134 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[July 24, v 
should shoot over him, and equally afraid 1 
should shoot behind him, for he was going like 
the wind. I therefore fired well ahead of him, 
and as I did so, he snarled at me, and it seemed 
as if every hair on his back was raised on end. 
“I have shot too high!” I cried. ‘‘I have 
overshot him; and this time I will take him 
amidships and fire low.” And I did so, and still 
the fox kept on. I watched him as he scudded 
through the sand dunes until he reached the 
friendly harborage of the scrub oaks, where he 
disappeared, and a sorely disappointed man 
was I. ' 
Presently the Colonel came up and said: 
‘Did you get him?” 
“No,” ruefully I replied. 
“Where did he go?” 
“He came up this ravine, ran along here and 
kept right on till he entered the scrubs near that 
pine.” 
The Colonel said nothing, but walked right 
up to the pine, entered the scrub oaks, was out 
of sight for a moment and reappeared, holding 
the fox by the brush. 
“Here he is,” said he; and it was enough said 
to raise me from the deepest hollow of the sand 
dunes to the height of the sky, for it was my 
first fox. Fox Hunter. 
Ontario Game Report. 
The Second Annual Report of the Game and 
Fisheries Department of the Province of On¬ 
tario made last spring by Superintendent Mr. E. 
Tinsley, has just been printed. It is an inter¬ 
esting document, and we are glad to print in 
full the Superintendent’s remarks on game and 
fur bearing animals. It will be remembered that 
an Order in Council of July 16th, 1908, forbade 
the killing of grouse or partridge during the 
season of 1908. The result of this appears to 
have been very beneficial, and state game com¬ 
missions will do well to give this matter careful 
attention and to read Mr. Tinsley’s excellent 
report and those of his subordinates. The Su¬ 
perintendent of game and fisheries says: 
Ruffed Grouse—Partridge. —The close season 
of 1908 for ruffed grouse, better known as 
partridge, had the expected beneficial effect. 
This, in conjunction with a favorable nesting 
season, resulted, except in the older settled dis¬ 
tricts, in a large and satisfactory increase in 
number of these grand and valued game birds, 
to the extent of justifying an open season for 
1909. To what extent open seasons may prevail 
in the future depends upon the self-denial prac¬ 
tised by sportsmen and hunters in general. It 
may be necessary in the near future, as in the 
case of quail, to reduce the open season to one 
month. 
Quail. —The wisdom of having close seasons 
and re-stocking was apparent last season, when 
these grand little game birds were fairly nu¬ 
merous in the southwestern counties. As I have 
stated in former reports, it rests to some extent 
with the sportsmen whether the quail in the 
Province are perpetuated or exterminated, as 
in some of the States. It may be necessary to 
even further reduce the present open season to 
make the protection of quail more effective. 
Ducks. —Ducks were abundant all over the 
Province, but in consequence of the prevailing 
fine weather, with few exceptions, they were en¬ 
abled to stay out in the open waters, by so do¬ 
ing affording only moderate sport. Ducks were 
more numerous during the present winter in the 
vicinity of Toronto and Hamilton Beach than 
ever before during the winter months. 
Woodcock. —Some very fine bags of these 
beautiful game birds were made in the Province 
during the past open season, much to the sur¬ 
prise and pleasure of those who delight to hunt 
these beautiful and elusive birds. 
Snipe and Plover. —These birds were found 
as usual fairly numerous, and afforded in many 
localities sport equal to that of past years. 
Capercailzie.— G. W. Bartlett, Superintendent 
of Algonquin Park, reports that several broods 
of these magnificent birds were seen by the 
rangers in the Park during the past summer. 
That more adult birds have not been seen is in 
a large measure due to their shyness and retired 
habits, the old birds retiring to the dense and 
most inaccessible woods. 
Caribou. —Few have as yet been killed in the 
Province by sportsmen, but with the extension 
of railroads into and through the caribou 
haunts, Making them more accessible to sports¬ 
men, many will take advantage of the improved 
facilities to hunt these wary denizens of the 
far north. 
