544 
FOREST AND STREAM 
wrist, and made to tie over the cuff of the shirt, will be 
found a cool and and an agreeable covering. The attacks 
of the flies alone are bad enough, but if supplemented 
with sun blisters the sufferer may as well give up at once, 
and go home and be nursed. Again, he who carefully 
consults his ^personal comfort may find advantage in 
bundling up with his traps a rubber coat, and also, if he 
chooses to run the risk of being considered a dillettante 
angler, an air cushion. The propriety of this last addi¬ 
tion to his outfit will, perhaps, be appreciated after a full 
day or two of restlessly trying to find the softest position 
at the stem of the boat. In case of sudden squalls of 
rain, which Eire liable to come upon one at most any hour, 
these articles will aid the sportsman in keeping himself 
dry and comfortable. Without them, to adopti.be words 
of Dame Juliana Berner, “Yet soryly dooth he fare. At 
mom-tyde he is wette abode unto his taylle. ” 
If you have come to the lake after a'big fish or two, 
and must have them, instruct your guide to bait a point 
for yon. He will procure a quantity of chub, cut them 
into' bits, and deposit them in some promising locality, 
and marking the spot with a buoy, will leave them over 
night, for the attraction of the fish. This may be con¬ 
tinued for several days, and if yon drop your halted 
hook among them you'are reasonably sure of punishing 
one or two of the mammoth gormandizers. All this has 
a pot hunter look about it to be sure, hut as the darkey 
fisherman said, “ if you go a cattin’, go a cattinV’ 
The reader of the aforementioned magazine articles is 
impressed with the belief that he has only to once get to 
the lakes and cast his fly to daw out 
3 trout of 7 lbs. each, 
1 ** 71 *• “ eto., etc., 
according to the insinuating manner of the scores there 
given, but let him cut off the big ends of these lists, and 
make up his mind in advance to be satisfied with a few 
fair fish, and one or two big ones, and he will have a 
much better chance of leaving the lakes satisfied, than if 
he let his ambition soar unchecked. In our party the 
most enthusiastic, persevering, and therefore the most 
successful member, made the following score in five days : 
June 15, 4 trout of 1,11, and 1 1 pounds. 
“ lfi, 1 “ 21 pounds. 
*• 17. 6 “ 1,1, 2.21, and 6 pounds. 
“ 18,1 “ 1 pound. 
" IB, 3 “ C, 11, and 2 pounds. 
“ SO, 7 “ 1,1,1,11, U, 11, and 31 pounds. 
This does not include a number of fish weighing less than 
three-quarters of a pound. Now, you enthusiast, bring 
your hopes down to the level of this score, and with 
proper tackle, possessing your soul in patience, you may 
not be disappointed. But take heed of this,’ in your 
anxiety for slaughter hasten not unduly your journey. 
Remember that all the pleasure of your vacation is not at 
the other end of the stage line, but may be found, do you 
but seek, at every step of your way thither. Enjoy to 
the uttermost your freedom from care, and the troubles 
of money-gettmg, as you journey. If a part of your way 
lies across the sea, receive with a grateful heart' the life- 
giving breezes. Bet the beauties of hill and dale, of wavy 
tree, and glistening water, upon which you may feast 
your eyes as you ride beside the sandy river, inspire with¬ 
in you a calm contentment, a quiet, peaceful joy, for, 
mayhap, the vision of nature’s beauty will prove to you 
in after days the source of greater pleasure than the hook¬ 
ing of the six-pound trout in the waters of the Rangeley 
Lakes. A. Mobce. 
BURT’S LAKE. 
Editor Forest and Stream :— 
The Solid Comfort Fishing Club of Mercer County, Pa., 
started for the Lake on the 7th inBt., via A. & G. R. R. to 
Mansfield ; thence to Fort Wayne, by P. Ft. W. & C. R. 
R.; thence to Petoskey, by Grand Rapids & Indiana R. R, 
Thence, over Crooked Railway, a small wooden Railroad, 
six miles long, just completed, to a boat landing on Crooked 
Lake called Conway, where Capt. Andrew’s tug and scow 
were chartered for our journey across Crooked Lake, 
through Crooked River and to Indian Point on this Lake, 
where we pitched our tents and called “ Camp Comfort.” 
