32 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[FfiBETjABY 10, 1881 



High and rolling lands border the entrance to North and 

 LCait Bays, with palmetto, oak. spruce, pine and a few mag- 

 nolias. This margin oi : woods extends only a few miles from 

 the entrance of the bay. The balance has' high banks, pine 

 woods to the water's edge, a clear and open view, and the 

 laud very rolling for miles back. The most convenient camp 

 grounds imaginable. Good spring water, fish and oysters, 

 plenty of wood, all in fifty yards of your' tent. And more 

 deer, bear, and all other game peculiar to Florida than I 

 have found at any other place in the State. I killed twenty- 

 eight deer witli a 32-caIibre rifle, one of the smallest make, 

 weighing four pounds. I mention this from the fact that 

 this gun dot snot come under the head of a sporting rifle, 

 and is rarely used for game of this size. I kept no account 

 of what 1 killed with my shotgun— frequently more than 1 

 knew what to do with, you can hunt, on foot here all day 

 without gelling them wet, which is different from most 

 parts of Florida. The bottoms where the deer lie can be 

 overlooked by the driver or huntsman, and not a deer that's 

 jumped but can be seen climbing the bills on either 

 side, ami rarely ever escapes unhurt. ' On a stream leading 

 iuto East Bay from the direction of the Dead Lakes I saw 

 the first beaver 1 ever saw in Florida. Something of these 

 animals in my next. "Wanhekkk. 



ATenskssee Resoet.— XtuHmiUe, Term., Dec— Will Er- 

 uiu, one of our best amateur shots and anglers, has jnst re- 

 turned from a three months' sojourn at Guntcrsville, a small 

 town on the Tennessee River. This famous game country 

 is of easy access by rail to Decatur, Ala., or Bridgeport, and 

 thence up or down the river, Cuntersvillo beine" equidistant 

 between those places. Quail is so abundant that hunters 

 trap them us a cheaper method than shooting them. In the 

 immediate vicinity of the town are seven large droves of 

 wild turkeys ; in the hills not many miles away deer are 

 numerous and black bears not uncommon. Bill Brown, a 

 jovial fellow, keeps one of the two taverns in the place, ami 

 a more home-like, comfortable house cannot be found in the 

 country'" De or some of the boys are always on the qui like 

 for a hunt. Within a radius of "a dozen miles there are ten 

 or fifteen creeks and bayous, teeming with bass and perch, 

 two of these streams take their source from warm springs, 

 and in them during very cold weather ducks, geese andawan 

 take refuge, and finer "sport than they offer would lie diffi- 

 cult to find. The fishing is likewise good, In one afternoon 

 Mr. Erwin and Brown creeled sixty-eight bass, ten of them 

 running over three pounds each. He says that so plentiful 

 are large fish that when a small one is caught he is certain to 

 be thrown back into the water. Jack and spike-tailed cat- 

 fish abound in the Tennessee River, particularly at a point 

 where Short Creek empties into it. These are taken fre- 

 quently, tipping the beam at from ten to twenty pounds. The 

 people are hospitable, and are glad to see strangers come 

 among them. The morning Will left for home lie had for 

 breakfast squirrels, quail, rabbit, venison and bear meat on 

 the table. Board about if 1 a day. Where can Sportsmen do 

 belter? J. D. H. 



Grofn-dsfoi! a PiiF.SRUvB.— On Long Island, within fifty 

 miles of New York, there are pitches of land where the wild 

 fires have killed the timber, " root ^and branch," so that 

 now the land is covered with small scrub oak, sweet fern 

 and ti coarse grass we call broom sedge, the whole not more 

 than knee, high, making splendid cover for quail. Near 

 f-tchogue as much as two hundred acres of this land can be 

 found together, which can be leased of the several owners at 

 a very small price for the purpose of propagating quail. My 

 plan would be to plow in the spring a few furrows, say five 

 or six at intervals of twenty rod?, and sow wheat at the same 

 time. Set free two or three dozen pairs of quail. By so do- 

 ing 1 have no doubt that a half-dozen gentlemen would have 

 all the shooting they could reasonably desire next fall. The 

 opportunities for protec ingthe quail from poachers are excel- 

 lent. If you think there is anything in the idea I shall be 

 pleased to receive any gentleman at my house and will show 

 him the ground. Q. F. C. 



