408 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Dec. 15, 1887. 



THE MENHADEN QUESTION. 



T\/TR. FRANCIS ENDICOTT, President of the Rich- 

 JLtA mond County (N Y.) Game and Fish Protective 

 Association, has spent the whole season along the coast 

 of New Jersey, and returned to the city last week. He 

 called in our office and said that the whole community 

 along that coast was unanimous in condemning the men- 

 haden steamers for ruining the fishing hy the wholesale, 

 capture of the menhaden, on which the bluefish and 

 other food fishes live. Before the advent of the steamers 

 the farmers and others came down to the shore and took 

 striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, 'etc., in numbers suffi- 

 cient to salt down for their winter use, but now they 

 cannot do it. 



Mr. Endicott found that he could take more fish with 

 rod and reel than the local fishermen could with their 

 nets. His largest catch was at Chadwick, Ocean county, 

 N. J., where on one day he took seventeen bluefish 

 weighing from 3 to 51bs. each, while in the year before 

 the steamers came it was not unusual for sportsmen to 

 take from fifty to sixty fish per day averaging 81bs. each. 

 He has seen the steamers within a hundred yards of the 

 shore, rounding up a school of menhaden so that the 

 boats with the nets could surround them. A man at the 

 masthead signals the depth of a school, and when it is 

 too large for the net the steamer would run through the 

 mass of fish and slice off enough for the net, and keep 

 this up until the entire school was captured. The portion 

 so sliced off would not again join the main body, and the 

 steamer would herd them until ready for another on- 

 slaught. The feeling against the steamers is very bitter, 

 and various means have been suggested to remedy this 

 state of affairs, but without national legislation the case 

 seems hopeless. 



MAINE TROUT. 



IT is the opinion of trappers and guides who have been 

 in the woods of Maine on the noted trout waters that 

 the number of brook trout seen on the well-known spawn- 

 ing beds has been unusually small this fall. This is 

 especially true of the Androscoggin waters, wrongly 

 named, but familiarly known as the Rangeleys. The 

 spawning beds in the Cupsuptic stream are reported by 

 one or two hunters to have been almost totally deserted 

 at the time when on other seasons great numbers of trout 

 have been noticed. Now this stream is one of the great 

 spawning grounds for the trout of both the Cupsuptic 

 a,nd the Mooselucmaguntic lakes, and the lack of trout 

 there is not pleasant to contemplate. At the Upper Dam 

 the natural spawning ground of the great trout of Rich- 

 ardson Lake — both the Upper and the Lower, or Mole- 

 chunkamunk and Welokennebacook — less trout have 

 been seen than usual. This is partly accounted for by 

 those who have been in the way of making observations 

 from the fact that the noted jigging of trout, recently 

 exposed in the Forest and Stream, was carried on all 

 summer at this point, and hence that a great number of 

 the spawning trout were destroyed. But it is a fact 

 worthy of note that the little bluebacks, usually seen in 

 great numbers at the Upper Dam during the autumn run 

 of these fish, have been very much less than usual at that 

 point. Still it is also curious to note that a new spawn- 

 ing ground of these trout (bluebacks) has been discov- 

 ered this fall. The point is at the mouth of Sawmill 

 Brook, at the head of the Upper Richardson Lake; or 

 rather the trout were found w r ell up into the narrow 

 nigged stream. Parties camping and gumming in that 

 vicinity were the first and about the only ones to notice 

 these little trout. One reliable guide, Mr. Oscar Cutting, 

 says that the stream was lined with them for quite a long 

 distance up into the running water. The bluebacks 

 were so intent upon breeding, or reaching the breeding 

 grounds, that they were literally piled up in the shallow 

 water in the little pools and eddies. The water was very 

 low in the stream at the time — before the fall rains. It 

 was very easy to capture them. The gummers and 

 hunters who saw them say that it was easy to take them. 

