Nov. 18, 1893.1 



FOREST ANU STREAM. 



429 



Thirteen Miles from Boston. 



Boston, Mass., Nov. 5. — have read the different arti- 

 cles on. the amount of game in this vicinity vehich ap- 

 peared in your paper, and agree with them on the general 

 scarcity of it m all respects but as to woodcock. 



I live some thirteen miles from the Hub and have a 

 very fair chance to observe the comparative abundance of 

 birds from year to year, and this season the woodcock 

 have been far more plentiful than at any time during the 

 past three or four years. I was away during the last two 

 weeks in October, which are considered by me about the 

 cream of the woodcock season, so I cannot tell how thick 

 they were then ; but despite the fact that I am not a crack 

 shot and have been out but a few times, since Sept. 15 I 

 have bagged twenty-iive woodcock, the largest bag for a 

 day being five, which I got inside of an hour and a half. 

 This record will, I think, better show the amount of that 

 particular game which has visited this section than any 

 other method that I can think of at present. I wish that 

 more writers Nvould put their game statistics in a similar 

 way, as simply saying that such a kind of bird has been 

 "much scarcer than usual" gives me a very scanty idea of 

 the actual amount of game in that locality. Last year I 

 bagged seventeen woodcock, and was out about the same 

 number of times as during the present season, my biggest 

 bag of these birds (woodcock) being three. 



Ruffed grouse and quail are unquestionably much 

 scarcer than usual, which is greatly due to the severity of 

 last vrinter and the increase of foxes, skunks, the farmer's 

 tabby and other vermin. Last year I brought sixteen 

 ruffed grouse to bag, while this year my record is but 

 seven. The talk in the Sunday papers about the crowds 

 of birds on Blue HiU is absolute rubbish, as I have been on 

 the hill as much as most persons, 1 think, and if a man 

 gets six shots at grouse he is doing mighty well, let alone 

 getting six birds. J. H. B. 



California Shooting Notes. 



North Ontario, Gal., Oct. 19.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: The shooting so far has been very unsatisfactory 

 and many places that had abundance of birds early in the 

 summer have been drawn blank; a state of affairs that is 

 hard to explain except that the continual shooting at 

 jack rabbits, stimulated by a bounty of twenty cents per 

 head, has driven tbe birds into the light cover or foot hills. 

 The weather which has been exceedingly warm may have 

 driven the birds into the small caflans along the moun- 

 tains, and as the weather is changing there may be a 

 change for the better within the next thirty days. F, L. 

 Lovrades of New York, and G. S. Hamilton of St. Paul, 

 Minn,, have just finished a four weeks' hunt that has not 

 been all that could be desired, but owing to the weather 

 they did little shooting after 10 A. M., and for the time 

 spent did very well, averaging from ten to twenty birds. 

 They just returned from a trip to Lower California, and 

 report deer very plentiful in that country. There have 

 been quite a number of sheep (bighorns) killed in the 

 neighborhood of Mt. San Antonio, this county, recently, 

 as well as several deer. The long close season has greatly 

 benefited, the sport on big game. What we need now is 

 more protection for quail. As our (open) season lasts six 

 months the quail have httle chance, and unless the season 

 is shortened it will be but a short time until we wiU be 

 without birds. For gameness and cunning, our game 

 excel, as they are swift flyers, lie well to a dog, and un- 

 less killed outiight will get away in most cases, and often 

 recover, as it is a very common thing to get bii'ds with a 

 badly healed wing or with one foot. 



There is some good material in this county for a gun 

 and game protective club, and we hope to soon be able to 

 eport the organization of one. H. M, Tonner. 



Wisconsin Deer Season. 



Marshfield, Wis., Nov. 2.— The hunting in Wisconsin 

 this fall has been very poor, not from the lack of game, 

 but from the warm and dry weather which has prevailed. 

 Partridges were very wild, it being imposaiblo to get 

 within eight or ten rods of them, and they would not lie 

 for a dog at all. 



The deer law now makes the open season from Oct. 1 

 to Nov. 1. For a number of years it was from Nov. 1 to 

 Dec. 1. The law as It stands now in my opinion is a very 

 poor one, as two-thirds of the deer killed around here this 

 fall were does or fawns. The old bucks are just beginning 

 to travel good. In my opinion if the law is allowed to 

 continue it will exterminate the deer just as quick as run- 

 ning dogs. We have a game warden in our town, but 

 the boys keep running rabbits all the time, but come in 

 with a nice big deer instead of rabbits. I suppose the 

 deer do not run into the holes as soon as the rabbits. 



