July 28, 1880.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



509 



Northern Range oe the Blue Grqskbax. — In your 

 issue of June 34th. a paragraph states that (his species 

 was shot in Massachusetts hi May last, Iu order to give 

 ifcsmosl northern range. I maj nay that I secured a fine 

 male specimen some years ago on the norlb shore of the 

 St. Liwrcm ". >.i,|,-. !(■■ i;ic. i (iiiriK- 1 published this Caot 

 in flu- ( •iiiui.nian Naturalist at th.it time. 



MotumO, Oanada, Wii, Coi 



$slt §nlkrq, 



—Address aH communications to "Forest and Stream 

 Publishing Company, New Ycrb." 



HATCHING THE SPANISH MACKEREL. 



THIS valuable fish, Cybium maculatum, the firet 

 hatching of whose eggs by the United States 

 Fish Commission we noticed last week, was first dis- 

 covered to be spawning in Chesapeake Bay by Mr. R. B. 

 Bail], of the Commission, who hatched the first fish on 

 t^e 29th of June of this year. It seems that his atten- 

 ti«i was attracted to it by finding one with ripe eggs 

 while he was gathering fishery statistics for the census 

 in Mobjack Bay, an arm of the Chesapeake, and on going 

 over to the east side of the latter he found the- fish in 

 much greater numbers in the vicinity of Crisfiehl, where 

 it has been caught by the local fishermen for many years, 

 but its movements and spawning habits were not at all 

 known. Here Mr. Earll found that the fish were just 

 beginning to spawn.and he immediately started for Wash- 

 ington to report his discovery to Prof. Baird, whose 

 delight at tbe announcement far exceeded that with 

 which he had .just received a telegram from Germany 

 telling him that the first prize, the Emperor's Cup, had 

 been awarded to him at the International Fishery Ex- 

 hibition in Berlin for the best collection illustrating the 

 fishery resources and fish culture of America. Mr. Earll 

 was immediately sent back to the spawning grounds 

 with instructions to make a full investigation, hatch 

 some if possible, and report. This he did, and with such 

 hatching apparatus as he could gather he made the trial 

 with perfectly satisfactory results, hatching about a half 

 million of fish in three or four different lots. His first 

 lot was washed out of the boxes by a storm ; he then 

 covered them and hatched some which went through the 

 wire-cloth aud escaped, although this was of thirty-two 

 wires to the inch, a fact which gives an idea of the small- 

 nessof the youug fish. He then fastened a covering of 

 coarse cotton on the top of the wire-cloth aud had the 

 pleasure of seeing the fry remain after hatching. The 

 water was SIS Fahr., and the fry hatched hi eighteen 

 hours after impregnation, but swam belly up on the first 

 day on account of the large oil globule which prevents 

 them from going below. The next daj- they righted 

 and in two days they were enabled to go to the bottom. 

 They are reported as being unusually hardy, forty of 

 them having been kept for two days in a glass globe 

 without change of water. 



The subsequent experiments of Major Ferguson have 

 confirmed the observation of Mr. Earll, andtho next sea- 

 son there will no doubt be many millions of this tooth- 

 some fish hatched by the Fish Commission, for most for- 

 tunately its season begins after that of the shad has closed 

 and at a time when the Fish Hawk has little else to do. 

 It will be entirely feasible to transport the fry of this fish 

 by steamer to Delaware Bay and other parts wherever 

 they may be desired, and so to increase the stock in many 

 places. Their great numbers of eggs, from 200,000 to 

 500,000 in an individual, and short period of hatching, 

 render it possible to turn out immense quantities dur- 

 ing their extended spawning season. 

 11 (Another fact was established in these experiments ; 

 that is, the ability of the fry of the Spanish mackerel to 

 live in brackish water, it being believed heretofore that 

 this fish could only survive in very salt water. Mr, Earll 

 certainly has reason to feel proud of his discovery, which 

 is a most important one to the fish culturist, the epicure 

 and the fisherman, for this dainty fish is very irregular in 

 its appearance in our markets, and consequently varies in 

 price greatly, being ranked by many as the best of all 

 fishes for broiling,and when plenty seldom selling for less 

 than twenty -five cents a pound, but when scarce often 

 bringing a dollar. 



McCloud Rtveb Salmon. — United Stales Fishery, 

 Baird, 'Shasta County, Cat,, July 1st,— The salmon in 

 the McCloud River seem to be more plentiful than 

 this season. We caught with a small piece of net, about 

 one-sixth the size of an ordinary seine, one evening last 

 week, 150 salmon at one haul." This, of course, would 

 be nothing to speak of after our bridge and rack for ob- 

 structing the salmou are in, but the river is now entirely 

 free from obstructions. 



