
FOREST AND STREAM, | 
partridger. Many a weary mile we travelled. Our friend 
and guide, B , had often told us, in town, of his gen- 
uine partridge dog ; so, of course, we must have a fine day’s 
sport with such an animal, We now most firmly selected 
the partridge in preference to any other bird. ‘‘If the par- 
tridge had the woodcock’s thigh it would be the finest bird 
that ever did fly,” says the poet. We concluded it was the 
finest anyhow. We imagined this fowl roasted on a spit 
and served up with sauce, a la Lusse. Alas! our hopes 
were in vain. B-—’s dog had been caught in a bear trap, 
and consequently had a lame paw. He would strike the 
scent of a rabbit or porcupine, and off he would dart, with 
tail erect and nose low, and finally give tongue encourac- 
ingly. Forward we would press with our guns at half cock 
and we breathless. ‘‘He’s gota covey,” B would say, 
and when we found him, instead of barking at game he 
would be sitting on his haunches, growling at his dilapi- 
dated paw and gnawing it. 
A partridge was treed at last—one of the Audubon type, 
said Snobby, who scrambled towards it and fired at about 
ten yards distant. The bird looked at him for a few scec- 
onds, and just as he was about to give it the other barrel, 
after taking aim for that length of time, with a loud whirr 
off went the beautiful gallinaceous biped through birch 
trees and mossy glens. Close in pursuit sprang my dog, 
gallantly serenading the woods for a league or more. Noon 
was now upon us, and “‘the merry, merry sunshine” made 
joyous the day, which had so far been dull and misty. We 
turned homeward; fora keen hankering for “prog” came 
over us. 














































charming rill bounced by us, and sparkled like ginger ale.. 
This pure gurgling stream looked inviting, I felt fatigued, 
and Snobby and I each took to himself a nip of whiskey 
and water. Then my English friend went in search of a 
native to obtain a conveyance of some kind. When he 
was gone I mused on the monotony of a country-life, and 
after a whiff or so of a fair cigar gently passed into a sleep, 
with my head resting on some new mown hay. Ihada 
vision, thought I saw away down into the cerulean ocean, 
dreamed I was up in a balloon, shooting down at ducks, 
and scanning the little world beneath me; thought I was 
killing trout by moonlight with three miller flies and a fire 
on the bank; imagined I was winging ring-necked snipe at 
Courtney Bay mud flats. In this blissful mood I awoke, 
and away before me over a western forest was setting old 
Sol, casting his scarlet reflections through the thousand 
clouds that rested in a world of glory above him. IJ sprang 
to my feet, grasped my revolver belt and cast it from my 
limbs, unwhipped my cap, and thrust my head into the 
icy brook and came out refreshed. I then beheld Snobby 
on an ox cart, coming at a snail’s pace. Our stuff was put 
on board, and we were hauled to.an_ inn, or rather to a red 
house built over some tan vats. Here we learned that the 
host’s good wife was crazy with the toothache. She asked 
my companion if he was aware of anything that would 
give her relief. Te told the sufferer to make a huge plate 
of buckwheat pancakes, and rub her cheek with plenty of 
Radway’s Ready Relief, but not to put any on the pan- 
cakes. The poor woman made us comfortable, and J ran 
up to a store and purchased for her the article recommend- 
ed, and it cured her almost immediately. Her husband 
thanked us with tears in his eyes,-and declared he would 
eet some sleep that night. We retired early, having made 
previous preparations for the next morning’s shooting. 
