Mapch SI, 1889,] 



FORKST AND STREAM. 



176 



§xmp=<g ir e Sucklings. 



"That reminds me." 



MCGINNIS i8 a hbted spottsulari. As his name indi- 

 cates; he is a native of France; and what he does 

 hot know ibodt goose hunting is hot worth knowing. 

 Year after year, while the flight is iri progress; he takes 

 his old muzzleloader (a small cannon) and conceals him : 

 self in the willows by the Platte. The birds that he hits 

 invariably drop into the river. Those that fall on the 

 land are scared to death. So long as he remained on 

 terra firma he "was all right; but on an evil day he pur- 

 chased a copy of W. B. Leffingwell's "Wild Fowl Shoot- 

 ing," and learned a new wrinkle. 



He must have decoys, and the aforementioned muzzle- 

 loader not doing its duty, two of Mrs, McG.'s tame fowls 

 ate secretly slaughtered, stuffed with hay, a crooked 

 stick giving the proper curve to the neck, and taken to 

 the river. Here a horseshoe tied to the feet of each 

 serves as ballast and a clothes line keeps them from 

 being carried away by the current. Alasi The geese 

 cross the river as before, and alight on the sandbars half 

 a mile away from McGinnis in the bullrushes. 



Straightway he posts himself upon the subjects of 

 "blinds?' He drives to town, procures a large packing 

 box, takes it home and spends a day in strengthening it 

 and making it watertight. If he had kept the matter to 

 himself we would have been none the wiser; but his boasts 

 of the scores of geese that he was "going to get" led to 

 some private detective work, and there were three heart- 

 less scapegraces hidden in the bushes on that December 

 morning when McGinnis and his hired man loaded the 

 box on his flatboat, put in about fifty bricks, and pulled 

 for the sandbars. 



The geese were at their feeding grounds, and before 

 their return the shooting-box was in position, weighted 

 down, and Patrick had returned to shore. We imagined 

 that McGinnis was not happy in mind. The Platte is no 

 duck pond, and every now and then a wave would dash 

 over the box, or a cake of ice threaten to break in its 

 sides. We could almost hear the Parisian ejaculations of 

 the occupant, and the air above the blind was of a pale, 

 sulphurous hue. At length the geese returned. They 

 flew low as they approached the bar, and McGinnis, 

 rising, gave them both barrels. One goose dropped to 

 the water, and the rest decided that they were looking for 

 another spot, McGinnis's first shot was his last. Below 

 the river was white with birds, but none came near him. 

 We could see him peer down stream, and then — "He's 

 gom' to float down to 'em, as I'm a sinner,'* said Dick. 

 Sure enough, one brick after another was pitched out of 

 the bdx, and the next instant McGinnis's scow was riding 



Eroudly on the raging waters of the Platte. It did not 

 ug the shore, but took the center of the stream at a good 

 four-mile rate, and McGinnis, in endeavoring to maintain 

 his equilibrium, forgot geese and everything else. We 

 knew he could not drown, and that the long bridge would 

 stop him, so we rode back to town, aud two hours later 

 poor soaked McGinnis, sans hat, sans gun, sdns every- 

 thing, walked up the main street from the south. We 

 were on the lookout for him, and tjie first words to greet 

 him were, "Hello, Mac! How's goose hunting in a canal 

 boat?" A sickly smile lighted his features as he whis- 

 pered, "B'ys, Oi'm dhry. Fat'll ye's take to kape it 

 shtill?" Shoshone. 

 Nebraska. 



264. 



No. 2tt4 is the landlord's story contained in the sketch 

 on another page entitled "September on Big Sandy Bay. " 

 It is so good that it ought to go in this comer, out it is 

 all the better for the setting "Cayuga" has given it. 



THE PROTECTORS AND PIRATES. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



With the approach of spring the thoughts of every 

 angler turn occasionally to the lairs where fish of various 

 kinds have their homes. With these pleasant thoughts 

 come others not so pleasant to the anglers of central New 

 York, who look with disgust upon the ravages of fish 

 thieves under the very eyes of men appointed and paid 

 by the State to prevent such outlawry. We have a grand 

 aggregation of waters, which ought to be the pride of the 

 anglers of the State; but they are practically set apart to 

 the spoliation of men who trample law under foot while 

 they defy the angler. Within an hour's ride you can 

 teach any of these waters from Syracuse; some can be 

 reached within thirty minutes. Within this range is 

 Cayuga Lake, Owasco Lake, Skaneateles Lake, Caze- 

 novia Lake, Oneida Lake, Onondaga Lake, Cross Lake, 

 many small lakes and ponds, the Seneca River, Oneida 

 River, and a large number of trout streams. In a ride of 

 from two to three hours this area of water can be doubled. 

