Forest and Stream 
Terms, $3 a Year. 10 Cts. a Copy. 
Six Months, $1.50. 
NEW YORK, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30; 1909. 
v VOL. LXX1 II,—No. 18 . _ 
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, 1873. 
CONNECTICUT’S • PROTECTIVE ASSO¬ 
CIATION. 
Forest and Stream has often pointed out that 
the sportsmen of America could accomplish more 
toward game protection and cultivation by or¬ 
ganizing than by working independently as indi¬ 
viduals or in small local clubs. It has never ad¬ 
vised organization on the happy-go-lucky and 
irresponsible plan which has characterized some 
of the now forgotten “national associations of 
sportsmen.” 
j To be effective the work done by sportsmen 
Imust in main be that in which they are most 
.deeply interested; in other words, that which 
has to do with the locality where their time is 
spent out of doors. Organizations for game 
protection must proceed on the same plan- fol¬ 
lowed in organization for political protection. 
'The town must be the unit; associations in towns 
'must combine to form an association for the 
county, and county associations must select dele¬ 
gates to represent them in a State association. 
When effective organizations have been formed 
in the various States the question of a broader 
organization may come up for consideration. 
The important thing at present is to get to¬ 
gether in each State a body of men sufficiently 
nterested and with force enough to control the 
gnorant, thoughtless and wilful violators of the 
game laws and to influence State Legislatures. 
This is what seems to have been done in the 
hate of Connecticut. In many towns there are 
•ffective game protective societies which look 
ifter the local work, endeavoring to enforce the 
tame law against local and outside people, en- 
leavoring to see that the birds are fed in win- 
er, and doing something perhaps to help re- 
tock covers that have been depleted. These 
ssociations work with other associations with- 
it their county. In one or more counties there 
re associations made up of several different 
own associations. 
The Fish and Game Protective Association of 
te State of Connecticut is organized on the plan 
f town and county representation. It has a vice¬ 
resident and three members of its executive 
ommittee for each county of the State, the mem- 
e rs of the executive committee representing 
ifferent towns, so that at any meeting of this 
ommittee all sections will be represented. 
The Connecticut Association was organized in 
fay last and promises to do much good work. 
GAME REFUGES IN AUSTRALIA. 
It is gratifying to note everywhere the in¬ 
creased interest felt in the preservation of wild 
animals and birds, and especially of those which 
are most eagerly sought for, and so in greatest 
danger of extinction by the spread of civiliza¬ 
tion. The establishment of game refuges, first 
advocated by Forest and Stream many years 
ago, has not been confined to North America. 
In Africa, in New Zealand and recently in Aus¬ 
tralia many such refuges have been established. 
One of the earliest of the British colonies to 
set aside such refuges was New Zealand, where 
certain islands were made sanctuaries for some 
of the flightless birds of that remarkable land, 
which were in immediate danger of extinction. 
A few years ago at Holmforth, South Australia, 
an enthusiastic landowner established a refuge 
for birds and animals on his own property and 
this refuge has become a resort for nature lovers 
who delight to witness the confidence and friend¬ 
liness of the wild creatures there to be seen. 
More recently the State of Victoria, in Aus¬ 
tralia, has actively taken up the work of estab¬ 
lishing refuges for the preservation of birds and 
mammals that are in danger of extinction, and 
Consul John F. Newell reports that within a 
year no fewer than eight new sanctuaries in 
various parts of the country have been pro¬ 
claimed by the Government. 
The general law of the State of Victoria al¬ 
ready protects kangaroos, the duck-billed platy¬ 
pus, magpies, laughing jackasses and certain 
other native mammals and birds, but the new 
movement is quite distinct from this ordinary 
State protection, since a private landowner or 
municipality may set apart a described tract of 
land upon which all animal or bird life will be 
absolutely secure from molestation. The Depart¬ 
ment of Lands of the State encourages the for¬ 
mation of these refuges, particularly in the 
vicinity of towns, and application by a land- 
owner or a town clerk is sufficient to have a 
certain tract of land proclaimed as a refuge in 
the Government Gazette. 
Besides such public reservations, increasing 
numbers of landowners are setting aside tracts 
of private property as refuges for birds and 
animals which might otherwise become extinct 
in the locality, and many fine lakes and large 
swamps have been so reserved either by their 
owners or by the State at their request. 
At last, therefore, we are beginning to see the 
results of long continued effort in behalf of the 
protection of wild things. 
Acting Governor Tomkins, of Uganda, in 
British East Africa, has issued a proclamation 
concerning the importation of certain rifles and 
ammunition. Only after the written consent of 
the governor has been obtained can rifles and 
ammunition of .303 and .450 caliber be taken 
into that protectorate. 
LIMIT BAGS. 
In a number of States the bag limit law is 
strictly enforced. In the main it is a satisfac¬ 
tory measure and without doubt has saved a 
great deal of game, wildfowl especially. But 
like all reforms, its effect is not exactly what 
was anticipated by its original advocates. When 
there was no bag limit some hunters shot more 
game than they could take care of, while others 
were content with the few they could use; now 
vigorous efforts are put forth to “shoot the 
limit.” 
Sportsmen who are inclined to be proud 
of their skill seem to feel that any number be¬ 
low the limit is in a way humiliating to them, 
and two or more vie with each other in a friendly 
way. When the number is twenty-five per day, 
as in some States, and a party shoots for several 
days and each member brings in the limit every 
day, the intended effect of the law is lost. In 
short, if every man who shoots is generally suc¬ 
cessful in bagging the limit number, then that 
number must be reduced until a bag limit really 
means something. 
Let us all think of game preservation first and 
of big bags afterward when we have opportuni¬ 
ties to make high scores. The best way is to 
regard the limit as a reminder to count heads 
when the bag grows heavy, then stop if the num¬ 
ber is ample for all our needs. The law is in¬ 
tended to restrain the greedy, not to remind 
good sportsmen that they must kill just so many 
in order to maintain their prestige among their 
neighbors. 
Rear Admiral Henry Erben, U. S. N., who 
died in New York city last week, entered the 
Navy more than sixty years ago, having been 
appointed midshipman in 1848 when he was six¬ 
teen years old. He was with Lieut, (afterward 
Admiral) Porter on the storeship Supply in 1856 
when that vessel brought a cargo of camels 
from the far East to Texas, the story of which 
was told in Forest and Stream some years ago. 
Admiral Erben had a long and notable career, 
and fought bravely through the Civil War, ac¬ 
complishing many feats of daring. He was pro¬ 
moted Rear Admiral while in command of the 
European squadron. He was retired for age in 
1894, but in 1898 again entered active service in 
command of the patrol fleet which was estab¬ 
lished after the declaration of war with Spain 
from Galveston to Bar Harbor. 
K 
In various sections in New York and New 
England the deer season has just opened or is 
about to open. Deer are reported very plenty, 
and in Sullivan county twenty-nine are said to 
have been killed during /the first week of the 
season. In some sections there has been a fall 
of snow which will materially aid the hunters. 
