Deo. 15, 1887.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



407 



"That reminds Trie." 

 227. 



T N the palmiest of my wudf owling days I used f requen fly 

 A to visit a dairy ranch on the Columbia River owned 

 by a worthy son of the soil named Parke, in whose hum ble 

 abode was enjoyed the heartiest (if simplest) of hospitality; 

 and from the shadow of whose doorway even have I often 

 commenced my day's kill in the shape of perhaps a couple of 

 ducks, or an occasional goose, maybe, picked from a band 

 passing out, low down, toward the river, on some one 

 <of the many foggy mornings known to Oregon's lowlands. 



While standing at the window one morning, oiling my 

 .gun, I was surprised somewhat at hearing the ordinarily 

 phlegmatic Parke crossing the yard at a gait almost a hop, 

 step and jump, and depositing his milk-pails emphatic- 

 ally at the doorway, stride across the apartment and 

 reach down his seldom empty, if somewhat ancient, gun. 



•'What is it, Parke?" I inquired, as he, breathing like a 

 grampus and with every respiration redolent of the cow- 

 stall, cocked and decapped the right barrel of his treach- 

 erous old piece, vigorously striking it with his thumbless 

 hand (that same gun's handiwork) to fetch up the priming. 



"Oh, some old mallards out there on the slough trying 

 to coax off the wife's ducks; I'll give 'em something to 

 carry, if they haven't gone when Iget outthere." 



"Here, Parke, take mine," said I, inserting a couple of 

 No. threes into as beautiful a Scott premier-triplex as ever 

 felled a fowl. 



"No, s-i-r, I'll stick to the old gal, I know her; them 

 new-fangled breechloaders I aint got no use for, shoot 

 .too much in one place." 



"All right, said I, unloading, "I bike to see a man faith- 

 ful, even to his gun." 



Having recapped and satisfied himself as to the priming 

 of his old fusee, he crossed the yard again, I following to 

 seethe fun; and there, sure enough, through one of the 

 openings in back of cowshed for the exit of manure, could 

 be seen three wild mallards, just stepping out of" the water 

 on the opposite bank of the slough; while a short distance 

 from them, and all huddled together on the sloping bank 

 —as though excitedly discussing some highly improper 

 overtures from their wilder relations — stood a dozen or 

 .more of Mistress Parke's own particular fowl. 



To drop on one knee and draw a bead (evidently upon 

 some object across the s'ough) was but the work of an 

 instant; but the duration of aim and contortion of feature, 

 .at least to an onlooker, were something absolutely painful. 

 At last he "turned her loose," and such a quacking, flut- 

 tering and streaking into the slough never was heard be- 

 fore from such a small body of fowl, since ducking days 

 began. With an eye to contingencies, I was outside, not 

 waiting to ascertain the result of Parke's shot, and just 

 in time to see three ducks swing into the straight from 

 their semicircle off the slough, and steer exultingly toward 

 the river. The leading bird swerved at the movement of 

 raising my gun to shoot, causing a momentary lap with 

 the duck next following, that, instantly availed of, 

 wrought the simultaneous downfall of the two greenheads, 

 and in spite of the sombre hues and apologetic gasps of 

 the third duck, she, at the touch of the second, threw back 

 her poor bewildered head, folded her wings, and came 

 down as rapidly as only a stone-dead duck knows how. 



Mystified somewhat, I ran back to the shed and found 

 Parke, still on his knee, gazing wistfidly at four ducks, 

 lying on their backs on the feather-strewn w r ater, convul- 

 sively treading vacancy with their poor feet. 



With a look the sheepiest Parke ejaculated, "I'll tell you 

 just how 'twas, J. I gave 'em the wrong barrel; I forgot 

 that doggorned. right o' mine carried a trifle high, and a 

 little to the right with a wire ketridge. But lovely land, 

 man. don't let the wife know, if she misses 'em I'll swar 

 it were the coons." 



Gathering the three wild birds I presented them to Mrs. 

 P. with the assurance that she would lose no more of her 

 ducks through their wiles; while Parke, hugging the lee 

 corner of the house, loaded up again his doubtful right, 

 and restoring his trusty piece to its place over the mantel 

 went off to dispose clandestinely of the slaughtered in- 

 nocents. J. G. B. 



Alameda, California. 



\m and Jjjfishing. 



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



Angling Tattcs. By Geo. Daicson. Price 50 cents. Fly- 

 Rods and Fly-Tackle. By H.P.Wells. Price $2,50. Fly- 

 Fishing and Fly-Making for Trout. By J. H. Keene. 

 Price $1.50. American Anglers' Book. By Thad. Norris. 

 Price $5.50. Sportsman's Gazetteer. By C. Hallock. 

 Price $3. 



