FOREST AND STREAM. 



S3 



CARP FROM GERMANY. 



♦ • 



NOVEL EXPERIMENTS IN PISH CULTURE. 



It was announced in the Tribune several weeks ago that 

 a number of living fish had arrived in a Bremen steamer, 

 and that the fish had been imported by the United States 

 Fish Commission for the purpose of adding to the food 

 resources of the United States. These fish were under the 

 charge of Mr. Kudolph Russel, and consisted of carp, 

 golden tench, and common tench, all having special quali- 

 ties which were described fully at the time. Unfortu- 

 nately many of these fish died, most of ihem owing to un- 

 avoidable delays in tile transfer of the fish from the Ho- 

 boken dock of the North German Lloyd line to the Penn- 

 sylvania Railroad Depot. The survivors are now suitably 

 cared for in charge Mr. Hessel in ponds constructed es- 

 pecially for their reception in Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, 

 by the Park Commissioners, and under the supervision of 

 Mr. T. B. Ferguson, the Fish Commissioner of Maryland. 

 About the time of the arrival of the fish referred to, Prof. 

 Spencer F. Baird renewed the effort of last year to send 

 some young shad to Germany, in return for a very liberal 

 gift of egrs of the Rhine salmon made to the United 

 States by the German authorities in 1873. The experi- 

 ment was made under the charge of H. W. Welsher and 

 Monroe A. Green, to whom, as to Messrs. Anderson and 

 Mather in 1874, the North German Lloyds gave free passage 

 to Bremen and back. As it had been found impos- 

 sible, starting with the young fish, to keep them alive to 

 the end of the voyage, the trial was made of shipping the 

 eggs and having them hatched out during the voyage in a 

 special apparatus devised by Messrs. Welsher and Green. 

 This attempt, however, failed also, owing, as was sup- 

 posed, to the jarring of the eggs on the cars while coming 

 from Holyoke, Mass., and the wagons in which they were 

 transported from the depot to the steamer's wharf. A 

 third effort will probably be made next year, varied by 

 bringing the eggs all the way by water to the ocean steamer. 

 The attempt, it is hoped, may be successful. 



For the purpose of securing an additional supply Mr. 

 Welsher was instructed to bring back with him as many 

 carp as could be conveniently transported, and with the 

 assistance of Dr. O. Finsch, the eminent naturalist of 

 Bremen, he obtained what he wanted in Oldenburg, and 

 Wiesbaden, to the number of 60 carp and 40 golden tench, 

 mostly yearlings, although some were two years old. 

 These arrived on board the Bremen steamer Hermann on 

 Wednesday afternoon last in excellent condition, only one 

 fish having died on the voyage. The travelers were met 

 at the wharf by Prof. Baird and Ferguson, who were pro- 

 vided with tanks filled with fresh water, and the fish were 

 shipped by the evening train in charge of Mr. Alexander 

 Kent of Baltimore, to the pond in Druid Hiil Park, where 

 they will be cared for by Mr. Hessel. The North German 

 Lloyds Steamship Company brought these fish and their 

 attendants free of charge, and Capt. Reichmann, captain 

 of the Hermann, spared no effort to secure a satisfactory 

 result to the experiment. Of the best varieties, namely, 

 the mirror and leather carp, no specimens were brought by 

 Mr. Welsher, as they were considered too precious -by their 

 owners to be disturbed in their ponds during the breeding 

 season. A supply of these will probably be forwarded 

 during the month of November next. The carp and other 

 fish constituting the importation will be kept in the ponds 

 of Druid Hill Park as breeding fish, and the young will be 

 distributed throughout the country, principally by means 

 of the various State Fish Commissioners. It is probable 

 that the first distribution will be made in about a year, 

 and be continued from time to time. The experiment of 

 their multiplication will be watched with much interest in 

 view of the very great economical value of the carp and 

 tench. They are especially fitted for the waters of the 

 more southern States, much more than replacing the brook 

 trout of colder waters. — New York Tribune, /Sept. 11. 



FISH CULTURE IN VIRGINIA. 



