190 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Sept. 30, 1886. 



THE VAGARIES OF FLY NOMENCLATURE 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I noticed in jour issue of Sept. 16 under the caption 

 "Answers to Correspondent" that W. K. P., Athens, Pa., 

 asks where a description of Lord-Baltimore and Page 

 bass flies can be found, also the editorial reply, "We do 

 not find these flies named or figured in any book or plate." 

 Allow me to quote Dr. Henshall in "Fishing with the 

 Fly"' (Orvis-Gheney) anent the first named fly. "The 

 Lord-Baltimore fly," he says, "originated with Prof. 

 Alfred M, Mayer of the Stevens InstitAite of Technology, 

 Hoboken, New Jersej^, its formula being as follows: Body 

 orange, hackle, tail and wings black, with small upper 

 wings of jungle cock. Prof. Maj^er and myseK being 

 natives of Baltimore, designed unknoATO to each other a 

 fly to embody the heraldic colors of Lord Baltimore and 

 the coat of arms of Maryland, black and orange. He 

 named his fly Lord-Baltiniore, while mine I designated 

 the Oriole from the Baltimoi-e or hanging bird which 

 beautiful songster was na»ned in honor of Lord-Balti- 

 more, its colors being black and orange." Dr. Hen- 

 shall's Oriole it may be mentioned is thus made: Body 

 black and gold tinsel, hackle black, -wings yellow or 

 orange, tail black and yellow mixed. 



The Page is a very well known and much esteemed 

 pattern and is to be found in Orvis'a No. 1 list. Its 

 fominla is as follows: Body yellow worsted woimd gold 

 thread, hackle brown, inner wings scarlet ibis, outer 

 ■ndngs gallina or guinea hen. J. Harrington Keene. 



[This letter adds another instance to the evils which we 

 have complained of in fly nomenclature. Among other 

 books searched for tlie flies named in order to answer our 

 correspondent was "Fishing with the Fly." Neither of 

 the flies were indexed nor illusti-ated in the work, and we 

 did not read all the articles through in order to find it. 

 This, applied to our library, would have been the labor of 

 a year, and after searching the published lists and Holber- 

 ton's jjlates we answered as we did. Now, it seems tliat 

 the "oriole" is the same as the "Lord-Baltimore," while 

 the "Pago" is only to be found in the catalogue of one 

 dealer, and not in any standard Avork. The fact is, that 

 any person has the right to alter names and to quote a 

 fl.y as "well known and much esteemed," when it only 

 appears in some dealer's catalogue.] 



NEPIGON TROUT. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The great river keeps up its reputation, I could not 

 make my accustomed visit this year, perhaps never shall 

 make another, as fishing is wearisome there from its suc- 

 cess. Besides the Dominion wisely prohibits destruction 

 for mere sport, and one is not allowed to take trout away, 

 so the sport is limited. 



I have not yet heard from my correspondent as to the 

 exact records made by fishing parties there this summer. 

 But from one party on the river the last of August, the 

 information is obtained that anotlier party just ahead 

 made this record of Aveight of individual fish : lib. , 7-J^lbs. , 

 lOlbs., Gibs., 121bs., 51bs. etc. These are as fine weights as 

 are recorded. Probably some of your readers are not ac- 

 quainted with the requirements of the Dominion ofacials 

 as to records. It is, however, enough to say that persons 

 having permits to fish are required to enter on the book 

 kept for that pm-pose the number and weight of trout 

 killed. When I speak of recorded weights I refer to the 

 entries on the trotit book. 



I wrote you some years ago of my information about 

 large trout in Lake Nepigon, and that Mr. LeRonde of 

 Nepigon House (100 miles above Red Rock) and his brother 

 told me of taking trout of 171bs. weight Avith a seine, and 

 other large fish from that weight doAva to 51 bs. I have 

 no doubt of the existence of such fish in the lake and river. 

 But I doubt Avhether the larger ones can be taken with 

 the fly. The record of this season above given is beheved 

 to have been made by bait-fishing (probably liA^e minnows). 

 We hope to have an account of tliis thi'ough your columns. 

 I will try and get fuller particulars. H. 



Sept. 20, 1886. 



Weights and Measurements of Bass.— Post MiUs, Vt. 

