- 360 
ieee ee 
in one particular box a miniature tobacco shop.” A luxu- 
rious menu this. And the hunting done by Mr. M., the 
Captain, Max, and Tripp was something to astonish our 
powder-burners down East. Luke says, ‘‘By sunrise one 
morning we were bringing down the prairie chickens at 
the rate of about a hundred an hour; after indulging in 
this sport in the farmer’s new cut rye fields for about two 
hours, we drove around over the prairie and picked up 
scattering ones. That afternoon the Captain and Max 
drove out from Fremont and the next day we had glorious 
sport. Just imagine four hunters in a line, following six 
dogs down a hundred acre rye stubble; first one dog would 
point and then another, keeping all hands tolerable busy 
until we got through. The next morning we all started to 
town, as Mr. M. expected some friends from town, and 
also wanted to express about five hundred chickens to some 
other friends there.” 
—In our last issue, in the review of the scores at Creed- 
moor, we made the following errors. Dr. Anderson of the 
4th N. J. used a Ward Burton rifle, and Lieutenant Smoot 
in the fourth match made in seventeen shots, thirteen hits. 
In our next number will be found a continuation of the 
scores of the various matches at Creedmoor, taken from 
official sources. 
—Dr. George F. Hawley and Mr. W. W. Hunt, of Hart- 
ford, Conn., while at Great South Bay on the 9th and 10th 
inst., killed thirty-nine (39) ducks and one goose, the latter 
being killed with a seven pound breech-loader at ten rods; 
all shot over stools. 
Here are some valuable instructions about the use of 
firearms, which we copy. from a letter written by a promi- 
nent member of the New York State Sportsmen’s Associa- 
tion, on the occasion of his making a lad a present of a gun. 
Some of the points will not apply to muzzle-loading arms, 
as the one in question was a breech-loading double barrelled 
fowling piece. It would be wel! for all sportsmen, old 
as well as young, to study these directions carefully. We 
give the letter in full, omitting names and dates only: 
My Dear Nepuew: Yesterday I sent the gun so long 
promised, and 1 hope you will obtain from it all the pleas- 
ure anticipated. But to have any lasting enjoyment you 
must use it with exceeding care. 
First—Never in excitement nor in 
any human being. : 
Second—Never carry it so that if accidentally discharged 
it would endanger the life of a dog even. 
Third—Always think, when walking, which way your 
gun is pointed, and if a companion is in the field with you, 
no matter how near and how temptingly the game appears, 
do not shoot until you know just where he is, and that a 
stray shot may not possibly strike him, for one little pellet 
is sufficient to destroy an eye forever 
Fourth—Never get im a wagon without taking the car- 
tridges from the gun. 
Fifth—Never get over a fence without either taking the 
cartridges out, or placing the gun through the fence on the 
ground, so that if you fall or the fence breaks it cannot be: 
discharged. 
Sixth—Always carry the gun at half cock. 
Seventh—Never let the hammers rest on the ‘‘plungers,” 
or pieces which strike the cap. 
Highth—Never try to close it when the hammers are 
down. ; 
Ninth—Never get in front of it yourself. If you see you 
are about to fall, drop the gun so the muzzle will be from 
you. Occasionally a cartridge will stick after it has been 
fired. A stout thin blade of knife will generally extract it, 
if not, remove the other cartridge, and then cut a straight 
stick and poke it out from the muzzle, but even then don’t 
place your body in front of it, but content yourself with 
using the hand. ; 
Tenth—A fter firing one barrel, take the cartridge from the 
other and examine the wad over the shot to see that it is 
not loosened by, the concussion as it very frequently is, 
which would produce a heavy recoil, and if it. gets up the 
barrel, will burst the gun and likely take a hand off be- 
sides. 
Eleventh—Never take hold of the muzzle to draw it 
toward you, nor set it up, when, if falling its muzzle would 
be toward you. 
Finally, follow all these suggestions and be self-possessed, 
and the fields will afford you sport without danger, and I 
hope without temptation. 
__Mr. Chas. Pickering, of Toronto, has won the cham- 
pionsbip for pigeon shooting from Mr. Miller, of Markham, 
who held it through seven consecutive seasons. 
—Shooting snipe at Rochester within the city limits is 
thus described by an old sportsman: 
Rochester isa favored spot. The other day I had the 
ood fortune to secure a bag of game within two miles of 
the court house that one need not be ashamed to admit he 
had traveled a dozen miles for. This was how it happened. 
