FOREST AND STREAM 
bat will curry off a large charge of shot, even though planted 
in a vital point ; Its extreme tenacity of life enabling it to 
fly several hundred yards, when it will drop dead, the sports- 
man mentally scoring a clean miss, when had he followed up 
the bird, os all sportsmen should do, he would have saved 
himself the chugrin aud self-torture of missing, as he sup- 
posed, a fair shot. 
So extremely wary is this bird, and so perfectly able to 
take care of himself, that a man is justifled in shooting him 
m season in whatever way he can-flying, drumming, on the 
ground, on a tree-any way. You ain't annihilate him, his 
instincts are too acute, and sportsmen can congratulate them- 
selves that there is at least one game bird in our land that 
never will be exterminated so long as our game protective 
laws are enforced. The ruffed grouse is found in all the 
hilly wooded tracts of the Union — more abundant in the 
Eastern and Middle States than other portions, owing to the 
nature of the cover, which is moi£ suited to its habits. It is 
a delicious game bird, its flesh being fur superior to any other 
of the species. 
With autumn well advanced, our sportsmau is* kept busy. 
The close season on all game birds and animals has expired, 
and he is not confined to single species, but the whole broad 
field is open before him, and no country on earth presents such 
a vurlety of bipeds and quadrupeds, strictly game— besides 
others which, although not game, yield sport-as this broad 
land of ours. 
He may go out some bright, frosty November morning, os- 
tensibly for quail. Let us follow him us, with a trusty com- 
panion and a pair of blooded setters, he sallies forth. Our 
friends are in high spirits, men and dogs both seem to partake 
of the general “ snap " pervading the atmosphere, and many 
a jolly song rolls out upon the morning air as the hunters 
wend their way across the fields to the stubble, where they 
have been assured two or three bevies were “using." The 
walk is quite a long one, and by the time our friends have ar- 
rived upon the ground, the morning sun has dispersed the 
frost and the stubble is in fine condition for the dogs to show 
that remarkable power they possess of finding the birds by 
scent alone. At a word from the master they are off quarter- 
ing the ground thoroughly, and leaving no clump or tussock 
bordering the field unexplored by their sensitive noses. Soon 
the advance dog strikes the trail of a roading bevy, and with 
all due caution works it up. Slowl/, inch by inch,’ he draws 
towards the birds, the hot scent growing every instant more 
furious, until at last, right over the hiding quail, he stops, 
motionless as a statue. The other dog who has been follow- 
ing, noting every movement, also stops and backs the first. 
It is a pretty picture, a brace of staunch dogs on a point. It 
seems too bad to spoil it by walking in and flushing the birds. 
But our sportsmen, nothing loth, get them up, and as they 
whirr away like bullets, the round reports of the four barrels 
speak the death knell of as mauy quail. Having accurately 
marked down the survivors in the west field, our sportsmen 
advance, and again is the same scene enacted, and so on uutil 
either all the birds are killed or the bevy so scattered as to 
make further pursuit unprofitable. 
Let us now follow the hunters as they turn their steps to- 
ward yonder gully that seems to have been formed by some 
great convulsion. Scaq^ig, as it does, the whole mountaiu 
side, its course is plainly marked by the depression in the 
evergreen foliage. The mouth of this gorge looks dark and 
forbidding, shaded, as it is, by the sober pine and hemlock, 
with an undergrowth of laurel and cedar. But it is in just 
such places as this that the ruffed grouse lurks, and with the 
sportsmen at the bottom and the dogs working up the thickets 
along the sides, many fair cross shots are obtained. It is hard 
work, and if two or three brace are bagged by the two guns 
in an hour's toiling, our friends may feel that they have done 
well. In knocking about in a late autumn day an occasions 
hare will be bounced from her form, only to be bowled over 
to help out the assortment. In passing by the creek-side a 
belated plump of teal may be induced to pay tribute to the al- 
ready plethoric game-bag, while a shot now and then at a 
black or gray squirrel is not wasted. So when, at sundown, 
our sportsmen return from the field and empty upon the 
kitchen table the fruits of their prowess, there are quail, ruffed 
grouse, hare, ducks and squirrels. A goodly sight they are, 
laid out in neat array, and although the result of a hard day’s 
work, oiu - sportsmen vow they never passed a more pleasant 
day, and while partaking of the smoking dinner kind hands 
have prepared, they talk of incidents of the day's sport ; and 
when the after-dinner pipe is being discussed before the glow- 
ing hearth, they live over again in fancy those happy hours 
just passed. 
