The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-11-03
ScrIbner's.

The November number begins the 18th vol
umc of Scrbner's, or the first half of its eighth
year Its success is certainly wonderful for so
brief career and full ofpromise for the future,
The opening article in the present number
is the first of an illustrated sporting series, de-
voted to the Canvas.back and the Terrapin,
by Walter Mckay Lalian, Of Baltimore. The
paper tells Us about methods of hunting which
are certainty new to our duck shooters Of the
west The usual method on the Chesapeake
is by the use of blinds or dccoys, and the sink
boat and night reflector. The two latter, Of
which we know nothing here are thus de
scribcd:
The sink boat is in reality floating blind.
1t is nothing more then an anchored box or
coffin With hinged flaps to keep the water from
invading it, The gunner lies on his back in
it, completely out OF sight, and around it are
placed the dccoys. 1t is extremely tircsome
work, but very destructive to the birds. They
float down the stream when shot and are pick
ed up from a boat stationed below. 1t is a
wholesale mudering sort of thing and has little
sport about it, The might reflector" is
quite bad. 1t consists of a large reflector be
upon the bow OLA boat. The latter is rowed
out into the stream where the ducks are "bed,
ed" for the night, and the birds, fascinated by
the light, swim to it from every side and bob
against the boat in helpless confusion. The
number of BIRDS secured depends only on the
calibrc of the gun From twenty to thirty
ducks to each shot fired is common expert.
ence. The hunter who uses one Of these re-
Electors may succeed in getting into half a
dozen beds in one night. Another thing he
succeeds in is getting charge of shot in his
body from some indignant sportsman on shore.
If IA rifle is handy and any one chances to be
up and about at that hour no hesitation is felt
at having a crack at the 'pothuntcrs" ncfari-
Gus light
Our "Snatchwincn hunters in such case
would need to have no dread from the rifle on
shore
An article on the Island of Nassau by Frank
r. Stockton gives glowing account of its
climate as a winter resort. Col Waring com
mences an admirable series of articles on the
saddle horse, devoting the present paper to
Arabians and thoroughbreds. An article on
the celebrated Countess Potocko is said to be
the first attempt at full account of her life
l. yet given IN English. Mrs. lierrlck talks
learnedly of bees, and John G. Stevens writes
gloomily of the Erie canal and predicts its
abandonment unless it is so enlarged as to ad-
nit of steam navigation by vessels Of 1000 tons
or over.
In fiction, we have the beginning of new
novel by Edward Eggleston-RoXy; "A short
story by Henry James Dr.: IA story by Miss
Traitor; and IA tramping paper by John Bur
roughs. In the editorial department, DR. Hol-
land writes about Women's Winter Amuse-
ments, The Bondage of the Pulpit, and Indica-
tions of Progress. The Old Cabinet contains,
among other things, Il letter from l.. Clarke
Davis on Joe Jefferson in London, and in Brio
a. Brac, Frank r. Stockton has contribution
which shows how every man becomes his own
letter. Wrircr