424 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 48, 1889. 



"TROUT" IN LOWER CALIFORNIA. 



IN Forest and Stream of Jan. 31 and April 18, 1889. 

 will be found answers to inquiries of "Guatemala" 

 concerning a. kind of "trout" which he has observed in 

 mountain streams in Guatemala. We suggest that some 

 member of the family of toothed minnows (Characinidce) 

 might have been mistaken for a fish of the salmon family; 

 indeed, a species of Charaeinidw was described by a French 

 author in 1835 under the name of Coregonus nilotieiis, 

 supposing it to be a white fish. Many writers of equal or 

 greater fame have referred species of Characins to the 

 genus Salmo, among them Linne, Gmelin, Bloch, Schnei- 

 der, Forskal, Hasselquist, Kolreuter and Artedi. It 

 would not be strange, therefore, if a person unfamiliar 

 with the distinguishing characters of fishes should mis- 

 take a toothed minnow for a trout. Worse things than 

 that have happened: for example, one of the mullets 

 {Agonostomus nasutus) native to mountain streams in 

 Guatemala and Lower California is locally known in the 

 river at San Jose as trucha, or trout, and we have sus- 

 pected that this may be recognized under the same name 

 at Tumbador. This mountain mullet has the reputation 

 of being equal to the brook trout in firmness of flesh, ex- 

 cellence of flavor, freedom from small bones, and in game 

 qualities. It is possible that an attempt will be made some 

 day to introduce into Georgia and North Carolina one or 

 more of the fine species found in mountain' streams of 

 Jamaica, or the one known from the river of San Gero- 

 nimo, in Guatemala. 



NEW ENGLAND STREAMS. 



THE present is proving to be the season of big trout, 

 and best of all quite a plenty of them. Massachu- 

 setts lakes, ponds and streams have given the anglers a 

 better chance than for many years. A gentleman who 

 has been acquainted with a certain pond in Plymouth 

 for fifty years was telling me the other day of a catch of 

 a dozen trout he made there one afternoon, when on 

 former seasons one or two on a half day was considered 

 fairly good fishing. Another gentleman mentions a 

 brook running into an arm of the sea on the south shore, 

 where no trout had been seen for some years, though 

 they were formerly abundant. His boys' came in the 

 other day with the story that they had seen a large trout. 

 The- gentleman could hardly believe the report, but the 

 boys went afishing the next afternoon, with the result 

 that they caught a trout weighing 24lbs. The next day 

 the gentleman himself took rod and line and captured 

 two or three good trout. But we turn to Maine for the 

 most gratifying results. 



The trout stories from the Rangeleys are almost too good 

 to be believed, especially since the season started in so 

 early, and the first results were so very poor. Moosehead 

 is also showing excellent results. The streams were 

 never so full of trout, and the fisher for numbers of the 

 little fingerlings is making his usual record up among the 

 hundreds — the record that is so very distressing to the 

 true angler. Where do all the trout come from? "What 

 good spirit is fast bringing back the angling of formew 

 days? It is evidently protection, though the laws of the 

 several States are poorly enforced. But public sentiment 

 is growing, and the poacher and law breaker is frowned 

 upon in such a marked degree that his life is being made 

 a burden, and he is staying out of the woods. It is a fact 

 that trout have greatly increased in both Maine and 

 Massachusetts waters during the past five or six years, in 

 spite of the fact that the increase in anglers and the love 

 of angling has been more than ten times as great. 



Special. 



Middle Dam, Maine, June 7.— The fishing continues to 

 be very good , and both trout and landlocked salmon are 

 rising to a fly, furnishing fine sport to the enthusiastic 

 angler. Mr. Hempsted, who was mentioned in my last 

 letter, has taken one trout weighing B-Jlbs. and another 

 of 8£lbs. since I wrote you. Mr. Curtis, who made such 

 a splendid record last year, among many other fish 

 has taken two landlocked salmon weighing 5 and 3£lbs., 

 on a fly, and a trout weighing ollbs. Mr. Curtis had rare 

 sport with his 51b. salmon, the fish breaking water no less 

 than six times, and he told me he had never felt more 

 pleasure in capturing a fish than in bringing this land- 

 looked salmon to net/ Besides these large fish Mr. Cur- 

 tis has taken about a hundred trout. Messrs. Armstrong 

 and Miles have taken 125 trout, all of which would be 

 called large trout in almost any country but this. Mr. 

