March 22, 1902.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
229 
evening was a wonderful one, as there seemed absolutely 
thousands of these birds coming in toward dusk and set- 
tling here, there and everywhere, or moving about rest- 
lessly looking for any indications of feed. 
On the day following the two heavy bags above 
recorded on this marsh, another Chicago gentleman 
bagged 54 birds, mostly pintails and mallards. Others 
on the same waters had very fair success, the above bags 
being, however, the heaviest made. 
The Hennepin Club members must have met the same 
flight this week, and although no records have as yet 
come up from that marsh, it is likely that we shall hear 
of some very heavy bags having been made there. 
Fox Lake is opening up, the ice being loose and rotten. 
In Pistakee Bay there has been considerable open water, 
and on Thursday the canvasbacks and redheads had be- 
gun to show in this part of the Fox Lake chain. Ben 
Stirling, of Fox Lake neighborhood, on that day killed 
18 canvasbacks and 10 redheads before Q o'clock in the 
morning. It was reported on Friday that Pistakee Bay- 
was full of birds, so that it would seem the first of the 
deep water ducks are in and that within the next two or 
three days the bluebills and blackies may be expected. 
Eddie Pope and W. L. Wells leave to-morrow for a 
try at the birds on Fox Lake, and in view of the fore- 
going advices it would seem likely that they should m<?»t 
with very fair success. 
Mr. Washburne and Mr. Wells were too far east for 
the flight on their recent trip to the Goose Lake country. 
They saw thousands of birds, but the weather was fair 
and the flight was traveling, so that they only got seven 
birds. 
Mr. C. C. Hess, of the Goose Lake Shooting Club, 
leaves to-day for his second visit to that marsh this 
spring, and he ought to get a few birds at least. 
From this it may be seen that we have had the most 
encouraging outlook for duck shooting here this spring 
known in many years. It is hardly more than an outlook, 
and perhaps might more properly be called to-day a 
retrospect' for it is quite possible that the birds have 
swept on to the north and that our future shooting will 
have to come in on the bluebill flight which is now nearly 
due. The flight is to-day reported at Fox Lake and 
Poygan, in Wisconsin. 
. Early Jacksnipe. 
On Thursday, March 13, jacksnipe were noted on Swan 
Lake marsh, the first of which I have heard this spring. 
Some three or four j'ears ago there was a heavy flight 
of jacksnipe at Koutts, Ind.. on the date of March 17. 
These birds came in on some burned marsh, and it is 
worth noting that both plover and jacksnipe very fre- 
quently prefer marsh which has been burned over the 
preceding fall. The black surface seems to draw the 
heat of 'the sun more quickfy than grass-cov.ered marsh, 
and the worms, perhaps, appear there rnore^ quickly than 
elsewhere. This tip is worth bearing in mind. 
Early Geese. 
Swan Lake marsh showed hundreds of blue geese on 
Thursday of this week. Yesterday a fourteen year old 
boy killed four geese on Skokie marsh, just north of 
Chicago. Geese are reported in Fox Lake. Wis., I should 
think 150 miles north of here, and Mr. D. J. Hotchkiss, of 
the latter place, killed one with a rifle this week. Several 
flocks of geese have been marked, going out from Lake 
Michigan over the bluffs of the northern residence part 
of this city during the last three days. 
E ldurance of Antlers. 
Some years ago a farmer digging in the marsh south 
of Fond du Lac, Wis., at the foot of Lake Winnebago, 
unearthed several pairs of elk antlers which were in a very 
fair state of preservation. No elk had been seen in that 
State for more than forty years. This week a deer antler 
was found in the mud of Beaver Dam marsh, of the same 
State. The deer horn is reported to' have been black and 
hard as ebony and must have been imbedded in the mud 
for many years. It seems to be the property of water 
to preserve rather than to rot the antlers of the deer 
family. Everyone has heard of the vast pile of elk antlers 
which were found overgrown with willows and trees 
in the bog of the Castalia stream of Ohio many years 
ago. 
The Record Sheep Head. 
