9 



April 20, 1882.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



229 



Lots; Jacb>K4bbpts. — Carthage, Mo., April 3. — Your cor- 

 respondent who wants live jack-rabbits can get them by 

 writing- to E. L. Hoopman, Belle Plain, Callahan county, 

 Texas The rabbits are very plenty there. Mr. Hoopman 

 can also supply live prairie dogs. — N. U. S. [Live jack- 

 rabbits can be Lad here; I can get them for shipment in July, 

 and will deliver them at express office here, box separately. 

 for rive dollars each. We have two kinds here, the wlute- 

 tailodfA'/^-. uzmpBst/rfy) or prairie hare ; and the black-tailed 

 I /,,."".■■ ■:■ true jack-rabbit. lean also supply some 



antelope fawns,— W. J. Dixox, Cimarron, Kansas,] 



Jack-Rahbits in Nevada.— Austin, New, April 7.— 

 .Tack-rabbits are more than abundant throughout this State, 

 great numbers being killed by the Indians for their fur only. 

 Have never seen auy live ones brought in, but think they ran 

 be trapped. Probably cost five dollars a pair, ready forship- 

 ment. A day's bag of less than twenty is a poor day's sport, 

 A party of twelve — six on a side — shooting for the "supper," 

 killed 487 one day in eight hours. Prospects good for sport, 

 with sage hens, or mountain grouse. Ducks have been plen- 

 tiful, but they have it all their own way now. — Wachine- 



WAH. • 



Manchester Shooting Olt;b. — Manchester, K H., April 

 10, 1882. — The annual meeting of the Manchester Shooting 

 Club was held at the City Hotel on Tuesday, April 4, at 7 o'clock 

 P. ME. j with a good attendance. The reports of the secretary 

 and treasurer showed the club to be in a good condition. The 

 following named gentlemen were elected officers for the en- 

 suing year: Frank J. Drake, President; Frank Dowst, Vice- 

 President; Lewis K. Mead, Treasurer; Will C. Clarke, Sec- 

 retary; Z. Foster Campbell, Clark Hadley, Carlos C. Clark. 

 Executive Committee. Number of members; 83.— J. E. W. 



Flohida Game Abundant.— Jacksonville, Fla. April 10. 

 1 have, several times told you of the great abundance of 



fame in the Gulf Hammock. Here is a report in a Cedar 

 leys paper, which says: "Jack Brown, an old typo re- 

 siding at Bosewood, sa'vs within the, last eight vears he has 

 killed in the Gulf Hammock, 416 turkeys, 398 deer, 16 

 bears, 7 wild cats and 5 panthers. Who 'can beat this?" 

 This proves that my reports were not: mythical. And what 

 that typo did with his shooting-stick, others can do with 

 their breech-loaders. — Al Fuesco. 



Boston Camtehs Want a Ground.— Can some corres- 

 pondent of the Forest and Stream mention a place within 

 say 300 miles of Boston, where two fellows, not afraid to 

 rough it, would be pretty sure to find good shooting this fall? 

 Would like wild foul shooting if I knew of a place not 

 already crowded with sportsmen. Should prefer camping 

 out rather than stopping at hotels, and would be willing to 

 tramp many miles and work hard if I could get a few weeks' 

 shooting once a year with either rifle or shotgun.— Boston 

 Bot. 



Chicago Notes.— Chicago, April 12, 1881.— Golden plover 

 are here in thousands. I shot eighty-six yesterday without a 

 call, and with only a few dead birds for decoys; they are 

 brought into the city by the barrel by market hunters. Snipe 

 are scarce at present" the weather is too cold for them. 

 Duck shooting is nearly over, though a few good bags of 

 bluebill were made at English Lake and Thayer Landing last 

 week. Geese are numerous, but they are "shot at so much 

 that they are very wild. — Ten-Bore. " 



Minnesota.— Sauk Centre, Minn.. April 5.— Ducks and 

 geese are here in countless numbers — in fact, I never saw so 

 many around in the spring before. I have been out, but 

 woidd not like to have shown you the empty shells as com- 

 pared with the ducks. They are very wild, and hard to have 

 anything like a fair shot at, for the marshes are flooded with 

 water, and it is impossible to get at them. ' As the water 

 goes down it will be better, and then I hope to report one 

 fair bag at least. — Dell. 



