March 5, 1898.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
187 
Doves in Iowa. 
Vinton, la., Feb. 23. — Editor Forest and Stream: Mr. 
Hough says that Mr. Hunt, of Burlington, la., has in- 
troduced a bill in our Legislature making doves a game 
bird, with an open season from July 15 to Sept. i. If 
that bill creeps through our Legislature it will be be- 
cause the people do not know about it; and I can assure 
the sportsmen of Burlington that at the next sitting of 
our Legislature it will creep back again. 
Throughout the State of Iowa mourning doves lay 
eggs and rear their young all through the open season 
mentioned in that bill, and it would be as cruel, cold- 
hearted, wicked and unsportsmanlike to shoot them_ as 
it would be to shoot prairie chickens and quail during 
the months of June and July. They are a dooryard bird, 
and do no harm in any way. They and the blackbirds 
are the last to leave us in the fall, and more or less of 
them always make an attempt to stay with us through 
the winter. We have had snow enough to make sleigh- 
ing since Dec. 3, and on Dec. 14 I counted twenty 
mourning doves and one crow blackbird feeding in my 
stock yard. At this date the blackbird has disappeared, 
and the flock of mourning doves has decreased to twelve. 
Shall we for the sake of "fun" begin to exterminate our 
dooryard birds? I intimated not long ago in Forest 
AND Stream that "the pismire age is approaching; it 
is almost here," but it will never fasten its clutches on 
the State of Iowa without a struggle. 
I feel greatly interested in game matters, but instead 
of the Hunt bill I would like to see one passed providing 
for a salaried warden for each county, and for stocking 
the State with game. I am glad that I can deny myself 
the hellish enjoyment of shooting song or dooryard 
birds, and leaving their young to die. Mount Tom. 
The Maine Cow Moose and the Boys. 
Boston, Feb. 28. — Commissioner Carleton has ap- 
peared before the Governor and Council in defense of 
his action in allowing the boy moose-killers to escaped 
So far as I am able to learn, his action will be sustained. 
The Commissioners are understood to set up the claim 
that they stand in the position of a judge or the Gover- 
nor, with the right not to enforce the game laws, if they 
see fit. Special. 
A Bangor correspondent writes : "There is intense feel- 
ing regarding Mr. Carleton's action in the student moose 
case. The fact cannot be put away that he took the oath 
to enforce the laws, and on the first case of illegally kill- 
ing a moose made a printed statement that he would re- 
sign before he would do it. He has done many good 
things, and I am sorry he has failed in this. No one 
wished the boys sentenced to the full extent, but every 
one (or almost every one) feels that they should have 
been brought back to stand trial, and if convicted have 
had a nominal sentence passed. It will be hard to get 
anjf jury now to convict one of our citizens. In the 
Moosehead case, sometimes called the Harrington case, 
there is more than a reasonable doubt that the cow 
moose shot in open season was killed on purpose. Half 
a dozen men are shot for deer every year, and no ques- 
tions are asked; the chances when following a moose 
track to shoot a cow for a bull by mistake are very 
much greater." 
Spying- Prospects. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
A week ago last Sunday, which was very pleasant, 
while strolling through the woods and fields here, I 
was much surprised and gratified at seeing so many 
bluebirds in comparison with the numbers that I had 
seen during several years past. Should think at a 
rough guess that I saw on that day as many as twenty. 
Am greatly pleased that so many comparatively are 
showing up, as I had begun to think that that species 
of our songsters was nearly extinct. Also have seen 
more or less of them this year before and since that 
Sunday. Also saw that day a very large flock of crow 
blackbirds. 
The prospects around here for shooting next fall now 
seem to be fully up to the average, as several of the local 
sportsmen and farmers report having seen a goodly 
number of quail since Jan. i. Have myself in my wan- 
derings in this part of the State seen several good-sized 
remnants of bevies of birds, enough for the nuclei of 
large flocks next fall, weather during the remainder of 
the winter suitable. A. L. L. 
MiLHURST, N. J., Feb. 21. 
The Boston Exposition. 
