March 24, 1892.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



277 



small risks of life and property. "Vessels will fill up in a 

 day instead of occupying weeks or months. Food will be 

 cheapened. Domestic conditions will be ameliorated. 

 Relief will give place to anxiety in tlie seaside homes, and 

 general contentment and prosperity will prevail. 



Some such picture the optimist could outline for the 

 future occupation of the toiler of the sea, if present 

 promises continue. A happy combination of sound, 

 river, estuasy, ocean and inflowing creek, and a meeting 

 of tidal and fluvial currents has made the waters of east- 

 ern North Carolina the prolific nursery and pasture 

 ground of no less than eighty varieties of edible fish. 

 Most of these were exhibited simultaneously at the New- 

 bern Fish and Oyster Fair held the last week of February 

 just passed. If man be not improvident or prodigal the 

 natural supply will not fail, but it will replenish itself as 

 fast as drawn upon. 



There is small probability of depleting the ocean, 

 though local colonies may be temporarily decimated. It 

 will remain to be proved what will be the ultimate re- 

 sult of this recent development in the fishing industry. 



Charles Haleock. 



Newbern, N, C March 12. 



MANITOWISH WAY. 



WE axe reminded that the time is approaching when 

 it would be pleasant to repeat our trip to the mus- 

 callonge region, a trip which formed the basis of very 

 many pleasant recollections. Mr. W. S. Allen and my- 

 rself made an extended tour of the lakes of northern Wis- 

 consin, our headqtiarters being near Trout Lake, while 

 we did our fishing in neighboring lakes tributary to this 

 beautiful body of water. Our catch in all of the lakes 

 proved better than during the previous year, the condi- 

 tions of water and weather being more favorable. At 

 the close of the most successful day's sport we counted 

 nine muscallonge, and while the largest weighed but 

 15lbs. we were quite well satisfied with the results. The 

 bass fishing was excellent and our ecore book made a 

 very satisfactory showing. 



The waters in northern Wisconsin abound in fish of a 

 superior quality. The lake trout, found only in certain 

 waters, are very plentiful in the spring and fall and 

 afford abundant amusement for those desiring fishing of 

 this nature. We camped on a beautiful rise of ground 

 overlooking the Manitowish River. Our guidps were 

 capable and were informed as to the waters, The weather 

 was perfect, the air clear and cool, and we left this de- 

 lightful region with many regrets, mingled with the hope 

 that the future might afford us an opportunity of repeat- 

 ing an experience replete with numberless enjoyable 

 features. W. E. Wills. 



Chicago, 111,, March. 



ONONDAGA ANGLERS. 



A MEETING of the Anglers' Association of Onondaga 

 County, held in the rooms of the Business Men's 

 Association last evening, was well attended , and a lively 

 interest was shown in the work of the Association for the 

 coming season. The election of officers for the next year 

 resulted as follows: President, Rtchard W. Jones; Vice- 

 President, John N. Babcock; Secretary, Walter S. Mc- 

 Gregor; Treasurer, Charles Morey: Executive Committee, 

 Geo. B, Wood, Wm. Everson, H. Edward Robbins, Amos 

 Padgham and M. J. French. The Association has on its 

 rolls 250 names, and these were added last evening: Dr. 

 Chas. Barnes, Leonard Baldwin, J. D, Minturn, L. E. 

 Ford, W. S. Morey, Frank B. Macumber, Myer Liberman, 

 Chas. Laberdie, Geo. H. H. Adams, C. S. Fowler. Chas. 

 FT. Miller, D, M. Lefever and J. R. Harlow. 



John N. Babcock and Horace Kendall were elected a 

 committee to draft resolutions and present them to the 

 Fish Commissioners asking them to use their influence 

 in procuring fish ways in the Seneca and Oswego rivers. 

 John N. Babcock addressed the Association. He said: 



IE the puhlic fully understood the objects of the association the 

 membership would soon he doubled. Theirs is not a selfish interest, 

 but the whole object of the association is to secure goo* fishing 

 to the hundreds of people who can not afford to make long excur- 

 sions in search of a day's fishing, whether for food or for sport. 

 More fish, perch, p : ckerel, pike and bass have been taken from 

 Ooondasa Lake and iis tributary streams by hook and line dur- 

 ing the past year than ever before, and it is because nets have 

 been to a great degree excluded and 1he spawning fish protected. 

 The association has been untiring in its efforts to give the work- 

 ingman, who now and then tries his luck, a chance to get a good 

 mess of fish. Most of the members of the association are fisher- 

 men who fish in many different waters and would care nothing 

 aoout our lake here were it not for the fact that they wish to see 

 everybody have a chance to get a mess of fish in a sportsmanlike 

 way and not allow a few unprincipled people to take out all the 

 bpst fish in nets. 



