]aH. 1^ 1900.] 
FOREST AND STREAlVl. 
.•jtill there. I set to loading up with a handful of powder 
and a big wad of paper well rammed down, the old steel 
rod ringing as I sent it home; then a good 3 ounces of 
BBs and more newspaper on that. Then I was ready to 
shoot, all but the capping. My hand shook so that I 
had trouble getting an army waterproof cap from the 
box, dropping several in the snow. After placing it on 
the tube I raised the hammer, which I could only do by 
resting the muzzle on the ground and taking both hands 
to it. Then taking most deliberate aim I fired. What 
happened seems almost a confused dream. That old gun 
knocked me over in the snow. My head felt gone. I 
^ seemed to be doing my thinking from a distance. My 
nose was bleeding, and seeing the blood on the snow, I 
feared a serious injury before I could get on to my feet 
and pull myself together. I realized that there was trou- 
ble. The cat had been wounded so badly that it had fallen 
from the tree, and Jack had started in to finish him; but 
the old chap w^as game; and such a fight I never saw be- 
fore. First it was dog and then cat on top. I grabbed 
my gun and ran in to help the dog; but before I could 
get a chance to hit the cat without hurting Jack the two 
were in between my legs, upsetting me; and in my anxiety 
to get away from them I received a scratch across the 
forehead, the scar from which I carry even to this day. 
After getting out of the mix-up I found an opening and 
hit the cat with the barrel of the gun, breaking his back. 
Then Jack finished the job. The old dog was so mad that 
he kept biting and shaking the carcass for some minutes 
after life was extinct. 
Tying my handkerchief about my head I examined 
Jack. I found him pretty well done up — scratched and 
bitten in a dozen places. While petting and telling what 
a fine dog he was he lay down and began licking his 
' wounds. I skinned the cat, which was the largest I had 
ever seen, and with the pelt slung over my shoulder we 
started out in search of 'Levi, finding him after about a 
mile tramp. 
"Did you get him?" called Levi, as he looked up from 
the hole he was digging, at our approach. 
"I should say so! Just look at that skin. Ain't that a 
sockdolager?" 
Levi examined the skin while I was narrating our cx- 
■ perience. 
"Well." said he, "you got off lucky. It's a wonder 
you don't get killed, the w-ay you load that old gun. 
i Why, you used four times as much powder as you needed. 
Just wait. One of these days you'll lose the whole top 
I of your head. Now you're here, just take a hand with 
that hoe. I'm sweating like a bull. See where I've 
traced "em from — more'n 20 feet. I'm sure there must be 
a dozen here. There were lots of tracks that led into the 
hole." 
He shoved a long stick down to see which way it ran. 
We located the skunks at once, for as he poked with the 
stick the perfume that filled the air was awful. After dig- 
ging a short di.stance I could see one. Jack, who was 
watching the proceedings very carefully, saw him at the 
sarne moment, and brushing by me dove down into the 
hole and grabbed a big one, which he dragged out and 
killed, Levi and I keeping a safe distance., The stench, 
as you all know, is fearful when a skunk is shaken up. 
After a great deal of coaxing Jack went in and got an- 
other. Then he would roll in the snow and dirt to get the 
perfume out of his eyes. As soon as he could see he 
•vvould go after more. In all he killed six. Two were 
jet black, the others black and white. After skinning the 
six we started for the next hole. Jack lagging behind, 
tail between his legs. He had had enough skunks for 
one day. When Ave reached the other hole and started 
to dig. Jack looked on for a few moments, then dropped 
his tail and started for home. No amount of coaxing 
-would bring him back; so, as the dog had left us in the 
lurch, we decided to wait until we got another one. 
When Ave reached my home it was nearly dark. The 
house was lighted up and I could see the flicker of a light 
up by the barns. I knew then that the folks had returned 
and that my father was doing the chores that I was sup- 
posed to have done in the morning. 
"Good night. Ash," said Levi at the gate. 'T'll see you 
in a day or two." , 
"Why don't you come in and get warm?" 
"Oh, no; I've got some traps to look after," he called 
back, disappearing around the corner of the garden 
fence. 
I hastened into the woodshed and hung my accouter- 
ments in their proper place, being careful to place the 
cat skin where nothing would reach it, and went up to 
the barns to finish my work. Father and one of the hired 
men were feeding the cattle and horses. They did not 
notice me when I entered. 
"Hello," said I; "is my work all done?" 
