Potomac Notes, 
Washington^ D. C. — A special dispatch to the Balti- 
more Sun from Easton stated that great quantities of 
dead fish, mostly croakers, had been beached on the east- 
ern shore of the bay. They were in such abundance on 
the Dorchester, Queen Anne and Talbot shores that 
farmers carted tlicni to the fields for fertilizing purposes. 
It is not uncommon to find a few fish; of various species, 
along the shores of our Atlantic coast after hard and 
especially sudden freezes. Shad are frequently found 
along the shores of the Smith Island region, and pompano 
are often found chilled along the Florida coasts, where 
sudden and severe "northers" cause great mortality 
among the fishes generally. 
Messrs. Javins had last month one of the fattest black 
bears Ave have ever seen. It weighed under 400 pounds. 
The fat enveloped the back of the animal from head to 
tail, and in the thickest parts was 6 and 7 inches thick, 
The bear was shipped from Kansas City. There was no 
meat to sell, so the dealers took the fat honie and tried it 
out. What to do with the fifteen or twenty gallons of oil 
is a question. B. A. B. 
Tagfged Codfish. 
Baldv INS, Long Island, N. Y., March 4. — The Nassau 
County ReAn'ew of March 2 reports that two codfish have 
been caught by the Carman brothers, of this place, which 
had tags on their tails one inch lang and a half-inch 
wide, and fastened with small copper wire. One of the 
tags was marked T 10 and the other H 35. These mark- 
ings were presumablv done bv the Fish Commissioners. 
" ' R. S. P. 
§lu genmL 
Fixtures. 
FIELD TRIALS. 
Nov. 13.— Chatham, Ont.— Twelfth annual field trials of the In- 
ternational Field Trials Club. W. B. Wells, Hon. Sec'y. 
Nov. 18.— Newton, N. C— Eastern Field Trial Club's twenty- 
second annual field trials. S. C. Bradley, Sec'y, Greenfield Hill, 
Conn. 
Digging Out Foxes. 
B-ARREj Vt. — Editor Forest and Stream: In a former 
issue of Forest and Stream the contributor who signed 
himself B., under the above heading, expressed the senti- 
ment of others who follow the sport of fox hunting, and 
your Canadian correspondent was surprised that the 
method was still in vogue. In this section there are sev- 
eral fox hunters and nearly all resort to thii method of 
capture, a few going to the extreme of carrying spade and 
pick on every hunt. It is true that our State offers a 
bounty of fifty cents each as an inducement to exterminate 
this fur-bearing animal, but is the law just? Why 
should we not put a close season on this game? Why 
should not the army of fox hunters have their favorite 
game protected? Has the writer for years been wrong in 
withholding his aim (except in proper season) in keeping 
the bounty _ hunters from disturbing their burrows of 
young and in turning the trappers' traps upside down? 
Some take the traps along with them. These views will 
not be kindly received by the fox hunter that can see 
nothing in a day's hunt beyond the bounty and skin, but 
those who love the woods and the music of the pursuing 
hound .surely must be in sympathy with the writer. 
I was but a lad ; many December snows have since 
melted on the mountain where I dug out my first and last 
fox. It was a perfect morning for trailing when my 
uncle let loose his three hounds on that winding trail that 
led along the mountain side. How they dashed away in 
full cry, first encircling the mountain top, then back to 
the swamp below, and so closely ran they together that at 
intervals a blanket could have covered them. My uncle 
was waiting at "the Old Elm" by the highway, but the 
fox passed just out of range of his deadly ten-borc and on 
to the south the pursuing hounds fled out of hearing. We 
had waited for hours for their return, had left our stand 
and were plodding down the highway, when the distant 
voice of Til could be heard coming nearer and nearer, un- 
til he crossed the highway to the mountain, where the 
fox had been started in the morning. My uncle remarked 
that the dog would catch or hole him. The two remaining 
hounds gave up the chase at the highway, while the old 
dog could be heard running to the north. A few minutes 
passed and the long drawn note of the hound could be 
distinctly heard, which my imcle interpreted as "All I can 
do." 
On our return to my uncle's home, Til was at the house. 
