Jul* 10, 1884.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



469 



ter, to be devoured by skeeters and "croppies," and the only 

 tiling to do was to 'bout ship and go after him, and this 

 meant a hard pull of at least five miles, for 1 was not more 

 than a mile from onr camp when I saw the smoke signal. 

 The dead longsnout was pulled in and the boat headed a 

 couple of points above the sandbank to allow for leeway, but 

 after a half hour's pull against the heavy sea and tierce wind 

 that was now on the starboard bow, I was almost ready to 

 give up in despair, as the boat rolled and pitched so badly 

 that it seemed 1 had not made a rod of progress. But 1 con- 

 sidered that were I in Muller's place I would not like to be 

 left there over night, and I buckled to the oars again with 

 renewed energy, and at the end of what seemed another hour 

 was abreast of' a charred tree that Dan and I had selected as 

 one of our landmarks by which to find a pickerel reef, and 

 this was fully half way to the bank. 



The gale had long since driven the other boys into camp, 

 and they were now, as they told us in the evening, anxiously 

 scanning-, through the Scribe's marine glass, every visible 

 part of the lake for signs of "Old Hickory." They had seeu 

 the smoke, and by aid of the glass could see Muller moving 

 around on the beach, but had failed to get sight of the little 

 white boat, although 1 was nearly in line with them and the 

 hank, and could see the camp every time I was on top of a 

 wave. They were really alarmed for my safety, but Old 

 Knots comforted them with the remark that "the old sar- 

 dine is probably asleep somewhere in the 'bresh,' " and Dan 

 said, ' Tt may be he's around in Sturgeon Bay waiting for 

 the wind to go down. He'll turn up alt right yet." 



When 1 got into smooth water Old Ben, who was looking 

 through the glass, relieved the anxiety with, "Hooray, boys! 

 there's the old cuss now in that durned white pinted thing, 

 iest a humpin' fur shore like a yaller dog with a tin can to 

 his tail;" and they raised a shout that would have made me 

 feel less tired perhaps could I have heard it. All this was 

 told around the camp-fire that evening after pipes were 

 lighted; and sitting here now. writing this a matter of 500 

 miles from Black Lake, I take the occasion to thank the boys 

 all for their good will and solicitude for the writer's well 

 being on that "not soon to be forgotten day. 



Nor must I forget that excellent, boy, Sid Merrill, who had 

 soon after discovering the signal, started from camp in a 

 boat on the same errand, and when I reached the beach, 

 "clean bushed." as Jim would have said, and sweating at 

 every pore, he was less than a mile out, pulling a sturdy 

 stroke, as regular as the pulsations of an engine. Had he 

 known 1 was making for the same point, the trip would not 

 have been undertaken, but the color of my boat was so near 

 that of the foam-covered lake that no one, not even Muller, 

 had made it out until I was in smooth water. He came 

 ashore and we had a good rest before starting back, and as 

 the wind and sea went down as evening drew on, the 

 pull to camp was vastly easier, and brother Muller kindly 

 furnished the motive power for the white boat going back. 

 He had been detained a day on the load by washouts caused 

 by the heavy rains throughout the middle portion of the 

 State, and coming out from Cheboygan they had lost over 

 an hour by an accident to the wagou ; hence his late coming. 

 The teamster had left him and his traps at the beach and 

 started back for town, but not before he had pointed out 

 some large bear tracks in the edge of the water, which he 

 assured him, judging by the roily water in them, were not 

 more than ten or fifteen minutes old. 



