Sept. 12, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
40 
New York State League. 
President, F. S. Honsinger, M.D., Syracuse, N. Y. 
Vice-Piesident, Dr. W. T. Hornaday, New York City 
Secretary, Dr. V. R. W’estervelt, 
1 j ^ ..1126 State street, Schenectady, N. Y. 
Treasurer, Emerson H. Stowell, Oswego, N. V . 
Syracuse, N. Y., Sept. 5.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: In the above letter head you will find 
the new officers of the State League for the bal¬ 
ance of the year 1908. You may remember that 
last December there was some feeling at the 
meeting which resulted in an adjournment with- 
it out electing officers. This meeting on the first 
day of September was the result of a court order 
for the purpose of having the election. We are 
anxious to have a big State League. There were 
only thirteen clubs in the League when the meet¬ 
ing was called to order last December; we 
should have at least as many as they have out 
in California or more. 
As you will see by the inclosed clipping, Mr. 
Whish and I had a harmony meeting which has 
eliminated all the feeling which existed at that 
time and we are all going to boost together for 
a greater State League. We have already started 
out forming game clubs and your popular pub¬ 
lication can do us the greatest good of any in 
the work of organizing sportsmen’s clubs for 
membership in the State League. 
F. S. Honsinger. 
I The clipping referred to is from the Syracuse 
Post-Standard of Sept. 2. We quote part of it: 
What was expected to be a pitched battle between the 
Honsinger faction and the supporters of President J. II. 
Considine, of Elmira, at the special meeting of the New 
York State Fish, Game and Forest League here yester¬ 
day turned out to be a love feast. 
Dr. F. S. Honsinger of this city was elected to the 
presidency, and all of the others brought forward by his 
I supporters were unanimously placed in office at a meet- 
[ ing that for promptness and dispatch bids well to be a 
record-breaker. 
By an order issued some weeks'ago by Justice P. C. 
J. De Angelis, the special meeting was called for 2 o’clock 
in the City Hall assembly room, and promptly at that 
| hour the delegates of the twenty clubs in the league 
reported at the assembly room for business. Word had 
been received that Secretary John D. Whish, of Albany, 
would be in on the Empire State Express, arriving here 
at 2:18, but as none of his supporters in the last fight 
of December, 1907, had turned up, it was decided to pro¬ 
ceed at once to business. 
Dr. Honsinger was elected temporary chairman, and 
Dr. V. R. Westervelt, of Schenectady, was named as 
temporary secretary. A report of the Committee on 
Credentials was called for, then the order of business 
for the day was proceeded with and the Nominating Com¬ 
mittee appointed. In less than three minutes they re¬ 
turned with the list of nominees, which were placed be¬ 
fore the meeting and unanimously elected. This over, 
| a motion to adjourn was made, and the delegates arose 
| from their seats and started for the door to accept 
the invitation of the president-elect to participate in a 
trolley ride to the new Anglers Club at South Bay for 
dinner and refreshments. 
They had not yet reached the entrance to the hall 
| when Secretary Whish was met coming into the meet¬ 
ing. President Honsinger was the first to greet him 
with a hand-shake, and here the feast of love began. 
The secretary readily agreed to join the delegates and 
the march to the new South Bay cars was commenced. 
En route Mr. Whish assured President Honsinger that 
he would be one of his heartiest supporters for the 
welfare of the State League. 
■ In the club house the delegates were more than sur¬ 
prised and expressed themselves in glowing terms on 
the new home of the Onondaga County Anglers’ Associa- 
i tion. At 5:30 dinner was served, to which over thirty 
I sat down as the guests of President Honsinger. Mr. 
Whish assured the delegates that the State Forest, Fish 
’ and Game Commission was anxious that the league 
should follow the progressive lines as planned by the 
newly elected president. The clubs represented were: 
Cortland Fish and Game Association. Schenectady 
County Fish and Game Protective Asociation. Owasco 
Lake (Auburn) Anglers’ Association. Cayuga County 
Rod and Gun Club. Cazenovia Rod and Gun Club. 
Camden Fish and Game Protective Association. Cato 
Rod and Gun Club. Blunter Gun Club, Fulton. Mexico 
Rod . and Gun Club. Leather Stocking Gun Club, 
Oswego. Riverside Gun Club, Oswego. Niagara Falls 
Anglers’ Association. Bird and Anglers’ Club, Madison 
county. Parish Rod and Gun Club. Phoenix Rod and 
Gun Club. Columbia Rifle Club, Rochester. Rome Fish 
and Gun Club, Utica Fish and Game Association. 
Weedsport Rod and Gun Club. Anglers’ Association of 
Onondaga. Newark Fishing Club. Marcellus Rod and 
Gun Club. Fabius Rod and Gun Club. McCrawville 
Fish and Game Club. Jamestown Campfire Club. 
The elections resulted as follows: President, Dr. F. 
S. Honsinger, of Syracuse; Vice-President, Dr. W. T. 
Hornaday, of New York, director New York Zoological 
Garden; Secretary, Dr. V'. R. Westervelt, of Schnectady; 
Treasurer, Emerson H. Stowell, of Oswego. Law and 
Legislatice Committee—Parker F. Scripture, of Syracuse, 
Chairman; W. S. French, of Utica; M. R. Bingham, of 
Rome; J. N. Ross, of Auburn; and one member from 
Ithaca. Auditing Committee—C. H. McChesney, of 
Rochester, Chairman; W. A. Bradshaw, of Jamestown. 
