190 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 5, 188& 



Illinois Wnj>F0Wi.— Aurora. 111.. Sept. 88.— Prairie 

 chicken shooting I think has been better than an average. 

 There are a good ninny birds left for next year. There will 

 notbemauy more sln.i (Ms season, They arc wild unci rise 

 out. or range. Boine of m\ friends report quail quite plenty. 

 Englislj snipe I isolojma itihomi) have begiui to i>ui in an ap 

 butarenol very plenty, owing, I presume, to its 



being so dry. Blue iind green winged teiH arc in s, • 



numbers, with a few young mallards, bill then a person Will 

 have to Know whereto look to And them, i -hoi tour young 

 mallards lasl Wednesday, the firsl I have jetm. By (he way'. 

 it is about lime to think of loading shell- for lie fall shoal 

 ing, and while doing bo a good main will want to know 

 ■where they are going to look Col good 'link shooting. 1 

 will describe one place whores friend ami myself spem a 

 week of a^ good shooting as one would care lo enjoy, li 

 was on the Kankakee River above Womanee, on west side, 

 about twenty miles from the town. ¥ottwil) have to take 

 your own tent with yon, Can get a team to take you out, 

 ami If it is nol a very wel fall, you will not require a boat. 

 The best snooting is'liack from the river about a mile or so, 

 thai i- during the morning anil evening shooting, but in the. 

 mlddleof thedaythc river is the place. I would advise 

 any one going there lo take along a good rifle, ami if ii geta 

 vrr : i,iu tery hire a team ami driver and go to Little Beaver 

 Lake. They will timl a good many geese there, will Rome 



swan. The writer shot one While there, a- flno a specimen 

 as I ever saw. One will have no trouble in (hiding this 

 lake a- by i 1 1 ' | uiri n/ niosi any one that livt - in that section 

 can direct him to il. We took along two dozen decoys, ami 

 parties going there, should do the same, although good shoot- 

 ing will be had -without them, It this letter Is not i \plicit 

 enough I will take ploasun in answering mis inquiries thai 



.in- i. i,|i, ased li. mi , -■ I., A llOYT. 



Ni:\\ STORE .--( aml.ii-. Tioga County.— Ruffed groii.se ..ud 

 woodcock never so scarce here; have been mil several times, 

 anil seen none.— J. 0. F. 



!mh -\na.— Indianapolis. Iml.. Seja. 25. We are all pa- 

 tiently waiting for Oct. 16— the 15th comes on Sundny. Pros- 

 necls'eond. — S. 



pectsgood 



<HsXtnp tgirq ^fUchei[in^s. 



"Tbat reminds me ' 



THEstoryof the clergyman, the lish ami ih< small boy 

 told in your Lasjieo! Sept. 14, remindaTne of an opca 

 sion wheu an Ellzabai h. N. .1.. minister was disconnertad in 

 a somewhat similfti way. He waa illustrating some poinl 

 by the loading and discharge of a gun. Describing the pro- 

 cess, he accompanied his words by a highly realistic panto- 

 mime performance, pouring into Hie muzzle of hi> imaginary 

 gnu liist the powder, than u wad, the shot, ami wads- again 

 "ramming her home'' every time, thru withdrawing the ram- 

 rod, he put on the cap, raised the gun to hi.- -houli 

 Sighted along the barrel-, and, mining suddenly to his 

 audien.ee, exclaimed, ■•Ami now, whai do l do next?" 

 ''Pull I he. trigger!" shouted a small hoy in a front pew 

 'I'll pull your trigger for you, you little wretch." said the 

 disconcerted clergyman, drooping hi> arm- and shaking hi. 

 finget threatening!} al the ofteu&ing urchin, 



Yoin si. as of the iiariioiil clergyman tuul tlie fish recalls 

 ati incident which once happened m ■■> city less than a thou- 

 sand miles from Pswtueket, K. 1. There i- nothing aboul 

 fish nor game in it; if classified it would probably come 

 under the head of the vegetable kingdom l' was 



eh-rg\ ii '- .ii.-i . -i I vie. in tin- church. Iii.iI'mnI |.« : '.v gal 



an elderly deacon. The minister gave out, among oiler 

 notices, one of a meeting to be "held as usual on wedineS- 

 day evening." ''Ton are mistaken," said the deacon, rising 

 in bis pew, "the meetiagwiU be hejd on Thursday even- 

 ing." "Ah, yes," said the young minister, in a loud voice 

 to correct bis error, "TlnirBUay evening;" then mihwei and 



confidentially to tin- deacon, "Right, brother: I acknowledge 

 tlie corn." 



