
FOREST AND STREAM. 
359 


Pyrite re. TO HTT ArG RIZZI 
aa T Serra 
Epiron Forest AND STREAM ?— 
Several hunters are annually killed by grizzly bears in 
the United States. The precise location of the most vulner- 
able spot of Ursus Horribilis, is therefore a matter of great 
importance. The small powder charges used in American 
sporting rifles render a front shot extremely critical. One 
of these tough customers has been known to swim half a 
mile with two bullets in his heart. 
If a side shot can be obtained, most hunters aim at the 
spinal cord, just behind the ear. 
Mr. J. H. Batty, Taxidermist to the Hayden Exploring 
Expedition, informs me that the skull of the grizzly, refer- 
red to in the Forrest aAnp Srream of Dee. 11, page 283, 
was not fractured, but that the first “cervical vertebra” was 
shattered by the first shot. 
Lieutenant Carpenter sends the following interesting ac- 
count of the affair, showing that even an explosive bullet 
must be judiciously placed to be effective :— . 
8S. H. Map, Jr. 
‘““WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 1873. 
Mr. Meap; Deur “Sir.—I cheerfully answer the enquir- 
ies contained in your letter of the 22d instant. I claim 
that I killed the bear with the first shot fired, an explosive 
one, This shot completely paralyzed the animal, and it 
was not really necessary to fire another one. I fired four 
shots, the two first explosive, the two last, solid. The 
first shot was fired at forty yards, the second shot at eight 
yards, the third shot at thirty yards, the fourth shot at 
about fifteen yards. The first shot, explosive, struck the 
animal behjnd the ear, badly shattering, but not disconnect- 
ing the first ‘‘cervical vertebra;”’ at the crack of the rifle, 
the bear instantly dropped and remained perfectly quiet for 
two minutes. He then raised himself in a sitting posture, 
but could not stand up, the blood was streaming down his 
head and neck, and the ground where he fell was covered 
with it. While in this position I fired the second shot at 
the head. This shot, explosive, struck the bony arch over 
the eye and flattened out just under the skin, without doing 
the slightest damage. It tore the skin and flesh some, and 
knocked him clear ovér, but I regard it as of no effect. (If 
this had been my first shot, I would have been in a bad fix.) 
The skull was not penetrated or fractured. The animal 
was on a very steep mountain side, and when the second 
shot knocked him down, he rolled over and over for sixty 
yards, until he brought up against a large log. I then 
went close to him and saw that he was perfectly helpless, 
but as he was still breathing, and by no means presented a 
tame appearance, I finished him with two solid balls in the 
neck. I think that the resistance offered by two inches of 
solid bone, backed by about five inches of hard muscle and 
followed by the skull, which is 24 inches thick on the side, 
proved too great for the penetrative power of the explosive 
bullet, and while I regard their effect when fired into the 
body, shoulder, “vertebrae,” and in fact any part of an 
animal, except its head, as terribly destructive, yet, I beg 
to be excused from trying them again on grizzlies, un- 
less I can get another chance attheneck. * * * * * Jam 
‘going to try your bullets on deer, elk and antelope. I think 
the charge of powder for the calibre 50 bullet rather light. 
Yours truly, 
LieuTeNANT W. L. CarPEeNTER, 
U. S. Geological Survey. 
Rasional Zlastimes. 
Sr, Georer’s Cricket Cius.—The annual meeting of 
the St. George’s Cricket Club was held on the 5th instant, 
when the following officers and committee were elected for 
the ensuing season:—President, John G. Dale; Vice Presi- 
dent, George T. Green; Treasurer, Charles Vinten; Secre- 
tary, W. R. Bowman. Committee—Messrs. Mostyn, Mum- 
ford, Talbot, Moeran, and Satterthwaite. Reports from 
the Secretary and Treasurer were read, showing the club 
to be in a highly prosperous condition, with a large increase 
in the number of its members, anda considerable balance 
in the hands of the Treasurer. 
——$—<~—__—— 
THE RULES OF CRICKET. 
