Feb. 25, 1905.]! 
189 
Among the other pages of this book are "butchers," 
"fairies," "Montreals" of different shades and texture, 
a number of those admirable flies for a brighter day 
and low water, the "black-dose," the "gray-mouse," 
the "royal-coachman," and many others that are used 
on salmon streams. Like the others, each has done 
its duty, each has its history, which I should dearly 
love to dwell upon; but the story that could be told of 
them with pen and ink would not, I fear, prove of 
sufficient interest to warrant my telling it. 
Another page or two is turned, and my eye falls on 
a still brilliant wreck of that most gaudy creation, the 
Prince-Wiliiam-of-Ofange Fly. 
I have made many eiJorts to trace out the origin or 
originators of the different knids of flies in common 
use, and have in many cases been quite successful; but 
I have never been able to ascertain in whose fertile 
brain was created this magnificently hued lure. In the 
books of American anglers it is not often seen, but 
in those of our British cousins it is very common and 
tied in large patterns at that. It is used by them 
chiefly as a trolling fly. 
I have but three or four, and those were tied by my 
father, who was an amateur fly-tyer or remarkable ex- 
perience; in fact, I have seen a number of pieces of 
his handiwork which, when laid side by side with the 
well-known Forrest flies, compared more than favor- 
ably with them. He was a most assiduous seeker for 
materials, and corresponded with bird collectors in 
various localities, all over the world to obtain skins_ of 
rare species, whose feathers were to be used in putting 
together the different lures. 
Most anglers have but a faint idea of the _ great 
amount and variety of material that is needed in the 
manufacture of the varieties of flies in ordinary use, 
and many would, no doubt, be surprised at the rarity 
of some of the feathers employed. 
The Prince-William as it is usually tied is hardly 
suitable for use on most Canadian rivers; but, I dare 
say, if it were built on a smaller model, as are our 
conventional salmon flies, it would, in dark, deep water 
and on a lowry day, prove as killing as a Jock-Scott, 
a silver-doctor or Durham-ranger. I have,_ however, 
used two, which were tied on what I consider large 
patterns, and was successful with both; but the con- 
ditions in which they were employed were somewhat 
peculiar. One of them is still in good working con- 
dition and if everything goes well, I mean to try its 
merits again in the Port Medway River, N. S., the 
coming spring. I say "spring" for the reason that 
in all the streams on the eastern coast of Nova Scotia 
the salmon arrive very early in the season, it being a 
not uncommon occurrence to take them with the fly 
early in March. The other of the flies in question_ is a 
perfect wreck, for I killed two good salmon on it in 
the Indian River, which empties into Margaret's Bay, 
twenty or more miles south of Halifax, and subse- 
quently used it among the large sea trout in the Marga- 
ree River, Cape Breton, which fish will rise to almost 
any lure that is put out to them. 
What a glorious day that was on the Indian River! 
when, in less than two hours, I landed with an ordinary 
grilse rod four goodly salmon, two of which were 
killed on the Prince-William fly. I had with me on 
that occasion old Tim Mason, one of the best all- 
round guides I ever had the pleasure of meeting. He 
and his brother, Loftus, were great favorites among 
the army and navy officers and other anglers from 
Halifax, Loftus having had the distinguished honor of 
having served as guide and canoeman to the then Prince 
of Wales, now king of England, on an outing on 
Canadian rivers. Indian River is a small one_, noiie of 
its pools being more than two good casts in width; 
but it is rather a difficult stream to fish, on- account of 
its wooded, rocky shores, which tax the patience and 
ingenuity oi the angler when making his "back-casts" 
to avoid losing his leader and fly. In fact, in several of 
the pools anything but a rolling or "Spey" cast is al- 
most impossible. " 
The pools, though not very wide, are deep, and when 
the water is high in the river, they are black and full 
of all sorts of twisting eddies and tortuous currents, and 
their surface is nearly covered with great patches of 
foam, which have been cast there by the wild rush of 
the rapids above. The lower or first pool is not rnore 
than five rods from the head of tide-water, and it is 
always good for at least one salmon on any day early 
in the season. 
My capture of the four salmon occurred in early May. 
The season had been a late one, some patches of snow 
even then remaining in the forest by the side of the 
river, and, of course, the stream was "banks-full." The 
third or fourth pool above salt-water is called the 
"Horseshoe" from its peculiar shape, and the angler in 
fishing in it must use his tackle in the most careful 
manner possible. I had been using "Jock-Scotts," 
"butchers" and a variety of other flies, but met with no 
response. Surface fishing was entirely out of the ques- 
tion and I used them as sunken flies, and pretty well down 
in the water at that. At last, thoroughly disgusted at 
my ill-success, I exclaimed: "It's no use, Tom, I'll 
waste no more time on this pool with such. small flies! 
