456 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[JtWE 28, 1888. 



mackerel in her purse-seine, but the fish were too young to 

 be sexually mature and were not saved. 



"In cruising over the region usually followed by mackerel 

 in their spring migrations it was found that the crustacea 

 upon which the large mackerel feed was very scarce near the 

 land, This food was, however, found in abundance about 

 fifty miles off shore. It is believed that the absence of food 

 near the coast accounts for the non-appearance of mackerel 

 in that region. The large mackerel did not come in shore 

 because their food was not there, and the scarcity of this is 

 accounted for by the uniform low temperature of the water. 

 As a rule, mackerel food has been found only in small areas 

 iu localities where it occurred at all. Between the schools 

 of tinker mackerel previously mentioned and the south shore 

 of Long Island was a large body of menhaden, from near the 

 land to ten miles distance, extending from Fire Island to 

 Montauk. 



South of Noman's Land, in lat. 40deg. 35min. N., long. 

 72deg. 28min. W., a hir^e school of porpoises was seen, and 

 the crew of the schooner George A. Leland caught a por- 

 poise in their seine which was being set for mackerel. Dur- 

 ing the spring the Grampus has taken two specimens of rare 

 porpoises which have been sent to the National Museum." 

 The Grampus has finished her cruise for live mackerel and 

 has been ordered to Gloucester to refit for her summer's work. 



THE NEW YORK FISH COMMISSION. 



AS we go to pi-ess no appointment of a Commissioner to 

 succeed Mr. Roosevelt has been made. The Governor 

 has requested the Board to meet with him before action on 

 the recent law putting the appointment of game protectors 

 in their hands, is taken, and the meeting was called at Al- 

 bany yesterday. Shad hatching on the Hudson and at Cold 

 Spring Harbor has been successful and as many fry have 

 been placed in the river as in any previous year. The annual 

 report, placed in the hands of the State Printer last October 

 has not yet been issued. This Commission has always been 

 late with its reports. 



In the matter of trout culture by the State, Commissioner 

 Blackford is reported to have said to a reporter of the New 

 York Times: "I believe that the time has come when the 

 New York Commission should give up the larger portion of 

 its work in the hatching of trout and devote itself to those, 

 departments of fishculture which have -for their objects the 

 restocking of the rivers, the great lakes, and the waters of 

 the bays along the shores of Long Island and of Staten Island 

 by the batching of whitefish and salmon trout, by extending 

 the operations of shad hatching, and by providing for the 

 stocking of the Hudson with salmon which, through the 

 help of the United .States Fish Commission, has been proved 

 to be practical. The hatchery at Cold Spring Harbor, Long 

 Island, has just been completed, and is fully equipped with 

 all necessary arrangements for the hatching/of lobsters, cod- 

 fish, smelts, striped bass, salmon, shad, and frost fish. The 

 fishery is under the superintendence of Fred Mather. 

 The true policy, it seems to me, is to leave the hatching of 

 trout to the private fishculturists of the State, who are 

 capable and competent to furnish all of the young trout 

 needed at an expense, so small that the sportsmen who desire 

 to stock streams iu those particular localities which they 

 favor can do so at a very small sacrifice. The trout is by 

 force of circumstances the gentleman's fish. It can never be 

 made abundant enough in the waters of the State to be a 

 poor man's fish." 



This policy, if the Adirondack region and public streams 

 m other parts be excepted, is the true one for the State to 

 follow. The stocking of private streams with trout should 

 be left to private trout breeders, as the owners or club lessees 

 of these streams are able to pay for the fry which is placed 

 there for their own benefit, and from which the public are 

 excluded, and with the exception above stated Mr. Black- 

 ford's views are sound. 



JAPANESE HONORS TO AMERICANS, - Sapporo, 

 Japan, May 19.— Editor Forest and Stream: The following 

 gentlemen have been elected corresponding members of the 

 Fisheries Society of Northern Japan: Col. M. McDonald, 

 Commissioner of Fisheries of the United States; Fred 

 Mather, of the New York and U. S. Commissions: E. G. 

 Blackford, New York Commissioner; C. G. Atkins, F. N. 

 Clark, and R. E. Earll, of the U. S. Fish Commission; W. A. 

 Wilcox, Boston Fish Bureau; Capt. D. T. Church, Tiverton, 

 R. I.; J. Pryor. Secretary Menhaden Oil and Guano Associa- 

 tion; E. P. Thompson, Astoria, Oregon, and T. Mowat, In- 

 spector of Fisheries, New Westminster, B. C.—K. Ito, Presi- 

 dent. 



