412 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 12, 1890. 



birds from a distance. The plover call is not hard to 

 learn, but Joe has the faculty of making it so loud that it 

 is truthful to say the birds can hear him a rode do wn 

 wind. The above is all there is to the way Italian Joe 



^The'rfmay be some who do not think plover shooting 

 is good sport. These do net understand it Without 

 wishing to justifythe method or the ^^.^o^lt 

 one must still be interested in the way of woik of one of 

 the most practical naturalists that ever shot a gun, and 

 anyone who has passed a warm and mellow M™S 

 Italian Joe. in his blind on some wide green field and 

 who has seen him bring close to hand flock after flock of 

 Seses^ 



has had a new and exciting experience in the .field. Joe 

 is a skillful and successful snipe shooter, and he probably 

 kills also more woodcock than all the shooters of Chicago, 

 but his one love is "de plov'." . 



"I tell, I goin' to like-a shoot-a de plov," says he, his 

 eyes shining. ''I goin' to whis' 'whit-whit! and de plov 

 he come in." Chicago. 



FOX SPARROW IN NOVA SCOTIA. 



AFTER walking several horns without much success 

 in collecting on May 27 I turned homeward. I 

 had only gone a few steps, when a fox-colored sparrow 

 (Passerella iliaca) flew up just in front of me and noise- 

 lessly disappeared in the surrounding woods. 1 went 

 direct to the spot from which she had flown and there 

 found her nest containing four eggs. I went away and 

 did not return for about an hour. She flushed again and 

 I shot her, thus removing all chance of doubt concern- 

 ing identification, as her skin is now in my cabinet. 



The nest, which is before me as I write, was placed on 

 the ground between a small fir and hemlock, each only 

 about a foot high. It was perfectly concealed by the 

 lower branches. The location was a partially cleared 

 hemlock grove on comparatively high ground. The out- 

 side of the nest is composed of spruce twigs, bits of dry 

 rotten wood and coarse grass, the main body consisting 

 wholly of grass, and the lining composed largely of the 

 same, but intermixed with a few cow-tail hairs. The 

 depth is 2.7oin.; the diameter of cavity on top is 2.25m.; 

 the average thickness of materials composing nest is 

 about 1.25in. These measurements show that this nest 

 is rather deeper than those made by the white-throated 

 or other common sparrows. 



The eggs were four in number and were considerably 

 incubated, so we may consider the set complete. They 

 are almost the exact shade of the ground color of the chip- 

 ping sparrow's; in other words, they are light blue. They 

 are aiso almost wholly unmarked. Dr. Coues, in "New 

 England Bird Life," says: "The eggs are marbled with 

 rusty brown, often so thickly as to conceal the ground 

 color." Other authors agree with him. Either they are 

 all wrong or this set is unusually plain, as the small 

 brownish dots Avhich do appear on these are so small and 

 so far apart that they would be wholly overlooked by the 

 ordinary observer. 



Mr. Oliver Davie, after using almost the exact words of 

 Dr. Coues as to colorings, places the size at ,94x.71in. 

 The measurements of my eggs are .89X.67, .88X.67, 

 .87X.67 and .86X-67in. 



My observations previous to the finding of this nest led 

 me to believe that fox color occasionally breeds in Nova 

 Scotia and southern New Brunswick. I would like to 

 hear from others with reference to the nesting of this 

 sparrow. Is there any other account of its nesting so far 

 south? A. C. Kempton. 



Wonjrvix.LK, Nova Scotia. 



Hare Coursing.— The articles with the above heading 

 recall an incident of like nature witnessed by me last fall 

 soon after the first snowfall. I had just stepped outside 

 the camp, when a rabbit came along the trail in front of 

 the camp, going at a clipping gait. He went about a 

 hundred yards and doubled, not on, but parallel to his 

 first track, and stopped within a few feet of me and about 

 ten feet distant from his first course. As he crouched 

 low down I saw a sable pass on his track with head low 

 down to catch the scent. "Brer rabbit lay low" till the 

 sable had gotten well by, then took along the way he 

 came, but not in his first tracks, going about eighty 

 yards, then returning in his latest track about half way 

 to the camp, when making a long jump at right angle 

 from the trail he landed in the brush and soon was out of 

 sight. About that time the sable returned on the newest 

 track, nose to the ground and eager, so eager that he 

 overran the turn a little, then came back to where the 

 rabbit left the trail. Here he was at fault, but for a mo- 

 ment, as he struck a circle and hit up the scent and was off 

 again. Did the sable catch the rabbit? Well, this is how 

 I size it up. Bunny has proved his superiority at run- 

 ning, he also finds his doubling serves him well and is 

 thus caught napping in fancied security. It is my belief 

 that all the camivora that seek their prey by a long 

 chase are successful. Instinct never errs. — Hunter. 



