472 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



LJune 27, 1889, 



LATE SPAWNING TROUT. 



IN your paper of May 16 are some of my reminiscenses 

 of trout fishing, in which occur several typographical 

 errors, by one of which I am made to say that I have 

 "griddled" trout. This may be true, but the word in- 

 tended was guddled. It is, I think, of north country 

 origin, and signifies the taking of trout by the hand. 

 Perhaps the present generation doesn't know the process; 

 if so, never mind. 



I set out to write about late spawning trout, and desire 

 that you will continue to call the attention of your in- 

 fluential readers to the fact that these fishes spawn, in 

 some cases, much later than we have been led to suppose. 

 For instance, I yesterday (June 18) fished for a short time 

 in a brook, where I took three trout. Of these, two con- 

 tained spawn. It has happened this season that I have 

 spent more time in trouting than for many — perhaps 

 twenty — years previously. My catches have not been 

 large, though often satisfactory. The fact is, I have been 

 studying the orooks and the trout. Of these I could 

 doubtless have taken more elsewhere. 



I began my fishing about the middle of May, and I. 

 believe that fully one-half my trout taken since that time 

 have contained spawn, more or less developed. Further, 

 there is a farmer of my acquaintance, who has never 

 shown any interest in the preservation or propagation of 

 fish. He said to me (with no previous conversation on 

 my part to lead up to the subject), that he thought our 

 trout season opened too early, for the reason that a mem- 

 ber of his family had taken about eighty during May, of 

 which more than one-half contained spawn. 



In this State the season closes Sept. 1. Is the law based 

 upon a thorough study of the habits of Michigan trout, 

 or on observations made elsewhere ? Perhaps our trout 

 season should be moved ahead a couple of months, and 

 from the limited acquaintanc I have made with the 

 habits of these fish, I judge that it is a subject which de- 

 mands the attention of our Fish Commission. 



While upon this subject, I wish somebody who knows 

 would tell me why it is that June is the month when the 

 brook trout are the most easily taken along the shores of 

 Torch Lake. Is it because they visit the brooks to deposit 

 their spawn ? One person lately caught 294 at one outing, 

 and I think in one day. About eighty of these were 

 taken in one place, when they stopped biting. Had they 

 not so done, I suppose that he woidd have taken 2,940, or 

 more if possible. It looks as if a limit should be estab- 

 lished to the number of trout one person may take in a 

 day. 



your readers need not get excited and think of doing 

 the same thing, for the case was exceptional, and the 

 man the best fisherman I know; but I believe the fact is 

 as stated and offer no further comments, except to say 

 that the trout were all of moderate size. 



One of the worst features of trout fishing in this region 

 is that so little attention is paid to the six-inch law. Pity 

 it is that people will persist in carrying home poor little 

 trout of three or four inches in length, with no excuse 

 except that they are trout ! 



Let the honorable anglers of Michigan bestir them- 

 selves in these matters. There is still trout fishing in 

 this State for us; if we do our duty, not otherwise, there 

 may be some left for our grandchildren. Kelpie. 



Central Lakk, Mich., June 19. 



The Cowpastore River, — This river of Virginia is a 

 small stream, and not of much importance to any one but 

 sportsmen, but though small it is nevertheless very pretty 

 and picturesque, and is for its size as good a place for 

 black bass, pike, etc., as any in Virginia. The principal 

 part of this river for fishing flows through Bath county, 

 and passing through that county joins the Jackson, a 

 stream of about the same magnitude, at Clifton Forge, 

 forming with this river the James. It is of the same 

 order as the latter river, consisting of deep pools and 

 lakes, which are alternated by shallows and rapids, so 

 that one can have ample opportunities both for bait and 

 fly-fishing, and boats can always be obtained if necessary. 

 There are plenty of black bass, sunperch and pike, and 

 any one going out for a day ought, if he is anything of a 

 fisherman, and will take a little trouble, to get a very 

 well-filled basket. There is plenty of accommodation 

 along the river, a great many farmers having farms in 

 the valley who are always hospitable to strangers. There 

 are also some very convenient spots for camping on its 

 banks, and any one going there and taking a little 

 trouble will be sure to get good sport worth it. — C. H. H. 

 Rumbold. 



