42 THE REPORT UPON No. 32 



Overseer J . H. Phillips, of Smitiv s Falls, reports that he started out with 

 the "Eva Bell" on her usual patrol the first week of May, and continued until 

 the last of June, when the Department put in commission a more efficient 

 boat — the "Naiad," with which he was enabled to run over his division more 

 quickly, and also to stand a rougher sea, and on the whole was much more 

 comfortable, which he highly appreciated. 



They lost the first ten days in July in painting the boat and overhauling 

 pumps, but finally got started and kept up a constant patrol according to 

 orders until the 14th October, when she was taken off the E-ideau and sent 

 to finish the season on the Bay of Quinte. 



On Rideau Lake there were fewer tourists this season. The salmon fish- 

 ing, he believes, was very satisfactory, but the bass fishing was not so good 

 as in former years, owing it is said to the immense quantity of ling, which 

 are rapidly depleting our lakes. 



The fishery laws were fairly well observed. 



During the entire season they seized one gill net in June off Stonehouse 

 Point, one minnow seine in July in Rideau Lake, six gill nets in October in 

 Devil Lake, and one gill net in December in Otter Creek, all of which were 

 delivered over to the Department or destroyed. 



No violations of the game laws came to his notice. 



There are no licenses for commercial fishing in his division. A number 

 of minnow licenses to guides who supply the summer tourists with bait, and 

 a few domestic licenses for dip nets are all he has. 



He was taken from his division the latter part of October and sent to 

 Christy's Lake, where the Department were doing a grand work in having 

 the ling fished out. They took out about 300 ling in three weeks. He then 

 got orders to go to Otter Lake for the same purpose, and there is where they 

 got them, the farmers drawing them away in sleighloads for hog feed. At 

 one lifting of the nets they took out 507 ling, 5 small pike, and 13 very small 

 bullheads. They are very destructive on other fish, and he has found as many 

 as seventeen small pickerel in one ling, besides several other fish of different 

 kinds. 'In six weeks the aggregate taken out was 2,348, and the last lift alone 

 brought out 775. He thinks if the Department continues this excellent work 

 for a few seasons in different lakes, that a much better class of fish will be 

 supplied, both in quality and quantity. 



Overseer John C. Raphael, of Mallorytown, reports that the bass fishing 

 was very, good this season, and the maskinonge fishing was also good in his 

 district, but pike were very scarce, and he has found no illegal fishing. 



The wild ducks were very plentiful in the spring, and the law was well 

 observed by our people, but while the ice was shoving out the Americans 

 would come across and shoot in Canadian waters. But as soon as the river 

 was clear of ice he had no trouble with them. There was a great flight of wild 

 ducks in the fall, and good shooting in the first part of the season, but the 

 latter part of the season the put-puts would hardly give thera time to light, 

 and you cannot catch them with a rowboat, as they are Americans, and when 

 they see him coming they are not long in getting into American waters. 



Overseer Natha/niel Shillington, of Burridge, reports that during the 

 past season the fishing in general was good. The tourists report a good catch 

 of pickerel, and also of black bass. There were some fine salmon caught this 

 season, some of them tipping the scales at 25 pounds. He thinks the close 

 season for salmon in his district should start about the 15th October, as the 

 salmon in those waters spawn in October. 



No violations of the law came under his notice. 



