June 3, 1899,] 
FORESl' AND STREAM 
43a 
and the sloughs in the spring and fall overtlowing with 
ducks; and ruffed grouse and pigeons everywhere. By 
the way, I see that these interesting birds are coming 
back to us again. They are not extinct by any means, 
but where in the land of the living have they been for the 
past years? Jacobstaff. 
Capture of Young Atlantic Salmon* 
On May 10 the writer's attention was caught by two 
little salmon lying on a fish merchant's stand at No. 24 
Dock Square, Boston. The two were not very unequal 
in size and weighed 8oz. The employee who showed them 
to me said they were "salmon trout." and had come from 
Connecticut in a box of brook trout. 
The fish, of course, were easih' recognized as young 
Atlantic salmon, and the red spots on their sides gave 
evidence that they had been taken in fresh water, for it 
is well known that young salmon acquire a silvery coat 
before entering the ocean, or, at least, lose the red spots 
soon after they go into salt water. 
Mr. Eugene G. Blackford informed mc, while in New 
York a few days earlier, that he had recently sent to the 
United States Fish Commission, Washington, D. C. a 
young Atlantic salmon weighing 3 or 40Z. that was re- 
ceived from Bayside, N. J., in a box of shad. Bayside, I 
am informed, is on the Delaware River. 
It would be interesting to know the exact source of 
the salmon foimd in Marshall Johnson & Son's establish- 
ment in Boston. Thej' may have been reared at some 
private fish hatchery and shipped with the brook trout 
inadvertently, but the probability is that thej' originated 
from artificial planting, or natural reproduction, in the 
Connecticut River, which was formerly a salmon stream. 
It is easy to account for the presence of young salmon in 
the Delaware, which has been the scene of numerous arti- 
ficial deposits of fry and fingerling fish. It may be that 
salmon now spawn every year in the headwaters of the 
Delaware, and they may occasionally run into the Hudson 
and the Connecticut for the same purpose. 
Perhaps if there were more Blackfords in the markets 
where fish are received in large quantities from nearlj^ all 
parts of the coast and interior waters, we might learn a 
great deal more about our species than we know at 
present. Doubtless young Atlantic salmon are occasion- 
ally to be seen in various markets of the New England 
and Middle Atlantic States ; but they are passed over as 
"salmon trout" or "hybrids" or almost anything but the 
right thing, and nothing is heard of them by interested 
parties. 
Forest and Stream publishes an illustration of the sal- 
mon secured in Boston in order that its readers may be 
able to recognize the fish, if they meet with it. and may 
report its occurrence for the information of the public, 
and especially that portion of the public that is trying to 
increase and spread a knowledge of the life history of 
our fishes. 
Many anglers have inquired how to preserve specimens 
of fish which they know would prove interesting to 
museums or to special students. This can be accomplished 
in several ways : by packing them in crushed ice and saw- 
dust (after wrapping them in paper), in acetate of soda, 
salt, or some similar preservative, or by placing them 
in a jar containing formaldehyd or alcohol and water. 
Formaldehj^d (or formalin) costs about 30 cents per 
pound, and to one pound of the solution, commonly of- 
fered for sale, may be added nineteen pounds of water. 
Alcohol may be reduced by one-third of its bulk with 
water. 
Whatever preservative be used it should be remem- 
bered that incisions must be made in the sides and belly 
of the fish, to allow the liquid to penetrate freely and pre- 
serve the viscera, always the most troublesome feature 
in preserving specimens. As the writer had no time to 
search for formalin, he bought a quart Mason jar, put into 
it a pint of alcohol and nearly one-half pint of water, then 
made a number of small openings in the salmon and placed 
them in the jar. The fish were sent to the Forest and 
Stream office to be photographed, and will be permanent- 
ly kept in a museum for study. 
Commercial acetate of soda is said to be one of the 
very best preservatives for fish, especially in warm re- 
gions. It is cheap and effective. Dr. Vaillant, of the 
Museum of the Jardin des Plantes, Paris, informs me that 
his collectors use it with great success, and with very 
Httle_trouble to themselves. Small specimens, under 6 or 
Sin. in length, are simply covered with the dry powder. 
Larger ones are opened on the belly and the cavity is, 
filled with the soda. Before shipping to ^destination all 
the specimens are repacked in a fresh lot of the powder. 
Anglers and other sportsmen and travelers in unfre- 
quented regions (and, for that matter, in many well-known 
localities )*^'bf ten have it in their power to make-xontribu- 
lions to science by means of the natural objects with which 
fhcy meet. Many of them go to the trouble of making 
sketches and forward them to some specralist for identifi- 
cation, That is usually sufficient for the purpose in- 
tended; but sometimes the most important characters are 
overlooked and the sketch fails to accomplish its object. 
The specimen is the thing to send whenever this be pos- 
sible, If there be no other means at hand common coarse 
salt water may be used successfully, always remembering 
that the belly must be filled or the vi.scera will be spoiled. 
Fish thus packed can be shipped by mail as merchandise 
or natural history specimens. Tarleton H. Bean. 
