Dec. 26, 1889,] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



CONNECTICUT GAME AND MARKETS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Those who make public utterances subject the same to public 

 criticism; but when 1 asked the encouragement through your 

 valuable journal of the Connecticut Association of Farmers and 

 Sportsmen for the Protection of Game and Fish, in their laudable 

 endeavors to enforce the game laws of that State against the 

 violators of the same, I did not dream of subjecting myself to a 

 personal attack in a public journal, nor of having my genealogy 

 or residence advertised. We do not always in writing express 

 clearly to others what we intended to say— and often what we do 

 write appears quite differently to the eyes of others from what it 

 does to our own. Although neither of tbe items sent you by me., 

 Now 14, last year, nor the one last fall are at hand. 1 am quite 

 sure I made no accusations agaiust any one, but simply £ave the 

 information that came in my way, hoping it might be or service 

 in the good cause of preserving the game and fish of old Connec- 

 ticut; but the special pleading for the dealer in game whom 1 

 happened to meet, made by your correspondents of the 5th 

 and 12th inst., leads me to think that markot hunting and 

 marketing game, if not worthy of a prize, are certainly very 

 highly commended by some sportsmen. Shooting for market 

 and selling the game when shot are undoubtedly legitimate occu- 

 pations, and men of integrity can undoubtedly engage in them, 

 but it is well known that these very occupa tions are annihilating 

 all kinds of game throughout our entire country. Very few true 

 sportsmen favor this, even though (be letter of the law be not 

 Violated. It matters little to me whether the few game birds 

 that happen to be in rav neighborhood, when lit erally extermin- 

 ated by mark'-t-hunters, have been sold to Hartford and Now 

 Haven or New York and San Francisco; the result to those who 

 desire an occasional day's shooting is the same their game lias 

 been wiped out, and they have a barren field over which to tramp 

 and an empi v bag to take into camp. 



My suggestion that game might possibly he ubipped nut. of the 

 State IrOU Mew Haven and Hartford was not based entirely on 

 the fact that I saw one man taking game to one of these places; 

 for it was quite certain to my mind that many others were en- 

 gaged in the same business. One of your correspondents has 

 proved by bis prompt action that in some cases attempts have 

 been made to ship game outof tbe State from Hartford; and I can 

 assure him that the locality in his State where I have been wont 

 to look for a few days' sport during the hunting season has been 

 so thoroughly depicted of game by market-hunters, that one de- 

 siring sport has to depend on the tramp and the recollection of 

 by-gone days for it. Tn the locality alluded to one market-hunter 

 reported that he sold in Hartford this fall the proceeds of 16 days' 

 shooting, for which he received $56. and there are two others in 

 the same locality who have made a continuous business of market- 

 hunting the entire season. This certainly does not tend to the 

 preservation of game. A few years ago I made a slight effort to 

 restock the locality with quail, putting out three dozen live birds, 

 but I found that my feeble efforts only increased the hags of the 

 market-hunters. The facetious remarks of one of your corre- 

 spondents in regard to the "slot" and " dollar " business were 

 quite pleasant to read, and perhaps as applied to me are quite 

 pointed. I have several times thought of dropping my dollar as 

 suggested, and may do so yet if the " slot " is not closed against 

 me; one thing is quite certain, that as long as you see fit to give 

 toe space in your Journal T shall occasionally give my views on 

 market-hunting, notwithstanding the allusion to "baseball bats," 

 " nerve food " and tbe " danger " from the " machine '•' when a 

 few remarks are made unaccompanied by a dollar. A. 



December 16. 



Editor Forest, and Stream: 