This was not very consolin'; in fact, it was rather calcu- 

 lated to make the average "city feller" feel slightly 1 "tore up 

 in his mind;" but Muller is big enough to whip an average 

 bear in a square fight, "bitin' and gougin' barred," besides, 

 he had his brcechloading rifle with him, and he felt that he 

 could introduce himself to Mister B. Ruin in a creditable 

 manner should he take a notion to return to the plains by the 

 same road he came. He admitted to us, however, that the 

 possible return that way of Mr. B. B. before he had time to 

 frame a few remarks for the meeting, had raised a faint 

 ripple on the usually quiet channel of his thoughts, and the 

 moment the teamster was out of sight over the brow of the 

 hill (brother M. is not given to undue precipitation; he un- 

 locked his gripsack and taking out a handful of cartridges, 

 slipped one into the rifle and would have stuffed in a half 

 peck had it been that kind of a gun. Then he paced 

 valiantly up and down the beach right where that bear had 

 passed along, looking every minute for — a boat to appear in 

 sight to take him across to camp. 



That evening the smoke of the camp-fire was badly mixed 

 with fish lies and bear stories, not a few of which would 

 have disputed first place with neighbor Merrill's ablest 

 effort in this branch of camp oratory, and it was not until 

 everybody had "run down" that the circle broke up and we 

 went to bed the happiest camp in the North Woods. 



Kingfisher, 

 [to be continued. 1 



THE CANADIAN SEA TROUT. 



Editor Foreii and Stream; 



Your issue of June 26 has an article with the above title 

 from "S. C. C," in which he opens the question of the 

 identity of this fish with the brook trout, and regrets that 

 some one does aot settle it. I do not know who he would 

 accept as authority on this subject since he appeal's to reject 

 all those who have declared the- two to be identical. Whom 

 shall we look to for a settlement of the question? Certainly 

 not men who are anglers merely, and who decide by the 

 presence or absence of spots. For myself, 1 consider the 

 question settled long ago, and that the so-called sea trout is 

 merely a sea-run brook trout. 



Let us see who says they are not: Scott, Hallock, Roose- 

 velt and other angling writers. On the contrary is the fol- 

 lowing list of authorities who are all more or less of ichthyo- 

 logists, and some of them the first in the world: Gill, Bean, 

 Jordan, Mather, Norris. If "S. C. C." is still in doubt on 

 this question he can make inquiries regarding the standing 

 of the two classes of authorities and decide which of the two 

 he will accept. 



The fact is that the case is settled, only some anglers do 

 not seem inclined to accept the settlement. There is no 

 doubt whatever about an angler being able to distinguish 

 a "sea trout" from one that has strayed in the river. The 

 signs are plain enough, just as you can distinguish a book- 

 keeper who has had a vacation in the woods from one who 

 has not, by his browned skin, but he is a book-keeper all the 

 same. 



The South Side Club, of Long Island, has obtained eggs 

 from the so-called sea trout, and the young cannot be told 

 from ordinary brook trout, if they are distinct then they 

 should breed true to kind. Let us accept the authority of 

 the trained scientists, who all agree, and smoke the pipe of 

 peace over the trout question. Poke-o-Moonshtne, 



MAINE FISHING. 



THE Maine Fish Commissioners have just completed their 

 work of distributing 1,100. 0(10 salmon fry to the dif- 

 ferent waters of that State, in the order previously announced 

 in the Forest and Stream. They finished by placing 

 50,000 landlocked salmon in the upper Androscoggin waters. 

 One of them says: "We hope to continue as good a quota 

 yearlv until the waters are fully stocked. The most marked 

 feature to me this year was the wonderfnl fecundity of those 

 waters in trout and the fish food adapted to feed the trout 

 family— no bass, either black or white; no perch; no bream; 

 no eels; no catfish— all the enemies of the Salmo n id<r, or 

 at least not fit for their food. But the waters are literally 

 crowded with CfyprmMttt of all sizes, the natural food of the 

 trout." ' 



Of course the Commissioners went a fishing at the Andros- 

 coggin Lakes, and they remark: " We do not believe that 

 there is scarcely a single day in the whole season when an 

 ordinary angler who gave the fish a fair trial could fail to 

 take trout enough for his daily consumption. On the shal- 

 lows Ave invariably found an abundance of trout of from 

 one-half to one pound, and even up to two pounds weight, 

 rising readily to the fly. In deeper water, trolling with the 

 minnow, larger fish were taken ; but we took none of over 

 four pounds. We are satisfied that the better protection 

 which the increased appropriation of the State has afforded 

 us the means of giving is entitled to the credit for this great 

 increase in trout during the past, few years." 



