rw 



l w f g *gflBW H» P'«l'« P W 



which brought us to the end of our day's sport about sunset, 

 when we, on counting out, found our side just five birds 

 ahead, Tom aDd I having shot even all day. Mallory did 

 the work by beating Ed 'just that numbf-r. We only bugged 

 forty-eigh! birds in all, which, considering it rained all day 

 nearly, "md the rough ground they were in constantly, was 

 not such a bad day's work after all. Over the same ground, 

 with a good day for it, we should have bagged at least twice 

 that number. 



Here our party divided, Ed going by the nearest route 

 home and we to Lo Bit. Ida, which was anywhere between 

 five and ten miles olT, depending on the condition of the road 

 and the weather, which in this case was far from being 

 good. On the way Tom retailed us with a description of 

 the party the night before',' how they played " old sister 

 PhcEbe" and "Johnnie Brown" in the good old-fashioned 

 way, which latterfeature he dwelt on at length and enjoyed to 

 the fullest extent. And now, for the first time, were we able 

 to understand why he was so absent-minded and wore such 

 a far-away expression of countenance at times during the 

 day, whenever Ed would allow him a little time for reflec- 

 tion. 



Arrived at home, we were sitting around the Are in the 

 dining room, warming a little before going upstairs to dress 

 for dinner, when old Dot came in, shivering with cold, to 

 claim his place before the fire. He had covered himself all 

 over with glory during the day, and quite won the hearts 

 of our entire party. Notwithstanding which, I thought he 

 had better go out doors until dry ; but in spite of all my 

 protestations, the ladies (on hearing the good report of his 

 day's work, as well as from a genuine sense of sympathy) 

 decided that he should " go up stairs, where he would be 

 comfortable." So Sam was summoned and directed to 

 "carry Dot up to the Doctor's loom and leave him there 

 by the fire." 



Now, if Dot had remained by the fire and behaved him- 

 self, as all good dogs are expected to do — while being made 

 company of, at least— thereby showing his appreciation of 

 such treatment, then you might have been spared the 

 trouble of .reading, and I the humiliation of making, the 

 following statement ! 



The fire had just been made, and, of course, the room 

 was still cool, and on going up stairs some ten or fifteen 

 minutes later, I found Dot (in trying to make himself 

 " comfortable " as possible) had gone to bed on one of the 

 nicest of snow-white counterpanes ; and not being satisfied 

 with one, he had tried each of them, there being two beds 

 in the room. It was but the work of a few moments to 

 dress and get myself ready for dinner, but it was quite an 

 undertaking to frame an apology for Dot's bad conduct. 

 Descending to the dining-room, I proceeded in a rather 

 faltering, and ungraceful way it may be, but with never- 

 theless commendable courage, to deliver the aforemen- 

 tioned apology. 



Of course, the ladies said it would make no difference, 

 and did all they could to make me feel comfortable in my 

 embarrassment— which, by the way, is by no means an easy 

 tiling to accomplish. 



"While we were seated around and enjoying a bountifully 

 spread table, Mallory entertained the party with a history 

 of the day's work and fun, which latter feature was enjoyed 

 yery much by the ladies. Capt, Jim enjoyed it too, but his 

 chief delight seemed to be " discussing dinner," and a 

 knowledge of the fact that we would have birds for break- 

 fast. Dinner over, we all gathered in the back parlor, and 

 there spent very pleasantly the last day of 1878. And as 

 this sketch has already grown unreasonably long, I will in 

 my next begin the ending of this trip, with the beginning 

 of a new year. Hal Eaquet. 



TROUT OF THE TWO VIRGINIAS. 



Btatoton, Va., March 32, 1879. 

 Editob Forebt and Stbbam : 



Since I wrote to you in the spring of 1877, I have found 

 out a good deal about the trout in our two Virginias that I did 

 not know then, a good deal about their numbers and size, and 

 where they are to be found ; a good deal that I think may 

 be of interest to some of the gentle craft who have not time 

 or means to go to the great Maine or Oanadian fishing grounds. 

