Nov. i6, ipoi.] 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
B89 
Two Have-Beens Try It Again. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Bostwick and I are in the "sere and yellow leaf" of 
shooting life. Years ago we wrapped our sporting blood 
up in brown grocery-store paper and laid it away in the 
archive of the "have beens." Time and again the odor 
from that parcel would bring back memories that would 
carrj-- us back, down through the corridors of time, to 
the days of our youth — the old swimming hole, where we 
plunged in abbreviated costume and dressed on the bank, 
allowing our .skin to dry on us; the old shooting ground, 
where we pulled the rabbit out of the "hollow" with a 
forked stick, and worried the opossum's very life out of 
him by making him 'possum too often. A cantilever-sus- 
pension bridge with a trolley car track has crossed the 
old swimming hole, and town lots 20 by 40, with paved 
streets (on paper), have desecrated the shooting ground. 
Yea, the old tree that we pulled a rabbit out of has been 
felled to make a post to make one of those town lot cor- 
ners, and Bostwick says the sign "Keep off the grass" is 
supported by a tree he pulled " 'simmons" from. 
But last Christmas week we thought we would try again 
and see what the "have beens" could do, and we got out 
our old guns and went to J. H. Gafford's farm in Basker- 
ville, Va. We did our hunting on horseback, and Bost- 
wick says the hardest work on the hunt was getting on 
and off his horse; that he always felt rich when he 
finally did "arrive" in the saddle, for the reason that he 
was "better off." To get off of his horse he would have 
to itse both hands and feet, and he would always throw 
his gun down on the ground and then let "gravitation" 
do its work with his 185 pounds avoirdupois. The fall 
of Bostwick and his 9-pound gun generally scared every- 
thing in shooting distance. Bostwick said his gun weighed 
9 pounds when he bought it. Bostwick was young then. 
Gaiford tried to weigh it on the store scales, but a 10- 
pound weight was all the storekeeper had. Half of our 
time v.'as spent in extricating Bostwick up and down from 
his horse. And then he would swear about the high 
horses in that country. 
He caught one of Mrs. Gafford's tame tui'keys, cut the 
"whiskers" off and mailed it to one of his friends in 
New York as the whiskers off of the biggest wild turkey 
that he killed. He gave Griffen, the old negro who did 
chores about the farm, fift}' cents for an opossum, brought 
it back to New York and had a " 'possum and taters" 
diimer, and talked for six hours how he caught that " 'pos- 
sum." He said the water down there didn't agree with 
him. The wateri he brought gave out and he rode six 
miles one night for "more." When he got back to New 
York, lie sent Griffen his last "century" dress suit, and 
the very next Sunday morning Griffen went to church 
with a dress suit, white vest and silk hat. 
But the hunt — well, if we (Bostwick and I) had killed 
a quail (I came very near saying all we shot at) every 
time we fired, we would have done very well. 
Gafford, however, is a fine shot, a gentleman of the 
old school, and he loaned us the birds he shot to send 
home, and which were plenty. (Bostwick says Gafford 
looks like Buffalo Bill.) A more hospitable place could 
not be found. Every comfort and plenty of quail and 
turkeys for those who can hit, and dogs that not only 
find the birds, but hold them when found. 
Terry Smith. 
The Moso's Gun» 
The long-looked-for time had come, and we were on 
the train en route to the game fields of the Sierra 
Madres in Mexico, each with a .30-30, fitted with Lyman 
peep sights, Colt's six-shooters and knives — in fact our 
• nitfit was all that could be desired, and we were actuallj'^ 
thirsting for wild animal gore. At the terminus of the 
railway we secured a guide and a moso (a moso is a 
Mexican servant of the peon class), and hired saddle 
and pack animals. I noticed that Louis, our moso, had 
a cartridge belt with four cartridges in it, and I asked 
him if he had a rifle. "Oh ! yes, Sefior, I have a very 
good one." "Where are your cartridges, then?" He 
pointed to the four. Think of it, going on a three weeks' 
hunt with four cartridges in a country full of big game. 
