Sale of Reared Trout in Close Time

Forest and _Stream.

A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun.

Terms,S*a Year. 10Gts,aCopy._{

SixMonths,$2. )

NEW YORK, JUNE 9, 1892.

^{j VOL.}

XXXVIIL-No.

23.

INo.318Broadway,

New

York.

CONTENTS.

Editorial.

ResultsoftheSalmonAnglers Petition.

New

York's Opportunity, lisheriesonthe GreatLakes.

Muzzlevs.Breech.

OntoStorageofGame.

SaleofReared TroutinClose Time.

SnapShots.

Natural History.

DoestheRattlesnakeSpit?

TheClassinNaturalHistory.

Keepa Notebook.

Game Bag and Gun.

SpringintheNational Park.

"Podgers's" Commentaries.

TheSafetyofGun=.

ChicagoandtheWest.

The Non-Export

Law

Sound.

RodandGunand Camera.

Camp-FireFlickerings.

Sea and

RiverFishing.

Sale of Artificially Reared Trout.

AnelingNotes.

Early Historyofthe Fisheries ontheGreat Lakes.

GreatSportinCanada.

FishesofNicaragua, For M*oneTrout.

Scupin OilFactories.

New

HampshireFishing.

Chicago andtheWest.

Fly-CastingatSyracuse.

WestCoast Fly-Fishing.

Fishculture.

Pike-PerchinKentucky.

The

Kennel.

TheBeagle Standard.

PearlofPekin Incident.

TorontoDogShow.

Flapsfromthe Beaver'sTail.

DogChat.

KennelNotes.

AnswerstoCorrespondents.

Canoeing-.

New

YorkC.C.

NewsNotes.

Yachting.

MemorialDayRaces.

S.C. Y. C.House and VVet- morePrizes.

LarcbmontY.C.

Handsel.

EasternY.C.

TheCruisingYawlArgo.

Badger.

The"Coupede France."

Vedette, a Fife Oeuterboard Yacht.

NewsNotes.

Rifle

Range and

Gallery.

Revolver Championship.

"Forestand Stream" Tourna- ment.

New

JerseyRifleShooting.

Trap

Shooting.

OntheSusquehanna.

Schuylkill County Tourna- ment.

TheSunflowerTournament.

DriversandTwisters.

Matches andMeetings.

Answers

to Queries.

periodtoanotherisnotprovided for in the act,

and

is immaterial;" that the Legislaturehad power to pass the act,whichisnotin conflictwiththe State Constitution, norinviolationofthe provision of the Constitution of theUnitedStatesauthorizingCongress to regulatecom- merce

among

theStates.

This decision

was

renderedin 1875.

The

termsof the lawof that datewere in effect identical with thoseof the present statute. Thedecision in the Phelps-Racey case has heretofore been accepted as final,

and game

dealers have not contested the law forbiddingsale or possessionin closeseason.

For Prospectus

and

Advertising Ratessee

Page

557.

NEW YORK'S OPPORTUNITY.

At

ameeting ofthe

New York

State Associationfor theProtection of Fish and

Game

inSyracuse next

Mon-

day evening, the committee appointed attheFebruary conventionwill report;anda planwillbesubmittedfor enlarging theactivitiesofthe Associationand

making

it

more

efficientasa

game

fishprotectivebody. This

may

be

made

a turning pointinthe Association'shistory. It ishopedthat clubswill send notonly strongteamsfor thetournament competitions,but delegatesaswell

who

are interestedin this branchof the Association'swork, aud

who

willgiveitdueconsideration.

Thisopportunityfor

more

effective organization and reneweddevotiontotheoriginalpurposesofthe Associa- tionshould beimprovedtotheutmost.

COLD STORAGE OF GAME.

The game

^dealers, refrigerating concerns and other interested parties in this city are to haveameetingto take action respecting the defense^ofthe

New York

Re- frigerating

Company

ⁱⁿthesuitagainstitfor havingin possession

game

in close season.

