292 
THE ANGLER. 
—— 
‘THE gallant fisher’s life, 
It is the best of any, 
Tis full of pleasure, void of strife, 
And ’tis beloved by many; 
Other joys 
Are but toys, 
Only this 
Lawful is, 
For our skill 
Breeds no ill, 
But content and pleasure. 
In a morning up we rise, 
Bre Aurora’s peeping, 
Drink a cup to wash our eyes— 
Leave the sluggard sleeping; 
Then we go 
To and fro, 
With our knacks 
At our backs,, 
To such streams 
As the Thames, 
a If we have the leisure. 
When we please to walk abroad 
For our recreatio 
In the field is our ae, 
Full of delectation; 
When in a brook, 
With a hook, 
Or a lake, 
Fish we take; 
There we sit, 
For a bit, 
Till we fish entangle . 
We have gentles in a horn, 
We have paste and worms, too, 
We can watch both night and morn, 
Suffer rain aud storms, too; 
None do here 
Use to swear, 
Oaths do fray 
Fish away; 
We sit still, 
Watch our quill, 
Fishers must not wrangle. 
If the sun’s excessive heat 
Makes our bodies swelter. 
To an osier hedge we get, 
For a friendly shelter; 
Where in adike, 
Perch or pike, 
Roach or dace, 
We do chase, 
Bleak or gudgeon, 
Without grudging; 
We are still contented. 
Or we sometimes pass an hour 
Under a green willow, 
That defends us from a shower, 
Making earth our pillow; 
Where we may 
Think and pray, 
Before death 
Stops our breath; 
Other joys 
Are but toys, 
and to be lamented. 
in’ Library of Poetry and Song.” 
JOHN CHURCHILL. 

A CANADIAN ON RIFLE SHOOTING. 
dg aes 
E take great pleasure in producing a most interest- 
ing letter, which will be fully appreciated by our 
riflemen. It’s author is a distinguished member of a lead- 
ing Canadian Rifle Club :— 
’ H®iton, 
Eprror FoREST AND STREAM :— 
Having attended the first meeting of your National Rifle 
Association, I take a very great interest in reading your re- 
ports of Creedmoor and of the different matches held there, 
and I am pleased to notice the great improvement your 
marksmen have made in a short time in the use of the rifle, 
I have attended since I have lived in Canada numerous 
opening matches of Rifle Associations, but I must say that 
the matches at Creedmoor, N. Y., were better conducted, 
and the shooting at least equal to any that I have seen in 
the Dominion. Great credit is certainly due to the several 
gentlemen who had the organizing of the Association, and 
who have carried out their arrangements so well. I dou not 
mean to say that all was perfection, for that is not to be at- 
tained at a first rifle meeting; but it was all that could be 
expected. There were a few mistakes made which you 
will ne doubt obviate on acquiring experience. I will men- 
tion one or two. I noticed on several occasions men firing 
at targets when markers were painting the adjoining ones 
with danger flags up, which is very dangerous, for the bul- 
jets after striking the target fly in pieces on each side, and 
it was a wonder to me that the matches terminated without 
an accident. Another mistake I think was committed in 
the small bore matches, (or, as you term them, sporting 
rifles), and that error was in shooting them from the 
shoulder. We did the same thing at the opening matches 
of our Dominion Rifle Association, but have now given it 
up. Long range rifles are not made for shoylder shooting, 
and although in England{and Scotland they have matches 
at the short distance of 200 yards with them, they, on all 
occasions, shoot in any position. In Canada we seldom 
have matches with small bore rifles at any range under 500 
yards. 
on the match of the Amateur Rifle Club, you make some 
mistakes which you will pardon me for correcting. You 
say, ‘‘Mr. Omand having been a member of the Victoria 
Rifles of Montreal, and one of the winners in the match for 
the Rajah of Kolapore Cup in 1870,” and so forth. Now, 
Mr. Omand was never a member of the Victoria Rifles of 
Ontario, Dec. 12, 1878. 
In your paper of November 6th, in your comments ' 
} 
. FOREST AND STREAM. 
Montreal, but was a member of the Victoria Rifle Club of 
Hamilton, and the Kolapore Cup was first competed for by 
Canadians at Wimbledon in 1871, twenty men on each side, 
at 200, 500 and 600 yards. On that occasion we were beaten 
by somewhere about fifty points, but, in 1872, we picked 
our eight best men and shot eight men a side and beat the 
united team of England, Ireland and Scotland by eight points. 
You also make a comparison of the shooting in yeur 
matches and the shooting for the Kolapore Cup, but you 
must recollect that they shot with the Snider Military Rifle, 
with open sights, whereas the Amateur Club shot with 
sporting rifles, finely sighted with aperture front and back 
sights. Now, that makes a great difference indeed. From 
what I saw I feel perfectly satisfied that the Remington 
Sporting Rifle is at least equal to the Rigby or Metford Small 
Bore Rifles, which are the best long range rifles that we 
know of. I think it is a mistake to exclude muzzle-loading 
rifles from shooting in your badge matches, or any other. 
