March 35, 1886. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



169 



The Catfish as Game. — We have on several occasions 

 printed letters-from correspondents which stated that a cat- 

 tish had taken an artificial fiy. This was regarded as a sort 

 of accident, or in the light of uuusual conduct on the part of 

 the catty, who-e instincts seldom incline him to such trivial 

 things as flies, hut rather incite him to search for both the 

 early and the late worm upon the bottom. Now comes out- 

 valued correspondent "Cyrtonyx," who tells us, iu another 

 column, of a genus of catfisbes which rises like a trout to 

 the lure and fights like a black bass. We know that ( he 

 writer of the article is an accomplished fly-fisher, who sel 

 dom or never uses biit. aud is possessed of more ichthyoloi>i- 

 cal lore than most anglers dieam is known to any inarj, for 

 the average angler is content lo angle and to know a trout 

 from a bass by its general appearance, withonl burdening 

 his head with such trifles as which ha* spinous fins or teeth 

 like bristles. Theiefore, we commend the observations of 

 "Cyrtonyx" and indorse him as one who knows of what he 

 speaks. By a happy coincidence, Mr. John Davidson, of 

 Monroe, Mich , dropped into the office while we were read- 

 ing the letter referred to, and began relating what a beauti- 

 ful, gamy-looking catfish he saw iu Spring River, south of 

 Kansas, in the Indian Territory, while down there working 

 his dogs recently. He said that he saw many caught by buys 

 with bait iu clear, rocky streams, and that the fish was as 

 shapely as a mackerel and looked as gamy as a trout. His 

 description of the spotted sides agreed with that of L punc- 

 takl& Here is a chance for fishcultunsls. 



Largest Rangeley Trout.— Boston, March 20 .—Editor 

 Forest and Stream.: In vour issue of March 18, George Wild 

 calls upon "Stephen Morse, Lawrence Sargeant, Marshall 

 Whitney, and all good honest guides" of the Rangeley Lake 

 region to send in their records as to the largest trout (tialmo 

 joittiii'di*) ever taken in Rangeley waters. In this connec- 

 tion I would like to say that one of the Rangeley guides, 

 Capt, Barker, well-known in Boston for his annual visitsand 

 his addresses before the boys of the Chauncey Hall school, 

 gave an address one evening in the winter or spring of 1885, 

 before the Appalachian Mountain Club. At that meeting, 

 iu answer to a question from me as to the very largest square- 

 tailed or speckled trout ever taken in Rangeley waters, he 

 stated that the very largest of which there was undoubted 

 record weighed thirteen pounds and some ounces. The ex- 

 act ounces I do not remember, but am positive that the 

 weig'.t was over thirteen pounds. Will uot Capt. Barker 

 repeat nis statement to Forest ahd Stream for the benefit 

 ot Mr. Wild and all interested?— C. H. Ames. 



