THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN'S JOURNAL. 



[Entered According to Act of Congress, In the year 1831, by the Forest and Stream Publishing Company, In the Office of the Librarian or Congress, at Washington.) 



NEW YORK, THURSDAY, MARCH I O, 1881. 



CONTENTS. 



Editomai, : — 



Notm-tilisis' Permits ; The Massachusetts Game Bill ; The 

 Bight Man in the Bight Place 103 



Ihe Sportsman Totjhist ;— 

 Tho Sqnattie and Taludi Lakes ; " A Trip Through the Prov- 

 inces;" Saddle Mountain.... 104 



Natural Histobv : — 



Visitors to au English Back Garden ; The Crane's Back ; Jim 

 Crow ; Oregon Quail in Alabama ; The Giant Squid on the 

 Grand Banks: American Journal of Science; Unusual 



Deer : Necturas Lateralis ; Tame Buffed Grouse 105 



Game Bag and Gun ;— 



Deer Shooting off the Virginia Capes : The Flight of Bifie 

 Balls ; Why Did He Do It? Hounding and Still Hunting ; 

 Migratory Quail ; Our Detroit Letter ■ English Babbits for 

 Long Island ; Proposed Massachusetts Law ; A Duck 



Bridle; Notes 100 



Sea and Btvek Fishing ;— 

 Trouting on the Unknown; Parlor Aquaria ; The Banded 

 Pickerel ; Poaching the Fish ; Tho Berlin MedalB ; Tho 



Cod Fisheries 110 



Fisn Cct.tuhe :— 



Fish Culture and Fish Laws ; Fecundity of Alewives ; Ee- 

 poit of the Wisconsin Commission : Eeport of the West 

 Virginia Commission ; The Saibling ; Proposed Dams in 

 the Dl a ware; Carp in Texas; How Do Black Bass Spawn? Ill 

 The Kennel : — 



Fashion andDoga ; Have Dogs an Extra Sense? The East- 

 ern Field Trials i 'ontroversy ; Hints to Amateur Breakers ; 

 The Cocker Standard ; The' Count Noble Offer ; Advice to 

 Breeders; Notes; Kennel Management ; Kennel Notes... 118 

 Bifle and Tbab Shooting : — 



Bauge and Gallery ; The Trap 115 



Vacating and Canoeing : — 

 The Two-Tonner ; British Yacht Bacing Association ; Sea- 

 wanhaka Yacht Club ; Cutters in Boston; Funny Bule of 

 Measurement ; Tho Sciple Yacht Engine ; Cedar and Can- 

 vas Canoes ; Yachting News 117 



Answers to Correspondents 118 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



The Forest and Stream Is the recognlzedmedlumof entertainment, 

 I nsl ruction and Information between American sportsmen. 



Communications upon the subjects to which Its pages are devoted 

 are Invited from every part of the country. 



Anonymous communications will not be regarded. No correspond- 

 ent's name will be published except with his consent. 



The Editors cannot be held responsible for the views of correspond- 

 ents. 



All communications of whatever nature should be addressed to the 

 Forest and Stream Publishing Company, Nos. 39 and 40 Park Row, 

 New York. 





FOREST AND STREAM. 



Thursday, UTarcli 10. 



NATURALI-TS' PERMITS 



IN many State game laws a wise and just provision is 

 made whereby students of natural history and taxider- 

 mists are allowed to kill song and insectivorous birds "for 

 natural history purposes." This privilege has been outra- 

 geously abused, particularly in the neighborhood of large cities. 

 Long Island is infested the year round with song-bird shoot- 

 ers and nest robbers who slaughter the song birds and steal 

 the eggs "for natural history purposes." The traffic in 

 birds' fkins and eggs is much greater than most people have 

 any conception of, and the number of " specimens " collected 

 by these vagrant robbers almost exceeds belief. The abuse is 

 not confined to Long Island. In their very able report, the 

 Maine Fish and Game Commissioners call attention to the 

 same evil existing in that State, where, they say, " the office 

 or license of taxidermist is more sought for purposes of traffic 

 in the skins of birds and animals, and even for the destruc- 

 tion of game during close time, than the legitimate purposes 

 of scientific study. Our song birds in particular are most 

 eagerly coveted during the mating season, as they are then in 

 their gayest plumage." Doubtless the same state of things 

 exists elsewhere. 