 Armstrong has taken a 34ib. trout, and several running 

 between 2 and 31bs. There was never better fly-fishing 

 than at present, and it will probably be good all through 

 this month, as the conditions are favorable. Messrs. 

 Shattuck and Smart, of Boston, who spent a few days at 

 their camp in the Narrows, carried home a fine lot of 

 fish, among which were two trout weighing 8 and 8-£lbs., 

 the largest of which was on exhibition for a few days in 

 Boston, in the window of a fishing tackle store. 



The last five years, many of the fishermen visiting the 

 lakes have brought their wives with them, and some of 

 the ladies have developed a love for the sport, and can 

 talk "fish" as well as any man, and seem to enjoy it av, 

 much. 



Coe & Pingree's drive of logs which annually passes 

 through this chain of lakes, are all through the Middle 

 Dam, and by far the larger part have reached Umbagog 

 Lake. The drive this year was the largest ever known, 

 containing 17,000,000ft., and yet the large land owners 

 here tell me that the lumber is still growing faster than 

 it is cut, so that it will probably be many years yet be- 

 fore the timber is all cut off in this region, if it ever is, 

 for much of the land is worthless for any other purpose 

 than of growing a forest. 



We have had rain here for several days past, and last 

 night was one of the coldest I have ever experienced in 

 this section at this season of the year. As I came up 

 Lake Umbagog this morning on the fleet little steamer 

 Parmachenee, the White Mountains presented a grand 

 sight. Our rain of yesterday must have been snow on the 

 mountains, for the granite crown of Washington and its 

 attendant peaks were draped in spotless white, showing 

 finely against the unclouded blue of the sky. By far the 

 most satisfactory view of the White Mountains to be 

 obtained anywhere in this region can be had from the 

 upper part of Lake Umbagog, a little above Moose Point. 

 Here they are in sight from summit half w r ay to base, and 

 each grand peak stands out clearly from its fellows. 



Mr. C. P. Stevens, of Boston, who is usually one of the 

 earliest visitors here in the spring, has been detained at | 



home much against his wish by business, and has just 

 made his appearance at his neat little Vine Yale camp in 

 the Narrows. The Narrows is one of the most famous 

 fishing grounds in this region, and as Mr. Stevens is a 

 successful and persistent angler, he will no doubt leave a 

 record behind hiin when he returns home. 



J. P. Whitney and family, of Boston, and a party of 

 friends have already been at their beautiful summer camp 

 on Lake Molechunkamunk for several weeks, and the 

 whole party, J understand, have enjoyed excellent fish- 

 ing. 



A few members of the Boston Club are at their camp, 

 a short distance below Upper Dam Landing, and rpport 

 fishing good. 



One party of four anglers who were here recently and 

 stopped a few days, carried home 480 trout, all nice ones, 

 besides the small ones they ate and gave away and threw 

 back into the water. Every fisherman I have met says 

 he has never known the trout so plenty as they are this 

 spring. As one fisherman told me, "You can catch more 

 small and medium-sized trout than you want, but it is 

 the big fellows I am after." 



Those of your readers who have been detained from 

 making their annual fishing trip in May can try it in 

 June this year, with a fair show of success, for there 

 seems at the present time to be more fish than fishermen. 



Capt. Farrar. 



