Mat 12, 1881.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



289 



ing over the whole face such a sort of beaten-to-death coun- 

 tenance as my fisherman wore. 



" Haven't, got u fish," said he. "No luck at all last nk-ht. 

 I should have had some luck, too, if it weren't for a con- 

 founded alligator. Gosh, he got in my net and it. took me 

 nearly all night to get him out, and thar was two of the 

 schools of bass Hopping close by that I ever saw. 

 Instead of getting a good lot, of um as I ought ter hev done 

 and would hev done if it wa'n't for that blarslcd alligator, 

 here I am this morning with nothing at all in the boat except 

 the domed thing." 



" Have you got him in the boat," I asked. 



"Yes Don't yer want to come down and see him ?" 



I followed him down to the end of the wharf, and preced- 

 ing us went his fisher companion, a lad of about seventeen. 

 The boat lay moored to the bulkhead and up above on the 

 wharf, under a sited, sat a half dozen negro women with 

 their babies, waiting for the next, steamboat. 



The boy, with an animated grin, ran down the flight of 

 steps into the boat, and as we approached pulled out an alli- 

 gator, four or five feet long, by a cord that was fastened about, 

 its neck, and held it on his knees, bending its tail around 

 from side to side. 



The negro women at the first look grabbed their babies, 

 and fled in all directions, notwithstanding the boy's good- 

 natured, "He won't hurt you." He picked him up and put 

 him down, coiled his tail, rubbed his sides and put. his ugly 

 head upon the boat thwart for general exhibition, and through 

 it all ihe alligator was as quiet as a lamb. Indeed lie set med 

 rather to like I lie process be was undergoing, if one might so 

 interpret the dull leer and satirical wiuk or two he gave. 

 Perhaps he liked the jollv disposition of the boy. 



"Won't he lite him?" [asked. 



"No; alligators won't generally bite" said my fisherman, 

 "unless you tantalize um. That boy there" he continued 

 " is jus' like a baby ; jus' as quick as his head is down in the 

 night he's asleep. 73 



Now this seemed just unlike most babies to me, but maybe 

 he was jammed for a comparison, so I said nothing, while he 

 went on : 



"Last night, sir, after we ketehed that 'gator we put him 

 in the bottom of the boat forward, and that boy there went 

 and laid right down alongside of him, and I'll be danged, sir, 

 ef lie and the alligator didn't sleep together, rolled in the 

 same blanket the rest of the night, Yes, sir; banc me ef 

 they didn't," and the fisherman squinted his red eyes until 

 they looked redder with emphasis at what he Was telling. 



I looked in the boy's face for some trace of kinship to the 

 ugly Saurian, or some sign of that which had won its mild 

 behavior, but the kind eyes and look of jolly good nature 

 were all I could see. I know not whether that friend of ani- 

 mals, the renowned Bergh, adds a jolly disposition lo his hu- 

 mane treatment of the brutes, but here is a lesson, if it be a 

 lesson, where it has apparently won the heart of even so un- 

 couth a beast as an alligator, and if adopted with more favor- 

 ed animals," n ho can tell what wonders might result. Possi- 

 • bly if all the winter visitors to Florida were, eudowed with 

 good-humored, rollicking natures, the ugly brutes might yet 

 be tranformed into affectionate domestic pets, which we 

 might had about, with a pink ribbon, or dandle in our arms 

 with interested love. (J. D. D. 



SPEARING PISH IN MARYLAND WATERS. 



MUCH has been said and written lately of the products of 

 the gastronomic State and of the means used -to en- 



: . 3 secure those products. An American epicure knows 



just when to visit Maryland in order to obtain the one deli- 

 cacy that suits his appetite. In summer he has the soft crabs 

 of the Chesapeake and its tributaries, and certainly a more 

 delicious morsel could never have been served to the gods. 

