
FOREST AND STREAM. 
dil 

distribution of homing pigeons to the several garrisons, but 
our offer did not meet with adequate response; we therc- 
fore return to the subject, and shall be happy to offer prizes 
for pigeon flying in our great military garrisons, provided a 
committee of officers interested in the subject will aid us 
with their assistance or suggestions. 
[It would be exceedingly interesting if some of our 
efficers on the Pacific frontier should try and communicate 
with friends in the Atlantic coast by means of carrier 
pigeons. The extent of our country would allow of the 
homing instincts of these beautiful birds to be better tried 
than almost anywhere else.—Ep. | 
Che Ziennel. 
INSTINCT IN YOUNG POINTERS. 
EpiTor Forrest AND STREAM :— 
In the last number of Forrest AND STREAM is a remark- 
able instance of the above trait, taken from Land and 
Water. [See note below]. Ican give you one from my own 
experience perhaps equally remarkable. 
Twenty-five years ago, or more, then living in Chicago, I 
raised a brace of pointer puppies which, from the good qual- 
ties of their parents, promised well. They were trained to 
obedience, would fetch, and go to heel, but at six months 
old had never seen living game. When at that age I took 
them one day early in August in my buggy a few miles 
south of the city, where I expected to find a covey of 
grouse. It was then an open prairie, though now covered 
with streets and houses. While putting up my horse in the 
tavern shed, the dogs slipped away, and betook themselves 
to the prairie. I followed, but at first could see nothing of 
them. Looking carefully avout, on nearer approach I saw 
their heads above the long grass a few hundred yards away, 
apparently standing on birds, but as they had never been 
in the field before, I could hardly think it possible. But 
sure enough, when I came up there was Don, pointing as 
steadily as an old dog, and Hal at a few paces behind back- 
ing him. Their point was asstauch as that of their sire 
(Phil), who would have stood on birds while his portrait 
was painted; nor did they move till I walked before them 
and put up a covey of half grown grouse. Then Don, who 
was high couraged and obstinate, started in pursuit, but 
dropped to the word ‘‘Down!” as did his more docile 
brother Hal. This was a remarkable manifestation of an 
instinct handed down through a long line of well-bred and 
well-trained ancestors. It could be nothing else, as these 
young dogs had never received any instruction or training, 
and had never seen or smelled living game before. 
The next month I took out these dogs in company with 
their sire, and they seemed to hurt about as well as the old 
dog, who was one of the best in the State. Like him, they 
were liver colored, with a white spot on the chest, but their 
dispositions were wholly unlike. Don was high spirited 
and stubborn, requiring frequent correction, while Hal was 
timid, and needed encouragement. We hunted them that 
season, and they turned out tw be the best brace of dogs I 
ever saw. 
Next summer, the usual senseless panic about mad dogs 
taking place in the city, the police were ordered to strew 
poison about the streets, and both Don and Hal, escaping 
one night from their kennel, were poisoned. Had they 
lived they would, I think, have proved equal to their 
sire (Phil), who performed in his day all the remarkable 
feats recorded of pointers—such as pointing birds while 
bringing a dead one in his mouth, and coming toa point 
on the top of a fence, the scent having struck his nose as 
he mounted it. Ihave also seen him, when grouse were 
running before him and would not stop, deliberately back 
out from his point, and taking a circuit meet and bring 
them to a stand. He was also 2 good retriever, and though 
not fond of the water would plunge in and bring out game 
if there was no other way of getting it. 
Being a great favorite with his master, he was ‘allowed to 
live in the store, and so well did he understand the mean- 
ing of language that if his master asked him in the most 
common tone of voice, ‘‘Want to go hunting, Phil?” he 
would spring to his feet and rush about barking in great 
excitement till the wagon was brought to the door®when he 
would jump in and coil himself away under the seat. In 
his younger days no amount of work was too much for 
him in the field, and he preferred to go to it on foot, and 
would trot along the road under the horse’s belly, where he 
knew he was safe from the attack of hostile dogs. He 
would fight savagely when he saw fit to do so, and often 
came home wounded, when he would go to his master whin- 
ing to have his wounds dressed, clearly understanding the 
process, and never wincing at the pain of the operation. 
Being known as the best dog in the town, he was frequently 
stolen, but never remained long away, coming home travel 
soiled and weary, with a rope round his neck, which he had 
gnawed off and escaped. He was so fond of the sport that 
he would go out with almost any one who carried a gun, 
but if his temporary master proved to be a bad shot he 
would leave him with contempt. His qualities were in- 
herited by his descendants, many of whom may be recog- 
nized in northern Illinois by their resemblance to him. 