The Niagara County Angler's Glob has been organ- 

 ized atLockport, N. Y. The officers are: President, David 

 Millar; Secretary, Wash. II. Cross; Treasurer, J. E Emer 



SHORT LOBSTERS. — Recent developments show that the 

 catchers of short lobsters along the Maine and Massachusetts 

 coast-! have really got themselves into deeper trouble than at 

 first appeared. A recent letter to Deputy Commissioner Shat- 

 tuek shows that the fines imposed upon one man in Portland 

 amount to over SI, 000. That number of lobsters under 10W 

 inches in length were found in his possession, and the statute 

 of that State imposes a fine cf $1 each. This man swore that 

 ti ear containing about half these lobsters were the property 

 of the man who had loaned it to him, and that he had no 

 knowledge of the lobsters in it. But the commissioners say 

 that they shall have no difficulty in proving that the key to 

 the car was in the possession of the man under arrest. They 

 have other cases against him, and they say he will have to 

 give up the short lobster business. At this end of the line a 

 good deal of work is being done. A private detective is em- 

 ployed, aud as the appropriation by the State is insufficient, 

 the Massachusetts Fisli and Game Protective Association is 

 paying- the bills. Its members are determined that tlie most 

 valuable crustacean on our coast shall be protected to the ex- 

 tent of the statute at least. But the waste from canning is 

 the worst feature. In Maine it is lawful to take lobsters down 

 to nine inches in length during April, May and June for can- 

 ning. This special privilege, Commissioner Counce writes, 

 will be sedulously opposed at the next session of the Legisla- 

 ture of that State. The lobsters are canned for the foreign 

 trade chiefly, since canned lobsters are not popular, even in 

 the West. An earnest endeavor will also be made for lobster 



Erotective laws in Rhode Island and Connecticut, since Long 

 sland Sound, one of the best lobster grounds in the country, 

 has been almost depleted by wasteful and indiscriminate fish- 

 ery. Here the lobster fishermen are coming to Comm.ssioner 

 Shattuck with congratulations at his success in stopping the 

 Short lobster business. They say that if it is kept up for only 

 a few years longer the lobster is done forever. They appear 

 to be in favor of protection— the great majority of them — and 

 they would be willing to furnish evidence to convict the few 

 who persist in retaining lobsters forbidden by law, but for the 

 fact that their entire property and living is their lobster- pots, 

 and they dare not offend the law-breakers. — Boston Herald 

 March 19. 



FISHCTJLTTJRE AT BLOOMING GROVE PARK. — Editor 

 Forest and Stream: The club here has about twenty miles of 

 good trout streams, sucli as Shohola, Blooming Grove and 

 Taylor's creeks, and some others. Leaving the railway station 

 we drive up the mountain seven miles to the club house, along 

 the Blooming Grove Creek most of the way from Millville. 

 All along here are found spring- tributaries suitable to deposit 

 trout fry in. Ample provision has been made to protect these 

 streams as well as the lakes belonging to the association, by 

 the employment of guardians who also look after the hunting 

 grounds. These men are invested with power to arrest tres- 

 passers by the charter of the association given by the State 

 of Pennsylvania. In a former letter, published in your issue 

 of March 11, I gave an account of the hatchery and the fish 

 now m the troughs. Lakes Laura and Giles abound in black 

 bass, but for some reason they will not take any lure in the 

 latter although it has been repeatedly tried. The fry in the 

 hatchery are doing well and will be planted in the streams 

 next month. — White Miller. 



A FISHERMAN'S ASSOCIATION.— A meeting of fisher- 

 men and citizens of Dulutb, Minn., was held on March 13, and 

 an association was formed. An address on fishculture was 

 made by our correspondent, W. D Tomlin, Esq., in which he 

 showed how the fishermen should work with the fishculturists 

 for common good. He referred to the millions of whitefish 

 fry being turned out yearly by Mr. Frank N. Clark at the 

 U. S. hatcheries at North ville and Alpena, Mich., as showing 

 what cau be done at little expense and'advocated the establish- 

 ment of a hatchery at Duluth. Mr. Tomlin quoted a fishcul- 

 turist as saying that spawn taken from fish found dead in the 

 nets can be hatched. This is an error; the eggs die shortly 

 after the fish dies, perhaps in a few minutes. A committee 

 was appointed to draft a constitution to be submitted at a 

 future meeting, and the following officers were elected: 

 Martyn Wheeler, Chairman; W. D. Tomlin, Secretary; Capt. 

 E. Smith, Treasurer. 



SUNAPEE TROUT. — This fish, which has attracted so 

 much attention lately, notices of which have appeared in our 

 last two issues, has yielded its eggs to Mr. Hodge, Commis 

 sioner of Fisheries of New Hampshire. It is no doiibt a form 

 of the Salrelinus oquassa. or blue-backed trout of Maine, 

 which grows to a larger size. Mr. Hodge has preseuted to 

 Mi-. Fred Mather, Superintendent of the New York State 

 Hatchery on Long Island. 1.000 eggs of this fish and some hy- 

 brid eggs. One lot of the latter are Suuapee eggs impregnated 

 by brook trout, and the remainder are brook trout eggs im- 

 pregnated by the salbling, SaJveUnus salcelinus, a fish im- 

 ported from Germany some years ago. 



r Jht Mmml 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



March 30 to April 2.— Third Animal Dog Show of the New Haven 

 Kennel Club, S. H Hemingway, Secretary, New Haven, Conn. 



April 0. ?, Band 'J.— Second Annual Dog 'Show of the New England 

 Kennel Club. Edward A. JVfoselev. Secretary, Boston. Mass. 



April 13, 14, 15 and 16. First Annual Dog Show of the Hartford 

 Keuw-l Oiub. A. C. Collins, Secretary, Hartford, Conn. 



April 27. 28. 29 and 80 —Third Dog 'Show of the Cleveland Bench 

 Show Association. C. M Mnnhall, Secretary, Cleveland. O. 



May 4, 5, U and 7. — Tenth annual dog show of the Westminster 

 Kennel Club, at Madison Square Garden, New York. James Morti- 

 mer, Superintendent. P. O. Box 1812, New York, 



May 18, 19. 20 and 21 —Third Annual Dog Show of the St. Louis 

 Gun Club, St. Louis, Mo. Geo. Munson, Manager. 