It is the best way to test the merits of both kinds of rifles 
by shooting them along side each other. You must not 
think by my above remarks that I have any intention of 
trying to diminish the credit due to your marksmen. Far 
from it; they certainly have improved in a most wonderful 
way in the short time they have been practising, and 
deserve great credit. I see by some remarks in your paper 
that you do not approve of giving money prizes at your 
competitions, for the purpose of keeping out a spirit of 
gambling, which is perfectly correct, if it would have that 
tendency; but experience proves, both in England and 
Canada, that such is not the case; for where there is no 
chance of cheating there is no danger of gamblers’ com- 
peting. If youdo not offer money prizes your competitions 
will be confined to men who have the means and time at 
their disposal. Now, I presume the gentlemen who have 
sv magnanimously worked and organized the National Rifle 
Association had some nobler object in view than getting it 
up for mere pastime. I have no doubt their intentions are 
that it shall be an institution for teaching your young men, 
whom you would expect to fight your battles, the practical 
use of the rifle. It is necessary for me to tell you that there 
are thousands of such men, who, for want of means, would 
not be able to give the necessary time for practice, and con- 
sequently would not attend your competitions at all; 
whereas, if there were any chance of their being able to 
pay their expenses by what they might win in money, they 
would be far more likely to take an interest in rifle practice, 
and in a military point of view, your country would be all 
the stronger. I also see some remarks about spirit levels, 
plumb balls, &c., &c., for the very necessary purpose of 
keeping the rifle perpendicular when shooting. In Canada 
we have gotten over experimenting on those things. I see by 
your columns that one gentleman suggests a pendulum 
hanging loosely from the back sight with an aperture in it, 
which is a good idea, but for the one objection of its being 
impracticable on a windy day. It would keep shaking 
back and forward and would disturb the eye of the marks- 
man. We have tried a great many plans to keep the rifle 
plumb, but all methods have failed, save by using the spirit 
lev@, which suits the purpose better than any thing we 
have tried. So far as the danger of the spirit levels getting 
broken is concerned, that depends very much on the way 
they are fitted on. I have made mine to slip on the fore- 
sight and move along with it, when I shift for wird, so that 
it is always in a direct line with the sight, and does not dis- 
turb the eye when sighting. It can be taken off and put on 
in a moment without any trouble. I have used it for over 
five years, and it is not broken yet. The same amount of 
care which is necessary to protect the sight will also protect 
the level. Yours, very truly, 
SHOOTER. 
a 
THE MULE DEER—OR @. MACROTUS. 

slhee species of deer is better known among hunters as 
the black tail, or red deer. It ranges from Western 
Missouri to the snow ranges of the Rocky Mountains, and 
is a very numerous species. During a five month’s hunt in 
Colorado, I did not observe a black tail, or Virginian deer, 
although the (0. Macrotus were seen in considerable num- 
bers. The does of the Mule Deer are found throughout the 
foothills the whole years, but the bucks retire to the highest 
mountains in the spring, where they remain until about 
the first of October. While on the mountain tops they col- 
lect generally in small bands of four or five, though I have 
seen seventeen bucks in aherd. While in the vicinity of 
Taylor’s Fork, Colorado, I had afine opportunity of watch- 
ing them in their natural haunts. They are generally 
found near timber line, in the heat of the day, but in the 
morniog and evening they leave the shade of the forest 
and go further up the mountains to the grassy tops, to 
feed on the young rich growth which is nourished and fed 
by the water from the snow banks on the mountain peaks. 
When thus feeding, it requires the utmost skill of the hun- 
ter to approach them within shooting distance. I have 
watched a band of bucks feeding far above timber line 
until they gradually approached the forest, where I could 
find sufficient cover to crawl near them unseen and 
obtain a shot. When one deer is killed in agband 
and is seen to fall by the others, they often run ina 
body a short distance from the slain buck, and halt, 
‘looking back at the point of danger, standing as still asa 
statue, with their large ears brought forward to catch the 
slightest sound. If nothing is seen in a few moments they 
wheel about and gallop away to the nearest timber, when 
they are soon lost to view. When shot at in the forest, 
they retreat at a furious rate, often falling over fallen tim 
bers, and crashing through thickets, making the dead sticks 
crack” and fly in every direction. They sometimes charge 
directly toward the hunter, and on one occasion I ‘‘drop- 
ped” a buck within twenty feet of me with a second shot, 
which was passing with several others. The scent of the 
Mule Deer is very keen, and it is useless to hunt them to 
“leeward” as they will smell the approaching hunter, and 
bound away, long before he is near enough to sight them. 
