352 
FOREST AND STREAM 
July, 1919 
ing up of the prairies and the draining 
of the little prairie lakes proved fatal 
to the canvasbacks, red heads, geese and 
other wild fowl that once bred all over 
North Dakota and Montana. The cut- 
ting down of the forests, making large 
areas of open country without feed or 
breeding places has proved fatal to the 
wild pigeon. 
I think this theory could be well proved 
if looked into thoroughly. 
It is probable that a few specimens of 
the wild pigeon still exists and in the 
future it may be our good fortune to 
meet with them more frequently. There 
is now a more rigid supervision over the 
wild game and the forests and it is to be 
hoped that they will not be allowed to 
drift away into the shadow of the past. 
George Rowland, Connecticut. 
THE COOING FISH AGAIN 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream : 
1 NOTE in the May issue of Forest 
AND Stream a letter written by Mr. 
George S. Hastings of Washington, D. C., 
in which he states that he has caught 
one of those “cooing fish.” He says 
that he hooked a fair size trout that 
came off his hook and rolled down a 
thirty foot rock slide, that he was in 
close pursuit of this fish and just as it 
was about to get back into the water he 
grabbed it and to his astonishment the 
trout let out a harsh little “squeally 
squeak.” Take it from me, Mr. Editor, 
that squeak came from Mr. Hastings and 
not the fish. I have been there too and 
have not only heard fish squeak and 
squawk but have heard them do. a lot of 
cussin’. 
If Mr. Hastings still insists that his 
trout squealled, my advice to him is to 
handle them gently. You can almost 
squeeze a squawk out of a rock. Handle 
’em gently, Mr. Hastings, handle ’em 
gently, trout spoil quickly after you bust 
’em. 
R. L. Cox, Georgia. 
CAMPING IN AN AWNING LEAN-TO 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream ; 
A SPLENDID housing for campers on 
canoe trips is embodied in the fa- 
miliar lean-to of ordinary tent cloth. It 
packs into a small bundle and may be 
used as a wrapping for bedding, utensils, 
and the like, packing into the bottom of 
the canoe in a very convenient manner. 
It is quickly and easily set up and dis- 
mantled ; making it ideal for one night 
“stands.” taking the minimum of time 
for making and breaking camp, when 
a late arrival is made and an early start 
desired the following morning. 
Not wishing to purchase the neces- 
sary materials for such a protection the 
writer appropriated an old veranda 
awning covering, which just happened 
to be the right size, and with a little 
mending found in his hands just what 
he wished to have. It was dark in color 
from much weathering and was not near- 
ly so conspicuous as a new white canvas 
would have been, making the camp much 
more picturesque than the brand new 
white material could have made it. 
Along the top edge a rope was lashed, 
projecting for some length on either side, 
and at the four lower corners, loops of 
rope were fastened that were to be se- 
cured to stakes when the lean-to was set 
up. Each end of the rope along the top 
edge was to be made fast to a tree at 
the proper height from the ground, two 
of which must be selected the proper 
distance apart, with a clear space be- 
tween them. One side of the lean-to 
should be placed close against one of 
the trees leaving the other side free. To 
add a little strength to the free side a 
forked stick may be used as a prop for 
the rope which at this point will sag a 
little. The tightened rope makes a good 
wash line or utility line for hanging 
things free of the ground. A carpet 
strip was in the bottom of the writer’s 
canoe, similar to many others. At night 
this served as a little drop, one end 
being tacked to the tree close to the 
lean-to and the other to the prop. It 
Snug and comfortable in an awning 
lean-to 
helps considerably in keeping off the 
chill of night. 
The canoe was dragged up on shore 
and turned on side leaning against the 
tree above mentioned, with the open 
side towards the sleepers, also protect- 
ing them, as well as keeping the canoe 
safe from possible theft. A small fire 
built in the space between the canoe 
and the tent added the finishing touches 
in making the campers perfectly com- 
fortable. The outfit herewith described 
did very well for three campers without 
crowding. Two paddled while the third 
rested on the outfit in the middle of the 
canoe. By careful packing it was rigged 
up into a very comfortable resting 
lounge, the bedding protecting one from 
the corners of the various camp equip- 
ment. 
C. M. Breder, Jr., New Jersey. 
SHAPING ARROW HEADS 
To the Editor of FOREST AND Stream: 
I N the letter on arrow heads in your 
April number, Mr. J. W. Mclllree of 
Victoria, B. C. wanted to know how 
they were fashioned from flint and I 
would like to add this to the letter by 
Clark Wissler in answer to the above: 
The American Indian used a charcoal 
fire and a hollow cane for a blowpipe. 
Heating the flint very hot they chipped 
it to the desired shape by means of cold 
water, applying a little at a time until 
the hard substance gradually crumbled 
away. 
Hal Hudspeth, Texas. 
SHOT GUN ACCURACY 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream: 
I N your issue for May of the current 
A year there appears an article under 
the above heading which is misleading. 
As an ardent lover of the good old style 
double gun, barrels side by side, I cannot 
refrain from defending it, for they have 
stood by me in weather fair and foul, for 
over fifty years, in all kinds of shooting, 
at all sorts of game, in gauges from 8 
to 28 including many different makes, 
both foreign and domestic. 
The writer in question would try to 
make it appear that all double shot guns 
shoot off center from one or both bar- 
rels, basing his opinion, presumably, on 
the performance of whatever guns he 
may have tested. The very fact of his 
self-confessed deductions proving beyond 
doubt that he never has tried a first class, 
accurate shooter, else he never could have 
come to that conclusion. 
He relates his own experience, attrib- 
uting his misses with different guns, en- 
tirely to the fact that they shoot off 
centre, forgetting altogether that per- 
chance faulty pointing, or an ill-fitting 
stock might be to blame. 
That some guns do shoot off center is 
a well-known fact and no one with ex- 
perience will attempt to deny that. On 
the other hand, neither will any author- 
ity worth quoting assert that all shot 
guns shoot off centre from one or both 
barrels because that is tantamount to the 
broad and untenable statement that all 
shot guns are defective, for no gun, re- 
gardless of its make, is an honestly and 
accurately made fowling piece that does 
not at least shoot straight at all sport- 
ing ranges. 
The idea of suggesting casting “on” or 
“off” the stock to rectify the shooting 
of a defective barrel, is too grotesque to 
merit serious consideration, and although 
the writer of the extraoi'dinary article 
may have been measured and fitted by 
foreign experts, that is quite irrelevant 
to the case in point and in no way war- 
rants the broad and unsupportable state- 
ment that all guns shoot off center for 
no one, with any experience in testing 
guns, would accept, at any price, one 
that admittedly shot 2 feet to the right 
of the mark at 40 yards, which is what 
Mr. L. Mitchell-Henry admits his spe- 
cially bored and choked pigeon gun ac- 
tually did. 
If Mr. Mitchell-Henry’s idea is to rec- 
ommend the “Under and Over” gun it 
would seem there should be some better, 
and more straightforward method of do- 
ing so, without maligning and misrep- 
resenting what is universally accepted as 
the best and most serviceable shot gun in 
the world — the good old style, reliable, 
double game gun. 
Gaucho. 
