198 
FOREST AND STREAM 
v ; Minnesota — Eraincrcl, April 30th .—Spring ims nt last 
"come around.” The pickerel begin to show themselves 
in the grassy shallows, and in the outlets of lakes that 
empty into rivers. The pike-pereli will begin running 
soon.’ Speaking of fish reminds me of the frost fish, men¬ 
tioned in your paper lately. We have taken them in a gill- 
net many limes at Cedar Pond, nearMeacham Lake, Frank¬ 
lin county, N. Y. They will not bit.e, at least we never 
ltuew them to. Slightly snlled and smoked they are deli¬ 
cious. We have wrTtten Mr, Fuller, of the Meacham Lake 
House, asking him to send you a specimen of these fish, 
and a description of them, and their hahits, etc. 
IlAVrLAND. 
Movements of the Fisnreo FliSet. —Some thirty more 
sail have been fitted away for the southern mackerel fish¬ 
ery the past week, and others will soon follow. The first 
mackerel of the season were caught- by the schooner Mary 
Odell, Cap!,. McLain, of 1 his port, and landed at Phila¬ 
delphia on Tuesday, she sold her catch fresh for $1,500. 
There have been 04 arrivals of the cod and halibut fleet, 
45 from Georges and 9 from the banks. The receipts of 
Bank halibut have been 524,590 pounds, and 185,000 pounds 
of Georges; Bank cod-fish, 50,000 pounds, Georges cod¬ 
fish, 900,000 pounds. Sales of halibut at three and two 
cents per pound for white and gray. 
There have been some big halibut trips from the Banks, 
as follows: Schooners Carrie P. Morton, 114,540 pounds, 
Davy Crockett, 99,980 pounds, Edwin C. Dolliver, 95,000 
pounds, Notice, 70,100 pounds, Howard, 75,000 pounds. 
The schooner Guzel, ot this port,, arrived at St. John on 
the 18th inst., with a fare of 5,000 pounds of halibut, 
caught oil Digby, which found a ready market at four and 
a ball'to live cents per pound. The fish were retailed at 
ten cents per pound The St. John Globe says “some peo¬ 
ple wonder whv American fishermen catch fish at our own 
doors, and supply our markets, carrying oil' the proceeds; 
the reason is the obvious one of nothing to prevent them." 
Schooner Nulti Secundns sold from this port to parlies in 
Norway, in January, carried out a load of pickled herring. 
The venture occasioned considerable comment at the time, 
and the expression that it. seemed like “carrying coals to 
Newcastle,” was freely made use of. The herring, how¬ 
ever, met with a good sale, and Messrs. D. O. & n. Babson, 
who sent the first load, have now filled their new schooner, 
the Herman Babson, under command of Capt. Lawson, on 
a similar voyage. She sailed yesterday .—Gape Ann (Glou¬ 
cester) Advertiser, April 29 th. 
METAPHYSICS OF FLY FISHING. 
i — 
We contiuue this week our studies on the Fly Fisher’s 
Entomology—a branch of education most essential to suc¬ 
cess in angling, though little understood or appreciated. 
We claim that no mau can become an expert and success¬ 
ful angler until he has acquired some knowledge of ento¬ 
mology oitlier through his own observation or the experience 
of others. The subject matter of these articles we believe 
to be altogether new in the Angling Literature of America, 
and certainly reflects much credit upon their author, who 
shows herself to be a patient and close observer:— 
“Insects are the scavengers of nature. They seek fetid 
unwholesome matter, the germ cells are left, and the cor¬ 
rupt mass is the birth place, home, and sepulchre of myriads 
of animate life. Noxious miasmatic gasses are consumed, 
purity takes the place of foulness, and the whole, cleaned 
at the appointed time, lias the appearance of a miniature 
resurrection, "Not only is the earth cleansed, but the water 
is purified. The flora that spread out their arms expands 
and grows in rich luxuriance beneath the water without 
fear of drought or a sigh for rain, all kept clean and pure 
by the infinite hosts of species that sport in the water. 
Their nourishment is decaying vegetation and that dis¬ 
agreeable substance on coufcrval formed by the decompos¬ 
ing action of the water. The majority of aquatic species, 
and those species that appear in the greatest numbers are 
these indirect vegetarians. I am aware that this is a strong 
statement, and one never before advauced. It is the result 
of years of patieut watching and studying. Of the class 
of insectB whose larva; feed in this manner there are, in 
the sect iou Neuroptera, the Ephemeria, all of tlie Phryganina 
that live in eases, several species of lialina. Many species, 
but divided amoDg different families in the section diptcra. 
