Dec. 17, 1904.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
513 
days for pheasant was promptly squelched. 
Robert B. Lawrence, of New York, called the at- 
tention of the meeting to the bill in Congress, to place 
all migratory wildfowl under Federal protection. The 
subject was discussed at some length, and the League 
agreed upon the following recommendation: "While 
not admitting that the bill introduced by Mr. Shiras 
is the best means possible, the New York State League 
herewith commends the general principles of the bill 
that migratory birds should be placed under Federal 
protection." 
The members of the League in the recommendation 
to Congress wish to have it emphasized that they favor 
the protection of all birds and not alone of game birds. 
It was the sentiment of the meeting that the infraction 
of the game laws in the south ought to be curbed in 
some way, and national legislation was the only thing 
that suggested itself as a remedy. 
R. P. Grant, of Clayton, asked the moral support of 
the League in behalf of a plea, which the Anglers' 
Association of the St. Lawrence River will make to the 
Legislature,' namely, that a steam yacht to cost at 
least $5,000 be purchased for the use of the protector 
in charge of the lower Ontario and Island region of 
the St. Lawrence, that he may better perform his duties, 
which include not only the protection of game and 
fish, but the keeping in order of the State parks at the 
islands. 
Hon. Charles R. Skinner also spoke in favor of this 
measure, and pointed out that it was backed by Mayor 
George Hall, of Ogdensburg and would have a friend 
in Senator George Malby, if the latter, as expected, 
is made chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. 
This request awakened western delegates, and they 
promptly put in a bid that such a steam yacht be also 
placed at the disposal of the Niagara River protector, 
and although the northern delegates wanted their re- 
quest to go through unaccompanied, an amendment by 
Mr. Hoover was also passed. It was said that the 
expense of maintaining such a yacht on the St. 
Lawrence would amount to about $2,000 a year, at 
least; but Mr. Skinner said that the "proud State of 
New York ought to be willing to pay that," and stated 
that at present the protector there has only his own 
rowboat in which to cover an area of many square 
miles. 
A resolution, offered by E. A. Bowman, was adopted 
to the effect, that a bill providing for the appointment 
of ten additional State fish and game protectors, to be 
located one each in the counties of Albany, Orleans, 
Niagara, Ontario, Genesee, Broome and Chenango 
and the others as directed by the Legislature, be pre- 
sented to the latter body. 
A spirited discussion arose at one stage, regarding 
the present law preventing the hunting of wildfowl in 
the spring. Delegates from the north were in favor of 
its repeal, but after lengthy arguments, it was decided 
to let the present laws remain as they are. 
By a unanimous vote on the report of the nominating 
committee, which consisted of E. A. Bowman, John D. 
Whish and Henry Killick, the following officers were 
elected for the ensuing year: President, H. S. Wicker, 
Lockport; Vive-President, W. S. Gavitt, Lyons; Sec- 
retary, Ernest G. Gould, Seneca Falls; Treasurer,_ A. C. 
Cornwall, Alexandria Bay. Organization Committee — ■ 
Robert B. Lawrence, New York; J. H. Forey, Syracuse; 
W. E. Wolcott, Utica; E. A. Bowman, Medina; Melson 
C. Smith, Geneva. Legislative and Law Committee — 
Charles H. Mowry, Syracuse; R. H. McCormick, 
Albany; W. S. Gavitt, Lyons; R. P. Grant, Clayton; 
John R. Fanning, Rochester. Auditing Committee — 
Aaron Mather, Bridgewater; C. W. Hatch,_ J. R. Mc- 
Laren. Biological Committee — James Annin, Jr., An- 
drew Irving, Heary Killick. Messrs. Smith, McCormick 
and Fanning are the only new officers. 
The report of Treasurer Cornwall showed that the 
League had about $170 in the treasury. It was de- 
cided that President Wicker should appoint additional 
members of the organization committee, and that an 
effort should be made to strengthen the League by the 
addition of more clubs in all parts of the State. 
