FOHEST AND STHEAM. 
i?, igm, 
Fishways for New York Rivers. 
Walteu S. MacGregor, as chairman of the Legislative 
CominifLte of the J\ew York Siaie Fish and Game 
League, iia,, prepared a bill for introduction in the Legis- 
lature the coining week which will be of vital importance 
to the fi.-hcrnien of central New York. 
It provides for bunding fishways in the several dams 
in tlie Oswego River known as the Oswego, High, 
Minetto, Braddock's, Oswego Falls, Fulton and Phcenix 
dams, the Oak Orchard Dam in the Oneida River and the 
Baldwinsville Dam in the Seneca River. For this pur- 
pose the sirm of $25,000 is asked as an appropriation. In 
discussing the proposed measure yesterday Mr. Mac- 
Gregor said : 
" t he great results in the increase of food and game 
fish which can be achieved by the building of fishways is 
not popularly realized. I believe that if proper fishways 
were constructed in the dams suggested in this act it 
would increase the number of food and g'ame fish in 
Seneca, Cayuga and Skaneateles Lakes and the Seneca 
and Oneida rivers one hundred fold. 
"During the high water period a large number of sal- 
mon, trout, pike and bass pass down over the dams and 
cannot return. These fish are isolated from their spawn- 
ing beds, and the waters where they can thrive and after 
vainly trying to fight their way back give up and fall 
victims to the pot-hunter or are so situated as to be un- 
able to successfully propagate their kind. I am assured 
on good authority that a few Atlantic salmon this year 
worked their way up as far as the Baldwinsville Dam. 
"Build the fishways and in a few years the great 
watersheds of central New York will be well stocked \yith 
fish. Atlantic salmon used to crowd up the Oneida River 
in large numbers. With the building of the dams the 
forced migration of the fish is all the wrong way. 
Proved a Success, 
"In Pennsylvania the building of fishways has increased 
the shad fishing value of the Delaware River ten fold. 
Fishways have been built in the upper Hudson with re- 
sults of a kindred character. The investment required 
for the fishways is a trifling one when coiiipared with its 
results." 
The bill will be strongly espoused by a considerable 
number of legislators from the counties which it affects 
in this part of the State, and has an excellent chance of 
becoming a law. If such is the case, the building of fish- 
ways will be a great boon to the sportsmen of Onon- 
daga and neighboring counties. 
Asked by a Post- Standard reporter regarding his views 
on the recommendations of the State, Fish and Game 
Commission to the Legislature, Mr. MacGregor said: 
"I am strongly in favor of uniform fish and game laws 
for the entire State, with the possible exception of Long 
Island, where they claim with apparent justice that the 
season is somewhat earlier. I believe that the trout sea- 
son should be shortened. It should open not earlier than 
May 1, instead of April 16, as at present. In the cold 
streams of this northern region the trout are sluggish 
prior to May i, and furnish the angler with real sport. 
They are then in the process of cleaning off. Trout 
are such free biters that to preserve them the season 
should be made as short as reasonable. 
*T believe spring shooting should be absolutely pro- 
hibited, as the birds are then on their way to their 
hatching grounds. 
"Woodcock and partridges are rapidly disappearing 
■ u tliis State and something should be done to make up 
the -loss. The State Commission has begtm to experi- 
ment in the breeding of Mongolian pheasants at the 
Pleasant Valley hatchery in a small way, and the plan 
may be prolific of fine resitlts. The Mongolian pheasant, 
which is a handsome game bird, has been successfully iti- 
troduced into Massachusetts and Connecticut, \yhere the 
climate is as cold as here. A few years ago this species 
wa; introduced on the ocast of Oregon and has multi- 
plied with ■^uch rapidity that the coast States now have 
the Mongolian pheasant in great abundance." — Syracuse 
Post-Standard, Feb.-4. 
Salt-Water Fishermen* 
New York, Feb. ^.—Editor Forest and Stream: Ac- 
companying this is the proposed amendment to Section 
139 of the fisheries, game and forest law of 1899, now 
in the hands of John F. Maher, at Albany, and which 
will be presented in the Assembly before this reaches you. 
Pfijp^^tfd Ameudm-ent to Section 139 of the FitiierJeSt 
(jdme and Forest Law of J899. 