So great has been the destruction of song birds on Long 

 Island that those who have framed the proposed new game 

 law introduced a change in this respect, partially revoking 

 this naturalists' license. This change, if we are not misin- 

 formed, was suggested by a collector, who, in his wanderings 

 over the island, has learned the extent of bird destruction 

 worked by the vagabonds from New York and Brooklyn. 

 That these fellows should be debarred from their practices is 



certainly much to be desired alike by the farmer, land 

 owner and naturalist ; but it would, perhaps, be wiser to have 

 framed the law so that responsible students of natural history 

 and bonajid-e collectors might still have t he privilege of right 

 belonging to them. They should not be made to suffer be- 

 cause of the lawless doings of tke robbers who stray out from 

 the city's slums. There are many gentlemen in New York 

 and Brooklyn — the members of the Linnean Society, for in- 

 stance — who ought not to be debarred from prosecuting their 

 favorite pursuits. The best, law on this point would be one 

 still allowing i he privilege and cutting off the possibility of 

 its abuse. This may be dons by providing for licenses and 

 strictly regulating the granting of them to applicants. The 

 control of the licenses should be put into the hands of respon- 

 sible parties — preferablynaturalhistorysocieties and scientific 

 institutions. The seventh section of the proposed Massachu- 

 setts law, qu 'ted elsewhere, makes just such a provision. 

 The only material change, which it might be wise to make 

 in such a law, would be a limit of lime to the certificates, 

 so that the holders would be required to renew them at given 

 intervals, when those which had been abused might be 

 rescinded. 



THE MASSACHUSETTS GAME BILL. 



THE Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective Association 

 represents, we believe, the best informed, most exper- 

 ienced and practical element of the sportsmen in that State. 

 Its headquarters are at Boston, where, during the years of its 

 existence, it has had an ample field for effort in the cause of 

 game protection. The vigorous manner in which prosecutions 

 for the violation of the game laws have been pushed and the 

 determined activity of the society have inspired respect for its 

 character and confidence in its judgment. The society has 

 been engaged in the actual work of enforcing the game law. 

 By experience and practical test it has proved the weak and 

 and the strong features of the statute. 



As the result of this experience of several years we have 

 the draft of the bill for a new game law — published in another 

 column. This bill has been drawn by the Massachusetts Fish 

 and Game Protective Association. It represents what they 

 believe to be the best game law possible and practical in Mas- 

 s achusetts. The bill has been under consideration by the mem- 

 bers for a long time ; unusual care has been taken to make it 

 comprehensive and effective in its operation. It has beeu 

 submitted to able criminal lawyers and indorsed by them as 

 strong and without flaw. 



Having been prepared in the manner designated, and em- 

 bodying as it does the points acquired by the experience of the 

 Massachusetts Society this bill should receive the hearty sanc- 

 tion of the sportsmen of that State. It may not suit all; in 

 some points it is open to objection. To frame a bill which 

 shall meet the unreserved approbation of all is an impossibili- 

 ty, and one great obstacle to efficient legislation in Massachu- 

 setts ha< been that bills which were good as at first pre- 

 sented have been manipulated to suit individual notions until 

 utterly worthless. 



The Massachusetts Association have fairly earned the con- 

 fidence of the sportsmen of the State, and this confidence 

 should be extended to their efforts in legislation. For this 

 reason it is to be hoped that the sportsmen of Massachusetts 

 will urge upon their representatives at Boston the passage of 

 the bill as it stands. We understand that it comes before the 

 House this week, and we hope in a future issue to record that 

 it has become a law. 



stantly growing. Sportsmen hearing of the project for the 

 first time instinctively thrust their hands in their pockets, 

 fish out one, five or ten dollars and contribute it to the fund ; 

 so attractive does the project appear to practical sportsmen. 

 We understand that the managers of the undertaking have 

 already purchased in Tennessee three hundred quail and pur- 

 pose, if it be possible, to secure as many more. They bavo 

 obtained some pinnated grouse, and have arranged for some 

 sharp-tailed grouse and some California quail. They pro- 

 pose also to obtain some of the eggs of the sharp-tailed 

 grouse and to hatch them under bantam hens, and will en- 

 deavor to rear them. 



