JlTLT 80, 1891.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



CHICAGO, 111,, July 35.— Some more talk about game 

 protection, this time not dull, but of a highly inter- 

 esting and indeed semi-senaational sort. In the first 

 place, about Mr. Chas. Kern. 



Mr. Chas. Kern is the county treasurer of Cook county, 

 in which county the city of Chicago is situated. He 

 must be at least a politician to gain that honor. Mr. 

 Kern is president of the Audubon Shooting Club, one of 

 the oldest organizations of the sort in Chicago. He must 

 be at least a man with friends to attain that position. 

 ilx. Kern in 1886 was president of the Illinois State 

 Sportsmen's Association. He must at least have been 

 thought a sportsman of worth to attain that honorable 

 position. Mr. Kern at the banquet of the State Sports- 

 men's Association last June spoke upon the toast "The 

 True Sportsman." He must at least have been thought 

 sincere before being chosen for that theme, Mr. Kern 

 has been prominent in the deliberations of the Illinois 

 State Sportsmen's Association, His voice was ever ready. 

 He was what is popularly known as a "prominent sports- 

 man." "We will make him even a little more prominent, 

 temporarily, 



Mr. Kern retains as one string to his bow the basement 

 restaurant and liquid dispensatory at 110 La Salle street, 

 where he got his start. A very decent place to get a 

 supper. A great many sportsmen drop in there at times. 

 But I still think that this subterranean resort, with the 

 name "Kern's" blazoned on the pavement in front, 

 charges too much for July prairie chicken ; $1.25 is pretty 

 steep for a bird the size of a squab. 



Last Tuesday evening, July 21, a certain gentleman of 

 this city, whose name at this juocture need not be given, 

 went into Kern's restam-ant for supper. He hesitated, 

 and the manager, Herman, helped him out. 



"You vant someding nize, dondt you, Mr, ? Go 



sit you down und I brings it. Dondt say a vord!" 



And so the gentleman didn't say a word, and Herman 

 brought him a bird, which was eaten, at least partially, 

 with some suspicions. Herman, when asked what the 

 bird was, replied: "It magues no difference; it vas good, 

 hein?" 



"But I want to know what that bird is, and to be sure 

 of it." 



"Veil, say notings; it vas a brairie schicgen." 



For certain reasons which I will not take time to give, 

 the gentleman did not wish to push this case. He, how- 

 ever, imparted this information, in the strictest confi- 

 dence, to a well-known attorney of this city. The secret 

 got out in some way, and yesterday, July 24, Billy Mussey 

 told it to me. I saw the gentleman above referred to, and 

 learned the facts as above given, I then saw the attorney 

 to whom the secret was imparted. He said he "knew 

 nothing except on hearsay," though wishing he knew 

 more. I told him more. 



Day before yesterday evening, Thursday, July 23, Mr. 

 W. P, Mussey and Mr. Geo. Andrews went down to 

 Kern's jilacc for supper. The manager made the same 

 proposition to Mr. Mussey that he made to the first gen- 

 tleman above. Mr, Mussey asked what the bird was and 

 was told it was prairie chicken. He then told the man to 

 bring him one, and ate it, or part of it, and paid for it, 

 Mr. Mussey has eaten young prairie chicken before. He 

 will swear that this was nothing else. Mr. Mussey said 

 he would prosecute this case if the State Sportsmen's 

 Association would back the movement. Finally he said 

 he would prosecute in any event, backing or no backing. 

 That was yesterday, and at that time Mr. Abner Price, 

 ipresident of the Association, had not been seen. 



We wanted a little more proof. Yesterday evening, 

 July 24, Mr. Mussey and I went down to Kern's for sup- 

 per, leaving word for two of our friends to follow. We 

 met a waiter near the show case where viands were dis- 

 played. No prairie chicken was shown publicly. Billy 

 ordered a broiled steak of salmon. "Haven't you got any 

 game of any kind?"' I asked of the waiter. The latter 

 looked straight into Billy's eyes and then into mine, and 

 was satisfied it was all right. 



"Yes, some nice prairie chickens. Do you want an old 

 bird?" he asked. 



"No, bring me a nice young bird, broiled," said I; and 

 then we walked in to the tables. 



In due course the bird arrived. It was a young prairie 

 chicken, I have killed and eaten hundreds of them, and 

 I will duly swear that this was a prairie chicken, I 

 slipped half of it into a newspaper and put it in my 

 pocket. At this writing it is safe on ice against its time 

 of production in court. I took the piece which showed a 

 broken leg. There were two or three shot marks in the 

 almost cartilaginous backbone, No. 9 shot I should think. 

 The fellow who smashed this cheeping bird knew it would 

 not stand No, 83. 