Aside fromthe questionofthe refrigeratingcompany's liabilityaswarehousersof

game

belonging to other peo- ple,the points involvedhave already been passed

upon

inthisStateandelsewhere,andthelawhasbeenupheld.

The

ruling decisionin

New York

is that of the Phelps- Raceycase.

As

Presidentof the

New York

Association for the Protectionof

Game,

RoyalPhelps brought suit against Joseph H, Racey, a

game

dealerof this city, to recover penalties for violations of the

game

law. The three countswere: (1)possessionand exposurefor sale ofquailin closetime,(2)possessionandexposurefor sale of pinnated grouse in close time,and(3) possessionof quailin closetime. The defendant admittedthe allega- tions of the complaint, butit

was

allegedasa defense that thedefendant hadinventedanapparatustopreserve game, andthat the

game

specifiedin the complaint

was

putup

by him

insuchapparatusinthe

month

of

Decem-

ber,

when

thekillingofitinthisState

was

not prohib- ited,orit

was

receivedfromtheStates ofMinnesota and

Illinois,wherethekilling

was

atthetimelegal.

The

General

Term

foundforthe plaintiffonthefirst

and secondcounts,andfor the defendant on thethird count. Both sides appealed to the Special

Term

and thentotheCourtofAppeals,where the counsel for the defensecontendedthat the statute

was

invalid,sinceit

was a regulationof internal

commerce

affecting other Statesand

was

unconstitutional. The Court ofAppeals (Church, Ch.J.) held: Thatthe prohibition of the sale orpossessionof

game

in the period specified

was

plain and unambiguous;that"thefactthatthe defendant had invented a process of keeping

game

from onelawful

MUZZLE

VS.

BREECH.

The

offeroftheSyracuseRifleClubtogive opportunity for a test under certain conditions of the accuracyof the muzzleloading rifle as compared with the breech- loading

arm

is intended to bringto a settlementthis much-talked-of questionofexactnessin placing thebul- lets.

Supposethemuzzleloaders

come

outahead, whatthen?

It will not

make

one hunter the

more

flingaside his

handy

breechloaderand take out a muzzleloader with

all itsparaphernaliaofammunition.

The

various boards onthe lookoutforthe best military rifle

would

notbe influencedinthe smallest degreebythe fact that ten or adozenshotsfromaheavy muzzleloader

made

a stringa

few

inches shorterthanthe

same number

ofshotsfrom a breecharm. Ineverybranch ofsmall-arm

work

there area

number

of factors

which

go to

make up

the con- cluding decision asto the bestarm. Accuracyisone, and an importantone; safetyisanother,andavitalone.

Conveniencecomesin for

much

consideration; price is to be considered. This test at Syracuse keepsaneye simplytotheonepointof accuracy. To

many

devotees oftherifleattherangesthisistheonegreat pointalways inregard. Everythinghasbeensacrificed toit,andfor a fraction of an inch ona string nocareorlaboris re- gardedastoogreatforthese target enthusiasts. There have beenextravagant claims

made

onbothsidesregard- ingthisonepointofaccuracy. To puta quietusonsomeof this talk the Syracuse shoot oughttogo through,but

win

orlose,thebreechloaderis the

arm

of the future, andthe studentoftheart of shooting does best service by improvingthebreechloaderineverydetail.

them

directlyand

much more

in proportion thanthe anglers.

The

resultssecured

may

be consideredfairly satisfac- toryforthe present,inviewof theselfishcoursepursued bythecommittee fromtheRestigoucheClub.

The anglers

owe

a debtofgratitudetoMr. Lash,Q.

C,

andMr. Creighton, the clerkofthe Senate, retained as counsel

by

Mr. Blanchard,fortheir able presentationof thecase.

The

labor involved inMr. Creighton'sexami- nationand collocation of statistics

was

thoroughly and efficientlyperformed; hisarrayoffactsandfigurescon- clusively

showed

the necessityoftakingimmediatesteps toprevent further needlessand improvidentdestruction ofthe salmon. Itis a pleasure to recognize also the active and efficient co-operation of Mr.