A. K. R.-SPEC1AL NOTICE. 

 qpHE AMERICAN KENNEL REGISTER, for the registration of 

 pedigrees, etc. (with prize lists of all shows and trials), is pub 

 lished every month. Entries close on the 1st. Should be in early. 

 Entry blanks sent on receipt of stamped and addressed envelope. 

 Registration fee (50 cents) must accompany each entry. No entries 

 inserted unless paid in ad vance. Yearlv subscription $1. 50. Address 

 "American Kennel Register," P. O. Bo* .2882, New York. Number 

 of entries already printed 3481. 



THE UNPAID SPECIAL AT CHICAGO. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In your paper a short time ago appeared an article entitled 

 "Unpaid Special at Chicago," and that the same was paid by 

 the donor into the treasury of the Illinois Kennel Club; also 

 that said amount (#15) was never paid to the gentleman who 

 won the special. I therefore offer this explanation, and am 

 willing at any time to substantiate the same by oath: That 

 I do not know Mr. Waters; I never asked him for a special: 

 he never paid me any amount of money, nor was the same 

 paid into the treasury of the Illinois Kennel Club hy Mr. 

 Waters or any other person ; that I never had anything to do 

 -with Mr. Waters's special or any other special connected with 

 the Illinois Kennel Club bench show, nor did I know anything 

 of such special until my attention was called to the matter, 

 and by referring to the catalogue I found a special offered by 

 Mr. Waters for the best pair of American standard black 

 coekers. I write this in order to place myself properly, and 

 innocent of having anything to do with this or any other 

 special at the Illinois Kennel Club show. As the letter by 

 Mi*. Wade may be taken and understood as reflecting on me, 

 or that I had some hand in the matter, I hope you will insert 

 this at your earliest convenience; and other proof that may 

 be required by the public I will gladly submit in order to 

 clear my character from any stain. John H. Naylob., 

 See.-Treas. Illinois Kennel Club. 



Chicago, 111., March 13. 



CANINE LORE. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



The New Jersey Kennel Club have offered one hundred dol- 

 lars reward for a living dog with the rabies. About every 

 dog that is now taken sick, the cry is raised (not only by the 

 urchin in the street, but in the many sensational newspapers 

 now published), mad dog; and as the members of this club 

 knoAV that the disease now raging among the dogs is a malig- 

 nant form of distemper and not rabies, the club has taken this 

 method to counteract and allav the public excitement over 

 this mad dog scare. I do not believe there is any such disease 

 as rabies. Dogs, like all other animals, must pay the debt of 

 nature and die from disease. A dog's brain may become 

 affected from a disease, and when so affected the animal may 

 even bite his own master, but if the wound is properly treated 

 by a physician, no bad effect will follow. History teaches us 

 that for thousands of yeai s the dog has been domesticated and 

 has become the almost constant companion of man. That 

 man has made the most extensive use of this animal in every 

 way, and I now think it is time we should begin to give the 

 dog his dues, and do justice to him and his race. 



I find that David was among the first to show his aversion 

 to the dog. "For dogs have compassed me, the assembly of 

 the wicked have enclosed me. They pierced my hands and 

 my feet." Psalm 22nd, 16th. 



Now, evidently, in the davs of David they had dogs and 

 dogs would then bite. Yet we will find upon examination 

 of the traditions and writings of the ancients that the disease 

 rabies or hydrophobia is never mentioned. Yet we do 

 find that in the case of persons afflicted with sores it was 

 a very common habit to have the sores licked by a dog, as 

 it tended to heal and soothe the angry flesh, and even to 

 this day in country places wheie the mad dog craze has not 

 penetrated, you will find the same custom Whenever a 

 dog has a sore or wound on his body he will lick it, and it is a 

 very common saying "the lick of the dog is good for the bite." 



No, the disease called rabies is a modern disease created by 

 superstition and kept alive through the influence of sensational 

 newspapers. 



The first authentic case of rabies I find is recorded by Plu- 

 tarch in his tract on superstition, in which he says that "Aristo- 

 demus, the King of the Messenians, was in the war which he 

 maintained against the Lacedemonians so alarmed at the dis- 

 mal denunciations of the prophets when the dogs howled like 

 wolves, and a wild herb had grown near the hearth of his 

 house that he laid violent hands upon himself in a paroxysm 

 of despair." Evidently in the days of the ancients the only 

 rabies they dreaded was created out of the "howl" and not 

 from the bite; and those were the days when superstition 

 ruled the world and governed the actions of men. 