One of these, Piar.ee mnulmer, received its fishy name in 
honor of the commotion it created among pisciculturists, a 
few years since. It figured in Fish Commissioners’ reports, 
etc., as a “web worm” and “destroyer of young trout,.” 
Larvae are ravenous feeders. A stream must be rich in 
confervee to have a large insect fauna. It would be well 
sometimes before stocking streams with AbIi to stock them 
first with insect food. Not that insects are the only fish 
food, but directly and indirectly they form tlie main supply 
at alt seasons, and almost the exclusive food when ihe 
Gammwrws and other Crustacea are passing through the 
first stages of life. Insects are liable to bo exterminated in 
streams, er new species take the place of the old ones; 
floods and freshets sweep the flora away. Mineral matter 
is obnoxious; or their parasites and enemies may gain the 
ascendancy. New species may supplant the oldinhabitams, 
not always “the survival of the fittest,” but the survival of 
those whose enemies and parasites are held in check from 
a combination of circumstances. 
The dragoon flie6 ( Odonala ) take the front rank among 
water insects, lu described species they exceed in number 
all the remaining families in the section Aeuroptera whose 
birth-place is the water. The majority are in the warmer 
latitudes. They have a preference for the waters where 
the temperature increases during the summer months. In 
spriugs and mountain streams the lame will be found 
hugging the bank and in shallow inlets. They hibernate 
in tub egg form, at luasl in the northern latitudes; are vo¬ 
racious predaceous feeders; are sporting characters, whose 
life at all times depeuus on their agility in pursuing and 
cupturing game. Their large size, as well as their hahits 
in flying in pursuit of food, keepiug high over the water, 
will always prevent their Imitations being used success¬ 
fully as hail on small streams. They are rapid in their 
movements, hut easily tire, and wliere there is a large ex¬ 
panse of water their imitations can he used with good suc¬ 
cess. In such wuters there is always a larger sized class 
of fish, making strong, heavy- tactile essential. 
The next fumdythe section in predominant in species, 
and each species predominant in numbers, is til ePhiyganina 
"—meaning a fagot. For various reasons this family should 
claim the particular attention of the fly-fisher. It belongs 
almost exclusively to the northern latitudes, and particu¬ 
larly to that class of waters where the trout and grayling 
delight to sport. It is of medium size, the alar expanse of 
the largest specie not exceeding two inches. From the 
numbers of species, and their diversity of habits, they make 
their appearance at all seasons. The imagines have a moth- 
like habitus, and are called “Btone flies" on account of their 
colors resembling that of stones. The wings are black- 
brown, black shading through the browns, the brick colors, 
the luleous, until a creamy white is reached. The eggs 
are inclosed in gclntiuous capsules which swell in the water 
and attach themselves to stones, sticks, or vegetation. In 
this mass the young live for some time after being excluded 
from the egg. On leaving it they fasten around their 
body leaveB, grass, orauysoft substance formingapadding, 
and then at their leisure build a regular case around the 
whole, some spirally, others longitudinally, of pieces of 
wood, grass, roots or branches of plants, gravels, stones, 
shells, or any small and available substance found in the 
water, adding on as they increase in growth or statue. The 
appearance of these cases is as various as the species. 
