Oct. 26, 1895. , 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



389 



Maine, in a vain effort to get a moose or deer. Although 

 provided with the best guides and equipped with every- 

 thing to insure success, he did not even get a shot, seeing 

 nothing in the shape of large game except those killed by 

 more fortunate hunters. Quite different was the experi- 

 ence of Fred F, Higgins, of Somerville, Mass. This young 

 man, who had never before been hunting in the Maine 

 woods, and lays no special claim to skill with the rifle, 

 went down to Greenville with John Hunnewell, of the 

 same city, and from there to camp at Lower Wilson 

 Pond. The whole trip occupied but eight days, and dur- 

 ing that time Mr. Higgins killed a magnificent buck deer. 

 His only shot fired caused instant death to the animal. 

 He declares that he did not feel a single tremor of buck 

 fever, and knowing him to be a cool-headed young man, 

 I believe his statement. Of course, he is now a thorough 

 convert to the Maine woods, and I am afraid if all the 

 tenderfeet could do as well Maine would be filled beyond 

 her capacity. Hackle, 



THE ST. JEROME CLUB'S NEW HOUSE. 



Northekn Quebec, one of the most beautiful and pic- 

 uresque portions of the great Dominion, has for years 

 been almost a terra incognita, except by a few keen 

 sportsmen who have penetrated its solitudes and returned 

 with stories of its wonderful natural scenery. The day 

 is coming when this portion of the Province will be bet- 

 ter known and more appreciated by those possessed of a 

 love of nature and of sport. It is due to the foresight 

 and labors of Lieut. -Gov. Chapleau, the late Cure Labelle 

 and Mr. Nantel, the present commissioner of public 

 works, that this district has been opened up. Mr. Chap- 

 leau, when premier of the Province, took a deep inter- 

 est in the North, and it was due to his efforts that the 

 work of railway communication so essential to the open- 

 ing up of a country was commenced. Cure Labelle was 

 the veritable father of the North, and his memory is 

 cherished with loving regard throughout the whole 

 district. He was the apostle of colonization, and he 

 labored in and out of season to draw attention to the 

 beauties of the region. His name has been given to one 

 of the largest and most beautiful lakes in the district, and 

 the statue of the devoted priest may be seen at many 

 points. The Colonization Society, of which Dr. Brisson 

 is the indefatigable chief, has taken up the work and is 

 carrying on the patriotic labor of colonization most suc- 

 cessfully. 



But jt is as a sportsmen's paradise that the North will 

 become famous. It has for years been the favorite resort 

 of a few sportsmen, but owing to ignorance as to its rare 

 advantages and the absence of easy communication, it 

 has been visited by but a few. The opening of the Mon- 

 treal and Western Colonization Railway, now operated by 

 the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, marked a new 

 era for the region. When it became known that within 

 a few hours' ride of Montreal there existed a veritable 

 fairy land of beauty, the region was bound to attract 

 attention. St. Agathe, on the beautiful Lac des SableB, 

 has already become a popular resort for Montrealers. The 

 possibilities of the region as a field for sport early attracted 

 attention, but to render them effective organization 

 became necessary. This has now been accomplished. In 

 1892 the St. Jerome Fish and Game Club was established 

 and chartered. The club started in a modest way, but it 

 has made great progress. His Honor, the Lieutenant- 

 Governor, took great interest in the club and became the 

 honorary president. Hon. Mr. Nantel is the president, 

 Mr. L. J. Lachaine the vice-president, and Mr. E. Rodier 

 the zealous secretary. The club's capital is $10,000, in $100 

 shares, and the membership is limited to one hundred. 

 The annual subscription is from $15 to $20. The member- 

 ship includes many prominent Montrealers as well as 

 leading residents of the district, and there is no doubt 

 that it is destined to play an important part in the future 

 of the North. To assure the club's success, suitable head- 

 quarters became absolutely necessary, and they are now 

 an accomplished fact. In August last, the work of 

 constructing a club house was commenced, and although 

 the building is still in an unfinished condition, wonderful 

 progress has been made, and the club house premises, 

 when completed, will be one of the finest structures of its 

 kind in the Dominion. The club house is built on He 

 Chapleau, a beautiful island, comprising nearly 300 

 acres of land, situated on Lac Chapleau, sixteen miles 

 from Labelle station. The lake and island have been 

 called after the Lieutenant-Governor, who is proprietor 

 of the island as well as honorary president of the club. 



It was to attend the inauguration of the new club house 

 and to enjoy the hospitality of the officers and members 

 that a distinguished party left Montreal on Thursday 

 morning for Labelle. A special of three cara, including 

 the Lieutenant-Governor's private car, had been placed at 

 the disposition of the party by Mr. Shaughnessy, of the 

 Canadian Pacific Railway. A stop was made at St. 

