888 
Hollar, a pair of sworH bayonets at fifty cents, a Cavalry 
saber at six bits, a Sharps carbine at two dollars and a 
half, and a Springfield rifle, the same sort I used to tote 
in the National Guard, for the same price as the carbine. 
There'll be trouble in ray family when that stuff is de- 
livered; but how could I help it? It was too bad to see 
these splendid things in such a place, Beside, I have a 
iheory that every American man ought to preserve all the 
weapons of his own family, and if possible should keep 
at least a fair assortment of the weapons of his country, 
and he ought to know how to use all the latter as they 
come along. I forgot to say that I got a pair of genuine 
old Colt's navy revolvers, wooden butts, such as used 
to be correct in Western full dress up to times within my 
own memory. They were both worn and disfigured, but 
the locks were beautifully smooth and even. There was 
a box full of them, and it was a shame. I was much of 
a mind to buy the whole outfit. Every one of these 
.weapons was in just as useful condition as ever it was, 
and it made one feel a bit odd to see such excellent arms 
now sp wholly without value. The Springfield breech 
block in limbo, and the grand Sharps' action out of use! 
How strange that seems to even young men ! I'm going 
to keep these things for the sake of auld lang syne. 
With Uncle Adam. 
This from Mr. M. F. Westover, who lias been in New 
Brunswick and is going back again. I wish I could go 
back, too, to kill the rest of my moose. It was about 
.this time last year that plans were making for my own 
trip to the moose country, and the trip which was so 
|)leasantly unsuccessful, as I presume one may best call 
it, since I did not get all of my bull. Mr. Westover 
writes : 
"I have greatly enjoyed your account of your trip with 
Adarri Moore, and perhaps I am better able to appreciate 
it, since I was at the same time down on Cain's River 
doing some hard snowshoeing. I got in one night after 
twelve hours' work during a snow, which turned to rain 
in the afternoon, with not a dry thread upon me, chiefly 
because of the loads of snow and water the spruces 
dumped upon me. When I carne through Fredericton 
Mr. W. T. Chestnut told me you were up in the woods. 
I shall start in day after to-morrow for a fortnight with 
Adam. Shall arrive at Plaster Rock on Friday evening, 
drive through to the Forks that night, and walk in to the 
lake from there." 
Happy man, and good luck to him ! 
E. Hough. 
Haktfokd BuiuiinG, Chicago, IlL 
Be Sure and Be Safe. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
1 have read in the American papers this season reports 
of several sad accidents, similar to many which have oc- 
curred during the last few years, due to hunters shooting 
men in mistake for deer. They seem to me to be at- 
tributable to two causes: 
1. Occasionally to the use of small-bore rnilitary rifles, 
modified for sporting purposes, the projectiles of which 
have such an enormous range and penetration, that people 
have been struck by them without hearing a sound, or 
knowing whence they came. 
2. Generally to the shocking practice (of which even 
some old hunters have been guilty) of firing at an object 
not distinctly seen, or, worse still, at a bunch of moving 
leaves. 
It is to be hoped that the first-mentioned cause will 
soon be removed by the increasing use of the older pat- 
tern rifles of the Winchester and Marlin companies, the 
cartridges of which are now loaded Avith smokeless pow- 
ders and metal jacketed, soft-pointed bullets, larger of 
caliber and shorter in proportion to diameter than those 
of military weapons. 
Firing at moving leaves, or at anything not distinctly 
seen, appears to me to be really criminal, because the man 
who does so is well aware that the -bject he aims at may 
possibly be a human being. Even if he feel sure that it 
is a quadruped, the act is not that of a fair sportsman, for 
the chance of killing quickly is not greater than that of 
letting the animal escape with a broken leg or wound in 
a non-vital part of the body. 
