June 25. 1898.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
519 
Fiji, where it is common. In general appearance it is 
much like a very dark mallard, and has a similar flavor. 
It commonly appears in twos or threes, and is not at- 
tracted by decoys. It is very wary, and must be ap- 
proached from leeward. It is better to risk a long shot 
than to attempt to get close. 
There are wild boars in the mountains, and cattle 
which have escaped from the plantations and have bred 
fierce in their free life. It is not easy to get on their 
track, and one may hunt a long time without finding 
one. But when a boar or a bull comes into sight it is 
necessary to be quick about throwing a new cartridge 
into the gun. In that dense jungle it is rare that one 
can get a fair sight along a hundred feet of distance. 
When either of the beasts sees a man a charge invariably 
follows, and it is always well to be prepared with a 
load of slugs sufificiently heavy to stop the charge, which 
carries tusks or horns. It must always be point blank 
shooting, and it is pointedly proper not to miss. The 
bull if dodged must maneuver to get into position for 
another rush, and just as likely as not will keep straight 
on along his course. But the tusker, what the Samoans 
call "sisilinifo," is a dangerous fighter. If he is not 
stopped by the shot he knows no fear; he is hard to 
dodge; he can wheel at any point in his charge with an 
inconceivable disregard of the ordinary laws of mo- 
mentum, and his snugly curled tusks can inflict a wound 
not to be disregarded. 
There is a plenty of fish in the sea about these islands, 
and in the tidal mouths of the many small streams. The 
sweet-water sorts are all small and not worth the taking. 
But there are some in the sea and in the quiet waters 
of the lagoons within the reef that give sport to the 
fisherrnan. There is the conger, but there is nothing in 
which his pursuit differs from the catching of any eel 
except that he has a fierce mouth full of teeth, which it 
is just as well to beware of, and when he has thrown 
himself into a pair of half-hitches around a stem of coral 
it will test tackle and patience to land him. 
There is the mullet; he is good fishing. Go out at 
low tide to the reef and stand as close to the breakers 
as you can; the breakers heaving in from the bare Pa- 
cific will adjust the distance if you have come too close. 
Have ready the long pole of a single stalk of tough 
bamboo, carefully and evenly dried in the sun, the butt 
mounted in a hand grip of hard wood, carefully lashed 
on. Use the native hook of a thorn bai^bed from a thin 
strip of pearl shell, a little larger than the thumb nail. 
As the huge roller heaps itself high over your head and 
is just toppling over to break, make a long cast over and 
onto its smooth seaward slope. Keep a sharp watch on 
your tackle if your cast is vain, for the wave may tie 
it fast for you in the jagged foundation of the reef. But 
if you have the luck to strike a fish in this, his favorite 
feeding ground, give him line and let him follow his 
own bent in making seaward. Then play him at the 
second roller, meet his glorious leaps into the air, let 
him feel the sting of the hook every moment, and let 
the drag of the line be ever on him. When at last he 
jumps no more, and his steady seaward pull is weaken- 
ing, then it is time to think of landing him. Get him 
close to the seaward face of the breaker, and watch your 
chance. As the roller comes in keep him in the swift 
back rush, just behind its crest; keep him just there, 
with full strain on the line, until the crest just about 
to go into foam heaves him forward. Then is the mo- 
ment to put muscle into the rod and bring him high 
on to the dry reef, for the smother of breaking water 
and the coral teeth would cut even a whale to slivers. 
Best of all is the bonito fishing out in the open ocean. 
There are enough points in this to meet good luck or 
ill luck to satisfy the most superstitious banker. It be- 
gins with the canoe; the wood must be from one par- 
ticular tree, and it must be filled at one phase of the 
moon. So long must it season in the log before the 
planks are hewn out. In just such a way must it be 
put together. Even when it is completed there is a fear- 
ful weight of responsibility about choosing the lucky 
time for first putting it into the water. So it is with 
the hook; there are many chances for ill luck to creep 
in and spoil everything. The hook is a fine piece of 
work. It is all of pearl shell and in two pieces. One 
is an inch wide and from 4 to 6in. long; the other is 
curved and cut into a barb; the two pieces are firmly 
lashed together with fiber of the cocoanut husk. The 
line is coir sennit, of which every single fiber has been 
tested for strength before being used, and it will stand 
any amount of usage. It is usually fifty fathoms long, 
and so strong that it must be a powerful fish that can 
bite it through. Out through the boiling pass in the 
reef and into the deep, long swell of the ocean the fishing 
party sets bravely out in the canoe — two stalwart pad- 
dlers, the one in the stern steering and handling the line. 
