Septembee 9, 1880.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



105 



■ward with an euergy quite notewortliy, and each team 

 sent on to compete represents an amount of practice 

 which would have been deeuaed exti-avagant five years 

 ago. The States are also falhng into Une, and the New 

 York team will find competitors from Pennsylvania, New 

 Jersey, California, and, perhaps, several other States. 

 Massachusetts and Connecticut should certainly cr-me. 

 There is a prospect of some fine, close work in the off- 

 hand matches, where many ejccellent clubs will be pitted 

 against each other. Col. Bodine, the executive ollieer, 

 has been mat ing preparation for a prompt shooting off of 

 all competitions, and an abundance of shooting will be 

 provided at the bullseye targets for general practice, and 

 for the filling up of odd monieuta during the several days 

 of the meeting. AU who come and participate at the 

 meeting may depend upon accurate marking and a fair 

 opportunity to show their ability. Compared with such 

 a meeting as that at Wimbledon, the Creedmoor gather- 

 ing takes on a very modest aspect as to size and general 

 stir, but when the records are compared the comparison 

 is vastly in favor of the American range. In the seve- 

 ral classes of short range, long range, and in military 

 shooting, there is no danger that the work of this year 

 will fall below the average. On all the smaller ranges 

 good work has beea doing, and the spirit of rivalry is 

 strong enough to bring out the best work, independent 

 in large measure of the prize list. 



Tatham's Trap Shot.— As many of our readers may 

 not know the new trap shot, advertised by Messrs. 

 Tatham Brothers, it seems proper to give them a brief 

 explanation of the new article. This shot is numbered 

 from 7 to 10, each number being ono-half size smaller 

 than the ordinary shot of the same number. The pecu- 

 liar feature of the trap .shot is its almost absolute even- 

 ness of size, and it is confidently asserted that the num- 

 ber of pellets to the ounce will not vary more than four 

 or five either way from the number which an wince 

 .should contain. The manufacturers are so well satisfied 

 that they have attained this evenness of size that they 

 stamp upon the bags the number of pellets that there 

 should be in each ounce, so that any one who purchases 

 it may count it for himself and see how closely it agrees 

 wath the standard. Such a shot as this is just what should 

 be used in guai trials, and there is no doubt that at game 

 it will give better results than their old fasliioned make. 



The Identificatijn oi' Fisues.— AVe wish to call the 

 particular attention of those who, having never paid at- 

 tention to the structure of fishes, claim to identify them, 

 to our letter from Alaska. Here is a case which points 

 its moral. "Piseco" is a veteran trout anglex and a close 

 observer ; also has the advantage of years of contact 

 with the fii-at ichthyologists of the world, and has im- 

 bibed much of their lore, so much that we would jjiefer 

 his judgment on a fish to that of any mere angler. Yet 

 he was mistaken in supposing that he had found an East- 

 ern brook trout in Alaska — a fontinahs—as his flsli w,-is 

 marked so like the ones which he knew so well b}^ sight ; 

 but he did not happen to know that the presence or ab- 

 sence of teeth upon the hyoid bone (the bone which sup- 

 ports the tongue) was an all-important factor in the diag- 

 nosis, until Dr. Bean, one of the celebrated iciitliyologists 

 of the Smithsonian Institution and the Fish Commission, 

 came along and rectified his mistake, which he so grace- 

 fully acknowledges in his present letter. 



We ni.ake this comment to show how easy it is to be 

 mistaken, and why we are sometimes skeptical about fishes 

 which ai-e positively asserted to be "genuine" brook trout 

 or black bass when we do not know the ichthyological 

 attainments of the writer, who, by the way, is usually 

 positive in proportion to his ignorance of structure ; ami 

 the error acknowledged by "Piseco'' sliould be treasured 

 up by all. Having learned a new and vahi:ible Ipsson 

 himself, our accomplished Alaska correspondent wishes 

 to enlighten his brother anglersand share his knowledge. 



M I I I ■ 



Dick, the Woodcock.— The correspondent who writes 

 to inquire about the tame woodcock is referred for full 

 particulars to recent issues of Forest and Stream. Bet- 

 ter thiin reading about the bird is seeing him, and we 

 recommend tViose who are interested to call on Mr. Mor- 

 ris at 17 Jefferson Market and see his pet. Dick will be 

 found in the greenhouse surrounded Ijy flowers, and with 

 dozens of feathered companions of different kinds. His 

 owner, in addition to bis business of florist, has a num- 

 ber of birds, most of them native, though canaries, sky- 

 larks and other foreign song birds are to be found at his 

 place. We noticed, during a recent visit, young robins, 

 bluebu'ds, catbirds and cardinal grosbeak, all of which 

 seemed to be doing well. 



