300 FOREST LIFE IN ACADIE. 



late in the spring, disturbing the cows when they ought 

 to be at peace, and often leaving piles of meat to decay 

 in the fast-melting snow of April, it is time that this 

 wanton mode of proceeding should be put an end to. It 

 is hardly, however, at their doors that the blame is to 

 be laid — it is the ready market that tempts them ; and 

 although a question would be raised if they were to 

 bring their meat into the larger provincial towns, yet the 

 residents at the smaller settlements will always purchase 

 whenever they can procure it, the local magistrates them- 

 selves sometimes setting the example. The month of 

 April is an idle time with the settlers, and they often 

 accompany the Indians, who may be located in their 

 neighbourhood, for a " spree " in the woods, chasing and 

 scaring the moose with long-legged noisy curs, on the 

 crusted surface of the old snow. Throughout North 

 America there seems to be a general difficulty and 

 unwillingness, on the part of the local authorities, to 

 maintain the dignity of the game laws — the more so as 

 the locality is further from the seat of government where 

 the laws are framed. And until the government can 

 pay overseers who shall be scrupulously independent of 

 favour or partiality, in the districts to which they are 

 appointed, and whose whole care shall be to bring to 

 justice every case in which the law is transgressed, we 

 can hope for no satisfactory and impartial protection of 

 game or salmon in those districts in which such protec- 

 tion is most required. 



The author, for many years connected with the Council 

 of the Nova Scotian Inland Fisheries and Game Preser- 

 vation Society (latterly as Vice-President), under the 

 cDutinued direction of his esteemed personal friend, fre- 



