162 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Aug. 24, 1895. 



want three months' leave to go to America, and that he 

 jumped at the opportunity. He at once set to work 

 studying the English language, and had kept at it almost 

 every night from then till now. Of course, he could not 

 speak much English, but I think he has done remarkably 

 well, and if his guide will be patient and courteous as 

 Capt. Brand himself, they can trade a lot of language in 

 the two months or more they will be alone in the 

 mountains together. 



Capt. Brand had along two rifles, one the sporting 

 model of the German small-bore-jnilitary arm. This was 

 carbine pattern, short-barreled, handsomely made and 

 sighted very well, with a set of sights I would not mind 

 having on a rifle of my own. He says that the buhet 

 from this rifle has a soft head and expands, making a 

 terrible wound. On roebuck it tore the flesh of the 

 animal, on the opposite side from the entry of the bullet, 

 so that one could put his hand into the wound. Capt. 

 Brand wanted to try his little gun on bear, and I hope he 

 may have the chance. Billy Hofer's partner will at least 

 surely take him up to elk and deer, and perhaps antelope. 

 He was so eager in his anticipations that I want him to 

 have a good time— the more so from one little remark he 

 made: "A female animal I shall never shoot, and of 

 males not many." This is good doctrine for American 

 sportsmen. Capt. Brand leaves his companion at the 

 Fountain Basin in the Park, and goes on through on his 

 hunt. Herr Weber I hope also to see again, for he began 

 the teaching to me of some fine rolling swear words, in 

 which I have always been deficient, and which he says 

 are in general use in the newspaper profession in Ger- 

 many. He assures me that there can be no genuine satis- 

 faction in swearing in English. We had ajvery pleasant 

 international symposium together. 



Protection in Missoula. 



A letter just at hand from Missoula, Mont., shows 

 how far and wide the idea of protecting game is going 

 these days. The writer says: 



"The sportsmen of Missoula County, Montana, have a 

 game warden, Jas. Booth, who is 'just the man for the 

 place.' Yesterday afternoon he stationed himself on a 

 bridge south of this city to inspect the different teams as 

 they returned from the day's outing. Knowing there had 

 been illegal shooting going on, and not being able to lo- 

 cate it, he searched all the rigs containing either 'sports- 

 men' or 'would-be sportsmen.' He was successful in 

 seizing a bag brought in by two of the latter class— 

 'would-be sportsmen'— namely, Lau Lyons and a Mr. 

 Williams. They were returning from the latter's ranch, 

 about 14 miles up the Bitter Root Valley. They had four 

 mallards, three of them young ones. A complaint will 

 be lodged against them at once, as it should be— for what 

 is the use of having a paid game warden at an annual 

 salary of $1,200 if he does not protect the game of the 

 country he has sworn to protect, and who draws a good 

 salary for the same. These parties claimed they were 

 tame ducks owned by this man Williams, and that they 

 were shot on his ranch, but such gammon as that will 

 not do. 



"What encouragement have the sportsmen of this 

 county if such work be allowed to go on? The man who 

 keeps the game laws— who unpacks his gun, gets his 

 dog and goes out shooting when the season opens, Aug. 

 15— finds all the coveys of birds scattered and most of 

 the young ones killed off by those who have been break- 

 ing the game laws. 



"The Forest and Stream is the acknowledged sports- 

 men s paper around here, currying no favor, treating all 

 alike and doing its best to uphold the game laws aB thev 

 should be. 



"One or two examples of this kind will put a quietus 

 on such work, and by having it known through your 

 paper will let others know a few things about the men 

 who set the law at defiance." A. 



Purs in the Far North. 

 The Edmonton Bulletin has some news about furs in the 

 far Northwest ;British Provinces. In a late number it 

 says: 



"Colin Eraser, trader, of Chipewyan, sold to E. Secord 

 on Friday the largest lot of furs ever brought into Ed- 

 monton. The price paid was $20,000. The lot was not 

 only large, the fur was of extra fine quality. It included 

 36 silver foxes, 78 cross foxes, 124 red foxes, 41 fisher, 72 

 otter, 813 beaver, 33 wolverine, 106 bear, 3,016 marten, 

 582 mink, 115 lynx, 7 wolf, 3,100 ra,t and 4Slbs. of cas- 

 torum. The unusual abundance of marten this year, 

 with the comparatively high price at which they sell, adds 

 greatly to the figures of the fur trade this season. Of 

 silver foxes, which are always a rarity, there seems to be 

 more than usual. Mr. Eraser's lot includes two that were 

 almost perfectly black, and of course would be particu- 

 larly valuable on that account. The silver, frequently 

 called the black, fox, is about the same size and build as 

 a red fox. The general color is black, except a white tip 

 on the end of the tail. But on the hind-quarters there is 

 a greater or less proportion of white hairs scattered 

 among the black, giving a silvery appearance to the fur 

 there. The greater the number of these white hairs the 

 less valuable the fur, and the less the number the more 

 valuable. A pelt of perfectly black fur, if in good con- 

 dition, is worth a fabulous sum in Russia, where the 

 silver fox is the distinguishing fur worn by nobility and 

 royalty." E. Hough. 