BiiAcicsBUBG, Va., September 8th, '875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream :— 



Last weak I transferred the first lot of black bass from Roanoke to 

 New River, and made arrangements for the complete stocking of the 

 latter with these fish. Beow the Kanawha Falls the fishing is very fine. 

 Above that point there are nothing but catfish, chubs, suckers, etc. The 

 Roanoke is the only stream in Virginia where bass have long been found. 

 In Roanoke there are also plenty of red-eye perch, a fish nearly equal in 

 size and game qualities to the bass. I do not know whether it will take 

 the fly; I think not. Notwithstanding the presence of these two pre- 

 daceous kinds, I know no stream that so abounds with chub, minnows, 

 suckers, aud small fry of every kind— a fact which does not tally with 

 the notions advanced by some. Bass are now plenty in the James and 

 Rappahannock, where they have been put in the last four years . A let- 

 ter today received informs me that a gentleman caught near my old 

 homestead on Goose Creek, in Loudoun county, thirty-seven fine bass in 

 a few hours. The same letter states that salmon have been caught' in 

 Goose Creek and the Potomac recently— some of those put in that river 

 last Fall. The size is not mentioned. Some have also been caught both 

 in the Roanoke and New Rivers. When those in the New River go be- 

 low Kanawha Falls they will be lost to Virginia. We hope to have a fish 

 way ready for them at the Great Falls of the Potomac when they wish to 

 return. A good many trout have been caught in Big and Little 

 Stony Creeks, in Giles, and Dismal and Walker's Creeks, in PuUski 

 county; also in the headwaters of the Rapidan near Gordonsville. The 

 State hatching house will probably be put here, with the Professor of 

 Natural History of the Agricultural College in charge. Hatching estab- 

 lishments will also be placed at the University of Virginia, Virginia 

 Military Institute, and perhaps other colleges, with a view to the educa- 

 tion of experts and the'spreading of a general knowledge of the princi- 

 ples of fish culture through the State. We hope to get good protective 

 laws passed next Winter. Very truly yours, E. 



—Michigan can now he ranked among the first as a fish 



State. No State in the Union exceeds her natural supply 



and advantages. The lake coast of Michigan is over 1,400 



miles long, and she has a water surface of nearly 40,000 



square miles. 



*^«^ — 



The Sea Seepent,— The monster must be on his travels. 

 Wilmington, N. C. is the last place heard from. There 

 he was ninety feet long and as big as a barrel. He ran on 

 one of the shoals and a party of brave men ran to at- 

 tack him, but he raised his head and threatened to swallow 

 them, so they retreated and left him undisturbed. "We 

 trust he will return to the vicinity of Cape Cod or Martha's 

 Vineyard. Some old whaler may yet get an iron in him 

 and settle the long disputed question. 



hhtml 



■ 



THE WINNINISH OF THE SAJ3UENAY. 



ITS IDENTITY WITH THE SALMO GLOVERI, 

 LOCKED SALMON. 



OR LAND- 



E have recently sought the best authorities upon this 

 interesting question, and with the more earnest- 

 ness, because we understood that the Smithsonian natural- 

 ists entertained 'doubts thereon. We have caught both of 

 these fish, the winninish and the salmo gloveri, but never 

 having compared them side by side, were obliged to trust 

 to memory, which is often treacherous, for justifying points 

 of identity. Our impression has been that they were the 

 same fish. What we have now been in search of is the 

 person who has had the rare opportunity afforded him of 

 examining the two simultaneously. In one instance only 

 has our endeavor been fully satisfied. The subjoined let- 

 ter tells us that both tie writer and Prof. Agassiz compared 

 the two together &nd pronounced them identical: — 



Calais, Me., Sept. 8th, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



I have compared the winmuish of the Saguenay with the land-locked 

 salmon of Maine, salmo gloveri, and think them the same. Some years 

 ago, some of the Saguenay fish were sent to Cambridge. Prof. Agassiz, 

 Mr. Putman and myself compared them, and Agassiz thought them the 

 same. I have no doubt that the salmo' gloveri is quite common in most 

 of the rivers about the Bay of Pundy, as well as along the State of 

 Maine, and when taken have been called the young of the sea salmon. 

