Sept. 12, 1889.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



147 



ADIRONDACK NOTES. 



LEWIS COUNTY. — While floating on Mud Pond re- 

 cently, Henry Bock killed two deer at one shot. 

 He was using a single barrel shotgun and saw the deer 

 standing quite near logether. Picking out the largest he 

 fired, the one shot at dropped in his tracks, the other ran 

 about five rods, where he fell. On coming up with him 

 they found that two shot had hit him, one breaking; a 

 foreleg, the other piercing his lungs. When out with 

 parties in years past Heury has always managed to kill 

 the largest deer, but this tiuie he outdid himself. 



Woodcock are not as numeroixs on their favorite haunts 

 this season as formerly. Probably on account of the very 

 Avet season causing them to leave for higher ground. 

 Some very fair bags were made on the opening of the 

 season at the expense of a thorough wetting, as shooters 

 were compelled to wade most of the time. One score 

 was eighteen birds for two men and two dogs. This is 

 the best heard from to date. 



Ruffed grouse are reported as scarce by woodcock 

 shooters. 



An incident happened while shooting on the first of 

 August that seems worth relating. We had come out of 

 the best cover, not having found a bird, aud were ap- 

 proaching a narrow stream bordered for a rod or so on 

 eilher side by alders, when the dogs, which were rather 

 wild, rushed into the alders and flushed a bird, which 

 was shot and killed. My friend had not seen the bird 

 and asked what I was shooting at. I had just time to 

 ejaculate, ''woodcock, 1 ' when another bird flushed, fol- 

 lowed in a second by a third. We both shot. My bird 

 fell, while my friend's flew across a road, which was 

 near, into a laue used for driving cows to water. We 

 both got into the road as soon as possible, where we could 

 see the bird standiug under a bush with his head partly 

 toward us. We tried to get the dogs to flush him, but 

 .they refused to hunt alone, so my friend tried to flush 

 him by throwing stones; the second one hit him fair, 

 killing him. He had only been slightly wounded in one 

 wing. My friend remarked, "We Avill have the best 

 score to-day. Why, we can kill them with stones." 



Osceola. 



DUCKS IN SOUTH DAKOTA. 



LAKE PRESTON, Dak., Aug. 30.— I am on the banks 

 of Lake Preston, which is seven miles in length by 

 one mile in width. The water is quite low at this season 

 of the year and is filled with rushes, which make good 

 screens for ducks. There seems to be no lack of them 

 now, and prospects for many more in three or four 

 weeks, when they will be coming in from the north. 



Aug. 81. — Went out to Lake Ponset, twenty miles 

 northeast of l^ake Preston. Drove over with livery. 

 Passed Lake Badger on the way, a small lake of clear 

 water too open for good shooting. Arrived at Lake 

 Ponset 3 P. M. This is a fine lake, seven or eight miles 

 by one to one and a half, full to overflowing with fish and 

 plenty of gfese, clucks, pelicans and brant. Had lots of 

 fun to day, 



Sept. 1. — Went to church and listened to the Rev, Mr. 

 Mason. The elder is small of stature, but like the 

 lamented Dick Yates, has a master brain. Put in Sun- 

 clay evening loading shells. 



Sept. 2. — Visited Lake White wood, some three miles 

 south and east of Lake Preston. Whitewood is a con- 

 siderable body of water, no fish in it but ducks, ducks, 

 ducks. Everywhere. Also geese and pelican. Killed 

 fifty ducks to-day, teal and mallard. 



Sept. 3. — Went out to Lake Thompson, some two and 

 a half miles south and west from Lake Preston. This is 

 rather a mud lake, but later in the season will be good 

 shooting ground. Struck several coveys of chickens to- 

 day and a few snipe. 



Sept. 4.— This is a fine duck and goose roost; has a fine 

 little natural grove of timber around its borders and is 

 quite a picnic resort, with small boats to let at reason- 

 able prices. Am enjoying myself highly. One can get 

 all the ammunition wished for at Lake Preston. Lake 

 Preston has good hotel and livery; the Lake Preston 

 House is the hunter's delight. If any of my Eastern 

 friends should wish to enjoy a vacation they can do no 

 better than to come to Lake Preston and shoot for a few 

 weeks. J. S. 



The Connecticut Association Means Business.— 

 The Connecticut Association of Farmers and Sportsmen 

 for the Protection of Game and Fish has elected these 

 officers for the ensuing year: President, A. C. Collins; 

 Vice-President and Treasurer. Dr. N. W. Holcombe; 

 Secretary, Hon. George P. McLean. Directors — Hon. 

 Geo. P. McLean, Hartford; Hon. J. C. Chamberlain, 

 Bridgeport; Dr. J. W. Alsop. Middletown; A. L. Kurau, 

 Tolland; F. W. Whitlock, Waterbury; Samuel A. Eddy, 

 Canaan: Geo. A. Reed, Chaplin; Z, R. Bobbins, Norwich. 

