364 



FOREST "AND * STREAM. 



TOCT. 26, 1895. 



an unusual number now in the river between the Little 

 Falls and where the Monocacy empties into the river. At 

 Cumberland the water was low and much discolored, so 

 much so that it was necessary to stop its use for drinking 

 purposes. The canal up stream has been blockaded with 

 boats, as the water was too low in the river to supply the 

 canal. The problem as to whether the bass actually do 

 make long migrations to get away from bad water is an 

 interesting one. The experience here seems to point that 

 way; however, from Cumberland to the Monocacy is a 

 long distance, Bart. 



Gar Pike on Hook. 



Fereisburgh, Vt., Oct. 15.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 The catching of a gar pike on a hook is spoken of in a 

 recent number as almost phenomenal. It sometimes 

 occurs here, though not so often as one might think it 

 would from the numbers of these ugly fish that infest 

 the lower reaches of the tributaries of Lake Champlain 

 during summer. My only experience of the kind was 

 about the middle of last August while trolling with a 

 friend and my boy in Little Otter Creek, half a mile 

 below the lower falls. I was using a small fluted spoon, 

 with 50 or 60ft. of line out. "When the fish took the 

 spoon he went out of water, and I thought it was a bass, 

 but he made very little fight, which was not bass-like, 

 though at times he ran in faster than I hauled, which 

 was bass-like. When within a few feet of the boat he 

 went out of water again and gave himself away; while 

 my friend did not rise up and call him blessed, but sat 

 still and called him quite another kind of billfish. The 

 fish was about 2|ft. in length and was hooked near the 

 end of the bill. I am inclined to think that they fre- 

 quently bite at trolling baits, though seldom hooked be- 

 cause of the hardness and narrowness of tbe bill. The 

 bite is a jerky nibble, Awahsoose. 



Canandaigua Rod and Gun Club. 



The annual meeting and banquet of the Canandaigua, 

 N. Y., Rod and Gun Club was held Oct. 16. The fol- 

 lowing officers were elected: President, W. H. Fox; vice- 

 president, Lewis H. Adams; secretary and treasurer, A. B. 

 Sackett; shooting master, Louis Sugre; assistant shooting 

 master, H. J. Reed; chief angler, F. A Christain; assistant 

 chief angler, W. E, Thomas; attorney, E. W. Gardner. 

 The fishing in the lake this season, it was reported, 

 especially for black bass, had been excellent. There have 

 been some very good catches. It was decided to purchase 

 some Mongolian pheasants for breeding purposes. It was 

 unanimously voted to favor the increase of the limit of 

 black bass from 8 to lOinches. 



Fish Commissioner C H. Babcock, and H. H. Layman 

 and James Annin, Jr., were elected honorary members. 

 The club then sat down to a banquet of half a dozen 

 courses, served in fine style by caterer Hennesy. Toasts 

 and speeches then followed. Frank J. Amsden, president 

 of the State association, was present and stated that the 

 outlook for protection was very bright. Dr. C. T. Mitchell 

 read a poem on Canandaigua Lake which was well re- 

 ceived. 



Fishculture Notes. 



At the Neosho (Mo.) Station of the U. S. Fish Commis- 

 sion brook trout 8 months old are yielding well-developed 

 eggs. The fish are the result of eggs taken at Leadville 

 last year and hatched at Neosho, so that there is no ques- 

 tion as to their age. 



The work on the Pacific coast this year with salmon is 

 the best for ten years. About 8,000,000 eggs have been 

 taken at the Barrd Station. 



The work of gathering lake trout eggs has commenced 

 at the Alpena and Northville stations, and those of the 

 brook trout at several stations. 



The Cape Vincent Station is practically completed, and 

 it is expected that eggs will be taken about the 20th or 

 25th of the present month with which to stock this station. 

 This hatchery has a capacity for 500 hatching jars and 

 about 8,000,000 lake trout eggs. Besides these, 80,000,000 

 whitefish or 250,000,000 pike-perch eggs can be accommo- 

 dated. 



This station was established for the special purpose of 

 stocking Lake Ontario, and it is hoped that the fisheries 

 of this lake will be greatly benefited. B. A. Bean. 



The Wisconsin River. 



Stevens Point, Wis.— Stevens point is a picturesque 

 city of 10,000, in the center of the State, on the banks of 

 the Wisconsin River. The law prohibiting the sawmills 

 from dumping sawdust into the stream has had the 

 desired effect, and has developed one of the finest fishing 

 streams in the State. Over 200,000 bass fry were received 

 from the State hatchery this season and placed in the 

 river. 