They are remarkably sharp sighted, and are constantly on 
the lookout for danger, particularly the does when they 
have their young with them. 
When a band is resting, they lie down within a few feet 
of each other, doubling their fore legs under the body, and 
in wet weather they dry their coat by licking it with the 
tongue, in the same manner asadog. I once observed a 
band of seven bucks, during a shower, which w€re lying 
under a large spruce tree, within fifty yards of my conceal- 
ment. They were lying so close together, as nearly to touch 
each other. After watching them about five minutes I shot 
one of the largest. When receiving the ball, it jumped up, 
and immediately fell down again, and in so doing, tripped 
one of the passing herd, that went tumbling down a steep 
hillside, but soon caught its footing and bounded away 
after the rest of the band, with the speed of the- wind. 
The bucks often return to their ‘‘beds,” sleeping in the same 
place several nights in succession. I have surprised three 
bucks several times in their favorite resting place, which 
was on the decayed remains of a large log that had crum- 
bled to pieces, thus making a soft and dry bed. 
The Mule Deer has generally one fawn, though some- 
times two. The fawns are prettily spotted with white and 
become quite strong and active a few days after their birth. 
When a doe first has her fawns, she remains in the thick 
swamps and under-bush for several weeks until her off- 
spring are able to keep up with her when running from 
danger. 
The flesh of the Mule Deer is superior, as meat, to that 
of the Virginian deer. The C. Macrotus is larger than the 
white tailed deer (0. Virgenianus) and it requires consider- 
able strength on the part of the hunter, when on level 
ground, to lift a full grown Mule Deer up on to his riding 
animal, behind his saddle, when it has just been killed and 
in a limsy state. Jos. H. Barry, U. 8. G. Survey. 
Pror. F. V. Haypmrn, in charge. 
es 
SKETCHES IN FLORIDA. 
ry SLA 
THE ENVIRONS OF TALLAHASSEE. 
Elia ree ai: 
Fae City of Tallahassee, the Capital of the State of 
Florida, is situated in Leon County, about thirty 
miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, and half-way between 
the eastern and western limits of the State. Tallahassee is 
an Indian word, and signifies ‘‘old fields.” The present 
site of the city was perhaps long ago the cornfields of the 
savages. It is situated upon the broad, flat top of a hill, 
and is about a mile in length, by three-eighths in breadth. 
Its people are hospitable, refined, polite, and very sociable; 
and the stranger visiting there will receive more attention 
than at any other city in the south. It is a very paradise 
for bachelors, on account of the number, the beauty and 
the charming manners of the ladies. The climate is very 
pleasant, and the number of soft, warm ‘‘ Indian summer” 
days during the winter, is very great—and, though a fire is 
necessary in the evenings, yet, during the day the visitor 
can remain almost entirely in the open air with comfort and 
pleasure. 
To the sportsman, the prospect is admirable. In every 
direction, for miles from the town, are wide fields, which 
swarm with quail. A fair day’s shooting—allowing the 
sportsman to take his breakfast at a reasonable hour, and 
start leisurely, returning for supper at dark—for a good 
shot, and with a good dog, is not less than from sixty to 
one hundred and forty birds. The covies are all large, and 
often two or more are found in one field. In the neighbor- 
hood of the town are many small lakes, in which duck and 
other wild fowl are plentiful. While at Lakes Lafayette 
and Jackson, six miles distant, and some miles in extent, 
there is good fishing as well as good shooting. About two 
miles from town, and on a high hill, which lies between 
several small lakes, is a favorite resort for duck-shooters— 
as the birds are continually passing and repassing from lake 
to lake. There is abundance of accommodation in the 
city, and the young gentlemen take pleasure in giving the 
sportsman all necessary information and assistance. Horses 
and vehicles -are readily obtained. Deer are often killed 
within a few miles of the town, as well as wild turkeys. 
St. Mark’s, but an hour’s ride from the city, by rail, is on 
the Gulf; and the fishing and wild fowl shooting is of the 
best. Boats and assistants are easily had. 
One of the pleasantest trips, is a vist to the famous 
Wakulla Spring—which lies about sixteen miles from Tal- 
lahassee, almost due south—and out of which flows the 
Wakulla River, a stream a hundred feet wide, and three 
feet deep, with a two mile current where it leaves the 
spring. The route, with the exception of a few miles near 
Tallahassee, is through the pine woods, which extend to 
the very edge of the spring; though, as the ground begins 
to fall, there is a considerable intermixture of other varie- 
ties of timber, and a heavy undergrowth. The Wakulla 
Spring is about fifty yards long, by seventy-five broad, and 
is famous for the transparency ot its waters, Floating ina 
boat on its surface, one seems suspended in mid air—and, 
when the day is perfectly calm, the water smooth and the 
sun bright, the illusion is perfect. The ordinary depth of 