CHIC.^GO, III., May 20, 
The Salt- Water League* 
New Vokk, May 24. — Editor Forest and Stream : The 
New York Sun of this morning has "an editorial on the 
league, of which I ask yott to reprint these paragraphs: 
"There has been a great deal of misunderstanding in 
regard to the dispute between the net men and the line 
men. The newly-formed anglers' league is not the crea- 
tion of fools who would interfere with the reasonable and 
legitimate rights of the netters. Everybody knows that 
nets niust be used to supply the markets; but few people 
::belife"vi that, only a fourth of' the choice game fish caught 
in rie'^'Hshould go to the market and the rest allowed to 
spoil, to be tossed Qverboard, or converted into material 
for manuring potato patches. It is against this shameful 
waste of food fishes that the anglers are now le;igued. Of 
course, the spoiling of their sport has much to do with 
the position they have taken. This they admit frankly 
like honest men, and. it is not at all improbable that a 
compromise may be made between them and the netters, 
by which the latter might endeavor to limit their opera- 
tions to the necessary market supply. For instance, they 
might stop netting to some extent at least during the 
spawning season, and raise their pounds and stop work- 
ing the purses for one or two days every week during the 
summer months. That might benefit themselves in the 
long run and satisfy the anglers, the hotelkeepers and 
the shore railroad companies. 
"The theory that the food supply of the sea can never 
be affected by any device of man is perfectly sound in 
regard to outside deep-sea fishing; but the notion that 
the inshore run of game fish cannot be turned back or 
affected by iniles of pound nets stretching out in echelons 
along the coast is simply absurd. Evidently there is a 
Jittle too ..much netting. It should be limited, and it 
would be better to have the change for the better made 
voluntarily by. the dealers themselves than to have it 
forced upon them by a State Legislature." 
This is just the support we have been looking for. 
The league seems to be progressing very nicely in its 
work, and I am very much delighted to see the papers 
giving us a lift in this matter. Our purpose surely is a 
good one, and we shall accomplish it. 
J. BiEDiNGEi?, Pres. 
.\ meeting of the Protective League of Salt Water 
Fishermen was held at the Riverside Hotel in this city 
la>t Wednesday evening, Pres. Biedinger in the chair. 
-About fifty members were in attendance, and the reports 
of President, Secretary Fliedner and Treasurer Reilly 
showed progress. A number of stirring addresses were 
niade. Mr. Edward Schott called special attention to 
tlie pollution of the waters by factory waste, and dwelt 
u;jon the necessity of increasing the membership of the 
League until it should become so powerful that it miglit 
be able to influence candidates for the Assembly and 
Senate, and oblige them to regard favorably and support 
the laws looking toward a more stringent sj-stem of pre- 
xenting pollution. 
Mr. Taxter said that while the bass fishermen who fish 
along the Hudson River were loud in their complaints of 
the very abuses which the Leaa-ue is striving to over- 
come, they did not join the League, and by their mem- 
ber.<hip and personal participation give it aid. He urged 
that every fisherman interested in the Hudson River fish- 
ing should join the League. 
Pres. Baywood, of the Baywood Fishing Club, an 
organization of the East Side, also dwelt upon the neces- 
sity of co-operation and united action b}^ all concerned. 
The nets, he said, must go. He called particular attention 
to the bill now in the Governor's hands, relative to the 
Barren Island nuisance; and upon his motion the League 
adopted a resolution to petition the President to sign the 
bill. The address by Pres. Biedinger was of the most 
encouraging character. He said that he had had a con- 
ference with one high in authority as representing the 
netting interests, and had' been warned that if any at- 
tempt to ititerfere with the netting industry were made, 
the League would find itself powerless, as the netters 
-were banded together in a labor organization, which 
would not brook interference. But the purpose of the 
League, the President said, was not to injure any 
legitimate business, but was rather to put a stop to the 
unlawfuF netting ; and where practicable to provide ir» 
place of unlawftil netting the more profitable lines of in- 
dustry of boating and providing for the wants of the 
anglers. He announced a list of committeemen, one each 
for the several assembly districts throughout the city. 
New England Fishing, 
Boston, May 27. — Returning fishermen still complain 
of poor luck. Such is especially the case on certain 
r^Iaine waters, though one to read the papers running 
fishing departments would be led to believe directly the 
opposite. The Brackett and Clark party is back in Bos- 
ton. Mr. Emery came out early, completely discouraged. 
He caught only four fish in a week's fishing. Mr. Brack- 
ett stayed longer, determined to take some fish. A few 
days ago some oi the gates were closed at the Upper 
Dam, attd there was then good fishing in the pool below. 
Mr. Brackett took nineteen trout in one day, some of 
good size. Much di.spleasure is expressed by the early 
fishermen in Rangeley waters concerning the smelt. 
