4SS 
FORE! 
AND STREAM. 
[Dec. 17, 1898. 
Mr. Mowry believed that grouse shooting should be 
prohibited for one year. 
J. H. Forey, of Syracuse, said bundles of grouse had 
been seen hanging in front of stores without a shot mark 
on them. They were caught by traps or nets, and trout 
caught illegally were offered for sale. 
Mr. Smith said that within ten weeks' a man who 
owned a pond had been caught taking trout in a net out 
of a stream which the Anglers' Association of Onondaga 
county had been stocking for five years. There were 
eighteen trout in the net. The man wanted the fish to 
stock his pond. 
Protector Worts was of the opinion that if the sale of 
grouse could be stopped it would be a very effectual way 
of protecting the birds. 
The resolution was adopted. 
On motion of Mr. Mather it was decided to recommend 
that £he quail shooting should be restricted to the month 
of November. 
The nominating committee reported in favor of the 
following officers for the ensuing year, and they were 
duly elected: 
President, Cornelius W. Smith, Syracuse;, Vice-Presi- 
dent, Robert B. Lawrence, Long Island ; Secretary, Ernest 
G. Gould, Seneca Falls ; Treasurer, A. C. Cornwall, Alex- 
andria Bay, 
Legislative and Law Committee, C. B. Lapham, Canan- 
daigua: F. J. Amsden, Rochester; W. E. Wolcott, Utica; 
A. E. Pond, New York ; W. S. Gavitt, Lyons. 
Auditing Committee, Aaron Mather, Honeoye Falls; 
Thomas D. Lunt, Dunkirk; G. W. Weaver, Lockport. 
President Gavitt, in retiring from the chair, thanked 
the members of the League for the courtesy which had 
been shown him at all times. He was sure the new 
officers had been chosen wisely. The association is at 
the present time in the best condition to effect legislation 
and make its influence felt at Albany that it has ever 
been in. The association is stronger in numbers and 
new members are coming in. Mr. Gavitt desired to im- 
press upon all the desirability of increasing the member- 
ship and having ao organization in every county in the 
State. Better and more effective work can then be done. 
It would be "wise if it could be done to send a mission- 
ary into every locality in the State to bring people in 
touch with the League. . Mr. Gavitt, after again thanking 
his associates for their courteous treatment, relinquished 
the chair to President Smith. 
A motion was carried extending the thanks of the asso- 
ciation to the retiring president for the energetic, able and 
intelligent manner in which he has discharged his duties, 
and also thanking the 'other retiring officers. 
President Smith said it had been his pleasure for a 
number of years to take a warm interest in the game 
laws of the State,. He succeeded as chairman of the law 
committee a very able man, Mr. Van Cleef, of Poughkeep- 
sie. The speaker was gratified at the fact that, whereas 
four years ago about forty amendments to the game laws 
were proposed, and last year twenty, to-day there were 
only seven. He felt that as chairman of the law com- 
mittee he had been able to accomplish some good work, 
and he proposed to continue to do his best for the welfare 
of the League. He said that at the League meetings he 
met only true sportsmen — men who are true to the law. 
When Col. Roosevelt was in Syracuse, continued Mr. 
Smith, I made up my mind that I would not greet him in 
a conventional manner, and when I took his hand I said : 
"True sportsmen are true men." "What kind of sports- 
men?" he asked. I replied, "Sportsmen of the rod and 
gun." He said, '.'You are right," and I felt the grip of 
his hand long afterward. We cannot all be Roosevelts, 
but we can be like him, true sportsmen. I am glad to 
see that the association is keeping up its " membership. 
Last "-inter in Albany I had the pleasure of pronouncing 
an obituary on a bill for hounding deer. When we get a 
good la'w we should stand by it, and not change it with- 
out good reason. Another thing that we have been do'- 
ing is to try to get a uniform law for the State. I am 
pleased with the entire la wcommittee appointed to-day, 
and especially pleased that the labors of my first assistant 
have been recognized by making him chairman of the 
committee. 
Col. Theodore Roosevelt was elected an honorary mem- 
ber of the League. 
Mr. Mowry said the Onondaga County Anglers' Asso- 
ciation employed a special protector. For some years it 
has received appropriations from the board of supervisors 
to aid in enforcing the game laws. "Now," continued 
Mr. Mowry. "there is an organization which has gone 
before the board of supervisors with a petition asking 
them not to appropriate $200 for our association. This 
association has gone further than this. They have gone 
before the Legislature to ask them to repeal laws which 
we suggested at our meetings, and which- have been 
passed for the benefit of sportsmen. They want us to 
give them a chance to fish with nets." 
