284 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



out for Ms final rush when he catches sight of you or your 

 boatman. The boatman takes bis gaff and stands in the stern 

 of the boat, or on a jutting point. Gradually the fish comes 

 rolling in, but as the boatman raises his arm he is off like a 

 shot. But you are on the lookout and let the line run freely. 

 It is his last effort. You reel him steadily in. The boatman 

 With one motion strikes the gaff into the fish, and raises him 

 into the boat, and at your l'eet lies a spotted beauty of sixteen 

 pounds and a half. 



The broken water below the rapids is full of fish, though 

 here they run small. I took two, one of two and the other of 

 hree pounds, at the same time. One with an artificial minnow 

 Of India rubber, the other with a salmon fly. The minn ow 

 is light, and plays with the rapid stream on the surface of the 

 water. But the end of the season was approaching. We had 

 considerable discussion whether it ended on the evening 

 of the 14th, or on that of the 15th, as the law was not clear 

 upon the subject. But we decided thatwall laws should he in- 

 terpreted in a liberal sense, and concluded to fish all the 15th. 

 And glad enough I was that we did so. All day long there 

 blew a nasty, cold, northeast wind, the worst for fishing that 

 can blow. The fish would not bite ; but at dark I tried them 

 again. I suppose they had got hungry by this time, and 

 wanted their dinners no matter which way the wind blew. 

 Pretty soon I landed a two-pounder. Be was a lively little 

 fellow, and made so much play that 1 thought in the gloaming 

 that I had a big one. Then came a jerk and a rush, and I 

 could just distinguish thirty ■:>- fcrty yards off. a dark object 

 throw itself into the air, and hear its splash as it fell back into 

 the water. Fifteen or twenty minutes of conscientious work 

 landed him safely. Another jerk and rash, and after twenty 

 minutes more another big brook trout lay alongside of his 

 brother. These two fish weighed thirteen and a half pounds 

 each, and so closed the season. These fish are as delicious as 

 they are gamy. I never tasted such high flavored trout— en- 

 tirely free from the rnudcly flavor of so many of our fish at 

 home. The Finnish women, too, though not exactly " cor- 

 Oem bleus in the Catholic sense of that term, cook fish dc- 

 hciously. 



We were fortunate in our company at Naraka. We had 

 among us gentlemen who had seen much of the world, and 

 especially of the Russian world, and their conversation was in- 

 teresting and instructive. We dined late, for the best time 

 for the big fish is when it begins to grow dark. Then they 

 teed, and then, too, they are more easily obtained by the 

 mmuc minnow. We were not without poets, too, among us. 

 When the fish would no* bite during that northeast blow 

 on the morning of the loth, one of our poets sang as follows : 



THE SONG OF THE PISHES. 

 New joy at Xaraka, new glee in the lake, 



No longer shall M y our big Locales take. 



Close season has come, for nv.mths we are free, 



xr i T, K fl °P our flsh tails at the parting Tengtiee. 



tfaraka, Sept. 16, 1S77. 6 



The Doctor whose name should fill the blank in "the above 

 paean, completed the poem as follows when I returned late in 

 the evenmg with my three Lochies : 



p - s - 

 Too soon, alas ! we joyous fish, 

 Did boast we had escaped the dish, 

 A, Yankee came with eruel hook, 

 And from our midst three Lochies took, 

 And now our joy and glee we hide, 

 And flop our tails oa t'other side. 



As I have not a copy of the Doctor's "Lament " by me I 

 may do injustice to its poetic merits, but I give it as I reinem- 



Deep in Lake Saima there lurks a large fish. He is some- 

 times seen on a summer's eveniug as he gambols with elc- 

 pliantme playfulness on the surface of the water. We saw 

 hun leap, and an English M. P. of our party spoke the general 

 sentiment when he said that he " was as big as a donkey." 

 Innumerable are the hooks he has carried off, and the lines he 

 has snapped like pack thread. The bottom of his den is 

 Strewed with hooks aud lines and broken bits of rods, as the 

 caveot Polyphemus was strewed with the sad proofs of his 

 prowess. I &m going for that fish next summer. W H 



grow in circles around the spring-holes, the gushing water 

 throwing off particles of earthy matter on all sides. Exper t 

 anglers will always fish iu the open water along the edges of 

 these weeds, not only because the trout are attracted to them 

 by the purity and 'coldness of the water, but because the 

 plants breathe out oxygen, and supply food in the shape of 

 larva? and mollusca, as well as shade, shelter and security to 

 the trout. Some plants are more attractive than others ; and 

 just as the gardener selects and disposes his plants with a 

 view to utility and beauty, so will the aqua-culturist use like 

 judgment in placing plants in his ponds. But let us hear 

 What the ve'eran editor of the Germantown Telegraph says 

 about this: 



No fish pond should have an entire gravelly bottom. There 

 should be some mud. Here the water-lily should be planted. 