And then the gun — it was an old '73 model .44-40 re- 
peater, the iron was gone frorn the stock and the wood- 
work cracked and minus varnish, made the gun look a 
century old. and caused quite a laugh when he produced 
it, but Louis swore by it, so' I said, "Boys, we must get 
him osme cartridges." And get them we did, though 
they cost 5 cents apiece. down there. He was immensely 
tickled. For four days we had pushed westward, and 
then went into camp one noon. All went out for a 
hunt, leaving Louis washing dishes. When I returned 
it was sundown. I was tired and hungry, and had not 
had a .shot. Arriving in camp, there hung a fine deer. 
"'Who was the lucky man?" I cried. No answer. Finally 
the Colonel said. "Well, you see — why, it was that blamed 
moso, and here within 200 j'ards of camp, too !" The 
look of disgust on the Colonel's face was too much for. 
I me — I roared. 
We were out two weeks, and every day that boy with 
that old blunderbuss bagged game; and when the hunt 
was over there were not over a dozen empty loops in 
his belt, while we had refilled our belts several times. 
When we got back to the station, I took Louis into the 
store' just as he was ready to leave for his home and 
bought him a full box of cartridges. Another one of 
the boys bought him a pair of shoes, and we gave him 
the provisions we had left — enough to last him a month; 
and blamed if I didn't almost feel like presenting hkn 
with my .30-30, for he had never mentioned the fact 
that he kileld a single deer or turkey. Who would have 
thought that old blunderbuss would kill anything? 
I .T. B. 
£l Paso, Texas. 
In Rhode Island.. 
Providence,- R. I., Nov. 2. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
A party of hunters from Wickford recently returned 
from Maine., where they enjoyed excellent shooting. One 
of the party sent home a handsome 675-pound moose. 
Keuben J. Brown, of Chepachet, wrote the Providence 
Journal tlae past week that in the last few days with his 
dog, Ben, he has kill(?d three foxes, and within the year, 
according to the town clerk's record, he has killed twenty- 
four, and he doesn't consider himself much of a fox 
hunter after all. 
So far none of the North Providence hunters, profes- 
sional or amateur, has met with even reasonably good suc- 
cess, and the scarcity of partridges is very marked. Quail 
are quite numerous, but are extremely difficult to find, and 
woodcock have not been so plentiful for some time, and 
these birds afford good sport, but are the least valuable of 
the game birds. W. H. M. 
Kansas ** Snowbirds*** 
Wellington, Kan., Nov. 2. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
To-day at the eating station at Caldwell, Kan., the pas- 
sengers on the south-bound train were asked if they 
would "have some snowbirds," and on assenting were 
served with cooked birds, one of which — mine — was mani- 
festly a quail. That served to my neighbor on the right 
seemed to be a dove. Can you tell me why this unusual 
name was applied to these birds? If I had with me a 
copy of the Game Laws in Brief I could perhaps answer 
the question for myself, but I have left mine behind. 
I recently learned that in another State, which has a 
law forbidding the sale of game, a hotel keeper who had 
been out shooting and secured a good bag of prairie 
chickens, had them cooked and served to his guests. He 
was arrested for a violation of the game laws — selling 
game — and fined $25 per bird. If Kansas has a law 
prohibiting sale that might explain the name given at the 
eating station above named to the birds served at the 
table. 
Thanks, very largely to the efforts of Forest and 
Stream, the non-sale law in Nebraska seems to be quite 
generally respected. Of course, there have been some 
attempts to violate it, but several such attempts have been 
stopped by the express companies, which appear to have 
taken up in good faith the question of enforcing the law 
as to shipping game. These common carriers are the 
most effective assistants the game protectors can have. 
A consignment of game recently shipped from a point 
not far from North Platte, Neb., was examined by the 
express agent, and when the boxes were found to cdn- 
tain game, the whole consignment was returned to the 
shipper. Thus, daily, the road that the market-shooter 
has to travel is made more rocky. 
As yet few ducks have come on from the North, for 
the weather continues warm. Prairie chickens are few 
and far between, but quail are abundant hereabouts. 
Kansas Farmer. 
Resist the Gwn Bortowefs. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I observe in the Forest and Stream of Nov. 2 an 
article entitled "The Gun Borrowers." 
Let me add a word of encouragement to the con- 
tributor. May the good work go on. I would not only 
include the gun, but it applies equally well to the rod. 
