72 



FOREST AISD STREAM. 



bass in the spring. The close season for trout is naturally be- 

 tween the dates of April 1st and Sept. 1st ; the close season 

 i or bass is included in the months of (May and .Tune. There 

 5 s no reason why the laws to govern should not be made uni- 

 form throughout all the States. 



Rabbits and squirrels do not legitimately belong to game to 

 be protected. On the contrary, they are quite difficult to ex- 

 terminate. Wild Fowl and migratory birds need no general 

 protective law. It would come withm the prerogative of 

 States to enact a temporary total prohibition when sucli u 

 measure became necessary; to make local laws to protect 

 wild fowl on their feeding-grounds ; to prescribe the methods 

 by which game and fish shall be taken, etc. To the Pacific 

 coast the law of the East could not apply, for the seasons and 

 climates are different. Local laws would obtain for moose, 

 caribou, buffalo, rail, pigeons, and several varieties of fish 

 like the true salmon, grajding, and land-locked salmon, which 

 are found only in circumscribed districts. Nevertheless,. with 

 a general uniform law ou deer, grouse, quail, woodcock, and 

 turkey, the great object of complete protection to game would 

 be secured. Different laws for contiguous States are irrational, 

 and as at present constituted are actually aiding to drive out 

 and exterminate the game instead of preserving it, because by 

 discriminating in favor of one State as against another, slaughter 

 is not only stimulated in the exempted State, but clandestine 

 shooting is encouraged in the closed State by the open market 

 permitted therein after the expiration of the open season. To 

 render prohibitory laws efficacious, game should not be per- 

 mitted on sale for more than two weeks after the season ends. 

 All game killed within the legitimate term can be easily mar- 

 keted within the time specified. 



In accordance with the foregoing scheme of co-operation, 

 ■we recommend to the Legislatures of the respective States the 

 passage of the following amendment to existing laws • 



1. No person shall kill any wild deer, ruffed grouse (known 

 as partridge and pheasant), pinnated grouse (known as prairie 

 chicken), quail (known at the South as partridge), wild 

 turkeys, or woodcock, within the limits of this State at any 

 time except during the months of September, October, Novem- 

 ber, and December. 



2. No person shall kill any fish known as speckled trout, 

 brook trout, and mountain trout within the limits of this State 

 between the 1st day of September and the 1st day of April, nor 

 any black bass during the months of May and June. 



8. No wild deer, ruffed grouse, pinnated grouse, quail, 

 wild turkeys, or woodcock, shall be permitted on sale in mar- 

 ket or elsewhere after Jan. 15th, under penalty of $25 for 

 each individual creature so sold or exposed for sale. 



4. No trout shall be permitted to be sold between March 

 and September, or black bass during May and June, under 

 penalty of $25 for each fish so sold or exposed for sale. 



5. Trapping shall be permitted in open season. 



These conditions being satisfied, enforcement of the laws 

 will be much facilitated, especially as regards those pro- 

 visions which apply to the sale and transportation of game, 

 trespass, and the rights of land owners and fluvial proprietors. 

 If sportsmen do not shoot out of season the farmers will not 

 endeavor to anticipate their visits by killing the game before 

 the law is up, and if the sale of game is prohibited after Jan. 

 15th a stop will be put to both trapping and sho 

 ample time to save enough seed for the game crop of the fol- 

 lowing year. 



By a singular coincidence we have received from H. H. 

 Thompson, Cashier of the Erie Railroad, a batch of suggestions 

 which he will see have been anticipated by the comprehensive 

 scheme of co-operative game laws which was brought before 

 the American Fishcultural Association on Tuesday by the 

 editor of this paper, and is reproduced in our columns this 

 ■week. With all due respect to the value of his communica- 

 tion and to his sagacity and foresight, he will perceive that its 

 publication would be unnecessary. 