Some take possession of hollow reeds or straws; others spin 
a case of silk exclusively. These cases protect the abdomen, 
but are so large that they can retreat entirely within-- 
when disturbed. They cling to them with hooks at the 
extremity of the abdomen. Learned hydrostatics as they 
naturally should be, these cases are built with specific 
gravity, such that it does not discommode them as they 
walk, or buoy them to the surface. The few species in 
'his family that are predacious do not live in cases, but 
take shelter under stones or slicks, or spin a small web un¬ 
der some protection that they abandon at pleasure. 'When 
fully fed and ready to .change to pup®, they close their 
ease with a grating, first fastening it. securely to some sub¬ 
stance in the bed of the water. Those that do not live in 
cases, make a pupa covering of decayed wood, or small 
stones. When this metamorphose is completed, and they 
are ready to leave the water, they make with llieir mandi¬ 
bles a semicircular incision in their covering, the head 
and the two first pair of feet arc thrust out, the rest of the 
body is partly drawn and partly wriggled out. Now, as in 
the larva; form, they swim by using their feet, and make 
their way with dexterity to the shore. In doing so I have 
seen them swim across the stream, a strong current tending 
to carry them down. In tlieir struggles they would be part 
of the time ou the surface aud part of the time under the 
water. When they secure a landing place their appearance 
is somewhat peculiar. The mouth parts, or a portion of 
them, and the two first pair of feet are free, while the pos¬ 
terior feet and antennas are opppressed to tne sternal sur¬ 
face, and over them tlie wings are folded, crossing at the 
points. In ten or fifteen minutes after leaving the water 
they cast off a thin parchment like covering, thus releas¬ 
ing all parts of the body. They leave the water just before 
twilight, but will be seen fluttering over the water at all 
hours. In the evening some fly in dense swarms over 
streams and ponds. Many are nocturnal, flying only at 
night. They leave the water in June, July, August, and 
September. A few species in the late fall; a few ou warm 
days through the winter; and some in the early spring, but 
not in sulticient quantities to warrant their use as bait. 
The forms that, have been imitated the most, are named 
familiarly: Stone, dark stone, gray stone, black June, gen¬ 
eral hooker, hod, wren fly, raven, kingdom, preceptor, aud 
governor. 
The eow dung fly, (Scatophaga stereororia), so named cn 
account of the larva; feediug iu the ordure of cows, be¬ 
longs to the section Diptem. It hybernutes as pupie, 
buried in tlie earth. It bursts open the chrysalis ami 
comes forth the first warm days of May. AIL the authors 
advise tlie use of this fly as bail on windy days, thinking it 
was the wind that brought it to the water, ft might be, if 
the wind always blew towards each individual stream. It 
was, I know, a successful and popular bait for ail streams, 
but why, it was for a long time a puzzle to me. I was at 
length so fortunate as to solve it. The females are short 
lived and seldom leave the vicinity of the food for the 
young; their imitations are seldom used as bail. The 
males live until they are chilled by the cold winds of the 
tail. They are greedy feeders, epicurean cannibals, feed¬ 
ing on their smaller sized cousins, fresh and juicy, catch¬ 
ing them just as they are leaving tho water. They hold 
them with their anterior feet, fly to the bank, aud silting 
under the shade of a leaf, suck the body dry. One evening 
I watched one of these flies supping six on simuliums; not 
being satisfied he made a trip to the water for another, but 
there was a trout in waiting aud he sank to rise no more. 
The flies can be used successfully as bail at all hours. 
They have a double advantage, their colors approximating 
so closely to several species of Phryganina that, they may 
be considered as representing three or four (liilereut in¬ 
sects. 
The Black May is one of tlie favorite forms in the same 
section as the proceeding. There are species having these 
colors at. all hours and all seasons on the water. In some 
the ventral surface is clothed with a shaggy gray hair. 
These walk or glide over the surface of tlie water with re¬ 
markable rapidity, and have a decided dislike to leave it. 
The EpheineJina named for April will appear in May on 
mountain aud tributary streams, on all the streams that re¬ 
main open during the winter, They hyhernate as active 
larvai aud pup®, and if ice were formed, or partly formed, 
they would perish. 
lu addition to this section, there is the groat dun (Uuitis 
longiaanda), and its image, the red spinner. The Jat ter in 
form aud color approximates so closely to several different 
species that it has been used successfully throughout the 
summer. The yellow May (Clown striata), appears usually 
about the middle of May and continues through June. 
In my last I omitted to mention that the grizzly king, 
queen of the water, and professor, had a classical history. 
The two first are the invention of Prof. John Wilson— 
Christopher North of the "Nodes Ambrosiane." The last 
the invention of James Wilson, the eminent naturalists, 
the stock of the chaldeeau mauuseript. The three oliam- 
pions ot the stream, may be classed as belonging to the Wil¬ 
son family, To continue the list of general summer flies, 
forms that have made for themselves a name and history, 
hut without prototypes in nature. There is coachman, 
king of the water, gold spinner, captain, soldier, kingdom, 
and the black, brown, red, and gray palmers. 
Saba J, McBride. 
