9BB 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Nov, 13, 1890.' 



A WORD FOR THE ENGLISHMAN. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I will not waste much of your valuable time, even if 

 you are good enough to give me a hearing, but as a fel- 

 low sportsman, albeit an Englishman, I should like to 

 call attention to one or Uvo points in a rather important 

 sporting book just published, entitled "The Big Game of 

 North America." 



For myself I have been long enough on this continent 

 to find out that there may be such a thing as a good 

 American, and it is just possible that among your read- 

 ers there are those who believe with the Rev. Josiah 

 Cooke that (in his own words, pp. 154) "after all English- 

 men are a? a class humane, and love fair play for man 

 and beast," 



That "after all" is delicious; for "after all" is it not -just 

 possible that some of that sporting instinct and love of 

 fair play, of which Mr. Cooke is so fond, was inherited 

 by Americans from the old English stock, from which 

 they came and to which (in spite of all political drivel- 

 ings) they in their inmost hearts axe still proud to be- 

 long? 



Mr. Cooke's indignation is stirred by a story which he 

 tells at second hand of an Englishman "full of money," 

 who was a "'human fiend," in the habit of slaying all the 

 game he could find and leaving it to rot, and whose 

 supreme pleasure it was to torture a wounded beast by 

 firing as many bullets into it as he could without kill- 

 ing it. 



Now, that such a monster existed, except in the trap- 

 per's imagination, I beg leave to doubt. There is no 

 semblance of probability about the last incident in the 

 story, and if the trapper lied in part that renders the rest 

 of his story unreliable. 



But in any case is it quite giving "fair play to man and 

 beast" to describe this butcher and then brand him 

 "foreign" and label him "English?" There are some 

 Englishmen who would hardly call an American a 

 foreigner, and some Americans, perhaps, who would 

 hardly care to be so called. But apart from that ought 

 not this sporting parson of America to mix a little of the 

 virtue of charity with his zeal in a good cause, and would 

 it not be as well for the editor to produce proofs of his 

 story before holding what all agree is a despicable char- 

 acter up to the world as a sample of a class with name 

 and nationality attached, but neither of them proven? 



One more word, sir, and I have done. It was not 

 English lust for blood, but surely the desire of another 

 race for dollars which wiped out the buffalo. They are 

 not, I believe, English firms which are at present causing 

 the destruction of the big sheep of the Northwest, by 

 supplying every up-country trader with a list of prices 

 to be paid for trophies (so much per inch round the butt 

 of the horn), to be sold to would-be Nimrods, probably too 

 fat to climb a foothill; and I think I can produce proof 

 of the slaughter and exportation last year of 3,000 deer 

 (hides only exported) from one small district by an Ameri- 

 can skin-hunter. 



Finally, sir, I should like to call attention to Mr. 

 Perry's story of elk shooting (pp. 66-68, of "The Big 

 Game of North America"). In this the writer claims that 

 on one day he killed eight elk and wounded another: that 

 his companions killed three more, and that the weight of 

 one of these elk was SOOlbs. 



t don't believe in calling men names who are perhaps 

 3,000 miles away from me, and unlikely to have a chance 

 of answering as they would like to, so that on that ground 

 alone I should refrain from imitating Mr. Cooke, but 

 unless Mr. Perry has some strong reasons to allege for the 

 killing of some score thousand pounds of meat, on one 

 day, it is hard to see how he is to escaiie from the censure 

 of any right-feeling sportsman. 



Regretting that a book containing such articles as Dr. 

 Rainsford's, and graced by such names as Van Dyke's, 

 Caton's, "Coquina's," and J. Fannin's, should be marred 

 by any such an unfair attack upon one of a nation which 

 has done its utmost for a thousand years to uphold the 

 truest interest of all manner of sport, I am sir, yours 

 obediently, C. P. W. 



Worcester, Mass.— One of the dailies report that A. L. 

 Gilman, William Burgess, F. H. Davis, O. F. Ward and 

 A. E. Ward returned yesterday from a hunting trip over 

 the country at the head of the Machias River, Maine, bring- 

 ing with them five carcasses of venison. The country 

 hunted is near that on which the Maine game wardens, 

 Hill and Niles, were assassinated a few years ago. Game 

 of all kinds was found in plenty. Mr. Gilman brought 

 down a buck weighing 2891bs. Big bags of game have 

 been the rule the past week. A. W. Walls brought in 6 

 woodcock, 4 partridges, 2 quail, a gray squirrel and a 

 great-horned owl as the result of a day's hunt. Mil tori 

 Humes, of Oxford, shot 15 wood cock over Manchaug 

 over. Friday George Newton alone bagged 7 woodcock, 

 partridges and 2 quail, E. T. Smith and Vernon Pren- 

 tice bagged 14 woodcock in one day's shooting. 



