Feb. 25, 1892,] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



179 



SUDDEN INCREASE OF BLACK BASS. 



f pHROUGH the courtesy of Mr. True, Curator in 

 X charge of the National Museum, permission was 

 obtained to publish in Forest and Stream the following 

 interesting letter from Mr. Duval, written to Prof. Goode 

 shortly before bis departure for the Mediterranean. (The 

 increase of noble fishes in any locality inhabited by 

 anglers is always gratifying, and in the case referred to 

 below there is the addition of a little mystery which 

 patient investigation may soon clear up. It may be 

 found that the electric lights attract the small fishes upon 

 which the black bass feeds; we have published in these 

 columns accounts of successful fly-fishing by electric 

 light and have referred to the good results obtained by 

 the U. S. Fish Commission in surface collecting by means 

 of the same appliance: 



Department ov Justice, San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 1, 1891.— 

 Prof. O. Brown Qoodc, Smithsonian Imttitutvm.—Dnxn Sir: I 

 kno'vv of no reason why I should apply to you for the information 

 1 am about to seek except the fact that I am the owner and ardent 

 admirer of your hook on the "Game Fishes of the United States," 

 and the subject that, interests me just at present relates to one of 

 those sanitf "game fishes." In the city of San Antonio we have a 

 little stream," called by courtesy the "San Antonio River," which 

 rises two miles from the post-office and runs through the hea,rt of 

 the town in a serpentine course. It is about 40ft. w ide, clear and 

 cold, hut necessarily more or less contaminated with the refuse 

 and filth of back yards abutting on it. For some reason or other 

 the bass (the big-mouth) are very abundant, even in the heart of 

 the town. I have taken as many as twelve or fifteen in an after- 

 noon with artificial bait. The stream is full of moss and aquatic 

 weeds and the bass are abundantly fed with young crayfish; but 

 it has only been within a year or two that they have become so 

 abundant, and I am at a loss to account for It. A naturalist here 

 makes the following statement. He says the greatest enemy of 

 the bass in these waters is an amphibious beetle— a beetle that 

 lives in the water in the day time and flies about at night, return- 

 ing to his aoueous bed in the morning— that his technical name is 

 IS'loxtoma amcricana. that he attacks the bass by introducing 

 himself under the gills and slowly undermining his vitality by 

 blood-sucking; that since the establishment of electric lights 

 along the river the beetle has been in a great m p asure destroyed 

 by his habit of coming out at night and singeing his wings, and 

 that by consequence the bass tindiBg a comparative immunity 

 from their natural enemies within the radius of these electric 

 lights, have congregated within the limits of the city. All this 

 sounds like a "fairy tale" to me and I seek through you for some 

 information on the subject. Can you give it?— B. G. DtjvAt,. 



" DIPPING " FOR BLACK BASS. 



ONE of the most popular fishing resorts on the shores 

 of Lake Ontario is Irondequoit Bay, near Rochester, 

 N.Y. The bay occupies a secluded position among high 

 wooded hills and is a most enjoyable 6pot for an outing. 

 The shores are picturesque and covered with a growth of 

 trees and shrubs, which add to the comfort of the angler 

 and the beauty of the scene. The water is deep in the 

 middle of the bay, and until recently has been cold and 

 clear, but the city fathers of Rochester have seen fit to 

 allow a considerable part of the sewerage from the 

 eastern side of that city to be drained into the bay, with 

 the result of contaminating the water and endangering 

 the health of the people living on the shores. 



The Oswego bass is the principal fish found in the bay, 

 although pike, calico bass, and other game species occur. 

 In addition to the usual ways of fishing, a favorite 

 method of enticing the Oswego is called "dipping." The 

 best sport is had in the morning and evening near the 

 edges of the cat-tails, which grow luxuriantly in certain 

 places. Minnows are used for bait, and a long pole and 

 a short line are employed in "dipping." While one per- 

 son rows the boat carefully around the edges of the cat- 

 tails, the other "dips" his line into the deeper places 

 where the Oswego is found to go to feed, and large 

 catches are often made in a short time in this way. 



Recently fishing has not been so good as formerly, 

 owing to the pollution of the water by the sewerage, and 

 also to the fact that the pollen from the cat-tails has 

 rendered the water "rily." The fish are thought to be as 

 plentiful as ever. X. 



THE LEMON SOLE. 



