- 7 “ + ‘9 
Nov. 20, 1884.) 
— 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
—_— 
— 
‘ 829 — 
the little lake and the higher Kootenay River, which, after 
approaching to within this short distance, turns off sharply, 
again to pursue its first southerly, then again northerly, then 
again southerly course to Kootenay Lake, and down the 
outlet, 10 join, after an apparently perfectly needless journey 
of some four or five hundred miles, the waters of the 
Columbia, which it had approached to within almost rifleshot 
distance. Strange to say this one mile and a half strip 
of land between the two waters—one haying unbroken 
communication with the Pacific Ocean, the other not—is the 
key to this mystery, in so far as it shows how salmon got 
into Kootenay Lake, At present this strip is high and dry, 
and shows but little signs that water ever flowed over it—a 
fact of which it is difficult to find any record, for the country 
about this spot was, up to last year, entirely uninhabited by 
white men, and the Kootenay Indians, iords of this most 
lovely of spots, did not know, or would not know, of any 
such overflow. J 
To make it worse, travelers have strangely neglected this 
spot; and the few who have crossed the Rocky Mountains 
into British Columbia did so by the old Hudson Bay trail, 
two hundred and fifty miles to the north of this spot. Not 
even that most paintaking and intrepid of explorers, David 
Douglass, who was twice sent out fo the Columbia River by 
the Royal Horticultural Society, reached the source of the 
mighty Columbia. 
Were il not for the meritorious missionary father, De 
Smet, one of the boldest explorers we have had, who, in 
1841, left France to found the Oregon missions among the 
Indians of the Pacific coast, the above problem would 
probably remain unsolved. De Smet, who died only a few 
years ago, left three little volumes of letters behind him, one 
of them giving a detailed description of the upper Kootenay 
country, which he describes, and not without some right, 
asa paradise-like region. He mentions the fact that the 
Upper Columbia Lake receives a portion of the Kootenay (or 
as it was then called, Ares-a-plats) River water during the 
great spring freshets which occur in June and July, when 
salmon are swarming up the Columbia in millions, and 
hence at some time or other, probably not so long ago, some 
salmon, more adventurous than the rest, stemming the 
current flowing over this ove and a half-mile strip of ground 
during a particularly big freshet, managed to get into the 
Kootenay River, and thence down into the Kootenay Lake, 
where they have increased, and have retained all the 
characteristics that make a salmon a salmon, except their 
wonted annual return to their briny element. he fish 
whose delicious flaky cuts furnished us daily ‘‘erub” for 
months were descendents of salmon who traveled “overland” 
in a Manner reminding one of Munghausen’s tales, could the 
facts here mentioned be not so easily substantiated. 
Toward the end of September and beginning of October, 
we found that all the salmon of this species we caught 
showed signs of emaciation, while their sides and backs 
become discolored and stained. ‘They also would not bite 
so freely, and as we were to a great extent dependent upon 
our rifles and rods for the larder, we devoted ourselves in 
October more to salmon trout and trout. The former, 1 
may incidentally mention, grow in Kootenay Lake to about 
the same size as the salmon, ¢.¢,, 25 pounds, while the latter, 
“averaging about two pounds, inhabit the creeks and the 
outlet of the lake, and give wonderfully good sport, a small 
and gaudy salmon fly proving the deadliest among untutored 
fish, The Kootenay salmon appear to have retained their 
anadromous instinct, though there are but two creeks 
emptying in Kootenay Lake sufficienty free of high falls to 
allow salmon to ascend them. One, the largest of all the 
tributary creeks, called the Lardo, flowing into the lake at 
the most northerly point, is said to be a favorite spawning 
vround, Indians reporting this stream to be almost a solid 
mass of fish in August. The fact that they scoop them out 
with short-handled and most primitive landing nets—each 
family I ,was told taking in one day their. whole winter's 
provision—would seem to bear out the reported abundance. 
The Kootenay. River, down which at some time or other 
the progenitors of these salmon must have come, and which 
is more than 700 miles long, does not seem to be liked by 
them—at least we did not catch a single salmon in it, In 
the lake they seem to prey on small salmon trout and trout, 
more than half the fish we caught having other smal! ones 
in them, some as much as 10 ounces and 12 ounces in 
weight. 
