

caaTn DE mE 
the young fry will be ready for planting in about a month. 
They should go into spring brooks of a very few feet in 
width, which are not likely to freeze during winter. 
One of our worthiest and best informed correspondents, { 
J. Carson Brevoort, Esq., earnestly opposes putting these 
fish in the Hudson. 
logy fish, that do not take a fly and are not very delicate as 
food. But for all this, we will not allow our noble river to 
remain barren of fish. These salmon will serve as fish food 
He says they are a heavy, slow, and } 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
official Many remarkable scores have been published as | 
having been made at Creedmoor, which we have no doubt 
were accomplished by parties whose performances, how- 
ever, in public have not equalled their practice in private. 
The only true way is to give the official figures, and by do- | 
ing so no questions of favoritism or personal influence can 
arise which might occur did we adopt any other course. 
1 We also propose working out a careful comparison of the 
and be taken in abundance with the shad in nets in years to | 
come. And albeit they are now coarse in flesh and afford | 
the angler no sport, they will improve in flavor in due time, | 
and also adopt the habits of their Labrador kinsfolk, and 
And if they should herein disappoint these cherished hopes, | 
what of it? We can still go to the St. Lawrence or the | 
Bay Chaleur for our rod-fishing, as we now do, while the | 
poor will be fed on salmon at prices within their reach. 
— qx _—__ 
BALL CARTRIDGES. 
pz ee | 
MONG the sportsmen and guides of Nova Scotia, 
there is a great deal of the most direct and practical 
information to be obtained upon, almost all branches of 
wood craft, and well may it be so, for there is hardly any 
plains, where some game does not exist that is worth all a 
huntsman’s skill. 
The rifle is fully appreciated, and at variouspranges, and 
with frequent competitive trials, all kinds of arms are well 
tested; but the men who go out for large game are very 
tial to a smooth bore. The Snider rifle is, with its large 
ball, a favorite, and is carried more generally than any 
other; still it hardly suits many of the best guides as well as 
a musket. One reason is found in the fact that moose, | 
when called, are usually shot at short range, and in dim | 
moonlight, or twilight, when the fine sights of a rifle are 
quite useless. 
Beeswanger, the well known guide of the River Phillip ! 
region, advises the use of a musket for moose, “with two 
balls, sir; large balls, sir; one to cut away the twigs and 
one to kill, sir!” ; 
And Beeswanger should know, for he has killed more 
moose than any man in the Cobequid, and has some twenty 
children to follow in his footsteps. 
Acting upon his counsel, a number of ball cartridges 
were ordered at Halifax, and they were so well made 
that it may be worth while to mention their form. 
The gun for which they were loaded was a ten bore Scott. | 
The ball used was eleven, and when placed over 34 drachms 
of powder and a thick wad was retained by drawing a 
strong cord around the shell just above it, making a deep 
and permanent crease. The round form of the ball would 
endanger wedging and a consequent strain were the car- 
tridge rimmed over, but the crease kept the ball safely in - 
place without forming an obstacle to its egress. It must be 
understood that the cord was not left on the shell. It was 
only used to form the crease evenly around it, 
A strong double gun is a formidable arm when loaded 
with one ball and one buck shot cartridge. The ball may 
be relied upon for ten rods, and at a stilllonger range with 
slight elevation, and for snap shots at running game, will 
do fatal work about as often as a rifle. ‘ 
The round ball is considered as more immediately des- 
tructive than any other. The blow is very powerful, and 
the ‘“‘shock” to the animal consequently great, while the 
flesh and skin will hardly close over the wound to retard 
bleeding. It is claimed that large game will succumb more 
rapidly to the ragged crush of such a large ball, and save § 
many a mile of trailing or the loss of game. As'to the ac- 
curacy of such shooting, the three first shots with the gun | 
mentioned, at forty-five yards, without rest, placed all the | 
balls in one hole, hardly enlarging it, and it was just where 
it was intended to be. 
There are many long arduous tramps taken after large 
game, when every ounce is to be well considered in arrang- 
ing packs, and when but one gun can be carried, the use of 
ball in double guns may enable a hunter to decide upon 
taking a gun that will bring ducks, spruce grouse, &c., to 
the larder. 
i 
CREEDMOOR. 
on ee 
OW that the rifie range at Creedmoor has closed for 
the season of 18738, a resumé of the practice which 
has taken place there, giving the scores made in the differ- 
ent matches, including those of the teams of the various 
regiments, will doubtless be found of great interest. Here- 
tofore no account has ever been produced of these matches 
available to the public, so that means could be afforded of 
making comparisons in regard to the merits of the differ- 
ent regiments as marksmen. Another point of great in- 
terest will be the study of the various ‘arms employed and 
their excellence as deduced from the scores of the winners, 
and such nice points as how far the military arms have 
kept pace with the sporting or target weapons. The im- 
provement which has resulted at Creemoor, taking the,first 
matches and comparing them with the last ones, will be 
better discoverable when we have grouped together the en- 
tire series of matches. This bringing of the scores to- 
gether has heretofore been a want that has been felt not 
only by those using the range at Creedmoor, but by all 
who have been interested in the subject of rifle practice, 
and the deductions made from them will be sought for 
by manufacturers of arms not only at home, but abroad. 
