388 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jttnb 16, 1881. 



Sinn lhau tUty dollars, the phiintiiT shall only be entitled 1o 

 costs lo an amount equal to the amount of such recovery; 

 and it shall he t)ie duty ot any district ultorucy in this State, 

 iuhI he is hereby required to prosecute, or to commence ac- 

 tions in tin name ot the people of ibis Stale, for l lie recovery 

 of the p< unities allowed hereby, upon receiving proper in- 

 formatii n : and in all actions brought by Mich district-attor- 

 ney, one-half of ihc penalty recovered shall belong to the 

 prisons giving in format ion on which the action is brought, 

 and the other half sleill be paid to [he treasurer of the county 

 in which fiich action is brought. All judgments recovered 

 in pursuance of the provisions of this act. with the interest 

 (hereon, may be collected, and the payment thereof enforced 

 by execution against the person: and no person imprisoned 

 on execution under this act shall be bailed or admitted to 

 the liberties of the jail ; and any person imprisoned upon any 

 such execution shall be so imprisoned for a period of not less 

 than live (ays. ami at the rale of one day for every dollar or 

 factional part thereof of such judgment, and in- 

 terest when the same exceeds five' dollars; and such 

 imprisonment, sbaj] not be. saiisfaction of such judgment: 

 but no person shall be more than once imprisoned upon any 

 such Judgment or execution, and two or more penalties may 

 be included in ihe same action. 



Sec. 15. Section thirty tive of said act is hereby amended 

 so as to read as follows: 



So-. 35. Comix of special sessions in towns and villages 

 in d the several conns In cities, situated in the county in 

 i which the offence was committed', or in any adjoining county 

 having jurisdiction to try other misdemeanors in their own 

 county, shall have, jurisdiction to try offenders in all cases 

 . under this act, in the same manner as in other 

 enses where they now have jurisdiction, and lo render and 

 enforce judgment accordingly. All tines recovered by the 

 provlsiqj s "f this act shall be paid over by the court receiv- 

 ing the same, lo the treasurer of the county wherein the 

 1 1. IVer.ee was committed i olTendcr was tried, except in the 

 county <si New York, aud in the county or New York to the 

 chamberlain in the city of New York, within ten days after 

 their reception by such court, and such moneys shall be 

 Icepl by such treasurer or chamberlain as a separate fund to 

 1)0 applied to the enforeemenl of ihe provisions of this act in 

 such manner as the hoard of supervisors of the several coun- 

 ties, except in the city and county of NewYorl;, and in such 

 city and county Ihe board of aldermen may direct, either for 

 the employment of special detectives or the payment of re- 

 wards for "ihe detection and arrest oE offenders, and each of 

 the boards i. f supervisors of this SI nte shall have power to 

 raise by lux, in ihe same manner as other taxes are raised for 

 county purposes, such sum Dot exceeding one thousand dol- 

 hus in any year, as they >hall dee in proper lo further aid in 

 the enforcement of the provisions of this act. It shall be the 

 duly ot" every sheiiff, under-sheriff, deputy-sheriff, officer of 

 police or policeman, and of eveiy constable, and every game 

 tiODStal lc. and ovary bay constable, and every game and fish 

 protector, to arrest, wherever found within this State, with- 

 oui warrant or process, any person whom they shall find vio- 

 lating any of the provisions of this act, and "immediately to 

 bring sucl) offender before [the reureslj any magistrate resid- 

 ing in the county in which t ie offence was committed, or in 

 any adjoining county havingjurlsdictionoflheofrcr.ee, for 

 examination and for trial. Any justice of ihe peace, police 

 justice or recorder, residing in ihe eouniy in which the of- 

 fence was committed, or in any adjoining county, shall have 

 jurisdiction to organize and hold a coiftt of special sessions 

 far the examination and iris) of offenders under t his act in 

 Hie same manner as in other eases, ami !o render and enforce 

 judgment accordingly. Any officer or magistrate who shall 

 neglecl or refuse diligently to enforce Ihe provisions of this 

 art, upon proper information and complaint, shall be deemed 

 guilty of a misdemeanor, and slmll be punished by fine or 

 imprisonment, or by both such line and impiisoiunent in the 

 discretion of Ihc curt. 



