FOREST AND STREAM. 



157 



j|># mtd Oliver 0nhbf{^ 



FISH IN SEASON IN OCTOBER. 



Coast Fish. Lakes. 



Bluefish, Skipjack. Horse Mackerel, Black Bass, (Ma opterus nig 

 (Temnodon solicitor.) and archiqan.) (two species. 



Spanish Mackerel, ( Cero maculatum.) Pickerel, (]£sox reticulatus.) 

 Weakfish, Squetaug (Trout) Otoli- Pike perch. (Lucioperca Americana.) 

 thus.) 



Bats and Estuaries. 

 Striped Bass, Rockfish. (Labrax hneatus.) 



— The angler's season for this part of the country is 

 nearly at an end, and those indefatigable whippers of riv- 

 ers and streams who never tire of fishing, must needs go 

 South hereafter, or lay up their rods and fly-books until 

 spring. And there are just such men the country over — 

 thoroughbred sportsmen, too, who have no taste for shoot- 

 ing, yet delight in the wild-woods as much as the hunter, 

 and are justasserviceablein camp or on the route. If these 

 men do not actually despise "gunning," they are neverthe- 

 less so wedded to their favorite pastime, and so indifferent 

 toward the germain proclivities of their friends, that it is 

 impossible to induce them by the most seductive appeals to 

 lay down the basket and the rod and take up the rifle and the 

 #gun. For their idiosyncrasies we have an intuitive sympathy; 

 and, when " Othello's occupation's gone" hereabouts, we 

 will open to his desire new realms in fishdom that will 

 gratify by the novelty of scene and species, and add im- 

 mensely to his fund of experience. 



The fish of the South and semi-tropical waters are but 

 little known even to tourists and valetudinarians who so- 

 journ in Florida during the winter, and yet the varieties 

 of fish life there are almost infinite, and among them all 

 are many that afford excellent sport to the most fastidious 

 and high-toned angler. To southern waters, therefore, we 

 shall devote especial attention the coming winter, and we 

 assure our readers that the fund of information at our im- 

 mediate disposal, and from which we shall liberally draw, 

 will be most worthy of their careful attention and appre- 

 ciation. It is of a character and kind not to be found in 

 books, unless, perchance in some few surviving copies of 

 that very much needed and not sufficiently prized work of 

 C. E. "Whitehead, Esq. , Secretary of the New York Sports- 

 men's Club, long since out of print. We have in 

 for the next issue of this paper a sort of preliminary 

 chapter, introductory to what is forthcoming; and very 

 pleasant it will be, when the winter snows are wreathing 

 the fences and gables, and the genial fires are blazing on 

 one's hearth (something seldom seen these days, by the 

 way), to read of pleasant experiences among the trailing vines 

 and flaring flowers that grow under the sunny skies of 

 Florida. Perhaps many a gentleman of leisure, whose at- 

 tention has' only been attracted toward the pole in mid sum- 

 mer, may be induced in these winter days to turn some 

 wistful glances toward the South, and having made up his 

 mind to journey, and taken his cue from the instructions 

 obtained from Forest and Stream, gather up his para- 

 phernalia and impedimenta and take steamer for Savan- 

 nah and beyond. 



We trust that proprietors of hotels and steamship lines 

 will feel it to their advantage to make their routes and ac- 

 commodations known to sportsmen through our columns. 

 It will be our object to provide for the comfort of those 

 who put confidence in our advice, and we shall desire to 

 designate such localities and means of communication as 

 may serve them best. And just here, not from any mer- 

 cenary motive, but from personal experience most Ratify- 

 ing, we wish to reccommend to the attention of tourists the 

 hotel of the Messrs. Peterman, at Palatka, Florida, whose ad- 

 vertisement appears in our columns. Florida is not famous 

 for its superb hostelries, but this is not only luxurious, 

 but will serve as a central headquarters for sportsmen who 

 wish to visit the accessible parts of Florida. Intending 

 visitors would do well to engage rooms now for the season. 



