July 23, 1904.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
intention of applying for an additional appropriation 
for the purpose, feeling confident that the time and 
labor saved from trips out- west after fish will be suf- 
ficient to give the matter of game refuge a trial. We 
have no doubt that a large enough area of well-watered 
woodland can be secured in New Jersey at a low annual 
rental for the establishment of at least one refuge. A 
lease for five years, with the privilege of purchase, 
would involve an inconsiderable outlay of money and 
would be sufficient to test the availability of the pro- 
ject. The number of our wardens is sufficient to pro- 
vide for the care necessary to be taken of such refuge; 
the artificial propagation of some of the fauna is a 
matter of exact science and what has been done profit- 
ably by individuals can be done in a like manner by 
the State. 
The first purpose which such a refuge would serve 
would be the prevention of the extermination of our 
native birds. Absolute prohibition from shooting or 
tramping would, of course, be requisite to success, and 
this could be attended by the wardens placed in charge. 
The instinct of all kinds of game is to seek places of 
security. It is the experience of all who have gunned 
on territory adjoining large preserves that when they 
once get a shot, say at a bevy of quail, the birds will 
at once betake themselves to the preserved territory, 
knowing that they are secure from molestation there. 
In this way we would have a place where quail, 
ruffed grouse and hare might always be found, and 
from which the surplus of the quail and rabbits, at 
least, might be transplanted to other parts of the State, 
in addition to the good gunning to be found in the 
immediate vicinity of the refuge. If any of the foreign 
species of hare recently introduced in this country can 
be acclimated here the best opportunity therefor would 
be afforded by such a place of refuge and absolute 
security. 
An advantage which would accrue to the benefit of 
the angler would be the more extensive distribution of 
trout. It is well known that by the artificial propaga- 
tion of trout as high as ninety-five per cent, of the 
eggs have been brought to maturity, whereas if left 
to their natural resources it is a question whether even 
five per cent, of the eggs would develop into fish. 
Thousands of dollars have been expended in New Jersey 
for the distribution of fingerling trout, and the larger 
part of this sum of money has gone as a profit to the 
owners of private hatcheries. All this might be saved, 
and that with an increase in the number of trout to 
be distributed. Small hatcheries have been established 
in numerous places all over the country. The cost of 
establishing and maintaining a small hatchery, amply 
sufficient for all the demands of the streams of New 
Jersey, would cost but little more than the sums now 
annually expended in the purchase of trout from the 
hatcheries, and give the State a full supply. 
But by far the greatest benefit reasonably to be ex- 
pected from the establishment of a game refuge would 
be the introduction into the State, for the benefit of the 
public, of the Asiatic pheasant. Three kinds of 
pheasants, the English, the ring-necked, and the Mon- 
golian, have been established in various parts of this 
country in latitudes as high as that of New Jersey. 
Our native grouse is becoming scarce, and we know of 
no bird at all suitable to take its place other than the 
Asiatic pheasant. This has been done elsewhere and 
there is no reason why it should not be done in New 
Jersey. 
An attempt of this kind was made in New Jersey a 
number of years ago and proved a failure, but this 
can be readily accounted for. The State purchased 
considerable numbers of the ring-necked pheasants and 
distributed them in various parts of the State. There 
was no law whatever prohibiting the destruction and 
possession of this bird. A measure was passed by the 
Legislature prohibiting their killing for three years, 
but it was vetoed by the governor, as it was only a 
part of a general measure, some features of which did 
not meet the approval of the executive. Consequently, 
the measure, with the good as well as the objectionable 
provisions, was vetoed. This gave gunners and others 
a full year in which not only to shoot, but to trap the 
pheasants. In no place were the birds secure, and, 
consequently, it is rather a matter of surprise that some 
were found as long as three and four years after their 
liberation. In addition to this, the fact must be con- 
sidered that the birds were more or less of a domes- 
ticated nature, having been bred and reared in con- 
finement. 
Despite all these disadvantages, reports were received 
from several places .in the State indicating that the 
birds did well the first year, and that their progeny 
showed nearly all the wildness of our native grouse. 