 For instance, in the last days of June, 1877, a parly of three 

 of us, Irom this town, taking with us a tent, cooking utensils, 

 a servant and a two-borse wagon, went to the head-waters of 

 the north branch of the Shenandoah River, in this county, to 

 the farm of a man named Shiflett. The distance was twenty 

 miles, the road good for the first fourteen, and by no means 

 impassable for the last six miles. We camped in as pretty 

 a little forest glade as you would wish to see, under the 

 shadow of an immense spruce, not more than a hundred 

 yards from the "river," as it is, by courtesy, called. The 

 '.' river" at this point is a bright, clear, swift running stream, 

 rough as all trout streams are, but infinitely smoother thun 

 many another that I know. It is one long succession of 

 ripples and pools ; the ripples from six to twenty inches deep, 

 and the pools, as you find them, of any depth from three to 

 eight feet. We remained here three days, and caught three 

 hundred and three trout, from six to fourteen and 

 three quarter inche6 long, and never threw a hook as much as 

 two miles from the camp. Most of them we found within a 

 half a mile. The bait we used was grasshoppers. There are 

 some places on this stream where a fly could be readily cast, 

 but for a regular rough-and-tumble half-day's fishing a fly 

 would give you more trouble than profit. Just across the 

 stream from our camp was Bhiflett's house, from which we 

 drew bountiful supplies of sweet, fresh butter and milk, and 

 about the best bacon that it has been my fortune to come up 

 with— bacon cured with hickory smoke from mast-fed swine 

 — a combination that is hard to beat. 



Parties making this trip need not take camp equipage, un- 

 less they prefer it They can board at Shiliett's for a dollar a 

 day per head, and will get very good fare — excellent bread, 

 good coffee, vegetables of the season, the trout, and that bacon. 

 This, then, although less glorious, ia far less expensive than 

 the Rangeley Lukes, the Adirondacks, or the Kestigouche. 



Last summer (1878), the 20th of June, a party of four of us, 

 with two wagons (one, one horse and the other two), a ser- 

 vant, and the necessary camp equipage, started over the 

 Parkersburg turnpike to the Greenbrier Kiver in Pocbahontas 

 County, West Virginia. This river, at the point where the 

 great Parkersburg turnpike crosses it, runs between the 

 main (back-bone) ridge of the Alleghanies on the east, 

 and the Big Cheat mountain on the west. Here, then, 

 on the road side, near the abutment of the burned 

 bridge, we pitched our tent, and here we stayed four 

 days. It rained on u» nearly all the time, the river wa» 



flush, and yet Tve caught four hundred and seventeen trout, 

 ranging from six to sixteen inches in length. We used the 

 fly exclu-ively. It would be hard to get bait of any kind in 

 that region. The favorites among the Greenbrier trout at that 

 time (20th to 30th of June) were the black gnat, the queen of 

 the waters, or Montreal fly, and the gray and brown hackles. 

 Fancy flies seemed at a discount. The black gnat was the 

 fhe favorite. And just here let me put in my word about the 

 tail-slapping business. Since August, 1874 — at which date I 

 threw my first fly in the waters of the Dry Fork of Cheat — I 

 have caught " a many a trout " with a fly, but I have never 

 seen one try to use his tail as a means of taking the fly. My 

 experience is this : When a fish rises, if he misses a strike he 

 turns a somersault, and in six cases out of ten shows his tail 

 near the fly as he goes down. If he strikes he settles down 

 backward, and makes no splash further than the little bub- 

 bling gurgle that is always an accompaniment of his effort at 

 a strike, whether a successful one or not. And this experience 

 of mine is identical with that of our best fly fishers iu this 

 State. 



Next June, Providence permitting, a party of us are going 

 to try the head waters of Elk, in West Virginia, where there 

 are said to be more trout and larger ones than in any stream 

 of the two Virginias. I shall find out, and if they are larger 

 than the Dry ForR fish, or mere numerous than those of the 

 Blackwater (in the Canaan), I will hold myself a satisfied fish- 

 erman for the rest of my days. If you would like to have 

 some account of our doings on the Elk expedition, say the 

 word, and I will remember you when the history is to be 

 written. 



Our sportsmen's club still holds its own here. Partridges 

 were scarcer with us last fall than they have been for years. 

 The best bag I heard of was eighty-three birds to two guns. 

 I must close up this long, rambling epistle with the statement 

 made before, that if anybody wants more particular informa- 

 tion about sporting expenses, facilities, etc., in and around 

 Staunton, Virginia, he has only to write a line to our presi- 

 dent, Capt. W r m. L. Bumgardner, and it will he most cheer- 

 fully given. Aba. 



Report of the Commissioners of Fisheries 

 of the State of New Jersey, for the Year 

 1878. 



THE Commissioners of Fisheries of the State of New Jer- 

 sey in their resume of the fish cultural efforts of the 

 past six years, the period of time New Jersey has been en- 

 gaged in this work, state two things which are very efficient 

 in promoting the fishing interests of the State, an increased 

 interest in the work manifested by the general public, and 

 following from this, a better protection. Attention is yery 

 pertinently called to the fact that the efforts of appointed 

 game wardens and other officials to protect the fish must ever 

 remain nugatory until the community shall so clearly see the 

 necessity and advantages of protection that it may lend its 

 co-operation. The best and, in short, the only efficient pro- 

 tection is that which shall come from the people. The most 

 destructive form of poaching now carried on is by that of 

 parties in the Northern part of the State, who set eel traps in 

 the fall, in which great numbers of young shad are caught on 

 their way down stream, and being too small for food, are 

 shovelled out in cart loads upon the lands to serve as manure. 