LOSS OF FISH FROM CARP PONDS. 



rpHE recent flood in the Potomac River caused it to over- 

 _L flow the Government carp ponds at Washington and 

 disperse the carp and goldfish over the reservation almost 

 as Far as the Capitol. While the young carp as a rale re- 

 mained on the reservation, many of the big ones of both 

 sexes were scattered over Pennsylvania avenue and other 

 prominent streets. One lllbs. fish was captured at Mary- 

 land avenue and \% street, southwest. Three aggregating 

 about 301 bs. in weight were taken at the doors of the Center 

 Market. Still another, weighiug 6}4lbs., and measuring 

 25in., was captured at 12th street and Ohio avenue by a gen- 

 tleman who alighted from his carriage and dispatched the 

 fish with the butt of his whip. We learn that there are 

 many old fish left in the ponds, and a large number of them 

 have not yet spawned. This is very fortunate, as thousands 

 of the young of last spring's spawning have left the ponds 

 and cannot be recovered. Dr. Hessel fortunately recaptured 

 a great many of the escaping young fish and returned them 

 to the ponds. Associated with the carp were seen gold fish, 

 spring minnows (Fundulus diaphanus), small sunfish 

 (Eviicaraidhnx tjlirrtosns), minnows {Hyltoqnu tints rcqlns) 

 and young eels. 



The results of this unprecedented flood will be seriously 

 felt for a long time to come. 



Ozark Mountain Trout.— Kansas City, Mo.— Is it pos- 

 sible that, with our present magnificent variety of game 

 birds, fishes and other animals, we can add to them any 

 one of the great salmon family? The beautiful Ozark 

 Mountains are surely being opened, and are to become 

 famous, indeed, as a sporting section, easy of access and 

 good accommodations. Spring River, having its head 

 from one of the largest springs in the world at Mammoth 

 Spring, just over the line in northern Arkansas, is cer- 

 tainly one of the most beautiful and natural angling 

 streams in the country. Those who have traveled over 

 the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad to Memphis 

 will testify to the beauty of the Ozark Mountains and this 

 beautiful stream. It will be a pleasure to read the expe- 

 rience of those who have been in that country, and more 

 especially to hear - from others as to whether there are 

 trout in the Ozark Mountains or not. Theoretically, it 

 would seem probable, as the Ozark watershed is the line 

 dividing the waters flowing north into the Missouri, whose 

 headwaters abound in trout, and the waters flowing south 

 into White River and that into the Arkansas, it also being- 

 famous for trout at its head. The Ozark streams are clear 

 and cold, with rocky beds, affording naturally a home for 

 trout. lib is a question worthy of investigation, and it is 

 hoped the patrons of the Forest and Stream will give it 

 attention and the readers the result of their experience. — 

 Tile. 



A Tarpon Score.— Mr. Edward Prime, of New York 

 city, recently returned from Florida with a record of tar- 

 pon fishing which is worth repeating. The fish were 

 caught at Punta Rassa, Charlotte Harbor, on the west 

 coast, and the detailed score is: 



May 2. 



May 3. 



May 6., 



May 7.. 



May 8.. 



May 9.. 



May S. . 



Lbs. 



F(. 



In. 



78 



5 



1 



lie 



6 







6 



*4 



.148 



6 



5 



135 



6 



2 



98 

 116 



6 



9 

 3 



53 



4 



8 



126 



5 





140 



6 



T 



94 



5 



5 



109 



5 



10 



108 



5 



11 



126 



6 





106 



6 





94 



6 



m 



Lbs. Ft. 



May 14 105V6 6 



May 14 92>4 5 



May 15 119 6 



May 15 94 5 



May 15 101 5 



May 16 53 4 



May 16 m]A 6 



May 10 79 5 



May 17 146 6 



May 17 103 5 



May 17 153 6 



May 17 132^ 6 



May 18 98 5 



May 18 130 5 



a* 

 i 



4 

 4 

 7 

 4 



m 



4 



The fish were taken with an Abbey & Imbrie rod, and 

 gave hard fights. 



Black Bass in Georgia Refuse the Fly. — Macon, 

 Ga., June 3. — The season this year for black bass has been 

 unusually good, some superb catches having been made. 

