Forest and Stream 
A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 
terms. $4 a Year. 10 Cts. a copy. , 
Six Months, $2. ! 
NEW YORK, MARCH 2, 1895. 
( VOL. XLIV.— NO. 9. 
J No. 318 Broadway, New York. 
For Subscription and Advertising Rates see Page iii. 
Forest and Stream Water Colors 
We have prepared as premiums a series of four artistic 
and beautiful reproductions of original water colors, 
painted expressly for the Forest and Stream. The 
subjects are outdoor scenes: 
Jacksnipe Coming In. "He's Get Them" (Quail Shooting:). 
Vigilant and Valkyrie. Bass Fishing at Block Island. 
SEE REDUCED HALF-TONES IN OUR ADVT. COLUMNS. 
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i 
i 
plated by this bill as extravagant, they might, perhaps, 
compromise with their barreled associates and secure the 
elimination of this item of $3,500 for a "State fish cul- 
turist.'' It would be quite simple to demonstrate, we 
think, that no State fish culturist has ever lived or ever 
will live worth. $3,500, when he has to have a $13,000 set 
of commissioners to "direct" him and a set of $6,500 as- 
sistants and secretaries to piece him out. Even the half- 
shell politicians might concede a practical fish culturist 
to be altogether superfluous in this fish, and forestry 
scheme. 
BARRELS OF OYSTERS. 
"We observe with regret that some of our esteemed con- 
temporaries have manifested a proneness to print unkind 
words about Secretary Doyle, of the New York Fish Com- 
mission, because they say he has been sending barrels of 
osvters to certain members of the Legislature. Mr. Doyle 
is interested in the passage of Senator Donaldson's bill to 
combine the Forestry and Fish Commissions into one fat 
salaried political machine. The Doyle oysters are reputed 
to have been put where they will do the most good; 
that is to say, they have been judiciously distributed 
among members who may make themselves useful in 
promoting the progress of the desired legislation. The 
oj^ster is well understood to be one of the most seductive 
things in creation; barrels of oysters impinging upon the 
stomachs of Senators and Assemblymen would in all 
probability prove absolutely irresistible; the stout- 
est virtue would go down before a continued bombard- 
ment. It is to be hoped that this new-fangled oyster cul- 
ture of legislation may be investigated and scientifically 
determined by students of under surface politics, for if 
the tales of Secretary Doyle's bivalvular donations shall 
be shown to be founded upon an oyster bed of truth, so 
to speak, they will partially explain the confidence which 
the promoters of the Donaldson scheme express as to its 
future. It will be seen at once that the man who has 
planted his oysters in the halls of legislation has inside 
information as to what is going to happen. He is in the 
position of the race-track expert who lays his bets with 
confidence because he knows what the horses have been 
doctored with in the stable, 
All we claim to know about this oyster business is what 
has been printed in the newspapers. We assume, how- 
ever, that Mr. Doyle has not sent his oysters to unreceptive 
legislative stomachs. It is possible, indeed, that he has 
paid expressage on the succulent shellfish for no one who 
has not asked for them or intimated that such donations 
would not be unacceptable. It might even develop that" 
these barrels of oysters represented a petty tax long levied 
upon officials connected with the fish commission, in 
substance a form of legislative blackmail resorted to by 
men who when they thought that a consignment of Mr. 
Doyle's oysters would go well had no foolish hesitation 
about asking for them. 
This Donaldson bill is a natural outgrowth of the oys- 
ter barrel system of legislation. It is on the face of it' 
the product of politicians who look upon the State Treas- 
ury as an oyster bed to be tonged and dredged and set out 
on the half-shell for the gullets of professional politicians. 