The little cottontails have not got up into our new 

 country yet; all are lai'ge white fellowSj and there are lots 

 of them. E. S. B. 



A liost Hunting Party. 



Vancouver, Wash., Nov. 12.— Gen. Carlin has organ- 

 ized four well-equipped parties of United States troops, 

 about eighty men in all, to go to the relief of his son, W. 

 E. CarUn, A. L. Himmelwright, J. Harvey Pierce, all of 

 New York, and their guides, who were lost in Bitter Root 

 Mountains, in Montana. Gen. Carlin is satisfied that 

 everything has been done for the relief the party; stUl, he 

 is apprehensive that an accident, such as the stampede of 

 their pack train, or separation in searching for the train , 

 might endanger the safety of the members. Three of the 

 relief parties have left points in Idaho and Montana for 

 the head of the Clear Water. The fourth party left Fort 

 Walla Walla last night. — New York Times, Nov. IS. 



]\£innesota Game. 



My friend Harris writes me on Oct. 31, from Pelan, 

 Minn. : ' 'Have j ust returned from a ten-days' hunt fifteen 

 mUes south. Had poor luck. All 1 got was a two-year- 

 old bear and about fifty partridges. Saw two elk and the 

 tracks of about twenty others. Since returning I killed a 

 deer within three miles of the ranch. Moose are now 

 heading toward the Lake of the Woods." 



G. O. Shields. 



Gunning Experience. 



Oakland, N, J. — Editor Forest and Stream: We notice 

 in your issue of Nov. i a letter, signed "Tatters," saying 

 that he is not getting such good penetration with E. C, 

 as he is with black powder. We would advise him to try 



the following load in a 13-gauge: 3dr. powder, one thin 

 13-gauge black-edge and two 11-gauge iin. black-edge, as 

 made by the U. M. C. Co. Put firm pressure on the wads, 

 with lioz. No. 7 shot, thin top shot wad, and good 

 crimp down. We recommend the 11-gauge wad, as from 

 "Tatters's" letter we are incUhed to think that, perhaps, 

 his gun is not bored true to gauge. A shell with a No. 3 

 primer should be used. If "Tatters" will commvmicate 

 with us direct we shall be pleased to help him out of his 

 difficulty, and can assure him that he will get as good 

 results with E. C. as with any black powder if he will 

 do so. We are always glad to' hear from any sportsmen 

 who are having trouble with their load. 



Noel E. Money (American E. C. Powder Co., Ltd.). 



An Iowa Month's Score. 



Matlock, Iowa, Nov. 2.— Following is a partial list of 

 game killed in this immediate vicinity and it represents 

 about the average bag: Oct. 1, B. Flesch — 4 quail, 1 

 chicken, 1 rabbit; P. C. Bishop — 3 quail, 3 chickens, 1 

 chick, 2 rabbits. Oct. 9, E. J. Bishop — 3 quail, i chicken. 

 Oct. 18, F. Wyman— 8 quail. Oct. 19, P. C. Bishop— 8 

 chickens, 1 rabbit. Oct. 28, W. Heithetter— 4 ducks, 2 

 chickens. Oct. 29, P. C. Bishop — 1 duck, 2 chickens, 2 

 quail. Birds are fairly plentiful, but hard to find. 

 Shooting should remain good for a month yet. Rabbit 

 shooting will be excellent this winter. Longfellow. 



AN ASTRONOMIC FISH. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The UroMidea quiescens or "little star gazer," was de- 

 scribed by James E. De Kay in the Natural History of 

 the State of New York as a smaU fish not more than 

 about 3in. long when full grown, found in a rivulet that 

 runs into Round Pond in Hamilton county and in that 

 vicinage. 



Dr. De Kay called it "curious" and placed it in the 

 family Triglidai, which includes several species of marine 

 fishes, some of which are rather rare in New York salt 

 waters. The rose fish, hemdurgon or snapper was said to 

 inhabit northern waters from Greenland to New York, its 

 proper southern limit. This fish reaches a length of 2 or 

 3ft. 



The American sea raven or Acadian bullhead, another 

 northern fish of similar size, gets rather sparsely so far 

 south as New York. 



The common marine bullhead, not elegant, but good 

 for the table, 1 to lift, long, frequents Long Island 

 Sound. The "sea swallow," a sort of small flying fish, 

 no more than 6in. long, and the Prionotus lineatus, 

 called "grunter," "banded gurnard," sea robin or flying 

 fish, are all other members of De Kay's family Triglidce 

 occurring in the New York marine, the latter rather com- 

 mon and growing to the length of IBin., but seldom eaten. 

 All these fish, like the little star gazer, have remarkably 

 large pectoral fins, giving them the flying fish aspect. 