 Unless you have both to compare, it is not easy to tell the difference. 

 They havebeeu examined as to all their measurements so scientifically, 

 their markings, etc., which I have no doubt you have seen, that it is not 

 hard to tell the S. gloveri from the true salmon. The number of ver- 

 tebra differ— fifty-nine in the salmon to fifty-seven in 8. gloveri, a double 

 row of small teeth in the vomer of the young salmon, a single row iu 

 the smolt of the gloveri. Some of our English fishermen thought our 

 fish the same as the European 3. trutla and £'. cambricas. Some speci- 

 mens were sent to Dr. Ganther.P. R. S., of England, who pronounced 

 theui different, and nothing to do with the sea salmon. I do not under- 

 stand how they ever got the name landlocked salmon, as they always 

 had access to the sea, and in my boy days S. gloveri was common to the 

 tide waters, and more often taken as far down as there were fish weirs. 

 They have been identified in several of our Maine rivers, also in Lock 

 Lomond and Mespeck, N. B., in Nova Scotia, in St. John's Lake, Grand 

 Lake, Salmon River, and Pockwock Lake, and I have no doubt it will be 

 found in many of the riveix of clear water coming into the St. Lawrence, 

 and when caught are called young salmon. I have seen specimens of S. 

 gloveri caught on our rivers that weighed ten to twelve pounds. The 

 large fish seldom take fly or bait, but keep in the deep water. 



Geo, A. Boardman. 



This is well, as far as it goes. However, our data . are 

 meagre enough, and it is probable that little definite and 

 convincing information can be gathered at present. Very 

 few of those gentlemen who are familiar with the winnin- 

 ish, have ever seen the other; and vice versa. It affords us 

 some gratification, however, to know that Mr. B. F. 

 Bowles, of the Springfield (Mass.) Republican, who visited 

 the Saguenay this past Summer, and caught << ouininish, , > 

 or win-o-nish, or wininnish, has undertaken to secure 

 specimens and by sending them to Prof. Baird, to 

 settle the question forever. We copy from a private letter 

 from that gentleman:—, 

 y)( Springfield, Mass., Sept. ?th, 1875. 



Editor Porest and Stream:— 



I have killed the Schoodic salmon at Grand Lake stream for three sea- 

 sons. Wben I was not actually fishing or killing 'skeeters, I was paw- 

 ing over and admiring these fish, which so delight the eye and the heart 

 of the angler. I killed the. win-o-nish— 1 like this orthography better 

 than yours— at the headwaters of the Sas;uenay this season for the first 

 time. I have never seen the two fish side by side; I have never articu- 

 lated either, except with a knife and fork on my plate. My examina- 

 tion of the two fish, therefore, has been nothing more than a critical 

 one as to their place of habitation, their manners and customs, their ac. 

 tion, as relates to the sport of killing them, and a careful scrutiny of 

 their external features. Now, if you deem these grounds sufficient to 

 enable me to give an opinion, you have it for what it is worth. I be- 

 lieve them to be one and the same fish. On comparison side by side, 

 very slight variations may be discovered, but I do not think there will 

 be sufficient to construct a different variety. 



I have sent to a friend at the headwaters of the Saguenay for speci- 

 mens of the win-o-nish, to be sent to Prof. Baird, and confidently expect 

 they will reach him soon, and then we shall know in full what we know 

 now in part. Yours, B. P. Bowles, 



\ 



THE WESTERN MUD FISH. 



Perrisburgh, Yt., Sept. 10th, 1875. 

 Editor Porest and Stream:— 



Will you please give me the scientific, and also the common name of 

 the fish whose portrait and description I enclose with this? I have 

 never seen any description of him which I recognize. He is a worthless 

 fellow, or at least is so considered by almost every one, though some 

 pronounce him good when salted. He is known here as the "bow fin." 

