Forest and Stream. 



A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 



Terms, S4 a Yeab, 10 Cts. a Oopy. ) 

 Six Months, $2. f 



NEW YORK, DECEMBER 17, 1891. 



J VOL. xxxvii.-No. aa. 



! No. 318 Beoadwat, Nbt^ Yobk. 



COXTEIS^TS, 



Editorial. 



December Days. 



Salmon and Nets in Canadian 

 Rivers. 



Snap Shots, 

 The Sportsman Tourist. 



In Maine Woods.— rv. 



The Fail Hunt. 

 Natural History, 



Wayp of the Ruffed Grouse. 

 Game Bag ami Guu. 



Quail in Kansas. 



V irginia Lands Posted, 



Wildfowl in Oregon. 



An Outing in Arkansas. 



(Jame in the Yellowstone, 



Chi<'a-go and the West. 



A Week Amone tbe Tnad Hills 

 Sea and River Fishing. 



World's Fair Fishes. 



Trouting in the Cascades.— i. 



Massachu=ett8 Association. 

 The Kemiel. 



The Central Field Trials. 



The Albany Show. 



The Albsiny Decision. 



Philadf-lohia Kennel Club 

 Field Trials. 



The Keiinel. 



Influences of a Previous Sire. 



American Kennel Club Meet- 

 ing- 

 National Beagle Club Meeting 



Dog Chat, 



Kennel Notes. 

 Bifle Range and Gallery, 



Revolver Championship. 



New Jersey Riflemen. 

 Trap Shooting. 



'•Forest aad Stream" Tourna- 

 ment. 



Drivers and Twisters. 



Fuiford— Brewer Match. 



The Illinois Rules. 



Matches and Meetings. 

 Yachting. 



International Racing, 



New York Y. C. Prizes and 

 Winners. 



Clnb Elections. 

 Canoeing. 



Canoe Yawls and Small 

 Cruisers. 



Division Prizes. 



War Canoe Rn.cing. 

 Answers to Correspondents. 



"FOREST AND STREAM." 



On January 7 the " Forest and Stream " 

 will be permanently enlarged to 32 pages. 

 The price will remain the same. 



DECEMBER DAYS. 



FEWEK and more chill have become the hours of sun- 

 light, and longer stretch the noontide shadows of 

 the desolate trees athwart the tawny fields and the dead 

 leaves that mat the floor of the woods. 



The brook braids its shrunken strands of brown water 

 with a hushed murmur over a bed of sodden leaves be- 

 tween borders of spiny ice crystals, or in the pools swirl 

 in slow circles the imprisoned fleets of bubbles beneath a 

 steadfast roof of glass. 



Dark and sullen the river sulks its cheerless way, en- 

 livened but by the sheldrake that still courses his prey 

 in the icy water, and the mink, that like a fleet black 

 shadow, steals along the silent banks. Gaudy woodduck 

 and swift-winged teal have long since departed and left 

 stream and shore to these marauders and to the trapper 

 who now gathers here his latest harvest. 



The marshes are silent and make no sign of life, though 

 beneath the domes of many a sedge-built roof, the unseen 

 muskrats are astir and under the icy cover of the chan- 

 nels fare to and fro on their affairs of life, undisturbed 

 by any turmoil of the upper world. 



When the winds are asleep the lake bears on its placid 

 breast the moveless images of its quiet shores, deserted 

 now by the latest pleasure seekers among whose tenant- 

 less camps the wild woodfolk wander as fearlessly as if 

 the foot of man had never trodden here. From the still 

 mid waters far away, a loon halloes to the winds to come 

 forth from their caves, and yells out his mad laughter in 

 anticipation of the coming storm. 



A herald breeze blackens the water with its advancing 

 steps, and with a roar of its trumpets the angry wind 

 sweeps down, driving the white-crested ranks of waves 

 to assault the shores. 



Far up the long incline of pebbly beaches they rush, 

 and leaping up the walls of rock hang fetters of ice upon 

 the writhing trees. Out of the seething waters arise 

 lofty columns of vapor that like a host of gigantic phan- 

 toms stalk, silent and majestic, above the turmoil, till 

 they iall in wind-tossed showers of frost flakes. 



These are days when almost complete silence pos- 

 sesses the woods, yet listening intently one may hear the 

 continual movement of myriads of snow fleas pattering 

 on the fallen leaves like the soft purr of such showers as 

 one might imagine would fall in Lilliput. 



