FOREST AND STREAM 
688 
Ohio — Cincinnati. Sept. 13 th. —The first of a series of 
six matches, to be held by the Cincinnati Shooting and 
Fishing Club, for club prizes. Bates & Baum rubber 
band trap, with screen; 20balls per man :— 
IV. A. Caldwell. 
O.Tnpr ..... 
W. Campbell_ 
l) Sroddanl.... 
H. J. K i itch. 
Cl. W. 1’ieknrd_ 
(’.M. Applv . 
W. Miller.:. 
.1. Whetstone ... 
T. Johnston. 
.1 II 1 1 1 1 n i i i l i l 1 1 11 1 1 -Ih 
. .1101111101101101110 l-m 
..1001101101111101111 1-15 
..l 1 i l l i i l o l i o o i o n l i 1 i—i.i 
.0010111111101110111 0-14 
..o-i o i n o l o o o l l o o 11 i l i i-ii 
. .0 0111111000000 100110-0 
.0 0000011111101011 ov 
. .0 1 1 1 0 1 1 I 1 1 w 
.. 111 0 0001100110111 w 
DEER SHOOTING IN TEXAS. 
/—\N the morning of the 15th inst. three of your readers 
V_y started from this port in the good little sloop Ethel, 
for a tour of observation, recreation, and venison. Sailed 
all flay to the east and then north, with light head winds, 
and anchored off St. Joseph’s Island at about 5 p.u. 
“ Old Mitch " and your subscriber went ashore to hunt 
for a certain “ Tule lake," said to he somewhere iu that 
locality, and supposed to be a favorite watering place for 
deer. But the fates were against us, for it had rained 
one of those little Texan showers which usually follow a 
six months drouth, and we found an average of about six 
inches of water on the fials between us and the sand hills 
on the Gulf side of the island. Now don't imagine be¬ 
cause this water rained down that it was fresh. It was 
Palter than a kiss from Lot's wife would have been after 
she looked back, for these fiats were before the rain, cov¬ 
ered with from two to six inches of pure crystal salt. 
A walk of a mile over these flats through coarse, bunchy 
grass, which harbored millions of mosquitoes, brought us 
to a higher dry table-land of about half a mile in width, 
in the centre of which stood what appeared to be a big 
yellow post. After looking at it for a few moments we 
concluded it was a deer, and for once we guessed right. 
It proved to he an old doe ; she turned broadsides to us, 
and I let loose with my Pacific Ballard, 44-calibre, 75 
grains powder, everlasting shells, patched bullets, etc., 
and then that old doe turned loose, too, and her fawn got 
loose also; for as far as we could see they were busy 
hunting for a place a long way from where we were. We 
tried the sand hills and found nothing, and started hack 
for the boat just as the sun set. “Old Mitch” found a 
family of rattlesnakes in a hole, and we had our revenge 
on them. We got awav with ten of the varmints. We 
didn’t stay long iu that vicinity, for the mosquitoes grew 
bold and ive were glad to leave a strip of clear water be¬ 
tween us and them. Next morning we hoisted sail and 
moved up the island to the “ scrags,” a famous resort for 
deer. We got there at noon and anchored. 
The • 1 scrags ” are clumps of bushes set in salt flats. 
