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Nov. 16, 1907.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
L/5 



“The fact is, I see the Cook standin’ back 
there on that log when the buck played around 
him like a kitten, and he actually forgot that he 
had a gun.” : 
“Yes, yes! To-morrow we'll take his gun and 
give him a handful of salt.” 
The whole crew took a hand in having fun 
at my expense while Jake dressed the buck. 
“T wish I had the ball you put through him— 
I’d give it to the Cook for a muscat—or what- 
ever you call it,’’ said Glenn.° 
“Der Cook vill mage a bedder shot ven he haf 
de buck in de fry-pan!” Spingleheimer chimed in. 
That night, as salve for my wounded feelings, 
Dan presented me with the beautiful set of 
antlers, which I still retain. 
R. A. MrIniAm. 
A Day with the Ruffed Grouse. 
Fitcusurc, Mass., Nov. 6.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Who can consider himself one of the 
brotherhood of sportsmen and not have treasured 
up some especially bright red letter day? ‘The 
pleasure one derives from reading the exploits 
of other hunters prompts him to offer his best 
day’s sport for the enjoyment of yet others. One 
glorious red letter day has fallen to my lot, 
which, above all others, was a day of enjoyment 
and success. 
Six o’clock on the morning of the 24th of 
October, last year, found me boarding an electric 
ear which in less than half an hour landed me 
within a few minutes’ walk of my hunting 
ground. The cold crispness of the air but lent 
a fresh incentive to the joy of tramping. The 
road left behind, my companion Bess, an intel- 
ligent and affectionate setter, eagerly entered. the 
woods and began diligently hunting for par- 
tridges. 
At the end of the first hour we had nothing 
to show except a few empty shells and a some- 
what disgusted expression, both being the re- 
sults of the tantalizing whirr and the indistinct 
glimpses of birds through thick brush, but after 
a cautious bit of trailing Bess came to a staunch 
point and almost immediately from under a 
thick pine flew a partridge. A quick snapshot 
was rewarded by a fine plump cock which glad- 
dened the hearts of both man and dog. The 
next bird, though nicely pointed by Bess, eluded 
both barrels by some wonderful dodging behind 
trees and made a clean getaway. 
From the top of a pine a little further on 
another bird flew, and despite my best efforts 
could not be brought to bag. This bird flew 
directly toward a piece of pines about an acre 
in extent where the small brush was very thick. 
With the gun at a ready I followed the dog 
slowly and carefully. First we hunted through 
that small piece of pines until we had literally 
combed it without result. Next we hunted through 
the bushes which thinly frineed the wall on the 
side next the mowing, but still with no result. 
plexed, I retraced my steps to the point where 
the bird first started and carefully considered 
the case. Determined to find that partridge, I 
once more returned to the pines and began hunt- 
ing through them, paying attention only to the 
limbs of the trees. Within twenty feet of where 
I had previously been and in plain sight sat that 
fool bird, and needless to say it furnished a wel- 
come addition to my bag. 
Bess unintentionally scared up another par- 
tridge on the edge of a piece of pine timber, and 
remained motionless while I dropped it from 
a limb on which it had taken refuge from the 
dog. Right there we rested lazily in the warm 
sunshine for a solid hovr of perfect content- 
ment, then resumed our search through quite 
open woods. Thanks to the noise we made on 
the leaves, a bird flushed wild and could only be 
traced in its flight by the starting whirr. Fol- 
lowing this one I kept along a stone wall until 
a cross wall was reached. Swinging across a 
few feet in front of me, Bess came to a pretty 
point, feet on wall and nose and tail extended. 
Starting with a rush from the angle of the walls, 
this bird made straight for a piece of heavy 
timber only to come tumbling at the crack of 
the litle sixteen gauge. Ten minutes of tramp- 
ing and the dog dropped silently, pointing 
straight toward the edge of the woods and the 


Pét=* 
mowing some fifty feet away. A quick rush 
of a brown body through the leaves and away 
went the bird, followed at once by another. The 
first fell to the report of the right barrel, but 
the second escaped. 
By this time, with five partridges in my coat, 
I was feeling well pleased with the morning’s 
hunt. 
After a half hour of steady tramping, during 
which a bird had been flushed and missed, one 
rose wild down the hill. Appearing above the 
trees for an instant only, a quick snap was tried, 
and to my amazement Bess proudly retrieved. ’ 
Within the next few minutes. a partridge was 
seen sitting immovable at the base of a white 
birch tree on my left, and furnished Bess another 
chance to bring in one of those beautiful birds. 
Bess pointed one more bird down below on 
that hillside, and it also fell in response to the 
sharp report. Being only wing tipped, this one 
got into a hole under a big rock and had to be 
left to come out of its own free will, so mark- 
ing the spot carefully we went on. 
For lunch and a pleasant half hour we stop- 
ped in the sun beside a little brook. 
Here Bess 


