Forest and Stream. 



A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 



Tbrms, $i A Year. 10 Crs. A Copy. [ 

 Six Months, S3. j 



jFor Prospectus and Advertising Rates see Page 465. 



THE RECORD BROKEN. 



With this issue the Forest and Stream breaks the 

 advertising record of twenty years. It carries more 

 advertising announcements than have been contained in 

 any previous single issue since the establishment of the 

 paper in 1873, This breaks the record not only of the 

 Forest and Stream, but of all journalism in this par- 

 ticular field. No other sportsman's journal has to-day, or 

 has ever had, an equal amount of bona fide paid advertis- 

 ing. 



The advertising exhibit of to-day is an admirable object 

 lesson. It speaks volumes for the growth, development 

 and magnitude of the trade and commercial interests 

 represented, and it demonstrates not less clearly and 

 emphatically the high estimation of this paper by intelli- 

 gent advertisers. As a medium of communication be- 

 tween sellers and buyers no other publication can begin 

 to compare with it. 



And where shall we look for a more interesting array 

 of advertisements? It is conventional to refer to an en- 

 larged advertising department as an encroachment upon 

 the reading columns. But the Forest and Stream ad- 

 vertising pages are peculiar in that they are capital read- 

 ing matter. At all events we know that there is a large 

 class of readers who go through the paper, reading every- 

 thing from first cover to back cover, with all the ad- 

 vertisements new and old, and omitting nothing, unless 

 it may be the editorial page. We have good ground for 

 confidence, then, that more eyes will scan the "ad." 

 pages than will ever get so far as this concluding sen- 

 tence. 



SNAP SHOTS. 

 Not the least noteworthy pages of the Report of the 

 United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, Part 

 XVII., for 1889 to 1891, just issued, are those which here 

 put on permanent record in the history of the Commis- 

 sion the story of the Senate investigation of the charges 

 preferred against Commissioner McDonald. The charges 

 were, in brief, inelficiency, extravagance and dishonesty 

 in the conduct of the Commission. The committee, after 

 a most thorough searching and exhaustive investigation, 

 reported that "not one of the charges affecting the ad- 

 ministration of the affairs of the Commission, or the 

 standing and integrity of any official connected therewith, 

 has been proven to have any foundation in fact what- 

 ever;" but that on the contrary, "throughout the entire 

 Commission the most perfect system and discipline pre- 

 vail, resulting in an economical and judicious expenditure 

 of the appropriations made by Congress." And they 

 concluded their report with an expression of conviction 

 that the evidence taken in the investigation would con- 

 vince aU fair-minded persons that the Commissioner and 

 his subordinates "deserve commendation for the con- 

 scientious work tlipy are performing. ' 



In December, 1891, when Whittier had attained his 

 eighty-foin-th birthday, OHver Wendell Holmes sent tlie 

 poet a letter of congratulation, in which, reviewing the 



NEW YORK, MAT 1893. 



list of authors given in Griswold's ' 'Poets and Poetry of 

 America," he wi-ote of the authors' names contained in the 

 work : ' 'Three which I see there are still among those of the 

 living, Mr. John Osborn Sargent, who makes Horace his 

 own by faithful study and ours by scholarly translation ; 

 Isaac McLellan, who was writing in 1830, and whose last 

 work is dated 1886; and Christopher P. Cranch, whose 

 poetical gift has too rarely found expression. " Within the 

 period of less than two years elapsed since that writing, 

 the poet of Amesbury himself and Cranch and Sargent 

 have passed away; and to-day Holmes may find in Gris- 

 wold's but one name other than his own as of a survivor. 

 Last Sunday, May 21, found the venerable Isaac Mc- 

 Lellan, vigorous in body and placid in spirit, at the 

 entrance upon his eighty-eighth year. In recognition of 

 this rounding out of an active and honored career, and 

 wishing the poet-sportsman many years to come in his 

 home on the Long Island shore, the Forest and Stream 

 to-day publishes from his pen an interesting paper of 

 recollections and reflections. It will be read with a more 

 lively interest because McLellan has made his name 

 familiar to the anglers and sportsmen of this country by 

 his frequent contributions to our columns. The first 

 column of the first page of the first number of this journal 

 contained a poem from his pen. 



