Dec. 15, 1900.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
471 
is a suburb of Pittsburg (and is my home), and there- 
fore I have no doubt they refer to one and the same 
party. However, I wish you would correct this for me, 
las I got only one moose, and that one measured 56]/2 
inches in the spread, The Quebec license permits a 
holder to kill two moose, but I was satisfied with one, 
especially as iL was at that time considered one of the 
largest ones killed in the Kippewa district, and I shot 
him on the second day out, within a mile of camp, Mon- 
day, Oct. 8, at 9:45 A. M.., by stillhunting. He fell at 
the second shot, but required another one to kill; him. 
No "calling'' was done. I did not hunt moose after that, 
but contented myself with a few short trips through the 
woods for exercise, and therefore I don't like to be 
placed in the "game hog" class by being charged with 
three moose. I do not know to whom the two 36-inch 
heads belong, but I do know that they are not mine. 
F. M. Turner. 
m mid ^iviir «^isJiing. 
Notice. 
AH communications intended for Forest and Stream should 
always be addressed to the Forest and Stream Publishing Co., and 
not to any individual connected with the paper. 
Proprietors of fishing resorts will find it profitable to advertise 
tbein in Forest and Stream. - - 
The Lake of Gennesaret. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
When the Creator of the world completed His work 
and saw that it was good and ready for the use and enjoy- 
ment of His last creation — man — the waters of this world 
were filled with fishes, and with those fishes only which 
were best adapted to them. No one will claim that the 
fishes which abounded in the streams and lakes when t'ne 
work of creation was complete were different from those 
that abound in thern to-day. where they are still in their 
natural state, and what their natural conditiotis were 
we all know. 
^ Perhaps the most marked instance of the proper adapta- 
tion of fishes to the waters where they abound is to be 
fotind in the Lake of Gennesaret, and this is regarded by 
many as showing an intenion to bestow an especial bless- 
ing upon the Jewish nation. 
_ This lake, which is about sixteen miles long by six or 
eight in width, is said to contain the most delicious fresh- 
water lake fish in the world, and it is claimed that this 
variety has never been found in any other waters except 
three or four lakes in the mountains of" Africa. The 
Romans as well as the Jews were extravagantly fond of 
fish, and in the time of the Apostles the taking of fish 
in the night with a cast net was an honorable and lucra- 
tive employment. The fish were bought by the middlemen 
in the early dawn and furnished to the markets of the 
wealthy city of Capernaum in time to supply the tables 
of its luxurious citizens at their morning meal. , 
There were no persons in the land of Palestine in those 
days who thought that they were wiser than the Creator 
of the universe and knew better than He what fish should 
have been placed in these waters, and there were no "fish 
commissioners" in the land. 
If there had been, the waters of this lake would prob- 
ably have been stocked with big-mouthed black bass and 
carp — that's all. 
I am in receipt of your very pleasant favor of yester- 
day, in. which you rather intimate, however, that I am 
romancing a Httle bit in regard to the Lake of Genne- 
saret, or at least assuming a knowledge which may not 
be well founded, ^ou have known me long enough to 
know that I am very modest, and would not for the 
world make an assertion which I did not believe, or in 
fact know, to be true, and I think that in this case T 
must come to the rescue of my own reputation. 
The reference to the Lake of Gennesaret is strictly true. 
The fish in that lake, of which but few now remain, be- 
long to the perch family, and spawned about the month 
of April, and I think that an^^one who has visited the 
lake will tell you that the north shore, between the late 
city of Capernaum and the mouth of the inlet to the 
lake, was the principal spawning ground of the lake. 
While the location of the city of Capernaum cannot be 
exactly fixed to-da3', it is conceded by all to have been 
at or very near the northwest corner of the lake, and 
probably very near to the hot springs which exist there 
to-day. 
The last reference in the Bible to fishing by ti e 
Apostles fixes the time shortly after the Passover week 
when Jesus was crucified, which would be in April, and 
it appears that some of the Apostles were fishing in the 
night time, and that in the early dawn, when it was im- 
possible to distinguish one person from another, the 
Saviour appeared on the shore within hailing distance oi 
the boats and asked the usual question, "Children, have ye 
any meat?" and they evidently supposed him to be one 
of the middlemen coming out from Capernaum to buy 
up the catch of the night before. The nets used were 
the same as those used in the South to-day for catching 
mullet, that is cast nets, which were spread upon the 
water, with a diameter of about fiheeii feet, the sides of 
which were sunk to the bottom, and when drawn together 
the fish would be inclosed. 
