Forest and Stream. 



A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 



Terms, $4 a Year. 10 Cts. a Copy. 1 

 Six Months, $2. f 



NEW YORK, JULY 26, 1888. 



I VOL. XXXI.-No. 1. 



I No. 318 Broadway, New York. 



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I'orest and Stream Publishing Co. 

 No. 318 Broadway. New York City. 



CONTENTS. 



Editorial. 



Important Measures. 

 Snap Shots. 



A Bit of Kennel History. 



Adirondack "Custodians." 

 The Sportsman Toukist. 



The Valley of the Serpentine. 



SdmLovel's Camps— xn. 



Salt Water Sketches.— II. 

 Natural History. 



Bulls on the Texas Range.— n. 



National Park and Zoological 

 Park. 



GAMK riAG AND GUN. 



A Caribou Hunt m Piscataquis 

 The Utica Association. 

 Forest and Stream Gun Tests. 

 Early Days on the Missouri. 

 '"Let her go Gallagher." 

 New Yoi'K Deer Law. 

 Vacation Talk. 

 Hot Wtather Stories. 

 Sea and River Fishing. 

 Maskinonge at Bear Lake. 

 The Rangeley Fishing. 

 Experience at Lake Edward. 

 Fishing in the Upper Hudson. 

 The East Coast of Long Island 

 A Scotch Gillie. 

 Up the Oostanaula. 



FlSHCULTTJBE. 



The Distribution of Fresh- 

 Water Fislies. 

 Shad in the Hudson. 

 The Kennel. 

 American Kennel Register. 

 The Poodle. 



The American Pet Dog Club. 

 The JNatioual Dog Club of 



America. 

 Southern Field Trials Club 



Derby. 

 Dog Talk. 

 Kennel Notes. 

 Kennel Management. 

 Riele and Trap ohootlng. 

 Range and Gallery. 

 The Trap. 



Facilities for Marksmen. 

 Yachting. 



Lurliue and Aggie. 



The Lake Y. R. A. Record. 



American Y. C. Regatta. 



Atlantic Y. C. Cruise. 



Yachting Notes. 

 Canoeing. 



Cruising at the Meet. 



Biich hark Cmoe Building. 



A (Janoe (poetry). 

 Ansavers to Correspondents. 



A BIT OF KENNEL HISTORY. 



TWO current incidents make pertinent the relation of 

 a bit of history connected with kennel affairs. One 

 of these is the charge made by certain parties that the 

 Buffalo dog show has been gotten up to "back" Mr. 

 Chas. H. Mason, in antagonism to the American Kennel 

 Club. The other is the discussion by the American Ken- 

 nel Club of the project of establishing a new publication 

 as a club organ. That project is not a new one ; and the 

 bit of history is this: 



The plan of establishing a club organ was discussed 

 last winter ; and probably it would have been put into 

 effect then, had the proniotors of the scheme succeeded 

 in securing the services of the person whom they wished 

 to edit it. That person was Mr. Chas. H. Mason. Mr. 

 C. J. Peshall went to Mr. Mason and asked him if in the 

 event of the American Kennel Club starting an organ he 

 could be induced to assume the editorship of it. To this 

 proposition Mr. Mason returned a negative reply. 



A fortnight after that Mr. Peshall again repaired to 

 Mr. Mason, and this time asked him on what terms he 

 could be induced to take the position then held by Mr. 

 Vredenburg as editor of the American Kennel Club Stud 

 Book. Mr. Mason replied that his position as a judge in 

 this country rendered it impossible for him to identify 

 himself in any such way with the American Kennel Club. 



Then Mr. Peshall sat down and wrote a derisive letter 

 about Mr. Mason as "an English Gentleman," and sent it 

 to the papers. This letter, at Mr. Peshali's personal solici- 

 tation and with a knowledge of the above facts, we with- 

 held from publication in the Forest akd Stream. 



This is an interesting bit of history just at this time, 

 when the publication scheme has come up again; and 

 when certain uninformed persons appear to imagine that 

 in the selection of Mr. Mason as a judge at their show 

 the Buffalo managers have secured the services of a gen- 

 tleman whose co-operation would not be valued by the 

 American Kennel Club. 