Mr. Mussey tasted of the bird I ordered and said it was 

 prairie chicken. Mr. Wolfred N. Low came in and sat at 

 ■our table. He tasted of the same bird and said it was 

 prairie chicken. Mr. C. B. Dicks came in and sat at our 

 table and tasted of the same bird. He said it was prairie 

 chicken. 



We went up to Mr. Mussey 's place of business and 

 found there Mr. Abner Price, president of the State 

 Association. In reply to a direct question, he replied, 

 •"Will we prosecute? Of course we will, Charlie Kern 

 or anybody else. I would prosecute my own brother 

 for selling illegal game." This further clinched the 

 matter, though action would be or will be brought, no 

 matter what the Association does. Thus the Illinois 

 State Sportsmen's Association is pledged to prosecute for 

 •a common offense against the game laws a man who was 

 •once in its presidential chair. We will reserve comment 

 on that. 



It was now suggested that visits should be quietly 

 made to other places in the citj^ known or suspected to 

 be selling illegal game upon the table. This was late 

 last night, and I regret that to-day I cannot say much as 

 to further cases, as sufficient time has not elapsed for 

 action, lilr. Price requested Mr. W. N. Low and myself 

 to visit Kinsley's well known place and try for prairie 

 chicken, but at the hour appointed, noon to-day, Mr.Low 

 could not get off. Mr. F. C. Donald and Mr. 0. S. Bur- 

 ton will probably visit the Richelieu Hotel this evening. 

 Mr. C. D. Gammon and Mr. H. D. Nichols will try one or 

 two places to-day. By to-night or by Monday it is prob- 

 able that evidence for other cases will be obtained. A 

 general raid is contemplated. The pubUoation of these 

 facts should not interfere with that work, as it wiU have 

 been prosecuted by the time pf their appearanpe here, 



The work should be done at once before the news gets 

 in the wind. Last night at 8 P. M. Kern's restaurant did 

 not have any prairie chickens for sale. "I can give you 

 some nice quail on toast," said the waiter to Mr, C. D. 

 Gammon. "Well, bring me some quail on toast, then," 

 said Mr. Gammon. The waiter looked at him a moment 

 and then said: "No, we haven't got any quail on toast." 

 I think the waiter saw the gentlemen as they were tak- 

 ing portions of the bird from my plate, and this made 

 him suspicious. He thought the demand for game was 

 getting too hea,vy. I paid $1.25 for my prairie chicken. 

 It is now in order for some brilliant genius to arise and 

 say that Mr. Mussey and I and all of us are liable to a 

 fine for buying the birds. We will stand on that or any 

 further "violations" of the game laws we may make. 



It now remained necessary, for journalistic reasons, to 

 be clear as to Mr. Kern's connection with the restaurant 

 at 110 La Salle street, and for reasons of fairness to hear 

 what he had to say. I called on him at the county treas- 

 urer's office at 12:30 to-day and asked him plainly if he 

 knew that prairie chickens were being sold at his res- 

 taurant. 



"Gracious, no!" said Mr. Kern. 



"We have three cases against you, Mr. Kern, and two 

 will be prosecuted. These cover from Tuesday till Friday 

 of this week," 



Mr. Kern said that this selling was entirely without 

 his consent or knowledge. He said that his former 

 steward, Anton Bader, knew better than to do such a 

 thing. The present steward, Busch, was a new man. 

 Mr. Kern said that his ofiicial duties of late had kept him 

 away from the restaurant and he did not really manage 

 it. He then called up an employe and ordered him to 

 go over to the restaurant. 



"Tell them that I forbid the sale of prairie chickens on 

 the tables and that their sale must be stopped at once. 

 This is my strict injunction," said Mr. Kern, and the 

 employe vanished. "I would not permit such a thing a 

 moment," he said, turning to me. 



"Mr. Kern, we want to bring a lot more cases," said I, 

 "not only against restam-ant men, but against dealers in 

 illegal game. Now, of course you don't know where 

 those prairie chickens were bought, but your steward 

 does. In view of your prominent position as a true 

 sportsman, couldn't you secure the name of the dealer 

 who sold those birds? We want to prosecute him, too." 



"Well, I might do that, I might do that," said Mr. 

 Kern, rolling a reflective corner of his eye toward the 

 back of his head. 



Few men more aft'able than Mr. Kern. To-day I doubt 

 if he believes any prosecution will be made against him 

 on these cases. At the same time I know of no reason 

 why such prosecution should not be brought against him 

 and any others in whose cases such evidence can be ob- 

 tained, and I hope next week to have further news about 

 all this. I do not know of any earlier attempt, systematic 

 or otherwise, to follow up this sort of violations of the 

 game laws in this city, though for long years the offenses 

 have been open, flagrant and well known. If the Kern 

 cases can not be made to stick it would seem useless to 

 try any others of similar nature. Evidence will be col- 

 lected during the week just the same. 



