496 
sportsmen joining the association restricted to one strata 
of society, very little could be done. It is therefore the 
plan that all those interested in sport, from the distin- 
guished legal gentleman occupying the position of chair- 
man of this meeting down to a junior law student or 
bank clerk, or those occupied in manual work, farmers, 
mechanics, etc., will be invited to join, and the first" good 
of such an association would be the formation of a 
greater Free Masonry among sportsmen. 
''The annual subscription, however, must obviously be 
reduced to the very smallest nominal sum, say $i.oo, or 
if that is considered too much, even as low as fifty cents, 
SO' that the subscription could not possibly exclude any- 
one. I may feel confident in stating that any funds which 
may be required for purposes outlined later on, will be 
readily collected from public-spirited citizens and sports- 
men whose means allow. 
"I have been asked by one or two gentlemen present, 
when inviting them to attend this meeting, verbally, what 
good an association such as I outline can do, and I will 
now suggest a few practical benefits, and no doubt others 
will occur to many of you. 
"Many of those present have seen glaring instances of 
infractions of the game laws, and have either been too 
lazy to do anything in the way of reporting the same^ to 
the Department or have had the natural disinclination 
that most people feel toward laying an information. If, 
however, a corporate body existed, to the secretary of 
whom a complaint might be made with absolute confi- 
dence that the name of the informant would not be dis- 
closed, I venture to say, that in a very short time the 
headquarters of this association would have a great deal 
of information which they could use through their execu- 
tive at the proper Government department, bringing of- 
fenders to justice, and very materially waking up the 
inspector in whose district such things occur. 
"There has been much discussion from time to time as 
to the open and close seasons of fish and game, and no 
doubt a great variety of opinions exist among sportsmen 
on these matters. The formation of the association will 
here be useful, as its headquarters will form a receiving 
ground for all those varied opinions which, after being 
weighed by its committee, may be presented to the De- 
partment in such a way as to probably alter the present 
game laws to the material benefit of sport. 
"I regret now^ to have to state one specific manner in 
which the association would be of use. I have been in- 
formed by two gentlemen, one of whom is present, and 
whose properties are separated by a hundred miles at 
least, that they have observed very glaring cases of net- 
ting for bass in and out of season, and they have re- 
frained from reporting the same, being afraid that their 
places would be burned down in the winter. Now, one of 
these gentlemen has expended a very large sum of money 
in the erection of an hotel well known to many of you 
up north, and the other is a member of one of our best 
shooting clubs. 
"You can all easily appreciate such a condition of 
things, a man who has expended some forty or fifty 
thousand dollars in buildings away off on an island far 
from civilization, hesitates to take steps which might 
cause a fire started by an incendiary out of spite. But 
with the association in existence, this gentleman need not 
appear in the matter at all, his information would be laid 
before the secretary, action being taken directly by em- 
ploying a private detective or through the Department 
and its inspector. If I have heard, simply by 'talking 
fishing' to friends, two such cases, surely there must be 
others in existence. 
"The bass fishing of Ontario may be roughly divided 
into two classes, first the large bodies of water, such as 
the Georgian Bay and Lake Nipissing, with a sparse resi- 
dent population, and the more restricted waters, such as 
the Trent, the Kiawartha Lake, the Bay of Quinte, the 
Grand River, etc., with thickly settled population. First, 
.in reference to the larger bodies of water, some of you 
are probably not aware of an extract from an Order in 
Council passed the 30th day of May, 1904, which reads : 
" 'The sale and export of speckled trout, black bass and 
maskinonge, is hereby prohibited for a period of five 
years from the date of this Order in Council, provided, 
however, that any person from a foreign country, fishing 
in the waters of tlae Province, and applying and paying 
for an angler's permit, may, upon leaving the Province, 
when the same are accompanied by him, take with him 
the lawful catch of two days' fishing.' 
"It is very plain, that if this law is carried out, no 
tugs or other vessels can leave ports, on the Georgian 
Bay for instance, carrying black bass, speckled trout, or 
maskinonge, and therefore the incentive to the commer- 
cial fisherman taking these fish by nets or otherwise, is 
removed. 
"The association, of course, can materially help in 
bringing this about. There will likely be a branch of the 
association in Midland, Penetanguishene, etc., and if the 
proper Government official at these ports has not the time 
to inspect the vessels going out, I fancy some of our 
members might give us information as to what is -going 
on. 