 Executive Committee— A. C. Collins, Dr. N. W. Hol- 

 combe. C. H. Smith, Jr., A. E. Hart and Geo. P. McLean. 

 A circular issued by President Collins says: "The crying 

 need of the hour is money to carry on our good work. 

 Gentlemen, we want your sympathy— but sympathy will 

 not pay the printers, postage and detectives. We have 

 shown the past year that the game and fish laws can be 

 enforced. We have successfully prosecuted over twenty 

 violators.'of these laws, we could have captured as many 

 more if the sportsmen and anglers had furnished more 

 money— and less sympathy." Sept. 4 Mr. Collins arrested 

 Frederick Brooks and Elmer Taltnadge, both of Southing- 

 ton, for shooting woodcock. The men were taken before 

 Justice Ephraim H. Andrews, of Southington, who found 

 them guilty of killing one woodcock each and promptly 

 imposed a fine and costs, amounting to ijf.2G.78 for each. 



Game in the Hudson River Glades.— On Thursday 

 last my son, John W. Evers, returned from his vacation 

 at West Point to the city. In the early morning he took 

 a two-hours' run in the dell, and brought home as the re- 

 sult of his work with the dog and gun seven woodcock 

 and one wild pigeon, tie reports game abundant in the 

 river hills of grange and Putnam counties.— Canontcus 

 (North New York City, Sept. 7). 



Quail in Georgia.— The quail in Georgia have bred 

 wed this season, and with the exception of too much rain 

 in several localities drowning the young, the crop prom- 

 ises to be good. The young are now two-thirds grown, 

 and fully able to take care of themselves.— X. 



St. Louis, Mo., Sept. 7.— An effort is being made in this 

 city to put a stop to the illegal selling of prairie chickens. 

 Capt. H. C. West, a member of the Missouri State Fish 

 and Game Protective Association, is at the head of the 

 movement, and he hopes to bring all the violators to 

 justice. Warrants have been taken out against several 

 hotel and restaurant keepers, and also one commission 

 firm. There are others here who are handling prairie 

 chickens, and the Captain says he will not rest until he 

 has brought every last one of them to justice. The cases 

 against those already arrested were to have been tried 

 the past week, but were upon motion of the defendants' 

 attorney continued till next Thursday. 



A Big Bear.— Blair, Neb., Aug. 24.— The Advertiser, 

 of this town, reports that "one of the largest bears ever 

 lolled on earth was shot a few weeks ago by a Wyoming 

 Indian. It weighed 2,2801bs. and measured 12ft. in 

 length and 10ft. wide. The hide was purchased by E. 

 Meshey, the Cheyenne furrier and taxidermist, who is 

 now engaged in 'stuffing it. Representative Dorsey, of 

 Nebraska, during his recent visit to Cheynne. saw the 

 hide, and offered Mr. Meshey $300 for it when stuffed. 

 The offer was accepted, and the biggest stuffed bear on 

 earth will be shipped to Mr. Dorsey's home at Fremont, 

 Nebraska. Mr. Dorsey is a banker, and will probably use 

 the animal to adorn one of his large plate glass windows." 

 I am going over there to see it. — Dr. E. A. Palmer. 



The Epop Gun Cleaner, advertised in another column, is a 

 handy and effective tool which all those who use a gam should 

 possess. It does its work quickly and effectually, removing both 

 lead and powder without scratching the barrels. Its price is 

 moderate and the satisfaction it gives is complete. That it is 

 thoroughly appreciated by shootc-T 3 is proven by the large num- 

 ber seen at every trap tournament.— Adv. 



A WEEK IN THE LAU RENTIANS.— II. 



[Concluded from Page 109.1 



THE worthy habi/av who had charge of Scott's camp 

 was very much exercised over the news that I had 

 been privileged to fish in Griffith's waters at the foot of 

 the rapids. He said that the reputation of Scott's section 

 of the river was at stake and liable to be prejudiced if I 

 should make a bigger creel than I had hitherto made, so 

 taking my Kentucky friend and his boatmen into consul- 

 tation he arranged that they should fish the rapids to an 

 island some five miles down the following day, and 

 taking a lunch with them spend the whole day fishing 

 there, and my friend was enjoined to do his best to 

 eclipse me. 



They started betimes, and after lingering awhile in the 

 hope that my man would turn up, I got into the canoe 

 with the boy and trolled about in the neighborhood of 

 the camp for an hour or more without getting a rise. At 

 length we returned to camp to inquire, and finding that 

 be bad not arrived. I asked the boy whether he knew 

 Griffith's waters, aud whether he thought he could man- 

 age the canoe alone. He replied confidently, and no 

 other man being available I started with him. 