Some boys returning home from chestnutting, in passing 
through a certain field, were somewhat startled by the sud- 
den flight of a dozen or more birds from under their feet as 
they jumped over a fence in a wet spot. The boys related 
the occurrence to your humble servant and told him that 
the birds arose with a whistle and had “awful long bills.” 
This was enough, and hastily gathering the necessary ac- 
coutrements, in fifteen minutes we were on the ground and 
advancing into a bit of marsh, were greeted with the inimi- 
table cry of a Wilson’s snipe that rose like a phantom, and 
went zig-zagging up wind; he was stopped within twenty- 
five yards andsbagged. On reloading, not two paces were 
taken before a brace rose together. One scooting directly 
toward a horse that was grazing near by, balked us of a 
shot. The other turning to the left was toppled over, and 
transferred from a potato hill to our game bag. The next 
shot was a clear miss, but it was the last that day, for with 
unusual good fortune we continued the sport until nine 
plump and lively snipe were within the meshes of our game 
bag. As we were shooting without a dog, two or three 
birds that rose out of distance could not be found and were 
left as ‘nest eggs;” but as nine birds out of ten shots was 
not bad for four hour’s shooting—in a city—I homeward 
trod my way, doubting that there are many cities of 70,000 
inhabitants, where a sportsman could fulfill the injunction, 
‘‘eo thou and do likewise.” Wap. 
fun point it towards 
much either, I reckon. 

FOREST AND STREAM. 

—It is estimated that from two to four hundred men are 
encamped along the line of the St. Paul and Pacific Braneh 
Railroad, Minnesota, engaged in killing deer for market. 
One man is said to have slain fifty in a month, -by lurking 
in runways, and shooting the animals when they came to 
drink. The same slaughter is going on along the lines of 
other western roads. 
BRAINERD, Minn., Dec. 3, 1878. 
Eprror Forest AND STREAM:— 
A four years’ experience in the forests and on the streams 
of central-northern Minnesota, would not be exchanged by 
me for the best opportunities for game animals and fish, on 
any “‘stamping ground” in the eastern and middle States. 
My first experience with large game was in Wright 
County, this State, in the fall of 1869, in bringing down a 
buck, weighing not less than 300 Ibs. on the hoof. On this 
occasion I used a Wesson breech-loading rifle, weighing 
about 54 1bs; and with it I have killed since then forty-four 
deer. 
I must tell you something about this first experience; it 
may recall to the memory of many of your readers similar 
experiences, which, I am assured, are very agreeable to re- 
member. 
Some days previous, and on two other occasions, I had 
seen this buck on a ‘‘dry marsh,” near where I was living, 
and had obtained one good shot at his head and missed. I 
naturally felt sensitive over this poor luck, and was deter- « 
mined to try again and again, if necessary, until victory 
should crown my efforts. With this determination I set 
out one afternoon, about 5 o'clock, p. m., as I was then 
certain of catching Mr. B. feeding. Sure enough, on ap- 
proaching the small marsh, which he frequented to dry his 
horns and feed, I discovered him, and he at the same in- 
stant discovered me, and left before I could bring my piece 
to bear. I followed along in the direction he took, some 
400 yards, and looking back across my left shoulder, dis- 
covered Mr. B. quietly watching me at a distance of per- 
haps 75 yards.* I drew a bead on the foreshoulders of the 
buck and fired, planting a bail in the center of his forehead 
equidistant between the eyes, unnerving him so quickly 
that when I came up to where he lay—and I made the best 
time of any known record of a 75 yards’ run—not a muscle 
contracted indicative that animation had ever occupied that 
frame. But wasn’t he a beauty! Splendid, grand, superb, 
even in death! And what ashot! My heart wasn’t lively 
I did not say much—when for 
days afterwards old hunters praised me for that evident 
coolness which directed a ball to that head! I could not 
help saying my nerves ‘“‘were steady” at the time; it flattered 
my vanity. But the fact was, there was not time enough 
between what otherwise might have been called throbs to 
separate them. It was one powerful concentration of mus- 
cular force knocking the wind out of me from within. I 
remember now distinctly that I did not breathe for about 
four minutes. I began to realize that something: was 
wrong, and upon strict examination found that I was 
trembling all over. Every muscle in my body twitched 
and jerked as if some invisible spirits had each selected 
some particular muscle, and were desirous of discovering 
just how much tremendous forces combined might disturb 
my system. I fairly shook in my boots. Perspiration ran 
down my face in streams. Still I was not hurt, not fright- 
ened, no necessarily exciting cause to produce such a sen- 
sation. Nothing but a huge gigantic buck, lying there in 
his blue coat and splendid proportions, round and trim, 
and clean cut as the sculptor’s model, with lofty antlers 
that proved him to be the ‘“‘monarch of the forest,” lying 
there in his holiday attire. It required some six minutes of 
time and much effort to realize this fact. I then com- 
menced to survey the prize. His saddles were full, plump 
and rounded. Hair short and smooth. He carried five 
points on his antlers, and his limbs were sleek as those of 
the ‘‘ Greek Slave” and just as pretty. He was a beauty! 