"Yon are a young hopeful, you are!" exclaimed ray 
father as he swung the lantern around so as to get a good 
look at me. "What in the world have you been doing? 
"What's the matter with your head?" And he went on, 
without giving me a chance to reply: "Your mother is 
mad all through, Jack ran into the kitchen and sitting 
room, and now the whole hoxise smells worse than a dye 
pot." 
I told him of the bargain I had made with Levi, and 
how we had got two fine black skunks and the fine cat 
skin that I was going to tan and make gloves out of. 
All he would say was: "That Levi Roberts ought to be 
ashamed of himself to take you off with him, since all he 
wanted of you was to get the dog to go in after the 
skunks. Why, you won't get any part of the money from 
Levi. I wouldn't believe that red-headed cuss under 
oath." 
Father was right. T never got a cent. I had to keep 
nuor old Jack in the barn for ten days and all my hunt- 
ing clothes — niy father's cast-oflF ones — had to be buried. 
For a while, indeed, it looked as though we would have 
to bury poor old Jack. A. A. W. 
Vifginia Game Seasons. 
Chase CtTy, Va., Jan. ^.—-Editor Forest and Stream: 
A bill has just passed through the Virginia Legislature 
giving sportsmen an open . season till March t in this 
county alone (Mecklenburg). W. D. Paxton. 
The FosEST and Stream is puC to press each week cm Tuesday. 
Coirennondence intended for publication should reach us at the 
.^.vf ' - Afrsnday 38 mvch earlier a* practicable. 
Trespass in Ohio. 
Cleveland, O., Jan. S.-^-Farmers and country justices 
of the peace in this section of the State are reaping a 
harvest from unwary huntsmen. Many are the hard 
luck tales told in consequence. A loud wail is going itp 
from this and other sections of the State which may make 
itself heard in Columbus and thus bring relief to sports- 
men who have been bled without remorse by cold-booded 
farmers, justices of the peace and constables. The relief 
may come in the shape of a bill which will define the 
rights of hunters when on other people's property and 
the rights of the property owners themselves. For the 
present, however, the huntsmen are a much hunted class 
of men, who find it necessary to carry with them check 
books to prcA^ent being jailed in some village lock-up. 
This applies only to townships east of Cleveland in 
Medina and Lake counties. Farmers in this locality, it 
is claimed, perfected a combination between constables, 
justices and themselves, early last summer. It was 
agreed that the fimds collected in the shape of fines over 
and above the actual court expenses were to be divided 
among them and in this way not only rid themselves of 
troublesome huntsmen, but provide for a comfortable 
nest egg as well. The plan has been followed without 
any deviation. Sportsmen, during the bird season, were 
arrested without warning by constables and fined all the 
wayy froiu $10 to $50 for each offense. The arrests in 
nearly every case were on the charge of trespassing; but 
on one or two occasions for hunting rabbits with ferrets. 
Ohio statutes provide a fine of $5 for trespassing and 
$20 for hunting with ferrets without the permission of the 
owner of the land. Fines executed in nearly every case, 
however, were much larger than this, but were paid by 
the victims, who felt it was cheaper to pay up than to 
spend a week or two in jail. Once out of the power of 
the justices, many made threats of recovery, but never 
carried the matter further. The justices excuse themselves 
by declaring that the reason fines were so large was that 
in some cases several offenses were bunched together; 
that when a huntsman passed over the lands of Bill Smith, 
Jim Jones and John Johnson it constituted a triple offense. 
Sportsmen who became involved in the difficulties 
complained that instead of warning them of? the lands, 
farmers on discovering them hastened for a constable and 
had them arrested without warning. 
To obviate a repetition of the difficulty next season, 
local sportsmen are preparing a bill that will be intro- 
duced in the General Assembly. It will define the rights 
of huntsmen as well as the rights of property owners. 
Should this fail in its effect the sportsmen will organize 
and will provide a fund for the purpose of contesting 
every case that comes up in the future. 
Thomas .A. Knight. 
New England. 
Boston, Jan. 8. — At the annual meeting of the Maine 
Fish and Game Association, in Bangor, Jan. 3, the discus- 
sion turned mainly on two questions : that of an absolute 
close time on moose, and that of requiring non-resident 
sportsmen to take out licenses. Commissioner Carleton 
announced himself as opposed to an absolute close time 
on moose. Governor Powers favored a law requiring 
non-resident sportsmen to be licensed, but believed the 
September licenes law, permitting the shooting of one 
deer in that month, to have been the cause of several 
forest fires. Commissioner Oak favored the same law, 
and thought it had caused no increase in forest fires. 
