374 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[April 21, 1893. 



CATCHING A PRAIRIE WOLF. 



ONE cold windy day a party of lively young fellows 

 driving across the prairie, saw a prairie wolf 

 making a rneal from a dead horse. Bill Bums offered to 

 bet ten to five he could catch the wolf, and the bet was 

 taken. Bill directed the driver to get as close as possible 

 under cover of a low ridge some three hundred yards 

 from the wolf. With the wagon concealed by the ridge 

 and the wind in his favor, Burns began to crawl through 

 the knee-high dead grass, which was nearly the color of 

 his canvas coat and old felt hat. The horse lay with its 

 back towards Burns, and as it was frozen the wolf was 

 eating ,from the inside of the carcass, going almost his 

 whole length into a hole eaten in the horse's abdomen. 

 He would go in and snatch a mouthful or two, then 

 quickly back out and look around. It was evident that 

 he considered "eternal vigilance the price of liberty." 



Each time the wolf went in, Burns crawled rapidly 

 toward it, lying flat in the grass whenever the wolf came 

 out. In half an hour he had got within a few feet of the 

 wolf, and watching for a favorable moment, rose to his 

 feet, jumped over the horse and caught the wolf by the 

 hind legs. To the spectators it did not look as though 

 Burns had more than touched the wolf, when it was rods 

 away, and went off with such a grand burst of speed, that 

 one of the boys declared he could hear it whizz long after 

 it was out of sight. Although Burns held the wolf but 

 an instant he was severely bitten on both arms and on 

 one leg. His opponent claimed the stakes because Burns 

 did not hold the wolf, but Burns said he did not agree to 

 hold it, but to catch it; that he did not intend to hold it 

 long enough for it to bite him, but found he could not 

 let go quick enough. The bet was decided in Burns's 

 favor. O. H. Hampton. 



"That reminds rue." 



A GENUINE Erie character was gunsmith Weeks, 

 recently deceased. Everybody respected the honest 

 old man. His record for turkey shooting with the rifle 

 was so great hereabouts that the boys barred him out from 

 our holiday turkey contests. Having occasion to call at 

 his shop, shortly before his death, I found him talking 

 with a customer, whom he evidently mistook for a clergy- 

 man. Straightening himself up to his full height and 

 peering over his spectacles at his listener, he delivered 

 himself thusly: 



"I tell you," sir, that if you want to bring up a boy so he 

 shall be moral, refined, an ornament to his parents an' a 

 useful man in society — buy him a gun." Mallard. 



I didn't shoot a duck last fall. Perhaps you may think 

 that this was because I missed one. Sir, you are wrong. 

 Then, says the other fellow: Perhaps you didn't go duck 

 shooting. Well, I don't know. I did, or I didn't. Is the 

 phrase "duck shooting" to be employed in the characteriza- 

 tion of the course pursued, and the action taken by a man 

 who didn't fire his gun at all? I pause for a reply. One 

 morning last November a light snow lay on the ground 

 and things looked shivery. I was engaged in coaxing 

 the fire, when Jack came in and said that there were 25 

 or 30 ducks in the little lake just back of my grove. I 

 went down to the house, put on my fighting coat and 

 shouldered "Aunt Hannah." 



"Where are you going?" asked the Commandante. 



"Ducks, back of the grove." 



"Hope you'll get some." 



In about half an hour I returned. 



"Did you get any ducks?" inquired the Commandante. 

 "No." 



"Did you see any?" asked the Ochitelka. 

 "No." 



"Maybe none had been there." 



"But there had." 



"Then why didn't you get some?" 



"Why, half an hour before I reached the lake, a boy 

 went there with a rifle, fired a long shot at them, didn't 

 get any, scared the flock and spoiled my sport." 



"Did yon see him?" 



"No; didn't see or hear anybody." 



"Then how did you know it was a boy?" 



"Saw his tracks," 



"How did you know he had a rifle?" 

 "By the mark of the heel- plate in the snow." 

 "How did you know he fired?" 

 "By the patch of his bullet." 

 "How did you know that he fired at long range?" 

 "Because there was no place within short range of his 

 stand where the ducks would have been lying." 

 "How did you know he missed?" 



"Because he made straight tracks for the village. Had 

 he hit a duck, he would, being a boy, have spent the 

 whole day if necessary in trying to secure the bird." 



"You seem to know as much about it as if you'd been 

 there yourself." 



' 'Very nearly. " K klpie. 



By your recent issue I see that every fisherman is pro- 

 vided with a "multiplying reel." I am no fisherman and 

 may be in error, but I suppose this is a misprint for 

 "multiplying real," and in this light it help3 to explain 

 much that one finds difficult of acceptance among the 

 narratives of Jonah's disciples. E. E. T. 



Map of the United States. 