I am the fortunate possessor of a 20-bore gun. Not 
long ago I was asked the loan of it for a few days by a 
particular friend. After some hesitation and the usual 
caution, "Take good care of it," away went gun and 
man, leaving me in a doubtful and dissatisfied frame of 
mind. - My friend in due course appeared with gun, re- 
porting no game or sport. Looking through the gun I 
found dirt and rust. "Have you cleaned it?" I inquired. 
"No," he replied, with perfect candor and innocence, "I 
only fired twice and did not think it worth while." He 
had been camping four days — two raining. You can 
imagine the condition of the gun. He has since bought 
one. My experience no doubt is a common occurence. 
It should be an unwritten law among sportsmen not to 
lend gun or rod. If once broken, they are rarely ever re- 
paired satisfactorily, and if used for years very hard to 
replace. 
In discussing this question, I trust it will be brought 
to the notice of some who may be in the habit of shooting 
with borrowed arms and show them the error of their 
\yays. May I thank Gun Borrower for drawing atten- 
tion to this matter through the columns of your valuable 
papers? Let me be one to back him up in his not too 
harsh, but reasonable, statements. X. Y. Z. 
MONCTON, N. B. 
The Zieg-Ief Patty in Canada* 
Ottawa, Nov. i. — Editor Forest and Stream: The 
report emanating from Ottawa that Mr. William Ziegler, 
of New York City, and Judge William J. Gaynor were 
being pursued through the wilds of northern Canada by 
the sheriff turns out to be a hunting story pure and sim- 
ple. The annexed statement signed by Mr. N. E. 
Cormier, Provincial Game Warden of the Province of 
Quebec, and by Mr. H. Scudder, Secretary of the 
Caughnawana Fishing and Hunting Club, of which 
Mr. Ziegler is a member and on whose preserves Mr. 
Ziegler and Mr. Gaynor were hunting, gives the proper 
version of the matter. 
Hull, Quebec, Nov. i. — The report that Judge Gay- 
nor and Mr, Ziegler were to be arrested grows out of 
a misunderstanding as to the liability of members of 
burning clubs to take out licenses for helpers. All proper 
attention has been paid to the requirements of the game 
laws of the Province of Quebec by the parties concerned. 
(Signed) N. E. Cormier, 
H. Scudder. 
Importation of Game Heads* 
Brooklyn, Oct. 29. — Editor Forest and Stream: Sun- 
day evening, Oct. 20, I was a passenger on a Delaware 
& Hudson railway train from Montreal to New York, re- 
turning from a himting trip to Canada, and had with 
me the antlers and scalp of a moose. 
The United States Inspector of Customs informed 
rae that moose heads were dutiable, and wanted to know 
what vahiation I placed upon my trophy. I declined to 
place any value on it, and told the inspector that I had 
repeatedly brought moose heads (unmounted) into this ' 
country, and had never been required to pay duty on 
them. The inspector insisted, and said that he had col- 
lected the duty on as many as ten moose heads since 
the present season began. In one case the owner valued 
his unmounted moose head at $50, and that- he had col- 
lected the duty on that valuation. 
Finally I told the inspector that he could assess the 
duty at any amount he saw fit, and that I would get it 
refunded without any trouble whatever. The bluff went. 
No duty was collected. 
Now, what I should like to know is this: If the in- 
spector was right in demanding duty in the first place, 
why did he not insist on making me pay it; and if he had 
no right to collect the duty on my moose heads, was it 
not an imposition on those sportsmen whom he did 
make pay? Metapedxa. 
[Momited heads of animals are dutiable at 20 per cent, 
ad valorem, unmounted heads at 10 per cent, ad valorem.] 
Longf Island D«cks. 
New York, Nov. ii. — Editor Forest and Stream: While 
down at East Quogue, Shinnecock Bay, L. I., last week, 
Mr. E. W. Reynolds, of the New Utrecht Gun Club, my- 
self, and E. A. Jackson, guide, killed about sixty-five 
diicks, including spoonbill, teal, broadbill, widgeon, sprig- 
tail, whistlers, mallards, coots, black ducks and four can- 
vasbacks and a few snipe. We were very lucky in se- 
curing canvasbacks, as Mr. Jackson said he had not shot 
any in twenty years. Albert A. Schoverling. 