Confirming my statement in the Forest and Stream 
of March i, Mr. Thos. W. Fraine. of Rochester, N. Y., 
writes: 'T note what you say of the sheep. Inclosed 
please find photograph of the head I mounted for you in 
1896. Weight of skull without jaw, 37 pounds; length of 
horns, 40 and 41^ inches; girth at base, 1854 inches; 
girth, 1 inch from tip, 6^4 inches. There may be finer 
sheep heads, but I have not seen or heard of them." 
Why They Don't Kill, 
M'f. Adam Moore, one of the best-known guides of 
Hew Brunswick, writes as below, giving some reasons 
"why the small-bore rifles at times do not stop their game 
at once. He says: "There is a cause for bad shooting 
which I think would explain some things about lost or 
wounded moose. It is that the sportsman often shoots 
from a light and cranky canoe. There is generally con- 
siderable excitement at the time a moose is shot at, and 
you could not expect an excited man to shoot very ac- 
curately from a narrow and cranky canoe. Perhaps you 
noticed that our canoes are 36-inch beam, flattened on 
the bottom to give good bearings. This makes them 
steady, so when the guide is cool and used to his busi- 
ness, you can guess why it is that the .30-40 in our coun- 
try has been so deadly on moose. Of course, this does 
not apply where the moose have been shot at from land, 
but the majority of the wounded and dead moose have 
been shot at from canoes and not from land. Not every 
one seems to have got on to this in the discussion, but I 
think you can see how it might work." 
Small Game Preserves. 
A recent feature in Chicago sportsmanship_ is the pick- 
ing up of small game preserves, commonly bits of marsh 
lands or good ducking waters, by little associations of 
Sportsmen. Thus Mr. Oswald von Lengerke, of this city* 
this week joins with three gentlemen who will in all likeli-. 
hood purchase a little preserve near Morris, 111. This 
is Illinois River country, and the longest open water on 
the marsh is only about three-quarters of a mile in ex- 
tent. A fuller report will follow upon investigation by 
the members. They figure that it is better to have a 
little shooting to one's self than an undivided interest 
in an open region that is beset by a multitude of guns. 
This preserve, the Goose Lake preserve, and that of 
Mr. Washburne, adjoining, are all small, but valuable 
preserves, and easily accessible from the big city. 
About Stopping the Sale of Game. 
The doctrine of stopping the sale of game has in one 
or two instances given offense to those who consider it 
their privilege to do as they like "on their own land." 
Yet that it is wise doctrine, and as such highly fit to be 
incorporated into the rules of every sportsmen's^ club, as 
well as the creed of every individual sportsman's life, is 
at least suggested by the action of the newly reorganized 
Grand Island hunting preserve of Springfield, 111. That 
body permits no member to "sell the fruits of his gun 
or rod." E. Hough. 
Hartford Building, Chicago, 111. 
INon-Resident Licenses* 
Greensburg, Pa., March 15.— Editor Forest _ and 
Stream: The laws imposing a license on non-resident 
hunters or sportsmen, passed by several of the States, are 
to me legislation of the most vicious character ; beside, I 
think they violate the Constitution of the United States. 
Article IV., Section 2, provides as follows : "The citizens 
of each State shall be entitled to all privileges and immu- 
nities of citizens in the several States." 
When the State of West Virginia, for instance, enacts 
a law that requires of a Pennsylvanian the taking out 
of a license there to hunt, and imposes penalties for not 
doing so, and imposes no such restrictions upon the citi- 
zens of that State, the Pennsylvanian does not have the 
same privileges and immunities that are guaranteed by 
the section of the Constitution just quoted. The State 
of West Virginia may lawfully reserve the use of its 
public buildings and its own property for the use of 
its own citizens, and if it were the owner of lands abound- 
ing in game, it might restrict the right to hunt on those 
lands to its own citizens, but it has no right to prefer 
its own citizens to citizens of any other State, as to 
lands it does not own. The State has no property in the 
game upon its mountains, and, so far as I know, the 
owners of the mountains have none. Such legislation 
cannot be sustained under any claim of police power. 
The proposition of John F. Haynes to require of the 
Maine guides the taking out of a license of $10 because it 
would bring in a revenue, is based upon no consideration 
of reason. He is a guide, of course, and I suppose would 
want the law to exclude citizens of other States, regard- 
less of the constitutional provision aforesaid. The pro- 
tection of game is a proper regulation for any State, and 
so long as no exceptions are made to its own citizens, no 
fault can be found, but the imposing of license fees on 
non-residents is another matter. 