The reference to Zebedee (Mark 1:19-20) fishing with 
his two sons gives a pretty clear idea of the manner 
in which fish were taken in those days; Zebedee sitting 
in the middle of the boat, one of his sons in each end. 
and while one was casting the net the other would be 
preparing for his cast, so that they would cast and draw 
in alternatelj-. As die fish were theji on the spawn beds 
and could not have been in schools, this mode of fishing;- 
ultimately restilted in an almost absolute destruction of 
these fish, and they were evidently before the destruction 
of Capernaum red.uced, bv being taken from the soawn 
lieds, to such an e.xtent that the lake hns never rallied, 
the natural enemies of the fish having rroved sufficient 
to prevent their increase: and although I have seen some 
staton-pntc; as to the taking of these fish wthin the la?t 
few years J have not seen anv accjaunt of their beipg 
artig^it, -which seenis to me to be authentic. 
Ten years ago the Rev. William B. Hill, now pastor 
of the Second Reformed Church in this city, visited this 
lake, and at my suggestion made every effort in his 
power to catch one of these fish; and he told tne after- 
ward that he had spent a large part of two days in his 
effort to do so without success, quaintly remarking that 
he. had alwa3's regarded the taking of a fish by the Apos- 
tle Peter with a piece of money in its mouth as a miracle 
because of the coin", but that he was now ready to be- 
lieve that the miracle existed in his catching the fish. 
You will see from this that I have not been speaking 
from random, and I know that my views correspond 
with the views of those who like myself have been in- 
terested in the fish and fishing in this lake. 
I think that I am correct also in stating that this 
variety of fish cannot be found anywhere else to-day in 
the world, except in three or four lakes in the highest 
mountain regions of Africa. 
Yott will pardon this long letter, but I think that your 
letter rather puts me in the position where I must give 
an account "of the faith that is in me." 
I am satisfied that Mr. Cheney, wdiom we all respect 
and admire, agrees with me as to the evil results from 
indiscriminate stocking of streams and waters with fish 
which did not already abound in them, and if he had had 
charge of slocking our waters instead of Seth Green the 
results to-day would be very different. 
J. S. Van Cleef 
, PoirGHKEElP.«lB, Dec 1, 
ANGLING NOTES. 
Black Bass of Large Size. 
In looking over a very handsomely gotten up pamphlet 
my attention was arrested by a reproduction of a photo- 
graph of four black bass suspended side by side against a 
board. Under the picture (it is a half-tone) is this legend: 
"Black bass caught in the Delaware River in tSgg. The 
board on which the fish are nailed is i6 inches wide. The 
largest fish weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces." 
At once the question suggested itself, Are the black bass 
small-motith black bass or large-mouth black bass? The 
mouth of each fish is open, so it is difficult to determine 
the species from the mouth as exhibited in the p cture. 
The shape of the body of one fish suggests the large- 
mouth, but from the shape of the body of the next fish it 
might be a small-mouth. In the picture the light coiues 
from the left, and the belly of each fish is turned to the 
left and the distended gill covers throw the scales on 
cheeks and gill covers into shadow, so no one can tell 
\vhether the scales are smaller on gill covers than on the 
body, and thus another means of identification is lost by 
the itianner in which the fish are hung. The body scales 
of the larger fish seem to say large-mouth black bass, but 
that is guess work, for another fish near it would as 
readily pass, as to scales, for a small-mouth. The weight, 
8 poimds 9 ounces, would, on general principles, iirdicate 
the large-mouth, except that we know the smaJl-ntouth 
has been caught still larger. I have examined' the picture 
under a strong magnifying glass, and am a, much in the 
dark as ever as to the species, for I never have been in 
doubt about the fish being fine specimens of black bass 
of one kind or the other, and they undoubtedly delighted 
the heart of the man who caught them, and I do not sup- 
pose he really cared whether they had a large mouth or a 
small mouth, as in any event they were black bass, and la g 
black bass. 
