FOREST AND STREAM, 
[July t, 1899. 
Stream wiiich led tb tlie Sea, and then it was discbvered 
that the eels had left the pond in a body. 
A gunner in England was attracted to the nest of a 
polecat by the action of his dog, and in it was found a 
fresh eel Avith its head bitten off. The keeper explained 
that the polecat had caught it "as the eel was taking an 
evening stroll amongst the grass." 
In "Natural History of Worcester" Dr. Hastings re- 
lates: '"A relative of the late Mr. Perrolt was out in his 
park with his keeper, near a large piece of water on a 
beautiful evening, when the keeper drew his attention to a 
fine eel ascending the bank of the pool, and with an un- 
dulating motion making its way through the long grass; 
on further observation he perceived a considerable num- 
ber of eels quietly proceeding in the same manner to a 
range of stews nearly a quarter of a mile distant froni the 
large piece of water whence they started. The stews 
were supplied by a rapid brook, and in all probability the 
instinct of the fish led them in that direction as a means 
of finding their way to some large river, where their 
ultimate destination, the sea, might be obtained." This 
circumstance took place in Sandford Park, near Rnstone. 
Pennell says: "The mode in which eels effect their es- 
cape from a basin or other similar place of confinement 
is peculiar. They commence tail, instead of head, first, 
throwing the former over the edge of the vessel, and b^"- 
this means gradually lifting themselves out." He also 
says eels mature in three years, but does not explain how 
he knows this to so. No other writer, so far as I 
can find, pretends to state with accuracy how long it takes 
for the eel to mature or arrive at breeding stage. From 
the same authority, and the last "exhibit" on the sub- 
ject of eels on land: "If eels are kept in confinement and 
not closely covered up or shut in with smooth, steep 
sides, they will almost certainly make their escape, gen- 
erally in the night time, and travel overland to any water 
which may be in their neighborhood. The same thing 
occurs on a stream or pond being dried up in summer, 
when the eels will quit it and wind through the wet grass 
in. search of water." 
Barren Eels. 
A writer in Land and Water gave an account in 1893 of 
a quantity of eels found in a pond with no outlet. The 
eels were all of large size and all barren ; but he did not 
say how he knew they were barren. Another writer in 
the same journal doubted that all eels found in fresh water 
were barren. Mr. Thomas Southwell replied to him. and 
I quote from his reply iri part as follows: "Far be it from 
me to attempt to prove a negative; but this much I can 
say: No statement of a gravid eel having been detected 
in a pond of fresh water has, so far as I can learn, hith- 
erto borne investigation. Many times I have been told 
by the eel catchers that they frequently met with gravid 
eels, but the oft-renewed offer of a sovereign for one in 
such a condition has liitherto been fruitless, and of the 
many examples from such localities which I have dis- 
sected, not one has indicated an approach to breediitg. 
The only eels showing even a partial development of the 
ova which I have obtained were from a tidal Avater, Avhere 
they wei-e on their way to the sea. I do not think Dr. 
Grassi attempted to account for the continued presence 
of eels in apparently isolated ponds; that Avas beyond 
the scope of his inquiry; but it seems likely that in such 
cases the reproductive instinct is arrested; but if event- 
ually developed it Avould probably lead them to attem.pt 
to escape; and the marvelous situations in AA'hich fu'l- 
groAA'n eels haA^e been found lead one to infer that they 
frequently do so. The ascending eh-ers, whose instinct 
leads them to go on and on, irrtespective of barriers, I 
can believe Avould penetrate almost anyAvhere, and there 
are few ponds so isolated as to have no outlet or over- 
flow Avhatever, and their numbers are so immense that a 
ver3' large proportion might perish Avithout being missed 
I se no insuperable difficulty in their gaining access 
even to localities Avhich appear to be Gtit off from all ac- 
cess to river or stream." 
Eels and PoHutioa. 
Interesting eA'idence was given in an English court 
AA'hen the Hematite Iron and Steel Company Avas sum- 
moned, at the instance of the West Cumberland Fishery 
oBard, for allowing a certain substance to floAV into the 
River Eheu and its tributaries to such an extent as to- 
kill trout and salmon. The evidence Avas conclusiA^e that 
the defendant company, for sanitary reasons, did let off 
the sediment from a pond and the sediment did flow 
into the stream and large quantities of trout and salmon 
were destroyed. 
