166 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Maboh 81, 1881. 



many as he wants is either greedy or a mighty poor shot. 

 The good ground extends down the Fox to and including 

 Lake Butte des Mortes. 



The varieties of ducks found here include, in local par- 

 lance, mallards, redheads, blue and green wing teal, wood 

 duck, blncbiU, butter balls, Winnebago and canvas-backs. 

 Mallards, teal and wood duck are protected by law in the 

 spring, and it is probable the game laws will be so changed 

 this winter as to prohibit spring shooting entirely. The law 

 as it is receives little attention, as gunners are apt to take 

 any tiring in the duck line that comes along without regard to 

 its species. 



To reach these places one may go by either the Chicago & 

 Northwestern or Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway to 

 Oshkosh, whence a steamer leaves every afternoon for 

 Tusteu, arriving about six o'clock. Daity steamers also 

 leave Oshkosh each morning lor up the Wolf, touching at 

 Winnecoivuo, but not at Tusten. One can also go direct to 

 Winnecomie via the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul road. 

 Should one desire to puddle down Willow Creek he can take 

 the same line of railroad for Berlin, and, being provided with 

 a boat, can charter a team to take him to AuroravOie— seven 

 miles— where he may discharge his team, launch his boat aud 

 be independent. Four or live hours will bring him to Midline's, 

 and three more to Tusten. Here, having bad his fill of 

 hunting, he can put his boat and himself on board the O. B. 

 Reed and, leaving at G a. it., be in Oshkosh about nine o'clock; 

 or, being yet of a wandering mind, he can "paddle his own 

 canoe" through Poygan, down the Wolf past Winnecomie, 

 through Butte des Morts and bring up at Oshkosh. One 

 should go well provided with ammunition or supply himself 

 at Oshkosh or Berlin as none of the other points keep a supply 

 for breech-loaders. 



Though wild geese are seen in plenty in their spring aud 

 fall migrations, comparatively few are taken at any of these 

 places. There arc, however, in Waushara County to the 

 west of Lake Poygan, a number of small lakes which are 

 favorite resting-places for geese and> brant, and some seasons 

 fine sport may be had among the cornfields near the lakes. 



Both the Wolf and Fox Rivers afford many attractions in 

 scenery, game aud fish to the canoeist of which we expect to 

 see them take advantage in the near future. Badger. 



Waushara County, Wis. 



. — ♦■ 



TOITL FANCIES. 

 OLUMBKRS VS. COCHIN8. 



I HAD a neighbor years ago, 

 > l'-'l '.'I I ■ - I , . V. ■ ;,:■• 



Ills countenance shone out with mirth, 

 A pleasant tight to see. 



We lived In irlcndshlp, side by side, 



Mor thought ol doming strife ; 

 But soon, alas 1 a cloud arose 



Which marred our peaceful life. 



My neighbor fancied fancy fowls ; 



They fii.i' i 1 1 around indoor; 

 Of Bramnhs, Cochins, all the best, 



He had full many a score. 



And I possessed two pau-s of dogs, 



Of breed unblemished they ; 

 I loved to go Into the yard 



And watch their graceful play; 



Oh, Idleness will mischief breed 



in dogs as well as men I 

 Theeldesi dog one summer's day 



Proposed to eat a hen. 



And from that date until to-day, 

 With many fearful Imwls, 



These- wretched dogs on murder bent 

 Keep foully eating fowls. 



My neighbor wrote me sundry notes, 



Which grieved me to the core; 

 In gentle tones I answered him. 



Then walked about and swore. 



Two dogs are tied In iron chains 

 And two are far away, 



In regions where no hens exist 

 Those banished felons stray. 



But still a oloud Is on my brain, 



A sorrow In my mind; 

 I miss my neighbor's cl i eerful bow ; 



To me he's grown quite blind. 



And In the night I toss about, 



Wild diT ; 1 1 1 1 :-; d 1 -,t i j rli m y rest ; 

 1 1. i-."i i . ■ . . 1 1 ','u .:n" 'i i. .",' . 



A Cochin's on my chest. 



And to the neighbors I would say, 



Keep up your fences all ; 

 Don't leave i.ne single Utile gap 



Through which a dog may crawl. 



" Fa mil iarity contempt will breed." 

 From this flows worse, and then 

 The dog bred up to capture birds 

 May perchance kill the hen. 



And so this wicked game goes on, 



With nar.gl.i, to check or clog, 

 For well i .he spoi ting world doth know 



No hen will eat a dog. 



To love your neighbor as yourself 



Is precept good and true ; 

 But with those hens and with those dogs 



How bard it Is to da 



Dear friends, this story's moral 



Is scarcely clear to me ; 

 I never had foul fancies, 



And I love the dogs, you see. 



