32 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Feb, 0, 1882 



i ,,wconvidicenu- that the present great, ! unde too, y : a:..t uo sotttev or homeSteafifer 



iverous birds in thi 



bit d fl i "i I 



■ i actios oj 



I : 



illy for his own use UQ his family 

 eward doe--: not apply to their 



i ■. 



tap, hel 



■ ' ... ' . 



, lid also bD mad 

 -i; fer uggestions oceur to me. 

 riting. 



! little street 

 Hot from the 

 i the ground 

 .-ind imphtc- 

 rus birds-. In 



until 



:l are. 

 The 

 arrow. 



to put 



who only kills 



shall be I 



ras-;, Bui a tin case shall imnninity be grantearo aary one to 

 kill or capture deer upon - a\ "■ -CTUSfeSj or who Catches trout or 

 otherfish by any means upon their spawning grounds, or 

 broutbr graylingin any other way than by hook and line. 

 All of which is respectfully submitted, 



Cyrus W. Hioby, 

 A. ,1. Keenly, 



("4. C. CrHEENWOOD, 



A. H. Mershon, 

 R. J. Bikney. 



e report was received and adopted ajid referred to the 



utive committee With power to act. 



or lion,", asV,-.,-! wind, "other fishes" were referred to in 



■•: io tbou-dit this term would include suckers, the 



., a&vm eaters, and pickerel, whieli live almost, entirely 



Echoes and Mill a- of thel ish Commission and others, all •un- 

 avoidably detadnei i] ta| - insthisyear. Their 

 valued counsel attd level-beaded opinions, wMeh nave con- 

 tiibutcdsomueh to the generalinteresl and effect! 1 ei ess 



I his- ,i ,.-,<,,,!, i lion io lornier meetings, is seriously missed hy us, 

 and we indulge the hope that the next meeting rnaj find them 

 ■i , ,'!.a,ees in our ranks. 



Very respectfully. H. B. Roney. 



as- 6 in..— ,;. I I 18. 188$ 



EBg read the following 1 on the snbjeej? of 



LKDEN iHB OTHEX MATTERS. 



I ' . .., a of the Association : 



Ethisa oolatioi a. re expended not only a 

 large amount ne bu1 iuchva!l able time land thought 



■ -i ■ -- Ltanj bhe tons amendments that 



have been made to ..,,i^;,me. fish and lae.spass laws, during 



tnt agitation of the importance of more 



-■ - ■ a : . •,,. .-- : ,i: to game and fish is necessary, 



, . i yeaa -i 1 ■ have met for "work in our legislative 



halts, and we should continue to do so. Our efforts have 



fina&j been crowned with success at, the. last, session of that 



hon._ii-a.ble body. 



" Truth is mighty and will prevail, 11 and it has prevailed, lu 

 proof of this, allow me to quote from the report of our worthy 

 -.-,,, Pn a loney, for 1S8I: 



''From a acaall begiru u % i.c sM Eohigan'sSportemen Assoeia- 

 t,-.|,. ,j ; ,,,.-.-;, i-, " • -i i.-kr:i"'w]e,-l-j-,:d State institution, re- 

 -: bed ramended for its spirit of humanity, friendship 



ion ti - ' I our game animals, birds and fishes; 

 purpose is u longer doubted. From 

 friend ii - tfi " - West, North and South, 



i. i , of pa ;i-" and encouragement for 



i,, -. . ., 'CJL'L a ei oinplished, and the faithful manner 



iuwhi-e _ .-.-,-,.- an Jives up to its professions and the 



,. , ■:-■'- < ■ we produce than to be true to 



We. cam ' , bherwise than to enforce the present 



law. Ifii i-w ii,,, ,-;:.,- at all it is worth enforcing to its 



In I ,'--; ■ ■■■,.',.■!.,,,;,,.. as re. - ,i, i-wil ' ■.-ay r< lina :-. 





.ich respect to 





on. This may 





to aecomphsli, 





that can be 



- in strengthemng 



and upholding 



doable in non-inter 



estedloealitier-. 