AMERICAN OYSTERS IN THE BALTIC. -The Paris 

 American RegiMcr says: "American oysters are now also 

 being planted in the Baltic. A first attempt was made in 

 1876, near Schleimuude, with a batch of 25 tons imported 

 from the United States. They were either carried off by 

 undercurrents or lost in the sand. Last year a second lot of 

 12 tons was placed in wire baskets, and proved partially suc- 

 cessful. Quite recently another importation of six tons ar- 

 rived, and is now being planted, or rather anchored, in per- 

 forated wooden boxes." 



Dogs: Their Management and Treatment in Disease. By 

 Ashmont. Price $s. Kennel Record and A cctnvnt lioaH. 

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

 .Price ml. First, Lessons in Dog Training, with Points of 

 all f! reeds. Price 25 cents. 



F I X T U RES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Aug. 27 to 31.— Toledo Dog Show, Toledo, O. H. E. Cook, Super- 

 intendent. 



Aug. 30 to Sept. 1.— Third Annual Show of the American Fox- 

 Terrier Club, at Saratoga Springs, N. Y. (Including all terriers.) 

 II. P. Frothingham, Secretary, 2 Wall street, New York. 



Sept. 4 to 7.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Michigan Kennel 

 Club, Detroit, Mich. H. E. Cook, Superintendent. 



Sept. 11 to 14.— First Dog Show of the Buffalo International Fair 

 Association, at Buffalo, N. Y. C. W. Robinson, Secretary- 



.Sept. 24 to 27— Fifth Dog Show at London, Ont. C.A.Stone 

 Superintendent. 



Oct. 9 to 12.— First Dog Show of the Virginia Field Sports Asso- 

 ciation, at Richmond, Va. B. H. Grundy. Secretary, Room 26, 

 Shafcr Building. Entries close Oct. 1. 



Feb. 12 to 15, 1889.— Fifth Dog Show of the New Jersey Kennel 

 Club, at Jersey City, N. J. Geo. L, Wilms, Secretary, 142 Monti- 

 cello avenue. Jerp ey City, N. J. 



Feb. 19 to 22, 1889.— Thirteenth Annual Show of the Westminster 

 Kennel Club, New York. James Mortimer, Superintendent. 



Feb. 20 to March 1, 1889.— Second Annual Show of the Ronssalaer 

 Kennel Club, Troy, N. Y. Alba M. Ide. Secretary. 



March 5 to 8, 188u.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Albany 

 Kennel Club, at Albany, N. Y. Geo. B. Gallup, Secretary. 



March 12 to 15, IS.*.— Second Annual Show of the Fort Schuyler 

 Kennel Club. Utica, N. Y. James W. Dunlop, President. 



March 19 to 22, 1889.— First Annual Dog Show of the Maryland 

 Kenmd Club, at Baltimore, Md. W. S. Diffenderffer, Secretary, 



March 26 to 29, 1889.— ITirst Annual Dog Show of the Massachu- 

 setts Kennel Club, at Lynn, Mass, D. A. Williams. Secretary. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



Sept. ll.-Third Annual Field Trials of the Manitoba Field 

 Trials Club. Derby entries close July 1. All-Aged entries Aug. 1. 

 Thos. Johnson, Secretary, Winnipeg, Manitoba. 



Nov. 1.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Indiana Kennel 



Club, at Bicknell, Ind. P. T. Madison, Secretary, Indianapolis, 

 Ind. 



Nov. 19.— Tenth Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field Trials 

 Club, at High Point, N. C. (Members' Stake. Nov. 15.) W.A. 

 Coster, Secretary, Saratoga Springs, N. Y. 



Dec. 3.— First Annual Field Trials of the Southern Field Trial 

 Club, at Amory, Miss. T. M. Brumby, Secretary, Chattanooga. 

 Tenn. 



Dec. 10.— Second Annual Field Trials of the American Field 

 Trials Club, at West Point, Miss. C. W. Paris, Secretary, Cincin- 

 nati, O. 



Jan. 14, 1889,-Sixth Annual Field Trials of the Pacific Coast 

 Field Trial Club, at Bakersfield, Cal. N. P. Sheldon, Secretary, 

 320 bansome street, San Francisco, Cal. 



COURSING. 



Oct. 15.— Third Annual Meeting of the American Coursing Club 

 at Great Bend, Kan. F. K. Doau, Secretary, 1210 Olive, street , St 

 Louis, Mo. 



