60 The Amertcan Angler 
to the conviction that something should be 
done. 
* ** * ** * ** 
“The greater extension of the beneficial ob- 
jects and operations of the association, together 
with the continued wide distribution of notices 
and circulars relating to the laws and fishery 
interests, have had a stimulative effect upon 
public opinion by creating a more general re- 
spect for and observance of the protective laws. 
This is unmistakably assured from the per- 
ceptible yearly decrease of illegalities reported. 
In dealing with this important branch of its 
work, your committee desires to state that the 
annoyance and difficulty formerly existing in 
obtaining reliable information in regard to per- 
sons violating the laws regulating fishing, has 
considerably abated. This is gratifying to 
record, for in such instances it has adopted de- 
cisive steps for immediate correction, by the 
arrests and conviction of the offenders. 
“With liberal restocking, enforcement of the 
code of interstate laws,and the total destruction 
of fish baskets, weirs and other illegel devices 
in the Delaware river, thereby giving unre- 
stricted freedom to the shad to spawn and the 
young shad to migrate in their season, the 
Delaware river is to-day, without doubt, the 
best shad producing river along the Atlantic 
coast, if not in the country, as well as being 
prolific in many other varieties of food fishes. 
* * * * * * 
“The difficulty heretofore existing in the 
proper enforcement of the laws for the protec- 
tion of fish, on account of the apparant lack of 
intelligence of the community in regard to 
them, has been largely overcome by the wide 
distribution given an exhaustive digest of the 
statute laws of this commonwealth, relating to 
fish and fishing, undertaken and completed by 
the association at great expense, some years 
ago. 
* * * * * * 
“In order to further enance the social fea- 
tures of the association, your committee, acting 
under its instructions, has undertaken the es- 
tablishment of an anglers’ permanent museum 
in the rooms, by making a collection of fishing 
paraphernalia, representing the evolution of 
tackle in the history of angling, from the 
earliest times to the present, together with such 
aboriginal fishing relics and curious objects 
picked up on fishing trips, as can be secured. 
* 
* * SS * * 
“The association is, therefore, not only flour- 
ishing in regard to membership, but also in the 
important matter of effective work, and with 
the fullest assurance that the fishery interests 
are improving through this energetic persever- 
ance, it encourages renewed and enlarged ef- 
fort by the association, which has patiently and 
successfully toiled for the public good.” 
Jumping Salt Water Fishes. 
C. W. H. is informed that the whip ray 
jumps in sport or fear. We saw one near Pal- 
ma Sola, Fla., a few winters ago, leap at least 
three feet into the air. Sting rays will jump 
when pursued by sharks or other ferocious 
fishes, and the devil fish(not the long-armed 
octopus erroneously so-called) is sometimes 
seen in immense shoals, playfully leaping and 
sporting. It seems to be the habit of all sur- 
face feeding fishes to jump into the air when 
pursued by enemies, or when actuated by a 
spirit of fun, if the term may be so used in 
connection with a cold-blooded creature. But 
of all the small fishes the silver mullet of 
Florida, takes the palm for the lengthof its 
eerial flights, excepting the flying fish. We 
have seen a mullet, when the shoal has been 
chased by a porpoise, throw itself atleast five 
feet horizontally along and above the water. 
Of course, such a leap pales before that of the 
tarpon king, of which Dr. Kenworthy reported 
that one, to his knowledge, jumped over the 
forward part of a river steamboat, covering at 
least twenty-five feet from rise to fall. 
Successful Ducking.—Messrs. J. F. Bradner, George 
H. Decker, C. M. Totten, John Wilson, T. A. Weller, 
and William Millspaugh returned to this clty from 
Currituck sound, North Carolina, Sunday night. 
They left this city Saturday, January 5,and had an 
agreeable ocean voyage (via Old Dominion line). The 
ride down the beach was made pleasantly and the 
party were at home in Brother White’s domicile Sun- 
day night. 
They left there Saturday with lots of game, includ- 
ing three swan, twelve geese and about two hundred 
ducks. The return voyage was also pleasant, and the 
party came home greatly benefitted by the trip. The 
party has a story about a frisky mustang and the 
Northern riders, but they don’t want it publishea.— 
Middletown (N. Y.) Press, January 14, 1895. 
