

FOREST AND STREAM. 



347 



ecstasy. He threw himself prostrate on ike turf, and I . grasp- 



iirn with a pedagogue's swift intuition, rushed up 



ami seized him by the feet. As T gently raised his heels the 



waters found Ihcir e.xit. He crawled laboriously out of thjB 



now tenacious garments, and We resumed our march. 



On reaching the pool by whose borders we had left the 

 politician, we at once perceived that his faith in these trusted 



i .1 u idergone the rudest kind of shock. Not one 



other 1M1. tnmt. or ehuh or led fin even, had patronized his 

 ii- Hies; so, after a vindictive search for the lunch 

 lia.sKi't. which he found not, lie had east himself down on 

 the young -ward, where we found him spearing- beetles with 

 a pin. This cruel occupation had served to beguile his hour 

 of vacancy, hut we felt called upou to read him two severe 

 homilies upon it. He should rather have sought, uear at 

 hand, the gracious shade of the budding alders, there (o 

 v. hat prosaic-colored hair with the tender 

 i" 1 ' ! , ingue, But this pretty pastoral opportunity 

 had been ouilc los las! the dust from our c rum- 



ba m in; i ipations will rather Wind the best of us. 



However, il was still left us tit least to dine like heroes. 

 After having- faced this duty bravely, the sky once more 

 [boded bright for us; we again inhaled with some sensations 

 of pleasure the fresh spring-scented breeze. We even 

 laughed, and attempted a feeble pun. But this last was a 



:, nd the gloom again fell. We arose, and 



tied to our carriage in precipitate .shame. A half hour more 

 sd the head of tide, aud adjourned to the 

 waterside to have a cast To, 



Here a slender spit of sand and gravel runs out some dis- 

 tance into the stream. At the extremity thereof Pol. sta- 

 tioned himself. Ed. and the Pedagogue 'standing 1 - to either 

 side. The tide was full, the surface just rutlled by a light 

 breeze, and the sky was darkening' up with threats of a 

 thunder -shower. The Editor and the Politician threw with 

 the accepted bass-fly, a staring incongruity of green and 

 scarlet, with flaunting while goose wings. 'For myself, as 

 the modern pedagogue has an ineradicable leaning to inrle- 

 >■ -hi : ; and experiment, I resolved to tempt the 

 ;■ il ij rt : hackle, with a light yellow on (or drop. 



- t , iched the water the thunder growled above us. 

 and the tirst big drops pattered down on the gleaming level. 

 Instantly there was a rush along the water's surface, and a 

 good bass took the red hackle, Ilis play Was soon over, and 

 as 1 reeled him in I heard the same welcome sounds in the 

 ■ tood of my companions. These bass rise a yard or 

 so distant, and rush upon the hies impetuously, their dorsal 

 cleaving the surface instead of rising from beneath or leap- 

 ing at and striking dow T n the victim. As i lovingly ex- 

 amined my prize ere consigning him to the basket, I judged 

 him something over two pounds: then 1 saVi the Politician 

 loft another of like development. At the same 

 time we heard Ed. ejaculate: "By the ghost of my great- 

 grandma, we've hit ii !" and he landed a small sea trout. He 

 had hooked a bass, too, on his tail fly, but his drop had been 

 taken by the trout; and during the struggles of the latter 

 the bass had made good its escape, thanks (othe tenderness 

 of its mouth. 



By this time we were in the midst of a heavy thunder 

 storm, but paid it little attention, having none to spare from 

 our now ever-busy reels. We had just succeeded in inter- 

 'ii in i he advance-guard of the trout on their march to 

 reconnoitre the stream; and the bass were on baud as well 

 in unusually ravenous force. My red hackle took trout after 

 trout, with 'a capital bass occasionally, but the light yeliow 

 passed unappreciated, so another hackle supplanted it. To 

 the Editor and the Politician, with their bass-flies, bass and 

 tioLit were corning in something like equal proportions, 

 which afforded them delightful variety. The trout, on an 

 a | eiage would weigh about a pound and a half , the bass 

 nearly two pounds better. But the big I rout of the day 

 ... : | jiiii,:- i i got if), and the heaviest has:-, wbiej- 

 was proudly enshrined in Pol.'s basket, weighed very little 

 short, pi six, and was more than the basket bargained for. 

