FOREST AND STREAM 
^84 
45 
I,, _ lie ralloy until about opposite the outlet. While 
w living along this, many doer and caribou tracks were 
At length the sound of running water was heard. 
Honing to be able to cross on the rocks we went in the 
direction of the sound, This proved to be caused by water 
running over an old beaver dam, that made an excellent 
. path, on which we crossed. As night was approaching 
Mr. Haines cut a spruce pole for a fishing-rod. With a 
hook baited with moose meat he caught twenty-five trout 
in twenty minutes. Indeed, the only limit totlie rapidity 
with which they could be taken was my ability to re¬ 
move them from the hook and fasten to a stick, after 
having severed the spinal marrow with a hunting knife. 
This seems to me the only rational method of fishing — 
land your fish immediately, aud kill quickly by severing 
the spine. 
Finding good water, we camped about ten rods from 
the dam. After a grand supper of trout and moose meat 
we travelled along the west shore of the "pond. Never hi 
Maine had I before seen such abundant indications of 
game. The shore and bog west of it were full of moose, 
caribou and deer tracks. All about were marks where 
lichens bad been stripped off by caribou. Several plants 
grew here in great abundance. The beautiful Sarvacenia 
■purpurea had flower stalks eighteen to twenty inches 
high, capped with blossoms four inches in diameter. 
There were thousands of wild lily of the valley (Clintonia 
borealis), many flower-stalks with seven blossoms. Iris 
versicolor was abundant on the shore, among the liigli 
grass-blades. I was pleased to see many specimens of 
Trillium crylhoearpum and Erectum, the former in 
blossom. The chief forest growth about this water, which 
I named Caribou Pond, was the silver fir (Abrus bal- 
samea), though near the water were a few specimens of 
Jmi'i.c Americana, the tamarack of the natives. When 
about half way up the west shore we came to a logon 
where we heard running water, probably flowing over a 
beaver dam, as the land, was too low to suppose there 
were rocks. 
This brook is the largest which empties into Caribou 
Pond. Standing at the logon at the mouth of the brook, 
the whole extent of shore can be watched; therefore, 
that is an excellent place to make a crow’s nest. The 
pond appeared to be about three-eighths of a mile long, 
by one-eighth wide at the north end, growing narrow 
toward the southeud, out of which Cupsuptic Stream 
starts, rushing and tumbling through thirty miles of 
unbroken forest, to Cupsutic Lake. 
I desired to have a raft constructed, hut Mr. naines, 
the guide, did not seem willingto do it; 1 fear he did not 
know how. On this account I do not know the depth of 
water, but judging from Arnold’s Bog water, it cannot 
exceed three feet. Finding our trail too long to he of 
value to sportsmen, I decided to try to reach Arnold's 
Bog by keeping on the hills cast of Caribou Pond. Ae- 
conlingly, next morning we started in a northwest direc¬ 
tion until reaching the hills, then turned north, travel¬ 
ling till 1 r, m,, when I climbed a tree on the crest of a 
mountain, hoping to see Arnold’s Bog, but saw, instead, 
a high mountain directly in our course. Seeing a gap in 
the range, northeast by east, we crossed the valley, pass¬ 
ing through the gap, again climbing the ridge to find no 
water visible.—only another ridge in our course. After 
climbing tliis we were delighted to see the bog, so coming 
down we took a northerly course, camping on the hills 
midway of the length of bog. During the night a moose 
walked past our camp, having come to drink at a spring 
near us. Our course hadled us through miles iff forest, 
in which we were rarely out of sight of trees which had 
been peeled by these animals. Next morning we crossed 
the boundary'line, finding ourselves again in Canada. 
We soon came to the Danforth trail from Otter Creek to 
Arnold's Bog, down which we travelled twelve 1 mud red 
yards to the" bog, after having marked a tree "Trail to 
Caribou Pond—six miles." 
As I blazed the trail, sportsmen will find little diffi¬ 
culty in following it, though, until it is more used, they 
will be obliged to go slowly. 
Next day being Sunday, we hung our tent from the 
cross-bar of Danforth’s shanty at the bog, at which point 
ti )e r e are some remarkable springs. About one-third of 
the water from one is carried through a spout. It was 
found that thirty hogsheads of water flowed from it 
every horn'; therefore, one spring alone empties ninety 
hogsheads of water into the bog every hour, making for 
the four springs about three hundred and sixty hogs¬ 
heads, The water is so cold as to make it impossible to 
hold the hands in it for even five minutes. 
