Jan, 29, 1885. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



lug the abolition of baitcry-shooting. He therefore says, 

 "Give us fair play, we box-shooters will die hard, unless you 

 can prove to our satisfaction that our manner of shooting is 

 more destructive to the fowl than your own," As a matter 

 of fact, battery-shoot'mg should be given up not in order that 

 any man or any class of men may have better shooting than 

 is enjoyed at present, but in order that fewer birds may be 

 killed. Up to a certain point the fowl ore competent to pro- 

 tect themselves from shore shooters. They can, if they 

 please, stay out in the broad waters and away from the 

 point, but they cannot protect themselves from batteries and 

 bcoby blinds placed on rheir feeding grounds, nor from sail- 

 boats, which follow them from place to place. The birds 

 must eat, and when they wish to do so they will go to 

 decoys anchored on their feeding grounds and so expose 

 themselves 1o being shot. In most" localities where batteries 

 are used, it is a common practice for the tender in his sail- 

 boat after the flight is over to visit all the raftsof fowl in the 

 vicinity and "stir them up," in the hope that some of them 

 may go to the decoys near (lie box. We must look at fowl 

 Shooting just as we do at every other form of field sport. As 

 game and fish become more* scarce, limitations must be 

 placed on their capture, and the methods of destruction 

 which are the most sweeping in their results are the first to 

 be forbidden by law or by public sentiment. Thus the sein- 

 ing; of trout is made illegal oy statute because, while afford- 

 ing a most successful means of taking fish, it destroys on 

 such a wholesale scale, that one or two men might in a few 

 days rapture all the fish in a stream. If it could be done, 

 i. «., if the whole community w r ould bind itself to abide by 

 such a law. we would welcome a statute forbidding the firing 

 a gun at birds for a period of three or five years, but as such 

 a law would not be observed, it would be most unwise to 

 enact it. It would seem, however, that something must be 

 done to preserve the birds. What shall it be? Does it not 

 seem reasonable and wise to select that method which is 

 most fatal to the fowl, and endeavor to have its use made 

 illegal? Our correspondent acknowledges in effect that shore- 

 shooting is less destructive than battery -shooting, when he 

 speaks of "sitting in ever so comfortable a blind on the 

 shore and getting nothing." So much might be written on 

 this subject that "at present we cannot undertake to treat it at 

 any length, but we note that on several points our corres- 

 pondent's position is very vulnerable. We shall hope to hear 

 from others on this subject, for it is one that should be 

 thoroughly ventilated.] 



THE GAME DEALERS. 



frjiluor Tfbrest and Stream: 



Nothing in the annals of the game laws and the protection 

 of game has so nearly approached the perfect as the organi- 

 zation of the game dealers in New York for the enactment 

 of just laws, the enforcement of such laws, and thereby the 

 protection of game from impending and certain destruction. 

 It is a glorious and commendable ending of the struggle and 

 incessant strife that lias so long been a perplexity to our leg- 

 islators and the public in their determined efforts to destroy 

 the game in this State. As a dealer in game I shall use my 

 humble but earnest efforts in sustaining the Game Dealers' 

 Association, and when the aforesaid just and efficient laws 

 be enacted, receive the approval and signature of our worthy 

 Governor, 1 shall employ a nmubci ^ -prafcwowwina lumbers, 

 &en of experience aud familiar with the habits of deer, 

 woodcock and other game, and during the open season send 

 them out in squads and by companies to supply the demands 

 of my customers during such times as "our" laws shall per- 

 mit game to lie sold; and I shall build larger and more con- 

 venient refrigerators than I now have for keeping a greater 

 quantity of game than now can be sola within the unjust 

 and limited season permitted, and I hope thereby not only 

 to increase and make more plenty the game in this State, 

 but at the same time accommodate and supply a larger num- 

 ber of customers, and add shekels to my treasury. 



