Dec. 15, 1894.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
516 
inhabitants in that section aroused from their slumbers 
and declared that they had seen or caught the fish any- 
where from forty to sixty years before. This evidence 
from one and all was dubious to say the best that could 
be said of it, but what was one to do with such evidence? 
When an old man said with a voice husky with age and 
New- England rum, that he had taken the saibling from 
the lake fifty years before they were actually known to 
exist, it was not polite or parliamentary to say he was a 
liar. Old men with voices that were not husky with any- 
thing, and who had fished the lake all their lives, had 
never seen or heard of the fish until after 1880, although 
they had netted the lake and used the spear at all seasons, 
before they realized that such methods were improper 
and illegal. It was supposed that all the irregular testi- 
mony on this subject had been brought out, but last sea- 
son another man was found who had caught saibling in 
Sunapee forty years before and knew all about them. 
His name is Stevens, and this is the conversation which 
followed as near as I can reproduce it from notes: "Mr. 
Stevens, in which part of the lake did you fish for saibling 
forty years ago?" "I fished in Sunapee Lake, sir. I am 
talking about Sunapee Lake." "What time of the year 
did you fish?" "Why the time of year we used to go." 
"What bait did you use?" "Why, the bait every one 
used, worms." "Did you ever use live shiners? " "Never!" 
"Will you tell me the difference between these trout you 
say you caught in Sunapee Lake forty years ago, and the 
common brook trout?" "The same difference that there 
is now." 
This was not encouraging, and it was determined to test 
the memory of Mr. Stevens in another way, although he 
was not previously consulted about it. 
When the saibling came on to the spawning beds this 
fall in Sunapee Lake, several of them, by direction of the 
Fish Commissioners, were sent to Mr. A. C. Wallace, the 
superintendent of the Oolebrook hatching station, near 
where Mr. Stevens resides, and this is what Mr. Wallace 
writes: "The saibling came in good order, and I went 
down and told Mr. Stevens that I had some fish for him to 
examine and tell me what they were. I had them on a 
platter when he came up, and after looking them over he 
said they .vere lakers (i, e. , lake trout, S. namayeush). I 
told him lake trout had a forked tail and were not as 
nicely marked. He looked them over again, and said he 
did not know what they were, as he had never seen any- 
thing like them before, and wished to know where they 
came from. I told him I would find out all I could about 
the fish, but wished to make sure if he had not seen fish 
like them or fish that looked like them, and he said he 
never had. The next day I told him they were saibling 
or Sunapee trout from Sunapee Lake, and he said he 
could not remember them, as he had not seen them in 
forty years. Now, the truth is he did not know what they 
were, and he never saw a Sunapee saibling before in his 
life. Two of the Baibling had faded a little, but one was 
in perfect color and the most beautiful fish I ever saw." 
I have not the least doubt that if other witnesses who 
have testified to catching the Sunapee saibling from 
thirty to fifty years ago, should have their memories 
tested in a like manner they would fail as ignobly as Mr. 
Stevens failed, to recognize the fish, and I am sure that 
if a fisherman should once see this beautiful fish with 
characteristics peculiar to it, he will never forget it. The 
average fishermen select one fish from another by its 
color. Ten times out of ten the man who has not made 
some little study of the physical formation of fishes will first 
mention tbe color of the fish he describes, and the Suna- 
pee saibling is colored like no other of the salmon family 
yet discovered in this country. I once put two trout 
before a fish commissioner of one of our States, and. he 
declared that they were male and female of the same 
species, and yet one had a forked tail and a mouth 
extending only to a vertical line drawn through the pos- 
terior part of the eye, and the other had a square tail and 
a mouth about twice as large, and the fin formulae was 
entirely different; so it is not to be supposed that every 
man will at a glance recognize structural differences 
between two species of trout. But with the Sunapee 
saibling the color is an important factor and any one who 
can tell a white horse from a spotted leopard will distin- 
guish it at any season of the year from our common 
brook trout. They were quickly recognized when they 
really did appear, by every one who caught them, and 
when any one says he caught them forty years ago his 
statement is regarded, to put it mildly, with suspicion. 
Business vs. Fishing. 
Mr. Wm. H. McElroy, the brilliant platform speaker, 
is truly said to possess a mastery of the art of story-tell- 
ing, but all of his best stories are not told on the platform 
as I will bear witness. 
I spent a little time with him one morning recently, 
when he happened to speak of that fascinating book to 
the angler "The Pleasures of Angling," by the late George 
Dawson, which led to several anecdotes about the author. 
