JaJT. 20, 1887.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



607 



MABSAcnusETTS ASSOCIATION. — The 13th annual elec- 

 tion of the Maasacbixaetts tish and Game Protective As- 

 BOciation was held last week; President Edward A. 

 Samnels presidiag over the 50 or 60 members assembled. 

 The treasm-er'e report showed that the association duiing 

 the past year received: From new membership, $125; 

 from ammal assessments, $436; fron\ donations and sub- 

 scriptions, $600; also that an available balance of about 

 |200 was on hand for the purpose of prosecuting infrac- 

 tions of the fish and game laws. Officers were efected as 

 foUows: President, Edward A. Samuels: Vice-Presi- 

 dents, Hon. Dan'l Needhamj Walter M. Brackett^ Charles 

 Wliittier, John Settson, H. H. Kimball, Walton C. 

 Taft, Horace T. Roclnpell; Treasurer, Frederick R. Shat- 

 tuck; Secretary, Henrv J. Thayer: Librarian, John 

 FOttler, Jr. ; Executive Committee, Hon. Chas. L. Wood- 

 bixry, Warren Hapgood, William S. Hills, Charles W. 

 St^vensj John P. Woodbury, Ivera W. Adams, Jolm 

 Fottler, Jr., Benj. F. Nichols, Henry C. Litchfield, George 

 W, Wigginj Senj. C. Clark, Isaac Y. Chubbuck ; Mem* 

 bership Committee; Henry J. Thayer, Edw^ E; Small) 

 George Jlixter. 



Boston, Mass., Jan. 17.— In the Charlestown Municipal 

 Court this morning, before Judge Bragg, John W. Mit^ 

 cheU plead guilty to ha\aug m possesKion golden -winged 

 woodpeckers and cardinal grosbeaks contrary to law. and 

 was fined $20, It is rumored, upon good authority, that 

 the Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective Association) 

 which made this iJrosecutioui is intending to make similar 

 prosecutions agahist the proprietors of certain bird stores, 

 Which make a practice of catching and keeping for sale 

 many of our beautiful and useful song brrds, such as 

 orioles^ tanagersj robins and indigo birds. The associa- 

 tion deseiwes great credit for the mmierous cases it has 

 investigated and prosecuted diu-ing the past year; and 

 those interested in its actions are in hope that its work 

 will not be confined to the preservation of our native 

 Bong birds alone, but that it will (if such is not at present 

 the case) endeavor to ascei'tain "why certain restam'ants 

 still have on their bills of faxe (or furnish secrefiy) 

 partiTidge out of season. 



Do Quail Follow Settlees?— Doland, Spuik Co., 

 Dakota, Jan. 11. — Editor Forest and Stream: It has 

 boon reported to me that several flocks of quail have been 

 seen in Spink coimty lately, the first that we have ever 

 heard of. Do they follow the settlers as the pinnated 

 grouse does ? Can any of your readers answer this ? It 

 IS very cold here now, 54°" below zero. There are only 

 three buildings in this place (Verdon, some miles from 

 Doland)« and no game of any kind at this time of year 

 except jack rabbitsi-^. L. R. [Quail are beheved t^ fol- 

 low settlements. They have done so further south, and 

 no doubt many of our readers can give instances of 

 this.] 



Given over to Mathejuatics,— Charlestown, N. H.— 

 Add my approval to the "Criticisms of the Critic," 

 which your other correspondents have favored you with. 

 My own pen has been cramped for so many years wdth 

 caleulations on mechanics and mathematics, that it does 

 not assume the delightful flow of description with which 

 "Piseoo" and "Wawayanda." "Kingfisher" and "Sam 

 LoveU" grace yom- columns, but I can read and enjoy, if 

 I cannot -wTrite, and my favorite paper, without souie of 

 these gi-aphic illustrations of the Ijeauty of nattu-e, and 

 its various developments, would be as the old saving is. 

 "like the pla,y of 'Hamlet' vvdth the Royal Dane leit out." 

 —Von W. 



