187S 
9 
Boone” to “Wahkonza.” 
ACROBATS OF THE SEA. 
English Snipes in New Jersey. — A friend of 
Rod AND Gun writes as follows; “The Ion? looked 
Thankyou, friend W., for your complimentary terms; 
we all like praise; some of us like still more the favor 
which stands beyond praise, or is part of it. You say 
truly, we live near each other. In the East mountains 
intervening make strangers of the people; vide 
Cowper, •passim. But out here, forty miles of prairie 
between men, makes them neighbors. I am anxious to 
make some returns for your pleasant words. I can 
think of none better than to give you an opportunity «f 
bringing utter defeat on a dropper. Half wav between 
you and me is Boone River, on the east side of the 
Des Moines. It was there old Johnny Green, with his 
Pottawatomies cleaned out the last band of marauding 
Sioux from the north, leaving them 150 less to return to 
tneirhome: the deed itself, the last flickering gleam of 
an expiring tribe. Well, on the second day of August, 
if you say so, I will meet you there, at noon : you and 
I: we two alone. We will shoot, that evening over the 
hl'ue blood, the next morning over the dropper. If good 
dog win, it will not be the first time that this deponent 
has gone out for wool and come back shorn. If the drop- 
per win, it will not be the first time that a man by the 
name of Boone has raised a redskin’s hair. Till when, 
if then, yours most truly, Boone. 
P. S. Thank you, too, friend “Field,” of Michigan, 
for your assurances of favor, and of help when needed. 
Would that you and I could have just three days in the 
coming spring, at the head of your beautiful Detroit 
River, and on the St. Clair Flats around Belle Isle — 
once nog Island, you know: changed for euphony, af- 
ter the name of the fair daughter of Gen. Cass — then 
float down the shore to Toledo: how would the pochard 
or redheads, the bluebills, the brant, and geese, fairly 
come out of their hiding to yield themselves to such a 
conjunction of men of the gun! To me, it would be 
pleasant renewal of other and happy days: heightened, 
I doubt not, by the new companionship. B. 
The Iowa Fish Commissioners have done good 
work in their brief period of oflice They obtained 
from the U. S. fish commission 100,000 young shad, 
which were deposited in the Des Moines river. They 
have distributed among the inland lakes and streams 
100,000 young bass and other fish. There have alse 
been distributed in various parts of the state between 
the two great rivers, the Mississippi and Missouri, no 
less than 230,000 California salmon. There are now at 
the batching house 40,000 young salmon and 8,000 
young trout, all as lively as crickets. The Commission- 
ers expect to receive shortly, from the government and 
eastern States fishery at Bucksport, Maine, 300,000 eggs 
of Penol'SCOt salmon, which will be hatched out and 
ready for distribution in May or June. They also ex- 
pect from the same source, a large quantity of eels and 
shad, which will be deposited in the various lakes and 
rivers throughout the Si ate. It is the intention of 
Commissioner 8haw to gather, as soon as the season is 
favorable, a large quantity of eggs of wall-eyed pike, 
bass and other varieties of fish in the Mississippi, which 
he means to have hatched in the State hatching house 
at this place. It requires great care and attention to 
hatch and raise the fish. The water has to be kept pure 
and clean, the dead ones have to be picked out, and 
food placed in the troughs regularly twice each day. 
From the number of letters that the Commissioners 
are receiving almost daily asking for fish it is evident 
that the people are becoming interested in the matter, 
while the total expenditure is the merest trifle in the 
State resources. The Commissioners have expended 
for building of hatching-house,* reservoirs, brick and 
cementing spring and other permanent work, $1, 169.17. 
For hatching troughs and other fixtures incidental to 
the first year’s operations, $66.94. For lined help, 
traveling and other expenses of Commissioners, $772.78. 
Total expended, $2,008.79 — leaving yet on hand of the 
$3,000 appropriation the sum of $991.21. 
Small birds are coming back to us, invited by the 
milder weather. We hope our brother editors and all 
readers and good sportsmen will spread abroad the fact 
that in most States it is an offence to kill our welcome 
visitors. 
With the break up of the ;ce in the rivers the ducks 
f have oiade their appearance inmi the south, moving to- 
I ward their northeru breeding grounds. The}' are very 
I plenty on the shores of Lo:._; Island Sound. Robert 
I Wilson, of Branford, Conn., recently killed sixty-two 
I in one day. 
BY ALASKA. 
While standing off the coast of Kodiak, North Pacific 
ocean, one asternoon in June last, our attention was 
called to a large school of “fin back” whales, which 
were off our lee bow several miles, and what appeared 
to be a number of small black objects leaping out of 
the water all around them, when they rose to “ blow.” 
