448 



RECREATION. 



beautiful innocent breasts. Women of good 

 taste scorn all such base traffic. 



Georgiana K. Holmes, Summit, N. J. 



SCORES A GLOBE-TROTTING HOG. 

 Recently I came across a book entitled, 

 "Sport and Travel, East and West," by 

 F. C. Selous, published in 1900. 



In it Mr. Selous describes a hunting trip 

 he took in Wyoming in 1897, starting on 

 the Eastern slope of the Big Horn moun- 

 tains and traveling to a point just outside 

 of the Yellowstone Park. The start was 

 made September 1st, and their expedition 

 lasted until the middle of November. Dur- 

 ing that time Mr. Selous acknowledges 

 killing 2 antelope, one ewe mountain 

 sheep, 8 bull elk, 8 buck deer and one doe. 

 Three elk and one deer were killed in one 

 day. He speaks of other members of the 

 party killing game, but those I have men- 

 tioned he killed himself. 



All he took of the elk was the heads. 

 He says the trappers used the meat for 

 bear bait. He sympathizes greatly with 

 the settlers who kill game, if they do not 

 waste it, and then talks about the way 

 game is disappearing from the United 

 States in spite of our game laws. That 

 seems to worry him a great deal, and he 

 regrets he was not here when elk, deer 

 and buffalo were plentiful. The following 

 year he returned for a shorter trip, during 

 which he killed only 4 elk and 4 deer. 

 He seemed greatly troubled that he did 

 not get more. What he particularly want- 

 ed was fine heads, but he evidently killed 

 the elk first and examined the head after- 

 ward. 



It seems to me we have enough game 

 hogs at home without importing any from 

 Great Britain. Mr. Selous may be a great 

 hunter, but I do not think he is much of 

 a sportsman. From the way he writes he 

 evidently would like to come back some 

 time for more game. It would be a bless- 

 ing if the game wardens of Wyoming 

 could catch him out there, as his book is 

 good evidence of his absolute disregard 

 for the game laws of this country. 



W. J. F, Chicago, 111. 



WEST VIRGINIA'S GAME. 

 Not for 15 years has game been more 

 plentiful than at present in and about Rom- 

 ney, W. Va. Several reasons have been ad- 

 vanced for this. One theory is that owing 

 to forest fires in Maryland and the West- 

 ern part of this State deer have been 

 driven in here in large numbers. Then we 

 had a close season, or practically so, for 3 

 years, and deer have had an opportunity to 

 breed unmolested. Another reason is that 

 the citizens of Hampshire comity do not 

 allow the hounding of deer. Consequently 

 at the opening of our season deer were 



plentiful, and over 40 were killed within 

 6 miles of this town. 



Our game laws are good but are not en- 

 forced. We have a State game warden, 

 but no deputies. Our law which requires 

 non-residents to pay $25 for a shooting 

 license is unwise. Instead of protecting 

 game, it gives license to native game hogs 

 and pot hunters to kill all the game they 

 can and sell it. During 15 years I have 

 met most of the sportsmen who come to 

 this county to hunt, and all of them spend 

 $10 for every dollar's worth of game they 

 kill. Besides, to my mind, it is most unjust 

 to demand money from a sportsman and 

 then give him no place to hunt. The 

 State has no hunting lands, and farms are 

 generally posted. 



We have good ruffed grouse shooting. 

 Our quail shooting was not so good, as the 

 past severe winter froze most of the birds. 

 We have lots of rabbits. This year squir- 

 rels were scarce. Wild turkeys are plenti- 

 ful. 



Romney is on the South branch of the 

 Potomac, and is famous for its black bass 

 fishing. It is understood that an effort 

 will be made to pass a license law for the 

 fishing. If they would enforce existing 

 laws we should need no other legislation on 

 the game subject in this State. 



J. B., Romney, W. Va. 



PROTECT GREYS BY LAW. 



January Recreation contained, among 

 other good things, an editorial with which 

 I am in hearty sympathy, namely, "Save 

 the Grey Squirrel." Your appeal for the 

 squirrel is timely and what I have long 

 hoped for. The squirrels, grey, red and 

 chipmunk, are a harmless group. If I had 

 the making of the laws I would protect all 

 3, and along with them the crow, owl and 

 hawk; all thieves and tricksters, perhaps, 

 but all useful to the farmer. 



Against the grey squirrel the farmer has 

 lodged no complaint, so from that source a 

 bill for its protection would have no opposi- 

 tion. The strongest opposition would come 

 from the man who has a day off and shoots 

 everything in sight, and from the small boy. 

 These are the fellows who shoot robins, 

 meadow larks, blue ja}>-s, etc., as well as 

 the birds and animals the law allows him. 

 Ernest Seton's "Daddy Binks" is a good 

 illustration. The squirrel tails and bird 

 wings are used to decorate his room and to 

 show his admiring friends, telling them 

 how he killed 2 dozen squirrels, etc. The 

 small boy with a gun would send up a wail, 

 but I would cause him to wail more by 

 making any boy under 18, who wished to 

 use a gun, give bonds to the county game 

 warden. 



No real sportsman would offer any op- 

 position to a law to protect the grey squir- 



