Feb. 8, 1913 
FOREST AND STREAM 
173 
California Game Protection. 
San Francisco, Cal., Jan. ii.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: I read with much interest the 
article in a recent issue by Golden Gate on “Pres¬ 
ent Day Needs of Game Conservation.” I met 
the writer who uses this name at a recent meet¬ 
ing of sportsmen and was glad to see that he 
was firmly opposed to the sale of game of any 
kind. 
You may be interested in learning that there 
is a strong movement on here, led by hotel in¬ 
terests and politicians, to put quail, doves, shore 
birds, etc., on the list of birds that may be sold 
and to allow the sale of deer. The State com¬ 
mission has been doing splendid work, but it is 
proposed to abolish this and put the game affairs 
in the hands of county officials. This backward 
step would virtually mean the end of game in 
this State. 
I am very glad to note the attention you 
pay to California in your valued paper and ap¬ 
preciate the letters by Golden Gate and Mr. 
Holder. 
We expect crowds of sportsmen here in 1915 
and millions of general visitors. In case the sale 
of game is permitted, as is planned, it is good¬ 
bye game. Wm. S. Martin. 
Shooting in Colombia, South America. 
Legation OF THE United States of America, 
Bogota, Colombia, South America, Dec. 31.— 
Editor Forest and Stream: The Consulate Gen¬ 
eral at this capital having been closed, it de¬ 
volves upon me to answer your letter of Nov. 26 
last regarding hunting conditions in Colombia. 
In reply I beg to say that as far as I know 
there are no game laws, and inasmuch as the 
climate is the same all the year round, with two 
short rainy seasons in September and April, the 
season is always “open.” Guides would cost 
about $20 per month “found.” Shotguns, etc., 
can be imported paying duty, but it would be 
necessary to obtain especial permission through 
the Legation to bring in rifles. 
I can hardly think it would be worth any¬ 
one’s while to come here for hunting alone. 
Except crocodiles, small tiger or wildcat, some 
deer on the mountains, and a few wild duck and 
pigeon, there is nothing to shoot in this section 
of South America. 
, I am, sir. 
Your obedient servant, 
Leland Harrison, 
Charge d’Affaires ad interim. 
The Goose Fish. 
Uncasville, Conn., Jan. 24. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: Some weeks ago while taking a 
Sunday morning stroll over the property of the 
Pea Island Gunning Club in North Carolina, I 
ran across two specimens of the goose fish, or 
angler, which the tide had left on the beach. I 
opened both specimens and discovered in one a 
lesser scaup, or broadbill, and in the other a 
red-breasted merganser. Both of these ducks 
were in perfect condition and apparently had 
been suffocated. I inclose photographs which 
may be of interest. 
The following extracts about this fish are 
taken from “The Fishes of North Carolina,” by 
Hugh M. Smith, page 398: 
“The angler is found on both sides of the 
Atlantic in rather shoal water. While passing 
most of its life on the bottom, it sometimes 
comes to the surface and basks there. It attains 
a length of four feet. 
“On the North Carolina coast it is well 
known to the fishermen under the expressive 
name of all-mouth. It is very common at Cape 
Lookout and is regarded as a great nuisance in 
net fishing, for as many as twenty large speci¬ 
mens are sometimes found in a sink-net in one 
lift. 
“No use is made of the fish here or else¬ 
where in the United States. 
“The angler is noted for its repulsive ap¬ 
pearance and extreme voracity. By means of 
THE GOOSE FISH. 
its moving dorsal filaments, it decoys small fish 
into the vicinity of its large mouth. It also 
feeds on coots, ducks and other sea birds, and 
one of its vernacular American names—goose 
fish—has allusion to its food. Crabs and other 
invertebrates are eaten also.” 
Our club superintendent stated that he once 
found a goose fish, which, when opened, con¬ 
tained four grebes and two clear noses (Roja 
englanteria). Horatio Bigelow. 
Note.—There is also an account of this fish 
published by Dr. Theodore Gill, entitled “The 
Life History of the Angler,” in Smithsonian 
Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 47, 1905. 
A distinguishing characteristic of Forest 
and Stream is that its readers compose one 
great loyal legion, gathered naturally by a unity 
of interest 
Pheasant Raising in California. 
The possibilities of pheasant raising in 
California have been given considerable atten¬ 
tion during the past few years, and the initial 
attempts along the line of hatching and rear¬ 
ing the birds have been quite satisfactory. At 
the State Game Farm at Hayward the raising 
of pheasants for game stocking purposes has 
been carried on for several seasons, but much 
of the work done has been along experimental 
lines. Superintendent William N. Dirks, who 
has had charge of the farm for the past year, 
has rendered a very interesting report of last 
season’s work, and the results of his experi¬ 
ments and experiences will doubtless be of 
value to others. This report in part is as 
follows: 
On account of the unsatisfactory results 
obtained in years past, when all eggs were 
hatched under the domestic hen, it was decided 
to learn if more satisfactory results could not 
be obtained by the use of incubators. A great 
deal of time was spent in reading what various 
authorities have written on this subject, but it 
was found that their reports were more or less 
contradictory, and that only in a general way 
could they be relied upon. It was then deter¬ 
mined to go ahead with actual experiments. 
Various makes of incubators were tried and 
all were found to give about the same general 
results. Eggs were first placed in the incubator 
during March. Out of 13 eggs but 5 hatched— 
a percentage of a little over 38. Of the next 
lot of 517 eggs, 367 hatched, or nearly 71 per 
cent. Three other lots were tried, with poor 
success, only 40 per cent, hatching. 
It was then decided to set the eggs under 
hens for a number of days before transferring 
them to the incubators. Of the first lot of 1,100 
eggs so placed, 822 hatched—a greater per¬ 
centage than had been secured by the use of 
the incubator alone. Even better results were 
secured later; out of a lot of 500 eggs, 411 were 
hatched, or 82 per cent. 
It is a general complaint among pheasant 
breaders that the eggs laid toward the end of 
the season are weaker in fertility than those 
laid earlier. This has not been the case with 
the eggs hatched at the game farm during the 
past season; for of the last 123 laid, 100 were 
fertile. 
It is planned, for the next year, to carry 
on experiments in co-operation with the State 
LTniversity, at the State Farm at Davis, to see 
if satisfactory results cannot be obtained with 
incubators alone, thus abandoning the use of 
hens. 
Although the trial with incubators has not 
met with the success that was hoped for, the 
artificial brooder,' on the other hand, has given 
entire satisfaction, and has proved to be far 
ahead of any natural method for the raising of 
birds in large numbers. The brooder-house is 
a building divided into five compartments, open¬ 
ing into screen runways, eight feet wide by 
ninety feet long. At one end of the building 
a furnace is sunk in a shallow pit, and leading 
from it a terra-cotta pipe laid in a trench runs 
the entire length of the building. This pipe is 
boxed in and covered with sand. By this 
arrangement a very even temperature can be 
maintained at all times. 
Food is placed within reach of the young 
