172 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[September 29, 1881. 



the method of taking piaster casts of fish and coloring thai) 

 to life. The copy of his cast of a six-aml-a-quarter pound 

 brook trout, taken at the Sault Ste. Claris by that other vet- 

 eran of the rod, Judge Potter, uf Toledo, has graced my 

 library for many years and is a most lovely ornament. 



The sad death of that noble man. President Garfield, 

 which has fill' d this community with grief, recalls to my 

 mind that it was the morning of that visit to Dr. Garlick 

 when, on arriving at Cleveland, the news was received of 

 the assassination of that other noble man, President Lincoln. 

 James If. RionAiiosos. 



ONEIDA LAKE. 



NEW YORK State Game Agent Dodge is again at work 

 on Oneida Lake". Anticipating Chat the "trap net" 

 fishermen would try the fall fishing again this season in some 

 pints of the lake, he has had Special Deputy LintUey quietly 

 looking after them. The. result is that last "week they took 

 out seven (nip nets. While taking up some nets in Toad 

 Harbor, on Wednesday morning, a party came ou 1 in a boat 

 to investigate the matter. It. was finally arranged that a 

 delegation from Toad Harbor would come across the lake in 

 the afternoon and meet the officers at the Ocean House, claim 

 the uets that were being taken up, and see what could be 

 done about it. 



According to agreement, about two o'clock in the after- 

 noon, they came over, a good strong delegation. The mat- 

 ter of net. Ashing and the laws against it were thoroughly 

 discussed; and, although the fishermen were considerably 

 wrought up ou the question of having their property taken 

 from them in this manner, they made no ugly demonstra- 

 tion, but on the whole appeared pleased to meet State Agent 

 Dodge in the line of duty, and learn that it was no spirit of 

 malice that prompted him in opposing them in this deter- 

 mined manner, but that he was simply performing the duties 

 of his office like a man. When the.y returned to their boat 

 to make the voyage home, the best of feeling prevailed 

 among all parties, and the fishermen wer= well satisfied that 

 if they continued to put their nets into the lake they would 

 stand good chances of losing them. 



The desiic of the majority of the fishing class around 

 Oneida Lake appears to be now to secure, by legislation, an 

 open season in the fall of two or three months. They all 

 pledge themselves to use every effort to stop the spring fish- 

 ing if i hey can have this open season. H they would live up 

 to such a promise to the very letter, they present many argu- 

 ments in favor of such a plan. But, on the other hand, the 

 manner in w T hich they disregard the present law gives good 

 grounds for the ami-net men to argue that there would be 

 just as much trouble during the closed season as there is 

 now. I bclh ve if a middle, line could be drawn in some 

 manner it would be a good plan. 



Mr. Geo. Crownhart, of the Ocean House, has been one of 

 the men that has had the backbone to stand up for the law, 

 and has rendered valuable assistance to the State Agent and 

 his assistants. He has been threatened in all manner of 

 ways— has had four of his best boats destroyed by the exas- 

 perated fishermen ; but it makes no difference — George is 

 running his house for the benefit of sportsmen and people 

 who want a pleasant place to stay through the summer sea- 

 son, as wed as for his neighbors aud friends around the lake, 

 and he believes that the trap nets set in Oneida Lake do 

 not improve the hook fishing. The Ocean House is one of 

 the finest locations on the entire lake for beauty of scenery 

 and fishing, and sportsmen going to Oneida Lake will do well 

 to make their headquarters with George and his pleasant 

 wife al the Oceau House. 



Although the delegation did not claim their nets as was 

 talked in the morning before they came over, it would seem 

 that the meeting between them and the State Agent may yet 

 produce good results ; at any rate, it appeared to take away 

 much of the ill-feeling they had entertained before i hey got 

 acquainted with him. 1 believe that many of them are 

 honest (1 wish I could say allj aud do not intend to fish uutil 

 they have a legal light to do so. Hook and Lints. 



PICKEREL FISHING AT BROWN'S MILLS. 