I send you this reference to the Uranidea quiescens in 

 order to learn from your readers of other localities in 

 which this rather interesting fish is found. Dr. De Kay 

 knew of it only in Hamilton county. It is a very singular 

 and beautiful fish, its fins spotted, its body banded and 

 prettily marked. Its specific name, quiescens, refers to its 

 habit of lying most of the time at rest at the bottom of 

 the pool or stream, like a sucker, but it darts quickly 

 through the water if disturbed. The eyes af the little 

 fish are on the top of its head, looking directly upward, 

 whence it has received the name Uranidea or star gazer. 



This fish in central Dutchess county exists, so far as is 

 known, only in one or two streams. One of these passes 

 through the farm of the late Macy Bowman in Stanford, 

 Dutchess county. SmaU, lying generally close to the 

 bottom, or occasionally darting swiftly through the 

 water, it may easily escape notice. I shall be glad to 

 hear of this fish, thought to be so rare, if it shall be seen 

 in other localities. 



Besides some species of stickleback and this little star 

 gazer, there are no other members of the Triglidce family 

 found in fresh water. All the others are salt-water fishes, 

 and the sticklebacks frequent both salt and fresh water. 



James Hyatt, 



HoNBYMEABBBOOK (BaDgall P. O.), N. Y. 



NETS IN PENNSYLVANIA STREAMS. 



MuNCY, Pa., Nov. 1.— Bass fishing has been good the 

 latter half of the season. Fishermen when they have 

 been out generally speak of the large number of small 

 black bass in the river. They can be counted by schools. 



We noticed during the season that the catch of large 

 pike-perch was in excess of that of previous years. The 

 smaU streams seem to be full of small ones from 2 to 3iin. 

 long. Evidently the planting is going to bear fruit. 



It is gratifying to aU lovers of the sport who fish hon- 

 estly and squarely, that some of the worst offenders have 

 been hauled in and fined. One man in particular who 

 had previously looked upon the fish as all his if he could 

 by hook or crook catch them, has changed his mind in 

 regard to his exclusive property in them since passing 

 over his $50 fine. There is, however, an immense amount 

 of illegal fishing, so much that a gentleman remarked the 

 other day that "The fishing is annually spoiled by the 

 innumerable number of nets and outlines which are set. 

 I sat fishing on a bridge pier of the canal near Montom-s- 

 ville in September, and saw a man put six nets into the 

 water. He set these while in sight. How many he set 

 after he turned the bend, and before he came in sight I 

 do not know." 



If the wai'den who lives in Williamsport sees these lines 

 I hope he wiU make himself a little more useful, and take 

 some measures to put a stop to the wholesale capture of 

 fish in this way. There are three here in Muncy yet, 

 three or four parties in Montoursville, and a half dozen 

 in Williamsport that need his attention. Fishermen do 

 not like to turn informers unless requested to do so. 



Considerable comment is heard on all sides near the 

 headwaters of all our trout streams about the abuse of 

 the streams in fishing. It seems to be largely the ward- 

 en's fault or rather the fault of not having a warden 

 there where and when he is needed. 



It is conceded by those most interested that a local 



warden is needed, especially during the trouting season, 

 in each trouting district. They give as their reasons that 

 the warden living forty or fifty miles away cannot find 

 out who offending parties are, even if he does hear of 

 their misdoings. It was common talk last May that 

 Loyalsock Creek had been dynamited, and that Otter Run 

 had been limed. These things were true; at least, reliable 

 men who were in position to know said they were true, 

 AU the large trout in the latter stream were gone. We 

 know this from personal knowledge, having been there in 

 1893 and again in 189-3. 



Another reason why they wish ftirther protection is that 

 fishermen, local and otherwise, wiU insist on taking every 

 fish that bites, no matter how smaU. They say the law 

 in regard to the 6in. limit is whoUy disregarded. This 

 they say is depleting their trout streams. We got a 

 peep into the catch of two men on Wolf Run in June, 

 1893. They had between eighty and one hundred trout, 

 and of aU these but eight or ten would measure the re- 

 quired 6in. 



"FROZEN FISH THAWED OUT." 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In the Forest and Stream of Nov. 4 I notice a short 

 article entitled as above. The same subject has been 

 touched on several times recently in yotu- paper. Whether 

 a fish once thoroughly frozen and apparently dead will 

 revive on being carefully thawed out, is a question of 

 sufficient interest to justify any one in recording his ob- 

 servations who has himself fairly tried the experiment. 