 One could easily toss them out of the water with the 

 hands, and that too by the bushel, if so many were 

 desired. The hunters captured all they cared for, and 

 tried them cooked, but were not generally pleased with 

 the flavor, though they selected the males for that pur- 

 pose. The females they describe as" full of ripe spawn, 

 while the males were full of milt. On seizing either, in 

 a majority of cases, the spawn or rnilt would spurt from 

 the body. The trout were small, the largest seen hardly 

 exceeding a foot in length, and weighing probably less 

 than a pound. 



The presence of the bluebacks at that point appears to 

 have driven off the brook trout from a favorite spawning 

 location. Or it is suggested that the brook trout had gone 

 up the stream ahead of the bluebacks. At least the 

 hunters did not see the regular trout in such numbers as 

 they had seen in the same location on previous seasons. 

 Whether those blue-backs are destructive to the spawn 

 or young of the brook trout is a question on which there 

 has yet but little been said and almost nothing written. 

 But to say the least, if the brook trout had visited the 

 spawning beds ahead of the bluebacks, the presence of 

 the latter fish, crowding the stream almost to suffocation, 

 could not be a benefit to the spawn of the brook trout, if, 

 indeed, such was not a positive injury. But little is 

 known about the habits of these blueback trout. They 

 are seen in the waters of the Androscoggin Lakes during 

 the breeding season, and that is about all that has been 

 seen of them in latter years, though there are old resi- 

 dents and frequenters of that region who pretend to say 

 that these fish have at times afforded rare sport in the 

 spring with rod and baited hook. The sportsman who 

 has put himself on record as having taken one of these 

 bluebacks with the fly is wanted to sjjeak up and tell 

 what he knows. To say the least, they are a fish very 

 unsatisfactory to the angler, and the fact of their appear- 

 ing in great numbers in the location mentioned is not 

 very pleasant reflection for the sportsmen who hold that 

 section of the Rangeleys near their hearts. It is possible 

 that they may invade the pounds above — they were seen 

 this fall almost up to the first Richardson Pond. At 

 least the cautious angler would rather they staid in the 

 lake region. 



At the Beaver Ponds, also at the headwaters of Mole- 

 chunkamunk, trout on the spawning beds have also been 

 very scarce this fall. At points in the Big Beaver, where 

 a year ago the bottom was literally covered with large 

 trout at the spawning time, the same persons who saw 

 the multitude of bluebacks in the Richardson stream — 



Sawmill Brook — say that they never saw a trout. They 

 do not claim that the bluebacks had invaded this locality 

 also, but they were so much surprised at not seeing the 

 brook trout on their usual spawning beds that they took 

 pains to look for them many times. Still it is possible 

 that the spawning season of these brook trout may have 

 been very early, or very late, this year. I incline toward 

 the theory that the season was very early, for it was the 

 common remark of a party of several sportsmen who an- 

 nually visit the section in question, very near the close 

 time on brook trout, that they never saw the spawn in 

 the female trout caught so throughly matured in Septem- 

 ber as this year. At the same time it must not be forgot- 

 ten that the Avater in the Richardson Lake has been kept 

 up nearly to the full pitch'by the "Waterpower Company 

 for nearly six months this year, including the hot months, 

 and this may have had much to do with the spawning of 

 the trout in the streams leading into the lake, and with 

 the presence of little bluebacks in such great numbers 

 in the Richardson stream. Still it could have had noth- 

 ing to do with the trout in Beaver Ponds, though the 

 water was remarkably low in these ponds all the latter 

 part of the season, and up to the fall rains, which came 

 late. Special. 



Whitefish in Northern "Wisconsin. — There has been 

 considerable discussion among fishermen as to whether 

 there were whitefish in the land-locked lakes on the line 

 of the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railway or 

 not. A number of these fish, supposed to be whitefish, 

 were speared in North Twin Lake and forwarded to the 

 general passenger office of the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & 

 Western Railway. Some of them were sent to Dr. A. 