The water bailiff, one Sandersoti, testified that eels lirom 
the polluted stream were "found in hundreds making their 
way overland to holes and to any place they could get to 
escape the pollution, and it seemed a pity that the trout 
could not have done likewise." An English writer, com- 
menting on the case, said: "Although eels bear the rep- 
utation of being dirty feeders and are fond of being 
buried in the mud, my experience of them is that they are 
terribly susceptible to pollution of actually a poisonous 
character, and their testimony bears out my opinion. A 
river I know • abounding with eels has, since pollution 
has nearly ruined it, ceased almost to hold an eel at 
all; at any rate they are so few that they are not worth 
fishing for." 
Abundance of Eels. 
Nearly every year some mills on a stream within fifty 
miles from Avhere I- live are obliged to shut doAvn and 
kill eels. The eels get into the mill Avheels and block 
their motion, and so interfere Avith the machinery that a 
shutdoAvn and eel killing is in order. As to the number 
of eels that cause this trouble, no one can estimate it. 
Mr. Pinkerton, an English writer, says: "It is about this 
time of year that the annual migration commences, the 
eels moving in the night, and always choosing a darlc 
night for the purpose. A cli:mge of wind, a clap of thun-, 
»kr, a cloudy nighl br< uining vlfnv and slurry, will al once 
•,lop Liie movement, 1 have frequently vi.sited the great 
eel fishery at Toome, on the lower Bann, where from 
fifty to sixty tons of eels are annually caught in the' mi- 
grating season. As many as 70,000 eels have been taken 
• ''^■'o nlace in one night." 
Ely, in England, is said to be named from 
rtg been formerly paid in eels, the lords of 
the manor being entitled to upward of 100,000 eels an- 
nually. 
In one lake that I am very familiar with, when the lake 
trout gather on the spawning beds in the autumn, the 
eels also gather, and the sight under a flaming torch at 
night is one to vex the soul of the trout fisherman. There 
are usually a far greater number of eels on the shoals 
than trout, and the lake is full of trout, and well stocked 
annually, and they scarcely wait for the trout to deposit 
their eggs before they devour them, and the law will not 
permit the taking of eels from this lake in eel pots be- 
cause there are trout in it. Eels are rarely taken in this 
lake with hook and line, but they groAv fat on the trout 
spaAvning beds and would make good eating if eel pots 
were permitted to take them out, and save the trout eggs 
in a degree. The Ncav York Sun had this news item in 
1S97: "The Fisheries, Game and Forest Commission of 
this State AA'as the first to recognize the destructive qual- 
ities of eels, and in its report for i8g6 says: 'Fish of all 
kinds are spaAvn eaters to a greater or less extent, but the 
eel is more destructive of spaAvn than any other fish, as it 
does not spaAvn in fresh water and is ready to prey upon 
both the. fall and spring spawning fishes. * * =l< We 
would ask that the Commission haA^e poAver to use or 
authorize the use of eel pots in all waters, Avhether in- 
habited by trout or not, for it is in trout Avaters particu- 
larly that eels are proving destructive of young fish.' " 
The Commissions made the same recommendation in 
their report for 1895. but the laAv has not been changed 
to gi\'e them the discretion in the matter Avhich they 
shoidd haA^e, for it is in AA^aters inhabited by trout that 
eels are doing tlie greatest damage. Eel pots would not 
take trout in any event, and so far as possible the eels 
sho.uld be removed from trout Avaters. 
The Eel Commercially. 
It is a most difficult. matter to obtain complete statistics 
in regard to the number, Avcight and value of fish taken 
in internal waters. From men engaged in commercial 
fisheries it is possible to secure figures upon Avhich to 
base the value of the catch: but of the thousands of in- 
dividual fishermen who fish only for home consump- 
tion, their catch never finds it way, either in pounds or 
dollars and cents, into a statistical report of State fish- 
eries. One has only to look along the banks of our 
rivers and canals to see that a great number of men are 
dailj' engaged fishing for eels, not for market, but for 
the home pot. While visiting the shad nets in the upper 
Hudson I one day counted twentj^-three men and boys 
on the docks fishing for eels, and every dock had its 
quota of eel fishermen. Only a few daj's. ago I counted 
seven men on one pier of the railroad bridge at Albany 
as I crossed on a railroad train. Their lines showed that 
they AA'ere fishing on the bottom, and for eels. Statistics 
gathered by the United States Fish Commission of fish- 
eries of the interior lakes of Ncav York shoAV that 
i7,ooolbs. of eels were taken in each of the two 
years during which the investigation Avas conducted, 
and that part of Lake Ontario touched by coun- 
ties of NeAV York furnished 66,ooolbs. in addi- 
tion, It is scarcely necessary to tabulate returns 
from the Hudson or waters adjacent to the sea 
to show that many eels are taken in the waters of the 
State annually, and I think it is not pretended that the 
most accurate statistics on the subject of the eel fisheries 
shoAV auA'^thing like the number caught. Here is a fish 
considered an excellent food fish that does not breed 
in fresh Avater, but simply comes into fresh Avater for de- 
velopment and returns to the sea, probably to perish after 
spawning. While in fresh water it is a notorious spawn 
eater, and it has no fasting season, like fishes that spawn 
in our lakes, ponds and streams; and all that can be caught 
add to the food supply; so Avhy is it not best to use CA'cry 
legitimate means to catch eels Avhile in our fresh waters 
and thereby rescue the spaAvn of what many consider bet- 
ter fishes?" A. N. Cheney. 
