FOUNDERS OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETY 
ADVISORY BOARD 
GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL, NEW YORK, N. Y. 
CARL E. AKELEY, American Museum of Natural History, New York. 
EDMUND HELLER, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. 
WILFRED H. OSGOOD, Fiejd Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Ill. 
JOHN M. PHILLIPS, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
CHARLES SHELDON, Washington, D. C. 
GEORGE SHIRAS, 3d, Washington, D. C. 
JOHN T. NICHOLS, American Museum of Natural History, New York. 
T. GILBERT PEARSON, National Association of Audubon Societies. 
WILLIAM BRUETTE, Editor 
JOHN P. HOLMAN, Managing Editor 
T. H. MEARNS, Treasurer 
Nine East Fortieth Street, New York City 
Member of Audit Bureau of Circulation 
THE OBJECT OF THIS JOURNAL WILL BE TO 
studiously promote a healthful interest in outdoor 
recreation, and a refined taste for natural objects. 
August 14, 1873. 
Vol. XCIII. CONTENTS FOR APRIL, 1923 No. 4 
PAGE 
Early Spring Trout Fish¬ 
ing . 165 
By Eugene V. Con- 
nett, 3rd 
Adventures in Comrade¬ 
ship (Part II). 168 
By W. Livingston Lamed 
How to Operate a Com¬ 
pass . 171 
By Eton Jessup 
Trapping the Three 
River Zone (Part V) . . 172 
By Raymond Thompson 
The Fire on Albany 
Mountain . 174 
By Paul Brandreth 
Auto-touring Ways and 
Means (Second Paper)... 176 
By Raymond 8. Spears 
PAGE 
Twelve New Tiny Nature 
Flies . 178 
By Louis Rheqd 
Trout Fishing Near New 
York . 180 
By W. E. Scudamore 
This Month in the Out¬ 
doors . 181 
Editorial Comment. 182 
Nessmuk’s Camp Fire... 184 
Letters, Questions and 
Answers . 186 
Strange Bass Waters... 194 
By Robert P. Lowry 
His First Job. 222 
By W. L. Rice 
A GOOD BILL DEFEATED 
T HE Game Refuge—Public Shooting Grounds bill 
came to a vote in the House of Representatives 
February 13th, and was defeated by twenty votes. 
This defeat is a real misfortune. It postpones the 
further protection of wild-fowl, and postpones, also, the 
opportunity for the man of moderate means to get 
better shooting. 
Many people worked for a long time to bring about 
the passage of this bill, and if a full attendance of the 
House had been present when the vote was taken, it 
would have passed by a handsome margin. Unfor¬ 
tunately, it was brought up near a holiday, when many 
nearby members, whose votes* were certain to be cast 
for it, had left Washington to spend two or three days 
at their homes. This loss of more than 50 votes caused 
the defeat of the bill. 
The measure’s most bitter opponent in the House 
of Representatives was Frank Mondell of Wyoming, 
the floor-leader on .the Republican side. As the leader 
of the House he could postpone or advance considera¬ 
tion of the bill, and having this power he chose for 
bringing it up the time which would most favor his 
own plans against it. After nearly twenty-five years 
service in Congress, Mr. Mondell was last fall defeated 
for Senator from Wyoming, and will not be on the floor 
Page 1S2 
at the next session of Congress to continue to oppose 
conservation. He has been active on some occasions 
in support of good measures, but his usual attitude has 
been one of hostility to bills advocated by the men best 
informed about game protection, and most active in 
its behalf. 
The defeat of this measure need not greatly discour¬ 
age those who have worked so hard to push it through 
Congress. Had the bill been passed in proper form, 
it would have provided for migratory wild-fowl refuges, 
where for nine months of the year the birds would 
have been safe from molestation, and would have tended 
to increase in numbers. It would have given the aver¬ 
age man whose means do not permit him to belong to 
an expensive duck club, the opportunity to shoot dur¬ 
ing open season on these public refuges, and thus would 
have furnished to everyone better shooting. It would 
have provided money to pay federal game wardens, 
who would have enforced, and created more general 
respect for the Federal Migratory Bird law, and would 
have made possible the purchase by the Government 
of swamps and waste lands where federal reservations 
could have been established. All this was understood 
by many Congressmen. 
The bill’s chief purpose was to give better oppor¬ 
tunities for sport to the poor man, yet its opponents, 
with small regard for truth, talked of it as a rich man’s 
bill. They declared, also, that it would interfere with 
State rights, although in its final form it contained 
provisions that the Legislature of each State should 
pass upon any proposed purchase of land before it 
could be made. 
The bill provided for a federal license to cost $1.00, 
to be paid by each man who wished to shoot migratory 
wild-fowl. This is about the price of one box of shells 
and would not bear hardly on any gunner. 
It takes a long time to familiarize people with a 
new idea, and to the majority of our people the sug¬ 
gestion of a federal gunning license and of the use 
to which the money produced should be put was new. 
Just as it took many years to enact into law the 
federal migratory bird proposition, first made by Hon. 
George Shiras 3rd in 1904, so it may take two or three 
sessions of Congress to pass this Game Refuge—Public 
Shooting Grounds bill—a measure of prime importance 
to the average man. It will pass finally, and soon after 
it passes the man of modest means will be benefited. 
WILLIAM FOSTER PATTERSON 
T HORFAU kept a lifelong w r atch on Nature, re¬ 
cording minutely what he saw in language loved 
by all who are privileged to understand. In re¬ 
ferring to the career of William Foster Patterson who 
died at Maplewood, New Jersey, January 17, 1923, we 
recall some lines read at Thoreau’s funeral: 
“We sighing said Our Pan is dead; 
His pipe hangs mute beside the river, 
Around it wistful sunbeams quiver, 
But Music’s airy voice is fled.’’ 
This man sang no song to please the world, but dwelt 
with Nature for the love of her and sang only to please 
himself and those around him. It was a privilege to 
be with him in the wilderness and lie was the valued 
companion of several men of science. 
A master in woodcraft, the Boy Scouts to whom he 
was always devoted, followed him like children, learning 
things to be cherished all their lives, the older boys 
later writing him letters of appreciation from the battle- 
front in France. 