» I t 1^ 



From thk Ends op the EAia'u. — The Forest aud 

 Stream draws its good things from the uttermost parts 

 of the globe. To-day we publish letters from Alaska and 

 from South Africa. 



SNOEK FISHINB IN TABLE BAY. 



BY B, B. BIOGAR. 



brightly from 

 lin and there is 

 f boat-oars an- 



Wild Rice.— Wild rice may be obtained this season in 

 good supply and quality from Richard Valentine, Janes- 

 ville, Wis., and Chas. Gilchrist, of Harwood, Ont. We 

 shaU sliortly publish full direcMons for the sowing of the 

 cereal. 



THE glorious Southern Cross gleai 

 above the broad top of 'I'abl.. Moi 

 scarcely a aigu of dawn ;im I he ruaibliij 

 nounces that ihe tishermen of Capetown are beginning 

 tlieir day's toils. If the reader will, let him accompany 

 me with one of the snoek boats that are now preparing 

 to enter the waters of Table Bay. The fishermen whom 

 I ask for permission to go with them cheerfidly grant the 

 request. They are not the tall, light-hau-ed, wiry -look- 

 ing men to be found on the Atlantic Coast of America, 

 but the dark and dreaniy fisher of the Eastern seas, with 

 such Oriental names as Abdol, Apollis and Makmoot. 

 Our boat issuers from a little, narrow-beached, ill-savored 

 cove, called Ro^ge Bay, sheltered by a primitive pier at 

 the foot of the leading street in Capetown. The coarse, 

 low-toned, booming voice of some boat-hand echoes 

 strangely against the silont town and over the bay as we 

 move olf over its silent surf.aee, boat by boat, like some 

 black specters over a sea of death. On my rejuarking at 

 the stillness of the broad Ijay, the fishermen hint that be- 

 fore we are ashore we wid iiave enough of an oppo-site 

 extreme. Passing out slowly from the gloom of the 

 grand old mountain, we are at length behind the Lion's 

 Rump, with Robben Island stretching long and low on our 

 right and Green Point Beach, under the Rump, on our 

 left, with the surf rolhng .solemnly on its rugged shore. 

 The stars, which have been shining with a brilliancy un- 

 known to tlie gazei-s of northern climes, begin to pale in 

 the daun anil day linstily approaclies. fjlorified in tints 

 which I cannot at tempt to pieiiire witii pen. The slight- 

 est haze is ail there appears to be of fog over sea or land 

 this morning — for clear air is the wonderful feature of 

 these latitudes — and the temperature, which at first was 

 only moderately cool, is soon quite genial. In the broad 

 day I can now tell you what my crew are like \vhde they 

 are settling themselves to work. Abdol is a middle- 

 statured, sack-coated, barefooted, olive-complexioned, 

 aquiline-nosed, thin bearded and wrinkled man. He 

 bears a name of Arabian odor and his appearance might 

 boar out tlie character ; but he is a Malay, the son or 

 grandson of some slave brought from that country by 

 the old Dutch settlers of a hundred years ago. Apollis 

 is hardly the god-iike, graceful being" you have already 

 fancied, but a stout-bodied, big, barefooted man, with a 

 face like the " full roimded moon" in shape, but densely 

 eclipsed and swelled as by tlie refiactive effects of a dim 

 horizon. As a peculiar savor liints, this exaggeration is 

 produced by the excessive use of Cape beer. Pos.sibly 

 from the same cause his voice is hoarse and coa.rse. Ap- 

 ollis is an African — one of his parents from Zanzibar, 

 the other a Cape ne,gio. Makmoot— well, his nationahty 

 is a moot question. He is dark in color, though not 

 black. He has a name of Arabic pronunciation, speaks 

 the Dutcli language, wears English clothes and an Afri- 

 can countenance, professes the Mohammedan rehgion, 

 keeps the Christian Sabbath and sends his children to 

 Sunday-school, yet is known as a Malay. 



Jilakmoot lifts his coil of line, and fixing the bait to his 

 trolling hook, tosses it over the side. We are now about 

 half a mile off from shore, between those beautiful moun- 

 tains of Lion's Rump and Lion's Head, and are making 

 toward the open sea. The breeze is not favorable for 

 trolling, for the Provadence (with an a) hardly moves 

 under her small spanker. Yet the line has scarcely beeji 

 dropped in the water before it is jerked taut. Apollis 

 in tiie meanwldle pulls a small baton from beneath a 

 thwart and hands it to .Makmoot. 



•■ What is he going to do with the club?" 

 •'Master wait— see," replies Abdol, who, I should re- 

 mark, is the commander and owner of this craft, allow- 

 ing certain shares of the day's take to each of his mates. 

 It took but a minute to explain the use of the baton. 

