232 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



(Oct. 16, 1890. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



CHICAGO, 111,, Oct. 11— In an earlier letter mention 

 was made of great loss of fish life in the Fox River 

 through pollution of the stream by the refuse of a glucose 

 mill. To-day I saw Mr. Long worthy, of this city, who 

 was just starting for Aurora on a little fishing trip, and 

 he told me the facts. The mill is located at Geneva, 111., 

 on the Fox River, and the destruction of fish was so fear- 

 ful and outrageous that the mill owners are now under 

 prosecution for the offense. Mr. Loeb, of this city, is in- 

 formed by friends that five wagon loads of fish were 

 taken out dead below the mill. How many more were 

 killed and not taken out no one knows. A wagon load 

 of eels was taken out and buried, and among the fish was 

 one pickerel that weighed 221bs. Such slaughter of pub- 

 lic property deserves indictment by the grand jury. 



A great "many pickerel have been taken in the Fox 

 lately, and one Aurora gentleman caught ten one day 

 last week whose weight was 471bs. 



City postmaster .Tas. G Sexton and Dr. Matter are down 

 on the Kankakee tbis week after bass and things. 



Mr. J. M. Clark and Mr. Charles Porter tried the Deep 

 River, at Liverpool, Indiana, last week. The river was 

 rising and was literally swarming with dogfish, which 

 had the other fisb just about terrorized. Besides their 

 dogfish, the anglers got half a dozen pickerel and bass. 

 Mr. Porter avers that he was for a few brief moments 

 entangled with a St. Bernard dogfish as large as a year- 

 ling heifer. 



Mr. E. W. Brooks last week caught in Green Lake, 

 Wis., a splendid specimen of the genuine red-eyed small- 

 mouth black bass, as clean and shapely a specimen as 

 ever was setm. The fish measured over 20in. and will be 

 mounted. I am promised by the taxidermist who does 

 this job a lift of all the large specimens he has put up 

 this summer. 



Mr. Geo. W. S. — perhaps I would better not give his 

 full name, for be is a journalistic laborer of this city — is 

 absent in Montana after trout, large trout. Mr. S. is 

 known to fame as the originator and publisher of the 

 tack-hammer method of killing mascallonge. In an 

 article describing the pursuit and capture of that fish, 

 Mr. S. advised every mascallonge fisher to have in his 

 outfit a tack-hammer, neat and portable, with which to 

 knock the mascallonge in the head after he was brought 

 alongside the boat. The tack-hammer system of gaffing 

 a mascallonge has never attained popularity in this 

 region, but perhaps its apostle can introduce it success- 

 fully among the trout fishers of Montana. E. Hough. 



A LIVE ASSOCIATION. 



THE following review of the work accomplished by 

 the Anglers' Association of the St. Lawrence River 

 is taken from the forthcoming report to the members by 

 Vice-Prefident Chandler: 



To the Members of the Anglers' Association of the St. 

 Lawrence River: 

 The annual meeting of your Association was held at 

 Clayton on the 6th of August, 1890, and was one of the 

 largest and most enthusiastic annual meetings the Asso- 

 ciation has ever held. Mr. W. H. Thompson, secretary of 

 the Association, read his annual report, which was of 

 necessity very long, but of great interest. As many of 

 the members of the Association were unable from force 

 of circumstances to attend the annual meeting, the under- 

 signed was requested to prepare for their instruction the 

 following facts, taken mainly from the report of the sec- 

 retary : 



During the year the membership of the Association 

 was increased by the addition of twenty-four new mem- 

 bers, making the total membership 280. This member- 

 ship is composed, first, of anglers who resort to the river 

 for fishing almost exclusively; second, of summer resi- 

 dents, some of whom fish and some who do not, and, 

 third, of persons who are interested in the protection of 

 fisu and game and who visit the river at intervals. 



