1908 GAME AND FISHERIES. 41 



more money than any other season, and it is the same at Chaffey's Locks. 

 The guides, too, say it has been their best season. Some of them had work 

 asvlate as the 15th October, and some of them are living on the money they 

 made last summer. The tourists also were well satisfied. He did not hear a 

 complaint from one of them, and he was amongst them every day the whole 

 season through. 



The fishing was good on that part of the Rideau Canal up to the close 

 of the season^ fully up to other past seasons, both in numbers and size. He 

 never saw finer specimens of both large and small mouth bass than he saw 

 brought in. by the anglers this past season, large-mouthed variety weighing 

 from four to seven pounds were frequently brought in to the hotel by the 

 very much delighted tourist. He thinks the fee, $2, for non-resident anglers 

 permits quite right as it is, and that if it was raised to $5, as some of the over- 

 seers suggest, it would tend to lessen the number of tourists considerably, and 

 that would badly affect all the Canadian people concerned in the tourist busi- 

 ness. Even the farmers who produce a good deal of the stuff' consumed at the 

 summer hotels and boarding houses would be affected by this change ; but if the 

 limit of the daily catch by each angler could be reduced from 8 bass to five 

 or six, he believes it would save the fish and please the tourist just well after 

 he found it was law and affected all alike. They in nearly every case try to 

 catch the full limit and bring them in at night, for fear some one might say 

 thev did not catch them. If five was the limit, it would fill the bill just as 

 well and save a lot of fish for another day. Where there are 40 or 60 tourists 

 or anglers stoDning in one hotel, as there often are , all bringing 8 bass and 

 some pike besides, it is too many fish, and some of them are certainly lost. 

 If the limit were reduced to five, it would prevent part of the above waste. 



After the tourist season was over he was not in his own district very 

 much of the time. He was first assisting Overseer Phillips on Devil Lake in 

 Frontenac County to protect the salmon trout during their spawning season, 

 which is the last half of October in this lake. They seized a number of gill 

 nets and secured two convictions, and had some lively times with the .inhabit- 

 ants. During the month of November, he was on Big Rideau Lake in Mr. 

 Phillips' stead, who was assigned other work. He was there the whole month 

 for the purpose of protecting the salmon trout and whitefish, the month of 

 November being the spawning season in this lake for those species of fish, 

 He kept up a steady patrol whenever the weather would permit. The lake ^s 

 a large one, and pretty rough weather prevailed the greater part of the time, 

 but when the rough weather affected him, it affected the fish pirates as well. 

 He is furnished with a first-class rowboat and a good assistant, and could 

 go out with any of the poachers. He seized two gill nets and secured one 

 conviction while there in November. 



He says he spent almost his whole time in patrolling and looking after 

 the fisheries this past season, and is quite sure there has been little or no 

 illegal fishing done in these waters of the Rideau. In June, he received 8 

 cans of salmon fry, for which he had applied, and which he distributed in 

 Indian and Dog Lakes in his district. 



Overseer William Major, of Woodlaivn, reports that during the year 

 1908, the law wa^ fairly well observed in his district. There was very little 

 angling done. The fish generally caught are pike, bullheads and suckers, 

 which are all plentiful. Bass and pickerel are scarce. He seized one old 

 net in the spring, and destroyed it, not finding the guilty parties. 



Game is scarce. The law is well observed. No Sunday shooting in his 

 district. 



