FOREST AND STREAM 
987 
him in, or aid the too confiding ophidian crawl through the open 
countenance ot the wiiy batrachian, and thus “shuffle "oft his 
mortal coil by a “ misdeal ?" 
The above are facts—sober, serious gradgrinds. 
J. A. HeNSHAKL. 
This subject has proved an expansive and comprehen¬ 
sive one. We have allowed many competitors greater 
lioense than strict justice would dictate. Possibly others 
may have notes-on the habits of frogs, which will find a 
place in our Natural History columns. 
ly gold fish, speckle-backs, winnows and trout, were disposed 
of, and in the maw of the hungry pike. On the third day lie had 
menced to eat up my plants, such as anachai-is and ranuncu¬ 
lus,but by that time the sucker had camsumed the digestive or¬ 
gans of the pike and vory tittle but its gills appeared. Aftertke 
consummation of the feat, 1 was so annoyed at the loss of the con¬ 
tents of my acquarium, and also by the voraciousness of the 
sucker that I threiv it to a couple of tom-cats, which within a 
short time settled the fact of so despicable a fish. 0. 
Wrm.iAMSTOWN, Pa., Dec. W, 1879. 
EdUar Forest and, Stream : — 
On the eleventh day of September, 1873, the writer in company 
witli a friend was trolling on the “ cannon-hole " on the Susque¬ 
hanna, a few miles below our city. Our boat capsized atlO A.M., 
and we lost the contents of our lunch-basket. On the 11th of Sep¬ 
tember of the following year, while fishing at the same place with 
the same friend, wehooked and landed a wall-eyed pike, weigh¬ 
ing 9 pounds 331 ounces. I happened to look at my watch, and 
found that again the time was exactly 10 A.st. Noticing the large 
abdomen of the fish, we made an examination and found that his 
stomach contained a silver butter-knife, with my friend’s name 
engraved thereon, and one large box of sardines, both of wbioh 
articles we lost, from our basket when the accident occurred the 
year before. Now, Mr. Editor, were I not a truthful fisherman I 
might—in order to make sure of your gilded prize—say that when 
we opened the box we found the sardines alive, ready again to 
swim the briny deep ; but, like the immortal George, 1 cannot tell 
a lie—nay, even if 1 should be rewarded with a golden hook s 
large as the anchor of the Great Eastern. The fish were not alivi 
hut, flavored with lemon juice, they made us an excellent lunch. 
If there should be a fisherman with soul so base as to doubt this 
true history, and as to insinuate that a 9 pound 131 ounce fish 
could not swallow a large sardine-box, I would remind the in¬ 
credulous wretch that the gullet of Prof. Gills’ fish was smaller in 
proportion to the fish it swallowed than the gnllet of my fish was 
in proportion to the sardine-box. Besides, my theory is that the 
flsb first swallowed the butter-knife, to which adhered about 
pound of butter, which prepared the way for the box. Further¬ 
more, perhaps the pressure brought to hear upon the box may 
have been so great that a portion of the oil oozed through the 
pores of the tin, thus further lubricating the fish’s throat. Should 
this not be sufficient proof, I need only add that I still have the 
empty sardine-box in ray possession. Hoping that when you send 
the gilded barb you will not forget to pay the freight, I remain 
your truthful Bobolink. 
Roslyn, N. T., Dee. 81st, 1879. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
I had a friend, an Innocent, confiding soul. Alas! one evil day 
he chanced to see some late numbers of your paper, and at 
became interested in the tales of “ Fish Swallowod by Fish." He 
read them all ! And what is sadder still, he swallowed them, be¬ 
came a raving maniac and wandered by the sea inseine. Then was 
this poor man in turn swallowed by the sole survivor of all the 
fishes that had previously swallowed each other. Now, although 
my unhappy friend is “ lost to sight.” I have faith that he still 
lives fin whales ), and what 1 want that extra large hook for, is 
angle after the fish that swallowed the man who swallowed the 
tales of all the fishes that swallowed each other. Qui Vive. 
Hampton, HI,, Dee. mh , 1879. 
Editor Forest and Stream 
The Mississippi closed here on the 18th ult, I was down on the 
ice and saw something underneath that seemed to he alive. I got 
an axe and cut it out and found it to be two catfish, whose 
bined weight was thirty-five and a half pounds, trying to swallow 
each other—tail first. They had swallowed abou tone half of each 
other, and formed a perfect eircle. I took them out and supplied 
them with water, and now at this time (ten days) they have swal¬ 
lowed about an inch more of each other. The question is, after 
they get through will there be any thing left? H. F. T. 
