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Salmon ih Pennsylvania — A Fair Fish Caught istur 

 Bushkill.— We Lave to congratulate Mr. IT. J. Reedier in 

 the positive appearance of salmon in the State of Pennyslvania, 

 of which he is the Fish Commissioner. In view of the con- 

 troversy whether salmon can be successfully bred in the 

 streams where they once existed, or where they never were 

 found before, the question seems now to be positively settled 

 in the affirmative. Such evidences as we see every day should 

 make Legislatures in other States direct their attention to 

 stocking the rivers with useful fish. To give briefly the his- 

 tory of salmon culture in Pennsylvania, we may state that 

 in 1872 Mr. Stout, Mr. T. Norris and Mr. II. J. Reeder 

 placed salmon eggs in hatching boxes in a spring near Easton. 

 The fish from these eggs throve, and were further matured in 

 a large spring by the Bushkill, near Tohl's upper dam. Later, 

 some 40,000 eggs were hatched out coming from Bucksport, 

 Maine. Now, there cannot be any doubt but that the salmon 

 captured in the Bushkill on the 14th owes its origin to the small 

 •flsh placed somewhere in the Delaware or its tributaries. We 

 «re indebted to the Easton Free Press of the 14th November 

 for air excellent account of the salmon : 



The fish was discovered in Groetzingar's mill race, on the 

 Bushkill, at the foot of Fourth street, and its unusual size 

 immediately attracted the attention of a number of people. 

 After some' difficulty the fish was secured by Mr. James 

 Touag. Mr. Y»ung presented his prize to his uncle, Mr. J. 

 E. Stair, and as it was very generally believed to be a salmon, 

 Mr. Stair, appreciating its important bearing on certain mooted 

 points of the history and habits of this fish, and in the interest 

 of fish culture, thoughtfully placed it at the disposal of Fish 

 Commissioner Howard J. Reeder. The point, at issue with 

 scientific men, referring to salmon, is whether this fish placed 

 in rivers as far South as the Delaware and Susquehanna will, 

 with the instinct of their class, return to the grounds where 

 they were hatched, and as nothing but experiment will prove 

 .this, the importance of all evidence bearing upon the contro- 

 versy will be realized. At different times during the past four 

 years a great many thousand salmon eggs and salmon fry have 

 been deposited in the Bushkill and Delaware rivers under the 

 ■.supervision of Commissioner Reeder, and at various times re- 

 ports have been circulated of salmon of considerable size being 

 ■caught at Bordentowu, Trenton, Cup; j uier's Point and other 

 points on the Delaware, ranging from five to eight pounds 

 weight ; but unfortunately these have fallen into bauds' that 

 did not perceive anything in the fact beyond the table, and 

 itheir evidence was lost to the scientific world. But this fish 

 is a fact, and in official hands will be irrefutable evidence that 

 ike stocking of our rivers with the must valuable fish in the 

 world is not visionary, but practicable. Its further significance 

 will b.j thai it will stimulate legislation to foster and advance 

 our fish interests by more substantial aid and encouragement 

 to our Fiafe Commission than has heretofore been given to it. 

 The fish in question is a flue specimen. It is female, and its 

 dimensions and description are as follows : —Total length, 32 

 ineh'S; length of head, 6£ inches; girth at dorsal fin, 15 

 inches; caudal, when expanded, 9 inches; form, an elongated 

 ellipse, greatest breadth in front of dorsal; bronchial rays. 13. 

 Fiu rays as follows .• Pectoral, 13: vented, 9; anal, 9; dorsal, 

 13; caudal, 18. Color (after being out <4fkhe water nine hours), 

 back, greenish blue; sides, silver gray: belly, white marked by 

 black irregular spots like an x or the club spot on cards, with 

 smaller reddish spots shaped along the back and above the 

 lateral line; teeth incurved, a line on each side of the upper 

 jaw, and an inner line on the palatine, two rows on the 

 tongue and one row on the outer edi>e of lower jaw bone. It 

 has, besides, the second dorsal adipose fin, the peculiar and 

 -exclusive characteristic of the salmon family. 



FISH CULTURE IN NORTH CAROLINA. 



Greensboro, N. C, November 11, 1877. 

 Chas. Hallock, Esq.: 



Dear Sir— When, in the fall of 1S75, 1 had the pleasure of jour com- 

 pany from Southwestern Virginia across the Dhaka Mountains and 

 Blue Ridge to Western North Carolina, there were two points to which 

 I particularly desired to take you, they were .Asheville and the Black 

 Mountain; but circumstances prevented, and you left us one cold, 

 snowy morning, for the nearest point on the rail in East Tennesee. I 

 have regretted ever since that you did not see Black Mountain at least, 

 being the highest eastof the Mississippi, and measuring almost a thous- 

 and feet more than White Top, which you ascended with Col. Heed, and 

 which attains 5,800 feet. From our camp oa Neat Camp Creek, where 

 you left us under th<s escort of the faithful Kile, it was distant about 

 two days' ride. I hope, however, that an opportunity may soon again 

 offer for completing your visit to Western North Carolina, and would 

 advise that you select that section for your next Summer's recreation. 