During the year ending Aug, 6, 1890, the officers of the 

 Association have not been idle: in fact, I do not recall 

 any year during the life of the Association when so much 

 practical work has been done in raiding netters as during 

 the years 1889-1890. The total result of the raids made 

 under the officers of the Association, aided by State Game 

 Protector Daniel Starring, have been that 845 rods of gill- 

 nets have been captured, 94 hoop nets, 11 trap nets, 1 

 pound net and 1 seine. The total value of these nets, as 

 near as could be estimated, was not less than f 3,000. 

 These nets, when captured, contained a large amount of 

 game fish, consisting of muscalonge, black bass, pike and 

 wall eyed pike. In one case the owners of a net valued 

 at $1,500 (a hoop net. four rods square, 22ft. deep, with a 

 leader one-half mile long) proposed to resist its capture 

 by use of firearms, but the arms and the owners were cap- 

 tured without great difficulty. 



The suit of Laughton vs. Steele, in which the decisions 

 of the lower courts were confirmed by the Court of Ap- 



Eeals last winter, was carried to the United States Court 

 y the appellants. Funds have been contributed by some 

 of the game associations of the State for prosecuting this 

 suit to the end. There is no question in the minds of 

 many of the ablest attorneys in the State that the result 

 wi.l be. as it has been in the past, in favor of the 

 Association. 



The committee on the codification of the game laws of 

 the State of New York visited the river in the early 

 summer, and were met by a committee of the Association, 

 who, through the courtesy of President H. H, Warner, who 

 loaned his steam yacht Siesta for the occasion, took them 

 to different points on the river and explained to them 

 fully the situation. The committee were thus enabled to 

 see for themselves the state of affairs as they actually ex- 

 ist, and it is confidently hoped that they were impressed 

 with the necessity of prohibiting netting in the St. 

 Lawrence River. 



Suits have been brought during the year against persons 

 for netting in the St. Lawrence River and adjoining 

 waters, and fines have been collected. On the 20th of 

 May, 1890, Wm. M. Steele, for many years State Game 

 Protector, located at Clayton, was arrested for illegal 

 netting, and tried and sentenced to pay a fine of .$50 or 

 fifty days in jail. The same vigilance will be maintained 

 during the present year by the officers of the Association 

 as during the past, and every effort will be made to rid 

 the river of unlawful netting. 



The universal testimony of the members present at the 

 annual meeting was that the fishing in the St. Lawrence 

 was continually improving, and that the present year it 



was better than it had been in many years preceding. A 

 committee was appointed to confer with the Canadian 

 authorities to secure, if possible, their co-operation in 

 protecting the river. 



President H. H. Warner made a proposition to the As- 

 sociation that he would contribute &500 whenever the As- 

 sociation felt able to contribute a similar sum for the pur- 

 pose of stocking the river with black bass, and he ould 

 continue to contribute $500 as often as the Association 

 would contribute a like amount. 



The treasurer reported that the receipts during the 

 year were $1,081.38 and the disbursements $448.10, leav- 

 ing cash on band $613.28. 



The annual excursion of the Association was given on 

 Aug. 19, and was as usual one of very great pleasure to 

 the participants and benefit to the Association. Two hun- 

 dred and thirty -six persons availed themselves of the op- 

 portunity offered and joined in the excursion. 



The members of the Association are earnestly urged to 

 personally see that the membership of the Association is 

 at least doublpd during the coming year. This can be 

 easily accomplished by every individual member sending 

 in to the secretary the name of a new member. It is be- 

 lieved that every present member of the Association can 

 do this, and the result will be that the funds of the Associ- 

 tion will be so largely increased that very much more and 

 better work can be done not only in protecting the river, 

 but in stocking the same. It is requested that every in- 

 dividual member of the Association will take this as a 

 personal request to himself and act upon it promptly. 



The Idaho Redfish.— In reference to "G. H. W.V 

 communication upon the fishes of Idaho I might say, that 

 so far as my observation has gone the female redfish or 

 salmon of the rivers of Idaho takes on a very deep color- 

 ing of red as the time for spawning approaches, and when 

 she is about to deposit her eggs very little of the blue 

 back is to be seen. This is one of the best fishes found 

 in the State when prime, but there is no angling for it. 