J. A. C. RUFFNER. 
*\[ Some '.Canadian Dee* Statistics. 
""Aylmer, East Quebec, March 8.— Editor Forest^ and 
Stream: I inclose a report of the deer and moose shipped 
from parts of the Province of Quebec, and a few points 
on the line of the C. P. R, from Pembroke to Mattawa, 
which borders on our Province, and which I have no 
doubt were shot in Quebec Province. 
N. E. Cormier, 
Provincial Game Warden and Fishery Overseer. 
Statement of deer, moose and caribou forwarded by 
express from points in Province of Quebec during 
months of October, November and December, 1901 : 
Arundel, 12; Buckingham, 25; Calumet, 2; Campbell's, 
15; Conception, 4; Coulonge 26; Gracefield, 67; Kaza- 
bazua, 183; Labelle. 208; McKees, 8; Megantic, 200; 
Montebello.To/; North Nation Mills, 1; North Wakefield, 
43; Papineauville, 282; Point au Chene, 29; Scotstown, 
40; Shawville, 65; St. Jovite. 6; Thurso, 25; Venosta, 1; 
Wakefield, 3; Waltham. 6. Total, 1,276. The shipments 
by months were : October, 477 ; November, 632 ; Decem- 
ber, 167. Total, 1,276. 
S-. T. Stewart, 
Superintendent Dominion Express Co., Quebec Division. 
Toronto, Ont, Feb. 1— Mr. N. E. Cormier, Provincial 
Game Warden for Quebec. Dear Sir: Your request re 
number of deer shipped from points in Ontario, between 
Ottawa and Mattawa, during the open season of 1902. 
Below we give you the information requested: Ottawa, 
10 ; Almonte, 1 ; Arnprior, 10 ; Sand Points, 1 ; Renfrew, 
3; Pembroke, 12; Deux Rivieres, 1; Klock. 1; Mattawa, 
1; Kippewa, 3 deer, 19 moose and 2 bears; Temiskaming, 
4 'moose heads. Total, 43 deer, 23 moose, 2 bears. 
J. A. Boswell, 
Superintendent Ontario Division Dominion Express Co. 
The Pennsylvania Season. 
Sayre, Pa., March 14.— The flow of the sugar maple 
and the soft call of the uneasy crow are not the only 
unfailing indications of spring's gay approach. Robins 
have been in evidence for a month. Several bluebirds 
put in an appearance early the present week, and this 
morning I listened to the tuneful melody of a § chorus 
of song sparrows in the rear of the Packer Hospital. 
The past winter has been one of unusual severity for 
game birds in this part of Pennsylvania. Disastrous 
floods, heavy snowfall and many other unusual elemental 
conditions have operated to the disadvantage of feathered 
game. Especially does this apply to the meager quail 
supply holding a precarious existence along the Chemung 
River flats and adjacent territory. 
I have for some time been unable to locate or learn 
concerning the bevies referred to in these columns last 
fall but I greatly fear for their welfare, unless some 
kindly disposed farmer, out of a bountiful granary, has 
generously contributed to their needs. As the season 
advances it is to be hoped we may learn more fully in 
regard to the aetual numbers and condition 01 these 
hrave little tenants of the fence corners and hedgerows, 
- - - ■ " M. Chill, 
Stop the [Sale^of New York Game. 
Jersey City. — Editor Forest and Stream: I am a 
constant reader of your publication, Forest and Stream, 
and am greatly interested in the comments published 
therein relative to the prospective law, prohibiting the 
sale of game birds at any and all seasons of the year. 
I am a native New Yorker, and spend my annual vaca- 
tion in upper New York, hunting birds and other small 
game, and therefore have had an excellent opportunity of 
observing the condition respective to this matter. 
My personal observation, as to the destruction of small 
game in order to supply the markgL is convincing that 
the passage of such a law would re »f great benefit to 
the sportsmen. Locations where five years ago a person 
could go and hunt and be sure of a good day's sport, is 
now practically extinct of these birds. This is practically 
getting to be the condition of many parts of New York 
State, where game was a short time ago in abundance. 
