Forest and Stream. 



A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gur 



Teems. $4 a Year. 10 Cts. a Copy. I 

 SrK Months, $2. f 



NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 16, 1898. 



J VOL. XL.— No. 7. 



I No. 318 Broadway, Ne-w York. 



Editorial. 



Familiar Acquaintances. 

 The Albany Muddle. 

 The "Nessmuk" Memorial Fund. 

 Snap Shots. 



The Sportsman Tourist 



Jonas Askem's Coon Supper. 

 Natural History. 



South Shore Notes. 



An Adirondack Deer Head. 



Game Bag and Gun. 



A Novel Bear Hunt. 



A Dog That Just Broke Himself. 



National Park Game. 



Miss Quist's True Aim. 



Chicago and the West. 



Albany Fish and Game Bills. 



Some Notable Shots. 



Sea and River Fishing. 



A Flood of Golden Memories. 

 Indian Halibut Hooks. 

 On the North Shore.— VI. 

 Odd Days with the Trout. 

 Angling Notes. 

 Boston and Maine. 



Fishculture. 



Sahnon Fisheries of Alaska. 

 New Hampshire Fish Commis- 

 sion. 



CONTENTS. 



The Kennel. 



Chicago Dog Show. 

 Southern Field Trial Club's 

 Trials. 



Flaps from the Beaver's Tail. 

 Hamilton K. C. 

 Boston Terriers. 

 Points and Flushes. 

 Dog Chat. 



Answers to Correspondents. 

 Yachting. 



Speed Records of American 



Yachts, 1892. 

 The Cruise of the Cy-pres. 

 Yachts at the World's Fair. 

 The Lateen Rig on Ice Yachts. 

 Yachting at New Orleans. 

 News Notes. 



Canoeing. 



A. C. A. Meet of 1892. 

 News Notes. 



Rifle Range and Gallery. 



New York Rifle and Pistol Club. 

 Washington's Birthday Team 

 Shoot. 



Trap Shooting. 



Al. Bust's Big Sweepstake. 

 Facts About the World's Fair 



Shoot. 

 W^ork Defeats Fulford. 



Answers to Queries. 



J^or Prospectus and Advertising Rates see Page V. 



AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHS. 

 The annouucement of the award of iDrizes in the 

 Forest and Streai^i Amateur Photography Competition 

 will be made next week, witli the report of the com- 

 mittee. 



famUjIar acquaintances. 



THE TOAD. 



During our summer acquaintance with him, when we 

 see him of tenest, a valued inhabitant of our garden and a 

 welcome twilight visitor at our threshold, we associate 

 silence with the toad, almost as intimately as with the 

 proverbially silent clam. 



In the drouthy or too moist summer days and evenings, 

 he never awakens our hopes or fears with shrill prophe- 

 sies of rain as does his nimbler and more aspiring cousin 

 the tree toad. 



A rustle of the cucumber leaves that embower his cool 

 retreat, the spat and shuf&e of his short, awkward leaps, 

 are the only sounds that then betoken his presence, and 

 Ave hsten in vain for even a smack of pleasure or audible 

 expression of self-approval, when after a nervous, gratu- 

 latory wriggle of his hinder toes, he dips forward and 

 with a lightning-like out-flasliing of his unerrring tongue 

 he flicks into his jaws a fly or bug. He only wiiiks con- 

 tentedly to express complete satisfaction at his perform- 

 ance and its result. 



Though summer's torrid heat cannot warm him to any 

 voice, springtime and love make him tuneful and every- 

 one hears the softly trilled, monotonous song jarring the 

 mild air, but few know who is the singer. The drum- 

 ming grouse is not shyer of exhibiting his performance. 



From a sun-warmed pool not fifty yards away a full 

 chorus of the rapidly-vibrant voices arises and you 

 imagine that the performers are so absorbed with their 

 music that you may easily draw near and observe them. 

 But when you come to the edge of the pool you see only 

 a half-dozen concentric circles of wavelets, widening from 

 central points, where as many musicians have modestly 

 withdrawn beneath the transparent curtain. 



Wait, silent and motionless, and they wiU reappear. A 

 brown head is thrust above the surface, and presently 

 your last summer's familiar of the garden and door- 

 step, crawLs slowly out upon a barren islet of cobble 

 stone, and assured that no intruder is within the pre- 

 cincts sacred to the wooing of the toads, he inflates the 

 pouch beneath his throat and tunes up his long, monoto- 

 nous chant. Ere it ceases, another and another take it 

 up, and from distant pools you hear it answered, till all 

 the air is softly shaken as if with the clear chimmg of a 

 hundred swift-struck, tiny bells. 