009 Security Building, Chicago. 



Birds in the South. 



Tangipahoa, La., Aug. 11.— There are a great many 

 bevies of young partridges to be seen, so that I quite think 

 there is a promise of the best season for dog and gun that 

 has been here for a very long time. Many of them now 

 are three parts grown and fly a long gun shot when they 

 are flushed; and as there is little or no shooting until after 

 Oct. 1 (this Parish Nov. 1), there will be plenty of full- 

 grown birds; but there are numbers of old birds either 

 hatching or with very young ones even now, as the merry 

 "Bob White" is yet to be heard. This Parish is what it 

 should be for all— no birds should be shot before Nov 1 

 I do not approve shooting butterfly size of birds, as many 

 men will when the birds rise before them. 



R. S. Nicholson. 



Waverly, Miss. , Aug. 15.— Contrary to my expectations, 

 I am seeing lots of young birds, and also evidence that 

 many are sitting yet. I expect an abundant crop of buds 



throughout this section, and particularly on the field trial 

 grounds and my own grounds were sufficiently well 

 stocked if not a single young bird was raised this year. 



W. W. Titus. 



MISSOURI FISH AND GAME INTERESTS. 



St. Louis, Mo., Aug. 13.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 The proper enforcemeut of good and effective game and 

 fish laws is a question which interests every hunter and 

 fisherman in the State, and it is much to be regretted that 

 while Missouri has as simple and strong a law as could be 

 desired, and which, if properly executed, would result in 

 absolute protection to both game and fish, the last Legis- 

 lature cut down all appropriation and made no provision 

 for the funds necessary to carry out the work. The war- 

 den, Jesse W. Henry, of Jefferson City, is a painstaking 

 and conscientious official, who can be relied upon to carry 

 out the game and fish laws fearlessly and impartially; but 

 the lack of f unds to prosecute violators of the law and 

 prevent unlawful acts seriously hampers him in his work, 

 and if some provision to ameliorate their condition is not 

 devised, the laws will be violated with impunity and in- 

 calculable harm result. 



The following correspondence, which has just passed be- 

 tween the St. Louis Kennel Club and Game Warden 

 Henry, will be found of great interest to all sportsmen in 

 the State, and it is to be hoped that the efforts of the club 

 will do much to assist Mr. Henry and to create a senti- 

 ment in favor of the work of his office which the next 

 Legislature will recognize by a generous appropriation. 

 The date for the mass meeting has not yet been set, but 

 due notice will be given, and officers of hunting and fish- 

 ing clubs and all sportsmen generally are requested to 

 communicate with Secretary Hutchison, 1800 Hickory 

 street, or Treasurer J. B. C. Lucas, of the Citizens Bank, 

 so that the meeting when held will be largely attended 

 and productive of good results. The amount which each 

 sportsman will be asked to subscribe individually will be 

 small and insignificant compared with the good it will 

 accomplish, but in the aggregate it is hoped it will be 

 sufficient to greatly assist the game warden and tide him 

 over that period until the Legislature makes the proper 

 appropriation for the continuance of the good work. 



St. Louis Kennel Club, St. Louis, Mo., Aug. 7. — Mr. 

 Jesse W. Henry, Game Warden, Jefferson County, Mo.: 

 The St. Louis Kennel Club numbers among its members 

 many of the prominent sportsmen of St. Louis and vicin- 

 ity and is naturally interested both as a club and individu- 

 ally in the objects and work of the office to which you 

 have recently been appointed. 



We note with regret that you will be greatly hampered 

 by the neglect of the proper authorities to provide the 

 funds necessary to carry on the good work of your office, 

 and the object of this letter is to place ourselves at your 

 disposal to assist in every way we can to overcome this 

 difficulty, to subscribe our mite toward the establishment 

 of a fund to enable you to increase the scope and useful- 

 ness of your office, and to induce others to join with us 

 in this very desirable object. With this end in view the 

 St. Louis Kennel Club has decided to take the initiative 

 in the matter and in the near future will call a mass 

 meeting of hunters, fishermen and sportsmen generally 

 to discuss the subject and arrange in some way for con- 

 centrated action on their part. 