I've got something here that will suit them. I have 
no doubt." And I opened my book and selected a 
Prince-Wflliam-of-Orange, which my guide declared 
was "as big as a yellow bird," and, attaching it to my 
leader, I threw it out and began to, give it play. Like 
others, however, it received no attention when moved 
near the surface, and it was only after it had become 
thoroughly saturated and was permitted to sink deep 
in the water that I felt a tug, and, striking sharply, I 
found I was fast to a noble fish. 
"That beats all!" exclaimed the guide, excitedly, "I 
never expected to see the like of that! the salmon must 
be of a queer mind that would take a fly of that size 
and complexion." 
The fight I had with that fish in such heavy water 
and with so light a rod was one never to be forgotten.. 
Luckily for me he was well hooked and the PQQl was 
free of snags and drift stufj; but it took, me a good 
quarter of an hour to bring my beauty f.o terms and 
give Tom m opp^ortunity to wse th< gaff. ; ~ ' \].["\ 
hake Champlain Fishing. 
Following is a copy of the petition to the Hon. Ray- 
mond PrefontainCj Canadian Minister of Marine and 
Fisheries, concerning seine fishing in Lake Champlain, 
adojpted by the North American Fish and Game Protective 
Association at its recent meeting held at St. John, N. B. : 
To the Hon. Raymond Prefontaine, K. C, M. P., Minister 
of Marine and Fisheries, Ottawa: 
The petition of the undersigned association, known as 
the North American Fish and Game Protective Associa- 
tion, respectfully represents — ■ 
That this association has repeatedly during the last five 
years called upon the authorities of New York, Vermont, 
and the Dominion of Canada to put an end to the disas- 
trous seining of pike-perch or pickerel {Stizostedion 
vitreum ) . 
That on the 8th day of February, 1902, on the recom- 
mendation of the Honorable Minister of Marine and 
Fisheries, an order-in-council was passed by His Excel- 
lency the Governor-General-in-Council, taking this action 
desired by this association, so far as Canada was con- 
cerned, since it prohibited fishing with nets of any kind 
in the lakes and tributary streams of Missisquoi, etc. 
That on the strength of the report to council in which 
the above order-in-council was adopted, a copy of which 
report-to-ccuncil was furnished at his own request to the 
Hon. Julius Seymour, representing the Legislature of 
New York, that Legislature repealed the law permitting 
the granting of licenses on certain conditions for seining 
in Lake Champlain. 
That the Legislature of Vermont has also repealed all 
permissive legislation of a similar character, so that it is 
no longer permissive or possible for seining licenses for 
Lake Champlain to be issued, either by the authorities of 
the State of New York or by those, of the State of 
Vermont. 
That it was learned by this association with the deepest 
regret some time subsequently to the passage of the 
order-in-council of the 8th day of February, 1902, that the 
said order-in-council had been rescinded, and that in con- 
sequence of such repeal, seining licenses were, and in fact 
still are, being issued to commercial fishermen to net the 
waters of the Missisquoi Bay of Lake Champlain. 
That this association, which was established in the city 
of Montreal at the instance of, and largely through the 
eflforts of, that zealous friend of fish and game protection, 
the Hon. S. N. Parent, has for some of its main objects 
the harmonizing of the laws of the different Provinces of 
Canada and the contiguous States of the American 
Union ; the preservation, propagation and protection of 
fish, game and bird life and maintenance and improve- 
ment of the laws relating thereto, and mutual assistance 
in enforcing game and fish laws on the borders of the 
various States and Provinces. 
That your petitioners have reason to believe, and do 
firmly believe, that Canadian holders of licenses to seine 
in Missisquoi Bay in past years have sold or re-let their 
leasing rights to American fishermen in Vermont, and 
probably without legal transfer of the same, or permission 
to so transfer them. That this belief is founded upon the 
uncontradicted statement of the highest fishery official of 
that time in the employment of the Government of the 
Province of Quebec, the late L. Z. Joncas, as reported on 
page 86 of the published transactions of this association 
for the year 1902, a copy of which is forwarded herewith. 