Not long afterward the congregation rajsed a liberal sum 

 ami s ail llie vomer man off lo brush up in Burope, where 

 your genial correspondent "Piseco" may perchance mi: 

 across him. 



'Talking of preachers," said Caleb Parker, "reminds me 

 of a story they tell of L'nele Cephas Bascojin, of North 

 Haven. Uncle Cephas wai a shoemaker, and he never went 

 to sea much, only to anchor his »THfl h, tlie Narrows abreast 

 of his house and catch a mess of scup, or i" pole a load of 

 salt hay from Sanqujtt Island. But he used t o visit his mar- 

 ried daugh I i-r, in Tr< •inont. and Up there they knew lie came 

 from the seaboard, and they used to call him 'Captain Bas- 

 com.' So. one time when he wa$ then-, they had a Sabbath- 

 School Concert, and nolhing would do fail 'Captain Das- 

 eoiub' must talk lo the boy- and tell a -ea vain, and draw n 

 moral. Well, Uncle Cephas was rather pleased with his 

 name ol 'Captain lia-eoinb.' ,:ml he didn't, like to £0 back 



on it, and so he fluxed round to get up something, li seems 

 he had heard a summer hoarder talk in Sabbath-school at 

 Northhaven: he told how a poor boy minded his mother and 

 then got to tend store, and ihen keep .store himself, and then 



he lumped i them: •That |> 1 my. ' .-ay - he. 'mm Stands 



before you.' Bo Uncle Cephas thought bim ap a similar 

 yarn. Well, he had never spoke in meeting before, and he 

 hemmed and hawed some, but he got on quite well while he 



was telling about a certain poor buy. and all that, and how 



the boy, when he grew up, was out <at sea in an open boat, 

 and -aw a -Teat -wordil-ii making lor the boat Hail Colum- 

 bia, and bound to stave right through her and .-ink her; and 

 how this man lie took an oar and give il a swing ami broke 



the critter's sword square off; and then Uncle Cephas— he'd 

 begun to get a little Mustered -he stopped -bort. and waved 

 hi- arms, and, says lie, 'Roy-, w Iml do you think! That 

 Kwiudlish now sliuids bel'ure. you.' 1 eul'lale that brought 

 the house down."— October Oemtwry. 



ndproof, flai 



Soutbthino Tair Ev-ebv Sportsman Needs.— One of the Eollpse 

 pocket re-oappers, de-cappers, loaders, en- Manufactured by 0. i. 

 MQB9E ,\ 00.. Hamden. Conn See advertisement 



$ea it ntt Miter 



Open Seabohs. -flee toih of opm utatm*fw qumu. anaftoJi 

 .„ insut of July SO. 



limn I..- I, ii.| .|..»n us .i position nhicli will senium deceive Him 



uliilia mail emiiKil l>. ar llis.iwn euln iian V tli, I-.- is -iinii-tliinp; wrOlil>. 

 ". . ■!'■!,, ,.... . 



b'OEEST mo STREAM a.m;u;i;s TQUENAM3CNT. 



Nolle,-,,!' ihe lir-l .nilllllll FotlKST AND STHKAM Aued.-rs 



Tourmniieiii will be I in our editorial columns. 



THE TILEFISH IS NOT FOUND. 



01 1; r. ad, r- will remember that Ihe lileli-h. LxijMillatl'iMH 

 ,■/,„ „„,./. *»it/,; j,.<. which was a newly discovered food hsb 

 dug up in great quantities in deep water by the U. S. Fish 

 I oiumis-ioii. suffered severely laal year from some unknown 

 cause. The miles on mile- of dead' li-h reported by incom- 

 ing vessels were supposed to be largely composed oi this flsh. 

 It'ivasa i|uesiiou whether the Bpedes was exterminated or 



not, ami if not, then the fishermen should be learned lo lake 



them Cot market ami the people -houid become huniliar with 

 tbem. With this end in view. Sir. Blackford chartered a 



vessel for Prof. Baird ami thej weni in seareh of the lilctUi. 



Aiihough ii.i- ti-ii was nol found they diacovered a new 

 species. Mr. Bamel Philips Of the editorial staff of the "X. 

