\ 
658 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
The secoiid bill seeks to prevent the keeping of 
came in cold storage during the closed season 
The number of this bill in the Senate is 241, and 
in the Assembly 322. ,, , n 
It is obvious that if there be any wildfowl to 
place in cold storage after the season is closed 
that there has been an undue killing—that more 
birds have been killed than the people wanted. 
It is this undue slaughter that will hasten the 
extermination. The United States Department 
of Agriculture in the bulletin above referred to 
saw 5 ' “It was not until comparatively recent 
times, indeed, that the tremendous increase of 
population and the constantly increasing number 
both of sportsmen and of market gunners, 
oether with the invention of that potent engine 
of destruction, the breechloading gun, have had 
their logical effect in greatly diminishing their 
numbers and in practically exterminating not a 
Thif sale of wildfowl under our present law 
is lawful from Sept. 15 to March 1 a period l of 
five and a half months, or nearly half the year. 
The killing goes on during all this time if not 
in this State then m other States. After the 
wildfowl have left this State they are killed and 
sent back to the New York market. But Ion 
before the season closes the public appetite n 
o-one and the people fail to absorb those that 
are killed, and last year when the season closed 
on the 1st of March there were more than 23,000 
ducks placed in cold storage. So there were that 
many killed that the people did not want to eat 
If 10,000 of that number were females and had 
been ’allowed to go north to breed they would 
have produced at the very lowest calculation a 
brood of five each which means a loss of 50,000 
ducks to the next open season. 
The members of the Legislature are busy with 
their own bills and doubtless a great majority 
have never had their attention called to the sub¬ 
ject nor the bills in question. The opposition 
to the bills comes from the City of New York 
onlv, and from the proprietors of the cold stor¬ 
age' warehouses there, and there are no birds 
worth considering in cold storage in any other 
part of the State. The question for the Legis¬ 
lature to determine is: Shall the cold storage 
people be permitted to exterminate wildfowl. 
Shall half a dozen or so of men be permitted 
to defeat desirable legislation? . . 
If the Legislature will prohibit the sale of 
wildfowl after the 10th day of January, and the 
keeping of wildfowl in cold storage during the 
closed season, it is believed wildfowl may yet 
be preserved as food for the people. 
New York Association for the 
Protection of Game. 
Alfred Waestaff. Pres. 
Utica Fish and Game Association. 
Utica, N. Y., April 20.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: ’ At the annual meeting of the Utica 
Fish and Game Protective Association, which 
was held on April 10, after the presentation and 
adoption of the reports of officers, a resolution 
was adopted putting the Association on record 
as strenuously opposed to the. concurrent reso¬ 
lution which is before the Legislature proposing 
to amend Section 7 of Article VII. of the State 
Constitution relative to the State Forest Pre¬ 
serve. The Association does not think that the 
constitutional provision which now safeguards 
the Adirondack forest should be tampered with. 
A resolution was also adopted indorsing 
Senate bill No. 35 and Assembly bill No. 325 
relative to the protection of wildfowl. The As¬ 
sociation approves of the proposition to have 
the close season for wildfowl cover the period 
from Jan. 1 to Sept. 15. both inclusive, as at 
present, to prohibit the killing of such game be¬ 
tween sunset and sunrise, and to make it illegal 
to sell, offer for sale or possess wildfowl from 
Jan. 10 to Sept. 15. both inclusive. 
The officers of the Association for the ensuing 
year are as follows: President, Gustavus 
Dexter; Vice-President. William M. Storrs; 
Secretary, John D. Collins; Treasurer, George 
L Bradford; Directors. W. E. Wolcott. Elon 
G. Brown. T. Jay Griffiths. George L. Bradford, 
William M. Storrs, W. C. Logan, James G. 
French. W. E. Wolcott. 
Legislation at Albany. 
Bills have been acted on by the New York 
Legislature as follows: . 
By Mr. C. Smith, relating to fishing in Otsego 
Lake; ready for final action. . 
By Mr. Draper, relating to spearing fish in 
certain tributaries of Lake Ontario; ready foi 
final action. 
By Mr. Lewis, relating to powers of super¬ 
visors in respect to nets, etc.; third reading . 
By Mr. Hammond, relating to penalties; third 
reading. 
By Mr. Travis, to prevent trespass on private 
parks and shooting from highways bounding 
same; in committee. . 
By Mr. Gates, protecting trout 111 Madison 
county; same reference. 
By Mr. West, four bills, relating to a close 
season for .quail, woodcock, grouse and squirrels 
in certain counties; third reading. 
By Mr. Emerson, amending the game laws to 
permit the owners of private parks to ship the 
carcasses of domesticated deer, and common 
carriers to handle same if accompanied by an 
affidavit; in committee. 
By Mr. Lewis, relating to sale of trout in 
Oneida county; third reading. 
By Senator Cobb, proposing to close the sea¬ 
son'for black and gray squirrels until Sept,. 1, 
1912; committee of the whole. 
P,y Mr. Volk, relating to penalties; third read¬ 
ing. 
By Mr. Hammond, relating to the possession 
of lake trout; third reading. 
By Mr. Merritt, proposing .to increase the sal¬ 
aries, of deputy forest protectors; third reading. 
By Mr. Draper, relating to the close season 
for wildfowl in Niagara county; third reading. 
By Mr. Mills, relating to licenses for nets; 
second reading. 
By Mr. Hooper, amending the law relating to 
licenses for taxidermists; third reading. 
By Mr. Gates, relating to trout in Madison 
county; in committee. 
