Sept. 15, 1887.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



The railroad carries a fishing rod with every traveler, and 

 the natives never give the water much rest. But north 

 of these places, in Oregon, there are numbers of fine 

 streams filled with fish. On the California coast, in upper 

 Mendocino and Humboldt counties, where there are 3 r et 

 no railroads, there is also still good fishing ground. But 

 the lovers of the rod who live in San Francisco can no 

 longer get a good day's outing within reasonable reach of 

 the city. Two or three hundred miles must be traversed 

 to get good sport. There are places on the Sierra Nevada 

 Mountains, at distances from railroads and where there is 

 no mining carried on, that have splendid streams with 

 plenty of fish. But these are hard to get at, and takes 

 too much time for most of us to visit. Since California 

 has become a "show State," the tourist is everywhere, and 

 it is hard to dodge him. The lines of travel must be left 

 widely to get to good fishing water. 



By the way, we have not a single anglers' association 

 in this State. There is a sportsmen's association of course, 

 hut there is more shooting and clay-pigeons in this than 

 anything else. The anglers seem to let well enough 

 alone, but we will doubtless have before long to co- 

 operate for mutual protection, and try to formulate 

 some plan to prevent the decrease of the trout in the 

 various streams. The use of giant powder in railroad 

 building and mining has become so universal, and so 

 many are accustomed to handling it, that it is now an 

 important factor in the fish question. The men who use 

 it for splitting big logs in the redwood forests, in blasting 

 on the railroads, in building roads, and in mining, also 

 use it in the pools of the streams. When they want a few 

 fish they do not mind killing a few hundred with a piece 

 •of "stick" of dynamite. And they do this everywhere. 

 People living near the streams will not tell on one an- 

 other, and it is very hard to get a jury to convict for 

 violations of the fish laws. 



The market gardeners and wood choppers who live near 

 the creeks and rivers within a radius of 100 miles of San 

 Francisco are largely Portuguese, Italians and Chinese. 

 None of these people have the slightest regard for our 

 ■fish and game laws, even if they know anything about 

 them. They fish in and out of season. They use fish 

 traps, giant powder, Cocculus indicus, etc. So* it is not 

 necessary to look for the reason of decrease in trout. 

 Then here is a city of some 300,000 inhabitants, and an- 

 •other one cf 50,000 across the bay, and several others not 

 very much smaller not far off, so they furnish not a few 

 fish hogs who fish for count and put fingerlings and all 

 in the creel. 



A friend of mine has just returned from a two weeks' 

 deer hunt in Mendocino county. He tells me that he 

 stayed a part of the time on a ranch where six or more 

 men are employed. These men killed, during the past 

 three years, 900 deer, and had this season's skins in the 

 barn at the time. So on this ranch alone an average of 

 300 deer a year had been slaughtered. They said they 

 killed the deer for fun, for sport and food, not for the 

 skins. The scarcity of deer in many regions is to be at- 

 tributed largely to the cupidity of the ranchers and other 

 residents of the interior, and not to raids of city sports- 

 men. No section of country will have deer very long 

 where such indiscriminate shooting is carried on. 



These facts are regretted by all of us who are fond of 

 "the forest and stream, but are none the less facts. 



I stopped writing this letter to read an account in this 

 morning's paper of the meeting of the "State Sportsmen's 

 Club." The entire proceedings relate to handicaps, live 

 pigeons, blueroeks, tournaments, prizes, etc. Not a word 

 was said, as far as may be judged by the report, of the 

 question of fish or game preservation. The club' may be, 

 and doubtless is, an organization which affords amuse- 

 ment and instruction to its' members, but it is certainly 

 the case that it is looked upon more a3 a shooting chub 

 than one which exercises much practical influence in the 

 matter of fish and game preservation. 



It may be that it was organized for the purposes to 

 which it now seems to be devoted, but in that case its 

 title is a misnomer. A State Sportsmen's Association 

 should be one that would exert its energies mainly to 

 preservation of fish and game, as I take it, and the tour- 

 naments should be " side shows," rather than the main 

 circus. This club has, in a few instances, exerted itself 

 ±o compel the construction of fish ladders, but I am afraid 

 .that tournament shooting seems of most importance. 