ON May 21, 1891, we published a brief notice of the 

 "lemon sole," which has attracted so much attention 

 during the past year off the New England coast. Judg- 

 ing from the descriptions furnished us at the time and 

 from the statement that the fish could not be caught with 

 a hook, we supposed the species to be identical with the 

 famous pole flounder of the deep waters off shore. Speci- 

 mens have recently come to us, however, from Mr. Eugene 

 G, Blackford, and we find that the flounder of the beam 

 trawl men is the winter flounder or flat-fish so well and 

 favorably known to anglers for its free biting and its ex- 

 cellent table qualities. In the nineteenth Report of the 

 New York Fish Commission, page 245, plate I., Dr. 

 Baan has described this flounder among the fishes of the 

 Great South Bay. The large fish are spawning now on 

 the banks along our NewEngland coast, and will continue 

 during February and March. The flesh is delicious and, 

 in our opinion, superior to that of the European fish bear- 

 ing the name borrowed for our winter flounder. To the 

 angler this flounder is especially interesting because it is 

 in season so early in the year, at a time when most of his 

 favorites are hibernating or absent from northern waters. 



An Albino Lobster — Capt. Joseph W. Collins, Chief 

 of the Department of Fish and Fisheries at the World's 

 Fair, has received a remarkably interesting and beautiful 

 lobster from Mr. E. A. Holmes, of Eastport, Me. The 

 length of the curiosity is 11 in.; its color on the back is a 

 rich cream, the sides and belly are almost white, as are 

 also the claws and legs. It is the neareBt approach to a 

 white lobster seen for many a day, and the great size of 

 the animal will make it even more attractive to visitors. 



Some of the Albany friends of Mr. W W. Byington 

 and others are urging his appointment as Commissioner 

 of Fisheries in the place of Mr. Burden, resigned. Mr. 

 Byington projected and organized the Anglers' Associ- 

 ation of the St. Lawrence River, acted as its secretary 

 for four or five of the first years of its existence, and by 

 his energy and knowledge placed it on a good footing. 

 He is a genuine sportsman, energetic, and it is thought 

 would make a most excellent Commissioner. 



White Wax — Take two ounces of the best resin and 

 one quarter of an ounce of beeswax, simmer them to- 

 gether in a pipkin for ten minutes; add one quarter of 

 an ounce of tallow, and simmer for a quarter ot an hour; 

 then pour the mass out into a basin of water, and work it 

 up with the fingers until perfectly pliable. A very useful 

 and tenacious wax.— Francis Francis. Book of Angling. 



Fish in a Pomp Well. — I have a fish story for you 

 which my son sends me from New Jersey, as follows: 

 "The Trenton Iron Company in winter time get their 

 supply of water from a creek that flows through the 

 center of the city, and about a quaxter of a mile away 

 from the works. One day last week the supply of water 

 stopped, and on telephoning to the man at the pump he 

 replied that the suction of the pump was stopped up and 

 it would not draw any water. A gang of men was 

 sent down to see what was the matter, and on discon- 

 necting the Sin. pipe and hoisting it out of the pump 

 well, the strainer openings were found to be full of fish 

 of various kinds. We took out about lOlbs, of small fish. 

 There were eels, catfish and young "black bass, a few of 

 them nearly as large as the palm of a man's hand. Some 

 were dead and some were alive. The creek was very 

 high, and the fish, to escape the muddy current, had 

 taken refuge under the pump house, in the quiet pool, 

 and had so been drawn against the strainer, which held 

 them so tightly that they could not escape. There must 

 have been several hundred of them. We had to rig up a 

 wire netting about the strainer to keep them off." — 

 Von W. 



Salmon Stream to Lease.— The attention of salmon 

 anglers is called to the advertisement in another column 

 in which the Crown Lands Department of New Brunswick 

 offers for sale the exclusive fishing rights (with the rod 

 only) of some of the most important streams in the Prov- 

 ince. The sale which takes place at Fredericton, N. B., on 

 March 23, is likely to be well attended. Salmon rivers in 

 these days do not go begging. 



