3 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 3S, 1891. 



NEW ENGLAND WATERS. 



IT has already been mentioned that fishing for pike 

 and mackerel off Boston Harbor was popular this 

 season, and it is now obs'arved that this sort of fishing is 

 getting to be a very ])opular fad. Men who have never 

 fished before in their lives are delighted Avith the sport, 

 and even ladies, though there is danger of seasickness, 

 are being much pleased with the novel notion. There 

 were said to be more than twenty boats off Beachmont 

 and Ocean Pier on Sunday with parties engaged in this 

 sort of fishing. Two or three members of the leather 

 trade were out, but old Neptune soon had the atten- 

 tion of two of them to the extent that they were obliged 

 to go ashore without catching a perch. 

 Mr. Brown, of the firm of Wright, Brown & Crossly, 



gatent lawyers and solicitors, returned from a two weeks' 

 shing trip in Maine on Monday. It is not mentioned 

 where he went, but he caught fish and got a good deal 

 browned. Mr, James S. Gates, principal of the Globe 

 Nickel Plating Co., is spending the month of July in the 

 woods of New Hampshire. He is an enthusiast with the 

 rod and line, as well as a beginner with the camera. He 

 will hunt and fish when there is weather. But the most 

 of his shooting will be ^dth the camera. 



Mr. E. B. Fessenden, of Providence, R. I., is reported 

 to have recently taken a trout from Eangeley Lake 

 weighing G+lbs. W. H. McDonald, the celebrated bari- 

 tone of the Boston Ideals, and W. J. Fegan have been to 

 Kennebago, with good luck on trout. They also tried for 

 landlocked salmon on Rangeley Lake. Mr. McDonald 

 had a strike which he at first considered was a small fish. 

 He drew it in easily till Martin L. Fuller, the guide, was 

 about to net it, when it suddenly objected. It was a 

 salmon that Mr. Fuller estimated to have weighed 'Jibs, 

 at least. It came out of the water several times, salmon 

 like, and finally escaped from the hook after the most 

 magnificent fighting the gentlemen ever witnessed. They 

 are loud in their praises of the gamy qualities of Range- 

 ley salmon, though they did not secure this one. Mr. 

 Fuller is sure that the fish actually stood on his tail out 

 of the water for as much as one second. Report has Mr, 

 Edwards, of Lowell, Mass., take a trout at Middle Dam, 

 Richardson Lake, weighing Olbs. 5oz. If this account is 

 true, Mr. Edwards has the honor of the biggest trout of 

 the season thus far at the Rangeleys. 



The reports of deer are numerous in Maine. They are 

 frequently seen by the fishermen who go into the woods. 

 Already some illegal shooting has begun. I have now 

 one authentic report of a deer killed by a well known 

 guide and camp keeper, and another by his guest, a Bos- 

 ton poacher. This dastardly work has begun early, but 

 the ending may not be as easy for the law breakers as a 

 year ago, when illegal shooting was by far too common, 

 as already explained in the Forest aj^d Stream. But 

 this year the case is liable to be different. The Commis- 

 sioners are neither dead- nor asleep, and a warden is 

 likely to drop in when least exj^ected. The able and con- 

 scientious Commission has some means to work with this 

 year, and I am sure it will be used in just such a way as 

 the Commissioners themselves believe to be for the best. 

 Neither the opinion nor the consent of certain individ- 

 uals, themselves poachers, will be asked. These individ- 

 uals will be allowed tofaisify and malign the Commission 

 in such of the public prints as will grant them the space, 

 and no notice of their defense of murderers and outlaws 

 will be taken, except possibly they may be invited to an- 

 swer to libel suits later on. Special. 



Rev, Dr. Munger writes in Siminier Best of the name 

 of Sunapee: "In default of legend or incident we can 

 fall back upon the name itself as furnishing material 

 for poetic associations. It is soft, multifluous and full 

 of suggestion— Soonipi--wild goose water. Scarcely any- 

 thing in the habits of animals is move beautiful than the 

 migration of wildfowl, a habit which Bryant has made 

 the theme of what the English critics regard as the finest 

 American poem. The southward journey of wild geeee 

 from their summer home in the north, flying higli above 

 'the fowler's aim' in a wedge-like procession, led by the 

 strongest of the flock, settlmg at night upon the bosom 

 of some lake like this and lingering for days with the 

 lingering summer for the young to rest, seeking at night 

 a sheltered nook, like 'Job's Creek,' until at last, warned 

 by some colder wind, rising on their wings with screams 

 that grow soft and almost musical in the distance, point- 

 ing their way unerringly to the south — this is itself a 

 poem wrought into the name of the lovely lake, where 

 we, too, are resting for a while." 