But the sawdust nuisance does not seem to be entirely 

 abated, especially in our sister city, Wausau. The mill- 

 owners there do not pretend to abide by the law, and up 

 to date have been using with impunity the beautiful stream 

 as a depository for garbage. No one has ever been prose- 

 cuted for this, and to undertake to put a stop to the prac- 

 tice means a task the presiding authority does not care to 

 shoulder. I hope the State game warden will look into 

 the matter and bring the guilty parties to justice. 



__ J. B. 



No Place Like Home. 



Rhinebeck, N. Y., Oct. 17.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 I noticed a few lines in your last issue from my friend J. 

 Spencer Van Cleef , of Poughkeepsie, concerning black 

 bass fishing in the Bay of Quinte. It is too far away this 

 raw weather, so we content ourselves with nearby 

 waters. 



On Oct. 15 C. E. McCarty and myself caught in Stouten- 

 bergh's Pond here nine black bass, small-mouthed, weigh- 

 ing 21flbs.; largest 3lbs. 2oz., smallest lib. 8oz. Tell 

 Brother Van Cleef that the better maxim for this season 

 is, "There is no place like home." A. Lee Wager. 



The Susquehanna. 



Safe Harbor, Pa., Oct. 8. — Messrs. Scot Derriddinger 

 and Christ Bird caught ten salmon (pike-perch) and three 

 bass; aggregate weight, 801bs. 



River still very low, lower than for a period of ninety 

 years. 



The Atlanta Exposition Aquarium. 



The aquarium here in the U. S. Government Building, 

 being a part of the IT. S. Fish Commission exhibit, is prov- 

 ing a great attraction to the visitors. Now as the crowd 

 increases this part of the building is packed with people. 



The aquarium is not yet at its best, as the high temper- 

 ature of the water continues, making it impossible to 

 show the beautiful game fishes such as trout and salmon. 

 Black bass, sunfishes and their allies are exhibited. Just 

 as soon as the temperature of the water is lowered, suffi- 

 ciently a fine display of fresh-water fishes is intended. 



In the salt-water tanks an exceptionally fine exhibit of 

 red snappers, from the Gulf of Mexico, is made. The fish 

 shown run in weight from 3 to 81bs. A tank of pompano, 

 ranging in weight from f to 41bs. each, is very attractive. 

 The pompano are sensitive to changes in temperature, the 

 recent cold seriously affecting them. Damage in the 

 future will be prevented by placing a small heater so as to 

 keep the temperature of these tanks at a point to suit the 

 fisb. 



While the pompano are more or less difficult to keep, 

 the crevalle (sore of a forty-second cousin) is kept without 

 trouble. Several kinds of groupers and snappers, from 

 tne gulf, are doing nicely. The common file or fool-fish 

 does exceedingly well, and proves quite a curiosity. 

 Channel bass do well, but most extraordinary are the 

 mullets, a large school of which were received in a rather 

 battered up condition. Since confinement these fish 

 have much improved, ihe bruised and torn parts healing 

 up nicely, which is quite the reverse in most kinds after 

 being placed in tanks. 



An interesting collection of the rather homely blackfish 

 or cautog, obtained at Morehead City, do well. Harron, in 

 charge of the aquarium, says you can't kill them. 



Horseshoe or king crabs, blue crabs, lobsters, sea anem- 

 one, and grasses, are in good shape and add to what is 

 perhaps one of the best exhibits of the kind ever made in 

 America. The grotto is 150ft, long, and contains twenty- 

 eight aquariums, in addition to which there is a large pool. 

 The tanks are from 5 to 14ft. in length, 5ft. wide and 

 3ft. deep. They are equally divided between fresh and 

 salt water, The large pool contains about 8,000 gallons 

 and is made attractive by plants and a cascade falling 

 into it. It is used as a receiving reservoir. 



In a later letter we will have more to say of the 

 Government exhibit at Atlanta. The Smithsonian and 

 TJ. S. National Museum exhibit, as well as that of the Fish 

 Commission, is one of the most attractive and interesting, 

 as well as instructive, of the many exhibits these depart- 

 ments of the general Government have made; though not 

 so large as that at Chicago in 1893, the arrangement of the 

 exhibits is much better. B. A. Bean. 



Tide Runners, but no School Fish. 



New York, Oct. 18.— Editor Forest and Stream: Has 

 any one called your attention to the fact that this year, 

 while weakfishing has been excellent for tide runners, the 

 "school fish" have not appeared? I have made many in- 

 quiries, even among the marketmen, and find that this 

 has been general all around New York harbor. Is there 

 any reason for this, and has it ever happened before? 



It seems to me that this is an important matter, since it 

 naturally follows that the school fish of this year grow 

 into the tide runners of the next, and therefore if the 

 schools of this season have disappe'ared, that tide runners 

 next year will be very scarce. I should like to hear fur- 

 ther on this subject. Will you be so kind as to inform 

 me in what issue you start this ball running (if acceptable) 

 so I may get the paper, as I am not a subscriber. 