Jidy 26. — Two natives killed 40 young ducks, illegal of 

 course, on Mak-saw-ba Marsh one day lately. The club 

 offers $25 reward for evidence to convict. 



Dick Turtle got 18 woodcock on his last hunt near 

 Water Valley, on the Kankakee. 



Perhaps the most valuable duck shooting privileges 

 near Chicago are those belonging to the Diana Shooting 

 Club, of Horicon, Wis., membership largely in Chicago. 

 These grounds are on the famous Horicon Marsh, which 

 breeds more ducks than any marsh within hundreds of 

 miles of this point. No spring shooting is allowed there. 

 Opening day. Sept, 1, is a great event, and this year a 

 strong Chicago contingent will be present. Mr. Percy 

 Stone asks me to be present, and to refuse would be dis- 

 courteous. At that time I hope to find something of in- 

 terest to duck shooters in the story of the marsh. 



Capt. A. C. Anson, at this date chief of the chief base 

 ball team, is inquiring for gentlemen who would like to 

 shoot him some pigeon races next fall. He also requests 

 the gentleman who took his cotton umbrella at the last 

 meeting of the Possum Club to return the same to him at 

 New York and receive a suitable reward. E. Ho^Gh. 



The Pennsylvania Gam& Crop,— Pittsburgh, July 20. 

 — Thanks to a winter more or less mild in its nature", the 

 game crop this year promises most gi-atifying results. 

 Messages from various parts of Pennsylvania are unani- 

 mous in their prophecy that quail and pheasant will be 

 not only plentiful, but in many places abundant. Rab- 

 bits are a nuisance in a few adjoining counties. Wood- 

 cock are scarce, however, and that nimble little fellow, 

 the gray squirrel, so much esteemed and sought after by 

 western Pennsylvania sportsmen, has had such an im- 

 pression made upon him by powder and shot that in this 

 county he is all but exterminated. Reports from Ohio, 

 however, say gray squirrels are abundant, and that rare 

 sport is anticipated. On a jaunt through the fields of 

 Butler county on July 4 I received a grateful surprise, 

 which has never before been my lot to such an extent. 

 Upon every side the shrill; whistle "&06 loMte'' was 

 heard, the hillsides, the valleys, even the forests had it, 

 and this multitude of nature's choristers produced a 

 music to which no pen has ever done justice, I have 

 never found them so numerous before,— C. A. R. 



California'ss Coyote Bounty Law, which was passed 

 last winter for the benefit of the sheep owners, and which 

 went into operation on May 29, is operating in a manner 

 that is filling the taxpayers and fruitgrowers of the State 

 with dismay. It provides, that for each coyote killed five 

 dollars shall be paid out of the State Treasury to the 

 person presenting the scalp to the Clerk of the Board of 

 Supervisors of each county. Although only eleven of 

 fifty- four counties in the State have been heard from the 

 claims for bounty aggregated on July 11 $10,890. A 

 banking fii-m in Tulare county, which has not yet re- 

 ported, has notified the State Comptroller that it holds 

 claims for $4,000, Were all these claims based on the 

 scalps of coyotes killed in California the case would not 

 be 80 scandalous. But it has been learned that enterpris- 

 ing Californians are importing scalps from Arizona. New 

 Mexico and Lower California. A customs inspector on 

 the lookout for Chinese oa the Mexican frontier seized a 

 package of fifty coyote skin? that the owner was trying 



to smuggle into the State, It is learned furthermore 

 that the bounty has called into existence a new and 

 profitable industry — that of breeding coyotes. Aa a 

 female coyote can produce three litters of seven pups 

 each year, she is worth something like ft 00 to her owner. 

 But this is not all the evil of this ridiculous piece of legis- 

 lation. One of the most serious pests the California 

 fruit-grower has to contend against is the rabbit, which 

 is a particularly fine tid-bit for a hungry coyote. Conse- 

 qently the extermination of the coyote for the benefit of 

 the sheep-owners of half a dozen counties will be followed 

 by such an increase of rabbits that the fruit interests 

 will suffer seriously. This, with thousands and thous- 

 ands of dollars that will be paid out for bounties during 

 the two years that the law has to run, has aroused the 

 press of the State, and there is a universal demand that 

 an end shall be put to the evil at the earliest possible 

 moment. — New York Evening Post. 