In angling circles less is heard of pickerel and pickerel 

 fishing than of some of the more aristocratic fishes and 

 their taking; nevertheless he is foolish who pooh-poohs 

 the strength of the pickerel interest, and who makes light 

 of its following. A census would shoM^ an astonishingly 

 large pickerel faction armed with spears and axes, and 

 snatch-hooks and tip-ups, and ready early and late to 

 defend their immemorial right to fish for pickerel in their 

 own way and in their own time. The New York folks 

 undertook last year to tell these people that they must 

 not fish through the ice for pickerel, in any waters No 

 measure cotild have been devised more effectively to 

 arouse opposition to the fish laws; and when a proposition 

 for a repeal of the law- came up this year, the members 

 fairly tumbled over one another in their eagerness to 

 secure for their constituents the old-time pickerel priv- 

 ileges. A law was enacted making the fishing in waters 

 not inhabited by trout legal in some eighteen counties, 

 and if any county was omitted this was only because it 

 did not ask to come in. 



Where may we look for a simpler, less pretentious and 

 more graphic and illuminative picturing of the life of the 

 plains in the old days of buffalo and bull-trains, than in the 

 relation by Mr. Lew Wilmot? He ]3retends to give you 

 nothing more than a plain recital of personal experiences; 

 but for one who may read with sympathetic understand- 

 ing it is a portrayal of phases of life and of the actors in 

 that life, which has the value and dignity of history. 

 We have taken occasion to say before and it may well be 

 said again, that the pens engaged in writing for Forest 

 AND Stream are supplying something more than bare 

 records of experience with rod and gun. From week to 

 week these pages give pictures of the life of the people, 

 now of this quarter of the continent and again of that; 

 and not only give an insight into their manners and 

 customs, but refiect, too, their sentiments and opinions 

 and ways of thought. The historian of the future will 

 do well not to overlook the public library alcoves where 

 shall be stored the bound volumes of this journal. 



The daily newspaper reader must be surfeited with the 

 reports of never-ending wrangling over the World's Fair 

 Sunday opening discussion. The doings of the local 

 board of control and the counter doings of the national 

 board constitute in sickening measure the exposition news 

 of the day. Under these circumstances we congratulate 

 the happy fortune of those who ai-e so privileged as to 

 read the racy, sprightly, serious, humorous, newsy, in- 

 structive and sentimental letters which come from the 

 Forest and Streaji's World's Fair Bureau. The very 

 best next thing to seeing for one's self the sportsman's 

 special features of the great exhibition is to have them 

 seen by the intelligent eyes and described by the intelli- 

 gent pens of our staff correspondents. 



The California dog story related by "Podgers" in his 

 commentaries reminds us of one told by Mr. Charles L, 

 Schember, to whose good taste and supervision is due the 

 handsome typographical appearance of our columns. At 

 liis home in Yonkers Mr. Schember had a bright young 



VOL. XL.-NO. 21. 

 No. 318 Broadway, New York. 



cocker spaniel named Pilot. The dog's favorite resort for 

 a mid-day snooze was an unused manger in the barn. 

 Once upon a time, going to liis accustomed reti-eat. Pilot 

 found that it had been invaded by an industrious hen, 

 and he was confronted by an egg which she had laid in 

 the exact geometrical center of his bed. PUot took the 

 egg carefully in his mouth, carried it up to the house, 

 deposited it on the back stoop, where he had often seen 

 the man put the gathered eggs; and went back and had 

 his sleep. The next day the same thing happened. Then 

 the old hen gave it up, and thereafter Pilot had his accus- 

 tomed repose undisturbed. 



It is reported that Barnegat Bay net fishermen, having 

 a war on hand against the hotel-keepers, because of their 

 activity in securing the anti-netting legislation, have con- 

 cluded to enforce the law forbidding fishing on Sunday. 

 It is their intention to annoy the Sunday fishermen, that 

 the patronage of tlie hotel men may be diminished. This 

 is only another illustration of the working of the Sunday 

 angling laws. The statutes are dead letters; ten thousand 

 men go fishing every Sunday in summer in New York 

 and New Jersey, and no one ever thinks of putting into 

 effect against any one of them the law, except for pur- 

 poses of spite, just as occasionally the law against Sunday 

 driving is called into action to satisfy a grudge. 



