Fhb. 11, 1886.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



47 



NEW YORK PROTECTORS. 



ALL of the State game protectors except Seymour C. 

 Armstrong, of the fifth district, who is sick, have 

 handed in their annual reports to State Fish Commissioner 

 R. U. Sherman. The following abstracts, in connection with 

 those already published, complete the list : 



FIRST DISTRICT. 



George W. Whitaker, of Southampton, protector for the 

 first district, devoted considerable time last year to watching 

 the markets. In May he seized two fyke nets and turned 

 them over to a police officer. Soon after he sent a game 

 constable to destroy them, but he was arrested, charged with 

 having stolen the nets. He was afterward released on his 

 own recognizance, and asked to assist in arresting Mr. Whit- 

 aker. A criminal complaint was made against the protector, 

 but was afterward withdrawn. Many song birds were killed 

 in the first district, but the protector was unable to obtain 

 evidence strong enough to convict the offenders. Protector 

 Whitaker says: "The game laws are more popular in this 

 district than they were two years ago, and are more gener- 

 ally respected. I would suggest the wisdom of amending 

 section 26 of the laws of 1879 so as to prohibit the use of 

 nets in the waters of Long Island the meshes of which are 

 less than 2£ iuches. There is a clause in the section permit- 

 ting the use of nets with small meshes in taking menhaden. 

 Menhaden are caught in all the bays of Long Island, and 

 fishermen now set nets for blue, ana other fish, claiming that 

 they are set for menhaden. Hence the restriction as to the 

 size of the meshes of the nets should be made uniform, or no 

 such nets should be allowed in the waters. I think a net 

 with 2^-inch meshes would take all the menhaden that should 

 be taken at present. The fishing interests of Long Island 

 are of great importance, and should be guarded with care. 

 I am of the opinion that the game and fish laws should be 

 kept separate as far as possible. I think the game protector 

 should not be subject to arrest, as in my case last summer. 

 The word 'wilfully' should be stricken out of section 11 of 

 the game laws. The clause 'nor shall any person wilfully 

 sell or expose for sale,' etc., will, I am afraid, prevent my 

 obtaining a conviction in two cases I have pending for trap- 

 plug partridges. It would be easy for a person to show 

 where he got the birds if he did not snare or trap them 

 himself." 



SECOND DISTRICT. 



Joseph Goodwin, Jr., of Kingsbridge, N. Y , State 

 game protector for the second district, in his annual report 

 says: "During the past year I devoted 150 days to the work 

 of protection and expended $ 1 36. 95. In the cities and large 

 towns in my district 1 fiud a growing disposition on the part 

 of the marketmen to comply with the fish and game laws, 

 and when an offense is committed it is more often from 

 ignorance of the laws on the part of those violating them 

 than from a disregard of tbe same, and the greater part of 

 the violations are from the lower class or smaller dealers. 

 Violations of the fish laws are becoming less frequent, and 

 when they do occur it is usually through the ignorance or 

 carelessness of employees in exposing for sale under-sized 

 fish received tiorn other States. There has been a large 

 increase in the number of game protective associations in 

 this district, and the members render invaluable assistance 

 in the apprehension of offenders. I am informed that cer- 

 tain of the societies propose to see that the enforcement of 

 tbe fish and game laws is made a part of the platform of a 

 candidate for the office of county judge before supporting 

 him in caucus or at the polls. I have the following suits 

 pending: Against Rowell, Wood & Stillman for having 

 twenty-three small trout in possession; John Walker, Geo. 

 W. Lockwood, Zenas C. Crocker, Middleton & Carman, 

 Peter Vincelette, Patrick Kelly, John Elsey and Samuel T. 

 Skidmore for having in possession and exposing for sale 

 striped bass less than one-half pound in weight; Middleton 

 & Carman and John Griffiths for exposing for sale lobsters 

 less than 10| inches in length; Henry Sturcke for selling 

 grouse out of season; Robert B. Mooney and William 

 Sanders for having in possession and on sale hares killed out 

 of season. I think it would be wise to amend the game laws 

 regulating bass fishing, so that salt-water striped bass should 

 not be classified with the striped bass of fresh water; that 

 is, the close season should not be identical. I would also 

 suggest that no black bass be taken from the State for pro- 

 pagating purposes. Where they are wanted in foreign 

 countries the United States Fish Commission can supply the 

 demand." 



SIXTH EISTRICT. 



