Forest and Stream. 
A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 
Copyright, 1900, by ForestFand Stream Publishing Co. 
Terms, $4'a Year. 10 Cts. a Copy. 1 
Six Months, fi. )' 
NEW YORK, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1900. 
J VOL. LIV.— No. T. 
I No. 846 Broadway, New York 
The Forest and Stream is the recognized medium of entertain- 
tient, instruction and information between American sportsmen. 
The editors invite communications oi: the subjects to which its 
pages are devoted. Anonymous communications will not hi re- 
garded. While it is intended to give wide latitude in discussion 
of current topics, the editors are not responsible for the views of 
correspondents. 
Subscriptions may begin at any time. Terms: For single 
copies, $4 per year, $?, for six months. For club rates and ftill 
particulars respecting subscriptions, see prospectus on page iv. 
SPORTSMAN AND PARMER. 
^ That is a suggestive letter from Mr. George Kennedy. 
He would have the sportsman an apostle of sweetness 
and light in regions of darkness, to which, he penetrates 
I on his hunting and fishing forays or cano'e cruising ex- 
f peditions. This is something much broader in scope than 
tlie "previous question" of the shooting privileges of the 
sportsman on the land of the farmer, and yet it is a not 
an unnatural outgrowth from that discussion. We have 
more than once pointed out that the pursuits of rod and 
I gun are enlightening, broadening and liberalizing in their 
influences upon those who engage in them, because they 
take a man out from the every day humdrum rut of his 
conventional surroundings and show him the larger world 
as it is. Many specific instances as well are known to ■ 
I all of us where the relations between the visiting sports- 
! man and his host have been such as to bring to the 
: entertainer certain of the amenities of life to which other- 
wise he would have remained a stranger. Doubtless these 
instances which have come under the personal notice of 
each of us might be multiplied by ten thousand, so that 
the actual effect of the agency of sport as an amelioration 
of the condition of life would be incalculable. 
Mr. Kennedy's plea is really for something much more 
than the benefit which any number of sportsmen could 
bring to the people among whom they find themselves 
as guests when hunting or fishing. It is a plea for the 
taking up of recreation by the farmer himself. 
It is a gospel which should be preached. Why, for 
instance, should the farm work go on on the Fourth of 
July as on other days? Would not the farmer and the 
farmer's boy and the farmer's wife and the farmer's 
daughter get as much good from their holiday as is 
. found in a day off by persons engaged in other pursuits? 
Why should not the farmer give as much attention to 
recreation — not necessarily physical recreation of the char- 
acter which comes as a relief to others — as is devoted to 
sport by professional men and tradesmen and mechanics? 
The fact is that the farmer is constituted on the same 
plan as other men, and it is just as true of him as of all 
the rest of the world that all work and no play makes 
Jack a dull boy. There are hosts of fishing and shooting 
farmers, but farmers as a class do not shoot nor fish, nor 
play golf; nor take to the other modes of play which 
might interest, amuse and lighten their life. 
rO SAVE MASSACHUSETTS GROUSE. 
The king of New England game birds is the ruffed 
grouse. No other can begin to compare with him in 
game qualities. No other has lured so many sportsmen 
afield, no other has excited in the heart of the man with 
the gun such ambition, hope and striving, such exulta- 
tion and triumph, such baffling, chagrin and despair. No 
other has caused such arduous exertion on the part of its 
followers, wearied with such fatigue, crowned the pur- 
suit with more satisfying results. The partridge is of all 
New England game the gamest; its pursuit is the most 
taxing, and the rewards of that pursuit the most gen- 
erous and abiding. More hunters hunt ruf¥ed grouse 
Ihari any other game bird. More grouse hunts are re- 
hearsed around the fire at night and listened to with 
attentive hearing than any other game-i In a word, the 
grouse is the New England bird- 
' And in the opinion of men who are qualified to form 
an intelligent estimate of the present supply, no game of 
New England stands in more urgent need of better pro- 
tection. Throughout large areas where the bird was once 
abundant it is in danger of extermination, unless the 
agencies which are making for its destruction shall be 
checked. Mr. A. B. F. Kinney, of Worcester, a sports^ 
man known from the Atlantic to the Pacific, expresses, as 
a result of his personal, thorough and long pursued in- 
vestigation, the conviction that in the covers with which 
fi? W.^ I???n f^niilipjj I]Qt on? ^rgtjsf be found tQ-?|ay 
where there were twenty ten years ago. Mr. Jas. H. 