 Agathe, where the visitors were treated to a drive around 

 Lac des Sables. The railway from this point winds 

 through a mountainous district of picturesque grandeur, 

 dotted with large and small lakes, such as Lake Mercier, 

 a favorite resort of the late Liberal leader, Lake La 

 Fouche and numerous others. The railway line is on a 

 continuously ascending grade, the highest point of the 

 district being over 2,000ft. above the St. Lawrence. Cas- 

 cades and rapids are numerous, and a most beautiful 

 panorama was presented from the car windows. The 

 party reached Labelle early in the afternoon, and a drive 

 of sixteen miles brought the visitors to the club house m 

 He Chapleau at nightfall. On the way a chain of beauti- 

 ful lakes, including lakes Labelle, Belanger, Dansereau, 

 Alphonse, Lachapelle aad Desert, which will hereafter be 

 known as Lac Ouimet, in honor of the Minister of Public 

 Works, were passed. All these lakes, with a number of 

 others, sixteen in all, are now under the control of the 

 club, which possesses the exclusive fishing and shooting 

 privileges. The lakes abound in trout and other fish, and 

 the surrounding woods in game. A warm welcome 

 awaited the visitors at the club house. 



After a good night's rest many of the visitors started 

 out early in the morning to fish and hunt. The Lieuten- 

 ant-Governor is a keen disciple of Izaak Walton, and he 

 was off among the first with his rod, returning at lunch 

 time with a splendid string of fine trout. Other members 

 of the party brought back many braces of partridges. The 

 most exciting incident of the trip happened in the after- 

 noon. While some of the guests were sitting on the ver- 

 anda quietly smoking and enjoying the beautiful view, 

 several deer were noticed some distance down the lake. 

 At once everybody was on the alert. Several of the most 



ardent huntsmen, including Mr. Ouimet, Mr. Drolet and 

 Dr. Lachapelle, took boats and started out in pursuit. 

 The others watched the chase with eager interest from the 

 club house. Shot after shot was heard, and in a short 

 while the huntsmen returned, bringing with them a splen- 

 did specimen of a young deer, which they presented to 

 the club as the first trophy of the chase captured since the 

 opening of the club house. There was some friendly 

 rivalry between Mr. Ouimet and Mr. Drolet as to who 

 really fired the fatal shot, both having struok the deer; 

 but finally the president, Mr. Nantel, decided that honors 

 were even. The incident was regarded as an auspicious 

 inauguration of the olub. 



In the evening the club house was formally inaugurated 

 by a banquet, presided over by the Lieutenant-Governor. 

 The fish and game captured during the day provided suc- 

 culent dishes, and the appetites of the visitors played 

 havoc with the eatables. The banquet was followed by a 

 general illumination of the club house and a display of 

 fireworks, and the balance of the evening was passed in 

 recreation and goodfellowship.— Montreal Gazette. 



IN MEMORY OF A DAY. 



"Come, hunters 1" were the words that caused me to 

 open my eyes on the morn of this day. 



They were spoken by one of my companions, I very 

 quickly complied with the command by getting in readi- 

 ness as soon as possible, and we were on the way to our 

 happy hunting ground of great expectations. It was an 

 ideal New England October morning, calm, cool and 

 gray, with hardly a breath of air stirring; time, 5 A. M. 

 We passed on our way three slumbering farmhouses, the 

 only signs of life being the crowing of cocks and the 

 barking of dogs. We at last gained the woods in all their 

 beauty of October garments, and their fallen leaves, slip- 

 pery and damp from the white frost, made a good carpet, 

 that one could walk over with hardly any noise. 



This piece of woods was gray squirrel cover, or, as all 

 hunters know, this means oak, beech, pine, hemlock, 

 poplar and birch. Gaining a point of vantage, we 

 await the pleasure of ,the gray coats, and while waiting 

 have time to take in the scenery. In this same grove 

 two years ago, with the help of old Nero, I captured four 

 fine gray squirrels in a short time. 



Down in the valley to the right, where you see the mist 

 arising, is the woodcock ground or cover; but as we have 

 no dog, shall leave them to go South for some one else to 

 derive pleasure from, and all I have to say is this: if they 

 fall may they not go into the bag of the man that shoots 

 for the market, or the one for numbers, but rather to the 

 one that takes pleasure in shooting no more than he 

 needs. 