. If it was the intention of Mr. Roberts to arrange an 
effect in black bass after the manner of "The Lady or the 
Tiger," he has succeeded beyond his fondest hopes, and 
the answer will be that they are fine specimens of big 
black bass. 
The Lake Lamprey. 
Mr. W. L. Hoskins, of Owego. N. ¥., writes me as fol- 
lows: "I have noticed several articles in the Forest and 
Stream in regard to lamprey eels and I think you have 
referred to them once or twice in some of your com- 
munications. About a year since one of the professors at 
Cornell University had something to say of the large 
numbers approaching in the inlet of Cayuga Lake. Where 
do they come from? Can it be that they can reach that 
point from salt water? What do you know of them as 
a table food? I will look for yotir answer through your 
Angling Notes in Forest and Stream." 
The lake lamprey of Cayuga Lake is a dwarfed form of 
the river lamprey, and it runs into the inlet from the lake 
itself, the lake being its home. I know nothing cf the 
lamprey as a table food, and perhaps I may add that I 
know of no one who does know from personal experience. 
The appearance of the lamprey is all sufficient for the 
average man to decline it as food. A few years ago the 
State of New; York made a small appropriation to destroy 
the lamprey in Cayuga Lake, and this money was placed 
in my hands to be expended. A weir was constructed in 
the inlet to Cayuga Lake and for two years, as the 
lampreys ran up the stream to spawn, they were captured 
and destroyed. It was the intention not only to destroy 
such of the lam_preys as were taken in the weir, but to 
study their Ufe history, and the life history, food habits, 
migrations, etc., of such other fishes as might be taken 
and come under observation. This work was under the 
per.sonal supervision of H. A. Surface, then of Cornell 
University, now a professor in a Pennsylvania college. 
Prof. Surface has prepared an exhaustive paper on the 
lake lamprey amply illustrated, which will form a part of 
the report of the Fisheries, Game and Forest Commission 
of New York .for the year ending Sept. 30, 1898, now in 
the printer's hands and nearly ready to be issued. These 
reports are given in part to the members of the Legis- 
lature, and any one desiring a copy should apply to his 
member of Assembly or Senator, but there will be a 
scarcity of reports if one can judge of the future by the 
past, and many applicants for them will be disappointed 
of getting them. The reason for destroying the lamprey 
was that it was found that they were destroying many of 
the food fishes in the lake, and as they were not esteemed 
as food themselves, no one would seek their capture, and 
the State was invited to take a hand in their destruction to 
save the_ food fish, and at the same time operate an apology 
for a biological station on a small scale. A number of 
discoveries were made in connection with the work, and 
these- 1 havt alluaea to frbm time tb tinje in this cofuiilni 
all of which Prof. Surface treatis of in detail in hi.<s 
paper. 
Spring Pond Once More, 
A few hours after writing the last note about Spring 
Pond, in which I quoted Mr. Crane's letter of correction, 
1 met former Commissioner William R. Weed in Albany, 
who is the owner of the trout land on which the pond is 
situated. He told me that the pond gets its name from the 
fact that it has no visible inlet or outlet, and that its 
waters are made up wholly of springs. Asked about the 
landlocked salmon planted in the pond, which caused my 
original note about it, he said that two years from the 
planting of the fingerling fish his brother caught one and 
gave to him which measured 17 inches in length. The fish 
were planted in the fall of 1897. he tells me, and it was 
during the summer of 1899 that the 17-inch salmon was 
taken. This, in connection with what I have already 
stated about tlie growth of salmon in this pond, and what 
Mr. Crane contributes about the remarkable growth of 
brook trout in the pond when planted, would indicate 
that the pond was very rich in fish food, for brook trout, or 
any other fish, grow to great weights for this species only 
where they find an abundance of food. 
The State recently discovered that the ponds, or some 
of them, in the region of one of the State hatcheries was 
destitute of fish food, and the Forest, Fish and Game 
Cominission at once took steps to plant the waters with 
food in the form of fresh-water shrimps. For landlocked 
salmon there is no better food than the fresh-water form 
of smelt found in Maine and New Hampshire. The State 
of New York has brought this shrimp from both Maine 
and New Hampshire and planted it in State waters, where 
alternately landlocked salmon may be planted; if not, they 
will serve as food for the trout now in the waters, for it is 
the best form of fish for trout if they are to have fish for 
food. 
