4 7 2 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Dec 3, 1904. 
lost him through my leader breaking. I was fishing at 
the time with a heavy yellow leader. It broke at the 
second fly. Fifteen minutes after Howe hooked a fish 
which I netted, and it was the one I had just lost, with 
my yellow leader and fly in his jaw. He was 3^4 pounds. 
The last day on Foster's Bar I had played a big one 
for quite a while, and had him over in smooth, though 
shallow, water, when a big dog salmon jumped on him 
and tore him off, only to get caught himself on the lower 
fly. As soon as he felt the sting of the hook, he started 
down stream and I braced myself and held till the leader 
parted. 
About eighteen or twenty of our fish weighed 4 pounds 
each, and the rest ran from 2 to 3 J/4 pounds. When we 
loaded our box into the wagon, it was all we could do 
to carry it. 
The river could be forded anywhere on the bars. Our 
fish were all caught in the shallow water, not one out of 
the deep pools. We could not get a rise below where 
you caught your 4 I /£-pourider. There were no salmon 
down there, and where there were no salmon there were 
no trout. Most all the fish were caught on a No. 6 
grizzly-king. 
Don't you think you could change your time of visit- 
ing and get out here the latter part of July or August 1, 
so you could get the late fishing? It is much the best, 
and you could fish all the time. 
Had I not been afraid of breaking my small rod, I 
think I could have, saved many of my big fish. I shall 
get some new tips for my 11-foct rod before I tackle the 
Skokomish again. 
I am afraid I have wearied you with this long letter, 
but I hope not. Mr. Canfield was just in and asked to be 
remembered to you. With kind regards, I am very truly 
yours, ....... John Leasure. 
Fish and J Fishing. 
P — ■ •" 
The Former Abotdince of Canadian Fist, 
Magnificent as are still the opportunities of anglers 
in many parts of the Dominion of Canada, it is melan- 
choly to note the effects of over-fishing and other 
destructive agencies upon what were once amazing sup- 
plies of fish. I can mention trout streams within a few 
miles of the city of Quebec, which contained many fish 
of from half a pound to a pound in weight not more than 
a quarter of a century ago, and in which there can only 
now be found fingerlings and very few even of them. 
There are other streams quite near to the same city which, 
in the early part of the last century, were famous salmon 
rivers. Now it would be impossible to find a single fish 
in them. Judging from the reports of those who ought 
to be able to distinguish a salmon when they see one, 
a few specimens of the Atlantic salmon are caught 
every season in Lake Ontario. Though exceedingly 
scarce there now, these fish are reported to have been 
incredibly abundant in waters tributary to the lake but 
a little over half a century ago. The late Mr. Samuel 
Wilmot was accustomed to tell of the wholesale destruc- 
tion of salmon ascending the creeks emptying into 
Lake Ontario, between 1840 and 1850. He himself often 
assisted with a pitchfork, when the farmers were using 
that rude implement to transfix and secure large num- 
bers of the spawning salmon; but more remarkable 
still is the statement contained in the report for 1859 
of the Superintendent of Fisheries for Upper Canada, 
showing the capture of an extraordinary number of 
salmon at certain points along the lake. He stated that of 
470,000 fish taken at Port Credit in 1856, two-thirds were 
salmon. And the mention, in the same report, of 
salmon trout — the great lake trout — shows that the two 
were not confused in it, as they frequently are in some 
parts of Ontario. Even at that time the supply of 
salmon had seriously declined, for the Superintendent 
further says: "Many of the streams running into Lake 
Ontario were once the resort of myriads of salmon. 
I have seen them from 1812 to 1815, swarming the rivers 
so thickly that they were thrown out with a shovel, and 
even with the hand." 
Fifty years ago, the nets at the mouth of some of the 
Canadian salmon rivers yielded ten fish for every one 
now taken by them. 
An equally astonishing decrease is noticeable in the 
whitefish supply of Lake Ontario. The catch of 620,000 
pounds in 1870 had fallen to about 400,000 in 1890, and 
to 126,000 pounds a few years later. Yet forty years 
ago, on Wellington Beach, at the extreme east end of 
the lake, where the fish are now exceedingly scarce, 
single hauls of over 500,000 large whitefish occurred. Last 
vear only about 77,000 pounds of whitefish were taken 
out of the entire lake, and but for the fact that millions 
of fry have been planted in it's waters for several years 
past, it is easy to imagine that the fishery might before 
now have been entirely exhausted. 