A large, handsome map of the United States, mounted and suit- 

 able for office or home use, is issued by the Burlington Route. 

 Copies will be mailed to any address on receipt of twelve cents in 

 postage by P. S. Etjstis, General Pass. Agent, ft, B. & Q, B. P.., 

 Chicago, l\l.—Adv. 



The Tent You Want.— If you need a new tent for your camp- 

 ing trip this summer, it will piy you to investigate the "Protean 

 Tent," elsewhere advertised in these columns. It is far better 

 tor the purpose than any other tent, and will add much to the 

 pleasure and comfort of your outing.— Adv. 



A Book About Indians,— The Fobest and Stream will mt.il 

 f ree on application a descriptive circular of Mr. G-rinnell's bock, 

 "Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk-tales," giving a table of confer ts 

 and specimen UhistriMona from the valuta*.— A dr. 



\m m\d Jftt^r puking. 



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

 Territories and British Provinces are given in the Book of 

 the Game Laws. 



THE ANGLER'S DREAM. 



HPHE day was ideal, not a cloud in the sky; 



He caught his train without worry or haste; 

 Not a thing was forgotten— not even a fly; 

 And the lunch gotten up to an epicure's taste. 



And then for a wonder the fish were all biting, 

 And the little ones seemed to be off for a day; 



And when ihe fly struck the big ones were fighting, 

 Each doing his best to be hooked right away. 



He caught enough Fish so he had not to buy. 



And for once in his life he had not to scheme, 

 And to the wife of his bosom and friends have to lie; 

 But for all that, he cussed to And it a dream. 



The Waste Basket Poet. 

 Chicago, 111. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



I From a Staff Correspondent.'] 



CHICAGO, 111., April 14.— Recent floods have turned 

 our streams into boiling and discolored torrents. If 

 the fish do not choke to death, there should be a great 

 run and fine fishing in season. Many of the dams are 

 under water at this writing, Yesterday the Des Plaines 

 and the Kankakee Rivers when crossed appeared rather 

 as lakes than as rivers. The Fox has overflowed its whole 

 lake system. 



From Lorenzo, or the A. T & S. F. Ry., State Warden 

 M. L, Kelly writes me that the run is up, and that a fall 

 in the water will mean good fishing. From Momence, 

 higher up on the Kankakee, Mr. W. M. Durham writes, 

 under date of the 10th: 



"You can get some good fishing this week, I think. The 

 water has been very muddy but is O.K. now. I caught 

 four big-mouths or Oswegoes, Friday P. M , but it was so 

 cold I froze out in a short time, though I had an over- 

 coat, mittens and a regular winter suit." This letter was 

 written before the hard rain of last night, which has set 

 the mud going again. 



The whole dam at Momence is out, undergoing repairs, 

 so the run at that point will not be obstructed in the least. 

 During the week the full run of small-mouth bass should 

 be up as high as Momence. The pickerel and wall-eyes 

 are past there 150 miles. 



The Illinois River is extraordinarily high. The timber- 

 lands are overflowed, and the fish are working all over 

 the flats. At a stream running into Spring Lake, below 

 Pekin, some magnificent strings of bass have been taken. 



Warden Buck has finished his second trip to the Eng- 

 lish Lake country. From the B. &. O. bridge above 

 Davis to Momence, over 150 miles, the Kankakee River 

 is now free of nets, although at Koutts and at Water 

 Valley there are nets owned which may be used later. 

 This situation is covered by the following letter from Mr. 

 Borders, the Indiana attorney who watched the cases: 



"Winamao, Ind., April 11.— I saw Buck again last 

 week, and it seems we have made a pretty effectual dis- 

 position of the nets on the La Porte county side of the 

 river. We have several indictments iu the Circuit Court 

 against the man Auge on the Starke county side. He is 

 showing fight, which makes his defeat a little slower, but 

 in my opinion none the less sure. His trial will come in 

 June, and until then his nets are in the custody of the 

 sheriff of Starke county. 



"Mr. Spalding, of Chicago, sent word indirectly to me, 

 it came through Judge Burson, that if more money was 

 needed to continue these prosecutions we might call 

 on him. I feel warranted in saying that some cash would 

 be very acceptable at this end of the line, as you know 

 our fish commissioner is limited as to means and has ex- 

 pended the whole year's appropriation. Call on Mr. 

 Spalding and, if my information is correct, he will be 

 glad to contribute, and he can also probably put you on to 

 others who will be glad to assist. B. Borders," 



The firm of A. Gr. Spalding & Bros, has always been 

 very liberal in such matters as the above. I do not doubt 

 that this and other large concerns here will help the Kan- 

 kakee Association in its funds, which now begin to grow 

 scanty. Every dollar this Association has spent or will 

 spend means results, direct and prompt. 