The association doesn't confine its work to Onondaga Lake 

 alone, but all the near-by waters are protected, and many people 

 from the surrounding towns and villages who make no effort to 

 help on the good work reap the same henefits as the members of 

 the association. The cost of membership is very small, and every- 

 body who takes an interest in the sport is invited to join the asso- 

 ciation and help protect the fish in neighboring waters. 



Efforts are b?inor make to have fishways ptit into the dams in 

 the Oswego and Seneca rivers, which would give the large fish 

 from the great lake a chance to come up into our small streams 

 and lake and make good fishing for every one. These arrange- 

 ments would be a great benefit to the poor man who fishes in home 

 waters, and who could then have good fresh fish on his table at 

 slight expense. The first and second wards of this city have a 

 great many fishermen who take large quantities of fish by hook 

 and line, and but very few of them are members of any associa- 

 tion. They are especially requested to join the association and 

 help to protect Themselves, 



Mr. Babcock seemed to express the sentiment of the 

 members present, all of whom expressed a determination 

 to bring in all the timer men in the county. Walter S. 

 McGregor said that Jast year $3,000 had been appropri- 

 ated by the State to build fishways, but the Canal Super- 

 intendent had neglected to have them built so the money 

 was refunded to the State. Wallace Tappan championed 

 the bill in the Legislature. There are several fisnways 

 now in the Oswego River, he said, but they are worn out 

 and are of no use. There is a bill now before the Legis- 

 lature appropriating $3,000 for the same purpose. 



The secretary was directed to have circulars printed 

 and addressed to all its members giving a detailed ac- 

 count of all the nets and spears captured, cases prose- 

 cuted for illegal fishing and the like. 



The association's fish protector, Harry Jackson, reported 

 that during the past season he has captured and destroyed 

 thirty-one nets, fifteen spears, and has prosecuted forty- 

 one actions, mauy of which have been successful, and 

 had also taken fourteen nets in conjunction with Consta- 

 ble Hawn. The secretary reported that most all the 

 amendments suggested by the association in the bill re- 

 vising the fish laws had been accepted by the Fish Com- 



missioners. Votes of thanks were tendered President R, 

 W. Jones and Vice-Presidents John N. Babcock, Walter 

 S. McGregor, Henry Loftie, Edward Robbins, Charles 

 Phelps and the executive committee for the good work 

 they had done during the past season, and to the Busi- 

 ness Men's Association for the use of its rooms. 



It is expected that the next meeting of the association 

 will be a large one, and many new names will be added 

 to the rolls. — Si/raeuse Herald. 



A CATFISH IN ARMOR. 



THE cascadura of Trinidad or round-headed hassar of 

 Demerara, one of the mailed catfishes, is a most re- 

 markable animal. The term round-headed is applied to 

 this species in distinguishing it from an allied fish known 

 as the flat-head. The cascadura in general shape resem- 

 bles our common catfish, but along the sides of the body 

 are plates, arranged obliquely, 25 to 27 on each side. 

 From this peculair structure the term mailed-catfish is 

 derived, and the body resemblance to the mailed knights 

 of long ago is very striking. Its nest-building habits and 

 the protection it affords both its nest and young are also 

 highly interesting:. These habits are fully recorded in the 

 accounts of Dr. Hancock and M. Vipan. In the Lmdon 

 Zoological Journal, No. XIV., July to October, 1828, Dr. 

 John Hancock states that "the flesh of this hassar is 

 yellow, firm, and very savory, especially esteemed by the 

 Creoles in their soups, which they prepare with the ad- 

 dition of several vegetable articles, such as the okra, cal- 

 abo, and fou-fou, arum, and plantains, boiled and pounded 

 into a sort of plain pudding. The whole is seasoned with 

 pepper, salt and lime juice, and forms in reality one of 

 the bast dishes of the country, although many Europeans, 

 out of a most ignoble pride and affectation, pretend to 

 dislike it for no other reason, however, than its being a 

 common dish amongst the slaves and lower orders. There 

 are Creoles also who affect the same dislike to the fou-fou 

 and okra soup, and yet swallow it enormously in private," 

 Dr. Gill tells me that there is a tradition in Trinidad to 



THE CASCADURA OF TRINIDAD. 



the effect that any one having ones tasted of the flesh of 

 this fish will never leave the island. This, it is supposed, 

 means that the meat is so good that no one would be will- 

 ing to move out of a neighborhood in which the fish can 

 be obtained, for we have Dr. Hancock's statement that 

 the flesh is eatable and, therefore, not rank poison. 



