Forest and Stream 
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„ . TT o , VOL. LXX.—No. 17. 
NEW YORK, SATURDAY, APRIL 25 , 1908 . | No 127 Franklin St.. New York, 
A WEEKLY JOURNAL. 
Copyright, 1908. by Forest and Stream Publishing Co. 
George Bird Grinnell, President, 
Charles B. Reynolds, Secretary. 
Louis Dean Speir, Treasurer 
i 2 7 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, ltst-J. 
NOTICE OF REMOVAL. 
On and after the first of May next the address 
| 0 f the Forest and Stream Publishing Company 
will he 127 Franklin street, New York city. 
The business offices and editorial rooms will 
be removed to the new address during the latter 
part of the present month, and on May day 
Forest and Stream will be in larger quarters 
than those occupied during the past twelve years 
in the New York Life building. 
THE NEW COBB-MILLS LAW. 
The new forest, fish and game law of the 
, State of New York is, in many respects, an 
improvement on the old law, and in the main 
; will be favorably received by sportsmen. It will, 
however, require some study in order that they 
may familiarize themselves with its provisions. 
The fact that the general open season for deer 
remains unchanged argues that it is popular, 
but the division of the State by counties and 
townships will tend to confuse hunters. The 
general law on wildfowl forbids night and 
spring shooting, except on Long Island, wheie 
brant may still be shot in the spring. The bag 
limit on upland birds is wholly commendable. 
The fishing seasons may or may not prove 
satisfactory. In the Adirondack counties the 
opening date for trout is later and the season 
is shorter than elsewhere, while the special pro¬ 
visions affecting certain waters are' scarcely less 
confusing than was the case under the old law. 
The hunter and the angler must still post them¬ 
selves carefully regarding dividing lines which 
denote counties and other boundaries. 
On Long Island the obnoxious four-day open 
season for deer shooting still holds, and the 
open season for brant lasts until April 30. 
Shore birds may be killed on Long Island in 
summer, whereas this is prohibited elsewhere 
in the State! 
Under the provisions of the new law the 
Forest, Fish and Game Commission can work 
to far better advantage than formerly, and with 
the considerable increase in the number of pro¬ 
tectors the vast area guarded by these men 
should enjoy immunity from some of the eviL 
now complained of. The higher salaries re¬ 
ceived by the protectors should encourage them 
to do more effective work. 
The resident, nonresident and alien license 
system will enable the protectors to stop a great 
deal of the song bird shooting indulged in by 
aliens near cities and towns, and to keep a 
stricter watch over the Adirondack lurnbei camp 
crews, large numbers of whom are eithei aliens 
or unnaturalized persons within the meaning of 
the law, although they claim to be residents. No 
citizen can consistently object to the payment 
of one dollar, and the ten cents recording fee, 
for a license to hunt; and in view of the fact 
that nearly every other State requires a license 
fee from nonresidents, the New \ork nonresi¬ 
dent provision seems reasonable. It is to be 
regretted, however, that residents of another 
State must pay the same amount as aliens, and 
that the fee.for the latter was not made higher; 
higher, in fact, than the average amount im¬ 
posed in fines by justices of the peace. 
On the whole the new law is an improvement 
over the old one and is likely to render' con¬ 
victions easier, and to command increased le- 
spect. 
COMMISSIONER WHIPPLE. 
The term of service of the Hon. James S. 
Whipple, Commissioner of Forest, Fish and 
Game of the State of New York, expired on 
April 15, and on that day the Senate received 
from Governor Hughes a communication in 
which he nominated Mr. Whipple for another 
term of four years. The nomination was con¬ 
firmed. 
With full knowledge of conditions, a term s 
experience in the office, an abundance of money 
now available for the commission’s use, and an 
increased force of protectors, Mr. Whipple 
enters upon another term, which will no doubt 
prove of inestimable value to the people of the 
State. 
MONTANA BUFFALO PRESERVE. 
At Washington last week Senator Dixon s 
bill, providing for the establishment of a buffalo 
reserve in Montana, was passed by the Senate. 
As already explained in these columns, the land 
_about 13,000 acres—is a part of the Flathead 
Indian Reservation soon to be thrown open, and 
the appropriation of $30,000 which the bill 
carries is to pay for the land and to fence the 
preserve. The land described in the bill is the 
rough country where the Allard-Pablo herd of 
buffalo has always ranged, and where most of 
them were born. It lies north of Ravalli, Mon 
tana, and between the Pend d’Oreille and Jocko 
rivers. ... 
The bill was introduced at the solicitation of 
the American Bison Society, which has pledged 
itself to present to the Government a herd of 
fifteen or twenty bison to found a herd for the 
preserve. 
If the bill becomes a law, the society will set 
itself actively to work to raise the funds to 
purchase the herd. 
When it is recalled that the Allard-Pablo 
buffalo herd—although it was somewhat increased 
later by the purchase of a portion of the Jones 
herd—started from seven calves taken over the 
mountains from the buffalo plains in 187S, as 
so interestingly told by Chas. Aubrey in Forest 
and Stream, in July, 1902 , it can readily be 
seen that there will be here the foundation foi 
a splendid herd of buffalo. If the Government 
can be induced to set aside game refuges enough, 
there will be no difficulty in preserving this, 
splendid beast for all time. 
DR. GRENFELL’S REINDEER. 
There is a vein of humor in the remarks of 
Dr. Grenfell concerning his Labrador reindeer- 
published last week in these columns. But if 
the doctor’s pets are somewhat slow to obser\ e 
what may be termed the rules of the road, he 
is hopeful and feels assured that in time these 
strong and docile animals will be trained to 
serve the people of Labrador, and thus in time 
to bring about a change for the better in their 
condition. 
It seems there are good reasons for the be¬ 
lief that a large increase in the herd will occur 
shortly. If the calves born this year thrive, it 
is likely the size of the herd brought from Lap- 
land will have doubled in a short time, and in 
five years Labrador and Northern Newfound¬ 
land will be well supplied with reindeer. 
Meanwhile the efforts now being exerted to 
bring about the domestication of caribou deserve 
every success. 
The Senate of the State of New York has 
passed Senator Cobb’s bill which makes it man¬ 
slaughter in the second degree for a hunter to 
shoot and kill a human being, while engaged in 
the pursuit of wild game. It is not very likely 
that this bill will become law, and even if 
it should become law, it may be questioned 
whether it will greatly reduce the number of 
hunting “accidents” in the woods. Such a re¬ 
duction is likely to take place only when the 
shooting public has received sufficient admonition 
to induce its members to take a moment s 
thought before firing at a moving object seen 
in the brush. One or two States have already 
passed laws providing a penalty for such crimi¬ 
nal carelessness, but we have never heard of a 
conviction or a punishment under such laws. 
Nevertheless, the passage of these laws is not 
wholly without value, because it creates more 
or less talk about the subject, and it is only 
through talk that the public can be educated. 
Undoubtedly a time will come when these acci¬ 
dents will grow much fewer in number, and 
may even cease, but before that time comes 
many lives and limbs will be sacrificed. 