In all sorts of weather these specially built bonito canoes 
are as buoyant as a bubble, and perfectly seaworthy to 
one who has caught the hang of the long outrigger along 
the port side. In a chock in the after half deck is fitted 
the pole, stayed in place by the back of the steersman. 
No danger that a fish will hook itself unknown to him; 
the danger is the rather lest the strain on the pole force 
him suddenly off his thwart. Far astern the line cuts 
the sea, and further yet astern flashes the brilliant troll, 
as the send of the sea heaves it into sight. The sea 
birds sweep shrieking down upon it, a good sign, for 
the birds attract the fish. Dead ahead a school of flying 
fish shy into the air like silver spray. No need to ask 
what sent them into the less practicable of their two 
elements. The two men dig the sea with their paddles 
in their haste to draw the troll over that tract of water. 
Soon is heard the pattering scutter of flying fish astern; 
the bamboo bends even to the water, and as the strain 
comes hard upon his back the steersman knows that at 
the other end of the line is one of the king of fishes. 
Down into the bilge goes his paddle; his mate must 
paddle for two, for a bonito is task enough for any man. 
He breaches at the end of the line, he sounds, he sulks 
as the canoe drags on his mouth, he shoots clean into 
the air, he thrashes the sea — a fathom of sea wickedness 
incarnate. He must be played at full length of line and 
thoroughly weakened before shortening home; even 
then one is not safe from his most savage trick. Often 
he underruns the line after a mighty leap in air to get 
his bearings; like a javelin he lances himself in air, 
aimed straight for the fisherman. It is no light thing 
to receive this charge of a bonito and to go overboard 
entangled in the line. But the line holds good, the hook 
is tightly sewed together, the barb is in his jaw; the 
bonito fights with every trick he can invent until his 
strength is gone. Warily tlie fisherman hauls in the 
line, cautious against some new flash of spirit, for no 
one can safely neglect the astuteness of the game fish. 
Length by lengtli the fish is brought alongside, until 
a stroke of the paddle edge can break his neck. Into 
the canoe the great fish must somehow be stowed, and 
then it's away to shore with the eager sharks snapping 
their jaws alongside. William Churchill. 
Early Summer in the Adirondacks. 
Old Forge, N. Y., June 15.— There has been unusually 
good fishing in and near the Fulton Chain of lakes this 
season. Very large catches of trout have been made 
on the South Branch of the Moose River, near Kennell's. 
Several parties have taken more than thej' should. The 
fishing in the small lakes and ponds has also been ex- 
cellent. 
Last Friday Robert Perrie, the veteran fisherman of 
Fourth Lake, landed a lolb. lake or salmon trout. A 
141b. fish was also taken recently by a guest of the Bald 
Mountain House. Both fish were taken with live min- 
nows and light rod and line. Victor AdamSj of Little 
Falls, is in camp enjoying the early fishing. 
All interested in the advent of summer tourists are 
busy with improvements, and are making preparations 
for old friends as well as those who may come this year, 
for the purpose of avoiding sea shells and possibly other 
shells of Spanish extraction. There is a decided novelty 
in the steamboat management on the lakes this year, 
in so much as perfect harmony exists among the former- 
ly hostile craft. The Fulton has-been enlarged and im- 
proved. 
Along the line of the Adirondack R. R. new settle- 
ments are springing up and old ones are growing at 
an alarming rate — alarming because their growth 
means the progress of the saw mills and the destruc- 
tion of the forests, which the State should own. 
Fishing at Tupper Lake is reported good. The bass 
season is just opening, and large pickerel (pike) are 
plentiful. The Saranacs are as lovely as ever, with 
more guests at the hotels than usual at this time of year. 
The flies, "punkies" and mosquitoes are both early and 
late, , 
In all parts of the woods deer are said to be plentiful. 
The past winter was very mild and food abundant. 