Deer. —The number of carcases of deer car¬ 
ried by express companies during the open sea¬ 
son of 1908 was 4.387 as against 3,886 in 1907- 
increase 501. This number, large as it is, is not 
one-third of the total actually killed, when taken 
into consideration that 11.35.3 deer hunters’ li¬ 
censes and settlers’ permits were issued, hold¬ 
ers of each being entitled to kill two deer. In 
addition to the above, Indians and settlers in un¬ 
organized territory were allowed to kill two each 
without licenses or permits, for their own use, 
but not for sale or barter. In view of the large 
increase of hunters and the number of deer 
killed, it may be necessary in the near future 
to limit the number to one that may be legally 
killed on each license. It seems incredible that 
our northern districts should continue to sup¬ 
ply these immense numbers year after year with 
no apparent diminution, except in older settled 
portions of the Province, where the deer are dis¬ 
appearing with the woods. 
Moose. —Fifty-nine moose, or heads of such, 
were carried by express and railroad companies 
during the open season. A number were taken 
out of the woods by teams, of which we have 
no record. To state the number killed at one 
hundred is a low estimate. Many very fine 
heads were procured, one in particular killed 
near the Montreal River in the Temiskaming 
district by a Toronto sportsman, having the un¬ 
usual spread of horns of inches, and for 
which it is reported he refused the sum of 
$300. 
Fur Bearing Animals. —Beaver and otter 
are reported as being found fairly numerous in 
some portions of the Province, but in waters 
adjacent to lumber camps and other works in 
which large numbers of men are employed, it 
is a difficult matter to protect these valuable 
animals. Although a number of the employees 
of these camps have been convicted, many still 
consider the venture equal to the risk. Muskrats 
are still found in large numbers in all portions 
of the Province, and should have most effective 
protection. The skins of these animals will be 
utilized in the near future in the manufacture of 
sealskin coats, when the seals have become 
things of the past. It may be necessary to ; 
a close season for mink, for the purpose o 5 
venting them being killed when the fur 
little value, although they kill large numbt 
muskrats in localities where both species 
found. The coarser species of furbearinf: 
mals appear to be holding their own, ju; 
from the condition of the atmosphere i 
vicinity of shipping points and express O 
It is considered advisable to license trapp s 
enable the Department to have the espii 
over them their wrongdoing necessitates. 
The Elk in Russian Poland. 
A correspondent of Le Chasseur Fr 1 
recorded recently his experience last ji 
when a guest in the Lithuanian forests, 1 
he saw not a few elk—the great deer 'll 
in this country, we call by its Indian 1 
moose. Frenchmen have little opportun r 
see big game, and still less chance to get 1 
at it, and this Frenchman was therefore : 
more interested and delighted to have an 1 ] 
tunity to see something of the life of the; 
animals of these carefully preserved forest 
hunted with the Baron Antoine de Riesenli 
the eldest son of the Russian general 1 
same name. The forest in which they 1 | 
was known as Oleskow and belonged to 
Kaszyc, a rich landholder who lives at the : 
of Obryna in the Province of Minsk. 
“With a forest ranger named Rawoza- 
had only one ’eye but appeared to see \ 
thing with that—we crossed the frozen M 
in a sleigh,” he writes. “The snow wa 1 
on the ground and we were looking for 1 
frequented by hares or by wolves.' Suddd 
we passed along the cyclops, Rawoza d: 
some marks in the snow, which looked: 
two cows had passed along. 
“ ‘Stop,’ he said, pointing out the foci 
in the snow, ‘those are elk.’ To jun 
of the sleigh and to stand ready at som 
distance apart, always following the dir 
of Rawoza, was the work of ,only a fe 
ments. Then Rawoza made a long deto 
disappeared, evidently to take up the 
Not more than fifteen or twenty minut, 
passed when I saw come out from the . 
only about 100 steps off and headed direq 
M. de Riesenkampf, two enormous beast 
ing like jackasses—for at this season of t 
the antlers had fallen. Two shots, hardhl 
so close were they together, and the hugo 
fell upon the snow as if struck by ligt 
It was really a royal shot. One of the ' 
weighed 325 kilos—716 pounds. The bi 
passed through his heart. The other, 
male, weighed 215 kilos—473 pounds—al 
been hit in the shoulder. I shall never! 
the magnificent spectacle. Two sleighs to 
four horses were hitched were needed t 
off the animals. 
“I could not but congratulate the young' 
on his shot, but he, though only twct 
years old, received my praises with gre: 
esty. Notwithstanding his youth, he is < 
shot in the region. Five days later, i]C 
from a sleigh moving forward with thd 
on the trot, he killed a splendid male el '< 
steps. 
“Three days later I had the extreme t 
tion of killing a fine elk on two occasion 
