WREST AND STREAM. 



tot 



from his surprise, the captain began hauling in his line, and 

 after ten minutes' hard labor secured the bird. This exploit 

 was equalled by that of a Gloucester, Mass., youth who shot a 

 seal in the 'Squan River last week, and wheeled it home on a 

 wheelbarrow. 



Tub Ministerial Whitebait Dinner.— We print the fish 

 portion Of the menu of the ministerial dinner given at Green- 

 wich, England. We have no doubt but that quite, as good a 

 dinner can be had at Brighton Beach. Earl Beaconsfield no 

 longer can revel in whitebait alone. Mr. E. G. Hlaekford, in 

 the most brutal Republican way, has deprived English Minis- 

 ters of the monopoly of whitebait dinners. What is amusing 

 about all this is that the London Spectator, because the bill of 

 fare is written in old English, dates the decadence of Great 

 Britain from the un-English character of the menu: 

 Y±J AHNUALE WJIYTEUAlTE DINNER 



Hyk Majesttr's Ministers 



on 



Wedncedaio, Vo Uth August, 1B78, 



Atte ye HOBtelrle 'yclept 

 Ye SUII'PB, ttl.li' OHBKN VYIOHE. 



TIliu Bllle of ye Fan- IB drawn IB ptayBe Englyah, without 



liny oloaku or Frcuulie or otuer ton y.iar luujma, 



for tlie saililu ami sobcre comfort of frendes, and that ye mays know 



what, ye are asked to accept 



Ye BILLS OF Ye FAKE. 



ye SOTJPB. 



Soupe made from ye Turtle, aud alsoe Soupe made from ye Greene 



Faite of yo same. 



Ve F1SHB. 



Ye Flounders ouryomily cooked, aud Salmonxe servyd lnnelykc 



E LonsTi 



it T.IMi 



Ye Omelette of C 



vyd to ye Guardes of yc 



I Trra Km fob Bass.— Editor Forest and Stream : In black 

 bass fishing a short rod is always the best if it is long enough 

 to get your flies where you want them. Bass fishing is 

 mostly carried on from a boat, and a long rod in a boat is a 

 nuisance. Black bass almost, if not always, as they are 

 brought near the boat, make a dash and try to run under the. 

 boat, and a long rod is then a bad thing to turn them around 

 the end of the boat (the end where the anchor is not, by the 

 way, if possible). Bass are bold biters when they do bite, and 

 are just as likely to bile or rise at a fly quite near you or the 

 boat as at a distance. I believe they arc not scattered around, 

 hut are much more apt to be collected in some considerable 

 numbers together. Bass do not seem to be at all timid about 

 a boat or anything, but arc very notional biting or taking the 

 fly. 1 believe no one can tell when they have a notion to be 

 taken and when not. I would suggest in fishing for bass the 

 using of not more than two flies on a sis-feet leader (casting 

 lines some call them), and not trying to make long casts. 

 Try to find where the fish are, and so handle them with a 

 short line if possible, but " let him have his head" for the 

 first run with your finger on the line, giving it an easy pres- 

 sure so as to drag him a little at first, and, as he runs farther, 

 increasing the pressure so as to turn him before he gets too 

 much of your line, or gets too near any obstructions. You 

 will notice, I think, that he will go into the air and "stand 

 on his tail " when you first strike him, either with a fly or 

 bait, aud is very apt to do the same each time you bring him 

 up at the end of a run. Then you must look out that he does 

 not get too much slack line on you. The instant he goes into 

 the air just pull him over iuto the water where he belongs, 

 and at the same time " keep him coming," but do this care- 

 fully without too sharp or too strong motions. After a few 

 runs you may he able to bring him near the hoat, then look 

 out, or he will go under it in spile of you, hreaking your rod 

 or line. With skillful care just pass him around the other 

 side of the boat. I think usually the fish won't try this more 

 than once or twice before he wiU turn over on his side. Now 

 he is ready for the lauding net, anil so pass him out and go 

 for another. O. F. Onvia. 



Manchester, Vt„ Aug. 1, 1878. 



"A Totjoh of Nature,"— Mr. George Dawson, the editor 

 of the Albany Evening Journal, has been on a grayling expe- 

 dition among the woods and waters of Michigan. In his 

 travels there he fell in with some of the lumbermen, who 

 are, for the first time in that region, working through the 

 summer. Many of our readers in their summer wanderings 

 have come across just such characters as this: 



Scores of these sturdy workers were on the cars for their 

 several camps, and they seemed gratified that there was this 

 unexpected demand for their wUling service. A little incident 

 shows what affectionate recollections even the humblest re- 

 tain of their old homes. One of them suspected that 1 was from 

 "York State, " and, seeing my bundle of rods, fancied, also, 

 that I might have visited some of the forest localities with 

 which hewas familiar. When 1 assured him I knew every 

 foot of the territory he referred to, he " froze to me "like 

 an old friend and was greatly delighted. 