Brooklyn Gun Club. — The annual meeting of the 

 Brooklyn Gun Club was held Jan. 11, The following 

 officers' were elected: President, Henry F. Aten, M. D.; 

 Vice-President, John L. Hill; Secretary, John E. McEwan; 

 Ti-easurer, I. C. Monroe. Executive Committee, Gustave 

 Walter, James M. Bloomfield, Samuel F. Prentiss. 

 Trustees, Hon. Calvin E. Pratt, Fi-eliug H. Smith, The 

 membership is Umited to forty. There are no vacancies. 

 The club own two trout ponds and the shooting over 

 abotit 7,000 acres of land. About 500 quail were killed bj^ 

 the members on the club grounds tliis last season.— John 

 E. McEwan. 



North Carolina Quail Grounds.— A recent visit 

 •with gun and dog to the Piedmont section of North 

 Carolina, convinces me that there is the veritable Eden 

 for the quail hunter, and I would not go amiss in claim- 

 ing for the fields adjacent to High Point preeminence. 

 Here annually gather the members of the Eastern Field 

 Trials Club, and here the sportsman more intent upon 

 business and a full bag, may go with the full assurance 

 that he will find the flocks afield. To bag forty a day is 

 not uncommon for those who. have staunch legs and 

 steady aim, — C. H. 



The New York Game Law wiU probably midergo 

 extensive amending this season. The Eastern *New York 

 XJame and Fish Protective Association has appointed a 

 committee, consisting of Dr. S, B. Ward, Gen. R. L. 

 Banks and W, W. Hill, to confer tipon the subject mth a 

 committee of the New York City Society, consisting of 

 Messrs. Chas. E. Whitehead, Benj. L. Ludington and A. 

 Wagstaff. The St, Lawrence and the Lake George 

 societies have been invited to join in the work, A bill 

 has been introduced at Albany forbidding the killing of 

 wil'ifowl in April. 



.INDL\N Territory.— The law forbidding trespass on 

 the Indian Territory has been enforced of late, and many 

 St. Loui-s sportsmen have been complied to forego theii- 

 customary exom-sions. The Tdissouri Republican reports: 

 Congressman Glover recently made special application 

 for a permit for one of our best St. Louis spoi-tsmen, and 

 •was answered yesterday by wire as follows: "Hon. John 

 M. Glover: Section 1,237, Revised Statutes, prohibits 

 hmiting in Indian Territory. I have uniformly refused 

 all a^^plications for that puiijose.— ^. D. C, Adams, Com- 

 missioner." 



An Oyster on the Wing.— Our con-espondent " Old 

 Gunner," of AtlunticviUe, of Long Island, relates that he 

 once had the odd luck to shoot an oyster on the wing, 

 Tbo flying fish was taking passage with a vellowleg and 

 ^ Islim. the Great South Bay bound for Sjjjnnecodk. 

 fromt. ^ ■ ~ - 



hey we,. 



Tennessee.— Mr. H. E. Jones, of Nashville, president 

 of the Tennessee Sportsman's Association, has appointed 

 the following gentlemen as a committee to prepare and 

 submit to the Legislattu-e a bill for the protection of the 

 game and fish of the State from wanton destruction, as 

 foUows: J. M. Dickinson. C. D. Berry and J. P. Helms, of 

 Nashville; F. I, Stone, of Cliattanooga, and Dr. A. J. 

 Campbell, of KnoxviUe, 



A Trans-Continental Cheer. — ^Thetis, Stevens county, 

 W. T., Jan. 3.— Editor B'orest and Stream: Allow me to 

 thank you for the entertainment derived from your 

 superb Clnristmas issliej Hurrah! for the Forest and 

 Stream.— Uncle Fuller. 



A NEW ENGLAND FOX HUNT. 