They ring in the returning birds, robin, sparrow, finch 

 and meadow lark, and the first flowers, squii-rel cup, 

 arbutvis, bloodroot, adder-tongiie and moose-flower. 



When the boboUnk has come to his northern domain 

 again and the oriole flashes through the budding ehns 

 and the first colitmbtne droops over the gray ledges,, you 

 may still hear an occasional riuguig of the toads, but a 

 little later they have fallen into the long silence that 

 hibernation scarcely deepens. 



THE "NESSMUK" MEMORIAL FUND. 

 The pui-pose and plan of the "Nessmuk" memorial fund 

 was set forth in our issue of Jan. 26. Those friends of 

 the late George W. Sears who knew him as a contributor 

 to the Forest and Stream, over the pen name "Ness- 

 muk," and who were attracted' to the personality revealed 

 in those writings and in the books, "Woodcraft" and 

 ' 'Forest Eunes," have undertaken to express their affection- 

 ate memory of him by providing a memorial for his grave 

 in WeUsboro^ Pa. All persons who may wish to join in 

 such a tribute are cordially invited to send their subscrip- 

 tion to the fund. The minimum sum to be raised is $200, 

 of which $170 is now in hand. The Forest and Stream 

 Pubhshiug Co. will acknowledge subscriptions, administer 

 the fund, assume the responsibihty of putting the stone 

 in place, and render an accounting to the contributors. 



The subscrij)tions ah-eady received have come from 

 widely separated j)oints, literally from the Atlantic to the 

 Pacific, and with them have come the written words 

 which testify anew to the friendships which had grown 

 up between "Nessmuk" and his readers. 



In our issue of Feb. 2 we reported subscriptions to date 

 of $145. The present amount in hand is $170. The sub- 

 scription formerly credited to Mr. William Pollard should 

 have been credited to Mr. O. Fred Neubert, Lawrence, 

 Mass. Others whose contributions have been received 

 since former acknowledgments were made are: 

 Mr. G. a. Ross, Fort Wayne, Ind. 

 L. H. S., North Chelmsford, Mass. 

 Mr. J. Gayler, New York. 

 Mr. and Mrs. W. A. W. , Scranton, Pa. 

 Mr. M. H. Gilchrist, ParkviUe, N. Y. 

 Mr. and Mrs. C. L. E:endall, Tarpon Springs, Fla. 

 Mr. G. O. Shields, Eddy, New Mexico. 

 Messrs. A. and E. G. Koch, Wilhamsport, Pa. 

 "Utah." 



THE ALBANY MUDDLE. 



The biUs to amend the New York game and fish code 

 pour into the committee rooms in Albany, and the mem- 

 bers of the committee must be more than human if they 

 have not already been muddled by the extraordinary num- 

 ber and complication of these measures. Changes asked 

 for range in importance from the prohibition of killing 

 deer by jacking to the provision of a close season for 

 skunks and coons. In a large share the biUs are local in 

 their application; and all of these which provide for 

 further protection might just as well be made subjects of 

 local enactment by county supervisors; indeed, ten or 

 more county boards of supervisors have already adopted 

 ordinances which cover the particular needs of their ter- 

 ritories. 



As we reported last week, the Assembly committee at a 

 recent hearing determined to defer action on any of these 

 multitudinous measures until they should have the views 

 of the Fishery Commissioners. These wiU be presented 

 in the form of a brief at the hearing of next Tuesday af- 

 ternoon. The Commissioners have been in conferenee 

 with CMef Game Protector Pond and Mr. Edwai'd G. 

 Whitaker, one of the members of the codification com- 

 mittee who prepared the code. They have carefully con- 

 sidered each proposed amendment and are prepared to 

 advocate or oppose it. They have also submitted several 

 amendments. 



It is needless to point out that the committees of the 

 Legislatiire will be adopting the most sensible and judi- 

 cious course if they shall f oIIoav the recommendations of 

 the commissioners and the chief protector. Those who 

 have the actual administration of the law are the ones 

 who of all othei-s are cognizant of its strong and weak 

 points; and to them we should look for counsel in amend- 

 ing the statutes. The Syracuse convention of the State 

 Association recommended that no changes whatever should 

 be made this year. That would undoubtedly be the wiser 

 course; but there is little probability that it will be the one 

 approved. Some amendments wiU be adopted. But if 

 only those changes shall be approved which have the 

 recommendation of the Commissioners, the code wfll re- 

 main practically as it is to-day. The Commissioners are 

 knoAvn to be opposed to any radical alterations. 



