Terms, Five Dollars a Year. 
Ten CJente a Copy. 
NEW YORK, THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1876. 
Volume 6, A'umbei 17. 
17 Chatham St. (Cttyllall Sqr.) 
For Forest and Stream. 
'Hffimiqsatit §/du\blen. 
| “You shall hoar the bittern bnmp and the wild-drake quack.”— Scott. 
'' A ^ ONG the various summer resorts noticed in your 
Jlx. interesting paper I do not recall the numerous lakes 
around Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, especially 
Lake Minnetonka. The praises of Brainerd and its sur¬ 
roundings have been frequently sung, and not unworthily; 
but that is somewhat out of the range of summer travel. 
This northwestern section of our country is a famous sum¬ 
mer retreat for the residents of the more southern States 
along the Mississippi; the cities of New Orleans, Vicksburg, 
Memphis, Cairo, St. Louis, and Keokuk contributing to the 
number of tourists who visit this region. In Minneapolis, 
on the east side of the Mississippi, and which was formerly 
St. Authony, stands an old hotel, no doubt quite Btateiy in 
its day, prior to the war, when it was the fashionable re¬ 
sort from the places above mentioned. Here people came 
’ to get rid of the oppressive heat of southern climes, and 
to sail and fish on the many beautiful lakes of the State, 
the color of whose waters rivals that of the sky above; 
acid to view- the birthplace and home of 
“Minnehaha, Laughing Water, 
Lovieet of Dacotah women I’’ 
But the war furnished other occupation for these visitors, 
and the building now stands a monument of departed great¬ 
ness, and is used as a school or academy, whose circular 
remarks that the rooms are large and well ventilated; this 
latter information being no stretch of veracity. 
The Falls of St. Anthony, at this place do not display 
their natural perfection, owiDg to tho necessity of placing 
an apron over them to prevent them from committing 
suicide by undermining themselves and depriving the 
world not only of their beauty but of: their powerful as¬ 
sistance in supplying to it its daily bread. Tho places of 
interest for excursions from St. Paul and Minneapolis, the 
two rival (pieen cities of tho northwest, are Lakes Minne¬ 
tonka and White Bear, and the Dalles of tho St. Croix 
River. To the first two of these places hundreds of peo¬ 
ple go in every week of summer weather to enjoy luxurious 
ease in boating, fishing, or in simply existing without a 
care or a thought for the morrow, knowing that each day 
Will bring its diversions; and to the latter to view the 
grandeur (in comparison with the usual level monotony of 
these Western States) of its rocky fastnesses. 
A pleasant ride of art hour from Minneapolis, on the St. 
Paul and Pacific Railroad, brings oue to Wayzata at the 
foot of that beautiful sheet of water, Lake Minnetonka, 
dotted with pretty islands and forming deep bays and arms, 
the delight of sportsmen in search of game, both fish and fowl. 
At this place are several country hotels with all the requi¬ 
sites for boating and fishing; hut those who wish to explore 
the headwaters Bhould embark on one of the two diminu¬ 
tive steamurs which ply to the farthest end of the lake, a 
distance of eighteen miles. The choice lies between the 
Sue Gardiner and her younger and more commodious rival, 
the May Queen, The Sue Gardiuer held undisputed sway 
until the summer of 1874, when the other came into the 
field and took away the palm. On a pleasant day the 
former is to be preferred, but it gives no protection in a 
storm or squall, as the writer found to his sorrow, one day, 
when his hat went sailing to the leeward and the boat 
sought the friendly shelter of an islaud. Opposite Way¬ 
zata, about five miles over, is the aspiring town of 
Excelsior. Here is situated the largest hotel on the lake, 
at which a good many people cmne to spend their leisure. 