Nets not to be used in the Harlem River. — Nets, set nets, poiuids 
iyices shall not be used in the Atlantic Ocean, so far as it is 
comroiled by the State of New York, from ten miles east and 
southeast of the boundai-y line of the present city of New York, nor 
in Uie New York liay, nor in Raritan Bay, nor in the Hudson River 
south of the nortliern boundary line of tlae present city of New 
ioric, nor in the Harlera River, nor in the East River, nor in 
Tuong Island Sound from Hell Gate to ten miles east and northeast 
oi' tlie boundary line of the present city of New York, including 
all adjacent bays, inlets, channels, narrows, kills, creeks and con- 
l.ucnt brooks within said limits. 
ihis section shall not apply to nets used especially for catching 
Tcbsters or crabs; nor to the catching of eels by the use of eel 
Ii>ls; nor the capture of minnows, killies, spearing or shrimp for 
1 ait by means of hand nets, which shall not exceed forty feet in 
length and four feet in depth, in said waters. 
Whoever shall violate or attempt to violate the provisions of this 
fC'tion shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor, and in addition 
ll-ereto shall be liable to a penalty of one hundred dollars for each 
violation thereof and two dollars for each fish so caught. 
There are more thai^ one hundred thousand rod and 
reel and hook and line fishermen in the city of Greater 
New York, and more than ten thousand of these have 
signed a petition asking that this amendment to the 
present law be made. Its passage would, for various 
reasons, do more to give good fishing in and about our 
city than anything suggested in late years. The ctrrse of 
the army of New York rod and reel fishermen to-day is 
the menhaden (moss bunker) fishermen with their mile- 
long purse seines, who keep the annroaches to the mouth 
oi the Hud.son River depleted. With their headouarters 
on Barren Island, thev hover over the south sliore i>f 
I ong Island and over New York Bav. and woe betide tlie 
■-•■•^nol of menhaden that ventures in our neighborhood. 
The menhaden are the attraction that draw the bluefish. 
weakfish and schools t>f many othei vaiielies oi S5I] to 
our waters, furnishing sport, amusement, recreation and 
fish to thousands of amateurs, and fish and money to hun- 
dreds of others who dispose of their catches in the 
markets. Last year there were few bluefish and weak- 
fish caught "outside" (which is the accepted term for 
the water from Sandy Hook to Long Beach), simply for 
the reason that the menhaden had all been caught by the 
Barren Island Fertilizing Company. These menhaden 
fishermen do not confine their catch to menhaden; every- 
thing that comes into their immense nets is good enough 
for fertilizer, and thousands of tons of food fish are an- 
nually used by them for that purpose. It is a shame, a 
disgrace, an oirtrage, that such a business is permitted 
to exist in New York city. A lawyer of high standing in . 
this city informed me not long since that he saw more 
than forty tons of weakfish rotting at one time pji the 
dock of this fertilizing company at Barren Island. 
One-half of the fishermen of New York State reside in 
this city, and yet not a single Commissioner belongs here. 
Not a member of the Commission has taken any interest 
in our fishing, nor made any effort to improve existing 
conditions. Every member of it laiows that the few 
hundred net fishermen rttin the fishing of thousands of 
citizens, and yet they make no effort to aid us. We only 
know of two game protectors in our district — one on 
Long Island, who was notified that some parties were 
illegally ushig nets in Long Island Sound within the 
boundaries of the city of New York, and who failed 
to find the nets, although we know they are still being 
used, and one other in Staten Island, who never did 
anything to our knowledge, except to cause the arrest of 
a preacher for shooting robins. We should have at least 
one dozen fish and game protectors in our New York 
city district. 
The menhaden fishermen under Chapter 138 of the law 
of 1898 possess the exclusive right (excepting shad fisher- 
men) to use nets in Raritan Bay or New York Bay, and 
in the waters of Richmond county, which they fish so 
thoroughly that eveii a porgy or a tomcod does not have 
a fair chance to exist. 
The passage of this proposed amendment will not only 
be of incalculable benefit to the residents of New York 
city, but will greatly increase the catches of every fisher- 
man on the Hudson River, whether he fishes with net, or 
whether he fishes with rod and reel. 
Instead of keeping the fisli away from our coast, or 
landing them on the dock at Barren Island, as is done 
at present, they will have an opportunity to swim up the 
beautiful Hudson and reach the steamboat landing at 
Albany. Jame.s Foster Milliken, 
Director Protective League of Salt- Water Fishermen. 
In the Pound-Net* 
BY. FRED MATHER. 
Rods. 
