April i, 1905.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
2B5 
50 caught during the close season for that fish, and 
sphich has covered a multitude of piscatorial^ sms 
against the big white perch of Maine lakes, is re- 
pealed. 1 J 
In addition to the wild birds that may be killed, 
ire mentioned "mudhens" kingfishers and blue herons, 
so called." Perpetual close time is placed on eagles 
md vultures. 
These are the provisions of the bill now before 
the Legislature, and at this writing it is impossible 
to write whether the bill will pass or not. In general, 
bills favorably reported by committees have been ac- 
;epted, but a disposition is apparent this year to have 
something to say on matters on the floor of the House, 
ma some measures have been passed against the ma- 
ority of the committee. Herbert W. Rowe. 
^ North Carolina Bird Protection. 
i The Audubon Society of North Carolina, which has 
' n charge the work of bird and game protection in 
• hat State, has just issued its Third Annual Report, 
oamphlet which contains much of interest, and 
_ ich carries the work through the winter of 1904-5- 
r is society is carrying forward in a systematic 
' nanner the work of more fully acquainting the people 
' 3f the State with the importance of protecting the 
: )irds, and preserving the game, and is also employing 
i is strong a force of wardens as possible to enforce 
;he State and county bird and game laws. 
! In the work of education, it is sending out much 
! iterature which has to do with the State, or which is 
more general interest, such as the educational leaflets 
lied by the National Association of Audubon 
cieties or by the United States Government for free 
tribution. Within the past year, nearly 137,000 free 
■ blications have been scattered through the State, 
^.iggregating nearly 24,000,000 of printed information. 
:rVIoreover, it has established certain loan libraries of 
II lature books, which are circulated among the young, 
I u;d besides this the secretary has given illustrated 
cures at many places in the State, 
fhis year the game wardens numbered 45, against 
' ?9 last year. They have done a great deal of good, 
• ough of course not all are equally efficient. One 
[ the most interesting works that the society has to 
' is in protecting the sea birds, of which vast multi- 
ies formerly bred along the North Carolina coast. 
Seven barren islands were used by the birds in the 
summer of 1904 for their breeding grounds. These 
iivere Bird Lump, Davis Lump, Legget Lump, Royal 
Shoai, Whalebone Beach, Ocracoke Beach, and Swan 
siand Marsh. These islands are located in the 
;ounties of Dare, Hyde, and Carteret. Five men were 
smployed to guard them, and as a result the birds 
ivere unmolested with possibly one exception. The 
rookeries were visited by the wardens almost daily, 
ind about 2,700 young are believed to have been 
reared, an increase of 1,000 over last year's brood. 
The increase of the sea birds is very noticeable in 
Pamlico Sound, where the fishermen are much pleased 
in consequence, the fact being often pointed out that 
the birds aid materially in locating schools of fish, 
and are thus of a most pronounced value. In August, 
the secretary counted 341 young royal terns on Royal 
iiShoal Island, and repeatedly photographed them as 
they ran along the beach. Sixty least terii eggs are 
own to have hatched in one of the colonies. Only 
or 12 eggs of this bird were laid on our coast in 
summer of 1903; while 15 years ago probably 500,- 
...ciiO birds frequented our sounds. The millinery feather- 
f'h.unters are responsible for this great depletion in 
:ir numbers-." 
The report shows, briefly but pointedly, the money 
iue of game protection. It is shown that in Guilford 
Jiunty alone, the hunting privileges leased by 
/■^residents are over 153,000 acres of agricultural 
id, the farmers receiving in return for these 
:;c!usiYe hunting privileges about $7-500, or sufficient 
; money to pay the taxes on the land. The system works 
■ - ell and the birds are not unduly shot. The north- 
■i gunners shoot but few birds and leave much money 
ii: the State. With the wildfowl shooting along the 
. Sound the case is much the same. The secretary re- 
only examined the record book of a gunning club 
i eastern North Carolina which showed that about 
000 ducks and geese had been killed during the 
inter by the 21 members of the club, and the money 
ent by these members in North Carolina during the 
: ooting season showed that each duck killed had cost 
( ween $11 and $12. 
in Currituck County the past season the native 
iunners received about $100,000 cash for the ducks 
geese which they killed and sold to local buyers, 
be shipped to the Northern markets. 