I need not assure you that it will be a great satisfaction 

 to us if our efforts should meet with even a modicum of 

 the success which they certainly deserve, and I beg that 

 you will consider me at your disposal to carry out any 

 suggestions you may favor me with. I shall be much 

 pleased to hear from you on the subject, and with best 

 wishes, I am yours very truly, Wm. Hutchison, Sec'y. 



Jefferson City, Mo., Aug. 8.— Wm. Hutchison, Esq.: 

 Dear Sir — I was very glad indeed to receive your letter 

 this A. M. I have been satisfied all along that St. Louis 

 would take this matter in hand and place me in a position 

 to accomplish some good. 



I have intended calling on some of the leading gentle- 

 men of your city and discuss matters with them, but 

 have delayed until I thought they were ready and appre- 

 ciated the situation. Have written several of the clubs 

 and have been waiting to hear from them. I will 

 certainly call on your treasurer, Mr. Lucas, when I go 

 down, as well as yourself and others. I returned several 

 days ago from Brunswick, Charlton county, where a 

 deputy had arrested a party of fishermen for seining in 

 Grand River. I went to see that no mistake was made 

 and that this, the first case under the new law, was 

 successful. We succeeded in having them fined and the 

 result will put a stop to all seining in that locality. My 

 deputy there has instructions to enforce the law and to 

 permit no violation of any kind whatever, and I am 

 assured by gentlemen there that he will do his duty. 



As yet I have not received money enough to pay for 

 office expenses, but am going ahead feeling satisfied that 

 thousands of dollars will be raised to push the work just 

 as soon as those interested see that I mean to enforce the 

 law. I enclose you a circular letter, also laws. 



If you will write me when in your opinion I had better 

 come down I will try and make it convenient to be there. 

 Very truly yours, Jesse W. Henry. 



New York Grouse. 



Ithaca, N. Y., Aug. 16.— The vigilants of the shooting 

 fraternity were early afield to-day in quest of the elusive 

 woodcock and bis shapely rival, the ruffed grouse. Some 

 good bags of woodcock are reported on the streets to- 

 night. 



Grouse are reported as unusually plentiful in nearly 

 every part of Tompkins Co., the northern part being the 

 only exception worth noting. This is said to be due to 

 the supervisors' law in force last year, by the operation of 

 which the grouse season closed Dec. 1. This cut off the 

 market shooter and set him to trapping skunks and minks 

 kill in g foxes and other carnivorous animals that prey 

 upon our game birds. Dec. 1 ought to be the grouse clos- 

 ing season for this section if not the entire State. 



M. Chill. 



Second Sportsmen's Exposition. 



New York City, Aug. 16.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 There will be a general meeting of the Sportsmen's Asso- 

 ciation held on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 312 Broadway, at 

 2:30 P. M. Arrangements for the Exposition of 1896 will 

 be made and such other important business transacted as 

 may be deemed necessary. Frederic S. Webster, Sec'y. 



THOSE ALASKA DUCK EGGS. 



The Seattle Argus of Aug. 3 prints this: 



"On the third page of this paper will be found an 

 article setting forth the danger that menaces our game 

 birds by the wholesale destruction of eggs in Alaska. 

 That such destruction exists there is no doubt. This pa- 

 per has investigated this matter as thoroughly as it can 

 be investigated without sending an agent to the hatcher- 

 ies. 



"There is but one way to get at the bottom of this 

 matter, and that is by sending a special agent of the Gov- 

 ernment to Alaska to investigate and report in order that 

 Congress at its next session should take intelligent action. 

 The Argus believes that if the rod and gun clubs of the 

 country generally pass resolutions to this effect, it will 

 accomplish the desired result. It would therefore ask 

 that the press of the country generally, and especially 

 the sporting papers, take hold of this matter and urge 

 upon the Secretary of the Treasury the importance of im- 

 mediate action. 



"The business of gathering eggs for their albumen, as 

 described by Senator Mitchell, is controlled by powerful 

 syndicates, who have spent much money, and stand 

 ready to spend more, to prevent the investigation of this 

 matter, by casting discredit on the story. But sportsmen 

 should remember the fate of our buffalo, deer and seal, 

 and remembering, should take immediate action to pre- 

 vent the re-occurrence in the matter of game of the feath- 

 ered tribes. 