 Every lake, pond and stream is a natural breeder of fish 

 of its kind. In fact it may safely be said that Oneida 

 Lake has no superior anywhere as a fish breeder, and it 

 may be as safely said that nowhere do more pirates 

 abound. All of these waters are constantly subject to 

 the unblushing ravages of law-breakers. During the 

 past winter very large quantities of fish have been taken 

 through the ice and sent to market. As soon as the ice 

 is gone hundreds of nets will be put in operation, and 

 continued through the season. So it is that these waters 

 become so depleted that the angler has to surrender plea- 

 sure to the greed of the pirate. 



Now, all this outrage and defiance of law is so bold that 

 it is in no sense a secret. So-called agents of the State 

 know better than anybody else of these depredations; but 

 they quiety draw their pay, occasionally capture a net or 

 two, and let the nefarious work go on. 



Is it not somewhat anomalous to see the Legislature 

 make appropriations for hatching and breeding fish and 

 at the same time allow its agents, appointed to protect 

 the result of such appropriations, to defeat their object 

 by refusing to support law for the protection of fish? 

 These so-called game protectors are in these parts worse 

 than nothing. Both the Governor and Legislature are 

 wasting the people's money in supporting them, 



What is much needed is a chief officer to supervise 



these agerits throughout the State, and make them do 

 their duty or surrender their places to men who will do 

 so. This officer should be a man of high character and 

 willing to serve without compensation, or with Buch 

 small compensation that every ruffian in the country 

 would not seek the place. Why not place such authority 

 with the Fish Commissioners? 



Let the laws be enforced, of lepeal at least that part of 

 then! that inflicts lazy, indifferent "protectors" upon the 

 public. Angler. 



Syracuse; slarch 16; 



THE SUNSET 0LUB.-11. 



"ORETHREN," said the president; after the club was 

 J3 opened in due form, "we have with us to*night 

 Hon. Emery D. Potter, Fish Commissioner of Ohio; I 

 will not follow the 'long time custom' of reviewing the 

 active career of our esteemed friend, but will say for the 

 information of new members that the Judge began his 

 business life by reading law with the late General Dix, 

 of New York. In 1833 was admitted to practice in New 

 York Supreme Court; elected Circuit Judge in 1885; and, 

 in Ohio, was elected to the twenty -seventh Congress in 

 1845$ and In the year of 1848 to the thirtieth Congress, 

 where he was chairman of the standing committee on 

 post-offices; introduced and was instrumental in carrying 

 through the bill reducing postage to the Uniform rate of 

 three cents, and was the author of the bill for coinage of the 

 three-cent silver piece. A member of the Lower House 

 of the Ohio Representatives, and in 1813 was elected to 

 the State Senate. There are but few men iu the United 

 States who have devoted so many years to the study of 

 ichthyology, and taken greater interest in the propaga- 

 tion of fish, and been the means of introducing the various 

 species in our inland streams. He has always advocated 

 that outdoor exercise was essential to the maintenance 

 of good health, and we mention with the air of a proud 

 fisherman, who, after a day's outing, returns with a well 

 filled creel, that the Judge walked to-night from his home 

 to the club room through a blinding snow storm, although 

 he lacks but a few years of scoring the ripe old age of 

 one hundred. His active mind, bright eye, keen percep- 

 tion and old-time grasp of the hand are eminently char- 

 acteristic of his love of outdoor exercise, to his indulgence 

 in which he attributes his freedom from many of the 

 aches and pains which afflict mankind. We take pleasure 

 in introducing Hon. Emery D. Potter, State Fish Com- 

 missioner of Ohio." 



HON. EMERY D. POTTEK. 