James

Grant, PresidentoftheSt.Marguerite

Salmon

Club. All those

named

andothershave donematerialservice inforward- ing the petitionset on foot

by

Mr.D.H. Blanchardof Boston. It

was

bythe unselfish devotion of time

and money

and effortbyMr.Blanchard thatthis

movement

for salmonpreservation

was

put through;

and

to

him must

begivenagenerous share of credit and gratitude for

what

hasbeen accomplished.

RESULTS OF THE SALMON ANGLERS' PETITION.

The

salmon anglers' petition

was

presented to the CanadianMinister ofMarine and Fisheries on

May

13.

No

written reply has yetbeen made,but the Honorable Mr. Tupper'sattitudeandreception ofthe argumentsof thecounselto

whom

Mr.Blanchardintrusted the con- ductofthepetitionwere verysatisfactory.

It

was

admitted that the continuous decline in the catchofsalmonis a matter of grave concern and can onlybe

met

by keepingup freeaccess _tothe spawning bedsfor asufficient stock of breeding fish, That the commercialinterests ofCanada and the special interests ofanglersandriparian proprietors are identical in this respect,isevidently theviewof the Department. Itis satisfactory to learn that the questions involvedhave been andarereallyoccupyingtheMinister'smostserious consideration. In dealingwith

them

hishands willbe materially strengthenedbytheinformationandstatistics furnished

him

insupport of the petition. Thereisno doubtofMr. Tupper's willingnesstomeetthepetitioners views so far as possible.

At

the

same

time, as

was

pointed outby him,there are

many

difficulties,bothofa practicalandapoliticalnature,whichrequireclosecon- siderationand timetosettle.

At

all eventswhether the nets are ultimatelytobe liftedthreetimes a

week

or not,onegreat point hasbeen gained.

The

existing regulationsas tothe observanceof theSaturdayto

Monday

close time,and as tothe nature and ^location of estuary nets aretobt-strictlyenforced.

Mr.Tupper also hopes toaccomplishagooddealinthe

way

of limiting the

number

and extentofthesenets.

Thefaulthithertohas notbeenso

much

in the character of the regulations as in their being disregarded and evadedby thenetters. Iftheyare

made

operative,and supplemented bya strict supervision onthe partofthe riparian owners, the good resultwhich mustbeanim- mediate outcomewill not only strengthen theanglers' case in the eventoffurtherrestrictionsonthe netsbeing stillfoundnecessary,butwillprobably convince thenet- tersthemselves thatnothingisaskedthat does notbenefit

FISHERIES ON THE GREAT LAKES.

Mr.

Heeschel "Whitaker

has given a veryinterest- ing sketch of the early historyof the fisheries onthe Great Lakes,

drawn from

the accounts ofHennepin, Capt.

John

Carver,GeorgeHeriot,

Henry

R. Schoolcraft, Blois and other authors.

The

marvelous abundanceof whitefish,lake trout, lake herring, sturgeon,pike

and

similarfishesisclearlysetforth,

and

thestatisticsofthe fisheries as far as

known,

arebrieflyrecountedfrom1830 to 1885.

A

notable decline of thefishing industry since thein- troductionofthe trap netischronicledby Mr. Whitaker.

This net

was

introduced about 1850,and itsextension into deep water

was

followed by enormous captures of adultfish,aswellas

by

the extensive destructionofim- maturefish,

which

have little or no commercialvalue.

Toquotefromthe author:

"The

result of this systemof fishingismostdestructive, tons

upon

tonsof fishbeing thustaken

which

have never spawned, whereasifthey werepermittedtoremaininthewatertoreproducetheir kind,artificialmethods wouldbe greatly aided."

The

introductionoffreezing apparatus for the preser- vationoffish,though unpopular at first,has gradually

grown

infavor,andhas greatlyimproved

and

extended the industry. Indirectlyitservesto protect thefish

by making

itpossible tocarryonthefishing innearlyevery

month

ofthe year,thus relieving the strain

upon

the spawningfish.

To

arrestthewasteof fishandrestorethe supply,Mr.