 All fish in a pond like this plant, and its flowers floating on 

 the surface make a very beautiful appearance. Then there 

 is the calla lily, which can be set with the pots where the 

 water is not too deep, and will grow and bloom all summer. 

 We have tried both and find them always surrounded with 

 gold fish and others. Next allow the grass to grow along the 

 edges of the pond into the water. It will be a cover to the 

 fish in protecting them against the sun, and will admit of their 

 eating fresh soil and some of the tenderer fibres of the grass- 

 roots. By these the water becomes much more life-sustaining 

 by reason of the oxygen supplied. 



We thank our contemporary for his courteous reply to our 

 inquiry for light on this subject, and trust that other intelli- 

 gent gentlemen will follow suit. We have much yet to learn 

 on the culture of aquatic plants. 



Tkotjt Propagation at Palexyilue.— The trout- hatchery 

 at Palenville, built under the superintendence of A. W. Marks 

 fox the Committee of the Board of Supervisors, is copied after 

 the New York State hatching-house, designed by Monroe A. 

 Grees, who is the most successful fish-culturist in the coun- 

 try. Mr. Green is now at Cape Vincent, Jefferson County, 

 superintending the taking of salmon trout. Mr. Marks is now 

 progressing finely at Patenvillc, taking spawn daily. From 

 the sources of supply now open to the committee, it seems 

 probable that the hatchery will distribute to the various towns 

 in »he county from 300,000 to 400,000 young trout next 



firing. The committee, Supervisors Breasted, Mulford and 

 oleomb, aided by Mr, Hopkins, have proceeded carefully 

 and made no mistakes, and the result of their labors will be 

 of substantial benefit to the country. Mr. Marks pronounces 

 the streams of Ulster County the best he has ever seen for 

 trout purposes, and it is not unlikely that the supervisors of 

 Ulster may conclude to stock their streams also.— GattfdU Re- 

 corder. 



Vegetable Growth in Pish Ponds.— Our respected friend 

 and well-informed editor of the Germantown Telegraph, gives 

 his readers some really valuable information, gathered from 

 his own experience, in regard to the kind and quality of weeds 

 to be cultivated in fish ponds. We have endeavored for years 

 to inculcate upon fish breeders the absolute necessity of plant- 

 ing something of the kind. No fish pond should have an en- 

 tire gravelly bottom. It should have some mud. Aquatic 

 plants grow from mud. Our readers who angle for trout will 

 recall to their remembrance that the best natural trout streams 

 which they ever fished had a growth of weeds and lily-pads 

 at their mouths. Such a stream generally runs over a gravelly 

 bed, but it carries with its current particles of mud, silt, 

 seeds, pollen and earthy matter, which, floating down to the 

 point where the force of the current expends itself, ig. deposit- 

 ed on either side of its debouchure. Out of this deposit 

 the weeds grow in a semicircle, their tops floating in a mass 

 upon the surface, and leaving an oval space of clear water. 

 Our readers will recall the fact, also, that in all natural ponds, 

 Which are fed by bottom springs, the weeds and lily pads 



Bedford, O., Nov. 9. 



Mr. Editor : — The last number (Nov. 1st) of Forest and 

 Stream is received, and, like every number, without excep- 

 tion, is good. I like the article on the growth of trout, but 

 still think those six and seven inch fellows were old fish. I 

 also think Mr. Page's half pound trout was at least three, if 

 not four years old. Brook trout do not grow rapidly before 

 they are two years old— at least, that is my experience with 

 them. I hope this subject will be thoroughly investigated, 

 as it is of some importance. 



The immense size of the Maine trout have al w ays been a 

 marvel to me — wmy they should be so much larger than the 

 trout of the Lake Superior region I do not understand— six 

 pounds three ounces being the largest brook trout I ever saw, 

 taken at Saulte St. Marie. ■ Yours truly, T. Gablick. 



— The San Francisco Sunday Chronicle says: " The catfish 

 have increased so much in numbers in Sutter Slough that it 

 is proposed to remove the restriction upon catching them, the 

 Fish Commissioners being satisfied that the fish have become 

 so numerous there and in other waters in which they were 

 planted that there is no danger of their being seriously de- 

 creased by ordinary fishing. They have also begun catching 

 them in throw nets for stocking the Sacramento River." 