 Altogether it Was a teavetwd hours we put in at the head 

 of tide here. The gloom which the morning's failure had 

 shed upon our spirits was now completely wiped out. To- 

 ward sundown the risk refused to rise, intent on following 

 I know not what other fortunes, so we took the hint anil 

 reeled in, but not till we could count in our three baskets 

 nearly four dozen splendid prizes. The richest spoils, strange 

 feb say, had fallen to the Politician's share, but he had not 

 out-tripped us (sufficiently far to rouse oui hearts to covet- 

 ousness. These large ii'sh brimmed out baskets well, and 

 made all the show- on the ferry that the Editor's heart could 

 desire. We had been but a half day too soon for the fair 

 and i he Bartibogue had saved its reputation. We 

 considered the ball well Opened, and when we again sought 

 the stream a few days later, the old resorts had a liberal 

 . ome for us Charles G. D. Roberts. 



DID HE STEAL THE PICKEREL? 

 ... . ; Stream: 



Blaekstone says (Vol. I., Book II., page 890): "Animals 

 are- divided into such as are doiaitui and such as are/iWa 

 loiiinut. In tame animals or those belonging to the. domitm 

 class (such as horses, sheep and the like) a man may have an 

 absolute property (or t.ivlc) just as in inanimate objects, But 

 in animals /era: nutans a man can have no absolute property. 

 Yet he many have a qualified, limited or special property." 



Chancellor ivent, in his "Commentaries" (Vol. 'II. 

 page 847), says: "A man may have property in chattels 



i I. -il her absolute or qualified.'' Animals/lave nutum, 



i. .i - they are reclaimed by the art and power of man, 

 are in i the subjects of a qualified property, but when they 

 are abandoned or escape and return to their natural liberty 

 and ferocity, the property in them teases. Whil - lie-: ana], 

 iiied property in them continues, they are as much under 

 flic protection of the law as any other property, and every 

 evasion of il is redressed in the same manner. 



Blaekstone again (same page): "These (animals, fem 

 ruituriv) are no longer the properly of a man than while they 



' Oil ' ■. hisj --ii i i .. ' .i. tual .... .... .ion * * * * * 



The law coo ■■,,, ■-;;■: , ..;, ,., farther than the mere man- 

 ual possession." ''Whil • they continue my qualified or de- 

 feasible property they are as much under the protection of 

 thelawasiJ aej .. absolutely mine, and an action would 

 .. ....- tiiat detains or destroys them. It is also 



as much felony at common aw lost :.l 3 n It el ft :,. . . 

 . am ■ annals, 1 



These principles of the common law are of force in all 

 Stales. Therefore when I catch a fish on a hook the fish is 

 mine -'by the art and power Of man;" and. unl - Q 

 escape- and regains his liberty by his own exertions or by 

 my consent i m lifii 



would be larceny in another to take it. So, if I shoot down 

 a wild bird the hud is immediately mine, and it will be lar- 

 ceny for another to lake it. If I 'en i rap a bird in a cage I 

 have this qualified property, which is protected by the law. 

 and yet if the bird escapes or I turn il loose it. belongs to any 

 one who can entrap or shoot if. 



From these principles it would seem to follow that in the 

 "fish' 1 question put by your correspondent, the passer-by who 

 took the fish from the hook was guilty of larceny. 



G. I). T. 



Athens, Ga. 



[The only weak point in this conclusion would appear to 

 be the tenuity of the claim of possession by the man whose 

 hook was down. Every angler knows from an experience more 

 or less bitter that there's many a slip betwixt the hooJiing 

 and the creeling; and the pivotal consideration is then to 

 determine just the point when the law would adjudge that 

 an angler had acquired "possession" of the hooked fish. We 

 confess that we never felt ourselves securely seized of the 

 prize until we had it sate in the basket. For a case in point 

 sec the story by "Verax" in our issue of May 10.] 



WITH HACKLES AND GENTLES, 

 x. 

 "When the southwest wind blows. 



