896 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[June s, 1909. 
Round About the Crescent City. 
New Orleans, La., May 29 .—Editor Forest 
and Stream: The Board of Commissioners for 
the Protection of Birds, Game and Fish, at a 
meeting held on May 24, decided to petition the 
Legislature to reduce the license fee for non¬ 
resident hunters from $25 to $10 and to raise the 
■ fee for market hunters from $i to $20 for the 
season. The license for pleasure hunters is to 
remain , the same as at present, namely, $1. It 
remains to be seen what the Legislature will do 
in regard to these recommendations. The com¬ 
mission itself has no power to either reduce or 
increase the license tax. It is certain that a 
large number of the market hunters will oppose 
the raise in regard to them, as it is claimed by 
many that they cannot afford to pay more than 
$1, a year. The commission on the other hand 
holds that it is but just that the professional 
hunter should pay a great deal more than the 
casual or pleasure hunter on account of the thou¬ 
sands of game killed and marketed in this State. 
It is thought the lowering of the license for 
non-resident hunters will serve to bring a large 
number of people to Louisiana in the fall and 
winter. It has been contended by some that the 
license fee for non-residents was entirely too 
high and out of all proportions to the amount 
charged the local people, and that many tourists 
were kept away who otherwise would come 
here. But^ these recommendations cannot be 
acted upon until the meeting of the Legislature 
next spring, and therefore there will be no 
changes ne.xt fall and winter, 
i The hunting season will open in Louisiana on 
Aug. I; that is, deer, squirrels and rabbits may 
he hunted from that date. License Idanks will 
be sent to all the sheriffs of the various parishes 
about July i, but no one can hunt until Aug. i. 
F. G. G. 
A Tame Partridge. 
Boston, Mass., May 22. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I received a call this week from an 
old friend from Plymouth, Mass. Mr. Wall 
brought in three photographs of a partridge with 
which he has become on friendly terms in 
Moulton Park.. This bird has lived in the park 
for some years and is a wild bird from birth. 
Mr. Wall is the man who brought to me in 1906 
si.xteen eggs laid by one of the quail liberated 
in the spring of that year just outside the town 
in a spot wdiere no quail had previously been 
seen. 
He gave me a detailed account of his experi¬ 
ences with the partridge and the taking of the, 
pictures. I have not the slightest doubt of the 
accuracy of his account, which is substantially 
as outlined in the account given in a local paper 
which says: 
“George W. Wall and several emploj^es, while 
returning from Billington Sea a few days ago 
through Moulton Park, were accosted by'Darius 
Chase, who, with Ansel Raymond, is employed 
by the park commissioners. Mr. Chase asked 
the men if they ever saw a tame partridge in 
the woods. They were inclined to be derisive, 
but Mr. Chase called ‘Dick’ several times and 
a full grown partridge came out of the brush 
and into the road, clucking and picking. The 
bird was a full grown one. and the name of Dick 
was bestowed on it when it first showed itself 
to the workers in the park some time ago. Mr. 
Chase said that last October he and Mr. Ray¬ 
mond heard a low clucking behind them, and 
turning saw the bird coming toward them. Since 
that time they have improved the - acquaintance 
of the bird. 
“The partridge pecked about in the road and 
permitted the men to approach close to it, act¬ 
ing in every way as tame as a domestic fowl, 
and finally had to be driven out of the road¬ 
way to allow the wagon to proceed. After Mr. 
Wall had returned to town he told Russell Snow 
of his experience, and the latter went to the 
park, taking his camera. When they reached 
the spot where the bird had been seen a few 
hopts before they alighted and called, and it 
was not long before Dick put in an appearance, 
approaching within six feet. After a little 
maneuvering on the part of Mr. Snow, the bird 
was persuaded to keep quiet in a spot of sun- 
RUFFED GROUSE IN MOULTON PARK. 
Photograph by Russell .Snow. 
light and never winced when the click of the 
shutter was heard. 
