Nov. 19, 1904] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
trouble with the colonists, who declined to accept him 
as ruler. Before long, however, this difficulty was 
smoothed away, the malcontents removed, and other 
colonists brought in. On purchasing the island, Mr. 
Menier naturally desired to learn what its material con- 
dition was, and what it produced. With this in view, 
he engaged as medical officer for the island, Dr. Joseph 
Schmitt, a naturalist in close touch with some of the 
most eminent scientific men of France. From his pen has 
recently appeared a monograph of the Island of Anti- 
costi, giving us much reliable information about that in- 
accessible land. The paper, which is fully illustrated, is 
in French, covers nearly 400 pages, and has many maps 
and diagrams. 
It is divided into five parts, of which the first, follow- 
ing an introduction, deals with the geography, history, 
meteorology and climate, and the second with the 
geology and paleontology. The third part is botanical, 
and the fourth deals with the zoology, from protozoan 
up to mammals, with a page or two on anthropology. 
The fifth part tells very briefly of the treatment of cer- 
tain diseases in men and animals, of the possibilities of 
agriculture, the resources of the island, and certain 
conclusions. . . 
The part dealing with the zoology will chiefly interest 
our readers, many of whom will be surprised to learn of 
the great paucity of mammalian life on the island. The 
black bear, the otter, the marten and the fox are the sole 
land mammals noted, except two or three mice. Of 
marine mammals, on the other hand, there are many- 
seals, whales, and dolphins. The walrus is entered in the 
list, but appears to be only a memory, since it seems to 
have quite disappeared. 
Agriculture is undoubtedly possible in Arttieosti, where 
wheat, oats, barley and potatoes appear to grow and 
ripen. 
Mr. Menier purchased the island for a game preserve, 
and it is said that red deer, caribou and moose have 
been turned out there, as well as beaver, and that all of 
these are doing well. Silver foxes occur, and some of 
them confined in a large park are breeding with results 
that seem to be satisfactory. Mr. Menier is looking care- 
fully after the well being of the fur-bearing animals, not 
less than of the game, and it is reported that fur is 
increasing. 
Fish and Fishing. 
Arctic Salmon and Whales. 
Valuable contributions to the comparatively limited 
knowledge respecting the salmonidas of the far north, 
are believed to have been brought back by the members of 
the recently returned Canadian expedition to the Arctic 
Ocean, whose reports upon the natural history of the 
regions visited by them are awaited with no small de- 
gree of interest. While scarcely anything of importance 
has thus far been given out by members of the party 
in advance of the publication of their official reports, 
Mr. A. P. Low, of the Dominion Geological Survey, 
reports a large decrease in the whaling industry in 
Hudson Bay, but declares that a splendid industry might 
be established in canning Arctic salmon. The rivers, he 
says, still fairly swarm with these fish, which, while 
not as good as the Atlantic catch, are of a much better 
quality than the British Columbia product. 
Good Fall Fishing in Northern Ontario. 
Mr. L. O. Armstrong, tourist agent of the Canadian 
Pacific Railway, has just returned home from a trip 
through the French River district of Ontario. He left 
the railway at Wahnapitei station, and thence descended 
the river of that name until he reached the French 
River. In this district, which is to be opened up by 
the Toronto-Sudbury branch of the C. P. R., Mr. Arm- 
strong says that there is a larger acreage of good fish- 
ing water within reasonable access than anywhere else 
in Canada. None of these waters have ever been netted 
or dynamited, and it is gratifying to know that every- 
thing that is possible is being done by the railway 
authorities to prevent the undue destruction of fish life 
in this important district. Mr. Armstrong got any 
number of bass averaging four pounds, some mas- 
kinonge averaging twenty-three pounds, and some dore 
averaging seven pounds. 
The Sea Trout 
During the last summer I was fortunate enough to 
enjoy opportunities for the study of the sea-run trout 
of the Saguenay and some of its tributaries. At times 
they afforded splendid sport, and were as plentiful dur- 
ing portions, at least, of the past season, as the salmon 
were scarce. The wordy war waged by the ichthyolo- 
gists over the proper identification and name of this 
fish appears to be as far as ever it was from a satis- 
factory settlement, but among those who have angled 
for it there is but one opinion as to the excellence of 
both its flesh and its game qualities. So the practical 
disciple of Izaak Walton is equally satisfied with his 
sport among the sea trout, whether the fish be simply 
his old friend, the spotted brook trout, which has grown 
bright and silvery by a prolonged visit to the sea, or 
whether it be, as claimed by some, a distinct variety. 
It may be Salmo trutta, Salmo trutta marina, Salmo im- 
maculatus, bull trout, salmon trout or white trout to the 
ichthyologist. To the angler it may also be either of 
these, but it is pre-eminently, to him, the sea trout, to 
distinguish it from the fish that he takes in brooks and 
lakes far from the sea, as contrasted with this glorious 
silvery denizen of tidal or brackish water. 
When first lifted from the sea, the backs of the white 
trout are of a bluish-green, just the color of the wave, 
and the under part of the fish sparkles like molten silver. 
