372 



RECREATION 



"Ohio Laws Ineffective." You can add to it that 

 the Pennsylvania laws are ineffective also. We do 

 not have the strong arm of the law to give force 

 to the laws as they are upon the statute books. 

 The laws were framed to protect the fish from 

 February 15 to June 15 in each year, to cover the 

 spawning season, so that the fish could propagate, 

 and that the Department of Fisheries could pro- 

 cure sufficient eggs to hatch in the hatcheries of 

 the State. The fishermen, Lake Erie fishermen 

 from Ohio and Pennsylvania, have a license to 

 catch fish with nets in the open season, but they 

 disregard the law and fish with nets all the year 

 round, and take everything they can and take it to 

 market to get the price of it. In the spring of the 

 year, when the fish are in spawning condition, 

 they take thousands of these fish, both mature 

 and half-grown, that are filled with spawn and 

 ship them to the market. 



An effort was made to prevent this by the State 

 of Pennsylvania, but the Superior Court, with its 

 superior knowledge of a thing it knows nothing 

 about, decided that the dealers should be allowed 

 to catch these spawn-filled and immature fish in 

 the spawning season and sell them in the market, 

 notwithstanding that the law says they "shall not 

 have them in possession nor offer them for sale in 

 the season from February 15 to June 15 in any 

 year!" Thus is the strong arm of the law given 

 to violate the protection for the increase of fish in 

 the waters of Lake Erie. Is it any wonder that 

 lawful fishermen stand aghast at such a decision ? 

 Is it any wonder that the fish are scarce in Lake 

 Erie? Is it any wonder that Ontario keeps armed 

 gunboats to protect her waters from the fish pirates 

 and banditti from Ohio and Pennsylvania? Hav- 

 ing destroyed the fishing in the w r aters of Ohio and 

 Pennsylvania, they next raided the waters of 

 Canada, but the gunboats were on guard and a few 

 well-directed solid shots sent the pirates flying to 

 Erie and to Cleveland for safety, leaving behind 

 them many valuable seines. 



What is the results of the Pennsylvain decision ? 

 Last year the Pennsylvania Department of 

 Fisheries hatched out and deposited nearly 147,- 

 000,000 of fish fry and the waters were getting 

 into pretty fair condition, but this year there were 

 no mature fish, and all the eggs obtained were 

 47,000,000! With such a falling off this year, how 

 soon will it be until we can get none ? What shall 

 become of the hatcheries upon which thouands of 

 dollars have been spent? What shall become of 

 the well-trained and skillful employees and the 

 officers and wardens who have carried on the work 

 of hatching the eggs and the protection of the 

 streams? Shall the fishing in Lake Erie become 

 like the buffaloes of the West? — a thing of the past! 



If the falling off of fish in the Ontarian waters 

 has been so noticeable with all the protection on 

 both sides of the lake, how much more noticeable 

 will it be since Erie has become the home of the 

 banditti under the protection of the decision of 

 the Superior Court of Pennsylvania? 



Will the national Government take the matter 

 up and enact laws that wilPgive force and effect 

 for the protection of the fishing interests of all the 

 States bordering on the lakes? Dragnet. 



Must Have Patience 



Our young friends will, no doubt, be disap- 

 pointed to find that we have omitted this month 

 our department, "Dan Beard and the Boys." 

 Let us explain why we did so. Mr. Beard has 

 prepared a particularly interesting and instruc- 

 tive description of something that will interest all 

 boys who are fond of woods' life, both big and 

 little, but at the last moment we found, that, 

 owing to the pressure on our columns, it was 

 impossible to print so long a story this month; 

 hence our friends, young and old, will have to 

 wait until the May issue to satisfy their curiosity 

 — but we can assure them they will not be disap- 

 pointed when they read what The Founder has 

 to say. 



More Arctic Owls 



Editor Recreation: 



I note what you say in the December issue of 

 Recreation about the large number of Arctic 

 owls being shot along the border and Atlantic 

 Coast. They made their appearance here early 

 in December, no less than fifteen having been 

 shot in this immediate vicinity. Previous to this 

 they were almost unknown, only five having been 

 seen in the past twenty-five years, as far as I can 

 ascertain. 



I shot one recently, measuring 62 in. from 

 tip to tip, with an undigested mouse in his 

 stomach in perfect condition. The mice and rats 

 have been unusually plentiful the present season, 

 the fields and farm buildings being literally over- 

 run with them , and it is quite possible that this 

 may account for the invasion. They seem to 

 stay in the open in the vicinity of the farm out- 

 buildings and all specimens that have been 

 brought in for mounting are very fat. They vary 

 in color from almost pure white to the color of a 

 light Plymouth Rock fowl, the darker ones being 

 the larger. Arthur W. Westover. 



Another Horned Doe 



Editor Recreation: 



I was much interested in the article contributed 

 by J. S. Nash, of Spokane, Washington, which ap- 

 peared in the January number of Recreation, 

 which described a one-horned doe which had been 

 killed in Idaho. 



In the fall of 1902 I had the good fortune to kill 

 a "spike horned" doe, the right horn being about 

 eight inches long and the other two inches. 



I have always regretted that the specimen was 

 not preserved, as up to the time of reading the 

 article above referred to I had never heard of an- 

 other having been killed. F. P. Leushner. 



Parry Sound, Can. 



Game Near Manila 



Editor Recreation: 



We have certain game in plenty here in the 

 Philippines, but they are being ruthlessly shot 

 down, snipe especially, for I have heard several 

 fellows speak of getting sixty in a forenoon; now, 

 what can one man do with so many snipe ? Give 

 them away, of course, and as long as there are no 

 game laws here some fellows will continue shooting 



