years since then every nvei" about here is eovefed wiih 
ducR sliuoiers wiitn uitre la ucie euoug): to float tntiai, aad 
twcuiy to tinny uiacKies, teai aua nuaaido iwg-.ta(.r are 
cousiuered an excellent two uays' shuoc, wnerea^ seveniy- 
five to a nundreci wuU two to i.en geeae useu to make uy a 
good day's hunt, 'i tie ducks seem now to go south earxy, 
witn the result that we do not see very many. 
"1 have snot duck., ana seen tntm laa ai uie middle of 
the river and disappear, and a ciose watch on eitner bank 
never showed where they went, so .1 conclude that the 
theory of their holding to weeds or brush under water 
accounts for this mystery. 
"i.ast year 1 noticed m Forest and Stream where a 
flight of milkweed bulterHies passed Mew York city on a 
certain date going south. '1 wenty-three days ait^rward 
thousands of them passed here, and i have otten won- 
dered if it were not the same flight. 'Ihis year I have 
seen very few. 
"Thousands of martins nest here, coming into the city 
to roost. The first hight of them start south on Aug. i8. 
and on Aug. 27 to 29 the first flight of bull bats or night 
hawks passes here, going south, while bluebirds, rob.ns 
and other migrating birds stay longer. This is a great 
country for rabbits and squirrels, and they are brought 
into the market by the hundreds from November to the 
spring. Every year seems to bring about the same crop, 
"A few woodcock and jacksnipe stop here. The spr ng 
flight usually gives two or three days' nice shooting. 
The best shooting I had last spring was right after a 
snow storm, when about 10 inches of the beautiful cov- 
ered the ground. I found from two to six at the spring 
holes, and with wading boots did not lose a crippled 
bird. 
"AD readers of Forest and Stream must have sad 
hearts, for Mather, Robinson atid Ogden will never be 
excelled by the many able contributors during this gen- 
eration. 
"If in your travels for business or plea'^ure you should 
come through east Tennessee, plea=e remember that you 
have many friends in the Queen City of the Mountains 
who would be glad to welcome you and your friends and 
make your stay pleasant, and be assured of a hearty 
welcome by the old hunters." 
Fdfm Preserves and Cit7 Shooters. 
My friend at Mt. Carroll, III, adds his mite to that 
testimony regarding Westtni game and game matters 
which IS always so weicome at luis ornce. 1 don't know 
that he has much chance to get up an a^sociatiun of sports- 
men which will stick in his part 01 the country, but me 
time will come wiitn ad th.s wul be mucn easier and 
more natural. Most of the shooting clubs hnd their 
membership in the larger cities, and tins may pe.haps he 
the reason for part ot the feeling between tne tanucr and 
the city shooter. 1 have aiways noticed that it was 
dilficuit to create mucn sustained enihusiaaii for the 
game laws in the smaller communities, wuich rece ve 
their support from the agricultural element. Yet 1 tancy 
that the tirst step wouid be one that would count, 
even in such smaller towns. Two or three men m.g.it 
gel together and preserve two or three farms. If any one 
objected, it might be pointed out that if they put up a little 
more money a few more farms could be add^d to the 
preserve. In this way the matter would gradually become 
understood, and in all l.kelihood would not meet with 
very great opposition after the first year or so. It Will 
seem that the writer (Mr. Stedman) has been acquainted 
with grief before now in some of these matters. He 
remarks : 
"Your idea of a body of sportsmen organizing a club 
and paying taxes assessed to the farmer, or else puicaasing 
shooting privileges, has the right ring to it, and should 
meet w.ih neany favor by tho^e whu can afford such a 
plan, and it ready would not be expensive either, as taxes 
are not so high in this "neck o' the woods' that it requires 
a walking bank to procure the collector's receipt. On 
the other hand, as to the purchasing outright of shoot- 
ing privileges.- I have never found the tarmers very 
exorbitant when approached by the right man in the right 
way. I find the average farmer a very level-headed, sound 
business man. His calling does not allow h m to dress 
his person in as fastidious a style as his citified brother, 
but he is the equal of us all ju t the same. Treat him and 
his as becomes a gentleman and he will be found to pos- 
sess a warm spot for the intelligent sportsman, whi.e at 
the same time he retains a dislike for the city 'smart Aleck' 
who walks around his premises poking vulgar remarks at 
the general appearance of matters and things in general. 
