200 EEPOKT OF ONTARIO GAME No. 52 



posing of the skims at a remunerative figure. In fact, the value of the 

 pelt is a direct incentive to him to take all that he can secure, with the 

 consequence that where under normal condiitioins he would have taken 

 but one or two of a family, his greed now leads him to exterminate it, 

 for he is naturally improvident in regard to the future. Speckled trout 

 may not be netted and are jealouKly preserved for sporting purposes. 

 The Indian appears on some of the finest waters and proceeds to place 

 his nets in the channels or on the spawning beds, removing as many fish 

 as he deems necessary and undoing in a very short time all the good 

 which has beem effected by protection and a close season. The moo'se 

 and deer may be fairly scarce in a locality, and the local resident may 

 be eagerly awaiting the approach of the open season in anticipation of 

 hunting some specimen wihich has taken up its quarters in the vicinity 

 of his habitation. An Indian passing by while the creature's horns are 

 still in velvet or it itself is fat and unsuspicious, shoots it with supreme 

 unconcern of laws and regulations before the eyes, perhaps, of the resi- 

 dent, and proceeds to regale himself upon it and remove such portions of 

 the carcass as he requires. The partridge, owing to its growing scarcity, 

 was until the last season on the protected list throughout the year, and 

 even now is in no such abundance that anywhere there can be said to be 

 too great a supply in comparison with the local demands or needs of 

 sportsmen. The appearance of a family or more of Indians in a neigh- 

 borhood will as a rule be coincident with the disappearance of the 

 coveys. Wild duck and other birds are afforded protection during the 

 season of the year when they are nesting or caring for their young. The 

 Indian is no ultra-sentimentalist, and should he feel so disposed will as 

 lief shoot a mother bird on the nest or with chicks as any other. The 

 list could be indefinitely prolonged, but enough has been said to show 

 that the present situation is, to say the least of it, unsatisfactory, and 

 that some effort should be made without delay to come to an agreement 

 or arrangement on the matter whidh will be both equitable to the 

 Indians, fair to the public of the Province, and as far as possible in har- 

 mony with the general principles of conservation. In any case it must 

 be apparent that the present situation demands that the whole question 

 of the rights of Indians should be cleared up once and for all in regard 

 to game on public lands, for the matter will plainly have to be faced 

 some time, and it would certainly seem that the sooner this is done the 

 better will it be in the interests of law, order and administration. 



Whatever the decision may be in regard to the rights of Indians in 

 the matter of game on public lands, it must be evident that it should 

 be made a most serious offence, punishable with severe penalties, for any 

 white man to pay or incite an Indian to violate the white man's game 

 law in any respect, or to take advantage of such violation in the slightest 

 degree. In fact, imprisonment together with a heavy fine would appear 

 none too severe a punishment for the offence. It is evident, also, that 

 no injustice would be done to the Indian by making him liable to 



