820 FOREST 'AND • STREAM, [April is, mm. 
COMMISSIONER BRICE'S PLANS. 
Commander John J. Brice, the new United States 
Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, has been interviewed 
by a Washington Star reporter. 
"The first work of the commission," he said, "will be 
the establishment of hatcheries all over the country, and 
a description of those on the California coast will illus- 
trate the idea to be carried out with them all. In Cali- 
fornia there will be sixteen central and subhatcheries. 
The theory is that the central hatcheries will be of a per- 
manent nature, and have ponds for the propagation of 
trout and fishes of that class, with permanent working 
forces stationed at them, while around them will be 
grouped the smaller or subhatcheries located in easy prox- 
imity to the spawning beds of the salmon. To these 
places, during the spawning season, men will be sent who 
will take the eggs from the beds and then deposit in their 
places the young fry that will be hatched in the commis- 
sion batcher ies. 
"This fry will be kept at such places until the umbilical 
sack is exhausted, which will be probably from twenty- 
five to twenty-six days, and will then be allowed to drift 
out of the hatcheries into the stream. It is the intention 
to cover all of the streams on the Pacific coast that are 
frequented by salmon in this manner. 
"The same system will be adopted on the Atlantic 
coast, where the shad will be treated identically as the sal- 
mon are on the western side of the continent," he con- 
tinued. "It is the intention to extend these hatcheries 
from the Kennebec River on the north to the St. John's 
River on the south, and by this system I believe we can 
be assured that the supply of food fish each year will be 
greater than the demand, 
"The propagation of fish is simple enough," declared 
Commissioner Brice. "It is almost impossible to destroy 
the life of the fish egg. Heat is about the only property 
that will effectually accomplish this — cold does not affect 
it — and 90 per cent, of the eggs we place in the hatcheries 
produce fish. There is no reason, therefore, why the 
streams of the United States should not be full of fish of 
the species either natural to their waters or which have 
become acclimated to such a degree that they flourish as 
though they were native to them. 
"We do not propose to introduce fish in a stream with- 
out a full investigation as to its characteristics and the ef- 
fect it will have on the natural denizens of such waters. 
"Now, take your Potomac River, for instance, as a case 
in point to illustrate what I mean. A few years ago the 
Potomac was full of black bass from above Cabin John 
bridge to its headwaters, and fishermen enjoyed magnifi- 
cent sport all along it. Now there is general complaint 
about the scarcity of the bass in the Potomac. This 
change is due to no other cause than the carp. The carp 
is a natural scavenger, and he destroys the spawn of a 
fish wherever he can find it. The carp follows the schools 
to their spawning beds and sucks up nest after nest with- 
out fear of interruption, because he is too big and un- 
wieldy for the fish he pursues to drive him away. Tbere 
will be no more carp distributed by the United States Fish 
Commission while I am in charge of it, and they will be 
cleaned out of all the ponds wherpver they may be that 
come under the authority of this office. 
"There will be no wall-eyed pike distributed either. 
We have received many requests for fish of this character 
under different names from various parts of the country, 
but they are all wall-eyed pike pure and simple, a most 
pernicious and destructive fish, and, as I said, none will 
be distributed. The perch is another destructive fish. 
There are very few members of the perch family that do 
not come under the condemnatory head. Like the carp, 
they follow the schools and destroy their spawn. 
"We do not propose to introduce any more foreign fish 
in American waters," he continued. "There is some de- 
mand for the introduction of the German trout in this 
country, but the persons who desire such an importation 
apparently do not realize what an effect the appearance 
of this fish would have upon our native varieties. The 
German trout is stronger, larger, more vigorous and vi- 
cious and grows faster than any of our variety, and if it 
were introduced into this country it would quickly drive 
out the brook trout in the East and the rainbow trout in 
California. No," continued Commissioner Brice, "the 
care_and preservation and increase of the fishes indige- 
nous to American streams, or which have been found to 
adapt themselves to our waters without driving out or 
destroying the native varieties, should be the aim and ob- 
ject of the fish commission. 
" Yes, there will be something in the way of a reorgani- 
zation in the work of the commission," he replied in re- 
sponse to the reporter's query. "Its aim will be to secure the 
very best practical results of the most far-reaching nature; 
to exert the widest possible influence for good. It will be 
our object to reach all localities and increase wherever 
possible the supply of food and game fish native to their 
ponds, streams and lakes, introducing other varieties only 
when the assurance iB absolute that no evil results will 
follow. Of course the scientific branch of the work will 
be fostered, as it is an important and necessary adjunct 
of the work, but it will be conducted as incidental to the 
practical aims of the commission." 