Sec. 10. Sections thirty-four and thirty-six <>f said act are 

 hereby repealed. Sec. 17. This act shall take effect im- 

 mediately. 



"SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS." 



IN his "Lonesome Lake Papers," written for the Journal 

 of Commerce, William C Prime discourses at length on 

 Ills subject of killing animals for food, sport and other pur- 

 poses. His general views may be obtained from the following 

 extracts : 



There is a mass of accumulated correspondence on the 

 cabin table. Among the letters are two or three, of a class 

 not at all uncommon, from very good and very gentle per- 

 sons,- who share with more or less people the idea that hunt- 

 ing and fishing are cruel sports, aud lend to the cultivation 

 Of brutal dispositions. One letter incloses a newspaper 

 article of considerable length in which the writer uses very 

 Strong language about the evil natures and evil hearts of 

 thosewho go about shooting deer and birds, and other beau- 

 tiful living objects in nature. 



To what extent man's rights over brutes may reach, how 

 far he may subject them to slavery, compel their labor, kill 

 them for food, clothing and other uses, it is unnecessary to 

 consider here. The question fairly arises on those words 

 "other uses." For food and clothing we agree that brutes 

 are properly killed. So, too, I lutvc never heard the killing 

 of whales and other frli for oil condemned by any one. The 

 newspaper writer referred to above, strongly condemns ladies 

 who wear beauti fid feathers as ornaments, for which inno- 

 cent birds have been slaughtered. But the love of beautiful 

 things is one of the purest and noblest characteristics of the 

 human soul, and it may well be asked whether brute life is 

 not lightly subjected to the cultivation and enjoyment of 

 this high characteristic in man. It is not a question of the 

 feathers in 1 idies' hats, hut of innumerable uses in the aTls in 

 wliich nidiinii life is destroyed to produce beautiful obji cts 

 forl.be refinements and enjoyments of human life. Is the 

 killing of animals for oil w'he'rewiih lo light up God's dark- 

 ness any mote jus'ifiaHc than killing ihem for aesthetic pur- 

 poses:- In short, the infinite difference between the life 

 wlrch is of man and that life which is of the beast or the busb, 

 makes its exceedingly d fflcult to show why the picking or a 

 rose or a violet is any less offence than the killing of a bird 

 for a brilliant wing. The materialist who holds that, the life 

 of a man is no more preeiovjs than that of a dog or a bone, 

 must be a very poor philosopher if he doesnot rank the life 

 of a plant on ihe same plane. From his point of view he 

 should e xtciul his sympafhh s to the (lowers. 



But wo will leave the question of subjection of brute life to 

 our love of Ihe beautiful and confine oiir attention to killing 

 food animals lo be used as food. This is the employment ot 

 the mass of hunters and anglers, and the fact that they do 



joyment in it, leads to the 



s law of Ihe natural world, 

 and the revealed law Of 

 properly 



i part of 

 lierefore, 

 is absurd 

 which is 

 he deity 

 r, then it 

 in or kill 



this fur pleasure, that th 

 condemnation of * me 



By the law of commoi 

 the law of our physical 

 Gnd, such beasts, birds and fish as can It 



1 for food. They must be killed. Killing i 

 the process of making them food. Killing litem is 

 not cruel. It is duty— some cue's duty. Nowi 

 tO say llmt such a duty Ought lo he painful, and G 

 to be abhorred. On the contrary it is plain that i 

 to provide animal food for one's self and one's fan 

 may be equally a pleasure to gather fruits, reap f 



' cuds for that provision No possible argument can snow 

 that erne ought to regard providing animal food as a sad and 



ileinn necessity, a terrible affliction, which should be dele- 

 gate d to a special class of men, separate from their fellows, 

 men of blood, woi king out a curse. For if the provision of 

 mal food is a painful duty, in which the provider sins if 

 he woiks joyously at his work, if the killer of beasts for food 



iglll to be a. mournful man and regard his duty as a constant 

 pain, then the making of men to eat animal food is a curse 

 "nsicadof a blessing from God. Nay, Ihe eating it should be 

 v?iih sorrowful countenance, for the killing is our own agent,, 

 and we should all share the curse aud the sadDess with the 

 purveyor of our tallies. xUi dinners should be funeral feas's, 

 and a'l salads imnle tif bitter herbs. 