Bulletin American Museum Natural History.— 

 The first 64 pages of Vol. HI. of the Bulletin American 

 Museum of Natural History, dated May, 1890 has just 

 been received. It contains an article on The Calciferous 

 Formation in the Champlain Valley, by Ezra Bravnerd 

 and H. M. Seely of Middlebury College, which is illus- 

 trated by a diagram showing a section of the rocks; con- 

 servations on the Fauna of the Rocks at Fort Cassin, 

 Vermont, with descriptions of a few new species, by K. 

 P Whitfield, with three plates of fossil shells, and two in- 

 teresting papers by Mr. Allen on North American ground 

 squirrels. .. 



jf i»# utfd 



FISHING NEAR NEW YORK. 



FOR practical and specific directions to reach several hundred 

 fishing resorts within easy distance of New York city, see 

 issues of 1889 as follows: April 18, April 25, May 2, May 9, May 30. 

 June 6, June 13, June 20, June 27. 



WITH FLY-ROD AND CAMERA. 



IN size, interest of text, wealth of illustration, and beauty of 

 production, the most notable work ou salmon fishing issued. 

 See advertisement elsewhere. 



CONTENTS OF CHAPTER II. 



An Early Cast-Silver Doctors-Cover the Water Thoroughly- 

 A Big Sea Trout— Lively Times— How to Cook a Trout— An 

 Admirable Cast— Another Salmon Hooked and Lost— Fly 

 P'ison in Demand-Black Flies on the Magalloway-A Rough 

 Experience-Playing a Drift Tree Top-Two Fish Hooked and 

 Both Saved-A Great Struggle-The Cup that Cheers- We As- 

 cend to the Fifth Pool— Queer Characters Who Go a- Fishing 

 —A Man who Wanted the Earth— Jealousy— Lake and Spotted 

 or Brook Trout Compared— Killing a Togue on the Fly— 

 Schoodic Fishing in Old Times— Picturesque Sea Coast of 

 Maine— Land-locked Salmon— Ducks in Abundance— A Lively 

 Fish— Hookiug a Pair of Land-locks— Trolling for Salmon- 

 Pickerel Fishing— How to Make a Bark Camp— "Fish Killers', 

 —Indian Traditions— A Plenty of Land-locks Left. 



ADIRONDACK WATERS. 



A DECORATION DAY OUTING. 



I HAVE seen in the newspapers and have learned from 

 many individuals that the trouting this season is very 

 much better than usual, no doubt owing to the exceed- 

 ingly favorable winter, and from personal experience I 

 believe this to be true. Last Wednesday evening, in 

 company with a couple of enthusiastic gentlemen, I left 

 for Thirteenth Pond, in the North Woods, where we ar 

 rived next afternoon about 4 o'clock. We succeeded in 

 capturing a couple of lake trout from Thirteenth Pond 

 that afternoon; one weighed olbs. and the other 21bs. A 

 great many "lakers" have been taken from Thirteenth 

 Pond this spring, and we saw two taken Saturday morn- 

 ing by a gentleman from Brooklyn, their combined 

 weight being 201bs. The same gentleman also captured 

 five smaller ones. Our object, however, being speckled 

 trout fishing, we left Thirteenth Pond very early Thurs- 

 day morning, and with the guides carried our truck and 

 plunder to Puffer Pond, a distance of nearly five miles 

 and a good part of the way up hill. We were somewhat 

 fatigued with the unusual exertion, but did not allow 

 that 5 to dampen our eager anticipation of sport. We 

 were obliged to fish with bait during the greater part of 

 the day, but at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon the trout 

 began "to rise a little, and we then changed from bait to 

 flies. 



I had for a short time as fine sport as I ever experi- 

 enced, the fieh being eager and all of fine size. Indeed 

 there are no small trout, unless one works his way up 

 into the inlet. The fish will average from 9 to 12in. in 

 length and are very fat. They are the handsomest trout 

 I have ever seen. The water of Puffer Pond is about 

 18in. higher than usual at this season, and in conse- 

 quence the fishing is not nearly so good as it will be later 

 in the season. I made a great many inquiries of guides 

 and from a number of fishermen whom I met goin_ 

 and coming out of the woods, and from all I could learn 

 I am convinced that the sport of Puffer Pond can hardly 

 be equalled by any waters near New York. It is an ex- 

 ceedingly easy place to reach from this city. We took 

 the People's Line of steamers at 6 o'clock — though on 

 can leave by train at midnight — and had a good night' 

 rest on the boat with plenty of time for breakfast in the 

 morning, and arrived at North Creek, the terminus of 

 the railway, where we were met by Mr. Maxam, the pro 

 prietor of the hotel at Thirteenth Pond. Mi-, Maxam" 

 address is North River post office, Warren county, Ne^ 

 York. The reports from the many fishermen I met wer 

 almost universal that it was too early in the season for 

 good fii-hing, that the waters were too high. The last of 

 this month'will undoubtedly be a most excellent time for 

 trouting in the Adirondacks. H. S. C. 



