Sept. 11, 1S75 
355 
though not the least disappointed in that regard (my 
first chicken shoot occurring as it did under the most 
propitious circumstances), afforded me much genuine en- 
joyment. It was near the thriving little village of B , 
in Xorthern Illinois. The morning was delightfully 
cool for August, the country was beautiful in the ex- 
treme, with its broad fields literally burdened with their 
luxuriant harvests, and its green pastures teeming with 
their peaceful herds; and a ten-mile drive through such 
a scene on such a morning yielded a pleasure almost 
outweighed by that of killing the thirty-two grouse, 
the result of that three-hour hunt. The birds were 
plenty, almost full grown, and laid well to the dog; and 
at the hazard of being deemed egotistical — which I 
should regret, for I am proverbially a modest man — I 
am willing to express the opinion that I might have 
killed a hundred in consecutive shots, but I soon be- 
came satiated with the slaughter, and confirmed in my 
preconceived opinion that it is the very easiest of all 
wing shooting. 
The range is seldom obstructed, the rise is usually 
short, the flight invariably slow and regular, quite in 
contrast with the wuirr of the ruffed grouse or the quail 
in cover, or the zigzag flight of the English snipe; and 
the sportsman who can consistently lay any claim to 
skill as a shot will rarely miss a pinnated grouse in Au- 
gust. Bdrlinoton. 
Breeder. 
Lynchbukg, Va., Aug. 30. 
In reply to an inquiry from “Breeder” as to whether 
a bitch can have pups in the same litter by two or more 
sires, the first matter to determine is proof of sireship. If 
the pup has the color, coat and general characteristics of 
his reputed sire, it is generally conceded, to use au 
Irishism, “he is his father’s son.” This being .settled 
the proofs are abundant that a bitch can have pups in 
the same litter by two or even a larger number of dogs; 
and when bitches are permitted to run at large dunng 
their period of heat, the litter of pups will present as 
varied an aspect as did Jacob’s coat. I have been an 
owner of pointers and setters all my life, and when a 
boy owned a very fine liver-colored pointer dog. An 
intimate friend owned at the same time a yellow or or- 
ange-colored Irish setter. Boys, you know, are not very 
careful breeders, and whenever the services of one dog 
was called for both dogs generally served the bitch. The 
invariable result was that in the litter which followed 
the pups were as different and as distinctly marked as 
the dogs themselves. Recently a friend had a pointer 
bitch (color liver and white) sired by a pointer dog of 
the same color. About the last day of the season she 
escaped accidentally and was sired by a large black 
curly-haired Newfoundland dog. Most of the litter 
were evidently the pups of the Newfoundland. I could 
cite many other cases equally reliable and well founded. 
The absurd idea entertained by some that an animal can 
have more than one father is simply ridiculous, and 
should not be entitled to notic:. The same acddeJit, if 
I may so call it, can happen in the human family. High 
medical authority records a case in which a woman gave 
birth to twins, each child having a different father; but 
fortunately such cases ,are of rare occurrence. With 
many kind wishes for the success of your truly excellent 
paper, I am, “De.mo.” 
Grouse Hunting Jn Arkansas. 
Memi-his, Aug. 27. 
Last Monday evening I skipped over the Arkansas 
railroad to range and quarter the prairie preserves of 
Mr. H- , near Devai’s Bluff. Tuesday we bowled over 
the prairie, and twenty-nine pinnated grouse, camping 
in the chicken-infected district, dreaming of the inevi- 
table bloody work of to-morrow. The whirring of 
grouse waked through their slumbers beneath the shoot- 
ing stars, and 7 o’clock a. m. found us doubling up tail- 
ers, blue-rockers and high-flyers a la mode du Bogardus. 
Returning toward the wagon to unload and reload we 
saw onr mustangs “ light out” like lightning, toddling 
away with the toddy, breakfast and dinner and every 
cartridge. But what is a seventeen-mile high grass walk 
to hunters who have really enjoyed ten minutes’ grous- 
ing! unless, while acting “tramp, tramp, tramp the boys 
are marching,” they are thinking, “I want to go home.” 
Bry. 
Our Paper, Dittmar, Etc. 
Fokda, la., Aug. 28. 
