May % 1888. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



293 



Some fishes will endure hunger far better than others. There 

 are varieties which will subsist for months without food and 

 without losing health or flesh apparently, while others sur- 

 vive but a few days when deprived of food; some species 

 feed less freely in hot summer weather than when the tem- 

 perature is more moderate; many do not feed at all during 

 the winter months. It will thus appear how much fish are 

 affected by especial conditions. Nevertheless, it may well 

 be questioned whether, in great ocean bodies, it is possible 

 to exterminate or eradicate species so long as they have the 

 ability and impulse to migrate at will to regious more con- 

 genial than those which are being temporarily disturbed. 

 The instinct of propagation requires their return to natural 

 breeding places whenever the normal conditions are restored, 

 and anadroinons fish cannot be induced to breed in deep 

 water, nor will pelagic fish adopt the ocean bottom for their 

 home, And so, from one cause or auofher, we are liable to 

 find scarcity of this or that variety in localities where abund- 

 ance has been, and a plethora where dearth has been; and 

 therefore, when the broad unqualified assertion is made that 

 this or that species of fish has been exterminated, whatever 

 causes may be assigned, and however direct and positive the 

 proofs may seem, we had host refer to the record and ascer- 

 tain whether actual facts will bear the. assertion out. If 

 over-fishing is possible to deplete forever the ocean reservoir 

 and littoral pasture grounds and breeding places of food 

 fishes, then the waters of Norway, the Caspian Sea and 

 China should have become barren long ago. Nay more, the 

 Yang-tse-kiang ought to be without a finny denizen, since 

 for a thousand miles of its length a huge dap net is to be 

 seen every hundred yards or so ou either of its banks, and 

 thousands of fishiug boats swarm from early morning to 

 late in the evening. Yet, fish is very cheap and everywhere 

 for sale at only two or three cents a pound. Vast numbers 

 of lakes or sloughs are left when the annual floods in this 

 river subside, as in oar own Mississippi, and they are said 

 to be simply alive with the finny tribe. 



I must confess that I have been very sensibly impressed by 

 the statements of fact presented by your very intelligent cor- 

 respondent, D. T. Church, of Rhode Island 'which are based 

 upon data which cannot be. controverted; and comparing 

 these with such as I have been carefully collecting myself, I 

 am prepared to join with him in the denial that food fish ai'e 

 growing scarce on our coast, not to speak of an isolated sec- 

 tion or sections, but of our entire extensive coast-line in the 

 aggregate, stretchiug from Florida to New Brunswick. Let 

 me submit a few published figures extracted from the cur- 

 rent news of the papers: 



Striped bass are caught in greater quantities than ever before 

 in the vicinity of Kichibucto, New Brunswick. —January, 1838. 



Very many striped bass have been caught this season from the 

 ferry piers and others at the lower extremity of the city.— New 

 York paper, November, 1887. 



It is estimated that the three menhaden fishing steamers at 

 Somers Point caught during four days last week about three 

 million menhaden. ... A party of Long Branch fisherman 

 caught over aOSlbs. of hlnefish on a trip last week.— Neivark Sun- 

 day Can, Oct. 17-, 1887. 



Bluefishing at Bay Head, N. J., has surpassed that of any season 

 that can oe remembered. It is estimated that eleven tons were 

 caught last week with hook and line.— New Jersey paper, 1887. 



Tue schooner H. B. Griffin, from the Grand Bank, arrived to-day 

 with 240,0001bs. of codfish, her third trip this season. Her aggre- 

 gate catch was 800,0001bs., the largest amount ever landed by any 

 vessel of the New England fishing fleet.— Gloucester Dispatch, Dec. 

 U, 1887, 



The mackerel catch up to the present month is the smallest on 

 record. The catch this year is 73,330 barrels, against 323,714 in 1885. 

 —American Grocer, Nov. 10, 1887. 



Dates of like kind relating to the same and other kinds of 

 fish have already been furnished to the Forest and Stream 

 by Mr. Church, showing fluctuations throughout a period 

 thirty years; and in this connection it is interesting to note 

 fluctuations of the same sort in our great inland lakes, a re- 

 markable dearth occurring in 1886 and the year before, and 

 succeeded last year by a remarkable suoerabundauce, espe- 

 cially of whitefish and herring, so that the net profits of the 

 two largest fish houses of Sandusky, Ohio, aggregated $100,- 

 000 apiece. Obviously these recurrences are in accordance 

 with laws of nature, in connection with which human 

 agencies comprise an almost insignificant factor — as insig- 

 nificant in fact, and as Ineffectual, as the incessant war upon 

 the bobolinks and blackbirds of the rice fields of Sout h 

 Carolina and Georgia, where millions of them are killed 

 every year without appreciable diminution of their numbers. 



