534 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[April 3, 1909. 
sccmcci to nic most unfortuiicitc thcit tlic follow 
ing dsy was to be tbc last for the season, and 
was to be devoted to grouse, driving. Another 
roar from among the mist on the mountain so 
whetted my appetite for a stalk, that when the 
drivers came forward I consulted the keeper as 
to the likelihood of a shot if we started early 
in the morning. Keen as mustard he jumped 
at the idea, and we at once arranged to have 
a trial the next morning. 
I awoke at two o’clock, and soon after three 
a gentle rap at my bedroom door announced it 
was time to get up. Breakfast was already on 
the table, and we soon started for the hill. To 
reach the forest march and stalk homeward 
against the wind, and so to have the best chance 
of success, it was necessary to walk four miles. 
It was not daylight till after six o’clock, and 
as my host breakfasted punctually at eight and 
the motor was ordered to the door at nine, we 
had little time for stalking. When we sUrted, 
the darkness was almost palpable, and in the 
strange place I thought it impossible to pro¬ 
ceed. Taking the keeper’s arm, however, we 
went on, and gradually became accustomed to 
the darkness. Our four miles’ tramp among 
the heather, peat-hag and morass had many 
drawbacks, but we pushed on. Now and again 
we would plunge knee-deep into a moss hole 
and fall forward among the peaty water, so that 
when daylight arrived we looked like stags 
after rolling in a bog. 
Following the windings of the burn, we event¬ 
ually reached the march of the neighboring 
forest, where we sat down to await the coming 
of day. It was dull and misty, and it seemed 
as if light would never dawn. The silence was 
impressive. Not a sound was to be heard ex¬ 
cept the distant murmur of the streamlets flow¬ 
ing down the mountain sides, and the occasional 
roar of a stag issuing his challenge. At last 
daylight began to appear, and the keeper took 
the rifle from its cover and inserted a cartridge. 
Having gathered from the roars of stags that 
we had at least a couple before us, and with 
the wind right, our chances for a shot were 
favorable. It was still too dark to distinguish 
deer. We were, however, moving on cautiously 
when the keeper stopped as rigid as a pointer 
dog when it suddenly finds itself in close prox¬ 
imity to a covey of grouse. Within fifty yards 
of us were a number of deer, but in the im¬ 
perfect light it was impossible to decide 
whether they were stags or hinds. Lying 
down, we waited. Suddenly we became aware 
of a hind gazing in our direction, and without 
moving a muscle we lay motionless till she con¬ 
vinced herself that she was the victim of some 
optical delusion, and walked away. Soon we 
got our eyes on the stag, but though he was a 
heavy beast, his head was nothing great. Ask¬ 
ing the keeper whether I should shoot or not, 
I was answered by the loud roar of another 
stag evidently coming up the mountain side to¬ 
ward us. I expected the one near us would 
have issued a roar of defiance, but no—he only 
stood and listened. Eventually he moved a 
short distance to meet his rival. Several angry 
roars reverberated among the mountains as 
they approached each other. 
Mr. Selous has graphically described the 
roaring of African lions; but were it not that 
deer are in no way associated with danger, I 
question if the lion’s roar could be more ap¬ 
palling. I was interested in their meeting, as 
I hoped to witness a battle. The one with the 
hinds was only a nine-pointer, and the new 
comer a splendid royal with wide spreading 
antlers, but both were large animals, and about 
equally matched in size. As they drew near 
each other it was evident both were afraid, 
for they never approached closer than six or 
eight yards. Side by side they walked uphill, 
downhill, and around in a circle, still keeping 
the same discreet distance apart. So interested 
was I in their maneuvers that I was oblivious 
of the keeper pushing the rifle into my hand. 
I.ooking around, I saw he had his watch in one 
hand and the rifle in the other, and observing 
it was considerably past seven, and as we were 
three miles from home, I reluctantly prepared 
to shoot. The stags were about a hundred 
yards beneath us, and at a favorable opportunity 
I drew a bead on the heart of the royal and 
pressed the trigger. Quick as lightning they 
bounded off, but I could see the blood spurting 
from the ribs of the royal at every bound, and 
knew that the messenger of death had done its 
work. Fie was out of sight immediately, but 
following the trail among some bracken, we 
found him stone dead. 