8. C. CLARKE. 
Nore.—The instance here referred to was first printed in 
Forest AND STREAM, and thence transferred to the col- 
umns of Land and Water, which gave us credit. It was 
printed in a letter from our Jackson, Mississippi, correspon- 
dent. We thank Mr. Clarke for these additional very inter- 
esting incidents.—[ Eb. 
—We notice in the Feld that quite a number of fatal ac- 
cidents have occurred in dogs from the use of santonine as 
amethod for curing worms. Though we have ourselves 



seen santonine given to dogs, and without ill effects, we have 
The paralellism between 
human beings and dogs, as to their power of taking medi- 
cines, is not always the same, and santonine is not the only 
Re- 
cent cases are cited in the Held where a quantity of santo- 
nine, one to two grains, having been administered, resulted 
Weshould therefore ad- 
In for- 
mer numbers of the Forest anpD STREAM will be found 
been chary of recommending it. 
medicine which has this different power on animals. 
in the death of valuable puppies. 
vise our readers’not to use santonine for their dogs. 
several simple and harmless medicines. The best remedy, 
we think, is turpentine, strengthened with a drop or so of 
We have just had a 
puppy cured of worms, at least for the present, by using 
worm seed oil, mixed with castor oil. 
this method. It is quite probable that the pests will return 
again, when we will redose him. Some cases of the hurt- 
ful use of carbolic acid are also mentioned when used for 
mange. We believe when carbolic acid is employed with 
care, well diluted with water, made quite weak, and thor- 
oughly mixed mechanically with the water, it can dono 
harm even toa puppy. After all, a good salve of lard and 
flour of sulphur almost always cures ordinary mange, 
though we have no objection to using carbolic acid in a 
weak solution well agitated. Will some of our numerous 
canophilic friends give us their experience? 
eee 
CHAMPION PoInTER Doe ‘‘ Beiie.”—The engraving of 
this remarkable dog, the champion of England for 1878, 
the winner of the great Bala Field trials, for all aged 
pointers and setters, beating Mr. Macdona’s Ranger, Mr. 
Llewellen’s Countess and Flax, Mr. Slatter’s Rob Roy, &c., 
&c., with pedigree, and points made in the trial appended, 
sent by mail. Price, $1. Discount to the trade. Forest 
AND STREAM Publishing Co., 103 Fulton street, N. Y. 
a 
—A farmer at Augusta, Ga., lately discovered that his 
dog was in the habit of milking a fine cow. 
Che Slagazines. 
“ONE TOUCH OF NATURE.” 
LARK’S song dropped from heaven, 
A rose’s breath at noon; 
A still, sweet stream that flows and flows 
Beneath a still, sweet moon: 



A little way-side flower 
Plucked from the grasses, thus— 
A sound, a breath, a glance—and yet 
What is it they bring to us ? 
For the world grows far too wise, 
And wisdom is but grief; 
Much thought makes but a weary way, 
And question, unbelief. 
Thank God for the bird’s song, 
And for the flower’s breath ! 
Thank God for any voice to wake 
The old sweet hymn of faith ! 
For a world grown all too wise, 
(Or is it not wise enough?) 
Thank God for anything that makes 
The path less dark and rough ! 
Ina D. CooLsrita— Qverlund. 
te 
THE BERMUDAS. 
s ——_~——_——. 
