FOREST AND STREAM. 



311 



thus haying a flare of four inches. H<5r depth amidships 

 was fifteen inches; at the bow nineteen. She was decked 

 over four feet on the bows and two feet on the stern, with 

 a washboard of four inches and a combing of two. Her 

 centre board was four feet long, the forward end being 

 against the masl; the mast was four inches in diameter in 

 the largest place; the sail contained thirteen yards of cloth 

 and was made of the best twilled cotton. The boat was 

 well provided with seats; steered with u rudder; wa3 

 strongly built, being put together with brass screws; was a 

 good sailor and a perfectly safe pleasure boat. Sharpies 

 are built hero all the way from sixteen to forty feet in 

 length, but one twenty feat is sufficient for a pleasure boat, 

 the larger ones being Fol Carrying oysters. They can be 

 built and lilted complete for $75. Any sportsman con- 

 templating a Winter visit to Florida, would do well to pur- 

 chase one. 



Review of our Vac-tit Fleet.— During the past Sum 

 mer there has beeu a large number of pleasure yachts 

 added to the fleet, and St. Augustine never before possessed 

 as many. Among the recently built, wc find the Seminole, 

 the largest, owned and built by Alex. Iwanowski, during 

 the past Summer, thirty-seven feet long, fifteen feet beam, 

 sloop rigged; the Enchatitrc-s, which was launched during 

 the week, thirty-three feet long, twelve feet beam, sloop 

 rigged, built by Emanuel Sanchez, Joseph and Fernando 

 Leonardy, and owned by the two latter; the Idler, twenty- 

 four feet lpngynine and a half feet beam, sloop rigged, 

 built and owned by Matthias Leonardy; tlie Tiaveler^uow 

 being finished by us builder and owner, Joseph S. Sanchez, 

 twenty three fee'i long, nine ieet and one inch beam, sloop 

 rigged. One of the neatest, and tUe ouly round bottom 

 boat ever built here, is the Elizabeth, built this Summer by 

 William and Reuben Pinkbam, and owned by the former. 

 All of the above boats are neatly built, and their young 

 builders may well feel proud for the production of such 

 good workmanship, with but so little experience. Below 

 IS a list of the boatmen, with their yachts' names. 



Mr. Iwanowski enters the "field of action" with the 

 Seminole, Belle of the Bay, Brooklyn Belle, Jessie, Co- 

 lumbia, and a number of small boats. Mr. W. and R. 

 Piukhatu with the Water Witch, Ida Lyon, Carrie, Wave, 

 Elizabeth, Florida, and small boats. A. Munson with the 

 Leapwave, or Tidal Wave, and the famous Eagle. Adol- 

 phus Paeetli with the Bully Boy and Nellie. Josephs. 

 Sauehez with the Wanderer, Traveler, and small boats. 

 Emanuel Sanchez with the Cricket. Walton with the 

 Fleetwing. Fernando and Joseph Leonardy with the En- 

 chantress. Matthias Leonardy with the Idler. There are 

 besides these other small boats in the bay. 



Mr. D. Edgar's private yacht, the America, is being over- 

 hauled and painted by Iwanowski, also the yacht of N. 

 Edgar, and both will shortly appear in streamers and 

 beauty. Capt. Clay's Belle of Florida, and the S. O. A. 

 B. , are moored off the sea wall, and are wearing a cheerful 

 look. Mr. Mollcrsou's boat was launched during the week, 

 also looking hearty. J. O. Whitney's Inez deCastro still 

 presents a forlorn and neglected spectacle on the inner side 

 of the sea wall, and apparently abandoned. "Capt. Pete's'' 

 Curlew was ordered to report at Ravenswood Arsenal, and 

 has beeu assigned duly in the waters of the St. Sebastian. 

 — Ftorida Press, December 12th. 



♦** 



The English Club System. — Since Captain Cook's re- 

 turn from England, we have heard more or less about the 

 club system in rowing and the desirability of its introduc- 

 tion here at Yale. The broad difference between this and 

 the present system is that instead of proprietors, the clubs 

 are lessees of the boats employed. In Oxford and Cam- 

 bridge, where rowing has been long established and com- 

 mands universal participation, there is a guarantee to the 

 boat, builder that his boats will be hired from year to year; 

 hence no stroug necessity for organisation arises. In fact, 

 however, a very close organ :z itiou with strict regulations 

 prevails. AYhen any student or party of students from a 

 college of the University hires a boat, he takes care first to 

 enter the college club, thus subjecting himself to its regu- 

 lations, and, if possible, to enter the University club. The 

 college club then selects men for its trial eights and hires 

 the necessary boats. These trial crews have races which 

 bring out material for the college crews. These college 

 crews may be considered to eorrespind with our dares 

 crews, for in many cases the field or selection is even 

 smaller than that afforded by one of the classes of the 

 Academic or Scientific departments. The various colleges 

 then meet in the college races and from these crews the. 

