PISH AND FISHING. 



289 



Furthermore, this fish is closely related to 

 the blue-back trout of the Rangeley lakes 

 {Sah'cluius oqnassa) and is by some re- 

 garded as a variety of that species. 



Marston's trout is known from Lac de 

 Marbre, Ottawa County, Quebec, from 

 which the type came, and from Decallones 

 township, 70 miles East and 40 miles North 

 of Montreal. 



This fish cannot be mistaken for the 

 speckled or brook trout of either sex, ex- 

 cept perhaps during the parr stage. It dif- 

 fers markedly in color and form, having, 

 among other distinguishing features, a 

 plain back, a deeply forked tail, and 13 

 dorsal and 12 or 13 anal rays, instead of 

 the 10 and 9 rays, respectively, which the 

 brook trout has. 



ing downward and backward from the eye, 

 while the small-mouthed black bass has 17. 



The man who spears " lake bass " is 

 spearing black bass and is liable under the 

 law. 



See Jordan & Evcrmann's " Fishes of 

 North and Middle America," page 1010. 



THEY ARE LAW BREAKERS. 



The law of our State prohibits the spear- 

 ing of black, strawberry, green or white 

 bass, but says nothing about lake bass. 

 The omission is taken advantage of, by 

 many people, to spear lake bass, and that 

 means every fish that comes along. 



Should like answers to the following 

 questions, through Recreaton: 



1. What is a black bass? 



2. What is a lake bass? 



3. How many species of black bass are 

 there? J. C. Douglas, Albion, Mich. 



Professor Evermann writes as follows: 

 Editor Recreation: Replying to the 

 queries by Mr. Douglas, if the Michigan 

 law makes it unlawful to spear " black bass, 

 strawberry bass, green bass and • white 

 bass," it covers all the species of bass 

 found in the State except the rock bass or 

 goggle-eye (Ambloplites rupestris), and the 

 wording may be such as to include that 

 species also. There is no such species as 

 " lake bass." The so-called " lake bass " 

 is one or any of the above-named species 

 that happens to frequent, temporarily or 

 permanently, the lakes. In Michigan the 

 following species are known to occur in 

 lakes: 



1. Large-mouthed black bass {Microp- 

 terus salmoides). This species is also known 

 as Oswego bass, green bass, mud bass, 

 bayou bass, and is doubtless called lake 

 bass in Michigan by those who wish to 

 evade the law. 



2. Small-mouthed black bass [Micropterus 

 dolomicu). This is also called simply black 

 bass, and would doubtless be called lake 

 bass by the same people. 



3. Strawberry bass {Pomoxis sparoides). 

 This is also called calico bass and grass 

 bass. 



The first 2 species named may be readily 

 distinguished by the number of rows of 

 scales on the cheek. The large-mouthed 

 black bass has only about 10 rows count- 



ICE FISHING IN MAINE. 



J. \V. NASH. 



I remember reading an article in which 

 it was said that a man who would fish 

 through the ice was no sportsman. 1 shall 

 either have to admit being unsportsman- 

 like or accuse the author of that article of 

 gross prejudice, and I think many people 

 will uphold me in the latter course. How- 

 ever, I am not going to argue the question, 

 but tell of a trip to Lower Stone pond, in 

 Oxford county, Me. 



Mel Sampson is one of the boys and 

 when, in the latter part of February, he in- 

 vited me to take a trip to his camp, I at 

 once accepted. By 8 o'clock next morning 

 we were snugly packed in a long pung, with 

 snow shoes, traps, toboggan and supplies 

 for a 4 days' outing. Two o'clock found us 

 in one of the cosiest camps in which it has 

 ever been my good luck to sleep. It was 

 on a wooded knoll on the shore of the lake 

 and commanded a fine view. After a com- 

 bined dinner and supper of oyster stew we 

 got things straightened for morning and 

 turned in. 



We were on the ice by daybreak and 

 soon had our lines in and ready for busi- 

 ness. Pretty soon a flag went up at the hole 

 farthest away. Being nearest to it I did 

 some tall sprinting but was too late. Mel 

 next had a call and took a 3 pound pickerel. 

 This fish we cooked for breakfast and be- 

 fore we finished it up went another flag. I 

 ran to the hole and landed — or should I say, 

 iced? — the fish. He was such a handsome 

 fellow I determined to mount and paint 

 him. So we cut a large, deep hole in the 

 ice in which to keep him alive until we were 

 ready to return home. We went back and 

 finished our breakfast and then began fish- 

 ing in earnest. We had but few lines set, 

 for we are not fish hogs, and that day we 

 caught only 8 fish, though they were alt 

 large. 



The next morning was stormy and we 

 made the round of the lines only a few 

 times. During the day we caught 4 more 

 good fish and, at night, thinking we had all 

 we could use, we took up our lines. The 

 next clay we started homeward, carrying 

 with us 7 fish. 



I have caught many pickerel, but neither 

 before nor since have 1 seen such plump 

 beauties as those we took at Lower Stone 

 pond. 