Another Pistol Shot.— Chippewa Falls, Wis., April 7, 

 1882.— Anent the subject, of pistol shots, look at this, taken 

 from a local print: Jno. D. Williams, foreman for W. T. 

 Price, killed a bald eagle Saturday, 25th, which measured 

 from tip to tip of wings seven feet and eight inches. The 

 bird was at the top of a tall pine, and the shot was made 

 sixteen rods from the tree with a .32cal. Smith & Wesson 

 revolver, which the boys here call a good shot. — Badger. 



Charleston, 111., April 10.— On the 7th inst. Joseph 

 Liston, Otto Weiss, John Connolly and Wilson Hughes were 

 out on the prairie, eight miles northwest of here, for a day's 

 water fowl shooting, and they bagged one duck, four bull- 

 heads and sixty-seven jaeksnipes. "They reported snipe very 

 numerous; plover and kill deer in fair numbers.— J. B. 



DUNUAP. 



New Yorkers in Florida.— Cazenovia, N. Y., April 

 12.— Geo. Brunn, Geo. Atwell and Seymour Brunn have 

 just returned from Florida after a four months' absence. 

 They report fine sport on the Indian and St. Lucie rivers. 

 Thomas and Card arc still at the latter river, and expect to 

 remain two or three weeks more. — Hammeuless. 



Minnesota. — Pillsbury, Minn. — Ducks began to arrive 

 here in March, and now "they are far more numerous than I 

 ever knew them to be in the spring. The lakes are not open 

 yet, so they are confined to the river and overflowed 

 meadows. I think I saw a thousand on one little meadow 

 to-night.— J. F. L. 



A Book on Dog Training.— Mr. S. T. Hammond's book, 

 "Training vs. Breaking" is now ready. It should be in the 

 hands of every dog owner. 



I'm Going it for Deer Life, as the buck said when he 

 lit out. 



NEW BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Field Botany.— A hand bunk Cor the collector, containing instruc- 

 tions for jratherint; ailc i preserving- plant- ami the formation of the 

 herbarium. Ly Walter P. Manton. Boston: Lee & Sliepard. 188-2. 

 Price SO cents, A. useful little book, almost roo brief, but good, bo 

 far as it goes. 



Conversation: Its Faults and Graces. Compiled bv Andrew P. 

 1'oa.liody. P.l.'., EL.P. New edition. Boston: Lee ,v Shepard.1S.s-2. 

 I'nYo.-f) cents. Ought to be printed and distributed gratis, for the, 

 good of the people who murder the English language. 



Photography.— We have received from Messrs. E. A H. T. Anthony, 

 the, weli-taown dealers in photographic supplies, this eit\ two i,eV 

 i , , , . i., ■ ,,, 



,r.by. ' V : \ n> 

 " ' "" ')■ <:•>?' ^ie ■ ivlnhnb'-" !'i '■ i 



|*»# mid §iier ^wiring. 



FISH IN SEASON IN APRIL. 



Brook trout, Solix-lintis font irialis; salmon, Sahno sahir; lake trout, 

 Gh1i$Uv0mer namaycush. This list maybe in conflict with the laws 

 in some of the St ates. ■ 



The " Reverend" William Musters, at one time minister of Colwick, 

 was an ardent disciple of old Izaac Walton. Indeed, his attention 

 seemed to be engaged in piscatorial pursuits when his mind ought to 

 have been occupied in matters of a more sacred character. It is 

 said that one beautiful morning he was deeply absorbed in his favor- 

 ite occupation of angling in the '-silvery winding Trent." at Colwick, 

 when he was approached by an individual, who was soon recognized 

 as his parish clerk, who thus addressed him: "Please, sir, the place. 

 is full and the people are waiting for you." "What place is full, and 

 what people are waiting to see. me:" "Please, sir, the church, and 

 the congregation. It's Sua lay, you know, sir." "Bless my life, I 

 had forgotten it was Sunday; I will he there in a minute or two."— 

 Biurcok's Book of Nottinghamshire Anecdotes. 