HOW TO PRESERVE FISHES. 



WHENEVER it is possible fishes should be put into 

 the preserving fluid as soon as they are taken. 

 After remaining in it a few hours it is necessary to take 

 them out, rub off the mucus and make incisions in the 

 belly, and if the fish is large, on the sides, to allow the 

 fluid to penetrate thoroughly. For the first bath a mix- 

 ture of equal parts of alcohol and water is suitable. The 

 second bath, however, must contain a larger jjer cent, of 

 alcohol — not less than 70. In order to insure perfect 

 preservation the specimens must be examined every few 

 days until the fluid has completely saturated them. For 

 final preservation the writer prefers equal parts of alcohol, 

 glycerine and water. In this mixture the fishes remain 

 flexible for study and retain their colors longer than in 

 any other fluid known to him. Whenever the preserva- 

 tive becomes discolored and organic matter collects in 

 the bottom of the jar or tank, fresh liquid must be sub- 

 stituted for it. Eternal vigilance is the price of a collec- 

 tion of fishes. 



The Connecticut Trout Season.— Connecticut ang- 

 lers are greatly dissatisfied with the present short open 

 season for brook trout, and a bill to extend the fisbmg 

 period w^as introduced in the last Legislature by Rexjre- 

 sentative Mower, of Roxbury. No other New England 

 State has so brief a season 'for trout, and this fact, to- 

 gether with the unsatisfactory catch up to July 1, natm- 

 ally excites discontent among the lovers of fishing. The 

 proposed change of law embodies provisions for prevent- 

 ing the taking of trout under 6in. in length and regulat- 

 ing the capture of fish for artificial pi'opagation. 



Salmon in the Penobscot.— More salmon have been 

 taken in the Penobscot this season than during any other 

 season for the past ten years, and the proportion of large 

 fisTi weighing SOIbs. to SOlbs. has beeni unusually large. 



Wood's Holl, Mass., July le.—Blueflsh have made 

 then- appearance and a few have been caught in the 

 "hole" on trolling lines with live eels for bait. The hook 

 generally used is Harrison's largest size sea bass hook, 

 which has an eye in the shank, Two hooks are fastened 

 a few inches apart on a copper wire one foot or more in 

 length. The wdre is attached to a swivel and this to the 

 ordinary heavy cotton or linen line. One hook is passed 

 through the mouth and the other through the tail of the 

 eel. The line is then trolled behind a sailboat in the 

 usual manner, or operated by heaving and hauling into 

 an eddy close to the edge of the tidal currents, in which 

 the fish may be seen feeding on young herring and occa- 

 sionally breaking water. For still-fishing (or heaving and 

 hauling) menhaden is more killing here than eel", and 

 chumming is resorted to. The fish are uncertain in their 

 movements and in their readiness to take the bait. 

 "Here to-day and gone to-morrow" expresses the bluefish 

 situation in this locality. It is evident that most of the 

 schools are merely passing through from Buzzard's Bay 

 to Vineyard Sound. We cannot learn that any have 

 been seen much to the eastward along this cape. They 

 always appear to follow along the north shore of Buz- 

 zard's Bay and are caught earlier at New Bedford than 

 here. The same is true of tautog and other fishes.— T. H. B. 



Ouananiche and Landlocked Salmon.— Frycburg, 

 Me., July 10. — Editor Forest and Stream: Will you 

 kindly inform me through your paper what difference 

 there is between the landlocked salmon of Sebago Lake 

 and other Maine waters and the ouananiche of Canada? 

 I notice that Hallock in his "Fishing Tourist" notes a 

 difl'erence, while some of your coi'respondents speak of it 

 as identical.— Ed WjVRD E. Hastings, [The ouananiche, 

 or winninish, of the Saguenay region is believed to be 

 identical wich the Schoodic salmon of Maine. We have 

 compared Canadian landlocked salmon with the Maine 

 fish and can find no distinguishing marks by means of 

 which to separate them. Singularly enough, this little 

 salmon is known in some Nova Scotia streams as the 

 grayling, to wliich it is not closely related. Landlocking 

 of the sea salmon is observed in Europe as well as in 

 America; indeed, more than one member of the salmon 

 family has both marine and fresh- water representatives. 