GONZALO POEY. 



Some Angling Maxims. 



Mr. J. S. Van Cleef, of Poughkeepsie, sends some 

 more score cards from Mr. George H. Christy, of Pittsburg, 

 Pa., who has been having great luck with the black bass 

 up in the Bay of Quinte. Mr. Van Cleef usually makes 

 an excursion to those waters himself, but this year he is 

 chained and his brother angler sends him the bass scores 

 to make him happy and contented. Here follow the ad- 

 denda to the several days' scores: 



1. Golden rule: When thou tellest thy score, let not 

 thy conscience know what thy tongue sayeth; then 

 Yahoos will call thee great, and liars will be silent in thy 

 presence. 



2. Let me fill the bait bottle and I care not who handles 

 the landing-net. 



3. Toast: Inter pisees leges silent. 



A Long Island Bass of Note. 



We illustrate to-day the 311b. striped bass whoee cap- 

 ture in Long Island Sound off Rye, N. Y.,was recorded in 

 our last issue. The fish was found to be full of roe. The 

 gentleman who is seated, and regards the fish with a 

 pleased expression, is the proud and happy angler who 

 captured the bass. Mr. S. Julian Held, also with a 

 pleased expression, stands by the fish and expounds the 

 points of the prize. 



he Mmml 



FIXTURES. 



BENCH SHOWS. 

 1896. 



Feb. 19 to 22.— Westminster Kennel Club's twentieth annual dog 

 show, Madison Square Garden, New ¥brk. James Mortimer, Supt. 



March 10 to 13.— Chicago.— Masooutah Kennel Club's bench show. 

 John L. Lincoln, Sec'y. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



Oct. 29— Assonet Neck, Mass.— New England Field Trial Club's 

 fourth annual trials. Arthur R. Sharp, Sec'y, Taunton, Mass. 



Oct. 30-31.— Monongahela Valley Association Trials, Greene comity, 

 Pa. W. H. Beazell, Bec'y, Homestead. 



Nov. 5.— Chatham, Ont.— International F. T. Club. W. B.Wells, Sec'y. 



Nov. 5.— Oxford, Mass.— New England Beagle Club trials. W. S 

 Clark, Sec'y. 



Nov. 7.— Newton, N, C— U. S. Field Trial Club's Trials A. W. B. 

 Stafford, Sec'y, Trenton, Tenn. 



Nov. 11.— Hempstead, L. I.— National Beagle Club o£ America, fifth 

 annual trials. Geo. W. Rogers, Sec'y, 250 West Twenty-second street, 

 New York. 



Nov. 18.— Eastern F. T. Club, at Newton, N. C. W. A. Coster, 

 Sec'y, Saratoga Springs, N. Y. 



Nov. 25.— Continental Field Trials Club's quail trials at Newton. 

 P. T. Madison, Sec'y, Indianapolis, Ind. 



Dec. 2 to 4.— High Point, N. C— Irish Setter Club's trials. Geo. H. 

 Thompson. Sec'y, 



COON HUNTING. 



Buffalo, N. Y.— Editor Forest and Stream: The 

 "chores" are done, supper is eaten and we go out to view 

 the prospects for a coon hunt. As we stand on the back 

 steps in the still September evening we decide that it is 

 "just the night." There is no moon, for our crafty game 

 prefers darkness to moonlight. A heavy dew is falling, 

 which is essential, as Brer Coon leaves a'cold scent, which 

 will not lie on dry earth or leaves. The old dog, a cur, 

 feeling that there is something in the wind, has also come 

 out, and stands by our side looking into our faces with a 

 wag of his tail, as much as to say: "Come on." A neigh- 

 bor drops around and we sit down for a chat. The old 

 dog lies down with a sigh. 



After a talk about crops, etc., "Bob," the neighbor, 

 says: "Let's go cooning." The dog immediately sits up, 

 intensely interested. 



"We were thinking of that," said I, "and I guess we 

 will go." 



The dog is walking up and down, with an occasional 

 whine. We go into the house, don our old coats — at 

 which the dog nearly has a fit— go out and get our "coon 

 stick," without which we could not hunt, and off we go, 

 the dog by this time nearly crazy. We pass up through 

 the lane, across the pasture to the hill farms about a mile 

 distant, which are there backed by heavy woods on top of 

 the ridge. Nature indeed is resting. No sound disturbs 

 the stillness except the chirp of crickets and an occasional 

 quavering note from a screech owl. 