No unprejudiced person can read the existing rules gov- 
erning the game of cricket without being impressed with 
the fact that they are not only incomplete in not covering 
all the important points of the game, but also that they are 
generally so crudely worded as to admit of several interpre- 
tations; and, moreover, they are not arranged either in 
proper order or under appropriate heads. In our series cf 
articles on the rules of the game, while giving explanations 
of each rule, we shall point out such errors as exist, and 
give the definition of each rule as it is understood by the 
Secretary of the Maryleborne Club of London, with whom, 
while he was in this country, we conversed on the topic of 
the rules and their authorized interpretation. 
= THE BALL. 
1. The ball must weigh not less than five ounces and a 
half, nor more than five ounces and three-quarters. It 
must measure not less than nine inches, nor more than nine 
inches and one-quarter in circumference. At the begin- 
ning of each innings, either party may call for a new ball, 
It is not customary now to use more than two balls in a 
match, in fact one suffices in one-day matches except the 
ground be wetand the ball becomessoggy. Therule, how- 
ever, if strictly inforced would require the use of four balls 
to a full match of four innings. In buying balls for club 
use it is always the cheapest to get the best, as the low 
priced balls give way in the seams very quickly. The best 
‘ balls made are those which have their seams sewn with cat- 
gut, 
” 


THE BAT, 
2. The bat must not exceed four inches and one quarter 
in the widest part; it must not be more than thirty-eight 
inches in length. 
This rule is too indefinite in its wording to have full 
effect, inasmuch as it does not state what the material shall 
be of which the bat is to be made, and neither does it de- 
fine the length of the bat itself, but simply states that the 
bat—including the bat proper as well as the handle—shall 
not exceed three fect in length. A short man does not re- 
quire so long a handle to his bat as a talk man, but both re- 
quire the same amount of width to guard their wickets. 
‘The rule, therefore, should designate the exact length of 
the ‘‘pod” or bat proper, leaving the handle to be short or 
long, but not exceeding a certain length. The rule does 
not state how thick a bat may be or what limit of weight 
thereshould be. All this is left to custom to govern, when 
the rule should expressly define it.. All good bats are now 
made of straight-grained and well-seasoned willow, with 
the handles strengthened by strips of cane. Of course it is 
the umpires’ duty to see that the laws governing the 
materials of the game, such as size and weight of ball, size 
of bat, length of stumps, &c., are all enforced; but there is 
nothing in the aboye rules calculated to have them properly 
enforced. 
THE STUMPS. 
3. The stumps must be three in number; twenty seven 
inches out of the ground; the bails eight inches in length; 
the stumps of equal, and of sufficient thickness to prevent 
the ball from passing through, 
This rule is very badly worded.. What is meant, is, that 
the stumps shall not exceed 27 inches in height when fixed 
in the ground, and that the width of the ‘‘wicket’”—the 
three stumps and the bails—shall not exceed eight inches 
in any part of it, while the stumps are to be of sucha 
thickness as not to allow the ball to pass between them 
without touching the stumps. By the rule, as it now reads, 
the stumps may be made of iron, and the bails can be 
eight inches in length, instead of four, as each bail should 
be. The best material for stumps is hickory, which is 
tougher than oak or ash. They should also be brass, tipped 
with iron at their points. The rule ought to state that the 
stumps shall be of equal thickness and not exceeding an 
inch or an inch and a half in thickness. 
THE BOWLER’S POSITION. 
4, The bowling crease must be in a line with the stumps; 
six feet eight inches in length; the stumps in the center; 
with a return crease at each end towards the bowler at right 
angles. . 
The term ‘‘bowling crease” is very indefinite. The 
proper way is to word the rule so as to define the bowler’s 
position as being limited by lines of three feet, extending 
from the outer stump on each side of the wicket. The 
word ‘‘crease” is a technical term and scarcely suited for 
the phrasing of alaw. There should be a three-feet line 
located where the ‘‘return crease” is now laid, and also a 
limit to the ground the bowler occupies in the preliminary 
run he makes in delivering the ball. 