Half a Loaf— Boston, Mass., Feb. ir,.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream : There is an old saying to the effect that " half a loaf 

 ia better than no bread," of which I have been reminded 

 by two editorial articles of yours on the subject of a proposed 

 alteration of the game laws of Massachusetts, the animus of 

 ■which 1 at first could not understand. That the game laws of 

 this State, as they now stand, are defective, and that even 

 such as they are they cannot be enforced is a truth patent to 

 everybody, but how to correct the evil is not so clear. There 

 is something required in drawing up a draft of a law, besides 

 framing it, so as to accomplish what you desire, and that is to 

 have it of such a nature that there shall be some remote possi- 

 bility of the law-makers adopting it. In New York you may 

 be lucky enough to have the land-owners, farmers, game 

 dealers, etc. , such noble and honorable men as to be anxious to 

 have the laws just such as the sportsmen wish them to be, 

 without any regard to their own interest. I am, _of course, 

 aware that their interests and ours are identical, viz., the in- 

 crease of game, but they canuot be made to see it; but in this 

 we are not so lucky, and ihe only objection which I 

 would raise against the law advocated by the Fish and Game 

 Association, which you indorse, is the rather important one, 

 that there is no more chance of getting such a law as that 

 through the Massachusetts Legislature than there would be to 

 make shooting a bird, otherwise than on the wing, a States 



The changes proposed, which you criticize, so severely, were 

 ihe result of a very hard and earnest work, chiefly by a gen- 

 -lemaii who is thoroughly conversant with the matter, who 

 has been several times before the Uouse on this subject, who 

 has in the past had palpable proof of the influence of the large 

 name dealers as a body, and who, after having gone through 

 much labor, called a meeting of all persons interested in the 

 matter, the result being a large meeting of prominent, sports 

 tutu The various Glauses were talked over and ventilated, 

 iiid a committee was appointed to bring the matter before the 

 House Nobody had au idea that the result was a perfect 

 one but we did think that it was the best possible one under 

 ,-cumatances, rind had it not been for the, to me, unac- 

 countable opposition there was good reason to hope that it 

 would pass. Under it, at least, we could convict violators, 

 ii, it present cannot bo done. Wo made a close season 



for woodcock and partridges, the possession of these birds out 

 of season being sufficient to convict. The dealers were allowed 

 to sell frozen grouse and quail out of season, which must have 

 come from the West. I, individually, do not approve of this, 

 but 1 am convinced that it cannot be prevented. 



It will also be a long time before any law can be passed 

 which will make it criminal for a farmer's boy to snare par- 

 tridges in the old man's wood lot. However, it is all over 

 now practically, opposition from where one would least expect 

 it and a rush of other proposed changes of law in order to have a 

 finger in the pie has had such an effect that nothing will be 

 done, and we shall go on for some time longer under the good 

 old law, by which if a man shoots out of season, and by any 

 miracle any body takes it up, he may "forfeit " a few dollars, 

 if he happens to have them in his pocket, but as he generally 

 does not, why of course he can't "forfeit" what he has not 

 got, so ho gets off scot free. 



i have, scribbled much more than I meant to, as I only 

 wauted to show that the law proposed, which meetB your dis- 

 favor, was not drawn up in a hurry without reflection, and 

 that its proposers did not have in view the depopulating of 

 the neighboring States of their quail, nor did they wish to en- 

 courage the snaring of partridges as your article would lead 

 one to infer. Mro Mao. 



We have already so fully given our reasons for supporting 

 the bill proposed by the Massachusetts Fish and Game Pro- 

 tective Association that a repetition of them is needless j and 

 if, as is urged, the passnge of that bill be an impossibility, 

 further discussion of it is out of place. We agree, with "Mic 

 Mac " that the half loaf is better than no bread, and having 

 lost the whole loaf, it is now in order for our Massachusetts 

 friends to clamor for the fragments. It is a deplorable pic- 

 ture here presented : an inefficient and unjust law is urged 

 because citizens cannot be compelled to respect a law which 

 is proper. The short-sighted policy of game dealers may 

 carry the day now, but it is a policy which must eventually 

 prove suicidal. It may be suggested also that the sportsmen 

 of Massachusetts, who represent no mean part of the intelli- 

 gence and capital of the Commonwealth, have some rights 

 which are as much to be respected as those of other people. 

 We have not believed that these proposed measures are simply 

 the unreflecting efforts of enthusiasts. If they are such, as a 

 matter of course, they will be summarily frowned down at 

 the State House, and the trapping of birds and the sale of 

 game illegally captured in other States will go on. 



