494 



RECREA TION. 



daintiest of fish; being next to the black 

 bass. In order to catch white perch, you 

 must have for bait something to tempt 

 them, and the thing coming the nearest to 

 always being acceptable is shrimp. It is 

 the red perch that bites anything, and al- 

 ways, and not the white. 



Harry M. Church. 



I sent Mr. Church's rather vehement 

 criticism to Professor B. W. Evermann, 

 Ichthyologist of the U. S. Fish Commis- 

 sion, who wrote the article on the perch, 

 and who replies as follows: 



Mr. Church seems to have read very care- 

 lessly the article in September Recreation 

 concerning the 2 species of perch. He 

 speaks of an article on " red and white 

 perch," evidently having in mind the ar- 

 ticle on page 178. 



Nothing is said about red perch. The 

 white perch and the yellow perch are the 

 only fishes named. 



Furthermore it is not stated, or even in- 

 timated, that the white perch is a salt-water 

 fish. If Mr. Church uses the same method 

 in observing the habits of fishes that he 

 does in reading, I fear we shall be com- 

 pelled to ask that his observations be veri- 

 fied, before accepting his conclusions as 

 final. 



The white perch seems to be as truly a 

 salt-water fish as is its near relative, the 

 striped bass, or rockfish. Neither is a salt- 

 water fish in the sense that the mackerel is; 

 for each is found, at times, in fresh and 

 brackish waters, as well as in saft-water. It 

 is even landlocked in some fresh-water 

 ponds. Mr. Vinal Edwards, of Woods 

 Holl, who has spent many years collecting 

 the fishes of that region, and studying their 

 habits, says this of the white perch of that 

 vicinity; " Abundant in all the fresh-water 

 ponds which have streams emptying into 

 the salt-water. Spawn in May and June. 

 Seen from one to 10 inches long, in the 

 ponds, but are taken, in October, in Vine- 

 yard Sound and Buzzard's Bay. These 

 measure 8 to 10 inches." 



These waters are within easy reach of 

 Mr. Church, and if he will call on Mr. Ed- 

 wards, in October, that gentleman can 

 probably show him some white perch in 

 salt-water. B. W. Evermann. 



THE KINGFISHERS CLUB. 



Friendship, N. Y. 

 Editor Recreation: This Club is duly 

 incorporated, and has a club house one mile 

 South of Dresden, on Seneca lake. The 

 lake is 5 miles wide here, and has a total 

 length of 40 miles. Black bass, perch, 

 pickerel and lake trout, can be had in fair 

 numbers, and of excellent flavor. The 

 water is pure and very cold, and it never 

 freezes in winter. Ducks winter there, after 

 other lakes are frozen, affording good 



shooting. We have yet to see a musquito 

 on the grounds, or to experience any un- 

 comfortable temperature. Fruit is plenti- 

 ful, and cheap, while butter, eggs, milk, etc., 

 can be had at near by farm houses at rea- 

 sonable prices. 



The names of the present members of 

 the Kingfisher Club, are as follows: Hon. 

 C. A. Farnum, president, Wellsville, N. Y. ; 

 H. C. Wilcox, vice-president, Friendship, 

 N. Y. ; Claude R. Scott, secretary and 

 treasurer, Wellsville; E. W. and Chas. 

 Barnes, Wellsville, Editors of the " Re- 

 porter; " Wm. Opp, and Wm. Bellamy, 

 Wellsville; Newell Philips and Riley Al- 

 len, Allentown, N. Y.; Elba Reynolds, 

 Belmont, N. Y. 



The club house is 4 miles from this vil- 

 lage by the Erie and Fall Brook R.R. 

 Grouse and quail shooting, in the vicinity, 

 is reported good. H. C. Wilcox. 



SOME ALABAMA RAZOR-BACKS. 



Talladega, Alabama. 



Dear Coquina: I enclose you clipping 

 from the " Birmingham State Herald," 

 which I trust may arouse your righteous 

 indignation, and that of all other real 

 sportsmen, against the fish hog, of high. 

 or low degree. I often fish in the fruitful 

 Florida waters and have had ample op- 

 portunity to do as these men confess to 

 having done; but my hands are clean. 



One good thing you are doing in Rec- 

 reation; and that is, you are not only 

 building up public sentiment against such 

 wanton destruction of our sport: but are 

 bringing the trespassers, themselves, to 

 their senses and making them ashamed of 

 their work. 



I read Recreation, regularly, and only 

 voice the general sentiment in saying it is 

 the cleanest, purest sportsman's journal 

 published. Nothing in American literature 

 can take its place. Long may you live to 

 carry out your own idea of a true sports- 

 men's magazine. Wm. E. Henkel, 

 Publisher " News-Reporter," 

 Talladega. Ala. 



The clipping referred to is as follows: 



The fishing party consisting of Messrs. B. B. Conner. T. 

 T. Hillman, G. B. McConnell, J. D. Moor, Dr. R. M. Cun- 

 ningham and M. B. Conner, Jr., of this city, and Hon. S. B. 

 Trapp. of Montgomery, and Alf Truitt, of Anniston. who 

 left for Fort Myers, Fla., on June 2, returned yesterday 

 morning, Messrs. McCormack and Truitt having returned 

 Saturday. 



They report splendid success : following is the catch : 

 Hon. S. B. Trapp. tarpon 6 ; sharks 4 ; and small fish, ag- 

 gregating in all, 950 pounds. Mr. B. B. Comer, tarpon. 4 : 

 several sharks ; small fish, aggregating 900 pounds. Mr. 

 T. T. Hillman, tarpon, 3 : several sharks ; small fi*h, aggre- 

 gating 950 pounds. Dr. R. M. Cunningham, tarpon, 3 : 

 sharks, 4 : small fish, aggregating 8oo pounds. Mr. J. D. 

 Moor, tarpon. 1 ; several sharks ; small fish, aggregating 

 70 pounds. Mr. G. B. McCormack. tarpon, 1 ; small fish, 

 aggregating 200 pounds. Mr. Alf Truitt, tarpon, none ; 

 sharks and small fish. 500 pounds. M. B. Conner. Jr., 

 small fish, 10 pounds. Total for whole party, 5,100 pounds. 



