i4a 
PqREST AMD 
ARCH 31, I^W. 
Why We Should Extend Our Forest 
Reserves, 
Col. John S. Cooper, of Chicago, one of our foremost 
champions of forest protection and extention, in a paper 
presented before ihe recent annual "ipetmg of the Minne- 
sota State Forestry Association, said; 
Go among the pcopie uux ^...i^o and towns in their 
annual outmgs, away out in the few wild regions which 
may claim title to wilderness we have left, see them about 
their camp-fires with their rods and guns, and try to find 
me a corruptionist. a railroad wrecker, a criminal, a bad 
man, at war with God, society and his own soul, and you 
will have discovered what I have not been able to in an 
experience of a quarter of a centur}' among the camps 
of fishermen and sportsmen in the woods and waters of 
America. , ^ 
It is not contended that we should maintain and en- 
large our forests for that class of our population. We 
build penitentiaries for them. But in behalf of that large 
class of our people who love nature, who count it as a 
step heavenward when they can commune with her in the 
deep solitudes of' her forests and on the bosom of her 
peaceful waters, we ask for the preservation of our re- 
maining forests. "Sentimental," says the highly prac- 
tical person. Yes; but so is love, so is art, so is beauty, 
so is poetry, so is religion, so is heaven, so is God, and, 
thank God, so is the human soul. Burke, in substance, 
says, somewhere, that in order for one to love one's coun- 
try, one's country should be lovely, and that implies 
physical beauty as well as moral and political. 
So, if the practical person wants a solid, practical rea- 
son for conserving our forests, he has it in the fact that 
it encourages patriotism. Suppose this whole country of 
ours were in the same situation as great regions in the 
central northern part of your State, where all the mer- 
chantable and what used to be considered unmerchantable 
pine has been cut in accordance with that fine old prac- 
tice of our lumberthen, "Let the tail go with the hide," 
" where forest fires have come along and burned up the 
entrails; where all there is left are the uncanny skulls and 
protruding ribs in the shape of blackened stumps and 
deadened trees: is any one optimist enough to believe that 
any great amount of American brains, blood and treasure 
would be at hand for sacrifice upon the altar of patriotism 
for such a country as that? 
And that leads me to say in concluding this hasty 
note that you good people of Minnesota have within j^our 
own present power this very winter an opportunity to 
preserve and reclaim for your own State and its people, 
now living and to come hereafter, the grandest region of 
forc'-ts. lakes, rivers and streams (considering its acces- 
sibility and inutihty for other practical purposes) to be 
found in our country. And all yon need to do to accom- 
plish it 1= tn make v-v^r wi-bes known to your representa- 
tives in the national Congress. 
If the Minnesota delegation in Consrress this winter 
shall unanimou'^ly a'^k that the Federal Government set 
apart a^ a nntional ^ark or forest re'^erve what are known 
a« tlie Chiri"cwa Rescryation*; around Leech, Ca=s and 
Winnebigo'^hi'-h lakes (cnmr>ri<ing som" 8;?o.oon acre=;. of 
which more than on^-fcarter i" covered bv th^ lnke=, r've.rs 
ard '^treptn'^^"* yov will have the nuclen • in ymir own State 
nf w'^at != de^t'nr-d to Tiecnme the grand-" ?;t^f,f>re t re er^" 
for the pla'n ncorlp f>f AmTica tn h° found wiihin ril 
borders, ard von will h:\ve it f ctablished, too, before the 
next century is three months old. 
Comments. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
We cannot refrain from making comments upon some 
of the articles in your interesting issue for March 17. 
in the firs place, thtre are sirongtr reasons for protecting 
the gulls and lern^ than the sufficient one wnich you havd 
given — tiiai Uicy are among the most pleasing and attrac- 
tive feuiures of the shore. Their sanitary effect, and 
vii/noin.c value as scavengers, .■•hould assure them protec- 
tion in all places, and at all season:. Iheir value in tnis 
tlirectiun is so well known and recognized in San Fran- 
cisco that there is a fine of $50 for killing one of these 
\i:vd.i. The Chinese there used to shoot, trap and snare 
lliLni for food but they have been obl'ged to difcont nue 
tiii> practice. On our inland lakes the gulls are the mo.st 
va'nahle cavcngers. arid eat hundreds of dead fish that 
would otherwi e be left to seriously contaminate the 
writer or pollute the air. 
We have found in their stomachs not only putrescent 
fi^h. lint al'O decaying mice and small birds. By all 
means let us have the gulls and terns protected, not only 
for esthetic but aI--o for sanitary reasons. 
In regard to the ^^ubject of game ward'^ns, it must be 
rf^membered that there i'^ now a b'll in the State Legis- 
lature providing for one warden for each county. Every 
true snort-man pnd naturalist in the State of New York 
should write and set his friends to write at once to his 
member of the State Legi'=lature urging prompt and 
favorable action upon this important bill. 
