Oct. 28, 1911.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
649 
Hunting in California. 
San Francisco, Cal., Oct. 11.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: -In Southern California duck shoot¬ 
ing has been good. The outlook is for excellent 
sport in the San Francisco Bay district. The 
birds are coming in from the north and the 
ponds and marshes are well filled, mostly with 
home bred birds. There is an abundance of 
water in all of the interior streams, and birds 
are to be found in all localities, a feature that 
is not always the case at the commencement of 
the season. Geese commenced to come as early 
as August, and are now to be found in numbers 
in the vicinity of Rio Vista. 
Otto Feudner, who recently took a trip into 
Siskiyou county, has returned, bringing with him 
the head of a deer killed near the Klamath Hot 
Springs. This head shows a spread of thirty- 
four inches, there being twenty-two points on 
one horn and twelve on the other. The base of 
one horn measured six and one-half inches in 
circumference. This deer was followed all day 
by Mr. Feudner and an Indian guide, a second 
buck being bagged at the same time. 
The Livermore Ark Club is ready for the duck 
season, and has just purchased a launch to be 
used at the preserve on the San Joaquin River. 
The club is planning to give a barbecue and en¬ 
tertainment at the preserve on the opening day. 
The following officers were recently elected to 
serve during the ensuing year: President, H. W. 
Morrill; Secretary, C. E. Livermore; Directors, 
F. I. Sangmaster, Joseph Callaghan, D. McDon¬ 
ald and William McDonald. 
Marin county sportsmen have organized an 
association for the purpose of protecting the 
game of the county, the officials being: Presi¬ 
dent, Robert Pearson; Vice-President, H. W. 
Collins; Treasurer, T. J. gallon; Secretary, Prof. 
H. C. Hall. Rewards will be offered for the 
killing of hawks, bluejays and skunks. 
Golden Gate. 
Rattler and King Snake. 
Hendersonville, N. C., Oct. 10. —Editor Forest 
and Stream: Several months ago there was an 
article in Forest and Stream, if I remember 
correctly, on the killing of rattlesnakes by black- 
snakes. 
A friend of mine has told me of an interest¬ 
ing case that was closely watched by a man on 
the coast of South Carolina. This man was 
duck shooting. He had seen a flock of ducks 
and was going to stalk them. To do so it was 
necessary that he cross a sandy space of ground. 
As he approached this bit of open sandy ground 
he heard the unmistakable rattle of a snake, and 
looking a little way ahead he saw the rattler in 
coil and evidently in a very angry mood. Know¬ 
ing he was not the cause, he stopped, and looking 
for a moment saw a kingsnake rise up at a little 
distance from the rattler, and intently watch it 
for a moment, and then it began to circle the 
rattler at a little distance. It completed the 
circle, but now and again halting for a moment 
to intently gaze at its enemy. This it did from 
every point of view. It seemed to take its bear¬ 
ings and to very thoroughly size up the rattler. 
The rattler meanwhile kept busy with his 
alarm. Just as soon as the kingsnake had thor¬ 
oughly surveyed the ground, he began to circle 
his enemy again. Slowly at first he glided around 
the circle, the rattler being in the center. His 
speed, which at first was slow, began rapidly to 
increase, and with the increase of speed the 
diameter of the circle decreased. Needless to 
say, the ducks were for the moment forgotten, 
for here was something not witnessed often, 
while ducks could be shot another time. 
The rapidity with which the kingsnake glided 
round that circle was such toward the last that 
the onlooker said it was impossible for him to 
tell just at what point the kingsnake was at any 
time. 
The singing of the rattlesnake had never re¬ 
laxed for a moment, and he too was unable to 
tell from which point to expect the attack. And 
it came like a flash, the kingsnake seizing the 
rattler up by the back of his neck. 
Then of course the coil was at once broken 
and the struggle began. The sand was beaten 
up by the two snakes for a brief time, and the 
kingsnake was wound about his adversary and 
the constricting process began. Then it was but 
a little while till the struggle was over. The 
kingsnake began to relax his coil about the rat¬ 
tler, there was a quiver of the latter, and again 
the constricting process pressed the last bit of 
life from him. When the fight was over the 
kingsnake began to cover the dead snake with 
slime and then to swallow him. 