Many old hunters claimed they had spent day after day in 
trying to get this same identical animal. Had grown 
hungry and cold on his ‘Tunway,” but he had dodged 
them all. Some of them felt a little envious for a time; 
others hinted that they should uot have worried about it so 
much, but to have a ‘“‘greeny” from the east come out and 
gobble their best piece of venison, was too bad. However, 
I talked knowingly of long shots, and good sights, and the 
best breech-loaders, and became reinstated in their good 
graces, and have had many a “‘long talk” over the incidents 
of a days’ hunt since then, wherein I have been recognized 
as ‘one on ’em” and entitled to rank as an energetic 
sportsman, a No. 1, ‘‘deer shot” and to enjoy the privileges 
of an old hunter. 
But the ‘‘buck fever” I did have, bad, too, on this first 
experience. That I have had it since then, slightly, it is 
unnecessary to admit here, though I may be induced to give 
your readers some further recitals of experiences in this 
northeastern country in which the fact may more fully ap- 
pear. BEDFORD. 
[*This letter confirms what we have said in a previous 
number of this paper, that game is often lost by too much 
hunting. If men would only have patience to wait, the 
game will come round to them; for deer, and caribou es- 
pecially, have just as much curiosity as the hunter, and 
perhaps more. How often the persistent enthusiast has 
been traveling a circle iff pursuit of the deer which is per- 
haps following his tracks not far behind.—Ep. ] 
—The Amateur Pigeon Shooting Tournament, open to 
all comers, which was begun at Toronto, Canada, on De- 
cember 2d, was concluded on the 9th. There were 105 en- 
tries, distributed in twelve squads, each man allowed 
twenty-one rounds. Mr. Dalton, of Hamilton, won the 


first prize, which was $300 and a gold medal, having shot 
20 birds out of 21. Haskell, of Detroit, killed nineteen 
birds. 
—The international match which was commenced on 
Friday, between twelve Americans and twelve Canadians, 
for a purse of $240, ten birds each, with the same rules as 
those governing the tournament, was brought toa close on 
Saturday, and after a close and exciting contest resulted in 
favor of the Canadians by three birds. The following was 
the score: 




UNITED 8TATES. j CANADA. 
Haskell, Detroit....... 1111011111- 9|McElroy, Perth......-. 0111110111- 8 
Stanton, Detroit...... 4101111100- 7|/Drake, London........-1111111010- 8 
Henderson, Detroit...1111111010- 8|Moore, Clinton.... ..1111111111-10 
Long, Detroit......... 4111111011- 9|G. Smith, Toronto. ....1111111010- 8 
Fulton, Niagara Falls.101911001))- 5 Rennardson, Toronto..1100111111- 8 
Eldridge, Detroit..... 10111101M- 7jTaylor, Toronto.....-.- 1001111101- 7 
Fisher, Detroit. . ..0111101111- 8/Pike, Chatham........- 1111011010- 8 
Dubois, Detroit. 4010001110- 5|Strond, Hamilton. ......1110101111- 8 
Cole, Detroit. ... "0101111111- 9| Rogers, St. Catharines.1110010011- 6 
Feat, Toledo.......... 1111111111-10| Thomson, Toronto..... 1111011111- 9 
Smith, Bufialo........ 1101111111- 9'Binkley, Hamilton..... 1111111111-16 
Littleton, Detroit..... 1110101111- 8|Chapman, Toronto..... 0011110111- 7 
Grand Total... -..6....5.- +> 94 Grand Total..........---+..+- 97 


Pachting and Boating. 
