 
Hotel, the latter will direct him to good quail country, I 
am. sure, for Mr. Irwin is a ver^'- successful hunter and 
knows where to go. Two years ago some friends of 
mine went to Rector. Ark., and they had very fine sport 
indeed with qusil. As to Mississippi, there are a great 
many quail at Batpsville, but that country is posted a 
o-reat deal. Lucy. Tenn-., is a good quail point. I think 
Mr. Horton would do v^ry well to write to mv friend 
Mr. T. A. Divine, .'^q South Court street, Memphis, 
Term. Mr. Divine lives close to a lot of good quail 
country and is the kindest hearted man in the world. 
Between Seasons. 
Chicago, 111.. Jan. 6. — It is between seasons here at this 
date, and notliing much is doing among our local shooters. 
Every one who has leisure and money is going South. 
Those who are not so well situated either staj' at home or 
go rabbit shooting. We have at least the faithful cotton- 
tail with us always, and two or three hours out of 
Chicago will bring one into good rabbit grounds. The 
Kankakee Valley is especially prolific of bunny, and 
really it is sport not to be despised to hunt rabbits in 
the scrub oak, where the cover is very close. A beagle or 
two raises the fun quite into a realm worth careful con- 
sideration. 
Winter Pickerel. 
Up at Fox Lake, in Wisconsin, the sport of ice fishing is 
going on with considerable success. From the columns 
of the Representative I observe that our old friend, Dick 
Hoover, is still busy with the fish, and one day caught 
four pickerel, whose weights were respectively 12, 13, 15 
and t8 pounds. On another day Mrs. Dick Hoover landed 
one that weighed 13 pounds. 
Moving. 
Mr. W. B. Mershon, of Saginaw, will pass through 
The sharp cold of last week has quite passed away 
from this section, and at this writing we are having mild, 
ooen weather, as good as could be asked fnr the game 
birds. E. Hough. 
480 Caxton Buildikg, Chicagro, 111. 
Gtoiise and Dog. 
LorKPORT, N. Y., Jan. i. — While in conversation with 
Mr. Charles Nicholls, of this city, about his recent shoot- 
ing trip to Michigan, he said; "I saw a curious thing. 
My dog pointed a partridge about 8 feet off on a log. 
The bird strutted like a turkey up and down the log for 
two or three minutes and I called Johnson over to see 
it before it flew." 
Mr. Nicholls reported having fine sport, grouse and 
quail being plentiful; also "squaw-foot" rabbits (What are 
they?); but all they killed had bad swelling on throat, 
and a good many were seen that had died. 
Mr. Nicholls also says that many pheasants have been 
put out in Michigan and are protected until 1005. 
ISL> L ^iU J. L. D. 
Valparaiso, Chili, Nov. 27.— A fossil of a reptile like 
an alligator was found at Caldera, a sea port of Chili, in 
the province of Atacama, by Archibald Mackenzie, on 
Aug. 26 last, lying on a, sunken rock near the north 
beach. He reported the discovery to the authorities, and 
by order of the Intendente it was lifted out of the water 
in sections and brought ashore, where it was photo- 
.graphed. It is now being boxed preparatory to remov- 
ing it to Valparaiso, The fossil weighs about six tons 
and is 28 feet 11 inches long. The head is 9 feet long 
and the tail is 14 feet 11 inches long. Across the back 
it measures 9 feet o inches. The fossil is well petrified 
and has considerable stone or "loza" hanging to it. 
Stockton, Md. — It seems impossible for me to write 
a short letter or answer a question without bringing in 
geese, brant or ducks, so I expect I am known to readers 
of Forest and Stream as Old Wildfowl. 
There, is nothing in the paper that so interests m_e as 
the letters from sportsmen. I am not alone in this, for 
all the gunners I meet seem to turn to those short notices 
and letters as items of interest, telling of game and its 
movements by those in touch with it on its own ground. 
I cannot say we have had a good season so far, although ■ 
we have killed a good number. The weather has been 
very warm and moderate, the fowl remaining far out in 
open water, with little inclination to move or break up 
in small bunches. Even with wind enough to drive little 
could be done, the flights being too large to make good 
decojdng. Now we are having a touch of winter the 
fowl are coming down from the North and out from_ the 
fresh water bays and coves. It. will not be many days 
before Chincoteague Bay will be alive with the noisy mu!-. 
titude. 
You read so much now about game protection and the 
many wise and good laws made; then you look to the 
localities they are made for and you find them a dead 
letter. Why? Because there are none there to enforce 
them. One of your correspondents spoke of a new warden 
on Chicoteague Island. Where was he la.st week, when 
every night from two to seven lights were moving over 
the shoals, and guns sounding fromi dark until morning? 
They say at Hog Island this night slaughter has all been 
broken up. Now part of Chicoteague Shoals is in Vir- 
ginia also. Why don't they use some of that successful 
force up here, especially as all engaged in this law break- 
ing work are Virginians? If it was not for night shoot- 
ing Chincoteague Bay would be the finest wildfowl resort 
on the coast, and even now. with no protection whatever, 
the, fowl cannot be driven away, only becoming more and 
more wild and shy of boats and blinds. Stop picking 
wardens from the gang, pay brave and honest men, and 
the work is done. _ CD. Foulks. 