— We have anticipated the coming months a little, and at 

 once take the back track to Maine. Or rather, we are per- 

 mitted to-day to inspect a souvenir of the season from the 

 waters of the Oquossoc Club in Maine. What a sight for 

 an angler's eyes to behold, even to an appetite cloyed by 

 the summer's surfeit! It was the genial secretary of the 

 club who sent for us, R. G. Allerton, Esq. , him of the rub- 

 ber boots and outfits— well-known to anglers. On tiptoe, 

 with a tread subdued and soft, we silently approached the 

 sarcophagus that was placed in state in the center of his 

 store. (It always makes one feel solemn to approach one's 

 bier). The receptacle that encircled the dead was full five 

 feet long by two and-a-half in width, and was surrounded 

 by a cordon of gentlemen mourners with liquid eyes and 

 watering mouths. Slowly they lifted the winding sheet; 

 the sheet was straight and smooth enough — lifted it from 

 the beautiful defunct, and there lay stretched out in liv- 

 eried array three dozen monster trout! They were as beau- 

 tiful in death as in life, and ' ' none knew them but to love 

 them." The largest weighed eight pounds and a quarter, 

 and the balance a sum total of forty-two pounds, which 

 indicates a fair average even for Maine waters. The jury 

 that " sat on " that case were inclined to bring in a verdict 

 of "killed out of season," but the testimony of reliable 

 witnesses proved that in the place where they had been 

 taken, their capture was lawful. 



An eight pound trout is something to behold; the sight 

 is marvellous to country lads who have been trained on fin- 

 gerlings. But after all we are glad that nature has or- 

 dained that trout shall not be whales. Any specimen 

 over a pound in weight lacks that rare delicacy and lithe 

 beauty which makes the race attractive, and as for that 

 logy old eight-pounder that lay among the others, it 

 seemed to be invested with a grossness of a fat old dowa- 



ger tricked out in all her fanciful tawdry and glaring colors. 

 We believe it is conceded that a monster trout is not so 

 gamey as one of average size, say a pound in weight, and 

 if we could have our own way, we would obtain an injunc- 

 tion upon those big fish which every now and again in- 

 trude themselves upon the skilful attention of our Moose- 

 luckmaguntic and Mollychuckamunk friends. 



— The St. John river, New Brunswick, Canada, was 

 never so low as now. Above Fredericton 40,000,000 feet of 

 logs are high and dry in the river bed. At Fort Kent 

 sixty miles above Grand Falls, people cross the river dry 

 shod on the stones left above water. 



— The blue fish and seiner have almost swept the South 

 and Jamaica bays of other fish, and the principal sport 

 left for anglers in this vicinity is for striped bass at Hell 

 Gate, East river. A few weak fish are taken at intervals. 



— There is good sheepshead fishing at the mouth of the 

 Potomac. 



Salmon Trout Propagation.— The Rochester Union 

 of the 3d says ; 



The United States Revenue Cutter Chase is to call at 

 Charlotte this afternoon and leave this evening for Cape 

 Vincent, carrying to that port Seth Green and eight men 

 in his employ, who will go prepared to engage in the sal- 

 mon trout fishery. There are some half a dozen or more 

 places on the Islands at the foot of Lake Ontario where 

 fishermen are employed in taking the salmon trout, all 

 within twenty miles of Cape Vincent. Mr. Green under an 

 arrangement with these fishermen, puts one or more men 

 with each boat who secure the spawn when they capture 

 the fish. A small boat is sent by Mr. Green from one 

 station to another, which gathers the spawn and carries 

 them into Cape Vincent. From that place they will be 

 brought to Charlotte and taken to the State hatching house 

 in Caledonia and developed, and thence they will be dis- 

 tributed through the lakes of the State the coming winter. 



The taking of the spawn of this excellent fish begins 

 about the 15th of October and continues about one month. 

 This is a perilous season to be navigating the lake in small 

 craft, and the process is attended by considerable hardship. 



— Nearly two millions of salmon eggs, taken from Cali- 

 fornia waters, are on their way to the Atlantic seaboard, to 

 be placed in hatching houses on the Delaware, Schuylkill, 

 Susquehanna, and James rivers. 



N accordance with the provisions of an act passed at the 

 last session of Congress, a Board of army officers has 

 been organized to adopt plans and to take measures for the 

 building and establishment of a regular military prison. 