How the Fish Have Been Deslroyed. 
I picked up the other day a copy of the very valu- 
able reports upon the fisheries of New Brunswick, pre- 
pared more than half a century ago by the late Mr. 
Perley, to the Legislature of the Province. After read- 
ing Mr. Perley's representations of the wholesale 
destruction of fish in those days, one ceases to be sur- 
prised at the diminution of our fish supply, and to 
wonder only that so far as the rivers of New Bruns- 
wick are concerned, there are still any _ fish left in 
them. Spearing of salmon upon the spawning beds was 
quite an ordinary practice in those days. Describing 
the fish seen by him in one of the pools of the Nepisi- 
guit as late as the month of September, Mr.. Perley 
states that they were like sheep in a fold, that many 
of them had been wounded by the_ spear and were 
swimming about in a crippled condition; some with 
parts of their tails cut off, while others were seen with 
portions of their entrails protruding from wounds in 
their sides. And yet the fish at this season of the 
year were of course what is generally known as black 
or spent fish and altogether unfit for human food. All 
the grilse that could be killed appear to have been sent 
to market, one fisherman being reported to have sold 
£80 worth of them in a single season. I{ is not much 
wonder that Mr. Perley, should have remarked , that "if 
all the calves in New Brunswick were killed at an 
early age, it is not likely that afterward there would 
be many cattle," and that "if all the grilse are taken, 
it is quite certain that salmon will soon cease to exist." 
The same short-sighted and wasteful policy in re- 
gard to the sea fisheries of New Brunswick, as that 
already described in the case of the salmon, is on 
record. Mr. Perley attributed the enormous falling off, 
in his day, in the cod fishery of the Baie des Chaleurs, 
to the wanton destruction of the proper and natural 
food of the cod- — herring and capelin — which were then 
taken in immense quantities ; not for eating, or for 
curing, or for bait — but for manuring the land. In a 
representation made to the Legislature at that time by 
a fisherman of Gaspe, he stated that he had seen 500 
barrels of capelin taken, in one tide, expressly for 
manure, and that he had also seen a thousand barrels 
of herrings caught at one time and left to rot upon the 
beach. 
Bouchette, in the early part of the last century, and 
Nettle and Dr. Adamson later on, described the in- 
famous practices by which the salmon rivers of Quebec 
were being destroyed in their days, Mr. Nettle stating 
in 1857 that even then there was not one-twentieth of 
the fish taken in them that were to be had in former 
years. 
Human Flesh as Bait for Fuh. 
It appears that the Hawaiian chiefs of some years 
ago were much addicted to the use of human flesh as 
bait for sharks. It came cheaper than pig, was equally 
acceptable to the shark, and gave the chief an oppor- 
tunity to kill any one whom he disliked. The victim 
was cut up and left to decompose for two or three 
days in a receptacle. Kamehameha I. was a great 
shark hunter, and kept those of his victims who were 
intended for bait, penned up near the great temple of 
Mookini. Mrs. Beckley gives a particularly interesting 
account of another method of capturing the huge niuhi 
or man-eating shark, followed by the natives. They 
first of all captured a large number of the small com- 
mon shark, saved their livers with a portion of the 
flesh, wrapped them in ki leaves and baked them un- 
derground. From fifty to a hundred canoes were 
loaded with the baked meat and large quanities of the 
pounded roots of awa, mixed with a little water and 
contained in large gourds. The fleet would sail many 
miles out to sea in the direction in which the niuhi is 
known to appear. Arrived at a comparatively shallow 
place, the canoe containing the head fisherman and the 
priest and the sorcerer, who was supposed to be in- 
dispensable, would cast anchor; meat and the baked 
liver would be thrown overboard, a few bundles at a 
Lime, to attract sharks. After a few days the grease 
and scent of cooked meats would spread through the 
water many miles in radius. The niuhi would almost 
always make its appearance after the third or fourth 
day, when bundles of the baked meat were thrown to 
it as fast as it could swallow them. After a while it 
would become comparatively tame, and would come up 
to one or other of the canoes to be fed. Bundles of the, 
liver with the pounded awa would then be given it, and 
it would become not only satiated, but also stupefied 
with awa. A noose was then slipped over its head, and 
the fleet raised anchor and set sail for home, the shark 
following, a willing prisoner, and the occupants of the 
nearest canoes being careful to feed it upon the same 
mixture from time to time. It was led right into 
shallow water until it was stranded and then killed. 