CAMERA BELT. 
The upper illustration shows the belt and the method 
of attaching the camera strap to it. The middle drawing 
illustrates the attachment of the camera case, and the 
lower picture the camera in different positions. 
of course received her part of the meal, for 
which she thanked me as only a dog can, and 
then lay down to doze peacefully. 
Though several more birds were started in the 
afternoon, only two were killed, one being a 
snapshot over a ledge, while the other was by 
a pretty cross shot in the open. Returning to 
where the bird had hidden under the rock Bess 
took up the trail which it had made on coming 
out.and soon pointed, then brought in the bird. 
With ten big partridges to carry in my hunting 
coat it had become impossible to hunt in the 
brush, so at half past two I started for the car 
line well satisfied with the day’s sport. 
On this same ground where these birds were 
killed last year not more than five or six can be 
found this year, as the season raised havoc with 
our Massachusetts birds. 
A Younc HuNTER. 
CAMP SUPPLIES. 
Camp supplies should include Borden’s Eagle 
Brand Condensed Milk. Peerless Brand Evapor- 
ated Milk and Borden’s Malted Milk, all of 
which contain substantial and compact nourish- 
ment, and supplying every milk or cream require- 
ment.—Adv. 
The Sportsman’s Camera. 
Jamestown, N. Y., Oct. 21.—Editor Forest 
and Stream: The sportsman who goes to the 
game ranges without a camera loses fully one- 
half the enjoyment of his trip. Not that I would 
advocate leaving the gun behind—do not mis- 
understand me on that point, for I am too fond 
of gun powder to ever become convertéd to the 
modern creed of gunless hunting—but after all, 
the gun and the game are only incidents of a 
hunting trip. Nature, solitude, freedom—these 
are the real quarry of the sportsman, though he 
may not admit it; in fact, may not even realize 
it. The game and the trophy are merely cre- 
dentials of fellowship in the craft. 
But the wilderness photograph is a close sec- 
ond to the trophy; indeed, in some respects even 
its superior, and I always feel sorry for the 
sportsman who returns from his hunt without 
a goodly quota of negatives. 
On my desk beside me as I write is my own 
precious collection of camera prints from the 
game fields, numbering nearly five hundred, con- 
secutively mounted in books, each print bearing 
its proper date and inscription. In this form 
they are a never-failing source of interest and 
perpetuate the memories of outings nothing 
else can do, for every page is fairly redolent 
with the pure atmosphere of mountain, plain, 
woodland, lake or river. 
Here, for example, is a faraway peak, whitened 
with the snow of a mountain blizzard into which 
a foolhardy venture caused me the keenest of 
discomfort, not to say danger. Here are bits of 
a canoe trip on a wilderness river and a camp 
in a lonely Canadian forest, the tent properly 
embellished with a goodly pair of antlers. This 
level stretch is a plateau in the antelope coun- 
try and would not be much of a picture save 
for the horsemen in the foreground. There are 
snapshots of a bear hunt with a real bear and 
the pack in full cry, the tailpiece being a royal 
brown pelt hanging on a tree. And so on ad 
libitum until the last leaf is turned in the wilder- 
ness home of his majesty the moose; every page 
reflecting some phase of outdoor life with faith- 
ful and charming detail. 
_ But the carrying of a camera in the game fields 
is generally attended with inconvenience that is 
little short of positive annoyance. Even the most 
compact variety of folding camera flapping in 
the pocket of a hunting coat during an all day 
hunt afoot or astride becomes a source of irri- 
tation that is not conducive to good work with 
the instrument. It was this fact that led me to 
devise for my own convenience a belt upon which 
the sportsman can carry his camera without even 
realizing that he is doing so, and at the same 
time have the box ready for instant use at all 
times. When it is at the rear of the belt be- 
tween the hips the wearer does not feel its 
weight and is not even conscious that he is 
carrying it; in fact, I have often found myself 
feeling behind to ascertain if the instrument were 
really there. At the same time by a simple and 
noiseless movement the camera can be slipped 
around to the side and be instantly available for 
a snapshot. The accompanying sketches will 
show the arrangement of the belt and camera 
case. The belt should be a substantial one (my 
own is 2% inches wide) and the strap should be 
long enough to reach past the center of the 
wearers back and should be securely riveted. 
The slots cut in the leather case should fit the 
strap tightly enough to prevent slipping too 
easily. 



As to the practical workings of the belt I can 
only say that I have used it in the Rocky Moun- 
tains and in the Canadian wilderness with im- 
mense satisfaction; indeed, I may add that I 
would hardly be tempted to carry a camera into 
the woods without it, and having taken nearly 
500 negatives in the game fields, I am in a posi- 
tion to. speak feelingly upon the subject. I pre- 
dict that if Forest AND STREAM’S sportsmen equip 
themselves with such a belt, properly constructed, 
they will never go afield without it. 
W. A. BrapsHAw, 
[We have often carried a cartridge pouch in 
this way and can testify to its usefulness.—Ep.] 