East QtroGUE, L. I., Nov. 8. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: Since I can remember, there never was as many 
ducks in Shinnecock Bay as at the present time, and there 
are ducks that I have not seen in twenty years. At pres- 
ent time of writing, I would judge there are from 40,000 
to 50,000 broadbills in the bay. E. A. Jackson. 
The Safe Way. 
St. Paul, Minn., Nov. 9. — Coming down from Hazel- 
hurst yesterday (100 miles above Wausau) the cars 
showed plenty of patronage from the deer hunters. Nat- 
urally T overheard much of the conversation, and not a 
little of it was along the lines of personal danger and 
past experience when they came near being shot. One 
chap stated that he intended to wear a red head covering 
of some kind to "make sure." He'll make a good target 
and no doubt will get plugged before he returns. 
But what's the use ! It is safer to remain home and be 
presented with a haunch of venison than to take your 
life in your hands and himt the live animal in the woods. 
Charles Cristadoro. 
Picttttes from Forest and Stream* 
Pictures from Forest and Stream. — A series of 
pictures of Nature and Sport in America. Forest 
and Stream Pub. Co. New York. Price, $2. 
This beautiful volume comprises 32 pictures, hand- 
somely printed on heavy plate paper, illustrating various 
phases of outdoor life and nature. There are reproductions 
of nine of Audubon's bird portraits, a series of the primitive 
hunting methods of the North American Indians, and 
pictures of shooting, fishing and yachting, and spirited 
portraits of the chief game animals of the continent. 
— 
"That reminds me." 
Mallards and Limbtjrger* 
I ONCE went on a duck-hunting trip with two Germans. 
We were to get pass shooting, so were burdened with no 
decoys, nor did we give any attention to boat, etc. Ar- 
rived at the pass before daybreak, we adjusted our blind 
and awaited the coming of the mallards with the first 
streak of dawn. The day proved to be one of those 
"lowery" ones, with a strong wind blowing, and until 
nearly noon the birds flew low and in good numbers. 
The shooting was all that could be wished for. 
At noon we left our blinds and walked down the pass 
a short distance to a spring, where Ave delved into the 
lunch basket. When I had satisfied my appetite and 
was about walking to the spring for a finishing drink, I 
was urged to wait a minute, as the best part of the lunch 
was yet to come, one of my companions at the same time 
reaching into the basket and bringing forth a long, oval 
tin. I scanned the tin closely as the cover was being 
removed, and read the words "Limburger Kase" upon the 
label. This was confirmed by my sense of smell when the 
lid was removed, for it appealed to Heaven. 
I sat at a distance and saw the contents of that can 
gradually disappear amidst exclamations of gustatory 
approval, until finally the emptied tin xyas thrown one 
side. The fact that I was repeatedly informed that I did 
not know what Avas good in no wise shook my refusal 
to join them. 
A couple of hours spent in conversation, smoking and 
repairing our blind brought us^ close to the beginn'ng 
of the early afternoon flight — in fact, before we had 
stowed our dead birds snugly away the cry of "Mark!" 
directed our gaze toward a string of mallards, mere 
specks in the distance, coming up wind. Straight as an 
arrow they followed the water course, until they had 
come within a hundred yards of us, when they cut off at 
a sharp angle to the right, avoiding us entirely. Funny! 
And this was repeated a second time. Something wrong 
with the blind ; an open, exposed spot was suggested, and 
while the cover was quite as close as during the morn- 
ing shoot, yet more dead grass was brought and the 
blind was made closer still. "Mark again, a lone mallard 
coming!" Straight as a bullet he made for our blind, fly- 
ing low and hopefully within good gun shot when he 
reached our cover, when again this lone bird, taking' 
warning at something, towered when within a hundred 
yards of us, so that as he passed over our blind a rifle 
only would have reached him. 
Something was the matter with the blind. What it was 
we could not make out. Again we made an attempt at 
improving it. More bunches of mallards came in sight, 
only to swerve to the right or to the left, well out of 
gun shot. 
When the next and the next flock came, we lay flat 
upon our backs dose up to the blind, keeping our guns 
