GAME. SHOOTING. 191 



makers. The forests are too small to hold in any number 

 moose, cariboo, or the fur-bearing animals, but they are 

 well adapted to the Virginian deer. If these deer were 

 imported, I think they would thrive. The snow is rarely 

 very deep, and if protected for a few years they would 

 multiply and afford good sport. 



There might be very fair shooting if the birds that 

 breed on the island were protected in the breeding season. 

 There are some game laws, I believe, in the statute books, 

 but they are a dead letter and will probably remain so, as 

 the veiy persons whose duty it is to enforce the laws, are 

 those who set the example of slaughtering the birds 

 almost as soon as they leave the egg. The principal game 

 birds that breed here are the woodcock, snipe, ruffed 

 grouse, and black duck. The migratory birds are very 

 numerous, but they need no protection as their nesting 

 places are far removed from the Charlotte Town pot-hunters. 

 These gentry have light boats which run on wheels, and 

 form a sort of box waggon on the roads. Guns, dogs, 

 oars, &c., &c., are stowed inside. On coming to a pond, 

 river, or lake, the boat is detached from the wheels and 

 launched, and the horse tied up. In the months of July 

 and August the young broods of ducks are exterminated 

 by these gunners, to the great vexation of genuine sports- 

 men. 



There is fair cock shooting from September 1 to the end 

 of October. With good knowledge of locality and a brace 

 of spaniels that will not chase rabbits, ten couple of cock 

 or so may be brought to bag in a day's shooting by two 

 guns. A fair day's snipe shooting can also be had, parti- 

 cularly at the end of October, when the birds, warned 