They are inclined to believe that their lack of success is 
due to the fact of the trout being too well fed on these 
smelt. The last suggestion is that the smelt may de- 
stroy the minnows — generally dace — that have been the 
food of the trout from time immemorial, and that if the 
minnows disappear, what becomes of the trout? One 
cause of this suggestion is that the lakes and ponds that 
have abounded ift smelt have not had minnows in abun- 
dance, while the Rangeley waters have always been noted 
for the great abundance of minnows, and hence the great 
size and abundance of the trout. There were never any 
smelt in the Rangeleys till put in a few years ago by the 
Maine Commissioners, for the purpose of food for the 
landlocked salmon. 
Good catches of trout are reported from the Northeast 
Carry, Moosehead Lake. May 18 Mr. and Mrs A D 
Foster, Reignold Foster and J. G. Wellman brought to 
the Wmnegarnoc House one of the finest catches of the 
season, or of many seasons, for that matter. In six 
hours' fishing they took twenty-three trout, the total 
weight of which was 77lbs., an average of nearly ^V-Ahs 
each. 
Upper Dam. Me., May 29.— Fishing is much better 
here, and all tlirough the Rangeleys. C. M. Parker, of 
Brockton, Mass., has caught a salmon of 7lbs. Mr. Co- 
burn, of Lawrence, Mass., took a fine salmon in the pool 
below the dam here, Tuesday, which weighed well up to 
61bs. He is greatly pleased with this catch, though hav- 
mg done well with trout previously. He and Mrs. Co- 
burn occupy one of the private cottages here. The 
Wmney and Gormely party is smaller this year, but 
as successful as ever. These two gentlemen caught 
twelve trout one day last week, the string weia-hino^ over 
20lbs.; largest 4^Ibs. Mr. C. A. Stearns, of "the Camp 
Stewart party, surprised the fishermen at the dam a little. 
Thursday, just at dusk. He had just got in, and cast 
his line over above the dam, where half a dozen others 
had been fishing betimes all day, without success. In a 
moment there was a swirl, and he soon had a trout of 
4K'lbs. H. S. Kempon, of the Boston Herald, took a 
fine trout of 2^1bs. before breakfast the same morning. 
He was scarcely gone from camp half an hour. J. D. 
Pickslar, of Orange, N. J., took six trout the other day, 
the largest weighing 4lbs., and two of these. The 
Birches is full of guests. The Mohawk Fishing Club is 
there. Other fishing guests are O. C. Davis and a friend, 
of Brockton, Mass., and W. Ellson, of New- 
ton. Another party is composed of Police Inspector 
G. M. Robinson. Boston; A. M. Douglass. Boston- 
James F. Brennan, Peterboro, N. H.; T. F. Saft', Bos- 
ton; Thos. F. Strange. Boston: John H. Kimball. Marl- 
boro, N. H., and L. Wiswell, Marlboro, N. H. 
^ Special. 
Good Sport in Canada. 
Some exceptionally large catches of trout in the different 
club lakes north of Quebec, and unusually good sport with 
ouananiche. are the latest reports broiight here by re- 
turning anglers. The boats on Lake St. John have now 
been running for nearly a fortnight, even before the 
whole of the ice had left the lake. This year the ice did 
not all sink as usual, but before it had time to rot and 
go down below the surface of the water, it was driven 
by the west winds to the head of the Grand Discharge, 
.where it was taken in charge by the current and carried 
down the rapids, smashing up Price's booms above Chi- 
coutimi. Unusually large numbers of ouananiche are be- 
ing taken in Lake St. John itself off the Roverva! shore by 
local fishermen, and anglers from the city have been 
making large catches at the mouths of both the 
Ouiatchonan and Metabetchonan rivers. There has been 
such 3 remarkable dearth of rain in the Lake St, John 
country this spring that the water in the lake itself is 
falling very rapidly, and contrary to what was expected a 
month ago, the opening of the season in the Grand Dis- 
charge is expected to be as early as usual, notwithstand- 
ing the late breaking up of the ice. The middle of 
June ought to bring good sport in the rapids. 
The trout lakes are already making full amends for the 
poor fishing that they yielded last year. All the anglers 
who have visited them during the last week or ten days 
report exceptionally good sport. Several members of the 
Triton Club were expected down by yesterday's train, but 
they sent word out that the sport was so good that they 
would stay with it a little longer. Some phenomenal 
catches are reported from the outlet of Lake Batiscan. 
A number of other American members of the club are in 
town, and leave for their preserve to-night. 
Among^ those who returned here last night from the 
Lake St. J ohn district on their way home, are Messrs. W. 
B. Hincks and E. G. Sperry, of Bridgeport, and Geo. a' 
Fay, of Meriden, who enjoyed fine fishing at Lake Kiski- 
sink. on the Metabetchonan Club's territory. 
Mr. W. F. McCormick, of Florida, was in town this 
week from Lake Edward, and reports that he and his 
father have had some really good fly-fishing on the lakes 
and rivers back of Lake Edward, controlled by Mr. Robert 
Rowley. Mr. Follett has secured some very large speckled 
trout in Lake Edward itself. 
Dr. Porter, of Bridgeport, is now fishing the Meta- 
betchonan Club waters,, and Mr. Gregory, of Syracuse 