 The winninish has been prettv fully discussed in Forest 

 AND Stream of May 39, Aug. 21, Sept, 11, 18 and 35, 1890, 

 and to these issues we refer you for detailed descriptions 

 and accounts of fislung for this superb game fish.] 



The Adirondack League a-nd State Lands.— North- 

 wood, N. Y,, July 20.— Editor Forest and Stream: I 

 desire to call your attention to the fact that the Adiron- 

 dack League lands cut off a large tract of State lands 

 from those w^ho do not belong to the league. Practically 

 the State lands become a part of the league preserve. 

 What ought we do about itV— Ray Spears. 



The Jointed Sinkers described in our advertising 

 columns are a great convenience at times when, as often 

 happens, it is desired to make a change quickly witljout 

 actus lly undoing one sinker and putting on" another. 

 They are well worth a trial. 



WISCONSIN FISHCULTURE. 



WE have received the report of the Commissioners of 

 Fisheries of the State of Wisconsin for the years 18S9 

 and 1890. The Commission had an appropriation of S12,000 

 for their work during each of these years, and the results 

 obtained appeared fully to satisfy tlie people of the State. 

 The distribution of eggs and flsh was as follows: 



1889. 1890. 



Brook trout 3,190,000 :j,320 000 



Rainbow troitt 3,fil5,000 3,400 000 



Whitefish 30.000.000 3T,600.0(X) 



I^ake trout (impregnated eggs) 2r,3a2..500 30,96.3,800 



Carp 5,230 37,541 



Pike (wall-eyed) 14,0.50,000 14,680,000 



The demand for brook trout was so great that only about 

 50 per cent, of the desir-ed number could be furnished, and 

 less than 30 per cent, of the wall-eyed pike asked for could 

 be supplied. 



A special appropriation of SIO.OOO in addition to the regu- 

 lar annual grant is urged by the Commissioners for the pur- 

 pose of increasing the hatching facilities. The value of 

 intelligent fishculttrre in attracting vi.sitors to the State is 

 thus recognized by the Commissioners: "In oirr report two 

 years ago, we called attention to the large sum of money 

 being brought into Wisconsin each year by the tourists who 

 flock to our summer resorts. The testimony which we then 

 publi.shed, from prominent railroad officials, was to the 

 efEect that hundreds of thousands of dollars are annually 

 received by Wisconsin people from this source, exclusive of 

 railway earnings, which are in turn taxed to meet the ex- 

 penses of the State government. 



"One of the features of this r,ipidly-growiug tourist in- 

 vasion has been the erection of attractive summer homes 

 upon the banks of some of our beautiful inland lakes, 

 chiefly in Waukesha, Walworth, Racine, Kenosha and 

 Green Lake counties. Herein dwell thousands of people 

 from Chicago, St. Louis and other cities beyond the borders 

 of the State. They have made valuable as building lots the 

 farm lands bordering upon these lakes, and are customers 

 for much farm produce. These summer dwellers and tran- 

 sient sporting tourists, who bring so large a revenue to our 

 State, seek not only fine scenery, boating and fresh air. Our 

 lakes and rivers are also attractive to them because of their 

 flsh supply. This supply needs continual protection as 

 well as reinforcement. The business of hatching and pro- 

 tecting should, in all our waters, go hand in hand. That 

 the institution of the present system cf fish and game war- 

 dens has wrotrpht some improvement there is no 6doul)t. 

 This is more plainly to be seen with regard to the Great 

 Lakes, from which source alone statistics are obtainable. A 

 steady increase in fishing industry there is apparent from 

 an examination of the comparative table which we publish 

 in the appendix. Nevertheless it is painiully apparent to 

 any one who has had occasion to examine the practical 

 workings of the existing warden system, both inland and 

 on the Great Lakes, that the results are quite unsatisfactorj' 

 as compared with what is desirable and possible. The laws 

 relative to fish and game wardens need the prompt and 

 serious attention of the Legislature. A complete revision 

 will alone meet the difticulty. 



