146 



THE GAME BREEDER 



"The heath hen, one of the first game 

 birds to be protected by law in New 

 York, but extinct in the State for many 

 years, has been returned to its native 

 range as a result of co-operation recently 

 effected by the Conservation Commission 

 with the Commissioners on Fisheries and 

 Game of the State of Massachusetts. 



''Twenty-one of the birds have been 

 taken from the Martha's Vineyard Reser- 

 vation, where they have been protected 

 from extermination by the careful work 

 of the Massachusetts Commission, and 

 have been liberated upon the State game 

 farm at Middle Island, Long Island, 

 where it is hoped that they will multiply 

 and eventually spread over a large part 

 of the territory once inhabited by them." 



[We doubt much if the Heath Hen ever can 

 come back unless it receives some practical 

 protection. It is a very easy mark and an 

 easy prey to vermin. It vanished quickly on 

 Long Island w^hen shooting was added to the 

 ordinary checks to increase and there are more 

 guns now and more dogs and cats than there 

 were at the time the bird was exterminated. 

 We hardly believe it would survive in many 

 places if shooting be prohibited (unless game 

 preserving be undertaken) because no one 

 would look after it properly and being a large 

 and easy mark and very good to eat those 

 who are forgetful about game laws would 

 probably take a shot at it when out rabbit 

 shooting. — Editor.] 



The Game Breeder: 



Can you give me the name of any 

 private fish hatchery. or anyone else from 

 whom I can purchase some mountain 

 trout for stocking private ponds and 

 aquariums. I enclose stamped envelope 

 for reply. 



Indiana. Frank C. Evans. 



Write to the Yama Farms. Address 

 Fish Dept., Napanoch, Ulster County, 

 New York. Our readers report excellent 

 results from trout purchased from Yama 



Farms. 



* 



Black Bass. 



Last month we published the adver- 

 tisement of The Blooming Grove Club 

 offering to purchase small-mouth black 

 bass for re-stocking. We only know of 

 two commercial black bass hatcheries in 

 America and these, no doubt, cannot fill 

 their orders. We shall be interested to 

 hear from the club if they secured any 



bass and from our readers if they know 

 any places where bass can be purchased 

 for re-stocking or for breeding purposes. 



In some of the States it is illegal to 

 breed and sell black bass, strange as such 

 a food-producing crime may appear. 

 But it is not so very long since we heard 

 a resolution offered at an annual meeting 

 of the New York Sportsman's League 

 which advocated an amendment to the 

 laws permitting trout breeders to sell 

 trout. The resolution was denounced by 

 some as an "entering wedge." It would 

 not be long they said before some one 

 would propose to sell game. The writer 

 proposed this before the meeting ad- 

 journed. 



We have now hundreds of commercial 

 trout breeders who' produce millions of 

 trout and members of The Game Con- 

 servation Society now produce millions 

 of game animals which are shot and 

 eaten and sold both alive for propaga- 

 tion and as food. 



It seems strange that the bass and the 

 quail should excite the animosities of a 

 lot of game law enthusiasts when it is 

 proposed to make these foods plentiful. 



The breeding of black bass is more 

 difficult, no doubt, than the breeding of 

 trout. The methods of the breeders are 

 quite different. We hope to publish 

 some articles about bass breeding before 

 long and that this industry may become 

 as common and profitable as trout breed- 

 ing is. 



In answer to an inquiry addressed to 

 the Bureau of Fisheries at Washington 

 we received the following: 



"In reply to your letter of October 15 you 

 are advised that the Bureau has no list of 

 hatcheries that propagate small-mouth black 

 bass. The Bureau's stock of that species for 

 this season has become exhausted, but if you 

 desire a limited number next May or June it 

 is thought that they can be furnished from 

 one of the Bureau's propagating stations. 

 There is inclosed herewith a blank upon 

 which formal application may be made." 



H. M. Smith, Commissioner. 



Hon. J. W. Titcomb, one of the best 

 fish culturists in the United States, and 

 now at the head of the New York De- 

 partment, wrote that he only knew of the 

 two commercial bass hatcheries which we 

 mentioned in our letter to him. 



There would seem to be an excellent 



