February, 1919 
FOREST AND STREAM 
81 
princes and nobles. It was a capital 
crime for a peasant to kill a deer. As 
time went on the right to kill game 
ceased to be an exclusive privilege of 
the nobility, anyone who owned the land, 
or the hunting rights thereon, could 
obtain the power to kill game by pay- 
ing for a license. 
Fish — i. e., the salmon family, were 
protected in a similar manner, and con- 
sequently they were regarded as game 
fish as distinguished from the non-game 
fish — i. e., those for whose capture no 
license was needed. 
A more liberal method of classifying 
game fish would be to include all fish 
whose capture is regarded as a means of 
sport and not as a source of profit. 
R. L. M., California. 
THE MEANING OF GAME 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream : 
A ny number of words have divers, 
and sometimes diverse meanings. 
The dictionary informs us that there are 
two distinct meanings of the word spelled 
“game”; in fact there are two different 
words, adjective and noun, with related 
meanings. Game (adjective) means a 
“resolute unyielding spirit”; and it also 
means (noun) “any kind of sport” or 
endeavor pursued primarily for pleasure. 
Such endeavors are naturally pursued 
in a resolute manner in the desire to win 
any contest, and the more resolute are 
the opposed contestants the closer and 
more satisfactory is the contest, or game. 
Further, as applied to fish, animals or 
fowl, any such protected by the game- 
laws are technically “game” — if not such 
as are characterized by a fighting spirit, 
they are such as the law recognizes as 
liable to be pursued for sport’s sake. In 
most cases, the prime reason for any 
living thing’s pursuit for sport is its 
fighting spirit. A “game fish” is any 
whose considerable pursuit for sport’s 
sake is generally recognized; it may or 
may not be unusually “game” or spirited 
in resisting capture. 
George Parker Holden, M.D., N. Y. 
WHAT CONSTITUTES A GAME 
FISH 
T 0 the Editor of Forest and Stream : 
A SIDE from the technicality of this 
ancient and rather ambiguous ques- 
tion there is but little room for argu- 
ment. 
If we are to accept literally the argu- 
ment of B that the protection of law 
can or does change the nature of a 
species, then we must of necessity grant, 
that the taking of a bull pout or brook 
sucker if protected constitutes as thrill- 
ing a victory as the landing of Fontinalis 
or the lordly salmon. If legislation con- 
vinces B that this is true then he per- 
force must be content with the humbler 
species of fish and argue himself into the 
belief that the majesty of the law has 
changed the leopard’s spots. 
Then, hypothetically — if we admit his 
contention at all — should for any reason 
the fish and game laws cease to be opera- 
tive, by the force of his logic there 
would be no such thing as a “game fish” 
in the angler’s category and those of us 
who have really hugged to our very 
bosoms the belief that there was a dis- 
tinction and a difference must disavow 
our allegiance and bow down to all the 
humbler species as being the equal of 
all the higher orders. 
B may technically hide behind the con- 
tention that this applies only to “fresh 
water” varieties — I know nothing of his 
accomplishments or experiences as an 
angler. If on the other hand no fish 
can be a “game fish” save those around 
which the protection of the state is 
thrown then the battling bluefish is de- 
throned and the striped bass and chan- 
nel bass go into the discard, as no law 
has yet affected them save in the case 
of the striped bass in inland waters. And 
what a trial B would have, to be sure, 
convincing thousands of old timers after 
an hour’s intense fight with the bronze 
back channel bass that it wasn’t “game” 
which made the contest, “ ’T was think- 
ing made it so.” 
In controversion of B’s argument from 
the angler’s standpoint I submit that un- 
“Ofiicial notice of amendment to “Rule 
B” of the By-Laws of the American Ca- 
noe Association — 
That Rule “B” be amended by striking 
out the words — cent” in the third 
line and substituting therefore the words 
— “2Yz cents,” the Rule then reading as 
amended : 
“A member who at any one camp has 
paid the full value of a site containing a 
floor may re-rent and occupy the same 
by paying 2)4 cents per square foot for 
all floor space covered by tent, fly or 
awning, with a minimum charge of One 
Dollar ($1).” 
Guy L. Baker, Buffalo, N. Y. 
AN ADOPTED SQUIRREL 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream : 
A m sending enclosed a snapshot of a 
squirrel, two weeks old, and from 
its fourth day until the present it was 
raised on the doll’s milk bottle in the 
picture. 
Harold Carter, New Jersey. 
The squirrel took to the bottle at the age of four days 
told years of legislation would never 
cause the brook sucker or like variety 
to attain the eminence of the black bass 
nor cause that marvel of scale and fin 
to sink to the level of the other. 
The angler then must of necessity sus- 
tain the contention of A, that any fish, 
no matter what the variety, which puts 
up a “game” fight is a “game” fish, 
matching its cunning and strength to 
the point of exhaustion against the an- 
gler’s ability; and it is this test and 
this alone which determines its charac- 
ter. We cannot learn it from picking 
its bones; neither will Solons ever legis- 
late “game” qualities into or out of a fish. 
Leonard Hulit, New Jersey. 
A. C. A. BY-LAWS AMENDMENT 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream: 
AM sending you the following notice 
of an amendment to the By-laws of 
the American Canoe Association, which 
the rules require to be published two 
weeks prior to its consideration by the 
Executive Committee. 
Will you kindly publish the same in 
the next issue of Forest and Stream — 
UNFAMILIAR HUNTING GROUNDS 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream: 
1 AM a reader of Forest and Stream 
and I thought a few lines as a hunter 
of Canadian grounds would be of inter- 
est to some of your readers, I spent 
several years in the Parry sound dis- 
trict and devoted all my spare time to 
outdoor life. I was located on the French 
and Pickerel rivers and I must say that 
a better hunting ground there never 
was. For the hunter of big game it is 
an ideal spot. There are deer by the 
thousand, both of the red deer and the 
spike horn, moose, bear, wolves, fox, and 
many other wild animals. I have shot 
some beautiful specimens of deer in these 
regions, with as many as nineteen points 
to their horns. I made a study of the 
deer during my stay there and I learned 
many things in connection with their 
habits, haunts, feed, etc. Few American 
hunters visit this district, but the tour- 
ists are beginning to love our North- 
land for the fine fishing they get there. 
W. C. Whittington, 
Canadian Military Police Corps, Ont. 
(SEVERAL LETTERS ARE HELD OVER) 