We found no deer tracks and only one deer. As I was on 
the way back to the boat, just ready to give up in dis¬ 
gust, a yearling buck bounced out of the bunch of bushes 
and ran past me to the bunch I was steering for. When 
just abreast, about seventy-five yards off, I turned the Pa¬ 
cific Ballard, double set triggers, cleariug rod under the 
barrel, etc., loose on him. I heard the ball spat as it 
went through him and saw it strike in the water at least 
two hundred yards beyond. That deer had a hard time 
to make the “mott” of bushes, and I expected to find 
turn dead when I got there ; but to my surprise he jumped 
up and ran as though nothing was the matter. I had to 
let the old Pacific loose once more, and he tumbled. The 
ball had travelled through him endways and spoilt one 
ham and shoulder. The first ball went in a little hole 
■just hack of his ribs, and came out of a big one directly 
opposite, from which his entrails were protruding. W e 
uited him aboard after dressing him, and made sail for 
Shamroc k, on the road home, a place which we had left 
for the last, as what we killed there we could carry back 
to Corpus Christi. We reached Shamrock at 10 f.m., hav¬ 
ing stopped at Shell Bank to get supper. Our sleep was 
tranquil. At daylight I was put ashore to take a stand, 
for this was a long narrow peninsula and all were to 
drive but one. I found a narrow place sLxty yards wide, 
and among a lot of Spanish daggers I found a nice hole in 
the ground to sit down in and smoke. The balance ot 
oiu- party set sail for the point of the peninsida, two miles 
distant, and I rolled a cigarette and smoked to keep off 
the mosquitoes. 
I had only half finished my first cigarette when I saw 
the deer coming, and I dropped my smoke and picked up 
mv ten guage Nichols & Lefever, loaded with mne buck¬ 
shot in each barrel. , . , , , 
On they came, all unconscious of danger, eight heavy 
antlered bucks loping lazily along. As they passed with¬ 
in thirty yards of me I picked out the two largest ones 
and turned the “ scattering scopet” loose. It was really 
grand the stvle those old monarclis had. One dropped 
with a broken back and the other ran on fifty yards and 
turned and faced me. Just after I tired the two cluu'geB 
of buckshot I picked up the Pacific Bafiard and turned 
loose at the last buck as he passed ; but although only 
thirty yards distant, I made a clean miss. 1 shoved in 
another everlasting shell and was just drawing a bead on 
the buck that was looking at me, when he sank down 
dead. He had four buckshot through and through him, 
one. directly through the heart. I bled these two deer 
and went back to finish my smoke. I think I had smoked 
about two cigarettes when 1 saw more deer coming. 
They were a drove of does, seven in number, and they 
stopped about fortv yards distant and looked back. YV ith 
rifle in hand I scanned them to find one with horns, 
but the beads were all smooth, and I would not shoot 
them, as they are poor now. They saw me after a while 
and being penned, took to tbe water and swam a mile to 
file main island. 
Just then a fawn showed his ears above tiie grass about 
sixty yards off, and I spoilt him with a rifle ball before lie 
found out what 1 was. So 1 had two big fat bucks and 
one fawn for my half horn’s work. I dressed my game 
and by that time the hunters who were driving had come 
up and the boat returned. ■ „ _ . , . 
We hoiBted sail at 7:30 a.ji. and reached Corpus Christi 
at 11 a. M., just in time to dress for dinner. We are 
watching for the ducks and geese impatiently, and hope 
some of the sportsmen of the north will pay us a visit to 
help shoot them. „ , , , ,, . , 
Lots of deer, turkey, quad, ducks and geese all winter. 
Bexar. 
Corpus Christi, Texas, Aug. 19 th. 
and Oliver Jfinhmn. 
FISH IN SEASON IN OCTOBER. 
Black Bass. Minroptcr 
M. nioriain#. 
Muskalonirc, EtarJenobilior. 
SAM 
Sen Buss, Sctaftmps oeeTMtus. 
Striped Bass. Hoecus limatux. 
White Perch,M»av>nc®m<rl4iono. 
Weakfisli, Cynnac.imt rcuali*. 
Blueflsh, Pomatomw sultulric. 
PllSSU WATF.lt. 
ea lino -i Pike nr Pickerel, Exox Indus. 
Telloiv Perch, Perea jlaveseem 
IV ATF.H. 
I Spanish Mackerel, Cyhlvm mae- 
I i/Iafum. 
Coro, Cyhium reydle. 
Benito, Sarrlr.l pelamye. 
| Ring-Ash, Mcntieinus ncbulosus. 