 A Baltimore tea will boast of this dish and glory over it to a 

 stranger; but let that same Baltimorean go twelve or fifteen 

 miles from the city to one of the smaller rivers, where 

 ' ' crabbing " is the principal means of live'ihood for those of 

 the uneducated portion of the community who do not work 

 on farms, his hostess will do perhaps as he did and put be- 

 fore her guest the greatest delicacy she can offer — soft crabs. 

 He thinks of Tantalus when he sees them, for they are cov- 

 ered with an abundant supply of milk-gravy, and that at 

 once places them out of his reach ; for as long as he can re- 

 member be has been taught that, milk and crabs were never in- 

 tended to come within sight of each other. Out of compli- 

 ment to his hostess he allows one to be placed upon his plate, 

 and when he sees thee about him indulging with no apparent 

 fears of the consequences the temptation becomes too great to 

 be resisted, and, concluding to do while he is in Rome as the 

 Romans do, he cautiously begins the attack. Before many 

 moments he is willing to acknowledge to his hostess that he 

 never before has tasted soft crabs 



" Ah !" she replies, "that is because you have never vis- 

 ited their native shores." 



"But," lie continues, " do you mean to persuade me that 

 this is the same species of crab that we consider such a luxury 

 in the city ?" 



The very same, only we, living here, can procure them, 



st as they have shed,' or, in other 



re worRed themselves out of their 



idilion thev ate loo delicate to be 



ave to be kept for a day-, at least, before 



:h to bear even a short journey, and by 



have commenced to harden once moi e. 



they are very apt t< 



In tin 

 The 



as the 



words, jus 

 hard shell; 

 t ran spurt t 

 they are s 

 that time their sh 

 By the time you 1 

 we would call a r. 

 soft crabs. Al ' 



they h 



Ml 



to eat them i 

 And so it 

 the same aw 

 and hard, ar 

 of Septeiiibe 

 last. Catc" 



perfectk 



shell, 

 ist 



when to us they are no lo: 

 at them where they are ea 



3St things of the kind— they never tasle 

 y from their favorite haunts. Crabs, both soft 

 caught from the middle of May till the middle 

 and ate considered a delicacy as long as they 

 ig them has not been as yet turned into a sport, 

 for, unlike the'sportsuian who brings in the aid of a dog or pack 

 to start his game, the crabber must trust to his own eyesight 

 aud skill in the use of his crab-net. Prom sunrise to sunset 

 he wades in the water, dragging his boat along by one hand 

 aud using his net with the other. At times his lal mis are 

 wpII rewarded and he finds himself at the end of the day pos- 

 sessed of six, eight or ten down crabs ; but at other times he 

 will, perhaps, for weeks catch but four or five single oralis a 

 day. 



So much for crabs— a subject we had no intention at hist 

 Of touching on at such length. There are other points in re 

 gard to rhem lliat t am sure would be of interest ; but, 

 •the subject of this article does not allow a fuller account of 

 h-'iii. 

 The sportsman of Maryland longs for the last of October 



and first of November. Then, with his dogs, he scours those 

 parts of the country where he. is safe from the penalty of the 

 law, a notice that will at thr.es make the heart of a gunner 

 sink wil bin him, and if he meets with success he is very apt 



i ifl return to the city to invite a few select friends to a 



partridge supper. 



Oysters arc a third luxury of which much has been said 

 elsewhere. I have never heard (hem spoken of as a luxury 

 whose capture was indulged iu as Bport, and yet personally I 

 have derived much pleasure from joining parties that started 

 out to go oyBteriug. The sport consists in vainly endeavor- 

 ing to fish up the oysters with long rakes. Woe betide the 

 party who start out without an experienced oysterman on 

 board, who not only fishes up the oysters, but roasts them on 

 the shore afterward. 



Spearing fish, although a means of livelihood for the fisher- 

 men and crabber through some of the colder months of the 

 year, seems to be something of which little is known else- 

 where. A stranger out on a dark evening is sometimes sur- 

 prised into an exclamation of astonishment at the appearance 

 of the landscape, which is lighted up even to the heavens, as 

 though all ihe woods Were in a blase, A smile will form it- 

 self on the features of the native, who r plies; 

 " Oh, that is only eoroe one gigging." 

