FOBEST AND STREAM. 



weary there is generally a pleasant bank to sit down upon; 

 the clear ocean, bay, lake or river to look over, the fresh 

 breeze blowing "about one's face; the graceful flight of the 

 sea gulls and other water fowl, as well as land bird3, to 

 watch and observe; in short, nearly all the attractive luxu- 

 ries to be found together that throw such a charm around 

 open-air amusements. 



But now let me cease from sentiment and romance, 

 and begin to talk a little about the fish and other matters 

 connected with this recreation here, and something of their 

 natural history— the latter a. study which is at least interest- 

 ing to some minds. 



One of the most common of the fish on our coast, and 

 indeed on many shores in most parts of the world, are a 

 species of the percldce, both the sea and river perch. The 

 sea perch, by some here called porgies or surf fish, are 

 very plentiful. On the coast of New England they are 

 termed dinners or nippers— the latter name is obviously 

 derived from their nipping bite. In New York, I believe, 

 the cunner is termed the "bergall," a Dutch name, and is 

 known also by its Indian name, "chogset." At Boston it 

 is described as the "blue perch." Their general color is 

 black, mixed with brown, with faint transverse bars of an 

 uncertain dusky hue. The largest exhibit a light orange 

 tint throughout the whole body, with the head and gill- 

 covers of a chocolate color, mixed with light blue, and 

 with blue lias and general bronze coloring in some lights. 

 Like all the perch tribe, on the back is a stiff fin with 

 spines. Tiie\ r are caught most plentifully near rocky 

 shores; they take almost any bait. It is a tolerably good 

 and sweet pan fish, but they should be eaten as fresh as 

 possible, as their flesh is very soft. 



The perch, which inhabit chiefly the rivers, abound 

 much, also, in some parts of our bay; they are white with 

 blotches of a dirty black on their sides. The quality of 

 their flesh is much better than that of the sea perch. They 

 are found but in small numbers on Ihe ocean coast; they 

 run about two pounds in weight. We have most years an 

 abundance of smelts in our bay and all along the southern 

 coast, especially in the Bummer months. They are con- 

 sidered generally to belong to the salmon family. Their 

 average length is ten inches, although I have seen speci- 

 mens occasionally as long as eighteen inches and weighing 

 two pounds. They are angled for from the wharves with 

 long rods, the bait or hooks about one to two feet from 

 the surface of the water. They are rather dry in their 

 quality of meat, but are much liked by some persons as a 

 breakfast fish. They come up the bay in immense schools 

 in Summer, and are very voracious and afford great amuse- 

 ment to women and children anglers from the piers. 



We have a fish called the rock- cod or rock-fish— another 

 species of the perch family, There is a numerous variety 

 of them of several colors— brown, black, and bright red. 

 They are taken in plenty wherever the bottom is rocky. 

 They weigh from half a pound to twenty or thirty pounds. 

 You fish as deeply as possible for them, and they are al- 

 most omnivorous in their appetites, taking all sorts of 

 worms, flesh and small fish. Thir meat is white, and good 

 in flavor and firmness. At Fort Point, near the Golden 

 Gate, where I sometimes fish, there is a large sea-wall, at 

 the end of which the rolling waves from the Pacific break 

 with great force. In the eddy formed by these billows, 

 the bottom of which is very rocky, I often catch "some fine 

 sea trout and bass. The first is a fish of a dark greenish 

 black color, spotted on its sides with red. Its. form is 

 rather long, like the trout family. They are Very game 

 and lively, and are a good fish for the table. But the sea 

 bass is much better. This fish is nearly as silvery as the 

 salmon, which it much resembles. It is not plentiful in 

 the bay, but is numerous in Monterey Bay, 200 miles south 

 of this. 



We have had for three years the rather small tom-cod in 

 the bay, which is a great acquisition for the fishermen, 

 both professional and amateur. It is one of the best in the 

 market; its flesh is white, very tender, sweet and delicate. 