New Jersey Game and Fish Protective Society/.— 

 A meeting of the Board of Directors was held at Plain- 

 field, N. J., Nov. 5, for the purpose of electing a treasurer 

 and to fill three vacancies in the Board of Directors 

 caused by the deaths of W. B. Dunn, Martin W. Schenck 

 and William E. Jones, the last named holding the office 

 of treasurer at the time of his death, Oct. 10. President 

 Percy C. Ohl presided. There were but three nomina- 

 tions, viz.: Gen. W. H. Sterling, W. H. Egbert and R. 

 M. Stelie, who were duly elected. Mr. Randolph M. 

 Stelle, the only nominee for treasurer, was unanimously 

 elected. The society has been particularly active this 

 season, and there was considerable business of importance 

 to be transacted; but owing to the lateness of the hour 

 the meeting was adjourned subject to the call of the 

 president. 



Springfield, Mass.— Have found birds fairly plenty. 

 Have received reports from quite a number of locations 

 and all agree that this season is a very good one. Par- 

 tridges are abundant, and in southern Massachusetts and 

 Connecticut quail have not been so plentiful for years. 

 Woodcock have also been plentiful, but owing to the 

 mild weather the flight has been straggling, and in con- 

 sequence the sport has been prolonged and a large number 

 of birds have been bagged. As a rule quail were not 

 well grown on Oct. 1, and even now many broods' are 

 hardly ripe. I notice the trout streams ha ve plenty of 

 water and the fish will have no trouble in reaching their 

 spawning grounds. — Shadow. 



Vermont Woodcock.— Bennington, Vt., Nov. 1. — We 

 have killed our last woodcock for the season of 1890. As 

 a rule, the hunting has been good — quite up to the average 

 at least. We have bagged in all 98 woodcock and 32 par- 

 tridges. The largest bag was 13 woodcock, 1 partridge; 

 the smallest 1 woodcock. The hunters are Fred Godfrey, 

 W. H. Bradford, H. C. Shields, John Davis and Seymour 

 Van Santvoord. 



A Successful Hunt. — Ironton, O.— George Hewland 

 and myself in two days, Oct. '42 and 23, kiLedfour wild 

 turkeys, twenty-two squirrels and three quail; and r aught 

 four pike, one 35in. long, one 33, one 30 and one 28. Ho v is 

 that for a good time in camp? No telling what we would 

 have done, but rain came and raised the creek; then we 

 got disgusted and came home, but will try it over soon. — 

 J. N. D. 



™ Iowa Game Prospects Boiled Down, — Scarce— Ducks, 

 geese, cranes, smiling shooters, water, last but not least, 

 the market-shooters, as they have gone to other parts for 

 their fall slaughtering. Plenty— Fine weather, idle re- 

 trievers, disappointed shooters, rabbits, squirrels and 

 large stocks of loaded shells for the dealers to carry over. 

 —William H. Steele (Forest City, la,., Nov. 1). 



New York Game Laws. — At the annual meeting of 

 the Southampton Sportsmen's Club, held at Southampton 

 on Saturday evening, Nov. 1, Messrs. Lawrence W. Clark 

 and Edward Bell were appointed as delegates to represent 

 the club before the commissioners appointed to revise the 

 game laws of this State, at their meeting in Albany on 

 Nov. 18 and 19. 



The Coon Hukters shall have a page to themselves 

 next week. 



A VALUABLE COMPENDIUM. 



1~\R J. A. HENSHALL, secretary of tbe Ohio Commission, says 

 *^ of tlie Book of the Game Lcms: "It Is a very valuable com- 

 pendium, and should he in the hands of every sportsman aDd 

 angler, and student of game protection. I would suggest that 

 future numbers contain a digest of the most important decisions 

 in cases of violations of game and fish laws in the different higher 

 courts." 



Mv. A. K. Oheney, of Glens Falls, writes: "I do not know as you 

 will find any one who will more thoroughly appreciate, your worlo 

 as I know from experience something of the magnitude of the 

 labor, the difficulties and the vexation to bring tho book fo its 

 present complete form. Everything is so plain and simple for 

 bim who turns the pages that few will understand the difficulties 

 surmounted to make it simple of reference, and correct." 



