240 
FOREST AND STREAM 
“About a hundred yards farther down 
stream,” I replied, referring to the place where I 
had lost the big fish. 
I had spent a lot of my time trying to convince 
my relative that there couldn’t be anything that 
looked like a black bass out in that part of Kan- 
The practical problem in a nut-shell of saving 
and increasing the wild fowl is that Canada should 
take vigorous measures to save the great north¬ 
ern and western breeding-grounds from van¬ 
dalism, and that we in turn should sustain and 
make effective our recent Federal legislation 
through the Weeks-McLean Law, affording to the 
migratory wildfowl while with us proper pro¬ 
tection. 
Having recently returned from a three-months 
stay in Northwest Canada, in the heart of the 
greatest breeding-ground of wild ducks in Ameri¬ 
ca, making special studies of the wildfowl, I am in 
a position to be able to speak on this subject. 
The opening up of parts of this Northwest 
country is, as might be expected, bringing in 
certain abuses, which matter I shall take up with 
the proper authorities. 
It has been well known lately that the actual 
breeding area is not as great and inexhaustible as 
has been supposed, and that we cannot rely upon 
this alone to perpetuate this splendid class of 
game. Another important corollary fact which I 
have observed has, perhaps, not been called to 
attention. On many still unspoiled and ideal 
wild breeding areas I have observed that the 
breeding wildfowl, though fairly plenty, are in 
no such numbers as the land could properly sup¬ 
port, and that the actual numbers are steadily 
decreasing. 
The plain fact is that we are drawing upon our 
capital and killing off the breeding stock far 
beyond the limits of safety or of business pru¬ 
dence. Lax and conflicting State laws, all too 
poorly enforced, together with human avarice, 
are responsible. Practically everyone recognizes 
the fact that the recent Federal legislation, put¬ 
ting the protection of migratory birds in the 
hands of the Nation, is the only solution. Every 
person in this great country who cares for the 
birds and the wild game should take this to 
heart and make it a united clarion cry which 
should enter the deafest of ears, alarm the hos¬ 
tile, and awaken the indifferent, demanding the 
sustaining and enforcement of this law, which 
abundant legal talent of the highest sort de¬ 
clares to be in harmony with the Constitution. 
If this must be tested in the Courts, so be it. 
If necessary, we will amend the Constitution. 
No legal formula must block the needfs and 
rights of men. 
Meantime the great effective system for sav¬ 
ing the birds and game can, in short order, be 
in operation, if every State will voluntarily adopt 
and carry out the Federal regulations as asked, 
and every game official do all in his power to co¬ 
operate with the Government. This is the over¬ 
whelmingly declared will of the American 
people. Game officials in every State of the 
Union are not such by divine right, but are ser¬ 
vants of the people to save and increase the de¬ 
sirable wild life of the States and the Nation. 
The people demand that this shall be done, and 
sas, and he took special delight in “handing it 
back to me” in large bunches now. I’ve never 
had the pleasure of fishing in the ideal places, 
like Minnesota lakes and New England brooks, 
but when it comes to fishing, real enjoyable fish¬ 
ing, a bit of just “plain” fishing is good enough 
for me. 
care nothing for considerations of official 
precedence. 
Sportsmen of America, will you not take the 
broader ground and co-operate with the Govern¬ 
ment to save the game—a ground which is State- 
manship in contrast to ward politics? There are 
some present minor inequalities in the Federal 
Regulations, which will be remedied in due time. 
Meanwhile, quite a number of valuable species 
of migratory game-birds are on the verge of ex¬ 
tinction, and we may lose them if we nullify the 
new law till the courts render a slow decision. 
Let us all be big enough men to take the unsel¬ 
fish and statesmanlike view, and stand together 
and with our Federal Government to save the 
birds. 
FLIGHT OF THE WOODCOCK. 
Norwalk, Conn., Feb. io, 1914. 
Editor Forest and Stream : Your editorial note 
on the lack of a fall woodcock flight set me to 
thinking about the past hunting season, and on 
looking up my shooting records I find that we 
had about the average flight through here. The 
birds did not all come through in two or three 
days, but there seemed to be several small flights, 
and woodcock were here on the last day of the 
season. 
While out exercising my pointed on Sunday, 
December 28, I found him pointing in good wood¬ 
cock cover, but did not think for a minute that 
there were any woodcock around at that late 
date, as the ground was frozen hard and there 
was ice in the ponds. I walked in ahead of the 
dog and up jumped a fine big cock. I put this 
bird up twice and it seemed in fine condition and 
strong on the wing. Is this not very late for 
woodcock in this locality? A friend of mine 
who hunts a great deal told me that the main 
flight came through here on a Sunday and that 
he was out that day and found a great many 
birds, but the next morning when he expected to 
find them, they had moved on. 