Pennsylvania Statu Association fob, the Peotection 

 of Fish asd Gaaik. — The officers for 1878-'9 are: Pres., B. 

 F. Dorrance, Wilkes-Barre ; First Vice-Pres., B. W. Rich- 

 ards, Philadelphia ; Second Vice-Pres., D. W. Seiler, Harris- 

 burg ; Third Vice-Pres., J. B. Reed, New Brighton; Fourth 

 Vice-Pres., B. M. Linsey, Seranton ; Rec. Sec'y, W. W. 

 Dorris, Huntingdon ; Cor. Sec'y, J. Ross Thompson, Brie ; 

 Treas., W. C. McCrum, Pittsburgh. Com. on Rules, Regu- 

 lations and Game Laws— J. Ross Thompson, Erie ; B. W. 

 Richards, Philadelphia ; Jno. C. Brown, Pittsburgh. Com. 

 on Fish Laws — Jno. E. Reyburn, Philadelphia ; M. Hargden 

 Brooks, Greenville ; Dr. W. E. Fundenburg, Pittsburgh. 



Texas State Sportsmen's Association. — The second an- 

 nual convention will be held at Waco, May 7. It is especially 

 desired by the friends of game protection that all who are in- 

 terested in the cause should communicate with the secretary of 

 the association, Mr. P. B. Watson, Houston, or a game law 

 will be proposed at that meeting. A four clays' shooting will 

 be held under the auspices of the Waco and Tatham clubs. 



Illinois Statu Sfoktsman's Association — Editor Forest 

 and Stream : At a meeting of the above association held at 

 Springfield, February 13, upward of twenty well-known 

 sportsmen were in attendance. The meeting was presided 

 over by M. V. Lincoln, of Peoria. The matter brought be- 

 fore the association was of importance, and the session a har- 

 monious one. Amendments to the game law were considered 

 and discussed. It was the sense of the meeting that the 

 shooting of quail should begin on Sept. 1, instead of August 

 15, and continue uutil October 15, instead of November, as 

 now. The shooting of prairie chickens, it is proposed, shall 

 begin on August 15, and cease on December 1, instead of 

 January 1, as now. A committee was appointed to draft 

 amendments to the law, and at a late session the committee 

 reported in favor of Mr. Crocker's bills in the House for the 

 preservation of fish. Resolutions were also adopted, asking 

 the earnest co-operation of all farmers and sportsmen to ad- 

 vance by influence and legislation the protection of game and 

 song birds and food fishes, and requesting members of the 

 Legislature to favor all just legislation to the end that the fine 

 fields and streams of Illinois may be in the future preserved 

 and stocked. The meeting adjourned to meet at Peoria, June 

 17. Rovzk. 



i Chicago, III, Feb. 20, 1879. 

 * Leasing and Stocking Streams — Editor Forest and 

 Stream: In your issue of Feb. 13, certain of Mr. Seth 

 Green's correspondents complain in relation to the game and 

 fish laws, notably of the action of land owners on streams 

 that have been stocked with fishes. A suggestion upon this 

 matter of stocking streams may not be out of place. That Is 

 for one or more persons to lease the right to stock and take 

 fishes from a given stream for a term of years of the land- 

 owners, and, if they please, reserve the right to the land-own- 

 ers to take fishes for their family use, and no other; then ob- 

 tain a special law applicable thereto. The lessee or lessees 

 then can conttol the streams and allow fishing at such times 

 as is deemed proper. 1 have a stream leased as above which 

 is protected by special law. Thus far the plau works well. 

 Nathaniel Hobbs. 



jWfe. 



THE FOREST AND STREAM AND ROD 



AND GUN TOURNAMENT 

 For the Short- Range Championship of 



1879 

 First prize to be ten monogram metals, presented by the 

 Forest and Stream and Rod and Gen. Open to teams 

 from any organized rifle club. 