By the establishment of a game refuge the cost of 
these birds would be materially reduced. Immediately 
before the breeding season the market price of these 
birds ranges from $4 to $6 a pair, and they are fre- 
quently difficult of procurement even at the higher 
figure. The hens are prolific in the laying of eggs, 
and although the best method of developing them is 
still by placing them under common barnyard fowl, it 
has be*en shown by ample evidence that the birds will de- 
velop their own-eggs if Jiot interfered with. At any 
rate, we see no reason why on a State game refuge we 
should not accomplish what it done every year on the 
large preserves -in this and other States. The rearing 
of the birds can be accomplished by following the rules 
laid down in books written by men who have devoted 
their lives to the subject, and is attended with very 
little difficulty. • In preserves in New Jersey as many 
as 10,000 and 20,000 birds have been reared in a season, 
and that with the attendance of Imen far less in number 
than the corps of our wardens. By far the larger pro- 
portion of these birds invariably remain within the 
boundaries of the preserve where they are reared, so 
that in the case of the State game refuge_ only the 
second generation, partaking more of a wild nature 
than the first, might be used for the purpose of dis- 
tribution to other parts of the State. 
Of the three kinds of Asiatic pheasants the prefer- 
ence undoubtedly would be given to the ring-necked 
variety. On the preserves in New Jersey the English 
bird is preferred, but this is due to the fact that it is 
less liable to stray away from the place of its rearing, 
and because it is not so hard a flyer, thus forming an 
easier mark for the gunner. A law prohibiting the 
killing of English birds altogether would be on in- 
justice to the owners of these preserves, and such a 
law, as far as the pheasants to be reared on the State 
game refuge are concerned, would be an absolute 
necessity. 
In some of the western States the Mongolian bird 
has done well, and it would cost very little to try an 
experiment with a few of these birds, although their 
characteristic tendency in the west has been to travel 
many miles away from home. 'The ring-necked, al- 
though also given to roaming, but to a far more limited 
extent, would probably prove the better bird for the 
needs of New Jersey. A law prohibiting the killing of 
ring-necked and Mongolian pheasants for a term of 
years would do no injury to any person, for there are 
none of these birds at present in the State, and such 
a law would be absolutely necessary to the successful 
establishment of a game refuge. 
The Monarch of the Pool. 
He was Monarch of the Pool, king of trout, and em- 
peror of the domains he specially regarded as his. He 
was an autocrat, and, like autocrats, he was despotic. 
His slightest wish was law, and on occasions when recal- 
citrancy showed itself, he always found means of enforc- 
ing obediency. Among his trout subjects he was feared 
and hated. It must, however, be admitted that these were 
far from numerous. On the slightest offense, and, indeed, 
on no offense at all, he ate them up. The consequences 
of aquatic depopulation were in no wise dreaded by him. 
Time was when he was rather a nonentity in the trout 
community. Full of young life and juvenile propensities, 
he had sported over the sandy bottom, and in and out 
among the boulders that littered the bottom of the Pool. 
His sportive faculties not infrequently roused the wrath 
of the older and more sedate members of the community. 
These, being older, were, of ocurse, very much larger 
than he was, and he knew that such chastisement as they 
would inflict would at once put an end to his earthly, 
or rather watery, career. Such, indeed, had been the fate 
of several of his playfellows. After having been duly 
punished for delinquencies from proper decorum, they 
had formed a toothsome repast to the austere enforcers 
of law and order. Once or twice the future Monarch had 
run narrow escapes of suffering the same fate, but he 
always managed to betake himself to some narrow inter- 
stices between the boulders, where he knew his enemies 
could not penetrate. Such attentions were the bane and 
terror of his life, and solemnly did he vow if ever he 
attained the full maturity of trouthood to exact a dire 
revenge. 
Gradually he found himself growing in size and 
strength, and just by way of training for the after even- 
tualities of life, he commenced practicing attacks on the 
smaller fry, such as he had once been himself. As he 
swallowed up these he found his own proportions percep- 
tibly swell, and in order to obtain a speedier vengeance 
on his persecutors, he became their most active oppressor. 
Soon he attained a size which rendered him compara- 
tively immune from unwelcome attentions, and this enr 
abled him to unrestrainedly vent his vengeance upon 
those who were in the least degree smaller and weaker 
than himself. Eventually the dominion of the Pool rested 
with him and another two, and as the powers of all three 
were about equal, they prudently avoided attacking each 
other. At last one of these was foolish enough to swal- 
low the lure of an expert angler, while the second fell 
prey to a wandering otter, and thus the Monarch of the 
Pool attained supreme sway. 