THE BROWN FISHER MAID. 



BY PORTE LYTE. 



Bare and brown were the feet of the lithe fisher maid, 

 And the rose on her cheek it was tinted with brown; 



But her soul was far whiter than thine, I'm afraid, 

 O, too knowing maid of the dissolute town. 



And she leant her against a ribbed wreck there, 



There on the strand by the nig sobbing sea; 

 And she sang to herself, O, I wonder from where. 



Prom where will my lover come here unto me? 



And the voice of the sea murmured low, as in sighing, 

 On my bosom there rushes a ship in a gale— 



At the helm is thy lover, and impatient he's flying, 

 To clasp thee he's flying with tall mast and sail. 



Then the fisher maid turned, o'er the hills disappearing, 



And she sang as she went, O, my love will ne'er fail; 

 Then hasten, my lover, and with words most endearing, 

 O, hasten thy coming with tail mast and sail. 

 Washington, March, 1882, 



SIGNS. 



READING your articles on the signs and snpersitions 

 pertaining' to the knight of the rod, has brought to mind 

 a conversation I had not long since with an enthusiastic 

 brother of the angle, Said lie, "I am not superstitious nor 

 over credulous, yet there are sonic things taken in connection 

 with others lead a man, to say the' least, to Very curious 

 thoughts. Here in town, as you know, there has been an 

 aquarium which once did hold some speckled trout. 



"Now, from boyhood up we have all known, and perhaps 

 practiced, a good many signs, rules and formulas necessary 

 to success, among others is the one pertaining to the signs of 

 the zodiac. Here was an opportunity to note whether the 

 almanac's distribution of the signs to the human body had 

 any effect on these trout or not. Accordingly I set about to 

 watch the signs and fish, and daily I noted their actions and 

 the position of I he signs. For a long time, four months at 

 least, I continued my observations and tests. 



"As a result I "discovered one thing at least which 

 appeared inevitable. Whenever the signs were in the stomach 

 or above that point then the fish were exceedingly lively. A 

 slight stir of the surface attracted them at once. An insect 

 thrown on the water wa's the signal for a grand rash. In 

 fact, they seemed constantly on the move, their heads and 

 bodies always, when they made a (flight stop, pointing 

 toward the surface as if eager to detect the first glimmer of 

 food. 



' 'On the contrary, when the signs fell below the stomach 

 they would hug down to the bottom. Their movements 

 were dull and sluggish. They refused to he attracted to the 

 surface, even by the most tempting lures, except, perhaps, 

 occasionally one would sluggishly float upward, nose about 

 the footl, and perhaps nibble a little. But ambition had 

 departed and, apparently, life was nearly extinct. I don't 

 pretend to account for these facts. I don't even pretend to 

 trace a connection with the almanac, but what I have told 

 is true, for, as I said before, I kept careful watch of these 

 tish for more than four months." 



This much my friend told me. I present it as he said it 

 as nearly as I can recollect, leaving the subject without com- 

 ment. One word, however, for my brother piseators : Now 

 that the t routing season is fairly opened let us beware! let 

 us, until this question of zodiacal influence, on the tinny 

 tribe be definitely decided or described, keep close watch on 

 the position of the signs and go trouting only on "stomach" 

 days. Ehody. 



ON THE POTOMAC. 



THE Woodmont Eod and Gun Club celebrated the open- 

 ing of the bass season on the Sth inst. That the mem- 

 bers and their guests had a grand time, caught bass, sang 

 songs, ate a big dinner, and made themselves unanimously 

 merry, is a foregone conclusion. But first let me tell you 

 something of the location of the property and personnel of the 

 cluh. 