The big pool was at no great distance and reached 

 without difficulty. The water was at first smooth, but 

 as we neared the side of the current it was in a state of 

 ever increasing commotion. I had two rods with me, 

 one of them a big trolling rod, which has landed a great 

 many hundred pounds of good fish during the seventeen 

 years it has been in my possession. I bent a exst of flies 

 on each, and holding one in each hand was prepared for 

 wha tever might turn up. 



My first strike was with the big rod, a fib. fish, which 

 felt like a lively minnow on a rod which I had rarely 

 handled with fish less than 7 or 81bs. He was safely 

 landed and soon followed by another of twice his weight, 

 when my guide conducted me to some rocks, which he 

 pronounced a famous place for big ouinanish. 



There I landed and whipped the water patiently for 

 half an horn, getting only one half-pounder, which I re- 

 turned; then taking to the canoe afresh, we made several 

 rounds of the poo", taking one or two fish every round, 

 the biggest being a two-pounder. By and by I got on one 

 that felt somewhat more ponderous and played with him 

 for about a quarter of an hour. Finally getting into still 

 water, I wound in and led him alongside the canoe from 

 stem to stern ; the excited boy made a fierce lunge at him 

 with his net, and the fish, running out some twenty feet, 

 made a good leap of some six feet in the air. I kept a 

 tight strain on him, but, alas! my rod was stiff, and I 

 failed to preserve the happy medium between a loose line 

 and a too heavy strain. Just before the fish touched the 

 water again the hook broke loose. There, was no mis- 

 taking the sensation, he was but lightly hooked, and I 

 lost him by want of delicacy in handling. He was a fish 

 between four and five pounds weight. 



We continued our course, hooking a fish at almost 

 every visit to the edge of the rapids, and towing him to 

 somewhat smoother water to lift him. This took time. 

 As soon as the fish was in the canoe he and the boy ap- 

 peared to be all over it at once. In the end the boy 

 always triumphed and sat down to disentangle the cast- 

 ing line, which he invariably got into a snarl, but I took 

 care not only not to aggravate matters by a passing com- 

 ment or word of advice, but to put on a sweet smile in- 

 tended to iuiply that these little contretemps were a 

 source of pleasurable amusement to me. Occasionally he 

 succeeded in knocking one clear of the fly with the frame 

 of his landing net, and on these occasions I encouraged 

 him by remarking that it was only a little one. 



It Avas about noon and we had gone a little further into 

 the turbulent waters than on any other trip, and were 

 turning back again without a fish when an electric shock 

 ran down my big trolling rod into my arm, and I realized 

 that there are great fish in the waters now as there were 

 in the old days when with the self same rod I landed the 

 lordly mahseer in the rivers of Upper India. "Seven 

 pounds if he is an ounce," I muttered inwardly, "and I 

 will act on the defensive and let him do all the fighting. 

 He shall repay me for past mishaps." 



Withiny stout rod well arched, andthebutt toward him, 

 he carried out about 20ft. of line, but I believe lie simply 

 held his ground or water while the boat advanced that 

 distance. The ouinanish does not turn and flee, his tac- 

 tics are to hold bis own, put on a steady strain, leaping 



occasionally into the air in the effort to shake himself 

 free. 



There was nearly a hundred feet of line out, and leav- 

 ing it to my guide to cross into still water as usual, I took 

 my fish in tow, keeping a light finger pressure on the 

 line and letting him have a yard or so occasionally. The 

 fish was behind me, and I gave my whole attention to 

 regulating the tension, and manipulating the line with 

 delicacy, for stout as was my rod, I had a new twisted 

 linen trout line on, which had already betrayed poor 

 quality, and I knew that I must give my 'fish all the time 

 he wanted. 



Suddenly, to my utter astonishment,the canoe grounded, 

 the guide jumped out, and turning my bead to one side, 

 I found that we were grounded on the point of an island, 

 after crossing just above the head of some shalloAv rapids, 

 and that my fish with a hundred feet of line out had gone 

 down them. 



I sprang up and limped ashore as well as I could, when 

 I saw— oh, horror of horrors!— that about midway be- 

 tween me and the fish the line passed under a boulder 

 and was jammed. I gave out slack aud called to the boy 

 to clear it. There was no great depth of water in the 

 torrent, and but for my game leg I would have been in 

 promptly; but it would have availed nothing, the fish 

 gave a dead pull and snapped the line under the stone. 

 The next instant he sprang into the air, lifting clear out 

 of the water a fish apparently 21bs. weight, which prob- 

 ably took hold in the rapids; and as I surveyed his fair 

 proportions, I exclaimed inwardly, "Oh, that Morell pere 

 bad been, with me in place of Morell fiUP 



"Did you see him?" exclaimed the boy, turning toward 

 me open-mouthed and with extended eyes. "He was so 

 big," extending his hands a full yard apart. 



