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Winter Birds in Greater ISfew York. 
Prince's Bay, Stateti Island, New York Cit^, Jdn. ^i,— 
The intensely cold weathei- of this motith has beeti hard 
oh the birds, ahd that -W&s a good suggestioti about it 
on the editorial page of FoREst And Stream, it Costs 
nothing for people living in the Country to feed the birds, 
and once they know where to get a few crumbs they will 
Come again. All through this cold weather I have fed the 
song sparrows, and they seem to tell all of their rela- 
tions, as more come every day. Meadow larks have had 
a hard time, and would come close to the habitations of 
man seeking food, and some have been fed. It is strange 
how apparently tame the larks are ; but it is not tame- 
ness, it is from sheer necessity that they hover around the 
huts of their enemy. 
I have seen in the past week fifteen to twenty English 
starlings eating frozen apples on a tree in my yard. I 
have thrown out cracked corn, wheat, buckwheat, etc., 
but they will not touch the grain; they seem to prefer 
the apples. At New Dorp, six miles from here, there 
are three starlings that roost with some tame pigeons 
every night. The other day a man showed me a bird he 
had found frozen in his hen house; it was an English 
starling, and if some can live through this winter I think 
the species will be well established in this vicinity. Blue- 
birds are here with us, and it seems a shame that they did 
not take Townsend's Seaboard Air Line for the south in 
the fall. 
We have left a few quail that Teutonic blood did not 
destroy last fall, and we are feeding them. The quail 
will pay all back in the spring when they say "Bob 
White." That's good, pay .with interest._ ' 
Even the muskrats have llad a hard time around here; 
several have been seen- along the roads with just life 
enough to walk; they appear to have been frozen out; 
perhaps some were frozen in. A man killed a muskrat 
the other evening that was sitting on the back piazza 
with the family cat. The rat was doing no harm, but 
the instinct to kill is so great in this man that if his 
grandmother had been there she might have suffered the 
same fate. ^_ '*** 
Adrift. 
Boston, Jan. 19. — The inclosed item about the body of 
a reindeer found afloat on a bit of ice off Nantucket 
seems to me of unusual interest. 
• 
Nantucket, Mass., Jan. 16. — The patrolmen of Cos- 
kata life saving station espied an object floating on an 
immense cake of ice about quarter of a mile from shore 
this afternoon, which was thought to be a human body, 
and a small boat was launched. The object was found 
to be a large Arctic reindeer, ■ which had apparently been 
dead but a ^ew days. The antlers were removed from 
the carcass and will :adorn the interior of the life saving 
station. The deer -probably weighed 200 pounds, and the 
ice on which it rested seemed to have been a portion of 
an iceberg. — Boston Herald, Jan. 17. 
Tlie papers a day or two ago had an account of the 
drifting of some natives from the Pelew Islands over 
t,ctoo miles, and their strandihg Ahd fescue in a fright- 
fully e^chausted and emaciated Condition on the Island of I 
Forniosa. These natives were fishermen, and, having i 
fishing apparatus, were able during their long and in- 
voluntary -voyage to catch just enough fish to barely keep 1 
them from perishing. The account was circumstantial 
and seemingly true, and has much interest in connection 
with the problem of how the South Sea Islands, including i 
the Hawaiian group, were themselves peopled, and how 1 
the continent of America may have teen peopled from 
Asia by various occurrences of this kind, aside from the 
passage across Behring Strait in the far north. A. 
Animal Foods and Appetites. 
New York, Jan. 18— Editor Forest and Stream: Con- 
cerning cats eating corn, all the felines of my acquaint- 
ance share this taste, and whenever we cut green corn ; 
-from the cob, the present family cat, like all her prede- 
cessors, watches the process with interest until the cobs 
are discarded, when she licks and chews them to get 
any remaining milk. Stewed corn is eaten with equal 
zest. I knew one cat with a passion for raw sweet pota- 
toes and chestnuts, and several with a liking for raw 
white potatoes. All these cats were mighty hunters. I 
think what we call an animal's natural food is often 
merely the result of environment. I used to feed a suc- 
cession of pet turtles on earth worms, and never learned 
until last year that they have an eager appetite for fresh 
lettuce. E. T. Royle. 
Report of the New York 
Commission. 
From advance sheets of the Annual Report of the New York State 
Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 
Every department — Forestry, Fisheries and Game Pro- 
leciion;is productive of some return, and in each case the 
income is greater than the appropriation made annually 
for its support. 
The Adirondack forest, concerning which a separate 
and more extended report will be presented to your hon- 
orable body later in the session, is a source of great 
revenue to at least ten of the counties of the State, and 
the purchase of land in this region has been a most 
valuable investment. Up to January i, 1903. the State 
had paid for Adirondack lands, exclusive of tax sales, 
$2,329,101.60. The receipts from visitors to this region 
during the year 1903 amounted to $3,999,139- This large 
sum of money was distributed directly to the people, and 
was spent by thousands of visitors who sought the forest 
for rest, recreation, or health. 
