896 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[June 4, 1910. 
Hungarian Partridges for Iowa. 
Linville Falls, N. C., May 27. —Editor Forest 
and Stream: The Iowa Legislature in 1909 
passed a law imposing a tax of one dollar per 
year upon every resident person hunting with a 
gun within the State. This fund, it was pro¬ 
vided, should be spent by the State fish and 
game warden, subject to the approval of the 
executive council—the Governor, Secretary of 
State, Auditor of State and Treasurer of State— 
for the protection and propagation of fish and 
game, and for the improvement of the lakes. 
The first year’s fees produced a fund of $105,- 
000, unexpectedly large. For some months a 
lively discussion has been going on as to what 
should, be done with this money. Many vision¬ 
ary schemes were proposed, but George A. Lin¬ 
coln, State fish and game warden, having ex¬ 
perience and judgment, did not adopt any of 
the impractical suggestions. Some wanted the 
money used for building a system of boulevards 
about the lakes. Some of the hunters thought 
none of the money should be used for fish pro¬ 
tection or propagation, because it all came from 
hunters. The hunters argued that if fishermen 
wanted such a fund, they should consent to a 
tax on their sport, as the hunters had done. 
This point is likely to be brought before the 
next Legislature. 
Besides organizing a more efficient force of 
deputy wardens and extending his work of stock¬ 
ing streams and lakes with game fish, the prin¬ 
cipal thing Mr. Lincoln has done is to contract 
for 5,000 pairs of Hungarian partridges at $6 
per pair, to be liberated in Iowa this season. He 
has arranged for a number of game farms where 
the birds will be protected, and high hopes of 
the results are entertained. Experiments in Illi¬ 
nois, Nebraska and Kansas show that this bird, 
so like our own bobwhite, is probably adapted to 
this part of the country. However, these ex¬ 
periments have not been carried far enough to 
be conclusive, and the opinions of those who 
have considered the introduction of this beauti¬ 
ful game bird into the United States are much 
divided. The Hungarian visitor is not certain to 
be satisfactory, or to be as harmless in his 
adopted country as in his native land. He is a 
fierce warrior in the mating season and may add 
another enemy to our own quail so popular with 
all sportsmen. The Hungarian bird is quicker 
to rise before the dog. In some sections where 
this bird has been planted in America it has dis¬ 
appeared altogether. 
A very instructive article on the introduction 
of the Hungarian partridge into the United 
States may be found in the Year Book of the 
United States Department of Agriculture for 
1909 just published. It was written by Henry 
Oldys, of the Biological Survey, and its con¬ 
clusion is that the planting of these birds at 
such great expense is of doubtful utility. The 
money, it is suggested, might be better used to 
protect and increase our own game birds, par¬ 
ticularly the bobwhite. The latter is known to 
be well adapted to our conditions. He is enor¬ 
mously useful in consuming insects, worms and 
weed seeds, and as a game bird he is supreme 
in favor. 
The predatory character of the little black 
bear of the Blue Ridge was proved here one 
night last week when nine hogs were killed by 
a hungry bear, probably a mother with cubs. It 
happened down on Hawksbill Mountain, on the 
east side of Linville River, and the hogs be¬ 
longed to one man, Ben. Aldridge, one of the 
oldest settlers. The hogs were not caught in a 
pen, but were running at large in the woods, so 
the bear must have been very active to have 
made away with nine in one night. A hunt was 
organized and the bear was hunted over many 
miles of mountain roughness, but was not cap¬ 
tured. The dogs lost the trail in Paddy’s Creek, 
at the lower end of the mountain, and bruin 
went on unmolested. Not even the cubs were 
located, if cubs there were. 
Frank W. Bicknell. 
Louisiana Legislature. 
New Orleans, La., May 24 .—Editor Forest 
and Stream: The Ventrees game bill has been 
favorably reported to the lower House of the 
Legislature and will probably be passed by both 
the House and Senate. Among the most im¬ 
portant provisions are those which allow any 
hunter to kill fifty birds in one day instead of 
twenty-five as heretofore. The license for non¬ 
resident hunters was placed at $15 instead of 
$25. Instead of a hunter being compelled to ship 
his game daily, he may ship it when he pleases, 
provided he does not exceed the daily limit. The 
provision allowing police juries to regulate the 
shipment was adopted which permits anyone to 
sell five birds a day without being considered 
a market or professional hunter. 
Robins, grosbeaks and red-winged blackbirds 
were restored to the list of game birds. The 
closed season for ducks was changed to April 
1 to Nov. 1; for quail from Mqrch 1 to Nov. 