It is our intention to publish the official score, whether 
good or bad, and to publish nothing but what is strictly 
scores of the winning teams, as also of the best individual 
shots in these teams, and to place them alongside of the | 
shooting at Wimbledon and in Canada, so that our Amer- 
ican riflemen will be enabled to determine not only their 
| exact status, but what it is necessary for them to do in or- 
rise to the fly as gracefully as the best educated of them all. | 
der to become the rivals, if not the victors, of the best 
English marksmen. 
To show that our marksmen do not grope in the dark, 
and are not too prone to be led by precedent, they seem to 
4 have come to the opinion that at Creedmoor the tables of 
elevation and the rules in regard to atmospheric pressure, 
2s affecting the accuracy of aim, and the necessary eleva- 
tions or depressions of the piece, as laid down by the best 
Englisi authorities in rifle practice, will require material 
alteration or modfication for use. The purity of the at- 
mosphere, as compared with that of England, undoubtedly 
tice and experience. This important question is being rap- 
idly brought to solution by the amateur Riflemen at Creed- 
moor, and we may trust by the publications we are about 
to commence that we shall be able to collate facts which 
will be of material service. 
So far as we are aware, no publication has been made of 
scores except of the winning teams at the fall competition 
of the National Rifle Association. This is a matter which 
many are interested in knowing, and we trust to supply 
j this want by printing all the scores in each of the matches. 
| atioc with misgivings. 
} jectors were enthusiastic about it, the officers and directors 
The experiment of starting a rifle range was one which 
was doubtless entered upon by the National Rifle Associ- 
Though many of the original pro- 
had grave fears as to whether arifle range would prove 
popular to the public, or even to the National Guard. Of 
course the originators of the enterprise had no actual ex- 
perience in the undertaking, and were doubtful of their 
ability to manage it successfully. The year’s single expe- 
rience, which has come to so fortunate a conclusion, has 
done away with all such misgivings. We can safely assert 
that no public movement of any kind has been instituted 
which has so rapidly become popular as the National Rifle ° 
Association. From its incipiency up to the present mo- 
1 ment no newspaper, in fact no one, has mentioned the sub- 
ject save to commend it. To-day nearly all the prominent 
members of the National Guard belong to it, and on all 
sides, from the press and the public, it meets with a most 
hearty support. 
The range at , Creedmoor has been laid out on an im- 
proved model, and is universally conceded from natural 
causes, aided by judicious improvements, to be superior to 
the best rifle ranges abroad. 
Notwithstanding that all the officers of the National 
Rifle Association are business men, in order to insure the 
success of their enterprise these gentlemen have devoted 
an amount of time and attention to create and carry out 
this undertaking which can hardly be understood by those 
not cognizant with the fact that the difficulties were many, 
and only to be overcome by no small amount of personal 
sacrifice. It would perhaps be invidious to make any dis- 
tinction when all have done so well. Especial credit is, 
however, due to Colonel William C. Church, the President; 
249 

dered impossible for the future by an alteration at the butt 
where the accident occurred. 
The effect of the practice at Creedmoor on the National 
Guard has been remarkable, and will undoubtedly be per- 
manent. Our volunteer soldiers recognize the fact that their 
rifles are something else than implements, to be used only 
for the manual of arms in the drill room. During the win- 
ter Wingate’s Manual on Rifle Practice will receive a care- 
ful study, and aiming drill and candle shootiug, hitherto 
put little known among the different regiments, save by the 
gallant members of the Twenty-second Regiment, will 
form a prominent feature of the winter’s drill. The Sev- 
enth, Ninth, Twelfth, Twenty-third, Thirty-second, Sev- 
| enty-first, and Seventy-ninth regiments have determined 
that if practice will accomplish anything, to be powerful 
antagonists at the next general match of the National Rifle 
Association. 
Individual members of the National Guard will appreci- 
ate the glory which is to be obtained as the winner of a 
prize at future contests. It is something which may give 
him a position well worthy of an honorable ambition. 
There is no one thing by which a member can bring him- 
self in such honorable prominence as by a display of 
} marksmanship. While affording pleasant recreation for 
'| is now a thing of the past. 
: Ais Notes Se | leisure hours it must draw forth at the same time his best 
point in the Province, sea-side, estuary, mountain, or | ne Mae ere ay aig eee ne ann O evn 
| light to shade of a bright ora dark day are somewhat less | 
} noticeable on this side of the world. Exactly what are 
these differences can of course only be determined by prac- 
military qualifications. When rifle shooting, as a military 
| art, is taken hold of by the whole of the National Guard, 
as they seem disposed to take hold, a large class of young 
men will undoubtedly be brought into the ranks who 
otherwise would hold aloof from military organizations. 
A healthy emulation will then be excited among the dif- 
ferent regiments, and the State will obtain a substantial 
benefit by securing a National Guard which will not only 
be enthusiastic in time of peace, but efficient in time of war. 