 The organization of local game protective associations, and the 

 growing appreciation of the economic importance of food 

 fishes will doubtless within a limited period remedy the pre- 

 sent defects in New Jersey fish protection. 



The shad fisheries of the Delaware last: season between the 

 early part of March and the middle of June gave employment 

 to about twelve hundred men ; there were about seven thou- 

 sand fish taken, which at an average price of $35 per hundred, 

 yielded $175,000 worth of food. The first efforts to artificial- 

 ly improve the shad fisheries began in 1874, since which time 

 several millions of young fry have been added to the natural 

 supply In June, 1878, a party of fish culturalisls engaged in 

 the work on the Delaware, succeeded in hatching and plant- 

 ing about a million and seven hundred thousand young shad. 

 The greater portion of these were placed in the river below 

 Trenton in order to give them immunity from the attacks of 

 the black bass, which exist in great numbers above tide 



The history of the salmon propagation in the Delaware has 

 been fuliy given in the Fobest and Stream. It is probable 

 that up to June 10, 1878, between fifty and one hundred 

 salmon were taken in the Delaware, ranging in weight from 

 twelve to twenty-nine pounds. During the year 300,000 eggs 

 have been received from California, in addition to which the 

 West Jersey Game Protective Society turned over to the State 

 150 000 eggs, furnished to them by Professor Baird, and a 

 further installment of 25,000 intended for some inland waters, 

 made the total number of salmon eggs received 475,000. 

 These were hatched with a loss of only 10 per cent., and have 

 been distributed to the Delaware, Raritan, Hackensack, 

 Passaic Great Egg Harbor, and Mullica rivers, Alloways and 

 Raccoon creeks, "and Greenwood Lake and Shepherd Pond. 

 For the establishment of the salmon it is important that then- 

 capture should be prohibited for at least three years. 



The black bass, formerly a stranger to the waters of New 

 Jersey was introduced into the Delaware m 1870, since which 

 time they have increased to an enormous extent, furnishing 

 annually many thousands of pounds of food. They have been 

 transplanted to a great number of ponds and lakes, their 

 propagation beiug attended with no expenses beyond those of 

 transportation. During the past year 2,000 of the spawning 

 fish have been placed in the waters of Hunterdon, Oceon, 

 Mercer, Cumberland, Camden, Gloucester, Morris, UmoD, 

 and Salem. There has been a much greater demand for them 

 than the Commission could fill. . 



Of land-locked salmon, 39,000 were placed m Strubles 

 Pond near Audnver, Sussex County, March 20, 1878, and in 

 -he following May 10,000 were deposited in Green Pond, 

 Morris County, and 9,000 in Morris Pond, Sussex County. 



Until the present year no appropriation of the funds of the 

 Commission has been devoted to the propagation ot brook 

 trout although the many depleted streams of the State war- 

 ranted special effort in this direction. There were made in 

 1878 the following deposits : 10,000 in the headwaters of the 

 paulinTkill, near Newton, Sussex County; 10,000 in the 



small brooks emptying into the north branch of the Raritan, 

 near Dover, Morris County, an equal number in the head- 

 waters of the Peqoest River, near Newton, Sussex Countv j 

 6,000 in the Saddle River, Bergen County; 6,500 in the head- 

 waters of the Wallkill, Sussex County, and 1,000 in Cedar 

 Creek, near Plainflold, Union County. A supply of 200,000 

 are now in the hatching-house. 



The smelt fishing of the Delaware has greatly declined 

 within a few years past, and the expediency of an appropria- 

 tion for their artificial reproduction is urged by the present 

 Board, who were compelled, from lack of funds, to decline 

 co-operation with Maryland in smelt hatching ou the Hack- 

 ensack. 



There are in the hatching-trays 100,000 whitefish eggs, 



Vermont.— The Fish Commissioners, through their agent, 

 Mr. John P. Williams, of Rutland, have lately been engaged 

 ih putting smelt into several of the Vermont trout ponds. 

 Berlin Pond, Nigger Head Pond and Long PondinGroten 

 have just heen stocked, and Greensboro Pond, Barton Pond 

 and several others are soon to follow. The smelt are caught 

 iu Lake Champlain, where they are supposed to have found 

 their way from salt water. What is the advisability of put- 

 ting smelt into trout ponds ? Is there no danger of their 

 crowding out the trout or will they simply furnish food for 

 them. Majok. 



