228 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



but these men make so much money from the tarpon ftshermeu, 

 Who come down to St. James City beut on the capture of at least 

 one of these monsters, that they refuse to go for less than three 

 dollars a day. They make as much as that going out with rhe 

 sportsmen, who, when successful, reward their fishermen highly. 



[TO BE CONCLUDED.] 



FISHES FOR THE NATIONAL AQUARIA. 



OWING to the high temperature of the water in the 

 IT. 8. Fish Commission aquaria during the past 

 summer, it was impossible to save the salt-water fishes, 

 and on the first of September there were but a few varie- 

 gated mumnrichogs, horseshoe crabs, and a small number 

 of other marine species to be seen in the tanks. To re- 

 plenish the display of interesting and instructive animals, 

 Mr. Seal planned a trip to the Chesapeake Bay and left 

 Washington on the 15th of September for Cape Charles, 

 Va. He was accompanied by Messrs. L. G, Harron and 

 D. W. Kenley of the commission, both of whom, like Mr. 

 Seal himself, have had much experience in the handling 

 of five fishes and seining. The party camped out on the 

 beach right off the docks of the town. Here fairly good 

 seining was found, the first three hauls of a 30 fathom 

 fine meshed seine brought up twenty-five species of fishes, 

 besides shrimp, squid, crabs, etc. Young spots, croakers 

 and mullets were found here in large numbers. Young 

 sea bass are common, as are young bluefish. Half-beaks 

 were also very common. This most interesting fish will 

 not live in captivity, and we fear that Mr. Seal has been 

 unable to get them alive to Washington. 



The party arrived in Washington on the morning of 

 Oct. 5, and brought with them the following species, for 

 the most part alive and lively: Soles (Achiriis and 

 Aplioristia); several species of flounders; a hake-like fish 

 (Ophiclium)-, blennies, several species, one 5in. long. 

 Some of these were found with mature eggs, Toadfish, 

 a plenty; young tautog; angelfish or porgy; pompano; 

 banded rudder fish: channel bass; trout or weakfish; 

 spots; croakers; yellowtail; scup; Holbrook's scup, inter- 

 esting; sea bass, one with telescopic eyes, very curious; 

 grunts or hogfish, several kinds; mullets or fatbacks, very 

 lively; lizard fish, curious; eels, sting rays, etc. This 

 list is by no means complete, your correspondent only 

 saw the fish as they were emptied from the cans into the 

 receiving pool at the Central Station. Among the blen- 

 nies several genera are represented , as is the case, also, 

 with the grunters, flounders, etc. 



Cape Charles is on the bay, about five miles from the 

 ocean inlet, and twenty-four miles from Old Point Com- 

 fort, from which point and Norfolk it is reached twice 

 daily by steamer. The New York, Philadelphia & Nor- 

 folk Railroad transfers passengers for the south from the 

 railroad to the boats at this point. 



The water of the bay along the eastern shore of Vir- 

 ginia is very salt, there being no fresh- water streams of 

 any consequence falling into the bay here, and, as would 

 be expected, many species of fish, which are strictly 

 marine forms, are found here in considerable numbers. 

 The water right in front of the town is too shallow for 

 seining purposes at low tide, but is good when the tide is 

 up. 



Mr. Seal's party visited the pound nets and found in 

 them much of interest. We shall have more to say about 

 this region in a subsequent number. 



FISHES OF ST. PAUL'S ISLAND. 



OWING to the abundance of seal life, fish are not 

 abundant about the Prybilov Islands, in Bshring 

 Sea. Tirh year after seal-killing ceased, on July 20, 

 many of the natives went fishing on favorable days, as 

 many as ten boats leaving St. Paul's at one time. They 

 usually returned early in the evening, but their catch 

 was rarely an equivalent for the time and trouble ex- 

 pended, at least an average catch would never pay a 

 white fisherman. On Aug. 4 one of the boats with two 

 men caught seven halibut, one of them weighing 1501bs., 

 but the others averaging not over 251bs,, and three cod- 

 fish averaging not over 51bs. The halibut were very 

 good, and compared well with Eastern fish, but the cod 

 presented a very unsightly appearance. Instead of the 

 cleanness and lightness of color characteristic of the East- 

 ern fish they appeared diseased, being dull in color and 

 very slimy. They improve greatly when taken further 

 from shore; but fish taken within a few miles of land are 

 considered by the white people as being unfit for food. 

 With these are also taken large specimens of a sculpin, 

 some of them being over 2ft. long. Another species is 

 taken among the rocks at low water by the natives, and 

 it is an interesting sight to see a party of natives, men 

 and women, catching "kahlogs" (sculpins) with a short 

 line a few inches long attached to a pole about 3ft. long. 

