May 30, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
855 
brook swollen by recent rains to the size of a 
river. The trail led across, but none of us 
wanted a swim, so we called off the dogs and 
turned back. When we reached the car it was 
growing light. The ride back to Barre was grand. 
With the road to ourselves we raced along at 
a clip that brought tears to my eyes. And the 
sunrise, seen across frosty meadows and miles 
of autumn foliage, was well worth the trip. 
Friday, my last day, was to be spent with the 
woodcock. We left early with Mr. Bennett in 
his car. Some twenty miles from Barre we 
made our first stop at a fine flight ground. It 
is also a good cover for native birds, as the 
boys proved in a novel way early in the season. 
hot on the trail. We went back to the car, and 
while Bennett changed some batteries we list¬ 
ened to the hounds. Soon they came back over 
the hill in full cry. We saw the hunter run 
down to head off the fox and the dogs caught 
it near the spot where they first found the trail. 
It seems the hunter had shot at and wounded 
the fox while they were out of our hearing in 
the woods. Ben remembered that he needed a 
foxhound and went over to see if one of these 
dogs was for sade. After a half hour he re¬ 
turned without the hound, but with an option 
on the best one, which he might exercise later. 
Again we were under way. but were soon 
hung up fixing a ground wire. Then a little 
plugged back to town with the rear wheels in 
chains. There, a fine dinner awaited us with 
roast ’coon as the star attraction. It was a feast 
to remember, and we did it full justice. 
A week passes quickly among the Vermont 
hills. The air is a tonic to the city man who 
returns home with new life and strength. The 
shooting may not be what it was once, but it is 
still worth while to the man who knows the 
ground and studies the game. 
F. W. Osgood. 
The License Law. 
Cold Spring Harbor, N. Y., May 7 .—Editor 
Forest and Stream: I fail to find any true 
SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE. 
From a photograph by F. W. Osgood. 
After hunting the hillside and willows with only 
a bird or two to show for it, they came back 
to the car which had been left at the edge of 
a cornfield. The dogs made a point in the corn 
and Bennett shot the bird, a woodcock, from 
the car. Then he stood on the front seat w T hile 
Ben walked through the field with the dogs and 
started the birds. As they rose above the corn 
Bennett knocked them down and the dogs re¬ 
trieved. It was lively work and a good bunch 
of woodcock was secured. The corn was cut 
and the willow thicket yielded no birds. From 
this we argued the real flight had not arrived. 
We spent some time watching a foxhunt on the 
hills beyond. The whole act was run off with¬ 
out a hitch. First came the hunter with his two 
dogs. They picked up a track and were away. 
Several hundred yards ahead a fox crossed from 
one patch of woods to another. The dogs were 
later a rear tire went down and the inner tube 
was replaced. It was nearly noon when we 
reached a small cover near a sawmill. Half the 
day gone and no birds. After lunch Bennett 
and I worked out this ground and he got a 
couple. I left one or two for the next man. 
Our hopes w r ere centered on a fine cover which 
w r e reached about 2 o’clock. Rex made a point 
as soon as we were over the fence. For an 
hour the shooting was great. The woodcock 
was there, big handsome ones. My! how they 
could fly. Rex and I were demoralized by so 
much shooting. Occasionally we got one, per¬ 
haps by accident. It was rare sport, and after 
it was over the State of Vermont owed me no 
rebate on my license. My companions had done 
better and had a good bag to show when we 
met at the car. A rainstorm, which had been 
threatening, now started in earnest and we 
sportsmen who do not approve of the work being 
done by Mr. Whipple in his endeavor to protect 
the forest, fish and game of our State, and speak¬ 
ing from this section of the State I am sure I 
am voicing the sentiments of all the sportsmen 
when I say I rejoice in the fact that our present 
Legislature has passed the bill which provides 
for licensing those w-ho wish to hunt. 
I have read some articles in Forest and Stream 
and other magazines condemning the idea of 
taxing the hunters, but I have failed to find an 
editorial which does not favor the idea. Verily, 
I believe that all true sportsmen who wish to 
see the fish and game protected adequately are 
in favor of the idea. Silas B. Carey. 
All the game laws of the United States and 
Canada, revised to date and nozu in force, are 
given in the Game Lazos in Brief. See adv . 