THE CINCINNATI ACCLIMATIZATION 
SOCIETY. 
po tay Scere 
HE preservation of game and birds and their acclima-_ 
tization entering particularly within the province of 
the FoREST AND STREAM, we hail with pleasure any effort 
made to foster enterprises of this character. 
It is wonderful when we think how feeble were the 
early attempts of this kind. To Philadelphia must be 
given the credit of having been the first to foster the squir- 
rels in the public squares. We remember perfectly well 
the time, some twenty years only ago, when if an occasional 
squirrel was seen in Washington square in Philadelphia, a 
hundred boys would troop around, and poor Bunny would 
be pelted with stones. To-day squirrels abound in the 
Philadelphia breathing grounds, and these pretty animals 
live the happiest of lives. Such a small matter as the pre- 
servation of a squirrel’s life may seem to many as insignifi- 
cant, but their immunity from danger and the interest even 
the roughest portion of a population take in their move- 
ments and preservation, cannot but have had an excellent 
effect. It has been the better not only for the squirrels but 
for the boys and men. 
The introduction of the English sparrow in New York, 
To-day the sparrow is part and 
parcel of this huge metropolis, and the benefits derived 
from his presence are universally admitted. The Cincin- 
nati Acclimatization Society, has for its object the intro- 

} duction into this country of all useful, insect eating Euro- 
} pean birds, as well as the best singers, and to see to it that 
to the Vice President, General Alexander Shaler; to Captain | 
George W. Wingate, the Secretary; and to General John 
B. Woodward, who was for a long time Treasurer, and 
who has had charge of the headquarters tent during the dif- 
| ferent matches. 
It is a-matter of congratulation to all concerned that the 
multifarious business of the range has not only been man 
aged with a liberal spirit, but that the expenditures have 
been at the same time most carefully administered. The 
pleasant feeling which exists among the officers and direc- 
tors has extended to the range itself, and although the 
managers of foreign ranges at first somewhat appalled the 
officers of our National Rifle Association by the statement 
that there was no class of the community so captious and 
quarrelsome as riflemen, yet at Creedmoor everything 
has passed off as pleasantly as a summer day. Those who 
practiced at the range understood intuitively what were 
the difficulties and annoyances officers had to contend 
with, and both officers and men made allowances for them. 
Whatever differences of opinion may have existed, which 
were inevitable inthe starting of a new enterprise, were 
always quickly and harmoniously arranged, and on the 
part of the marksmen the wise disposition was shown of 
making the best of everything. Occasionally, of course, 
a grumbler made his appearance, but the vast majority of 
competing marksmen, by the good humor and alacrity 
with which they obeyed the laws of the range, have been 
of great aid to the officers in charge. 
Conceding the fact that much the larger majority of 
those who have used the range this year were to a certain 
extent unused to arms, it is an extraordinary fact that not 
a single accident of any kind has occurred, save a marker, 
who, unnecessarily exposing himself, was slightly cut by a 
splash from a bullet. This cause of accident has been ren- 
the imported, as well as the domestic birds have a better 
} protection against the attack of heartless men and thought- 
less boys; that the shooting of useful birds be prevented 
and the destruction of birds nests be stopped, with all legal 
means at the disposal of the Society. From A. Erken- 
brecker, Esq., the President of the Cincinnati Society of 
Acclimatization, we have received a most interesting letter 
on the subject of their organization, from which letter we 
make the following summary: The Society has to-day 250 
members, and is steadily augmenting in number. Las 
spring $3,000 worth of European songsters of ten differen 
| varieties were set free, and the experiment proving a per 
fect success, as the birds remained and bred, the Society 
| have sent an agent to Germany for anothar installment of 
such varieties as had not yet beenreceived. To makesure 
that these birds when received shall not suffer from the 
} sudden effects of climate, arrangements have been made to 
house the birds this winter, so that somewhat accustomed to 
the climatic change, they will be ready for liberation in the 
early spring. In this way young birds born abroad will 
have a better chance of existence. The President informs 
us that the sparrows are becoming very thick in the out- 
skirts of the city, and that next year they will, he believes, 
enter into the heart of the good city of Cincinnati. The 
birds spoken of as expected, will arrive very shortly in 
charge of Mr. A. Tenner, the Secretary. 
The Society has issued a number of circulars, in which 
they call on teachers, parents and lovers of birds to help 
them in awakening a love for these merry songsters, and to 
give their aid in protecting the birds, and promoting their 
increase. No less excellent is the idea of a placard printed 
on white cloth, to be nailed in proper positions, which reads 
as follows: ‘‘ Ten Dollars reward will be paid by the Ac- 
climatization Society of Cincinnati for any information 
that will convict any person or persons of violating fn this 
vicinity, the State or municipal laws framed for the protec- 
tion of birds.” ' 
Apart from the highly beneficial effect of insect-eating 
birds in protecting orchard and shade trees, the Society, as 
may be seen, have not forgotten the more kindly influences 
the songs of birds exert in allclasses. We trust to see other 
cities emulate the good example shown by the Cincinnati 
Acclimatization Society. 
