April 33, 1891.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



27S 



were taken. A. Gr. Hade caught 9, John Cobver hrought 

 to basket 26. Chas. Murdoch, of Columbia, Lancaster 

 county, captured 9 in this stream, four of which weighed 

 9ibs.; the largest weighing 31bs. ooz. Harry Mayer took 

 one that weighed 31bs. 9oz,, and a young Titian it surely 

 was. Over at the well known "Silver Spring" dams re- 

 markable success was had by the anglers who gathered 

 on its banks to try their favorite sport. Chas. Sletzgar, 

 Jacob Haehnlen, Geo. Boyd, W. E. Seiler, Prof. W. F. 

 Seller and T, B. Robinson took 110 big trout, running in 

 size from 13 to 18in. in length. Good success was had by 

 the fly-fishermen who went to Cedar Eun. Dr. Jones, of 

 Harrisburg, had a well-filled creel of 23 trout, among 

 them several two-pounders. Mr. Miller and Mr. Schroeder 

 also took some trout from this brook. 



The brook-veined mountains north of this place were 

 given the "go by" so far as Cumberland county visitors 

 were concerned, but were fished by anglers from the 

 Juniata Valley. A gentleman in town from that section 

 to-day reported many fine fish taken from those mountain 

 streams. 



All of the above-mentioned streams, from the Big 

 Spring down, have been stocked with trout from the 

 State hatchery of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, and 

 the success of the planting is manifest by the unprece- 

 dented catch of opening day this season. The California 

 rainbow trout {Salvio iridea) are showing up well and 

 take the fly greedily. Mr. Thos. Adams took one at New- 

 ville fi-om the Big Spring that tipped the beam at lib. 9oz. 

 and measured 17in. in length. But the fish pirates are 

 alert and active. On the night of the 14th a party of 

 trout hogs and fish pirates drew off the water at the 

 middle dam in the Big Spring and sinaply murdered 

 himdreds of trout. Some of them were exhibited the 

 next day that weighed Sjlbs. and 41bs. 8Joz. respectively. 

 Both of these fish had their heads smashed with some 

 hard instrument. No effort has yet been made to mete 

 out justice to these violators of the fish laws of the Com- 

 monwealth. 



For a number of years "Silver Spring" was thus phiu- 

 dered by fish pirates, but a wholesale prosecution by par- 

 ties interested placed the pirates in a pillory of ioublic 

 contempt and a quietus on fish robbery in the lower end 

 of the county. With all the joy which the rapid growth 

 of fish planted in the streams gives om- local angling 

 brotherhood, yet our hearts are sorely troubled because 

 we have a "farmer Legislature," and there is a disposition 

 on the part of the majority to tamper with the present 

 excellent fish laws and make fish piracy respectable. Still 

 more grievous is it to know that tlie Senator and member 

 of the lower House of the Assembly are heartily in favor 

 of the change — ^indeed they pronounce themselves, it is 

 said, as in favor of doing away entirely with the fish 

 laws. The honest anglers of our grand old Common- 

 wealth have need to lift up their voices against this 

 iniquitous measure now before the Legislature. 



Roberta. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



CHICAGO, m., April 17.— Dr. Bartlett, Fish Commis- 

 sioner for Illinois, lives at Qutncy, when he isn't 

 somewhere else, but lately has branched out and now has 

 an oSice in Chicago. I found his desk to-day, just at the 

 left of Mr. Geo. E, Cole's, in the big establishment of the 

 latter gentleman, at 86 Dearborn street. Mr. Cole, as 

 everybody knows, is president of the Fox River Fish and 

 Game Association, and any one knowing that will know 

 why the Commissioner's office is where it is. The two 

 work together, and that very well indeed. 



