FOREST AND STREAM. 



195 



tended on a thin piece of board by putting its extremities into 

 slits in the end of the wood or fastening them to pins and 

 then exposed in the sun to dry j in this manner the best gut 

 isjmade." 



PEBinsTomo Fifu ITooks.— At the last meeting of the 

 American Fish Culturists' Association, one of the members 

 exhibited a fishhook such as was used by the Pre-Columbian 



inhabitants of this continent, at the same time remarking that 

 it was peculiarly strange that so few fish honks, supposed to 

 be used by this people, had been found. For myself and 

 many others that have opened numerous mounds and kitchen- 

 refuse heaps of these pre historic people, 1 can say we have 

 found but a single fish-hook. This lately came into the pos- 

 session of Mr. H. C. Baldwin, of Elysia, Ohio, and was 

 unearthed from one of the many kitchen heaps that are found 

 in the caves which border the banks of the Black Uiver, which 

 runs along the outskirts of the toWD. This hook is of bona, 

 baautifully fashioned, without barb, and about the size 

 (though more bulky) of the ordinary black bass hook. Now, 

 I believe that the former dwellers in this country knew how to 

 catch fish as well as ourselves of to day, and not only with the 

 net and spear, but also with baited hook and line; and, what 

 is more, they did not kill for a foreign market or for the sake 

 of billing, as sports of to-day are wont to do ; but they fished 

 simply for their daily food As late as 1845 the fish hook here 

 illustrated, and the way of baiting it, was used by the Indians 

 ut the Lake Superior region. It is simply a bit of hard wood, 

 from two to four incites long, as may be required, sharpened 

 at each end. The line is fastened in the middle, and on this 

 stick the bait is spilled, according to the size of the 

 fish the fisherman is working fur. The hook is baited as fol- 

 lows : One end of it is inserted into the back of the fish, and 

 passed forward until the other end enters the opening, when 

 il is forced backwards toward the tail, and left as seen in the 

 cut, with the line coming out of the original opening. Now, 

 you can imagine what a fast hook a twenty-pound trout 

 swallows, when he has taken into his gullet an eight-ounce 

 herring with this double-pointed stick in Ihe inside. One 

 pull on the line after he has gorged the bait and he is fixed. 

 No bone, iron, or steel hook ever invented could hold him 

 more securely. Believing that this wooden hook (which 

 would readily decay) was the popular one used by "poor Lo," 

 and that the bone one was an exception — a sort of luxury— it 

 is easy to be explained why we do not find more fish hooks 

 in the mounds and Kjork Kenmorddings of Ihe country. 



Cleveland, March 19, 1879. Dk. E. Steeling. 



The bottom cut in the engraving represents a bone shank 

 with hook made of a bird's claw lashed on it with a thong. 

 It is altogether primitive, certainly. — Ed. 



MooKLioHT— Halifax Inlet, Fla. March 28. — Editor Forest 

 and Stream. : An old fisherman of this coast who has been in 

 the business of catching fish with the cast net all his life— and 

 this is usually done in ihe night — tells me that he has never 

 found any difference in the keeping of the fish of this coast, 

 whether left out in the moonlight or otherwise. Bartolo Pacetli 

 is an oracle in tkis region on all fishy matters. 8. C. 0. 