To this sentiment should be added that it is only the faith- 

 ful, earnest work of the Commissioners, which has ex- 

 pended the limited means put in their hands by the State in 

 a manner designed to be of so great and lasting value to the 

 public. Special. 



" Boston, Mass., July 7. 



How Delaware River Fish are Destroyed.— There 

 was a time when the Delaware River abounded with 

 valuable food fishes from its junction with Delaware Bay to 

 its source in the State of New York. It was once noted for 

 the number, size, and excellence of its shad, perch, rock 

 fish, sturgeon, and other varities of fish suitable for human 

 consumption. If a like abundance now prevailed, instead 

 of paying from fifteen to twenty cents per pound for fresh 

 fish, we would have them direct from that stream at less 

 than half those rates. While the pollution of the waters of 

 this fine river by gas works, coal oil refineries, etc. , has had 

 much to do with the marked decline in its fish products, 

 there have been for years and are to-day still more potent 

 and harmful agencies in the form of fish baskets, nets, weirs, 

 etc., in the localities where the shad usually spawn, and 

 where their young are hatched into life. Only those familiar 

 with the injury wrought to the shad-fishing interests of the 

 Delaware by these illicit devices can form a proper concep- 

 tion of its extent. There is good authority for the statement 

 that in a single season as many young shad are destroyed by 

 almost any one of the many well-constructed fish baskets in 

 the upper' Delaware as are anuually caught full grown at all 

 the fisheries on the river. Extravagant as such an estimate 

 may appear it is sustained by facts. A member of the 

 Board of Fish Commissioners informed the writer a few 

 years ago that young shad taken and drowned in one of the 

 largest of those fish baskets had been hauled away by the 

 wagon load and used as fertilizers for the adjacent fields. 

 Formerly these fish baskets were constructed with wings of 

 stone, but wire netting, which is much more easily put in 

 position or removed upon intimation of an official raid, is 

 now used, and with more damaging results to the fish. 

 Dynamite and giant powder cartridges are also used in 

 many streams, especially the smaller ones, such as the 

 Pennypack, with equally disastrous effects, as the explosions 

 kill alike the large and the small fish. At other places 

 cocculus indicus, quicklime, and other stupefying and 

 life destroying substances are employed.— Philadelphia 

 Ledger. 



Tennessee.— Savannah, June 30. — The bass season is open 

 here all the year round, but unfortunately the greater num- 

 ber are caught in April or May. The catch this year is re- 

 ported as above the average in point of numbers, but the 

 size is small. One small-mouth bass four and a quarter 

 pounds and anothor of three pounds are the largest I have 

 heard of. The Klaw Hammer Angling Association returned 

 from its annual meeting at the Sulphur Spring camp grounds 

 on Horse Creek last week. Business prevented my accom- 

 panying the club. They report everything right except the 

 fish, which failed to do their part toward the general good 

 time. However, they caught enough to keep the frying pan 

 at work and all returned in good spirits. We expect to 

 make another expedition early next month, and if we do, I 

 will keep you informed of the result. The fishermen are 

 taking quantities of drum and small catfish on trot lines in 

 the river. The river is too muddy for bass fishing at present, 

 although two or three weeks ago a party visited the island 

 some four miles above town and took several fine bass and a 

 great many large bream and sunfish, fishing on the bar at the 

 head of the island.— Will. 



