FRB. 28, 1888.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



91 



MASSACHUSETTS LOBSTERS. 



THE following report sent to Commissioner Bracket! was 

 because of date not incorporated in the report of the 

 Commission, but it deserves special attention by reason of 

 the repeated Suggestion that the Atlantic States should 

 adopt uniform lobster regulations: 



BOSTON, Dec. 17, 1887. — E. A. Bracket!, Esq., Chairman of 

 the Board of Tnland Fisheries, State of Massachusetts— Dear 

 Sir: With regard to the lobster the conditions remain 

 nearly the same as at the time of my last report, perhaps 

 slightly more favorable toward protection, owing to a closer 

 attention in some districts to the enforcement of the laws by 

 a few of your deputies; still, more decided and energetic 

 steps must be taken, and soon, or it will be too late. Maine 

 has a close season from Aug. 15 to Oct. 1 of each year, and 

 the Dominion Government Fishery Commissioners have 

 recommended to their government a close season of three 

 consecutive years iu their Provinces. Massachusetts really 

 should have a close season of at least two years consecutive 

 in order to give the lobster an opportunity for necessary in- 

 crease, and afterward a close season similar to that of Maine, 

 with a thorough enforcement of present laws regulating the 

 taking, would undoubtedly preserve them from utter ex- 

 tinction on our coast. Again, I say, something must be done 

 and soon, or it will be too late. The draft for supplying the 

 beach houses and seaside hotel use iu the summer is some- 

 thing enormous, little or no attempt being made to conform 

 to the laws regarding length or sex by these parties. Again, 

 thewanton destruction by the fishermen during the shedding 

 season is simply outrageous, they even feeding them to hogs 

 and poultry and using them largely for bait for other Ashing. 

 One club of gentlemen fishermen the past summer were 

 induced to empty their cars containing over 1,200 small lob- 

 sters at one time. 



The case which went to the Supreme Court on law was 

 decided iu favor of the State. All the other cases appealed 

 were decided in favor of the State and defendants paid fines 

 and costs, viz.: W. A. Barber, D. McDonald, W. James, A. 

 B. Cleverly, A. F. Pope, I. Mariano, A. Ferrara, W. S. Trefe- 

 then. 



I would again call your attention to my suggestion of last 

 year regarding a consultation of Commissioners of the New 

 England States to formulate uniform laws and a concerted 

 action for their enforcement. 



Smacks from Rhode Island and Connecticut are continu- 

 ally in our waters in Vineyard Souud receiving and carry- 

 ing away to their own and the New York, markets lobsters 

 that are much below statute length, in fact they buy all 

 that are offered boldly, and openly defy us. 



The value of our sea and coast fisheries is of great im- 

 portance, and the full time of a special commissioner, such 

 as Maine has, would be occupied in their protection. Yours 

 very truly, F. R. Shattuck, Deputy Fish Com. of Mass. 



THE MENHADEN QUESTION. 



THE Cape Ann Advertiser prints the following, from the 

 pen of Cant. Fitz J. Babson, under the heading of 

 ''Outlaws and Criminals." We comment on the letter else- 

 where. Capt. Babson says: 



The strength of sin is the law, and whatever consciousness 

 the fishermen may have of the innocence of his calling, there 

 is a determination on the part of some of our national law 

 makers to make him a criminal anyhow. There has been 

 introduced into Congress a bill that imposes a fine of one 

 thousand dollars and forfeiture of vessel, seines, nets, traps, 

 or pounds, or boats which may take or capture a menhaden 

 anywhere within three miles of the coast of the United 

 States. Any person who establishes a weir or trap net, or 

 sets gill nets, or any vessel daring' to cast her seine without 

 ascertaining that there is no menhaden in the vicinity, is 

 liable to this penalty. One stray menhaden entering a pound 

 or getting wrecked iu a gill net. makes the owners not only 

 liable to this penalty, but wall have it enforced against them, 

 as one-fourth of the penalty goes to the informer. Any fish- 

 ing vessel that takes menhaden for bait is also liable, and 

 any person who shall convert any fish caught within three 

 miles of the shore into guano or into fertilizers is also liable 

 to the penalty. 