The New England Sportsmen's Association is making 
excellent progress with its exhibition. Among the late 
accessions to the exhibit is a live beaver or two, secured 
by Dr. Bishop in New Brunswick. It is understood that 
the Maine Commissioners declined to have the Maine 
beaver disturbed, even for exhibition purposes. The ani- 
announced are arriving, and are in prime condition. 
Not onl are sportsmen, hut the public schools are to be 
interested. Special. 
North Carolina Quail* 
Garfield, N. C, Feb. 18. — Mr. G. Harry Squires, 
of the firm of Henry Squires & Son, of 20 Cortlandt 
street, New York, has just left my place after spending 
a few days of very nice quail shooting. 
Quail are still plentiful, and there is no doubt but that 
next fall we will have better shooting than we have had 
in years, provided we have a good breeding season. 
A. H. Graf. 
Pennsylvania Game. 
Monroe County, Pa., Feb. 14. — The game has wintered 
well in this locality. Rufifed grouse are plenty. The 
foxes and catamounts have destroyed a great deal of 
game; and we have destroyed them to some extent. 
My son and I have killed seven foxes and four cata- 
mounts, or bay lynxr H. T, Frankenfield, 
Dimensions of Raffed Grouse. 
Mr. Justus von Lengerke, of 318 Broadway, New 
York, was responsible last season for the death of a 
very large number of ruPfed grouse, the majority of them 
killed in Sullivan county, N. Y. The largest grouse he 
killed during the season was brought to bag on Dec. il; 
as the size and weight of ruffed grouse are often under 
discussion the following figures and measurements are 
given : 
Weight exactly albs.; total length from tip of the bill 
to the tip of the tail, ig}im.; spread of wings, 24^in. 
Judging from the length and color of the tail, the latter 
being gray and chestnut mixed, and also from the ap- 
pearance of the legs, the bird is supposed to have been a 
A^ery old one. 
Yellowstbne Park Transportation. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
My attention has been called to an article in your issue 
of Feb. 5, 1898, entitled "Nuisances in Yellowstone Park." 
If your paper desires to be fair, there are statements 
made in that article which you will be pleased to correct. 
I send you herewith copies of briefs submitted in my 
behalf in the case now pending before the Department 
of the Interior, which were prepared from the record 
there, and show the falsity and injustice of the statements 
to which exception is taken. 
My business in the Park dates back to the seasoti of 
1880" Since June, 1896, I have maintained during each 
season tent stations, at four different points in the Park, 
for the accommodation of my patrons. My tents 
are clean compartment tents, and the only wooden 
structures consist of two neat outbuildings at each camp. 
No other permanent structures have ever been built or 
used by me. • Neither has permission ever been sought 
to maintain other than the character of facilities for the 
shelter of patrons which I have. Each of these camps 
is located in secluded spots, and so far as I am able to 
learn, no objection has ever been made by reason of 
any litter or odor at any of these permanent tent sta- 
tions; and such objection could not be sustained by 
facts. 
After the most open hearing when all of the interests 
of the Park were represented, and late Acting Superin- 
tendent George S. Anderson was present, my plan was 
fully discussed before Secretary Hoke Smith and the 
then First Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Gov. Wil- 
liam H. Sims, and it was decided in 1893 to permit me 
to do this business upon a one-season tenure. I would 
not go to the necessary expense without a promise of 
renewal, which was given in the spring of 1896 by Act- 
ing Seci-etary Sims. This is the last time that Gov. 
Sims acted in the matter, and was long before my em- 
ployment of Mr. George H. Lamar as my Washington 
counsel, being then represented by another attorney. 
It is true that Capt. Anderson opposed the renewal of 
my license in the spring of 1897; that the Northern 
Pacific Railway Co. circulated just such a false state- 
ment as you have published, to the injury of my busi- 
ness in 1897. I exercised my right to employ such at- 
torneys as I pleased. I chose Mr. George H. Lamar, 
of Washington, D. C, and James A. Blanchard, of New 
York, whose several ability and high standing in their 
profession requires no defense at my hands. Secretary 
Bliss' action in my favor was in harmony with the writ- 
ten promise of his predecessor and the wishes expressed 
in writing of many of the best citizens of this country, 
including prominent representatives of the League of 
American Wheelmen, the clergy, college professors, 
etc., most of whom had patronized my camps during 
the season of 1896, and knew whereof they spoke. 