Up Duluth-Way. 
DuLUTH, Minn. — Editor Forest and Stream: I had my 
first outing Avith the bass last week. Accompanied by 
my Avife, I made the trip to Deerwood, Minn., Avhich is 
situated a hundred miles from Duluth, on a beautiful 
chain of lakes; and, although the AA^aters are fished con- 
stantly, as a great many Dulitth people have made their 
summer homes there, I succeeded in catching thirty- 
three, and among them some beauties. 
There are so many pretty lakes Avhere one may go 
from here, and our cool, delightful summers, that it is 
surprising that inore Eastern people do not make the 
trip. One place that a friend of mine found when out 
last for cheapness and good sport, caps them all — three 
lakes, with plenty of small-mouth bass, the gamiest fish 
in the Avorld: tAvo trout streams, it* Avhich two boys 
caught 209 fish, ranging from Sin. to i6in., in ten hours; 
and the landlord meets you at the depot, drives three 
miles to his hotel, furnishes bait, boat and good fare, 
cleans and ices yotrr fish and drives you back to the 
depot all for the sum of $1.25, Isn't he an angel? 
Wisconsin has become the banner State in game and 
fish protection, for even the elements combine to frus- 
trate the well-laid plans of the law-breakers. You have 
all read of the terrible havoc the wind made at New 
Richmond, and the destruction and death caused by it. 
A friend of mine Avho travels for a Avholesale drug house 
in St. Paul and was driving across country to NeAv 
Richmond got caught in the path of the storm, and had 
his buggy lifted from behind, over the horses, stripping- 
the harness clean from the horses and not a spoke of the 
buggy left together; and, odd to tell, he AA'as not injured 
in the least. But he had under his seat a box of trout 
nicely iced, and Avhen he went looking for his satchel 
a farmer Avho had taken refuge in the ditch at the side 
of the road and offered his assistance to help find his 
effects, picked up a chunk of the ice, with the remark. 
"Well,' gol, darn it; did yon ever see a hailstone tlie size 
of tliat?" 
Reverting again to game protection m Minnesota.: 
Fullerton, who has done more good, solid, fearless work 
than all his predecessors, is out. Just at this time he hadl 
got everything working smooth and nice, and the laAA'- 
breakers had learned that if Samuel got after them it 
meant to a bitter finish, But the appointment is of 
course a political one, and he had to go. When you 
take into consideration that from Duluth north and 
east clear to Canada is a trackless Avilderness, only 
penetrated by the land-looker and lumberman; and as 
soon as navigation closes on Lake Superior all the north 
shore is cut oft' from civilization, and the few small 
hamlets that exist must be supplied Avith meat, and the 
deer and moose at their doors, they will certainly not 
buy Armour's army beef. And can you blame them? But 
they kill only what they need. But the other class that can 
be got are the men running lumber camps. They feed 
their men partly on moose and venison, killed by con- 
tract price per pound by men hired for that purpose, and 
do more to exterminate the game, as they kill at all 
seasons, than all the hunters put together. But what can 
we do? There is no Avay to stop it. The States would 
have to appoint a dozen where it now has one to prevent 
it; and if the game can only hold out as long as the 
lumber, Avhich they say Avill only be a few years more. 
Minnesota Avill have a game park that Avill be second 
to none in America. As there Avill be no incentive to 
build railroads and the soil is too rough to till and there 
is no mineral, so they caW rdate practically undisturbed. 
The Dangers of Pass Fishing in 
Florida. 
Editoi' potest and Stream: 
Last year I wrote you a letter giving an account of 
some A^ery good tarpon fishing at Boca Grande, Avishins? 
to call the attention of anglers to that pass, which is a 
most convenient one for anglers to reach. 