Bennett, who is president of the Boston game dealers' 
association, stood up in the sportsman's conference in 
that city the other day and testified that as a dealer in 
game he knew that the grouse supply was diminishing, 
and had now decreased to such a point that very serious 
and determined measures must be adopted to save it 
from extinction. Mr. Kinney, the sportsman, and Mr. 
Bennett, the game dealer, both recognize as the agency 
which menaces the grouse, the killing for market, and 
both of them urge the adoption of the Forest and 
Stream Platform Plank — "The sale of game should be 
forbidden at all seasons," in so far as it relates to this 
particular species. When the situation is such that repre- 
sentatives of the sportsmen and of the game dealers unite 
in urging such a step, we may be assured that the con- 
ditions are in all respects as grave as we have painted 
them. •? 
Accordingly, the sportsmen of Massachusetts, as repre- 
sented by the Central Committee, an outgrowth of the 
Massachusetts Association, and the game dealers, as 
represented by Mr. Bennett, have caused to be intro- 
duced into the Legislature a bill designed to provide an 
absolute all the year round close season for the sale of 
ruffed grouse. Its text is as follows : 
HOUSE NO. 549. 
Bill accompanying the petition of James H. Bennett. Fisheries 
and Game. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In the year 1900. 
An Act to provide for the better protection and to regulate the sale 
of game birds: 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in 
General Cotirt assembled, and by the authority of the same, as 
follows : 
Section 1. Whoever takes or kills, or has in his possession, a 
woodcock, or a ruffed grouse, commonly called a partridge, or a 
quail between the 1st day of December and the 1st day of October 
sb.all be punished by a fine of twenty dollars for every bird so 
taken or killed, or had in possession, whenever or wherever the 
said birds may have been taken or killed; and whoever buys, sells, 
offers for sale or has in possession for the purpose of sale, a wood- 
cock, or a ruffed grouse, commonly called a partridge, at any 
time, whenever or wherever the said birds may have been taken 
or killed, shall be punished by a fine of twenty dollars for every 
bird so bought, sold, offered for sale or had in possession for the 
ljurpose of sale. 
Section 2, Whoever takes or kills a pinnated grouse at any time, 
or a wood or summer duck, black duck or teal, or any of the 
so-called duck species, except the scoters, commonly called coots, 
between the 15th day of April and the 1st day of September, or 
any of the scoters, commonly called coots, between the 20th day 
of May and the 1st day of September; and whoever buys, sells 
or has in his possession any of the birds named in this section and 
protected thereby during the time within which the taking or kill- 
ing thereof is prohibited, whenever or wherever the said birds may 
have been taken or killed, shall be punished by a fine of twenty 
dollars for every bird so taken or killed, or had in possession; 
provided, however, that any person, firm or corporation dealing 
in game or engaged in the cold storage business may buy, sell, or 
have in possession, and any person may buy from such person, 
firm or corporation, and have in possession, if so bought, quail 
from the 1st day of October to the first day of May; and any such 
person, firm or corporation may have in possession on cold 
storage, quail and may buy, sell and have in possession pinnated 
grouse, wild pigeons, and any of the so-called shore, marsh or 
beach birds, or any of the so-called duck species, at any season, 
if said quail, grouse or other birds have not been taken or killed 
in this Commonwealth contrary to the pi-ovisions of this act. 
Section "8. Section 1 of Chapter 205 of the acts of the year 1894, 
and Chapter 195 of the acts of the year 1898, are hereby repealed, 
but such repeal shall not affect any forfeiture incurred, suit or 
proceeding pending or action accrued under said section and 
chapter. 
Section 4. This act shall take effect upon its passage. 
This is by all means the most important piece of legis- 
lation that has been proposed at Boston in recent years. 
To its advocacy the good faith of the sportsmen and of 
the game dealers is pledged, and under these circum- 
stances there should be no question of the enactment of 
the measure by the Legislature. In taking this step, 
Massachusetts will be following the example of her neigh- 
bors, for Vermont and New Hampshire and Connecti- 
cut all have statutes forbidding the taking of ruffed 
grouse for export; that is to say, for shipment to the 
markets of Boston and New York. 