AT i o'clock on a misty morning in November, I got into 

 my buggy at Portsmouth, N. H., and drove seventeen 

 miles to the town of Berwick, Me., where I had promised to 

 meet a couple of famous hunters for an old-time New Ene- 

 land fox himt. The two hours and a quarter drive througli 

 the dark, night was decidedly tedious, and the mist often 

 thicke)ied into rain, which {?ame down to stich an extent as 

 to make the j)rospects for a siioccssful chase anything but 

 promismg. Tliis wa« not an aiisplcioiis begiiming, but, 

 when upon arriving at the rendezvous, Joe, a typical Maine 

 fox hunter, and the one ux^on whom we t-hieflv relied for a 

 start, shook his head gloomily and remarked that "the' 

 wan't no use foxing in a flood," my courage descended to 

 the heels of my rliober boots. However, I had no idea of 

 giving up a hunt after having driven so far thronsh the rain 

 for that purpose, and Mr, M., the other member of tiie hunt, 

 coming bravely to my assistance, we soon had Joe and his 

 dogs under way for the Plains. Now tlie plains are a num- 

 ber of old fields interspersed between pine tnickcts and alder 

 swamps, about four miles from Berwick village, oar stJU'ting 

 point, and are renowned for the number of foxes which bur- 

 row and hide there by day and descend trpon the neighbor- 

 ing chickens at night. We walked rapidly through the mist, 

 and when nearing the old fields a fox track was discovered 

 in the sand, and the dogs, Mr. M.'s noble old Bruno, and his 

 two sons, Skinner and Keyser, Joe's property, were turned 

 loose. The track proved an old one, and though the old dog, 

 with the eager assistance of the youngsters, carried it across 

 fields and through sv. nmps for over a mile, it wai? qrnte evi- 

 dent that it would be useless to pursue it further, so the 

 dogs were called off. 



After a brief consultation we tramped off to a range of 

 wooded hills a couple of miles distant, considered good fo.x 

 ground, and turned the dogs loo.se again. We waited anx- 

 iously in the now pattering rain for a gladdening note from 

 the hounds; but though they worked diligently no .scent was 

 struck, and noon found us wet, himgry and decidedly out of 

 spirits. council of war was now held, while we disposed 

 of. our scanty lunch, and it was determined totry Newcomb's 

 Woods, a cover about a^ ndle away, and shoula that fail us 

 to give up the huut and seek the fkeside to warm our 

 benumbed fingers .and dry our wet clothes. We were soon 

 tnidfang toward Newcomb's. and as Ave approached the 

 woods Joe informed us that it was good fox ground and that 

 he had "cut down a slew on 'em in it." 



We had hardly stationed our.selves on the old wood roads 

 known to be good runways, with the dogs working with that 

 feverish quickness which denotes a warm scent in the air. 

 when Bruno mounted a small knoll just in front of us and 

 burst forth in a stentorian bay that made the welkin ring 

 and sent a thrill of vnld deliglit through every fiber of our 

 di-euched and dejected bodies. That bay meant game, game 

 near at hand, and when the youngsters chimed in and the 

 pack started off in full cry at a teaiing gait, we knew it was 

 up and going for dear life. But what was it? The start had 

 been made in the middle of a rabbit swamp, and we knew 

 that the old dog, after working until afternoon and 

 failing to start a fox, would take to rabbiting in 

 sheer desperation, for he must run something. The sus- 

 pense, however, was shoj'f>-lived, for the chase, though 

 at first straight away from us, was soon directed toward us, 

 and the rattling pace of the dogs would bring them upon us 

 in a few moments. Suddenly a tuft of red fur was seen 

 among the blackljerry bushes, "and the next instant a noble 

 old fox bounded into the wood road, and started toward us. 

 In a twinkling a loud report blended with the mu.sic of the 

 .savage pack, and reynard tumbled over on the mo-ss; but 

 he wfis a plucky fellow, and springing to his feet, dashed 

 around the comer of the road on three legs, followed bv an- 

 other charge of BBs, As his brush disappeared behind the 

 hemlock boughs, the dogs with foaming mouths and savage 

 cry burst into the road, and for an instant were at farilt 

 wuere the fox had doubled; but the strong scent of fox and 

 blood was fatal for poor rejmard, and scarcely a minute 

 later the cry of the pack was hushed, and we hm'ried to the 

 gTOUud to find the fox gasping his life away under the cruel 

 teeth of the infuriated dogs. He was a tine fellow, and 

 though the chase only lasted a half hour, gave us as spii-ited 

 and exciting a run as I have ever participated in. 



