20 REPORT OF THE No. 32 



been indulged in for many years, more drastic restrictions should be enacted, 

 in order to leave a sufficient supply for breeding purposes. Many causes 

 are assigned for tbe decrease in tbe game supply, but he thinks the real cause 

 is that experienced by every new country, viz., the diminution of game as 

 settlement and civilization advance. His opinion is, and always has been, 

 that the prohibition of hunting with dogs is the keynote to the preserva- 

 tion of deer. On the other hand this would not be fair to men who tak© a 

 pride in their dogs and enjoy the "music" of these animals as much as the 

 actual killing of the game. The best hunting district in the Province is 

 now being cut up by railways, making the ingress and egress comparatively 

 easy to places which formerly were inaccessible. Many hundreds of deer 

 have been taken out of such places during the past open season, and it is 

 only a question of time before the stock is depleted. Next year the rail- 

 way construction will penetrate that section much farther than at present, 

 and an additional influx of hunters will be the natural result. He thinks 

 that the day is not far distant when each hunter will have to be satisfied 

 with one deer as his limit. 



The "Fawn" clause is most objectionable for the following reasons: 

 1st : It is most difficult when taking a snap shot at a deer when running 

 through the bush, to discern (in many cases) whether it is a buck, doe, or 

 fawn, particularly whether a fawn or a yearling. 2nd : Many fawns are 

 sure to be killed by mistake, and the result is that they are used in camp, 

 fed to the dogs, or left to rot in the bush, and other deer killed to make up 

 the hunter's complement — perhaps fine does which if saved would probably 

 produce two good fawns in the spring. 3rd : It tends to make sneaks of 

 honest men, as it is only human nature to resort to actions which one does 

 not approve of in order to evade the paying of a fine. 



The necessity of having to make affidavit by hunters as to the number 

 killed by them is also most unpopular, and impossible to enforce without 

 going to extreme measures with the majority of licensees. He would 

 respectfully suggest that in framing the laws it is most necessary to make 

 the clauses brief but plain, so that they can b© understood by the masses 

 and also to abstain from inserting any clauses which cannot be enforced. 



Many complain of bull moose becoming scarce. Should this be so, the 

 only remedy is to put on a close season for a term of years. He would most 

 urgently advise the preservation of partridges for two or three years. These 

 birds are becoming very scarce in the southern parts of these districts, and 

 if not protected, there will soon not be enough left to perpetuate the species. 

 He would recommend the same portion of the Province to be set apart for 

 this protection as that previously named by him, viz., south of the French 

 Hiver, thence south of Lake Nipissing to Nipissing Junction, thence south 

 of the C.P.R. to Mattawa, and west of said line to Ottawa. 



Wolves have been reported as numerous in various sections. He would 

 repeat his recommendations of last year — ^to leave the bounty on wolves as 

 at present, but to increase it on females. 



Regarding fish, he says that as his district is confined solely to inland 

 lakes^ in which no netting licenses are issued, he can only speak as to ang- 

 ling. This was poor at the commencement of the season, but materially 

 improved later on. As many of our northern lakes teem with herring, and 

 as these fish cannot be procured except by netting, he would recommend 

 that settlers be allowed to use nets of certain length, mesh, etc., during the 

 month of November, when these fish are found in shallow bays, a small 

 license fee for which would not be objectionable. A few of these fish salted 

 down for winter use would be a god-send to many settlers in the sparsely 



