8 



l^OREST AND STREAM. 



[July 39, 1886. 



THE MASTIGOUCHE LAKES. 



IT was growing dark as we finished our raih'oading and 

 _ stepped out on the platform at the little hamlet of St. 

 Felix de Valonis, some fifty miles from Montreal. Our 

 party had a small beginning up in the mountains of cen- 

 tral Pennsylvania; a'f New York it was increased by the 

 addition of fotu' gentlemen, and at Montreal thxee more 

 were taken on, so that we had but little spare room in the 

 four buckboards that were waiting to take us to St. Gfi- 

 briel de Brandon. We were soon filing through the vil- 

 lage for our ride of eighteen miles to the clubhouse at 

 the Mastigouche Lakes. A long, weary climb brought us 

 to the summit, and as we sat down to blow, from away 

 down the jnountain side came up the roar of the swift 

 river. In a tew minutes, as we rested there, the clouds 

 lifted, and tlu'ough the birches we saw the lake as it 

 flashed in the sunshine, and our journey was ended. 



I shall not undertake to tell of all the merry times we 

 had as after our day's tramping we gathered in front of 

 the great stone fireplace that took uj) one end of the 

 parlor; how the Colonel and B. and. E. with their jokes 

 would hardly give us time to catch our breath; nor can I 

 repeat the pleasant stories of each day's experience that 

 went into the common fund. In a former article I told 

 of the beauties of this wilderness. The few months that 

 had passed seemed., if possible, to have added to them; 

 the waters of Lao la Clere seemed brighter than in the 

 warm weeks of the summer before; in Lac la Eoche down 

 in its depths I could see among the rocks the hiding place 

 of some of the beautiful trout that came into my landing- 

 net those days. On this lake one afternoon I had made a 

 long cast, and had about retrieved my line A\'hen I saw 

 a number of feet from the boat the fin of a large trout 

 cutting the water as he rushed for my fly. I was afraid 

 to strike with my light bamboo in that i^osition. Catching 

 my fine above the reel -^^uth my left hand, a qiuck jerk 

 and I had him hooked; a beauty he \A as, as I landed liim 

 in the canoe after a ten miniites' fight. There was an- 

 other fisherman that was having good sport too. We saw 

 several trout break from the water a few rods dow7i the 

 lake. A lai'ge otter soon made his appearajice, but 

 quickly dove out of sight. In a few hours' fishing I took 

 thirty-five trout that weighed 16^1bs. From a pool in the 

 river we took OA-er seventy. It was a siglit worth seeing 

 to watch my partner, whose long legs and whose experi- 

 ence in these Canadian waters often took him where 

 others dare not tread, as he stood on a rock in the middle 

 of the rapids and pulled them in until his pockets were 

 filled, then waded ashore to unload. I sat on a great 

 boulder quite unmindful of my flies, after which the ti'out 

 were rushing, only as they gave a signal that they wanted 

 to come in out of the wet. I am sure I had an equal share 

 in his pleasmre. 



On our return as we slowly floated dowa the riA^er into 

 lake No. 2, I miscalculated the length of the cast and got 

 my stretcher fly tightly fastened on a dead tree .that had 

 fallen into the stream; a few inches above the water 

 dangled my dropper; from his roost in the treetop a fiae 

 trout spied' the tempting hackle, and breaking from the 

 Avater hooked himself and hung there high and dry until 

 the canoe paddled up. 



What a merry song our reels often sang as a strong and 

 gamy trout would run off almost the last coil; how the 

 springy bamboo, ever ready to give and take, held taut 

 the slender line as some angiy one would try and shake 

 out the stinging hook. Nearly aU of my catch was taken 

 with the fly; sometimes in the" very deep holes we dropped 

 a worm, but slowly paddling our canoe around the shore 

 we rarely failed to get a rise as we cast oiu' flies in the 

 riffle off the mouth of the little streams that here and 

 there come down through the mountain gorges. Near 

 the outlet, from out of the shadows of the driftwood, 

 some sti-ong fish Avith a swirl like the dip of an oar would 

 carry among the logs the tempting fly that we had throAvn 

 close beside an old pine that some great storm had up- 

 rooted and the wiuds and the cm-rent had fastened there. 