That it is worthy of the name, none can doubt; for it is 
as beautiful a place to camp as can be found anywhere. 
We are about twenty feet above the level of the lake, in a 
biroh grove which extends many miles north of us. Burt’s 
Lake lies to the east, south, and west of us ; about a mile 
north of us is an Indian'village where the Chippewas and 
Attawas reside. They are peaceable.; can talk English, 
furnish us with milk, etc., and are willing to row or do 
anything they are requested for small compensation. The 
beach is fine for bathmg, and the water very agreeable. 
To the. right of our camp we have two springs, one of pure 
cold water, principally used for keeping butter and beer 
cool in, the other rises in a bed of white pebbles-stones 
with almost icy coldness and is impregnated with miner¬ 
als ; is clear, of excellent taste, and healthy. 
Boats running between Petoskey to Cheboygan land at 
Camp Comfort daily, upon which we get our mail, provis¬ 
ions, etc. 
There are nineteen persons in our camp ; but few of us 
are experienced fishermen. Fifteen of our party believe 
in the motto, “ Live and let live,” the others, however, 
have succeeded in catching more fish than supplies our 
camp. They have caught large quantities of bass weigh¬ 
ing four and five pounds, pickerel, six and nine pounds, 
perch and sun-fish larger than we ever saw before. Pig¬ 
eon River was visited for grayling with excellent success, 
some few muskalonga were caught at Cheboygan. Trout 
were caught without number on an average weighing 
about one pound. 
We were furnished tickets from Greenville, Pa. to Pe¬ 
toskey, Mich, and return for $15, a distance of over six 
hundred miles ; and were furnished with a eamp car from 
Fort Wayne to Petoskey by G. R. & I. R. R. We found 
the officials and employes along the several lines courteous 
and accommodating gentlemen ; so much so, that we re¬ 
gret our inability to repa y them for their many kindnesses. 
From General passenger Agt. A. B. Lees and Capt. Fred. 
Heath on G. R. & I. R. R. we received kind attention and 
valuable information, as also at the haflda of Mr. Matheria, 
8upt. of Crooked Railroad. 
From the beginning we have had a jolly time. We have 
found everything even better than it was represented to 
us, and to all lovers of a few weeks of camp ilife and of 
fishing, we would say : Hie away to the lakes of Michi¬ 
gan, for it is an excellent healthy sport that all can enjoy 
at a trifling expense. A Solid Comforter, * 
gkttthtre. 
Nebraska Fish Commission. — The following gentle¬ 
men were appointed June first ult. as the State Fish Com¬ 
mission of Nebraska : W. L. May, President; R. R. Living¬ 
ston, Plattsmouth ; H. S. Kaley, Red Cloud. The younger 
Slates and the Territories display comendable enterprise 
in fish cultural projects. They do not always wait until 
the streams and lakes have been wholly depleted of food 
fish before beginning a work which the older States have 
found so important. We recommend the caTp and its 
congeners to our Nebraska friends, as very desirable food 
fish. We cannot all have salmon and trout in our waters. 
The temperature, natural food, character of stream, aud 
other conditions in many sections of the country are more 
favorable for some of those species, which, while less 
gamy, are just as valuable in an economic sense. Carp 
culture in this country, we believe, has been attended 
with most satisfactory results. As the merits of the fish 
become more widely known, demand for its breeding will 
be large. The salmon has such a prestige that when its 
restoration to a stream is assured the fact is heralded with 
such eclat that fish culturists are inclined to slight less 
famous or fame-attending species, and so put forth their 
efforts to salmon culture, when work in other directions 
would repay them four-fold. 
Troot in the Godboui.— During the month of June the 
mouth of the river Godbout, (a river some 200 miles or 
more below Quebec, of which a correspondent has written 
at length,) swarms ’with large sea-trout. Indeed, the 
whole river is more or Ibbs occupied with these fish, which, 
so much esteemed elsewhere, are here regarded as so great 
a nuisance that the owner of the river is endeavoring to 
wipe, them out. It is believed 'that they destroy the 
salmon spawn; and as salmon are the espeoial care and 
consideration, the trout occupy secondary place. Indeed, 
the salmon anglers can hardly be tempted to fish for them 
at all, no matter with tackle however light. We learn 
that the river guardian in obedience to orders, recently 
took out some six hundred trout in hards, many of them 
scaling up to five and six pounds in weight. He is also 
netting out many of the male salmon which are out of all 
natural proportion to the females, and interfere materi¬ 
ally with their sporting business. 