"While upon this matter of fish protection, we desire 

 again heartily to recommend the formation of local flsh and 

 game clubs. Those already organized are doing good work 

 in fosteilng a healthy, p&puiar sentiment in favor of protect- 

 ing flsh in the spawning season, and have oftem rendereid 



efficient aid in prosecutions for the violation of law. These 

 clubs deserve all possible encouraeemeut " 



Attention is called to the custom among land owners in 

 some parts of the State of renting portions of creeks flowing 

 through their premises to individuals and sportine clubs. 

 There is some doubt whether or not this can be prevented 

 by law, but the Commissioners have for the past two years 

 ref used to furnish fry for stocking such rented streams. 



The Legislature is asked to appropriate money for a suit- 

 able display by the Wisconsin Fish Commission' of the flsh- 

 erv interests of the State at the Columbian Exposition in 

 1893. 



The rainbow trout which was iutroduced into Wisconsin 

 streams a few seasons ago has succeeded so well that there 

 is no longer any doubt of its valn^ for permanent residence. 

 Individuals weighing upward of lOlbs. have been taken near 

 Antigo, and the .'5p^cies has become thoroughly acclimated 

 in many portions of the State. By some anglers the rainbow 

 is not considered equal to the brook trout as a game fish, 

 but it is adapted to warmer waters and has some advantage 

 over the brook trout because the fry are deposited later in 

 the .spring, when there is less danger from freshets. The 

 eye disease, which attacked some of the trout two years ago 

 at the Madi.son hatchery, has not recurred. The' claim is 

 made by the Wisconsin Commission that the cost of fry is 

 only 24 cents per 1000, the same as in Michigan, while in 

 Minnesota the cost is 30 cents, in the Dominion of Canada 39 

 cents, in Pennsylvania 44 cents, in Nebraska 48 cents, and in 

 New York 86 cents per 1000. 



The list of the Commissioners of Fisbories of the United 

 States is stated to have been compiled from infomtation re- " 

 cently obtained, but in many respects we find it at least sev- 

 eral years behind the times. 



From the report of the superintendent, James Nevin, we 

 learn that the experiment of impregnating whiteflsh eegs 

 and immediately depositing them on the natural spawning 

 beds was made in 1889 and repeated in 1890. More than 

 .58,000,000 of eggs were so treated. Mr. Nevin states the 

 belief that not one egg in 100,000 naturally deposited by the 

 parent fish in the Great Lakes is impregnated. This is ac- 

 counted for by the lack of coincidence in the time of arrival 

 of the two sexes on the spawnine ground.s. Of the first run 

 80 per cent, are males, and in the later run of spawners 70 

 per cent, are females, so that when the eges are about to be 

 deposited there is a lack of males to fertilize them. Ibis 

 suppo.5ed in some parts of Wigcon.sin that brook trout arti- 

 ficially planted do not reproduce in the streams, but as bho 

 natural increase is only about one per cent, annually the re- 

 sults are so slow as to mislead casual observers. The streams 

 would soon be self-sustaining if the ruthless slaushter in 

 some localities during the spawning season .should give place 

 to rational fishing. 



The increase of whitefish in Lake Erie, as a result of arti- 

 ficial culture, was so marked in 1890 as to attract the atten- 

 tion of every one interested in the subject. 



Some Wisconsin people have been successful in carp cul- 

 ture. Mr, Gurkee, of Fillmore, fed about SOO bushels of 

 corn to bis carp in one year. A carp weighing 121hs. is 

 among the large ones reported. 



Mr.'Nevin thus er<pres.ses his views about the proper age 

 at which to de))osit n.'ih; "It is my belief that the fry .should 

 be planted as soon as the food-sac is absorbed, and while 

 they inherit the natural instinct to hunt for their natural 

 food in the streams and lakes. About four years ago we 

 planted too lake trout in Lake Mendota, which were two 

 years old and would weigh about a jiound eacb, and the 

 result v,-as that within forty-eight hour.« four of these same 

 trout were taken to Mr. Dunning'.s store that had been 

 talten from the mouths of pickerel, which liad been speared. 

 These trout had been reared in ponds vv'hcre there were no 

 other fish except of their own size, they did not know what 

 it was to have an enemy and had lost all the natural in- 

 stinct to look out for themselves. It was like placing a lot 

 of lambs in a den of lions. Mr. Watkius, of the Minne.sota 

 Commi.esion, tells me of a similar experience. If the appli- 

 cants will follow our printed instructions for planting, and 

 the water is suitable, with an abundance of food for the 

 kind of fish planted therein, there can be no failure in plant- 

 ing fry." 



