March 24, i9oa] FOREST AND STREAM. 
did not know where it came from, and doubtless they told 
the truth. Still, there is no doubt but what it came from 
Maine, the result of crust hunting. Although venison is 
very scarce here, nobody would buy that thin, long- 
haired stuff, and the salesmen were bothered to get rid 
of it. I had hoped that the wardens in Maine had suc- 
ceeded in stopping such killing and illegal shipping of 
venison, since ncne has been seen here this winter, but 
tlie underground railroad is evidently not yet entirely 
closed. The Commissioners have been notified, and 
doubtless the wardens will be more on the alert. They 
did noble work last year, and the same is to be hoped 
for again. It seems that Mr. Bennet's game bill is not 
broad enough to prevent Boston marketmen from 
handling all the venison there is sent to them, notwith- 
standing it is illegally killed and illegally shipped out of 
the State where killed. Sportsmen and the friends of 
game protection must not suffer themselves to be de- 
ceived by this Bennet measure. Mr. Bennet is a market- 
man himself, and does not believe in game protection. 
But fearing more stringent measures, a law prohibiting 
the sale of game for ten years, for instance, he proposed 
a compromise, and under his influence the other market- 
men will not fight it. Special. 
The Real Founder of the U. S. 
Fish Commission. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Lest history fail to repeat itself at this juncture, when 
especial p^rorainence is given to the duties and usefulness 
of our State Fish Commission, I beg you will reprint 
from the New York Times of March 28, 1892, the follow- 
ing tribute to George Shepard Page from Barnet Phil- 
lips, who himself has been always foremost in promoting 
fishculture wherever practicable. I quote: 
"Twenty years ago, when fishculture was in its in- 
fancy, and regarded rather as an amusing personal hobby 
than as capable of becoming practically useful, _ Mr. 
Page was among the first to appreciate its possibilities. 
In the Century Magazine of this month, in an article on 
'The United States Fish Commission,' the folloAving sen- 
tence may be found: 
" 'The matter was taken in hand by Congress during 
the winter of 1870-71, and a bill was passed for a scientific 
study of the subject.' 
"It was tlirough the personal exertion of Mr. Page that 
the United States Fish Commission was created. He had 
been instrumental in founding what was known at first 
as 'The American Fishculturists' Association.' This as- 
sociation, soon opening up a wider sphere of usefulness, 
changed its title to that of 'The American Fishcultural 
Association.' In tine minutes of this association, with 
the names of Prof. Spencer F. Baird, G. Brown Goode, 
Charles Hallock, Robt. B. Roosevelt, Eugene G. Black- 
ford and some fifty others, may be found that of George 
Shepard Page, with the date of organization, Dec. 20, 
1870. At the first meeting of the association Mr, Page 
presented plans for the prosecution of the sttidy of fish 
and fishculture by scientific means. The resolution was 
as follows: 
" 'Resolved, That a committee of four, including the 
president and secretary, be appointed, who shall draft 
and present to Congress at its present session a memorial 
upon the subject of the creation by the Government of 
two or more fish hatching establishments, one for salmon 
in the vicinity of Puget Sound, and the other at some 
convenient point near the Atlantic coast, for the propaga- 
tion of shad for stocking on rivers and streams.' 
"Mr. Page and Dr. Edwards were appointed to act 
Hnder this resolution; but before that the originator of 
this motion had been in Washington and had mterested 
Senators and members of the House of Representatives 
in the plan for the establishment of a Fish Commission, to 
be under the direction of the Government. There can be 
no question that fishculture in the United States in its 
inception was due in no small measure to the active in- 
terest taken by Mr. Page. The late Prof. Soencer F. 
Baird, who was Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution 
and Chief of the United States Fish Commission, always 
declared that the origin of the department over which he 
presided with such distinction for sixteen years was first 
■ conceived bv George Shepard Page." 
Charles H.'^iLlock. 
ANGLING NOTES. 
Fish. Screens, 
Mr. T. W. Martin, White Lake, Sullivan county, 
N. y., writes me: 
"I am informed that there is a law relating to certain 
lakes which provides that a screen shall be placed at the 
outlet of the same. White Lake in Sullivan county is 
entirely spring fed, and has a gate and an old fiume at 
the outlet. Part of the gate has been broken for some 
time,' and the town board does not seem inclined to do_ 
anything about it. The lake is perhaps two and one-half 
miles long and three-quarters of a mile wide, and of ir- 
regular shape. A woman residing here claims a water 
right, but does not u.se same, and the mill at the outlet 
of the lake has not been used in years. 
