FOREST AND STREAM 
367 
BIRD TREATY WITH ENGLAND. 
A treaty with Great Britain for the protection 
of migratory birds has been drafted by the Fed¬ 
eral State Department, and Secretary Bryan has 
instituted negotiations with that government. 
The proposed treaty applies to birds passing be¬ 
tween this country and Canada, and also to those 
that visit the British colonies in Central and 
South America. 
It is understood that this treaty will be fol¬ 
lowed by others to be negotiated between the 
United' States and France, Denmark and Hol- 
land, which have colonies in the Western Hemis¬ 
phere, and also with the Latin American coun¬ 
tries and possibly with still other countries of 
Europe or Asia. 
The ultimate object is to bind the nations of 
the world to a plan of protecting migratory bird 
life. Mexico will probably be included when a 
government that can be recognized by this Gov¬ 
ernment shall be established. 
PRESERVE IN MUSCATINE COUNTY. 
A 2,000-acre game preserve will be established 
in Muscatine county, O., in the near future, ac¬ 
cording to a statement of W. E. Albert, assistant 
game warden, and D. L. Tubbs, deputy game 
warden, of Burlington. It will probably be near 
Cedar river, and will be stocked first with Hun¬ 
garian partridges. 
FRENCH FEATHER DEALERS ANGRY. 
To show their disapproval of the prohibition of 
the importation of wild bird feathers into this 
country, French feather dealers have declared 
that they will not exhibit at the Panama-Pacific 
exhibition. 
HOW IS THE WILD LIFE? 
What is the condition of wild life in the 
fields and forests at this time? Winter is 
nearly over, and here and there the game 
birds, and the larger animals, are making 
an appearance. As the snow melts there 
will be revealed evidences of many a lit¬ 
tle tragedy; the plain testimony of starva¬ 
tion, or the struggle growing out of the 
first principle “eat or be eaten’’ will be 
written in the snow. But on the whole the 
reports coming to us are that the birds 
and other game survived the winter with 
less loss than might have been inferred 
from the severity of recent storms. This 
paper wants to know the real situation, 
and asks for reports from its readers. 
Send us the results of investigations in 
your own neighborhood, and when these 
are brought together, our readers will 
know just what to expect during the com¬ 
ing season, or be in shape to promote 
legislation looking toward necessary con¬ 
servation. 
FREAK DEER HORNS. 
A freak set of deer horns was presented re¬ 
cently to the State Museum at Augusta, Me., by 
Charles W. Shay, of Bay Harbor. The pecu¬ 
liarity consists in the fact that from each horn 
there has grown a good-sized branch horn. 
SOAP CREEK, IA., PRESERVE. 
A preserve of 6,500 acres at Soap Creek, east 
of Moravia, la., was leased recently, covering 
territory that long has been regarded as one of 
the best hunting grounds in the state. 
FIFTH PRESERVE FOR IOWA. 
State Warden E. C. Hinshaw, of Iowa, re¬ 
cently began negotiations for a 3,000-acre pre¬ 
serve on the Des Moines river near Fort Dodge. 
Farmers owning the land will be paid a nominal 
rental if they agree to protect Hungarian and 
ring-necked pheasants. 
WANT PRESERVE NEAR NAPLES. 
Options on 1,200 acres of woodland near Na¬ 
ples, N. Y., have been obtained by John G. 
Bolles, who recently forwarded petitions from 
many Ontario county residents to local repre¬ 
sentatives in the state legislature, asking that a 
preserve be established in that region. 
OREGON PROFITS BY FINES. 
Multnomah county, Ore., tops the fine revenue 
list for that state in a recent publication of the 
state commission, showing sixty arrests, forty- 
seven convictions, and $1,380 in fines. There 
were killed in Oregon during the year 9,000 deer, 
150,000 wild duck and 45,000 Chinese pheasants. 
The value of the game and fish taken during the 
year is estimated at more than $900,000. 
