CIHM Microfiche Series (IVIonograplis) iCIVIH Collection de microfiches (monographies) m Canadian Initituta for Historical IMicroraproductiort / Institut Canadian de microraproductions hiitoriquas 1996 Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes technique et bibllographlques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of Itiis copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual meihod of filming are checked below. 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I I Opposing pages with varying colouration or ' — ' discolourations are filmed twice to ensure the best possible image / Les pages s'opposant ayant des colorations variables ou des decol- orations sont filmees deux fois afin d'obtenir la meilleur image possible. lax 14X tax Z2X 2CX XX 1 / ' 12X 16X 20X - X 28 X 32 X Th* copy filmed hara hu baan raproducad thanki to tha ganaresity of: National Library of Canada L'axamplaira film* tut raproduil grica t la gtnArotit* da: Blbllotliiqua natlonala du c«n*d« Tha imaga* appaaring hara ara tha bait quality poi*ibla censidaring tha condition and lagibillty of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract apacificationa. Lai imagai luivantai ont Cta raproduitai ivic li plui grand toin, eompta tanu da la condition it da la nattat* da raiamplaira tilma, at »n conformita avae lai eenditioni du central da filmaga. Original copiai in priniod papar covin an fllmad bidM>(iing with tha from covir ind inding on tha lait piga with i printid or iiluilrilid iinprai- iion, or thi back covar whan appropriata. All othar original copiai in filmad baginning on tha tint paga with a priniid or illuatraiad imprai- lion, and anding on tni lut paga with a printad or illuitratad impraiiion. Tha lait racordid frama on aach microficha ihall contain tha lymool — h^ I moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha lymBol V (moaning "END"), whichavar appliaa. Mapa. platai. chani. itc, may ba filmad at diff arant raduction raiioi. Thoia too larga to ba antiraly includad in ona axpoiura ara filmad baginning in tha uppar laft hand cornar, laft to right and top to bottom, ai many framai ii raquirad. Tha following diagnmi illuitriti tha mathod: Lai ijiimplairai originaux dont la couvartura an papiar ait imprimOa lont filmOi an commancini par la pramiar plat at an tarminant loit par la darniOra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'lmpraiiion ou d'illuitrition, lOit par la sacond plat, lalon lo cai. Toui lei lutrai aiamplairai originaux lent filmOi an commancant par la pramiOra page qui comporta una amprainta d'lmpraiiion ou d'llluitration at an terminant par la darniira page qui comporta una telle ampreinta. Un del lymbolaa luivanti ipparaitra lur la derniOre image do cheque microfiche, selen la cai: le lymbole —^ lignifie "A SUIVRE", le lymbole V lignifie "FIN". Lei cartel, planchei, tebleeux. etc., peuvent itn filmta i del taux do reduction different*. Lonque le document eit trop grand pour atre raproduit en un iiul clichi, il eit filma t panir da Tangle lupOrieur gauche, de geucne * aroiie, et de haut an bei, en prenant la nombre d'imegei nOceiieire. Lei diagremmei luiventi llluitrant la mOthode, 1 2 3 4 5 6 MiaOCOfT lESOlUTION TBI CHAIT lANSI ond ISO lESr CHART No S| ^ APPLIED IN/UGE In. 1653 Eosl Mam Sire. THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. THE GAME EIELDS ONTARIO JAMES Ontario DICKSON, LantI Surveyor, " 2J* ^^nt, the ihot, the Klorioiw 'haw, The <'ftpture(l elk. or deer ; The c»nip, the hi(( bn({ht flre. and then The rich and wholcBome cheer : The Bweet, sound sleep, at dead of niirht Hy ramp fir-, blazitiif high— tnbroken by ih- wolfilonuhowl, AihI the i«iu r>priii(hiitr hy." —Song uriiii<-iit nf Ahrnitiltiiri' in ttir ' tilrif huiuln-il uiiil i>iic. V JitMKH Dkkni Jill' thtillUIKl 0 90u505 Tin-: GAMI-: FiF.i.ns or Ontario. \oyajfinjf across the Geortfiiin Ha\ Uw vcars ajjn durin^' the lioliJay season, the writer ,li.,iii.ed to he sealed on the steame 's deck, near a );oiip of southern jjentlemen. They were exthan);in(f opinions about this Dominion, its productions and resources, v :J with an oc> asional remark upon the beauty of the scenery throuffh which the vessel was plou^'hin^' her way. One of the , arty said to another. " Can the- ({row wheal in Canada?" Krom the expression of the .pe.iker's lace there could he n.' -loubt that he was not perp tr.itint; •' ioke, but was honestly asking for information to the cap.a. bilities of the country, about which he .idently knew nothing. For a moment I was amazed at the idea of any white citizen of the continent grown to years of maturity hein).' so ignorant as not to know that that cereal was one of oui staple productions. But on second thought the idea struck home that this wa.s only one incident of many, which goes to show how close neighbours people can be, in fact, be associated to a certain extent in business and other rela- tions, be each persons of importance in their own sphere, and still live in utter ignorance of aught beyond their own immediate locality. I felt that that remark was only one more evidence of how nicely the world will continue to thrive and prosper without us after we h,ave gone off on our final emigration to that shore from whence there are no return tickets. And what is the case with isolated individuals is equally [5] • THE GAME HELDS OF ONTARIO. ■so with a larpe proportion of the population of our own, as well ot other countries. We Ontarions, in our self importance, are apt to look upon th,s Canada of curs as the hub of the world and Ontario as the hub of Canada. Ontario is conceded by all to be the banner province of the Confederation, and even its locality is not known to many a Bnt.sh subject, its boundaries, extent and re- sources even are an utter blank to many of our own citizens. Where is Ontario anyway, some may ask ? Well, it lies between the parallels of 42" and 52" 30' of north latitude, and between the meridians of 74" 30' and gs" of west long, tude from Greenwich. Let us take a run around ils boundaries. Starting at its southeast angle in the River M. Lawrence some twenty-eight miles west ol the junction of that stream with the River Ottawa following the main channel of the St. Lawrence, the centre of the great lakes, Ontario, Erie, Huron and Superior, and their connecting "vers to the mouth of Pigeon River on the west shore of Lake Superior. Then follow the chain of waters formed by Pigeon River, Rainy Lake, Rainy River and Lake of the Woods to the northwest angle of the latter. Thus far we have been following the international boundary between Canada and the United States. We now turn due north along the interprovincial boundary between the Provinces of Ontario and Manitoba to the Winnipeg River a few rniles west of the mouth of the English River and ascend the Winnipeg to English River. he nt"\ :T °™ "^^ """"''^^y •'«'"«" O"'-"" ^nd the D, ,„,t„f Keewatinto Hudson's Bay, a distance of some 650 miles as the crow flies. From the mouth of the Albany R.ver, we strike southeasterly across Hudson's Bay and ii i THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. 7 of Uke^Tem" ' ''°-"' "" "" '^"^' ""^ """^ f™- 'he head of Lake Temiscammgue on the River Ottawa thus affording "arL^llT "'''" ^™""'- - '"^ "-"■ ^-^ -'^^ vaT Only forty miles of this interprovincial boundary between wide and ^.f'"'''=^"""Bue. A channel about one chain w,de and one mile long, locally known as "the divil's sny " and the Qumze flowing from the northeast at the north end of the delta formed by deposits from those two ream Midway m th.s channel there stands, firmly planted i'The tal TJn "T "'"''•.'' ^'""^ P'"- -'h t'he words On! tano and Quebec cut on its west and east sides respectively and a f ,, .