He proved a very jealous monarch. Thoughts of the 
possibility of having to share his rule with another were 
always present in his mind. To prevent this, and, at the 
same time augment his strength, he devoured every trout 
of any considerable size that ventured within the precincts 
of the Pool. Nor were the smaller fry intact from his 
inroads ; but these found safety in his own previous 
tactics, and bitterly did he now curse the interstices 
which had fonnerly stood him in such good stead. 
All this while, however, he had to guard against the 
machinations of another enemy, and that was man. The 
tempting lures and baits with which he had been plied had 
oftener than once almost proved his undoing. When a 
very small trout, indeed, he had seized what appeared to 
him to be a very toothsome, gaudy fly, and been landed 
on terra Hrrna. Luckily for him the kindly angler felt 
that his basket would be disgraced by the presence of so 
small a specimen as he then was, and he was thrown back 
into the water. This perilous adventure ever after made 
him charv of flies, and it was only after careful observa- 
tion that he ventured to add them to his menu. Again, 
while nibbling at a nice succulent worm he had received a 
sharp wound, and later, while attacking a minnow, his 
jaws had been severely lacerated. So shrewd did he be- 
come from these experiences that to ordinary human arti- 
fice he was absolutely invulnerable. As the fame of his 
proportions spread, so, in like ratio, did the ambition to 
prove his undoing. In angling circles nothing but the 
"big trout" was spoken bf, and he was plied with lures 
of every description, from the clumsiest to the most 
highly finished, by peer and peasant alike. But the Mon- 
arch "regarded these attempts with silent scorn ; the ex- 
periences he had already undergone safe-guarded him 
against similar perils. 
It was while his fame was at its zenith that Messrs. 
Brown, Jones, and Robinson appeared on the scene. They 
had come down from London on - piscatorial holiday bent, 
and each provided with a brand new outfit of the costliest 
and best quality. No one could have been more innocent 
of all knowledge of 'the art of "Old Isaac" than were 
those three. They had never angled before; indeed, it is 
questionable if they had ever seen a trout, yet they came 
down filled with visions of well-filled baskets. They put 
up at the best hotel in the neighborhood, and, of course, 
were soon made aware of the existence of the Monarch 
of the Pool. 
What they were told filled their bosoms with ambition, 
and next : morning they sallied forth in high hopes to 
commence their attack upon the grim old autocrat. All 
three reached the' Pool, and all three commenced opera- 
tions simultaneously.' They maintained ' their positions 
throughout the whole day, but we refrain from inflicting 
upon the reader the description of their operations ; suf- 
fice it to say they afforded unbounded merriment and 
amusement to a party of peasants at work in an adjoining 
field. For several days they resumed their attack,- but 
with no better result, and their ardor becoming some- 
what damped, they turned their attention to less re- 
nowned members of the finny species. Still success failed 
to attend their efforts, and having for more than a week 
returned to the hotel with empty baskets they were sub- 
jected to a good deal of banter by other anglers; while, 
as far as the Monarch was concerned, they were ruled 
entirely out of the running. 
At last they began to return with several small trout 
in their baskets. These they were supposed to have 
caught with rod and line ; but such was not the case. As 
a matter of fact, a schoolboy had initiated them into that 
primitive form of angling known as "gudding," or catch- 
ing the trout under stones and banks by means of their 
hands alone. At first they were rather fearful the trout 
would bite their fingers; but on this they were reassured 
by their juvenile instructor. Henceforth they might have 
been seen wandering on the banks of secluded streamlets, 
divested of coat and hat, with shirt sleeves rolled up to 
the shoulders, plunging their arms into the water in 
search of the shy and retiring trout. 
"Hang it all! Let's rusticate a little," said Browi\ as 
the trio again found themselves by the Pool, after hav- 
ing spent the earlier part of the day in "guddling." 
"What do you mean?" queried Jones. 
"Why, dress and cook some of the trout we have caught 
for lunch," was the reply. 
The proposal was unanimously accepted. Brown pro^ 
ceeded to gut and clean the fish; Jones made a fire out 
of dry twigs which he" collected; while Robinson pro- 
ceeded to construct an improvised grill out of some pieces 
of wire that lay handy. 