Why don't they put up some of those anchovies which we 

 hear abound on the California coast around Santa Barbara ? 

 They can make the oil in the country, and there is no reason 

 why we should not have American anchovies to compete with 

 the French and Italian products. 



Growth of BnAorf Bass. — Facts of interest regarding the 

 growth of fish are gradually coming to light. Why don't the 

 four score fish breeders and itchtlyologists who take the 

 Forest and Stream jot down little items of information like 

 following? 



SIobeistown, Nov. 9, 1S7T. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : * 



In your paper of Oct. 11 1 saw an account of the rapid growth of 

 tront from the pen of W. n. Hasbronck, of Ellenville, N. Y. The state- 

 ment which he makes is certainly very encouraging. I wish to say a 

 word about black bass. 



One year ago this fall there were placed in T). L. Miller's pond at Mad- 

 ison, in this county (Morris) fifty of these fish measuring from two 

 and a half to four inches in length. On the 17th of October, about one 

 year from the time of putting them out, Mr. Miller had occasion to 

 draw the water down for some repairs, ne had the flume so arranged 

 as to take any flsh that might, run out. Eleven bas3 were caught. 

 They measured from_ten to thirteen inciies in length, and were un- 

 doubtedly thfe same fish which were put in the year before, as none of 

 this variety of flsh were ever known in the pond before. This is the 

 first time that I have had an opportunity to observe their growth . 

 This is a little fishy, but has the merit of being 1 rne 



Chas.J. Tearson, 

 Fish Warden for Morris Co., N. J. 



Bird Habits.— The Greensburg (Fenn.J Herald of the 6th 

 inst. says: "There are about 100,000— more or less— birds (black 

 or cow birds; that have established a 'roost' in St. ClairCeme- 

 tery, and, just as regularly a3 the rising of the sun, these birds 

 leave their roost between daylight and sunrise, and iu one im- 

 mense flock wend their way westward. Just exactly where 

 they go we know not. and, after foraging all day, they return 

 between sundown and dark and take up their lodging for the 

 night on trees in the cemetery. Can any one give a reason 

 why those birds selected the cemetery instead of other wood- 

 land for their roost ? Or why they all congregate together at 

 night and all leave at the same time, and all go west, and 

 never east, south, or north ?" 



We can't give the be'eaws of the buds roosting in the ceme- 

 tery, but possibly there may be some winter wheat due West. 

 The examination of the crop of one of those black birds would 

 soon determine this question. 



Drumming of Ruffed Grouse. — "Splasher" asks: "As 

 it fceems still to be a point of discussion how the ruffed grouse 

 drums, would it be out of the way to suggest as a reasonable 

 supposition that they do it with their drum-sticks ? ' ' 



A Hint to Caterers. — The older men grow, aud th e 

 more teeth they lose, the more oysters they eat. Cultivate 

 the agent. 



♦-** : — 



— The average mid-day temperature at New Smyrna, Fla., 

 for the month of O tober Was 79 deg. 4m. 



ffaodlxnd, 4$wm mtd §ardm. 



THIS DEPARTMENT 13 EDITED BY W. J. DAVIDSON, SEO. N. T. 

 TIOllTlCUr.TUTi/l L SOCIETY. 



ENGLISH NAMES OF WILD FLOWERS 

 AND PLANTS. 



nrTIE following lecture by the Rev. W. Tuckweil before 

 J- the Somersetshire (England) Archaeological and Natur- 

 al History Society is so interesting and instructive that we 

 offer no apology iu placing it before our readers : 



Eight years ago I was piloting a famous botanist from the 

 east of England among the fields and lanes round Taunton, 

 when he asked me the name of a plant which he did not at 

 the moment recognize. I answered that it was the Gips*y- 

 wort, and received a prompt rebuke. " This is the third 

 time," he said, "that I have inquired the name of a flower, 

 and you have answered me in English. The Latin names are 

 universal, the English at best are local. It is to be wished 

 that all English names of plants could be forgotten, and their 

 scientific names become popularized instead." Unquestion- 

 ably a foolish utterance, it was of great service to myself, for 

 it set me to consider the real value of these names which my 

 pedantic guest despised, and from that time to this I have 

 never encountered the popular name of any English wild flow- 

 er without questioning it closely as to its etymological history 

 and meaning, and noting the passages in our literature where 

 it occurs. It would be a great pleasure to me to believe that 

 the knowledge gained by these inquiries, put together to the 

 best of my power, could interest you to-night as much as it 

 has interested myself. 



