lio 
and I can sympatliize with, him most feelingly, and heart" 
ily indorse what he says, and more: 
""J?-qually skeptical am I as to the use of giving lessons 
in casting on paper, and precise injunctions as to . how to 
strike, plaj', and land tiie tront when hooked. Probably 
not one man in a thousand can learn how to cast a line, 
and how to deal with a trout when hooked — and before 
hooked — out of a book." I have tried over and over to 
instruct people how to cast a fly by letter, and I rejoice that 
one man to my knowledge succeeded in becoming a fl^y 
fisherman from such instructions. The book is full of 
good, healthy advice, and ripe with ideas of value, and 
should be read by all anglers, even if they never intend to 
cast a dry fly. If the reader can cast a wet. the book will 
teach him to cast a dry fly, cocked up, floating on the 
water, and the book is full of wise maxims: "The dry-fly 
fisherman never uses more than one fly on his cast at the 
same time, and never fishes down stream when he can 
possibly fish up." "The dry-fly fisherman selects a par- 
ticular fish and endeavors to deceive it, just as a gunner 
who is anything of a sportsman selects a particular par- 
tridge out of a covey and shoots at that bird alone." "The 
dry-fly angler is not as a general rule a very early bird. 
He can do nothing without the natural fly, and in my ex- 
perience there are very few duns or other water flies about 
until 9 or even 10 o'clock in the morning." But one must 
read the book in its entirety to get all the meat out of it. 
The author is a past master of the art, and bis work not 
only instruats but entertains the reader, and altogether 
it is a book such as any angler or lover of outdoors may 
read with profit. 
It may seem rather ungracious, after reading a book 
that has afforded me so much pleasure in reading, to refer 
to an evident slip on the part of the author, who says: "In 
addition to the fly at the end of the gut called the 'drop- 
per,' there are one or two other flies attached." This may 
be right; but I have all my life known the end fly as the 
"stretcher" fly, or point fly, and the "other flies attached" 
as the droppers. The British "Anglers' Lexicon" says: 
"'Dropper is the name given to each artificial fly depending 
from the casting line above the terminal or stretcher fly." 
I would not refer to this matter at all, except that it is the 
only time I ever found anything in the Lexicon that I 
looked for. 
The "Book of the Dry Fly" is finely illustrated with 
artificial flies and natural insects, in colors and in black 
and white, and the plates are remarkably well done; and 
thg mechanical work of the book, which consists of 238 
pages, is neat and attractive. The best testimony I can 
bear is that I have read the book through, and if readers 
of FoEEST AND SxEEAjr could know how many angling 
books I have on my book shelves that I never read any- 
where near through, and never will, they would under- 
stand that it is the highest praise I can give it. 
The 23}^lbs. Salmon on 43^oz. Rod. 
In recording the capture, by Wm. Archibald Mitchell' 
6f a 232^1bs. salmon on a rod weighing but 4Joz., I neg" 
lected, very strangely, to say that the fish was killed in 
twenty-seven and a half minutes; and I was in error, so 
Mr. Mitchell tells me, in saying the reel was a multiplier, 
as it was a trout click reel. I took the rod in my hand 
directly after the salmon was killed, but I never turned the 
reel, although for some reason, after I returned from the 
river, I assumed it was a multiplying reel. 
A. N. Cheney. 
ANGLING IN CANADA. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
■ Notwithstauding a few good salmon scores made in 
Canada this year, there is no doubt that the season of 1897 
has been quite an ofi" year so far as Salmo-salar is con- 
cerned. It is curious that just this season should be that 
in which so many large trout, some of them record fish, 
have been taken in the Lake St. John country. This is 
particularly true of the Tourilli and Triton clubs. The 
waters of the latter will be fished next month and in 
September by a large number of anglers from Syracuse and 
elsewhere in the United States. At the Tourilli Club a 
number of distinguished anglers are also expected in a few 
days, including Mr. G. H. Harris, attorney, of Chicago, and 
probably also Mr. Carter Harrison. The lakes and rivers 
of this club have already aflbrded splendid sport this year 
to many of its American membership. Mr. J . B. McHarg, 
Jr., the professional fly manufacturer of Eome, N. Y., has 
recently visited th.e Fifth Falls of the Mistassini and also 
the Grande Decharge after ouananiche, and has much en- 
joyed his outing, being enraptured with the country and 
its scenery, and especially those about the discharge of 
Lake St. John. Among other recent visitors to the Fifth 
Falls of the Mistassini have been Mr. E. J. Myers, of Few 
York, and friends. The month of August should record 
the taking of many of the large trout and ouananiche for 
which Lac Tschotagama is noted. The lake may be 
reached either from the Grande Decharge or by way of 
the Peribonea, or the ascent may be made by one route 
and the return by another. To do the trip leisurely a 
week or ten days should be taken. Very large pike and 
ouananiche are now being caught by trolling off the Island 
House on the westerly side of Lake St. John. I have re- 
ceived inquiries about the fly-fishing for ouananiche in 
the Metabetchouan, but would not advise a visit to these 
pools before the middle of August. With the return of 
cooler nights, the plague of flies in our northern woods is 
already largelj'' diminishing. 