 "Aud pray what is tha' f" 



Accompauy us on an expedition of that kind and we will 

 initiate you into one of the most picturesque sports conceiv- 

 able. Let us choose a picturesque place to beidn with. The 

 " Eastern Shore," as all Maryiandcrs call that part of the! 

 State that lies cast of the Chesapeake, is too low and flat for 

 beauty, and the western shore — well, I think we'll try the 

 Severn up above Aunapol is, near its head, where the banks 

 a-c high, thickly wuoded and dotted over with evergreens 

 that give them beauty even in the cold, dreary winter 

 months. Here in one of the little creeks that give hem: v 

 and romance to the river we find some fishermen preparing 

 for the night's work. They are an easy-going set, who take 

 life as it comes and find a fund of amusement when together 

 in their own sayings and doings. Evidently they have just. 

 been laughing over one of those same jokes", for on the face 

 of an old negro in the background there is a broad grin still 

 visible, and his old head moves from side lo side as if he 

 were just about taking in the fun. 



Old "Uncle Philip," as they call him, fishes and crabs 

 some in summer, but the crutches at his side prevent his 

 taking an active part iu what those about him are now pre- 

 paring for. And while we are speaking of Uncle Philip, 

 perhaps you would be interested in knowing his first im- 

 presions of an earthquake. Some three years since, this re- 

 gion of country was visited during the winter by a succession 

 of "shocks" quite alarming at times to the dwellers on the 

 soil. The first one occurred on the night that the city of 

 Richmond was roused from its peaceful slumbers and iis in- 

 habitants forced into the streets by the unusual sounds aud 

 motions accompanying a shock of earthquake. The time 

 was twelve at night, and though Puelc Philip had retired, 

 his worthy better half was still busying herself about house- 

 hold matters. As the rumbling was heard he roused himself 

 and called: 



"Lucy, who dat ar drivin' roun' de house dis time o' 

 night? 'Tain't fur no good, sure." 



Then, as the little cabin shook and swayed from side to 

 side, be added ; 

 " Dar, now : He drunk ; done run ag'in* de house." 

 But our fishermen have some of them completed their 

 work for the present, and are preparing lo go home for their 

 Suppers; so we select one for our guide in the evening, and 

 then examine more particularly their arrangements. The 

 wood they were sifting as We came up is what is called "light- 

 wood," and is procured from old rotten pine stumps. It is 

 very resinous and gives a brilliant li Jit, which the fishermen 

 tell us is what attracts the fishes. In slavery times, when 

 the negroes were not allowed lo have lamps to carry about 

 at night, they would use knots of light- wood for torches. 



."What is this?" asks some one, picking up a long 

 wooden handle with an iron instrument, at one end that looks 

 as though it might be an instrument of lortuie. It has three 

 heavy teeth barbed at Ihe ends, and the whole thing resem- 

 bles Neptune's trident more than anything else 

 " That is a gig," is the reply. 



"And please tell us if this is what you use to spear the 

 fish with." 



The answer only confirms our notions of its being an in- 

 strument of torture, and we turn to watch oil e of the men 

 who has put across his boat iron i side to side a broad board 

 on which he is now placing a goodly supply of sand. 



We begin to see into things a little, aud ace not surprised 

 when, after supper, we saunter down to ihe water to the 

 place where our fisherman was to meet us, to see him build- 

 ing a fire of light-wood on the sand in his boat. How 

 quickly it blazes and how brightly it illuminates everything 

 around. We take our places in the boat and are rowed 

 across to one of the. smaller creeks, where everything looks 

 wierd and unnatural. We feel almost as though we were 

 entering on enchanted ground, and our whisperings soon 

 cease as the fisherman, after putting aside his oars aud add- 

 ing fuel to the fire, noiselesslv propels I he lion l, by means of the 

 handle of his gig. Suddenly he raises and reverses it, and 

 even our inexperienced eyes" sec what, has riveted his atten- 

 tion. A fish, attracted by the bright light, has aradually 

 approached the surface of the water, and when nearly there 

 has become perfectly motionless. Wo scarcely .hire breathe 

 as we wonder what, the next move will be ; but we have 

 not long to wait, for the gig descends with fatal aim and 

 comes up bearing on its end a bleeding fish. 