HIS FIRST TROUTING. 



TN the year 1886 my friend H., who lives in Vermont, 

 J. invited me to come there and make him a visit in 

 fishing time, saying July would be a good time to come, 

 and on July 6 I started. My route was to Detroit and 

 thence by port Huron to Kingston by rail; at this point I 

 took passage on one of the Canadian steamers down the 

 St. Lawrence as far as Montreal. The sail down the 

 river was grand to one that had never rode the swift 

 currents and boiling waters that spun us along over the 

 different rapids. At some times it seemed the boat would 

 turn oyer or be dashed to atoms on the hidden rocks in 

 some of these rapids. We stopped at a small Indian town 

 to take on board the Indian pilot Baptiste who was chief 

 pilot in passing down the Lachine Rapids, it taking f our 

 strong men to handle the pilot wheel to run the danger- 

 ous rapids. At one place the boat drops 12ft. and a per- 

 son would think by the jar he feels that the boat had 

 struck the rocks on the bottom of the river, but the cap- 

 tain informed us it was only the boat striking heavily on 

 the water. We arrived at Montreal at dusk, and after 

 supper went to bed.- 



Again taking the train, I was soon spinning along on 

 my journey. H. had said he would rneet me at Newport, 

 Vermont, and upon reaching that little station he was 

 about the first one I saw. We staid all night at the 



Menf remagog House, and at 9 o'clock next morning took 

 the train for Barton, where we arrived at 11 o'clock that 

 forenoon. After dinner H. ordered out his bay mare, 

 although it was raining about as hard as it could.' Stow- 

 ing away my valise under the seat in the carriage, we 

 started for Craftsbury, which lay 10 or 10 miles distant 

 from any railroad. Arriving there at half-past 3 o'clock 

 in the afternoon, we hurriedly changed our wet clothing 

 for dry ones, and sat down to our suppers as hungry as 

 wolves. After supper H. said to me, "Would you like to 

 go down to the creek and catch a trout?" so off we went 

 with rod and line all ready to dip into the stream as soon 

 as reached. Here H. gave me my first lessons in trout 

 fishing, I listened to him closely," and then started to 

 catch my first fish, which I did in about two seconds 

 after the hook touched the water. I caught five before 

 he had any. We fished down stream until it began to 

 get dark, and then started for the house. We found we 

 had caught 40 trout. 



The next morning we were up eaidy and started for an 

 all day fish. We were let out of the carriage by Grandpa 

 Doty about ten miles from home and started down stream 

 to fish. H. said, "Always fish down stream for brook 

 trout." H. started in ahead of me, and I thought I would 

 take time and try and catch as many as he could. After 

 fishing along carelessly for half an hour I looked up to 

 see H., but he was nowhere to be seen. I started down 

 stream to catch up to him and took a run, and think I 

 chased him for two miles before overtaking him. After 

 that I kept him in sight, but didn't we catch fish, though! 

 It was a bright, sunshiny day, and the trout bit nicely. 

 Again H. got ahead of me. I was trying one of the little 

 streams that came into the one we had been fishing, and 

 was having splendid luck, when I heard H. calling from 

 way on down stream to come quick. I started on a run, 

 and coming up to him, I saw he had an old granddaddy 

 trout that was giving him all the sport one could ask 

 for. The fish would dart up stream and then sideways to 



fet under some root or log, but H. would hold him back 

 y tightening up on the line. At last the fish gave up 

 and was hauled to shore and thrown upon the grass. Oh, 

 didn't I wish that I could catch such a large trout as that; 

 I had caught some very fine fish, but none so large as 

 this one. I fished on in hopes to get a big one, and by 

 and by I had a bite that made the blood tingle clear to 

 the ends of my toes. I was excited and lost my head, 

 for I tried to tluow him on the bank as I would a ^lb. 

 trout, but Mr. Trout could not be handled so, and when I 

 lifted him to the top of the water he ploughed for an old 

 log and ran in under it and snap went my line. Imagine 

 my feelings ! I knew in a moment I had acted too fast 

 and ought to have given the fish a little work before try- 

 ing to land him. 



When we got near town we stopped to count our fish, 

 H. had 185 and I had caught 100. H. picked out the 

 nicest ones and arranged them in my basket and when 

 we got into the village we were hailed and stopped to 

 show up. All thought we had wonderful good luck. Mr. 

 Rand thought H. hadn't better invite any more friends 

 from Michigan to go fishing that had never caught trout, 

 and then have them catch trout like that. He said to me, 

 "Do you say this is your first experience in trout fish- 

 ing?" I told him it was. "Well, what will you be after 

 having the experience that H. has had?" and I told him 

 I hoped I could be his equal as a fisherman. We dressed 

 enough for H.'s family, two good meals, and gave five 

 other families good portions, our friend Rand included. 