I am in sympathy with the St. Lawrence Anglers' Association, 

 which has doue so much for the St. Lawrence fishing waters, and 

 the Connecticut Association of Farmers for the Protection of 

 Game and Fish, which has done great good in this State. The 

 Spjrtsmen of Connecticut have reason for gratulation that they 

 have so able a brother to champion their cause: the standard ad- 

 vocated by the president of the Connecticut Association is a 

 noble one) and it is to be hoped that the members will seek to 

 emulate it. and do all possible to forward the good work, and 

 by their courtesy aud good usage of the furmers enlist them as 

 assistants and friends in the good cause. For the farmers have 

 occasion for complaint. During the past four months each week 

 I have been over quite a large part, of Hartford and Tolland 

 counties. 1 have seen only two lines of snares; and birds have 

 been more plenty this season than for several years, hut during 

 these months 1 have found many fences which had been thrown 

 down by hunters and fishermen, leaving openings for cattle to 

 escape from the pastures and do damage to crops. 1 always put 

 Up such a fence, for I have owned a farm in this county, and am 

 aware of the trouble caused in this way. It is true tha.t some 

 farmers (they are the exception and not the rule) engender ill 

 feeling by leasing the streams which run through their land, and 

 also their woodlands to men who put up notices forbidding hunt- 

 ing aud fishing, and although most of the notice would not hold 

 in law, still the feeling exists, and a few unprincipled men retali- 

 ate by destroying property. 



But the crying evil is the hunters who hunt for market; the 

 Stopping of snaring has been a boon to them. I know of two 

 hunters who have four dogs, aud use. two dogs on alternate days. 

 I know of others at it all the time. It is safe to say of four hunt- 

 ers in this part of the country that tbey shoot game enough to 

 supply two hundred sportsmen, and until we have a law limiting 

 the amount to be taken by one hunter, we shall not increase the 

 game to any appreciable extent, for what was taken by snares is 

 now shot by the market-hunter. 



Hunting and fishing are done here Sundays. Not a Sabbath 

 during the fishing season that more or less fishermen have not 

 been on the waters here, and after the hunting season came in 

 the Sunday hunter was out. I do not think there is much hunt- 

 ing out of season, or any amount of game taken in snares, but 

 fishing, except for ti out, is done every month in the year. Rab- 

 bits are hunted with ferrets with impunity. I don't believe 

 enough could be shot in a week to furnish a good meal. There 

 seems to be no attentiou given to the law, and rabbits are nearly 

 exterminated. 



The most important question that now confronts us is, shall the 

 amount of game to be taken bj T one person be regulated by law, 

 and if so, what shall the limitation be? The pot-hunters will take 

 all they can get. They have no conscience, the usufruct that the 

 public have m hunting grounds and fishing waters, must have 

 some determinate limit, and in this connection a word in relation 

 to the article published iu Fokest and Stream of Nov. 7 on the 

 "Association of the St. Lawrence." In that article it is stated "that 

 many tons of game fish were annually taken from the river by 

 net fishers prove to the organization of the association." This, 

 without doubt, is true, but here the question of limitation comes 

 in. These fish were utilized for food by some persons, perhaps by 

 those who could not have had them except for this method of ob- 

 taining them, and it becomes a question of right, between these 

 people and some others. Now, I am opposed to net-fishing and 

 pot-hunting, but a nice question confronts us here. What is 

 honest and just, as between man and man? The article further 

 says "that it is believed that in 1889 over one thousand boxes of 

 fish were shipped by tourists to their friends, three times as many 

 fish were eaten by'tourists as were consumed six years ago, and 

 that it is perfectly apparent that there were three times as many 

 fish caught by the angler and tourist in 1S89 as were caught in any- 

 one of the years immediately preceding the organization of the 

 Anglers' Association." In other words, over thirty tons of fish 

 were sent to friends, and probably enough consumed to make the 

 amount taken forty tons or more. This would look something 

 like "robbing Peter to pay Paul;" the fish are taken in another 

 manner and consumed, but by different parties, therefore it 

 becomes difficult to draw the line, and the question arises, shall 

 those to the manor born or the tourists and their friends consume 

 the fish, or can some equitable and just plan be formulated that 

 will do equal and exact justice to alt? Jonathan, 

 Manchester Green, Conn. 



Antelope and Deer of America. By J. D. Caton. 

 Price $£.50. Wing and Glass Ball Shooting with the 

 Rifle. By W. O. Bliss. Price 50 cents. Rifle, Rod and 

 Gun in California, By T. S. Van Dyke. Price SI. 50. 