That Mr. Joncas, the then Superintendent of Fish and 
Game of the Province of Quebec, said upon that occasion : 
"I may say here, and I know it as a matter of fact, that 
out of the eighteen licenses which we give in the Province 
of .Quebec, only three are used by Canadians ; all the 
others are used by Vermonters." That, as will be seen 
further on upon the page just quoted from, Mr. Nelson 
W. Fisk, of Vermont, said : "I want to thank my friend 
the Commissioner from the Province of Quebec for what 
he has said here to-day. He has told the truth that out of 
the eighteen licenses issued by him in Canada, a large 
number of them are used by Vermonters.' I am glad that 
he had admitted it. In fact, I am personally acquainted 
with four or five men who have used these licenses in 
Vermont from my own town. Now, that being the case^, 
that Vermont is getting all the benefits of the licenses be- 
ing issued by Canada, practically all — he tells you all but 
three — I cannot see the first reason — financially, politically 
or otherwise — why Canada should issue licenses." 
That your petitioners believe that the vast majority of 
people of the Province of Quebec, including certainly 
every friend of the cause of fish protection and propaga- 
tion in which your department is so much interested, are 
entirely opposed to the continued seining in Missisquoi 
Bay, while in New York and Vermont the sentiment is 
unanimous against it, as shown by the votes in the Legis- 
latures of those States; 
That your association, which was represented by the 
vice-president- for the Province of Quebec, Doctor Finnic, 
of Montreal, at the interview granted by you on this mat- 
ter, together with Honorable Mr. Parent, on the 12th of 
January last, have learned with pleasure from its repre- 
sentative on that occasion that you were good enough to 
say that if the question of yellow perch were eliminated, 
there would be a -probability, in your opinion, of coming 
to reasonable terms. 
That j^our association is now delighted to be in a posi- 
tion to prove to your entire satisfaction that this perch 
matter has been entirely eliminated from the question by 
the reception of a letter from the Hon. George M. Bowers, 
United States Fish Commissioner, at Washington, which 
reads as follows : 
"Department of Commerce and Labor, Bureau of 
Fisheries, Washington, Jan. 27, 1905. Hon. H. G. Thomas, 
Stowe, Vt., Sir — Answering your inquiry addressed to 
Mr. Carter, you are informed that the bureau during the 
spring of 1903 propagated some yellow perch on the Mis- 
sisquoi River at Swanton, Vt., in connection with the 
regular pike-perch work. The fish had spawned during 
high water, and the receding of the river left great quanti- 
ties of the eggs suspended on the grasses and shrubberj^, 
where they were destined to perish. The eggs were col- 
lected, partly with a view to experimental work, and for 
the purpose of transferring them to waters where they 
are in demand. The bureau does not contemplate the 
propagation of yellow perch on the Missisquoi River with 
the view of restocking the waters of Lake Champlain 
'uitil there is a demand for this species in those waters. 
It has not yet, been decided whether any y'ellow perch. 
operations will be conducted at Swanton the coming 
season,, but if so it will be for the purpose of obtaining 
fish to stock waters other than Lake Champlain and its 
tributaries. Respectfully, 
"George M. Bowers, Commissioner." 
That there is also annexed to this petition a positive 
declaration from H. G: Thomas, the sole Fish Commis- 
sioner of the State of Vermont, which effectually sets at 
rest all possible doubts on the subject, since it shows that 
Mr. Thomas will never permit any more yellow perch 
to be planted in Lake Champlain, and that nobody else — 
not even the United States Fish Commissioners — can 
plant such fish in those waters without his permission. 
Wherefore, for all the reasons which have been thus far 
related, and also because the prohibition of such seining 
as herein prayed for is not only in the interest of fish pro- 
tection, but fair and reasonable on the part of Canada, 
because of a similar prohibition on the part of the States 
of New York and Vermont, and because of the enormous 
number of good food fishes planted by the United States 
Fish Commission in the waters of Lake Champlain ; and 
further because such action for all these reasons would 
seem to be called for by the international courtesy recog- 
nized by the comity of the nations. 
Therefore your petitioners humbly pray that you will 
be pleased to recommend to His Excellency the Governor- 
General the re-passage of the order-in-council of the 8th of 
February, 1902, at least so far as the waters of the Mis- 
sisquoi Bay are concerned. 
And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. 
(Signed, as instructed by resolution of the association 
adopted at its annual meeting at St. John, N. B., on the 
2d of February, 1905.) 
President, L. J. Tweedie, 
Premier at St. John, N. B. 
