Jan. 24, 1903.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
73 
"The seiasation of being thus propelled through the 
water by an invisible motive power at a really extraor- 
dinary rate of speed, once experienced is never forgotten. 
Although I have indulged in numerous outdoor sports, I 
have yet to engage in a more thrilling and pleasurable 
one, and on these points the companions on my many 
such expeditions have alwaj'-s agreed. 
"Compelled at length to slop by sheer exhaustion, the 
shark ceases to run, there is a slackening of the line, 
w-hich is at once drawn in and a few moments later we 
are again overshadowing our big, ugly enemy. At our 
approach, however, he is off in an instant, and again we 
are taken on a short but swift spin over the waters of 
the Sound. 
"I have never forgotten the experience we once enjoyed 
while thus being towed along, of passing across the bows 
of the steam yacht of a friend coming along the Sound, 
and the expression of wonderment exhibited on the faces 
of those on board as to the source of our wonderful and 
invisible motive power. 
"Generally, after two such bursts of speed, the shark, 
thorotighiy worn out by his efforts in tugging two men 
in a rowboat a mile or so over the waters, comes to a 
dead halt, and again taking in the line, we are enabled to 
approach near enough to dispatch him with our spears. 
The iron harpoon is then cut out from his body and the 
carcass of our late foe left to sink to the depths for the 
crabs and many fishes to feed on. 
"Of course it is only the larger of the sharks harpooned 
v/hich furnish the sport above described, and very often 
before they are finally dispatched there is a tremendous 
thrashing ef the water, which adds not a little excitement 
to the sport. The smaller sharks are generally killed at 
the first thrust of the harpoon, and sometimes the larger 
ones receiving a mortal thrust make no attempt at run- 
ning away. 
"But taken as a whole the sport of harpooning sharks 
in the manner described is one that will doubtless com- 
mend itself to many, and is bound to furnish no end of 
fun and excitement to those who may venture to indulge 
in it as a summer pastime. 
"Newspaper reports to the contrary, I have never yet 
seen a shark of the man-eating variety in these waters, 
and doubt if any have ever been captured. While this 
takes away a certain possible element of danger, the mere 
statement may encourage many others to indulge in it." 
What it Costs. 
Rochester, N. Y., Jan. 5 — Editor Forest and Stream: 
I have frequently wished that your journal would take 
up the question of appropriations made b}^ our State 
Legislature each year and the expenditure thereof by our 
Poorest, Fish and Game Commissioners. Thinking it 
might interest the readers of your paper, I have taken from 
the statutes for the years 1S92 and 1902, the items of the 
general appropriations. I have done this that the readers 
might readily see how the expenses of the commissioners 
have been increased for the past ten years. 
The appropriations for the year 1892 were as follows : 
Chapter 588, reappropriated unexpended balance for 
game and protection $2,$00.00 
Chapter 660. Appropriation for eompensation and ex- 
penses of game protectors 9,986.31 
Chapter 322. For compensation for fish and game pro- 
tectors 15,000.00 
Cliapter 324. For Commissioners of Fisheries, to be ex- 
pended as they may deem proper to replenish lakes 
and rivers, etc., with fish... 34,000.00 
For salary of clerk of Commission l,.500;0O 
For expenses of Clerk of Commission 2,500.00 
Total $64,986.31 
For the Year 1902. 
Chapter 593. For salaries of Commissioners..... $5,000.00 
Expenses of Commissioner and associate commissioner 
for so much thereof as may be necejssary) 3.000.00 
Assistant secretary 2,000.00 
Audit and pay clerk '. 1,000.00 
Stenographer (or so much as may be necessary) 1,200.00 
Chief protector 2,500.00 
License clerk and clerk of chief protector 1,500.60 
Two assistant chief protectors, $1,200 each 2,400.00 
Thirty-two protectors, $500 each (or as much as neces- 
sary) 16,000.00 
For expenses of chief, assistant chiefs and protectors 
while in discharge of their duties (or so much 
thereof as necessary) 16,900.00 
Expenses, mainten.mce of fish hatcheries, and hatchery 
stations, and distribution of food, and game and fish 
fry, other than salaries (or so much thereof as may 
be necessary) 50,000.00 
For rents, stationery, printing and office expenses of 
Commissioners, other than salaries (or as much 
thereof as necessary) .". 3,750.00 
Chapter 595. For salaries and expenses of twelve addi- 
tional game protectors 11,400.00 
Total for year 1902 $116,650.00 
It will be seen from the above totals there has been 
an increase of expenses of $51,663,069 in past ten years. 