Mine were as foUows: 



On Christmas day two or three years ago we were 

 camped in a log hut, if one might judge from the temper- 

 ature, very near the vicinity of the North Pole. The 

 thermometer was in the neighborhood of 40° Fahrenheit 

 below zero. We were deer hunting, and the hunting 

 was exceUent. Having kUled one big feUow and thus 

 satisfied my thirst for blood, some other form of amuse- 

 ment was in order. Suddenly a discussion of this subject 

 a few months before in the London Fishing Gazette came 

 to naind. My temperament is such that the moment I 

 hear any statement which seems curious or upon its face 

 improbable, if the statement admits of the test of actual 

 experiment I itch to try it. It is wonderful how unsus- 

 pected are the results tlms sometimes directly or indirectly 

 obtained, even in a field of inquiry supposed to be thor- 

 oughly thrashed out. 



Remembering the discussion whether a frozen fish 

 would revive on being thawed out, the temptation to try 

 the experiment imder such favorable conditions of time, 

 temperature and locality was irresistible. 



A hole was cut through the ice of a neighboring pond, 

 and seven or eight trout of about 12in. in length were 

 speedily caught with a smaU hook and deer meat for bait. 

 When drawn from the water and thrown upon the snow- 

 covered ice which hid the surface of the pond, the trout 

 were almost instantly frozen as stiff as a stake. While 

 fuUy alive to and appreciating the fact that one engaged 

 in experiment cannot be too precise in his methods of 

 procedure, it was so brutally cold that I neglected to note 

 the period which elapsed between the time when the first 

 and the last fish was takt-n, but I should say it certainly 

 did not exceed twenty minutes. 



The frozen fish were then collected as carefully as 

 though made of glass, wrapped with equal care in a coat, 

 and with the utmost possible care carried to camp some 

 half mile distant. Within five minutes after camp 

 was reached, the fish were put in a tin vessel of ample 

 size filled with spring water. This Avas about noon. All 

 that afternoon and aU that evening until 10 o'clock I 

 watched the trout, the vessel being all the time kept near 

 enough the fire so that its contents could not freeze, yet ■ 

 far enough so that the water should not heat, I do not 

 think three consecutive minutes passed during aU that 

 time when the fish were not under observation. That 

 night the cold was so cruel that one of the guides sat up 

 till morning to tend the fire. My orders were to examine 

 the fish from time to time, and to be sure that the water in 

 which they were, neither froze nor became perceptibly 

 warm, I have every reason to beUeve, from my long 

 acquaintance with the men and their interest in the ex- 

 periment, that my instructions were carefully carried 

 out. 



On turning out in the gray of the next morning I at 

 once examined the fish. The water was neither frozen 

 nor warm. Till nightfall they were le^ft undisturbed, 

 their condition being examined at frequent intervals. 



When first introduced into the water the fish appeared 

 as dead as Julius Csssar; and though they thawed out per- 

 fectly, dead as Julius Csesar they remained throughout 

 the experiment. Not the slightest sign of life was at any 

 time detected or detectible, 



I do not mean, be it understood, to call in question any- 

 thing which has heretofore been said on this subject in 

 your paper, I only mean to say that under the above 

 conditions I obtained the above result. 



New York, Nov. 4. HeNRY P. WeLLS. 



Another Kekoskee Witness. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



It seemed to me when I read that Kekoskee fish story 

 that I had heard something Uke it before from my neigh- 

 bor Chase, Chancing to meet him a few days ago, I 

 questioned him concerning it, 



"Yes," he answered, "I read the story in the paper, I 

 was there an' I can tell you what I seen. The hole was so 

 fuU of bullheads that a man couldn't drive a spear to the 

 bottom of it, an' when he pulled it up maybe there'd be a 

 dozen on it all stuck together by the' horns. I rigged a 

 bushel basket with ropes in the handles, an' we c'd push it 

 just underneath the smface with a pole an' histe it right 

 out again chuck fuU o' buUheads, with now and then a 

 pickerel, tUl we fUled a thirty-bushel sleigh box as full of 

 'em as it c'd hold. An' while we was there there was 

 eighteen such sleighs loaded with 'em runnin' over fuU, 

 and the road for a mile was black and read with buU- 

 heads that had spilled off and got smashed and trompled. 

 Yes, sir, that's what I see mjself; but they did teU the 

 almightiest lies about it in that paper!" Awahsoose. 



A Big Bass and a Tripped Anchor. 



Sing Sino, N. Y,, Nov. 7.— B, F. Kipp, of Sing Smg, 

 caught to-day a 16-pound stiiped bass with rod and reel off 

 Croton Point on the oyster beds. The fish fought so hard 

 that Jilr. Kipp had to trip anchor to save it. W. S, S. 