When game is properly cared for, the natural in- 
crease is greater than is necessary in order that nature 
may keep up the species; therefore, the land owner 
with more game on his estate than is necessary for 
the propagation of the species, may well look seriously 
into the subject of how he may secure the most for 
the surplus birds. There is at the present time a very 
great demand for the live quail for purposes of pro- 
pagation. Men wish to liberate them on large tracts 
of land, where they will be abundantly cared for, and, 
in days to come, furnish good shooting. Quail for 
breeding purposes are now worth from $3.00 to $4.00 
per dozen, and yet we have all seen the time when 
live birds sold in our city markets for 4c. or Sc. each. 
These are but examples of many points which might 
be cited, illustrative of the facts that it is of tremend- 
ous importance to North Carolina that reasonable 
game laws be rigidly enforced; and the study of the 
subject of how the birds can be of most value to the 
people of North Carolina is, of course, one of the 
duties of the Audubon Society, and it is a matter to 
which its officers are giving most careful considera- 
tion. 
A list of members of the society closes the pamphlet, 
•which c'lpitally illustrated by a number of half- 
tones. Perfons who are interested in the work of 
ginic and liird .pr,i^ser\-ation Avonld dn well to spp this 
J eport . 
The Fox a Game Destroyer. 
Delaware Water Gap, Pa., March 25.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: I am sorry to learn that so many_of your 
valued contributors seem to think that the fox is not a 
game destroyer. I wish that some ©f them could have 
gone with me in times past and seen what I have seen of' 
this greatest of all game destroyers. I have roamed 
these old forests of my native State from iny early boy- 
hood days, and when alone among these wild mountains 
with none but myself, and occasionally my setter dog, 
have had ample opportunity of observing what this old 
night prowler makes many favorite menus upon — the ruffed 
grouse. I have seen in numbers of instances where he 
has bounded upon the birds. My mind runs back to- 
night as I write of an old sly drummer grouse. Time and 
again he had eluded me in his cover of a large clump of 
rhododendrons by whirring from the opposite side before 
I could approach anywhere near him. 1 had endeavored 
to match my skill against his that I might appfoach the 
clump, but he was ever upon the alert for me. He had 
an old log right by the clump upon which he would sound 
forth his favorite tattoo. I had gone there expecting him 
to whirr out long before I could approach within range 
of him. There was a light flurry of snow upon the 
ground, and as I approached nearer and nearer to the 
coveted spot he did not as usual rise. I finally paused 
a moment when within twenty or twenty-five yards, and 
as he did not then rise, I walked to the clump, intending 
to see if he had spent the night there. As I came within 
a few yards of it, I saw upon the snovv the footprints of 
a sly old Reynard. He had approached the bush in a 
curving course ; here evidently his trail ended. _ I paused 
a moment wondering what had become of him. As I 
glanced ahead, I should imagine eight feet, he had made 
this bound, and landed upon the old drummer, who was 
taking his night's repose, not looking for this his dead- 
liest enemy. He carried his prey a few feet from the 
spot and there devoured all there was of him, leaving the 
snow covered with his crimson blood and beautiful brown 
plumage. This is just one of the many instances I might 
cite. 
I am sorry that so many of my fellow sportsmen are 
so little aware of what an awful game destroyer the fox 
is. We fellow sportsmen are so like-minded in our tastes 
and opinions, that I am longing for the the day to come 
when we shall be all like-minded and stand for the ex- 
termination of this our worst game bird enemy. 
J. M. KiSTLER. 
Bakersfield, Vt. — The winter up here has been_ a 
severe one, though we believe that the ruffed grouse win- 
tered well, as they are often seen by those who are out 
in the woods. We nave many times seen where a fox has 
tried to catch a grouse that was under the snow,_ but have 
never seen where it has succeeded in so doing. The 
"thundering boom" that a grouse gives when it comes up 
out from the snow is undoubtedly its protection, as it 
must be very demoralizing to such a highly strung and 
nervous animal as a fox, as the long jumps that it gives 
away from the locality plainly show that it was consider- 
ably rattled, and that fright and fear had overcome its 
desire for a grouse dinner. We once saw one afternoon 
an old gentleman walk up several birds that were buried 
under the snow, and though he knew what to expect, 
every time that a bird got up it so rattled him that they 
were out of range before he could "gather his wits" 
enough to shoot. Stanstead, 
The Michigan Deer. 