 I doubt whether any one has ever seen the redfish bite at 

 anything else but one another. Their formidable jaws 

 seem only to be used to tear and mutilate each other". In 

 the narrow streams they can be driven like sheep: unlike 

 the trout, which can be seen darting in and out among 

 and under the salmon in their naturally wild manner, 

 and waiting for the feast of redfish eggs. The fishing is 

 done by means of gaff hooks, the fisherman brings the 

 hook up suddenly under the belly of a fish and jerks it 

 out upon the bank. — Nemo. 



Vermont Trout Brooks. — A Boston gentleman is 

 authority for the statement that most excellent fishing for 

 brook trout was found at Northfield, Vt., during the past 

 season. He had an abundance of fine fish and enjoyed 

 rare sport. Northfield is reached from Boston by the 

 Lowell Railroad, Fare for the round trip, ticket good for 

 the season, is $9.25. Board and lodging about $6 per 

 week. Sandusky and Waterbury are also good places, 

 reached by the same road. Moretown and Watesfield 

 (Lowell R. R. to Middlesex and thence by stage) are other 

 starting points for other excellent trout streams. The 

 killing bait was the common earth worm. Artificial flies 

 were not tried because the ruling passion was so plainly 

 expressed. 



A Fishless Stream. — Lost River, Alturas county, 

 Idaho, has no fish of any account except the common 

 little whitefish, resembling a herring in shape and size. 

 There is no angling in the river. Lost River Valley 

 people are upward of fifty miles from any fishing, and a 

 rod or line is not to be found in any house or cabin in 

 this region. Little Lost River seems to have nothing in 

 it but a little tadpole-like fish. The people living on and 

 near these streams are very anxious to have them stocked 

 with good fishes. The larger river is about fifty miles 

 long and the little river nearly forty miles. They are 

 both natural trout streams. Lost River runs into the 

 lava beds, and, as the name implies, is lost underground. 

 —Nemo. 



Mr. Beckaft, of the firm of Devine & Becraft, fishing 

 rod manufacturers of Utica, N. Y., has been advised by 

 his physician to seek another climate for his health, and 

 the firm has been dissolved; Mr. Divine continuing the 

 business in his own name. Mr. Divine writes expressing 

 much regret at being thus compelled to separate from his 

 partner. The many friends of Mr, Becraft will hope that 

 in his new home he may find hoped for benefit. 



Black Bass Fishing in the Fall.— Mr. Cass, whose 

 verses are presented in another column, tells us that they 

 are true of bass fishing in Seneca Lake, however it may 

 be in other waters. 



JlfisllcttUttrq. 



WORK OF THE FISH COMMISSION. 



COMMISSIONER MCDONALD has returned to Wash- 

 J ingtou after an absence of several weeks, during which 

 time he visited the Maine stations of the Commission. The 

 work of rearing salmon for distribution has been consider- 

 ably extended during the past year, and additional facilities 

 for the prosecution of the work are being provided. The 

 output of the present year will be about 100,000 Penobscot 

 salmon and 30,000 landlocked salmon, and 20,000 LochLeven 

 trout; 1^5,000 of the yearling Penobscot salmon will be sent 

 to the headwaters of the Hudson River, and the rest will he 

 placed in the tributaries of the Penobscot. 5,000 of the year- 

 ling landlocked salmon will be sent to Vermont waters, 

 and the balance will be placed in Green Lake. In this lake 

 also and in other lakes in the vicinity the Loch Leven trout 

 will be planted. 



Commissioner McDonald made a careful examination of 

 the grounds of the new station at Green Lake. Preliminary 

 arrangements have been made to acquire title, which will 

 give the Commission absolute control over the waters of the 

 Great Brook. This being the principal spawning ground 

 of the landlocked salmon of Green Lake, it mak^s the en- 

 tire run of the fish there available for thepurposeof obtain- 

 ing eggs, the take of which will be very much greater this 

 year than last. It is expected that the Green Lake station 

 will furnish all the landlocked salmon needed for the pur- 

 poses ot the Commission. The racks for intercepting the 

 salmon had all been put into position and five fine fish were 

 already within the inclosure at the time of the Commission- 

 er's visit. These were of the advance guard, of course, the 



regular run not having commenced. Congress having made 

 an appropriation for the purchase of land and buildings as 

 soon as the title to the ground is perfect, the work of con- 

 struction will be pushed and provision made the coming sea- 

 son so that the work of rearing the salmon on the grouud 

 can be accomplished instead of transferring them to Bucks- 

 port as heretofore. 