Tarpon.— St. James City, Fla.— The first tarpon of the 

 season was taken on Feb. 9, by Mr. J. Boyd Nixon of 

 Bridgeton, N. J. It was Mr. Nixon's first day's fishing 

 this year. He played the fish from a stationary boat, and 

 brought it to gaff in nine minutes. — St. Augustine, 



"FISCHZUCHT."— The authorship of the celebrated Ger- 

 man treatise ou fishculture, entitled "Fischzucht," was 

 through inadvertence credited in our issue of Feb. 11 to Herr 

 von Behr. We have referred to it so often in Forest and 

 Stream as the work of Herr von dem Borne that our readers 

 have doubtless already applied the correction. 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Feb. ;.o to 2(5.— Sixteenth Annual Dog Show of the Westminster 

 Keunel Club, at New York. James Mortimer, Sunt. 



March 1 to i.— First Dog Show of the Keystone Kennel Club at 

 Philadelphia. Pa. 



March 8 to 11.— Washington City Kennel Club. Washington, D. 

 C. Fred. S. Webster, Sec'y, 738 Broadway, New York. 



March 15 to 13.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Duquesue 

 Kennel Club, at Pittsburgh, Pa. W. E. Littell. Sec'y. 



April 6 to 9.— Seventh Annual Dos; Show of the New England 

 Kennel Cluh, at Boston. Mass. B. H. Moore, Sec'y. 



April 13 ro 16— Third Annual Dog Show of the Continental 

 Kennel Club, at Denver, Col. R. W. Isenthal, Sec'y. 



April 30 to 33.— Fourth Annual Dog Show of the Southern Cali- 

 fornia, Kennel Club, at Los Angeles, Gal. C. A. Sumner, Sec'y. 



May 4 to 7.— Annual Dog Show of the California Kennel Club, 

 at Sa,n Francisco Cal. Frank ,T. Silvey, Sec'y. 



Remember the entries for Washington dog 

 show close Feb. 27, with Frederic Webster, 

 71 1 Fourteenth street, Washington, D. C. 



THE JACKSON DOG SHOW. 



THE show opened in the Assembly Hall, Jackson, Mich., 

 with every detail properly arranged for exhibition and 

 the commencement of the judging at 10 o'clock A. M. on 

 Tuesday, Feb. 1(3. It is to be regretted that the energy and 

 skillful effort of the management did not meet with the 

 success which they deserved. The gate receipts were light, 

 and must have been much short of paying expenses. TJn- 

 fortuuatelyfortheshovv.it so happened that each day or 

 night there was some unusual attraction or entertainment, 

 which lessened the attendance at the show. 



The show was well managed. Proper cleanliness was 

 observed and it was kept free from any unpleasant odors. 



All classes were expeditiously judged by Mr. John David- 

 son, and his decisions were well made on the whole, although 

 he erred on the liberal side, giviug prizes to many dogs 

 which were undeserving of them; in fact about one-third of 

 the second prizes could have been properly withheld, and 

 also a number of firsts. It is encouraging to an owner to 

 have a winning dog. So far ah undeserved prize does no 

 harm, but it gives a dog a misleading record, and therefore 

 has a tendency to injure breeding interests in place of im- 

 proving them. However, there, was one feature which Mr, 

 Davidson enforced with commendable persistency, one 

 which a number of judges would do well to follow. He 

 required the handlers to showtheir dogs as they really were. 



The judging was all done on the first day before 5 o'clock. 

 There were 174 entries, a few of which were duplicates. 

 There were about 20 absent. Mr. C. W. Sarvis was superin- 

 tendent, arid he was most attentive and efficient. Dr. E. L. 

 Kimball and Mr. Chas. H Rubl, officers of the club, were 

 also efficient workers. The dogs which arrived from the 

 Chicago show were transferred and cared for by the man- 

 aogemeut till their show opened on Tuesday. 

 The dogs were fed on Austin's dog bread. 

 Mastiffs.— Challenge dogs or bitches had no entry. Elk- 

 son was fax away the best dog in the class of four. As he 

 won at the Chicago show he has already been described. 

 Second went to Prince Cola, light in eye. poor head, too 

 light in bone and high behind, lacking in character. Dougal 

 the reserve, and Robin Hood, vhc, were both faulty and in- 

 ferior, and did not deserve notice. Two bitches competed, 

 Lulu Minting and Leo's Nell, the former winning easily. 