Dr. Bartlett is highly encouraged by the improvement 

 noticeable in his lines of labor in this State. He rejoices 

 in the system of fish ways which now let the fish from 

 the Mississippi clear on up to the Fox Lake waters. At 

 the La Grange locks, once much dreaded as a barrier, the 

 Government has made one of its stone abutments suitable 

 as the wing of a good tishway. The wardens all over 

 the State are doing well. Hundi-eds of nets have been 

 taken up in the Illinois River country this spring and an 

 entire new era inaugurated in a once lawless region. The 

 Commission, as will be remembered, has a steamer of its 

 own and by means of this steamer it carries out a pretty 

 smooth scheme about these nets. Of course, the Commis- 

 sion has no authority to destroy a net without legal pro- 

 cess after its removal, though some of its wardens have 

 burned a few without protest from the owners who lately 

 used them unlawfully. They do not destroy the nets 

 therefore, but acting under their legal right to remove 

 them, hitch a long drag rope to the end of the net wing, 

 put on steam and di-ag the net bodily from its moorings. 

 Of course, it may tear, but that's in the "removing,'' and, 

 of course, after it has been dragged down sti-eam a mile 

 or so it sinks and in due time gets covered with mud and 

 sand, but that isn't destroying property, it's only remov- 

 ing illegal nets. A great "many have been so removed 

 and the work is constantly going on. 



There will be a good-sized planting in the Des Plaines 

 River soon, 1,000,000 German carp, 1,000,000 pickerel, 

 500,000 black bass and 500,000 pike, all of which fry wiU 

 be placed in the river near Riverside. There have been 

 three attempts made to stock the Des Plaines within the 

 past six years, but the stream has no fish worth mention- 

 ing now. It is speared, netted, dynamited and otherwise 

 depleted constantly, and no one of the angling guild 

 thinks of fishing there. There is no fishway in the dam at 

 Riverside, but one is to be put in this spring, it is said. 

 The Des Plaines, if properly protected, would be a good 

 stream for pickerel and big-mouth bass, and it is the 

 most accessible stream about Chicago, being only about 

 a dozen miles out. It is hoped the new plant will give 

 the Dutch, Polish, Irish, Bohemian, Russian, Italian a-nd 

 other delectable " American" element a chance to net, 

 poison, spear or blow up a few more fish. The warden 

 of Riverside says he will stop illegal methods there. 



Warden Buck, acting for the Fox River Association 

 along the Fox River, sends President Cole the following 

 report on his work. He has gone clear from Fox Lake 

 on down, and this is what he says: 



Elgin, April 5,— Geo. E. Cole, 86 Dearborn Street, Chi- 

 cago. Dear Sir: I went to McHenry Wednesday night, and 

 Thursday morning at 4:30 I was at the Johnsburg Creek. I 

 waited there vmtW it was light and then commenced to look 

 for nets. I dragged the creek as far as I couJd go up it and 

 all around the mouth, hut could find nothing, nor any 

 stakes where a net could be fastened. I then went to the 

 lakes and looked along up Nippersink Creek and found 

 nothing there. The water is so roily they can't see to spear 

 there yet. Qn J'ridayJjcasi.e dowp the river. T found one 



net opposite Bain's place below Burton's bridge, hut could 

 not find the owner. Bain said he did not own it, but I 

 think he does, as he had a gill net last year and it was not 

 in his shed where he kept it. I have got it stowed and think 

 I will be able to prove who owns it. "'I found a large gill net 

 in Courtney's Bayou and Mr. Courtney said some boys were 

 there last week from Ringwood and he thought they left 

 it. I have got that put away and will try and find the 

 owners. T came on down to this place and got here last 

 night. I found everything all right at Algonquin, but at 

 Garpentersville the fishway was all stopped with some 

 pieces of stumps that had been put in there. I notified Mr. 

 Edwards and will go there in the morning and see that thev 

 are cleaned out, and then I will go on down the river and 

 see that every fishway is" in shape. Mr. Edwards said the 

 fishway was all in working order when he got my notice, 

 and this stuff must have been put in last week. Yours, re- 

 spectfully, F. L. Buck. 