_ Is it not pertinent to ask at this time of the commis- 
sioner whether the food and game fish have increased 
in proportion to the appropriations. I believe the verdict 
will be no. 
Is it not a fact that this department has degenerated 
into a part of the great political machine of the State? 
Can the people ever hope that we shall have any proper 
administration of our fish and game interests until such 
time as some competent person shall be at the head of 
the commission and hold office during good behavior. 
The commissioner, as I am informed, and some of his 
a.'^sociates, as I know, have private business that demand 
all their time, and quite naturally they devote time to their 
personal affairs, and fish and game matters are only in- 
cidentals to them. 
Since our Governor has rededicated liis best services 
to the State, is it not a good time for him to place some 
of our departments beyond mere politics, and let this be 
one of them. 
If he would ask the present Legislature to amend the 
forest, fish and game laws so that he might appoint a 
commissioner to hold office during good behavior, and 
then appoint Major Pond as such commissioner, our 
he pes might be renewed for protection and propagation. 
The Major is fully alive to the many needs of this depart- 
ment, and doubtless more familiar therewith than any 
other man in the State._ 
The above appropriations do not relate to or include the 
brge sums appropriated for forest protection or preserva- 
tion or the protection of shellfish and the oyster depart- 
ment. 
What has become of the 44 additional protectors? 
They have been unheard of in this vicinity, where, as I 
am informed, our bays, etc., are practically unprotected 
and net fishing is continuous. It is reported that our 
local protector is closely watched by the illegal fishermen 
so that his services are of little value as a protector. If 
our protectors could be shifted from place to place in the 
State, better results could be expected. 
John R. Fanning. 
Fish and Fishing. 
Some Scores from a Salmon River. 
Sometimes the question has been asked me what I 
would consider a good day's fishing on a salmon river, 
and lately I have been favored with a copy of the scores 
made by a number of anglers last season, while fishing 
the waters of the Godbout on the north shore of the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence. Mr. Charles Hallock has called 
this river, "the best of all for scenic attractions and a 
stated supply of fish," and Mr. Hallock knows from 
personal experience what he is talking about. There 
are rivers where an average of two or three fish a day 
is considered very good sport, and a salmon fisherman 
who is not satisfied with such a result is possessed of a 
very unenviable disposition. Under certain conditions 
of weather and water, some of the best salmon fisher- 
men that I know of have fished two and three weeks at 
a time upon excellent Canadian rivers without killing a 
single fish. There have been many blank days on the 
GodboLit, but on the other hand a record of over forty 
saltnon in a single day has been claimed for Mr. 
Comeau. In another season, 509 fish have been killed 
.in this river by anglers, between June 15 and July 15. 
Col. Alexander relates that in 1847, Capt. J. M. Strachan 
took forty-two salmon out of the Godbout in parts only 
of two days' fishing. The Colonel believed this river to 
be one of the finest in the world for the angler, though 
he found by experience that it varies much in different 
seasons. In 1861, 252 fish were killed in the Godbout 
between June 6 and July 24, inclusive. The largest num- 
ber of fish killed in any one day in th'at year was 
twenty-one, and the second best day yielded fifteen fish. 
It is gratifying to note as the result of a comparison of 
these figures with the score for last season that, thanks 
to the excellent protection which this river has re- 
ceived, there has been no deterioration during the last 
forty 3'ears, in either the size or number of its fish. 
In 1902, no less than 543 salmon and ten grilse were 
killed between June 11 and July 23, inclusive. The best 
day's fishing was on July 11, when twenty-nine fish, 
weighing in all 300 pounds, were killed. On the loth 
of the same month twenty-eight salmon were taken; 
on the I2th, twenty-seven; on the 7th, twenty-five; on 
the 5th and 8th, twenty-four each. 