And the clouds, as they pas :, 



Ale varying the shade 



And the wide-waving pi-ass; 

 When the rippling waves tiurry 



Acr-sss the deep pool— 

 Ah: this is the time 



To be steady and cool 

 Then wave your rod deftly : 



Your flies must not whistle, 

 But fall on the streamlet 



L'ke down of the thistle. 



THERE is much good advice in the above — in fad, a 

 gentle cast of the fly and a cool head and steady hand 

 after "striking" the fish is the sine quit mm in from fishing, 

 "Whipping" a. stream is an ill term for an angler to use, it 

 is the crude practice of a, novice to use his rod like a whip- 

 stock and his fly like a "snapper." In the true angler's out- 

 lit and in his surroundings there is a suggestion of wariness, 

 of gentleness and of consummate skill. See his well-balanced 

 rod, his fine and modesUiued line, his ready reel ami tidy 

 fly ! See. also, the clear stream, (he • -daisy-dollled meadow'" 

 and the budding hedges! In yonder "deep" what lusty 

 trout may await his deft cast, and what trial of skill and 

 fine tackle may succeed. Ko sport is more in sympathy 

 with Nature— if 1 may use the term— than is angling; full of 

 gentle, graceful, subtle action, with no "hue and cry, "with 

 no visible struggle of the victim, till he is in hand or galled, 

 and receives t'ne merciful stroke at the bauds of his victor, 

 whom he has fought against, so nobly. 



How differently we feel in fishing a new and (to US) untried 

 water than we do when we cast upon a. familiar stream. If 

 "alone and unattended" we make ready and start upon a 

 "voyage of discovery," measuring distances and deeps with 

 a practical eye, now aud then killing • Bsh, perchance, but, 

 on the whole, rather ■•restless and unsatisfied," but there 

 may he a better "stretch" or '"pool" beyond. The chances 

 are' that our attention is distracted bv strange aud beautiful 

 bits of SCt ncry, and that we grow unwary in the ''division 

 of the mind," and our creel remains light in consequence 

 thereof. Notheless we try the temper of the trout, Wfi have 

 anon a "braw" rise and, ultimately, a honnie fish, see many 

 new beauties, and, as we proceed, or return, decide where 

 to concentrate our angling energies at our next coming. All 

 this is very pleasant and, as our next meal does not depend 

 upon our latch, satisfactory. 



Heavy creels are not always more so. and "this reminds 

 me" that "(dice upon a time" I went a-lishiug and bad a 

 stiff ten-mile tramp to the chosen water, and I lie like: it 

 seemed quite double the distance) to return. IT hit a full 

 creel I started for home, and at every stcp'it. grew heavier. 

 Ere long another sense was ministered unto, and 1 soon 

 found that my hip bore a weight of "flat, stale and un- 

 profitable" fish— corruption had begun its work and ended 

 it by the wayside, where my day's catch I speedily dumped. 

 Theheat and' a rascally ••blue-bottle" haei fouled the 6 h, and 

 [tramped on with "lowered crest" and a creel still heavy 

 with emptiness. It then, and for loug after, seemed "hard 

 'lines, "but at this late day the pleasure of the "outing" 

 rather than the discomfort and the disappointment are. "to 

 the fore," and memory recalls many joys connected there- 

 with. 1 was taught, a lesson thereby, and have never Ashed 

 on a hot day since without taking precautionary measures 

 to preserve my catch sweet and sound. It does not pay to 

 tramp far and fish long in mid summer in (Ids climate. 



Of all fishing give me the "metric May*' fishing aud its 

 pcriect accompaniments of lush grass, smaaiig; biol- and 

 Bowers. Hot suns have not burned the fair face of nature. 

 the streams run clear and full, and the lovely ephemera 

 dances over the water in its short lived gladness" and aban- 

 don. 



* * * "The fly that is born with the sinking suu, 

 To die ere the midnight hour, 



May have deeper joy, ere his course ho run. 