But our sportsman, tiring of small game, has, during the 
autumn, larger and nobler species at his command. The com- 
mon Virginia deer, the great moose and elk, the black bear and 
wild turkey are all in fine condition, offering the best sport in 
the world, that in which there is a dash of danger. The No. 
8 cartridges are changed for buckshot, or the shot-gun is re- 
jected entirely for the heavy rifle, anil the light moccasin 
or shoe pack takes the place of the heavy-soled, long-legged 
hunting-boot. No whistling or singing can now bo indulged 
in, for in the pursuit of any of the above-mentioned large 
game, the strictest silence is necessary. 
In pursuing the common deer many devices are employed 
by the sportsman to get within shot, the principal ones of 
which are stalking, running with hounds and shooting at 
“ licks." All of these require patience, endurance and a 
quick eye to aim the deadly tube accurately and bring down 
the game. The deer is common in nearly every State of the 
Union, and one need not go far to find fair shooting The 
wild turkey and black berr are also comparatively common 
having a wide distribution ; but to find those *• monarchs of 
the forest," the elk and moose, the sportsman must take a 
loug journey und be prepared for a season of genuine “rough- 
ing it.” Comparatively few elk ure now found east of the 
Missouri river, the onward march of civilization having driven 
them from theit old stamping grounds. But they are still 
plenty in those far off localities, und the sportsman of nerve, 
grit and good horsemanship may have royal sport among these 
noble fellows. 
The moose is also well nigh exterminated in our country, 
a few- still linger on the northern couflnes; but in the British 
Provinces alone is he found in numbers sufficient to make 
pursuit profitable. The usual method employed in hunting 
the moose Is to repair, some moonlight October night, to a fa- 
vorable ridge, and while your Indian guide sounds his birch- 
bark moose-call, in imitation of the cow, listen for the crush- 
ing through the undergrowth of the amorous bull, and ns he 
dashes into the open, expecting to meet the cow, an ounce bull 
finishes him. A trifle unfair, perhaps, but as a single shot 
seldom kills, and u wounded bull moose is no mean enemy per- 
haps the sportsman is justified ; for a fair shot at one of these 
noble creatures is an event seldom repealed in a lifetime. 
Both turkey and bear shooting are of a nature to test the 
staying qualities of the most sturdy sportsman. These crea- 
tures are best pursued when the snow is on the ground, during 
the months of. December and January, and hunting for them 
may properly be classed under the head of “ winter sports." 
Bears are tracked with dogs, brought to bay, or “ treed," aud 
shot. Turkeys are tracked in the snow, while a careful watch 
is kept out ahead ; anil unless all the little minutiu- of silence, 
keeping out of sight with the birds upwind, etc., are observed' 
the chase might as well be given up, for, at the first suspicion 
of danger, these wary birds are off, running like race-horses 
and leading the hunter a loug chose, only to foil him again as 
he approaches too eagerly. 
In most of the States the close seasou for all game, except 
hares and ducks, begins January 1st. But as in this latitude, 
at this tune of year, nearly all the ponds and watercourses are 
frozen, the ducks have afileft; but hare shooting, either brown 
or gray, is good sport. To make this branch of shooting 
agreeable, a pair of beagles or an old slow hound is the correct 
thing in dogs. The sportsmen take positions on “ runways ” 
and by standing perfectly still, the hare will bound along 
withm a few feet of the stand, offering the fairest possible 
shot. 
There are many true sportsmen who still enjoy the sport of 
running foxes. Not the sort with “ whipper in," and horse, 
and hounds and horn, but the real old-fashioned fox hunting,' 
with gun and dog, following Reynard all day through the snow, 
taking advantage of every ridge to cut him off, and at last 
being rewarded with a running shot, which tumbles the sly 
fellow over in the snow. 