In Stehelius's rabbinical literature on the traditions of the 

 Jews contained in their Talmuds, and other mythical writings, 

 we are told the two following passages give a very curious 

 rabbinical account of the different behavior of dogs in a 

 town, sometimes grumbling and howling, at other times 

 gamesome aud full of play. 



In Bechais's exposition of the five books of Moses there is 

 the following passage : 



"Our rabbins of blessed memory have said when the dogs 

 bowl then cometh the angel of death iutp the city, but when 

 the dogs are at play then cometh Elias into the city ;" and in 

 rabbi Menecbem Von Re Ranats's exposition on the same 

 books it.is said, "Our rabbins of blessed memory have said 

 when the angel of death enters into a city the dogs do 'howl ' 

 and I have seen it written by one of the disciples of rabb'i 

 Jehunda the Juet, that upon a time a dog did howl and 

 clapped his tail between his legs and went aside for fear of the 

 angel of death, and somebody coming and kicking the dog to 

 the place from which he had fled the dog presently died." 



Le Bruyn says dogs seem to have been looked upon among 

 the Jews in a disagreeable light; yet they had them in consid- 

 erable numbers.in their cities. They were not shut up in their 



houses or courts, but seem to have been forced to seek their 

 food where they could find it. 



Busbequius says that the Turks reckon a dog an unclean 

 and filthy creature, aod therefore drive him from their houses; 

 that these animals are there in common, nob belonging to any 

 particular owner, and guard rather the streets and districts 

 than particular houses, and live off the offal which is thrown 

 oub. 



In Morocco, says "Host's Travels," there are dogs in abund- 

 ance, and as the greater part of the Moors have scarcely 

 enough to five on for themselves, much less to feed dogs, they 

 suffer them to lie about the streets so starved that they can 

 hardly hang together, and almost devoured by fleas' and 

 vermin. 



Poiret, in his "Travels in Barbary," says the dog loses in 

 Barbary, as in the East in £enerai, a part ot those social 

 qualities which make hun the friend of man. He is no longer 

 the domestic, mild, insinuating animal, faithfully attached to 

 his master and ever ready to defend him, even at the expense 

 of his life. Among the Arabs he is cruel, bloodthirsty, always 

 hungry and never satisfied. 



Tho Moors grant him a corner of their tent, but this is all. 

 They never caress him, never throw him anything to eat. To 

 this treatment, in my opinion, must the m'difference of the 

 dogs toward their master be ascribed. Very often they have 

 not even a master. They choose a tent as a place of refuge, 

 they are suffered to remain there, and no further notice is 

 taken of them. Refuse, carrion, filth, everything is good 

 enough for them if they can but appease their hunger, and 

 they are lean, emaciated, and have scarcely any belly." 



*ow, in these Eastern countries we can see the dogs under 

 the most unfavorable circumstances. Dog pounds do not ex- 

 ist. There is no general killing of dogs. They go on from 

 year to year fighting for life, and usually die from starvation. 

 Yet, in these countries the cry "Mad dog" is never raised, and 

 they have never had a case of the rabies. Now, does it not 

 seem strange that it is only in the civilized countries we find 

 the existence of the dreaded disease, and does it not seem that 

 it is only where the dogs are well housed and fed that we 

 find it ? 



An urchin in the street sees a dog attacked with a fit (pro- 

 duced by worms or distemper), the boy shouts "Mad dog," 

 some enterprising reporter gets hold of the item, which is 

 produced and reproduced by the many sensational papers 

 now published. Is nob this the true story of the mad dog 

 scare i 



Once upou a time a man confined in a lunatic asylum made 

 the following statement: "We that are locked up here are 

 only called mad, because our madness does not happen to 

 agree with that of the rest of the world. Everybody thinks 

 his neighbor mad if his pursuits happen to be opposite to his 

 own. His neighbor thinks the same of him ; but then these 

 two kinds of madness do not interfere with each other. Now 

 and then there comes an eccentric man who, taking a just 

 view of things, thinks them all mad. Him they catch and 

 lock up. That's my case." 