 This Board comprises Colonel Nelson A. Miles, Fifth In- 

 fantry; Lieut. Col. Wm. H. French, Second Artillery; 

 Major Thomas F. Barr, Judge Advocate; the Rev. E. C. 

 Wines of New York, Secretary National Prison Associa- 

 tion, and Z. R. Brockaway, of Detroit. The passage of 

 this military prison act was an important measure for the 

 army, and the establishment of a special prison for the in- 

 carceration of all criminals of the army is something the 

 service has long needed. The Government, for want of a 

 military prison, is now forced to use the State prisons 

 nearest the various posts of the army for this purpose, and 

 by this means has lost direct control over this class of its 

 men. In almost every other department of the army the 

 service is under the direct charge of its officers and gov- 

 erned by its military laws; the establishment ot a military 

 prison, therefore, is an exceedingly wise measure, and a 

 matter too long delayed by Congress. We trust the Board 

 will act speedily, and provide at some central portion of 

 the country a building adequate in every respect for the 

 purposes for which it is intended. 



—The leave of absence of Col. George L. Andrews, of 

 the Twenty fifth Infantry, which had expired, has been 

 extended six months ; of Captain May H. Stacey, Twelfth 

 Infantry, for four months; Colonel P. R. DeTrobiand, 

 Thirteenth Infantry, has been granted one year's leave, to 

 go across the sea; also Second Lieutenant Wm. L. Eng- 

 lish for six months with similar permission. First Lieut. 

 John W. Hannay, Third Infantry, has received an exten- 

 sion of just 42 days to "go beyond the sea." 



— Surgeons James C. McKee and Warren Webster have 

 been relieved in the Department of the East and ordered 

 to report for duty in the Department of California. Sur- 

 geon Chas. H. Alden is dispensed with in the Department 

 of the Lakes, and will now dispense medicines and attend 

 to ; the surgery of the Department of Columbia, or ' in the 

 vicinity where a few Modocs were suspended a few days 

 since. 



— The headquarters of Companies G and K, Second In 

 fantry, have been charged from Mobile to Mt. Vernon Bar- 

 racks, Ala. Five companies of the Eighth and six compa- 

 nies of the Ninth Infantry, under General Bradley, have re- 

 turned from the Northern Pacific survey The return of 

 these troops had nothing to do with tke downfall of the 

 Northern Pacific in Wall street. 



— The ground of encampments have expired, and the 

 troops are gradually going into winter quarters. Compa- 

 nies D and I of the Seventh Cavalry, have gone into quar- 

 ters at Fort Totten, D. T., and like other portions of the 

 army are preparing for the winter's blasts. The army boys 

 on some portions of the plains h9ve a rough time of it dur- 

 ing the winter months, and no one can begin to estimate 

 the amount of their sufferings. 



— First Lieut, and Brevet Maj. Lafayette Hammond, 

 Adjutant of the Twenty-third Infantry, died at Fort Yuma, 

 California, Sept. 6th, after a long illness. Major Hammond 

 served and held many responsible positions during the war, 

 and was an officer of rare excellence and highly esteemed 



in the army. He was physically imposing in his bearing 

 and one of the handsomest officers of the service. 



— First Lieut. Woodruff, a promising young officer of the 

 Engineer corps, was one of the victims to the ravages of 

 the yellow fever at Shreveport, La. , Oct. 1st. On Sept. 10th 

 he returned to Shreveport from the service of the import- 

 ant undertaking, in process, of removing the Red river 

 rafts, which have so long obstructed navigation, not being 

 warned of the epidemic. Instead of fleeing from the dan- 

 ger, as nr>st of the panic-stricken cirizens were then doing, 

 he joined the Howard Association and faithfully devoted 

 himself to the care of the sick; but not being acclimate 1, 

 he, too, after a week, was stricken with the disease, and 

 two weeks later died. 