It is possible that the smelts may devour the very yoimg 

 trout ; but that will depend so much upon the condition of 

 the ponds, food, etc., that we cannot advise positively. 



tf Eel Eoos.— Meeham Late, N. Y., March 23.— Editor For- 

 est and Stream: At three different times in the last seven 

 years 1 have taken eels in my hands and seen the eggs run 

 from their vent, each time in the month of May. In May 

 1878, I collected from the tub in which the eel was brought 

 ashore, about one hundred eggs and put them in alcohol. 

 The eggs ran from the eel as I held her by the neck while 

 taking the hook from the mouth. I have now about thirty of 

 the eggs in alcohol. I gave a portion of the lot to Prof. 

 Wheeler, of Yale, to take lo Prof. Dana, curator of the Muse- 

 um at Yale, hoping he would make examination and give the 

 result of his examination to the public. Ihave notheard from 

 either gentleman since in regard to the eggs. The eggs when 

 taken were about the size of No. 8 shot, and showed as much 

 development as brant eggs after being impregnated forty days. 

 The eyes are very black, and the form of the fish could be 

 plainly seen. I shall make an effort the coming May to secure 

 more eggs, also to observe closely the eels from which they 

 are taken. My little salmon and brook trout have hatched 

 nicely during the winter, andowill be let from the tank into 

 the lake about April 15. This year's hatch is one of the larg- 

 est and best I have ever turned out. I feel very well paid for 

 my labor and expense. Everybody saw a marked improve- 

 ment in the fishing last year. A. R. Fuller. 



—After a great deal of talk for tho last five years the Canis- 

 teo River here has been stocked with black bass, and the 

 sportsmen desire to return thanks to Selh Green and Fishery 

 Commissioners of the State, also to Mr. Scott, who had 

 charge of the bass. He arrived here at noon on a cold, wet 

 day, and when asked to have his dinner he refused it, saying 

 he would attend to the bass first and then himself. He thinks 

 we have a fine river, and that the bass will do well. 



J. Otis Fellows. 



turd %§isterg* 



For Forest and Stream and Bod and Gun 

 THE LOWEST VERTEBRATE. 



Amphioxus Laneeolatus, 



THIS remarkable fish is the simplest and the most imper- 

 fectly developed of all the animals comprising the class 

 Pisces. Indeed, for a long time after its discovery, it was not re- 

 garded as a fish, so unlike the fishes was it in its anatomy and 

 habits, but it was referred to some lower class of organisms 

 among the invertebrata, zoologists regarding it as possessing 

 some of the characteristics of both the annuloza and rnolluaca. 



Pallas, *yho first described and figured it, regarded it as a 

 mollusc, and named it Ltykpx laneeolatus. fti 



It has been found, however, upon close examination, to be/ 

 more nearly allied to fishes than to aDy other class, and, ac- 

 cording to modern classification, its simple and anomalous 

 structure entitles it to the first and lowest position among that - 

 class of vertebrates. 



Hieckel regards it as representing the lowest stage of ver- 

 tebrate animals, and as the last surviving representative of 

 a lower class of vertebrated animals, rich in forms, and 

 highly developed during the primordial period. Until re- 

 cently the order contained but one genus and one species. 

 Gervais has, however, discovered a new genus. 



Amphioxus averages about one and one-fourth inches in 

 length (though specimens have bean found two inches loDg), 

 one-fourth of an inch in depth, and one-eighth of an inch in 

 thickness ; beiug slender, compressed laterally, and tapering 

 to a point at each extremity. It is semi-transparent, and 

 silvery white when alive ; when preserved in alcohol.it be- 

 comes opaque, and of a pale flesh color. 



No true fins are developed from any part of its body, but a 

 narrow membraneous border runs along the whole of the dor- 

 sal and a portion of the ventral surface. This expands slight- 

 ly, as it comes over the tail, into a sort of lancet-shaped fin. 

 If, however, we examine closely, delicate cartilaginous threads 

 in the dorsal portion of this membrane will be found answer- 

 ing to fin-rays. Moreover, there is really no true skeleton, at 

 any period of life, in this animal, and where we find the ver- 

 tebral column among the other adult fishes, and vertebrates 

 generally, we notice, in this instance, that the vertebral 

 column, and in fact the whole endo-skeleton is represented by 

 a semi-gelatinous cellular substance, known as the notochord, 

 contained within a delicate fibrous sheath, the latter giving 

 off both superior and inferior fibrous arches. The ribs are rep- 

 resented by a series of fine transparent threads of cartilagi- 

 nous or fibrous tissue, on either side of the body, and Am- 

 phioxus, possessing no bony skeleton, is never fouud in a fos- 

 sil stale. This aoto&ffi&fia continued to the anierioi 

 ty of the body, but as it exists in the embryonic style of the 

 higher vertebrates, is discontinued at a little depression called 

 the pituitary fossa. 