As the veteran rose a long-continued storm of applause 

 greeted him. Hale, hearty and light of foot he stepped 

 to the rostrum, and when the hall was as quiet as a de- 

 serted village church, he said, in a clear, distinct voice; 

 "I asked an old sportsman what could be said about 

 health and longevity. He said, 'To be a thorough sports- 

 man comprises all that can be said upon the subject.' I 

 am often asked what has been the cause of my robust 

 health. I can best answer by giving my manner of life 

 from the beginning. From my early childhood I fished 

 in the cold streams of Herkimer and Otsego counties, 

 New York, for the speckled trout, beginning with an alder 

 fish pole, a chalk line and angle worms, and passing 

 through all the gradations of the art up to the rod and 

 reel, with a book of selected flies; and when the small 

 streams were fished out, I went to new fields for better 

 sport. For over fifty years scarcely a summer has passed 

 that I have not spent several weeks, sometimes running 

 into months, on the north shore of Lake Superior among 

 the speckled trout, coasting in an open Mackinac boat, 

 with two Indian voyageurs; coasting from the Soo to Fort 

 William, taking in all the favorite fishing grounds, in- 

 cluding the celebrated Nepigon, seldom coming into camp 

 without a well-filled creel of the Salvelinus fontinalis. 

 My limited time will not admit of any fish stories, as I 

 am only endeavoring to impress upon the minds of my 

 young friends the means of attaining and preserving vig- 

 orous youth, muscular manhood and a green old age; for 

 I can say, without boasting, that I see well, hear well, 

 feed well, digest well, am without any organic impair- 

 ment, and can keep up with my bird dogs afield from 

 morning till night. 



' 'My exercises have not been con fined to the rod and line. 

 For many years before coming to Toledo I hunted the 

 game found in the vicinity of Cooperstown, N. Y., con- 

 sisting of squirrels, rabbits, partridges and woodcock, 

 but when I came to this city, "over fifty-three years ago, 

 large game was in the greatest abundance, so plentiful 

 that I have killed deer in every ward of the city. My 

 profession — for I belong to the legal brotherhood, being 

 the first lawyer that ever hung out a shingle in this city — 

 required close application to office work; but in the fish- 

 ing season, on every Saturday morning before breakfast. 



I took ray fishing traps and boat, rowed about four miles 

 to the fishing grounds, where I spent the entire day, tak- 

 ing neither food nor liquids of any kind, until my return 

 at night, when a good substantial dinner wound up the 

 day's sport. In the shooting season , with my rifle on my 

 shoulder, on every Saturday I visited the haunts of the 

 deer and wild turkeys, and* seldom returned without my 

 game. You may think that without eating or drinking 

 anything, not even water, one would suffer from hunger 

 and thirst, but you, my young friends, try it, and if you 

 are among game, you will not think of eating or drink- 

 ing. Killi ng from two to three deer a day was a common 

 occurrence, and one day I walked three miles before 

 breakfast, and before 10 o'clock in the morning I had five 

 deer, three of them bucks that would weigh 2001bs. each, 

 hung up by the heels. My Saturday's respite from office 

 labor I continued for many year's. During all these 

 earlier years I abstained entirely from alcoholic or stimu- 

 lating drinks. Young gentlemen, you don't need stimu- 

 lants. Nature has provided you with vigor equal to any 

 emergency, and it does not require any quickening by 

 artificial methods." 



Here an old deer slayer with frosted beard and locks 

 bleached by the snows of eighty winters, inquired of the 

 speaker as to the age when a man might be allowed to 

 take a little something. 