THE BATSMAN’S POSITION. 
5. The popping crease must be four feet from the wicket, 
and parallel to it; unlimited in length, but not shorter than 
the bowling crease. 
The batsman’s position is behind a line unlimited in 
length, but located four feet distant from the bowler’s line 
or line of the stumps. Both lines require to be plainly 
marked with chalk or some white substance so as to be seen 
by the umpires, the line of the batsman’s position—called 
the ‘‘popping crease” —not being less than six feet in length. 
Every cricket club should have a frame made six feet eight 
inches in length by four feet in width, and by laying this 
down in front of the wicket with stumps in the center of 
one side of it, the two lines or creases could be correctly 
laid down. 
PITCHING THE WICKETS. 
6. The wickets must be pitched opposite to each other by 
the umpires at the distance of twenty-two yards. 
Lillywhite’s Guide for 1878, in its code of rules, has the 
word ‘‘caps” in place of wickets. What the rule means by 
the words ‘‘wickets must be pitched,” is that the distance 
from the centre stump of one wicket to that of the opposite 
wicket must be exactly 22 yards. The umpires are by the 
above rule alone empowered to place the stumps in position, 
or in other words, ‘tpitch the wickets.” 
THE CONDITION OF THE GAME. 
7. It shall not be lawful for either party during a match, 
without the consent of the other, to alter the ground by 
rolling, watering, covering, mowing, or beating, except at 
the commencement of each innings, when the ground may 
be swept and rolled at the request of either party; such re- 
quest to be made to one of the umpires within one minute 
after the conclusion of the former innings. This rule is 
not meant to prevent the striker from beating the ground 
with his bat near to the spot where he stands during the in- 
nings, nor to prevent the bowler from filling up holes with 
saw-dust, etc., when the ground is wet. 
In commencing each innings, if the side at the bat desire 
it, the ground between the wickets can be rolled and swept; 
but the other side can only do so until the batting side ob- 
ject to it. Of course, by mutual consent, this can be done 
at any time during the game. Before the delivery 
of the ball the batsmen can step out of their ground 
for the purpose of beating down any inequalities of 
the ground with their bats, as also after the ball has been 
held by the wicket keeper and thereby rendered temporarily 
dead, as also, after an over has been called. The rule in 
this latter respect is, however, too indefinite in its ~ording 
for so important.a point, 
CHANGING THE WICKETS. 
8, After.rain the wickets may be changed with the con- 
sent of both parties, 

There is no rule providing that the wickets shall not be 
changed. The above are the rules referring to the ball, bat, 
ard the wickets. Next come those governing the delivery 
of the ball to the bat, to which we shall refer in full in our 
next article on the subject. 
Se pene 
AMERICA vs. ENGLAND.—Arrangements have been made 
by the Boston and Philadelphia Base Ball Clubs to send a 
joint team to England next August, the same to consist not 
only of two tens to play base ball together in championship 
matches in England, but also a twenty-two to play at 
cricket against the strongest professional and amateur 
cricket elevens of England. Mr. H. Spalding, of the Boston 
Club, leaves New York, next Saturday, for England, to 
make the preliminary arrangements. The American 
twenty-two will practice cricket together on exhibition 
games before they leave, playing the St. George Club, in 
this city, in July. 
University, Va., Jan. 12, 1874. 
Eprron Forest AND STREAM:— 
Since my last letter to you, we have had such bad 
weather, that we could not play foot ball, and of course 
did not expect the Englishmen to come here, when the . 
ground was soaked by a week’s rain; they disappointed us, 
for they came, and although it was pouring down rain, 
they insisted on playing, saying they would claim the game 
if we did not play, as rain never stopped a game in England 
Each side won a goal, and when time was called we were 
playing the third game with the ball within a few feet of 
the Englishmen’s goal; it was decided a drawn game. We 
have, so far, had only one freeze in Virginia this winter, 
very few persons have filled their ice-housc&, 
J. C. McK. 
—Mr. H. W. Collender has published a pamphlet con- 
taining a full account of the first International Billiard 
Tournament held at Irving Hall in June last. It is illus- 
trated with diagrams of the most diffiult shots made by the, 
celebrities who participated in this great contest, and is a 
very useful and interesting publication. Sent, postage free 
on receipt of twenty-five cents. 
