May 4, igoi.] 
847 
— « — 
Proprietors of fishing resorts will find it profitable to advertise 
them in Foeest and Stream, 
Fishing Up and Down the Potomac, 
The Ethics of Nomenclaiure. 
It has long been a general rule among scientific writers 
where a fish has received two or three specific names, by 
various authors, to preserve that first used, thus reducing 
to a minimum the confusion bound to arise from the 
Use of a multitude of names and yet give credit to the 
first discoverer or describer. The rule has worked well 
enough, though it has not been universally applied, but it 
has been by consent of a comparatively limited circle of 
scientists who are all laboring to the same end of cer- 
tainty; all students who desire the adoption of the best 
single name, and the elimination of confusing and mean- 
ingless terms. 
The situation is very different where the same fish is 
distinguished in many parts of the country by a different 
local name, and any attempt is made at harmonizing the 
situation by adopting a single name to the exclusion of 
the others. _ As aii instance, the big-mouth black bass 
now swarming in the lower Potomac is trout in some of 
the Southern States, and chub in Virginia. 
It is all very well for official reports and reading anglers 
to always call it black bass, but the inhabitants of distant 
localities who do not see the reports, and do not read, 
the periodicals, who have learned in childhood to dis- 
tinguish the fish by its local name, will be very slow to 
take up with, what is to them, an innovation of the 
ignorant who do not know a chub when they see it. 
It will hardly be questioned, however, that it is desir- 
able that such a change should be made, and that it will 
be better for science when the same fish is known every- 
where by the same name. 
This difficulty is suggested by the fact that the latest 
official reports of the fisheries of the Potomac River do 
not rnention the herring fishery, the most important of 
^his river, and indeed of any river on the Atlantic coast. 
It is true one may find a record in these statistics of 
alewives caught in this river, but as alewives are men- 
haden here and not herring, the omission gives rise to 
serious confusion and error. 
The fact is, it is doubtful if among the thousands of 
men engaged in the catching, curing, marketing and con- 
sumption of Potomac herring, a single man may be found 
who applies the term alewife to this fish, or a half-dozen 
who even sitspect it is an alternative name. Of course 
the authorities have a plausible reason for thus designat- 
ing* the fish; in the first place, the real or sea herring 
fishery is a business of such vast importance not only 
on our own coasts, but all the North Atlantic, that the 
name herring cannot be taken away from it, even if tlaat 
were desirable, and it only confuses to apply the same term 
to both fish, different as they are in characteristics, habi- 
tat and capture. 
Besides this, the herring of the fresh waters is called 
alewife throughout the most of New England, and it is 
thus easily distinguished from the herring of the sea; so 
alewife is applied to all river herring, though it is so 
loiown in none of the streams of the middle and southern 
coasts. 
It is particularly embarrassing to apply the name ale- 
wife to the herring in the Potomac, since in this region, 
where the menhaden industry assumes such importance, 
the menhaden has been so long known by the name of ale- 
wife, and it is simply impossible to swap names among 
those who handle the fish every day and do not see the 
books at all. What adds to the difficulty is that our 
official reports have only in recent years, taken to the new 
name alewife exclusively for this fresh-water herring. 
For instance, in the Fish Commission Bulletin No. VI. 
for i88s, the statistics are given at page 202 for the "Shad 
and Herring Fisheries of the Potomac," and to have the 
latest figures entirelv omit the word "herring" leads to 
the impression among the uninitiated that the fish has 
disappeared from these waters, though last year 300,000 
were taken at a single haul. Browne Goode's "Fishery 
Industries of the U. S. (Geographical Section)," page 428, 
speaking of the Maryland fishery, says, "For a number 
of years menhaden (B. tyrannus), locally known as ell- 
wives, alewives and oldwives, have been taken in con- 
siderable numbers by the farmers of the region, who have 
used small haul seines for catching a supply with which 
to manure their land," and at page 458, on Virginia 
fisheries, the tables give, "The herrings (C, vernalis and 
cEStivalis) 
The name alewife' does not help, since there are two 
of these river herrings, the branch herring and the glut 
herring, not easily distinguished by the fishermen them- 
selves in the net; alewife, which has no descriptive mean- 
ing, only makes the situation worse. If, however, the 
name must be used for the sake of uniformity, and maybe 
it is best, it is only fair to use some term by which the 
fish can be recognized in the reports, at least until such 
time as the rest of us may get accustomed to the change. 