I can truly state that during the Avhole of my own 
shooting career I never fired at any animal, large or small, 
without being able to see enough of him to aim at a vital 
part. And I never knew one of my sporting^ friends or 
acquaintances who acted otherwise. It is a satisfaction to 
think that, through the observance of this rule, very 
few animals have been uselessly wounded ; but even with 
this precaution, I, on one occasion, very narrowly escaped 
killing a human being. While walking through some 
acacia jungle, I saw what appeared to be a "ravine deer" 
feeding about seventy yards distant. The whole of the 
body was visible, but the head, neck and legs were con- 
cealed behind some low bushes. I leveled the rifle and 
was actually pressing the trigger, when a thought sud- 
denly struck me that the color of the skin was not exactly 
that of a deer. I instantly raised the muzzle, stalked to 
within about thirty-five yards, and found that I had aimed 
at a Hindoo village woman who was digging up some 
kind of roots, her body being bent level. She wore the 
usual dress, consisting of a large kind of sheet, called 
saree, which covers both the head and body. It was 
dyed with a red color, in common use, and exposure to 
the sun had turned it to yellowish brown. 
As respectable native women dislike talking to strange 
men, I quietly drew back without letting her see or hear 
me, so she never knew how nearly she had escaped sud- 
den death. Thirty-four years have passed since then,_ but 
even now the thought of how she might have been killed 
in another fraction of a second, gives me a feelmg of 
horror. The difference in tint between her dress and 
the coat of a "ravine deer" was so diflicuU to_ see at a 
distance of seventy yards, that I am certain the idea must 
have been impressed upon me, at the last moment, by 
some friend in the spirit world. 
A colonel in the Indian army with whom I was ac- 
quainted (a very fine shot) was in the habit of using an 
Enfield rifle of .577 bore for large game. One day he 
fired at an antelope, when the solid conical bullet dropped 
oh to an jpU mtffl-bitilt £<^t:e, rtebonnded to a great dis- 
n'M Snf thrWntb tHfe bl^n of a n-fttivfe. My 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
friend was so shocked on discovering what had hap- 
pened, that for a long time (I think some years) he gave 
up the use of the rifle, although an ardent sportsman. 
When resuming it, he bought a .450 express with hollow- 
pointed bullets. When one of these strikes the ground it 
is crushed out of shape and therefore does not travel to 
a dangerous distance. 
The habit of reckless firing seems partly attributable to 
the use of repeating rifles. In muzzleloading times I 
resided for six years in New Brunswick and Canada, and 
never heard of one case where a man was shot in mistake 
for a deer. A muzzleloader required enough time to re- 
load to make a hunter careful about firing before he knew 
what he was aiming at. ' J. J. Meyrick. 
S1M.TERT0N, Devonshire, Eng , Oct. 25. 
Chesapeake Bay Ducking* 
Havre de Grace, Nov. 6. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
The ducking season, on the Susquehanna Flats opened on 
Monday, the 3d inst, and cannot be said to have been 
successful. The throng of gunners who appeared on the 
ducking ground was larger than ever before known here- 
abouts, but a heavy fog which lay over the water pre- 
vented them from doing anything for the first half of the 
day. 
Beside the local sportsmen, who turned out in great 
force, there were present many men from New York, 
Philadelphia, Baltimore, and other lesser cities. 
The fog lifted about noon, and then the shooting began. 
Long before that, some of the gunners had become dis- 
couraged and given up; they returned to the shore, but 
the greater number waited with patience, thinking that 
the fog would lift and it would be possible to see. There 
was no question as to the abundance of the ducks, and 
the shooting would undoubtedly have been great if the 
weather had not been adverse. 
Beside the gunners, the ducking police were on the 
ground, watching the various craft, in order to see that 
the law governing the time of starting out and crossing 
the line was observed. Their enthusiasm led a consider- 
able number to cross the line before 5 A. M., and the 
police made seventeen arrests for this offense. 
After the fog had lifted, the birds began to fly, and 
there was good shooting. WWle the number of birds 
killed does not compare with many opening days of the 
past, yet some very good bags were made — one of 148 
birds and one of 147. 
So far as can be learned at present, the number of 
ducks here is very large, but just how the shooting sea- 
son may turn out depends on so many conditions that a 
prediction concerning it would not be safe. 
There have been issued more than one hundred sink 
box and sneak boat licenses; a number which one would 
suppose would pretty well crowd the bay, but there is 
plenty of room here for these and for others. 
The prices paid for ducks by dealers are, for canvas- 
backs, $3 a pair; redheads, $1.25; ruddv ducks, 80 cents, 
and blackheads, 50 cents. Sink Box. 
The Iowa Game Season. 