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 

 $1.50. Address "American Kennel Register," P. O. Box 2832, New 

 York. Number of entries already printed 6862 • 



NIGHTS WITH THE COONS. 



VI.— THE FIRST NIGHT WITH "TENDERFOOT." 



IT IS very strange that one having' so retentive a memory 

 as Tenderfoot should have entirely forgotton coon 

 hunt No. 1. with Norman, but I will proceed to freshen up 

 his recollection and remind him that I have not forgotton 

 receiving a very kind invitation from him (then a stranger) 

 to drive out to C, and have a coon hunt with him, which I 

 did. The sun was nearly down when I reached C, for it was 

 a long drive, and part of the way over the worst mountain 

 roads it has ever been my misfortune to encounter. 



I was given a cordial welcome by Mrs. Tenderfoot, who 

 said Mr. T. had gone for a short hunt after woodcock and 

 would soon come hack, which he did, and with a fine bunch 

 of birds, as he is an extra shot and had a fine working dog. 

 It was dark when we left the table. Mr. T. soon brought his 

 carriage to the door, and under the seat we packed lanterns, 

 guns, climbers, etc , and put the three restless dogs, Hayes 

 Speed and Georgia, in front of ua, and in due time reached 

 the ground. We started through a bush pasture for the 

 mountain, and had no sooner reached the foot before all 

 three dogs opened on a fresh trail and ran with race-horse 

 speed up the mountain and over the top. Fainter and 

 fainter grew their cry, until we could no longer hear them. 

 They had gone over the mountain and were out of hearing. 

 We started on in the direction we heard them last, and 

 vainly tried to find a path that a Rocky Mountain goat 

 could climb, but by taking hold of the bushes slowly pulled 

 ourselves toward the top, and wet with perspiration and out 

 of breath made a halt to rest and see if we could hear the 

 dogs. We could not, but before we started again Hayes (the 

 best coon dog I ever saw) came back, and Tenderfoot asked, 

 "What does this mean?" I replied they have ledged the 

 coon, and Hayes has very little faith in ledged coons, and if 

 they are in the rocks far comes back and it saves us many a 

 hard climb up steep ledges. Soon Georgia came back, but 

 Speed did not, and he being a young dog and on strange 

 ground we waited and shivered a half-hour before he came 

 to us. 



It was a hard climb we had trying to keep within hearing 

 of the do»s, and we now started to go down (which was easy 

 enough it you wasn't particular the way you went) , every 

 shrub seemed to be rooted at both ends and formed a loop 

 that our feet frequently caught in. and the way the lanterns 

 danced and climbers rattled as oue or the other tripped or 

 fell would have frighteued a grizzly, but after many trips 

 and some falls we again found ourselves on level ground. 



Tenderfoot remarked we would find better walking, so we 

 started trying to follow what he claimed to be a cart path, 

 but the night was so dark I could not see it, and the fallen 

 logs, treetops, interlaced vines and crooked laurels, that 

 would have made a manufacturer of rustic seats smile with 

 joy, were not very strong evidence of recent use of Tender- 

 foot's path. 



After another hour of hard walking we heard the dogs give 

 tongue again, and after a sharp run the steady bark of old 

 Hayes told us the game was treed. We hurried on toward 

 the spot and found him barking up a bunch of tall chestnut 

 sprouts, but he soon told us which one the coon had gone 

 up, and Tenderfoot commenced strapping on the climbers, 

 which was soon done; but old Hayes had left. Where had 

 he gone to? We soon heard him bark up about a half mile 

 to the northeast. Yes, there Were two coons, and he had 

 treed both. Soon all was silent again, but soon he barked 

 up about a half mile to the northwest. He had started and 

 treed three coons, and was doing his best to keep them all 

 up by barking at one tree a lew times and then at another. 



Tenderfoot went up like an old telegraph pole climber, but 

 leaves were thick, and he was afraid be might get so close to 

 the coon before seeing him that he might jump; so when old 

 Hayes came around I took him by the collar and kept him 

 until Tenderfoot saw and shot the coon, which proved to be 

 a fine one. 



Soon as Tenderfoot got down and off the climbers, we 

 shouldered the coon and started to go to the second one Hayes 

 had treed. 



As T. knew every foot of the ground and had been educated 

 for a civil engineer, and had the old reliable North Star to 

 go by, I left all to him; but old Hayes wanted to go iu the 

 opposite direction, and showed very little confidence iu T.'s 

 organ of locality and his pet star, and it was only by putting 

 a chain on him and dragging him like a cat by the tail that 

 made him follow. But T. said that the dog had got turned 

 around and couldn't tell north from south; so for an hour or 

 more we wandered, until he got so far away from his guid- 

 ing star and the coons that we saw neither that night, so lost 

 two coons by relying on reason instead of instinct. 



