Dec. 13, 1902.] . FOREST AND STREAM. ^71 
211^2 pounds, and was over 6 feet long; it was caught on 
a troll off the Northern Coas't, in May, 1895. 
Flat Fish, 
This is also known as the winter flounder. The usual 
length of the fish is from 12 to 15 inches, and its weight 
about 1V< pounds; rarely fish measuring 20 inches and 
weighing 5 pounds are taken. 
This is a very prolific fish, over a million eggs having 
been deposited by a large female. 
This is a subject of very great interest and value, and 
the writer trusts that the suggestion of Forest and 
Stream that observations bearing upon the relations of 
the age to the weight and the size of fish Avill be fur- 
nished freely by fishculturists and naturalists who have 
(he opportunity to obtain information. 
Tarleton H. Bean. 
A Game Tarpon. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Some time ago 1 promised to send you a description of 
the finest tarpon fight that I have ever witnessed. It oc- 
curred one afternoon last month out on the Gulf of 
Mexico, beyond the end of the jetty at Aransas Pass, 
when Mr. L. G. Murphy, of Converse, Ind., and I were 
there on tarpon fishing bent. 
I had just succeeded in bringing to boat a fine six- 
footer after a longer struggle than usual, owing to the 
fact that T had completely drowned the fish before taking 
it in ; and, while the boatman was baiting my hook for 
another trial, I sat watching Mr. Murphy's boat, which 
was only a few yards distant. Suddenly there was a 
strike, and a heavy-looking six-footer leaped into the 
air over tw-elve feet high. A few seconds later it made 
another leap fully as high, then a run, and instantly after- 
ward another jimip of the same height. In all it made 
six j umps, and not one of them was less than twelve feet 
high. . 
The ordinary height which a tarpon jumps is from 
eight to ten feet, and generallv each leap is a little lower 
than the last, till finally the fish is unable to spring en- 
tirely out of the water. Once only before had I seen a 
tarpon jump so high. It was on my line in the Panuco 
River, near Tampico, Mexico. Unfortunately, that fish 
threw out the hook at once, so I did not have an oppor- 
tunity to learn whether it could keep up its record on 
jumping. 
Mr. Murphy, who is a powerfully built man and' both 
muscular and active in spite of his sixty-odd years, 
handled his fish with much skill and apparently the great- 
est ease, bringing it to gaff in fifteen or twenty minutes. 
It pi-oved to be six feet one inch long by thirty-nine 
inches : girth, which would make the weight by formula 
139 pounds. 
■ Mr. Robert Farley, the well-known and skillful taxi- 
dermist of this place, has mounted the fish, and is going to 
present it to the Tima Club of Catalina Island, and in 
exchange the said club is going to send a mounted tuna. 
The catching of this wonderful leaper brought up the 
question of the relative merits of tarpon and tuna as game 
fishes, and Mr. Murphy and I both agreed that no fish 
could improve on the fight which the one under discus- 
sion had put up. 
In a year or two, after I have had some experience in 
catching tuna, I shall have something further to say to 
you on the question of which of the two is the king of all 
game fishes. In my opinion, though, the leaping shark 
will give both the tarpon and the tuna a close call for 
supremacy, I have had considerable experience of late 
with the leaping shark, but of this more anon. 
I continue obtaining by personal experience valuable 
data concerning tarpon tackle, and, as soon as I can spare 
the time, shall send you my promised letter on that sub- 
ject. J. A. L. Waddell. 
Wading for Goldfish. 
- When thej'' found it necessary to build an annex to the 
Auditorium Annex in Chicago, they conceived the idea of 
building a lounging and drinking room that would make 
the hotel famous around the world. I am told $100,000 
was spent upon this room. They call it the Pompeiian 
Room. 1 will not go into a detailed description of it in 
this article, further than to state that to the left of the 
center of the room, surrounded by fluted Carara marble 
pillars, is an electric fountain emptying into a tiled tank 
of large dimensions, in which hundreds of goldfish swam 
in schools around the fountain. 
Football enthusiasts and others, after perhaps too gen- 
erous attention to the fluid courses of their dinners, have 
boldly jumped into the angry lake and fruitlessly chased 
the nimble and elusive fish. This has become so common 
of late that Mr. Southgate now* has a life-saving corps of 
husky porters always at hand. 
