214 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[March i8, 1905. 
low glen before mentioned, and the "Veteran," standing 
up in the buggy to obtain a better view, called out, "He's 
down, and I've marked just about the place where he fell." 
By this time Jill, a faithful old setter who seldom failed 
to accompany us, and whose ambition went beyond her 
years, was filling the air with barks and yells of uncon- 
trollable excitement, so the "Veteran," putting a rope to 
her collar, walked up the road and struck the trail, while 
I remained behind to watch the horse. Away they went, 
crashing through the underbrush, jumping logs and avoid- 
ing trees, for once started after a deer, Jill was imbued 
with the strength of ten, and it was no easy matter to hold 
her in. Presently they disappeared from sight, but after 
several minutes had elapsed I saw them coming back 
again, and then the former proved that scent is sometimes 
better than sight, for turning off sharply to one side, she 
brought the "Veteran" to the exact spot where the deer 
lay. He proved to be a two or three-year-old buck in 
prime condition, with a pretty pair of slim horns which 
were just about ready to peel, as the velvet on the prongs 
was quite torn and ragged. Although not what might be 
termed a forest king, he was nevertheless a very good 
specimen of an average sized Virginian deer buck, weigh- 
ing a hundred and fifty pounds or more, and with an 
almost perfect coat of soft blue-gray hair. Everything 
connected with the episode, besides the unexpected 
pleasure of bagging him and the ideal environment at- 
tached to the scene of action, makes it a memory which 
very often returns during moments of hunting rumination. 
Paulina Brandreth. 
[to be concluded.] 
The Shiras BiU. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Naturally I read with interest, in to-day's issue of your 
paper, Judge Beaman's reply to my article of February 
18, in which he reiterates his conviction that Federal 
control of migratory game birds is unconstitutional, being 
in derogation of State rights in such game; and further, 
that the difficulties in the application of this doctrine are 
"insurmountable." 
In support of the first position, he cites the case of - 
Geer vs. Connecticut, in the United States Supreme 
Court, as not only "the leading game case in the coun- 
try," but one that settles the question of Congressional 
legislation over migratory birds. The Geer case is not 
new to me; in fact, it is a rather near relative of the 
migratory game bill. My father was one of the members 
of the court delivering this decision, and being one of the 
few sportsmen on the bench, as then constituted, he had 
something to do with the preparation of the opinion, 
although handed down in the name of Justice White. 
If this case is my undoing, well might I exclaim, "the 
sins of the father are visited upon the son." 
But, in my judgment, the case has no bearing whatso- 
ever upon the real question at issue here, for it simply 
. upheld a State game statute without, as Judge Beaman 
candidly admits, passing upon the right of Congress to 
legislate in behalf of migratory birds and fish. Had a 
Federal statute existed at that time, and the court held it 
void, then might this matter be considered settled. 
So far as I am aware, the classification of game birds 
into local ^nd migrants has never been made the basis 
for separate State and National jurisdiction. Being a 
new legal proposition, it is probably useless to enter into 
a prolonged discussion thereon, although I fully recog- 
nize Judge Beaman's right to differ with me. It may be 
proper for me to say that the bill has been submitted 
lately to some of the best constitutional lawyers in the 
country, and, after careful consideration, received their 
entire approval; so that I am content to await its test 
in the courts, if it is ever enacted. 
The other objection, viz., the difficulty of definmg 
migratory game birds, gives me little concern, for it 
seems a comparatively easy matter. These birds are prac- 
tically all defined in the bill by species, with the addi- 
tional descriptive qualification, "and all other migratory 
game birds which in their northern and southern migra- 
tions pass through, or do not remain permanently the en- 
tire year zvithin the borders of any State or Territory." 
Among our migratory game birds, which variety fails to 
fall easily within this description? 
Again, when we realize that the question is settled by 
the ease wath which local game birds are classified — 
grouse, quail, turkeys— it is hard to conceive where any 
special trouble will arise. The fact that Judge Beaman 
illustrates the alleged difficulties by describing the erratic 
movements of wild animals, is wholly begging the ques- 
tion. Migrations, so-called, of most large game animals 
is altitudinal and not a distinct northern and southern 
seasonal migration, as in the case of wildfowl. 
