Terms, Four Dollars a Year. ( 

 ¥• f 



Ten Cents a Copy. 



NEW YORK, THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER ;8. 1876. 



J Volume 7, ft urn bet 8. 



117 Chatham St. (City Hall » M r. > 



FIRST DUCK OF THE SEASON. 



In this world momentous events are constantly occurring that pass unnoticed, even when the shadow of their coming is cast before. The advent of 

 the first duck of the season is not one of them. 



THE 



For Forest and Stream. 

 MATERIALIST, 



JE3SIE and Kate in mamma's room, 

 Were whisking about a bran new broom. 



Spic and span, and painted red, 



Was its handle, round and topped with lead. 



Over the boards, thro' every chink, 

 fler chubby hands grew deeply pink. 



Jessie looked serious over a knot: 



Taming to Kate, she said, "See what I got!" 



Alone: the floor she carefully swept 

 A filmy web and from it crept 



A pert young spider that wondered why 

 In its snug net it could not lie. 



It had bright scales across its tail, 

 It sped away but did not fail 



To touch the heart of saucy Jess, 



Who was staggered somewhat I must confess. 



"I'm sorry spider, sad," she said, 



"To spoil your home and leave your head" 



"Uncovered in this great big world," 

 But still the busy broom she twirled. 



When the dirt she'd got in a goodly pile, 

 ilhe rested, surveying her work awhile. 



Then dividing; it in three small heaps, 

 Asked Kate where God the angel keeps 



Who could set this dust into a whirl, 

 And make it come down a new little girl? 

 4-ugwit 18T6, &amas goodtear. 



For Forest end stream. 



\M 





DURING the eighteen months for which I have been a 

 steady student of Forest and Stream I have been 

 again and again struck with the great variety of field 

 sports which are treated of — sometimes in an able and 

 lengthy article, and sometimes in the shortest of para- 

 graphs — in its pages. And indeed it would be strange if 

 thi3 were not the case. When it is remembered that the 

 nun ing grounds of the northern portion of the Ameri- 

 can continent cover — roughly speaking about 5,000,000 of 

 square miles — that they stretch from the frozen shores of 

 the Arctic Ocean to the burning sands of the Mexican 

 gulf; that within this vast area there exists the most di- 

 verse conditions of climate and soil, and consequently the 

 most varied flora and fauna; that many of the "fi-h, flesh 

 and fowl" indigenous to the continent are still only par- 

 tially known, or else wholly undescribed — it is but neces 

 sary and natural that the favorite periodical and exponent 

 of American sportsmen should treat of branches of sport 

 which for an English reader have not only the intense charm 

 attaching to all that savors of "venison and veal," but also 

 that which always clings to the novel and the unknown. I 

 do not remember, however, having seen in ils columns an 

 article (as distinguished from a paragraph) respecting a 

 branch of angling to which of late years much attention 

 has been paid in the British Islands. I allude to rod fish 

 ing from the shore for sea fish, and more especially to bass 

 fishing, a sport which, within the last ten years, has re- 



ceived a vast accession of enthusiastic devotees. There 

 can be no doubt, however, that along the immense Atlan- 

 tic coast line rod fishing from the shore must be practiced 

 by many American sportsmen, and as some of these broth- 

 ers of the rod may like to know how this kind of sport is 

 followed across the water, I will with your permission de- 

 scribe the modus operandi. 



Until within the last few years fishing for sea fish with the 

 rod was but Utile practiced by English sportsmen. Very 

 few indeed, even of those born and bred within sight of the 

 sea, were aware that excellent sport, but little inferior to 

 salmon fi-hing, was to be had in this way. But the large 

 circulation of recent works upon sea fishing, the great in- 

 crease in the number of sportsmen during the last decade, 

 and the rapidly increasing difficulty of obtaining anything 

 like good shooting or fishing, except at great cost, have to* 

 gether conspired to direct attention to sea fishing of all 

 kinds, and particularly to fishing for bass with artificial 

 baits. 



The fish which in the British Islands are most generally 

 killed from the shore are pollock, bass and mackerel, al- 

 though sea trout, garfish and grasse are occasionally caught, 

 I have had mackerel afford me great sport in this way, the 

 bait b ing either a large white fly, or the spinner, known 

 as "Brook's silver laurel." But the bass is par excellence, 

 the object of the sea fisherman's hopes and desires. And 

 thisfor several reasons. He is in the first place the gamest 

 of all sea fish, always fighting hard for bis life, leaping 

 out of the water and sheering right and left like the sal- 

 mon, and testing the angler's strength and skill to the ut- 

 termost. He is in the second place well nigh the wariest 

 of marine game, disdaining to be deceived and entrapped 

 by the cunningly devised lures to which other fish fall easy. 



