FOREST .AND STREAM: 



27 



GAME PROTECTION. 



Vifll vn > i LAWS.— "We ore informed that a 



certain man from Stratford was si, 

 jYliiri.nl township on tin- last day of June past. This was in 

 flagrant violation of Hie game Jaws of the Stale oJ i onned 

 cut which have never permitted ih< io 16 ek ] - 



foro the first of July. This year the State Legislature enacted 

 that thevo should ba no summer shooting pi this hircT, it re- 

 maining a dose season, until "October. Tnisinanha before, 

 been known to bn : laws with impunity 



We would, here warn him and all of his 111; thai Hie citizens of 

 Milford are. now thoroughly aroused on litis- subject and are 

 determined to see their game law ifi 'Vith ll.is ob- 



ject in view, we are making strumous eii'orts p. re 

 law breakers. A reward oi' $25 lias be. n offered by a gentle 



man resident of Milford for the i no. a", i, .a , a i fi 



shooting out, of season, and we think it will fare ' bar! ly with 

 this Stratford man or any of his friends if tiny tail to elude 

 the vigilance of our self-appointed detectives. Thep*nally 

 by law for ibis offense is twenty-live days in jail and $f3S for 

 each bird shot or found in possession. If you will kindly 



insert this in your valuable journal ■ LI oblige the lows 



of sport, but upholders of the law. 



The above is clipped Horn the Bridgeport Stan&aTi 

 ,,,i changi ; ' tlie game law of Connecticut, postponing 

 Hie shooting of woodcock until October 1, will be one great 



means of preserving the rull'ed grotlS^ during the cl aes & n. 



Experienced sportsmen nllirm that the risks the* 

 of being killed- not unfrcquently while pra = :1 



and helpless broods— by the tltOUghtfesa and impul a i I g t 



or unprincipled pol-hunter while woodcock shooting in mid 

 Bummer, arc beyond belief. 1 am informed it is the intention 

 Of the sportsmen in this part of the Stati V m pect the change 

 in the law. Kesex. 



Massaoiiosictts.- The following letter appeared in the 

 Boston. Journal, July is. The Massachusetts law is certainly 

 defective, and should be altered, if intended at all to accomp- 

 lish its purpose: 



riofthe Best Tmamal: 



Tlu'Si:.Ti'i:irv oi in- •■ and Qamfl Protective As 



FniMAtinn is constantly reeiv aaieiaia; ami anonymotu 



said I) 

 can n 



posse; 



Msll iii:iT.-=i< w.-e ..iie-i. -in.. I!.- u. all. align « ■. ■.- ' ■ ■ ■■., !:■■ ei 



having tl done were told that il ■>■•.. Id tterl.i •. ' tea n ..■■. in i - 



power to protect. Il.cltluo Inv.i ■•> •■■■r a Ivht ant I'lanlual n> " llr e\'- 



tUemonlHng season of Juts and August. If persona will i case it rH 



us niMna...- ' "' ''■'' •ei.... 1 .-', ifiving positive informa- 

 tion of anv vioteU I the Jaw bykiU a , - ie< will ee Ami 



oi the Mass. Fish and Giune Protective Aas6oiatlon. 



[To this above, Mr. AY. Minot,, Jr.. formerly Secretary of 

 Uie Society foi the Protection of Useful Birds, responds that, 

 the game laws are "no doubt very defective, but the posses- 

 sion of birds out of season is prima jheie evidence to convict, 

 and the burden of proof is upon the offender in all cases. 

 For instance, if the bills of fare furnished for the i mertaimnent 

 of the President of the United States, as published, are genuine, 

 it could readily be proved by the evidence of His Excellency 

 the Governor and His Honor the -Mayor and many other dis- 

 tinguished witnesses thai, quail and woodcock were among the 

 dainties which appeared at, the breakfast and dinner: the bur- 

 den of proof would then be upon Messrs. Hall & Whipple, of 

 young's Hotel (if they were, as reported, the caterers on both 

 occasions), to show either that they did not furnish the birds 

 at, all, or as to the quail, that, the birds furnished had either 

 been frozen all winter or shot, on their nests in some other 

 State: as lo the woodcock, that, they were also obtained else- 

 where. We think Massachusetts should have sufficient inter- 

 est in the enforcement of game laws lo assist other St alts in 

 the same ; and not make her borders a refuge for the poacher 

 of Connecticut, Rhode Island or New York, and encourage 

 the Bay State pot-hunters to violate the laws of these Slates. - 

 Ed.] 