RAINBOW TROUT IN COLORADO.— U. S. Pish Com- 

 missioner McDonald has received from Mr. William R. 

 Scott, of Denver, a very interesting statement of the result 

 of planting the California rainbow trortt at an unusual 

 elevation in Colorado. We believe this is the greatest height 

 at which any member of the salmon family is known to 

 exist in America. A variety of the red throat (Salmo m?/Mss 

 or purpLircttii^') is recorded by Cope from the Sierra Madre, 

 in Mexico, at an elevation between 8,000 and 9,000ft., but in 

 the case here mentioned the rainbow is not only existing 

 but flourishing, at a greater height than its kindred in any 

 other part of the world. Mr Scott has recently visited Nay- 

 lor Lake, in Cle.ir Creek countv, a body of water with no 

 visible outlet, covering about 50 acres and lying about 300ft. 

 below the limit of trees, or nearly ll,600ft. above the 

 level of the sea. Here the rainbow breeds at the inlet and 

 thrives wonderfully; its fiesh is beautifully colored, and Mr. 

 Scott saw individuals weisihing 4lbs. " The trout were 

 planted about 9 years ago by the Colorado Fish Commission.. 



LARGE MAINE SHAD.— We are indebted to Commis- 

 sioner McDonald for permission to publish the following 

 interesting letter relative to a shad of unusually large size: 

 "Bato, Me., Juiy 3, 1891.— U. S. Fish Commissioner. Sir— 

 The annexed record of a large shad is thought worthy of 

 notice and is vouched for by a reliable person, John W. Cur- 

 tis, of Topsham, Me., who now has the fish, but with head 

 crtt off, dressed and salted. Caught June 25 in the Andros- 

 coggin River at Topsham. Extreme length, 27in.; extreme 

 girth, 17in.; vreight, 8lbs. Respectfully, Li. W. S WANTON." 

 This is the maximum weight of the shad in Eastern waters 

 according to the most reliable r ecords of the present period. 

 It is clatraed that shad weighing 141 bs were taken in the 

 early days of our history, but such examples probably are 

 not "to be found now except in the waters of Califo'mia, 

 where the flsh has thrived beyond all expectation. 



HATCHING W^HITE BASS.— Walter Marks, superinten- 

 dent of Michigan hatcheries, and Janies NtTin, of Wiscon- 

 sin, early in .Iiine collected eggs of the white fxass (Eoceun 

 cJiryt<op.s) at the outlet of Lake Mendota, Wis. Tbey re- 

 ported a total of 16,000.000 eggs, each female yieldinK about 

 50,000. The flsh were not hurt by handling and were liberated 

 alive. In water at 60 degrees the eggs hatched in ninety 

 hours. 



THROUfm VeSTIBULED and TOUBIST SnEErKHS BETWBES 



0HiCi\GO AND lACO-M.4. WASH., AND PORXLAND, OpE.— The Wis- 

 consin L.'euiral aim i\ortheTn Pacific Lints run through Pullman 

 Vfcstiliukd and T' uri't Sleeper.^ between Cliicagci aod Tacoma, 

 Wash., and Portland. Oreson. TliP'rain known .j,s the"Pac)flc 

 ExpreRf-'" leovrs The Grand Central l-assfn.K'er s' fi'i'm, at the cor- 

 nel' of Pifth avenue and Harrison street, at 10:45 P.M. daily. For 

 tickets, berths in Pullman or Colonist Sleepers, etc., apply to Geo, 

 K. Thompson, Ciiy Pas-enger and Ticlse.t Agent, 20-5 Clark street, 

 or to F. J. Eddy, Depot Ticket Agent, Granti Central PaBsenger 

 Station, corner Fifth ave. and Harrison st., Chicago, III.— Aciu. 



Forest anu Sxheam. Box 2,B32. N, Y, city, has descriptive lUns- 

 trated drrulars of W, B. Lf ftmgwell'.s book, 'Wld Fowl Shoot- 

 ing," which will be mailed irwe an rogiieat. The hools: is pro- 

 nounced by "Nanit," "Gloan" ''JJlck Swiveller," "Sybiliene" a,iid 

 other competent authorities to be the best trea,tiBe on the BUDject 

 extant. 