The character of the rod fishing is well shown by the 

 fact that Master James Maynard. Jr., of San Francisco, 

 caught opposite our bouse, 'with a bamboo rod, ten sal- 

 mon before 9 o'clock last Thursday morning, the largest 

 three of which weighed respectively 14 pounds,' 12 

 pounds and 10 pounds. 



The trout ponds of the United States Fish Commission 

 here are a superb Bight, probably not equalled in the 

 world. We have in all nearly a thousand trout, a large 

 proportion of which weigh over four pounds. We are 

 adding to the number everyday as rapidly as we can, 

 and hope to have nearly two thousand bv tins time next- 

 year, The subsistence question in tliis department prom- 



ises to assume appalling proportions ; as a whole deer now 

 only lasts the trout two days. Luckily we have salmon 

 to feed them on in the summer. Those that want Me- 

 I 'loud River trout (Sabaio iridea) for public distribution 

 can probably gel all tliej wish Cor this year by making 



seasonable lj ii m to Prof, Baird, Uhiti i btai 



Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, Although a beauti* 

 fuland delicious fish, the Saint" iridea will live ami 

 thrive in warmer and muddier waters than the Salmo 

 fontinalis, and consequently particularly commends it- 

 self to the inhabitants of the States lying south of the 

 natural habitat of the font inalis. Livingston Stone. 



Imported Saibling and Wuitefish.— United States 

 Fishery, Baird, Shasta County, Col.. July nth.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream :-l had the good fortune to receive 

 last winter from the German Government, through the 

 kindness of Heir yon dem Borne, of the Deutsche Kiseherei 

 Verein, a present of several thousand egga each of two va- 

 rieties of the whitefish of Lake Constance, Switzerland, 

 and twenty thousand eggs of the variety of German 

 trout known as saibling (Salmo sal rrlinus). 



Most of the eggs arrived in good order. The white- 

 fish, soon after being hatched, were turned loose, and the 

 young saiblings I left with Mr, Gilbert, of Plymouth, 

 Mass.. to bo reared in his ponds, lam happy to in form 

 your readers that M r. Gilbert gives the following favorable 

 report of them: "Thesaiblim_ r s aredoing finely. None have 

 died, and they grow much faster than trout (Salmo fon- 

 tinaiia). As I hey grow they resemble a trout (fontinalis) 

 very much ; in fact, if they were together it would be 

 impossible to pick out the trout {fontinalis) from the 

 saiblings. Their habits, however, are different from 

 those of the trout. I think they feed more off the bot- 

 tom, picking up the insects. They do not seem to eat 

 one another, as trout do. I think they are a hardy, rapid 

 growing and easily raised fish." 



From Mr. Gilbert's description of the young saiblings, 

 it would appear that they might be quite a desirable lish 

 to introduce into this country. Livingston Stone, 



FISH IN SEASON IN AUGUST. 



TKEBH WATER, 



Trout, Salmo fontinalis. 

 Salmon, Salmo salar. 

 Lake Trout, Salmo namaycush. 

 Land-locked Salmon, Salmi 

 salar. 



Black Bass, Micro t iicri 



i Maskalonwe, E»or nobiltor. 

 I Pike or Pickerel, Esoj; luc.Uis. 

 ITelUw Perch, Perce ■/«,-.■ .oi,.: 

 Grayling, Tlii/mallus tricolor. 



,■ saltnuidcs; M, vallidus. 



SALT WATER. 



Sea Bass, Cenbxiprlstns atrarius. I Bluetlsli, Pimustomus i s ; 



Sheepsbead, Archwartins yroha- Spanish Mackerel, Cyhium mac- 

 loceplmlus. I uleittcm. 



Striped 1-las.s, Rnceus liiojalus. | Cere, Ciihhunrojalc. 

 Winie r-Vivh./ii./'.'jj'' ami nVtiiai. BuDlio, Sofia /jo'iimf/fi. 

 Weakfish, Ciinoscion reualvi. \ IChiKlbh. Mauiiamia nebalosus. 



More American Enterprise,— The quantity of silk- 

 worm gut at present in New York City is far greater 

 than ever before, but the quality is, as a rule, very bad. 

 As anglers, we must see this fact and mourn over it, for 

 without good gut, good fishing tackle is an impossibility. 

 What is comparatively a small matter to us is a great 

 matter to manufacturers. Our friends, Abbey & Imbrie 

 (who consume rather more than half of the entire impor- 

 tation of Spanish gut), found each year that the grades 

 were lower than the preceding year, and that each year 

 there was more and more rough aud worthless gut ad- 

 mixed in every hundred, Last spring, therefore, Mr. 

