Feb. 20, 1897.] 
1^3 
young, and then descend upon them in the fall when they 
are congregated in winter quarters and pull them out like so 
many leaden weights, so sluggish that they can scarcely 
wriggle their tails in protest at the outrage. 
Black Bass Plantlnar. 
While on the subject of black bass, I wish to call atten- 
tion to the applications made to the State for this fish. 1 
have ah-eady noted that millions of black bass are applied 
for each year when the State at best can furnish but a few 
thousands, for they are not hatched artificially. An appli- 
cant fills out his application for perhaps 10,000 bass and gets 
100 or 300 adult fish, enough to thoroughly stock a lake ten 
miles long, if the bass are protected during the breeding 
season and the law as to size of bass killed is observed.; but 
the next year the same man will put in another application 
for more bass for the same water, and I presume if the fish 
were furnished the application would appear annually, just 
as a shooting club might turn out eacli season enough quail 
to furnish the members of the club with quail shooting for a 
season and renew the stock by purchase each succeediug 
year. The State has not got the bass and cannot get them to 
stock waters annually, and there is no need of such stock- 
ing. A lake in this State which hai furnished the largest 
black bass of the small-mouth species ever caught, and 
probably tons of bass of all sizes, during the past ttventy- 
eight years was stocked with thirteen little bass about 4in. 
long. Not for twenty-six years after it was originally 
stocked did it receive another contribution of black bass, bat 
it furnished many fish for stocking other waters and was 
fished as few lakes of its size (one and one- quarter miles 
long) have ever been fished. A. N. Cheney. 
Black Bass in the Northwest. 
Latona, Wash. — The extremely high water of the fall 
wrought havoc among the trout in some sections of the State. 
A friend lately from Snohomish county tells me there were 
places where this game fish had been left stranded in the 
fields by the overflow. 
About seven years ago the fi^sh commissioners planted a 
number of large-mouth black bass, crappie, perch, sunfish 
and catfish in lakes Union and Washington; and last year 
all of these fish were very much in evidence. The native 
fish are rainbow trout in both lakes, and they seem as plen- 
tiful as ever in spite of the inroads which the bass must 
make on their numb^-rs. 
Lake Union has produced some bags already of 4 and 51bs., 
caught with live rninnow or fpoon. 
Lake Washington is twenty-five miles long and about four 
to six miles wide, with the best of bays and best of feed for 
bass, yet they have not been caught to any extent in this 
lake— probably because of its size, 
Ihave heard several times of grayling in Lake Washing- 
ton too, but have not been able as yet to locate them, Ex- 
Mayor Phelps, of Seattle, says he has caught them in several 
parts of the lake, and there is no reason to doubt the state- 
ment. Other parties have also told me of catching them, yet 
I have never caught one nor seen one thai was caught there. 
W- S, Phillips. 
liandlocked Salmon the Coming Fish in Maine. 
CoMinssiONEK 0. H. STANLEY Writes: "We had the 
largest run of trout and salmon to their spawning grounds 
last fall I have ever known in Maine; also the largest fish, 
esptcially at Sebago; we took in our weir several salmon 
that would run over SOlbs. ; 1 thmk the average would come 
up to 8lbs. We have got as many s^almon eggs as we can 
hatch and feed the young fry until October at all our hatch- 
eries. S ilmon put in an appearance last fall in miuy new 
waters, ponds that I am happy to say I stocked myself. 
The coming fiih in Maine is to be the landlocked salmon. 
He will thrive with the pickerel and live in higher temper- 
ature than the trout. All he needs is plenty of pure water 
and smelts for food. He is king on the hook as well as for 
the table. He also knows enough not to take every bait that 
is offered him. 1 have even known him to refuse the Stanley 
smelt sometimes; but that is rare. We now have some very 
fine bass fishing in Maine, which attracts many anglers here. 
One thing is curious: where the black bass have been put in 
pickerel ponds, which were good trout waters before tne in- 
troduction of pickerel, the bass have thinnt d out the pickerel 
and the trout are coming back m considerable numbers. I 
don't think they interfere with the trout at all." 
"AngUng Talks." 
We have a very few copies of George Dawson's "Angling Talks," a 
series of chapters of entertaining cliat about men, fishermen, fish, 
fishing and fishing places. Cloth, 50 cents. Forest and Scream Fub- 
lisbing Co. 
F I XT U RES. 
BENCH SHOWS. 
iFeb. a2-''5.- NEwyoRK.. Westminister Kennel Club. 