Fluctuations in the Salmon Fisheries. —We can 
gather some general knowledge from the following sta¬ 
tistics which may be of service to us in estimating prob¬ 
abilities. Migrations of fish of all kinds cannot be de¬ 
pended upon with certainty. Shore fish come and go 
vitkout fixed-periodicity. After many years of abun¬ 
dance they suddenly- disappear altogether, and after an 
interval return again, 
scarcity are therefore needless. The ocean is broad and 
deep, and its fish supply is not easily exhausted—nor will 
it ever be while the human race survives. 
One peculiar feature in the subjoined statistics of the 
salmon catch is the immense proportion of grilse taken. 
In America the proportion is relatively very much less. 
What we copy is taken from the London Field, and re¬ 
fers to the season of 1879 on the river Tay, as compared 
with other seasons enumerated :— 
The net-fishing season on the Tay, which closed on 
Wednesday, Aug. 20tli, has been undoubtedly the worst 
experienced for a great number of years. The cause is 
difficult to discover. Nothing exceptional seems to have 
occurred on the Tay, and no trace of salmon disease was 
observable. Some parties, however, woidd attribute the 
scarcity to the severity of last winter; but it has not 
been proved that severe winters have had an injurious 
effect on the salmon produce. The winter of 1878-79 
was certainly the hardest we have seen since 1838. In 
the latter year the storm lasted ten weeks, and the Tay 
was frozen over from Scone down to the mouth of the 
Bam for nearly eight weeks, and public dinners were 
held on the ice-bound river opposite the town of Perth. 
That was a hard winter in earnest; but did it affect the 
salmon produce? The returns of the produce of the whole 
fishings in-tbe Tay, made up by the authority of the Perth 
Navigation Act. and extending from 1836 to 1846, will 
enable us to judge—during which period, be it noticed, 
the operations for deepening the river were in progress : 
son by salmon-nets set at the mouth of the river, hut Fish 
Commissioner Whitcber has promised that, these obstruc¬ 
tions shall not interfere next season : 
First came Judge Hadley- and George .Dawson, of Al¬ 
bany : next. Col. Charles H. Smith, of New York City, 
and following at intervals were Bishop Bissell and John 
Grant, of Vermont; Walter M. Brackett, David H. Blan- 
eliaxd, John Shields and I. Sargent, jr., of Boston: Mr. 
Penfald, N. Y. Gifford, J. Q. A. Ward and H. K. Brown, 
all artists of reputation; also Mr. Sweet and Mr. Lyons, 
and last, Street and Green of New York. 
FISHING ON THE ST. MARGUERITE. 
Salmon. 
1K38. 27,623 .. 
1837 . 23,871 .. 
1838 . 2M1I2 .. 
1839 .23.1181 .. 
1810. 12,050 . 
1841. 24.374 .. 
Grille. 
., 32,672 I 1842 .. . 
. 64,0113 1843. 
,, 41,33'I j 13*4. 
.. 23,754 j 1845. 
.. 30,1(32 11846. 
.. 33,5621 
Salman. 
.. 20,779 . 
... 35-079 . 
... 31,213 . 
... 21,282 . 
... 33,807 . 
Orilv. 
... 80,539 
... 43,314 
.. 31,358 
... 44,4-39 
... 29,954 
'Mr. Editor—1 saw ill one of your recent letters from Canada 
a recommenda tion Of the river St. Marguerite. 1 am sorry to con- 
trafUetsueh an authority as you are, hut I have heon there. I 
leased a station on the river this season, with the understanding 
that the same arrangements were to Remade with the net owners 
at Tadousac us in previous years, 1. e,, that Messrs. Russell & 
Powell were to pay a certain sum to have the nets raised three 
- ~. days a week, including Sunday. When I got to the river I found 
Apprehensions of perpetual thut 110 gue ij amuiKHnif.-nt had been made. The nets were left 
down every day except Sunday. I was on the river five weeks 
and only seventy salmon had.been taken by eighteen rods, (while 
the nets at Tadonsac took plenty of Ash). This was not the fault 
of the anglers, as there were no salmon in the river. X went in my 
canoe over almost all the pools on the river, and as a rule there 
would not be ten fish per mile—most all the time none at all in 
the pools. On my section of the river there were eight pools, and 
for the lost three weeks there were not fifteen fish in the whole of 
them, and a large portion of those were net marked. There were 
three rods on my section, and ouv entire catch was seven fish. 
