452 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Nov. 26, 1004. 
Fish and Fishing. 
Fontinalis in British Waters. 
British anglers are certainly to be pitied for their 
failure to satisfactorily stock their running waters with 
the American brook trout. Its appearance, when first in- 
troduced into English streams, was heralded with jubilant 
anticipations; its capacities for rapid growth were hailed 
as a good omen, and its gorgeous dress and graceful form 
won golden opinions from all piscatorial classes, who 
willingly paid large sums of money for what was then 
considered the coming trout. No authority disputes its 
value as a game and food fish. But the complaint is 
made, wherever it has been introduced into British 
waters, that it will not remain in them unles? confined. 
Piscatorial authorities on the other side of the ocean 
seem to be at a loss to account for the vagaries of the 
vanishing American fish, especially in view of the repu- 
tation it enjoys in its own country as a home-loving fish. 
It is suggested that British waters may be found unsuit- 
able for this beautiful char, though this can scarcely be 
the case, when it is remembered that it thrives most suc- 
cessfully in Scottish tarns and other inclosed waters. 
It is scarcely surprising, however, to those acquainted 
with the habits of the American brook trout, to learn that 
it does not remain in waters having an easy and uninter- 
rupted communication with the sea, even though they may 
possess the requisite degree of temperature and purity. 
It is doubtful if it is always to be found in any similarly 
situated _ Canadian waters. Usually, however, Salvelinus 
fontinalis reascends, in Canada, for the purpose of spawn- 
ing, the streams down which he runs to sea. And the 
peculiarity of the British experience of the fish is not so 
much the fact that it fails to remain in the waters in 
which it is planted, when they afford such easy access to 
the sea, as that it departs, in English coastal streams, 
from its Canadian practice of returning to fresh water to 
• • • < 
t nyse who are accustomed to fight fontinalis in coastal 
streams, when freshly in from the sea, and, in fact, those 
anglers who fish for him in any running streams, need 
not be surprised to learn of the somewhat low opinion of 
its game _ qualities entertained by those British anglers 
who, failing to find him in running waters at all, have 
1 -1 "^n hi " onlv in ponds. Thus the well-known angling 
writer, John Bickerdike, says that he is inclined to place 
Salmo fario — the so-called brown, German, or English 
trout' — before fontinalis, adding, however, what fully ex- 
plains his preference, "But, then, I have only caught 
fontinalis in ponds, for in our streams it obstinately re- 
fuses to remain." There is just as much difference in the 
sport afforded by a pond trout and a freshly run specimen 
of the same variety from the sea as there is between a 
truly landlocked salmon and a perfectly bright fish of 
equal size, with the sea-lice still adhering to him. 
Mr. Bickerdike should come to America and fish for 
fontinalis in some of the streams running into Lake 
Superior from the north, into Lake St. John, or into the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence or the Saguenay River. He would 
scarcely then place fario before fontinalis, so far as game 
qualities are concerned; especially as he admits that 
Salmo irideus is a harder fighter than fario. There is a 
wide difference of opinion among anglers and ichthyolo- 
gists in regard to the game qualities of the rainbow trout. 
Jordan and Evermann say that it is a trout of exceeding 
gameness, and possibly a greater fighter than others of 
the group, when its weight is considered. The late Dr. 
G. Brown Goode, on the other hand, describes it as a fish 
of little gameness and activity. 
It would be interesting to learn whether anv / -\t~ ir ""\ 
ichthyologist is aware of the correctness of the story 
told to Mr. Bickerdike by a fishculturist of experience to 
the effect that rainbows, when not furnished with a 
stream in which to spawn, become egg-bound, this condi- 
tion being followed by blindness and death. 
Virgin Fishing Waters. 
The members of the Laurentian Fish and Game Club 
have been taking a fresh route into their preserve dur- 
ing the last two summers, and one which I had urged 
upon them as long ago as March, 1899, at their banquet 
of that year at the Holland House, New York. Instead 
of ascending the St. Maurice River, to Lake Wayaga- 
mack, they go by way of the Quebec and Lake St. John 
Railway to Lake Edward, and there take guides and 
canoes for the splendid cross-country trip to their club 
waters. Almost the entire distance can be covered by a 
water route, and many of the lakes crossed afford excel- 
lent fishing. The country traversed is an excellent one 
for game. During the season just closed, some fifty to 
sixty guides were engaged at one time by members of this 
club who crossed over from Lake Edward to their club 
house. 