Beai'dstown, on the Illinois River, is one of the old of- 

 fenders, and one of the hardest of places to straighten out 

 into lawful ways of fishing, the watei'S thereabout having 

 been unrestricted for years. Yet there are good men 

 there in plenty, and now there is a good club there, which 

 will break up the lawdessness. Mr. A. A. Greene was the 

 inaugurator of this movement. He wrote up to Mr. Cole 

 about by-laws, etc., early this spring, and was duly 

 answered. On March 16 he wrote : 



The by-laws and your letter reached me in good time, and 

 I am happy to state that we organized the Beardstown Rod 

 and Gun Club yesterday, with some S.5 or 90 members. We 

 elected 10 directors, who have called a meeting for Friday 

 for the election of pre.sident, vice-president, secretary and 

 treasurer, and adopted your by-laws, and will incorporate 

 also at an early date. Will send you copy of by-laws and pro- 

 ceedings as soon as printed. If you can assist any in having 

 Dr. Z. T. Smith, of this place, appointed deputj^ fish war- 

 den it will help out; he is one of our members and assures 

 me that he will watch the matter closely, without fear or 

 favor from any one, and is the right man in the right place. 

 We are going to see the law is obeyed from this out regard- 

 less of everybody. Fraternally yom-s, A. A. Gkeene. 



The next letter from Mr, Greene was as follows: 



Beardstown, 111., April .5.-1 take pleasure in making 

 you an honorary member of otir club. Our membership will 

 number near 100 when we get thoroughly canvassed, and I 

 hope to do good work and have a good report when you come 

 down in May. I propose to go for 'em tooth and nail — let 

 the chips fall where they may — prompt and vigorou.^ action 

 in movements of this kind is the only way to win. In addi- 

 tion to officers on membership card we have Jno. H. Hazener, 

 treasurfr, and G, L. Van Dorcn, vice-president. We will in- 

 corporate, and have adopted yom- by-laws. — A. A. GEEEiifE 



This is the way the Fox River Association has built 

 itself up, by the constant accretion of clubs whose mem- 

 bers live right along the Fox River and Illinois River 

 tract. Its membership is growing and it cannot grow 

 too large. Now here is another new little club Avhich I 

 have just got track of and which I recommend for early 

 action upon to Mr. Cole and Mr. Wilkinson. I met Mr. 

 Wood and told him all his club should certainly join the 

 association, as that will help their fishing. They are on 

 the Fox River, well up, not far below McHenry. 



I believe we are going to have a big fishing season out 

 here this year, both in sales of tackle and in actual 

 angling. Our game will go, we may be ready to say, 

 but it is easy to see that the fish can be protected and 

 kept forever to afiiord sport. Angling is growing in favor 

 in Chicago and the fishing is growing better, and not 

 poorer, around Chicago. 



It is a strange fascination this that angling has, both 

 for the old hand and the novice; and hereanent I have 

 found something in one of our daihes here. It is good 

 reading, and not bad writing, though the writer is im- 

 personal, and I have a notion to ask room for it: 



Yesterday morning two men -svere strolling up tlie lake shore 

 drive. Tlie lake rippled and shimmered under the \varm sun in a 

 rea.lly inviting kind of way. The grass looked much greener than 

 it has on any previous day this year. There was a hint of balmi- 

 ness in the air. One could feel the sap starting in the trees. 



The men walked very leisurely to the end of the drive and 

 across a corner of Lincoln Park to that new causeway. At the 

 lower end of it for a few rods a row of tall pilings makes a sort of 

 paling at the water's edge. Two or three boys were seining there. 

 They had a long piece of scantling projecting over the posts. 

 Near the land end of this scantling was a huge reel, from which 

 a rope ran out over the end and down to the water. The men 

 leaned over the pilings and watched. Presently one of the boys 

 wound up the reel, lifting from the water a four-cornered seine 

 held by a frame of two oaken hows— empty. 



"Pooh!"' said one of the men as he tossed the stub of Ms cigar 

 contemptuously at the unsuccessful apparatus. "An intelligent 

 occupation! Fishing's about the stupidest thing anyhow. Inever 

 could imagine any fun in watching a string dangling in the water 

 all day. Here's one of 'em" (indicating a youth who was just then 

 tossing out his line). "It's 9 now— these fellows will ha at it till 

 noon." 



They loitered along over the granite blocks. A little further 

 up an old man was pulling a fish from the water— a small fish 

 that flopped and squirmed amazingly. 



"Y Jove!" murmured the contemner of Walton, surprisedly, 

 "this man's caught a fish!" 