To the left, where you see that line of mist, is the 

 trout brook, which, when overflowed upon the meadows, 

 makes a resort for the beautiful wood duck. But hark! 

 what was that? Ah I QucJc! quck! quok-k-r-r! the bark 

 of the gray squirrel, meaning good morning, I suppose, 

 in squirrel language. Now I forget my surroundings, 

 only thinking of gaining sight of game; I am in another, 

 the hunter's world, where all is joy, and where no sorrow 

 or dull care can come, for the latter belong with tjhe com- 

 mon money-making world. It is not the taking of inno- 

 cent blood, as all we hunters know, that causes us pleas- 

 ure, but rather the pursuit and capture of our game. I 

 never shoot any game, but if I had the power, I would 

 cause another of the same kind as good or better, to take 

 its place. 



But as we cannot have our cake and eat it too, it stands 

 us in hand to be saving of our supply. I would like 

 to see the days of our grandfathers renewed, when the 

 wood, water and air teemed with life of all kinds. And 

 if every one that shoots would take only what they 

 needed and no more, I think it would be very near it, 

 even at this late day. My "creed," as our great Ness- 

 muk used to say, is this: "Never shoot more than you 

 need to eat at the present. Never shoot in the spring or 

 summer. And last, but not least, never sell game. If 

 you do not care for it yourself, give to the sick or poor. 

 And remember that we are not the only ones that are liv- 

 ing or will live on this earth, so let ub not take more than 

 our share, but leave enough to keep up the stock, that 

 the rising generations shall call us blessed; let us not be 

 selfish." Excuse the digression. 



I go along as quietly as possible, but the game is too cun- 

 ning for me. I am glad of it, because if I had seen him I 

 should have shot him, but as I did not I have the satisfac- 

 tion of knowing that there was a live squirrel in those 

 woods if we did not see him, and that is worth more to me 

 than a dead one, although I like to hunt them very much. 

 By this time the sun was up over the mountains in all 

 his glory, and I hear a whistle from Al and answer. We 

 meet, and conclude that, by the time we get into the 

 house,breakfast and the folks will be awaiting us. 



On our way we call and get old Nero of Mr. F. Nero is 

 delighted to meet me again, and he wags his tail so vig- 

 orously that it seems to be shaking the dog, instead of the 

 dog his tail; and he looked at me with such loving eyes, 

 "bless his old heart," that it made mejfeel bad that he had 

 so few years to live, for he is very old ; but I hope that he 

 may live to enjoy a few more pleasant hunts with me. 

 After getting Nero we started up a partridge, and I took 

 a snap shot at long range, but failed to kill. Then went to 

 breakfast. 



After the morning meal our friend Non went with us, 

 he and Al working one side of the brook, I the other. I 

 expect to start a grouse at any minute, when bang! 

 bang! goes the gun of Al's. Then of course I have to go 

 over and see what had taken place. He had shot at a 

 muskrat, he thought, but as I had handled them before I 

 knew at once it was a mink by the odor, but he got away 

 from us by getting under the bank. 



We started again, coming out on some ridges covered 

 with second growth hemlock, where Nero began to work 

 up a trail, when up went a ruffed grouse, with a hemlock 

 tree between it and me of course— trust a grouse for that. 

 Next we came out to a pasture with mountains around 

 it — a very pleasant sight. Here I started two more 

 grouse, with a pine tree between them and me this time; 

 but I stepped one side and let one of them have the con- 

 tents of my right barrel, but as it had got a very good 

 start I failed to stop it. We marked them down in a 

 little swamp across the road, and very soon we had one 

 of them up again, but failed to get in a shot. Then Nero 

 started a rabbit, and I fired at him by guess, as he was run- 

 ning through the busheB; but failed to hit. Very well, 

 that don't bother me much, as he is not wounded,! reflect, 



and I am out for sport and do not expect to hit every 

 time; if more of us shot that way they would have all the 

 excitement of hunting and shooting at the game and 

 there would be more game left in the woods, and no bags 

 for count, to be thrown away afterward. While going 

 into the swamp to see if I had hit the rabbit, the other 

 grouse got up directly behind me, and in my cramped 

 position I got no shot in; so followed up the hill slowly, 

 and keeping a sharp lookout I at last spy the little jade, 

 and she is mine. 



We next come to an oak grove, near the summit of a 

 mountain, where we run into a colony of gray squirrels; 

 but all we see of them is their nests, which we bombard 

 with rocks and guns. Non succeeds in driving one out, 

 and trying to shoot him loses the cap off the nipple of his 

 mnzzleloader, and Al shoots the squirrel for him. 