March 3-6. St. Louis —Sc. Louis Kennel Club 
March 10-13.— Chicago M:^scouiah Kennel Ciub. 
March i^4-v7 — Pittsburg — Duquesne Kennel Club. 
March )7-C0.— Louisville - Kentucky Kennel Club. 
:March 30-April •-■.— Baltimore.— Baltimore Kennel Association. 
March 30-April 2. - Kansas l ity.— Kansas City Ktnnel Club. 
March 3 -April 3.— San Josfi.— Santa Clara County Poultry and 
•Keunel Club. 
April 7-10. - Stockton —Stockton Kennel Club. 
April lJ-17.— Los Angeles.— Southern California Kennel Club. 
FOX HUNTING IN ILLINOIS. 
Editor Forest and /Stream: 
Fox huntmg in Illinois is not what it used to be a great 
many years ago. Then when a fox was started the horse- 
men and dogs were bothered with no fences, especially wire 
•ones, which are so troublesome now, although we had to 
contend with swamps and wild grass. The swamps now 
.are tilled. 
The hunt which I am about to relate occurred Jan. a3, 
1897. We were to start from Pairview Farm at 8 o'clock 
A. M. The morning was fine and warm, the sun shining, 
•ihe snow about Sin. deep and melting, and a southwest wind 
was blowing. 
The boys arrived in due time with eight dogs, four of 
■which were owned by L W. Green, Jr ; two were Ken- 
tucky hounds and two were imported hounds; three were 
owned by R. Sandusky, one imported and two were Ohio 
bred. One was owned by George Baum, all of Indianola. 
There were twenty-two horsemen. No guna were allowed. 
We started north and struck a fresh track. The hounds 
took the fox three miles east to Indianola, He then turned 
in a cornfield, making a complete circle and getting the best 
of us by about ten minutes by back tracking. He then went 
west to where he started froin all the time keeping in the 
cornfields when possible and running diagonally to the 
route. Then he made another turn north, going west 
through a large hedge, and here we first saw him. 
We had ridden north when the dogs turned west through 
the fence into the cornfield. We therefore tui-ned west, and 
as we did we saw him about lOOyds away making a circle 
south and around us. There were sis of us in that squad, 
the remainder of the party being scattered over a section of 
land. When he was sighted everybody gave chase. He ran 
southwest to a large ditch, thence down the embankment 
one-half mile, with four of us only 50yds from his brush 
and yelling worse than a band of Apache Indians. He ran 
the length of the cornfield, about one-half mile, turned east 
and south to the railroad, shook his brush in the air and bade 
us good day. Then begaa the hard running after a scared 
fox. 
He went down the railroad nearly to town, through the 
meadow to the timber, straight for the Little Vermilion Ei ver, 
which he swam; then over hills, hollows, through pastures, 
cornfields and barn3''ards, till he cime to the high grade of 
the railroad. The dogs were then about one and one half 
minutes behind the fox and twelve milos from the starting 
point as the ''crow flies," so we were told by a farmer who 
lived near. Here is where the fox got in his work and where 
he got his title, "Cunning as a fox." He mounted the grade, 
took a look back over his shoulder, then trotted over the 
trestle, 800yds. in length and 40ft. high, came down the 
same side of the track at the other end of the trestle, 
and made bis circle toward home. Here he threw 
the dogs oS the track, but we made a circle of 
one-half mile and found it, and were hot after him again, 
with a loss of fifteen minutes. We then ran him back 
through the same country, but he began to get tired and to 
hunt the bunches of cattle and horses, and run through 
barnyards to throw the dogs oft' the scent, but he was found 
every time without much delay. We ran him to the timber, 
up the Little Vermilion River again, and came in sight of 
him crossing a plowed field. We ran him one-fourth of a 
mile across this and a white spotted hound. Rowdy, took 
the lead by sight and ran up to within 10ft and couldn't 
gain any more, so it seemed; but as soon as the fox struck 
the smooth ground along the plank fence then Rowdy be- 
gan to crawl up on him, inch by inch, until within lOOyds. 
he was only about 8 it. from his tail, and both dog and fox 
lying low on the ground and going like the wind. A few 
jumps and reynura tried for a hole in the fence, and then it 
was all up. Rjwdy struck him like a cyclone and both 
rolled over and over in the snow, aud by that time Rowdy's 
brother from Ohio was with him and the chase was over. 
Out of twenty-two men who started in the chase with eight 
dogs, only nine men were left and tour dogs. The distance 
traveled was about thirty-five miles. 
Manitoba Field Trials Club. 