 Imbrie went over to Spain to seo -what could be done. 

 He found that all the best gut was produced in Murcia ; 

 that made elsewhere being entirely unfit for use. After 

 a long and careful investigation, he concluded to estab- 

 lish a factory there for his firm, as otherwise it would not 

 be possible to guarantee quality or be certain of a regular 

 supply. This necessitated a great deal of trouble and 

 the outlay of a large amount of money. But success has 

 crowned his efforts, aud Iris firm are recently in receipt 

 of the "first fruits "of their factory. They have re- 

 stored the old grades, and the gut is the smoothest and 

 roundest we ever saw. We know that all anglers an I all 

 makers of fishing tackle will rejoice in the possibility of 

 obtaining good gut front this time forward, and we con- 

 gratulate this firm on this still further evidence of their 

 undaunted pluck and perseverance. We know that they 

 do not go into anything heetllessly, and we are sure that 

 they will make money out of their venture, though it 

 does almost take one's breath away to find an American 

 firm establishing the largest factory of its kind about 

 4,000 miles away from home. 



« . 



Are there Trout in the French Broad v— Will yon 



kindly tell me whether there is any good trout fishing to 

 be had in that part of North Carolina called the "French 

 Broad," the western part, I believe. I am anxious to take 

 a trip through there on account of the beautiful scenery, 

 but do not particularly care to unless I can throw a fly 

 most of the time. A. F. J. 



Can any of our readers give us definite information 

 about the fishing in the stream named and about the dis- 

 trubution of trout in North Carolina ; in what counties 

 and streams they are found V There seems to bo uo reli- 

 able information at hand upon this point. 



Salmon in the PENOBSCOT, — A dispatch from Bangor, 

 Maine, July 27th, says: Just returned from a day's 

 salmon hshing on East Branch Penobscot. Hooked two 

 salmon. They are plenty and readily take a fly. 



H. l. Leonard. 



* 



A Hint to Tackxiu Dealers.— ETew York fishing 

 tackle dealers would tind it very profitable to exhibit 

 their tine fishing tackle at the coining Cincinnati Indus- 

 i .ii Exposition, which is now advertising for space al- 

 lotments, Cincinnati sportsmen are almost altogether 

 dependent on New York dealers for line fishing tackle. 



TROUTING IN NEW BRUNSWICK. 



fHE rounds to my bear trails usually took three days, 

 but to gaiu a, da\ lor a visit to '|he •' Kilbiiru " 1 



1 ! two, finishing up at noon by bringiugina fine 



bear. 



Section hot,,. Win. Glew, with v 1 i i ,. i ii amping at 



Sugar Brook, on the line of N. B. & C, R. I;., kindly per- 

 mitted his sons, George and Bob. and their cousin, Tom- 

 my Turk, to accompany me. At .'Mo p.m. the last train 

 passed north, leaving the track clear. A sack was stowed 

 with bread, salt pork, salt, tea, sugar, frying pan, tin pail 

 for boiling tea, and two drinking cups : ni} r top-coat and 

 blanket tied compactly for a seat in tbe birch, case of 

 rods, landing net, ride and axe, comprised the luggage. 

 The hand-car was rolled on to the track to receive u$, 

 and " all aboard ! " and we. were oh for a four miles run. 

 as East as three pair of muscular arms, incited by antici- 

 pated sport, could propel it. 



Arriving at 56 Carry, the car was put off on a turnout 

 in a jiffy, and the one and a quarter trail entered. This 

 brought us, in due time, to tbe head of dead water on 

 the lesser inlet. In a few moments George and Bob pro- 

 duced their birch from its resting place in the woods, and 

 while it was being launched and trimmed, I hung up my 

 rod with a black palmer and black may for a bait. The 

 distance to the lake is about a mile, as the crow flies, but 

 its sinuous windings double ilie distance. It is a lovely 

 stream, and the lower halt' discloses deep, broad reaches 

 of water at every bend, where the trout most congregate. 

 At each of these pools we make a brief tarry, and by the 

 time we reach the lake a dozen or more fine trout are 

 taken, It is then decided to cross the lake, one mile, to 

 "Camp Stewart," have an early supper, so as to enjoy 

 the best fishing between sunset and dark. 



Arriving at the landing George proceeds to dress some 

 trout, while Bob and Tom go up to camp and start the 

 fire. Tom essays the roll of cook by virtue of having 

 once served in the capacity of steward on a coaster, and 

 while the culinary affairs are progressing I light my briar- 

 wood and lie down on what was once a luxurious couch 

 of cedar boughs, and muse upon the past. 