Now, with Canada refusing us either bait or supplies, with 

 the Newfoundland bait bill refusing her own people the 

 right to sell bait; the United States is asked to outbid them 

 both in the destruction of her own fisheries. 



Why is this? Simply because on the coast of New Jersey, 

 which is being occupied by summer residents, they believe 

 the taking or menhaden is depriving the bluefish'of their 

 food, and the sport of trolling for them may be lessened. 

 Now-, what are the facts? The evidence of practical fisher- 

 men, the full and conclusive statements of various members 

 of the United States Fish Commission, who have been de- 

 tailed for months every year to make investigations as to the 

 effect of taking menhaden by use of the purse seine, unanim- 

 ously agree that the taking of menhaden in this manner has 

 not the slightest effect on the great body of fish; does not 

 include in their capture any perceptible amount of food fish; 

 that a thousand millions of menhaden are destroyed by pre- 

 daceous fish where a single fish is taken by man; that as a 

 matter of food the presence or absence of bluefish is not at 

 all dependent upon the menhaden; that the fish of the ocean 

 appear or disappear for reasons over which man or his legis- 

 lation has no control whatever. 



Yet, in spite of these facts, and also the fact that the mar- 

 kets of New York were glutted last summer with bluefish, 

 and there never were known such quantities of scup and 

 other food fish, including shad, as were taken last year, 

 these people persist in endeavoring to force a law through 

 Congress that would destroy the entire fisheries for men- 

 haden or any other fish on the Atlantic or Pacific coast which 

 could be converted into oil or fertilizers; which would destroy 

 the net and twine industries of the country; depriving the 

 farmer and cultivator of his most important factor in raising 

 crops; would destroy the bait supply for our ocean fisheries; 

 and embarrass and' restrict the great food supply obtained 

 by traps and seines in every section of the country. Many 

 of the food fish of the ocean can be taken in no other way 

 than by nets, seines, or traps, and the trap fish, especially, 

 are in better condition for consumption, as they can be kept 

 alive and are superior in every respect to dead fish packed on 

 ice. And all these immense industries, all this great food 

 supply, is to be constantly threatened if not destroyed be- 

 cause a few amateurs think, or don't know but what they 

 might catch fifteen bluefish where they now take fourteen. 



The underlying principle of this kind of legislation is 

 wrong. There is no question that legislation for inland in- 

 closed waters and for anadromous fish can be profitably 

 used, although the pollution of our rivers and streams lead- 

 ing to the ocean by chemicals from factories and oftentimes 

 sewerage absolutely prevents the use of our streams and 

 rivers by these fish. But when we attempt to legislate on 

 fish in the ocean, who spawn we know not where, whose 

 numbers are beyond the computation of figures, who come 

 in myriads for years to our shores and then are seen no more 

 for years, then reappear for reasons which we cannot com- 

 prehend, and have done so for centimes before a purse seine 

 or trap was ever known, how puerile the lawyer and his law 

 appear in the presence of these great natural facts. The 

 results of scientific investigation, the observation of practi- 

 cal fishermen, and the laws of God and nature on one side, 

 and the amateur fishermen on the other! 



The great oil and guano fish producing industries of th 



Pacific coast are untouched. Already vessels equipped for 

 their development are on their way there from New r England. 

 The State of Florida has iu her inland waters and also along 

 her coasts the fish material for canning, oil-producing, and 

 guano for fertilizing her orange groves. There is no branch 

 of the American fisheries, which now produce over one bil- 

 lion, six hundred millions of edible fish, that is not invaded 

 by this bill. Sumptuary legislation may be good in morals, 

 , but the life of the ocean 'is not amenable to the laws of man, 

 and the great highway of the nation should be ever open to 

 i be enterprise of its citizens, and not be made a marine Yel- 

 lowstone Park simply for the purposes of pleasure. 