 Shore Birds. Price 15 cents. Woodcraft. By "Ness- 

 mtifc." Price $1. Trajectories of Hunting Rifles. Price 

 50 cents. Wild Fowl Shooting: 'sec advertisement, 



FoitusT wo Stream, Box B,882, N. Y. city, has descriptive illus- 

 trated circulars of W. B. LeffingweU's book, "Wild Fowl Shoot* 

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

 uounoed by "Nanit," "Gloan," "Dick Swiveller." "Sybulene" and 

 otter compf t authority to ha the best treaty nq the subject 



"That reminds me." 

 290. 



SOME weeks ago while we were making our first day's 

 hunt in the Rockies, oue of our party came on a band 

 of elk feeding in a small opening in the thick timber. 

 Hiding himself behind some trees, he began shooting, 

 and brought down two fine cows, when the band broke 

 and ran. One large bull with fine antlers came directly 

 toward our hero, who imagined that the elk was looking 

 for him, and so, s«curely hiding himself, he let the elk 

 pass within a few steps of him without shooting. When 

 relating the incident around the camp-fire that night he 

 remarked, "It's no use, boys, I was just too badly scared 

 to shoot." It is needless to add that we were nearly all 

 tenderfeet. H, 

 Euqar, Nebraska. 



291. 



When the little party of TJ. S. Fish Commission ex- 

 plorers, oa their return from Karluk Lake, were resting 

 their tired limbs in the genial company of Capt. Larsen 

 in Uyak Bay. they found themselves temporarily storm- 

 bound behind a little island which makes a good lee for 

 the salmon fleet in westerly winds. The steamers Hay- 

 tien Republic, Bertha and Aleut, and the bark Coryphene 

 were anchored in this snug harbor when Capt, Larsen's 

 Ella RohlfsS dropped anchor in their company. Our 

 natives speedily paddled themselves away to the bara- 

 baras of their friends, and we joined a sociable gathering 

 in the cabin of Capt. Brown, of the Haytien Republic, 

 Here Capt. Anderson, commanding the Bertha, related 

 one of his celebrated bear stories in language somewhat 

 as follows: 



An exceptionally brave man of Kadiak was noted for 

 his intimate acquaintance with all the appliances for kill- 

 ing big game, and particularly bear. There was appar- 

 ently nothing about the pattern and caliber of rifles, size, 

 shape and proper combination of parts in shells that this 

 man did not know to the tips of his fingers. The vulnera- 

 ble points of a bear were open as day to this mighty man 

 of the gun. 



A short time ago this bear slayer went forth heavily 

 armed to search for his favorite quarry. He stepped 

 briskly and confidently into a densely wooded glen, 

 through which a salmon stream tumbled' and sparkled on 

 its way to the sea. A sudden noise startled him and, 

 looking for the cause, he was astonished, grieved and 

 finally terrified in beholding a bear which looked totally 

 different from the one he was gunning for. The bear 

 was not in the least disconcerted by the unexpected 

 meeting; he welcomed the intruder and acted altogether 

 unlike the conventional bear of our hunter's experience. 

 What did the hero do thenV I blush to say it, but he 

 promptly and unmistakably ran toward a convenient 

 tree, and the shameless brute came lumbering after. It 

 was a tremendous dilemma, with a bare chance of ' es- 

 cape from both horns, if the odds in climbing turned in 

 favor of the man. The precious rifle fell from the ner- 

 vous grasp of the climber, whose sole activity (both soles 

 in fact), was concentrated in the effort to get up higher. 

 The bear had not seen a gun of that pattern before and 

 he sat down to look it over, while the hero barked his 

 shins in agony overhead. Bruin felt comfortable with 

 his new toy, and, not being in a hurry, lay down to wait 

 for its agile owner. Time passed and it was growing 

 late and the hunter was becoming cold, hungry and very 

 red in the face. Presently a small boy appeared in the 

 distance, and the prisoner was horrified to see him com- 

 ing in the direction of the bear. He shouted at the top 

 of his voice, "Boy, run for your life! Danger! Bear!" 

 Apparently the boy did not realize the dreadful state of 

 affairs, for he came straight on. "Boy! Danger! Go 

 away! Run for your life!" again shrieked the frantic 

 hunter. But the boy heeded him not. Right into the 

 jaws of death he marched. He deliberately walked up 

 to the bear, took him by the ear and said, "What are 

 you doin' here, you young scamp. Come home and let 

 the gent come down outen that tree." T. H. B. 