; the inhabitants 





ice must neceSBa 





n-agement along 



sur line of en- 



best system to be adopted by us is the 

 scene- to loe, gentlemen, in considering 

 tat tnusl of n -ssity e-row out of the al- 

 low, that there must be some one at the 

 his compass and take his bearings. The 

 arden should be an independent one, 

 ,n fee if effective. The officer should 



ao good reason why the office of State game warden 

 could no, a -.-:■ ■■-,- hung, if only one-third of the lines were 



colli t ' , : of violations that are committed 



a a member of .the Board of Di- 

 re '-' - smen's Association, he assured me 

 i !'.;•• ;., .-'a., .lea -as ■ a'i a salutary effect upon the game 

 a.-.- al,: aora in that State, and he was well satisfied that, it is 

 the only measure whereby the law can be successfully carried 



C. W. HlGBY. 

 The c-.i-iijliia:' on eidVircernent then made the following 

 report: 



:,a.r ox Tin,: coJuni'TEE on eseokoement. 

 To the Officers and Members of the State Sportsmen's Asso- 



, -.-,; i oiittee a -a oroemBntof game,fish and trespass 



Laws of all 1 

 the pres ■ 



violota 



is to as 

 courts 



omj 



sh hn 



-,1 Thasar.iaeterfor 



■■ -. : m; 1 at while 



ed to enfo] ci them. 



lead letter upon the 

 luty of the prosecuting 

 ipl.aints and prosecnte 



.ssary evidence, and he 

 neigl borhoodin which 



thoroughly enforce the 



,.,-a -,; ,, a of Michigan waiters, and their' places Supplied with 

 bet tar fishes. 



Mr. Clark said it was hard to draw the line when speifchig of 

 game fish, especially between bass and pickerel. He fhougbi 

 pickerel fishing afforded people consaler ible sport and sug- 

 gested that the lawagaint spearing them be enforced. 

 ' Dr. Holmes thought (here might he a different understand- 

 ing of the sa.me name. 1 le had kuown men to speak of pick- 

 erel when they meant pike perch, and that fish affords a great 

 deal of sport. '■ Pickerel" is simplv the diminutive for '-pike," 

 as '-gosling'' is for goose. The pike is the long-snouted shark 

 which infests our waters and furnishes very little good food. 

 Mr. Clark greatly preferred a pickerel to an eel. 



Prof. Paiicv thought-, that instead of general expressions in 

 the laws, such as •'other fishes." "predatory fishes,'' etc., the 

 name of the species should be dis:in<-lly stated in every in- 

 stance, which would obviate the difficulty often arising in 

 Justice jjburts of differeni interpretations of the law. An act 

 lakes if, lawful to catoh "soft fish, sturgeon or car- 

 nr ~h at any time, "incertain waters, and every sports- 



man present knew that bass and brook trout were carnivor- 

 ous, and fed on the flesh of any young fish that happened 

 along, and by the word "'carnivorous. ' protection to the last 

 mentioned fishes was i ual. fed null and void. 



Mr. Mershon said the association could well afford to pay 

 SIC! as a reward for informatian concerning a violation of the 

 law either in relation to game or fish, but thought the reward 

 should never be greater than the penalty. 



Mr. Higby, recurring to the question of killing a deer in 

 water, said that the last meeting of the association at Lansing 

 Prof. Roney had stood alone in contending that the words 

 ■'whiia swimming" should be in a Lause prohibiting the 

 killing of deer in water, Mr. Hi-bv's views at that time were 

 with the majority, but he had become convinced that the 



and was working, as then predicted, to the injury of honest 

 sportsmen who might shoot a deer in the shallowest pool, 

 brook or swamp, and who, if discovered, would be convicted 

 under a literal construction of the law by backwoods justices 

 and juries, who are opposed to sportsmen on principle, and he. 

 desired to put, himself on record as favoring the insertion of 

 the words "while swimming." Tbere was nothing sportsman- 

 like in killing deer in lakes, and the law did not contemplate 

 that they should not be shot in crossing narrow or shallow 



' President Holmes thought, if the. word "shooting" were sub- 

 stituted for "killing or capturing" it would be sufficient. 



Mr. Gilhnanwas opposed to killing or capturing deer by 

 any means whatsoever while swimming. 



The thanks of the association were tendered the Common 

 Council of East Saginaw for the use of the council room for 

 this meeting. 



The treasurer, K. A. Osgood, of Battle. Creek, submitted his 

 annual report. Receipts, $299.57; disbursements, ^59.32; 

 balance on hand. §2S0.25. Report adopted. 