We had tramped for six hours in the rain, and over many 

 miles of rough groimd, but the reward of that brilliant 

 thirty-minute iiin, with its exciting and satisfactory termin- 

 ation, doubly repaid us. Upon returning to my team I 

 threw the handsome skin under the buggy seat, and drove 

 the seventeen miles back home, through the' rain and gather- 

 ing night, filled with that glad content that the successful 

 huntsman alone cau experience. FoxcRAFT. 



POKTSMOCTH, X. H. 



PASSAIC COUNTY ASSOCIATION, 



ANNUAL report of tlie secretary and treasurer of the Passaic 

 County Fisli and Game Protective Association for 188C gives 

 the following account of work done: 



The year which has elapsed since my last annual report has not 

 been as busy as its predecessor, but there was less reason for 

 actix ity, tlie Liwless element in onr midst hav ing been convinced 

 that they cannot violate the law with impunity' as in pre-\Tious 

 years. A few prosecutions and a determination on our part to 

 protect the fibli and Kame in Passaic county put a stop to most of 

 the violations of the law. 



Tlie most impoi'tant prosecutions since my last annual report 

 have been the proceedings iustituted against the violators of the 

 law at tlreenwood Lake, The guides and others at this lake 

 violated the Icav whenever iliey saw convenient; they could not do 

 this very well during the open season for there were too many eyes 

 watching them. No sooner, however, did the season close than tish 

 were taken out of the lake in all manner of ways. After consider- 

 able diligent inquiry and the preparation of testimony ten com- 

 plaints were made, and the lesult was ten convictions, two of the 

 cases being abandoned on account of lack of evidence to convict. 

 Those who were convicted eittier pluaded poverty or that it was 

 their first oll'ense. In order not to snow any unjust discrimination 

 all were let go on Che payment of SIO, a pai-t of thecosts, allltaving 

 promised to sin no more in tlie future and to assist llie Association 

 in the enforcement of thelaws. Subsequent experience has shown 

 that these promises xvere not idle. The moat unpleasant feature 

 of these prosecutions was that t'n o of the guilty persons were game- 

 keept?TS m tne employ of Cooper & He^^dtt; they were paid to guard 

 tlie property of their employers; they Certainly have no respect 

 for that of the public. In addition to these prosecutions there 

 were a number of minor ones, which were i-eported at the meetings 

 of the Association and to which no partictdar reference is called 

 for here. 



As, however, this report Is to cover the months of November and 

 December of last year— for wbich no report has as yet been pre- 

 senttHl— it is but proper that I should go more into det.Hil as to the 

 proceedings during these two months. In addition to aever.-il com- 

 plaints \vluch were investigated and abandoned on account ot lack 

 of evidence, complaints M'ere made against Josiah Ricker, Smith 

 Kicker and Abraham Beatty, for shooting rabbits. out oil season. 



The complaints were ffiade on the testimony of a farmer, but ft 

 Bubsequenf ly apiieared that the complaints had been made out or 

 spite and that there ^vas little evidence to substantiate them. Th© 

 prosecutloDj were accordinfrly abandoned, John Hofge-^aiig was 

 arrested for killing three quail out of season, but it was his first 

 offense and he was allowed to go on payment of costs. Three 

 Italians were aii-ested for ktUing song and insectivorous birds,/ 

 The offieej-s of the Association were led to believe that tlds offense 

 had been committed frequently in the past, and considerable time 

 and money had been expended in attempting to bring the offenders 

 \o .instice. The tliree Italians were convicted and Uned $6 and 

 costs, they claiming that it was their first otfense. Like other 

 violators of the law they imagined that game laws were passed 

 only to be brokeji nt pleasure, and they refused to pay their costs 

 and tines, A few hours sojourn in the county jail brought them to 

 i'-rmM arid they paid up, after passing a resolution never tovioiat© 

 the law again. 



