FOREST AND STREAM. 



487 



tlic terrapin, in a general manner with tho whole turtle fami- 

 ly rather than a> a distinct species. 



A prime specimen, suitable, for the table, should measure 

 about 6i or 7 inches along tho plastron or the lower shell. 

 The females only attain this size, and are therefore the most 

 desirable, a female, or " cow '' terrapin, as thry are called 

 by dealers, measuring such length, is what is termed a " full 

 count" in tho trade, that is, twelve of them count a dozen. 

 Those measuring five or six inches along tho lower shall are 

 termed " heifera," and in trade count two for one, or three 

 for two, so that very often 18 or 24 are given for a dozen, 

 according to size and weight. 



The females never exceed nine inches in length, and one 

 of that size is seldom caught, a! terrapin measuring nine 

 inches will weigh six or eight pounds, and one measuring 

 six inches about three pounds before cooking. Theimales or 

 " bulls " have scarcely any marketable value. They are very 

 small, rarely measuring over three or four inches, and under 

 the new law of Maryland cannot be sold if they measure Less 

 than live inches ; neither can the heifera be sold when under 

 that measurement. This law enacted by the General Assem. 

 bly of Maryland at the last session prohibits any one from 

 taking or catching diamond back terrapinslrora the waters 

 of the State between the 1st day of April and 1st day of No- 

 vember in each year, and that no diamond back terrapin of 

 leas size than five inches in length upon the bottom 

 shell shall be taken at any time. The fine for a violation of 

 this law is not less than $5 or more than;$10 for each terra- 

 pin, one-half going to the informer, and possession of tbo 

 terrapin to be deemed prima facte evidence of the violation 

 of the low. 



To give the many readers of the Forest and Stkeam: a full 

 and readable account of the terrapin trade, how and where 

 they are caught, etc., I visited Baltimore, in which city ter- 

 rapin a la Marylande is a dish as old as the city itself. I was 

 taken in charge by Mr. Robert Rennert, the proprietor of 

 the Rennert House on Fa3 f ette street, and soon found my- 

 self in his cellar among diamond backs fresh from the East- 

 ern Shore of the Bay, Choptauk River, St. Michaels and 

 other Maryland waters, where they are numerous. First, he 

 explained the noticeable marks of difference between a su- 

 perior and inferior terrapin; for the genuine diamond back 

 is different from the James River or " Slider" specimen 

 commonly known as " red belly," and some other species 

 which resemble it closely, but do not compare to it in flavor 

 tho former having a rough under shell of a dark mud color, 

 while the under shell of the latter is as smooth as glass and 

 has a red tinge resembling that of the common land tortoise. 

 "We next visited dealers in this product of the Chesapeake 

 Bay and its adjacent waters; for there are men in Baltimore 

 who make their living during the winter in this trade, buy- 

 ing them from oyster pungies and other vessels arriving at 

 Baltimore daily, and disposing of them not only in Balti- 

 more, but forwarding them to Philadelphia and New York. 



" To what extent do you trade in them ?" I inquired of 

 one dealer. 



" Why, sir, I have sold as many as 1,000 terrapins liere in 

 Baltimore in three days. True, many of them were small, 

 bat the small ones are cheaper, and many society people giv- 

 ing parties will have stewed terrapin on the bill, but they do 

 not buy the most expensive ones. Tho large ones we sell to 

 the first-class restaurants, because they have their reputation 

 to maintain, aud will not serve inferior terrapin." In fur- 

 ther reply to my questions the dealer responded as follows ; 

 "For twenty -five years I have been catching and selling 

 them. When I first commenced, if we received six or eight 

 dollars a dozen for full counts, we were doing well; now we 

 get from $20 to $21 a dozen without trouble, but the terra- 

 pin are not as plentiful uow as then." An old fisherman, 

 who had devoted many years of his life to catching terrapin 

 was so impressed with their value that be declared to me, 

 "They is money, sir, they is money. If I had that boat full 

 of terrapin (pointing to a pungy near he wharf), I would 

 never want anymore money." 



HOW THEY ABB CATJGHT. 



