36 



As soon as these questions were ready for distribution, notice was given 

 through the public press to this effect, and sportsmen and others interested in 

 the question of the protection, preservation and propagation of the game and 

 fish in the Province, and who were willing to aid your Commissioners by giving- 

 them the benefit of their advice and experience, were requested to send for a set 

 of the tabulated questions. 



The result of this notice was astonishing, for hardly had the advertisements 

 appeared, before letters came pouring in from all parts of the Province and from 

 all classes of the community, asking for copies of the questions, and promising- 

 assistance and co-operation in every possible shape and form. 



In addition to the answers received to the above-mentioned questions, 

 hundreds of interesting communications were receiveil, not only from residents 

 of the Province, but from sportsmen outside of Oataiio, and these have in most 

 cases been of great assistance to your Commissioners, and are hereby gratefully 

 acknowledged. 



It is gratifying to be able to state that, in travelling through the Province, 

 your Commissioners found the work of the Commission to be highly popular, and 

 it may safely be said, judging from opinions universally expressed, that the 

 Commission was not issued a day too soon. 



The work of collecting the information has been pleasant if laborious, and 

 much valuable information has been acquired. 



In reference to the answers giv-en by witnesses, it is necessary to state that 

 whilst a complete record has been kept, some of them are comparatively value- 

 less, because they have been given from purely selfish motives. The true sports- 

 men, and those desirous of seeing the Province re-stocked with game and fish, 

 have invariably expressed a willingness to sink all smaller considerations in order 

 that the most good might be done. But others with narrower minds have given 

 such answers as are applicable only to their own cases ; some of them going so 

 far- as to say that no steps of any kind should be taken to preserve the game and 

 tish in Ontario, because these were ah-eady scarce and might as well be used up by 

 the present generation. 



The following table will show the dates and places at which meetings were 

 held by your Commissioners, and the names of the witnesses who appeared to give 

 evidence. 