Analogous facts, and just as significant, can be adduced 

 in regard to the movements of pigeons, ducks, geese, crows, 

 snowbirds, woodcock, paroquets, etc., etc., but these are not 

 relevant to the subject matter of the present paper. 



Charles Hallock. 



Washington, April 10. 



Editor F&rest and Stream: 



Now Thomas Clapham comes to the front as an authority 

 on fish, and without knowing it, argues our side of the 

 question, for he says: ''Menhaden are often for many days 

 prevented from entering Peconic Bay simply by the schools 

 of bluefish lying in wait for them at its entrance," which is 

 exactly what we have been stating right along, that men- 

 haden and bluefish don't keep company with each other for 

 the reason without question that it they did it would mean 

 destruction for the menhaden. We know by experience that 

 when bluefish make their appearance among a body of men- 

 haden that they (the menhaden) are soon missing, Men- 

 haden have about as much love for bluefish as sheep have 

 for wolves. The menhaden is the best known bait for crabs, 

 lobsters, halibut, hake, haddock and mackerel, neither of 

 which I presume Mr. Clapham will contend keep company 

 and feed on schools of menhaden. It is also a nice bait for 

 striped bass, bluefish and codfish, and all these at times feed 

 ou them when they happen to be in their vicinity, but neither 

 follow and keep company with the menhaden for the purpose 

 of feeding on them, which is the cese with sharks and 

 whales, for they are often found in large numbers for months 

 at a time feeding on single bodies of that fish. It is a fact 

 known to all practical fishermen that the menhaden is the 

 best fish bait known, and we know and should like to 

 prove to our adversaries that not a single food fish known to 

 our markets depends on the menhaden for its daily food. 

 Mr. Clapham without question has a correct knowledge of 

 grammar, but his knowledge in regard to menhaden leaving 

 Long Island Sound, and food fish being scared by purse 

 seines, etc., shows dense ignorance of the subject under con- 

 sideration. Daniel T. Church. 



Ttvekton, R. I., April 19. 



SHORT LOBSTERS. — Since the State of New York re- 

 pealed the law forbidding the sale of lobsters under lOj^in. 

 long the markets are full of baby lobsters, which are some- 

 times termed "grasshoppers." The short lobster law is still 

 in force in Maine, however, and the Belfast BepidMcftu 

 Jovrmil says: "Commissioner of Sea and Shore Fisheries 

 Counce of Thomaston is making war ou the dealers in short 

 lobsters, and is determined to stop the traffic. Warden 

 James Bailey has been actively engaged in the service of 

 the Commissioner since March 1 and recently made a seizure 

 of over 1,100 short lobsters at Woolwich, and within two 

 weeks captured four more different lots in Portland. War- 

 den Bailey lately visited a large number of cars at Pema- 

 quid, removed the short lobsters and liberated them. He 

 says there would be but very few short ones if It were not 

 for the smacks which proceed along the coast and purchase 

 all they can find and urge the fishermen to save their catch 

 of illegal length for sale. The short lobsters are largely 

 shipped to Boston and New York on the steamers." 



THE PACIFIC SALMON FISHERIES. — Capt, ,J. W' 

 Collins, of the TJ, S. Fish Commission, will soon visit the 

 Pacific coast to investigate the condition of the salmon and 

 other fisheries. The San Francisco Bidletin says: "Every 

 year the condition of the salmon fisheries of the Pacific 

 coast is a subject of public discussion. The problem of keep- 

 ing up the supply to the requirements of the canneries is 

 constantly presenting itself. It has been demonstrated to 

 the entire satisfaction of all persons interested in these fish- 

 eries that the natural means of sustaining the salmon run 

 are insufficient, and that to keep up the supply artificial 

 propagation must be resorted to every year. The wholesale 

 destruction of ripe salmon during spawning season has for 

 years had an injurious effect on the Sacramento fisheries. 

