Feb. 2, 19c I ] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
89 
his -work and go out with us, either dowft into -the aldei 
run below the HBuse, or up on the rocky hillside above 
it, or else up the road to a rye stubble near the swamp, 
in order to point out the places where he had recently 
started woodcoclc or Vuffed grouse or a bevy of quail. 
T had never seen a man more interested or enthusiastic 
about the working of the dogs, nor more delighted to 
see a good shot made than this hard-handed old farmer 
who apparently did not know the stock of a gun from 
its muzzle, and who certainly felt no interest in sport or 
shooting; and this change in his ordinary way of think- 
ing and mode of life had been brought about by nothing 
else than the kindly and sympathetic manners and mbde 
of thought of my dear old shooting partner. 
In all that I have said to you about this subject, you 
will see that there is nothing very original; I, am only 
asking you to apply to your shooting excursion tile same 
rules that you have been taught to apply to the other 
affairs of life. It is true that when a man or a boy puts 
on his shooting clothes and takes his gun and goes off 
into the fields or woods for a day or a week's shooting he 
feels that he is for the time far more free and inde- 
pendent than he ever feels when he is at home living his 
usual life. Bnt this freedom, and independence, while 
very delightful, does net justify him in forgetting the 
things which are due to himself and to the pepople whom 
he may meet on his outing, and as I have more than once 
said already the man must carry into the field the same 
manners that he practices iti ordinary every day life. 
The man whose breeding and whose bringing up are 
good will always remember to respect himself, and self- 
respect always carries with it a respect for the rights of 
others. Remembering this, your outings are likely to 
be marked by lew disagreeable occurrences. 
W; G, De Geoot. 
The Megantic Dinner* 
Boston, Jan. 28. — The fourteenth annual dinner of the 
Megantie Fish and Game Corporation was held at 
Hotel Brunswick, Saturday evening: The full metnber- 
ship of the Association, 150 members, was well fepre^ 
sented, with a number of distinguished invited gUests. 
Among those present were President A. W. Gleasoll, 
New York; Vice-Presidents C. A. Barney, W. G. Ken- 
dall; Secretary and Treasurer L. Dana Chapman; invited 
guests, Lieut. -Gov, Bates; Lieut.-Gov. Woodruff, New 
York; Speaker Myets, Massachusetts House of Repre- 
sentatives; J. W. Collins, Chairman of the Massachuitts 
Fish and Game Commission; J. Russell Reed. President 
Massachusetts Fish and Game Association; O. Upham, 
President Canadian Club; Fr. Clccjuctte, Curate of the 
Megantic Parish Church; Dana J. Flanders, Jacob Pett- 
ier, Myron W. Whitney, Alexander Pope, Dr. Heber 
Bishop and Dr. George McAleer. Henry O. Stanley, 
Fish Commissioner of Maine, was in town and expected 
to attend, but was prevented by an attack of the grip. 
The decorations of the banquet hall were beaittiful, and 
most appropriate, consisting of fly rods, canoes, paddies 
and all manner of fishing and hunting paraphernalia, as 
well as mounted birds and animals and other trophies 
of the hunt. Some of the scenes and incidents of the 
evening were laughable, and some even dramatic, from 
the releasing of a counterfeited live skunk from a pie and 
on to and under the tables, to the toast "To the memory 
of the good and dead Queen," proposed, and then drunk 
in silence; all the gathering standing. President Gleason 
presented the condition of the Association as a most 
prosperous one, with a full membership and $1,500 in 
the treasury. He might also have added that the Asso- 
ciation is one of the most influential in the country, not 
only on account of the prominent membership it em- 
braces, but for the firm stand it takes concerning every- 
thing for the best interests of fish and game protection 
and propagation. 
Lieut.-Governor Bates was most happy in his -speech. 
He declared that all the world is now engaged in hunting 
— Vice-President-elect Roosevelt hunting lions in the 
Rockies; Mrs. Nation hunting ardent spirits in Kansas; 
a comnrittee hunting vice in New York, the whole de- 
tective force of the country hunting after a mysterious 
fowl know as Pat Crowe. Lieut.-Governor Timothy 
Woodruff, of New York, received a most hearty ovation. 
Among those present were: Christian P, Andersen, 
Edmund E. Hills, Channing H. Fairbanks, S. F. Barney, 
George J. Raymond, H. W. Robinson, Arthur W. Robin- 
son, John B. Seward, Myron W. Whitney, Henry H. 
Kimball, Fred R. Comee, Francis A. Nichols, G. H. 