^e line has been run it is defined by sim ,y marked stones, at mtervals of one mile. From that mon^ umen, .he centre of the River Ottawa is the boundary b- tween Ontano and Quebec to within thirty miles of the mouth of that stream, then we cut southerl/foTlo wing he easterly s.des of the Counties of Prescott and Gleng^lrry to, as a surveyor would say, the place of beginning waTS' T' 'T °f °"'"'° '=* '"'°^ »1"-« -i'« oi- up- wards of one hundred and forty million acres of land and There are few parts of the continent of America so near less r h" "■'''''''"" "' ^"■'•■•'■^^' """= - k-wn o less has been wntten either as to extent of territory beauty of scenery, salubrity of climate, or abundance aTd z:::i^jr ""^ '--''-' -^ -"-'- - -"o^ A few newspaper correspondents and tourist with pen, Musk r, T""- ""'' P""^"^^" "^^ "^-t--^ of't"; f^w sar' ) • '"' """" "-^ ''"^"'■™ "f 'h« Public to a few sahent po.nts on the North shore of the great fresh- " THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. water seas which form our southern frontier. Some few Lw'^nr"' '"^'''^' '"''''•'"^" ■"'" '"« wilds of th" TaTa.amr"' Tt ""^" " ''^■"^ '"^ ^^ ""= -"-'- LakeT ^ Lake, down the Sturgeon River, crossed RKti^rr'"^ and threaded the ma^es of the French R. er mto Georg,an Bay. Others have plied their paddle ves on":;!r"^"°"^ '""P'^"" '^'^'^' and feasted their their w„ "" f "'' ^'■^'" ""^'P'S"" Lake or steered the WooH IT' "'; '"'"'''"'' "f ■•^'a'"'» in the Lake of the Woods. A few of the minor streams and lakelets have a sob broughtto the mind's eyeof the untravelied portion vL s oTTk'"- !"' '"^ ™^' ^^'^"' °f --"'-- and and , t-n r "'"''""' "h-h comprise our hinter- oth t,. ''""."''"'"''"''"""•''"="'='■ ^^""erness except to the abor,gn,e, the geologist and the surveyor. Even the itotrXs:"" ■"'"''"-" "—y skimmed around A few exploration lines have here and there been blazed out „, ant,c,pat,on of some commercial advantages, town- Ti:::'^:':'- '""''"'"' ^"'^""'-^ -rthwar's a:x oiuer sections became overcrowed. nJ!" "•'''"r' ""'^""a-'ts °f stalwart pioneers' becoming wildwo:d"t T '""• """ '^' '"' Packpenetrate into the w^d woods to change untamed nature into the manufactured attemr'"°'""i"J^'' ''^"'"' '900, that any svstematic nontslr ' ": °'''" '''"^^"'' '"differently known andw;rhr'°" r^"' distance from the settled parts, and with the v.ew of obtaining some accurate knowledge o lnOnrTM°"^'=" small parties, each in charf: of an Ontario Land Surveyor were sent in various directions. Each to open uplines for certain distances on a given comsefrom some heretofore defined point and from fhose THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. (i lines as a base, do a certahi amount of exploring also. They were only a few months in the field and a great deal could not be accomplished in that time. But it was a beginning, and in the right direction, and the gentlemen in charge of the parties were of that class who never slight their work, but whose reports can be relied upon as being perfectly accurate. The positions of several important points have been definitely fixed, from which future surveys can be more cheaply and expeditious- ly projected. Besides proving beyond all doubt that the Provmce has large areas of rich agricultural land to which we can invite emigrants from the old world, and in which the young men of our own Province can find scope for their enterprise without expatriating themselves and going to swell the population of some other countries ; and also that we have in reserve large forests of valuable timber .still untouched, also undoubted evidence of great mineral wealth in the bowels of the earth. It is ardently to be hoped that our government may see Its way clear to continue those surveys from year to year until every lakelet and brooklet, every mountain and valley can be as accurately laid down on a map of Ontario as were those of the British Islands after the great ordinance survey of that Kingdom. The cost of such a survey will no doubt be considerable, but it can be spread over a number of years. It would be an immigration agent of the very best variety thereby addmg both to the population of the country and develop- ing its resources. So much so, that the outlay in cash would be a mere bagatelle in compari^ion with the advantages the commun- ity at large would derive therefrom. Some of the writers about our northern wilds describe them to perfection down to the smallest detail, while others '" THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. evidently know nothinif whatever of .h„ u- -le.v on thei. -a.in'l.ions rfL ' .r^:",; "^r ''"* man from ,he city was attached to th^t .ff of Vf"""^ of the writer, ,vho had charire of n ''"'' Upper Ottawa. Describing' 1 ""'"^ '""' °" ""= paper article, he wrote Iju "P"""^- '" » --s- they covered some sack! of h " u" ""' """»'''" line of that article. '' ' ""*"• '^^'^ » from!rnar,'n: rL^h""?^^ ^-^ "^^ -"--" "ne drawn due eartfrl' hTtiit"!" v"™"""- '^ outlet of Lake Superior, to tht OUatr R ' •,?' "^ nearly divide the Z,tt h r , """"'' R'ver will very Province. No« o „?^:i^'^: ""-"'=" P^ "^ 'h^ there is the new settlellTa " h eld oJT T't'"'"" mingue, also those around For ArM . ""'''^*- g-oon and Rainy Rivers /.. IT """ "" "'' ^^^i. Lake Nipiss 7 a "prenth R-"" ":'"'^'"' '^"-- Parrv Sound, Muskoka V^ ' '" "'" °"'""^ °f -tin a large rat of t-l'd,'^?'"'' '■'"'' "'•'''■"""on, there is -aini.fa::::if:r:-;x;j'^^"=^'-'^^'^- I" th,s section the Algonquin Park is located Th . —....:» ;-r,::'::- fit- THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. II fi:ating game, conserving the water, and as a sanitarium. Lying as it does on the height of land between the valley of the Ottawa and the Georgian Bay, and including within its boundaries the head waters of all the principal streams in the Huron and Ottawa territory, also the great Opeongo Lake, there could not have been a better selection for the objects had in view. It is surrounded on all sides by a well-settled country, and is easily ac- cessible either by canoe or travelled roads, besides having the Ottawa and Parry Sound Railway passing through its centre. In that park and its environs to-day there are, at a conservative estimate, not less than three thousand head of moose deer alone, and a much larger number of red deer. It abounds also in "M the fur-bearing animals to be found in the temperate zone. Twenty years ago it was literally teeming with beaver. But owing to the indis- criminate and wanton slaughter of those interesting and valuable animals by local hunters they had been almost exterminated before the park was set apart and a law passed protecting them. But now, since the district has been in charge of an efficient staff of keepers, they are increasing so rapidly that in the near future they will have become as numerous as ever. There probably never was a scheme conceived by any government which met with'such general approval as the setting apart of that park. Politics, for the time being, were laid aside and all parties vied with each other in their endeavors to make it as near perfection as possible, i he only fear seemed to be that the territory set apart would not be large enough to meet the requirements. The section of country lying between the Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River, heretofore described as the " Huron and Ottawa Territory, ' is the principal home of the red \i THE GAME RELDS OF ONTARIO. deer. They herd tofjether and roam all over that district in countless numbers. They are also numerous in many other sections, but only in limited areas. In that territory is their princi(,'al breedinj,' ffrounds and home. Owing- to the wise restrictions put upon the numbers allowed to be killed by any one person during the last few years they are also rapidly increasinff in numbers. In addition to the .Algonquin Park there is another, "the Rondeau Park," on the shore of Lake Erie, which has been set apart for the propagation of game. There several varieties of game birds have been imported and their breeding looked after with very satisfactory results so far. Of course any variety of birds which can remain in the Province all the year round must be budders, as no others can survive our winters unless kept in confinement and fed by hand. Another large forest reservation with the same objects in view as that of the Algonquin Park, having an area of two thousand two hundred square miles, has lately been set aside in the Temagamingue District. Its southern boundary is some thirty miles ii jrth of the most northerly point of Lake Nipissing, and it extends west to within eighteen miles of the west boundary of the District of Nipissing, having its south-west angle seven miles north from Wahnapitae Lake, from thence due north forty miles, then due .