 Holbrook, who pronounces them a cross between a white- 

 fish and a herring. If this is correct the question is, 

 must there not be whitefish in the lake to make the 

 cross. [The above is from the Milwaukee Sentinel, and 

 the point in the last sentence is well taken. Fish do not 

 hybridize in a state of nature or there would be no well- 

 defined species left. It is a very common error to assume 

 that any newly discovered fish must be a hybrid.] 1 



Notes from New Brunswick.— The guardians of the 

 Dungarvon River, a branch of the. Miramichi, report 

 havirfg seen a very great number of salmon on the spawn- 

 ing beds during the season. The same is said to have 

 been the case with all of the other salmon grounds on 

 the southwest Miramichi. Dungarvon has been most care- 

 fully protected (for the first time) during the past sum- 

 mer. The lessees expect good fishing next year. They 

 have gone to much expense in the matter of protection 

 and also erected a club house on the shores of the stream. 

 One word more about cusk. The Abenaki Indians of 

 the St. John call this fish sachem, chief. I lately asked 

 one of these gentlemen why they gave it so big a name. 

 "Dunno," said my friend, "perhaps because he has so 

 big a head."— Edward Jack. 



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



FISH PLANTED ON LONG ISLAND. 



AT a recent meeting of the Commissioners of Fisheries of 

 New York, the following petition was presented: To 

 the Honorable, the Game and Fish Commissioners of the 

 State of New York: We, the owners and occupiers of land 

 in the town of Southampton, in the county of Suffolk, State 

 of New York, represent to your honorable body: First— That 

 out of the annual appropriation for the visiting and stocking 

 waters in this State, we hope to have the benefit of your ex- 

 perience and assistance. Second — That we have no informa- 

 tion that the waters of this immediate locality, which we 

 deem of so much importance to the whole fishing commu- 

 nity, have yet been inspected and stocked. Third— That 

 the waters not only comprise very line, fresh-water lakes 

 and ponds, but also salt-water bays, inlets and creeks. 

 Fourth — We respectfully submit the above to your early 

 consideration, and hereby petition you to act in the matter. 

 — T. Gallard Thomas, M.D.; Wager Swayne, and 141 

 others. 



The petition was referred to Mr. E. G. Blackford, the 

 Commissioner in charge of the Long Island work, who re- 

 turned to the petitioners the following report from the 

 superintendent of the hatching station in that district: 



Cold Spring Haebor, N. Y., Oct. 31, 1887.— Mr. M G. 

 Blackford, Commissioner of Fisheries, New York: Sir— 

 In reply to your inquiry concerning the number and kinds 

 of fish which have been distributed from this hatching sta- 

 tion to the waters of Long Islandj have drawn the following 

 List from our books. It does not include shipments to other 

 parts of the State. All tke plantings, except those made 

 in 1887, will be found in the reports of the Fish Commission 

 of the previous years: 



BROOK TROUT. 



