512 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 24, 1910. 
' 
Phenomenal Scores 
Made with PETERS Loaded Shells 
Mr. J. S. Day, of Midland, Texas, attended a series of Texas tournaments from August 8 to 18, and 
broke all amateur records. His scores follow: 
August 8 - 9 , Midland, Texas. 484 ex 500 
“ 10 - 11 , Big Springs, Texas. a . 442 ex 450 
“ 12 - 13 , Cisco, Texas. 395 ex 400 
“ 15 - 16 , Gorman, Texas. . 398 ex 400 
“ 17 - 18 , Walnut Springs, Texas. 379 ex 400 
Total. 2116 ex 2150 
From this it will be seen that Mr. Day averaged 98 . 4 % on 2150 targets and 99 . 16 % on his last 
1200 targets. 
He used PETERS regular factory loads, not special , but bought from 
Texas dealers—the same quality goods anyone can buy, anywhere. 
THE PETERS CARTRIDGE COMPANY. CINCINNATI. OHIO 
Nm Yark: 98 Chambers St. T. H. KELLER, Manager New Orleans: 321 Magazine St. P. R. LITZKE, Manager 
San Francisce: 608-612 Howard Street. J. S. FRENCH, Manager 
nal fire and the back tire meet in order to ex¬ 
tinguish smoldering fires in tops, logs and other 
debris. 
"A fire is never out,” the bulletin concludes, 
“until the last spark is extinguished. Often a 
log or snag will smolder unnoticed after the 
flames have apparently been conquered, only to 
break out afresh with a rising wind. After the 
fire-fighting crew has left the ground it is al¬ 
ways well to assign at least one man to patrol 
the edges of the burned area until it is certain 
that the fire is entirely out. This may not be 
for several days.” 
PIG HUNTING IN NEW ZEALAND. 
It is perhaps hardly necessary to remark that 
the pigs which are widely scattered over the 
bush in New Zealand are not indigenous to the 
country, but descendants of those let loose in 
years gone by. Forty years ago the settlers 
living in remote distrists, says C. E. Curtis in 
the Field, found it difficult to procure meat with¬ 
out killing an occasional bullock, for sheep were 
mainly held by the large run-holders, who sold 
in numbers only, and to purchase mutton in 
small quantities was almost impossible; there¬ 
fore pigeons, parrots, and pigs formed the chief 
items of meat supply, except, of course, poultry, 
which was plentiful enough. Fortunately, the 
bush was. alive with pigeons and the ka-ka 
parrots, the former of great size and of splendid 
quality; the latter, though fair eating, were 
rather rook-like in character, and a few of them 
went a long way. It was, however, from these 
birds that we procured our oil for domestic use, 
for if boiled in numbers in the pig boiler a 
great quantity of useful oil could be skimmed 
off. Pigeons could be shot from the tops of 
the totara trees and black pines at most seasons 
of the year, and ka-kas flew about solitary and 
in small flocks at all seasons. Yet during the 
many years we lived in the bush no nest was 
found; it would therefore appear that these 
birds went elsewhere to breed. However that 
may be, the bush was at all times alive Avith 
birds of various kinds, and although they have 
no song resembling that of our English birds, 
their calls struck the ear whenever we entered 
the bush areas from the open and lifeless plains. 
There is something very striking in the great 
silence of the tussock plains of New Zealand 
and the shrill cries of the tui-tui (parson birds) 
of the bush, for there is always a strict line of 
demarkation between bush and plain. 
After the killing of a bullock, which was 
undertaken periodically by the settlers of the 
districts, the flesh being divided among them, 
there was a period of pickled meat, and it was 
in these times that we organized a pig hunt. 
Sometimes when riding over the ranges in 
search of cattle we brought back a pig, but as 
a rule, a party went out specially for the pur¬ 
pose, taking with them bullock sleighs on which 
to carry the spoil. The hunters were armed 
with gun or spear, sometimes both, and were 
accompanied by dogs—collies and bull terriers; 
the former to bail up and the latter to hold fast. 
It is necessary to employ the collie, as he gives 
tongue when pigs are found, and can be fol¬ 
lowed in the dense covert of fern, grass, flax 
and scrub. The bull terrier, on the other hand, 
will hold on to the ear of the pig and give no 
tongue at all, so that the finding of the 'quarry 
is a matter of chance. The two dogs working 
together are almost essential to success. The 
pigs haunt the bush and feed upon the fern 
roots at the fringe; they are therefore seldom 
far away from covert when found. The presence 
of a herd can be traced by the strong scent 
and the rooting, and one or more, according to 
the number of dogs employed, are secured with¬ 
out much difficulty. 
This feral pig of New Zealand is peculiar in 
type, gaunt, flat-sided, deep, and of various 
shades of color—yellow, gray, tan, and black 
and tan are the usual blends—hair long, and 
bristles high along the back. In size they range 
from the large and fully grown boar and sow 
to the “squeaker,” and in number from a soli¬ 
tary pig to a herd of thirty or more. Boars of 
great size are not often found in the herd; they 
seem to prefer a solitary life, and often in the 
course of a quiet ride in search of cattle very 
large specimens are seen. They are not as a 
rule purposely hunted, for they are not eatable; 
but occasionally when at bay it is necessary to 
kill them to save the dog, for a bull terrier will 
not readily be called off, and in the effort to get 
hold of the boar’s ear he is often badly ripped. 
It has frequently been necessary to carry the 
victim home on the saddle to be sewn up, and 
sometimes the wound has proved fatal. A boar 
at bay is a dangerous customer, and care must 
be taken, for if his attention is not attracted 
by a barking collie it is difficult to spear him, 
and his hide behind the shoulder will sometimes 
turn a pistol bullet. 
New Zealand is a beautiful country, well 
watered, and varied with bush, gorges, hills and 
plains. The gorges are often deep and narrow, 
bordered with thick and almost impenetrable 
scrub, and it is in these that the pigs are usually 
found. The bush is so dense and the area so 
large that in the days referred to it was more 
easy to enter than to get out, and when in 
search of pigs men have been “bushed” for 
days. There is a certain amount of sport in 
pig hunting, but it is often of a depressing nature, 
for all is so quiet, so solitary, and somewhat 
weird. The solitude is seldom interrupted, ex¬ 
cept occasionally by a shepherd or stockman 
riding in search of strayed cattle. The meat ot 
the wild pig is white and rather tasteless, and 
although it may be made palatable by good 
cooking, it is, nevertheless eaten for a change 
in diet rather than as a luxury. Living solely 
upon fern roots as the wild pig does, there is 
nothing pork-like in its character. One of the 
chief advantages gained by pig hunting in New 
Zealand is the capture of live “squeakers,” for 
they live well in a sty if'onlv they escape the usual 
death by surfeit. As a rule, they settle down 
without difficulty to a life of captivity, and in 
due course produce good bacon. 
THRILLING SPORT. 
Louisiana promises sbon to take a step far in 
advance of the rest of the country in the matter 
of fish and game protective laws. Down in the 
far South, says the Springfield (Mass.) Re¬ 
publican, frogs’ legs are considered even more 
of a dainty than they are here, and the result 
is that the Louisiana bullfrog crop is threatened 
with a shortage. Plans are now on foot to put 
a bill before the Legislature calling for a closed 
season on the thrilling sport of frog hunting. 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained from any 
newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to supply you 
regularly. 