Mr. Rogers offered the following resolution: Resolved, 

 That the present standing committee on nomenclature be 

 requested to submit at our next annual meeting, a report on 

 the nomenclature (popular and sciontific) of the game fishes 

 that inhabit our waters, supplementary to their previous 

 valuable, carnal- of ins'; i and lssi, on field birds, waterfowl 

 and game animals. Carried. 



ELECTION OF OFFICERS ATTD PLACE OF NEXTANKL'AL MEETIXO. 



Detroit was chosen by ballot, as the next place of meeting, 

 and i he time, the second Tuesday in January, 1883, at 

 ,:SD P. M. 



All the retiring officers, viz: Dr. E. S. Holmes, Grand 

 Rapids, President; W, P. Mershon, East Saginaw, Secretary; 

 :•!. A. Osgood, Battle Greek;, Treasurer, and W. C. Colburn, 



imously re-elected. 

 jxterided to the officers 



uttee to carefully consider 

 1 i ■ ■ ■!■ i circumstances, and devise 

 i i ii i administer the laws to their faithful 

 ■ , . n 



,,'."■■ ■:. ,,"',: suggest and recommend that i 1 



ith. the il ■■ -a ' your Jtate assooia- 

 ai rewards for convictions of ato: 



b ,', aplainant in each ease when e 



and enforcement thi ■ Ityfqllow The necessary fund 



■■ .1 on each club who are 



,, i - a. with such additions as may be 



,, : ., by voli : , , en ■- rf -. ■■ a, a. ;,..■ i ,n, ■-.., i&ai 



Om ghou bhe State who would be likely to 



: ii I be posted in numerous places 



• ■.--.. ip8 to be any mclmation or inducements to 



- a; d for conviction.;, uiitd rh a evil ceases 

 or until ihe fund is exhausted. We - ! following 



, , :. a | | _. ■ t -I-. 510; tur 



. , ' brow,, aiii.irnia trout, ■.■'■, j lipg 



iol to all Other fishes, Saj. 



, .i i - .,.■,. a ,a. ei indi •< bj local clubs and 



, i , .■ ' I;,,-,! be : , a, -a ;,-,,. M a ,. na-aus at 

 ,,.,, lintnicnt by fc] ■ ;. , 



ace of the taws all 



, , , 



Detroit, Directi 



The thanks of the assocfi 

 for their faithful services the past year. 

 Prof. Honey offered the following resolution: 

 Resolved. That this association recommends the extermina- 

 tion of the Enaiish sparrow and the striking out of the word 

 > "sparrow" m section 7 of (lie laws protecting insectivorous 

 and son, birds, on ihe grounds that it is not an insectivorous 



bird Mud' is of no ?alue to the farmer anal Uortioultuvist, but, 



decayed -'u^L an-iia- ; ana' sti r t s - , ;a a o-steadai 

 on noxious insects: that it is pugnacious and aggressive with 

 other birds, and wages perpetual warfare upon and drives 

 away our feathered songsters and insectivorous birdsi 



Resolveit. That tin's asso.-iation recommends auxiliary clubs 

 to offer a b,,. a a -, o! J3 cents a dozen on English sparrows, 

 dead or alive, as soon as the law npw protectmg miem is so 

 amended as io legally permit it. 



The sparrow question was thoroughly discussed by the 

 members, President Holmes; Mr. GrijGhati and others fully 

 indorsed the resolution. Mr. Rogers dissented; "'as a friend 

 to the birds and liked ti sei tl em around. 



The first resolution was then unanimously adopted, and 

 tee second referred a,, in? ,_-:■;•■,: ::,-. ;- committee. 



Pi'of. Roney Off ered H bll i >n that the association should 



urgi 



its 



Mr. Rutherford, of Hart, was c died upon for a paper which 

 he had prepared and which he then rearf prefacing it with a 

 few pleasant, remarks. 



BBOOK THOUT IN OCEASA COTTXTy. 



Last year I hurriedly wrote upon the subja'ct of "Brook 

 Trout io Oceana County," more than ,,, , ia i, ■ - to show 

 that it was not, essential Io the growth ail Id a, ,,, , 



those fish most prized by the 9pOrt9tnan and epicure that 

 they ba planted by nature in the waters Whei'a tteey are 

 found. 



