34 THE EEPOET UPON Xo. 13 



Partridges are the same, while rabbits and squirrels are scarce, being hunted 

 by so many, especially boys, who are becoming a nuisance, for when they can't 

 find game they shoot at anything they can find, even to cows, one man having had 

 a cow killed that way; and he would also recommend that a gun license be 

 charged everyone who hunts with a gun, which he thinks might help to lessen 

 this nuisance. 



The "Laura" was launched in April, and did good work till August, when 

 she became hard to start, and is now laid up to have her engine sent to the shop. 



Grey County. 



Overseer James Gillespie, of Berkeley, reports that as usual his duties in 

 regard to fisheries are more particularly to look after small streams and lakes in 

 that district with a view to preventing, if possible, the illegal taking of speckled 

 trout. The notices sent out by the Department last year offering ten dollars 

 reward for information that would lead to the convictions of any party or parties 

 guilty of illegal fishing in Bell's Lake or Ewart's Lake, were again posted around 

 those lakes this year, and he believes they w^ere of benefit in warning the public 

 that the practice of illegal fishing would be dangerous. He visited the above 

 lakes quite often during the months since the ice broke up last spring, often using 

 the boat furnished him by the Department, and going all over those lakes, having 

 a drag with him which he frequently used looking for nets. On several occasions 

 he has been at the lakes before dayligjit, at other times after night. The fact 

 that it was known that he was likely to drop around at any time had he believes 

 the effect of making people cautious, and he believes that very few (if any) fish 

 were caught illegally. This was not considered a good season for angling, less 

 fish being caught in those lakes than has been the average for some years. The 

 very wet season may in part account for it. In May last he went out with Mr. 

 Watson of Toronto, who had with him several thousand of speckled trout fry, 

 some of which were put in what is known as Ford's Mill Dam on the Saugeen River 

 near Makdale, and the balance in Ewart's Lake. 



Many anglers tell him that more speckled trout spawn is destroyed in the 

 early part of September than would be in the latter part of April, and he would 

 like to see the open season begin April 20tli, and close on the last day of August. 

 He has his eyes and ears open at all times trying to get information, and has 

 arranged with some parties to let him know if they notice anything suspicious. 

 He received a hint during the summer that some parties were trying to arrange 

 to buy some speckled trout to take out of Markdale, and took a few trips to 

 that village, which he thinks was the means of stopping that business. He took 

 several trips to Chatsworth during the summer, and posted up the regulations 

 in several places in the village and along the different streams so people would 

 know the law. He heard a couple of parties complaining that some were breaking 

 the law, but they could not produce the least bit of evidence that such was the 

 case, while the general opinion was that the law was being well oibserved. He 

 went out to Kimberley in Novemher last and found that a boy there had caught 

 some muskrats in close season, and this his father acknowledged. The boy went 

 with him to a justice of the peace where he laid an information. He put in a 

 defence first that he did not know the law, and second that the animals were 

 damaging property. He reported the matter to the Department, and left the 