The notes on the recent observations of wiM pigeons are 
infere<-tipsr. It apnears that they are gradually increasing 
after having as nearly suffered extinction as any creature 
can and yet remain on the earth. 
A year ago la=t sun>mpr several pairs of them nested in 
the tree's nn the lowland near the mouth of the inlet to 
rqvi'ora T nl'p but a "^er'ou'5 check to their increase was 
the un'^crupulous gunner, who should not claim to he a 
sport^mnn. During the summer afternoons men would 
cnp-ip for a di'^tpnep of seven or eight miles, and stand 
Avith g"n= around the margins of the swamp waiting for 
the wild piprenns to come into the trees in the evening. 
We know '■•f five or =ix having been shot in a single even- 
inf. regardless of season. 
It is no wonder the birds would not stand this per'Jecu- 
tion and_ return to this place the next summer. About 
five or six pairs of them nested last year in some trees 
about four miles from the site of their former perse- 
cution. 
Tn _Augu«t, after crons had been harvested and before 
plantmg. we examined the crons of some of these birds 
and found them to contain little besides grains of wheat 
and buckwheat, which had doubtless been scattered on 
the ground during harvest, H. A. Surface. 
r Ithaca^ N Y March IT Z 
Oddities in Nature. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
1 send you herewith photograph of a live partial albino 
English pheasant, and also a couple of views of a very 
remarkable tree I recently discovered near Montrose 
Park, Orange, N. J. . . 
The tail of the cock pheasant is pure white, also many 
white and cream colored feathers mixed with his body 
feathers- A number of the feathers resemble the color 
PARTIAL ALBINO PHEASANT. 
and markings of a peacock's tail feathers on brea.st. There 
is no sign of a white ring on neck, which is usual with 
most birds. He is a very beautiful bird, but should be 
seen to be appreciated, as he is difficult to properly de- 
scribe. Any one wishing to see this bird may do so by 
calling on Mr. Rosnejr at our farm. Eagle Rock Turnpike 
and Prospect avenue. West Orange, N. J. 
It may take some imagination to see the reserohlajice of 
m 
CURIOUS TREE GROWTH. 
a stag's head in the pl\atographs of tree, but it is so perfect 
to life that an unusually quiet mare I was driving while 
attempting to take -the photographs, tried her best to bolt 
Nature has - alone 1, produced this strange effect the 
trunk (the head),,n^'<ir having been tampered with in any 
way. I trust sonie'V^ndal will not come along arid destroy 
or mutilate this odd, freak of nature. - 
I wish to say a word in praise of the v.'ork done and the 
report made by the New Jersey Game and Fish Commis- 
sion. It is h}^ far the best and most concise report of the 
kind ever presented to the public, and the Commissioners 
are doing a splendid Avork m the way of game protection, 
and employed intelligent, active garne wardens who are 
now wintering some quail and English pheasants 
H N. MuNN. 
I'he Coming Birds. 
Springfield^ III, March 8 — A clear, mild, sunshiny 
day. Rambling in the woods and fields three miles west 
of here with an eye for the birds, i hear song sparrows 
in s.ong, passing bluebirds twittering their fall notes, n 
solitary robin in an orchard near woods, feeding on 
frozen apples, with a pause now and then for a faint bit 
of melody; highholes, their rollicking cackle commg from 
far and near; meadow larks in the snow-covered fields. 
The winter residents very abundant — cardinal grosbeaks, 
red-headed and r downy woodpeckers, tufted titmice, 
chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, brovra creepers, 
slate-colored snfj>vf birds, goldfinches (feeding on the seeds 
of the pendent butterballs of sycamores), prairie horned 
larks, bluejays and crows, which pass close to me in reck- 
less abandon, evidently aware that I was only hunting 
without a gun. 
March 9 — Robins abundant about the house, singing 
merrily ; more passing bluebirds, and the fall note again. 
March 10 — Purple grackles make their appearance. 
March 11 — Near the Capitol I notice a flock of several 
hundred birds scattered about in an oak, the greater por- 
tion perching very demurely and compactly, while some 
were flying about. A wheezy whistle characterized the 
cedar bird, but their larger size — .somewhat smaller than a 
robin — made me pause and take a closer look, which 
led me to believe that that far-famed nomad, the Bo- 
hemian vvaxwing, was before me. Their coming was as 
mysterious as their departure. T. M. S. 
Harfiman Alaska Expedition Papers. 
Tmr scientific results of the liarriman Alaska expedi 
tion, which are already beginning to be made pulilic, eri 
lirely justify all that has been said concerning the in- 
lerest and importance of this trip. 
