1912 GAMK AXD FISHERIES. 57 



twenty that Imnt to-day. There are more railways, more roads are opened up, and 

 there is now every facility for the liunter to get after the game. Still, most hunters 

 (who go out to hunt) get the limit. 



During the year between one and two hundred dollars have been collected for 

 licenses — game dealers', hotel, restaurant, net and night line. 



Overseer William Major, of Woodlaivn, reports that the law was fairly well 

 observed in his district. 



Pike, bullheads and suckers were most plentiful. Black bass and pickerel are 

 scarce. He seized about fifty lines, which he destroyed. 



Muskrat is scarce. 



Ducks and geese were plentiful this season. 



There was no Sunday shooting so far as he knows. 



Overseer John McGuire, of Jones' Falls, reports: Commencing November 1st, 

 1910, he spent this month on the Big Eideau Lake, Bastard and Burgess Town- 

 ships, Leeds County, Ont., for the purpose of protecting the salmon and whitefish, 

 this montli being the close season for those two species of fish. 



Pie was provided with an assistant and a good rowboat, and they slept in a 

 canvas tent on an island in the lake. They kept up a nightly patrol of the lake 

 with the rowboat whenever the weather would permit. During the month he seized 

 two large gill nets that he found illegally set for fishing in close season. He also 

 secured the conviction, and a fine of $10 was imposed by a magistrate's court in 

 Portland village on one of the parties using those nets. With the help of his 

 assistant they kept up the patrol of this lake to the end of November, 1910, when 

 they broke up camp, and he moved home to Jones' Falls November 30th, 1910. 

 In December he had very little to do except looking after the licensed fishing of 

 his district. Making applications for renewal of licenses for 1911 is part of his 

 work in December. The game and fishery laws were well observed, nothing illegal 

 being observed by him during the month of December. 



During the month of January he made weekly trips with horse and cutter over 

 liis district, looking over the difl'erent fisheries, and at the same time to guard 

 against poachers. He received during this month several complaints of illegal 

 practices being indulged in by licensed fishermen of his district, the complaints 

 coming from the Anglers' Protective As^sociation of Elgin, South Crosby Town- 

 ship, but in every instance when he came to investigate the charges he found theni' 

 groundless, false and malicious, and evidently made for a certain purpose. The 

 months of February, March and April passed over without anything unusual occur- 

 ring, except an experience he had the latter part of February, viz., the killing of a 

 (leer. It was brought or driven by hounds from the backwoods of Frontenac 

 County. When near there the hounds left it for some reason unknown, but the 

 deer died, he thinks from exhaustion and hunger. On hearing of it he drove out 

 to the scene, a distance of three miles, finding it in a farmer's barn. He took 

 possession of it, loaded it on his sleigh, and brought it to his home at Jones' Falls. 

 He could not make out that anyone was to blame for the death of the animal. He 

 went tlirough the usual formality of reporting to the Department of Game and 

 Fisheries at Toronto. He afterwards, by order, sent the head to a taxidermist at 

 Toronto. 



On May 1st he commenced to fit up the patrol launch Mermaid for the 

 season's work of patrolling the waters of his district. Having this done, and the 



5 G. F. 



