Forest and Stream. 
a Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 
Copyright, 1905, by Forest and Stream Publishing Co. 
•Terms, $4 A Year. 10 Cts. a Copy, i NEW YORK. SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 1906. | No. 346°BroadwIy, NbwVork. 
Six Months, $2. f • > ' ^ , 
TUE OCEAN RACE FOR THE EMPEROR'S CUP. 
When the conditions governing the ocean race for the 
cup offered by the German Emperor were made public, it 
was beheved that the entries of several American cruis- 
ing yachts would follow. While the race has caused some 
little stir, it seems impossible to arouse any real en- 
thusiasm among the men who own craft eligible for the 
contest. 
The first entry to be officially filed was by the Earl of 
Crawford, an English sportsman who owns Valhalla, a 
fine square rigged cruising vessel. This entry came as a 
surprise, and the Earl of Crawford is to be congratulated 
on having taken the initiative. Valhalla is hardly the type 
of vessel that would be expected to win the race, particu- 
larly if she has as opponents Atlantic, Endymion, or the 
new Brewster schooner building at South Boston. The 
Earl of Crawford shows his sporting spirit by coming 
into the field when he is completely in the dark as to his 
competitors. Such a move proves conclusively that he 
ihas entered because he believes thoroughly in the race 
and not because he expects to capture the trophy. 
American owners should not allow themselves to be 
outdone. Out of the many available yachts in the fine 
fleet of the New York Y. C. there should be a number 
willing to undertake the trip. 
The race is scheduled to start on May 15 next, and 
those intending to start should soon definitely make up 
their minds, for much preparation is necessary to put a 
yacht in shape for such a race. The course is from Sandy 
Hook to the Needles. 
The German Emperor has done everything in his 
power to foster yachting in Germany, and his motive in 
offering the trophy for the trans-Atlantic race was to 
get a number of representative American yachts to com- 
pete in the contests at Kiel. He has great confidence in 
American yachts and backs up his belief by building his 
own racing yacht here from the plans of an American 
designer. His attitude has been so complimentary and 
courteous all through that the very least American 
sportsmen can do is to show their appreciation of his 
efforts, and the best possible indorsement would be to 
make the ocean race an unqualified success. 
EUGENE G. BLACKFORD. 
The death of Eugene G. Blackford, which occurred on 
Thursday of last week, December 29, removed one who 
had filled a large place in the development of game and 
commercial fishing interests, and in the progress of ich- 
thyology. Mr. Blackford had been ill for two years, ever 
since he retired from active business, and his death, re- 
sulting from a complication of diseases, was not unex- 
pected. He was in his sixty-fifth year. 
Eugene Gilbert Blackford was born in Morristown, N. 
J., in 1839. At the age of fourteen he found employment 
with a ship broker on South street, this city. After 
various other positions he was employed by A. T. Stewart 
& Co., and from the drygoods business went to the firm 
of Middleton, Carman & Co., fish dealers in Fulton 
Market. Here at last he found the opportunity he had 
been seeking to do something more than the business 
round and to engage in scientific investigation and study. 
The business and its surroundings were congenial to his 
tastes. He soon acquired a stand and from the first the 
business prospered and developed, until in time he came 
to be the largest fish, oyster, crab and turtle dealer in 
this country. In 1875 Mr. Blackford originated the 
famous market displays of trout on the opening day of 
the season. Here were collected specimens of the various 
species of trout from all parts of the country, and the 
"Blackford trout opening" was looked forward to by 
local anglers with anticipation second only to that of the 
actual wetting of the first fly in the icy streams of Long 
Island. Mr. Blackford was always an originator. He 
discovered that our American whitebait was equal tO' the 
famous delicacy of British waters, and he made the fish 
popular here. He brought frozen salmon from Canada 
and the far Northwest. He imported sole and turbot in 
the refrigerators of ocean steamers from England. He 
introduced to the northern markets the red snapper from 
Florida, to which was given the scientific name of Lut- 
janus blackfordii in his honor. Thus in one field and 
another he developed new methods, and as his business 
increased made the wonderful growth of his own interests 
Cpjiicident with an enlarge(J afid pheapenec} food fish sup-r 
ply by which the public benefited. Mr. Blackford was a 
man of liberal ideas and public spirit. Early in his career 
he showed a disposition to co-operate with the United 
States Fish Commission in its work, and from the days 
of Professor Baird's organization of the Commission to 
the last year of Mr. Blackford's business life, the services 
rendered by him were many and important. His vast 
store of information, his business sagacity and breadth 
of view made his co-operation at all times sought for and 
valued. In 1879 Mr. Blackford was appointed by Gov- 
ernor Robinson one of the Fish Commisisoners of New 
York, an office which he filled with a conscientiousness 
and ability which were to the lasting benefit of New 
York. It was through his instrumentality that the Cold 
Spring Harbor hatchery was established on Long Island. 
