May 6, 1911.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
697 
those who in disregard of property rights turn 
loose their cattle under circumstances showing 
that they were intended to graze upon the land 
of another. This the defendant did under cir¬ 
cumstances equivalent to driving his cattle upon 
the forest reserve.” 
Justice Lamar declared the judgment right on its 
merits, regardless of the question as to whether 
the Government had inclosed its property. This 
made it, he said, unnecessary to pass on other 
questions raised in the case. 
1 he interest in these cases was widespread 
throughout the West, and in the Colorado case 
the State intervened, the attorney-general tak¬ 
ing the side of Light in the matter. 
1 his is one of the most important decisions 
ever rendered with regard to conservation mat- 
by many of the sportsmen’s clubs before the com¬ 
mittee on Fisheries and Game, and one of the 
bills presented provides for combining the For¬ 
estry and Fish and Game departments. 
H. H. Kimball. 
A Beautiful Gun. 
A duck gun, which is extraordinary for its 
beauty and for the engraving on it, has been 
manufactured by J. P. Sauer & Sons, for Lowell 
M. Palmer, Jr., and was delivered to him only a 
short time ago. It was ordered last year 
through Schoverling, Daly & Gales. 
Mr. Palmer is a well known sportsman and a 
member of many shooting and other clubs. One 
of his hobbies is to own highly ornamented 
all favorably reported by the committee of the 
House. Later the bill to put the handling of 
game protective work in the hands of a non¬ 
partisan commission was killed—as it is reported 
by political influence. The leaders of one of the 
parties are said to have declared that the in¬ 
fluence of the forty deputy game wardens was 
needed by that party, and that the bill must be 
killed. So said, so done. The hunters’ license 
bill was also killed. Members of the Audubon 
Society, of conservation committees, of women’s 
clubs, and sportsmen of the Michigan Associa¬ 
tion, all these bodies representing some 20,000 
people, tried to influence the Legislature, but 
without great results. 
At the very close of the session the Michigan 
Association’s general game bill, which had been 
thought to be killed, was passed in more or less 
mutilated form. The spring shooting season was 
shortened by ten days, so that fowl may now 
be shot from the 1st of March to the 10th of 
April instead of to April 20, as formerly. The 
bag limit of ducks is somewhat reduced. The 
bag limit on ruffed grouse is greatly improved, 
having been reduced to six instead of twelve per 
day. Only fifteen birds may be had in posses¬ 
sion instead of fifty as formerly, and a limit of 
fifty to be killed for the season has been estab¬ 
lished. Formerly there was no limit. 
On the other hand Michigan needs sharp en¬ 
ters. It has a special and most interesting bear¬ 
ing on the question of national parks and game 
refuges, and takes the same ground with the 
opinion expressed some years ago by Attorney- 
General Knox with regard to trespass on the 
forest reserves. It offers great encouragement 
to all who are interested in the conservation of 
natural things. 
Canned Duck. 
The Louisiana Game Commission has received 
TWO VIEWS SHOWING THE ENGRAVING ON MR. PALMER'S GUN. 
an opinion from Dr. T. S. Palmer, of the Bio¬ 
logical Survey, to the effect that while it will 
not be illegal for factories or individuals to can 
ducks and sell them during the open season, 
that is from Sept. 1 to March 1 of each year, it 
would be illegal to sell the canned ducks during 
the closed season. The simple canning of ducks 
does not cause this bird to lose its identity, and 
those who sell them in the canned state would 
be just as guilty as the person who shot the 
ducks during the closed season. Dr. Palmer ex¬ 
presses the opinion that if his construction of 
the law is carried out, it will discourage the 
canning of ducks, as the industry will not be 
very profitable. 
The Sheide Bill. 
It is reported from Albany that Mr. Sheide 
is taking steps to bring up again his bill to re¬ 
peal the law forbidding the spring shooting of 
wildfowl. Game protectors should be on the 
watch for the revival of this bill, which should 
not be allowed to pass. 
For a Single Commissioner. 
Boston, Mass., April 29. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: The plan of a single head for the Fish 
and Game Commission instead of a commission 
of three men as heretofore was strongly urged 
and consequently very expensive guns. He al¬ 
ready possesses a number of beautiful guns of 
12, 16 and 20 gauge, and this one of 10 gauge 
is the most recent addition to his collection. 
The arm has 34-inch barrels and weighs 10 
pounds 3 ounces. It is chambered for 3-inch 
shells, and the length of stock is 1514 inches. 
It is fitted with a single trigger. The barrels 
and the action are engraved with various birds; 
ducks, geese, swans and others. Mr. Palmer’s 
crest is engraved on the trigger guard and the 
barrels have relief engraving. 
I lie gun took more than one year to manu¬ 
facture. The engraving is from designs made 
by the best artisans, following the suggestions 
of Mr. Palmer as to the kinds of birds he 
wished to have represented. The photographs 
give an excellent idea of the engraving on the 
gun. 
Changed Michigan Game Laws. 
Game legis’ation in Michigan has given that 
State a slightly improved law, though the excel¬ 
lent bills advocated by the Michigan Association, 
for the most part, failed. 
A great deal of hard work was done by earnest 
sportsmen, cimong" whom W. 13 . Mershon, of 
Grand Rapids, was one of the most active and 
energetic. The bills fathered by his association 
successfully passed the State Senate and were 
forcement of her laws. Good laws are good for 
nothing unless enforced. 
Time to Reflect. 
Oklahoma City, Okla., April 18 .—Editor 
Foiest and Stream: Mention was recently made 
in Forest and Stream of the confiscation by 
game wardens at Enid, Okla., of nearly 300 dozen 
quail en route to a Chicago dealer. The ship¬ 
ment was made by one Paris Rupert, a produce 
dealer at O Keene. Egg cases were used and 
in transferring the same at Enid, feathers pro¬ 
truding from one of the crates called attention 
to the contents. Rupert was arrested charged 
with the illegal killing and handling of quail. 
The case was called in court a few days ago. 
The defendant pleaded guilty to having in pos¬ 
session the illegal shipment of game birds and 
was fined $200 and given thirty days in jail. 
Rupert is an old offender and has frequently 
been fined before, but this is the first time he 
has had to go to jail. 
The law provides that a fine of $5 for each 
bird may be assessed. Had this been done the 
total fine would have been over $17,000. 
Considering the offense and the offender’s 
utter disrespect for the game law and his con¬ 
tinued defiance of same, the punishment meted 
out to him is mild in the extreme. 
W. T. Whiteford. 