The pools were fished carefully every day, and one at least of the 
fishermen was an experienced salmon fisher. This does not speak 
■ery highly for the river. As regards the honses on the river, I 
ras told hy Mr. Russell that I should find everything necessary In 
my house, but I found my outfit very deficient. I should never 
advise anyone to go the St. Marguerite unless they were sure that 
the nets at Tadousao were lifted for three days a week, and bad- 
been so lifted for at least a year previous to their going there, 
otherwise it is simply time and money thrown away. If anyone 
doubts the above statements, I stand ready to prove them, and 
give further details at any time. J. SaeobSt, Jr. 
BrooltUnc, Mae s.. Sept. 20 th. 
Remarks.—A s we understand this matter, the party 
who is really to blame for the dearth of the river, is the 
Canadian Government, which leases the estuaries for 
nets, and the upper waters for rods. It strikes us that 
the lessees of the river must he common sufferers 
with the anglers to whom they sub-let fishing privile¬ 
ges.— Ed.] _ 
Mt. Desert. —One and one-half miles from the Free¬ 
man House, Southwest Harbor, and reached by a foot 
path, is what is known as “ tlie marsh,"" a bit of brackish 
water, full of deep holes. In these pools are great num¬ 
bers of large trout. Col. Hayden, of Cleveland, Ohio, well 
known to sportsmen east and west, spent some time there 
the past summer and reports the trip, the scenery, sport 
and surroundings delightful. 
.Magog, Sept. 18th.— I have an old friend some twenty 
miles from here, whom I make a point of visiting twice 
every year to spend a few days trout fishing. Will, is a 
first rate fellow, and a lucky down fisher. I always have 
a good time. I think he would divide his last worm, and 
give up his last line, And fish with his suspenders, to 
accommodate a friend. As I bad hut two days this time 
I started from Will’s for one of my old pools in Black 
River, where I caught the largest trout I ever captured 
some five years ago, but there has a change come over 
that old place, for I tried all my fancy flies but could not 
get a rise; then bait, with no better luck; could not get 
the color. The next day we went to a small pond where 
w® had splendid luck : we took them in fast. I weighed 
five of them ; they tipped the beam at seven pounds—we 
caught no small ones—the handsomest colored trout I 
ever saw They were copper color ; acted tame, and some 
of them were full of eggs. I suppose that accounts for 
how trout so large got there. I cannot see hut they must 
have grown from very small brook trout, as the brook 
is often dry in the summer, but not the pond. We only 
fished two hours, then it began'to rain, and we left to 
return again in the spring. Now I shall go for lake 
trout till the fifteenth of October, hut shall not forget the 
grouse and larger game. Why don’t some of y our sport¬ 
ing Mends come to Magog? Good fishing till the middle 
of October, and hunting. A, Wellington. 
New York— Keeseville, Sept 34#A.—I am just from the 
dear old woods—the Adirondacks, completing my twenty- 
seventh year there with my rod and gun. What changes 
during that period ! As a sportsman I deprecate the 
disappearance of the trout and deer, also the appearance 
of the detestable small steamers on the Lpper and Lower 
Saranac, on the Raquette River and Raquette Lake, and 
all for the almighty dollar. It does seem that we might 
bare one spot on earth where these inroads ot civilization, 
fashion, biled shirts, and Saratoga tranks, would not mar 
our solid comfort and enjoyment. The woods have 
been overrun, and wherever there is a shanty it has been 
literally packed. The tide is now turning homeward, 
and transportation in all sorts of vehicles demanded. 