 University trial eights are formed. In the race for 1872, 

 nineteen colleges entered crews. Of these colleges, nine 

 had under seventy-five members, six had under 100, while 

 only four bad nearly over 150, the smallest number being 

 fifty-eight and the largest 243. The victorious college had 

 a membership of seventy-six. 



The system at Harvard embraces many of the features of 

 the above. The whole University is divided among four 

 clubs, two dormitories being assigned to a club. Each 

 club has au average membership of fifty. Eacli member 

 pays the first year $15, payable in advance, to the treasurer 

 Of the club, who then issues a privilege of using the boats 

 of the club. The treasurer gives the money to a eommttee, 

 who make payments according to agreement. Damages, 

 the result, of ordinary wear and tear, are repaired at the ex- 

 pense of the builder; but serious damages are assessed upon 

 the student, or in part upon the student and builder, to 

 such amojnts as a committee of arbitration, consisting of 

 the captain of the University crew, the captains of the "four 

 clubs and one other person shall determine. It is, of course, 

 to the interest of the builder to keep the boats in good re- 

 pair, thai their years of service, may be the longest pos- 

 sible. The arbitration committee have the right to reject 

 auy boat as unfit for service. A seal in a boat is furnished 

 to every three members of a club, the boats being some- 

 what as follows: — Two four-oared gigs, two small sculls 

 and four single sculls, with such change as each club may 

 direct. On this basis it is found that the members of "a 

 club can each get a row at least once a day, and the prac- 

 tical workings of the club in this respect" have been very 

 smooth. It is probable that after the clubs get into suc- 

 cessful operation here a reduction of ihu price of member- 

 ship could be made. There would then also arise the prac- 

 tice of renting boats to individuals and parties at rates 

 somewhat higher than those which the members of the club 

 pay. The changes above sketched would also make an 



entirely new system of races necessary. Some such plan 

 of races as the following could he adopted: — 



Fall Races.— Races of "trial sixes of the clubs in barges; 

 races of club crews, barges; (possibly) races of class crews, 

 shells, or the regular Full regatta. 



Spring and Summer Races. — Rates of trial sixes of the 

 clubs, barges; races of the club crews, barges; races of trial 

 University crews, barges; races of class crews, shells, or 

 the Summer regatta. 



It will be understood that these races would not be con- 

 fined to yix-oared boats, but would include pair oars, 

 double and single sculls, and, possibly, ultimately, four- 

 oared boats. Again it will be remarked that trial sixes and 

 club races of such are mentioned iu the above plan. It 

 may be 1 bought advisable to change these to four-oared 

 boals. In our next we shall Iry to explain more particularly 

 the plan of the club system as proposed for Yale. — Tale 

 Jiixoni. 



gen md 



jiver Jjfishitig, 



FISH IN SEASON IN DECEMBER. 



Fompano, 

 Snapper. 

 Grouper. 

 Kockltsh. 



Trout (black basa), Sheepshe&d, 



Drum (two species). Tailorllsh. 



Kinglish. Sea Bass. 

 Striped Bass. 



Fish in Maiiket.— Bluefish arc coming iu market in pro- 

 fusion from Norfolk, Virginia. The price is ten cents per 

 pound, retail. Codfish is also abundant, as large catches 

 are made off the shores of Long Island. It brings from 

 eight to ten ceuts per pound, Flounders or black -backs 

 which are coming in from Boston, bring fifteen cents, and 

 striped bass from Newburyport, Massachusetts, bring 

 from twenty to twenty-five cents per pound, according to 

 size. Large quantities arrived yesterday, and as the catch 

 is expected to be large a profusion of this species is antici- 

 pated. Iungfish from Key West is arriving in limited 

 quantities. Price from fifteen to eighteen cents per pound. 