Migration is Made East for certain birds, if all we hear be 

 true, and if it be not true we have here a very curious sim- 

 ilarity of belief in two widely separated and utterly diverse 

 races. We venture to say that Dr. Merrill's note in another 

 column will interest not our ornilholog cat readers alone, but 

 many others as well. That a belief of the Bedouins of Africa 

 should receive confirmation from the savages of our Western 

 wilds is a uoteworthy if not a significant, fact. Such a tale 

 as that of the wagtails crossing the Mediterranean on the 

 backs of storks, and the similar one of the sandhill cranes 

 transporting the "cranes back" in their migrations would 

 have been scouted a few years since. But in these days, 

 while we may all doubt, he is wise who refrains from deny- 

 ing. While the story of the "crane's back" may be without 

 foundation, it may also have a very substantial basis of 

 truth. We shall watch with interest for further information 

 on this subject. 



We Notiob that the New York Herald is " down on *' 

 what it is pleased to term the pedestrian infliction, and it 

 manifests its disapprobation of the walking matches by 

 giving place to only exceedingly meagre reports of their 

 progress. This attitude of the press is a pleasing sign of tho 

 • imes. If now our highly-esteemed contemporary will only 

 curtail the Bpace devoted to Philadelphia cock-fights and 

 Long Island dog-fights that will be equally gratifying and 

 significant of an increasing disregard for the indecencies 

 which mar our civilization 



Game Bieds fob Massachusetts. — It is satisfactory to 

 learn that the movement of the Springfield sportsmen, which 

 has for its object the slocking of the Commonwealth of 

 Massachusetts with game, is likely to be extremely populai 

 in all sections of the State. Although the movement was 

 inaugurated at the rooms and among the members of the 

 Rod and Gun Club of Springfield, it has now so far exceeded 

 the bounds originally marked out for it that it can be said to 

 be under the auspices of no association. Contributions have 

 been offered in the most liberal way by men who had no con- 

 nection with any gun club, and it really looks as if the bro- 

 therhood of sportsmen in the old Bay State were going to 

 carry this thing through with old-fashioned New England 

 push and vigor. The fund to be applied to this purpose has 

 already attained quite respectable proportions and is con- 



The Right Man in the Right Plaoe. — Among the 

 names of the new Cabinet sent in by President Garfield aud 

 confirmed by the Senate was that of Col. Thomas L. James 

 as Postmaster-General. This is a fit recognition of Col. 

 James' ability and of the successful manner in which he lias 

 conducted the postal service of this city. The appointment 

 is unqualifiedly indorsed by the business men of New York 

 and the press of the country irrespective of party. 



Col. James, although a politician of no mean order, has re- 

 ceived this high honor strictly on his merits. With an ex- 

 ecutive ability almost phenomenal, courteous in bearing, and 

 of a strict integrity which twenty years of political office has 

 not tarnished, Postmaster-General James will enter upon hia 

 new and larger sphere of duty indorsed by the best men 

 everywhere without regard to politics. Our best wish for 

 him is that at Washington he may serve the whole country 

 as faithfully and as successfully as he has served this city, 

 and that the recognition of his efforts there may be as gen- 

 eral and decided as that of his services here. 



It is highly desirable that the efficient postal system per- 

 fected by Col. James in this city should be continued by those 

 who have co-operated with him in the past. The hope is ex- 

 pressed in business circles, and we share it, that Col. James' 

 able assistant, Mr. H. G. Pearson, may be put at tho head of 

 the New York Post Office. 



Mobe Migratokt Quail.— Many interested rcadors will 

 learn with satisfaction from the letter published elsewhere 

 that Mr. Horace P. Tobey, of Boston, again proffers his ser- 

 vices to assist in the further importation of migratory quail. 

 As we have already pointed out, the success of this enter- 

 prise depends upon conditions which demand that tho impor- 

 tation should be on a large scale ; and it is to be hoped that 

 the response to Mr. Tobey's note may insure an importation 

 equal to those of other years. 



It should be understood that this is purely a labor of love 

 on the part of Mr. Tobey, whose repealed efforts in this 

 direction merit— and we trust receive— tho very highest 

 I appreciation. 