Huxley, Mackintosh, Baird, Goode, all agree that all the 

 efforts of man in depreciating the great life of the, ocean is 

 but a drop in a bucket compared to the natural destruction 

 by predaceous and other fish, and one of the most destructive 

 species is the bluefish, which like a dog among sheep kills 

 and destroys a thousand times more than he can eat, and the 

 mackerel fishermen of the coast would regard the extirpa- 

 tion of the bluefish as the greatest blessing that could befall 

 their industry*, as the bluefish drive, harrass, destroy and 

 scare the mackerel when on our coast more than all other 

 influences combined. And yet this law- is for the ostensible 

 purpose of protecting the bluefish, the pirate of the ocean. 

 It is not expected that this bill can be passed, but it has re- 

 quired constaut and untiring work and the presence of thirty 

 witnesses to furnish undeniable information. It is imposs- 

 to presume that any Congressional Committees are experts 

 on anything but law. All practical matters must be ex- 

 plained in detail, and much writing and many personal in- 

 terviews are required to establish what are simple facts to 

 plain practical people. The National Fishery Association 

 has accomplished an enormous quantity of work in various 

 directions. Gen. Cogswell is following every point of inter- 

 est to his constituents with faithfulness and power. Sen- 

 ators Dawes and Hoar, Frye and Edmunds, and Gov. Ding- 

 ley, are with many others alive to the marine and fishery in- 

 terests. Things look well, but we need unceasing effort and 

 vigilance. 



Col. Marshall McDonald. 

 Fish Commissioner of the United States. 

 (See personal sketch in issue of Jan. 20, p. 10.) 



MR. THOS. MO WAT, inspector of fisheries for this pro- 

 vince, received a letter yesterday from Mr. K. Ito, presictent 

 of the Hokusui Kyokwai Society, at Sappora, Japan, inform- 

 ing him that he had been elected a corresponding member of 

 the society, which entitled him to the monthly reports. The 

 letter was accompanied by a copy of the report w-hich, un- 

 fortunately, is printed in the Japanese character, and will 

 probably occupy Mr. Mowat's attention during the balance 

 of the year, k! Ito is one of the number of distinguished 

 Japanese who have received a liberal English education at 

 the expense of the government, for the purpose of enabling 

 them to become thoroughly familiar with the customs and 

 principles of government prevailing in civilized nations. He 

 has traveled through Europe and America, and visited this 

 city last fall on his"way home to Japan. The Hokusui Kyo- 

 kwai is a society established for the purpose of promoting 

 the fishing interests in Northern Japan, and in his letter K. 

 Ito asks Mr. Mowat to contribute some articles on fisheries 

 for publication in the society's monthly report. — Da ily 

 British Cohnntnan . 



CODFISH EGGS are easily killed by too low- a temper- 

 ature. The first batch of eggs put in the jars at the new 

 station on Ten Pound Island was killed by severe, cold. 

 Another Jot has been obtained and the Grampus is still col-* 

 lecting more. 



Dogs: Their Management a.nd.. Treat ment in Disease. By 

 Ashinont. Price S3. Kennel Record and Account Book. 

 Price S3. Training vs. Breaking. By S. T. Hammond. 

 Price ^J. first Lessons in Hog Training, with Poin ts of 

 all Breeds. Price 25 cents. 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Feb. 21 to 24, 1888.— Twelfth Annual Show of the Westminster Ken- 

 nel Club, Madison Square Garden, New York. James Mortimer, 

 Superintend en t. 



Feb. 28 to March 2.— Show of Philadelphia Kennel Club. W. H. 

 Child, Sec, 



March 27 to 30.— Fourth Annual Show of the New Haven Kennel 

 Club, New Haven, Conn. E. Sheffield Porter, Secretary. 



April 3 to 6.— Fourth Annual Dog Sbow of the New England 

 Kennel Club, at Boston, Mass. J. W. Newman, Secretary. 