^ A Physician's Vibw oj» Moonshine. — -Editor Forest and 

 Stream: 1 have read with some interest the various communi- 

 cations in your valuable p:iper on the subject of the moon's 

 rays and the effects produced thereby, as detailed by your 

 correspondents. First, then, it is stoutly maintained by many 

 that the full moon shining upon, or at least bright moonlight 

 falling upon, fresh fish will cause a rapid and unexpected de- 

 composition or putiefaction, and for which no cause was as- 

 signed otbtr than the aforesaid exposure. It is not stated 

 wiiether the effect is due to the thermic, chemical or light- 

 bearing rays, but mysteriously hinted by some that accute or 

 unexplained powers are exerted. Now, as is well known, the 

 moon as a light-producing body is entirely negative, and all 

 her light, and all the qualities that pertain to it is borrowed 

 from the sun, all the mellow rajs she pours down upon us 

 come from the burning heart of that great central luminary, 

 and, as if unsatisfied with the cold and barren surface of the 

 dead moon, are reflected back into space, and so, many of 

 them reach us. Experiment has taught us that the moon's 

 rays possess all the qualities of the sun's rays, but in a much 

 feebiei degree, and nothing beyond these— no inherent quality 

 of their o'vu. Alter what has just been said, the amount of 

 heat imparted to the ail near the surface of the earth, and the 

 amount of that heat which is retained — in other words, the 

 conditions of temperature and moist uie of the air at the time 

 of the exposure— nave much more to do with the pulrencation 

 of the fish, eia, than the moonstune. It has been proven that 

 tuli moon does furnish a perceptible amount of heat when 

 tested by delicate instruments. In the tropics, of course the 

 amount 'ut beat is greater ; that animal matter so prone lo 

 putrefy as dead fish might possibly be slightly accelerated in 

 this direction by the heat ir mi the moon's rays is possible, 

 but that the moon exercises the influence which has been 

 ascribed to it is preposterous, as to the effects en man, de- 

 tailed by two of you.r correspondents (March 18, 1879, page 

 115), '• C. L." speaks Of siiluis in the tropics who suffered as 

 S result of exposure, as ho believes, to the moon's rays, from 

 slight paralysis and a partial blindness. The reverend gentle- 

 man of Pennsylvania also details casts of night blindness that 

 had come under his observation, and attributed by him to the 

 same cause. These partial paralyses, as is well known to the 

 medical profession, are peculiarly liable to occur in the person 

 of those greatly exposed to the vicissitudes of climate and 

 weather, particularly if the constitution is somewhat impaired 

 by overwork or insufficiency of food or want of variety in 

 diet, and consequently is frequently met with in civil prac- 



tice. The curious affection of the vision mentioned by your 

 Pennsylvania correspondent is known to the profession as 

 night blindness Hemeralopia), and is a sort of paralysis or 

 lowering of the functioning power in the retina, and is due to 

 too prolonged or powerful impressions on the retinal surface, 

 and is peculiarly liable to affect the eyes of persons exposed io 

 strong light or glare and those who strain the eyes in any way. 

 as microscopic work at. night, etc. A more severe degree of 

 the same affection is often produced by ihe slate of light on 

 the snow in northern regions, and is known as snow blindness. 

 Long exposure to the ciariuer mvs of the tropic-*! sun, also 

 probably augmented by ihe 'exposure of night watches nnd 

 glaru at moonshine, verv irequenlly produces this attHcM'on of 

 night blindness, particularly it the man has been subjected to 

 confciderable hardships hum Wao1 of variety or deficiency c-f 

 Food, But (bat. the noon is djreclly responsible in some pecu- 

 liar way for this affpclimi in alwurd. 

 Mobile, Ala-, March 17, 1879. W. D. Bizzell, M D. 



OPENING DAY ON LONG ISLAND. 



tr 



Em tor Forest and Stkeam •. 



Snow is no doubt, " beautiful," but it was a moat unexpected and un- 

 welcome visiter to taoie of us who made a crusade against the Saveli- 

 nuH.fonlinalis of Long Island on the first instant. On stepping from 

 the cars the evening of March 31, at the Say ville station, we round snow 

 drifts nearl j a foot deep. The wind was blowing almost a gale. The 

 pros ects of taking trout the next day did not seem very good. We 

 made up onr minda to try it, any way. Wo went to Foster's moat | 

 pltable inn, where a good Bupper ami a good (Ire braced us up and put 

 us in belter humor with ourselves iu;d the world ; bnt not with the 

 weather. Nothing could make ua resigned to that. Every few minutes 

 somebody would open the door for the sake of fostering the hope of 

 better " probabilities." The wind would nearly take him ofT of his feet. 

 At length we went to bed. 