—Chief Justice Agnew of the Pennsylvania Supreme Courl 

 was out hunting woodcock a few days ago with a party of 



friends. One of the party began shooting pheasants, and the 

 result was that all were hauled before a country magistrate, 

 who tincd them for violation of the game laws.— Boston 



Journal. 



nruiaenl, Mhm., Jul>/1', -Inclosed find game laws (con- 

 densed) of MinncsoltaforlS';?, they may be of interest to 

 sportsmen intending to visit, ibe State-thin fall, viz.: 



When lawful to kill or tralfie in game— Woodcock, from 

 Julv 4 to Nov. 1; pinnated and sharp tail grouse. Aug. f5 to 

 Oct. 1; quail, Sept. 1 to Dec. 1; ruffed grouse, Sept. 1 to 

 Dec. 1 ; aquatic fowl, Sept. f to May 15 ; elk, deer, etc, Nov. 

 1 to Dec. 15; brook trout. April 1 to Oct. 1. 



The prospects for sport, among the pinnated and sharp tailed 

 grouse this fall are dismal enough— tin wl-e grangers who at- 

 tempted, bv the help of their v, n ;!;,,.,, !,.■ local politicians, 

 (A pass a law last fall prohibiting d: ■■■■■- - ■ ■tityu 

 Slate for three years, on the ground that shooting off the 



chickens was ii i" 1'ii' - ■ of Hie grasshopper scoui a 



burned up nearly all 1 1 ing fire to the-prairies in 



May, to tall the hoppers, Chey did bun b ew lo :us s, h a 



drore most of them into plowed ground, while the fin 

 ning through the grass burned the grouse eggs up. Letters re- 

 ceived from sporting friends West all read alike : rery few old 

 birds and an occasional scattering small Covey of young birds. 

 Some of the old birds will lay again and raise a late brood. 



Ruffed arouse will be plenty as usual, as thi 

 been in their favor, and they have not suffered from fire as 

 did the unlucky "'>'■■ ioj .per bird," as we have 



-iy plenty, 



aud "the show for slathers of ducks is first-rate," so 1C. writes. 

 Ed common with sports un throughout the country; i I 

 been amused b ioe Ihe therhood, emanating 



from that, Indiana genius wla . " whclls " away :i! I] 

 i' ■ i ' ,■. i ii I,-' an,' M .,: n squirrels with what the '" '3 eal] 



a " bow-gun," and calls it sport and attempts lo la ili:- 



i who prefer to use the gun. 

 ' ii a it seem lo have bad much effect, u[.on sportsmen as 

 vet. We do not notice that any of them are offering their. 



ss and buying ' ; bow-gnus." The '-1)0 vr-. 



,"' re about mi a par with his 



knowledge oi natural history, for he would make us believe 



i,., i the a " Lpeck' drill boles in the trees, so uc can suet. 

 ' ■ i would have a hard time "-wetting 



1 is whistle" with sap from a, dry pine or hemlock, Any one 



who has paid any attention to tunic habits know it is food they 

 are after, and not sap. Hun ami. 



MOOSE I I UN 'i I NG**IN NOVA SCOTIA. 



THREE years ago the game laws Ova a '1 ia were in 

 't flap] a',-- la a, ah , anil .gillie, in consequence, be- 

 came almost, extinct. The law, apparently nil sufliciant, was 

 ;,r,, ;, a: 1 1 ,, tdcad lutti ,i'',ai big neither organi/.n! ions t o 



enforce it, nor means to prosecute. Cja was wantonly 



ami iii'diciansly destroyed in till months, without reference to 



I aeding seasons, condition of the game itself, or 



: lias of life. The day of total extermination of the 



caribou and iiioose wasat hand, and it seemed as if nothing could 

 prevent it; and such measures as. wen- at, templed proved futile, 

 and apparent ly accelerated the ruthless hand of the dtiSl P a SI 

 Finally a number of public spirited gentlemen in Halifax, as- 

 sisted by Others throughout the province, took the matter in 

 hand, and rcorgani >.-d the association known as the Game and 

 Inland Fishery Protective Society, which had done good work 

 in former days. Willi infinite labor the society succeeded in 

 procuring an enacmeul thai forbade the killing of moose and 

 beaver for three years, aud also embodying stricter regulations 

 regarding the killing of game birds Dud ha pes. Al the expi- 

 ration of a year some minor details sesmed to demand revision, 

 which was accordingly perfected ; notably tho:c referring to 

 the appropriation of the funds derived from lines, and Ihe dis- 

 posal offocfeifed meat ami skins; an adult ional penally was 

 also enacted for hunting with dogs. Next a couuniltee Of the 

 society solicited the Government fur an appropriation to 

 assist in enforcing the law. This was but partly allowed, 

 only $840 being set apart for the purpose, aud with these 

 sipnder means' Ihe society begai fvorl n aiding the Province 



r. ima district?, for each of which a pmc commissioner 



a a- ago .fated, a la, was k. receive the' merely nominal salary 

 0f$5fl i "i year. The office of chief game commissioner was 

 necessarily 'died by I'll/. Cochran, Esq.., the Secretary of the 

 Society, Owing to the paucity of funds appropriated. 