Soon after the salmon have run up into the rivers on 
the north shore of the St. Lawrence, the whole of the 
Gulf along either shore abounds with the smaller fish, 
the individual specimens running from _ one to seven 
pounds in weight. They proceed up the rivers to spawn, 
though it was formerly supposed that they never as- 
cended into the purely fresh water. This belief was 
undoubtedly strengthened by the fact that they are most 
freely caught either in the salt or brackish water, and 
that ' they are not always correctly identified when 
taken out of fresh water, because of the striking changes 
in both their form and coloration, produced by even 
a very short sojourn in fresh water. They lose flesh, 
and hence appear longer in shape and become very 
brilliantly colored, with tri-colored fins of black, white 
and scarlet, and numerous bright spots over the body, 
which have simply become visible because of _ the par- 
tial disappearance of the silvery sheen that veiled them 
when in salt water. This sheen gradually and partially 
disappears in fresh water, as it also does from the 
salmon. 
Besides ascending the rivers to spawn, there is no 
doubt that the sea trout run into some of them after 
the smelt, upon which they feed, and when these latter 
return to the sea, late in the year, the sea trout again 
follow after them. 
In the lower part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the 
sea trout fishing commences much earlier than it does 
farther west, Thus in the bays and harbors of Prince 
Edward Island it is good in June. In these bays and 
along the coasts of the island, the fish are taken with 
a scarlet fly, from a boat under easy sail, with a "mackerel 
breeze," and often with a "heavy ground swell." The 
fly skips from wave to wave at the end of thirty yards 
of line, and there should be at least seventy yards more 
on the reel. It is splendid sport, as a strong fish will 
sometimes make a long run and give a good chase down 
the wind. In fact, it is not too much to say that the 
sea trout is the most valuable of the salmonida; after 
the Atlantic salmon itself, and neither in beauty of form 
or color, in excellence of flavor, nor yet in sporting 
qualifications do they fall behind even him, notwith- 
standing that they are his inferior in both weight and 
size. Often, too, a very large run of these beautiful 
fish is met, and among other catches on record is one 
of sixteen trout, weighing over eighty pounds, caught 
in one morning at St. Peter's Bay, twenty-eight miles 
from Charlottetown, in Prince Edward Island. The 
same angler, with a friend, killed 300 of these fish in 
a single tide. 
Sometimes the sea trout is killed quite out of_ sight 
of land, by trolling a fly from a sail boat, much in the 
same way as in mackerel or bluefish angling'. The trout 
frequently throws itself out of the sea to secure the 
rapidly skipping fly, its beautiful bright sides flashing 
like silver in the sunlight. When struck, it runs with 
sufficient velocity to bring the angler's heart into his 
mouth, and a hundred yards of line proves little enough, 
at times, to hold him. 
In salt water fishing there is no need whatever to be 
particular about a choice of lure for sea trout. A fly 
is by no means necessary. Any bright artificial bait is 
all that is required, and any particular resemblance to 
known living creatures is apparently superfluous. Keep- 
ing well outside the bar-, the angler should trail this 
bait at the end of twenty yards of line, and even more 
of the fish are shy. The spinning and glistening bait 
is apparently, to the trout, gifted with the power of 
escape. The trout is piqued, snaps, and reflects not 
until the hooks are in him, but then the angler must 
be prepared for a rush, beside which that of a pollack 
of the same size is a mere crawl. 
Keeping in view the fact that these frantic efforts are 
"the result of fright, the cautious angler knows how to 
let his fish run out to a certain point, when, suddenly 
raising the point of his rod, he brings pressure to bear 
and winds up. Out goes the line again, and the same 
compliments are exchanged, the number of the runs 
depending upon the angler's skill, and still more on 
the size and condition of the prisoner. The depth at 
which the spinner should work depends largely on the 
weather and general state of the atmosphere and water. 
A fresh breeze, as divers have remarked, will create a 
disturbance among the marine life below, even where 
the water remains perpetually calm; myriads of tiny 
creatures are set in pursuit, and these are the main ob- 
jects of the trout's pursuit. 
On calm evenings the sand-eels come to the top, 
where also the trout are to be found on the feed. A 
little variation in the number of sinkers used, aided by 
a little judgment and observation on the part of the 
angler will generally determine the exact position of 
the fish, which are at no time very hard to find, least 
of all when hungry. 
Some of the best sea trout fishing is to be had off 
the mouth of the Cascapedia in the Baie des Chaleurs, 
and in the lower stretches of tidal water in the Moisie, 
the Trinity and the Saguenay rivers. In many of the 
salmon rivers, notwithstanding the sportive character 
of the sea trout, its rising at the salmon fisher's flies 
calls down upon it many maledictions, because of the 
disturbance which it creates in the pool in which it may 
be found, spoiling the salmon fishing for some time to 
come. 
Yet when the salmon fishing is dull or the season 
for it has closed, many a good day's sport is taken in 
salt or brackish water in the lower stretches of the 
salmon rivers by their lessees, for upon a trout qr 
grilse rod the sport afforded by a large sea trout is 
fully equal to that experienced in killing a salmon on 
a salmon rod. 