W. E. Wolcott. 
Utica, N. Y., December 10. 
Our Big Game* 
Me. Dwight W. Huntington, the artist, author of 
"Our Feathered Game," has written a new volume, uni- 
form with that one, entitled, "Our Big Game," also pub- 
lished by Chas. Scribner's Sons. 
Mr. Huntington's experience goes back to the days 
when the buffalo still roamed the plains, and when elk, 
deer and antelope also inhabited those wide regions, which 
then were without settlers, and into which the cattle had 
scarcely begun to penetrate. These prairies are now occu- 
pied; farms are found wherever there is water, wire fences 
bar the traveler's way, and the game has almost wholly dis- 
appeared. Of buffalo there remain wild but a handful in 
the National Park, and a few in the Northwest Terri- 
tories on the eastern flanks of the Rocky Mountains. 
The elk have retreated to the timbered mountains; the 
antelope, extinct in many places, are found now only on 
the high, dry plateaus where the lack of water makes 
settlement impossible. 
The decrease of big game is due almost as much to the 
settling up of the country as to the killing off of the 
animals. The greater part of the game was killed by 
skin-hunters, and the settlement of the country prevented 
any subsequent increase. As soon as railroads penetrated 
any game country and furnished an easy method of get- 
ting the hides to the market, the skin-hunters came in 
and slaughtered the game as rapidly as possible. In old 
times, one might often see, even at a . distance from the 
railroad,, great wagons built like hay-ricks on which were 
piled the dried hides of elk, antelope, deer,, and mountain 
sheep, so high as to make.it difficult for the four horses 
to pull the heavy load. As settlers came, into the coun- 
try, the few animals left by the skin-hunters had no op- 
portunity to reproduce their kind unmolested, and 
gradually, as people became more numerous, the wild 
things wholly disappeared. 
It seems evident that the pendulum has now swung as 
far as it can in the direction of killing, and that 3 better 
spirit is rapidly growing up. Many men and many asso- 
ciations formerly altogether devoted to the destruction and 
capture of game are now giving far more consideration 
to its preservation, and it is gratifying to note that Mr. 
Huntington also takes this ground. 
It is not many years ago that the Forest and Stream 
first urged the establishment in the various forest reserves 
of the West of certain game refuges where no hunting 
should be allowed, but where the game should be abso- 
lutely protected. We have seen the result of such absolute 
protection in the Yellowstone National Park, where game 
of all kinds native to the region is very abundant. Even 
the wild buffalo, although for years they have wintered in 
a most inclement region at the head of Pelican Creek 
where the snows are so deep as to cover all vegetation, 
are beginning slowly to increase in numbers, while the 
tame herd, under fence, fed and properly guarded, has 
doubled in the last three years. 
Mr. Huntington evidently has the idea of these game 
refuges in mind, but appears to be unaware that hunting 
is still permitted in .the. forest reservations where, as a 
matter of fact, it ought to be forbidden. If a large area 
in each forest reservation were absolutely protected, the 
big game of the West would not only hold its own, but 
would very rapidly increase ; and, in the neighborhood of 
each forest reservation so protected, there would be hunt- 
ing such as travelers in the West used to know thirty 
years ago. Private game preserves such as the Austin 
Corbin Park, the late Mr. Whitney's October Mountain 
preserve, and some others, are useful and interesting, but 
can do little more than increase stocks of game, which 
may be used later to stock public preserves. 
Mr. Huntington's volume is divided into Four Books.- 
The first, covering 122 pages, treats of the deer family, 
including wapiti, moose, mule deer, black-tail deer, Vir- 
ginia deer, and woodland and barren ground caribou. 
Book second, 61 pages, deals with the ox family — the 
bison, muskox, mountain sheep, white goat and antelope. 
