276 
t)Ow of the boat ; a short-handled scoop net is used to 
transfer the crab to the boat'. The lines are overhauled 
from_ ten to twenty times in the course of a day. In some 
localities crabbers aim to reach the fishing grounds short- 
ly after midnight, .while at others they arrive as late as 
three or four o’clock in the morning. The object in go- 
ing early is to get a good lay. If it is a moonlight night 
the lines are set as soon as a lay is reached, but if it is 
dark the crabbers await daylight, in the meanwhile taking 
a nap. Crabs very seldom bite before daylight, but if they 
dO’ not begin soon after, the fishermen consider it as well 
to return home. Very few crabs are taken between lo 
o clock in the morning and 2 o’clock in the afternoon, 
both on account of the heat and the difficulty in getting 
the catch ashore in good condition. Hard crabbers are 
dependent upon neither wind nor tide, but should the 
water be rough the crabs are liable to be shaken off before 
they can be caught. 
Very often a male and female crab when mating are 
taken together on a trot line, this usually occurring when 
the feniale is entering the shedding stage. The pair are 
called “doublers,” or “channeler and his wife.” In most 
■ localities, where hard crabs are taken there are one or 
more firms handling soft crabs — that is, those taken on 
trot lines ,as^ “doublers.” At some places there is no sale 
for the female thus taken, and she is returned to the 
water, while in other localities she is sold along with the 
hard crabs at the same price. The proportion of “doub- 
lers” taken varies in different localities from one in one 
hundred crabs to one in ten, and they are generally taken 
on grassy bottoms. A “channeler,” or any large male 
hard crab, is called a “Jimmy” or “Jim crab.” 
The size of a market crab varies with the season and 
also with thQ localitjc Early in the season 500 will fill a 
sugar barrel, while later from 200 to 300 is sufficient. The 
average weight of a single crab is about one-third of a 
pound. Two were taken near Crisfield early in 1902 
weighing one pound each. The smallest crabs that are 
ever taken in that locality are about the size of a man’s 
fingernail. The supposition that crabs spawn in the ocean 
near Cape Charles would account for the fact that no 
smaller ones are taken. 
The crabs are disposed of in different ways. Probably 
the largest proportion is sold to factories for the extrac- 
tion of the meat. The remainder is either shipped alive 
by the crabbers or sold to dealers, who also ship it in a 
live state. In some localities where the catch is small the 
crabs are sold locally either alive or deviled. 
At Oxford, St. Michaels, .Tilghman, and several neigh- 
boring localities almost the entire catch is utilized in 
cooking the meat which is shipped in tin buckets having 
perforated bottoms and holding from five to six pounds. 
The crab meat is prepared as follows : Immediately upon 
arrival at the factory the crabs are dumped into a large 
box, through which steam is forced from the bottom. 
They are stemned from twenty to forty minutes, the time 
varying at different factories, and according to the num- 
ber cooked. After this the crabs are distributed among 
the pickers, some of whom, with long experience, become 
very expert in extracting the meat. The pickers , in most 
cases are white women and children, though at some fac- 
tories all are colored. After the meat has been extracted 
ice water is thrown over it and about three ounces of salt 
added to each twenty pounds of meat. The meat is 
packed in buckets after it is salted and is placed in a large 
ice-box and covered with ice, where it remains until 
shipped. After the meat has been extracted the crab 
shells are cleaned and a certain number are sent with 
every shipment of meat, to be used principally in making 
deviled crabs. 
A factory at Oxford has been, engaged during the last 
two seasons in grinding crab shells and disposing of the 
resultant product to fertilizer manufacturers for use as 
an ingredient. Its value as an ingredient for fertilizer is 
due to the nine per cent, of ammonia which it contains. 
The total riumber of men engaged in the industry in 1901 
was 5,388. Sixty-nine vessels, valued at $24,000, were em- 
ployed, 55 of these being engaged in taking crabs and 14 
in transporting them. The total number of boats used 
was 4,082, valued at $125,847. Including vessels, boats, 
apparatus, shore property and cash capital, the investment 
in the fishery was $321,974. The catch was 12,910,746 
soft crabs, valued at, $202,563, and 29,474,379 hard crabs 
valued at $85,884. 
Chicago Fly-Gastii)g 
Club. 
Completed scoies for 
season 1905: 
-%-ounce Bait.- 
Average. 
Handicap. 
Score. 
0 . E. Becker 
97 12-60 
2 1-2 
99 42-60 
N. C. Heston. 
96 28-60 
1 3-4 
98 13-60 
G. A. Hinterleitner . . . 
97 18-60 
1 
98 18-60 
John tlohmann 
96 46-60 
1 1-4 
98 
B. J. Kellenberger 
97 7-60 
1 3-4 
98 52-60 
E. R. Letterman 
98 43-60 
1 
99 43-60 
0 . G. Loomis 
97 66-60 
1 7-60 
99 3-60 
E. L. Mason 
97 15-60 
1 1-4 
98 30-60 
F. P. Naylor 
94 69-60 
3 50-60 
98 49-60 
FI. W. Perce 
98 3-60 
1 1-2 
99 33-60 
Robt. Slade 
96 30-60 
1 3-4 
. 98 15.-60 
E. P. Sperry.... 
89 42-60 
2 1-2 
92 12-60 
-14-ounce Bait- 
Average. 