Whitakerwouldstock thewatersliberally and provide fortheenforcementof just protective laws, preventing thetakingand marketing of

immature

fish.

He

finds the "|fi-p«ent

warden

system imperfect in most cases, because'thepayoftheofficersisnot sure andfixed,

and

would follow in this respect the State of

New

York, which, hesays,has the best

warden

lawof

any

State in the Union. In conclusion he advocates a general awakeningofthe

Lake

Statesto the necessityof action forthemaintenance

and

future increaseof their fisheries.

SALE OF REARED TROUT IN CLOSE TIME.

The

articleofMr.

W.

L, Gilbert,which

we

publishon another page,isafairpresentationofthe privatefishcul- turists'view concerning the sale of brooktroutduring the close season for wild trout.

The

writer observes, justly,thatthe successful cultivationoftrouthaspassed beyondthe experimentalstage,andthat the industryis capable of great extension,provided the fishcanbe sold fromJan. 15 to April1,

when

the

demand

for

them

is largelyincreasedowingtothescarcity ofchoice foodfish ofother kinds. There is no doubt alsothat largetracts oflandandwater,

which

are

now

lying waste, could be redeemedand

made

valuable fortrout cultivation ifthe lawsof several States could bechanged soas toallow privateparties tosellfish

when and how

theypleased.

The

law framed byMr.Gilbert,andintendedtoaccom- plishthe objects desiredbyhimselfandotherfishcultur- ists,passed both branches of the Legislature of Massa- chusetts,butwasvetoedlast

week

by Governor Russell, and,

we

think,withjustice.

A

law

which

allows thesaleof artificiallyreared trout duringthecloseseasonforwild troutwillopen the

way

538 FOREST AND STREAM,

[June9. 1898.

for the illegal sale of thelatter,as

we

havefrequently pointed out in ourcolumns,andthe legitimate outcome ofsuchtrafficwouldbe the depletionofstreams inwhich tbe great publicismostinterested,audthisforthebenefit ofonlya fewtrout breeders.

Throw

around thebrook troutallthesafeguardswhichthelaw cangiveitandits struggle for existence will still bea severe one.

Tbe

steady

onward march

of civilization,with its increased

demand

for fishand with its ever-growing pollutionof watersand consequent restrictionof spawning grounds, will sufficiently limit,and

we

fear tooseriously limit,the increase oftrout and salmon. Letus thennotstillfar- therendangerthe futureofthesenoblefishes

by

encour- agingtheir saleduringthe season of spawning andde- velopmentofthe eggs.

SNAP SHOTS.

The

great

American showman was

sowell

known

that foreign letters addressed to"P.T.

Barnum,

America,"

usedtoreach

him

withoutdelay.

Forest and

Si

ream

has

become

so

much

ofaninstitution iathe

West

that a Coloradoletteraddressed simply

"Forest and

Stream, Chicago,111.,"findsits

way

promptlyintothehandsofour Westernrepresentative. This speaks well forourgrow- ing

fame

andisgratifying,but correspondents

who may

desireearly attentionwilldowell to Bend to the

home

office.818Broadway,

New

York.

The

big seizure of illegal

game

ina storageice house, whichhasbrought

Game

Protector Robert Brown, Jr., of thefirst district,intosuchprominence,isbyno

means

thefirstimportant actionofthatofficerinthepursuance of his duties. In the

summer

of 1890 Protector

Brown

accomplished the arrest andsecured the convictionof 107"bunker fishermen"

who

weretaking

menhaden

on Raritan

Bay

contrarytothe law.

Among

theseweresix captainsof vessels

who

werefined$100 apiece.

It is said that there are in

New

^Eigland,in round numbers,400,000FrenchCanadians. But there is only one penthatcandelineate the

Canuck

as hecanucks;

that is the pen of

R

jwlandE.Robinson,theauthorof ''Uncle'L'.sha'BShop"andthe creatorofAutoineBissette.

DOES THE RATTLESNAKE SPIT?