Quebec, Can., Dec, mh, 1879. 
Editor Forest and Stream 
I have been a follower of the gentle Tzaae, and have, when oc¬ 
casion i ffered, sought “ the solitary sport." Not that I am ambi¬ 
tious to gain your big hook, tut anxious to lay before your 
readers a few scientific facts, I crave a space in your columns. 
Where the stream Lai ret empties itself into the river now called 
the St. Charles, called at that time the St. Croix, or the Cabir 
Coubat, the indefatigable explorer, Jacques Cartier, over three 
centuries ago wintered his vessels within a short distance of the 
ancient city of Quebec, to which in the summer season so many 
tourists resort to find what is curious and old on this continent and 
so remindful of the mother countries across the water. Being an 
inhabitant of the city of Quebec and of archaeological tastes, I 
wished to discover all that was true and positive In reference to 
the locality above mentioned, and one evening in July past T 
went there to pursue my studies. Armed with a tape liue, 1 
measured the distance between the mouth of the Lairet stream 
and the site whereon remnants of Jacques Cartier's vessels 
have been discovered, and also of the sight of the homwork 
erected by Jacques Cartier. While looking at the water 1 saw in 
its depths a large fish of about two feet in length, which by its 
stolidity I discovered to be a member of the sterionidsc family, 
commonly known as a sucker. I might possibly have taken no 
further notice of "It had I not been startled by the arrival of an¬ 
other fish on the scene, and here I maybe permitted to acknowl¬ 
edge that up to that moment I did not credit the theory of the 
fish takiDg the fly by a rapid flop of the tail. I was then convinced 
of the truth of your argument, far while watching the sucker I 
was almost overwhelmed by surprise by the sudden approach of a 
pike, which by an extraordinarily clever execution of his tail 
sought to swallow the sucker, but unfortunately for it the sucker 
was at that very moment taking a long breath, and before the 
pike recovered from its disappointment itfound that about six, 
inches of its under part had been idrawn into the sucker's body. 
The Struggle was for a time exceedingly violent, but at length 
the victim succumbed to irrevocable fate. I made up my mind 
as soon as I saw that, arrangements had been arrived at between 
the two combatants to capture both for scientific purposes 
and therefore secured a flat dish from the house of a farmer near 
by. By placing a couple of pebbles on my tape line 1 sank it J ust 
beneath the mouth of the sucker and by a dexterous jerk landed 
both, and then plaeed them In the dish of water. As soon as pos¬ 
sible, I conveyed them home and put them in my fresh-water ae- 
quarlum, the sucker at that) time having drawn in about, eight 
Inches of the pike. It cannot at all be a matter of surprise, when 
it is considered that the vacuum in the pike, caused by the suotion 
powers of the Bueker was very great, that the pike was in a. 
most,voracious condition, and that during the two following days 
New Hampshire— Horn-, Jan. 6th .—Some fine strings 
of pickerel were brought to town last week by Dr. Carl 
H. Horsch, Geo. E. Foot, and Captain William Perkins, 
and others. Some fine trout have been in the market 
taken from Lake Winnipiseogee and Merry Meeting 
Pond. There are also a good supply of smelts, also eels. 
They are a drug in the market just now. A short time 
since a new turbine water-wheel was placed by the 
Cocheco Manufacturing Company in one of the shops. 
For a few days everything went well, when, for some 
cause unknown at the time, the' wheel stopped and could 
not be started, On taking it apart, more than a barrel of 
eels were found of all sorts and sizes. One of the eels 
measured 41 feet in length and 15 inches round. How the 
eels got there is a mystery, as at the mouth of the flume 
there is an iron gate. The bars of which it is made is 
1 -inch iron, 11 inches wide, and braced every two feet. 
There is no possible way for them to get to the wheel 
without passing through this gate. How did the large 
eels get through, the bars of the grate being only one- 
half inch apart ? W. A. Y. 
Arkansas— Jacksonport, Jan. 5th .—While writing I 
cannot resist the temptation to drop a line to the “ fish¬ 
ing department,” eveu though it he to report no sport. 