The Kootenay salmon are, so far as 1 could judge, 
identically the same as the specie which, among five or six 
other varieties, chiefly frequents the Columbia River, It is 
popularly known as the spring silver salmon, 
It is to be hoped that the Dominion Government, under 
whose supervision the fisheries also in British Columbia are 
placed, will take prompt measures to prevent a possible 
extermination of these fine fish in Kootenay Lake, for 
impossible as it seems, I have no doubt, were similar 
vandalism to bé perpetrated in this lake as has almost 
annihilated the fish in Lake Pend d’Oreille, in Idaho Terri- 
tory, about a hundred miles to the south of it, eyen Kootenay 
Lake would suffer materially, though, being much deeper 
than the latter Jake, the work of destruction would take 
somewhat longer* 1] am referring here to the general use of 
ae powder (dynamite) which worked much ruin on Pend 
1’Oreille, covering acres of surface with fine salmon trout, 
which but three years ago were there iv untold numbers, 
For two and a half years—, e., during the construction of 
the Northern Pacific Railroad, which runs along the shores 
of Pend d’Oreille Lake for thirty or forty miles—some four 
or five thousand navvies were employed on its banks, giant 
powder being a commodity not only much used by the con- 
tractors, but also much stolen by the hands. <A barbaric 
warfare Was soon inaugurated by whites, Iadians and China- 
men, who were largely employed on this railway work, and 
soon made the most adept “giant powderers,” finding that 
they could make very much better wages going out into the 
middle of the lake and sinking a dynamite cartridge and 
selling wagonloadsful of their victims at the rate of ten 
cents (fivepence) for a 10-pound or 15-pound salmon trout, 
than shovelling earth. 
On stormy days the shores of this Jake, but a few months 
hefore buried in the densest and most solitary forest region 
in the United States, would be simply heaped for miles with 
carcasses of these fish that had not been secured by the 
slaughterers, and drifted ashore. The superintendent of the 
Pend d’Oreille division of this line informed me lust summer 
that, in two and a half years, no fewer than nineteen of his 
nayvies were either killed or lost limbs while giant-powdet- 
ing salmon trout in this lake—a fact which shows to what 
excess ii was used, and that ‘by men who were conversant 
with the proper handling of this dangerous explosive. The 
hope, therefore, that Kootenay Lake muy be preserved from 
down the outlet of the lake will commence is, in view of 
what I have related, at least a legitimate one, 
While writing, an American fishery commission report 
reaches me containing a not uninteresting account of the take 
of salmon during the last eighteen years by the boats em- 
loyed by the salmon ‘‘canneries” (or packing houses) estab- 
ished on the Lower Columbia, near the mouth of the river. 
Tt shows not only how quick this industry has assumed al- 
most gigantic proportions, illustrating the fiercely energetic 
Western man’s aptitude for developing a new business, but 
also what vast quantities of salmon ascend the Columbia. In 
my last letter I stated that the annual take of salmon varied 
between 15,000,000 and 35,000,000 pounds, the figures of the 
report indicate that the cannerics alone accounted last year 
for some 45,000,000 pounds (including the waste), leaving 
unrecorded the vast consumption by the thousands of Indians 
living along Columbia and its tributaries, and who are al- 
most eutirely dependent upon salmon for their food. Local 
evidence collected by me during my last year’s visit to the 
Columbia shows another and a fatal feature, 7. ¢., that at the 
present rate there will, in a very few yenrs, be not a salmon, 
so to speak, left in the Columbia. As usual, the frontiers: 
man is discounting the future at a startling rate, What has 
happened with the forests and the buffalo is now being re- 
peated with the salmon. 
LONG ISLAND FISH 140 YEARS AGO. 
WN the office of the United States District Attorney in St. 
Lonis, Mo., is a quaint and rambling little document 
containing much of the history of Huntington, L. I., mixed 
in with observations on the plants, fauna and climate of that 
locality, It is the field book of a surveyor of Joshua Hartt, 
who wrole it about the year 1745. He plunges from agricul- 
ture to morals, from morals to statistics, thence to surveys 
and topographical descriptions so abruptly as to be very 
amusing, though withal he draws a picture of the old royal 
grant of Huntington which will be very interesting to more 
than the residents of Suffolk county. 
