NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[Under this Department Heading queries relative to Angling, Ichthyology and Fish Culture, 



will be answered.] 



Personal. 



The personal correspondents of Mr. Wm. C. 

 Harris, our editor, are informed that he is now 

 on an extended trip to Northern Idaho, Puget 

 Sound and Lower California, returning to New 

 York via Corpus Christi, Texas, where, in 

 October of each year, the tarpon are saiu to 

 swarm as minnows do in a rivulet. Mr. Harris 

 is accompanied by Mr. John L. Petrie, the 

 artist, and their intention is to paint, for repro- 

 duction in "The Fishes of North America," a 

 complete series of oil portraits of the fishes of 

 the sections named. Mr. Harris will not return 

 until November, but all letters directed to him 

 personally will be duly and promptly forwarded. 



A Fish That Enjoys a Yawn. 



It is not generally known that fish yawn. The writer 

 to the Spectator saw a turbot yawn twice, and a cod 

 once — the latter being one of the widest yawns accom- 

 plished by any animal of its size. 



The 3'awn of turbot, being something not commonly 

 seen, deserves more particvilar description. A turbot's 

 mouth is twisted on one side, rather as if it had 

 belonged to a round fish which some one had acci- 

 dently trodden on and squashed half flat. 



The yawn begins at the lips, which open as if to suck 

 in water. Then the jaws become distended, and it is 

 seen that this is going to be a real genuine submarine 

 fish's 3-awn. 



But the yawn goes on, works through the back of its 

 head, distending the plates of the skull, and comes out 

 at the gills, which open, show the red inside, are 

 inflated for a moment, and then, with a kind of 

 stretching shiver of its back, the fish flattens out 

 again, until, if unusually bored, it relieves itself by 

 another yawn. 



The above is on a line with the repeated 

 statement that a black bass shakes its head 

 when frantically jumping into the air in its 

 efforts to void the steel from its jaws. He can't 

 do it. His physical formation prevents. As 

 in the case of the turbot described, we see the 

 movement, and mix up the cause with the 

 effect. The turbot stretches his jaws involun- 

 tarily. As it goes through the death struggles 

 the jaws open and shut again and again until 

 life is exhausted. 



A Conscientious Railroad Man. 



On a recent visit to the Chicago and North- 

 western Railway home office, I met the General 

 Passenger Agent, Mr. W. B. Knistern, who, at 

 the moment I entered his office, was reading 

 some proof slips from the printer. Laying them 

 down, he at once said : 



"Glad you have dropped in. I have before 

 me proofs of an article on trout fishing, but it is 

 concerned mainly with fishing at night, and I 

 have been debating in my mind if I would be 

 justified in publishing, even for advertising pur- 

 poses, an article on catching the brook trout 

 at night. What shall I do ? Is trout fishing 

 at night considered legitimate sport?" I 

 replied : 



"Among anglers who follow trout fishing for 

 the ethical pleasures it affords and not for the 

 pounds of fish, cruelly fishing for trout at night, 

 especially with natural bait, is not considered 

 legitimate. At that time the trout are oblivious 

 to danger, and if hungry, the merest tyro can 

 catch them. But the great body of fishermen 

 do not recognize this law of angling ethics, and 

 you will not be reflected upon for publishing 

 the article, which I see is not only beautifully 

 illustrated but graphically written." 



I send the above simply to draw out the 

 opinions of the members of our fraternity, 

 many of whom, no doubt, will disagree with 

 me. W. C. H. 



The Fall River Line commenced their Double Ser- 

 vice for the Summer season on June 29th, when the 

 great steamboats, Priscilla, Puritan, Plymouth and 

 Pilgrim, went into commission together. The leaving 

 time from New York will be 5:30 and 6:30 p. m. Boats 

 leaving at the former hour will run direct to Fall 

 River, the latter touching at Newport en-route. On 

 Sundays there will be but one steamer, 5:30 p. m. from 

 New York. 



The advertising matter issued by the Fall River Line 

 is always interesting ; a folder containing full time 

 table and list of Summer literature will be mailed for 

 two cent stamp, enclosed to P. O. Box 452, New York 

 Citv. 