 As we diifted quietly over the smxken ledges, casting to 

 the right and left, sometimes steering between the rocky 

 islands as the gentle wind now and then came dovna the 

 lake and put out the clear reflection of the tall hhches 

 •with its ripple, out of the clear waters would spring these 

 beautiful fish; sometimes they missed and would try 

 again, and were soon in our creels; sometioies they 

 .seemed to mistrust that the feather and the tinsel was but 

 a, cheat, and would not make another attempt. We 

 marked the spot and consoled ourselves Avith the thought 

 that they would be larger and would have forgotten all 

 this when A^e came for them in the September days. In 

 this Aveek's outing were many of these incidents that go 

 to make up the full measure of one's enjoyment in these 

 too short resting spells, and make doubly bright the 

 anticipations of those days that are to come. Soon our 

 party began to break up, business calling some of them 

 long before they were ready; others leaving with but half 

 their plans carried out, promising that when the mosqui- 

 toes and black flies were gone we would meet again; one 

 started for the lakes further away, to exi^lore an unknown 

 land: we all wished him a glorious time, as he had taken 

 great pains to see that all the ncAv comers were allotted to 

 desirable places and had good guides. As I Avrite these 

 lines I seem to hear the roar of the rapids and get tlie 

 sweet scent from the pines, but the ringing of my tele- 

 phone bell breaks the reverie and tells me that the bright 

 waters of the beautiful Mastigouche Lakes are far away. 



Spicewood. 



New BeunswiCk.— Joe Jefferson, of Rip Van Winkle 

 fame, and J. A. Wood, of Boston, AAdth their famihes, and 

 Mr. W. Magee, of St. John, recently returned from a 

 twenty-tAVO days fishing torn- on the Southwest Mira- 

 michi." Thev report good sport, and would have remained 

 longer had not the extremely low water compelled them 

 to leave. Mr. Jefferson OAvns a summer resicience at the 

 mouth of the Clear Avater, a famous fishing stream and 

 one of the chief ti-ibutaries of the SouthAvest Mu-amichi. 

 The nearest building to him is the Salmon club house, at 

 the mouth of BurnthiU. Mr. Magee reports poachers 

 very destructive on the river, and wonders why better 

 protection is not aff orded. 



The Barmecide Club.— Utica, N. Y., July 20.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream : I was very much mterested m Mr. 

 MUIard's stories and experiences given in the Barmecide 

 Club, especially his reasons given (Jidy 18) for allowing the 

 fish rest on Sunday. It all came about from being lost on 

 G Lake in MorehouseviUe, Hamilton Co., N. Y. I take 

 the liberty to explain to him, through this commimxca- 



tion, where he was and about the lake they came to in 

 their eft'ort to get back to Pine Lake camp, only one and 

 a ((uarter miles. I don't believe you could catch MiUard 

 in that Avay now. The lake that he mentions finding was 

 a A-ery nice little sheet of Avater , situated a ciuarter of a mile 

 east of the trail from Pine to Gr Lake, up on top of the 

 mountain, hall a mile from G and three-quarters of a 

 mile from Pine, with its water running into Pine. It has 

 no name, and contains no fish — at least there have never 

 been any caugat nor seen there. I Adsited it myself this 

 spring, but could start notiung or see anything. Let us 

 all, AA'hen we are in the Avoods, giA-e the fish a rest on Sun- 

 day and keep the day as sacred as possible. It Avill make 

 better men of us. I hope Millard Avill never "get left" 

 again.— D. C. M. IL 



Restigouche Salmon.— July 2%.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: Please find hercAvith the salmon score at Indian 

 House camp. River Restigouche, 18 davs. 6 rods: Total 

 number of fish 264; Aveight, 6,2201bs.;'' average, 23ilbs. 

 per fish. The rods stood in numerical order, 107, 74, 30, 

 30, 12, 10. One lady in the party killed 80. Heaviest 

 fish, seibs.; scA^eral from 30 to SSlbs.— An Old Hand. 



The St. John (N. B.) GloU, Jidy 21, reports: Dr. F. W. 