EditorForest

and

Stream;

Do

Bnakesspit venom? Ithink not,Prof.Copetothe contrary notwithstanding. Doestherattlesnake, incoil,

awaiting an opportunityto strike,hold his

mouth

open andfangserect,drippingpoisonoussaliva,which byfor- cible expiration of airfromtbe lungsisspatoutat his enemy?Ithinknot,unlesson veryrareoccasions. ;Ihave seenrattlers incoil,and seen

them

strikefromcoilvery often,but never

saw

one holding its

mouth

open,with erect fangs, dripping poisonous saliva. That which I have considered most remarkable in this reptile isthe lightning-likesuddenness

and

celerityofitsstroke.

The

jawsare separated, the fangs erectedandthe strokede- liveredwith suchcelerityas to renderitdifficultforthe eye to follow the

movement

or takein

what

has hap- pened. Thissuddennessandcelerityofthe strokeseems to

me

tobeavery dangerous characteristic. It issoun- expected in areptile soslowand apparently torpid inits generalmovements. It iscertainthatnota

few

persons havelosttheir lives bystriking at arattlerincoilwith too short aweapon,the snake dodging the blow with astonishing quickness and at the

same

instantstriking back at the assailantwith deadlyeffect. Ihave never seen the rattlesnake eject its venom,but Ihaveseen the copperhead do it repeatedly,but notbyspittingor expectorating it.

The

ejection takes place

when

the snakestrikes ineffectually at an objectbeyonditsreach

and

isliterallya whollyinvoluntary thing. The

venom may

bethrownas

much

as

two

orthreefeetastheresult ofthe ineffectual stroke. Idonotundertaketosay,aat

what

Prof.Copestateshasnothappened, butI f

n_'say

it

doesnothappenasarule,witheitherthe

commou moun-

tain species orthe

diamond

rattlerofthe South. To

me

the statementofpoisonoussalivadrippingfromthefangs of an open-mouthed rattler seems incomprehensible.

The

saliva of a snake isnot poisonous; it isextremely viscidandwillnot drip any

more

than the slime will dripoffaneel,nor does asnakepossess the powertoex- pectorate,or spit atall,andcertainlynot-with its

mouth

wideopen. Ithink

we

should hear furtherfrom Pro- fessorCope

what

heactually intendedto say. Scientific statementsconcerningso deadly and dangerousa crea- tureasthe rattlesnakeoughttobeverystrictlyaccurate, anditappearsto

me

thatthe frightful celerity ofthe stroke should be emphasized. Readers of

Forest and Stream

will

remember

the

unhappy

fate ofthe English gentleman

who

about a year ago struckata

diamond

rattlerinFlorida,withtheresultthat the snakedodged the blow,andstrikingbackat his assailant atthe

same

instant,drove its fangs into his head,and he died in great agony in a short time. Shortly after thatsad occurrence

we

read againofagentlemanfromtheNorth attacking one of these formidable creatures with a

buggy

whip.

Some

years sinceIencountered a

company

of "sans:" hunters in the mountains in

Rockingham

county, Virginia,

who

hadjusthad an adventure witha rattler.

A young man

finding one incoilstruck at it

with his "sang" (ginseng) hoe,andtherattler dodging theblowstruckbackanddrovehisfangs against thehoe handleso forcibly as toleavetheir marks onitaboutan inchbelowthe

young

fellow's hand. In

my judgment

there is no danger ^of any one having

any

poisonous salivaspatintohis face bya rattler in coil,butawell-

grown diamond

rattlerifstruckatin coil with a

buggy whip

or shortstick,mighteasilyplanthisfangsbetween theeyesof his assailant. Ifsuch a snake had not fool- ishlydisarmedhimself by dribbling

away

and spitting

out his "poisonous saliva" his bite would be almost certainly fatal. According to information personally collectedby

me

ofa

number

ofpersons

who

have them- selvesrecovered or

known

others to recover from the bitesofthemountainrattler,I believeits bite is

much

lessdeadlythanhasbeengenerally supposed.

Woodstock,Md. M. Gr. Ellzey, M.D.