 Perlbaps, not being a member, I have no right to criticise 

 \ its methods, but I only refer to it to show that there is no 

 practical organized effort to make any marked improve- 

 ment eta existing conditions of the fish and game question 

 >in California. It seems difficult to make men "pull to- 

 gether " m. this direction, and what is everybody's busi- 

 ness is nobody's business. 



Those, who prefer a few large fish to a basketful of 

 ffingerlings look to the Oregon streams now rather than 

 :to those of Calif omia. Of course every stream in this 

 Sta e is not yet spoiled, by any means, and the general 

 ^scarcity of fish referred to maybe perhaps considered 

 ^comparative. Still, we do not have the sport we used to, 

 «aad Jaave to go much greater distances than formerly. 

 This is to be expected, of course, in a country rapidly 

 settling up, as this is. However, fishing out of season 

 and with giant powder are things that can be prevented 

 if proper effort is made. Until that time we must all 

 deplore the existing conditions, which are much as you 

 have represented them. Charles G. Yale, 



Sak Francisco, CaL, Sept. t 



ROD AND GUN IN NEVADA. 



I ri^HE sportsman who imagines that all the fishing and 

 _L hunting to be obtained in the Silver State is found 

 along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, in the 

 vicinity of Tahoe and Pyramid lakes, is far from correct 

 in his surmises. Nevada, though mostly desert, has in 

 common with Idaho, Moniana and Wyoming, royal sur- 

 prises for the lineal descendants of Nimrod and of Izaak 

 Walton. One of these surprises awaited a party of five 

 pleasure seekers who pitched camp last week at the head 

 waters of Goose Creek. This stream rises about fifty 

 miles northwest of Tecoma, on the C. P. R. R., and flows 

 in a northeasterly direction, emptying into Snake River a 

 short distance above the famous Shoshone Falls. In com- 

 mon with all streams and rivers tributary to the Colum- 

 bia it is well filled with members of the noble family of 

 Salmonida?. Its banks have been unexplored save by the 

 Indian and the adventurous cowboy, and the surround- 

 ing country is the home of many an'mals that do not 

 yet know what it is to be frightened by the report of a rifle. 



The first forty miles of our trip was through an unin- 

 teresting, sandy, sage brush country; but once over the 

 ridge that separated the desert waters from those that 

 flow northward, everything was changed. The vulgar 

 jack rabbit disappeared and in his place we found the 

 white-tailed mountain hare, the gamiest of his genus. 

 Flocks of sage chickens would rise from every clump of 

 quaking aspen that we passed, and soon we had more 

 birds in the wagon than we could dispose of. About 5 

 o'clock we reached Goose Creek. The wagon as it 

 rumbled up frightened seven wood ducks from the stream. 

 As it was impossible to secure any of them, we devoted 

 ourselves to the willow grouse, which had now succeeded 

 the sage hen. The willow grouse is much more gamy 

 than the chicken, and should be hunted with a dog. It 

 is somewhat smaller than the sage hen, flesh lighter-col- 

 ored, back brown rather than gray, breast light, with 

 V-shaped marks distinct, not blotched. The crops of 

 those we killed contained only the fruit of the Arctosta- 

 phyllos and of the rose, no trace of sage being detected 

 by sight or smell. 



The next morning we pushed five or six miles further 

 up Goose Creek. As our leader was riding ahead to 

 locate a permanent camp, three handsome deer bounded 

 from grassy flat within stone's throw of his horse. The 

 omen was favorable and here we pitched. As soon as the 

 wagon was driven up two of our number started after 

 the deer, but one of the two was a professor and not a 

 sportsman. He would shout and sing and the deer would 

 stay out of range. Meanwhile the rest of us put up the 

 tent and straightened camp. As soon as possible I sought 

 the stream, here alxmt thirty feet wide and a constant 

 sequence of riffles and deep holes. Securing a favorable 

 stand scarcely twenty yards from the tent, I made the 

 preliminary cast. A beauty rose to the fly and struck it 

 savagely. When landed he showed on the pocket scales 

 one pound and three ounces. This seemed very fair for a 

 brook trout, but two pounders became so plentiful as to 

 make anything from a pound downward insignificant. 

 In half an hour I had captured eleven fish without stir- 

 ring from my tracks save to land them, and in two days 

 this same riffle yielded twenty-eight good trout. 