Frank House, of Tupper Lake, tells me he saw more 
than twenty deer in one day. The new road from Old 
Forge to the head of Fourth Lake, cut out a year ago 
and soon to be graded, is covered with fresh deer 
If best means most perhaps New York State has 
not the best hunting and fishing. If the attendant 
charms of forest and stream are to be considered we 
can boast of the best fishing from pole to pole. 
John B. MacHarg, Jr. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
Young Rtiffed Groase in Captivity. 
Chicago, 111., June 4.— Mr. Carrington Phelps, lately 
of MinneapoHs and Lake Minnetonka, Minn., has been 
spending the winter and spring in North Colebrook, 
Conn., and thence writes me regarding things which 
have been going on in that part of the world, among 
others the interesting story of a young ruffed grouse 
whose front name I take it should have been Obiit. Of 
this he says: 
"We happened to find a ruffed grouse's nest with 
fourteen eggs. Mrs. Phelps took three home and set 
them under a hen. A day or two after something 
killed the grouse and left nothing but feathers and some 
eggs. One of the three eggs hatched out four days 
since. I never saw anything to equal the activity and 
intelligence of that little ball of yellow down, for two 
days. It would come to call, eat flies from the fingers, 
and worms too; hunt for itself in the grass. I was 
hoping for a chance to see if the ruffed grouse could be 
raised in captivity. But it crawled out of the warm 
flannels in which we wrapped it at night, and in the 
morning was on top of them, thoroughly chilled. This 
morning it died. You would have been interested in it." 
Readers of Fore.st and Stream may remember 
something of Mr. Phelps' tent ranch on Lake Minneton- 
ka, and the pet red fox Roxie, which was one of the 
features of the place. Roxie is dead, to the great regret 
of her owners and friends. "Mourn with us for dear 
little Roxie," says Mr. Phelps, "for the sweet little com- 
panion and pet died Monday morning. Next to my 
dear old dog, Darby, she was the favorite. Her very 
helplessness and state of captivity made her the dear- 
er. You know that cat, dog or even horse can exist 
independently of you. For four years and a half her 
welfare has been an almost hourly thought for both of 
us, and her bright, affectionate companionship was 
ample recompense." 
Cold Storage Abroad. 
June 9. — Mr. _ Chase S. Osborne, State warden of 
Michigan, who is just back from a trip in 'Europe and 
the Orient, makes a very pleasant companion on a 
railway journey. He is just telling me about his trip 
abroad, and among other things tells me that in Egypt 
he ate American Bob White quail, shipped over in cold 
storage. He also found America quail in Turkey. He 
says Russian black game is also plentiful in such mar- 
kets, Russia being next to America in laxness of game 
laws. 
Mr. Osborne ^ays that he had the peculiar experience 
of taking a shot at a hyena somewhere over there in 
Asia, near where Moses is buried. In taking this wing 
shot Mr. Osborne used a gun loaned him by a Bedouin 
named Jim. The gun measured 8ft. 7in. from tip to tip, 
and was loaded with a bullet and some gravel. Mr. 
Osborne says he snapped the ancient piece eight times 
before it would go off, and by that time the hyena was 
half a_ mile away, and putting tombs behind him at 
every jump. That is a great country for tombs. 
Mr. Osborne tells me that he had a talk with Geii. 
McKenzie, a Hudson Bay factor of Abitibi, P. Q., and 
the latter telfs liim that the close season of 2 term of 
years on beaver is apt to prove a cause of extinction 
of that animal oyer a large region. There has been a 
rabbit famine, and the Indians have been obliged to 
kill and eat their beaver. The Indians district the 
beaver out among themselves, and only kill the best 
ones, whose pelts they sell. Now that they cannot 
market the pelts for money with which to buy food, 
they kill and eat the beaver themselves, and so kill off 
the stock, on the basis that beaver flesh is not worth so 
much as beaver fur. 
_ „ . E. Hough. 
1206 BoYCE Building, Chicago, III. 
Indians in New York. 
