408 
Published Weekly by the 
Forest and Stream Publishing Company 
Chas. A. Hazen, President Charles L. Wise, Treasurer 
W. G. Bee croft, Secretary 
22 Thames Street, New York. 
CORRESPONDENCE:—Forest and Stream is the re- 
lognized medium of entertainment, instruction and in- 
ormation between American sportsmen. The editors 
nvite communications on the subjects to which its pages 
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Entered in New York Post Office as Second class matter. 
MUZZLING DOGS IN THE CITY. 
It looks as though Commissioner of Health 
Goldwater of Manhattan has gone mad during 
the dog days. His new order compels dog own¬ 
ers to muzzle their dogs, whether the animal is 
on leash or loose. We quite agree with the com¬ 
missioner that loose dogs in summer are a men¬ 
ace; we even go further and say that the city 
is no place for a dog anyhow, but we quite dis¬ 
agree with the commissioner that a muzzle on 
a dog in cool weather is necessary; we further 
assert that the weIFkept dog seldom, if ever, 
snaps at anyone, winter or summer, unless it be 
one of the tiny lap dog variety, whose chief aim 
in life is to be snippy and disagreeable. Gen¬ 
erally, however, it is the street mongrel that 
raises the “mad dog” scare on the side walk. It 
is probable that, if strictly enforced for a time, 
this new ordinance will enable the city to get rid 
of the stray curs that haunt the thrown away 
food in barrels in alleys and in the gutters. 
Sportsmen passing through New York City will 
do well to bear this new restriction in mind. 
SHALL IT BE CATS OR GAME IN PELHAM 
BAY PARK? 
An hour’s stroll through New York City’s 
fine big park on Long Island Sound, was suf¬ 
ficient to show us how deplorable are game bird 
conditions therein. Last spring we found no 
less than twenty hen quail nesting, while later 
in the year a dozen broods could be run to cover 
in a mile walk. This fall there are less birds 
than there were last spring. There are three- 
reasons for this condition. Trapping, cats and 
stray dogs. We saw much evidence of trapping 
besides destroying one run and a half dozen 
snares. Hundreds of cats run wild in the park, 
sheltering under barns and in empty houses. 
Almost every family in the park has one or 
more cats. In the neighborhood of the old Bar¬ 
tow homestead, used during summer months as 
a home for crippled children, no less than ten 
cats were counted in as many minutes. The 
new Goldwater ordinance compels city dog own¬ 
ers to muzzle their canines, yet here in the city 
limits a dozen hungry dogs roam about unre¬ 
FOREST AND STREAM 
stricted. Even a muzzled dog could do consider¬ 
able damage to eggs and young birds, so that 
muzzling will not entirely eradicate the destruc¬ 
tion. Residents in the park should be compelled 
to keep their dogs tied or penned up. No resident 
of the park should be allowed to own or house a 
cat. The Park Commissioner should at once 
start a campaign to kill every cat and wandering 
dog in the park and have at least one game- 
keeper to keep an eye on the propagation, pro¬ 
tection and feeding of quail, pheasants, rabbits 
and other game in the park. This great park, 
with its natural resources, would make an ideal 
city game farm. Its shore front, particularly, 
adapts it to duck raising, while its quail cover 
is all that could be desired. Why not offer the 
state conservation commission a chance to use 
it as a breeding place; there are acres and acres 
perfectly arranged for such a breeding station. 
However, the remedy demanded of the commis¬ 
sioner immediately is the killing off of cats, dogs 
and trappers, or, within another year, no game 
bird will remain in Pelham Bay Park. 
FOR A SANE HUNTING SEASON. 
The hunting season soon will be in full swing, 
and with it will come the usual toll of killed, 
maimed and crippled stock, devastating forest 
fires, and the wanton destruction -of human life 
and limb. Surely, we have need here for a 
movement looking to the conservation of life 
and property— a “sane” hunting season as well 
as the “sane” Fourth. 
While the small, portable oil and gas stoves 
are greatly assisting in cutting down the number 
of accidental fires during the hunting season, 
many fires still are built in the open, and in 
every case of this kind, the out-door fire should 
be built in a depression dug for the purpose. 