 The Columbia River fisheries seem to be suffering now. The 

 use of the salmon wheel on that river has seriously damaged 

 the fisheries. The fish have no chance to ascend the river 

 with such an instrument of wholesale destruction working 

 incessantly in their path to the spawning grounds. Fisher- 

 men are consequently turning their attention to the rivers of 

 Alaska, where the same methods that have depleted the 

 Colon i bia and Sacramento rivers will no doubt be employed 

 to supply the canneries. The Frazer River used to bo one of 

 the most famous salmon streams in the world. The Indian 

 tribes inhabiting British Columbia, which previous to 

 the smallpox epidemic of 1862, numbered over 50,000, 

 drew the principal part of their winter's supply of food 

 from its waters. The salmon run in those days 

 was so great that the banks of the great river at many points 

 would be lined with the bodies of the fish that had been 

 crowded out of the water while the shoal pushed its way 

 eagerly up stream to the spawning grounds. Lately, how- 

 ever, it has been found necessary to restock the river with 

 salmon fry artificially propagated. The Fish Commissioners 

 of Oregon intend placing 5,000,000 young salmon in the 

 streams along the Oregon coast this year. The young fish 

 are to be obtained from the Government hatchery at McCloud 

 River, in this State." 



BUFFALO CREEK.— Wellsburg, W.Va.— We are raising 

 money to construct fishways over two dams on Buffalo 

 Creek. The dams are of stone and about 12ft. in height.— 

 Robt. Wheeler. 



REMOVAL. 



The offices of Forest and Stream are now at No. 318 Broadway. 



A. K. R.-SPECIAL NOTICE. 

 qTEE 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 ho 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 

 $1.50. Address "American Kennel Register," P. O. Box 3832, New 

 York. Number of entries already printed 6 104. 



FIELD VS. SHOW DOGS. 



OMAHA, Neb., March 24.— Editor Forest and Stream: I 

 have bred and hunted with the Scotch deerhound for 

 thirty-three years and am to-day by long odds the oldest 

 breeder of this breed in America. When I was but a mere 

 boy of twelve years, living in the Blue Mountains of Penn- 

 sylvania, a Scotchman came to the village, near which I 

 lived and started a watchmaking shop. He brought with 

 him from Scotland a brace of deerhounds, a grand dog and 

 a bitch of smaller size. After he had lived there but a short 

 time his father died in Scotland, and he was compelled to 

 return to his native land. He came to our farm and gave 

 me the brace of deerhounds and his horse to keep until his 

 return next year, and if he should not return I was to keep 

 them. He left and was never heard of. Near our farm was 

 living Mr. Solomon Snyder, a great fox and deer hunter, 

 who always had a small pack of from four to ten good fox- 

 hounds, I was the possessor of a good young horse and two 

 deerhounds, with a strong desire to become a mighty hunter. 

 The Scotchman had initiated me into hunting with the 

 deerhounds. Snyder would kill the fox for the fur and the 

 deer for the market. I told him if he would give me one- 

 fourth of the skins and one-fourth of the deer caught by my 

 dogs ahead of his foxhounds, I would always agree to join 

 him of Saturday during the winter months or while school 

 lasted. This he'refused," saying that his dogs could catch 

 anything that my shaggy curs could catch. On the follow- 

 ing Saturday my uncle and I went to the mountains early 

 to see what chance we might have at a, deer. Before we got 

 to our ground we heard at a distance the grand chorus of 

 Snyder's pack of foxhounds. We know they were running 

 either a fox or a deer and that by going to a certain pass 

 between two mountains we were sure to see the game cross- 

 ing. 



The valley between the two mountains was about three- 

 quarters of a mile wide, and was occupied by David Sheafer, 

 a farmer. We reached there and decided that I should re- 

 main at the lower side with one of the deerhounds, uncle to 

 go to the upper with the other, and both to turn the dogs 

 loose at the same time the moment the game came in sight, 

 While my uncle was still ridingaway from me a lordly buck 

 stepped out into the clear and jumped the fence within 

 .on , cis, of me. The deerhound saw him before I did, and 

 tore away from me with collar and rope on. I lustily called 

 to my uncle, and as he turned in the saddle to see what I 

 wanted his deerhound also saw the deer and broke away in 

 the same manner. They caught and killed the buck before 

 he reached the opposite side of the field. We dressed our 

 deer; and as we were putting it ou my uncle's horse the fox- 

 hounds and their owners came out of the woods on the 

 opposite side. Snyder now said if I would show him that 

 my dogs could catch and kill a fox before he could cross the 

 Sheafer farm, he would be willing to give me one-half of 

 everything we could catch during the winter. I told him to 

 trot "but his fox and I would stay, while my uncle would take 

 half of the deer to Suyder's home and the other half to our 

 home. He took his pack and made a circuit of four miles 

 before he let his dogs into the timber. It was some time 

 before I heard the pack, and it took till late in the afternoon 

 before they began working toward the open ground where I 

 was stationed. Just before dusk the fox appeared, and 

 away went Bevis and Sheila, lie came out not over 50yds. 

 away, and they caught him before he had run 200yds. That 

 fixed our partnership, and we killed thirty-one red foxes and 

 three gray and five deer before March 1. That pair of deer- 

 hounds lived to be thirteen and fourteen years old, and 

 raised four litters of puppies. 