George R. Peck, of Auburn, was elected an honorary 
member of the League, until such a time as he may be- 
come an active memln-r by affiliation with some club. 
W. E. Wolcott, of Utica, spoke of the good effects 
which the anti-hounrling and anti-floating law is having 
in the Adirondack's, and of the gratifying increase in the 
number of deer in that region. He also referred to the 
reckless manner in which the forests are being cut away, 
and in conclusion offered the following resolution, which 
was unanimously adopted: . 
Resolved. That the vast and increasing lumber opera- 
tions in the Adirondack wilderness threaten irreparable 
damage to the future interests of this State, by reason 
of the evil effects which the continued thinning out and 
removal of the forest will surely entail, The wilderness 
is of the greatest importance as a. source of water Supply 
and because of the influence it has on meteorological and 
hygienic conditions. Public sentiment is strongly in favor 
of State ownership, and the electors have, repeatedly in- 
dicated at the polls their hearty approval of forest preser- 
vation. In view of these facts, and in the interests of 
hunters, anglers, tourists, invalids and guides, and for 
the welfare of the people of the whole Commonwealth, 
we earnestly urge the Legislature to provide funds for the 
purchase of additional lands in the Adirondacks. 
Superintendent Annin exhibited two small muskallonge 
which were hatched May 19, ?nd put in a bottle Aug. 19. 
The growth attained in three months was about 6in. The 
muskallonge hatched at the Chautauqua Lake hatchery 
were placed in a small pond, and it was found necessary 
to feed them on minnows. The fish turned cannibals, and 
one muskallonge 3in. long was found with one 2in. in 
length nearly swallowed. 
There was some talk about Section 76 of the game laws, 
which relates to the transportation of grouse, quail and 
woodcock, and it was deemed a wise provision, 
Mr. Ackerman said: While I was fishing and shoot- 
ing near Redfield, a man told me that two years ago he 
snared 1,400 partridges. He shipped them out in cheese 
boxes labeled cheese. As 800 of the partridges were 
females, which would have reared broods, that means 
several thousand less birds in the woods. 
Protector Worts said the thirty-three active workers on 
the State game protective force had much to do. About 
the time the deer season opened seventeen of them were 
sent into the Adirondacks to look out for violations of 
the law. This left some of the other lakes and streams 
open. The territory of some of the protectors is large, 
and when they are shifted it is difficult to cover it as it 
ought to be. The force is not large enough. 
It was declared to be the sense of the meeting that the 
force of protectors should be increased, the salaries in- 
creased and the moiety system abolished. Adjourned. 
W. E. Wolcott. 
Utica, N. Y., Dec. 0. 
New Jersey Quail Stocking. 
[From the report of the Fish and Game Commissioners."] 
Two years ago your commission began the distribution 
of quail, and that the work has been fairly successful is 
attested by the replies to inquiries made of the persons 
to whom the quail were sent. New Jersey is a State in 
many ways admirably adapted to the quail with the 
serious drawback of occasionally a very severe winter 
destructive of life in the open fields, particularly so of 
the quail. There is little doubt that even before the ad- 
vent of the white man to these shores there were periods 
when the territory at present covered by the State of New 
Jersey was wholly devoid of quail, and that such periods 
were followed by others when the cheerful note of Bob 
White was heard all about. Undoubtedly it frequently 
took years to undo the havoc wrought by one severe win- 
ter. With the advent of civilization these conditions were 
somewhat modified, for, although the climate may have 
undergone no change, men took the precaution to provide 
shelter for the birds, and to replace them with others 
brought from a distance whenever their extermination 
was threatened. 