John Liberty, of Elizabetktown, Essex county, State game 

 protector for the sixth district, in his annual report says: 

 "In the month of January, 1885, I visited Port Kent and the 

 mouth of Ausable River. Alexander Evo was fined $15 for 

 illegal fishing. In February went to Chateauguay, Chazy 

 and Placid lakes, but discovered no traces of illegal fishing. 

 In April I again visited Chateauauay Lake and obtained evi- 

 dence against Lewis Perry and F. Patreau for crusting deer. 

 In May 1 went to Piattsburg, Valcour and Ausable River. 

 On my return I seized and burned a large seine. At Rouse's 

 Point seized six large fyke nets and anchor ropes, etc. , used 

 for setting pound nets, and destroyed them. In June made a 

 protracted trip in the Saranac country. In July again visited 

 Chazy and Chateaugay lakes. In August went to North Elba 

 to look up evidence against a party for hounding deer, but 

 the offenders had gone out of the county. In October 1 

 obtained a judgment of $5.0 against Joseph Dukett for hound- 

 ing deer. Also secured the conviction of G. A. Stevens, 

 Ellsworth D. Hayes, James Huntington and J. A. Stevens 

 for dogging deer at North Elba in August. They were fined 

 $25 each. In November went to Silver Lake and Ausable 

 Ponds, and in December to West Chazy and Rouse's Point. 

 Only two suits brought by me are now pending— Philip 

 Sawyer, indicted in the Court of Oyer and Terminer in Clin- 

 ton county, in November, 1884, and Berry St. Germain, 

 indicted at the same time and place. Both gave bail and 

 lam unable to learn why they are not brought to trial." 



THOUSAND ISLANDS DISTRICT. 



State Game and Fish Protector W. M. Steele, who 

 has charge of the Thousand Islaud district, in his 

 annual report states that during the past year he worked 

 201 days and traveled over 4,000 miles in the perform- 

 ance of his duties on the St. Lawrence River. He cap- 

 tured and destroyed 62 nets valued in the aggregate at 

 $15,000. but was unable to prosecute the offenders as the 

 nets were set at night. The protector says : "The illegal 

 fishing has been verv great in the St. Lawrence River in for- 

 mer years. From Tibbetts Light* at the source of tbe river 

 at Lake Oniario to Chippewa Bay, some fifty miles below, 

 .-there have b#ea for many years vm who hare painty mad© 



[Cut this out, put it on a blank, obtain signatures and send to your Member at Albany.] 



A PETITION 

 For the Continued Protection of Adirondack Deer. 



To the Honorable, the Legislature of the State of New York: 



We, the undersigned, residents oi County, respectfully petition that the 



law (Chap. 557, Laws of 1885) which makes it "unlawful to pursue any wild deer in this 

 State with any dog or bitch" may not be amended in any such way as to permit the use of 

 dogs for hunting deer at any time. 



(Signed) 



their living by fishing with nets. It has been estimated that 

 until the St. Lawrence Anglers' Association commenced its 

 work, and prior to my service under the instructions of the 

 commission, there were over 1000 tons of fish taken from the 

 river annually. _ But this is a thing of the past; nets and 

 netters are rapidly disappearing. I believe that the law 

 passed during the last session of the Legislature which for- 

 bids the having in possession black bass and other game fish, 

 will be of very great benefit the coming spring and until the 

 time that the close season ends. The Canadian authorities 

 have taken up the matter of protecting game fish of the 

 river from capture in nets, and have greatly improved their 

 laws and increased their protective service. There have 

 been large numhers of nets destroyed on the Canadian side 

 of the river by their officers and sportsmen. I think we can 

 feel sure that entire co-operation from the other side of the 

 river will be accorded us. With tbe work that is now being 

 done, it can hardly be otherwise thao that the fishing in the 

 river will become even better than it has ever been before." 

 Protector Steele acknowledges having received valuable 

 assistance from Daniel Staring of Alexandria Bay, agent of 

 the St. Lawrence River Association, and H. R. Clarke of 

 Jersey City, N. J. 



A LONG ISLAND GAME PRESERVE. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



A week or so ago, I inserted an advertisment in your 

 paper suggesting that those sufficiently interested in the 

 formation of a gunning and fishing club on Long Island, 

 should address themselves to me at my hotel. I received iu 

 reply quite a number of answers. The subject seemed to 

 create so much interest, and the matter being now to a cer- 

 tain extent under way for the formation of a club, I thought 

 that some of your readers would be interested in a more de- 

 tailed account of the proposed club. 