Since the bill does not cover game animals, it seems to 
me it is a rather far-fetched objection. The word 
"migratory" has a well defined scientific and popular 
meaning. 
What is a "navigable" stream, what is a ' public or pri- 
vate" nuisance, what is a "reasonable" rate, what is a 
"contagious" disease? Here we have several qualifying 
terms where the border line is often hard to define; yet 
it in no wise affects the validity of State and National 
statutes regulating the same. 
The plain difference in the migratory and non-migra- 
tory habits of the wild goose and the quail, the curlew 
and the wild turkey, the canvasback duck and the ruffed 
grouse, is so patent that the classification is a reasonable 
one, to say the least. 
Judge Beaman's suggestion that we have instead 
National laws protecting all game on all the public lands 
and public waters of the United States, is a sound legal 
proposition, and has been given considerable _ study the 
past two years. My migratory game bill mentions in the 
preamble "public waters of the United States outside the 
limits and jurisdiction of the several States and Terri- 
tories," while in the fish bills, mentioned later, the public 
waters of the United States are especially included. The 
trouble arises in the case of game animals and birds on 
the public domain. 
Our Committee on the Public Lands has attempted to 
have legislation passed giving the President authority to 
designate certain Forest Reserves as game refuges, but 
we have failed to get such legislation through the House 
of Representatives except in the case of one Forest 
Reserve. Such reserves are easily defined and protected. 
The objection to Judge Beaman's suggestion to include 
all game on all public lands is twofold : 
_ First — The opposition of the local Congressmen to put- 
ting the greater part of the wild game animals and 
local birds under Federal controlj as they believe the 
State laws are fairly effective; which objection is some- 
what easier to meet in the case of wildfowl, where State 
laws are notoriously ineffective. 
The second objection — and a serious one in my mind — 
arises from the difficulty the average hunter would have 
in determining whether he was on private or public 
property. In many Western States there are millions of 
acres of unfenced prairie and forest lands where quite 
often alternate sections belong to the Government, and 
the remainder has been taken up under railroad and 
school grants, mining, timber, stone and homestead en- 
tries, with, of course, here and there large holdings 
acquired and held by purchase. Federal game laws on 
Government lands and State laws as to the rest would 
make a checker board of many States, and the ordinary 
hunter would often be unable to tell one kind of land 
from the other, unless he had the title examined, and 
then the absence of fences and section posts would make 
it hopeless, even if he had the county surveyor at his 
heels. 
Such a situation rather seems to please Judge Beaman, 
for he says it would deter "ihe lawless hunter" from 
taking any chances through "fear of Federal officers on 
the one hand and State officers on the other." In my 
opinion the law-abiding sportsman would be in worse 
shape, for the market-hunter would willingly take 
chances where he could, with entire justice, plead 
ignorance of "where he was at." 
Under the migratory game bill the law would be the 
same not only in each State but throughout a tier of 
States in the same zone of temperature, so uniformity 
would be attained in the highest degree. 
The two fish bills, inclosed herewith, may prove of in- 
terest to some of your readers. One is based upon the 
same principle underlying the game bill, and the other on 
lines upon which Judge Beaman and myself are in entire 
accord. After these proposed acts have been thoroughly 
considered, the question of taking up legislation of this 
character at the next session of Congress will be in 
order. Geo. Shiras 30. 
Washington, D C , March 11. 
A Tiger Hunt in China. 
Tiger shooting is, I believe, generally regarded as 
serious work, and not a picnic to be lightly entered on; 
but from the moment P. came round to my compound 
to say that four of the brutes had been located iii the 
Yikma jungle, some four miles from the settlement, to 
the 'morning of the last disastrous beat the gods ap- 
peared to do their best to make fun of the whole ex- 
pedition, and to rob us of that feeling of dignity due to 
those engaged in big-game shooting. 
Perhaps I should not include P. in this. P. was dif- 
ferent. He spoke knowingly of shikars, machans, and 
all the paraphernalia of a big. shoot; he mused pensively 
in the heat of the day, when he should have been asleep, 
over Badminton on Big-Game Shooting and guide- 
books with blood-curdlmg pictures that made me 
nervous. Between .whiles in a desultory manner he ran 
the camp mess, or sat in state receiving deputations of 
villagers bringing the latest reports of the movements 
of the enemy. 