It is no new thing to infer from the terms in use at the be- 

 ginning of a nation's history the arts and customs of the nation 

 using them. Thus the fact that in all or nearly all the Aryan 

 languages the words for the Supreme Being, for the king, for 

 brother and sister, for plowing, grin Limj bufiding, closely 

 resemble one another, is admitted to show that our common 

 forefathers in times when they were still one people, and had 

 not yet scattered into India, Persia, Europe, had the beginnings 

 of religion and government, possessed the family life, knew the 

 simple arts which are most needed for the comfort of home 

 life. Let U3 see what light will be thrown upon the habits of 

 our Teutonic forefathers" if we apply their method of investi- 

 gation to the popular names of plants. 



TEUTONIC NJS MES. 



The following words are commou to all the Teutonic lan- 

 guages—must have been known, that is, to the race from 

 which we ourselves, with the Germans, Danes, Swedes and 

 Norwegians, are descended, on tluir first settlement in Eu- 

 rope, and before they broke up into sub-divided nations. The 

 first I will take is birch, the rind of which must, we find, have 

 been used for boat-building and for roofing houses; forboat- 



hergen, also from the same root, mean to cover, protect, or 

 shelter. From tills simple word, then, we gather that our an- 

 cestors possessed the arts of building boats and of roofing or 

 thatching houses. Houses could not be built without timber, 

 and we find the word "tree " in almost every Aryan language 

 standing for three things— for a tree, for timber, and for an 

 oak, extending the use of oak wood for buildiug purposes 

 back to the first formation in Asia of our mother language, 

 and presenting us with the additional facts that our European 

 ancestors built of oak timber the houses which they roofed 

 with birch. In Hazel a fresh fact lies buried. It is in all 

 Germanic dialects the instrumental form of Tim, command or 

 behest, a Hazel stick having been used, as Jacoh Grimm, in- 

 forms us, in the earliest, times as a sceptre or baton to keep 

 order among slaves and cattle. Without dwelling on the fact 

 that the old word Iiakian, lo foretell, indicates the use of the 

 hazel rod for purposes of divination, we have the additional 

 probability revealed in a single word that our remote ancestors 

 possessed slaves and cat tie'. In hawthorn, common to Swed- 

 ish, German and English, we have testimony to the use of a 

 haw, h/eg, hedge, or fence, "honouring the holy bounds of 

 property," and consequently to the division and appropria- 

 tion of land, in the earliest Teutonic time. My next word 

 makes some demand upon your etymological credulity. With- 

 out tracing particulars, 1 will ask you to believe that the Sans- 

 krit KsM, to dwell, pusses tlu'ough various forms in one direc- 

 tion to the English "home," in another to the word "heath"; 

 now meaning the plant which grows wild on open land, stand- 

 ing originally for the land itself. "My foot," says Rob Hoy, 

 "is on my native heath;" and the same idea was enshrined 

 in the same word to the first Teuton settlers. In the forest 

 he fought his enemies, hunted Lis prey, hewed timber for his 

 fences, and peeled timber for his roof ; his home was iff 

 the open land, or heath, from which, again, when ages 

 had passed away and Christianity possessed the towns, he 

 still worshipped his father's gods Upon his father's heath, 

 aud gained, as Trench thinks, his ancient name of heathen. 

 A sixth word lifts him higher than all the rest. The 

 word beech, in Gothic, old High-German, modern German, 

 Norse, Danish, Dutch, English, is identical with book, 

 the Runic tablets of our ancestors having been carved upon 

 this wood. In sloe, the wild plum, we have the root of 

 "slay," its tough wood having been used for bludgeons; dog- 

 wood is daggerwood, fromi Eron ish, whose 

 wood was therefore used foe ame the oldEngltsh 

 Bpearj gedge is allied to meg, a Bharp.small iron sword. 

 And let us observe that win, arhjg purely 

 Teutonic names, extend far into Northern Asia, trees which 

 stop short at a more southern limit— the elm, chestnut, holly, 

 sycamore, plum, pear, peach, cherrj — all have Latin names, 

 showing that the Teuton squat icrs came from a colder country 

 than that, in which they arc supposed to have settled near the 

 Eoman provincials on the Lower Rhine. The knowledge 

 that wheat, barley, oats, coin, rye, are all Teutonic words, 

 completes the historical picture gtvenby the first list ofna 

 They show us a race Of men coming from a northern to a 

 southern region, dwelling in timber houses, roofed and 

 thatched, launching DO ■ ing cattle and 

 slaves, recognizing the rights of property and the sacrednesfl 

 of home, fighting with cudg miliar 

 withe," i ■■ ;■>■ not ignorant of letters. 



All these faee ute iu- 



aglish 



■ 

 i any national intoreBt to Out 