You recently suggested that many acres of land in the 

 eastern portion of Long Island were lying idle; that the sec- 

 tion was not of a character to be farmed to advantage, nor 

 suited for manufacturing purposes. It was thought possible 

 that this land might be controlled cheaply, and be stocked 

 for the benefit of sportsmen generally, with game, but more 

 especially deer. It is a well known fact that for many years 

 past, deer have made their home upou Long Island, and 

 during the time when the law was off, from Nov. 1 to the 

 loth, have been killed in comparatively large numbers con- 

 sidering the small space of ground. They have existed on 

 Long Island in spite of pot-hunters and hunting out of 

 season. My idea was, that as land on Long Island could be 

 purchased at $10 or $15 per acre, as it was easily accessible 

 by train from New York eity, and as it was utterly impos- 

 sible to get good sport without going long distances and 

 putting up with inferior accommodations, it seemed that 

 this was just the place for such a club. For instance, if 

 twenty gentlemen of means were each to take a share of 

 stock 'in such a club, at $1,000 per share, that would be 

 $20,000 to work with; 500 acres to start with would cost 

 $5,000. A club house would cost as much more. Birds, 

 deer, and all necessary game would cost about $1,000. A 

 kennel would cost about $1,000. The wages of four game- 

 keepers would probably be $3,000. In this way a compar- 

 atively large tract of land, well stocked with accommodation 

 for members' dogs, which could be broken and trained on 

 the ground, and accommodations for members themselves in 

 a club house, run for what could be paid for by a small 

 annual due from each member. Near the Great South Bay 

 there would be facilities for salt-water fishing and wild 

 duck and brant shooting; there also would be one or more 

 fresh water streams, running through this land, which could 

 be stocked with trout, which would afford excellent sport 

 within the first eighteen months. At the same time, certain 

 portions of this land could be cleared, cultivated and put in 

 grain, etc., for the double purpose of supplying straw, etc., 

 for the club stable, and for giving cultivated fields for birds 

 to feed in . 



A thousand acres would of course be better than 500 acres; 

 and 3,000 acres better than 1,000 acres Still, for a commence- 

 ment, 500 acres with the privilege of purchasing four times 

 that amount, would do very well. In this way, it seems to 

 me, that one of the most satisfactory gunning and fishing 

 clubs in the country could be started and maintained in ex 

 cellent style. I have a place at Islip on Long Island, and 

 know all about the land in that region and further east; 

 know just what wages men would expect for the work as 

 suggested, and know about the class of game that abounds 

 there. 



I am very much interested in this subject, having been 

 forced for some years past to go even as far South as Sand- 

 ford, Florida, te get anything like reasonable shooting; 

 and quail shooting under a hot sun in Florida is not quail 

 shooting in the N01 th, as we are accustomed to it. One 

 marked advantage of such a club would be the excellent 

 accommodation near the salt water for members, and the 

 advantage to be obtained in training a large kennel of 

 members' dogs. Indeed, that could be kept the year around 

 if neccessary, and if the number becomes too large for a 

 single kennel, one large kennel could be broken up into 

 four or five smaller ones, with advantage of less danger 

 from contagious diseases. 



If any other gentlemen than those from whom I have 

 already heard, are sufficiently interested in this subject to 

 take from $200 to $1,000 in stobk in such a club; I should 

 like to hear from them; and 1 firmly believe, that in live 

 years' stuares ia wch & elub p&mPi Ton pur#ha*ed for 



five times the original amount invested in them. Indeed I 

 think, in that time, a forced sale of the land itself would 

 bring enough money to reimburse all the members. Silo. 

 Gedney House, New York. 



A FIRST EXPERIENCE. 



A MAN can sometimes be made to appear perfectly 

 J\. ridiculous when he has his wits about him. Sly only 

 deer slaying is stored in my memory in just such an associ- 

 ation as that. It was a number of years ago that a party of 

 us visited the Adirondack to get such game as we could, 

 and such experience as we couldn't help getting. We were 

 four in number, and engaged at one of the most celebrated 

 hotels in the woods, thr^e guides to help us on a camping- 

 out trip. The names of two of them 1 have forgotten, but 

 the name of the third, ou whom this story turns, was Lovell 

 Newell. He has since died but his name will awaken many 

 associations in the minds of some of your readers, who in 

 remembering their own experiences, will doubtless take some 

 pleasure in hearing of this one of mine. 