Various methods of capturing them are employed, and 

 many of the old negroes residing near the Chesapeake Bay 

 and its tributaries, especially on the Eastern Shore of Mary- 

 land, are experts in the manipulation of drags, rakes, and 

 tongs by which the terrapin is brought from his winter home 

 in the mud. All along tho southern coast the fishermen cap- 

 ture them, but the Chesapeake Bay terrapin seems to have 

 the greatest commercial value. 1 suppose for the reason 

 that they are shipped to the markets of Baltimore, Philadel- 

 phia and New York, immediately after being caught, and 

 are therefore in prime condition. Those caught further 

 south, on the South Carolina, Florida and Gulf coasts, are 

 sold in the Southern markets. Tho experiment has been 

 tried in that section of penning the terrapins caught until a 

 sufficient number to ship north could be procured. The pen 

 covering an area of some two or three acres, in a creek of 

 shallow water, was composed of stakes driven in the mud, 

 and the terrapins as fast as caught were put in the inclosure, 

 where they were fed daily with fish, bits of meat and other 

 things suited to their taste. Although the best of care was 

 taken of them, it was soon discovered that the impounded 

 animal became poor, and its flavor, when served at the table, 

 did not compare with those taken at large, and served with- 

 in a few days thereafter without being impounded. A fact 

 easily explained when we consider that the imprisoned terra- 1 

 pin had not the same choice of food as the one at large ; \ 



neither had it the same exercise, and, besides, the worry of 

 imprisonment and constant effort to get out of the inclosure 

 caused the females to drop their eggs prematurely, and lose 

 flesh as well as flavor. 



One device for their capture consists of a drag ret ar- 

 rangement, which scrapes off the mud, allowing it to pass 

 through the meshes of the net, but retaining the terrapin, and 

 crabs too, many of which are scraped out. of the mud at the 

 same time. In places where they are closely bedded three 

 or four are often caught at one time in this manner. An- 

 other melhod employed is by sounding for them beneath 

 the mud with a sharpened stick, and upon striking one lo 

 rake it up with the tongs. Old fishermen say they can locate 

 them by the bubbles which arise from their nostrils at inter- 

 vals. 



Whcnrakedoutoftheirhibernatingplacethey are of course 

 covered with black mud, but they require little or no care ; 

 usually they are tossed into a barrel, and the fishermen claim 

 that they thrive better this way than if scattered over the 

 hold of a vessel or floor of a cellar. In case of bitter cold 

 weather they are covered with straw to prevent them from 

 freezing. 



Terrapin deposit their eggs in the sand on the beach in 

 June, and generally after rain, for the reason that the sand 

 being moist they can make the hole without the danger of 

 the sides failing in. The hole is always made beyond the 

 reach of the tide, and at night, when from twelve to twenty- 

 four eggs are deposited in tho nest, and left for tho sun to 

 hatch. The young ones are soon able to care for themselves, 

 and seek the water shortly after they are brought to life. 

 The animal is exceedingly timid, hiding itself upon thelea3t 

 alarm. It is a rapid swimmer, and, unlike other members of 

 its tribe, makes good progress over land, though they rarely 

 leave the water, except to deposit their eggs. They can be 

 easily tracked in early morning from the water to the point 

 where they deposit their eggs, and their nests are often 

 robbed not only by man but by various animals. 



The eggs found in the female are always served with the 

 terrapin, but in the winter they are, of course, much smaller 

 than in summer when they are deposited in the sand. In a 

 full grown female the eggs now are not as large as marbles. 

 They are of a golden yellow, and exceedingly rich. As the 

 time approaches for dropping them they increase in dza and 

 are covered with a pliant, parchment-like shell. 



When the terrapin first seek winter quarters in the mud, 

 tbey are in prime condition, and do not become poor until 

 nearly time for them to deposit their eggs in spring. In this 

 respect, they resemble the fish creation, growing poor and 

 losing flavor as the eggs ripen, and the time for their deposit 

 approaches. A salmon, for instance, is unfit for table use 

 when filled with ripe eggs, and so with a terrapin ; but after 

 attending to the duty of propagating their species they soon 

 fatten again. 



The proper cooking of a terrapin is a matter of great im- 

 portance, and when served upon a chafing-dish with the 

 rich eggs, it presents a most tempting appearance. 



