[jAmrAET 27, 1881.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



509 



Letters were receiyed from gentltimeii at Menominee re- 

 questing legislation thaj; would prohibit the digging of pits 

 for entrapping deer and of ireligljt 8Lo'->ting. 



I'he report of tlie Committee on Sporting Dogs favored 

 legislrtlion thai wonld protect sucli aoiuials. Ttie report also 

 took ground against summer s-liofiting, and aliounded in sug- 

 gestions as to the proi_iei- soasDn fur various birds. A letter 

 ■was received from Mr. Ily.itt, of i'ond duLao, Wis., regret- 

 ting that poachers had begun to make ruthless raids on the 

 Inmting grounds of the Upper Peninsula. ITe thought that 

 five thousand doer nmst have beea slaughtered there last 

 season, and hoped tte open season, would he shortened by 

 the Legislature. 



Secretary Roney read his annual report, in which the 

 growth and prosperity of the Association wore adverted to 

 and Certain legislation recommended. The session con- 

 tinues to-morrow, and a large number of papers by distin- 

 guishud sportsmen will be read. G. 



THE GAME OF MAINE. 



TTIROM the ii'lvanccc! sheets whioh have been fui'nished to 

 -C- the Fdke;:!' akd yxBRAii throuL'h the courlcsy uf 

 Mr. Everett Smith, we lake the following extracts from the 

 report of ilesars. SiilhvoU and Smith, Commissioners of 

 Pisheries and Game of I he State of Maine : 



All game (^Fene imlurm) is the property of the State with- 

 in wtiich it exisip. And no person baa a legid right to pursue 

 or take it, except by the raeaos and at such time as may be 

 permitted by the laws of the State lhereunti> pertaiuinff. 



By an act of the Legislature, approved March "J, 1830, it 

 became the duty of this dcparUiMut to cnlorce the game 

 laws, tis well as tlie laws relating to our fi^hcrits. 



"■ ■ ' " " ■■'■'(■ applied to the 



;,■ we Inok such 



■ iliiys after the 



,1 S'-'Cuted, aa 



■ I tor their 



1 . iiie running 



ng ii, when lin.- 



Althouuh no appropriation of fun 

 enforcement of the game laws had hf 

 steps as were possible to bring oft 

 offence committed on March 1:J, fa 

 act referred to became a hnv 

 our first case. This cn 

 acauaement, if it pleases till! 

 down a gravid doe in the sno.v, and i 



haiisied. The list of prosecutious will show that we have, 

 made energetic efforts in the diachiu-ge of our new additional 

 duties, anil we hope tci receive the support and assistance of 

 our citizens and sport.'!mcn in the continuance of this work 

 each year. Our citizc-ns are awakening from their apathy in 

 regard to our lish and giuuo laws, and the general desire for 

 a vigorous enforcement of them, calls forth the support and 

 assistance needed, and without which we can do but little. 



GKODSK. 



" We wish to call attention to the work of extermmation, 

 practiced by parties engaged in snaring grouse or " par- 

 iridg'iS." Very few of our citizens are aware of the extent 

 to which snaring is practiced, and, although the grouse are 

 nearly exterminated by this means in gome distrit-is, the 

 public are at a loss for a cause to which it muy lie nscrvbed. 

 The practice is carried on so secretly that it is often known 

 only to those engaged in it, and perhaps those to whom the 

 birds are sold. It of I en hapiiens that many broods of grouse 

 are observed in some locality during the summer, but when 

 sought for in the mellow days ot Octnbtr but few, if any. 

 oiiu be found. Since summer woodcock shooting has beon 

 prohibited Ijy law the grouse have increastd in n'.iini'ers. 

 When it was U gal to shoot woodcock in July ami August 

 the young grouse were slaughtereil iu great numbers before 

 September 1 ; eveiy one found in the woods with a gun 

 and dog being ostensibly there tor woodcock. Fortunately 

 for the preservation of the grouse no woodland game can 

 now be legally killed before September 1, and he who goes 

 to the woods with gun and dog in July and August becomes 

 an obji'Ct of suapici'M- •• h-'-- I'v sound of a gwaxs prima 

 facie evidence of a ■ - i . i ■ L,e law. We warn sports- 



men who may lake > ! ii. for training, to leave the 



gun at home, if bci .i :-v|ii.jjjber 1, lest they incur the 

 odium, at least of being suspected of poaching. 