Winnipeg, Man., Feb 9. — Editor Forest and Stream: A 
regular meeting of the club y?as heid this afternoon at the 
Hotel Manitooa, President Simpson in the chair. 
The resignations of S. B. Borradaile as second vice-presi- 
dent, and John Wootton as secretary-treasurer, were then 
read and accepted. The following offleers were then duly 
elected: First Vice-Prcsident, John Wootton; Second Vice- 
President, Wm. C. Lee; Secretary -Treasurer, G. B. Borra- 
daile, Winnipeg. Four new members wei'e elected by 
ballot. 
It was decided to have the same stakes as last year, viz., 
Derby and All-A.ge slakes, each $350, and also an Amateur 
Stake, open to all amateurs resioitig in (Janada. 
The tntrace fee to Derby and All- Age stakes will be $10; 
to start, |5 additional. A committee of three, including the 
president, were elected to secure a judge. 
JoHK Wootton, Sec'y-Treas. 
Irish Setter Club Meeting. 
No. 1813 De Lancey Place, Philadelphia, Feb. 11. — 
The annual meeting of the Irish Setter Club of America will 
be held at the Madison Square Garden, New. York, during 
the W. K. C, show, on Wednesday, Feb. 24., at 12 o'clock. 
Geo. H. Thomson, Sec'y-Treas. 
POINTS AND FLUSHES. 
The entries of the last W. K. C. numbered 1,409 Those 
of this show greatly exceed the former, the total b-ing 1,667, 
diviiled among the different breeds as follows: Mastiffs 10, 
St Beinards 153, bloodhounds 13, Great Danes 51, New- 
founds 4, Russian wolfhounds 18, deerhounds 13, grey- 
hounds 27, English foxhounds 11, American foxhounds 17, 
Chesapeake Bay dogs 7, pointers 92, English setters 60, Irish 
setters 56, Gordon setters 38, field spaniels 37, cocker spaniels 
82, collies 107, Eoglish sheep dogs 8, poodles 91, bull dogs 86, 
French bull dogs 19, bull terriers 70, Boston terriers 119, 
dachshunde 53, btagles 64, Irish teiriers 57, Scottish terriers 
16, fox terriers (smooth) 80, fox terriers (wire-haired) 40, Btd- 
liijgton terriers 11, SKye terriers 4, DauOie Dinmont ttrriers 
2, Black aud Tan leiriers 25, while English terriers 1, wh p- 
pets 4, schipperkts 3, Pomeranians 3, Maltese teiriers 6, 
Vorkshire territrs 15, toy terriers 8, pugs 23, toy spaniels 47, 
Italian greyhounds 4, miscellaneous 9. 
We are informed by Dr. J. E. Hair, Bridgeport, Conn., 
that a bill embodying some radical changes concerning the 
licensing and ownership of dogs was presented to the Con- 
necticut Legislature, and in turn referred to the Judiciary 
Committee. He asks that the interested residents of each 
district exercise their influence with thek Representatives 
and Senators to secure the passage of the bill. Briefly stated, 
the bill provides thai all dogs registered in the A. K. C. S. B. 
shall be licensed for $1.15, and bitches so registered shall be 
registered for the surn of $5.15 A special license, to be 
issued on payment of ^35, to be known as a liennel license, 
shall be issued to breeders of registered dogs, said license 
permitting the licensee to keep not more than ten dogs, and 
exempting from the license law all puppies under twelve 
months. Every person owning a dog shall appraise the same 
upon the tax list ai its actual value, and any person stealing 
or killing any dog so listed, except that killing may be justi- 
fied by doing it in self-defens5, or if the dog is actually en- 
gaged in worrying sheep, shall be liable for the value of the 
dog so killed, or shall be punished by fine and imprisonment 
he same as if the dog were a domestic of like value. 
The sum at which the owner lists his dog shall be prima 
facie evidence of its value in either a civil or criminal 
prosecution. 
Further special prizes have been added to the premium list 
of the Mascoutah Kennel Club. The St. Bernard Club of 
America offers the Waters challenge cup for the best Ameri- 
can-bred St. Bernard, and two silver cups, one for best stud 
dog with two of his ffet, and one for best bitch with two of 
her progeny. The |Butterfly Bench Show Association offers 
three medals, one each for best sporting dog, non-sporting 
dog, and best terrier. 