"Last week the river overflowed some cornfields in the 
lowlands, and what ducks came south immed ately sought 
the ripe corn so conveniently hanging at their disposal. 
A farmer told me of a couple of men with boat, guns and 
dogs who penetrated the cornfield rowed the boat over 
the corn stalks and broke them down so that in the neigh- 
borhood of seventy-five bushels of corn was lost by their 
thoughtlesness. He didn't complain about the shooting 
of the ducks— in fact enjoyed the sport himself, and 1 ked 
sportsmen as a rule — but hi-; corn, his dollars and cents 
wasted with no compensation except curves and oaths 
when he requested them to be more careful of his prop- 
erty— -that made him feel 'sore,' as he said. His pasture 
lands, timber sheds, barns, hay, straw, fences, stock, 
everything he has to him represents dollars and cents. It 
i.s his and he has paid for it. He wouldn't come to 
your city home and tear the gate off the hinges, shoot at 
your woodshed to see how his gun patterned, shoot at the 
horse or cow w'th small shot just to see it jum.n. Yet he 
tells me this is the class as a general thing that comes 
uninvited and without permission, to show him how much 
suoerior the 'city fellow;' are to the country 'cl^d h_o"p°r.' 
That's his side of it. and nine ca=e': in ten he is justified in 
his estimate of the class of shooters he meets on his 
farm. 
"But there is another cla'^s which he would be g''_ad to 
meet and I feel asctned welcome with that hospitality 
which the real sportsmen know so well how to appre- 
ciate. 
"There is am"1e eroimd in th?'S rni-"n*-v to cprrv f^ut the 
scheme advocated bv vnu. pnd T wonM wplf^^me t^e rnan 
or men w^n would ta'-e fh^ im't-'ntivp in that d't^ction. 
I would dn sn mv^elf. onlv T bave tri'-d s'^^ a^yr) to 
orPTn<7p Hubs for enme pr^tect"nn nnd ot'-prwi-e 'n th's 
neisrhborhnod and met with =0 manv fn'l'"-ps. Ih-^t the 
project would seem doomed at the start with myself as a 
working head. They were all eagei to join the dtrb arid 
willing to nave illegal shooting and semmg stopped, but 
woUiU not subscribe their names lor tear some feliow 
woUid not buy a pound of meat, sack of Hour, bar of 
soap or some other trade article at their stores. They 
thought ten or twelve game law violators could boycott 
their business interests. 1 still retain the gilded titiC of 
temporary president of several game protective cmbs that 
failed to materialize, simpiy because of man s selfishness 
and greed or human nature. 
"'there are good chicken, duck aild" Stripe groiands, some 
woodcock and squirrels and coon timber for one whg 
loves the delights of Southern sports, and most excellent 
quail cover here. All it needs is protection and a club 
working under the idea lined out by you wouid have as 
grand tall shoot ng as is afforded at any point in the 
State ; and the fishing cannot be beat when seiners are 
placed out of existence. 1 make no mention of spring 
shooting, as I am opposed to it, but it would also be good 
for those who cannot see beyond their noses." 
Smartweed. 
Mr. E. P. Alexander, of Georgetown, S. C, writes as 
follows regarding smartweed a^ a duck food : 
"1 note m Fokkst and Stream with great interest that 
mallard are fond of smartw^eed. Is it the seed or the leaf? 
