350 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 3, 1880. 



from a mixture of the juipes of several plants belonging 

 to different genera, awl it differs much m color, hardness 

 and its solubility. 



At the bottom of tin's sea,, mixed with clay, ooze, sand 

 and sea-weeds, are now heaps of amber formed from 

 generations of trees which once flourished where the 

 waters now roll, the stems of which have rotted while 

 the imperishable gum lives to tell that it was once part 

 of the lite blood of the vanished vegetation which per- 

 ished by the sinking of the ground and the influx of the 

 water, and the old manner of gathering the amber was to 

 pick up what was washed ashore by the storms, but the. 

 material so obtained was never equal to the demand and 

 the harvest was uncertain and not remunerative. Now 

 they wait until the wind is in the right direction and of 

 sufficient strength to wash lip the amber which maybe 

 r the submerged sea-weed or other floating matter 



oh 



which is not ('; 



watch its appri 

 pearance of the harves 



rakes and nets and rus. 

 mass on shore while if. 

 side this tl 



i.l men arc stationed t 

 jnal to the town below the ap- 

 pon which they hasten with 

 ito the sea to bring the tangled 

 omen search it for prizes. Be- 

 i system of clear water fishing, in 

 which the bottom is seen and masses of weed are dragged 

 up willi rakes into nets and so taken on shore. These 

 systems were the only ones known until about the mid- 

 dle of the sixteenth century, when the physician of the 

 Markgraf Albreeht made an attempt to dig amber from 

 the bottom, he rightly concluding that there must be 

 much of this valuable substance hidden in the sand and 

 clay, and in the year 1585, during the reign of George 

 Frederick, there was much taken on the shore of the es- 

 tate of Lochstein, yet the work seemed of no great value 

 and shortly after stopped and was never returned until 

 1781. when it received a new impetus, and by the ap- 

 proval of Staats Minister of Ifeinitz permission was 

 granted to open a " mine " of amber which was carried 

 on for twenty-four years with great sucess. All these 

 undertakings, however, faded away before the develop- 

 ment of the amber beds which were found in great 

 bunches without any mixture of blue earth, and in 1811 

 private persons were allowed to establish diggings on 

 their own coasts.and this has in these later days developed 

 info the great establishment of Messrs. Stantfen & Becker 

 at Koenigsberg, who have a lleet of fifteen steam dredg- 

 ing machines and carry on the business on a large scale. 

 The exhibition of Messrs. Stantien & Becker in the In- 

 ternational Fishery Exhibition is a splendid one. Enter- 

 ing one sees cases full of small peices of amber in the 

 rough, from the size of a pea to that of a walnut, suited 

 for the lacquer trade, and then larger pieces, with here 

 and there a bit which lias one face polished to show its 

 grain and coloration. Green, violet and red are the rare 

 colors, and are therefore highly prized, the former being 

 exceedingly rare, although very fine specimens are here 

 exhibited among the cabinet specimens as well as cu- 

 rious forms and patterns.and a great number of specimens 

 containing leaves, bark and insects, the latter of which 



_. the animal life I 



d genera, Blattina, Ifypoclina, Preno- 



nes, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera. Diptera. 



chnoidea, Polycentropus, Orthoptera. 



shota and others, with their larval 



•esting study. 



her fishery belonging to the firm 



are very interest! 

 by the families ai 



lepis, Lasins, Ter 

 Lepidoptera,, Ae 

 Neuroptera, Bhy 

 forms making a most 



The model of the a: 

 named shows the steam dredging machines in posilioi 

 with an endless belt of buckets which drag the bottom 

 and bring up the mud, which is then washed for the gems; 

 as well as the boats, nets, houses of the fishers, etc., 

 together with glass cases showing how the amber lies in 

 the sand, the blue sand and the sea-weed. 



As the fisher in the south fishes for pearls in the sea, 

 and the miner seeks for precious ore in the mine, so is 

 amber, the beautiful child of the sun, sought and fished 

 for atong the coasts of East Prussia,, and it is impossible 

 to quarrel with the learned Professor Masse, who, in his 

 enthusiastic account of the amber fisheries at the close of 

 the past century, declared that the finding of amber was 

 "the discovered Eridanus. the fruit of the tree which 

 the earth produced in the golden age." nor with his 

 associating the amber with the apples of Hesperides, 

 with tlie tree in Paradise, nor with his following this 

 train of thought until it led him to the belief that his 

 beloved gem was not only the fruit of which he spoke, 

 but that its presence in such quantities plainly showed 

 that East Prussia was in fact the exact location of Para- 

 dise. 