The Eutopia and Trout Lake Fish and Game Asso- 

 ciation, is the name under which a company of anglers 

 have organized in this city and have acquired about 

 1,200 acres of land near St. George, Charlotte county, 

 N. B. The property includes the two lakes from which 

 the name of the association is taken, a brook connecting 

 the lakes, and good surrounding camping ground. The 

 officers of the association are: John W. Handren of the 

 New York Yacht Club, President; Dr. Benjamin F. Vos- 

 burgh, Vice-President; Julian H. Barclay, Treasurer; 

 Tbos. McGrath, Secretary; James E. Lynott of New 

 Brunswick, Assistant Treasurer and Secretary, and the 

 following Directors: John W, Handren, Benjamin F. 

 Vosburgh, Julian II. Barclay, Peter Reid, James E, Ly- 

 nott, Albert Darling, William S. Macfarlane, H. P. De 

 Graaf and Fred. Bredel. 



Moose Pond Trout.— Mr. Dayton Ball, of Albany, on 

 June 11 and 12 took in Moose Pond, in the Adirondacks, 

 a string of trout which weighed respectively, 4lbs. 13oz., 

 31bs., 21bs. 9oz., 21bs. 7oz., 21bs. 7oz , 21bs. 4oz., 21bs. fez., 

 two 21bs., lib. 9oz., lib. 8oz., lib. 7oz., and several 

 smaller ones. 



Forest and Stream, Bos 2,833, N. Y. city, has dessriptive illus- 

 trated circulars of W. B. Leffin^weU's book, "Wild Fowl Shoot- 

 ing," which will be mailed free on request. The book is pro- 

 nounced by "Nanil:," "Gloan," "Dick Swivellor," "Sybillene" and 

 other competent authorities to be the best treatise on the subject 

 extant. 



Names and Portraits of Birds, by Gurdon Trumbull. A 

 book particularly interesting to gunners, for by its use they can 

 identify without question all the American game birds which 

 they may kill. Cloth, 220 pages, price $2.50. For sale by Forest 

 and Stream. 



The revised and abridged edition of the A. O. U. Check List of 

 North American Birds, including the additions and changes made 

 in the supplement, will be sent post free on receipt of 5Qcls.— Adv. 



^wJfcnUnr^ 



DELAWARE RIVER BLACK BASS. 



Editor Forest and SPreeim: 



The recurring outcry against black bass by certain fisher- 

 men along the upper Delaware recalls the protest made 

 against the stocking of that river with these excellent fish, 

 some 18 or 20 years ago. New Jersey had just appointed her 

 first Fish Commissioner, Dr. J. H. Slack, and he took the 

 ground that the bass would extirpate the shad. He was 

 fortified in his expressions by most of the New Jersey papers 

 which took part in the discussion. Hon. Edward J.' Reeder, 

 of Easton, Pa., one of the Fish Commissioners of that State, 

 and in most respects the most efficient one the State has ever 

 had, championed the cause of the bass, and for the time 

 there was a lively newspaper scrimmage between him and 

 Dr. Slack. Both were able writers, and the Doctor had the 

 advantage of being a practical flshculturist, but he came 

 out second best in the controversy. 



I was at that time interested in fish culture in New Jersey, 

 and became interested in the black bass. In those days 

 trout culture was the only variety of fishculture carried on 

 in this country, and most of those then engaged in the busi- 

 ness supposed it possible to stock most waters in the country 

 with that peerless fish. It is not surprising then that most 

 of the practical fishculturists looked with disfavor upon the 

 introduction of an inferior variety of fish. I was myself one 

 of the few trout culturists who became early convinced of 

 the futility of stocking any except the purest of waters with 

 trout, and consequently saw the propriety of thoroughly 

 testing other varieties, which gave promise of success. In 

 due time I took charge of the stocking of a large portion of 

 the waters of southern New Jersey with black bass. I went 

 to Harper's Ferry for our initial stock, but subsequently ob- 

 tained fingerliug stock from the Delaware, mostly between 

 Trenton and Easton. These were obtainable only by hook 

 and line. I sometimes had as many as thirty persons at one 

 time fishing for them, and these were mostly regular fisher- 

 men and their families. I followed up this matter regularly 

 during the proper season for three years. I repeatedly asked 

 the old fishermen if they considered the bass destructive of 

 shad. In every instance I found that they had originally 

 been prejudiced against the bass, mainly for the reason that 

 Dr. Slack, a reputable fishculturist and a Fish Commis- 

 sioner, had pronounced against them. In every instance, 

 however, which I can now recall, these fishermen had 

 changed their minds radically upon the subject. The oldest 

 and most successful shad fisherman of thehi all assured me 

 that he had dressed hundreds of bass, and had found in all 

 but two young shad in their stomachs. Most, and I think 

 all of the others had found none. 