Mr. J. L. Wilcox is back from a successful duck trip in 

 the Northwest. On his farm near River Falls, Wis,, he 

 found the trout abundant in a small stream, and ia the 

 Kinnikinnick, a stocked stream, he saw 50 trout in one 

 pool, many 2lbs. in weight, he thought. There are 41bs. 

 rainbow trout in this stream. A few days after the 

 season opens Mr. Wilcox will return to this stream with a 

 party of friends. 



To-morrow is opening day on trout in Wisconsin, where 

 most of our anglers do their early trout fishing. 



Mr. John R. Stockton informs me of the organization 

 of the Anna River Fishing Club of Marquette, with fifteen 

 members in Chicago. The grounds of this club are on 

 the shore of Lake Superior, 24 miles east of Marquette, in 

 easy reach of both stream fishing and the magnificent 

 shore fishing for the brook trout of the lake, which is 

 still good in that region under proper conditions. This 

 location is just west of the Pictured Rocks, and is one of 

 singular interest for many reasons. I hope to see it later. 



The Chicago Fly-Casting Club. 



The only fly-fishing organization now known in this 

 city— the Chicago Fly-Casting Club— held its first annual 

 meeting Monday, April 11, 8 P. M., at the Grand Pacific. 

 The secretary read the minutes and financial report, 

 Messrs. R. C. Moore, E. F. Daniels, C. Loughridge, Geo. 

 B Townsend, H. L. Stanton, F. S. Smith, Austin P. 

 White, Alfred Marshall and Dr. A. W. Hoyt were admitted 

 as new member?. Election of officers followed. Mr, W. 

 H. Babcock was chosen president for the ensuing year, 

 Mr. Chas. Loughtidge vice-president and Mr. F. David- 

 son secretary-treasurer, the executive committee being 

 Messrs. J. S. Rossiter, Geo. Morell and Geo, W. Strell, 

 Tbe treasury showed $80 on hand. 



Tbe committee reported that the park boards of the 

 Washington Park g£. >e consent for unobstructed practice 



at fly-casting on the park lakes. The West Park Board 

 have not yet been heard from. Permission had not yet 

 been obtained from the North Park Board, but it prob- 

 ably would be later. A design for a membership card was 

 submitted and adopted, with instruction to have the 

 reel on the rod shown in the draft placed below the 

 hand-grasps, and not above, as shown. 



Much discussion arose on the report of the committee 

 on competition rules. The report submitted was as 

 follows: 



RULES GOVERNING COMPETITIONS. 



Club tournaments and individual competitions by members of the. 

 Chicago Fly-Casting Club shall be governed by the following rules, 

 subject to amendment at any regular meeting, by a majority vole: 



SINGLE-HANDED CASTING. 



Rule 1.— The unit of measurement for rods in the Chicago Fly- 

 Casting Club shall be not less than*.9ft. nor more than lOJ^ft. in length. 



RuleS— The unit of weight for rods in the Chicago Fly- Casting 

 Club shall be not less than 6J.£ nor more than SJ^oz. 



Rule 3.— All rods measuring more than lOJ^ft. in length shall be 

 handicapped 3ft. for every 3in. they measure over lOJ^ft. 



Rule 4.— All rods weighing over 8J£oz. shall be handicapped 5ft. for 

 every Wpz. they weigh overS^oz, 



Rule 5.— All rods measuring less than Oft. shall be credited 3ft. for 

 every 3in. they measure less than 9ft. 



Rule 6.— All rods weighiug less than BJ^oz. shall be credited 3ft. for 

 every J4oz. they weigh less than 6}£oz. 



Rule 7.— A 6ft. single gut leader, with one fly tied to a No, 3 barh- 

 less fc-pfoat hook, shall be the standard cast in all club competitions. 



Rule 8.— The style of reel and kind of line shall not be considered 

 by this club. 



Rule 9.— Each competitor, when casting, shall stand within a 

 boundary line marked with a chalk line, fastened to stakes, along 

 the shore line: and any competitor overstepping this boundary line, 

 when making his cast, shall be disqualified. 



Rule 10.— Each competitor shall be allowed five minutes in which 

 to make his casts, and he shall be entitled to score any one of the 

 casts made within this time limit, 



Rule 11. — A fly must alight 35ft. from the staked line to constitute a 

 cast, at which distance buoys shall be anchored. 



Rule 12.— Files of alternately painted buoys shall be anchored 

 every 5ft. 25ft. from the staked line; the judges shall so station 

 themselves that every cast can be seen; and tueir decision shall be 

 final. 



OLASSIMOATION, 



Event No. 1.— Long Distance Casting: The competitor making the 

 longest cast to be declared the winner. The length of cast shall be 

 Minassi red from tbe staked line to the cast fly. All ties shall be cast 

 off in the water. Where the judges are uuable to decide, the ties 

 shall be cast off on a lawn and over a water thoroughfare on to a 

 lawn beyond, when possible to do so. 