"Those papers commenting on the matter, and gun 

 clubs passing resolutions in regard thereto, are requested 

 to forward copies to this paper. 



"Forest and Stream of July 22 published a long and 

 elaborate article designed to throw discredit on this story. 

 It is very much to the discredit of that publication that 

 it should take this action without proper investigation. 

 The principal thing on which they base their article is the 

 denial of the railroad companies, whose business in this 

 line would be ruined by competition, and of the importers, 

 whose business would be ruined by publicity. They also 

 publish letters from custom officers saying that this traffic 

 does not exist, to the best of their knowledge and belief. 



"In refutation of this, the Argus can produce affidavits 

 to the effect that this traffic does exist to an enormous 

 extent, although to just what extent can only be ascer- 

 tained by intelligent and honest investigation. 



"The Argus will publish soon statements from ex-cus- 

 toms officials showing that this business does exist to an 

 enormous extent." 



Th6 "article setting forth the danger," on the third 

 page, runs as follows: 



"On Jan. 28, 1895, Hon. JohnH. Mitchell, senatorfrom 

 Oregon, introduced in the United States Senate a bill for 

 the protection of game wildfowl in Alaska, but by some 

 misfortune it did not reach a vote. Herewith the Argus 

 prints Senator Mitchell's statement upon introducing the 

 bill, and, take it for granted that he has been misinformed 

 as to the number of game eggs shipped out of the Terri- 

 tory of Alaska, there yet remains a useless destruction 

 that is appalling. 



"There is but little doubt that from twenty to twenty- 

 five thousand dozen eggs are taken from nests in the 

 Alaska hatcheries annually. In gathering these nearly 

 as many more are thrown away, having been partly 

 hatched. Thus it will be seen that the destruction of 

 eggs is something enormous. With the sportsmen shoot- 

 ing the game in civilization and the robbing of the nests 

 in Alaska, it will only be a short time before our ducks, 

 geese and swan will be game of the past. 



"The manui actors of firearms, as well as sportsmen, 

 must see that this robbery will affect them, and it is to 

 their interest that they do what they can to have this mat- 

 ter brought before the Secretary of the Treasury at once, 

 so that steps may be immediately taken to send some one 

 to these breeding grounds to make a thorough investiga- 

 tion, and stop this wanton destruction. 



"It will doubtless be of interest to know something 

 about these breeding grounds. Along the Yukon and the 

 river emptying into Golivin Bay are large areas of low 

 lands, where the duck, goose and swan do their nesting. 

 In early spring hundreds of thousands of these birds may 

 be seen coming from the south to this far-away land, 

 where they think they are free to build their nests and 

 hatch their young, only to meet their worst enemy, the 

 nest robber. 



"Some may wonder why they have never heard of this 

 before, but how many are there who even know where 

 these places are? If you will take a map of Alaska, you 

 will find the Yukon River emptying into the Bering Sea, 

 and north of the Yukon you will find Golivin Bay. 

 South of the Yukon is another large river, called Kusko- 

 quim, and still further south one equally as large called 

 Nushegak. Along these rivers are large hatcheries where 

 eggs are also gathered. 



"These eggs are not gathered because they are neces- 

 sary for food. Birds are abundant. But the eggs are 

 more easily obtained. It costs nothing to gather them, 

 while in killing the birds it would be necessary to use 

 ammunition, and go to the trouble of salting them. 



"These bird nests are so thick that on the breeding 

 grounds it is almost impossible to step without crashing 

 into a nest. But the grounds are not of so great an area 

 as a few years ago. 



"As an illustration of the enormous number of birds in 

 this region, the manner in which the natives kill them 

 might be cited. They have six sinew strings about three 

 feet in length, fastened together at one end by a large 

 quill, while at other end are ivory balls, pear shaped and 

 about the size of a walnut. They approach a flock of 

 ducks or geese at dusk, and commence swinging this 

 sinew tongs until the six strings whirling above their 

 heads resemble the spokes in a hub. When the birds rise 

 to fly, the sinew tongs are thrown into the flock, the ivory 

 balls causing the sinew to wind around the neck, leg, or 

 wing of the bird, whichever it may strike first. Some- 

 times as many as a dozen are captured at one throw. 



"It is to the interest of these nest robbers that no one 

 should know these facts, and therefore the sportsmen are 

 always confronted with the cry of 'nonsense,' started by 

 these game destroyers. 



"The sportsmen should take measures at once to have 

 this investigated." 



37ie Forest and Stream is put to press each week on Tuesday, 

 Correspondence intended for publication should reach us at the 

 latest by Monday, and as much earlier as practicable. 