More time and money have probably been expended in 
the distribution of quail than of any other species of 
fauna, the reason for which must be sought in the affec- 
tion which the bird inspires in all who are in any way 
susceptible to the charms of bird life. On this account 
your commission entered upon no untrodden field when it 
began the work of replenishing the stock of quail in New 
Jersey. Years ago the prolific numbers of the quail in 
the Southern States attracted the attention of the people 
of the North, and these birds were brought on here in 
the hope that they .would thrive here, a hope, alas, too 
frequently blasted. The Southern quail, when placed into 
the fields of this State, apparently did well for a time; 
they readily accommodated themselves to their new sur- 
roundings, but with the advent of cold weather they dis- 
appeared. In nearly every instance it was found that they 
bred just as well as they had done in. the warmer climate 
and that they remained here "until the season opened to 
shoot them, and then they were gone," as the hunters put 
it. A little observation soon solved the mystery of their 
disappearance. The cold of our winters was too severe 
for them, and as the mercury descended they sought 
warmer places. Their instinct taught them to seek the 
water courses where it was warmer than in the hills and 
fields ; they followed these courses down to the sea and 
then proceeded southward, thus being entirely lost to the 
people living in the northern part of the State. In 
ordinary winters the birds frequently remained through 
to the following spring in some of the southern counties 
of the State, thus affording an explanation of the pres- 
ence there at times of different varieties of quail. When, 
however, the cold was more than usually severe, they 
pursued their journey southward, passing either into 
Pennsylvania or Delaware, or ending their existence in 
the waters of Delaware Bay. 
Under such circumstances it is not at all surprising 
that the people tired of bringing here the quail of the 
South, and that they turned their eyes westward, where 
the quail were accustomed to just such winters as are ex- 
perienced in New Jersey. Southern quail can be pur- 
chased at a low figure in the markets ; the Western birds 
command a higher price, both on account of the great- 
er distance the birds are brought, thus increasing the 
danger of accidents en route, and because the authorities 
of the Western States regarded with displeasure the trap- 
ping of the birds, and in many instances passed laws ab- 
solutely prohibiting the removal of birds. But it would 
have been folly to have persisted in bringing quail hither 
from the South; such a prbceeding might have produced 
a passing gratification, to be followed, however, by dis- 
appointment at the disappearance of the birds. For this 
reason your commission rejected all offers of quail from 
the South, believing that a dozen quail from the West 
would produce better results than a hundred from the 
South. This has been the experience of others in in- 
dividual instances, and it proved just as true when ap- 
plied to the larger scale of stocking an entire State. As 
will be seen from the letters subjoined, the birds brought 
hither have remained here, and now constitute an impor- 
tant part of the bird life of New Jersey. 
Quail have been distributed as follows in counties: At- 
lantic 45. Bergen 180, Burlington 240, Camden 30. Cape 
May 75, Cumberland 160, Essex o, Gloucester 280, Hud- 
son o, Hunterdon 100, Mercer 214, Middlesex 140, Mon- 
mouth 190, Morris 190, Ocean 0, Passaic 173, Salem 190, 
Somerset 60, Sussex 215, Union 60, Warren 60; total 
2,602; 
From Mr. John B. Lozier, Oradell, Nov. 8, 1897 : The 
quail you sent me were all liberated, and I am pleased to 
say that this time turning them loose has been successf u'. 
I know of several large covies, nearly all near farmers' 
houses, who do not shoot, and I have made arrange- 
ments with them to look out for them and see that they 
are not disturbed. The local shooters now that they un- 
derstand what I want to do have promised to give no 
trouble, and I think everything is smooth for the birds. 
From Mr. Warden Van Kirk, Sparta, Aug. 23, 1898; 
The quail put out here a year ago wintered well, and I 
saw a good many this summer. Thirty more quail were 
put out last spring, and several flocks have been seen this 
summer. 
From Mr. William W. Woodward, Newton, Aug. 24, 
1898. The thirty quail sent me last spring were turned out 
in several places, and as far as I have been able to ascertain 
they have done splendidly. On one place near town there 
is any number of birds. I believe every pair of the seven 
placed there bred, and have large broods growing nicely. 
From Fish and Game Warden Harry R. Dare, Bridge- 
ton, Aug. 24, 1898: The quail which were . liberated in 
this county have done remarkably well, and I have never 
known a time when there were more quail than during 
the present season, both in this and in Salem county. 
From Mr. James L Crane, Franklin Furnace. Aug. 
25, 1898: I am glad to report success. Still, I have 
not followed them up so as to be able to find any broods. 
I have gone in their neighborhood every week or so, and 
have heard them whistling. 
From Fish and Game Warden Frank L. Shafer, Mt. 
Arlington, Aug. 25, 1898: The quail that were sent here 
were placed on the properties of three different persons, 
and they have increased very much. I should judge from 
what I have seen, and from what I have been told by 
different persons, that there are between 400 and 500 quail 
here, the result of the stocking done by the State. 
