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Published Weekly by the 
Forest and Stream Publishing Company 
Chas. A. Hazen, President Charles L. Wise, Treasurer 
W. G. Beecroft, Secretary 
22 Thames Street, New York. 
CORRESPONDENCE:—Forest and Stream is the re- 
tognized medium of entertainment, instruction and in- 
ormation between American sportsmen. The editors 
nvite communications on the subjects to which its pages 
are devoted, but, of course, are not responsible for the 
views of correspondents. Anonymous communications 
cannot be regarded. 
SUBSCRIPTIONS: $3 a year; $1.50 for six months; 
10 cents a copy. Canadian, $4 a year; foreign, $4.50 a year. 
This paper may be obtained of newsdealers throughout 
the United States, Canada and Great Britain. Foreign 
Subscriptions and Sales Agents—London: Davies & Co., 
1 Finch Lane; Sampson, Low & Co. Paris: Brentano’s. 
Entered in New York Post Office as Second class matter 
THE OBJECT OF THIS JOURNAL 
will be to studiously promote a healthful interest 
in outdoor recreation, and to cultivate a refined 
taste for natural objects. 
—Forest and Stream, Aug. 14, 1873 
PROFESSIONALISM IN TRAP SHOOTING. 
The inevitable has happened, or to be more 
correct, the ghost has poked its nose out of the 
trap shooters’ Closet and the frying pan is on to 
heaJt. The amateur trap shooter, now and then, 
When he became a top notcher has been employ¬ 
ed as a demonstrator and salesman by arms or 
ammunition companies at a good salary, where¬ 
upon he became ineligible to shoot for money 
(as amateurs do in trap tournaments) being al¬ 
lowed to shoot for targets only. After a time, 
through one cause or another, these men some¬ 
times have returned to amateur ranks and once 
more shot for the purse. With one exception, 
none of these prodigals has shot well enough 
to stir up enmity, jealousy or whatever term 
you choose to apply to the man whom you feel 
has taken your money unfairly. At last, how¬ 
ever, along has come a man from pro ranks, 
who, shooting at a clip far ahead of anything he 
has done as a professional, wins practically 
everything at the Grand American Handicap. 
Much comment was made over this event, and 
the Interstate Association, who rules over these 
things at registered tournaments, realizes that 
the dreaded ghost has tumbled out of the closet. 
Naturally no question can be raised with the 
ghost; he has acted clearly within his rights, 
and would have been foolish had he not taken 
advantage of an opportunity to make a thousand 
dollars or so by shooting in the big event of the 
year, well knowing he would be handicapped to 
the limit, with the idea of keeping down his 
score, but the sad part of the thing is that 
not a few dyed-in-the-wool amateurs have made 
averages that placed them on the limit mark— 
alongside the ghost, and be it said with all due 
credit that not one of these limit men has raised 
his voice in protest, but that voice has been 
raised, and justly too, by short mark men, who 
feel that, once a professional, always a profes¬ 
sional, and who further feel that the man who 
FOREST AND STREAM 
practices once a week should not be compelled to 
shoot with a man whose business has compelled 
him, at someone’s else expense, to shoot prac¬ 
tically every day. The Interstate, realizing that 
something must be done, has decided to make a 
new handicap mark of twenty-five yards and to 
place every returning professional and some 
tournament chasing amateurs on the limit mark. 
The theory is that these men, knowing they are 
to get the limit at all registered tournaments, 
will stay at home, rather than the idea that one 
of these top notchers might not win, under per¬ 
fect weather conditions, from the long mark. 
Perhaps the powers that be are correct in their 
diagnosis of the case and have selected the prop¬ 
er remedy, but i't is our humble opinion that the 
immediate remedy would be to bar all profes¬ 
sionals from shooting as amateurs and to apply 
to the tournament chasers, the limit mark, and 
to go a little further, as a preventive for the 
man who makes target shooting a business, to 
cut out altogether money prizes at all tourna¬ 
ments, continuing only the cash for expenses, 
to the winners of different state tournaments, in 
order to have all states represented at the Grand 
American. As a matter of fact, the Interstate 
would be wise to defray all expenses of state 
champions to the Interstate. Trap shooting to 
become more popular and to draw from those 
who belong in the game, should be put, as near¬ 
ly as possible, on the same basis as other out¬ 
door sports, except to keep it out of the hands 
of the A. A. U. 
DOG BUYING. 