The bear family is considered in book three, occupying 
about 40 pages, and the cat family in book four in 15 
pages. An appendix gives the Latin names and brief 
descriptions of a number of the chief species of large 
game. 
Mr. Huntington's volume is a very convenient general 
manual, which will interest most game hunters and is a 
capital book to put into the hands of boys. It is excel- 
lently illustrated by 16 half-tone plates from photographs, 
of which those of the moose, the elk and the mule deer 
are extremely interesting. It has a full index and is well 
worth reading. 
A Federal Game Law. 
An Act to Protect Migratory Game Birds of the United 
States. 
Whereas, experience has shown that laws passed by 
the States and Territories of the United States to protect 
game birds within their respective limits have proved in- 
sufficient to protect those kinds and classes of said birds 
which are migratory in their habits, and which nest and 
hatch their young in States other than those in which 
they pass the usual hunting season, and in some cases 
breed beyond the boundaries of the United States; 
And whereas such local laws are also inapplicable and 
insufficient to protect such game birds as, in their migra- 
tions, are found in the public waters of the United States, 
outside the limits and jurisdiction of the several States 
and Territories ; 
And whereas the absence of uniform and effective laws 
and regulations in such cases has resulted in the whole- 
sale destruction and the threatened extermination of 
many valuable species of said game birds, which cannot 
be practically restored or re-stocked under State laws 
applicable in the case of game birds having their perma- 
nent habitat within the respective States and Territories, 
therefore, 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 
tives of the United States of America in Congress 
assembled, 
Section 1. That all wild geese, wild swans, brant, wild 
ducks, snipe, plover, #roodcock, rail, wild pigeons and 
all other migratory gsfme birds which in their northern 
and southern migrations pass through or do' not remain 
permanently the entire year within the borders of any 
State or Territory shall hereafter be deemed to be within 
the custody and protection of the Government of the 
United States, and shall not be destroyed or taken con- 
trary to regulation hereinafter provided for. 
Sec. 2. That the Department of Agriculture is hereby 
authorized to adopt suitable regulations to give effect to 
the previous section by prescribing and fixing closed 
seasons, having due regard to the zones of temperature, 
breeding habits and times and line of migratory flight, 
thereby enabling the Department to select and designate 
suitable districts for different portions of the country 
within which said closed seasons it shall not be lawful to 
shoot or by any device kill or seize and capture migra- 
tory birds within the protection of this law, and by de- 
claring penalties by fine or imprisonment, or both, for 
violations of such regulations. 
. Sec. 3. That the Department of Agriculture, after the 
preparation of said regulations, shall cause the same to be 
made public, and shall allow a period of three months, 
in which said regulations may be examined and con- 
sidered, before final adoption, permitting, when deemed 
*House Bill No. 16601, introduced Dec. 5 by Hon. George Shiras 
3d, of Pennsylvania, and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
Hon. Jas. W, Wadsworth, of New York, Chairman, 
proper, public hearings thereon, and after final adoption 
to cause same to be engrossed and submitted to the 
President of the United States for approval. 
Provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall 
be deemed to affect or interfere with the local laws of the 
States and Territories for the protection of game localized 
within their borders, nor to prevent the States and Ter- 
ritories from enacting laws and regulations to promote 
and render efficient the regulations of the Department of 
Agriculture provided under this statute. 
State of New York, 
Forest, Fish and Game Commission, 
Albany, N. Y., Dec. 10. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
I am in receipt of your letter of the 9th inst. inclosing the 
text of a bill introduced in the House by Hon. George 
Shiras 3d to give Federal protection to wildfowl. 
I certainly favor this measure. It may be the only one 
that will prevent the total extinction of many species. 