HE soil of Bermuda is most fertile. It produces year 
after year, without the high manuring or long rests of 
other soils. The seaweed or kelp that everywhere floats 
into its bays and coves is the common fertilizer. It is the 
flotsam and jetsam of the waves, which all the planters 
have free access to, without tithe or toll. Two kinds of 
potato, the sweet andthe white, and two crops of each can 
be grown each year. The delicate white potato that comes 
to us in the early spring from the Bermudas lacks the fac- 
ulty which Mr. Toots valued so highly in his wife. It can- 
not repeat or reproduce itself. Itis the poorest of propa- 
gators, and every year the common Mercers, or other pota- 
toes of Ohio or Illinois, are sent to Bermuda to be planted, 
and in a few months come back to us the pink and thin- 
skinned delicacies so much affected by the New York pal- 
ate. The growing of vegetables for the markets of the 
United States is fast becoming the chief business of Ber- 
muda. A few of the onions from there find their way to 
the West Indies, and the bulk of the arrowroot goes to 
London. But with these exceptions, the garden produce 
comes this way, and in the spring, before our home mar- 
kets send their supplies, the streets and wharves of the 
Bermuda towns are wakened from their usual dulness, and 
are crowded and bustling, and the supreme energy and ef- 
fort of the year are displayed in packing, forwarding, and- 
shipping their potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and other deli 
cacies to New York and other ports on the Atlantic sea- 
board. ; 
It must be understood that it is not always calm and- 
smooth weather in Bermuda. The winds have the islands 
almost as much at their mercy as a ship at sea, and there 
are frequent, breezes too strong for any but the best boats 
to venture out in, and occasional storms and hurricanes that 
carry havoc and destruction in their track. But the char- 
acteristic of the climate is its softness, and the nights as 
well as the days can, with few exceptions, be enjoyed ‘‘in 
the open” with safety and comfort. ‘ 
The visitor to Bermuda who seeks the pleasures and ex- 
citements of cities will be disappointed. If he does not 
enjoy boating and fishing; if he tires soon of the same 
walks and rides; if he does not need the compensations of 
warmth and convalescence; if his nature be altogether busy 
and restive, and not given to meditative moods, then, prob- 
ably his days will be tedious. There are no operas or the- 
atres, none of the contrivances of larger cities for helping 
or improving time. The place is small, simple, aud unpre- 
tentious; the people are kind, hospitable, and unaffected in 
their tastes and habits. Good and sufficient food can al- 
ways be had, and clean and comfortable lodging, at prices 
that need not alarm people of moderate means.— The Sani- 
tarvan 










MONKEYS ON THE GOLD COAST. 
ps 
I HAVE as yet scarcely made mention of the numerous 
species of monkey and ape which are to be found on 
the Guinea coast. Truth to tell, I have an invincible re- 
pugnance to shooting these poor creatures. Their gestures 
are so human, and their distress and amazement when 
wounded so touching, that I can scarcely dissociate their 
destruction from murder. It is true that I have on one or 
two occasions shot them—once or twice because we were 
reduced to seek them as food, and their slaughter became a 
matter of absolute need. This happened up the Porto Novo 
Lagoon, near Lagos, where H. M. 8. —— had unfortunately 
grounded on a sand-bank, ard the people of the neighbor- 
ing villages, being both poor and unfriendly to us, could 
not or would not supply us with fresh provisions. Jam not 
aware of the species of monkey we killed and ate; it was of 
about the size of the Diana monkey, and rather like it, al- 
though by no means so beautiful as that handsomest of the 
Simie. They were generally to be found from dawn to 
seven o’clock a. m. up the palm trees (Elias guineensis), de- 
vouring the rich nuts; and they certainly appeared to thrive 
upon them, for no rabbit had ever tenderer or more succu- 
lent flesh than these little rascals. They were usually 
stewed or curried, and were excellent to those who could 
overcome their prejudice; and those whose stomachs were 
too squeamish were few in number, as a lengthened course 
of ‘‘salt horse,” as Jack calls it, rarely fails to render any 
fresh meat a welcome addition to the table. The last mon- 
key I shot was, I regret to say, for ‘‘sport;” and I vowed I 
never would shoot another wantonly. I was wandering 
about in a sort of little grove near Lagos, when in the tall 
trees above me I saw a large troop, headed by a very 
patriarch, with a long white beard and whiskers. I could 
not resist trying an ‘‘Eley” at him, and shot him through 
the hody. Ashe fell at my feet I shall never forget the 
mingled expression of mild reproach and agony that he 
turned upon me, as he sat with one hand supporting his 
side over the wound. I confess to having felt a very Cain; 
and as, in mercy to the poor animal, I procured a heavy 
stake to knock him over the head and end his sufferings, 
my feelings were of a most painful nature—the more so as 
he was difficult to kill, being a powerfur brute. No! I 
never will again kill a monkey for sport! 
I except from this the tyrant of the Gaboon forests, the 
terrible gorilla, as it appears to be a task attended with con- 
siderable danger to hunt him out and attack him, and there 
seems to be more fair play in the matter. The huge and 
savage mandril, too, which is foundin the countries border- 
ing the Volta, and the gigantic ursine baboon, would doubt- 
less be formidable enemies to tackle; and I have heard 
many tales of their ferocity from the natives, whe appear 
to dread them. The latter animal, I have been informed, 
being solitary, is not uncommonly eaptured alive with the 
aid of dogs, who distract his attention from the hunters. I 
saw an immense female, I should say over four feet in 
height, in an iron-barred room at Cape Coast. They had 
attempted to secure her, having borrowed an iron chain 
from the prison, such as refractory prisoners wear for se- 
curity; but she snapped it like a carrot.—The Feld. 
euswers Go Correspondents. 