 The best route for reaching it is via Salisbury, and thence over the 

 Western Railroad to Henry's Station, where the rail ends, and a Con- 

 4ord Btage affords the transportation to Asheville, twenty-one miles. 

 At thle point all kinds of conveyances cau be p rocured, and the best of 

 fare and accommodations at the MouniiV Sanitarium, which Dr. Wil- 

 liam Gleitzman has there Instituted for the treatment ot persons suf- 

 fering from pulmonary affections— the high altitude, pure and dry air, 

 being especially beneficial for such cases. 



Alitlieinountaiu streams of Western North Carolina are good trout 

 waters, and from them many can be selected which afford excellent 

 sport; besides, in a few years, there will be plenty of salmon in the 

 rivers and their tributaries, as the propagation of flsh has been com- 

 menced iu this State. 



Having occasion to visit Asheville recently, 1 stopped to visit the 

 Hatchery established at Swanauoa Gap, en route, and was greatly 

 pleased with the progress made. I found the Superintendent, Mr. W. 

 P. Page, of Lynchburg, Ya , in charge, assisted by Messrs. S. G. Worth 

 and W. W. Vandiver. The entire establishment is somewhat prlmJ; 

 tive, and economically constructed, but quite well adapted for the pur- 

 pose. Two hundred and fifty thousand eggs of the California Salmon 

 (Salfno guinnat), shipped from ths TJ. S. Salmon Ereediug Station on 

 the McC.oud River, on October 2, reached the Hatchery on the evening 

 of the 13th, and by 3 a. m. on the 4th were all deposited. The hatch- 

 ings commenced almost immediately, and the last tray on which tlie 

 eggs rested was removed on the 4th inst. The fish are now an inch 

 and over in length, and have the sacs about one-third absorbed. They 

 are in good condition, the percentage of loss being low. The water 

 supply comes from a small branch, entering the troughs first a half 

 mile from the spring, and is consequently subject to considerable varl- 

 tion of temperature. The Hatchery has .a capacity of nearly three 



quarters of a million of salmon eggs ; 25,000 trout eggs are expected in 

 a few days. I met General Vance, the present Governor of this State 

 at; the hotel near by. He had just visited the Hatchery, in which he 

 take* a great Interest. I gave him several copies of the Forest and 

 Stream, with the information that he would uud it a standard authority 

 on all subjects relative to fish culture. 



When the fish are sufficiently grown, they arc to be turned into the 

 headwaters of the French Broad, Sowing northwest, and those of the 

 Catawba, flowing south, from this divide. 



Thus yon will see that should you conclude to come this way, you 

 will find something to interest yon. Wagner. 



—Mr. B. B. Porter informs us that at his pond at Oak- 

 land, Bergen Co., N. J., he has salmon from 15 to 18 inches 

 long. These fish were hatched from eggs confine from Bucks- 

 port, and were placed in his pond iu the winters ot 187-1 and 

 i 875. The salmon have been fed upon chopped lights, liver 

 and thick milk. The fish are fairly tame, and will take food 

 from the hand. By the. way, Mr.'Porter's fine place is for 

 Sale nt auction. It ought to be purchased for the State for 

 purposes of propagation. 



_»Oh — . 



Editor Forest And Stream : 



culture op Water Plants in Fish Ponds.— I am glad you have 

 called the attention of fish breeders to the importance ot cultivating 

 aquatic plants, especially in those water courses and lake« that are i c- 

 stoeked with fish, for they are an absolute necessity. They form a nur- 

 sery, gnade and shelter and a hiding-place where the young will go for 

 self-protection. These water plants are as necessary for flsh as tree^ 

 are for birds. Wnter-cre?ses are excellent plants, and will thrive in 

 water. two feet or leas m depth, on a mud bottom. Thpy are easily 

 grown from seed, which can be purchased of J. M. Thorburn A Co , 

 No. lo John st., at S3 per pound. A small quantity wilt sow a large 

 area if carefully and economically distributed. Water-cresses are also 

 desirable for the table daring ttie winter and spring mouths. Wild rice 

 grass is good. Will not some of the seedsmen obtain and advertise it ? 



Subscriber, 



— Dr. J. C. Colburn, of Kingson, N. Y., has been stock- 

 ing his private pond on his farm with black bass and catfish 

 having putabout 40,000 young fish into the pond. 