But, as usual under similar circumstances, we forget the 

 sufferings of the victim and enter into the excitement of the 

 hour, watching for the poor, unsuspecting creatures to ap- 

 pear, and then anxiously noting the descent of the instru- 

 ment that is to administer its death blow. 



Our experienced fisherman seldom misses a "strike," but 

 we, who flatter ourselves wc know more of physics than 

 this uneducated waterman, are soon compelled to admit that 

 he has practically mastered the laws of refraction, as applied 

 to his particular calling, while we, understanding it in 

 theory, are unable to put, it into practice, for our attempts to 

 imitate lion and " strike" a fish are signal failures. We only 

 succeed in scaring the fish, which glides swiftly away, to re- 

 turn perhaps in a very few moments to the same spot, be- 

 coming perfectly still as before, iu a most tantaiziug way. 



But, it is of no use. We try and try again with the same 

 result, and resignedly return the gig "to the hands that have 

 become accustomed to its use. 



■\s we turn our faces homeward we notice that our compan- 

 ions have the appearance of having just emerged from a 

 coal mine. Do we look, the same ? No need to ask that ques- 

 tion, for it would be impossible to have such dense smoke so 



near us, blowing directly in our faces at times, without it 

 leavi. ,- its mark. 



A now as we laud, and our fisherman turns to go, we 

 prepare to enjoy the picmrcpqucncss of "spearing" The 

 boat glides noiselessly along, being propelled by a small boy 

 who sits in tie 31 in "and sculls, while the fisherman stands at 

 the bow, gig in li ud ready to pounce down on bis prey. 

 The firelight plays upon their forms and renders every move- 

 ment distinctly Visible, It plays upon the water and sur- 

 rounding trees' and underbrush till the whole scene becomes 

 alive and in motion, as if touched by the wand of a niair'- 

 cian. In the centre of all is a column of dense smoke, bril- 

 liantly illuminated, and rising high above our heads, wander- 

 ing oil" into space, as if a messengei sent to other scenes to 

 tell of the one little spot of beauty it had left. 



A. AVbstos W. 



THE BERLIN MEDALS. 



THE medals from the International Fishery Exhibition at 

 Berlin, 1880, aud diplomas accompanying Uicm have- 

 been distributed Those belonging to New York city and 

 vicinity came to the office of the Forest axd Stream for 

 distribution. The medals are. all of one size, whether of 

 gold, silver or bronze, and are three inches in diameter, and 

 a quarter, «f an inch iu thickness. The gold medals are twenty 

 carats fine, and weigh seven and a half ounces, a liberal and 

 costly souvenir. The diplomas are elegantly lithographed in 

 blue and gold oil heavy paper, and are handsome enough to 

 hang in any place. They contain the name of the person to 

 whom a medal, or honorable mention, was awarded, and the 

 object for which it was given. We have already published 

 electrotypes of the medals, and now give the following list of 

 American awards : 



Class I. — Prodfcts of the Fisheries. 

 Silver Medal and H : p!oma. - 



Alaska. Commercial Co., San Francisco. Seal skins in 

 various stages. 



N. K. At wood, Provincetown, Mass. Oils. 



J. W. Beardsley &. Sons, 179 West St., Kew York. Salted 

 and smoked fish. 



Eugene O. Blackford, Fulton Market, New York. Fresh 

 American fish. 



A. Booth <& Co, Chicago and Ban Francisco. Canned 

 Salmon. 



itagedorn, Hamburg and New York. Fresh American 

 oysters 



Portland, Me., Packing Co. Canned fish. 



