Toirist's mmm m fmm grounds SBHK KBSORTS lefflwder. ILLS iffiift"! . FKFEnREB m Captain Bogardus, hami'IOj^ wiwg-sjjot of tub wo ju^j: Laiin^c Band Powder Co., 2:;0 Mwrray §t., Jiicw Yorfe. T!!F BAINTIESI AM iSST FJPISITE CIGARniES " ntVanitiFiiir f FIRST FBIZB MEDALS. " H»lv«.e;"-~r«».fe <»1<« FeHqiic. anci! Virginia^ Sold J.»i «Li]l 01i'»'1ll1i»«'', Etit? Bf «■! Eli. S..i Hi, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Shelf, S/?'^ !^ t UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. T 11 !•: SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURIST'S GUIDE HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS — A X D — P L J-: A y LJIIE RESORTS — i)K TllK UNITED STATES s CANADIAN PKOVINCES. l>^ ^^A^CL^^Lc^ oA.cJudLou^, ILLUSTP^ATED WITH NUMEI\OUS ENGI\AYINGS. "Rew Tor,lj: CHARLES S U Y I) A M , I' U B L I S U K R , /40 CUambcrs iitrcct. ^ifyo " r ENTERED ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS, IN THZ YEAR 1876, BY CHARLES S U Y D A M , IN THE OFFICE OF THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS, WASHINGTON. D C. Fur, Fin # Feather: A BI-MONTHLY PERIODICAL, DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO Field Sports and Angling, BEING A COMPILATION OF THE mmnt mm, mhrmn^ lb vshk iniicd states and Canada, AND A COMPENDIUM OF Useful Information on Hunting and Fishing CHARLES SUYDAM, PUBLISHER 149 Chambers Street. Entered according to Act of Congress, in tlie year 1879, by Charlbs Sutdam, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Fur, Fin, AND Feather is a bi-monthly publication, devoted exclusively to Field Sports and Angling, being a compilation of the Game Laws, embracing the whole United States and Canada, and a compendium of all subjects pertaining to Hunting and Fishing of the highest standard au- thorities. Each number is replete with useful and reliable accounts of the Habits and Seasons of the different varieties of Game and Fish, Valuable Notes on Hunting and Fishing, Interesting Articles on the Game Fields and Angling Waters of America, Sketches of Camp- Life and Sporting Adventure, and a vast fund of Useful and Entertaining Reading for those who use either Gun or Rod, and is an undoubted authority on all subjects of which it freats. It is tlie only periodical of the kind published in this country, and the information it contains can be found in no other work. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION: One copy one year, . $2.50 | Six copies one year, . $13.50 | Ten copies one year, $20 Single copies 60 cents, can be had of all dealers in guns, fishing taelde, and News agents, or mailed postpaid on receipt of price. TO .A.Z3-^7-Z3fL'X>XSX3Xl.fil. Fur, Fin, and Feather has been established nearly nine years, is well and favorably known to sportsmen in every section of the country, and has become an absolute necessity to all who either shoot or fish. The extent and character of its circulation renders it, in its especial line, one of the best advertising mediums in the country for the dissemination of in- formation respecting all kinds of supplies for sportsmen. The nature and character of its contents are such that it is carefully preserved for reference, and is not, like the daily and weekly papers, hastily glanced over and then cast aside, but is constantly consulted for the valuable information it contains ; and we have no hesitation in saying that there is no other periodical published a single copy of which has its contents more thoroughly and often ex- amined by so many different parties — the number of readers not being confined to one indi- vidual, but frequently include the sportsmen of an entire neighborhood. When it is taken into consideration that among the votaries of the Gun and Rod are in- cluded Merchants, Mnnut'acturers, Bankers, Brokers, Inventors, Doctors , Divines, Artists, Literary Nlen, Farmers, Stock Breeders, Poulterers, and all other classes of business men and professions, nearly all of whom are gentlemen of ample fortunes, and who are liberal to a fault in dispensing their means for the gratification of their tastes, it becomes evident that a work of this character presents inducements to advertisers oflered by few other publica- tions. Not only is Fur, Fin, and Feather the best advertising medium in the country for all ikinds of goods pertaining to the wants of sportsmen, such as guns, rifles, pistols, fishing TACKLE, CLOTHING, WATCHES, Jewelry, CARRIAGES, &c.,but is Only equalled by two or three others as an agent for the announcement of EVERYTHING — articles of ladies' wear alone excepted. Those who make the JRepairing of fine Guns a specialty, and the Keepers of Ho- tels, especially those located in the vicinity of Hunting and Fishing Localities, can find no better medium to bring their establishments to the favorable notice of a large and generous class of patrons. " It is a useful book for reference, and the only one that contains a full text of all the shooting and fishing game laws in the United States and Oanailas. It is a book of general information to every sportsman. Its articles on Bshingand hunting arc well written, and will be found highly interesting to the general reader."— T'Ae Chicago Field, " It should be in the hands of every sportsman, and is indispensable to every gun club In the cotm- try. As for ourselves, we have occasion to refer to it almost daily, and it has enabled us to solve many an obscure or knotty question in the column devoted to 'Queries and Answers.' "—2 wr/". Field, and Farm. " Its anecdotes of sporting scenes and adventures make it interesting for all, while its large fund of Taluable information in its appropriate field, concerning which it is an acknowledged authority, make it almost indispensable to every lover of the rod and gun."— 7'Ae Rural Times, Minneapolis, Minn. " The last issue of Fur, Fin, and Feather is superior to any former number that I have had the plca- enrc of reading. I am delighted with it. If it continues to improve, it will be the best publication of Its kind In existence."— Ja/rtfts B. Broivn, Sedalia, Mo. " Sportsmen can find no better companion in print than Mr. Snydam's Fur, Fin, and Feather. It l8 a handy, flexible vohiiue, containing a compilation of the game law? of all the States and the provmces . of Canada, and all eul)ject8 pertaining to hunting and llshing. li gives specific directions how to lake care of all kinds of sporting materials, what kinds to purchuse, with valuable hints as to when can be found good game of all kinds. It tells you what game is in season and what out of season, what can be leszally killed and what can not, together with u collection of interesting stories of camp life and out- door sports, as well as many useful Jiiiits for the gunner and angler. Wo do not wonder that F«r, .Pin. and Feather is a favoriNj hand book witli all our sportsmen, fos its value is apparent even upon a casual perusal."— 5yracu«e Standard. " 1 am well satisfied vnth Fur, Pin, and Feather. It is well worth the price, and any man that sub- Bcrioes tor it gets the worth of his money."—//. Burchard. Corry Pa. " It is an absolute necessity to erery sportsman throngliout the country, and is invaluable to thOM who use cither gun or rod.."'— ForeM and Stream. " I am more than ever pleased with Fur, Fin, and Feather."—.!. N. Cheney, GUn's Fallt, " Every eportsman should have a copy."— Kod and Oun. ADVERTISING RATES PER ANNUM. Two pages $i8o i Half a page $6o I Eighth of a page $24 One page 100 I Quarter of a page 40 I Sixteenth of a page 14 Addrees all communications to CUAS, SUYDAM, Publisher, 149 Chnmbem St., N. Y. m. wwmwwismim^ 208 J>rorth Second Street, PHILADELPHIA, PA., Importer of and Dealer in BrBficli aid Imle Loaiii RIFLES J^ND PISTOLS. MLanxifaotvirer of mFMSPmiTCMiliCliPEmEE Exact Size. For Ee-Loailng Breecl-Loaiiiig Sliol Gunaiii Rifle Shells ri'lce 35 Cents. T/te Best, Cheapest, and most Complete Implement out. Also the New Patent lOMBINATION REVOLVING POCKET RIFLE AND SHOT GUN FOR SMALL BIRD AND FROG SHOOTING, Pishing and Sportsmen's Tackle IW ALL VARIETY. WRITE FOR PRICE LIST. SMOKE VANITY FAIR. James Bown & Son, MA-lVXir^ACTUni^RS OIT Guns, Rifles, Revolvers, STEEL AND IRON RIFLE BARRELS, AND IMPORTERS OF mERY, GDNSMITHSIATERIALS &MINI} TACKLE 130 and 1 3S TVoocl Street, Send for Catalogue and Price List, -^i Fur, Fin, and Feather — Adverlisements, ^^ COMIBIIVED LAWN, BEACH, AND BOAT CANOPY, Patented Marcli 9, 1880. HIGHLY ORNAMENTAL AND USEFUL. dimensions: lengtli of awninor 8 feel; width of awD'ng 3^ feet ; lieight of adjustable poles t feet; leugtli wlieu folued 3 feet. Cau be packed iu jour trunk when tiavehng. At the low price of $5 which we have put this Canopy on the market, it must meet witl a large demand, as it is p ononnced by every one to be an almost indispensable article for th( tourist. It makes a perfect shield frum the sun's rays for ten persons; can be put up to with stand a gale within .two minutes, and tilted to any pitch when, the sun is low ; can be foldec to a neat p:ick;ige, weighing but 4 pounds, and carried in tl-e hand. It is suitable for archery tennis, and other lawns. Most desirable for the sea-beacli or artists shelter, and can be ad' justed to any boat as quickly as to the lavvu or beach. Affords the pioteclion of a tent, and is more convenient than an umbrt-lla. Price, complete, by express, C. 0. D $5 OC " " by mail, post paid by us $5 50 Manufacturers and Importers of SPORTING GOODS 124 and 126 Nassau Street, New York. Ji@°-Write for our Complete Catalogue of Sporting Goods."©!) Special Inducements to the Trade. iv Fur, Fin, and Feather — Advertisements. Pullman Hotel Gar Line THE SPORTSMAN'S ROUTE. Chicago & Norlh-Wesiern Railway Wirh one branch it rei bes Kaciiic, Kiiiiovlm. Milwaukee, and tlie country north thereof ; with !inoth«< liiK^ it pushes through Jih*.sville, Wntertovvn Oshliosh, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Encaiialia. ti> N.-uaunee iiiid Maiquulte ; witli amnliir line it. pnsscs through Madison, Elroy, and for St. Putil and MinuapDlls; l)i;iiicliiiig westward from Elioy.it runs to ami ihrough Winona, Owatonna, St. Peter, Munkiito, Now Ulin. ;ni(i slops not until Lake K:iiir>Uu, Dakota, is reached ; another line starts from Chicago and runs through ICIt:'!!! 1111(1 Uockford to FichX, imdolhcr points ill .V/';/l P.itent niiifers and Conpliugs, Weslinghousc .'^afelv .\ir Brakes, mid every other .•ippliuncc tli.'if lins been devised for llie siifely of p.'is-en^r,.,- |p,ii,s. All trains are run by lelegraph. In a w>,,l. I liis ( ; Hi; \T M N K li.isllie besi and smoothest 1 rack, and the mo.M eleg.'int and com- fortable equipiiient (if any road in 111" Wrsi, niid lias no coniiietilor in the country. It is eminently the favorite route willi the ( 'liicigoaiis traveliii'.; west, north, or north-west, and is ackuowledgid bv the tr.iv eling public to be. the popular line for all points in Northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota! Northern Micliigan, DaKota. Western Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho Nevada, Califor- nia, and the Pacifle Slope. ' TO siMEi THIS LI wMi PEsm miimii For Pridt'ie Chickens, Dtir/.'s, (iovsc ami lira ill SlKntli mj OUR IOWA LINE TO-DAY OFFERS MORE FAVORABLE POINTS THAW ANY OTHER ROAO IN THE COUNTRY, DEER AND BEAR HUNTB Nii, and for HRDOK TROUT, LAKE SALMON, PIKE, PKJKEKF.L, and IJASS FISHING a linndr.d points on the Northern and Northwestern lines of this companv will be found unsurpassed bJ^ uivtiiingin the West. ALL TICKET AGENTS CAN SELL YOU TICKETS BY THIS LINE. 5SR<' A B-? ■ ^ I^B H ^J li^ » ^'" ""'"■'■ '■'"''• ''""^ I'ullni.'in Hotel Cars, Pullman Dining * U J /*. nrx, M .\l 171 ■ ill M J' • Cars, or any other form of Hotel, Dining or U.'staurunl Cars Til HOUGH bclwetiu Chicago and the Missouri Uiver. On no other road can you get all the meals you reoiiire between Chicrt o and Omaha without leaving the car you start in. This is the only line that, has TlIUGirOH eating cars of any sort. MARVIN HUGHITT, W. W. STENNETT, Cenf.ral j]fanager, Chicago. Gtn. Pass. Agent, Chicago. ^o XJ^^** % ^e. oa > m. Q ""^sir- 3iJ o inerican Chilletl Shot. SUPERIOU TO ALL OTHERS. Standard Oftop and Buck Shot THOS. W. SPARKS, MANUFACTURER, 121 jrS?!«iA«™e«,! PHILADELPHIA, PA. ^^\m immif •ite Chilled £ Soft Drop Shot hot and Mar *%aperior in Fiiiisli. Be 8ure to Buy it. Sportsmen Endorse it as the Best* Office, 70 J^'orth Clinton Street, Chicago, Illinois, E. W. BLATCHFORD, President. N. CORWITH, Vice-President. C. F. GATES, Treasurer. T lEa: EI POWDER MILLS, MANUFACTURERS OF Oriental "Diamond Grain," For strength, cleanliness, and regularity of grain, this brand is unequaled. Packed iu square red canisters of one pound only. Sizes, FG, FFG, FFFG. Oriental ** Falcon Duckings." Coarse gruin, burns slowly, leaves the gun perfectly clean and is the favorite Powder for Duck and Pigeon Shooting. Packed iu 6 J lb. red tiu kegs; also, in 1 lb. red canisters. Sizes, Nos. 1 to 4 (coarse). Oriental "Falcon Sportingr." Fine grain, very strong and clean. Packed in 6^ lb. red tin kegs ; also, 1 lb. red canisters. Sizes, Nos. 1 to 3 (fine). Oriental "Western Sportin§r/'i The Standard Powder for general purposes. Packed in kegs of 25 lbs., 22| lbs., 6i lbs.; also, in 1 lb. and | lb. canisters. Sizes, FG, FFG, FFFG Oriental "Wild Fowl 8hootin^/' Coarse grain, for Sea, River, Lake, and Marsh Shooting, a superior Powder for ordinary shooting. Packed in kegs of 25 lbs., 12^ lbs., 6^ lbs.; also 1 lb. canisters. Sizes, Kos. 1 to 4 (coarse). Cartx-iclg-e, IVEnsliet, and. Cannon I*o^vd.er of Grovernment ft^treng-tli. SUPERIOR m mm aud blast hts powder. The ' ORIENTAL " Gunpowders are for sale by our Agents in the principal cities, and also at our offices No. 13 BROAD STREET, BOSTOlSr, MASS., a-^t> "Wassliiiigrton «t., niilltilo, IV. Y., 4:i Wal>awli A.ve., diicat^o. 111., a.ii<]. a 14. I^ocvi!!*t Street, fest. Louis, Mio. ARTHUR WILLIAMS, jHresident, JOS. H. NEWHALL, Treasurer, Fur, Fin, and Feather — Advertisements, Smith & Wesson's Revolvers. FOUR SIZES: No. 1. — 23 Calltoro Rlin-Flre. No. 114.— 3 a Oalltoro, Central-yire, ]Vew MIodel. No. 53.— aw Calibre, Cciitral-JPlre, IVe-*^ Miodel. No. 3.— -A* Calltore (A.rniy), Central-lTlre, Ne>v Alodel. When a Revolver is required, it should be reliable ; therefore purchase a Genuine SMITH 8l WESSON. The 32-Calibre, New Model, has a Rebounding Hammer, the value of which, for saftey and convenience as a pocket revolver, cannot be over- stated. M. W. ROBINSON, Sole Agent, Aiao Agency for 79 Gbambcrs St., Ncu^ York. WESSON'S CELEBRATED RIFLES. HODGKINS £ HAISH, Importers, Iflanufacturers, and Dealers in uns, Rifles, Pistols, Gi Material aM Sportii Goods Generally, INo. % Walter C. Hodgkins, William F. Haigh. NEW YORK. fur, Fin, and Feather — Advertisements. ti3:ei Chicago Field, The American Sportsman's Journal — AND — ^ttOQtiiitii Mtttl^crritg on all Sparting mntttts — DEVOTED TO — Tie Ml Gi, MB,anflallLe£iMfiSiior ts of tie Field. UJCH J VUMBEE ILLUST BATED. A WEEKLY CHRONICLE OF SPORTING EVENTS. One year $4; six months $2 ; three months $1. Clubs of ilireo, one year, $9. Specimen copies 10 cents. Published so as to reach subscribers every Saturday. CHICAGO FIELD PUBLISHING CO., Proprietors, 155 and 157 Dearborn St.f Chicago, Illinois, N. ROWE (Mohawk), Editor and Manager. Afield and Afloat, A SPORTSMAN'S JOURNAL, -DEVOTED TO — HWAilAB BBC The special departments, under the charge of qualified writers and experienced sportsmen, are as follow : Fish and Fishing, The Rifle, Gun and Game, The Horse, Yachting and Boating, Military, The Kennel, Billiards. Subscription Price S2 a year. Single copies 5 cents. Twelve back numbers, containing an unpublished work by Frank Forester, on " Guns and Gun Making," will be mailed to any address upon receipt of 60 cents. Afield and Afloat Publishing Company, (Hi I JVE I T E3 ID), 607 Sansom Street, PHTLADELPHIA, PBNJST. Fur, Fin, anii^eather — Advertisements, at WHO IS UNACQUAINTED WITH THE CEOCRAPHY OF THIS COUNTRY. WILL SEE BY EX AMINING THIS MAP, THAT THE ' CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC R. R. IS THE (iRKAT CONNKCTINCJ It» iiiiilii line runs from (.'hicaso to C'ounoll lilulTs. inissin^ tlirniicli .loliut. Ottawa, La Salle, ticn.'sei. .M.iliiif. Ilock Island, Davenport, West J.ilnuiy. l.iwa ( itv.MarciiK'o. Brooklyn, Grlnnoll, ])i-,s .\i.iMi.>s ilH' caintai of Iowa/, Stuart, Atlan- tic iinil AvncM ; Willi branches from Bureau .Imuii.m to I'.'oiiii; wnioii .lunctlon to Miisoa- lin,', \V;if(liiiu:(..n, 1 '^uiil.'hl. lOldon, Belknap. «'.-iitr,^vill,', l-nii,ot..n. rrciiton, (;allatln, Caiue- r'ln, l.caviTiu-oi til, Atiliisuii. and Kansas City; WashiiiKtoii to SiKouriicy, OsUaloosa, and Knox- villc; IvcokiiK to KariiiiiiKtoa, Bonaparte, llen- loiispoif. In.lcpend.-nt. Kldon, Ottumwa, Eddy- villc.OikahHisa. I'olla. Monroe, and Dos Moines; l>.'«»«. Uiiown UH the "Oreat Rock laluud JBoute." are •old bv all ricket ABuntH In the United State* and Canada. For Inrormatlon not obtuluublfi a( your bouiu ticket oftlce, addrcsa, A. iUMFIAT.r., E. ST. .TOHIV, Ucn'l Superintendeni. Oen'l Tkt. and Paas'cr Agt.. ,, Chicago, U» ''^" Fur, Fin, and Feather — Advertisements, TABLK OF CONTENTS. A Good Rendezvous 23 Ant'liiig VValerrt in llie Kmpire Slnte ... 22H A Pleafliinl FViinsylvatiia Trout Stream . 98 Badiewana Bay 1 03 Bfavtrkill Rejrion 85 BlackwHter Region, t)ie. , 76 Blacksli Lake. ^6 Beat F'liice in Florida to Hunt 88 Cape Bre'oti 246 Cliineo'c igiie Island 87 Coa-t R.-^i.»n of South Carolina 232 Coenr D'Aletie — Birds and Animals 35 Fisli 35 Nnlure of llie Country 35 Routes 35 Diversififd Game Fields — Never- Knding Sporting Region 69 Mob Jack Hay and itn Surroundiniis. . 69 Mountain R(-gioti of the Two "Virginias 70 Virginia SpriniiS. . . , 71 Gently Wooing 71 Notioway Region, the 72 Jeffersonton, Virginia 73 Doxn in Florida — Jupiter Inlet 58 Lake Rpgion, the. 58 Caloo«ahatchie — Big Cypress Swamp — The Kverif lades 59 Myakka 60 Perdido Bay 60 Middle Florida 60 Down in Jersey 205 Down in Tennessee 228 Kau Clare 161 Fish and Grouse Region 67 Fish and Grouse Region 83 Fraiikfon. Kentucky 67 Game Fields and ^ngling Waters of Ar- kansas 162 Game and Fish in Ulster and Sullivan Couniiep, New York 22 Game Coverts of Nevada 68 Glympsf s of Some Northwestern Scenery 243 Gull River Waters 45 Ho>'t* Wildeincs« 241 Hunting and Fishing in the Province of Ontario 41 In Alabama 236 In Colorado — Trout Streams and IIow to Reach Them 25 Trout Ki>hitig Middle Park — Game, Bear, Deer, &c 20 y>impah Hiver 31 Game Reports 33 In the Kastern Sii.tfH: The Barnstable any easy grades, and across deep valleys noisy with dashing brooks. Some of the finest views in the country are met Avith be- tween White Lake and Monticello. The lake lies at the feet of the moiuitains lift- ing up their heads about it, and the wa- ter is of great dej)th and purity, and is really one immense spring of living wa- ter. It formally abounded in trout of a size rarely attained Ijy that species of fish, it being on record that they have been caught in the lake weigiiing nearly nine pounds. 8ome years ago, however, pickerel were placed in these waters, and they exterminated the trout. To com- pensate for the loss of the latter, the lake was stocked with black ))ass, and the fa- vorite sport of l)lack-bass-fishing is now one of the great attractions of White Lake. Bass weighing from five to six pounds • are frequently taken, and the piazza columns of the Mansion House arc ornamented with the "counterfeit presentments " of several of these enor- mous fish, captured by guests. I'he na- tural attractions of the place, together with its wonderful healthfulness, have drawn people to it annually in increased numbers, until to-day few resorts equal it. The outlying country is much of it deep forest, where deer and other wild , game still " do congregate." In fact, the sojourner at White Lake finds the ad- vantages of civilization and the charms \ of the " vast wilderness " combining to make the place unlike any other resort of its class in the country. The Mansion House, overlooking the lake from an eminence a quarter of a mile from the village proper; Sunny Glade Hi. use, is a Ijeautiful spot at the foot of a high ele- vation of ground; Mrs. Kirk's White Lake House, on the brow of a hill that brings the entire landscape, in every di- rection, beneath the eye; the Van Werk 12 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISTS GUIDE. cupies au attractive and commancliug site on the road at the entrance to the vil- tage; and J. H. Colby's popular place, on the north shore of the lake, commanding a splendid view the entire body of water, are some of the leading boarding-houses. Boats, fishing tackle, kc, are furnished guests at each of these places; and they also run carriages to and from Monticel- lo trains during the season. A drive of seven miles from Port Jer- vis, over a road hard as cement and wonderfully smooth, running along the base of a lofty and precipitous range of mountains crowned with high perpendic- ular cliffs of slate rock, brings you to the village of Milford. The attractions of Mil- ford are, first, its eharraing'location ; sec- ond, the grand work Nature has done for it; and third — which is of most interest to our readers — its noted hunting and fish- ing grounds. Milford lies on a broad plateau, some two hundred feet above the Delaware River, commanding a view up the valley that is indescribably beau- tiful, taking in the mountains, valleys, plains, and forests of three States, the Delaware winding through the land- scape, and visible for miles. From the the bluff overlooking the river, the vil- lage of Port Jervis may be seen, and trains on the Erie, ascending the western slope of the Shawangunk, are plainly dis- cernible. High hills surround the village on three sides, over which shaded roads lead to the many interesting points in the vicinity. Long before the visitor ap- proaching Milford reaches the village, he will see a bold mountain standing prominently in the landscape before him. This is the Knob, which rises nearly a thousand feet above the place, a quarter of a mile distant. A foot-path leads to its summit, a favorite outlook, the coun- try for forty miles around being brought beneath the gaze. A stretch of meadow slopes from the base of the Knob to the Sawkill Creek, famous for trout, which runs between the mountain and the vil- age, and, tumbling over an ancient dam, winds about in the glen — a place of stately pines, picturesque islands, isolated walks and nooks among overhanging rocks, wooded knolls velvety* with the moss of centuries, miniature waterfalls tinkling here and there — a place of per- petual shade, and within ten minutes walk of the village. A mile from Mil- ford are the Sawkill Falls. After flow- ing for some distance at the bottom of a rocky gorge, whose perpendicular walls of rock rise in places one hundred feet above the water, the Sawkill Creek leaps from a ledge some twenty feet in height, then gathers itself in a glassy pool, and a short distance further on plunges mad- ly down the face of a perpendicular prc- cijjice a hundred feet, its volume broken into a thousand sparkling forms by jut- ing rocks, and lashed into seething, foam- ing fury at the bottom. From the large circular basin at the bottom of the wild gorge, the waters rush through a rocky pass, over which the spectator may easily step, and for half a mile form into noisy rapids and other beautiful cataracts, and finally emerge from the forest and sing on toward the river. The surroundings of Sawkill Falls are weird in the extreme, and the scene is one never to be forgot- ten. A mile below Milford begin the Cliffs, a wall of perpendicular rock two miles in length, towering eight hundred feet above the road leading down the valley at its feet. This seamed and crag- gy precipice, with its crown of cedar, spruce, and other evergreens, is easily accessible by a mountain road. Words are wanting to describe the grandeur of the scene that meets the eye from this HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 13 elevation. Three miles below Milford — reached either by the river road or au interior mountain road — are the Falls of Raymondskill. A mile above the juncr tion of the Raymondskill Creek with the Delaware, its waters, after numerous falls of from to twenty feet, rush down a slop- ing, jagged ledge of rock a hundred feet, not one continuous fall, but in a series of confused tumbles, the water being lashed and beaten into a mass of dashing foam. Besides these, the Bridal Yeil and hun- dreds of other popular retreats are to be met with on the Sawkill and Raymonds- kill, while the Vandermarck Creek, Deep Brook, and other streams present their share of beauties to the lover of the wild and sublime. All these streams are fa- mous trout brooks, of which there are several others within a few miles of Mil- ford. The Delaware River for a mile in front of Milford widens into a still, deep, eddying body of water, more like a lake than a river. A finer place for fishing or boating does not exist. During the black bass season, this part of the river is covered with the boats of those who love this most exciting piscatorial sport. Thousands of bass are taken annually at Milford, the fishing seeming to' get bet- ter every year. Sportsmen can obtain bait, boats, and attendants at any time in the village of " Gov." Nyce, John Slack, Ed. Loreaux, John Hans, and others. Their terms are from $1.50 to $3 a day, according to services required. There are many mountain lakes of great beauty in the vicinity of Milford, all well stocked with pickerel and other choice fish, among which may be mentioned the Sawkill, Little and Big .Brink, the two Log Tavern, and the two Walker ponds. Excursions to these lakes are popular pas- times of the Summer season. The hotel and boarding-house accommodations are ample and of the best. The terms are from $8 to $15 a week. J. J. Ryman's Maple Cottage is but two minutes' walk from Sawkill Glen. Everything'pertain- ing to the cottage is homelike, ailid adapt- ed to those seeking true rural ease and quiet. The rooms are large and well ven- tilated. Lovers of hunting and fishing will find in the proprieptor a congenial fellow sportsman, who is ready at all times to accompany them, and furnish all necessary equipments. For the ac- commodations offered, his terms are re- markably low, for which address him as above. It is an easy and* delightful drive of two hours from Port Jervis to Ding- man's Ferry; easy, because the road is so wonderfully hard and smooth; and de- lightful, because attended with so many varying charms. There is excellent hunt- ing and fishing throughout the entire sec- tion. Quail, woodcock, ruffed grouse, rab- bits, and squirrels are abundant; in the mountains deer and bears are quite nu- merous. Every stream, pond, or lake has an abundant supply of either trout, black bass, or pickerel. Dingman's Ferry is in the centre of a " wonder land." The endless chain of mountains that hems it about is traversed by streams of consid- erable size, which, rising in the highlands of the '* back country," are literally hurl- ed and tumbled over precipices and ob- structing rocks, from the time they leave the parent springs until they reach the level of the valley a thousand feet be- low. They have worn deep ravines and curious chambers in the rocks; hollowed out, by their continuous falUng, basins that are all but bottomless, where the waters seethe and boil, and the stoutest of heart and surest of step only dare ven- ture, and flow through chasms to the bottom of which the sun has never cast 14 THE SPORTSMAN S AKD TOURIST'S GUIDE. a beam. In the vicinity of Dingmaii's Ferry six of these streams thuniler down the mountain. The Dingman Creek and tlie Adam Creek are particularly prolific in these grand works of Nature. The Factory Falls, Fulmer Falls, nigh Falls, and Silver-Thread Falls, on the former stream, are equal to any in the Catskills. They leap over perpendicular ledges, dash down rocky terraces, and break into great bodies of foam and spray against their confines of clilT or the ponderous boulders that lie heaped in their course- High Falls is a wild reach of stream two hundred feet in extent — a high perpen- dicular leap, then h gathering of the wa- ters, and then a thundering plunge down the slanting but angular face of the rocks. Factory Falls is a tumultuous dropping of the waters of the creek, wrought to their utmost fury by sharp projecting rocks and frequent precipices, until they writhe and contort themselves into such shapes as have gained them the name of Maniac Waters. Fulmer Falls are a se- ries of most picturesque cataracts. The Silver-Thread Fall is the crowning beau- ty of these mountain torrents. It is a thread of water but a few feet wide, but it comes with one continuous fall of a hundred and fifty feet down the face of the mountain, every drop of water being lashed into the whitest foam. Its bed is the solid rock, and dense forest trees prevent the sun from entering anywhere upon it. The falls on Dingmau Creek are within from one to three miles of the High Falls House, and are of easy ac- cess. Adam's Brook, on which there is a still greater number of natural curiosi- ties, is a mile from Dingman's Ferry. This Creek is five miles in length, and has a fall in that distance of nearly one fourth of a mile. The explorer of its wonders, starting in near its upper wa- ters, must follow it in its torturous and perilous course until it reaches the open valley, for so encompassed is it by rocks and mountains that it is almost impossi- ble to find a way out of the ravine. The White Montains have nothing surpass- ing Adam's Creek in grandeur and sub- limity. Like Dingmau and the other creeks in this vicinity, it is a famous trout stream. In common with all the re- sorts on the Deknvare, at Dingman's Fer- ry, there is excellent black-bass-fishing in the ^-iver. There are several lakes in the vicinity, stocked with pickerel. The High Falls House, one of the best-kept hotels in the country, can accommodate two hundred guests at $10 to $14 per week, with special inducement to season boarders. The proprietor, Dr. Fulmer, makes a specialty of looking after the in- terests of his sporting guests. He also runs a stage to Port Jervis, connecting with all traius. The Bellevue Hotel — a splendid house, in the French style — is also a popular resort. Terms $2 a day ; $8 to $12 a week. Shohola, one hundred and eight miles from New York, is situated in the centre of the hunting and fishing grounds of Sul- livan and Pike counties, where bear and deer abound and trout streams flow in almost every direction. It is beautifully situated among the mountains overlook- ing the Delaware River. There are at- tractions of the rarest to be found in the vicinity, principal among them being a glen which promises to become celebrated as a resort. The Shohola Creek, rising back in the wilderness of Pike county, threads one of the most picturesque, weird, and romantic vales in the State; forms stupendous cataracts and thunders in dim ravines; but nowhere does it com- bine all its varied features in an area that can be brought at once beneath the eye nUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESOIlTS. ], until its dark waters have struggled to within a mile of Shohola station. The entrance to Sholiola Glen is but a few minutes' walk from the station. The wooded mountains are so close together at the entrance, that the trees on either side interlock their branches overhead, throwing a perpetual shade over the dark waters beneath. The Creek is very deep for a long distance above the dam, and perpendicular walls of rock, contain- ing cavernous depths, into which the wa- ter enters and forms miniature subterra- nean lakes, rise on either side, their sum- mits, far above, covered with the dense overhanging foliage. These rocky shores are appropriately called the Palisades. For three-quarters of a mile on up the creek, the spectator finds himself in the midst of such surroundings as Nature could mold only in her wildest moods. Sphinx's Head, Indian Head, and Cro' Nest are prominent and suggestive titles given to some few of the many natural rock-carvings in the vicinity. A wild spot — where the sun never yet penetrated, between rocks and tangled laurel and hemlock, and looking out on the deepest and darkest of pools, is called the Witch's Bourdoir. Near by is Wood Nymph Grotto. The Devil's Pass, Hell Gate, Cavern Cascade, Ptock of Terror, and numerous other localities in the Glen are well described by tJieir names. Shohola Creek is a celebrated trout stream, and a few miles from the station has one of the most picturesque falls in the section. A mile from Shohola is Panther Brook, on which is a charming glen, its chief at- traction being a waterfall some fifty feet. There are numerous lakes near Shohola — some in Pike county, and others in Sullivan county, across the Delaware — in which pickerel of the largest dimen- sions arc very abundant. Black -hass-fish- ing in the Delaware, and quail, ruffed grouse, squirrel, and rabbit shooting, are among the attractions at Shohola. The Shohola House furnishes splendid accom- dations at $7 to $8 a week. Six miles back of Shohola, reached by a drive that brings a magnificent sweep of country in view, is Highland Lake, where visitors find themselves eighteen hundred feet above the sea, and where they breathe the rarest of mountain air. Highland Lake is a mile long, and is famous for the fine flavor of its pickerel, and the great size of its perch. There are several other lakes in the neighbor- hood, all abundantly stocked with fish of different varieties,' and there are boats on all the lakes. The region is noted for its excellent hunting — woodcock, quail, ruffed grouse, sciuirrels, &c. This retreat is one where the true lover of Nature, the sportsman, the angler, and all who desire the companionship of tranquil sur- roundings may come and find their ideal. The Highland Lake House, a hotel that has few equals, entertains guests at $8 to $10 per week. Boata, fishing tackle, &c., always ready. Write to Mr. H. C. Chapman, Eldred, Sullivan county, New York, for particulars. Accommodations can also be had of Chas. W. Paye, I. M. Bradley, and Mrs. J. A. Meyers in the vicinity of Eldred Village. Lackawaxen is one hundred and ten miles from New York. The attractions of the place are its excellent hunting and fishing, its splendid boating facilities, its pure air, its beautiful scenery, and the general wildness that pervades the sur- roundings. The game consists of deer, rabbits, ducks, snipe, and ruffed grouse. It is environed about by mountains, from which wild streams, teeming with spec- kled trout, come down through the most ^ secluded glens, and over high pncipices 16 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISrS GUIDE. and tumbled rocks. On the summits are fair lalKCs, containing; different species of tlie finny tribe, mirroring still higher hills and fringing forests. Ilalfway between Laekawaxen and Shohola is Panther Brook, with its charming glen and cata- ract, and its splendid trout ! A mile above the station is Lord's Brook, which forms a number of handsome foils a short distance back in the woods, and adds its quota of trout to the demand of the neighborhood. On the top of the ridge across the Delaware, a mile from Laeka- waxen, is York Lake, a large expanse of crystal water, stocked with the choicest pickerel. Beyond the crag that stands at the junction of the Delaware and Laekawaxen valleys is Wescoline Lake, also famous for pickerel. Taylor's Brook, noted for trout, is five miles distant; the Shohola fishing-grounds, six miles; and Blooming Grove Park, twelve miles. The Williamson House is a first-class stop- ping-place. Its rooms are large and airy, with extended ceiling. From the piazzas of the hotel, one of the finest views in the Delaware Valley is obtainable. Its proprietor is ISIr. J. Williamson, a gen- tleman who "knows how to keep a ho- tel." Terms $7 a week for the season. The Delaware House is also a first-class stopping place, and occupies a splendid position. It is located on the plateau that lies at the meeting-place of the two rivers half a mile beyond the depot. It is but a few steps to the " Point " from the ho- tel, where the whole grand view up and down the river is brought before the vis- itor. The proprietor of the Delaware House, F. J. Ilolbert, is an excellent host, and for further information address him at Laekawaxen, Pike county, Penn- sylvania. Accommodations can also be obtained at the National Hotel, near the depot, besides there are several private families that entertain transient guests at reasonable prices. Six miles west of Laekawaxen is Pine Grove Station, near which are several most excellent trout streams. The fish are abundant, and though not over large, show their 'game qualities by the way they test the streng^i of the angler's tackle. Narrowsburg, one hundred and twen- ty-two miles from New York, is located in such scenery as has already been de- scribed in the Delaware Valley. There are streams abounding in trout, lakes filled with pickerel, forests in which deer, bear, and ruffed grouse are found, and mountains that afford most magnificent views and where tlie purest of air can be inhaled. The Murray House is a large, sightly hotel, its every surrounding being- neatness itself. It is kept by Messrs. C. J. & C. H. Murray. Cochcton, a few miles from Narrows- burg, offers many inducements to the sportsman, the angler, and tourist. It is in the centre of a fine hunting district, abounding in quail, woodcock, pheasants, rabbits, &c., with a few deer and bears with which to vary the sport. In the vicinity are several fine trout streams, and in the mountains, within four miles of the station, are numerous lakes afford ing excellent pickerel fishing. Among the trout streams ffre Calkins' Brook, Bush's Creek, Tyler Brook, Beaver-Dam Creek, and Mitchell Brook, all near by. Lake Huntington and Mitchell Lake are noted places, and have good road leading to them from the station. At Lake Hun- tington, four miles distant, Peter Fah- renz has an excellent house. Trout of the largest size and game to the last are taken from this lake. There are several excellent places in and about Cochecton where visitors can find the best of accom- HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 11 dations. DeWitt Knapp's Hotel, near tlie station, has a fii'st-class reputation. There is good fishing and bootuig in the Delaware near Mr. Knapp's house, and pleasant drives and walks. About four miles from Cochecton is the mountain village of Fosterdale, in the J midst of good hunting and fishing, and the wildest description of scenery. John Barwig has a fine boarding-house there. There are also several farm-houses in the neighborhood that accommodate visitors in good style. Three miles from Cochecton is the vil- lage of Tyler Hill. It occupies an ele- vated position, affording a splendid view of the country up and down the Dela- ware. Swago Lake, a charming sheet of water, is near by, affording good pick- erel-fishing, and a number of creeks are noted for their trout. Callicoon, one hundred and thirty-six miles from New York, is located in a portion of the Delaware Yalley and its adjacent territory, that needs only to be visited to be appreciated. The immedi- ate surroundings of Callicoon are of the wild and rugged character that prevails in the upper Delaware Highlands. Cal- licoon village is the centre of one of the famous trout regions of the Delaware Valley. The Callicoon Creek, which en- ters the Delaware a short distance below the station, threads the back wilderness and a splendid farming section. Along its entire course, from the hills on either side, tributary streams flow into it at short intervals. The main stream and its feeders are natural trout brooks, and all the season long they afford royal sport to the angler. These streams are with- in an area of five miles from the station. On the Pennsylvania side of the river is Hollister Creek. For two miles from the the river this creek flow through a wild and narrow gorge, and finds the level of river by a scries of wonderful waterfalls. The whole country roundabout affords good shooting over quail, ruffed grouse, rabbits, and other game. In the moun- tains deer and bears are started occasion- ally. Numerous lakes cluster in the hills on both sides of the river, the famous Bethel township lakes, in Sullivan coun- ty, being within easy reach. In Wayne county, Galilee Lake, Duck Harbor, Swago Lake, and several others are near and convenient of access. Bass, pickerel, and perch fishing are the attractions of these waters. The whole section is a fine .game district, and excellent shooting can had be in season. Ruffed grouse, wood- cock, rabbits, and squirrels are generally abundant, and a few deer and bears are still running loose through the woods and over the mountains Mr. Minard, of the Minard House, near the station, enter- tains guests at $L50 per day, less for a longer term. There are many farm and private boarding houses in the neighbor- hood that will take the wayfiiring sports- man in at from $6 to $8 a week. Hancock is one hundred and sixty miles from New York. The Mohawk or West Branch of the Delaware River rises on the southern slope of a spur of the Catskills, Schoharie county. New York. The Popacton or East Branch has its head in the wilderness of the up- per portion of Ulster county. The two branches run parallel across Delaware county, being divided by a ridge of moun- tains eleven miles wide, and meet around the base of a great dome-like hill at Hancock. The village is surrounded by the loftiest elevations of the Delaware Highlands, all of which are heavily wood- ed, and at no point along the river is the scenery more grand. The villages of Hankius, Basket, and Stockport are THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOUTISVS GUIDE. stations on the Eric between Hancock and Callicoon, and are great fishing and hnuting centres. Hancock is literally surronnded by tront streams, there being- no less than eleven within convenient reach. Cadosia, Heeds, Sands, Shehaw- ken, Tront, Pease Eddy and Tyler Creeks are among them. The Beaver Kill is o\\\f twelve miles distant. There are several fine lakes in the vinicity that af- ford good black bass, pickerel, and perch fishing. There is fine shooting over the usnal variety of game found in this sec- tion. Quiet a number of deer and bears are in the mountains and forests. The Hancock House, Mrs A. Hall, and Mr. Sheppard will provide for your creature comfort at $6 to $8 a week. The Honesdale Branch of the Erie Railway extends from Lackawaxcn to Honesdale. The country through which it runs is wild and rugged, skirting for most of the distance the famous game re- gion of Pike county, Pennsylvania. Five miles from I^ackawaxen is Rowland's, in the vicinity of which are numerous trout streams and lakes, whose pickerel have placed them among the finest fishing re- sorts in the country. Tink and Wisco- liue lakes are within easy reach. The hunter will find quail, woodcock, phea- sants, rabbits, &c., in fair numbers. Millville, seven miles from Lackawax- cn, is where the Blooming Grove Creek enters the Lackawaxen. Near Millville is the large domain of the Blooming Grove Park Association. The property of the Association consists of twelve thousand acres of wild mountain and valley lands, well adapted to the rearing and preser- vation of game. The region is as roman- tic and healthy as the Adirondacks, and it is destined to become as great a resort for sportsmen as the wilds of Northern New York. Within its boundaries there are several miles of trout streams, and eight beautiful lakes stocked with black bass and other game-fish. On the high bank of the clearest and fairest of this chain of lakes a club house has been built and has accommodations for eighty people. The point is fifteen hundred feet above tide-water, and it is froc from ma- ^^ laria and mosquitoes. The club possesses a valuable charter from the Common- wealth of Pennsylvania, enabling it to enact its own laws for the rearing and preservation of fish and game, and cloth- ing it park-keepers with power to arrest trespasses. The association is dual in character, and admits ladies to all of its privileges. Anglers and hunters take their wives and children into the woods with them. The club-house and grounds alTord every facility for social enjoyments. In the parlor their is a grand piano, and the room is large enough for dancing. A billiard-room and a bowling-alley are attached to the house, and the lake is well supplied Avith boats. An archery club has been organized by the wives and daughters of the members, and competi- tions with the long-bow form a delight- ful feature of park-life. Seven hundred acres of the forest have been enclosed with stone and wire fence, and within it elk, deer, and other game are bred, and the shooting consists of deer, black bear, woodcock, ruU'ed grouse, hares, rabbits, ducks, and snipe. From the breezy bal- conies of the club-house a magnificent view is obtained, and the eye wanders over lakes and hills, and in the dim dis- tance rests upon the top of the Catskill Mountains. Board for members and their invited guests is furnished at the moder- ate price of $10 each per week, and the spot is so attractive and so easy of ac- cess that it cannot fail to become popular. j Some of the most eminent people of the HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNNS AND PLEASUliE liESORTS. 