By Mr. Knapp, relating to lake trout and 
whitefish; same reference. 
Sport Improving in Southern California. 
Los Angeles, Cal., April 23.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: Owing to the abundance of water 
everywhere, caused by the late spring rains and 
the heavy snowfall, an unusual number of ducks 
are remaining in southern California to breed. 
The cinnamon teal are regular residents here, 
but this spring they are reinforced by hundreds 
of mallards, sprigs and spoonbills. The drakes 
of all these are beginning to, gather in bands 
out in the deeper water, a sure indication that 
the females are preparing cradles of down along 
the ponds and secluded creeks. All this promises 
a big crop of native ducks for the fall’s shoot¬ 
ing and the sportsmen are elated. Cinnamon 
teal, while well represented, are not nearly so 
plentiful as they were a year ago. 
Rabbit hunters report the quail unusually plen¬ 
tiful. Already many of the birds have begun to 
pair off, and there is every reason to expect a 
bumper crop of the blue fellows for this fall’s 
shooting. 
The rabbits, always plentiful in this part of 
the country, seem to be on the increase. In 
most parts of southern California the big jacks, 
which used to afford such splendid marks for 
the small rifle, were being cleaned out, but their 
numbers seem noticeably increased, presumably 
by immigration from dry inland districts, as the 
young have hardly left their forms as yet. 
In the hills and gullies and in the sage brush 
covered wastes, however, the increase in the 
brush rabbits and the cottontails is everywhere 
apparent. There is no law here protecting the 
rabbits, and about the only thing that thins them 
out is an epidemic which now and then sweeps 
them away by thousands. 
The outlook for deer was never better. There 
is plenty of grass in all the mountain cienegas 
for deer pasture. Owing to the heavy winter 
most of the deer of nearby mountains were 
driven down into lower slopes and even into the 
foothills. This, in a way, has given birth to the 
idea that hordes of deer are migrating from the 
[April 27, 1907 
north or from the desert ranges to this enc 
of the State. So far as I have been able tc 
observe there is no such movement, though ii 
may be the case among the black-tails, which 
are much better hiders and consequently art 
less often seen. Agitation in favor of closing 
the deer season entirely has resulted in some ex 
cellent laws being passed anent the use of hound: 
in trailing wounded deer. 1 he sportsmen 0 
this end of the State have never had as much 
to do with the dog situation as have those 0 
the northern and central counties, but it is < 
fact that the privilege, hitherto accorded, 0: 
trailing down a wounded deer with dogs ha: 
been shamefully abused. An effort was madtj 
to abolish deer shooting for three years, but thi: 
failed. Sportsmen of most experience claim tha 
such a law merely would put a premium on law 
breaking and would not reduce the number 0 
deer killed illegally at all. The men who rid' 
to hounds after wildcats* and mountain lions 
nbt to mention coyotes and foxes, will have th- 
sport of their lives. Wherever there are dee 
in the west there will be found panthers (moun 
tain lions) in greatest abundance. 
Among other wise tinkerings, which the las 
California Legislature did to the game laws, wer 
several restrictions placed on the taking of. trout 
The catching of the golden trout found in th 
headwaters of the Kern River country, notabl; 
Whitney Creek, was stopped absolutely for tw 
years. The destruction of these rare fish dur 
ing the past few seasons was unnecessary, in 
discriminate and ruthless.. 
Harry H. Dunn. 
A Reply to Baron Laffert’s Query. 
New York, April 22. —Editor Forest an 
Stream: Baron Laffert’s inquiry relative t 
American rubber boots appealed to me, but th 
answer depends on what use he wishes to pi 
them to. If for fishing where wading is necessan 
he will be more comfortable in a pair of wadin 
stockings, thigh length. These are mor 
flexible than rubber boots, and cooler. Ovt 
each waterproof stocking a coarse cotton stool 
ing is worn, and over these a heavy canva 
leather-soled shoe studded with large hobnail 
to prevent slipping on smooth stones. Th 
material is not much heavier than that of th 
canvas shooting jacket, and one’s feet are a 
ways comfortable while in the water, but ol 
viously this outfit is not one in which a perse 
would care to walk all day. 
Waders reinforced with rubber around tl 
feet, and with thick rubber soles, are sometime 
worn, and might be used for other purpost 
than wading brooks. In weight they are abot 
equal to rubber boots of equal length, but ai 
not so warm. 
Rubber boots, thigh length, are made in se' 
eral weights and with thick or thin lining. Tl 
light weight article is not uncomfortably heav 
but as the tops are thin and semi-elastic . fc 
the purpose of fitting snugly over the thigl 
without using supporting straps, they do n< 
permit much ventilation. Ventilated boot 
however, are obtainable, the pressure of tl 
foot forcing air out of, and into, the bo> 
through tubes on the sides. L. B. 
Injured by a Buck. 
Patrick Danehy, who lives near Winstea 
Conn., visited that town recently, a correspoi 
dent informs us, and in reply to inquiries : 
to sundry bruises that were visible, said he hi 
been injured by a buck deer. He found tv 
bucks fighting behind his barn, while sever 
does looked on. When he appeared -one of tl 
bucks ran away, followed by the does, while tl 
other one, according to Mr. Danehy, attack' 
him. knocking-him down with its fore feet at 
striking him with feet and antlers repeated: 
until Mr. Danehy’s dog drove the buck awa 
This was before the middle of March, a sense 
when bucks are commonly believed to seek flig 
rather than encounters with their 'own kind 
with men. 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained fre 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer 
supply you regularly. 
