32 THE EEPOKT UPON No. 14 



He strongly recommends that trappers should be obliged to take out licenses, 

 and that a district be allotted to them for five years, it would then be to their 

 interest to protect the fur bearing animals and game, and they should send in a 

 return of what they have trapped. 



He also recommends that wild celery be planted in selected lakes and bays. 

 If this were done he feels sure that the ducks would remain in there and breed. 



He would suggest that the open season be changed for mink in this district, 

 viz., from November 15th to March loth, as they are in young in April. Also that 

 the bounty on wolves be raised, and a bounty given for brush wolves and coyotes, 

 as they are more destructive with deer and smaller game than their larger brother 

 (timber wolves). They hunt in packs and a deer has a very poor chance of 

 escaping. 



He recommends that a close season be put on marten and fisher for two years. 



SPECIAL GAME AND FISHERY OVERSEERS. 



Overseer Daniel Blea, of South River, reports, that the fishing in the northern 

 part of the Province has not been as good as last year. 



The deer appear to be very plentiful, the reason for which he attributes to 

 the reducing of the number from two to one for each man. He strongly recom- 

 mends that the sale of venison be discontinued; this is the opinion of many others 

 who earnestly hope that some action will be taken in the matter. Partridges do 

 not seem to be so plentiful as last year; he recommends that the season for the 

 northern hare does not come in before the partridge. 



It is his pleasure to state that the settlers and inhabitants are giving what 

 assistance they can in enforcing the game laws. 



Overseer A. Drouillard, of Walherville, reports, that the Game and Fishery 

 Laws have been exceedingly well observed in his district, as he only made one 

 seizure during the year. 



He suggests that some regulation should be made defining the size of perch 

 and blue pickerel caught in Lake Erie, and shipped to the stations in his district; 

 in many instances he has observed that they were very small, and in his opinion 

 should not have been allowed to be caught. 



The fishermen in Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, suffered considerable loss by 

 reason of the recent storm. Pound nets and hoop nets were almost entirely lost, 

 so he does not anticipate that much fish will be shipped during the fall. 



Overseer Henry Watson, of Toronto, reports, that the past season has been 

 the worst ever known for the licensed fishermen in this district. Salmon trout and 

 whitefish appear to become fewer every year, the small amount of restocking that 

 takes place does not make any perceptible increase in the catch. 



Herring fishing also decreases every year and this may be attributed to the 

 small meshed nets used at this end of the lake. 



Rod fishing has improved a little, the water in the Bay is not quite so putrid 

 as formerly, thanks to the trunk sewer, and if it continues to improve the Govern- 

 ment might be justified in re-stocking Toronto Bay with small mouthed black bass. 



The number of illegal shipments of game, fur?, and fish coming to and passing 

 through Toronto decrease slightly each year. 



Most of the fishermen respected the fishery laws and regulations. 



