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FOREST AND STREAM 
Nov. 23, 1912 
MAINE DUCK DRIVE. 
A duck drive is what they called a novel 
way the early settlers took to capture the ducks 
that were plentiful in the early settlement of 
Maine. 
For a few days in August the birds could 
not fly, as they were shedding their feathers. 
The time was well known to the inhabitants 
of all the towns about Deer Isle and those who 
could come did not fail to be present. First a 
circle of boats was formed so as to partially 
surround them and others were stationed so as 
to prevent the birds taking a wrong direction. 
Duck Harbor was the place selected _ to 
drive them into, it being narrow and extending 
half a mile inland. Beginning at the upper part 
of the bay, the boats were drawn in for several 
miles. As this went on more birds were over¬ 
taken. and as they reached their destination a 
large number were included in the drive. 
Reaching the shore at the head of the har¬ 
bor, the ducks, not being able to run much, 
were overtaken and killed in large numbers. 
At one time a large drive was made and the 
birds attempted to walk through the woods to 
the other shore, but being unable to walk, died 
in large numbers. This was the last big drive 
that was made. Birds that escape a great 
danger avoid the same locality.—Lewiston 
Journal. 
“Squirrels do swim.” says an authority on 
natural history. Sure; but they would rather 
climb a tree.—The Megaphone. 
I Want Some of 
THE BLACK SHELLS 
Here’s a smokeless load of common sense about uni¬ 
formity and driving power. 
Our Non-Mercuric Primer contains neither light ground 
glass nor heavy mercury fulminate. When these materials 
are mixed, gravity separates them. Think of the diffi¬ 
culty of getting uniform primers from such a mixture. 
Again, quick, hard shooting requires a hot, large flame 
from the primer. Glass absorbs 20% of the heat of the 
explosion. The materials used in our primer actually 
increase the heat. Therefore, THE BLACK SHELLS 
are always uniform, quick, of maximum driving power, 
and require taking almost no “lead” on the bird or 
target. 
As to the large flame from the primer: In THE 
BLACK SHELLS, the Flash Passage is 100% larger than 
usual. Practically all of the flame from the primer 
rushes into the main charge, practically none of it recoils 
useless and wasted. 
Send for Free Book 
on the other modernisms in THE BLACK SHELLS— 
unequalled waterproofing, the hard, smooth crimping, 
and our one-piece brass head. 
United States Cartridge Co. 
Dept. H LOWELL, MASS. 
Game Law to be Enforced. 
The California Fish and Game Commission 
is now engaged in a legal struggle brought about 
by its decision to strictly enforce the provision 
of the game laws limiting the number of ducks 
that any person may have in his possession at 
any one time to twenty-five. The deputies in the 
field are seeing to it that market hunters are 
not bagging more than the limit, but in the at¬ 
tempts to enforce the law in the large cities a 
stumbling block has been met with. Game trans¬ 
fer companies have been found with several 
hundred ducks in their possession at one time, 
and confiscations have been made, but these con¬ 
cerns have secured a temporary injunction pre¬ 
venting the commission from interfering with 
their business. It is claimed that the birds are 
killed by employes of the game transfer com¬ 
panies, but this is denied by the latter, who de¬ 
clare that every shipment made to them is a 
separate transaction. The companies get the 
game in lots of twenty-five, which is the legal 
limit, but inasmuch as they have more than 
twenty-five birds in their possession at one time, 
the commission contends that the law is violated. 
Judge Murasky, of San Francisco, has heard the 
arguments in the case and will render a decision 
shortly. 
Publicity for Game Laws. 
Montgomery, Ala., Nov. 7 . —Editor Forest and 
Stream: Noting your suggestion relative to giving 
publicity to provisions of the game and fish laws, 
you are advised that since its organization the 
Department of Game and Fish of Alabama has 
had posted in various portions of the State hun¬ 
dreds of thousands of notices similar to the 
ones mailed you to-day under separate cover. 
I have proceeded upon the theory that in 
many instances the law is violated through ignor¬ 
ance, therefore I have taken occasion through 
the medium of posters, newspaper publicity and 
the publication of the game and fish laws in 
pamphlet form to inform the people of Alabama 
relative to every provision of our conservation 
statutes. John H. Wallace, Jr., Com. 
Benefits of Non-resident Tax. 
Neversink, N. Y., via Liberty, Nov. 4.— 
Editor Forest and Stream: So many sportsmen 
look to this easily accesible country for a few 
days’ shooting that this fresh outburst of greed 
is exasperating. Until the non-resident tax was 
placed so high, great numbers of men from 
other States visited this country in October and 
November. I could go more into details and 
write quite an article, but all that seems neces¬ 
sary is to have attention drawn to the matter in 
Forest and Stream. Of course there has been 
much talk and some notices in the newspapers. 
I get a few grouse and woodcock in the 
afternoons, but only a few. Hard work and 
grand shots. You must not miss the few decent 
shots you get, or you will have no birds in your 
pockets. Theodore Gordon. 
Forest and Stream prints more snappy, 
readable, practicable news for sportsmen, we 
daresay, than any other magazine, and what it 
preaches editorially is practical and on a level 
that begets the confidence of its subscriber 
friends. 
ANCIENT POWDER. 
The most ancient powder, such as was used 
in the old “bombardas,” was made of equal 
parts of saltpetre, sulphur and charcoal. Evi¬ 
dently these proportions would give a powder 
scarcely fit to make squibs or rockets, and yet 
perhaps even this was too powerful a mixture 
for the weak built up bombards of that era. 
A later proportion was refined saltpetre, 
eighteen parts; sulphur, two parts, and char¬ 
coal, three parts, which approached more nearly 
the formulas of to-day, which in practice, for 
good service, black powder may be set at; salt¬ 
peter, 78; sulphur, 10, and charcoal, 12 per cent. 
Such powder in i860 was expected when 
new to stand the English service test; and with 
a charge of four drachms propel a steel ball 
quite through fifteen to sixteen half-inch, wet, 
elm planks, placed half an inch apart, the first 
being.thirty feet from the muzzle of the barrel. 
—National Magazine. 
EAGLES IN MISSISSIPPI. 
For the first time in several years reports 
are coming in of many eagles being seen and 
killed. A tremendous one was killed in Harri¬ 
son county a few weeks ago, and now comes 
the report of the death of another one of con¬ 
siderable size. 
W. M. Baylor killed an eagle near the beach 
home of J. H. Walsh that measured 5 feet 8 
inches from tip to tip. This magnificent bird 
had been seen near the place where it was killed 
for several weeks and was mistaken for a huge 
hawk. — Biloxi Herald. 
AT DENVER, 1912 
HANDICAP, SEPT. 10-13 
Mr. R. H. Bruns, shooting his 
LEFEVER 
made the marvellous run of 
283 without a miss. 
On the 700 single targets, in¬ 
cluding handicaps, Mr. Bruns 
scored 683 out of 700. 
The second day of the tourna¬ 
ment on the day’s program of 
200 targets, Mr. Bruns and 
his Lefever gun scored 200 
out of 200. A world’s re¬ 
cord for ten traps. 
On the 500 single 16-yard 
target for amateurs, Mr. Bruns 
scored 494 out of 500. 
ANOTHER WINNER AT THE 
PACIFIC COAST HANDICAP 
I Mr. L. H. Reid, shooting his Lefever gun, won 
second high average with 381 out of 400. 
Why don’t you shoot a LEFEVER. ? 
Write for Catalog 
LEFEVER ARMS COMPANY 
Guns of Lasting Fame 
23 Maltbie Street Syracuse, N. Y. 
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