This is on account of high water. This in Southern riv¬ 
ers, in some years, operates as a pretty good substitute 
for game laws by creating a close season. It is however, 
a lamentable fact that our game and fish are gradually 
disappearing, and that without any hope of remedy or 
help from legislation. Sam Monroe. 
m jg enmi 
A gentleman on Little River, in our parish, who is 
quite an amateur of bear hunting, concluded he would 
jet him a pack of bloodhounds, and would force the 
Dears to come to a stand forthwith. He. accordingly 
raised and obtained nine of them. He started with an¬ 
other acquaintance on a hunting excursion on the Tensas 
River, a few miles distant. The first bear he happened 
to start was a very large he-bear. The bloodhounds soon 
came up with Ids majesty, who gave them a very warm, 
but rough reception. The bear came to bay in a very ex 
tensive cane-brake, where a footman could make but 
slow progress, in consequence of the drifted and tangled 
cane, hence not one of the hunters was able to come up 
in time to get a shot; in the meantime the bloodhounds 
fought with the fury of devils ; but the bear killed and 
crippled seven out of the nine in a few minutes ; break¬ 
ing the shoulders and backs of some, and tearing out the 
bowels of others—serving some with his teeth and clip- 
ling others with his claws ; for, although the claws of a, 
iear are very blunt, when compared with those of our 
Louisiana tiger—called by the naturalists u cougar " — 
still they are used with such power when he makes his 
passes, that if a (log comes within the reach of them, one 
rake will tear out his bowels or break his bones— for the 
bear is a scientific boxer. 
We are under ihe impression that the Scotch terrier 
would make most admirable bear dogs in our cane-brakes. 
He has courage, speed and a good nose ; he has action in 
a high degree, and the smallness of his size would enahle 
him to get out of a bear’s way whenever the bear would 
attempt to strike—when, on the contrary, a larger dog 
could not dodge from the bear in consequence of the 
thickness of the cane. An experienced bear dog will nip 
the hind quarters, and as the hear stops to make a pass at 
him, he will retreao and hold the bear at bay, and as soon 
as the bear turns to retreat, will again seize him, and al¬ 
most as soon dodge aside to evade the claws of this 
gigantic animal ; for, reader, you must know that an old 
ie, that weighs about five hundred pounds, has the 
itrength of an ox, and a dog in a bear’s reach stands no 
more chance than a. mouse in the claws of a cat; and in 
bear hunting the old adage holds remarkably true—that 
BEAR DOGS. 
A MASSACHUSETTS correspondent who has hunted 
bears annually for the past twenty years, and who 
has promised to send us some of the fruits of his expe¬ 
rience, is collecting a large pack for a great crusade this 
winter. He complains that he has been unable as yet to 
find just the breed of dog for a Maine bear hunt. Those 
he has tried before have failed to bring Bruin to bay and 
hold him until the huntsmen could come up. We shall 
look for some suggestions on this subject from our friends 
who have been most successful in the pursuit of bears 
with dogs. Those who have already detailed their ex¬ 
periences in these columns seem to have employed a 
mongrel breed of cur dogs. 
Bear hunting has been mostly carried on by the back¬ 
woodsmen of the North and West, and by a few gentle¬ 
men of the South. For this reason little is generally 
known of the modus operandi of a first class American 
bear hunt, few sporting works having devoted their pages 
to the description of large game shooting. We therefore 
have to fall back upon the books of travel and adventure 
for the little we know of the way the sport is carried on. 
These accounts are often so inaccurate and impracticable 
that we are either amused at their absurdities or terrified 
with the accounts of the hair breadth escapes and slaugh¬ 
ter, With the novelist the bear seems to be an especial 
favorite ; he is continually poking his nose into the story 
—and proving a God-send to both hero and heroine. 
Even George Sand, in the novel of the Snow Man, de¬ 
scribes very accurately how the bear of Norway is tracked 
to his lair and killed. 
In Northern Europe the bear is seldom hunted in winter 
with dogs, the hunter more often following it on snow- 
shoes, or awakening it in its den and shooting or stab¬ 
bing it as it rushes forth. Here in America the bear of 
the South and Southwest is almost exclusively hunted by 
dogs, a cross generally of the large slow fox hound with 
the mastiff. We should think, however, that curs who 
“hark when their fellows do” would answer well in 
bringing the bear to bay. 
