68 THE REPORT UPON No. 32 



Overseer John Traves, St., of Fraserhury, reports that the fishing in 

 his division is chiefly angling. He has watched the lakes carefully during 

 the fishing season and found no one violating the laws. The laws have been 

 well observed. 



Deer has been increasing for the last three years as reported by the 

 different hunters that he visited during the open season. Partridge are 

 scarcer. Fur-bearing animals, such as beaver, otter and muskrat, are increas- 

 ing very fast. He travels the woods considerably all the year round, and 

 finds the settlers in his division trying to preserve our game in the close 

 season for three or four years past. 



Overseer C. Twamley, of Cavan, reports that there has been no illegal 

 fishing in his division. He watched Cavan Creek during the bass spawning 

 season a little more carefully than usual, and found nothing wrong. The 

 trout are becoming very scarce, and he would recommend that fishing in the 

 creek be prohibited for two or three years. 



Ducks and partridges were scarce this year. 



Overseer John Watson, of Caesarea, reports that he is pleased to say 

 that the fishing in Scugog Lake the past season has been verj good, a lot of 

 fine maskinonge being caught, none less than 4J lbs. As for bass, there 

 appear to be lots of them, but very few caught in his division. At port 

 Perry they caught plenty of bass, but no maskinonge, and he thinks that 

 by good protection — that is each overseer doing his duty, they will soon 

 have plenty of fish. There were just 8 Americans there this season. 



He would recommend that permits be issued to all residents of the 

 Province at 50c. each for fishing with rod and line and angling for any kind 

 of fish, and 25c. should go to the overseer and 25c. to the Department. It 

 would help the overseers to do more work, and it would help them to discover 

 any non-residents better, and also be a help to the Department. 



The water in Lake Scugog is lower than it has ever been since the dam 

 was put in at Lindsay, and if there is not plenty of rain now, or an open 

 winter, the fish will be gone again. He says that unless some means can 

 be devised whereby the water can be kept up to a fair level, it is no use 

 expecting to have any fish for all time to come. He would suggest that the 

 Government buy out the Flavelle water tower at Lindsay, and then the 

 water can be kept up to high water mark, and there would be good boating, 

 fishing, trapping and shooting, and it would be much better for the health 

 of the inhabitants at large. As it is at present they have not been able to 

 run their private launches, and had to pull them out of the water. 



With regard to game. He notes a marked change in the number of 

 ducks at the opening of the season. Owing to little or no shooting having 

 ijeen done last spring, thej stayed and hatched in the marshes, and the 

 hunters are pleased with the protection the game has had in his division. 

 He thinks the sale of ducks should be prohibited. 



Muskrats are very plentiful in his division, as there has been no fall 

 trapping to speak of for the last two seasons, and there will be a good spring 

 catch if he can keep them from being taken out of the houses in the winter 

 time. But he says this is a hard thing to prevent, as they are taken out on 

 very stormy days, and after night, and the only way this can be overcome is 

 by taking a trip around the marsh every morning, let the weather be what 

 it will. This means a lot of hard, laborious work for very little money for 

 him, and still expensive to the Department, but he intends to do his best 

 for the protection of the game and fish. 



Mink is nearly a thing of the past in his division, and unless they get 

 protection, these valuable little animals are done for. He thinks that they 