These are a few of the charges Ed. H. Gillman 
makes against pot-hunters, some settlers and others 
up in Alpena and Montmorency counties, showing that 
the game laws do not protect and will not as long 
as this custom exists. Mr. Gillman's views were ex- 
pressed to a reporter of the Detroit Evening News: 
"I have probably talked more and been to Lansing 
at my own expense oftener than any man in Michigan. 
Men acquainted with the situation in the deer country 
know that I am right and know that unless_ there is 
a sudden stop to practices which have been in vogue 
up there, we will have no deer in a few years. 
"This talk of prohibiting the shooting of deer is all 
foolishness. The deer were wont to yard in the cedar 
swamps after the timber was cut away, but now there 
are camps of men depleting the swamps of their cedar 
for ties, telegraph poles and other uses, and the deer 
have no place for shelter. In December and January, 
after the close of the season, any amount of deer are 
killed for consumption in these camps. Partridges are 
slaughtered as well. They are budding in the trees, 
and one can get within five yards of them before they 
move. 
"Men have come to me and said that they have seen 
the lawless element in Alpena and Montmorency 
counties trade venison for pork in the summer. ^Why, 
they have come in on our land and killed deer in the 
red coat and left the legs on logs, so that we discovered 
them at the opening of the hunt. One party boasted 
of killing nineteen deer on the Turtle Lake preserve 
out of season. 
"We are going to take steps to stop this if possible, 
and at a meeting of the board we have decided to 
offer a reward of $25 for the conviction of anybody 
killing game or catching trout out of season or setting 
fire to the forests. 
"Now the license law, what is it? Nothing, that's 
all. Let them limit the deer killed to two for each 
man. The license should be taken out in the county 
where the man is going to shoot and by the man him- 
self, not by proxy. The license law with its three 
tags has nothing to do with the preservation of deer. 
Some have killed eighteen or twenty and boasted of it. 
A man should put his tag on the deer when killed and 
if it isn't there the warden should confiscate the carcass 
and make arrests. The non-resident license should 
also allow a man to take one deer to his home, when 
properly tagged. 
'■'Some parties will get tags for, say, five men, that 
means fifteen deer, and then one man will shoot them 
all. as the others do not know how. • They never tag 
the \-enisbn they eat in camp, ant! sojpe te^e shJppW 
deer to friends and had them send the tags back by 
return mail so they could be used again. 
"The license ought to affect everybody, whether with 
rifle or shotgun. To avoid paying the 75 cents soine 
of the people up there cuS the cartridges almost in 
two and fire them from shotguns. This charge is like 
a solid slug and will kill a great distance. 
"The deer season starts now where it should end 
if one wants to kill deer to eat. It should be from 
Oct. IS to Nov. 5, because after that is the mating 
season and the bucks are unfit for food. In the last 
part of October we find the woods in all the glory of 
the Indian summer. Men can hunt in comfort and 
enjoy the sport as well as to kill stuff fit for the table. 
"They kick on the preserves, but I say that the big 
clubs are the only ones that protect game and only 
on their territory will deer be found five years from 
now. We will have to fence the preserve in, or there 
won't be either deer or timber left. The country papers 
kick on preserves, but the club owners are the only 
ones who have ever paid taxes since the timber was 
cut off, and we are tryhig to preserve what nature en- 
dowed as much as possible. We are taking care of 
the second growth forests and protecting thern from 
fires, and residents of the counties in this district will 
appreciate our efforts in the future if they do not now. 
"As to small game I say that the partridge and quail 
seasons should be separated. Partridge should be shot 
from Oct. I to Dec. i and quail from Nov. 1 to Dec. i. 
There should be a limit of twelve a day on partridges 
and twenty on quail, and no man should be allowed to 
have over fifty of each in his possession. The quail 
have two broods and the second one is not large 
enough to shoot until November. 
