New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-18
SHOOTING In FRANCE.
Il Popular Pastime-Some Hmus.
ing Features.
Paris. September 3.

uIar pastime. Nowadays 1t Is not only the land
ed gentry or rich rural proprietOrs. whose game
preserves contain hundreds Of thousands Of
cartridges or pheasants and tens Of thousands
of hares, or many hundreds Of deer. and Of
which the annual maintenance alone costs
between $4,000 and $4,000 who enjoy the
once aristocratic privileges Of shooting. In
deed. the great magnates Of the "chasse'
are now so few that they may be almost counted
on ones fingers. The President Of the republic
as successor to Charles TX and Louis XIV. en-
joys the game preserves created by those royal
sportsnen. James Gordon Bennett has for the
last fifteen years owned the shooting that once
belonged to Louis XIV. between Versailles and
Rocancourt. The shooting near Ferrfares Of
the late Baron Alphonse de RothschiId is among
the finest in France.
Among the other great proprietors Of shooting
preserves are NJ. CASTOR Menier. Baron Cahen
d'Anvers. Marquis de Beauvoir Count Potoch
the Dowager Duehesse dues. Nine Henry
Say, NJ Maurice Ephrussi and dozen others,
but the shooting on their preserves does not
usually fairly begin until the open time FOR
pheasants. which this year is September II II
was last Sunday. September 3. at noon. that the
"ouverture de Ia chase" for ordinary game
such as partridges quail, hares. rabbits and
deer. took place in Northern France In Paris
alone in the three days previous to the open
ing no less than 1851 shooting licenses were
issued and as these cost SO apiece good round
sum was paid at the Prefecture Of Police.
On Saturday and Sunday the railroad stations
OF the capital were thronged with "chasseurs'
attired in melodramatic costumes affected ny
Partisan nimrods. They wear veIveteen knee
breeches, knit stockings. yellow CATERS brown
brougham boots with spikes and nails. and soft
felt hats surmounted by tufts OF gay colorsd
feathers. Belts containing hundreds Of car
tridges. net work game bags. leather gun cases
and guns on shoulders and armies OF dogs
added TO the picturesqueness Of the scene Such
a strange sight is only to be seen in France or
on an opera bouhe stage. The exploits Of
these truly democratic shooters range from thu
wonderful to the grotesque. or to the Pick
wickian. The writer passed the opening dav
at a country house in the Department OF the
Eure. near the historic town of Vernon. on the
confines of Normandy AS the bells OF the
quaint twelfth century church proclaimed the
hour of noon, voIleys Of gunfire resounded from
the woods and from the stUbble pastures on the
hillsides. There was slight fog. TWO enthusi-
astic sportsrnen found to their anazemant that
as they had approached each other stsalthly
in a potato field. they had been firing az
each other for five minutes. but neither was
wounded. Here and there one came upon a fat
ninrod squatting on the ground eating sardines.
Once in a while party Of gay clerks out on
circle drinking beer and munching sandwiches.
One fortunate shooter managed to wing a
partridge. His excitement was intense. He
shouted TO his dog. ''Phanor! Phanor! Catch
EN-, catch emf In a moment the whole crew
of eleven guns were frantically chasing the
poor little wounded partridge. Dogs barzed
and fat. GREATNESS shooters yelled. There
he goes! There he goesI Oh! Phanor. for
heavens sake. get him. A young sportsman
4Ha
and gave it a cruel whack with the butt end OF
his gun! The exploits of the village barber
also supplied a comic note to the scene. The
barber got up in a wonderful tweed suit
of blue and yellow checks His gun had been
purchased second hand, for 81 A merry, well
trimmed poodle ran at his heels. The barber
in the fields and pastures open TO public
shooting for six hours He discharged ninety
two cartridges. and, strange to say. his gun
barrels did not burst He managed to kill a
lark. a sparrow. by mistake. and a rabbit. per
haps by mistake also. for it by shot ot
pure chance. The sporting BARRIERS white poo
die. ChckoTy. added to the bag by stealing six
partrtdges and a land rail from the pouch Of a
more fortunate farmer Indeed. the grand
opening day near Vernon was in a mild
suggestive of the memorable rock shooting
party of Pickwick and Wrinkle
a picturesque feature of French popular
Bureau of Bounties for the Destruction OF
Harmful Animals" In the interests Of true
sport rewards are offered for game destroying
creatures. For instance a dollar is given to
every peasant who produces dead fox, or
dead badger. Fifty cents is conferred for
dead ferret or for a dead otter. etc. At the
close Of the opening day a procession Of
peasants collected at the Town Hall with
strange carcasses in hand. and the prizes were
duly distributed amid the cheers Of the village
folk.
At the Central Market in Paris. the day
after the opening, the prices of game ranged
as follows: Partridges, from 81 to 81 30 apiece
hares. from 50 to So, and rabbits, from "a cents
to 80 cents each The most popular resorts for
humble shooters are Normandy. the 8eauce
and the Brie country.
1t is estimated that last Sunday no less than
twenty-five thousand men and women were III
the field. gun in hand. in quest OF game sta
tistics Just compiled disclose the fact that OF
this formidable army OF men and women be
hind the guns" less than two hundred ana
fifty were accidentally wounded by stray shot.
ST Hubert has never before been held il such
popular esteem. for the number OF shooters
breaks the record. and is several thousand N
excess Of the number reported last year FoF
the instruction of the popular shooter
school of chase" has been opened at Albion
and in few weeks fairly good shooters may De
formed thereby fairly good" is meant those
who may be taken moderately safe neish-
bors for a days sport Abel Faivre. the Wei
known Partisan caricaturist. drew on the oc-
casion of the opening day a picture repre-
senting a fair. fat and forty matron seated a.
a table in a garden. awaiting her husbands
f~cFv 10 Ch9 no MI