These thoughts are indeed poetry. and if the apples of the 

 Hesperides in passing through those mills wdrose slowness 

 is only equalled by the exceeding fineness of the pulp, 

 us we proverbially learn, were made into cider of such 

 purity that it solidified into the subject of our story, then 

 we know that horticulture has retrograded, and that it 

 cannot be done with the Newton pippins and greenings 

 of to-day plant we never so wisely. 



BLACK BASS FOR INLAND WATERS. 



THE black bass is peculiarly adapted in every respect 

 for stocking inland waters, and there is no "fish that 

 will give more abundant ami satisfactory returns for the 

 slight labor and expense attending its introduction, 



As a food lish, there are very few more palatable fresh 

 water fishes, its flesh being firm, white and flaky, and 

 when cooked, nutty, tender and juicy ; it has few bones, 

 little offal, and as a pan-fish is unexcelled. Its game 

 qualities are of the highest order, and it will thrive in 

 waters where the Salmotlidm cam 

 There are few fish more probA 

 while there are none more ban 

 able to take care of itself, andnoi 

 more tenderly for its young : coi 

 limit to its production and iuere 

 save a lack of natural food. 

 __ In view, then, of its many good qualities, there is no 

 fish more worthy of cultivation, none that can be so 

 easily transplanted, and none that is so well adapted to 

 the various waters of our country— for there is none that 

 has such an extensive original habitat, Everv attempt 

 that has been made to stock suitable waters With the 

 black bass has been crowned with signal success. 



Both species of the black bass, MUtrqptema salmoidcs 

 (Lacepede) Gill, the small-mouthed bass, and Mieropterus 

 pallidas (Kafinesque) GUI and Jordan, the large-mouthed 

 black bass (Oswego bass), are remarkably active, mus- 

 cular and voracious, with large, hard and tough mouths, 



ot exist. 



than the black bass, 

 y. healthy and better 

 e that protects or cares 

 sequently, there is no 

 use in suitable waters, 



are very bold in biting, and when hooked exhibit game- 

 ness and endurance second to no other lish. In the 

 opinion of the writer, both species are equally " gamy." 

 and equally good for the table : they generally inhabit 

 , a.ters, and there is a, slight diversity 'of habits 

 where they co-exist together. 



Natural ly.tbe small-mouthed bass prefers rocky streams, 

 or the gravelly shoals and bottom springs of Jakes and 

 ponds, while the large-mouthed bass lurks about sub- 

 merged roots of trees or sunken logs ill rivers, and delight 

 in the beds of rushes and other aquatic plants of lacus- 

 trine waters ; but both species readily adapt themselves 

 to waters of various conditions, when "transplanted, ensit 

 accommodating themselves to their surroundings, and 

 have a happy faculty of making themselves at home 

 wherever placed ; so that in some localities their habits 

 are as anomalous as their colors, which may be of any 

 shade of black, green, or yellow. 



As before stated, black bass are veiy prolific, the 

 females yielding fully one-fourth of their weight in 

 spawn. The period of spawning extends from early 

 spring until midsummer, according to the section of 

 country or temperature of wafer: in the South 

 as early as March, and in the North and West, from the 

 middle of May until the middle of July, always earlier 

 in very shallow waters, and somewhat later in those of 

 great depth, 



The bass leave their winter Quarters, in deep water, 

 about a month or six weeks previous to the spawning 

 season, at which times they can be seen running up 

 streams and in the shallow portions of lakes in great 

 numbers. Soon afterward the males and females pair off. 

 and prepare for breeding, They select suitable spots for 

 their nest, usually upon a gravelly or sandy bottom, or 

 on rocky ledges, in water from eighteen inches to three 

 feet deep in rivers, and from three to six feet deep in 

 lakes and ponds ; and, if possible, adjacent to deep water 

 or patches of aquatic plants, to Which the parent fish 

 retire if disturbed. 



The nests are circular, saucer-like depressions, varying 

 from one to three feet (usually about twice the lengl h of 

 the fish) indiameter, which are formed bv the bass by fan- 

 ning and scouring from the pebbles all the sand, silt and 

 vegetable debris by means of their tails and tins, and by 

 removing large obstacles with their mouths; this gives 

 the beds a bright, clean and while appearance, which. 

 in clear water, can be seen for a hundred yards or more. 

 Sometimes the nests are formed upon a muddy bottom, 

 with a pavement or foundation of small sticks and leaves, 

 from which the mud and slime have been washed and 

 scoured ; and as this often seems to be a matter of choice 

 — there being beds upon gravelly situations in the same 

 waters — the waiter has sometimes thought that this dis- 

 crimination in the location of the nest might be owing 

 to some difference of habits in this respect in the two 

 species of bass, but of this lie is bv no means sure. 