From Mr. William H. Leupp. New Brunswick, Aug. 
25, 1898: I am happy to say that the quail are doing 
very well ; they were let out on the borders of Middlesex 
county, and have been heard and seen. They have taken 
very nicely to this latitude, as their broods indicate. 
From Mr. John M. Henderson, secretary of the Wood- 
bury Sportsmen's Association, Woodbury, Aug. 25, 1898: 
The quail sent our association last spring were received 
in good condition, and were promptly liberated by the 
members among the farmers of our county, who had 
feeding grounds. More attention was paid to good cover and 
good cover and water, as our experience teaches us that 
something more is required than good feeding ground 5; 
as birds are often placed in open ground, and the whole 
covey is killed the first day of the open season. We lost 
but one bird out of the fifty received ; that one was very 
weak when received. We have received good reports 
from all parts of our county where the birds were placed, 
and the outlook is good. The birds sent us were the best 
we have handled in an experience of about twenty years, 
and if all received as good birds as we did sportsmen may 
expect a good time. 
From Mr. Henry P. Davis, Davis. Aug. 25. 1898: 
Most of the quail we received were in good condition, but 
five died soon after being turned out. The others be- 
came very tame, frequently coming up to the house to 
feed. Then they would return to the woods and banks. 
We hear them calling each other every day, and have 
seen several flocks of young birds. They appear to be 
doing very well, although it has been very rainy and wet 
for them. 
From Mr. H. S. Kinmonth, Asbury Park, Aug. 25, 
1898: I can safely say that the quail you sent me have 
done very nicely. We see evidence of them all the time. 
From Fish and Game Warden James L. Tooker, Jr., 
Perth Amboy, Aug. 25, 189.8: The quail sent to Messrs. 
Muirhead and Hillman were set free on farms, s6me near 
Cheesequakes, on the Rowe farm, and at Ernston and 
Runyon. These places form a circle to the south and 
west of South Amboy. distant from two to five miles. 
Considerable grain, such as wheat, rye and oats, are raised 
in that section, the unused lands consisting of swamps and 
hilly woodland, a greater portion being covered with 
woods, the upland being sandy. This neighborhood has 
always been a good quail country. The thickets bordering 
the swamps consist of a small growth of scrub oaks, filled 
in with a tangled mass of briers, making an impassable 
barrier for both man and dog, and forming a natural 
protection for quail, where they can breed undisturbed. 
The quail have greatly increased in this section since the 
present board of commissioners have been in office. I 
have recently made several trips through this part of the 
countv, and the call of the quail could be heard continu- 
ously, and that the quail released this spring have mated 
and increased in number there can be no doubt. 
The quail sent to Assemblyman Quaid were released in 
the vicinity of Sayreville, making a continuous line of 
stocked country in southeastern Middlesex. These birds 
will breed and scatter to the southward, the Raritan 
River, salt meadows and clay mines preventing them from 
going north. 
The quail throughout that section of Monmouth coun- 
tv lying to the south of Matawan, and running to within a 
few" miles of Freehold, have greatly increased in number 
within the past few years, so much so that I do not be- 
lieve it necessary for the commission to liberate birds 
there. 
During the early part of the present summer a bevy of 
quail, consisting of ten or twelve birds, made their ap- 
pearance in the southern part of this city, along the Rari- 
tan River, feeding in dooryards and in vacant lots. They 
mated and nested adjoining the meadow lands to the 
westward of the Central Railroad tracks, on property be- 
longing to the Watson estate and the Marcy stove works, 
consisting of about 100 acres. Their calls can be heard 
every morning and evening. The owners of the lands 
upon which these birds have located have taken a great 
interest in them, and will do all in their power to protect 
them, There is no grain raised within four miles of 
Perth Amboy, and where these birds came from is a 
mystery. With this exception no quail have been seen 
in this vicinity for years past. 
From Fish and Game Warden George W. Dunham. 
Flemington, Aug. 25, 1898 : You sent me 100 quail ; they 
were placed upon good ground near where the pheasants 
were released, and received the same protction, and there | 
are literally hundreds of them in that vicinity. When re- 
ceived they were stocky and hardy, and their young are 
equally as large. The quail have scattered more than the' 
pheasants, and I find them in different parts of the coun- ( 
ty as they are readily distinguished from our native birds.' 
' From Mr. J, N. Calvin, Lafayette, Aug. 25, 1898: Quail 
