April 8, 1899.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
267 
ber of animals actually brought to bay." * * ♦ "One 
is often tempted to fire a lot of risky and ineffectual shots 
at long range and without taking sufficient pains to obtain 
k fairly certain shot." * * * "In the interests of real 
sport it would be advisable, where a rule can be enforced, 
to prohibit the use of small-bore, long-range rifles al- 
together." 
"A formidable amount of aggregate skill in the use of 
their weapons was a noticeable characteristic of the Boers 
of the period I allude to (say twenty years ago)." * * * 
"Since the general introduction of long-range breechload- 
ing weapons, their shooting powers have steadily de- 
teriorated." * * * "Indeed, ever srace the modern 
rifle came into general use in the Transvaal, the Boers 
have gradually lost that amount of skill upon which their 
prestige was founded in former days." * * * "The 
extreme ease with which breechloading rifles cati be 
loaded, and the long range of these weapons, contributed 
largely to the deterioration of their original skill, by in- 
ducing habits of carelessness as to distances, and a pref- 
erence for pumping a stream of lead into the 'brown' 
without much regard to aim. This soon makes the game 
animals very wild, and, in proportion to the number of 
cartridges expended, very little game is gathered, and an 
enormous waste by wounding occurs." 
"In the late combat with Dr. Jameson's raiders, the 
Boers fired from behind rocks, which protected them 
completely from the effects of the horizontal fir-e of the 
enemy, whom they could pot at on an exposed plain on 
which marks indicating distances had been placed. 
* * * With all this in their favor, these burghers were 
only able to kill twenty-two of Dr. Jameson's men, in ad- 
dition to a few minor casualties, with an expenditude of 
at the very least 6,000 cartridges." 
There could not be a more striking illustration of de- 
terioration in skill caused by the facility of reloading 
modern rifles. Of course no one would now think of 
using any others, but it is not overstating the case _ to 
Say that, even when armed with the most quick-firing 
repeaters, every shot should be fired with the same care 
as was practiced when muzzleloaders were used. We 
should then find that not only would fewer animals escape 
wounded, but that the shocking instances of men being 
killed in mistake for deer would be unknown. Firing 
at moving leaves on the chance that a deer may be behind 
them was never heard of in muzzleloading times. 
J. J. MEYiacK. 
South Devon, England. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
Check for lUiaois Game Bill. 
Last week I had occasion to mention the rapid progress 
of a dangerous measure which bade fair to get through the 
Legislature of this State, namely, Senate Bill No. 43, 
otherwise known as the Begole bill. At that time I made 
mention of the undesirable features of this measure, al- 
though stating that the bill was being railroaded and might 
perhaps reach passage. It did come up for a vote in the 
Senate, on last Tuesday, March 28, and came within two 
votes of passing. There were fourteen votes for the meas- 
ure and sixteen against it. Mr. Begole gave notice of a 
reconsideration. There is little doubt that every effort 
will be used to push this thing through. There is a 
House bill already introduced which is almost as unde- 
sirable as this Senate bill, and the sportsmen of the State 
cannot be too urgent with their representatives with the 
request that they keep alert for these or any other sweep- 
ing measures which look toward the wiping out of our old 
game law with its well-tested sections. 
What we need in this State is not so much better laws 
as better enforcement of the laws, a statement which ap- 
plies indeed to all the western country. These new meas- 
ures contain some good points, of course, but to have them 
take the place bodily of our former laws would be no 
gain but a distinct detriment to the people of this State. 
We do not want any more laws which help South Water 
street. Any Illinois law which does help the commission 
men of this city is a distinct hurt to every western State 
which has any game left to ship. Let us hope that Senate 
bill No. 43 and all its countermarts will fall by the way- 
side and rise no more. 
The Feud on South "Water Street. 
The feud inaugurated against Warden Loveday by the 
Packer and National Produce Review, the alleged organ 
of South. Water street, has taken a distinct and rather 
ugly form. The paper quoted comes out in its issue of 
March 25 with further distinct charges of illegality on 
the part of different game wardens, including the present 
one. It charges that it has been the common custom 
among the justices of the peace of Chicago not to turn in 
any funds to the school board, as directed by the law. 