 V. Timi--i ami seerciaiA of the American Fishculttirtil .,-o 

 eiaiioii. accompanied the expedition and gives the following 

 account of his trip, dated Gloucester, Mats Sept. 26: 

 Take a little eraf! of forty-five tons, sail for some 120 



inilcsoul into the Atlantic, and with a good southwesterly 

 breeze llie green waters will roll, and the. vessel will have 

 the liveliest of motions. Sometimes she may duck her bow- 

 sprit under, or her boom may graze the crest of a surging 

 sea; hut staunch she is and trim, and if, as in thai poetical 

 language which sailors use, "she i- in good tune" — ballast 

 all rights— and is not too low by the head, she will ride along 

 most gallantly, and despite the heaving seas and their im 

 pad will, as she spins oul heraighl knots, be as safeas the 

 biggeal ship thai ever sailed, .lusl .-m-h :i craft as this is the 

 Juste Reeve.-, a well-known smack, that has made herweckly 

 trips all through the -summer from the lobster grounds of 

 Meiiem-ha Bight, on the Vineyard, to Fulton Market 

 Because Capt. Redmond presented one of the best types of 

 the American fisherman, and was master of the Josie Reeves, 

 captain and -mack was chartered by Mr. K. <i. Blackford for 



the United States Pish Commission, to take a trip off ibe 

 coaal in search of the lilcli.-h. Theliiilc expedition was 

 under the direction of Capt. J. W. Collins, attached lo the 

 United States Fish Commission. This officer, win. for many 

 years has had in charge flahing vessels going out of Glou- 

 cester in search of halibul and cod. is absolutely familiar 

 with all. kinds of fishing gear, the methods of securing fish, 

 and from his thorough practical acquaintance with the 

 details of this perilous business is singularly fitted for the 

 position he occupies. A man of this kind must he able to 

 take the wheel, be ready for anj emergeney, and al the 

 same time possess a very considerable amounl of scientific 

 knowledge in regard to the various kinds of hih lie catches, 



Al the Berlin Fish Kxbibition Capl. Collins wa- one Of our 



c lissioner-. ami v i-ibd the German and English Coasts in 



order io understand their various methods of flahing. 



We lefl Ciee.uporl. I.. I., on tin- I'.Mh. and it wa- ju-l be 

 f sundown thai, with a pleasa'U breeze, all -nils sel. I he 



Josie Reeves slid through the water, and by s o'clock, wiih 

 an increasing wind. .Uontauk Point was passed anil kecpine 

 well cl.-.n- of Shag a warn Keel, how ling merrily along; we 

 made oul for tin- sea, steering well eastward at first, and 



tin n working soiilherh . 



That ike I'ileii.-h had been very abundant befnrein exactly 

 tin- localities whue iiie dead ii-h were found was very cer- 

 tain, because the Fish Hawk, the steamer attached to the 

 commission, rareh weivl to these tile-fish grounds without 

 taking quite a number. But this war the Fish Hawk, bav- 

 in-- gone io ihe same places, could nol timl any. if. then, the 

 United States Fish Commission could not flno the MtMsh 

 ihis summer, would the Josie Reeves be more fortunate? 

 Used to the business of trawling, with a thoroughly sea- 

 w(»rth\ boat, ably commanded, with a good and willing 

 crew, .provided with the most perfect apparatus, haying ah 

 exacl knowledge of where the "-round was situated, having 

 on record all llie locdilie.- where the flab had been found in 

 1879, 188Q, and 1881, the chances were that a load of tilciisli 

 would be secured. Capt Eirby, in May. 1879, had secured 



on only a pari of a .-ingle '.rawf-i.-aOO pounds of the li-h. On 

 Thursday, with a whole-Bail breeze, the Josie Reeve- arrived 

 at the exact locality. By observation, we were at 40.03deg. 

 70.28min. w.--i. and by 'dead reciomngand careful sound- 

 ine-.jii-i where the tileflsh should abound. The soundings 

 are of a somewhat peculiar character. The water south of 

 Long Island shallows very slow l\ ai first, with a gradual 

 slope, somewhat more ihau a fathom to the mile, until .sixty- 

 eight or seventv fathoms are met, when, all of a sudden, 



down goesthe sea torn, and from 140 lo 200 fathoms are 



struck" Followinglhis ridge, whieli extends some [00 miles 

 south of Long Island, on the deep -oumlings. trending some- 

 what incirnlarh lothe-oiiihward.ihelishing« a- dune. Taki a 



lead of eighteen pound- and plumb ihe depths some 150 



fathoms and try tog. I it up the 000 feet, and with ihe weight 

 Of water it is a good half-hour of work. 