"Another source of information of use to protect the 
exporting of these fish will be American sportsmen living 
in the towns to which our game fish have been heretofore 
shipped. Many of these gentlemen, no doubt, fish in our 
waters, and, I think, by the secretary of the association 
getting in touch with sporting clubs in the States, we can 
soon get information, as to whether or no bass and 
■speckled trout are coming into those points from Canada, 
and trace them from the other end as it were. 
"You, who have been to Trent, know perfectly well 
that it is common talk that spearing and netting out of 
season is indulged in by the people there, and this is what 
has destroyed the fish, not persons going and fishing in 
the season with a rod. How can the association step in 
here? 
"A pamphlet can be prepared particularly for the 
farmer, and a well known Toronto publisher has prom- 
ised me that for this object he will publish everything 
at cost. These pamphlets could contain the statistics I 
have read to you, and many others which will clearly 
show the farmer that his interests are best being served 
by observing the laws himself, and seeing that his sons do 
the same. These pamphlets would not cost more than a 
dollar a thousand, and I think $10 so expended would do 
a tremendous amount of good. Members of the associa- 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
tion on their fishing trips could place in their dunnage 
bags a few of these pamphlets, and where the opportunity 
occurred, put them in the hands of the guides, farmers, 
hotel men, etc. A well known gentleman connected with 
Massey Hall has promised me, at cost, the use of a cine- 
matograph during the comiag winter, and I purpose my- 
self to make a little itinerary of the Trent and other dis- 
tricts, advertising beforehand that a cinematographic ex- 
hibition will be given free of cost, and that all the fami- 
ers and their families are cordially invited to attend, and 
that before the exhibition a short address will be given 
on the subject of the value of the preservation of the 
game fish to them. 
"1 believe others will volunteer their services in this 
direction, and by such lectures and by the distribution of 
such literature I feel confident we can gain the interests 
of the farmer. If we do this, we have practically won the 
battle, and the result will be in a few years magnificent 
fishing along our beautiful Trent River, the Kiawartha 
Lakes, and all through the smaller streams and lakes of 
the Province." 
Christopher Robinson, K. C, the veteran of the gun, 
spoke of his experiences and pointed out the benefit that 
would be derived from the formation of such an organi- 
zation as had been proposed. He was followed by John 
Maughan, who was also strongly in favor of the project 
and stated experiences where he showed the immense 
value that such an association would be. 
It was also brought to the notice of those present by 
another speaker that the game law was constantly being 
trespassed by those who shot and killed game and placed 
it in cold storage, and suggested that this was one of the 
worst forms of the infraction of the law. This will be 
inquired into. The following were appointed a provi- 
sional committee, with power to add: Chief Justice Fal- 
conbridge. Judge Morson, W. Pearson, Campbell Reaves, 
Major Murray, C. C. McNamara, David Ward, Dr. 
Cssar, Dr. Temple, Albert E. Gooderham, Victor Caw- 
thra, Hon. Melvin Jones, Hume Blake, Henry Winnett, 
D. D. Mann, Colonel Denison, John F. Ellis, E. B. Osier, 
W. R. Tiffin, Frank Drake, Joseph Kilgour, Godfrey 
Patterson, Walter Barwick, K. C. ; John MacLachlan, 
Claude Macdonell, M. P.;- Stewart Houston, Dr. Riggs, 
Dr. Adam _ Wright, E. B. Ryckman, H. C. Hammond, 
G. G. S. lindsa}', K. C. ; Walter Jones, Ernest Simpson, 
Clarkson Jones, H. C. Osborne, Fred Bryan, Walter Cas- 
sels, K. C. ; Robert Cassels, F. B. Poison, George T. 
Marks, A. R. Boswell, Edward Harris, John L. Blaikie, 
Justice Nesbitt, Edward Currie, J. B. Miller, D. L. Mc- 
Carthy, Christopher Robinson, K. C. ; J. C. Kemp, Dr. A. 
Baines, David S. Barclay, Cawthra Mulock, W. O'Hara, 
P. A. Manning, H. D. P. Armstrong, John E. Rose, W. 
E. Foster (G. T. R.), G. G. Beatty, John Maughan, A. 
Kelly Evans, Oliver Adams, Fred Cox Morson. 
Newfoundland Caribou. 
Many readers of Forest and Stream will remember 
an account of a great deer slaughter nearBurges, which 
appeared in your columns last year. It was estimated 
that 3,200 caribou were killed in a day or two. The 
Legislature, then in session, passed restrictive measures, 
making a recurrence of such slaughter impossible. 