During the greater part of the season the river was 
fished by four rods. Mr. John Manuel, of Ottawa, who 
has to his credit 216 of the 543 salmon and f^ve of the 
ten grilse, has fished the river for more seasons than 
anybody else, and did not miss a day's fishing during 
last season. He killed twenty salmon on July 11, thir- 
teen on another day, and eleven each on three other 
days. He had only three blank days during the season. 
Col. Whitehead and Mr, James Law, both of Montreal, 
fished most of the time together, which means that as 
a rule one fished while the other rested, the two anglers 
using only the privileges of a single rod. Their best 
day also gave twenty fish, of which eighteen are to the 
credit of Mr. Low and two to that of Col. Whitehead. 
Mr. F. L. Wanklyn, of Montreal, only fished from June 
12 to 24, inclusive, killing twenty-six fish. Mr. A. 
Paterson, of Montreal, arrived on the day that Mr. 
Wanklyn finished fishing, and from that date to the 
end of the season ran up a score of sixty-seven salmon 
and two grilse. 
Nobody can read the above scores without coming 
to the conclusion that the Godbout is a wonderfully 
well-stocked river. The fish do not run nearly so large 
as those of the Moisie, for instance, nor average more 
than half the weight of the Cascapedia salmon. The 
average of last season's fish was 10.86 pounds, and the 
grilse averaged 414 pounds. No less than seventeen 
pools were fished last season, though three of them 
only yielded a single fish each. The upper pool proved 
by far the best on the river, yielding 150 fish. 
Curious Fish Story 
A Halifax newspaper published the following re- 
markable story a few days ago: "An immense codfish 
was captured in a peculiar manner by William Rolston 
and John McCallum, two young men of the west side, 
on Monday afternoon. They were out shooting at 
Sheldon's Point, when they saw a great commotion 
near the water's edge. They soon perceived that a 
sea dog was struggling with an immense fish, and 
had finally landed him. They immediately fired at the 
sea dog; this frightened him away, when they rushed 
down to the shore and captured the fish. It proved to 
be a codfish weighing over forty pounds, and measur- 
ing 4 feet 8 inches long. 
The Fish of the Illinois. 
The valiie of the coarse fish annually taken out of the 
Illinois River is really astonishing. A gentleman in- 
terested in the industry was here the other day and told 
me that the commercial catch of fish in that river dur- 
ing the last two years would be shown by a forthcom- 
ing report to have been fully 30,000,000 pounds, a large 
increase over the product of the preceding two years. 
No less than 5,000 residents of Illinois earn their liv- 
ing to-day entirely by fishing in this river, and for 
several months in the height of the season fully 10,000 
are so engaged. 
A Pike Story from Scotland. 
One of the last numbers of the Westminster Gazette 
contains the following account of the capture of a 
huge pike, from a correspondent in Scotland: 
"The gillie in attendance upon two ladies had left 
them for a while to procure some fresh baits, and the 
ladies pushed out into the loch. The younger and more 
adventurous of the two flung the bait, which still ad- 
hered to the flight of hooks, overboard, while the elder 
phed the oars. There came a swirl like a whirlpool in 
the calm water, the line ran screaming off the reel as 
the biggest pike 'wot ever was seen' explored the 
depths of the loch. According to the account vouch- 
safed by the heroines of the adventure, they were towed 
round about that sheet of water for hours. Sometimes 
the great fish showed its huge side broadside on; some- 
1im.es If came near the boat and surveyed its would-be 
captors with gaping jaws and dull, menacing eyes. 
And then it was not only the reel that screeched. But 
rescue was at hand. Watching his opportunity as the 
boat came into shallow water, the gillie waded out up 
to his middle, clambered on board, and in the absence 
of gaff or net. succeeded in landing the great fish by the 
simple process of inserting his fingers in the sockets of 
its eyes. Its weight was a trifle over 40 pounds." 
E. T. D. Chambers. 
Some Bigf Salmon. 
Commenting on the remarkable trio of salmon which 
has just reached this country from Norway, Mr. H. 