It seems to me that a new generation of fishermen are now 

 occupying the old places, and have not yet learned by ex- 

 perience what they will surely learn in time, that the black 

 bass in no wise interferes with the shad. All old shad fish- 

 ermen well know that in all shad streams there are only 

 about three good annual runs of shad in each ten years. 

 This has certainly been the case f@r the past fifty years, and 

 will doubtless continue to be the rule rather than the excep- 

 tion, regardless of any and all stocking operations, whether 

 with shad or other varieties: for it is a fact that these 

 developments are not confined to shad, or even anadromous 

 fishes, for they have existed in our great lakes as far back 

 as improved methods of capture have been in vogue along 

 their shores, enabling old fishermen to study with better 

 judgment the phenomena of fluctuating plentitude and 

 scarcity which develops from year to year in all waters. 



This season, for about ten days, there was an oldtime 

 catch of whitefish along the southern shores of Lake Erie, 

 caused, as the old fishermen say, by certain movements of 

 the ice. Those who have the handling of heavy fishcnl- 

 tural appropriations are quick to take the credit for this 

 plentitude, by reason, as they allege, of their whitefish 

 hatchery operations, but they are suspiciously silent re- 

 garding the still greater plenitude of perch and other 

 varieties which have not received the benefit of amateur 

 fishculture at public expense. 



It seems to me that those fishermen of the sporting class, 

 especially those who are amateur quill-drivers, are more 

 prolific in these chimerical reasons for ever-recurring sea- 

 sons of scarcity of favorite varieties of food, and especially 

 game fishes, than all other classes who impart their opinion's 

 upon the subject. Milton P. Peirce. 



Columbus, Ohio. 



A LESSON IN TROUT CULTURE. 



WE glean the following interesting notes from a report 

 of operations at the Wytheville Station, Virginia, 

 from Jan. 1, 1885, to June 30, 1887, by Marshall McDonald. 



The distribution of trout fry having proved a failure. 

 Commissioner McDonald has made a change in the methods 

 of handling the young trout, and instead of planting the 

 fry they are kept at the station in ponds until 5 or 6 inches 

 long, when they are able to take care of themselves. The 

 Com missi oner states that the natural trout stream of the 

 station was stocked for several years in succession with fry 

 of both the Eastern brook trout and the California or rain- 

 bow trout without any appreciable results following, while 

 the 400 fingerlings, from 4 to 5 inches in length, planted in 

 August, 1886, in the same stream, were found to have at- 

 tained a length of 7 to 8 inches during the ensuing fall and 

 winter, and he concludes as follows: 



"The important lesson to be drawn from these experi- 

 ments is that in stocking streams infested by small preda- 

 ceous fish we can only assure success by stocking with trout 

 of sufficient size to dominate the water. Under the circum- 

 stances indicated experience shows that several hundred 

 yearling trout are sufficient to stock a stream presenting 

 suitable habitat. On the other hand, we can rarely expect 

 success in stocking such waters with any number of "fry, 

 however great. It may be assumed as a rule that a pair of 

 yearling trout are fully the equivalent of several thousand 

 fry in stocking streams presenting the conditions to be 

 found in the trout regions of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Vir- 

 ginia and States further to the south." 



CONNECTICUT COMMISSION.— Hartford, June 1,— 

 New Fish Commissioners have just been appointed by Gov- 

 ernor Bulkeley and confirmed by the Senate. Judge Pike, 

 of Middletown, resigned in January, and the present Com- 

 missioners are: ¥m. M. Hudson, Hartford; James A. Bill, 

 Lyme; Robert B. Chalkir, Saybrook. A new law has been 

 enacted which divorces the Shell Pish Commissioners from 

 the Fish Commissioners, and the Governor has appointed 

 the following gentlemen to act as Shell Fish Commissioners 

 from the dates named: Wm. M. Hudson, for four years from 

 July 1, 1889; George C. Waldo, of Bridgeport, for two years 

 from July 1, 1889; Bryant A, Treat, of Wallingford, for the 

 term commencing August 26, 1890, to July 1, 1891. The 

 Hon. James A. Bill remains in office until Aug. 26, 1890.— H, 



A WYOMING HATCHERY. — J. C. Barr and L. E. Mar- 

 tin have lately constructed a fish hatchery on the Colorado 

 Colony Ditch Company's ranch, near Big Horn, and will 

 stock it this season with mountain trout. The pond, or 

 artificial lake, is supplied with water by a large spring. 

