FOREST AND STKEAM. 



5> 



The River Mistassimi, discharging itself iulo the River St. 

 Lawrence on the north side, Betscie, Trioite, Petite Trinite, 

 Calumet, Truite, Sh flraki agpie, Petite Watocheeshoo, 

 Agwanus, Kegashka, Musquftrro, Wasl 



11 1, Etmarru, 

 Mstcatina, : maux^ OaeUe, south side, 



Metis, Bt. Anne dea Mont, Mont Louis, a h 



i des Chaleurs, Bonaventure, Petit Cascapediac, 

 ■.-,'■ , itediac, Kostigoucbe, Mis- 



b niche. 



Canada— XL. Martins, ST. B., Feb. 7.— Some of o\ 

 men were mil to the lakes yesterday above here and got a 

 very g lod string of large treat through the ice. Game of all 



H. V. S. 



Movements ob the Fibuino Fleet. — The number of Sah- 

 ing arrival-' las 



the Banks, with 225,OCfO lbs. fresh halibnl . 

 with 800.000 lbs. i km 



Grand M»Ul I PIT! ■_ . e ftOfll 



Newfoundland, with 700 lbs. nail herring.— ^vo/pi Ann Adver- 

 tiser, Feb. 14 



i I . i . t a meeting 



of the Monroe ipoi i n's Club, held at Rochester 



last week, tieth Green stated I not enter the fly- 



: ailion, This 

 obviates a 



to be- some fine prizes offered for the contest, and amateurs 

 will have a chance to secure them. 



Tesnksseb— Nashville, Feb. 11.— Saw some tine striped 

 bass caught at Reelfoor, La: i 



buff -do are being taken io the Cti present. No 



i y who have 



■anient of propugal our waters 



are confident that this year they will return in largo numbers. 



j. d. n. 



Sir HcMTTriiEV Davy on tits Trqdt Question.— As con- 



lirming Mr. Prime's statement of the manner in which a trout 



lose race from Sir Humphrey 



Davy's Halmouia, wliere specking of a sal nam he uiya : "He 



tune in the 

 water, and he tries to drown the fly with a blow of his tail." 



Balmouia, Fourth day ; page 104. Fourth -edition. London, 



1851. J. G. Wll.DMAN. 



, Feb. 17, 1879. 



Trout amd Gratlins Fisheries in Attstiua. — The stock- 

 ing with trout and grayling !ry of the rivers and streams of 

 Austria, which had Been effected in tee spring of 1878, seems 



to have been nj Lt< - is of young 



bout and gray I u ivcrs, and an abund- 



ant harvest is expected in future, jiany' thousands of young 

 trout, of about one-quarter of a pound weight have been caught 

 lately in the Sailing nets, used foi fishing the Vockla River in 

 Upper Austria, bin i I o 'he water 



c extraordinary circumstance it is 

 also mentioned, that during a fortnight's fishing in . hi 

 River, lie:- 1 lUtandg ph .■■■,!, a single kind of any 



other fish hail been can I 



In Europe the question whether iii 3 I " I ' ayling can oc- 

 cupy a stream together seems not to have been rail eilheo 

 does it apply here in America. Fully uuc-nalt ot the grayling 

 streams of Michigan contain trout, while in Montana the two 

 fishes are in . oirnd together, as well as in company 

 with a Bpi i ' i i which takes the fly. 



R '.inn Growth of THE Califoicjian Salmon-.— A fresii 

 instance of the extraordinary rapid growth of the Califormitn 

 saimou is reported in a recent issue of the German Fishing 

 Gazette. The report Slates that twenty-nine young saimou 

 which Kerr von dem Borne received last spring from Director 

 Haak, of the Imp i ■ I Hatching Establishment at 

 Huningen, in Alsace, had been deposited by the former into 

 , ads in extent, and ah ead; lon- 

 taining murina and in fry. Upon the pond being let, oil" a 

 few days ago, I And to contain twenty-six salmon, 



which to all appearance had been thriving woiulerfully. Al- 

 though not yet twelve mouths old, they had already reached 

 the leugth of a hand, being also very fleshy. Their bodies 

 were already colored silver white, the back dark-brown, dotted 

 with the black points— a process which does not take place 

 among the common salmon u mil they are eighteen mouths to 

 three years old. 