 There is some fun in catching him, for he makes a vigorous fight, though 

 not a Very long one. He inhabits our sluggish, marshy streams, and is 

 caught most in the latter part of Summer, and early Pall, when he bites 

 freely at worms, frogs, or minnows, alive or dead, and sometimes at the 

 trolling spoon. He not infrequently attains to eight, ten, and some- 

 times twelve pounds weight. Yours truly, W. E. Robinson. 



This fish; of which your drawing is remarkably correct 

 is the Western mud fish (Amia occidentals). It belongs to 

 the genus amia, of Linneus, the characteristics of which 

 are : small paired teeth behind the acute conical ones ; head 

 flattened, naked, with conspicuous sutures; twelve flat gill- 

 rays; dorsal long; anal short; air bladder cellular, like 

 the lungs . of reptiles. The Western mud fish is in color 

 brown; elongated; lateral line, tubular; tail unspotted; 

 length two feet. "The only species," says DeKay, "as yet 

 described, is the Amiacalva, which is found in Lakes Erie 

 and Ontario." Dr. Kirtland speaks of it as the dogfish, 

 and says that in Lake Erie it is frequently called the "lake 

 lawyer." It is distinguished by its ferocious looks and 

 voracious habits. The flesh is rank, tough and uneatable. 

 To the angler it is a troublesome nuisance, often breaking 

 their hooks and lines. As yours is the only description we 

 find of the A. occidentalis, we print it, remarking that Dr. 

 Richardson's description of the Amia ocelUcaudel of Lake 

 Huron, is identical with it, and that they are undoubtedly 



one and the same fish : iL Amia occidentalis, Vermont — Back 

 greenish black; top of head, do; gill covers, yellowish 

 green and olive: sides dark olive, fading to yel- 

 lowish white on the belly; dorsal fin (47 rays, 

 soft) and caudal (20 rays) dark olive; pectoral, 

 ventral and anal fins, lighter; a jet black oval 

 spot encircled by a narrow border of golden yellow at base 

 of upper half of dorsal; branchiostegous rays, 11; a range 

 one-half inch wide on upper jaw of smallish, slightly 

 curved, sharp teeth; on lower jaw a row of similar teeth, 

 behind which is a band of very small ones. Length of 

 this individual, 22£ inches, weight, 3i pounds. Much lar- 

 ger ones are often caught." 



The Spotted Lampugus. — Among the novelties to be 

 seen at Mr. Blackford's this week is a fine specimen of that 

 excellent, rare, and beautiful fish, the spotted lampugus 

 {lampugus punctulatus), caught by the smack Wallace 

 Blackford while bluefishing. De Kay, who mentions but 

 one specimen of this fish as having come under his obser- 

 vation, describes it as sea green in color above the lateral 

 line; silvery on the sides, with metallic reflections on the 

 opercles; pupie black; irides yellowish; dark reddish 

 brown stripes across the head; a series of distant rounded 

 spots along the base of the dorsal fin, the last ten or twelve 

 rays of which are somewhat elevated. The spotted lam- 

 pugus is a tropical species and its farthest range hitherto 

 discovered is the latitude of New York, the present one 

 having been taken off Sandy Hook. In comparing with a fine 

 specimen of the dusky balistes (batistes fuligiuosas) or trigger 

 fish, so called on account of the first dorsal setting as a triger.. 

 It will be sent to Prof. BairtJ for preservation. Another ex- 

 tremely rare specimen received by Mr. Blackford this week 

 is the black pilot (palinurus perciformis). In 1815 several 

 dozen followed a ship into New York harbor and one of 

 them was taken at the wharves with a hook and line. It is 

 sometimes called the rudder fish, and has been taken 

 at Shrewsbury and on the Massachusetts coast. The fisher- 

 men call it the snip-nosed mullett. 



Pinnated Grouse in England. — Our readers have been 

 informed of the.recent latest effort to introduce the pinna- 

 ted grouse into England and Wales by transportation of 

 the eggs. Theeggs were forwarded by us for Mr. Richard 

 Valentine, of Wisconsin, in two lots — one lot to Mr. 

 Frank Buckland, of London Land and Water, and the 

 other to Mr. R. J. L. Price, of Bala, Wales. Mr. Buck- 

 land's acknowledgement is printed in our issue of August 

 12th. To-day we have this very courteous note from Mr. 