Every sportsman of Massachusetts owes it to him- 
self and his fellows to exert all his influence to secure the 
adoption of Bill No. 549. The introduction of foreign 
game birds, whether from abroad or from distant quarters 
of our own country may or may not succeed; at best, 
such enterprises are experimental and uncertain. But 
there is not the slightest question of the persistence 
of the ruflfed grouse if the bird shall be given a fair 
chance. Let us look first to preserving our native game. 
After that end has been assured, enterprise ma^ |)e 
fJircc^ed tQ ititfoduption of ne^ specjes. 
SNAP SHOTS. 
The North American Fish and Game Protective Asso- 
ciation, which was organized in Montreal the other day, 
contains the promise of decided benefit to the game in- 
terests of Canada and the States contiguous. While 
possibly the title is an expansive one, there can be no 
question that the work done by the Association will have 
an influence extending over the entire continent. The 
promoters of the new movement are men who have pub- 
lic confidence, because it is manifest that they have under- 
taken the work out of a real interest in it and from worthy 
motives, and are not seeking in it an advertisement of 
themselves or their business enterprises. We invite a 
careful reading of the report of the proceedings of the 
second day, as given in another page. The. Association 
deserves, and we are confident will receive, the hearty 
support of individuals and sportsmen's clubs who are 
within the range of its influence. The topics discussed at 
its first meeting were among the most important of those 
which have to do with the interests of our game and fish. 
The views expressed are entitled to consideration because 
coming from men of experience and mature thought. 
Mr. Charles A. Shriner has entirely severed his con- 
nection with the Fish and Game Protector service of 
New Jersey, His resignation was sent to the Commis- 
sioners last Saturday. It was brought about by the con- 
tinued opposition and animosity of Governor Voorhees. 
The Governor told the Commissioners that to retain Mr. 
Shriner in any capacity whatever he regarded as an in- 
sult to him ; and on this ground he demanded that the 
protector should go. By Mr. Shriner's resignation New 
Jersey loses the services of the man who has done more 
for game and fish protection than any other one person 
since game and fish protection was thought of. If 
any one of the remaining protectors shall manifest undue 
zeal in the discharge of his official duty, he too may look 
for the emnity of the Governor. 
A correspondent inquires as to the effect upon our 
domestic game supply of the sale of foreign game. The 
effect of the sale of game actually imported would, of 
course, not af¥ect the domestic supply in any way what- 
ever, unless it might be possibly if the imported stock 
were so plentiful and so cheap as to lessen the demand 
for native species. That is something which would not be 
likely to happen. The actual conditions are these, that 
while there is in the market some actually imported for^ 
eign game, by far the greater proportion of the game 
labeled as foreign is American, and is sold illicitly un- 
der a foreign name. Brazil birds are American quail; 
French pheasants are American ruffed grouse. 
A Brooklyn duck shooter, who was shooting off West- 
hampton, one day last week, upon landing on the beach 
drew his gun from the boat toward him, muzzle first. He 
slipped, the gun was discharged, and the full charge of- 
duck shot entered the left arm at the wrist and tore it 
away to the elbow. Three columns of pertinent comment 
might be written on this incident; but three thousand 
columns would not restore the arm. We do make a para- 
graph of it, because this brief mention, if heeded, may 
save some one else's arm. The usual casualty with a gun 
is one which is due wholly to neglect of the common sense 
rules of handling firearms. 
Mr. Frank H. Risteen, whose lamented death, at the 
early age of thirty-sevep, occurred at Riverside, Cal., last 
week, had made his name familiar by his letters in our 
columns on Canadian game topics. His reports of New 
Brunswick hunting countries were the means of attract- 
ing many Americans to the Province, and by his ever- 
ready assistance and willingness to give information he 
had put a multitude of sportsmen under lasting obliga- 
tions to him. Mr. Frederic Irland writes with loving 
appreciation of his friend, and pays a fitting tribute to his 
life and character. 
James A. Bell, of the Connecticut Fish Commission, 
who died at his home in Lynn, last week, at the age o£. 
eighty-two, was one of the veterans among the fish com- 
missioners of the country. He was first appointed in 1867, 
and had served continuously with the exception of one 
year. Mr. Bell was a piibjic spiritpfi gitizen and prominent 
in ro^nv public affair's. 
