RECREATION. 



3 2 7 



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GET RELIABLE GUIDES. 



Editor Recreation : Chicago, 111. 



Having followed the unfortunate Carlin- 

 Colgate affair through all its details, I was led 

 to believe that it had, like the sufferer of the 

 party, passed into history ; yet the article in 

 your February is^ue brings it again before me. 



Whv is it that the promoters in all expeditions 

 of this kind fail to see the necessity of having 

 old and tried backwoodsmen to act as guides and 

 hunters. I mean by the term " backwoodsmen," 

 men who have been reared in the woods, who are 

 always at home in the pathless wilderness, who 

 cannot be lost : men who are equal to every 

 emergency, trial or danger ; men to whom the 

 wilderness is as an open book, and who care 

 little whether they see civilization once a year or 

 once in five years. Such men are the old Hudson's 

 Bay trappers. 



Some 15 years ago I went on a trapping 

 expedition to Northern Canada, 150 miles north 

 of Lake Nippissing. That country is a wilder- 

 ness in every sense of the word. 



From November 3d until April of the follow- 

 ing year, we never saw a white face, and but few 

 red ones. Often storm bound, snow five feet 

 deep on the level, thermometer 40 degrees below 

 zero, we suffered but once during the five months. 

 We ran out of venison, and our diet was skunk 

 and muskrat, without salt. However, the 

 storm passed, and we soon had venison and bear 

 again. 



I felt no concern, however, as I had every con- 

 fidence that we were safe in the company of such 

 men as Ned Owen and Jake Boulter. They 

 needed no compass to guide them, and if over- 

 taken by storms could hastily construct a shelter. 



I would like to advise city sportsmen, as one 

 who has hunted all his life, to procure the right 

 kind of guides. Then we shall read of fewer 

 mishaps to hunting parties. J. W. Millar. 



The success of the Westminister Kennel 

 Club's show, at Madison Square Garden, last 

 month, was largely due to the excellent work of 

 Spratt's people in benching and feeding the dogs. 

 Several of these objected seriously to being 

 taken out of the building after the show was 

 over, seeming to realize that on returning home 

 they should sadly miss the paternal care of 

 Spratt's trained nurses, and the delicious angel 

 food biscuits that were so liberally issued to them 

 there. 



BREEDING MONGOLIAN PHEASANTS. 



Tacoma, Wash. 

 Editor Recreation : 



The mongolian pheasant is a hardy bird, but 

 a difficult one to raise. In fact, it is almost im- 

 possible to breed and raise him in captivity. 



Last fall Mr. W. A. Eberly, of Tacoma, got 

 three hens and two cocks, from Oregon, for the 

 purpose of introducing them into this state. One 

 of the cocks, a young bird, died early. The 

 other, being full grown, lived. From the three 

 hens Mr. Eberly obtained over 300 eggs and dis- 

 tributed them among his friends. Domestic 

 hens were used for hatching them. Over 200 

 birds were hatched and of that number only three 

 are alive to-day and these were raised by Mr. E. 

 after a great deal of care and trouble. 



It seems that the young birds get lousy in 

 confinement, and these insects kill them. Mr. 

 Eberly has turned his birds out and will let them 

 shift for themselves. 



Mr. Frank Ailing is another gentleman who 

 has made an effort to raise these birds. His 

 stock, consisting of silver, golden, copper and 

 mongolian pheasants, was imported direct from 

 China. His young birds all died, and a few 

 weeks ago, two dogs got into his large aviary and 

 killed every bird he had. The dogs still live. 



Later Mr. Ailing received a new lot of 14 

 hens and four cock mongolians, from China, and 

 has begun his task over again. It is earnestly 

 hoped that he will be more successful this time. 



Mr. Ailing is not a sportsmen, but he deserves 

 the thanks of the sportsmen of this state for his 

 efforts to place the gamiest bird that flies, within 

 their reach. If any of the readers of Recre- 

 ation know anything about raising these birds, 

 I feel sure their views would be gladly received 

 by those interested in the matter here. 



John Leasure. 



Baker City, Ore. 

 Editor Recreation : 



That's right, warm up the Indian agents. 

 I fear it will not do much good, but the question 

 of game protection will soon be settled if the In- 

 dians are not restrained. I could fill many 

 pages of Recreation with straight records of 

 summer game butchery by the Flat Head, 

 Pend D'Oreille, Kootenai and Nez Perce Indians. 

 There is no use talking game laws to white 

 men who want a deer, now and then when 

 within sight are a lot of red whelps drying a 

 year's supply of venison. 



M. W. Miner. 



Tacoma, Wash. 

 Editor Recreation : 



The state legislature is considering a bill for 

 removing all protection from trout, of all kinds. 

 The argument advanced by the friends of the 

 bill is that trout are of no commercial value, 

 that they destroy millions of egg* of the salmon, 

 following the latter on to their spawning beds and 

 taking the eggs as dropped and the young 

 salmon when hatched. There is great difference 

 of opinion as to the result of such a law, depend- 

 ing on who's foot the shoe pinches. Q. 



