CHIEF OF SMALL-MOUTH BLACK BASS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Last evening, as I was walking up town from the post 

 office, I noticed a crowd of people collected on one of the 

 principal streets of our village, and as I neared the 

 gathering a horse and carriage issued from it, and in the 

 driver I recognized Mr. L. D. Boynton of Green's Bridge. 

 When Mr. Boynton saw me he pulled up his horse, and 

 putting his hand under the carriage seat produced and 

 held up to view a monster black bass of the small- 

 mouthed species. In. reply to my inquiry he said that the 

 bass weighed 8|lbs., and had been weighed by people 

 that lie named and that I knew; then he drove on, leav- 

 ing behind only the image of the great fish in my mind's 

 eye. 



Proceeding up the street to verify the weight of the 

 bass, I met Mr. Chas. H. Hitchcock, who asked if I had 

 weighed the fish, and if not, why not. Two hours would 

 take me to Green's Bridge and back, allowing time to 

 weigh the bass and get its pedigree; therefore, Mr. Hitch- 

 cock and I took a car and were duly delivered at our des- 

 tination, where the bass was found on exhibition and 

 intact. I put the big fellow on a set of counter scales 

 and he balanced 91 bs.: but I found that the scales did not 



f balance. Other scales were produced and tested, and at 

 8lbs. lOoz. the bass in the scoop balanced the scale beam. 

 From nose to joining of caudal, measuring with a tape, 

 following the contour of the body, the distance waslSin.; 

 to foik in caudal, 24|in.: to extremity of caudal, 25in. 

 The girth was 18 fin, 



I Raid to Mr. Boyntou that 1 would like to see the fish 

 openerl. eviscerated and again weighed, lo which he at 

 once consent*' 1 ;!. ! rut it open, took out the gills and vis- 

 cera, and again weighed it, when the scales marked Tibs. 

 s,>/. The gilts and viscera we'-'ihed lib. ioz., and the 

 missing ounce and a half of ^ p ov the shrinkage 



I between the dressed and undressed fish will be seen to 

 have been lib. 2oz. consisted of lost blood and bits of 

 I intestines rubbed out when washing the abdominal -, 

 cavity. In the stomach of the bass was a partly digested - 

 yellow perch which in that condition weighed about five 

 ounces. I have been thus particular about the eviscera- 

 tion and weighing before and after the operation, be- 

 cause it has been a matter of dispute how much a big 

 bass loses by dressing. I have the records of a number 

 of bass dressed and undressed, and the shrinkage is less 

 than is generally supposed. 



This giant bass was caught in Long Pond (Glen Lake), 

 four miles from this village, with perch bait. Long Pond, 

 not unknown to the columns of FOREST AND STREAM, has 

 produced and given up more large specimens of the 

 small-mouth bass than any water in the United States, 

 but the very big ones show up about as often as a comet. 



Mr. Hitchcock procured of Mr. Boynton the bass with 

 whose person I have been so familiar in this letter, and 

 to- morrow he will send it to Mr. W. S. Banta, 83 Pine 

 street. New York city, and possibly it may be seen there. 

 FALLS, X. Y., Aug. 19. A. N. CHENEY. 