The Judge said: "That depends entirely upon con- 

 ditions; as long as a man is in good health and can stand 

 fatigue without any diminution of physical force he had 

 better let drink alone. But when from fatigue, after 

 unusual exercise, he begins to feel a letting down, 

 although he may recuperate by rest, yet a little whisky 

 makes Mm momentarily feel young again, and that 

 pleasure, perhaps, compensates for the depression that 

 succeeds the effect. My experience is, that a moderate 

 stimulant to persons in the down hill of life is not to be 

 condemned. I have often heard old-time ministers of 

 the gospel quote Paul to Timothy as a justification for 

 taking a drop themselves, but I think the text will not 

 bear that interpretation. 'Take a little wine for your 

 often infirmities' was in the nature of a prescription for 

 some organic trouble that Paul knew Timothy to be 

 afflicted with. Whisky, as a medicine, is often prescribed 

 by the best physicians with great benefit.- An instance 

 is related of John Brown, of Haddington, the celebrated 

 Scotch divine, and author of 'Brown's Concordance of 

 the Bible.' When traveling from one settlement to 

 another on horseback he was overtaken by a blizzard, 

 and struggling through the drifts of snow was barely 

 able to reach a cottage door, and being assisted to enter, 

 unable to stand, the cotter set to work to brew him a hot 

 punch of good old Scotch whisky and handed it smoking 

 to the old man, and as the fumes of the brew entered bis 

 nose, and before tasting it , fell on his knees, raised his 

 hands in the attitude of a prayer and solemnly said, 'Let 

 me give thanks.' I think he was justified. I have already 

 occupied too much of your time. At another time I may 

 give you some of my experiences of forest and stream. 

 Good night, until we meet at Pan Cake Bay among the 

 speckled trout and the lordly Salmo namaycvsh.'''' 



"Is the committee ready to report relative to admitting 

 ex-Governor Foster as an honorary member?" said the 

 president. 



The chairman arose and said: "Mr. President, we have 

 examined many noted Lake Erie anglers, and have the 

 honor to make the following report: Hon. Charles Foster 

 is one of the most persevering and patient fishermen who 

 ever cast a line in the waters of Lake Erie. It is said, and 

 without contradiction, that he will sit in a boat under the 

 scorching rays of a summer's sun hour after hour watch- 

 ing his bobber, and when a deep-water sauger slowly 

 takes it out of sight, he notes every movement with an 

 expert's stare, and at the proper time gives the scientific 

 jerk and winds his reel as if his fife depended upon his 

 efforts to land his fish. We are satisfied that he will be 

 a valuable member, and report favorable." 



The president examined the report, which the chair- 

 man handed the secretary, and said: "Are there any 

 reasons why the Governor should not be admitted into 

 full fellowship as an honorary member?" 



Not a word was spoken for some time. Presently a 

 Chicago member whispered to a Michigan brother, who 

 rose and said: "Mr. President and brethren, we are 

 scientific anglers in ever.v sense of the word; supposed to 

 thoroughly understand the art of angling. We are all 

 tried and true brothers; truthful fishermen; honest men 

 as the world goes. We are satisfied beyond a question of 

 a doubt that Governor Foster never told a fish lie in all 

 his life, and further, that he takes as much pleasure in 

 catching perch and sunfish as he does a 41bs. bass, and can 

 land them with the same grace. An instance: He was 

 patiently fishing for 31bs. small-mouth bass on the reefs of 

 the islands of Lake Erie, when some one told him he had 

 a bite. Slowly he took the rod in hand, gave the fish free 

 line, requested the other occupants of the boat to keep 

 quiet, and warned them above everything else not to 

 swear. The fish was a hungry one; on it went for deep 

 water. 'Give him a yank, you got him,' cried his com- 

 panions. He did, and the forest-covered islands echoed 

 with his merrv laughter. 'A monster,' he cried, as he 

 took full possession of the boat. Now to the right, then 

 to the left he played him, and through the excitement, 

 incidental to the occasion, his rod snapped and hand over 

 hand he pulled the gamy monarch of the lake toward the 

 boat. At last, by a quick movement, the noble fish lay 

 at his feet. It weighed three-fourths of a pound, light 

 weight — a vellow perch " 



The brethren shook their heads. 



"Are there any other remarks upon this case?" said the 

 chair. 



"I am not exactly satisfied with the kind of tackle the 

 Governor uses," said a brother from Columbus, O. "His 

 entire outfit will not exceed in value $2.85, and for an 

 ex-representative of the great State of Ohio to fish with 

 such materials, is not in keeping with our laws." 



"That is a serious question," said the president, thought- 

 fully. "But I understand that the Governor has given 

 Hon. Joseph W. Cummings, of Ohio, authority to pur- 

 chase a complete outfit, the price not to exceed $85. This 

 is done that he might comply with the laws of our club. 

 The application will be laid over until a report can be had 

 from Judge Cummings." 



The club adjourned. . J. E. Gunckel. 



Maryland Trout.— Oakland, March 18.— Trout were 

 jumping and ducks flying on Saturday on my lake, and 

 some of the former got into the boat, — G. W. D. 