 Most persons fish for it with hand lines, but I use a rod 

 and take about as many with it as any one else. 



Of course we have many more valuable fish than I have 

 named. We have many oceanic wo'nders and curiosities, 

 too, such as medusae, sea-squalls, jelly fish, or sea nettles, 

 (some of them a foot - in diameter), star fish, painted 

 shrimps, sea-balloons, spider crabs, and other marvels too 

 numerous to mention. - E. J. Hoopeu. 



All communications from Secretaries and friends should be mailed no 

 later than Monday in each week. 



HIGH WATER. FOE THE WEEK. 



Date. 



Nov. 4. 



"Nov. 5.. 



Nov. 8.. 



Nov. 7 . 



Nov. 8.. 



Nov. 9.. 



Nov. 10.. 



Boston. 



H. ST. 



8 14 



4 4 

 4 



54 



45 



40 



New York. 



Charleston. 



FT, Mi 



H. M. 



morn. 



morn. 



51 



4 



1 45 



£8 



2 40 



1 51 



3 35 



2 4D 



4 80 



3 45 



5 25 



4 40 



Fighting for. an Eel.— A fight between two eagles oc- 

 curred at Masonboro Sound a few days ago. A large num- 

 ber of persons were at the different landings along the 

 sound at the time, when their attention was attracted to 

 the combatants by a piercing cry, often repeated at short 

 intervals. The birds were each of the bald eagle species, 

 and when first: observed were about two hundred yards 

 above the Banks channel. 



One of the birds held pendant from his talons an enor- 

 mous eel, which the other bird was endeavoring to gain 

 possession of. The bird possessing the eel was taken at a 

 great disadvantage, as it required the use of his talons to 

 hold his prey, which Mi him but his beak with which to 

 ward off the assaults of his roe. The attacking bird, realiz- 

 ing his advantage, swooped upon his enemy, tearing the 

 feathers and flesh from the back and breast of his oppo- 

 nent. Long and fierce the struggle waged. Each of the 

 birds was of enormous size, yet one of them, taken at so 

 great a disadvantage, at last perceived that resistance was 

 in vain, and, after one despairing wail, released its prey. 



