182 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Sept. 27, 1888. 



SILAS STEARNS. 

 "pEW men engaged in business pursuits have been of such 

 substantial aid to science as Silas Stearns, and few have 

 had as many warm and devoted friends among scientific men 

 as he. For the past ten years all naturalists investigating the 

 fauna of the Gulf oE Mexico have been under the strongest 

 obligations for his untiring help, while most of them have 

 been guests under his roof andhave sailed in his boats while 

 on their collecting tours. Our present comparatively thor- 

 ough knowledge of the fishes and the fisheries of the Gulf of 

 Mexico is due directly and indirectly to him more than to 

 any one else. 



Silas Stearns was bora in Bath, Maine, May 13, 1859, and 

 died in Asheville, N, C., August 2, 1888. His early education 

 was received in the schools of Bath. The death of his father 

 threw him at the age of fourteen on his own resources, and 

 compelled him to abandon for the time being the hope of a 

 college education. After an excursion through the "North 

 Woods" of New York he entered a bookstore in Concord, 

 New Hampshire. Later, in 1875, he went to Pensacola, Fla. 

 Here he was at first book-keeper for a fishing firm, and after- 

 ward associated with his brother-in-law, Andrew F. Warren, 

 i n the firm of Warren & Co. 



"Early in boyhood," writes Mr. Warren, " he had displayed 

 a fondness for out-of-door sports, and an aptitude for wood- 

 craft and boating. The broad bays and sounds of West Flor- 

 ida were well adapted for such sports, and he conceived a love 

 for these waters and shores which remained with him until 

 his last hour and found an expression in his choice of burial 

 place. Upon these waters he was entirely at home, and he' 

 became familiar with the whole extent of the coast from 

 Pensacola to Key West. This familiarity included an exact 

 knowledge of all the ins and outs of their navigation and 

 an acquaintance with all the dwellers in their waters. At 

 the very first of his residence in Pensacola his attention was 

 directed to the fishes of the Gulf. Wishing to learn of their 

 characteristics and habits, he made inquiry for books treat- 

 ing on the subject. Finding that none existed, he set him- 

 self to the work of original investigation." 



In 1878, Mr. Stearns visited the Smithsonian Institution. 

 Here his thorough and exact knowledge of the habits of the 

 fishes of the Gulf attracted the special attention of Profes- 

 sor Baird, and of Mr. Goode, Mr. Bean and others interested 

 in the study of fishes. 



His inclinations toward the life of a naturalist were very 

 strong. In this ambition he had been discouraged by absurd 

 advice received from some one in Washington to the effect 

 that no successful work in science was possible without a 

 classical education. To acquire this knowledge, however, 

 he entered in 1878 the academy at Waterville, Maine. Here 

 his studies were shaped with special reference to the nomen- 

 clature of science. Failing health, however, compelled his 

 return to Florida. 



In 18S0 he was made a special agent of the U. S. Census 

 Bureau and of the U. S. Fish Commission, in charge of in- 

 vestigations for the Tenth Census, on the marine industries 

 of the Gulf of Mexico. Few pieces of work have been per- 

 formed with more accuracy and fidelity than his report. 

 Professor Baird showed his appreciation of it by presenting 

 to Mr. Stearns a valuable saries of works on fishes, which 

 became the nucleus of a considerable ichthyological library. 

 A number of papers from the pen of Mr. Stearns have been 

 published by the different scientific bureaus of Washington. 

 His actual publications, however, represent but a slight part 

 of the work done by him, for his discoveries and specimens 

 were always freely placed at the disposal of others. Up- 

 ward of fifty new species of fishes were discovered by him 

 or through his help. This number includes almost all that 

 is known of the deep-water fish fauna of the Gulf. Four of 

 these species have been named for, him, a Lutjomis, a 

 Senrpcena, a Blenniiis and a Prionotw, stcarusi. 



As to Mr. Stearns's personal qualities, I cannot do better 

 than to quote the words of Mr. Warren: 



"To my mind, his most striking characteristic was patient 

 persistence. No trouble was too great, no time too long, no 

 discomfort too annoying, to deter him from the present 

 accomplishment of any task to which he addressed himself. 

 In his many excursions to South Florida he endured the dis- 

 comforts of heat, insects, bad water and bad food without a 

 murmur. In fact, it has only been by his casual references 

 that I have gotten any idea of how great these discomforts 

 had been. It may be that to his ardent love of nature many 

 of them were unnoticed. 



"Of a retiring disposition and little inclined to the en- 

 joyments of society, he made few acquaintances. Those 

 who came to know him better became at once his friends. 