 Campbell, Mr. H. R. Ives, Mr. T. H. Stearns, of Montreal, 

 and Mr. W. M. MacPherson, of Quebec, members of the 

 Upsalquitch Sahnon Club, have returned from their fish- 

 ing gTounds on tlie Restigouche, and report the fishing 

 good. Dr. Campbell and Mr. T. H. Stearns had nine days 

 fishing, Mr. MacPherson eight days, and Mr. Ives (who 

 had to return home ill) three days. The following was 

 the catch: Dr. F. W. Campbell killed 19 sahnon Aveigh- 

 ing 221bs., IBlbs., 251bs., 211bs., 301bs., 241bs., 201bs., 221bs., 

 Sllbs., 221bs., 121bs., 271bs., 121bs.. 221bs., 261bs., 281bs., 

 241bs., 261bs., 121bs. Mr-. Stearns killed 14 salmon, weigh- 

 ing 231bs.. 241bs., 201bs.. 2Slbs., 251118., 231bs., 271bs.. 28lBs., 

 191bs. , 26lbs. . 201bs. . 25lbs. , 201bs. . 181bs. Islr. MacPherson 

 killed 11 sahnon. weighing 221bs., 241bs., 251bs., 121bs., 

 lllbs., 241hs., 261bs., 22lbs., 281bs., 121bs., 2Glbs. Mr. Ives 

 killed 4 Salmon, weighing 211bs., 241bs., 241bs., 251bs. 



[We should like to have other sahnon scores.] 



A Big Shakk in New York Harbor.— In that part 

 of the lower harbor of New York called Gravesend Bay a 

 big monster shark Avas cajitui-ed on Satimlay last. The 

 beast was loft, long and weighed 4501bs. and was on ex- 

 hibition at Blackford's in Fulton Market all day. It Avas 

 taken by Capt. John Morris Avho had gone out with nets 

 to fish for market. The nets Avere hardly in the Avater 

 Avhen Capt. Martin Hinds, one of the fishermen, spied 

 several big sharks folloAving the boat.- The men baited 

 then- long shark hooks Avith mossbunkers and then tlircAv 

 them overboard. Tliat r|uickened the pursuit of th e sharks 

 and presently their leader was hooked. The shark at once 

 became belligerent and plunged toward the smack furi- 

 ously. Two of the men stuck it with harpoons and an- 

 other banged it between the eyes AAnth an iron bar. 

 Quickly tiu-ning the monster made off in an opposite di- 

 rection, and it took the strength of the fi v e men in the 

 boat to check its flight, Avhich was not done imtil nearly 

 all the line was paid out. After about a half liour the 

 shark was dragged into the boat, gashed Avith harpoon 

 wounds and badly bruised from the blows of the iron bar 

 on its head. 



The Sunfish of the Ooeajs'. — Editor Forent and 

 Stream: In one of your last issues an article slates tliat 

 the flesh of the sunfish is not edible. I must liastcu to 

 dispute this with my own experience. In 1870, near the 

 island of Corvo, one of the western islands off Portugal, 

 Avhen on the brig Surprise, Capt. Elisha BroAvn, of Boston, 

 A\'e captured a large sunfish, such as you describe and 

 figure. He was so large that a tackle had to be rigged to 

 the end of the main yard to bring him to the cook's gal- 

 ley. We saved the liver oil, and fed cabin and steerage 

 as well as creAv with the meat. Tlie outer skin of the 

 fish was black and quite thin; then came the 2in. or 3in. 

 layer of white hard blubber, like rubber; then the meat, 

 having a fiber and look of lobster when boiled, onlj^ some- 

 Avhat redder; the taste Avas also hke boiled fresh lobster. 

 It was easily digested by all Avho used it. If my word is 

 not enough,' I Avill look up Avitnesses to prove these facts 

 willingly.— Sawbones (Boston). 



Address all comnmnicatdons to the Forest and Stream Pub, Co. 



TRANSPORTING FISH IN THE BRITISH IS1.ES. 



[Read before the American Fisheries Society.] 

 BY AV. Y. cox. 