BAMBOO OR WOOD? 



HAKTFOan, Conu., Feb. 15, 18JB, 

 Editob Fobest AND Stream : 

 I read m joar List an interesting article entitled « weight and 



Strnetare of Rods,'' in wlileh 



mnnicated. Sneli aittcles 



opinions of others we ure e 



lag Hum a somewhat BX1 



must say tmii, ,n m 



-notmeo'i; 



la tbla opinion t an 



of a trout protective arsoci: 



clients ai thoii m a Ij 



oue w.tio had tried both I 



There is, as you say, an a 



-wooden rod ; still 1 aui 



tarns a lair trial ■ 



really the cheaper, taking Into i 



good deal of a 



etal kuowlen; 



s by flrawn 



have ojten compared notes with my 



!, and have always roaod that every 



'. B i ! ■ i_- palto te i he hamooo. 



it difference m cost In favor ol the 



all wi • 



aud serviceability ; and 6U0ll I imagine, Mr. Editor, 'a ynar own 

 opinion, although, your article might, on a cursory perusal, give or sag- 

 gest a contrary impression. 



65 Fui.toh Stkeet, N. T., Feb 17, 1- Ti. 

 EDITOK YOKEST AUD STBKAS ! 

 We have Juat read in yoar Issub oi Feb. 13 a long and elaborate artl- 

 ipu k taboo in i ■ i tag the wooden rod, it 



seeumons. ih or split bamboo rods 



ahoald have had a chance to be heard, then perhaps the spill bamboo 



|oo n iy to have given the wooden roil the 



"yon speak of. 



M..kers of wooden tacts had piattew a ' 

 way In joar iaue.u, end we would therefore hae to put in an answ.v 



..■ . 



lighter thau woodea ones of the 



aud strength j ana jam overlook entirely the 



ti ana ii surer and till it quicker 

 than a wooden one. Yon say, " that in the Unpcrvlou«neH3 to water, 

 sensitiveness to b.anaeratuie, etc.," the wooden rod tuts the advantage. 



Tins, we I -iiiak, will he news to anglers wlo have used both. The very 



i enamel en the split bamboo renders it impervioun to 



water, io saj nothing of che coats of coach varnish, which enables it to 



resist any amount, of exposure to dampness. The junta hi our rods 



are so close as to be hardly visible. Mr. Ward, a celebrated artiat and 



spomman, aud the writer ot the recent article In Scrlouer's on moose 



hunting, showed the writer a split bamboo that he had used foi eight 



a injuring It. Another good aujiler, who read your article 



lu our office, stated that tie hud left ins split bamboo out of doors, day 



afier day, wiihoui, harming It In the haul. In stunt, the split bamboo 



will stand much harder wort and mora cureless handling than the 



, This fact is proven by the lew split bamboo rods that 



. nine tilie.l, for repairs. 



(I en i"i no necessity now for taking a second rod, 

 extraseconfl joint, and, therefore, really ihe ex r - 

 salmon or trout ijshing. We llrmly believe that apjlt bamboo rods 

 will rate the place, of floe wooden ones as sure as breeoh-loading gone 

 have taken tne place of muzzle-loaders. 



cotraov, firsserr ,t .viallesun. 



We regret if any one has misconstrued this object Of the 

 editorial referred to. M e did not hope or intend to uphold 

 the wooden rod us superior to the bamboo. We have used 

 bamboo rods in preference to wooden ones for ten years at 

 least, and -wish to use no other, though other persons may 

 choose differently. 



