FOREST AND STREAM. 




















es. = 
EE LSE SS 
A WEEKLY JOURNAL, 
Dervorep To FIELD AND AQuaTiIc Sports, PRACTICAL NATURAL HIStToRY, 
Fish CULTURE, THE PROTECTION OF GAME, PRESRVATION OF FORESTS, 
AND THE INCULCATION IN MEN AND WOMEN OF A HEALTHY INTERFST 
IN OUZ-BI0R RECREATION AND STUDY : 
PUBLISHED BY 
forest and Stream Publishing Company, 
—_AT—— 
& 108 FULTON STREET, NEW YORK. 
ee 
Terms, Five Dollars a Year, Strictly in Advance. 
Fen 
Any person 
A discount of twenty percent. for five copies and Prvaras. ? 
receive a copy 0: 
sending us one subscription and Five Dollars wil 
Hallock’s ‘‘ Fisaine Tourist,’ postage free. 
patil SA Ae Si 
Advertising Rates. 
" In regular advertising columns, nonpareil type, 12lines to the inch, 25 
cents per line. Advertisements on outside page, 40 cents perline. Reading 
notices, 50 cents per line. Advertisements in doublecolumn 25 per cent. 
extra. Where advertisements are inserted over 1 month, a discount of 
10 per cent. will be made; over three months, 20 per cent; over six 
months, 30 per cent. 
NEW YORK, THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 1873. 




To Correspondents. 
—_~__—_ 
All communications whatever, whether relating 1o business or literary 
correspondence, must be addressed to THe Forrest anD STREAM PuB- 
LISHING COMPANY, Personal letters only, to the Manager. 
All communications intended for publication must be accompanied with 
real name, as a guaranty of good faith. Names will not be published if 
objection be made. No anonymous contributions will be regarded. 
& Articles relating to any topic within the scope of this paper are solicited. 
We cannot promise to return rejected manuscripts. 
Ladies are especially invited to use our columns, which will be pre- 
pared with careful reference to their perusal and instruction. 
Secretaries of Clubs and Associations are urged to fayor us with brief 
notes of their movements and transactions, as it is the aim of this paper 
become a medium of useful and reliable information between gentle- 
men sportsmen from one end of the country to the other; and they will 
find our columns a desirable medium for advertising announcements. 
The Publishers of Forest AND STREAM aim to merit and secure the 
patronage and countenance of that portion of the community whose re- 
fined intelligence enables them to properly appreciate and enjoy all that 
1s beautiful in Nature. It will pander to no depraved tastes, nor pervert 
the legitimate sports of land and water to those base uses which always 
send to make them unpopular with the virtuous and good, No advertise- 
ment or business notice of an immoral character will be received on any 
terms ; and nothing will be admitted to any department o the paper that 
may not be read with propriety in the home circle. : 
We cannot be responsible for the dereliction of the mail service, if 
money remitted to us is lost. 
Advertisements should be sent in by Saturday of each week, if possible. 
CHARLES HALLOCK, 
Managing Editor. 


MERRY CHRISTMAS! 
——4— ae 
O!a Christmas greeting to the patrons of Forrest 
AND SrreEAM! What though the woods are bare 
and cheerless, the water-courses bound by fetters of ice, 
and the who'e earth covered with snow? <A cheery greet- 
ing, for all that, to those who burn the Yule log and 
brighten their homes with the holly and yew. They say 
these days are the embers of the dying year; then kindle 
the flames of life and love anew. Light up the 
candl:s that gleam in the branches of evergreen. 
Hang Christmas boxes on every bough. Make every 
one happy, old and young. Rejoice! for to-day Tur 
CHILD is born that promises the redemption of the world! 