Within the woodland territory in particular, and also 
in many other localities, are located almost innumerable 
lakes and streams which are stocked liberally frotn the 
s> stem of fish hatcheries which the State has established, 
'j'o these waters flock annually thousands of fishermen 
who are able and willing to spend money freely in pur- 
suit of their favorite pastime. It is no longer disputed 
that the continual replenishing of our waters with fish is 
necessary to keep pace with the steady growth of oiir 
population. Without such attention as is given to public 
waters by the commission, it is conceded by those who 
have studied the problem that a most desirable and com- 
paratively inexpensive variety of food would speedily be 
lest to the people — not to mention the loss of a form of 
rt-creation that finds favor with thousands of sportsmen 
whose requirements have created industries which pro- 
duce goods worth great sums annually, and which give 
employment to an army of workingmen. The hatchery 
svstem maintained at a riioderate cost returned last year 
in the actual market value of the fish produced, more 
than three dollars for every dollar spent for its main- 
tfc nance. The value to the people of the inland fisheries 
thus fostered amounts to hundreds of thousands of dol- 
lars annually, as the statistics show. 
In the Department of Shell Fisheries, to which careful 
supervision is given by the commission, an even greater 
value is shown by the returns. The figures given indicate 
that the business done amounts to nearly seven millions 
of dollars yearly, that this results in the payment of over 
a quarter of a million of dollars in wages, and that 
vessels are employed in the work worth over six hundred 
thousand dollars. The amount of money spent by the 
State for the care of this great industry is very small 
ill comparison with the results secur^. 
Similar remarks might be made with reference to the 
work of protection, which gives employment to a limited 
number of experienced men whose constant watchful- 
ness is necessary to prevent infractions of the law, and 
whose work is productive of much good to all the inter - 
tsis concerned. 
Moose, Black Bear and Beaver. 
It will be a matter of satisfaction to all sportsmen to 
know that the statistics . show a steady increase in the 
number of deer in the State forests. No better argument 
can be advanced In favor of the present system of protec- 
tion, and it is believed that locd,} |]»t?r?st8 are sx^4ily 
becoming convinced that the laws as they exist are for 
the good of all concerned. The eagerness with which 
information is sought as to the success of the hunters 
annually is an evidence of the widespread interest that 
is taken in these returns, affecting, as they do, a very 
large number of those who derive a considerable portion 
of their income from the sportsmen who seek a few 
weeks' recreation in the forest, as well as from the trans- 
portation lines, whose business is materially increased by 
the hunting season. 
From the statistics furnished by the American and the 
National Express Companies, the following figures show- 
ing the shipments of deer have been compiled: 
Year. 
1900 
1901 
1902 
1903 
Carcasses. 
1,020 
1,062 
1,354 
1,961 
Saddles. 
89 
103 
113 
145 
Heads. 
95 
121 
193 
188 
985 
68 
51 
148 
33 
349 
26 
9 
45 
9 : 
1 
134 
21 
25 
17 
1 
9 
1 
10 
ie 
61 
"6 
12 
203 
29 ' 
41 
1,961 
145 
. 188 
The percentage of increase in the shipments, which 
last season was about 30 per cent, is seen this season to 
be more than 44 per cent.'over that of the previous year. 
Following the apparently reasonable rule that for each 
deer shipped out at least four others are killed in the 
woods, it can readily be seen how greatly the deer have 
increased under our present laws. 
According to the carefully compiled figures of ship- 
ments furnished by Superintendent John L. Van Val ken- 
burgh of the American Express Company, and Superin- 
tendent T. N. Smith, of the National Express Company, 
the number of deer sent out of the Adirondacks by 
hunters during the season just closed was as follows: 
Mohawk & Malone R. R 
New York & Ontario R. R. 
Utica & Black River R. R 
Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg R. R 
Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville R. R. 
Little Falls & Dolgeville R. R 
New York Central & Hudson River R. R. .. 
Rutland R. R 
Cranberry Lake R. R 
Delaware & Hudson R. R... 
Some of the larger deer mentioned in the shipping re- 
ceipts indicate a growth that is highly gratifying. Among 
the shipments were these: 
Some Notable Shipments. 