1.9 country are members of the association, John Avery, Esq., 31 Park Row, New York, is secretary, Kimble's, eleveu miles from Lackawax- en, is in tlie midst of trout streams, bass lakes, and game preserves. Here some of the most noted disciples of Nimrod and Walton make their home, and find rare sport in the woods and among the mountains, Ilawley is one hundred and twenty- five miles from New York, and all around it the sportsman will find the finest of lakes and noted game haunts. It is lo- cated In the centre of the great Faupack game region, famous for deer, bears, and all kinds of small game. Trout streams flow in every direction. The Wallen- paupack River and its many tributiiries afford excellent sport. The headwaters of this stream interlock those of the Le- high, far back in the Pocono Wilderness, and enters the Lackawaxen at Hawlcy. About a mile and a half from Hawley a series of the most magnificent waterfalls commences. The first plunge of the wa- ter is over a precipice seventy-five feet, and from there on to the last fall, a half mile above the mouth of the stream, the descent is two hundred and fifty feet. The grand fall, a portion of it discerna- ble from the railroad, but mostly hidden by a cluster of mills and factories, is about eighty feet high and fifty in width, the ledge over which it thunders having been worn in horseshoe form. Lakes teeming with black bass, pike, pickerel, and other species of the finny tribe are of easy ac- cess from the village. Lake Jones, one of the greatest black bass lakes of this ■whole section, is six miles from Hawley, over a splendid road. By alighting at the upper depot, passengers find them- selves near the Keystone House, a well- kept hotel, where accommodations can 1)0 had at a moderate consideration, and where guides for either hunting or fish- ing are provided. Honesdalo is one hundred uud thirty- five miles from New York, in the most interesting part of Northeastern Penn- sylvania. There is not a prettier place in the country than this retreat among the hills. It is the centre of one of the finest bass-fishing regions in the country. There are one hundred and nfty-four na- tural lakes in Wayne county, and the best of them are in the neighborhood of Honesdalo. Black ))uss weighing five pounds were taken from some these lakes last season. There is trout-fishing on tlic ui)per waters of the Lackawaxen and Dyberry. All kinds of game abound in the vicinity. White's H(»llow, thirteen miles distant, is a noted hunting-ground, abounding in ruffed grouse, quail, squir- rels, rablnts, and a small si)rinkling of large game; panthers are occasionally seen, and bear " disputes " are not un- common. Two miles and a lialf fi-om Honesdalo, on Dyberry Creek, is Martin Kimble's old-time homestead, where ex- cellent accommodations can be had at a very low figure, and where finc! shooting and fishing is near at hand. There are several excellent hotels and boa,r(iing- houses in the neighborhood. The Newburgli Short Cut (a branch of the Erie, which leaves the main line a mile east of Turner's) opens up a section of country that is wonderful in many re- spects. No locality in the State possesses a more varied physical structure, its sys- tem of lakes, mountains, valleys, and streams ])eing one peculiar in itself. Central Valley, forty-eight miles from New York, occupies one of the fair- est sites that widen from the bases of the sun-ounding hills. Within a radius three miles of the village there are no less than 40 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISrS GUIDE. eleven lakes, among thcra Summit Lake, stocked with black bass and pickerel, and the fishing is always fu'st-class. Summit Lake House furnishes excellent accom- modatious, and also boats, tackle, kc, for the guests. Game — woodcock, quail, rulfed gsouse, squirrels, &c. — abounds in the surrounding fields and iu the heavily wooded stretches adjacent to the house, and many of the best known shots of the cities annually visit these covers. The terms at the Summit Lake House are $8 to $10 per week, accordiug to location of room and length of stay. Carringes connect with all trains to and from Is'cw York. Highlands ]\Iills is fifty miles from New York, and among all the lakes be- longing to the Highland chain, none is found presenting in itself or its surround- ings more attractions than the one which gives prominence to Highland Mills as a pleasure resort, knowu as Cromwell's Ijake, one and a half miles from the station. It is twelve hundred feet above t)ie sea, two and a half miles around, and lies a perfect gem among the hills. The lake is stocked with game-fish, and the the boating is unsurpassed. The Lake House offers accommodations at $1 to $14 a per week, with special terms for the season. Craigsville is on the Newburg Branch of the Erie, fifty-six miles from New York, where there is excellent fishing iu the ponds and streams near the village, and good shooting in the surrounding fields and woods. The scenery here is among the finest in the Highland region. There are several private families that take boarders at from $5 to $8 a week. Warwick, sixty-four miles from New York, on the Warwick Branch, is in the vicinity of the Drowned Lands, covering seventeen tiiousand acres of this part of Orange county, and twenty-five hundred acres of Sussex county, New Jersey. It is a noted resort for woodcock in this section of the country. The best of par- tridge, rabbits, and squirrel shooting can also be had in the adjacent fields and forests, while the lakes near by are fa- mou3 for their pickerel. Board ranges in price iu private families at $6 to $10 a week. Ellenville is located twenty-two miles from the Erie Railway at Middletown, and is about ninety miles from New York. It is the terminus of the Ellen- ville Branch of the Midland Railroad, and is convenient to the famous hunting and fishing grounds of Sullivan county. It is the headquarters of many sports- men, who have organized a game protec- tive society. They have taken efficient measures to stock the lakes and streams with game-fish and protect the game in the vicinity. Within a short distance are numerous lakes, affording splendid fish- ing, among them Lake Mohouk. .The waters of the lake are gathered in a rock- bound hollow in the Shawangunks, a crystal spring, in fact, twelve hundred feet above the Hudson. Deposit, Broome county, is one hun- dred and seventy-six miles from New York, and good quail, woodcock, ruffed grouse, squirrel, and rabbit shooting is to had iu the neighborhood. Hemlock Lake, noted for its excellent trout-fishing and the fine ruffed grouse and squirrel shooting to be in the vicini- ty, is six miles from Livonia, on the Ro- chester Branch. A line of stages run between Livonia and the lake. Crooked Lake is a large expanse of water, some twenty-two miles long, and abounds iu salmon trout, pickerel, black bass,strawberry bass, whitefish, perch,&c. Leave the cars at Elmira or Fenn Yan UUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 21 The Spring Grove House is on the east shore of tlic hike, six miles from Ham- moiidsport. Eldred is in the vicinity of good deer and ruffed grouse shooting and fine trout- fishing. Isaac M. Bradley, who keeps the "latch-string out" for sojourning sportsman, promises guests that he will put them on a deer trail or pilot them to streams where they can fill their creels with speckled trout. THE WILDS OF ANNAPE. LOCALITIES ACCESSIBLE BY THE ULSTER & DELAWARE RAILROAD. The Ulster & Delaware Railroad ex- tends from Iloudout, on the Hudson Riv- er^ to Stamford in Delaware county, a distance of seventy-four miles, connecting at Rondout with trains on the Hudson River Railroad and the river steamboats. Good shooting along the whole line. We know of no place within a reason- able distance of New York that affords better ruffed grouse-shooting than can be enjoyed in the Wilds of Cannape, an extensive tract of uncultivated and un- broken land lying in the northeast cor- ner of Ulster county. To reach the lo- cality the sportsman must leave the cars at Shokan, some eighteen miles from Rondout, thence private conveyance to a place known as Watson Hollow, be- tween six and seven miles from Shokan. Inquire for C. Rockwell, and stop over night with him. He is thoroughly ac- quainted with the grounds, and Avill give all needed information. If he cannot go himself he will procure a guide for you that will take you to the game, and very likely put you on the trail of a deer or bear, or perhaps both, besides giving you an opportunity to have a little fight with a panther or wild cat, for they all abound in this section. The place is not generally known to sportsmen, and com- paratively but little hunted over. The country is decidedly rough, and full of fine scenery. Board at hotel $2. a dfiy, at boarding-houses, $5 to $8 a wet,k. Guides charge $2 a day, and teams can be had for $5 a day. Mount Pleasant is twenty-four miles from Rondout, and in a neighborhood where the visitor will find use for either rod or gun. There are some fine trout streams in the vicinity, among them the Beaverkill and Esopns, that afford good sport. Pheasants, rabbits, squirrels, &c., are plenty, and bears not uncommon. Board $5 to $8 a week. There is good shooting around Phre- nicia, twenty-seven niHes from Rondout. The streams at Stony Clove, abounding in small trout, are of easy access. Stages leaves Pha3nicia on Mondays and Wed- nesdays for Hunter, in Greene county, where there are some excellent hunting and fishing grounds. Ruffed grouse and rabbits are plenty. Board, 'S!! to $1.50 a day, $5 to $7 a week. In the neighborhood of Fox Hollow, thirty-two miles from Rondout, there are ruffed grouse, wild pigeons, squirrels, rab- bits, &c. Board from $i to |;1.50 a day; $5 to $8 a week. There is excellent shooting and trout- fishing in the neighborhood of Shanda- kin, thirty-three miles from Rondout. There are woodcock, ruffed grouse, and other feathered game, with plenty of rab- bits and squirrels, and a few bears, in the fur line ; and trout in abundance in the Beaverkill, Esopus, and other streams close at hand. Board can be had at from $1 to $2 a day; guides charge $2 and teams $5 a day. Big Indian, thirty-six miles from Ron- dout, is in the vicinity of good shooting 22 TEE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISrS GUIDE. grounds. Euffecl grouse, squirrels, and rabbits, arc abundant, and woodcock moderately so. There are some bears, also, in this section, and sportsmen often start them, or they the sportsmen. To those found of fox-hunting, this locality will afibrd them sport. Board can be at from $4 to $5 a week ; guides |i2 a day, and teams $5. Griffin's Corners, forty-four miles from Rondout, is in a location where grouse, rabbits, squirrels, and small game are plenty, and some few bears can be added to the list. There are several streams in-the vicinity abounding in trout and other fish. Board, from $1 to |2 a day; teams from $3 to $6. There is good trout-fishing and an abundance of small game in the neigh- borhood of Dean's Corners, forty-eight miles from Eondout. Occasionally a deer is met with. Stages leave Dean's Corners on Tuesdays and Saturdays for Lumberville, Shavertown, and Pepacton, at either of which points the shooting is good. Board from $1 to $1.50 a day. Some good shooting can be had in neighborhood of GiFooa. Leave the cars at Moresvilie, sixty-five miles from Ron- dout, thence stage to destination. GAME AND FISF TN ULSTER AND SULLIYAN OUNTIES. LOCALITIES ACCESSIBLE BY THE NEW YORK & OSWEGO MIDLAND RAILROAD. Tliis line connects with the Erie at Middlctown, thus enabling sportsmen to reach the celebrated hunting and fishing grounds of Sullivan and (western part) Ulter counties. It runs tlirough a wild and romantic region, abounding in mag- nifient scenery. In the country surrounding Colches- ter there are woodcock, ruffed grouse, rabbits, and many trout streams that will yield good returns. Splendid blackbass-fishing is to be had in Marston Pond, near Wurtsburg. There is also some pretty good shooting to be had in this section if one is willing to work for it. The scenery is fine. Shin Creek, eleven miles from Morss- ton, is a fine fronting centre. There is good shooting all through this section. Long Pond is about ten miles from Westfield, and large trout are very abun- dant in the ponds and adjacent streams. The country is made up of hills and for- ests, in which, occasionally, a deer is cap- tured, but the ruffed grouse-shooting is good. There is also middling good wood- cock and snipe shooting, and woodducks are often found in the ponds scattered through the woods. Bloomsburg is a good point for wood- cock and ruffed grouse; there is also fair quail-shooting in the neighborhood. M, H. Seager will accommodate sportsmen. lewis' lake. This lake cannot be surpassed as a pleasant resort; It- is situated on the highest range of the Allegheny ]\roun- tains, accessible by railroad to ]\Iuucy, Pennsylvania, then by stage coach twen- ty miles up the mountains — one of the most delightful rides imaginable. The place has not been very widely known to the pleasure seeker until lately. Some fine cottages have recently been built, and more will soon be erected. The lake covers about three hundred and fifty acres, and contains brook trout, lake trout, and a variety of other species. The brook trout fishing is to be found in the many small mountains wliicli head close by; but the rarest sport is the duck shooting, there always being an abund- ance of them, and easy to get. HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 23 A GOOD RENDEZVOUS. SHOOTING AND FISHING GROUNDS EASY OF ACCESS FROM THE NATIONA*L CAPITAL. Although there is not much shooting and fishing in the District of Cohmibia proper, yet it is an excellent starting point for the game fields and angling waters of the adjacent States of Mary- land and Virginia. The Eastern sportsman can find no better rendezvous for good shooting dur- ing the Fail, Winter, and Spring months than Washington. Lines of railroads and steamboats centre there, over which the hunter can be taken in a few hours' time to the finest quail, ruff"ed grouse, wild turkey, deer, and duck shooting grounds east of the Alleghany Moun- tains. The Potomac River and Chesa- peake Bay are the duck-hunters' Para- dise in cold weather. Every morning the crack of heavy ten-gauge ducking guns is waited back from the river to the Cap- ital, and flocks of teal, shufflers, and red- neck ducks may be seen flying over the river between Washington and Alexan- dria, or far back over the smooth waters of the Eastern Branch. Along the edges of the immense marshes that fringe the Virginia shore, small narrow skiffs, con- taining the gunner and his pusher, glide along at the break of day, and the duck and widgeon fall easy victims to him who disturbs them in their search after early breakfasts. In the middle of the river flocks of teal and shufflers swim about olitaining food from the long grasses which cover the water at low tide. The Potomac Pviver, from Washington to its mouth, a distance of about one hundred and ten miles, with its numer- ous creeks and inlets on both the Mary- land and Virginia fchores, has always been a favorite resort for wild-fowl dur- ing their Spring and Autumn migra- tions, but more especially at the latter season, when they seem to be attracted to these waters by the abundance of food found on the flats and shoals where they stop for rest and to satisfy the cravings of hunger casued by their protracted flights through more northern regions. The Potomac — one of the most beauti- ful rivers of the North American conti- nent — off the City of Washington, is about a mile wide, but gradually expands until its mouth is reached, where it is twelve miles in width. From Washing- ton to Aquia Creek the water is fresh; but about that point it begins to grow brackish, and a few miles further on is Blackiston's Island, where it is quite salt Pages might be filled and many readers wearied should an attempt be made to enumerate the many favorite duck-shoot- ing points on the river. On tlie Virginia side of the Potomac, the nearest feeding- ground of the ducks is in an extensive cove just beyond Gravelly Point and near the Four-Mile Run, half way between Washington and Alexandria. A short distance below Alexandria is Hunting Creek, a favorite resort. Then comes Mount Vernon, with its extensive grass- covored flats. Poag Creek, Guuser Cove, and Crauey Island are the next places, and this brings us to Occoquaw Bay, where the Valisneria is plentiful, and can- vas-backs are generally quite abundant in that locality. Freestone, Cockpit, and Brent's Points are favorable projections for shooting ducks as they pass from one cove to another. Aquia Creek, Marl- borough Point, Upper Maehodoc Creek, Rosier's Creek, Bluff Point, Mattox Creek, Faine's Point, Cur^Yinan Bay, Nomini Bay, Hollis Mprsbes, Lower Ma- ehodoc River, Elbow Point, Jackson's Creek, Ragged Point, Yeocomico River 24 THE SPORTSMAN'S AXD TOURIST'S GUIDE. and the uumerous inlets and coves in that vicinity, Travis Point, Coan River, with its creeks and shoals, Presley's, Cu- bitus, and Hall's creeks, and finally the Little Wicomico River, empting into the Potomac a few miles below Chesapeake "Bay is readied, are all Avell-knowu as desirable feeding-grounds for water-fowl. On the Maryland side of the Potomac, commencing at Oxen Creek, between the City of Washington and Alexandria, and then in Broad Creek, just below that city, ducks are always found inseaon. Fol- lowing on down the river, are reach- ed Ilatton's Point, Piscataway Creek, Chapman's Point, Pamunky Creek, Mat- tawoman Creek, Wade's Bay, Chicomux- en Cx'eek, Smith's Point, Lower Thomas Point, Nanjcmoy Creek, Blossom and Windmill Points, Port Tobacco River, Pope's Creek, Lower Cedar Point, Pic- cowaxton Creek, Swan Point, Neal's Creek, the Wicomico River, St. Catha- rine's Sound, Bullock's, St. Catharine's, St. Margaret's, and Blackiston's Islands, and then St. Clement's Bay, Kaywood's and Higgin's Points, St. George's Creek just below Piuey Point, the St. Mary's River, with its numerous creeks and in- lets, Calvert Bay, and finally Point Look- out, at the mouth of the river. Along the whole course of the river, in the creeks and shoal waters upon either side, the ducks, geese, and swan find the va- rious marine plants and grasses, water insects, Crustacea, &c., upon which they feed and grow fat. . Generally the ducks begin to arrive at the localities enumerated from their breeding-grounds in the North, between the middle and latter part of October, when some of the smaller species, such as the buffle-head, make their appearance, and they are in the course of three or four weeks follovrcd by the mallard, dusky duck, pin-tails, bald-pates, green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, red-head, and last- ly, the famous canvas-back; but the lat- ter never abundant until severe weather sets in. The swan and geese arrive about the same time as the canvas-backs, and and they are in the course of three or soon distribute themselves over the Ches- apeake Bay and the neighboring rivers that empty into it. When the birds first arrive they are very poor, and their flesh vas no desirable flavor on account of their protracted flights. A few weeks' rest on their chosen Southern feeding- grounds, and the abundance of their fa- vorite food which they procure, soon puts them in excellent condition, and they become tender and juicy. The marshes and low lands bordering on the Patqxent River, in Maryland, are generally filled with snipe about the 1st of April, and sportsmen from Baltimore and Washington usually have some delight- ful shooting there about that time, a good shot often bagging as many as fifty to seventy-five birds in a day's tramp over the meadows and marshes, from which the reeds and grass are always burned in Febuary, preparatory to snipe shooting. Good white-perch fishing can be had on the Upper Potomac in the neighbor- hood of the chain bridgeand Little Falls. They usually ascend the river with the shad, and from the 1st to the 20th of April bite ravenously at common angle worms. They remain in the deep holes of the Upper Potomac where the bottom is very rocky, until about the 1st of May, and then return to the salt water, but are caught at all times lower down the river, their favorite haunts being in the neigh- borhood of Aquia Creek, where the wat. er begins to get brackish, and between that point and Blackiston's Island they are always plentiful. Many black bass HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. are taken at the Falls, running all the way from one pound up to four. Excel- lent quail shooting can be had in the ad- joining counties of Maryland and Vir- IN COLORADO. TROUT STREAMS ^ND HOW TO REACH THEM Most if not all the trout streams here mentioned afford better fishing during July and August, and even in the early part of September, than they do in June. During June the snows on the moun- tains melting keep the streams too full ; the fish will not bite so readily as they do when the streams are lower. The St. Vrain River, almost anywhere among the foothills, or even when it has reached the valley, i. e., plains, gives fine fishiug. Trout weighing three pounds are fre- quently caught in it. The best fishing, however, in this stream is to be found in the canyon of the river. This is about sixteen miles from Longmont on the Col- orado Central Railroad. A fair road leads from Lringmont to the canyon. Anyone who wishes to fish the St. Vrain at this point, must camp out. A wagon containing the outfit cannot be driven up the canyon; it is therefore necessary to pack your traps on a mule or horse. Doing this, the narrow trail which leads up the canyon may be easily gone over. ] t is only necessary to go from six to ten miles in this way, and any one who will take the small trouble mentiontd will be fully rewarded, both by the enjoyment of the trip and scenery, and the pleasure he will have in the fishing. The impos- sibility of going up the canyon in a wag- on has prevented the stream from being fished much at this point, and so the sport remains excellent and will do so for years to come. The " Big Thompson " which takes its rise near the foot of Long's Peak, always repays the angler. The readiest way of reaching it from Denver, is via the Col- orado Central Railroad to Longmont, and a stage journey of thirty-six miles from that point through the Rocky Mountains to one of the loveliest spots in the mountains, or indeed, for the matter of that, in the whole country, namely, Estes Park. Here, if you wish to live as comfortably as you do at home, you may stay at the Este's Park Hotel, thor- oughly well furnished and kept in the best maimer. If you stay there you will have the privilege of fishing in the " Meadows," a lovely tract, without a bush to interfere with line or tiy, and which is kept for the use of the guests of the house. Rut camp out, make the Park your headquarters from which to take excursions in various directions. Ten to fifteen miles down the Thompson, where you must be content to go with such things as you can carry yourself, you will find fish that will repay you for all yonr pains. Thei-e is some sort of cabin about ten miles down the stream from the P: r>, which was erected ex- pressly for the benefit of fishermen. The jS'oith Fork of the Thompson is reached by a pack trail, and is ten miles from the hotel. Here is a good cabin Avhich will hold several persons, and which can be used free of charge by all Avho choose to do so. Take your cooking utensils, which should be few and simple, and some canned fruits and vegetables, and you may spend ten days most pleasantly fishing. It is said that blue grouse are to be fouiui there. The upper canyon of the Thompson, in Willow Park, will amply repay a visit to it. It is six miles from Estes Park, and is reached by a wagon road. Take your teut with you, or, if you prefer, stay 26 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISTS GUIDE. at Sprague's ranclie. Do not attempt to fish in Willow Park; you will be devoured by bufialo (lies. Go at once to the can- yon, which is three miles from Sprague's. Here the Thompson must be fished by wading. The sides of the canyon are mostly granite rock, rising almost per- pendicularly from the water, and so for- bid any operations from the bank. Here, upon a favorable day, you may take as many fish from ten to twelve inches in length as you wish to carry back with you. Another favorite place, which seems to furnish inexhaustible sport, is Twin Lakes, in the very heart of the mountains. This place may be reached by stage from Colorado Springs. It is a charming sjjot, and furnishes a delightful camping ground. The fish are not large, but may be caught in numbers. Through Middle Park in the northern part of the State flow the Blue River and Williams' Fork. In the latter, it is said the fishing is good, and now and then a three-pounder is taken. Williams' Fork is reached from Denver by rail to Boulder, thence to Hot Springs and the Park by stage. At Hot Springs there is a hotel, and from this excursions may be made to the Fork on horseb'Bcli;. The Blue River may be reached in this way also, though the best way would be to go to Colorado Springs and thence up the Ute Pass on horseback, or, still better, with a wagon and camping outfit. It has been fished but little, and yields great quantities of large fish. It is one of the best tia:)ut streams in the State, and will amply repay a visit. The scen- ery, too, cannot but afford hig!. pleasure to every admirer of Kature. The trip up the Ute Pass and through the various intervening small parks is worth all the trouble even were there no other object in view at the end of the journey. Take the cars of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad and go to the southern end of the State. Stop at Garland and fish in any of the mountain tributaries of the Rio Grande. The Trancharo or Trin- charas, as it is indifferently called, is six miles from Garland. It is full of fine fish. At Alamosa the streams are equally good. The trip over the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, passing, as it does, over the Sangre de Christo Range, and through the Yeta Pass at an altitude of nine thousand three hundred and nine- ty-three feet above the level of the sea, affords a vieAV of some of the grandest scenery in the world. The JVlule Shoe of the railroad causes the celebrated Horse Shoe of the Pennsylvania to dwindle into insignificance. Only such streams are mentioned here as have been reported as affording good sport, and can be relied on. There are, however, many others. Nearly ail the mountain streams contain trout. A word should be said about the pleasures of camping out in this section. There is no place where it yields more pleasure and profit. The glorious, exhilarating air, the bright sunshine, and the almost cloudless sky, combine to make camping enjoyable and health-giving to an unusual extent. TKOUT FISHING IN MIDDLE PARK — GAME, BEAR, DEER, ELK, kc. A correspondent of one of our weekly cotemporaries thus describes the trout fishing in Middle Park: In July, 1863, a company of soldiers were stationed on the bank of Grand River at Hot Sulphur Springs in the middle of the park, and they were catching trout from that stream every day literally by the gunny -bag full. They are remembered now as the fattest, slickest, joUiest lot of men ever seen, and HUNTIlsfG AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 2T they said it was the result of a strictly speckled trout diet. At that time fish of three to five pounds weight were com- mon, and specimens weighing from six to seven pounds were occasionally taken. The fishing was all done with hook and line, but science, or skill, or fancy tackle were unknown. Two years later I went again, and found that a little creek on the way, at which we threw off our saddles for a noon rest, was literally alive with spec- kled beauties. In Grand River the sport was equally good and the fish much larger. I caught one that measured twenty-two and a half inches. Since then I have missed but one Summer without making one or more excursions to that locality. In 1868 I did my best fishing. There were a good many people at the Springs, numbering clcfse on to one hun- dred and fifty, all living in tents or the open air. Whilst many were fishing, but few were fishermen, so that those who could catch trout were at liberty to take all they pleased, since none would be wasted. I found a new (to me) stream about four miles away, Williams ' River, in which were numerous rapids interspersed with deep pools, and about two miles above its mouth a fall of twelve or fourteen feet. It had a beautiful lit- tle valley with luxuriant vegetation, abundant wild fruit and wild groves of lofty, wide spreading cottonwoods. For five days in succession I visited this love- ly stream, fished from three to four hours, and brought back all that my horse could well carry. The smallest catch of the five days was seventy-two pounds. On one of the days I certainly brought in ninety pounds, all caught from one pool and standing in one place. Other sea- sons I have done quite as well in other streams. In 1814 a wagon road was opened and the next year another. The latter, from Georgetown, is a magnifi- cent road, and a splendid drive. In the Summer there is a tri-weekly line of stages, and the time from the end of the railroad is ten hours, between breakfast and supper. In Winter this road is buried uftder ten or twenty feet of snow, which does not permit wheel travel until the latter part of June, and then only between high crystal walls. But that is early enough. The sport begins in July, and grows better until late in the Fall. A village has grown up at the Springs. Settlers are scattered along all the larger streams, and the charm of camp life in the wilderness is passing away. How- ever, it is not yet difficult to get beyond the settlements, away up the streams in the pine woods. About the Springs fish- ing is overdone. From twenty-five to fifty hotel guests can be seen each day sauntering up and down the river for two or three miles, catching a few trout each, and in the aggregate quite a number. But fair sport can be enjoyed by mount- ing a horse and riding from five to six miles away. Four miles down stream comes in Williams River from the south ; twelve miles down, Troublesome River from the north. Seven miles up, Frazer River enters from the south ; five miles further, Willow Creek from the north; four miles further, the South Fork from the southeast; six miles above that, the North Fork from the northeast, and five miles above that, or twenty-five miles from the Springs, is Grand Lake — the nicest, the easiest, and the laziest place to take trout in that whole region. It is a real Alpine sheet of water, close up against the foot of lofty snow-crowned peaks, walled in by morainal deposits. Two and a half or three miles long, and half that in width, its depth is unknown. 28 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISrS GUIDE. The river flows out to the west, and there is a narrow space of level ground and open pine woods on that side. Else- whore the mountains rise abruptly from the water's edge. In this level space there are three or four rude cabins, and one man has lived a kind of hermit life here for ten or twelve years. Iji Sum- mer he follows fishing, generally having a partner or two and plenty of company. Some seasons there are other regular lishermen, but the great majority are transient visitors. To carry on the busi- ness of fishing for market requires three or four men operating together. The fish are caught from boats or rafts and kept alive in ponds until three or four hundred weight are collected, when they are hastily dressed, packed with green grass in baskets or open boxes, and car- ried on donkeys to market at George- town, Central City, and other mining camps, with an occasional cargo to Den- ver. One or two men accompany the animals, sell the fish, and return with loads of flour and other supplies. Three or four men will, from the middle of July to the middle of September, catch from three thousand to four thousand pounds of trout. The trout of the lake are most- ly small, weighing from four to eight ounces when dressed. The fishing ground is from tlu'ee hundrod feet to five hun- dred feet off shore, where the water is from twenty to thirty feet deep. It is on the brink of a ledge, beyond which the bottom drops off to an uidvuown depth. At times the schools of fish visit other places. Several streams enter from the mountain side, and late in the season there are certain hours of certain days when the water about these rivulets are fairly alive with fish. There are also spots in which at certain times quite large trout can be taken, geuorally after dark, by still-fishing with bait. Nearly all the fish taken are with bait, grasshoppers being the best, and from ten to twenty feet beneath the surface. Those who fish for a business will handle three or four lines, each with a short rod, and take them in as fast as possible. Half a mile above the lake, on the main stream, there is a waterfall and the head of trout navigation. The stream comes down through an impassable can- yon, which, looked down into from above, is a chain of lakelets and cascades. The roar of the lower fall can be heard from the west side of the lake ; but what is very strange, its location or direction cannot be determined from the sound. One day it may seem to be steadily at one point of the shore, the next day at another; or it may change with the hours or minutes. Sudden gusts of wind are common and very dangerous. From a dead calm the surface of the water is often churned into foam in a few moments, the gale seeming to blow from all quarters as well as straight downward. Persons drowned in the deep jjortion of the lake sink to rise no more. There is generally the very best of fish- ing in the outlet from the lake. The river for a considerable distance is wide and shallow, with an uneven bed of stones, sprinkled here and there with immense boulders that rise above the water. Then it changes to a succession of rapids, with deep, glassy pools between. The neigh- boring country is alternate open meadow glades and billowy hills covered with pines. Immediately north of Grand Lake is an extensive area of forest, so dense and choked with fallen trees and brush as to be almost iuipeuetrable. In it are several other lakes, visible from the high mountains above, which are doubtless equally well stocked with fish. HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 29 Coming down tlirougli this forest is the north fork of the river, and really its main branch. Judging from appear- ances, it should afford excellent sport fur twenty miles further up. ^ All this wooded country abounds with bear and elk, and on the mountain slopes above the lake, to the eastward, near the timber line, arc great numbers of mountain sheep and mule deer. The streams have plenty of beaver, mink, and marten along them everywhere. In the Summer of 1871, an intimate friend and myself went to Grand River about the middle of July, and made headquarters at Hot Sulphur Springs. We fished up the river, down the river, and in all the neighboring streams. Mounting our horses in the morning, we would ride to the locality determined upon, picket them in the rich grass, one of us go down and the other up the stream, putting in three or four hours, and always returning with well filled baskets. Over but very little water did we fish a second time. The last week of our intended stay, we decided upon some- thing more of an adventure. We heard of a newly-discovered lake away off in the southwestern rim of the park, called Black Lake, but could not obtain any definite directions how to find it, other than from the description of cross- ing the creek that ran from it to Blue River, so we packed our blankets, coffee- • pot, frying pan, and some provisions on an e.xtra pony, and set out to find the new paradise. Three young men, or large boys — two of them from Denver and one from Tennessee — who were vagal)ondiz- ing in the mountains for a couple of months' cavalcade; also a young man who belonged at the Springs, so that we numbered six horsemen, and had two extra animals for the impedimenta. We struck across the hills southwest, crossed Williams River eight or ten miles above its mouth, and turned up its wide valley between the enclosing mountain spurs. It is a delightful region of rolling grassy hills, interspersed with groves and belts of timber. Hundreds of antelopes were grazing in groups of from five to fifty, but they were wary and wild. Although the boys did considerable firing at long range, they got no meat, and the march we had laid out for the day did not ad- mit of wasting time for a systematic hunt. At the head of the valley we turned to the right and passed over a high moun- tain ridge. At length we reached the summit, and traversed an open forest of living timber with most beautiful inter- vals of luxuriant meadows, with grass and towering plants higher than our horses' backs, and springs of delicious, sparkling, icy water. It was a most lovely region, and rich repayment for all our struggles and hardships. For the descent we found and old trail plain and good, and just as twilight was falling we reached Blue River, and camped on the green sward in a grove of quaking aspens. We had no tent, and after a steaming supper, to which we did ample justice, spread our blankets in the open air, as is the universal custom with mountaineers. Blue River is a rapid, boisterous stream that beads in the main range near Mount Lincoln, and flows north about seventy miles to its junction with the Grand in the western edge of Middle Park. From source to mouth, it falls about seven thousand feet. Trout abound in all its tributaries, but none in the main stream. The next morning we concluded from the "lay of the country" that we had struck the river too high up, so we turned down its western shore along a new wagon road. Five or six miles 30 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISTS GUIDE. down the valley we crossed a creek which we recognized as the outlet of the lake, and found it to be the branch known as the Roaring Fork of the Blue. Turn- ing up its course the climbing was very steep and rough. The stream plunges down the descent in an almost unbroken sheet of foam, among great black rocks overhung with fringes of black alder and birch. We were told that the lake was two miles from the river, but we conclud- ed that the distance was five or stx miles. Before us was a great amphitheatre in the wildest portion of that ruggedest of ranges — the Blue River spur. We were nearly up to the snow level, and the stu- pendous, black faces of the cliffs, the spires, and needles and pinnacles of the splintered summits seemed almost within reach. At length the way became so steep and difficult that horses could go uo further; the canyon closed in; but a couple of footmen, clambering up over the rocks, soon shouted back " Eureka!" So we camped in a grove of aspens, £.nd turned our animals loose in the most beautiful of little meadows of timothy, clover, and wild oats up to their mid- sides. After dinner we went up to the lake, and soon caught all the fish we could use. But in exploring the solitude we found that a Crusoe had already fixed his habitation under the lee of a mon- strous rock on the lake shore. There was his rude hut, provisions, a few tools, skins of animals and feathers of birds. Moored at the water's edge was a raft to fish from, with its complement of rods and lines, a floating fish-pond, and, hauled up on the rocks, a Bond patent boat. The owner of all this primitive •wealth was invisible, but it was plain that his business was to fish for profit. Exploring further we discovered tliat a trail led across the point of hills from the lake to the river, striking the latter far above the mouth of the creek, and then we understood the two miles distance. Over that trail the Bond boat had been packed on a horse or mule. From the outlet of the lake the stream falls thirty feet in each hundred for five hundred or six hundred feet, roaring and foaming among immense rocks and rafts of drift- wood. There are falls of ten or twelve feet in places, though the water is so di- vided and broken up into different streams and varying leaps that the trout ascend and descend without trouble. In this water we found the best sport and the finest fish, some of them weighing up to a couple of pounds each, and presenting the most brilliant carmine tints, bright as the rosiest sunset clouds. Going up to the lake we could hear beyond it the roar of a waterfall, which I determined to see. So off I trudged, and a weary tramp it was; but I was paid a hundred fold. The stream enters the lake from a dense, moss-draped forest of pine, spruce, and fir trees more than two hundred feet high. Five hundred feet from the lake it plunges down from a great cliff of granite, descending by a series of leaps of from fifty feet to two or three hundred feet each. I climbed up until I became tired, and as far as 1 could see the torrent was coming thus down the mountain side. Between the foot of the falls and the lake I landed a few very fine trout, and feasted on delici- ous currants that covered the banks. Then took my stand at the inlet and caught trout as fast as I could throw the fly, until my basket was filled and I had more than I could comfortably carry to camp. Starting around the lake I met ray friend and the proprietor of the fishery gliding toward its head. The latter was paddling a neat, trim raft, and HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 31 tlie former was castiujjj right and left and hauling in trout at a bewildering rate. Mr. Crusoe had wandered back to his camp that day, and my friend had sub- sidized him and enjoyed some famous sport without the necessity of making a single exertion except to land his fish in a box at his feet; Black Lake is a genuine Aljnne lakelet of eight hundred to one thousand acres, formed by a dam of mountain debris across the drainage trpugh, doubtless the terminal moraine of the last resistless ice river that forced its way down this groove in the solid granite. Its great depth and the mountain shadows give it a- black appearance. The water is clear as crystal and cold as newly-melted snow, coming as it does so short a distance from banks and fields of that substance that never disappears. On the west the water is fringed by green timber; on the south and east the old forest has been killed by fire and a new one is taking its place; on the north is a verdant meadow. A hunter has told me that about the falls in Winter, when the mist and frost have loaded the trees and every twig and leaf with ice crystals, the scene, lighted up by the sun, is of marvelous beauty and indescribable grandeur. Tiie alti- tude is about ten thousand feet or two miles above the sea. YAMl'AIl RIVER. At the head of Yampah River, about thirty miles from the Hot Sulphur Springs, at the head of the river where the stream is about seventy-five feet wide and two feet deep in the current, there arc many deep pools, eddies, &c., which make it a choice fishing locality in the latter part of the season. The country near the river is an open park about four miles wide and twelve or fifteen long; but eastward from the park, from two to three miles, are very rugged moun- tains — the west slope of the Gore Range. The first elevations are covered with scrub oak timber and a dense growth of raspberry, sarvis berry, cherry, red hawthorn, and other brush, most fruit- bearing. The crop is generally immense- Here abundant signs of bear can be seen — their wallows and shady resting places; their feeding grounds and fresh tracks, evidences that Bruin makes his home here. Also great numbers of deer, which seem to occupy the country much as cat- tle do a populous pasture. Further back, the mountains rise higher ; the slopes and summits are covered with pine, spruce, and fir timber; the intervals occupied by aspen groves and little open parks, each with its rivulet of clear, cold water. Here elk are as plentiful as the deer on the outer hills, but although im- mediately contiguous, they did not seem to range or graze over the same ground. Pintail grouse collect in the park by hundreds — some say by thousands. From daylight until after sunrise in the morning, their chattering and cooing is as striking as that of prairie chickens in the grain-fields of the Mississippi Valley. There are also some sage hens, and, well up on the mountains, a few blue grouse. In the townshij) are three salt springs, which are great resorts for deer and elk. Deeply worn trails lead to them from all directions, and the ground in the vicinity is tramped like cattle yards. Much of the soil is rich, and productive in iiuti'i- tious grasses and edible roots. Of thi; latter, the yampa, sage, and artichoke are the most important, both in the economy of the Indian and subsistence of bear and other wild animals. In the eastern edge of Fgeria Park, one man belonging to a party of Middle 32 THE SPORTSMAN'S AXD TOURIST'S GUIDE. Park hunters, killed in 1878, twenty- three deer in two and a halfdajs. On the western slope of the Gore Range, another hunter attached to a camp shoot- ing deer for market, stated that he thought at least five hundred deer had crossed the road during three days; another one placed the number much higher. GAME RESORT.