Tne.EE Tr-nxEvs at a Hmyr—Jiutkr, Ivd., Jan. 24.— 

 While shooting in Defiance County, Ohio., in December, 

 1880, 1 made the champion turkey shot. 1 killed three tur- 

 keys at a siugle shot from the right hand barrel of a breech- 

 1 'i;i din i shotgun. The shell was loaded with four and a half 

 drams of Orange lightning powder and one and a fourth 

 ounces of chilled shot (No. 4) ; distance about fifty yards. I 

 used two pink-edged wads over the powder and a card- 

 board \v;ul over the shot. Many good sportsmen entertain 

 doubts as to whether a wild turkey can he killed with anj r 

 shot smaller than No. 1. I was among the doubting ones, 

 and was so astonished at what I had done that I entirely for- 

 got to use the left hand barrel of my gun, and SO let the tur- 

 keys that were not killed run and fly away. F. P. 



A man is reported to have killed recently at one shot five 

 wild turkeys near Toccoa, Ga., but as he did not report the 

 exploit to Fokest a>~d Stp.eam of course it cannot go on 

 record. 



An Illinois Ckow Roost— JhidUy, Edgar Co., Ill, Jan. 

 15 — On the north side of this county is a crow's roost, 

 where the birds congregate by thousands. It is a small strip of 

 timber ab nit one mile long by one quarter wide, and is about 

 eleven miles from any other timber. The crows come in 

 from dusk until as late as one and two o'clock at night. All 

 this time they keep up a most hideous noise. At peep of 

 day they beg'in to scatter in all directions. About the most 

 particular damage they do is picking holes in fat hogs, which 

 cannot avoid them. Our county Is very closely divided, 

 politically, and when a candidate has been successful he is 

 presented with a nail keg of crow heads- Z J. B. 



The Lojsct Island Sportsmen's Association held its an- 

 nual meeting last Friday night and elected the following 

 officers and committees; President, George A. Chappell ; 

 vice-presidents, Abel Crook, B.W.West, Henry S Lott, Chas. 

 E. Foke, Robert Fnrey ; secretary, Henry Thorpe; assistant 

 secretary, Theodore Alston ; treasurer, Robert Robinson. 

 Speeiat" Prize Committee— Gharles E. Fiske, N. Beggs, 

 B. W- West, Frederick Mather. Ground Comm'r: tee, in- 

 cluding police, trap shooting, rifle and pistol and fly cast- 

 ing— Robert Robinson, A. Elmendorf, William Engennan. 

 John MjcMahon, Theodore Alston, Frederick Mather, Charles 

 Dexter, G. F. GiMi-rslreve, E. H. Madison. Reception 

 Committee Judge Henry S. Lott, Charles W. Haveuieyer, 

 Abel Crook and othen 



try 11 



e Jaw proposed by the committee 



jb was deferred until Friday evening, Febru- 



j£ex and ffiver fishing, 



PROTECT THE ROCKFISH IN THE DELAWARE. 



Ooessa, Del., Dec. 20. 

 Pjjoeessok Baied: 



Permit me to call your attention, as Chief of the United 



States Fish Commission, to the rapid depletion of the rock or 

 striped bass of the Delaware River and Bay and the necessity 

 of baying legislation for their protection. 



Some seven years ago when you asked me if I noticed any 

 decrease of those fish I told you that I did not: but I now 

 see, for the last few years, a great decrease and the causes 

 that produce it. You are perhaps aware that I have given a 

 great deal of attention to those fish for many years and have 

 come to the following conclusions : The mature fish are sea- 

 going, the same as shad, Salmon, etc., returning in the spring, 

 about the middle of April, for reproduction. The young fry 

 remain in our waters until maturity, and it is from these we 

 get our food supply. They live on small fish and, of course, 

 there is plenty of food for "them and it is natural for them to 

 remain until maturity. If they make migrations it is only 

 from the mouth of one bay or river to another. 



The causes of their depletion comes from a large number 

 of sturgeon gill-nets that arc now fished in the river and bay 

 — a comparatively new industry. 



These nets are fished during the whole of the spawning 

 season of the rock and, of course, capture, large numbers of 

 the large, mature fish, some nets taking as many as fifteen in 

 one day. These fish are scarce at beat and this wholesale 

 capture is calculated to destroy the whole breed before many 

 years. 