Gray, Edwin Howland, F. F. Preble, J. W. Rockwell, 
Oliver Whyte, Fred C. Henderson, Francis R. Hender- 
son, Frank E. Johnson, I. G. Marston, W. P. Stevens, 
Morton G. Baldwin, C. L. 'Howes, H. L. Rice, A. F. 
Scheubelbergh, F. B. Rice, Charles A. Price, Frank N. 
Gagnon, Charles E. Dresser, F. H. Johnson, J. 
Burns. S. M. Johnson, George P. Johnson, C. R. 
Drew, Paul M. Richards, Sumner Y. Pierce, Ed- 
ward P. Elliott, D. C. Pierce, William F. Pinkham, 
George H. Payne, Lester M. Bartlett, Jewell Boyd, W. 
B. PhiUips, H. W. Sanborn, Guy C. Emerson, E. R. 
Kidder, C. H. Traiser, George M. Kirkner, New York; 
Joseph W. Collins, Gilbert Hodges, Medford; Dana J. 
Flanders, Maiden ; Howard Marston, W. S. Leavitt, For- 
rest S. Smitth, O. F. Conley, Parry C. Wiggin, William 
R. Albertson, John N. Akarman, J. T. Benson, W. E. 
Hapgood, Dr. George McAleer, William T. Farley, 
Dwight M. Clapp, Charles F. Randall, Henry I. Harri- 
man, Dr. Charles W. McCormack, William A. Macleod, 
Arthur Black, Dr. Albert H. Tuttle, Dr. Willis M. Town- 
send, I vers W. Adams, W. A. Love, W. E. Johnson, Dr. 
H H. Hartung, A. L. Comstock, Alexander Pope, E. 
Haring Dickinson, O. C. Bailey, Dr. F. N. Morse. Dr. 
G. C. Smith, Henry W. Clark, M. H. Warren, C. H. 
Goldthwaite, J. H. MacAlman, E. W. Burt, Burt Jones, 
Norman P. Hesseltine, Gerald Sircom, Capt. F. W. 
Webb, Dr. E. D. Robbins, Frederick Edwards, Frank 
Fallon. James Yalden, New York; Dr. Robert H. Up- 
ham, President of Canadian Club; A. R. Brown, E. S. 
Tobey, John E. Crowlev, William R. Buckminster, Harry 
L. Chatman, J. F. LeB. Drumm, N. S. Hunting, W. R. 
iBateman, Dr. J. A. Gordon, Dr. B. V. Howe, H. L. 
Klein, James R. Reed. Dr. Heber Bishop, the Rev. J. E. 
Gloquette, President A. W. Gleason, Lieut.-Gov. Bates, 
■yeut.-Gov. Woodruff, of New York; Dr. W, G- Kendall, 
J. J.' Myers, Speaker House of Representatives; Clarence 
A. Barney, First Vice-President; John Fottler, Jr., Rich- 
ard E. Traiser, B. R. Houghton. Special, 
New York Fish and Game. 
From die Rpport of the Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 
Recotnmeiadations. 
That the Constitution be so amended as to provide for 
the practice of conservative forestry on State lands (a 
vast estate of 1,384,128 acres, of a value variously esti- 
mated at from $5,000,000 to $10,000,000, of which this 
Commission has sole care and control, and which it must 
protect from damage bv trespass, fire and poaching), and 
the sale of dead, dying or mature timber under proper 
safeguards. , 
That the excellent work done by the United States Gov- 
ernment in connection with our foresters, as shown by the 
report of the United States Forestry Department, here- 
with submitted, be continued and an appropriation of 
$3,500, as requested, be made for that purpose. 
" That a force of rangers be appointed for the prevention 
of forest fires, timber stealing and poaching on State land. 
That all town fire wardens be allowed a moiety of the 
fine in criminal actions, after payment of expenses, m 
cases where they can secure evidence that will lead to con- 
viction for setting forest fires. 
That the Board be allowed to set aside certain limited 
portions of the State lands as game refuges, and absolutely 
to prohibit the killing of wild animals therein. 
That the anti-hounding law be permanently extended, 
and that no dogs of a breed which will pursue deer be al- 
lowed in the woods at any time. 
That the killing of does be prohibited at all times. 
That spring duck shooting be fo-i-bidden. 
That there should be no discrimination by this State, in 
the matter of hunting and fishing, against any citizen of 
the United States except in cases of citizens of States 
which discriminate against the State of New York. 