Here are some of the fat oysters it provides: 
One President's salary $5,000 
President's expenses (say) 2,500 
Four Commissioners' salaries -4,000 
Commissioners' expenses 2.000 
State Fishculturist's salary < 3,500 
■ Assistant's salary 2,500 
Secretary's salary - 2,500 
Assistant's salary l,5i>0 
Total ?23,500 
The total of $23,500 is equal to two-thirds of the entire 
amounts expended in the fiscal year 1892-93 on all the 
fish hatcheries of the State, but it must be remembered 
that not a cent of this $23,500 is to go to the actual work 
of fish culture. None of it gets closer to that purpose 
thanthe itemof the salary for a "State fish culturist." If 
the members of the Legislature who have not been oyster 
barreled, shall regard the raid on the Treasury contem- 
BLOIV, WILKS & COMPANY. 
Our Chicago staff-correspondent's report on the Blow 
bill gives the pleasing intelligence that the measure has 
received its death-blow at Springfield. The market men 
of Chicago have found out that the Illinois Legislature 
does not share "Warden Blow's queer notion about the 
sale of game at all seasons of the year. There is solid 
ground for trust that the Chicago markets will not be 
opened for Western game, not this year at least. 
"We believe that there is equally substantial reason for 
believing that the New York Wilks bill, exposed in these 
columns last week, will be killed. This is a bill to per- 
mit the sale all the year around of game not killed in the 
State. It w^ould practically mean the sale of game from 
other States and from New York as well. It is in effect 
a Blow bill; and every reason advanced for the defeat of 
the Blow bill at Springfield should be used in opposition 
to the "Wilks bill at Albany. 
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN FOR NEW YORK 
The project to establish a zoological society and a zoo- 
logical garden for New York is one which appeals 
strongly to all who are interested in natural history. 
The matter has several times before been brought up 
and has alwavs met with general approval, but for some 
reason nothing has ever been done in the matter. Such 
a society was formed in 1879, and two years later it was 
stated that it had obtained its land and was about to 
build, but that was the last iieard of the matter. It is a 
wonder and a shame that, while many American cities 
have excellent collections of wild animals, New York, 
the greatest and richest of all, has nothing of this nature 
that is worthy of the name. The few animals on ex- 
hibition in the Central Park cannot be dignified by the 
name of a zoological collection and cannot be compared 
with those in the gardens of Philadelphia, Cincinnati, 
Washington and Chicago. 
A bill recently introduced in the Legislature by Assem- 
blyman Niles incorporates the New York Zoological So- 
ciety, and provides for the establishment of a zoological 
garden in the city of New York. The names of a num- 
ber of well-known citizens are given in the list of persons 
to be created a corporation, under the title of the New 
York Zoological Society. The corporation is to have 
power to establish and maintain in this city a zoological 
garden for the purpose of encouraging study and origi- 
nal research in zoology, and of furnishing instruction 
and recreation to the people; and for this purpose it may 
purchase and hold animals, plants and specimens appro- 
priate to these objects. The usual business privileges of 
such corporations are granted to it; and, besides, the 
commissioners of the sinking fund are authorized to ap- 
propriate for its use any of the lands belonging to the city 
north of One Hundred and Fifty-fifth street. Such ap. 
propriation may be revoked, however, if after the expira- 
tion of five years from the passage of the act, a zoological 
garden is n5t established thereon. The lands so allotted 
shall be used only for the purposes of this zoological gar- 
den. The Park Commissioners are authorized to dispose 
of the animals and other property now constituting the 
Central Park menagerie to this corporation on such terms 
as they may see fit. As soon as any lands are set apart, 
or any city property shall have been transferred to the 
corporation, the Mayor of New York and the President of 
the Department of Parks shall become and be ex-officio 
members of the board of managers of this corporation. 
Admission to the zoological garden shall be free to the 
public for at least four days of each week, subject to 
such rules as may be prescribed by the corporation. 
Of the desirability of establishing such a zoological 
garden there can be no question. Under the conditions 
prescribed in the bill it could hardly be self-supporting, 
and would probably have to depend largely on contribu- 
tions. The bill should pass, and every encouragement 
should be given to those who are willing to undertake a 
work, which, under the most favorable circumstances 
can hardly promise a return on the money invested. 
