168 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Still more to the point this year, 



young quail at the north are too small 

 '^.o shoot. The New London gunners 

 who crocked the ferry Oct. 1, 2, and 3, 

 into Cedar Groton, Long and Bushy 

 Points and Poquonnoc Plains, report 

 seme covies of quail half grown, soime 

 two-thirds grown, and ome big bunch 

 ao larger than sparrows. But 600 un- 

 scrupulous local shots are licensed to 

 go out Oct. 1 and kill these bob-white 

 fledglings, which when brought to bag 

 are only tiny bunches of feathers. Full 

 grown young robins, wacups and 

 meadow-larks, fat and fit for the ta- 

 ole, are protected by law all the year, 

 while a half-grown quail which could 

 do more good to the farmer than a 

 dozen thrushes, can now be legally 

 blown to pieces. 



..Seventy-four hunting licenses and 

 three non-resident were issued in Ston- 

 ington up to Oct. 7, and there were 

 many more applications. I personal- 

 ly know of a few immature quail in 

 the north part of this town which are 

 now legal game for this licensed 

 crowd. They can also slip over into 

 Groton after the tiny quail reported 

 by the early gunners from New Lon- 

 don. But up to the 8th, Groton itself 

 had licensed 150 people to help on this 

 work of extermination. The Groton 

 'erryboat daily carries across some of 

 the 214 New London licenses, includ- 

 ing a number of aliens. Up to the 

 Gth of October Woodstock had sent 

 into our woods G6 licensed shooters, 

 and still a big demaoid for more 

 blanks. 



Norwich should be very proud of her 

 work in this line on sending 383 resi- 

 dent hunters into her fields and woods 

 with 3 non-residents so far and 8 

 aliens! Mr. Holbrook adds, "If they 

 all go and can hit anything, there 

 won't be much game left." Too true, 

 alas! But suppose each one of this 

 regiment kills the 3.5 birds allowed by 



law, any bird-lover can figure out the 

 frightful result. 



A respectable squad go out only for 

 fox and coon, but 9 out of 10 gunners 

 fhoot at every useful hawk cr owl 

 they run across. They one an dall dis- 

 dain to touch a red squirrel — the most 

 pestiferous enemy of small breeding 

 birds. Some licensees may never use 

 their permits; and no doubt in the 

 general scramble others take out li- 

 censes simply because they somehow 

 feel that the yare to be deprived of a 

 piivilege they never before cared to 

 exercise. This last sophistry impels 

 the same class to drink in strictly no- 

 license towns. I find in the list of li- 

 cemsees the names of some aliens 

 whom the law was passed to exclude. 

 An unlicensed Italian was last week 

 fined on Fishe>s Island for shooting a 

 Belgian hare. But what shall we do with 

 the licensed Italiaos whc are sure to 

 fill their bags with snml] hi'ds? 



Our own half-mile strip of home 

 woods, near the Massachusetts line, is 

 overrun by gunners from East Wood- 

 stock, Village Corners, West Parish, 

 and Southbridge. With this hot cross 

 fire and the leaves still on, it is not 

 prudent to go chestnutting just at 

 present. I am not overfond of pick- 

 ing No. 11 shot from my skin and 

 clothing, saving still too vivid re- 

 membrances of being twice pricked in 

 the old autumn days when every No- 

 ank boy on Fort Hill or Long Point 

 blazed away at everything from a 

 swallow up to a bar-post on the side 

 of a harn. 



Some of the younger licensed re- 

 cruits appear to think that they can 

 now shoot anywhere at will. They 

 should be reminded that neither gov- 

 ernor nor president armed with 20 li- 

 censes can s'hoot on my land or your 

 laud without permission. A farmer 

 with no papers can shoot game in his 

 own cabbage ))atch. Init he may not 