Snobby snored loudly, after a while, and kept the lamp 
chimney on the dance continually. I elbowed him in the 
ribs, and brought him to a sense of quietude. Grey day- 
light broke, and the stars were still glittering in the heay- 
ens. We were soon up and dressed and away. Our dogs 
were particularly delighted, and showed their villainous 
training by running after every bird or grasshopper that 
happened along. They also barked handsomely, so that 
if any ducks were about they would: have known that we 
wanted them. Snobby considered his dog very valuable, 
had refused one hundred dollars for her, and he always 
allowed her to sleep on the foot of his bed. One night 1 
awoke and felt a great pressure on my legs, and I fou d 
that it was this valuable pup. Notwithstanding “his, I 
gave the beautiful canine creature a rise that caused her to 



At our friend B ‘sy a savory dinner awaited us. An 
immense dish of lamb chops formed a centre on the wmuple 
table, the corners of which were graced with green peas, 
new potatoes, tomatoes, and numerous other dainties that 
tend to make life pleasant. Before partaking of this sump- 
tuous board, Snobby invited us to come outside to ‘‘take 
something.” Fatal moment! While praising the mellow- 
ness of the whiskey_I perceived my dog making his way 
out of the back door. He was licking his pondcrous jaws, 
and appeared languid. After him flew the cook witha 
mop handle, which she laid on his broad back with a giant 
stroke. ‘‘Oh, heavens,” she screamed, ‘‘your horrible cur 
has devoured all the dinner!” It was too true; he had 
gathered it all to himself, leaving only the dishes, knives, 
forks, and other indigestible articles. I felt anything but 
pleasant,"and broke forth to the hostess as follows:—‘‘Mad- 
am, this act of my dog I most sincerely condemn, and I 
most solemly assure you he has received well-merited pun- 

with another (for a sporting} paper is that or should be and 
nothing else) let us call things by their right names. 
I was glad to see that 5. L. P. in one of your recent 
numbers in his very graphic article on ‘‘Hare Hunting,” 
uses the right word for the right animal, but many sports- 
men use these wrong terms in their sketches, when they 
know better. If I can aid you any in settling this matter 
or convey any acceptable information IT shall be abund- 
antly satisfied. I shall at least feel better after relieving my 
mind on the subject. y 
‘“T arise to explain” that we have no rabbits in this 
country. The little grey fellows so plentiful around our 
hedges and thickets, more especially in the sonth and west, 
are hares. 
It is most preposterous nonsense to talk of coursing or 
running a rabbit with dogs for any sport in the thing. You 
might with equal propriety speak of coursing a cat. While 
the latter with a spit and a phizz, with an arched back and 
an enormously enlarged narrative would be in a jiffy on 
the top of the barn or in a tree, the former would dissap- 
pear in the first hole he could pop into. 
The rabbit, Lepus cuntculus, is a congregationalist, (I 
speak not orthodoxically, and yet I think Ido too, which 
to say the least appears rather parodoxical) is very friendly 
and sociable in its habits, living in villages or warrens. It 
is polygamously inclined at least in its domesticated state, 
though I believe not when wild (proving so much for civil- 
ization). It breeds six or seven times during the year, 
taking great care in arranging its nest in the darkest ‘and 
safest part of its burrow, lining it with the softest of fur 
plucked from its own body. It brings forth from five to 
eight at a litter, sometimes more. The little fellows are 
ushered into the world without hair and are stone blind, 
their eyes not opening until the tenth or twelfth day: They 
are very tender and weakly, requiring especial care’ from 
the mother for several weeks. 
The flesh when cooked is whitish in color, somewhat 
juicy, with not much if any game flavor. 
It is not anocturnal animal, for the most part lying snugly 
coiled up in the recesses of its burrow during the dark 
hours. ; 
The hare Lepus sylvaticus, is monogamous and a timid 
hermit-like creature, sits by himself nearly all the day in 
his form, a mere indenture in the leaves often in the open) 
ground or under a bush, and when aroused by the dogs is— 
off like a shot, trusting to the speed of his foot ‘and his cun- 
ning art in doubling to save his skin. His ears are very 
acute, always open, and so constructed as to catch the 
slightest sound in any direction. His eyes too are never — 
ishment, for his back is rendered so much out of shape* 
that his only use hereafter will be to run around corners.” 
The fact is, the animal was rendered useless, and his body 
was sadly bent; but at all events his stomach was all right 
for that day. Our dinner passed off without the aid of 
meat. I however thanked my stars it was no worse, and 
did ample justice to hot potatoes and new butter. 
But little more is to-be told. That afternoon we landed 
at Indiantown, and the loud strains of the fog horn on 
Partridge Island reminded us that we were home again. 