1883— John Cashow, Locust Valley 10,000 



Mill Ponds, Cold Spring Harbor 8,000 



John D. Jones. South Oyster Bay 5,000 



N. W. Foster, Riverhead 8.000 



1884— John Cashow, Shoe Swamp Brook 3,000 



Mill Ponds, Gold Spring Harbor 4.000 



1885— George Snvder, Manhassett 5,500 



H. Scudder, Northport 1,300 



H. S. Jennings, lslip 3,000 



W. F. Hawkins, Bellport 3,<-00 



Wood Fosdick, Bellport 2,000 



Mill Ponds, Cold Spring Harbor 1,500 



1886— J. D. Hewlett, Cold Spring Harbor, eggs bought. . . . 117,125 



G. H. Newton, Smithtown 10,000 



L. D. Huntington, Smithtown 5,000 



F. H. Weeks, Cold Spring Harbor 8,000 



H. Scudder, Nortuport 2,000 



Chas. E. Whitehead, Babylon 5,000 



S, H. B. De Milt, Oyster Bay 5,000 



Miss Marbury, Oyster Bay 5,000 



W. J. Hawkins, Bellport 5,000 



Wood Fostiick, Bellport 5,000 



J. H. Perkins, Riverhead 5,000 



H. Slioshinsky, Breslau 2,0C0 



F. T. Underhill, Oyster Bay 5,000 



W. L. Prime, Huntington 5,0 



E. Floyd- Jones, Seaford 5,000 



Geo. E. Ward, Great Neck. 1,000 



J, W. Beekman, Oyster Bay 3,000 



1887— W. S. Allen, Bay Side 500 



L. D. Huntington, Smithtown 5,000 



W. Floyd-Jones, Seaford 5,000 



W A. Brown, Supt.. Seaford 2.0U0 



John D. Jones, Seaford 5,000 



F. T. Underbill, Oyster Bay (bought) 47,448 



John D. Hewlett, Cold Spring Harbor 5,000 



Samuel S. Stevens, Babylon 2,000 



John Cashow, Locust Valley 2,000 



C, E, Quinlan, Flushing 7,000 



Brooklyn Gun Club, Smithtown 10.000 



J. W. Beekman, Oyster Bay 1,100 



Kept in our ponds 6,000 



Total brook trout 345,471 



BROWN TROUT (EUROPEAN). 



1884— Jones & Hewlett. Cold Spring Harbor 



A. N, Frye, Bellmore 



C. J. Stewart, Jamaica 



Townsend Jones, Cold Spring Harbor 



Hon. R. B. Roosevelt, Sayville 



II. B.Hyde .' 



1S85— H. S. Jennings, lslip 



George Snyder, Manhassett j 



J. R. Wood, Cold Spring: Harbor 



F. H. Weeks, Cold Spring Harbor 



Wocks & DeForest, Cold Spring Harbor 



H. Scudder, Northport 



Townsend Jones, Cold Spring Harbor 



1886— Mill ponds, Cold Spring Haibor 



J. W. Beekman, Oyster Bay 



Kept in our ponds 



1887— W. A. Brown, Seaford 



W. Holberton, Bellmore 



J. D. Hewlett, Cola Spring Harbor 



Oxford Club, Patchogue 



Kept in our ponds , 



Total brown trout 



LAKE trout. 



1886- Great Pond, at Riverhead 



Pond at Breslau 



Total lake trout. . 



97,900 



15,000 

 5,000 



BLUE-BACKED TROUT. 



1885-F. H. Weeks, Cold Spring Harbor 



Weeks & DeForest, Oyster Bay 



Total blue-backed trout. 



RAINBOW TROUT. 



1884— Townsend Jones, Cold Sprinc? Harbor 



Weeks & DeForest, Cold Spring Harbor.. 

 Lake Ronkonkoma 



1885— George Snyder, Manhassett 



J. R. Wood, Cold Sm-ing Harbor 



F. H. Weeks, Cold Spring Harbor 



A. W. Benson, Montauk 



P. McGovern, Brooklyn 



J. Ramsbottom, Baldwins 



Weeks & DeForest, Oyster Bay 



Total rainbow trout 



20,000 



3,500 

 1,000 



4,500 



3,000 

 4,000 

 4,500 

 1,000 

 1,000 

 1,000 

 4,000 

 500 

 500 

 1,000 



LANDLOCKED SALMON. 



1883— Great Pond, at Montauk 



South Side Club. Oakdale 



Hon. R. B. Roosevelt, Sayville 



Mill Ponds, at Cold Spring Harbor 



1884— Great Pond at Montauk 



James Ramsbottom, Baldwins 



Lake Ronkonkoma 



John D. Jones, Seaford 



Total landlocked salmon 



20,500 



5,000 

 5,000 

 4,000 

 6,0C0 

 4,000 

 1,500 

 8,000 

 6,000 



39,500 



72,000 

 700,000 

 200,000 



Conetquoit River, Brookhaven 500,000 



1,472,000 



SHAD. 