What joyous festivities ever attend the recurrence of this 
hallowed natal day! By merrie old England, with it’s roast 
beef and plum-pudding, it’s hunters and hounds, and it’s 
pealing chimes from solemn Westminster; by the potifical 
hosts who crowd the aisles of St. Peter’s at Rome; by the 
Muscovites who raise the emblem of the cross on every 
street and highway; by the straight-laced Puritans of New 
England, with their tables that groan with turkeys, pump- 
kin pies, and cranberry sauce; by the cavaliers of old Vir- 
ginia,who celebrate with tournament, fox-chase, and turkey 
shooting; by the exhuberant negroes of the far South, to 
whom these holidays were always an especial season; by 
all throughout the length and breadth of the civilized 
globe where Christianity is recognized, this sub- 
lime Holiday is welcomed with a zest and manifesta- 
tions that greet no other. Chief among its customs and 
observances is the interchange of presents. It is a most 
befitting custom, and conducive of good-will and enduring 
friendship. But this year, it is said, old Santa Claus is 
poor. His usually plethoric stocking is out at the heel. 
He drives but a sorry team, and his chuckle is less merry 
than usual, when he is wont to cram the bags of the young- 
sters that hang in the chimneys. But what does this 
signify? We will give the old fellow credit for past favors 
and best intentions, and still be jolly. Our resources for 
pleasure are boundless and varied, and none of them all 
are more enjoyed than those which the open air affords— 
the jingle of the bells over the crisp and creaking snow, the 
ring of the gleaming skate on the polished ice, the wild 
hunt in the forest, the dash after Reynard, and the number- 
less pastimes in vogue from north to south. And so, to all 
rosy-cheeked lasses impatiently waiting for Christmas boxes, 
to all lovers of roast beef and plum pudding, to sweethearts 
and swains neath the mistletoe, to the piously devout who 
observe the day as sacred to all its hallowed recollections, 
to the jolly roysterers who fill their bumpers to old Kriss 
Kringle, to the butchers, the bakers, the lamplighters, the 

news carriers, the bell-ringers, the pastry cooks, the con 
fectioners, the car-men, the rag-men, the beggars, the do 
minies, the everybody who is expecting a good dinner and 
kindly remembrances on this welcome anniversary, we wish 
a right jolly, thumping Merry Curisrmas. Hurrah for 
Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Kriss Kringle, and all the rest 
of the mystic crew—for ‘‘Christmas comes but once ayear!” 
Dg ss Shes 
ENGLAND VS. AMERICA. 
a ee Sars oT 
CHALLENGE TO OWNERS OF POINTERS AND SETTERS. 
aerate. 
HE publication in the columns of the Forrest aNnpD 
SrreaM of the challenge thrown out to all American 
sportsmen by Mr. Price, of Bala, Wales, who is desirous 
of testing the comparative merits of English and American 
pointers and setters, has excited considerable attention, 
having been copied by all the leading journalsin the United 
States. 
The straightforward tone of the challenge and its liber- 
ality, are characteristic of the gentlemen sportsmen of 
England. As, was stated in our last issue, it is all very 
well to expatiate on color, form, appearance and fineness 
of breeding, but the real crucial test, the positive action, 
hearing and manner of the dog in the field, when in pres- 
ence of the game, is the only thing worth caring for. Dog 
shows are of course admirable in their way, as far as the 
judgment of experts can go as determining those ideal pro- 
portions which should always accompany certain marked 
breed of dogs. But from some quite extensive experience 
in dog shows, and bowing to the opinions of the best judges, 
it has often come to our notice that the handsomest dogs 
were not the best. The field. trials at Bala, North Wales, 
have inaugurated a most novel, interesting method of test- 
ing the actual hunting qualities of the pointer and setter, 
and the only one which is practical. At Bala, the intui- 
tive instinct of the dog is tested, and to it is added the edu- 
cation, the training he has received from man, his master. 