 A cod hook, baited with a piece of meat, is used, and the 

 hook and line are inserted between the rocks and left in 

 motion until a fish is hooked. I rarely saw more than 

 six caught by one man, and they seemed to have greatly 

 decreased in numbers of late years. 



About ten other species of fish are found about the 

 islands. Salmon are sometimes washed up during storms, 

 but never in any abundance. The attu or atka mack- 

 erel (Pleiirogramm us monopterygius) has been taken but 

 rarely. I found several small flounders after a storm, 

 but all the other species collected are either young or be- 

 long to small forms. A species of stickleback is abun- 

 dant in the great lake on Sc. Paul and is the only fresh- 

 water fish. William Palmer. 



A Big Hawk ox the Bridge.— People who take for their 

 morning or evening "constitutional" the walk across Brook- 

 lyn Bridge often see strange and interesting sights, but 

 never a stranger one than was seen yesterday morning. A 

 hawk, of such size that some of the beholders insisted ft was 

 an eagle, having made capture of a pigeon, fluttered for a 

 time over the New York tower and presently settled upon 

 the south side cable and proceeded leisurely to devour its 

 victim. A large crowd gathered on the promenade and 

 craned their necks, but the big bird, caring nothing, plied 

 beak and talons until nought save bones and feathers was 

 left of the poor pigeon. After arranging his sailing appar- 

 atus the bird winsed his way out over the bay toward Staten 

 Island. It was the first time that a large bird of prey was 

 known to have perched on the Brooklyn Bridge. 



)nmt §zg mtd 



ADIRONDACK DEER. 



CAMP PARK EE, Moose. Pond, Essex County, Adiron- 

 dacks, N. Y., Sept. 25. — "Gentlemen, don't leave 

 your watch-ground until the hunt is up or you are no 

 true sportsmen." Our first hunts proved very unsuccess- 

 ful, and the hunters had all returned ; yet the dogs were 

 still out, a sure proof that should in general direct the 

 sportsman to keep his watch. 



The Court from Glens Falls, Mr. Fiesy, a merchant 

 from Philadelphia; Punky, a broker from New York, 

 the inventor of that destructive Holland ball, and the 

 subscriber were assembled at the camp table talking all 

 at once, trying to reconcile the transactions of the day. 

 The Court was just getting off some of his fun, when' a 

 handsome three-pronged buck in the full blue coat came 

 bounding down the mountain side within 50yds. of the 

 camp-fire and stood for a moment gaping at the strange 

 group. In a second there was a rush for the guns, One 

 left his hot flapjacks. The cook upset his frying pan. 

 Another spilt his coffee. A third cried out, "To the 

 lake!" The Judge was the first on the trail, as bare- 

 headed he took the track with a shout, following the 

 beautiful creature down to the water about 100yds. off. 

 The Inventor had left his gun at the landing and started 

 at a 2.40 gait to secure it. The heaviest weight in camp 

 opened the valves and soon reached the shore. Mr. Fissy 

 never having killed a deer had been promised the first to 

 supply venison. He also reached the lake a little out of 

 breath, though quite cool. When the subscriber arrived 

 among the excited hunters the fated beauty was hope- 

 fully sailing on the placid waters simply thinking over 

 the table scene he had just witnessed, congratulating 

 himself on his narrow escape. Little did the creature 

 think that a dozen eager eyes were then watching and 

 waiting for him to reach the middle of the lake, when 

 his fate would be sealed by a ball from Fissy's rifle. This 

 part of the play I will not describe, as I have never in- 

 dorsed this kind of hunting, except when in need of food. 

 The venison proved excellent, and all enjoyed it except 

 the gentleman who secured it, who said he could not 

 touch it, feeling as if he had committed murder.Sj 



On this same day several of the party returned from a 

 hunt, and one had scarcely passed along the lakeside 

 when a deer followed right on his track; and several had 

 the mortification of seeing the creature wave his flag in 

 their faces and disappear in the woods. 



Of all the years it has been my privilege to enjoy an 

 outing in these grand old woods, this one has proved the 

 most try iug from the constant rains and unsettled weather, 

 with high waters everywhere, conditions which throw a 

 damper over everything. Our party felt it, and the 

 Court decided to return to civilization, the Inventor and 

 Philadelphia merchant concluded to accompany the 

 Judge. Consequently last Saturday they took their de- 

 parture for the waters of the Horicon, much to our sor- 

 row. To make matters still more unfortunate for the 

 subscriber, a telegram called the Broker to New York on 

 Monday, leaving your humble servant alone to fight out 

 another miserable, rainy, cold and unsuccessful week. 

 Again, Mr. Editor, have I witnessed the destructive effects 

 of the hollow ball. H. C. 



WAYS OF THE RUFFED GROUSE. 