I have written to several friends of mine living in 
New York State, urging them to write to their respective 
representatives in the State Legislature, asking them to 
vote for this measure. 
I feel certain that if this measure can be sent through 
that it will mean old-time hunting for us who enjoy this 
sport, and will certainly put an end to that infamous 
style of hunting called "pot-hunting," of which there 
is so much at the present time. This last- named is the 
most destructive means of game extermination, as it is 
snared and trapped, and. in fact, any way to insure its 
capture. H. P. Nichols. 
Suffolk County Wildfowl* 
Gunners in the eastern portion of the Great South 
Bay have been having great shooting for the past two. or 
three weeks. Broadbill and brant have come on in good- 
ly numbers, and great bags of birds have been made. It 
is said that the market-shooters have been killing from 
fifty to eighty birds a day to a rig, and as these bring 
sixty cents a pair in New York market, the rewards are 
ample. 
The local papers announce that Dr. Robinson, member 
of Assembly for Suffolk county, has killed all the bills 
in the Legislature interfering at all with the present 
privileges of gunners and fishermen on Long Island. 
This may be assumed to mean that he has succeeded in 
strangling all bills shortening the time for shooting or 
fishing. 
- — — 
Proprietors of fishing resorts will find it profitable to advertise 
them in Forest and Stream. 
The Megantics Getting Ready. 
Boston, March 17. — The season looks early and the 
members of the Megantic Club are already making plans 
for the early fishing. The senior partner of a business 
house here remarked Saturday that he should be obliged 
to tie the junior partner, "these warm days have made, 
him so uneasy. He'll be gone for the Megantic preserve 
before I know it." The directors are putting all the 
camps in thorough repair. A new ell will be built at the 
main club house, for a kitchen and laundry. Formerly 
the members and guests were obliged to laundry their 
single shifts in the lake, before the other guests were up 
in the morning. Now this is all changed, and the next 
thing will be to prepare for dress suits. A new camp at 
Chain of Ponds is being built; also a dining camp at 
Arnold Pond. A new camp is proposed at Northwest 
Pond, with many other improvements. The boats, land- 
ings and trails are not being neglected. The interest 
in this club continues unabated, and the best reason to be 
ascribed is that the management is good. Spite of Mr. 
Carleton's displeasure that the club did not vote to sustain 
his hunters' license scheme at their annual dinner, it will 
go on flourishing, so long as it is run as a hunting and 
fishing club purely. Too much improvement, however, 
will drive members away. Mr. N. G. Manson,_ of Camp 
Leatherstocking, Richardson Lake, Me., was in Boston 
Wednesday. He is planning for a great season at the 
Rangeleys this summer. Mr. Goldsmith, of New York, 
who built a beautiful camp just below Leatherstocking last 
year, is also buying supplies and making ready. On the 
hunters' license question Mr. Manson is very pronounced. 
"It will drive moose and deer hunters elsewhere. Why 
don't Mr. Carleton propose taxing the game killed for his 
revenue, if he must have it? To tax non-resident hunt- 
ers as they go into the State would be about as foolish 
as for a big dry goods store to charge everybody for 
going in and looking for bargains. It would seem more 
reasonable to make customers pay as they take the goods. 
Prevent the guides and residents of- Maine from shoot- 
ing more than their legal quota of game, and no further 
protection will be needed. Only last fall Mr. Carleton 
was telling about the great increase of deer in Maine, 
and that moose were holding their own. Now he says 
that big game is rapidly disappearing, and that without 
more wardens it will soon all be gone. At the last ses- 
sion of the Maine Legislature he fought hard to save 
his September license scheme; one of the worst laws for 
the deer that it would be possible to pass." 
Special. 
An Irish Fishing Story* 
There is a good fishing story in an Irish contemporary. 
Two enthusiastic anglers arranged a fishing match to 
decide the respective merits of the worm and the min- 
now as bait. For hours they sat patiently on a bank 
without getting so much as a nibble. At last the pro- 
prietor of the worm suddenly said that he had got a 
bite, and, jerking his line out of the water, discovered at 
the end of it the other man's minnow, which, having by 
this time grown hungry, had devoured his worm.— London 
Globe, . .' .1 . _ . 