The As.-o( i»tion this year did not eSpend any more money lu 

 the distribution of quail. Over a hundred dollars was expended 

 in this way during the previous season, and thei-e is still a balance 

 of $10,77 to the credit of this fund . The result of distributing anaiJ 

 has lieen most gratifying, the birds having done well and there 

 being far more of them now than there have been for years. 



During the year the Association considered the introduction of 

 alewives into Greenwood Lake and other waters of this cotmty, 

 but the opposition to it among the members of the Association 

 and among those wlio had fished Greenwood Lake Avas nearly un- 

 animous, many being of the beHef that the alewives would increase 

 to such a degree as to overstock the lake and deteriorate the fich- 

 ing. it was accordingly abandoned. 



Amoiiii: othei' iMiprovcmti'uts contemplated was the erection and 

 maintenance of a soreen at the outlet of GreetiWood Lake, it being 

 apparent that thousands of fish get out of the lake in this way 

 every season, and are lost to the angler, as the fish are washed intfl 

 the Morris Canal and through it into the oc^ean. Investigations 

 showed tljjit this project corild not be properly carried out except 

 at the outlay of considerable money— more than the Association 

 had at its command. As comparatively few of the members of 

 the Association visited Greenwood Lake it was resolved fo call on 

 the Gvuonwood Lalio Club for assistance. It was .argued that the 

 men ot means belonging to the club ought to be willing to con- 

 tribute their share toward protecting the lake and improving it. 

 An attempt \va5 made to increase the membership of the Associ- 

 ation by soliciting members cf the Greenwood Lake Club to join: 

 the result was tiifit six joined— certainly a vevv small proportion. 

 This was certainly ditiappninting and the result wasthat thescreen 

 project was laid on the table, wnere it still rests, 



Tlie Association did not applv during the pa,st year for any 

 legislation, as none was -needed. ' In tlie pre\ious years a number 

 of laws had been passefl at ^;he request of t!ie Association, and it 

 was found that the laws work'.-d about as well as might be expected 

 frotn sueh a mixed up mess as constitute the fish and game laws 

 of New Jerse.v, It has lx>en suggented that a commission ought to 

 be appointed to revise and codify the laws of the .State, and some 

 steps in this direction have been taken. This would probably 

 prove of considerable advantage if the commission were properly 

 appointed, and the assistance of the Association can doubtlesa be 

 counted upon, 



Aoeording to my last annual report there was on hand at the 

 time the stmi of $50.62; since that time the Association has received- 

 $.50.7") as fees and .?.55.80 as its share of the fines imposed on con- 

 victed offenders. The expenses according to vouchers submitted 

 at the various meetings amounted to $147,53 during tlie vear, 

 leaving .<»19.6r) iu the treasury at present. There is a considerable 

 sum due from members for dues, but little attempt ha,? been made 

 to collect this, as there was no call for funds. Now that fho 

 treasury is low with several projects under consideration which 

 will call for the outlay of funds, it is hoped that members In ar« 

 rears will pay up aa promptly as possible. 



The Association at present has 06 members, IShaying been added 

 during the year, one ha'.nng died and two resigned. 



Charles A. SHKEfisn, Secretjiry and Treasurer. 



FOREST AND STREAM BOOKS. 



'■pHE December Mofiazme of American History says of Hallock's 

 X "Our New Alaska:" "Mr. Hallock has wiitten of Alaska 

 with the specific pm-pose of pointing out its visible resources, and 

 to assist their development. He is a practiced writer and a prac- 

 tical thinker, and returns from the tour of .southeastern Alaska 

 imbued with the Arm conviction that important industries are at 

 once available there for immediate profit. He would have the 

 members of our national Congress see the advantage, as well aa 

 the duty of providing proper protection fot the people of Alaska, 

 and grant them representation tkrough a chosen delegate. His 

 hor^s for (he future of this far-otT territory are highly colored, 

 and it is refreshing to meet Avith an author of such marked ability 

 and sound foresight who can, through his ovm personal observa- 

 tion, produce and illumine a woi-k with so blight an outlook. 