Humboldt, la., Oct. 31. — Duck hunting in Iowa this 
year, especially in the northern part, has been the best in 
many years. Ever since the season opened on the first 
of September fine sport has been had. On account of the 
warm fall the ducks are slow in arriving, but when they 
do come down there will be the biggest flight ever seen in 
Iowa for several seasons. 
The first _ of this week was a slight cold spell, which 
brought a few ducks down and with the ducks already 
here, great sport was had, but the warm weather has 
again come back and rain is now falling. 
The northern prairie chickens are down now from 
Minnesota and other neighboring States in great num- 
bers. Chickens are nearljr as numerous as ducks, while 
only a few weeks ago a hunter who saw a bird in this 
ccamtry was regarded as looking upon quite a rare sight. 
In the evening and early morning, if ofle finds himself 
in the country, he will be greatly .surprised at the immense 
numbers of chickens he sees flying. But get in a good 
fly waj' and you will be still more surprised, flock after 
flock, ranging in number from half a dozen to thirty or 
forty birds, Avill go over you, and if you are a good 
shot 3'ou can get a good number of birds. It is difficult 
^to get at them unless you get in their fly way. for they are 
way up in the air and going at a pretty good rate. 
George J. Bicknell. 
Heavy Fligfht of Woodcock. 
West Haverstraw, N. Y., Nov. 3. — ^The last week in 
October has been marked by a heavy flight of woodcock. 
I have not been out myself, but hear that the birds have 
been more numerous than for many years. They were 
found principally in rather high ground along small 
streams of water and on the plateaus, wherever there 
was any feeding ground. Fortunately, only a few men 
knew of the flight in time to take advantage of it, and I 
cannot hear of many large bags being made. Two men 
had a large number of birds as the result of two days' 
shooting. The woodcock were in a large bag. and I 
have not learned the exact number. Quail shooting be- 
gan on Labor Day, and the country side was alive with 
men and boys carrying guns. Wagon loads of dogs were 
transported here, there and elsewhere, but I doubt if the 
number of quail killed equalled the number of dogs, guns 
and men that took the field against them. T. G. 
On Long: Island* 
Bayport, L. I., Nov. 10. — The past two weeks have 
been very good in this neighborhood for sportsmen, and 
the weather all that could be desired. Over 100 deer 
were killed in a radius of about four miles from here. 
They are in very fine condition, but very few bucks are 
killed in comparison with the does. I was out with the 
South Side Bohemia Sportsmen's Club on Wednesday at 
Oakdale, and we got three fine deer. Rabbits are very 
plentiful this year. Gentlemen out with the various 
guides, both ducking and quailing, have got very satis- 
factory bags. Redhead are now in the bay in good num- 
ber, oM'e gfentlentan staying hWe got fdtir in orfe day. 
iftmtY Stokes. 
[Nov, IS, 1902. 
Newljefsey Dtrcks. 
Trenton, N. J., Nov. 10.— I returned Saturday eve 
from a three days' trip to Beach Haven, N. J., for ducks. 
Walter F. Smith was with me. The flight of ducks 
reached Tuckerton Bay on Monday. On Tuesday after- 
noon there were as high as fifty ducks shot from each of 
several different points. We located on our point about 
2 P. M. on Wednesday, and between that time and dark 
shot forty-nine ducks. On Thursday at the same point 
we shot fiftjr-one ducks. On Friday we shot from an 
island leased by our gunners and got thirty-five ducks. 
We got sixteen redheads, and the rest were mostly broad- 
bills. 
With such a chance for a royal good time right at 
out doors, and with the excitement of the outing still in 
my system, I feel that brother duck shooters should be 
given the opportunity for like enjoyment. 
Fred B. Yard. 
Canvasbacks on Lake Mendota. 
MadisoNj Wis., Nov. 4.— Several years ago certain men 
planted some wild celery in one of our lakes, and this has 
grown very rapidly, and now covers a number of acres 
HI one of the bays of Lake Mendota. The canvasback 
have discovered this rich feeding ground, and thousands 
of them can be seen at any time of the day. It is 
not unusual in this part of the country to see a hunter 
returning Avith a bag of anywhere from twenty to fifty of 
these fine birds. Of course, they are hard to shoot, but 
with a due amount of patience, a good shot is well re- 
warded for the trouble of going after them. I expect to 
waste my usual amount of ammunition in a futile at- 
tempt to bag some of these foxy birds. 