Lake Champlain Smelt. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I think your correspondent in Forest and Stream of 
March 28 wrong in his opinion that L ike Champlain ice 
fish or smelt are not permanent residents of the lake. 
Perhaps for those who are interested in this matter a few 
of the incidents coming under my personal observation 
may prove of interest. 
At Thompson's Point, situated on the shore just across 
from Split Rock lighthouse, is no doubt one of the best 
fishing grounds for the American pike perch to be found 
along the lake. On the point are nearly two score of 
cottagps, among them being that of Justice J. D. Brew- 
ers, of Washington, D. C. Here each season are to be 
found many of the disciples of Izaak Walton enjoying 
their summer outing. 
On the reefs just off the point I have caught many a 
fine string of pise, and very many times have observed 
that after getting them in the boat they would disgorge 
one or more smelt. This will more often happen if the 
fish is caught in deep water, say from 35 to 60ft. If the 
smelt is in a fair state of preservation, he makes a far 
more attractive lure than any live bait we are able to get. 
Again, I have seen in the gray of the morning and at 
twilight thousands of smelt jumping on the surface in 
much the same manner as yellow perch do. 
Mr. Harrington, a friend of mine here, caught last July 
three smelt in less than 20 ft. of water which appeared to 
be as firm and hard as any caught through the ice. 
These facts, I think, are sufficient to prove that smelt 
can be found in Lake Champlain twelve months in a year 
if one only knew where to look. Ferris. 
THE "BONE FISH" OF FLORIDA. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
In the Forest and Stream of April 4 Mr. F. S. I. C. 
has an article on "The Bone Fish of Biscayne Bay," and 
after giving a very fair description of this gallant fish he 
asks: "Is this fish a new discovery?" By no means. It 
is well known to all Florida anglers. I have repeatedly 
described it in my articles on Florida fishes, and a few 
years ago in the Florida number of Forest and Stream I 
gave quite a full description of it, likening it to a silver 
shuttle on account of its quick, erratic movements when 
hooked, and pronounced it the gamest fish for its size in 
salt water. 
It is the bone fish, or lady fish (Albula vulpes), and was 
named by Linnasus himself nearly two centuries ago. It 
was noticed in the waters of Florida and the Bahamas 
a century ago by the early voyagers, and was called by 
them the bone fish. It is found in tropical seas the world 
over. Another fish named by Linn teas, the "ten-pounder" 
(Elops saurus), and which belongs to the same family as 
the tarpon, resembles the bone fish very much, except 
that the mouth is terminal instead of beneath the snout. 
This fish is often confounded with the bone fish, as it is 
equally common in the waters of south Florida. 
As F. S. I. C. is loth to accept the correct identification 
of the bone fish by the authorities at Washington, it is 
possible he has in mind the ten-pounder. I am forced to 
this conclusion by his statement that "it has a pointed 
snout, with mouth under its nose like the hake, which is 
most erroneously called by New York fishermen kingfish." 
Now the kingfish (its correct name) has its mouth beneath 
the snout, while that of the hake is terminal. The king- 
fish is also called barb and whiting, but never hake, which 
is a very different fish. The bone fish, ten-pounder and 
tarpon all belong to the herring tribe, and are all fine 
game 'fishes. James A. Henshall. 
Tampa, Fla., April 4. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
The comments of Dr. Bean upon this fish which I found 
at Biscayne Bay are what I wished to draw from some 
competent authority. I did not flatter myself that I had 
discovered a new species. It was new to me and I think 
it will be to the majority of Florida fishermen. I did not 
compare it with the tarpon as a game fish, but stated that 
the two fish are not in the same class. It would be im- 
possible to compare the lively little bone fish with its 
mighty and most beautiful relative. 
Now I want to ask of Dr. Bean one more question: 
What is the proper name of the fish which abounds along 
the western coast of Florida, and which is known there 
as the "lady fish," "bony fish" and "ten-pounder"? That 
is the fish which was described to Messrs. Hulings and 
McFerrand by the Fish Commissioners as the bone fish. 
It is long and slim, with silvery scales — without the glit- 
ter of the bone fish — and its eye is large and yellow. 