As the eel descended, and had nearly reached the water, 

 the triumphant bird, with victorious cry, swooped upon il, 

 and firmly closing it iu his talon- born it way to (lie i'is- 

 t ant sand shosK The struggle lasted about 'iilecn min- 

 ttjes*^ Willing ton &m\ 



Mohawk and Dauntless.— In our last i^sue we could 

 only summarize the result of the race between these 

 j yachts; there were many points involved winch make it 

 j worthy of a more extended notice. The Mohawk is the 

 j largest centre-board yacht ever built; the Dauntless is one 

 j of the largest and finest specimens of a keel schooner ever 

 j constructed for pleasure purposes in this country.- The 

 | race, therefore, was to be a test of keel vs. centre-board, 

 and the results w T ere directly opposed to those expected by 

 yachtsmen, the conclusion of the race being so close as to 

 leave the main epiestion unsettled. It was anticipated that 

 in going to windward the greater draught of the Dauniless 

 would give her a better hold on the water, and that before 

 the wind the huge centre-board of the Mohawk being 

 mostly out of the water would so lessen the resistance as to 

 give her the advantage in speed. On the contrary, how- 

 ever, the Mohawk proved the abler vessel in going to wind- 

 ward, and passing her antagonist, was the first 'to round 

 the buoy. We think, however, that this result hardly de- 

 cides the question of the superior ability of the centre- 

 board vessel in going to windward. It was observed that 

 the Dauntless labored heavily, and appeared to sail better 

 on one tack than on the other, and i hat her mainmast set 

 badly. It must also be remembered that the Dauntless has 

 been out of commission for a year or more, and was only 

 fitted out, and that somewhat hurriedly, for this race, 

 whereas the Mohawk has had the benefit of a season's rac- 

 ing, and was in thorough order for the event. The Daunt- 

 less, also, on the run home, split her fore gaff, tearing the 

 foretop-sail, and rendering that and the foresail almost 

 valueless, and yet she fairly beat the Mohawk before the 

 wind. It is to be regretted that the sailing directions were 

 misunderstood by those on board the Mohawk, and that in 

 finishing the race she did not pass the light ship "close 

 aboard," as ordered. The finish would have been much 

 more exciting, and not decided by an error. As for the 

 advantages of a centre-board over a keel vessel when of 

 the largest class we do not consider them sustained. In a 

 very large yacht a few feet more or less of draught can 

 make but little difference, and even if a little speed is 

 gained the advantage is more than counteracted by the loss 

 of cabin room. The liability to spring aleak in the tiu»k 

 when in a heavy sea-way, or of accident to the centre-board 

 itself, should be considered. Our first large centre-board 

 schooners were built for the lumber trade, and to enable 

 them to navigate the shallow waters of the Southern rivets. 

 We remember an instance that occurred some years ago 

 when one of these vessels was discovered at sea in an almost 

 helpless condition. In crossing a bar her board had. token 

 the bottom, and on the voyage had broken in tw T o and be- 

 come fastened athwartships, the iron band twisting but not 

 breaking, and holding the broken part in this position, act- 

 ing almost as an anchor, or at all events as a. very respect- 

 able drag. For small yachts, where quickness in stays is 

 an essential there can be no question as to the advantages 

 of the centre-board. 



The Dauntless and Resolute.— -The last raee of the 

 season was finished on Thursday, and the years' yachting 

 brought to a termination by the match between these two 

 fine yachts. It was another trial also between keel and 

 centre-board, although a leading wind both ways prevented 

 the match from being more than a trial of speed between 

 the two vessels, and no occasion offered for bringing out 

 qualities which may be especially claimed for either mode 

 of construction. The Dauntless, with the consent of Mr. 

 Hatch, had taken on board several tons more of ballast, 

 and there can be no question as to her advantage in point 

 of fitness over her trim on the day of the race with the 

 Mohawk. There was none of the dragging or unequal 

 sailing which was so perceptible on the Latter occasion, and 

 she made the round trip of 220 miles in eighteen hours and 

 a half, the quickest on record over this course. 



The start was made from iStapleton, Staten Island, on 

 Wednesday evening, the Dauntless crossing the imaginary 

 line between the yacht Vindex and the club house at 5:27: 

 10 and the Resolute at 5:85:38. The wind was from the 

 west, blowing the eight knot breeze stipulated for iu the 

 agreement. As the darkness set in soon after the start the 

 yachts remained invisible to each other until the conclusion 

 of the race. From the reports of guests on board of each 

 both yachts must have been sailing splendidly, the Daunt- 

 less logging from thirteen to fourteen knots per hour. .Bar- 

 negat was abeam at 9:30, and as the Resolute reports the 

 same bearings at 9:47, the yachts must have been very close 

 together at this time. At 2:45 A. M. the Dauntless rounded 

 the lightship on Five Fathom Bank, and the Resolute at 

 3:57 turned the same mark, having lost about an hour and 

 ten minutes. Tiie same breeze held on the homeward run. 

 the Dauntless passing the winning point, the Sandy Hook 

 Lightship, at 11:55:25. The Resolute was off Barnegat at 

 9:30 in the morning, and when off Long Branch, the Daunt- 

 less being seen beating up from the lightship, it was known 

 that the race was lost, and the yacht was kept along the 

 beach. The Dauntless anchored off . Stapleton at 3:29:3o, 

 and the Resolute at 3:50, although had the latter rounded 

 the lightship she would have been much later. 



— The yacht Nautilus slipped her moorings in Newark 

 Bay, near Bayonne, Wednesday morning. 'She was driven 

 by ihe wind against the Newark Bay bridge with such vio- 

 lence that her bow was stove in, and she filled with water 

 and sunk. 