Dr. Hancock states that the nest is formed of grass and 

 leaves, the eggs laid in a flattened cluster, carefully cov- 

 ered over and protected by both male and female. The 

 negroes are well acquainted with this habit, and by plac- 

 ing their hands near the nest attract the attention of the 

 fish, which courageously attack the intruder and are 

 easily captured, During the dry season when the pools 

 dry up tne round-head is said to bury itself in the mud, 

 while the flat-head is said to march overland in quest of 

 water, whole droves having been seen on the land. 



In the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 

 for the year 1886, Part III., pp. 330-331, the following ac- 

 count of the breeding of the cascadura in an aquarium is 

 given by J. A. M. Vipan: "Two cascaduras (CaMchthys 

 littoralis), from Trinidad, that I have in my aquarium, 

 commenced making a nest on June 6th; but that, and the 

 one they made on June 9th, they soon pulled to pieces. 

 On the night of the 11th they began a new one; it con- 

 sisted of pieces of Valisneria, all the leaves of the Nym- 

 pJuza that were growing in the tank, which they bit off 

 close to the roots of the plants, and a great quantity of 

 river moss (Fontinalivantipyretica), each piece being two 

 or three times the size of tne fish, so that they must have 

 had hard work to bring them to the surface. They work- 

 ed these materials together by some mucous substance 

 until the outside was hard, the whole being under a 

 quarter of an inch thick ; they next buoyed up the struc- 

 ture with a quantity of mucous foam until it was raised 

 three-and-a-balf inches above the water. The whole nest 

 was nine inches long and seven inches wide, and some- 

 what resembled a finger glass turned upside down on the 

 top of the water, with the interior filled with froth. The 

 fish kept swimming close under it all the time on their 

 backs and filling it with foam. When finished, on the 

 12th, the female shed her spawn between her ventral fins, 

 which were elapsed tight together, and when full, swam 

 to the nest, and, turning on her back deposited the spawn 

 in it; this occurred several times, the male each time putt- 

 ing the spawn in its proper place and covering it with 

 froth. As soon as the female had dropped all her spawn 

 the male took entire possession of the nest and would 

 not let his mate go anywhere near it, and treated her so 

 badly that I had to place her in another tank to save her 

 life. Unfortunately the spawn was not good, only a few 

 eggs hatching and the young fishes dying soon after- 

 wards. 



"I have bred great quantities of the little CaUichihys 

 punctatus from the Amazons, but they never made the 

 slightest attempt at making a nest, always depositing 

 their spawn all over the tank, and even on the floating 

 thermometer kept in it." 



The fresh waters of Trinidad are for the most part con- 

 fined to creek and brooks, there being but few ponds and 

 lakes. These streams are similar to our own, not wide and 

 from six to. eight feet deep in their deepest parts. Dr. 

 Gill, who reported upon the fishes of this island in 1858, 

 says that the cascaduras like the quiet places near the 

 borders of vegetation, and are often found in company 

 with the Hhamdia (another genus of this group of cat- 

 fishes), The maximum size of the cascadura is 9 or 10 

 inches; those usually taken are from 6 to 8. The fish are 

 usually taken with a cast-net, which when skillfully 

 thrown or cast Bpreads out so as to cover considerable 

 water. Dr. Gill is under the impression that small hooks 



are also used in the capture of this fish, with earthworms 

 as bait. The sketch presented is from a fish seven inches 

 long, recently received from Trinidad. 



It will be observed that Dr. Hancock says the male and 

 female both protect the young, while M. Vipan states 

 that the male drives the female away as soon as the eggs 

 are deposited in the nest and will not allow her to approach 

 them. In our common channel catfish of the Potomac 

 river it was ascertained by Drs, Ryder and Gill that the 

 male alone takes care of the young. (See Bull. Fish Com- 

 mission, 1883, p. 226.) Barton A. Bean. 



Washington, D. O. 



WASHINGTON ROD AND GUN CLUB. 



THE Washington R^d and Gun Club held its first an- 

 nual meeting on Thursday evening, March 17, in its 

 club rooms, 1237 Pennsylvania avenue, N.W, The fol- 

 lowing officers were elected for the ensuing year: Presi- 

 dent, S, W. Stinemetz; Vice President, Joseph H. Hunter; 

 Secretary and Treasurer, John B. Peyton; Captain, 

 Thomas F. Dovle; Lieut . John Wanstall, The foregoing, 

 with Charles L, Burgess, constitute the executive com- 

 mittee. Hon. W". D. Bynum, M. C, was appointed chair- 

 man of the committee on the preservation of game. Quite 

 a number of new members were elected, among them six 

 Congressmen. The traps are located by the Potomac at 

 the foot of Twenty- first street and are put out every fair 

 day. Tuesdays and Fridays are regular days. As many 

 as 3,800 clay birds have been used for one day's shoot. 