--ist an estimated distance of twenty- five miles to the Montreal River, then partly down that stream and partly parallel to it to within six miles of Lake Temiscamingue. The projected James Bay Railway will pass through the east part of it. It will be thus seen that It is easy of access from several points. It includes the whole of that magnificent sheet of pure limpid water, Tamagamingue Lake. THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. 13 Lady Evelyn Lake, and a host of others, are equally beautiful, and all well stocked with trout. No part of lis beauties has never been marred by the axe of the lumber- man, and it seems the intention that it never shall be. .\ll varieties of (fame abound therein, and it is one of the inest moose districts in the Province. In those reserves we have not only districts set apart where gentlemen may go lO rusticate and put in a brief holiday, but where they can take their wives and their families, to disport Ihem.selves and enjoy the beauties of nature, and the invijforatinj; climate also. The lakes are all dotted over with islands, both fjreat and small, wooded to the water's edge. Ideal spots for sum- mer cottages— which, no doubt, the government will per- mit persons who will respect the law and aostain from killing game to erect. The ■ need be no unreasonable restriction put on the taking of fish, as no amount of fish- ing likely to be mdulged in by the summer tourist will ever reduce their number. In this reserve it will require at least three seasons continuous canoeing to explore all its waters and not go over the same route twice. The whole country lying north of the line of the Canadian Pacific Railway for its entire distance, from where it bids adieu to the \'alley of the Ottawa at the town of Mattawan, two hundred miles west of Ottawa city, to the west bound- ary of the Province, some thirty miles west of Rat Portage, is practically an unbroken wilderness. An immense extent of mountain and valley, of lake and river, extending to the Arctic ocean. Its loneliness broken only by the trading posts of the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company and the birchen wigwam of the aborigine, but so thoroughly has it been explored by the employees of that company, that the initiated can paddle his light canoe, with comparatively short portages, over the whole vast extent. TK5 GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO In nearly the whole of this vast area, moose and caribou roam in countless numbers and the annual export of furs by the company demonstrate the fact that the furbearing ani- mals from the smallest to the jjreatest are neither decreas- ing in numbers nor quality. What a mine of wealth is here stored up for the benefit o( future (generations, if any reasonable means are adopted to preserve it from destruction. It is drained by innumer- able streams of all sizes, from some large enoujfh to be navi^^ated by fifood sized vessels down to the tiniest rivulet. Lakes of all sities in which the waters are ^fathered tot,'eth- cr are there by the thousand. All the waters of the purest quality, all teeming;' with fish, many the feedinj: and breed- ing" grounds of innumerable water fowl, enclosed and over- hung by all varieties of timber and vines adapted to the latitude. It contains nearly everything requisite for man's comfort and industries. Ana yet of this vast territory where a kind providence has been so lavish of its favors, and which lies at our very doors, so little is known. During the last twenty years the writer has visited a good many parts of the Province on the outskirts of civili- zation from the upper waters of the Blanche River to, and away above, the head of Rainy Lake ; to spend days, weeks and months traversing its lakes and rivers, travelling through the wilds at all seasons of the year from the sweltering days of July to snowshoeing at 40* below zero, and pitching the light cotton tent on four feet of *-now, but a glance at the map of the Province convinces him that he has seen almost nothing of the country, and has never been in the parts where game is to be met with in the greatest abundance, and yet he can scarcely recall a day in which he dia not see less or more signs of some variety or other. THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO ir, I caribou f furs by \n^ ftni- decreas- e benefit adopted iinumer- h to be rivulet. toy^eth- e purest d breed- nd over- 1 to the )r man's territory i favors, 1. i^iited a )f civili- to, and iy weeks avelling rom the 3w zero, if *^now, Cv s him and has with in recall a ^f some While moose are now numerous in nearly all the un- settled parts of the Province, I am not auare that caribou have ever been met with south of the chain of waters form- ed by Lake Nipi? iiny and French and Matlawan Rivers, and it is only after some distance north and west if thoso streams is reached, that thev are found to be numerous. There is also abundant evidence in the parts of the antlers and skulls still found that Ontario was, at no very remote period the home of the wapita or elk also. althouj,'h there are none to be found in it now except perhaps an odd one alonj,' its western border. This is the more remarkable f-om the fact that in nearly all parts of the adjacent Prov- i ce of Manitoba ihey are quite numerous In that Province they and the moose sojourn side by side apparently u' the best of fellowship. It is also rather remarkable that there are no prairie chickens in eastern Ontario, although they are as .'ibundant as are our partridije all alonj^ from Manitoba to a considerable distance east of the Neepigon Fiiver. It would be an experiment well worthy of a trial for the government to procure a few pairs each of elk and caribou, also a few dozen brace of prairie chickens and let them loose in the Algonquin Park. Their natural food is there in as much abundance as anywhere else, while the cover is better, and the winter less severe than it is in their habitate farther west. I can conceive of no reason why they should not remain and prosper there. Should the experiment prove a success it would furnish a splendid addition both to the quantity and quality of our game. There have been a great many alterations and additional restrictions in our game laws during the past few years, and there is still i wide divergence of opinion as to their efficiency as they are at present, both as to the number one man may kill and the season for doing so. A great many hunters would prefer both a longer and a later season, and THE CAME HELDS OF ONTARIO. the rif^ht lo taki.