WOODCOCK AND SNIPE. 



Although the spring was very favorable to the breeding of 

 woodcock, the aXmmX. unprecendented drought that extended 

 well mto the autumn, and past the usual rainy season of Sep- 

 tember rendered the earth so parched and dry that the cus- 

 tomary resorts of these birds yielded no food, and they were 

 thus driven to seek other feeding places. Usually the wood- 

 cock remain throughout the summer in the vicinity of their 

 breeding places, and, after moulting, collect in the coverts 

 that are thiir favorite resorts. But this year these coverts, 

 have compiiritively been almost deserted, the birds having 

 scattered over the. country, along the bauiis of streams and 

 shores of lakes, the eilgea of meadows, and places where 

 they have nt)t been observed before. Beporls from Canada 

 show that woodcock were exceediugly abundant in the 

 nutumn, and places that usually have afforded but little 

 shooting, seem to have been thronged with birds. This has 

 been true, also, of snipe, which were scarce in Maine from 

 the same causes that occasioned the scarcity of woodcock ; 

 the meadows and marshes being very dry at the time of the 

 nsual appearance of the snipe during the autumn. 



As is usual after a poor season, many of our sportsmen dis- 

 cuss the advisability of restoring the old law, permitting 

 woodcock shooting in summer. We trust that this will 

 never he done, for it would open the door to a slaughter of 

 young grouse, and, most certainly, four mouths' shooting at 

 woodcock, instead of two months, will not seive to incivase 

 their numbers. 



Since Maine abolished summer shooting other States have 

 done likewise, and with good results ; and we hope that all 

 other Slates will follow the example. 



It is true that ten years ago one could show more birds 

 as the result ot a day's shooting in Maine ; but there arc now 

 ten or twenty times as many persons hunting woodcock as 

 ihuD, and all the best coverts are hun'ed through almost 

 daily during the whole season. Hence the birds are not suf- 

 fered to collect in numbers, but the aggreg-ate number Uilltd 

 each year far exceeds that of the years before summer shoot- 

 iug was prohibited. 



nuoKS. 



It will he remembered that within ten yeara the ducks that 

 frociuent our lakes and streams gradually became scarce, and 



*The appropriation of 1880 wasfor the "piopagatlonof flah." 



even exterminated iu some localities where previously accus- 

 tomed to breed. This scarcity was owing to extensive 7i<:i- 

 ting, but the perpetrators were driven off for a time, and the 

 ducks increased, until tlicy regained their former abundance 

 last year. 



It has recently come to our knowledge that the same causes 

 of extermination have been in operation this year, and we 

 call especial atlc-iilinn to the fact. We intend to publish in 

 the future tiu; names of those who persistently violate the 

 fishery or game laws, and wo now brand as a professional 

 poacher and persistent violator of our laws, Daniel Y. 

 McFarland, of Lamoine, Me. This man, with his associates, 

 has been engaged in the business of netting ducks for many 

 years, and we not oidy call upon all good citizens to aid in 

 forcing him to abandon this illegal pursuit, but warn the 

 citizens and officers ot the law in other States;, and our 

 Canadian neighbors, that the operal ions of this man are not 

 confined to Maine alone, fie ia the leader of a gang of 

 poachers whose operations a few 3'-eafa siucic bade fair to ex- 

 terminate all the wood ducks and "black ducks" that bred in 

 the Slate, and he has been operating again upon an extensive 

 scale in Maine within the prcaent, year. He ta wanted in 

 Maine to meet the justice that awai(s him and the heavy 

 penalties that he and his associates have incurred. 



QUAIM. 



It ia quite generally known that a large number of quails 



were imported from Europe this year, and liberated at various 

 places iu the failed Stale? and Canada. More than one-half 

 of the total number were dislribuled in Maine. Those biids 

 were purchased by private subsorlplious, but as they have 

 now come under the protection of our department we give 

 this mention of them, which may prove of intereet to our 

 farmers and sportsmen. 