Stopping here a few moments we coast along until we 
come to art apparently impassible marsb, but nothing 
daunted the steamer keeps on its way, and after a short 
Struggle with lily pads, reeds, and the danger of getting 
aground emerges into another arm of this extensive lake- 
Passing in and out among the islands it comes to Crane 
Island, where the herons have built their nests for years 
undisturbed until tho advent of the steamers, which have 
jnade it one of the inducements of travel to encircle the 1 
island on their trips in order to give vandal sportsmen the 
opportunity of shooting uselessly the harmless birds which 
inhabit it. In a short time Cook’s Lake View House ap¬ 
pears in sight, and although the name is inviting, yet a 
stay long enough to take dinner and view the accommoda¬ 
tions is usually sufficient to make most tourists long for 
the more fashionable quarters at the hotels of the lower 
lake. 
The ardent sportsman, and those who are satisfied with 
the plainest of fare should stay and enjoy the beauties of 
nature revealed in this vicinity. The fishing here is very 
good indeed, and a morning’s troll will yield a fine string 
of pickerel and black bass, the latter weighing fiom one 
to six pounds. About a mile from the house is a small 
pond which will well repay the angler who takes the trou¬ 
ble to have a boat carried over to it. 
Cook furnishes very good boats for his guests, and with 
them one cau find endless entertainment iu fishing, shoot¬ 
ing, and in exploring the numerous bays and navigable 
marshes; these marshes between the various islands being 
filled with lily pads and reeds, through which a boat can 
be pushed without great difficulty, are the favorite retreats 
of the wild-fowl which abound here both in spring and 
fall. A great number of wood duck and a few mallards 
and teal are to be found here at all times during the sum¬ 
mer. About the 1st of September the young wood duck 
afford fine sport. A trip to Crane Island will charm the 
naturalist. Here he will find the blue heron (Ardea hero- 
(lias), the double-crowned cormorant (Graculus dilophus,) 
and the turkey ouzzard (Clitlwrtes aura). Eight or more 
nests of the two former may often be counted in one tree. 
Woodcock maybe met with now and then. Loons are 
abundant, and with their demoniacal laugh bid defiance to 
those who vainly strive to capture them. That most 
beautiful and graceful of our species of birds of prey, the 
swallow-tailed kite, (Nattclenut forficatus) can be seen here 
soaring over the woods or gliding along fence rows picking 
up stray grasshoppers and eating them on the wing. The 
bird most honored in this Centennial year is quite common, 
and its eyries may be seen prominently placed In the 
wildest and most secluded spots. A party of four, with 
the writer, undertook to rob one of these eyries. It was 
the 80th of June, 1874, when we found the nest which, 
from the appearance of the tree and the ground, covered 
with the remains of many royal feasts and the bones of 
several defunct eagles, had evidently been there for years. 
From the excitement of the parent birds wo judged that 
the young had not yet left the nest, and the study was how 
to get at it. The tree was long since dead, and the trank 
very smooth, without limbs for some distance, but by cut¬ 
ting a smaller tree so that it fell against this, one one of the 
party was enabled to reach the rather treacherous looking 
limbs and make his way to the nest, when a new difficulty 
presented itself—he could not look in. The only remedy 
was to pull out the bottom, which be proceeded to do. 
After about tea minutes hard work the nest, the limbs 
which supported it, and two young birds, fully fledged, 
came down with a crash. The old birds made no efforts 
to rescue their progeny, but soared far above, uttering 
their harsh screams. The young were quite different in 
temperament. One, the larger, was very savage and re¬ 
sented any approach to familiarity, the other was passive, 
offering little resistance when taken to the boat. We car¬ 
ried them to camp and tied them to a tree, but during the 
night one managed to free itself and the next morning was 
not to be found though we searched every nook and corner 
for some distance—-it having made good use of its powers 
of leeomotion. The other, though not a model of amiabil¬ 
ity, would eat when Offered any fish, and, no doubt, would 
have become quite tractable, but it3 subsequent history 
must be foregone, as we left it at the place of debarcaliou 
when our camping tour was over. 
Strolling through the woods in any direction one finds 
raffed grouse in great, numbers. They are very tame, and 
will allow one to approach quite near before taking flight. 
The crow is not common here, and very few were seon on 
this excursion; neither was their larger cousin, the raven, 
observed, although there is no doubt but that he sometimes 
puts in an appearance. I hope my non-ornithological 
readers will pardon this digression in favor of a hobby; 
not Faloo subbutco of Great Britain. 