 The depth in some places will be as great as 12ft. They 

 intend putting in rowboats in the near future.— Sheridan 

 (Wyo.) Enterprise, 



he Mmmt 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



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

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



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

 sociation, at Ottawa, Cam Capr. R. C. W. MaeCuais, Secretary. 



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

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



Sept. 17 to 20. — Dog Show of the Pet Stock Association at El- 

 mira, N. Y. J. Otis Fellows, Superintendent, Hornellsville; N.Y. 



Jan. 27 to Feb. 1, 1890,— Dog Show of the Colorado Poultry and 

 Pet Stock Association, at Denver, Col. 



Feb. 18 to 21, 1S90.— Fourteenth Annual Show of the Westininster 

 Kennel Club, New York. James Mortimer, Superintendent. 



March U to Li, 1890.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Rochester 

 Kennel Club, at Rochester, N. Y. Harry Yates, Secretary- 

 March 25 to 28, 1890.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Mass. 

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



April 1 to 1, 1890.— Sixth Annual Dog Show of the New England 

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

 FIELD TRIALS. 



Nov. L— Third Annual Field Trials of the Indiana Kennol Club. 

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



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

 Trials Club, at High Point, N. C. 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. Brumby, Secretary, Marietta, 

 Ga. 



Jan. 20, 1890.— Seventh Annual Field Trials of the Pacific Coast 

 Field Trial Club at Bakersfield, Cal. H. H. Briggs, Secretary, 313 

 Bush street, San Francisco, Cal. 



Feb. 11, I890.-Fourth Annual Field Trials of the Texas Field 

 Trial Club, at Marshall, Tex. W. L. Thomas, Secretary. 



COURSING. 



Oct. 24.— Fall meet of the National Coursing Club at Hutchin- 

 son, Kan., M. E. Allison, Manager. 



THE HISTORY OF PATSY. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



E. O. Damon recently sent the following letter to the 

 Shooting Times, London, and the editor, a well-known 

 thief, who has been barred from the English Kennel Club, 

 and is seldom recognized by honest people, printed the stuff: 



Dear Sir— It may be of interest to some of your readers to hear 

 a word or two from over the sea about dogs and doggy men in 

 your midst, and how we confiding Yankees go over to you for our 

 stock, and put out our money for our favorites. How we some- 

 times get "left," to use a slang, is, for me, asufferer, to tell: many 

 of us have not the moral courage to come out in publio and admit 

 the fact, as was the case with the owner of a great red dog sent 

 out several years ago by a prominent member of the Irish Setter 

 Club. I am just in receipt of word of the arrival out of another 

 Irish setter, which came with great recommend, but proves very 

 disappointing. Not at all as written of, and a veritable third- 

 rater. Well, being a lover of, and having always shot over an 

 Irish setter, T last year decided to import a dog of this breed, and 

 knowing the uncertainty of getting a high-class dog, I went to Mr. 

 C. H. Mason, of New York, and asked him if he could procure for 

 me a dog that would be of quality to attract in the stud; or to sum 

 up, I required a high-class Irish setter and asked for his price, or 

 rather the probable cost of such an animal. He told me that such 

 an animal could be had for $250, but advised me to pay $500 and 

 bring out a "crack." To this I assented, and told him to go ahead 

 and see what could be had. Mason said he would go to England 

 for the dog, through his buyer. This was in June. In September 

 I received a letter from him, in which he described two Irish dogs, 

 one "Patsy," relating to which I write now. On Sept. 19, 1888, he 

 wrote to me as follows: 



"My buyer knows of but two dogs that would be likely to suit 

 me, an under-sized dog, and this is his only failing. Wants a 

 little more size for a dog, hut for general formation, coat, color, 

 tail, etc., grand. Owner does not. care to sell, but my buyer thinks 

 he can get him for £'100, rather more than the price 1 told you or 

 likely to be asked for a good one." He goes on to say: "My man 

 says ho is a very true made one and full of quality." 