But it is pi in enough that the butcher has right to he as 

 happy at his woik as Ihe apple picker. B ith work in God's 

 app: anted way for the good of mankind. It is equally plain 

 that every man may rightly lie happy ill killing animals for 

 the food of himself unel his family or others. If the point 

 were ihc cruelly and wrong of the wanton killing of animals, 

 not lo I e used for man's proper purposes, killing for the mere 

 enjoyment of Ihe killing, there would be no discussion. I 

 filld no limit of this kmd, ton ever, in the writings now 

 under eliscussiou. 



.11 sportsmen condemn killing game or fish which cannot 

 used for food, except in those eases where we kill fish 

 which prey on otbcis. I never knew a true spoilsman who 



id not regard ihe final destination of Ids game for food as an 

 al solute essential lo his enjoyment of the sporl. We will 

 not stop to discuss the killing of venomous reptiles, beasts of 

 prey, birds and fish which are enemies of Ihe food animals, 

 i writer describes all hunting as " slaughter of the inno- 

 cents," and says it cannot be countenanced as "bji element 

 of culture :" "its object cannot be to sharpen the finer feel- 

 ings and deaden the. brutal ones. There is no poetry in de- 

 stroying the animated poetry of Nature." These arc some- 

 bat rash sentences: and it will perhap3 surprise him to 

 hear that not only I, but hosts of men renowned in the 

 literature, of all ages and couutries, churchmen and laymen, 

 lave held directly contrary view-! as to the effects of these 

 ports on the moral character. They are accounted by us so 

 elevating aud refining in their influences that we think every 

 father who can do so will do well to ent:ourage his sons in 

 Ihe love of hunting and fishing. Eliminate the sentimental 



idea that the killing a bird 

 you at once sec why i 

 manly man-making oe 

 a mighty hunter l.i-foi 

 through " Nature's pc 

 and birds and trees i 

 hunter or angl 



Please answer in correspondents' column, and oblige. — 

 Amateur. 



If our correspondent really were an amateur— as he is not 

 —we should suggest that his shells did not fit the gun. The 

 cold weather has nothing to do with it. There must have 

 been .some irregularity In the loading, or in the size of the 

 shells. 



deer for food is wick 

 g has been esteemed a healthful, 

 iou in all ages since Nimrud was 

 Lord. No Idle, dreamy si roller 

 derives from the sight "of beasts 

 reams such permanent lessons as 

 s at home with nature, pursuing 

 his objects in it. This part of the subject is much too long 

 Tor discussion here, and it may he dismissed with a reference 

 to the long list of great teachers of truth, in pulpit ar.d 

 books, who have recorded their obligation-! to field Sports for 

 the most valuable lessons of their lives. And it is proper to 

 add that this notion — that brutality and cruelly of disposition 

 are characteristics ot anglers and hunters and increase with 

 their practice of these employments— is of course absurd. 

 The testimony of all ages is to the direct reverse and angling 

 is proverbilly known as the gentle ari. There was once a 

 quite prevalent idea that the life and labor of a butcher bru- 

 talized him, but that: fancy has long since been abandoned. 

 There are butchers and butchers, as there aie lawyers and 

 lawyers. The cruel aud brutal (ire found in all stations and 

 employments, as are the gentle and refined, 



The sentimentalism to which allusion bus been made pre- 

 vents due consideration of the ordinary laws of nature winch 

 God has established and which are parts of His wonderful 

 beneficence in providing this world for man. The question 

 often asked. " Why was this insect or that plant created?" 

 would be answered easily if we saw through the vast system 

 which He has ordained for man's good. We can see part of 

 it. The life of one being is sustained by. the death of an- 

 other. This is the grand law of natural succession of life. 