One hundred and four miles from Washington, on the 

 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, is the little town of Great Caca- 

 pon. at Dam No. 0. one of the feeders of the Ohio and 

 Chesapeake. Canal, and one mile further, beautifully situated 

 on a hillside, overlooking a delightful stretch of mountain 

 scenery is the Woodmont clubhouse. The club owns 3,000 

 acres of land, Uiree-fourths of a mile on the Potomac, 

 and reaching back several miles, embracing a territory that 

 IS well populated with deer, bears, turkeys, grouse, quails, 

 squirrels' and rabbits. The river is well stocked with 

 black and other bass, and Eherfi is the usual supply of 

 less gamy fish, such as catfish, eels, sunfish and suck- 

 ers, which are thrown in for good measure. The cluh 

 has introduced land-locked salmon aud California trout, 

 and arrangements are being made for hatching, so that the 

 general supply- of native and imported fishes may be. rapidly 

 increased. , 



The club house is a model in its way, admirably adapted 



to the wants and comfort of members and guests. There 



are fifteen teomsio the house, and adjoining is a building 



superintendent and his family 



and servants- to the large hall is at elaboJ rod I 



Erom the portico of the house there, is a charming view 

 across the Potomac over to the Capon Mountains, south, the 

 Tonoloway Mountain, east, and what is called Sidling Hill, 

 west, the first two being great enough and regal enough to 

 show the royal purple with which mountains are clad to the 

 cyefi of the distant beholder. 



The club was organized in Washington two years ago, the 

 prime mover being Mr. A. H. Kvans, of Washington, Presi- 

 dent, who is a hale snd hearty old gentleman, an enthusiastic 

 sportsman and a prince of entertainment, Among the mem- 

 bers who were present, at. the bass opening, were the Presi- 

 dent. Mr. Evans, Gen. R. 0. Drum. U. S. A., Senator 

 Warner Miller, Commodore English, aud Gapt. R. D. Evans, 

 U. 8. K;Col. R. J. Bright, Sergeant-at-arms C. 9. S., 

 Crosby S. Novcs. editor Evening Star. Washington, and 

 Messrs. Levi Woodbury, W. G. Mclntire and Thos. Russell, 

 of " 

 Frye 

 Jno. ™ 

 uett and W. H. Clark, Washington. 



A few of the party came up in the afternoon of the 7th, 

 and though they did not sally out till late, a dozen bass were 

 brought in. On the Sth, with one-half the party on duty, 

 about fifty bass were captured and rare good sport was had. 



In the evenins:— well you ought to have been there, liking 

 flsh and fun as you do, and haying the capacity, as may be 

 inferred from the columns of Foilest akd Stkeam, for the 

 good things oi earth. The spread was a royal one from soup 

 to cigars, with an intermediate fulness and finish surpassing 

 a White House entertainment, as one of the Senators testi- 

 fied. 



The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company is liberal with 

 the club in the way of special cars, stopping opposite the 

 club grounds, etc. 



The elttb has an ample supply of boats, and good attendants 

 for parties angling, procuring bait aud rowing arc nearby. 

 Much pleasure is anticipated by the members for themselves 

 and their friends at this delightful sport, the facilities for 

 which will be increased from year to year. The spring fish- 

 ing under and just below the Dam No. 6 is excellent, afford- 

 ing fine opportunities for skilful handling of the rod and reel. 

 Above the dam in the late summer and in the fall there is 

 good fishing from a boat, trolling and casting. In short, the 

 year round by land and water there is good sport to be had, 

 pure, sweet air comes to the lungs with the odor of pine and. 

 the fragrance of flowers, the distant droning of the dam, the 

 cry of the. whippoowill, the drumming of pheasants, the hoot- 

 ing of owls, are among the voices of the night, and here, if 

 anywhere, one is sure of rest and recreation. J. C, B. 



Woodmont, Md.. April 10, 1882. 



BLACK BASS AND ENGLISH ANGLERS. 



