unting in the Danish West Indies. 
—How the Ex-Lieutenant Bagged the Decoys. 
One lovely day a party, consisting of myself 
id three friends, started from the town of 
iristiansted for a small lake a few miles away 
the eastern part of the island, having re¬ 
ived information of the presence thereon of 
lcks in large quantities. The party were all 
thusiastic sportsmen. The oldest, Captain A., 
retired Danish sea captain, was a character 
>t often met with. Vast of stature and limb, 
th every bodily faculty unimpaired by his 
ree-score years, rugged and stern of feature, 
t with kindly eyes twinkling in his weather- 
aten countenance, fiery of temper under con- 
idiction, but possessing the kindest heart, he 
is a splendid specimen of the descendants of 
e old Scandinavian vikings, and one looking 
his giant frame could readily conceive the 
ength and endurance required to carry the 
avy mail and wield the ponderous battle axe 
those days of the old Norse heroes. His son 
iton, another of the party, was cast in the 
ne huge mould and possessed the same kindly 
ture. The third member, Lieutenant Neilson, 
retired Danish army officer, was a man of 
ge girth and handsome face, polished in man- 
r, and with a love of field sports that not even 
fs superabundant avoirdupois could subdue. 
The party drove to the field of operation in 
o phaetons, followed closely by a cart con ■ 
ning a couple of darkies, with a good cold 
ich. I accompanied the captain who had care- 
lly placed under his feet a dozen decoy ducks 
the latest improved pattern, imported from 
vv York and on the merits of which he ex- 
dated as we drove along. 
The smooth road led, with many a turn, 
ough a part of the island once flourishing 
the good old days when sugar was king, be- 
e the production of beet root had usurped 
sway of cane, and when the polariscope was 
thing unknown, and each hogshead of raw 
scovado tumbled out of a “curing house” for 
pment represented a hundred dollars to the 
nter; but now, alas, with every eminence 
'Wned by the ruins of a windmill cone—the 
endid masonry of which defies all ravages 
time and weather—and the mouldering walls 
a boiling house, manager’s residence, and 
:ro quarters almost buried in rank growths 
acacia, cacti and euphorbiae. 
)ccasionally the road wound within a few 
ds of some lagoon, or deep inlet of the sea, 
blue waters fringed by dense growths of 
ngroves, between whose arching roots purple 
! scarlet crabs scuttled away at sound of the 
eels, or a great blue heron or purple water- 
, orange-crested and with sardonic laugh, 
tld rise quickly and sail further out on the 
Hows, while often across the road would 
ak swiftly the mongoose, 
rrived on the edge of the pond, the horses 
e unhitched by the darkies and fed with 
ss brought in the cart, and the party sepa¬ 
rated. Anton and I waded out to the center 
of the pond and took our respective stations on 
two small islets. 
From our cover we could see one of the 
darkies, under the old captain’s direction, plac¬ 
ing the decoys in a small inlet, and in the oppo¬ 
site direction the lieutenant was wading along 
through the bushes near the shore on the alert 
for game. As we waited many purple coots 
swam out from the shore facing us, offering a 
tempting shot, but we refrained, on the mutual 
understanding that a shot then might spoil our 
chances at the ducks. Suddenly the report of 
the lieutenant’s gun was heard, and a flock of 
large whistling ducks rose and circled the pond 
toward us, to be greeted as they passed young 
Anton by two barrels, and as they swung off 
my chance came. On gathering in the spoil we 
counted seven ducks. The flock flew on up 
the pond, and turning at its upper end came 
down the shore, settling in a cove a couple of 
hundred yards above the captain, who, with the 
darky, lay concealed in the mangroves patiently 
watching his decoys. We could see the black 
boy earnestly pointing out where the flock had 
settled, and the captain set out to stalk them. 
At the same time the lieutenant retraced his 
steps, and after some time came in sight of the 
decoys, whereupon he promptly dropped under 
cover. 