A few rods below camp, Arnold's River rushes down 
to join the outlet of the bog. We found the river full of 
small trout. We noticed the footprint of a man travelling 
down the river—a solitary and unusual place for such a 
gi„n, Not long after, I noticed a print from a moccasin, 
where the wearer had slipped in descending to avoid a 
rock. These tracks, occurring so unexpectedly in tliis 
solitary region, brought before me the image of the In¬ 
dian maiden, who, travelling with her load of furs from 
Mecantic to the settlements, was murdered in the forest. 
As the story goes, Jehiel Biffin, the greatest trapper of 
this reason, the owner of three hundred traps, whose 
line extended thirty miles through the forest to the shore 
of the Megantio, won the heart of a beautiful Indian 
maiden in her home on the swiftly running Oliandiere. 
She following him on his line of traps, never returned 
to gladden the eyes of her aged father. Her brothers, 
alarmed by tliis protracted absence, followed ins track 
with oreat difficulty, only to find her murdered in the 
forest 0 Since this time, true to the traditions of then- 
race they have been seeking to kill Jehiel; indeed, al¬ 
most succeeded not long ago, for they arrived in Madrid 
one morning only to find that their intended victim had 
left during the night, having been warned in time. His 
traps are yet in the forest, no one daring to collect them, 
fearin-' lest he should be killed by mistake. The imag¬ 
ination easily takes fire in the pathless forest; so it is 
not to he wondered at, that we should turn and follow 
in the direction or then- footprints. We did not overtake 
those who made them ; but in the morning, hearing five 
sliots in rapid succession, an unusual sound so far from 
civilization, I could not but think tliis was the end of the 
tragedy—the death struggle between the trapper and his 
Indian foe. Great stories are told of this white man's 
strength, He would travel from Rangeley Village to the 
Mecant ic between sun-up and sun-down, carrying eighty 
nounds in in's pack, When you consider how short the 
days are in winter, we realize the great endurance neces¬ 
sary to make between forty and fifty miles on snow- 
shoes, with a heavy pack, in this time. 
Sunday evening, hearing a noise in the forest, which I 
had never traced to its origin, I asked my guide if he 
knew the cause. He replied by taking- mo to a dead 
tree, Horn which (he sound came, pointing to several 
small streams of minute bits of wood which were coming 
out of holes in the tree trank. Then taking an axe, the 
wood was split away, layer by layer, reyealing a white 
worm, one inch long. The sound could be heard one 
hundred feet. In character, it was like that sent through 
the bones of the head when chewing india-rubber. It 
was difficult to believe so small a worm could cut hard 
spruce so rapidly, and make so loud a noise with its 
minute jaws in doing this. No doubt the dead tree acts 
in some way as a resonator. By tapping the tree, the 
noise and stream of chips stopped, only to he resumed 
after a considerable interval of quiet. At this camp I 
noticed twenty specimens of a species of vauessa, in a 
space tour inches square; so close together were they, 
that five were, taken between the thumb and finger at 
one time. The surrounding mountains here, as well as 
at Caribou Pond and Parmachene Lake, contain great 
abundance of slate, some of which, from being exposed 
to the air, had turned as white as common limestone. 
On the portage at Parmachene is some slata with so 
good a fracture as to warrant working, if civilization ever 
nears tliis point. The forest about Arnold’s Bog, like 
that near Caribou Pond, is stunted — there is no timber. 
As one goes south toward Otter Creek it improves as the 
land becomes less elevated. We met with many fine 
specimens of betuia, lutea, lenta, and papyracea, though 
the bark on the latter did not grow thick enough to make 
into canoes. 
On this portage, I also saw a great abundance of our 
largest umbel bearer, Heraaleum lanatum , some of the 
plants seven feet bigti. 
On the waters mentioned in tliis article tbe white 
water lily, Ni/mphea-odoratu, is conspicuous by its rarity, 
while in waters of similar elevation in the Adirondack 
region it grows in great abundance. 
On our return to Partnaohenee I saw large numbers of 
tire wild quelder rose, Veburnum apults , on the shores of 
the Magalloway, in full blossom. In a cove on Parma¬ 
chene, were many specimens, a variety of Nuphar 
iuteum. which differed from any described in Gray’s Man¬ 
ual, the stigmas having fewer rays, no specimen being 
ound with more than eight. 
