Jan. 25, 1908.] 
139 
art is while in the woods on the annual vacation. 
I speak from the experience of years. My rifle 
is not fired from the time I leave the woods till 
my return. And at least one boy is to-day a 
fine shot who got his training from me during 
vacation in the woods, the only place where I 
could give it or he receive it. But suppose I 
had not been allowed a rifle outside my own 
house except in open season? The conclusion is 
so self-evident that it needs no statement. And 
this is only a specimen case. The boy referred 
to is not in the woods in the open season. School 
duties require his return to the city. He has 
never shot at a deer, though seeing them re¬ 
peatedly. Nor will he until he can go in the 
season and do it legally. 
Such a law as proposed from Norwich will not 
do. It is courtesy to the American spirit and 
to enlightened public interest. I approve the idea 
of a gun license both for residents and nonresi¬ 
dents. I am confident that no reasonable citizen 
of the Empire State will object to a moderate 
license fee, and if nonresidents object to their fee 
they do not have to come. Such a law, empower¬ 
ing the proper officers to demand exhibition of 
the license whenever the gun was abroad, would 
tend to keep irresponsible parties out of the 
woods, and if any did go would facilitate their 
control. By all means a license law, but let us 
not destroy the’opportunity for vacation instruc¬ 
tion and practice. Having a rifle in the woods 
is not prima facie evidence of intention to violate 
the law. Juvenal. 
A Hard Luck Bear Story. 
Altoona, Pa., Jan. 3 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Black bears in the Allegheny Moun¬ 
tains in the vicinity of Altoona have been much 
in evidence the last few days. Sunday, Dec. 29, 
a very large one appeared at the Pennsylvania 
Railroad Company’s reservior at Bellwood, was 
followed and killed by several men who, fail¬ 
ing to be able to divide the spoils to the satis¬ 
faction of all concerned, one of the parties en¬ 
tered suit before a justice of the peace for his 
share. After* testifying that the shooting was 
done on Sunday each was fined $25 for hunting 
on Sunday. 
A local paper had this to say of the incident: 
A huge black bear wandered into town at 5 o’clock 
Sunday evening and created much excitement on the 
East Side. His bearship came from the direction of 
Brush Mountains, and though his coming was unan¬ 
nounced, he soon had things going his way. Fully a 
hundred men and boys pursued the bear as it dashed 
through the streets. Over a hundred shots were fired 
at it, but not until it had passed the city limits and 
reached the farm of George Saum was its career checked 
by a rifle bullet. The advance guard in the pursuit 
was composed of J. McGregor, Michael Willis, F. A. 
Brink and H. J. Braum, and Mr. McGregor is accredited 
with having fired the shot that killed Bruin. 
When the bear was going like all possessed down 
Fifth street he encountered a party composed of F. G. 
Myers, Richard Guthridge, A. S. Stich, A. S. Miller, W. 
Rittigan, C. O. Jacobs, C. Beaver and S. Claycomb. 
I hey were unarmed, but impeded the animal’s progress 
and enabled the doughty nimrods in the rear to gain 
ground. 
Jack Smith tackled the bear with a baseball bat, but the 
argument became too warm for safety, and he retreated. 
Frank Betting mixed up with the animal, and will make 
a visit to the haberdasher before he is right again. 
The animal weighed 310 pounds, and measured G feet 
inches from the tip of his nose to the end of his left 
rear foot. 
H. ' F. Coon. 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
The N. A. F. and G. P. A. Meeting. 
Quebec, Jan. 20. —Editor Forest and Stream: 
The coming meeting of the North American 
Fish and Game Protective Association at Albany 
promises to be one of the most important and 
most interesting in its history. The president, 
Hon. Jotham P. Allds, is taking a very deep 
personal interest in the approaching convention, 
and the New York members of the association have 
also organized certain attractions for the occasion. 
The meeting will open in the City Hall on the 
morning, of Wednesday, Feb. 12, and will con¬ 
tinue for two days. On behalf of the city of 
Albany the members of the association will be 
met and welcomed by Mayor Gaus. At noon 
on Wednesday Governor Hughes will receive the 
association in the large room of the Executive 
suite at the Capitol, where he will meet each 
member personally, and after an exchange of 
greetings will address the association. Owing 
to the Governor’s engagements in New York and 
Brooklyn, where Ije makes two addresses that 
evening, the reception at the Capitol will be his 
only opportunity of extending any courtesy to 
the members, but he has expressed his regret 
about the conflict of dates, because he has a very 
deep interest in the objects for which the asso¬ 
ciation exists. The reading of reports and of 
papers will doubtless fill in the balance of the 
morning and afternoon sittings of the first day. 