 Nell has a very poor head and coat, is light in bone and 

 ordinary in quality. Pour puppies competed, Duke of 

 Ragusa winning first, He is quite a fair puppy, good in 

 body, legs, feet and has a fairly good head. Murtha, sec- 

 ond, Mack, reserve, and Golden Queen, vhc, were a poor 

 lot, being leggy, light in bone and body, poor skulls, nar- 

 row heads and inferior in quality. 



St. Bernards.— In the class for rough-coated dogs, Othello 

 had a walkover, his competitors, Casper and Rover, being 

 absent. Theben, first in bitch puppy class at Chicago, won 

 first easily over Bonnie Doon, long and light in body, bad 

 forelegs, head fairly good. The latter also won second in 

 the puppy class, her competior, Royal Vixen, beating her in 

 body, bone, legs and general symmetry. There were two 

 entries in the open dog class for smooth-coated dogs, both of 

 which were absent. 



Great Danes.— The single entry, Paul, did not appear 

 for judgment. 



Deerhoends.— The only entry was Alan Break, winner of 

 second at Chicago. He was shown in good form. 



Greyhounds.— Master Rich and Miss Rare, the challenge 

 class entries, were absent. Yonder He Goes, vhc. at Chi- 

 cagago, won over Keno, too flat in ribs, yet a fairly good 

 greyhound. In bitches, Lady Olivia won easily over Gertie, 

 light iu bone and weedy in appearance. King Dick, the 

 only puppy shown, was coarse and loose in build; he de- 

 served about c. 



Pointers.— The classes were light in numbers and quality, 

 and were badly arranged according to the catalogue, as one 

 open dog and open bitch class were for pointers under 55lbs., 

 and the puppy class was for pointers under 551bs. instead of 

 for puppies under twelve months of age. Trinket's Chief 

 was absent; he was the only entry iu the challenge class. 

 Chief Ammo, vhc. at Chicago, won in the open class for dogs 

 over 551bs. without competition. Under 551bs. had three en- 

 tries, of which Osborne Ale II., fourth at Chicago, won first, 

 although inferior in many respects to Wonderful Lad, win- 

 ner of second. The latter is somewhat cheeky and heavy in 

 skull; he might also be a shade lighter in neck; he is better 

 in shoulders, legs, feet, body and general symmetry than the 

 winner. In bitches, under 551bs., Rose, first, has a good 

 body and is fairly well made otherwise. Beauty, second, is 

 plain in head, straight in stifle, good in legs, neck, body and 

 feet, and was very close in merit to the winner of first. The 

 two puppies shown were very common. 



English Setters.— Paul Gladstone had no competition in 

 the challenge class. He was looking remarkably well. In 

 open dogs, Toney Gladstone was an easy first, the" rest of the 

 class, four in number, being ordinaryin quality. In bitches, 

 Nia won over Susan B., a very superior bitch, excellent in 

 quality, well-shaped head, neck of good length and well set 

 on good shoulders, body well ribbed and made; good legs 

 and feet on which she stands squarely; she was the best 

 bitch in the class. Fleetwood had no* competitor in the 

 puppy class. 



Irish Settees.— Dick Swiveler was in good enough con- 

 dition to compete alone iu the challenge class. There were 

 six dogs in the open class, and they were of good quality. 

 Tom Owen, the winner, is somewhat straight in stifle, good 

 color, stands squarely on well made legs and feet, has a 

 good head, and a strong back and loin. Mike, second, is 

 not so good in bone, shoulders or neck as the winner. The 

 bitch class was better in quality than the dogs, and there 

 were four competitors. Litta, first, is too short in neck and 

 light in bone, excellent body and back, well made head, and 

 feet close and good; too heavy in shoulders. Goldie, second, 

 is better in quarters than the winner, but is flat in body, 

 not so good in loin, and is only fair in symmetry. 



Gordon Setters, — Only two dogs competed in the open 

 class, the winner, Buck, being a dog of unusual merit in 

 general appearance, but he is cow-hocked and slightly out 

 at elbows. His head and body are excellent, and his color, 

 the black and the tan, is unusually bright and correct. 

 Rube, second, showed some topknot, long and poor coat, 

 head not clean cut, and he hardly deserved second. There 

 was but one bitch, Fly, in her class. 



Irish Water Spaniels. — Barney C. had no competition. 

 He is well built, showed good symmetry, but his coat is too 

 straight and woolly. 