Knowing that whales of this kind never disturb fish, our 
curiosity was so greatly aroused that the captain put 
the helm up and we ran down upon the scene of in- 
terest. 
The little black objects which we could not make out 
at first sight, were fur seals (CallorMnus ursinus), s.xidi 
every time a whale in the school came to the surface to 
“ blow,” these seals to the number of a dozen or two 
would leap clean out of the water and over the whale’s 
back, falling into the sea on the other side with a great 
splashing and rollicking 1 backwards, forwards, and in- 
cessantly these alert pinnipedes leaped over his whale 
ship’s back just as long as it was exposed, with no other 
object than sport and unnoticed by the giant cetacean, 
which would lazily arch its huge glistening body and 
silently dive to its feeding grounds again, with a soft 
pat on the water from its great tail just before disap- 
pearing ; the seals would then swiftly swim along over 
the submarine wake of the object of their sport, ready 
as soon as it arose for a fresh breath to repeat their 
gymnastic evolutions. 
The perfect control of movement in the water pos- 
sessed by these fur seals was beautifully exhibited on 
this occasion, and the power they possessed of throwing 
themselves from fifteen to twenty feet out clear from 
the sea by a single stroke of their fore-flippers was re- 
markable and indicative of extraordinary muscular 
energy; when in the air sailing over the whale’s back, 
the seal carried its fore flippers tightly pressed against 
its sides and the hind ones held straight out in the rear, 
the body slightly arched, dropping into the water on the 
opposite side, head foremost, plump, continuing its 
course then by diving down under the whale’s belly 
and coming up on the side from which it had previously 
leaped ; this performance was not noticed. 
Several days after this exhibition or aquatic circus, 
we .surprised a number of fur seals as they were sleep- 
ing in the sea near OonemakPass; they were resting on 
their backs, the fore flippers folded over the breast and 
the hind ones turned forward and over them again, 
leaving the heels just above the water, while the head 
was thrown forward and rested on the chest and flip- 
pers with all of it submerged save the nose ; in this way 
several hundreds of these animals were peacefully nap- 
ping like so many “Portuguese men o’ war.” 
The rapidity with which these animats can swim 
must be very great ; for instance, when we w'ere run- 
ning down for Akootan Pass from St. Lawrence Island,, 
last September, we were logging 13 “knots, ”or nearly 
15 miles an hour, a number of fur seals followed in our 
wake for several hours without any appearance of great 
exertion, although it was evident that they were not 
idle ; we frequently caught glimpses of them swimming 
under water alongside, for they never swim with their 
heads out, like a cigar steamer ; the propelling seems to 
be entirely due to the action of the fore flippers while 
the hinder ones are extended as a rudder ; what rate of 
speed they are capable of would be an interesting ^act. 
co.iii.\G statiTI^ate.xtioas. 
“The Game and Fish League of New Hampshire” 
will hold its annual meeting at Manchester, N. H., on 
the 6th April instant. 
Vermont Association for the Protection of Fish and 
Game will meet in April. We are not apprised of the 
day. 
New York Association for the Protection of Fish and 
Game will hold its next annual meeting at Watertown, 
N. Y. Day not vet announced. 
Ohio State Sportsmen’s Association will hold its an- 
nual meeting in Cleveland on the 9th June next. 
Kentucky State Sportsmen’s Association will hold its 
first annual meeting at Paris, Ky., May 18. 
We request early notice of all meetings 
A -Maryland correspoiideui ‘■ays: “The first snake 
of the season w.as captured on the 11th inst., on the 
piemises o* S J. England. It was of the garter-snake 
species, mi isuring two feet, five and three quarter inches 
in length. Rather early for his suakeship, but it was 
active and ready for Dusiness.” 
for English snipes are here at last. On the 28th March 
a friend of mine and I started and killed three in the 
Hackensack meadows, the first ones heard off around 
here. The birds, which we found amdng some old rot- 
ten stumps in the open meadows, were small, but 
otherwise in a good condition. There are very few 
ducks out as yet, as the Hackensack river and all the 
creeks are a solid mass of ice, and the ducks cannot 
find open water; but if this weather keeps on a few days 
longer ice and snow will be of the past. Woodcocks 
have been here during the warm days, end of February, 
and several were shot and sold to a taxidermist. Is 
there no law to prevent shooting game birds out of sea- 
son for taxidermists? I should like to hear the opinion 
of other sportsmen on this subject, as this shooting for 
taxidermists would allow anybody to shoot game birds 
at any time.” ; 
WESTERN ITE.ns. 
, [by our own correspondent.] 