On Wednesday evening the convention will 
probably meet in the Assembly Chamber to lis¬ 
ten to the Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner, 
Hon. James S. Whipple, who will make an ad¬ 
dress upon forestry, game and forest preserva¬ 
tion, illustrated by a large number of views of 
the Adirondack region, together with others 
covering the nursery methods of Germany, 
Switzerland and France, as well as. views of 
forest plantations of more mature growth. The 
President hopes that outside of those who have 
to address Lincoln Day dinners there will be 
quite a full attendance of members of the Legis¬ 
lature at Wednesday evening’s sitting, with its 
interesting papers. The Hon. Leroy T. Carle- 
ton, an ex-president of the association and chief 
game commissioner of Maine, has been invited 
to speak upon the license system for both resi¬ 
dent and nonresident sportsmen, which is in 
vogue in his State, and as New York sportsmen 
are advocating the passage of a license law for 
their State, there is no doubt that many of the 
prominent members of the Legislature will lis¬ 
ten with great interest to such a paper. 
The association is pretty well assured that 
papers may be expected from specialists con¬ 
nected with the United States Fish Commission, 
while on Thursday it is understood that Mr. 
Wm. T. Hornaday will be heard on some big 
game subject. There are also to be papers from 
Prof. E. E. Prince, of Ottawa, Superintendent 
of Fisheries of Canada, on the “Qualifications 
of a Fish Culturist,” and probably also on some 
curious features recently discovered in the eggs 
and young of fishes, and from Mr. A. Kelly 
Evans, of Toronto, on “The Problem of the 
International Control of the Fisheries of the 
Great Lakes.” Mr. C. H. Wilson, of Glens 
Falls, has an interesting contribution to offer, 
and something of more than ordinary importance 
is hoped for from the Hon. W. E. Meehan, Com¬ 
missioner of Fisheries of Pennsylvania. 
The social features of the convention have not 
all been fully arranged as yet, but it is hoped 
tljat they may include a trip to Schenectady for 
the inspection of the General Electric Works, 
and possibly the American Locomotive Works 
at that place as well. E. T. D. Chambers. 
New York Legislature. 
Mr. Bashford has introduced a bill in the 
Assembly which provides that there shall be no 
close season for hares and rabbits in Columbia 
county. 
Mr. Boshart has introduced a bill in the As¬ 
sembly which is intended to punish persons who 
kill or wound others while in pursuit of game. 
Mr. Hart has introduced a bill providing that 
Section 89 of the forest, fish and game law shall 
be so amended that all persons who hunt must 
procure licenses. For a resident the fee is $1.10; 
for a nonresident, unnaturalized person or alien, 
$20.50, inclusive of county clerks’ fees. Land¬ 
holders may hunt on their own lands in the open 
season without licenses. Penalties range from 
$25 to $100 fine, or imprisonment not to exceed 
sixty days. The fund derived from licenses to 
be remitted to the Forest, Fish and Game Com¬ 
mission, and by it turned over to the State 
treasurer. Fines relating to licenses to be divided 
between the State and the informer. Licenses 
to be good for one hunting season. 
Endurance of a Bird Dog. 
Milford, Conn., Jan. 3. —Editor Forest and 
Stream: During the heavy southeast storm on 
Long Island Sound two weeks ago, when the 
tow of seven barges came to grief off Wood- 
mount, Milford, and all sank but one, it seems 
there was a setter dog on one of those barges. 
A Mr. S. L. Merwin, driving by the shore at 
that place, saw something clinging to a bag near 
the shore among the wreckage from the barges. 
He went to investigate and saw it was a bird 
dog. He worked for a half hour getting the dog 
ashore, as he was so tired and full of water 
after his two and one-half miles’ swim that he 
could not stand. Mr. Merwin put him in his 
wagon and drove home. 
It was two days before the dog could eat or 
move around. To-day he is as well and frisky 
as a dog can be and never loses a chance to 
show how thankful he is to Mr. Merwin for 
his kindness to him, and a sportsman can tell 
when his dog talks to him and thanks him for 
a kindness by a wag of his tail and a look from 
the corner of his eye. F. S. Downs. 
Biological Survey Literature. 
In performance of the important duty of col¬ 
lecting and disseminating information relating to 
game, the annual summary of game laws, posters 
of close seasons, and directory of officers and 
organizations concerned in the protection of game 
have been published as usual, and also various 
pamphlets relating to special features of game 
protection. In the near future it is intended to 
secure and publish information concerning hunt¬ 
ing license statistics, game refuges and preserves, 
introduction and propagation of game birds, 
duties of the modern game warden, and the cage 
bird traffic of the United States. 
The constant demand for information on these 
and kindred matters shows how important is 
this phase of the work. It is impossible to meet 
this demand satisfactorily with the present limited 
force and available means, and an increase in 
both is much needed. 
