4S>4 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jttkb 29, 1B8S. 



Florida should not see the wisdom of preserving the game 

 attractions of the country. These are the inducements 

 "which lead a very considerable proportion of winter tourists 

 to visit that State; and as a simple matter of dollars and 

 cents it would be wise to protect game in its breeding sea- 

 son. Perhaps in two or three hundred years Florida may 

 reform in this matter. 



The Destruction of valuablo food fish for manure, 

 spoken of by our Philadelphia correspondent in another 

 column, is greatly to be deplored, and it certainly seems as if 

 there should be some means of bringing this food supply to 

 a market. It ought to pay the fishermen to send their 

 catches, if not to the large cities nearest to the fishing ground, 

 at least to the towns and villages in the neighborhood, where 

 the fish should bring prices that would yield far more than 

 the agriculturalist could afford to pay for them as fertilizers. 

 Such wholesale destruction as that spoken of by our corre- 

 spondent cannot fail to result in great injury to the fisheries 

 Of the Delaware River. 



"Professor." — We congratulate our whilom correspon 

 dent, who went out with the ill-starred Jeannettc expedition 

 as plain Mr. R. L. Newcomb, and returned as "Professor 

 Newcomb. " He went through hazard and hardship enough 

 to earn the newspaper-given title; and he deserves it much 

 ' more richly than, for instance, does "Professor Bibiero," 

 Who tried to swim across the East River the other day with 

 his arms and legs pinioned. 



^partmtfm g£ami$t. 



ON AN OLD TURNPIKE. 



IN retracing our steps, at our last "outing/' we saw nothing 

 worthy of note save a young setter— a fine Irish setter of 

 remarkable build and breeding. He seemed out of his ' 'reck- 

 oning" entirely, and I wondered to whom he owed allegiance, 

 and I made free to examine his collar, on which was graven 

 his name and his owner's, well known in a neighboring city. 

 Recognizing in me a lover of dogs, he soon was as friendly 

 as a stiange dog should be, and ere long his master came up, 

 and he left me with good will— with" my good will, also. 

 "What sentiments are inspired at the sight of a noble, well- 

 bred dog! Although I have decided preferences for a few 

 breeds, I confess that I truly love all, and see much in a 

 good dog to honor and to love. The wisest man may learn 

 many virtues from him, and some he holds in a degree so 

 pre-eminent that no man may attain thereto. A faithful friend, 

 a boon companion and an interested partner is a dog, and 

 once made, his allegiance can never be broken or shaken. 



Some country scenes are made peculiarly attractive by 

 the presence of a dog, and a few such I shall* always remem- 

 ber. But now to our tramp, continuing the deserted pike 

 from the house where we saw the little girl with flowers ip 

 hand. Behold! there she runs with her darling dog, having 

 a joyous romp among the buttercups and the fresh grass ! 

 To be sure, though her companion and playmate be a cur, 

 s*he is as happy and proud of him as though he were a "first 

 prize" at a bench show, I do love to see little children with 

 dogs for playfellows, and to see the intercourse continue 

 from year to year till the allotted three score and ten of 

 man's life shall have seen successive generations of canine 

 pets. 



In crisp October weather I doubt not this secluded tract 

 would afford good cover for quail and grouse, and it were 

 well to bear in mind its many advantages over the much- 

 frequented shooting ground made familiar by years' prac- 

 tice. But a truce to shooting and the talk thereof. There 

 is something in the thought of it that seems incongruous to 

 me, with spring and the fresh leaves and the carol of the 

 nesting birds. In the fall it is far different, and then I could 

 enjoy, with such a chivalrous, tender-hearted shooter as 

 "Nessmuk" for companion, a day in the stubble, week in 

 and out, during the season. 



TV hat quaint ideas of road making these old turnpikes 

 illustrate! Every one who has tramped or driven on one 

 knows their peculiarities, and this is no exception Yon- 

 der hill will afford a fine outlook, and I am curious to see 

 what its top will afford us, or rather our eyes, to dwell upon. 

 The way thither is steep and undeviating, .and barren of 

 interest in an especial degree. No country road can be 

 utterly uninteresting if we are in the mood to see and to 

 consider the minute objects of interest that appeal to us at 

 every step of the way. Barring a road despoiled of shade 

 ' trees — and many bits of road are thus being devastated every 

 year— if at peace with myself and the world in general, I 

 can find enough to occupy my attention. Alas, how many 

 there are who are beauty blind, and see not, on any road, 

 anything to admire or be satisfied with ! They have not the 

 sentiment of a dog even, and few of his less exalted qualities. 



A few more rods and we can see over and far away, and, 

 if I mistake not my bearings, a water view will give di- 

 versity to the scope. 



