Feb. i8, 1905.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
I' 
More About Old Revolvets* 
Green Bay, Wis., Feb. 6.~Editor Forest and Stream: 
As early as 1842 the Colts revolver was known in this 
terntory, as my father, who, at that time came from 
New York State a boy of 14 carrying chain in the 
surveymg party operating in this territory, makes a 
note of one of the party owning one which was looked 
upon as a wonderful weapon but of small caliber. Un- " 
doubtedly, it was one of the early makes, as from what 
.1 learned from an old gentleman who had lived in the 
Southwest in the early days, the first Colt revolvers 
they had came from some party in New York City 
and were very small, and a few of the Texas Rangers 
had them; and during the trouble on the frontier these 
rangers had larger and heavier revolvers built specially 
for them. I was unable to learn the exact date, but it 
was in the early '40s. 
:( Cabia Blanco speaks of the Remington revolver of 
Civil War time going off on account of the wall of the 
chambers being thin and often fire-burnt. This brings 
to my mind an incident of my earliest boyhood days 
My father had an old Remington cap and ball re- 
tvolver, which my uncle had used during the Civil War 
and had been loaded for a long time, and at length he 
drew the charges from the old thing and laid it away 
Boy-hke, I thought it the finest weapon of the land, and 
longed to shoot it. So finally one day I got hold of the 
pistol and loaded it, putting in paper wadding and filling 
it up with shot and capped it. 
I did not have a chance to use it, until one day when 
no one was home and the neighbor's rooster came into 
our yard and gave our old rooster a great whipping 
almost killing him. I got the pistol from the house 
and, getting within a few feet of the victorious rooster 
let go. Well-, it was a five-shot pistol, and the five 
loads went off at once. Result: dead rooster, and boy 
with a lame hand and good chance for a thrashing I 
buried the rooster , and put the old pistol back and did 
not tell the incident until long after, when father 
laughed about the matter. A. G. Holmes 
187 
Long Island Ducking, 
Orient Point, N. Y., Jan. 18.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: I must state that our gun club of about fifty 
members_ are greatly put out about the spring shooting 
law. If it continues as it now is our sportsmen will lose 
all interest m shooting. We don't ask for big bags, but 
small ones and more of them. I have used a gun fifty- 
five years and I have never had poorer shooting than this 
^ "■^^ ^^''^ before the present law was passed 
that "if no shooting was done in the spring, we would 
have better shooting in the fall." About all the spring 
shooting I do is for sheldrakes. We have very few ducks 
here except trash ducks, and our up-State people, it 
seems to me, don't want us to kill even them. Last 
spring sheldrakes were quite plentiful, but I did not fire 
my gun nor any one else. Well, this fall I expected 
sheldrakes galore, but, if you will believe me, I did not 
kill a single one or, have one withiii. range. Altogether I 
killed just nineteen ducks, one black (or dusky) and 
balance were coots and old squaws. Our shooters ask, 
"What's the use of buying a good gun for the little time 
we are allowed to shoot? Any old thing will do." The 
conditions here are quite different from other portions 
of the State, and we are more than willing that our 
brother sportsmen in other territory should have laws to 
suit the conditions there; but we feel that they should 
be just as willing for us in this little corner of the great 
world to have our own laws as regards our shooting in 
this county. We are willing to apply the Golden Rule 
in the matter and be done by just as we are willing to do 
by others. Is this right, brother? Just think of it- 
coots Old squaws and mef-feansers (mdstly which we 
!?^Ju^'/°™P?'',^^ with-^canvasBacks, mallards, dusky and 
redheads which many of you have. We implore you to 
give us from October 15 to ApriUis with' a small bag 
limit, and not unlimited numbers as now and a short 
Uncle Dan. 
Cuteness of a Cat. 
Editor Forest and Stream: .. 
, In this busy life, when our minds are absorbed dur- 
ing the most of our waking hours with the affairs of 
the^present, it is well that we can sometimes relax, and 
read m our good Forest and Stream some of the in- 
cidents m the lives of the brethren, for it is,.iiearly sure 
to remind us of some happening in our own experience, 
perhaps long forgoten but pleasant to- recall. Some 
years ago Peter Flint told us of a remarkable shot, 
wnich recalled to my mind something which had nearly 
been forgotten, and now he has come forth with one, 
iom iurkey and Fox," which recalls a happening in 
Wyoming. ^ 
One evening, about sundown, I was leaving my 
cabin, and as I was walking along, I heard a fox bark; 
looking in the direction of the sound, I saw Old- Tom, ' 
a large yellow cat, belonging to my nearest neighbor, 
evidently on his way over to make a call on me, which 
he frequently did, and near him was a ' young red 
fox, more than half-grown, evidently bent on having 
some fun, which was ^pot relished by Tom. When the 
cat would stop, and turn around facing tlie fox it 
would stop at a respectful distance, about sii or eight 
leet, sit down and bark, just as a puppy would do, then 
when the cat would start, it would follow as close as 
It dared, much to the annoyance of the cat. 