188'! — Nissequogue River, Smithtown.. 



1887— Nissequogue River, Smithtown 



Cold Spriiig Harbor. . 



Total sbad 



WHITEFISH [FROM GREAT LAKES]. 



1884— Lake Ronkonkoma 



Great Pond, Riverhead 



St. Jobn's Lake, Cold Spring Harbor 



1885— Lake RoT.konkonia 



Great Pond, Riverhead 



St. John's Lake 



1887— St. John's Lake 



375,000 

 500,000 

 75,000 

 340,000 

 500,000 

 50,000 

 400,000 



Total wbitefish 2,340,000 



SMELTS. 



1885- Cold Spring Harbor 100,000 



1886- Cold Spring Harbor 2,000.000 



1887- Cold Spring Haroor 2,000,000 



Total smelts 4,100,000 



TOMCODS [FROST FISH]. 



1884— Cold Soring Harbor 38,000 



1885— Cold Spring Harbor 750,000 



1886— Cold Spring Harbor 2,225,000 



1887— Cold Spring Harbor 3,400,000 



Total tomcods 6,413,000 



LOBSTERS. 



1886— Cold Spring Harbor 4,000 



RECAPITULATION. 



Brook trout 345,471 



Brown trout 97 900 



Lake trout 20.000 



Blue-backed trout 4,500 



Rainbow trout. 20,500 



Landlocked salmon 39,500 



Whitefish 2,240,000 



Shad 1,472 000 



Smelts.... 1,100,0 



Tomcods 6,413.0CO 



Lobsters 4,000 



Total fish planted on Long Island 14,756,871 



In conclusion I would say: Our limited means have been 

 used in needed improvements and in running expenses, and 

 much as I would like to make an examination of the waters 

 of the island I have not done so. An examination of the 

 above list will show that our work has been largely in that 

 class of fishes which are especially food fishes; and for these 

 we have had few applications; and therefore the smelts and 

 tomcods have been turned into the harbor here. All appli- 

 cants have been answered that their request had been placed 

 on file and that when the season of distribution came they 

 would be notified of the number allotted them. If any per- 

 sons have neglected to make application for fish or to inform 

 themselves from the reports of the Fish Commissioners of 

 what work has been done since the establishment of this 

 hatching station, the fault, if any, is not mine. Very truly 

 yours, Fred Mather, Superintendent. 



The Mmnel 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Dec. 14 to 16.— Third Annual Dog Show of the Winsted Kennel 

 Club. Frank D. Hallett, Superintendent, Winsted, Conn. Entries 

 close Dec. 3. 



Jan. 10, 11, 12 and 13, 1888— Bench Show of the Ohio Poultry,Pigeon, 

 Kennel and Pet Stock Association, Columbus, O. H. O. Bridge, 

 Secretary. Columbus, O. 



Jan. 23 to 27, 1888.— First Dog Show of the Agusta Poultry and 

 Poultry Association, at Agusta, Ga. 



Jan. 24. to 29.— Augusta, Ga., Richmond County Poultry and Pet 

 Stock. 



Feb. 13 to 17.— First show Fort Schuyler Kennel Club, Utica, N. 

 Y. E. J. Spencer, Sec, 



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

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

 Superintendent. 



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

 Child, Sec. 



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

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

 FIELD TRIALS. 



Dec. 12.— First Annual Field Trials of the American Field 

 Trials Club, at Florence, Ala. C. W. Paris, Secretary, Cincinnati, 

 O. 



Jan. 10, 1888.— Second Annual Field Trials of tbe Texas Field 

 Trials Glnb, at Marshall, Tex. W. L. Thomas, Secretary, Mar- 

 shall, Tex. 



Jan, 16— Fif tb Annual Field Trials of tbe Pacific Coast Field 

 Trial Club, near Kingsburgh, Cal. N. P. Shelden, Secretary, 320 

 Sansome street, San Fraucisco, CaL 