Whether on Tuesday we make our holiday on the water 

 or on land, with enjoyment to the full of the pleasures of 

 the day let there be a thought for them in whose memory 

 and honor the day has been appointed. We live too wholly 

 in the present; the men and the events of the past are all 

 too soon forgotten, even the men who did so much for us 

 and the events which meant so much for us. Of all our 

 national anniversaries none other has so deep meaning as 

 that of Decoration Day, nor is any other more worthy the 

 keepmg in the spirit in which it was first set apart. On 

 Decoration Day, then, pay a tribute of appreciation and 

 gratitude and veneration to the boys who fell. 



Connecticut game and fish bills are referred to the 

 Committee on Agriculture. The members of this com- 

 mittee treat with scant decency those who appear before 

 them on business relating to game and fish protection. 

 The impression one gets from a visit to the Committee on 

 Agriculture at such a time is that the gentlemen who 

 compose it would feel quite at home on the empty barrels 

 and soap boxes of a country store. Why should game 

 and fish legislation at Hartford be relegated to the Com- 

 mittee on Agriculture? It is time that Connecticut fol- 

 lowed the example of Massachusets, and provided a game 

 and fish committee. 



Here is a bit from an expunged manuscript which is 

 interesting, because it shows, that while maintaining 

 perfect serenity of temper, a controversialist may yet 

 mix his metaphors: "It is evident that the storm of in- 

 dignation which has been aroused among the friends of 

 game and fish protection throughout every section of 

 the State has somewhat rattled the President of the Com- 

 mission, wlao is learning that piiblic opinion can cut 

 through even bristles; but, loathsome reptile-like, when 

 trampled under foot in his impotent wrath, attempts to 

 strike his fangs at any object that comes before his dis- 

 torted vision." 



The address by President Henry C. Ford, of the Penn- 

 sylvania Fisli Commission, before the Fish Protective 

 Association, printed in our issue of March 30, has been 

 published in pamphlet form by the association for gratui- 

 tous distribution and copies of it may be had on apphca- 

 tion to Secretary M. G. Sellers, lO'^O Arch street, Phila- 

 delphia. It is a tract well worthy of wide currency. 



Is there to be found in this country a Chinaman who is 

 a practical and practicing sportsman, in the current, 

 American, Forest and Stream signification of the term ? 

 No prize is offered for the detection and reijorting of such 

 an individual, but the interest tlie report would surely 

 have ought to be sufiicient stimulus to any one who can 

 tell us about him. 



Dwellers on the New Jersey coast are just waking up to 

 the true meaning of the pound net fisheries. The mean- 

 ing is that the pound men get all the fish and no one els© 

 gets any. 



CONT 



Editorial. 



The Record Broken. 

 Snap Shots. 



The Sportsman Tourist. 



Reminifcences of a Veteran 



Sportsman. 

 "Podgers's" Commentaries. 



Natural History. 



"Didymus" and his Nightmare. 

 The Last Beaver. 



Game Bag and Gun. 



My First Bear Hunt. 

 Snipe in Western New York. 

 Porest and Stream in the World's 

 Fair. 



Sea and River Fishing:. 



On the North Shore —v. 

 The Tarpon in the Gulf. 

 The Kingfishers in Canada. 

 Angling Notes. 

 The Maine Ice is Out. 

 Missouri Dynamite Law. 



The Kennel. 



A K. C. Meetings. 



Flaps from the Beaver's Tail. 



Points and Flushes. 



Dog Chat. 



Answers to Correspondents. 



Yachting. 



The 25ft. Sailing Length Glass. 

 Seawanhaka Corinthian Y. 0. 

 New York Y. C. 

 Brooklyn Y. C. Regatta. 

 News Notes. 



Rifle Range and Gallery. 



Eifle Club Doings. 

 Rifle Notes. 



Trap Shooting. 



Shooting in the Tar Heel State. 

 On the Hill at Passaic. 

 The Lansing Tournaments. 

 Chicago Traps. 

 Drivers and Twisters. 



Answers to Queries. 