Our editorial article simply attempted to give some sketch 

 of the origin and history of bamboo rods, ami to extol the 

 praiseworthy efforts of an indefatigable artitieer who had suc- 

 ceeded in making of wood what, appears without n working 

 test, to be the counterpart <of a first-class bamboo salmon rod 

 of equal dimensions. 



In comparing the qualities of wooden and bamboo rods, and 

 especially their relative cost, we made the oltefd'n a 

 Mitchell a standard of estimate for wooden rods. We do not 

 believe that rods can be made for the trade with profit or ad- 

 vantage so exception dly^finc as the one in question. Wooden 

 mds are of baser material than bamboo, and their workman- 

 ship is not of that, character which consists of parts sawed, 

 beveled, and adjusted together with the utmost nicety and 

 precision. But this very construction of parts glued together 

 rentiers the bamboo rods more liable to get out of order. 

 Tharefoi'i when we claim that the better article requires the 

 better care we but follow the logic of cor-relative facts. 



It is a marvellous quality of the bamboo rod that it will 

 stanl bard work for many years, if properly cared for. Our 

 own bamboo trout and salmon rods attest that fact. But be- 

 cause it is created with a good constitution we do w, admit 

 that it should be allowed to '"stanrt out of doors, exposed to 

 rain and dews day alter day," as brother Conroy's friend's red 

 was permitted to do. We have always maintained that a good 

 gun or a good rod should not be placed in the hands of an awk- 

 ward, ignorant or careless man, aud while wc have ever been 

 unqualifiedly in favor of giving bamboo rods to experts, we 

 still think wooden rods the best and cheapest for those who 

 will not use them properly. Any effort on the part of manu- 

 facturer!), either of wooden or bamboo rods, to mane their re- 

 spective implements as perfect as possible are most commend- 

 able. We would encourage both alike, and take pride in the 

 honorable emulations of the two branches of the craft. 



MOONLIGHT ON SEA AND LAND. 



If Spoiled Fish and Infected Me;,-. 



'TMEE following batch of facts and superstitious we give to 

 -L our readers just as we receive them, merely leaving it 

 to them to separate the lacts from the body of the material 

 furnished, and to decide, for themselves which are the facts 

 and which the superstitions. So far as our owu research ex- 

 are positive tl»l what is related is based upon the 

 most trustworthy tradition. As long ago as we can remem- 

 ber, we traced the evidences ot substantiation in those lines 

 where the ancient poet, refers to the " scorching sun " and the 

 "sickly moon." If the Ancient Mariner has not included 

 them in his recital, it is because inexorable time cut short the 

 peroration The discussion is likely to become as interesting 

 as the flop-fly question : 



„ „ Rock Island, 111., Feb. G, 1870 



Editob Forest and Stream : 



With your gracious permission I would like to dip my oar 

 into the moonlit waters of the moonshine controversy, partly 

 because lam fond of dispute aud partly because I have an 

 idea. Let me premise, however, that I have never myself 

 had any experience with such mysterious influences. 1 am 

 one of those skeptical spirits who somehow lose all the most 

 wonderful things in life. I have often been to spiritualistic 

 circles m hope of seeing some wonderful manifestations but 



ll.c nfmfrtmiilil.l nnii.;, .. ..I t . ... a ., , ' • 



the conlo 

 entered i 



cougrega 

 pernatur 

 tul thing 



ided spirii 



always refused to work as soon as I 

 5 room, i bave been where ghosts were said to 

 '., but, though i watched long aud faithfully, no BU- 

 visilor ever rewarded my vigils. All such wonder- 

 seem to have a wholesome dread of skeptical in- 



, , -ad keep at a respectable distance. But I have been, 



I, acquainted with persons who have seen and felt 

 these moonshiney influences— persons on whose word I can 

 confidently rely, and who are willing to testify with all the 

 solemnity of an oath that the facts they relate arc '• the truths 

 the whole truths, and nothing but the truths." 