Fresh-water herring, or river herring or Southern her- 
ring, any old name that preserves the word herring. It 
would be easy to have it "river herring or alewives," as it 
is in many of the reports, and this enables one to identify 
the industry in the upner as well as the lower rivers, and 
at the same time reconciles the last reports with those of 
former years. It is not defense enough to say the De- 
partment has taken the trouble to explain this in former 
publications, because nobody gets the opportunity, or 
takes it, to read all the former publications. 
In endeavoring to find the opinion of the authorities as 
to the relative value of this food fish, called here when 
salted and smoked the Potomac robin, one runs across a 
startling contradiction. 
In Section i of the Fishery Industry of the United 
States, page 587, Marshall McDonald, quoting and ap- 
parently indorsing Professor Baird's second report as' 
Commissioner of Fisheries, says, and it will be noticed 
that both names are U5^d for the herring or alewife : "\ 
am inclined to triink for various reasons that too little hag 
been done in our waters toward the restoration to their 
primitive abundance of the alewife (Pomolobis medi- 
ocris), the herring of our Southern and Middle States, 
not to be confounded with the sea herring (Clupea 
elongata). The alewife in many respects Is superior, in 
commercial and economical value, to the herring, being a 
mitch larger and sweeter fish, and more like the true shad 
in this respect." 
In the Bulletin for 1898, Vol. XVIII., page 450, occurs 
the following, and still the alternative terms are used: 
"At various points along the Atlantic coast more or less 
alewives or river herring are brine salted each year. They 
are prepared in greatest abundance in the tributaries of 
Chesapeake Bay and the coastal waters of North Carolina, 
where they are known only as herring, and also to a less 
extent in Maine and Massachusetts. The methods of 
pickling river herring or alewives do not differ greatly 
from those applied to the sea herring on the New Eng- 
land coast, except that the market price being lower neces- 
sitates that they should be prepared in a cheaper manner. 
The flavor of the alewife does not equal that of the sea 
herring, consequently there is little need for the nice dis- 
crimination required in the case of the latter." 
Now if a court overrules one of its decisions, it is usual 
to cite the former case, and to give the reasons which lead 
to a change of opinion, though in this case both parties 
to the controversy may have the satisfaction of having its 
contention sustained by the highest authority and the 
champion of the Potomac River herring may still con- 
sole himself with the names of McDonald and Baird as 
evidence that it is a "larger and sweeter fish and more 
like the true shad" than its rival of the .sea; but it will 
be long before the fish known here for two of three hun- 
dred years as herring will be called alewife, and until 
then statistics are useless that do not mention the "river 
herring" as part of the fishing industry of the Potomac 
River. Henry Talbott, 
Early Spring in Canada, 
A LETTER has just reached me from Lake St. John inti- 
mating an early opening of the fishing season. In fact 
there is little doubt that the residents generally about 
the lake will be catching ouananiche before this letter ap- 
pears in print. On Thursday, the 25th inst., the date 
upon which -the communication from Lake St. John was 
written, there was but little ice remaining upon the sur- 
face of the lake, and as this was well covered with water, 
which was rapidly rising, its total disappearance was 
looked for from hour to hour. This is therefore going to 
be one of the earliest fishing seasons seen in Canada for 
many years past. The rivers tributary to Lake St. John 
have long been clear of their winter covering. Strange 
as it may appear, the weather is milder and the spring 
thaw earlier in the vicinity of Lake St. John, which is 
sheltered from cold east winds, than in the neighborhood 
of Quebec, which is so much further south. The little 
steamboat on the Mistassini River made its first trip on 
April 9, and since that date has been running regularly 
between the mouth of the river and the foot of the first 
falls, where there is a small farming settlement. In a 
few days from this date the steamers will be running on 
Lake St. John, though the summer hotels at Roberval, 
Lake St. John, will not be opened until the first week of 
June. In the meantime there is plenty of accommodation 
to be had in the village of Roberval, opposite to which 
the earliest fishing for ouananiche may be had, which often 
continues well into the summer. Along the southern side 
of the great lake, where the ice is already away from the 
shore, I have no doubt that the early native bait fisher- 
man is alread}'' catching the fresh-water salmon, and that 
the famous game fish of the north will be rising to the fly 
off the mouths of the Metabetchouan and Ouiatchouan 
rivers before the end of the first week of May. 