Ffennell gives the dimensions of three Rhine salmon 
which were brought to England in 1889, and formed a 
trio hardly less notable. The three from Norway weigh 
together 1571/^ pounds, the biggest turning the scale at 56 
pounds and measuring 48^ inches by 28^^ inches, the 
next weighing 551^ pounds, and measuring 51 inches by 
29 inches, and the third weighing 46 pounds, with a length 
of 48 inches and a girth of 26 inches. Of the Rhine 
salmon, the heaviest nearly turned the scale at 56 pounds, 
and measured 51 inches by 28 inches. The larger of the 
two other fish scaled just 4^2 ounces under the 50 
pounds, measured 4714 inches in length and 2754 inches 
in girth, while the other salmon was 6 ounces under the 
50 pounds, and measured 47 inches by 27 inches. — London 
Globe. 
Canadian Rivefs. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
If any of the readers of the Forest and Stream are 
acquainted with the salmon rivers on the north shore of 
the St. Lawrence River, particularly the Mingan, 
Manitou-Mingan, the Corneille and the Little Watischou, 
they will confer a favor by addressing me as below. This 
letter is written with the hope that it may be seen by some 
sportsman who has fished those rivers and who may not 
consider it too much trouble to communicate with me. 
Noah Palmer, 
The Wilbraham, Cor. Thirtieth street and Fifth 
avenue. New York City. 
§y gmtml 
— ^ — 
The Dogs of India. 
The dogs to be found in India are of a distinctly 
varied nature. When walking along Malabar Hill, 
Bombay, one may come across a magnificent St. Ber- 
nard in the charge of a "dog boy," and belonging to 
an opulent Rajah. Other wealthy natives will possess 
themselves of greyhounds, setters, retrievers and prize 
fox terriers, all being imported from England. Others, 
again, set their affections on Maltese terriers, pugs and 
French poodles, huge sums being paid for these "fancy 
davvgs." It may, in this connection, be pointed out (for 
the benefit of those fanciers and breeders who desire 
to enrich themselves by catering for the moneyed col- 
ored man) that the Rajah is an imitative creature. 
Consequently, if he is given to understand that the 
King has a favorite Irish terrier, and that some society 
notability, such as Lady Warwick, patronizes Great 
Danes, he will promptly send an order to Europe for 
canine luxuries of a similar nature. It may be deduced 
that in India a market awaits the exporter. At the 
same time it should be borne in mind that the Oriental 
notability is lamentably dishonest. Indeed, the greater 
his revenues, the more difficult is it to prevail upon him 
to pay for his pleasures. Well-to-do exiled Britons 
and penniless subalterns are also dog fanciers on a 
small scale, while "forest officers," "opium wallahs," 
"P. W. D." officials, "collectors," and even the mission- 
ary element, provide themselves with fox terriers, bull 
terriers, Skye terriers, and other varieties. Of long- 
haired dogs, however, there are but few in India; for, 
owing to the intense heat which prevails for two-thirds 
of the year, it is only fox terriers, bulldogs and other 
short-haired specimens which are found to be capable 
of withstanding the climate well. And even the breeds 
mentioned, when first brought out from England, often 
take some months to become acclimatized. It occa- 
sionally happens that a valuable prize animal is im- 
ported, to succumb to the heat shortly after its arrival 
in the country. But a short time ago an ardent in- 
fantry captain went on "plague duty" in order that he 
might save up sufficient to send "home" for a well-bred 
bulldog. A year after its arrival the unfortunate ani- 
mal e_xpired_ of heat. In the hill stations, however, 
the climate is perfect for man and beast alike. Con- 
sequently dogs which are unable to stand the heat of 
the plains during spring, siimmer and autumn months 
lead a pleasant enough existence in such places as 
Simla, Mussoorie, Poona, Naini Tal and Darjeeling. 
In fact, owners often find it advisable to send their 
treasured animals to these places during the dreaded 
"hot weather." 
Although English dogs are in such request in India, 
there is also some demand for the beautiful Thibetan 
sheepdog and the Rampur hound. The last named is 
bred in a small native state in the northwest prov- 
inces, and is useful for hunting purposes. It is a 
smooth-haired dog, not unlike a Great Dane in some 
respects, and is to be found in abundance in its native 