He stopped, half mechanically, while the patriarch stooped 

 down and pulled from the water a piece of cord, at the end of 

 which three other small fishes flopped and squirmed, and put on 

 it the new canti^'e. Then he watched the ancient sportsman bait 

 his hook and toss it out again. Presently he shifted his weight to 

 the other leg and took his cane in the other hand. Every now and 

 then there came a twitch and tautness at the flshliue. The fisher 

 pulled his old slouch hat close over his brows to shade his eyes, 

 and moved his line a little once in a while. The watcher cast a 

 hurried glance about him, selected a smooth and comparatively 

 clean stone and sat down upon it. He lighted a fresh cigar and 

 rested his elbows on his knees, and smoked lazily and kept his 

 eyes on the bobbing line. The water lapped against the posts in 

 a soft, grateful sort of way, the birds over in the park sung, and 

 the sun climbed higher. 



Presently the other man said, "Well, it's after 10— let's go 

 hack." 



The observer jumped up hastily, "After 10, by .love— yes, let's 

 go." He dusted his coat-tails and glanced back and stopped. 

 "Had a mighty strong bite then." he said. ' Let's wait just a sec- 

 ond. I want to see him land this one." 



After a while the other man said again, "Well, I have got to go." 



"Yes; hold on— I'm going," said the scoffer. He cast one hesi- 

 tating, lingering glance backward, then set his face resolutely 

 cityward. 



As they passed the boys with the seine he said, "Where'd be a 

 good place to run out to next Saturday and go a-fishing?" 



That question is becoming a common one now, and I 

 hope we shall have abundant answers to it after a whUe. 



Ajjril 19.— A number of friends respond, I see, to my 

 inquiry for good wading gear. I have even had marked 

 advertisements sent me. The heavy stocking and the 

 stitch-downs I have never tried, though I have found 

 heavy rubber-soled canvas tennis shoes good to wear 

 over the rubber foot. My trouble isn't about that, but 

 about the rubber or silesia stockings or trousers. I have 

 a couple of pairs that leak, always did leak, always will 

 leak. No matter what I pay I always get stuck in wad- 

 ing trousers and that's why I am not stuck on them. In 

 jnj family they sprinkled a?id didn't dip, an4 Vm degd 



against a portable bifurcated rubber bath tub that only 

 leaks one way and goes under the trade name of water- 

 proof wading trousers. E. Hotran. 



CHEAPER FOOD FISH. 



Editor Falsest and Stream: 



I was much pleased with your editorial of March 19, 

 on stocking Lake Ontario, and hope you will refer to it 

 again. The subject is receiving very much attention and 

 we are encouraged to believe that results will soon come 

 from the agitation. Th e United States people have shown 

 a disposition to assist, but ask that our State first protect 

 the water by laws and regulations well enforced. We 

 are in hopes this will speedily be done, from the fact that 

 the life of the Game Law Codifying Commission has been 

 extended for the purpose of conferring with Canadian 

 authorities on this subject. 



New York State has done well in fishculttu-e, and can 

 view with pride the shad and game propagation: but 

 there is a growing sentiment that in the matter of food 

 fish, which are natural to the Great Lakes, she is far 

 behind the other States and Canada, and that the time 

 has come when New York should turn her attention to 

 the restocking of the vast water farm on our northern 

 border, thus affording a cheap and very desirable fish 

 food for the rapidly increasing population and at the 

 same time fostering an industry now monopolized by 

 our neighbors. If the coming conference above men- 

 tioned could be extended so that Pennsylvania, Ohio, 

 Michigan and Wisconsin be represented, I believe much 

 better results would be arrived at. Our Association 

 favors uniform laws for all the Great Lakes, and joint 

 action, both State and national, and working harmoni- 

 ously together, is what we deshe to see accomplished. 

 Cheap fish food is sure to receive more attention in the 

 near future. Legislative bodies are beginning to per- 

 ceive its importance, political and industrial. What is 

 first needed is wise protective laws thoroughly enforced, 

 followed up by liberal artificial planting. One good prac- 

 tical result we are in hopes may come from this confer- 

 ence mentioned is a finding, after careful consideration, 

 what wotild be wise laws to enact and enforce, and as 

 there is much difference of opinion on this subject, we 

 would like to see it include the other States; and at the 

 same time we would suggest that the people now engaged 

 in the industry— fishermen and fish dealers — ^be given a 

 hearing. This class we find, from extensive correspond- 

 ence, are fitUy alive to the importance of the subject and 

 more anxious than any one else for proper protection. 