Commissioner Carleton is in favor of the September 
license law, and showed that it had brought several thou- 
sand dollars in to the State treasury, while he did not 
believe that any luore deer had been killed under the 
law than would have been taken any way. I. K. Stetson, 
A. M. Spear and E. C. Farrington, all prominent mem- 
bers of the Association, each announced hiiuself as in 
favor of a law compelling non-resident sportsmen to be 
licensed. 
At the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Sportsmen's 
Association the other evening the discussion was some- 
what prolonged on the question of better protection for 
birds, especially partridges, in this State. It was agreed 
that the past year had been the very worst for many 
years, the early open winter giving the hunters a chance 
to follow up the last partridge till destroyed. Without 
snow partridges, woodcock and quail have been easy 
prey for hunters with trained dogs, and it was agreed 
that the birds had suffered worse this year than ever 
before. It was suggested that the Legislature be asked 
to shorten the open season. It was also earnestly urged 
that a law be asked for prohibiting the selling of these 
game birds in the markets. But it was not announced that 
the game dealers will rise en masse to oppose such a law — 
which is the fact. Indeed, I am certain that the game 
dealers are already on the alert, and any bill looking 
toward the stopping of the sale of game in any 
manner will be most bitterly opposed. Money will be 
freely subscribed to fight it. The game dealers — and 
there are many of them — say that they have many 
thousand dollars in extensive refrigerator plants; re- 
frigerators where they can store thousands of quail and 
other game birds. If they cannot sell the game stored, 
the money in these refrigerators will be lost. "What we 
want," said one of the principal game dealers the other 
day, "is the right to sell game at any time. Let the States 
where the game is killed do the protecting. We put oiir ' 
money into it, and to prevent our selling it deprives us of 
a vested right." 
Another game dealer says that he has been in the busi- 
ness for twenty years, and while granting that par- 
tridges are very scarce in the Boston markets, he believes 
that there are just as many in New Hampshire, in Ver- 
mont, in the West, in Maine, as there ever was. "The 
reasoii we don't get them is because of the non-trans- 
portation laws. These laws are a hindrance to commerce 
and unjust. My shippers write me that they take in lots 
of partridges and quail, but don't care to ship them for 
fear of seizure by the game wardens. Yes, I have had to 
go up to the State House to fight foolish and unjust 
game legislation a good many times, and I am ready to do 
so agaiii. We can raise money, if necessary, too." 
Ice pickerel fishing is the sport just now on many of 
the local ponds and rivers. I saw two good strings 
Saturday from Westboro ponds. The ponds in Wayland 
not under control are also being thoroughly fished. Some 
of th« residents near these ponds, who love to fish from 
boaU, are against ice Asking. The local ponds near 
Lewibion and Auburn, Maine, are drawing many fisher- 
men, especially since the milder weather for the past three 
Or four days. Good catches are being brought in. 
A novel and very easily constructed trap is in vogue on 
many of the Maine ponds this winter. Its simplicity and 
cheapness are among its merits. The fishermen need not 
even take the trouble to bring the traps or "tip-ups" home, 
especially if they have to go through any woods to the 
ponds. The trap consists of two sticks, cut in the bushes, 
as big as one's thumb, a wire nail and a bit of red cloth. 
The larger of the two sticks, about 4 feet long, is sharp- 
ened for setting upright in the .snow or in a little hole in 
the ice made with the ice chisel. The other ' or smaller 
stick ^ is fastened crosswise of the upright stick, about 
midway, by driving a wire nail through both at the point 
of crossing. To one end of the lateral stick the line is 
fastened and down into the hole to the baited hook. To 
the other end of the cross stick the piece of red cloth is 
attached. The pickerel siezes the bait and attempts to 
go away with it. Down goes the line end of the cross 
stick, and itp goes the cloth end, the stick turning easily 
on the pivoted wire nail. The flag is up and the fish is on. 
All is done with a trap that does not cost one cent, and 
anybody that knows enough to fish at all and to keep 
out of the fishing holes himself, can make a dozen such 
traps while waiting for the fish to bite. Special. 
New York Fish and Game Interests. 
Fi'oni Governor Roosevelt's Message. 
