Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-08
FIELD AND KENNEL

1t is believed that the mystery sur
rounding the killing of the English
pheasants near the Chain bridge has been
solved and the solution carries with it
an interesting story. In some of the
eastern states millionaire land owners
have introduced with more or less sue
cess, generally less, the English system
Of game propagating and preservation.
Nowhere in this part of the country has
it been attempted on any pretentious
scale. but it is believed that Mr.. Joseph
Letter. on his 4O0-acre estate on the Vir-
ginia side of the Potomac, is going to
introduce US to real game preserve.
Now 400 acres, and most of it woodland,
does not seem much Of a game preserve
when compared with the tens of thou
sands of acres embraced in some Of the
English and continental estates, and to
enlarge it Mr.. Letter has leased shoot
ing privileges over many of the adjoin-
ing farms around Mclean station and
has entered into an agreement with other
lard owners that no shooting is to be
done for several years.
In the meantime Mr.. Letter employs
.gamekeeper'' to look after the few
birds and rabbits already there and will
stock it with English pheasants. "hares''
and other game. 1t may be even found
necessary to import few real ''poach-
ers"-fellows who steal out i'm the dark
of the moon to risk their lives and lib
erty for one old rabbit. VirSinians
won't risk it, and darkies in that sec
gested that the pheasants killed were a
couple of Mr.. Letters first introduced
stock that had strayed off their preserve
and were bagged by a sportsman who
\ h4;~ 1,tot>
it IS to be hoped he was ignorant.
Harry Lansdale and friends are another
party that have been after the ducks. and
report great sport. They have a splen-
did duck blind, and have been making
good bags.
Lewis Bolen and Jack Davis had very
successful hunt near Manassas. Va. last
week. They killed two turkeys. and fair
bags OF quail and rabbits.
Mr.. z. G. Bucslin, the we'll known
Hyattsville sportsman. has just registered
young pointer PUPPY: Hard Taes x;
Cash. by Affords Johns Helen. and If
she is as good as her breeding she should
make a first-class one.
Anent that three pound" pheasant re-
Gently referred to in this column, we have
| received a letter from Capt. Washington
4. Coster. written from Uncasville. Conn
Uncle Wash" known to every sports
man in America. requests 4 bill OF par
ticulars. He writes: In your notes in
The Star YOU say that 4 Mr.. hcnEia
killed pheasant weighing nearly tt.ree
pounds. Now the biological survey and
l have haG quite a mix-up on ,he wei.hi
| of ruffed gpuse, or what we cell par
tridges- I Claim two pounds. the general
| limit of actually weighed birds. Did you
| guess at the weight Or was the bird
! weighed? 1 should very much like to
| know. a matter OF Information The
| heaviest grouse j ever shot / weighed. and
the freshly killed bird pulled the scale al
two and half pounds. but l have neye,
seen another that approached this one
He was one OF 3sO-odd L helped to Kill
one fall Candidly, the writer did not
see the bird weighed, but wrote the note
| as 1t was told to him. Since the note has
been much commented on, he has made i
a point to talk with a sportsman wbt
| has killed a large number of ruffeC
| grouse In New York state and quite
number in Virginia and Maryland. HI
says that the largest he ever killed wa.
bagged very close to Washington ane
| weighed thir;y-one ounces. Anything tina
Capt. Coster says in reference to gam,
birds will be accepted as ex-cathedra b,