54 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[July io, 1909. 
from the tree and returned along the base, find¬ 
ing the buck dead, the bullet having passed 
through and broken both shoulders. I gralloched 
him, cut off and skinned his neck and head and 
the shikari carrying the carcass, we returne to 
the top where K. sat under the tiee. 
I was pretty well done, so we agreed to re¬ 
turn to camp and spend the evening in shooting 
small game for the table. The flesh being rather 
strong for Europeans, though much esteemed by 
natives when the animal has been hallalled, we 
generally only kept the liver, tongue, kidneys and 
chops, the rest of the meat being distributed in 
camp, and any neighboring village. 
The following day we moved camp to the 
north for panther. _ 
K.’s two heads taped 7 j 4 and 6 *4 inches, an 
mine was 6 inches. Starlight. 
Long Island Game Laws. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I have read with great interest and some 
amusement certain articles in Forest and 
Stream wherein the writers, none of whom 
apparently lives on Long Island, rejoice that 
we, who do, cannot shoot ducks after Jan.. 1. 
The articles are variously headed, “No Spring 
Shooting,” “Brown Duck Law Stands,” etc. But 
the general trend seems to be that the writers 
breathe easier now those Long Islanders can¬ 
not shoot when the birds are here. 
Why we of Long Island should be the special 
prey of various legislative cranks I do not know, 
but it seems every time they break out in a new 
law they go for “the poor islanders most shame¬ 
ful.” I object to the term spring as applied to 
the months of January and February. Formerly 
they were held to be winter and here February 
is hardlv spring like. No Long Islander wants 
to shoot after March 1, but until then we do 
want to and shall keep up the fight till we can. 
I judge that few of those whose articles I 
have read know when birds mate or how to 
tell when they are mated. Up to and well, be¬ 
yond March 1 it depends on weather conditions. 
The birds here come to the decoys in bunches, 
not pairs, and are not mated. After that they 
come in pairs, are mating and should not be 
killed. 
I found the same condition in Texas in Febru¬ 
ary. I shot near Rockport, Sabine Pass, Sabine, 
Aransas Pass and Gulfport. The birds were, in 
large bunches and not mating. Ihe shooting 
of all kinds was the best I have ever had. 
Texas has the best and most rigidly enforced 
game laws I know. It was a delight to find 
there the Anglo-Saxon respect for law. Texas 
says to visiting sportsmen: “Welcome, friend; 
take out your license, $25; shoot your limit till 
March 1, but don’t buy or sell one head of 
game.” No wonder the shooting is magnificent! 
This is the law we want all over New York 
State and not special legislation, limiting Long 
Island to three months during part of which 
time there are few ducks here. 
Our hated Brown duck law allows duck shoot¬ 
ing from Oct. 1 to Jan. 1. October with us is 
very often like summer—too hot for birds to keep 
well and too still through many days for them 
to decoy well; November is good; in December 
it begins to freeze and the birds to go South. 
Practically all we get is eight weeks, while most 
other States shoot till March, beginning Nov. I. 
Truly there seems to be what our legal friends 
term animus in the game laws, as applied to 
Long Island. Take, for instance, 1 the law on 
my favorite bird, the woodcock. Formeily they 
could be shot July 4 - This was too early, the 
birds being young and weak. I hen the law was 
changed to Oct. 1, which was right. Now we can¬ 
not shoot till Nov. i, when there are hardly any 
woodcock left. Here we have no flight wood¬ 
cock, save the few birds from Montauk, the 
Rhode Island and Connecticut birds going down 
the Connecticut Valley. What birds we get are 
raised here. 
Now, old father woodcock is a “downy” bird. 
About the third week of October there comes 
a full moon and a touch of frost in the air. Up 
jump father, mother, and all the woodcock chil¬ 
dren and off they go and do not stop this side 
of Pennsylvania. They of Pennsylvania get our 
birds and we get—law. Up State you know 
they can shoot woodcock on Oct. 15. Do I hear 
any of our up State virtuous writers on spring 
shooting on Long Island offer to take off those 
two weeks? No. 
Again, take partridge. We raise a few; have 
a few—too few—left in spite of the New York 
hotel and lobster palaces selling in and out of 
season under the noses of our most efficient 
game authorities. Elsewhere in New York State 
the season begins Oct. 15, on Long Island Nov. 
1. Personally I approve of our partridge date, 
but why this difference? 
