77 6 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[May 16, 1908. 
even into South America, there is no alterna¬ 
tive, unless the National Government extends 
the protection of its strong arm to this bird, 
and to ducks and geese as well, and to all other 
migratory birds, through the enactment of 
stringent National laws and tin? education of 
the people along correct lines. 
Rabbits and squirrels appear to have been 
found in about the usual numbers. Deer and 
bear are increasing rapidly. When the bill pro¬ 
posing to limit the killing of deer to a male 
deer with horns was first introduced, and which 
afterward became law, 1 was opposed to the 
measure 1 am now satisfied this is one of the 
best measures ever placed upon the books of 
Pennsylvania. Some does have beeji killed, but 
nothing like the number I anticipated. The 
number of deer killed in this commonwealth 
during 1006 was in the neighborhood of 800; per¬ 
haps 350 were bucks and 450 does. From 
positive reports received from several counties, 
1 estimate that not more than 200 bucks were 
killed in 1907 and believe I am within bounds 
when I say that not more than 30 does will be 
found to have lost their lives. The chief pur¬ 
pose of this act was the preservation of human 
life and limb. I take pleasure in reporting to 
you, that I have not, up to this time, heard of 
the killing or wounding by deer hunters, either 
accidentally or otherwise, of one single indi¬ 
vidual in Pennsylvania during the past season. 
The three game preserves that have been 
created under the provisions of the act of 1905. 
appear to be serving the purpose intended, that 
of providing a haven of refuge, into which game 
and birds of all kinds protected by the laws of 
this commonwealth can retreat and can find 
peace and rest at all times. We have carefully 
guarded these retreats during the past season, 
and 1 am pleased to say. that I know of no 
violation of the law relative to these incisures. 
Many men who had first opposed the setting 
apart of these sections under the impression 
that they would be used as private hunting 
grounds for politicians and their friends are 
now satisfied that the provisions forbidding any 
and all men to hunt thereon means just what it 
says, and that the game commission will surety 
see to it. that all offenders, no matter who they 
may be, shall be prosecuted. In my opinion 
there is no better way of increasing the game 
conditions in the State than by this method, 
and I think the number of preserves in the com¬ 
monwealth should be increased as rapidly as 
possible. 
The game laws of this commonwealth are bet¬ 
ter observed than ever before. Not alone be¬ 
cause of the efficiency of our protectors, the 
splendid showing of some of whom as made by 
their monthly reports and recorded in this office, 
to which I desire to call your attention, but be¬ 
cause of the help we are receiving from people 
not immediately connected with our office. I he 
very greatest help we have had from this di¬ 
rection has come from the State Constabulary, 
and I desire to here call attention to their 
efficiency. This force appears to be <to a man 
constantly keeping its eyes open for violations 
of the law protecting game and wild birds. 
Every request from this office for help has 
been promptly honored. Men have been de¬ 
tailed to investigate charges made and to police 
territories that I found it impossible to cover. 
Mv search after the murderers of some of 
our protectors has led me into some queer 
places and brought to my knowledge the fact 
that many of these people were criminals at 
home; that they were criminals here, and hesi¬ 
tated in the commission of wrongs and acts of 
violence only because they feared the strong 
hand of the law. These people are organized to 
defend one another, no matter what the offense, 
still they are learning that the proposition of 
resisting a State constable differs somewhat 
from that of wounding or even killing a poor 
unfortunate game protector, who had no friends, 
and whom the commonwealth refused or 
nesrlected to support in his work or to defend. 
The work done by the Department of Fores¬ 
try in the prevention of forest fires and the pro¬ 
tection of wild birds and game on the lands of 
the State deserves favorable mention at my 
hands. They are surely doing good work. 
We see everywhere play grounds and parks 
being created or extended, or beautified by the 
planting of trees and shrubs and flowers, the 
laying out of walks and drives, the building of ' 
bridges and good roads, the expenditure of tens 
of thousands of dollars for the purpose of re¬ 
stocking our streams with fish; all kinds of im¬ 
provements and betterments for the public 
good, each an incentive to outdoor life, to recre¬ 
ation. to better health, and better citizenship. 