#*/»/ nl Wiztorg. 
ARE THE ROBINS TOPERS? 
Houston, Texas, May 13,1879. 
EditorlForest and Stream 
St. Clair’s article in Forest and Stream of the 8th, 
on the habits of several of our common birds, interested 
me very much—as indeed everything does that comes 
from his pen. But he states some things that I can’t 
accede to. Thus, he states that the robin red-breast 
gets drunk on China berries—so drunk in fact that he 
falls from the trees in a state of beastly intoxication and 
becomes an easy prey to the little niggers who, knowing 
his habits, are on the watch-out for him. He states that 
one drink does not satisfy robin at all, but that he will 
get drunk every day as long as the China berries last. In 
other words, he states robin red-breast to be a confirmed 
drunkard who will never miss an opportunity to get his 
“skin full.” Well, I have heard this of poor robin all 
my life and I never saw one drunk yet. Has St. Clair 
e ver seen one drunk ? If he will say so point-blank I 
will beUeve it, hut don’t think he can be screwed up to 
that sticking point. 
Last winter, while hunting in the “ Big Thicket,” east 
of Houston, I came to a row of China trees on the edge 
of an abandoned field, which trees were loaded with ripe 
berries and robins by scores and, hundreds were feeding 
upon them. Feeling tired, I took a rest under a wild 
peach, not more than ten yardB from the China trees, and 
kept my eyes upon the robins to see if any would get 
drunk. I sat there two mortal hours and watched those 
robins closely, but not one of them got drunk. Or if they 
did get drunic they had a most successful way of hiding 
it. Now and then a number of them, having filled their 
crops with berries, would come to the ground ; but instead 
of keeling over in a state of drunkeness, they would skip 
along over the ground in a most lively manner, hunting 
worms. Had they been drunk I am sure they would not 
have had such lively locomotion. I departed from that 
place feeling sure that robin had been greatly slandered. 
And that is not the only time that I watched robin to 
solve the problem of his imputed addiction to drunkeness. 
In the home of my childhood in the “ Old North State,” 
there was a large China tree growing against the window 
of the bed- room in which I slept. I could sit in the 
window and pluck the berries. The robins came there 
daily to feed. Old “Uncle Cassar,” the negro gardener, 
told me that if I would watch those robins I would see 
them all get drunk and fall to the ground so I could catch 
them. “Now,” said he, “maybe they won’t fall right 
under the China tree, hut you keep your eyes on ’em and 
follow ’em; they’ll be sure to fall before they go far.” 
Well, I watched and followed those robins a whole 
blessed day, hut I did not catch a single one. Old Caesar 
laughed and told me to try them the next day; that the 
robins, seeing me watching them, took the precaution not 
to eat enough to make them drunk, but next day they 
would be very hungry and would surely get very drun k . 
I tried them on next day with no better luck and con¬ 
cluded that old Uncle Caesar was a fraud, 
Nqw, St. Clair, I believe, is a Virginian by raising, and 
I dare say he got bis idea about the robin's drunkeness 
from the negroes in his childhood, just as I got mine from 
old Uncle Caesar. The negroes used to tell me that every 
Friday all the jay-birds went to hell to bear letters to the 
Devilj and that on Fridays none could be seen except 
early in the morning and late in the evening. I firmly 
believed this and hated the jay with prodigious hatred 
until I grew old enough to think and observe for myself. 
Truly, the negroes had many strange notions, and do 
have to this day. They infiltrated the minds of the 
southern youth with many superstitious doctrines, which 
we have found it rather hard to grow out of. 
St. Clair says the red-headed woodpecker does not nest 
in the South. But they do here. Only a few days ago I 
found one’s nest. They are very numerous with us in the 
spring and early summer, but disappear almost entirely 
later on. In winter I do not recollect ever seeing one in 
Texas. Where do these birds hibernate anyhow? Their 
gay plumage seems to bespeak them'of the tropics. 
