Forest and Stream 
A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 
Terms, $4 a Year. 10 Cts. a Copy, 
Srs Months, $2. 
NEW YORK, SATURDAY, MAY 16, 1897. 
< VOL. XLVm.— No. 80. 
I No. 346 Broadway, New Yobk 
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In my school days, a toy might have fceen en* 
yicdf but not loved for proficiency in his studies t 
but he was most courted, who knew the best fish- 
ing: holes, who had plenty of powder and shot, the 
best squirrel dogf, and the use of his father's long; 
flintlock gfun. And I confess, as I write these lines 
with my spectacles on, that I have still a strong; 
drawing; toward this type of a boy, whether I meet 
him in my lonely rambles, or whether he dwells 
only in my memory. Thad. Norris* 
Cbe forest ana Stream's Platform PlanR, 
"T/ie sale of game should be prohibited at all seasons'* 
NAILS DRIVEN IN 1897.— No. II. 
INBIAJfA-. 
Caxapter liXXXYIII , I.aws 1897.— Sec. 1. lliat it shall be 
unlawful for any perBon to pursae or kill within this State 
any (jiuall, raffed grouse or plimated grouse for the iiarijose 
of sale, barter, traffic or removal from the State, or to sell, 
barter, keep, expose or offer for sale, or remove from this 
State any quail, ruffed grouse or pinnated grouge caught or 
killed in the State of Indiana. [Sec. S. Penalty SI per bird.] 
WILLIAM BALLETT PHILLIPS. 
The death by drowning of William Hallett Phillips, 
which took place last Sunday near Washington, carries 
Borrow to many hearts. Few men have had so wide an ac- 
quaintance among well-known persons and few so many 
devoted friends. 
Mr. Phillips belonged to one of the oldest and best- 
known Washington families, and was about forty-five 
years old. To a pure, high character and a sturdy nobility 
of purpose he added a charm of manner which exercised 
an immediate attraction on those who met him even in 
the most casual way, and he was not only one of the best 
known, but one of the most popular men in Washington. 
Mr. Phillips was a lawyer, practicing chiefly before the 
Supreme Court. He was a man of great ability and of 
high standing in his profession. He had edited one or 
two law volumes, and at the time of his death was engaged 
in revising for the State Department Wharton's Digest of 
International Law. He was counsel for the Cuban Junta 
in Washington, and had recently argued cases for them 
before the Supreme Court. 
He was possessed of great breadth of character, and 
his interests took a wide range outside of his profession 
He was a devoted angler, and spent his vacations in the 
enjoyment of that sport, sometimes, in the Rocky Moun- 
tains, or again in Nova Scotia or northern New York. By 
temperament he was a naturalist, though an untrained 
one, enthusiastic in his love for wild things, deeply inter- 
ested in ethnology, a lover of books, and ardently attached 
to the freedom of outdoor life. Indeed, his whole mental 
attitude was one of good natured hostility to the restraints 
of civilization, and he waa never so happy as when 
jn camp among the mountains, or by some lake shore. 
Next to that, he chiefly enjoyed sitting in his den, sur- 
rounded by collections gathered from many lands, and dis- 
cussing with some intimate friend problems in natural 
history or ethnology, or memories of bygone days of 
freedom. 
Mr. Phillips was a man of singular modesty. Although 
he wrote not a little, his writing was always unsigned; and 
though he labored long and earnestly for the public good 
he preferred that his efforts should not be known, and' 
that others should receive the credit for what he did. 
