
778 
FOREST AND STREAM. 




[Nov. 16, 1907 

it and a perfectly simple and feasible one, and 
we were ashamed that we had not thought of it 
also. 
The woods were full of white birch trees all 
the way. Billings’ plan was to make his way 
by the hght of a brand from our camp-fire to 
the nearest birch, strip an armful of bark, slip 
the edge of a roll of it into the split end of a 
stick, set the tip on fire and with this improvised 
but splendid torch to light his way, travel as 
fast he could while the torch “held out to 
burn” and then to replenish from his armful, 
and to secure another armful when needed and 
; on. It would have been a rapid and long 
walk, but he knew every rod of the way, was 
in his prime and as strong as a moose, and one 
hundred dollars would have repaid him many 
times over for the exertion. 
as 
[t was about thirty-five years before I saw 
Big Lyford Pond again. I sought in vain for 
any trace of our old log shelter on the other 
side of the pond. A little distance from it was 
a central camp and dining room, and around it 
at convenient distances were a number of snug 
log cabins, one of which I had to myself, and 
there | enjoyed evenings of rare solitude—after 
good days on the mountainsides with the par- 
tridges or on Big Lyford with the trout (it 
was close season for big game)—and blissfully 
free from the annoyance of telephone bell, the 
roar of the trolley car and the honk of the auto- 
mobile. The kind and accommodating owner 
and manager of the whole place knew not why 
the pond which was his source of revenue—it 
was always famous for its trout—bore the name 
it did.and it was reserved for me to tell him 
and the story of old Uncle Lyford, the hunter 
and trapper. 
Some twenty rods from my cabin was a box 
for the reception of mail, which was taken 
away at 4 A. M., and toward midnight I used to 
go out in my slippers and lighting my steps by 
the powerful beam of my little electric hand- 
lamp, post my letters with perfect comfort in 
the darkest night. 
Jt is here that the purpose of t 
tion comes in, viz., to commend 
if there be any one who has never happened to 
try it, the fine Convenience and utility of the 
electric hand-lamp in the wilderness. Often I 
made strolls .at midnight into the forest. With 
the little electric beam the thing was as easy as 
in daylight. Then the magic of its control! 
(Through the thickest tangle, among rocks and 
over logs you can go, and in an instant you can 
stand in absolute darkness and stillness, so far 
as you are concerned, and listen to any sound 
in the wood. Unseen yourself, you can flash 
your beam on any other walker or prowler of 
the night. In camp and about it the lamp is 
instantly available. There is no waiting, perhaps 
with numbed ‘fingers, to scratch reluctant 
matches or to fumble for material that those 
matches can set on fire. The magic light shows 
you where everything is, and preparations can 
be made at leisure. The catalogue of the virtues 
of the little lamp is endless. It has been made 
avail of in a thousand ways—but to me at least 
it is a sine qua@ non in the woods. 
If we had had it over there in the camp nearly 
forty years ago, the question Billings, Isbell and 
I discussed would not have occurred to us, but 
how we should have marveled if unheralded it 
had been shown to us then! Some years ago a 
gentleman from the South, who, during a sum- 
mer camping experience in Michigan, discovered 
the, to him, hitherto unknown inflammable qual- 
ities of birch bark, in the kindness of his heart 
wrote to FoREST AND STREAM to break the good 
news to other campers and hunters. 
If my suggestion at this late day that the 
little electric hand-lamp deserves a place in the 
list of things desirable in ordinary camping 
should prove as superfluous as that of the 
Southern gentleman, I can at least plead a 
similar amiable purpose. C. H. Ames. 


1is COMmunica- 
to any camper, 


Ir issreported in Fall River, Mass., that George 
D. Flynn, a liquor dealer and manager, and 
treasurer of the King Philip Brewery, has con- 
cluded a deal for the purchase of Gray Gables, 
formerly the summer home of Grover Cleveland, 
at Buzzards Bay. 