The St. Louis Republican publishes a long extract from the 
book, and from that we take the following: 
“T have tinged in most cases ye salt meadow with green, 
I have used « scail of forty chain fo an inch and run from 
Fresh Pond to Clay Point, to Crab Meddow, to Crab Meddow 
Gut, to Soper’s Cove Gut, to Eton’s Neck Beach, to ye first or 
Little reaf of rocks which run off into ye Sound more than 
half a mile and are very dangerous to shipping. Many ves- 
sels having been shipwrecked here. Here is good fishing 
ground in ye summer season, for rock fish, a most delicious 
kind of fish. Heare abouts it is expected a lighthouse will 
be built for ye advantage of ye seaman. 
“Ye dandelion flowers in March, ye peach tree about ye 
middle of April, ye apple tree ye first week in May, ye dog- 
wood about ye 12th, at which time ye swallows appear, and 
disappear about ye same time in September. 
“Table—Libraries one, near or between Crab Meadow and 
Fresh Pond, Taverns 26; fish, black or rock fish, perch, bass, 
weakfish or blew fish or blew macarel, kingfish, brims, crabs, 
herring, trout, sturgion and every kind of bony fish, clams, 
soft. and hard, seollups, etc. 
“Ye greatest curiosity hereabouts it I know of is ye shell 
banks both on ye north and south sides of ye island. Some 
of them haye thousands of loads in them, both of the hard 
and soft shell kind. In taking them away (for they are good 
manure for heavy land) Indians’ bones are found, ston axes, 
bucks’ horns, points of arrows, pieces of pots, etc.” 
SOUTHERN SHAD TAKE BAIT. 
WN his report to the Commissioner of Agriculture of the 
State of Georgia, Dr. H. H. Cary, superintendent of fish- 
eries, makes a most remarkable statement concerning the 
taking of shad with bait in the Chattahoochee River. In 
order to state it correctly, we give it in his own words: 
Tn 1880, 1,000,000 shad fry were planted in the waters 
of Georgia, and in 1881, 1,800,000. This was the work of 
the United States Fish Commission. In three years after the 
planting they returned to find their spawning grounds. Of 
fhe planting of 1880, 400,000 were released in the Chat- 
tahoochee, at Ieeville, near Atlanta. It was not expected 
that these fish could pass up further than Columbus til) fish- 
ways were placed at the obstructions at that place, The fry 
constituting this plant were reported to me as being the Con- 
necticut River shad. It is well-known that the Connecticut 
River shad will take the bait, and the sporismen can find in 
the Northern markets tackle for shad fishing. The South 
Atlantic shad do not take the bait. True to their instincts, 
shad appeared in 1883 in the Chattahoochee River below 
Columbus, and were taken with the hook and bait. It is 
therefore reasonable to suppose that the fish thus taken were 
of the planting of Iceville in 1880. Of the 1,800,000 shad 
planted in 1881, 1,000,000 were released in the Ocmulgee at 
Macon, The fish, of course, were due on their return in the 
spring of the present year. I haye recently visited Macon 
and made careiul investigation in regard to the expected re- 
turn of these fish, and Iam pleased to say that I have not 
been disappointed. While there was no particular arrange- 
ment for catching shad, and hence the catch was light, still 
they must have appeared in large numbers, as a sporting 
gentlemen informed me full-grown shad were taken in con- 
siderable numbers, the fishermen standing on the bank of 
the stream and capturing them with the dip net, I men- 
tion these facts to show with what facility a barren river can 
be impressed by liberal plantings of the shad Iry.” 
Tue Hpreine oF CeNTRAL LAKE.—Central Lake, Mich., 
Noy. 8.—The herrings have made their appearance at our 
river. Henry Smith, a guide well-known to many of your 
readers, tells me he “heard them flapping” Jast night—Noy. 