All communications from Secretarves and friends should be mailed not 
later than Monday in each week. 
aves er 
HIGH WATER, FOR THE WEEK. 







DATE. | BOSTON. | NEW YORK. | CHARL'ST’N 
Vesstnee —|— a 
h, m. h. m. h. m. 
Dee: (See waned i 10 43 q 2 | 6 43 
MecwiO we ene toks 1i 31 8 13 | ” 31 
Dec. '20.....: mom | 9 8 & 21 
Dee: Vili We terest? ! 0); 21 | 10-0 9 14 
Dect (eo eere tr: | 444" Tye} 10 48 | 10 6 
Decnes.yace westeeeee | 26 | 119M0 = 4 10 
Dee; 24 csdeosbas | 2 56 mor. | n 4 
YACHTING REMINISCENCES. 
———_>——_ 
THE YACHT META AND HER RACE WITH THE VISION. 
ily MeN Vl 
SIMPLE description of the raee between these two 
celebrated yachts for the cup valued at $500 might 
hardly be called a yachting reminiscence, but rather a de- 
scription of%a sporting event. I propose to review some of 
the main points of the event, and to give some of the ex- 
periences of her crew during those five trying days when 
her sea-going qualities, the bravery and pluck of her gallant 
crew, and the persistence of her owner to do or sink in the 
effort, were so welltried. The race has been run, although 
the owners of the Vision seem unwilling to admit the fact; 
but I propose to give my humble opinion why I assume 
that it has been not only run but won by the Meta. 
The decision of the referee, Commodore Whitney, has 
not yet been received, (13th,) but will probably be given 
this week; as soon as it is known it will be handed to you. 
I may say this, however, that with the points submitted to 
him and the claim in writing made by the Meta party, i 
cannot see how he can fail to decide but one way, and 
that in favor of the Meta, and I say this with full and 
yachtmanlike deference to the owner of the Vision, his 
splendid yacht, and his gallant struggles for victory. ; 
Let us look at some of the main points in the race. In 
full accordance with the terms of the agreement, the yachts 
were started by the judges for the struggle. The articles 
of agreement made no time limitation binding, and there 
were no restrictions as to anehoring. They simply, when 
once started, had to sail a certain distance and back to the 
starting point. 
Let us follow them a little, or rather one of them, for 
after going a short distance the Vision turned back. ~ 
Being started by the judges at 11,52, Monday, October 
6, they had fair weather to Long Branch. Ati P. M. the 
judges hailed them and bid them go back—the wind being 
SSE., it was a beat to windward down the coast. After a 
few tacks, the Vision put about and went back. Commo- 
dore Beling said to the judges that the race had commenced 
and that he was going on over the course. The judges’ 
boat then turned and went on and turned back and came 
alongside the Meta. Mr. Krebs, the judge for the Vision, 
said that she would go back to New York on account of 
bad weather, and that he would claim no race. Mr. Dil- 
lon, the Meta’s judge, said goon. As an evidence of the 
stiffness of the Meta, an occurrence during that interview 
may be cited. While these on the judges’ steamer were 
hanging on to the rails for dear life, being the only means 
of standing up in that heavy sea, Commodore Beling and 
some friends stood up, aft the traveler, hanging on to noth- 
ing except a good cup af coffee, (nothing stronger, ’pon hon- 
or,) and stood as easily and securely as possible, the Meta 
gently and gracefully rising and falling with each succes- 
sive wave, riding like a duck. The judges’ boat then 
started off in the direction of the race; and the Meta party 
supposing there had been an agreement, kept on. 
After going about four miles, the steamer again turned 
and put back for New York. On passing the Meta, Mr. 
Diilon waved hishand for them to goon. At3P. M. the Meta 
arrived at the point for turning, and now things began to get 
lively; just at this point a heavy squall struck them from 
SE., as if they had not enough already, and they had wo 
shorten sail;$with a heavy sea running, they got in the jib; 
in trying to get down the sail, the topping lift caught the 
peak-halliard block. The only resource now was to wear 
ship, a dangerous experiment in such a sea and wind, but 
they tried it, watching the result, we can well imagine, 
with great anxiety. There she goes like lightning on the 
other side, and, whack, goes the boom, broken off like a 
pipe stem.’ Now it was neck or nothing; and they set about 
to save themselves. They could not go back now if forty 
judges said go back. Clear the wreck was the order, and 
7 