On Nov. 29 Mason again wrote to me relative to this dog. "My 

 buyer says, with reference to his head, 'I consider it a most typ- 

 ical one, good expression, etc., for shape, true form, feot and legs, 

 and movement, you can't have any better. HiH price will bo 

 £100. I am quite sure he is a 'hot un,' and if you want him remit 

 at once. 1 " 



To any man the impression of this dog would be that he was an 

 undersized dog, but made up very true in outline, a fair head and 

 all the points so requisite in a high-class Irish dog. 



After cautioning Mr. Mason as to his being sure of the dog's 

 quality, I order, of course, basing my order upon his opinion of 

 the dog and his confidence in his buyer. 



Nov. 20 the dog comes, and with a record and flourish jumps 

 into print in the Dec. 13 issue of Forest and Stream over the 

 name of C. H. Mason,^, writing up that attracts the fancy and 

 scares to death several of our prize winners. At the New York 

 show Patsy is the center of attraction to a trembling few, but 

 they soon take heart, and one after another says: "Is this the 

 dog described in the article by Mason?" and as our favorite 

 fancier said: "The most misleading description of a dog I ever 

 read," a dog, as the — — - reporter said in his report, "with very 

 lit tle to commend him." 



An examination of the dog shows him to be very short on legs, 

 short and thick-set neck, ears short and set high, head that would 

 be poor for a bitch, no stop or occiput at all, nose very snipy and 

 straight stifles, a type of dog the exact contrary of such dogs as 

 Tim, Elcho, Jr., or Kenmore— a type of dog that several of our 

 best fanciers who were waiting to breed to some new blood, on 

 examination, said: "You could not give his services to me." Such 

 is the dog sent over at a cost of $550, and which took mon ths of 

 time to find, a dog from the poultry show at Strabane, and offered 

 to our breeders as a dog of such "typical head and fine forma- 

 tion;" a dog that the Rev. R. O'Uallaghan advised me not to breed 

 to, and which at the New York show takes a very highly com- 

 mended ! 



Now, how are we who try to improve our dogs to go to work to 

 bring out a dog of worth ? I draw this conclusion— either a red 

 in Ireland amounts to nothing or there are no good reds there, or 

 those who advertise in our papers as buyers are swindlers. I have 

 not written this to get drawn into a discussion, but simply to 

 show how imposed upon I have been, and to save some others 

 from a like fate. The above is no distortion of facts, as all our 

 best fanciers can testify to who have seen this Strabane wonder, 

 and which Mason advised me to let stand in this country upon his 

 Strabane record, though he did think I might show him at New 

 Bedford, as he judged there. 



If Patsy was the right dog in Ireland, then our Yankee knack 

 has helped give us a class of reds far superior to this type of a 

 dog; but no more. Irish dogs for me through the agency of Mason, 

 Blank & Co. So I say another one sold; who will have the next ? 



E. O. Damon. 



It seems strange that a man with such rigid notions of 

 honest dealings as E. O. Damon should have sent his com- 

 munications to such a notorious bad character as "Wild- 

 fowler." Damon is an old reader of Forest A5id Stream; 

 he has read it for years, and it is not at all likely that he 

 just happened to miss the numbers that contained the arti- 

 cles an* correspondence headed Wildfowler's' Thievery." 

 I leave your readers to judge for themselves why the letter 

 was sent to a rogue. My own idea is that Damon felt that 

 as he had a very poor case he had better rely on thieves to 

 magnify and distort the facts until they should succeed in 

 making a mountain of a mole hill. No sooner had the lead- 

 ing man in " 'Wildfowler's' Thievery" printed the letter 

 than that sickening creature Huscroft, who has recently 

 been evolved from office boy to "special commissioner," dis- 

 patched it to his congenial associate in Chicago; and with a 

 loud blast of trumpets the "History of Patsy" was given to 

 the American fancy. Mean, sneakish insinuations and half 

 lies were tacked on to Damon's already untrustworthy let- 

 ter. One would have thought that "Salisbury's Pedigree" 

 would have been sufficient to teach these perverters of truth 