Grievous complaints reach us at times from 
men who have been victimized in connection 
with dog transactions conducted by mail. The 
aggrieved party is hotly indignant because of 
the fraud practiced upon him, denounces the 
seller in forceful terms, and is vigorously 
earnest in a purpose to expose him through the 
columns of the press. In most instances, it will 
be found upon investigation that the purchaser 
exercised no precautions whatever to safeguard 
his interests in the transaction. He did not see 
the dog before the purchase was completed. He 
accepted the description as presented by the sell¬ 
er, who probably was a stranger. He trustfully 
mailed his money for the dog before it was 
shipped, thus contributing to the fraud, if fraud 
there was, by his own gross negligence. 
In years past, Forest and Stream has many 
times recounted the proper method of conduct¬ 
ing a sale and purchase, when seller and buyer 
live too far apart for a personal meeting. It 
also warned buyers of possible fraud when the 
transaction was loosely conducted, or of possible 
dissatisfaction when no fraud was perpetrated. 
The latter phase is uncommon. A dog which may 
be fully satisfactory to one man may be unsatis¬ 
factory to another. 
The proper method in an affair of this kind 
is to purchase on approval only. The prospective 
purchaser should deposit the purchase money in 
the hands of a third party; the local express 
agent, as a rule being available and desirable. 
Then a reasonable time is allowed the purchaser 
in which to view or try the dog. If satisfactory, 
the money is passed over to the seller and the 
sale is closed. If unsatisfactory, the dog is re 
turned to its owner with expressage paid in 
full. In this manner, both buyer and seller are 
fully protected and the sale at every stage is a 
matter of full knowledge to them. 
The exposure of fraudulent dog dealers, by 
publication in the press, is extremely inefficient 
as a preventive of fraud, and is of no practical 
value as a punishment. Such dealers can change 
the names of their kennels as often as they 
choose and resume business accordingly. 
The true remedy is to prosecute the offenders 
in the regular courts of law, a course however, 
seldom pursued. 
While any dishonesty is to be deplored, it nev¬ 
ertheless is gratifying to note that, as compared 
with the business doings incident to the canine 
world of a few years ago, the fraudulent deals 
are much fewer and of less magnitude. The 
American Kennel Club has accomplished much 
good in suppressing the dishonest dealers, in es¬ 
tablishing canine matters on a much higher 
plane, besides the many other obvious benefits 
relating to matters of club organization and 
good competition. 
WILD PIGEON RUMORS. 
Rumors of vast flocks of wild pigeons come 
in from various points in Michigan, Wisconsin 
and neighboring States. This is interesting, but 
inconclusive. No one has satisfactorily identi¬ 
fied the birds as wild pigeons. Until an actual 
specimen has been captured and by some compe¬ 
tent authority pronounced to be a wild pigeon, 
the reports have no real value. In this instance, 
a bird in the hand is worth a mile of birds in 
the air. 
TAKING OUT A LICENSE. 
This is the season of the year when frequent¬ 
ly there comes over the ’phone the query, 
“Must a resident of New Jersey take out a li¬ 
cense for shooting in New York?’’ And almost 
invariably there comes the complementary in¬ 
quiry, “What is the penalty?” It suggests a 
third question: Is the average man deterred 
from doing a prohibited thing by the punishment 
attached? Perhaps in other affairs than invad¬ 
ing a sister state with a shotgun, no. If this 
be true, and if the man, who in ordinary affairs 
needs not be coerced by fears of fines and pen¬ 
alties, is controlled by them in his over-the-bor- 
der shooting excursions, a fourth question sug¬ 
gests itself, Why is this so? 
NORTHERN LIGHTS. 
The torches of the starry fields are lit along the mid¬ 
night skies, . , 
Beyond the night-cowled brooding trees their incandes¬ 
cent banners rise. 
Weird flames of ghostly eminence, they leap and flash, 
and throb and dance, , 
Like messengers of holy sign, or long lost beacons 01 
romance. 
We know not whence they come, nor why their magic 
radiance doth seem 
Apart from sun, and moon, and stars, a transient 
necromantic beam. 
Perchance they are the lights that guide the mysteries 
of Life and Death; 
The Soul of Poetry, perchance, from them doth take 
its living breath. 
Perchance they are the watchfires set upon the height 
of Hidden Lands, , , , ... 
Kindled by spirits earth-beloved and beckoning like 
friendly hands. 
What’er they are, whence’er they come, to us their 
radiant essence brings . 
The music of celestial space, the promise of eternal 
things. —Paulina Brandreth. 