THE improved methods of refrigeration so extensively 

 practiced in the meat and fish carrying trade of the 

 United States. Avere not applied to those industries in Eng- 

 land at the time of the International Fisheries Exhibition, 

 London, 1883. _ , 



Even the old method of packing fish m boxes with ice for 

 transporting purposes, was very defective, if we may iudge 

 hy the condition of the fish when they ai-rived and the boxes 

 were opened. , , , 



In the markets of London. I frequently saAV Avhole boxes of 

 fish that came from a comparatively short distance "packed 

 in ice," that were spoiled ami totally nuflt for food. Very 

 often the fish Avere discolored, and seldom were they very in- 

 viting in appearance. If it had not been that a fugitive 

 piece of ice was occasionally discovered in the bijx Avith wet 

 straw, there would scarcely have been a suspicion that there 

 had been an attempt made to carry the fish in ice. It seems 



iSportati__-, 



when these methods are in such common usf> ni ocean tran- 

 sit, whole cargoes of frozen meats being daily brough^ to 

 London from all quarters of the globe, even from New Zea- 

 land. Of the fish coming to London from adjoining Avaters, 

 I found those that came by railway in a worse condition than 

 those that came bv water. „ .-, , 



Aside from the more frequent handlings of railAA'ay borne 

 fish the unwholesome condition of unsuitable cars had, 

 doubtless, considerable to do AAfith their deterioration. No 

 ohiection could be made against many of the cars run on the 

 special fish trains to London, for they Avere as good, perhaps, 

 as any of au old and obsolete style; but there were others tor 

 stmitary reasons that would have not been permitted to run 

 wfire it not for a blunted and indifferent public sentiment. I 

 shall not speak of these myself, but state the case through 

 the words of others. . ,i .i.- i 



A Avitness before the corporation said: "You aU think we 

 load our fish in proper fish trucks. That is a great mistake. 



We load it nearly all in bidlock track."? not cleaned out. 

 Seven out of ten come in ordinary bullock tmcks." 



Another witness stated that "most of the fish comes in old 

 cattle trucks, lime trucks, manure trucks, or any kind of 

 truck that happens to be handy at tlie station, l' haA-e had 

 plenty of barrels Avhich had contraoted so much lilth that my 

 man had to wash them before taldng them on his back.'" 



"Were you ever on the platfoim Avhen a return Grimsby 

 fishA'auAvas being shunted?" asks an English editor. "If 

 you Avere, you are not likely to forget it." Having stood on 

 the platform, candor, a loA-e of truth, and an olfactory not 

 over-sensitive either, Avill not permit us to disagree Avith this 

 gentleman, for truly, as he says, "the stench is abominable, 

 and there is little wonder that fish are condemned when they 

 arrive at the markets." 



Such anauseating condition of things seems almost iiicrcd- 

 ible to us Americans familiar Avith the cleanly-kept refriger- 

 ator cars fitted up by Chase, Ridgw-ay and others, tliousands 

 of AA'hich bear fresh meat and fish to and from inland !)oints 

 hundreds of miles distant, yea, eA^en from ocean to lu ean. 

 But still more incredible is it that railways in the British 

 Isles have not long since found it to their selfish interests, if 

 not the pnblic Avelfare, to adopt some modem methods' of 

 transporting perishable objects. 



How far Ijenind the age and how short-sighted it proves 

 thehi to be when we find au English paper asking, "Cannot 

 science persuade the railway companies or large smack own- 

 ers, or merchants, to have .suitable fish vans, refrigerating or 

 ice A'ans?" 



The exhibition did much to educate the English people on 

 this subject, and toward its close, in October, iss:i the Eisli 

 League (limited), of London, placed refrigerator curs (Knott's 

 patent) on the London & NorthAvestem Kaihvay. The trial 

 trip proA'ed successful, when sixty baskets of fresh herring 

 were brought from Wyck, in North Scotland, to London. 

 They were sixty hours c.n route, the shipment moving at the 

 rate of nine miles an hour. 



From an English standpoint it seemed Avonderfui that the 

 fish came .550 miles inland in good condition, one of the 

 papers stating that "they av ere as dry and .sweet, and clear 

 about the eyes, as though they had only been draA\m up from 

 the North Sea a short half hour or so before." These fresh 

 herring, the first ever l)rought from North Scotland to Lon- 

 don, retailed in market at from four to six cents a dozen. 



The Fish League contemplated extending the system from 

 A'arioiis important fishing ports to the chief centers of popu- 

 lation,_ Extortionate rates of the railways werc^ found to be 

 the chief obstacle the League had to encounter. It ^^■as plain 

 that if the companies Avould not make concessions that the 

 era of the refrigerator car Avas almost as remote a.s before, 

 and the problem of cheap fi.sli would not he solved in this 

 way. Since 1883 I am informed there have lieen some conces- 

 sions by the railway companies, but with true proverbial 

 consei-vatism there has been but little progress made in 

 adopting that which has proven such a boon to all classes in 

 all parts of America. 



WASHINGTON, D. C. 



hnmt 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Pub. Co. 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



July 27 to 31.— Dog ShoAV of the California Bench Show nnd Field 

 Trials^ Club. E. Lcavesley, Siipt., 436 Montgomei-y street, San 



Franoisco. 