How many rneu are there in Michigan who now and then 

 pause in the whirl of business and in delightful reverie, go 

 back among the rugged hills of New- England, New S ork 

 and Pennsylvania, blissfully dreaming of sparkling a 



rushing over rocky crags, eddy 

 huge boulder, or resitfhg for an 

 the shade of the overhanging b 

 lock before it, again went plungi! 

 course to the quiet, sunlit moadov 



How we laugh at otirseh - Wh i 

 with a birch rod cut on the ban 

 branches serving as a string, u 

 secured enough of the cerebral d 

 Cite the envy of any true sportsm 



I see him now as' he stealthily 

 Stream. How well he knows win 

 sunburnt face fairly sparkling wit 

 back the old straw hat and 1 

 where to drop the hook, which 

 the fish by the tempting worm 

 ful of the torn and bleeding toe 

 to a position where he is sure 

 he has inn a "speckled beaut 

 moment of ecstacy — all depend 

 rather lose a coal "mine— ay 

 valley are nothing when e 



■ of some 

 imenl at I be seats beneath 

 ighs of the sombre I 

 down, dOWO, down on its 



We think of the boyarined 



of the stream, one of its 

 in which ere long he hag 

 lizens of that brook to ex- 



iproaches a bend in the 



i the trout love to lie, his 

 pushes 



n of pure 

 i of dissi- 

 o the 



est of 

 Fling, 



liable 



.thens his neck to :-c-~ fual 

 he has carefully hidden from 

 m upon it. See, he is all unmind- 

 oe which he now carefully raises 

 •e of a firm foothold. N ow look ! 

 ity" dish across the hole! Otic 

 fids upon his taot and he would 

 all the saw mills in the Saginaw 

 ipared with that fish. 

 The hook falls in the water— a dash by the fish, a pull by 

 the boy and the prize is upon the bank. "Whew: ain't ha a, 

 daisy!" wonder if there is any more in this hole;'" 



Well, my boy, nothing but another trial can del 

 whether there is or not, and I -will leave you in your happi- 

 ness and try to show that while to you that brook among 

 your native hills is the nearest, place to paradise on this conta- 

 nent, yet that pretty near the same, sort of spirit may by a, 

 small expenditure of money and good judgment be secured to 

 the boys that are to follow you, even here hi the compara- 

 tively level peninsula of Michigan. And who would not rather 

 a boy would be happy along the. banks of the stres 

 Water than to be hear the banks of the stream 

 pation where so many have been swept headli 

 whirpool of degradation and death; 



Nature, had never graced our waters with thesi 

 all fish, but for years, while watching the streams 

 I could not help thinking that trout could find a h 

 for themselves if once planted here. 



But every suggestion of the kind was met by the knowing 

 ones (and we have several), with the positive assurance that 

 the waters contained so much lime that it -would kill the fish ; 

 others knew that if a healthy fish could by any means Survive, 

 that they could not propagate because trout would only 

 breed among the rocks. 



This test was the strongest argument, for who had ever 

 seen brook trout except 'in brooks with rocky or gravelly 

 beds? Finally, however, we hoard that the Jordan, Boardmon 

 ank other streams in the Traverse region con bain I 

 and the recollections of boyhood came back with all 

 that a party, of which the writer was a member, re: 

 try our fortunes, and were soon encamped o: 

 Rapid River ready to see and to know foi 

 those who have been there no arguments m 

 prove the utter fallacy of the predictions of i 

 who know all about brook trout. The result 

 tion was that we organized a club of only a, f 

 purchased of our friend Portman a few frj 

 in a very few brooks and carefully watched I i 

 Cur hopes were more than realized, until in. 

 to show fi=h from fourteen to sixteen uiChes i 

 pretty specimens as ever grew in any of the 

 the Susquehanna. 



Having convinced the State authorities of this fact they 

 nobly rewarded our efforts, until now almost every stream in 

 Oceana county has more or less of them among its dwellers. 

 We are convinced that all of the streams north of the Grand 

 River which are made up of springs are well adapted to the 

 wants of brook trout, and no waters in the United States O a 

 tain more or better natural food. 



I am, however, compelled to differ with our 

 friend Portman as to planting in waters like ours; hi 

 that the fry should be placed in the springs at the 

 the stream, while my judgment is that they should 1 

 where the stream is larger in some quiet, smoothly 

 well sheltered cove, as they will the first seagon 

 double the size of those placed in the spring. 