‘'Mr. Wall coaxed the bird close to him and 
succeeded in getting hold of it. The bird did 
not seem especially alarmed, struggling like an 
ordinary tame fowl, and occasionally pecking at 
the hands of its captor, or striking him with its 
wings. It was calmed after a few moments and 
he held it in position for another photograph, 
but he held it too loosely and the' bird broke 
away, flying a few yards and then settling down 
and working back toward the men. Mr. Snow 
tried the camera again and his trouble this time 
was that the bird persisted in getting too close 
for a proper focus, but he eventualfy succeeded. 
“People traveling in the park have noticed this 
bird coming out to the road as the sound of 
their carriage was heard. It does not have any 
use for dogs, however, and flies off and into the 
trees on the approach of one. Mr. Snow made 
a number of exposures with his camera and got 
three good pictures of the bird.” 
I send you one of these pictures. 
IT. Hastings Kimball. 
Forest, Fish and Game Law. 
Hon. James S. Whipple, Forest, Fish a,nd 
Game Commissioner, has made the following 
statements regarding the bill amending the forest, 
fish and game law, which has just been signed 
by the Governor of New York; 
It provides for five additional game protectors, 
all of whom are under competitive civil service 
examination, examinations confined to the cou-qty 
from which the protection is chosen. Ample public 
notice will be given before examinations are held. 
The forest preserve will be divided into four 
districts, three in the Adirondacks and one in the 
Catskills. Each district will be under the super¬ 
vision of a fire superintendent. Every town 
supervisor will be a member of the fire patrol 
by virtue of his office and is expected to co¬ 
operate at all times and to assist in carrying out 
directions and regulations of the commission in 
fighting forest fires. Several observation sta¬ 
tions will be established on the mountain tops. 
These stations will be provided with telephone 
communication, telescopes, range finders, maps, 
etc. Each district will be subdivided and placed 
under the supervision of a patrolman who will 
act according to the instructions of the fire 
superintendent. This occupation is only tem¬ 
porary. Patrolmen will be supplied with tents, 
fire fighting implements and cooking utensils to 
care for the men in the field. Any male person 
of the age of eighteen years may be called upon 
to assist in stopping and putting out fires, and 
those summoned, if physically-able, shall be liable 
to a penalty of twenty dollars for refusing to 
act. The superintendents of fires and fire patrol¬ 
men are vested with all the powers of game 
protectors. Reports must be made to the super¬ 
intendents of every fire occurring in the respec¬ 
tive fire districts controlled by each patrolman. 
Fire patrolmen receive seventy-five dollars per 
month and expenses while actually employed. 
Laborers who are brought into the service by re¬ 
quest of patrolmen or fire superintendents re¬ 
ceive a compensation of fifteen cents for each 
hour employed. An accurate account of the ex¬ 
penditures involved in this connection will be 
kept by the patrolmen. One-half of the expenses 
thereof will be a.charge upon and paid by the • 
State, and one-half by the town in which the 
men are solely employed and actually engaged 
in fighting fires. 
Any person who sets fire to waste or forest 
lands in the forest preserve, except as provided 
by law, or who negligently suffers a fire to ex¬ 
tend from his own lands, is guilty of a misde¬ 
meanor, punishable by imprisonment of not more 
than one year or a fine of not more than one 
thousand dollars, or both, for each offense. Such 
person is also responsible to individuals, corpora¬ 
tions and municipalities for damages, at the rate ' 
of one dollar for each tree killed. 
When public necessity requires, the Governor 
can susnend the hunting and fishing season and 
can forbid any persons from entering the forests 
of the State for such purposes, as well as for¬ 
bidding those already upon the lands from fish¬ 
ing or huntins". Persons violating the provisions 
of such proclamation shall be guilty of a mis¬ 
demeanor, and upon conviction subjected to a 
fine of one hundred dollars or imprisonment of 
not more than thirty days, or both. This is in 
addition to the penalties provided by law for 
taking game in the close season. 