 We fished some nearly every day except Sundays, and 

 had a royal good time for nine days. 



Bidding H. and family good-by, I started homeward. 

 On going back into the store I felt that my trip had rested 

 me and felt like taking hold of my work again with re- 

 newed strength and vigor. I wish I could spare the time 

 to take the same trip over again. H. writes me I muit 

 come next season. Brook Trout, 



Lowbll, Michigan. 



TAMING "OLD WARTY." 



QEVERAL years ago the writer, then a yoimg man, in 

 IO charge of his first school; in one of the rural sections 

 of North Waterloo, Ontario, boarded at a farmhouse, the 

 owner of which, to his great delight, proved to be an 

 ardent lover of nature, and was extremely fond of pets. 

 Adjacent to the house and connected to it by a roofed 

 passageway stood the dairy, a stone building probably 

 18 or 20ft. square, flooded over its entire area to a depth 

 of from 15 to 18in. from a natural spring, which, rising 

 in one corner, bubbled forth in a constant stream, the 

 overflow issuing through a grated orifice at the opposite 

 extremity and losing itself after a somewhat rapid descent 

 of 100yds. in a millpond beyond. Two-thirds or so of the 

 building was floored slightly above the water level, the 

 other third remaining uncovered and presenting the ap- 

 pearance of a min ature lake, through the transparency 

 of whose shallow water the pebbled bottom might have 

 easily been mistaken for the "natural thing" were it not 

 for an ever present foreground of shiny milk pans ranged 

 with disgusting regularity quite sufficient of itself to dis- 

 pel the momentary illusion. Safely hidden away under 

 cover of this floor there flourished a colony of speckled 

 trout, varying in size from 8 to loin., "perfect beauties" 

 of their kind, but wild as deer, into the good graces of 

 which the writer determined to "worm" himself, if pos- 

 sible, without any delay. With this object in view the 

 means of communication were sought for and ultimately 

 discovered in the shape of several knot holes in the floor, 

 to which the now systematically hungered fish soon 

 learned to come quite readily in response to the splash 

 occasioned by dropping a plump worm, grub, or piece of 

 meat through into the water, and subsequently to a sound 

 similarly made with the finger, which latter organ they 

 at length became so familiarized with that they would 

 nibble at it by the half hour with impunity. 



Having succeeded thus far, the next important step 

 was to induce them to leave their hiding place, and for 

 this purpose the base of operations was transferred to the 

 edge of the floor immediately overlooking the open water. 

 Here the former tactics were resumed with some vari- 

 ations, resulting, after many an hour of fruitless coaxing, 

 in the animals fearlessly approaching the hand and 

 snatching from the fingers whatever of a tempting char- 

 acter happened to be on the bill of fare. At this particu- 

 lar juncture it was that "Old Warty,'' so called, partly 

 on account of his "bossing" proclivities, but chiefly from 

 the existence of a wart-like excrescence on the otherwise 

 handsome snout, originated the incipient manifestations 



of that sublime impudence for which he henceforward 

 became notorious, and the reckless exhibitions of which 

 were evidently regarded by his fellows as a lasting dis- 

 grace to their kind. Emboldened by the apparent hann- 

 lessness of the human being towering over Mm, and to 

 whose very shadow he had but rec3ntly given a wide 

 berth, this "patriarch of the tribes" would now occasion- 

 ally venture out to the center of the pool, whence, after 

 eyeing askant and with ill-concealed trepidation the ob- 

 ject of his suspicion for several minutes, he would slowly 

 return, by a safely circuitous route, however, to his 

 amazed companions, with the self-satisfied air of one who 

 having carefully gauged the sublimity of a really meri- 

 torious action, heroically accomplishes it, and forthwith 

 steps into the niches of a well-earned immortality. Alas 

 for the permanency of laurels mundane! Within a week 

 every fish in the pool, not excepting even the six-inch 

 butt of the colony, had mastered the feat, and "Warty" 

 ran ked once more among the ordinaries. 