My uncle took his back trail, while I returned to my 
home. In the evening he reported that he had him 
"plugged in." "Come up in the morning and we will dig 
him out." Four men and three dogs were earlv on the 
ground. In twenty minutes the fox was located. The 
old dog pulled him from the earth while the two re- 
maining helped tear him in shreds. Would it not have 
been less brutal, more sportsmanlike and hmnane to have 
allowed this fox his liberty, and again on another dav 
liave tested his endurance and rtinning against those of 
the hounds? 7^. A. E. 
The Dog Happy Hunting Ground Notion. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Every little while some sentimental correspondent of 
Forest and Stream takes up the subject of a happy hunt- 
ing ground for dogs. Now. as dogs are impeccable, they 
are under no moral responsibility, and therefore there can 
be no dog hell ; and as. in justice, there can be no dis- 
crimination. e\ery canine kill-sheep and even' mangy 
cur. including the big brutes that their infatuated owners 
bring into the parlors of civilized people to be met with 
hypocritical smiles from ladies who inwardlv wish them 
at the bottom of the deepest duck pond: all must be piled 
into dog heaven, which, as some dog owners wish to meet 
tiieir pets again, must be the place anpointed for the 
human race. But suppose the dog should be good and his 
ojaster a brute — what then ? 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
I think it would be as well for the advocates of a canine 
heaven to let the subject drop, as inconsistent and irra- 
tional. DiDYMUS. 
St. Auousti.se. 
Points and Flushes. 
The premimn list of the fourth annual dug show of the 
Northwestern Kennel Club is now ready for distribution, 
and can be obtained on application to Dr. W. A. Moore, 
Secretary, 300 Ryan Annex, St. Paul, Minn. Entries 
close March 14. Mr. George W. Clayton, of Chicago, 
will fill the office of superintendent. 
No matter how interesting races for the America Cup 
may be. it is well that they don't come every year. The 
number of American yachtsmen who are in any way 
employed in these contests is extremel}'- small, and thou- 
sands of other active amateurs are lost sight of in the 
exclusive concentration on one contest. The mainsails 
of the big Cup competitors blanket the whole coast and 
leave things in the doldrums, La.st year, with trial races 
at Newport, the tests of the Shamrock at Sandy Hook 
and the work at the Herreshoff yards to be reported daily, 
local contests could not possibly receive their usual meas- 
ure of attention. The direct aid that a Cup series is sup- 
posed to bring to general yachting is found to be chiefly 
mythical when the facts are examined. It does not assist 
builders of racing yachts, because orders do not come in 
when it is known that interest in the smaller classes is 
going to be swamped in the coming year. There is no 
widespread demand for professionals of extra skill when 
local racing is at a discount, and as to the instructive qual- 
ities of the big races, it must be said that to thousands of 
amateurs they have little to teach. 
No wonder, then, that American yachtsmen in the 
aggregate are looking forward eagerly to a year they 
can call their own, when individual skill may be esti- 
mated at its value and when everybody can have hi-s in- 
nings. — New York Tribune. 
The war in South Africa, which is by no means ended, 
in spite of the latest developments, and whose effects will 
be felt in any case for a long time after peace is declared, 
has probably killed the season of 1900 so far as the Brit- 
ish racing is concerned. Many of the leading yachts- 
men are now at the Cape or on their way there, and 
their 3^achts are laid up, with no thought of fitting out, 
many being on the sale hst. Among those who have 
gone to the front are Messrs. Andrew Coats, W. P. 
Donaldson. A. E. Orir-Ewing. Lord Albemarle, Ken- 
neth H. M. Connell, Hon. Rupert Guinness, Lord Wol- 
verton. Dr. Lander, Philip Perceval, Capt. H. Le B. 
McCaimont and Lieut.-Col. Barklie McCalmont. 
Incidental to the war is the announcement that Mr. C. 
D. Rose. Avho has two sons in the service, will not race 
his new cutter-Dist&nt Shore, and it is also stated that 
Bona will not be raced this season. The countermanding 
of his order for a new 6s-footer, placed with Mr. Fife 
in the fall by Mr. John Gretton, is also understood to be 
due to the war. The Mediterranean regattas, now on, 
have brought out but a small fleet of English yacts, and 
those of 52ft, or under, none of the large yachts fitting 
out for them. Under the circumstances, the chances of 
sport on the part of the home boats, and especially of a 
visit from Columbia, are very small. 
