270 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 30, 1899, 
(if course, has reference to that part of the river above 
tidewater. 
The sttnfisfi is not so easily frightened, and w^ill con- 
tinue to rise as long as the water is clear enough for him 
to see a fly dropped in his lair, but he is very local in 
his habit in the up-river, not living in colonies as in the 
creek mouths of tidewater, where hundreds may be taken 
from a gravel bed. Above, a pair, at most a half-dozen, 
will be found under a willow or near a big rock, or in a 
.shallow eddy at the foot of a little fall, and they are 
as quick as the bass to seize a fly far too large for them; 
it is a iiiatter of admiration hoAv often they hook them- 
selves on a fly intended for a tish twenty-five times their 
size. They are mosth^ returned to the w^ater, for they 
furnish lots of food for the bass, though one of our local 
fishermen cannot be persuaded they do not eat all the bass 
spawn, and it is part of his angling creed to religiously 
kill every poor sunny that comes his M^ay. 
It is growing a matter of wonder why the rock bass 
which have been several times planted in the Potomac — and 
indeed stragglers come vvitli nearly all consignments of 
black bass from the West — arc not more in evidence. With 
a mouth as large as the .small-mouth bass, and a disposi- 
tion much like the sunfish, he ought to be giving an 
account of himself. The waters of the Upper Potomac 
with its rocks and rapids would seem to be just suited for 
him, and he will prove when he comes to be to the fly- 
fisherman what the crappie is to the still-fisher — a wel- 
come addition to his preserve and his basket. Of course, 
there are exceptions to any opinion on the subject of 
tish, and just as some trout fishers despise grayling that 
St. Ambrose eulogized, so some bass fishers have nothing 
for the rock bass but dispraise. 
Rowland Robinson, who is always interesting— for he 
writes what he sees and believes, and we love these best 
even when ■we disagree — in Lippincott for 1882 (vol. 30, 
p. 13),' writing of bass fishing, has his boatman say: 
"A cossed leetly rock bass. Put a wamm on de hook and 
ketch 'im oft" de water," and the author continues ; "But 
the smallest minnow in the pail captures hirn, and the 
miserable, bony, greedy, big-mouthed, little thief is hauled 
forth without ceremony. How any one can praise him for 
anything but his moderate beauty — the onlj^ virtue he has — 
is a wonder to me. The despised sunfish is handsomer, a 
better table fish and as great a nuisance, yet nobody 
praises him." 
What would J. Harrington Keene and Maurice Thomp- 
son et al. say to this? Both have said nice tilings of the 
sunfish, as have many others, and Thompson includes the 
rock bass in his praises for the pan fish and the skill which 
can take them. 
The rock bass huh a good deal of mouth, but not too 
much. His active habit gives him a firm enough flesh that 
"watery" does not fairly describe, and his skeleton shows 
no more bones than the other perches and basses, so that 
"bony" fits him less aptly than it might if his shoulder.s 
were not broader, than the average. .He is & daring, 
dashing, beautiful fish with a bad eye, and is only dis- 
appointing when after a struggle that promises better 
things, he shows up at less than a pound. He does not fight 
so long as the black bass, but is very interesting while he 
la,sts, at least in some waters. 
As we take our homeward way the flood is tearing down 
over the feeder dam, and from there to the foot of Little 
Falls the river is white with foam in striking contrast to 
the black waters above and below that lie dead in the 
gathering shadows of evening, the hills and the rain 
clouds. It ought to be a dismak drive for us throi^h the 
pelting rain, but somehow is not, and one of our consola- 
tions is that a dayton is better shelter than a bicycle, oi 
which there are man3^ whose bedraggled riders or pushers 
are pictures of miserj-. 
To our shame, much of oilr comfort in this world of 
relation conies of the knowledge that somebody is worse 
ofl^. and so discomfort for the other fellow, of which we 
can stand a good deal, scatters a certain amount of satis- 
faction, for. unconsciously perhaps, it awakens a realiza- 
tion of our better estate. On a sunshinir day these bicyclers 
■would have laughed our vehicle and gait to scorn, but this 
was not their turn to laugh. Hekky Talbott. 
A Sleeping Water. 
Three men of Passaic county, all of whom have had 
considerable experience in natural history, went to Hank's 
pond a few days ago, more for the purpose of watching 
certain phenomena there than in quest of sport. It has 
frequently been asserted ■ that years of poverty follow 
years of plenty in all the realms of nature, and it has 
been said of late that Hank's pond at present constitutes 
a fine example of this. For a number of years there was 
no better fishing place in the State than Hank's pond. 