New York, June 5. 



other day, effectually preventing trolling for several 

 hours at a time. I can forgive the lake for being at flood 

 tide all the time, and the streams raging torrents, for 

 even they must get full as a result of so much drinking. 

 I did "kick" though when each Sunday morning I was 

 there dawned warm and still and bright, but, of course, 

 no fishing. Looking back seriously now to my trip, I can. 

 pay it was eminently successful, though we only had 

 three pleasant days. I 

 The fishing in the lake had not begun, the speckled 

 trout being still too sleepy to rise, and the lakers lurking 

 away down at the bottom, waiting for warm water andi 

 suckers. In the outlet below the rapids, where there 

 was a stretch of still water for a mile or two, there was- 

 good fishing, and every day found one or more boats, 

 anchored on the rim of the "pork barrel," near a small! 

 island, or dropping down with the current. The riffles 

 above were best fished with waders; that is, if one could 

 keep straight in the tumbling water. The rapids them-l 

 selves were for the most part as foamy as awash tub, bud 

 contained a goodly number of muscular trout. Fishing 

 of all kinds was indulged in dowm on the still water" 

 Some threw flies alone, some added a "smeller" or a bin 

 of worm put on a fly-hook, still others angled withom 

 false pretense of any kind in the old-fashioned way, anc 

 some netted their fish from a certain native's creel witl 

 bank notes, and almost all allowed their guides to fish ii 

 order to swell their count. Now, I don't want to imph 

 that the stream was "hogged," for not more than 20( 

 trout were brought in any day, and most of the time no 

 as many as that. 



I fished for once in a purely scientific way, 7oz. ro<! 

 and flies, no worms (except to catch one small trout), n' 

 guide to help fill the creel (for the Doctor was content | 

 see my satisfaction besides keeping his boat just in th. 

 right position for casting), no bank notes. The from 

 were shy and had all the natural food they wanted, bu 

 after I had found some alder flies and gray-drakes ths 

 nearly matched the millers that were on the water, I ha 

 good luck, and on one or two days the fish were savagt 

 The trout were all good fish at first, lots of half -noun 

 trout, a good number weighing three-quarters, and one 

 in a while a fish that looked to be a pounder.. Wit 

 thirty or forty such fish anv one ought to be satisfies 

 The last day I fished there, though, only the little fellow^ 

 were jumping, so out of the fifty-six trout caught thirt' 

 went back into the water again. 



There was a jolly crowd at Fuller's, the rainy da; 

 were spent in swapping fish and deer tales, and so tl 

 time went pleasantly. 1 was, of course, tremendous- 

 disappointed at the weather, but I am convinced th 

 Meacham is a fine place for trout, and will be for a ye 

 or two more; but one day while I was there two hufl 

 nckerel were brought in; and one cannot help lookir 

 forward to the time when these pirates will check t}j 

 trout fishing to a great extent if not wholly. F'lin. 



Red Squirrels are Carnivorous. — Carleton, N. Y., 

 June 6. — I had a pair of common bluerock pigeons in a 

 large cage in our back yard. One morning I found one 

 of them on the bottom of the cage dead, and half eaten 

 by some animal. The cage was suspended by a wire be- 

 tween two trees, and was fully five feet from the ground 

 and about ten each way from the trees. The mesh of the 

 wire netting on the cage was too small to allow the en- 

 trance of an owl or hawk, and a weasel or mink could 

 not jump so high. The problem was solved sooner than 

 I expected. The very next morning, hearing my mother 

 call me, I ran out just in time to see. a full-grown squir- 

 rel scampering up one of the trees. My mother, hearing 

 an unusual noise in the cage, went out, and what was 

 her surprise to see a red squirrel fastened to the pigeon's 

 throat like a bulldog. When she called me he let go, slid 

 through the netting, jumped down and ran up the tree. 

 I did not suppose they ever ate flesh of any kind. — F. E. 

 W. ["J. H. F.," writing from Renovo, Pa., asks if red 

 squirrels are ever carnivorous. This is a well-known 

 trait of the red squirrels; they are very destructive of 

 young birds, and young chickens, too; and where their 

 propensities are known war is waged on them.] 