The coming of tlie 63-rater Isolde suggests that there 
are others of this excellent class now on the sale list 
at very low figures, in conseqtience of the war, offering 
a specially favorable opportunity to American yachtsmen 
who may care to get good racing in a fairly large class of 
yachts. The very successful Tutty, and also Eelin, both 
designed by Arthur E. Payne, are now" offered for sale, 
and such others of the class as Astrild and Senta can 
probably be had. These yachts are practically of the 
same size as the well-known Queen Mab, and though de- 
signed especially for racing they have good accommo- 
dation for general cruising, and all are of the latest com- 
posite construction. With the enlarged sail plans possi- 
ble in this country they will give good racing. The addi- 
tion of Isolde to the class, with Queen Mab now here, 
makes a certainty of its recognition by the clubs, and 
any one going into it with one of the above boats may 
be sure of good sport. 
The Earl of Dunraven has achieved a new distinction 
in being dropped from the the council and board of offi- 
cers of the Yacht Racing Association for having neg- 
kctcd his duties in failing to attend any meetings for 
over a ^^ear. The 20-rater Audrey, the fin-keel designed 
by Lord Dunraven has just been broken up at South- 
ampton, being unsalable as a cruiser. 
''Day Boats'' or Yachts. 
A LIVELY discussion is on at present in England over 
the "day boat," or racing machine, vs. the useable 
yacliL As reported elsewhere, the Yacht Racing Asso- 
ciation, at its recent meeting, has decided that all yachts 
of classes above 36ft. shall be fitted with the ordinary 
bulkheads, floors, transoms, etc. The notice of this 
proposed amendment has brought out letters on both 
sides, some contending that the 52ft. yacht of to-day — that 
•is. of the same size as Syce and Kestrel in this country — 
is merely a boat for day day racing and too small for 
living on board. The Field has the following to say on 
the suhject: 
In the early seventies, Avhen the twenties were a.s plen- 
tiful as blackberries, the advantages of light construction 
had not begun to be aopreciated by yacht designers, and 
it is only within the last decade that there has been a 
serious competition in the direction of obtaining the light- 
est possible scantling. The competition has contimied 
itnchecked until tlie present time, and we think that the 
toatchbox constniction of some oi out mk&rn raciiig 
2[B 
yachts should be sufficient to open the eyes of the most 
casual observer. Capt. J. Orr-Ewing was the first in the 
field to urge upon the Yacht Racing Association tue 
necessity of taking the matter Up, and as an owner of 
many racing vessels no one is in a better i)osition lo 
judge of the need of the scantling question receivmg 
consideration, There is no class that has suffered more 
from the evils of light construction than the "twenty" 
class, and, coupled with the neglect of any pretense to 
observe the spirit of the rule relating to cabin fittings, 
during the last few years, the result has been that 52- 
footers of a most desirable type on paper have been 
turned into mere leaky shells. The rating rule has to 
bear the blame for many contingencies, but up to the 
present date it cannot be blamed for the type of yacht 
developed in the 52ft, class, because we were told when 
Mr. C. D. Rose built Penitent in 1896, the first year the 
rule came into force, that she was exactly the type of 
boat it was hoped the rule would produce. At the pres- 
ent time Penitent is practically as fast as any of the 52- 
footers. The framers of the present rating rule would 
claim that a craft of the form of Penitent is a satisfac- 
tory type of vessel, because she is fairly roomy and does 
not enter into extremes in any of the bad points which 
it was claimed that the length and sail area rule tended 
to encourage; in fact, for a racing yacht they have suc- 
ceeded in producing, as far as design goes, a very whole- 
some vessel; just as happy a ship under modern condi- 
tions as old Vanessa was in the seventies. After having 
struggled to produce a good type, and having succeeded 
— or, at any rate, having reached a higher standard of 
success than has hitherto been attained — their end is 
ignominiously defeated and all the good work they have 
done hopelessly stultified by two difficulties; the first 
and more formidable being the scantling question, and 
the second trouble the evasion of the rule relating to 
cabin fittings. 