This sheet of water is located in West Milford township, 
within half a mile of Clinton reservoir. There are no hab- 
itations along its shores and as it is difficult of access it 
was fished very little. Its rocky bottom and bold shores 
almost preclude the possiblity of using a net. For all 
these reasons people have assumed that Hank's pond 
ottght to afford good fishing at all times. But it has 
been stated that the pond at present contains very few 
■fish, For the purpose of ascertaining this fact and in- 
quiring into its causes the visit of the three men was 
made, ■ 
A' conviction that Hank's pond is at present nearly 
barren of fish, despite all its manifest advantages, was ar- 
rived at in short order. Methods, both sportsmanlike 
and otherwise, were resorted to for the purpose of luring 
fish. The weather was all that could be desired and the 
water could not have been in better condition; but the 
fish taken were so few that it was soon apparent that the 
truth had been told when it was said that Hank's pond 
was barren. Even the murderous clothespin bait was re- 
sorted to and trolling it about the lake several times in 
the most alluring fashion resulted in only one small bass 
being taken. 
A close examination of the water showed that it con- 
tained no small fish, on which the larger feed. Drawing 
the riet was productive of bait only at the upper endj 
near a little lagoon, and at this place the only fish of any 
size were taken. It was apparent that the large fish had 
cooped the small fish ail in the lagoon and were feeding 
on them. The cause of the absence of large fish was 
■explained hy the absence of fond. The absence of the 
latter was explained by the absence of all vegetation in 
the main part of the lake. Acres and acres of arid bot- 
tom were passed over where formerly there was abun- 
dant vegetation; the latter had afforded food for the bait- 
fish, and with the disappearance of the plankton — by 
Avhich is meant all the vegetable and insect life which 
supports the small fish — the bait fish had disappeared. 
The chain of facts was perfect. But what had caused the 
disappearance of the vegetation? That is more than the 
investigators could ascertain. The double curtain of 
water and mud precluded the possibility of any further 
Investigation. 
The aborigines frequently referred to waters as sleep- 
ing and the term has been generally misunderstood. It 
was applied by the Indians to different waters at different 
times, and it was not a permanent appellation. They de- 
nominated waters as sleeping where fish life had become 
almost extinct. They knew that in the course of a few 
years there would be a change and consequently they be- 
lieved that the water was merely sleeping in order to 
gain rest. Hank's pond will probably awake some of 
these days'; the vegetation will re appear and then in the 
natural course of events the larger fish will be found 
there again. 
Persons who are in the habit of roaming about Passaic 
cnuiilv and skimming the open book of nature have re- 
marked that Hank's pond has not "purged" or "worked" 
for'some tirne. The process denominated as either purg- 
ing_ Or working is a phenomenon noticeable in all waters 
which sustain fish life. It is generally presnmed that the 
process means the throwing off of objectionable vegetable 
matter by the water, but it is far from being anything of 
the kind. On the bottom of most waters there grow a 
number of so-called weeds, merely vegetable productions 
which require both earth and water in plenty to make 
them thrive. This vegetation ripens every year, and when 
it does .sfi its upper part separates from ,he lower and 
ihe upper .-iscends to the surface of the water. In this 
upper part are to be found the seeds, and these aj e ripened 
by the sun. Some of these seeds and their pods are green, 
others white; the former predominate. This process of 
r'pening the seeds is known as purging or working. The 
seeds when they are ripe fall to the bottom and bring 
forth new vegetation the following year. This vegeta- 
tion and the numerous forms of insect life on it form the 
food for the small shellfish and other fish on which the 
larger fi.sh feed. Consequently it will be seen that the 
process known as working and falsely denominated as 
purging is absolutclj^ necessary to the well-being of every 
sheet of water. Because of the lack of vegetation and its 
consequent working. Hank's oond is not a good pond at 
present; it is only sleeping, however. — Chas. A, Shriner 
in Paterson fN. T.) Chronicle. 
Santa Catalma Tuna Club. 
San Francisco Fly-Casting Club. 
Medal Contests, Series iSoq. — Contest No. 12, held at 
Stow Lake, Sept. 16 and 17. Wind, S.W.. light, Weather, 
fo.ggy, warm. 
FIR.ST JJ.W. SKl'T. J 6. 