Pickerel fishing through the ice is a sport that, for real ex- 
citement and genuine fun, ranks high enough to be included 
in the category of the sportsman's winter pursuits. The 
method of taking the fish, as practiced on our fresh water 
lakes and ponds, consists of chopping or chiseling as many 
holes, a foot in diameter, as the patience and muscle of the 
party will admit. Laths about eighteen inches in length, 
with an auger hole through them about six inches from one 
end, are then taken, and a round stick thrust through and 
placed across the hole in the ice, resting upon its edges. A 
line, twelve feet or more in length, with hook baited with a 
live minnow, is tied to the short end, and when a fish bile 9 , 
up flies the long end of the lath, which is the signal to the 
watchful fisherman that a fish is on. Oftentimes, in place of 
the bobbers, the line is fastened to a simple twig set in the 
ice by chopping a little hollow, thrusting in the butt of the 
bough, dashing in a little water and loose ice, which soon be- 
come solid, holding it firmly. A red rag is tied to the top, 
and when a bite occurs, the jerking movements of the rag soon 
catch the sportman's eye. A party of four men to a hundred 
fines will be kept busy if the fish are biting at all eagerly. 
Great is the excitement when a number of bobbers fly up at 
the same time. And the rush for the fines often results in 
verifying the truth of the old saying, “the more haste the 
less speed," and many an eager sportsman attemping to stop 
too suddenly ot^ the slippery ice has either gone helplessly 
sliding on beyond his objective point, or possibly thrust a leg 
into a convenient hole. 
Occasionally a sigaal will fly up at some outlying station 
and attract the attention simultaneously of two of the sports- 
men who are standing beside the great log fire built on the ice. 
Off they both dart, and the race is watched with much interest 
aud amusement by the other members of the party. The win- 
ner triumphantly waves the fish in the air and proceeds to put 
on a fresh minnow. Some sportsmen may sneer at the pick- 
erel and consider him beneath their notice ; and we grant that 
he is rather a sluggish summer fish. But in winter he throws 
off that apathy, and a five-pounder on a short line requires 
careful manipulation to get safely on the ice. We will guar- 
antee, however, that to partake of him baked with cream sauce 
will conquer all prejudices, no matter how deep seated. 
And now that the winter is made enjoyable by hare and fox 
shooting and pickerel fishing, -we bring our sportsman to his 
starting-place. That he has been busy and that his sporting 
proclivities have been fostered and exercised through the last 
twelve mouths there can be no doubt. Every season, from its 
*treaaure-house of sylvan delight, has ministered to his wants. 
And here we leave him, with a vigorous frame, a fresh fund 
of knowledge relative to his mother nature, on annetito fnr 
innocent and healthful recreation uncloyed and in a wlV 
splendid condition for launching forth on a new spiting yea^ 
H. W. Dk L. 
Nbw Haven Register. — William Parsons, Jr., a prominem 
2 nl n ? aVCDl IW ' the eifitorsK 0 ^ 
ot Marc “ 1SL Mr - is a son-in-law 
Ur Mr IW f' a “ d former edilor ot ^ ReffU- 
• Ur. Parsons is a young mau of very promising ahllitv 
‘zz ,ke ***" wm *• ^ 
Yale 1 Parsons is a graduate of the class of “ 08, " 
GAME 
meetings 
PROTECTION. 
OF c »?T ate associations 
for 1878. 
Now York *8tato° Association for*! he M ““ obo8,or . April 2. 
Buffalo, May- ; Sooly ! John B t ^SS ° f ^ &Ud 
Soar's 
u. 