We pass a farmhouse and one of the boys wants to go 

 along. He procures an unlighted lantern and we make 

 for the nearest cornfield, flanked by woods that rise on 

 one side like a huge wall. The dog has been out of sight 

 and sound for some time. He knows his business and his 

 first act will be to go to that cornfield and circle around 

 it to learn if any venturesome coon has intruded for a 

 meal. 



Still now! no noise, as Brer Coon's ears are sharp and 

 he must have no warning if we are to catch him before 

 he reaches some forest monarch, hollow perhaps, and his 

 home. 



We come to the fence and sit on the top rail and listen. 

 Hark ! was that the yip of the dog? Dead silence and we 

 strain our ears for further developments. 



Ah-ha! that was he, and we hear a short, sharp bark, as 

 much as to say, "I'm coming." Everyone now is on the 

 top notch of expectancy and we can hardly keep quiet. 

 We can hear the dog as he threshes around in the corn, 

 sticking to the trail with a dogged persistence that is 

 bound to succeed. 



Yip! yip! ki-yi-yi— down the hollow he goes, fairly 

 mowing down the weeds and briers on the way. He 

 must have been very close to Brer Coon to raise such a 

 commotion. We can only follow his course by an oc- 

 casional yip; but away we go, falling over hills of corn- 

 stalks, slapping one another in the face, in a mud-hole, 

 over a stump; only one who has tried it knows how the 

 ground will rise up and hit him in the face and how he 

 fancieb he sees obstructions that are but shadows, and 

 shadows turn into realities in the way of stumps, etc. , 

 when he has run into them and barked his shins. But it's 

 fun, and away we go. 



Now we are at the wood's edge and we stop to listen 

 and wait for the man with the lantern, for he has been at 

 a discount thus far. Up he comes, and lights up. 



"Hurry up," some one says, "I hear him over the ridge 

 to the left. Come on now! lantern ahead." 



"I'm afraid he's up a big tree," says Bob. 



"No, he isn't," says Fred, who owns the land adjoining, 

 "I can climb any tree in these woods." 



"There he is," says J., who is ahead. "He tried to get 

 up that chestnut there, but the dog rushed him too hard." 



We gather around the tree, a maple about 1ft. in 

 diameter, Fred meanwhile sitting down and pulling off 

 his boots. 



"Here we go, now — spread out, boys, and be ready for 

 him," says he, and up he goes, slowly but steadily. 



The dog had stopped his barking when we arrived, and 

 now sits a few feet from the tree gazing steadily upward, 

 and giving an occasional whine. He knows the coon will 

 come down soon and he means to be ready. Fred has 

 now reached the limbs and he stops to rest. Soon up he 

 goes, and we watch and wait in silence below, sticks 

 firmly grasped, for who knows he may land right in front 

 of you and be off before you can gather your wits. 



"I see him," cries Fred. "He's a good one, too. Look 

 out! He's on the north side." 



We shift lantern and dog quickly, and sing out "All 

 right." We hear the branches shake violently above, and 

 at the same time Fred shouts, "There he comes," and 

 through the leafy screen above our heads comes an object 

 that looks like a foot ball, striking the ground just in the 

 edge of the circle of light made by the lantern. He 

 bounces about 2ft. off the earth, and comes down on all 

 fours and stretches out for a run; but too late. The old 

 dog has seen the object fall and has made it his business 

 to be as near under it as possible, and before Brer Coon 

 can take his first jump he has nailed him. 



"Lookout! He'll get away!" "Bring the light!" "Hit 

 him with a club!" and various other exclamations are 

 uttered as we dance around the struggling mass of coon 

 and dog; for he is an old one and knows how to fight. 

 Bob makes a vicious blow at his head, but misses it, as a 

 matter of course, and takes J. on the foot. Emphatic 

 ejaculations on J.'s part, with a blow at the coon a mo- 

 ment later that takes Bob on the shin, and they are even. 

 But the old dog has been biding his time, and soon seizes 

 the coon by the throat, whose growls of defiance soon 

 turn to gurgles of despair, and he soon is no more. The 

 old dog stands over him, giving him an extra shake now 

 and then, as if in revenge for the hard tussle he had given 

 him, and we sit in a circle around and take breath. 



Fred has descended from the tree, and now joins in dis- 

 cussing the event. 



"What a fight he made!" 



"How quick he sprang away after striking the ground." 

 "He's an old fellow," etc. 



A coon will jump from the tallest tree in the woods, 

 land on his back, bound up 2ft. or more and come down 

 squarely on his feet prepared to fight or run. It is a 

 wonder he does not break every bone in his body. With 

 his jacket in our capacious pockets we start on, for the 

 time is very propitious and the night all that could be 

 desired. We trudge along through the woods into a 

 clearing, and across a gully down which runs a brawling 

 brook. 



See! The dog is running n and out of the brush, over 