As for this flood of bills following the 1892 adoption of 

 the codification, it is preposterous that the code shotfld be 

 thus assailed. If we are to have public respect for the 

 game and fish laws, in the name of common sense let us 

 retain some one law long enough for the people of the 

 State to find out what it is 



SNAP SHOTS. 

 Opinions may difl;er, and differ honestly enough, about 

 the probable success or failure of the projected World's 

 Fail- Trap Shooters' Association. But the one thing con- 

 cerning which there is not a shadow of reason for hostile 

 ci'iticism or apprehension is the ability of those who are 

 promoting the scheme to put it through successfitUy if 

 any body of men on earth could do it. Thh Chicago 

 sportsmen, who have taken upon themselves the task, 

 are men of business ability, good rej)ute, liberal spirit and 

 high sportsmanship. They have set about the work in a 

 practical way, by organizing temporarily, for the sole pur- 

 pose of facilitating the progress of the work; and in doing 

 this they have adopted the only course open to them for 

 facilitating the progxess of tlie work. In short, they 

 have acted as business men, in a businesslike, 

 manner. Unless the sportsmen of the country- 

 whose co-operation is invited, are as a unit fools, they 

 wfll recognize the action of the Chicago gentlemen as 

 legitimate, sensible and proper. Mr. Donald and his asso- 

 ciates might have talked and talked and talked till 

 doomsday. Being gifted with common sense — hard horse 

 sense — they not only talked but acted. If the pro- 

 ject should fail, these gentlemen would at least have 

 the satisfaction of reflecting that they had done the 

 right thing in the right way at the right time. But 

 the project is not likely to fail; and the probabflities are 

 that they will have this reflection of well-doing as an 

 added element of gratification over the complete cariying 

 out of their plans. 



Some professional men get themselves made deacons, so 

 that church people, seeing them on Sunday, may employ 

 them professionaUy on week days. Others join secret 

 societies, that they may by cultivating the fraternal spirit 

 cultivate business too. Such men are deacons and frater- 

 nity members for revenue only. And some go into trap- 

 shooting and game protection clubs and flshmg associa- 

 tions, that they may be seen and known of their fellows, 

 to the end that business may boom. Such men are sports- 

 men for revenue only. 



The darkest cloud has its silver lining; in the deepest 

 depths of adversity sflver dollars may be harvested if we 

 have but the wit to gather them in. It is said that a cer- 

 tain New York clergyman who was called on last autumn 

 to pay heavy fines for kiUing robins, afterward lectiired 

 on the robin to two or three thousand people at fifty cents 

 a head, and so managed to come out of the affair with a 

 handsome margin of profit. 



There is a limitless amount of empty chatter about the 

 ahead-of-time miUenium to come from a grand national 

 sportsmen's convention at the World's Fair; but there is 

 not a man in America Avho can point out any common 

 sense practical or practicable good to be secured by such 

 a convention except the possible individual advantage 

 from the personal advertising which is sought by the 

 promoters of the scheme. 



A bill to prohibit Sunday fishing in Maine has been re- 

 ported unfavorably from the committee. The difference 

 between Maine and New York in this respect is that 

 Maine fishermen fish on Sunday lawfully and New York 

 fishermen fish on Sunday unlawfully. There is not a 

 statute of any character on the books to-day that is more 

 of a dead letter than the Ncav York law forbidding fish- 

 ing on the Sabbath. 



AndnoAv they are dubbing as "fanatics", the Maine ad- 

 vocates of a non-resident license fee for shooting and fish- 

 ing. The term savors of strong feehng, but perhaps it is 

 fully justified. The j)enalty proposed is a $5 fine, to be 

 imposed on eA^ery man, woman or child Avho shall cross 

 the State line to fish or shoot. As a som-ce of revenue 

 the Maine authorities might better pay a premium of |5 

 to induce visitors to come into the State. 



There is a screw loose someAvhere. New York State 

 imposes taxes on dogs. New York courts have repeatedly 

 held that dogs are property. Now comes Assemblyman 

 Porter with a bfll which authorizes the killing of dogs by 

 the owner of premises over which they may be roaming 

 \yithout master or muzzle. Query: If a dog is property, 

 can that property be desti'oyed without due process of the 

 laAv'? And is it due process of the laAA' when from a back 

 AvindoAv a shotgim belches its charge into a dog in the 

 back yard? 



