440 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



a huge outlay in capital and wa 

 fish employs a, large amount ol 



i'or Klaririfj. as- 



g Hie fish, but. the salt fish trade involves 



morinous quantities of Bait, aot only for original 



, but for uho in repacking. During the winter season 



ire shipped in a frozen condition almost over the 



[orthera States. Dr. J ames W. Milner, Deputy 



United States Fish Commissioner, who made an inspe 

 our Ittkc fisheries, found it extremely difficult to obtain 

 i industry. For the year 1873, by recordi 



of trade and by approximation, he found the aggregal 



berof pounds at sixteen ports, between Rochester, N. Y., 

 and Chicago, *.o equal a sum total of 32,250,000 pounds of 

 fish, haying a value of $1,600,000, the whitefisb not being 

 separated from other edible fishes of commerce and 

 origin. In 1868, boob after the artificial culture of 'fishes 

 introduced iuto our country, fish culturists began to in- 

 teivst themselves with measure . re :, i -■_■!.,■■ i .■ r . i r ... n of tiie 

 annual products of the lake fisheries which were n> 

 niug to exhibit strong indications of decay. It was thought if 

 the principles of artificial culture could be applied to the 

 Whiteflsh, there existed a reasonable hope that these fisheries 

 might he ultimately made much more fruitful. Growing out 

 of united efforts among fish culturists in the near vicinity of 

 the lakes, and from the success of preliminary experiments by 

 Mr. Wilruot, of Newcastle, Canada, Mr. "Seth Green, of 

 Rochester, N. Y., and by Mr. Nelsoi W. Clark, of Clmkston, 

 Michigan, a hatching-housi was erected at the latter place in 

 1871, and one million of whitefish ova were laid down in the 

 hatching-troughs in the autumn, probably in December, of this 

 year. The experience gained in previous years in in topagal 

 i'i" i rout and salmon, and later in experimentin with wmtc- 

 fish eggs, enabled Mr. N. W. Clark, superintendent of the 

 hatchery, to obtain the most complete success. By the 1st of 

 April tiie fish began emerging from the eggs, and before the 

 ■ il the month the troughs were fairly swarming with tiny 

 whitefisb. By the 30th day of April these fry were, all dis- 

 tributed in a number of "beautiful crystal lakes of Oakland 

 County, Michigan, and in the Detroit River. Thus was in- 

 augurated the artificial cultivation of whitefislies in the United 

 States and in the Dominion for the augmentation of one of the 

 best fresh water food-fishes on this continent, which has 

 grown into an industry of vast proportions, not only in the 

 United States but in the Dominion. The great hatching 

 establishments of Canada are located at Tadousac, Kesti- 

 gouche, Gaspe, Miramichi, and Newcastle, Ontario. The 

 I' li .il, i; mi lit the direction of the Hon. 11. F.Whitcher, 

 •who is carrying forward a work which not only reflects his 

 ability, but the enlightened progress of the Dominion. Money 

 is appropriated by the Parliament in liberal sums, and the 

 work of augmenting their fisheries is being pursued with a 

 persevet that reflects the wisdom of the mimei iuj 



officials baying the work in charge. 



New nAMPsrrmE. — Fish Commissioner Brackett has pre- 

 sented to the Slate the patent-right of the Brackett fishway, 

 which has been adopted by the authorities for use throughout 

 the State. One hundred thousand young shad were put into 

 the Winnipisseogee Elver, near Tilton, the 24th iust. They 

 were obtained from the U. S. hatching station at South Had- 

 Falls, Mass. 



Trout CrxTTTEE on Loup Island. — Albert Raco, of Fos- 

 ter's Meadow, has become engaged in the raising of trout' 

 Mr. Raco is a wheelwright, and owned an acre of land by the 

 road side, through which ran a brook of clear water, and in 

 which were some trout. He caught SIX, put them in a spring, 

 and prepared a spawning bed. He procured a work on trout 

 culture, and as a result of this his first experiment, succeeded 

 nig one hundred and eighty young fish. The next year 

 be raised about as many more, and last year would have had 

 mi thousand had not a freshet of snow water Hooded his 

 bed. As it is, he has several hundred. His two and three- 

 year old fish are in fine condition, many pf them weighing 

 over a pound each. As fast as his stock increases he intends 

 to prepare a pond on some recently acquired land. Delias 



I mi embankment about his ponds to prevent the 

 rence of last winter's accident. In addition to his trout, he 

 has about half an acre devoted to the culture of water cresses, 

 which promise finely. 