 The number of these was unknown to us until in his last 

 illness they came forward with helping hands and loving 

 hearts. Now that he is gone we find on every side those who 

 esteemed him as a friend. 



"Inheriting a pure literary taste, his reading was thorough 

 and his mind well stored with varied and accurate informa- 

 tion. The purity of his moral character was above all praise. 

 It is the testimony of those who had associated with him on 

 hunting or collecting trips that he was at all times a gentle- 

 man." 



In 1886 Mr. Stearns was married to Miss Hays of St, 

 George, Maine. He leaves no children. 



David S. Jordan. 



The Utica Fish and Game Protective Association, 

 of Utica, N. Y., have prepared for gratuitous distribution 

 a very useful compendium of the game and fish laws. It 

 is a capital specimen of what a society can do if it really 

 means to help the cause of protection. 



r <h* Stfortrnqm jurist 



ECHOES FROM THE MEXIC GULF. 



PENSACOLA, Florida, Sept. 15.— The glorious month 

 of September ushers in the shooting season in the 

 North, but here in the faraway Florida we have but 

 little sport before the November frosts. Dove shooting is 

 indulged in to some extent during the summer months, 

 but there is not much pleasure gained by shooting under 

 a southern summer sun. The "bonnie brown" quail is 

 not molested by true sportsmen until the autumn is far 

 advanced. Our colored brother persists in shooting them 

 the year round, but I note that in some parts of Florida 

 the game laws are being enforced. A friend, who is a 

 game warden in Orange county, recently had two negroes 

 arrested and punished for shooting quail out of season. 

 Bob White has had a favorable season to rear his family, 

 and the natural result is that the surrounding country 

 has a great tnanv coveys. 



I am told that the sportsman's paradise in this part of 

 Florida is in the wilderness surrounding Choctawhatchie 

 Bay. Deer, bear, turkey and small game abound. Fish- 

 ing is also good. This region lies about fifty miles from 

 nearest railroad and is mainly reached by sailing craft 

 from Pensacola. 



Some of the varieties of shore birds have already 

 reached us, and are to be seen along the beaches of Santa 

 Rosa Island. The sportsmen here take little interest in 

 such small game, but to one whose early shooting days 

 were passed on the sandy beaches and marshes of old 

 ,Cape Cod they are old friends. Many a pleasant hour 

 have I passed in the blind watching the horizon for the 

 wary willet and unsuspecting yellovvleg, and upon detect- 

 ing a solitary specimen in the blue ether, how patiently 

 we have whistled until our efforts were rewarded by see- 

 ing him glide up to the decoys and his life go out in a 

 cloud of smoke and the roar of a breechloader. Our L. 

 C. Smith has been idle many months, but we trust its 

 tuneful voice will soon be heard on the lulls, rivers and 

 bays of West Florida. Ivanhoe. 



Otjr Game Columns contain reports of the game in 

 many fields. Now that the shooting season has come 

 around again we shall expect frequent notes from our 

 readers. 



GLIMPSES OF THE CONTINENT. 



DANSVILLE, N. Y., September.— Last month I took 

 a flying trip over the great Northern Pacific Pail- 

 way clear to Puget Sound and return, and while my out- 

 ing was not taken for the purpose of indulging my love 

 for fish and game but rather as a delightful change from 

 the cares of business, I still kept my "game" eye open 

 and saw much to assure me that along this line was a 

 veritable sportsman's paradise. 



Looking out from the Pulbnan, as we rolled through 

 Minnesota and Dakota, I could see the teal and mallards 

 fly up from the sloughs, disturbed by the thunder of the 

 train, while coveys of prairie chickens would jump out 

 from beside the track and drop down at a little distance 

 away in the bunch grass. Plover were constantly ris- 

 ing, and now and then a jack rabbit would go coursing 

 away over the prairie. Passing through the Bad Lands 

 and the plains of eastern Montana, but little game was 

 visible. This vast territory, once the home of the bison, 

 while now well tenanted by deer and antelope, is rather 

 too vast and dry for successful hunting. 



Up the valley of the Yellowstone 400 miles to Living- 

 ston, Montana, is a good game country. The numerous 

 affluents, the Tongue, Powder, Rosebud and Bighorn open 

 up valleys that abound in elk and deer. At Livingston 

 the Yellowstone has lost its muddy tinge and is clear as 

 crystal and full of trout. Here the river takes an abrupt 

 turn to the south and I had the pleasure of following it 

 up to the National Park, where it is joined by the Gard- 

 ner, another fine trout stream. 