 — In regard to estimated weight of lai'ge black bass which 

 we have seen asked several times lately by correspondents 

 who had no means ©f getting the Aveight except from esti- 

 mates taken from measurements of fish, we give the 

 weiglit and dimensions of a small-mouthed black bass 

 which was taken from Fairlee Lake last week, and Avhich 

 the wi'iter weighed and measxared. Length of fish 21i}in. , 

 circumference 16-Jin., depth Tin., weight 61bs. The fish 

 was one of the most handsome bass I have ever seen, and 

 is soon to adorn the oflice of Thos. H, Chubb, the fishing 

 rod mamrfacturer, Avho has quite an assortment of fish, 

 bird and deer heads, and also one of the finest elk heads 

 in America. The black bass fishing here this season has 

 not been quite up to what was expected, although quite a 

 number of bass from 4 to 51bs. in weight have been taken. 

 — Ompompanoosuc. 



The Manufacture op Fish Hooks. — We have received 

 from S. AUcock & Co., Redditch, England, a card con- 

 taining the difl'erent forms of fish hooks and the Avire in 

 its different stages, from the straight piece ctxt to the 

 proper length, the same barbed, filed to the "Kirby" 

 point, hollow point, etc., to the bent hook in its various 

 shapes; and also specimens of the blued, tinned and I'ust- 

 proof hook. From a pamphlet accompanying the card 

 we learn that at Messrs. Allcock's factory the hook passes 

 through eleven hands before it is put up in packages and 

 labeled, and that there are no less than 180 different 

 hooks, each haAdng from tAventy to thirty sizes. The pro- 

 cesses of manufacture are: cutting; bearding; filing the 

 point; bending; ringing, flattening, or marking; harden- 

 ing; tempering; scom-iug; poHshing; blueing, tinning, or 

 japanning; counting, and papering. Several hundred 

 persons are employed at this work. 



A STURGEON YARN. 



THE reef is more than half way betAveen Crab Island and 

 Cumberland Head, and is about tAVO miles out from the 

 mouth of Dead Creek. No sir, no soundings were ever made 

 on that reef and it is so little knoAvn that I am not aware 

 that it was CA^er named, but it is very long and wide, run- 

 ning east ;ind Avest witli the outside curve facing the .south. 

 If I were to A-enture an opinion, I would s.ay that it is an old 

 glacial moraine, formed of boulders that AS'ere pushed out 

 and left there by a glacier that came down the valley of Dead 

 Creek. Several years ago the hydrographic survey in taking 

 soundings AvestAvard fi-om Cumberland Head, dropped the 



line a little inside the eastern extremity of the reef. The 

 officer in charge expected to sound about sixty feet of Avater 

 and expressed considerable surprise to find 'that he had to 

 pay out something over nine hundred feet of rope without 

 getting any sign of bottom. This exhausted his supply of 

 sounding line and, fearing that something Avas AATong Avith 

 the lead, he caused it to be drawn up. It came up Avitfi con- 

 siderable difficulty, which was for a short time inexplicable, 

 but at last, looking doAvn into the water, the form of a very 

 large sturgeon Avas seen to loom up from the depths and the 

 rnystery was soon solved. It appeared that on loAvering the 

 line to the bottom, the sturgeon, attracted by the smell of the 

 grease on the plummet, had swalloAved it and continued to 

 engorge the line as fast as it Avas paid out. In attempting to 

 retain the cordage on his stomach he had followed it to the 

 surf ace until at last the plum met itself was resuued, Avhen 

 he dropped out of sight. Several attempts Avere made to ob- 

 tain a sounding at this point, but the same result follOAved 

 each trial and the sturgeon brought the plummet to the sur- 

 face every time it was hauled in. If my memory serves me 

 aright, three days Avere spent in dropping the lead at different 

 points in the Adcinity of the first sounding in order to evade 

 the sturgeon, but without avail. At length the idea occur- 

 red to the officer to attach a large hook to the plummet and 

 after _ .ep-eat effort the sturgeon was brought on deck. But 

 the difficulty Avas not yet avoided. Every time he attempted 

 to make a sounding he hooked a sturgeon. He persevered, 

 however, until the moon had gone doAvn, long after mid- 

 night, when the vessel was loaded to the guuAvales by the 

 sturgeon corded up on thedeck, and he was about starting for 

 shore to unload. It was just about this time that he ascer- 

 tained the nature of the ground on which he was Avorking. 