-^. It was said at one time that deer were growing scarce in Colorado. But the numbers daily brought into the various towns by sportsmen and market hunters certainly looks like a flat contradic- tion of that assertion. It is the general testimony of hunters tliat deer are just as abundant as ever they had been, though, pcrhajDS, it was necessary to pen- etrate a little further into the mountains to secure them. One can scarcely go amiss anywhere in the mountain region of this State. He may select his own ground in the northern, middle, or south- ern part, and he will be rewarded for his pains. If he chooses he may leave the haunts of men far beuind him, and rough it in the Snowy Range. He may camp in any of the great* parks, and so live more easily than in the former case. He may, if he choose, stop at some ranehe, or even live at a good hotel, and yet bring home an abundance of game. Those who are willing to rough it, need little direction. They may make Denver, Colorado Springs, or Alamosa their starting point, and Irom any of these places, going into the mountains, be sure of success. There arc some men, how- ever, who are not able to endure the fatigue of long joureys on horse or mule, who yet enjoy a hunt under less fatiguing circumstances. For the sake of these one place should be mentioned where they may stay comfortably in a good hotel, and yet be able to carry to their Eastern homes some antlers or evidences of their skill with the rifle. Manitou is seventy-five miles south of Denver, from whence it is reached by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, and six miles of staging from Colorado Springs, where you leave the railroad. It may also be reached from the south by the same railroad, via Pueblo. At Manitou, two good hotels remain open all the year round, at either of which most comfort- able accommodations may be had. With- in easy walking distance deer may be shot any day. In 1818, a gentleman, who was something of an invalid, shot two, within three miles of the Manitou House, at which he stopped. On another occa- sion four deer were killed in one day within four m'les of the village. And many other like cases might be enumer- ated. Those who love Nature in her wild beauty would find enjoyment here. Wil- liam's and Ruxtou's canyons, though very unlike each other, have great charms in their picturesque scenery of stream leap- ing from rock to rock, massive boulders, and high, rocky walls, that the giants built to towering heights. Caves, too, offer their peculiar attractions to the ad- venturous. Pike's Peak looks down in silent majesty from his solemn lieight upon the little village that nestles in his very sliadow at his feet, M'hile to the east the boundless sea of plains stretch away in limitless distance, always varying in shade and color with every hour of the day, with every cloud or ray of sunshine. HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. C(EUR D'ALENE. If the reader will turn to the mop of Idaho Territory and cast his eye upon its western boundary he will see thgt about midway it is crossed by the Snake (or Shoshone) Rivev. Following this boundary due northfor about a hundred miles he will see a splotch of irregular form, evidently designed to represent a body of water, as two or three rivers are seen to empty into it. This repre- sents Coeur D'Alene Lake, a magnificent sheet of water some thirty miles in length. The width is so affected by the jutting promontories that it varies from ten to two miles, and no more definite measure can be given. The primeval forest comes to the water's edge, and the shadows of the tall pines are reflected in its pellucid waters ; for these are never clouded, the springs and streams which feed it are never muddy, and the great Spokan River, which springs from it fnll-grown — one hundred and sixty yards in width at the season of the lowest water, with a swift current — has never a shadow cast upon its waters by contamination with any vulgar soil. In plain English, the waters of both lake and river are so transparent tliat the bottom can be seen _^iiy where and at any time to a depth of twenty feet. On a dark night with one of Boudren's hunting and fishing lamps, when it is perfectly quite, the bottom can be seen at over thirty feet. As a necessary con- sequence of the purity of its waters, it is the home of the trout. These are of many varieties, from the j)ure (Pacific coast) Salmo fontinalis to the great salmon trout six feet in length. Tlie heaviest fish caught here with hook and line weighed exactly nine pounds, but many have since been seen which must have been far heavier. Trout three or four feet, and occasionally six or more feet, are not unfrequently seen ; but they are wary fellows. None have been caught. Numberless lines have been carried away, and times without number sockdolagers have been hooked, but so far none of these whales have been cap- tured. Trout of one, two, or three pounds are the rule, and their name is legion. An old trout fisherman who visited this lake some years ago, and havhig no boat, made a raft of logs on which he pushed out into the lake near its mouth, said it was "the best and most magnificent trout fishing in the world." The catch is often fabulous. In July, August, and September the fishing is poor for Cceur D'Alene. One can catch a dozen of an evening, often three or four. The reason is plain. The trout seek the mouths of the ice-cold mountain streams and do not return to this part af the lake (its mouth) until the cold weather and high water. At the mouths of the streams above alluded to they are as numerous as the sands on the sea-shore, and one might think them crazy they are so anxious to be hooked. A short time since some men fishing near the mouth of one of these streams, caught twenty trout with a coarse line and large hook in half an hour. Not one of them weighed less than two pounds. This is ordinary fishing in this lake. The mountains around the lake teem deer, bear, panther and all the varieties of smaller game. The cry of the loon on the lake is alternated with that of the panther in the forest. Every night after " taps " a din arises that makes one think that pandemonium has broken loose. The wolves, timber and coyote, when all has become quiet, steal in to see what they can pick up; and the dogs 34 THE SPORTSMAN S AND TOURIST'S GUIDE. of the camp, jealous of their cousins, sound the alarm and are upon tliem. A grand saturnalia ensues, and for about half an hour the night is rendered hideous On a calm Summer morning the lake presents one of the finest views that can well be imagined. Everything seems so peaceful and calm that one feels he could lay himself down on the sandy shore and rest forever. As the sun comes over the eastern hills and glitters on the surface of the placid waters, scarcely rippled by the gentle morning breeze which is hardly felt, the solemn silence, broken only by the far-off lonely cry of the loon, makes itself felt, and the mind of the poor mortal goes up in prayer of adoration and thanksgiving to the Most High. It is a beauty that can be felt, not expressed. The solemn, pine-clad mountains, the deep shadows in the lake, the perfect quiet, the impression of majesty and power, the awful stillness, the wreaths of mist on the lake, tinted with the beams of the morning sun, the tall pine on yonder point with gilded head gracefully bowed as the sunbeams kissed his brow. What wonder that those in Eastern clime bend in mute adoration as their Deity lifts his gorge- ous crest above the horizon. The country round about Lake Coeur D'Alene is chiefly mountainous, with here and there a small plateau or valley, gen- erally on the bank of some sequestered lake. 'J^iie MuUan Road (running from Fort Walla Walla to Fort Benton, and built by Captain MuHan, formerly of the array) comes up the Spoken River, and skirting the foot of the lake, passes over the mountains. Wolf Lodge, a small hay ranche on Wolf Lodge Creek, which empties into the lake, is about fifteen miies distant, and some fifteen miles further on is the Coeur D'Alene Mission on the river of the same name. Here the good Jesuit Fathers reside, and have managed to Christianize the Coeur D'Ah'sue Indians. About six miles from 'W'olf Lodge and about due north, is a lake some three or four miles long by half a mile wide, which is celebrated for the abun- dance of its fish and the amount of game on the mountains surrounding it. There is no outlet to the lake, nor are there streams of any great size, though several small ones, flowing into it. But it is always full. It is fed by springs, and the water is clear, pure, and always icy-cold. That there are underground passages and caves throughout this country is certain. Often, when riding, the drum- like sound of the horse's feet or deep rumble of the heavy wagons indicates the existence of vast hollows under ground. The Spokan River, which flows from the lake, over a hundred yards in width, has apparently no affluent above the great falls; yet, about fifteen miles below the lake, the volume of water is suddenly almost doubled. In Winter, above this place, the river freezes over; but below, between it and the falls, it never freezes. In Summer, when the lake becomes warm, the water of the river is always the same until it arrives at this place, when a very marked in- crease of coldness is at once perceptible. Undoubtedly some underground current joins the main body of the river at this place, having its exit among the rocks, which are scattered around in the wild- est profusion. The hunting around Coeur D'Alene Lake is super-excellant, and the fishing " the best in the world." In the numer- ous small lakes in the vicinity^ and in HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 35 the secluded portions of the great lake, the wild fowl build their uests and rear their young. BIRDS AND ANIMALS. Grizzly, black, brown, and cinnamon bears; California lion, panther, wild-cat, lynx, wolverine, gray, timber and prairie (coyote) wolves; red, black, silver-gray, and cross foxes; beaver, otter, pine and stone marten; mink, fisher, weasel, bad- ger, skunk, muskrat, elk, caribou, Yir. giuia, black-tailed, and mule deer; rabbits and hares; gray, red and ground squirrels; chipnuinks, gray and bald eagles ; osprey and many other varieties of hawks; hooting, long-eared and snowy owls; sage hen, pintail, pine, ruffed, and prairie grouse; capercailzie or cock of the mountain; wild geese and swans; loons, ducks of many kinds; English and other snipe; plover, curlew, sand-hill and swamp cranes; robins; blackbirds of several kinds; crows, yellowhammers, several varieties of woodpecker, bluebirds, magpie, snowbirds, bluejays, water- ouzel, hummingbirds of many kinds, and a great variety of other birds and animals are found there. FISH. Of fish there are a number of varieties of trout, salmon trout, suckers, and many kinds of shiners and other small fish. Salmon come up the Spokan River in abundance, but cannot get over the Great Falls. There are neither mos- quitoes nor black flies — those pests of the angler and hunter on the lake shores — though there is a fair allowance of other insect=!, the common house-fly being particularly abundant, NATURE OF THE COUNTRY. The country around is a perfect wilder- ness, and the few ranches, which here and there dot the country, are simply a log hut and patch of garden. The Great Spokan Prairie, which extends from Pend'oerille Lake to the Columbia River, being rather more than a hundred miles in length, with a varying breadth of from six to ten, contains some good ranches where the cereals grow thriftily. ROUTES. There are several routes to this beauti- ful country. One is by Helena and Missouri Mountains, by the Mullan road, over the mountains. This route is al- ways closed by heavy snow falls during the Winter. During the Spring, Sum- mer, and Fall this route is practicable for equestrains, but not for wagons, the bridges built by Captain Mullan having been swept away by the spring floods. The scenery along the route is said to be very grand and beautiful. One of the streams on the route (Hose Creek) crosses the road sixty-five times in less than as many miles. It is readily forded, except during the spring floods. The country can also be entered by the Mul- lan Road from Walla Walla. (The Mullan Road runs from Fort Walla Walla on the Columbia to Fort Benton on the Missouri River). There is also another road from Walla Walla via Waitesburg, Dayton, Colfax, Pine Grove, and Spokan Falls. This is the most practicable route, and the only one over which runs a public conveyance. A stage runs daily from Walla Walla to Colfax, and a "buck board" from Colfax to Spokan Falls twice a week. At Spokan Falls a team can be hired for the re- maining twenty-seven miles. There are hotels at Waitesburg, Dayton, Colfax, and Spokan Falls, but most of the houses on the way will accommodate travelers. There is another road from 36 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISTS GUIDE. AYalla Walla by the Texas Ferry across Snake River. Another route is from Lewiston, Idaho, through Paradise Val- ley, Moscur, Palouse City, Pine Creek, Pine Grove, and Spokan Falls. Yon can also go from Lewiston via Colfax. In the Summer and Fall all these roads are good, but during the Winter and Spring the traveling is bad. In the Spring it is almost impassable for wagons a part of the way on account of the deepness of the roads. Hunting in this section, is very laborious, notwithstanding the abun- dance of game, owing to the excessive roughness of the country; but the Indian seems to be tireless, and almost never returns without meat. In the Winter, ■when the snow is deep on the ground and the game is driven from the moun- tains to the rocky promontories which jut out on the prairie, the Indians have grand hunts. A whole village — men, women and chidlren — will go out, and, making a surround of a mile or two in diameter, will close in gradually toward some point agreed upon. The amount of game thus impounded is often im- mense. Of course, the greater part escapes — the more dangerous — with the free consent of Brother Lo; for they are after meat, not fur; but it is not infre- quent, at these great surrounds or bat- tues, for one or two hundred deer to be killed. As the circle closes in the fright- ened animals huddle together, or, im- peded by snow, dash frantically from side to side only to meet their foes wher. vcr they turn. When the circle is sufficiently contracted, the Indians run in on snow- shoes and the slaughter commences. The deer are killed with arrows, lances, clubs, and even knives. In these sur- rounds fire-arms are used sparingly, for ammunition is scarce and hard to get, and, moreover, it is dangerous. As a general thing, only the chiefs or head hunters indulge in this luxury, and this only with the greatest care and circum- spection. IX THE SILVER STATE. Wadsworth is situated on the Central Pacitic Railroad, Washoe county, Ne- vada, on the Truckee River, distance to Pyramid Lake eighteen miles, the reser- vation for the Pah Ute Indians. The lake is an extensive and beautiful sheet of water, slightly salt, and abounds with innumerable water fowl. Gulls and peli- cans breed here on some of the rocky islands, and many eggs of the gull's are gathered during the breeding season. Commencing about October 20th and until ^larch the trout leave Pyramid Lake, and Mud or Winti^mucca lakes, and ascend the Trnckee River to spawn. During this season a great quantity are taken, in fact it is the chief source of sub- sistance to the Indians. They are taken entirely with hook and line, the law prohibiting the use of seines or other fixed machines, and all dams are fur- nished with fish ladders to enable the trout to reach Lake Tahoe, or any of the tributaries of the Truckee. They take minnow or grub worms readily, but the favorite and most successful bait is fish spawn, tied up in mosquito bar, cut in squares of about two inches and firmly tied with thread. They resemble a large sized strawberry, and make the most successful bait known. The favorite manner with the Indians is the spear, with which they are very skillful, and the spear itself is a novelty and entirely difiTerent from anything ever seen or heard of. It consists of a very light and flexible handle about fifteen feet long, at the end of which are two prongs of wire, usually No. 8, to this is attached by a HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 37 stout line two very sharp points about half an inch long, which slip off the ends of the wire when the fish is struck, and have a tendency from the peculiar form- ation of the points, to cross themselves in the fish, making it next to impossible to pull out, as it only requires a very gentle shove to strike deep enough to make it secure. No fish, however large, can get off, unless the lines which are attached to the points and connected with the handle should break. The In- dians post themselves near the spawning beds and only kill the male trout, which always accompanies the female during this operation. The Indians take ad- vantage of this fact, and never disturbs the female, but as soon as the largest male is killed the next will take his place, and the Indian will wait patiently by those beds and pick off all the male fi.sh as fast as they appear. To anyone not experienced in the art, it would al- most be impossible to see the fish. The spearing is all done during the day time, and a novice might stand near the bed and not see a fish all day. They resem- ble a dark yellow cloud in the water, and the spear is allowed to float down the current until opposite the object, when a very gentle stroke makes the fish secure. Minnow and spawn are the principal baits used by those using the rod and line. The fish weigh from four to nine pounds, and are darker than the Eastern salmon trout. These* come mostly from Pyramid Lake, but another species call- ed the silver trout, come from AVinne- mucca Lake. Both kinds are taken freely during the season in the Truckee River; one hundred pounds per day to the rod being of frequent occurrence. No other fish are known to inhabit these waters, except the black mullet, or coy- ies, as the Indians call them. They come up the river later than the trout, but are not molested by the whites. The In- dians take and dry them for their Win- ter foi'd, which, with the pine nuts, form their principal source of subsistance. Humboldt Lake, the sink of the Hum- boldt, as it is usually called, is about forty miles from Wadsworth, in close proximity to the railroad, and abounds with all kinds of water fowl, ducks, geese, swans, curlew, snipe, &c. The shooting, however, is very difficult, owing to the absence of cover, as no flag or tule grows near the lake. Yery few fish are taken there, and of a small size. The water is strongly impregnated with alkali, and hardly fit to use. About eight miles west of Wadsworth, the country be- comes mountainous. Here a few moun- tain quail, grouse, and sage hens can be found, but not in plentiful quantities. A few black tail deer and occasionally mountain sheep are found, but more an exception than the rule. . Jack rabbits abound in every direction, and any quan- tity can be killed — twenty or twenty-five per day would be an average day's work for one gun. They are usually in good condition, and w^eigh from six to seven pounds when full grown. Still the shoot- ing iu the vicinity of Wadsworth is poor, but the fishing during the season is ex- cellent; in fact, the best found on the coast. Lake Tahoe, situated on the summit of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, about eighty miles from Wadsworth, is a great resort for pleasure seekers during the heated term, and affords very good trout fishing, the fish being usually taken Avith the spoon or minnow. These fish will frequently weigh thirty-five or forty pounds, and do not resemble the Truckee trout. Independence Lake, about fifteen miles from Truckee, abounds with a THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOUTISrS GUIDE. small variety of trout which would aver- age about a pound, but are highly prized by epicures. They take grasshoppers or flies very readily, and afford fine sport. The lake is entirely surrounded by moun- tains covered with timber, but game is scarce; still, a few deer, mountain quail, and grouse are taken. Sierra Yalley, however, is the most frequented place for sportsmen iu this section, as there is such a variety of game. Stages run into the valley from Reno and Truckee.; dis- tance about thirty miles. Here may be found quail, grouse, ducks, deer, rabbits, and brook trout in all the small streams in abundance. Next to Hope Talley, this affords the best shooting to be found in the State. Hope Yalley is rather isolated, and too far from the railroad to be accessible to the sportsman from a distance, but parties fit out at Carson and Virginia City, and usually meet with good success. WHERE TO GO FOR WILD FOWL. It is somewhat a difficult matter to di- rect one as to where he can obtain good wild fowl shooting in this section. From Currituck to Montauk, all available points are leased, pre-empted, or held in possession by gentlemen sportsmen or market shooters, who claim exclusive privileges within the hmits of specified areas. To be sure of unqualified sport, one who is not a member of some club must possess the open sesame to the shooting box of some generous friend, or the good will of those who make duck shooting a livelihood. There ai'e num- erous places on the sounds of North Car- olina where one may shoot ad lihihivi, but there are no convenient means of ac- cess thereto, and no lodging accommoda- tions. So also on the Chesapeake, along the New Jersey coast, and on the shores of Long Island there are localities where one may shoot without his right to do so being disputed; nevertheless, it may be considered reasonably certain that no eligible stand is without its claimant, either by title, absolute possession, or the right which might gives. In this dilem- ma, it is a satisfaction to know that within the past year a new district has been opened up to the duck shooter, most easy of access by rail, where wild fowl congregate in untold numbers, scarcely disturbed by the few gunners that occasionally drop in among them. This district is comprised within the two counties of Virginia known as Accoraac and Northampton, dividing the waters of the Atlantic from those of Chesapeake Bay, the outer shores of which are flanked by innumerable islands and islets, among which the ducks gather unmo- lested. The southernmost point is known as the "Capes." Here are the famous islands of Chincoteague, Mockhorn, and Hog Island, besides scores of others scarcely known by name, oven to the few dwellers on the adjacent coast. These are reached from Lewes, Delaware, by a railroad running down nearly the entire length of the peninsula, and to Lewes one may go by all rail from New York, or by the Old Dominion Company's steamers, leaving New York at 4 v. m. and reaching Lewes next morning. Where one has a big bag of decoys and other impediments to carry the latter is preferable. Any information respecting this shooting ground, will doubtless be furnished cheerfully at the company's office in Greenwich street. Of other available places not wholly preoccupied, the eastern shore of Maryland is recom- mended, along St. Mary's county, in- cluding Choplico and Brittaiu's Bay, HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 39 Egg Harbor, Barnegat Bay, the Great South Bay o'' Long Island, and the Con- necticut River near Saybrook. At all these places, good lodging accommoda- tions and experienced gunners can be found. LONG ISLAND. ITS HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND SUMMER RESORTS. The following description of the hunt- ing and fishing localities and pleasant places on Long Island was colated ex- pressly for Fur, Fin, and Feather. It includes about all the points worth visiting. The angler who takes his annual trip to the Adirondacks or Canadian waters, and expecis on leiurning home to be able to boast of hav- ing caught his fifty to eighty pounds of trout daily, and who cares for quantity rather tlian quality of sport, would scarcely be satisfied with that on the salt marshes, ponds, and streams of Long Island. But the well-trained disciple of Izasik Walton, he who can handle tlie most delicate tackle and cast a long line, not only without the remotest chance of a snarl, but so deltly tiiat the fly shall fall as light as a snowfiake, and who will be well sat- isfied with the capture of a half dozen fish when that is due entirely to his own skill; may find numerous spots either on the '• South Side " or along the north and east shores, where he can bring his scientific angling into play. This refers only to such fishing as is open to the public; there are numerous preserves and private ponds on the Island where a bas- ket full of well-bred and well-fed trout may be quickly landed, but access to tliese can only be iiad through the permission of the propri- etors. There are several noted sporting resorts on the Island ; Fire Island is known as ihe head- quarters for bluefish; in the Fall wild-fowl shooting is good there, as is also snipe shoot- ing. Say villu is one of those places where the visitor can vary the sport in troilling for blue- fish and Spanish mackerel ; casting the fly for trout or knocking over bay snipe, or stopping the flight of all kinds of wfld fowl. Patchogue is an excellent place for quail shooting, and we know of no place in close proximity to New York City, where Bob Whites in favorable se&sons are more abundant ; but for a week's gunning and fishing m a uidfe, unfrequented spot, commend us to Noyac and its beautiful bay, situated about four miies from the old town of Sag Harbor, on ihe Long Lsland Rail- road. For wild-duck shooting no place on the Island affords more game, and the best mode of proceeding is eitlier to station yourself at daylight on the beach of Jessup's Neck (where there is excellent bluefish fishing to be had in the season) and await your chance for shots at the flight of ducks, which regularly cross from Noyac Bay to Little Peconic Bay, or to take a boat and get in amongst the wild fowl as they float on tlie surface of the bay. Back of the cultivated strip of land on which Noyac stands, the woods extend about four miles townrds Bridgehampton, and in the marshy portion woodcock shooting is good in seai^on; partridges and rabbits are also plenti- ful, so that what with the enjoyable retirement of this spot and the facilities for sport, one may tliorcuglily take his pleasure for a week or two at a very small pecuniary outlay. Canoe Place is on the narrow isthmus be- tween the Shinnecockand Great Peconic Bays^ in the waters of the latter weakfisli, bluefish," striped bass, and kingfish are all in turn to be caught with a clam bait — a mollu.se for which the place is noted — rods and reels for those who fancy pole Hsliing, lines ami sinkers for those choosing drop lines. Tlie Island here is scarce half a mile wide, and a walk of that distance over the sandy dunes, held to- gether by bunches of wiry i each grass, reaches the beach of Shinnecock where the best of bay shooting can be had in August and September, and which becomes a paradise for duck and ' goose shooters later in the Fall. At Good Ground, Gapt. Wm. Lane has one of the best resorts for duck shooting to be found in this section, and ho knows how to eniertain liis friends. Most excellent accommodations can also be had at the Bay Yiew House, kept by Mr. M. Williams. lie lias plenty of birds, good guides, complete outfit of decoys, batter- 40 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURIST'S GUIDE. ies, &c., and sets before tlie tired duck shooter a substantial bill of fnre, and provides a clean, comfortable bed on which he can rest from the fatigues of the day's sport. - West Hampton, also on the Sag: Harbor branch of tlie Long Island Railroad, is an ex- cellent spot for duck, quail and woodcock, while a good timS for a day or two may he had amongst the bay birds at Good Ground, where William N. Lane knows so well how to play the parts of host, guide and companion. At Soulhampton, a sequestered marine village near the ocean, one can get good fishing, and in the Fall excellent shooting; quail were said to be quite numerou-* last season. Bridge- hampton is also a good place to stop at, where j'ou can have either salt or fresh water angling, shoot woodcock, bay birds, quail and rabbits; good accommodalious can be had in the vil- lage. Greenport, the terminal stat'on of the rail- road, is reached in about four hours from Hunter's Point, and can boast of good hotel accommodations. A row boat will land ihe hunter on Shelter Island in a few minutos, and here, during the latt3r part of November and in December, a fair shot by using decoys can strike a barrel full of nearly all kinds and varieties of ducks, except ihe canvas back. On the low lands of this beautiful island, the ducks swarm in myriads at this season of the year, and from the day of legal shooting one can bag all the quail he can carry. Jamesport on this branch of the railroad is a good place to spend a few days in fishing, sailing and boating in the Summer; and in the Fall the shooting is good, quail and other small game being quite abundant. The most noted and richly slocked private ponds on the i.sland are Maitland's, Phillip's, and Stump Pon^ls, near Islip, and the Massa- piqua Pond at Oyster Bny. The entire surface of the Island is diversified j by ponds and extensive swamps, which send ! forth copious streams, clear and cold. Of tliese | Pecouic River is the largest, measuring about sixteen miles. Nearly all are well stocked with trout, but the most noted are Success Pond, Ronkonkoma, Coram, Great Pond, Fort Pond, Killis Pond, and the waters at Smith- town Carman's, Islip and Oyster Bay, the last being a pleasant place to visit for recreation, with either gun or dog, fishing tackle, troUing tackle, or no tackle at all. For the man of over-worked brain, who would seek rest near the metropolis, ^yster Bay is the place ; good irouting, good trolling, and good snipeing are to bo had here if anywhere ; the New Bridge Creek and Cedar Swamp will probably yield the best sport, after testing which, let the an- gler go on to Patchogue, and put up at Austin Roe's hotel, wheie he will find a landlord who owns rights in nearly all the ponds and creeks in the neighborliood. There he can fish as long as he pleases, free of charge and take home with him all the trout his luck or skill may bring to his creel. The Great South Bay of Long Island is a land-locked sheet of water, extending for some seventy miles and is from five to six miles in width, enclosed between the sandy beach of the sea shore and the meadows of the main- land. At any time between the middle of July and the middle of September, tliis bay is a favorite haunt of immense flocks of all descrip- tions of bay snipe, including tlie curlew, wiiltt, martin, dowitch, yellowleg, brant bird, and the gray, golden, and black-breasted plover, and later in the season abounds with teal, black duck, and broadbills. which will afibrd sufBcient amusement until the weather becomes too cold to handle a gun. Good accommodations can be had at any of the little villages that skirl the shore, such as Babylon, Islip, Mo- riches, &e., and Irom which the sniper can readily cross tlie bay to the beach for the day's sliooting, as these birds follow the beach shore of the b *r five. Indian guides, canoes, &c., can ])e had in the village for a trip to Batcheewanaug Bay and its tributaries, Gaulais Bay, Montreal, Harmony, Ag- nawa rivers, afid other excellent trouting localities that lie along the north shore for a distance of over thirty odd miles. Sault Ste. Marie is reached by steamer from any of the points at which the lake steamers stop — Bufi'alo, Detriot, Cleve- land, Chicago, Milwaukee, Duluth, Col- lingwood, &c. The hotel accommoda- tions are ample and excellent The Nepigon region is more noted for its splendid fishing than its hunting. The Nepigon River is nearly fifty miles long from its mouth to the head of the lake, and is interspersed by several falls, where the very best of trout fishing can be en- joyed. In many places along the river are numerous broad expanses of water of nearly three miles in width, in which the whitefish and great lake trout abound in large numbers. Whitefish, trout, salmon trout, pike, pickerel, and other varieties of fish are found everywhere and in such numbers as to satisfy any angler that ever wet a line. In the way of game, a few caribou are found, but no deer of any species. In the early Fall, ruffed grouse are plenty, and numerous bears roam through the forests. Rabbits and other small game and fur-bearing animals are quite plentiful. August is the best time to visit this section, as then black flies and gnats have departed and the trout are gamey and fat. Take steamer at Du- luth, Detriot, or Toronto. The trip will occupy ten days' actual travel. Camp- ing ground is good everywhere through- out this section. At Red Rock, a Hud- son Bay Company'^ post, good accommo- dations are provided for sportsmen by Mr. Crawford, the agent, of whom fish- ing permits must be obtained before the angler will be allowed to fish in the Ne- pigon. Mr. Crawford also furnishes ev- erything needed for camping out, except shooting and fishing tackle, at very low rates, including all the necessary provi- sions, condensed milk, coffee, and soups, dessiccated meats, pork, ham, flour, pic- kJes, ale, porter, spirits for medicinal pur- 44 TEE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURIST'S GUFDE. poses, canned fruits, segars and tobacco, boats, canoes, tents, blankets, woolen shirts, overcoats, cordnroy pants, boots, shoepacks, axes, cutlery, &c.; in fact, the sportsman need take nothing but gun, jiniinunition, and fishing tackle — a stout rod and brown and red hackles. Good and reliable Indian guides charge $1 a day for their services. These Indian can manage a canoe dexterously, and do ex- cellent camp duty. There are some fine fishing to be had in Brandt county. There are numerous lakes and ponds that are well stocked ■with large sized black bass, among which Grand River and its tributaries. Smith's and Homer's creeks, are favointe points. There is a deep hole at Ivy's mill, on Homer's Creek, where the fish often as- semble in multitudes during the month of June. The Muskoka district is full of attrac- tions for sportsmen, embracing within its "boundaries numerous lakes, rivers, and streams, including what is called the Northern Lakes, north of Toronto, and known as lakes Simcoe, Muskoka, Ros- seau, and Cocochong. The waters are all well supplied with fish, and game in the gi-eatest abundance is found every- whei-e through the district. The North- ern Liikes are noted resorts for sports- men, affording trout fishing that cannot be excelled any where^ and the most mag- nificent black bass fishing to be had in the Province. The larger lakes are between thirty-five and forty miles in length, and some of the smaller ones do not cover half as many acres; but they are all clear and deep, and full of salmon trout, black bass, pickerel, perch, kc. The principal rivers are the Muskoka,with its two arms, both emptying into lakes, and broken l)y many falls; the Magnetewan, the Sev- ern, Moon, South, Kasheshebogamog, and Sharp's Creek. The south branch of the Muskoka is noted for its large and abundant trout. The Megnetewan River is famous for its speckled trout of six pounds in weight, its black bass of seven pounds, and its pickerel of twenty pounds; Moon River, twenty odd miles northwest of Gravenhurst, has a reputa- tion for giant-propoi'tioned maskalonge, and also contains its quota of speckled and salmon trout, pickerel, and black bass. Fine trout fishing can be had in Trading Lake, about eighteen miles from Bracebridge, and at the head of Lake Rosseau; Lake Joseph is noted for black bass; speckled and salmon trout, black bass, pickerel, &c., are taken in consid- erable number in Gull Lake, a short dis- tance from Gravenhurst. There are many other places where excellent sport can be had. Terry's, Pickerel, Perch, and Sil- ver lakes, all in close proximity to Mus- koka Lake; Sharpe's Creek, near Brace- bridge; the chain of lakes about fifteen miles from the same village, known as Fairy, Vernon, Fox, and Peninsula, with the Bay x)f Lakes (accessible by a mile "carry"), and the waters adjacent to and including the Magnetewan, are all well supplied with fish of various species. At nearly all these points deer are abun- dant and wild ducks plentiful. The Magnetewan River courses through the finest deer country in the Province. The forests all along the banks of the south branch of the Muskoka River are alive with deer, and a considerable number are found around Gull Lake, which is also a good place for ducks. Splendid deer hunting can be had at the head of Ros- seau Lake and around Trading Lake. Rulfed grouse are abundant along the Magnetewan, and also on the Severn, between Bracebridge and Gravenhurst. Rabbits and other small game are to be HUNTING AND FISHING. GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS met with almost anywhere, except some few localities. The north branch of the Muskoka is troutless, and ruffed grouse and small game scarce along the south branch. The country is easily accessible, and the best hunting and tishing grounds can be " done " in four or five weeks. The objective point is Toronto. At Toronto take the Northern Railroad to Graven- hurst, or rail to Belle Ewart, and then steamer to Gravenhurst. A steamboat runs from Gravenhurst through lakes Muskoka, Rosseau, and Joseph, stopping at Bracebridge, seven miles up the Mus- koka River, and the starting point for the South Branch and Trading Lake, eighteen miles distant. Boats, guides, and dogs can had at Trading Lake. At Bracebridge, much valuable information respecting guides, conveyance, route, &c., can be obtained of the proprietor of the Queen's Hotel. Mr. Pratt keeps a good house at the head of Lake Rosseau, as also does Mr. Frazer at the head of Lake Joseph. They are both comfortable, and your wife can go with you without any inconvenience. Parties intending to camp out should take their own tent and " fixin's;" provi- sions and wagons can be procured at any large towns. Boats, guides, and dogs can be obtained at most of the places. Joseph Scott of Gravenhurst will furnish reliable guides and much needed informa- tion. Heavy woolen clothing is abso- lutely necessary. June is the best month for flsh ; September and October are the best mouths for game, the shooting then can be done without experiencing the exti'eme heat. Perth, in Lanark county, is good for deer and grouse, and splendid black bass fishing is to be had among the islands in the Lachine Rapids, and in the Fall and Spring excellent duck shooting can be had at the same point. A full de- scription of the Gull River Waters is given below, and other noted points are elsewhere mentioned. GULL RIVER WATERS. Balsam Lake lies at the terminus of the Toronto & Nepissing Railway, and is about ninety miles distant from To- ronto, Canada. It is at the head of a chain of waters — small lakes — of, ap- proximately, from four to fourteen miles in length, and short links of river that extend as far east as Rice Lake, includ- ing in the chain lakes Cameron, Stur- geon, Pigeon, Buckhorn, Stoney, and Clear. Out of Rice Lake these waters find their exit by way of the River Trent into the bay of Quinte, Lake On- tario. The fishing in these lakes con- sists of bass and maskalonge, and, of course, the dozen other varities found in like waters — perch, sunfish, catfish, suckers, &c. The country about Rice Lake to the south and north has been settled for many years. This lake is twenty-two miles in length, and from two to four miles wide. It is famous for its maskalonge and bass fishing, which even at this late date is probably better than in any of the lakes more remote from settlement. Its wild rice attracts many duck, and in October and the early part of November every available point jmd every island, at all favorably situated, is occupied by a sanguine sportsman. De- coying is the method of capture usually employed, but for ten years past the number of ducks visiting the lake has been rapidly diminishing; and although ten or fifteen years ago, with less de- structive weapons than are in vogue to- day, sportsmen were able easily to bag from thirty to one hundred ducks, 4C THE sroins.uAX's and tourist's guide. iu)w from tivi' to \c\\ is cousitUM-ed a irootl avonipfo luiinbor. Rice Lake is probably tlie most beau- tiful of the baelv lalves iu tiie Trovinee of Ontario. It is connected with the town of Cobourp:, on Lake Ontario, by the Ct)bourjr, Peterboro tS: Marmora Rail- way, fourteen miles in length. In the vicinity of most, of the lakes above named deer are still to be found, but only in some l(H'alitii>s is the hunting- really good, notably at Deer Bay, liuckhorn Lake, and north of Ralsam Lake. Of course there are tifty localities within the Prov- nce that aiford capital sport and deer u plenty; but this meagre description is ntended for what is commonly known as the Gull River Waters. Ruckhorn Lake has some very beau- tiful scenery, and at the Narrows, be- tween it anil Pigeon Lake, the country on either side, as you enter Buckhorn, has the appearance of a grand park, oak, beech, maple and balsam trees lend- ing their varied tints to the landscape. The lower part of Buckhorn Lake, after the ra[)ids are passed, is full of beautiful little rocky islets, covered with bright vegetation, very similar to those on the north shore of the Georgian Bay. There is very little settlement about Buckhorn; the land is poor close to the lake, and deer, partridge, and ducks abound during September and October, which months are the best for shooting. Stoney Lake is a body of water about nine miles long by three wide, and dot- ted over with innumerable islands of all sizes and shapes. Many of these are wooded, others are covered with grass and small shrubs, while a few produce a fair crop of bare rock ; these latter are sometimes selected as camp grounds for the weary traveler. Huckleberries iu their seasou are very plentiful, and are plucked as large as chcrri.'s. The black bass tishiiig iu the lake is lirst-class, especially at the mouths ' of Jack's and Eel creeks. Trolling is ; also good in all parts of the lake, nias- ! kalonge and landlocked salmon, taking the troll freely. The latter fish atVord magnificent sport for the angler (with , live miiuiow for bait) early iu May. at j Purleigh Falls; they are seldom caught I weighing less than seven pounds, and j have been taken over thirty pounds iu ! weight, and in point of flavor, are excel- lent. Summer duck shooting begins the middle of August, and remains good for four or five weeks, when the Fall flight commences. Wilil rice and celery grow in great abundance in all of these waters, which are visited by millions of the duck tribe, until the cold weather closes the waters, compelling them to i seek a more congenial clime. Stoney Tjake, Lovesick Lake, anc" Deer Bay (all contiguous), are favorite resorts of the deer hunter. They are easy of access, and deer are plentiful. Surely the sportsman should be satisfied in the heart of such a game region as this. The Mount Julien Hotel, erected on the very shore of Stoney Lake for the especial comforts of tourists and sports- men, has accommodation for sixty guests, with every luxury that could reasonably be looked for iu the backwoods of Can- ada. In fact, the house is kept only in first-class style, and persons desiring to take their families for a few weeks vaca- tion, will find every inducement for their harmless enjoyment. The proj^rietors are determined to see that the wants of every guest, male or female, man, woman or child, are supplied. Sailboats, row- boats, and canoes are always at hand. Guides, if necessary, can be procured, and dogs iu the deer hunting seasou. nUNTING ANT) FlSinXG GJiOUNnS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 47 Americans will prubiibly liiul the chea})- (.'st aiul most direct route via llochcstcr. Take the steamer at Cliarlotte in the evening, ijet a comfortable bertli and a jH'ood night's rest Yon reach Fort Hope in time for the morning- train, of tlie INlidhmd Ra,ilway, pnrchase tickets for Lak(!iield, on Lake Katclicwamiook, where tlie steamer is in waiting to con- vey you to Mount JnUen; time from Cliarlotte about fourteen hours ; total cost less than $4,00 jier head. Any further information desired respecting Stoney Lake and vicinity will be cheer- fully given on application to Messrs. R. C. StrickUuid & Co., North Donro, Province of Ontario, Canada. THE OSWRGATCHIE COUNTRY. The east or main branch of the Os- wogatchie River rises in Crooked Lake; that is, if we are to call the longest the main branch. From Crooked Lake it runs in a northeasterly direction some six or eight miles, to where it forms the branch from Deer Pond (Colvin's Lost Lake) country. It is known above this point as the Robinson River, taking this name from a hunter named Robinson, Avho had a shanty and hunted near it some twenty-five years ago. In the mean- time it received the waters from Orin Lake, Grassy Gall, Cracker, West, and two or three other small ponds. The stream that it here unites with is formed l)y the outlets of Partlon Lake, Gull, l)ig Deer, Little Deer, Clear and Nick l^onds, and the drainage of a big balsam swamp known as " Inlet Swamp." Be- low the junction, some two miles, it tum- bles over a ledge of rocks some twenty feet in height. Here, at the foot of these falls, known as the " High Falls," on the inlet are found speckled trout of three to four pounds weight, and now and then one that gets aw^ay with your tackle po easy that you are sure " he was the big- gest trout you ever saw." Above the falls are plenty of trout weighing from a quar- ter to a half pound. Half a mile further down you come to "The Plains," a tract of country that has been cleared of tim- ber by wind and fire, some three miles lo'ig, and varying in width from a quar- ter to three-ipiarters of a mile, and near- ly surrounded by hills of from three to five hundcd feet high. Near tl)o upper part of these plains a small sjiring brook and very cold spring empty into the riv- er from the east side, making a good " trout hole " when the water is not too high. In the brook are also snuill trout. For the next two miles the river is bro- ken by several rifts or chains of rocks across it, and from two to ten rods in length. Over some of them it is neces- sary to lift your boat. All along here, and for some miles further down, the fish- ing is fine, and for a stretch of ten miles the chances for a shot at a deer by day or jack light is very good. On the west side of the river, near the foot of the plains, and distant from one and a half to two miles, are the " Five Ponds," tak- ing their name from their number. These, or a part of them, are excellent ponds for deer. About this section there is now and then a wolf and jtanther; just enough to frighteen the timid ones, but not enough to pay the hunters who trap for them, they seldom getting more than two or three in a season. At the foot of this still water is some three miles of rapids, on which, about the 1st of June, is some good fishing. Below these rapids is the " Drowned Tjand,"as it is called, be- ing a large swamj) overflowed by the draining of Cranberry Lake. This lake is used as a reservoir from which to obtain extra water for I'unuing saw logs, and 48 THE SPOBTSMAN'S AKD TOVTJST'S GUIDE. for mill purposes iu general. The ori- ginal lake was some seven miles long and about four miles wide iu the widest part, while the overflow of swamp laud is prob- ably as much more. When full, the water is raised twelve feet on the lakes, which damages the sporting somewhat in the ealry part of the Summer, but by about the 1st of September the water is near- ly down to the old bed, and fishing and hunting are both good. A dozen or more ponds empty into the lake on the south and southeast side, among which are Bossout, Cat Mountain, Cow Horn, Olmstead, Darnneedle, Fish Pole, or Lit- tle Grass, as it is some times called. Lit- tle Gull, Curtis, and other small ones. Is early all of these are good for trout or deer, and some of them for both. The hunting ground is reached by two routes. First — leave the Rome, Watertowu & Ogdensburg Railroad at Gouveneur, going through Edwards, to Fine, twenty-five miles, by stage, three times a week, or by private conveyances. At Fine you can pnt up at a good hotel, or go on five miles to Griffin's, where you will find as nice fare and accommoda- tions as can be had at a fiist-class faim house. Here, or at the hotel, you will get good guides with light boats for $3 per day and board ; also team — usually oxen and sled — to convey boats and baggage to the foot of still water on the outlet or inlet, as the river is fre- quently called above and below the lake. Second — you can leave railroad nt Can- ton and go direct to the foot of Cran- berry Lake by team. The distance is about forty miles and is accomplished in a day. You can purchase good light boats weighing thirty to forty pounds at Canton, or hire rather poor ones at the hotel at the lake. You can get there with or without guides. Finally, there is plenty of work connected with a trip to this part of the woods, and the lazy ones had better stay at home. But those who are willing to rough it a Jit- tie can have a good time. ' IN NORTHWEST IOWA. Riding north from Algona, which is on the Chicago, Milwaukee c^ Saint , Paul Railroad, you enter upon an ele- vated prairie plateau, which runs west- wards to the Sioux River, embracing numerous beautiful lakes, well stocked with every variety of fish known to this : latitude. The pickerel, wall-eyed pike, ' muskalonge and black and green bats, I and crappy dominating. Ten miles from the Iowa line in Minnesota is Fairmont, on the Southern Minnesota Railroad. Fairmont, tour hundred and seventy-five I miles from St. Louis, is a most inviting , field for hunting and fishing. It is upon the Centre Chain lakes: East Chain, Cen- I tre Chain and West Chain from the main group of lakes there, with fom-teen ad- I ditional ones within a radius of twelve miles from Fairmont. Commencing five i miles east of Fairmont, the East Chain I running from north to south, is composed ' of thirteen lakes, the most southerly one of the group approaching near the I Iowa line being a deep, clear lake, about I four and a half miles long by one and a I half in width, and the other lakes, ex- tending northward, varying iu size from ; one to three miles in length. The East I Chain has seventeen lakes, extending I twenty-four miles upon a direct line from north to south, their borders covered with fine oak, walnut, sugar maple, and other timber trees, in the season covered ^ with water fowl and filled with the finest fish, within thirty hours of St. Louis by i rail. I Prairie chickens in season are here bv UUNTIKG AND FISHIXG GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 49 the million, ■while it is the great halting lield of the geese, swan, brant, duck and crane, hi the Fall npon their flight to the South. ;Manv of these lakes the hook of the angler has never disturbed,, while myriads of the iiuest fresh water fish sport in their limpid waters. A colony of English farmers, some of them grad- uates of Oxford, hospitable and refined, have located around Fairmont, and ap- pear to enjoy all the luxuries of rural j life. They have brought with them the English taste for field sports, have a kennel of tweuty-four hounds, some fine iiuported English huuters, and are al- Avays ready for a fox or wolf hunt, fre- quently chasing the wolves twenty miles before they are captured. They are a jolly set, and are very kindly spoken of by all the farmers in the vicinity. Nine miles west of Fairmont is the West Chain, which contains ten lakes, the largest, " Okamauapadee," seven miles long and very deep; the southerly half of the lakes flowing into the Des >[oines and northerly ones into St. Peter's River. Outside of these chains are fourteen other lake equally as at- tractive. From Teuhasson, on this chain, forty miles westward, on the same grand and fertile prairie plateau, passing endless beautiful lakes, and now and then a homestead settler, is Spirit Lake, in Dickinson county, Iowa. This and the East and West " Okaligi" lakes, all con- nected by outlets, are growing to be quite a resort for sportsmen and anglers from the East, Boston and New York furnishing their annual quota. They are large, clear, beautiful lakes, and filled with fish of every variety. A gentleman who tried his hand at fishing, although the wind was blowing a northwest g;ile at the time, caught thirty-two fine fish from off the bridge between Okaligi and Spirit Lake, aggregating over one- hundred pounds in weight, embracing pickerel, wall-eyed pike, mubkalouge, and green bass, the three last ofiCering fine sport, as they came to the shore with great reluctance. It is no unusual thing in the season to see a ton of fish taken with the hook upon this bridge. The Scandinavian farmers, who compose a majority of the settlers, salt and dry them for Summer use. Indeed, if one did not tire of such food, fish and wild game, with little labor in taking them, could be made to supply the table all the year round. The sportsman and angler should by all means visit the Chain Lakes in the Fall, and to every one in search of invigorating, pure, bracing air and consequent health, no better resort can be found in the Uni- ted States, the only drawback being suit- able accommodations for families. For fishing and hunting parties everything is ready. Every fiirmer in the three coun- ties will welcome you as a brother, and no danger of the Chain lake fiasco being- repeated among these hospitable fron- tiersmen, most of whom were eight years ago homesteaders. NEW GAME FIELDS. The extension line of the St. Paul «S: Pacific railroad having been completed to its terminus at the British boundary line, has made accessible a splendid game country to sportsmen. The com- pletion of this extension, in connection with the Pembina branch of the Cana- dian Pacific, makes a continuous line of * four hundred and eighty-three miles, and binds together by ties of iron the capi- tals of Minnesota and Manitoba. This line of raih'oad has not only opened up for settlement in its whole length, the Red 50 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISTS GUIDE. River Valley, but it has also made easy of access to the sportsman the most ex- tensive hunting grounds on this conti- nent, stocked with a greater variety of game than may be found elsewhere with- in the limits of a single season's excursion. Starting from St. Paul by the main line of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, to the trains of which elegant sleeping- cars are attached, the sportsman-tourist will in less than twenty-four hours find himself in the lower Red River Valley in the northwestern corner of Minnesota. On the prairies anywhere in this region the sharp-tailed grouse is abundant, and in the timbered bottom lands o*' Red River and its numerous tributaries there is good woodcock shooting and plenty of ruifed grouse. In the immediate vicinity of the railroad a few settlers have established themselves within the last year or two, but toward the east, for a distance of two hundred and fifty miles, extends an unbroken, almost un- explored wilderness, where the deer, the moose, tlie elk, and the bear as yet roam in undisturbed security. Getting tired of venison, grouse, nnd woodcock the sportsman may again take the northward bound train, and a jour- ney of a few hours will land him inAVin- nipeg, the capital of ^[auitoba. He will here find a city of some eight thousand inhabitants, which in the intel- ligence and cultivation of its people and substantiality and even elegance of its buildings, will lose nothing vrheu com- pared with any AVestern city of equal population and much greater pretentions. The city is prosperous, growing fast, and doing an immense business, being the entrepot of the whole British northwest. The hotel accommodations are excellent. The country about the foot of Lake Winnipeg is low and marshy, and scarce- ly in any part above the level of the lake. In Autumn the shallow lakes and the streams thereabouts are covered with water fowl — ducks, geese, pelicans and swans — which halt on their migrat- ing journeys southward. The pursuit of the goose becomes, under these circum- stances, a pleasure not lightly to be ne- glected. It is the practice of many in- habitants to encamp on the banks: of the small ponds, and lay in supplies of feathered game for Winter consumption. A little later on the game freezes, and it requires no further curing to be kept fresh until the next May. The geese, after resting on the water all night, rei)air to the gravel beds among the marshes at early dawn to take in ballast, without which they do not fly well. About these beds the sportsmen build brush or reed screens, and at short range secure many geese. A good shot has been known to kill forty inside of an hour, without moving from his screen. Having rested, take steamer down Red River and Lake Winnipeg to the mouth of Saskatchewan. Here have your traps transferred to one of the several steam- boats plying on this great stream. Once on board you may, by this means of con- veyance, without fatigue or trouble, reach the heart of the continent and penetrate, if such should be your desire, to the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The valley of the Saskatchewan is one of the finest and largest in America, and is a great game resort. The varieties are about the same as those of western Dacotah, Montana, and Idaho— the butlalo (in untold multitudes), the grizzly, black, and cinnamom bear, the elk, deer, and antelope, and feathered game in great variety and abundance. At any of the forts or trading-posts of the Hud- son Bay Company — at Cumberland nUNTING AND FrSIHNG GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 51 House, for instance, at Fort Carleton, or at Battleford, the new capital of the Nortlnvestorn Territory — the gentleman- sportsman will find hospitable reception by kindred spirits, good accommodations, and oilers of every facility and assist- ance. Returning to the month of the Sas- katchewan, if there is any time to spare, a trip is recommended to the north end of Lake Winnipeg, which is not distant. The sportsman will then find himself in the land of the caribou and the willow grouse. The former is very abundant in the timber belt, which toward the mn-th- west extends in the direction of Lake Atabasca, and the latter, perfectly reli- able parties say, is swarming on the open barrens, which toward the north- east stretch out all the way to Hudson Bay. Tnose who have tasted the plea- sures of partridge shooting in Newfound- land or a grouse hunt on the British moors will not hesitate to go a good dis- tance out of their way to enjoy once more this delightful sport, and here it can be had to perfection. For his homeward trip the traveler had better take the same" route that brought him within the dominion of Queen Victoria. There is, however, from Winnipeg another route, known as the " Dawson road," by way of Lake of the Woods and the Rainy Lake Region, along the boundary between Minnesota and the Province of Kewatiu. But the first one hundred and twenty-five miles of this road, from Winnipeg, is overland and will entail more hardship than all the journey from the Atlantic seaboard to the outmost post on the Saskatche- wan. It is simply horrid, leading over corduroyed swaniips for a great part of the way. Once on the Lake of the Woods, however, you are amjjly repaid. Nice little steamers provided by the Canadian Government will carry you over the most enchanting lakes, and at the several ))()rtngrs ;ire good camping grounds. The bai ks are high and rocky, the waters, clear as crystal, are filled Avith fish — pickerel, pike, black bass, whitefish &c. — and the surround- ing country is well stocked with game of the same varities as are found in Northern Minnesota, excepting the i)in- uated and sharp-tailed grouse; but the ruffed grouse is found in goodly numbers and now and then the spruce partridge. Ijake Saganaga, near the eastern termi- nus of this remarkable expanse of water, is one of the most beautiful lakes in the whole Northwest, surrounded by enchant- ing scenery. The end of this route will put the traveler down at the mouth of Pigeon River on the shore of Lake Superior. A correspondent of a weekly cotem- porary thus descril)es some of the hunt- ing and fishing points along the main line of the First Division of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad that are taken in on this route : For .sportsmen visitinp; Minnesota in search of health, recreation or amusement, no part of the State ofters better opportunities than the region traversed by the "Main Line of the First Division of tlie St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, with its extension in the Valley of the Red River of the North." Leaving St. Paul and Miinicapolis, tin's road runs in a northwesterly direction for 216 miles to Breckenridge at the confluence of the Red River and the Bois to Sionx, and thence nearly due north, parallel with llie first mentioned watercourse, from 120 miles more through the beautiful and fertile Red River valley, and will' doubtless, before the end of next year, be com- pleted to the boundaries of Uncle Sam's possessions on the confines of Manitoba, con- necting there with the railroad .system of the British Dominion. This is in every respect a first-clas.s road, running Pullman's sleeping 52 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISrS GUIDE. and palace cars. The officers are courteous and attentive, and— what to a sponsmaii is of great importance — the bni" of the French fur traders in ante-lerritorial times. Deer are here quite plenty, and ruffed grouse very abundant and in the numerous lakes good pickerel, pike and black bass fishing is found. If you are a fol- lower of good old IzuuJv Walton make your first stop at Wayzata, where tlie beautiful Lake Miunetouka, one of the finest in Minnesota, offers you unusual oppori unities, and where the hotel accommodations are very good. Farther on through the woods a sportsman may find suitable quarters at almost any station but Howard L;ike, Cokato and Dassel are recommended. At Darwin you get tiie first glimpse of the great Northwest 'ra prairie. Grovts scattered here and there between grain fields, lakes and stretches of naiive prairie, are at first numer- ous ; but, as you proceed westward, they gradually diminish in numbers and extent, until after passing Hermann, aot a tree is in sight for fort.y miles. In this beautiful country between Darwin and Hermann, the pinnated grouse is found everywhere quite plenty, and in certain places there is excellent duck and goese shooting, notably in the neighborhood of Litchfield, Atwater (at the Kandigohi lakes), Willmar, Morris and Hermann. lu nil the places com- fortable accommodations they maybe had at reasonable prices, and also teams to carry the sportsmen to the hunting grounds. At Her- mann you bid good-bye to lake and grove and enter a sea of waving grass, the famous valley of the Red River of the North. Sojourning in this valley, the observant sportsman can hardly fail to notice some new features as well in the flora as the fauna of tliis region when compared with that of the more eastern parts of Minnesota. Instead of the usual varieties of prairie grass you find the biuich or buffalo grass of the plains. Tiie common deer has nearly disappeared and is supplanted by the elk, and farther north by the moose. Tlie pinnated grouse is now scarce, but its sharp-tailed congenor become more and more numerous; and to those sports- men who- would wish to find this, the finest game bird of the grouse fanuly, in multitudes in the Red River valley, we say, do not delay until it is too late, for the Red River valley in its length and breadth will soon be trans- formed into a waving wheat field, and as this noble bird afflects not settlements, he will soon retire to tiie wild prairies and oak openings, less likely lo be disturbed by the presence of man. Among other changes in the animal kingdom may be mentioned that our well known little cotton-tail is seen here no more, and its place is occupied by its larger cousin, the jack-rubbit, the common Western brant is supplanted by that most beautiful of the An- seriu,T3, the snow goose, which here may be seen in flocks by the hundred ; and the smaller curlew so commou along the eastern parts of the road, gives room to the sickle-bill. Doubt- less there are many other changes. After leaving Hermann there is as yet, on a stretch of 150 miles, oilly three stopping places with fair hotel accommodations — Breckenridge where there are good geese, duck, grouse find woodcock shooting ; Glyndon, where this road intersects with the Northern Pacific, and Crookstown, near the present terminus. Around the two little places the sharp-tailed grouse is found in great abundance. THE LAND OP DAKOTA. YAXKTOX. It is evident that this is a new coun- try, from the game that is so pleuty all around. Of course, the buffalo have left this section, although several have been killed recently in Eastern Dakota — one only a few miles west of Water- town, the western terminus of the Win- ona & St. Peter Railroad; others west and north of Fargo. The deer are gone to the Black Hills and the country of the Yellowstone; but the antelope re- main — much like the Fienchman's flea, and about as hard to catch or shoot. Antelope steaks are plenty during the Winter months. In the way of feath- ered game are geese, sand-hill cranes, HUNTING AND FISUING GROUNNS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 53 ducks, praii'ie chicken (sonio of the sharp- tailed fellows, too), (luail, snipe and a few woodcock. It would do an Eastern sportsman's heart good to see the millions of geese and ducks that cover the i^rairics in the Fall, not to speak of tlie chickens. The chickens assemble along in Octo- ber in immense flocks, and exercise such wonderful vigilance that it is almost im- possible to approach near enough for a shot. They are fat and good, and grain-fed. The boys capture lots of geese (with shot) going to and returning from their feeding grounds to the sand-bars in the Missouri River. They fly out to and from the grain fields at morning and night, crossing the railroad just below the city in large numbers. The boys take cover in the willows along the bank, and shoot them as they fly. The fusi- lade sounds like a skirmish line. For pinnated grouse look near the settlements, especially near wheat fields. Very few, comparatively speaking, are found out on the open prairies, away from the settlements. It is of but little use to attempt to shoot wild geese on the large lakes. Up North they rear their young. You must wait for their Autumnal flight South, and shoot them as they do at Yankton when they halt for food and rest. There is good shooting at Yankton for weeks nfter the waters of Northern Dakota, Minnesota, and Michigan are closed by th(3 ice king, S|)ortsmen wishing a good long sea- son, with plenty of feathered game, are advised to go to the vicinity of Yank- ton. There are first-class hotels, and sportsmen can purchase everything need- ed of the public-spirited dealers in such goods, right on the ground there; and citizens of Yankton will extend a sports- man's welcome to all who may visit that section for the purpose of enjoying the fine sport that can be had on the abun- dant game fields, BISMARCK, In the immediate vicinity of Bismarck, Dakota Territory, it is often, in the Winter, too cold for hunting, although game is plenty close by town. On the train, on the Northern Pacific Railroad, going down to Jamestown, large herds of antelopes are often seen, in easy rifle shot of the road, and only ten or twenty miles from Bismarck. The timber down by the Missouri River is alive with prairie chickens, but they enjoy a degree of immunity, only tempered by the num- ber of degrees which the mercury passes below the 0. About forty miles south- east of Bismarck is a large sheet of water called Long Lake. A party consisting of three well-known shots, who camped out there in October, 1878, for three days, bagged three antelope, two jack-rabbits, one fox, seven swan, sixteen geese, ninty-seven ducks and eight couple of snipe. The lake was literally alive with water fowl of all descriptions, and the party actually tired of the shooting, it approximating too close to slaughter. AtRhude's Ranche, about forty-five miles north from Bismarck, on the Fort Ber- thold trail, were killed by three hunters, in three days, forty-one deer and three antelope. The meat was brought into town and sold at four cents per pound. Two buffaloes v/ere killed about sixteen miles from town by some teamsters. They had probably been separated from the herd and wandered down from the North. Living mountain streams well stocked with trout, flow through this sportsman's paradise, and grizzly bear, 54 THE SPORTSMAN S AXD TOURISrS GUIDE. buffalo, anteloix\ deer, and uumerous small game abound. The principal stream is Big Spring Creek, which never freezes up. It has for its source a mon- ster spring in the Judith Mountains The Indians call it Spotted Fish Creek Ironi the large number of beautiful trout found in it. No trouble is had in catch- ing as many as are wished for, with the ordinary tackle, of from one to four pounds weight apiece. The Indians have long used this place as a favorite hunting ground, and are extremely jealous of the intruding white man. This spice of danger renders the locality peculiarly interesting, as the ardent sportsman has a chance of having his scalp lifted by " Poor Lo!" It is stated that a few years ago three men, in six ■weeks, killed fifteen hundred deer, in the near vicinity of the Judith Basin, for their hides alone. A successful slaughter in reality. IN THE PELICAN STATE. VARIED AXD WELL-STOCKED GAME REGION. Opelousas, Louisiana, is a fine game country. A few miles east of Opelousas, are the lov.laiids of bayous Teche and Courtableau, and in the canebrakes of the swianpy country between these ba- yous and the Atchafalaya River are plen- ty of bear, and frequently in November (the best time to hunt them) that whole region, though subject to overflow in the Spring, is so dry that water is scarce for man and beast. It is the primitive for- est, without human habitation; inhabited onlv by panthers, wild-cats, bears, deer, raccoons, opossums, ».^'c., and some mos- quitoes in warm weather. At a short dis- tance on the north and west are pine woods, with deer and wild turkeys, and clear streams, home of the black (green) bass. For a hundred miles and over, west and southwest, are prairies reach- ing to Texas, interspersed with timber along the streams, and southward to the marshes of the Gulf. In these prairies are the pinnated grouse, and also snipe, ducks, geese, &c., in their reason, and formerly deer ; and in some "Winters, the finest woodcock shooting in the world can be had in the immediate neighbor- hood of Opelousas. Partridges (Bob White) are over the whole country, and in the prairie fields afford much better sport shooting them than in fields sur- rounded by woods. In the marshes near the Gulf thousands of geese and ducks are killed annually simply for their fea- thers. From Opelousas to Grand Lake, in Calcasieu Parish, is about two days' drive through that laud of the prairie chicken, and snipe during the season ; from there to the month of tht- Calcasieu River by sailboat is only a few liouis ; and the game there is an abundance of red and other fish, oysters, ducks, geese, prairie "chicken, snipe, and other game. More can be combined in such a trip, through prairie and woodland, through fresh water to salt water, than rn any other one from this point. Two weeks or three will cover it, and afford sufficient time for pleasure. Opelousas is an out of the way place, seldom visited by Northern tourists, but there is a greater variety of game there, than any other part of the South. There are two routes from New Orleans— one by rail to Mor- gan City, thence up the Teche by boat to New Iberia, thence forty-seven miles through the prairie by stage to Opelou- sas ; the other route, the pleasautest and most traveled, is by boat, up the Missis- sippi to the mouth of the Red River, then down the Atchafalaya to mouth of the bayou Courtableau, and up the lat- ter to Washington, six miles from Ope- HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 55 lousas, where hacks are always ready to convey passengers to the latter place. The best hotel in the State, outside of New Orleans, is iu Opelousas. WHKRK WOODCOCK C0N15HEGATE— DUCKS, GEESE, AND QUAII,. V'crniillion Parish, is a good shooting ground. Immense flocks of geese and ducks feed on the marshes in tne Winter, and glorious woodcock and snipe shoot- ing can be had in season, together with plovers and sandpipers. Quail (called there partridge) are in full force, and afford excellent sport when the law al- lows them to be shot. From Christmas till the middle of February, the wood- cock are there iu immense numbers, and are in fine order. Hunting these birds in Ijouisiana is very different from the same kind of sport in the North. The season, the place, and the action of the bird are all changed iu Louisiana. Woodcock are not found there in warm weather — no sweltering heat, no spoiling' of birds before you can get them home. On the contrary, the weather is cold and the air bracing ; the birds will keep a week or two, and greatly improve by keeping hung up a few days. Thousands of them are sent to the New Orleans market. In the Abbeville market they sell for fifty cents a dozen. The birds are to be found by day in the thick woods and briar patches, in warm, dry, sunny spots. In such places they spend the day, and there they are to be hunted. At night they fly out into the prairies to feed in marshy places. Dogs go into the thickets and flush the birds, while the shooter takes them as they rise. It is no sickly, lum- bering flight your Louisiana woodcock makes. He comes up out of the cover like a flash, makes a dart, and drops out of sight in an instant behind the thick- et. It takes a pretty quick workman and a sure eye to stop his flight. The woods are full of them. Any one that can make a good wing shot cannot fail to get plen- ty, even if he misses three out of four birds, and twenty birds is a common day's work for any country lout or a negro to make. The prairies, too, arc full of snipe in season. BLACKFISH LAKE. Black Fit^h Lake is situated in Crit- tenden county, Arkansas, some twenty- five miles from Memphis, Tennessee, via the Mississippi & Little Rock llailroad. The lake is about ten miles in length, and from a quarter to a half a mile in width, with a depth of from ten to thirty feet, and in its waters sport the blacks and striped bass, black, yellow, and speckled porch, pike, brim, and the usual varieties of coarse fish natural to the cli- mate. Both banks are heavily timbered, and covered with dense cane-brakes, the cover of the black bear, deer, and tur- key, which in their season afford ample sport with the gun and dogs, the lattei' being indispensable auxiliaries for driv- ing the bear and deer from their fortress in the cane, lewis' lake. This lake cannot be stu'passed as a pleasant resort. It is situated on the highest range of the Allegheny Moun- tains, accessible by railroad to Muncy, Pennsylvania, then by stage coach twen- ty miles up the mountains — one of the most delightful rides imaginable. The lake covers about three hundred and fifty acres, and contains brook trout, lake trout, and a variety of other species. The brook trout fishing is to be found iu the many small mountains wliich nead close by; but the rarest sport is the duck shooting, birds always being plenty. 56 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURIST'S GUIDE. IN OREGON. In a great 8tate like Oregon hav- ing the smallest population of any Commonwealtli in the Union, and embracing nearly 5,300 square miles more than New York and Pennsyl- vania combined, where game and fish are so abundant in almost every sec- tion, it seems somewhat needless to designate the various hunting and fishing localities. Better sports may perhaps be had in Idaho and Wash- ington Territories adjoining, but if such be the case, we have no knowl- edge of the fact. Mountain sheep, elk, deer, antelope, black and grizzly bears, panthers, wild cats, and other four-footed game are found in the greatest abundance through the Cas- cade range of mountains, extending from California on the south to the Columbia River on the nortli, run- ning nearly through the centre of the State, and forming, in connection with the Coast Range, the William- ette Valley, through which it is con- templated to build the California & Oregon Railroad. This road is now running from Portland to Roseburg, and the balance is in course of con- struction from Roseburg to Redding, and when completed will give direct commnnication with Sau Francisco, and afford easy access to the excellent hunting and grounds on the route. Besides the four-footed game already mentioned, feathered game is also found in the greatest abundance, in- cluding swans, geese, ducks, brandt, and all other known varieties of wild- fowl, grouse, quail, and other game- birds. Every lake, river, and stream, teem with cboicefish — salmon, brook trout, halibut cod, smelts, &c. The salmon fisheries of Columbia River are the most valuable in the world, yielding a revenue of several millions of dollars annually. Trout streams are intersi)ersed through the State in all directions, being most abundant in the mountain districts. As to the wild-fowl, we have a letter now be- fore us, the writer of which lives a few miles from Salem, which informs us that " the ducks and geese are an intolerable nuisance, as they destroy yearly nearly one-half the grain crop. In the Fall and Spring the corn and wheat fields are fairly covered with them, and from their incessant honk- ing and quacking, one would supi)ose that they were discussing some grave and important political subject or in- vestigating 'ciphers.' What the le- gislature ever afforded them protec- tion for is past the comprehension of anyone outside the insane asylum. These depredations are not confined to this section, but will apply to the whole State where a farm is under cultivation. If some of the sports- men of the East would only come out here they would not only enjoy the very best of sport, but would render the granges of this "duck-ridden" State an ever-lasting favor." The writer also tells us that " in the mountains and forests elk and deer abound, and bear meat can be had in abundance by those who like to undertake that rather hazardous task of pursuing it." Among the many localities where excellent sport can be enjoyed men- tion is made of Astoria, Rainer, and Columbia, situated on the Columbia River, in the northwest part of the State ; Hillsboro' and Gaston, on the Oregon Central, a short ride from Portland; Harrisburg, Comstock,Oak HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 57 Grove, Amermans, and other points on the California & Oregon Eailroad; and Waldo and Kirbyville, located in tlic Coast Range, near the California line. These points are situated in the Williamette Valley, the most thickly- settled portion of the State, and game and fish are abundant at either, con- sisting of the varieties already men- tioned, affording snfficient sport for either Nimrod or Fishrod. Astoria, Eiiiuer, and Columbia is within easy access of the finest salmon fishing in the world. Clatsop Beach, at Astoria, is a noted Summer resort for the res- idents of San Francisco. Amermans is but a short distance from the Cas- cade Mountains, the home of the elk, the deer, the bear, and the fountain- head of many trout streams ; and on the east side, at the base of the moun- tains, near tlie California boundary line, is Fort Klamath, located at the liead (or north) of Upper Klamath Lake — a large body of water, filled with choice fish and a noted resort for every conceivable variety of wild fowl. A short distance from the fort is an extensive swamp, known as the the Klamath Marsh, amid the dense covers of which Mr. Bruin has made his residence, comjoaratively secure from the intrusion of man. Along the edges of the marsh and the lake shores snipe and plover congregate ih large numbers. Waldo and Kirby- ville are good starting points for deer and bear hunting. The places mentioned are reached by taking the steamers at San Fran- cisco to Astoria, thence rail down the Williamette Valley to Roseburg, the S)uthern terminus of the California & Oregon Railroad, thence stage to Redding, at which point take the cars for San Francisco; or take the cars at San Francisco and reverse the route. The trij) will prove a delightful one, and aff"ord the tourist a view of some of the grandest scenery in the coun- try. Another route is, to leave the cars at Winnemucca, on the Union Pacific Railroad, from which point a line of stages run to Camp Winfield Scott ; from Camp Scott there is a road to Fort Klamath (before men- tioned), passing Camp McGarry' and Fort Bidwell. From Fort Klamath, strike across Cascade Mountains to Jacksonville, or go down Upper Kla- math Lake to Klamathlito, thence private conveyance to Amermans and so on up the valley, as before stated. It is " a hard road to travel," but Avill infuse new life into sluggish veins. The Blue Mountain Region, in the northeast of the State, is a fine game and fish country, comprising all the varieties we have mentioned. This section is reached by dropping off the cars on the Union Pacifiic R;iilroad at Kelton, thence by stage to Boise City, in Idaho. From Boise City, a tri-weekly line of stages run north- west to Dallas City, via Canon City, and a daily line, taking a more north- erly direction, runs to Umatilla, on the Columbia River, passing through Baker, Union, LaGrande, Marshall,, and Pendlet'on, at either of which lo- calities accommodations can be had. Stages also leave Winnemucca, on the Union Pacific, daily, for Boise City,. via Camp Winfield Scott, Fort Me- Dermit, Camp Three Forks, and Sil- ver City. If we mistake not, there is a road leading from Dallas City to Warm Springs and Prine, at the base of the Blue Mountains on the west and to. 58 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISTS GUIDE. Lunesville and Three Rivers at foot (east side) of the Cascade Mountains. To say that elk, mountain sheep, deer, bears, rabbits, grouse, trout, and other varieties of game and tisli have been sprinkled with a lavish hand throughout the entire region, is only repeating that which has already been told. The country is full of wild and magniticent scenery, to see which is alone worth while taking the trip. It is between four and five hundred miles from Kelton to Umatilla on the Columbia River. With the exception of the portions described, all that part of the State east of the Cascade Mountains is a a vast plain, better known as the Sage Desert. DOWN IN FLORIDA. JUPITER INLET. This spot is beyond all question the sportsman's earthly paradise. The shoot- ing is superb, and the fishing simply wonderful. Florida has no more tempt- ing hniitiiig and fishing grounds than in the section of country lying between lakes Worth and Jupiter on the one side and Lake Okeecluibee on the other. Deer and bear are in sufficient num- bers to make it light work bagging that sort of game, while quail, snipe, curlew, turkey, and every variety of duck, give the ardent wing-shot all and more than he can ask. Mosquitoes and sand-flies are unknown during the day, and at night a bar of sand-Hy-netting offers ample security. The country is far more diversified in its character and appearance than at any other locality on the coast, and every- thing combines to make it the objective point for northern shootists. To parties intending a trip down the Florida coast. Col. James Knapp, deputy collector of customs for the port of New Smyrna, and Capt. Abbott, a local cel- ebrity, bear-slayer and guide, are recom- mended as either host or guide. They are both good sportsmen, and the colo- nel is a Northern man. Abbott is an old soldier of the confederacy, the hero of thirty-seven battles. To those requiring a huge boat, and fit out at Sand Point, should not forget tlie genial McCarthy. To an inexhaustible fund of lunnor, he adds excellent judgment and a thorough knowledge of the country. THE LAKE REGION. , Around these lovely lakes almost any j sportsman can get his fill of the finest , shooting of quail and duck. A great j deal of land around these lakes are old \ fields, cleared land, and on these fields are many coveys of quails (called par- , fridges by the natives). Quail here ] hardly know what a gun is. In fact the \ only unsatisfactory part of the business ' is, the ease with which they can be shot, and you will soon learn that there can be too many birds, sometimes, to make ■ quail shooting interesting. But how en- joyable the beautiful Winter days are! The warm sunshine all about you, yet the air just bracing enough to make you feel like tramping or riding; so different from the hot sun and hot sand of Sum- mer. As stated above, the old fields abound with quail in, generally, large coveys. They lie very close, and one can often walk throu<2:h them without flush- ing. They are strong and swift on the wing, and are every way similar to the Eastern quail. They are as plenty in the pine woods, but they fly into the tree tops, and tlv^n are hardly moved again. In the field there is no cover but grass, and with a dog one can have all the HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 59 shooting he wants. Change No. 9 shot | Waldo, then eight miles' wagon ride for No. 4, and take a row around Lake Santa Fe, or any other about there, and you immediately have a change of sport. The edges of the lake are fringed with grass and bonnets, with little bays of the same, every now and then, making a per- fect home for duck. Ask the darkey who is leaning against that tree, grinning at you and your gun, to pusli you around in a flat-bottom boat among the bonnets and grass. He'll do it all day for two bits. In this way you will again get all the shooting you want; or if you get tired of that, place yourself in some cover or some knoll between any two lakes toward sundown, and take them as they fly over. They are there every Winter, and will be until the last of March or the 1st of April. But shoot- ing at this game grows monotonous after a while, be it ever so good, and variety is the spice of life with sports- men as well as with all other classes. To get this, start for the sandhills for deer, or to the hammock for turkey. You will have to go three, four or five miles, perhaps, and you had better cal- culate to stay two or three days and have a good camp hunt. A good bed and good accommodations— very essen- tial after a day's tramp — can be found right on the banks of Santa Fe Lake. Mr. Lambdin's house is near, and over- looks the lake. His charges are moder- ate — $5 per week. Here you will be sure to receive the best of treatment, and everything will be done to make your stay pleasant, and on leaving you will be glad to have met him and to call him a friend, and will want to come back again. This is also just the place to make head- quarters. From here you can go out in almost any direction for hunting excur- Getting off Transit Railroad at will bring you to this region. CALOOSAHATCHIE BIG CYPRESS SWAMP THE EVERGLADES. If there is in the United States a dis- trict of country that can excel the Ca- loosahatchie and the country south and east from it to the Big Cypress and Everglades, in its attractions to the sportsman, it must indeed be a wonder- ful country for game. The quail, wild ducks, wild turkey and deer, are as plen- tiful in this region as the most ardent sportsman could desire ; and then the Caloosahatchie and Charlotte Harbor abound in fish — in fact, it cannot be ex- celled in the quantity, quality, and vari- ety of the fishes. During Winter the climate is not to be surpassed, cool enough for healthful excercise, and never cold enough for discomfort. The country is open and the land firm. A horse at full speed can be ridden ahuost anywhere without roads or paths. Nowhere else can the sportsman have such variety. Upon the water there is good fishing, unsurpassed in any country ; numerous water birds with rare plumage, and sea shells of great variety and beauty. Upon the land, if an attempt were made to de- scribe the quantity of wild t.irkeys and deer, it would hardly be believ 1. One fact will illustrate: Three In '.i.ms who were hunting upon the borde.s of Big Cypress, killed, in fifteen days, ninety- seven deer, and as they killed these deer for the bides, they killed only such as were large, and the skins of wliich were saleable. The sportsman, to enjoy fully a few months' sojourn in this region, should go prepared to take care of himself. It would be best that several gentlemen should unite, get a good boat, good 60 THE SFORTSMAX'S AXD TOURISTS GUIDE. teuts, the necessary provisions, and a iy mail for South Florida. Isot very far, good cook; and for exploring and hunt- one would say, to travel for good sport. iujT iu the country south of the Caloa^^a- Well, it isn't, over a fine road and with hatchie, it would be necessary to have a i a lively team; but good roads and lively light wagon and two mules for trauspor- 1 teams are not fouud in this part of Flo- tation. Nowhere else on the American: rida. On arriving at the lake, you can continent could a party, supplied as iudi-. catch an unhmited number of black bass, cated, find a bettor field for hunting, or! shoot deer and turkeys until yon get a climate more pleasant, and greater at- 1 tired, and wild ducks, snipe, and snch tractions upon laud and water. small fry till you become disgusted of With regard to poisonous snakes and j sport, insects during the Winter months, mos- j quitoes are not at all troublesome, and "souous snakes are rare. pois< MYAKKA. To give the country a tit!e indicating its characteristic features, we may quite safely assume that Myakka means Hunt- ers' Paradise, Deer's Home, Turkey PERPIDO BAY. Fish are so plenty and bite so fast in Perdido Bay, that one soiui gets tired catching them. The varieties consist of bream, black bass (^called trout in that section). The bay is reached by way of Pensacola, from which point a plea- sant trip can easily be made to the snaj - per banks by steam tug. To one who Roost, or— well, suit yourself— any term I never enjoyed this kind of sport, it is rare susrgostive of an abundance of game, and j fun, but soon becomes labor, fishing in the best possible place for a hunter to ninety feet of water with lead to carry drop iuto for a month's sport in Winter, your line to the bottom, then hauling a and you have it as well named as it is at twenty to thirty pound fish rapidly up present. We say " drop into" advised- [ to the surface, with au occasional jerk Ij, iox if there is any pleasure in getting ; taking the line aud peeling your hands, to it in any other way we confess to utter ' The fish are very abundant, and from ignorance of it. If you are interested to ' eighty to ninety red-snappers can be t^keu in a very short time. MIDDLE FLORIDA. Middle Florida is one of the finest countries in the world. All along her sea coast are beautiful bays aud inlets; through the country are fine rivers, beau- tiful lakes, and pearly brooks. She has grand and wonderful springs, wh<.