: FISH AND FISHING. 
a string of 40 in a morning, and the family 
ate them every one. It was right, too, for 
Providence provided them for our use. 
If, indeed, “Cleanliness is next to godli- 
ness,” I feel safe in saying there is a fish 
heaven somewhere ahead tor my friend, the 
great lake perch. 

HOW TO STRING FISH. 
When we were boys we secured our 
fish by poking a string through the gills 
and out at the mouth; a process which fin- 
ally ended the life of the little sufferers. 
There are thousands of anglers to-day who 
inflict the. same proloned agony on their 
captives. Some sever the vertebra just back 
of the head, some cut the throat, which, in 
both cases, makes a bloody mess. I have 
fished with comrades who stuffed their fish 
into a sack and kept them quiet by rolling 
them tight. 
While all these methods are capable of 
producing death, they are not thoroughly 
satisfactory, because in many instances the 
angler is desirous of keeping his catch 
alive 3 or 4 days until his departure for 
home. Many, perhaps the majority of that 
class, push the stringer needle through both 
jaws and thus effectually close the mouth 
of the fish, which, they argue, keeps it from 
filling with water and drowning. 
If the stringer is pushed only through the 
thin portion of the under jaw the fish is 
subjected to no pain, the jaw is sufficiently 
strong to hold the fish, and it can open and 
close its mouth naturally. When the boat 
is moved this natural action is interfered 
with, but artificial respiration is set up. Wa- 
ter flows in at the mouth and out through 
the gills and the fish breathes artificially. 
I have caught bass in the early part of the 
day, strung them through the lower jaw 
only, and they were as lively when the day’s 
sport was over as the last ones caught. I 
have kept perch alive in the same way. 
One great source of loss to the angler is 
the constant shuffling of feet on the bottom 
of the boat. Fish, as we all know, are 
wary, unless excited, when there is no rule 
governing their actions.’ 
I once had a strike from a dogfish on a 
frog too large for him to swallow. Fancy- 
ing that I knew what the fish was, I reeled 
him in cautiously, until he was directly un- 
der the boat. Partner and I had been can- 
vassing the question of noise. During our 
conversation doggy was worrying at the 
frog, on the bottom in about 10 feet of wa- 
ter, which was so clear we could both see 
his every motion. Then I said, “If I am 
right, I will make my tackle-box lid snap, 
and he will skip.” The box lay on the bot- 
tom, on the running board. The tinkle of 
the tin, so light as hardly to be heard at 
the bow of the boat, made him drop the 
219 
frog and dart away as if he had been shot 
Folks who can’t keep their feet still in a 
boat should either go barefoot or wear 
moccasins. 
C. C. Haskins, Chicago, IIl. 

IS THIS A RECORD BREAKER? 
Last week Bellefonte clamed the record for big 
trout. This week Oleona disputes the claim, The 
Oleona fish was caught by Edward Bachman in 
Phelps pond, near Sand Spring brook, a tributary 
of the Lehigh river, near Thornhurst, Lack- 
awanna county. The fish measured 28% inches 
in length;-depth 8 inches; and weighed, dressed, 
7 pounds, 3 ounces. The fish was taken with an 
11-ounce Bristol steel rod, and a light line, by a 
boy 15 years old- He was 40 minutes landing 
his catch. Lving in an isolated region young 
Bachman did not realize the value of his trout. 
Scores of men can be found who will verify the 
above. Young Bachman’s trout is easily at the 
head of any ever taken in Pennsylvania waters.— 
Grit, Oleona, Pa. 
On receipt of the clipping I wrote Ed- 
ward Bachman as follows: 
I am deeply interested in the story of 
your big trout, and should like to have you 
get me letters from 2 or more well known 
business men who saw the fish measured 
and weighed, verifying the newspaper re- 
port. If’you could get at least one man to 
make an affidavit of the fact it would be all 
the better. I have no record at hand as to 
the biggest trout ever taken in Pennsyl- 
vania, but have no doubt this one is it. 
W. J. Bachman replied as below: 
I herewith enclose a letter of verification 
regarding the trout my brother Edward 
caught in May last. The names appended 
to same should be sufficient authority as to 
the absolute truth of the measurement and 
weight of the fish. I hope to see the mat- 
ter published in RecrEATION and thank you 
for your kind interest. 
Walter J. Bachman, Olonea, Pa. 
Thornhurst, Pa. 
To whom it may concern: 
We, the undersigned, do hereby certify 
that the trout caught, out of a branch of 
the Lehigh river, by Edward Bachman, in 
the spring of 1903, was 28 inches long and 
weighed 7 pounds and 3 ounces. 
Clinton Heller, J. P. 
R. C. Drum, P. M. 

WORTH FULL CREDIT. 
Will you kindly decide through REcREA- 
TION an argument on the reply which was 
written to the following question by a 
schoolgirl : 
Name the 3 kinds of life forms that are 
found in the ocean? 
The answer was, the warm blooded class 
that come to the surface to breathe, like 
the whale; the true fish class, as, shark, 
