1908 GAME AND FISHERIES. 51 



on those small streams. He has repeatedly seen parties in 1907 taking the 

 bass right on the spawning beds, but it being the open season he did not 

 dare interfere with them. 



There is one mill pond near his own house, which is half a mile long, 

 and touches on two hundred acres. The parties whose farms touch on this 

 pond have asked him to see if there is no way to have it protected. It appears 

 to be a natural spawning bed at the head of this pond. He has visited this 

 pond on several occasions, and in spawning season could count as many as 

 17 to 20 black bass spawning in a distance of five or six rods, and he says 

 that in this mill dam there is no fishway, and there was never known to be 

 a bass in this pond till after the river had been stocked at St. Mary's, so 

 they must make their way up in high water. They seem to thrive and do 

 well. 



The law with regard to fishing has been fairly well observed. He has 

 had some little difficulty in regard to muskrat and rabbits, but he went right 

 after the parties to a finsh. 



As regards Game. In districts where last year the partridge were quite 

 plentiful, this year he has not seen a single bird. He thinks it would be 

 wise to have the closs season extended for another year to see if these birds 

 cannot be increased in numbers. There are a few quail to be heard, but not 

 many. He has interviewed the various gun clubs in his district, and all 

 seem to take a great interest in protecting the birds and want them to live 

 over. The black and grey squirrel seem to be plentiful in some localities. 

 Wild ducks seem to be very scarce in his district, and woodcock are nearly a 

 thing of the past. Occasionally there are a few plover, but they are not very 

 plentiful. The wood hare or cotton tail are quite numerous. They have in 

 the vicinity two or three deer running at large, and the farmers are taking 

 great interest in protracting them. The muskrat are rather on the increase, 

 and are quite plentiful. 



Overseer W. H. Johnson, of Harwood, reports that this year has been a 

 very good one for the protection of spawn and little fish, although not quite 

 as good as last year, as the water was higher than for some years previous. 



Quite a number of Americans visited Rice Lake this season and were 

 quite satisfied with their catch. 



The law was fairly well observed. No violations came to his notice. 



Duck shooting was not as good this year, on account of blinds not being 

 allowed in rice beds. He destroyed a number of blinds that were built in 

 the rice beds for duck shooting, but found no one occupying them at the 

 time. Partridge are very scarce in that vicinity, also black squirrels. 



He would recommend that the close season for mink and muskrats be 

 the same, as he lifted a number of traps that had been set for muskrats 

 before the muskrat season came in. 



He would also suggest a close season of from 3 to 5 years for frogs, as 

 they are becoming scarce, and at the end of that time any persons wanting 

 to catch, sell, or export frogs, to pay a license for same. 



Overseer D. Johnston, of Peterboro, reports that the fishing on the 

 Otonabee River has been very good, considering the remarkable number of 

 fishermen there in close touch with the city all the time. Last spring the 

 water was very high and cold, and remained high until the spawn should 

 have had plenty of time to come out. 



There was very little illegal fishing done. He got only three gill nets, 

 and none of these had any fish in them. 



He suggests that the close season for maskinonge should begin on April 

 Ist, as some seasons he has noticed them coming in to spawn very early. 