He served two terms as Commissioner and was then 
removed by Governor Hill in political pique. His 
services in the cause of fishculture and ichthyology were 
widely recognized, not only in this country, but abroad. 
He received gold, silver and bronze medals from the 
French, Dutch and German Governments; and the Gov- 
ernments of Japan, France, Sweden, Norway, Germany, 
Holland and Great Britain sent representatives to him 
for information and advice. The American Fisheries 
Society was organized in Mr. Blackford's office, and for 
several terms he was its president. Mr. Blackford's in- 
terests outside of the fish business were varied and im- 
portant. He was president of the Bedford Bank, of 
Brooklyn; a vice-president of the Brooklyn Institute of 
Arts and Sciences, an officer or director in a number of 
other institutions, and a member of the Chamber of Com- 
merce. He was recognized as one of the leading citizens 
of Brooklyn, and had large part in many of its public 
interests. His was a life singularly full, not only in the 
success and wealth it brought to him, but in its usefulness 
to others, and the high type of American citizenship it 
exemplified. 
DUCK SHOOTING PRACTICE. 
And now someone who has been reading carefully the 
vivacious discussion of duck shooting, in ,our game 
columns, puts these questions to the Forest and Stream, 
and asks that categorical answers shall be given to them. 
The questions are : Will a true sportsman shoot a duck 
on the water ? If a shooter shoots a duck on the water, 
is the deed one to be proud of? Are there any extenu- 
ating circumstances short of actual starvation 'which 
would excuse the shooting of a duck on the water? 
We cannot undertake to give categorical replies to the 
questions. To answer the first point would involve an 
extended examination of the attributes of the true sports- 
man and a consideration, which at best could be only 
theoretical, of how he would act in the presence of a 
duck sitting on the water. Speculation by us on both 
these points- would be worth no more than the specula- 
tion of a thousand other people, and we could not hope 
that they would be received with that unanimity of ap- 
proval which is so dear to the heart of a writer who lays 
down the law in print. Equally fruitless, we are assured, 
would it be to dogmatize on the other points. Should 
he feel proud or should he not? Could anything but the 
ultimate pangs of hunger justify him? Clearly the only 
thing for us here is to have resort to a plea in avoidance. 
Speculative issues aside, however, we are perfectly 
free and willing to tell what we know about the ways of 
duck shooters as the common, actual, every-day, conven- 
tional practice of the craft, apart from any contrary duck- 
ing doctrine it may individually and collectively preach. 
Duck shooters, as a rule, shoot ducks flying or sitting, in 
either way, indiscriminately and without any considera- 
tion whatever of any "ethics" involved in the act. There 
may be a thousand individual exceptions to this rule, but 
we are speaking- now of the great army of duck shooters, 
the overwhelming majority which alone is to be con- 
sidered when we would establish the truth respecting the 
question of actual prevailing practice. 
The common rule of conduct as to duck shooting dif- 
fers from that which prevails in the shooting of quail ■ 
and other upland species. A sportsman who would not. 
shoot a sitting quail (or at least would not willingly let 
his friends suspect that he would shoot one) will shoot 
a sitting duck and do it openly among his associates, 
and not as a thing to be in any way whatever ashamed 
of. Our observation of duck shooters, including both the 
unaffiliated individual and thp clul) member, is that tfiey 
shoot a duck anywhere and anyhow, in whatever way they 
can get it most surely, once it is in range. It is meant, 
of course, that they do this with the weapons and in the 
ways permitted by the law. 