Mr. David Blanchard, and Mr. Walter Brackett, of Bos- 
ton, are still on the Ste. Marguerite River, where sport has 
been exceedingly poor this year. Mr. Blanchard was on 
the river for three weeks without catching a fish. Then 
he killed eight in a week. Mr. Brackett's score is only 
about a dozen, and he was also three weeks without a fish. 
Mr. Eussell, of Detroit, has not yet taken one at all, and 
Mr. Plumb only a single salmon. Messrs. G. T. Lyons, of 
Oswego, and A. L. Barney, of New York, passed through 
here on their way home yesterday. Mr. Barney killed but 
seven fish. Mr. Lyons, in five weeks, only took ten, 
though last year his score was fifty-two, J^ot only has the 
season been against the salmon, but all the anglers on the 
. Marguerite complain bitterly of the illegal netting of the 
Saguenay below the mouth of that river. Some of the 
offenders have been detected, a few nets have been seized, 
..and ten prosecutions have been entered upon. It is sin- 
cerely to be hoped that prompt measures will be taken by 
the Government to put down this poaching, 
E. T. D. Chambers. 
Qdbbeo, July 30.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
FISH AS A FOOD SUPPLY. 
Delawaub County Fish and Game Pkotective Asso- 
ciation, Uhester, Pa , June 8 —Editor Forest and Stream: 
Having been a close observer of tbe ]e,£;is)ation asked for 
throughout the different States in the interest of fish protec- 
tion, I have invariably noticed that the opposition base tbeir 
Ettacks upon such measures principally from the word 
"sportsman." Why ihis should be 1 cannot understand; 
but it appears that in respect to fish legislation as with many 
other worthy objects, one word kills the whole business. 
_A judge was once given some advice by an admiring 
friend, who said: "Always make your decisions clear and 
to the point, but do not give any reasons." This would 
have been very valuable in the past to the promoters of fish 
proteciive legislation, had they foreseen that their motives 
would be misconstrued. 
The question of fish protection, while only in its infancy, 
must, and will be in the near future, one of the foremost 
questions that will confront our State and national legisla- 
tive bodies, and the cause will be from a purely fond stand- 
point. This fact has never been so clearly illustrated to me 
as in the past year, and my observations have been fufly 
demonstrated in the surroundings of my own home. 
Why should a family starve which lives in a town sur- 
rounded by the Delaware Bivtr, three beautiful creeks, and 
numerous ponds and lakes, where an abundance of food 
could and should be furnished free of cost for their mainte- 
nance? Why should a great State like Pennsylvania main- 
tain four hatcheries, at an expense of $30,000 per year, to 
propagate and furnish fish free of cost to our waters, and 
then permit some no-account person to seine them out in a 
night, carry the fish around the next morning and ask the 
people to pay 10 to 20 cents per pound for them? The 
whole business is wrong from beginning to end. No com- 
mercial fishing should be permitted in the inland streams. 
These streams should be kept intact, and their product used 
entirely for the benefit of our citizens who need the product 
of these streams in time of distress. 
Experience has taught me that a person can secure enough 
food for himself from day to day with a hook and line in 
well protected streams. It was not many years ago, when a 
person could go to one of our creeks and secure more fish 
with a hook and line in one hour than they can now, work- 
ing a hauling seine all day. The cause for this condition of 
affairs is fully understood by our citizens, and yet they failed 
to raise a hand in protest. 
We have now taken up the question of fish protection by 
an organized effort throughout our county, and we claim 
that we should have the unanimous support of every man, 
woman and child in the county, not because some few of us 
will enjoy a few hours sport on the banks of one of our 
streams, but while we are laying the foundation for sport 
we are laying a foundation for a valuable food supply, 
to be enjoyed by the generations to come if our methods can 
be carried out. If a man is starving, and too lazy to go to 
the stream and get his supply of food, he is too lazy to eat 
and should starve. 
