Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-17
FISH AND GAME LAWS
Urgent Necessity for the Passage of Bills
NOVELETTE, Congress.
The Potomac Bnss- Supply Being Dec
the Snlestbf drrapped Quail.

Game and Fish warden Richard Syl-
vester and Secretary w. Pope
Young OF the Game and Fish Protective
Association have sent out a circular to the
members of the association, calling their
attention to the fsn and game bills pre-
pared by the association and approved by
| the District Commissioners now pending in
| the House of Representatives and in the
District committee of the Senate, respect
lively. The bill providing for the protection
of fish was introduced by Mr.. Curtis in the
House January 10, instant, favorably re-
ported yesterday and placed on the House
calendar 1t is complete measure in COW
ering existing necessities. and it is very
urgent that it should be passed without de-
lay, as the seiners are busy taking out
| fish, and especially bass. from Little river,
opposite Georgetown. from the Eastern
branch and from the Virginia channel of
the Potomac. Thousands of pounds of
small bass of both small and largemouth
varieties. of crappie and of white perch are
being captured and sold in the markets
here. Members of the Fish and Game AS
ISOLATION are therefore asked by Messrs.
Sylvester and Young, who act under in
structions of the executive committee, to
use all efforts with their friends in Con-
gress to secure the immediate passage of
this bill, as well as Senate bill No. Ass in
troduced in the Senate March 30, 1897, by
Senator Proctor and now pending conSid-
Grafton in the District committee.
Amendments That Arc Necessary.
1t is the opinion of many experienced
| sportsmen here that the latter bill should
| be very materially amended. The sensi
bilities of every gentleman sportsman in
the District are outraged every time he
walks the streets CT Washington at present
! by the sight of big lusty men peddling
great punches of quail that have been
trapped. The present system of trapping
quail has been brought to such perfection
that whole coNeyS of the birds are taken at
one time and not even many as a pair
are left for breeding purposes. The birds
now being peddied in the streets and sold
IN the markets are trapped in Maryland.
Virginia, where the close season on quail
| is now on. and in North Carolina, where
the laws prohibit expectation of quail. A
few OF them come from western states.
An amendment will be offered to the
pending bill making it a misdemeanor for
any person to expose for sale or have in
his possession any trapped quail under
| penalty of $40 for each bird. An amend
| ment will also be proposed to limit marsh
shooting in the autumn and winter months
TO three days In each week. The constant
shooting at ortclan and reed birds in Sep
tcr1ber keeps the birds moving south
ward, and the same is true with ducks
| later on, the focks not being given time to
alisht, much less to feed
With the Sc improvements the bill now in
| Ire SCI ate COMmlttee Will be excellent
| one, and its passage will be energeticaly
urged.
Good SpOrf in North Carolina.
The quail shooting in North Carolina
| especially in the eastern counties, is re-
ported being finer than ever before and
a large number of huntsmen from the north
are making their way to the covers and
coveys in the Old north state.
Two of Washington's most expert shots
win leave Monday Mr. Arthur Mattingly
| going to Little Washington and Mr.. James
w. Green to his old familiar stamping
grounds near Greensboro Both have fine
dogs and will doubtless have fine sport
There are plenty of birds left over in near
by Maryland and Virginia, and if the trap
pers can be stopped in their illegal practice
| before they get all the BIRDS there will he
| good sport next autumn, as breeding will
| be assured to a coEs siderable extent in MANY
| localities within easy distance of this city