 Millions of minute insects are made. They are food for larger 

 meets, or for birds, or for fish, which in turn are food for 

 man. Man cannot live on grass or green food alone, and 

 deer, rabbits, cows, sheep, cat grass, make flesh and man 

 eats the flesh. The decaying vegetable, Ihe oozing sap of the 

 tree is the food of the insect,' the insect is the food of the 

 small fish, the small fish is the food of the pike or the trout, 

 or the bass, and finally man is fed. The great truth that the 

 lower orders of animals are food for each other escapes the 

 view of sentimenlalism. You admire the superb oriole, sing- 

 ing in the sunshine, and do neit know that he loves the brains 

 Of smaller birds and feeds on them when he can. The 

 thrush, miscalled a robin, wakes you with Ids morning song, 

 and you forget to think that he has already destroyed hundreds 

 of animals in feeding himself and his young. It is not to 

 disturb your love for the birds that yon are to think of these 

 facts, but that you may bear in mind that they too are to 

 servo a purpose in the way of nature, and kilfiheir food so 

 that they become food to sustain other animal life, whether 

 Of plant on bird, or reptile, beast or man. Always at the, 

 summit of this grand system of life from death stands man, 

 and God has placed him at. the summit, because he alone 

 has a soul, and the soul is immortal. Everybody, whether 

 of beast or bird, alas even the body of man, is to form food 

 in its death, anei nourish trees and plants or birds aud winged 

 insects, to serve the purposes of successive generations of 

 mankind. Only the se>ul is free from this law, coming train 

 God and going'bence to Him. Only the dead dust of hu- 

 manity is lo be gathered again, wheresoever scattered, by the 

 Giver of Life, and revived" iu immortal beauty. 



BunsTiNo Shells.— Sauk Centre, Minn. — What is the 

 cause of shells (paper) bursting in a No. 12 gun in very cold 

 weather ? I am stumped, and don't know what is the cause. 

 The same shells, best quality Winchester make, do not 

 burst in warm weather, as I have repeatedly shot five and six 

 loads put of them before they gave out. They were loaded 

 wiih 3 : ; ilrs. powder, H oz. chilled shot, and every thine 

 they "ripped" open from the top to the edge of th 



MR. BERGH ON PIGEONS AND SNAKES. 



From the New York World, June. 13, 

 "I have indeed heard of ihe intended insult to our civiliza- 

 tion of the nineteenth century," said Mr. Henry Bergh when 

 he was asked what he intended to do with regard to the shoot- 

 ing tournament ot the New York State Sportsmen's Associa- 

 tion, which is to be held on Coney Island next month. "I 

 hear the association is making great preparations, ami is lo 

 have 25,000 pigeons ready for the slaughter. Just think of it. 

 These poor creatures, which are emblems of our holy religion 

 — for the pigeon and the dove are identical— are to be flung 

 into the air, and while dazed by the change from -a Cramped 

 trap are to be fired at and cruelly mutilated. But I can do 

 nothing for my constituents— the dumb animals. Ilriidin 

 1874 to introduce a bill, a clause in which would have given 

 our society tie power lo stop a pigeon-shoot. But I was 

 told that the bill coulel not become a law. Senator Wagstaff 

 was particularly active as the champion of the slaughterers. 

 [ have tried again and again to introduce similar bills, but the 

 pigeon-haters not only put me off, but passed an act legalizing 

 this sport. This act said that any incorporated society may 

 conduct such an inhuman exhibition, provided that such bint's 

 as are. mnl listed shall be killed as soon as possible. In other 

 words, brutes who are useless to put iu a trap because they 

 have no wings may bung away at pigeons, and when Ihe birds 

 have been so torn and mangled as to be of no furl her use their 

 necks may be wrung. I am told lliat, young ladies attend 

 these exercises and honor thtm by keeping the score. I can- 

 not, for my life see how tbey can do such a thing. I rejoiced 

 when we weie able to turn back those Spanish "bull fighters, 

 but I blush to stt-e ih it the pigeon, which has as much right to 

 humane treatment as the bu'l, is denied its rights. Illicit 

 you Ihe secret of the whole thing. All these club-men vote, 

 and the men at Albany know this, and the blood of countless 

 pigeons goes to stain the ballot-box, and then, loo, there are 

 gun-makers and powder-makers and lead men and oilier per- 

 sons who profit by pandering to this low form of so-called 

 recreation. Yes." said Mr. llergh, sadly, "Icanuot do any- 

 thing but go to Coney island next mouth to see that pigeons 

 half-killed are put out of their misery. 1 suppose those fel- 

 lows will offer me a front seat and one of their horrid cigars. 

 0,h, tbey are solid in their way, but I can portray their pro- 

 ceedings in a pan-picturo that will make Mew York Shudder 

 to its very marrow. I only wish that I could induce every 

 man and eveiy women in New Yoik cily to see that show. 