California Duck and Upland Shooting. 
SAN Fracwnsico, Cal., Nov. 2.—Editor Forest 
and Stream: The rain of the past few days 
has played havoc with the duck shooting in the 
marshes. The season in the San Francisco Bay 
districts has been decidedly poor so far. The 
flight of northern birds sets in in November and 
good sport is looked for then. The birds here 
at the opening of the season were nearly all 
home bred ducks, but a few bluebills and wid- 
geon have since come in from the north. The 
opening day bombardment and_ shooting since 
has accounted for bags estimated to be about 
one-half the visible supply, and of the other half 
most. were scared away. 
Though many complain of the scarcity of ducks 
in the marshes, they are confident that sooner 
or later there will be fine sport. Everything de- 
pends on the climate in the north, for with a 
blasting storm sweeping over Oregon, Washing- 
ton and the Jower part of Canada, ducks will 
migrate to warmer regions and then all will have 
a chance to waste ammunition. A glance at the 
weather reports and temperature of the north, 
however, does not show that there will be the 
sport expected for some time. The temperature 
around Baker City and other sections where 
ducks abound as yet has not dropped below 40 
degrees, and the heaviest wind recorded was only 
sixteen miles an hour. With these conditions 
prevailing up north the ducks will not come 
south, for a temperature of 40 or even a few 
degrees below that is to their liking. The high 
water in the Sacramento, San Joaquin and Yolo 
basins is regarded an additional réason for 
the scarcity of ducks in the Suisun marshes, 
Hunters in the inland country, especially near 
Merced and other points along the upper end of 
the San Joaquin, continue to have good sport. 
The supply of birds remains about the same. As 
fast as they are killed off or driven away others 
from around the bay drop in to take their places. 
The Redwood marshes have been crowded with 
hunters since the t5th of October, and fair bags 
have been secured. 
In the Petaluma marsh district the sport has 
been very fair. The Joyce Island and Volante 
Gun Club members have enjoved a good aver- 
age of duck and snipe shooting since the ¢eason 
opened. The members of the Tyer Island Gun 
Club also have had excellent sport. 
At Collinsville and other points on the Sacra- 
mento River the shooting is better than the aver- 
age of other places, but the waiting in the blinds 
between shots is long and the mosquitoes de- 
tract from the pleasures of hunting. 
The shooting in the south is somewhat superior 
to that in the San Francisco districts and, though 
limit bags are somewhat scarce, very fair sport is 
enjoyed. The birds have been in prime condition 
all season and a large flight of birds from the 
great Egyptian corn and wheat fields of the San 
Joaquin valley, which has just arrived in the 
south, is as fat as the most exacting gourmand 
could desire. Teal have come to the Los Angeles 
districts in force and large bags of the green- 
winged variety have been made. Strings of 
thirty-five predominate. 
Several new gun clubs have been organized in 
the southern part of the State, chief of which is 
the Fortuna Gun.Club, of San Diego. The mem- 
bers consist of D. C. Collier, A. C. Coffeen, J. 
M. Porter, Arthur Crouse, Sherwood Wheaton, 
J. E. Sturgess, J. F. Zimbleman and Tom Coats. 
C. N. Andrews, a well known southern sports- 
man, has been elected president and E. D. Wil- 
liams, secretary. The headquarters of the club 
will be at the Fortuna ranch. The company has 
placed the ranch at the disposal of the club. 
The Aythya Duck Club, of Los Angeles, has 
been incorporated with a capital stock of $25,000 
and a limit membership of twenty-five, each mem- 
ber to have one share and no more. The club 
intends to acquire certain acreage of marsh land 
where shooting is regarded as_ exceptionally 
good. 
Quail are -plentiful throughout northern and 
central California. The supply seems undimin- 
ished in spite of the fact that more of the little 
game birds have been killed since the season 
opened than probably ever before in California 
for a corresponding period of time. Limit bags 
as 


are easily obtainable. The large covers h 
broken up into smaller ones and the shoot 
is more regular; in fact, the game has been 
plentiful that most hunters claim not to fire 
shot into coveys where there are undersi: 
birds. In the Napa and Sonoma valleys the v 
areas of vineyards afford plenty of cover < 
shooting is not quite normal, but with the | 
ing of the leaves the sport will be good. Me 
mountain quail have been bagged near St. Hele 
and Petaluma. 
In Fresno and vicinity the birds are so plet 
ful that limit bags are the regular thing. 71 
birds are fearless and not in any way gun s| 
earning the name of “too-easy” from true spor| 
men who like to work for results. 
In the south quail are less plentiful. In fe} 
hunters are unable to understand why the b: 
should be so light and sport as poor as it 1} 
been during the week in view of the admit} 
abundance of game, and favorable early rai 
together with an abundance of cover. | 
Dozens of parties have scoured the coun! 
with surprisingly poor results. They say ‘| 
birds*'are widely scattered; bands are hard | 
find, and harder still to do anything with wt} 
once located. The birds run before the do} 
points much more than usual, and flush w! 
when found in bunches. They usually contin} 
into the inaccessible hills where there is no 1| 
to follow. p 
The Alameda County Fish and Game Prot! 
tive Association has received from Coachilla, S/ 
Diego county, twelve dozen desert quail. Thi 
birds will be used for crossing with Cent} 
California mountain quail, the breed of whil 
has been running out in the opinion of loi} 
sportsmen. The birds were trapped and w} 
be distributed under authority of the State Fil 
Commission. The birds will be held if possilt 
until after the shooting season and then releas} 
at various points. ; 
The commission is considering the offer [ 
W. L. Van Slyke to get 500 wild turkeys ; 
Mexico for $2,000, and bring them to the loc: 
mountains to stock this country. It is believ) 
the offer will be accepted, and the birds aft 
being placed here will be protected for five yee} 
to give them an opportunity to increase. f 
Mountain lions continue to be a disturbi| 
element to the ranchers of Mendocina, Hu 
boldt and neighboring counties of California. } 
number of animals have been killed and the pe| 
redeemed by the fish commission. Jacob Ne?> 
comer was the first man in the State to claim t\ 
reward of $20. His shot brought down a maj 
nificent specimen in Potter Valley, the animn| 
measuring eight feet and a half from tip to t's 
San Francisco hunters returning from the Sa} 
ramento River section tell great tales of succey 
won by using “crosses”-as decoys. As the stof 
goes, a hunter found a wounded wild malla| 
drake, and taking it home, bred it with sorh 
tame ducks. He found that as a decoy th 
crossed birds were hard to beat. The succet 
of the first man led others to take it up, ar! 
now many of these live decoys are being usit 
in the Sacramento River marshes, and great suf 
cess is announced. A drake and two ducks ab 
generally taken out for the hunt, the drake beitt 
placed on one side and the ducks on the othy 
side of a small clump of tule. When the dral 
in his lonesomeness sees wild ducks flying ove), 
head, he calls out to them and the neighborit{ 
ducks reply. As a result of this long distan 
conversation the wild ducks are induced to circ) 
round and draw near, Ag P3 Bat 


















































































































































New Publications. Y 
, 
“Davip Lipsey,’ by Fannie H. Eckstorm, 
one of the “True American Types’ series they 
the American Unitarian Association of Bosto}, 
is publishing. The story of the life of Davi 
Libbey, Maine woodsman and river driver, ma 
recall some of. his contributions to Forest AN 
STREAM. 

| 
i 
i 
All the game laws of the United States anf 
Canada, revised to date and now in force, ar, 
given in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 


