Sept. 17. 1910.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
455 
killed, but I observe the old time ethics of the 
hunter never to kill game that frequents your 
home place. Mountain quail, the “plumed knight 
of the hills,” are plentiful, but the law makes 
them immune from the hunters’ skill for the 
present. Grouse, once abundant hereabouts, but 
for many years very scarce, are coming in again. 
I saw a brace a few days ago. They were as 
big as barnyard fowl. Doves are to be found in 
flocks of twenty-five or thirty frequenting springs, 
the waters of which are tainted with mineral. 
As a matter of fact small game is really scarce 
in Northern California. 
Cinnamon bear prowl around our cabin and 
from their tracks I judge that they are after 
the scraps of bacon rind and ham that are 
thrown out as refuse from our kitchen. A trap 
will be set for bruin after snow falls, when his 
hide will be worth preserving. 
William Fitzmuggins. 
Autumn Days in Minnesota. 
Minnetonka, Minn., Sept. 10. —Editor Forest 
and Stream: Summer days are drawing to a 
failures of bees to bring forth offspring. The 
amount of honey produced is not up to the aver¬ 
age, owing to the dryness of the season causing 
' a shortage of blossoms. 
The island is now shimmering in floral display 
. such as to win the eye of even the most unob¬ 
servant person. In the two dry meadows on 
either side of my camp, the goldenrod is ablaze 
with flowers. Down at the end of the island 
there are great masses of pinks, bluets and dog¬ 
tooth violets. Along the meadows I have located 
the first true heralds of autumn—the soft, 
purple-lidded gentian. 
According to intelligence received from home¬ 
steaders in the vicinity of Kelliher and the upper 
and lower Red lakes, the forest fires, which have 
been burning in the wooded sections, have had 
a tendency to force the moose and deer into the 
swamps, and more particularly to the great swamp¬ 
land north of the upper Red Lake, where there 
is a safe retreat from fires. While these fires are 
reported not to be dangerous, yet they disturb the 
big game. As Agent Bishop, Red Lake Agency, 
is co-operating with the officials of the State 
Game and Fish Commission to prevent the 
others, we are troubled by that breed of the law¬ 
breaker who cannot bide his time in peace, but 
must get out and shoot the birds before the sea¬ 
son is open. There is more of this going on than 
people generally are aware of, and stronger meas¬ 
ures ought to be taken toward putting a stop to 
it than at present. Most of the wardens are 
very keen and do their best, but more could be 
accomplished if closer watch were kept and an 
additional force of men recruited two weeks be¬ 
fore the season opens. The damage these law¬ 
breakers work is very great. They do not know 
when to stop, and seem to kill just for the fun 
of it. After these men have been allowed wide 
range of the fields, the birds become shy and the 
real hunter is somewhat handicapped. I must 
compliment the wardens for the estimable work 
they are doing. Numerous arrests have been 
made and severe fines imposed., 
Quail are quite numerous, and while, as a rule, 
no hunters go out especially for them, yet in the 
search for other birds they pick up a few here 
and there. During one of my rambles I flushed 
three. The rabbit hunter often stumbles on a 
bevy when working along a sparsely wooded hill- 
On the Marsh. Plotting Against Robin Snipe. Putting Out the Decoys. 
SUMMER SHOOTING SCENES ALONG THE VIRGINIA SEA COAST. 
Photographs by Samuel W. Lippincott. 
close and evidences of fall may be seen and felt 
and heard everywhere. Owing to the 'Western 
forest fires, a dense haze has hung over the land 
for several days. We are having very cold 
weather and a heavy wind is blowing from the 
north, carrying the yellow basswood leaves to 
earth. It is comfortable to sit before a cheerful 
glowing wood fire and mock the efforts of the 
chill wind to bite through the thin summer gar¬ 
ments. This morning I made breakfast wrapped 
in a blanket, and was the only one who felt 
really comfortable. One of the anglers sat out 
in the biting cold and came back so stiff that 
every time he made an effort to smile you could 
almost hear the ice crack. 
Next door to the camp there, is a bee tree. All 
summer the bees have hummed about the cavity, 
storing up for the cold weather. This has been 
a very peculiar season for bees. One bee keeper, 
who has about seventy hives, failed to secure a 
single swarm of new bees. Others report similar 
slaughter of big game by the Indians, the deer, 
moose and caribou in the Rapid River country 
have been but little disturbed. A splendid hunt¬ 
ing season this fall is assured. Hunting licenses 
for ducks and chickens are being procured at a 
rapid rate, and the hunters are making ready for 
opening day. 
We are drawing close to the hunting season 
again, and licenses have already been taken out 
by enthusiasts. That the season will be a good 
one is indicated by the reports from every lo¬ 
cality. The dry summer has helped the birds 
which have brought through their broods without 
loss by flood. The young birds are now almost 
full feathered. Gunners have their trips mapped 
out in readiness for the eventful day, Sept. 7, 
when the yellow hunting coat, the gun case and 
the dog ■ will be seen about all the railroad 
stations. That • good bags will be the rule 
is assured, and I think there is game 
enough to go around. In this State, as' in 
side, when they rise with a thunder of wings 
and dart away like thunderbolts. 
That the duck season will be an excellent one 
I have not the least doubt. This State is the 
natural nesting ground of many ducks. There 
are lakes and marshes spread over every county. 
Some of these marshes are of great extent and 
are frequented by the ducks in their southbound 
flight. Duck hunters are usually well rewarded, 
and with such a great territory to choose from, 
there is no reason why one should go away dis¬ 
satisfied. Resorts for sportsmen exist every¬ 
where, and the transportation is easy # to many 
places. 
As in former years, squirrel hunting will be up 
to its standard, and the marksman with the small 
caliber rifle will find enough to keep him busy 
when the leaves begin to fall. In some sections 
the gray squirrels are especially numerous. Rifle 
shooting is the only means that should be fol¬ 
lowed when after squirrels. Robert Page Lincoln. 