And all this reminds me. Back of our country place on 
Long Island, where as a boy I spent my summers, lived a 
neighbor on whose farm was a large pond well stocked 
with goldfish, eels, etc. He had cut a small drainage canal 
from the pond to a field a couple of hundred yards avi^ay, 
where a pit had been cut about thirty by thirty through 
the solid clay. The water in this pit was murky, about 
two feet deep, and alive with young goldfish that could 
be readily seen swimming about. 
I had a 3'Oung cousin who lived in Brooklyn, and save 
for his aimual visit with us in the country, was cooped up 
between bricks and mortar for the balance of the year. A 
city boy, full of life and spirits as a thirteen-year-old boy 
should be. 
As the day rolled around for his visit, he appeared, ap- 
pareled in just such attire as a fond mother would clothe 
her boy when going visiting — in fact, I think he wore 
nothing inferior to his best Sundays. Stopping at the 
house only long enough to give and receive his greetings, 
we started on a general survey of the premises, and after 
the barn had been inspected and the various fruit trees 
sampled, we wandered further afield and came to the cla}-^ 
pit with its swarms of golden fish. The sight was too 
much for that boy; he simply could not stand it. He 
had seen goldfish in the aquariums in the bird stores, but 
10 see millions of goldfish to be had for the taking was 
§imply nerve-racking. Witli "I'll be back in a iiiinute," 
off he ran like a jumped deer — and within half an hour 
returned with a mosquito net window frame taken from 
the kitchen window by force of arms, and the family 
coffee pot. Without further ado he removed his coat, 
shoes and stockings, and roUing up his pants and shirt 
sleeves, slid down the clayey, slippery bank, and holding 
the mosquito frame in front of him fairly scooped up the 
young fish. The miraculous draft of fishes was not repeated 
for at the first scoop he got enough fish to fill the coffee 
pot twice over. That the boy did not think of the family 
wash tub and bring that with him was a source of 
poignant grief to him. It was certainly a case of em- 
l.iarrassment of fishes, and with frame in one hand and 
coffee pot in the other, he longingly looked back upon 
the fish still there "by the million," and thought nothing 
of his clothes and person, most generously smeared with 
clay and slime. His aunt had come from town with him 
as his custodian, and I will long remember the meeting, 
the boy on his side bubbling and bursting with excite- 
ment and having no thought of else but his prizes in the 
coffee pot, and on the other hand the aunt bordering on 
and gyrating between surprised muteness and indignant 
hysterics. _ • 
I have experienced enthusiasm myself in life at various 
and sundry times, but I question if I ever had it as badly 
as did Frank and his wonderful haul of goldfish. 
Charles Cristadoro. 
She Goes Fishing. 
My uncle, who is eighty-three years old, was induced 
by me — one of those girls that delight in all outdoor 
.sports — to go for a day's fishing on the river. 
The bass were plenty in the Susquehanna, and from all 
reports also biting well. 
Now, Uncle was a great fisherman, usually coming in 
with an empty bait box and an equally empty fish basket — 
but still his enthusiasm was always great, and the im- 
mense fish that he lost and the many bites he had were 
truly remarkable. 
For a long time this fishing trip had been planned, so 
one morning when the wind was in the south and clouds 
were overhead, our preparations w^ere begun. Of course 
the nearest creek was first visited for minnows, when, 
after a struggle with brush, ditches, tangled lines and the 
loss of several hooks, w^e succeeded in capturing six, 
Avhich, by the way, were nearly large enough for eating. _ 
Well, we were tired with this attempt, and a little bit 
discouraged, but we at least had the consolation of know- 
ing where to get some worms to finish out for bait._ 
Finally, about noon, we were on our way to the river, 
Avhich was about a quarter of a mile away. Uncle was 
laden w^th the minnow pail, two anchors and the fish poles 
while I had the bait box, lunch basket and an umbrella. 
We were indeed Avell equipped. 
After securing a neighbor's boat, we had to fix the 
anchors and rig the fish poles, and as it was_ now long 
after noon, we concluded to eat our lunch. This task was 
soon completed, and we were at last on the water. At 
the mouth of a small creek, which Uncle said would be a 
fine place for bass, the anchor was dropped and fishing 
was commenced. 
