May, 1919 
FOREST AND STREAM 
225 
which are most highly colored. The 
change takes place in summer just be- 
fore the annual molt of the flight 
feathers, and as soon as the new flight 
feathers have become strong enough to 
be used, the dull plumage, as well as the 
remainder of the old plumage, is lost. 
In other words, this dull plumage lasts 
only during the period when the birds 
are unable to fly through the loss of the 
quill feathers of their wings. At such 
a time a dull plumage would render the 
bird inconspicuous and so protect it from 
its enemies, and this Mr. Stone believes 
is the explanation of the curious sum- 
mer molt. — [Editors]. 
TWO KICKS AND A HOLLER 
To the Editor of FOREST AND Stream: 
T his is two kicks and a holler which 
you won’t publish from one who has 
read and subscribed to the old maga- 
zine for twenty years. Kick one — Why 
is Forest and Stream on sale here five 
or six days before I who subscribe for 
it receive my copy? 
Kick two — Some time ago I submitted 
an article on Striped Bass Fishing at 
Montauk, said article being without any 
literary merit whatever, but a truthful 
account of conditions under which we 
fish there. If you don’t want this effu- 
sion, and I don’t blame you if you don’t, 
please return it. Last year was the 
greatest ever for striped bass at Mon- 
tauk, four rods averaging twenty-four 
fish per day but most of the fish ran 
under ten pounds. Now I know our 
friend Hulit is a bait fisherman and 
wedded to the method as followed on 
the Jersey coast but he ought to let the 
readers of our magazine know of the 
fine fishing near town. This Summer 
the State begins the construction of a 
cement road from Bridgehampton to the 
Point so that any fisherman who owns 
a “Lizzie” can run right down to the 
fishing grounds and no railroad fare. 
The Holler — Shortly I leave on my 
fourteenth trip to the West coast of Flo- 
rida. Two years ago I had the pleasure 
of attending the King party whom we 
found lost at the head of Little Shark 
River near Harney Pool. I have enjoyed 
reading Lamed’s descriptions of that 
country. Except for rattlesnakes there 
is no danger there for the man who 
minds his own business and keeps his 
mouth shut. The stone over the grave 
of that Audubon Society warden on Cape 
Sable is a very pretty piece of brown 
stone. I visited it last year. But what 
do you expect. He butted in on the lo- 
cal plume hunting industry. If Lamed 
wants a story tell him to get from Geo. 
Storter of Allens River the story of 
Watson who lived on Lostman’s River 
and made a business of killing for the 
pure love of the thing. I visited the 
stand from which he shot his victims 
and found the skeleton of the old women 
he killed and which one of my friends 
helped to bury. Watson died facing a 
bunch of men at Chockoloskee. They 
buried him on Rabbit Key, waking Stor- 
ter up in the middle of the night to 
pronounce him officially dead. This was 
easy. He had twenty-one bullets in him. 
This year we are going to try to 
catch sailfish outside Knights Key by 
the kite method as done at Avalon. It 
seems easy according to the letter and 
diagrams just received from the secre- 
tary of the club but I “hae me doubts.” 
Don’t suppose you would care to hear 
how it works as my articles are merely 
stories of facts and have no “literary 
merit.” 
Henry H. Shepard. 
PHILBRICK GILE 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream: 
N O one could have gone into the 
Rangeley region of Maine without 
having known Philbrick Gile 
either through personal acquaintance or 
Philbrick Gile 
by reputation. The news of his death, 
which occurred the latter part of Feb- 
ruary, will be regretted by all who knew 
him. 
He was one of the pioneers in this 
section, in fact, his name is properly as- 
sociated with the old buckboard road 
from Rangeley to Kennebago via Loon 
Lake, as he was one of the small group 
of men who blazed through the original 
trail, which later became a buckboard 
road, and up to a few years ago was 
the only way into Kennebago from 
Rangeley. During his early life he was 
engaged in trapping and work incidental 
to the opening up of this region. 
With the development of York’s Camp 
at Loon Lake and Ed. Grant’s at Ken- 
nebago, his services as a guide were 
eagerly sought by sportsmen. In addi- 
tion to being a most practical woodsman, 
he was a thorough student and lover 
of nature. One was always sure of en- 
tertainment with Philbrick, his many 
and varied experiences provided a 
foundation for many an interesting 
story. 
It was the writer’s privilege to have 
known him, not only as a guide, but as 
a friend and companion. I saw him 
last in October, in his comfortable home 
wrought from the forest by his own 
effort and thrift. 
His death thins the ranks of our stur- 
dy New England type of men, who by 
their life of labor and resistance give 
us a heritage of the best American citi- 
zenship. 
Clinton V. Dean, Rhode Island. 
WHO WANTS TO HUNT IN MEXICO 
To the Editor of FOREST AND Stream 
1 AM planning a hunting and trapping 
expedition to start from this place 
about the first of next October to be out 
some eight or nine months. I am going in- 
to the Sierra Madres of northwestern Chi- 
huahua and expect to explore and hunt 
in a region that is virgin forest and prac- 
tically unknown to the outside world. All 
of the game and fur bearing animals be- 
longing to this part of the world are in 
great abundance, streams are numerous 
and alive with game fish, in fact it is a 
hunter’s paradise. 
My object in writing this to you, is 
to ask you to help me to find a man to 
join me. I want a partner who has the 
ability to write vivid descriptions of what 
he will see and the game we will kill, 
that he can get published in some sport- 
ing magazine to help make the trip a 
profitable one. If I can find the right 
man he will be able to collect an abund- 
ance of matter that will be of interest to 
all readers of such publications or that 
I think will find sale, published in book 
form. I spent one winter hunting and 
trapping in this district without this 
feature and made a good profit, and I 
have made numerous short excursions 
always with success. 
I have always used Winchester arms 
in my hunting expeditions. For deer and 
bear the 30 Army type is the gun I like 
best. When I find a grizzly I am not 
afraid to tackle him with this gun, and 
it is positive suicide to tackle one of these 
brutes if you haven’t got a safe gun. 
When describing any interesting bags 
of game, we will naturally mention the 
kind and size of gun used and I think 
that a hunter’s story is incomplete if he 
doesn’t tell what he can do with his 
favorite gun. The man I am looking for 
must be healthy and able to bear some 
hardships and above all be a lover of 
outdoor life and of the sport of hunting, 
or his narratives will not be good. I will 
expect him to bear an equal portion of 
the expense and share the same in any 
profit, with myself and probably another 
person who will go with me. The trip 
will not be without some element of dan- 
ger which, however, will make it the 
more interesting. I will expect this man 
to bring photographing outfit and be able 
to take pictures for illustrating pur- 
poses. I will answer any questions to any 
person interested truthfully and frankly, 
and I can furnish ample proof that I am 
responsible and will treat fairly with my 
partner. Leon A. Carruth, 
Pearson, Chihuahua, Mexico. 