 Than man in his pride and power: 



"Atiel the insect's moments he sjjarei.t the rears 

 And the anxious doubts of one three-score years. ' 



May and October are the two perfect, mouths for out-of- 

 door life in this country, especially where the rigors of 

 winter and the tropical heats of summer seem to wage war 

 against perfection aud comfort, What fair and blessed 

 memories are associated with a May mom's walk to a pleasant 

 water, the midday lunch, pipe, Walton aud siesta, followed 

 by a few casts onour homeward way, the arrival and wel- 

 come in the gloaming, and tin evening spent in social joys 

 and angling talk! History may repeal itself, but .-oca jo; i 

 can never be real again — they have become elheriai. and 

 memory is their warden! 



A few days since I tried a new water and "caught noth- 

 ing"— like the Apostolic fisherman— but 1 had rs i pleas 

 The stream was lovely to behold, with wide, unobstructed 

 reaches for throwing the fly, with - lm sia.Is aud tree 

 and cliff-shaded pools I wa r. ..j early" for that, stream, 

 for the trout therein, but not. a moment 'too early to catch a 

 deal of joy. Trout, trout, trout, seemed to be writ upon 

 bank and si rea a m every ripple, and I only longed to be 

 there in "leafy June" to try my luck again. I may or may 

 not fish there again, but. it will be pleasant to recall the 

 ' 'likely" places, and to imagine a pound fish at the end of 



my Hue, Had I caught several brace I should have been 

 glad, but as I did not 1 am far from being sad. 



Thus it is with angling (and with any legitimate sport that, 

 takes us afield amid the icltninir, restfui influences of nature). 

 We carry (o the meads a light heart and return thence with 

 a glad one. We have looked about us. we have breathed, 

 we have caught aud kept some of nature's smiles and good- 

 will, and the fish we have not caught ■we, or some worthy 

 brother, may yet bliug to creel. We have had an outing and 

 are (he better,' wiser and happier for it. 



'■The linnet's none the- Mackhird's sons 

 That s, mi Che tangled brakes among; 



The gureling -a -earns, I he rnst.liriK breeze. 



The worbliue lark, the hill !bee 



All sounds and sights I heard and saw. 

 Deep, sympathetic strains they draw; 

 And oft ou fancy's wing t stray, 

 And throw the ilv and catch the prev." 



(). W. 1! 



SOME MAINE Axgt.im-, ResoeTB.— In Somerset county, 

 Me., many towns are situated away from the railroads, and 

 good fishing for trout and pickerel can be enjoyed al a small 

 expense. A great manv of the trout streams, whose waters 

 arc ice-cold, being fed by springs, are running through Ibis 

 mouutaiuous country. Board can be secured at about three 

 dollars per week, or less, with the usual "country com- 

 Forts." Moose Pond, situated in the towns of Harmony, 

 Qartland and Allien-. Ale., is a tine sheet of water abound- 

 ing with whit, pi h, '■' Mi-voerch, pickerelaud bullheads, 

 or horned pouts. Biggins Stream, which empties into this 

 pond, i- ; |. . in and is not fished to death. 



One point of this stream is the wonderful Kettle Falls, so 

 named on account of the kettle formed hobs worn in the 

 ledge, some of whie-h will not hold more than two quarts 

 while others v. ill hold ten barrels, and there are hundreds of 

 them. The water comes down the inclined ledge ami rushes 

 around these "kettles," and here you may always catch 

 trout. Several other sin an, ■ ;u this! immediate viciufty are 

 good trout waters, and there are plenty of woods. The fare 

 from Boston is about five dollars. Should any of youf cor- 

 . i : indents want to know more about this section 1 will en- 

 deavor to enlighten them. — 1'i.hk Fmok (Hartford. Conn., 

 May 35), 



Oxford. May 88, — In reply to your request for angling 

 and limiting resorts, would recommend Thompson's Pond; a 

 pond famous for its blaek bass, pickerel and trout fishing. 

 No better fishing can be obtained this side of Rangeley than 

 here: we arc within forty or forty-five miles of the 'lake- 

 south— and in the fall grouse are quite plenty, foxes and 

 rabbits (the great Northern hare) innumerable. ' One of our 

 enthusistie nahermen, Geo. H. Jones, in company with A. 