The morning was clear, but ttie wind W8S fearful. It blew from all 

 quarters at once, with a preponderance of west. The good people of 

 the hotel were highly amnaed at seeing us start ont with our rods and 

 baskets lust as if the weather win all that could be desired. It 

 suggested that there was no harm in taking our rods, but no need in 

 taking the baskets. We did not feel nearly to funny as we looked 

 walking down the road with our ooat-taUs flying about our ears ; i 

 one Hand carrying traps and holding on our hata with the other, 

 fact there was a sadness about our general demeanor which should 

 have melted the hearts of the small urchins who met us on the way Co 

 the stream. JButthey were obdurate; they asked ua many question! 

 which we found no ready answers for. They made many suggestions 

 aud gave a good deal of miseollanooui and irritating advice. ' 

 walked on in solemn silence— we had nothing to aay. There are, 

 deed, times In one's life when silence is preserved because there 

 no wordswhleh afford the slightestrelief. 



The nine hundred and ninety-ninth cast induced a four-ounce trout 

 to shiver out from beneath a bank and tate my fly. This so much 

 couraged Abbey and me that we made several hundred more casts 1 

 comparatively hopeful and cheerful manner. One o'clock found 

 with ten Infant trout weighing in all two pounds. We brgan to fed 

 somewhat ashamed of those big basket i we had brought with us— 

 thought our coat pockets would have been large enough. We con- 

 cluded to again try the lower part of the stream which we had gi 

 up aB hopeless early in the mornin?. At this time we were joined by 

 a friend from New York. Six hours' fishing rewarded us with seven- 

 teen trout weighing live pounds. Worn out and hungry we returned to 

 Foster's with twenty-seven trout weighing seveu pounds. 



The next day was windy, " but a man could stand np without sitting 

 down." We began at nine o'clock and fished more thau two hours 

 without a rise. Tuen the circna begao. During the time betwi 

 noon and half-past two o'clock we took forty-six tront weighing from 

 six ounces up to a pound and a half— total weight twenty-four and 

 three-quarter pounds. Then wo stopped ; we had enough. We could 

 have taken away more, but there Ib a l.mtt to be set somewhere. 



a he trout of Green'B Rivur— the stream we tuhed— have a chance at 

 both salt and freifi water. This Improves them for the artist, ihe 

 angler and the eptcuro. The change of water and food add* vastly to 

 their activity and vitality, gives them ttm'- heautiful samon sheen and 

 imparts a aivorto them which cud be easily recognized and appreci- 

 ated by any one. I have a great respect for your opinion, Mr. Editor, 

 but must out with it and Bay they are exactly the same variety a3 the 

 mountain trout of this State— they are Virltable Saoellnua fontinatis, 

 they have a bettor place to live in, more kind? of food aud more of 

 each kind than thr-tr coualus In the mountains have, and of course they 

 look better. There ! 1 woo't say anyt.iing more now, bur, I give you 

 fair warning, some of these days Iain" going for yon." 



When we came to pa^k our trout on the next morning we fouud 

 that our two large (much lidtculed baskets) were not large enough ; we 

 had to buy another basket. 1 never expect to see a bill presented to 

 me that will be as cheerfully paid as that one was. I felt like paying 

 for a hamper. We looked out for thoae small boys ; they could not be 

 seen. You may hive noticed that It is a peculiarity of the small boy to 

 be aggressively present whan he is n >t wanted and invariably abseat 

 when he Is needed. They could laugh ac our two empty baskets, bnt 

 could not carry a full one. 



It any of your readers want to spend a couple of ploasant days on the 

 Island (not B.ackwell's,) let them go io Foster's, at S.yvitle. They 

 can't Ban Green's lttver, but they cau fl-iU a stream leaded by Mr. Fos- 

 ter, where two splendid messes of tro'Jt were tuktu on the lirsi and 

 second of this mouth. They must dsh entirely with llu-s : o worms 

 or minnows allowed. (.his. F. Imbbijs. 



Editoh Forest and Stream ; 



Seeing bo many interesting accounts lu your paper of trout Ashing I 

 became fired with a desire to do something of the kind also, and toward 

 ttie nr=t of April went down to Conroy'sto purchase an outfit. I 

 picked out a good, strong, serviceable rod, but the clerk there talked 

 me out of It, called it a chum rod, or some suoh name, and Insisted upon 

 my taking a Utile light thing that looked as if a " shiner" would break 

 it. They also selected some flies and things for me— nothing like as 

 big and handiome as some niee that aai of my friends gave me. 