 The fishing is done, however, with live bait or with a 

 bob. A number of our local amateurs have given flies a 

 faithful trial, but we have unanimously agreed that flies 

 are not adapted to our waters. The fishing grounds con- 

 tiguous to Macon are mostly mill ponds from 25 acres to 

 250 acres in area. They are lined with shrubs and bushes 

 and underneath grow grasses and weeds in great pro- 

 fusion. I first tried flies in midsummer and attributed 

 my failure to the fact that insects were then plentiful. 

 But after trying in early spring and late in the fall with 

 no better success I know not how to account for it. Per- 

 haps some of your readers can explain the matter for me. 

 I am told that in the streams and lakes in southern 

 Georgia a fly will induce a rise every time, but that is 

 easily accounted for — abundance of fishes. — Macon 

 Angler. 



Late Trout Spawning.— Central Lake, Mich., May 

 28.— Editor Forest and Stream: The articles under the 

 head "Massachusetts Trout Spawning," in your issue of 

 May 16, lead me to send you the following facts: On the 

 14th of this month I caught one brook trout which con- 

 tained spawn, on the 23d two, and on the 27th five (out 

 of nine taken that day). I have little knowledge of 

 matters pertaining to fishculture, but I should say that 

 the spawn in no case, except perhaps the first, was ripe 

 or fully developed. — Kelpie. [It would seem from the 

 above statement that late spawning is not limited to trout 

 which have the sea-going habit, and it is important that 

 all persons interested in the preservation of this beautiful 

 species should use their opportunities to ascertain the 

 facts about the extent of the spawning season and govern 

 themselves accordingly. Brook trout are not prolific and 

 can- easily be exterminated by killing the gravid females.] 



Black Bass in Lake Champlain. — We have good re- 

 ports from "'Samson's," Lake View House, St. Albans 

 Bay, Vt. , of the black bass fishing. This is a resort where 

 visitors actually catch fish, as attested by numerous cor- 

 respondents who have been there. 



Kingston.— New Brunswick, June 1.— Trout fishing 

 has commenced in this section, and although some good 

 catches have been made, the large fish (sea trout) have 

 not struck in as yet.— S. 



SALMON IN THE DELAWARE.— The TJ, S. Commis- 

 sioner of Pish and Fisheries, Col. Marshall McDonald, has 

 received a letter from Mr. Wm. J. Thompson, of Gloucester, 

 N. J., stating that he caught a salmon weighing 14lbs. in 

 his shore net May 27. Mr. Thompson remarks that this is 

 the second one caught this season. The fish was sold for 

 ten dollars. 



%e Menmh 



Seines, Nets of every description. American Net & Twine Co., 

 Mfi-8., 34 Commercial st., Boston, or 199 Fulton st„ N. Y.—Adv, 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Sept. 10 to 13— Sixth Annual Dog Show of the London Kennel 

 Club, at London, Ont. C. A. Stone, Manager. 



Sept. 10 to 13.— Dog Show of the Central Canada Exhibition As- 

 sociation, at Ottawa, Can. Capt. R. C. W. MacCuai?, Secretary. 



Sept. 11 to 13.— First Annual Dog Show of the Toledo Kennel 

 Club, Toledo, O. T, B. Lee, Secretary. 



Feb. 18 to 21, 1890.— Fourteenth Annual Show of the Westminster 

 Kennel Club, 2*Jew York. James Mortimer, Superintendent. 



March 11 to 14, 1^90.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Rochester 

 Kennel Club, at Rochester, N. Y. Harrv Yates, Secretary. 



March 25 to 23, 1890.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Mass. 

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



FIELD TRIALS. 



Nov. 4.— Third Annual Field Trials of the Indiana Kennel Club. 

 P. T. Madison, Secretary, Indianapolis, Ind. 



Nov. 18.— Eleventh Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field 

 Trials Club, at High Point, N. O. W. A. Coster, Secretary, Sara- 

 toga Springs, N. Y. 