Prince Edward Island.— Charlottetown, July 1.— Trout 

 fishing is good in most of the streams here at the present 

 date. The fish are numerous and of good size, and go for 

 most any kind of a fly viciously, and are full of fight when 

 hooked. Another thing which adds greatly to the enjoy- 

 ment of the sport is that there are no mosquitoes and "no- 

 see-ems" here. The largest 8. fontiiialis taken here was 

 killed in the Morrelle and weighed four and a half pounds, 

 and four of his mates were taken at the same time that 

 weighed four pounds each. In the Guerney River a half- 

 pound trout at one dash scooped up two of my flies, and 

 when landed had them, both well down his gullet. — Stan- 

 stead. 



The West Island Club. — Some fine striped bass were 

 taken last week by members of the West Island Club. I met 

 one of the club on the train who told me that Messrs. Isaac 

 Townsend, R, L. Cutting, Chas. L. Tiffany, Chas. E. Miller 

 and S. W. Milbank, of New York, and Mr. W. Sellers, of 

 Philadelphia, were down at the club and were having good 

 success. They took six large fish on Monday last, which 

 was the first good day of the season. The largest fish taken 

 this year weighed thirty-two pounds.— Poke-o-Moon shine. 



Dead Fish est Lake Ontario.— This dispatch was sent 

 from Ottawa yesterday : "The Marine and Fisheries De- 

 partment has come to the conclusion that the millions of 

 dead fish now floating on Lake Ontario are young shad 

 hatched at Seth Green's fish-breeding establishment at Roch- 

 ester, N. Y., and placed in the streams tributary to the lake. 

 It is also believed that the falling off in the catch of white- 

 fish in Lake Ontario is due to the poisoning of the waters 

 by the dead shad. Representations will probably be made 

 to the United States Government respecting the matter." 

 "That's a very singular dispatch," said Mr. Eugene G. 

 Blackford, "and I am convinced that there is an error some- 

 where. Mr. Green has not hatched any shad at his breeding 

 establishment in Caledonia, not far from Rochester. He 

 hatches nothing there but whilefish, salmon and brook trout. 

 The shad which he hatched at Castletou, near Catskill 

 Landing, were all turned into the Hudson River. The only 

 shad hatched bv the New York Fish Commission beside 

 these were 80,000 at Cold Spring, Long Island, which were 

 turned into the Smithton River. I think the Canadian Fish- 

 eries Department are mistaken about the fish. I should not 

 be surprised if they were fresh-water herring, which are in- 

 digenous to the great lakes, and somewhat resemble young 

 shad." [The above appeared in the New York Times of 

 July 8, and the annual appearance of dead fish in Lake On- 

 tario, supposed to be shad, has been yearly noticed in our 

 columns. Three years ago Dr. Bean pronounced the fish to 

 be alewives, and we do not doubt that those of the present 

 year are the same fish. Just why the papers should blame 

 Mr. Green for introducing these or any other fish into the 

 lake we do not see. He is merely a superintendent, and is, 

 or should be, under the orders of the State Fish Commis- 

 sioners, who alone are responsible for all plantings of fish, 

 as well as for the acts of their subordinates. The hatchery 

 near Rochester belongs to the New York Fish Commission, 

 a fact that does not seem generally known.] 



Sheepshead and Weafish.— Philadelphia, Pa., July 5. 

 —Our rivers still continue to be very muddy, this condition 

 having been increased by a second deluge of rain yesterday. 

 There is no earthly use trying for bass within twenty miles 

 of Philadelphia while the water is in this state and I fear it 

 will take some days before it is clear. Sheepshead are biting 

 well at both Barncgat Inlet and Little Egg Harbor Inlet. 

 Weakfish and seabass are plentiful at these points, in fact 

 one can always, at this season, be assured of sport at both 

 places. No bl'uefish have thus far shown themselves at either 

 Barnegat or Little Egg Harbor. Outside the beach scores of 

 menhaden fishing steamers are plying their trade. — Homo. 