Dressed Weight, 
R. R. Station. Consigned to— Pounds. 
Clear Water— F. S. Smith, Auburn 200 
Fulton Chain — T. McGuire, Utica 200 
Long Lake West— H. Walters, New York 2001 
Loon Lake— M. Keefer, Utica .....200 
Loon Lake — Charles Keaton, Rosendale 250 
Owl's Head— Kate Butrick, Malone 200 
Owl's Head— E. W. Savage, Moira ....250 
Piercefield — W. McKim, Saranac Lake 210 
Potsdam— J. F. Kelley, New York..... 203 
Benson Mines — W. Richardson, Canton ...200 
Harriaville — R. Harding, Syracuse- 207 
Newton Falls— W. Heims, Oakfield 200 
Newton Falls — H. Mathews, Syracuse 200 
Oswegatchie— E. W. Eissig, New York 200 
Port Leyden— F. Price, Great Bend . .200 
Prospect— J. W. Seator, Utica 200 
Prospect— Arthur Martell, Utica 200 
Derrick— John Kimball, Utica ....200 
Derrick— W. M. Bell, Long Lake West.. 200 
Derrick, C. Naylake, Tupper Lake Junction S10 
Derrick— W. Jarvis, Big Moose .......210 
Santa Clara— E. Walsh, New York ...220: 
Northville — T. Bartholomew, Amsterdam.... 210 
Northville — John Kreed, New York 237 
Northville— J. Kinnear, Albany 200 
Northville — R. M. Evans, Johnstown 210 
Northville— B. D. Smith. Johnstown. ; .......200 
North ville— J. IL _Easton( __Fonda 200 
I (..»•«. «• .200 
Noi:tbviU«f— F. S. Dunn, Albany.... 
Northvilje — E. Shannon, Amsterdam 200 
Northvillp — N. Brownell, Amsterdam 205 
Oneki9— F. M. Jackson, McKeever , 250 
In addition to these interesting figures, a correspondent 
of Forest and Stream, on November 21, mentions 
several large deer as having been shot within his knowl- 
edge. His list included a 230-pound lo-pronged buck, 
shot near Minnehaha by George Benton, of Utica ; a 250- 
pound buck shot at Horn Lake by Seth W. Pride, of 
Holland Patent; a 250-pound 7-pronged buck shot near 
Star Lake by Schuyler S. Bardlong, of Chicago; a 250- 
pound buck shot near Booneville by Captain William 
Connor, of New York ; a 2So-pound buck shot by J. F. 
Dorrance, of Camden; a 247-pound buck having 15 
prongs, shot near Alpine by Edward Floyd. The last 
weight given is specifically mentioned as being dressed 
weight. A number of other 'deer shipped out by the ex- 
press companies weighed over 200 pounds, but unfor- 
tunately the name and address of the successful hunter 
was not given. m 
In connection with the deer season it is a matter of 
satisfaction to be able to note that very few casualties 
were reported this year. The number of minor accidents 
was inconsiderable, and the number of fatalities so small 
as to warrant the belief that the warnings of previous 
years have had a salutary effect. 
The -Elk and the Mocse. 
The effort to restore elk and moose to the Adirondack 
forest which was begun by the State with the co-opera- 
tion of a number of public-spirited citizens two years 
ago, continues to be a' subject of much interest. The 
restoration of the elk; thanks to the continued generosity 
cf Hon. Williarti G. Whitney and others, has progressed 
so rapidly since the first consignment of 22 was. 
liberated at Raquette Lake in June, 1901, as to have 
passed already almost beyond the experimental stage. 
During the year just closed 73 elk were liberated at 
various points in the woods, the work being superin- 
tended by Mr. Paul Smith, the veteran hotel proprietor, 
Dr. F. E. Kendall, of Saranac Lake, and Ernest H. John- 
son, the superintendent of Mr. Whitney's Adirondack 
estate. These elk were all contributed by Mr. Whitney. 
The total number of elk which have thus far been ' 
liberated in the Adirondacks is 140. The number of 
young which have been born in this region during the 
past two years has been approximated at 50. Of this 
total of 190 elk, four have been accidentally killed by 
trains, and eight are known to have been shot. Allow- 
ance should also be made for perhaps ten deaths through 
natural causes since June, 1901. There would thus re- 
main at large in the Adirondacks 158 elk, which estimate 
probably represents very closely the actual number in 
the Adirondacks to-day. When first liberated the elk 
seem disinclined to roam far from the immediate locality 
in which they had been set free, and for months could be 
seen at almost any time grouped together within a few 
miles of the spot where they had first been liberated. But 1 
as the young were born and the animals became more ac- 
customed to their surroundings the herds began to split 
up into families of three or four, and to move off into 
the deeper forest in every direction until within the past | 
few months their presence has been reported in seven out ' 
of the ten Adirondack counties. Wherever they have been 
seen'they have caused much admiring comments on the 
part of summer tourists, many of whom have found great ! 
pleasure in photographing the animals. It is probable 
that as the young elk gradually take the place of the 
Older ones, these ar.i n Js will again become as truly f f 