Our greatest drawback, however, comes of a cla 

 who we can hardly believe " the 



lelv 



fish, 

 force 

 od to 

 a ol 



To 

 y to 



;rva- 

 . and 

 ihem 

 leni 



abl 

 sd as 



-S of 



rsfeemed 

 contends 

 ource of 

 e placed 

 running, 

 grow t'u 



thing to do with creating it. They seem bo th 

 common plunder, and if they can only be si 

 steal and not be caiigl.it by the club it is all r; 

 the trout now and it is of no eonsequenc; whet! 

 are full or not, Or whether any one else does & 

 but we trust, we shall be able to succeed aga: 

 the better part of the people all over the conn 

 awakening to the fact that something must 

 what that should be we will consider in anoth 



L. G. 



3 of all go< A" had a.ny- 



nk that fish "is 

 if enough to 

 it. They get 



Mr. Rutherford supplem 



u which he stated that 



they planted torn- years :ij 



■o were nc 



inches in length. Two ye 



irs ago the 



furnished them lO.tKIO more 



and their s- 



brook trout. There is no gt 



•eam north 



is fed by brooks that is not 



idmiiablv : 



of brook trout. No man ev 



>r caught o 



to catch another. No man 



-ver lisle-, i, 



want to eo again, and I kno 





thi-. delicious food, than th 



> streams < 



Some of you may doubt t 



ie assertion 



prove its truthfulness I w 



a tit to est 



gvljng journal:-. ay, Streasi and others, as 



Sti . Clubs in forming and 



a imenl in favor of the protection of 



"y, ', i .'!;,- a/, ail'led attention to ihe manner i - a 

 the mouth of thb Saginaw lover was barricaded with nets 

 wbtoh almost entirely prevented t he Ssh ge'tl lag up the Btream 



Mr. John Sharp, an old fisherman of Bay City, corroborated 



Mr. N.-i-.-hoit- statement. lie said i hat, six orseven men had 



- hi ■ -a: b of the river, and explained that 



tart fiotn each side and nm nearly across and are 

 tin-.; ' ■ , ed nearly every fisn. He 

 ... ■, tatti 



Mr. Eeeney Cjuotad the law Of !»d as follows: "Whoever 

 obstructs the main channel ul >, .. by plac- 

 ing therein tiet- a ,,. . - ,n, i. whatever 



far the purpose of taking oi a 



thereby ineni foi i 



. . i .• 



nted his paper bv a. lew vaani'la. 

 he trout in Oceana coimi 



v fourteen to sixteen 



State fish commission 

 •earns now teem with 

 if Grand Hive,- which 

 Oap.tea to i. he ,- 

 e who ,|i.| :,, , ■ 



•! who did not 

 -,,-,.■ ...- a led .-• i i 

 t northern Mich a n 

 I have made, but t" 

 xTend to you, Mr Pre 

 denf. and to every gentleman of this association, in behalf of 

 ii -- iation to which I belong, namely the Hart Sports- 

 men's Chile, an invitation, when the law empires, for Bach 

 everyone of you to come and prove it for yourselves. Ana 

 remember that the latehstring of that club bangs bn the out- 

 side of the door. We are always ready, and uat on. 

 but happy, to welcome everv true, sportsman, for when we 

 do we meet a gentleman. [Applau B 



Prof. Rotu-v "introduced Hon. John Welch, Mayor of East 

 Saginaw, as the fourth Mayor of prominent Michigan cities 

 to be, found in the ranks of the association. Mr. Welch made 

 a few remarks congratulating the association on tin 

 work it was accomplishing, and assuring those pre- ,, I 

 hearty sympathy in the cause, His feruartffc were heartily 

 cheered," 



tii -n, the Convention then ad \c '• ■ teet at De- 

 troit, Jan. 11, iSs:;, at 1:30 B. M, 



ie. Last Saginaw Game Protection Club hiifl ft) 

 for the purpose of giving bhe delegate to In 

 lion a banquet, but Jearnin I i« buea ie an 



would leave on I be fi:8f) I rains, I b.i pi-oject bcei 



dotaed. 



In eo •;.,,,. 



and biudly feelM ■ 