Mekentio, Pittsburg, Pa., asks: "Is the Heushall bass 
casting rod the standard rod to-day, or has it been im- 
proved upon ? I see that some of the first-class makers 
are getting out rods for bass casting that are 7Y2 feet in 
length and which weigh 7 ounces. Are these preferable 
to the regular Henshall rod? For brook troul fishing 
would j'ou advise a 9:^-foot, 5-ounce; a g-foot, 5-ounce 
or a lo-foot, 6-ounce rod, or some other si^e and weight 
in preference to either?" 
The Henshall pattern is one of the standard black bass 
bait rods to-day, and is made in both wood and split bam- 
boo. There arc also other standard bass rods, because 
anglers will always differ in their preferences. A rod which 
just suits one man as to length, weight and actions will 
not suit another. Men get accustomed to a certain 
style of rod and want no other. It is impossible to say 
what style of rod would be right for you; in trout rods 
much depends on the size of the fish and character of 
the water; on a small, crooked stream overhung with 
bushes, a 9-foot rod might be too long and keep one in 
trottble, as long casts cannot be made in such a place. 
On open water a trout rod should not be less than 9 nor 
more than 1QV2 feet. 
The weight of a rod is a matter of individual prefer- 
ence. The tendency has been toward extreme lightness 
in the past dozen years, and marvels of delicacy have been 
made, largely, I think, to see what can be done in this 
direction and to brag of. A rod of less than 6 ounces to 
be serviceable, must be of the very best workmanship, 
and is therefore expensive. I have seen 4?/-ounce rods 
do wonderful work when casting for distance in tourna- 
ments, but they were carefully made by men of reputa- 
tion, and cost accordingly. Personally, I prefer a heavier 
rod, one that at the end of a day's fishing has tired the 
arm and gives one the advantage of swinging Indian 
clubs when he would not take such exercise for its own 
sake. It compels the angler to change hands, and so 
teaches him to cast with both. Fly-casting is an exer- 
cise that is good for the muscles of the arm, and there- 
fore a' man who iS not strong in his arms may become so 
in time by its practice, but he needs a light rod to begin 
with. There is no length and weight of rod that is the 
best for all men and all fishing. 
Of course, a beginner naturalljr wishes to have advice 
before buying a rod, and he should, if possible, get it 
from an expert, who knows the physique of the novice, or 
from a reliable dealer who is himself an angler. If there 
was a rod for either trout or bass fishing which would 
exactly suit every man and all waters, there would be 
but one style made. 
ResttscitatJng Frozen Fish. 
George Monteith. Brooklyn, N. 1^. — ^It is true that fish 
that were frozen, or partly frozen, liave been brought to 
life and a few have lived xVithout apparent injury, while 
others have died soon after. It may be doubted if a 
fish which is so thoroughly frozen that it can be broken 
like an icicle will live, for Avater expands in freezing, and 
if the fish is frozen as solid as ice it seems as if all its 
tissues must be ruptured by exnansion, and if thawed 
out alive must die soon after. This is a general state- 
mefit based on the theory of tlie exoansion of water in 
liecoming solid, as is shown in the breaking of the 
pitcher. 
The case of the fi^^h and the pitcher are parallel, as 
bc'th begin fietzirfg fioni the outside, ap4 the espan;ion 
does not gain much force until all is nearly solid. A 
fish thrown out on the ice or snow on a cloudy cold 
day and has its circulation suspended at once by the 
freezing of the gills has been known to Hve after thaw- 
ing, but, if the fish flops around and is exhausted and 
partly suffocated before freezing, it cannot live. There 
are well-authenticated instances of fish coming to life 
after freezing, and I once wrote of a smelt that came 
to the Bromfield House, Boston, and, showing signs of 
life, the proprietor put it in his aquarium, and it lived 
for a week or more, when it died from fungus. I 
saw this fish and noticed it from the day it was placed 
in the aquarium until it died. In this case no care had 
been taken to preserve the fish from injury; it had, 
been taken by a hook in Boston harbor and was shoveled 
into a box with others and sent to market. 
To speak of "a frozen fish" is using a general term that 
might be answered differently if different fishes were 
specified, as they differ greatly in vitality. Such delicate, 
easy-dying fish as most cyprinoids, chubs, shiners, dace, 
etc., which die soon when caught in summer and which 
in severe cold weather feed little or not at all, might not 
.stand mitch freezing. Then comes a second class in 
hardiness : The goldfish, carp, suckers, pike, perch, smelt 
and perhaps the trout; these will .stand more exposure to 
air in warm weather and should stand more freezing, if 
done quickly, and if I were to guess which of the fishes 
named would come out of the frozen state in best con- 
dition, I would back the sucker. The catfish and eel are 
not behind in standing exposure to summer air, but the 
eel does not seem to bear freezing as well as some 
others. 