 'The time is close at hand,' he says, 'when Alaska's mighty forests 

 will jield their treasures, her mines Viill open out their richness, 

 her seas will give of their abundance, and all her quiet coves will 

 be converted into busy harbors. Already the vibrations of the 

 pending boom begin to agitate the air. i.etters of inquiry from 

 intending settlers come from every section. Official departments 

 are getting down to systematic work. New industries liave been 

 establislied wltliin the present year. Capita! will no longer b« 

 withhold grudgingly from enterprises waiting to be developed.' 

 Tlr. Halloc^k shows how greatly Alaska has been misjudged, and 

 its scope and fitness for r.gricidtui'e and stock raising misunder- 

 stood. The wheat region alcne might feed the world. He does 

 not think it worth while to push inland until the opportunities 

 are utilized for development on the coast, 'Population,' he says, 

 '■will penetrate into the interior as soon as economic industries 

 are fairly introduced along the seaboard.' Mr. Hallock's book is 

 one destined to perform an important and much needed sei-vice 

 to our coimtry, and deserves the most careful study. It should 

 go hand in hand wltli Mr. EUiott's work, as each snpiilemeuts the 

 other in many important partictdars." 



The Augusta (Me.) Home Farm savB of "The Forest Waters the 

 Farm:" Rev. S. Vf. Powell has published a translation of a little 

 work from the French on the siiriject of the A'alue of woodlands 

 as reservoirs for wat«r storage for the uses of the farm. It is a 

 sort of primer in the form of a dialogue between a peasant and a 

 teacher, in which the relations of agriculture to forestry are set 

 forth in a spirited and convincing manner. It is an argument for 

 the planting of trees and the protection of forests already stand- 

 ing, which has quite as much force for certain cections of om- 

 country as it has for those portions of France where the steep 

 hillside forests have been cut off. The keynote of the little pam- 

 phlet may be gathered from these sentences taken from difrerent 

 pages: 'Tne forest on the mcuntain saves the soil on the hillside, 

 and makes the spring in the valley. Where the earth is in danger 

 from water plant a sapling. The roots hold the water, the water 

 makes grass, grass makes flocks, flocks make manure, manui-e 

 makes grain.' " 



"Good morning, Mr. Dobbs." "Good morning, Congress- 

 man. ' "Did you get the 4,000 young shad I ordered the Fish 

 Commissioner to send you?" ''Yes." "I suppose you've 

 stocked your brook. They were very fiue, " "Fme! Tender 

 as a chicken." "Tender ? Didn't you put them in the pond 

 to hatch ?" "Not much; we ate them!" — Chicago Ledger. 



Several months ago the readers of the xyiin may have 

 noticed the statement that during a violent wind storm a 

 bird was chiveu into the Sini office iu an exhausted condition. 

 The bii-d was secxu-ed and placed in the i^ucker basket that 

 contained the remains of .short-footed poetical effusions and 

 long-legged communications. The stranger was a singular 

 bird, with a russet feather gown trimmed with white at the 

 tip, and a mellow red beneath his wings. His eye was bril- 

 liant in the extreme, and courage was reflected in the poise 

 and caiTiage of his head. Not many hours had passed until 

 he knew each member of the staff, and had left his imprint 

 on the fingers of those who had caressed him. The bim was 

 given to a gentleman to rear, and he was christened with the 

 storm drops on his brow "The Storm King." So he is now 

 known, and every day develops his fondness for the winds, 

 rains and storms. In quiet weather he is calm, hut before 

 the coming aud after a storm has begun he is wild with 

 excitement and rapidly sends forth the notes of a curious 

 song, more w^ai-like than sweet.— xjaU/r/iOv t; Sun. 



The most entertaining series of camping out articles which 

 we have read this year, was published lately in that excellent 

 journal of outdoor life, the FoEEST and Steea>l It was 

 entitled "Sam Level's Camps," and for quiet humor, racy 

 description and literary finish would be hard to equaled. We 

 hope to see further contributions fr om the same pen. — Wh ite- 

 water {Wis.) Regiater. 