For the first two or three years this ample supply may 

 bring the price down within the possibilities of the laboring 

 class, the mechanic, the clerk, the merchant of limited 

 means, but it is rather a serious question and quite prob- 

 lematical about the supply of game and the price after that 

 time. I am ..somewhat fearful that my associate game deal- 

 ers through the State may also do as I propose, and under 

 such a state of affairs I will thank you, Mr. Editor, to tell 

 me ('confidentially) where and how any of us are to get any 

 game. If all the game dealers employ hunters and build 

 refrigerators and put in a greater supply, I am afraid there 

 won't be any game for us or our customers in a few years. 

 However, we are determined to have decent and fair laws, 

 and will not longer submit to any restraints or regulations 

 or laws that are not for our interest, game or no game, pub- 

 lic or no public. 



I invoke your valuable assistance, Mr. Editor, and that of 

 good citizens in securing such laws as our Association may 

 present to the Legislature. Help us, that game may increase 

 and fill the land, aye, even our coffers with plenty. 



Dealer. 



Jan. 30, 18S5. 



CAPTAIN BOND, 



Wtitor Forest and Stream: 



Captain Bond of Long Beach, N. J., one day last week, 

 having sailed from the beach to Tuckerton, endeavored to 

 beat back across the bay, a distance of five miles, with a 

 gale blowing dead ahead, aud since has not been seen or heard 

 from. No doubt he has perished in the bay, as was the case 

 with poor George Clifford, who started from Beach Haven for 

 West Creek during the prevalence of a treacherous north- 

 west wind with too much sail on his "box." Your corres- 

 pondent knew Capt Bond intimately, and has lived with 

 him at his summer hotel during the mouths of July and 

 August and in the winter when the brant were on. Who 

 did not like bim with all his peculiarities? and who did not 

 desire most of all to have him as a companion at the bunches or 

 at goose bar when fowl were flying? To know Capt. Bond 

 it was necessary to be with him when his summer boarders 

 had left him and to visit him in the ducking season. One 

 point I always noticed when shooting with him. Long be- 

 fore it was time to take up our decoys and quit for the day 

 Capt. Bond would put up his sail and start for the beach in 

 order to have a hot meal prepared for us when we reached 

 land and entered his house, on which occasions we would 

 be saluted with the appetizing odor of roast brant with 

 savoiy stuffing. Who that has been with the Captain at 

 times I write of does not remember this? He loved Tucker- 

 ton Bay. and it seems a fitting burial place for the old man. 

 Twenty or twenty-five years if has been his home, and even 



before he took up his residence on Long Beach he visited 

 its waters in search of pleasure. Falling in love with the 

 place he was induced topurchase the hotel standing on Long 

 Beach at that time, which he altered and remodeled and 

 made attractive and profitable, until Beach Haven, three 

 miles south of him, was settled, since which time his busi- 

 ness decreased. Captain Bond knew and often shot with 

 Herbert and sportsmen of that time, and it was within a 

 comparatively short time that he consented to discard his 

 trusty muzzleloader for the more modern brcachloading im- 

 plement. Homo. 



MASSACHUSETTS ASSOCIATION. 



ABOUT 150 gentlemen were present at the annua! dinner 

 of the Massachusetts Fish and Game Association, at 

 the Parker House last Thursday. Among the guests were 

 Lieutenant-Governor Ames, President of the Senate Pills- 

 bury, Speaker Brackett, Senator Milliken ; E, B. Hodge and 

 George W. Riddle, Fish and Game Commissioners of New 

 Hampshire; Herbert Brainerd, Commissioner of Vermont; 

 William M. Iludson and Mr. Bill, Commissioner of Con- 

 necticut; R G. Pike, E. A. Brackett, E. P. Kendrick, 

 president of the Springfield Rod and Gun Club, and P. S. 

 Dwyer. President E. A. Samuels presided. At his right 

 sat Lieutenant-Governor Ames aud John Fottler, Jr., ex- 

 president of the association; at his left, J. Q. A. Bracket! 

 and A. E. Pillsbury. The tables presented a beautiful 

 appearance. They were elegantly trimmed with flowers and 

 greens, and in the center were stuffed birds of various 

 descriptions that were charming to look upon. The meet- 

 ing was called to order by President Samuels, who delivered 

 an address full of sound suggestions. He said: 



These annual dinners of associations are always pleasant 

 events. When you gather about the festive board numbers of 

 congenial spirits, men whose tastes and studies and habits are 



always an event to look forward to with pi 

 anticipations, and one to be remembered with the greatest de- 

 light. Not only are our annual festivals enjoyable, but our 

 monthly meetings are also very pleasant and interesting, and 

 it is a matter of regret to me that I have lost a great many of 

 them. 