 it Avas a very calm, dark night, and looking steadily down 

 into the water he discovered that he could trace the outline 

 of the reef by the phosphorescence of the dead sturgeon lying 

 around the inside wall. It lighted up the boulders along the 

 reef and discovered thousands of sturgeon lounging on the 

 bottom. There could be no longer any doubt that a large 

 and hitherto unknoAvn reef existed at this place, and that its 

 inside basin was the herding groimd of all the sturgeon in 

 Lake Champlain. In other Avords, Cximberland Bay was 

 fenced in by a reef and paved with fish. It was very clear 

 that measures must be taken to rid the bay of the sturgeon 

 before any further government work could be prosecuted, so 

 the officer reported the fact to the Avar department. In ac- 

 cordance with orders receiA'ed a month later, he proceeded 

 with four government steam yachts to the head of Cumber- 

 land Bay. Each of these yachts had on board three miles 

 and a half of barbed fence wire, all along which very large 

 fish hooks soldered at close intervals and the whole smeared 

 over Avith lard , like a box of cartridges. Starting southward, 

 the yachts paid out the fence Avire down the bay until they 

 stopped for a short time to alloAv the Avire to settle to the 

 bottom. The load of sturgeon caught on the fence wire Avas 

 so great that in attempting to start up again the sterns of 

 the yachts were submerged in the Avater aboxit ten feet and it 

 was fully two hours before any headway whatever was made. 

 It was a sublime sight. Cumberland Bay from Dead Creek 

 almost to Crab Island was lashed to a sheet of tossing foain 

 by the struggling sturgeon, and the sound of their tails 

 beating the AA^ater was like a continuous roar of thunder, 

 only louder and more impressive. It took two days to tow 

 them to the mouth of the Ausable, where they Avere hauled 

 ashore by a steam A^dndlass. The suction occasioned by 

 draAvlng the fish out of the water was so great that the 

 Richelieu turned back its course and floAved southward into 

 Lake Champlain. The Avater of the lake Avas agitated from 

 one end to the other, down to the deepest bottom and pro- 

 duced A^ery singular results. The eddies were so .strong that 

 fragments of keels and spars and about seven tons of cannon 

 balls from the battle of Platt,sburg Avere throAvn up on the 

 Plattsburg dock; the Royal Savage rose to the surface, 

 floated clear aroxmd Valcour Island and sank again near its 

 old location, and T am told that the sea serpent came to the 

 top in the channel off Cumberland Head and finally took 

 refuge from the commotion by craAA'ling up on the Platts- 

 burg breakwater. Pieces of pottery, stone, hatchets and 

 gouges and Indians bones and old horses teeth boiled up 

 over the lake. When the tumult had subsided, it was found 

 that the bulk of sturgeon taken out had lowered the lake 

 tAvo inches, not^vith standing the influx of the Richelieu. I 

 think that I may safely consider it one of the largest catches 

 of fish that has occurred on Lake Champlain."— Plattsibnrg, 

 N. Y., Republican. 



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



THE U. S. FISH COMMISSION. 



WE have received Part XI. Report of the Commission of 

 Fish and Fisheries for 1883. The volume is bulkier 

 than any of its predecessors, and contains a great deal of 

 A'ery valuable matter. The report proper of the Commis- 

 sioner to Congress consists of 9.5 pages, while the appendices 

 cover 1206 pages, exclusive of the numerous plates. The 

 Avork of deep sea and general marine investigation has been 

 extended and many valuable discoA'eries of aquatic animals 

 have been made. ' The specimens after having been sub- 

 mitted to a careful investigation for monographic re- 

 search and a complete series made for the National Museum, 

 have been made up into well identified and labeled sets and 

 distributed to colleges, academies and other institutions of 

 learning throughout the United States. Applications for 

 these sets have yearly increased, showing an increase m the 

 interest taken in the life history of aquatic animals in 

 general. These sets are usually asked for through the 

 member of Congress representing the district in which the 

 institution is situated. An arrangement has been perfected 

 with the life-saving and lighthouse services whereby the 

 keepers for the entire coast make telegraphic reports to the 

 Commission of the stranded Avhales, porpoises and other 

 forms of marine life. 



In fishculture the most important events m 1883 were the 

 planning of a flshway at the Great Falls of the Potomac. 

 The success of Professor Ryder in the artificial propagation 

 of oysters at Stockton, Md. * The opening of the Cold Spring 

 Harbor station by the New York Commission and its use by 

 the U, S. Commission. The survey of the Columbia River 

 bv Mr. Stone to find localities for salmon hatching. The 

 introduction of Avhitefish into Eagle Lake, Maine. The 

 transferring of eggs of the shad on trays to distant stations. 

 A large run of shad in the Sacramento resulting from the 

 planting of fry a few years previous by the Fish Commission. 

 The reappearance in Gloucester harbor and other points of 

 young cocf believed to belong to a school hatched in 1878, and 

 the experiments of S. G. Worth in hatching the eggs of 

 striped bass or rockflsh. Although much has been done in 

 the way of iuA^estigation of the character, abundance, geo- 

 graphical distribution and economical qualities of the inhab- 

 itants of the Avaters, both fresh and salt, the subject is prac- 

 tically unlimited in extent, and much more remains to be 

 done in the matter of improving old methods and apparatus 

 used in fishing. 