Chicago. — News from the Calumet marshes received to-day an- 
nounces the arrival of the spring ducks in large numbers, and re- 
ports the shooting even now much better than it was at any time 
last spring, and the result is that every man who can shoulder a 
gun is en route for the seat of war, and the twenty days shooting 
we have before the close season w ill be made the most of by all . 
There has been nothing done at the trap during the past w’eek 
beyond the a small shoot on the Gun Club Grounds on Tuesday, and 
another to-day, which will be the last until the wild birds come . It 
is very doubtful whether there has been so much trap shooting in 
any two other cities of the Union during the past winter as in this. 
From December 1 to March 1 every pleasant day there has been 
more or less of it cither at the Gun Club, Dexter Park, Stagg or 
Hyde Park gronnds, and some days at all of them; and a very 
moderate figuring places the toUl number of birds shot at from 
25,000 to 30,000, and probably more. The shooting has been largely 
practice shooting for the birds only, or perhaps a small stake be- 
sides, enough to cover expenses for the winner, and has beec un- 
usually good, high averages being made throughout. 
There is some talk about the organization of yet another city 
shooting club, composed of sportsmen residing in the southern por- 
tion of the city. Rumor has it that they start in with a member- 
ship of over twenty, some of whom are very fine shots; and that 
they propose making it warm for some of the other clubs. 
The Tolleston Club is a society that does not often get into 
print. It comprises many of the best names in Chicago, and the 
objects of its association are comprised as follows:** The ob- 
jects of the club, according to an article in its constitution, are 
* recreation and relaxation from tbe cares, anxieties, and wear 
and tear of business life, the promotion and cultivation of physical 
health, and the maintenance of a robust, hardy, and generous man- 
hood, which a judicious and reasonable application to field sports, 
more particularly hunting and fishing, tends so largely to contrib- 
ute.* ** They have purchased a farm for the exclusive use of mem- 
bers, in the marshes of Little Calumet, near Tolleston, Ind,, whence 
the club's title. The club has erected a two-8*ory club-house, con- 
taining a large reception room, with ample and elaborate conven- 
iences for keeping guns, amunition, drying boots and clothes, and 
for the social entertainment of members. The house also contains 
a bath-room, a large dining-room, kitchen, and family rooms for the 
keeper. There are forty beds and a ladies' parlor with ball room for 
use of families of members. A large, two-story bam has been 
built on tbe place, also a well arranged ics-honse, together with dog 
kennels, pigeon-cotes, etc. The boat-house, which is large and con- 
venient, is furnished with forty boats, fishing-tackle, etc., and gen- 
erally all the conveniences and comforts of the house and premises 
as a first class hunter's lodge for gentlemen, are complete. The 
club house is nearly in the centre of tbe extensive marshes of the 
Upper Calumet. These marshes are upon both sides of the Calumet 
River, and ten miles in length and a mile to a mile and a half in 
width. The whole of this district is covered with innumerable 
sloughs, bayous, ponds, and mudholes of an endless variety of 
shape and size, interspersed with fields of wild rice and cane, bogs, 
lily poos, and muskrat houses, and it forms a favorite resort of the 
mallard, woodcock, brand goose, and snipe. The officers of the 
club are as follows: President, F A. Howe; V. P., B. M. Ford; 
Treas., S. M. Moore; See., Edward Starr; Ex. Com,, C. 1. Peck, 
W, H, Thompson, L. L. Palmer, 
Mr. J. K. P. Norvall has become the personal owTier of the 
Dt troit Amateur Shooting Club badge, having w on it three times in 
succession at pigeon shooting., killing 13, 14 and 12 out of 15 birds, at 
26 yards rise. The medal was an elegant piece of w'orkmanship, 
being a locket charm; on one side of it was monogram of > lub with 
appropriate sporting implements; on the opposite side is an onyx 
setting with place for the winner's name, etc. On the 18th Inst, oc- 
curred the first shoot for the new medal (a twenty-dollar gold piece) 
which waa won by W. O. Lumsden, Esq. With the opening of 
spring, this club has taken a fresh start; has secured new' and ele- 
gant club rooms, and has added quite materially to its numbers. 
^9 » 
A PARitiA^f wowan having fonnd a nearl worth 5$500 in an oyster, 
is spending all her earnings in bivalves in hopes of finding its 
match . 
THB Aktwerp Zoological Gardens the Bengal tigress had three 
cobs which were suckled by a large bitch which reared them to a 
good size. 
Tub Kbsnel Cnrs (English) has held its annual meeting and re- 
elected Mr. J. K. Shirley, M. P., as president. A dog show 
will be held at the Crystal Palace. 
Dogs are much used as draft animals in Europe, ft has long 
been illegal in England. Recently in Holland, the Amsterdam mo^ 
nicipality has iasued an order agaiust the practice. 
IbL. 