Well, friends, the new management have been in office 
several weeks now, and still that good old friend of 
ours, the AitEKiCAK SpoRTSiiAK that used to be, and 
the Rod axd Gun that is, comes to us the same pains- 
taking, truthful organ of old, devoted to our welfare 
and the advancement of sporting in general. I think 
we all ought to heartily congratulate the new firm on 
their success, following out the policy which proved so 
successful under the old management: that of keeping 
strictly in their own field, and thereby securing the sup- 
port of the very class who had so long wanted a paper 
devoted to their interests. 
Now about the Dittmar powder again. Since I read 
about one man bursting his gun, I have been rather 
careful about expeiimenting with the seemingly harm- 
le.ss stuff, “ that gives no recoil, but, as he says, suggests 
everything;” but not long since I screwed up courage, 
and secured a small lot marked S A, which I suppose 
meant same arrangement, probably that I had before, 
that would “ suggest” so much. So I proposed to a 
friend that we try some of it, and we loaded one of 
Isis No. 10 shells, 3i drs., and rammed it down well, 
put two good wads on it, then IJ ozs. No. 9 shot. The 
shell was placed in the gun, and tired; and lo! instead 
of a sharp, whip-like report, there was a noise about 
like a common cap, and the shot — well, some got out of 
the gun and some didn’t. Those that did only went 
about ten feet. After a careful consideration of things, 
I proposed that perhaps we didn’t have in enough; so 
we loaded another shell with about 61 drs. and three 
big wads, well rammed down, and this time we heard 
a kind of whish! and two wads came out, the third re- 
maining about half-way up the barrel. I then “ sug- 
gested” that the thing was about a failure, and my friend 
“ suggested ” that we put in a hatful next time, then 
stand on it, and see if we could tell when it went off. 
Asd inclosing I would once more “suggest” that some- 
body explain the matter if they can, for Abe can’t. 
Abe. 
Our Paper. 
Empoki.v, Kan., Aug. 29. 
You were right in continuing to send my paper; I 
would be lost without it. You may count on me as a 
life member, unless my stamps give out. We are hav- 
ing splendid chicken-shooting. Yesterday, in company 
with a friend, we bagged seventy nine, and it was not 
considered a very good day for chickens either. We 
have an excellent prospect for quail, snipe and duck- 
shooting this fall. Dave. 
On the Taking of Game in a True Sportsman-like 
Manner. 
Fb.vsklin, Pa., Aug. 4. 
Many persons are of the impression that owners 
of land or coverts, where game ma}’ be found, are 
deprived of the taking of the same by the organization 
of Clubs or Game Protective Societies. Now, then, the 
question arises, how far shall the owner of land go, and 
to what extent shall he take game, to be considered a 
true sportsman? The law forbids the taking of game 
in the close time by all persons. The land-owner claims 
that he owns all the game on his premises, and can kill 
it as well as his own live-stock at any time. This he may 
do, but his live stock is not as migratory as game, for 
instance. The land-owner is pursuing his game, and 
before he could procure it, should it have migrated on 
his neighbor’s land, would he stop his pursuit there? if 
he did it would be a test case. The true way of taking 
game is when the law does not forbid you from doing 
so, and in such quantities as you can use as food. 
L. a. W. 
Pheasant. 
Franklin, Pa., Sept. 4. 
I notice in your Issue of the 4th tliat “Reebuck” 
wants to know what a pheasant is. Now we will at- 
tempt to explain this to Mr. R. The Pennsylvanians com- 
monly call the ruffed grouse, pheasant, same as our 
Western sportsmen call the pinnated grouse, prairie 
chicken, while others again call the ruffed grouse, par- 
tridge. “Habits of the Game Birds and Wild P'owl of 
America,” by Elisha J. Lewis, M. D., published by J. 
B. Lippincott, page 143, says: “The ruffed grouse, 
or pheasant.) If -Mr. R. had been a close student of 
the American SporUman, now known as the Rod 
AND Gcn, he would have observed that we have neither 
quail nor partridge in this country; hence the suggestion 
of the name “bob white,” by Prof. Baird, for the dis- 
puted quail or partridge. The common name for this 
bird in Pennsylvania has always been “bob white.” The 
foregoing bird can only be taken in Pennsylvania dur- 
ing the monilis of November and December.- The 
source from 't ’h.izh the Laws of Peansylvania, as 
published in the Rod and Gdn, are taken is not reli- 
able. Deer can only be taken during the months of 
Sept., Oct. and Nov.; squirrels from Sept, to Jan. 