Four years ago this month, on the occasion of the pas- 
sage by Congress in 1894 of the bill providing a govern- 
ment for the National Park, the Forest and Stheam said 
of him: 
"There is in Washington another person— a private citi- 
zen—who for many years has labored heart and soul for the 
best Interests of the National Park. He has traveled back- 
■ward and forward over it, has reported on it to the Secre- 
tary of the Interior, has watched legislation which threat- 
ened to affect it, and has contributed his legal knowledge 
to every movement for its preservation. It is not too 
much to say that he has done more than anyone else has 
done— and perhaps more than anyone could have done — 
toward bringing about the happy result that we announce 
to-day. This person desires to remain unknown; yet the 
few individuals who are acquainted with the facts and 
who know how great is the debt of gratitude owed him by 
the public, feel a sincere regret that they are not at liberty 
to make public acknowledgment of his services to the 
Park and to his countrymen." 
Death has removed the prohibition, imposed by his 
modesty, which forbade us to speak with due praise of the 
services which he rendered to the National Park, and so 
to the people to whom that Park belonged. It is as the 
earnest and successful worker in behalf of the Park that 
we believe he would most desire to be remembered, and 
it is certain that the great services which he has per* 
formed for it are his most fitting memorial. 
To make this recognition of such public services is here 
his due; and yet there are many, very many, who will long 
remember William Hallett Phillips, not for anything that 
he ever did, but just for what he was— because they loved 
him. 
THE 3IINNES0TA TAG SYSTEM. 
If some ancient Eip Van Winkle of a hunter should 
about this time awaken from his long sleep and come 
down from the mountains to rub his eyes in amaze at the 
new order of things confronting him, he would find 
abundant occasion of wonder and bewilderment at the 
changed game conditions; and the probabilities are that 
when he comprehended them the first impulse would be 
to throw away his rusty old gun in disgust, for he would 
find that the game was not what it was when he went to 
sleep, nor the freedom of its pursuit such as he had en- 
joyed when the indulgence of his hunting instincts had 
lured him away to the Oatskills. 
We are making tremendous strides in the way of shoot- 
ing and fishing restrictions. Things have already come to 
such a pass in some sections that we may not go hunting 
without a license, nor be guided in our hunting except by 
licensed guides, nor kill more than a certain amount of 
game or fish, nor, having killed it, make any disposition of 
it save as the law directs with reference to transportation 
possession and disposal. ' 
A new and interesting feature of what may be termed 
advanced game protection has just been incorporated in 
the game law of Minnesota, in certain provisions respect- 
ing the keeping of game in the close season. The Com- 
missioners tell us that they have found opposition to the 
provision forbidding the possession of game in the close 
season on the part of persons who, having killed their 
game lawfully or having lawfully acquired it in the open 
season, have demanded the privilege of keeping it for their 
own use for such length of time as they might desire. 
The privilege is, of course, a perfectly reasonable one, and 
is never denied on any other ground than that to yield it 
would be to weaken the efficiency of game protection. 
Here in Minnesota Executive Agent Fullerton has devised 
a modification of the law, which removes from it this ob- 
jectionable feature. 
The foundation for the absolute control of its game by 
the State is laid in a special provision, which makes this 
statutory declaration: 
Sec. 9. No person sball at any time or in any manner acquire any 
property in or subject to his dominion or control, any of the birds 
animals or fish within this State of the kinds herein mentioned , but 
they shall always and under all circumstances be and remain the 
property of this State. By Idlling, catohing or taking the same, how- 
ever, in the manner and for the purposes herein authorized, and 
during the periods when their killing is not herein prohibited, the 
same may be used at the time, in the manner and for the purposes 
herein expressly authorized, but not otherwise; and whenever any 
person kills, catches, takes, ships or has in his possession, or under 
control, any of the birds, animals or flsh mentioned in this act at a 
time or in a manner prohibited by this act, such person shall thereby 
forfeit and lose all his right to the use and possession of such bird, 
animal or flsh, and the State shall be entitled to the sole possession 
thereof. 
This reservation is so explicit, broad and comprehensive 
as to prepare the way for any restriction, no matter how 
stringent. It eftectually denies, does away with and nulli- 
fies the "natural rights" claims of those who contend that 
they are endowed by nature or by the Creator with an in- 
born and inalienable right to do whatever they please to, 
by, for and with game and fish. 