Auditor Custer, of the city school board, is reported to 
have said that during his term of office, covering about 
fourteen years, there had never been any money turned 
into the school board from game prosecutions. The Re- 
view openly charges that neither Warden Blow nor War- 
den Loveday has ever turned in a cent. Justice Randal! 
H. White states that he has turned over such funds prop- 
erly, or stands ready to do so. 
These are but part of the intimations made by the paper 
above referred to. That the war has taken definite shape 
may be gathered from the fact that President Graham H. 
Harris, and Attorney McMahon, of the Board of Educa- 
tion, have this Aveek conferred for the purpose of de- 
ciding whether or not to file suit for the collection of 
fees, estimated to amount to several thousand dollars, 
which the school board claims belong to it, but which have 
never been turned ov-er under the provisions of the law. 
It should be borne in mind that these funds are properly to 
be paid over by the justices of the peace, though I pre- 
sume the records of the warden's office should tell the 
amount and dates of all such collections. 
T do not know whether or not there is any personal spite 
actuating the paper above mentioned in its course, and to 
be sure, both sides of any case should be given in a paper 
like the Forest and .Stream. As I am unable to meet 
Warden Loveday at present, I hope he will send to me 
any statement which will give the facts upon the other side 
of the case. The Review should give chapter and verse, 
names and dates and not content itself with sweeping as- 
sertions. It is in a splendid position to expose a lot of 
the rottenness of South Water street, having much better 
access to the dealers than any sportsmen's paper could 
ever have. If it is sure that hush money has been paid 
to any warden, it will do a service to all dealers and all 
sportsmen also, if it will print the names of any firms 
which have contributed such hush money, stating the 
amounts of such contributions, with the dates and cir- 
cumstances. This is a sort of information which I have 
long been anxious to get during the administrations of 
earlier wardens, but it is something which no stranger 
can obtain on South Water street. I once spent a little 
money in trying to get some facts of this sort, but failed. 
If the Review can secure these facts, and be sure that they 
are facts, I should for one be very joyful. It is not 
right, however, to deal in inuendo or general charges, and 
the only right kind of journalism is that which is willing 
to get both sides of the story. For Warden Loveday, per- 
sonally, I must say that he has been more effective than 
any warden we ever had, out in the shooting districts, and 
that he has seized more game on South Water street 
than any other warden ever did. This I do not take to 
mean that he has stopped one-thousandth part of the ille- 
gal game trade of South Water street. I admit that it 
is my personal belief that a game warden belongs on 
South Water street, and not outside the city, and I think 
that he ought to have a large, active hammer and nail 
puller always about his person. Perhaps, if I were g<tmc 
warden myself, I would know more about this sort of 
thing, and could testify to the shrewdness of the great 
game fences of Chicago, wliich are forever open to the 
stolen game of the West. It may be mere spleen on my 
part, yet I confess to a sort of rage, in which I think per- 
haps I am joined by many others, that this gigantic system 
of theft and robbery should go on almost openly under 
our eyes, and that the machinery of our laws should fail 
so utterly to reach and check it. It almost makes the 
word law a mockery. If anyone thinks for one second that 
no illegal game comes into the Chicago market, or goes 
out of it, he is in a state of ignorance deserving pity. Yet 
this thing goes on, and we know it goes on, and we can- 
not, or do not stop it. I would like to see the Review, as 
the commercial organ of the street, rip that whole de- 
lectable thoroughfare up the back at the same time, while 
it has out its knife for the officials who haVe failed to 
accomplish that pitrpose, 
The Elk of Jackson's Hole. 
A while ago I had occasion to print a communication 
from Mr. Edwin F. Daniels, of this city, describing the un- 
sportsmanlike slaughter of the elk in the Jackson's Hole 
country by Eastern shooters. For the most part one does 
not expect to have his hopes and wishes- regarding game 
protection realized, and to make a howl in a newspaper 
over the slaughter of game usually does little good except- 
ing to make the howler feel a little better at the time. I do 
this sort of thing chiefly because it makes me feel good, 
not because I think it jars the world very much. Yet here 
I have another letter from Mr. Daniels, which would show 
that this subject has really attracted some attention in the 
country where the most good can be done. Mr. Daniels 
is good enough to write me as below : 
"My letter to you of recent date relating to the slaughter 
of big game in Jackson Hole country last fall by prominent 
people, has had a little effect. It has been read in Wyom- 
ing, and I am in receipt this morning of a letter from 
Simpson Bros., of Jackson, Wyoming, relating to same. 