Seeing a hedge hog feeding on the roots of grass at the 
water's edge, botany was forgotten for a moment, while 
with silent strokes the skiff was paddled toward him, 
until, with oue vigorous push, its square prow was 
bumped , with decided emphasis, against bis nose. So far 
as astonishment could be depicted on liis face, I saw it, 
for twenty seconds elapased before he realized that he 
ought to leave that vicinity; even then, as if unconscious 
of man’s presence, he only retreated about five feet, to 
tbe lower branches of a stunted spruce, where ha stood 
with erected quills. 
Before closing this already too long letter, two or-three 
curious expressions ought to be mentioned, 
If, for example, our trapper is telling^ some adventure, 
his listeners will show their satisfaction in having escaped 
such a scene, with remarks like these 1 . — " Not any of that 
in mine, thank you," or “Not any for me,” or " I don’t 
want no pait of that." The range of rounded hills on the 
Cupsuptic stream they call the 11 Cupsuptic Nubbles.” A 
house, though it be two stories high, is called a “camp,” 
if away from the settlement and used as a place for 
sportsmen. 
The rest of this trip must be passed over in silence, say¬ 
ing only that the route to Parmachene, via. Philips and 
Farmington is much shorter than any other. 
In past years, Mr. Treat and the writer usually spent 
four or five days in reaching Parmachene Lake with 
our canvas canoes by way of Bethel, Upton, and Magal¬ 
loway River; while tliis year leaving Danforth’s Camp 
on the lake at eight o’clock one morning,' I reached Bos¬ 
ton next day in time for supper, On the way, over the 
portage between the lake and Cupsuptic stream, was a 
patch of maiden hair fern, Heraeleum lanatum. covering 
a quarter of an acre. ‘William Herbert Rollins. 
Boston, Aug. 17 th. 
FISH FUNGUS. 
Sapvolegnia ferax is the accepted scientific name 
of the micro-fungus which attacks salmon and trout 
especially, and other fish to a certain degree. Max 
Cornu, in the Monograph? des Saprolegniee, says that the 
family of the Sapvolegnia constitute a natural group of 
aquatic f uugi, to which from time to time various species 
have been added. The chief writers on the subject have 
hailed from Germany; though a Frenchman, M. Muret, 
has given some good and very accurate drawings, which, 
as is evident to anyone, are better calculated to elucidate 
the subject than mere verbal descriptions. From them, 
as might be supposed, it is educed that the difficulty of 
studying then- histology is great, for it is only in a li ving 
condition that they can be properly studied. No mounted 
specimens are capable of exhibiting the changes which so 
rapidly go on in the living organism. * Speaking of the 
methods of reproduction and propagation — a most im¬ 
portant point, by-the-bye, if the disease is to lie checked — 
M. Cornu observes that the genus may be disseminated 
through the air or through water indifferently, thus 
showing that the vehicle of distribution is unimportant, 
the plasmatic (plasm.atkpic) part alone being essential. 
M. Coruu says that he has watched the whole proceed¬ 
ings of fructification take place within an hour from the 
reception of the primal germ. 
We have been for 11 long time carefully gathering testi¬ 
mony from all available sources, at home and abroad, in 
order to determine the true cause of that very prevalent 
and fatal diseaso peculiar to the Salmonidae, which is 
known as fungus, and which has so long baffled the in¬ 
vestigations of fish breeders. There seems no doubt what¬ 
ever thatt originates from abrasions of any sort, 
whether from nets or from personal injuries inflicted 
by each other from struggles in., ascending the streams 
from spear wounds or other causes. The disease having 
once fixed itself upon individuals, becomes infectious, 
and is rapidly communicated to the masses. One intelli¬ 
gent contributor to Land and Wafer, writing of salmon, 
says :— 
It is now nearly forty years since I first began to watch 
their habits, and year after year I have witnessed the 
terrible fights carried on [among the males for position. 
They are beautiful and strong when they first arrive, but 
in two or three days many become covered with ugly 
scratches, and hack fin and tail tom to shreds by the 
teeth. In about eight days these wounds begin to fester 
and spread, assuming a whitish color. Hence, from their 
changed appearance the fish affected are vulgarly called 
scabbed. In about fourteen days a mould or fungus fully 
develops itself over the wounds, and then these fish gen¬ 
erally sicken, and may be found in large numbers almost 
unable to move in the eddies and shallows of the river. I 
have again and again stood on the bank within a few feet 
of them in the stream, aud so resolute and absorbed did 
the males seem in their hostile work that they were ut¬ 
terly oblivious to the presence of anyone nigb them. 