The full texts of the game fish laws of all the States, 

 Territories and British Provinces are given in the HooTt of 

 tin- 1 ; a me Laws. 



"DON'TS" FOR AMATEUR TACKLE 

 MAKERS. 



DON'T omit to wax your tying eilk well, using a 

 resinous wax (not beeswax), A very good recipe is 

 as follows: White resin 4oz. , white wax foz. , raw linseed 

 oil 1 teaspoonful; melt together, pour into cold water, and 

 pull as you would candy. 



Don't tie a hook to imperfect gut; don't tie an imperfect 

 hook to gut of any kind. 



Don't omit to varnish all whippings with bleached 

 shellac varnish. 



Don't twist the ferrule of a rod when un jointing it — 

 pull it straight away. 



Don't make a splice too short wdien mending a broken 

 rod. Each tapered end should slightly belly so as to fit 

 snug when wound with the waxed thread. 



Don't omit a flat wood-file and sandpaper when going 

 fishing, also don't forget the silk, wax and varnish for 

 whipping a broken joint. 



Don't place a ferrule in the fire with the intent to burn 

 out the wood ; ream it out with a knife blade, if it takes 

 an hour, in preference, for the reason that the ferrule will 

 certainly lose its hardness and become as soft as paper if 

 you heat it. 



Do not omit to tie on the hook very securely in fly- 

 making, bringing the whipping to within an eighth of an 

 inch of the end of the shank. Don't forget to tie the 

 head of a fly with two half- hitches at least, or the "in- 

 visible knot" if you know how to do it. 



Don't clip a hackle, it spoils it. Don't cut a wing, but 

 if it seems too long, pinch it off. Don't place the gut on 

 top of the hook, but underneath — this makes a consider- 

 able difference to the coincidence or otherwise of the line 

 of impact with the direction of force applied when strik- 

 ing a fish . 



Don't use a dyed feather if one of nature's own dyeing 

 can be procured. Few colors are absolutely fast or un- 

 fadeable. 



Don't use cheap and nasty tackle. You must give a 

 good price for good goods. 



Don't omit to vaseline your reel occasionally. Black 

 lead (plumbago) and vaseline form an excellent lubricant. 



Don't attempt to knot gut without thoroughly soaking 

 it. A little acetic acid in the water renders it very 

 pliable. 



Don't expect your feathers to escape moth and the worm 

 unless you use naphthaline or pyrethrum. The buffalo 

 moth is also specially destructive and must be carefully 

 looked for. 



Don't lay gut away in too warm a place or in the full 

 daylight; it will be sure to perish if you do. 



Don't use a frayed leader. Cut out the frayed part and 

 rejoin. Leaders maybe kept soft by placing between 

 felt pads, wetted with glycerine and water, equal parts 

 of each. 



Don't forget to crush the end of the gut snell between 

 your teeth before whipping it to the hook. This proceed- 

 ing prevents slipping. 



Don't use hackles or feathers of any kind indeed from 

 very old birds if it can be avoided. Young birds just 

 mature provide the best feathers. 



Don't use strips of feathers from one side of the bird 

 only. Wings for flies are derived each from a different 

 wing of the bird. 



Don't omit to strengthen all bodies of flies made with 

 peacock herl with a thread of silk or a length of fine gut. 

 The herl alone "rags" out at the first fish, 



Don't use a hook with too much metal in it. A heavy 

 hook deters a shy fish from taking the lure. 



Don't be careless about any detail in fly or general 

 tackle making. Be sure your carelessness will find you 

 out if you are guilty of it. Eternal vigilance is the price 

 of good tackle making. 



Don't disregard the superior qualities of the "eyed" 

 hook. It is the hook of the future. 



Jonathan Lacktackle. 



MORE ABOUT VERMONT TROUT. 



THE communication in Forest and Stream of Oct. 

 26 from "Lancewood," of Waterbury, Vermont, in 

 regard to trout fishing, is to the point, and with most of 

 it I am in hearty accord. The six-inch law is not enforced 

 and the people are not educated up to believe in it. It is 

 openly violated by a good many more. 



I believe it to be a good law, a.nd that it has had some 

 effect in the increase and size of trout; but has done very 

 little good to what it is capable of doing if enforced. The 

 wet seasons for the last few years, with plenty of water 

 in all our brooks, has done more to keep up the supply 

 than the six-inch law as it now stands, but I think that it 

 can be made more effective. Let the newspapers of the 

 State give the subject some prominence in their columns; 

 educate the people to believe in it. appoint wardens 

 in every town who will enforce the law, and let 

 it be known that it is to be enforced; have posters 

 printed and put up in public places and on brooks 

 iving the penalty for violating it, and let the people 

 now there is such a law and some one to enforce it. As 

 it now is, there are not half of them in the back towns 

 who know the penalty, and mauy who do not know what 

 the law is. Let the Legislature vote enough money for 

 this purpose so the Commissioners will have a little to 

 work with. 