— Teams— Eaoh team shall consist of ten men. The teams 

 participating must be composed of memhera of the various clubs 

 which they represent. Blnea-Llmited to ten poundB la weight ; mini- 

 mum pull of trigger, three pounds; 22-1 lit) uitf. Teams may furnish 



their own rlflss and ammunition, or use those at the gallery, na they 

 may desire. Number of Shots— Ten by each competitor. Sighting 

 Shots— Two shota will bo allowed each competitor, roaitton— Off- 

 hand. Targets— 200-yards targets, according to the regulations of the 

 N. R. A., reduced la proportion to the range at the gallery. Practice- 

 No practice allowed on the day of the match. Entrance Fee- Ten 

 dollars to be paid at the office of the Forest ahd Stream anb Hod and 

 Gun, No. ill Fultou street, N. T. The match to be governed by 

 the ruleB of the N. E. A. relating to teams. 



In accordance with the conditions previously announced, 

 tho captains of the several teams met at Conlin's gallery on 

 the evening of the 22d and proceeded to carry out the minor 

 details of the match. Dr. Dudley was chosen chairman and 

 Mr. Donaldson, of the New York Club, secretary. There 

 were representatives from the Seppenfeldt, Hellwig, Empire, 

 South Brooklyn, Newark Amateur, Catholic Institute of 

 Newark, New York Club (two teams;, Zettler Club (two 

 teams). Some considerable surprise was manifested at the 

 absence of the Yorkville men, the Irish-Americans, the Cen- 

 tennial Club, the Scotch Americans, the several regimental 

 clubs, and Col. Gilon ought certainly, it was thought by all, 

 put in an appearance with his crack shooters from the 9th As- 

 sembly District of the 5th Senatorial District. On the matte v 

 of referees, it was agreed that each club should select a mem- 

 ber—not a shooter on the team— to act as referee, and that the 

 two referees of each evening should select an umpire, not of 

 uither club. This will relieve anybody of the task of acting 

 as referee through the entire session. 



It was voted that the entry list be closed finally at 9 o'clock 

 on the evening of March 6th, when the captains are to 

 meet to draw for the order of shooting the strings. The 

 match to open on March 10th. 



The small medals now in process of manufacture promise to 

 be choice bits of artistic work, and their motto — " Yedc Vidi 

 Vici"— is very appropriate. The Winchester Arms Company 

 will place a novelty on the prize list in their new Express 

 rifle. 



The Massachusetts Rifle Association.— If the foreign 

 riflemen who think of coming across the border or across the 

 sea to make a trial for the possession of the "Palma" wish 

 to know precisely what they may expect to meet in the way 

 of scores, there is no better guide than the report first issued 

 by the Massachusetts Rifie Association of the work accomp- 

 lished at Walnut Hill during the past year. In shooting over 

 the Elcho ranges, a score below 200 does not appear as a 

 winning one. In off-hand work averages run above centres, 

 while in mid-range perfection is again and again shown, and 

 even where carton targets are employed the average runs 

 above the bull's-eye line. The report throughout shows not 

 only a most flattering progress, but puts the present condition 

 of the association in a more satisfactory light. The matches 

 are as various as can be, and the results are presented in a 

 compact and perspicuous form. 



Massachusetts. — Medford, Feb. 23. — There was a special 

 attraction at the Bellevue Range to-day in the fact that two 

 matches were in progress, Tne competing teams were each 

 on their own range, and on Bellevue the effort of the riflemen 

 was for scores to be used in the matches lately made with the 

 Bergen Point Rifle Club, of Bayonne, N. J., and the Lake 

 View Rifle Club, of Chicago, 111. The conditions of the 

 match with the Chicago club are as follows : Teams to con- 

 sist of eight men each ; rounds, ten ; position, off-hand ; dis- 

 tance, 200 yards ; rifle, any withm the regulation rules ; one 

 sighting shot allowed previous to firing on the score. Each 

 association to shoot on their own grounds and the result to be 

 forwarded to the other by mail. The following are the scores 

 made by the memberB ot the Medford Club i 



R. Sawyer, 44 ; H. K. Richardson, 43 ; 0. H. Russell, 42 • 

 H. S. Harris, 42 ; H. H. D. Gushing, 41 ; J. R. Teele, 3?: lb 

 Withington, 38 ; J. H. Eames, 35 ; Total, 324. 