- mort'thari two deer per man, while others are ol' tho opinion that two deer is one too many and that if a close season of several yuars was fixed as \y. the ease with moose, the increase in numbers would amply repay them for their enforced abstinence. Some o( the settlers in the deer cou:itry are especially bitter because they are not permitted to slay all they want at any season of the year. They seem to have come to the conclusion that K"amc was produced for them and them alone, and that none other has a rlj^ht to hunt on their preserves. They overlook the fact that a wild animal belonj^s to no man until it is captured. That the inhabitants of the towns, cities and older settled sections contribute towards the support and development of the country as much or more than they do, and have rijji-hts and privile^jes which can- not be overlooked, and that it is the bounden duty of any jfovernment to enact such laws as will do the grentest good to the greatest number. There are parties who feel as if a grievous wrong had been done them if they do not get a full bag each day they shoulder a gun or fishing rod. Others a^ain care very little whct.ier much or very little game falls by their hand. They have gone out to enjoy for a brief season a change of scene ;md change of air, to breatliC for a few days the air of the green woods and have a good time free from all business cares, and enjoy the sight of a deer or moose dash- ing away unharmed through the forest as much or more than they would that of a dead carcass even were the noble quarry brought down by their own hand. When there are lone of the denizens of the woods to be met with in their native wilds alive and free, one of its principal charms is wanting, and 1 have no sympathy with the man who would spill the life blood of one of those noble animals merely in order that he might boast oi having killed a moose, and have a set of antlers adorn his hall or dining room. THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. Itis urifcd by maiiv thai Iho poor »ctllcr» in ihc back country should bt pcrmilteJ to kill ilccr at all Ncasonx of the year. And without lookiii); into the matter this sounds reasonable. As the law is at present, settlers, also Indians in unor- ganized territories, are not amenable to any ol the provi- sions of the name laws in as mueh as they may kill all they r>>4uirc for their own use or that of their families, but must not otherwise dispi.s, ,,f any. And this priviK»,'e is beinj; abus..d in a manni- lat no doubt was never contemplated by '.he LeKislalure. I have known muskrats and beaver taken under this provision ; and when the parties were re- monstrated with, they coolly said they had be.n killed for food. Kill a beaver, destroy a skin worth from $io to Si j, for fifty cents' worth of meat. Had the parly who trapped them not known where he could dispose of the pelts, those animals would never have been cauj,'ht. I submit, and hav; ui^'ed, that the animai.- that are thus allowed to he tai.en should be clearly specifud in the act, ant! that they should be restricted to the takiu); ot deer, moose and caribou alone. This is a striking,' illustration of the wisdom and propriety of hed(f int; i ound unthinkinf; and improvident persons with such restrictions as will effectually prevent them from doinj; anythinj; the LejjHslature never contemplated they should do. As to poor .settler.s' rights, how many of them, or what percentage of our population ever hunt any at all? There are not twenty per cent, of the settlers in any newly opened townships who ever either fire a shot, handle a steel trap, or set a dead-fall. No doubt there are a number, but they too are in a small minority who annually spend ten days or two weeks in the fall of the year in the woods to have a deer hunt and a few days' fishing. But at no other sea- son of the year do those men ever handle either a riHe or It* THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. shot ^iin. And not one ot' mich ts ever heard complttintti^ thai itie ^'ame law* arc tiH> strict. Mere let me iiuite the reader to look annitid in eilluT toun or eountry and note how small a perLentiit^e of the population ever indul(;e in even this annual i>utin^'. I suhniit that I am well within tlie mark wlieii I sjiy tliiit not otw svltler in ten ever hunts any. lio throuj^'h any ol the tounsliips, even in thv.* heart o( the deer and fur country ; as** the first twenty settlers you me'.'t if they kill many deer, and the answer of three-fourths will be "I never shoot any; I have no limt- for hvmtin^;. t find mi>re pf-ofilable occupation in improvinj; my farm." Pass throujjh any newly formed settleinent, and if you find an ill fenced small clearin}^'. with small dilapidated huild- inj^s, a very poor showinf^ oi' farm implements, but a fjood up-to-date rifle, a few rusty steel traps scattered around, with one or two pelts of wild animals nailed on a wall, your approach heralded by a slim-fl inked hound or two, not always chained up, and you may rest assured that you have struck the domicile of the poor settler who is so con- -.tantly cryinj; out ajifainst the strinj^ency of the jjame laws. At the end o( a decade pay another visit to the same locality ;ii J you will note the improvements in all the surroundin^fs ol the man who devotes his whole time to his farm, while tlK- poor settler, who is ready at all times to abandon axe ot cradle for a chance shot at a deer, is still occupying the same tumble-down primitive little shack ; still uttering bitter invectives aj^ainst the j^'ame laws and all j,'overn- ments in general. 1 have known some of those to bring u^>wn as many as from fort^ to sixty deer in a sinj,'le season, but never knew one to produce a larj,'e field ol' fall wheat or ;iny other variety of },'rain. In this cate^jory I do not in- '- hide the professional trapper, who t;oes int( the woods ..lont,-- with, or a little ii, advance of the i rospcclue farmer, THE GAME HELDS OF ONTARK). H ilh iho wlc iihjiil or livinj; hy iho Iriiiis .W ilic iIkho, Inn only thiiie hIm Hlvlt? thcmitclvei laniKTs .in J «lui-c «ani 0 MuvcHt in liU' prows to a JcnuMi'itr.itior. that lanninj,' aiul hunting' arc two occupation which, to put il m!MI\, ilo not thrive well together. It woiilil proic an iiilalloycil hlc-sini,' to all Mich incil aiiU their lainilio il' ihcrc were not a head i)|' jfaine in the country. .Xjfain, it is heiilK ur»,'eU, belter let the settler kill the Jeer than have them devoured In woKe-. This style ol' ar(,'ument is loo ahsurd to he worth disciissinj;, althou),'h it may at first si^ht seem like sound reasoning;. Many deer are no doubt annually destroyed by ivolvcs, but the numbers so made way with arc steadily decreasing; as the wolves are undoubtedly (;ro«int; scarcer each year, and inorcover, lijihtinj; a candle at both ends is not the best way to prolong; its existerce. Mr. Wolf. thou).'h a very (,'reat rot;ue, is held responsible for many depredations of which he is not (guilty ; for numerous crimes committed by the settlers themselves. 1 h- ve never yet met the man who admitted to ever having- d (fame out of season or n >,'reater number than the entitled him to. ew years at;o the writer was scut into ont; of our re- mote jack townships to do some work. It was in the heart of the deer country, in the month of March. The snow- was deep with a heavy crust. The wolves were reported as " killinj; the deer out of fi.cc," to the I.istinj,' injury of the poor settlers. I never saw the track of .1 wolf durini' the trip ; but driving,' alonj; a maMi hiffhway one Jay I s.iw ihc newly slauijlitered heads of five Jeer stuck in a row, nose down in the snow- by the siJe of the road, set up there presumably by the wolves, a castiii:; of the (faut;e of battle at the feet ol the law. 20 THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. The followint; day business called me to the hoine of a settler. His shack stood on the bank of a hkc famous for its trout. .As I approached the little cabin I was welcomed by the hayinjj of a half-starved hound chained to a stump of a tree. The quantity of deer hair scattered around bore ample testimony to the source of his food supply. The owner, a f;reat, stout younfj man, in the prime of life, stood pipe in mouth by the side of a hole in the ice, bobbing a short line up and down, lishinff for trout. A fair averajje specimen of the poor settler who is a daily martyr to op- pressive game laws, and the wolve.i. There was abund- ance of work to be had in a lumber camp within an hour's walk of his home, but he was subject to a chronic attack of illness whenever he essayed to swing an axe or pull a saw, while he invariably enjoyed robust health while either trapping or fishing. On another occasion I had a professional call into an- other section of the deer country where there were some poor oppressed settlers. Here also the wolves were said to b; commiting sad ravages. I