Here we arc, and there flows a river — placidly flows 

 through green meadows and wood-laden banks A pretty 

 scene, truly, and well worth the climb its acquaintance to 

 make. 



Below us the road ends abruptly at the riverside, and we 

 can continue our turnpike tramp no longer and no farther 

 without the aid of n boat to ferry us to "the other side." 

 When the pike fell into disuetude the bridge was taken 

 away, and the crumbling abutments attest the sharpness of 

 the tooth of time and its unprotected state against the rude 

 buffets of the elements. The sight of the river is suggestive 

 of — fish and fishing, and the inexpressible delights of an 

 angler's life. 



Pausing here, let us leisurely recall the fact of our angling 

 experience and, on the morrow, prove to our own satisfac- 

 tion how experience (as well as "history") can "repeat itself" 

 and cast the shadow of the rod upon yonder water. 



Thus ends our tramp, as many a pleasant one has ended, 

 by a pretty bit of water, and here I beg leave to begin for 

 Forest and Stream an unpretentious series of papers on 

 angling, which I beg to call ' 'With Hackles and Gentles, " 

 and inscribed to all lovers of the "craft." O. W. R 



"CAMPS OF THE KINGFISHERS." 



IN SEVERAL PARTS— PART TV. 



WE were up betimes in the morning, for we wanted to 

 put in a good day's fish to decide the question of 

 moving camp. But first we must needs have a look at the 

 big fish to see how he had passed the night. When Jim and 

 I took a boat and pushed out to the stern of the one • o which 

 he was tied, a sight greeted us that smote us full sore with grief. 



Calamity of calamities! J here, hanging ct the end of 'he 

 cord in the clear water, tail down and mouth wide opened, 

 was the old warrior, limp and dead as any salted mackerel, 

 and we were so anxious to keep him alive until we were 

 ready to start home. Putting sadly back to shore, we carried 

 him up to the camp and laid him out at full length on a 

 board, where he was surrounded by the boys, and many 

 were the regrets expressed at his unexpected death. 



Many conjectures were made as to the cause of his sudden 

 taking off, but probably the true cause was the injury he re- 

 ceived when I planted my knee on him in the boat, and the 

 drag of five miles through the water to camp. Perhaps he 

 died of a broken heart — of grief and chagrin at his defeat 

 and capture by a little thread that looked to him scarce of 

 strength to check the jerky spurt of a well-developed sun- 

 fish, let alone the headlong rush of one of the mighty tribe 

 of ISsox nobilwr. Who knows? But his broken spirit had 

 taken noiseless wing (or fin) during the night and passed 

 away, and we mourned him as one whose like we might 

 never see again. Frank and the Scribe, joined by our jolly, 

 good-natured young neighbor, Aleck, who had come walking 

 in on us as silently as an Indian, repaired to the "nook" and 

 took a brief consoler. 



We took the measure of the old chief, and carefully noted 

 it down, as follows : Extreme length from tip of under jaw 

 to end of caudal fin, 4 feet 4£ inches; girth at pectoral fins, 

 20 inches; at ventrals, 25£ inches. The caudal flu, as it lay 

 on the board naturally and without stretching, measured just 

 a foot from point to point of crescent in a straight line, and 

 the measure from tip of lower jaw to point of opercle was 

 exactly 12 inches. He was a magnificent fish, very dark in 

 color for a maskalonge, which made the spots show faint and 

 indistinct, but withal a fish of perfect form and splendid 

 development. 



We borrowed a small steelyard from across the lake to 

 weigh him with, which was marked for thirtv pounds, and 

 two additional notches past the mark. Aleck, who had 

 speared numbers of them, and a few larger than this one, 

 had pronounced it a forty -pound fish from the first, and none 

 of the party had "guessed" him below thirty pounds. Two 

 of us swung him up between us on a pole, raising it as high 

 as our heads to cleai the tail from the ground, but found the 

 steel yard would not give his weight. 



The "pea" was moved out to the 32-pound notch, and on 

 letting it go, beam and pea flew up with such a decided jerk 

 that we felt safe in placing the weight at thirty -five pounds 

 at the lowest, and it was so recorded. 



Having no arsenic nor rock salt at hand to preserve him, 

 and none of us being much versed, anyhow, in methods of 

 keeping a dead fish in" hot weather, Frank dressed him, and 

 carried half to Aleck's mother, with the compliments of the 

 camp,; the other part went the way of many a noble fish 

 before him. 1 brought the "bug-cleaned" and sun-dried 

 head home w th me and have it yet. 



But the morning was wearing away and no fishing yet. 

 Jim and Knots, with Brother R. eager to take his first baas, 

 went together in one boat, choosing to fish Sisson's Lake 

 thoroughly and take a dip into Hanley's, below, if the sport 

 did not promise well nearer camp. The veteran and I, hav- 

 ing in mind the glories of the day before, headed our boat 

 for the "upper waters," and when out into White's Lake 

 began fishing, but did nothina worth noting until well up 

 towards the head. 