A. K. R.-SPECIAL NOTICE. 

 rpHE AMERICAN KENNEL REGISTER, for the registration 

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

 published 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 advance. Yearly subscription 

 gl.50. Address "American Kennel Register," P. O. Box 2832, New 

 York. Number of entries already printed 6981. 



THE UTICA SHOW. 



THE first show of the Fort Schuyler Kennel Club at Dtica, 

 N. Y., Feb. 13-17, was well managed, and the quality of 

 the dogs shown was high. The judges were Mr. A. A. 

 Francis, of Rochester, for pointers and setters, and Mr. Jas. 

 Watsou for other classes. The prizes were awarded as 

 follows: 



AWARDS. 



MASTIFFS.— Dogs: 1st, Myrtlewood Kennels* Agrippa: 2d, T. R. 

 Proctor's Otis B. Bitches: 1st, A. L. Dale's Cleopatra; 2d, F. W- 

 Smith's Ilonto.— Puppies— Dugs: 1st, Or. E. Dunham's Rex. Bitches: 

 1st, withheld; 2d, W. Wade's Ethel. 



ST. BERNARDS— Rough-Coated— Dogs: 1st. Chequasset Ken- 

 nels' Monte Rosa; 2d, Hospice Kennels' Eiger; 3d, B. S. Deering's 

 Monk. Bitches: 1st. J. Marshall's Lady Flories; 2d, Hospice Ken- 

 nels' Paleface; 3d. H. R. T. Coffin's Nutmeg.— Puppies— Dogs: 1st, 

 H. R. T. Coffin's Ben Hur; 2d, J. W. Dunlop's Prince Bayard. 

 Bit cites: 1st, J. W. Dunlop's Wentworth Flora.— Smooth-Coated— 

 Champion— Boy: J. W. Dunlop's Rig;) .—Open— Doers: 1st, Che- 

 quasset Kennels' Lodi; 2d, Hospice Kennels' Wotan; 3d. H. R. T. 

 Collin's Cato. Bitches: 1st, J. P. Davis's Beatrix; 2d and 3d, Hos- 

 pice Kennels' Rceka and Apollonaria.-Puppiss— Daps: 1st, H. R. 

 Collin's Cato II. Bitches: 1st and 2d, H. R. T. Coffin's Katrina and 

 Tirza. 



NEWFOUNDLANDS. —1st, J. F. Lewis's Carlo; 2d, C. H. Mc- 

 Donald's Frank; 3d, R. G. Hoerlein's Carle. Com., J. P. & W. W. 

 Gray's Nero. 



COLLIES.— Champion— Don: Chestnut Hill Kennels' Nulla- 

 more. Bitch: Chestnut Hill Kennels' Bonnie Brae.— Open— Dugs: 

 1st, Chestnut Hill Kennels' David; 2d, H. W. Pratt's Volunteer; 

 3d, Miss Letitia Goodwin's Donald V. Baches: 1st and 2d, Chest- 

 nut Hill Kennels' Roslyn Vera and Miss Penelope; 3d, Mrs. Jobn 

 P. Gray's Erne Dean. High com., T. R. Proctor's Flossie E.— Pup- 

 pies— Dogs: 1st, H. W. Pratt's Volunteer; 2d. Miss Jennie Cack- 

 ett's Scot's Jack. Com.. J. Haher's Collie. Bitches: 1st, Utica 

 Kennels' Collie Belle; 3d, Chestnut Hill Kennels' Roslyn Vera. 

 High com.. Harmony Kennels' Bessie W. 



DEER HOUNDS.— Absent. 



GREYHOUNDS.— 1st, Harmony Kennels' Harmony; 2d, G. D. 

 Pomeroy's Tony. 



POINTERS— Large— Dogs: 1st, J. H. Winslow's Bang. Bitches: 

 1st, Barnes Bros.'s Devonshire Countess; 2d, Myrtlewood Ken- 

 nels' Beau Beaufort.— Small— Doys: 1st, Dayton Kennel Club's 

 Count Croxteth: 2d and very high com., Myrtlewood Kennels' 

 Robert le. Diable, J v., and Bruce Beaufort: 3d, J. H. Gilmore's 

 Sensation II.— Puppies— Dogs: 1st, Myrtlewood Kennels' Bruce. 