Maine Waters.— Anglers' Retreat, Middle Dam, June 

 30.— June has been a splendid fishing month here, and last 

 week Mr. G. H. Wellman, of Lowell, Mass., who was stop- 

 ping here, had some very nice fly-fishing, taking one three- 

 pounder and one of five pounds, besides "numerous others of 

 lighter weight. As the gates at the Middle Dam are now 

 closed, and" will remain so for several weeks, there will be 

 good fishing on the river, at the head and foot of the pond, 

 Smooth Lede;e, the Hop Yard. Cedar Stump, and other 

 places where the trout congregate when the water in the 

 river is low. Now is the time for anglers who would like 

 to make a midsummer trip to visit this place. — L. L. S. 



Bass ln the Potomac— Moorefield, W. Va., July 7.— 

 Continued rains and high waters have prevented bass fishing 

 up to this time, but -the prospect ahead of us (owing to the 

 unusual numbers of fish brought up by high waters in the 

 spring and the clearing of the streams of all moss and brush 

 by late freshets) is unusually fine. No finer waters can be 

 found for black bass fishing than the water of the south 

 branch of the Potomac at this place, either for fishing from 

 shore, wading or from boat, with fly or five bait. Daily 

 stages and livery connect from Keyser, on B. & O. R. R. — 

 Commodore. 



Faribault, Minn.— I would inform sportsmen, who con- 

 template a trip this summmer to the Northwest, that the fish- 

 ing in the lakes of this State has been and is now unusually 

 good- some very fine large catches have been made. — 

 R. E. S. 



Spanish Mackerel and sheepshead were taken last week 

 for the first time this season off Bayshore, L. I. They have 

 hitherto been caught no further north thon the southern 

 New Jersey coast. 



Bass Grounds ln Vermont.— Small-mouthed black bass 

 are reported to reward the angler who casts his flies in Lake 

 Champlain, near St. Albans, Vt. Accommodations and 

 boats can be found at the Lake View House, a notice of 

 •which is given in our advertising columns. 



<gi$l(Cttlttire. 



AMERICAN FISHCULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 

 Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Meeting. 



IN the evening at 8 o'clock an address was delivered by Hon. 

 Theodore Lyman, of Massachusetts. Hon. Elbridge G. 

 Lapham occupied the chair. The hall was well tilled by an 

 appreciative audience, of which about one-fourth were ladies. 

 The chairman, in introducing the orator of the evening, spoke 

 as follows: 



"Ladies and Gentlemen: I am thankful for the honor of 

 having been selected to preside over tbe ceremonies of this 

 evening. The subject which has called us together is one of 

 far greater importance, than the mass of the public conceive 

 it to be. The question of the propagation and preservation of 

 the food fishes of our streams and along the ocean coasts is 

 second only m importance to the propagation and preserva- 

 tion of animal food. Indeed, the food which is furnished by 

 the tish of our waters is free from many of the difficulties and 

 dangers connected with the subject of animal food. We have 

 in the former no trachinas, pleuro-pneimionia, foot-rot or 

 mouth disease. Fish are not controlled in their habits by 

 man as animals are. The demand for fish as an article of food 

 has of late years been rapidly increasing. Indeed such de- 

 mand far exceeds the supply, and every year- the interest 

 taken in the subject is increasing, and this is the case not only 

 in this country but in almost every civilized country of the 

 earth. This subject has of late attracted special attention 

 through the international exhibitions held at Berlin in 1880 

 and at London last year, where I am proud to say the United 

 States bore off the honors for having the best and largest 

 variety and most perfect exhibits which were made. It is a 

 subject, I repeat, of vast and deep importance to everybody. 

 A little more than two years ago the State of New Jersey 

 undertook the passage of a law to regulate the fisheries in the 

 waters of the ocean, over which she supposed she had control. 

 The Attorney General, however, decided that the State had 

 no jurisdiction over the subject beyond low-water mark on the 

 ocean coast. A bill was introduced by Hon. Mr. Sewell, of 

 New Jersey, looking to the passage of a national law regulat- 

 ing this subject. This was referred to the Committee on For- 

 eign Relations, to consider whether such a law would inter- 