 Price :— 



Rhiwlas Bala, Merionethshire, North Wales, Aug. 26, 1875. 

 Editor Porest and Stream:— 



I notice in your issue of August 12th, 1875, a paragraph in reference to 

 some pinnated grouse eggs sent to me by Mr. Richmond Valentine. The 

 same gentleman was kind enough to forward a quantity last year, but in 

 both cases the eggs arrived either addled or with dead chicks inside 

 them. I fear that the distance is too great to admit of eugs from Amer- 

 ica arriving in England in a state fit for hatching, unless perhaps very 

 great care was taken only to choose fresh laid ones, and those packed 

 immediately tight in ice, although it is possible that full-fledged chicks, 

 if very carefuliy tended on board steamer, might reach their destination 

 alive. I can do no less than ask you, through your valuable columns, to 

 express my gratitude to Mr. Valentine, and my extreme regret that we 

 have faded in adding to our too small list of British game birds the beau- 

 tiful American grouse. Should I ever visit your country I shall hope to 

 call on Mn Valentine and personally discuss the matter with him; also 

 to witness some of the Bench Dog Shows and Pield Trials, which seeni 

 to be getting more common across the Atlantic. 



Your obedient servant, r j, l. Price. 



-<-♦<<► 



A Strange Fish.— Mr. H. W. Johnson, of the Marine 

 and Fisheries Department, has presented to the Provincial 

 Museum a large sized specimen of the Physalis pelagica or 

 Portugese man-of-war, as the strange thing is called ' by 

 sailors. It was caught off the -mouth of the harbor yester- 

 day morning. Its body is oblong, and consists of an air 

 sack, so constructed that the creature floats on the surface 

 of the sea. It has numerous appendages hanging from its 

 sides. With these it procures its prey. Some of these ap- 

 pendages, it is said, are capable of extensiou to twelve or 

 eighteen feet, and they possess a remarkable stinging 

 power. It is a common trick with sailors to make a 

 novice pick up one of these fish, whose beautiful colors 

 always attract attention ; the novice is sure to receive a 

 sting, not merely a local pain, but one to produce constitu- 

 tional irritation .—Halifax (Nova Scotia) Herald Sept 4 th- 



is THE YELLOW-BILLED 



RASITIC? 

 — — » , 



Editor Porest and Stream:— 



CUCKOO PA- 



fcb 



The question whether any of our American cuckoos are parasitic like 

 le European species, I believe has been decided in the negative ' But 

 this Summer I made some observations which lead to the contrary onin 

 ion. While on a visit to Parmington, Ct., last June, I spent several davs 

 collecting, and during that time I found five nests of the two species of 

 cuckoo-one of tha yellow-billed cuckoo, Woccyzus Americans ) and 

 four of the black-billed, (C. erythropihalmus .) The first, found on June 

 6th, was placed about five feet from the ground in a small poplar and 

 contained a young bird, just hatched, and three egss. The identity of 

 the species was certain, as the old bird did not leave the nest until almost 

 touched with the hand, thus giving a good opportunity to observe her 

 The next day 1 returned to it and found the bird on'the nest but the 

 youog one and one of the eggs gone, the nest and ground covered with 

 feathers of the old bird. It looked as if a fight had occurred; whether 

 between two of the birds or a cat I could not decide. On visiting th 

 nest again three days after, the old bird was gone, the eggs were cold 6 

 one of them broken, and with these two was a perfectly fresh eg» of tl ' 

 yellow-billed cuckoo. This egg was larger and much lighter Colored 

 than the others, and could not be distinguished from three fresh e«" 

 the same species taken with a nest the day before. The measurements 

 are as follows: No. 1, (that of the yellow-billed,, 1.20 by .94 inches- No 

 2, 1.04 by .85, and No. 3, broken, but in size like No. 2 ' ' 



>No. 2. 

 Pranklin Benner. 



—Big Jones had to laugh when he saw a hen fly out 

 from a hay loft on to a barber's pole, and yell out "cut- 

 mt-cut-har-cutl" 