Event No. 2. — Casting for Accuracy and Distance: Casting shall 

 commence at the 25ft. buov, and those who tie shall be ordered to 

 cast at the 30ft. buoy, and so on until all the ties are cast off. The 

 competitor who succeeds in casting the longest line and placing his 

 fly nearest the mark snail be adjudged the winner. Where the 

 judges cannot decide the same method shall be pursued as in Event 

 No. 1, by casting off on a lawn. 



Event No. 3.— Dry Fly Casting, for accuracy and delicacy. Each 

 competitor is entitled to Ave casts only. Each competitor shall cast 

 at a painted buoy, which shall be anchored 25ft. from the staked 

 line. All ties shall be east off at the same buoy, which shall be 

 removed 5ft. at a time, until there are no ties. The competitor who 

 succeeds in placing his fly nearest the buoy with the greatest 

 delicacy of delivery shall be adjudged the winner. In this event 

 delicacy of delivery shall count before accuracy. The decision of 

 the judge shall be final. 



Event No. 4,— Double-Handed Casting. In this event the unit rod 

 shall not exceed 16ft. in length or weigh more than 2Goz. Distance 

 of cast only shall count, the competitor making the longest cast to 

 be ad judged the winner. A 2Toz. rod shall be handicapped 5ft., a 

 28oz. rod 10ft. For every ounce less than 26oz. down to 23oz. the 

 competitor shall be credited eft. Length of leader, size »f line, kind 

 of reel or fly shall not. be considered in this event. The judge's deci- 

 sion shall be final. 



Rules on single-hand handicap were published in Forest 

 and Stream last week. The rules from No. 6 down were' 

 devised by Mr. Strell, of the committee, and by the way, 

 also of the staff of the esteemed contemporary which 

 published the remarkable article on the "Objects of Fly- 

 Casting," and "How to Cast a Fly," last week. Mr, 

 Strell modestly allowed he would like to see this article 

 embodied in the report as part of the rules. Mr. Clark, 

 of the committee, gave a horrified glance at the article 

 in question and bpgged to strike that out. I quote from 

 this, continuing the reference made later to the unique 

 statements made therein: 



"Perfected or scientific fly -casting is attained by the 

 happy combination of the four following accomplish- 

 ments, viz. : Delicacy in delivery, accuracy in casting, 

 insulation of the angler and fly when on the water, and 

 distance in casting. * * * The kind of reel to use is 

 immaterial so long as it possessess a click or light drag. 

 The position of the reel, i. e., above or below the hand 

 grasp, is also immaterial, so long as the rod balances 

 properly. * * * Nine feet of fine natural gut leader, 

 with three flies attached, is proper for trout fiishing; the 

 middle stretcher 30in. from the dropper, and the hand 

 stretcher '24in. above." In view of the above, Mr. Clark 

 thought it was not best to embody the article in a set of 

 rules. 



The third member of the committee offered a minority 

 report on rules. He thought the time for perfecting a 

 cast in competition should be ten minutes, instead of five. 

 He also thought the matter should be handed back to the 

 same committee, or another committee, with the instruc- 

 tion to test the handicaps and credits more thoroughly. 

 As it was, the committee had, outside of some imperfect 

 experiments of his own, done nothing but accept hearsay 

 evidence on handicaps. On his protest the handicap on 

 heavy rods had been cut down nearly one-half, but it 

 might still be excessive or not enough. The club should 

 not make the error of favoring one build or one class of 

 rods. It should not adopt a unit, and then make rules 

 practically barring out rods of other weight or other class. 

 Solid rods should be let in on as fair a basis as split. The 

 proposed basis might or might not be fair, but that could 

 not be known until they were tried, and they certainly 

 had not been tried. The club might unwittingly be doing 

 injustice by adopting untried rules, and so might lay 

 itself open to the gravest charges. 



Mr. Strell thought the rules could be tried at the next 

 tournament, and if then found unjust, they could be 

 changed. It was pointed out to him that a tournament 

 was no test of a handicap, as different men might have dif- 

 ferent skill with the same rod. The handicap should be one 

 of tools, and not of the men using them. The only fair 

 way to get at it was to have the same man, under the 

 same conditions, to take several rods of the same class, 

 but of different weights and lengths, and to compare 

 their performances. This should be done with both the 

 split and solid rods. Both should have a chance. 



Mr. Clark and many others spoke on the intricate ques- 

 tion involved- Finally Mr. Davidson moved to amend to 

 the tffect that the president at the next tournament of 

 the club should appoint a committee of five, who should 

 take the weights and lengths of the rods offered in com- 

 petition, and should to the best of their ability determine 

 what the rods would relatively do. This was carried. It 

 is practically the recommendation of the minority reporc. 



The final engrossing of the rules and constitution was 