The females deposit their eggs upon the bottom of the 

 nests, usually in rows, winch are fecundated by the 

 males, and become glued l,o the pebbles and sticks con- 

 tained therein. Tin/eggs are hatched in from one to two 

 weeks, depending on the temperature of the v.. 

 usually in from eight to twelve days. When hatched, 

 the young bass are almost perfect! v formed, from one- 

 fourth to one-half of an inch in lenidh. and cover the en- 

 tire bed. where they can be easily .(erected by their con- 

 stant motion. After hatching, the young fry remain 



over the beds from two to seven days, usually 



four, when they scatter info the "deep water, or fake 

 refuge in the weeds, under stones, logs, or other hiding 

 places, 



During the period of incubation the nests are carefully 

 guarded by the parent fish, who remains over them fan- 

 ning the e'ggs with her tins, creating a current which 

 washes away all sediment. Cut after the eggs are 

 hatched, and while tlic young remain on thenests, her 

 vigilance " becomes increased and increasing, and all 

 suspicious and predating intruders are driven away, 



After the young bass leave the spawning beds" their 

 food at first consists.of animalcuko. larva? . bisects and the 

 ova of other fish; as they grow older and larger they de- 

 vour worms, tadpoles, small fish, etc.: and in later life 

 they vary their diet with crawfish. Frogs, muscles and 

 watersnakes, Where food is plentiful they -row rapidly, 

 reaching a length of two inches, inn lew months after 

 hutching, and at a year old will measure at least four 

 inches. At two years of age they will be found from 



eight to twelve inches in length, weigh! n l, . 



and will grow nearly or quite a pound a year thereafter 

 until they reach then maximum weight. They arrive 

 at maturity in from two to three years, according as the 

 conditions for their growth are favorable or otherwise. 



Black bass grow with wonderful rapidity where an 

 equable temperature of water and an abundanc 

 obtain, and will increase in weight,, as before stated, 

 about a pound a year ; but under adverse circumstance? 

 or unfavorable conditions their growth is much slower, 

 therefore no rule of general application can be established 

 from any single instance, i >r as the resuit of any exclusively 

 local test or experiment. Their growth' is' effected not 

 only by the supply of food and temperature of water, but, 

 also by the extent of range. Bass in small ponds 

 thrive so wall nor grow Bpfast; the smaller the extent of 

 their range the slower will be their growth : and. indeed, 

 this is true of any other fish, for, it is a well-known fact 

 that fish confined" in aquaria, in springs or wells, grow so 

 very slowly that their ij. is hardly appiv- 



om year to year, even though their supply of 

 food be abundant. An equally well-attest id - ai 



the largest bass are found in the largest bodies : ..-;.: c 



or where the range is extensive ; extreme depth of Water 

 seeming to be more favorable to their growth than mere 

 extent of sin-face. 



From, the foregoing account of the breeding and 

 growth of the black bass it will readily be seen that there 

 is no necessity for hatching it artificially in the manner 

 practiced with the salmon, trout, or shad , m 

 the method be successful, for reasons well known to fish 

 oulturists. The black bass, being hatched with but a 

 smaller rudimentary umbilical vesicle or vol!:- 

 the fostering care and attention of the parent Bh 

 teaches it how- and where to find its food, and protects 

 it from its enemies, in the same way that a hen cares for 

 her brood. 



All that is required to stock a stream or pond with 

 black bass is to procure a small number of the h 

 a year old, and place them in the waters. If the water is 



of a suitable character, and possesses a sufficient supply 

 of food, the bass will propagate naturally, and rapidly 

 increase in number. The Potomac Piver and its tribu- 

 taries, which now swarm with this desirable game fish, 

 were originally stocked with less than thirty young bass 

 from Wheeling Creek, West Virginia. 



The only considerations to be looked after are the 

 character and condition of the waters to be stocked, and 

 the supply of food contained in them. It is useless to 

 attempt to stock very small and confined ponds of less 

 than three acres in extent, for in such ponds, without 

 communication with running water, the bass will not 

 increase beyond a certain limited number, which will 

 usually be the number of fish originally planted ; for the 

 supply of natural food will soon become exhausted, and 

 the old fish will prey upon the young ones, should any 

 he hatched, until a certain average, proportionate to the 

 supply of fooil, is established and maintained. In the 

 case of newly formed ponds, they should be well stocked 

 with minnows, crustacse, frogs, etc., atleasta year before 

 the bass are introduced. It is also necessary that there 

 should be deep holes in all ponds of not less "than twelve 

 feet iu depth, to which the bass can retire in very hot 

 weather, and where they can also hibernate. 