These waters are controlled by Mr, Rowley, who out- 
fits the guides and parties engaging them, so that the lat- 
ter secure at the same time the necessary permits for fish- 
ing en route to their own territory. While not virgin 
waters, some of tnese lakes and the connecting streams 
afford excellent fly-fishing. What I had in mind when I 
wrote the heading "Virgin Fishing Waters," were a nujn- 
berof lakes somewhat south of the route just described, 
which are about to be opened up to anglers by a new line 
of railway now building from a point on the line of the 
Quebec and Lake St. John Railway, where it touches the 
Batiscan River near the Jeannotte, to La Tuque, on the 
Upper St. Maurice. This branch line will be very con- 
venient to the members of the various fish and game clubs 
on the St. Maurice River, and as already mentioned will 
open up a great number of virgin fishing waters. The 
Quebec Fish and Game Protective Association is, taking 
every possible means to prevent the illegal fishing of these 
waters by the men employed in building the railway, and 
have a guardian backward and forward nearly all the time. 
Four-footed Trout Fishers. 
From many fishing grounds in the north country, I 
have reports of a large increase in the number of the fur- 
bearing animals of the woods and waters. Beavers, which 
were a few years ago threatened with destruction, have so 
rapidly increased since the enactment of the law prohibit- 
ing their hunting, that they are fast becoming a nuisance 
to hunters and fishermen. Their dams are so numerous 
that many a lake has had its waters raised considerably, 
thus contributing to the killing of the shrubs along the 
banks of the water, and many a good place for the feed- 
ing and_ the hunting of the caribou has been flooded. 
There will probably be an end to this rapid increase in the 
number of beaver after the expiration of the present law 
next autumn. The prohibition to hunt beaver has also 
contributed to the increase of many other fur-bearing ani- 
mals, such as the mink and the otter. Trappers have not 
troubled themselves much about these latter furs, when' 
unable to hunt beavers at the same time. The consequence 
has been that otters have increased to such an extent that 
they are working great devastation upon some of the 
spawning beds of the trout. Besides being great gluttons, 
these animals are extremely successful fishers, and it does 
not take a few of them very long to completely destroy 
all the trout upon a pretty large spawning bed. So many 
of them are reported upon the spawning beds of the big 
trout of Lake Edward and the Jeannotte, that trappers in 
the vicinity are being supplied with traps for the catch- 
ing of these four-footed anglers, whose pelts are now ex- 
tremely valuable, though the catching of them is by no 
means so easy as many might suppose. It is reported 
that many blood stains on the newly formed ice already 
mark the scenes of the slaughter of trout by these suc- 
cessful fishers, who practice their art all the year round, 
respecting no close season and no fishing regulations. 
E. T. D. Chambers. 
Looking Backward. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
The article of L. F. Brown referring to the pleasures 
and enthusiasm of the youthful sportsman takes me 
back. Saturday morning— early and no school. Joe 
stands out in the early morn upon the walk and hurls 
pebbles at my bedroom window and I start up with a 
jump— and we are off for the pond armed with rods 
made from trusty hickory saplings and with bended 
needle hooks. We were after goldfish and the silvered 
variety, there being many granddaddies in the pond we 
were to fish. Bait! Dough with worms as a reserve. 
No fly-fisherman ever was more intent upon the ar- 
ranging of his book of flies as we boys with pincers and 
kerosene lamp as we tested and bent our needles into 
barbless hooks. With what care did we carve our 
floats of cork, arranging them to a nicety. How the old 
pond comes back to me and the flat rock upon which 
we sat well shaded with the overhanging willows and a 
large chestnut. How we sat by the hour patiently 
waiting for the goldfish to give the sign that sent our 
floats well below the surface. A strike of a tarpon 
would to-day send the blood coursing through our 
veins with less vehemence than did that cork as it dis- 
appeared beneath the surface, leaving a rippling ever 
increasing series of rings upon the shaded surface of 
the old millpond. 
