Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-12-27
INTERESTING TO SPORTSMEN
Plenty Of Quail Left in the Vicinity of
Washington.
Freeze Prevented Canal SEEMING
Consideration of Game Law Now
Pending i'm Congress.

The quail season in Maryland and Virginia
virtually closed, so far as shooting is con-
cerned, last Saturday. and it will be graft
flying to sportsmen who observe the laws
governing their favorite bird to know that
plenty of coveys are left in both states
to breed again in the spring and become
multiplied many times ere the season opens
again next fall. Never before in local his
tory was there as much active interest dis
played in quail shooting there has been
in the season just closed, and now that the
sport is barred in this immediate vicinity
scores of ardent sportsmen are about to in
wade North and South Carolina, where
shooting is still permitted. Notwithstand-
ing the many gunners who went out since
November /, and the unusual profusiOn of
birds, big bags have been scarce. Then
again the weather has been unproptiouS
for both men and dogs. Thanksgiving day,
for instance, when there is usually trcmen.
dous slaughter of birds, was SO bad in. a
weather sense that shooting was virtually
prohibited, and the latter days of the sea-
son were also drenchers, which prevented
those who wanted to give the coverts and
stubb:es Il farewell beating chance to in
dulge in their coveted pleasure.
Freeze Prevented SEEMING.
Owing to the early freeze the annual Gus
tom of removing the bass from the Chesa-
peake and Ohio canal, which was prose-
cuted with such excellent results in 1895
and 1897, was not carried out this year 1t
will be interesting to note if the supply of
bass in the Potomac next spring will be
lessened by reason of this unfortunat tie COM
pulsion, and close watch will lie kept in
order TO determine the question when the
anglers get at work again.
The Game Law.
The District of Columbia Game and Fish
Protective Association. of which Captain
Robley d. Evans of the navy is president
will use every effort to have the game law
now pending in Congress become q statute
at this session of Congress The measure
is most admirable one in every particular
in the opinion of sportsmen save only that
it does not provide adequately for the en-
forcement of It's provisions if enacted. 1t
is the consensus of opinion in legitimate
sporting circles that the bill should be
amended so as to provide a salary for a
game warden sufficient to procure one who
VIII have nothing else TO do, and that an
adaltional appropriation should be made to
enable the warden to secure assistants
when necessary. Ma jor Sylvester the chief
or police, is the present game warden, and
mas made most admirable one. but the
immense responsibilities upon him as the
director Of the guardians of the peace nat
urally prevents him from giving to the
wardenship the attention which he SO ar
IDENTIFY desires, as gentleman sportsman
10 devote to ii. 1t is considera ton for the
overWorked major and warden, indeed
which inspires the desire to have some one
appointed who will have no other duties to
attend to than those of compelling the OBJ
servance of the game laws in every partic-
ular, and individual and collective influence
Will be brought upon Congress to accom-
piSh this object