In some waters one species of black bass may prosper 

 better than the other; for instance, in large* ponds or 

 shallow lakes, with a sluggish current, muddy bottom, 

 and abounding in fresh water algae, the large-mouthed 

 bass will thrive better perhaps than the small-mouthed 

 species ; but in streams and ponds with a good supply of 

 running water, either jor both species may bt. introduced. 

 Both species of black bass are natural to' the waters of 

 Ohio, and originally existed, in all the streams, those 

 emptying into the Ohio River as well as the, 

 into Lake Erie.— Dk. J, A. Hi:.\snAi,b. in Ohio Report. 



*je<i and §$ivct[ fishing. 



FISH IN SKASON IN (TUNIC. 



Trout, Salmn fantinalis. 

 Salmon, Salmosnlar. 



s il"i e i " 'ii "'."'''. ■•muni''. 



Land-locked Suimon, Saimo 

 glope-n. 



PBS&E WATER. 



Muskalongo, Bitot rioj 



Pike or Pickerel. Kse.r htriiia. 

 Yellow Perch, Pena , 



| Coro, Ci/inum regale. 



B' i..., -.',.', ,", ,',imy«. 

 | Kingflsh, Mi'iiiicii rn.-- nchtthmts. 



GAME AND FISH DIRECTORY. 



In sending- reports for the Forest and Stream Directory of 

 Game and Fish Resorts, our correspondents are requested to give 

 the following: particulars, with such other iniornuiiou as they 

 may deem of value: State, Town, County. Means Of aoceaa; Hotel 

 and other aeeornmodaiions; Game andlteSefl rjshfl r It 



Season; Boats, Guides, etc.; Name of person to address. 



— Address all communications to " Forest and Stream 

 Publishing Company, New York." 



a 



FLY-FISHING FOR BLACK BASS. 

 BECONJQ PAPER. 



CLICK REELS. 



THE black bass angler who has confined himself en- 

 tirely to bait fishing and a, multiplying reel, and 

 has had no opportunities for knowing anything of fly- 

 fishing and its implements, must understand that :■ click 

 reel isdndispeusable in fly-lishing. As the Uvo methods 

 of angling differ so essentially, they require reels of 

 widoiy different functions. 



The multiplying reef must be very rapid in its action 

 so as to deliver the bait as far as possible at a single cast, 

 the thumb, meanwhile, controlling the rapid render. nu 

 of the line so as to prevent back lashing of the spool; 

 but in fly-fishing the fine is lengthened ^aduaffj 



feet being taken from the reel by the hand I. : 

 subsequent cast, while the click offers the necessary re- 

 sistance to the rendering of the line to permit this to be 

 done without over-running. 



As the multiplying reel is made wide so as to allow for 

 the thumbing of the spool, and as this necessity is not 



required in the click reel, the latter is made quite nar- 

 row, thus permitting the line to be reeled without bunch- 

 ing and at the same time aQow of its being reeled rapidly 

 enough for all practical purposes without a multiplying 

 action , for the main object of a multiplying reel ia for 

 rapidity of action in casting and not in retrieving the 

 line, as is often erroneously supposed. 



After a fish is hooked a click reel answers the purpose 

 of playing and landing it as well as the best triple or 

 quadruple multiplier made— if not better; for alter I 

 flab is reeled in by main strength with a rapid multiplier 

 and an attempt, made to land It before it has been killed 

 on the rod, thus curtailing the real sport of angling and 

 at a great risk to the angler's tackle, f speak of this now, 

 for rhave heard anglers praising a rapid working quad- 

 ruple multiplying reel because they could reel in a lish 

 "so fast," basing all of its merits upon this one quality ; 

 the desire to get possession of the fish seeming to be par- 

 amount to the real sport of booking and playing it. 



Click reels are all constructed upon the same general 

 principle, but are of various patterns and composed of 

 various materials, being made of hard i ubber, celluloid, 

 brass, bronze and German silver; their weight depends 

 on the material used, and the angler has a large assort- 

 ment of styles and prices to select from. Any good trout 

 click reel is suitable for black bass fly-fishing, and can be 

 furnished by any of the first-class dealers who advertise 

 in Forest ahd Stream, 



(vers as well as any: it is simple, ' 

 od inexpensive ; is extremely narrow and takes 

 up line rapidly, while the perforations" render it light and 

 assist in drying the line and in freeing it from sand and 

 grit. 



Abbey & Imhrie make a superb reel, the ''Abbey," coin- 

 posed of hard rubber, with German silver spool, 'rim and 

 fittings , it is extremely light and has a protected bandl«- 

 to prevent fouling of the line in casting, and is first class 