7.. Among the many yarns current about these fishes is that 
which states that they come with the first snow and 
“bring winter.” The first snows came and went sonie days 
ago. The weather is delightful, and the mercury at 2 P. M. 
stood at 46° on the north side of my house. Last year they 
came I think about ten days later than this, There is no 
apparent evidence in the movements of these fishes that they 
observe more regularity than other creatures of their kind 
in any respect whatever. The boys are out with mosquito- 
nets in hopes to capture a few.— KELPIE. 
A HaAvrsur m STRANGE Quarrers.—The village of 
Riverhead, Long Island, is situated near the eastern end, 
just in “‘the fork of the bootjack,” being at the head of Little 
econic Bay, and the waters are shoal and not very salt near 
the village. Mr. N. W. Foster, a prominent citizen of the 
ace, writes to a fricnd that on Saturday, Nov. 15, a 65- 
A similar fate when the construction of the proposed railway und halibut was ceneht by a fifteen-year-old boy with an 
eel-spear in the river, near the dock at Riverhead. The 
iver is entirely fresh. water and tumbles over a mill dam 
almost into Little Peconic Bay, there being not over 300 feet 
from the-dam to where the shores of the bay begin. Mr. 
Foster suggests that Riverhead may yet become famous for 
its fisheries, 
Hishculture. 
THE AMERICAN FISHCULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
CONSTITUTION, WITH ALL ITS AMENDMENTS AND CHANGES FROM 
ITS ORGANIZATION TO ITS LAST MEETING IN 1883, 
COMPILED BY FRED MATHER. 
Crea constitution, as adopted at the first annual 
meeting, New York, December 20, 1874. From the first 
report of proceedings, 1872; pp. 3, 4. : 
ARTICLE I.—NAME AND QBsEHOTS.—The nameof this society 
shall be “The American Fish Culturists’ Association.” Its 
objects shall be to promote the cause of fishculture; to gather 
and diffuse information bearing upon its practical success; the 
interchange of friendly feeling and intercourse among the 
members of the Association; the uniting and encouraging of 
the interests of fishculturists, 
ARTICLE Il.—MeEmpers.—All fsheulturists shall, upon a two- 
thirds vote of the society, and a payment of three dollars, be 
considered members of the Association, after signing the con- 
stitution. The Commissioners of the various States shall be 
honorary members of the Association ex-officio. 
ARTICLE III,—OrricEers.—The officers of the Association shall 
be a president, a secretary, and a treasurer, and shall be 
elected annually by a majority vote. Vacancies occurring 
during the year may be filled by the president. 
ARTICLE IV.—Mrrtines.—The regular meetings of the 
Association shall be held once a year, the time and place being 
decided upon at the previous meeting. 
* ARTICLE V.—CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION.—The constitutio 
of the society may be amended, altered, or repealed by a two- 
thirds vote of the members present at any regular meeting, 
AMENDMENTS. 
Firs? AMENDMENT. —(Meeting at Albany, February 7, 1872),— 
“On motion of Mr. Livingston Stone, the constitution—was 
amended by striking out the word ‘and’ after the word ‘secre- 
tary’ in Article III. and inserting after the word ‘treasure’ the 
words ‘and an Hxecutiye Committee of three members,’ ” 
First Report, page 10. 
SECOND AMENDMEN?.—(Meeting at New York, February 10 
1874).—*On motion of Mr, F. Mather, the constitution was so 
amended that the list ‘of officers should include a vice-presi- 
dent.” Third Report, page 3. 
THIRD AMENDMENT.—(Meeting at New York, February 10 
1874).—“On motion of Mr. Stone, all those who had paid five 
dollars and signed the constitution, were made members of 
the Association without further action.” Third Report, page 
FoutH AMENDMENT.—(February 11, 1874).—"“Mr, H. J. Reeder 
moved that the constitution be amended by striking out the 
lasb paragraph of Article IT., relating to honorary members. 
Carried.” Third Report, page 5, 
_ firth AMENDMENT.—“Mr. Page moved that the Executive 
Committee consist of fiye. Carried.” Third Report, page 5. 
SixtH AMENDMENT.—(February 11, 1874).—‘-Mr. George 8, 
Page moved to amend Article II. by striking out the words ‘all 
fishculturists,’ and inserting the words ‘any person,’ Carried.” 