That the Commission have power, after stocking or re- 
stodving streams, to close them to public fishing for a 
term not to exceed two years. 
Above all, we would especially call your attention to the 
difficulty of enforcing the law in regard to the pollution 
of streams. This is a matter of vital importance and not 
to be dismissed as affecting only the Hves of some fishes, 
the pleasure of some anglers or the dividends of some pulp 
mills. We are a water drinking people, and we are al- 
lowing every brook to be defiled. Nature provides that 
they should be kept pure by animals which feed on the 
dead matters which fall into them, but the chemicals with 
which they are polluted can destroy all forms of life, so 
that every beast which dies in the mountains will soon 
roll down into our reservoirs, pickled in acids which no 
fish or bacteria can touch and live. It is not necessary 
to destroy or hamper any industry in order to prevent 
the pollution of water courses. What is really needed is 
to check the criminal selfishness of those who woidd rather 
poison their fellow citizens with their offal than to spend 
a few dollars to take care of it. 
Adirondack Deer. 
Although the protection of game is not strictly within 
the province of my department, I would say that for sev- 
eral years I have made the Adirondack deer a subject of 
observation and study. I have omitted no opportunity to 
gather reliable statistics bearing on the matter, and so I 
take pleasure in submitting here some facts and figures 
for the information of your Board. Through an arrange- 
ment made with the American and National Express com- 
panies, I am enabled to state the exact number of deer 
shipped out of the Adirondack region during the open 
season of 1900. These shipments represent only a sm,all 
proportion of the deer killed during that period. What 
that proportion is it would be difficult to say with anj 
degree of accuracy, owing to the large number killed by 
residents and men in the logging camps. The sportsmen 
also consume some venison while in camp; and many of 
the hunters who live near the edge of the forest bring out 
their deer in wagons, some of them carting their game 
many miles. If I were to venture an estimate, I would 
say that for each deer reported in the express companies' 
returns at least four others were killed. The record of 
shipments as taken from the way-bills of the express com- 
panies shows 1,020 carcasses, 89 saddles and 95 heads. 
It may be that in some of these shipments a saddle and 
head belonged to the same animal, and that the total 
number should be decreased accordingly. As most of the 
saddles were from does — the hunters seldom shipping out 
a doe's carcass — and all the heads were from bucks, the 
possible duplication referred to did not occur probably to 
any great extent. But if all the saddles are deducted it 
follows that at least 1,109 deer were killed and shipped. 
The number killed which were not shipped out by rail 
involves estimates or guesswork which had better be left 
for each one to determine in accordance with his own ex- 
perience or observation in these matters. For the in- 
formation of those who may wish to make such estimates 
I would say that in 1895 I arranged with a competent per- 
son in each locality to ascertain the number of deer, killed 
that season in his im.mediate vicinity, specifying the dis- 
trict by definite boundaries to avoid any duplication in 
the returns. I received in reply reports from 247 corre- 
spondents, covering the entire northern forest, showing 
that 4,903 were killed during the open season. While these 
figures may not have included all, they showed con- 
clusively that at least this many were killed, not including 
the ones illegally shot before the season opened. 
The statement that 5, 000 deer are killed each year in the 
Adirondack forests may occasion some surprise among 
sportsmen who have not looked closely into this matter. 
But in Maine last year 4,529 carcasses of deer — not in- 
cluding heads and saddles — ^were shipped out of the woods 
over the lines of the Bangor & Aroostook and Maine Cen- 
tral railroads ; and it is estimated by competent authorities 
that over 18,000 deer are killed annually in the Maine 
forests. 
The question arises here naturally as to how many deer 
there are in the Adirondack woods. This cannot be an- 
swered definitely, or even approKtmately, But if there 
are 5,000 killead each season, it would indicate that ther« 
must be at least 30,000 in order to furnish this annual 
supply. As there are about 6,000 square miles of forest in 
that entire region, with its outlying woodlands, this esti- 
mate would require only five deer to the square mile, on 
an average, to make it good. True, there are sotoe 
localities in the Adirondacks in which there is not one deer 
to the square mile; but, on the other hand, there are 
some in which there are many more than five to that area. 
Given this unit of measure, each one is free to make his 
own estimate as to the number of deer in our northern 
forests. 
Right here the question may arise whether, owing to the 
use of hounds and jacklights, more deer were' killed under 
the old law than under the present one. This can be an- 
swered definitely so far as the shipments of the express 
companies are an indication. The number of deer brought 
out of the woods by rail in 1896 — the last year in which 
hounds were allowed— as compared with the shipments 
this last season, give the following result: 
1896. 