I looked across at Anton, who was pointing 
out this phase of the proceedings, and already 
shaking and swaying with unholy glee. With 
the ponderous lightness of an elephant the cor¬ 
pulent army man, who was also somewhat short¬ 
sighted, crept along toward the supposed ducks, 
his face glowing with heat and excitement; and 
when within range lifted his gun and poured 
two charges of heavy duck shot into the de¬ 
coys. At the same instant the captain was pre¬ 
paring for action, having almost got within 
range of the ducks, when, startled by the double 
report, they rose and sped away unharmed up 
the pond. 
The irritated old gentleman turned, and by 
the commotion among his decoys took in the 
situation at a glance, and we could see him 
stride toward the crest-fallen lieutenant, shak¬ 
ing his ponderous fist, while deep tones of his 
voice reached us as he gave the unfortunate 
officer his unvarnished opinion of his unsports¬ 
manlike mistake. As soon as we could recover 
from the fit of laughter by which we were over¬ 
come, Anton and I waded ashore, where we 
had considerable difficulty in pacifying the irate 
captain. 
On the way home, as we passed by one of the 
lagoons before mentioned, knowing it to be a 
favorite haunt of the large mangrove duck, I 
persuaded the captain to wait while I waded 
through the bushes, and presently heard the 
deep quack! quack! of these birds. The next 
instant on looking up I saw two ducks, and ob¬ 
taining a snapshot heard one drop into the man¬ 
groves, while the other duck flew directly over 
the captain’s head and was dropped. 
J. C. DuBois. 
Game and Fish in Ontario. 
I he annual reports of E. Tinsley, Superin¬ 
tendent of the Game and Fisheries of the 
Province of Ontario, Canada, always furnish 
good reading. His report for 1907 is the first 
one to be made since the consolidation of both 
departments. We extract parts of it as follows: 
I regret the necessity of having to refer to the 
impossibility of effectively enforcing the fish¬ 
ery laws and regulations in the Province of 
Ontario, in consequence of the unsatisfactory 
conditions that have prevailed in this Province 
for some years, viz., abolishing close seasons 
for whitefish in the waters of Lakes Erie and 
St. Clair, bordering on the counties of Essex, 
Kent, Haldimand and Monck, and for pickerel 
in Lake Huron and River St. Clair off the coun¬ 
ty of Lambton. I have very decided opinions 
regarding close seasons, viz., that nature’s laws 
should be strictly observed while fish are en¬ 
gaged in propagating and perpetuating their 
species. I fail to see the difference between 
taking fish full of spawn, unless it is utilized in 
the hatcheries, and shooting game and other 
birds on their nests. I am aware that many of 
our fishculturists are under the impression that 
the work accomplished by the fish hatcheries is 
a great improvement on nature. I do not agree 
with them. No doubt the hatcheries should be 
utilized to hatch the spawn procured from fish 
caught during the open season, but I have 
doubts of the wisdom of taking fish off their 
spawning beds during the close seasons, even to 
supply hatcheries. The close season cannot be 
too rigidly enforced, notwithstanding the annual 
crop of hard luck stories advanced by the fish¬ 
ermen as a reason to be allowed to fish during 
a part of the inadequate close seasons. Differ¬ 
ence of temperature has been advanced as a 
reason against a uniform close season, but this 
cannot possibly prevail as an excuse or reason 
for having a month’s close season for whitefish 
bordering on the shores of several counties, and 
exempting the waters of the same lake from 
close seasons in front of other counties. 
The Nepigon River had this year many of its 
1 egular visitors, and in addition many new faces 
were seen. The excellent fishing was a source 
of much pleasure to those who were able to 
visit this renowned stream. The cold backward 
season prevented many from going who had 
made arrangements to spend a few weeks in 
that locality. 
The work of restocking the inland waters with 
parent bass had to be abandoned this year, 
owing to the cold backward spring, which 
caused these fish to delay their coming to their 
spawning grounds until it was too late to carry 
this important work on with any probable de¬ 
gree of success. The undersigned has been con¬ 
sidering whether it would not be better to do 
some of this work with fingerlings, and with 
this object in view inquiry has been instituted 
to find where suitable ponds could be secured for 
the propagation of these fish, which to many 
anglers afford the most enjoyable of all sports. 