When I went down in May of this year I found that 
most of this year's tarpon fishing had been done at Boca 
Grande. Several large steam yachts and a good many 
sailmg yachts Avere anchored inside Boca Grande during 
April and May, enjoying its inagnificent fishing. 
I was surprised to find Avhat poor roAvboats were used 
for tarpon and other large fishing in Boca Grande. Even 
the steam j^achts that came in did not seem to be fitted 
Avith proper fishing boats, and had to hire what thev 
could get there; generally heavy flat-bottom boats tha't 
would not stand very much sea. Now, there is consid- 
erable danger in fishing for tarpon or other large fish 
in any of the Florida passes, and especially in a large 
pass like Boca Grande. The tide runs out very strong; 
and in the excitement of playing a tarpon men do not 
notice how far they are drifting, and may drift a con- 
siderable distance out into the Gulf, iirto rough water or 
the breakers. Again, it is customary, Avhen a tarpon is 
hooked some distance from the shore, to gaff it from the 
boat rather than tow it away in to the shore. Here again 
is another reason for a stiff, seaAvorthy boat. 
Sportsmen going doAvn tarpon fishing seem also tt) be 
very careless as to Avhat sort of guides they employ: 
almost any man Avho can roAV is thought to be good 
enough. There is enough danger connected with fish- 
ing for tarpon for a man to be sure that his guide is at 
least a good boatman. It is my opinion that the best 
guides come from Myers or its neighborhood. I would 
advise intending anglers to write direct to some well- 
known guide in Myers, who, if already engaged^ will see 
that some good man is secured. A man who starts out 
tarpon fishing at Boca Grande, or any other large pass, 
with an incompetent boatman, is needlessly risking his 
life. The tides run strong, svtdden and strong winds are 
apt to come up, and lastly, although not leastly, Boca 
Grande teems Avith large fish. Most of these fish jurnp 
and splash about playing or feeding. The tarpon, a fish 
running from lOO to 20olbs., is continually jumping: 
mackerel shark, a fi,sh running from 100 to 30olbs. and 
over, is also given to jumping; kingfish and whip-rays 
jump; porpoise, weighing from 500 to Soolbs and over, 
and the big flat rays, which they call devil fish down 
there, which run up to over a ton in weight, also jump. 
Now, although the pass is large, and there are square 
miles of Avater for these fish to jump in, it is only a ques- 
tion of time Avhen they must every now and then either hit 
a boat, land in a boat or hit a person in a boat. The last 
is the least likely accident to happen, but it is not at all 
unlikely. If a large fish jumps in the boat he is apt to 
do considerable damage. What with rushing tides, 
rough water and big fish splashing about, it is evident 
that an angler should feel that he has a good, reliable, 
experienced man in the boat to depend on. My own 
experience at Boca Grande this winter may serve as an 
example and warning to anglers to exercise some care 
in the choice of the boats they use and the men they 
employ. 
One afternoon about 3:30 o'clock, while fishing for 
tarpon, I receiA'cd a terrible blow in the back of the head 
which threAV me out of the boat into the water and al- 
most stunned me. I was pulled back by my guide into 
the boat, Avhich was floating full of water, and found, 
lying full length in it, a porpoise about 9ft. long, which 
probably Aveighed over ^oolbs. Of course this fish never 
struck me, or he Avould have broken me to pieces. What 
happened was: He jumped high in the air, as they fre- 
quently do. and landed head first at my feet in the stern 
of the boat, knocking a hole through the ceiling and bot- 
tom of the boat, and stunning himself. The blow I re- 
ceived Avas caused by his body falling upon me.. The 
nearest rowboat was several hundred yards off, and as 
we feared the porpoise might recover at any monient 
and smash the boat to pieces Avith his tail, my guide. 
Santi Armeda, tried to push the porpoise over the edge 
of the boat, but was unable to do so, OAving to the fish's 
weight. Rather than take the consequences of what 
might happen if the porpoise came to before we were 
talcen out of the boat, Ave slipped into the Avater and 
rolled the boat over, losing everything in the boat, but 
glad to do so, as it included the porpoise. We then 
Turned the boat right side up and crawled into Us inside, 
wliicli althougli full of water, floated and sni.)porti-cl us, 
and especially pruleeted us from the possibility of bemg 
bitten by sharks, of which tliere are a great many large 
ones in the pa.ss. T have heard that these sharks wdl not 
tackle a man; but it is my opinion that a shark which 
can tackle and swallow a tarpon, would not hesitate much 
at a man. I did not intend taking any risks, and was 
very o-lad to find mvself inside the boat agam. Very 