First and last, I have mingled with many classes of society. 

 Musicians, artists, politicians, scientists, literary people and 

 sportsmen, but it is among the last-named that I find the pur- 

 est and most unqualified enjoyment. Musicians are terribly 

 jealous as a rule, particularly singers, and one must be contin- 

 ually on his guard lest inadvertantly he praises the sharp of 

 one more than the D flat of another. 



Artists, unless they are fishermen, like our esteemed vice- 

 president, are sensitive, suspicious and often as jealous as 

 musicians. Politicians, with some few bright particular ex- 

 ceptions, are often uncompanionable, for the reason that 

 their habits and education lead to watchfulness, reserve and 

 distrust. Scientists are egotistical and often so far carried 

 away by ideas that they become "cranky." But fishermen 

 and sportsmen are always entertaining, sociable, free-hearted 

 and enjoyable. Get together a little group of them at any 

 time, such groups as I have often joined at our meetings, anil 

 start them on a lish story or an account of a hunting trip I 



In the twinkling of an eye you are in imagination once more 

 by the side of a wild mountain stream casting the fly above 

 the royal salmon or beautiful trout. In fancy you see your 

 fairy fly or Jock Scott or silver doctor wafted across the wide, 

 deep pool, like a thing of life, to alight in the eddy away over 

 in iiic aKadows in just exactly the spot where you have at 

 some time struck a memorable fish. You see the rise, you 

 strike, you hear the screara of the reel and again you follow 

 your noble fish down the stream over rough and slippery 

 rocks, through the foam and boil, down many rods to the pool 

 below. Again you bring to gaff the lovely prize and heave a 

 huge big sigh of happiness. Oh 1 it is glorious, glorious sport! 

 For twenty-five years have I cast the fly and 1 pray that I may 

 be spared to cast it for twenty-five years to come". Yes, gen- 

 tlemen, these re-unions of ours are thoroughly pleasant; they 

 are enjoyable in everyway; they represent the bright and 

 attractive side of the fife of our society. 



There are two sides to every picture ! Take one of Walter 

 Brackett's peerless fish pictures, admirable, beautiful, as it is, 

 if you turn the reverse side to you, you behold the unattrac- 

 tive bare canvas stretched upon a homely pine frame, m our 

 association the unpleasant duties we are called upon to per- 

 form constitute the unattractive side of our picture. At our 

 last meeting Mr. Reed very graphically descri bed some of the 

 disagreeable labors your officers and agents are called upon to 

 perform ; and probably just such unattractive work will be 

 allotted to us among our duties this year; but we must not 

 shrink from the task. 



Two oi- three years ago, while out on a deer himt, I crossed 

 a lake in a small, leaky, cranky skiff. In this boat, in addition 

 to myself, were my guide (a man nearly as robust as mvself ) and 

 two large, heavy bucks, which we were carrying to camp. When 

 we left the shore I noticed that the boat was but two inches out 

 of water, but I did not pay much attention to this fact until 

 we passed a point that jutted out into the lake. Bevond that 

 point the wind was fresh, and as we got well out into the lake 

 the water roughened up badly. The situation was far from 

 attractive, I assure you, particularly when I found that my 

 guide, after the manner of nine-tenths of fresh-water guides, 

 could not swim a stroke. However, I braced up. kept the 

 boat as trim as I could, and said to myself, "This is a pretty 

 bad fix to get into, but no matter what happens, don't 'funk.' " 

 Greatly to my relief, I am free to confess, we crossed in safety 

 to the other shore. 