There was no doubt about the tigers, it must be 
understood. The recollection of journeys of several 
days' length to the reported habitat of some man-eater, 
only to find at each village that it was so many "li" 
further on, was still fresh in my recollection, and it 
seemed too good to be true that a whole family had 
taken up quarters so near to the settlement; but in the 
soft paddy and sweet potato fields bordering the cover 
one could hardly walk ten yards without crossing their 
spoor. Had we had the proper arms, it may be that 
our hunt had ended differently. P. had a Martini 
Henry of the old .451 bore and a Mauser pistol, and I 
a .44 Winchester repeating carbine. 
We camped in the old, tumble-down building, half 
temple, half rest-house, that is common to most Chinese 
villages. P.. insisted on cooking the dinner; also there 
was trouble about the bait, so that it was half-past 
nine and pitch dark when we sallied forth to the tree 
we had chosen for our watch. We had decided on a 
pig for bait, as he was likely to make the most noise. 
The grateful villagers, whom we had come out to rid 
of the blood-thirsty animals that were devouring their 
cattle, required some three times its value before they 
would part with it. Too late we discovered the deceit- 
fulness of that pig. In the temple it had protested so 
loudly as to drown all negotiations, but when at last 
tied up on the field of action it was the most contented 
pig I have ever known, and frantic pulls at the string at- 
tached to his leg were utterly useless to stir him to a 
sense of what was expected of him. At length, bitten 
all over by mosquitoes, and covered with ants, tree 
frogs, and that delightful bettle known to the Chinese 
as the "water buffalo," I climbed down and charged out 
on the wretched animal, and by the light of the rising 
moon chased him round and round his tether till his 
squeals and the shouts of laughter from my companion 
in the tree might have been heard for miles. Hardly 
had I ^gained the foot of the tree when P. gave a 
shout m warning, and commenced firing rapidly over 
my head. An instant later one short wail from piggy 
announced that his duty was done, and I turned in time 
to see the tiger — a dark, formless mass — disappear into 
the cover with six dollars' worth of pork belonging to 
us. 
It was against all rules and precedent. P. had struck 
a match and was lighting his pipe in calm disregard 
of my request that he would cover my sortie. I was on 
the ground within a few yards of the bait, while, I 
repeat, the noise of laughing and talking should have 
been, according to all our instruction books, sufficient 
to scare every tiger out of the province. However, 
fairly or not, the tiger had scored the first point, and 
there was nothing to do but to return to the temple. 
Early next morning the headman of the village w* 
summoned, and, after much argument, some twen 
men were produced to beat the cover for us. 
started across the paddy like the chorus of a corri| 
opera, with hoes, pitchforks, executioners' swords, ai| 
halberds. One man preceded the . party with a hui 
gong, which he smote lustily, to the great delight ' 
scores of children, who were enjoying holiday by re 
son of our occupying the village schoolroom, and tl 
rear was brought up by half a dozen kerosene tins ai 
the village flautist. It was as impossible to keep the 
quiet till we should reach the ground and take li 
positions as it was to get them to stay there when 
had done so. Gradually and imperceptibly the beatei 
■ — who commenced by prodding gingerly at the extren 
edges of the jungle — melted away, and P. and I coi 
eluded that, since beating was impossible, we must watc 
over bait again. 
This time we were ensconced in our tree long befoi 
sunset, with a goat for bait. Hardly had the mod 
risen than out stalked, at about 100 yards' range, a 
enormous tiger, who strolled nonchalantly across ti 
glade and disappeared into the opposite cover. Agai 
we pulled furiously at the bait. Not a sound followei^ 
and, after some hours' wait, we descended, to find poc^ 
nanny — whether of pure fright or because she was poi 
sibly in extremis when purchased — was dead! 