THE ruffed grouse is universally pronounced by sports- 

 men to be the wdldest, the wariest and the wiliest 

 bird in this or any other country. Shooters from the old 

 world make a meager showing in his pursuit, being 

 utterly baffled by him, His natural wildness is .greatly 

 intensified by his being chased by dogs and fired at by 

 men. I regard hunting the "partridge" as the most 

 manly and noble recreation that a gentleman can engage 

 in, It brings strength of body, elasticity of mind and 

 gladness of heart among the pleasantest scenes of nature. 



The ruffed grouse knows the color of his feathers; he 

 also knows the color and size of surrounding objects. He 

 takes in the situation with great readiness, and utilizes 

 it like a flash of light. While standing in the woods one 

 day admiring the beauty of a silver maple decked in all 

 the gorgeous coloring of autumn, a grouse suddenly 

 dropped in the fork where the two principal grand 

 branches met. He came down silently, softly, and with- 

 out ruffling a feather. Immediately after he placed his 

 back against one limb, while his breast looked strikingly 

 like the other in color. He bad no sooner got himself in 

 position than he detected me, and reasoning that I must 

 have seen him come down, he flew. 



Soon after on this same occasion a grouse sailing in 

 whirled and dropped on the ground in between two small 

 trees that stood, as I afterward measured it, Sin. apart. 

 No sooner had he settled down than he realized that 

 danger was near, and turning his head looked back at me 

 over his shoulder. One glance was enough, for like a 

 flash he was up and away. 



The ruffed grouse knows also intuitively when he is 

 seen by the person in pursuit of him. One day a grouse, 

 started in the low grounds, flew up on a well-wooded 

 hillside. Following him I got on a path, and walked 

 back and forward several times near the spot where I sup- 

 posed he had lit. Finally I went over the ground again 

 for the fourth time and had just passed under a bough 

 that projected over the path about 5ft. above my head, 

 when the bird flew from it. He knew I had not seen 

 him, and took his own time about getting away. On an- 

 other occasion I was coming out of a woods intending to 

 go to another one, when on suddenly looking up I saw a 

 grouse on a limb about 20yds. off. The moment I saw 

 him he knew it, and flew. 



The grouse is always difficult to distinguish when on 

 the ground, as the following incident will prove. Once I 

 was out with an old grouse shooter, and in the woods we 

 met the owner of the land. He expressed surprise that 

 any one could shoot partridges or even see them before 

 they flew. My companion said he could shoot them 

 easily, and could make them out on the ground or in a 

 tree every time. "Now," said he to the farmer, "do you 

 see that object down there? [pointing to something ahout 

 40yds. away.] Well, you would suppose that was a grouse, 

 would you not?" The farmer said he would, that it 

 looked something like one. "Well," said the old hunter, 

 "it is not one, and you would be sold on it." While we 

 stood talking the object rose and flew away. It was a 

 grouse. At this occurrence the look on the face of the 

 old hunter was worth going some distance to see. 



The most difficult shot at the grouse (in my opinion) is 

 when he darts down from the top of an immense pine, 

 which is a favorite spot for them to take refuge in. The 

 tree usually stands on the brink of a gorge, and the bird 

 is in sight for some distance, yet I have never seen the 

 man who could successfully accomplish thi3 shot. 



Dorp. 



OHIO GAME. 



DAYTON, Ohio, Sept. 30.— The New York Sim, of 

 Sept. 21, began a paragraph of (mis) information 

 about the Ohio game laws in this way: "For monu- 

 mental imbecility, probably the game laws of Ohio are in 

 the lead. The open season for woodcock has been changed 

 from July 4 to July 15. Why a period of only eleven 

 days? The use of sneakboats, batteries, etc., has been 

 forbidden in Lake Erie, its bays and estuaries, where 

 ducks cannot be killed except through the use of these 

 devices. The law which protected clucks while breeding- 

 has been repealed entirely. The open season for quail in 

 Ohio is only one of thirty-five days from Nov. 10 to Dec. 

 15." The facts are that the law is eminently satisfactory 

 to all concerned in this State, and to all others who are 

 in any way posted as to Ohio seasons, except the clause 

 pertaining to wild duck shooting, and which is exactly 

 the reverse of what the Sun man publishes. 



The law reads: "No person shall upon any bog, estuary, 

 marsh, mudflat, river, or any cover to which wildfowl 

 resort, by the aid of any swivel or punt gun, or any 

 other gun than a common shoulder gun, or with or by 

 the aid of any artificial light, or with the aid of or from 

 any sink boat or battery, steam or naphtha launch, or 

 with any trap or net, catch, kill or wound, or pursue 

 with such intent, any wild goose, or brant, or wild duck 

 or any other waterfowl, or destroy or disturb the eggs or 

 nests of any birds named in this section, excepting in the 

 waters of Lake Erie, estuaries and bays thereof; and no 

 person shall in any place catch, kill or injure, or pursue 

 with such intent, any wild duck on Sunday, Monday or 

 Tuesday of any week, between the first day of Septem- 

 ber and the tenth day of April of any year." 