Imtobiast.— Care should tie lake.n lu buying Fishing nr hunting Suita 
to get a genuine Uolubird Sait aud not one of the worthless intl'nt.iuns 
which are being pat on the market. The best is the cheapest.—Adv. 
PICKEREL IN ADIRONDACK WATERS. 
9 Greenwich, New York, April 37th, 1876. ] 
Editor Forest and Stream .— 
Tn one ot four late issues, (April 6th, I think), E. K. Wilson, writing V 
from Syracuse, says:— 
In 1865 a lot of these “fresh water sharks" (pickerel) were let loose in 1 
Long Lake, to the indignation of most of the residents, and all of the I 
sportsmen, For a few years Buttermilk Fails opposed a boundary for I 
their influx Into Racquette Lake. In 18'tt, through the lnstrirmnntnllily I 
of some uf “Murray’s horde," they were transported over the fulle, and. ■ 
from thence have spread thronghoat that pride of the North Woods— I 
Racquette. 
Ttiii- is true of the Long Lake waters, and down stream from that lake, V 
bnt I. for one, do not believe pickerel appear above Buttermilk Falls. I 
Next above Long Luke aDd Buttermilk Falls, on Racquette River, comes fl 
Forked Lake, four or five miles long, and I never heard of pickerel in . 
the Forked Luke, As to Racquette Lake, truly catted “the pride of Ihe fl 
woods," l have ttsbedltB waters for ten years, sometimes spring and full I 
both, and I never heard of, or canght, or saw pickerel tboro. Nor did X 
ever, till now, hear any person say that pickerel bad ever appeared above I 
Buttermilk Fulls, much less in Racquette Lake. I know nothing of Mr. I 
Murray, save by hearsay, in the Adlroudacks, and general repnte ns a . 
clergyman, having never seen him, bob I believe him to be quite too I 
much of a sportsman to ever himself entertain or tolerate in any of h!K I 
“horde" the sHcretigious idea of currying pickerel around the falls, and fl 
thus introducing them into Forked Lake waters, and thence into Ran fl 
quette. Until farther evidence 1 shall disbelieve entirely these state- I 
ments. The evil effects of these miserable pirates have been fatly felt I 
in Long Lake, and the man who wnnld spread them any farther in the I 
beautirnl waters of the Adirondack takes is a wretch—and a deliberately fl 
wicked wretch. _ _D. W. Mandeia. 1 
FYSSHYNGE IN YE OLDEN TIME. 
Miiton, April 35th, 1876. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
As everything now is Centennial, I send some extracts from the diary H 
Of an old fisherman of the Neponset River a century ago: - 
June 6 th, 1760.—Caught 1,560 shad at Pine Neck at nne lime, Willi a I 
seine. 
June 1D/A, 1771.—Canght 3,000 shad in tme day in tho seine. 
Mni/ 4/A, 1774.—Caught 61 shad. 
May S/A.—Caught 660 shad, 
Mui/ tlfA,—Canght a very large haul of shad, 15 barrels. 
May 21i/.—Canght 31 bass and 10 slind. 
Julie .Set. our seine at Pope's Point, and canght 81) bass. 
June 35/A, K74 —We maUc the largest hunt of Kali; caught, 0,000 shad, 
meuhudiu, and Imss. 
July 2d.—Carried 80 barrels of shad to Boston. 
May 4/A, 1773.—Canght 140 shad and two codfish. 
May 5/A. -Canght 200 shad. Hires bass, and one cod-Osh. 
JunelUh .—Made a large haul of shad; canght 4,600; sent 40 barrel* to I 
Boston. 
June 6/A, 1774.— Set the seine; made a grunt haul; caught 3,0rt) shad. I 
June 18'A.—Canght800 shad. 
Jane 83d.—Slopped at Pine Neck Creek; canght 200 shad and 11 bass. 