The first found me down to a place where I had been advised to go, 

 and early next morning I put on my ulster and started for the pond 

 near the house. To ray surprise I found It covered with snow. 1 threw 

 stones on It until I broke a hole big enough to ash in and then dropped 

 my flies in. They must- have forgotten the sinkers, which probably ac- 

 counts lor my catching no flah, as the files wouldn't alnk, although I 

 tried haif a dozen on. 



After watching padentiv for half an hour tml getting nearly frozen, 

 I went back to breakfast. Tue other Hsiierraen seemed surprised when 

 I toid them I had no luck , and advised me to put on more il ies. The 

 breakfast and a cocKtill made me feel better and I started again ; but 

 somehow had no better luck and had to go back to the house to get 

 warm, where I found the other fellows playing "poker". 



I was persuaded to join in and learn Ihe game, bat fount it rather 

 expensive, tor every ttnis I had curiosity enough to look at a luiud I 

 had to lose a lot of checks. After dinner the landlord took me one side 

 and told me that he would show me how to catch, trout. Following him 



to the end of the pond he Bhowed me a sluiceway filled with big trout. 

 Taking a big dip net he soon caught c-nougn for all of us. We trans- 

 ferred blank dollars to his pocket- and we went back w|i h a fine lot of 

 trout. Jamks Grbbn. 



P. S.— I am told by an old Ilsherman that this ia not the way all an- 

 glers catch iheir trout, and that If I will go with him he will show im 

 how to do ir. J. G. 



New Yo»k, April 7, JS.J9, 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 

 At the South Side Club there was a Jolly pirlyof about thirty who 

 lanaged lo keep warm in Fpite of the piercing Northeaster. The 

 lorniugof the First looked anything but auspicious ftjt A Hailing ilajr, 

 but the eaten shfrwed that the rears were unfounded, us 593 Bap, weigh- 

 ing IDS pounds; were taken, each member having about twelve fish. 



The eaten on the Second was as good lu proportion to number Ilsli- 

 lug. This result shows thai the labor of the [Uh committee has not 

 been in vain-their efforts in stocking the ponds being rewarded by ilia 

 results, and with every prospector ve y good fishing for the balance 

 of the season. p, de U 



Charleston Light Ubagoons. — Charleston, S. C— Editor 

 Forest and Stream : The annual tilt of the Charleston Light 

 Di ngoous came off at the Washington Race Course on the 

 1st, and was witnessed by a large number of ladies and gen- 

 tlemen, who occupied the grand stand. It is estimated that 

 there were at least four hundred ladies present, and the 

 Dragoons showed their appreciation of this honor by some 

 splendid riding and gallant horsemanship. The tilt adopted 

 this year was that laid down in Upton's Tactics as the 

 "Regulation Tilt." It is much more difficult than the old 

 Dragoon Tilt, and requires a good rider with an abundance 

 of muscle and nerve to make a good score. In view of the 

 fact that the Dragoons had been practicing the new till but 

 three weeks, the scores made were remarkably good, and 

 would compare favorably with those made by other compa- 

 nies who have had considerably more practice. Capt. L, S. 

 Jervey succeeded in carrying off the first prize, a handsome 

 silver goblet, and also the champion gold badge for the best 

 score made during the day, and silver badge lor highest 

 score made in one run. Lieut. P. G. Stoney, Privates 

 Whilden, Signeous, Middleton and Walpoole were also win- 

 ners of handsome prizes. The clay was imensely enjoyed by 

 all Who were present, 'ind the tilt of April 1, 1879, will al- 

 ways be looked back to as one of the pleasantest of the 

 many pleasant entertainments given by the Charleston Light 

 Dragoons. Y. 



Pigeon Flying.— The sport of flying and homing Ant- 

 werp pigeons is starting all over the eountry, and this sea- 

 sou promises to eclipse all others in racing from long dis- 

 tances. Several fanciers of New York, Brooklyn and 

 Hoboketi, will soon commence to train a large number of 

 birds to Buffalo, N. Y., Wheeling, Va., and Colmmbus, 

 Ohio. Mr. L. Wenfelner, of Hoboken, is having manufac- 

 tured by Messrs. Tiffany & Co., N. Y., a solid silver cup, 

 -valued at $100, of appropriate and artistic design, that he 

 will present as a prize to the Champion Coop of Homing 

 Autwerps. The distance to fly will be 240 miles as the 

 crow flys ; each competitor will have to lly twenty of his 

 own birds, and the prize will be awarded to the owner of 

 the loft which first receives back by flight ten of its birds. 