After a long whispered conversation as to whethe 
tigers took carrion or not, we again trudged sadl'^ 
home. Personally, I incline to the opinion that we di 
not talk and laugh enough, also that a cigar woul 
have much improved our chances. Be that as it ma; 
our- third attempt was made from a machan. P. an 
I built jt next morning, and an interested audience c 
some fifty old women and children sat round and. con 
mented. We_ hollowed out a large bush, and built th 
platform up inside; on the top we put a cunning roc 
of plaited leaves. Derisive acquaintances, who ha 
never even seen a tiger running wild, rode out from thi,^ 
settlement and asked if it was a race meeting or 
Punch and Judy show? But we were satisfied; 
least it was better than roosting in trees with all mar 
ner of nocturnal insects, ' and we made it very com| 
fortable with a mattress and cushions. Here wi 
watched over Piggy II. for three nights without result 
On the fourth we tried to tempt the tiger with a dog' 
which, however, apparently gnawed through its rop 
and escaped, the most serious part of the incident be 
ing that neither my companion nor I were awake: a, 
the time. 
Alas! that such a trivial incident should cause ■ eve- 
temporary estrangement between two fast friends. Eve: 
if it was my watch, there were plenty more dogs to- b 
had; besides, the dog had been sleeping comfortabl 
when I last rememher. However, P. gathered up hi 
text-books and his punkah coolie — whom he now calle! 
a shikari — and pegged out a claim at the other end o 
the jungle; while I decided, since our quarry woul< 
not follow the rules as laid down in books, to try t* 
deceive him with a simple plan of my own. At sUnsel 
then, with several natives, I proceeded to a tree somi 
ipo yards from the one I intended to occupy. Here W' 
tied up a lean, scraggy pony and made the most noisi 
, and shameless preparations for snaring the tiger. Sooi 
after dark settled down I crept quietly out of the tree 
stole back to the camp, and enjoyed the first night'' 
rest I had had for a week. At three I was called, am 
went down to my own tree. Now, I will not guaranty: 
this plan as infallible, and it may be that the result hac 
nothing to do with what I still regard as rather ai 
original idea; but about half an hour after the fii's 
streak of dawn, and in a light by which a .44 carbin. 
is my only excuse for not dropping him there am 
then, a magnificent tiger emerged from the dense cove 
and passed within fifty yards of my tree. At my firs 
shot the brute bounded into the air and made a dash ii 
my direction, approaching to within twenty yards o 
the tree, where I gave him a second through the rigW 
shoulder. With a snarl like that of a dog, the ahima 
disappeared into the cover again, and I determined, i; 
spite of our last fiasco, to try a beat again. 
Within an hour I had collected thirty men, and seni 
cut coolies to find P. The animal's trail was easy t( 
follow, for the bushes were splashed with blood, but thi' 
undergrowth was so thick that in some places it wa: 
necessary to crawl on hands and knees. In this positioi' 
I suddenly heard a roar from the right of the line- 
of which I was the center — and a howl from one of th'i 
men. Pushing through as fast as I could. I found at 
imfortunate beater had literally stumbled on the tige.: 
and got badly mauled, his heel and the sole of the fool 
being half torn off. I directed two men to carry bin 
out, and was just about to follow when I saw througli 
the foliage the yellow and black stripes of the tige? 
standing a few yards off and perfectly motionless, evi? 
dently listening to the banging and the howling of th*: 
beaters, who were closing round. I took a steady sho' 
at what I imagine to have been his ribs, and the brutt' 
went down with a roar, at which all the men near m(, 
fled. 
There were many trees around me, and I hurriedh 
selected one, for trees under certain circumstance: 
were meant for climbing. Before, however, I had gb 
as high as I wished a branch broke, and I came dowr 
some fifteen feet on to the ground. There was, how 
ever, no sign of the tiger, and I returned to the open 
where I found P. had arrived. Between us we bounc 
up the mauled beater — who had actually been droppec 
by his carriers, and had crawled out alone— and sen' 
him into the settlement. Guided by the beaters, whc 
were now all up trees, and gave one the impression oj 
sailors clinging to the masts of sunken ships, P. and | 
made another assault on the cover. The tiger wai 
snarling and tearing up the grass within a few yard? 
of the edge. It was impossible to aim at a vital spot,, 
owing to the foliage, so we each gave him a bullet, ami 
again the brute went down with a roar, evidently (b^i 
the subsequent gasping and "thundering") shot througli 
the lungs. Here we left him to stiffen or die, whilti 
we poured buckets of water over each other and'coolefi 
down. Within an hour the panting sounds had ceased^ 
and soon the treed beaters called out that the brute wa^ 
dead, but not a man would accompany us even thos| 