I have already written so often of the lures that are 
the most killing for this fish that repetition may seem 
monotonous; but I have so many inquiries by letter rela- 
tive to this subject, sorne of which I may not be able to 
answer very early, that I would fain trespass a little 
further upon your space, especially as I have no doubt that 
Forest and Stream is continually increasing the sphere 
of its useful influence and coming to the hands of new 
generations of intelligent and studious anglers. In the 
first place, let me urge that none but the very best and 
strongest of casting lines be risked in the encounter with 
this fish, and that larger and more showy flies are ad- 
visable for use in the early spring, when the water is high 
and dark, than m the hot months of summer. All the 
well-known salmon flies make good lures in May and early 
June for the ouananiche, especially the Jock-Scott, silver- 
doctor. Durham-ranger, and in very bright weather the 
dark-fairy and even the black-dose. Thej' maj' be used 
too with good effect in the ordinary salmon sizes, though 
some smaller ones should also be carried, and, of course, 
as the season advances, the size of the flies used must be 
reduced. In addition to the flies already mentioned, the 
brown-hackle, professor, coachman and other of the more 
showy trout flies will often be found useful. Other and 
smaller atid less showy flies will be required later, but of 
these I need not speak now. 
My Lake St. John correspondent teUs me that for forty 
years past the water of the lake has not been so high as it 
is at the present time. From tliis I am led to believe 
that the spring fishing there will not only open extremely 
early, but that it will continue somewhat longer than 
usual, for it lasts in_ the lake itself, as well as in the 
Grande Dechargc, until the water falls to a certain level. 
To-day I learn that the ice has left all the lakes and 
rivers in the vicinity of Lakes St. Joseph and St. Gabriel. 
Nothing has yet come to hand from Lake Edward, which 
is usually one of the last lakes to be freed from its icy 
fetters. No doubt, however, that by the end of next 
week, if not sooner, there will be clear water at Lake 
Edward. As the trout are taken freely there almost as 
soon as the ice disappears, there ought to be good fishing 
there this spring by May lo or 12 at the latest. 
E. T. D. Chambers. 
Quebec, April 27, 
All comrounications intended for Forest and Stream should 
Always be addressed to the Forest and Stream Publishing Co., and 
pot to ap.y individtial connected with the paper, " 
Talks to Boys* — XVII. 
Mascallongc Fishing. 
The muscallunge is the largest of our American game 
fishes, unless we except the salmon of the North Atlantic 
seaboard, which sometimes attain weights similar to 
those of the large muscallunge. The salmon, however, 
is not so generally distributed as the muscallunge, and 
cannot be so justly called one of the popular game fishes. 
The muscallunge ordinarily taken by anglers runs in 
weight from 5 to 50 pounds. It is said the specimens have 
been taken weighing 75 and 80 pounds, these giants having 
been captured in the St. Lawrence River in the earlier 
days. Weights of 50 to 55 puonds were not unusual in 
the early days of the muscallunge waters of Wisconsin ' 
and Minnesota. By this I would not seek too much to 
excite your imagination, for to-day, if you go muscal- 
lunge fishing, the probabilities are that you will rarely get 
a fish weighing over 20 pounds. To-day a 15 or 18 pound 
muscallunge is a good fish, and at this weight he is apt 
to give you as long and hard a fight as though he weighed 
twice as much, the older fish sometimes being more heavy 
and sluggish in their habits. It is likely that in the much- 
fished waters of the muscallunge country the weights of 
the fishes do not run so great as they did ten or twenty 
years ago. Some think that this is because the fish is 
becoming extinct, and no doubt its numbers are, being cut 
down very much. Yet the fish commissioners 6f certain 
States who have set their nets in waters supposed to be 
nearly fished out, have in some instances taken giant 
muscallunge of 40 and 50 pounds weight, where it was 
supposed no such fish had lived for many years. 
