Aug. 



1888.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



125 



Editorial, 



The (). It O. is inuiled eiieli issue tii ev<Ty piiiil siili- 

 «ei-ibur. Ilyou fail to receive it, iiolily us. 



We rccciveci a sliort time since I'ulilie Docu- 

 ineiit No. 25, State of Mass.ieliusetls, it beiiiu; 

 the report of the roiiimissioners of liilaiicl I'isli 

 and Game, and the i)ei-iisal of tlie same lias 

 tieen very interesting. As a eitizen ol llie state 

 we were somewhat anxious to luiow \vli;it tlie 

 expendituro of between S-IOOO and .$5000 was 

 for, wlierein the Commonwealtli was benelitted, 

 or we as individuals. We found that His Ex- 

 cellency the (ioveruor and Honorable Council 

 were respectfully notified on the first page Itial 

 in the year of grace 18S7, May 14tli, at the Law- 

 rence lisliway tliere were first seen "a few 

 hiuiprcys and suckers" and HimI •'suckers, 

 <liulis, and small silver eels" were last seen 

 Nov. !)th. As that valuable inforinatiou did 

 not satisfy our longing to find reports of 

 mighty deeds of valor and of superhuman ef- 

 forts for the protection of the tish and game 

 we turned over the page-, uot without some 

 trepidation, tearful that mir Commissioners 

 might have connnenced cautiously fi>r fear of 

 alarming His Kxcellencj' and the lloncu'able 

 Council, and that the climax witli the list ol 

 dead, wounded and missing would be found in 

 that portion of the report which is supposed liy 

 common report to be looked after b}' the Coni- 

 missioner who "has shot over tifteen states of 

 the country and knows what he is talking 

 about." 'I'hr same one who was so blood 

 thirsty that he wanted "the scalps of every 

 taxidermist in tlie state." 



We hurried through the repint only stopping 

 long enough to read that portion wherein a 

 Deputy reports that he "had been allowed the 

 largest liberty possible, no one questioning his 

 right to search, except in one instance." and 

 that by a poor old darkey who was iieddling 

 from a cart, some lobsters Unit did not measure 

 a full ten and a half inches in length. .\s the 

 unfortunate colored man was unable to read 

 this Deputy's commission, the ollicer read it U>y 

 liini, as well as the law relating to short lob- 

 sters. Stunned and .~hocked undoubtedly at 

 the information imparted, llie coni lalmiid 

 ^^ modi-ntlij asked if Cleveland made that foolish 

 law?" The imputation was unqiicstionaldy too 

 much for the political dignity of the valiant 

 deputy, and he " took six stioit lobsters out of 

 the cart and proceeded to walk away," (we are 

 glad to know that he iruUrcd away), and i)oor 

 "nig" asked him if be "wasn't going to pay f(U' 



deiH lobsters?" supplementing his impiiry by 

 saying "A white man wouldn't do dat in \ir- 

 giiiia," and he was without iiiiestion right in 

 tliat statement. With sarcastic brevity we are 

 informed that the poor illiterate colored man 

 was compelled to pay a line of .$211 and retire 

 from business. 



'I'lie majesty of the law had been upheld and a 

 poor old blacii tish peddler, who c<uild not read 

 the law, instead of being cautioned that he was 

 breaking it first, and punished til the second 

 ofl'ence was compelled to pay $20 and lose his 

 business. This extrenudy industrious deputy, 

 who is so minute in detail, fails to tell what he 

 did with the lobsters he seized, he should have 

 done so, it would have rounded up his stor}'. 

 We find he was paid that year .$158 for services 

 and -SS.'i.lS for expenses, a total of ■'52-I1.-1S and 

 tlie sum total of his W(uk was in tines and costs 

 .$172.41) and a darkey driven out of the business 

 of peddling fish. 



After this harrowing tale our heart satik, for 

 we were contiacnt that when we should arrive 

 .it th(! report uiion G.ime there would then 

 such a tale be unfolded as would harrow up our 

 souls and freeze our young lilood, but we were 

 unnecessarily alarmed, for we are informed that 

 in the opinion of the Fish anil ( ianie ( 'ommission- 

 ers, " 3Iasi<achusi'.tls Uti/s. First in inteUvjence 

 and (]uick in the recognition and adoption of 

 methods of advaucoment in all desirable thini/s, 

 the old C'ommonwealth is the least efficient of 

 all the states in the matter we have discussed." 

 AVell there is " ban hopinion has is ban hopin- 

 ion," with a vengeance, and it is worth while to 

 scrutinize that which they have discussed. 

 Space will not allow us to criticise but a portion 

 iu this issue and we will speak only of that 

 which relates to Song and Insectivorous Birds. 

 'J'he Coiuiuissioners say "the law for the pres- 

 ervation and protection of singing and insectiv- 

 orous birds is thus soon iiroducing gratifying 

 and palpable results." If there was ever a iial- 

 pable piece of buncombe and liumbnggery, that 

 statement every ornithologist knows is the 

 grossest and without the least foundation. It 

 starts oti' with an implied assumption that there 

 has been at some past date a diniiiiiilion in Ihi' 

 ranks of the song lurd which every naturalist 

 and close observer knows was a false one when 

 made, and was as absurd as it was groundless. 

 It eminated from a source whidi is always seek- 

 ing after a cheap notoriety in building up 

 something or another over which to giisli and 

 ui>on which to shower sweet sentiment. There 

 were enough in the state to make ipiitc a stir in 

 llic public iiress. In :i neigbboiing stale one 