We hired a whole coach to avoid questioning. On the road 
home my dog got lost, and I was glad of it. Snobby gave 
his away and sold his gun, and forever retired from the 
















closed even when he is asleep, and are so prominently situ- 
ated as to enable him to take in almost an entire circle at a 
glance. The hare takes but little pains with its home dom- ~ 
icile, being satisfied with a mere 
under a bush of grass. Sometimes, though, it takes posses- 
sion of a hole ina wall or decayed tree where it brings 
forth from three to five youngsters two or three times only 
during the year. The young leverets come fo-;th with © 
their eyes open, and with their clothes on, and ready al- 
most at their birth for regular hare business. 
The flesh is dark and dry, witha decided game flavor, 
but after the first frosts have toned down its somewhat 
stringy nature is very good, and were it more difficult to 
tumble awkwardly into a harrel of wool that formed part 
of the fairniture of our room. 
We found a canoe, and away we flew past marshes and 
dykelands. The morning was charming, and the luxuriant 
grass bowed submissively before a refreshing breeze. We 
landed a mile or so from the starting point, and crept cau- 
tiously up to a long sheet of water, on the surface of which 
we discovered a large flock of black ducks, with their 
heads nicely tucked under their wings. Our dogs acted 
quietly enough, for I had made mine fast to my boot, and 
Snobby’s was under the jinfluence of so sound a kicking 
that she was calm and motionless. We both rose ata sig- 
nal and fired. At this Snobby’s dog rushed pell mell into | ¢ 44 
depression in the groundor - 
the water, kiyi-ing grandly. My pure breed followed with 
a fierce spring, pulling off my boot, and away went ducks, 
dogs, boot, and all. Iwas filled with rage, and if I had 
been within a fair range of my brother sportsman’s dog I 
would have been much tempted to shoot it; but the reader 
will say the dog would not have risked much, seeing that I 
killed no ducks. Neither of us stopped a bird. How ad- 
mirably our dogs hunted the marshes that morning. They 
must have beat over miles away. They hunted all the 
ducks off. I put some shot in my dog, which hit him near 
the tail, but he was not the style of dog to stop at trifles. 
Snobby anathematized everything. A farmer in the next 
township found my boot the next day. By very hard work 
one morning we bagged some fine snipe anda marsh hen 
or two. From this out the hundred dollar dog acted well 
enough, because its owner had to keep it tied up at the inn. 
Mine would beat the hunting grounds thoughtfully, and 
would good naturedly scratch shot out of his back and wag 
his tail knowingly. ze 
One afternoon we concluded to make a grand circuit, and 
do the whole marsh. We went. Our intention was to 
take the ducks as they flew over us, bound for their feed- 
ing grounds. Evening finally arrived, and threw her 
sombre shadows over hay cocks, barns, and us. Many 
flocks whizzed over our heads, and numerous were the 
times we pulled trigger on them. We got one. Snobby 
declared he killed it, and I thought I did. It lay before us 
a case for equity. I resigned it to Snobby London—he had 
earned it. After this slim sport among the dykelands, we 
concluded to take the steamer and go down the river and 
have a day or two at the Nerepis with our friend B—. 
We landed from the Rothesay quite near his cozy home, 
which nestled in a green valley, enclosed by an amphithe- 
atre of hills, from the summits of which a cheering view 
of our noble river was afforded. It was among these hills 
the blue-jay flew. The familiar voice of the crow sounded 
from many a tree, and the partridge’s loud whirr caused 
the anxious gunner to grasp firm his piece. It was the 
partridge we wanted. We were up before the sun next 
morning. We must make the best of it, for we were on 
our last day ; and so we climbed the rugged hills with a 
will, feeling confident that we would bring honorably to 
hag fully a dozen brace of partridges before noon. We 
- had become disgusted with duck-shooting. We preferred 


Your humble servant, however, purchased a water 
spaniel pup and a breech-loading gun, and as some years 
have passed since this narrative he is now a fair shot, and 
often makes a bag that many a good sportsman would be 
proud of. 
——— eo 
HARES AND RABBITS. 