The fish are sold to the sturgeon butchers, principally lo- 

 cated in New Jersey, who ship them to the New York mar- 

 ket. The fishermen realize about 81 each for fish weighing 

 from fifty to sixty ponds, when a ten-pound fish during the 

 winter and i arlv spring is worth, in the Philadelphia ma-ket, 

 from |-1.50 to $2, so you see that but little is realized from 

 them. Prior to this gill-net fishing the regular seine-fisher- 

 men for rock in the spring had a tegular rule of honor 

 among them to turn loose all the large fish for breeders. I 

 have seen from ten to fifteen turned loose from a single haul. 



The fishermen will not respect this rule any more and they 

 are all sold. You will therefore see the necessity of some 

 legislation to protect this most valuable fish that we have in 

 our water as it is captured in greater or less quantity at all 

 seasons of the year, and good size fish command in the Phil- 

 adelphia market in winter from two to three cents per lb. 

 more than salmon. 



Now I would propose, inasmuch as the legislatures of Penn- 

 sylvania., New Jersey and Delaware will all be in session this 

 winter, to have a law passed by them all for the protection of 

 this fish. 



The shad and herring are protected fully by law. This 

 fish has no protection in law. 



Now I would propose that there should be a fine of S3 for 

 the capture and killing of any striped bass or rock-fish weigh- 

 ing over twenty-five lbs. by any fisherman, and alike fine for 

 any person having one in possession, for sale or otherwise, 

 and requiring every person capturing such fish to carefully 

 release them and turn them loose in the water. 



Each State to provide means through their fish commissions 

 to see that the law is fully carried out. The gill-Bel mentell 

 me there would be no difficulty in releasing them as they 

 take alive many of their sturgeon and place them in pens for 

 future use. 



In regard to hatching these fish I am satisfied since our 

 trial with Mr. Anderson that we. can only be successful by 

 having large and substantial pens in which we could handle 

 the fish from time to time as they mature, for I am sat- 

 isfied that only a small portion of the immense spawn ma- 

 tures at one time, and it is emitted from time to time as it 

 matures — over a period of two or three weeks. 



1 would like vour co-operation in getting this law passed. 

 I don't think there would be any trouble in this State on your 

 recommendation; neither do 1 think there would be in either 

 Pennsylvania or New Jersey, but there would be the most 

 trouble in New Jersey. Please let me have your opinion. 



Yours truly, E. R. Nokny. 



NETS IN LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 



Fkrbisbtjkgh-, Vt., Jan. 33. 



THE following law was enacted by our Legislature in 

 1878: 



"Sec. 1. It shall not be lawful for any person to catch any 

 fish in the waters of Lake Champlain, or any of the rivers 

 emptying into said lake, not to exceed ten miles from the 

 mouth of said rivers, by the use of any seines, nets, or other 

 device for entrapping or snaring. The same, except with 

 seines, during the month of October and during the fifteen 

 days of November in each year, for the space of five years 

 I'rom the passage of this act. 



"Sec. 3. It snail be lawful for any person at anytime to 

 catch fish in the said waters by the use of hook and line. 



"See. 3. Any person who shall violate the provisions of 

 the first section" of this act shall pay a fine of ten dollars for 

 every fish so caught, to be recovered in an action on the case 

 founded on this statute, one-half to be paid into the treasury 

 of the town where said fish may be caught, and one-half to 

 the informer and prosecutor." 



Will you inform us Vermonters of the Champlain Valley 

 whether New York has a similar law, especially relating to 

 the waters, or a general law prohibiting all netting, which 

 would be as effectual if enforced ? A favorite argument with 

 the enemies of our law is " that it is only saving the fish for 

 the Yorkers," for it is notorious that netting is openly carried 

 on on your side at the south end of the lake. If you have a 

 law that will reach these nctters of yours, its enforcement 

 would greatly strengthen our hand. R, E. Robinson. 