Game Prospects. 
Bennington, Vt., Sept. i .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Complying with your editorial requesl 
in Forest and Stream recently, I am pleased 
to report very favorable bird conditions in 
southern Vermont. As I am practically “in the 
woods” all the time and make a special business 
of noting the conditions of the game and fish, I 
will give the result of my observations. 
I want to call your attention to the fact that 
I was one of the first to predict the scarcity of 
grouse last season, and made my prediction as 
early as June. This was not due to any particu¬ 
lar superior knowledge upon my part, but ob¬ 
servation of facts made the prediction certain. It 
was entirely due to the weather conditions that 
prevented the grouse from hatching and raising 
their broods. I found abandoned eggs in several 
places, and even young birds frozen stiff. Now, 
on the other hand, the weather conditions tins 
year have been ideal. Each hen seems to have 
hatched out every egg she sat upon, and I never 
saw such large broods before, nor did I ever see 
grouse grow faster. 
On one occasion I noted a brood of fourteen 
chicks. They ran hither and yon as I ap¬ 
proached, while their mother fairly flew into my 
face. I followed until I counted them. They 
could not fly. I noted down the date. Just two 
weeks after I looked them up again. They were 
living among the blackberries and w r ere nearly as 
large as their mother and seemed equally strong 
on the wing. That is growing some. 
There is a very large crop of berries on the 
mountains in southern Vermont. These furnish 
excellent food for the grouse. All the chop¬ 
pings or slashings are full of berry bushes, and 
these are loaded with fruit. The birds are de¬ 
serting their old haunts in the valleys and are 
living higher up in the mountains on these ber¬ 
ries. T am glad of this, for the sake of “my 
friend—the partridge.” It will be his saving. 
The gunners who get him will have to work and 
also do some great snap shooting. The foliage 
is very thick, and until the heavy frosts the 
leaves will be a great protection to the birds. 
Our sportsmen friends will have to do some 
“tall hiking” on rugged mountain sides before 
they find our wary friend. 
The woodcock I find hunched in good sized 
broods. This is due to the dry weather which 
has made the swamps and marshes fewer and in 
each marsh I find numerous borings. I do not 
believe there are more woodcock than usual. 
They are bunched together in a small area of 
swamps which makes them seem more numerous. 
The quail we have in this section have had a 
good summer and raised more than average 
sized broods. They are fat and lively and are 
whistling cheerfully every morning and evening. 
The increase in the deer is extraordinary; in 
fact, they are becoming so numerous in this sec¬ 
tion that many farmers are complaining of dam¬ 
age to their crops, and I expect we will hear 
a great chorus of complaints from the farmers 
when our legislature meets in the fall. Now, if 
the sportsmen practice moderation this fall and 
we do not have a severe winter, I am sure our 
grouse will recover their lost ground; let us 
hope so. I fully agree with Mr. Hammond that 
the grouse is the king of game birds. I am so 
fond of him that I would be lonely, indeed, in the 
woods without him. When the grouse is exter¬ 
minated I shall not care to wander in the woods 
any more. Harry Chase. 
Barre, Vt., Aug. 30. —Editor Forest and 
Stream: I have made expended inquiries from 
those who frequent their haunts, and from my 
personal observation am pleased to report that 
there is a notable increase of young grouse this 
season. There seems to have been a good hatch, 
for the bevies contain a large number of birds. 
In one small cover there were three broods that 
contained not less than ten young birds in each 
flock. B. A. E. 
Middletown, Conn., Sept. 2.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: I have not seen or heard a ruffed 
grouse this year for the reason that I do not 
believe in troubling game birds during their 
breeding season. On various occasions different 
parties have reported to me seeing some young 
ruffed grouse as well as other game birds, so 
if you can judge anything from what they tell 
you there will be more birds this coming fall 
than last. During September I intend to go 
over some of my shooting grounds to look 
around and get the dogs conditioned so as to 
have them ready when the season opens. I then 
can tell what the prospects will be for the first 
of October. G. H. P. 
Jeffersonville, Vt., Aug. 2 7.—Editor Forest 
and Stream: As you asked in a recent issue of 
Forest and Stream for reports as to ruffed 
grouse this season, I am pleased to report the 
prospects good. I myself have seen three flocks 
of twelve, eight and six young broods, and of 
woodcock three flocks of seven, four and three. 
It is-the first time we have ever found wood¬ 
cock before they could fly. Last season on this 
same territory I found one flock of four birds 
and one or two woodcock. 
From reports that I consider reliable I con¬ 
clude that there are lots of broods and a good 
number of young in each. C. J. T. 
The National Beagle Club of America. 
Camden, N. J., Sept. 5 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: The nineteenth annual Field Trials of 
the National Beagle Club of America will be 
held at Chase City, Mecklenburg county, Va., 
commencing Oct. 23, 1908. 
The headquarters of the club will be at thr 
Hotel Mecklenburg. 
Charles R. Stevenson, Sec’y. 