The con fidence thus established continued for some time 

 with increasing intimacy on both sides, when one after- 

 noon our deposed friend, after literally gorging himself 

 at the fingers of his trainer, commenced a series of man- 

 euvers which, distancing as they did all previous 

 achievements, constituted him once more the hero 

 of the harem. Having discovered in the fingers of 

 the now wholly immersed hand the means whereby to 

 relieve his itching proboscis, he proceeded without the 

 slightest hesitancy to utilize them as so many rabbing- 

 posts, gliding among and about them, and butting against 

 every protuberance of end, joint and knuckle which 

 seemed to offer favorably for that interesting operation — 

 his companions meanwhile assembled in solemn caucus, 

 discussing, apparently, the alternative of fin-cuffs or ex- 

 pulsion from sane piscatorial soc'ety. Encouraged be- 

 yond measure at the discovery of a "weak spot" in 

 "Warty's" physical get-up, which, properly manipulated , 

 promised some excellent results, the writer now pro- 

 ceeded to develop the same by cautious advances from the 

 human side. So, watching his opportunity when his sub- 

 ject manifested on the next occasion an inordinate irrita- 

 tion of the snout, a finger was gently laid upon and lightly 

 rubbed over the offending organ, with the result that the 

 now thoroughly appreciative creature speedily learned 

 not only to submit to and court the operation, but actually 

 manifested unmistakable sulMness when such attention 

 was withheld. By similar cautious advances the fins and 

 sides were by and by reached and manipulated, until at 

 length the extraordinary spectacle became common of 

 "Warty" lying upon his side — tickled, if not exactly "to 

 death," at all events beyond»the power of resistance — a 

 passive prisoner in the hand of his conqueror. In this 

 condition he could be lifted entirely out of the water and 

 handled for a reasonable time, and on regaining his native 

 element would invariably seek the hand which replaced 

 him, evidently anxious for a repetition of this terrestrial 

 experience. 



As already observed, the outlet from the inclosure was 

 a small aperture through which the overflow emerged in 

 a stream, and ultimately lost itself in a pond in the dis- 

 tance. Down this stream "Warty," when disposed for 

 an outing, was able to glide easily enough, but on the re- 

 turn or upstream trip his progress was at certain shallow 

 points greatly impeded and not unfrequently stopped 

 altogether. In this dilemma his custom was to dam the 

 current by lying across it until sufficient water had ac- 

 cumulated to enable him to wriggle a stage forward; and 

 failing this to set up such a continued splashing and 

 spluttering as insured a hearing at the house and his safe 

 conveyance by hand or, when equally convenient, in a 

 dish of some sort, to his destination. This latter method 

 of locomotion he evidently enjoyed immensely, as evinced 

 by his determination to enter any and every sized vessel 



Eut into the water, and so frequently did he accomplish 

 is purpose that it became a standing order to the ser- 

 vants to be careful after nightfall "not to bring Warty 

 up." The best of safeguards sometimes prove inadequate 

 to the situation, however, for despite every precaution 

 "Warty" was on a certain occasion "taken up," and his 

 whereabouts subsequently recorded from the interior of 

 the tea-kettle. His favorite food was worms, grubs and 

 fresh meat — especially sheep's lights — of which latter he 

 was inordinately fond, but which from its porosity and 

 the subsequent abnormal quantity of air it conveyed into 

 his interior completely upset his equilibrinm and consti- 

 tuted him a spectacle to gods and fishes. In this condi- 

 tion with pendant head and tail, sticking an inch and a 

 half above the surface of the water he floated or rather 

 bobbed about by the hour in the most dignified manner 

 conceivable, oblivious alike to the unmistakeable scorn 

 of his disgusted companions and the shouts of laughter 

 that greeted his grotesque maneuvers from above. 



Such, in brief, is a record of some of the results arrived 

 at in the taming of old "Warty." 



"What became of him?" The writer's feelings prompt 

 him to drop the curtain in response to the query, but m 

 consideration of the fact that others may take warning 

 from the reply, he would simply place it on record that 

 "Warty" succumbed to the effects of bar soap, carelessly 

 left in his path by a stupid, unforgotten and unforgiven 

 servant girl. — A. L. Anderson in Toronto Globe. 



Unseasonable Shad.— New York city has of late years 

 been getting Florida shad in February and the supply 

 was kept up by Georgia and more northerly States as the 

 season advanced until the Delaware, Hudson and Con- 

 necticut rivers sent in then supply. For the past week 

 several shad have been taken daily in the Lower Hudson, 

 and "North River Shad" has been placarded in Fulton 

 Market, the modest price of three to four dollars each 

 being asked for them. We saw three of these shad on 

 Mr. Blackford's slabs last Monday, roe shad all of them 

 and of rather small size. The theory that the shad mi- 

 grate in great schools and go to the equator and then 

 circle along up our coast was proved to be false years 

 ago by the work of the U. S. Fish Commission nets which 

 took the fish in different depths of water during the 

 winter season, showing that the shad only went off the 

 coast into deep water to feed and winter. Col. McDonald 

 has advanced the theory that the shad is ever on the 

 search for a temperature of 60° Fahr., but a ran of shad 

 in the Hudson in December seems to show that some of 

 them either disregard temperatures or have became lost. 

 The mild winter and the fact that the Hudson is free 

 from ice and boats are still running to Albany, may, and 

 no doubt has, a connection with this unusual visitation. 