Under the title "Papers from the Harriman Alaska Ex 
pedition," Dr. C. Hart Merriam, in the "Proceedings of 
the Washington Academy of .Sciences," publishes de- 
•-scriptions o£ no less than twenty-six new maminals from 
Alaska and British North America. Of these, two are 
foxes, five shrews, three spermophiles, eleven mice and 
lemmings, one_ porcupine and four hares. 
■The Kadiak Island fox (Vvlpes harrimani), named for 
Mr. Harriman, is the largest of the known North A-meri- 
can foxes. It has small ears, but an enormous tail, 
fawny yellow in color and much grizzled oj-f the poster loi 
half of jhe back, . 
The Flail Island fox belong.s to tlie Arctic foii-'' group, 
but seems to be an island type with a particularly shoi r 
and broad skull. The porcupine found on the .Alaskj 
Peninsula is peculiar externally for its yellow color 'V\\^) 
of the hares (l.ejyus olhtis and L. pnaciromus) are Arctiv 
hares of great size. The first is from St Michaels, and 
the second was collected by Dr. Chas. Palache at Stepo^ ak 
Bay, on the Alaska Peninsula. 
Other interesting announcements in connection with 
the Harriman Ala.ska expedition may be looked for in life 
near future. 
Fair Play for Foxes. 
What constitutes sport? The question is' not yet 
threadbare, though it has been shaken out and brushed up 
constantly for years. 
There are those who look with horror on the shooting 
of foxes, and in their own country where it is possible 
to hunt with horses it would certainly be a waste of ma 
terial for a man to go out with a hound and shoot a fox 
which should have furnished a run for fifty or more af 
men, dogs and horses. 
In the land of hills, woods and rocky pastures, covered 
with a cobweb of wire fences, another style of hunting 
must prevail, and hundreds of as good sportsmen as 
breathe practice fox hunting in the so-called American 
style. This method also has its ethics, and a sinner 
against the local sentiment should be held in the same 
esteem as the shooter of foxes in England. 
There is a growing number of sportsmen, thanks to the 
teachings of Forest and Stream and its follow^ers, who 
see far more in hunting than mei^e killing, and whose 
constant aim is to get the greatest ' ainount of enjoj-- 
ment with the least bloodshed. To sucK the tramp over 
the hills, the A'iews, the working of the dogs, and the 
thousand other pleasures which increase with experience, 
are sufficient reward if the game finallj' gets oft There 
are men of my acquaintance who have been out a score of 
times and have yet to kill their first fox. When they get 
him they will exult, no doubt, but verily they have their 
reward alreadj- The easiest man in town to get to go is 
one who has been going for two seasons and has not yet 
even seen a fox. He saj's that only to trace the course 
of the hounds by the cry is enough for him. 
To these men a holed fox has found sanctuary. They 
are not hunting two or three dollars' worth of fur. The 
fox is left to rest. Another day he will give them an 
other run. As for catching in a trap — well, hardly ! 
It is not to he denied that a great many who trap foxe-. 
are good sportsrtien, but it seems impossible that one who 
appreciates hunting with hounds could be so wasteful of 
his sport as to dig it out or trap it. From the economic- 
standpoint of a sportsman, to destroy a den or to trap a 
fox seems indefensible. The fanner who looks upon the 
fox as a thieving rascal deserving of no rnercy is excus- 
able, according to his hghts, if h§. digs out a" litter and 
knocks thetn on the head with lus-hoe, but not the man 
who calls himself a loA^er of fox hunting. 
As to a close season on foxes, so long as- they are looked 
upon as pests it would seem impracticable. It was tried 
for two y-ears in the Province of Quebec, but did not 
work. Fortunately, nature protects them pretty thorough- 
ly. For nature's close season the skins are not worth 
getting, and in warm weather it is poor sport for dog or 
man. Many dogs refuse to follow a female in spring 
time, and if chased they hole soon. 
The shotgun is the accepted w^eapon. Overlooking pos- 
sible danger to a distant friend, a man with a rifle is apt 
to take a long shot at a fox going direct to an occupied 
stand, depriving another of a chance fairly his. it is 
sometimes argued that a single bullet is more sportsman- 
like, but when one has correctly chosen a position and 
stood like a statue, keeping his nerve -with a hesitancy, 
suspicious, _ fox in sight for what seemed hours, until 
finally he is within range, he has earned his trophy as 
honorably as he who has successfully chanced a long shot 
\vith a rifle. 
It is a year since B. first wrote against digging out 
foxes, and i have looked weekly for more on the matter, 
until the last number came. Cannot others say some- 
thing? The fox hunters should do their share toward the 
education and entertainment of their fellows. They cer- 
tainly are fluent stf -llers. 