L. L. W. 
.Antlers. 
Fort Lincoln, Aug. 23. 
As you have published, from time to time, cuts of 
antlers of peculiar or remarkable interest from their 
shape, dimensions, etc. , I send vou a photograph of a 
pair of elk antlers obtained in the Black Hills by an 
officer of my command during my expedition of last 
year. The measurements which I give have been taken 
so as to make comparisons to be made with those which 
you have published from time to time. 
I believe it will be found, upon examination, that the 
antlers of which I send you a sketch are the largest of 
which any public notice has been given, exceeding in 
size even those in the possession of the Smithsonian In- 
stiiute at Washington, D. C., a description of which, 
by Prof. Henry, was published in your columns the 
past 5 'ear. The antlers of which I send you a sketch are 
now in the possession of Capt. A. E. Smith, Seventh 
Cavalry, Fort Lincoln, D. T. G. S. Custer, 
Bt. Maj. Genl., U. S. A. 
ft. in. 
Tip to tip 4 3 
Widect tipread outs’de rurvai are of shaft 4 8 
Left head lip lo centre of skull 5 IX 
Riiht '• “ “ 5 IX 
Around burr isq" 
Around, just above burr lOX 
r i"ht head tip to right head brow antler’s tip 6 4X 
Left '• leit “ " 6 4 
Right h''ad curvature tip to burr 4 9 
Left “ " “ 4 8X 
Between brow antlers l-*;^ 
Weight about 50 Ibe. Found in the Black Rills of Wyoming Tai- 
ritory, 1874. 
\ Day Off. 
New York, Sept. 4. 
Thinking you would like to know how the snipe 
shooting of Oak Island was, I thought I would let you 
know how it was in the last days of August. We are a 
party of three, all letter-carriers of Station C, and gene- 
rally spend our vacation at Oak Island, where we are 
taken charge of by one who knows where the snipe feed, 
and who owns one of the be.st places, and the only place 
you can stop on the island over night. We took the 
last train from New York to Babylon on the Southside 
Railroad; were met at the depot by Rube Anderson, 
who set us up in his hut on the island by 84 o’clock tlie 
next morning. We were up before daybreak, and as 
the house is in .sight of a great many of the beds, we 
were not long getting there, and when daylight did 
come brought with it flock after flock of yellow legsaud 
other varieties of snipe. We shot until the signal was 
raised for breakfast, which consisted of clams roasted 
and fried, soft crabs and eels, cooked to a turn. An- 
derson keeps a good cook, and the material is just at 
hand, fresh from the Big South Bay, where it may be 
had for the labor of taking. In counting up our birds 
that night we had caught six yellow-legged snipe, be- 
sides the other numerous kinds, which we had cooked 
there, while the large ones we sent up to the city. On 
Monday three more friends came down, and after three 
days’ shooting took away two hundred snipe. The 
ducks have just appeared in the Bay, but of course not 
plenty enough to make shooting a success, as I only saw 
about two dozen in the whole ten days I was down there; 
but when they do come, Anderson’s place will be about 
the centre of the feeding grounds, and I predict success 
to any who wish a good day’s shooting in that neigh- 
borhood. I will close this little bit of information by 
advising every one to give Anderson a call, and they 
will not regret it as regards the birds, for he can put 
them on the spot, and if they don’t get them it is not his 
fault. Any information will be cheerfully given by a 
con.stant reader. S. D. D. 
Minnesota Sport 
Albert Lea, Minn., Sept 1. 
Thinking, perhaps, that a few lines from an old sub- 
scriber might find a place in your valuable paper, and 
which might be of interest to the sporting fraternity, I 
venture to suggest that this place is situated in one of 
the very best sporting regions west of the Mississippi 
River, for both land and water fowl. Our shot ting sea- 
son for chicken commences on the 15th of this mouth ; 
birds good size, and in sufficient number to make fair 
bags, notwithstanding the heavy June rains, which 
must have destroyed a good many. Teal and mallard 
ducks still breed here in large numbers, and our lakes 
are now prettv well filled with them . The first fio.t 