>se med- know what aud where Myakka is, take any large map of Florida, and, finding Manatee county, the name will appear connected with lakes and a river enter- ing Charlotte's Harbor. The Floridiau gives to all the territory drained by a stream the name it bears, so in the pres- ent instance, lakes, river, and the adjoin- ing country, including a widely scattered settlement, are all known as " The My- icinal virtues are known in all lands. akka." With the lakes and river our story runs. The former lie southeast from the enterprising village of Manatee. on the Manatee Kiver, twcnty-sevtn miles from the wharf, where two fiue ocoan-goinsr steamers land the semi-weok- She has magnificent forests of pine, cy- press, aud hardwood timber, ornamented with the beautiful magnolia and other flowering trees and shrubs. Her lakes, rivers, bays, and inlets are full of excel- lent fi'-h. Her sea coast have an abun- irUXTLVG AXD FJSmXG GROUXBS AXD PLEASURE RESORTS. 61 dance of oysters, fish, turtle, and sponges. Her forests abound in a great variety of game. Her gardens yield the finest vegetables, and have the most beautiful (lowers in bloom all the year. Her orchards bear the most delicious fruits and berries, and her vineyards the finest grapes that make the best of wine. Mid- dle Florida is bounded on the north^ by Georgia, on the east by the Suwannee River, on the south by the Gulf of Mex- ico, and on the west by the Apalachicola River. It is from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and forty miles in length, and from seventy to eighty miles in width. A peculiar feature in Middle Florida is the number of lakelets of clear pure water scattered all over the country, varying in size from half an acre to au acre or more in extent. They, as a gen- eral thing, are very deep, have no outlet, and contain au abundance of excellent fish. They seem to have been placed there for a wise purpose — to supply the wants of every family at their own doors, without hire or reward, with a splendid article of food. In all the countries along the Gulf of Mexico, and in nearly all the heavily timbered lands in the others, are to be found all kinds of game, such as bear, deer, wild turkeys, panthers, cata- mounts, wild cats, &c. Deer and turkey are plentiful. In all the lakes, rivers, and creeks are an abundance of the finest fish, such as trout, perch, jack or hake, catfish, blackfish, bream, &c. On the coast there is the finest of oysters, clams, turtle, and every variety of salt water fish. During the Winter, all the lakes, ponds, bays, inlets, rivers, kc, have an abundance of every variety of water fowl. Sportsmen should visit Middle Florida by all means and take a hunt and a fi^h down ou the coast. Troy, the county seat of Lafayette county, is on the Suwannee River, and is at present the head of steamboat navigation. It contains about fifty inhabitants. It is near one of the best regions for hunting in all Florida. New Port, on the St. Mark's River, six miles from the Gulf of Mexico, was once an important commer- cial place. Above the town is one of the finest sulphur springs in the State, wliose waters contaui great curative powers, and have performed almost mir- aculous cures. Before the war, invalids from nearly all parts of the Union re- sorted there to drink of and bathe iu the health-giving waters of the springs. Across the St. Mark's Eiver, opposite, are hunting grounds not excelled in the South iu all probability. Bear, deer, turkeys, &c., are iu the greatest abund- ance. It is the paradise for sportsmen. ROUTES OF FLORIDA TRAVEL. The southwest coast of Florida pre- sents an attractive field for sportsmen* Steamships leave Boston and Baltimore regularly for Savannah. Florida can also be reached by any of the various rail routes, and fares can be ascertained by inquiring at any of the principal ofii- ces. Steamships leave New York for Charleston three times weekly, and from Philadelphia every Saturday, connecting with railroad, and with the staunch, sea- worthy, comfortable, and ably oflicered sea-going steamers. Steamships leave New York for Savannah three times weekly, connecting with the steamers at Savannah. If travelers prefer it, they can reach Jacksonville from Savannah by the Atlantic & Gulf Raih-oad. Cou- pons of excursion tickets will be received by the company. Travelers will find this road supplied with excellent Pullman cars. Gelpcke's line from New Y'ork to Fernaudina consists of first-class, sea- 62 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURfSrS GUIDE. j2:oing- steamships. The rates of fare can be obtained by inquiry at any of the com- panies offices. Jacksonville or Feruan- dina reached, the sportsman can take railroad daily, except Sunday, for Cedar Keys. If Homosassa is the objective point, a boat can be hired at from eight to ten dollars for the trip, or if disposed the intending tourist or sportsman can communicate with Alfred E. Jones, at Homosassa, and if timely notice is given, Mr. Jones would meet his guests at Ce- dar Keys and land them at his attractive home, free of charge. The only diffi- culty attending this arrangement is the fact, that there is but one mail per week to Homosassa, arriving on Mondays. Homosassa can be reached by another route: Steamer from Jacksonville to Sil- ver Spring, a natural curiosity that should be visited by every tourist. Hack from Silver Spring to Ocala, fare $1. From Ocala to Homosassa, a distance of thirty six miles, over a good road, in a comfortable vehicle, $10 to $12, de- pendent upon number of passengers. Board at Homosassa, from $8 to $12 per week; accommodations good, table excellent; fishing and shooting superior; and the rooms large and airy; verandahs spacious; fresh milk and butter; oysters and oranges ad libitum. Bronson is a point on the Feruandina k Cedar Keys Railroad, thirty miles from the latter place. The ponds in the neighborhood afford fine bass fishing ; quail and duck are plenty, and the sportsman may suc- ceed in shooting turkeys or deer. Ac- commodations, hotels, $ 15 ; private boarding houses, $12; board $1 per day or $5 per week. For information inter- view Mr. G. Levet. With the excep- tion of climate, bathing and fishing. Cedar Keys presents but few attractions for tourists or sportsmen. The hotel ac- commodations can not be recommended as A 1. Sportsmen arriving at Cedar Keys and requiring information need but call upon Mr. Gore, editor of the local paper, or on Willard k Roux. The steamer Valley City,' commanded by that jolly sea dog, Capt. McKay, leaves Ce- dar Keys every Friday for Tampa, Manatee, Punta Rassa, and Key West. Parties desirous of ascending the Caloo- sahatchie River, or of spending a few weeks on the coast, could take steamer to Punta Rassa, and from there ascend the river or explore Charlotte Harbor. For 'gator shooting, ascend the Caloosa- hatchie to the upper islands, six miles above Fort Myers, and thirty-one from Punta Rassa. Above the islands the dis- ciple of Old Izaak can put in all his spare time in landing cavilli ranging from five to fifteen pounds. For fight i and pluck this fish can be recommended. They take the spoon or spinner without hesitation, and we doubt if a salmon fly would be objectionable. For hunting and sea fishing, Tauibel, La Costa, or Gas- parilla Islands are suggested. For a camping place for the invalid who re- quires a bracing sea breeze, an equable temperature, salt bathinsr, and life-giving sunbeams, camp on the northern end of Gasparilla Island. The island is two miles in length, and is well stocked with deer. At the entrance, or Little Gas- parilla Pass, the fishing is unequalled. On the opposite flats beach birds are more than abundant. The mainland is distant about three hundred yards. In the centre of the island a lagoon with excellent water will be found; but by digging a hole in the sand (and putting an empty barrel in it) from twenty to eighty yards from the bay beach, fair drinkiug water can be obtained at low tide. If a party landed at Punta Rassa, HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 63 a small sloop or schooner could be chart- ered to transport boat, provisions, and camp equipage to camping ground. A few weeks spent on one of the islands in Charlotte Harbor, would do much to re- store the invalid. Frosts are unknown; northeasters and northwesters lose their injurious influences before reaching these favored spots. A weekly mail is receiv- ed at Punta Rassa, and supplies could be obtained through Capt. McKay, of the Valley City. Parties are advised to camp on the end of the island, for, by pursuing this course, bushes and grass would be distant some hundred yards, and in consequence, mosquitoes would not prove troublesome. Intending vis- itors should secure coast survey charts of thi-? harbor, two in number, obtainable at any nautical store. Returning north- ward, sportsmen could run the coastline from Little Gasparilla Inlet to Sarasota Inlet, a distance of thirty-eight miles. But unless they are familiar with sailing, and know how to pick their way between bars, and keep clear of breakers, they had better take themselves and boat on board the Vallej City and land at Tampa. At Tampa they would find good accom- modations by calling upon Lieut. Wall. Leaving Tampa Bay, with its islands stocked with deer, and every inlet fur- nishing superior fishing, they would reach Clear Water Harbor by the Indian Pass. From Clear Water Harbor they could run along within two or three miles of the mainland in from three to five feet of water. A barrier reef exists from five to seven miles from the main land, and owing to the shallowness of the water, and the grassy nature of the bottom, the water is smooth. Bayous, coves, and small bays, will be found in numbers along the coast line, and a good harbor can always be made. The voyageurs could enter and examine en route the at- tractive and bcautiftl springs at the heads of the Wiccawatche, Cheseowillshi, Ho- mosassa, and Crystal rivers. During the Winter months, the gulf is usually as calm as a mill pond, and can be safely navigated with a seventeen- foot White- hall boat; but for the purpose of navi- gating shoal water and carrying plunder, a batteau is recommended, such as is used on the Delaware Pv.iver. If decked over and supplied with a centre-board and sail, such a craft would be found admirably adapted to the navigation of the southwest. Arrangements could be made for the cheap transportation of such a boat from New York to Cedar Keys by the New York and Fernandina line of steamers. But if money is no object sportsmen should secure a boat with sailing master at Cedar Keys, Tampa, or Manatee, at an expense of from $4 to $5 per day. But many of the boatmen along the coast have acquired a weak- ness, and if peace is desired the whisky bottle must be kept under lock and key. IN THE LONE STAR STATE. THE "promised LAND" NORTHERN TEXAS. All the northen part of Texas, embrac- ing both the Cross Timbers as a centre, and flanked by extensive priaries on the east and west, and abounding in game (in their places and season), hold out their peculiar charms, and invite the sportsman to the tented field. When acorns and other mast are plenty, and have fallen, then, take to the open woods. You will there find deer, ducks, geese, and turkeys abundant, quail and rabbits plenty, antelope, grouse, and squirrels medium, and bear occasionally, to say nothing of prairie wolves, foxes, coons, possums, &c., not generally noticed. Oc- tober, November, and December arc the 64 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOUTJSJ'S GUIDE. perfect mouths for sport, and January and February not bad, but having a few days, at intervals, of rather cold weather — that is, a few inches of snow and ice, with cold, northerly winds — thus constituting what is so well known in Texas as " a norther." These remarks apply to Northern Texas in Winter, while along the Gulf, or southeru coast, these same Winter months have the mild cli- mate of New York in September. Con- nected with the railroad running south from Denuison, near the north line of the State, are stages which convey persons at once to almost any part of the State desired. For central cities, in which to spend the Winter for health, as well as for sporting, San Antonio stands first, Austin, the capitol of the State, second. These places cannot very well be excell- ed, everything considered. Persons with weak lungs will find relief in Central and Western Texas, if anywhere. She will prove more than the Italy or the Egypt to the United States. Happy will they be who early go down to the '• promised laud," and partake of varied offerings. SAN ANTONIO WACO. Between San Antonio and Waco is the sportman's paradise. Bob White's whistle is heard everywhere, and they are always in sight along the beaten roads feeding on cereals. Around New Braum- fells, are to be found deer and turkeys. The Comal River abounds in fish. At San Marcus, the prairies are alive with quail. At Georgetown deer and turkeys are plentiful a few miles from town. From Belton to Waco is as fine a quail country as a sportsman ever passed through, with deer and turkeys in abun- dance, with a sprinkling of wild cats, and an occasional leopard cat. Hill county adjoining is alive with deer and turkeys, sparsely settled, and the best I grounds within forty miles of Waco. j I 1 TURKEY LAND. , As a game region, there probably can ; be no place found equal in all respects ! to Western Texas, with the Almo City as a base of operations. Mr. H. Lyman Bingham gives a short account of a i fine twelve days' hunt he, with a party j of others, had there during the Fall of I 1878. Fully supplied with all necessary equipments for twelve days in the nest, j the party started from Alamo City on Tuesday, the 12th of November, 1878, their destination being the neighborhood of Frio City They brought up about ' fifteen miles beyond that place, having | bagged considerable game along the 1 way — such as turkeys, quail, and ducks. They finally pitched tents on the Yo-le- digo, fifteen miles from Frio City. There , all hands settled down and went to work | for deer, and spent two or three days, but found them rather scarce, only I killing seven. 'Finally they determined ' on a change of base, and began to re- | trace their stej^s, coming ten miles north- east of Frio City, and camping on the ' Saco, where attention was paid to the turkey. " I can safely assert," he says, ; " that the Saco is one of if not the most i favored places for turkey in Texas. It is a small stream, and runs only a little during the year, but it has water holes all along it the entire twelve months, : and it is timbered, as all such streams are in Western Texas, with scattered , clumps of live oak and other trees. The | clumps of trees, especially where you ^ find a water hole, are favorite spots for | the turkey to roost in, and here is where , the hunters go to shoot them. I am j well aware that many consider this a ' barbarous way of slaughtering turkey; J HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. but let them come to Western Texas, and I will stake my reputation as a sportsman they will do as we do. The idea of calling a turkey up to shoot him down with a rifle! Why, you here see them at all times. But we only shoot lor camp use, until the night before we start for home; then we have fresh turkeys. I will assert that I saw in one roost, the night before we left, in live hundred yards distance, over a thousand turkeys. I killed at least twenty-five turkeys in thirty minutes. Our whole kill of turkey on the tramp was over a hundred, 'seven deer, innumerable quail, both the common and blue topknot, one wild boar, four avalcnas, or wild musk hog. This section is the wildest I have ever seen in Texas. Those who wish to wliile away an most agreeable time in the most congenial climate, and where the best variety of sport can be had, can do no better than to make their head- quarters in the Alamo City, and I shall be only too happy to give them such directions as will afford them the great- est amount of pleasure." CAMP BUNT BY LAZY ALIO. On the 11th day of "November, 1818, 1 left home on a camp hunt to the upper Red River and Wichita county, to be gone thirty or forty days. My company consisted of three good hunters besides myself, a camp keeper, and a freedman to take charge of the cooking depart- ment, and three two-horse wagons with good teams. In the wagons were com- missary stores sufficient for the trip, with tents, guns, ammunition and all other reciuisites; with good teams and two men to the wagon, we had no trouble in making from twenty-five to thirty miles per day. Each hunter carried a a rifle and a shot gun. The rifles were Sharp's and Winchester's; the shot guns, two muzzle and two heavy breech-load- ers. For large game, such as buffalo antl bear, I consider Sharp's the best gun ; for smaller game, such as deer, anteloj)e, and turkeys, I give the preference to the Winchester ■^^, as I think they shoot somewhat more accurate, though not with the penetration of the Sharp's -^^ gun. A Winchester thirty-four inch octagon barrel, with the very latest improvements and properly sighted for the prairies, I consider a killing gun. At one hundred and twenty-five miles from home we passed the last settlements of the white man to the Northwest; continuing our course across the prairies and small streams, we struck the Wichita near the old buffalo crossing. As we had not gone out for buffalo, but were after deer, antelope, bear, and turkeys, with such small game as we could pick up by the wayside, we concluded to make our camp. Two of us had hunted over the same country one year ago, and knew the good places for game and camping grounds, which gave us a great advantage over other hunting parties that had never visited that region before. We were in camp and hunted fifteen days, during which time we took one hundred and twenty-six venison hams and sirloin saddles, with a good number of antelope, a Mexican lion or cougar, and many turkeys, geese, ducks, and chickens, of which we kept no count. The deer were unusually fat, there be- ing a good red haw mast on the creeks; the turkeyes, as a general thing, were poor; the light moon in November is running time for deer in Texas, therefore the old bucks wei-e out in force, for of the number killed twenty were old bucks ; the haras and saddles were all saved and salted in a box for three or four THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISTS GUIDE. days and theu hung on a scaffold with smoke under them to cure them prepar- atory to starting for home. Of the forequarters we used what we wanted for camp meat, fed our five dogs what they could eat, and theu gave away two fair wagon loads of them to some hunters from our section of country who were new hands at the business and did not know how to capture game as we did. We were within two days travel of the buffalo, but did not want any. Buffalo hunting is tame when compared with antelope hunting. There is more honor and glory in getting one antelope from the herd on the high prairies than kill- ing a dozen old buffalo bulls from behind a musquit bush. Chicago Field. AFTER A CHRISTMAS DINNER. " Yeuator " gives a glowing account of a party that left Fort Griffin, Texas, to hunt game for a Christmas dinner. The party left camp (Fort Griffin) on the morning of the 15th of December, and consisted of the commanding and three other officers, together with the necessary transportation and rations for ten days, Avith the intention of first visit- ing a place called Mountain Pass, about eighty miles distant, near which bear had been reported abundant, and after- ward to return slowly home, stopping on the way to shoot a sufficient number of wild turkeys to furnish a Christmas dinner for the fort. The party did not expect to see much game before they reached Mountain Pass, and therefore traveled all day along the road, aiid did not stop at all for the purpose of hunt- ing, killing only enough as they went to supply the table. Many buffaloes were passed, feeding in sight, and many carcasses seen from which the hide had been stripped and the rest of the animal left to waste, killed by the hunters who infest this region alone for that detestable purpose. Ou the afternoon of the third day out the hunters arrived at and passed through Mountain Pass, and pitched their camp upon Rock Creek, in a most delightful spot, abounding in pure and sweet water (which is considered a great luxury in a country where there are no wells) and excellent grass for the animals. At this point the party expected to find bear, but whether Mr. Bruin had received notice of their intended coming, or from the want of proper dogs, they failed to find him, although numerous signs were visible. Remaining in this camp until the 19th instant, the party started to return to the grand object of the hunt — turkeys. After leaving the Pass, they retraced their steps about twenty-five miles to Ellen Creek. Here many tu-keys and some deer w^ere found, although so much shooting made the latter to wild to be easily killed. Near where the camp was pitched was a small open wood of black- jack or scrub oak, with an abundant crop of mast, and upon this the turkeys fed. In this wood sixteen turkeys were killed. The party remained in the neighborhood one day, and then moved over to the clear fork of the Brazos River, and within thirty miles of Fort Griffin, where they expected to kill the greatest number of their turkeys, as they were very plentiful; and the first day's hunt, notwithstanding a slight rain, resulted in the death of thirty; but, uufortnnately, the rain increased, and carriers having arrived with intelligence which required the commanding officer to return to the post, the party re- luctantly gave up the remainder of the hunt and struck tents for home. Had they been able to remain out forty-eight HUNTING AND FTSniNG GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 67 hours longer they would have undoubt- edly secured at least fifty more turkeys. FISH AND GROUSE REGION. Solon is located in Somerset county, Maine, and they have some good hunt- ing and fisliing up there. The best way to go is by way of the North Anson by Railroad. There is a daily stage to Solon, and there is some talk of putting oil a daily stage from Solon to the Forks, thirty-one miles; from the Forks to Moose River is thirty miles. In the vicinity of Solon are some fine trout brooks, and five miles from the village is a good trout pond. One mile from the village, at Carritunk Falls, on Ken- nebec River, magnificent trout are caught. Some caught there in the Sum- mer of 1877, tipped four pounds. In Carrying-place Town there are three good ponds. In the first pond are trout that weigli about half a pound. A Mr. Ellis has a camp there and keeps a kind of a hotel, where he has a good deal of company in the Summer. This pond is three miles from the river, and four miles from J. Carney's Hotel in Moscow. In Carritunk is Pleasant Pond, where the fishing has to be done at night. The water is so clear you can see the bottom of the pond, where there is fifty or sixty feet of wf.ter, as plain as if there were not more than five or six feet. It is fringy around the pond and very cold water. From The Forks, five miles, is Moxie Pond, with very good fishing. There is a road to the Moxie. Some very good trout streams are in the vicin- ity of The Forks, and from there to Moose River one will find partridges. A Mr. Gordon says he shot seventeen partridges from The Forks to Parlin Pond, fourteen miles, and shot them all from a wagon in and on the side of the road. Parlin Pond is one of the best places to go fishing, as it is right by a hotel and on the stage road. A stranger can go to Parlin Pond and get all the fish he wants in the Summer and Fall, and he does not need a guide. It is al- so a good place for partridge. Fifteen miles from Parlin Pond is River Settle- ment; two hotels. At this point there is fishing enough. Six miles southwest is Long Pond; east from Moose River is Wood Pond, with three wood ponds. South is Attian Pond. East from Attian Pond is Holeb Pond. Moose River flows through all these ponds and it is good boatilg from the Attian Pond to Holeb Pond. It is twelve or fourteen miles by river, with a carry about half a mile. Few sportsmen visit this section. The best time for fishing is July, the flies are all gone then. FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY. There are good shooting and fishing grounds around Frankfort, Kentucky. In the Fall they have a very fair show of quail. Snipe and plover are not abundant, except in a few localities, and woodcock are rare. In the moun- tains a tramp after the pheasants (ruffed grouse) is nearly always successful. Turkeys, geese and ducks usually appear in the tributaries of the main rivers, and occasionally the blue grass hunters go after them, but such hunts are not com- mon. The mallard and blue wing duck abounds in the Winter on all the streams and ponds. The Kentucky River winds through the cliffs at Frankfort, and any day, when the water is in condition, its banks are clouded with dark gentry for five miles above and below the city. They are not always very particular about the kind of fish they catch, it is true; but they are nevertheless tricked 68 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISrS GUIDE. out with all the superior accoutremeuts of a true iishcrman. Thu river affords a small black bass, seldom weighing over a pound, a few salmon, or pickerel, and a great many silver perch. The common sluggish fish of all kinds are abundant. Up near the head of the river, abreast the "Three Forks," the bass are larger and the pike abundant. Ju nearly all the tributaries the hard mouth fish are to be found in greater numbers and better size. In Ked River, a short stream which reaches the Ken- tucky about fifty miles above Frankfort, any quantity of fine pike are to be found. Several have been taken weighing from sixteen to eighteen pounds, and some few exceeding twenty-five pounds. They require very strong tackle — a No. 4 or 5 reel, a heavy line and long wire snood- itig. They are taken with a bait locally known as the sucker, a small striped fish from eight to ten inches long. The bass, or black perch, in the upper streams take the same bait. Salmon (?) weighing from five to fifteen pounds are also taken there. The best stream for reg- ular fishing anywhere in the State is Elk- horn, a small tributary of the Kentucky, entering it a few miles below Frankfort. For many years it has been a favorite resort for the most accomplished rods- men. It has but one fish — the black perch, or bass, as it is commonly called — and that in great abundance. The stream is shallow and narrow, seldom exceeding three or four feet in depth, very rocky and hill-bound everywhere. It requires constant wading and faithful work, but the true fisherman is always handsomely rewarded The fish range from half a pound to five pounds, a large number weighing two and three pounds being taken every season. It is a little singular that, though hundreds of per- sons visit this stream every day during the season, no abatement of the sport is noticeable. GAME COVERTS OF NEVADA. The State of Nevada is blessed with but little shooting grounds, but there are some, and when found they are ex- celled by none. Elk county, in the eastern part of the State, affords a better field for the sportsman than any in the State, There are other parts which yield as great a quantity, but not variety. For instance, the sink of the Humboldt River, which is a shallow lake of considerable extent, is in Decem- ber covered with myriads of water-fowl of all kinds, including ducks of many vari- eties, honkers, brant, swans, and pelican, but that is all. Away from the shore everything is parched and dry, and for miles the eye encounters naught but sandy hills, alkali plains, and a few stunted sage brush, but as you go east- ward, following the line of the Central Pacific Railroad, the country gradually assumes a more cheering aspect, and up- on arriving at Elko, a pretty little burg and an eating station, you may stop with the assurance that any of the citizens can direct you to good shooting grounds. From there east to Deeth Station on the river can be found ducks, snipe, prairie chickens "(or sharp-tailed grouse), sage hens, &c. At Deeth Station the river leaves the railroad, and away northward, after diverging from the road some thirty miles, until you reach the Grouse Creek Moun- tains, is a hunter's paradise. All is solitude; no habitation for miles now; no hunters have been there; the crack of the gun is like angels' visits — few and far between — and the result, abundance of game and very gentle. The river to- nUNTING AND FISIimG GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 69 Avard the bead is an insignificant stream,' merely a liltle brook, but abounding in trout; they will take the fly as fast as thrown in; in fact, they are so plenty, that the sport becomes tame. Parties who desire splendid shooting can do no better than to give this locality a trial. They are advised to procure their teams at Elko and a full camping outfit and drive to Deeth Station, and from there go north following Mary's River. After you get up it some teu or fifteen miles, you will be surprised to see so much game and of so many varieties. You cannot step up to a pool without ducks flying up. Hardly a hundred yards of ground is passed over without chicken are flushed. DIVERSIFIED GAME FIELDS. NEVER ENDING SPORTING REGION. Within the limits of the State of Vir- ginia can be found every variety and species of game. Beginning at New Year, the sportsman can shoot steadily all the year round. All the Winter the Potomac, Rappahannock, and the St. James rivers and their tributaries, fur- nish the wild fowl, the canvas back, mallard, teal, and the brant, the gamest bird in the world ; also, wild geese and swans, and then is the time for fox hunt- ing. In the Spring, on the sea coast, bay birds and snipe can be killed by the thousand, besides splendid fishing for rock perch and chub. In Summer, cur- lew, willet, and woodcock are in un- counted numbers. By the middle of Au. gust deer are in season, affording splen- did sport; in September the marshes are filled with sora, ortolan, and reed-bird, and single guns can count their day's sport by dozens. At this time the an- gler is in his glory with trout and black bass, that rise readily to the fly in all the mountain streams, especially in the Shenandoah River. In October, par- tridge shooting commences; also, phea- sants and squirrels, not to mention hares, which swarm in the old sedge fields. MOB JACK BAY AND SURROUNDINGS. Mob Jack Bay, between the York and Rappahannock rivers, with the Sev- ern, Ware, North, and East, with their numberless creeks and coves emptying into it, is a paradise for those who love the gun and the rod. Oysters are found at every man's door; crabs in endless profusion, waterfowl of every variety, from the swan and brant to the Summer or woodduck; and as for fish, their name is legion, including pompano and bonito. Sheepshead and hog-fish are so common as hardly to deserve mention, to say nothing of greenfish, spot, and the bay mackerel. Gray foxes abound, and on York River, some few red foxes afford good sport. Wild turkeys are numerous, and quail plentiful. Deer are virtually extinct in this section. So it will be seen that with rivers full of fish, swamps abounding in wild fowl and game birds, and .woods where the flesh do most abound, that a sportsman can find his Arcadia in Virginia. Strangers meditating a visit to the Old Dominion to hunt and fish, are ad- vised to get a letter of introduction to some well known Virginian, who will in- troduce them around and save much trou- ble. For deer hunting, write to Capt, Wm. N. Blow, Littleton, Sussex county, Virginia. ( See Nottoway Region, page 72). Those desiring to hunt quail near Washington City, will find good board and plenty of birds in Culpepper county, along the Virginia Midland Road, about three hours' ride from the National Cap- ital. Write to George Meyers, Jeffer- 70 THE SP0RTS21AKS AXD TOURISrS GUIDE. soutou, Culpepper county, Ya., who will tell you all you want to know, and who will make any parly who stays with him comfortable and happy. Tourists who wish to "do " the Dismal Swamp and fish in Lake Drummoud, write to Bob Rogers, Suffolk, Ta. Every lover of the strange, the weird, and the beautiful iu >'ature, should not fail to make the trip. There is splendid hunting also in the vicinity of the Great Dismal Swamp. The last of September or the 1st of October is the best time. MOCNTAIX REGION" OF THE TWO VIRGINIAS The best brook trout fishing to be had in Virginia or in West A'irginia is all that territory which lies between the Baltimore »lt Oliio Railroad, and the Chesapeake «.t Ohio Railroad, bounded on the east by the Shenandoah Valley, and the west by the Cheat Mountains. In this quadrilateral are the headwaters of the South Fork of the Potomac, of the ^"orth Fork of the James, and of the Kanawha; and as you get deeper into the AUoghanies, to the very fountain- heads of these streams, there you find the fish most abundant and of the finest size. By counties, we would designate the best as Augusta, Bath, and High- lands, iu Virginia ; Pocahontas, Pendle- ton, Braxton, and Randolph, in West Virginia. The most desirable route to any one of these counties is through Staunton, on the Chespeake & Ohio Railroad, and about the most pleasant trip a man could take in the Summer. Hire a one or two-horse wagon, which can be got for $2.50 per day, one or two servants, who can be had cheap, and make the tour through these counties on foot, camping every day on a fresh trout stream, and resting at night iu the purest atmosphere on the globe ; or, if one would not desire to make such a long trip, there are two streams within twenty- five miles of Staunton, that have plenty of fish in them, from four to thirteen in- ches, with houses at which small parties can be accommodated, but in a very plain way. They are rough mountain- eers, but hospitable, and charge very moderately. About four miles from the best of these streams, is a watering- place known as " Stribling Springs," that ha.s a very remarkable combination of mineral waters upon it — alum, sulphur, and chalybeate. Here, a person desiring to be more at ease, and to fish only when the spirit moved him, could find com- fortable quartei-s, good board, pleasant company, without any fuss or fashion to annoy him, at a very moderate price (^$30 per month), and as pretty scenery as can be found anywhere. Combining the quail with the ruffed grouse shooting in this section, it is hard lo find a region that will afford more satisfactory sport. Where most of the ruffed grouse are found, there also deer are plenty. Ork- ney Springs, Shenandoah county, at the base of North Mountain, is twenty-three hundred feet above tide water. The surrounding country is filled with game of every description. Far up the moun- tain-side, where he is seldom disturbed by the intrusions of man, dwells the black bear, living upon berries, acorns, and such other food as he can find ; but sometinifs he boldly descends from his mountain fastness to raid a neighboring corn-field or turnip patch, or, perchance, the farmers' pig-sty may receive a call from bruin, who, never averse to a dainty meal, helps himself to the first little porker he meets. One of the character- istics of the black bear is his delight in a cold water bath, and if a pool does not happen to be convenient, a mud hole will nUNTIXG AND FISUING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. answer his purpose. The principal sprnig at Orkney, the mineral ingredients of which are sulphates of magnesia and iron, is known by the enphonius name of " Bear Wallow," because it was herein that they rolled and weltered ere the en- croachments of man drove them from the valleys far up the surrounding mouataiu- sides. Here too, deer range over the forest-covered mountains in goodly num- bers. The wild turkey finds plenty of cover wherein to roam unmolested. That game and delicious bird, the autocratic rulVed grouse, the wildest but most de- sirable of all our game birds, struts over his rough haunts beneath cover almost impenetrable to man, but frequently leaves his secluded abode for some grain- field in the vicinity, wherein he is often flushed and killed. All over the moun- tains, the barking of the timid gray squir- rel may be heard, and from the valleys below, comes the piping of Bob White, in the dreamy Autumn days. VIRGIXIA SPRINGS. The Virginia Springs are but twenty- four hours distant from New York, the last twelve of which is through a most beautiful region, passing by the Shenan- doah Valley, and the fine mountain scenery of West Virginia. By taking the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, the White Sulphur, Sweet, Red Sweet, Bath- Warm, Rockbridge, or Avhatever point the tourist might wish to be transported to, can be easily reached. The traveler, by leaving the train at Alleghany Sta- tion, has only nine miles staging to the old Sweet Springs, and to the White Sulphur none at all, the cars stopping within a stone's throw of the hotels. The White Sulphur Springs are the most fre- quented, but the old Sweet is generally preferred to any of the other resorts ou account of its being less crowded, and of its unequalled location. Situated in Monroe county, in a beautiful valley, it is surrounded by charming highlaiul .scenery, and the temperature is delight- ful, even in July and August. The hotel and cottages accommodate seven or eight hundred guests, and is very well kept. Game of all kinds, fish, flesh, and fowl, is so abundant as not to be appre- ciated. Woodcock frequently are shot within five hundred feet of the house, and a mile or two back in the hills is one of the finest drives for deer to be imagined by the most ardent sportsman; while for the disciples of Izaak Walton, ten min- utes' walk of the house is a troiit brook, where the capture of two to three pound- ers is an every day occurrence. Every day they hf.ve speckled trout served up on the table, which, with tender, juicy venison steaks, and side dishes of wood- cock, pheasants, &c., form a mcmt un- surpassed anywhere. The deer are actu- ally so plentiful that they are often met with on the wayside, and seen crossing the roads ahead of passing teams. Alto- gether it would be difficult to find a re- gion within a day's journey of New York that offers such inducements to the hunt- er, whether of fur, fin, or feather. GENTLY WOOING. Hear how gently Mr. J. M. McCann WOO the sportsmen to the "happy hunt- ing lands" around Bridgeport, West Vir- ginia: "Though strangely overlooked by sportsmen, this is one of the finest hunt- ing grounds on the continent. All the land is full of grouse and quail, and the mountains abound in deer and bear. The pigs are fattened on trout in the wild, remote districts, where game laws are ini- heard or unknown. The Valley of Can- nan is filled with puma and bear; board- 72 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURIST'S GUIDE. ing iu the mountain cabins is free of cost, and the wild, b?nntiful land is the hunt- er's paradise — not a house within thirty miles, save, perhaps, the hut or cave of the moonshiner. The valley is the bed of an ancient lake, level and beautiful as any Texas prairie; the Blackwater winds slowly among the tangled laurel, and the puma, the bear, and the deer, are seldom alarmed by the voice of a hunters gun. The scenery is grand and beautiful among those mountains. The castellated rocks are like the ruins of old cathedrals, and the moss is deep and soft as Persian car- pets. Flocks of wild turkeys feed under ihe " greenwood tree," a mass of emer- ald and gold. Sometimes in Autumn, the white umbrella of the painter is seen 1)7 the waterfall, or among the hollies in the mountain gorge; but the wild duck dreams on the river, and the deer among the laurel, and the hunter comes not from the far North land." THE NOTTOWAY REGION. The Nottoway region, lying on the Nottoway River — commencing at Stony Creek Station, on the Weldon Railroad, and continuing on to Southampton coun- ty, is without doubt the wildest and most desolate section of Virginia. The two counties — Sussex and Southampton — beat anything in the way of desolation ever witnessed. Of course, in such a sparsely settled and rarely hunted coun- try, there must be game, and actual ob- servation has demonstrated the fact, that there is more game in this section than any part of the Middle States. The negroes have pretty nearly thinned out all the rabbits and squirrels; but as they do not keep a pack of hounds, the deer are safe from their driving and hunting. Neither do thev keep pointers or setters, and (juail roam at will undisturbed by the report of a single gun. To sportsmen with good dogs, a breech-loader, and moderate skill, it would be difficult to enumerate the number of birds that could be killed. But the great sport of this section is deer hunting, and as strange as the assertion may seem, it is nevertheless a true one, that there are more deer now than ever before. There are many theories to account for this, but the two principal, and certainly the true ones, are that the farmers are too poor to keep a pack of hounds; nor have they time to hunt them, and then again two-thirds of the cultivated lands have since the war and the emancipation of the slaves been turned out to run wild, for with their limited means and impov- erished condition under a new regime, the farmers have had to concentrate their labor on a limited area, and the land left uncultivated has speedily grown up in pine thickets that are impassable, and in these safe retreats the deer breed and bring forth their young in undis- turbed security. The country fairly swarms with them. The owner of Tower Hill is Capt. Blow, and he is the only one around there that has a pack of hounds. The captain used to be an in- veterate sportsman in days gone by, but now he hunts only when out of meat, and generally kills between twenty-five and thirty every season; his porch is cov- ered with scores of antlers, the fruits of his prowess of the chase. When he puts his hounds out he is as certain to start a deer as he is to jump a jack rabbit. The only method practiced in this section is driving the deer with hounds, and as they either cross the road or river at certain points, the chances are always in your f iV':>r of bagging the game. HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 13 Fox chasing is the sport of this part of the world. About Christmas there is a grand meet, and the farmers rendez- vous at some mansion and bring their hounds, and the whole of the holidays are generally spent in this most exhila- rating sport; it requires the hunter to be well monnted. Capt. Blow has a fine pack of hounds. The gray fox is the most common kind, and they have so in- creased that they have nearly destroyed the rabbits. In the Nottoway River there is an abundance of beaver and otter, and there have been no profes- sional trappers