At last the cat stood and watched it a while lashing 
his tail as if angry, then, as if struck .with an idea 
by which he might get revenge; on his tormentor, he 
wheeled about quickly., and started ^n inithe direction 
he had been going, on a lively trot, as if he meant to 
get away from the fox. The fox, of course, started' 
after cautiously at first, but as the cat seenied deter- 
mined to get away this time and kept going faster the 
fox got under good headway and a little reckless, when 
all at once, without any warning and like a flash, Torn 
whirled around and jumped right into the face of the 
before it had time to turn, and oh, how the fur 
did fly! 
The poor little fox was fairly paralyze^ and squalled 
like a good fellow, and a,s soon as he got at a good 
safe distance he sat down and gave vent to the most' 
mournful howls, while Tom went on his .way un- 
molested. The fox was still sitting in the same spot 
when I passed out of sight. From where?'! was it just 
looked as if the cat had deliberately planned his scheme ' 
for getting his claws into his tormen.tor. 
■ Emprson Carney. 
M'ORGANTOWN, W. Va. 
Wild Pigeon Flights. 
Ironton, Ohio.— EdiYor Forest and Stream: I remem- 
ber the enormous flight of wild pigeons in 1863. I then 
lived in Lewis county, Ky. My . father shot sixty pr 
seventy in three shots with a shotgun, and would kill 
no more, for he could not use them.. He could have 
killed hundreds as they were feeding' on the beech mast 
and came on like a wave, the birds in the rear flying over 
and lighting ahead. That was the last.of the great flight 
In 189s my father-in-law, Mr. George W. Howland, and 
I were hunting m Carter county, Ky.. on a foggy morn- 
ing We were calling turkeys,- and they were answering 
and coming, so we could not shoot, anything else. A 
flock of nine wild pigeons came int& 't' beech tree within 
twenty yards of us, and we both distinctly saw and 
counted them. I was entirely familiar with, or rather 
knew well what they were, and he was sure that they 
were the true wild pigeon. He was as good a hunter as 
one would find in a month, and a close observer. 
I saw him shoot a drumming grouse the last day of 
October, 1894, and we often heard them drum during our 
fall camping trips. He said you could step up on a drum- 
ming grouse if you were below it on the hill, but could 
not do so to go down hill; he invariably got below it if 
he tried to kill it. James Dupuy. 
Waterpfoofing Shoes. 
Galesburg, N. D., Jan. 31. — In renewing my subscrip- 
tion to Forest and Stream, which I have done so many 
times before, and which I always do with an increased 
sense of its worth, I beg to send as a sort of "laggniappe" 
to its readers a wrinkle for waterproofing boots and 
shoes which I have made use of for years, and which I 
believe to be simply the best ever. 
Melt together equal parts of paraffine wax, tallow and 
harness oil. Apply to the footgear while hot. Have the 
leather perfectly dry and put on all over liberally with a 
small brush, blowing it into the crack between the sole 
and upper. Heat the first two coats before an open 
fire, then apply the third coat and leave on outside. This 
dressing does not hurt the leather, is quite durable, and 
makes the leather about as waterproof as a rubber boot. 
It is also simple, and the ingredients can be got almost 
anywhere. When cold it is solid, and can be easily car- 
ried. In fact, it is hard to beat. J. P. W. 
The Winter and the Game. 
Wymore, Neb., Feb. 7.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
In this part of Nebraska the quail have nearly all starved 
to death. Just five weeks ago to-day we had our first 
snow; It fell to a depth of eight to ten inches, and in a 
day or two, the weather being warm, it settled down to 
about half that depth, and the colder weather that fol- 
lowed formed a crust upon it that will almost bear the 
weight of a man. Then other snows came, one after 
another, until we have from fifteen to eighteen inches of 
snow on the level. The weather has been unusually cold 
for this latitude for the past four weeks, the mercury 
reaching 20 below zero three different times. 
Farmers that I have talked to tell me that dead quail 
can be found along all the hedges, and that only now 
and then a live one can be found near a feed lot or along 
the railroad, where they can pick up some grain that 
has fallen from the passing cars. 
. A. D. McCandless. 
Cold at Cuffitttck. 
Currituck. Feb. 6.— Editor Forest and Stream: We 
have just had two weeks of the coldest weather we have 
had in many years. Our Sound is frozen solid. There 
are so few open places that all our ducks are suffering 
severely for want of food and are getting very poor. 
Ihe little ruddy ducks must have been warned in a 
dream to seek sunnier climes, for two days before the 
storm began they got up high in the air and went sauth 
by the thousands. It was a strange sight to see them 
flying so high, and still stranger that they should know 
what was coming. I think that every strong, well ruddy 
duck left Currituck during those two days. There are 
still many canvasbacks, black ducks, mallards, widgeon, 
sprigs, and swans and geese left with us. The redheads 
followed the ruddy soon after the freeze began. I am 
glad to say the killing has been light- The weather has 
been so cold that even the natives could not stand it. 
There has been little snow, and I think the quail are all 
right- More Anon. 
The Old Virginia Chub. 