TROUT AND PICKEREL. 



On Tuesday night, May 6, I left the Grand Central 

 Depot for Meacham Lake via Troy, St. Albans and Moira 

 I spent two days there last spring, and had such a sue 

 cessful trip that I did not hesitate in deciding upon the 

 s<*me again. The railroad journey is interesting an" 

 comfortable, and the twelve- mile drive from Paul Smith 

 station (this name is repeated on the Chateaugay road 

 a station about fifteen miles from the one on the Northern 

 Adirondack road and is confusing to tourists) to the lake 

 is over a road that is pleasant despite the mud I had 

 going in and the dust coming out. 



From the reports I had received before leaving New r 

 York, I expected to find all the snow water out of the 

 lake, the streams low, and bright sunny spring day: 

 filled with the hum of nature's loom as she weaves he: 

 carpets and tapestries of brightest green. Bo! I have not 

 got over shivering yet; for the two weeks and a half that 

 I was there were made up of days that were cold and 

 nights that were freezing, days that blew and nights that 

 howled, days that rained and nights that poured. I do 

 not say anything of a thunder storm fringed by a sus- 

 picious-looking white cloud which suggested the idea of 

 land and anupturned boat ; and when we were safely under- 

 neath the boat eating our luncheon, how this cloud pelted 

 everything with huge ice balls. Neither do I complain of 

 the billows that Boreas raised on the lake about every 



ANGLING NOTES. 



[R. SNEDECOR, a young Brooklyn angler recent 

 _._L returned from the Saranac region, also bears w; 

 ness to the high water and cold weather in the wooc 

 He says that during his visit there a carpenter who wor 

 at the new hotel, now building on Saranac Lake, wh 

 rowing home one day had the good luck to hook on t( 

 big laker, which after a long struggle he succeeded 

 getting into the boat. It weighed 26ibs., and was one. 

 the largest killed in these waters in many years, ft 

 Snedecor had some fair fly-fishing and killed a 2 

 speckled trout in the Saranac River in front of Bartlefe 

 old place. 



Mr. A. W. Dimmock, of whom we have made menti 

 as spearing the great devil-fish and other monster £ 

 of the Southern waters, has returned from his annr 

 trip to Florida, where he has enjoyed great sport. . 

 states that this season he had magnificent fly-fishit 

 taking on one occasion not less than nine different kit 

 of game fish on the fly, including a red fish or chan; 

 bass weighing 251bs. The rod used was a light soli 

 bamboo fly-rod. He thinks that this branch of anglt 

 is very much neglected, and that people do not apprecr 

 the great sport that may be had with these fish. Wh 

 there he saw two small tarpon killed on the fly. 



We notice another poacher has come to grief at CI 

 ton, and in addition to a good round fine will have 

 spend fifty days in jail. 



It is very amusing to veteran anglers to read the a| 

 cles that are printed in the various daily papers and m 

 azines on the subj pet of shooting and fishing. In a rec 

 number of one of the popular monthlies a writer descri 

 how he goes fly-fishing with a 7-foot rod, on which 

 uses a 12-foot leader. It would be very interesting 

 watch him land a trout in rapid water with such a c< 

 bination. He also carries a small book with two do 

 flies on the stream and leaves his stock book at ho: 

 This is good advice, but when he states that with this £ 

 p]y of flies he finds it necessary to take along one dc 

 leaders, he rather "gives himself away." 



Mr. P. B. Acker caught last week at Key East, N. . 

 striped bass weighing lllbs. It measured 31in. in len : 

 "Big Reel" will have to look to his laurels, as this 1 

 the race so far by long odds. The present warm weaj 

 should furnish great improvement in salt-water fish 

 which so far has been poor. 



The reports of black bass fishing vary very much, 

 anglers at Lake Hopatcong, N. J., seem to have done 

 best. The capture of a 5-pound small-mouth bass 1^ 

 the score at present. The Deckers, famous professi. 

 fishermen, have taken a great many large black baa 

 trolling with a good-sized lake herring on a gang n 

 of four hooks. They claim that dark leaders shoul; 

 used in that lake. Quite a number of bass were ki 

 on the fly there on Decoration Day. 



Trouting on the Sioux.— The second and conclu 

 part of this sketch is unavoidably deferred untfl our 

 issue. 



To Salmon Anglebs.— T. J. Conroy, 65 Fulton street, > 

 has a lot of fine salmon rods, assorted kinds, which he will a 

 a sacrifice until stock is reduced. Don't miss the opportun 

 Adv. 