Rowing on the IIaklem. — The rain storm of Satur- 

 day interfered with what promised to be a very interesting 

 raoe between Mr. Julieu Kennedy of Yale College, win" 

 ner of the single scull race at Saratoga last year, and Mr. 

 Wilbur Bacon. The New York Rowing Club was to have 

 held its annual regatta at the same time, and a portion of 

 •the programme was carried out. Messrs. Win.' G. Scott 

 and -Frank Ellison contested for the Le.land medal, and the 

 latter, the present holder, retains the: trophy. A six-oared 



gig race was also rovred by the following crews- W V o 

 Stewart, bow; T. R. Green, J. A. McKinn, J. T, Van R* 



the winners. Other races were rowed, but no official th? 

 was taken on account of the rain. 



closely contested of any ever rowed on this water, and was 

 witnessed by thousands o f enthusiastic spectators. Tl a 

 Crews were composed as follows:.— JSFassaus— Stroke Tohn 

 Gunster; No. 8, G. T. Floyd Jones; No. 2, Lindsey' \Va t . 

 son; bow, Robert Reynolds. Average weight, 148J 'pounds' 

 AnaJo.ff.an— Stroke, O. L. Prescott; No. 3, E. Cumberland- 

 No. 2. S. Burns; bow, C. A. Brown. Average weight, 155 

 pounds. On the word being given to go the Nassaus°eatWt 

 the water first and gained a slight lead. Their opponents 

 however, quickly drew even, and for two miles the boats 

 were side by side, when the Nassaus drew ahead and took 

 a lead, which, in spile of repeated spurts on the part of the 

 Analostan crew, they maintained to the winning srakeboat 

 Time, for tire Nassaus, 20m. 52s. ; for the Analostans, 20m' 

 58s. 



Bibless Boats —Sail boats, for coast and river fishing 

 "built up ' without ribs, are very popular in Massachusetts 

 Bay, on account of their speed, lightness, cheapness, and 

 ease of construction. They are so easily and quickly made 



.that Eastern fishermen are becoming independent of tlie 

 boat builders, and each man builds his own boat at his leisure' 

 To make one, ihe only material needed are good clear pine 

 hoards, each the whole length of the intended boat, a few 

 pounds of small nails (galvanized.) and the material for the 

 stem, keel, and stern post. The boards are run through a 



'saw mill and cut into strips about an inch and a half wide, 

 and out of these the boat is built up according to working 

 models. These models are merely patterns of wood that 

 give the outside of a half sect ion 'of the boat. They give 

 the shape of the boat at every foot of her length, and°are 

 formed from some existing boat or drawn from a scale de- 

 signed by some competent boat builder. The keel, stern 

 post and stem are set up and secured together firmly, and 

 then to the keel two strips are fitted horizontally, one on 

 each side, and having been planed down at each end to tit 

 the model, holes are bored through them and thr-y are se- 

 curely nailed to the keel. Over each is laid another strip, 

 and willi the plane and shave it is fitted to them in such a 

 way as to conform to the shape of the boat, and then each 

 is nailed down as before. In this simple manner the work 

 proceeds. As the strips are nailed one over the other, iliey 

 are bent to conform to the shape of the boat, and beveled 

 to give the sides the right form. 



A single day's practice in fitting the strips to the shape 

 of the boat will enable a good carpenter to do the work 

 with neatness and dispatch, and any person skillful with 

 plane and hammer could in time turn boat builder. When 

 the sides rbe to the gunwale, a broader and thicker strip of 

 oak or ash is laid over all, to act as a fender and gunwale. 