AMONG the game and health resorts which you have pub- 

 lished this summer, I think Brown's Mills will not 

 stand least. Situated on a beautiful Jake of the same name, 

 in the pine woods of Burlington Co., New Jersey, the hotel 

 there offers a pleasant place for all those who like boating 

 and pickerel fishing in summer, as well as the gunners who 

 come for black ducks, quail, rabbits and grouse in the fall. 

 There is a sulphur and iron spring for the use of invalids, as 

 well as for those who have no bodily ailments, and further 

 on the trout fisherman may find some return for his trouble 

 in the waters of Rancocus Creek, which rise from the lake 

 here and flow thirty miles or more to the Delaware River. 



The fishing in the lake is usually for pickerel, although 

 catfish and eels are sometimes caught. The latter can be 

 pulled in more expeditiously by bobbing for them at night 

 in the dam of the old mills, from which this place took its 

 name. Pickerel usually bite better at a Uve minnow, but 

 many are caught by trolling and using the Caledonian min- 

 now and India-rubber frog. The largest fish are caught in 

 the hitler way. 



Taking a boat from the number belonging to the Newell 

 House, the fisherman first goes to the best place for live min- 

 nows to bait with, aud while he holds a string with a lump 

 of dough in the water with one band, matnges with the 

 other a small net to scoop in as many of the shiners as pos- 

 sible. After the kettle, tin can or receptacle is fnll and a 

 suitable spot is found, the fun begins. Pickerel from six 

 to eighteen inches in length bite with a ferocity peculiar to 

 themselves, and are landed in the boat as soon as their 

 strength is exhausted by the rod and reel. 



The number of the catch depends on whether the day is 

 favorable or not, but a few can be caught at any time with a 

 little skill 



Every year two or thiee camping parties come down and 

 slay on the islands or shores of the lake to enjoy the fishing, 

 and being so near the best spots enables them to get quite a 

 large number. 



Mosquitoes are not thick around ihe hotel, where there is 

 no underbrush and a good many large oaks and hickories, 

 but on the road to the station, extending a mile and one-half 

 through scrubby pines, they are found in countless numbers. 



This place is only thirty miles from Philadelphia, ou the 

 F. R. R , and for a camping party is about as good as can 

 be found in the State. " Coi.in, 



PRESERVING LIVE FISH IN RUSSIA. 



ONE of the most pleasing things about the fish supply at 

 St Petersburg, and elsewhere in Russia, is that you 

 are always sure of getting your fish fresh. The arrange- 

 ments for the sa'e of fresh-water fish »re admirable. On the 

 principal canals and tributary rivers Bowing through the town 

 you will find what are called sadoks, or boating 'fish stores. 

 They consist of a barge, built vt ry much after Ihe, style of 

 the toy Noah's Ark, with a dwelling-bouse constructed ou 

 the deck for the accommodation of the fishmonger and his 

 family. Around this are moored several welled barges, con- 

 taining all kinds of fish from smelts to salmon, which are 

 brought in welled fishing-boats direct from the Bshoiiee at 

 the estuary of the Neva and in the Gulf of Fin'aud. and also 

 from the lakes of the northeast of Russia. Even the itiner- 

 ant fishmonger carries the fish he sells alive in a wide, rather 

 shallow tub filled with water, which he dexterously balances 

 on his head. At the restaurant establishments humanity and 

 gastronomy seem to unite to prolong the lives of the fish to 

 the latest possible moment. In the entrance hall or ante- 

 room there is usually a large glass aquarium, in which the 

 fish swim until they are wanted. This custom of preserving 

 live fish in Russia has existed from time immemorial. In 

 the household economy of the great . boyars of ancient Mus- 

 covy, among the necessaries of the table. Jive and (generally 

 speaking) fresh fish formed a very important item. The pro- 

 longed fasts, the holiday feastings— which were conducted 

 on a grand scale as regards the number of dishes— consumed 

 such fish in incredible quantities. The liussiaus are distinct- 

 ly good livers; they keep no meagre nor inhospitable tables. 