When hooked it leaps clear of the water, like a tarpon, 
several times in rapid succession, and often succeeds in 
freeing itself. It is worthless for food. F. S. J. C. 
Pennsylvania Association Methods. 
Mr. Marion G. Sellers, the active secretary of the 
Pennsylvania Fish Protective Association (1020 Arch 
street, Philadelphia), sends out to members "a reminder 
for your outings," which is: 
"Sec. 12, By-laws. — It shall be the duty of every mem- 
ber to report at once to the executive committee or some 
member thereof any violations of the fishing or other 
laws of the State affecting the interest of this Association, 
and it shall then be the duty of the executive committee 
to communicate such violations to the proper authorities, 
and demand their abatement and the punishment of the 
offenders." 
He has also devised a card which runs: 
"Sometimes I forget! 
"To keep up with the work of the Association, and on 
fishing or other outings to mention the Association to 
anglers I meet; to interest persons I meet in its work; to 
name such as may be desirable as members to our secre- 
tary, and get them to join; to increase the Association's 
correspondents by informing our secretary of any other 
fish associations I learn of ; to carry on fishing trips to 
hotels and other places blanks, circulars, reports, etc.; to 
help start other fish protective associations. 
"And when opportunity offers to attend the monthly 
meetings; to visit the rooms with my friends; to make 
use of the books, periodicals, etc ; to induce mj friends 
to join the Association; to pay my dues promptly and 
save expense of collector's visit." 
Jo Merry Lake. 
Boston. — Two or three parties of Boston sportsmen are 
desirous of building camps this year on certain Maine 
waters, but the fact that the land cannot be purchased 
may hinder them. Mr. Wayne H. North, Mr. George H. 
Lanphier, with ten or twelve of their friends, are very 
desirous of building a camp on Jo Merry Lake, in that 
State. They were there on their hunting trip last fall, 
and some of them had been there before. They are in 
love with the country, its fishing and shooting; but they 
have been flatly refused the privilege of buying the very 
small lot of land they want — any land on the lake, in 
fact. A lease the owners would be glad to let them have, 
and the condition of the many sportsmen who have only 
leases is mentioned. But it is not a lease that is wanted, 
and their determination not to accept of a lease will 
doubtless result in their not building where they most de- 
sire to build. They have about determined to purchase 
an abandoned farm not so very far from the lake. Here 
they can own the sod they occupy, and keep teams, so 
that it will not be hard to reach the lake where they wish 
to hunt and fish. Special. 
Fish Paintings. 
Mr. Walter M, Brackett, of Boston, gave an ex- 
hibition of his pictures of salmon and tront, and of Mr. 
Arthur L. Brackett's pictures of live game, at his studio, 
41 Tremont street, Boston, this week. 
Mr. T. Sedgwick Steele, of Hartford, has been exhibit- 
ing in his studio a number of his trout paintings, includ- 
ing the original of "Two at a Cast," 
"That reminds me." 
One of the private yachts that ply the waters of Gull 
Lake in the summer season is the Bohemia, a stanch little 
vessel fitted with a safety engine of the latest model, and 
capable of holding her own against all comers. She is 
owned and operated by two residents of a neighboring 
Michigan town, tbe elder a bachelor bookseller of no 
slight experience as a sailor, arid the younger and slighter 
a banker whose love for aquatic pleasures keeps him on 
the water the greater portion of the summer. Other 
crew the Bohemia has none, and tbe two men are so en- 
tirely congenial that they are never at a loss for good 
times when in each other's company. It chanced one 
day last summer that quite a large excursion of country 
folk had come in on the adjacent railroad to spend the 
day at the lake, and as a party of them lingered near the 
dock, the Bohemia steamed- up to make a landing. The 
elder man, who officiated as master, deemed this an excel- 
lent opportunity to give the landman an illustration of 
how things were, or should be done, on shipboard, and in 
making the landing and getting the line ashore he took 
occasion to issue as many orders as he could possibly 
think of that were pertinent, with some that were not, 
interspersing them with notes and comments somewhat 
after the style of the mate on Mark Twain's Mississippi 
River steamboat. During the operation the "crew" en- 
dured all this with silence and apparent patience, but as 
soon as the vessel was made fast and he had a chance to 
do so he took the admiring crowd into his confidence 
something after this fashion: 
"Did you fellows hear how the Captain abused me 
while we were making the landing? Well, I am just 
about tired of this kind of thing, and as soon as my 
month is up I intend to quit him. I'm sick of being or- 
dered around and sworn at without cause, and more than 
that, I can't get my wages half the time when they are 
due me. The old cuss is nearly a month behind with me 
now." 