After performing the usual obsequies, we 
hurried toward home, which we quickly reached, 
and I had barely time, to don another suit and 
swallow a cup of coffee when the motor was 
at the door. A couple of gillies and a pony 
were despatched to bring home the stag, ^nd 
we started for another day’s grouse driving. 
Tom Speedy. 
Organization in the Adirondacks. 
Northwood, N. Y., March 25.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: So far as I know it is unusual 
for the people living in the Adirondacks to form 
a game protective association. There are guides’ 
associations and, of course, the private preserve 
people who have organized, but it is new in the 
southwestern portion of the mountains for 
woodsmen, farmers, storekeepers, stage drivers, 
hotel men, citizens of every calling to get to¬ 
gether to preserve the game. The movement is 
an expression of stronger sentiment in favor of 
game protection. A few weeks ago the North¬ 
ern Herkimer Game Protective Association was 
formed in Grant. It is now in working order 
and has a membership of eighty-one persons. 
Its president is a farmer, its secretary a black¬ 
smith, and its executive committee has upon it 
a farmer and a woodsman. 
The organization hopes to create a strong 
public sentiment against game law violations, 
and means have been provided to back up the 
sentiment with ways to bring about prosecu¬ 
tions. The aggregation hopes to get people in 
the region to feel that it is “bad form’’ to kill 
deer out of the season or to net trout from the 
cold beds. Some woodsmen feel that the game 
belongs to them and that when they are taking 
it they are getting it away from “those club 
men and city fellers.” The association hopes 
to make some people see that it is for their own 
interests that fish and game do not decrease. 
At a recent meeting a member said that the 
worst game law violators were from the out¬ 
side; that people came from the cities and 
seined the cold beds and hired guides to vio¬ 
late the law. The organization may mean the 
increase of public opinion against all sorts of 
game law violations where the sentiment is most 
needed. It ought to produce more co-operation 
between the game protectors and those who live 
close to the woods. At present it is said that 
when a game protector appears in Prospect or 
at Hinckley the fact is telephoned up the creek 
and the news spread around among the faith¬ 
ful. 
The association passed a resolution last Satur¬ 
day to ask the local assemblyman and senator 
to do what they can to get repealed the law re¬ 
lating to the exemplary $25 fine. The people 
in this region consider this an unfair law, as 
class legislation aimed directly at them. It is 
the sentiment of the association that building 
fires should be gotten after and at the same 
time that fair means should be emplo3md to get 
fair laws at Albany. The sentiment of course 
is against large private preserves, but especially 
so as one of them extends across the northern 
end of the county as well as into Hamilton 
county and serves as an eight-mile wall against 
those who would go beyond to State property. 
The woodsmen and people of the region become 
exasperated when they think how private pre¬ 
serve people have not only the privileges of their 
own property, but hunt freely on State land 
where they are not restricted by club rules and 
where they come into competition with the 
natives. These are some of the questions being 
discussed by the association. 
Eldridge a. Spears. 
Small-Bore Guns. 
Pasadena, Cal., March 13. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: While I have no desire to enter 
largely into the discussion of the merits of the 
different caliber shotguns, as it would take up 
more space than you would willingly spare, I 
would briefly state this: When Mr. Greener 
published and sent me his two books on guns, I 
was then engaged in the manufacture of ammu¬ 
nition and made with the chronograph a num¬ 
ber of tests with different loads and calibers. 
To arrive at any just conclusions regarding 1 
the merits of the different calibers, first, the 
barrels must be true cylinders with a mathe¬ 
matical proportion of length and weight of bar¬ 
rel as compared with the diameter of the bore; 1 
second, there must be an accurate proportion 
between the amount of propelling force com¬ 
pared with the weight of the projectile (charge 
of shot) ; third, the pressure on the different 
sizes of the powder charges must be considered 
with the strength of the primers. A light charge 
of powder receives greater additional force from 
a primer than a larger powder charge does from 
the same primer. | ^ 
The manufacturers of powder and shot are 
of course interested in having the larger cali¬ 
bers and larger loads used. With them it is a 
mere matter of business. 
I have before me an old memorandum of tests 
made with English black powder. No. 4, in 16 
and 12 caliber guns. No. 6 Newcastle shot was 
used. Average velocity—1162 feet a second, 
over 75 feet from the muzzle of gun. 
Twelve-bore gun, powder 63 grains, shot ^ 
ounce. 
Sixteen-bore gun, powder 56 grains, shot ^ 
ounce. Stanstead. 