Being in the exact locality, ihe trawls, which had been 



bailed early in Ihe morning, were made ready. 



It is time now -to haul up the trawls. The dory is low- 

 ered, the two men in oilers and heavy bools leke flying 

 leaps into the boat, and. with a few Vigorous strokes of 

 the oars, are fast to Ihebuov keg. Then ihe -train and pull 

 begins. The two men haul' all they can. A- the dory rises 

 wiih the wave crest ihcv lake advantage of the natural 

 heave, and let go just when they would be hauled overboard. 

 Inch by inch they light for the ma-tery. At. la-t the first 

 anchor is up. put in t.he boat, and they are running over the 

 ground hue which 1ms the hooks on it. We put in close to 

 them. A reward has been offered lor the first iilefish. Wo 

 see from the jumping deck of the Josie Reeves an occasional 

 silvery-looking fish come from the hooks, but the golden 

 gleam of the tllefish is not here. These are commonplace 

 hake. All day the men set their trawls— two sets of them 

 at. a time— and work with the vim of donkey engines, and 

 there is a never a LoplmldUlut. Capt. Redmond is in one of 

 the dories. A- he pulls in at night call he says-. "I haven'l 

 n tileiish, nothing' but hake; but. here are some handsome 

 fish. I never saw iheir liku before. Wouldn't Blackford 

 like io have one? Red us can be. and here they are." and 



rone beautiful red fish, some smaller than u blaekfish, some 

 verv much larger, are tossed on the deck. If we have not 

 found thetilefislj, maybe we have stumbled on something 

 else. Capt. Collins examines them carefully. He has never 

 scon Ibe like before, li is a very beautiful fish, with warm 

 red luslreand black and cream-colored mottljngS. It looks 

 faintly in general build like TatliogU O'litiU, bul il i-a luitler 

 lish. and its pectoral- arc blood red and of verv greal breadth 

 and sweep [lave we hit the duck and m: 



commit an ichtlvyological bull. Siilt we, hod hopei 



tileiish. I hi t unlike the colored fisherman, Who wjien u-hing 

 for catties, caughl a striped bass and was disgusted, we are 

 nol without hope. 



The weaiber still continuing line, we prepared for another 

 day's trawling. Everything being made snug for the night, 

 we went westward, making considerable southing, For two 

 more days we flsh ed, persistently, indofatigably, Ou Fri 

 day we took some dozen more oi l)n>e handsome red fish, 

 some very much larger than the first, bul qf .'. pAiohlihia not 

 a sign. Of hake therte wore plenty with skates galore, and 

 dogfish, and a Lppbivt, too, the ugliest of all fish, that ani- 



Threi 



j that th„... 

 ing. But. Ihe tileiish 



al il 



.. It tofgbl blow all ii pleased! 



tld be worked llie m n we,v will- 

 till not come. Then we looked 



hi;;, nm uie un-usu would 1101. come. i m-n we IOOKC.Q 

 again at llu; red lish. They had been, with tin- whole of Ihe 

 catch, put on ice. Tiny looked so tempting. The specif 

 men miseraofthc Fi-h Commission mighl waa: them all to 



.!,.„■ n-anii, I,, ■.!,...:,,.! \*1,.,, , ," , '. I.' t. . ,',.^.^.) TIT.. 



a alcohol. Whai 

 ond th 



ed fish had to b< 



lish. but to the i 



thedelighi of be 



The propositioi 



mberof the lehthyi 



g the fir i humaii be 

 • made by tin 



We 



al d 



■ 

 srcles, dorsals, amd-. 

 en.- such a chance 

 u again. To Captj 

 ag discovered o new 

 ihagous would come 

 lg who should ea1 ii. 

 moc! 