And the day we went home to dinner leaving our 
poles set and lines in the water — only to find one of the 
poles - being towed upon the surface on our return. 
The pond was celebrated for its snapping turtles and as 
a swimming hole was not popular. The ways and means 
to secure that floating pole with something on the end 
of that line would have done credit to a marine en- 
gineer. But we got the pole at last, and with a mighty 
haul we snaked his eelship out upon the grass. And 
then the struggle! Slippery he was, and we certainly 
would have lost him had we not grabbed handfuls of 
sand and thus overcome his slimy coat. Excitement! 
Well, I guess. 
And how we strung worms patiently on thread and 
formed them into a "bob," and at night bobbed for eels. 
And as we jerkd them out upon the grass what an 
exciting chase to secure them with the lantern's aid 
before they wriggled back into the water. Jacking a 
deer or moose for real excitement could not be in it 
with this. 
I have crouched in a pit upon the Dakota prairies 
and watched a faint speck come from out of the eastern 
horizon and caught a feeble honk honk with my ears, 
and have watched motionless and seen the speck form 
a V, and heard the honk clearly and more clearly yet, and 
then recognized the outstretched necks of the leery 
geese, nearer, nearer, but yet afar. This set one's 
heart thumping, 'tis true, but was not in it with the time 
1 watched Lou level the old musket on the stone wall 
near. the willow that overhung the pond, at the laughing 
kingfisher that had alighted. It seemed ages until he 
pulled the trigger, much longer than when our rifleman 
at ;Dublin pulled the trigger that sent the deciding 
bullet that plowed the air through a lane of expect- 
ant^ anxious onlookers, to finally land upon the bullseye 
and give America the Palma Trophy. 
Yes, friend Brown, 'tis hard to-day to equal the joys 
and pleasures of the boy who does things with either 
rod or gun for the first time. I have only to recount 
to any boy how he stopped his first quail, to see his 
eyes sparkle and his cheeks get aglow. How many of 
us can forget after repeated trials how we stopped our 
first partridge whirring through the white birches? 
Who shall forget the first trout he lost and the one 
he at last landed? The spring days of life afield can 
rarely be forgotten. Charles Cristadoro. 
Increase of Whitefish in Lake Ontario. 
Enormous quantities of whitefish were caught this 
season at the western end of Lake Ontario. Whitefish 
have increased to such an extent in this part of the lake 
since the United States hatchery at Cape Vincent has 
been m operation, that Booth & Co. have been shipping 
whitefish by the carload to Detroit and Chicago this 
season. No one at this end of the lake doubts now that 
the Cape Vincent hatcherv is doing great things for Lake 
0ntano - Salmo. 
ztwqmg< 
Officers of A. C A. t i 905. 
Commodore- C. F. Wolters, 14 Main St., East Rochester, N. Y. 
Secretary — H. M. Stewart, 85 Main St., East Rochester, N. Y. 
Treasurer— F. G. Mather, 30 Elk St., Albany, N. Y. 
ATLANTIC DIVISION. 
Vic|Commoilorf--W. A. Furman, 846 Berkeley Ave., Trenton, 
Rear-Commodore— F. C. Hoyt, 57 Broadway, New York. 
Purser— C. W. Stark, 118 N. Montgomery St., Trenton, N J 
Executive Committee— J. C. Maclister, U. G. I. Building, Phila- 
delphia Pa. ; L. C. Kretzmer, L. C. Schepp Building, New 
York; E. M. Underhill, Box 262, Yonkers, N. Y 
Board of Governors— R. J. Wilkin, 26 Court St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Racing Board— H. L. Quick, Yonkers, N. Y. 
CENTRAL DIVISION. 
Vice-Commodore— Lyman T. Coppins, 691 Main St., Buffalo, N.Y. 
Rear-Commodore— Frank C. Demmler, 526 Smithfield St., Pittsburg 
Purser— J. C. Milsom, 736 Mooney Brisbane Bldg., Buffalo, N. Y° 
Executive Committee— F. G. Mather, 30 Elk St., Albany, N. Y • 
H. W. Breitenstein, 511 Market St., Pittsburg, Pa.; Jesse T. 
Armstrong, Rome, N. Y. ' J ■ 
Board of Governors— C. P. Forbush, Buffalo, N. Y. 