Every part of the bones and skin was supposed to con- 
fer unflinching bravery upon the possessor, and the 
actual captor, that is, the one who slipped the noose 
over the niuhi' s head, would also, ever after, be always 
victorious. E. T. D. Chambers. 
Another Sea-Serpent Myth. 
Opportunity has rarely been afforded biologists to de- 
termine the real basis for any of - the numerous sea- 
serpent stories which for centuries have contributed to 
the gaiety of nations. The present year has not been defi- 
cient in its crop of marine monsters, as reported in the 
newspapers, and a recent event was signalized by. the 
very unusual capture of the creature, which by this time 
has been seen at close range by thousands of people. 
Simultaneously with the assembling of the American 
Fisheries Society at Atlantic City, N. J., in July, there 
was exhibited on one of the piers an animal which was 
advertised as "a genuine sea-serpent," and was said to 
have just been caught off Atlantic City. Those who 
availed themselves of the unwonted privilege of inspect- 
ing such a creature, found it to consist of an imperfect 
skeleton, about 10^ feet long, stretched at full length on 
a plank. The parts present were the cranium, numerous 
elements representing the bases of the fins, and the ver- 
tebral column, which, with an apparently short section 
missing from its posterior end, contained 274 vertebrae. 
The skeleton was evidently that of some selachian, but 
the deficiencies made it difficult to determine its position. 
The New York, Philadelphia and seashore papers 
printed notices of the creature, most of them referring to 
it as a sea-serpent, but a few hinting that it was not a 
real animal, but a manufactured product. Some of the 
accounts of the capture of the sea-serpent and its be- 
havior before falling a victim to the brave fishermen were 
of a highly imaginative character. 
The facts in regard to this animal are as follows : The 
badly decomposed carcass was snagged by a line fisher- 
man a few miles off Atlantic City about July 25 ; the 
jaws, fins, and most of the soft structures were missing, 
but the skin of the trunk was partly intact, and the idea 
gained therefrom was that the body was about 12 or 15 
inches deep. As the specimen was a paying attraction, 
it could not be obtained for study; but the writer had 
made and brought to Washington a series of drawings 
and photographs, and also secured several of the ver- 
tebrae. The material was submitted to Dr. Theodore Gill, 
the distinguished ichthyologist, who was soon able to 
determine the identity of the fish. It proved to be a 
thresher shark (Alopias'vulpes) and good osteologicaj 
plates of the species were found in Molin's paper in the 
Memoirs of the Venetian Institute; 1859. - 
H, M. Smith, 
Bureau Or PisHBuiBs Washington, D, Q, 
Henry P. Wells. 
New York, Nov. 25. — Editor Forest and Stream: It 
was with the keenest regret that I saw the announcement 
of the death of Mr. Henry P. Wells in your issue of this 
week. Appreciative as your note was, it does not do him 
adequate justice. ... 
I knew Mr. Wells well for the last twenty years, and I 
believe no one will have a greater or better influence than 
he on the angling fraternity — old boys and young boys, 
we are all alike — for the next twenty years. What in- 
fluence he has had is history. 
Mr. Wells' predominant traits were modesty, thorough- 
ness, geniality, and generosity; and combined with these 
were a good knowledge of mechanics, of natural science, 
of literary art, and a willingness to impart his knowledge 
to others. Above all, he was an angler. 
Whether it was at the side of a salmon river, wading a 
trout brook, on a lake in Maine, or sitting in front of the 
blazing logs in his beloved camp of the Parmachenee Club 
on the island in Parmachenee Lake, he was always the 
same — genial, modest, of a kindly but keen wit, ever 
read}' to suggest when asked, but never intruding. 
His books are a fair picture of the man, for unlike 
many writers, he did not try to keep his knowledge for 
publication only. 