 Makmoot, liauling the fish with gleeful adroitness out of 

 water, gives it a toss which lands it high and close under 

 his left arm. It is hardly lodged in this position betme 

 the baton is swung around and brought down with 

 oharnung dexterity on the fish's nose. A twist of tlie 

 hook from its mouth and the victim is dropped into the 

 boat kicking Its last. Thu.s the process was accomplished. 

 But it was performed so quickly that, like the premier 

 trick ill a magician's performance, I wanted to see it 

 again and again. The lish which now Ues in the bottom 

 of the boat is one of the most plentiful of the many re- 

 markable varieties to be found in Table Bay and around 

 the Cape peninsula to False Bay anil Sim.jn's Bay. It is 

 about twii feet long, but Abdol informs me that it is a 

 very small sjvecimen and we are yet to catch them three 

 feet or three and a half in length. It is long-nosed, tajier- 

 ing from jaw to nozzle in lines as regular ainiost as an 

 isosceles triangle ; it is scaleless, its skin bem.; sfiliie.n- 

 like in color, darker on the back than its siilcs and beliy, 

 Its body is not broad between back and belly, but well 

 rounded and very supple. Witli ample tail i"ts speed in 

 swimming is vexy great. This quality is a matter of ne- 

 cessity in its existence, for it is one of the most voracious 

 of fishes. DartiuK hke a meteor on all sorts o( small fry 

 of edible kind, it is equally at lionie in yrovelling and 

 glutting in the lilth and s"ewai-[e tiiat flows into the bay 

 from Capetown. The Dutch namo gi\en to it signifies 

 its eliaraeter. As I have already t-at.-n it. I know that, 

 whatever its appearance, its ilesli is excellent, of fine 

 gr.ain; but, e.xceptdnring a short season in winter.contain- 

 ing but little oU, When smoked, its flavor is simply de- 

 licious, and though now chiefly appreciated only within 

 the Colony, the time may come when the smoked snoek 

 will be esteemed abroad equally uith the very daintiest 

 of fish. But more on the tratle aspect when we get 

 ashore, for Abdol now offers me eh.irge of the behii and 

 sheet, and all three are settluig to work. Makmoot ti:is- 

 ses out bis line some distance and again is soon hauling 

 in a fish, Swinging it under his arm, the baton eomes 

 down on the poor thing's nose, and the hook wichdrawn, 

 it is thrown into the bottom of the boat. Abdol throws 

 out his line, but with the grace and air of a man who 

 understands every jioint in the whole nature of a snoek 

 evidently. Two or three deft hand-over-hand draws and 

 up the fish flies like a bird, lighting under his armpit a.s 

 it it had voluntarily leaped into its own native place ; 

 tap goes the baton and down goes the snoek. How easy 1 

 yet how much like a trick of legerdemain. I watched 



again. Apollis, with less skill and no .small bhuUer, 

 hauls away, causing the boat to lurch, and dealhis Ids 

 victim a fearful blow, throws him down witli savage 

 triumph, in wide and rather interesting contrast to the 

 polished style of Abdol. who now again unconscious of 

 his high art adds anoilier to the number in the boat. A 

 gently stiffening ijieeze froiu seaward increases our rate 

 of speed and attracts the fish in quicker succession. The 

 fun is furious. The tightening hue, the thrashing of the 

 water and the thump of the club followed each otlier so 

 fast that the Ushers themselves laugh and congratulate 

 each oilier upori the I'tui, Kviilently it is rather an unu- 

 sual fortune, for alter a time there is a sudden rest. I 

 ask if this is the capricious natm-e of snoek. and Abdol 

 replies by stig^iesting that if I will bear off ,i,ffain from 

 the shore we will run faster and catch more fish, whereat 

 Makmoot and Apollis laugh. I awake to the fact that I 

 have nuconsciously, while so intent upon the fun, al- 

 lowed the boat to run up into the wind and lose way. 

 Thus I had to pay the penalty of want of attention to niy 

 duty. However, we get niider way again, and the takes are 

 tolerably numerous, though never so lively as betore. I 

 had now watched the magic trick till I had, point by 

 point, taken in a pretty correct idea of the whole moclua 

 operandi, and I said : "' Abdol, hold this tiller till I try 

 my hand." 



'■ Master want to catch snoek?" 



"Yes." 



I threw the line out, and it was some time before I got 

 a bite. Then I jerked in with a style liEtrdly so graceful 

 as Abdol's, and after some lurching of the boat, I got 

 him above water. Then I performed the swing under 

 my arm ; he struck the right spiot exactly. I raised my 

 club and — struck my arm a blow sufficient to have 

 stunned a whale, much less a snoek. But I think I must 

 have hit the snoek — somewhere about the tail perhaps. 