One of these persons is my own father. Like your corres- 

 pondent "W. K.," he is an old whaleman, having spent 

 eighteen years on salt water, eleven of them being devoted to 

 the pursuit ot the migl ly leviathan. Naturally, in this long 

 period he acquired a va.-f amount of knowledge relatiua to the 

 | a and Beafaring experience, and, alone: with this knowledge 



inyof those fanciful notions and superstitions for 

 ii i iailors are so noted. He is not an educated man, but 

 he has a great admit o ntidc methods, and he de- 



ad ihe scientific men in the world could not shake 

 his beliet in the power of moonlight to spoil tish. I have 

 Often heard him tell and retell the Btoryof how. when "on 

 Japan," they caught a number of small fish— that' is, small to 

 whalemen, who compare all fish with whales, though, many of 

 the specimens weighed from fifty to one hundred pounds— 



and after dressing them hung them tip on the deck over night- 

 to dry. They did not catch these fish altogether for their 

 own use, but partly for the purpose of trading orf to 

 lives of thei various islands for fruits and v-'_. ,i,.. i Ir- 

 tish were generally of three, kinds, lorn, a a n, 

 skip-jack, alvicore aud the goney. The 



in exposed to the moonlight two of the sailors eating 

 of some of them were taken violently sick, and i 

 attributed to the influence of the moon. My fa 

 that he was skeptical then, aud argued with the oilier . 

 that the fish had not been properly cleaned, or th 

 tine had been accidentally broken on the 

 after he himseif took a few morsels of clean ii-i 

 once seized with the same sickly gensatioi 

 the others. He then doubled no more. He relates, als 

 case of a sailor he once saw, who had carelessly slept on i cli 

 wliere his face was exposed to the rays of the aaa an, aa,| a 

 muscles of the face were so drawn and twisted around I aere 

 by that the man's mouth opeued sideways instead of down 



wards, giving him a horrible though ludier , 



A Mi.nlni ease to tins last was related to me bv another man 



also a man whose word I. have no reason to doubt, it hap- 

 pened to a cook or steward on one of the Mississippi steamers 

 He slept one night exposed to the moon's rays, and in the 

 morning the entire face was found drawn sideways until the 

 nose was where the cheek should be, and the physic ani 

 nouncedit to he the effect of the moon's ai i isata >'a. I Uo not 

 detail these cases at length, because the bare facts are suffi- 

 cient, on what I consider good testimony, to corroborate the 

 story of the "moonshiners," so far as facts alone can do so 

 that is, the story that fish were exposed to the mounlj-ht ami 

 that men eating of those fish were taken sick. The ia leienr , 



that the moonshine poisoned the tish no ami emt i .f • i 



establish with any certainty until subjected to ;;,■■, 



periment. The mere opinion of "ova 



poisoning to the moonlight is of no weight whatever. Tin 



who held this opinion are not, or were w t, men who were- 



capable of always tracing effects to tin 



unless the connection was self-evident. Tiiay were 



are not, men whose mental habits have been trained by thai 



scientific method which refuses assent to all theories until the 



evidence is all in. They are mostly men of limited education' 



especially in those branches which bear up m 1> - ■ 



iug, and are of that nature or disposition which musi, ha 'a- an 



opinion on all subjects, aud, in lieu of th . sq |j s . 



fled with any. Then, too, not having any interest in m 



the true cause of the phenomena at the i i aarrily 



fail to note many little circumstances which nia , 



portant bearing on the subject, and the subject passes from 



their minds, and when it is recalled afterward every tl 



forgotten except the principal facts, and the opinion thatthe 



moon was the cause ot all the mischief. 