Handicap. 
Score. 
0 . E. Becker 
96 59-60 
2 3-4 
99 44-60 
0 . F. Bro'wn 
94 27-60 
3 
97 27-60 
N. C. Heston 
96 41-60 
1 3-4 
98 26-60 
G, A. Hinterleitner.... 
97 .31-60 
1 3-4 
99 16-60 
E. R. Letterman 
98 14-60 
1 1-2 
99 44-60 
0 . G. Loomis 
97 46-60 
1 5-60 
98 50-60 
J. A. McCormick 
94 69-60 
2 4-60 
97 3-60 
F. N. Peet 
97 37-60 
1 1-2 
99 7-60 
H. W. Perce 
98 8-60 
1 
99 8-60 
A. C. Smith 
97 12-60 
1 1-4 
98. 27,60 
Distance & Accuracy 
—Fly 
Average. 
Handicap. 
Score. 
I. H. Bellows 
98 50-60 
25-60 
99 16-60 
N. C. Heston 
....97 51-60 
1 30-60 
99 21-60 
G. A. Hinterleitner... 
93 64-60 
2 
95 54-60 
H. W. Perce 
97 68-60 
1 11-60 
99 9-60 
Delicacy & Accuracy- 
-Fly. 
Average. 
Handicap. 
Score. 
I. H. Bellows 
98 99-120 
6-10 
99 51-120 
0 . F. Brown 
96 17-120 
2 1-10 
99 9-120 
F. N. Peet 
98 73-120 
6-10 
99 26-120 
H. W. Perce, 
96 8-120 
4 8-10 100 104-120 
A. C. Smith 
98 102-120 
1 
99 102-120 
Winning Scores. 
Distance and Accuracy, Bait — E. R. Letterman 99 43-60 per cent. 
Delicacy and Accuracy, Bait — O.. E. Becker 99 44-60 per cent. 
Distance and Accuracy, Fly — N. C. Heston 99 21-60 per cent. 
Delicacy and Accuracy, Fly — H. W. Perce 100 104-120 oer cent. 
Note. — In the delicacy and accuracy, bait, Mr. O. E. Becker- and 
Mr. E. -R. Letterman tied for first, with a score of 99 44-60 per 
cent. Mr. Letterman bcmg the winner in the distance and ac- 
crn-cy, bait, the first prize in delicacy and accuracy, bait, falls 
lo Mr. Becker. J3- , J- Kellenbergee, Sec’y-Treas,' 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
Just Wants to Know. 
Toledo, O., Sept. 17 — Editor Forest and Streem: I 
don’t dame to be mutch of a skoler, but to-day after 
diner I picked up yure paper to read Mr. Starbuck’s peece 
about bein.up to Ontario. It was tollable hard work, for 
] am not very strong on the dictonary, but l about kon- 
kl tided that what Mr. Starbuck went up there for was to 
go a-fishin. I red his peece very careful, but there is still 
some things about his trip that he dident tell us, that I 
would like to know, and so I set them down. 
1. What kind of bait was he a usin of? 
2. What fer kind of fish was he a fishin for? 
3. Did he ketch any? Job Smith. 
A True Fish Yarn, 
Beaumaris, Muskoka, Sept. 22. — A grandfather, grand- 
son and friend were fishing from an anchored skiff on 
Muskoka Lake recently. The grandfather hooked a good- 
sized bass, which broke the line about eight feet from the 
hook, and when some fifteen or twenty yards from the 
skiff leaped quite a height from the water with the line 
still hang to it. Meanwhile the grandson hooked a fish, but 
through rough handling, I suspect, it broke the hook 
and of course escaped. The friend now hooked a fish 
which fouled the line with the anchor rope. On his lean- 
ing over the bow to disentangle it he exclaimed to the 
grandson : “What did you do that for, Harry,” something 
having struck him on his back w'hich he thought arose 
from some of Harry’s pranks, but on looking round there 
lay the fish in the boat, which had been lost by the grand- 
father, the broken line still hanging from its mouth, it 
evidentj,y having again leaped near and fallen into the 
boat. The above can be vouched for by several eye-wit- 
nesses, as another boat was anchored near and the above 
occurrence witnessed* by its occupants. I. H. W. 
Fossilized Pathos. 
G. G. Greene, of Mankato, Minn., says a correspondent 
of. the St. Paul Pioneer Press, has just received a re- 
markable prehistoric relic lately exhumed by his own 
hands in the Bad Lands of Dakota. 
