Forest and Stream 



A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 



NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 23, 1882. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 

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 ment, instruction and information between American sportsmen. 

 Communications upon the subjects to which its pages are devoted are 

 respectfully invited. Anonymous communications will not be re- 

 garded. Ko name will be published except with writer's consent. 

 The Editors are not responsible for the views of correspondents. 



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Forest and Stream Publishing Co. 

 Nos. 89 and 40 Park Row. New York Crre. 



Editorial. 



Game Law Amendments. 

 The Sportsman Tourist. 



From Moose to Kup-rt's House. 



Goose Hunt on the River Platte. 

 Natural History. 



' '■<:: -' l J i-|C '.v.:' 'I '■ ■].;'. 



Various Questions Discussed. 

 Game Bag and Gun. 

 Sowing Wild Rice. 

 ■Northern Michigan. 

 Americans in Canadian "Waters 



'"' " - ■ I -■ i ■. is.-ir.l.ii]; . 



Cong Island Wildfowl. 

 dear Hunting in Maiue. 

 The New York Game Law. 

 "Uncle Ah." McIIrath 

 Shooting Notes from Kansas. 

 Ottawa beer Shooting. 

 American Animals in Bronze. 

 Fables for Sportsmen. — ix. 

 Pot Luck from Exchanges. 



■'' ' ■: " ' '■ ■ . ' i. !-:::. i 



Fish in Season In November. 

 Winter Talks on Summer Pas- 

 times.— ii. 

 1 .: I ! I.:s and Gentles.— Yi. 

 The Angler Fish. 



CONTENTS. 



Sea and River Fishing. 



Who Can Explain It? 



Habits of Colorado Trout. 



Echoes of the Tournament. 



Fisheries of New York, 

 Camp Fire Flickerings. 

 The Kennel. 



Eastern Field Trials. 



The St. Bernard Club Show. 



Care of Puppies. 



Kennel Note's. 



:■:•!■., e; , 



Carp Fail to Appear. 



A Summary of Recent Progress 

 in our Knowledge of the Cul- 

 ture, Growth and Anatomy of 

 the Oyster. 

 Rifle and Trap Shooting. 



Team Captaincy. 



Range and Gallery. 



The Trap. 



Matches and Meetings. 



■■<: : i '.' e;ii C ! A sor INi ;. 



The Growing Cutter Fleet. 

 Cruise in a Three-Tonner. 

 Three Fast Cutters. 

 Single Hand Yachts. 

 Answers to Correspondents. 



GAME LAW AMENDMENTS. 



TT is almost time for the tinkering to begin. Sitnul- 



-■- taneously with the assembling of the various State 

 Legislatures will be heard the agitation about the amend- 

 ment and further improvement of the game laws. A dozen 

 bills, or perhaps twice that number, will be drafted and 

 presented. Some of them will contain excellent provisions, 

 and others will be framed solely in the interest of the 

 pockets of a few selfish individuals. A majority of those 

 who are to vote on the bill know nothing of the subject of 

 which it treats, and are therefore quite incompetent to de- 

 cide what shall or shall not be done — to silt the corn from 

 the chaff in the heterogeneous mass of bills presented for 

 their consideration. A bill, therefore, will not pass because 

 it appeals to the understanding of the men who vote on it, 

 but because more influence in its favor can bo brought to 

 bear on the voters than any other bill can command. 

 Sportsmen make up so large and influential a class of the 

 community that their voice, if properly directed, cannot 

 fail to carry great weight, it is, therefore, of the. highest 

 importance that the influence of all sportsmen of the better 

 class should be concentrated so that it may be used to the 

 best advantage and may carry the greatest weight possible. 

 There appear to be two courses from which to choose, that, 

 is we may either abstain from all interference with the 

 laws as they now stand, and may labor simply lo secure 

 money and machinery to enforce such laws, or we may 

 direct our efforts to the securing of a short, simple and easily 

 understood new bill that will effectually cover the ground. 

 In case the first course should be adopted it seems probable 

 that an appropriation of $15,000 to $20,000 with a consider- 

 able force of game wardens might be secured, and if the 

 pay of such public servants were made liberal and politics 

 were not allowed to influence the appointments, we have no 

 doubt that this plan would work mora good to the game 

 than all the laws that have ever been passed concerning it. 



Last summer we had something to say on this subject, 

 and our remarks then, are still more pertinent now, We 

 said that it is— 



Natural enough that the movement in favor of game pro- 

 tection should first take shape in the enactment of protective 

 laws, which provided penalties against the killing of game at 

 certain seasons when it was least fit for use. This method of 

 protection, while it was well enough as far as it went, did not 



go far enough, since in most instances neither machinerv nor 

 money were provided for the carrying out of the provisions of 

 the law. In this respect the enactments i or protection present 

 a curious: anomaly, differing as they do from any other sta- 

 tutes passed by the Legislatures of the various States. The 

 clamor for reasonable and proper laws statesmen are willing 

 to yield to, but it does not appear, except in rare instances, 

 that appropriations of money to enforce such laws have never 

 been cither asked for or granted. The fact is that those inter- 

 ested in the subject have fallen into a rut, from which they 

 do not seem able to extricate themselves, and so, at every ses- 

 sion of the Legislatures of the different States, we hear of 

 proposed alterations and amendments of the laws, which 

 those who advance them apparently think, will cure all 

 present evils. ********* 



Now, no one will say that our game laws, as they at pres- 

 ent stand in the various sections of our country, are at all 

 what they should be, but if they were properly and sternly 

 enforced, they would do a vast amount of good, instead of, as 

 is now too often the case, accomplishing nothing at all. The 

 laws should be short and simple so that they can be easily 

 understood by all, and so that under their provisions convic- 

 tions may be easy and there may be no loophole for the escape 

 of the offender. A cumbersome and intricate law, full of ex- 

 ceptions and special provisions, should be by all means 

 avoided. But it is a great mistake, and we wish we could in- 

 duce everyone to think so, to apply for relief in this way only. 

 Why can we not next year leave the laws as they are, and de- 

 vote ourselves with all our energy to securing appropriations 

 and the appointment of officers to enforce those that we 

 already have? This expenditure of effort to secure changes 

 in the laws is a waste: it is firing in the air, 



The efforts to secure enactments which are perfect is very 

 well, but long before they have been passed the need for them 

 will have ceased, for the game will all have disappeared. 

 We should begin now at the right end, and make provision 

 for the enforcement of such laws as we have, and then, after 

 having inculcated in the public a wholesome respect for, and 

 fear of, the law, it will be time enough to make efforts to im- 

 prove them. It is a shame and a disgrace that, as is now 

 usually the case, the enforcement of the statutes should be 

 left wholly to private individuals, societies and corporations. 

 And it is not only a shame, but it is the worst possible thing 

 that eotdd happen for the general shooting and fishing public, 

 since, a3 we have more than once shown, the natural result 

 of such a state of things is to induce wealthy clubs and corpor- 

 ations to secure the most desirable grounds, which are thus 

 of course closed to the public at large. Cases of this kind are 

 constantly being brought to our notice, and the rapidity with 

 which this movement is now going on shows that the appreci- 

 ation of the existing state of things is widespread. The mat- 

 ter is one which touches so nearly every one who at all 

 depends upon shooting or angling for his amusement and 

 recreation, that it is difficult to account for the apathy that 

 appears to exist among sportsmen in regard to it. We can 

 understand why the club member, who can go in September 

 to his marsh on the lakes and later in the season to the points 

 and uplands of the Southern States for his shooting, should be 

 careless in the matter, but how the man whose occupation! 

 only permit him to take an occasional day or two in the 

 country near his home, can view with equanimity the gradual 

 disappearance of game we do not exactly see. Of course 

 this is a matter that interests sportsmen, and them alone. If 

 the prospect is a satisfactory one to them, no doubt it is 

 equally so to the rest of the community, but it certainly 

 seems a pity that the result, which is inevitable unless some 

 earnest action is taken, should come to pass. Things grow 

 worse each year, game is less abundant and harder to find. 



In the meantime, we cannot urge too strongly upon those 

 who have already put their hands to the plow, who have 

 actively interested themselves in seeing that the laws are 

 enforced, the necessity of not looking back, of not ceasing 

 from the labor of love which they have undertaken. For the 

 present our hopes rest on them, and each man should do his 

 best. But next fall and winter, when the Legislatures meet, 

 let us all try to do something which will really tell, and no 

 longer fire into the air. 



The shrewder and more far-seeing sportsmen are dis- 

 couraged at the prospect which they behold in a future that 

 is not very distant. The clubs which purchase or lease 

 lands, do so simply because they know that when they ab- 

 solutely control a region they can absolutely protect it. If 

 only thirty men shoot over a country whore there is room 

 for one huudrod, it is clear that with anything like moder- 

 ation in shooting, the thirty will have birds for all time. 

 The best shooting grounds everywhere are being thus se- 

 cured, and the public grounds are therefore continually be- 

 coming more contracted. It certainly appears to be time for 

 the men who do not and are not likely to belong to clubs to 

 do what they can to make the Stale take somo efficient 

 measures for the protection of the game to which every cit- 

 izen has now a right. 



Laws are well enough as far as they go, but by themselves 

 they amount to nothing. Of what avail would the statutes 



against criminals be. were there no officers to hunt them 

 down and bring tliem to the bar of justice? 



The second course is even more radical than the above, 

 and therefore presents, to our mind, less chances for success. 

 Briefly, it is this: Substitute for the present cumbersome 

 statutes a short, simple law which shall cover the whole 

 ground, with no exceptions for certain counties, certain 

 waters, or certain hotels. Let spring shooting be abolished, 

 jacking, or fire hunting, forbidden, the hunting of deer with 

 dogs carefully restricted, a uniform and shor t open season 

 adapted to the special demands of each State for quail, 

 ruffed grouse, and woodcock; let penalties be made severe; 

 a clause be embodied in the hill providing for the appoint- 

 ment of wardens who are not to serve in the counties from 

 .ic pay of sue ! r appointed, or in which they reside. Let 

 which they arc men be liberal and so that they may do their 

 work well. 



To accomplish anything we must have paid game wardens, 

 who shall be trustworthy and efficient, just as we have tax 

 gatherers, just as we have custom house officers, just as we 

 have police officers. 



Dog Stealing.— The stealing of valuable dogs for .the 

 reward which is almost certain to be offered for them has 

 become a regular industry in this and other large cities. 

 The thieves watch the houses where dogs are owned, and 

 usually find it an easy matter, In the early morning or in the 

 evening when it is having its short run, to pick up the animal. 

 Pet dogs, and the small toys, that can be hidden under a coat 

 or in a pocket, are most likely to be the victims of such 

 raids, but the larger animals do not wholly escape, and 

 many an owner of a fine pointer or setter has paid a large re- 

 ward to get back his well beloved field companion. The 

 stolen dog is taken to the den of the thief, where it is kept 

 until the notice of its loss, accompanied by the promise of a 

 liberal reward, appears in the papers. It is often tlv case 

 that no attention is paid to the first offer, and the fond 

 owner, anxious and discouraged, offers another and larger 

 one. He is then approached by one of the accomplices of 

 the thief who gives him the desired information as to where 

 he may find the lost one. Often the same dog may be stolen 

 i number of times, and may thus cost his owner many times 

 lis money value. The true way to deal with rascals of this 

 (tripe is not to advertise a reward, in other words, to break 

 up the nefarious tiaffic by making it unprofitable. Besides 

 this it is well to put the lovers of dogs on their guard, so 

 that the thieves may be unable to sell the animals which 

 they have stolen. If this wera done always, a short time 

 would suffice to turn the attention of the dog-stealing fra- 

 t rnity from this particular branch of thieving to others 

 more lucrative. We are always glad to help owners who 

 have lost their dogs to recover them, and wc will do our 

 part toward making stolen dogs unsaleable by ;- ublishing 

 without charge, when they are sent to us, any" descriptions 

 of dogs that have been lost. Such notices will serve lo put 

 buyers on their guard, and may very likely prevent some of 

 our readers from being victimiz d. 



American Sportsmen m Canada.— A party of Arr..erican 

 gentlemen, among them one of the most distinguished phy- 

 si< ians of this city, recently went on a duck shooting excur- 

 sion to Lake St. Francis, in Canada. Although they took 

 great care to comply with all the provisions of the game 

 law, their presence in Canadian waters had a somewhat re- 

 markable effect upon ccitain of the residents. Sundry indi- 

 viduals were greatly perturbed in spirit, and the Montreal 

 Witnm went off at half-cock over the matter. One of the 

 party, which was the innocent cause of all this pother, 

 writes us a letter on the subject in order that Canadian 

 sportsmen may not be misled by the false statements of the 

 journal in question. There is perhaps little need of such 

 explanation, for we know that the intemperate course of the 

 W&nm does not represent the sportsmen of Canada. 



"Winter Talks on Summer Pastimes. "— The initials 

 appended to this series of papers (the first of which was 

 published last week) are familiar to most of our readers as 

 those of Mr. George Dawson. There is no man better fit- 

 ted to write on this favorite topic; and wo felicitate our 

 angling readers upon the acquisition of these graceful con- 

 tributions to the literature of the art. 



An Early Press Day.— The Forest and Stream next 

 week will go to press on Tuesday instead of Wednesday aa 

 usual. Advertisers are requested to send in their copy as 

 early as possible. 