Connecticut Birds.— I passed a few days recently in 

 Windham county. Conn., and was gratified to find how 

 splendidly the birds had wintered. Quail are everywhere 

 and they will afford good shooting in October if the 

 chicks escape the foxes and skunks, both of which are 

 unusually numeroiis. A Sunday afternoon stroll along 

 the edge of one of our tangled wood patches startled to 

 flight three woodcock. Despite the close season these 

 birds are now being shot in small numbei's by pot-hunters. 

 Before many weeks, also, the woods will be fenced with 

 partridge snares, and then one wonders why a covey is 

 not found entice in the opening of the season. I know 

 some of these evil doers, but I am tongue-tied, for they 

 are the very ones I enjoy talking with on my little vaca- 

 tions, about birds and'kindred subjects, and they are the 

 ones who always welcome me to their pastures and woods 

 in the autumn to shoot when and what I please: they are 

 my friends. A Hartford game protector could do con- 

 siderable good in this locality.— F'lin. 



A Trunk and a Bed.— The modern city flat has its 

 grandfather's clock which conceals a stove and a ward- 

 robe which is converted into a folding bed. Now comes 

 a trunk which is also a Oft. bed — the invention of Geo. 

 W, Snaman, Jr., of Allegheny, Pa. The trunk has am- 

 ple provision for clothes, gun and other articles) and 

 when set up as a bed it invites to repose. 



"That reminds me." 



LANGDON and myself had discovered, in Becker 

 county, Minn., a small lake, which, from its general 

 weird appearance, hemmed in by tamarack swamps, and 

 from certain mysterious things seen and noises heard in 

 the dusky twilight, we had named Witch Lake. It was 

 swarming with fish, and when, on our return thence to 

 Detroit City, we found a party of home friends from 

 Dakota there, we returned to the lake to give them some 

 sport. In the evening as we sat upon the shore, N., who 

 has a slight impediment in his speech, turned to me: 

 "Wh-wh-wh-at do you call this lake?" 

 "Witch Lake." 



"Wh-wh-wh-y, th-th-th-is one." 

 "Witch Lake." 



"Th-th-th-is one, I say, r-r-r-r-ight here." 

 "And I say. Witch Lake." 



"C-c c-c-confoimd it, th-th-th-th-is one, where we've 

 b-b-b-een fishing." 



"W-i-t-c-h, witch, 1-a-k-e, lake, Wilch Lake." 



"Oh!" as Langdon's suppressed laugh broke forth, and 

 he realized "which was witch." H, P. IT, 



0^ mid ffiv^r fishing. 



The pull texts of the game fish laws of all the States, 

 Territories and British Provinces are given in the BooTi of 

 the Game Laws. 



"ROCKY MOUNTAIN GRAYLING." 



IN the issue of Forest and Stream of July 16, "Big 

 Horn" says, with an expression of doiibt, that he has 

 met with the Rocky Mountain grayling in the streams of 

 the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming and in both forks of the 

 White River in northwestern Colorado. I have never been 

 in the Big Horn Basin, but I have fished many miles of the 

 White River, even its source, Trapper's Lake, in the heart of 

 the Roan Range. I judge that the fish he refers to is the 

 same variety in the streams of the Big Horn Basin and in 

 the waters of Colorado. The identity of this fish was for 

 some time in doubt, but the authorities at the Smithsonian 

 settled the question some four years since. The proper 

 name, as I am informed by those whose dictum may be 

 received as good law, is the Rocky Mountain whitefish 

 (Ooregonus ivilliamsoni). The dorsal fin , which you would 

 consider a distinguishing feature, does not resemble that 

 of the grayling; the odor of the fish, however, is very 

 similar when first caught, I am advised by those who are 

 familiar with both, to that of the grayling. 



The whitefish is an excellent food fish, rises readily to 

 the fly and makes a good fight, although it keeps below 

 the surface as long as possible when hooked. T'hey are 

 quite plentiful in the White River, reaching in weight, I 

 may say from observation, 81bs. Of course I have heard 

 of heavier ones, but they were lost as usual. I have 

 caught them weighing 21bs. and over in the Yampa, and 

 the specimen sent to Washington for identification was 

 from the last named stream. They spawn in the fall, 

 and I have never heard of them or seen them in any of 

 the streams of Colorado except the Yampa and its tribu- 

 taries and in the White River. L. B. France. 

 Denver, Oolorado. 



New London, N. H,, July 20.— Mr. R. F. Sargent 

 caught an eel the other day in Pleasant Lake, near here, 

 that measured 42in, in length, llin. in circumfei'ence 

 and weighing T^lbs. He played the monster an hour 

 before he could get it into the boat. New Hamshire is 

 getting a reputatign for big fish and plenty of them, — 



L< Hi 0( 