The question from a charitable standpoint, of using the 
waters of our commonwealth for the supply of food to the 
needy, is being more forcibly illustrated every year, and must 
command the attention of our people in a more serious light 
than they have heretofore looked at it. I am of the opinion 
that if the word "sport" had been kept out of all legislation 
asked for, and the question argued from a food standpoint, 
considerably more progress would have been made, and at 
the same time the sportsman's ambition would have been 
satisfied in every detail. It is an undisputed fact that the 
progress made in the advancement of fish protection has been 
from tlie labor of the sportsman, but the general public, and 
the persons who hold the balance of power that elect our 
representatives, do not view the situation in that light, but 
refuse to give credit where credit is due. This always makes 
the representative believe that his head is at stake if he sup- 
ports any measures that will in any way bridle the de- 
structive methods of this class of people, who never look be- 
yond the surface of things. We have a sample case in 
Pennsylvania, where a representative was defeated for re- 
election by supporting a measure that effected the eel fisher- 
men along the Susquehanna. 
Knowing these tacts to be true, an efi'ort should be made 
by all associations and persons interested in the protection of 
fish, to place the facts plainly before the people, and educate 
them if necessary into the necessity of protecting our fish 
from a food standpoint. This could be esily done through 
the newspaper and other circulating mediums, whose col- 
umns are always open for anything that is for the advance- 
ment of the public good. The spacedevoied to this question 
by our local papers is very nouceable now. One year ago 
the people of our town did not know what fish protection 
was, but since the papers have taken the matter up it is com- 
mon talk on the street. 
I could never understand why fish protective legislation 
never has the support of commercial fishermen. Of aU per- 
sons who should be interested, it certainly is those people. 
They are to-day robbing themselves of their business here in 
Ctiester. For example, ten or twelve years ago sturgeon fish- 
ing was their chief industry. At that time they tisned with 
15in, mesh nets, and would not think of taking a sturgeon 
from the water that weighed less than 75 to lOOlbs. But by 
degress they reduced the mesh of their nets, until now they 
use 5 and 6in. meshes. To day the only sturgeon caught are 
the little mamooses, weighing from 1 to olbs. I claim that 
if these men had had a warden constantly watching ihem 
for the past ten years their sturgeon industry would be in a 
thriving condition to-day. Only a few days ago I read in 
one of the Philadelphia papers that the sturgeon fishermen 
in the lower part ot New Jersey have awakened to the fact 
that their industry has vanished, and have resolved to peti- 
tion the State and national commissions to artificially propa- 
gate and distribute sturgeon in the same manner as they do 
shad. They want the product of their business furnished by 
the State, and if you would ask them for $1 per year to main- 
tain the hatchery they would wink the other eye. 
Thousands of young fish are destroyed every day in the 
Delaware Eiver by the shore-nets used for the catchmg of 
carp. If you were ever watching some of these men taking 
up their nets, you would notice that the young fish unfit for use 
go on the bank and die. They could throw them lOft. to 
the bank, but could not throw them 3ft. on the other side 
to the water. And yet, a few men of this character 
hold the Legislature of our State in defiance. 
The fish bill passed by the last Legislature was 
a great improvement over the old laws, but is still lacking 
of considerable means that would enable us to more success- 
fufly handle the persons who ruthlessly destroy our fish. 
It is a very hard, matter to securfe and frame Jaws for 
[A.v&:7, 1897.' 
a stream like the Delaware, wheire it is the boundary line for 
three or four States, and it appears to me that the only suc- 
cessful way would be for Congress to make the laws to 
govern such streams. 
I hope the question of food supply will be more prominent 
among fish protectionists in the future, as the question from 
that basis is bound to demand the approval of all good citi- 
zens, both rich and poor. W. Levis Burk. 
SOME QUEER CATCHES. 
Neab the town of Somerset, Pa., is a small stream known 
as "The East Fork of Cox's Creek;" there are other small 
streams, but the one named is the only one with which the 
present narrative has to do. 
In this stream, about a mile from town, is an old dam, now 
known as "Kantner's dam," which, like all such structures 
situated near small" towns, within the writer's knowledge, 
serves as a swimming hole and fishing place for the boys and 
young men of the town, and occasionally on Kantner's dam 
some adventurous youngster launches a rude boat of his own 
construction, and, as the boys put it, "has lots of fun." 
Twelve years ago, or thereabouts, be the same more or 
less, the "carp craze" struck this community, and a number 
of gentlemen erected ponds for their keeping, fondly believ- 
ing that they could thus have excellent table fish for the 
mere reaching for them. They found out their delusion 
later, but with that I am not now concerned. 