The following extract from an article on hears and 
bear hunting, taken from Porter’s “ Hawker on Shoot¬ 
ing,” tells more in a few lines concerning the dogs used 
for the sport than any article we have ever read. The 
graceful narrator, H. J. P., Esq., of Sicily Island, Louisi¬ 
ana, certainly shows that he knows whereof he writes : — 
The description of dogs that are preferred for bear¬ 
hunting, is a cross of the hound, hull and cur dog. This 
cross is very generally admitted by the old bear hunters 
of Arkansas and Louisiana to be preferred for several 
reasons. This mongrel has, in a great degree, the fine 
nose and bottom of the hound, with the speed and fierce¬ 
ness of the genuine cur. Now, the term “ cur,” is very 
vague and indefinite, and is applied to many varieties of 
dogs. The dog we allude to is an active dog, of a yellow 
color, a pointed nose, an ear that is partly erect and 
partly dependent—a watchful, sprightly guard dog. 
This half-breed, crossed again on the hull dog, produces 
a heavier and more powerful dog. The lull bred bull 
dog makes but a very indifferent bear dog; he cannot 
smell well, and of course is no hunter. He is a slow run¬ 
ner, and when he comes up with a bear he seizes hold of 
it, and the bear kills it as quick as thought; and even if 
disposed, he has not sufficient activity to get out of a 
bear’s way ; when the bear makes a charge upon the 
dogs, the same objection, that applies to the bull applies 
to the bloodhound. 
Treatment of Dogs. —Our friends who may receive 
advice through our Answers to Correspondents, as to the 
treatment" of their sick dogs, are requested to communi¬ 
cate to us the result of the prescriptions and methods 
there given. ^ 
St. Louis Kennel Club’s New Importation.— The 
steamer City of New York, of the Inman Line, which 
arrived here on Saturday morning last, had on board a 
fine white and liver pointer bitch from the kennel of Mr. 
S. Pilkington, Widnes, Lancashire, England, for Mr. 0, 
H. Turner, of the St. Louis Kennel Club. The dog was 
consigned to Mr. E. B. Goldsmith, of 58 Wall street, 
the well known Custom-House aud Forwarding Agent, 
through whose hands so many of our crack dogs have 
passed during the last five years. In despite of the un¬ 
usually rough voyage, the bitch, although very large 
with pups, arrived in splendid condition. Mr. Goldsmith 
superintended in person the transfer of this fine animal 
from the ship to the cars of the express company, and 
no doubt, by this time, the dog has reached her future 
home. In our next issue we shall endeavor to give full. 
particulars about her. _ 
Fecundation After Spaying.— Dec. 60th, 1879.—In 
the last number of Forest and Stream a correspondent 
quotes the case in which a bitch spayed for Prof. T. G. 
Thomas afterwards gave birth to pups J have had the 
same accident occur, and have no doubt that in this case 
a third ovary, or separate aud unnatural portions of the 
normal ovaries, existed in the broad ligament,and in such 
a position that they would be overlooked by the surgeon. 
The bitchin question belongs to Mr. H. Clark, of Ithaca, 
N.Y., and has given birth to seven pups (one litter). That 
her two ovaries were removed entire, I am certain, as I 
took especial pains during the operation for the purpose 
of showing several persons who were present at the 
time, and made sections of the two to demonstrate their 
structure. 
The dog is a valuable one, otherwise I should have pro¬ 
cured her and made a post-mortem examination. She 
will probably continue to cestmate and hear pups just as 
though she had not been spayed. Such cases are prob¬ 
ably very rare; they are at least seldom reported, and 
the operator cannot be on hiB guard against freaks of 
nature. Mark West. 
If the ovaries were removed as thoroughly as you say, 
we very much doubt her ever having a second litter. It 
must be remembered that the dog’s rostrum occurs only 
aoout twice a year, audit is possible that her condition at 
time of spaying was physiologically such as to permit of 
oval fecundation. The similar operation upon the op- 
posite sex has often left the power to procreate once—at 
least it has been so reported. 
Mr. A. H. Moore’s Kennel Burned.— The following 
letter, received from Mr. Moore, tells briefly of the fire 
which occurred a few days ago in a section of his kennel. 
The fire is supposed to have originated near the heating 
apparatus in the section of the kennel occupied by the 
brood bitches. We regret very much to hear of Mr. 
Moore’s loss, but congratulate him that none of his most 
valuable dogs were burned. Dart was in one of the 
puppy kennels, but was taken out before the fire reached 
Philadelphia, Jan. 13th. 
Editor Forest and Stream :— 
The fire which destroyed part of my kennel broke out 
in the hospital, and extended further to the puppy ken¬ 
nels, etc. The loss amounted to $1,200, fully covered by 
insurance. 