in the vicinity for a long time. There is a fine opening for such a class. This section is the paradise of a sportsman who is willing to rough it. Capt. William Blow, whose postoffice address is Littleton, Sussex county, Ya., will cheerfully answer all inquiries. He has lived in Sussex county all his life, and what he says can be accepted as the frozen truth. The Captain is a genial gentleman,- a true sportsman, and a gal- lant soldier, being a graduate of West Point, and he can probably be induced to take as boarders a few gentleman sportsmen, who either want quail shoot- ing, deer hunting, or fox chasing. The route there is by Petersburg to Stony Creek Station, on the Petersburg & Weldon Railroad, from there twenty miles by private conveyance. JEFFERSONTON, VIRGINIA. This section of Virginia, and especi il- ly this immediat ' locality, is considered the best hunting ground anywhere in the middle part of the State. The fields are ' alive with quail and rabbits, and the woods abound in squirrels; wild turkeys ' are also numerous. Those who desire ' first rate sport must leave the line of the railroad, where every station sends forth daily a motley gang of amateur hunts- men, armed with every variety of gun and accompanied by every conceiveable style of dog, from the thoroughbred pointer down to the " cur of low degree," and who scare up all game within a ra- dius of five miles. The very best place is a little vilhige of about a dozen ho.ises called Jeffersonton, in Culpeper county, and fifteen miles from Culpeper Court House. It is surrounded by many well- tilled farms, which have large fields, and in these stubble fields the partridges (quail) feed. There are but few of the citizens who keep dogs; their time, as a general thing, is too precious to be wast- ed in hunting, and but few, very few, of the lands are posted. To a party of good shots, with fine dogs, they can get their fill of the best of shooting, though they are advised not to go until the first of November; for it will take several heavy frosts to kill the weeds enough to allow the dogs to scent the birds. To those -who desire to get full infor- mation let them write to George MyerF, at Jetfersonton, who will board them, and give them all the particulars, though to get there you take the cars at Wash- ington City at 7:30 A. M; from there Myers will, if notified, take you to Jef- fersonton, distant ten miles. TROUT REGIONS OF NORTH CAROLINA. When " stern Winter no longer rules the skies," and the bleak, cold March blasts have blown themselves out, the denizens of our closely packed cities and towns begin to long for shady forests, limpid streams, and the delicious abandon of a lazy Summer vacation. Especially are tlie disciples of the rod casting around to find, if possible, some new locality where they can practice their gentle art. u THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISrS GUIDE. The places to which they have hereto- fore resorted have become so familiar to the public that they are overrun by civ- ilization (?) in its worst forms. Pot- hunters and photographers, parasols and pinafores, crinoline and croquet, steam- boats and shoddy, hotels and hostlers, railroads and reporters, now swarm over spots consecrated and long endeared to the heart of many a gallant sportsman. There is in North Carolina a large ter- ritory which is verily believed to be un- surpassed on the continent for advan- tages as a quiet Summer resort. There is not a railroad or navigable stream in it. It has long been known and afJpre- ciated by the dwellers on the South Atlantic and Gulf coast, and some years ago was a favorite retreat for them from the .fierce heats of their more Southern homes. Upon an examination of the map it will be observed that in Virginia the Great Chain of the Alleghany Moun- tains divides, one range preserving the original name and southwesterly direc- tion, vi^hile the other diverges toward the south until it crosses the State of North Carolina^ where it turns sharply toward the west, running almost parallel with the AUeghanies until it gradually sinks into the plains of Northern Alabama. This last range is called the Blue Ridge, and divides North Carolina from South Carolina and Georgia. The llrst is the boundary between North Carolina and Tennessee. That portion of the State lying west and north of the Blue Ridge, and south of the AUeghanies, is known as Western North Carolina It is about one hundred and seventy-five miles in length, wiih an average breadth of sev- enty-fiye miles. It embraces sixteen counties, seven thousand square miles, and a population of over eighty thousand. This section has frequently been de- scribed as a plateau, but it is in fact a very mountainous region, being divided into a number of narrow but exceedingly fertile and beautiful valleys by trans- verse ranges connecting the AUeghanies and Blue Ridge, suggesting a resem- blance to the celebrated ligament which bound together the Siamese Twins. The Black Mountain, in Buncombe and Yancey counties, and the Balsam, in Heywood and Jackson counties, are the most noted of these transversal ranges. Indeed, Professor Guyot, of Cambridge, who has given great attention to this re- gion, and has made careful barometrical measurement of several of the highest summits, denominates it as the culmina- ting point of the great Appalachian Chain. On the Black Mountain are several peaks — Mt. Mitchell, Cling- mau's Peak, and a dozen others, higher than Mt. Washington, and on the Balsam is Mt. Pisgah, Plottjs Balsam, and five or six more, all of which tower more than six thousand feet above the* sea. No description can convey a clear idea of the remarkable parallelism of the ridges and valleys which characterize the topography of this region, or the grand and beautiful features of its scen- ery. To comprehend all its grandeur, and appreciate all its beauty, one must climb its mountains and wander among its vaUejs. Probably the greatest charm is the magnificent climate. From May till November is one continued season of health, beauty, and enjoyment. The nights are delicionsly cool, allowing sound and refreshing slumber, and as the morning advances the sun pours down hot rays, which would be oppressive 'but for the breezes from the higii tops and shaded glens of the mountains. A long HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 15 series of observations sliow the maxiraum temperature to be about eighty-five de- grees, the meau Summer temperature being about seventy-two degrees. This extraordinary dryness of the atmosphere has a fine, exhilarating effect on the sys- tem, especially for invalids, and renders the country free from annoying insects. Mosquitoes and black flies are unknown. The valleys have an average elevation of two thousand feet, and are generally well studded with farms and hamlets, but the mountains are, and for centuries to come will remain, wilderness. In them game is abundant, but in the set- tlements it is growing scarce. The valleys have each their principal stream, taking its rise in the northern slope of the Blue Ridge, and flowing in a northerly course through the Allegha- niesinto the Tennessee Valley. It is a remarkable fact that while the Blue Ridge has a lower elevation than its sis- ter chain, the streams all head in it, and run through the others, cutting deep chasms and gorges. It frequently hap- pens that one may in the space of five minutes dip a cup of sparkling water from two springs, one sending its tribute down the southern slope to the Atlantic, the other in the opposite direction to the Gulf, to meet after months of wandering, having traversed every variety of soil and climate beneath a tropical sun. All of these streams are pretty well supplied with fish. In some they are very abun- dant, the pike and black bass of the South, both very game, being the most desirable. But it is the head waters and tributaries of these rivers where the joy of the angler's heart — the speckled trout — is to be found in untold numbers. They are not large, seldom exceeding eighteen inches in length, and averaging not more than nine; but their great num- ber compensates for their size. Indeed, it is a question whether it is not better sport to whip one of these mountain streams, with the excitement continually at the boiling point, than casting lazily from a boat or clear shore with a strike once every three hours. It is no easy work to fish one of these streams. They come rushing down the mountain gorges, leaping over cascades, boiling, foaming, and roaring beneath the sombre balsam, hemlock, and rhododendron, often for miles without a ray of sunshine being able to penetrate the dense foliage. You must wade, and the water is decidedly cold, the current rapid and strong, and the rocks — well, slick don't express it. He who essays a day's sport here must be prepared for anything in the way of a ducking. He will not go far before bis heels fly up and his scalp is introduced to the acquaintance of the rocks at the bottom. Should anyone be disposed to visit the country, of which but an imperfect idea is here given, there are several routes open. Asheville is well situated for a starting point, being, geographically, in the centre of the region. From New York or any of the New England or Eastern States, the best route is via Richmond, Danville, Salisbury to Old Fort by rail, thence across the ridge twenty-four miles by stage, a daily line connecting with railroad. From north- west via Louisville, Nashville, Kuox- ville to Wolf Creek, thence by stage forty-four miles— a daily line. From the South either one of the routes mentioned will be found convenient. There does not exist on the face of the earth a people more honest and hospita- ble than in the mountains of Western North Carolina. They do not know how to cheat or extort, but in their humble 76 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURIST'S GUIDE. and simple homes they extend a welcome and entertain the stranger with that whole hearted kindness not to be found in the conventional circles of more re- fined life. THE BLACKWATER EEGIOX. The following description of the Black Water Region is from the pen of D. S. Green, Esq., and affords much valuable information regarding this wild and ro- mantic section. The stream lies among the mountains twenty-six miles south of Oakland, on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. There is a toler- able good road through the glades for thirteen miles, after which it degenerates almost as rapidly as the turnpike out "\,\'csl, which is said to have dwindled down to a foot-path that finally became a squirrel track, and ran up a tree. The last few miles are a mere trace through the woods, though this is sometimes traveled by wagons, the passengers by which generally have the privilege of going on foot. The Blackwater is one of the extreme eastern affluents of the Ohio. It runs through a forest country of probably thirty miles in length and width, a tract of some nine hun- dred square miles, almost as wild as any part of the Rocky Mountains. In all tliis region there is hardly a settler to the hundred square miles; in the part usually visited by trout fishermen, there is but one house, a lone log building ten miles from the nearest settle- ment. Tears ago Judge Dobbins of Balti- more, who owned large tracts of land in the neighborhood, built this as a place to bring his family in Summer. Tlie property has changed owners, but the house is still called " Dobbins' " by the mountaineers. In Winter the region is entirely deserted, but with the opening of Uie fishing season in May a family by the name of Kitzmiller moves in and accommodates visitors with plain and sub- stantial country fare. This is the only place in the wilderness where shelter or supplies can be obtained, except at " Cosner's," eigh- teen miles up the river. Visitors who think whisky one of the essentials of life, are ad- vised to bring it with them, aa not a drop is to be had on the Blackwater. Mr. Kitzmiller is kind and honorable, and not disposed to exorbitant charges, consider- ing that every mouthful of provisions, except the trout, has to be brought twenty-six miles. Ho belongs to the singular sect of Menouilos who, for a wonder, appear to be practical Christians. Dobbins stands on the summit of the Moun- tain between the Blackwater and North Fork, and is said by the natives to have an elevation of thirty-nine huudrc.i feet above the ocean, though ii is more than doubtful if a barometric measurement would show so great a height. There are sixteen cataracts within hoariug distance of the house, and the effect in time of flood, when the whole sixteen are roaring at once, is said to be tremendous. The Blackwater is a stream some thirty or forty yards in width, clear of driftwood and trash, and the chance for casting the fly on it is first-class. The fishing in the proper season. May, June and September, is mag- nificent. The trout average rather small, and have not the activity of those of more north- ern and colder streams. Tlie large ones, however, will give the wielder of a light fly rod enough to do. Their flesli is a rich red- dish yellow, a regular salmon color, probably owing to the fact that their diet is largely composed of crawfish, which abound in the stream. The eflect of the cnistacea on the flesh of the game fishes that devour them is well known. The stream flows along after the usual manner of trout streams for many miles, until it suddenly falls over an enormous ledge of rocks, sixty-three feet at one leap. Xo visitor should fail to see these falls, nor to explore the tremendous gorge of the North Fork, which stream tumbles down eight hun- dred feet in less than a mile. The Great Falls are very difficult of access, vet on the rocks at their foot are cut the names of two ladies. The pure mountain air, the glorious scene- rv, the fine fishing, and the entire absence of the multitudinous bores of civilization, render the region an angler's paradise. The Adiron- dacks are said to have become hackneyed, so that it is difticult to find a respectable camp- ing ground not already littered with fragments of lunches, torn newspapers and hoopskirts, I or to bathe in the lakes without stepping on HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 77 the fragments of somebody's braudy flas-k, but here is a country still almost iu the con- dition it was when the red man followed the deer through its spruce forests. Long may it be before it is invaded by the devotees of fashion Largo game is abundant, as evidenced by numerous deer tracks, bear signs, and panther trails on the North Fork. The rattlesnake, troubler of the peace around camps on many a northern stream, is unknown here, and his absence is borne without overpowering re- grets. Black flies and mosquitoes are scarce, but gnats abound and bite with a full deter- mimation to carry out their mission on earth. They are very troublesome while fishing^ but easly disposed of in camp by building a sufficient fire, not a smudge, but one compos- ed of half a cord of wood or so. Start this and the camp is pleasanter for it, while the gnats will leave in orbits which for that night at least are not returning curves. A considerable swindle is practiced at Oakland, on visitors to the Blackwater, the price charged them depending entirely on the estimate formed by the guides as to the depth of their pockets or their anxiety to get for- ward ; as high as $10 per head being exacted from some parties for transportation, while others are conveyed for $5. A fair price for the service is from $4 to $5 per horse, pay- ing also for an extra horse for the guide. Contracts should be made for transportation to Dobbins', as some of the guides have a trick of agreeing to take, passengers to the Blackwater and fultilliug the bargain by leav- ing them in the wilderness at the nearest point on the shore of that river, without the slightest information as to the country or any base of supplies. At the house local guides can be obtained, and those who wish to camp can get information as to the region and the best fishing grounds. It is a useless expense to take guides, as some parties do, from Oak- land, to remain with them during their en- tire stay, except for such as propose to camp and have not yet learned how to take care of themselves in the wilderness. Such babes- in-the-woods will do well to take a guide and stick by him. To be lost in the Blackwater forest would be no joke. Thomas Barley, at Oakland, is a good man to apply to for infor- mation or conveyance to the stream. Trans- portation back to Oakland can be obtained of W. Kitzmiller at Dobbins' at any time at a reasonable price. IN THE GOLDEN STATE. In addition to the sections here men- tioned, reference to other hunting and fishing localities in California will most likely be given on other pages: ON THE TEXAS PACIFIC. It is doubled if any State in the Union pre- sents a more attractive field for the hunter or sportsman than California. Since its comple- tion, the Texas Pacific Railroad proceeds the entire length of the State to the Colorado River, making its way through the valleys at the foot of the Sierra Novadas and Sierra Madras, and thus presenting to the hunter five hundred miles of magnificent ground, unsurpassed for accessibility, extent, and variety of game. In the mountains may be found the grizzly, cin. namon, and black bear, deer, and the California lion — which, by the way, is a notorious cow- ard. The deer and antelope migrate to the lower levels during the Winter months. Here are also seen the mountain quail, a lordly bird, which is as white-meated as a chicken, and at- tains a large size. On the plains are number- less quail and hares, and on the lagoons and rivers iu the Winter, may be found immense quantities of wild geese, canvas-back and mal- lard ducks, with the more common varieties. Approaching in great flocks during the months of October and November for their Winter's sojourn, they remain until Spring, infesting the rivers and grain fields of the upper and lower Santa Anna valleys, offering rare sport. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. The Sacramento, Pitt and McCloud rivers, near Mount Shasta, afford some of the best salmon and trout fishing to be found on the globe. Sir Rose Price, a gentleman who has fished in some of the best countries for this sport in the world, states that the trout fish- ing in these rivers and their tributaries is the best he ever experienced, when the numbers, gameness, size and quality of the fish in these cold, clear and rushing rivers are considered. To be sure, about June and July, when the salmon are spawning, the fly is of very little if any use, but very early or quite late in the 78 THE SPORTSMAN'S AXD TOURISrS GUIDE. season, in some, if uot all of these streams, they take the fly pretty well. The cause of their uot rising to the fly is that iu the months of June and July, perhaps earlier or perhaps later thau this, it may happen the trout are feeding upon the salmon roe that is floating down the stream or are disturbed in the gravel or sand in the eddies by the trout themselves, and which although fiercely guarded by the male salmon, who remains by the female while discharging her eggs, and, after dropping liis melt over them, drives, or attempts to drive ofl' all intruders, of course including the trout and perhaps others of his own kith and kin, who are known to be very destructive even of their own particular kind. This is especially the case where the holes are deep, a little away from the swift current, and where great num- bers of salmon rest, and which aflord the In- dians capital opportunities to spear them. Every year the numbers of fisherman who re- sort to these waters as the ne plus ultra of angling sport, and their neighborhood, as the habitants of deer and many varieties of the larger game, are increasing. Those who can aft'ord the time and means have a grand time of it. They generally camp out either on the shores of one of the many rivers which, flow- ing from the base of Mt. Shasta, form the Sac- ramento, Pitt, or McCloud, or on one of the lat- ter. The canyons are heavily wooded with magnificent old trees through which these pure and cold waters from melting snow flow. These visitors feast on venison, trout, and any other portable provisions they may choose to bring with them or obtain from the well-pro- vided public houses, and the best sauce they possess is a good appetite. There is a pretty long stage journey from Redding, the terminus of the railroad, but men who can camp out and fish, are supposed to be well able to stand a day and night's travel and a strong shaking up. The scenery, to lessen the fatigue, is pic- turesque and indeed magnificent. Here are the primeval forests, pine-tinctured mountain air, and never failing sport with the trout and salmon ahead, as the fish seen jumping every- where in the passing streams attest. The sal- mon that are taken average about twelve pounds each. So many of them can be cap- lured with salmon roe, the fishing soon be- comes monotonous. The attention after a Ut- tle while is turned to brook trout and Dolly Vardeos. It is quite common to catch fifty of these per day, averaging about a pound each. The Dolly Varden is the rarest sort to bag. They weigh heavier, are gamier than the brook trout, have some yellow and red spots on their sides, but are not so beautiful either in shape or color, nor so gpod in the quality of their meat. The supplj- of fish is inexhaustible, and the charm of fishing would be as much so could they be creeled by means of the fly in- stead of the roe-bait. But wliat a splashing and struggling and excitement there is on the shores of these Ihicklj' peopled waters ;it any rate, and upon the whole the trip to a thorough angler and loverof the grand and beautiful and the healthful, cannot be otherwise than highly satisfactory and delightful. AROITND SACRAMENTO. Tliere are many fine liunling and fishing grounds in the neighborhood of Sacramento, California. Deer, hare, rabbits, wild geese, and ducks of all kmds, snipe, plover, curlew, quail, &c., are always to be had by those who are willing to go where they are. Resident sportsmen often hitch up a team at one or two o'clock of an afternoon, and manage to get a good half day's sport near the city. But to tiie sportsman who goes there for pleasure, with lime and means at his command, Califor- nia ofl'ers the most tempting allurements. In January the climate is delightful, the mass green, and the soft perfume of violets and ger- aniums is quite perceptible from under your window, while the sun shines out bright and warm, with the thermometer somewhere be- tween fifty and sixty degrees. Ofl' iu the east, stretching from north to south as far as the eye can reach, like a wall of white marble, runs the Sierra Nevada chain of mountains, whose summits are white with snow, forming a pic- turesque background to the valley in front an the foothills warm-looking and green with ver- dure. On the western side of the Sierras there are no grouse, excepting tliose which stay high up in the mountains near the summit. There, too, are found in large numbers the " mountain quail," a species larger than the blue valley quail, of a brownish-gray color, and with (in the male) a long plume rising on the top of the head, and falling behind almost to the middle of the back. At the summit of the mountain, in the very heart of the Sierra, some eight to HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. t9 ten thousand led above the sea level, stands ail excellent hotel, surrouu'led by cliffs and valleys, waterfalls, and clear cold streams coursing- down to the ocean, in whose eddies and little holps are the most luscious of moun- tain or brook trout ; and all through the moun- tain ranges, black bears, deer, grouse and quail. OJAI VALLEY. One of the prettiest little nooks in all Cali- fornia is tlie Ojai Valley — or valleys, rather, for there are two of thera — commencing about a dozen miles directly east of San Buena Ven- tura, on the Pacific coast. It is of the lower valley that we speak. It is about six miles long and two wide. Through it run two streams that never fail even in the driest sea- son, while during the rains they are increased to two or three times the number. A portion of the valley, almost one mile wide by two in length, is almost as level as a floor, and is filled with grand old live and wliite oak trees, giving the appearance of some old and well cared-for park. The whole valley is a Colo- rado park on a very small scale. On all sides rise the mountains like the sides of a Roman amphitheatre. With every hour's motion of the sun, with every passing cloud, these moun- tains have a different color, tone, and shade. Sometimes they are covered with heavy, threatening storm clouds, and sometimes they are bathed in the most tender and delicate shades of green. But it is at sunset that they are most strikingly beautiful. While the whole west is filled with living, liquid, golden light, the mountains at the western end are in dark shade, but those at the eas'.ern end are covered with a brilliant amethyst. Game abounds in plenty at the proper season. In the Ventura River some fine trout are caught. When the water grows low, as it does by August, the fish retreat far up the streams to the shades of the narrow canyons to enjoy the cooler waters nearer their source. But the quails — the pret- ty, lively, active little quails — how they do abound! In the morning or evening they are found in immense numbers almost anywhere along the base of the foothills, or at mid-day by the streams, to which they go with the ut- most regularity. Rabbits are abundant, and English snipe plenty in season. Deer are found in considerable numbers in November. There is a hotel and a boarding-house in the little village of Nordhofif, about the middle o the valley, at either of which one can be com- fortably entertained. SINNEMAHONING COUNTRY. From the St. Lawrence to the Rio Grande within those bounds, there is no better re. gion for brook trout and ruffed grouse than tliat about the Sinuemahoning River in Potter Co., Pa., tlie trout making up in flavor, num- bers and game qualities what they may lack in size, and being nearly at the head even in the later particular, and the grouse being in all respects unexcelled. Deer,, bears, wild cats and panthers are also moderately abun- dant; wolves and the various fur bearing animals are also in moderate abundance. Ducks and geese are rare, wild turkeys un- known, and quail scarce. There are plenty of woodcock in season ; as to wild pigeons, hey once nested there, and darkened the air with their flight. The Sinneraahoning, at a small hamlet, put down on the county maps as Wharton Mills P. 0., it divides; or, rather, the East and First Forks of the stream here unite. Tlie village consists of a few scattering houses, but does not boast of either hotel, store or shop. The waters of the creek are crystal clear, and, as yet are unpolluted by tannery or factory, and the P^ast Fork is even free from saw mills. Her-e, unquestionably is to be found to-day decidedly the best trout fish- ing in the State. About a mile below the forks is an old mill, and under the dam a dark, deep pool, where you can always depend on taking a string of fish. During the day, deep bait fishing is unusually successful, but at sunset the surface of the pool and of the rapids below is broken in every direction by swarms of brooTc trout ; and there the fly, in skillful hands, does its work. Both the First and East Forks are beautiful streams, and afford excellent fly fishing, with plenty of room to cast, while for those who prefer to use the bait. Nelson and Freeman Runs, Birch Creek and the headwaters of East Fork, all within an hour's drive from headquarters, cannot be excelled Trout are unusually plenty in these streams in the Spring, and a week of warm weather is all that is needed to insure glorious sport. The fish range from 80 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISrS GUIDE. one .-uid a halt" poiuids down, and avemge a P>'h1 si/,e. The various tribularios of the Siuueraahoa- ing number, it is supposed, one hundred trout brooks, ranging from middhug to first-rate. All the other game common to that country ill abundance. But the natural approach to this region is by the way of Genesee Station, on the Erie Road; thence eighteen miles up stream, and up hill to the head of the Genesee, and to the top-knot of that part of creation, near the pretty little village of Lewisville, where in a radius ot two miles may be found the heads of Geuesee above mentioned ; Cowanesque, a tributary of the north branch of Susque- hanna ; Pine Creek, tributary to the west brancli of the same river, and the Allegheny — which has several tributaries, including the Oswayo — all trout streams. The Genesee and its tributaries furnish from ten to fifteen trout brooks, from fair to middling. The country along the banks of these streams is thicker settled than the re- mainder of the country. With the Tiadaghtau branch of Pine Creek the best of the trout fishing and grouse hunt- ing begms ; there are twenty or more tribu- taries all good. Passing up the west branch of Pine Creek and over the divide, the waters of Kettle Creek are reached, and soon the charming little town of Germania. At Oleona, just below the frowning white pine board battlements of Olo Bull's castle comes, in the Carey Fork, a celebrated trout stream, run- ning its entire length through an unbroken wilderness. Below the junction, for five miles, extends the Laurel Bottom Creek, almost a river, flowing in a succession of deep black pools and wide shallow riftlos. To reach this arcadia, trams leave the West Philadelphia depot of the Pennsylvania Rail- road Co. every evening at 11:55, except Saturdays, reaching Sinnemahoniug Station at noon the following day ; fare, $8.35. From this point a stage starts on arrival of the train, each Monday and Thursday, for Whar- ton, distant about eighteen miles, arriving in time for supper ; fare, $1.50. On other days private conveyance can be obtained at a cost of about $5 for a team to carry two to four persons. Excellent accommodations and bounteous fare can be had with Mr. M. T. Seibert, whose house stands at the head of the valley, just at the forks, at a ridiculously small expense If desired, Mr. Seibert will meet a party either at Sinnemahoning or Cameron (a station a few miles above on the railroad, and a shorter drive ; but in that case he should be notified a week ahead by letter addressed to the care of F. Welton, Sinnemahoning. Guides charge $1 a day. WHITE PERCH FISHING. The following account of white perch fishing at Betterton is from the pen of the late Thaddeus Norris, and will be of interest to those who have never partici- pated in this pleasant pastime. At the mouth of the Sasafras, twenty miles below Havre de Grace, is found the best while perch fishing in the country. It is a favorite resort of Philadelphians, who leave the wharf on the upper side of Chestnut street any day, at 4 p. II., by the Baltimore propellers, which, although not large, furnish excellent accom- modations, arrive at Betterton by sunrise, spend a day on the fishing ground, and return by the evening boat, reaching home by six or seven o'clock next morning, being absent only an afternoon and a day. These arc the white perch, and here, in their natural habitat, are much more game than the same fish in north- ern waters, and run from a half to a pound and a half in weight. They breed and spend the early Summer months in the fresh tributaries, but by the first of August, drop down to water slightly brackish, where they remain in large schools until October. In August it seems that the bottom is covered for acres with them. The lubberly way is to fish for them with dip- sy bow linos, or ordinary hand lines, but the angler prefers a springy rod of ten or eleven feet, with a stiffish tip; reel, an easy running multiplier; line small and of flax ; hooks long shanked and about the size of No. 1 O'Shaugh- nessy trout hook. Three of the latter ou snood four or five inches long, are attached to the line by loops, beginning a foot above the sinker, and are five feet apart. The sinker varies in weight from an ounce to throe ounces, according to the strength of the tide. The baits are earth'.worms, pieces of soft or hard HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. crabs, or even slips cut from the sides of the perch. There are known resorts of the fish, and an hour or two before high or low water, until the same time after the turn of the tide, is the time for taking them. As soon as the boat is anchored, the rod is extended from side or stern; the sinker with the baits runs the line from the reel and finds the bottom. There is a pull downward by tiie perch, a pull up- ward by the angler, and the tip of the rod is lowered; then another pull, and another perch hooked, and then a third in the same manner, when the angler reels up and lifts his fish on board. On a good day it is not uncommon for three or four fishers to kill from fifty to eighty dozen. The boats are staunch and roomy, and will, with plenty of room, hold four or fi%'e anglers. The house at Betterton — a peach port, where the boats stop — is kept by a jolly little fellow named Tommy Crew. He has made a large addition to his house, and has airy, pleasant rooms. His charges are very moderate. With the high bluffs on the eastern, and the islands (Spisutia, a celebrated one for ducks, being one of them) on the west- ern, the fine bay for sailing, and the good fishing, it is a pleasant place of resort. TIM POND, MAINE. Not only is Tim Pond noted for its excellent trout fishing, but the section of country in which it is located is a splendid game region, all the different varieties of birds and animals indigene- ous to this part of the country abound- ing in goodly numbers. Besides Tim Pond proper, there are several other ponds and streams in the immediate vi- cinity that are well stocked with trout; and it is hard to find a locality, so easy of access, that, when the hunting and fishing is combined, will yeild better sport, or afford the visitor more real solid pleasure. The real pond, according to the State survey, has a surface of about a thousand acres, but some few acres have evidently been partitioned off by the industrious beaver many years ago. It is a beauti- ful sheet of clear, sparkling water, nestled down among the green trees, hills, and mountains, and is literally alive with trout. The angler has only to cast his line to gain the speckled prizes. There is no fish in this lake except trout. Never has one of any other species been taken there. The lake is swarming with its exclusive inhabitants, which can be taken by bait or by a " fly," by a novice or by a professional. Few have " whip- ped" these waters, because few know of them, though each year their fame is increasing. For one desiring the life of a fashionable hotel this is not the place. It is the place of the true sportsman, the place for recreation, for health, the place to worship God in his first temple. Tim Pond Strea'm, which connects the lake with Dead River, is a charming stream, with high embowered banks, numberless rapids, and three dashing cascades. The deep basins at the foot of each waterfall is alive with trout. Tim Pond is some six or seven miles from Eustis, about five miles of the distance being through a dense wilderness of spruce, fir, pine, and cedar. This dense woodland is inhabited by large game. There are many evi- dences that Bruin finds a congenial home here, but he does not seek acquaintance with man. Deer, caribou, and moose, in the season, can be hunted here, with proper dogs and outfit, to advantage and with great sport. In the openings grouse are very abundant. The lake is reached by railroad to Farmington, thence by stage, or private carriage on good roads, via New Vineyard, New Portland, and Kingfield to Eustis. The drive on a Sep- tember day — at the foot of rugged moun- tain and by side of the dashing Carry- bassette River — is most enjoyable to any lover of nature. At Eu.stis, accommo- dations can be had of Mr. Kennedy THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOUTISrS GUIDE. Smith, and at which phice guides can also be obtained. Anotlicr route is by the Maine Coutral Railroad to Anson, thence by stage and private conveyance t6 the residence of Mr. Kennedy Smith, Eustis, Maine, of whom all further infor- mation can be had. WHERE TO GO FOR GROUSE A FEW HINTS FROM A NATIVE. In the first place decide what point to go to. If you go without any fixed point in view you may spend a week of time before you find a good place. In Iowa this game is abundant over most of the western half of the State. From Des Moines northwest stop at Grand Junction or Gowrie, north of there, or at almost any station west of Grand Junction. Going west from Des Moines, stop at Stuart, and take stage line to Fontanelle, twelve miles out. Excellent shooting conveniences, and extends for twelve miles further. Twelve miles west from Stuart is Casey. Take stage from there to Fontanelle, twenty-four miles. Every foot almost abounds with chick- ens, and at almost any station west of Casey good sport can be had. In most cases it will be necessary to go from four to ten miles from the railroad, as the birds are kept "cleaned out" near the towns, but in most places a mail route, which carries passengers, extends to some country post office. On the route northwest from Des Moines good sport is to be had after ducks about the num- erous ponds by wading the shallow water and "jumping them up." About Sep- tember 1st they begin to resort to the stubble fields morning and evening, and make good shooting there. Sandhill and white cranes are also there, but very shy. The other route abounds in high, rolling ground, affording splendid views, and is absolutely free from malaria, and in almost every hollow clear pure water is found. No game there but " hens " and rattlesnakes. They are hundreds of other places just as good as those mentioned above, but those only are suggested of which the writer has personal knowledge. The best sliooting is from August 15th to September 15th. As to dogs, it is uncertain about getting them here. If you have a good one, bring him. A dog that has only hunted quail and cock will frequently flnsh chickens, as they do not lie very well. A good ruffed grouse dog is just the thing if lie will only range far enough. Breech-loaders should bring full supplies of everything except pow- der and shot, say 1,000 rounds for a three weeks' shoot. Now, supposing you are snugly quar- tered at some farm house. After an early breakfast you take thirty or forty cartridges and start for a wheat stubble that is bordered by the open prairie. Walk about thirty yards from the edge and keep your gun ready for instant action. If the dog is not used to "chick- ens" " steady " him as soon as he scents the game. The probability is that a number of the birds have been running in all directions through the stubble, and if the dog is a novice he gets confused, and put them up. A good chicken dog always stops at the first scent and waits for the gunner to come up. If the birds are somewhat scattered they will fre- quently get up gradually, and by the rapid use of a breech-loader, most of the pack, from six to twenty, may be bag- ged. If they get up all at once, try to mark them down on the open prairie, and when you see them down be sure you mark the spot by some bunch of weeds or other object ; for if you do not the grass is all so near alike that you can HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 83 uever find the spot after once taking your eyes off it. If there be a slough with grass iu it running through the stubble you may be almost sure of a find along its sides, particularly in the even- ing. The birds always seem to prefer the low ground in a field. By ten o'clock the birds have mostly filled their crops and gone to the grass and corn- fields, where they remain till about 3 p.m. During the middle of the day they are hard to find, as they do not move about much. At this time of day hunt in the grass along the edge of the stubble, not more than eighty rods from the edge, and along the hilkides, and on windy days always on the leeward slope. Many may be shot iu the cornfields by keeping the dog well in and taking a snap shot as the bird tops the tall corn. When a large number go down in the grass they run off in every direction, and make fine trailing for the dog. They always try to alight on some spot out of sight from where they rise. They generally fly over one rise of the prairie, and stop two- thirds of the way up the next, or fly round one point and stop on the next. After a little experience one can gener- ally tell from the lay of the land about where they stopped. In conclusion, those who go for sport, and are Avilling to work for it, will not be disappointed. Very few farmers ob- ject to shooting on their grounds, and if they did, the laws make no special pro- tection for them, but, of course, no gen- tleman will invade the farmer's or any one's rights merely because he can do so with impunity; and in return for this generous privilege given by the farmer, the sportsman should not forget to divide his game with them sometimes. For further information address 0. H. Hamp- ton, Redfield, Dallas county, Iowa. FISH AND GROUSE REGION. Solon is located iu Somerset county, Maine, and they have some good hunt- ing and fishing up there. The best way to go is by way of the North Ansonby Railroad. There is a daily stage to Solon, and there is some talk of putting on a daily stage from Solon to the Forks, thirty-one miles; from the Forks to Moose River is thirty miles. In the vicinity of Solon are some fine trout brooks, and five miles from the village is a good trout pond. One mile from the village, at Carritunk Falls, on Ken- nebec River, magnificent trout are caught. Some caught there in the Sum- mer of 1871, tipped four pounds. In Carrying-place Town there are three good pondg. In the first pond are trout that weigh about half a pound. A Mr. Ellis has a camp there and keeps a kind of a hotel, where he has a good deal of company in the Summer. This pond is three miles from the river, and four miles from J. Carney's Hotel in Moscow. In Carritunk is Pleasant Pond, where the fishing has to be done at night. The water is so clear you can see the bottom of the pond, where there is fifty or sixty feet of water, as plain as if there were not more than five or six feet. It is fringy around the pond and very cold water. From The Forks, five miles, is Moxie Pond, with very good fishing. There is a road to the Moxie. Some very good trout streams are in the vicin- ity of The Forks, and from there to Moose River one will find partridges. A Mr. Gordon says he shot seventeen partridges from The Forks to Parlin Pond, fourteen miles, and shot them all from a wagon in and on the side of the road. Parlin Pond is one of the best places to go fishing, as it is right by a hotel and on the stage road. A stranger 84 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISrS GUIDE. can go to Parliii Pond and get all the fish he wants in the Summer and Fall, and he does not need a guide. It is al- so a good place for partridges. Fifteen miles from Parliu Pond is River Settle- ment; two hotels. At this point there is fishing enough. Six miles southwest is Long Pond; east from Moose River is Wood Pond, with three wood ponds South is Attian Pond. East from Attiau Pond is Holeb Pond. Moose River flows through all these ponds, and it is good boating from the Attian Pond to Holeb Pond. It is twelve or fourteen miles by river, with a carry about half a mile. Few sportsmen visit this section. The best time for fishing is July, the flies are all gone then. MIDDLE FLORIDA. Middle Florida is one of the finest countries in the world. All along her sea coast are beautiful bays and inlets; through the country are fine rivers, beau- tiful lakes, and pearly brooks. She has grand and wonderful springs, whose medi- cinal virtues are kuovrn in all lands. She has magnificent forests of pine, cy- press, and hardwood timber, ornamented with the beautiful magnolia and other flowering trees and shrubs. Her lakes, rivers, bays, and inlets are full of excel- lent fish. Her sea coast have an abun- dance of oysters, fish, turtle, and sponges. Her forests abound in a great variety of game. Her gardens yield the finest vegetables, and have the most beautiful flowers in bloom all the year. Her orchards bear the most delicious fruits and berries, and her vineyards the finest grapes that make the best of wine. Mid- dle Florida is bounded on the north by Georgia, on the east by the Suwannee River, on the south by the Gulf of Mex- ico, and on the west by the Apalachicola j River. The district from one hundred I and twenty to one hundred and forty miles in length, and seventy to eighty miles in width. A peculiar feature in Middle I Florida is the number of lakelets of clear pure water scattered all over the country, I varying in size from half an acre to an ' acre or more in exfent. They, as a gen- i eral thing, are very deep, have no outlet, and contain an abundance of