Having thus declared to be a privilege the taking and 
use of game, the statute prescribes seasons and methods of 
capture and use, and provides that persons who desire to 
keep any of the birds or animals mentioned in the law be- 
yond the time named for their possession, which is five 
days after the close of the open season for killing, may do 
so upon the following conditions. 
Sworn application in writing must be made to the Com- 
mission, giving the name and residence of the person in 
possession of the game, and stating the character and 
amount of the game, which shall not exceed 100 birds, five 
deer, one moose and one caribou for each applicant, and 
the applicant must bind himself to keep possession of the 
game for his own use and not to ship or sell or otherwise 
dispose of iti 
Upon the receipt of such application if the Commis- 
sioners are satisfied that it is inade in good faith, and that 
the applicant will keep the game for his own use and not 
for sale, they may issue oflficial tags or seals to be attached 
to each bird or animal, and after such tags or seals have 
been attached to the game it may be retained in posses- 
sion until consumed. A penalty is provided for any per- 
son who having in possession any tagged or sealed game ^ 
shall ship, sell or dispose of it in violation of the law. 
There is reason to believe that in this law will be found 
a remedy for the dissatisfaction which has been encoun 
tered among those who have regarded it as > ^hardship 
that they could not keep for any period of time they de- 
sired the game honestly come by. We shall watch with 
much interest the working of the law. It is only carrying 
to a further development the provisions which require the 
tagging of game for tranportation and exportation. 
SNAP SSOTS, 
On Monday last Governor Black signed the Ives bill, 
which changes the deer season for New York State, mak- 
ing it now from Aug. 15 to Nov. 15, and prohibits, for five 
years from June 1 next, the use of jack lights and of hounds 
in the pursuit of deer. The credit for the passage of this 
law is largely due to the enthusiastic and unceasing labors 
of Mr. Madison Grant, Chairman of the Committee on 
Game Legislation of the Boone and Crockett Club. For 
several years, as Chairman of this Committee, Mr. Grant 
has devoted much time and energy to pushing the work 
in question, and his final success is a great satisfaction to 
him and to all who are interested in game protection. 
In the Senate, Mr. Malby, and in the Assembly, Messrs. 
Sanger, Ives, Laimbeer and Hobble, deserve credit for the 
assistance they have given in bringing about the good re- 
sults. The enforcement of the new law will undoubtedly 
result in so great an increase among the deer of the Adi- 
rondack region that at the expiration of the five years 
term there will probably be only one opinion about the 
desirability of making this prohibition permanent. The 
State of New York has long been far behind the times so 
far as legislation with regard to deer is concerned. It is 
gratifying to note that at last the Empire State has taken 
a, step forward in this matter, even though it still lags far 
behind in permitting the sale of game at all seasons of the 
year. 
By courtesy of Acting Chief T. S. Palmer, of the Biologi- 
cal Survey, we print, from advance sheets of the Yearbook 
of the Department of Agriculture, his article on the 
"Extermination of Noxious Animals by Bounties." The 
paper is the result of systematic and extended investiga- 
tion, and presents an interesting and instructive chapter in 
the long warfare of mankind against harmful species of 
wild life. The facts and figures collected demonstrate the 
futility of bounty systems to do more th&^ check, at enor- 
mous cost, the ravages of beasts and birds. Incidentally, 
in its account of the frauds perpetrated in claiming boun- 
ties, the paper gives us an amusing, or melancholy, insight 
into the frailties of human nature. 
It is abominable that the anglers of the State should so 
often be put in suspense at the annual adjournment of a leg- 
islature as to fishing seasons. This year it is the black 
bass date. The present law opens the season on May 30; 
a bill passed by the Legislature makes the date June 30. 
The disposition of the measure by Governor Black ia at 
this writing unknown. Meanwhile there ia no making of 
plans for Decoration Day fishing, • 
