1911 ' GAME AND FISHERIES. 15 



great many of the muskrats had been killed during the winter through the low- 

 ncss of the waters and their inability to burrow out of their houses to secure a 

 supply of food. They very wisely limited their catch in the different marshes 

 about Long Point Bay, leaving a sufficient quantity for breeding purposes, so 

 that if weather conditions are good there is a possibility of a fair catch next 

 year. The purcliasers of fur report tliat the rats killed in this district in the 

 month of December do not have a good quality of fur. The consequence is that 

 the owners of the land upon which the rats breed never attempt to trap them 

 until spring. The few December rats that are killed are taken by the poachers. 

 He would, therefore, recommend that the killing of muskrats in the month of 

 December be prohibited, and that the use of dogs, spears and guns in the taking 

 of muskrats also be prohibited. His reasons for this have been reported to your 

 Department in the past. 



He finds that the game laws have been well observed in his district this year. 

 The Deputy Wardens and Overseers have been attentive in the discharge of their 

 duties, and tihere have been practically no complaints of infringement of the law. 

 Warden Victor CJiaiLvin, of Windsor, reports that the fishermen are complain- 

 ing of light fishing for the year, but they have just started to catch whitefish 

 for the fall fishing, and are expecting them to be very plentiful. The increase of 

 herring north of Pelee Island and west of Point Pelee is quite marked in 

 pound nets. Last year when the fishing tug was fishing with gill nets along the 

 bay and west of Point Pelee, some of the fishermen caught about three to five 

 hundred pounds all the fall, so he hears to-day that they are catching three to 

 five hundred pounds to a lift. He says the mesh for hoop nets in Lake St. Clair 

 should be an inch and a half square. Sturgeon fishing in Lake St. Clair is good 

 this year, other fish very light. The fishery law is very well observed, he having 

 had only two seizures this year — one of 90 American gill nets in Lake Erie, and 

 about 1,400 lbs. of fish, which have been sold for $56, and $150 for the nets; the 

 other from Lake Superior, with 800 lbs. of small whitefish, which was donated to 

 the Home for the Friendless. There is lots of improvement done by the fisher- 

 men in catching and shipping fish. All the overseers in his district have done 

 splendid work in the discharge of their duties. 



Re Game. Quails are reported to be very numerous amongst the farmers, 

 partridge very scarce, also black and grey squirrels. He thinks that quails, part- 

 ridge and squirrels should have the same open season, as the partridge being so 

 early this year there has been lots of trouble protecting the quail. Muskrats seem 

 to be as plentiful as other years, and he says all trappers who hunt them should 

 be licensed for the benefit of their protection. Wild geese are flying and flocking 

 for the south. There are a few stopping there, and none of them have been shot. 

 Wild ducks of all kinds are there now, and are very plentiful. A good many of 

 them have, been shot by sportsmen. In the Detroit Eiver black and grey ducks 

 are plentiful, and hardly any other kind of duck shot in the river. There have 

 been numbers of redhead, bluebill and other ducks in the waters of Mitchell's 

 Bay, St. Clair Flats, Long Point, and Rondeau. The sportsmen claim that ducks 

 are more numerous this year on the lakes than in previous years. The game law 

 has been fairly well observed in his district. There have been no prosecutions 

 He thinks muskrats should not be taken or killed before the 15th day of February 

 until the 15th April of the same year. 



Warden Geo. M. Parks, of North Bay, reports that American anglers have 

 found splendid fishing in Lake Nipissing and tributaries this season, a marked 



2 Q.Tf. 