T. looked rather sober, but of course I said little, and we 

 soon found ourselves in heavy timber. Daylight had not 

 come yet, and it was doubtful if it ever would pierce the 

 gloom of that dim old forest of primeval growth, whose 

 great trees loomed up like giants in the dark, and I said to 

 myself, "What would Tenderfoot do if Hayes should put a 

 coon up one of the old settlers?" 



I {soon had a chance to see, for Hayes ranged off. Hark! 

 that was Hayes; he has run right on to his coon and treed 

 him. We were soon at the foot of a tree some four or five 

 feet through at the butt and that ran up some eighty or 

 ninety feet to the first limb, and it looked as though that 

 coon had found a safe retreat; but calmly T. put on the 

 .climbers, and, taking the long line in his pocket that the 

 climber always carries so as to lower down and draw up gun 

 or light when wanted, started up. 



The tree was so large he could hardly reach a third around 

 it, but the rough bark gave him a hold and slowly he 

 worked up. I anxiously watched him until the first limb 

 was reached, here he took a short rest. 



Uncoiling the line he lowered it down, it was too short, it 

 had been amply long to reach from any tree before, so T. 

 descended until line reached ground, and I tied on the light 

 and up he went again until the light seemed as distant as 

 his guiding star. 



He stops, breaks off a small branch, saying, "There is a 

 hole in the tree and I feel certain we have lost the game." 



He inserts the stick and finds that the hole is not deep and 

 coon not in it. and calls out, "Coon is above, I can hear him 

 climbing up.'* So up he goes until he finds the top of the 

 tree is only a dry trunk that looms up steeple-like some 40ft. 

 above the tall trees that surround it. 



Then for the first time he falters. I see him take out 

 pencil and paper and write or figure. What can he be doing? 

 Is he making his will and writing directions regarding his 

 funeral in case the partly rotten trunk should break" and 

 dash him to the ground a crushed and lifeless mass? No; 

 he was educated for a civil engineer and is figuring out the 

 probable force of wind that old trunk has resisted and its 

 weight-sustainiug strength, and believes it will hold him; so 

 up he goes until I hear the words, "I see him; look out, I 

 shall snoot." A faint report like a pistol and soon a 321b. 

 coon comes crashing through the limbs, and striking the 

 ground bounds into the air like a rubber foot ball, but he is 

 dead, although the dogs are shaking him, and quick as I 

 can get them off and putting the coon up in a crotch so high 

 the dogs cannot reach him, anxiously watch T.'s descent, 

 which is far more dangerous than ascending, and feel re- 

 lieved when T. is safely on the ground again. 



We takedown the coon and look over him together, the 

 heaviest coon I ever got, and such rich dark fur. 



Tenderfoot had worked hard to get him, he had climbed 

 the largest, tallest tree I had ever got a coon up. and as he 

 had made no pretensions to being a champion climber, and 

 I presume had never climbed before that night, unless to get 

 sight of the little star that uever failed to tell him the way, 

 I told him he had done well. 



The wind had now begun to blow quite hard and while we 

 did net pet its full force, being down in the valley, we could 

 hear it roar through the trees on top of the mountain, and 

 while listening to it we heard the dogs open and going for 

 the mountain at break neck speed and the wind and roar of 

 a mountain brook tumbling over its rocky bed drowns 

 their cry. 



We must find them for old Hayes was never known to 

 leave a tree when he had the game treed. So on we went to- 

 ward the mountain, wading such brooks as did not come 

 over the tops of our rubber boots and when too deep to 

 wade we found some treacherous log that would either 

 break or shell its bark when we were midway over the 

 stream— the result being the same to us. W e at last reached 

 the foot of the moun tain which was ledgy and very steep, 

 and tired, loaded with a coon apiece, it was slow and 

 hard work to reach the top, and we feared that we should 

 be unable to hear the dogs owing to the high wind, but we 

 were fortunate and we found we had taken nearly a bee 

 line for the tree, for the dogs were all barking furiously up 

 a lone tall hemlock that stood very close to a high ledge, 

 and it was a mystery to me where it' got nourishment from 

 so rocky a soil to attain such a growth, or roothold enough 

 to withstanud the gale that was making it sway to and tro 

 like the mast of some storm-tossed ship, but there it stood 

 like some great giant tossing his arms wildly about him as 

 the strong gusts of wind moaned through it branches; it 

 was a wild scene and we paused ere we thought of setting 

 the game; there were great rocks, logs, fallen treetops, the 

 ever-present laurel, a high ledge, the wind shrieking, to 

 which was added the fierce barking of t he clogs and one 

 could easily imagine they were wolves so wild was the sur- 

 roundings. 