This was more than this sportsman cared to 
witness. After all it looked like the whole ob¬ 
ject was to fill his stomach, so he was left to 
finish his meal which he was taking in head fore¬ 
most. 
This is substantially the story as told me, and 
it is a true one. Both of these snakes were large 
ones, I understand. This occurred some years 
ago in the neighborhood of Georgetown, S. C. 
Ernest L. Ewbank. 
Western Massachusetts Fox Club. 
The twenty-fourth annual hunt of the West¬ 
ern Massachusetts Fox Club, was held on Oct. 
25 and 26 in the vicinity of Westfield, Mass., 
and the usual banquet was held on the night of 
the twenty-fifth in Columbia Hall, Westfield. 
As it is unlawful to hunt in that State without 
a license, guests from other States obtained the 
right to follow the hounds by payment of $1 
to the Fish and Game Commission. This en¬ 
titled them to hunt foxes only. 
THE TOP RAIL 
Will someone inform me where I can obtain 
the pistol described as follows by the Newark 
Call? 
‘'An inventive German has recently taken out 
a patent for a pistol for producing apparent death 
for a brief time. It is loaded with a bullet made 
of a chemical composition, to which is added 
enough powder to propel it. The bullet explodes 
and causes a thick cloud of vapor, which en¬ 
velopes the victim, makes it impossible for him 
to see, renders his breathing difficult, and he 
finally falls into a swoon that lasts from ten 
minutes to a half hour.” 
I want to purchase one and meander along cer¬ 
tain country roads where dogs of high and low 
degree lie in wait for tired fishermen. Five 
minutes’ time would be sufficient to tie a can 
full of pebbles to the average vicious dog’s tail 
and allow me to get out of rifle range. After¬ 
ward I guarantee immunity to passersby. Did 
you ever notice how a dog avoids one who has 
offended his dignity in this way—I mean the can- 
and-pebble cure? 
Did you ever take note, too, how expert the 
average trout fisherman is in throwing stones? 
Trout fishing involves more or less wandering 
along dog-infested roads, and the man who can¬ 
not find a stone quickly and throw it accurately 
is deficient in ordinary trout fishing practice. Be¬ 
sides, it strengthens the rod wrist. Beginners 
are told just how to cast the fly, but I have 
found that it is often of more importance to 
cast a ‘‘darnick’’ accurately. To do this is good 
insurance on personal apparel and equipment. 
* * * 
It is reported that Connecticut deer have this 
season caused astonishment by eating the leaves 
of tobacco plants, and a few persons have com¬ 
mented on it in a way that leads to the sup¬ 
position that they believe this is an acquired 
habit with deer. 
If you hold a similar opinion, try an experi¬ 
ment yourself the next time you are in one of 
the parks where deer are kept. Procure a small 
“plug” of mild tobacco and offer a “chew” to 
one of the deer. It will eat it with relish, or 
it is unlike deer I have met. 
Western deer, particularly, eat many plants 
and shrubs that are bitter to the human taste, 
and in comparison with some of these plants 
tobacco in any form is mild. I have often 
proved this assertion to doubting friends, and 
have never had a deer refuse a bit of tobacco. 
The fondness of deer for tobacco was first 
brought to my attention when a tame doe stole 
a huge plug of strong navy tobacco from a table 
in a ranchman's house and ate or munched a 
large part of it before she could be caught. As 
the cowpuncher who owned the tobacco believed 
it was necessary to his peace and happiness, 
there were lively times that day, for it was all 
he had and the nearest store forty miles away. 
* * * 
Here is a story that needs a whole sack of 
salt before it can be swallowed whole. Up in 
York State, 'tis said, the ruffed grouse have 
become so abundant that their drumming has 
kept a farmer awake nights. This made him 
so angry that he went out and smashed all his 
no-shooting-allowed signs. Busy grouse, eh, to 
be drumming overtime? Perhaps drumming 
logs are so scarce that the birds are compelled 
to run a day and a night shift. Why not the 
three-platoon system? 
* * * 
The literary editor of the Enquirer, of Oak¬ 
land. Cal., says very kindly of the Boone and 
Crockett Club that while it was organized to 
shoot big game “only two years ago,” its 
“originating hand was early and strong in 
creating forest reform.” Probably some of the 
members, who have been paying dues to the old 
club for years and years hold a different view 
of its age. Grizzly King. 