Clumber Spaniels.— Three were shown, Punk, the only 

 entry in the dog class, winning without competition. Our 

 Joan, first in bitches, is well made, good in head, body, legs 

 and feet. The winner of second, Our Judy, is inferior, but 

 being young will improve with age. 



Field Spaniels.— There were but three field spaniels. 

 Rideau Bob, first, was better in head, body, coat, bone and 

 general symmetry than Snap, winner of second. Pansy, Jr., 

 the reserve, is a poor specimen and did not deserve notice, 

 and the same might be said of Dude, high on legs, poor 

 head and deficient in spaniel character. 



Cocker Spaniels.— Bessie W. and champion Rabbi were 

 first and second, in the order named, in the challenge class. 

 Seven dogs competed iu the open class, first going to .Jersey 

 Boy. Second, which should have gone to Adam, was won 

 by Lad O, too high on legs, inclined to coarseness, and infe- 

 rior in character. The former has a better head, is not good 

 in forelegs, but has better cocker type and character. The 

 letters awarded to the others should have been withheld, as 

 they were very ordinary. There were four bitches, an in- 

 ferior lot, hardly deserving the prizes, and the same was 

 true of the three puppies shown. 



Beagles.— June M. had a walkover in challenge class. 

 Five dogs appeared for competition, two of which were dis- 

 qualified for being oversize. First went to a fairly good 

 hound, a trifle light in bone, and in expression like a fox- 

 hound. Twinkey, second, is only a fair hound. Finder, the 

 reserve, had a lump on the upper jaw under the eye, which 

 marred the appearance of the head. He is symmetrical and 

 well shaped, but too fine for a working type; in fact many 

 of the beagles shown at all shows are bred too fine for rough 

 work, although they may run well on certain favorable sec- 

 tions of ground. Snow, first in bitches, is bad in front and 

 poor in head. The rest of the class was ordinary. 



Dachshunde.— The winners, Windrush Rioter, first in 

 challenge, Janet, Superbus II. and Zulu II., the first two 

 being first and second, the last vhc, were noticed in the 

 Chicago report last week. 



Foxhounds. — They were few in numbers and coarse in 

 quality. Toot, first, is a coarse common hound, and hardly 

 deserved the prize. Lady Fair, second, had a better head 

 aud foxhound character than first prize winner. 



Collies. — Only two competed in the dog class, Rover and 

 Grampian, the former winning, although he was cow- 

 hocked, poorer in texture of coat and was inferior to Gram- 

 pian in head and expression. The latter was somewhat out 

 of coat. There were five bitches. Bernice, although out of 

 coat, won easily. Sable Gauntlet, heavier in coat, but in- 

 ferior in head and character, won second. 



Bulldogs. — A formidable appearing animal in shoulder 

 harness appeared for the prize. He was active, muscular, 

 and had the appearance of being a good "business" dog, but 

 he was no bulldog, and therefore he left the ring prizeless. 

 His admirers said he could whip any dog in that section of 

 country, and therefore was a genuine bulldog, but he will 

 learn better as his experience enlarges. 



Bhll-Terrlers.— The classes were not large, but several 

 good dogs were shown. Attraction was absent. Carney 

 won somewhat easily over Sanfoin, which arrived late in 

 the day and was allowed to compete, although by so doing 

 the club violated one of its rules. In the bitch class there 

 was a close competition between Aromatic and Edgewood 

 Fancy, the former winning. She was too fat to show her 

 proper form. Tom Beverly had a walkover in the puppy 

 class. 



Scotce Terriers.— Two were shown, one in each class. 

 Kilbar, shown at Chicago, won in the dog class. Rainhill 

 Thistle, an inferior specimen, was awarded first in the bitch 

 class. 



Dandie Dinmont Terriers.— The only two shown, King 

 of the Heather and Heather Madge, are now well known, 

 and they were at Chicago. 



Fox-Terriers. — They were an indifferent lot in point of 

 quality. Poco, out at elbows and lacking in bone, won over 

 Pedro, the only other entry and an inferior one. Rowton 

 Safety had a walkover in the bitch class. The two puppies 

 shown were not deserving of any prize. There were three 

 wire-haired fox-terriers. Eskdale Broom, winner of first at 

 Chicago, and Nettle Stopper, bad in forelegs but the better 

 in coat. 



Irish Terriers.— Dunmurry and Boxer IV., both com- 

 petitors at Chicago, were the only entries present. 