But If this feud should prosper 



May the ' ouii defend the right, 



.-■...id the ere ru'l a. velilic.l. 



That the plaintiff's " cock won't tight ' 



Worth REMBHBEBrNa. — Probably every reader of Forest 

 and Stream has experienced serious inconvenience and pain 

 from what is commonly called sun or snow bhndness. 

 Many times when bunting in the winter season my eyes have 

 become so painful and my sight so badly blurred by the reflee- 

 fleotion of the sunshine from the snow that I could see game 

 but a. short distance away, and even when I did see it could 

 do no satisfactory work with my rifle. A short time ago I 

 discovered, sitting on its haunches, its back turned toward 

 me, and utterly unconscious of my presence, a huge wild- 

 eat ; but I was so badly " snow blinded" that though I could 

 see the cat 1 could not see the sights upon my rifle, and con- 

 sequently (ailed to kill the beast. Often, too, when shooting 

 fiven H boat on i lie water, Qr shooting from the shore out over 

 the water, I have experienced the same difficulty of vision if 

 the sun was sinning brightly. 



Once lasl winter I spent several hours fishing through the 

 ice ; the eud shone brilliantly; the icewas a perfect "glare," 



and the result was that I came home with my eyes so badly 

 inflamed that for several days I was in sore distress, and 

 feared that the injury was permanent. I have tried several 

 remedies for this evil, and find that the following is by far the 

 most efficacious, and right willingly do I give it to my breth- 

 ren of the Forest and Stream. 



Take a piece of burnt cork, or if that is not conveniently 

 at hand take a " smut coal" and thoroughly black the skin 

 around the eyes, and also the top aud sides of the nose. Try 

 this, and you will not only find it to be an excellent remedy 

 for what you have often found to be a great annoyance, but 

 feel inclined to thank me. J. Fkaitjk Looke. 



h'urnhamviUe, Minn., March 4. 1881. 



Natural !§i$torij 



PRESERVING FLUIDS FOR FISH AND FISH EGGS. 



[Translated from the Fueherti Zeitui'g.] 



MANY persons may wish to make a collection of fish- 

 eggs and fish. For tliis purpose it is first necessary to 

 take of each species, from time to time, some of the i ggs laid 

 by for breeding, and carefully preserve them. After the fish 

 have come from the eggs some of them must at certain 

 periods be again preserved, and this is to be continued until 

 the collodion represents the fish, or the different species, in 

 as many degrees of development, as possible, from the uniui- 

 prcgnated egg to the fish fit to be eaten. 

 No great skill is necessary in making such a collection; it 

 ily necessary to have a proper liquid for preserving in 



order to obtain specimens really true to nature and at the 

 same time remain beautiful preparations. . This liquid must 

 above all be antiseptic, that, is, preventing corruption; it 

 should not, however, deprive the eggs and ffsh of their form 

 and color, but should let them appear in their most natural 

 condition. Hence many experiments have been made. We 

 will briefly revise them, and then enter especially on a later 

 process, that of Mr. John Meyer, assistant at the Imperial 

 Institution of fish culture at Huningen. In doing this wo fol- 

 low the deductions of Mr. J. Meyer himself, as he published 

 them in his book, "The Sweet. Water Fishes of Middle Eu- 

 rope." (Berlin 1879.) 



The common article for preserving— namely, alcohol — isnot 

 very good for the said purpose, for, no matter in what rela- 

 tion it is applied, it always bleaches the fish, and also causes 

 them to shrink more or less; besides, alcohol does not prevent 

 corruption if very much diluted, or if it isnot in the begin- 

 ning several times renewed. At the same tune it assumes in 

 a short, while a wine color, and must then, from lime to lime, 

 be renewed. Fish-eggs preserved in alcohol lose at once their 

 transparency, shrink, and hence are worthless, because the 

 germ is no longer perceptible, only the more advanced de- 

 grees of development show the faint outlines of the embryo, 

 and the black dots of the eyes are faintly disccrnable through 

 the skinny shell. 



Glycerine has also frequently been recommended, but used 

 without success ; for although the color remains to some ex- 

 tent, the fish and eggs, nevertheless, shrink so that they 

 cannot be recognized. Glycerine, mixed in different pro- 

 portions with alcohol and water, might sooner be recom- 

 mended, but even the bleaching of the fish cannot be pre- 

 vented, and the eggs would entirely lose then- transparency. 