"Ever on Little Tupper?" was his first direct question. 



" Oh, yes, both Big and Little, often. " 



" Bully places those air. No such lakes in these parts, nor 

 trout nuther. I'd climb the tallest Norway in the woods to 

 see one such as I've tuk in Little Tupper. Ever fished in the 

 Rackett?" 



"Every foot of it. " 



"Know the Little Bog? ' 



" I've been there often. '',.., , , , 



"Hail Columbia! I used to live right 'round thar. Ever 

 meet Joe Pelser f " 



"Oh yes. I had his team once to take me to Canton." 



Jumping up with a "whoop! " which startled the crowd, 

 he held out his black bottle toward me as if he were tender- 

 ing me a kingdom and wished it wore a continent, with the 

 simple remark : . 



" I say, pard, won't you take a drink ( 



I begged to be excused, aud averted further importunity for 

 the moment, by sayini' s 



"Did you ever know Torn Cole, who used to live, years 

 ago, on the Point at the foot of Big Tupper? " 



At this question my friend looked at me with the most 

 comical expression of surprise and admiration. His face lit 

 up like a pine knot, and his eyes became liquid as a running 



brook, as old recollections seemed to crowd uponTiim like a 

 log-jam in a spring freshet. When speech came to him he 

 exclaimed : 



"Jerusalem! Did you know Tom ? Why, I've bunked 

 with him in every shanty in the North Woods." 



And then, with an mteusr caruisliiHss which lifted the 

 comic into the sublime, he sang, in a full, clear voice, a verse 

 of " Fa! her, come home, " as if he would have, been the hap- 

 piest man oa the globe ir, at that moment, he could have 

 taken his old friend by the band, and stood once more OB the 

 shady banks of Big Tupper ; aud then, in a tone as full of 

 pathos as the minor key of a funeral dirge, ho said to mo: 



"'Squire, hope to God 1 viadt-sliae the chute until I get 

 back home again I " 



g§When I reached my destination, determined in some way 

 to express his gratitude, he followed me to the platform with 

 the remark : 



"I say, chummy, if you won't take a drink, you'll let me 

 carry your traps to the shanty, won't you (" 



And he did. On leaving me the good fellow shook my 

 band with a pressure which made it feel as if it had found its 

 way into the fresh cleft of an oak rail cut. And " I saw his 

 face no more." 



A. STRING OF FISH. 



A Montreal correspondent sends us Hub clipping and asks if 

 it can be credited : 



Mr. Charles Lechay, of Gananoque, Out., an oarsman, 

 had a most desperate encounter with a maskinonge on Monday 

 on the river, a little below Granite Island. When Mr. Lechay 

 gaffed the monster he made straight at him, breaking his leg 

 and frightfully lacerating his arm, and his clothes were 

 literally torn off him ; and had it not been for the timely 

 assistance of Mr. Frank Lolond (another oarsman) the fish 

 would have killed him. The monster measured 11 feet 8 

 inches, and weighs 589 pounds. 



Yes ; we should think the story substantially true. We 

 never before heard of a "maskinonge" 118 yards long and weigh- 

 ing 589 tons. But then every one knows lhat there are bigger 

 fish about Gananoque than were ever caught anywhere else. 

 It is remarkable that the fish should have swallowed the two 

 men and the hoats, but the very fact that the oarsmen made 

 faces at the monster may account for this mad freak. In 

 pleasing contrast to the ferocity and bloodthirstiness of the 

 Gananoque " maslunonge," a most dangerous beast, is the 

 tender love towards the human race displayed by the pickerel 

 of Clear Lake : 



Living at Clear Lake is a family who have a little girl who 

 takes daily rides on the lake in a small skiff drawn by two 

 pickerel. They are regularly harnessed, and by means of 

 lines she is enabled to guide "them in any direction desired. 

 The fish are about three feet in length, weigh between seven 

 and eight pounds each, and are vcry'powerful. The rapidity 

 with which they skim through the water with the boat and ils 

 precious cargo is said to exceed in swiftness the fastest sail 

 boat that has been placed on the lake. When the girl has 

 tired of riding she drives the pickerel to a boat-house^ where 

 they are unharnessed, taken into a commodious glass aquarium 

 aud fed. When she visits the tank to harness them for a ride 

 the pickerel jump almost iuto her arms, so glad, apparently, 

 are they to see her. The .young miss has been offered $1 ,000 

 for her strange team, but lio money would induce her to part 

 with them. . _ 



Beautiful, is it not ! And note the effect of the indefinil.e- 

 ness of the locality. " Clear Lake ;" to add the State would 

 destroy the charm. Who want* to know where Fairy J ia&d is, 

 or who would put his finger upon the exact spot on the map 

 where it all happened " once upon a time, in a land, O ever so 

 far away." These, be it remembered, were only coarse pick- 

 erel. If we find such sentiments beneath rough exteriors 

 what may we not look for— through the magic glasses of the 

 reporter— in the presumably liner natures of the tenderer trout, 

 Salmo fo?iti?i(tlis, speckled beauty, Venuslaa maculata? Tough- 

 ened indeed must be the wretch who can read this truthful 

 and touching incident without a copious weep : 



One of the most remarkable evidences that fishes possess 

 reasoning power is related to us by a reliable gentleman which 

 we hasten to lay before our readers. 