 Beaufort; 2d and 3d, H. Gaylord's Flash and Wagg. Bitches: 1st, 

 withheld; 2d, Myrtlewood Kennels' Molly Beanfort. 



ENGLISH SETTERS. — Dogs: 1st, J. J. Snellenburg's Count 

 Henricks. Bitches: 1st, J. P. & W. W. Gray's Frolic Bondhu. 

 Puppies: 1st and 2d. A. V. Seymour's Annie Ridd and Ben Field; 

 3d, C. F. Benzing's Consul's Chief. 



IRISH SETTERS.- Dogs: 1st, E. Maher's Larry 5.; 2d, M. R. 

 Bingham's Roger; 3d, J. H. Arnot's Barney. Very high com. and 

 high com., Utica Kennels' Larry and Rabb. Very high com., 

 Onota Kennels' Glenmar II. Bitches: 1st, Dr. E. C. Kirke's Berna; 

 2d, W. J. McKee's Juno. 



GORDON SETTERS.— Champion— Dog: W. E. Rothermel's Don. 

 Bitch: W. Hammit's Rose.— Open- Dogs: 1st, G. G. & J. C. Mc- 

 Adam's Young Ranger. Bilclies: 1st. G. Griffin's Jesse: 2d, T. H. 

 Stryker's Boss; 3d, A. H. Richardson's Gypsy Maid. Puppies: 1st, 

 F. A. Gross's Bob. 



IRISH WATER SPANIELS.-lst, F. P. Kirby's Jess; 2d, Utica 

 Kennels' Oneida Belle. 



FIELD SPANIELS.— Champion— J. P. Willev's Miss Newton 

 Obo.— Open— Dogs: 1st, J. P. Willey's Newton Abbot Beau; 2d, W 

 H. Moseley's Jerry; 3d, E. Powers's Oberon. Bitches: No entry. 



COCKER SPANTELS.-Champion-C. M. .Nelles's Brant — 

 Open— Liver and Black— Docs: 1st, J. P. Willey's Baby Obo; 2d, 

 C. M. Nelles's Mike; 3d, E. C. Terry's Hi. Bitches: 1st and 3d, J. P. 

 Willey's Chloe W. and Topsy W.; 2d, C. M. Nelles's Busy. Very 

 high com.. W. H. Moseley's Rielte. Puppies: 1st, J. P. Willey's 

 Bessie W.; 2d and high com., C. M. Nelles's .Tuanita and Shatm 

 Rime; 3d, E. L. Decker's Deck. Com., J. E. Weston's Renah W. 



FOXHOUNDS.— Dogs: 1st. S. J. McJnrry's Trader. 



BE AGLES.— Dogs: 1st and 2d, Harmony Kennels' Sport and Ro 

 W. Bitches: 1st, Harmony Kennels' Jessie, and Pussie. Puppie 

 1st, Mrs. J. Otis Fellows's Royal Krueger; 2d and high com., Hat 

 niony Kennels' Vida W. and Zephyr W. 



BULLDOGS.— Dogs: 1st, E. S. Porter's Caliban. Bitches: 1st, F. . 

 S. Porter's Belle of the Ball. 



BULL-TERRIERS.— Champion— F. F. Dole's Count.— Open— 

 1st, F. F. Dole's Little Dorrit; 2d, J. P. & W. W. Gray's Countess; 

 3d, V. J. Nye's Spivens. High com., S. F Dighmen's Nip. 



BLACK AND TAN TERRIERS.— 1st, E. Lever's Safety. High 

 com., D. Bailey's Dot. 



FOX-TERRIERS.— Champion— Dog: Absent. Bitch: Absent.— 

 Open— Doers: 1st, Utica Kennels' Utica Prince; 2d, A. McKeog's 

 Ben. Bitches: Absent. 