There are two great waterways for the muscallunge in 
this country — ^the Mississippi River and the St. Lawrence 
River. This fish was formerly found all through the 
Great Lakes, as far north as the Sault Ste. Marie. It is 
even yet taken in the nets of the lake fishermen on Lake 
Erie, and within ten years has been known to be cap- 
tured in this way in the lower part of Lake Michigan, 
though now it is rarely heard of in any of the Great 
Lakes. It still remains in the St. Lawrence River and in 
some Canadian streams. It is, or was, common to most 
of the bolder rivers of the Mississippi system. It prefers 
the clear streams, and is not commonly found in the 
Missouri River or in the Ohio River, though, on the 
other hand, it has been taken in certain streams of Ken- 
tucky and Ohio which are tributary to the Ohio River. 
In early days it was not uncommon in the Skunk and 
Des Moines rivers of Iowa. These streams are in the 
middle part of the Mississippi system. The great home 
of the muscallunge is further up toward the head of the 
Father of Waters. There are two great inland mus- 
callunge regions, those of Wisconsin and Minnesota, and 
both of these are tributary to the Mississippi River. The 
Wisconsin country lies tributary to the head of the Wis- 
consin, Xhippewa and Flambeau rivers, all ©f which drain 
into the Mississippi. There are literally thousands of 
little lakes in this country, connected by tiny creeks or 
thoroughfares, in all of which the muscallunge is or was 
native. These lakes or streams _ run quite up to the 
divide which separates the Mississippi waters from those 
which run into Lake Superior. Across this divide and 
in the streams which flow into Lake Superior you will 
not find any muscallunge at all. So the cold waters of 
Lake Superior seem to separate these two great muscal- 
lunge districts, the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi 
rivers. On the left bank of the Mississippi, as you go up, 
there are many streams which carry the muscallunge. 
These lead into a magnificent system of lakes, which even 
to-da}^ hold fine specimens of this great game fish. Again, 
if you push on further north until you strike the waters 
which drain into the Lake of the Woods, you will find no 
muscalkmge at all, though you will meet its giant cousin, 
the Great Northern pike, almost as hard a fighter as 
itself. In advising you where to go fishing for muscal- 
lunge, the lesson need be but very short; perhaps to the 
St. Lawrence River, but better yet to the less fished 
country of upper Wisconsin and upper Minnesota, though 
even in these latter localities you must remember that 
civil iztion has done much to cut down the once wonderful 
supply of this greatest of all American pikes. 
Some think that the muscallunge is the same as the 
overgrown pike or -pickerel, but you will disabuse your 
mind of any such inaccuracy. It is as easy to tell a 
muscallunge from a pike as it is to tell it from a bass. Its 
shape is not so snaky and sway-backed. Its upper jaw 
is shorter and more gamy looking. Its body is full and 
thick. Its cheeks and gill covers are naked and do not 
show the scales which mark the lower half of the cheeks 
of the Great Northern pike. Moreover, the body color 
of the muscallunge does not in the least resemble that of 
the pike or pickerel. The latter shows oblong white 
spots on a dark green background. The muscallunge may 
be either of a solid yellowish green color, or, if it be 
marked with dark color at all, it is in splotches or spots 
of black or darkish color upon the lighter background. 
If you have once caught a muscallunge, you will never 
need any further description regarding it. 
Now, in pursuing this noble game fish, you will leave 
quite behind you the centers of civilization and get you 
to the wilderness, just as you did while after the brook 
trout. Indeed the brook trout and the muscallunge are 
often found in practically the same country, and some 
little stream running into the muscallunge lake may per- 
haps carry its share of trout, which, however, will do 
very well to keep to their stream and not venture out 
into the home of this voracious and gigantic fish, which 
never seems to know when it has enough to eat. 
Study the habits of this fish as you have those of the 
other fishes which you have been pursuing. You will 
find that in the early spring, just as the ice gets out of 
the lakes, the largest specimens of this fish come out 
along the edges of the lakes and in the shallow waters. 
This is their spawning season, and it is then that you 
may see the biggest fish. It is not likely that you will 
venture into the cold woods so early as this for muscal- 
lunge fishing. It will be a month or so later before you 
go out for your trip. By that time the fish will have left 
the shallow water and have dropped back into the deep 
water, which js theiy natural home. Yet you will pot 
find these fisb similar in habits to the Great Lake trotit. 
^hich !i^5 p fhe jaottorti pf \\\^ (3§epest part of thp 