I was too full for utterance, and returning to the canoe 

 I bent on another cast of flies, made one more round of 

 the pool and then stopped for dinuer. 



My morning's catch embraced ten fish, aggregating 

 141bs. Enough to satisfy any reasonable man's needs, 

 but I would have liked to carry home the giant of the 

 pool. 



In conversation with Mr. Griffith later, he told me that 

 he had never taken a ouinanish over 51bs., and John Morell 

 gave 7flbs. as the biggest fish he had seen taken. 



I went again to the pool after dinner, but the fish were 

 not biting freely, the boy showed an indisposition to go 

 outside of still water, and the clouds portended a storm, 

 so I took my rod apart and started for the house with 

 only two fish. Scott's waters triumphed that day at the 

 hands of the worthy Kentuckian, who brought back a 

 creel of forty fish ranging from lib. to 31bs. 



The following morning I packed my traps all ready for 

 departure. I might have done half a day's fishing, for 

 the steamer was not due until afternoon, but the fever 

 bad abated. I could have lingered on there for weeks in 

 the calm enjoyment of the scene and of the balmy atmos- 

 phere, and from time to time it would have been a pleas- 

 ure to do an hour or two's fishing sufficient for the table, 

 but a whole day's fishing has never been with me more 

 than an occasional indulgence. 



And so I went out and stretched myself on a grassy 

 slope, and basked in the joyous sunshine, ami let my eye 

 wander over lake and river, and rest upon the numerous 

 islands that studded the inlet, and was content. No cer- 

 tain prospect of a 71bs. ouinanish could have lured me 

 away from my indvdgence in the dolce far niente that 

 bright morning; no thought that the present moment 

 was a fleeting one disturbed me, no pensive reflection 

 suggested that the scene spread before me was one I 

 never might see again. I looked neither f orward nor back- 

 ward. It was one of those rare delicious moments of 

 gentle languor in which the mere sense of existence is all 

 sufficing. If I had reflected I might have said to myself, 

 "This is what I came for, this is rest;" but it was no time 

 for reflection, I lived and enjoyed living, perhaps, just as 

 the satisfied beasts do. Well, no matter. Then came the 

 whistle of the steamboat and the bustle of departure. I 

 was sent ahead to make sure of my passage, and Mr. and 

 Mrs. Griffiths followed in another boat. There was little 

 delay after arrival at the steamer, our adieus were 

 spoken, the steamer got under way, and casting my eyes 

 forward they alighted on the falls of Ouiatch'ewan, 

 clearly visible as a white streak on the dark hillside at 

 this distance of twenty miles. 



Three hours later I took mine ease in mine inn, in the 

 roomy quarters of the Robervale, a handsome and well 

 kept hotel, such as few would expect to find so far from 

 the familiar beaten tracks of travel, but the fact is the 

 Lake St. John is an old and important, although hitherto 

 isolated settlement, and now that the Quebec & St. John 

 Railway has opened communication between it and the 

 outside world and brought them within twelve hours' 

 journey of each other, Lake St. John in the wilderness 

 promises to become a popular summer resort, not only 

 for the good citizens of Quebec, but for all the world and 

 his wife, for the fame of its ouinanish waters has gone 

 out into all lands; the lake scenery is beautiful, the forest 

 shows only as a feature of the background, and with the 

 climate of the Adirondacks, there are all the appliances 

 of a vigorous settlement at hand. 



It will be remembered that I wrote of the smallest 

 ouinanish in the Grand Discharge as somewhat less than 

 half a pound, and of fish of this size as comparatively 

 rare. From this it would be pretty safe to infer that the 

 Grand Discharge is not its spawning grounds. 



As far as I could ascertain, the ouinanish, in company 

 with the pickerel, and possibly other fish, pass down the 

 rapids in their spring floods, remain in the Discharge all 

 summer, returning in the fall to the depths of the lake, 

 and passing into the spawning rivers in spring. These 

 spawning rivers are the larger feeders of the lake. The 

 principal spawning bed is said f o be the river Au Salmon, 

 although there is not much doubt that large numbers of 

 the fish go up the Peribonca, the Mistassini, the Meta- 

 betchuan, and other of the main feeders to spawn. 



In the three rivers named, trout and ouinanish are 

 found in company, and that the lake is the proper home 

 and point of departure of the ouinanish appears to be 

 evidenced by the fact that the Ouiatehewan, which falls 

 280ft. into the lake, and is a considerable stream, has no 

 ouinanish, although it is reported a first-class but little- 

 frequented trout stream. 



The trout, on the other hand, although they come 

 down the rivers into the lake, do not go clown the Dis- 

 charge. Some very few exceptions only prove the rule. 



The ouinanish is no more so plentiful as it once was. 

 The Indians say they were formerly so abundant in the^ 