Third Report, page 5. 
SEVENTH AMENDMENT.—(February 9, 1875).—‘‘Mr. Page 
moved that Article IT. be amended by making the annual dues 
three dollars. Carried.” Fourth Report, page 4. 
EIGHTH AMENDMENT,—(February 28, 1878).—*The secretary 
(Mx. B, Phillips) proposed the following amendments to the 
constitution: ‘First, that the name of The American Fisheul- 
turists’ Association be changed, and that of The American 
Hisheultural Association be adopted. Carried, Second: 
That the number of the Hxecutiye Committee be increased 
from three to seven members. Carried.*” Seventh Report 
page 76, ; 
[A foot note at the end of the proceedings says: “In chancine 
the name of the Recs ctabionitr orn Fishoultaristy to Fisheultars 
the secretary proposed that in the constitution after the final 
word ‘Hishculturists’ the following be added: ‘and the treat- 
ment of all questions regarding fish, of a scientific and economic 
character.’ This change and addition to the constitution was 
adopted.” Report of seventh annual meeting, February 27, 28 
1878: page 118.] ic 
NintH AMENDMENT.—(February 26, 1879),.—'Mr. Phillips 
moved for an amendment to Article 11]. of the constitution, so 
as to include a recording secretary.” Carried. Highth annual 
meeting, page 50. 
REsOLUTION.—(March 30, 1880).—Mr, Phillips offered the 
following: “That in case members do not pay their fees, and 
are delinquent for two years, they shall be notified by the 
treasurer, and if the amount due is not paid within a month 
that they be, without further notice, dropped trom the roll of 
membership.” Carried, Ninth annual meeting, page 54. 
TENTH AMENDMENT.—(March 30, 1881).—Mr. Mather proposed 
to amend the constitution to permit honorary members to be 
elected by a two-thirds vote, the same to be added to the con- 
stibution as a part of Article I, relative to members, and to 
read as follows: “Any person shall, upon a two-thirds vote of 
the society, be considered as an honorary member of the 
society.” Tenth annual meeting, page 3. 
ELEVENTH AMENDMENT.—(April 3, 1882).—Mr. Eyarts moved 
to amend the section relating to the election of officers by 
making those which are largely nonorary, as the president 
and vice-president, vacant after one year, and those holding 
them ineligible for the same office until after an interval of 
one year. Adopted. Eleventh annual meeting, page 4. 
CONSTITUTION, 
AS AMENDED UP TO AND INCLUDING THE TWELFTH ANNUAL 
MEETING ty 1883, 
ARTICLE I—NAME AND OBJEOTS.—The name of thi i 
shall be “The American Fisheultural Assoriation.# “Ths othe 
shall be to promote the cause of fishculvure; to gather and 
diffuse information bearing upon its practical success; the 
interchange of friendly feeling and intercourse among the 
members of the Association; the uniting and encouraging of 
ne aie ore mee calide of fishculturists; and the treatment 
questions regar 18 sclentifi i 
Of ahaa uM g ng hsh, of a scientific and economic 
ARTICLE I1,—MEMBERS.—Any person shall,upon a two-thi 
yote and a payment of three ioe become ” sadniben of tis 
Association. In case members do not pay their fees and are 
delinquent for twu years, they shall be notified by the 
treasurer, and if the amount due is not paid within a month 
they shall be, without further notice, dropped from the roll of 
On Eee person eney be made an honorary member 
é “thirds vote o reg 
eran @ members present at a regular 
_ ARTICLE IIT.—Oriicers,—The officers of the Associatio 
be a president and a vice-president, who shall be eligitle oe 
election to the same offices until a year after the expiracion of 
their terms, a corresponding secretary, a recording secretary 
a treasurer, and an executive committee of seven, which with 
the officers before named, shall decide upon the lace of 
Ineeting aod transact such other business as may be necessary 
when tht Association is not m sessign,* —_— ie 
ARTICLE IV.—MeErInGs,—The regular meetings of the 
Association shall be held once a year, the time and place 
being decided upon at the previous meeting, + 