 Spanish mackerel which must have been caught by acci- 

 dence, came from the same place, but the flavor is not 

 equal to that of those caught in season. They are so scarce 

 that they bring fifty cents per pound. Scollops are out of 

 season, so none are ooming in, but hard shells crabs are 

 abundant enough to meet all demands at $2 50 per 100. 



— We see it stated that the first shad of the season have 

 reached Baltimore from Roanoke Sound, N. C, but can- 

 not confirm it. It is early yet for shad, even at Savannah. 



—The fishermen of Canarsie, Long Island, have recently 

 been making large catches of codfish. There are about 

 a dozen vessels in the fishing fleet, and all report excellent 

 luck. , 



Matune Fisheries of Canada.— At the last meeting of 

 the Natural History Society of Canada, Mr. J. L. Whitc- 

 aves read a paper on the marine fisheries, particularly on 

 the oyster beds of the St. Lawrence, but he also described 

 in general terms the better known fishes frequenting the 

 Gulf. These embrace the mackerel, cod, tunny or horse 

 mackerel, the tautoga or blackfish, the old English hake, 

 called weally whiting, the American hake or ling, the had- 

 dock, flounder, smelt, capelin, herring, and the menhaden, 

 or porgy. Of the oyster beds he says that they occupy, re- 

 latively, but a small area, and that there are none, so 

 far as known, in the seas of the Province of Quebec, 

 around the shoros of Newfoundland, the Magdalen Islands 

 or in the Bay of Fundy. 



— The Detroit papers warn epicures against salted white- 

 fish. The recent gales drove the water all out of the ponds 

 where the fishermen have been keepin; a supply of live 

 whitefish to ship East with cold weather. These fish died, 

 and now the men are busily salting them for market. 

 ;<; — One hundred and eighty-one blackfish were driven on 

 shore and slaughtered in the harbor of Friendship, Me., one 

 day last week. The largest was nineteen feet in length. 

 II is estimated they will make 15C barrels of oil, The 

 oldest fisherman there never saw a blackfish that side of 

 Georges Island before. 



—The Manchester (N. II.) Miror, December 19th, says:— 



"The surface of Massabesic, Dorr's and Null's and all 

 the other ponds in this vicinity, are as glare as the best of 

 skaters could wish. Along with good skating on Hie ice 

 we have good fishing under it. The weather is, for the 

 season, warm and clear; the ice is thick enough to be safe, 

 and thin enough to be cut through without "trouble, and 

 the ponds are plenty and of good size. Not for many years 

 have fishermen had so uniform good luck through the ice. 

 Every day we hear of and see tine strings whteh weigli 

 from ten to fifty pounds. 



— At Buffalo Lake near Montello, Wisconsin, large num- 

 bers of bass and pickerel may be speared through the ice 

 by darkening the hole through the ice with a blanket. 



—Messrs. G. AY. LTowlan, at Tignish; L. C. Hall, at Tig- 

 nish and Grand River; and Churchill Brothers, at Ruslico, 

 all of Canada, have shipped about.38,000 barrels of mack- 

 erel this Autumn. Hundreds of vessels from Cape Cod 

 and Gloucester, Massachusetts, and elsewhere, have also 

 secured large quantities of mackerel around the coast. 

 Much larger quantities have been taken this year than in 

 any former season. The yield of the deep sea fisheries has 

 been less than the average, while the returns from the in- 

 shore fisheries have been remarkably good. 



— The fisheries of Prince Edward's Island have done re- 

 markably well this Summer, especially iu lobster packing. 

 The lobster factories at Murray Harbor and at West Point 

 have each done a large and profitable business. The pro- 

 prietors pf the establishment at Murray Harbor are prepar- 

 ing to extend their operations next season, and expect to 

 put up not less than 100,000 cans. Ttie lobsters preserved 

 are .of large size, averaging iu weight from two to five 

 pounds. Only those of good quality and condition are can- 

 ned. There are now at least forty-seven canning establish- 

 ments in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, which use up 



from three to five tons each per day, in the season, making 

 the total annual consumption in those Provinces about 

 30,000 tons. It is very doubtful if the Bupply will long 

 prove equal to the drain upon it. 



Bass and Thout Fishing im Florida. — Somo weeks 

 ago wc quoted an old Florida authority on black bass fish- 

 ing. A correspondent wrote us thereon this wise: — 



"A matter attracting my attention in yoar paper, is a statement; 

 that a century ago trout were caught iu the South by a s pecies or fly, 

 Bartram, imprint, 1761. describing the device which be calls a "bob," as 

 three hooks, eel baek to back, and covered witn parll-colored feathers. 