Under this Commission great progress has been made 
through the fish hatcheries in the propagation of valtla- 
ble food and sporting fish. The laws for the protection 
of deer have resulted in their increase. Nevertheless, as 
railroads tend to encroach on the wilderness the temp- 
tation to illegal hunting becomes greater, and the danger 
for forest fires increases. There is need of great im- 
provement both in our laws and in their administration. 
The game wardens have been too few in number. More 
should be provided. None save fit men must be ap- 
pointed; and their retention in office must depend purely 
upon the zeal, ability and efficiency with which they per- 
form their duties. The game wardens in the forests mitst 
be woodsiTien; and they should have no outside business. 
In short, there should be a thorough reorganization of 
the work of the Commission. A careful study of the re- 
sources and condition of the forests on State land must 
be made. It is certainly not too much to expect that 
the State forests should be managed as efficiently as the 
forests on private lands in the same neighborhoods, and 
the measure of difference in efficiency of management 
must be the measure of condemnation or praise of the 
wav the public forests have been managed. 
The .subject of forest preservation is, of the utmost im- 
portance to the State. The Adirondacks and Catskills 
should be great parks kept in perpetuity for the benefit 
and enjoyment of our people. Much has been done of 
late A^ears toAvard their preservation, but very much re- 
mains to be done. The provisions of law in reference to 
saw mills and wood-pulp mills are defective and should 
be changed so as to prohibit dumping dyestuff, sawdust , 
or tan bark in any amount Avhatsoever into the streams. 
Reservoirs should be made; but not where they will tend 
to destroy large sections of the forest, and only after a 
careful and scientific study of the water resources of the 
region. The pe/jple of the forest regions are themselves 
growing more and more to realize the necessity of pre- 
serving both the trees and the game. A live deer in the 
Avoods will attract to the neighborhood ten times the 
raonej^ that could be obtained for the deer's dead car- 
cass. Timber theft on the State lands is, of course, a 
graA-e offense against the Avhole pttblic. 
Hardy outdoor sports, like hunting, are in themselves 
of not small value to the national character and should 
be encouraged in every Avay. Men who go into the Avil- 
derness— indeed, men who take part in any field sports 
Avitli horse or rifle — receive a benefit Avhich can hardly be 
given by even the most vigorous athletic games. 
There is a further and more immediate and practical 
end in vicAv. A prim.eval forest is a great sponge which 
absorbs and distils the rainwater; and when it is de- 
stroyed the result is apt to be an alternation of flood and 
drought. Forest fires ultimately make the land a desert 
and are a detriment to all that portion of the State trib- 
utary to the streams through the Avoods Avhere they oc- 
cur. Every effort should be made to minimize their 
destructive influence. We need to have our system of 
forestry gradually developed and conditcted along scien- 
tific principles. When this has been done it will be pos- 
sible to allow marketable lumber to be cut everywhere 
without damage to the forests — indeed, Avith positive ad- 
vantage to them; but until lumbering is thus conducted, 
on strictly scientific .principles no less than upon princi- 
ples of the strictest honesty toward the State, we cannot 
afford to suffer it at all in the State forests. Unrestrained 
greed means the ruin of the great AVOods and the drying 
up of the sources of the rivers. 
Ultimately the administration of the State lands must 
be so centralized as to enable us definitely to place re- 
sponsibility in respect to everything concerning them, 
and to demand the highest degree of trained intelligence 
in their use. 
The State should not permit Avithin its limits factories 
to make bird skins or bird feathers into articles of orna- 
ment or Avearing apparel. Ordinary birds, and especially 
song birds, should be rigidly protected. Game birds 
should ncA'er be shot to a greater extent than will offset 
the natural rate of increase. All spring shooting should 
be prohibited and efforts made by correspondence with 
the neighboring States to .secure its prohibition Avithin 
their borders. Care should be taken not to encourage 
the use of cold storage or other market systems which 
are a benefit to no one but the wealthy epicure who can 
afford to pay a heaA'y price for luxuries. These systems 
tend to the destruction of the game; vv^hich would bear 
most seA'Crely upon the A'ery men whose rapacity has been 
appealed to in order to secure its extermination. 
The open season for^the different species of game and 
fish should be made uniform throughout the entire State, 
saA'e that it should be shorter on Long Island for cer- 
tain species which are not plentiful, and which are p«r= 
sued by a greater number of people than 5n other game 
portions of the State. 