A row of about two miles from Cook's, to the head of a 
small bay, will bring one to a marsh at the foot of a bluff; 
passing through this marsh oue comes out upon another 
lake, or Goibel’s Bay) as it is called. Here can be seen tho 
American representative (Nelumbhm lute am) of that symbol 
of ease and bliss—the Lotus, Its large peltate leaves and 
fragrant, cream yellow blossoms, supported on their up¬ 
right stalks, attract the attention of all at once, Though 
it bears an edible fruit, yet it is to be doubted whether the 
eating of it would entirely overcome the desire for adven¬ 
ture or travel without the aid of an enervating climate and 
tropical sun. 
One realizes in such excursions that pleasure, even in its 
happiest vein, must have its drawbacks. In civilization, 
continued indulgence produces ennui , but in nature, it 
brings health, strength, and ambition, though its frequent 
associates, the mosquito, the black Ay, and a leaky tent on 
a rainy day, take away the very essence of patience from 
those who would enjoy a woodland sojourn. The writer, 
with a party of friends, attempted camping out near the 
entrance from the lower lake. We had rowed from Excel¬ 
sior, one afternoon, and pitched our camp here, it being 
nearly dark when we arrived, and would we could have 
treated the mosquitoes as we did the camp! Tar and oil 
were manna to them. They came by thousands. We 
tried a smudge fire, which forced us to retreat with our 
enemies. We endured it for three nights, but on the fourth 
we enjoyed a comfortable rest in Minneapolis, This was 
in June; later in the season this vast army returns to tho 
place from whence it came—the land of shadows. 
Frasiclxn Benneb. 
HOW INDIANS FISH IN CALIFORNIA. 
¥ -.- 
Editor Forest and Stream :— 
While ou the headwaters of the Sacramento River last 
year, I had several opportunities of seeing the Indians 
catch the salmon, which serves them for food during the 
winter, and in fact during the whole year. The Indiaus 
not being subject to the prohibition of the game laws, arc 
allowed to take game at any season of the year, and they 
take the salmon when they are in the river to spawn, at 
which time they come in in immense numbers. The In¬ 
dians take them by means of spears, one of which I meas¬ 
ured, and found it only a few inches short of twenty-five 
feet in length, and the modus operandi is as follows:— 
The Sacramento near its head is very swift, and in its 
passage across different ledges of various degrees of soft¬ 
ness it excavates large pools or holes in its bed, eaelihav¬ 
ing a small fall at its head and a rapid beyond. The water 
in these holes, which are often very large, is comparatively 
still, and they make welcome resting places for the tired 
salmon, before they attempt the passage of the rapid 
above; they collect in them in great numbers, the water is 
beautifully cold and clear, and the fish cau be seen crowd¬ 
ed together on tlio bottom. The Indians repair to one of 
these holes to the number of twenty or more, and a fine 
picture they make as they stand in position to strike when 
the word is given, nearly naked, with their brown skin 
shining, and eyeB glittering in anticipation of the sport. 
Some station themselves at the rapids above and below the 
hole; others wade out to an isolated rock, or a log project¬ 
ing into the stream. All hold their spears in readiness, and 
at a grunt from the leader they commence business. At 
the first onslaught all generally manage to secure a fish, 
which is detached from the spear and thrown on the hank, 
the spears, by-thc-way, having barbs of steel, which be¬ 
come detached from the stock when they enter ihe fish, 
and being attached to the shaft by cords, turn flat against 
the fish's side, and make escape impossible when the sal¬ 
mon is pierced through. The Indiaus proceed silent ly 
with their work, and secure a great many fish before rhey 
escape from the hole. Sometimes three or lour hundred 
are thus speared out of one pool. They arc very caulious 
about malting their preparations so as not to (lighten the 
fish till all are ready, aud then to confuse them by a sud¬ 
den onslaught. The fish are split open aud dried iu tho 
suu on the bushes, which present a curious appearance 
all hung with tho bright red flesh; they are then slighlly 
smoked and reduced to small flakes, aud laid away tor fu¬ 
ture use. The roes also of tho “mahalies," as they call the 