Mr. McElroy said that on one occasion when he occupied 
an editorial chair on the Albany Evening Journal, ex- 
Governor Horatio Seymour came into the office and 
asked for Mr. Dawson and was told that he had gone fish- 
ing. Gov. Seymour put his hand to his chin and a 
thoughtful expression came over his face for a moment, 
and then he said, "I know a successful business man out 
in Oneida county who is fond of fishing, and he says that 
he thanks God daily that he has never in all his moder- 
ately long life allowed business to interfere with his fish- 
ing." Gov. Seymour was himself a fisherman and one 
of the first Fish Commissioners of this State, therefore 
he knew what charms the sport has to draw men to the 
streams and lakes. 
A Mystery. 
The documents in the case are as follows: 
Item. — A piece of writing paper to which is attached a 
newspaper clipping, from the type, apparently, cut from 
the New York Sim. On the paper is written: "You and 
your friend Cheney do not know mascalonge when you 
see them. Ask Capt. Quinlan, of the Central R. R. He 
knows about fish and fishermen." This brief note, with- 
out .date or signature, seems to have been sent to Mr. 
Wm. D. Cleveland, of Houston, Texas, who also knows 
something about fish and fishermen. 
Item. — Indorsed on the back of the quoted note, in the 
handwriting of Mr. Cleveland, is this: "Dear Cheney, 
who sent me this? Do you know the writing? It came 
from Auburn. It's a big story. 
Item.— The "big story" evidently relates to the news- 
paper clipping, which contains a story of how one Peter 
Williams, of Jamestown, N. Y., tried, in his 60th year, to 
beat a boy of 16 who had caught a mascalonge of a51bs. 
in Chautauqua Lake; and how Peter succeeded after 
being nearly drowned by going overboard and becoming 
tangled in his fishing- line, in being fished out as he was 
attached to a mascalonge of 301bs. 
Item. — A note addressed to Capt. Quinlan, which reads 
as follows: "Dear Captain: I must call upon you for a 
report about mascalonge fishing. Read the inclosed and 
return to me. I can tell you some marvelous stories of 
this summer's experience with black bass in Connecticut 
and ouauaniche at Lake St. John. Yours very truly, 
William D. Cleveland." 
Item. — A thought which came to the writer when he 
read the last quoted note: "He not only can, but he 
will." 
Item. — Note from Capt. Quinlan to Wm. D. Cleveland: 
"Friend Cleveland: I spent a few days at Jamestown last 
summer, and while there saw a little fishing. One mas- 
calonge was caught that weighed 32lbs. I saw it weighed. 
Yours, G. A. Qutnlan." 
Item. — A man who tells the first story has no show what- 
ever in tne general round-up. 
Item.— The last note: "Dear Cleveland: Do you re- 
member that just before we went to Hay Bay for 
mascalonge, that we read in another New York news- 
paper of the capture of a big mascalonge of a certain 
weight at Hay Bay, for which certain claims were made? 
Do you also remember the night that we spent at 
Spencer's on Hay Bay; Spencer told us about the same 
fish, which, it seems, he weighed, and that it lacked a 
number of pounds, actual weight, of the published 
weight? Do you further remember that later when writ- 
ing of our trip in Forest and Stream, I gave the actual 
and published weight of the fish in juxtaposition, so to 
speak, with attendant circumstances? Now do you sup- 
pose that the man whose mascalonge got so tangled up in 
figures of weight can have a friend in Auburn, who is 
getting even with us by saying we do not know a masca- 
longe when we see one? — A. N. C." 
Commissioners' Notes, 
Wentworth writes me that when the New Hampshire 
Commissioners met a short time ago for the purpose of 
making out their annual report, they decided to recom- 
mend that the close season for brook trout should be ex- 
tended to May 1 instead of ending April 15 as at present. 
An attempt was made in Vermont at the last session of 
the Legislature to have the brook trout season open in 
that State not earlier than May 1, although I have not 
heard with what success, and that is early enough for both 
of these States and northern New York as well. Col. 
Wentworth adds that they have 640,000 eggs of land- 
locked salmon, brook trout and saibling in the hatchery 
at Sunapee. A. N. Cheney. 
Let Connecticut Wake Up. 
Editor m Forest and Stream: 
Realizing the value of your paper as a medium for an 
exchange of opinions regarding the improvement of our 
game covers and fisheries, I beg leave to offer some sugges- 
tions for those interests in Connecticut. 
We are away behind other States in this section of the 
country and ic seems time for some concerted action for the 
purpose of bringing our little State to a standard with the 
others. Nearly all our effective legislation for the protec- 
tion of game and fish is due to the individual effort of War- 
den A. C. Collins, and when we view the result of one man's 
work, concerted efforts by a number can bring great results. 
Our Fish Commission is lamentably incompetent and as a 
result our inland fisheries are becoming a matter of history. 