You will see that Secretary Noble's action, to which 
you refer, had no reference to the camping business, and 
was particularly aimed at the Northern Pacific combina- 
tion, against which monopoly Congress and the Depart- 
ment "has been always contending." 
Relative to your prediction that "if Col. Young's opin- 
ion should be sought in this matter," "he would be bit- 
terly opposed to the nuisance which Wylie intends to 
establish," attention is called to the report of this very 
officer (p. 18, brief of Dec. 11, 1897), dated Oct. 26, 1897, 
made specially upon my camps, in which he says that 
"there exists an undoubted demand for such accommo- 
dations and services as Mr. Wylie seeks to render," and 
recommends the department to "require" their continu- 
ance. 
In view of the injury which might logically result from 
your publication, it is felt that fairness and justice would 
require such space in your columns as may be necessary 
to refute the untrue statements therein contained. 
W. W. Wylie. 
Helena, Feb. 17.— Editor Forest and Stream: Under 
the caption of "Nuisances in Yellowstone Park," in 
your issue of Feb. S, you strongly protest against Mr. 
W. W. Wylie's permanent camps in the Park, and you 
state what doubtless appears to you good reasons for 
your protest. To one living near the Park, and who 
has visited it recently, and who is, therefore, familiar 
with this Park question, your editorial is quite inex- 
plicable. 
I have been an occasional reader of your very valu- 
ble paper for a good many years. I know the high re- 
gard and appreciation in which it is held by the true 
sportsmen of this country. I have always considered it 
eminently fair in its criticisms of men and measures, but 
in this instance a very great injustice has been done 
Mr. Wylie and his thousands of friends scattered over 
the entire country. 
You are entirely in error in your statements regarding 
the Wylie permanent cam.ps. This can readily be shown 
by thousands of our best citizens who have made the 
trip through the Park with the Wylie Camping Co. In 
your own imperial city where your valuable p^per is 
published are many most excellent people who have 
made the trip with this company, among the number 
an editor who will quickly satisfy you that you have 
been grossly misinformed in this matter. 
Knowing the reputation of Forest and Stream for 
fmrness and reliability, I ask you to give space to thi§ 
communication— ;not for tlie purpose of advei'tising either 
the Wylie Camping Co, or the Transportation Co.. for 
I have no interest in either, but for the purpose of doing 
justice. 
The granting by the Department of the ^Interior of 
the permit for these permanent camps is not a "retro- 
grade step," but a step forward in the interests of the 
people, very many of whom prefer this method of doing 
the Park to any other. I know tliis to be true from 
conversations I had last summer in the Park with tour- 
ists traveling with both companies. Those who have 
visited the Park enthusiastically indorse the policy of 
the Department of the Interior in refusing to fly in the 
teeth of the acts of Congress and grant exclusive Park 
privileges. The Park belongs to the people, and its 
great privileges as well. To foster or create Park mo- 
nopoly in transportation, or in anything, would in my 
judgment turn the many from the Park, and only the 
favored few would visit it. 
It is true, as you state, that the Interior Department 
has not respected the recommendations of any officers 
who has acted as superintendents of the Park, and it 
is greatly to the credit of the department that it has 
not. Especially is this so when the well-known fact is 
stated that the former Superintendent of the Park was 
most bitterly opposed to Mr. Wylie and his method of 
doing business, and for no reason that he has, as yet, 
been willing to give. No good reason can be given why 
these camps should be prohibited. Objections made by 
Park superintendents have been proven, upon investiga- 
tion, to be utterly unfounded. Why Park superintendents 
continue their objections to camping is best known to 
them; certain it is they have never given the depart- 
ment nor the public any valid reason why these camps 
should not be allowed. 