Collecting Spawn in the Great Lakes. — The Sheboygan 

 ' Wiseoi! sin) Herald says : 



Mr, Henry Porter, who has charge of the Michigan State 

 Fish Hatcheries, at Niles, and his assistant Mr. A Bnggs, 

 have been here for the past week or so gathering trout spawn. 

 The gentlemen go out with the fishing tugs every morning and 

 carefully possess themselves of the eggs of live fish that are 

 ready to spawn, and then pack them properly' and ship them 

 to Niles. They have so far collected 1,500,000 eggs, and 

 mean to swell the number to 3,000,000 before Ihey leave. 

 The work is prosecuted at the expense of the State of Michi- 

 gan. Mr. Porter informs the Herald that the eggs were se- 

 cured at Milwaukee last fall, but he finds this a much better 

 point for collection and preservation of spawn. 



Geass Bass for Pennsylvania. — Fish Commissioner B. L. 

 Hcwit has brought from the Licking Reservoir, Ohio, 130 

 grass bass, part of which have been placed in the Susque- 

 hanna, at the water house, Harrisburg. Other invoices are to 

 follow. Black bass have been placed in the Little Shamokin 

 at Sunbuty. 



The Worst Sort of Poachers. — In the subjoined letter 

 Mr. Seth Green shows up a class of poachers in a fashion 

 that may not be flattering to their seme of self-appreciation : 

 , Rochester, Kov. 14, 1S7T. 



Mr. Editor—the worst poachers we have in the country are men 

 owning small trout pood-i, who pretend to be fish propagators. They 

 net the streams for miles around during all seasons of the year, ami 

 keep them until the close season is over, and then sell thera. There Is 

 a law now against that kind of work, »nd everybody should keep their 

 eye on all such poachers. No man can do any Ashing iu Irout streams 

 out of season unless he owns the whole of the stream, from one end to 

 the ether, under a penalty of not less than ten dollars nor more*than 

 twenty- five for each offense; and no p«rson can have any speckled 

 lrout, after the same has been killed, in his or her possession during 

 the close season, under penalty not exceeding twenty-five dollars for 

 each fish. 



Yoors, Seth Geben. 



AMERICAN ACCLIMATIZATION 

 SOCIETY. 



'"PHIS society held its regular meeting at the Aquarium 

 J- on the 14th. The Chair was occupied by Mr. Eugene 

 Sehiefflin, Dr. J. W. Green acting as secretary. Among the 

 gentlemen present were : Messrs. Robert B. Roosevelt, of the 

 Fish Commission; John C. Pennington, of New Jersey; 

 Eugene Keteltas, John C. Mills, Edward Schell, S. R. Bunce, 

 Edgar De Puyster, Wilson De Puyster, Mr. Conklin, of the 

 Central Park Museum, and others. Mr. Conklin read a 

 paper on acclimatization, with special reference to birds. He 

 detailed the efforts made in this country to introduce foreign 

 birds. In 1864, he said, the Commissioners of Central Park 

 set free fifty pairs of English sparrows, and they had multi- 

 plied amazingly ; Mr. Joshua Jones had freed English chaf- 

 finches, blackbirds, and Java sparrows in the Park, but un- 

 fortunately their numbers were so small the birds were lost 

 sight of. In 1374 Mr. Henry Reiche set loose fifty pairs of 

 English skylarks, but they all crossed the East River and set- 

 tled near Newtown and Canargie. The Cincinnati Acclimati- 

 zation Society had successfully introduced the skylark there, 

 and it was now becoming abundant iu the neighborhood of 

 the city. Last July the Acclimatization Society freed in the 

 Park some starlings and Japanese finches ; Mr. John Suther- 

 land had done the same with some English pheasants. It was 

 expected that they would all prosper. Mr. Conklin suggested 

 that renewed and organized efforts should be made to accli- 

 matize the English titmouse, chaffinch, blackbird, robin red- 

 breast, and the skylark — birds which -were useful to the 

 fanner and contributed to the beauty of the groves and fields. 

 Mr. Robert B. Roosevelt read a paper on the acclimatization 



of fish. The President of the American Fish Gulturists' As-| 

 sociation showed that our efforts should be mainly directed to ] 

 distributing the best of our own fishes through all the waters i 

 of the continent, and spoke of what had been done in this 

 way with shad and salmon. The Oswego bass, he thought, 

 was deserving of extensive propagation ; but particularly I 

 spoke of the land-locked salmon of Maine and Canada, and I 

 the California brcok trout. The latter fish he considered one 1 

 of the best which swims in American waters, and was con-j 

 vinced that it would well repay the trouble of propagation \ 

 here. The great interest taken at present by the public in i 

 the acclimatization of animals, birds and fish, and the support | 

 it must receive from all naturalists and sportsmen, must in 

 time render this association the leading one of its kind in the 

 United States. 



SEA SERPENTS. 