EditorForest

and

Stream:

In responsetotherequest

made

in yourlast issue for theviewsofcorrespondentsas totbecauseorexact pro- cess ofthe "spitting" ofthe rattlesnakeandotherveno-

mous

serpents, Igivehere the viewsof Prof. S,

Weir

Mitchell,whose carefulexperimentsentitlehisopinions togreatweight. Describing the striking of these rep- tileshesays: The snake "throwshimselfintoaspiral, and aboutone-third of his length, carrying the bead, risesfromthe coil and stands upright. ^{* * *}

Then

hisheadand neck are thrown far back, his

mouth

is

opened verywide, the fangs held firmlyerect,and ^{* * *} hestrikes.

The

blowisa,stabandis givenby throwing the head forward while the half-coils below it are straightenedout. * * *

As

they(thefangs)enterthe temporalmuscleclosesthe lower

jaw

onthe part struck andforcesthe sharpfang deeper in.

At

this

moment

thepoison ductisopened bythe relaxationofthemuscle whichsurrounds itandthe

Fame

muscle which shuts the

jaw

squeezes the gland and drives the

venom

throughtheductandhollowfang into the bitten part.

Insocomplicated aseries of actsthereisoftenafailure.

The tooth strikes on toughskin and doublesback or failsto enter, orthe serpentmisjudgesdistanceand^falls shortand

may

squirtthe

venom

4or5 t.intheairin so

doing." J. S. M.

La

Grange,Ky.,

May

30.

THE CLASS IN NATURAL HISTORY.

Persons. —

Tom,Dick,Harry,S,M.E.,

and

the Editor ofForest

and Stream

as Teacher.

Theclass,in place for recitation. Theuplifted

hand

of S. M.E.isobserved.

Teacher.

—

E.,what'swanted?

E.

—

Please,sir,willyouexplain thisoccurrence? East fall,whileinTenderfootCtinou,BeltMountains, thedog flushed a ruffed grouse,itswhir was distinctlyheard,

making

its

way down

the canon. ^Iwas walking ahead ofour partywithtworiflesandashotgun on

my

shoulder (wewere

moving

camp)

when

I

saw

the grouseon atree

some

30yds.away,facing me, tiptoeing on a limb,its

neckerect,thewholelookinglike a brown streaksetup as a study;he

was

quickly covered with the shotgun.

Then,thinking ofa

new Lyman

peep onthe .45 90,the shotgun

was

laid

down

andtherifle picked up;this

was

initscanvascase,and before it could be taken out the birdflewdirectlytoward

me

and about 10ft.fromthe ground,itseyes beingon

me

allthe time.

Standingperfectlymotionless,asit

drew

nearIraised

my

openrighthand,expectingit to swerveto oneside.

To

my

surprise, it

came

full force against

my

out- stretched hand,forcing ^it out of tbe

way

withoutthe slightestapparenteffortandpassingon intoand beyond a thicketintherear.

Query.

— What

prompted itsaction;

was

itfear,anger, or curiosity? Thechances are it hadneverbeenfiredat orhuntedbefore.

Anotherqueerincident:

Indrivingalong agradeonamountainside

my

point- ersputupa jack rabbit

some

300yards

away

and below us. Therabbitran(orflew)upthemountain side until striking the grade.

My

companion was walking ahead of theteam

some

thirtyyardsandseeing the rabbit ap- proachin thetrailhestopped, thenlay

down

inthe road:

the rabbit

came

on and ransquarelyoverhim,asdidtbe dog also, neither of

them

changing: their course the slightest,except to swerve out a footorso topassthe team

and

wagon. I, in the meantime, yelling with laughterand encouraging thedog in his efforts tocatch

"longlegsandears."

He

didn'tcatch him,allthesame.

Ican understandthe actionoftherabbit,buthave

Tom,

Dick,Harryor Prof. Editor anyreasonable explanation ofthe actionofthe grouse,ora similar casetoreport?

S. M.E.

Oreat^Falls,Mont.

KEEP A NOTEBOOK.

