The game fields of Ontario [microform]

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Canadian Initituta for Historical IMicroraproductiort / Institut Canadian de microraproductions hiitoriquas

1996

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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 <tf the Pinnefn.

TOROKTl,
WARWICK UBO'S & RUTTER,

■'iriliritf ti. llii' A't nl ihc Parlinii..-iit of I'mu
lie of ti.e [)e|>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."