New York law permits the use of nets in Lake Champlain 

 from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15, and prohibits them at all other 

 times. Violations in New York waters should be reported 

 to S. J. Palmer, Game and Fish Protector, Indian Lake, 

 Hamilton Co., N. Y. In a recent trip to Lake Champlain 

 Mr. Palmer and guide captured twelve nets between the 

 tbomoulh of South Bay and the four channels, some of 

 which were frozen in too "badly to get out readily were de- 

 stroyed, while the others were taken I o Whitehall and stored. 

 Those which were trot out entire had quantities of fish in 

 them, which were returned to the water. They also found 

 ten nets on the Vermont side of the. channel which they did 

 not disturb. It was thought that there were more nets, but 

 a heavy snow had covered all tracks, and they could not be 



found. Some of these fykes had wings or leaders reaching 

 from shore to shore. Mr. Palmer was in doubt about his 

 authority on the Vermont side and so gave the nets there the 

 benefit of the doubt. 



We think that the officers of both States could co-operate, 

 and then all questions of jurisdiction would be settled. 



Tub Trout Law .— A T ew York, Jan. 20.— Some time ago, 

 being impressed with the urgent necessity of fixing some 

 limit to the size (or undersize) of trout allowed to be caught 

 bylaw, I recommended in your columns a penalty for any 

 trout had in possession under eight (8; inches in length. By 

 a report of the Game Committee of the Long Island Sports- 

 men's Association I am glad to see that after consultation 

 with the Fishmongers' Association a limit of one-quarter of 

 a pound is advised to be fixed by law. If something of this 

 kind be not done even fingerlings can no longer be found in 

 our streams. Every angler has been disgusted by being 

 shown in a boasting "way two strings of poor little troutlings 

 no longer than one's finger, caught by some country boy, and 

 oftencr still by some would-be sportsman. Cannot such 

 murder be stopped ? Possession of such infantile fish ought, 

 to be sufficient proof of having committed the. infanticide, 



Manhattan. 



SOME SINGULAR SALMON. 



S OS THE PACIFIC COAST. 



rd: 



i Str 



eonirminication to 

 ion of Canada. X. 

 Wilmot Bays: "I 

 California salmon, 

 which he caught i 

 water, but has never Fee 

 thin jnst now." Perhaps I can giv 

 the California grilse. I have ffequei 

 left in a stream after spawning, unit 

 take bait, and as time, passed, been 

 instance a salmon, which had 



ip, December 33, 1880. 

 [ of lfith inst, I read a 



i r uiticu "■ Domiii- 



In this letter Mr. 



mind about your 



three-pound fish 



a tank of Bpring 



is looking a little 



OT the thinness of 



mtlj found the adult fish when 



rvery case they would not 



thiu'ner and thinner. In 



ned an entire season ii 



ou from Mr. Samuel Wilmot. dated 

 ' Castle, October 30, 1880. 

 m also getting puzzled ir. 

 iu which he eays he has 

 April last and has kept iu 

 eat and that he 



pool in the creeks, retained almost the full size of its head, while 

 the body was attenuated to a third, or possibly, a fourth of its 

 normal thickness. 



I cannot understand about a female salmon— a spent fish— having 

 sharp, hooked-like teetli iu each ot its jaws. If it were a male I 

 could, as I have seen many spent males which resembled the de- 

 scription given by Mr. Wi'hnot. Some of these fish were almost 

 repulsive in looks and had no apparent resemblance to the male 

 salmon taken before spawning. I hardly understand "here these 

 fish were taken by Mr. Wilmot, whether in Lake Ontario or along 

 either case it is probable the salmon 

 If taken in Lake Ontario .the fish 

 .tor while in a nearly 



the St. Lawrence River, but ii 

 had returned from thes.... 

 must have traversed a long stretch of frei 

 ' state. In this condition it would take 



stem long stretche 



and finally east its 



In reference to 



female salmon takf 



of r 



j food. 



Uig :■ 



. nld have to 

 ig much labor, 

 oudition. 

 ponderance of 

 jlc the follow- 

 of the fish are 



a othoi 



the same there as on the Pacific c 

 .fishermen here ia that the great hulk o( the male fish always pre- 

 cedes the females on their wav h< the :■; -awning-grounds. This 

 often happens before the close season takes affect and many are 

 taken by netting. Possibly the male fish raav encounter other 

 enemies' while in their run" which the females "escape by coming 

 later. 1 offer these views that tin -v niav >-• .-.ae,m.-d to boverilied 

 or not, believing that links in a chain'..! kno-rich .- are oil. n <>l - 

 tamed that wav. I make it a rule to ask questions of all perilous, 

 who, I think, 'have knowledge of fish habits, and often think I 

 obtain more reliable information of farmers ami other country 

 people than the more highly educated people of cities aud towns. 