Representative Moulton, of Burges, during the pres- 
ent session presented a number of numerously signed 
petitions, praying that the deer law be amended, and 
the restrictions removed. In support of his position he 
quoted some facts about our caribou that were enlight- 
ening to the average sportsman. It has been always 
known that vast herds of deer existed, but as the railway 
went through the interior of the island and opened it 
up somewhat, the accounts given by occasional hunters 
as to the number of deer were taken cum grmo salis. 
Mr. Moulton, besides being a hunter of experience 
himself, had a lot to do with hunters in his district, 
and is well qualified to speak with authority on the 
question of deer. Fie stated in the Assembly of his 
own knov/ledge and the evidence of many hunters 
whom he had questions, that the number of deer at pres- 
ent ranging the interior amounted to about 250,000 — a 
quarter of a million. The natural increase yearly, he 
sets down at 25,000. The number killed by local and 
foreign sportsmen annually amount to 10,000, about 
5,000 die each year from wolves and natural causes, 
leaving a net increase of 10,000 caribou annually added 
to the herd. He contended that for the preservation of 
the caribou, they should be judiciously thinned each 
j^ear, as the herds range over vast plains, feeding on 
mosses, which they tear up by the roots, thus destroying 
the natural pastures. Many sportsmen differ with him 
on this point, and refer to the vast extent of territory 
which they range, the better part of 42,000 square miles. 
This country, consisting largely of marshes and barrens, 
is eminently adapted for feeding grounds; and further, 
the parasitic plants upon which they feed, are so pro- 
lific and tenacious of life, that nothing less than plow- 
ing them up would destroy them. The decimation of 
our caribou on these grounds need not be feared for 
many a day. 
It is the intention of the Legislature to appoint a 
commission to consider the whole question, and at a 
future session of the House, to make recommendations 
that will appear most advantageous from the evidence 
laid before them. In the meantime, the law stands, and 
the caribou are protected, and any sportsman who wants 
to experience the pleasure of stalking his caribou, and 
securing a trophy for his hall or den, will find plenty 
sport on the island for many years to come. 
Last week I was talking to Mr. George Nicholls, of 
Deer Lake, one of the most active and intelligent guides 
in the country. Mr. Nicholls left me at Deer Lake, and 
went in the country some distance to take up his traps 
after the winter. On one marsh about three niiles dis- 
tant, he counted over ninety caribou grazing, like 
cattle in a pasture; he had no gun along with him, and 
did not disturb them. 
The moose imported last year were seen a short time 
ago near the Upper Humber, and are reported as doing 
very well. . ' W. J. C. 
All communications for Forest and Stream must be 
directed to Forest and Strecum Pub. Co., New York, to 
receive attention. We have no other office. 
[June 24, igos. 
Sport in the Hindoo Koosh. ] 
From the Cornhill Magazitie. " 
It is only in a few of the remotest recesses of the ; 
rugged Hindoo Koosh that the old sport of driving with : 
hounds still lingers, and this mostly in glens where the ; 
foot of few white men have trod. In other places the I 
arrival of the Englishman has been followed by game 
laws, the necessary concomitant of modern rifles. These : 
all condenm driving, and rightly, for the man with the ; 
weapons of to-day stands in no need of four-footed assist- ■ 
ance to make things easy for him. It is otherwise with ; 
the indigenous sportsman armed with his old matchlock/ 
of prehistoric design." With the crude weapons carried i 
by Chitrali or Washigam shikaris, not all the hunter's | 
craft at their disposal, nor the ownership of the best ; 
breeds of hounds, would enable them to exterminate ' 
game. 
The theory of the sport is based upon the fact that ■ 
markhor and ibex, when escaping from their natural foeS) ' 
leopards and wolves, fly to precipices where no othef 
animal, ^e it cat or dog, can venture ; and when followed : 
by the hunter's hounds, they pursue exactly the same \ 
tactics. Arrived at their supposed refuge, they are so in- ^ 
tent on staring at the baying hounds, that they pay little ' 
attention to their deadlier two-footed foes^ who can ap- ; 
proach close enough to use their antiquated pieces with] 
effect. It is said that whole herds are sometimes wiped ; 
out in this way; 'but this must be very rare, or one would 
not find all grounds new to the European sportsman as i 
full of game as they usually are. 