I do not agree with your correspondent about the talked- 

 of State fish hatchery. It is just what we want. Ver- 

 mont has been behind the other States in this matter long- 

 enough, but there is time now, if taken at once, to make 

 her lakes, rivers and brooks worth many thousands of 

 dollars to her citizens every year by drawing within her 

 borders the angler and visitor from other States, By all 

 means give us the State hatchery and enough money to 

 keep it running. 



I also think that the law as it now stands, from April 1 

 to Aug. 1 , is better than to make it from May 1 to Sept. 

 1. There would be more trout caught in August than in 

 April and we can hardly afford this at present. When 

 the streams are better stocked by all means give us 

 August, as that is the month in which we would draw 

 more people here to spend their vacation. Cut off April 

 if you wish, but do not open August for a year or two. 

 Let the people wake up on this subject; and' by the way, 

 let the Commissioners have a little more "git up and git" 

 to them than they have had for the last few years. I am 

 pleased that they have waked up enough to recommend 

 to the Legislature that we have a State hatchery, and if 

 1 mistake not they have always opposed this in: the past. 

 But I hope they will now go forward with the good work 

 with a little more push and energy. OMPOMPANOosrc. 



BLIND FISH FROM A WELL. 



ON Sept. 8S, 1890, Mr. W. F. Page, superintendent of 

 the Neosho Station of the U. S. Fish Commission, 

 sent to Col. Marshall McDonald, Commissioner, a living 

 blind fish from the town of Neosho, Mo. Unfortunately 

 the fish did not survive the journey to Washington, and 

 it was preserved in alcohol and referred to Dr. Bean, the 

 ichthyologist of the Commission, for identification. It 

 proves to be a specimen of TyxMichthys subterraneus of 

 Girard, which was described in 1859 from underground 

 streams of Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. The 

 Neosho specimen, wrote Mr. Page, was obtained from a 

 well which is supplied by a strong vein of water, sup- 

 posed to be a tributary of one of the many large springs 

 of the region. Several of these fishes have been drawn 

 up from wells of similar character in the vicinity of 

 Neosho. 



Typhlichthys is derived from the Greek typhlos, blind, 

 and iclithys, fisb. It is one of two known forms of little 

 fishes with rudimentary eyes, concealed under the skin, 

 which live in subterranean streams in the limestone 

 regions of certain Western States. The body of these 

 creatures is translucent and pale in color, and covered 

 with small scales. The head is crossed by numerous 

 ridges, which are organs of touch, and the fish are found 

 to be quickly dispersed by any disturbance of the water 

 in which they stay. Profs. Putnam, Cope and Garman 

 have published accounts of their habits which are very 

 interesting. Efforts will be continued to bring them 

 under observation in the aquarium of the (J. S. Fish 

 Commission. 



Small Boy and Big Fish.— Westfi eld, Mass., Nov. ?.— 

 This morning a colored lad by the name of Shipley cap- 

 tured a 1 libs, carp under very peculiar circumstances. 

 He was out gunning for ducks upon a small reservoir 

 that supplies one of our paper mills with a portion of its 

 motive power. The lad passed up the pond to a small 

 brook which is a feeder to the reservoir. He had gone 

 but a short distance up the brook when his attention was 

 called to a large fish endeavoring to reach the water in 

 the pond below. The boy's first impression was to shoot 

 the fish, but on second thought he seized a club and 

 struck the fish a couple of blows that disabled it. He 

 then brought.it to land and carried it, still struggling, to 

 the mill, but no one there recognized the stranger, so he 

 brought him to town and placed him upon exhibition in 

 Mr. Lewis's gun store, where the fish was at once recog- 

 nized as a German carp. It weighed lllbs., measured 

 27in. in length, 18in. in girth. It was upon exhibition 

 during the day. It attracted, mystified and surprised our 

 local anglers and the general public. This leviathan is 

 the result of the stocking of a small pond with German 

 carp some five years ago, and the brook that fed this mill 

 pond also supplied the pond that these carp were placed 

 m, and this fish probably came down the brook into the 

 pond and had been there undisturbed. It was truly a 

 royal fish and shows what can be done in the direction of 

 stocking ponds,— Woronoco. 



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