This not only prevents the flames from shooting 
so high, but after the fire has served its purpose, 
it is an easy matter to heap fresh earth over 
the -coals in such a manner that there is little 
or no possibility of sparks escaping into the 
leaves. Sheltered spots always should be select¬ 
ed for building a fire, and in case the wind is 
high, it can be deferred till the wind settles. 
When we read of the hunter who tossed his 
shell-belt off when he wanted to do something 
that required ridding himself of all encumbran¬ 
ces, we wonder why he did not take the belt off 
carefully and lay it down, -thus saving the acci¬ 
dental discharge of a shell as it struck some 
hard substance, 'wounding or perhaps killing 
himself or a companion. If he wants to let go 
of his gun awhile, it should be laid down flat 
on the ground—not set up against something, 
to fall over and discharge into his own body or 
that of someone else. Dragging a gun through 
a fence belongs to the same class of accidental 
shooting. • Poke the gun through first, with the 
muzzle pointed away from you and your com¬ 
panions. 
How often we read of the man Who blew 
his head off while poking a gun into a vehicle 
of some kind. In the first place, the muzzle 
of the gun should be slipped carefully in first; 
second, there should be no shell in the gun that 
is being placed in a rig or vehicle of any kind. 
And the man who will carry a gun in a vehicle 
while it is moving is a fool, especially if he set 
the butt down, so it will jolt and be sure to ex¬ 
plode. I have a friend who is carrying onl_, a part 
of his right hand from just such a foolish cause. 
Carrying a gun cocked while winding through 
the brush is about as foolish a piece of business, 
especially if a hunting companion is ahead of 
you. Poking a rabbit out of a brush-pile or a 
shock of fodder with one’s gun is another easy 
way of causing the fire-arm to discharge, with 
disastrous results. 
One of the most common forms of accidental 
shooting we read of, is that of one hunter shoot¬ 
ing through a hedge or narrow strip of brush 
and killing his companion. All this easily could 
be avoided if the hunters would but keep ex¬ 
actly on opposite sides of such obstructions, and 
shoot only straight ahead. Why not call softly 
to each other before taking a shot at any game. 
Surely, the life of a companion is of much more 
value than the opportunity of bagging a piece of 
cheap game! Another careless trick which ac¬ 
counts for many killed or crippled live-stock and 
human beings, is that of shooting at something 
(presumably wild game) before the hunter can 
see enough of it to tell accurately just what it 
is. Any hunter who pulls the trigger on any¬ 
thing where he is guided only by the motion of 
leaves or the movement of grass as something 
moves about, is guilty of criminal carelessness, 
and ought to be held responsible by the law 
for all damage thus done. There soon would be 
an appreciable decrease in the number of deaths 
caused by such accidental shooting. As for the 
man Who virtually murders someone by -pulling 
the trigger of the gun that “wasn’t loaded,” he 
ought to be given a term in the penitentiary. No 
man with ordinary intelligence can afford to 
point a gun—loaded or unloaded—at a compan¬ 
ion. It is the height of foolishness—a height 
to which many attain every season! 
AN ODE TO THE HUNGRY BASS. 
By William M. Hyde. 
A striped bass too tired to swim; his stomach 
empty and his temper grim; for the world was 
out of whack with him. He had watched for 
worms till his eyes were dim; for the dangling 
‘tail and headgear trim; he had nosed around an 
old dead limb, but darn the worm there was for 
him. Not a move he made, not an active fin, for 
how -can a fish with hunger slim, and gaunt star¬ 
vation grewsome grim, looking right into the 
eyes of him, swim as a striped bass should 
swim? And there he lay near the high salt 
grass, this great, big, tired, hungry bass, waiting 
for one of his prey to pass. His stomach was 
empty, he had given up hope and was willing 
to take any kind of dope. Suddenly he saw ap¬ 
proaching him, an object small which gave him 
vim; it was two feet off and going past, some¬ 
thing with which to break his fast. It seemed 
to make the water churn with its shiny bow and 
slender stern, and as it was about to turn, “old 
striped” saw it was a worm. Out he dashed 
from his -cozy nook and grabbed the—Great 
Scott! it was a hook. For half an hour this 
poor old bass, tried his best to reach the grass 
or some big rock where he could hide and next 
time feed on a silver side. He jumped, he 
tossed, seesawed and swam until he was all out 
of breath; and the family that ate him starved to 
death. 