During the past summer, while sojourning in the 
mountains of southwest Virginia, where one day of the 
ozone-laden air is a delight, two days a dissipation, and a 
week an orgie. I began to crave yet further joys. A 
breath of sea air and a season of sea food came to loom 
up with aggressive prominence in my list of wish-I-could, 
and finally led me to seriously consider a run down to the 
beach. A letter to my friend the Judge in Norfolk met 
prompt reply. "Come," he said, "Come at once. The 
weather is fine, fishing good, and I am not too busy to 
enjoy a_ little sport with you." 
The journey down was without special incident, with 
the exception of a rather humiliating experience while 
seeking knowledge from a native, who was a fellow pass- 
enger from one of the small towns into Norfolk. Having 
had little opportunity of becoming well acquainted with 
the goober pea of Georgia, ground pea of Mississippi, 
and peanut of Virginia, and seeing field after field of 
what I beheved to be that interesting and valuable tuber 
on each side of the track as we sped over the flat land 
between Suffolk and Norfolk (which I now know to be 
given over almost exclusively to that industry), I ac- 
costed the young man who had stalked into the sleeper 
and taken a seat immediately in front of the one I occu- 
pied, -and politely requested that he tell me what was 
growing in the field we were passing, pointing out to a 
tract covered with the bright green foliage of the pea- 
nut. Merely glancing an instant in the direction indi- 
cated, he then turned and took me in with a deliberate 
and_ comprehensive stare, as though lost in wonder at 
finding such an ignoramus going about alone, then turn- 
ing back to the window as we were sweeping by a farm- 
house garden, and pointing to it, he said : "That is corn, 
that potatoes, and that (as we passed on to a field like 
\H 'pne I had in<^uire4 about) i# peaftufs." AncJ while I 
was debating as to whether I ought to thartk him or grab 
him by the ears and bang his head against the side of the 
car, he arose and left. Knowledge is power, whether it is 
gained from a gilded globe or by the kick of a mule, and 
I now know peanuts; and I hazard the guess that if my 
supercilious young teacher had giveij, me plenty of time 
and a sufficient number" of guesses that morning, I might 
possibly have thought up something I knew that he did 
iiot._ But this is not fishing, and I further wager that 
the individual above referred to was, no fisherman. 
Arriving at Norfolk with an accumulated appetite for 
marine provender, ,and in nowise discouraged by my 
previous experience in, seeking knowledge^' I asked three 
benevolent citizens, one after the other, to kindly direct 
me to the best place, in^the city to get good fish. 
"W'y, Mistah Jones'^ suh," said the first, a janitor of 
a building, whom I found at the door. "Dey ain't no- 
body here can beat hipi," followed by directions for find- 
ing the plact. > 
"James Jones, sir, one block up on the other side," said 
the next citizen, a substantial middle-aged man. 
"Jimmie's is what;: you want, right across the street 
there. Not much cut. glass and silver play, but the eat is 
there all right," said the third, a young man. 
With my little%nowledge of human nature, I con- 
cluded that concurrent testimony of so many men of 
such diversity of character should be sufficiently con- 
vincing, s© without further imposition on the kindness 
of benevolent citizens, made straight for Mr. Jones' much- 
reconi mended place. This is not a guide-book article, 
but justice compels me to say that my three kind inform- 
ants were men of veracity and good taste. 
The Judge was at his office to welcome me when I 
finally left off eating spot and went to look him up, and 
a right warm welcome he gave me. 
In a manner that economized time and conserved 
phjrsjc^ exgrtiQH fTiwtUs^Uy agreeable, \\e showed me the 
city. It was from the top of the new eight-story office 
building, and something like a birdseye view. 
Thfe market being well supplied, the first few days 
were -spent near the base of supplies— i. e., Jas. Jones'— 
while I ran about to near-by points of interest When 
fortified to an extent that made the idea of one meal 
without fish endurable, we began to seriously prepare for 
sport 
The sea fishing at Ocean View— as the Judge had pre- 
dicted— did not interest me, being done with hand-lines, 
and not much taken except the diminutive, though deli- 
cate and delicious, spot ; but the marvelous tales of sport 
to be had in the Reservoir lakes led me to entertain great 
expectations. 
These lakes, from which is obtained the city's water 
supply, are reached by an excellent suburban trolley line 
connecting the city and Virginia Beach, and are easy and 
convenient of access. They are a succession of small 
reservoirs separated by artificial dams. Deep in what is 
called the channel and near the dam, but shallow where 
the water has spread out over the trees and undergrowth 
of what was formerly the banks of a stream. The one 
we fished was three or four hundred vards wide at the 
lower end, and something less than a mile in length. 
The water company charges a small fee for a fishing 
privilege^ and patrols the water, thereby providing at a 
slight cost an excellent and well stocked fishing preserve 
accessible to all gentlemen sportsmen. An introductKWi 
by a Norfolk citizen, and payment of fee admits yott to 
membership in this democratic club, and the only by-law 
is one quoted to a gentleman in the boat next to ours: 
"Don' spit in de watah, if yo' please, suh." 
We arranged one fine morning for our first trip, and 
called in consultation a specialist in the person of the 
Judge's office boy, - ' 
"Sus-sus-gus-wimp is what you want for bub-bub-bait/* 
said tl^f or&clfj 'i/^|j<^ Jjdd- an impediment in his speedL 