Aug-. ;;i to 27.— First Annual Dog Show of the Latonia AgriciU- 

 tural .Association, Co^'iJlg■ton, Ky. Geo. H. Hill, Manager, P. O. 

 Box 76, Cincinnati. O. 



Sept. ] and First Show of the American Fox-Terrier Club, af 

 NtswpiiTt, H. 1. For fox-ifii-i.-ra •.xcUvsi'voly. Edward Kelly, Sec- 

 retary, 45 Exchange [ilace, New York. 



Sept. 7 to 10.— First Annual Voe; Show of tlie Tri-S(;,ate Fair Asso- 

 ciation. Chas. Reed, Secretary, Toledo, O. Entries close Sept. L 



Sept. 8 to 10.— Horucnsvillc, K. Y., Liog .Show, Farmers' Chlb 

 Fair. J. O. Fellows, Superintendent, H ornellsA-ille. 



Sept. 11 to 17.— First Fall Dog ShoAV of the New Jersey Kennel 

 Club, Waverley. A. P. Vredenhurg, Secretary, Bergen Point, N. J. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



Sept. 31.— Field Trials of tlic Manitoba Field Trials Club. Chas. 

 A. Boxer, Secretary, Box ;.'82, AA nm; peg. 



Nov. 8.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Western Field Trials 

 Association, at; Abilene, Kan. R. C. Van Horn, Seereiary, Kansas 

 City, Mo. 



Nov. 8.— Third Annual Field Trials of the Fisher's Island Club, at 

 Fi.«her's Island, N. Y . Max Wenzel, Secretar>\ Hobokcn, N. J. 



Nov. 23.— Eighth Annual Field Ti-ials of the Eastern Field Trials 

 Club, at High Point, N. C. W. A. Coster, Secretary, Flattansh, 

 Kings county, N. Y. 



Dee. C— Eighth Annual Field Trials of the National Field Trials 

 Club, at Grand Junction, Tenn. 



A. K. R.-SPECIAL NOTICE. 



THE AMERICAN KENNEL REGISTER, for the registration 

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

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

 eai-ly. Entry blanks seut on receipt of stamped and addressed 

 envelojje. Registration fee (50 cents) must accompany each entry. 

 No entries inserted unless paid in advance. Yearly subscription 

 $1.50. Address "American Kennel Register," P. O. Box 2833, New 

 York. Number of entries already priated 3898. 



MASTIFF MEASUREMENTS. 



Editor Forest and Strea7n: . ^ 



Last spring some mastiff owners insisted that their dog.s 

 stood 34 and others 3.5in. high at the shoulders. A careftd 

 measurement of one of these dogs made him but 31in., when 

 his owner claimed that the dog should have lieen measured 

 Avith a tape measure from the ground up and over hctAvcen 

 the shoulders, giving as his authority a well-kumyn jiulge, 

 who is one of the members of the American Mastiti Club. 1 

 was satisfied the judge was \vrong, and having occasion to 

 write the Hon. Secretary of the Old English Mastift Club, 

 Mr. Richard Cook. I asked him about it. His reply reads as 

 follows: "Eor height, as you .say, place a flat piece across 

 his shoulder and measure from the ground to the undei- side 

 of the horizontal piece, and when you find a mastiff more 

 than 33in. high, please let me kuow." 



I have just learned from your paper that an American 

 mastiff club has been formed and officers elected. _ 



I should have supposed the gentlemen Avould have Avi.shed. 

 the co-operation of all those interested in the breed, and to 

 that end have giA'en public notice before organizing. Was 

 it because they might not get offices that the promoters prac- 

 ticed such secrecv? It looks very much that Avay, particu- 

 larlv so in the absence of the well-knoAvn names of the gen- 

 tlemen wlin have made the breed familiar to American 

 readers. Now that everything has been arranged to the sat- 

 isfaction of the "disappointed exhibitors" of the late " es^ 

 minster Kennel Club show. wiU the general public be asked 

 to contribute to this "close corporation;''" 



What is the use now of an American Mastitt Club when 

 Ave have the Old English Mastiff Club voting money to be 

 competed for in this country? Besides, all prorainent Amer- 

 ican exhibitors and lovers of the breed have joined or are 

 ioining the English club, which makes the American mutual 

 admiration club unnecessary excepting to further private 



In conclusion, I would humbly ask, Avhy call it the Ameri- 

 can Mastiff Club? Is it to distinguish their oreed from the 

 German and English mastiffs? V- Halpemak 