What a State spends on her inland fisheries is hers for her 
people to enjoy and if judiciously expended bears permanent 
fruits. At the last session of our Legislature an appropria- 
tion was made of $6,000 for the purchase of trout and $6,000 
for the purchase of shad, with $5 ; 000 for retaining ponds and 
$3,000 for expenses of commissioners; a total of $20,000 on 
fisheries. And what have we to show for it? Six ^thousand 
dollars would have built a fair sized trout and salmon hatch- 
ery for our inland fisheries and carried it on one year after 
completion; the same as to shad, and the $5,000 would have 
built a retaining pond for each hatchery, and thus have 
placed us in a position for future work at a cost of not over 
$1,500 a year to operate each hatchery and supply enough 
small fish for our entire State. 
Our Fish Commission should be commissioners of game, 
and should be given an appropriation for stocking our State 
with quail, and also investigating the policy of setting aside 
tracts of land where game is unmolested the year through 
and the overflow from such tracts spread out over adjacent 
country while leaving a permanent source of supply. Massa- 
chusetts, I believe, has tried this with the best of results 
But the almighty dollar obscures these efforts. One of our 
Commissioners runs a trout hatchery, so he wants the State 
to buy its trout of him. An ex-Commissioner carries on a 
shad hatchery and wants the State to buy its shad of him 
and the other two Commissioners' only aim is to take care of 
the fish markets and guard the pounds. Really it is an 
interesting situation. 
But it is the sportsmen's fault; it is too much trouble for 
them to wage a contest for better things. Still, I feel there 
will come an awakening, and for that purpose I set forth 
these facts. I shall go over to our capitol this winter and 
offer propositions of reform, but if as in the past the sports- 
men remain away these will go into the waste basket. I 
believe we can get a new Fish Commission composed' of 
patriotic citizens, who will work for the interests of the 
State. Mr. Collins should be appointed on that board 
Then get a bill passed making the Fishery Commission 
commissioners of game. It is all possible but needs con- 
certed action. 
One railroad official stands ready to offer great favors in 
the way of transportation of fish and messengers if the State 
will erect a hatchery along its line, which is in Litchfield 
county and in the vicinity of a number of large and beauti- 
ful lakes and streams. 
Thus it is we only need the effort to bring Connecticut 
abreast of other States in these things. Is there any sports- 
man ready to make a determined effort for permanent 
benefits? chas. W. Hall. 
Habtfoed, Nov. 26. 
SPECIMEN COPIES. 
Any reader of the "Forest and Stream" may 
on request and without expense have a specimen 
number of the paper sent to a shooting or fishing' 
friend. 
IP* Smttel 
FIXTURES. 
DOG SHOWS. 
1895. 
Feb. 19 to 22.— "Westminster Kennel Clu nineteenth annual show, 
at New York. James Mortimer, Supt. 
Feb. 26 to Marcfe 1.— Mascoutah Kennel Club, at Chicago. J. L. 
Lincoln, Secy. 
March 5 to 8.— Western Kennel Club Co., at Denver, Col. E. T. 
Weiant, Sec'y. 
March 5 to 8.— City of the Straits Kennel Club, at Detroit. J. W. 
Garrison, Sec'y. 
FIELD TRIALS. 
Jan. 14.— Pacific Coast Field Trials Club, at Salinas, Cal. 
Jan. 21.— United States Field Trials Club's Trials B, at West Point, 
Miss. P. T. Madison, Indianapolis, Sec'y. 
~ Feb. 5,— Southern Field Trials, at New Albany, Miss. T. M. Brumby, 
Sec'y, Marietta, Ga. 
Sept. 10.— Manitoba Field Trials, at Morris, Man. John Woolton, 
Manitou, Sec'y. 
Shall it be Speed or Nose? 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
About a year ago I started a discussion on the speed of 
beagles in field trials in another journal, and while T was not 
snowed under by any means, the beagle men of the West 
were not enthusiastic by any means for my style of beagle. 
I now want to carry my lance into the camp or the Eastern 
men, and should like you to spare me space to do it. My 
contention is that too much weight is put on speed and too 
little on the fine powers of scent— nose. This latter power is 
about the only great difference between a hound and a cur 
dog. The object of beagle breeders that are aiming for field 
trial winners seems to be to get speed at all hazards. Get 
nose if they can, but at any rate they must get speed. It is 
rather amusing to go to a bench show and see the fine little 
fellows that walk off with the blue ribbons, and then go to a 
field trial and see the gaunt, long-legged, terrier-looking 
dogs, that come to compete for field honors, and, what is 
more, the hound voice is missing in at least half of them— 
they yap like rat dogs. But that cuts no figure; the point is 
to win and it takes speed to do it. It is, however, a fact that 
fine bench show dogs come to the trials and sometimes win 
in spite of the handicap of hound form. If the beagle is to be 
developed for use in the field and beauty of form, our field 
trials will not bring about the desired result. 