This letter fully confirms my previous information, regard- 
ing the slaughter. I quote from Mr. Simpson's letter as 
follows : 
"The slaughter by them was awful. Their guide was 
, and if ever they shojia •^eturn to the hunting grounds 
of Wyoming, they should receive summary treatment and 
dismissal.' 
"I am glad to note that the matter has reached the right 
place, and I trust that the efforts of your paper may be 
so well directed that it will not be allowed to rest here, 
but that a sentiment may be created in that particular 
locality that will not fail to make known the fact that such 
slaughterers in the future will not be tolerated. 
"Mr. Simpson says, however, that he is not in sympathy 
with iTiy view in relation to the residents of the game 
country being held less liable than the sportsmen from the 
East. He says he thinks they should be held more liable. 
I am very glad to note this sentiment from a resident of 
that country, and I hope that it is widespread and general 
among the people who live there. From what Mr. Simp- 
son says, I gather that there are, however, some, excep- 
tions, and that there are SeA^eral of what he pleases to 
term "hog hunters" who live there. These people will 
always be found in such localities, and the only thing 
that can be done is to watch them as carefully as possible, 
and then pass laws stringent and comprehensive enough 
to make it a misdemeanor for them to kill more than a 
certain amount of game, or more than is necessary to 
furnish meat for their actual use. 
"I hope that the reports of the death of thousands of 
elk, deer, etc., by starvation, is greatly overdrawn, al- 
though T doubt not that immense numbers have died from 
that cause. While at the Lake Hotel, Yellowstone Park, 
last fall, I met Lieut. Lindsley, who had just been on a 
scout of 500 miles, and was just about making his report to 
the Government regarding the condition of game, and 
their summer and winter ranges. If the starvation story 
is true, Lieut. Lindsley' s recommendation that the Gov- 
ernment take into the forest reserve the entire Jackson 
Hole country far enough so that in the severest winter 
weather, the game could have a winter range where it 
could feed, should be adopted at once. This protection 
would afford both a summer and winter range, and would 
make it practically impossible for any great number of 
deaths to occur from lack of proper food. 
"Lieut. Lindsley told me that his duties to the Govern- 
ment in the fall and winter of 1897-98, brought him into 
such close proximity with the game, that he personally 
saw forty to fifty thousand elk moving from their sum- 
mer range in the Park to their winter range in Jackson 
Hole, where, owing to the lax protection in that country 
at that time, many thousands of them were indiscriminate- 
ly slaughtered." 
That's right. Put a park about them. And incident- 
ally, put a 40ft. stone wall about the park. 
Western Game Prospects. 
From all I can learn the quail have had a har4 time 
in Minnesota and Wisconsin, not quite so bad a time in 
Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. In parts of the South 
they h^ve suffered a great deal. I do not feel qualified to 
say how they have fared in Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, 
though I am sure the winter has proved more than ordi- 
narily severe pretty much all over the West. In this 
latitude the weather has been wretched. During the en- 
tire month of March we have had only five pleasant days, 
and it has rained or snowed almost every day for weeks. 
To-day, April i, it is cloudy and snowing, at st date 
when the leaves ought to be sprouting and fish running in 
the streams. Of course, the quail do not benefit by such 
severity of weather, but it is very comforting to state that 
the sum of all reports is far from indicating any wide- 
spread cutting down of the stock of these birds. For in- 
stance, Mr. W. B. Wells writes me from Chatham, On- 
tario, along the shores of Lake St. Clair, that the quail 
have wintered there almost without loss, and now seem 
fat and strong. 
Mr. Wells also reports geese and ducks coming in over 
the marshes of that country. Now and then he saj'S some- 
one goes out after geese. In our locality, as earlier re- 
ported, the first of the flight has been up for several 
weeks, and some of our shooters got very good bags of 
birds a month ago. I am disposed to think the weather 
will render the flight rather long drawn out and straggling. 
As to the jack snipe, no one Avistest where they are. 
E. Hough. 
1200 BoYCE Building, Chicago. 
Maine Guides and Game. 
