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Forest and Stream 
Terms, $3 a Year. 10 Cts. a Copy, j 
Six Months, $1.50. f 
NEW YORK, SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1909. 
j VOL. LXXIII,—No. 5. 
( 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. 
HOPE FOR THE HEATH HEN. 
; Two years ago there were believed to be on 
'Martha’s Vineyard, the home of the only existing 
heath hens, about sixty of these birds, but within 
the past two seasons these have so increased 
that they are now thought to number about 150. 
Up to a few days ago no young birds had been 
reported, the hatch apparently having been a 
late one. Nevertheless, during a recent visit to 
the island by Mr. Edward Howe Forbush, a 
number of the old birds were seen, most of 
them started from the road by the passing wagon 
and all very tame. The wardens stationed on 
the island to look after the birds are following 
up the poachers very closely, and are also killing 
:ats and hawks. It is said that there is but one 
.fox left on the island, and he has not been seen 
this year. Yet after all, man seems to be the 
greatest enemy of this bird, for it is reported 
that each year some of them are shot. So far 
this year the fires have been kept out of the 
preserve, and, if the birds succeed in raising 
good broods, there should be a substantial in¬ 
crease in the autumn. 
1 The fate of this species is as yet altogether 
problematical. Enough birds remain alive to 
i-estock the island—if all goes well—and, the 
(Sland once restocked, the transplanting of birds 
0 old homes from which they were long ago 
exterminated would be an easy task. On the 
>ther hand, some slightly unfavorable condition 
nay in a single season render futile all the 
fforts now being put forth to preserve this most 
nteresting bird, and result in its extermination. 
The preserve on Martha’s Vineyard has al¬ 
ready done much good, but it ought to be larger 
md those who are striving to preserve this 
■pecies, which is just on the point of extinction, 
night to be encouraged to continue their good 
vork both by friendly words and by gifts of 
noney. One may imagine that if we had one 
tundred and fifty passenger pigeons, or one 
pundred and fifty great auks, in a preserve 
dapted to their protection and increase, there 
''ould be no difficulty in getting contributions 
0 carry on the effort to preserve them for gen- 
rations to come. The heath hen is scarcely less 
iteresting than these extinct birds, and its num- 
ers have now been reduced almost to the van¬ 
ning point. In the effort to preserve it every 
portsman and every naturalist should wish to 
ave some share. 
NEWFOUNDLAND’S STITCH IN TIME. 
The Government of Newfoundland has estab¬ 
lished a Game Preservation and Inland Fisheries 
Board, details of which will be found in another 
column. 
This action is timely and will meet with the 
approval of all sportsmen who regard the island 
as a favorite recreation ground; it has the ap¬ 
proval of all Newfoundlanders whose hearts are 
in the right place, who are possessed of suffi¬ 
cient foresight to know that the immense re¬ 
sources of the island as to fish and game are 
by no means inexhaustible; and that only by con¬ 
serving these resources will the island resorts 
continue to attract Americans and Europeans. 
Newfoundland is peculiarly adapted to a 
scheme which has long been in contemplation 
and which will be evolved slowly but surely. 
This is to make it an immense recreation ground 
for the sportsmen of Europe and America. It 
has an immense shore line, and this is deeply 
serrated by hundreds of bays and inlets. Into 
these a number of short but comparatively large 
streams and myriads of brooks pour their floods 
of cold, pure water, in which in season sea trout, 
and in somewhat lesser numbers, salmon are 
very abundant. The distances between the best 
fishing waters are not great, and when needed 
improvements are made in the facilities for 
reaching as yet little known waters, and the good 
people living at those places arrange for the en¬ 
tertainment of fishing tourists, making their in¬ 
tentions known to the general public, the island 
will derive a very important part of its income 
from this source. There is no reason why this 
income should not increase steadily with the 
years. 
As to the hunting, little need be said, for 
under careful watching and strict enforcement 
of the law, there is no probability that the game 
will be thinned out, and the shooting will con¬ 
tinue to attract increasing numbers of sports¬ 
men. 
But there have been cases of wanton butchery 
of game and fish. Some of the natives must 
be disciplined in the use of nets and given to 
understand that illegal methods are a thing of 
the past. A show of force as well as missionary 
work will prove salutary in some cases, but it 
is likely the commercial fishermen will gladly 
give up their hazardous calling for the easier 
and perhaps more profitable work of guiding and 
entertaining sportsmen. 
The personnel of the new board leaves noth¬ 
ing to be desired. The members were chosen 
because of their knowledge of conditions, and 
their interest in the welfare of the colony. 
Among them are men who have made the visits 
of American sportsmen agreeable, and all of the 
latter will indorse our best wishes for the suc¬ 
cess of the new board. It is to be the needle 
with which Newfoundland is providently taking 
her stitch in time. 
HIGHWAYS AND WATERWAYS. 
An accident on Highland Lake, in Connecti¬ 
cut, last week, serves as an illustration of two 
things: (1), the folly of entrusting the wheel of 
a fast power boat to persons lacking experience; 
and (2) the need of more stringent enforcement 
of the rules governing all power craft. 
In the accident referred to a young couple 
paddling a canoe werie run down by a power 
boat which was steered by girls who, when they 
saw the canoe hardby, left the wheel and the 
power boat ran wild. Fortunately the young 
woman and her companion had more presence 
of mind, for they jumped out of harm’s way 
when the canoe was smashed, and were not 
injured. But they might not have been swim¬ 
mers, in which case the result can -easily be 
imagined. 
As on our highways, where the rights of 
pedestrians and horse-drawn vehicles are now 
so often disregarded by motor car drivers, so it 
is with the- rights of those who go abroad in 
small boats. Every cruising canoeist knows his 
rights on the water, but not one in a thousand 
has the temerity to insist on exercising them. 
He follows the rule that experience has taught 
him is the only one that is fairly safe—retreat. 
Applied to both highway and waterway, dodge 
is a more expressive term. 
Strange as it may seem, the canoeist fears 
steamships and large steamboats less than be 
does small power boats. The explanation is 
that while the pilot of a ship may be severely 
dealt with by his employers and the government 
if he runs down a small boat, usually nothing 
is done if a power boat transgresses the rules 
laid down by the government. Furthermore, 
the injured party may be roundly abused for 
being “in the way.” 
Curiously enough, the darkest night is the 
safest time for the canoeist on open water, for 
if he carries a light he will be given a wide 
berth by craft of every size. The reason is * 
obvious, and it shows the selfishness of many 
persons who are abroad—they steer wide of 
the light because the light in itself is no indi¬ 
cation of the size of the craft carrying it, and 
their only regard is for the safety of themselves 
and their craft. 
For several hundred years civilized nations 
have been framing laws for the safety, comfort 
and peace of individuals. Vast sums of money 
are expended in employing guardians of the 
peace and of the rights of every person. To¬ 
day the country road, the city street, the rive r 
and the lake furnish daily and hourly examples 
of the abuse of these laws. But the most re¬ 
markable thing is the calmness with which we 
as a people regard these abuses of our one¬ 
time dearest privileges; the equanimity with 
which we look back on hair breadth escapes 
from sudden death on our once peaceful roads 
and quiet waterways. 
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