Event Event Event 
No. Is No.?, , EveiitNo. 3, , No. 4, 
Distance, Accuracy, Delicicy. T^ure 
Feet Percent. Acc Del. ^ Net ^ CastingiS 
Hiittii 10-11/2 73 4-12 90 8-12 "9 2-12 79 11-12 (M 2-5 
Brolticrton ....117 9.5 SS 70 79 93 
>:dward.s 101 9fi .1-12 94 8-12 n7 6-12 SI 1-12 S7 
Everett 110 92 8-12 90 1-12 76 8-12 SS 6-12 
Golchcr ]2fl 918-12 91 SO 10-12 8511-12 
Lovetl: 130 m'i-12 9o 72 6-12 83 9-12 
ATansficld ....120 95 4-13 93 4-12 76 8-12 85 86 
Mocker 97 81 
Muller lOfi .ti 9.», 4-12 80 10 12 87 1-12 81 
Reed 100 88 4-12 92 7fi S-12 84 4-12 
Skitiner 92 93 94 75 84 6-12 
-Yovnp: 95 92 4-12 87 4-12 74 2-12 80 9-12 78 3-5 
SECOND DAY. SEPT. I7. 
T.attu 99 91 8-12 85 8-12 C6 8-12 76 2-12 
Urotherton ...112 91 8-12 86 8-12 73 4-12 80 80 4-5 
Everett 109 95 8-12 89 8-12 71 8-12 SO 8-12 
Golcber 112 92 87 75 81 
Haight 71 95 8-12 
Huvck 84 89 70 4-12 55 10-12 63 1-12 
Klein 75 89 4-12 78 60 69 
Lovett 115 95 4-12 94 75 84 6-12 
Mansfield ....120 94 8-12 95 4-12 80 10-12 88 1-12 814-5 
Muller , 95 89 8-12 92 70 10-12 81 .5-12 
Reed ..98 90 8-12 88 4-12 71 8-12 SO 591-5 
Turner 81 93 4-12 87 67 6-12 77 3-12 
Voung- 92 94 8-12 90 8-12 79 2-12 84 11-12 68 3-5 
Walker .. .. .. .. 621-5 
Tudges — Muller, Golcher, Everett, Brotherton. Referee 
— A'lansfield, Clerk— Walker. 
Re-entry days — Sept. .30, Oct, i, Oct 7, Oct 8. 
Angling in Lapland* 
ENXHitsiASTS in the gentle art of angling will be in- 
terested in the records of a recent expedition to Lap- 
land. It is an uncomfortable and expensive voyage, and 
the entire absence of any proper food in the country 
renders it necessary to take everything which the ordi- 
nary civilized being may require. But in these days of 
condensed nourishment of all kinds that is not a very 
formidable matter. On arriving at their destination the 
narty of two rods and their followers found the river 
frozen so that they had to sft down patiently on the banks 
and w^ait for a thaw. When that came there was too 
much water, and fishing was an impossibility. But "tout 
vient a qui sait aftendre" and w-hen the river got into 
condition they had grand sport. They fished for eleven 
days, and during that time the two rods got a total of 
282 salmon and 155 grilse, in all weighing liearly 5,opolbs. 
The best day's catch for one rod was thirty-three salmon 
and twenty-two grilse, weighing SS.^lbs. in all. Still, fish- 
ing in those quarters is not all violets. Last year, for 
instance, the party took out some sheep, so as to be sure 
of fresh meat. Those gentle creatures were all de- 
voured by wolves, so this vear no live stock was taken. 
Friends sugc^csted that such a course was imprudent, as 
i:he wolves would be sure to be waiting for the expedition 
in the hope of a good feed, and failing sheep they might 
go for the rods. Hnwe\ er, their enterprise or their appe- 
tite did not go so far us that, and the partv returned, 
happy in tlieir catch of '?,ooolbs, weight of fish in eleven 
days.- -London Telegraph, 
The Tilna Club' "has decided that the great mtere: 
shown in the recent tournament of the club justifie,, 
another in 1900. large committee has been appointed- 
represented by members in Pasadena. Los Angeles, Clevc 
land, New York and San Francisco. The tournamen 
will extend from the beginning of the white sea bass se,i 
son, May i, to Sept. i, and to have the annual banqu. 
on Aug, 15. The following cups and medals will be fislit- 
for : The Tuna Club cup. held by C. F. Holder, i8qH 
i8,3lb. fish, and by Col. C. P. Morehouse, in 1809, 251 lb 
fish. The Tufts-Lyon. Company cup for black sea babs 
held in 1898 by F. V. Rider, 327lbs.. and in 1899 by T. S 
Manning, 330lbs. The Van Nuys cup for largest yelloA^ 
tail, F. V. Rider, 1899. The Tuna Club gold medal, fo 
largest tuna, C. F. Holder, 1898, i83lbs. ; C. P. Mor. 
house, 1899, 25ilbs. The Rider-Macomber medal, fo 
largest black sea bass, F. V. Rider, 1898, 327lbs. : T, b 
Manning, 1899, 33olbs. The John F. Francis medal fo 
largest yellowtail of the season, F. S. Garrish, 37lbs. Bt 
sides these there will be handsome rods, reels, gaffs, etc 
all intended and devised to induce the anglers of the worl 
to fish scientifically and use rod and reel. 
