The morning call., 1895-02-10
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sons land. Last Sunday four sportsmen went
prepared to give the old man dose of his own
medicine, but fortunately for the latter his rifle
was silent on that day. If Nicholson had any
grievance against the hunters he should have
caused their arrest instead of taking the law,
so to speak, into his own hands.
Sportsmen who expected some shooting on
the Sonoma marshes last Sunday returned dis
appointed. The birds have departed from that
part OF the country. and may hot return again
this season.
The article which appeared in last Sundays
CALL concerning the capture of numerous
canyasback ducks by Italian fishermen who
bag the birds in nets stretched in parts of the
bay where the birds feed attracted considera-
Bile attention, and some letters have been re-
ceived from sportsmen who are DESTROYS of
knowing if the State Sportsmen's Association
will take the matter in hand
Inc fishermen do not deny that they intend
TO go deeply into the business next year, as they
find that canvasback bring them far better
monetary returns than choice varieties of fish.
The coots, which are also taken when the nets
are hauled in for inspection, are sold to Ital-
ian vendors, who skin the birds and sell them
to the unsophisticated fowl-eaters for the mall
lard duck for very small sum of money. Last
week several Italians were seen in the small
streets with big punches of featherless coots,
and their cry OF "very-de-nica mallard duck
cheap amused many people who understood
what the foreign pedestrian game-merchants
had in their minds eve for those unsuspecting
housewives who cannot discern any difference
between a featherless coot and a hairless
Johnny Rabbit.
Sportsmen who make practice of quail
shooting in Marin County might save them
selves from considerable annoyance and loss
of coin by remembering that the quail-shoot-
ing season in Marin County expired on the
first of this month. The Supervisors of the
county made the change in the general law
last year, which says that quails must not be
killed between February / and October l in
Marin County.
The Country Club, as stated in last Wednes-
days CALL, will hold its first shoot of the sea-
,of fha nnl- 1a,o1 r0afy,N, +l,a \
all of the regular monthly shoots will occur
on the fourth Saturday of each month until
August, also on the second Wednesday of the
months of April, May, June, July and August.
The handicaps for this season are as follows:
Twenty-Five yards-Harry Babcock Edward
Donohoe, R. A. Eddy, R. H. Sprague. F. w.
Tallant, F. R. Webster, R. B. Woodward, W. S.
Kittle.
Twenty-eight yards-F. D. Atherton, J. D.
Grant, Andrew Jackson, A. c. Tubbs, W. B.
Tubbs, George B. Sperry, F. s. Hicks, Alexander
Hamilton, Hermann Oelrichs, w. H. Howard,
Robert Oxnard, G. E. Worden.
Twenty-seven yards. D. Harvey, George
Croker, E.. E. Preston, ]. d. Redding, H. E.
Hall, C. w. futile.
Twenty-six yards-W B. Bourn, C. p Eells,
H. w Woodward, DR.. F. w. Vowinckel.
Twenty-four yards. B. Stetson, D. 7.
Murphy, w: S. MeMurtry, w. s. Newhall.
The first bluerock shoot of the season will be
held on the Lincoln Club ground ON the 22d
inst The contests are open to all who may
wish to join in the sport.
Inc ron OF tne EIectr1c Gun Club is now open
and unattached shooters are cordially invited
to join. There is no initiation fee. but the dues
will be 81 per month during the trap-shooting
season. Secretary Foster states that there will
be seven shoots in all, and the first gun will be
fired next month. The prize is 500, which
will be divided into four parts, viz: $40, 800
$50 and $40. At the end of the sixth shoot the
club will be classified and race for the prizes
will result when the final shoot takes place. 1t
is the intention OF the managers to divide the
club in the sixth shoot so that all of the con-
testants will havean opportunity of bagging
some game in the way OF money.
The question has lately been asked whether
birds are ever killed on the wing by lightning
Several observers have answered it in the
affirmative by recalling instances in which
seems to have been entertained to whether
bird on the wing is not protected from light
ming by virtue of its being separated from con-
tact with the earth.
But even the mere shock caused by the pas
sage OF q lightning stroke through the air near
it might be sufficient to kill a bird without any
actual electrical contact. How great such q
shock is, in many cases, every one knows who
can recall the crashing sound of a nearby
thunderbolt.
Some observers assert that birds are pecu-
harly sensitive to the approach OF a thunder
storm and almost invariably seek early shelter
from IT, as If fully award of the peril of remain
ing upon the wing when there is lightning in
the air. But for this exhibition of caution the
number of birds killed by lightning would
probably be greater than it is.
The Price brothers. William and George of
the San Francisco Gun Club, were at Mowrys
Slough last Saturday and Sunday. They got
eighteen canvasbacks, eleven teal and twenty
one spoonbills.
Andrew lawson the veteran sportsman, was
at the Bridges last Saturday, and had extraor-
binary good luck. He got thirty-six ducks
four geese and white honker which weighed