and my party had snow- shoed all day without seeing either a track of a wolf or deer. Towards evening in a .ail grove of hemlock we came across a dozen or so nf old deer beds, but not a single deer. Leading out from amongst the hemlocks were four depressions or trails in the snow as if a log had been drawn through it. All the trails converged into one, a short distance from the hemlocks, which headed in the direction of a settler's clearing. Need we pause to con- sider what those trails meant ? Here was a small herd completely wiped out by ■wolves at a season of the year when the hide was utterly worthless, and there was scarcely flesh enough on the bones to hold them together This is the first instance on record of wolves having drawn the carcases of deer through the frozen snow to their dens. THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. A couple of years ago some friends were out on their annual fall hunt, a settler proposed to keep their hounds until the following year. One of the party remarked, "the dogs may not be properly fed." " Oh," replied the settler, "there is no danger of that ; we have always plenty of venison to feed the dogs on." These are only a few specimen cases which might be multiplied to any extent. A keen controversy is being waged as to whether deer should be allowed to be killed in the water. And also whether it would not be a wise thing to abolish hounding. As to the former, it seems as it it madf very little differ- ence where the animal is killed so long as the number al- lowed to be taken is not exceeded. But as to hounding, there is room for a wide divergence of opinion. I never had a quick enough eye to make a successful still hunter. Neither could I see any sport in standing by the side of a run-way - and a man can so place himself at some point or other that he can almost touch the deer as it dashes past — and shoot it down when it is driven up to him by the hounds ; or sit in a canoe by the side of a lake or river until the hunted animal is in such a position that a few vigorous strokes of the paddle will place it as completely at hif mercy as is a fettered ox in the hands of the butcher. There are great numbers of keen sportsmen who would never get a deer if hounding were abolished. Gentlemen whose opinions are well worthy ot the highest respect and in whose ears the baying of a hound in full cry is the sweet- est of music, and some of whom are physically incapacitated from still hunting. It is a well conceded fact that all men cannot see eye to eye with one another, and different indi- viduals hold very divergent views as to what constitutes enjoyment. a-.i THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. It is the duty of every lejrislatiirc to eii:ict such laws as will confer the greatest amount of good to the jjrcatest number and infrinfje as little as possible on the riijhts of any. But it becomes sometimes necessary to have laws on the statute books that will prevent men from doing that which, though w:th the best of intentions, may prove detri- mental to their own interests. Huntiny deer with hounds has already been abolished in several places, and there has never been an attempt made to reinst.ite it. In the interest of future ifenerations I should say put a stop to hounding at once. In still hunting the intelligence of the hunter is pitted against the instincts of the hunted ; very often a well- mat bed pair. .And even s'i,.Ldd the game not have taken the alarm, it requires a keen eye, a light step, and not a little hard labor and endurance to successfully stalk such sagacious and wary animals as are our moose and deer. It is only at the end of a successful stalk that the hunter realizes that he has .iccomplished a feat that he has a right to feel proud of ; that his own unaided muscle and perse- verance have secured the prize. Some sportsmen allege that more wounded deer are lost to the hunter and die in some unknown thicket by still hunting than when shot before the hounds. Such niay or may not be the case. Different individuals have no doubt had different experiences, and each will argue from the standpoint of his own experienc*^. The writer has spent nearly all his life either in a deer district or on the borders of one, and can recall a time when hounding both in eastern and central Ontario was unknown. The sight of one or more in the clearings, or feeding in the woods along with the domestic cattle was so common as not to cause a passing remark. There were no breach loaders or repeating rifles in those days, but a THE GAME HHLDS OF ONTARIO. common fowling piece which would chamber three buck- shot or carry a bullet straij^'ht for one hundred yards was considered ^ood enough to shoot deer with. And they did their work, too. Kach township would averai^j perhaps half a dozen settlors who were fond of huntinj;, who could secure a deer whenever they chose to j^o out. A few would be killed by the boys on the spring crust, but public opinion so frowned upon this practice that it was seldom indulged in to any great extent. One word as to the long range riile, which is deemed so essential these days. In a country such as Ontario where there is no open prairie, with the exception of a newly burned district, it i.s seldom that the sportsman will get a shot at a greater istance than from one to two hundred yards, and a weapon that will carry true for that distance is as good as one that will kill at one thousand yards. To the average sportsman, a deer at a distance of even iive hundred yards is by no means a large target, when viewed along a rifle barrel, even when standing still, and a much more difficult mark to hit when on the run. Yet I have heard hunters boasting how they pumped lead after that blankety-blank buck as long as he was in sight. They perfectly well knew that their chance ot bagging the game was not one in ten, still they continue to shoot until either the animal is out of sight or their magazine is exhausted. No doubt many deer are mortally wounded in this manner that are never even looked after. No man would ever waste his ammunition at such a long range if he knew his gun at most was only good for two hundre ' ards. Were hunters restricted to the use of only sucl capons fewer dead deer would be left in the woods to feed the fox and wolf. It was suddenly discovered that the common collie dog would run deer for a short distance ; and that after one or -< THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. two had been shot down in front of them thev would con- tmuethe chase until the ^ame was either killed or had taken water. Then hounds were introduced. There aas a ijreat slauifhter for a few years. The game began to t'row scarce, then disappeared altoffether. I would ask any of my readers to name ? district which was formerly stocked with deer, and which still remains in its natural state, where they ceased to be, before the introduction of hound- •ng- If houndinj,' was put a stop to now, and the present rf stnctions as to the number an individual is allowed to k.ll remain in force in less time than a single decade our unreclaimed lands would be as well stock-d with them as ever they were. And many of our people who have now to travel long distances in order to secure a haunch of veni- son would then find deer in abundance at their own doors. There is no doubt that the feeiing in favor of abolishing hounding IS steadily gaining ground in Ontario and I was pleas-ed to see in the report of a meeting of a committee of the Game and Fish Protective Association of North America held the other day in the city of Montreal that a resolution m favor of abolishing the hounding of deer was carried unanimously without discussion There is undoubtedly a large portion of the inhabitants otthe gane country who have little sympathy with the game laws and openly boast that they are continuallv being violated and rejoice when an offender succeeds in duding the hands of justice. It is pleasing to be able to note that such a feeling is