Shad for the TJr-i'Et; Mis-tssrei. Yesterday morning by 

 the o'clock train, Mr. H. E. Quinn and Mr. G. W. Schuer- 

 niann. both United States Fish Commissioners of Washington, 

 arrived in St. Paul, bringing with them 100,00.0 shad, which 

 they deposited in the - : i I over, at tho foot of Jackson 



'.ii Si flshw il ■.ught. all the way from South Hart- 

 ley Falls, Mass., by these gentlemen, who had to sit up with 

 tie in all night aud change the water every two hours, and watch 

 Ihe temperature of the atmosphere, asftt no time during all the 

 days and night thej i era mthe road lyas the temperature al- 



■ ■' ■ I ' rk-lov. i"',ik. tf the temperature had been 

 allowed to get above ,r below these figures it would have been 

 death to the istt ■" ese two gentlemen took turns attending 

 to this business of changing the water and watching the tern 

 pcrature. This they old for three days and nights, as they 

 came over the road from South Hadley. As above stated, 

 they arrived here at 6 o'clock yesterday "morning, and, without 



Ug, took the fish off the train and put them into the river. 

 'hey are called, are about one-quarter of an inch 

 in length, and look like SO many animated hairs. Looking 

 to tl in which they came all that can be seen is 



an apparently innumerable number of little black hairs, with 

 two black dots at one end of each, the bodies being transpar- 

 ent. The journey of these gentlemen must be called a success, 

 judging from the number and rigorous condition oi Lhefrj 

 brought safely through the trip of three days and ni ■ I 

 considering the hot weather and distance traveled, great credit 

 is due the gentlemen ill charge lor their care and attention, 

 which results in success. They returned bast yesteri i 

 Paid Pm<H, July 25. 



CaufoeNU. — 1:1,000 shad fry, hatched at. Havre de Grace, 

 Md., have been placed bathe Sacramento River. 



V •* 



"V "TuEii Eras.'— That Ihe squirmers are too niticb for the 



■ ige telegraph operator IS evident from the falkv 



of our friend Geo. H .li rome, Snpt. ■ ■' ■ I ■ i Michigan, 



to tin. il' ■'■■' : ■ ■/■'Viiyt ; 



Il i ill out." 



A resident of Michigan, venerable in years and honor, Con- 

 sented to act as my depositor of eels. By pre -arrangement "I 

 was to telegraph him of the arrival of the eels in Detroit, and 

 be was to meet, them at the Detroit depot. So, having infor- 

 mation that the eels had left. Troy, N. Y., I telegraphed him 

 as follows : 



Detkoit, June — , 1SJT. 

 MB. , , Mien. 



The eels will arrive in Detroit at 11 to-morrow. Don't fall to lie here 

 on tlieir arrival, Geo. 11. Jerome. 



The boy at the other ernfof the " Btring" took it off as fol- 

 lows : 



The girls will arrive In Detroit, at. 11 to-morrow. Don't lull to lie here 

 .o rival. Geo. H. .Tekome. 



Our depositor, in the innocence of his heart, and in the sim- 

 plicity of his nature, took the dispatch home, where it en- 

 countered the eyes of his wife and daughter, and, as you may 

 small sized domestic row was the consequence". 

 Lnd instead of herding my earnest, injunction to meet them 

 On tlieir arrival, the man failed to put in an appearance at all, 

 whether from alack to obtain the key to his shirt and collar 

 drawer. I am not informed. Pray, what are the ttmi 



to? and this man almost a dei 



church! 



Shad is Wkstf.rn "Waters.— The fly fishers on the Iowa 

 River have recently taken several true shad near Iowa City. 

 about one pound each. The shad were planted in 

 the Mississippi River by the United States Fish Commis- 

 sioners several years ago, and this is believed to be the first 

 catch in any of the tributaries. 



—Mr. Charles D. Griswold, of the United States Fish Com- 

 mission, has recently placed fifty thousand young shad in the 

 Chattahoochee River, near Columbus, Ga. An equal number 

 has also been deposited in the Chattahoochee, near West 

 Point. 



- .»_ 



— Oyster culture is becoming quite an important industry 

 in France. A recent Government report describes nearly 

 thirty different localities and several hundreds of beds where 

 the work is carried on. French ingenuity has solved 

 problem of keeping these bivalves, fresh by training them to 

 keep their shells closed while on the way to market. 