a 
CREEDMOOR.—We regret to state that the last heavy 
rains have done no small amount of harm to the range at 
Creedmoor. Five hundred and forty feet nearly of the 
embarkment on the south side, the side fronting the shooter 
is down, carried away by aregular land slide. .The earth 
was evidently saturated by the rains, and tumbling down 
has filled up the drain and the road, which had been care- 
fully laid between the targets and the embankment. The 
fall of earth has covered the target platform, and the roofs 
of the butts, and in several places the debris extends past 
the terrace and into the plain to a distance of sixty feet from 
the edge of the embankment. The force of the dirt-fall 
was such as to have moved three of the iron slabs, weighing 
fully 1,250 pounds and to have torn up the extra heavy 
weight iron sheeting used to cover the butts. The doors of 
the butts have been in some cases broken in, but fortunately 
the butts have held firm. It will cost fully $2,000 to repair 
damages. We are pleased to state that the Range Com- 
mittee, Generals Shaler and Woodward and Captain Win- 
gate, have already made arrangements to repair the damage. 
The misfortune about the tumbling down of the embank- 
ment is, that with the open winter, tlag managers of the N. 
R. A. were in hopes that rifle practice might have been 
commenced quite early for 1874; as it is, with the well 
known energy of the Range Committee, we feel sure the 
delay in the opening of the range at Creedmoor, should it 
occur, will be but short. 

Tue Woops oF THE SieRRA,—Nothing can be more 
charming than the woods of the Sierra summit iu June, 
July, and August, especially in the level glades marginine 
the open summit valleys, at an elevation of 6,000 to 7,0vU 
fect. The pines and firs, prevailing over spruces and 
cedars, attain a height ranging from 100 to 200 feet, und 
even more. Their trunks are perfectly straight, limbless 
for fifty to a hundred feet, painted above the snow-mark 
with yellow mosses, and ranged in open, park-like groups, 
affording far vistas. The soil may be thin, but it is soft 
and springy to the tread, covered with needles of the pine, 
greened with tender grasses and vines, and thickly sprinkled 
with blossoms. Huge boulders of granite relieve the ver- 
nal coloring with their picturesque masses of gray, starred 
with lichens. These rocks are often nearly hid in vines, 
or in dwarf oaks and manzanitas, which, under the pres- 
sure of deep snow, assume a vine-like growth, winding all 
about a boulder with their clinging and sinuous small 
branches. Thickets of wild-rose and other flowering 
shrubs occur at intervals, giving an almost artistic variety 
to the woodland scene. The crimson snow-plant lifts its 
slender shaft of curious beauty. Sarge patches of helian- 
thus, some species with very breoad leaves, spread their 
sun-flowers to the air. Sparkling springs, fresh from snowy 
fountains silver-streak these forest meadows, where birds 
come to bathe and drink, and tracks of the returning deer 
are printed. Once more the quail is heard piping to its 
mates, the heavy whirring flight of the grouse startles the 
meditative rambler, and the pines give forth again their 
surf-like roar to the passing breeze,’ waving ,their piumed 
tops in slow and graceful curves across a sky wonderfully 
clear and blue.— Overland Monthly. 
Ss 
—Whiat seems to be a perfectly authenticated case o f 
horrible death from the bite of a cat, hydrophobia having 
been developed, has occurred in Brooklyn, L. I. Mr. Jas. 
P. Raymond, a young man of twenty-two years of age, was 
bitten by acat some six months ago, and expired on the 
29th of December last, with every symptom of this terrible 
disease, The testimony of the physicians leaves no doubt ag 
| to the origin and character of the tearful malady, 