steadily losing ground. Those persons overlook the fact that the game laws have been cn..cted for the sole and only purpose of preventing such as they from killing the goose that lays the golden egg. Had they their own way in the course of a few years there would be no game to kill. .'ould con- had taken .as a great to jjrow sk any of ly !itocked iral state, of hound- e present llowed to cade, our 1 them as have now h of veni- vn doors, bolishingf ind I was imittee of i America esolution IS carried nabitants with the Ily being I eluding "eeling is .ws have eventing s goiden 'W' years THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. i5 Some people assert that it is the Indians who are killing off the game. This is a libel on the poor red man. Whoever heard of an Indian, so long as the white man did not encroach on his hunting grounds, knocking a fawn on the head for fear it would again get in front of his dogs and allure them from larger game, leaving both hide and carcass to feed the fishes ? Who ever heard of an Indian kilhng moose and deer lor the hides alone, leaving the carcas to feed the fi'x and wolf or bait bear traps ? So long as the Indian has the field to himself he only takes enough game to supply his own frugal wants and no more. It is only when the white man steps in to dispute his right to the hunting ground that he kills oflf all the (jeaver in a pond or destroys all the game he can in one season. 1. ,in so much be said in favor of the white hunter ? But it is not the actual slayer of the animals who ought to be held responsible tor the game laws being violated to the extent they are. There are other men higher up in the social scale who are as much and even more in the fault than they. No hunter will kill game unless he can dispose of it to advantage. The professional hunter does not kill for the sport alone, but to make money, and if he knows there is no market for it he will not slay. The merchants and lumbermen who are ever ready to purchase heads hides and meat at all seasons of the year and generall\ at a somewhat lower figure than the market value as an offset to the risk they run are more to be blamed than the hunters. If those gentlemen could be got at and a measure of justice meted out to them a large factor in perpetrating the evil would get its quietus. Some lumber camps are kept well supplied in moose meat at from two to five cents per pound. I know ol one case, I am pleased to say not in Ontario, where the owner * THE GAME ITELDS OF ONTARIO. of a small camp did not purchase a pound of beef for a whole winter, but never lacked hundance of fresh moose meat at one and oi-.-.half ccnis per pound. In those in- stances the meat is nearly all supplied bv Indians, as no white man would furnish it at those fijfures. In looking over the Game and Fish Report for the Pro- vince of Ontario for the year iS^cj the latest published, I find the names of a number of parties who had been convicted of killinfj moose, but who were let go on suspended sentence. Most of them seem to have been Indians. I fail to see the wisdom of this. Why should an Indian or half-breed have any more leniency shown him than a white man ? No doubt a number of them were, as I have met them, pursuinjj their nefarious work in the depths of winter, ofl' their reserve, where ihey could have no special rights, and were full well aware of the risks (hey ran. If they could only be induced to divulge the names of the parties to whom they disposed of their peltries in order that they might bo brought to the bar of justice, I would commend the wisdom of letting them off on sus- pended sentence every time, otherwise, let them pay the penalty -'.e .same as any others. If there were no white men rea.iy to purchase, this constant slaughter by Indians would soon cease. There is one class of individuals in our northern coun- try a considerable number of whom would be the better of being reminded of the fact that they have voluntarily assumed duties which they are expected to discharge in a more efficient manner, viz. the local justices of the peace. If it was once and for all fully understood that thev would take up and investigate charges of alleged illegal hunting and trapping with the same vigor as they would in the case of a common thief it would prove to be a long step taken in the way of putting a stop to it. There are a number THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. f for a moose 'se in- as no c Pro- bed, I been ^o on been hould n him , as I epths e no i they lames ies in ice, I sus- y the white Jians :oun- 'etter :arily ' in a !ace. ould iting case aken nber who unhesiiatinjjlydischarjje all the d'lties incumbent upon them. But there are others who seem to be totally oblivi- ous of the fact that the oath they took requires them to administer the law as they find it, in the same manner as any Judj^e on the bench from the h'^hest to the knves' does, and not wink at or condone or refuse to act alto" j;;'ethcr, simply because they, in iheir wisdom, *h\nk the hiw too se\ere, or occasionally take a hand in the i^'-ame themseUes. The law should be so amended as to make 't compulsory on a Maj,'istrate to enforce the law in accord- ance with the evidence in every case, or hand in his resij;- nation to the Attorney General. There is another class of gentlemen who ouL,'lit to be held responsible to a considerable extent for infring-ement of the Game Laws. I allude to some of the members c( the Leiji-'^hiture. When laws were enacted some years ai^o to extend a jjreater measure of protection to our }^ame, it was larj^ely an experiment, as any measure must necessarily be which is opposed by any considerable section of a communit}'. And it has been found necessary from year to year to make such alterations and amendments as experience suy:yested. We have always had two political parties keenly opposed to each other. But whenever a measure was su^rj^ested for the better protection of our game the hatchet seemed to be buried, and any discussion which took place was more in the direc- tion of assisting to make the Act perfect instead of opposing any of its provisions. And there has never been a single division called for in the House on any of the numerous bills which have been crystallized into law. But notwith- standing that fact, there are members who sat in the House and listened to the discussion on every clause. Never once was their voice heard either in support or condemnation THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. of a sint;le section ; but when in the f;ame country de- nounce the ffame laws as tyrannical and harsh, merely for the sake of trettinif a slight advantage over a political opponent or catching a few wavering votis. A member of parliament is qiiite within his rights in denouncing any law either in the House or out of it. But he is playing the demagogue when he denounces a measure which he himself assisted in passing. But notwithstanding the fact that the game laws are held in supreme contempt by many, game of all kinds are rapidly incrci.sing in numbers. .