The afternoon was devoted to study with Winchester, 

 Remington and Springfield. Result, a fat doe and a two- 

 pronged buck. Apropos, one of the best places to lie in 

 wait near sundown is by a clump of the White Mountain 

 columbine (Aqvilegia ccerulea). There is no plant so 

 relished by the black-tailed deer, and he will feed upon 

 its honeyed blossoms just so long as he thinks he has a 

 chance of safety. 



The third day out was devoted to fishing, and we under- 

 took to settle the question as to whether the best results 

 are obtainable with natural grasshoppers or artificial flies. 

 The fly champion undertook to catch as many fish as two 

 grasshopper users. At 8:30 we started up the creek. 

 Where willows hugged the water we waded. Anything 

 for a good cast and a big string. At 12:50 we halted for 

 lunch with just 100 fish. Of these G7 were credited to the 

 fly and 33 to the grashoppers. It is needless to say that 

 those who had been tempted to renounce the feathery 

 bait threw away the hoppers and returned to orthodox 

 principles. These 100 trout were put in a flour sack and 

 were more than any of us cared to shoulder; so one re- 

 turned for a pack horse and the others fished down to 

 camp. The best results for the day were obtained by Mr. 

 Geo. B. Brastow, of Salt Lake, who, with a Leonard split 

 bamboo rod and three-fly leader, landed 133 fine trout. 

 His favorite flies were 'the grizzly-king, brown-hackle 

 and royal-coachman. The yellow-bodied gray-hackle 

 did good work in the morning, but seemed worthless 

 after 2 o'clock. 



In conclusion — a word to Eastern sportsmen who try 

 the West — please remember that you are not in the Ad- 

 irondacks. You cannot have guide, valet and cook. 

 Some one must get wood, some one water; one must cook, 

 oue must wash dishes and another make down the 

 blankets. Nothing so disgusts the Western boys as to 

 have a few " tenderfeet " around— good fellows and ar- 

 dent sportsmen but men who think when their guns are 

 cleaned the day's work is over and expect to he waited 

 upon. Here a man can find trout, deer, chicken, grouse, 

 "fool-hens," mountain hare, coyotes, black and cinnamon 

 bear, wolverines, mountain lions, etc., etc., but to thor- 

 oughly enjoy himself and to make his own company ac- 

 ceptable he must lay aside some of the prejudices of 

 civilization, bring himself down to hard work and 

 rough it. Shoshone. 



Tecoma, Nev., Aug. 31, 1887. ' 



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



NOTES OF THE FIELDS AND WOODS. 



EE. — SOME COMMON FUNGI. 



~VTOT long ago in walking through a piece of woods I 

 1M came across an immense puffball; it must have 

 been at least lOin. in diameter. I stopped for a quarter of 

 an hour to examine this odd -looking vegetable growth. 

 It was a freshly grown one; the color was a creamy 

 white; it was soft and leathery to the touch, and it had 

 its strong characteristic odor. It seemed a pity to spoil it, 

 but when I had satisfied myself with an examination of 

 the outside I could not forbear cutting into it with my 

 knife to observe its interior structure. Inside the leather- 

 like rind it was softer, whiter and more porous, while in 

 the center there were many small cavities. I knew that 

 the thin lamella? which bounded these cavities would 

 come to be covered with multitudes of spores, and that 

 when the puffball became ripe its rind would burst open 

 and these spores would escape, to be distributed by the 

 winds to new situat ons where, perhaps, they would 

 bring forth a new crop of the odd-looking plants. 



Many other fungi, less noticeable than the puffballs, but 

 none the less curious and interesting, are common in the 

 fields and woods. Almost every decaying stump or fallen 

 tree has some form or other of fungus living upon its fast 

 perishing substance, eagerly striving, as it were, to pre- 

 vent it from passing back into the inorganic world, 

 whence the tree in the days of its strength and beauty 

 obtained it. In the open fields, too, we find the mush- 



room, the true edible species, Agaricus camprstris, and a 

 host of its worthless allies, the toadstools. It is well 

 worth our while to know something about the round of 

 life through which these plants go. What do they spring 

 from, how do they grow and propagate themselves ? A 

 brief account of the mushroom is here given: in its main 

 features it will apply to other common fungi. 



The part of the mushroom seen above ground is by no 

 means the whole of the plant. It is only the fruit-bearing 

 part corresponding to the flowers of the higher plants. 