On the Saguenay. 
On no other trout water in the world, perhaps, is 
there the same character of trout fishing to be had as in 
the Saguenay River. The Saguenay sea trout, like the 
Saguenay salmon, have almost a world-wide reputation. 
The Saguenay salmon, however, must run into one of 
the tributaries of the great dark river before they will 
rise to the fly. The sea trout, on the other hand, are 
successfully fished for on the Saguenay itself, and the 
sport certainly offers an unique experience. Precipitous 
cliffs, ranging from 1,200 to 2,200 feet in height, hem 
the river in on either side, and in many instances these 
cliffs actually overhang the water. If the channel of 
the river were to be dried up, it would be seen that some 
. of these cliffs run down as far below the present level of 
the Saguenay as they rise above it. There are many 
places where the water is over a thousand feet deep* 
and this close to the cliffs. In almost any other water 
of one-tenth of this depth, it would be absolutely use- 
less to fish with the fly. In the early spring and late 
in the fall, the fish would be found only in shallower 
water, and if they sought such deep water at all it would 
only be for the purpose of seeking the bottom of it in 
the heat of summer. But in the Saguenay, even the 
surface of the water is cold enough to satisfy the long- 
ing of any fish, even in the hottest weather, and in all 
the bays of the river there is excellent fishing. Except 
when agitated by storms, the water of the Saguenay is 
very placid. It is also very brackish and subject to the 
action of the tides. The gloom of the surroundings is 
quite awe-inspiring. The only signs of life are afforded 
by the occasional leap of a salmon, the bobbing up of 
a seal's head, or a school of white porpoises, rolling 
their huge bodies along the waters, ever and anon 
spouting a shower of liquid diamonds into the air. 
In the still water of the Saguenay, artificial baits are 
quite unnecessary. In the eddies of the tidal water 
curling around, the various points of rock, the sea trout 
rise readily to" the fly throughout the season. In the 
latter part of June and early in July they may be caught 
in the St. Lawrence just off the mouth of the river. A 
little later they are to be found in Tadoussac Bay; and 
as the season advances, should be followed higher up 
the stream from bay to bay. One of the most success- 
ful flies for these fish is the red ibis. Another is the 
Montreal. These are both well-known flies that can 
be had of any tackle dealer. One that is less known, 
but is equally efficacious, is known as the Alexandra, 
called after the Queen of England, who is fully as 
successful as an angler as her husband is unsuccessful. 
The Alexandra fly is intended as a vague imitation 
of a minnow, and was originally recommended to be 
cast and played minnow-fashion just below the surface 
of the water. English fishermen found it to be so tak- 
ing that its use was forbidden upon some streams. The 
favorite method of fishing with this fly is to allow the 
line to run with the current, and then draw it back up- 
stream by short, sudden jerks that open and close the 
hackles, giving glimpses of the bright, silvery ■ body. 
All the leading salmon flies are also excellent lures for 
sea trout, but new ones should not be used, for the trout 
bite so savagely that they destroy artificial flies very 
much more than salmon do. When not rising to the 
fly, the sea trout may generally be taken a little below 
the surface of the water, with the launce or sand-eel, 
which exists in large numbers in the Saguenav, and at 
low tide may be dug out of the sand at the mouth of 
the river, and wherever there are bays higher up the 
stream, where a portion of beach is revealed by the 
running down of the tide. E. T. D. Chambers. 
Visible Results of Salmon Culture 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
In your issue of Nov. 5, Mr. W. E. Meehan, Com- 
missioner of Fisheries, for Pennsylvania, gives the first 
authentic intelligence the present writer has been able 
to obtain of any visible results from all the millions 
of salmon fry that have been planted in the rivers oi 
the northern States since 1866. In that year, Dr. 
Fletcher, of Concord, N. H., got from the Miramichi 
. River in New Brunswick 70,000 salmon ova, which 
were hatched out by Livingston Stone, of Charlestown, 
N. Hi; and planted in several rivers of New Hampshire 
and Connecticut. Though these were said to have 
"done well," I could never learn that a mature salmon 
was taken from any of the waters in which they were 
planted. 
Mr. Meehan now tells that, "In the early '70s the 
late Thaddeus Norn's and several other enthusiastic 
fishermen planted Atlantic salmon fry in the tributaries 
of the Delaware River near Easton, Pa. I think the 
number planted in two years was 50,000. Although it 
subsequently transpired that the tributaries of the Dela- 
ware in which these fish were placed were not the most 
favorable waters, a number of salmon lived and re- 
turned to the Delaware River. Probably thirty or forty 
were caught; but at the time the experiment was con- 
sidered to be unsuccessful." 
In 1868 Mr. Norris published in Philadelphia and 
London his work on "American Fish Culture," the best 
book on the subject the present writer has ever seen. 
At that time and up to his death, Mr. Norris was con- 
sidered the best authority on fishculture in America, 
and if he pronounced the experiment a failure, there 
can be no reasonable doubt of the correctness of his 
judgment. Since that year many millions of eyed-ova, 
or young fry, furnished by Livingston Stone from his 