Gentlemen, you have embarked in an undertaking of no 

 ordinary magnitude, but no matter how rough the water may 

 become, you must not strike your colors or steer from the 

 proper course. 



As the Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective Associa- 

 tion it is our duty to employ all honorable means, to improve 

 every possible opportunity, to secure protection and propaga- 

 tion of our birds and food hshes. If we fail to do this we have 

 no business to exist as an association. There are many things 

 we can do aud ought to do soon. 



It is not alone in the preservation of our game and food 

 fishes that our association can be useful ; it can as an educa- 

 tional institution perform great and important work. The 

 history of the habits of our beneficial mammals aud birds is 

 still as a sealed book to the great mass of our farmers, and 

 considering the great amount of literature on this topic that 

 has been spread broadcast among them, this ignorance of the 

 fives and methods of these agents, which nature has so bounti- 

 fully supplied for their assistance and benefit, is remarkable. 



In some 1< icalities, I am sorry to believe, farmers are some- 

 times ready to listen to the appeals of demagogues against 

 such associations as ours and are perhaps Jed to believe that 

 our aims and objects are hostile to their interests. 



I wish my voice could reach to the remotest corner of the 

 commonwealth to proclaim that we, instead of* being antagon- 

 istic to the farmers, are constantly laboring in then- best 

 interests. 



It is not the game bmds only that we wish to protect ! That 

 is not what this association alone exists for. We are working 

 just as earnestly, just as enthusiastically for the protection 

 and greater diffusion of our native small birds, our thrushes 

 and warblers and flycatchers and myriads of other insectivor- 

 ous birds, the farmer's best friends. If he but knew how im- 

 portant, how valuable these birds are, and how anxious we 



are to preserve them for him, I am convinced that scientific 

 associations, such as ours is, instead of being regarded with 

 mdifferenee, if not animosity, would be welcomed as most 

 valuable institutions. 



The labor we have engaged to do is not in the slightest de- 

 gree selfish, and is not aimed to work hardship to any good 

 citizen and honest man. We work without pay and without 

 any hope or wish for remuneration, save the consciousness of 

 doing good. 



If he who causes "two blades of grass to grow upon a spot 

 of ground where only one grew before," is regarded as a 

 public benefactor, how shall we and kindred associations, be 

 regarded if by persistent effort we succeed in multiplying 

 some of our food supplies tenfold. 



If we succeed in perfecting measures which will be followed 

 by as good results as were those in the case of the lobster 

 fisheries of Norway and Sweden; if we can succeed in secur- 

 ing the replenishment of salmon aud shad aud other migratory 

 fish in our rivers in anything like the abundance in which they 

 once existed, when so common w T ere salmon in our streams 

 that it was stipulated in articles of indenture that apprentices 

 should not have fresh salmon on the table oftener than twice 

 in one week; if we can create a public sentiment which will 

 strive for the protection of our beneficial birds; if we can 

 bring into disrepute the abominable fashion that is now in 

 vogue of employing them in female adornment, a fashion 

 which causes the death of thousands upon thousands of our 

 beautiful songsters annually: if we can accomplish all these 

 gieat and glorious undertaking, how shall we be regarded by 

 the community? 



Gentlenipm, until we do accomplish them the verdict will 

 not be recorded; until we do attain them all we must not 

 rest. 



President Samuels then introduced Lieutenant Governor 

 Ames, who was received with loud applause. Mr. Ames 

 thanked the association for honoring him with an invitation 

 to be present. He did not know what the object of the asso- 

 ciation was before. He thought that it was to kill birds and 

 to catch fish, instead of wishing to protect them. He related 

 in an amusing manner his experience as a fisherman. 



President Pillsbury said that the country members of the 

 Legislature have an idea that the Massachusetts Fish and 

 Game Association is composed of a Boston clique, who wish 

 to have certain laws passed that will enable them to have all 

 the game protected until a season of the year approaches 

 when it is convenient for the members of the association to 

 shoot the game. He hoped that the association would have 

 better luck in the legislative halls of the State this year than 

 it did at the last session. Speaker Brackett said that it was 

 the duty of the association to protect game and to endeavor 

 to have the Legislature pass suitable laws for that pur- 

 pose. 