Kussia Cement Co., Kockport. Mass. Fish glue. 



11. K. & F. li. Thurbef, Read St. and West Broadway, New 

 York. Collection of canned lobsters, crabs, clams, mack- 

 erel, etc. 



Dr. H. Ward, Rochester, N. Y. Collection of stutfed 

 fishes and reptiles. 



Bronze Mulak. 



J. H. Bartlett & Son, New Bedford, Mass. Preserved fish 

 aud oils. 



J. 6, M. Carley, Fulton Market, New York. Pickled 

 oysters, etc. 



Caleb Cook, Princetown, Mass. Oils. 



A. W. Dodd, Gloucester, Muss. Oils. 



W. K. Lewis* Co., Boston. Canned salmon. 



Joseph Palmer, Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 

 Plaster casts of fishes. 



Joseph Pryer, New York. Oils. 



S. Schmidt, 158 W. Bhb st., New York. Smoked sturgeon 

 and other fish. 



J. W. Smillie, Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Pho- 

 tographs of fishes. 



'William Underwood & Co., Boston. Preserved fish. 

 Honorable Mention. 



Max Ams & Co., New York. Preserved fish. 



H. ill-. Anl bony, New York. Preserved salmon. 



A. Booth & Co., Baltimore, Chicago and Sau Francisco, 

 Canned Oregon salmon, 



Kemp, Day & C,* . New York. Preserved fish. 



Howe & French, Boston. Prepared isinglass. 



Maryland Packing. Co., Baltimore. Oanued hard crabs. 



II. Mayo & Co , Boston. Codfish salted, aud ottierfish. 



MeMenamy & 1 .:•>., Hampton, Va, Canned crabs and 

 oysters 



Franklin, Snow & Co., Boston. Prepared mackerel. 



S. Schmidt, New York. Eels in jelly. 



Cr,£S8 If.— Fisniso Tackle and AeeAKATUd. 

 (J old MedvL 

 H. L. Leonard, Bang;>r. Me., agent Wm. Mills & Son, 7 

 Warren St., New York. Split innhoo fishing rods. 

 Honorable .]fi :■•■ 

 .T. W. Collins, Gloucester, Mass. Marine drug for prevent- 

 ing vessels drifting to leeward. 



Cliss HI.— Fish CootdEB. 

 Gold Meinh. 

 Charles C. Atkins, Bucksport, Me. Models of fishways 

 and hatching apparatus. 



l\ B. Ferguson, Babimore. Ptshculture ou steamer, in- 

 vention of movable hatching buckets. 



Seth Green, Rochester. Collection of fishcultural appar- 

 atus. 

 M. McDonald, Lexington, Va. Invention of fishway. 

 Fred Mather, New York. . Invention of conical batching 

 apparatus. 



Livingston Stone, Charlestowu, N. H. Fish breeding ap- 

 paratus." 



Silver M<dal. 

 Oren IT Chase Detiv.tt Belt p-oKing htkeLuig jar. 



Jlroiuf Jf ill, 

 B. F. Shaw, Anamosn, Iowa Fishway. 



Honorable Menikm, 

 James Annin, Jr., Caledonia, N. Y. Apparatus for send- 

 ing fish eggs. 



F. N. Clark, Norlhville, Mich. Hatching box for salmon 

 and whiienslt. 



Class IV.— Tkansi-ortixg Live Fistt. 

 Bvonse Meeli'. 

 Fred Mather, New York. Tank for transporting fishes at 

 sea.j 



Class VI. — Aooessohies to me FiSHBBIEB. 

 Biker MeSal 

 United States Commission of Fish aud Fisheries. Fisher- 

 men's clothing, collection of fishing implements. 



Cuss IX.— Maps, Charts axt> Li fKi!ATi:i:E. 



G. Brown Goode, Smithsonian Institution, Washingo. 

 Chart of the distribution of trainable American fishes, 