excellent fish. They seem to have been placed there for a wise purpose — to supply the wants of every family i>.t their own doors, without hire or reward, with a splendid article of food. In all the countries along the Gulf of Mexico, and in nearly all the heavily timbered lands in the others, are to be found all kinds of game, such as bear, deer, wild turkeys, panthers, cata- mounts, wild cats, &c. Deer and turkey are plentiful. In all the lakes, rivers, and creeks are an abundance of the finest fish, such as trout, perch, jack or hake, catfish, blackfish, bream, »_^c. On the coast there is the finest of oysters, clams, turtle, and every variety of salt water fish. During the Winter, all the lakes, ponds, bays, inlets, rivers, &c., have an abundance of every variety of water fowl. Sportsmen should visit Middle Florida by all means and take a hunt and a fish down on the coast. Troy, the county seat of Lafayette county, is on the Suwannee River, and is at present the head of steamboat navigation. It contains about fifty inhabitants. It is near one of the best regions for hunting in all Florida. Xew Port, on the St. Mark's River, six miles from the Gulf of Mexico, was once an important commer- cial place. Above the town is one of the finest sulphur springs in the State, whose waters contain great curative powers, and have performed almost mir- aculous cures. Before the war, invalids HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 85 from nearly all parts of the Union re- sorted tbcre to drink of and bathe in the health-giving waters of the springs. Across the St. Mark's Eiver, opposite, are hunting grounds not excelled in the South in all probability. Bear, deer, turkeys, Szc, are in the greatest abund- ance. It is represented as a magnificent game country. THE BEAVERKILL REGION. The Beaverkill region of Sullivan coun- ty, N. Y., is famous not only for the rare trout fishing that its Dumerous streams afford the angler, even in these later days when trout fishing within respect- able distance of the metropolis has come to be not much more than a memory, but for its broad forests, and secure ridges where the deer and bear still roam at will. There is a section, however, lying between the great Beaverkill and civi- lization, which is not so well known, but which is fully as prolific in all that the sportsman craves. The township of Bethel, in Sullivan county, surprises everybody with the excellent hunting it provides. Deer are plenty ; so many bear have not been seen since the days i of the prairie hunters ; and as to grouse I and the smaller game, the woods are full of them, Smith Schoonmaker keeps a I " sportsman's rest " in Bethel, about ten 1 miles from Monticello. In 1877 no less I than twenty deer were killed early in the ; season by parties from Newburg and Paterson, and the same year three deer I were killed by local hunters in one week in December six miles from the village. Near Monticello the grouse shooting is un- surpassed. Dave Avery, of the Mansion House, who is equally at home behind setter or deerhound, or in hand-to-hand I contest with bear, says that the lover of grouse shooting could never find better sport than can be had within three miles of Monticello. This village is the cen- tre of the White Lake, Black Lake, Sockett Pond, and other wild hunting re- gions, and no more convenient locality or one that gives better promise to the sportsman than this same section of Sul- livan county can be found. From Mon- ticello one is in easy reach of the Beaver- kill region also. Monticello has five trains from New York via Erie Railway to Port Jervis, then by Port Jervis and Monticello Railroad. Sportsmen visit- ing this region, by going to the genial Sheriff Morris's mansion house, will find everything pleasant, and be furnished full information as to hunting grounds, trout streams, &c. WHERE TO ROUGH IT. BY J. H. BATTY. As there are many of your subscribers who wish to " rough it," and do so in a country where there is no danger from hostile Indians, I give the following notes for those who may " pull out " from some frontier town for a few months' camp hunt. Denver, St. Pant, Cheyenne, Fairplay, or any mining town in Colo- rado or Montana, will be a good point to start from. Do not spoil what might be a pleasant trip by following a wagon train, over dusty plains and rough roads, through endless sage bushes and prickly pears. Start out with confidence well fixed for any emergency, and if traveling on the plains, keep near the river bot- toms, where cotton-wood timber abounds, and an undergrowth of willows, aspens, box-cedar, and "bull" berry bushes. The game naturally collects in the scat- tering belts of timber in the bottoms, aud the hunter has but to watch some THE SPORTSMAN'S AXD TOUIilSfS GUIDE. favorite fand-bar, or grazing grounds on the edge of tlie timber. I will guarantee plenty of game in the Missouri Valley, anywhere from Fort Bentou to Fort Abe. Lincoln, or the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. One can go to Bismarck and thence by supply boats to any woodman's camp on the upper " Mesari." Woodmen and trap- pers are occasionally " taken in" by the Dakotas or Sioux Indians, yet if one em- ploys a good hunter he can hunt in com- parative safety. The scenery on some parts of the Missouri River is grand and picturesque. Large cliffs rise perpendic- ularly out of the water, and their flat vertical sides cast gloomy shadows over the muddy waters. In many places the limestone and granite rocks loom up on both sides of the river, looking in their curious forms like the ruins of some giant city. Many rocks have spires running high in the sky, and others have natural windows and cornices which adds to the sight of delusion of a ruined city. Among these rocks the mountain sheep collect in large bands, running out in bold relief on projecting craigs, and won- deringly watch the passing boats. In the evening the wandering prong horns — antelope — are seen gazing from the tablelands above, or wending their way in continuous, though broken lines, down well worn trails among loose rocks, oc- casionally stopping to nip the green grass on the natural shelves or flats, prepara- tory to taking their evening drink when reaching the river. The white-tailed, or mule deer, are found in small bands, and singly in the willow bottoms, and the large wide spreading track of the pon- derous elk is seen on every trail. At night the bulls roam about bellowing — I cannot call it whistling as some people do — their continued Ituirlelike notes until the canons and valleys echo to their cries. Bruin is occasionally found; yet further back in the mountains he is most frequently met. The slap of the beaver's tail is often seen to break the calm of " the rolling river,'' and the numerous slides cutting into the river l)auks shows plainly where the beavers get their tim- ber for dams. In many places I saw minks skipping along the sand-bars in a playful monner until they reached the friendly banks. Was it not for the par-, ties of friendly (?) and benevolent red men who occasionally visit this hunter's paradise, the naturalist and hunter could enjoy himself to the fullest extent. He could travel hundreds of miles through the most interesting country by " bull boats," canoes, or skiffs, and not have to pack a pound necessarily. Catfish are abundant in the river, though trout are only fonnd in its tribu- taries and lakes in the mountains. There are too many Indians in the mountains for one to wander carelessly about, and they often turn up rather unexpectedly in the bottoms. lu the Sierra Madre Mountains in Col- orado, a few score miles west of Denver, parties can hunt in safety, and find game in abundance. In 1873, I killed deer — mule deer — in the foothills in South Park, and in some localities they were common. On the range of mountain.' running from Mt. Lincoln to the Horse shoe Mountains are plenty of antelope and they can be reached from Fairpla} in two or three hours' ride. I have often left Fairplay in the morning, and killed and packed an antelope back to camp in season to have some of its chops for an early supper. Deer are often found along the South Platte above Fairplay, yet I never suc- ceeded in taking but one there, as tlu HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 87 Country lies bad for still hunting. There are good trails — for the country — runiiing for miles into the Rocky Mountains west of Denver, and with a' few pack animals one can roam for weeks . over snow-capped mountains, hunting deer, sheep, antelope, and bear, and in the valleys does are found at evening, also dusky grouse, marmots, coyotes, foxes, &c. lu fact, the collector need not wander about long in searcti of a living target when he has crossed the South Platte or ".Arkausaw " Rivers. The Mighty Arkansas is formed by sev- eral large boiling springs in a natural pasture lying among rolling hills of pines. I have followed the brook until it be- comes a large river from the Tennessee Pass to a point west of the Buffalo Mountains. A day's ride through the pass and beyond the source of the Arkansas, brings the adventurer to Pacific waters, and the head of the p]agle River, which is the prettiest stream I have seen in the Rocky Mountains. Another day's ride down the river and trout can be caught with grasshoppers by the hundred weight. Opposite that almost inaccessible mountain, the Holy Cross, the fishing is best, and mule deer, bear, and elk abound. It was at that point I first heard the so called " whis- tle," as one came tearing through the bushes, mistaking my picketed horse for a cow. Several days after I hunted with a rifle for elk, but all I had to show for my climbing fallen timber and loose rocks for the time, was soleless mocca- sins and a bouncing big porcupine, which smelled so strongly of spruce that it made my companion sick, who helped me pack him on a pole to camp In con- clusion, I would say, that if there ai'e any persons who wish to " rough it " and do not know where to yo, I will direct them to a good country by addressing J. H. Battv, Parkville, Kings county, New York. CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND. Chincoteague Is-land, on the coast of Virginia, is a ftivorite resort for sports- men, not only from Washington, Balti- more, and other near-by points, but from Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and many other cities. In season the birds are plentiful and the accommodations for visitors ample. What is known as the Eastern Shore of Tirginia is a penisula composed of the counties of Northumber- land and Accomac, lying between Ches- apeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Chincoteague Island is in the Atlantic, just east of Accomac county, and separ- ated from it by a body of water known as Chincoteague Bay. The shores of this bay, on both sides, are covered by exten- sive salt-water marshes, furnishing abun- dant food and ample shelter for willet, gray-backs, Esquimeaux curlew, long-bill- ed curlew, and various species of snipe, sandpipers, and other birds usually found upon the salt-water marshes of the mid die districts. Willet, generally, are the most plenti- ful, as they breed in the marshes sur- rounding the island. The propensit}' of this bird to remain in the immediate vi- cinity of the coast is such that it is sel- dom met with inland, not even along the shores of large rivers. At all times shy and wary, the sportsman in approaching it has to use the greatest caution. The long-billed curlew, the largest of this variety found in North America, is the only one which may properly be call- ed a permanent resident. It breeds to a great extent about Chincoteague. They are not easily approached, and it takes a good charge to bring tlu-m down. If THE SrOKTSMAXS AXD TOUHfST'S! Gl'IDE. wounded, they skulk off amonj? the thick- est vegetation, whore they remain per- feetly quiet. The gray-backs, or red-breasted sand- pipers, when young and fat, are very pa- hitable. In season they are very plen- tiful, and feed on the diminutive shell- fish found a short distance below the sur- face. But to give an extended description of the many desirable birds to be found in the neighborhood of the island would be almost impossible. Chineoteague Is- land atVords delightful sport in fishing as well as shooting. Ojsters are abun- dant, and probably there is no place on the Atlantic coast where a sportsman can CMJoy himself more than at Chineoteague. There are a number of persons residing in that vicinity who make a business of furnishing boats and piloting visitors in search ot sport. The hotel at Chineo- teague contains torty-eight rooms. The route to the island from New York is by the Old Dominion Steamship Compa- ny to Lewes, Delaware. There are other routes to the island from rhiladelphia and Baltimore. HKST ri.ACK IN Fl.OKlPA 'I'O lUN r On the east side o( the lower road fion\ llomosassa to Hay Point, about ten miles from each place, there is a val- ley about a mile wide by four long, inter- spersed with small sandy bottom ponds. Around some of them are natural grap- eries covering acres. Bushels of the most delicious grapes one ever tasted annually rot on the bushes or ground. There is not a dwelling within six miles. "Wild turkey, bear, and deer are plenty, and large tloeks of parakets feed ou these luxuries. It seems too bad to see gi^me and fruit so abundant and no sportsmen at hand. It is one of the best places in all Florida for a party to stay to hunt say for a month or so. It lies between the Great Gulf Swamp and the Natilika Hammock, a kind of crossing place for ^ame. LAKE B0R6NE. Tliis noted Southern r sort is much frequented by sportsmen from New Or- leans and vicinity. The lake is said to be one of the t.nest lisiiing grounds in the whole South. Lake Borgne, Loiiisirtiva. Ibrmeil l\v tlio Gulf of Mexico, olVers as tine .-^pori lor anglers as any sheet of water in the South. The tish are not perhaps so game as those caught iu the colder waters of the North, although there are some few species cauglit tliere thai, weie they tished for witli the same tackle as is used for talving the striped bass off the New Knglaud coast, would rtH\uire nearly, if not quite, as much skill. These are the ledtish and speck- led trout. The best place for taking these tish, is close to one of the " coquilles" or shell- banks, of which there are a great many scat- tered over the lake, and which at high tide, are covered frvnn two to thrco feet, and which are the chief feeding places for these tish. In order to reacii these banks, a sail boat has to be taken from the mainland, and the start made to suite rhe hour when the tide is run- ning in. Once at the place and the boat an- chored, the fishing begins. The mode of catching them down there is, to liave a large cotton line, ujhju which from two to three large hooks, with bras.s sroils attached, are fastened, and on each of these a lialf of a mullet is placed for bait, one end of the line being tied to the boat, and the other jwrt thrown out as far as possible, dii^ctly over the submerged bank. The tish come in scsools, and as they are very voracious it is not very long before you have a bite, sometimes as raacy as two or tliree fish striking at a time; then you have it. m.Mking your line whiz through the water, and if your tackle is not strong they will get away, unless managed with a good deal of skill. Some say tliat it takes a rery good fish.erman to capture a ten- pound redfish with a rod and reel. The HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND rLKASURIC RESORTS. 89 THE M A a O Directly to the north of the States of Venuoiit and New Ilamjjshire, the west of Somerset county, in Maine, there lies a tract of country which, although tlie seat of some of the earliest settlemints on the continent, is yet comparatively unsubdued. The reason for this is doubt- less owing to the extremely broken con- tour of the country, for we find that where the land is level the country has long been settled. There is no doubt but that the vast water power of this district wdl some day support a large population, but at present the most of the streams rush unimpeded over their rocky beds and serve as abodes for countless immbers of the finny tribes. The principal rivers are the' Yamaska, St. Francis, Nicolet, Becancour, and Chaudiere, on the latter of which are the picturesque falls of the same name. The largest lakes are Mempliremagog, Mas- sawippi, Aylmer, St. Francis, and Me- gantie; but throughout the region are found numberless smaller lakes, and from the hillsides, countless streams gush down to swell the volumes of the larger rivers. The scenery is romantic atid beautiful in the extreme, and the moun- tain air peculiarly bracing. The region is accessible by way of the Grand Trunk Railroad from Portland, Maine, Sherbrooke being the most con- venient point of departure on this line, by way of the Connecticut & Passump- sic River Railroad, from Boston, either disembarking at Newport or going on to Waterloo, and by Hudson River and Lake Ciiamplain to St John's, and thence to Waterloo. A steamer conveys the tourist from Newport to Magog; which latter is a good centre of operations. There is a fair hotel at Sherbrooke, the Magog House; rate $1.50 per day. At G DISTRICT. Magog there is also a fair hotel whose price is about $1 per day, and the same is charged at Wiitcrloo for lair accom- modations. As regards the lishing, tin; toiii'ist may do one of throe tilings, he nniy locate at Waterloo, Magog, or Sherbrooke, iiiid make excursions into the surrouiiding country; he may take up his (|U!irtcrs at some small vilhige or farm house, near which there is good fishing, or he may camp out, the most enjoyable wiiyofall. In the first case a hor^e and buggy mny be hired for about $1.50 per day, and there arc many good streams witliin a radius of sixteen miles from Waterloo, though the fish are apt to be bmall. At Coon's Pond, twelve miles, there is splendid trouting, the fish averaging about half a pound. At Lake Oxford, twelve miles, they are taken weighing over three pounds; at Rrouie Liike, six miles, there is excellent bass fishing, and some heavy fish are taken, while in the lake at the village you may troll for piko with good success. Mr. E. B. Hodge, or any member of the " Fishing Club," will aUbrd all the information to sports- men that lies in their power. From Magog, a drive of about four miles lakes you to the Lake Oxford above mention- ed, and there are several small lakes and streams in the vicinity affording good sport, and you may angle for lake trout, or lunge as they are called, in Lake Memphrenuigog if you have the re(iuisite amount of patience. From Sherbrooke, a drive of about fourteen miles takes you to the Brfjmpton series of lakes, where are to be found trout, lake trout, and bass, but as boats are diflicult to procure on thes(! lakes, the tourist had better make previous arrangements. Ten miles brings you lo Lake Massawippi, where 90 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURIST'S GUIDE. there are lake trout, and this lake can be reached by a drive of five miles from Magog. There are also small streams within a few miles where good trout fish- ing may be had, and the proprietors of the hotels here, as elsewhere, will afford those visiting this section all possible information. In the second ])lace, there are numer- ous small villages near which excellent fishing may be had, and though many of them have no hotels, yet the inhabitants are hospitable and kindly in the extreme, and the ambition (?) to become the pos- sessor of the traveler's last cent is, as yet, unknown. Thirdly, as to camping out, the coun- ties of Wolfe and Megantic are wild and unsettled, as also are parts of the coun- ties of Compton, Richmond, and Shef- ford, and even parts of the town of Sher- brooke, and the tourist would do well to arm himself Avith a rifle, as he may have an opportunity to meet Bruin in his na- tive haunts. Of course, only in the wilder parts of the above counties is this possible, but there are numerous smaller animals, and eagles are quite common. Brorapton Lake, and Lake Megantic, Aylmer, and others afford splendid sport, as well as many tributaries of the Chau- diere. The Waterloo Fishing Club have a shanty on an island in Brorapton Lake, and are exceedingly courteous to all sportsmen, and many small lakes near their village would well repay a week spent on their shores. There are also salmon in Salmon River, but they will not take a fly. The most favorable season for trout fishing is during May and June, and the latter part of September. During the hotter months they are only to be found in the spring-holes and deep shady pools; but there are several lakes in which they can be caught on any cloudy Summer day, and during the Summer the cool clear air, the fresh- invigorating breezes, and the numberless fragrant and shady glens offer attractions not to be found in the cooler months. One of the New York papers thus de- scribes MAGOG AND ITS ATTRACTIONS. At the foot of Lake Memphremagog, in the Province of Quebec, is situated a httle village called Magog. It is a place where you can go and lake your family with you, and get good brook irout fishing. Here you will find a nice hotel, " The Union House," kept by Mr. John Norton, a brother of the angle, and who knows liow to drop a fly in the right place, at the right time, and also what is of as great importance, how to entertain his sportsmen friends and tnfeir families. The house is situ- ated directly on the lake and commanding a fine view of it. Directly fronting it looms old " Mount Oxford," said to be the highest mouu tain in the province of Quebec, and from the summit of which can bo counted thirty-three sheets of water, and by the aid of a glass the spires in Montreal can be seen in clear weathi r. Mr. Furboye, the superintendant. and the em- ployees of the Waterloo & Magug Railroad, do all in their power to accovnr.odaie sports- men as much as possible. At Magog, consid- erable sport can be enjoyed. Early in June there is good trout fishing, and later in the season, lunge are taken pretty freely in the lake by deep fishing, among them some of good size. Pickerel fishing is good, and some weighing as high as three pounds are taken by trolling with live bait. Some fine trout streams take their rise in its neighborhood, and in the proper season a good string of fish is sure to be the result of a day's ramble. Near at hand also are the Magog and Gary rivers, where may be had some of the best fly fishing in the whole Megantic region. The rides and drives in every direction from Magog are de- lightful, and within half a dozen miles there are numerous trout streams, in all of which you may fill your creel with good sized, handsome brook trout. In addition to this, Lake Mem- phremagog is well stocked with lake trout, called there lunge. These are from three to HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 91 twelve pounds in weight, and have been taken weighing as much as thirty pounds. During the Summer and Fall months they are taken by trolling with a hand line, or what is far bet- ter and affording much greater sport, is to use a good, strong, well-made trolling rod, with large multiplying reel holding from two to three hundred yards of lino. With such tackle one can feel assured of good sport, as a ten- pound lunge is no contemptible antagonist, and your nerves will be well tried before bring- ing him to the gaff. The boats here are good and free to guests. The prices here are very reasonable, $1 per day. The table is excel- lent and all the appointments are good. Guides, and good ones too, can always be had when wauted, and they do not expect to be paid fancy prices. Should parties wish to rough it in the woods and enjoy a few day's camping, there are several places which can be easily reached from this point, and all that is requisite for a comfortable camp can be had at Magog. Georgeville, some ten miles up the lake, js undoubtedly the best spot for deep fish- ing on the lake, there being no less than eight or ten good fishing grounds, among which are the Drew Grounds, Bigelow, Packard and Black points, &c., within a circuit of two miles. Lunge have been taken on these grounds weighing as high as twenty pounds, and par- lies have been known to bring into town over one hundred pounds of fish daily in the proper season Sugar Loaf Pond, about four miles from Georgeville, is noted for its fly tishing. The trout are small, the largest not going over one and a quarter pounds, but are plenty and give good spurt. As many as eighty fish have been taken by a single party in a day. To fish this pond properly, one should go pre- pared to stay two or three days, and either camp out or put up at one of the two log cab- ins on the shore; but camping is advisable. There is splendid lunge fishing in Oxford Pond. Numerous bears also prowl around the coun- try. "Old Hopps," the noted bear hunter of the neighborhood, has the skull of the last one he killed. The bear dressed over four hun- dred and fifty pounds. This makes the eighty- fourth bear he has killed. Magog can be reached via St. Johns and Waterloo by rail- road which has been recently completed — or by Central Vermont & Pasumpsic Railroad to Newport, Vermont, and thence by steamer through Lake Memphremagog, or by stage from Sherbrooke, from which place it is distant sixteen miles. For gentlemen with ladies and children, it will be difficult, doubtless, to find a place which combines so much that is desir- able as this. F I S H L A N D. About one mile long, half a mile wide, in places very deep, water very cold, fed from bot- tom springs, clear as crystal and surrounded by mountains. This is the little lake where the prettiest of all trout abound. It is a plea- sant day's journey from New York. Seventy trout have been taken from its bright waters in a single day, the majority reaching one pound in weight. Tliere, as in most other favored spots, the Spring time is the best to take trout in quantities, but they abound in such profusion that a fine mess can be made at any season. Sherbrooke, Province of Quebec, is the centre of a fine trout country. To the west, in Broome and Bolton, some twenty miles, are dozens of little lakes all containing trout, and if one prefers pounders to the whales of Ryngeley, this is the spot to gather 'em in. To the south, some twenty miles, is Averill Lake, a splendid water for pounders, while fifty miles eastward, in a dense wilderness, lies Lake Megautic, where trout have been taken that scaled over four pounds. The fish there will not weigh less than a pound each, fight like "all possessed," and no other fish inhabit the lake. Three miles east of Barton, Vermont, which is fifteen miles south of New- port, lies May's Pond— a grand little sheet of water one mile in length, where a basket can be filled with " whoppers " in a short time To reach this lake country take the 8 a. m. train from Springfield, Mass., over the Con- necticut River and Passumpsic River rail- roads, reaching Newport and Memphremagog at supper time, and Sherbrooke at 9 p. m. The trip over these roads is one of great beau- ty, with ever-changing scenery, touching the Green and White Mountains, and winding along the two charming rivers nearly to their source. BREECHES L^KE. Not a very euphonious title, certainly, but as suggestive as is the name (Spider) gener- ally applied to Lake Maccawamack. It is sit- uated some fifty miles northeast of Sherbrooke and is some three to four miles in length, hav- 9? THE SPOBTSJrAX'S AND TOURIST'S GUIDE. iiig its outlet at the extremity of the right leg of the Breeches. Although " Stanstead " places it in the Megautic district, it is more properly in the St. Francis district, being north- erly of the St. Francis lake and river and within the judicial district of that name. "Within a ranee of ten or fifteen miles from Breeches Lake, are numerous lakes and ponds but little fished as yet with rod or troll, and literally teeming with trout, lunge, pike, pick- erel, and bass. It is doubled if either troll or fly has ever been used on Breeches Lake, the night hue being the approved method of cap- turing the speckled and silvery sided denizens of this pretty little sheet of water. The lake and speckled trout — a very fair sprinkhng of the latter — run from three-fourths to two or three pounds weight, with a general average of about one and one-fourth pounds. That the fish in Breeches Lake are plenty there can be no doubt. "In running the lines out from the shore," says a gentleman who visited this lake in 1876, " fish frequently rose to the min- now bait, and in taking up a short line for the last time before leaving, out of si.K trout caught on it, two were caught fowl. This would look as though they must have been having a lively time below." There are about three quarters of a mile of wood intervening between Breech- es Lake and Indian Lake, while the small stream c:)nnecting the two is so small and grown up with timber that it is impossible to get a boat through it. But an old lumber road extends between Indian and Breeches lakes, which could be bnsl'F'd out in a few hours so that a hgut boat CvUild be portaged across, when the skillful handling of fly and troll would meet with abundant success. The pro- per time to arrive there would be about June 30. In the left leg of the Breeches, lunge weighing nearly twenty pounds have been caught. The water is generally deep and cleur, with beautiful smooth sand and gravel beach at the head of the lake. The high ridge or promontory which separates the legs of the Breeches, would be a very desirable camping spot, as from its situation flies would not be .roublesome, and the dry timber standing ivould be ample to keep the pot boiling. A handy man for camp work can be had for $1 per day. Neither Indian nor Breeches lakes are settled. The Quebec Central Railway pass- es within five or six milea of the point named. OTONABEC RIVER. The Otonabec River, in Peterboro county, is a noble Canadian black bass stream. It is a sluggish stream of some twenty miles in length, and from one hundred to one hundred and twenty yards wide, winding gracefully through forest and farm till it enters Rice Lake, a splendid sheet of vjater twtnty-flve miles long by about three broad. The fish in. this riber are game to the last. The season begins about the middle of June (after the fish have spawned) and continues till October. The bait generally used is live minnow. As many as sixty bass have been taken in an af- ternoon's fishing by two rods, averaging from one to five and a half pounds each in weight. THE YELLOWSTONE YALLEY. ITS CHARMS FOR SPORTSMEN. Many of the journals and periodicals have occasionally made mention of the famous Yellowstone Talley of Montana, and have spoken of its many natural won- ders and Curiosities, but few, if any, have made any reference to its advantages as a field for sportsmen. Of its famous geysers, its curious mud fountains, its frost-like incrustations of every hue and shade, its magnificent lakes, its thermal springs and varied scenery, accurate ac- counts have been given by Donne, Hay- den, and others. But that it is the favor- ite Summer resort, the Xevrport and Saratoga, of the grizzly bear, the Cali- fornia lion, and innumerable varieties of fur-bearing animals, and of the feather- ed tribes; that the lakes, both large and small, fairly teem with trout, and, as one writer says, " there are no small trout there, few, if any, weighing less than a pound," almost no one has heard. En- trance to this valley is through the canon of the Yellowstone, and this can be gain- ed only during the months of June, July, Atigust, and September. There is also a trail over the mountains, touchius: the HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 93 upper end of the valley leading from the great Shoshone Falls and head of the Snake River, via the headwaters of the Madison and Gallatin rivers-^both of which have valleys similar to, but much smaller, than the Yellowstone — to the great buffalo range between this district and the Missouri. This is known as the Bannock trail. The sportsman will go by the Pacific Railroad to Evanston or Cheyenne, and thence to Fort Ellis, Montana, which last place is but five or six days from the Great Basin, with fine hunting and fish- ing all the way. He will require heavy clothing, and all the requisites for camp- ing out. The travel will not be found especially difficult, nor will the danger be great, as the Indians, having a super- stitious reverence for the valley, believing it to be the abode of the Great Spirit, never enter it. A party of three can travel with perfect safety, so far as In- dians are concerned, in any part of this district by keeping watch upon their horses at night, as the lions would mak(! short work with them if an opportunity was afforded, horseflesh being their fa- vorite diet. To give an idea of the abundance and variety of game, appended are a few par- agraphs taken from the official report of Lieut. Doane, Second United States Cav- alry, who visited this valley in 18*10. This officer started from Fort Ellis, Mon- tana, on the 22d of August, struck the Yellowstone in about eight hours; enter- ing the valley through the great canon of the Yellowstone. The Yellowstone abounds in trout; the writer says: "The Yellowstone trout are peculiar, being the largest variety of the genus caught in waters flowing east. Their numbers are perfectly fabulous, but their appe- tites extremely dainty. One may fish with the finest tackle of Eastern sports- men, when the water appears to be alive with them, all day long, without a bite. Grasshoppers are their peculiar weak- ness, and, using them for bait, the most awkward angler can fill a champagne basket in an hour or two. They do not bite with the spiteful greediness of the Eastern brook trout, but amount to much more in the way of subsistence when caught. The flesh is of a bright yellow color on the inside of the body, and of a flavor unsurpassed." All the Yellowstone trout are said to be salmon trout, though the brook trout is caught in most of the mountain streams of this region. " Our mess table was here supplied with antelope, hare, ducks, and grouse killed during the day (on the march), and with fish caught ad libitum in the after- noon." Passing through the canon, and ar- riving at the mouth of Gardiner's River, the Yellowstone " at this point shrinks to half its usual size, lost among boulders of the drift, innumerable masses of which choke up the stream in many places, forming alternate pools and rap- ids, which afford great delight to the fishermen. The ground will be found everywhere tracked by the passage of elk and mountain sheep, and bear signs are everywhere visible." Three miles below the Yellowstone Falls the chasm is one thousand and fifty feet deep; on the "caps of the dizzy heights above the mountain sheep and elk rest during the night." Entering the Great Basin over the high ridges as they descended, they " found a large flock of mountain Lheep, very tame, and greatly astonished, no doubt, at our sudden appearance. Elk were feeding in small bands on the other 94 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISTS GUIDE. side of the valley, and large flocks of water fowl were frequently seen sporting in the river channel. Here trout were caught in abundance." At the Great Yellowstone Lake, at the mouths of creeks emptying therein, are " large, swamjiy districts, flooded, and the resort of myriads of water fowl. The waters of the lake abound with trout to such an extent that the fish at this season are in poor condition for want of food. No other fish are seen ; no minnows, no small trout. There are also no clams, crabs, nor turtles — no- thing but full grown trout. These could be caught in mule loads by wading out a few feet in the open waters at any point, with a grasshopper bait. Two men could catch them fasti-r than half a dozen could clean and get them ready for the frying pan. Caught in the open lake, their flesh was yellow ; but in bays where the water was strongly impreg- nated with chemicals, it was blood red. The whole valley is filled with pools of water, a resort for great numbers of waterfowl. The ground was trodden by thousands of elk and sheep. Bear tracks and beaver trails were also numerous, and occasionally was seen the footsteps of a California lion. During the night we were several times disturbed by the dismal screaming of California lions, and in the morning found their huge tracks close around the camp. In the evening a grizzly bear, with cubs, was roused by some of the party, but as they had not lost any bears she got away with her in- teresting family undisturbed. These ani- mals are very immerous m the basin, the green grasses, berries, and pine nuts af- fording them abundant supplies of food. The small lakes are perfectly alive with otter, which may be seen playing upon their surfaces at nightfall by hundreds. Beaver, mink, and muskrat are also abundant." " In the evening large nunibere offish were caught, one of the privates catch-» i ing fifty-two large trout, all that two men could carry, in less than an hour. In the early morning we were serenaded by a couple of lions, their melancholy'; voices echoing through the heavy forest i with a peculiarly wild, mournful sound. " The water fowl on the lake deserve a passing notice. These include swans, pelicans, gulls, Canada geese, brant, and many varieties of ducks and dippers. There are also herons and sandhill cranes. Of pelicans, immense numbers sail in fleets along the lake, in company with the majestic swan. The gulls are of the same variety as those found in San Fran- cisco harbor. I think the pelicans are identical with those found in the great lakes on our northern border, but am not sure, as we did not get a specimen. There are several low, flat islands in the lake, which are always white with thera, at the close of the day. Of the birds and animals of the forest, I have seen of each several not down in the books — comprising, of birds, a sort of large mock- ing bird, two varieties, belonging, I think, to the getms 'corvus;^ two kinds of woodpeckers ; two or three specimens t of grouse; also a guide bird, resembling; a blackbird, but larger. I saw but onei of these the day I went to the bottom I of the Great Canon; it hopped and flew^ along from rock to rock ahead of ust during the whole trip down, waited' perched upon a rock while we were rest-* ing, and led us clear to the summit again), in the same manner, making innumerable! sounds and gestures constantly to at-| tract attention. Others of the party re-5 marked birds of the same kind, and act- 1 inff in the same manner. The common J HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 95 birds of the basin are eagles, hawks, ravens, ospreys, prairie chickens, and grouse. Of animals, I saw several spe- cies of squirrels and weasels, which do not appear in the books. Wq saw no snakes of any kind in the basin. " Crossing the river we moved down to a central point of the valley, and camped in a little grove of pine timber near the margin of a small marshy lake, around which were to be seen numerous fresh signs of buffalo, driven out by the noise of our hasty intrusion." It will thus be seen that the abun- dance and variety of game is not exceed- ed in any other part of the country, and from its being undisturbdd by Indians is comparatively tame, so that no diffi- culty would be found in " making a large bag." Lieut. Doane made the entire trip from Fort Ellis and return in thirty-four days, and part of that time was unable to travel on account of a severe " whit- low." He adds: " The difficulties of the journey amount to but little after the various routes have been laid down cor- rectly. From the 1st of June to the 1st of October, the climate is very mild con- sidering the location. Both the climate and vegetable growths of the Great Basin are stikingly different from those of the surrounding country. The Sum- mer, though short, is quite warm, not- withstanding the elevation of the dis- trict. Rains are frequent in the Spring months, and the atmosphere is compara- tively moist. All the grasses grow rank, and are not of the seeded varieties com- mon to the country, being green and luxuriant when the lower valleys are parched by the sun. Ferns, whortle- berries, thimblcberries, and other pro- ducts of a damp climate abound, all be- ing of diminutive growth. It is a minia- ture Oregon in vegetable productions, the pines being about the height of those on the East Virginia shore, and other growths lessened in proportion. Mos- quitoes and gnats are said to be numer- ous in the early Summer, but we saw none at all. The snows of Winter are very heavy, but the cold is not severe for such an altitude. Doubtless the intense heat and immense amount of hot vapor evolved, exert a powerful agency in mod- erating the rigor of the climate. The basin Avould not be a desirable place for Winter residence. As a country for sight seers and sportsmen, it is without a parallel; as a field for scientific research it promises great results; in the branches of geology, mineralogy, botany, zoology, and ornithology, it is probably the great- est laboratory that Nature furnishes on the surface of the globe.'' All of the above is corroborated by Hayden and others, who have since vis- ited the valleys and classified its flora and fauna. What a magnificent field for the sportsman. IN WESTERN NEW YORK. Although game of all kinds in this State is scarce in comparison with that found in Western and Southern States, there is still very fair shooting to be had on game in its season for the sportsman who knows the habits and favorite haunts of that which he seeks. There are probably one hundred deer killed an- nually near the Pennsylvania border, in Steuben and other counties, while foxes, the white and gray hare, black and gray squirrels, raccoon, mink, and muskrat are found in abundance, particularly in the half mountainous section through which the Erie Railroad and its branches pass. Ruffed grouse are widely distri- buted, being found in small numbers in TUE SPOIiTSMAX'S AND TOURISrS GUIDE. the woodlands of nearly every farm. Quail are also quite numerous, though many are killed by the heavy snows of our severe Winters, whole bevies being sometimes found in the Spring under the deep drifts in the fence corners. Wood- cock breed plentifully along tiie numer- ous lakes, ponds, rivers, creeks, trout streams, and the surrounding brush- covered bottom lands, whose rich, warm soil produces an abundance of food for these voracious feeders, and in favorable seasons a large brood is reared. Wood- duck are also found along these water courses. Ruffed grouse, quail, woodcock, and woodduck, are the only game birds that breed in this latitude, with the ex- ception of a few duck and snipe that are belated on their northward flight, and seek the secluded and inaccessible re- cesses of the marshes and swamps adja- cent to the lakes and bays, where their nests are made and their young reared. The wild turkey disappeared long since, and is a thing of the past. Of the mi- gratory birds which visit this section may be mentioned geese — which, how- ever, are seldom shot — brant, loon, many varieties of duck — principally mallard — black, teal, redhead, whistler, widgeon, sheldrake, coot, dipper, snipe, plover, and curlew, with an occasional rail. The Spring shooting of migratory birds amounts to but little. Ducks are often poor and unfit for food, and snipe make so short a stay that comparatively few are bagged. A good bag is occasion- ally made in favorable seasons if the shooter can be kept posted upon their arrival, and reaches the ground at once; but in case " Winter lingering chills the lap of May," and frequent frosts cover the marshes with a film of ice at night, it is useless to look for snipe. Immense flocks of pigeons formerly visited the western part of the State in the Spring, but for many years the flight has decreased un- til the number of these birds now met with in this part of the State is insignifi- cant. Ruffed grouse are found in con- siderable numbers in all parts of the State, especially in the vicinitj- of dense cedar swamps, to which they resort for food and shelter during the severe storms of Winter. At the expiration of the close season, whole broods are found to- gether in the uplands, and furnish ad- mirable sport with the aid of steady, well-trained setters or pointers. If, how- ever, the birds have been shot at by woodcock hunters, they are extremely wild, and are only found singly and in pairs. A great many ruffed grouse are shot around Batavia. A few years ago Cayuga Lake, Seneca River, and the extensive Montezuma Marshes contigu- ous thereto, fairly swarmed with duck, and was the favorite resort of sportsmen who traveled long distances to enjoy it, but the introduction of batteries has ut- terly destroyed the sport. The greater portion of the birds are driven away to other feeding grounds, and tlie remain- der are rendered so frightfully wild that they will not decoy, and cannot be shot. TWIN LAKES IN THE "NUT- MEG" STATE. The Twin Lakes are fast growing into favor as a camping and picnic resort, and as there is but little of " civilization," so called, on their borders they may be con- sidered sufficiently wild for either pur- pose. On the mountain tops near at hand are lakes as really wild and much less frequented than the Adirondacks or Maine lakes, and abundantly stocked with fish and game. It costs $2.80 to get to Twin Lakes Station, via Ilarlem and Connecticut Western railroads. HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASUBE RESORTS. 