Here, in the hunter's camp, built by old Pete Sebattis, 

 four of us met annually, and spent a season of unalloyed 

 happiness, which again passes in review. Again Neal, 

 Will and Jack surround me, recounting the sports of 

 the day, and mapping out for the morrow. Now, it is 

 near midnight ; the wood is piled on for the night, for 

 the nights here are cool, howbeit the days are warm ; the 

 light flashes upon strings of; duck, partridge and trout 

 suspended around, and Jack's rich, deep voice wakes the 

 echoes of the wooded hill with " Three Black Crows " and 

 "Paddy O'Boyle," by way of benediction, as we turn hi. 

 Ah 1 dear old camp ! Thy pleasures will be ever green 

 in memory. 



But supper is ready, and the deacon seat serves 

 for table, slices of bread for plates, which absorb the 

 drippings of the luscious trout, which are dissected 

 thereon by fingers and hunting knife. Trout and plate 

 disappear together. 



I would here digress to say that to fry trout evenly 

 they should be scored across slightly in several places on 

 the sides ; it prevents curling up. The meal ended, pipes 

 are lighted, the remaining food hung up out of the way 

 of vermin and "varmints," and we again launch the 

 birch, this time for the upper or maiu inlet, where we 

 arrive in time to tind the water fairlj- boiling with jump- 

 ing trout. Tbe same cast of dark flies (No. 8 hook) are 

 i a Lea soon as they touch the water. Singles and pairs 

 are killed and landed till " you can't rest." No time now 

 to fight flies, which settle clown upon one as a cloud, 

 though ever and anon the eyelashes gather them to the 

 extent of blinding, when they must be brushed out. As 

 twilight deepens, the jumps suddenly cease, and no ef- 

 forts can get another rise. The sp'ort was brief, but 

 grandly exciting. But pen of mine cannot portray it in 

 detail ; besides, the theme is hackneyed, and those who 

 have been there know all about it. When we return to 

 the landing, the boys are to have their sport (?), Drift- 

 wood is piled on a fiat rock and fired. Stout cord and 

 cod hooks, attached to improvised poles of alder, and 

 with chunks of pork for bait, each takes position on a 

 rock aud enjoy themselves lifting out, the beautiful fish 

 attracted there by the light. This is kept uo till Tom 

 slips from his rock and fetches up waist-deep in water. 

 This is a damper, surely, and necessitates a lire at the 

 camp, and, as there is a new camp built by the lumber- 

 men last fall a few rods above the one described, where 

 the boughs are comparatively fresh, we hie on to it, and 

 soon Tom is seen with simply vest and hat on, drying hiss 

 other garments by a fire, built against a large birch 

 stump in front of camp. While this is going on, the lads 

 amuse themselves with a greasy pack of cards', playing 

 the game of forty-fives. At 11 o'clock wo turn in, and 

 the word is passed to turn out at daylight for a brief trip 

 up the main inlet. Four o'clock finds us there. The 

 sport is not as good as the previous evening: but. iu the 

 cool of flio morning and absence of flies, quite enjoyable. 

 We are back to camp, cook break fast ; string of trout 

 some thirty pounds, running from half a pound to one 

 and three- fourths, and start on our return before 8 o'clock. 

 The rod is tried fit inlet returning, but not a rise is ob- 

 tained. The sky is clear, and the rays of the sun are too 

 scorching. The birch is again laid away to rest for ono 

 week, the trail taken, and in due time the car is reached, 

 and we return to Sugar Brook after an absence of [ess 

 than twenty hours, every moment of which was rife with 

 supremest enjoyment, and another red letter added to 

 the calendar of life. Corporal Lot Warfleld. 



llilhboro Bridge, N. II., July lath, 



Nf.w Jersiov.— Riverside House, Forked ffivei 

 24Mi..— Weakfishiug continues to be very good, and ail 

 hands are enjoying the spoil:, including" the ladies and 

 children. The Bella, Capt. Joel Jiarkalow, with Prof. A. 

 M, Mayer and Mr. B. W. Lee. iu two days took 148 weak- 

 fish, some of which would turn the scales at three pounds. 

 The Professor uses a light tly-rod, which he handles with 

 great dexterity, and has no end of sport when he hooks 

 a big one. The Meitlie, with Messrs. D. I>. Aeker, Jr., and 

 II. Thompson, of New York, on the 20th caught seventy, 

 and on the 21st, forty. These were all large iish. 

 which would weigh nearly four pounds.' They had fine 

 sport; nearly half of the fish were caught by the wives 

 and children of the gentlemen, who generally go, 

 with them. Our other yacht, the Idle Hoars has also. 