 You 9ay the "bob" U iu use at Ihu South to ilna day. In this you are 

 quite correct, though the pari l-colorcd feather.- are seldom, if ever, em- 

 ployed. The three hooks, however, are still in r. K iic, but are attached 

 to a manning lure, which closely resembles a minnow, as it Is drawn 

 lightly along the surface of the water. The description otherwise of 

 "bobbing," as reprinted by you from Bartram, [B to the life. y?heii th.) 

 fish "strikes" he cullies fuahlngalong just under the surface tike a rail- 

 road train, and I fancy your tluc jointed rods wouM pop like pipe atemS 

 before the whirl he giv« when he feels the steel. K .-en uur tough cane 

 bonds like a bow, and one. in a great while rairl f surrenders to tho 

 shock. We flan also with live bait (minnows) about two feet boiow the 

 surface. This takes a line lit to hold a horse. I Uave seen a 12 pound 

 trout, b.u this weight is rare, a^ond one being 6, fi and 7." 



We Kliall endeavor in this department to impart and hope to receivt 



suck information as in :/.•/ /" <>! a n tc- t<, nmati <>>' or. a professional matt- 



men. 'We •riil r.lietrfulhi an-a-tr a!< reasun.it.lr ,j,s, .'„.;,.,■,',', ■.,■/,■,." :,■;..■ 

 the sco]K of tills paper, dtshja<i(haj loiuUUUs for i/oo.i hunting, Jl«ti- 



iilf/, aaa :oa,aaaS- 'a,r ', •■ tea a arjr, a: ' r : a ,ar '■'.. .','■' ■.'. 



pteiaerts, cjatr.;:,' ■Jist-inr.s. ■rapcr-r . .■,,;,. „-.■,, rrra-o ! {r.\ tee.ntr, .p>r,_,,s, 



governing rule*, etc. An tr'raac/ies ef fee sp<rrtspu_raa. : craft teal ceeacs 



attention. Anonymous Cominiiiiieulioiia not tVoticed. 



Eaole.— Yonr favor in our next. 



Eacif.r iNQUinun, Vermont.— For good Ashing in tho Indian Terri- 

 tory, go down among the VreeJcs. 



Wilkie, Washington.— In our answer to query Dec. 3, for Anderson 

 and Buekmore, read Audubon and Bachman. 



L, C. W., Weston.— Are there any good Bhooting, single barrel hreecu 

 loaders made? Ans. Stevens' gnn— a good, utroug shooter, interchange- 

 able with ride barrel. Eetail at $18. 



Gun Fei.t.— We have written a letter to the proprietors of Iteevea' 

 gun felt, urging the importance of their placing it before the American t 

 people through an agency and advertisements. 



J. C. R., Brooklyn, and C. E. W., Nashua.— In our answer to query 

 Dec. 3 and Dec. 17, for 3 incli target read SO inch rarget. A 30 inch tar - 

 get means thirty inches each side, or an area oftjOO square inches. 



N. J., Washington,— Please inform me of the size of orange lightning 

 powder, which comes nearest in size to the Lawrence No. 3 of ISngltsh 

 manufacture? Ans. No. 3 is the same ?.» tho Lawrence No. 3. No. 7 is 

 the coarsest and No. 1 the finest. 



Stuart, Lawrence, Kansas.— Would yon be kind euongh to refer me, 

 through your Answers to Correspondents, to some honse from wblch I 

 can obtain waterproof flailing Blockings? Ans, Geo. C. Hcnning, 410 

 7th street, N. W., Washington, D. C. 



M. V. B., Good Ground, L. I.— What will a good rabbit dog cost me, 

 and do you know where I can purchase one? Ana. We do not know 

 where you can purchase one. These dogs are in much demand, yet no 

 person imports them to sell. In England a good dog would cost you 

 abont $10. 



W. P. Ansonia.— Can yon tell me where I can procure a good, reliab'e 

 setter dog, wlthont paying a fancy price? I don't limit a great deal, and 

 can't afford to pay too much, but still I like to shoot over a good dog a* 

 well as anybody. Ans. See advertising columns. Know of nona 

 except parlies represented there. 