91 through ticket, and it will pay to go in the right season. Try it! The "Twins" — "Waushinee" and " Waushining," — are located on the line of the Connecticut Western Riiilroad, some twelve miles east of Millerton, on the Harlem, and fifty-seven miles west from Hartford. They are on high ground, some five hundred feet above tide water, and held in place by a range of hills that barely keep them from slop- ping over into the valleys below when the wind blows very fresh. From the highest of these hilltops one may over- look a great extent of scenery, both up and down the Housatonic Valley, with the grand dome of the Toghkanie range, some two thousand feet higher on the west, while a spur of the Green Moun- tains that trends, exceptionally, east and west, shuts in the view by means of the hills of Canaan and Norfolk. The Twins are " siamesed " together by a narrow, crooked strait, that is barely boatable in low water, which cuts through the natural causeway that long served as a highway, and now affords just additional room for the railroad and the " Twin Lakes Station." The Twins are about as unlike as two peas (marrowfat and sweet peas, for in- stance), Waushining being clear, cold, deep, and nearly symmetrical, with an island of some thirty acres in its north- western portion; while Waushinee is shal- low, long, and in shape not unlike a crook-neck squash, with its outlet at the stem end, that winds down through the mill and furnace wheels of Chapiiiville, the forges and scythe works at Hammer- ton, and finally, after taking in several trout streams, finds its way into the Housatonic at ShefiBeld, some ten miles further north. Both lakes are well stocked with the fish usually found in this region, and vast quantities of pick- erel and perch are taken from the smaller lake during the Winter, and many find their way to the city mar- kets through pot-hunters, who are not quite unknown even here. The large lake — some six miles in circuit — has long- been famous for its fine pike (pickerel they are called thereabouts), and fish of five to seven pounds weight being not unusual in the bygone days; but since the stocking of the waters with black bass some years since, the pike are not so plenty nor so large. The abundant sup- ply of bass, however, more than makes up for it, and during the Summer afford rare sport to those experts who know the when and the how to take them. The angler who trusts to a light fly rod and fine tackle, with grasshoppers and min- now for bait, may land from five to ten two pound fish in th6 course of a morn- ing, and not find it boy's play either. Close around this lake region are numerous trout streams, that tumble down the sides of Toghkanie, or bubble up in copius cold springs along its base, which afford the angler fine sport; not- ably More Brook and Bracie's Brook, in Salisbury, and Bartholomew, Spurr, and Lee brooks, in Sheffield, not to forget the Sage's Ravine Brook, that divides the two States, and can show the finest waterfalls, next after Bash Bish, in West- ern Massachusetts. These streams are hardly large enough for the fly fisher's best efforts, though well fed trout of two pounds weight have been taken from the Lee brook, and very good creels full in Sage's Ravine and the More brook. Of game common hereabouts there is a sufficient variety — grouse, woodcock, quail, squirrels, and rabbits, not to men- tion mink and otter, fox, wild cat, and wpodcliucks; of ducks on the lake, such 98 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISTS GUIDE. as broadbill, sheldrake, whistler, buffle- head, brant, black duck, aud in short nearly every kind found on any fresh water, and in great abundance. Of pigeons there is a full share, but as they are strictly birds of passage they must be taken flying. Since the advent of the Connecticut Western Railroad, numerous parties of campers out visit the lakes from Hartford, Pittsfield, and other near towns, and picnic parties in Summer are even more numerous, as many as five or six car loads of juvenile health seekers being left some days at the grove near the station, which affords ample shade, and, under the care of Herr Odeubright, adequate accommodation. The cave is always a place of great resort during the dry season, and to those curi- ous in stalactite and stalagmite-y lure its many " marble walls " (limestone, by the way) seem to afford amusement as end- less as are its but partially explored depths. Boats may be had for the ask- ing (price fifty cents per day) of Mr. Odenbright, near the Twin Lakes Sta- tion, and on the large lake of E. Sherman Pease, the artist, angler, hunter, and trapper. A PLEASANT PENNSYLVANIA TROUT STREAM. Afield and Afloat tells anglers who seek good trout fishing aud a pleasant stream to fish, within easy distance where they can find just what they want by taking the train at the Pennsylvania Railroad depot to Young Woman's Town, at the mouth of Y'oung Woman's Creek, Clinton county, Pennsylvania. Good hotel accommodations may be had at the station, at reasonable rates, and the landlord will get you an early break- fast and have a nice lunch put up when you want to go up the creek. The stream is wide and open enough to afford fine fly fishing over ten miles, without having your leader hung up in the trees every third cast. That will save some profanity. It has the reputation among those who do not fish it, or haven't the know how, of being fished out, but the writer has never failed to make a good basket after throwing back the little ones, which we hope you will do. The right hand branch, which joins the main stream less than two miles from the river, affords good sport, except when the log- gers are using the splash dams. On the main stream you may be sure that the trout " ye have always with you," but if you fish below the mouth of the branch you will be bothered with chubs. If you have a week or even a few days to spare go up to the " ten mile camp " — there will be no trouble in getting a ride with the lumbermen, if you have a flask, a cigar, or tobacco pouch — where you will be comfortably taken in and done for, in a cosy log shanty, and your bill of fare, if you get tired of trout, will be mackerel, salt pork, hot bread, fried potatoes, and tea. There is no trouble from gnats and mosquitoes until late in the Summer, but if you go in August, you'll be convinced that Beecher and Farrar have not en- tirely abolished everlasting torment. The cost of the trip, for railroad fare, board for one week, and moderate etceteras, will not exceed $20. PEWAUKEE LAKE, WISCONSIN. Parties from Milwaukee and Wauke- sha are constantly visiting this place for ducks and fish. The lake is very clear and pretty, and affords an abundance of food for both ducks and fish. The fish are pickerel, pike, bass, perch, &c , aud the wild fowl of every conceivable va- riety Hold accommodations good. HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 99 NEW BEUNSWICK The following description of the New Brunswick salmon rivers is from the pen of George A. Fay, Esq., of West Meriden, Connecticut : The three rivers, Miramichi, Ne- pisseguit, and Restigouche, are all reached by the Intercolonial Railway, which runs from St. Sohn, N. B., to Riviere du Loup on the St. Lawrence. If the Restigouche is the objective point I would recommend going via St. John and returning via Quebec to Boston, as the distance from the Restigouche to Boston is the same either way. Route from Boston to St. John by cars: Boston to Portland, 108 miles; Portland to Bangor, 136 miles; Bangor to St. John, 205 miles. One through train daily from Boston to St. John, via Eastern Railroad at 7 P.M., reaches Portland at 11.30 P. M,, and Bangor next morning at 6.10 A. M.; connects there with Eu- ropean & North American Railroad, leaving at 7.20 A. M.; thus giving one hour and ten minutes for breakfast. Penobscot Exchange Hotel near the station; first-class. Arriving at St. John same day, 6.45 P. M., making 449 miles and 24 hours' time from Boston; fare, Boston to St. John, $10. Parties preferring can take one of the steamers ( International Steamship Co.) which leave twice a week in Spring and Fall, and three times in the Summer at 8 A. M. from end of Commercial Wharf, Boston; fare, $5.50, exclusive of state-rooms and meals. Train leaves St. John, Intercolonial Railroad ( Northern Division), 8 A. M., arriving at Miramichi, town of Newcastle, 167 miles, about 5 P. M. Hotel, Waverly ; situated about quar- SALMON RIVERS. ter of a mile from Miramichi River; but no fishing here. Take a team sev- enteen miles up river to Indiantown, and go to Frank Jardin's Hotel. A small affair, but best there is; terms, $1.50 per day. Fishing here in the season good, from the 10 th to the 20th of June; salmon only, ranging in weight from eight to twenty pounds. Guides not indispensible. Can fish from the shore or from ca- noes. From Miramichi to Bathurst is 44 miles; Bay View Hotel; no fishing in the immediate vicinity. The Nepis- seguit, famous for its salmon, empties here, but it is necessary to take a team up the river; good fishing nine miles up at Rough Waters, and at points along up river to Grand Falls. Fishing may be done from the banks or in canoes. Guides plenty for $1 per day. Scenery enchanting as you go up the river. Season does not us- ually commence till June 10th or later, and continues through the Summer. Permits necessary; charge usually ^1 per day per rod. Settle- ments along the banks near Rough Waters. Grand fishing pool at the falls. Camp necessary. Salmon range six to twenty-five pounds. Nepisseguit to Metapedia Station, junction of the Metapedia and Resti- gouche rivers, is 76 miles. Hotel Eraser, kept by Daniel Eraser — an ex- cellent house, with accommodations for fifty or seventy-five guests. Mr. F., an intelligent Scotchman, will do everything to make his guests com- fortable; terms, $2 per day. Always get your guides through him, and he will see you are not imposed upon. He leases six miles of the river, and 100 TUB SPORTSMAX'S AXD TOUTIST'S GUIDE. grants permits at $1.00 per day per man. The Restigouche is one of the most famous rivers in New Brunswick, and the sahnoi) run very hirge, ranging from eight to fiifty pounds; thirty, thirty-five, and forty pounds are not uncommon catches. The season is about ten days earlier here than at the Miramichi or Ncpisseguit, and usual- ly opens from 5th to 10th of June, and keeps up through tlie Summer. The largest fish are the first that run np. Splendid pool within a stone's throw of the hotel. Distance from here to Riviere du Loup, 179 miles; from there to Quebec, 125 miles. Whole distance from Boston to St. John, 460 miles; St. John to Quebec, 588 miles; Quebec to Boston, 460 miles. Total, 1,445 miles. Round trip tickets from Boston to Restigouche via St. John, and return via Quebec, can be procured for about $31. Expenses of fishing at Restigoucbe per day: Board, $2; board of two guides, $2.50; permit, $1; canoe, 50 cents; two guides per day, $1.50. To- tal expenses per day, $6.50. As the water is very " quick," two guides are indispensable per man. Estimated necessary expenses for two weeks' trip from Boston to Restigouche, $150. Plenty of sea trout six miles below Metapedia, running from one-half to five pounds in weight. For full particulars address Daniel Eraser, Metapedia Station; Waverly Hotel, New Castle, J. H. Wilbur, Bay View Hotel, Bathurst, N. B. [Tt may be well to say to those that wish to cast their flies on the waters of the Xepiss- guit, that that stream is leased to private par- lies, like all other salmon rivers in Canada that are worth anything ; but the lower division, or what is called the Rough Waters, can be fished by any one on payment of $1 per day to the warden. The consequence of this prac- tically open-to-all privilege is a great crowd of anglers, good and bad, and no sport nor pleasure to anyone. Much the same result ob- tains on the Metapedia or the lower part of it, which is open at the same price. The esti- mated expenses are no doubt too light. Allow for all probable outlay, and then double the amount ; and this will be near the cost on counting up the expense on returning home.] THE LATJRENTIAN COUNTRY. Every one that can spare the time should try the Muskoka country, On- tario, Canada, where fishing and shooting, in their seasons, cannot be excelled. For speckled trout fishing, the South Branch of the Muskoka is Al. The head waters of the Magan- etawan River are hard to beat for the speckled beauties, and the Namiua- taygong or South River will hold its own with any of them. Then for maskalonge, the Muskosh and Moon rivers are first-class, and French River cannot be beaten for maskalonge, pike and pickerel; and lakes Rosseau, Joseph, Spider, Turtle, and Manito- waba, and the hundreds of other smaller lakes cannot be touched in the whole Laurentian country for black bass fishing. In the Autumn deer are jjlentiful, partridge are found everywhere. Moose are killed in the vicinity of Lake Xipissing in good numbers, also wild geese and ducks. The routes to reach these sections are as follows : Leave Toronto per Northern Railway to Gravenhurst, thence by steamer to Bracebridge, and then by stage, fourteen miles, to Bays- ville, on Trailing Lake, for trout fisli- ingou the South Muskoka and North rivers. HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 101 For maskalonge fishing on the Muskoka and Moon rivers, take the steamer from Gravenhurst to Bala. For bass fishing on lakes Eosseau, Joseph, and Turtle, take steamer, from Gravenhurst to " Pratt's." For trout fishing on the jNlaganetawan and the Naminataygong, or South River, take stage from Pratt's to Mag- anetawan Village, thirty-seven miles, and for South River, stage it twenty- four miles further north to Com- monda. For bass fishing on Spider and Manitowabah lakes, take stage from Pratt's to Parry Sound, twenty- four miles; and for French River take steamer from Parry Sound to French River. And if the sportsman is not too thinned skin, while tlie black flies and mosquitoes are browsing around, he will enjoy himself immensely, as hundreds have done before him. Guides and canoes can be had at all the diiferent places mentioned. A very pleasant Summer trip can be made at very small expense to the back lakes of Muskoka from almost any part of the Northern States. This country is as yet virgin forest, broken by mountains and dotted with small lakes from the size of a fish pond to some of miles in area. All these last are full of gray salmon trout from three to nine pounds in weight, and also of the genuine Salmo fontinalis, which is not a poor liver-fed speci- men of his race, but splendid, gamey fellows; many of them will tackle a balance of five pounds draught. Many of this weight have been caught several times, and trout from one to three pounds, and so plentiful that they cease to be sport after a time. The route: Go to Toronto, take the Northern Railway to Bracebridge ; fare $4.50, including meal on steamer during latter part of journey ( time, seven hours) ; go from Bracebridge to Baysville, distance twenty miles by wagon, fare according to number of party, average price $1 ; take boat to Phillips, at head of lake, ffii-e about same; then get Allen, or Alven Phil- lips to guide. They are both first- class men, and know all the country for 150 miles around. They are hun- ters and trappers by business, and also make canoes, buckskin mocca- sins, &c. Average price for three weeks about $30 each for party of, say three, not counting fare to To- ronto, from point of starting. For a larger party the expense is propor- tionately less. Of course this amount only covers the necessaries; it can be made larger at the option of the par- ties going. Best time from loth of May to 15 th of July. Another very pleasant trip can be made at small expense from Toronto that will not take more than say two weeks. Take the Toronto and Ne- pissing Railroad to Coboconk at the head of Balsam Lake. Here take guides, of whom plenty are easily found in the village at a cost of $1 per day, or $1.50 if canoes or skiffs are to be supplied. Then the choice of two routes is open, and they are both good. Go north to Mudturtle Lake, and then Gull River to Gull Lake. Again follow up Gull River after leaving the lake till Lake Bosh- kung is reached. Here is fine fishing and shooting in the Fall. A portage of about three miles brings one into Lake Kushaganigamoz, a very large lake with good fishing. If another route is desired go south from Cobo- conk, through Balsam Lake, theu a 102 THE SPORTSMAXS AXD TOURIST'S GUIDE. short river, and so into Cameron's Tjuke. Another short river trip brings us into Sturgeon Lake ; then through Pigeon and Buekhorn hikes into Dt^er and Sahnon Trout hikes. In all these lakes the tishing is good ; trout, black bass, maskalonge, and lunge are plen- tiful, with good duck and partridge shooting in Fall. Deer shooting is also good about the upper lakes after leaving Salmon Trout Lake. Go by rail, or follow the Ottanabee River in a skift' to Hiawatha Village, on Rice Lake. Good bnssand maskalonge tish- ing; duck shooting in Fall. Then by rail to Cobourg on Grand Trunk, and so to Toronto and home. "When in Boshkung Lake it is but a short distance, with comparatively few portages, to Trading Lake. Then down the South Branch of Muskoka River and through Muskoka Lake to Gravenhurst, where the Northern Railway is taken for Toronto. PRINCE ARTHUR'S LANDING. George T. Marks, Esq., residing at Prince Arthur's Landing. Province of Ontario, furnishes the following in re- gard to the hunting and tishing lo- calities, hotels. &e., in that latitude: •• Prince Arthur's Lauding is situated on the north shore of Lake Superior, I two hundred miles northwest of Du- Inth, in the District of Algona and j Province of Ontario, Dominion of i Canada. It is within eighty miles by ; water of Nepigon River, the celebrat- { ed trout grounds, and may be ivach- ed from D ninth by the steamers of either the Collingwood or Sarnia lines, ! two boats of each line leaving Duluth every week during the season of navi- gation ; or the traveler may come bv the same lines from either Sarnia or Collingwood — these places being ac- cessible, the former by the Grand Trunk and Great Western railways of Canada, and the latter by the North- ern and Hamilton and Northwestern railways of Canada. *' There are two tlrst-class hotels at Prince Arthur's Landing, viz : The Queens, James Flaherty, proprietor, and The Pacitic, John P. Vigars. pro- prietor. Board from $LoO to $'3 per day; reduced rates by the week or month. Sailboat and man nniy be had for $3 per day. hi adilition, there are three steamers which may be char- tered at from $15 to $30 per day, to convey tourists to Nepigon and out- standing trout streams, of which there are — Carp River, fourteen miles south of Prince Arthur's Landing ; Maken- zie River, fourteen miles, and Blende River, twenty-tive miles, both north- east, from this place, while MeViear's Creek empties into the bay iu the outskirts of the town, and Current River two miles from here. On the latter streams good fishing may be had by walking out them two to three miles. Another creek crosses a col- onization road (the Dawson Route) six miles out, and still another river (^Neebing) crosses the Oliver township six miles out. The latter stream has hardly ever been fished, owing to it having been inaccessible till the Fall of 1878, when the road was built. Of all these streams. Carp River is pro- bably the finest tishing, the largest fish having been caught — a four- pounder (trout) being no uncommon occurrence. No licenses are required to fish any of these sti-eams. The sea- son (trout) is from the 15th of May to the 15th of September. Good sport trolling for pickerel and pike of large HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND FLEASUBE FESORl'S. 103 size may had at any time in the Ka- ministiqnia, three miles from Prince Arthur's Landing; while from tl)e 1st of September to the Ist oi' October any quantity of salmon trout m;iy bc^ caught trolling in the bays adjoining and in Thunder J^ay. " Partridge and duck shooting may be had, but to a limited extent, from the 1st of Se[)tember on to the close of navigation ; and during the Win- ter months caribou shooting is to be had Avithin twenty miles. But unfor- tunately we are almost inaccessible after navigation closes, as we have no railway until the Canadian Pacific is finished. " Of Nepigon, I need not speak — it is already so well known — except to say, Never buy a ticket to Nepigon, for the steamers seldom call there, al- though so advertised. The best i)lan is to purchase a ticket to Prince Ar- thur's Landing only, and the sports- man, if he decides on going there, can charter one of the steamers or a sail- boat and go from here. This will save many disappointments and the pro- bability of being carried all around Lake Superior before being landed at Nepigon, if at all. " All kinds of provisions and sup- plies, including tents, can be purchas- ed here, but visitors will do well to bring their fishing tacking tackle, as the supply of rods, hooks, and lines would not satisfy a veteran or even scientilic fisherman. Indians and ca- noes may be had in abundance." Any further information in regard to the sport to be had in that vicin- ity can be obtained by addressing Mr. Marks at Prince Arthur's Landing, Province of Ontario, Canada, enclos- ing a three cent stamp for return postage. Prince Arthur's Landing is also accessible from Ashland, Wiscon- sin. BACHEWANA BAY. Bacliowana Bay is one of the most beautiful of Lake Superior's many beau- tiful bays. There are some wilder in scenery, more abrupt in their shores, and with higher adjacent mountains. Thun- der Bay has a magnificence of view, with its grand old cape and the bold heights of Pie Island, not to be equalled; but for a calm and quiet beauty, which charms to {Ireaminess and is full of restfulness, Bachewana Bay surpasses them all. En- tering it along the wooded coast of Gou- lais Point, which shuts out the view until the last little cape is turned, there comes suddenly upon one's sight, clear and dis- tinct over the green island and the miles of quiet water, the mountains of its north- ern and eastern shores, while the sky and water are of that intense blue which seems so unreal upon canvas. The moun- tain line extends beyond the actual shores of the bay on the southeast, so that it seems one unbroken chain away beyond where we know Goulais River lies, while upon the north the sharp gap through which Harmony pours its wa- ters comes into view, with the higher mountains seen through it beyond. And with the Summer sun casting the shadows of the clouds upon the bay and moun- tains, it will make a picture that will rival the Bay of Naples. The fishing all along the exposed points about Bach- ewana and Goulais bays is very fine, pro- bably as fine as almost any place along the whole lake shore, and as good fish are caught as anywhere except in the Nepigon. Many of the most experienced North Shore fishermen prefer this part of the coast to any other. The fishing 04 TUS SrORTSMAX'S AXD fOliUSrS GUIDR i$ luivstly from the boat, aud therefor* pleasauler thau sirvjuu fishing, where a K>njr oast is siuvr <*f a Inish than a trvmr. A >Yet»kV alvseniv frvnu the Sault will give, orviiuarilv, s^^veral day's fine sjH^rt, If this was better kaovra the l»ay wouKl W more frei^ueutly visittHl. Oaiiv's River, at the extrewo southeast e^mier of the Iviv, affor\is J^KHi sport. A sttfn- tlemau who fislunl there in the season of ISTS. says, '" we pushini up as far as the brusli and K^jrs would jH^rwit," and then '* went ashvvt^ and pusheti thrv>njrh the brush up the strx^am to find sv>me n»pid water. «lohu (the jraide^ prtwHied lue, breakiujr a iv»th thrvnijrh the under- growth, and svH>u 1 saw hiiu bei'kvnuug me to eome. On rv\»el»injr him 1 fouud him jHvriug over the baiik at the firjt jkkU Wtwtvu two rippK\s. The sun shoue brightly iu ujkhi the clear ivld tra- ter. slunviug iu a s^»av"e harxlly tea feet square* m\>re tr\Hit than I had ever lie- tore, or have ever siuw, seea at oae view, ttuless it was iu a trvnit pA^sv>rve or haK-h- ery, aud it w-as a view worth gv^ing tar to see. Out <.>f the huadrexis there seem- eii to be none less thau ten iueht»s in length, with many eighteen v»rttreaty. We t\.vk iu a few miuutes six fine trvMit with a uaitevi weight v>f or^r fitteeu j>omKis: ami. strange to say, though we trieii all sorts of fiies and even bait w« ov»uld not get another to rise. We cv^i not get higher up the stream, the wilvi«> ness was so vleivse. Jones* Kiver is another good sti^m. where fish of two sud three (tounds are oftett taken. Therv is an luvtian lodge oa the stream, wherv, iu ease of emer- genoy. one ean obtain shelter. UaruuHiy Kiv\?r will also atHwvi gvxyi sport. The river Wow the falls is slug- gt^h, dark. aiKl unattractive: but the falb suddenly bursting ujKvn you as you round a turn in the river, and the scene is lively and graad beyond the powers of dcscriptioa. The heights are steep aad WHHxled upon both .i v>f the upper fall is a fine jh»oI, that will yield fish of fivm two to three pounds, aad ».Kvasiou- t;lly four pvniuds. Rock fishing is fine ia Carp Kiver. Landing at or near and old pier built by .ld rail- road grade until it crosses the river, ami thence ci>miag dowa the river, there is to l»e found very fine sport. Tr\)ut of thret* jx^undsart* not uncommon, and two aud a halt pounds arv fre\)ueutly taken, iiixxi sjx»rt can W had at Pancake l»ay, just near its entniUiV. By taking a Ixvit aud aiK*hv»ring just off a little jxMut on which the sea breaks noisily, aad drv>p- ping your tlies on the water, the fish will rise sjUendidly, and in less than an him-, yiHi will have a doxen fish that will weigh tnU twenty pounds, if not over. The fislung is done in water about twelve twt deep, the Ixntom covere\i with huge rocks and Wulderj, At time$, when a fish is h*^H>kett. several others will come on: aud follow him around in his strtig- gles, re^rviless of the boat or the fish- erttkeo. — I^KE PisKco is eight miles frv>m Lake Pleasant, which latter (Uace is twenty-eight mik* by stage frxHu North- ville. which is twv» hours' ride by railrv>ad fa>m Nunda, New York, A stagx" leaves Northville every M<.H)day and Wednes- day mornings at nine oVlock. Leaving city by mortiiag express, you reach l^ise- CO same night. CJvxxi acv\>muuxlations, and exeelleitt boats aud guides. May and JuQS are the best mouths. iiUNTJsa A\n Fisiiixa a hounds and vlkasure iH'Isohts. 1(5 ON TllM CHICAIJO c*< NOI ON THK (lAI.KNA t)lVlSI()N. Gonevii ia looatod on Vox River, nt wliich point the rivor is woll storked with black basH, pickerel, and oUu r (!sb. Tlie sdrrouiidinjr coim- try ia rollinp, about oqiially divided botwioti "prairio" and "timber," and nfl'oida lliio shooting: in season. I'rairio ehiokeiift (pin- nated Kronsc), (luails, woodcook, niflVd gi-onso, aud other gaiuo abounds. Nelson's Lake, irilVVKSTKKN RAILWAY. Niicliusa is niiu'ty-tbreo miles from (1hicn(i;o. Wliito l{oi'k, a popidar picnic and (isliinj!; re- sort, is sitindod foiir miles norlli of the villaffo, and is much l'ro.i|nented l)y parlies from all portions of the Slate. Tlio rock is n noted landmark, rising!; as it does sixty feet above tlie snrfaco of the water of Uock Rivor, and above the snrronndniji: prairio. Dixon is about ninoty-eiti;ht miles from C'hi- IlEAD OF THE nOYEll, NKAR DKNNISON, IOWA — BEAOIIKl) IIY OIHOAGO * NOaTHWESTRRN R. Johnson's Mound, and Harrington's Island, are popular resorts from one lo seven miles from the village. Its beat hotel is the Union Hojise, which can accommodate one hundred guests; charges, $2 a day. Geneva is thirty- six miles from Chicago. Flagg is seventy-nine miles from Chicago. On Kite Rivor, some llircp-qMnrters of a mile from Flagg, there is fair fishing, while in the surrounding uplands quail and prairie chick- ens are found in large uumbora. cago, and ia the county seat of Leo county, and, of all Iho counties of Illinois, few equal it in productiveness of soil, and none surpass it in beauty of surface and heallhlulness of climate. Tiiis Westorti Kden, in the northern portion of the Rock River Valley, has lost none of those attractions which (lunous wri- ters have 80 beautifully delineated in both prose and poetry. Forty years, it is true, have worked wondorl'ul changes. Then it had been said that the country boro the character 106 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURIST'S GUIDE. of one that had been iuhabiled b)- a people skill- ed in all the ornamental arts of landscape gar- dening. Tillages, castles, and enclosures only were wanting; everywhere were lawns, flow- ers and gardens, and stately parks, as if they had been scattered by the hand of Art at equal intervals, wiih frequent deer and peace- ful cattle, yet all more suL'gcsiive of man than of Nature. These lovely features still remain, and the herd liave multiplied a thou- sand-fold. The villages have sprung up, as it were, in a day. The enclosures have been built, the stately thickets liave grown to lux- fathers. In the vicinity of Dixon are many attractive resorts and much picturesque scen- ery. A small steamer runs between Dixon and Grand De Tour, twelve miles, and passes en route many islands and picturesque points of interest Visitors to Dixon will be amply paid by taking a trip on the river and spend- ing several days in its vicinity. The river provides ample tishing-grounds, and the fi.sli- erman will be abundantly repaid by angling in its waters. Game abounds, the golden plover, upland plover, the English or jack snipe, and woodcock being especially plenti- A^^_ THE iAKE AND TUE OAKWOOD HOTEL, GREEN LAKE, WISCONSIN. — REACHED BY THE CHICAGO i KOKl WESTERN RAILWAY. uriant forests, and what was then a paradise to the eye has become a fruitful garden of the world. Only a few years have passed since "Black Hawk" made these beautiful regions romantic with memories of Indian warfare, and gave to the " Rock River Yal ley" associations like those of '' the dark and bloody ground " of Kentucky. But these events have almost passed out of recollec- tion, and the traveler, as he whirls over the country in a palatial car, is no longer pointed to the spot where the red man last struggled against the white usurper for the home of his ful. Dixon is well supplied with first class hotels. At Clinton, one hundred and thirty-eight miles from Chicago.the Chicago & North-West- ern connects with the Chicago, Dubuque f & La Crosse Railway. This line runs along the west bank of the Mississippi River, and with- in a stone's throw of it most of the war. There is good shooting at many points along the line. At La Crosse, the Chicago, Dubuque & La Crosse Railway forms a junction with the Southern Minnesota Railroad. This last men- tioned line runs through ihe great wheal re- HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 107 gion of Minnesota, and gives easy access to the noted sbootinp: grounds in the vicinity of Ho- kah, Houston, Rushlbrd, Lanesboro, Spring Valley, Albert Lea, Alden, Wells, Delavan and "Winnebago. Canianche, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about one mile from the station, opposite the mouth of the Meredo- 8ia River, of Illinois, is some one hundred and forty-three miles from Chicago. The last-meniioned river has large meadows or miles from Chicago, islocatted about four miles north of the Wapsipinicion River, a stream noted for its most excellent shooting. Ducks, geese, and brant abound on the river and in the bayous setting into it. Snipe, several va- rieties, woodcock, prairie chicken, and quail are found in countless numbers along its banks. The village has one hotel, kept by J. E. Mudgett, who charges $1.50 per day. Wheatland, one hundred and seventy-three miles from Chicago, is near the Wapsipinicion MAGONE FALLS, NEAR GREEN BAY WISCONSIN. — ACCESSIBLE BY THE CHICAGO & WESTERN RAILWAY. dry marshes (if they may be so named), ex- tending for many miles along either bank, and furnishing the best duck, geese, brant and crane shooting that can be found in the West. Thousands of these birds are shot here every season, and hundreds of sportsmen visit these grounds from all parts of the country. Ca- manche furnishes many of the " outfits " lor these hunting parties. The New Haven Ho- tel is an excellent place to stop at, kept by F. Anthony, who charges $2 per day. Low Moor, one hundred and forty-eight River. Many sportsmen resort there to shoot ducks, geese, snipe and woodcock, and to fish for the many varieties of fish with which the river is stocked. It has a fair hotel, The Wheatland House, by E. M. Tucker, accom- modating fifty guests, at $2 per day. Norway, two hundred and thirty-four miles from Chicago, is in the centre of fine prairie chicken shooting. Small game is plentiful around Blairstown, two hundred and forty-four miles from Chica- go. In Cedar River and in Prairie Creek, pike 108 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURIST'S GUIDE. and bass, weighing from two to twenty-five pounds, are caught. The Pennsylvania House, kept by H. & L. Gund, is the best hotel to stop at. In the forests surrounding the village of Belle Plaiiie are deer and wild turkeys, and on the plains prairie chickens, quail, wood- cock, snipe, and other game-birds. Ducks, geese, and brant are found in all the streams and bayous. Distant from the village one and a half miles, are Iowa River and Salt wal(,'r, affording excellent fishing for trout, bass, pike, pickerel, &c. There is fine shoot- ing over chickens, woodcock, snipe, and other game. At Marshalltown, two hundred and eighty- nine miles fnuu Chicago, the Central Ryilroj.d oflowa is crossed, giving direct connections lor Liscorab, Eldora, Mason City, Northwood, and other fine shooting centres north of Marshall- town, aud Grinnell, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa. and others points souih, where sport equally as MINERAL DOCK, ESCANABA, MICH. ACCESSIBLE BY THE CHICAGO & NORTHWEST!-: UN- RAILWAY. Creek, affording fine piscatorial sport. The variety of fish embrace pike, pickerel, black bass, &c. There are four hotels, ranging in price from $1 to $2 per day. Belle Plaine is two hundred and fifty-four miles from Chica- go- At Tama, two hundred and seventy miles from Chicago, the Toledo & North-Westeru Railway connects with the Chicago & North- Western, and runs three miles northwest to Toledo, the county seat of Tama county. The county is well wat-ered by the Iowa River, "Wolf Creek, and other streams of pure spring good can be enjoyed. The road runs from Northwood south to Albia, a distance of some two hundred miles. All kinds of feathered game abounds in the vicinity of State Centre, three liundred and three miles from Chicago. At Ames, three hundred and twenty-six miles from Chicago, connection is made wiili tlie Des Moines & Minnesota Railroad, running south from Ames thirty-seven miles, afl'ordii:g an opportunity to visit the shooting grounds along the line to Des Moines and the country beyond. HUNTma AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 109 Coon River, three miles soulli of Scranton, is a spleiidid tisluug-ground. The waters are well stocked with bass, pike, pickerel, ■ in easy distances. A visit to them will reward Ij HUNTIKG AND FISBING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 123 either tislierman or tourist. Of all of the gems of tliis wild country, yon must not fail to see Teal Lake, as beautiful a body of water as eye ever looked upon. On the farther side of the lake, and to the left may be seen a house. Its' hii-tiry is not unromantic. Many years ago, an Eastern gentleman, with an only daughter about 20 years of age, settled at Chicago. The moi^t air from Michigan did not agree with the lady, and she daily faded. An Indian chief, Friendly Indians " packed " tlie cargo of tlie vessel over almost pathless wilds, thirteen miles to where the ruins are yet seen, and in course of time ihe house was built, furnished and occupied by the invalid and her father. A happy year was passed ; bloom again came 1o the wan cheek and fire came to the dimmed eye ; but, alas, only to mock the hopes of the doting parent. With the coloring of the leaves the next Fall, the father bore the body of his VIEW OF SEA CLIFF HOUSE AND SEAL ROCKS, OFF SAN FRANCISCO. Accessible by Chicago & at Fort Dearborn, told the father of the pure, dry air of the hills of the great northern lake, and drew no mean picture of the country about Xegauuee and Teal Lake, and urged that the diuighter should be taken there. Anxious to adopt any means that seemed to promise hope to the almost dying girl, the lumber for a house was prepared,. and with an ample sup- ply of handsome, costly furniture, was placed on a vessel cliartered to run as near Teal Lake as possible. In due time this vessel reached tlie port where Marquette has since been built. Northwestern Raihvay. dead child to his far-off Eastern home, and abandoned house, furniture and all. The In- dians, with superstitions dread, kept away fio.n tlie place, and everything remained as the owner had left it until a few years ago, wlien the white man prospected the couniry. and settled here to rob the hills of their min- eral treasure. Having none of the scruples of the untaught savage, he did not respect the home of the dead girl, and soon stripped it of its contents, so that to-day the house alone is left. It stands there, a raouument to the now 124 THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURISTS GUIDE. dead and almost forgotten father, who in its building and furnishingexpended over $80, 000. The place is known as " The White Pouse." Marquette, four hundred and thirty-five miles from Chicago, is well supplied with excel- lent hotels and large Summer boarding-houses where comfortible, well furnisiied rooms and unexcelled board can be procured at very rea- sonable prices. The city is beautifully located For the invalid or for the resident of our South- ern or Eastern States, Marquette offers many inducements as a Summer resort. Its air is pure and clear, its days are not hot, its nights pleasantly cool, and yet not cold, and its healtlifulness unquestioned. From Marquette you can take steamer for Sault St. Marie, for Isle Royal, St. Ignace Island, Fort William, or any point on the north shore of Lake Superior. IN THE YOSEMITE. Accessible by Chicago & on the Bay of Marquette, which is a deep in- dentation of the shores of the lake. On the bay are unequalled facilities for boating, and its waters are filled with gamey fish, which seem eager to reward the angler, as they are caught in great abundance with but little labor. A few miles out in the bay are several large islands covered with virgin forests. These i-*lands are favorite resorts for picnic parties, that reacji them by sail boats, by steamer, or by small row boats, of which any number may be hired at Marquette at almost any time. Northwestern Railway. On that shore you will find Nature in all her wildness. The white man's arts and ways have not yet penetrated its wilds, and the In- dian with his peculiar ways can be found without seeking far. This Indian is not the savage of the plains or mountains, but he who has been tamed by the kindly teachings of the patient Catholic missionary, who has been a dweller in the tents of the uncultivated child of the forest for generations, and who has lived there really and truly for the Indian's good, and not for the white man's aggrandizement, HUNTIXG AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 125 as is too often the case with the so-called friend of the Indian. No finer trout fishing is to be found anywhere on the broad earth that can be had on the north shore of this great inland ocean. Speckled trout, weighing from five to twelve pounds, are often caught by the few adventurous spirit who have for several years sought these favored shores. The rivers Ni- pigou and Michapacoton are the best known out of it. Marquette, as a watering place, cannot well be excelled. Romantic scenery surrounding one on every side, a cool, bracing atmosphere, which to those who may be suffer- ing from the heat of a summer sun, is, as it were, the "balm of Gilead." In the fore- ground a beautiful bay spreads away to the distant shore (which is often compared to the bay of Venice), whose silvery waters often lie IN THE YOSEMITE. Aceessible by Ohicago & Northwestern Railway. of the trout streams of the north shore. Guides to these streams can be easily hired at Mar- quette, and fishing parties be fitted out with little expense or labor. And here we mighv drop a hint that may be useful to the stranger: Take an Indian for your guide if you go to the nortli shore to fish ; see that you get one that does not love " fire water," and one that is not afraid to work. Plenty of lazy white men will tender their services, and boast of their knowledge and skill, but trust them not. They are utterly worthless, either in your boat or like an immense mirror beneath the rays of the setting sun, and when dotted with vessels and steamers, presents a scene worthy the pencil of an artist. Salmon trout abound in its waters, and are often taken by trolling, weighing from five to twenty-five pounds each. One person not unfrequently captures from one to twenty fish per day, in the season. There are a number of streams in the viciuity, where the speckled beauties are awaiting the fly of the angler. Dead, Chocolay, Little and Garlic rivers are near by, and are noted trout 126 THE SPORTSMAN S AND TOURIST'S GUIDE. (brook) streams. TO the invalid or tourist, iieedine: a few weeks' recrealioti, we recom- mend them by all means to seek the pure air and splendid climate in and around the fair city of Marquette. Sailinof over the broad, clear waters of Lake Superior, trolling for tlie larg:e thirty-pound lake fish, beating the moun- tain streams for speckled trout, visiting the rolling mills, furnaces, mines and other objects of interest, will serve to pass away several weeks in an amusing and profitable manner. Tiie hotels here are well kept, very comfor- sight of the shores of the lake, which are in many places mountainous, and clothed in the verdure of the pine, hemlock, spruce, fir, and other evergreen trees. A more delightful trip for the hot days of summer cannot be bad within the bounds of the American continent. The steamers are large, staunch, finely equip- ped, and commanded by officers whose su- periors in courtesy and kindness cannot be found anywhere. The best hotels at Marquette are The Cozzens, Alfred Cozzens, proprietor — it can accommodate 150 guests for the summer ■^v- TURKEY RIVER BLUFF. Accessible by Chicago & Northwestern Railway. table and charges reasonable. The steamers leave Marquette in the morning, and pass by the Huron Islands, Manitou Island, Keweenaw Point, past Fort William, Eagle Harbor, Eagle River, Ontonage, the Pewabic Copper Mines, Copper Harbor, Ashland, Bayfield, and so up to Fond du Lac and Duluth. We have an attractive trip, on magnificent boats, over the largest lake in the world. Lake Superior is noted tor its clear, cold water (it being so clear that from the deck of the steamer you can plain- ly see the great lake trout playing in the water forty feet below the surface) ; you pass within — this house has a number of summer cottages . fitted tip for the use of guests, who may prefer { them totheroomsofthehoiel — and The North- ! western Hotel, Farnham & Lyons, proprietors. , This house is situated close to the water of i the bay, and is a charming location for a sum- mer home. Mesdames Williams and Sherman J keep e.xcellent boarding houses. The rates • for private board range from $6 to $12 per ' week. A daily line of Pullman Palace cars ^ is run between Cliicago and Marquette, by { the Chicago & North- Western Railway Com- « pany. HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS AND PLEASURE RESORTS. 127 L'Anse, sixty-three miles from Marquette, in Baragey county, situated ou Keweenaw- Bay, at present the western terminus of the Marquette, Houojhion & Ontonagon Railroad. Ou Fall River and L'Anse Bay is to be found. as fine brook and salmou trout and wliile-fish fishing as there is in the country. The steam- boat trip from L'Anse to Portage Lake occu- pies about three hours, the steamer passing through the beautiful sheet of water known- as Keweenaw Bay and the picturesque Portage river and lake, all of which are renowned for miles in length, extending nearly across Ke- weenaw Point to within two miles of Lake Superior. ON THE MADISON DIVISION. Excellent fishing can be had on Rock River at Beloit, ninety-one miles from Chicago. The village has ample hotel accommodations and private boarding-houses. Lake Waulusa, two and a half miles from Syene, affords splendid fishing. Syene is one hundred and thirty-three miles from Chicago No hotels. ^ ■m