MoosEHEAD Lake, Me., March 28. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I've been to New York, seen the Sportsmen's 
Show, the green grass and "spoutin' fountings" in the 
parks, a forest of big "buildin's," and a lot of men and 
women and children, who, mostly, look as if they never 
had seen the sun rise and needed an "airin'." 
There ain't any green grass nor "fountings" down 
here yet, and it looks as if there won't be for a month 
to come. Also, there ain't any "big buildin's^" so when 
I think of that it seems to sorter square up for the green 
grass. 
But there is 7ft. of snow in our woods, 26in. of ice 
in our big lake — ^more than we shall need all the coming 
summer — and it looks as though the fishing season will 
be a little later than usual. 
Our big game has wintered well. There has hardly 
been a day all winter in this big country when a man 
could run down a moose or deer on snowshoes. Not 
that a man would do so if he could, but some people 
never do get to be men, and we have a few such critterg 
here. I've been a great deal in the big woods this win- 
ter, and never saw better prospects for a good hunting 
sason. 
Our caribou ain't all dead neither. I know where there 
are eight in one band. Now that the law is on them for 
six years to come, won't them eight caribou laugh and 
grow fat and wax mightily in numbers if the commis- 
sioners and wardens do their duty. In six j'ears that 
single band of caribou will increase to fifty head. 
I know our moose and deer are increasing each year, 
I meet deer right in my backyard in this village on the 
shore of Moosehead Lake, and last fall a big black bear 
walked across my garden — while I was away, however — 
and crossed the main road to the Bangor & Aroostook 
Railroad station. I guess he was lookin' for a free pass ! 
When we guides see moose tracks, and moose, too, in 
most every section of our big territory, and even in 
places where we never be'fore saw any, does it indicate 
that moose are growing so scarce, they are getting so 
anxious about it, that they are coming out to be counted I 
Or does it prove that they are spreading out into new 
feeding grounds, to get enough browse to keep in condi- 
tion. Each year more are legally killed by visiting 
sportsmen, and how would that be so if there were not 
more each year to kill? Take my word for it, and of our 
guides as a body, that our big game is still on the in- 
crease. And what is more, we guides of Maine intend to 
keep it on the increase. In the past five years we have 
learned a lot about game protection ; we've been getting to 
the point where we know that a live moose or deer in the 
woods is worth more to us and to the State than a dead 
deer or moose in our camp door-yard. And we know 
now that just so long as we have the live moose and 
deer, we will have a whole lot of nice gentlemen — and 
ladies, too— coming down here to hunt them, and paying 
us boys those three nice big dollars each day we are with 
them — just for company's sake, I suppose. So it has 
come to pass that you now hear the voice of one literally 
crying in the wilderness, in these latter days, saying in 
a loud voice to all the great throng of Forest and Stream 
readers: Behold, the registered guides of Maine are in 
favor of game protection, for they know on which side 
their manna is buttered, and locusts and wild honey don't 
infest this wilderness, and the trout hog and game 
butcher must go ! Yours for health, 
Eb. Harlow, Registered Guide No. 92. 
Capt. T. C. Barker writes from Camp Bemis : "It looks 
pretty wintry here in Maine. There must be 4ft. of snow 
on a level; and some drifts about my camp are all of 
2Sft. deep, so you see that the April rain will have some- 
thing to do to take the snow off. I have made a sixteen- 
mile snowshoe trip to-day taking in the Birches and Up- 
per Dam, and it seems mighty good to get onto them once 
more." 
A wild duck killed by a farmer, brought in and sold 
on the streets, was dressed in the restaurant of Frenchy's 
saloon a few days ago, when a fish measuring isj^tn. 
long and 35^in. wide was found on its inside, as perfect 
as if swallowed only a short time before the duck was 
.shot. It had gone down tail first, and while its head was 
in the duck's craw, the tail was at the extreme end of the 
bowel. But what bothered those who saw it was how a 
fish 3Hiu. wide could go down the duck's throat when 
its throat was apparently not large enough to admit of 
the passage of one an inch wide. The fish was of the 
tooth herring or "skipjack" variety, but what family the 
duck belonged to none seemed to know,— Frankfort 
(Ky.) Rovindabout, 