. Fayette Durlin. 
Df . Davis Gets His Qtiota. 
Lancaster, Va.— Editor Forest and Stream: I have 
just returned from a very successful moose hunt in Nova 
Scotia, under the guidance of the veteran hunter and 
guide, Mr. J. McKay, of Shelburne, N. S. My hunting 
mate from many years was Mr. A. C. Kepler, of this city. 
S. T. Davis. 
Proprietors of fishing resorts will find it profiUble to advertise 
tern in Fokebt and Stxkam. 
Fall Fishing in California. 
AvALON, Santa Catalina Island, Cal., Nov. i.— The fish- 
ing season is over in the East. Rods, creels and old 
clothes, fly-books and various articles dear to the angler's 
heart, are being laid away or hung up in the den; where 
they regale the eye, and perhaps some old live bait for- 
gotten, regales the senses for weeks to come. How differ- 
ent IS all this in California I Here the summer season is 
still on, though over in theory. Yellowtails are biting 
well, and November is, all things considered, the best 
month m the year, as the fish are now gathering to begin 
their off-shore cruise to the outer banks or down the 
coast to lower California. At this time the fish are found 
m large schools at Ship Rock, and every day bands and 
schools pass the bay of Avalon. affording splendid sport to 
the wielder of the rod. The yellowtail arrives in Feb- 
ruary and stays until the fir.st hard storm, or about Dec. 
15, so can be had almost the entire year. But by Dec. 
I the season may be said to be closed, and that of winter 
is on. So far as weather is concerned, no one would 
know that winter had arrived, as Santa Catalina has a 
climate about like that of Madeira, only cooler in sum- 
mer. Winter here means roses in bloom; means a wealth 
of wild flowers. The Mariposa lily in bloom and the paint- 
ing of the entire island in a garb'of new-born green. 
An old-timer told me that he had seen frost here once 
in six years ;^ this at Avalon on the water, but if any one 
wishes frost they can find it in the upper island, 1,800 
feet above the sea. But the days at this island are per- 
fect, and in time to come it will be famous as a winter 
resprt, and even now, one hundred thousand persons 
visit it a year, and nearly all of them fish, which conveys 
an idea of the quantity of fislj the place must have to sup- 
ply the demand. 
When the winter angler lands at Avalon he is met by 
scores of marine hackmen, who hand him cards and cry 
the names of their boats. There are tuna boats, rowboats, 
glass-bottom boats, yellowtail boats — in fact, so many dif- 
ferent kinds of craft that a man is bewildered. Down at 
the south end of the little bay are the stands of the boat- 
men, each of whom has about twenty feet for his head- 
* quarters, which consists of a tasty seat, rod box, rack for 
hanging fish and drying lines, above which is a long sign 
bearing the name of the boatman and gaffer. He owns the 
sea rights directly in front, and on a rope in a long string 
are his dozen or twenty boats, as the case may be. Prob- 
ably no place in the world is better arranged or more 
directly designed for the comfort of the - angler thaii 
A.valon, which is but forty miles from Los Angeles, a 
city of over 125,000 inhabitants. 
The winter fishing here includes some very gamy fish, 
as the whitefish, which attains a weight of twenty-five 
pounds; five or six species of rock bass, from two to six 
pounds, and at San Clemente they range up to twelve 
potmds; the sheepshead twenty-five pounds; albicore, six- 
ty pounds, and numbcrous fish, as the blue perch, which 
afford good sport with light trout or bass rods, including 
the halibut, a very gamy fish. . 
People here consider the whitefish the game fish of win- 
ter par excellence, and a beautiful creature it is, a dress 
of light gray, with long dorsal and anal fin tipped with 
vivid blue, a large head, yellow and white belly and most 
expressive eyes. I had what might be called the fish of 
my life with these gamy creatures at the island of San 
Clemente, twenty miles southwest of Avalon. The launch 
was anchored off a kelp-lined point, where the tide ran 
merrily, sometimes one way and sbmetime:$ another. 
Thfe boatman began to "chum," and siapn aiWtrhdred feiet 
ast^:rn we ^aw a f5;'w bVi^hlty colbWd fisM th^ gradMlly 