Also, is the plant sviitable to cultivate in art ficiai duck 
ponds or preserves? Will it grow in water, and is seed of 
it easily getable? Another also, could snails be induced to 
come to one's duck preserve for the benefit of the maLard? 
Any hints you can give in your weekly letters as to prac- 
ticable ways of improving the duck feed in preserves I am 
sure w^ould greatly interest many readers bes des myself." 
I think Mr. Alexander would do very well to write to 
Mr. W. A. Wheatley, of the Wauponaca Duck Club, of 
Memphis, Tenn., or perhaps Mr. Wheatley may see this 
and reply publicly to Mr. Alexander as I hope he will. 
Mr. Wheatley is about as well posted on duck feed as any- 
body I know. 
Smartweed is a comnion plant in the West, and I think 
also in the South. It is a stout, stiffiish, tree-like plant 
with reddish or deep pink colored stem and limbs. I 
have seen it standing in the water in sloughs out in 
Iowa, but there we used to find it thickest in low places 
wdiere the water had receded and left a dried-up bayou bed 
with mud bottom, It was once common in the gardens 
of central Iowa, and may be yet. though of late years I 
have not heard of it being so abundant, it being a great 
nuisance as a weed, and hence severely handled by farmers 
and gardeners. I do not know where the seeds could be 
obtained. It is on the '^eeds that the mallards feed, the 
seeds being abundant, dark colored and hardish, like shot 
when dry. 
Perhans snails could be planted, but as to that it would 
seem to be chiefly a question of hav'ng ju=t the sort of a 
soil and water that the =nails would naturahv orefer. The 
Floricon marsh, of Wisconsin, is alive with them, and 
that i<: a very deeo, soft, muddy marsh with shallow edges 
running out into meadows. I hone somebody will en- 
lighten Mr. Alexander further on these points. 
Accidents Among Deer Hoaters. 
A Chicago daily newspaper last year tried to keep track 
of all the acc-deuts among deer hunters m our Western 
woods and at the end ot the season claimed to have 
learned of over 100 different cases of accidental shooting. 
Ihis fall there have been but two men killed m Wiscon- 
sin so far as known. The season is still young. 
1 was speaking of some of these things the other day 
at Van Uxem's gun store in this city, and Van pooh- 
poohed at me, and said he had never heard of such a 
thing as a man getting shot while hunt.ng deer. He 
seemed to think that sort of thing was merely imagined 
by the newspapers. We got to talking later over the 
force of the modern nitro rifles, and some one commented 
upon the fact that a man might be shot by one of th.>se 
guns and never knowh where the bullet came from. There 
was a young man standing near the counter all this time 
listening to what was said, but making no comment of his 
own. When the far-away quality of the .30 cal hers was 
mentioned, he quietly pulled up his sleeve and showed a 
wrist and forearm that had a deep, livid scar, sunken far 
into the flesh, where the arm had been split open almost to 
the elbow. A bullet had struck right at the pomt where 
the hand joins the wrist and had gone straight back, 
luckily not smashing any of the bones. 
"That's what one of them did for me," he reinarked, 
simply. "I never knew where it came from, bitt it came 
very near gett'ng me." 
This was what might be called a lucky accident, for 
had the shot come from a little greater ang'e it must have 
gone through the body instead of striking the arm. I 
learned from the young man that his misfortune occurred 
four years ago. 'while he was out hunting deer near 
FifieM, Wis. He was alone at the time but soon met an 
Indian, who took care of him. The Indian simply got a 
lot of swamp mud. and tied it on the arm under sheets of 
bark. It was kept thus for four or five davs without 
touching. The young man's name is R. Emblade, and 
he lives on Fletcher avenue, this city. He says that the 
wound never nained him to amount to anything though 
the force of tbe blow turned htm clean around when he 
was struck. He never heprd anv '=hnt. and never saw any 
one who might have fired it. It was simo'y one of the 
m.v'^teriou'; accidents of modern deer hunting and fur- 
nished nroof enourrti to persflade Van that maybe the 
newspapers were right. 