With footfall so light that he is seen close at hand 

 sooner than heard, a hare limps past; too early clad in his 

 white fax that shall make him inconspicuous amid the 

 winter snow, his coming shines from afar through the 

 gray underbrush and on the tawny leaves. 



Unseen amid his dun and gray environment, the ruffed 

 grouse skulks unheard, till he bursts away in thundrous 

 flight. Overhead, invisible in the lofty thicket of a hem- 

 lock's foliage, a squirrel drops a slow patter of cone 

 chips, while undisturbed a nuthatch winds his spiral 

 way down the smooth trunk. 



Faint and far away, yet clear, resound the axe strokes 

 pf a chopper, and at intervals the mufiied roar of a tree's 

 downfall. 



Silent and moveless cascades of ice veil the rocky 

 gt-eeps where in more genial (la7S tiny nyiUets ^rippec] 



down the ledges and mingled their musical tinkle with 

 the songs of birds and the flutter of green leaves. 



WinterbeiTies and bittersweet still give here and there 

 a fleck of bright color to the universal gray and dun of 

 the trees, and their carpet of cast-off leaves and the dull 

 hue of the evergreens but scarcely relieve the somber- 

 ness of the woodland landscape. 



Spanning forest and field with a low flat arch of even 

 gray Irangs a sky as cold as the landscape it domes and 

 whose moun tain borders lie hidden in its hazy founda- 

 tions. Through this canopy of suspended snow the low 

 noontide sun shows but a blotch of yellowish gray, ray- 

 less and giA'ing forth no warmth and, as it slants tOAvard 

 its brief decline, grows yet dimmer till it is quite blotted 

 out in the gloom of the half-ppent afternoon. 



The expectant hush that broods over the forlorn and 

 naked earth is broken only by the twitter of a flock of 

 snow buntings that, like a straight-blown flurry of flakes, 

 drift across the fields, and sounding solemnly from the 

 depths of the woods the hollow hoot of a great owl. 

 Then the first flakes come wavering down, then blur- 

 ring all the landscape into vague unreality they fall 

 faster, with a soft purr on frozen grass and leaves till it 

 becomes unheard on the thickening noiseless mantle of 

 snow. Deeper and deeper it enfolds the earth, covering 

 all its unsightliness of death and desolation. 



Now white-furred hare and white-feathered bunting 

 are at one with the white-clad world wherein they move, 

 and we, so lately accustomed to the greenness of summer 

 and the gorgeotisness of autumn, wondering at the ease 

 wherewith we accept this marvel of transformation, wel- 

 come these white December days and in them still find 

 content. 



SALMON AND NETS IN CANADIAN RIX^EBS. 



f T HAS been the general experience of the lessees and 

 owners of the fishing privileges in Canada of late 

 that salmon have been growing more and more scarce 

 each year. At the majority of the rivers the fishing this 

 year has been a failure. There is no longer any doubt 

 that the cause of this growing scarcity is the constant 

 and excessive netting of these fish on their journey from 

 the ocean to their fresh-water spawning beds. Instinct 

 directs the fish, when about to breed, to fresh waters, 

 where the young can be hatched under fa%'orable condi- 

 tions for survival and growth- and so strong is this in- 

 stinct that once started the fish never turn back. Their 

 habit is invariably to closely follow the line of the shore 

 as they ascend to the rivers in which they breed; and the 

 result is that the perfected net appliances now in use 

 along the shore line of the lower waters are fatally ef- 

 fective. When one considers the great number of nets 

 now in use, and the long shore line over which they are 

 set at the points most favorable for their purpose, the 

 wonder is not that salmon are now scarce in the upper 

 waters, but that any escape successively all the snares 

 planted on then- paths from the sea. 