This cpiail, Coturm'x oomvMnis, is the common migratory 

 quail 01 Europe, that for centuries has crossed the .Mediter- 

 ranean sea from its winter home in Africa to its breeding 

 places throughout Europe, returning again to Africa iu the 

 autumn. The bird resembles in outward appearHoee our 

 American partridge, OHyx virginianus, that is termed -'quail" 

 in New England. The migratory quail is onedJiird anitiUer, 

 and the throat of the male bird is marked with dai k brown 

 or black, that extends from the bUl downward. Tin: not c 

 of the quail may be expiessed as nearly as is possible to 

 translate into words or syllablea, by ••whjcat — wkfat— 

 icheat," the preliminary crescendo •'w/to" not being heard at 

 a great distance, but the three clear notes may be heard a 

 quarter mile away. Often the notes seem to come from a 

 hirdnear by, but really afar oil', and perhaps in another Held 

 not near the listener. 



The quail is strictly a terrestrial bird, and inhabits the 

 fields, where it also msis. Fifteen eggs to a nest is not an 

 unusual number, and as each egg, laid by a bird of but three 

 or four ounces weight, is as large »s the egg of our robin, we 

 have been frequently asked how so smaira bird manages to 

 hover and hatch so many eggs in one nest. 



The nest is a depression hollowed in the ground, and lined 

 with grass by the bird. In this ne-t are laid the eggs in 

 regular order, upon the bottom and around the sides of the 

 nest, the upper ones supported by the eggs beneath and the 

 Bides of the shallow, bowl like nest. While sitting, the 

 body of the bird is surrounded upon breast and sides by the 

 eggs, while its wings are raised to cover the tip layer of eggs 

 upon each side. Many nests of fifteen eggs each have been 

 reported as found, and all the eggs were hatched. 



One nest of eighteen eggs deserves especial mention, as of 

 inlet est to students of ornithology. The eggs in this nest 

 wore laid in tiers or Layers most carefully and compactly ar- 

 ranged, one above the other, as it placed by the hand of 

 man, the bottom layer most entirely hid from view by the 

 eggs above. But twelve of these eggs were hatched, and 

 evidently the bird was too ambitious. Probably Ihe bottom 

 eggs were so covered by others that not suBident warmth was 

 imparted to them from the body of the bird. 



The eggs of the quail are of a greenish color, profusely 

 blotched with brown. Like other eggs, if deserted and left 

 exposed to the sunlight for days, the color will fade until it 

 becomes almost white. This year the eg^s were laid in June 

 and hatched in July. The young birds leave the nest as soon 

 as hatched, and mature very rapidly, being strong of wing in 

 September. 



Among the noteworthy characteristics of the quail are its 

 gentleness, aiid the extreme pertinacity with which it adheres 

 to its domestic duties. We found two nests with eggs wiihin 

 a few rods of a fartnhouse, where a lot of the birds had been 

 liberated, and close by a traveled highway, as well as near a 

 railroad. The birds were occasionally observed among the 

 chickens about the house. 



Quite a number of quails have been killed by mowing 

 machines. One might naturally suppose that the claucr ot 

 one of these machines approacuing would sutllciently alaim 

 any bird, even while sitting upon its eggs, to cause it to leave 

 its nest temporarily. But some have had their heads cut oil" 

 by the knives, add in one instance the machine was a typical 

 " Juggernaut," the wheel passing over and completely cuiah- 

 iug the quail and its eggs in the nest beneath it. 



The quails have a strong scent, readily detected by setters 

 and pointers, but they often seek to escape by concealment, 

 or without taking flight. They are fast runners, and in a 

 field trial on these birds under the present ayatem of awards 

 and demerits, the dogs possessed of the finest '• nose," or 

 scenting powers, would be handieapped, soid receive a score 

 of demerits for false •'points," as it would not infrequently 

 occur that the bird or birds, would not be flushed before the 

 dog, although there when the point was first made. 



Some young quails were captured near St. John, N. 11, 

 this year, although none were liberated nearer than at St. 

 Stephen. Several quails were heard and seen near Machias 

 throughout the summer and autumn. JNoue had been liber- 

 aied ueaierthan the Penobscot valley on the west, and at 

 Calais, forty miles to the east. This is not remarkable, Uuv:- 

 ever, in consideration ot the fact that a quail can easily tly 

 fifty miles within an hour. UuHke our American parlndge, 

 or " quail," it is capable of long sustained flights, witliout 

 stopping to rest. 



Quails live upon the ground in open fields, and feed upon 

 seeds and insects. Farmers should be interested in protect- 

 ing these birds for propagation, and public attention is called 

 to the special law f'jr llieir proieeliou : 



" No quail shall be kUled, or had in poiiSLtisirm .j:;i-.?pt ahve, any 

 time previous to September 1, 1883, iind.-i- p; iiaitr of ^25 for 

 every olTenae, and •*! additional fta- emh qnuil liilled or had iu 

 possesBinu exeept ahve. — Chap. 189, i'ublie Laws ln8U." 



The general law of the Slate provides for their prolcction 

 after the expiration of this special law. 



OATS. 



We mention cats, not as game, but as the most deadly 



enemies to our feathered game and song birds. Many in- 

 stances have been already reported of cjuails caught by cats, 

 and the unsuspicious nature of these birds render them an 

 ear.y prey to the fehne marauders. tJne cat is repotled as 

 having li'een seen to return home with six quails in the course 

 of a few weeks during the nesting .season. Of course one 

 can only conjecture bow many that cat killed and ate without 

 being observed by any one. Another cat wi»3 seen to brmg 

 home three woodcock. 



But although the cats commit this havoc among our game 

 birds, by farthe greatest evil caused by them is suffered by 

 the farmo.r^^, to whom a cat is a costly pet All through the 

 sprint', summer and autumn the cats venture out from their 

 homes to seek their favorite tid-bits, the birds, and the best 

 of care and food will not keep them from doing this. One 

 may frequently see them crouching by the roadside or skulk- 

 ing along a hedge or ditch, seeking not for mice but for birds, 

 destroying the mother bird setting on its nest and the fledg- 

 ling birdb". Now do the farmers realize the evil results to 

 them caused by the death of these birds ? We Ihiuk not 

 and would therefore call their attention to what is really 

 serious evil. 



Excepting the hawks, and other rapacious birds, all our 

 birds are inscctivorou'< in their habits, very many of them 

 subsisting wholly upon insects and their eggE, of which a 

 single bird will consume an immense number daily. But for 

 these birds the face of the earth would be made desolate by 

 a scourge of insects. As the birds about a farm destroy 

 millions of insects every yeir, it behooves the farmer to afford 

 all ptiSBible protection to these birds that render him such 

 valuable service. There is a sufflcieut number of natural 

 enemies to the birds to preserve the balance ot nature and 

 prevent a too great increase of birds, and the domestic cat has 

 been introduced by man and by htm should be removed. 



The mischief that might be done by all the rals and mica 

 catigbt by the ordinary cat in the course of the year would be 

 but a triHe as compared to the evil results possibly due to the 

 destruction of the birds. We urge our farmers to kill the 

 cats. You cannot afford to keep them, unless it be in con- 

 finement constantly, except while the snow is on the ground 

 and nearly all our birds are gone. Every httle bird killed by 

 them grants Ute to many thousands of insects. 



MOOSE, DESK ASD OAJitBOCT. 



The law prohibiting the killing of moose, at any lime for 

 five years, expired Oeiobcrl, 1880. 



Unfortunately, violation of the law deprived the State of 

 the full beuefiis for which it was enacted, yet the moose has 

 increated in numbers within tiic peridd named, and we trust 

 that the examples made of several offenders brought to jus- 

 tice, and the penealty of .flOO, for each moose killed or had in 

 possession, may deter others iu the future from so ofiending. 

 Caribou are much better able to take care of themselvt'S. 