J. K. liOMELYN. 
—Edward Hardv. while fishing near Riverhead, L. I., 
fell overboard, and liis head and shoulders stuck fast In 
the mud. He was fast suffocating, but feeling the boat 
passing over his feet he clutched it with his heels, and 
was thus enabled to draw- himself out. 
Octroi des Poissons—Agio York. Sept- S2d.—Apropos 
of the splendid ran of fish we have been liaviug lor some 
time past, I send you an extract from the letter of a friend 
in Paris (John Britton, of Brewster & Co.): 
“They (the Parisians) dote on a sensation. Hundreds 
of them will stand for hours on the budges crossing the 
Seine watching the vagabonds, who, with pole and line 
stand afi day waiting for a bite, a I lf ' 
fish sails up the river and nibbles at the bait the eja *V p - 
ment is intense. One day a fish seven inches long was 
We find here that the produce of 1838 was lower than 
that of 1837 by 2,379 salmon and 13,133 grilse; but 1837 
showed a larger decrease as compared with 1836, of 3,753 
salmon, though accompanied with an increase of grilse. 
The year 1840 fell to 12,650 salmon and 30,103 grilse ; and 
a»-am, the year 1845 showed a sudden decrease, from 
1344, of 9,931 salmon, though with an increase of grilse ; 
while 1846, though showing an increase of 11,535 salmon, 
had a decrease of 15,455 grilse. In fact, the fluctuations 
in the produce of the Tay fishings, in regard to the rela¬ 
tive numbers of salmon and grilse, have often been re¬ 
markable. It will also be noticed that the produce of 
1845 was almost the same as that of 1838. 
A considerable number of large salmon were netted 
during the season just closed, the most noteworthy of 
these captures being the following: On the upper waters, 
three salmon of 401b., 501b. and. 63*1R On the lower 
waters, thirteen salmon of 401b„ 451b., 451b., 4511b., 471b., 
471b , 501b., 511b., 511b., 551b., 561b., 601b. and 651b. These 
maybe contrasted with the captures of previous years, the 
heaviest salmon (of 501b. and upwards) from 1874 to 1878 
being as follows : In 1874, four salmon of 011b., 531b., 
541b and 601b : 1875, two salmon of 531b. and 531b. lOoz.; 
1876, two salmon of 641b. each ; 1877, six salmon of 501b., 
591b., 601b., 611b., 641b. and 701b.; 1878, two of 5241b. and 
601b. 
Some very marked features have been noticeable in our 
own (Canadian) waters throughout the season just passed. 
In some rivers there has been a great dearth ; in others a 
superabundance. The dearth seems to have followed the 
north shore of the St. Lawrence. On the south shore, 
and especially on the Bay Chaleur, the catch has been 
extraordinary. For instance, a marked falling off was 
noticed in the Godbout, while in the Marguerite, which 
is a tributary of the Saguenay, 17 rods took but 100 sal¬ 
mon. Quite the reverse is noticeable with respect to the 
Brand Cascupediac, which empties into the Bay Chaleur. 
Here three rods took 633 fisli, averaging over 35 pounds 
each, and aggregating about 16,000 pounds in weight. 
One day’s fishing yielded 36 fish, weighing 927 pounds ! 
We are speaking now of rod-fishing, while the Tay sta¬ 
tistics refer to net takes. But the fact of relative dearth 
and abundance holds good as regards the gross yield of 
the north and south shore fisheries of the St. Lawrence. 
There would seoin to be no cause for discouragemen t in 
coming seasons as respects the one, or assurance of con¬ 
tinued plenitude as respects the other. Fish, like Sambo’s 
Whiteman, are mighty onsartain. 
_The following-named gentlemen were on the river 
Marguerite the past summer. One of tho great advantages 
which this river affords to anglers is the excellent accom¬ 
modations afforded hy the half-dozen cottages erected by 
Wyllys Russell, of Quebec, for the exclusive use of sal¬ 
mon anglers. The fishing wasjntcvrapted the past sea- 