At the conclusion of the above match the club began its 

 score to be used in tho match with the New Jersey club. The 

 conditions are the same as those of the above named, except 

 teams consisted, of teu men and two sighting^shot were allowed 

 previous to scoring. Appended is the score : 



H. K. Richardson, 46; H. S. Harris, 43 ; R. Sawyer, 43 - 

 I. II. Fames, 43 j H. H. D. Cushing, 42 ; H. Withington, -12; 

 O. H. Russel, 42 j W. G. Tousey, 40 j J. R. Teele, 39 ; W 

 P. Metcalf, 36 ; total, 416. The Bergen Point men tele- 

 graphed a total of 423. During the day at the renewed com- 

 petition in the Winter Shed match, there were 78 entries. The 

 following are some of the best scores made : First class — H. 

 K. Richardson, 33; H. K. Richardson, re-entry, 33; C. H. 

 Russell, 33 ; C, H. Russel, re-entry, 31; J. H. Lames, 31 ; J. 

 H. Eames, re-entry, 31 ; R. Sawyer, 31. Second class— J. R. 

 Teele, 32; J. R. Teele, re-entry, 31; J. Barker, 31 ; W. <}. 

 Tousey, 31. Third class— E. F. Kendrieks, 29 ; E. F. Ken- 

 dricks, re-entry, 27. 



Boston, Mammoth Rifle Gallery, Feb. 22.— The regular 

 monthly prize shoot is progressing finely, and as the month 

 is drawing to a close some excellent shooting is shown. The 

 standing of the several competitors is as follows (150 feet, 

 rounds 8, possible 40) : 



L F Newton ....5 4 5 5 5 5 5—30 Wm S Arnaud..! 4 1 i i : 

 E W Archer.... 5 4 4 fi 5 6 s 5— 38 D S Hlcfcey.... ■; 8 



Gfceo Lamb 5 4 o 5 ■) s 5 5— as QeoEBv > '5—36 



E S Tobey, Jr . ,5 4 fi 6 i 5 6 B— S3 Robert Thomas.5 6 4 '144 6—36 



leruig ..« 4 6 4 5 5 5—3; ,1 Myers 4 E E 4 4 1 1 5-35 



W 11 HaTrison..4 5 5-1 4 r> 5 s— 37 LAlurcham 4 4 5 a 5 4 5— :;r> 



W U Johnson...!! 4 4 E B 5 5 5—30 A B Archer 3 4 5 4 4 5 4 5—34 



C C Barrett 1 4 t 5 i 5 B E— SB Geo E Bice S 4 1 3 4 5 4 6- 34 



W Bradford 4 4 5 4 4 B 5— so E O SDOtford....4 5 4 4 4 4 4 5— Si 



P H Hartshorn. 5 5 .1 4 4 4 5 5— SB It f Helhzen....4 r, .1 .1 .1 .1 4 g-^Si 

 W II Restarick.5 B 4 4 4 4 5 6— 35 W U Mabury. . .4 4 S 6 B'8 4 4—8* 



K.JKestaricfc..4 4 4 1 i S 5 B— 35 11 H Smith 3 5 4 4 4 6 3 4—34 



,) J Dunne .4 4 4 4 4 .5 5 5—36 



Walnut Hill— There were 111 entries on "Washington's 

 Birthday for the Maynard rifle contest at 200 yds. Good 

 weather favored, and the top scores were fully up to the 

 average of the association. The leading ones are appended : 



JALOWell 4 46565556 5—48 



H Tyler B 66454 4 66 5—41 



VV H Jackson 6 5*4555544 6— 4T 



JNFrye 5 5 6444456 6-46 



E VV [JW 5 4 5 5 4 5 4 4 6 4—45 



CUMeigga 5 6 4 5 4 4 4 5 4—15 



JJ litTltWOOd 5 5 14 4 5 6 4 4— 15 



Wunarlea * 5 4 5 6 4 6 



E Bennett i 4 4 4 4 5c:. 



S B Edwards 5 44456454 4-44 



U t> Uurgln •* 4 6 5 B 4 4 b 4 4—14 



J T R Scuaefer ■' 5 14 4 4 5 A 4 4-4S 



LWBlake ~ 5 B 1545444 1~« 



EWArcher.„ , * 44445444 4— w 