During the heavy rains of the year of 1889, the year of the 
Johnstown flood, many of these ponds were swent away, and 
the carp contained in them carried into the East Fork of 
Cox's Creek above Kantner's dam, and they have there 
thriven to such an extent that the creek both above and 
below the dam, and the dam itself, are literally alive with 
carp — German carp, leather carp, and all sorts and sizes and 
sexes of carp, in lavish abundance and native ugliness. The 
boys go and fish for them, and catch them, and, I believe, 
eat them. 
A certain young attorney and his cousin, "nameless here 
forevermore," are great carp fishermen ; indeed, certain per- 
sons whisper that, did the attorney devote as much time to 
fishing for clients as he does to fishing for carp, he would 
be better off. But you know, "people will talk." Some 
time during the afternoon of Monday July 5, 1897, these 
cousins departed for Kantner's dam to fish for carp. I 
know not of their going, but about 9 o'clock at night I saw 
them return. They were carrying lanterns, rods, fish, and 
the attorney was proudly lugging along a huge muskrat, and 
to the writer he said : 
"It had got pretty dark. I couldn't see my float. Had not 
had much luck, and was beginning to feel sleepy, when sud- 
denly I felt something. My reel began to sing, there was a 
considerable commotiom, and I called to my colisin I've got a 
big one this time. I played him for all that I knew for about 
a half an hour; but what excited my curiosity was that dur- 
ing the whole time 1 never caught sight of the thing, though 
I never dreamed of its being anything but a fish, and yet I 
didn't think it was a carp. At last 1 got it out and 'twas &■ 
muskrat, though I didn't know that until my cousin told me, 
for, strange as it may seem to you, 1 think that I was never 
before close to one of the creatures. " 
"Why did you bring it home, and what are you going to 
dowithitf 
"0, 1 brought it home to show the boy at our house: and 
then I think I'll skin it for the hide." 
"Better get some one to skin it for you. I wouldn't have 
the smell of the thing on my clothes or person for any money; 
but 1 hate musk." 
"I don't know whether I'll skin it or not," was the reply; 
"maybe I'll throw it away." 
A few days afterwards I met the attorney's cousin, and the 
cousin said: "It was my fault that he brought the thing 
home. I wanted people to see that he actually had caught 
a muskrat with rod, hook and line, and besides', I persuaded 
him that it was good to eat, told him it was delicious, and 
he bcrlieved it. He didn't bring the thing home to show to the 
boy, he fully intended to eat it, but after he got it home and 
smellfcd it, and looked at its tail, he got sick and carried it 
out into the garden and buried it, and he says he can't bear 
any musk perfume since." 
"Tell me," said I, "did that rat actually bite at the hook?" 
"No, it didn't. The hook caught it accidentally in the 
bam of its left hindleg, audit couldn't get loose. This is the 
truth, but he's been telling everybody that it came and bit at 
a small carp on his hook, and that it was hooked in the 
mouth. Bat you'd find the wound in the ham of its left 
hind leg. Now tell me, however, did you ever hear before 
of anyone's catching a muskrat in a stream with rod, hook 
and Ime?" 
"I certainly never did." And now, Mr. Editor, what say 
you and my other "brethren of the angle?" Am4.teuk. 
While fishing from a boat for bass on one of the pretty 
little lakes of Sussex county, N. J., last month with my 
chum, Falbow, we had a very amusing experience. 
After casting with frogs for some time with fair success, 
F. allowed his bait to settle for a few moments. Turning to 
me, he remarked that although something was on his line he 
could not make out what it was, but would wait until the 
frog was swallowed before striking- so after a few anxious 
moments the strike was made, but from all outward appear- 
ances the bottom was hooked. 
I was just about to rally him a little, when the supposed 
bottom started to move out. The line was carefully reeled 
in until there rose above water the immense back of a snap- 
ping turtle, and a whopper, which had swallowed frog, 
hook and a good part of the leader, his huge head and blink- 
ing eyes looking defiance. Here, then, was some lua, and 
the little 5ioz. rod would be tested to its utmost. 
We carefully worked the boat toward shore, and the turtle 
followed willingly enough. Upon landing, Falbow, who ' 
was anxious to make a record with the httle rod, endeavored 
to get the turtle on shore, but the strain was too much on 
the rod, so laying it aside, he grasped the line and hauled in 
to land. I stood in the boat and tried as hard as I could to 
turn the prize over with a heavy oar, but without success. 
At this stage of the game the turtle evidently thought it 
about time to interfere, so raising his front foot, which was 
as large as a good-sized human hand, he took hold of the 
leader, snapped it and hustled for deep water, taking frog 
and hook with him. Hoktz. 
The Forest aud Stream ia put to press each week on luesday. 
Correspmidence intended for publication should reach us at the 
atett by Mmday, and as much earlier, as practicablet 