Our informant has on his grounds an artificial trout pond 

 which contains at least 3,000 spotted beauties, weighing from 

 a half to two pounds each. The gentleman has a little 

 daughter, five years of age, who may 'well be called the queen 

 of the speckled beauties. This little miss has succeeded in 

 training the fish so that she can go to the edge of the pond and 

 with a handfid of crumbs feed them from her chubby fat 

 hand. The fish have learned to jump out of the water and 

 snatch a worm from her lingers. They seem exceedingly 

 fond of her — they are said to perfectly adore their little 

 queen. On Thursday last she was standing near the edge of 

 the pond, where the water was quite deep. While reaching 

 over to drop a few crumbs to her subjects, she suddenly lost 

 her balance and pitcher! headlong inio the water. She says 

 that she "went way down," when she felt something under- 

 neath her and she quickly rose to the surface, where she put 

 her little lungs to their utmost test and called lustily for help. 

 Her cries quickly attracted her parents, and they were horri- 

 fied at seeing the little girl floating upon the surface of the 

 pond. The father rushed quickly to the water's edge and 

 reached out for his treasure, and as he raised her from the 

 water a perfect solid mass of trout was found beneath her. 

 These faithful subjects of the little queen as she fell quickly 

 gathered beneath her and thus showed their love for their 

 mistress by bearing up her body until aid arrived, thus pre- 

 venting her from meeting a watery grave, which she would 

 have otherwise done. Parents who have little ones can 

 imagine the parents' love for these trout, when they remem- 

 ber "that their sagacity saved the life of their little daughter, 



For Forest a?id Stream and Mod and Gun. 

 0( A TENNESSEE FISHING CLUB. 



MANY years ago, long before clubs were known in the 

 far off Southwestern conutry, a party of gentlemen of 

 this place banded themselves together, and for many years 

 passed several weeks of each spring and autumn in the de- 

 lightful recreation of angling. The party numbered some 

 seven or eight, and were noted for the harmonious manner iu 



which, year after year, they quietly made their preparations 

 for their first campaign. Two of the gentlemen were distin- 

 guished divines of the Methodist Church j the others were 

 leading merchants of the city. They were provided with a 

 complete camp equipage, for they went at their favorite 

 amusement in true sportsman-like manner. They fished in 

 most of the principal streams of this State— the Cumberland, 

 Harpeth, Elk, Flint, and Tennessee rivers, besides Tumbiill, 

 Mill aud other creeks. For the larger streams they had boats 

 to convey them from point to point, and for navigating the 

 smaller streams they had a boat which served also as the body 

 for their fishing wagon. Their tackle was of the best and 

 most improved make, Cotvroy's, Meeks' and other reels ; grass, 

 linen and silk lines, Limerick hooks, with snoods of various 

 colors to match the different stages of the water ; jointed rods, 

 minnow seines, buckets, landing nets and hooks, artificial 

 Hies and trawls, in fact everything that could be suggested to 

 make up an angler's kit. In addition to the above mentioned 

 paraphernalia, ihese gentlemen were all experts in the art of 

 Angling. The streams in which they fished were well stocked 

 with black and striped bass, black perch, drum and jack, to 

 say nothing of eels, turtle and catfish. To say that they were 

 always fortunate in tailing great numbers of fish is almost 

 superfluous, for the reason that they never ceased fishing until 

 they did catch a good number. But with all that nature had 

 done for their sport, aud science had aided it in, they were 

 prudent enough not to depend solely upon chance, and in 

 consequence never forgot to start with a well filled larder and 

 a few unostentatious flasks of Robertson and Lincoln Coun- 

 ties best brew to make good any shortcomings on the part of 

 the elements or the capricious finuy tribe that they were after. 

 Thus equipped they would select some good ground 

 where to pilch their tents, near a iarm if possible, where they 

 could get their supplies of milk and butter. Once settled, the 

 firBt part of the programme was the seeming of minnows. 