±il; pnnij.-iii'iu \% il- uiiiui; o\ im- :: .1-1 .'.■ ": ,\ n -onuclll.-l o. 



ave ju a one fried," and he" did it in cold blood, ('apt. 

 foTlins, toudied perhaps by the eloquent appeal of the ti<h 

 ater, consented, and ihe "cook had two of the fish giveh 



.. given 



ml proved to be Ihe mosl 

 I. a lish which every gourmand and 

 i taste and nil about. It had a firm 

 with a delicate, crabby flavor. On 

 ptember, after having flshed all day. 

 what and ihe skv to wind ward lool ing 



Jling, r. wa- thought wiser to seek ■• 



f pi 



aland 

 God's 

 i [.h e 



requirements of the United States Fish Commission— al s 

 down we took a northeasterly course and made for Block 

 Island. 



li blew a fresh breeze, and the ,lo-ie Beeves made liloek 

 [aland on Snndaj al S A. M.. the li-h; showing dear some; 



ten miles wesl li\ d.avbreak lie- ion- ran.'- of -in. .11 islanos 



forming the right-band sidfe breakwater of BtrazarA's Bay 

 was made, and by 10, just as thick wea'her was threatening] 

 the anchor was dropped at Wood's Hide, within 

 of the Fish Hawk. 



The particular ti-ii bavin- been hand. .1 ..• .. I [oil,, i, |„..v. 

 Ologists of the commission, it was declared lo b.-amw 

 member of the famili of SeorWW, firsl described liv Jordan 



in 18S0. Such of the 8mrp«m m have been before described 



have been only some three inches in length Tie- fish liken 

 in this cruise are Over a font in length There are dill'.-i- 



eiices ill Ihe iiiurkiliL'..-. and m-i \ probablj OU exaininatioii 



some other specific variations will be discoverable * 

 "Arc we to be forgiven for having catentwoof tbesfl 



lish?" we iinjiiiied rather .iii\ioii-l> Of me Commiss .-. 



"Oh, certainly; you did precisely right. Scientific re- 



ihiug.'bui to turn what weanay iind into use 



is the great practical bent of the Fish Commission. I i.e- 



lieve I can congratulate Cain. Collins on having found wiaa 



f believe to be i w fish, and what is more, to have beoi 



among the first to eat it. and ii there were only enough of 

 ill. in. 1 should very much like to try one too; bul I must 

 send the best of the lish at once lo Washington to have na its 

 of them, and the rest are now in alcliohol and will form 

 material for careful study." 



As to why the Lophiomtilm was not caught on ihe trip of 

 the Josie Reeves we are not prepared to State. As to what 

 killed the fish, or whether all ibe li.-ii were destroyed Ihis 

 year, no one can hazard an opinion. The solution of these 

 curious problems will require uracil additional studs 



* Prof . Ooocfft lia-s siucn iduiitiflfed tiie lisli us ficorpteitn dnctt/lopi 



THE HENSHALL ROD. 



rllAVF read with no little interest the numerous egsaM 

 on tishimr rods, and wonder If that subject will besei'lul 

 at all The only solution that. 1 can see to the problem is 

 ihat. every angler use jusl the kind, pattern, -i/ 

 weight and material of rod that he likes best; then don't lei 

 an vbody disparage him about his rod and thus destroy his 

 happiness. Bjs own way suits him best, 



When in Florida lasl winierwitb my friend Dr. HenshalF, 

 1 had only one rod. II was whai he styled Ihe v--- 

 rod"— wiih ash bint and lance wood second ioim ..mi lip. 



1 think ii weighs about eighl ounces, bul lm\ 

 it. I used that rod all the time while there, and havi n a..u 

 ill as good condition as the day I gat n noj did I use imi 

 one tip during the time. This being i lit- first and only 

 jointed rod that 1 ever had or used, therefore would not be 

 ,1 proper critic as to light or heavy rods, as we at the South, 

 always, " 'fo maneipaiion." ti-ei! cam poles without i-'l-. 

 As to the holding qualities of this rod. its "give and take," 

 its perpetual elasticity,! don/1 minis can I 



The bass thai we look in that country are simply enor- 

 mous, ami an i ighl-ounee rod thai will masi.-r lho.se cigliL lo 

 ten-pound fellows is certainly good enough for the mo-l ob 

 stmale stickler. I though! Dial if this rod was a fraction 

 suffer it would he better for such large bass, but for any- 

 thing under six-pound bass 1 would not have it changed. A 

 half'hour is too long lo fight one bass, and so if the rod was 

 a third slilfer it would curtail Ihe fight say o twenty minutes 

 or fifteen. 



One evening I was aloue ou a beautiful stream in my can- 

 vas boat. Iliad hale grown "bream'' for bait, which were 

 so heavy (eight-ounce bait) that I could cast them only thirty 

 or .forty feet, yet I took seven bass, of which the smalliasi 

 weighed ''our pounds and toe largest ten pound- 