We found that the minnows w^ere all dead, as the pail 
leaked and the water had nearly all run out, so we had to 
use worms for bait. 
I had just thrown my line in the water, put up my um- 
brella (the sun was now shining), when, jerk went some- 
thing at my line. Of course I at once pulled it up, so 
quickly, in fact, that my umbrella went handle down in 
the river, and with my pole Uncle's hat was knocked from 
his head and went sailing serenely down the Susque- 
hanna. We pulled anchors with all haste and were away 
after the floating articles. 
After a ten-minute chase they were captured- and put 
up in the boat to drj', and we were again ready to fish — 
but, oh! what did I catch? It was merely an old root 
which took me about ten minutes to free from the line. 
Uncle had a veiy short, slender pole, with which he 
was fond of throwing a long line. After fishing for about 
half an hour without even a bite, he concluded that he 
liad too short a line, and at once unreeled about fifty feet 
or more and attempted to throw it ; vain attempt — the line 
was wound around my pole, one anchor and both oars, 
and in the struggle the bait box was knocked into the 
river, where it immediately sunk. 
No, Uncle was not provoked, merely nervous; so 
nen'ous that a very vigorous jerk which he gave to free 
his line, left his pole broken above the second joint. 
It took us only a short time to get home, and when I 
go fishmg again I shall sit on the shore and fish for 
shiners. Uncle will have to put in a new supply of fish- 
ing tackle, and when next he goes he will doubtless con- 
sider it more profitable to go alone, or if he takes me, to 
at least teach me how to pull in a root. 
Mabel A. Cook. 
The Aqtiariwm Sturgeon Dead. 
Death has again visited the Aquarium, and this time 
the victim is the huge sturgeon. The great fish — she 
was 8 feet 9 inches long and weighed when in good 
health nearly 300 pounds — succumbed to tuberculosis. 
She had been ill a long time, and so far as is known 
had not touched food in months. 
The sturgeon was one of the finest specimens ever 
on exhibition in this city, and was acquired by the 
Aquarium June 3, 1901, from a fisherman of Bay Side, 
L. I., who netted her a short time prior to that date. 
For months she swam round and round her tank, al- 
ways going to the right, and never, so far as visitors 
could judge, stopped to rest. Of course, there is no 
way of telling, but Mr. Spencer thinks that homesick- 
ness had a great deal to do with the fish's death. She 
always seemed to be hunting for a companion. 
Several months ago the fish showed signs of ill- 
ness, and all the books on fish diseases were consulted 
in the hope of diagnosing her case. She rapidly lost 
in weight, and Mr. Spencer and his assistants believed 
that the great sturgeon had consumption, a theory 
that proved true when the autopsy was performed last 
week. 
Sturgeons are known to be restless in captivity, and 
there i-§ t^g record of a fish of that species evef hay- 
ing been in confinement that did not suffer from ap- 
parent homesickness. 
The sturgeon that has just died, accprding to Mr. 
De Nyse, had both nostalgia and insomnia in the_ worst 
form, and hence, when she developed tuberculosis, her 
life rapidly ebbed away. 
The ravages of disease had so weakened her that at 
the time of her death her great spine looked as if it 
were about to burst through the skin, so thin and 
lean had the once big and healthy fish become. 
It was sent up to the Museum of Natiiral Flistory, 
where it will be stuffed and mounted. A four-foot 
sturgeon is now in the pool formerly occupied by the 
dead fish. The new sturgeon seems to be just as 
homesick and restless as his predecessor. — New York 
Times. 
Lake Champlain Net Fishing-. 
Swanton, Vt., Nov. 37. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
Net fishing is to be stopped in our Vermont waters. We 
have seen recently a Canadian Order-in-Council which 
will stop net fishing in all waters adjacent to Vermont, 
excepting the w^aters of Lake Champlain (Missisquoi 
Bay). This leaves the Canadian fishermen to catch the 
pike-perch that we breed. As their mai'ket for those fish 
is in New York, an act of Congress should be passed pro- 
hibiting their sending these fish to our markets. As the 
Montreal market is flooded wit.h that kind of fish, the 
Missisquoi Bay fishermen's market is south. Cut this 
off, and they would stop fishing. This must be done or 
there will be serious trouble with the Vermont fishermen 
along the line between this State and Canada. 