Two instances occur to me. A young amateur once 
said to him that he thought that he had made an im- 
provement on the Parmacbente-belle, a fly which, as we 
all know, was born of Mr. Wells' fancy, which is famous 
throughout the world, and which was, therefore, naturally 
a source of modest pride to its inventor. I expected at 
least a demur, but the answer was a very quiet "very 
likely." Another time he was shown a cheap bamboo 
rod which the owner had reinforced by extra windings 
of silk, and by adding extra line, rings. We all know 
what cheap tackle is, but Wells tried the rod and then 
handed it back with a hearty "I like the action better 
than that of my $70 rod of ," naming a maker other 
than himself. 
His books are a storehouse of practical information 
such as the angler wants, and they have the added charm 
of a literary style peculiarly their own; natural, unaf- 
fected and straight to the point. 
Attractive to both men and women, listened to with 
great respect by all, I feel sure that there are many "who 
will feel his loss as I do, and among them notably John 
S. Danforth. J. E. Hindon Hyde. 
The Massachusetts Commission. 
' Boston, Nov. 26.— Editor Forest and Stream: The 
term for which Commissioner Brackett was appointed 
(in 1899) as Fish and Game Commissioner by Governor 
Wolcott, ended several weeks ago, and no appointment 
has yet been made. In some sections of western Massa- 
chusetts there has been for several years some dissatis- 
faction from not having representation in the Board of 
Commisisoners, and in view of the fact that all members 
of the present board reside in the eastern part of the 
Commonwealth, it was thought that, if the sportsmen out- 
side of the metropolitan district could unite cn a candi- 
date, he would be likely to secure the appointment from 
Governor Bates. It was the opinion of some of our 
prominent Boston sportsmen that such a selection would 
tend to promote a continuance of the harmonious rela- 
tions which have been brought about in the last few years 
by the various conferences, and what may be designated 
as the "pooling of issues" by the several clubs scattered 
over the State. Your readers have been kept posted in 
reference to the various movements under the leadership 
of ; the State Association and the Central Committee 
which have resulted in securing more stringent protective 
legislation^ The fact of so much delay on the part of the 
Governor is interpreted as an indication that he is greatly 
perplexed by the multiplicity of candidates. His prompt 
re-appointment of Chairman Collins indicates that he 
would like to give him a man as a colleague who ean 
furnish him relief in certain lines of work, more espe- 
cially such as is to be done in the office, and which Cap- 
tain Collins has said repeatedly in the hearing of your 
correspondent is greatly needed. We can all well remem- 
ber the time (not six years ago) when our Commission 
had no office. _ When first appointed the Captain said he 
was not a believer in "vest pocket commissions," and in 
a very short time he was able to convince the Superin- 
tendent of the State House that it was his duty to find a 
place for him under the "Gilded Dome." This was the 
first step toward a regenerated Commission. In a future 
letter I will speak of others, and shall endeavor to present 
a summary of work accomplished each year which will 
tell its own story. I believe I express the general senti- 
ment of Massachusetts sportsmen in saying that they are 
entitled to all the work that can be done by the three best 
men that can be selected as members of the board, devot- 
ing to its duties all their time — not a few weeks in the 
year, and not one or two days only in a week. Under our 
statutes three men are provided, and there is nothing 
that implies that either of the three is to be a nonentity. 
It is desirable that there be three able men, and sports- 
men desire that the appointment shall go to the candidate 
who can do most for the department. Governor Bates 
will make no mistake if he discards all other considera- 
tions and makes his selection on the ground of capacity 
and fitness for the position. 
In the recent field trials for beagles at Grafton, some of 
the Massachusetts winners were Chetwood Smith, of 
Worcester; John Caswell, Pride's Crossing; A. J. Purin- 
ton, Palmer; Samuel Frothingham, of Boston and Lenox, 
and Jacob Worth, of Boston. 
There was a large gathering of fox hunters at West- 
field this week, and the weather conditions were favorable 
for a fine outing. This was the fall meet of the Western 
Massachusetts Fox Club, of which Mr. John T. Way is 
president. There were thirty heupds, which were put out 
two successive mornings, and the net result was two pelts. 
All lovers of birds, knowing how destructive Reynard is 
to bird life, would be glad to read of greater slaughter 
of this species of robbers of birds' nests and devourers of 
quail and partridges. There is a strong sentiment pre- 
vailing in favor of a bounty on foxes. Several sports- 
men who would have been glad to buy quail last spring 
for stocking purpose? told your correspondent that tfcejr 