 Besides those mentioned, other liquids have been recom- 

 mended, but none of them could satisfy me. I have, there- 

 fore, for years endeavored to prepare a proper liquid myself ; 

 that is, one which will produce none of the said evils, but 

 which will preserve the eggs transparent, not essentially 

 change the color, and prevent the bleaching of the fish as 

 much as possible. After innumerable trials I succeeded, and 

 in the following I give the necessary directions : 



First of all, the following mixtures or uquids must be at 

 hand t 



1. The English conserving liquor, which, used alone, pre- 

 serves large fish splendidly, but bleaches them. This liquor 

 consists of — 



Common salt, 250 kilogramme 



Alum, 0.120 " 



Corrosive sublimate, 0.001 " 



Water, 4.500 liter 



The water is made to boil, the other ingredients put in, and 

 the whole stirred until the salt has become dissolved. After 

 it is cold the mixture is to be filtered. 



2. A solution of tcu parts, by weight, of salicylic acid and 

 pure alcohol, thirty parts by weight. 



3. Alcohol of 90 degrees. 



4. Pure glycerine ; and 



5. Distilled water. 



These five liquids in different mixture I use for preserving, 

 and I proceed ui the following manner : To preserve eggs 1 

 mix — 



Of No. 2 take 8 parts in liquid measure. 

 Of No. 3 take 20 parts " 



Of No. 4 take 15 parts " 



Of No. 5 take 20 parts " 



In this solution the eggs appear in a living state, remain 

 transparent aud keep their form. It is necessary, however, 

 to renew the solution several times. Salicylic acid is known 

 as a prominent antiseptic, and operates at the same time 

 antizymic; that is, preventing fermentation. Hence eggs 

 can be preserved for quite a time, even in a pretty watery "so- 

 lution, with the addition of only a few more drops of No. 2. 

 For preserving young fish in the period of the yelk sack 

 and to the age of about six mouths the following mixture is 

 recommended : 



Of No. 1 take 20 parts, liquid measure. 

 Of No. 2 take 2 parts, " 



Of No. 3 take 5 parts, " 



Of No. 4 take 4 parts, " 



Of No. 5 take 4 parts, ' ' 



For larger fish the following mixture is used with success: 

 " Of No. 1 take 20 parts, liquid measure. 

 Of No. 2 take 3 parts, " 



Of No. I! lake It) parts, 

 Of No. 4 take 10 parts, " 



Larger fish preserve in this mixture excellently, and re- 

 am very beautiful if in a few days deep cuts are made into 

 the belly of the fish. 

 All these mixtures mentioned are to be tillered before 

 big. As already stated, the mixture is in all cases I o be 

 tewed frequently, and especially with fish; the renewal 

 jsI. be continued as long as the liquid becomes muddy. 

 The old liquid can be made clear by filtering and then used 

 again. 



To take up the prepared eggs, little re-agent glasses may 

 be used, which should be only a little wider than the eggs. 

 Every glass should contain only a small number of the latter ; 

 in fact, no more tlnm about five. Thereby it is possible to 

 observe Die development of the embryo distinctly, which 

 cannot be done if many eggs are contained in a wide glass, 

 because in that case not one of them would appear iu a light 

 fit lor observation, as one darkens the other. It is sufficient 

 for observation and instruction to collect eggs at intervals of 

 five days, and the young fish, after their coining out, at in- 

 tervals of eight days, until the disappearance of the yelk 

 skin. This answers for salmon and trout ; with fish of more 

 rapid development, the degrees are to he chosen correspond- 

 ingly. Naturally these larger specimens are to be introduced 

 into the collection. That the glasses should be labelled and 

 provided with an inscription which tells the name, day of 

 development, etc., need not be specially mentioned ; if pos- 

 sible, in regard to the eggs, the temperature of the water 

 should be marked at which the development has taken place 



ROMEO AND JTJLLET, 



MT TWO GHEY FOXES. 



Eolinton Cottage, Prince William, Va. 



NOTlong ago my husband went foxhunting and met with a 

 den of wee little fox babies, at the most three days old. 

 My husband must needs fetch those little waifs home craddled 

 in his silk pocket handhorchief. This caused me utter con- 

 sternation, for what could be done with such tiny little things! I 

 happened to put them into the rocking-chair anil called my 

 Kitty, ihat had one little bairn of her own. i'ussy looked at 

 them in amazement, when the little things croodled againat,hcr, 

 She behaved in such a kind manner and commenced nursing 

 them at once, so that her own little kit divided its nourish- 

 ment with its little brother and sister fox, to the astonish- 

 ment of every one. So they grew and thrived in my rocking- 

 chair, that I had no more command of as my own, at leasufor 

 three months, for they all took possession— Kitty, kit and 

 the foxes. They soon began to be very playful and cut up all 

 kindsof little capers ami 1 icgan readily to answer to their names. 