There is a report that it was the money and influence 
used by the Vermont net fishermen that caused that clause 
to be inserted in the Canadian Order-in-Council, grant- 
ing licenses to fish in Missisquoi Bay waters. If such 
is the case, they have to thank themselves for this state of 
things. We ourselves overheard some conversation that 
they had raised $160 for that purpose, but this seems a 
small sum to buy the influence of an M. P. 
If a passageway was opened through the sand bar 
bridge it would greatly improve the hook and line fishing 
in the famed Back Bay of Lake Champlain. 
The boys thought that they had scored a point against 
the Hon. John W. Tilcomb when they influenced Daniel 
Meigs, Esq., M. P., to secure the Canadians licenses to 
fish, but Mr. Titcomb has caused the blow to rebound 
against their own heads, and now if they fish with their 
nets it will have to be under Canadian licenses and in 
Canadian waters. Verily, how things do act sometimes. 
A person when at home in his little country town may 
think himself a fellow of considerable consequence, and 
fnd when he gets out among people that he can go out 
of the little end of the horn and not fill even half of the 
hole. Stanstead. 
A later note from Stanstead says that after the late of 
his writing "the Vermont Legislature reconsidered the 
matter and decided to allow seining in the waters of Lake 
Champlain. We never know what our Legislature has 
really done until after the session has closed. Make a 
law to-day and to-morrow reconsider and repeal it again." 
. , 
The Fishefman. 
BY H. MALCOLM. 
Row slowly now A little nearer to the shore 
There, that's right Steady, now-— — -This eddy looks 
like a good place The left oar, just a little — There, 
that's fine — — Just by these lilypads a large one was caught 
the other day Gee whiz! did you see that? A strike, 
and he was a beauty, too An eight-pounder, I'll bet 
Back Avater, quick, till I try him again — —Steady, 
now This is the place- 1 guess we've missed him 
No, by jove! there he was again He's got it! 
He's got it! Stop the boat, quick, quick ^Turn her 
out into deep water- — — He's in the lilypads now, and a 
goner sure Thunderation ! and he was a monster 
Must have weighed at least ten pounds No, there he is 
He is still hooked— — He is all right He is free 
from the lilies Fie is free Steady, now, and put the 
oars in the boat See the pole ; he bends it nearly double 
And doesn't he make the reel sing Now, he has 
turned He is coming toward us ^Hand me that 
landing net Quick ! Quick ! He is going under the 
boat He will snap the line Holy smoke! there he 
goes Grab the line Grab the line, I say Have 
j^ou got it? Keep him fast, now Just a second- ■ 
Steady, now There he goes into the net — — Here he is 
in the boat We have him He is safe And isn't 
he a beauty? Isn't he a beauty, a dandy, a cracker- 
jack, a peach?- -He will go above six pounds, if he 
weighs an ounce Wasn't he lively? Did you see 
him make that three-foot leap out of the water? You 
didn't? Man, where were your eyes? Row in, now, 
and we will weigh him Flow much did you say? 
Four pound.^ and two ounces Pshaw ! that can't be 
right- Your scales are not accurate Well, he's a 
beauty, anyvmy It took a full half hour to tire him 
out and land him Three minutes, you say? Oh! 
you're mistaken That can't possibly be — — It was sure- 
ly longer than that He was a fighter to the last 
Excited, when I caught him ? Naw ! not a bit — — Cool 
as a cucumber, just as T am now He certainly is a 
beauty. 
A Swsqttehanna Black Bass. 
Owego, Tinga Count3^, N. Y., Dec. 4.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: Mr. William H. Thomas, of this place, 
caught in the Susquehanna River to-day a small-mouth 
black bass weighing seven and three-quarter pounds. This 
is the largest black bass of the small-mouth variety that 
has ever been caught in this locality, 
I uiiderstand that there is a reward offered somewhere 
fur a black bass^ weighing over six pounds, and write 
you to ascertain if you can enlighten me on the subject, 
Mr. Thomas has also requested me to write you on the 
subject. The statement as to the weight of the fish can be 
authenticated by affidavits of any number of reliable peo- 
ple who weighed the fish, or sa.w it weighed. The fish 
was alive Aivhen I s^w it, Fred J. DAyij^ 