1, and blue-winged teal ducks, April 1 to Sept. 
15. The closed season for ducks was changed 
to April i-Nov. 1. ! - 
The House defeated a bill introduced by Rep¬ 
resentative Litton, of Sabine parish, making it 
a misdemeanor to hunt on Sunday. The oppon¬ 
ents of this bill argued that such a law would 
serve to keep visitors out of the State who other¬ 
wise would come here during the hunting season 
for several weeks. The bill was characterized 
freakish legislation of fanatical order. The vote 
stood 42 to 20 to indefinitely postpone action. 
The fishing season has opened well in this 
State and the prospects are excellent for a fine 
showing during the summer. The past Satur¬ 
day and Sunday were not very auspicious for 
the fishermen on account of the heavy rains and 
high winds, and very little was done at the vari¬ 
ous resorts and fishing clubs on the days re¬ 
ferred to. The experienced rod men say that 
they look forward to the best season in years 
with the finny tribe. Speckled trout, redfish and 
sheepshead are quite abundant at the Rigolets, 
Lake Catherine, Chef Menteur and other places 
on the coast. Reports' are to the effect that 
many green trout are being landed, and the 
pleasure fishermen are delighted with the season 
up to this time. 
A prominent sportsman and hunter made this 
observation in regard to the lowering of the 
price of the license for non-resident hunters in 
Louisiana: “I believe that this is a move in the 
right direction. The license of $25 has been 
entirely too high for visitors to our State and 
should have been changed long ago. While the 
reduction to $15 is not very great, still it is suffi¬ 
cient to have good effect. We should encourage 
visitors to coine from all sections of the country 
and spend their money with us. I feel that they 
will not be' inclined to do this if they believe 
we want to charge them a big license fee for 
the privilege of a little' diversion for a few 
weeks. Our game is sufficient to divide with 
outsiders without any inconvenience. The license 
should not be more than $10.” F. G. G. 
New York Legislature. 
Albany, N. Y., May 28. —Editor Forest and 
Stream: The Senate has passed these bills: 
Assemblyman Wielands’, in relation to the 
open season for woodcock on Long Island. 
Assemblyman Young’s, in relation to the use 
of scap nets. 
Assemblyman Whitney’s, amending the town 
law in relation to preventing and fighting forest 
fires. 
Senator Schlosser has introduced a bill in re¬ 
lation to quail and grouse in Dutchess county. 
This bill was passed by an emergency message 
from the Governor, being a substitute for an¬ 
other bill of Senator Schlosser’s which had gone 
to the Governor and was found to be defective. 
E. C. C. 
Recent Publications. 
The Godparents, by Grace Sartwell Mason. 
Cloth, 236 pages, illustrated, $1.10 net. New 
York, Houghton, Mifflin & Co. 
Billy, round whom the thread of this story is 
spun, is a small boy who ran away from home 
when he was about to be placed in school by 
his godparents, two young people who met for 
the first time on being appealed to by the boy’s 
relatives to cure him of his bad habits. With a 
blanket, his pet monkey and dog he disappeared 
and was found in the forest, camping and living 
on trout. The girl, her maid and John Durand 
then pitched camp nearby. Falling a victim to 
their scheme, Billy watched them in secret and 
followed Durand as he fished for trout. Finally 
he went to their camp of his own accord when 
he found that they sympathized with him in his 
love for the woods. As for the godparents— 
but read the story. Miss Mason’s description 
of the capture of a big trout on light tackle, 
with the hidden small boy for audience, is a 
gem. 
Trailing and Camping in Alaska, by Addison 
M. Powell. Cloth, 8vo., 379 pages, illus¬ 
trated from photographs, $2 net. New York, 
A. Wessels, the Newold Publishing Com¬ 
pany. 
With his ten years’ experience as a scout in 
the Government service and in prospecting, in 
the Copper River district, Mr. Powell is well 
qualified to write of Alaska, of its pioneers and 
their adventures. This he does very entertain¬ 
ingly, as our readers know, since one chapter 
from the book was printed in these columns 
several months ago. 
Books Received: ‘‘Recreations of a Sportsman,” 
by Charles F. Holder; Putnams. “Polo Players’ 
Diary”; London, S. B. Vaughan. “Wilderness 
Pets at Camp Buckshaw,” by Edward Breck; 
Houghton, Mifflin Company. “The Black Bear,” 
by William H. Wright; Scribners. 