292. 



I have heard the following story, which, I believe, has 

 never appeared in print. A gentleman who was visiting 

 a certain part of Newfoundland where, a few years be- 

 fore, a giant squid had been captured, was much im- 

 pressed with the rugged, broken character of the region. 

 He thought this was possibly due to some seismic disturb- 

 ance, and asked a fisherman if there had ever been an 

 earthquake there. The native had never heard of an 

 earthquake before, but feeling that it must be something 

 very remarkable, and knowing of no other incident 

 which had created so much local interest as the capture 

 of the big devil fish, he exclaimed, "Yas, sar, skipper 

 Garge catched one on 'em up to der bottom of de bay, sar, 

 in his net." J. W. C. 



293. 



The following story is told at the expense of one of the 

 Maine Fish Commissioners, who has been very active and 

 efficient in bringing to justice fishermen who have tried to 

 evade the law by catching and selling "short" lobsters. 

 On one occasion the gentleman was driving with a friend 

 along the country road, near the coast, when he met one 

 of those peculiar characters— half -farmer, half-fisherman 

 — so frequently seen in that region. The latter was driv- 

 ing two young cows. The State Fish Commissioner ac- 

 him with, "Halloa ! where are you going with those 

 cows ?" The fisherman had probably been a sufferer from 

 the vigilance of the official, and having this in mind he 

 replied in a peculiar nasal drawl which gave special effect 

 to his words: "Oh, I was jest going ter take 'em up an' 

 hev ver measure 'em ter see ef the"r long enough !" 



J. W. 0. 



Fishing in Florida Watkhs.— Anglers who intend visitmg 

 Florida this coming winter will find it to their advantage to in- 

 spect the superior tackle for tarpon and other fishes, manufac- 

 tured by Thomas <T, Conroy, 65 Fulton street, NewYork.— Ad<\ 



Ifcnrflitl, NETti of every description. American Net <fc Twine ( 

 i%, IH Commercial ft, Boston, or }W> folton ar>, N, J--Ad'\ 



m m\d Jfit^r fishing. 



AQUARIA NOTES. 



Occasional Observations on the Fishes in the Aquaria of the U. 8. 

 Fish Commission. 



AVERY minute microscopic parasite, which infests 

 the goldfish in enormous numbers when confined 

 in aquaria, I have never been able to have it positively 

 identified. Dr. Joseph Leidy once told me that it is one 

 of the commoner rotifers. Some of our younger biolo- 

 gists, who sometimes complain that "everything is 

 worked up and there is nothing left to do," might make 

 an interesting study of this creature and its parasitic 

 habits. The material will be found in abundence on the 

 diseased goldfish in aquarium stores. Its presence upon 

 fish is made manifest by a generally depressed appear- 

 ance. The fins will be folded close to the body, fre- 

 quently being actively flapped, as though the fish were 

 suffering from itching or other irritation. The lobes of 

 the fius will become narrow and sharply pointed. The 

 fish will frequently dart about, spasmodically rubbing 

 its sides on the sand or rocks. There wilJ also soon be, 

 when not speedily relieved, a raw or bloody appearance 

 at the bases of the fins and the edges of the scales. This 

 is due to the irritation caused by the blood-sucking pro- 

 pensities of this leech -like parasite. The fish will refuse 

 food when in this condition and if not relieved wilJ 

 speedily die. Rub the finger gently over the skin of a 

 fish in this condition, scrape the adhering mucus into a 

 drop of water in the glass slide of a microscope, and a 

 microscopic examination (a very ordinary microscope 

 will do) will reveal numbers of what appear, by their 

 movements, like small leeches, a movement similar to 

 that of the measuring worm. They are soon destroyed 

 by giving the fish salt water baths at least twice a day. 

 Without a salinometer it is difficult to judge of the 

 strength of salt water and care must be taken not to 

 leave the fish in the bath too long. If it should turn over 

 on its side or back it should be taken out at once. Un- 

 less the fish is far gone, repeated baths will restore it. 