 However, he fell outside the boat and shot like a gleam 

 llirough the water. " There," thought I, " goes the line, 

 hook and all." But Abdol had fortunately tied the i-nd 

 in the row-lock, and he was brought to a cheek suon 

 enough. I hauled him up, and scorning the armpit 

 trick, decided to dispatch him in my own way. So I got 

 him down against the side of the boat and made a stab 

 with the end of the baton. Iraadean impression in oneof 

 the ribs, but none on tlie snoek, for he was at that mo- 

 ment floundering over the corpses of his fellow creatures 

 in the other end of the boat. By the time I had ree. w- 

 ered for another effort of skill, I saw him lie still for a 

 moment. Now, I thought, is my time, so I aimeil a Lsliot 

 of a horribly fatal nature at his head. The baton bounded 

 over a thwart and went whirling like a boomerang off 

 toward the equator. This is a somewhat exaggerated 

 account, ijut at all events I did not kill the snoek, and 

 Abdol. mercifully robbing me of any revenge, hfted hitii 

 up and dispatched him with a single tap. I resumed the 

 tiller. After all — I (consoled myself — snoek catching is 

 not an elevated pastime; it is oiiily fit for the cunmug 

 sleight of some magic-working Oriental. 



At about tl oclock our boat is about two-thirds full and 

 Abdol considers it time to return, for a southeaster is 

 likely to sprhig up. Though now a considerable distance 

 off we malre good headway in, and while we go a lunch 

 is brought out, consisting of fried snoek and bread, and 

 is eaten with eager appetites. The crew meantime con- 

 duct theu- conversation in barbarous Dutch, and I faney 

 from their pleasantrj that the subject of the rouveisa- 

 tion is a certain inciclent of the day. As we round (iTiven 

 Point towai-d the docksof the town, a white cloud .iialliers 

 in a clear sky over the brow of Table Motuirum. and 

 that is the herald of the southeaster, which evcii before 

 we reach Rogge Bayis hashing the water into white caps. 

 And now the " sport" of the day is done : it The reader 

 wishes to hear nothing else he may stop here, but if a few 

 facts on the business aspect of the question will interest 

 him he may read to the end. 



Preceding and following us to and from the cove was 

 a fleet of some thirty boats, all precisely like our own 

 in size and appearance, manned by crews equally varied 

 in race and color, and engaged in the same bu^ipess. Aa 

 I stand on the beach watching them come in 1 see every 

 boat has, what seems to me, a profitable loail, soiue less 

 than half full, others loaded almost to the gunwal.'. Each 

 boat is welcomed by a crowd of chattering hnnriiiily of 

 every contment, na'tionality, tribe, kindred and t-nixu-, 

 and perhaps tlie least cultivated and refined of 



The boat is palled up and its load removed up tli; 

 each fish lieing taken by the head in removal. As T see 

 colored servant girls carrying an occasional fisli iiome 

 carefuUv in the same wav," 1 now learn the reason whv 

 llie Hsh'is kiliedon heing' caught. Thefieshis not only o"f 

 tine grain, but exceedingly tender, so tnuch so that where 

 a slight bruise has taken place the bruised part if fried after- 

 a day or so will go all into meal like fine mashed potatoe.s. 

 Sucli portions putrify sooner thau others. 11 the fish were 

 left to die in the boat its thi-ashing about would spoil 

 the flesh, hence the process of clubbing. Along one 

 side of the atiand are row s of benches. Here stand the 

 cleaners— some men, some women — and the facility with 

 which they prepare a fish is admirable. From a littskct 

 on his left he lifts the fish and severs tlie head ; then, 

 with a careful though quick curving movement of the 

 knife, opens out the enttails, which fall out clean and 

 easilj', and with a lightning stroke draws the knife from 

 head to tad, and the red flesh of the snoek is opeueil out 

 into two broad, rich halves, and thrown into another bas- 

 ket, done. The ba-kcts ire then taken to the "lUli 

 kraals," or drying sheds, where, under the influence of a 

 dry atmosphere and a waiin sun, they rapidly dry, hav- 

 ing been salted, Others are smokhd dry, and theise, 

 though dearer, are beci.ming much esteemed, as (hey 

 dcserye to be. On the beach a snoek will sell at fr^un 

 two pence (four cents) to eight pence, accorduig to the 

 season : a dried snoek at about six pence, and a smoked 

 one at eight pence to a shilling and three pence. Tlie 

 supply in the sea here seems exhaustless, and the snoek 

 cim bectmghtall the yetir round, though from October 

 to .January they are few in number, poor in quality, and 

 often have white worms or grubs in the flesh. "These 

 worms are considered poisonous, though the fishermeu 

 eat the fish at this season as throughout the other parts 

 of the year. While the market here is large, snoek are 

 caught'in fciually large quantities on the other si<le of 

 tlie peninsula, in the waters of False Bay, Simon's Bay 

 and Kalk Bay. What is done with them? Weil, at one 

 time they were considered fit food oidy for the poorest 

 colored peojile ; now they are largely consumed in the 



