April 14, 1894. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



S19 



introduced into these waters and everything goes to show 

 that the stocking will prove fruitful, some big ones of 

 8 and 91bs. , and many smaller ones having been caught. 

 The anglers here are eagerly waiting for April 15, when 

 the open season for trout begins, and as much stocking 

 has been done the fishing promises to be fair in what few 

 streams that have not been ruined by sawmills. 



W. A. V. O. 



THE GRASSHOPPER-LOVING TROUT. 



It was once my luck to be one of a party who were the 

 second to drop line in a certain lake of British Columbia 

 for the trout which there did abound. It happened thus: 

 Some section hands on the railroad told me of the place, 

 which was a pond of spring water which had only been 

 discovered after a recent forest fire. The pool was about 

 a quartpr of a mile in diameter and nearly round, with 

 indications of considerable depth. 



Now the funny part was that the steep mountains 

 which hemmed this pool in swarmed with grasshoppers, 

 and every time a grasshopper hopped, five times out of 

 six he went down hill, thus most of them in the end 

 brought up in the pond, where they were at ouce taken 

 care of. 



I tried these trout with a fly, but only the small ones 

 would notice it, and they rarely. But a grasshopper they 

 would take every time. In the stomach of one which I 

 caught I found twenty-five hoppers in a nearly perfect 

 state, and I should judge as many more partly digested, 

 still he evidently wanted at least one more, which landed 

 him in the great hereafter. 



On our return to the car we laid out as many trout as 

 would go on the bottom of an old trail wagon and had 

 them photographed, as you see by the illustration. ': On 

 the back of photograph I find written, "One-quarter of 

 six hours' sport." The interesting thing about it was that 

 the trout evidently knew where they could find plenty of 

 grasshoppers at that season of the year, for in the river 



can be reached without too much labor after leaving the 

 railroad and where we can find at least good fishing, you 

 will confer a favor on all of us and on a few of your sub- 

 scribers. Trusting to receive an early reply, I remain, 

 truly yours, Horace E. Kistler, President J. O. C. 



Angling Incidents. 



Portland, Oregon.— Editor Forest and Stream: After 

 reading all the articles pro and con in regard to killing 

 snakes, I want to say that I never would do it until last 

 summer. While we were on the Molalla one afternoon, I 

 was fishing the riffles, my curiosity was aroused by some- 

 thing on the shore. There I was surprised to find a 

 harmless snake about 20in. long fishing. A fellow feel- 

 ing caused me to stop and see how it was done. He 

 would let his head down to the surface of the water and 

 let his tongue down, and about one-half inch under; the 

 trout fry, about two inches long, would gather and begin 

 nibbling at it; then a splash and Mr. Snake drew back 

 with a fish in his mouth. I saw this repeated three 

 times and still he was not satisfied, so in the interest of 

 future anglers I picked him up by the tail and thumped 

 his head against a rook. Wi, J. Newman. 



On one occasion while fishing at night on the banks of 

 the Appomattox River, in Virginia, with a companion, 

 while we were sitting with a light between us, my friend 

 remarked, "Don't move, there is a moccasin ready to 

 strike at your back." I did not stir, but cold chills began 

 to run up and down my back. He got up very quiet, but 

 as his hand reached for a stick the snake let fly and 1 

 jumped to my feet like one galvanized, and at same time 

 he hit it with the stick as it some way stuck to my back. 

 The rubber coat I had saved me, but the blow with the 

 stick almost knocked the wind out of my body. The 

 snake had struck with such force that his fangs were 

 imbedded in the rubber. Well, we tried fishing again, 



FRASER RIVER salmon pen. 



and streams within a mile of the pool they were by no 

 means plenty, so must have purposely gone up to have a 

 fine, extensive lunch party. 



When a grasshopper struck the water from three to 

 four dozen trout would go for him. None of these fish 

 were large, not one in ten reaching the weight of one 

 pound. They were of the red-throated variety. 



Willard Nye, Jr. 



Johnstown Outing Club. 



Johnstown, Pa., March 13.— The Johnstown Outing 

 Club is composed of thirty members — business and profes- 

 sional men — and its objects are, as stated in the constitu- 

 tion, as follows: 



"Sec. 2. The objects of this club shall be the protection 

 and propagation of all game and fish: co-operation with 

 the authorities in enforcing the game and fish laws; to 

 provide an annual outing for its members, and to encour- 

 age in them the true sportsman spirit." 



The club was organized in April, 1892, and our first 

 annual outing was held about three miles above Conflu- 

 ence, Somerset county, Pa. , on the Youghiogheny River, 

 and our sport was chiefly catching the gamy black bass. 

 For it size and weight the black bass in the Youghiogheny 

 and Castleman rivers, just above their confluence, will 

 afford a true sportsman more genuine enthusiasm and 

 pleasure than any black bass in any other waters that I 

 have fished or read of. They are game. I have had one 

 jump over my head; and they weigh only from f to l^lbs , 

 yet they have more fight in them than a 4-pound lake 

 bass. 