The second yeai Government came to the rescue, increasing 

 the appropriation, and the laws were enforced with unequaled 

 vigor. These expire on the first of September next, when a 

 new law will lake effect, 1)y which. it will be lawful to kill 

 moose and caribou in the months of October, November, 

 December and January. We are informed that the increase 

 or game under the three-year enact men!, has surpassed the ex- 

 pectations of the most sanguine. 



As the small Government grant, out of which the salaries of 

 the commissioner and wardens were paid, was cut off by vote 

 of the House of Assembly last session, the law will be carried 

 out by the voluntary service of the Game Protection Society. 

 A system of licenses has also been adopted, under which non- 

 residents of Nova Scotia will be obliged to pay the Provincial 

 Treasurer $20 per year for the privilege of tin: game laws. 

 Officers of Ihe Army and Navy are, however, taxed but five 

 dollars. From this it is hoped that a fund will be realized to 

 pay at least a portion of the expense of enforcing the law. 

 Meantime all citizens of Nova Scotia who take an interest iu 

 the preservation of game are asked to subscribe to the funds 

 of the society, the fees being two dollars per annum, or ten 

 dollars for a life membership. 



We doubt not that many Americans will take exceptions 

 to the laws of Nova Scotia as they now stand. Not long 

 since, those who crossed the border from this side to Rice 

 lake, w r ere compelled to pay $1 for the privilege of angling 

 therein, aud the consequence was that many of Ibe old fre- 

 quenters were driven out— not on account of the fee but be- 

 cause of the principle involved, according tolhoir light. While 

 WO opine that the fee exacted in this case produced disasternus 

 results, the exactors lnsingmorc than liny gained, we cannot 

 bur, loot; upon I he Nova, Seoliau enactments as just and pro- 

 per. This Province must now be looked upon in the same 

 light its personal property- a preserve in fact : the people, 

 at considerable expenditure of lime and money, have prevent- 

 ed the total destruction of the game in the Province, and are 

 certainly entitled to reap the results of their labor. They 

 have compelled their neighbors and friends to respect and 

 obey the l;nv, as well as residents of other Provinces and the 

 States; apd when so much has been accomplished, and by so 

 great personal effort and sacrifice, we feel fissured that no true 

 sportsman will object to the license clause. 



There tire those, to be sure, who will grumble ; but wo 

 venture to say they will be confined almost wholly to that 

 class o| men who brag around the camp while their comrades 

 are cutting the wood for the fire, and who couldn't shoot a 

 moose if the)' put their whole effort to it for a month at a 

 time. Nimrods of this ilk always gel, their antlers at the tax- 

 idermists. 



We are indebted to Mr. Filz Cochran, Chief Game f'.,m- 

 missioner, for a copy of the report, of the society, 



Mi;Kn,-eiLAu.\i axd Amuiu:. — : Me 'ischium, so popular with 



imers of tobacco when made into p ; pe.s, cigar-holders, 



etc. , is found in Germany, the Crimea, Liberia, Turkey, Greece 



and Algeria. Its name is derived from two German words 



a aag', literally, sea foam; aud from this the vulgarhave '' 

 rived the theory so often promulgated, that it is the result of 

 ia ' ning of sea foam by being mixed with clay. Clay it 

 most certainly is, but it is composed entirely o£ line pan a la, 

 of sillieate of magnesia, aud is precisely similar in character 

 i fc(fc, steatite, soap-stone and French chalk: though meei 

 scnaum owes its beauty to itscomparativclack of organii ■• 

 Stances. Pure talc and some SOapsloncs are SO free from or- 

 ganic mailer that they arc used as meerschaum, and defy detec. 