New officers elected are: E. L. Doran, Vice-President 
F. V. Rider, Secretary, and T. S. Manning, Franklin !; 
Schenck, C. P. Morehouse, R. A. Eddy, F. V. Rider 
Charles F. Holder, Dr. H. K. Macomber, directors. 
The King of the River. 
[M. O. Lownsdale iti Portland Oregonian.] 
The ramping of waves o'er the glinting bar, 
The champing of bits in the leaping tide, 
The crool of the sea as, in -wild devoh-, 
He drools o'er the lip of his river bride. 
Call in the white heroes — call in — call on — 
Call in spectral forms, in resplendent guise ; 
And up the foani-riCt, (ill his quest be won. 
The glittering king of the river plies. 
The fast-running tide sweeps the phantom schools, > 
In scurrying lilt, thro' the river's port. 
They glide into deep, opalescent pools, 
Where militant knights, holding regar court. 
Snatch life from the loveliness they behold; 
And racing away from the hoarse sea-cries, 
On Love's fretful pilgrimage, lo! the bold 
Impetuous king of the river flies. 
He leads a fair queen up the vine-clad runs, 
Thro' cartons, o'er shallows, 'mid clkweed dank, 
Where bear idly wallow, 'neath languid suns, 
And flitting mergansers, from oziers rank, 
Fling striduloii.'; shrieks to the ecli'ing firs, 
Past crag and past scaur, ever on he flies; 
Dim, periloiis sluice-ways, thro' riven spurs, 
The silver-mailed king of the stream defies. 
In vain all the lures of the rustic churl ; 
In i-ain will the sweets of the morn beguile; 
A myriad midges imliee<led whirl 
And dip to the wave in enticing wile. 
When drowsily day, o'er the brawling bars 
And ripples, reels faint and forsakes the skies, 
Then Dian raaj' see and the argent stars 
The radiant king of the river rise. 
Then sibilant larches, august of mien, 
Breathe tremulant welcome, as west winds blow; 
Breathe welcome and warning to king and queen — 
"Beware, river lovers, of the firefly's glow!" 
The ruffle of brake where the shy deer clings, 
As herons and low-swooping eagles rise. 
The fish-hawk aloft, flapping sunlit wings, 
The vigilant king of the river spies. 
He loiters where amnian sprites wage war 
And, rioting wild over velvet meads, 
Spring forth at new gorges and shout afar, 
"All hail, Rainbow King! Rainbow Queen, Love speedsl" 
But upward, still upward, the phantom holds; 
And onward, still onward, with eager eyes. 
Until his fair vision of love unfolds, 
The siren-led king of the river hies. 
Just out of the swirl of the veering strearfi, . 
In niches encaverned 'neath moss-fringed slielves, 
Like gossamer floating in idle dream. 
In weirdest haunt hewn by the river-elves, 
A castle of crystal, whose turrets old 
And battlements rugged like outworks rise, 
In vesture of brilliants, of azure and gold, 
The indolent king of the river lies. 
He rides at his ease, -while liis lang'rous :nat<'. 
Swings heavily down to the pool's low niargr; 
And faint from their far run, in listless state. 
They dream o'er that desperate passion-charg>^ 
White pines and red maples swoon low — bwouii wid' - 
To veil the blue cheek and the Naiad eyeti 
So witchingly limned in the restless tidt:. 
These palpitant chiefs of the river prize. 
A dainty creation of gentle art 
O'er royalty wantonly spreads her charms, 
An iridal gleam! A mad thrill I A start! 
He surges away, flashing dull 'alarms, 
And strains at the rein like a wheeling steed, 
Contemptuous, grim, with defiant eyes, 
For Telephus' arm, Atalanta's speed, 
The shimmering king of the river sighs. 
He flaunts from the pool like a flying lance — 
He spurns the rude steel in his armored guard — 
A plunge! a wild reel! to his queen a glance I 
A sweep of the net! and he stains the sward. 
For goals may be won, yet Love glides awa;-. 
Sweet queen, hearken not to his life's faint sigli^l 
A gurgle! a quiver! Alas the day! 
The masterful king of the river clies. 
Female Nimrods. 
Lady Hopetoun, wife of the Lord Chamberlain, is one of thj 
cleverest of a galaxy of femals Nimrods, which includes Lad 
Sandhurst, Lady Beaumont and the Duchess of Bedford, and sb 
can bring do%vn anything from a partridge to a stag as skillfull 
a.s can most men. In Australia she used to practice regularly at th 
riiie range, and her score of "bulls" was the envy of many me 
shooters. Deer stalking is her favorite relaxation, and manv 
fine buck has fallen to Tier gun. 