 E. Frost, of Lewiston, Me., has just returned from Kaugeley 

 with a hundred pound of trout, the largest weighing tin 

 pounds. — Sylvak Dale. 



NOEMAM's Ex vitation.— Chicago, May 23,.— I To "Old 



Hickory," "Kuotls" and I he "Scribe:" take warning: We 

 presume, you are overhauling your fishing tackle and pre- 

 paring the weapons of war for another camping trip on In- 

 termediate aud Central lakes. Before me lies" a communi- 

 cation from Central Lake, from the Dominie Noyes. He 

 says: "ii is the largest fish I ever saw; while swimming I 

 Should say it was between four aud five feet long." This is 

 another of the big mascalonge that dragged some of the 

 crowd around (he lake- for ; '..al iv.a. Can-, aval then almost, 

 spilled them into the drink when hauling him into the boat. 



He's waiting for the champion to come up and tackle 



him, to give them a run aiouud the lake. Cue of these big 

 fish, weighing thirty-two pounds, was caught, just before 

 the ice run out of Torch Lake. But have mercy on the 

 beastie. "Don't tie them up to a post like a dog" snd let 

 tliem die of a broken heart." Kill your fish, and above all 

 give US the results of another camping trip in FottEST am> 

 STREAM, so we can laugh over them in our camp a few 

 miles from you. If you see the broad folds of the stars and 

 Stripes floating from some tall sapling, and an irrepressible 

 youngster around camp at, the nioiii Ii of Torch River, almost 

 opposite Spencer Creek, during the month of August, give 

 us a call aud receive the greetings of the ladies and the grasp 

 of a— Nor. max. 



WtnTKFisii Take Bait.— St. Joe. Mich., May 20.— Do 

 white-fish take baited hook? They do, and 1 know of hun- 

 dreds of others of this place who will sav the same. We 

 catch, bv rj i ing and fall when the water gets cool, from 

 our piers a great manv, not one as a rare thing. Wo gen- 

 erally catch them while fishing for ciscoes aud perch. They 

 are generally caught with small minnows, aud sometimes 

 with a smaii piece of perch belly. We let the bait, lie on 

 the bottom and move slowly along, your correspondent, 

 Mr. O'Brien, se m of au instance of one being 



caught on a look. Thai reminds me of the Irishman who 

 stole-apig. The plaintiff proved by three witnesses that 

 .a i.l was .a to take (he pig, and the Irishman 



bneigh. I, , .' .. .1. : a wit -S'-s thai did not. see him. Your 



'•u: i".-p .la. ea appears to think that he has proved that 

 whit bsfa a . ia take bait. He has asked men who iish with 

 nets aud they say they don't take the hook. I know they 

 do, for 1 have caught them 1 can Bend Mr. O'Brien a hun- 

 dred allidavits from this place, One man told n.ehehad 

 caught in one day all he could carry, say fifteen or more. 

 Others Lwo, three or more in a day. From examination of 

 their maws I think cut worms would be good bait, Docs 

 your correspondent think any kind of fish'is going to take 



a penned up in a net and struggling to escape all the 

 tune?— W. B. Ransom. 



I!ri.i,K\-ii,i.k,. Ontario, May &),— Blacfe bass ami pickerel 

 (pike-periih) ate now to be taken here with the fiy. During 

 the winter the only trout stream within thirty miles of this 



e ravaged by a number of poachers. 'who, however, 



have found that they were more greedy than wise. Over- 

 seer WflklDB got Wind of the affair and em the 14th inst, 

 several of the transgressors were brought before a magis- 

 trate's court at Stirling The following W«S the result of 

 the cases tried: A. McWilliams, fine an I [01 , ■ U3.80; A. 

 G. Bcotl ... ... ists, !s-- ; t: David Seeley, fine and casts, 



■ and cost.-, $47.90; John Houston, 

 fine and coats, $47.90. The Fishery Department will be 

 ... ; . am. there being a large number of 



speckled trout fry ttt the tie hiirchery.— R. S. B. 



Salkon Fishing. -Taa .... ' i. Abas aome s&hnon fishins upon 

 two of tbe best rivers in Canada at his disposal Address at once 

 "Smada," this office.— Mv. 



