June 3, 1911.] 
the season during which they may be possessed 
from Oct. 1 to Feb. 15, instead of from Oct 
1 to Jan. 15, as at present. 
Senator Emerson has introduced in the Legis¬ 
lature a bill providing that perch may be taken 
in Lake George at any time through the ice or 
otherwise. At present they may be taken 
through the ice by angling. Not more than 
thirty pounds of fish may be taken in a single 
day from the lake by fishing in one boat, either 
by one or more persons. 
Senator Roosevelt has introduced a bill pro¬ 
viding that short-nosed sturgeon may be taken 
in the Hudson River less than three feet long. 
The Assembly has passed these bills: 
Assemblyman Shortt’s, creating a bureau for 
the purpose of shellfish cultivation, and for the 
protection and regulation of all shellfish and 
shellfish culture in the State. Assemblyman 
Shortt’s, amending the forest, fish and game law 
in relation to marine fisheries. 
The Senate has advanced to third reading the 
following bills: Senator Roosevelt’s, allowing 
the forest, fish and game commissioner to settle 
or compromise actions for penalties. Senator 
Platt’s, relative to the open season for fishing 
in Lake Keuka. Senator Bayne’s, prohibiting 
the sale for food purposes to game generally. 
The Senate has passed these bills: Assembly- 
man Gurnett s, relative to the open season and 
the manner of taking certain fish in Schuyler 
county. Assemblyman Gurnett’s, relative to 
spearing suckers in Schuyler and Chemung coun¬ 
ties. Assemblyman Constantine’s, providing for 
no close season for blue pike in Lake Ontario. 
Assemblyman McDaniels, relative to spearing fish 
in Lake Cayuga. Assemblyman Evans’, relating 
to eel weirs in the Delaware River. Assembly- 
man Evans’, relative to skunk farms. Amend¬ 
ing the forest, fish and game law so as to make 
numerous changes in regard to penalties. Sena¬ 
tor Platt’s, relative to the open season for fish¬ 
ing in Lake Keuka. E. C. C. 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
given the gun again pulls both triggers and ap¬ 
parently has a misfire in the left barrel. The 
loader upon again opening the gun to reload does 
not in the excitement notice that only one empty 
shell flies out of the breech, but drops in two 
more twelve-bore shells. In the left barrel there 
is now a twenty-bore shell firmly held in front 
of a twelve-bore shell. And at the next shot 
from that gun the shooter is lucky if he does 
not lose an arm. Joseph C. Bulkley. 
so much as this year, owing to the systematizing 
of our work under the new regime, together with 
the acquisition of a boat like the Olive that can 
get us where we want to go in a hurry.” 
The Olive is a motor boat fitted with every¬ 
thing from a high power searchlight to a well 
appointed galley and sleeping accommodations 
for eight men. 
Seasonable Advice. 
Spring Shore Bird Procleclion. 
Mixing Cartridges. 
New York City, May 2. —Editor Forest and 
Stream: Under the heading “The Top Rail,” 
Grizzly King writes that he cannot understand 
why Englishmen fear changes from the mixing 
of twelve and twenty-gauge cartridges. 
1 he explanation is very simple. In England 
and Scotland most of the shooting is done at 
driven birds. Each shooter has two or three 
guns and one or two loaders. When a drive is 
in progress and a string of birds comes within 
range the shooter fires both barrels of his first 
gun, hands the empty gun to a loader, receiving 
from the latter a second loaded gun which in 
turn he discharges and in some instances ex¬ 
changes for the third gun. The shooting while 
it lasts is much more rapid than anything we 
have in this country. 
Now suppose a few twenty-gauge shells to be 
mixed in with the twelves in the pouch from 
which the loader takes his ammunition. The 
shooter fires and hands back the empty gun. 
The loader drops in a twelve-bore shell in the 
right barrel and a twenty-bore shell in the left. 
The twenty-bore shell falls through the cham¬ 
ber until its rim sticks in the tapering end where 
the barrel begins and remains there. The 
loader does his work by touch, as his eyes are 
on the shooter and the birds. The shooter being 
Just as Forest and Stream is going to press 
comes the news that Joseph Sauter, of the Fish 
and Game Commission, has just returned from 
a trip to Great South Bay, where with three 
wardens he has been looking after the violators 
of the law who were killing shore birds on the 
beaches, inlets and marshes of Great South Bay. 