The

sportsman

who

shoots for pleasure, rather than forabig record, picks

up many

interestingbitsofnatural historylorethatothers passby unheeded. Beingcareless or lazytheyoftenfailtorecord theselittlescrapsof per- sonal observation

and

so

much

valuable knowledge and

many

interestingand amusingincidents arelost. Here

is an example: Mr.C. B.Holdenof Worcester, Mass.,a veteransportsman,andtrap-shooter,while passingtoand from hishouse, noticedunderneath apear tree a large pileof pear coresandpiecesof pear,apparentlybitten off or as the boys would call

them

"chankins." Beinga careful student of all things pertaining to nature,Mr.

Holden decided toinvestigate and discover if possible

what

sort of creature

went

to tbe troubleof depositing thebitsofpearallinapile.

Takinghisstandnear thetreeoneday,afterwatching quietly for

some

time hedetecteda

movement among

the top branches of the pear tree,and soon sawa red squirrel biteoffa pear andcarryittoa largerlimb near theground,where beproceeded to nibblea,

way

at the pear,droppingthe pieces to theground till he

came

to theseeds,which hequickly extracted andate,dropping theremainderof the pearon the^pile,and immediately returning tothe topof thetreeforanother pear,which, he

gnawed

topiecesinthe

same

manner. Tins

was

re- peated severaltimes,thesquirrelreturningalwaystothe

same

spotonthat particularlimbtodohiseating. This accounted for the remarkably large pile of

"chewed

pear."

Nothing remarkableinitto besure,but stored

away

inthemindsofour observantsportsmenarethousandsof such littlebitsof knowledgescquired throughpersonal researchduringtheir

many

daysspentinthewoods

and

fields.

And

these little things that escape themajority of sportsmen, are theverythings that

make

upthe valuable fundofreminiscence,bo pleasing to

draw

upon

when

a fewcongenialspiritsarethrowntogetherabout the

camp

fireatthelunchonthebankof

some

trout stream.

Hal.

New

Editions: TJieG-un

and

its Development, SB.50.

The

Modern

Shotgun,$1.

For

saleatthis_office.

"PODGERS'S" COMMENTARIES.

Referring

to your remarks in last issue ofForest

and Stream

onthe subjectofthe destructionofbirdsfor their feathers, which fashion has decreed shalladorn women's hats,you

draw

itmildinyourestimateofthe

number

of birdsthataredestroyedandusedfor thispur- pose.

I have personal knowledge that one party sent out Southbydealersinmillinerykilled

more

thanfiftythou- sandbirds.

Itwouldnaturally besupposed that

women

withtheir presumedtendernessofhearttowardbirdswouldrisein revoltagainst a fashion thatled tosuchcruelwork,but

it is about as useless toundertake to enlist theirsym- pathiesinanycause thatconflictswithfashionas toblow againstthewind.

They

willshedtearsinsympathy, but takeonefeatheroutofaloveofabonnet? not

much

^! and the

man

don'tlivethatcan

make

any

woman

doit,nor canhe

make

her change thestyle ofwearingher hairif sheisconformingtothe fashion. She will

make

any sacri6ces,leave parents,home,friends

and

share poverty withthe

man

sheloves,butifhewantsto trythe extent of hisinfluenceonher,let

him

ask herto

wear

her hair

some

otherway,that

may

be

much more

becoming,al-

though possibly not thestyle at themoment.

Do

you think she will do it? Just tryitonandsee.

What

a lamentablefailureallyourboasted influencewill be,and

how

smallyouwillsingatherpositiverefusal tochange onehair,and it is pretty

much

so asregards a hat or bonnet. Soyousee

how

futileitistoattemptany reform inthequestionofwearingbirds

and

birds' feathers. The only thing that can save the birdsfrom almostutter annihilation isachangeoffashion,prayforthat; even thoughtheprayerofthewickedavailethnot.

What

are thefiatsofkingsand emperorstothe arbitrary ruliDgofa fashion? In oldtimes,perhaps,sucha thingmighthave been, but that

was

before

women knew

theirpower.