Mr. Price, in offering this friendly match, proposes to 
adhere to the rules which governed the Bala contest, and 
offers as arbitrators of the trial such distinguished names 
as Sir Watkin William Wynn, Bart., and Viscount Com- 
bermere, <A certain fixed standard of excellence of perform- 
ance is decided on. The nose, as allowing fine shading of 
scent, is placed at 80. Pace and style of hunting at 20; 
breaking at 20; pointing (style and steadiness) at 15; back- 
ing, 10; drawing on game or roading, (not attended to as 
much as it should be by our sportsmen with their dogs in 
the United States,) at 15. It will be seen by the perform- 
ance of Belle that with a possible 100 points, she was within 
2+ points of being perfection, her total excellence being 
974. 
We have already received numerous letters asking for in- 
formation as to the rules and regulations which govern 
field trials, which rules, &c., we will shortly publish. 
In order to give our own sportsmen who own pointers 
and setters some insight as regards field trials, we publish 
an account from the London Feld of the trial of Belle, the 
winner: ‘‘ Belleand Grouse” were expected to do a great 
thing, but their attention was first riveted to some snipe on 
boggy wet ground. The bitch made a false point or two, 
which the judges did not lay much stress on, as birds had 
probably been there, and she cleverly puzzled out the 
scent, and waded up toa brace of close-lying young grouse 
in high heather. The dog was never init, and let the other 
do all the work. He possesses some style in pointing, but 
is slow and clumsy in ranging, wanting more go and finish, 
As to the bitch, she is almost our beau ideal of a broken 
pointer—a pleasure to shoot over and a treat to see, making 
sport delightful, and walking up birds murder. ‘‘ Belle” 
dropped to shot when a drawn bird was knocked down, 
and then got two consecutive points. They didn’t put any 
birds up, though it was thought probable that they would. 
For one hour and a quarter chance held the scales, and it 
required great discrimination and knowledge of sport to 
pick the winner, which knowledge the judges fortunately 
possessed. The flag was run up in honor of ‘‘ Belle ;” and 
to avoid disputes, and to settle bets, Countess and Rob 
Roy fought it out for the third place, and the bitch having 
improved a little, won it. 
or 
THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS AND THE 
TELEGRAPH. 
ees 9 SP 
N La Chasse Iilustrée, we find not only « most ingenious 
but interesting article on the subject of the migration 
of birds, where the idea is developed of bringing into use 
the telegraph, in order that we may better study their move- 
ments. With the prime instinct of the birds to move their 
quarters from North to South, and vice versa, we have 
nothing to do, but it may not be impossible to study the 
direction of their flight, and give the reasons for their 
alighting on certain favored localities and not on others. 
Two causes very probably induce migrating birds to 
settle. First, the necessity of food, in order to replace 
forces exhausted by a long travel, or to gain strength for re- 
newed flight. This would induce birds to stop on their 
journey at points were food was most abundant, and the 
best adapted to their tastes. Secondly, birds of passage fly 
with the wind, that'is when they can; but when the wind 
is adverse, they sometimes, but not always,alight. In fact, 
the advent of birds, even their residence. in certain quarters, 
and the duration if they stay, seems to depend very 
frequently on meteorological causes. Now, all that is 
wanted, as proposed by our. French contemporary, is to 
have some central office, and by means of telegraphic com- 
munications to study the movements of the birds and the 


conditions of the atmosphere. For instance, the wind off 
the coast of British America, on the 10th of September, 
might be blowing from South to North, the probability then 
would be that the ducks, geese and wild fowl would be 
slow in coming to our shores. Now, if on the contrary, the 
winds on the whole coast had been blowing from North to 
South, the advent of ducks, brant and gecse might be 
earlier than usual. 
The migrations of inland birds might also be studied in 
this way, not only to the profit of the sportsman but of the 
naturalist. Questions in regard to the capricious move- 
ments of that most uncertain bird, the woodcock, taking 
into account both its opportunity of procuring food in cer 
tain localities, and the effects of wind and temperature, 
might help us better to understand their coming and going. 