Sr-RArr's Dog Biscuit for Fisn. — Anew T use has been dis- 

 covered for dog biscuit. Fish breeders are now feeding 

 them to their trout, with results gratifying to there 

 evident satisfaction to the fisb. Messrs. St one & Hooper, of 

 Charlestown, New Hampshire ; G. A. Sharkey, of the Monad- 

 nork Trout Ponds, at Troy, N. H., and others have used and 

 highly recommend them. One breeder says that since he has 

 used this preparation he has not been troubled with fungus, 

 which previously involved him in much loss. The biscuit can 

 be bad of F. O. De Luze.— fSee advertisement. 



^ntural fisforg. 



THE CENTRAL PARK MENAGERIE. 



There were on exhibition during the year 1878, at, Ihe Ceu 

 tr„l Park Menagerie, nine hundred and eighty-three speci- 

 mens, comprising three hundred and ninety-seven mammals, 

 five hundred and twenty-nine birds, and fifty-seven reptiles. 

 The total value of the collection is placed at $62,944. Of 

 the three hundred and ninety-three registered additions, one 

 hundred and eighty-seven were loaned, while for the year pre- 



ioUS, there were two hundred and thirty-five. This decrease, 

 with a similar falling off in the presentations, makes a total 

 difference for the two years of one hundred and fifty-eight. 

 This may be readily accounted for by the establishment of va- 

 rious other zoological gardens throughout the country, which 

 now furnish a ready market for specimens formerly deposited 

 for safe keeping in the park. Formerly, too, the managers of 

 the menagerie assumed the support of all animals entrusted to 

 their care ; but in March last an order was issued refusing all 

 specimens unless their owners defrayed their expenses. 



The losses by death were few, the most noteworthy being 

 that of a grizzly bear, which died from injuries received at 

 the time of its capture in 1868, aud an Axis deer, which, hav- 

 ing served a captivity of ten years, met a well deserved death 

 from old age. 



There were fifty-seven births, including six lions and two 

 leopards. The three black swans hatched in November are 

 believed to have been the first ever bred in this country. The 

 Commissioners complain that it is almost impossible to protect 

 the nests of the water fowl from the depredations of the visit- 

 ors. Of the animals most in favor the lucory antelope and 

 tiie sea lions have been the subjects of the most curiosity; 

 while the crab-eating raccoon, by bis strange antics while eat- 

 ing was a never failing subject, of wonder and delight. 



Although no record is kept of the visitors, a fair estimate 

 may be gained from the register of the adjoining Museum of 

 Natural History. From this basis the Commission! 

 late the number at nearly three millions, an attendance far ex- 

 ceeding that of any previous year, ami doubtless due to the 

 great influx of centennial visitors. A large number of stu- 

 dents and artists availed themselves of the opportunities af- 

 forded by the menagerie for studying and modeling, peculiar 

 facilities for which were offered by the presence in one build- 

 ing of nineteen lions, ten tigers and ten leopards. 



This practical and educational work, now confined to stu- 

 dents, might be extended to the pe collection, 

 with judicious management, become not only, as now, a 

 source of relaxation and amusement, but of populai 

 as well. The information now to be gained by the average 

 Visitor is lamentably meagre. Name, and habitat of the speci- 



men is as much as most visitors i vi , d that, not 



■ ■ II i I , ., || | nil. I| ,1 , 



the desired knowledge. Simple and cheap handboo 



as are in use in European zoological , id doubtless 



meet, the want and materially enhance the benefits now- to be 



gained. 



A BIRD-HUNTING SPIDER. 



WHEN tlltt veraeitj q adj ,>■ rsoli has been impugned, it 

 is the duty which we owe I : n i lies it] our 



power, to endeavor to establish it: if t hat, person is a lady, 

 gallantry redoubles the obligation. Our chivalry is on this 

 occasion excited in favor of Madame Merian, who, toward the 

 close of the seven: .and during a twi 



residence in Surinam, employed her leisure in stud, m ; the 

 many interesting forms of winged and vegetable lifi 

 in in- it - that prolific country. Al'lcr her return to Holland, 



her native land, she published p£ her researches. 



Her writings, although abounding in many inace.n 

 seeming fables, contained much curious arid new information ; 

 all the more valuable from the objects of her study having 

 been, at that period, either entirely unknown to the natural- 

 ists of Europe or vaguely reported by stray seafaring visitants, 

 who, with the usual license of travelers, were more anxious to 

 strike their hands with astonishment than to extl id their 

 knowledge. These works "wert endered jftll i oi 

 by numerous plates, the result of Madame Mcrian's artistic 

 skill, with which they were most profusi 

 It is one of these which, with the. description accompanying 

 it, has caused , her truth to be called in question by subse- 

 quent writers, who, we must conclude, bad either not the 

 good fortune or the good eyesight to verify her stie 

 their own experience lie illu tratioh alluded to represents 

 a huge spider carrying off in its jaws a humming bird, whose 

 nest appears close at baud, aud who had apparently been 

 seized while sitting on its eggs. 