Much has been done by the (,'ominission in bi-inging to the 

 notice of American fishermen the gill-nets Avith their glass 

 ball floats used by the codtishermen, which have already 

 revolutionized the "winter codfishery of New England, and 

 have, notwithstanding the prejudices of the fishermen, 

 demonsti-ated the fact that codfish can be taken in great 



numbers Avlthout bait, the necessity for which has been a 

 source of great expense heretofore. Captain Collins, of the 

 Commission, an experienced NeAV England flshennan, who 

 has carefully studied the fishing boats of all nations, has 

 prepared a neAV model Avhich is believed to combine tlie ex- 

 cellencies of both European and American fishing ves.sel;;, 

 and Avhieh is believed to be safer and more substantial than 

 any in use. 



In the appendices, which constitute the bulk of the volume, 

 are many articles. The fh-st of these is a most interesting 

 article on the construction and outfit of the steamer Alba- 

 tross, by the Lieutenant-Commander, S. L. Tanner, U. S, N., 

 consisting of 111 pjiges and .55 plates. This includes a pre- 

 face by Commissioner Baird. Construction of the Alba- 

 tross: Steam machinery and mechanical appliances, by En- 



fineer Baird; apparatus for deep-sea research, general 

 _ escription of methods of soimding and much other interest- 

 ing material. This is followed by a report of the work done 

 by the Albatross in 1883 by Lieutenant-Commander Tanner. 

 Mr. LiAungston Stone contributes the result of his explora- 

 tions on the Columbia RiA^er from the head of Clarke's Fork 

 to the Pacific Ocean, made in the summer of 1883, with 

 reference to the selection of a snitable place for estaljlishing 

 a .salmon breeding .station. He gives a very interest! tig 

 account of ids journey and the description ' of tin; -many 

 .streams visited, and Avhile recommending se^'eral location's 

 as being more or less desii-able, he did not find any of them 

 equal to the McCloud River station. The British Sea Fish- 

 eries Act of 1883 is given in full. 



Appendix B treats of the fisheries, Mr, Charles W. Smiley 

 contributes a table of the principal river fisherie.s of the 

 United States with an estimate of the catch for 1880 in 

 pounds. In this table the estimated ntmiber of pounds is 

 giA'en for a river and its principal trilnitaries without desig- 

 nation of the species of hsh , and the recapitulation giA^es us 

 the aimiial catch in each State dnring that year, wMh an 

 index. Mr. Smiley follows this with the sta'tistics of the 

 United States imports and exports of fish, fiwh-oil, whale- 

 bone, the tonnage of fishing vessels, etc., for the year ending 

 June 30, 1883. prepared from the annual report of the Bureau 

 of Statistics of the Treasury Department, and based on the 

 Custom House returns, Next comes an .ub.straet of a lecture 

 delivered by R. W. Duff, M.P., at Cnllen, Scotland, on the 

 Fisheries of Great Britain, and the Fislieries ExhildtiorL of 

 1883. The Avhale fisheries for 1882 and 18SH in a review which 

 Mr. Smiley has compiled from the "Whalemon's Shipjiing 

 List" and the "Merchants' Transcript." The greitt herring 

 fisheries considered from an economical point of view, the 

 NorAvegian fisheries in 1883 and the Iceland cod fisheries are 

 translated from the Swedi.sh. the Norwegian and the Danish 

 for the report. The article on the fisheries of India by 

 Francis Day, formerly Inspector General of the fisheries of 

 India, and an article on eel fishing on the Baltic coast of 

 Sweden and in the Sound folloAvs. 



Appendix C is devoted to economical research, and con- 

 tains contributions to the knoAvledge of the chemical com- 

 position and nutritive values of American food tishes and 

 inA'ertebrates, by Prof. W. O. Atwater, ATith whose valuable 

 researches in this direction many of our readers are familiar. 

 Results of the explorations made liy the steamer Albatross 

 off the northern coast of the Unitiid States in 1883, l)y Prof. 

 A. E. Verrill, gives a list of the si^eciinens captured, with 

 A^aluable notes on the Avork and .specimens -\vith numerous 

 plates. A list of deep-water moUusca chedged by the U. S. 

 Fish Commission, steamer Fish Hawk, 1880 8:.', v. ith their 

 range in depth, by Katharine J. Bu.sh. Tlie osteology of 

 Amia cnlva, including certain special references to the 

 .skeletons of teleosteans, by Dr. R. W. Hhufeldt, U. S. A.— a 

 long and interesting treatise, profusely illustrated. Mr. 