It seems to me that there should be a *bag limit 
on woodcock. They certainly need it, as they 
are killed in large numbers whenever we have 
a heavy flight. It does not seem possible that 
they can survive many years if they are shot 
without limit from the time they start South 
until almost the time for their return flight. It 
would be of great interest to hear from the dif¬ 
ferent parts of the country as to the size of the 
flight this season and also the dates on which 
they came through. 
I was in Massachusetts near Springfield on 
October 12, the opening day, and from reports 
expected to find a number of birds, but all we 
raised was one lone cock, although the ground 
was covered with old chalk. It does not seem 
possible that the birds could have been through 
there at this early date, as they did not strike in 
here until the first week in November. But cer¬ 
tainly there had been a lot of birds on the 
ground I hunted over. 
lliere has been much discussion here over the 
fact that the duck season closed on December 16, 
according to the Federal law, and on January 1 
according to the state law. The majority of 
hunters followed the state law, as there seemed 
to be nobody to enforce the Federal law. Are 
we to have wardens appointed to enforce this 
law in the future? 
Partridge were about as plentiful as usual and 
seem to be holding their own fairly well, al¬ 
though I think a great many were killed last 
season and none too many left for seed. We had 
many more quail than usual last year, and I do 
not think many were killed. So unless the winter 
proves very hard we should have a big increase 
next year. 
“WOODCOCK.” 
[*Our correspondent probably refers to a sea¬ 
son limit, as there is in Connecticut a daily bag 
limit of five woodcock in one day.—Editor.] 
NEW SPECIES OF TROUT. 
For some years several very interesting speci¬ 
mens of trout have been taken in the lakes that 
are found in the boundaries of Algonquin Pro¬ 
vincial (Ontario) Park, situated in the “High¬ 
lands of Ontario,” 200 miles north of Toronto, 
170 miles west of Ottawa and 280 miles west of 
Montreal. 
During the year 1913 specimens were brought 
in from Delano Lake, within a few miles of the 
“Highland Inn,” situated at Algonquin Park sta¬ 
tion on the line of the Grand Trunk Railway. 
Those specimens resembled both the salmon and 
the speckled trout, so much so that the superin¬ 
tendent of the park sent one of the specimens to 
Professor Prince of the Fisheries Department, 
Ottawa, who is probably the best authority on 
Fish Culture in America. Professor Prince’s re¬ 
port on this specimen is a most interesting one 
to anglers and reads as follows: 
“The specimen of peculiar trout have been care¬ 
fully examined and it really appears to be a 
hybrid, namely, the brook trout and the grey 
trout (or lake trout). The dental features and 
the nature of the vomer, as well as the peculiar 
color and the shape of the tail, all indicate a 
combination of the two species, which as is well 
known, are now separated further than they used 
to be. The brook trout and the lake trout were 
at one time included under the same Genus Sal- 
volinus, but they appear to be now separated into 
two Genera, the gray trout being put into the 
Genus Christivomer. A hybrid specially connect¬ 
ed with two separate Genera is a remarkable 
and exceedingly interesting occurrence. I am 
most interested in this specimen and intend to 
look into the question further, as the nature of 
the egg and the features of hybridization are so 
remarkable scientifically that it is worth while 
trying some experimental work to see if the 
MIGHT EXTERMINATE FOXES. 
Objection to a bill offering a $3 fox bounty, 
presented by the Massachusetts State Poultry As¬ 
sociation, was made recently by the Fox Hunters’ 
Association of the State. The fox enthusists 
contend that the fox, as an enemy of mice and 
insects, is more of a help than a menace to poul¬ 
try raisers. The poultry men argue that foxes 
are multiplying and that they cannot, without 
state aid, cope with them. The proposed bill has 
met with indorsement from several quarters. 
NEW HATCHERY FOR MAINE. 
A hatchery to provide for the eastern part of 
Maine will be built this spring at Tunk Pond, in 
Hancock county, as soon as weather conditions 
permit. At present fish have to be carried, at 
considerable expense, from the Enfield, Mon¬ 
mouth and Belgrade hatcheries. 
The Problem of the Wildfowl 
The Situation in a Nutshell 
By Herbert K. Job, State Ornithologist of Connecticut 