Please consider these as imperfect observations and 
the conclusions mainly theoretical. I have thawed out 
pike, Esox lucius, and they came to life, but they were 
only thawed for the purpose of dre.ssing for the cook, and 
that ended the observation. In youthful days, when this 
was done, the microbe of scientific investigation, the 
pursuit of knowledge for knowledge sake, had not in- 
fected my system. 
Writing of these things brings a regret that fifty years 
ago I did not know enough to notice things more closely; 
opportunity was plenty, more so than now, for I had time 
a.s well as opportunity. I cannot think that I am alone 
with the author who sang: 
"Nothing but leaves, the spirit grieves 
Over a wasted life." 
Not that my life has been wasted, for I've had lots of 
fun ; but in the riotous time of youth there were not only 
opportunities for learning much of things that I would 
like to know now, but also a lack of desire to know them. 
I often wish that I had a son to train. Of course, he 
would rebel at being trained and would break away after 
the accumulating of wealth, or some other foolishness, 
but I'd like to have him begin where I leave off, if he 
would. 
Such dreaming is of no use, but it is pleasing to the 
dreamer. The advanced students and' high-daddy fel- 
lows who graduate from the biological laboratories tell 
us in their books all the anatomical differences in beasts, 
birds, reptiles, fishes and insects, but few of them, except 
the bug sharps, condescend to mention the food and 
habits of the life they laboriously describe. The late 
Dr. G. Brown Goode did something of this in his "Amer^ 
ican Fishes"; Dr. Coues did more in his "Birds of the 
Northwest," and Dr. Jordan exceeds them in his popu 
lar articles in different magazines, showing that he knows 
more of the life history of animals than he hints at in his 
technical works. 
That I have departed from tiiy text is fevident ; to get off 
the track is easy on some roads, but this one seems 
especially so, and after reading what has been said, 1 
merely sigh and think: If this world was so con- 
stituted that the question of bread and oleomargarine did 
not enter into it, how much fun we would have in finding 
out the things which a fa\'ored few are studying in their 
own chosen fields, but the fields arc numerous enough 
for all whose tastes run that way. 
Clams. 
To understand just what animal a man refers to when 
he speaks of clams, one must know where the speaker 
lives, just as he must if he hears the name "partridge," 
although in the latter case something may be inferred 
from the pronunciation, or ouiission of the thrid letter. 
"Clam," east of New Y''ork, means oifly one thing — the 
manninose (Mya arenaria), while from New York and 
down the coast it may mean this or the Venus mercenaria, 
just as it happens, unless the prefix "hard" or "soft" is 
used, the hard clam, Venus, being known by the Indian 
name of Quahaug, or Quohog, east of New York. 
Now cotneth an inquiry from Mystic, Conn., as fol- 
lows: "Will you please inform me as to the authorities 
by which some knowledge may be obtained of the clams 
that abound on our coast — ^the soft, or round, clam — the 
Quohog — and the sea clam. I can get no natural his- 
tory of these bivalves, even from old clammers — men who 
in their lives must have dug and gathered in thousands of 
bushels — and yet they seem to possess no more informa- 
tion concerning the propagation and life of these creatures 
than the late Lord Dundreary did of shrimps." 
The so-called "sea clam," or "skimmer," is allied to 
the soft clatn, but grows in deeper water, is much larger, 
and being tougher is seldom eaten, but is taken in great 
quantities for bait by the cod and other fishermen. I 
hardly know just what the correspondent wishes to know, 
but to-night the logs are blazing brightly and I feel tliat 
I can exude information from every pore, so here goes at 
him. 
The soft clam, so excellent in fries and stews, is to most 
people unpalatable in a raw state. It lives in the sand 
with its long neck stretched out above the mud which 
conceals it. and in this neck are two tubes, or siphons, one 
to take water to the gills and food to the stomach, and 
the other to expel. When the neck is extendi^d it affords 
a chance for some fishes and birds to lake hold of it and 
either nip it off or drag the owner out of its bed, shell 
and all; and as the shells of this species do not close 
tightly, it is helpless when out of the rnud. At low tide, 
if above low water mark, the siphons are withdrawn from 
observation and the clam takes a rest, refrains from feed- 
iitg and devotes its time to wishing that the flood tide 
would begin to "get a move on it"; hence the expression, 
"Happy ao a cUm at high tide-'* This clam bpawiis in 