They were humble creaturesthen,

meek

and.lowly, but

now?

"Thingsisdifferent," Can't

come

anysuch

game

overthemin thesedays.

They

areplaying thefirstviolin and

man

comesinapoor second, The moral ofitallis

thataslongasitisthe fashion to wear feathersinhats they won't abate a bird tosaveyourlifenor thebirds' lives,and

we

willhavetodoas

we

^arealwaysobligedto doinsuchan unequalcontest

—

^giveitup.

BearsandbearBtorieshaving gone outforthe present fromForest

and Stream

legends,Iseethatsnakeshave thefloor. IthinkIpreferto go back to the bearand willagreetoenternoprotest hereafter against bruin if

youwilllet

up

onsnakes.

They

are uncanny.

By

the way,theannual sea serpentstoriesare due. Theseason

is "in,"andthewateringplaces musthustleandbeget- tingthe proverbial oldreliableship captain

down

to busi- ness. Letushearfromhim.

I

am

greatlyobligedtoyour correspondent "Pigarth"

for the information he supplies as to the existenceof that elysium,whichI anddoubtless

many

othershave been seeking,andI

am

glad to

know

itdoesexist and

is bo easilyreached,and I shalladvocate that heshare inthehonorsawardedto

Columbus

forthe discovery.

I

am

equallyunderobligations forthe bringingto

my

attentionbyyourPort Jefferson correspondent of still another placewheretheblazeryoung

man

ortheathletic young

woman

prevailethnot,and^Ihave

made

a

memo- randum

inthenotebook of

my memory

of these two places. It is late for the Chincoteague locality, the bird season being over, but next fall will see

me

there. Theotherplace,however,isnearerandinseason andIshall

make

a desperateeffortto availmyselfofthe joys thatgoodfishingandsailingbring to a

mind

dis- easedanda brain thatis

weary

with the din, dust and heatofthe great city. To both of these gentlemen I give

"much

thanks."

The

suggestionby your correspondent "Rogers," that the

way

the deer with the big antlersgot through the forestwasby pulling

them

in, is not a bad solution of the questionand is accepted, and which suggests that the "pull" thepoliticians havein thesedays is no

mere

string afterall, although thepolitician isnot so

much

giventopullingin hishornsas"taking"

them

in.

There seems to be awide difference ofopinionas to therelativemerits, so far as dangerof accidents iscon- cerned,betweenthe old style half-cock and rebounding lock question.

Ifall

men

wereofone

mind

therewould benoobject inanydeviationfrom onefixed rule once accepted; but

it so happens that scarcely

any

two think alike, for- tunately formechanicalgeniusandenterprise.

Theiealgistofthethingisthat accidentswillhappen withthe beBtregulatedlocks. Itisnotso

much

thefault ofthe locksas ofthe people

who

usethem;and

when we

think of the great

number

of inexperienced

men who

never should

own

a

gun

and the proverbial

man who

"did not

know

it

was

loaded," and other multitudinous and multifariouscareless gunners, the

wonder

isthat there are not ten times the

number

of accidents. The locks are nearer right than the people

who

usethem.

The

gun-lock or

man

is yettobe invented that won't

now

and then gooffat halfcock

anyway

you canfixit

—

^orthem.

"C.H. M."writesoffishing in a stream in Pennsyl- vaniacalledWopwallopen. Great Scott!

what

a

name

foracreek.

How

cananyright-mindedtroutconsentto liveinastreamwithsuchaname.

The

names

of

some

ofthe lakesandstreams in Maine arebad

enough—

sobadthata

man

canhardly reconcile himselfto fish inthem,

and

thegrowingscarcity of fish inthewaterswith such jaw-breaking

names

is owing doubtless to the disgust of the fish themselves. The

names

didverywell

when

the"noble red" inhabited the country.

They

could forgiveitin

him

for giving out such

names

ashe

knew

nobetter,butin theseenlightened days the fish expectbetter things thanWopwallopen!

Perhapsthe troutbitsowellinsheer desperationin their