There were fishways In those days I have the pleasure of having a I 
herring on my desk, as.i write, that went up the dub-way here, and was I 
taken in the pond above. Gxo. S Earlrr. I 
BAMBOO RODS, 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
Stockbardt, ill speaking of Hie siliceous plants, of which tho bamboo 
is one, says: “Silica is to these plants what bones are to men—the sub¬ 
stance to whioli tho stalk owes its firmness aud stiffness. If the soil 
deficient in soluble etlica (or tf there is not enoughpotaesa winch renders 
the silica soluble) these properties will be wanting to the stalk and it 
will bend over." Now llicre are two parts of the bamboo cane which 
are valuable in making split bamboo rods; first in importance, is that 
tOQgli mass of horny fibres, which by the increasing compression of ils 
growth has attained to its utmost density immediately under the enamel, 
and which as endogens, have their "heart-wood” on tho outside, may be 1 
called, to distinguish it, the heart, of the bamboo; and there is the enamel 
itself—the ease—hardening as it may be termed, less than the hundredth 
part of an Inch in thickness—almost pure sitex— hard enough to turn the 
edge of the keenest knife, and which, according to Ihe gioat German 
chemist, quoted above, gives firmness and stiffness to the whole. 
I am thus particular in drawing the distinction between tltuse two sub¬ 
stances, differing essentially ill their nature aud nses, yet perfectly har¬ 
monious in their relations to caoli other, as some of your correspondents 
appear to labor under the impression that they are one and the same 
tiling, or, which is perhaps more probable, having given the pretty name 
“centre enamel" to rods containing no enamel whutevor, they are driven 
by Ihe exigencies of their case to call tlie heart-wood of tlie bamboo by 
that name, when the slightest acquaintance with Noah Webster would 
have taught them their error. 
Thus W. J. P. builds his rod—on paper—fittiug the splints together tn 
a maurter which necessitates the removal of all tho enamel and clatuis 
that all of it is retained. J. B. C. in hts four split plan, represents the 
enamel as nearly an eighth of un inch in thickness, showing that he bus 
also fallen into ihe error mentioned above. W. says "File Ihe enamel side 
of yuar strip enough to make it fit properly," and at tho first touch of 
the Bio away goes bis enamel. Now as J. B. C.’a plan as fllustraled ui 
your paper of March 30th, is essentially the same as those of yonr other 
correspondents, differing only iu the number of splints nsed, and as this 
is offered as an improvement on Nal nres process for obtaining strength 
and elasticity, let us exiuume them side by side and see if he is correct, 
tn the first place the principle that “a ebaiu is no stronger Lhan ita 
weakest link," is perfectly true as applied to a chain, aDd tf Mm fly rod 
were to be nsed for pulliug fish out of water in the manner of a boat or 
naff hook, then it would follow that "the same amount of enamel out¬ 
side or inside would produce cqnal strength,” but as wo do not use our 
rods ft that bungling manner, tlie chain simile does not apply at all. Tho 
mecliuuical principle which doos apply to the rod, being that of tlie 
hollow column ns suggested in my previous communication, and nplly 
Illustrated, by H. in your issue or lust week. 
II is a well established fact in menolianics, that metal oust in the shape 
of a hollow oolurnn is vastly stronger than tho same metal cast in any 
othef form of tlie same length. Now as in the outside enamel rod, the 
lough portions of the cane form a column surrounding tile weaker por¬ 
tions In the centre, and us in the so-called "centre enamel" rods, the 
principle of ihe column 6* deviated from, it must be evident that the 
foreier will make a stronger, and consequently more durable rod. I 
have already shown that tue narao “centre enumel" is a misnomer, and 
that there is no enamel retained in these rods. As apart from the fact 
that glae, even with tho addition of borax, will not si iek to it any more 
than it will to any other srnoolh piece of flint, the roundiiosa of its sur¬ 
face uuflts it rot any other place than the outside of the rod. 
If tlie heart-wood of tlie bamboo were homogeneous as claimed by 
Mr. Clay ill yonr issue of March 30th, the plans presentsd by yuur cor¬ 
respondents would make very good rods, bnt as it is of graduated density, 
a transverse section would present alternate layers of dense and less 
dense wood. These running lengthwise of the rod would hardly conduce 
lothnt accuracy of casting in every direction, that “proper and equal 
fexibility," which is claimed Tor them. To illustrate, take the ferrule 
of a six split ont side enamel lip between the thumb and finger of lint 
right hand, allowing the extreme point to rest on the ground, aud apply¬ 
ing just suflleiciit force with the finger of Ibu lert bund midway on I he 
tip to give it a gentle curve—now roll the ferrule between the thumb and 
linger, and iiouvibstundlug the carve, it W ill tarn ns smoothly on its cun • 
tre' and as Wily, without twists or jumps, as a piece of shafting driven 