IMPORTANT MEASURES. 

 TN the Sundry Civil Service Bill, now before the Senate, 

 * are two very important provisions, the full text of 

 which we print elsewhere. 



One of these appropriates $30,000 for the construction, 

 care and maintenance of roads and bridges in the Yel- 

 lowstone National Park. This is an increase over the 

 amount appropriated annually for two or three sessions, 

 and the money can be used to the very great benefit of 

 the reservation, and will materially add to the comfort 

 of that portion of the public who visit it. 



The other provision authorizes the establishment in 

 Washington of a National Zoological Park. This is an 

 amendment added to the Sundry Civil Service Bill in the 

 Senate. It has been favorably reported, and seems likely 

 to pass that body this week, 



Both these matters are of great importance, and the 

 views held about them by the Forest and Stream have 

 never been doubtful. The Public Land Committee of the 

 House of Representatives has neglected the public inter- 

 est by its failure to report and urge action upon the Yel- 

 lowstone National Park Bill, which passed the Senate 

 unanimously, but Congress can hardly avoid acting on 

 this appropriation bill, which from the Senate will go to 

 the conference committee. 



The movement for the establishment of a National 

 Zoological Park has been set on foot none too soon, but if 

 Congress appropriates the funds necessary for the begin- 

 ning of the work there is yet time to secure specimens of 

 almost every form of American life which may be de- 

 sired. Washington, at present the scientific center of 

 this country, is clearly the place for such a living collec- 

 tion. We have the best reasons for believing that when 

 the authority for doing this work is had from Congress 

 those put in charge of it will push it forward with a 

 vigor that will soon make this, in its special province, 

 the first zoological collection in the world. 



ADIRONDACK "CUSTODIANS." 



IN the year 1872 the Board of Land Commissioners of 

 New York, which at that time had control of the State 

 forest lands, created an office known as "Custodian of 

 State Forests.'' This was for the benefit of a class of 

 wealthy men with influence. The duties of the "custo- 

 dian," as exemplified in practice, were to select the 

 choicest and most picturesque locations on the people's 

 land, erect luxurious "camps" or cottages, warn every 

 body else off, and proceed to enjoy themselves at the dic- 

 tation of their fancy, after the fashion of dukes in their 

 dukedoms. The chosen sites were in the Adirondacks, 

 on the Lake George islands, and elsewhere. 



When the State Forest Commission was appointed in 

 1885, succeeding the Board of Land Commissioners, some 

 two hundred of these "custodians" had been appointed 

 and were holding their possessions, including many beau- 

 tiful points on the Adirondack lakes and some of the 

 fairest islands of Lake George; and the Commission was 

 at once appealed to by numerous complainants, "citizens 

 of the highest worth and respectability," who protested 

 against the usurpation of these rich squatters, and urged 

 that no more "custodians" should be appointed to take 

 up the remaining choice locations. The authority of the 

 Board of Land Commissioners to make such grants was 

 questioned. Attorney General O'Brien gave it as his 

 opinion that the Land Commission had exceeded its pow- 

 ers, that the "custodians" had no exclusive privileges, nor 

 any right to build private residences on the public lands, 

 in short, that their legal status was in no respect different 

 from that of the humblest squatter on State lands. 



The favored individuals, who saw the enjoyment of 

 their peculiar and extraordinary privileges thus threat- 

 ened, set about devising a scheme to retain their summer- 

 houses. By the terms of the law of 1888 no State forest 

 lands may be sold. A bill was introduced at the last 

 session of the Legislature to empower the Forest Commis- 

 sion to lease tracts of land in the Forest Preserve for a 

 term of years. The bill was designed to benefit the 

 "custodians" and numerous other men of wealth, who 

 stood ready to gobble up the remaining desirable sites and 

 tracts. The measure was defeated. 