This is the duck shooting practice of the twentieth cen- 
tury on American waters. Whether that practice ought 
to be something else, is aside from what we are here en- 
deavoring to do, which is simply to record it as it is. 
MONOLOGUES OF KIAH. 
Where the tent had been pitched there were sundry 
packages, large and small, which denoted that the 
party had broken camp, packed up their outfit, and were 
prepared for their homeward journey. Their outing was 
ended. The ruddy tints on their faces, clear eyes, 
sprightly step, and freedom from careworn traces af- 
forded material evidence of the benefits derived from 
life in the fresh air and sunlight, in propinquity to woods 
and waters where the birds fly and the fishes lurk. The 
members of the party were seated here and there about 
the camp-site, patiently awaiting the coming of the wagon 
which was to transport them to the railway station. They 
were discussing in pleasant vein the main incidents of 
their camp life then just closing. "I never enjoyed better 
sport in my life," Reuben heartily exclaimed "than that 
which has been mine in this outing. It was a delight in 
general, and it was sportsmanlike in every detail as we 
conducted it. Also it was ineffably enhanced by the un- 
selfish companionship of jolly good fellows who are 
ardent and earnest in the cause of sport. We have en- 
joyed the sport individually and enjoyed the knowledge 
that each had a share — ". "Excuse me for interrupting 
you," broke in Kiah, "but it seems tO' me that you can- 
not justly claim that all your methods are sportsmanlike. 
Yet I will say that you have the instincts of a true sports- 
man. You will without doubt evolve into a fairly good 
one in due time. It may seem to be egotistical, but you 
differ in methods from me. Insomuch as you thus differ, 
insomuch do you depart from the true — " "One moment, 
Kiah, if you please," interposed Reuben in sweetly modu- 
lated tones. "Let me have the floor for a short time. I 
am sure you can be silent for a short while without per- 
ishing. We all know that you mean well, that your in- 
tentions to benefit us are most commendable, and that you 
honestly believe you are a perfect example of true sports- 
manship. I believe so, too. You have been quite frank 
with us in presenting the true, exourgated snort<;man- 
ship up to date. I desire to testify mv anDreciation of 
your kindness, and my aoproval of your doctrine in all 
its minute particulars. T do not ask vou for anv authori- 
ties to sustain your ideas. The fact that vnu said so is a 
summation of all authority. All the snortsmanshin from 
the dawn of creation to the present time was false. It 
came to us through countless g-eneratinns of our nrede- 
cessors, crude, imperfect, wrong-: h'lt it came at lenerth 
to you, Kiah, to be ourified. ennobled, ft for general con- 
sumption, all by virtue of your mere dictum. There are 
rude natures which will contend that your mere say so 
does not make it so; that, your mere sav so is not any 
better than the say sos of thousands of others who differ 
from you ; and that, being a mortal, you might perchance 
change your mind on points of true sDortsmanshio and 
thereby wreck it. Perish such vandals! T know that if 
you, Kiah, had never existed, then there never had been 
nor would be any true sportsmanship. Before T had the 
great good fortune to be enriched by your fiat sr»oi"t<;'nan- 
ship, I had a mistaken belief that true snortsmanohin was 
composed of all that was pleasurable and wholesome in 
pursuit and capture, combined with good comraderv in its 
social phases. Out of this general wealth bestowed by 
sportsmanship each man could use such methods as wf>re 
best pleasing and useful to him. - They might differ 
materially from the methods adopted by others, yet all 
the pleasurable methods, so long as they violated no 
common or statutory law, combined to make the sum 
total of what is in a generic way referred to as sports- 
manship. But, Kiah, I know all that is wrong. True 
sportsmanship is dependent for its metes and bounds 
on your mental processes. Unfortunately, while we can 
not think in unison with you, not knowing your thoughts, 
we can proudly imitate your actions, and concur in the 
fact that your state of mind is a universal postulate," The 
wagon at this juncture arrived, and the party were 
quickly homeward bound, much to the logs of the dog- 
trine of fiat sportsrn.5|ishi{), 