"White Lake is an ideal place for black bass and lake 
trout, but unfortunately a large number of fish escape 
from the lake into White Lake Brook, whence they go to 
the Mongaup, and in turn into the Delaware River at Port 
Jervis. 
"No black bass have been caught in either White 
Lake Brook or the Mongaup, and I believe that a screen 
at the outlet of White Lake is the one thing needful for 
fishing to be good in the lake and am anxious to know 
if tliere is not some provision made to compel the town 
board to place a .^^creen at the outlet. 
"The original fish of White Lake were a species of lake 
trout and were known to weigh potuids. None have 
been taken, however, since the black bass were introduced. 
"Yearling rainbew trout have been put in the lake for 
two years, but probably go on down to the DelaAvare." 
This is another case of mistaken zeal in fish planting. 
A natural trout lake ruined by the introduction of black 
bass. The lake trout would never leave the cold depths 
of the lake to go Into the shallow, w aimer water ai ths 
outlet .stream, and it is extremely doubtful if the black 
bass do the trick to any appreciable extent. At least in 
several cases where it has been charged that black baas 
haA^e disappeared down an outlet stream no proof- of 
the assertion has been forthcomijig, but it is more than 
probable that some at least of the rainbows may disap- 
pear down the outlet, for it is a way they have, while 
black bass work up stream rather than down. 
A few years hence rainbow trout of large size may be 
found in the lake most unexpecteduly, for that is a way 
that they have when they find food and water that are in- 
viting to cause them to tarry beyond the two-year period. 
However, to answer the question about screens. I never 
suspected that any one ever contempluated the enacting 
of such a provision as Mr. Martin asks about, that would 
compel town boards to fence in the fish of any particular 
water. There is a law in relation to the erection of 
screens, and it is Section 264 of the Fisheries, Gartie and 
Forest. law, and reads as follows: 
"No person or persons, association, corporation or com- 
pany shall build, place or maintain any rack, screen, 
weir or other obstruction across any of the creeks, 
streams or rivers of the State inhabited by fish protected 
by law that will prevent the passage of fish from one 
point to another point in said waters, except as provided 
in Section 143 of the Fisheries, Game and Forest law. 
iVhoever shall violate or attempt to violate the provisions 
of this section by placing, maintaining or causing to be 
placed or maintained any such screen, weir or other ob- 
struction to prevent the passage of fish as aforesaid shall 
be deemed guilty of misdemeanor and in addition thereto 
shall be liable to a penalty of $50 for each rack, screen, 
weir or other obstruction built or maintained in violation 
of this section." (Added by Chapt. 408 of laws of 1898.) 
A Fofly-Pound Salmon. 
I have another letter from my friend Mr. George E. 
Hart, of Waterbury, Conn., in which he says: "I certainly 
do not see how you are helping me out in this fishing 
fever business, for in last week's Forest and Stream 
you write of a 40-pOund salmon in a' way to make me 
sad. I never have seen a salmon taken with a fly or any 
other way, but I can imagine how a 40-pound salmon 
would look to me, and so I picture it on the envelope of 
this letter by the side of a contented fisherman, who is 
entitled to a smoke after landing that fellow. 
"I enjoyed your remarks about ice-fishing, for I have 
already this winter spent many days on the ice, fishing, 
and had great sport, though it is not trout fishing, but it 
helps a man through the winter, and you will find that 
it gives 3'ou just as much sport as it ever did when there 
is no other fishing to be had. I hope you may get the 
big salmon in June." 
The 40-pound salmon that Mr. Hart'tefers to is one 
that I mentioned in a recent note as having been killed 
by Mr. Jordan L. Mott, Jr,, that the type made me say 
something entirely different from Mott. 
The envelope which Mr. Hart writes of as inclosing his 
letter has delighted my heart, and pleased a number of 
my friends, who have seen it. It is of water-color paper 
Syi by 8j4 inches, and the entire front is covered with 
a water-color painting. In the middle foreground is a 
huge salmon, apparently just landed out of the river 
flowing past in the middle distance, for a salmon rod, 
reel and fly are resting against something near the fisher's 
head. On a rock near the edge of the stream my name 
and address is painted, which brought me the letter 
through the mail. In the "contented fisherman" I rec- 
ognize an excellent picture of myself in the act of light- 
ing a cigar. What Mr. Hart "did not know vv^hen he 
painted this picture and reproduced my photograph in 
colors is that when the picture was taken there was a 
.=almon on the ground at my feet, although it did not 
show in the picture, and was not as large as the salmon 
in the painting; furthermore, I did not kill the salmon. 
Mr. .Archibald Mitchell, of Norwich, Conn. ; Mr. J. W. 