When considering these two important questions it is 
as well to recall the circumstances that led up to the 
introduction of the present rating rule. In the autumn 
of the year 1894 the rating rule committee expressed an 
opinion that the length and sail area rule had a tendency 
"to produce in yachts unduly large circumscribing dimen- 
sions relative to displacement and useful living room on 
board." They consequently considered it advisable to 
alter the rule. It is therefore perfectly clear that the 
object the Yacht Racing Association had in view was to 
support the general desire of the main body of yacht 
owners for a boat suitable for living on board by en- 
couraging a type of yacht having good internal accom- 
modation; it is also equally obvious that the accommo- 
dation is useless if the owner is to be debarred from put- 
ting into his craft the usual cabin fittings. We there- 
iore not only differ from the view that the question of 
internal accommodation has nothing to do with the 
Y. R. A., but go so far as to say that the extract from the 
letter written by the rating rule committee to all the 
principal yacht designers, which we have quoted above, 
clearly proves that the desire of the yacht owner to 
make his racing yacht his home was the primary motive 
which originated the present rating rule. If this object 
is lost sight of, the raison d'etre for the present rating 
rule, or any other kind of measurement that will tend 
to produce a wholesome type of yacht, no longer exists. 
The present owner of Penitent, in the same issue of 
the Field, argues as follows in favor of the proposed ruie: 
Sir: Your correspondent F. S. (who, if I mistake not, 
has written on the same subject elsewhere under another 
nom de plume) must not think the sailing rules commit- 
tee hastily formed their recommendations, or the council 
lent its support without due deliberation. The matter 
was most carefully discussed, and I agree with you, sir, 
the subject is a very important one, and care must be 
exercised that side issues do not unduly affect the opin- 
ion of yachtsmen who may vote on this question. Both 
those in favor of internal fittings and against should try 
to make their own personal wishes subsidiary to the inter- 
est of the class, for when once the temporary annoyance 
of being obliged to complv with the rule has passed, I, 
for one, think the advantages of carrving out the original 
Y. R. A. rule, that "every vessel should carry the ordi- 
nary fittings of a yacht," immensely outweigh any possi- 
ble and (to my mind) imaginary objections. 
Who can desire a stronger argument in favor of the 
fittings than that to have them may bring more to the 
class, and will certainly keep none out? 
While who can deny that at times even the present 
owners, who have their big tenders, will appreciate the 
seclusion that the cabin grants, to say nothing of the 
I'omJorts and conveniences so necessary when they arc 
favored with the company of ladies? 
-A.gain, although I think F. S. greatly exaggerates his 
point .about adequate living accommodation for the crew, 
still, if he does not require the cabin room, and has the- 
ories as to the entire ai'ea that should be allotted to each 
individual, there is nothing to prevent him indulging hi.s 
theories to the full by devoting that space to their use. 
Other writers have said that for the past five or six year.s 
all the space has been given to the crew, and to the crew 
alone. This is not the case, for until 1899, when Senga 
led the way by clearing out all fittings, I only know of 
one 5J-footer racing in Brhish waters that had not at 
least a good cabin and proper lavatory arrangement'^, 
and so it is illogical to argue that evasion of the rule m 
the past proves that it is out of keeping with present re- 
quirements. Wholesale evasion only took place last sea- 
son, and I heard nothing but surprise and complaint that 
it was allowed by the Y. R. A. 
As for the hypercritical objection that even the wording 
of the suggested rule is "faulty." for "no mention is made 
that the fittings shall not be of a doll's house type," allow 
me to point out that obvious cheating of this nature is 
not likelv to escape the official measurer's attention. 
You, sir, in your editorial remarks, assert that if the 
suggested rule is not confirmed, yacht racing in boats 
of such size will suffer in the long run. I em^icly in- 
dorse this opinion, and have endeavored to state some 
of the reasons for supporting it. Surely a S2-footer a 
vessel of approximately 40 tons T. M.. should be some- 
thing more than a day boat. Wm. P. Burton. 
In the course of the meeting the disctission of the pro- 
posed ameadiaeiit hinged da the els-^s, ss it ms 