Dec. 2.— Inaugural Field Trials of the Central Field Trial Club, 

 at Lexington, N. C. C. H. Odell, Secretary, Mill's Building, New 

 York, N. Y. 



Dec. 16— Second Annual Field Trials of the Southern Field 

 Trial Club, at Amory, Miss. T. M. Brumbv, Secretary, Marietta, 

 Ga. 



DOG LICENSE LAWS. 



V\7 E begin to-day the publication of our reports on the 1 

 V? laws relating to dogs in towns, and the methods 

 adopted to reduce the number of vagrant curs. The in- 

 formation has been secured by correspondence with the 

 mayors or presiding officers of the several places named, and^ 

 the reports were all made in 1888: 



Maine. 



The State tax is SI for dogs and $3 for bitches. 

 Hath.— We have no unlicensed or stray dogs.— Wm B 1 

 Brown, Pres. 



Hiddcford.—We have no dog law in force here whatever.. 

 — E. A. Hubbard, City Clerk. 



Bangor —The license for dogs is $1.20 for males, $2.20 for 

 females. Unlicensed and stray dogs are destroyed, princi- 

 pally by shooting. No active measures have been taken for 

 a strict enforcement of the law for a year or two, and conse- 

 quently I am unable to give any pound statistics.— C. F.. 

 Bragg, Mayor. 



Rockland.— The tax imposed on dogs for this present year 

 is $1, Dogs at large without collars with owner's name 

 thereon are subject to seizure by police or pound drivers, 

 and drowned unless owner claims them and pays tax. No 

 license is issued. The clause in ordinance authorizing the' 

 seizure of dog is not operative, as little attention is paid to 

 it. Most of the dogs are taxed to the owners by the assess- 

 ors.— W. S. White, Mayor. 



Vermont. 



St. Albans. — The license and police regulations in regard' 

 to dogs are not matters of municipal regulation, but are the 

 subject of State regulation, and the provisions in respect 

 thereto may be found in Chap. 182, Sees. 4028 to 4052 inclus- 

 ive, Revised Laws of Vermont, as amended by several acts 

 passed in 1882. The substance of the provisions is that 

 each dog is required to be licensed on or before April 1 each 

 year, the fee being SI for a male and $4 for a female, On 1 

 failure to procure license by April 1, party may procure one* 

 by May 15, in that case the fee being $2 for male and $4 for 

 female. The fees are paid to the town treasurer and are: 

 kept as a separate account by him. Damages done by the 

 worrying, maiming or killing of sheep, lambs, fowls or other' 

 domestic animals by dogs in the town are required to be as- 

 certained and certified by the selectmen of each town in De- 

 cember each year, and on or before the first Wednesday in: 

 January the treasurer is required to pay such allowances if 

 the dog' fund is sufficient, otherwise he is required to pay the 

 same pro rata to the extent that the fund will allow. All 

 dogs not licensed as required by law on May 15 are required! 

 to be killed. The chairman of the selectmen in each town 

 is charged with the duty to issue a warrant for such slaugh- 

 ter directed to any police officer or constable, and the police 

 officer or constable is required to execute the warrant at $1 

 per dog killed, to be paid by the town.— Albert P. Cross. 



Montpelier.— Dogs are taxed here$l if paid before the 15tfr 

 of May, if not until after that $2. The law here is if dogs- 

 are not licensed they are to be killed by one of the officers 

 that has the warrant from the proper authorities to put the 

 same in force. Female dogs are taxed $2. The law is not 

 very well executed, only as far as the tax is concerned. This 

 part of it is done all right and according to law.— Clark 

 King. 



New Hampshire. 



Keene.— The tax is $1 on males and $2 on females per year. 

 We intend to tax all dogs in the month of April in each 

 year. No dogs are killed by city authorities unless found 

 committing some depredation or sick. So few are killed, 

 that nothing is done with them except to bury them as soon- 

 as possible.— Millerd Blake, City Clerk, 