IRISH TERRIERS. — 1st, G. D. Fowle's Greymount. 



SKYE AND YORKSHIRE TERRIERS.— 1st, Dr. M. H. Cryer's 

 Gladstone Boy; 2d, E. S. Porter's Kyle Haken. High com., W. A. 

 Witherbee's Dick. 



PL T GS.— Champion— Chequasset Kennels' Young Toby.— Open— 

 Dugs: 1st, Dr. M. H. Cryer's Othello; 2d, G. J. Young's Ko Ko. 

 Bitches: 1st, F. P. Kirby's Daisy; 2d, Chequasset Kennels' Viceroy. 



KING CHARLES SPANIELS.— 1st, F. F. Dole's Nell. 



MISCELLANEOUS.— 1st, Glencoe CoUie Kennels' Sir Lucifer. 

 SPECIAL PRIZES. 



Best mastiff, Myrtlewood Kennels' Agrippa, owned in Utica; T. 

 R. Proctor. Otis B.; St. Bernard, Chequasset Kennels'Monte Rosa; 

 Newfoundland, J. F. Lewis's Carlo; collie. Chestnut Hill Kennels' 

 David; tinder 12 months, Utica Kennels' L T tica Belle; greyhound, 

 Harmony Kennel's Harmony, owned in LTtica; G. D. Pomeroy's 

 Tony; St. Bernard under 12 months, divided by H. R. T. Coffin's 

 Bsn Hur and Cato II.; field spaniel, J. P. Willey's Newton Abbot 

 Beau; cocker, same owner's Baby Obo: pug, Chequasset Kennels' 

 Young Toby; bitch and litter, J. P. & W. W. Gray's Guenn; point- 

 ers, dog, Count Croxteth; bitch, Devonshire Countess. Setter 

 dog. any breed, Don (Gordon); bitch, Rose (Gordon). Homeliest 

 dog. Sir Lucifer. Kennel, St. Bernards, Hospice Kennels; point- 

 ers, Myrtlewood Kennels; spaniels, J. P. Willey; collies. Chestnut 

 Hill Kennels; beagles, Harmony Kennels. 



SYRACUSE KENNEL CLUB.— Articles of incorporation 

 of the Syracuse Kennel Club have been filed w-ith the 

 County Clerk. The capital stock is fixed at 810,000 and is to 

 be issued in 50 shares of $200 each. The objects of the organ- 

 ization are the breeding of sporting dogs and the ownership 

 of fishing and shooting preserves yvithin easy distance of 

 this city. A tract of land has been secured near Hastings, 

 accessible by w-ay of the Syracuse Northern Railroad, which 

 will be protected as a preserve for the use of the club. A 

 club bouse will be erected, and attached to this will be a 

 kennel for the dogs, with peDS and training yards. This 

 department will be stocked with the best animals of the 

 English. setter and pointer species to be obtained. The in- 

 corporators are Moses D. Burnet, Marsh C. Pierce, Howard 

 B. Rathbone, E. Overton Ward, W. J. Wallace, Alexander 

 H. Davis, A. Ames Howlett. 



WHAT KIND OF CHAMPIONS ?— St. Paul, Minn.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream: In your report of the Indian- 

 apolis bench show you give the names of two mastiffs, dog 

 and bitch, as winners in the champion classes. Is there not 

 some mistake about this? If not, where did they qualify? 

 The only previous record of the dog I can find is first Indian- 

 apolis, 1886. But may be it is some special form of cham- 

 pionship—as say chainpion of Indianapolis? Although of 

 no value, such a "championship" should not go on the record 

 without protest.— Wacouta. 



TROY DOG SHOW.— The first annual dog show of the 

 Rensselaer Kennel Club will be held at Troy, N, Y., March 

 20 to 23. Mr. Chas. H. Mason has been appointed judge. 

 The premium list will be ready in a day or two and may be 

 had by addressing the secretary, Mr. A. M. Ide, Troy, N. Y. 