1900. 
Carcasfces. 
. . . . S49 
1,020 
Saddles. 
139 
89 
Heads. 
100 
95 
Total. 
1,088 
1,204 
This indicates that more deer are now killed by stUI- 
hunting than when hounding and jacking were permitted. 
A large part of the venison slaughtered this season, as 
shown by the date of the shipment, was obtained on the 
tracking snow which fell during the last week of the sea- 
son. Prior to that the still-himting was difficult work, ow- 
ing to the dense foliage which was late in falling this year, 
and the dryness and rustling of the leaves underfoot. 
Prior to this season no albinos or white deer have been 
killed in the Adirondacks for a great many years. Occa- 
sionally, at long intervals, one has been reported as seen, 
and as this happened each time during the close season, it 
was allowed to go unharmed. But this year the hunters 
succeeded in killing two of this rare variety. 
One of them, included in the shipment from Port 
Henry, was shot near North Hudson by Mr. John 
Greenough. This animal, a two-year-old buck, is de- 
scribed by those who saw it as being perfectly white, with 
pink ears. Another noticeable peculiarity was its very 
short legs. 
The other one was shot near the Boreas Ponds by Mr. 
Clark Cox, a gamekeeper on Mr. George R. Finch's pre- 
serve. It was a young buck with pink ears and a spotless 
coat of white. 
The weights of the various carcasses as given in the 
shipping bills indicate that our Adirondack deer are 
larger and heavier than the same species in Michigan and 
the Northwest, judging from the description of the latter 
as given by Judge Caton, a well-known authority on this 
subject.*^ It would appear, also, from other sources of 
inforination, that our deer will compare favorably in 
weight and size with those in Maine and Canada. I noted 
thirty-two shipments in which the dressed weights ranged 
from 200 to 235 pounds. Under the rule for determining 
the_ live weight by adding one-fourth to the dressed 
weight, these deer when shot weighed from 250 to 294 
pounds, without making allowance for what may have 
been lost by drying out while they were hanging "on the 
pole" in camp. The rule referred to will always enable 
one to determine the live weight closely. It is based on 
records kept for several years at Lewey Lake and at 
Meacham Lake. At each of these places there were scales 
at the boat landing where all the deer were brought in, 
which enabled the hunters to weigh the carcasses before 
and after dressing. I have seen the rule tested quite often, 
and always with a satisfactory result, the variations being 
very slight. 
*The... Antelope and Deer of America. By John Dean Caton 
LL.D. New York: Forest and Stream Publishing Company. 
Second edition. 1881. 
That is a gratifying note from Mr. Edward Sidney 
Rawson, of Staten Island, saying that prompt steps will 
be taken to secure protection for sea gulls. The residents 
of Staten Island should support the effort most heartily, 
for the gull shooter is there largely in evidence. 
100 $i)ortsttiett'$ finds. 
Some of tile Queer Discoveries Made fay Those Who Are 
Looking for Game or Fish. 
41 
In California a man borrowed a squirrel dog of a friend 
and went gunning. The dog led him in various directions 
until he was tired out and sat down to rest. He launched 
many anathemas at the animal as a brute that knew noth- 
ing about the business for which he was recommended. 
The dog, however, frisked about all the same. Presently 
he began digging in the ground in a very enthusiastic 
manner. The disgusted hunter paid very little attention 
to this new dodge until he saw the dog poking some dark 
object about with his nose. Going to the spot the hunter 
found that the dog had unearthed an old leather 
purse. This looked like game at last. Taking the purse 
from the dog the hunter found it contained $300 in gold 
and $1 in silver. On counting out the find the hunter 
concluded that the dog was not such a "fool critter" 
after all, 
42 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Not long after the war, when the Etowah phosphate 
works had started up, the writer was fishing in the Ash- 
ley River channel, near Charleston, for black drum, and 
had good luck, landing several heavyweights. The river 
bed at this point is paved with phosphate rock, in which 
are imbedded many immense sharks' teeth, as well as 
organic remains of saurians and land animals of various 
geological periods, the earliest being quite prehistoric. 
Upon cutting open a large drum there were found a 
Spanish silver coin of date 1763 and a set of artificial 
human teeth, in excellent preservation. The difficulty in 
this case would seem to be to reconcile these associated 
articles chronologically! Did one of the early Spanish 
explorers drop the coin while fishing for a Quaternary 
shark, and did the coin and the teeth belong to the same 
fisherman? ^ Rarui, 
