142 Thirty-fourth Annual Meeting. 
asmuch as the same law provides no adequate protection for 
fish, this tax is generally looked on with much disfavor. 
The only protective measure for fish in Montana is that the 
sale of trout and grayling is illegal. Were it not for this pro- 
vision the average rancher would have a cinch, for the town 
markets would be glutted during summer and fall with trout 
and grayling scooped out of his irrigation ditches. 
In view of the extensive schemes of irrigation contemplated 
in the arid regions of the west by the national and state govern- 
ments, the proper protection of fishes should be provided for in 
advance; after awhile it will be too late. Last month a big 
irrigation canal, constructed by the government, was opened, 
having its source in the Truckee River, in Nevada. Govern- 
ment and state officials were present to celebrate the event. One 
account Says: 
“The gates of the dam were lowered and those of the canal 
were raised, the great flood pouring into the huge ditch. The 
reclamation project in Nevada was then formally dedicated. 
When the gates on the river dam were lowered the bed of the 
stream below was dry. In an instant the party found diverting 
sport in catching the large trout that were floundering on the 
rocks.” 
The protection of fish by law in many states is mostly on 
paper. Taking fish during the spawning season, or by means of 
nets, the spear, and dynamite, and the slaughter of the inno- 
cents by the conscienceless angler, are not rare occurrences. In 
some states where the laws for the protection of game-birds and 
mammals are rigidly enforced, and but little illegal shooting is 
done, the laws for the protection of fish are frequently violated. 
It is popularly considered not so great an offense to take a trout 
or a black bass during the close season as to shoot a quail or 
grouse when prohibited by law. 
In the older states, where game-fish have become scarce, 
there is now a disposition to provide stringent laws for their 
protection, another instance of locking the stable door after the 
horse is stolen. But on the other hand the equally important 
matter of protecting the water itself, and the fish food in it, is 
seldom thought of or sadly neglected. It is popularly supposed 
that fish should abound, thrive and multiply, wherever there is 