I have also read with much interest the letter to yon from Mr. 

 S. R. Throckmorton, one of oar State Fir-h 

 garding the rockfisb or striped l»o-n introdi 

 last year. One of these li^h taken in June las 

 Throckmorton who indcntilicd it beyond any i 

 a party who reported that he knew of thre. 

 bating been taken in Oakland Creek about s 

 city, and that he had been in formed by a 

 friend) had taken some lately in the same placi 

 size. That these fish will find congei ' 

 this city I do not doubt, but I hav( 

 whether they will iucrcaso bo long as 

 in onr bay prevads. Nets of all sizes 

 aud Chinese fishermen, some of them 

 get your little finder through. Iiim 

 ions'are taken by the Italians who 

 their catch, while many times that 

 Chinese and exported to A - 

 alities give any thought that fiah mnn 



those who will come after them. The Italia; a lawless set 



and defy arreut, while [a«| to the Chinese everything they net is 

 dried and Bent to China. It is common in our citv markets to see 

 large piles of smelts And Similar fish nbl as Muck a- an ordinary 

 lead pencil, while the Chinese dry fiat-fish of the size of a hall- 

 dollar and a great variety of other voimg tish from the size of a 

 small Bhrimp to an ounce in weight. We have laws forbidding the 

 taking of those fish under penalties, but they arc a dead letter as 

 to their enforcements. Occasionally a raid is mado by the police 

 to obtain the penalties, the Chinese being selected in almost every 

 ease. The Fish Comraissiouers are not able of themselves to pre- 

 vent the infraction of the law, owing to inadequate appropriations 



our waters 



ight to Mr. 



I to-day Baw 



: striped bass 



miles from Hub 



rod that ho (the 



e but of an increased 



in the vicinity of 



re apprehensions as to 



resent system o* netting 



sed by both the Italian 

 meshes Miat vou cannot 

 I fish bv the many nidl- 

 i the larger portion of 

 utitv are dried by the 

 ititiou- 

 mts of 



6f OlEBf 



to employ 

 forts to i 



nitable help, ai 

 caaonally pre 



our Sportsi 

 nting trout fr. 



i be 



; take 



ethci 



, from August j. to September 16, 

 len on the Sacramento and San 

 nmense numbers in defiance of law. 

 iponly in broad-day light iu these 

 i arrested aud taken to 

 ounty, were not convicted although 

 n that they had committed thu al- 



buring the past close-seas 

 the Italian and Creek flahi 

 Joaquin rivers took salmon i: 

 These fishermen set their nei 

 rivers, and the few who v 

 city, the county seat of Solan 

 the plainest evidence was g 

 legcd offense. 



I have to apologize for writing so long a lettei . 

 commencement to write only about Mr. Wilmot's letter, but the 

 subject increased as I wrote. 



I have received the last publication of the I.'. S. fish Commis- 

 sion a few days niu.ee, which contained many interesting and 

 valuable articles on fish culture. I hope to write you soon in re- 

 gard to some of the habits and peculiarities oi 

 other fish. I am sometimes too much pressed t 

 so you will please excuse any disjointed membra 

 may send you, 



P. S.-lii regard to the theory of Mr. Phillipe 

 experience has pr 



I intended at 



ialmou and 

 e at length 

 tarnation I 



lcr that his 



f female fish, while wot or tl 

 ponderance of males, I caun 

 change in the germs of milt t 

 iu a so-called dry state or wi 

 stand how the sex of the. urn 

 Gauckler, as he certainly woi 

 period to ascertain, which he 

 number of troutlings of -aim 



apre- 



ute li--ii could be ascertidm-d Ia Mr. 

 Id have to keep them for a vervlong 

 •vonhlno; he likely to do with a great 

 m parr. H. D. D. 



Unexplained Scarcity ov Salmon.— We had occasion 

 last summer to refer to the unusual absence of salmon from 

 the rivers wheys they are ordinarily found in greatest abun- 



