398 
Forest and Strea 
FOUNDERS OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETY 
ADVISORY BOARD 
GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL, NEW YORK, N. Y. 
CARL E. AKELEY, American Museum of Natural History, New York. 
EDMUND HELLER, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. 
WILFRED H. OSGOOD, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, 111. 
JOHN M. PHILLIPS, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
CHARLES SHELDON, Washington, D. C. 
GEORGE SHIRAS,. 3d, Washington, D. C. 
JOHN T. NICHOLS, American Museum of Natural History, New York. 
T. GILBERT PEARSON, National Association of Audubon Societies. 
WILLIAM BRUETTE, Editor 
JOHN P. HOLMAN, Managing Editor 
T. H. MEARNS, Treasurer 
Nine East Fortieth Street, New York City 
Member of Audit Bureau of Circulation 
THE OBJECT OF THIS JOURNAL WILL BE TO 
studiously 'promote a healthful interest m outdoor 
recreation, and a refined taste for natural objects. 
August 14, 1873. 
RAIL SHOOTING 
N OW, according to the signs and the seasons of old 
times, we ought to be preparing for -the rail shooting. 
The hay harvest is long past, and the shorn meadows 
in which the new grass is now starting lie yellow in the 
hot sun of midday, only relieved here and there by bunches 
of strong dark-green clover. The weeds and brush along 
the roadside are white with dust, goldenrod and asters are 
in bloom, while cardinal flowers flame at the edge of the 
brook. The ripening leaves on the hillsides begin to show 
the red and yellow tints of autumn; over the distant hill- 
side hangs, morning and evening, the light haze of the 
early fall. A few beach birds have come along, and oc- 
casionally one may hear their mellow whistle ; the black- 
birds are gathering on the marshes. A few birds — now in 
the modest livery of autumn — utter their unmusical cry as 
they fly up or down the river. 
The time was, but it was a generation or two ago, when 
for many people the rail shooting was one of the events of 
the year. Then when the big tides came, those who knew 
the grounds and had the best shovers, used to get bags of 
phenomenal size. One old-time sportsman, who died but 
a few years ago, is credited with having killed 212 birds 
on a tide. He used two muzzle-loading guns. In olden 
times there was no closed season on these birds. As soon 
as the wild rice, or wild oats or corngrass, as it is variously 
called, began to head out and ripen, the gunners would go 
out at every tide, and long before the migration had begun 
had killed off all the local birds bred in any section of 
marsh and meadow. Of late years this early destruction 
has been put an end to by establishing a season for the 
rail, which opens not far from the time when the migra- 
tion begins. 
In those old days it was great fun when two men who 
understood each other, and could work together without 
envy or jealousy, were able undisturbed to work over a 
big piece of grass, and then, perhaps, if the tide was 
favorable, to unite in beating the strips of cat-tails in 
which many of the rails took refuge. Slowly they worked 
together, one on either side of a strip, driving the birds 
before them and every now and then hearing the rail 
splashing through the water, and often seeing them run- 
ning swiftly along over the floating stuff, and sometimes 
getting a shot as a frightened bird left one side or the oth( 
of the strip. But it was when the end of the strip wi 
nearly reached, and all the birds were congregated thei 
that the excitement began ; the birds flew out singly ar, 
by twos and threes and followed each other so rapidly th; 
only a few of them could be shot at, but when the last bii 
had gone, and the shooting was all over, there might I 
from eight to a dozen birds to be gathered before the ne: 
strip could be approached. 
Those days cannot be seen again. Artificial propagatic 
may possibly increase the number of our gallinaceoi 
birds ; perhaps even of our wild ducks ; but it is not like 
ever to increase the number of our rail. Nothing can ev< 
do that except a close season extending over several year 
and this we are not likely to have. On the other hand, fe 
birds are less in danger of extermination than the ra 
Shy and secretive in their habits, a few of them will co: 
tinue to exist long after the sport of rail shooting has bei 
forgotten. 
DOMESTICATING WILD ANIMALS 
W HILE all domestic animals are obviously desce. 
dants of wild forms, there has been little dome 
tication of North American birds and mamma 
on a commercial scale. 
The turkey is a notable exception to this general stat 
ment. It had probably been domesticated long before tl 
ships of Columbus left American waters. It is true al 
that tbe blood of some of our wild ducks has strengthem 
the domestic ducks ; but, on the whole, very little has bei 
done to make general use of any American forms of wi 
life. Buffalo and white-tailed deer do well under fenc 
and from both the meat is being sold for food each wint 
on a modest scale. There are fox farmers in the Nort 
from Alaska to Prince Edward’s Island; but tbe rearing ■ 
these animals for their fur cannot be called domesticatio 
There is an evident field for profit in the commerci 
domestication of some wild animals, and as time goes < 
this field will be more and more exploited. The enormo 
increase of the reindeer imported from Siberia to Alas’ 
is very suggestive, and the success had with reindeer h 
encouraged authorities and corporations in Canada to co 
sider similar experiments, not only with reindeer, but al 
with barren ground caribou, and possibly muskox, in t 
eastern portions of Northern North America. 
Foxes, skunks, and other fur-bearing animals are nc 
bred under fence with a success which depends largely < 
the skill and good judgment of those who care for thei 
Nearly fifty years ago there were printed in Forest ai 
Stream accounts of the taming of mink and of reari: 
them in captivity in the State of New York. 
Recently Mr. Vernon Bailey, in the course of his stui 
for the Biological Survey of problems relating to beav 
farming, succeeded in raising some young beaver, whi 
were obtained when their eyes had just opened, and we 
reared on the bottle, which they asked for and enjoyt 
Mr. Bailey describes them as affectionate and teachab 
They learned to come when called and greatly enjoy 
being rocked to sleep, pr, on a cold night, being wrapp 
in a blanket. His experience seems to offer every e 
couragement for those who wish to domesticate the beav< 
. Many years ago Forest and Stream prepared for sr 
mission to the Montana Legislature a bill which authoriz 
the capture and domestication of birds and mammals 
residents of that state, under certain conditions. The m: 
ter, however, never seemed to interest the law-makers, a 
finally was forgotten. 
A time is coming, however, when the matter of dom< 
ticating our native animals for commercial purposes v\ 
receive serious attention, and the experiments made \v 
have good results. 