Soon the freshly caught trout were twisting themselves 
into circles on the grill placed over the glowing embers, 
and several burnt fingers evidenced the difficulty expe- 
rienced in turning them. At last they were declared 
"ready," and lunch commenced. The grilled trout were 
pronounced splendid, but owing to the primitive method, 
of cooking there was much waste, and Robinson, who sat- 
facing the Pool, threw fins, tails, and burnt parts into. the 
water. :>,.<-.? 
The Monarch who lay visible and almost stationary oh, 
the sandy bottom, saw the'se particles invade his domains, 
To him their appearance was altogether new/ He eyed 
them critically. That they were edible seemed apparent, 
but were they simply another machination of his arch- 
enemy, man? No, he thought not. After a good deal of 
close observation and consideration, he at last ventured 
to appropriate a piece. Evidently he found it very good, 
for he ventured on another, and, gradually getting bolder, 
he gobbled up the pieces as fast as they were thrown in 
the water. 
Robinson at last noticed this. "See," he said, "the 
big fellow is swallowing up the refuse as fast as it's 
thrown into the water." 
' "Probably he prefers trout cooked to trout raw," re- 
joined Jones. 
"Stop," said Brown, "let's put a hook inside a piece." 
The proposal was at once adopted, and a hook was 
carefully concealed inside a small piece of fish. A suffi- 
cient length of line was drawn out, and the bait thrown 
into the water. His suspicions lulled by his previous ex- 
periences, the Monarch at once swallowed the piece of 
trout as he had done the others. Brown seized the rod, 
and found the "big troot" firmly attached. 
But the Monarch showed fight, and success certainly 
appeared to favor him. Brown had no idea of running a 
fish, but simply hauled with might and main. Rod or 
tackle were in imminent danger of breaking ; in fact, had 
they not been of the very best quality, they must have 
done so under the strain to which they were subjected. 
"You blockhead ! do you want to break your tackle, and 
lose the troot after hookin' him? Gie me the rod, and 
I'll land him for ye," sounded the rough voice of a rustic, 
who, happening to pass at the time, saw what had 
occurred and what was likely to ensue. 
Brown prudently handed the rustic the rod, and after a 
quarter of an hour's excellent sport, the Monarch caved 
in, and was drawn unresistingly to the side. All three 
dived at him with their respective landing-nets, and, for- 
tunately, in one of them he was enmeshed, amid the un - 
complimentary epithets of the expert rustic. 
The jubilation of Brown, Jones, and Robinson was only 
equalled by that of the small trout in the Pool, who were 
thus relieved of the iron rule of their autocratic despot. 
A handsome donation silenced for a time the volubility 
of the friendly rustic, and the worthy trio became the 
heroes of the hour. Next day they departed, bearing with 
them the remains of the defunct Monarch, to have them 
preserved as tangible evidence of their prowess as anglers. 
Verily, ignorance and luck sometimes succeed Where 
knowledge and skill signally fail. In proof of this, if any 
is required, we need only quote the case of the "Monarch 
of the Pool." — Tom Buidh in Illustrated Sporting and 
Dramatic News (London). 
Altered Fishing in the Hudson. 
Ossining, N. Y. — Editor Forest and Stream: Reading 
at different times of the pollution of streams in different 
parts of the country, I would ask for an explanation 
through your paper of the reasons for the altered condi- 
tion of the Hudson River at this place from a fisherman's 
viewpoint. Twenty years ago it was no uncommon thing 
for parties to strike into schools of weakfish here, often 
as many as twenty being caught on a single tide. Striped 
bass were also plentiful then, and flukes were not uncom- 
mon. I can remember playing "hookey" from Sunday 
school once twenty years ago, and of course the docks 
along the river front were the attraction. It was early 
in September and altogether too fine a day for Sunday 
school. I walked out en "Pete" Smith's dock and absent 
mindedly picked up a bamboo pole which had been thrown 
down by some tired fiesherman. There was a piece of 
stout twine for a line and a common ringed hook, on 
which was hooked a strip of well dried moss bunker. It 
was not an inviting Sunday meal, and as I Whipped it off 
the end of the dock I was not prepared for the sudden 