That the wounds thus inflic,tedjis the origin of the disease, 
I firmly behave, and what makes it more probable is the 
fact that I have only known of one female thus affected 
in the upper waters. From the evidence given it new 
seems that the disease attacks male and female' alike. 
This may lie explained by supposing that after the dis¬ 
eased fish have been swept down to the lower pools, and 
the sickly and healthy get mingled together, and the 
fungus fully developed, it becomes infectious, and seizes 
others m the lower waters. Again, the fact that all var¬ 
ieties of the salmon are not equally attacked, points to the 
same conclusion. The sea trout and what are called the 
little red fish come first, and male and female being 
nearly equally divided few fights or deaths occur. Next 
come the brown-nosed grey fish, and shortly after them 
the “buttoners,” so-called from a spot below the neck. 
Among the two latter there are at least a dozen males for 
every female fish, hence bitter fights and widespread dis¬ 
ease and death ensue. .Lastly, about March, comes a 
small variety with snow-white bellies, and as the propor¬ 
tion of males to females among these is reversed, so also 
are the results. I observe that it is a popular theory with 
some of the w-itnesses that the disease arises from the 
salmon being unduly detained in tbe fresh water. Tin's 
theory appears to me to he totally unsupported by reliable 
testimony. I may state as a fact that in a small pond in 
this district there has been a salmon kept for two years 
and another for one. Both continue lively and apparently 
in good health, catching both flies and minnows. Surely 
these observations go far to prove the origin of the 
disease. 
The inference from the [foregoing is, that the disease 
occurs chiefly after the spawning time, which occurs in 
autumn. In the spring it attacks the kelts, which are the 
spent salmon which remain, in the upper fresh waters 
throughout the winter. At this time the kelts are known 
to feed ravenously upon the salmon fry, among which 
they not only create great havoc by the immediate des¬ 
truction-of immense numbers, but by tbe mutilation of 
such as escape from their jaws. Tlie injuries which they 
thus inflict causes fungus, which at once communicates 
itself. It attacks the pectoral fins and tails chiefly. So 
also, drift or hang nets cause blisters and sores upon such 
fish as escape from their meshes, These several causes 
explain why the disease makes its appearance at differ¬ 
ent seasons of the year. Thus far, it seems to ho the only 
remedy which has yet been discovered; and it is cer¬ 
tainly very efficacious. It does not follow, however, tlint 
salmon when at sea are exempt because they are in salt 
water, but because those battles do not occur there, as 
they do at spawning time ; also, that they liavo immunity 
from nets. It is apparent, therefore, that all dead and 
mutilated fish should he at once removed, if practicable, 
as soon as they are discovered in the rivers. A prepon¬ 
derance of male fish is also undesirable, aud the propor¬ 
tion should he kept down. 
It will now he important and interesting to discover 
how the disease is spread. For convincing proof we are 
again indebted to an intelligent and careful observer who 
communicates his views to Land and Water. We can 
do no better than to reproduce his written state¬ 
ments. He says: — 
Any one who has examined an affected fish knows how 
easily the fungus growth is scraped off. A spawning fish 
is continually rubbing itself on the gravel, turning over, 
and generally scraping upon the bottom of the river. By 
so doing, when it has the disease on it most surely the 
fungoid growth will be detached from the fish and pro¬ 
bably fasten upon some other healthy fish engaged on 
the same bed. Even the spawn itself may possibly be in¬ 
jured by the odious excrescence of the disease. A little 
higher up the river than where I noticed the above, close 
to the town of Kendal, in comparatively shallow water, 
there was a male salmon of about fourteen pounds in 
weight, and what a sorry object it looked ! Instead of 
the bright, smart appearance of a newly-run fish, darting 
hither and thither to hide from the gaze of the on-looker, 
it lay a couple of yards from the side, and heeded not the 
scores of people who gazed in wonderment upon the piti¬ 
ful creature. Poor tiling! it was iu the last stage of the 
disorder. In water running not*more than at a rate of 
seme three miles an hour it was scarce able to stem the 
stream. Gradually it “ tailed” downwards, occasionally 
being washed half over on to its side. A mischievous 
urchin threw a stone at the fish, but it took no notice. Its 
large, particularly expressive eyes looked as if pain were 
suffered. But the color of the fisli was that which at¬ 
tracted attention. I think I never saw one that had ao 
much of the fungus upoh it, Generally the diseased fish 