Linmeus, however, did not doubt the lady, if we remember, 

 but called the spider (which beloi us MygaZe) 



aviculuria— bird eating. Whether this ocio 

 hunter does occasionally capture small birds, or whether lie 

 subsists entirely on the waS| , les Which 



everywhere abound, what was seen in the ;. . i , . m, 

 man thoroughly red ■ : .- interested iu the subject 



of natural history will perhaps help to determine : " Shortly 

 after daybreak one morning in 1848, while staying at a wood- 

 cutting establishment, on the Esseguibo," in 

 distance above the confluence of that river and ihe Maganmi, 

 we, a tall Yorksbireman aj 



skin ' to examine somi spring-hooks which we had E s 



the previous evening in the 



creek. Our breakfast that moraiBg depended upon our suc- 

 cess. Our chagrin may be imagined on finding all the baits 

 untouched save one; and from that, some lurking eivnian 



had snapped the body of the captured fish, leaving; nothing 



but the 

 dispatchii 



up the 



anythi! 



,l,,e( 



; head rknghrg m the air If _i- mentn.il] 

 iter— who had not tricked us for the 

 tot very far distant, v.,- paddled further 

 of a maam or marohdi, or. indeed, of 



or reptile- We had pro- 



m my i iartlett, who was 



ii n on tho lii-at 



tddenl; I . ■ I 



rapidly along the topmost branch o) ii 



nil a shori distance in 



■ni or two the success of his aim .-■-. emed 



ling came tumbling through tie- iul..r 

 guided the canoe beneath, lest the prey 



tree which overhung 

 advance. For a momi 



doubtful : then Some! 

 veiling foliage, anil I 

 lie lost in the waters. 



Our surprise was not unmingled, [mi 

 tion at first, c " 



ed the 



A hut 



carcass, the e 

 though still f 

 showed him to 

 may have mens 



with a thick 'co 



him an added 

 creased the tier 



places fu , 



black. His pi 

 adapted for th 

 small member < 



unfortunately E 

 from the i 



possibi 



i spider 



itht 



-,, i pge ''ii iracti i d onr sjume 



iu a morning'- repast as far oil' as 



hi, 'i ,,y ,, ,,'!,■ I„ !!,„, 



cited limbs and mutilated 



Biured by the shot, but uearlj dead, 



Ipitaiing. The remains of the spider 



ne ' I : ly seen, that 



•o-aud-a half inches iu the" body, with 



H length, lie was rough .'in, I i, 



f hair or bristles, which besi , 



■ of strength, considerably m- 



Tbe hairs were in some 



.brown color inclining to 



urdy arms seemed never 



ireyli . obli I 



ccorhad 



morning's meal for her offspring. It had been ell 

 the neck immediately above the shoulders,- the marks of the 

 murderer's talons still remained ; and althougft no qjood bad 

 escaped from the wounds, 'mined aud 

 swollen. The 1 , rs, sparingly scat- 

 tered among I i dot he wings, Were insufficient 



lew tow aid its species. That it was a bumniint;- 

 bird, however, or one of uu allied genus, seemed apparent 

 from the length of its bill ■ in: humming-birds, 



as the Creoles call the topaz il ' ■: ,,/,,,,., , e,n 



in U ■■■■. is I .' !.e,--! exclusive frequenter of Muriibella Creek, 



| 'I, m ii liage bere and then- ad : 



inshine forms a cool and shady, though 

 sombre retreat, peculiarly adapted to its disposition 

 strongly so, I ihe nest of this 



spider bad favored witU a visit. After makin 

 speclion of the two bodies, we consigned Id 

 grave, both of us being convinced id. . I, , i ,■ the detracx- 

 ers of Madame Merian may urge, that, lady was Corrqi 

 signing to the bush spider an ambition which a 

 nine 'id,' ii..-. ■ i. nd occasionally tempts his 

 of some stray feathered deni 



sion, I may add, was fully confirm later by 



.. a still more interesting rencmilre between 



oi .in ••■■. ii ' ■ I i 1 1 ■ t on d '.in 



laws, and after preventing 



the spider ol 111 n iOi I 1 1 ..idly hnve 



balked us of ours. Forn 



.| .i i i i ■ . made, and one of he i 



succulent ii , ery morning. Well I i 



exelaimine 