"My views on ducks are well enough known. We 
should have a longer season,^ say from Sept. i, so we 
can shoot teal to Feb. i, which will enable us to get 
canvasback. Spring shooting is a curse, and should 
not be tolerated. It is driving away the mallard, teal 
and wood duck which raised their young in our State. 
"When the season ends it should end for all field 
shooting. A man caught in the woods with a gun 
should be convicted on that evidence alone. Rabbit 
shooting to-day kills more quail and partridges than 
all of us put together." 
English Pattfidges in British Columbia. 
Vancouver, B. C, March 4.— Editor Forest^ and 
Stream: The following report of the first_ importation of 
English partridges into British Columbia is rendered 
from the Land Registry Office, Vancouver: 
"Having had charge of the collecting of moneys and 
the shipment afterward of a consignment of partridges 
from Mr. Cross, Zoological Emporium, Liverpool, we beg 
to present herewith a financial statement showing how 
the money has been expended, and also a report covering 
the whole matter as far as possible. The financial state- 
ment is attached hereto, but needs some explanation. 
"The birds were shipped from Liverpool on February 
17, 1904. There arrived in Halifax 63 birds alive, and in 
Vancouver on March 7, 1904, 58 birds alive. These birds 
were distributed as follows: March 13, 1904, at Mr. 
McMynn's farm, 16 birds; March 14, 1904, at Mr. 
Bowker's farm, 14 birds; March 20, 1904, at Sea IsfflTld, 
13 birds; March 20, 1904, at Mr. ISlcKee's farm, 14 birds. 
Total 57 bird.s. 
"As one bird died on March 15, after arriving in Van- 
couver, it will be seen that the total number of birds 
was distributed. 
"Some 18 to 20 birds were seen on Sea Island during 
November, 1904, and various other reports have reached 
us that several coveys have hatched out; but it has been 
difficult to obtain reliable inlonration as to the Sea 
Island birds. Two coveys of from 8 to 10 each have been 
seen on Mr. Thompson's farm at the Delta. 
"At Langley the birds did exceedingly well, four coveys 
were hatched out, consisting of from ro to 14 birds each, 
three remaining on Mr. Bowker's farm and one finding 
its way to Mr. Jolly's farm, some four miles away. These 
birds have been seen frequently, and while it is believed 
that two of the coveys have been shot at, the other two 
coveys are still intact, and there are some birds left of 
the two coveys that were broken up. 
"From the information we have, we believe that at least 
70 young birds have been seen, and that it would be safe 
to estimate that there are at least 120 European par- 
tridges in the Province to-day." 
T'he above report will show that the birds have thrived 
in the country, and there appears no doubt that they will 
do well if only given an opportunity. 
It is proposed to order some more this year. It is to 
be hoped that all those interested will contribute toward 
this end. J. L. G. Abbott, E. M. Chaldecott. 
"What Abo«t the Pofcupine? 
London, Eng., March 7. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
Will you kindly aid me in determining the ethics of shoot- 
ing porcupines'? I am going for a trip to the woods of 
Nova Scotia after trout, and have in times past always 
shot those inoffensive animals, because the guides are all 
agreed that they destroy many trees. I understand that 
in Maine a bounty of twenty-five cents a head is given 
for them. Perhaps a discussion in your columns would 
not be uninteresting, and would make for clearness on 
this much disputed point. Whether "pork3'" makes a 
good roast or stew is also an interesting question. In 
Nova Scotia the Indians all eat him with gusto, but the 
whites fight shy. Edward Breck. 
A Song of Spring. 
Oh, I wish 1 were a tiny browny bird from out the South, 
Settled among the alder holts and twittering by the stream; 
I would put my tiny tail down, and put up my tiny mouth. 
And sing my tiny life away in one melodius dream. 
I vvould sing about the blossoms, and the sunshine and the sky. 
And the tiny wife I mean to have in such a cosy nest; 
And if someone came and shot me dead, why then I could but die, 
With my tiny life and tiny song, just ended at their best. - 
CSASiES KlNGSiEY. 