Now, don't you think if the ooy was whipped and the 

 reporter taken for the eccentric man that you would soon 

 hear the last of the mad dog craze? . These enterprising 

 reporters like to see the issues of their paper filled with flam- 

 ing accounts of canine outrages. The poor dog has become in 

 their eyes the great Cyclopian problem of the age. Conse- 

 quently my diagnosis of the rabies is this : One part boy, one 

 part dog, ninety-eight parts reporter. These combined will 

 usually produce a very modem mad dog. And il' your imagi- 

 nation cannot create a mad dog out of this, read the follow- 

 ing copied from the Jersey City Journal: 



"My name vas Kopp ; everybody knows me. I live at 1M 

 Bloomfield street," said a bony-looking German,' as he led a 

 white, shaggy dog into the Hoboken station house. "I dinks 

 me dot dog is grazy," he continued, as he pointed toward the 

 dog, which frisked about apparantly happy. Officer Peter 

 Meehan volunteered to act as executioner. Kopp led the dog 

 to the lumber yard opposite Police Headquarters, and Meehan 

 drew a revolver and cocked it. Kopp wanted to get out of 

 range, but the dog insisted on following him running around 

 his feet. "Look out," shouoed Kopp, as Meehan pointed the 

 revolver. Bang! went the pistol, and Kopp from actual ob- 

 servation, leaped three feet into the air. When he landed he 

 started to run, but the dog was constantly making a circle 

 around his master's feet. Five shots were fired at the dog, and 

 every tune the revolver was discharged Kopp leaped into 

 the air. Finally, Meehan retreated for ammunition, and Kopp 

 was told $o keep the dog in the lumberyard. Blood was 

 trickling down the animal's body from wounds in the head and 

 neck. Kopp tried to escape, but the faithful dog, whining 

 pitifully, followed in his footsteps. The spectators were 

 touched by the sight and cried "shame!" The footmarks of 

 the dog, on the snow-covered street, could be traced by blood. 

 In front of the station house the dog looked appealingly into 

 the face of his master. After the lapse of fitteen minutes, 

 Roundsman Marnell appeared with another revolver. He 

 gave it to ex-Policeman Wright who emptied the contents 

 into the dog, who whined mournfully. Thirty voices were 

 heard to mutter, "Oh! what a shame! what an outrage! If 

 that ain't cruelty to animals, what is? The man ismore crazy 

 than the dog." The animal limped toward his master and 

 looked up at him with his dimmed eyes, as though appealing- 

 tor mercy. The man screamed and jumped every time the 

 animal approached him. Twelve shots were tired at the 

 animal, the majority hitting him, yet he was alive and hobbled 

 around moaning. He was docile as a kitten, and there was 

 not the first symptoms of madness about him. After some 

 minutes the police retreated and officer Meehan appeared 

 with a long night club. When he got within about ten feet 

 of the dog he threw the club to policeman Wright, who 

 clubbed the poor dog to death. 



Now think of these, our guardians of the law, murdering 

 that poor dog. I would very much sooner have that poor- 

 dog, if alive, guard me and mine than to have the brutes that 

 murdered him. 



We find in Grecian' mythology that Cerberus, the three- 

 headed dog, was placed to guard the entrance into the infer- 

 nal regions. I do not think any ot these policemen will have 

 any trouble passing should they go that way. 



Speaking of the Grecians, they did not always do justice to 

 the dog. As is well known by the learned that there was a 

 temple upon Mount JStna dedicated to Vulcan, which was 

 guarded by dogs of so exquisite a smell that they could dis- 

 cern whether the persons who came thither were chaste or 

 otherwise. They used to meet and fawn upon such as were 

 chaste, caressing them as the friends of their master, Vulcan' 

 but flew at those who were polluted, and never ceased bark- 

 ing at them till they had driven them from the temple. After 

 they had lived here in great repute for several years, it so hap- 

 pened that as one of the priests, who had been making a 

 charitable visit to a widow who lived on the promontory of 

 Lilybeum, returned home pretty late in the evening. "The 

 dogs flew at him with so much fury that they -would have 

 worried him if his brethren had not come quickly to his as- 

 sistance. Upon which the dogs were all doomed to death and 

 hanged, because they had loBt their original instinct. 



In those days priests and ministers were not tried, and con- 

 sequently the poor dog had to suffer. 



In Africa we find the dog freely associating with the natives; 

 constant companions. The natives go about dressed in their 

 birthday suits, consequently there is no clothing to interfere 

 with the teeth of the dog. Yet here we do not find the 

 dreaded disease. 



Pasteur says he can create, produce and reproduce the rabies 

 by injecting some kind of virus into the brains of a dog or rab- 

 bit. I think if the French Government would inject some of 

 the same virus within this Prof. Pasteur's skull, mankind 

 would be greatly benefited C. J. Peshall. 