 The main portion of the mushroom plant is underground 

 and consists of many branching filaments loosely woven 

 together into a mass "called the mycelium. The mycelium 

 penetrates the substance of decaying organic bodies, 

 either plants or animals, sending out shoots in every 

 direction, which absorb the juices of the decaying tissues. 

 Thus these plants are parasitic in their nature, not being 

 able to manufacture their food out of elements obtained 

 from the air or soil, as the green plants do. They are to 

 be distinguished, however, from the true parasites, which 

 feed upon the living juices of other plants. In distinction 

 from these the fungi are properly called saprophytes. 

 Returning to the mushroom, we may next consider the 

 growth of the above-ground or fruit-bearing portion. On 

 some of the branches of the underground part small buds 

 arise; they appear at first like little knobs at the end of 

 the branches. These increase in size and are lifted by 

 their lengthening stems toward the surface of the ground. 

 They are at first solid, but, the outside growing faster 

 than the inside, gradually a hollow, in the form of a ring 

 and near the lower surface of the ball, is formed. The 

 lower surface is then called the velum, since it is like 

 a veil separating the hollow interior from the air outride. 

 After a time the veil breaks away, thus destroying the 

 cavity and giving to the plant the well known umbrella 

 shape of the mushroom. Meanwhile there have been 

 formed thin plates, like knife-blades, which radiate out- 

 ward from the rtem on the lower side of the umbrella. 



All these changes take place very rapidly; it is proverbial 

 that mushrooms spring up in a single night. It is on these 

 thin, blade-like parts, called the gills of the mushroom, 

 that the spores are produced. If a piece of white paper be 

 placed under the plant the spores will fall upon ix and will 

 be disposed in radiating rows corresponding to the gills. 

 Each plant produces very many spores and they are 

 widely distributed by the winds; it is evident enough that 

 the object of the spore-bearing part being above ground 

 is to secure this distribution. If the spores chance to fall 

 where nourishment can be obtained they soon give rise 

 to a filament which branches and finally becomes a new 

 mycelium from which buds will grow again, as described. 

 A single mushroom plant commonly gives rise to many 

 of the umbrella-shaped parts. Buds are constantly form- 

 ing and rise successively to the surface. This explains 

 how a new crop of mushrooms may be found where 

 another has only recent y been picked. 



The figure of the mushroom here given indicates its 

 structure and manner of growth. 



As to the way to distinguish the edible mushroom from 

 the worthless and, in the case of a few, poisonous species, 

 the following characters are usually sufficient to identify 

 the most common edible species, Agaricus campestris. 

 It has a white, firm and solid stem ; its umbrella or cap is 

 moderately thick and fleshy and its gills are of a pinkish 

 color. The last character is the one by which they are 

 most commonly distinguished. It marks the time when 

 they are fit to pick: the pink color passes away when 

 they are over ripe. There are many other species of the 

 edible mushrooms besides this one, but as they vary a 

 good deal in appearance it is difficult to lay down rules 

 to distinguish them. The best way to learn to know 

 them is to go out with some one who already knows 

 them. 



It may be added that the edible mushrooms almost 

 always grow in open fields, as pastures where the grass is 

 kept short by grazing sheep or cattle. They are never 

 large in size, the cap seldom exceeds four inches in diam- 

 eter and is commonly no more than two. 



The other common fungi, as the puffballs, ear fungi, 

 earth stars, etc., resemble the mushroom in their main 

 structural features and manner of growth. All consist 

 of a mycelium lying underground or ramifying the sub- 

 stance of decaying wood, and a spore-producing part of 

 the shape that gives to the most common kinds their 

 names. In some the spores are produced inside the mass, 

 as in puffballs, and in others they form inside of hollow 

 tube-like cavities that open on the lower surface, as in 

 the ear fungi. 



There are very many other fungous plants besides the 

 conspicuous ones commonly met with. All th? moulds 

 and blights belong to this class of plants. Spores of fungi 

 seem to be present in all ordinary atmospheres. Wher- 

 ever organic matter is left to decay a crop of fungi is sure 

 to spring up. What their use in nature is, if they have 

 any, is difficult to say. With a few exceptions they are 

 of no value as food to man or beast. Possibly they fill an 

 important office in absorbing gases and liquids resulting 

 from decay and otherwise injurious to living things. S. 



A Mink in Town. — A mink invaded the offices of th« 

 Providence, R. I. , Journal the other day. How it got 

 i into the city is a mystery. 