Secretary, E. T. D. Chambers, 
Quebec. ■ 
Pennsylvania Fisheties Department. 
In a recent report to the Governor of Pennsylvania, 
Commissioner of Fisheries _W. E. Meehan gave the fol- 
lowing as among the operations of his department for the 
year 1904: 
Total number of fish hatched and distributed, 78,985,867. 
Of these, 5,396,750 were game fish exclusively, including 
brook trout, black bass, yellow perch and sunfish. The 
remainder were food fish, including whitefish, lake trout, 
lake herring, blue pike, and wall-eyed pike; also 38,000 
frogs. Of the five hatcheries controlled by the depart- 
ment, three were in operation so far as hatching fish 
was concerned, and two were in course of construction. 
The total cost of operating the five hatcheries was 
$28,656.21. 
The total number of arrests made for illegal fishing was 
783. The total number of acquittals was 79, and the total 
number of convictions was 704. The amount of fines col- 
lected was over $9,600, of which $4,568.51, being the 
State's share, was paid into the State Treasury. The 
total cost of the warden service was $6,122.71. The 
amount of fines paid into the State Treasury was there- 
fore nearly as much as the cost of the service, and within 
$1,122.71 of the amount appropriated by the State. The 
amount above the aopropriation from the State was paid 
from $1,750 collected from licenses on eel baskets. 
According to the report, the carp industry in the State 
is valued at over $325,000 a year; that in Philadelphia 
alone there were 3,499,000 pounds of this inferior food fish 
sold, with an aggregate value of $174,000. Within two 
years the eel industry of the State has been developed 
from practcially nothing to about $30,000 a year; the fish 
industry in Lake Erie at the City of Erie was worth to 
the dealers $300,000, a total catch of 7,280,580 pounds be- 
ing reported. The shad industry on the Delaware was 
given at $225,000. 
The Commissioner announced that he is erecting ponds 
for "lake trout with a capacity of 5,000,000 eggs a year, 
and 'is experimenting with Atlantic salmon with a view of 
domesticating them for the purpose of securing eggs for 
the stocking of the Delaware River. During the year 
twelve fishways were built in dams by owners on orders 
from the department, and four fishways were constructed 
at the expense of the State. 
Albany Legislation. 
Albany, N. Y., Feb. IS.— The Senate Committee on Fisheries 
and Game has reported favorably the bill of Assemblyman Wade 
(Int. No. 249) providing that the meshes of nets used in Lake 
Erie shall not be less than 1% inches bar. 
The Assembly Committee on Fisheries and Game has reported 
favorably the bill of Assemblyman Bisland (Int. No. 476) provid- 
ing that the close season for hares and rabbits in Sullivan county 
shall be from Feb. 16 to Sept. 30, both inclusive, and that in 
Schenectady county it shall be from Feb. 1 to Oct. 31, both in^ 
elusive. 
Game bills have been introduced as follows: 
By Assemblyman Santee (Int. No. 566), amending Section 13 
so, as to provide that the close season for hares and rabbits in 
Steuben county shall be from Jan. 16 to Sept. 30, both inclusive. 
By Assemblyman Cunningham (Int. No. 599) amending Section 
S4 so as to allow the spearing of suckers, bullheads, eels and dog- 
fish in Sanddring Creek, Ulster county, from Center street bridge 
in Eilenville, to Port Nixon dam on the said stream, from April 
1 to Sept. 30, both inclusive. 
By Assemblyman Cox (Int. No. 601), amending Section 176, 
so as to give special game protectors the same powers as State 
game protectors, if they are regularly employed on a salary by an 
incorporated association for ,the protection of fish and game or 
are employed by a board of supervisors. 
By Assemblyman Monroe (Int. No. 640), amending Section 41 
by striking out the provision making the close season for trout 
in Tompkins county from July 16 to April 15, both inclusive. 
By Assemblyman Gates (int. No. 651), amending Section 14, so 
as to prohibit the taking of beaver by any device whatsoever. 
The Assembly has passed the bill of Assemblyman Reeve (Int. 
No. 305) in relation to the protection of land turtles and wild 
black bear. 
A bill has been introduced by Assemblyman Fish prohibiting 
the' sale of slaughtered game, animals or poultry unless the car- 
cases have been divested of the lung tissues and the internal 
organs within forty-eight bourse after slaughter. 
Gold's Gilding Effect. 
"That fellow is a perfect boor." 
"S-s-sh. He's worth $4,000,000." 
"That so! Well, as I was saying, he's a man of 
marked individuality." 