Persons most familiar with the facts are of the opinion 

 that tinless the Dominion Goverment promj)tly adopts 

 some decided and effective measures to enable a larger 

 number of the fish safely to reach their spawning grounds 

 great danger of total extermination of the species will be 

 incurred. At present all nets are supposed to be raised 

 from 6 o'clock P. M. on Saturday to 6 o'clock A. M. on 

 Monday of each week. But it is asserted positiA-ely by 

 numerous and reliable witnesses that even this regulation 

 is in many instances not complied with. The owners 

 and lessees of the river privileges believe that they are 

 entitled to somewhat more generous treatment, and pro- 

 pose a petition to the Government that those nets be here- 

 after raised during three full days and nights of each 

 week, which shall be the same stated three days and 

 nights for all nets. In this they ask only just considera- 

 tion and fair play. The owner or lessee, besides paying a 

 large sum for his right to angle, is obliged to contribute 

 at considerable expense to guard and protect the salmon 

 while in fresh water. He provides employment during 

 the fishing season for no inconsiderable number of persons, 

 and he incidentally makes a market for supplies which 

 in the aggregate are heavy, and the proposed plan, if 

 adopted, would not in reality prejudice the interests of 

 the net fishermen, but in the long run would actually 

 benefit him, by allowing a larger number of fish safely to 

 pass up and cast their si^awn, and thus increase the now 

 diminishing supply. The sportsmen remain at the salmon 

 streams but a comparatively short season: and no amount 

 of angling, by howeyer ejjpert fishermen, can possibly de- 



plete a stream, since it is a well-known fact that only a 

 small portion of salmon can be induced to rise to a fly. 

 Not so with the net fisherman. Instinct keeps the ascend- 

 ing fish unfalteringly near the shore, and there the 

 trapper sets his nets, and keeps them set day and night 

 between two and three months of each year. If the fish 

 escape the first net they must still encounter scores of 

 others, some perhaps more skillfully arranged to make 

 their capture certain. Their chance of reaching the 

 spawning ground and perpetuating their species is in- 

 finitely small. A large proportion of those that do escape 

 are either wounded or are badly scarred by the nets, as 

 any angler can attest. 



One important fact should be borne in mind by the 

 authorities to whose charge the interest of the Canadian 

 salmon rivers are entrusted, viz., the salmon always re- 

 turn to breed in the same waters where they themselves 

 were bred. If the families native to those streams are 

 prevented from reproducing their species as nature in- 

 tended, they will have no successors of their kind, and 

 the grandest fish that swims must there become extinct. 



Besides this evident interest which the Goverment 

 ought to feel to guard and preserve and perpetuate its 

 salmon, it ought in justice to recognize the right of the 

 anglers to a fair consideration for the large sums which 

 they contribute to the revenue for their privileges. The 

 net-fishermen pays out a nominal sum for the right to 

 set his nets, and seems to be reaping a harvest at the ex- 

 pense of the angler. It is an injustice which should be 

 remedied, and the intended petition seems to be a reason- 

 able one, which should meet with favorable considera- 

 tion, especially as the salmon rivers would thereby be- 

 come more valuable and return increased revenue to the 

 Government for rentals. 



SNAP SHOTS. 



I'^HE members of the international fish and game com- 

 mittee met in Hamilton, Ont,, last week, and 

 adopted a resolution approving the New York codifica- 

 tion bill, save as to the wild fowl open season, which it 

 was thought should extend from Sept, 15 to Dec. 15 or 

 Dec. 30, and a resolution asking the Canadian Fish Com- 

 missioners to sectire a law as to nets and seasons for St. 

 Lawrence Kiver waters uniform with the New York law. 



The match between the new and old champion at the 

 Foimtain Gun Club grounds on Saturday last was an ad- 

 mirable exhibition of the capabilities of men and arms 

 in modern trap woi-k. It was an exciting match for the 

 spectators, with the neck and neck race which the men 

 were making from start almost to finish. Everything 

 worked smoothly, the arms were of the best and fully 

 up to the skill of the men, while the birds were the best 

 ever pvit into traps hereabout. With such a match of so 

 high an order it is befitting that the pen picture report of 

 it should be of similar grade. Such a report Forest 

 AND Stream presents to its readers in the present number. 

 Our trap reporter was fully up to the occasion, and every 

 thing which any trap enthusiast would care to know of 

 the match is embodied in his admirable report. 



Our enterprising and alert Chicago correspondent sends 

 us by wire the new shooting rules of the Illinois State 

 Sportsmen's Association, and the Forest ajsd Stream is 

 thus enabled to print them in advance of all other jour- 

 nals. Our Trap department is full of interest this week. 

 The interest will be maintained through the new year 

 without encroachment on the space usually given to 

 other departments. 



The Delmonioo woodcock case may after all come to 

 trial. At the expiration last week of their last stay the 

 defendants put in an answer denying their guilt, and 

 now, it is to be hoped, there may be a speedy trial. 



The New York Tribune did some "fine writing" the 

 other day about the sportsman who sees ''the feathered 

 tail of his pointer'" stiffen on point. Horace Greeley 

 would have known better than that. 



Our National Park correspondent sends us an extremely 

 interesting and instructive account of the tameness shown 

 by wild animals when secured from pm-suit by man. 



The list of papers for our "Boyhood Number," which 

 we promised to print , to-day, has been unavoidably 

 crowded out. Look for it next week, 