I noticed in your valued paper of Oth inst., your excellent 

 remarks on" this subject" and the extracts from the two 

 casual visitors from England to Canada, 



" R. N." is doubtless right to some extent about the black 

 bass not taking the fly, bull wish to inform him that he is only 

 correct to a limited extent as regards the particular stream in 

 which he fished, and other of similar character. The water in 

 that and other streams which enter our hike, is generally of a 

 muddy, milky nature, and deep. I have tried fly in three of 

 these 'streams without success— but go up to clear water at 

 the foot of a rapid, and if you know how you will catch 

 bass to your heart's content. In the River Thames here, 

 close to town, I have filled my fishing basket in less than an 

 hour, and not one of the bass under a pound, and in some 

 instances have had two on my flies at once. Last fall at the 

 mouth of the Thames, where it enters Lake St. Clair. I saw 

 a man catch twenty black bass, in a short time, with a small 

 trout spoem, casting it as he would a fly. Our black and 

 green bass arc "game" to the back-bone, will give good play 

 and jump clear of the water when hooked. Had Mr. " R. 

 N."been more familiar with our rivers, he, would not be so 

 ready to belittle our bass. I would not advise their intro- 

 duction to English fish-ponds with a view 10 fly-fishing, but 

 if placed and bred in their rivers, would give ample satisfac- 

 tion. Large trout flies of a sandy color, and black and claret- 

 colored palmers seem to me to be the best to use, and your fa- 

 vorite fly rod and tackle will be sufficient ly strong to hold them. 

 The best time to fish for them with fly is in July and August, 

 after they have spawned, on hot sunny days, or just lief ore a 

 thunder storm— also in the evening. C. O. D. 



London, Ont. ____ 



This trait of human nature is sometimes the result of ig- 

 norance of the subject, person or thing in question; some- 

 times of education by which the mind is imbued with certain 

 predilection ; sometimes of pride by which we are led to 

 esteem ourselves better than others, and to estimate our 

 opinion at more than thev are Worth. 



It simply excites our sense of the ludicrous, mingled with 

 a feeling of commiseration. for the man's ignorance to hear a 

 British angler (V) talk about " black bass not taking the fly; 

 their miau'ininess, soft mouth," and at, the same time, '' their 

 walloping about and getting rid of five hooks at once; the 

 need of "worm hooks and poles.'' and to cap the climax, 

 "the cultivation of black bass in a sluggish, deep river, or in 

 a dam, deep and still, with muddy bottom." 



Any boy knows that if he would catch bass, he must goto 

 a swift ri-rsr :,r a pebbly bcticm ■>;«■: fc'aa! oass are too 

 high-toned to dwell with catfish and suckers in the mud. 

 And I for one have seen many a three-pound and four-pound 

 bass caught with a fly on a ten-ounce rod in the hands of an 

 American expert, the bass fighting every inch like a tiger for 

 dear life. 



"Like everything else American ' till cry and little wool, 

 says "Koorb," referring to black-bass fishing at Alexandria 

 Bay on the St. Lawrence. It reminds me of the Englishman 

 whom an American traveler fell in with On the railway- 

 train. Said the Englishman: "You Americans over there 

 can beat us in some things, perhaps, but you have no such 

 locomotives as ours." The train being required to wait at a cer- 

 ium station for some lime, they alighted and. walked leisurely 

 up to the head of the train, when the Englishman's attention 

 was called to the lettering upon the locomotive, which was 

 •■Roe-crs Locomotive aud Machine Co., Patcrson, N. J.. L. 

 S. A/' IIlx - 



Pateksun-, N. J, 



Troutes-g ix Canada.— Potw'* W ■ . .< for 



April and May contains some new facts relative to the ra- 

 ven's nesting and wintering in Canada. In the May number 

 there is a great leal cf interest. ng matter for roctSefisan. _ A 

 series of articles are about, to be commenced on " Ihe 

 Trout Lakes of Canada, and how gel at them," Mr. \ennor 

 Has spent fifteen years ottnpll 



i h 



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