Thus it will be seen that these devices for trapping, 

 luring and killing wild geese and ducks may be used 

 freely and to the utmost extent four days each week 

 during the open season in Lake Erie, and in* the marshes, 

 estuaries and bays thereof, while in the other nineteen- 

 twentieths of the State restrictions are ironclad. The 

 only waterfowl breeding grounds in Ohio are in these 

 marshes and bays along the lake, except to some extent 

 around the reservoirs in Central Ohio. Occadonally a 

 woodduck nest is found along the rivers of southern Ohio, 

 but very seldom. The pot or market-hunters along the 

 lake, through the representative from Erie county, in- 

 fluenced insertion of the exception that gives them the 

 exclusive privilege of slaughtering ducks on their nests, 

 and all the rest of the State is suffering from it. 



The woodcock open season begins later because it was 

 found that usually the young birds are not large enough to 

 take care of themselves before the loth of July. Oppn 

 season for pheasant, Sept. 1 to Dec. 35; gray, fox or black 

 squirrel, July 1 to Dec. 15. Hunters and farmers agree 

 that Nov. 10 to Dec. 15 gives all the time desired for 

 quail shooting. We usually have heavy snow by the 

 middle of December, and shooting after that means ex- 

 termination of quail. Under the present Jaw quail have 

 increased wonderfully, and the people are willing to let 

 well enough alone. The open season for wild turkeys 

 begins to-morrow, Oct. 1. AH kinds of game are suffi- 

 ciently protected by law except wild geese, brant and 

 ducks, and it is fair to presume that the law will be 

 amended to take away from northern Ohio pot-hunters 

 their murdering privileges. Rabbits, snipe and doves are 

 outlaws in Ohio, and may be shot at any time. 



Oct. <>,— The northern portion of Darke and Shelby 

 counties, and all through Mercer and Anglaize counties, 

 Ohio, and Jay and Adams counties, Ind., lie the best 

 pheasant regions of the two States, and the birds also 

 abound, though not to such extent, north to the Michigan 

 line. The hatching season was early and favorable, 

 cover has been superb and feed abundant, and the law 

 protecting pheasant until Sept 1 was effective. 



Broods run evenly this year, from 12 to 15 birds, the 

 largest number, 15 chicks, being reported by William 

 Lowry on a farm not far from Fort Recovery, near the 

 headwaters of Wabash River, in the reservoir region. 

 The young pheasants are too small for the table, there- 

 fore the market hunters have not disturbed them and 

 they are not wild. Farmers are about the only ones who 

 have been doing any pheasant shooting, and they finding 

 the birds not full grown, and that the hunters were not 

 out, have put up their guns, only desiring to be in the 

 field in advance of the skirmish line of town shooters. 



Brown. 



Deer in New Hampshire.— Colebrook, N. H., Oct. 1. 

 — In regard to Amasa Ward's camp as a desirable resort 

 for still-hunting deer, I consider it the most satisfactory 

 place for that sport of any In northern New r Hampshire. 

 In fact , I could almost warrant one a deer every day 

 after the first fall of snow in the fall. Dogging deer is 

 allowed in Coos county, in this State, and is practiced to 

 some extent both at' Diamond Ponds and Connecticut 

 Lakes; but Amasa has a law of his own, which reads like 

 tliis : "Any dog found running deer on his territory will 

 be shot at "sight." And as it is pretty well understood 

 that the "law" will be enforced by Amasa, it is seldom 

 violated ; and as a result the deer are not all driven from 

 the vicinity of his camps and it is not necessary to make 

 a day's journey to some locality where the game may be 

 found. That, together with the fact that his camps offer 

 good accommodations in the way of comfortable beds 

 and a good table, make it to my mind the best place for 

 fall and early winter deer hunting of any in this vicinity. 

 —Rob. 



Deer and Moose in Maine.— Eustis,Me., Oct. 6. — Mr., 

 F. E. Butter field and myself have been in camp at Big 

 King and Bartlett Pond for the past two weeks. From 

 Sept. 20 to 30 fly-fishing was excellent, fish ranging from 

 li to 2-Jlbs. Oct. 1 being open season for large game, we 

 commenced hunting. On Saturday, the 4th, we killed 

 one moose and two deer, which we have ready to take 

 out with us to-day. Game is very plenty here. Deer anci 

 moose are undoubtedly increasing in this part of the 

 State, and any sportsman can get game here during the 

 open season without much difficulty. I write these few 

 lines thinking it might interest you and your readers.— 

 L. ATWOOI), 