Just below the saw-mill the lake narrows until, fishing 

 from a boat in mid-channel, a long cast will almost drop 

 your frog or minnow among the lilies on either side. Here 

 we pulled the boat up on a sand-bar at the mouth of a tiny 

 spring brook, and Dan had some fine sport with three tine 

 bass, that, by the way they took hold, had clearly not been 

 to breakfast. 



I had the luck to lose one in the grass that was certainly 

 as large as Dan's three, else he would not have got away. 

 [And this reminds me — as the Scribe would say— that it may 

 be well in this connection to proffer a morsel of advice to 

 aspirants after piscatorial honors, and more especially to 

 the younger part of the fraternity, who may be am- 

 bitious of becoming masters in the gentle art. 

 Always when you lose a strong, hard-fighting "fish, if the 

 symptoms are bass, make solemn asseveration that he would 

 weigh from six and one-quarter to nine and three-quarter 

 pounds (had you landed him), and be particular about the 

 quarter pounds. If trout, draw it a shade or two milder, 

 and don't stickle for a quarter of a pound, for quarter- 

 pounds in trout are seldom numerous enough to contend 

 about. Other fish are to be regulated according to the 

 symptoms and circumstances surrounding the case. You 

 will find this about the only way left to get even with your 

 partner, who has taken the most and the biggest fish. "Ad- 

 vice free.] 



Dan said not a word, but I could see a smile flitting 

 around the corners of his mouth that threatened to broaden 

 into a snicker; and filled to the muzzle with disgust, I 

 shoved the boat out from the bank and we took our way up 

 the lake. 



A few rods from the point a violent and unlooked for jerk 

 came near yanking the old sinner into the water; but right- 

 ing himself in a moment, a sharp tussle began between him 

 and what we supposed to be a maskalonge or large pickerel. 

 The fish made for the grass on the east side; and as Dan 

 braced himself to hold him away, and I swung the boat 

 around to assist him, the line dew back, and on reeling .up 

 we found the gimp had broken short off an inch or two 

 from the hook. 



We looked at each other for half a minute and said noth- 

 ing. The. very best selected and most forcible forms of ex- 

 pression known to the American language would not have 

 met the requirements of the. case. I was reminded of the 

 loss of my bass a few minutes before, but managed to let the 

 pressure blow off without an explosion. 



Near the inlet, a few hundred yards above, Dan struck a 

 pickerel of such amazing strength and game that his skill 

 and powers were taxed to the utmost to get the upper hand 

 and bring him to gaff. 



Such prodigious power have some of the "fighting pick- 

 erel" of these upper lakes, that I verily believe" they could 

 "walk off" with two bass, each of the same weight as the 

 pickerel. 



This may sound a WW fishy, but I believe others who 



have handled some of them will agree with me. I had 

 reeled up to be out of Dan's way, and keeping the boat 

 in position for him and not moving more than four or 

 five rods, he took six more with the same frog as fast as he 

 could handle them, while I yanked them into the boat with 

 the gaff and knocked them on the head with a short club. 



With the seventh fish the frog had become stripped of 

 skin and most of the flesh from the jaws back, and Dan was 

 fishing with just about nothing but the frame. He called 

 for another frog, but as my share of the sport was getting a 

 little monotonous, I suggested that we had enough, that 

 pickerel flshin' didn't amount to much anyway — when I was 

 getting none of it. Had I kept on with the gaff and the 

 club, and hooked on a frog occasionally, I believe the old 

 fishhawk would have stayed there till he had half filled the 

 boat with the hungry sneaks, or until darkness had driven 

 us to camp. We agreed we had enough, and not wishing to 

 be burdened with them going up, we pulled back across the 

 little bay, made the acquaintance of Mr. Wilson and a 

 couple of men at the mill, and gave them our morning's 

 catch. We got out and stretched our legs by taking a look 

 over the mill and the pond, and it was during this short stop 

 with the mill owuer that he informed us of his intention to 

 stock the pond with trout. 



A curious spring that he called our attention to furnished 

 us a glorious drink of clear, cold water, and we pledged a 

 health and better acquaintance all around by drinking in 

 turn from a bright tin bucket that served the occasion" far 

 better than a boat load of new f angled "pocket pistols," 

 This spring gushes out of the ground near the foot of the 

 low hill, in a stream as big as a man's leg, and, dashing 

 along five or six feet, pitches into a hole and is lost to sight. 

 From here it works its way underground somewhere into 

 the lake, which is perhaps seventy or eighty yards distant. 