Last spring several articles appeared in the Forest and 

 Stream referring to Indian Lake, near Huntsville, Logan 

 county, Ohio. Our club sent a committee of two to 

 Indian Lake to investigate, and their report corroborating 

 th articles referred to, we decided to camp there. 



We left Johnstown on July 16, 1893, in two special cars 

 over the B. & O. R. R., and camped for two weeks on the 

 shores of Indian Lake, and had a very satisfactory outing, 

 excepting that the bass would not bite. We tried to 

 make up for our disappointment by making large catches 

 of ring perch, sunfish and calico bass, making sport by 

 using light, springy rods. 



vV e have a first-class camping outfit worth $500, and we 

 go out to enjoy ourselves. Some members are satisfied 

 with ordinary camp life, but the majority want to hunt 

 and fish. Owing to the fact that our outing takes place 

 in the latter part of July or the first part of August, you 

 can see how we are handicapped. Now, if you can sug- 

 gest a place within 600 or 800 miles of Johnstown which 



but there were so many of thosp spotted devils about 

 that we gave it up and went to killing them. But hunt- 

 ing snakes by lantern light is not very quieting to one's 

 nerves, so we got out of the brush and tall grass in double 

 quick time. Brian the Still-Hunter. 



Carp in Cayuga Lake. 



Ithaca, N. Y. — A good many large pickerel were 

 caught here last fall, together with some pretty big carp. 

 A few years ago one or two carp ponds, located at Lud- 

 lowville and Sheldrake, I think, gave way, emptying 

 their contents into Cayuga Lake. Since then carp have 

 been taken in considerable numbers annually. Ham 

 Spiccer holds the record of '93 for heavy-weight carp, 

 having taken one which weighed 221bs. The fish, at the 

 first tug on the line, pulled Spicer, who was not looking, 

 though perhaps longing for leviathans, into the water and 

 mud knee-deep, and it took a lively and exciting two min- 

 utes to land the beauteous bouncer of the sluggish inlet. 

 Spicer thinks about the proper carp tackle is a barn 

 raiser's pike pole and a steamboat's anchor rope, with a 

 modern Hercules at the land end of the outfit. 



A large consignment of pike for Cayuga Lake is shortly 

 expected here. Two or three consignments of trout fry 

 have already been placed in neighboring streams. For 

 good trout fishing the angler should visit the vicinity of 

 Speedsville, Hartford Mills, Slaterville, McLean and 

 Cortland. The present outlook indicates clear running 

 streams for opening day on brook trout. M. C. H. 



Suckers Survive Freezing. 



Ithaca, N. Y. — As bearing on the question recently 

 discussed in Forest and Stream relative to the injuries 

 sustained by fish from freezing, allow me to say that a 

 local angler cut cakes of ice from along the west shore of 

 Cayuga Lake the past winter in which suckers were found 

 frozen solid. The fish were chopped out of the ice, put 

 in water and in a few hours were swimming about with 

 as much animation as usual. The gentleman who gives 

 me the above item also tells me that recently one of a pair 

 of goldfish he has long possessed escaped from the tank 

 in which it is kept, and, although diligent search was 

 made for it, some six hours elapsed before it was found. 

 The fish was returned to the water as an experiment, all 

 signs of life having vanished, and to the wonder and de- 

 light of the family, it soon assumed a lively and spirited 

 air, apparently none the worse for its exhausting experi- 

 ence. M. C. H. 



^tehyulttm mi grakqtion. 



The Trdut Netting Case. 



Sheffield Mass.— Editor Forest and Stream: In mv 

 Forest and Stream of March 24, 1 notice your article on 

 the action brought by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

 against R. E Follett Fish Commissioner of Connecticut 

 for the illegal taking of trout, and his conviction and fine of 

 $150 tor same. As I am a resident of this town, a lessee of 

 part of the same brook, and have helped stock the same for 

 the last nine years, I want to give you a few notes on this 

 matter that your correspondent omitted ' 



A friend of Mr. Follett's or he himself in a letter to the 

 Hartlorcl 1 imes, states that the sportsmen here have from 

 the start antagonized the hatchery and Mr. Barnum's in- 

 terests in the same. The man that made that statement 

 knew it to be false, and only said it to try and create, a little 

 sympathy for the Fish Commissioner. The sportsmen 

 around here know Mr. Barnum to be a sportsman and a 

 gentleman, and one who would not knowingly violate the 

 law nor have any one in his employ do so. He leaves the 

 full management of the hatchery to Mr. Follett, who resides 

 here, while Mr. Barnum lives in Lime Rock, Conn. This 

 Lee Brook is about five miles long, and has always been 

 noted as a good trout brook, and has been stocked for the 

 past ten years regularly by fry furnished by the State of 

 Massachusetts. Mr. Barnum leases the upper portion of it. 

 about two miles in all. 