— Captain Seneca H. Norton, of the Second Cavalry, 

 following the illustrious example set by some of the Gov, 

 eminent officials, not long since undertook to apply to his 

 own personal use a small detachment of the cavalry of the 

 army, comprising four enlisted men and four horses, by 

 employing them in drawing material, etc., to be used in the 

 construction of a quartz mill at Cherry creek, Montana, in 

 the net proceeds of which mill he was pecuniarily inter- 

 ested. Now the Government has not the least objection, 

 we presume, to any of its poorly paid officers making for- 

 tunes rapidly, if they can, by legitimate means, nor does 

 it even object to their adding to their small means by Wall 

 street speculations, etc. It, however, has many serious ob- 

 jections to its officers using United States property in so 

 doing, and if it come to light in the army, the officer found 

 guilty has to suffer the consequences. The dignity of the 

 army must be sustained, even if the dignity of the Govern- 

 ment suffers in many of its civic departments by similar 

 transactions. Captain Norton therefore has been tried, 

 found guilty of the charge of "conduct to the prejudice 

 of good order and discipline," and sentenced to "be sus- 

 pended from rank and command until December, 1873, 

 and to forfeit . fifty dollars of his pay per month, for six 

 months." 



— Colonel Ronald McKenzie, Fourth Cavalry, has been 

 granted a three months' leave on surgeon's certificate of 

 disability. We presume therefore the dashing "McKen- 

 zie raids " along the Rio Grande will cease until this officer 

 ai>ain resumes command. 



\rt mid jBrmm. 



NEW York the last week was crowded with dramatic 

 representations. All classes of society, not only the 

 theatre goers, "but the church goers, joined, it would seem, 

 in an unusual turn out for evening entertainments and mid 

 day matinees. The weather has been simply superb, and 

 way toward midnight the principal thoroughfares of our 

 great city, especially in the vicinity of Union Square, were 

 crowded with animated groups on their way home, dis- 

 cussing the merits of the new opera stars, or the grandeur 

 of the Evangelical Alliance. Our city with these influences, 

 joined with the balmy night air, resembled a southern 

 European capitol, under the excitement of some great na- 

 tional upheaval, a centennial anniversary for instance, or 

 an inauguration of a new sovereign. We venture to pre- 

 dict, that this "holiday work," will materially improve 

 the excellent sanitary condition of the city — will show 

 that it has driven dull care from many aching brows, 

 opened a brighter future to the nervous and hypochondri- 

 cal invalid, stimulated intellectual enquiry, and made our 

 citizens and our innumerable visitors better, and conse- 

 quently happier. Altogether, New York has presented an 

 unrivaled front in all matters that pertain to intellectual 

 enjoyment, and moral culture; verily we gradually ap- 

 proach our destiny, of being the true metropolitan cen- 

 ter of civilization. 



No marked sensations are to be recorded immediately re- 

 lating to our dramatic world. The managers of the two 

 grand operas have at last brought all their forces into the 

 field, and the companies are as strong as possible, and 

 alike presenting the most varied excellencies, and certainly 

 most evenly balanced in merit. All that can be obtained, 

 that is soul-stirring, and truly sublime from combinations 

 of the human voice, and musical instruments, is pre- 

 sented to perfection. The audiences are large, but pre- 

 sent no real enthusiasm. Not a lady's eye through the 

 whole routine of opera representations up to date, has 

 beamed as brilliantly at Nilsson or Tamberlik, as it beamed 

 at the "last opening" of the fall fashions. This fact was 

 illustrated when the audience at the Academy of Music 

 was informed that Miss Nilsson was "indisposed," and 

 that her place at a "moment's warning," would be un- 

 dertaken by Signora Torriani. This was a disappointment, 

 for the audience had decided it was "the thing "to ad- 

 mire Nilsson, so they were at seas as to their treatment of 

 the gallant lady, who had under such adverse circumstan- 

 ces come to the rescue. The first act of ' ' Lucia de hammer- 

 moor" was gone throgh with — the hearers listless — the 

 ladies busied themselves with talking innocent gossip, the 

 gentlemen yawned, because they thought it was safe to do 

 so. 



But on went the gallant Torriani, conscious of her real 

 merit, and evidenty determined to improve an unexpected 

 first-class opportunity. The result was, that the audience 

 was forced to attend at the opening of the second act — 

 once daring to admire, the wall of suspicion broke down, 

 and all became enthusiastic, and "Lucia" was never more 

 satisfactorily given under the Strakosch management. 



Miss Nilsson we fear is becoming indifferent from over 

 praise and attention, and there is a cold wind blowing ove 