But to the coon which we must have, so T. again gets ready 

 to climb, and as the limbs came down low and were thick be 

 did not need the climbers, but lantern in hand starts up 

 and when about two-thirds up a strong gust of wind makes 

 the old tree shake from root to top as it bends before the 

 gale and out goes his light and he and the coon were play 

 mg "Rock-a-by baby in the treetop, when the wind blows 

 the cradle will rock"; hut between the gusts he succeeded 

 in lighting his lantern and climbing almost to the top; says 

 he can see the coon — that he is restless and thinks is getting 

 ready to jump, and as the last word reaches me calls out, 

 "Look out, he has jumped!" but it is certain he did not 

 come clear down, for the dogs were all at the foot of the tree 

 ready to receive him. Soon T. says, "I can see him, he has 

 caught, and is hanging on by his forefeet." 



The cord is hurriedly lowered and gun tied on and I step 

 back so that the coon would not fall on me, and soon the 

 gun cracks and at the same instant the coon almost brushed 

 me as he came down only slightly wounded. He was at my 

 feet and the three dogs at him and in the fight nearly threw 

 me down, putting out my light, and 1 was expecting every 

 minute that the dogs would make a mistake and take my 

 legs for the coon, or the coon would take me for the dogs. 

 I pulled myself up on a. fallen treetop glad to get out of the 

 fight, and not daring to stir, not knowing how near I was to 

 the edge of the ledge. All this time the dogs and coon were 

 having a free fight, and the coon having got fortified under 

 an old log made it hot for the dogs, but old Hayes never 

 shows the white, feather and soon drags the coon out, 

 and I hear the coon give that peculiar cry that it does 

 when the dog gets the death-grip and he knows the end has 

 come. 



By this time T. is down and bringing the light, I come 

 down from my perch and Ave picked up the third coon, T. 

 remarking, "We are far from the team and have got all we 

 can carry" (the three weighed Solos.). 



Fearing Hayes would strike another trail and give us a 

 long chase we put the chain on him and led him all the 

 way to the team, which was reached by traveling over the 

 sanie rough country that we had been through before. 



We were tired and glad to reach the team again and un- 

 load our game, but while we had had a hard hunt it was a 

 successful one. 



It seemed as though T. might have found huntiug 

 ground where the walking was not so hard (I still think he 

 could), and I confess when I arose the next morning (not 

 very early) tired and lame I felt a slight spirit of revenge 

 underlying the urgent invitation I gave him to come and 

 have a coon hunt with me. I had received a cordial welcome 

 at his pleasant home and had been well entertained. I had 

 found Tenderfoot and his family pleasant acquaintances to 

 make, and still I felt that I had not been well used and 

 wanted Tenderfoot to come to Granby so I could get even 

 with him, and reader, you well know he did, and he has 

 described that hunt far better than I could. He did not. 

 uotice the wink I gave Meeting House when we started out 

 that night. That wink did not mean roads laid out by civil 

 engineers. The profanity that Tenderfoot heard that night 

 as some one caught his foot against a stub and landed in a 

 bunch of Mohawk briers that were ever ready to receive 

 him was but the echo of his own thoughts. I supposed I 

 had finished him, not having heard from him since the 

 hunt he has so truthfully described, and am glad to know 

 he is still in the laud of coons. Norman. 



Geakby, Conn., Feb, 10. 



vn. — "tenderfoot's" account of it. 

 So you went coon-hunting again ? Oh, yes, I have been 

 many a time since, but of all the experiences I ever had I 

 think my first or initiation trip was of all others the most 

 enjoyable to me. You see I was green and had never seen a 

 coon before iu my life, much less killed one, and when my 

 friend Norman asked me if I wanted to go "coouing to- 

 night," I told him "of course I do," though I am free to con- 

 fess that I knew about as much about coon hunting as a 

 dog does about keeping the Sabbath, but having been born 

 with a crazy love for everything that had hunt in it, I was 

 ready to start on any expedition that gave promise of any 

 fun in that direction. I said that I was green as far as coon- 

 ing matters go, but being of an inquisitive turn of mind I 

 went out to look over Normaa-'s tackle, and take a mental 