Mr. Greene is an enthusiastic antiquarian and spent 
his June vacation in the Bad Lands, that wonderful nat- 
ural museum of the marvels of the past, and while there 
was fortunate enough to find this relic which has just 
arrived in Mankato. It consists of the perfectly petrified 
remains of a monstrous serpent and a prehistoric cave- 
dweller, twined together in a death struggle. The situa- 
tion in which the relic was found leaves no doubt but 
that ages ago these_ representatives of the highest and 
lowest orders of animal life then existing were locked 
together in a life and death struggle, and while thus en- 
gaged they came near to the top of a bank of loose earth 
which caved with them, carrying them down into the 
morass beneath, together with a mass of earth and rock 
under which the man and serpent were buried millions 
of years ago. 
The body of the serpent, which was about five inches 
in diameter at the thickest portion, is wrapped again and 
again around the body of the man, and its sharp, savage 
teeth are embedded in the left forearm of its antagonist, 
which the man had thrown forward with the evident in- 
tention of protecting his face, at the same time that his 
sinewy right arm drove a dagger of flint deep into the 
serpent’s skull, directly between its eyes. The left hand 
of the man, in addition to being thrown out as a guard 
to his face, clutches a stone hammer, with which it would 
appear he had struck the serpent before he was en- 
wrapped in its folds, for the reptile’s skull is somewhat 
indented jirst above its right eye. The protuberance of 
the skull above the eye, for its protection, is crushed 
down. The body of the man was naked, except for a 
short garment of fur about the loins, and he has a neck- 
lace of the terrible claws of some animal like the polar 
bear of to-day. 
A touching feature of this wonderful petrification is 
that the last time the rentile threw one of its powerful 
coils around the struggling cave-dweller it inclosed with- 
in the coil, pressed firmly against the upper portion of the 
man’s right leg, a large tuft of grass, which was held 
tightly in this situation and torn, roots and all from the 
earth, and that, imbedded in the center of the tuft and 
as perfectly petrified as any other portion of the relic, is 
a ground bird’s nest, the devoted mother bird still hold- 
ing .her po.sition. and two of the eggs still unbroken, 
showing plainly through the meshes of the upper portion 
of the nest and the petrified grass around it. 
A Patagonian Giant. 
In “Puritios. His Pilgrimage,” an account of Magel- 
lan’s voyage, gives this description of a Patagonian giant : 
“This Giant was so big, that the head of one of our men, 
of a meane stature, came but to his Waste. He was of 
good corporature, and well made in all parts of his body, 
with a large Visage, painted with divers colors, but for 
the most part yellow. Upon his Cheekes w^ere painted 
two Harts, and red Circles about his Eyes. The Hayre 
of -his Head was coloured white, and his Apparrell was 
the Skinne of a Beast sowed together. This Beast (as 
seemed unto us) had a large head, and great eares like 
unto a Mule, with the body of a Cammill, and tayle of a 
Horse. The feet of the Giant were foulded in the said 
Skinne, after the manner of shooes. He had in his hand 
a big and short Bowe. the String whereof was made of a 
sinew of that Beast. He had also a Bundell of long 
Arrowes, m.ade of Reedes, feathered after the manner of 
ours, typt with sharpe stones in the stead of Iron heads. 
The Caotaine caused him to eat and drinke, and gave him 
many things, and among other, a Looking-Glasse : In 
the. which, as soone as he saw his owne likenesse, hee 
v/as suddenly afraid, and started backe with such violence, 
that he overthrew two that stood nearest about him.” 
THE UNIQUE MANY-USE OIL 
Prevents the metallic tone on phonograph discs; 2oz. bottle 10c. 
[Sept. 30, 1905. 
Virginia-G ifLlina Fox Hunters- 
Association. 
1 tiE cflxers of -the Virginia-Carolina Fox Hunters’ 
Association are working energetically for the success of 
the bix fox hunt, fixed to take place on Get. 24 to 28 in- 
clusive, at Chase City, Va. ■ The headquarters will be the 
Mecklenburg Hotel. 
d he programme consists of a Derby and an All-Age 
stake.. 
The Derby -will commence on Oct. 24, and all entries 
fo-r It must be in the hands of the master, of hounds at or 
before 5 o'clock P. M., Oct. 23. This stake is open to all 
fox hounds whelped on or after Jan. i of the year pre- 
ceding the trials, and are judged on average all-round 
work. 
I he All-Age stake is open to all fox hounds, and is 
governed by the following considerations : 
Hunting. — By hunting shall be understood the general 
ranging and starting qualities of a hound. 
i railing. — Trailing shall be considered the manner in 
which a hound follows a trail before a fox is jumped. . 
Speed and Driving. — Speed and driving shall be con- 
sidered rapidity of movement while actually carrying the 
scent, and therefore the hound doing the greater part of 
the leading and known to be carrying either the ground 
or body scent, is the speediest. 
Endurance.— By endurance, is meant the capacity of a 
hound for continuous maximum work during a number 
of successive hours or days. 
longuing. — By tonguing is meant the use a hound 
makes of his voice after he is let loose for the day’s trial. 
The fox hound having highest, general average shall be 
awarded the first prize. In computing the highest general 
average a first prize in any class of the All-Age stakes 
shall count 50,, a second prize 30, and a third prize 20.. 
The days assigned to the All-Age trials and the general 
hunts will be decided upon by the officers on the night 
of Oct. 23. