Forest and Stream 
Terms, $3 a Year. 10 Cts. a Copy, j 
Six Months, $1.50. 
NEW YORK, SATURDAY, JULY 24, 1909. 
j VOL. LXXIII — No. 4. 
I No. 127 Franklin St., New York. 
A WEEKLY JOURNAL. 
Copyright, 1909, by Forest and Stream Publishing Co. 
George Bird Grinnell, President, 
Charles B. Reynolds, Secretary, 
Louis Dean Speir, Treasurer, 
127 Franklin Street, New York. 
THE OBJECT OF THIS JOURNAL 
will be to studiously promote a healthful interest 
in outdoor recreation, and to cultivate a refined 
taste for natural objects. 
—Forest and Stream, Aug. 14, 1S73. 
WOMEN IN CAMP. 
j \ear by year an increasing number of women 
go into camp, accompanying their husbands or 
brothers on fishing or shooting excursions. 
It is common enough now to meet socially 
women who are enthusiastic anglers or who 
follow the dogs over the stubbles or through 
pe swamps, or who have killed big game or 
dimbed mountains. Moreover, the woman who 
ioes this, and takes to it, usually does it ex- 
remely well—quite as well as her male com- 
>anion, even though her training has extended 
)ver a few months only, while his runs back 
over many years. Women are natural fly- 
asters and natural users of the shotgun. They 
ake readily to the use of implements of sport, 
out in the use of firearms—like other beginners 
-they must be watched and cautioned, and it 
jakes them some time to appreciate the 
angerous character of these weapons. 
' Women have made their mark in mountain 
limbing, and there is no reason why in all 
■utdoor sports women should not quite equal 
nen in all respects except that of endurance; 
nd in fact there is no reason why they should 
[ot become as enduring as men after they have 
ad the practice that men have had. For no 
etter reason than because up to within a. few 
ears it has been unusual for women to indulge 
1 these sports, it has been taken for granted 
iat such sports were unsuited to women, but 
e believe this to be wholly a mistake. A few 
omen in America have been sharing these 
leasures with men for a good many years, as 
ave a few English women. 
Living in camp has recently become a favor- 
e diversion with many women of good social 
osition in Great Britain. It is called caravan- 
>g because the campers move about in slow 
aveling wagons. The Caravan Club holds 
eetings, its members go into camp, travel 
om Place to place in wagons and live in the 
?lds under canvas. This method of holiday 
along is very popular in England this season. 
While this may be more or less a fad of the 
°ment, it is a wholesome fad. Here in 
merica, where genuine hunting and fishing can 
had, and travel in wild regions can be in- 
'Iged in, there is no better way of spending 
le s vacation time than in camp. 
ONTARIO GAME. 
E. Tinsley, Superintendent Game and Fish¬ 
eries for the Province of Ontario, makes a 
gratifying report for the year 1908. Not less 
interesting are the reports of his different in¬ 
spectors and wardens, treating of special lo¬ 
calities. These officials believe quite generally 
that the close season established last year has 
been effective in increasing the numbers of the 
ruffed grouse. The fact that young capercail¬ 
zie continue to be seen in Algonquin Park is 
very encouraging. 
Wild ducks were very abundant in 1908, 
though the bags made were not large, on ac¬ 
count of the warm and open weather. A special 
warden explains the abundance of ducks in his 
locality by saying that last year there was no 
shooting in the marshes in spring, and that 
therefore the ducks stayed and nested, making 
better shooting in the autumn. The overseer 
at Toronto reports that during the whole winter 
large numbers of bluebills, redheads and can- 
vasbacks remained near Toronto, and besides 
that there are thousands of coween, or long¬ 
tailed ducks. 
The deer shooting in most places also was 
excellent, and moose and caribou are frequently 
seen, but these are’ naturally found in greater 
abundance to the north, than they are down 
closer to the boundary line. There is general 
complaint of the great abundance of wolves 
which are very destructive to deer. 
A number of the wardens advocate a further 
close season for ruffed grouse and quail and be¬ 
lieve that this would result in an abundance of 
the birds. There is a general feeling that 
trappers should pay a license. Mink are re¬ 
ported on all hands to be growing scarcer, 
while muskrats are not more than holding their' 
own. It seems probable that the government 
will act favorably on Mr. Tinsley’s recommen¬ 
dation to license trappers. 
TYROS IN THE WOODS. 
Arthur Leslie Wheeler, whose prize story 
“Around the Sawtooth Range,” is concluded in 
this issue of Forest and Stream, has given an 
excellent pen picture of one of those young 
men of to-day who are not easily discouraged 
by what are often regarded as the hardships oi 
camp life, but which are in fact only discom¬ 
forts. It is not pleasant to fight insects, tramp 
all day in rain-soaked garments and encounter 
adverse weather generally during one’s vaca¬ 
tion trip, but these minor discomforts are of 
small account in the pleasant memory picture 
treasured up by veteran and novice alike. The 
Tyro’s desire to go again is thus but the expres¬ 
sion of his appreciation of the trip as a whole. 
The Tyro is but one of many who are learning 
the joys and the benefits of a real outing in the 
woods. A few of them look back on an ex¬ 
perience of this sort without joy, and they are 
not missed if they stay at home next time; but 
those who are in the majority are of the Tyro 
type. They are good sportsmen. 
Mr. Wheeler has written much for Forest 
and Stream on fishing, camping and kindred 
subjects, and a word concerning him may not 
be out of place at this time. He was graduated 
from Yale College in 1893 and remained at that 
institution as graduate student and later as in¬ 
structor until 1900, when he became a professor 
in Bryn Mawr College, a position which he holds 
to-day. 
AIGRETTES TO BE DESTROYED. 
A reported decision by Collector Loeb, of the 
Port of New York, recently announced, is of ex¬ 
treme interest to bird protectors and incidentally 
to milliners and feather dealers. Some time 
ago the customs officials at this port seized a lot 
of heron plumes in the shape of aigrettes which 
were being smuggled into the port by stewards 
of steamships plying to South American ports, 
and at the time it was supposed that the plumes 
would be sold at auction, if declared forfeited. 
William Dutcher, the President of the Na¬ 
tional Association of Audubon Societies, wrote 
to Collector Loeb, protesting against the sale of 
these plumes on the ground that it was against 
public interest. The question was submitted to 
the Secretary of the Treasury and by him re¬ 
ferred to the Solicitor of the Treasury, who de¬ 
clared that the aigrettes should be destroyed by 
the Collector. This is to be done under the au¬ 
thority of the act of Congress of 1900, which 
among other things provides that all parts of 
song birds the importation of which is prohib¬ 
ited, or birds transported into any State or Ter¬ 
ritory, or remaining therein for use, consump¬ 
tion, sale or storage, shall upon arrival in such 
State or Territory be subject to the operation and 
effect of the laws of such State or Territory, in 
the same manner as though such birds had been 
produced in such State or Territory. These 
aigrettes, having been imported into the State 
of New York, come within the intendment of 
the statutes of New York, and the articles should 
be destroyed and not sold. 
The decision cannot but give great comfort 
to those who are working for bird protection, 
and indicates that legislation in behalf of such 
protection is constantly becoming more and 
more effective. 
It is reported from Connecticut that the last of 
the anti-spring shooting bills of the year has been 
defeated in the legislature. This was House Bill 
No. 31, which we are told, was snowed under 
when it came up to be voted on. The Connecti¬ 
cut legislature is still in session, and while it is 
not likely that any further efforts will be made 
to change the existing excellent law, those who 
are satisfied with matters as they are, will keep 
good watch on those who desire a change. 
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