 They can travel rapidly and for long distances in the deepest 

 snow, and o'ving to their roving habits they are perhaps 

 plentiful in a given locality one year, and none at all observed 

 there the next year. 



The violations of the laws protecting deer have gradually 

 become better observed, and deer have increased materially 

 in the eastern portion of the State. Unfortunately the laws 

 of Xew Hampshire do not conform with those of Maine, and 

 many deer are killed along the border during the summer 

 months. There seems to be an apathy among the people in 

 that portion ot our State, and there have been repeated viola- 

 tions of the fish and game laws, without any apparent attempt 

 at concealment, yet no one has been public spirited enough 

 to enter a complaint. We hope for a speedy change in that 

 region. 



VVe arc opposed to constant changes in the laws, as expe- 

 rience has shown that they too often tend to make confusion, 

 and render enforcement more difficult. We therefore recom- 

 mend but a single change in our game lav/s, and that change 

 such a one as will, we believe, render the law more simple 

 and effective. 



We have alluded to the desirability of uniformity in regard 

 to close-times. The season for ducks, woodcock and grouse 

 or '• partridges" opens September 1. We recommend aa 

 ameurlraent to the laws for the protection of moose, deer and 

 caribou, that shall make the open season conform with that of 

 grou?e — September 1 to December 1. 



September is the month when our forests are most fre- 

 quented by hunters, or those in quest ot health and recrea- 

 tion. It is very ditlieuU to prevent one kind of game being 

 killed then where it is lawful to kill other game, and deer are 

 then in prime condition, and their young no longer depend- 

 ent upon the does. In New Hampshire the season opens 

 August 1 , but we regard that date as too early for this lati- 

 tude. Our present law makes the open season from October 

 1 to Januarj' 1. The change recommended gives no 

 longer time for kUUng deer, but it cuts oil the month of De- 

 cember, giving September instead. It sometimes occurs that 

 the snow lies deep in our forests before January 1, and oc- 

 casions are aoinetiraes offered when the increusc of years may 

 be slaughtered in one season during the month of December. 



OO.MfLAINTS AND l'Ro.-iE0tTTlON-s. 



Complaints for violations of the fiuh or game law.3 may be 

 made to any warden, whose powers and dunes are heregiveu. 

 All such complaints should be accompanied by evidence, or 

 such information as will enable an officer to obtain the evi- 

 dence necessary for prosecution and conviction. 



nAWS BKHTIN'G TO PEOSECDTIONa, EIU. 



Au act bj uulavi^e the poworB and duties of the (Jominiusioners 



of;: 



tishenet 



said .-.-......,'. ..... r,u_ 



and tii.-ir du^miuiun 1 

 dulled tbev .sliaU h;; ,' 

 and then- daputies h 

 and a 



itios of the commisaionera of fisher- 

 Li'l to all matters pertaimng to game, 

 a jiowers to enforce all laws pertuhiing 

 ji om'oreing the lawa relating to tha 



K hereby authorized, «ith the iidvice and 

 "jpoirit warden.s, ivho.^o duty it shall be 



- 'hU laws lelatiijj; to yameand ri-jherie.-), 

 .' uw:.h la.vH, aud iir.jBecute for all 



'_ d may eom.j to their kuowled.:,-e ; and 



/■,..i- us hherilTb aiul depiilr hhenffB, to 



IU- violations of tlie proMeLou.s ol any 



,,i liie n.di.Tif-fl, r.iid shall lie (dlov,-ed for 



- , - :'! ■■■■•:•■• -ii bylaw for Hhea-iffs 



il,:_- tieeutionoftheh 

 liie aid Ihid sheriffa 

 ii . . i.iue.s of their oliic^ ; 



leli aid ffhou r 



qixu-ed, »haU forfeit ten doUarti, to bi; reeoiered upon eomplaiut 



hefore ;iny tri:d juatice or municipal court. i^liaTHer iiiJS, bSBu." 



GAME LAW VIOLATIONS. 



The following named cases have been brought up, and 

 there are others in the hands of the officers, but not yet 

 settled : 



April 16, 1880. Killing one deer in March, 1880. Penalty ¥40. 

 rinea and costs paid. 