The work at Northvilleis now confined to the rearing of 

 trout, the following species of which are handled: Loch 

 Leven, lake, Von Behr and Eastern brook trout. Congress 

 has appropriated $25,000 for the purchase and extension of 

 this station, which will make possible the erection of ad- 

 ditional buildings and the laying out of ponds suitable for 

 the increased work here. 



The whitefish station at Put-in-Bay, Lake Erie, is com- 

 pleted and equipped, arrangements have been made to cover 

 the whole field of the whitefish fisheries in Lake Erie and 

 the output should be very large. Of course the number of 

 eggs taken will depend on the condition of the weather 

 during the spawning period, and this cannot be forecast. 

 A tug is hired for the purpose of collecting the eggs, but 

 Congress has appropriated $10,000 for the purchase of a 

 steam launch, which wil I be used as a tender to the station 

 during the whitefish work, and at other seasons will be used 

 for the collection of statistics and other work connected 

 with the fisheries. 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Dee. 30 to Jan. 3, 1891.— First Dor Show of the Buckeye Poultry 

 and Pet Stock Association, at Canton, O. James Sterling, Sec'y, 

 39 North Market street. 



1891. 



Jan. 13 to 17.— Third Annual Dog Show of the South Carolina 

 Poultry and Pet Stock Association, at Charleston, S. C. Benj. 

 Mflnness, Jr., Spcretary. 



Jan. 20 to 25.— First Annual Dog Show of the Louisiana Poultry 

 and Pet Sto^k Association, at New Orleans, La. A. E. Shaw, Sec- 

 retary, Box 1658. 



Feb. 24 to 27.-Fifteenth Annual Dog Show of the Westminster 

 Kennel Cluh, at New York. James Mortimer, Superintendent. 



March 3 to 6.— Second Annual Docc Show of the Maryland Kennel 

 Club, at Baltimore, Md. W. Stewart Diffcnderffer, Secretary. 



March 24 to 27.— Second Annual Dog Show of the. Massachusetts 

 Kennel Cluh, Lynn, Mass. D. A. Williams, Secretary. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



November. — Second Annual Field Trials of the Brunswick Fur 

 Club, at Brunswick, Me. J. H, Baird, Secretary, Auburndale, 

 Mass. 



Nov. 3.— Fourth Annual Field Trials of the Indiana Kennel 

 Cluh, at Carlisle, Ind, P. T. Madison, Indianapolis, Ind., Sec'y. 



Nov. 3.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Canadian Kennel 

 Club, at Chat ham, Ont. C. A. Stone, Toronto. Ont., Secretary. 



Nov. 4 to 8— First Beagle Field Trials of the National Beagle 

 Club, at Hyannis, Mass. F. W. Chapman, Secretary, 364 Wash- 

 ington streot, Boston. Mass. 



Nov. 7— Ninth Annual Field Trials of the Robins Island Club. 

 W. L. Wellington, Secretary, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



Nov. 17.— Twelfth Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field 

 Trials Club, at Otterburn Springs, Va. W. A. Coster, Saratoga 

 Springs, N. Y., Secretary. 



Dec. L— Second Annual Field Trials of the Central Field Trials 

 Club, at Lexington, N. C. C. H. Odell, Mills Building, New York, 

 Secretary. 



1891. 



Jan. 19.— Eighth Annual Field Trials of the Pacific Kennel Club, 

 at Bakersfleld, Cal. H. H. Briggs, Secretary. 