§t, Clair states the crow to be a great thief, whose chief 
desert is to be killed as a nuisance. We do not so regard 
liim here. On the contrary we regard him as a benefactor 
to the farmer, and our Legislature has lately thrown 
around him the aegis of its protection. It has made him 
a sacred bird whom no man may shoot. This on the 
ground that he is supposed to be a great annihilator of 
bugs and worms. Our Solons would not have erected 
him into this sacredness if there was not strong testimony 
that he does infinitely more good than harm. 
WHEN DEER FEED. 
Editor Forest and Stream :— 
There was one matter under discussion in the 
September and October numbers of your paper that 
interested me very much. That was as to whether deer 
were or were not influenced by the moon in feeding. 
Now, there are many hunters, including myself, who are 
firm believers on the affirmative side'of the question, 
although very few of us were ever in Florida or know 
anything about the opinions of hunters there upon the 
subject. 
Several years ago I found myself in San Diego Co., 
Cal., with but little money and nothing to do ; so I spent 
the winter hunting for the market there, the principal 
game on the land being deer and quail. The country for 
many miles around the bay is destitute of timber but 
covered with a low brush that is seldom foimd over three 
feet high. Deer could therefore often he seen feeding at 
the distance of half a mile or more. I did only still 
hunting and I became so well convinced there that the 
deer fed most when the moon was above the horizon that 
I hunted them only at such times, and devoted the re¬ 
mainder to quail shooting. On one occasion I watched 
two large bucks when, according to the almanac, the 
moon would set about four o’clock in the afternoon. It was 
about one o’clock, P.M., when I first saw them and they 
fed during the hottest part of the afternoon, lying down 
both at the same time within half an hour of the setting 
of the moon. 
Of course this one instance establishes nothing. I 
mention it because I watched them with the object under 
discussion in view, but I found by experience that I 
could seldom get sight of a deer there when the moon 
was down unless I started him from his couch. 
In your;issue of October 24th, “Ned Buntline” ex¬ 
presses his opinion that deer feed “when they are hungry.” 
Very sensible : but in the same article he gives the follow¬ 
ing as evidence that they pay no attention to the moon. 
He says: “ How many of us, who used to be up early for 
trout along the lakes and streams in the Adriondacks, 
have startled them at dawn as our boat washed along the 
shores? How often at sunset have we watched them 
cropping the tender grass on the glades near by our 
camp?” Now, with all due respect for “Ned’s” forest 
lore. I cannot see that this touches the point in question. 
He says nothing as to where the moon was at these times. 
It certainly was just as likely to have been up as down, 
and it is very possible that he knew nothing at all of itB 
whereabouts upon the occasions he writes about. 
Forked Deer. 
The author of the Grand Menan Notes, published, 
in our last issue, and once read before the Linnean Society 
of this city, writes that the paper was never intended for 
publication, and in its present form does him great injus¬ 
tice. Owing to the absence of our Natural History edi¬ 
tor we are unable now to ascertain by whom the paper 
was sent to us for publication; hut we need not explain 
that we have acted in good faith in using, it, and heartily 
regret any wrong which may have been done to the au¬ 
thor by another party. 
The Migratory Quail.— We are beginning to receive 
reports from the migratory quail which were received early 
in June through Mr. H. P. Tobey, of Boston, and planted 
out. Porsonally we feel much indebted to the corres¬ 
pondents who have sent us these notes, and who may not 
be aware of the eager avidity with which each line will 
be scanned by hundreds of sportsmen. We observe that 
these birds builjl their nests, so far as known, in mead¬ 
ows, selecting localities not far from farm houses. The 
scythe and mowing machine are, therefore, their most 
fatal enemies, and we know not by what instinct the hon¬ 
est farmer may be able to avoid cutting them up. We 
hope other friends will have more to report 
ROCKLAND, Me., July 25. 
'ditor Forest and Stream :— 
At your suggestion I kept eight quail and put them into 
pen, hoping they would lay and batch out some chicks, 
ut though there was plenty of love-making they did 
ot lay, and I let them go. When I received the quail 
had no wav of distinguishing the sexes, and after I had 
samed to tell the males from the females, I^ouml that.I 
