The San Francisco call., 1898-09-24
 THE GAME SEASON WILL OPEN NEXT WEEK.
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 The latest intelligence from the small army of anglers which departed from this city last week for Eel River is to the ef- feet that the large steelheads have not yet put in an appearance in sufficient numbers to guarantee the anglers on the river the sport they had anticipated.
 Some ten-pound fish have been taken by means of trolling from boats, but the sport is nothing now to what 1t will be in a few weeks hence.
 Fly-casting for small fsh-say from one pound to two pounds in weight-cannot be excelled in any of the coast streams. Catches of from forty to sixty day of pound fish is not uncommon and the ''pounders" afford gala sport as they are game and put up a great fight.
 H. Battu of the San Francisco Fly-cast- ing Club returned recently from the Gar cia River, In Mendocino County, with a party of friends. He is very profuse in his praises of the fishing that is now to be had on that beautiful coast stream near it's mouth. He advises anglers who are looking for real good sport to pay Point Arena visit before the heavy rains set in.
 Al Cumming writes from Webber Lake that the fishing is rapidly improving and that he is at present enjoying a grand outing in the mountains, among the grouse and quail. Al says that Johnny would be champion if he only under stood how to hold on'' his birds SC that he could easily find them when they fall. In winding up letter to friend he writes; Coleman Is wing shot and that's all there's to it."
 Striped bass are very plentiful along the east shores of the bay. but, as they jour ney in schools, 1t is not an easy matter to locate their whereabouts. They frequent the sloughs on the Alameda County side expert anglers have found it difficult matter to keep track of their meander- ings. The striped bass is also very coy fish, and, on days when the water is line Is not an easy task. The best lures discovered so far by ''the diggers" are bass, during the past few days, have been Eden
 A week from to-day there will be a hot time on marsh and field. The season when quail, duck and other game birds can be lawfully killed will be inaugurated by a great exodus of sportsmen from this member, however, that in San Mateo County rail cannot be shot until October 16-that is, in accordance with a county from boat during high tide is prohibited Rail-shooters will also remember that they can enjoy but one month of the sea- prevails.
 Every inch of the Suisun marsh over which wild duck can fly has been leased such as the Cordelia, Ibis, Tule Bell. Teal etc, have made the most elaborate prepa- rauons to give the ''quackers" and "whis- tiers" the warmest kind of a reception. and doubtless there will be tons of shot scattered on the marsh next Saturday and Sunday. The sportsmen of Suisun are not organized clubs ad libitum, and Keepers are employed to keep outsiders off the mud. According to latest accounts, the home-breeding birds are quite plentiful
 The Olympic, Mira Monte and Empire gun clubs do not expect anything like good shooting upon their respective pre- serves until after the heavy rains A lew malard reed in the marshes of Sonoma, but they generally put out for the up- river fresh water ponds before the rains commence to fall. Last year duck-shoot- ing on the Sonoma marshes was excep- uonally gooq, owing to the dry season, which kept the birds within easy reach of the bay. If this winter Is productive of much rain, local duck hunters will not enjoy much shooting on the Sonoma
 The Black Jack Club will be strongly in evidence at the shooting grounds near Antioch on Saturday next. Director Gen. eral Lemmer states that mallard, sprig and teal are quite plentiful and that the opening day should be productive of toler- ably good sport.
 Although many of the devotees of quail shooting cannot resist the temptation of having shy at their fayorite game on the opening day, 1t can be said with fSys sS5redy that there in are are many en not pull trigger on quail until after the first good rain. The uplands are exceed @ @ingly dry this year. and doubtless there ing the first week of the season
 It is to be hoped, however, that the in- tfgR tTe T bdonss gEs sred t9 ghS when large fire was reported fin any part of the country within a radius of 200 miles of this city the interior papers famed uI in scare heads, "BlaZed by San Francisco PothunterS."
 Now, the local sportsman, a rule, is far more particular, when he enters 2 farmers land to, obey. the laws of tho commonwealth than his brother of the gun and dog who resides in the country towns.
 from the interior editors occasionally, but they seriously object to being made g target to be shot at each year whenever a big fire is started in the country by bucolic quail hunters.
 Johnny Orr has been tramping the snipe patches of the Country Club for some few birds, which is an indication of : rather late arrival of the "Englishmen. Snipe heretofore have put in an early appearance in the Country Club preserve
 It is not generally known that the Chi nese pheasant and the Oregon grouse wil cross. but the following excerpt from z Portland paper will throw some light or the subject. It says:
 T. B. Foster of the First National Bank whii, hunting near Turner. Marion County Saturday shot a bird the like of which he had neve seen before, and he has not found any on, else who has ever seen such creature 1t wal put up by the dog. in company with a Mon golfan cock pheasant, and was taken for pheasant. It appears to be a cross betweer Mongolian pheasant and blue grouse has the head of a pheasant. with the red rinl around the eyes. The markings on the necl and breast resemble those of pheasant bu lack the brilliant coloring. The back and wing. are like pheasants. while the tail is consid erably longer than that of a grouse and no so long or pointed as that of pheasant. Tn, bird Is heavier than a pheasant, and the leg, are devoid of the spurs which worn by tn, latter bird It is a veritable curio. and MT Foster intends to have the skin mounted fo a keepsake Chinese pheasants have been cross ed with domestic fowls. but 1t Is not knowr whether they ever cross with grouse or not Hunters have accused the Mongolian pheasa nj of driving the grouse away from their usua haunts and all other sorts of wickedness 6u the Chinaman" is the game bird of Oregon all the same.