The W. K. C. announces that additional valuable specials 
have been offered by the Boston Terrier Club, the English 
Bloodhound Club of America, the Bull Dog Club of Amer- 
ica, the Brunswick Fur Club, and others, for spaniels, 
poodles, French bull dogs, beagles and Irish terrierg, 
There will he an annual meeting of the Irish Setter Club 
of America in Madison Square Garden, Thursday, F<^b. 35, 
at 13 o'clock M,, for the election of officers and the transac- 
tion of business. The secretary, Mr, Geo. H. Thomson, 
1813 De Lancey Place, Philadelphia, requests that members 
send in their annual dues ($5) and the names of those who 
are to be proposed for membership. 
The annual business meeting of the American Pet Dog 
Club, the secretary, Mr. T. Fa-rer Rackham, writes us, will 
be held at the Lincoln House, New York c'ty, on Wednes- 
day, Feb. 24, punctually at 3:30 P. M. The election of 
officers and other important business will take place. 
Mr. John Wootton, of Manitou, Ma^s., writes us that the 
outl lok for the Manitoba trials on chickens is good, andt hat 
he expects to tee a much larger entry list this year than last. 
Communications for this departmerit are requested. Anything on 
the bicycle in its relation to the sportsman is particularly desirable. 
THE NATIONAL CYCLE SHOWS. 
At the great cycle show held in Chicago a few weeks 
since six acres of fioor space were devoted to the exhibition 
of bicycles, while in the Npw York show, which has just 
come to a close, nine acres were given up for the same pur- 
pose. The individual exhibits at each place counted well up 
among the hundreds, while the attendance was reckoned by 
numbers that ran up to six figures. 
The Drift of Affairs. 
At both New York and Chicago the same tendencies were 
marked. One that appealed to the manufacturers was that 
national cycle shows, at least at the time of year they are now 
held, have ceased to be of very material profit to the ex- 
hibitors as far as direct returns are concerned. This was 
especially true of the Chicago show. Agents who formerly 
came to purchase stock for the ensuing year's trade have 
been conspicuous by their absence. The shows are no 
longer great marts of trade, for by the time they are held 
dealers are already slocked, and those who visit the show 
are no longer susceptible to argument. They come rather 
to renew old friendships or to become personally acquainted 
with the men with whom as a result of previous negotiations 
they are to do business during the year. This condition of 
affairs, though of gradual growth, has taken expression this 
year in a way that is not to be mistaken, and exhibitors in 
general have had to be satisfied with the indirect returns 
that come from the advertising of their product through the 
shows themselves and through the newspaper notices that 
are given of them. 
Approaohlnsr a Standard. 
Another general tendency noted at both shows was the 
growing conservatism of the manufacturers, which was ex- 
hibited not only in the lack of sensational features in their 
product, but also in business methods There is a marked 
disposition to get away from all that is impracticable, and to 
solidify and simplify methods and manufacture. It has be- 
come an established fact that a man who promotes a machine 
out of the recognized and generally accepted type comes to 
an untimely and disastrous end. The effect of this conserva- 
tism is to conform bicycles more and more to a certain fixed 
type that embodies what is best in the opinions of the major- 
ity of manufacturers. Though mioor details are founa in 
endless variation, most of the chief features of cycle con- 
struction show a remarkable uniformity. 
The length of wheel base in the models exhibited this year, 
for instance, shows much less variation from the average 
than heretofore, and moderate sizes of tubing for frame con- 
struction are the rule 
The practical absence of chainless bicycles from the show 
demonsirates as well as anything this conservatism. No 
doubt the manufiictm-ers have all given the subject of fum- 
ing out such wheels due consideration, and vtry poss-ibly 
some of them will add chainless bicycles to their line in 
course of time, but so far none of the prominent manufac- 
turers have shown any undue eagerness to rush into the 
business. 
The Racer no Longer Supreme. 
A commendable tendency, which is very marked in some 
quarters, is the attention paid to the feature of comfort in 
cycling. Wheels are being made with a greater clearance 
between forks to permit the use of larger tires, and tires are 
made heavier and of larger diameter than heretofore. Hygi- 
enic saddles are very much in evidence, and no one will 
hereafter have cause to complain that he cannot procure a 
safe and comfortable saddle. A year ago there were many 
who said that existing saddles of the fence rail type were 
good enough for anybody, but the popularity of the double 
point of support styles is good enough evidence that they 
were mistaken. Common-sense ideas will prevail, and com- 
foit and strength are more carelully considered each year by 
the manufacturers. 
The big tires are intended to reduce the jar of riding over 
rough surfaces, and another improvement with the iameend 
in view is the cushion frames. No less than a dozen manu- 
facturers in the New York show had wheels fitted with an 
unobtrusive pneumatic cushion frame device. 