PpngSRT 
Wiltb«i,l,‘*T o ? 0 P a “‘' m ” , ‘ ' ‘'“““‘Ion, Oiaoiub.il, Ju„„ 15 . aoolT 
js=s« :sarif=s» ~ * 
JrLrrw„r L r- L °‘ ,k “ »*•»> ™ Co*™ 
<c r ., Bird a „d ms 
KaS3Si??Ss 
SXSSSS 'Si ?■"“ “» 15 
ronnollT Q “ A ! L '- 8everal associations Of gentlemen having 
noIt n.mil Z ?, ° rm lhCm WLctlK “ r Jud & e Evcrl9 would irn 
port quail for them, in case he sent for any birds for himself 
wh y h ear ’-n V ? T e l ° Judge Everl8 - and ,mve Lad tlle reply 
which will he found below. We beg to state that In our 
opinion the successful acclimatization of the European quail Is 
by no means certain as yet. Mr. Everts says, “ If the birds 
come back in the spring," etc. Should, however, the quail, after 
having migrated to the South, return to their Northern homes 
anil it becomes desirable to import birds, there are many 
nearer points on the Mediterranean than Sicily from whence 
quail can be had. As Mr. Glass, of revered aud culinary 
memory, said, “First catch your hare." Let us theu patiently 
await further developments: 
-° f 2d i8 received. In reply, would sav 
hat I had not intended to send any further orclers for aS 
havmg already sunt two separate orders for birds 
Vermont lr your friend wishes for the birds he 
eoncm m ° rdcr 10 , Mr ' Bonano - “re of George II Owens 
consul at Messina, and on notice of the order will write OweSs 
who is a personal friend, to do all in his powHo flfi the 
S’h“ n H d . ey au ! l,e £ hipped wiIh ethers already ordered I 
llunk birds shipped as Bonano ships them are verv certain in 
come through safely. I would not record S £££ ° 
^ Ua tW ° * JUnd red— the more the hetter-^und would 
d ° wu u r ca |' enough together so that they would not 
separate too far. I think that wastho trouble with Ilapirood’s 
Unf ' /i at ? consluat| y hearing of more nests and youmf birds 
hatched last summer. I heard of three nests on oiTrm E 
SPS' a , ,ir°i a WhlCL b ? tCl ? ed lurt ’ r ° breofls-one of them slxteeT 
If the birds come back in the spring to their old breeding 
grounds, so that the parties importing them will be sure^? 
Mother ‘JTr ' " Uml,CT8 be imported 
Rutland, Vt., March 4. ' EvE8T8 - 
rHK Adirondack Guides to the Front.— W e recorded two 
Mm T^nf°/ 7 itU Kr ^ eat , deaI of satisfaction, the formation of 
the Long Luke, N. Y.. Game Club. All sportsmen who repair 
to the North Woods will appreciate the beneficial results likely 
to follow such a movement on the part of the Adirondack 
guides. A Gluus Falls correspondent writes : 
“Charlie Hauner is au old guide of mine, and I see by the 
he is President of the Long Lake 
Sportsmans Club. This is a move in the right direction 
Once the guides in the woods arc interested in the protection 
of game, much success may he accomplished." 1 
-T,?'? 0 '' as been much complaint recently of the operations 
of still hun ers in the Adirondack*. Great numbers of deer 
have been slaughtered in the “yards." 
A Suggestion as to Guides. -Commenting upon the an- 
t agon ism so often existing bet weeu landholders and sportsmen 
and the rebuffs experienced by the latter when seeking permis-’ 
sion to hunt over property, our correspondent, “ Greenwood,’ 
suggests that much of the trouble is traceable to a third party— 
the guide. After speaking a good word for the many mem- 
bers of that craft who have rendered him good and faithful 
service, he says: 
But, notwithstanding all this, it is but too often the case 
that guide and pot-hunter arc synonymous terms in the esti- 
mation of the community. However, in those cases where 
the guide is most obnoxious bo is least necessary ; uamely in 
u thickly settled country. The landholder who would accede 
to the request of the gentleman sportsman will refuse point 
blank when the sportsman is accompanied by the well-known 
well-posted guide, whose intimate knowledge of the haunts of 
the game is derived from systematic tracking and watching of 
the breeding and roosting spots. The farmers, not usually 
sportsmen themselves, have a kindly feeling for the birds that 
breed upon iheir premises, and will almost invariably, if 
aware of the location leave unharvested and unmolested spots 
rather than disturb the nest of a bird. And there is also the 
proprietory interest in the game ; and it is with indignation 