—— 
Eprror Forest AND STREAM:— 
Why can not sporting men in writing fora sporting paper 
call things by their right names? ‘all grouse grouse, not 
partridge or pheasant. We have no pheasant in this country, 
and I think no partridge proper either, the quail coming 
the nearest to it, thongh it differs in size and in other re- 
spects from its European cousin. Neither have we arabbit 
of any kind running wild in all our woods. 
To be sure I can see the advantage of sometimes using 
the above terms in conversation with a country boy when 
in astrange part of the country in pursuit of abag. Should 
-you on meeting him ask if there were any ruffed grouse to 
be found in those parts, it would be a box of caps to a pil- 
liard ball that he would not know what you meant. But 
if he should say ‘‘Inever heerd of sech, but I knows where 
up in the old man’s back brier lot there be lots and slathers 
of patridges,” you might get the information you wanted, 
and it inthe end prove very gratifying. But again in enquir- 
ing for woodcock should your rustic assume to be thorough- 
ly posted, ‘‘knows where there be a heap of them ere,” and 
you go with him with visions of a big bag of these choicest 
of birds in your mind’s eye, and he takes you to: ‘‘dad’s 
sugar bush,” and points you outa red-headed ‘‘wood-pecker 
tapping on the hollow beech tree, "your information 
would not be ag satisfactory and you would want to say— 
a bad word—and retire in disgust. Had you asked him 
about ‘‘blind-snipe,” he might have taken you down to the 
lower ‘‘pastur” among those willows on that brook, or to 
that damp place on the road in the woods the way he 
“druvy the keows hum o’ nights,” and you might have 
found a brood, perhaps more, plump and well grown, and 
never having been shot at, easy to bag. 
All this may be pardonable and even necessary on the 
principle I suppose of ‘‘when you are among the Romans, 
do as the Romans do,” or talk their language at least if 
you want to find out anything, but in writing for our pa- 
‘pers—that is in our social talks—intelligent sportsmen.one 

obtain would be highly prized. 
The hare is emphatically a night animal, feeding mostly 
then, and ona moonlight night it is an interesting sight 
when you are well concealed to watch their fantastic gam- 
bels. They are very destructive to young nurseries, gird- 
ling the small trees, doing much damage in a single night. 
The undersigned with one other once in two hours of a 
moonlight night in Wisconsin shot nineteen in the road as 
they crossed from an oak thicket to a young nursery. It 
was fun for us but ‘frogs for them.” 
We have several different varieties of the species lepus, 
but the two best known is the one above mentioned and 
the northern or great hare, L. Americanus. This one has 
an advantage over his smaller brother in possessing two 
suits of clothes, or at least a change, a brown turning to 
grey for summer, with almost a perfect white for winter 
use, whereby he is better enabled to escape the lynx-like 
eyes of his hunters. Tecan not better close this article 
than by an extract from Chambers’ Encyclopedia. It 
says the ’ species of lepus are abundant in Africa and 
western Asia, but North America possesses more species 
than either. 
Baird divides the American species into five sections de- 
pendent on the degree of separation of the post orbital pro- 
cesses from the side of the temporal region. In one extreme 
they diverge widely from the cranium, im the other they 
are in close contact with the distinguishing suture oblitera- 
ture. 
To the last belong L. aquaticus and L, palustris, large 
headed species from the swamps of low countries of the 
southern States. To the first, the Arctic hare (Z. glacialis) 
the changing hare (L. Americanus) and the Oregon hare 
(L. Washingtonit) of the higher northern regions, 
Several species (L. campestris) L. callotis) (L. artemesia) 
inhabit the places;west of the Mississippi river. The Z. callo- 
tis is well known to pioneers in Texas and New Mexico as — 
the jackass rabbit. JACOBSTAFF. 
—The following is said to be an extract from the diary — 
of one of the first ministers in the Green Mountain State: A 
“Went this evening to see Miss Susy Smith. On my way — 
saw a peculiar animal. When it went into its hole it dis- — 
appeared when it came out of his hole, it appeared. Spoke — 
to Miss Susy about it, and she saidit was a skunk, and sup- 
pose it was a skunk.” io 
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