 They were so much alike thai I could not distinguish one 

 from the other except by the colored ribbons on their necks. 

 Romeo wore scarlet, Juliet blue. 



They became my little companions and friends. When I 

 walked out they were most anxious to go along and would 

 walk on each side of me, and never once offered to desert me. 

 One day I went some distance to see a neighbor and the 

 broom grass being very high crossing the held I felt very 

 much afraid of losing them, but they stuck close to me and 

 never attempted to desert me and run away. I met a gentle- 

 man on ihe road who said, ' ' What are those animals that you 

 have with you?" I said, "Why, do you not see that they 

 are little gray foxes?" He would scarcely believe it, and 

 said that he had never seen such a pretty sight before. On 

 my return I was astonished to see as soon as I got to the cor- 

 ner of the fence Juliet make the near cut across the field to 

 the house, Romeo keeping close to me all the way around 

 the lane. At this time they were about six months old. 



One morning Juliet came home with one of her hind legs 

 broken. I took her up in my lap and splintered it and it 

 knitted beautifully. She was perfectly quiet, ami never 

 offered to prevent me from binding up her leg, and was most 

 grateful. At night they slept on the porch with five or six 

 big hounds that were vi ry fond of them— a curious sight to 

 see pussy, the hounds and the foxes all cuddled up together 

 at night. Then as soon as the house door was opened Romeo 

 and J uliel would race upstairs to my room, jump on the bed 

 and cut all kinds of flings ; Romeo would purr in my face aud 

 creep down mto the bed and lie at my feet, but Juliet was 

 much more shy. She would jump on the bed, run around 

 and jump off again ; Romeo would remain iu bed until 

 breakfast time. Then they would take their station, 

 with their forepaws on my lap, waiting for any little 

 bits that I would give to them. They would eat any- 

 thing, but had a preference for eggs. If we rose from table 

 and left eggs they were as quick as lightning, and would 

 take the eggs in their mouths and enjoyed them. They were 

 exactly like two cats about the house, and not any more 

 trouble. Strange to say, they were never known to rob 

 the henhouse or take a Chicken of any kind. My husband 

 and 1 became very fond of them, but they did not like 

 strangers. They were perfectly free — never were tied or 

 confined in any way. 1 bad but one objection to them, that 

 was theu- fox odor. One of our oldest Virginia fox-hunting 

 friends, Major Thornton, came once to spend the night. The 

 Major admired the foxes amazingly, but the little animals 

 did not behave at all well to the Major, for they snapped and 

 snarled at Him in such an unbecoming manner that ho became 

 quite afraid of them aud said: "Pray, Madam, do take 

 them away." I think they must, have had an instinct that 

 the Major had brought many of their species to grief. Short- 

 ly aftei this, to our great sorrow, Romeo and Juliet met 

 their fate. They were then fourteen months old, and began 

 to wander too far from home. They were mistaken for 

 wild foxes and hunted down. It was not discovered that 

 they were my tame foxes until the hunters saw the ribbons 

 upon their necks. They were killed by a strange pack of 

 hounds. Romeo and J uliet were both affectionate and grate- 

 ful little animals. I could have retained them until now by 

 keeping them in captivity. That 1 would never have done, 

 however, for I think it most cruel to confine any animal, ami 

 very selfish, too, for one's mere gratification, to punish only 

 poor little animals. I am sure ali such pets fret more than 

 any person is aware of. This brief sketch may be a. matter 

 of contemplation to some of my fox-hunting friends, and let 

 them remember the fox hunted to death has both affection 

 and gratitude, and can bo domesticated, as this little history 

 of Romeo and Juliet will manifest. I doubt really if many 

 persons ever inquire into the real nature and character of the 

 poor limited fox. Those little ones were companionable and 

 affectionate, but the male the more so of the two. Myself 

 and husband still lament the fate of our little pet foxes. E. 



Tile or File Fisu. — In a latenumber you republish from the 

 New York Sun the report of Prof. A. E. Verrill upon the deep 

 sea fishing enjoyed by himself aud others in then- cruise in 

 the Fish Hawk,*and " the discovery was made that the tile- 

 fish is plentier than the cod, etc. ; " and that "the tileflsh, 

 one of which weighed fifty pounds, is a magnificent fish, of a 

 light yellow brown color, shaped like a sea bass, fine eating 

 and destined to become a favorite, market fish." 1 have 

 searched scientific works in vain to find a description of a 

 tilefish. Dr. R. Hamilton, in bis work, "British Fishes," des- 

 cribes Balistes eaprsciis (European filefish) as being in length 

 one or two feet, and named filefish, in consequence of the first 

 dorsal spine being covered on its anterior edge with rough, 