The sport is conducted in two ways. There is the royal 
drive, as managed for the benefit of the petty kings of j 
the Hindoo Koosh, in which a large number of beaters j 
with dogs drive the game up to posted guns, much as j 
chamois are driven in Austria. And there is the humbler i 
but more sporting way followed by the professional hun- [ 
ter, with his leash of hounds, frequently entailing toil ' 
which few but born mountaineers could endure. One's I 
sympathies, however, are with the princes and mighty \ 
ones of the earth in this matter ; for here, as in other ; 
places, they are rarely allowed the pleasure of doing their | 
own hunting.. Poor kings who miss the real enjoyment 
of sport, though themselves ignorant of their loss, one ( 
cannot but feel sorry for them ! 
Let me first try to describe a royal drive as arranged 
for the Mehtar of Chitral, the premier chieftain of the > 
Hindoo Koosh. ^ 
Early one winter morning I found myself following a :'j 
Chitrali guide up a gorge, where the sheer sides of rock 
in places almost met above us. Every few hundred yards | 
the torrent impinged against one rock wall or the other, I 
necessitating a crossing by means of a pine pole flung | 
across the foaming water. The night's frost had glazed > 
such of these as were touched by the spray, with a film of ; 
ice, which had to, be dusted with sand before even my ; 
light-footed guide could trust himself on them. But for 'i 
these, and occasional anxious moments at points where a ' 
crossing of the stream had been deemed unnecessary in ■ 
local opinion, and we had to creep gingerly round difficult : 
rock corners where the water below roared a most unin- ] 
viting summons, the track was monotonous enough, as i 
one could see but a short way in front owing to the turns s 
of the gorge. 
The king, whose shooting-box lay some way up the s 
valley, had gone up the previous evening, by a zigzag i 
path over the mountain, along which (on a Chitrali pony) i 
it was possible to ride. 
The valley, which, like most others in this part of the : 
Himalayas, was a gorge for a few miles above its em- 
bouchure into the main Chitral glen, presently opened 
out and the shooting-box came in sight, a little wooden 1 
structure built on a plateau overhanging the stream and 
surrounded by pines and junipers. A crowd of retainers 
was lounging about outside, a picturesque crew of good- ] 
looking ruffians, carrying all manner of arms, from J 
matchlock to Mannlicher, and like all Chitrali crowds full 
of jokes and laughter. The shikaris and beaters had all 
been out since long before daylight. It was now about 9 
o'clock, and so far no news had come. The Mehtar came : 
out to meet me, a pale young man rather below middle : 
height, with a quiet dignified manner, the difficulties of \ 
whose position it is unnecessary to dilate on here. Having | 
not yet breakfasted he asked me to join him, an invitation 
I found no difficulty in accepting, as the keen morning ■ 
air had long since made my early breakfast a mere re- 
membrance. It fortunately proved to be not the Oriental 
repast of ceremony, with its interminable courses, but a ' 
comparatively light meal, consisting of but four enormous 
dishes or rather trays of pillaus and such like, from 
which the king and I ate direct without the unnecessary 
formality of separate plates. He ate delicately with his 
fingers, as the Easterners say "with discretion," while I 
had the use of the only spoon and fork. 
As to the prospects of sport, I learned that a herd of 
markhor had been seen on the previous evening with one 
big buck, and the shikaris with some two hundred beaters 
and the royal pack had gone out to surround them on 
three sides for the purpose of driving them toward the 
hunting ground. Breakfast over, our hands were sprink- 
led with rose-scented water from a great brass aftaba, ■ 
and we set off on foot. We soon began to climb up a 
path newly cut in the steep hillside, and in half an hour 
found ourselves on a little platform with a low wall in 
front, some four hundred feet above the stream. Look- 
ing across, the opposite slopes deep in snow were visible 
to a height of two or three thousand feet above us ; they 
were not excessively steep and were scantily covered with 
junipers and holly oaks. Immediately opposite us, at a 
range of perhaps ninety yards, was a percipitous face of 
rock, going down almost sheer into. the water. This was 
the point to which the markhor were to be driven, and 
where it was hoped they would stand long enough to be 
shot. 
We had now to keep as still and silent as possible and 
sat ourselves down behind the wall at points from which 
we could get a commanding view. An attendant flung 
over the Mehtar a magnificent fur robe which had come 
straight from Bokhara, and others wrapped themselves in 
sheepskin pehsses and cloaks, for the wind was bitterly 
cold. Only a few of the Mehtar's intimates had accom- 
panied us to the butt, but in glancing at the array of mod- 
ern rifles with which they were armed and at the rocks 
opposite where the beasts were to be shot down, I half 