GOOD old Eric Pontoppidan, Bishop of Bergen, was by 

 no means a naturalist of indifferent abilities. But if 

 that honest worthy had a talent for any one thing it was for 

 finding out marine monsters. The Bishop was not only an 

 implicit believer iu the great sea serpent, but he accepted the 

 kraken, and most anything else that was told him. Of course 

 the prestige of this Scandinavian prelate had its weight, and 

 to this day the bebef in wonderful marine monsters is more 

 prevalent in Northern Europe than anywhere 'else. We notice 

 quite lately that Mr. Frank Buckland, quoting Sir Walter 

 Scott, tells how the great novelist was rather disposed to be- 

 lieve in sea serpents ; and he mentions that to-day it would be 

 difficult to shake a Zetlander in his confidence in the existence 

 of marine monsters. 



The majority of these stories were monopolized at one. tires 

 by Northern prelates. It was Orlaus Wormsus, in 1043, who 

 said that the kraken came out of the water more like an island 

 than a beast. The old Latin is Similorem insula guam bedim. 

 Eric Falkendorf , Bishop of Maros, wrote to Pope Leo, as early 

 as 1520, about a sea serpent of incalculable length and com 

 plexity of coil; and two years latter Olaius Magnus, muchmore 

 moderate, saw a snake only fifty feet long. People in those dayg 

 had peculiar arguments to prove the existence of sea monsters. 

 For instance, if a fisherman went out with his lines adapted for 

 thirty fathoms of water, and found iu a certain locality, the ' 

 depth of which hebeiieved had been well ascertained, that his 

 line touched ground at ten fathoms, it was perfectly clear 

 to the fisherman that there was a sea monster in the depths 

 below, and that the difference in sounding was owing to a 

 monster being at the bottom of the sea. About 1808, a clergy- 

 man as: erted that he saw off the north of Scotland a serpent 

 eighty feet long. The locality was between Rum and Canna. 

 If not for the clerical character of the witness the locality cf 

 the sea serpent might be between Santa Cruz rum and gocd 

 Scotch whisky. It was in 1817 that first was agitated in the 

 United States the sea serpent. Then the Monstrum horrendum 

 was seen off Cape Cod, and the Linnean Society of those days 

 investigated the matter, sending a commission to the locality. 

 That particular snake was only one hundred feet long, which 

 may, however, be considered fair as a first attempt, It is 

 hardly worth while to refer too far back in regard to sea ser- 

 pents, though we might quote Aristotle. We will direct our 

 attention to such descriptions of the sea serpent as have come 

 under our notice during the last few years. 



The locality of the sea serpent has somewhat changed, though 

 still found in the north, he has been occasionally seen much 1 

 further south. He has made his appearance as late as 1875, 

 in the Frith of Forth, off Filey Bay and the North Foreland, 

 off Hastings, and the. Isle of Arran, and at Menai Straits and 

 Prawle Point. This locality is, as it should be, well to the'' 

 north, but Captain Drevar, of the ship Pauline, in the same 

 year, off Cape Hoque, declares that he and his crew saw aj 

 sight which filled them all with terror. "Starting straight 

 from the bosom of the deep, a gigantic serpent rose and wound 

 itself twice in two mighty coils round the larger of two whales,, 

 which it proceeded to crush in genuine boa-constrictor fashion. 

 * * * The ribs of the ill-fated fish were distinctly heard 

 cracking, one after the other, with a report of a small can-, 

 nou. * * * Soon the struggles of the wretched whale ■ 

 grew fainter and fainter; its bellowings ceased, and the greatV 

 serpent sank with its prey beneath the surface of the ocean. "3 

 This was indeed a horrible monster 1 The officers of the 

 Pauline declared the serpent to have been 150 feet long, and 

 that twice it reared its crest sixly feet out of the water as if 

 meditating an attack upon the ship itself. 



Once in 1875, the real original sea serpent came very near* 

 being captured. It was a Captain Taylor who wanted to noose 

 him with a lasso. It was brave lolm Abes, the mate, who was 

 tried to get on the bow sprit.and do the deed; but John Ales 

 got frightened, and fell overboard. Bold John, however, wrote 

 a letter about it, in which he said, " The brute was then with- 

 in a few yards of me, with its monstrous head and wavy hoi ly 

 socking ten times more horrible than it did on board the brig. 

 I shiver even now when I think of it ! Whether the noise- 

 made by throwing the rope over to save me scared him, I can-* 

 not say, but he went down suddenly, though not more so than 

 I came up, After a few minutes he appeared some distance! 

 from us, and then we lost him." 



Wo come now, however, to some authorities that, irreverent 

 as we may be in regard to sea serpents, we are forced to treat 

 with a certain respect. The sea serpent had the honor of ap 

 pearing in nothing less than an Official Report to Admiralty. 

 In June of this year, on her Majesty's yacht Osborne, on the. 