—_—>——- 
[We shall endeavor in this department to impart and hope to receive 
such information as may be of service to amateur and professional sports- 
men. We will cheerfully answer all reasonable questions that fall within 
the scope of this paper, designating localities for good hunting, fisk- 
ing, and trapping, and giving advice and instructions as to outfits,im 
plements, routes, distances, seasons, expenses, remedies, traits, species 
governing rules, etc. All branches of the sportsman’s eraft will receive 
attention. Anonymous Communications not Noticed. 
——4 

W. H. H., Hartford, Conn.—We can procure you the setter pup you 
want. Price $25. 
J. G. A., New York.—See instructions ‘‘Moccasins”’ in Formst AND 
Stream Noy. 20. Any good bootmaker. 
Youo, Philadelphia.—The whole question of using hair triggers was 
explained in an editorial of this paper, Nov. 12. 
D. L. Bopex, Bald Mountain.—The address of F. Wesson’s Breech- 
loading Rifle is ‘“‘F. Wesson, Worcester, Mass.’’ Peabody Rifie manu- 
factured by the Providence Arm Co., Providence, R. I. 
W. H., Boston, Mass.-What would you deliver in Boston a first-class 
setter dog for; a young, staunch, steady animal for ruffed grouse and 
woodcock shooting in New England cover? Ans. For $80. 
W.M. H., New York.—The astronomical telescope, with books -on 
astronomy, you can procure by writing to E. H. Madison, 546 Fulton 
street, Brooklyn. 
Inp1A RuBBEeR, Germantown, Pa.—The decoys you speak of will not 
last any length of trme. They require constant painting. See Forzst 
AND STREAM, Dec. 11, under ‘‘Shot Gun and Rifle.” 
R. S. N., Salem, Mass.—The weight of the Jack curlew is correct. His 
bill measured 11} in., his legs 9}in., and the body, with the head and 
legs cut off, weighed 2 lbs. 110z. I call it the great solitary Jack 
Curlew. CFE: 
GREENY.—Ist. Does a pin fire shoot as well as a central fire gun? Ans. 
No. 2d. What size bore is best for general use (excluding duck shoot- 
ing)? Ans. No. 12. 3d. Does a muzzle loader shoot stronger than a 
breech-loader? Ans. No. 4th. Can metal shells be used in pin fire guns? 
Ans. Mechanically, yes; ordinarily, no. 
J. 8. K., Paterson, N. J—Where can I go with a good chance of see - 
ing and killing a bear? Ans. We don’t know anything about the killing, 
but if you wish to see a bear, take H. R. R. for Kingston, which connects 
with the Rondout R. R. for Shokan, distance 17 miles; thence by private 
conveyance to Watson Hollow; ask to seeC. Akert, the bear hunter, 
he will put you through, and most likely the bear also. 
W. A. B., Harvard University._In regard to the weight of lions and 
tigers when kept in menageries, we are of the opinion that they are 
mostly thinner than their brothers who range freely in the country, We 
are sure of having seen somewhere this fact stated, and that in a state of 
nature a tiger would weigh fully one-fourth heavier than when in cap- 
tivity. Ofcourse the nature of the felidae is changed in the narrow 
boxes we are forced to confine them in. The question of having open 
space for them was agitated in England, but was abandoned. 
Dz H. X., Hartford, Conn.—The method of capturing monkeys by 
making them drunk is frequently cited. In Mansfield Parkyn’s travels 
in Abysinia it is stated that the plan adopted by the Arabs of Taka, is 
to take large jars of the common country beer, sweetened with dates, 
drugged with the juiee of the oshcher (asélepias arborea), and to leave 
them in the neighborhood of where the monkeys come to drink. The 
monkeys drink largely and soon fall asleep, and are taken senseless by 
the Arabs. We may state, however, that Parkyn’s book, to us, has al- 
ways partaken of the mythical character. Facts of this character, though 
very probable, are not positively reliable. 
Newcoms.—We are glad you are so guileless as not to know what a 
“set line’ is. It isa poacher’s contrivance, but is most useful to the 
sportsman at times, when fish can be caught in ne other way. Itis 
merely a stout cod line from 100 to 1,000 feet in length, to which short 
lines are attached at intervals of twenty feet or so, baited, and made to 
reach within three or four feet of the bottom. It is stretched across the 
entrance to coves and bights to which fish resort. It is supported by 
buoys. When a sufficient time has elapsed for the desired fish to hook 
themselves, it is overrun and the catch taken off, the hooks rebaited, and 
the whole set again, Live minnows are the best bait. 