At a meeting of the Forest Commission in this city on 

 Wednesday of last week this subject came up for con- 

 sideration. Judge N. A. Sheldon, of Glens Falls, ap- 

 peared before the board in behalf of the squatters. He 

 argued that " the custodians held rightful authority from 

 the Land Commission to build upon and occupy the land 



upon which their summer resorts were situated, subject 

 only to the pleasure of the Land Commis ion, and that 

 they should continue to hold them during the life of their 

 appointments. The Land Commission had not revoked 

 their appointments, but had, on the contrary, given such 

 assurances as led some of his clients to build expensive 

 residences, and make costly improvements to the grounds. 

 The custodians had been a positive benefit to the Slate, 

 for they had prevented serious depredations from timber 

 thieves, and had protected the forests from devastation 

 by fires. For these reasons their occupation should not 

 be interfered with by the Forest Commission." 



In spite of this argument Commissioners Knevals, 

 Basselin and Cox decided that the appointments of the 

 "custodians" had been irregular and without authority 

 of law and should be canceled, together with all special 

 rights and privileges assumed to have been conferred by 

 such appointments. This means that the summer houses 

 and the improvements on the 200 choice sites selected by 

 the custodians must revert to the State — unless the mat- 

 ter be carried into the courts, or a bill he railroaded 

 through the next session at Albany. And if the "custo- 

 dians" are removed and the islands and delectable spots 

 now occupied by them restored to their rightful owners, 

 common citizens who go to Lake George, the Adiron- 

 dacks and the Catskills, will have the privilege of enjoy- 

 ing, equally with others, camp sites which belong of 

 right to the people of the State in general. 



SNAP SHOTS. 



GAME laws in other lands do not always reflect wis- 

 dom on the part of their makers. We note that the 

 Calcutta Gazette announces a close season for birds from 

 April 1 to Sept. 80. If this applies to the Himalayas 

 also it will leave scant opportunity for moonal shooting, 

 as no one goes up before April 15, or stays later than 

 Oct. 15. If it does not apply to the hills it is a dead letter, 

 for no one shoots on the plains between April 15 and 

 Oct. 15. 



The success which may attend the planting of wild rice 

 in this latitude has been demonstrated in a way fairly 

 startling at one point on Long Island. Some years ago 

 Hon. R. B. Roosevelt sowed wild rice in Brown's Creek, 

 a stream which extends from Mayport to Sayville; his 

 purpose was to attract reed birds there to shoot, The 

 rice flourished and grew with such luxuriance that it has 

 fairly choked the current of the stream, effectually im- 

 peded navigation, and become, as is complained, a com- 

 mon nuisance. The aggrieved residents of that region, 

 having failed in an attempt to have Brown's Creek in- 

 cluded in the River and Harbor Bill, are now seeking the 

 adoption of some other measures to reopen the stream. 

 Meanwhile Mr. Roosevelt ha3 h ,d shooting galore. 



The Utica, N.Y., Fish and Gtme Protective Association 

 is an organization which has been formed to "tend 

 strictly to business," Its business is to influence game 

 and fish legislation, to enforce the laws, to detect and 

 punish violators. The plan and purpose of the associa- 

 tion are worthy of support. In another column we 

 print a letter from the secretary, suggesting that the in 

 fluence of the Utica association may be extended by 

 co-operation of sportsmen throughout the State. If there 

 were some central organized body of earnest and deter- 

 mined men to whom appeal might be made, it could be 

 employed as a most useful adjunct to the game protective 

 system instituted by the State. 



In an address before the Wisconsin Editorial Associa- 

 tion in Milwaukee last Tuesday, Mr. Chas,. A. Dana, of the 

 New York Sun,, explaining what he thought was legiti- 

 mate news, said that "Whatever Divine Providence per- 

 mitted to occur he was not too proud to report." From 

 the frequency and alarming nature of the snake and bear 

 stories printed in the Sun one would naturally infer that 

 Mr. Dana is not too proud to report even some things 

 which Divine Providence does not permit to occur. 



The latest discovery is that an eel's tail makes a good 

 bait for bluefish. Now we may confidently look for some 

 genius to "discover" that angleworms make good bait 

 for trout. 



Quail are reported to be hatching out well this season 

 and the supply is generally reported to be good. 



Our kennel columns show an extraordinary number of 

 bench show fixtures. 