 These banquets impressed Archdeacon Coxe favorably in 

 the eighteenth century, aud a traveler of the sixteenth cen- 

 tury says he saw a fish brouuht to table which it required 

 three men to carry. The fish was probably a gigantic 

 sturgeon. Every large household of those days, iu 

 their solicitude for having a constant supply of 

 every kind of provision at home, took great 

 care that the live fish they required was not 

 purchased from the fishmonger's sadoks or wells at high pri- 

 ces, but that it should be stored iu their own ponds aud 

 caught in the rivers on their own estates, by their own serfs, 

 so that in this manner it could be obtained as it was wanted 

 for the table, at any time, and almost for nothing. With 

 this view, on every estate, however small, wherever the 

 locality was situate, were formed ponds and wells, and on the 

 estates of the great and rich boyars, besides these, were estab- 

 lished on the fish rivers regular fisheries. We are told that 

 the great boyar Morozof, who was a kind of Prime MinLter 

 in the reign of the Czar Alexay Mikhailovitch in the begin- 

 ning of the seventeenth century, and who resided at the court, 

 Moscow, had a number of fish wells and ponds ou his estate 

 near Moscow, which were, supplied with live fish from his 

 estates far away in the interior of the country, where he 

 owned a village, the inhabitants of which, instead of the 

 payment of obrok, the usual tax, were compelled lo furnish 

 for the boyar's use as much fish as they could catch. It is 

 remaikable how conveniently situa'ed were Morozot's estates. 

 From the River Oka, iu the Province of Riazm, and occa- 

 sionally from the Volga, there was not the least difficulty iu 

 conveying live fish to his estates near Mos-ow, where the 

 boyar had established what one might term his chief pisci- 

 cultural establishment. These fish were carried in specially- 

 conslrucled welled boats up the river Oka into the Moscow 

 River, thence by the Istra to the village of Favlovsky on the 

 latter river. The fish were usually sturgeon, sterlet, bream, 

 tench, pike, crucian carp, perch, etc. At the present day 

 the firm of Frolof — large wholesale fishmongers of Kazan and 

 Moscow, who have owned extensive fisheries on Ihe Caspian 

 Sea and the Volga for the past century — owiug to their direct 

 and constant communication with their various fisliing sta- 

 tions, can supply any quantity of live fish to any part of 

 Russia where there exists river communication. The Griazi- 

 Tsaritzin Railway Company have gone even further ; they 

 have constructed special wagons with wells for conveying 

 live fish from the Volga to Moscow, each conveyance hold- 

 ing about thirteen hundred weight of fish. — The London 

 Field 



KILBOURNE'S FISH AND GAME PICTURES. 



A RARE opportunity is now offered some of our wealthy 

 /jl_ angling clubs or individuals of purchasing from the col- 

 lection of the 'ate S. A. Kilbourne. To those who have seen 

 the work of his pencil no word of comment is ntcessary : but 

 to others not so fortunate we will say that he stood at the head 

 of painters of fishes, and that his work was not only artistic, 

 but received the approval of such scientists as Baud -and 

 Goode. At the time of Mr. Kilbourne's death he was about 

 to be called to Washington to do similar work for the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, or the National Museum. The collection 

 left comprises thirty-one oil paintings aud two crayons of 

 different fishes, and six paintings of birds. 



The following are ihe finished fish pieluns: California 

 Salmon, Atlantic Salmon (2% Common Mackerel, Spanish 

 Mackerel, Grayling (2}, Trout (7;, Weakfish and Sbeeps- 

 head, a Trout and a Striped Bass, both in charcoal. The list 

 was sent us by Prof. Baird, who has taken great interest; in 

 Mr. Kilbourne's work, with a request that it be published. 



The following pictures have the fish finished, but lack the 

 background: Red Snapper, Spanish Mackerel, Black Bass, 

 Trout, Atlantic Salmon, California Salmon, Striped Bass (3), 

 Bluefish, Pompano, Lake Trout, Kingfish, Bonito, Black Sea- 

 baaR aud Redfish. 