 Any thirsty and tired brother who rnay~happen that way 

 will find it just north, near- the upper end of the mill, and I 

 am certain that after he has once drank of its sweet, cool 

 waters, he will feelgood toward old "Kingfisher" for telling 

 him where it is, and will drink his health in an extra tin- 

 cupful. 



As we were ready to push out from the boom of logs at 

 the foot of the inclined tramway, up which they are drawn 

 from the water into the mill," one of the mill men told us 

 that early in the morning he saw a maskalonge that would 

 weigh twenty to twenty-live pounds lying in the shallow 

 water at the mouth of the river just above. Backing his 

 boat cautiously away without alarming him, he went back 

 to the mill for a spear, but on returning found the fish had 

 either gone up the stream or jack into the deep water of the 

 lake. Then Dan and I were sure this was the same chap 

 that had broken his worthless gimp at the narrows a short 

 time before. Of course it was, and did we not know all the 

 time it was a maskalonge? 



Had we arrived at any other conclusion all the traditions 

 of the craft would have been as naught; all the teachings 

 of our early youth would have been in vain. Yea, even 

 back to the time when we flipped horned chubs and silver 

 sides out of the little pool below tho old millwheel with a 

 bent pin. 



Dan soliloquized (Dan tackles an average soliloquy "per- 

 fectly regardless*') ; "If fish could leave a "trail in the" water, 

 how many a subtle theory could be exploded, and how many 

 a fine structure in the shape of a marvelous fish story, with 

 gables and turrets and hay windows and all the modern im- 

 provements, would be wrecked before, it was ready for the. 

 roof. How many of the 'known habits' of the denizens of 

 the waters woidd have to be unlearned! A1J hail! then, ye 

 trackless waters, for from out your hidden depths comes at 

 the beck a world of comfort to the school of anglers burdened 

 with superfluity of knowledge, soaring imaginations and 

 mendacious proclivities. " 



As this line of thought led under the circumstances 

 strongly in our dhection, Dan seemed not to care about giv- 

 ing it further voice, but lighting his pipe gave himself up to 

 silent enjoyment, while I worked our way up the half mile 

 of crooked river and out into Bower's Lake. At tho little 

 stream where we took the five bass the day before we stopped 

 to get a cooling drink and rest, and fish awhile. As wo 

 pulled in under the branches of a cedar, we disturbed a 

 nimble-footed little red squirrel who was a "slakiu' of 

 his thirst," or mayhap he had come down to the brook to 

 take a bath, or put the finishing touches on a late morning 

 toilet. He was highly indignant at the intrusion, and 

 berated us soundly from a crotch in a small cedar where he 

 had taken refuge at the first sign of danger. As we kept 

 quiet and showed no disposition to molest him. his curiosity 

 moved him to leave his retreat and creep cautiously out on 

 a projecting limb to see what we were doing. Emboldened 

 at our indifference, he sat up on the limb and "sassed" us to 

 his heart's content. Moving a little further out on the branch 

 toward us and peering curiously at us out of his bright eyes, 

 he seemed to think we were not much anyhow, and for our 

 lack of spirit chattered and scolded at us and heaped taunts 

 on us till he worked himself into a towering rage. At every 

 "bark" or note of his peculiar chatter his tail would give a 

 responsive "'up," sreatly to our amusement. It seemed to 

 vw that every motion of his little jaw closed and broke a cur- 

 rent of electricity connecting with his tail, causing it to 

 "flip-flip" in a most ludicrous manner 



They are bright, pretty little creatures, quick as a flash 

 in their movements, and in size arc between a ground squir- 

 rel and a gray. They are abundant throughout all this 

 region of country, but as they hold no rank as game, a 

 charge of powderis seldom wasted on them, yet when broiled 

 sfic, art. they make a very toothsome "mou'ful" for a hungry 

 camper. After scolding at us until he was hoarse, our little 

 chatterbox gave his tail an extra vigorous and defiant tiirt 

 and disappeared in the foliage, his departure hastened, no 

 doubt, by a flourish of Dan's "rod as lie swung it back for a 

 cast. 



We fished here quietly for an hour, taking seven fine bass 

 that would run near three pounds apiece, but no pickerel. 



I lost a splendid fellow under the sunken limb that was of 

 course a couple of pounds heavier than any of Dan's, be- 

 cause he had four to his credit, while i had but three. 



Filling our "tanks" from the stream, we pulled out for 

 the. next water station above, the spring brook, at the mouth 

 of which we struck the big maskalonge the day before. We 

 rowed carefully past this' for a hundred yards and back 

 again, hoping there might be another one hanging around 

 that was spoiling for alight; but as none responded to our 

 challenge, we pulled in and tied our string of hsh (we had 

 taken a few more coming up) to a stake drivel) into the sand 

 at the mouth of the stream, to be left there and picked up Oil 

 our way back. 



At, the head of the lake, near the mouth of the river, w« 