Some years ago when I became the owner of. imported 

 Oscar and Olga, I began to attend the dog shows with my 

 dogs. Oscar had the misfortune of being game enough and 

 having all the grand qualities of the breed sufficieutly to 

 take hold of anything in the game line; and while at Belle 

 Meade breeding farm, near Nashville, Term., he took hold 

 of a buck too large for a single, dog to handle easily and had 

 his foreleg broken by the buck running him against a stone 

 fence. By good care the fracture healed, but being in the 

 large joint the joint was stiff, anchylosis having taken 

 place. This condition gave him a slight limp on that side, 



Now, when this grand and gamy dog came into the ring be- 

 side dogs that had never even seen a jack rabbit and had 

 not the courage of the. common street cur. yet because 

 Oscar had a limp in his walk the judge told me that it 

 counted against him. I have hunted my dogs very hard 

 year after year in the Rocky Mountains' after all sorts of 

 game, and on the prairies of Kansas, Nebraska and Color- 

 ado, after wolves, until there is hardly a whole dog among 

 the lot. One of my best bitches had an ear torn down by a 

 wolf. Another had a piece of skin and .flesh taken out of 

 his neck, leaving a ban scar. A number of them have had 

 nearly every toe dislocated or broken, leaving them badly 

 disfigured. Now, should I take this lot of dogate a show, the 

 judge would say, as Mr. Kirk did of Oscar, agranddog, shows 

 great breeding; this bitch, although a. typical bitch, has one 

 ear down; that one is a grand large bitch, but has bad feet; 

 the other has a scar that disfigures her. Now, the dog that 

 wins over these is a nice little deerhound, about 26 to 28in. 

 high, instead of 29 to 32; has never seen a wolf or a deer, has 

 done nothing but follow his owner down town and ran 

 away from every cur dog that looked at him, just as he 

 would should a wolf turn on him on the Western plains. 

 An honest Eastern breeder recently wrote me that he had 

 some very good-looking deerhounds of his own breeding and 

 some that he paid a long price for, but he was fully satisfied 

 that should any of them see a wolf they would run away. 

 He wanted me to breed him a puppy for a stud dog. 



Whenever the A. K. C. will make a rule that any dis- 

 figurement of a dog obtained in the field shall not count 

 against him on the bench, I will patronize the shows 

 liberally. I think that such defects caused by work in the 

 field should always entitle a dog to win over a dog his equal 

 in every particular point. For example take my deerhound, 

 imported champion Mac, winner of five first and seven 

 champion prizes on the bench before he ever saw any game. 

 When I bought Mm from Mr. Kelly eighteen months ago 

 lie would ran with my pack up to a wolf and stand by until 

 the rest killed it. He soon learned what was expected of 

 him, until now he will kill any wolf on the prairie, and he 

 has become so savage that I can't keep him in my kennel 

 with other dogs. During the past winter running on frozen 

 ground he broke two of his toes. Is it justice for the judge 

 at a bench show to say he has defective feet, while before he 

 was worked his feet were perfection? I hold that a dog 

 equal in bench show points and with a good field record 

 ought to win over the dog without a record. Whenever a 

 dog appears on the bench showing defects caused by breed- 

 ing or disease, I say rule him out, but give the working dog 

 a chance. Q. Van Hummell, M.D. 



BERTIE AND SIR COLIN. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The inspired statement below which appeared in Sport, of 

 Montreal, March 28, 1888, reflecting upon me in connection 

 with my exhibition of a Yorkshire terrier at the West- 

 minster Kennel Club bench show of May, 1887, is false and 

 malicious, and the result of mendacious jealousy, and I 

 have reason to believe emanated from parties who conceived 

 and prompted the idea which I did not carry out as they ex- 

 pected. Following is tire article: 



A matter, reflecting, I regret to say, very discreditably on Mr. 

 John F. Campbell, of Montreal, has been brought to my notice. 