Great speed in a beagle is not at all necessary to make him 
a pleasant dog to take on a rabbit chase; in fact it is a draw- 
back if you are out to kill a big bag of game. What gives 
me pleasure in my beagles is to have them sure on the trail 
with speed enough not to be "pottering" or laggards, with 
fine hound form and musical voices. To be sure I don't own 
many such because the country does not afford many. Now 
I should like to ask the judges of the National trials at 
Hempstead at what point in the scale of field trial virtues in 
a beagle they drop speed and credit nose, and at what point 
they drop nose and credit speed? 
I would take, for example, my own dog, Royal Rover, at 
the Hempstead trials. (Now Messieurs the Judges, don't 
think I am kicking, for I am not. I simply want to know 
how you decide on the winner, as I think it will help prove 
my point that we are on the wrong track.) Rover was sent 
East more as an object lesson than with any hope of winning 
money or renown. If I convince a few beagle men that I 
am right, the money was well spent. In the first series 
Rover defeated Nell R., and from all reports did it easily, 
and she won the Derby. He must have possessed consider- 
able speed to do that. The only other dog he had a chance 
to run against was Buckshot, the winner of the All-Age 
Stake, and after a hot heat it was decided that Rover had the 
best nose, but that Buckshot was too fast for him. With 
speed enough to beat the Derby winner and a better nose 
than the All-Age winner, Rover was dropped out of the class 
and five dogs placed over him. Nowit looks to me as though 
my point was proven, that speed is about all that is wanted. 
When a dog with good speed and good nose is thrown out for 
a dog with more speed and less nose, I say the system of 
judging is wrong— in my opinion. 
However, the judges may put a new light on the matter if 
they care to answer my question. I had about made up my 
mind not to bring up this question again, but I see that Mr. 
Eellows and Mr. Muss-Arnolt are after the foxhound stand- 
ard, and so I took courage from them. 
G. A. Buckstaff. 
Pine Tar. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
In the interest of suffering dogdom I write you to extol 
the virtues of pine tar. There are no tar trees nearer Colo- 
rado than the Carolinas, so far as I am informed, and so, 
despite the adhesive nature of the subject, no charge of self- 
interest in booming the tar trade will stick. 
Some time ago I had a dog grievously afflicted with can- 
kered ears. In addition to increased exercise, reduced diet 
and purgatives, I tried nearly every kind of local application 
recommended to me. Among them were carbolic acid, 
boracic acid, corrosive sublimate, sulphur, coal oil, caustic' 
sulphate of zinc, phenol and peroxide of hydrogen. There 
were others. These experiments lasted a year or more with- 
out much effect— the case was a most obstinate one. At last 
I was persuaded to try tar water, i. e., the liquid made by 
soaking pine tar in water. Two weeks' application of this 
cured her. The ears were poured full of the tar water, 
slightly warmed, twice a day and with the flap it was gently 
rubbed in. Since then, when symptoms of a re-appearance 
of the disease are manifest, a few applications cure it. 
Two dogs have been cured of sore eyes by its use, to my 
knowledge. I once cured a wart or tumor on a dog's tail by 
lancing it and binding pine tar upon it. The wart was as 
large as a walnut, soft, spongy and suppurating. When 
lanced it seemed to have grown from the walls of an artery, 
as the blood flowed profusely and in spurts. Hardly a trace 
was left in curing it. The tar and bandage were renewed 
once a week for three weeks. Also I have found pine tar 
extremely effective in bites, wounds and lacerations of any 
kind. It should be spread thickly with an unsparing hand 
in and around the wound and bandaged. Nature will do 
the rest in a surprisingly short time. Its use in this way 
cured one of my dogs' shoulder from which several inches of 
skin had been entirely torn off in what may well be termed 
a bitter dispute with another dog. The weather was hot 
and, in spite of daily antiseptic dressing, the wound obstin- 
ately refused to heal for over a month. In two weeks from 
the application of the tar it was well, the hair grew out 
again and scarcely a scar remained. Its pungent odor is not 
unpleasant, it is not poisonous, as many antiseptic washes 
are, and it keeps the flies away. It is cheap, easy to apply, 
helps the bandage to stick and will be found more effective 
than many of the so-called antiseptics and germicides. A 
thirty cent can of it will suffice to doctor a regiment of dogs. 
E. K. WHITEHEAD. 
Denver, Colo., Nov. 10. 
The City of the Straits Kennel Club have claimed the 
dates, March 5 to 8, 1895, for their third annual dog show. 
Their premium list will be issued shortly, and we are told 
that the money prizes will be larger than they have ever 
offered before. Mr. J. W. Garrison, 18 Peninsular Bank 
Building, is the secretary. 