Upon opening a box of algae recently, shipped by ex- 

 press fron i W ( rod's Iioll, Mass. , to Washington , and which 

 had been forty-eight hours on the road, I was much sur- 

 prised to find at the bottom a living fish (Fundidus hetero- 

 clitus) about two inches long. It was as lively as could 

 be, and showed no signs of having been affected by the 

 journey. On being placed in water it swam away, as if 

 delighted to return to its natural element. It should be 

 stated that the alga? were simply packed in a box in a 

 damp or moist condition, but not wet, so that during the 

 forty-eight hours the fish must have breathed air alone. 



There are some species of blenny and goby which live 

 in the empty shells of mollusks. A Washington oyster 

 dealer, who takes considerable interest in the Aquaria, 

 frequently brings specimens which he finds in empty 

 oyster shells. How long they may have been out of the 

 water it is difficult to learn generally. In some cases it 

 has been found to bo two days, but in others it has prob- 

 ably been four or five days. These beautiful and inter- 

 esting little fish are thus a long time out of water without 

 apparent inconvenience, for they are as lively as crickets 

 when placed in the water again. 



The are no fishes more beautiful and interesting than 

 our^conainon sunfishes, of which there are a large number 

 of species. Reference is made here particularly to the 

 genera Enneacanthus and lepomis. Some of them, 

 notably the common pumpkin seed, are gorgeously 

 colored, and if they hailed from some remote part of the 

 globe would no doubt be recognized and appreciated. 

 They are generally voracious and pugnacious, and are. 

 interesting inhabitants of the aquarium. Of course, 

 it does not do to keep them with gold fish or others of 

 that nature, as they will harass them, biting their fins, 

 and may possibly kill them. But kept by themselves 

 they are much more interesting than the more peace- 

 loving vegetarians among fishes. They are carnivorous 

 in habit and will only eat vegetable food (bread, cracker, 

 etc.) when very hungry. They soon become so tame 

 that they will jump out of the water to take a bit of 

 meat from one's finger. They generally choose a place 

 in the aquarium, which is held courageously against all 

 comers, and from which they sally out upon all intruders 

 upon their claim. Squatter sovereignty is fully recog- 

 nized among them, unless the squatter happens to be the 

 weaker, in which respect, however, they do not differ so 

 much from ourselves. 



Throw an angle worm among some of them not big- 

 enough to swallow it. Two will seize it, one at each end, 

 and will go gyrating around around like tops, the others 

 making frantic efforts and rushes to snatch it away, tug- 

 ging and jerking, pulling and hauling, this way and that, 

 their fins erect and bristling, and their colors glowing 

 with increased brilliancy. They have a habit of sidling 

 up to one another with a waving, undulatory motion 

 which may be sexual manifestations, or the angry defi- 

 ance of males, but I think this has not been carefully ob- 

 served. They have also (at times) a curious backward 

 and forward movement which appears akin to the rest- 

 lessness displayed by all carnivorous animals in captivity. 



W m. P. Seal. 



About Heated- Brass. — Editor Forest and Stream: 

 Thanks are due your correspondent "Kingfisher," both 

 for affording me an opportunity to admit my error in 

 misquoting him and at the same time enabling me to 

 give him another shot. "Kingfisher," did not say in his 

 communication of Sept. 19 that heating brass and then 

 plunging it in cold water would harden it, but he did say, 

 "The next time the worthy brother has occasion to burn 

 out a ferule, let it cool off in the air and he will find it 

 jest as stiff or a leetle might stiff er 'n it was before." Now 

 I will not call your correspondent "obtuse," nor in any 

 other way attempt to emulate his chastely beautiful 

 phrasealogy, but simply inform him and his confreres 

 that the most elementary works on metallurgy teach 

 that brass when heated and then cooled, "in the air," or 

 out of it, becomes much more pliable and softer than it 

 was before so treated. Will you kindly examine the 

 two samples (inclosed kerewith) of nickel plated brass, 

 cut from the same piece, one heated red hot and cooled 

 iu the air, the other not heated at all, then editorially 

 state the result? If "Kingfisher" finds that he has made 

 a hasty statement not supported by fact he should admit 

 it precisely as does your correfepon.den.f-— Thomas C lav- 

 ham , (The heated is f;he eoftev, j 