The Captain overheard a pirt of this jeremiad, as it 
was intended he should, and after the "crew " had gone 
up to the neighboring hotel for a cigar or some other 
light beverage, he proceeded to inform the natives what a 
thoroughly worthless man he had shipped before the 
mast. 
" He needn't be in such a hurry to talk about deserting 
the vessel," growled the Captain. " I mean to discharge 
him anyhow when the month is up, and as for owing 
him anything! Why, he is in debt to the boat now four 
dollars and thirty-five cents for beer and tobacco." 
And the crowd extended its silent but sincere sympathy 
to the unfortunate commander who had been so sadly 
imposed upon. Jay Beebe. 
Toledo, O., April 8. 
Bdrgettstown, Pa., March 21.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: I noticed in the Forest and Stream that H. J. 
W. used mice for ba\t. Dave Stottlemeyer and James 
Murphy, two old Potomac fishermen now residing in 
Burgettstown, Pa., have used mice for a number of sea- 
sons with good results. While they were fishing in the 
Raccoon Creek last season mice could not be found, so 
they baited with young ferrets. They were startled, but 
well pleased with the results, as the fei'rets ran all the fish 
out on the bank, where they fell an easy prey to the two 
old salts. J. K. 
he ffletmel 
FIXTURES. 
BENCH 8HOW8. 
April 20 to 23 —New England Kennel Club's twelfth annual show. 
D. E. Loveland, Sec'y. 
April 21 to 24.— Southern California Kennel Club's show, Los Angeles, 
Cal. F. W. Ingalls. Sec'y. 
April 25 to 27.— Mohawk Kennel Club's show, Cohoes, N. Y. Wm. T. 
Ford, Sec'y, Cohoes, N. Y. 
May 6 to 9.— Paclnc Kennel Club's fifth annual show. H. W. Orear, 
Sec'y. 
May 9 — Hamilton Kennel Club's one-day show, Hamilton, Ont. W. 
J Tulk, Sec'y. 
May 13 to 16— Seattle Kennel Club's third annual show. C. B. 
Yandeli, Sec'v. 
Sept. 7 to 11.— Toronto Exhibition Association's eighth annual show, 
Toronto, Can. C. A. Stone, Sec'y of bench show. 
Sept. 22 to 25.— Milwaukee Kennel and Pet Stock Association's 
second annual show. W. W, Welch, Sec'y. 
FIELD TRIALS. 
Sept. 2.— Morris, Man.— Manitoba Field Trials Club. John Wootton, 
Sec'y. 
Sept 9.— Kennedy, Minn.— Continental Field Trial Club's circken 
trials. P. T. Madison, Sec'y, Indianapolis, Ind. 
Oct. 9.— Brunswick Fur Club's annual meet. Bradford S. Turpin, 
Sec'y. . 
Oct. 26.— Hempstead, L I — Natioonal Beagle Club's trials. Geo. 
W. Rogers, Sec'y, 250 w. Twenty-second strett, New York. 
Oct. 28.— Greece county, Pa.— The Mononganela Valley Game and 
Fish Protective Association's second annual trials. 8. B. Cummin^s 
Sec'y, Pittsburg. 
Nov. 2 — Bicknell, Ind.— Continental Field Trial Club's quail trials;. 
P. T. Madison, Sec'y. 
Nov. 16 -Newton, N. C— E. F. T. Club's trials. S. C. Bradley, Sec'y, 
Greenfield Hill, Conn. « 
Nov. 17.— Chatham, Ont.— International Field Trial Club's trial*. 
W. B Wells, Sec'y, Chatham, Ont. 
Nov. —.—Newton, N. C— U. 8. F. T. Club's fall trials. W. B. Staf- 
ford, Sec'y. 
KINDNESS TO DOGS. 
It is commonly accepted that good temper or ill temper 
in the dog is a matter of individual inheritance, much the 
same as his color or conformation, etc. , is such. Of course, 
all dogs have infinite varieties of temper, but however 
different they may naturally be one from another, it is 
rare indeed that one is so ill tempered that proper treat- 
ment will not bring good temper with it. Neither good 
nor ill temper are fixed traitB. The former can be spoiled 