 (ion except by the expert. When lust taken from the beds this 

 mineral is soft and plastic like potter's cUy .; but continued ex- 

 posure lo the aii dissipates the aqueous admixture and conse- 

 quent harden! og results. Atnbe; 

 With meerschaum, is vulgarly 

 diseased totaetaw- -parLieulnrh 

 seems to have arisen from Ihe f 



amber is mocinunt, and an ac 



ollicially as Aoidum sucdnieum 



■1 (H. 0), C, II., 0,a The actio 



slcarine, spermaceti and othei 



chemical result, aud the prodm 



also known as acid of amber. Mi 



from these fatty materials that 



Pure amber, or native amber as 



duct, usually regarded as a fossil I 



ern coast, of the Paltie where il 



the action of the waves; il, is foi 



folk, England, and is occasionally found in beds of brown 



coal. It is a hard, brittle, combustible, tasteless substance, 



sometimes perfectly transparent, or translucent, but generally 



winch IS 



SO Closely associated 



sperm w 



isles. This belief 



id that the 



technical name for 



id disiillci 



from it is known 



with the c 



hcmical symbol of 



a of nitric 



icid upon margaric, 



animal f 



its gives the sang 



1 being pi 



ecisely the same, is 



foreover; a 



t amber cm be made 



will defy 



Ihe, closest scrutiny. 



it is called, 



is a bituminous pro- 



resin, brou 



ght from t'.e soul.h- 



is throw 



a upon the beach by 



und, too, ( 



m the coast of Nor- 



semi-transpai 

 good pol 



colors, I: 

 leaves al 

 of ami, 



.'nt, or opaque, of 



glossy ; 

 by IV 



irfn, 



It 



IntheBi 



rd of four pr 



which takes I 

 s found of all 

 ontains fossil 

 was, a piece 

 eh contained 



ith. 



ident, 

 the a 



vhile s 



3 of .New Siberia. In Assam aud China certain 

 s are found which yield a resin of the same na- 

 irance as amber. Tt is generally believed to he 

 the mecttoim of the Baltic, though inferior for 

 ibly through lack oi' age and hardness resultant 

 ion. The amber oil S lltl in our ctiemis'.s' shops 

 be the result, of », distillation, by means of a 

 f Baltic amber mixed With its weight of fino 

 bi reality it is a product of fermentation of as- 

 paragin— a, crystallized product of the juice of asparagus— aud 

 malic acid— a product, of the apple. This fermentation pro- 

 duces an aei,i liquid, an oil and a concrete acid; the oil is sep- 

 arated from the other products aud known as the oleum .■«/. -,.:/_ 

 imm, of commerce. 



RocrcAw.vY Bkacii.— A dozen steamers now run to Rock- 

 away Beach daily, some of them making two trips. These. 

 lines of communication and the railroads afford great facilities 

 for reaching the beach, though scarcely more than enough to 

 accommodate the many thousands who daily resort there, the 

 greater portion of whom seem to be German families. The 

 large steamer Plymouth Rock and tile really magnificent 

 new steamer Columbia are both running. The latter was built 

 especially as an excursion boat. She has every conceivable ap- 

 pointment that, comfort, convenience and emergency may re- 

 quire. Her main saloon is 300 feet long, and the boat accom- 

 modates over 4,000 people easily. Last week Gapt. Holton 

 invited us into the pilot, house of the Americus, a staunch and 

 well appointed steamer often chartered by Ihe yacht clubs as 

 an excursion boat for regattas, and we. enjoyed a delightful 

 whiff of fresh air and a view of the, harbor and ocean. ' One 

 can scarcely enjoy a pleasantcr trip than a, sail to the beach and 

 return by same steamer. It depends upon one's taste and ap- 

 preciation whether he remains at Rcokaway, although every- 

 thing seems to be provided to amuse and entertain. One can 

 get a good tabic d'hote dinner at the Sta Side House for $1, 

 or ii five cent sandwich at the booths. For lack of more intel- 

 lectual amusement, he can throw base balls at the head of a 

 negro rag woman, and if ha succeeds in knocking a pipe out of 

 her mouth is entitled to a prize of a glass of lager. 



Coat and Yacht Bl ii.di.m;. We print Ibis week the first 

 i series of articles on the construction and rigging of boats 

 and yachts, from the pen of a practical and competent naval 

 architect., who will sign himself "Nautieus." Instruction;; 

 will be given in such a simple and intelligible manner that any 

 one handy with tools can construct boats and yachts from the 

 specifications given. The simplest, forms of crafts will be first 

 described ; and these will be followed by instruction in curved 

 sections, models, working drawings for boats, a nd sai 1 draw in ss, 

 with the necessary computations. Diagrams will be supplied 

 when required to make the text intelligible. Hne our yachting 

 department. The next article will pertain to skiffs and canoes 

 A work of (his kind has long been in demand, and we Ihere- 

 tore accordingly endeavor to supply it, as has been our habit- 

 ual endeavor from the outset, whenever we Can m -v 

 readers. 



01 Foe. lSni.-Korty-tive scientific expeditions were 

 hlted out during the year 187(1 Of these, twenty-four had 

 then held in Europe, seven in Asia, seven in Alrg'a, five i„ 

 America, and two in Ocenuica. ' ' 