Burdick. General Passenger Agent of the Delaware & 
Hudson Railroad, and T had gone ashore at a spring on the 
bank of the Ristigouche for luncheon. Just before we 
landed from the canoes, Mr. Burdick had killed a salmon, 
and after lunch I took his camera and photograhped him 
holding the fish. Unknown to me, he photographed me 
directly afterward in my great and continuous act of 
lighting a cigar. 
On the back of Mr. Hart's envelope there is another 
painting which T take to be in the nature of a parable. 
288 
Scales, or balances, of the kind that Justice, generally 
blind, but at times with one eye open, holds aloft, are 
finely drawn and colored; from one beam is suspended 
a dish containing a small trout, and the more i ex- 
amine it the smaller it looks to me, and in the other dish 
suspended from the other beam is pictured a weight 
marked "40 pounds," and the fish outweighs the weight. 
This, I assume, is to be translated that to one who has 
had the pleasure of landing a trout, however small, the 
rubies and gold freckles on the trout's sides give greater 
joy than if he had found $200 in money; but the artist 
has fallen into an error in expressing pounds sterling ; 
it should be £, and not lbs. A. N, Cheney. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST 
Chicago Fly-Casticg Club. 
Chicago, 111., March 14. — The last winter meet of the 
Chicago Fly-Casting Club was held at the Leland Hotel, 
this city, last evening, in the form of a dinner and smoker, 
the business transacted carrying the plans of the club into 
the summer campaign. 
It was determined to hold an open tournament, as was 
sug.gcsted would be the case, and the special committee 
reported to above effect. This was really the most im- 
portant business of the evening, for it entails a great deal 
of work and a considerable expense upon the club, all of 
which will, however, cheerfully be borne in the effort to 
give the best open tournament yet seen in America. Gen- 
tlemen will be present from San Francisco, Milwaukee, 
Grand Rapids and other points, and the events will be 
warmly contested. The programme will be patterned 
largely upon that of the most successful tournament of 
1897, and the dates will be Friday and Saturday, Aug. 17 
and 18, this coming summer. The programme will show 
the usual contests for distance and accuracy with fly and 
bait, with bait upon lawn and upon water, etc., but the 
roll cast will not be employed, so few of the Chicago men 
caring for that not vitally useful style of casting. The 
tournament committee will consist of the regular execu- 
tive committee, with the addition of Mr. H, G. Hascall 
and Mr. A. C. Smith. 
There will be two club meets this summer — July 14 and 
Aug. 14 — though of course informal gatherings may 
be held on Saturdays at the usual meeting place at Gar- 
field north lagoon. 
It was decided to hold three fishing trips this season, 
the first probably to S(iuirrel Lake, Wis., another for the 
ladies of the club, possibly to Grand River, Mich., and 
jet another as a fly- fishing trip for bass. Mr. H. L. 
Stanton gave the club members a very good idea of the 
trip to Squirrel Lake, with which region he is very 
familiar. The members would be very apt to get some 
muscallunge there in late May, the probable time for 
the trip. Special rates are offered the club by different 
railroads for these trips, Messrs. Stanton, Clark an 1 
Crosby are a special committee on the first trip, Messrs. 
Crosby, Rugg and Wolfarth for the second trip ai:d 
Messrs. Bellows, Blackman and Brown for the last. 
A feature of the plans for the coming fishing season is 
the establishment of a bureau of information regarding 
good fishing points, etc., this to be given out for the 
benefit of club members. After some discussion it was 
agreed that as the honorary secretary, Mr. Geo. Mur- 
r ell, was nearly always appealed to on such matters, he 
should be constituted and considered the bureau aforesaid, 
all other members to be good enough to send him any. 
information they can obtain which may seem of interest 
to the members. 
An appropriate resolution of regret upon the death of 
Gen. John C. McNulta was passed, with the expression 
of sympathy of the club for the members of the family 
and the instruction to submit same to the latter. Gen. 
McNulta's death has created a p-reat deal of sadness in 
-the club, where he was a nu:ch prized associate and 
friefd. 
The resignations were accepted of Messrs W. C. Gil- 
lett. W. L. Shepard and Edmund H. S'^ong. The 
''talks" after the dinner (the latter a very good one) made 
an interesting part of the evening's programme. Messrs. 
Stanton, Shillaber, Smith, Snow, Chin-rh. Brown, Belas- 
co, Grep"'--^'^''. ct'' rontrihtitcd of their experiences. 
Captain Shillaber giving a very entertaining account of 
his late trip to Mexico, where lie caught tarpon at Tara- 
MR, hart's idea. 