" Cannot the terrapin be dressed nearly ready for table, and 

 then shipped abroad ?" I inquired of Rennert. " Oh, yes," 

 he replied, "I have frequently sent them partly cooked in 

 cans to New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and even to 

 Europe. This may be done in very cold weather, but care 

 must be taken in preparing the meat and canning it. I pre- 

 fer to send them alive, however, and have shipped them to 

 England and France to customers of mine temporarily so- 

 journing in those countries." 



In olden times terrapin were roasted in hot embers, and 

 served with butter, pepper, salt and other seasoning, to 

 taste. The old Marylanders always enjoyed the tempting 

 dish, and all along the Eastern shore the colored people de- 

 light to tell of the festive occasions when roast terrapin was 

 an attractive dish upon " old massa's " table. Now they are 

 served in a more artistic s'yle, and the cook who has had 

 experience in serving terrapin is master of his profession. It 

 would be useless for me to give the formal recipes for serv- 

 ing them, though Rennert gave them to me— French, Eng- 

 liah, and various other styles he mentioned, but terrapin a la 

 MarylaTule is the favorite. To him I am indebted for much 

 of the information in this letter. His long experience in 

 serving them and his acquaintance with the dealers has 

 made him quite a naturalist so far as terrapin are concerned, 

 and there is nothing about the animal, its haunts,«habits, or 

 manner of serving it when captured, that he is not familiar 

 with. 



Mr. Crosby S. Noyes, the veteran editor of the "Washington 

 Star, has returned from Europe, where he has been traveling 

 since June last. Being a close observer and interesting 

 writer, his letters wore of the most readable character, and 

 for months bavc been an attractive feature of the Star, the 

 oldest and ablest newspaper of Washington. R. F. B. 



A. DASTARDLY" PRACTICE. 



NOW that the Governor in his message has made allusion 

 to, and some very sensible suggestions regarding, the 

 game laws it may be an appropriate occasion on which to call 

 the attention of the committee who may be appointed to take 

 charge of the matter to a most outrageous practice which has 

 been, if not initiated, at least carried out in the waters of 

 Shinnecock Bay during this last fall. As is well known this 

 bay is a favorite feeding ground for migratory ducks, and un- 

 til the waters are frozen and the great body of ducks driven 



out, it affords not only much sport, for amateurs, but a good 

 living for the many professional gunners who live along its 

 shores. But it so happens that many of the descendents o 

 the man who killed the goose that laid the golden eggs also 

 lived m the same vicinity, and one of the number having 

 found an unfortunate broadbill strangled in the meshes of a 

 fish net it immediately occurred to him that by setting his ne 

 horizontally between the bottom and the surface on the feed- 

 ing grounds he might capture mere of them. His venture 

 was so successful that all of his connections immediately fol- 

 lowed his example, to such an extent that in n short time 

 duck could not dive for his food without being entangled in a 

 net. 1,000 was not an uncommon number for them to take 

 out in a single night ; but this was nothing compared with the 

 numbers that were driven out of the bay, and a correspondent 

 writes that he has seen 20,000 ducks go out in one day after a 

 big haul. By the middle of December there were at least 

 1,000 nets set for the purpose of catching ducks. The law 

 already provides against taking ducks in nets, but these are 

 set ostensibly for fish, and that is the way tho perpetrators 

 crawl out of it. If a law was passed prohibiting the setting 

 of nets in Shinnecock Bay from October 1 uutil May 1 there 

 might still bo some shooting there, otherwise there will not 

 be ; and we sincerely trust that during tho present session of 

 the Legislature something may be done. 



GAME PROTECTION. 



Hounding Debk in thb Adironbacks.— From a private 

 letter written by Mr, Chas.Fenton, of Number Four, we are 

 permitted to make the following extracts. The destruction 

 of deer in the Adirondacks is a subject well werthy of con 

 stant and repeated presentation to public notice until the 

 abuses shall be rectified : 



Mr. Hayt asserts that I boast of killing two thousand deer. 

