28 THE REPOET UPON" " Xo! 13 



Black duck were never more plentiful than this season in that .locality. 



Partridge are very plentiful, and seem to be increasing. 



Black squirrels are very plentiful. Mink are scarce. Muskrats are getting 

 more plentiful and he thinks the close season should commence the 15th day 

 of April. 



Overseer John Watson, of Ceasarea, reports that the game and fishery laws 

 have been fairly well observed in his division, excepting shooting. Before and 

 after sunset this is a very hard act to enforce, still he has it fairly well under 

 control at present. He has just made four convictions in the past year, one for 

 trapping muskrat out of season, one for trapping mink, and two for trapping on 

 Sunday, and he has found no traps on the same creeks this season as he did 

 last year. 



He says that mink are very scarce. They should have more protection by a 

 shorter season. Muskrat are none too plentiful. T'he open season for them 

 should be from the 1st of April to the 1st of May. Black duck are very plentiful, 

 the first of the season, more so than in years past, but the open season coming in 

 the first of September, and^the weather being hot, there are a lot of them lost, 

 and he would advise the open season to be put back to the 15th September. 



There do not appear to be many fall duck. Geese were plentiful last spring. 



Partridge are getting more plentiful every year in his division. Eabbits 

 are plentiful, but he thinks that it would be much better to have the open season 

 for them come in on the 15th October and extend it to the 1st January, as the 

 hunters all want to get out on the first day of the season, and) there are a lot of rab- 

 bits wasted by the hot weather, and besides this, it would give more sport during 

 Christmas. He would advise that all hounds and other dogs that will run rabbits 

 be tied up during the months of April, May, June and July, as they run down 

 and kill the old rabbits when heavy with young and before they can get out of 

 their way. 



He would advise that the open season for mink be from the 1st of November 

 to the 1st of January. 



Maskinonge and bass fishing have not been much good in Scugog Lake the 

 past summer on account of the hard winter. Some of them died out, and others 

 did not bite much from the aifects. But if nothing happens to them this winter 

 they will catch lots of them next summer. 



He would also advise cutting down the catch to two maskinonge and four bass 

 for each man per day. 



Speckled trout fishing he would adJvise to be shut out for at least two years, 

 as some of the creeks that had lots of. trout in have none in now, and the open 

 season for trout should be from the 1st of May to the 1st of September, as he 

 found them spawning on the. 28th August this season. ... 



Elgin- County. 



Overseer Kenneth McClennan, of Grovesend, reports that during the spring 

 of 1912 white fish was very plentiful. He. thinks they had the largest lifts and 

 probably the best prices in his experience. 



During the summer montlis fishing was very light, owing to the prices being 

 so low for herring. About the -first of October white fish became quite plentiful. 

 They are on the increase very fast, which he /thinks is due largely to the propa- 