We started out on a misty morning in three boats, and 

 passed without special incident to thepoud where we intended 

 to camp. Here we found a party ahead of us. Out of this 

 pond we ran into one of those slow '"rivers" of the Adiron- 

 dacks. and several miles down it made our camp. The 

 place had been used as a camp before, and the labor of pitch- 

 ing a camp was greatly reduced, by the labor already expen- 

 ded there in setting up rude tables, fireplaces and laying out 

 bushes for beds. Others may have found that a ready made 

 bed iu the woods means work after you cet into it at night, 

 as well as when you pitch tent. It uiin't aid any to our 

 appreciation of the spot chosen to be obliged to clear the 

 spring of celluloid collars and broken condensed milk cans; 

 but it was so near night that we were oblig' d to accept the 

 situation and we- did so, realizing, as one of our party re- 

 marked, that this was a part of the experience that we had 

 got to take. Passing over tbe night, which was a very ac- 

 tive one for all of us, and so sleepless that there was no need 

 of the assurance by our guides that they would awaken us 

 at four in the morning "to go nut for deer," it is well enough 

 to mention our breaktast. This meal was served on the flat 

 side of a single slab which extended the length of the camp. 

 It consisted of ham and eggs, and some camp griddles 

 served with maple syrup, and it woultl have been splendid 

 if we could have eaten it: but we couldn't. We spent the 

 morning in planning, and this resulted in our all taking to 

 our boats and starting for a famous place for trout. The 

 only fly-rod in the party belonged to me, and when we 

 reached the place, my boat was pushed out so that I had 

 the best position— the one worthiest of my superior tackle. 

 The trout responded readily, and I was soon playing and 

 running back to Lovell Newell one after another, and some- 

 times two taken at a single cast, He disengaged them and 

 threw them into the boat. I was so excited that it never oc- 

 curred to me that my companions were doing anything than 

 watching me and wondering at my famous luck. A swing 

 of the boat distracted my attention, and I turned to see how 

 the rest were enjoying my sport, when to my bewilderment 

 I found that while 1 had been taking in fifteen or twenty 

 trout, those wretched pot-fishers behind my back had rigged 

 themselves out with swamp alder poles, lines, plain hooks 

 and pieces of pork, and had caught and piled up in a hollow 

 on the bank over half a bushel of trout as large as any I had 

 caught. Whe called a halt, and gathered ourselves up for 

 the trip home. 



Newell took me along rapidly, until we had gained quite 

 a distance on the others, when he showed me deer tracks, 

 and said the deer came down to the water at that time of day, 

 and I had '"better look out." 1 carried his gun in the bow 

 of the boat. He paddled in the deft noiseless fashion of a 

 good guide, and 1 wasn't long in working up to the proper 

 pitch of excitement for the second time in one day. In this 

 somewhat intense state I remained during sweep after sweep 

 past dark pool and shadowy turning, until I was tired with 

 the strain. 



Then 1 began to take in the situation. We were returning 

 over the same route that we had noisily taken only a 

 few hours before, and though I hadn't noticed the fact sooner 

 my companions were within a few rods, making noise 

 enough to scare tame cattle, and occasionally shouting and 

 laughing. 1 couldu't feel delighted at the "take in," but I 

 never betrayed the slightest doubt by any action or word 

 that I had lost faith If I couldn't do anything any better, 

 I could make a subj j ct for Ne well's story to his next party, 

 and I wonder that 1 never have heard of the episode since 

 trom any returned sporisman tourist from the Adirondacks. 



J. D. P. 



Memphis, Tenn., Jan. 30.— Deer carcasses without the 

 head are selling iu the Memphis markets for six cents a 

 pound. Venison saddles for eight and ten cents. They are 

 brought over the Kansas City, Springfield & Memphis Rail- 

 road from Aakansas. My three friends, Polk, Warner and 

 Lowenbuig, of Vicksburg, went duck hunting in their new 

 steam launch Greenwing, Jan. 6, and were out in our phe- 

 nomenal blizzard. They r< turned Jan. 9, with two hundred 

 and torn ducks, mostly mallards, killed in Yazoo River and 

 adjacent lakes. They report 1 hat the ice accumulated so 

 rapidly on gloves, clothiDg and decoys, that they could not 

 make the most of their opportunities; otb iwise tcey could 

 easily have secured three times as many ducks. But the 

 thermometer was below zero, which was a new experience 

 for Mississippi duck hunters and they were g]i?d enough 

 get back hame unfrozen, ^-C#4Soau 7 



