508 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Oct. 19, 1912 
Have You Put in 
YOUR Affidavit 
m 
LARGE MOUTH BASS CUP—NORTHERN 
Field and Stream’s 
Contest ? 
FIELD AND STREAM is offering 
fifteen handsome trophy cups and 
upwards of a hundred merchandise 
prizes to those anglers taking—on 
sportsmanlike tackle—the largest 
game fish in the various classes dur¬ 
ing the season of 1912. 
Presented by E. F. Warner. Publisher of Field and 
Stream, for the Record Large Mouth Bass caught 
season 1912. 
This is absolutely an “open - ’ con¬ 
test, with no strings or contingencies 
attached, and these prizes are open to you, and every other sportsman, whether 
leaders or subscribers to FIELD AND STREAM or not. 
The full conditions and list of trophies are published in each issue of FIELD 
AND STREAM. Stories of last year’s prize winners now running. 
The following is a partial list of those at present ahead in four of the classes in 
our contest—as published in our October number. In all there are fifteen 
classes, including all the fresh and salt water game fish. See whether you have 
taken larger fish this season than the ones shown. 
Brook Trout. 
Stephen H. Palmer. 6 lbs. 5 oz. 
J. H. Hugill. 3 lbs. 12 oz. 
Joe H. Lumpkin. 2 lbs. 9 oz. 
K. Chrisofferson. 2 lbs. 9 oz. 
H. V. Erben. 2 lbs. 2 oz. 
Sam Hayes, Jr. lib. 13 oz. 
Muscallonge. 
Nellie D. Sammis. 37 lbs. 
Dr. Fred L. Whiting.. .34 lbs. 8 oz. 
C. Schroeder. 34 lbs. 
H. D. Benedict. 32 lbs. 8 oz. 
J. B. Berry. 25 lbs. 
N. S. Holbrook. 14 lbs. 8 oz. 
Small Mouth Black Bass. 
G. B. Sharp. 8 lbs. 
Benj. F. Robinson. 7 lbs. 4 oz. 
Oscar Fransson. 6 lbs. 15 oz. 
Ezra King. 6 lbs. 13 oz. 
Mart Murphy. 6 lbs. 12 oz. 
Chas. T. Marin. 6 lbs. 7 oz. 
Large Mouth Black Bass—Northern. 
Herman A. Shatz. 8 lbs. 1 oz. 
F. E. Rosenberg. 6 lbs. 13 oz. 
Geo. Ritter. 6 lbs. 12 oz. 
Edward Mueller. 6 lbs. 8 oz. 
John Chambers. 6 lbs. 8 oz. 
Otto Holcker....'. 6 lbs. 4 oz. 
Stop at the nearest newsstand and secure a copv of our November issue—out 
to-day — and consult the list of those ahead up to date. Then read the con¬ 
ditions and get your affidavit in at once, as the contest is about to close. 
Questions gladly answered by 
PRIZE FISHING CONTEST EDITOR 
Field and Stream Publishing Co. 456 Fourth Ave., New York City 
that it was cocked. In my excitement I had 
noticed I snapped on the safety, and then look¬ 
ing straight ahead, saw my deer lying down. 
It saw me and tried to get on its feet and then 
fell back. I remembering Dad's advice, fired 
several times; the deer struggled up, gave me 
a savage look as if longing to charge, then 
ran a little ways and dropped again. 
I walked quite close and fired some more. It 
did not move. I took a stick and tickled its 
stomach to see if it was alive or not. It con¬ 
tinued to stay quiet, so I started for camp. 
For once I had a dual nature—one part of me 
was perfectly quiet and rather astonished at 
the other, which was shrilling hysterically. 
“Sis, Sis, I’ve killed a deer!” I kept that up 
clear to camp, routed my sister and the dogs 
out and made her come to see my trophy. 
Breakfast seemed very important to Sis, but 
I wouldn’t hear of it. She had to see my deer— 
then go after Dad. While I proudly carried the 
hunting knife, 1 did not possess courage to cut 
the deer’s throat. My! but those dogs were in 
ecstasy over the buck. They had not been 
near venison for some time, and are essentially 
hunting dogs. The buck was a three-pointer 
on one side; but, alas! only a forked horn on 
the other. However, as a fisherman always 
tells of his biggest fish, so do I tell of my 
“three-point” buck. 
Sis and the dogs started after Dad, while 
I sat beside the deer wondering how I could 
prove ownership should anyone come along and 
claim it. Fortunately, no one showed up, and 
before long Dad and Sis appeared. 
Dad certainly was happy. His eyes filled, 
and I'll never forget how he looked. We slid 
the deer down to the creek and I had to help 
dress it. For the length of time I was so en¬ 
gaged, I was dreadfully sorry that I had shot it; 
but when, after watching the lick a while 
longer, I returned to camp and found Dad, Sis 
and the dogs feasting on roast spareribs, I be¬ 
gan to be glad after all, and after tasting a 
few mouthfuls, I was certain that I was mighty 
happy. After breakfast Dad cut a notch in 
“My” rifle, and with appropriate ceremonies I 
christened it Tom Neal. 
Many have asked me how many times I 
shot my deer, and I always answer that I can¬ 
not remember. Only myself and the record¬ 
ing angel really know, and I have sworn 
solemnly never to divulge it. Only I will say 
this: That contrary to what Dad thinks, a great 
many of those bullet holes were not where the 
bullets came out! 
VALUE OF BIRDS ON THE FARM. 
Continued from page 495. 
In fact, young barn owls will sometimes eat 
their own weight in food during the night. As 
the young birds usually number from five to ten 
and remain in the nest for about seven weeks, 
the harmful rodents destroyed during that period 
alone would be enormous. 
In California the barn owl feeds largely on 
gophers and mice. It is said to be “the best 
gopher catcher a man can have on his place,” 
and one farmer has gone so far as to say that 
he would gladly pay ten dollars for every one 
of them he could get to nest on his place. Boxes 
placed on barn or sheds will sometimes attract 
these birds by furnishing them with nesting sites. 
Two other common owls, the burrowing and 
screech owls, feed extensively on insects. 
The food of the screech owl consists largely 
of insects, as many as fifty grasshoppers having 
been found in the stomach of one of these birds, 
while crickets, beetles and cutworms are also 
eaten. These birds are also diligent mousers. 
According to Dr. A. K. Fisher, “At nightfall 
they begin their rounds, inspecting the vicinity 
of farm houses, barns and corn cribs, making 
trips through the orchards and nurseries, gliding 
silently across the meadows, or encircling the 
stacks of grain in search of mice and insects. 
Thousands upon thousands of mice of different 
kinds thus fall victims to their industry. Their 
economic relations, therefore, are of the greatest 
importance, particularly on account of the abund¬ 
ance of the species in many farming districts.” 
The little burrowing owl, unlike most owls, 
works mostly during the day. It is the greatest 
destroyer of insects among the owls, feeding al¬ 
most entirely on them at certain seasons, while 
at other times small mammals are eaten. 
Aside from the harm done to crops by cer¬ 
tain small animals, their habit of girdling trees 
has also ruined many a valuable orchard. In an 
orchard in Maryland 2,000 apple trees were thus 
ruined by rabbits within two months. In refer¬ 
ring to this, Prof. Beal says: “It is very signifi- 