"You say: "This having been granted him" (refer- 
ring to his license for permanent camps), "he erected a 
number of very flimsy board outbuildings, and later 
other very temporary shacks, log cabins, or huts, in 
which his passengers might sleep." Nothing could be 
further from the fact. The permanent camps are con- 
structed of the very best tent material. The beds and 
cooking compare favorably with similar accommodations 
in first-class hotels. There are no "temporary shacks, 
log cabins, or huts." The outbuildings are made of 
boards, and so are those of the Transportation Co. In- 
deed, those of the latter company, in some instances, are 
placed near the highway for the express purpose of be- 
ing seen and easily reached. These permanent camps 
are kept free from all refuse and debris. Inspection each 
day is made by a soldier for the express purpose of see- 
ing that the camps are kept cleaned up. 
These camps, instead of presenting an unsightly ap- 
pearance, "which can be compared to nothing so well 
as to the buildings of the old-fashioned shanty town that 
once existed on the rocks in New York city," are al- 
ways neat and pretty in appearance, and afford a cheer- 
ing sight to the traveler, wearied with the solitude of the 
never-ending "primeval forests" of the Park. 
Come and visit the Park, and you will find all the 
corroboration for the foregoing that is needed. Do not 
be misled by those who, for selfish reasons, attempt to 
deceive the public in this matter. 
It will be most fortunate for the people when our 
Government grants exclusive privileges in the Park, and 
thus insures a complete monopoly of all hotel and trans- 
portation privileges. 
I send you a copy of our daily paper, which has an 
editorial confirmatory of our statements. 
Thanking you in advance for your courtesy in pub- 
lishing this communication. I remain, 
E. A. Carleton, 
Superintendent of Public Instruction. 
Helena, Mont., Feb. 21. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
The undersigned committee, composed of members of 
the Montant Division, L. A. W., has been appointed by 
Chief Consul J. A. Shoemaker to formulate and for- 
ward to you a reply to the article entitled "Nuisances in 
the Yellowstone Park," in the issue of Feb. 5 of 
Forest and Stream. This committee is composed of 
members who have made the trip through the Park by 
wheel, some of them stopping at the Park hotels, and 
some stopping at the Wylie permanent camps, 
The article in question is so manifestly imjust, in that 
its statements regarding the permanent camps are wholly 
incorrect, that we feel a reply should be made; and we 
therefore respectfvdly request you to give space in your 
columns to this communication. We do this not be- 
cause we have a cent's worth of pecuniary interest in 
any transportation company now doing business 
in the Park, nor because of a desire to advertise 
the Wylie Camping Co.. but we are led to make this 
reply, and to ask of you the courtes}' of publishing it, 
simpl}^ orit of a desire to see justice done to a gentleman 
who has done as much as any citizen in this country 
to make known the marvelous attractions of Wonder- 
land. We believe in fair play, and knowing the reputa- 
tion of Forest and Stre.\m for fair dealing and reliable 
utterances, we confidently believe you will not deny us 
the privilege of stating through your columns the "other 
side of the case." 
The criticism of the Interior Department, of its policy 
in granting to Mr. Wylie a license to establish perma- 
nent camps in the Park, is unjust to say the least; and 
the statements regarding Mr. Wylie and his business 
are wholly unwarranted and erroneous. Instead of the 
"'flimsy outbuildings and other very temporary shacks, 
log cabins or huts," there have been erected large and 
commodious tents, comfortable and convenient in their 
interior, and presenting an extei'ior which adds rathef 
than detracts from the appearance of the neighborhood 
in which they are situated. There never has been erected 
by Mr. Wylie a "log cabin, shack or hut" of any kind. 
His large and sightly compartment tents are supplied 
with most of the conveniences found in a well-regulated 
hotel. They are warmed by stoves, furnished through- 
out with toilet articles, such as wash stands, towels, 
hair brushes, combs, etc., and the beds are as comforta- 
ble as those found in the hotels of the Park. 
You state that "it would be practically impossible to 
such permanent camps properly, and that the littler that 
would inevitably collect around them would be an 
ey^lQf^ an4 an offense to all travelers through th^ 