\ more healthy tone is steadily gaining [{round. The poacher is year by year having less sympathy or encouragement from the public. And the day is not far distant when the person who kills game out of season will be dealt with as promptly and vigorously as a common burglar. Exception is taken by some to the Province of Ontario exacting a license fee from non-residents. Such argue that they come in here, get their outfit, engage our men at good renumeration for their labor, and pay handsomely for everything they get. Consequently they should not be mulcted in a licen.se fee of $25 besides. We agree with them that they individually pay well, and annually distribute a h.rge sum of money in the country. But our game is the property of the whole of the people of Ontario and is as much an asset of the province as any- thing else, while the cash distributed by our visitors ijoes into the pockets of the few. Every individual in Ontario contributes his quota towards the protection of the game. This amounts now to a considerable sum each year, It is an outlay which is likely to materially increase in amount annually. It is most desirable that this branch of the public service should be made self supporting if possible, and not become an incumbrance to the general revenue.' THE GAME FIELOS OF ONTARia y de- lerely litical lits in But asure s Rre s are ne is year iblic. kills and tario rgue •n at I for : be and itry. leof any- ^oes ario me. It is )unt the ble, lue. And the only means available at present is the income from license fees and fines, We believe that by a reasonable license system, and a strict observanceof the law, a suflicientsumcan be ^'athered in each year to, at least, balance the outlay. Further, it is fell that a reasonable license system imposed both on our own citizens and foreigners, prevents indiscriminate slaugh- ter to a very yreat extent. So far nothing** has been said about our j^ame birds. \\'e have the Ptermijjaw or white Partrid^,^e in the north. They are to be tound anywhere north of the forty-seventh parallel of latitude, in many parts much further south. We have the spruce partrid^ifeand the common partridf^-e, or ruffled },Touse, all over the province. Their •^•iW has been prohibited for a term of years. It washij^h time this step was taken. I know of one villaj^'e where there are only two stores. It has not even a blacksmith's shop and country tavern, where one of the merchants exported twenty-five hundred brace of the birds in a sinyle se;»son. We have also in the west part of the province the prairie chicken, a much more luscious bird than is the partridge, and which, with a little trouble, mi^'ht be had in abundance in the east as well as the west. We have also the wood- cock, the snipe, the plover and probably a few wild turkeys still in the Niagara peninsula. These birds remain with us all the year round. We have also in their season wild geese and a numerous variety of ducks, which make Ontario their breeding grounds, great numbers of which are annually brought down before they return in the fall of the year to replenish the larder of our Yankee couiins. With the exception of our migrating birds our game never leaves our borders. It is here at all seasons of the year. M THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO In.hcmocscUccr, with ,hc Mn,.^ cxcvp.i™ of .h. .1^. ph,.n,, „c posses the lar^fcs,, ,ho nohl.s, and n,os. maj.s„c a„,„,al ,ha, ™„ns ,l>o wooJs i„ any cn.n.rv undo,- he s ,„ .Ma^.n„K.e„, ,., u.oU upon in life and rurnishin^' ho mos, ,,s.,ous o. mca, when dead. An animal uhieh is d and br..„-h. ...- hay, or ,n defence of i,s voun^. In the l^mer ease „ „-,|l be «ise to adop, ,he same .acties as on! would w,, a emale hear under similar eireums,an.es and . n;- ...heCamhelorea„emp,i„,, ,00 much Cannliari.v » ith Ihe V oun-er members of the family. We have also .he canbo. and ..racefnl red deer with numetons'fur W"V; ;""" -''™l^ i" unlimited numbers None Of ,hem have been hunted to sueh an e.teu, that thev are»,ro„,n^,searee. On ,he contrary all are steadil i ,' crcasmj,' m numbers. ''■auin ni- IS l.kely to remam n, .a state of nature- a huJ .-.me preserve which only renuires a reasonable amou^ o ':: -uppl) ot ^-ame for all t,me. and I submit that those who strwh^tfn '"" """"' '" -H---" -™..ribu somcHnat to its preservation. But it is not only in the numbers and variety of our game an,n.als, the beauty of our scenery and salub y "f borders the richest ':ii:;rfi:;:::'e:\^r,j^'^.;": pouttothehu.esiurX::;^™::;:—^::-''''"'' .a.e. on oursouthern horded: th;L^;'—,l;;;:,-- THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. rii numcmus trihm.irii-s on thi- imsi ; the siriatn> lar^-o and »mall. Ihi' lakes ami punds, eaili inriunKTahlc. many of them imkiiown whiL-h lie north of the hujfht of land 'and dischartre their water- into the Arelic Oeean, all teeniirij; with every variety of fresh water lish, peculiar to the temperate zone ; and as we approach the tide waters on the north, the lish of the sea also. Take a seal by a window in a .oach of the t'anadian Pacific Railway as it speeds on its course for the whole distance from the cast to the west boundary of Ontario ; watch the numerous streams you cross, the nmneroiis lakes of all sizes the track winds around, and there is scarely one in which ,i disciple of Walton, were he to cast his line, would fail to take one or more varieties of luscious fish. \ou will cross the majestic Neepiffon with Its pure, crystal waters the finest trout stream in the world. Take a seat in a canoe, ascend its smooth, swift current, and wherever you may cnoo.se to toss over the whirlini; troll or cast the deceitful, .dlurini; fiv you will find warriors worthy of your steel and eajjer for the fray. Now that the lon^'-standins dispute as to the ownership of the inl.ind fisheries has been settled ijj fiivor of the provinces, and their manaj,'ement put into the hands of an efficient deputy minister and a capable stafi of assistants, whose whole time will be devoted to them alone, they will be properly looked after and the restrictions as to 'indis- criminate slau^'hter better enforced. It is one of the most difficult branches of the public ser- vice to look after and manaj,'e. The tra[isi;ion of the seasons, as to date, change so rapidly, with only a small difference of latitude, that almost every half dejiree has a difl'erent sp.iuniny sea.son, necessltioinj; .as many diliercn; close seasons. * THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. KiOi lire the most proltii. of all creatiin.s, oither tcr- retrial or ..cHimtic. No class of animals contributos so abundantly 1,. the reproduction of its spciics And no other class of animals becomes so quicklv extinct, if their natural haunts are interfered with. A larj,e proportion of the food of the sucker is the spawn ol i-lher varieties of fish. While thev, in the.r turn are a prey to all others. Thus „,-,ture, when left to herself keeps "p an even balance. It is oiilx when man. the noble while man, lakes a hand ■ n the tf.ime and brings his superior intellijrence and inven- tive (acuities into play thai the lakes and streams be^ri„ toslunvauydimimilion in the number i>f their fish. The habitant, who has his home by the side of our inland waters, may use his trole, his anj;le worm and nitrht line or even spear a few hundredwei^,'ht during- the spawning' sca.son; may in fact keep his table supplied with fish at nil times, and there is no appreciable reduction in their numbers. But let a block of saw lo^-s be stranded for a season and leave its bark on a spawning' shoal. .Alter the level of a lake, by cither raisinjf or lowerinf; its water.s, to the extent of even a 'oot or two; let the saw dust from a saw- mill be distributed throu-h it, or let the water be tainted to the smallest extent by depositinf; offal therein, or by deca, - intr timber on drowned land, and disastrous effects becom'e apparent at once. This is not so much in evidence with the coarser varie- ties, such as the sucker, pike, bass, etc., but with trout and white (ish it proves invariably disastrous. In some of our lakes, which were at no distant date famous for their trout, they are now almost extinct. But I do not know of any such, where the water has been allowed to remain in every respect in its natural condition. The restockinjr of some of our lakes with the same variety THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. Xi of Hsh sit they oucc contairu-J, also the ii)troJuLlioii ol other varieticH, has for a luiiiiber uf >«.Mr'* cii)fu^cU a ^>'Ood dual of Mihhc attention. Hut I huvcjfravc Uotihts as to the introduction of new species into our small hikes pro\ in>; suecesntuL It seems to me that wherever a lish'-. natural tood is to he found, or the water and h\tttoin ot a lake are con^'enial to its hahiis, thai variel) is iruarliihly fiiund ; aiul tliat where sueh eon- ditiiuis do iivil naturally exist, the attempt is likel\ lo pro\e a failure. As an illustration o( the aeeuraiy of this theor)' dull River, the most westerly and lonf^'esi hranch ot (he Trent waters, takes its rise in the Distritt c>i' Ilalihurton. It is composed o( a chain of lakes, every one of wliicli cotilains trout in tarffc numbers. Trout, suckers, hn^'' and minnows are the only varieties o\' fish found in any of them down lo Moor's Lake, in the township of Lutterworth. But no trout have ever heen found helow that lake. The distance between Moor's Lake and Mud Turtle Lake, on the same river, is only some eif^^ht miles. There is no obstruction between to pievent the free passinj^ to and fro of fish, arid yet no trout have ever been found in Mud Turtle, nor masqulon^e and bass in Moor's Lake. The dividinj,'^ line between the laurentii'.ii formation and lin estone lies be- tween those two lakes, and in that section oi countrj nvi trout are ever found where the t^eoloj^ical formation is limestone. Below Moor's Lake the principal variety of fish are masqulon^e and bass. i\'rch, sun fish, suckers, mud pouts and a small variety of hcrriny are also abutidant. But for the whole distance from Moor's Lake to the Hay of Quinte there are no trout. About twenty-five years a^o an attempt was made to stock those waters with trout. Some ten thousand trout fry were placed in Cameron and Balsam Lakes. A larf^^e •W THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. number were also placed in Sandy Lake, in the township of Harvey, at the same time. This is a beautiful sheet of clear water with a marl bottom and is noted for its bass It empties into Buckhorn Lake through a large creek, flo^, ing throu),'h a swamp some two miles lonjj, yet no trout have ever been taken in any of those waters. Steps are bemK: taken by th- authorities to restock .some of the depleted waters vv..i, f.sh and also to introduce some new vanetics during the coming season. And it appears to be the mtention to make a new departure and try the experi- ment of planting adult fish, instead of depositing fry to struggle through their babyhood in unknown surroundings and amongst a host of enemies. This ought to be an experiment well worthy of a trial Let a few dozen full grown fish be let go in a lake and depos.t Ihe.r spawn there and the young are much more likely to thrive m their native element, than if they had been brought forth in an artificial hatchery, fed by hand for a few weeks or even months and then let loose in a new body of water to shift for themselves, amid entirely new surroi.ndings. In a hatchery the watc ^s kept at an even tempe.ature, in a lake the temperature varies with the depth. 1 his alone is a powerful clement against the young fish, even had they their customary food without any effort to procure it, on their part. Some years ago an English gentleman took a number of deer hounds out from England to hunt deer on the pampas of central America, but the heat was so much more intense than in their native home that they could not run at all The experiment was an utter failure. In course of time one of them brought forth a litter of puppies. When they reached maturity they were all right. They could with- stand tne heat of the sun as well as any native animal. Might not this teach us a lesson in the reproduction of our fish .'' THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. Complnints are beinj; constantly heard that the fishery overseers are lax in the discharge ot their duties, that illejfal fishinif is constantly bcinj^ to a certain extent, be th.. ca- to forjjet that no man can bi- in once, and that every citizen ' «u enforcing all our laws. h, ..he at an illejfal hour, instead of. .in^ upon an overseer, they would .. 1 1 arried on. This may, but those pessimists seem ■«ore than one place at vI.mv hound to assist in I the) Juu; •■■ party fishing it as a lex-ir for an att.'ick tht lUtV.orities what per- sons are breakingr the law, .such practices »vould quickly be put a stop to, and they would simply be discharginj; a duty ihey owe alike to themselves and ncifjhbors. But it is not alone as a fiei ' • huntinff and fishinp that we claim for the Province of Ontario a foremost place. It has within its borders, in its mountains and its valleys, its lakes and its rivers, scenes of ru^rged beauty and ffrandcur that are equalled by few and excelled by no other country. And in the abundance and variety of its flora and salubrity of climate, it takes second place with none. Word painters may attempt to describe its beauties, or the artist with brush, pencil or camera to reproduce them on canvas or plate. All fall far short of nature. They are like portraits of the dead. Every feature and every line may be brought out as distinctly as the hand of the most skilled artist is capable of, not a detail wanting-. But recall that same face lit up with the flu.sh of life. Mark the glance of eye or smile on lip, listen for a single moment to the voice, and the failure of artistic skill to do justice to nature becomes at once apparent. This holds equally good in all branches of nature. Take a photograph or a painting of a mountain side, a lake, or stretch of river, it may be perfect down to the smallest detail, one could not imagine anything lacking. But go into the wild woods, view the same scene lit up by .18 THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. sparklirij,' sunshine or silvery moon lifjiit. Looli upon the tree tops as they sway to and fro in the gentle breeze. Watch the tiny wavelets as tlie>- merrily chase each other, inanimate nature endowed with life, a denizen of the forest bounding through its glades, or breasting the waters. See the monarchs of the forest as they bend and crash in the howling tempest. The sleeping waters roused into life as they toss, tumble and shriek in their mad endeavours to burst some rocky barrier. Then ask what pen or pencil can do justice to nature, much less improve upon it. Loll on some grassy hank during the silent watches of the night when all nature is hushed in repose, the stillness broken only by the distant cry of the loon, or hoot of night owl, and one can then realize what the great poet means when he speaks of " the music which cannot be heard." True we cannot take the tourist overscenes rendered fam- ous by some great historical event. Wecannot takehimover .some ancient battle Held and point out the position of the contending hosts. We cannot show off the remains of castellated towers. We may not be able to chant our claims to glory, nor loiter in innumerable spots made famous in song or story, as they can do in various other parts of the world. But as new fields are being reclaimed from the wilds, and the plow of the husbandman is still unearthing so many relics of departed generations of men, so many ancient battle fields, town and village sites, and cities of the dead, there is no doubt this province at one period of time, and of no very remote date, had as large a popula- tion as their primitive methods of obtaming a livelihood would admit. And had this western hemisphere made any progress in literature, wherein might have been treasured up the history of their rise and fall of nations, their battles, their tribal and family feuds, their loves and THE GAME FIELDS OF ONTARIO. 37 their hates, the traveller in this land would meet with as many interestuig historical associations as in any other part of the world. It has been the writer's privileg^e to skim across the waters of many of our lakes and rivers from the largest to the smallest, both in sunshine and shade, in calm and in storm, and he has yet to meet either lakelet or brooklet, large enough to float a small bark canoe, where a true lover of nature will not find ample reward for his labour even should he fail to land a fish or bring down a feather. And after :■ brief sojourn the wilds he will return to civil- ization mo.c than ever impressed with the truth that there are histories in rocks, '* books in running brooks, sermons in stones and good in everything."