In an early number of the Forest AnD STREAM we wrote 
in regard to the influences of temperature on fish, as direct- 
ing their movements, and that fishermen studied the meteo- 
logical reports with advantage. The benefits we already 
derive from Maury’s system of weather reports may still 
have further development, and it is not at all impossible 
that the ideas of our French contemporary may be quite 
practical. As was remarked before by us, the advantages 
to be derived from the solution of any scientific fact are im- 
mense, and practical benefits derived from it extend in 
directions which were at first unthought of. 
a 
THE FORESTS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON 
MAN, 
pats Seles, 
HAT the effects of moisture have a marked influence 
on the physical condition of man, is we believe pretty 
clearly established. .If we contrast the stature of the 
Englishman living in a country surcharged with moisture, 
with the Arab living in the arid plain where rain but rarely 
falls, we have the two extremes of man, considered in an 
animal sense. Questions of’ moral or mental power, do 
not enter into this question, though that some effects, of 
an incorporeal nature, are closely allied to a corporeal con- 
dition, seems quite evident. If some of the careful obser- 
vers, of the meterological conditions of the United States 
in reference to the physical condition of its inhabitants 
have already advanced the somewhat bold idea that the 
drying up of the face of the country caused by the destruc- 
tion of the forests has already had an effect upon the health 
and longevity of the people, and that there is a tendency 
towards increasing degeneracy, we are not prepared ex- 
actly toagree withthem. The anthropological studies of the 
American race have not yet commenced. There can be 
no comparison made yet of our own people, for the reason 
that we are too young, and that we have no standard of 
our own to go by. The inhabitants of the United States 
are composed of such mixed elements that for centuries to 
come there can be no types. We differ, too, in another im- 
portant respect, from all other nations. If it was possible 
to imagine a peculiar race of beings,as for instance the 
Basque people, who having a certain definite physical form 
and language, men aud women who have preserved their 
type by isolation for 1000 years, such an accident is utterly 
impossible in the United States, where men wander to 
and fro every day, and where that novel factor, locomotion, 
or the ease with which a man can move, has undoubtedly 
everything to do in preventing the creation of any fixed 
rules of size or corporeal proportion. Yet the effects of 
the ruthless destruction of the forest, and the consequent 
depriving of the soil of the requisite degree of moisture, 
may certainly have even at the present, minor local effects. 
The.quality of food a man eats may have more to do than 
we think for with his physical and mental qualities. The 
humidity of the atmosphere, as was remarked by Dr. T. C. 
Duncan, of Chicago, has a marked influence upon the vigor 
and fruitfulness of both animals and plants, and therefore 
the effects of this great and growing change on the face of 
the country, and its climatic and ‘metrological condition 
upon our people, is worthy of the attention and study of 
men of science. 
If the effects of this denudation of the soil, this absolute 
stripping the ground of all its natural covering, by cutting 
away ruthlessly, inconsiderately, all the forests, does not to- 
day make itself felt but in a minor degree, it has within it- 
self a latent and accumulative power for working ill, not 
only to man, but to his works, which may be developed in 
a few years hence. The absence of rain fall in any section 
of country, is sufficient to deter civilization. Whole broad 
areas of this good country of ours, will very probably be in 
the condition of barren wastes some years hence, re- 
gions which years ago, when they were covered with 
the torests, rejoiced in the falling showers. ‘The Govern- 
ment, land owners, private individuals, should encourage 
the growth of timber in barren regions,” writes Dr. Dun- 
can,” and prevent the clearing off of whole belts of timber 
where the face of the country would be materially affected 
thereby. tyns 
TuF ForEst AND STREAM SPORTSMEN’s CLuB.— We fully 
appreciate the high compliment paid to the Forrsr AND 
STREAM, by the fact that a club has been formed with the title 
of the ‘‘Forest and Stream Sportsmen’s Club,” at Brainerd, 
Crow Wing Co., Minnesota. As we have the pleasure of 
a personal acquaintance with several members of the club, 
and know them to be thorough sportsmen, we feel certain 
that the mame these gentlemen have given to their club wili 
be upheld with all honor. We trust to hear frequently 
from the club, and it will give us pleasure to record their 
prowess. : 
a i 
—Lake Erie is the home of thirty-five varicties of fishy, 