Feb. 2.— Third Annual Field Trials of the Southern Field Trials 

 Club. T. M. Brunby, Secretary, Marietta. Ga. 



COURSING. 



Oct. 21 to 23.— Fifth Annual Meet of the American Coursing 

 Cluh, at Great Bend, Kan. I. D. Brougher, Secretary. 



DANBURY DOG SHOW. 



ONE of the most enjoyable fall shows we have attended 

 for some time was brought to a close Friday, Oct. 10, 

 at the pretty town of Danbury, Conn. Commencing on 

 Wednesday morning, this only required a three days' at- 

 tendance at the show on the part of the dog men. The dogs 

 were benched in rows, one on top of the other, in a well- 

 lighted and ventilated frame building, and the stalls and 

 celling being gaily decorated made quite a pleasing effect. 

 Admission to the dog department was free, unfortunately, 

 and consequently the crush at times was unbearable and 

 impeded the judging to some extent, as it was almost im- 

 possible to get the dogs into the judging ring, which was 

 fenced off in an adjoining large tent; an arrangement that 

 could not have been improved upon for light and convenience. 



It has never been my good fortune to attend a Danbury 

 show before, and I was certainly much astonished at the 

 quality of the animals I met with. When one comes to 

 think of it, why should not such a show meet with liberal 

 patronage? Charging no entry fee and giving 85 and $3 in 

 every class, with a positively reckless disposition to provide 

 challenge classes for everything oranything that could boast 

 of the necessary qualifications, and being only a three-days' 

 show, allowing plenty of time to get there and to return, I 

 see no reason why such gatherings should not rank among 

 our second-class $10 shows. With a properly arranged pre- 

 mium list and catalogue there is no reason why the Danbury 

 people should not be accorded a bumping entry. 



The want of a catalogue aud judge's book was much felt, 

 for it is not quite the thing for a judge to get his numbers 

 from the secretary's entry book. A littie more careful 

 arranging of the benches and numbers would lessen con- 

 siderably the difficulty of finding the dogs when wanted in 

 the ring. The feeding was "homemade," boiled milk and 

 stale bread, and not many dogs will refuse such fare. 

 Among the dog men we noticed on hand were Messrs. 

 Hyland, owner of Pomeroy Sec, Ossining. etc., Maxfield; B. 

 F. Sawyer, of bulldog fame; A. R. Kyle, the collie man, and 

 his rival, he of the Lothian Kennels, Dr. Hair, one of Con- 

 necticut's doggy enthusiasts; and lastly the smiling faces 

 of Ben Lewis and George Thomas, lending additional interest 

 to the occasion, making one feel at once that he was at a dog 

 show. Mr. Bitter was also on hand with bis camera. The 

 able superintendent, Mr. Seers, was all attention to the 

 wants of the visitors and dogs, and ever ready to do all in 

 his power to make the show a success and make the boys 

 feel they were among friends. Dr. Knox, a host in himself, 

 made an efficient steward of the ring and it was under his 

 protecting wing the judge was placed by Mr. Lynes, the 

 hard-working secretary of the association, whose numerous 

 duties precluded his giving the attention to the dog show 

 he would doubtless wish to do. I am averse to "taffy" as a 

 rule, but there are some occasions when you cannot help it, 

 and this is one of them. Mr. H. W. Lacy judged all classes, 

 and as he experienced no kicking — either way — the presump- 

 tion is that the awards were satisfactory. The judging 

 opened with mastiffs. 



MASTIFFS. 



Three mastiffs turned up in the open dog class, but the 

 winner was.not far to seek in Leo, who, though far from 

 good class, beat his opponent, Royal Max, in body, head, 

 ears and bone. In bitches an old face, in Mead's Aydah, 

 scored easily over Ethel, who is beaten in head— long and 

 narrow — and far away in depth of body and mastiff quality. 

 Ruby, be, has little to recommend her, faulty ii ear, front 

 and muzzle; Torfrida is also a very moderate one. In pup- 

 pies, Jack's Monarch was given a blue ribbon, the judge 

 being in a generous rftbod, and the same may be said of his 