It being now near noon we go to dinner. After dinner 

 we send poor old Nero home, as he has become very tired 

 and lame; and skirt around by the meadows, where you 

 can see the muskrat houses; and as it is too rough water 

 for ducks, the wind blowing quite hard, we keep to the 

 thick woods at the base of the mountain. Later in the 

 day I become separated from my companions; and as the 

 wind has subsided I climb the mountain, where, as I 

 enter the hemlocks which skirt the edge of the oak and 

 beech growth very thickly, I hear what I take for a gray 

 squirrel jumping on the ground, I go by the hemlocks 

 very carefully, scanning every part of them, so that I 

 had given up the idea that there was anything there, 

 when I turn to start off out goes by far the best grouse I 

 have seen this season. I watched him and saw him pitch 

 into another bunch of hemlocks, and thought it would 

 pay to follow him up, so go on very carefully and enter 

 the hemlocks and stop, take a good look around on the 

 ground; I fail to see him, take a few more steps and out 

 he comes as fast as he can run, and as he flies I let him 

 have the contents of my right barrel, but he goes just the 

 same, and I think I have lost him sure, when he changes 

 after going straight up for 50ft. or so, describes a half- 

 circle and strikes the ground with a thud, sending the 

 leaves in a shower around. I pick up the best grouse of 

 the season, a regular old grandfather, and as the sun is 

 setting in the west and the boys are calling the cows, 

 coe! coe! ooemollie! Goemillie! c-o-l, which is answered by 

 their subdued lowing, and the bell upon the cattle seems 

 to say, "We come, we are coming, we come," I start 

 for our friends with a light heart at peace with all the 

 world. 



As my friend Non had shot nothing but a red squirrel 

 for his cat during the day I gave him the grandfather 

 grouse, and the other grouse I kept until I got home, 

 dressed it and sent it to a friend of mine who was getting 

 slowly over a hard case of typhoid fever. So ended this 

 great day of pleasure for me, and I did not know but 

 some one might derive a little pleasure from the reading 

 of the same. P ANGUS. 



LANDOWNERS AND GAME REVENUE. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



No country is better adapted by nature to support 

 immense quantities of game — a dozen times the present 

 population would not render it too crowded for that pur- 

 pose — yet the history of game in North America is one of 

 the gradual extermination of one of the most valuable 

 elements of the material wealth of the country, the 

 actual money value of which every sportsman will agree 

 is the least part of the loss which will thereby be incurred. 

 In short, unless some law can be devised and brought 

 into operation more effectual than any which has 

 hitherto been enacted, it must inevitably come to pass 

 that if any game is left in a generation or two it will 

 have become a luxury beyond the reach of any but the 

 very rich — a result which, if I am not mistaken, the 

 wealthiest sportsmen would be among the first to deplore. 



Whatever the remedy for this condition of affairs may 

 be, two facts stare us in the face: one is the total failure 

 of the system hitherto adopted upon this continent, and 

 the other is the tremendous contrast presented in 

 England, where, amid a crowded population, upon highly 

 cultivated lands, producing under scientific methods of 

 fertilization far more abundant crops than even the vir- 

 gin soil of the Northwestern States and Manitoba, game 

 exists in such quantity as to form one of the largest items 

 in the commerce of the country for home consumption 

 and for export, while the restrictions as to the times and 

 methods of its capture are less severe than in some parts 

 of this country. 



Let me here disclaim in the most absolute manner any 

 desire to introduce upon this side of the Atlantic any laws 

 which could arouse such bitter feeling as have certain 

 provisions of the game laws of Great Britain. 



No one, however, can object to an examination of the 

 state of affairs in that country in order to see if we can 

 not, upon this continent, find some method of producing 

 similar results without resorting to methods inconsistent 

 with the institutions of the country. 



What is the radical distinction between the two 

 countries? Clearly it lies in this, that in England the 

 owner of the land takes an interest in the preservation of 

 the game, and not only for sporting purposes, but as a 

 considerable part of the value of his land, because he can 

 obtain almost if not quite as large a rent for the sporting 

 privileges as for agricultural purposes. Here, on the other 

 hand, the right to shoot over cultivated lands is not worth 

 a dollar to the owner, and a farmer would laugh at an 

 Englishman who might ask him what proportion of the 

 value of his land be calculated for its capacity to support 

 game. Here an absurd and erroneous notion prevails 

 that game is common property, with the result that the 

 owner of the land, supposing that he has no interest in its 

 preservation (or, if he knows better, taking none), is only 

 concerned to take part in the general scramble to get as 

 much as possible while it lasts. 



The difference in method between the two countries is 

 precisely the difference between the miser who hoards up 

 his gold, and as his store growB smaller and smaller starves 

 himself with a smaller allowance each year to live upon, 

 while the inevitable day approaches when he shall have 

 consumed it all; while his neighbor, with a much smaller 

 capital, engages in business and not only lives well, but 

 becomes rich. 



It follows that the only real remedy for the unfortunate 

 state of affairs at present existing is such legislation as 

 will encourage every owner of land and particularly every 

 farmer to breed and preserve game, and will protect him 

 in so doing. 



Statistics also should be collected and published prov- 