The Government has adopted a wise policy in allowing 

 no shooting in the Park. It does not seem to be generally 

 understood, however, for every day I was there tourists 

 were disarmed and their weapons taken care of by the 

 guard until they came out. But fishing can be indulged 

 in to the heart's content, and trout is a common article of 

 diet at the Park Company's hotels. I noticed at the Mam- 

 moth Hot Springs Hotel a goodly supply of the "Park 

 bill" petitions lying on the office counter for signatures. 

 Whether the attention of tourists is directed to them or 

 not I can't say; mine was not, but they are there and get 

 a good many signers. The amount of poaching in the 

 Park is not great, considering the vastness of the terri- 

 tory and the sural lness of the force of soldiers who police 

 it. A force of only sixty-four men for that great tract 

 seems ridiculously small. 



Game is very plenty in the Park. I was told of seventy- 

 two head of bison being seen but a few days previous, 

 and one soldier told me he saw seven bears in one wallow. 

 The number of elk is roughly estimated at three thousand 

 head, and mountain sheep and deer are numerous. 

 Nearly every tourist has something to say of seeing bears 

 or deer. The elk and buffalo being back in the summer 

 ranges, seldom show themselves along the line of travel. 



I was very much pleased with the appearance of the 

 country along Clark's Fork of the Columbia. The coun- 

 try is finely wooded and abounds in perfect camping 

 sites. A deer feeding within 50yds. of the tracks only 

 raised her head inquiringly as the train went by and at 

 once resumed her meal. Grouse are very plenty here, 

 and were constantly flying up and crossing the river. As 

 we neared the coast and followed the tortuous course of 

 the Green River down the slope, I was treated to a trout 

 display I never saw equalled outside of a hatchery. The 

 Green River is a small, swift stream, full of deep pools, 

 and as the road crossed and recrossed it I could see great 

 schools of trout la to 18in. long lying in the shadow?. 

 This stream is fished very little, and a fortnight upon its 

 banks would satisfy the most exacting angler. 



Washington Territory, the resources of which the 

 Northern Pacific is doing so much toward developing, is 

 one vast fish and game preserve. At Seattle and 

 Tacoma I heard wonderful stories of what was being- 

 done by local sportsmen, and the markets gave ocular 

 evidence that the stories were true. In fact I knew I had 

 entered Washington Territory when I got up one morn- 

 ing and found delicious venison and Columbia River 

 salmon being served for breakfast on the dining car. 

 Puget Sound with its numerous estuaries and inlets is the 

 natural home of the wild duck, goose and brant, and in 

 taking that delightful ride over the sound from one city 

 to the other great flocks of them could be seen. 



The forests and mountains back from the sound are 

 full of game and the streams swarm with trout. One need 

 not go very far either. AVhy the very morning I left 

 Seattle a bear and cub were killed in the city limits. I 

 regretted very much that my time was so limited that I 

 was unable to even wet a line or pull a trigger: but I 

 comforted myself with the thought that in the near 

 future perhaps I might be permitted to indulge my taste 

 for the sports of the woods and streams in this wonoer- 

 ful country. 



The Northern Pacific is indeed the sportsman's route, 

 and the lover of field sports who can't along this line 

 somewhere find that for which he is seeking, will cer- 

 tainly be obliged to wait until he is transferred to the 

 "Happy Hunting Grounds," for surely earth offers no 

 better opportunity than this. The grayling, so long sup- 

 posed to exist in this country only in northern Michigan, 

 is found in several streams along the line, and Mr. Chas. S. 

 Fee, General Passenger Agent at St. Paul, showed me a 

 beautiful painting of Thymallus tricolor, from a fish 

 caught in one of these streams. Being familiar with the 

 Michigan grayling, I at once recognized it as identical 

 with that fish. 



If any of the readers of Forest and Stream are 

 fortunate enough to take the trip I did I hope they will 

 profit by my experience and take along a gun and rod. 

 Had I done so I would have had more to tell. 



H. W. DeLong. 



SOME WOODS CHARACTERS.— II. 