 It appears that in the spring of 1887 he borrowed a Yorkshire 

 terrier, Bertie, from Mr. Thomas Kelly, also of Montreal, and 

 entered him under the name of Sir Colin and as his own property 

 (contrary to Rule 2, A. K. C), at the Westminster Kennel Club 

 show, held in New York. The dog won first and special prizes 

 under this incorrect designation. Campbell wired to Kelly that 

 Bertie had won, thus acknowledging that Sir Colin was an alias, 

 and a Montreal paper at tie time published a correction to a 

 former statement, in if saying that the dog belonged to Kelly and 

 not Campbell. Bertie is now in Mr. Kelly's possession, but Camp- 

 bell has kept all the prize money won by him, and refuses to 

 acknowledge in any way his illegal entry. 



The facts are: I purchased a Yorkshire terrier dog named 

 Sir Colin from a friend in England, who agreed to ship him 

 in time for the W. K. C. 1887 show. I entered the dog ac- 

 cordingly on the 18th of April. On the 29th of April I re- 

 ceived a letter from the party in whose charge the dog was 

 on shipboard, saying Sir Colin had died on the passage out. 

 In this dilemma I made known my disappointment to one 

 of the parties who, I believe, has contributed to this attack 

 upon me, and he suggested that I should see Mr. Thos. Kelly 

 and borrow one of his dogs and exhibit it as Sir Colin, and 

 no one would be any the wiser, the entry could remain as it 

 was. I did see Mr. Kelly, borrowed his dog Bertie to substi- 

 tute Him for Sir Coliu, but I did not practice the deception 

 which these parties suggested. On the contrary, I wrote to 

 Mr. James Mortimer, the superintendent of the Westminst er 

 Kennel Club show, telling him of the death of Sir Colin and 

 asking leave to substitute Bertie instead. The show was to 

 open on the 3d of May, and there was no time to receive an 

 answer before my departure. 1 went to New York, and on 

 my arrival there. Mr. Mortimer hailed me, saying, "I got 

 your letter, Johnny; that's all right," and later ou he said 

 to me, "Our catalogues are printed, it will have to stand as 

 it is; mention It to the judge when you go in the ring," or 

 words to that effect. Thus the arrangement was made for 

 the substitution of Bertie for Sir Colin. 



Bertie won the first prize, which was the only one offered; 

 there was no special prize for Yorkshire terriers, as mis- 

 represented in Sport. The prize money was §10, which 

 would not cover my outlay for entering him and paying his 

 expenses. When Mr. Kelly gave me the dog he said. "Ho is 

 your property until you return," and he then appeared to 

 fully recognize that I was entitled to anything he had won 

 to recoup me for my trouble and expenses. I restored him 

 his dog in much better form than I had received him, and 

 with new prestige, all of which he was then delighted with, 

 judging from appearances and statements then made. 



Since then the "green-eyed monster" has taken possession 

 of him and his little clique of prompters, and this piece of 

 misrepresentation is the result, which they have followed up 

 by sending copies of the article to a number of breeders both 

 in the United States and Cauada, to whom I am well known, 

 with the intention of injuring me, but which efforts, I am 

 happy to say, entirely failed in their object. 



1 have only to add that I have every reason to believe that 

 if this matter should come before the proper authorities, the 

 superintendent^ that show before whom I laid my case at 

 the time will defend my action, and show that I did not 

 practice the deception which my slanderers planned. 



John F, Campbell. 



Montkeajj, April 23. 



DEATH OF CAMERON'S BACKET.— Pittsburgh, Pa, 

 —Editor Forest and Stream: Labors connected with my 

 recent removal to this city have prevented me from per- 

 forming sooner the sad duty of informing your readers of 

 the death of the grand and celebrated beagle dog Cameron's 

 Racket (A.K.R. 4010). He died from the effects of paralysis, 

 on the. 29th ult,, and my kennels are bereft of one inmate 

 that money cannot replace. It is needless for me to state 

 that I greatly mourn his loss. Cameron's Racket was bred 

 by Gen. R, Rowett, by his Rally out of Louise, and was one 

 of the best, if not the best, of the few pure Rowetts. Sur- 

 passed by none in the field, he also enjoyed the coveted dis- 

 tinction "of having beaten every crack beagle that has com- 

 peted against him on. the bench, and the list of these dogs 

 comprises most of the best beagles before the public the last 

 two years or more. His winnings are first and special, 

 I Cleveland, 1886; first and two specials and special in brace 

 I stakes, Newark, 1887- first and two specials and special in 

 brace stakes, Hartford, 1887.— A. C. Kruegeb. 