The Hon Charles Levi Woodbury was the next speaker, 

 and he was received with great applause. He said that there 

 was a branch of American industry that the association 

 should do all in its power to protect. He referred to the 

 great American fisheries and claimed that the Washington 

 treaty w r as an outrage upon the people of this country. He 

 said that the treaty with Great Britain would expire next 

 July, and it w T as the duty of the American people to see 

 that this great industry be protected, principally because it 

 was the means of existence to apart of our most hardy and 

 industrious population — the fishermen. He said that in the 

 early days the fishermen had the right to fish on all waters 

 lined by American lands. This was a common law of the 

 waters and it should be so to-day. 



Speeches were made by Walter Brackett, Senator Miliken, 

 E.;P. Kendrick, the Hon. R. G. Pike, John Fottler, Jr., the 

 Hon. E. P. Brown, Herbert Brainerd, P. D. Dwyer, E. B. 

 Hodge and others. Letters of regret were received from 

 Johu M. Forbes, Augustus Swift, Payson Tucker, Francis 

 Eudicott, 0. B. Reynolds, of the Forest Am> Stream, Fred 

 Mather and others. 



FROZEN DUCKS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



One of the most singular occurrences in the annals 

 of hunting has been just related to me by a gentleman whose 

 veracity is unquestioned, and who is himself a resident of 

 the neighborhood where the phenomenon occurred. 



At the confluence of Wolf River with Lake Poygan, in 

 Winnebago county, Wisconsin, very early on the morning 

 of Nov. 23, a boy who was passing aloug the river bank had 

 his attention attracted by an immense flock of ducks, about 15 

 rods distant on the water. He was more than astonished at 

 the unusual tameness of those otherwise wild and wary 

 birds, as well as their incessant "jumping and diving," to 

 use his owm words. But a moment's observations convinced 

 him that the whole flock were making the most frantic 

 efforts to fly or dive, in neither of which could they succeed. 

 The fact was, the ducks were literally benumbed or half 

 frozen, and entirely unable to get away, and the unfortunate 

 birds (very soon after the boy's discovery) were captured by 

 the dozen with little difficulty by the neighboring farmers, 

 with boats and poles, no guns being needed for the 

 slaughter. 



A small island close by was also found to contain several 

 hundred more of the luckless birds, which had found a little 

 shelter there from the terrible blizzard of the preceding 

 night which, doubtless, had the effect of paralyzing them, 

 and thus rendering them an easy prey to then- merciless 

 captors. The largest number killed or secured by one family 

 was 218, and the smallest number, by a boy of fifteen years, 

 was twenty-two. The slayers numbered thirty-five, men, 

 women and children, and between them they secured the 

 astounding total of 816 ducks, every one of which were 

 mallards. Large quantities of this tremendous take were 

 quickly denuded of their feathers by the thrifty housewives 

 and brought to the neighboring city of Oshkosh, where they 

 readily commanded from $2. 23 to $2. 50 per dozen. But the 

 far greater number were packed and salted down for winter 

 use. They were in fine condition, "busting with fat," and 

 one dozen bought by a dealer tipped the beam at thirty-two 

 and three-quarter pounds. A lean duck, however, is a 

 ■vara acis in Wisconsin, as the great majority of our inland 

 lakes and rivers abound with the grandest of all water-fowl 

 food, the succulent and fattening wild rice. 



As most migratory birds are wont to gather in vast flocks 

 prior to their autumnal journey to the sunny South, doubt- 

 less the luckless flock whose destruction is herein recorded 

 were on their way thither when the warring elements com- 

 pelled them to seek shelter in that fated spot which proved 

 to be their fiual resting place. 



It was the first severe storm of the season, the day preced- 

 ing having been beautifully fine; then a terrific rain and wind 

 set in, which soon after changed to a regular blizzard of ice 

 and snow. The oldest persons residing in that vicinity have 

 no knowledge of any similar occurrence, M. J. Egabt, 



Franki^n, "Wis., Jan, SO, 1885, 