aptly conforming on the outside and in to the model. To 

 give lateral strength, shorter pieces of the strips are built 

 up from the keel inside, and carefully fitted to the sides, 

 The seats are placed over these., and then decks, storeroom 

 and cabin may be added as desired. Boats made in this 

 way are very light and buoyant, and, being smooth on the 

 outside, are good sailers. In case of injury, they are easily 

 repaired by cutting out the broken place and inserting new 

 strips, secured by backing on the inside. In practical use, 

 such boats are found to be swift, dry and safe. They make 

 good sea boats, and are said 1o resist injury with ease, in 

 sailing ihey demand plenty of ballast, to compensate for 

 their lightness. Their cheapness and ease of construction 

 are rapidly bringing them into favor, as the cost is about 

 one-third less than by the ordinary method. Two men 

 with the materials in hand can easily make a'boat 18x0 in 

 sixteen days. — Beribner's. 



eSB 



QtfiO 



■Fn 



Tale.— The annual Fait lestl'val of the Yale Athletic 

 Association was held at Hamilton Park, New Haven, on 

 the 27ih iust. The track was h^avy, owing to the previous 

 night's rain, yet many of the performances were far above 

 mediocrity. The sports commenced with putting the shot 

 (16 lbs.) T. H. Linsiey, '7(5, 8. S. S.,32 ft. 5 in., 1 ; F. f. 

 Vaille, '76, 80 ft. iCi in., 2; N. H. Strong, '78, 2b ft. 10 

 in., 3, 



One Hundred Yards Do.sh— First Heat— AY. J. Wakeman, 

 '76, l ; F. W. Yaitle, '7(5, 2; E. M. Andrews, S, 8. S., 3- 

 Time, lis. Second Heat— 1). Trumbull, '76, 1; J. F. 

 Keaton, '77, 2. Time, Ibis. Third Heat— F. W. Brown, 

 '78, S. S. 8., 1; J. II. Hammond, '76, S. S. 8., 2; 0. E. 

 Anthony, '76, 8. Time, UK Final Heat— W. J. Wake- 

 man, '76, 1; D. Trumbull, '76, 2; F. W. Brown, '78, S. S. 

 S . 3. Wakcrnan ran very fast, and won by two yards in 

 10K 



One Mile Walk—B. Maurice, "77, 1; M. II. Phelps, '76.2; 

 J. B. Crenshaw, '76, law, 3. Maurice took the lead, and 

 was never headed. Time, Maurice, 8m.l3s.;Phelps, 8m.2ls- 



Running High Jump— A. M. Gale, '78, S. 9. fcJ.. 5 .ft- * 

 in., 1; O. 1). Thompson, '79, 5 ft: 2 in., 2; W. A. Surrie 

 '76, 4- ft, 9 in,, 3 r I Tie struggle was close between Gale and 

 Thompson; the latter weighed 190 pounds. 



Ha'f-mite Bun—D. H. Kellogg, '76, 1; W. J. Wakeman, 

 '76, 2. Time. 2m. 10s. 



Standing Long Jump—O. D. Thompson, '79, 11 ft. H in -> 

 1; A. M. Gale, '77, 8. S. S., 11" ft. 1 in., 2; D. B. Cusliman, 

 '76, 10 ft. ?$. in., 3. 



Three-mi's Bun—A, II. Ely, '76, 1; L. L. Clapp, '76, 2; 

 T. A. Vernon. S. t5. S., 3. Elv held a commanding lead 

 throughout, and won by 200 yards. Time, Ely's first mile, 

 5ui. 54s. ; second mile, L2tn. 27s ■ three miles, 18m. -39s ; 

 Clapp, 19m. 27s.; Vernon, 19m. 29s. The latter entered 

 the race without practice, and was not provided with suit- 

 able shoes. 



ILnde Uaee, 120 Yards, Ten F!uJifs—W. J. Walientfft 

 '7b\ 1; D. Trumbull, '76, 2; O. D. Thompson, '79, 3. 'ii» ie > 

 19|s,' 



Senior Sc; / IV. / 4i0 Yards-~Q'i Crcigiilon Webb, 1; «; 

 li. Strong, 2; W. T. Sfrong, 3. Fifteen or treaty started, 