The foolish, laws here affect me very little 
and I have no “axe to grind,’’ as most of my 
shooting the past five winters has been done in 
the South, but I believe I voice the feelings of 
Long Islanders from Montauk to Brooklyn, who 
resent laws which do not represent their in¬ 
terests and desires. 
It is almost an axiom that a law contrary to 
public opinion cannot be enforced. Recently we 
had an illustration of this in our next town; a 
jury declining to convict men accused of netting 
ducks, as a protest against the present duck law 
more than any doubt of the guilt of the accused. 
One other matter interests us—the gun license. 
Last year Long Islanders cheerfully contributed 
a lot of money for gun licenses. What part of 
that tax will be spent to benefit Long Island? 
Already we read of trees planted, streams and 
ponds stocked with fish and some game birds 
raised for liberation. Will somebody, Mr. 
Whipple for choice, kindly tell us of one tree 
planted, one pond stocked or bird turned loose 
on Long Island? 
A reply through Forest and Stream would 
reach many Long Islanders. 
Henry H. Thorp, M. D. 
One Problem’s Solution. 
All the game laws of the United States and 
Canada, revised to date and now in force, are 
given in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 
*Tlie word “hallal” is used to denote the throat-cutting 
of an animal, without which no high ca«te native of India 
(Hindoo or Mohammedan) will eat the flesh. 
MOTHERS BE CAUTIOUS. 
In selecting a food for the baby don t ex¬ 
periment. Baby can’t stand much experiment¬ 
ing Borden’s Eagle Brand Condensed Milk 
is acted upon by the infant stomach substan¬ 
tially the same as mother’s milk. For 50 
years it has made glad mothers and started 
thousands of babies on life’s journey with 
health and happiness.— Adv. 
As I write there arises before my mind j 
vision of a certain secluded portion of northeri 
New England. It consists in the main of an ex 
panse of rolling hills, with mountain height 
rising in the distance on every hand. Much 0 
the prospect is enshrouded with heavy ever 
green woods, but in and through it all, never 
theless, appears the lighter emerald of the past 
ure lands. It is a view enchanting to the ey 1 
and one which would linger long in memory. 
Years ago this whole section of country we 
given over largely to sheep raising, many larg 
and valuable flocks grazing over all of . the: 
hills, and few were the farmers of this \icimt 
who’ did not have much of their little capit; 
invested in them. The price of wool and mu 
ton was of the utmost moment then, and tl 
latest reports from the markets followed wil 
the greatest interest. Now all this has change 
One can travel all day through this very coui 
try and not see a single flock of sheep. The 0 
order has passed away and a new one has con, ; 
to take its place. Perhaps it is all for the bette' 
and in the line of progress, but one cannot b 
regard as depressing and forlorn the sight i| 
these abandoned and run-out sheep pasture) 
especially if he had been privileged to see the 
in the days of their prosperity. 
What has brought about these changes 
would be difficult, perhaps, to fully expla : 
Doubtless many influences have united to cau 
the one result. Many complex problems mig 
enter into the correct solution of the whole m; 
ter. But one problem, at least, in connect! 
with this former sheep raising industry I m 
self succeeded in solving in a manner quite 11 
expected with all concerned, a recitation '( 
which may possibly prove of interest with t| 
reader. It all came about as follows: 
In the first place, in those days sportsm;! 
ship, as we know it, was not as popular and ( 
not receive the same attention as to-day. N 
the devotee of the rifle can secure with ease 
any time, already manufactured and awaiting 
order, almost any style, shape and weight I 
rifle which may happen to please his mood 
fancy; from a piece of fourteen pounds weij 
and great power to a pocket rifle so diminut 
as to seem little more than a toy. But then, 
the sportsman wished to depart from the 0 
ventional “shooting iron” he must plan it h 
self and have it made to his order by the lc. 
gunsmith. At least, so far as I knew, th.j 
were the facts. 
Like many another hunter of that day, I l| 
the usual squirrel rifle, which served its p 
pose well enough. I have nothing to say in c 
paragement of it, but to please my fancy I 
also designed and caused to be made for 
what would in many ways resemble one of 
convenient little pocket rifles of to-day. It 
no skeleton stock, to be sure, but it was rn 
with a short, light barrel; of small caliber, n 
zleloading of course, and weighing in all 
over three pounds. And a very serviceable 
it made, though some were inclined to It 
sport of it, at first sight. 
One year I was spending a few days in 
early spring on a farm in the vicinity descri 
Any thought of hunting was furthest from 
mind on that occasion, yet with a view t 
possible hour's pleasure at short range ta 