Let us note two circumstances bearing upon this qui 

 lour correspondent, " W. K," states that ho never heard ol 

 such things oecairring on laud, thus implying (ii.i i ,,, 

 something to do with the matter ; hut it is tne 

 believe, that shines on water as on land, and go. i ihroui h the 

 same phases in both places, and il'heiTig ttspoila- ■ . - 



would certainly spoil the same fish on land. My 

 is different. He thinks it is only fish taken " oil "s ; amdiuas ' 

 thai are affected this way. This, of course, relieves the moon 

 of the bkrne and places it upon the sm ■ : i i 



posed. But there is one very significant eireurmtance 1 

 have stated that the skipjacks were partly caught for the pur- 

 pose of trading off to the islanders. They were so traded off 

 on many occasions, but my father states that he does' not re 

 member of any of those islanders being made "sick by ike 

 moonstruck fish. This would seem to show that only while 

 men were susceptible to moonlight poison. But wait He 



also stales that before this he had eaten of the si les ol 



fish and had not been affected by it; and that the same fish 

 were eaten more or less afterward on the i ao» sick- 



ness resulting. This would eeem to imply that— well that 

 the moon had nothing whatever to do with the poisoning 



So much on oue side of the question ; now for an "idea" 

 for the other side. I have said that I am 

 —loo much so, my religious friends assure me, for my own 

 future welfare; but I cannot help it. I iustiuctively regard: 

 with suspicion everything which seems to be In 

 mysterious or wonderful, and among such I place ibis belief 

 iu the moon's influence. But the more I think of it the more 

 1 begin to think there may perhaps be Somelbirifl in ii ] will 

 explain why as briefly as possible : 



Some years ago I dabbled in photographic chemistry— not 

 enough to become a chemist, nor even a good photographer 

 but enough to gain some idea of the general prfni iples of thi 

 art. Among other things 1 remember my text-hook, asserted, 

 was that the sun s rays were divided into three classes and to 

 eacu class was ascribed functions peculiar to itself ' These 

 classes were— 1st, the yellow, or illuminating rays,- 2d tile 

 red, or heating rays ; and 3d, the white (more rcientificallv 

 called aettnio), or chemical rays, it is the sthatfa 



depended upon for decomposing the silver salts on the si-nsi 

 live plate aud forming the lights and shadows of the picture 

 Red and yellow light, as all know, have Little ihemical 



effect; probably if perfectly pure they have no effect at all 

 while the chemical effect of while light 'arms, one of the 

 wonders of modern science. To apply this fact to the present 

 subject, let it be remembered that, 'mo, aula -b a, . - snoeiy 

 white. In reflecting the sun's rays the moan absorbs newt or 



all of the yellow and red ones, throwing off for : ' . ., 



the earth only the white or chemical clai a D0 ( 



possible that these chemical rays, when unobstructed b: 

 red and yellow rays, may have their chemical power iucreased 

 or at least have mere freedom to act, until they can chemical 

 iv affect certain substances which are by their pi 

 position uncommonly sensitive I i j t ,, : 



some 

 admit 



— cases mentioned, same- 

 thing besides the moon was th. ; . mischievous 

 effects produced. 



The belief that the moon has a mysterious influence erm- 

 ine tilings of earth is a very old one, and is doubtless accepted 



old. It 

 seems to be a ciiaracieristic of the hU 

 the ami que We look back I broug h thi „ uhlry 



rd the devolutions 

 men than ourselves, when, if the truth were all | .own il 

 waai, Id probably be found that many man „nv estollud' as' 

 patriots would have turned traitor af'ha ', 

 and that the soldiers who endured the 

 Forge conumolated iietc-,-1 oil mi than once nokl 



through two ceriturii ini lip the oil Pi 



- ' - ■ ii 



When in lealiiy I hey' were the most unmitigated fryanta 'that 



rod the earth and amused then laneina 



Quakers and burning witches, and inaugurated an Biduinwar 



position uncommonly sensitive to such influence? I ,[,-, , 

 assert that it is so, but is it not possible! 1 trust that s6i 

 "moonshiner" will follow up this suggestion, though I adr 

 that 1 prefer to believe that in all the cases mentioned sin 



