The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-16
protect tl,e t;umcr,.


Silt trust tho Legislature will No,
adjourn without some additiopal nro.
lection to game In Virginia You NAV
depend upon IL. something ia sadly
needed for turkeys and a,iail Tho
iormer-the .noblest bird In the world
~ Almost extinct, and the latter ran.
idiy becoming SO. In a short former
article which The Times. Dispatch Kind.
" printed, l made four suggestions
,s. OF serious consideration I'm the
line OF game preservation
Flrst-The absolute prohibition a, ~.
SALE A'''''o" VI i'S
second--A tax of $3.50 each upon
shotguns Npoi.
Third-The confinement of all dogs
from March 1st to September 1st. ~
Fourth-A bounty of SO per scalp
upon foxes.
There is no need OF going into detail,
az to enforcement by appropriate non.
alties. The Legisla ture can oasiIy al.
Just those, but the enactment into law
or sections !, 3 and Al am mot ~,
strong on No. 2--will work q marvellous
effect upon the quantity annnaliw
reared OF birds and turkeys. some.
put very few, people know tho extent
OF tho mischief done by foxes few
years ago | was tracking deer in Il
snow. i came upon the trail of a fox.
which was acting peculiarly. L fol-
lowed 1t for while, backward and
forward. 1t had found flock of quail,
Jumped upon 1t. caught one, scattered
the rest, and then proceeded to hunt
for the single birds for sport, as a
pointer dog would do. It's nose is ex-
quisite-more so than dog's-and that
fox caught fvo or six of those birds.
eating one and burying tho rest in the
snow. That same fox that night
caught two rabbits, eating n part of
one and burying the rest Now, think
that this performance goes on 365 days
In the year. and extends itself to en-
brace turkeys setting and to the un-
fedged young. Foxes are becoming
very numerous. Fox dogs have disap-
peared under the dog tax. The hunt
Ing OF them is rendered moro difficult
by the erection OF wire fences, and the
fox hunter should be encouraged by II
premium on the fox to pay his dog
tax and feed his dogs.
No less important is the confinement
OF dogs When young birds are very
small-bcfore they can NY; when the
mother bird Stimulates being crippled
to decoy the dog from her brood, I
have seen her make mistake, allow the
dog to approach her too nearly. and be
caught and killed. The brood comes
to naught. even If the dog does not 20
back and eat up every one OF the little
birds. have often seen this. The
same is true of rabbits. a nest of from
six to ten little rabbits will be
scratch ed out of the ground and the
last one eaten. Ask any sportsman
who has tramped the woods and fields
with his eyes open IL these things be
not true.
or great Importance. too is the stop
page OF pot-hunting. heard of an
other man since my former article who
az birds are and were. that man must
are many who do this, but with less
ested now in game. Years are press
ing upon me, with their train of Ills.
I cannot get on the hills and fields at
ALL hut 1t does delight me still to rise
in the early morning and hear some
turkey gobbler from his perch calling
to his mate. and the CHEEKY note OF
the Bob White. as. sitting high on some
fence rail he cheers and encourages his
mate through her long hours of incu-
baton by his presence and song.
love these things yet. i always expect
to>and it hurts me beyond measure TO
see the scene changing to silence. when
LIT seems to me the old times might be
prolonged II our Legislature would
only take practical view of II. OF
vast moro moment than Rhcn investi-
cations or efforts to protect an out
rageous railroad monopoly.
| Yours truly,
w. i. JACKSON.
Jetersville. Va. Feb. TO- 1908.