In November? 
.An esteemed contem.p'^rary in th-'s city makes editorial 
mention of a curi^uq fact in natural hi<=torv: "Q^ads 
have been riermitt^d to midtin'v tmtil th^ir ch'^erv notes 
mav now be he^^d all alone the ngth the quail tranter 
u<^fd to beat." M" con. it is onK' in summer time 
that you ■^^ear t'lp ch^p-^v riote nf P5ob White all alonsr t''^e 
path. Thev d^n't whittle much now unless th^v ffet 
srofi-ered, and then it is not a cheery note, but an anxious 
note. E. HpiTGH. 
Hartford "BurtBTNG. Ctiicago. 111. 
TTie FouEST Awn Strbam is put to press each week on Tuesday. 
Correspnndpnee intended for piihtication shmitd reach us at the 
latest by Monday and u much earlier aa practicable. 
Maine Game Repofts. 
Boston, Nov, 17. — The Mctrantic t^ish and Game Club 
has just closed one of the ihodl successiui seasons siucc its 
oi-ganization, botn m regard to tne entertainment ot mem- 
bers and guests and aa to nnailc.ai results. The man- 
agement has airbaay put mtii at work making furtne-r 
improvement of camps and boats and arrangements tor 
the greater comfort ot memoers and guests. The superm- 
tenuent and caretakers are now at wurk stripping trout at 
Big Tsiand, and already about 40,000 trout eggs nave be^n 
secured for the haccheries. A commi.tee nas b^en ap- 
poimed to look into the matter of arrang.ng one or more 
nursing ponds, into which the fry may be pat and brought 
up fo one year old, instead of turning them loose at once, 
only to be destroyed by Other fish. 
' Mr. D. C. P.erce and wife and H. W. Sanborn and 
wife are off on a hunting trip to Mr. "Pierce's camp at 
Chain of Ponds, Meganac preserve. Mr. Jeremiah Rich- 
ards, another of the Megantic members, and family had 
fine sport at Chain of Ponds in October. They secured 
two bears and three fine deer heads. Mr. W. S. Richards, 
a Megantic member, has returned from Newfoundland, 
where ne secured seven caribou heads. One of them is 
exceptionally large and fine, wdth widespread and sym- 
metrical antlers. W. G, Carey and a fr end, from Schenec- 
tady N. Y., have gone into the Maine north w..ods, by 
way of Staceyville, Aroostook courity, for a hunting trip, 
C. A. Barney, S. F. Johnson, Horace S. Dame and L. 
Dana Chapman, secretary and treasurer of the Mtgantic 
Club, started on Friday for a ten days' hunting trip to 
Jo Marie Lake, Aroostook county. 
M. D. Cressey, Willis Kimball. C. O. Lailer and R. 
Tomfliorde have recently returned from a very success- 
ful hunting trip to Spencer Pond. Their camp was about 
twenty-five miles from Moosehead Lake, at the foot of 
Spencer Mountain. They were in camp almost three 
weeks, and secured their full quota of deer, including 
several good bucks. They found the weather very dry, 
wdrich rendered the hunting exceedingly difficult. The 
deer could easily be started but the dry leaves gave 
warning of the hunter's approach, and the deer were on 
the alert. One morning it rained, and that day they were 
more successful than any other, the leaves making no 
noise. Mr. Lailer says that he learned from the guides 
that at one time la.st winter there were 7 feet of snow 
in that ne'ghborhood followed by a cruel crust that 
would not support the deer. A great many died of 
starvation, being tmable to move aliout for food. The 
guides told him that they had found scores of bnnes, in- 
dicating where the deer had died. S ill, Mr. Lailer also 
learned that the demand is universal, cnecially from 
the lumber land owners, that the September license law 
be repealed. 