 This is a false statement, and in reply to the question often 

 asked me, how many deer I have killed, I have stated that I 

 have killed about one thousand in my life-time, which is very 

 near the fact, as it would probably not vary fifty from that 

 number. As the deer question has been freely discussed 

 since my letter to the Herald, and as one would get the idea 

 from Mr. Hayt's letter that a great many deer were slaughtered 

 annually by still-huuting, I have taken the pains to ascertain 

 the facts in the case. 1 know that in this town not more than 

 thirty deer altogether are killed in this way. The town of 

 Diana, in Lewis Co. , always has been one of the best locali- 

 ties for still-hunting. I find that thirteen of the best still- 

 hunters in Diana average four and a half deer during the 

 season. There can be no objection to parties of sportsmen 

 who repair to the woods late in the season, and by the use of 

 hounds killing a few deer. Such parties do not usually kill 

 many. But as this modo of hunting requires no skill except 

 to know how to row a boat, every one who lives in or near 

 the woods have taken to hunting in this waj, and I have 

 known hoys twelve or thirteen years old who have killed 

 twelve or fifteen deer the past fall. 



Fifty deer have been killed at Smith's Lake the past fall by 

 driving the deer into the water, and at another lake upward 

 of a hundred have been killed in tliis way. At this lake I 

 saw a rack for jerking venison, which was being made eighty 

 feet in length and capable of holding the flesh of twenty-five 

 deer at a time. This man was one of a party who had twenty- 

 five dogs. I had an interview with a most reliable guide 

 whose business called him on a tour through the lakes during 

 October, and he thinks my statement in the Utica Herald no 

 exaggeration, but if anything underestimated. 1 will not pre 

 tend to say whether hunting deer with dogs is sportsmanlike 

 or not, but I do know that in a country abounding in lakes, 

 as is the Adirondacks, it is extremely destructive to deer. I 

 have observed this mode of hunting rapidly on the increase, 

 until it has attained gigantic proportions and threatens the 

 speedy extermination of tho deer in our great wilderness, and 

 occupying the position I do, with a full knowledge of all the 

 facts, I deem it a duty to sound the alarm ere it is to 

 and I shall continue to sound it. 



s too late, 



Pennsylvania.— The annual meeting of the Northwestern 

 Pennsylvania Game and Fish Association was held at the 

 office of Colonel E. P. Gould, Easton, Pa., last Thursday. 

 The following officers were elected for the year 1870; Pres- 

 ident, Hon. Wm. L. Scott; Vice President, Colonel John S. 

 Riddle; Secretary and Attorney, Clark Olds; Treasurer, Col. 

 E. P.Gould; Board of Directors, Wm. L. Scott, W. W. Reed, 

 Henry Souther, John 8. Riddle, W. W. Derby. All the 

 members of the association are very enthusiastic in the pro- 

 lection and propagation of game and fish, and if the citizens 

 of Erie will give the association the necessary assistance, it 

 proposes to propagate muscalongo and other game fish 

 artificially. 



,1/ ~ ♦.— 



I Tennessee— Editor Eorest and Stream : I have been very 

 much pleased to see in the columns of your valuable paper 

 that there is at last an effort making toward fish protection in 

 this State. No one not a resident can fully appreciate bow 

 much such a move is needed and how much good it can ac- 

 complish. In regard to this section of the State especially it 

 is easy to give proofs of how much harm has been allowed to 

 result from the lack of suitable laws properly administered. 

 We have in this county several streams, tributaries of tho 

 Tennessee River, from which, not five years ago, the most 

 unscientific angler, provided with the roughest tackle, was 

 sure of taking large strings of bass, pike-perch, hream, black 

 and other varieties of perch. Now in these streams, after the 

 most faithful fishing, it is rare that one secures anything at all 

 approximating a good catch, In the language of the lamented 

 A. Ward, "Why is this thus?" The answer is very easy. 

 The mouth of every one of these streams in the months of 

 March and April, when all of our game fish are seeking their 

 spawning beds, are simply full of wing nets, trot lines, flsh- 

 b skets and other devices of that personage, whom I believe 

 to hate the disciples of gentle Izaak Walton fully as 

 much as he is said to detest holy water. Besides, near the. 

 head- waters on the very spawniug beds themselves, you will 

 find the industrious native with his three or four-pronged gig 

 assiduously sticking it into the back of every unlucky speci- 

 men of the kingdom of pisces that chances to show itself. 

 Now, is it any wonder that our waters uo longer richly re- 

 ward tho patient angler's care? And what encouragement is 

 there to attempt to re-stock our depleted streams when such a 



