1918 GAME AND FISHERIES. 11 



Partridge are very scarce in this district. Snipe and plover are also very 

 scarce. Wild ducks of all kinds are plentiful but wild geese are scarce. There are 

 no quail nor are tliere any woodcock. Big game moose are plentiful in this north 

 country, and there were not many killed in the open season owing to weather con- 

 ditions. Deer are very plentiful. Thereare no caribou in this district, but further 

 to the north there are quite a number of them. There are no elk. Beaver are very 

 plentiful : all through this district the woods are flooded every place where there is 

 a stream or a lake. They are destroying a great lot of timber. Otter are very 

 scarce. Mink and muskrats are holding their own. AVolves and lynx are quite 

 numerous and the bounty should be raised so that trappers would take an interest 

 in destroying them. Hares are very scarce in this district, where there used to be 

 thousands of them; there are only a few left. I cannot account for the decrease 

 in numbers. 



I might say that owing to the war and the high price of meat the regulations 

 have been well observed. 



J. T. EOBINSOK, 



Warden. 



Windsor, February 4th, 1918. 

 D. McDonald, Esq., 



Acting Deputy Minister of Game and Fisheries, Toronto, Out. 



Sir, — I have the honour to submit my annual report for 1917. 



During the year 1 have visited the greatest part of my district and have also 

 patrolled all the waters of Lake Erie in this district, the Detroit River, Lake St, 

 Clair, River St. Clair and a small portion of Lake Huron. 



The catch of fish by the angling fishermen was good. Black bass fishing by 

 angling in Lake Erie and Lake Huron is about the same as the previous year. The 

 net fishermen in all tlie lakes in my district had fair fishing this year and got a good 

 price for their catch. The German carp was not so good a catch as last year. 

 Whitefish in Lake Huron was a good catch up to the month of October, but in 

 November the catch was small in Lake Huron as well as in the Detroit River. Lake 

 St. Clair shows the poorest catch ever known. 



In regard to game, quail has been reported by the farmers and sportsmen as 

 being plentiful. The field trial people have found plenty of birds to work their 

 dogs a couple of Aveeks ago. The Hungarian partridges seem to decrease from the 

 reports of farmers. They seem to move to other places but the farmers did not 

 find any dead or hear of any having been killed. Our home partridge has not in- 

 creased in Essex and Kent Counties. Woodcock is about the same as in previous 

 years. There are a few English pheasants around Pelee March. Wilson snipes 

 are about the same as in other years. Different varieties of ducks in Lake Erie, 

 Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, Mitchell Bay and the Flats were plentiful this year, and 

 the sportsmen are looking for fair shooting this fall. The wild geese are about the 

 same in number as in other years but the spring shooting should be closed on them. 

 They were plentiful at Jack Miner's reserve last spring for the reason that he feeds 

 them. Black and grey squirrels in Essex County are very scarce, and there should 

 be a closed season on them. Muskrat houses are showing good in the marsh and I 

 think they will be plentiful next spring. 