D. C. Middleton, Commissioner. 
State of New York, 
Forest, Fish and Game Commission, 
Albany, N. Y., Dec. 9. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
In answer to your letter of the 8th, with copy of pro- 
posed legislation by Representative George Shiras 3d, of 
Pennsylvania, I would say that if a law could be enacted 
by the general government that would furnish more ade- 
quate protection to migratory birds and which would 
be constitutional, the general public would be more than 
delighted. This surely would bring to the assistance of 
each State department Federal support, and as no State 
in the Union is doing what it should in the way of an 
adequate police force for the protection of game, it must 
be an improvement over the present system. 
I will not attempt to raise a question as to the constitu- 
tionality of such a measure; but a previous act by 
Congress known as the Lacey Act, that went into effect 
May 25, 1900, and which provides that "all dead bodies or 
parts thereof of any foreign game animals or game or 
song birds transported into any State or Territory, or 
remaining therein for consumption, sale or storage, shall, 
upon arrival in such State or Territory, be subject to the 
laws of such State or Territory," is doubtless as far as 
Congress felt they had power to act, and that any at- 
tempted legislation must necessarily be subject to the laws 
of this or other States; but be that as it may, the masses 
who are interested in the protection of game, song and 
insectivorous birds, will feel like embracing any oppor- 
tunity that will prevent said birds from becoming exter- 
minated. 
This matter was brought up yesterday at the annual 
meeting of the New York State Fish, Game and Forest 
League, and while it was a new idea to all, and there 
was not ample time to go into the matter exhaustively, the 
League passed a resolution approving a measure of this 
kind if the zones referred to in section 2 of the Shiras 
bill would not make two dates in this State, and we also 
asked that the measure extend to all migratory birds that 
are now protected by the law of this State. Doubtless 
the Law and Legislative Committee of the League will 
confer with the representatives of this State in Congress, 
urging that they favor this measure as amended by the 
resolution passed by the League. 
As the provisions of the act are such that it shall he 
generally published and distributed and an opportunity 
given for hearings before final adoption, the public will 
have an opportunity to fairly consider and doubtless 
learn what the intent of the Department of Agriculture 
is as to legislation and fully determine whether it is ad- 
visable to urge its passage. J. W. Pond. 
State of Ohio 
Fish and Game Commission. 
Columbus, O., Dec. 10. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
Replying to your favor of the 9th inst., permit me to say 
that I have read carefully the bill introduced by Hon. 
George Shiras 3d, of Pennsylvania, in the House of 
Representatives, and individually can express my entire 
approval of its intent, purpose and plan. Such a Federal 
law would unquestionably do more good than all the local 
laws applying to migratory game. It would mean the 
preservation of wildfowl for succeeding generations, 
whereas under the conditions of the present there is 
hardly the promise of adequate supply for this generation. 
I am sure that my associates upon the Ohio Fish and 
Game Commission will take the same view of the matter, 
and in anticipation of that, it gives me great pleasure to 
offer the foregoing. J. L. Rodgers, 
President. 
State of West Virginia, 
Office of 
Game and Fish Warden. 
Hinton, W. Va., Dec. 10. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
I am in hearty accord with the measure of Hon. George 
Shiras 3d, to protect migratory game birds by Federal 
laws. It is a wide step in the right direction, and will re- 
ceive the support of this department in this State. 
Frank Lively, State Warden. 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 
Office of the 
Board of Game Commissioners. 
Harrisburg, Pa., Dec. 12. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
I most heartily indorse the effort that is being made to 
give Federal protection to our migratory birds, and am 
ready to do all in my power to secure legislation of this 
kind. I want to say, though, that I favor the adoption of 
a measure that will meet the necessities of the occasion, 
and not a collection of meaningless words and phrases, 
such as what is now known as the Lacey Bill. 
Joseph Kalbfus, 
Secretary of the Game Commission, 
Washington, D. C, Dec. 11. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: In response to your request for an expression 
of my opinion on the proposition of Mr. Shiras in a bill 
entitled, "An Act to Protect Migratory Game Birds of 
the United States," I assume that you are not seeking my 
opinion as to the legality of a measure winch departs so 