The birds are : Young Quail, Dead Game, Quail (2), Dead 

 Meadow Lark (2). 



None, of Mr. Kilbourne's paintings are held by dealers, and 

 we would much like to see the whoTe collection kept together 

 as a collection, if possible, but if not so sold they will be dis- 

 posed of separately. Particulars may be had of Mrs. W. C. 

 Kilbourne, Morissiana Station, New York City. 

 . — »- — , 



India-Rbbbee Ring on a Maokebel. — A rather singular 

 incident in connection With the life of a mackerel came to 

 hand here yesterday. While one of our small •mackerel boat 

 was fishing for mackerel with hook and line in our bay a 

 mackerel was caught with an India-rubber baud around it, 

 and which bad been there for a long time, as the skin under 

 the band showed considerable abrasion, with here and there 

 occasional wounds. The probabilities are that about a year 

 ago a fishing pleasure party were out somewhere along our 

 coasts who had been drinking ginger beer, when small 

 mackerel of six or seven inches were probably plentiful, and 

 one of the young, restless imps who are always to be found 

 among such a party, must have drawn out the elastic ring or 



band from the bottle and slipped it over the head cf a liye 

 mackerel, and just below the pectoral fins, and then have 

 thrown the fish back again into the sea; aud, as a conse- 

 quence, the poor machete! must Lave had a weary aud miser- 

 able year of ii. And here, I am sure, some of our lady social 

 reformers may learn a D ss >n on tight-lacing with a venge- 

 ance, for, as the tish fed and increased in size, the baud kept 

 its firm grip around him, and only allowed him to grow to 

 the extent of the elasticity of the bund-, and so tenacious 

 was the hold, that whereas the mackerel had grown to elevcu 

 inches in length and four inches in circumference above 

 above and below the band, under it the girth was ouly three 

 n ehes. In fact, the poor 'mackerel had I tally a wasp waist. 

 Moreover, from this ligature being eo constantly and firmly 

 around the fish, I estimate thai, it lost from its natural 

 growth two inches in length and one inch in girth in the 

 year. — Cornwall (Eng.) Gfariqaoitde-iict iti Lewi and )\<der. 



CANNED BROOK TROUT. 



SOME lime ago we received for inspection from our friend 

 and correspondent, Captain L A. Beardsley, U. S. N., 

 a fish preserved after the manner of sardines, and with a 

 large showy label, on one side of which was the legend, 

 "tspiced Brook Trout," and on the other a double-heE.ded 

 eagle, with the words "M-iritiirto Bach Forrellen." This 

 was evidently intended to convey the idea that, the trout was 

 prepand in Germany for the American market. A glance 

 at the fish, with its serrated abdomen, at once proclaimed it 

 a Clupeolfl— either a herring or a menhaden, without a head. 



We kept it some time without finding opportunity to 

 look into the matter, and at last bethought us of Mrs. Lewis, 

 editor of Fond and UeaVh, part, of whose good work it is to 

 show up food imitations, combinations and adulterations. 

 We sent Capt. Bcatdsley's fish to her. After looking in vain 

 iu Several places, she found a dealer who owned to the brand, 

 and in the last issue of her journal she thus relates the inter- 

 view : 



"Yon se'l canned brook tiout, do you not ? Do you know 

 this label ?" 



" Decidi dly. It is our brand, but we do not can it." 



" Can you guarantee this to he brook trout V 



"By no means. It may be anything blue, so far as ice 

 know. It is put up as brook trout in Maine, and we sell it. 

 It is nice ; people like it, and buy it. at a reasonable price. 

 We do not ask any more questions.'' 



"But is this not a fraudulent label, sir?" said Food and 

 Health. 



"Aly dear sir. how can the people expect brook trout, 

 which sells for $1.60 per lb. iu the s> asm. The public like 

 it to be called brook trout, and eat ii. for brook trout, aud 

 that is all." 