Mr. Follett was arrested for netting trout in the close 

 season last fall in this running brook, and his defense is that 

 because he turned some trout out of his ponds into the brook 

 last June because they were not doing well— turned right in 

 among the wild trout— he had a right to net them, and on 

 the witness stand under oath he testified that four months 

 later when he netted the stream he could easily identify his 

 fish from the wild ones, and I want to add right here that 

 there isn't a single fisherman up here believes such a thing, 

 nor have I met one anywhere in my travels who does. He 

 says he knew them by their peculiar color, because he fed 

 them some liver nearly every day. But by far the greater 

 part of their nourishment whs derived from the natural food 

 in the brook, and besides it is a well known fact that trout 

 adapt their color to their surroundings. 



It is a mystery to the sportsmen around here why it is that 

 Mr. Follett went the two miles of the brook to net his trout, 

 when he only fed them in one place Fish generally congre- 

 gate where they are fed. His sole defense was that because 

 he turned the trout out in January, '93 and fed them, he had 

 a right to net them. 



How does he explain his action in netting that brook some 

 nine months before? He netted the brook in September and 

 October 1892, long before he turned any fish into it, long 

 before he bought any trout to put in his pond. In fact 

 his first pond was stocked with the wild trout netted 

 from the Lee Brook and its tributaries in September 

 and October of 1802. Here' a man, who holds the office of 

 Fish Commisioner of the State of Connecticut, who says that 

 "From his earliest recollections he has been interested in 

 fishculture; and for years has been in the fish hatching 

 business." He above all others should be posted in laws 

 pertaining to fish and fishing; and in netting as he has, he 

 must have known he was going contrary to law, and for 

 such deliberate and willful violation should be fined the ex- 

 treme penalty. There might be some excuse for a man who 

 had not made a study of fish, fishing and fish laws, but none 

 for this commissioner. 



Mr. Follett has appealed the case and the decision of the 

 higher court will be awaited with interest by all sportsmen 

 in Berkshire county. Harry S. Andrews. 



All those who love a dog because it is a dog 

 and not merely a medium for the accumulation of 

 dollars and cents, are invited by the editor to con- 

 sider this department as one in which they can 

 discuss amicably any subject that is of interest 

 to the canine fancy, without fear of their commu- 

 nications being subjected to personal comment 

 or ridicule. 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



April 17 to 20— New England Kennel Club, at Boston, Mass. D. E 

 Loveland, Sec'y. Entries close March 31. 



April 18 to 21. —Southern California Kennel Club, at Los Angeles 

 Gal. C. A. Sumner, Sec'y. 



May 1 to 4.— Special show of St. Bernard, Collie, Spaniel and Fox- 

 Terrier clubs, in connection with the Hempstead Farm show, Madison 

 Square Garden. 



May 9 to 12.— Louisville Kennel Club, at Louisville, Ky. St. Marc M. 

 Munday, Sec'y. 



Sept. 10 to 14.— Toronto Industrial Exhibition Association, at 

 Toronto. C. A. Stone, Sec'y. 



FIELD TBIALS. 



Sept. 5.— Manitoba Field Trials Club, at Morris, Man. E. J. Gallaug 

 her. Winnipeg, Sec'y. 



Nov. 6.— International Field Trials, at Chatham, Out. W. B. Wells 

 Sec'y. 



Don't forget that the Specialty show entries close 

 April 20, with James Mortimer, 44 Broadway, New 

 York. 



Shooting Dog vs. Field Trial Dog. 



Virginia. — Editor Forest and Stream: Would a gentle- 

 man's shooting dog — a good ranger, staunch, and a first-class 

 retriever both from land and water — stand any show in a 

 field trial with a regular field trial dog, broken and handled 

 by a professional? 



Does retrieving count for anything in a field trial or is it 

 objectionable? and is a dog required to drop to shot? 



S. W. 



[There are ten chances to one that the dog would not under 

 the conditions you state. This is the hub on which the whole 

 argument about the way field trials are conducted at the 

 present day is turning. The better the amateur's dog is 

 trained the less chance he would seem to have in present com- 

 petitions. It depends chiefly upon the handler, and until the 

 adept professionals, who seem to have things all their own 

 way and are allowed to break up an opponent's dog as much 

 as they choose, are put into a class of their own and amateurs 

 are allowed to compete with amateurs, the amateur's dog 

 per se, however well trained, stands little chance for the 

 money. . We cannot explain our meaning better than to quote 

 the words of a veteran shooting dog handler who competed 

 this last fall in the Southern trials: "They're too fast for me; 

 it isn't field work, it's racing." Retrieving, in the principal 

 trials, is not recognized. If the dog is steady to shot that is 

 sufficient; dropping, of course, is preferable.] 



Mr. Andrew Laidlaw has purchased the crack Irish water 

 spaniel Dennis Marguerite from a party in Montreal. 