Wl^iLE we lived at the corner of Park Place and 
±Jroadway it was not at all unusual to see parties of In- 
dians on the streets, consisting of four or 6ve warriors 
with a suite of squaws and children; the men clad gen- 
erally^ m blankets hanging in some way from their 
shoulders . and an occasional buffalo skin, with feathers 
m their hair, and armed with bows and arrows The 
bows were very strong and stiff sticks of hickory, well 
shaped and strung with something resembling catgut 
which I supposed to be sinews of wild animals. My 
father had much curiosity about these Indians, and asked 
many questions about them of persons he supposed to 
be well informed. On one ocasion, I remember he 
accosted a party of them as they passed his door, and in- 
vited them m. They accepted, and he provided them with 
an impromptu meal, naturally including some grog 
which they took to very kindly. After they had re- 
freshed themselves, he asked them questions as to their 
mode of life, their weapons, etc. (though to what extent 
either party understood the other was unknown), and 
at his request an example of shooting was given. My 
father took a shovel from the side of the stove that 
heated the shop, and setting it up at the rear against 
some shelves of books there, asked one of them to hit 
It. The fellow drew his bow, and in an instant the arrow 
struck the shovel right in the middle, making it sud- 
denly take the form of a segment of a cylinder. My 
father was rather surprised at the force of the blow but 
declared that the shovel was much benefited by the' curl 
given to its blade, as it now could enter the door of the 
stove more conveniently than before. To prove his 
approbation of what had been done, he called for a repe- 
tition of the performance, setting up some other mark, but 
this time the Indian who fired was somewhat careless- 
the arrow flew from the bow prematurely and struck 
plump into the back of a handsomely bound quarto 
volume, which it knocked into a cocked hat in the most 
extraordinary way. The book was ruined, and my 
father, disgusted with the entertainment, from which he 
had derived so little instruction, and which proved so 
costly, brought the performance to a close as speedily 
as possible, and got clear of his guests.— John T. Doyle 
m Evening Post. 
A Trastful Bird. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
A few weeks ago I noticed a short sketch of a farmer 
who was so careful of the birds that he would stick a 
stake by every bird's nest before starting his mowing 
machine, and then w^ould leave a little grass standing by 
the stake. It reminded me of an incident in my own 
life. When I was farming in Vermont I began to plow 
a field. I soon found a bird's nest about one rod from 
the edge of the field. I took the nest and carried it 
about three rods and fixed it on the grassy ground; then 
cut a bush and stuck down by it for a shade. Of course 
the old bird saw me move the nest. I went to my 
work; she went to her nest. In one or two weeks 
there were four little birds in the nest. Every time I 
passed that way I would stop and see how the little 
birds were getting along. The mother was not alarmed. 
She seemed to think I was a friend, and would do them 
no harm, and she was right. R. C, Allen. 
Pearl R. 
The portrait of the English setter bitch. Pearl R., 
published in our columns this week, is masterly in its, 
fidelity to the original, in its spirited and realistic pos- 
ture on T)oint, and in its technical excellence. Pearl R. 
is owned by Dr. M. F. Rogers, New Albany, Miss. She 
is black, white and tan in color, by Sam Gross— Donna 
Inez. She won first in the Manitoba Field Trials Club's 
Derby, at Morris, Man,, last year, in h Held of eleven 
starters, and was one of the three kept in the final series 
of the champion stake of the Northwestern Field Trials 
Club, which was run immediately following the M. F. 
T. Club's trials. She won second in the E; F. T. C, 
Derby, at Newton, N. C, last fall, and second in U. S. 
F. T. C. Derby, at Newton, the week following thereafter. 
In the Derby of the Continental Field Trials Club, in 
its winter trials run at New Albany, Miss., this year, she 
won third. Our readers will recognize at once that the 
portrait is from a painting produced by the deft hand of 
Mr. Edm. H. Osthaus. 
Pictttres of the Field. 
Mr. Edm. H. Osthaus, of Toledo, O., made a brief call 
in Forest and Stream office on Monday of this week, 
he being then en route, for his Western home. He at- 
tended the open air show of the New England Kennel 
Club on June 4, and made a few brief visits with old 
friends. To our readers, Mr. Osthaus is best known as a 
painter of field scenes whose theme is the dog and gun, 
but his masterful skill with the brush enables him to 
paint horses and cattle, stretches of field where the birds 
hide, or water where the fish hide, and this with the 
same truthful portrayal which is peculiar to his best 
known field scenes. He is quite as enthusiastic a devotee 
of the rod and reel as he is -of the rod and gun, and 
his beautiful paintings are taken from the true sources 
and the true inspiration, those of nature. 