The trip lasted four days and is said to have 
resulted in the capture of five pot-hunters, one 
or more of whom is said to have shot at the 
wardens. According to the accounts there has 
been this year an extremely large flight north 
of shore birds, and they have stopped on the 
shores of Long Island in numbers quite unprece¬ 
dented in recent years. 
The trip was made from Islip on board the 
Forest, Fish and Game Commission launch Olive, 
and there was quite a large crew aboard. The 
first man captured was a foreigner who declared 
his ignorance of the game laws, but nevertheless, 
according to the story, vowed that he would 
shoot the wardens if they came near him. Be¬ 
tween sunset and dark two were gathered in 
and the three captives were taken ashore and 
turned over to the authorities. The following 
day, Friday of last week, the news had evi¬ 
dently got about that the game protectors were 
in the neighborhood and there was no shooting 
all day. It is reported that from the fish com- . 
mission launch great multitudes of birds were 
seen. 
Mr. Sauter is quoted as saying: 
‘‘There has not been such a flight of shore 
birds in many years as there is now on the 
waters of the Great South Bay, and we are 
going to protect them until they leave for their 
nesting grounds in the North. John B. Burn¬ 
ham, who has charge of the Forest, Fish and 
Game Commission at present, has brought up this 
matter, and through his plans being carried out 
not only will these birds be guarded while they 
are here on their northward flight, but when 
they return early in the fall we will be ready 
to stop any one from shooting them. 
I have charge of the Metropolitan district, 
which includes New York and Long Island, and 
Mr. Burnham, who is a sportsman and naturalist, 
as well as being the acting head of the game 
commission, has planned our campaign to pro¬ 
tect these birds for months. Some years ago 
thousands of snipe and other shore birds were 
killed every year in spring in the neighborhood 
Great South Bay, but this year the number 
has dropped to a few dozen, and in nearly every 
case we have captured the men who did the 
shooting and made examples of them, either 
through fines or imprisonment if they did not 
pay. 
“All sportsmen of New York are working 
with us in the effort to protect wild life, and 
never before have we been able to accomplish 
At this time of the year, when, alas! we shall 
have so soon to be putting our guns away for 
another season, it is as well to offer a little ad¬ 
vice on the subject, since the careful storage of 
weapons is a matter of importance, and one 
that is often overlooked when the gun is no 
longer the daily companion of one’s leisure. 
There are more guns spoiled each season by 
carelessness in storing, says the Shooting 
Times, than in actual wear and tear of usage, 
for of all the things that does a gun harm rust 
is the very worst. For keeping a gun in good 
condition for any length of time, both inside and 
out, there is nothing to equal vaseline, which 
may be purchased very cheaply for the purpose. 
The gunmaker always employs this substance, 
and that is sufficient recommendation for its 
use. The best way to apply it to the locks 
and outside parts of the gun is with a brush, 
the vaseline being reduced by heat to the thin¬ 
nest possible consistency before it is used. The 
coldness of the metal will at once cause it to 
solidify into a thin protective coat of grease that 
no damp will penetrate if it is evenly applied, 
but care should be taken that every part of the 
work is reached. 
The barrels are to be coated outside in the 
same way, and the interior may be reached by 
smearing a little of the vaseline on a piece of 
tow that fits loosely into the barrel on the 
cleaning rod, the latter being drawn gently 
through the barrels once or twice. For the in¬ 
terior of the locks, which will not need oiling 
more than once in the year, a very small quan¬ 
tity of the fine oil sold for the purpose will 
suffice, but the mechanism, if it requires it, must 
be thoroughly cleaned beforehand. The wood¬ 
work of stock and fore-end should be wiped 
over with a rag that has been damped with 
sweet oil. After all is ready for putting away, 
the whole of the parts should be wrapped in 
grease-proof paper, or, failing this, in glazed 
brown paper, and put away in the case. 
Guns stored in a dry cabinet will require no 
wrapping, of course, but when no case or cover 
of any sort is used it is best to make the stock 
and barrels into separate parcels, each being 
wrapped in newspaper first and brown paper 
afterward. If this be done carefully, the 
weapon will come out in perfect condition when 
wanted and be ready for immediate use after 
wiping over with a cloth. 
An Old Maine Bear Trap. 
I. B. F. Bates, of Oakland, has a bear trap 
made by a Lubec blacksmith in 1787 to catch 
bears. The present owner has also used it for 
this purpose. The trap has two large springs, 
one on each side of the jaws; on one of the 
jaws are five large teeth and on the other side 
six. The jaws have an opening of 12 by 14 
inches.—Lewiston Journal. 