Many hunters that I have interviewed are very hopeful 
that th's obnoxious license system is doomed. They say 
that generally the best citizens of Maine believe that the 
law is a great mistake 5 that it has worked decidedly 
against the deer the past season. Licensed hungers have 
greatly abused the law. and game wardens are not able 
to detect the illegal shooting. It is currently under- 
stood, in several sections of that State, that a hun er and 
his guide, each hav ng a Sentember license, can continue 
to kill all the deer they can find; either one license or the 
other can be made to cover the deer they happen to be 
caitght with. Several prominent citizens of Maine — men 
interested in hunting and in the welfare of the State — ■ 
have lately been interviewed by Maine newspapers of 
prominence, and in every case published the men are 
pronouncedly aga'nst the September license system. The 
directors of the Megantic Club have unanimou ly voted 
to request the Alaine Fish and Game Commissioners to 
stop all September deer hunting on the lands of their 
preserve. They will also request the Canadian Govern- 
ment to do the same thing. They are satisfied, after the 
most careful consideration that deer cannot stand up un- 
der September hunting; that they are coming to the water 
and into the clearings everv day. where 't is too ea.sy to 
des'roy them. Later they take to the ridges, and become 
much more wary. 
The Flarry B. Moore hunting oarly has just got out of 
the woods from a very succe«'^fu1 deer hunting trip. In 
the party were Messrs. R, H. W. Dwight Leroy S. 
Brown George C. Moore. Harry B. Moore, John A. 
Faulkner and Luther Faulkner, son. They had out- 
rageous weather the most of the time, but there came 
about 2 inches of snow at last, that answ^ered for tracking-, 
although frozen and a good deal "craunchy" over the 
leaves. But they secured ten deer in all, each man shoot- 
ing one or more. Two beautiful bucks were among the 
number, one that dressed 215 pounds, brought home by 
George C. Moore. 
The returns from deer hunting in Ma'ne are rather 
better. Tracking snows have been enioyed by the hunters 
in some sections, and th''; has brough'^ more sati-factory 
restdts. Returns from Bangor say th;it the record of 
big game passing through that citv for the week was 2iQ 
deer and four moose. This is behind the same week a 
year ago. For the month of November, so far, the 
record has been .^70 deer and sixteen moose, both records 
a. good deal behind a year ago. For the -reason to da e 
I 921 deer have been recorded and ninety-five moose. T'^e 
moose season closes Dec. T, and unless the hunter'; shoidd 
be umtsually forttmate in the remaining dav^ of Novem- 
ber, the record \vV] show a great falling off. The deer 
season is open till Dec. t.=;, however and there is a chanc-e 
that the record may be imnrovpd. The onen season on 
deer in Vermont has ju<;t closed, and a renort says that 
117 deer have been taken in that State, an in'-rease of 
twenty-seven over last vear. In New Hamp'^hire some 
deer are being taken although not as manv a'^ .a vear asro. 
In that part of t'le State bordermg on Mame there is coni- 
nlaint of Sentember shooting the re="lt of h'f-ens'ng ^ho"t- 
ins in tha*- State. It is a'=o darV'v h-'n»-'-d that bound^ are 
still allowed to run deer in ^^he Magallowav '•ec'i'^n. D°pr 
are seen A^erv frenuenfv near the settlement's in ""V^ame 
and Nfur "Rampcti-re alm'^=t a"= of^en a= nn<^ c^tild ^ee 
\]-\pi~n in tbp fore=t=. T^^" -^ther dav a b"'"k cwm t^e rivT 
at Skowhegan, at the Eddv.,^aboiti- b^i-f a mil" b°''o"'^ ^he 
vil'fjg-p. A dflv or t-<vo a-f<-pr three rl^er ?pen in a 
field ah'^ut a m'le belmv fhf sum" v^^^vo. In the towns 
ah^ng the y\ndr^=^'''^p'p'm thev ar" frequently seen m the 
fields. In Cumberland county, where they are still pro- 
I 