Foresf Fish and Game Commtssion. 
Schedule of .fish distribution for fiscal year ending Sept. 30: 
Whiteiish fry ,.■ 40,175,000 
Tomcod fry 42,000,000 
Pike-perch fry 50,825,000 
Frostfish fry .-..-..^iiiii-.i-...*,,.. 3,465,000 
Lobster fry ^ ........... . 2.400,000 
Mascalonge fry ].?00.000 
Broolc trout fry 3,581,000 
Brook trout fingerlings ■ 152j983 
Brook trout yearlings 95,225 
Brook trout two and three years old 400 
Brown trout fry 1,091,000 
Brown trout fingerlings 108,253 
Brown trout yearlings 48,825 
Rainbow trout fry 120,000 
Rainbow trout fingerlings S8,109 
Rainbow trout year'iings ^0,000 
Lake trout fry 8,772.500 
Lake trout fingerlings 201,900 
Lake trout yearlings 13,355 
Red throat trout fingerlings 62,750 
Red throat trout yearlings 38,801) 
Landlocked salmon fry 2,400 
Yellow perch fry • 4,900 
Shrimp fry 2\00;) 
Black 45ass, small-mouth 300 
Shad, Hudson River (from the United States) 10,280.000 
Shad hatched at Catskill 2,870,200 
Shad hatched at Long Island 565,000 
Total 168,2e2,£00 
Eggs^ and fish fry and yearlings furnished by the United States 
Fish Commission, planted in waters of New York State during 
the year ejiding Sept. 30: 
Eggs 420,000 
Fish fry 50,428,800 
Yearlings 23,498 
■Total 50,872,298 
219,135,198 
Vagaries of Breeding Fish. 
This fall, while the men at one of the State hatching 
stations in New York were taking whitefish in pound 
nets to secure eggs, and ripe fem.ale fish were in abun- 
dance, there were no ripe male fish. The females we;e 
kept in the ponds for a time, when the men found what 
they had to contend with, but the eggs became hard be- 
fore males were obtained, and many were lost to the hatch- 
ing jars. At the very last of the season of egg taking the 
male fish made their appearance in considerable num- 
bers, but there were then few ripe females, so that for four 
days during the height of the season a great many eggs 
were not taken because there was no means of impregnat- 
ing them. The fish breeder has serious and unexpected 
conditions to contend with in tak'ng eggs from whitefish. 
shad^ pike-perch, mascalonge, smelt, lake trout, etc., where 
the fish are drawn from the lakes and rivers, and are not 
under control until they are secured in the nets. The fish 
may or may not appear at the appointed season as ex- 
pected, and egg taking is so uncertain in wild waters 
that it is never safe to count your fish until they are 
hatched, certainly not until the eggs are secured. Fish 
in confinement at the stock ponds at the hatching stations 
can be depended upon with more certainty to supply eg^s 
at the^ spawning season, as they are under constant ob- 
servation and control and the supply of opposite sexes 
regulated by the hatchery men, and in such cases it is 
chiefly a matter of keeping the stock fish in good health to 
secure a supply of eggs from them. 
Last year, under a system of feeding at one State 
hatchery the brown trout in the stock ponds produced 720 - 
000 eggs. This year the same stock fish, slightlv reduced 
in numbers, under a different system of feeding have, at 
this writing, produced 1,480,000 eggs, and the spawning of 
the fish is not entirely finished. The eggs are, too. in bet- 
ter condition than last year, and prom.ise a larger per 
cent, of healthy fry when hatched. 
Fighting Trout, 
It is well known that at breeding time the male trout 
in a pond will fight with one another, often producing 
wounds that result in fungus and ultimate death. Very 
lately I was watching a number of female trout preparing 
spawning beds by flirting the sand from the bottom by a 
movement of the tail, leaving only coarse gravel at the 
bottom of the depression forming the bed. The male 
fish hovered about the beds, constant in their attentions, 
and occasionally one would try conclusions with another 
in a catch as catch can. One female was particularly in- 
dustrious in fanning her bed, and she was alone on it. 
though several males danced attendance around the edges' 
Finally^ a male trout a sizfe larger than the female ven- 
tured mto the ^aucer-Hke depression and instantly the 
female liirned on him aM seized him l^' the helfy nfear the 