J. S. G., Binghamton.— What 1* your opinion aa to which size (gauge, 

 length of burrt-ls, and weight! of breech loader gives the best satisfaction 

 in woodcock, quail and grouse shooting? Ans. Ten gauge, iliirly to 

 thirty-two inches in the barrel, and ten pounds In weight, will prove 

 most useful for all kinds of game. 



S, B., New York.— A correspondent writes: I would advise your cor- 

 respondent N. B., New York, in last week's number, to have his Bubans 

 Dacicr gun lengthened to about (0 inches; it will add but little to the 

 present weight of the gun, but greatly to its shooiing qualites. I would 

 then advise him to take a i rip to Sandy Hook for excellent goose shoot- 

 iug. Surf boats for the sport, $1 per day. 



Competitive Hunts.— In couuting game tho following couventlonal 

 values are usually attached to each variety, and counted us follows! 

 Swan, 500; goose, 300; turkey. 200; coon, 200; groundhog, 2.0; possum, 

 125; sandhill crane, 100; pheasant, 75; woodcock, 50; brant, 35; prairie 

 chicken, 20; large duck, 20; large rail, 20; small rail. 5; sm ill duck, 15; 

 pigeon, 15; jacksnipe, 15; quail, 10; squirrel, 10; taller, 5; golden plover, 

 5; ring plover, 5. 



Qaon, Poughkeepsle.— I have a good muzzle loading shot gun, which 

 I would like to have made into a breech loader. Who can do it forme, 

 and what would be the expense? also would it injure ihe shooting of the 

 gun? Ans. The only successful alterations from mnzzle to breech 

 loaders that, we have seen are those of Claik & Sueider, Baltimore, and 

 their work is always spoken of as eminently satisfactory. Cost compar- 

 ative little; we forget exactly how much. 



F. 8., Brooklyn.— I thought it was a well known fact that omttholog- 

 ically considered, there Is no partridge indigenous to this country, al- 

 though quail and ruffed grouse are denominated partridge iu some sec- 

 lions. But a summary of a day's shooiing. printed in a leading sporting 

 paper, seems to contradict this fael, when it enumerates "120 quail, tsj 

 brace partridges, 4 brace pintail grouse, U brace ruffed grou-e. 1 labbit." 

 Here, you will notice, are mentioned quail, rutted grouse, and partridge. 

 If you can explain this, please do so? Ans. We have no trje partridges 

 in this country, therefore the statement is incorrect. 



Five PnoNu. Gn.enwood, Wis.— Will you pleuso inform me whothor 

 the Ward llurton riflo is iu the market. Their advertisement looks as 

 though they were not, still it seems to havo been nsed some time? 2. 

 Alas state the difference, if any, between an Expiess rifle and the heavily 

 charged Creuliuoor guns? Ans. 1. Word Burton gun not yet in the 

 market. Arrangements now iu process of completion to manufacture the 

 rifle on a large scale. Express rifles generally use r. round ball rnd heavy 

 charge, say 100 or 150 grains powder, the object being (o get a flat trajec- 

 tor, so as not to require adjustment of back sight, say up to some 300 

 yards. 



A. I,., Cit.v.— Wishing to bny a good and cheap ebot gnn, I inquired 

 abont the Remington single barrel breeoD loader, ami a. dealer iu lire 

 arms told me thai the Remington single gun irn not. worth much. I 

 was tho more astonished at this assertion, as l have eeen it recommended 

 in your paper frequently. I don't know what to do now-if to buy a 

 double barrelled m i disregard tho de tier's UBgertlOu and 



buy a Rouilngt'in single breed loader. 1 «W get a Win 3.:ott A Sons' 

 double barrelled tutuszle loader for. $23, uoilherdo I wish to pay any hi.to 

 rot a shot gun. Is the ■• brerfOnJns/lcr. w goodpi 



(nan the Ramingi > \- ■ eeoiril rnlewe object to 



piai-ing one style or gqu at th I er, dole - «■.■ kiiJbw na 



to be dangerous to lift}. Ann every apor-mmtm I gatiia 



own ohbicc In shot gum It wc recommend any fiw we d"b itongootl 

 grounds. 2. That can be proved only by eip nuienrs, a., tiiat we can- 

 not give you any positive information. Shall publish instrucdausto pro. 

 purchasers in u few days, aud that will enable you to knuw.wb*n stylo 

 and make you want. 