 William P. Seal gives an article on tlie aqua vivarium as an 

 aid to the biological research, Avith illustrations. 



Appendix E is devoted to the propagation of food fishes. 

 Mr. Fred Mather gives an account of eggs repacked and 

 shipped to foreign counties by him under the directiou of 

 the 17. S. Fish Commis.sion during the season of 1883-}. Mr. 

 Frank N. Clark folloAA'S with a record of his work at the 

 Northville and AlpeuJi, Michigan, stations for the same sea- 

 son. Mr. Livingst^m Stone gives a report of his work at the 

 U. S. salmon breecUng station on the McCloud River and 

 also a report of the trout breeding station on the same river. 

 Mr. Charles G. Atkins reports on the ]jropagat,iou of Peuol)- 

 scot .salmon in lUSH-i and also reports of his work with the 

 Schoodic salmon. Col. M. McDonald records the o)jei atioDs at 

 the central .station of the U. S. Fish t'onimission during the 

 year 1883. Lieut. Wm. C. Babcock. U.S.N., reports on the .shad 

 hatching operations at Fort Washington, Md.. in the spring 

 of 1883. Lieut W. F, Low, U, S. N., gives the results of shad 

 hatching at HaArre de Grace. Mr. Frank N. Clark has some 

 notes on experiments in penning shad and taking eggs at 

 Battery Station, Havre de Grace. Col. M. McDonald gives a 

 report of the diAusion of distribution of tlie Commission for 

 1883, Avith tables. Lieut. W. M. Wood, U. S. N., reports on 

 the operations in hatching eggs of the Spanish mackerel in 

 Chesapeake Bay by the steamer Fish HaAvk. Dr. J. Alban 

 Kite reports on apparatus and facilities needed for hatching 

 Spanish mackerel, with cuts. Utilizing water by fishcul- 

 ture, by Prof. B. Benecke, Avith several plates, is translated 

 fi-om the German, as is also "How to Raise Carp and Other 

 FLsh Avhich Spawn in Summer," by Max von dem Borne. 

 Translation from the German on "Pond Culture and the 

 Food and SpaAvning of Carp," byAdolph Gasch, ends this 

 appendix. 



Appendix F contains much miscellaneous matter, such as 

 a report of operations at Saint .lerome station in layiug out 

 oyster ponds, by Lieut. W. M. Wood, U. S. N., commanding 

 steamer Fish Hawk. Mr. Frederick W. True makes sugges- 

 tions to the keepers of the life-saving stations, lighthoiises 

 and lightships and to other observers relative to the best 

 means ~bf collecting and preseiving Avhales and ]iori)oises, 

 A\'ith numerous plates. Statements concerning the fisheries 

 of several different countries, compiled from the Consular 

 Report for 1883 and 1883, by Howard Fox, completes the 

 volume, ^ 



LIVE SOLES ARRRTi:D.— Capt. Hamilton Perry, of the 

 Britiannic, brought over twenty-five live soles on his last 

 trip. They Avere consigned to Mr. E. G. Blackford. New 

 York, and" Avere forwarded to the United States Fi.sh Com- 

 mission at Wood's Holl, Mass. This is the fifth lot Avhich 

 Capt. Perry and bis chief steward, Mr. Bartholomew, have 

 successfully brought. They bring them in swinging jars 

 Avith sand in the bottom, and see that the water is kept fresh. 

 If this fish can be established on our coast, it will lie a most 

 valuable addition to our tables. Quite a number are now in 

 the tanks a t Wood's Holl, and It is possible that they may 

 breed in our waters. 



SUNFISH AND CATFISH FOR FRANCE,— The steamer 

 Le Bretagne on Saturday last took out 200 small sunfish and 

 some catfish for the Society d'Acclimatatiou, of Paris. They 

 were sent by Mr. Blackford, and will no doulit ari'ive safely. 

 The sunfish Avere fi-oin lin. to l){m. in length and cam,:: from 

 Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, from the ponds of the 

 Messrs. Jones. The catfish were a trifle longer. We think 

 that the latter may prove a valuable food fish in France, but 

 the sunfish are only good for aquarium pets, and are worse 

 than useless in ponds. 



Danger Signals from the Weather Bureau are not more signifi- 

 cant of a storm than a coagli is vt consumpdon. ProvidentmUj 

 we can cm-c an^ cough with Hale's Honey of Horehound and Tar. 

 Sold liy all druggists and country etorekeepei-s. Pike's Tqotliacln' 

 Drops euro in one minute.— J.di'. 