 Then such a giant) chorus of protest would so up to Albany 

 tin. I the Empjre Stale would follow the example of litHe 



Rbody, as Cinneeiiciit and New Hampshire have done, end 

 make a law | robibiling pigeon-shQQtiug in any way. Think, 

 tor., dosing pigeons with laudanum to make ihem'fiy slowly, 

 I i biting off a piece of theii flesh and rubbing cayenne pep- 

 per on the raw pari to make them tly quickly. Uue tiling 

 more. Von know 1 am not n politician, or at best only' a 9011 

 of a satellite in ihe Republican pavty, but I cauuet help re- 

 calling Hint everything ibis sociely has secured in the way of 

 legislation we owe to the Democrats. 



" Here'," Continued Mr. Bargh as he took a bit of printed 

 paper from ids desk, ''isa unique sample of a blot on the 

 civilization of our age. Allow n.e to read it : 'The mou en- 

 ployed in the hat factory of Sparrow, Ven'um S: Co., Orange 

 Valley, have, caught three snakes, which they intend to light 

 on the Fourth of July. One of the reptiles is a coppeihead, 

 another a llat-headed adder and the third a black snake. They 

 arc confined in pasteboard hat boxes in which arc small holes 

 admitting air. In order to make tbem savage from hunger 

 their captors give them nothing to cat. The men in the shop 

 are making up pools on the fight, and to keep informed of the 

 condition of their favorites they inspect them every week. 

 The plan rs to allow the snakes on the morning of lh.6 Fourth 

 to escape from the hat box into a large iron tank which is 

 used for soaking bats.' 



"Did you ever hear ihe like?" said Mr. Bergh, laying 

 down the slip. " Here, Mr. Secretary, write at once to the 

 officers of the Essex County Society in New Jereey and put 

 Ihem on their guard lhat ihey may stop the perpetration of 

 this great shame. I blush for these workmen. I will ask 

 the New Jersey Society to see that these snakes are fed, and 

 if there is a light between them to arrest, all the persons 

 present at it. We do not stop such brutal exhibitions because 

 they debase the. men, but because they injure the animals. I 

 have just received a. letter from Copenhagen sayiug that on 

 the 15th of last month the King of Denmark in person, as- 

 sisted by the Grand Duke Vladimir, who is a brother of the 

 Princess of Wales, presented the medal to those selected by 

 the Danish Society for the Prevention of Ciuclly to Animals. 

 The medals were given to men who had saved animals from 

 binning buildings ; and this fact shows that persons of quality 

 in Europe are alive to the importance of encouraging love for 

 dumb animals." 



11R. OROOX O.N Ma. TO5RG.H. 



From the Brooklyn Eoc/le, June 1 ;i. 

 31 r. Abel Crook, in the presence of several of the mem- 

 bers of the Long Island Sportsmen's Association, yesterday 

 authorized an Kuyle reporter to say,- in regard to the above, 

 that if Mr. Henry Bergh came to Coney Island and at- 

 tempted to interfere with the. pigeon shooting of the -State 

 tournament, he would be arrested by the .officers who would 

 lie. i here under control of the State Association, and wotdd 

 be taken before erne of the three justices of the peace on 

 Coney Island, and, if necessary, would bo locked up. 



MR. UTCRIHT ON MB. OROOK. 



From Ihe Brooklyn Kagle, JuneU. 

 Mr. Bergh replies that if Mr. Crook thinks of opposing 

 or violating the laws of the. State iu relation to cruelty to 

 animals, and by preventing the society he represents from 

 performing its duties, he labors under a mistake. Mr. Bergh 

 will attenel the pigeon shoot and take with him several offi- 

 cers. If the law is Violated in the least he will arrest the 

 offenders, anel to do this he can call upon the local police if 

 necessary. 



Asiatic Bums for California..— Portland, Or., May 24. 

 —The ship Oakwortn, from Shanghai, arrived at this port 

 about two weeks ago with seventy-live Mongolian pheasants 

 consigned to Postmaster Coey. of San Francisco, for distri- 

 bution in California. They came in good condition and|were 

 forwarded by steamer, The pheasants and grouse that were 