F. J. Amsden. 



Tape Wokm in Rock Cod.— Whatcom, Wash., March 

 1— Editor Forest and Stream: The specimen of morbid 

 anatomy which accompanies this letter, was this day 

 taken alive from the stomach of a small fish weighing 

 nearly lib., of the variety which is known here and at 

 other points on Puget Sound as rock cod. We have heard 

 of tape worms being found in trout in northern Scotland, 

 but never credited the report. This looks, however, as if 

 some fish in this country might have a touch of the com- 

 plaint. Can any of yotu- specialists on fishculture give us 

 any light on the subject? H. E. Henderso^t, M.D., M. 

 MuiE PiCKEN. [The parasite referred to in the above 

 letter is a tape worm and we have referred it to a special- 

 ist on fish entozoa for identification . It is a very common 

 thing to find intestinal parasites in fishes, and among 

 theta tape worms are rather abundant. Professor Ed- 

 win Linton, of the Washington and Jefferson College, 

 Washington, Pa., has written several important articles 

 upon fish entozoa for the Report and Bulletin of the IT. S, 

 Fish Commission. Some of these papers have been 

 separately issued and can probably be obtained by writ- 

 ing to Hon. Marshall McDonald, Commissioner of Fish 

 and Fisheries, Washington, D. C. By reference to these 

 monographs it will be evident that intestinal parasites are 

 among the commonest and most varied afflictions incident 

 to fish Hfe. The rock cod of your locality is a species of 

 Sebastodes, of which you have so many fine representa- 

 tives; it is related to the rose fish of the Atlantic waters, 

 but is very different from the true cod.] 



Bahia Fishes.— We have received from the U. S. 

 National Museum an extract from Vol, XIII. of its Pro- 

 ceedings, being a list of fishes obtained in the harbor of 

 Bahia, Brazil, and adjacent waters, by Dr. David Starr 

 Jordan. These fishes form a part of the scientific results 

 of explorations made by the U. S, Fish Commission 

 steamer Albatross. They were obtained ditring the cruise 

 from Norfolk, Va., to San Francisco. The principal col- 

 lection was made in the harbor of Bahia and includes 112 

 species. Two of these are flounders which are described 

 in this paper as new to science, and one of them is made 

 the type of a new genus. One of the first things that 

 strikes the attention of the ichthyologist is the large 

 number of species possessed by this locality iu common 

 with the East Coast of the United States and the Gtdf of 

 Mexico. More tlian one-fom-th of the species mentioned 

 in the list occur as far north as Cape Cod. Among them 

 are the well-known lady fish, thread herring, anchovy, 

 lizard fish, half-beak, trumpet fish, Spanish mackerel, 

 mackerel scad, big-eyed scad, look down, gray snapper, 

 moon fish, flying gurnard, spotted sea robin, common 

 file fish, orange file fish, blue-striped trigger fish, trunk 

 fish and spotted swell fish of our waters. The mmiber of 

 specimens procured was only about two hundred, and as 

 Dr. Jordan remarks: "It is evident that the results which 

 would have come from extensive collecting might have 

 been exceedingly valuable." We note the presence in 

 this lot of fom- species of snappers, but unfortunately the 

 coveted Aya or Garanha, which Dr. Jordan believes to 

 be the same as our famous red snaj)per, is not among them. 



Codfish in Canarsie Bay.— On April 16 John Roeok- 

 lein, a Brooklyn youngster of twelve years, who was 

 fishing for flounders in Canarsie Bay," Long Island, 

 caught a o^lbs. codfish, a capture reported by old habitues 

 to be remarkable for the locality. 



Lease oC Sc. John River tor sale; splendid, salmon fishing. See 

 advertisement.— ^dt). 



"I will see you some time after April il," said the angler 

 to the trout. "How will I know that you are coming'" 

 queried fontimlis. "Oh, I '11 drop ypp.a l)jje,"-77n4<?e?j> 