This club was organized about one year ago for the en- 

 couragement of legitimate sport with the red and gun, 

 and has representative and enthusiastic members in both 

 branches. Commissioner McDonald has at the request of 

 the club promised liberal plants of game fishes in the 

 waters of the Potomac above Washington, and the com- 

 mittee for the preservation of game, under the efficient 

 leadership of Mr. Bynum, can be relied upon to take proper 

 measures for prohibiting the illegal killing and traffic 

 in game so prevalent here. 



The club has very convenient and comfortable rooms, 

 lacks anything that might be called luxurious, as every 

 sportsmen's club should, and they are well able to look 

 after the comforts of any bona fide sportsman, though 

 stranger, coming to Washington. The reading tables are 

 well supplied with various journals, and your correspon- 

 dent was apprised of the fact that Forest and Stream 

 is always there and appreciated bv the members. Among 

 the numerous pictures and stuffed specimens a badly 

 mutilated quail is to be seen. The label attached reads: 

 "The only bird ever shot by Martin Flaherty was chewed 

 by his dog.'' It is a forlorn looking object. Andrew 

 Hancock is the champion crow hunter and a fine bird 

 attests his skill. 



BOSTON ANGLERS. 



r PHE law making an annual close time on smelts comes 

 i on in Massachusetts March 15. This year just pre- 

 vious to that date the boys made some good hauls. One 

 of the best catches mentioned was that of Mr. Claude H. 

 Tarbox, already mentioned in the Forsst and Stream 

 as one of Boston's greatest lovers of angling. Mr, Tar- 

 box loves to fish so well that even going alone is not a 

 hindrance to him. He is a grain salesman for A. P. 

 Aldrich & Son, and frequently, when on the road, 'oppor- 

 tunity is offered for his favorite pastime. But usually it 

 is not easy to find company, and hence Claude has learned 

 "to go it alone." On the smelting trip in question he 

 was alone. The result was 344 smelt, some of which 

 tipped the scales at just half a pound. The mess com- 

 pletely filled a bushel basket. The trip was to Rowley's 

 River in the night time, on Saturday previous to the 15tb. 

 Armed with a lantern and rubber boots the fisherman 

 took his way up the middle of the stream, running with 

 the cold snow water. His fishing tackle was his hands. 

 A smelt or a body of smelt was spen, when a pass with 

 the hand is made and the fish or fishes are thrown to the 

 shore, to be gathered into the basket later. Claude de- 

 scribes this as "rare sport," and his friends are equally 

 enthusiastic over the elegant fried smelts that graced 

 their tables the next day. Special. 



Another sportsmen's club has been born in the Hub. 

 Its name is the Magaguadavic Fish and Game Club. 

 About thirty devotees of the rod and gun make up its 

 present membership. The preserve lies in New Bruns- 

 wick, and the club expects to control eventually about 

 75,000 acres. The capital stock will be fixed at $20,000, 

 consisting of 400 shares of $50 each. The club house is 

 situated on the shores of Lake Utopia, N, B. The fishing 

 will consist principally of landlocked salmon and trout, 

 with game enough to furnish good sport. The officers 

 elected at the organization of the club are Dr. Heber 

 Bishop, president ; C. C, Powers, vice-president ; Henry 

 Love joy, secretary and treasurer ; Messrs. A. M, Robin- 

 son and L. D. Chapman, house committee : Messrs. G. 

 W. M. Guild, W. L. Davis, John E. Avery, E. B. Whit- 

 tier, anrl H. A. Hoak, executive committee. W, R, S. 



NEW HAMPSHIRE CAMPS. 



IANCASTER, N. H., March 18.— Editor Forest and 

 J Stream: Colebrook, N. H., the pointfrom which all 

 the hunting and fishing resorts in northern New Hamp- 

 shire are reached, seems to be getting an abundance of 

 good things. First is the lease of the Connecticut Lake 

 hotel and camps by O. C. Bumford, a' Colebrook man: 

 and last Saturday Hell Gate Camp on Diamond River 

 (Amasa Ward's old camp) was sold to a party of Cole- 

 brook gentlemen, who propose to fit it up in good shape 

 and place it under first-class management for the accom- 

 modation of sportsmen as heretofore. "Brad" Bailey is 

 to have charge, and that means that all will be done to 

 make the stay of visiting sportsmen a pleasant one. 

 "Brad" is thoroughly familiar with that region, having 

 spent the last three seasons there. 



I understand that it is proposed to change the names 

 of the camps from Hell Gate Camps to Deer Lick Camp. 

 Why the change should be made I fail to see. The camps 

 are at the foot of Hell Gate Falls; have always been 

 known as Hell Gate Camps ever since Amasa built his 

 first "stake down" there, the name Hell Gate Camp being 

 given it by him. I think it the most appropriate name 

 that could be applied and I am sure this feeling will be 

 shared by all who have visited the place. I hope the 

 sportsmen who have been in the habit of visiting these 