Why should the State not contribute fairly to 
the pleasure as well as benefit of its sturdy citi¬ 
zens. who wish to take their recreation in the 
fields or in the woods with their guns? It seems 
to me that the State should contribute fairly to 
this purpose, placing deer and wild turkeys and. 
other game on State lands adapted to such 
game, and where none is‘found do-day. There 
are vast tracts of State lands of this character 
to be found; and I feel that at least one pre¬ 
serve should be created or purchased where 
deer could be bred for distribution throughout 
the State. 
Good Boy! 
Hingham, -Mass., May 6 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: “My First Partridge,’’ in your April 
18th number, reminded me of my own first par¬ 
tridge. My father and I gun together in our 
local woods. 
On Nov. 3, 1906, I killed my first partridge 
on the wing. I was then twelve years of age. 
On starting down a wood road we found a 
hornet’s nest of good size which we were going 
to take home. My father carried it and told 
me to go ahead and kill all the game. I felt 
like a -brigadier general. All of a sudden there 
was a familiar whirr. Quickly taking aim I 
fired. The partridge came down without a kick. 
In trying to get him from between two rocks 
where he fell the dog pulled the feathers out 
of his side. The. partridge wits a big redruff, 
and I would have had him set up except for the 
lack of feathers. My father and I shook hands 
over it. 
I began my career as a gunner by carrying 
the gun empty. This, was to teach me to carry 
it right. I was never allowed to carry the gun 
pointed at anyone. Finally I carried it cocked 
and now I carry it loaded. The latter way is 
much handier for the quick moving partridge. 
I enjoy reading your paper and hope to do 
so into old age. Elliott Henderson. 
A Dog’s Reasoning. 
Muip.kirk, Md., May 5 . — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I have been reading the controversy 
as to the intelligence of animals, and having had 
twenty years’ experience handling my pointers 
in the field I am convinced of their intelligence 
and reasoning powers. 
Any intelligent dog will do anything for his 
master if he loves him, provided he knows what 
is wanted. The only difficulty is to make him 
always understand what is wanted, because he 
cannot talk our language and knows the mean¬ 
ing only of a few words and signs. 
I owned a pointer that was similar to the one 
Mr. Hendrickson mentions in Forest and 
Stream of April 11, about retrieving from the 
water, although he would not on land. 
When he was a puppy and I was training him 
I did not permit him to retrieve the first season, 
so he would not break shot, and afterward I 
could never get him to even pick up a bird on 
land, but lie would always watch to see if I 
picked it up, and would mark down the birds 
when I shot them. If a bird fell in a river or 
pond, he would retrieve it to the bank in beau¬ 
tiful style, but not a foot further would he 
bring it. He knew I could not get it out of the 
water, and I could on land and he did not know 
that in later years I wanted him to retrieve. He 
thought it wrong to touch* the birds, but water 
gave him his excuse. 
A human being might have reasoned in the 
same wav but for the power of language to 
explain the case. This dog had no instinct to 
retrieve as some dogs have, but he had his own 
way of reasoning about it. The brother of this 
pointer was originally very gun shy. They 
were a beautiful pair of black and white puppies 
that I took from the mother as soon as weaned, 
and housebroke myself. They loved me dearly. 
But Bob misunderstood the motive of the 
gun and reasoned that, because the birds fell 
before it, it would kill him. 
1 often took him out with Duke without a 
gun. He was the better ranger and the more 
stylish dog of the two, but let the birds com¬ 
mence to drop to the crack of the gun and 
Bob immediately retired to the rear about forty 
yards, and between there and my heels he would 
remain all day. 
I had about given him up when he reasoned 
it out himself in the following way. He was 
crawling along behind me very close in a field 
after some shooting, when right under his nose 
jumped a cottontail rabbit, and he and the rabbit 
passed me like a streak, quartering across, and 
his nose was almost on the rabbit's tail. I 
would not have shot had it been my other dog' 
but I was a very confident shot then, and aim¬ 
ing just in front of the rabbit’s head I killed 
him as dead as a stone. Bob stopped as thougf 
he too had been shot, but instead of coming tc 
heel he picked up the rabbit and brought it t( 
me and then commenced to range out in from 
in the finest style and never afterward showet 
the slightest fear of the gun. The shot killec 
the rabbit and did not hurt him. He rcasonet 
instantly that his fear had been groundless an< 
he could trust me.. Had I struck him with bit 
one pellet of shot he would have been worth 
less forever. After all do not the intelligen 
dogs understand more of our language and sign 
than we do of theirs? Ellery F. Coffin. 