"Will yon guarantee It?" 



" How can we? Why don't you g > to the big houses — 

 people wdio put on wrong labels everj day, This brook trout 

 is like all brock trout ; no b iter, no worse." 



" If an inquiry is made about it, what wiLl you do?" 



" Stop selling it | but the public has been pleased with our 

 brook trout, and like it. It has been always put up and sold 

 as brook trout." 



Hi re the intervie v ended, and the reporter was uuable to 

 get the canner's name. 



Effects w Eutormu Light on Fish. — A very interesting 

 exposition of submarine lighting was opened iu the West- 

 minster Aquarium this week. The apparatus employed was 

 that of M. Faure, wdiosc name lias been brought so promi- 

 nently before the public rei-ently in connection with what 

 has been termed the storage of forces. The electricity em- 

 ployed was generated at Woolwich and carted iu M. Faurc's 

 accumulators to the aquarium. The current was of sufficient 

 intensity to beat to redness and dissipate into vapor a cord 

 of copper wire the thickness of a penholder. 



M. Faure's lights are contained in small closed glass ves- 

 sels, several of which were submerged in the lank, brilliantly 

 illuminating the fish and plants contained within it. 



The most remarkable fact to be noticed was that the whole 

 of the fish, of several species, appeared perfectly indifferent 

 to the electric lights They swam close io them without ap- 

 parently uolieing their presence. The minnows, of which 

 there was a large shoal, pursued their graceful motions in 

 precisely the suae manner as in ordinary daylight, rising and 

 falling aud gliding through the tank, apparency without even 

 recognizing the position of the lights by w T hich they were so 

 brilliantly illuminated. A small pick vivisected a" couple at 

 his leisure without considering that the exhibition was a sci- 

 entific experiment, and that he was therefore rendering him- 

 self liable to prosecution, from which he would have been ex- 

 empt had he merely gratified Ids natural appetite. 



The total indifference of fish to the submerged light goes 

 far to explain the failure of the numerous schemes for at- 

 tracting tish toward nets by means of submerged lights which 

 have been proposed and iu some cases carried into operation. 

 — London Fiild. 



PiKK-Punt it is the StjsijrEiiANSA. — The Harrisburg Pa- 

 triot thus records the fishing for pike perch, or wall-eyed 

 pike, iUizodtt/iium, sp.? which it pleasetk Pennsylvania, in 

 common with people in Ohio ami the upper Mississippi, Id 

 miscall a salmon. It says ! " About the finest string of the 

 best varieties of U>h known in the waters of Central Pennsyl- 

 vania Wflfl brought to the city last evening by Messrs. D. Da- 

 vidson aud Samuel Livingston, consisting of twenty odd sal- 

 mon and six very fine bass, t lie result of a day's fishiug at 

 Hawk Rock, a well known localily in the Susquehanna 

 River, a few miles below this city. One of the salmon, 

 caught on a No. 3 "Siiroat" book, by Mr. Livingston, 

 weighed eight and a quarter pounds strong, and was voted a 

 bounty by an admiring group of Waltonians who had c mgre- 

 gated in front of the Harris House, North Third street, last, 

 evening. Mr. Livingston, who is a keen disciple of old Izaak 

 Walton, said the " lubber" gave him plenty of trouble, and 

 it was ouly by a determined effort that "he succeeded in 

 playing B&bBP " out " aud landing him in the boat. It is 

 the largest salmou caught with hook and line in this vicinity 

 for years." 



Oiitf and Catfish Take the Fly.— Willis, Texas, Sept. 18. 

 —One day last week Captain Ashe, of our town, whde taking 

 some perch and cats from his pond with artificial flies, a'so 

 took a carp He was using a very small gray or drab fly, 

 and too small to have any name, but still very killing on the 

 sun perch and bull-head cats that infest his pond. These 

 same cats take the fly as well as Ihe perch tie ouly took one 

 carp, and that surprised him so that lie did not fish any more 

 that day, The carp that was caught, was placed iu the pond. 