"We hope for this project a better fate than that of its 
predecessors; and as an earnest of our good wishes for 
the success of the enterprise, we undertake that if any 
more Indian chiefs shall send grizzly bear cubs to the 
Forest and Stream, the zoological garden shall have 
them. 
New York may, after all, have its zoological garden 
before it shall have its aquarium. Months and years 
have been consumed in doing over the historic Castl e 
Garden, on the Battery, from a receiving depot for im- 
migrants to an aquarium for fresh- water and salt water 
fish; and after spending tens of thousands of dollars in 
doing the work in a fashion hopelessly wrong, the bun- 
gling authorities are now spending vast sums in undoing 
their folly. Here was an opportunity to provide the 
finest aquarium in the world, but it was thrown away — 
and a lot of money with it 
SNAP SHOTS. 
Some farmers of Sussex County, New Jersey, have held 
a meeting for the denouncing of game laws. This 
prompts the American Agriculturist to suggest that 
such meetings should be held all over the country. "The 
so-called sporting element," it says, "has grown to be an 
intolerable nuisance and needs to be sat down upon." 
But just who is to do the sitting down upon the obnox- 
ious element? Not the farmers, as a class, for they them- 
selves largely compose that element, not the editors of 
agricultural papers as a class, for they are sportsmen, 
too; not the merchants, nor the lawyers, nor the doctors, 
nor the clergymen, nor the mechanics, nor the Army, nor 
th e navy, nor the telegraph operators, nor the Senators, 
nor Congressmen, nor any other "class." Would not it 
be better for the farmer, instead of seeking the repeal 
of all game laws, to just join in and help make the laws 
effective, to the end that there may be fish and game for 
all of us, farmers included? We hesitate to assume the 
role of telling the American Agriculturist people how to 
run their paper, but that is about the doctrine we would 
cause to be preached if we were dictating a game law 
policy for a farmer's journal. 
It will be remembered that in the Sundry Civil Service 
Bill, as passed by the House, the appropriation for the 
Yellowstone National Park, referred only to the improve- 
ment of Jjthat reservation, nothing being said about its 
protection. The importance of having a small sum of 
money with which to pay extra scouts for the protection 
of the game during the winter has often been insisted on 
in these columns and is recognized by all who are familiar 
with the needs of the Park. It is satisfactory to learn 
that the bill, as reported by the appropriation committee 
of the Senate, is so far modified that this item reads: "For 
the improvement and protection of the Yellowstone Na- 
tional Park, to be expended by and under the direction of 
the Secretary of War, forty thousand dollars, of which 
not more than one thousand eight hundred dollars may 
be expended for the compensation of scouts employed in 
the protection of said Park." There is every reason to 
believe that this item will be favorably acted on by the 
Senate, and it is to be hoped that the House will confer. 
An officer of the New York Society for the Prevention 
of Cruelty to Animals was called the other clay to shoot 
a disabled horse in the street, to put it out of misery; 
and he killed a man before he did the horse. Last week ? 
near this city, an express agent was attacked by a masked 
robber; a fusiiade ensued, and when the smoke cleared 
it was found that the highwayman had escaped, but a 
non-combatant pet dog had been killed. These incidents 
teach us that even the best intentionedjDullets may fly 
wide of the mark. 
The death of General R. U. Sherman removes a person- 
ality long prominent and honored in public^life. General 
Sherman was an excellent type of those who dignify the 
recreations of wood and stream by participation in them. 
We quote in another column the tribute to him as an 
angler and nature lover, written by Mr. W. E. Wolcott 
for the Utica Herald. 
Mr. F. F. Frisbie's capital photographs of scenes "on 
the trail," will bring to the memory of many another the 
glorious days spent in the Rockies. It is one chief charm 
characteristic of all such chronicler of the field that in 
them one may live over again his own out-door holidays. 
