30 THE EEPOET UPON No. 13 



lumber camp or having any connection therewith. If reports can be believed, 

 some camps have actually used from fifty to a hundred moose during the winter. 

 He might suggest that all trappers should have a license and send in a return 

 to the Department of what they have trapped and what they have done with the 

 pelts, so that a check could be kept on them and Americans could not pass them- 

 selves off as Canadians. 



^■ 



SPECIAL GAME AND FISHERY OVERSEERS. 



Overseer D. Blea, of South River, reports on the Fish and Game in his district 

 as follows: He has found the fishing has been really good, as reported to him by 

 those who have had the pleasure of the sport, which condition, no doubt, was 

 attributed to the unusually cool weather of the past summer. He finds the par- 

 tridge not nearly as plentifui as last season, no doubt largely owing to the cold, 

 backward spring and wet summer. He also thinks the birds would have a far 

 better chance if the hare season was changed to the 15th of Octoiber, as it is quite 

 common to see men and boys in the swamps with guns between the 1st and 15th 

 of October, and when challenged they say they are hare hunting; therefore he 

 would recommend that the open season for hares do not start before the 15th of 

 October. As to the deer, he has pleasure in reporting them, if anything, more 

 plentiful than last season, but would again recommend the discontinuing the sale^ 

 of venison. 



Overseer Henry Watson, of Toronto, reports that the past season was the 

 worst ever experienced by the licensed fishermen in the vicinity of Toronto, caused, 

 no doubt, by the pollution of the water, and it is getting worse every year and 

 extends for miles out in the lake. Illegal fishing is a thing of the past around 

 Toronto. 



Both the game and fishery laws are well observed ; very few infractions of the 

 game law occur. ^ 



The rod-fishing, thanks to the despised carp, is improving. Hundreds of 

 anglers who have discovered the proper bait to fish with put in their spare time and 

 holidays fishing for carp, and appear to enjoy it as much as if it were salmon they 

 were landing. 



With reference to shipments coming to and passing through Toronto, the 

 fishermen and large fish companies behaved themselves better than ever before, 

 and it looks as if they are all taking a sensible view of the' wastefulness of catching 

 fish during the spawning season, and also those of illegal size at any time. The 

 seizures of game and furs were about the same number as last year. 



Some of the hunting parties report the deer as being very plentiful, but the 

 same parties' bags consisted of nearly all fawns and does. The deer brought out 

 the last few days of the season were a good sample and were most of them bucks, 

 but previous to that the greater number of them were does and fawns. 



Nearly all the hunters report very few partridge, and if we have a bad breeding 

 season next year they will be about as scarce as they were four years ago. 