HPHE novitiate, or greenhorn, the term they are best 

 _L known by, is to be found in the woods as well as 

 anywhere else in the world. His manners, his dress, his 

 very carriage, all betray him. His gun is a new one: his 

 shooting jacket and boots' smell of the shop. He has an 

 exaggerated idea of everything about the woods. To his 

 verdant imagination trout are as plenty in the lakes and 

 streams as herring in the mighty ocean. There is at least 

 one wildcat in every tree and a deer feeding in every 

 meadow. To his mind the deep forest is clothed in a 

 halo of mystery, of which he is to be the explorer; and, 

 like Livingstone and Stanley, he is to be the revealer of 

 these mighty secrets. The old woodsman makes nothing 

 of creaking trees, and the weird sound product d by one 

 branch scraping against another would hardly command 

 a passing thought, but I have known a novice to sit halt' 

 a day by the side of this phenomenon, waiting lor a wild- 

 cat to siiow himself from among the branches overhead. 

 There is a tinge of disappointment occasioned by the 

 knowledge ot the fact which comes later on, that of all 

 solitary places — excepting perhaps the fabulous Great 

 American Desert — the unbroken wilderness has the few- 

 est signs of animal life of any place on the entire con- 

 tinent. You may travel all day and not see a partridge, 

 a deer, wildcat, bear, fox, robin, crow or bluebird, and 

 hardly a squirrel. The deep wood on a quiet day is the 

 very personification of stillness. Game there is, but it 

 gathers in certain localities, according to the season. The 

 newcomer has eyes, but they see not: ears has he, but 

 they hear not; and you can trust him to make noise 

 enough to keep the game always just out of sight. 



A friend of mine went to the Auirondacks many years 

 ago for the first time. It was in early November, and a 

 light snow was on the ground. Presently he took up the 

 tiail of a deer. He struck it in the morning and followed 

 it till nearly dark. Five minutes before beginning to 

 retrace his steps, he had accidentally laid down his ram- 

 rod, and turning back to pick it up found that hio quarry 

 had in the meantime crossed his trail, and had actually 

 stepped on his ramrod! A practiced hunter knows very 

 well that a deer does not travel in a straight line, that he 

 is constantly maneuvering to keep his adversary in the 

 same quarter from which the wind comes, and that a 

 man wbo goes stamping through the snow makes noise 

 enough to enable Inm to feed along ahead just out of 

 harm's way. 



Jack shooting is very deceitful business to the beginner 

 and some even after long practice can never kill a deer 

 except by the accidental discharge of their piece, or by 

 the second shot from the guide in the stern of the boat. 

 Under the jack all surrounding objects become invested 

 with a most weird aspect, bushes," stumps and boulders 

 are translormed into most grotesque shapes. If a deer 

 is sighted he is magnified into twice his size, and when 

 thrte rods off will appear under this strange optical illu- 

 sion at least eight or ten rods away. The beginner aiinost 

 invariably shoots over. I knew of a young sportsman 

 who lodged his buckshot 80fc. from the edge of the 

 water, where the buck stooa, in the body of a spruce 

 "tree. Evidently his deer was a very tall one, or he failed 

 to take account of the liind sight of his gun. 



For woods shooting the ears of the young man need 

 quite as much education as if he were learning to be a 

 musician and play the violin. Muskrats, beavers, "stake 

 drivers," frogs, and even suckers will all simulate the 

 stepping of a deer in the water. A bank of fog, a whiff 

 of wind, will defeat his end, and be the only reward for 

 a long night spent cramped and cold in the bow of the 

 boat, suffering as if from the chills. 



A friend of mine, a guide, once had the pleasure of 

 paddling a greenhorn up to an old bear and two cubs on 

 Dead Diamond River, m Maine. When he heard bruin 

 sniffing and whistling and was told it was a bear, he com- 

 menced to shake like a leaf and to beg very piteously to 

 be let off. He had come into the wilderness to remain 

 several weeks, but ever after nothing would tempt him 

 to leave the camp-fire at mght. The guide had to do the 

 shooting while the boy did all the bragging. 



This same guide narrated a funny experience of two 

 "down-county chaps," as he called them, who were out 

 on a certain lake fishing for trout. In an extra boat he 

 had accompanied them to an advantageous locality, and 

 when after a little, with their boat anchored just off an 

 incoming stream of cold water, they had begun their 

 sport, he left them and went back to camp, a mile or two 

 down the lake, to cut camp wood and get Lie dinner. 

 The day had begun to drag away, and all his preparations 

 were made for their reception. "Flip flops" were fried, 

 trout and venison with vegetables were all ready to ■ e 

 served; but still no fishermen came within sight of the 

 landing. He knew, as all guides know, that the fascina- 

 tion ot fly-fishing, when trout are biting freely, is so great 

 that boms will slip by, and one takes no note of the fligi t 

 of time till a storm, or darkness, or sudden holding up of 

 all the school, as if by simultaneous consent, brings mm 

 to his senses. And besides, the guide is not set to dictate 