 Wc will ask as a favor from the country sporting men not 

 to shoot at any of these birds while being trained, as the 

 owner of a bird so killed may lose thereby a valuable prize, 

 besides the value of the bird, which is considerable. 



The New Yoek Hiding Club.— The annual reception and 

 exhibition of the New York Riding Club was held at Dick- 

 el's new riding academy, Fifty-sixth street, last Saturday 

 evening. Twelve riders, gentlemen amateurs, mounted' as 

 hunters, rode around the ring siDgly aud in pairs and abreast, 

 and finally performed many pretty circus designs. The 

 "High School" was a solo performance by Mr. A. Bender. 

 Messrs. U. Stoerzer, George C. Clausen, A. Bender and G. 

 F. Eiseuiann performed an interlude. A quadrille on horse- 

 back was admirably rendered, aud a " Jeu de Barre" caused 

 great excitement in the audience and led to repeated bursts 

 of merriment and applause. The "Squadron Evolutions" 

 concluded the very enjoyable entertainment. 



iNTiiB-CoLijjGiATE Atilletic8. — Representatives from nine 

 colleges of the eighteen composing the Inter-Collegiato Ath- 

 letic Association, met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, New 

 York, last Thursday. The officers elected for the following 

 year, were: W. W. Townblev, Harvard, '70, President" 

 W. K. Jewett, Williams, '79, Vice-President ; F. J. Porter, 

 Lehigh, '78, Treasurer ; Horace Lee, University of Pennsyl- 

 vania, '79, Secretary; Messrs.Townbley, Parsons and Brooks, 

 Executive Committee. The next annual meeting will be 

 held at Mott Haven, on the grounds of the New York Ath- 

 letic Club, May 9lh. It was decided that the programme of 

 field sports at the annual meeting should be as follows:— 

 Under-graduates — One mile walk, two mile walk, 100 yards 

 dash, one-quarter mile run, half mile run, 220 yards ruu 

 one mile run, hurdle race, running high jump, running 

 broad jump, pole vaulting, putting the shot, throwing the 

 hammer, standing high jump, standing broad jump. Grad- 

 uates— 100 yards' dash, one mile walk. 



Columbia College Spoets. — The athletic meeting under 

 the auspices of the Columbia College Boat Club, atGilmore's 

 Garden, last Friday aud Saturday evenings, was a grand suc- 

 cess so far as regards attendance, competitors and work 

 done. The events of the first evening were as follows : — 



Seventy-rive Tarda Handicap Run ; 23 competitors.— 1) O Fow- 

 ler, S I A C, 8 yards iu 7% seconds ; second heat, W G Morse, N 

 Y A C, 7 yards in the same time : third heat, O S Phillips, New- 

 York, 6 yards in the same time ; H Loover, 6 yards in the same 

 time ; Bertram Hughes. Philadelphia, Sk yards, won the fifth 

 heat in 1)4 seconds j W 3 Crowley, New York, 4 yards, won the 

 sixth heat in 1% secoods, and Horace H Lee, University of Penn- 

 sylvania, scratch, iu 1% seconds. 



One-mile walk for collegians, three competitors, won by Chas 

 Eldridge, O U B C, in 8m. 



One-mile walk for college men, four entries, won by BTPFiske 

 C C B G, iu 5m 12'/ s 8. 



Light-weight Tug of War— The Union Boat Club team defeated 

 the Scottish-American Athletio Club team in the first heat ; the 

 New York Atliletio Club defeated the Eagle Baseball Club team in 

 the second heat. 



Two-mile handicap walk, first heat ten starters, won by J A 

 Hess, Empire A C, in lm 40a aotualtimo; second beat, ten starters, 

 won by J B Clark, New York, in lm 10b. 



One-mile handicap walk, first heat seven entries, won by J A 