 Kaeh one had his bucket and favorite spot to fish, and away 

 I hey would go, only to meet at some given place about the 

 horn' of noon, when, as a rule, the fish would cease to bite, 

 aud they could take advantage of this respite for luncheon 

 and a rest. It would fill volumes to give a literal account of 

 all their fishing exploits, so 1 will coutent myself by giving an 

 account of some of the gentlemen composing this entertaining 

 angling association, and an anecdote or two told upon one or 

 more Of them on some of their expeditions. The two D. D.'s 

 were the exact opposiles in form and disposition ; the one was 

 a fine-looking, portly person, cool and self-possesse.', with a 

 peculiar voice, much like that of a female, but a most patient 

 and scientific fisherman ; the other was a person of diminutive 

 stature, nervous and wiry, believing largely in luck and trust- 

 ing a great deal in it. When the fish would not bite ho wotdd 

 make the woods ring with some old-fashioned camp-meeting 

 hymn, his voice sounding more like that of a giant than one 

 we should fancy belonging to him. Then there was W- A., an 

 excitable individual, at times rather irritable, but a good fel- 

 low and an excellent fisherman ; J. M, A., a quiet and retiring 

 party, but full of fun and always ready to enjoy a good joke ; 

 U. G. was a solemn character, but not offensively so, a hard 

 worker, and, as a result, a lucky sportsman. The most 

 notable member of the association was one who wore a military 

 title — I say wore it, because he assumed it with a degree of 

 pomp and style quite befitting the rank allotted him. He 

 hated water, that is to say, he disliked going into it with the 

 other members when minnows were to be caught, or a boat 

 launched or beached, or any emergency when called upon. 

 On one occasion W, A. was irritated about some- 

 thing—he lost a fine fish, or his hook caught in a root, or some 

 such trouble had happened him. Just in~the midst of his rage 

 the military member called upon him to put him across the 

 stream in the little wagon boat. " All right," says W. A. ; 

 " but you know this craft is fearfully crank— a sudden shift 

 of your quid will capsizo it— so you must be on your guard or 

 you will get into your much-dreaded element." With such 

 remarks being made at him, the man of war stepped into the 

 boat and off she darted into the .stream ; but before she had 

 gotten half way across, over she tipped, and into the rushing 

 stream was our military man thrown. There he was, floun- 

 dering like, a great fish, swearing all the oaths known to a 

 regular old salt. Whether W. A. did this to palliate his anger 

 or was it the result of ueeident, I could never learn, I doubt, 

 however, if the niUitary man ever believed that it was. The 

 same gentleman was once the cause of a good deal of merri- 

 ment in the camp because of a rather ridiculous termination 

 of a well-intentioned effort to secure some game to his creel. 

 It was an exceedingly hot day in September, and upon the 

 banks of Stone's River, that the patieneeof our hero had been 

 well nigh exhausted— rushing with all kinds of bait, such as 

 minnows, earth worms, flics, etc., to no purpose, not even a 

 nibble to reward him. Just at this moment he fancied he saw 

 in the grass close by hinia little green frog. He looked again, 

 and, there was the frog, sure enough. "Ah! ah! my little 

 joker, if I can but lay my hands upon you I would offer you 

 as a temptation, which I know some noble jack could not re- 

 fuse ; so here goes, and I will catch you if I can." After some 

 little scampering about, aud with the aid of his broad-brimmed 

 Panama, he succeeded in capturing the innocent frog. Placing 

 him carefully upon his hook, he next proceeded to cast him 

 into a beautifully shaded aud cool looking pool (just the place 

 for bass or jack) nearly on the opposite side of the stream, 

 liis cast was perfect, and there stood our friend, rod in hand, 

 reaching as far as possible out into the stream, with the clear 

 setting sun shining full in his face, which was, from lhat 

 cause and excitement, as red as a beet, waiting patiently for 

 the expected bite ; but he waited iu vain. " No bite ! How 

 can this be ?" What was his disgust when H. G., coming up 

 the opposite bank, discovered that the frog, with the hook in 

 him, had swam out to the bank, which it had climbed up, and 

 was sitting there, apparently meditating upon the cruel nature 

 of the human race and in full view of his persecutor. If it 

 were not for fear of tiring the patience of my readers I oould 

 give a dozen or more of just such embarrassing situations that 

 happened not only lo ibe military member, hut to all the 

 others, As it is, 1 bad better tell about Col.'H.'s experience 

 with a pair of India rubber wading-trowsers. Some friend 

 in Mew York, knowing the old gentleman's fondness for fish- 

 ing, and knowing his favorite way was to wade out iuto the 

 stream, sent him a pair of the above-mentioned trowsers, with 

 boots and breeches together. Old Nick, as everybody called 

 him, was delighted. " Now I can go with the boys," said he; 

 "no fiar of rheumatism or ague with such waterproofs as 

 these. J fan lake the stream and be as dry as a powder-horn." 

 With such consoling thoughts in his mind, he donned his over 

 alls, and, rod in hand, stepped out into the water. The 

 place where he entered the stream was very rapid water, about 

 eighteen inches deep. The bottom was rocky, with green, 