Racing ^Board— Harry M. Stewart, 85 Main St., East Rochester, 
EASTERN DIVISION. 
Vice-Commodore— D. S. Pratt, Jr., 178 Devonshire St., Boston, 
Mass. 
Rear-Commodore— Wm. W. Crosby, 8 Court. St., Woburn, Mass. 
Purser— W. S. Stanwood, Wellesley, Mass. 
Executive Committee— Wm. J. Ladd, 18 Glen Road, Winchester 
Mass.; F. W. Notman, Box 2344, Boston, Mass.; O. C Cun- 
ningham, care E. Teel & Co., Medford, Mass.; Edw. B. 
Stearns, Box 63, Manchester, N. H. 
Racing Board— Paul Butler, U. S. Cartridge Co., Lowell, Mass.: 
H. D. Murphy, alternate. 
NORTHERN DIVISION. 
Vice^Commodore— Chas. W. McLean, 303 James St., Montreal. 
Can. 
Rear-Commodore— J. W. Sparrow, Toronto, Canada. 
Purser— J. V. Nutter, Montreal, Canada. 
Executive Committee— C. E. Britton, Gananoque, Ont.; Harry 
Page, Toronto, Ont. ' 
Board of Governors— J. N. MacKendrick, Gait, Ont. 
Racing Board— E. J. Minett, Montreal, Canada. 
WESTERN DIVISION. 
Vice-Commodore— Burton D. Munhall, care of Brooks Household 
Art Co., Cleveland, Ohio. 
Rear-Commodore— Charles J. Stedman, National Lafayette Bank, 
Cincinnati, Ohio. 
Purser— George A. Hall, care of Bank of Commerce, Cleveland, O 
Executive Committee— Thomas P. Eckert, 31 West Court St ', 
Cincinnati, O.; Dr. H. L. Frost, 10 Howard St., Cleveland, O. 
Board of Governors— Henry C. Morse, Peoria, 111. 
How to Join the A. C. A. 
From Chapter I., Section 1, of the By-Laws of the A. C. A.: 
"Application for membership shall be made to the Treasurer, 
F. G. Mather, 30 Elk St., Albany, N. Y., and shall be accompanied 
by the recommendation of an active member and by the sum of 
two dollars, one dollar as entrance fee and one dollar as dues for 
the current year, to be refunded in case of non-election of the 
applicant." 
A. C A, Membership. 
The following have been proposed for membership in 
the A. C. A. : Wm. A. Roos, Jr., Fred W. Lohr, H. C. 
Hinck, Jr., Albert Krunke, all of New York, and all mem- 
bers of the Hiawatha C. C. ; D. Webster Anders, Phila- 
delphia. Pa.; L. N. A. Bedard, H. R. Hume, H. D. 
James, E. M. Olin, PI. R. Stuart, all members of the 
Sylvan C. C, and of Pittsburg, Pa'.; Thos. I. Taylor, 
Brookline, Mass.; Wm. Ord, Buffalo, N. Y. 
John S. Wright. 
Exhibits at the Sportsmen's Show. 
The following list gives the names of the exhibitors 
who have taken space on promenade floor of the Garden 
for the Sportsmen's Show : American Company, Armour 
& Co., Mahlbach Saddlery Company, G. W. Cole Com- 
pany, Foster Rubber Company, Bird, Jones & Kenyon, 
Douglas Manufacturing Company, Wm. Hjorth & Co.' 
Abercrombie & Fitch, E. R. Durkee & Co., Richelieu & 
Ontario Railway, Canadian Pacific Railroad Company, 
Grand Trunk Railway Company, Herz & Co., H. L. Rand! 
Schoverling & Welles, C. L. Altemus & Co., Doubleday! 
Page & Co., Charles F. Splitdorf, Dayton Electric 
Machine Company, Rudder Publishing Company, Victor 
Metals Companv, Lambert Snyder. Vibrator Company, 
Charles E. Miller, Remy Electrical Company, Wm! 
Roche, S. L. Crosby Company, State of Maine, State of 
New York, State of Virginia, H. M. Stevens. 
All communications for Foust and Stbeam must be 
directed to Forest and Stream Pub. Co., New York, to 
receive attention. We have no other oMce, 
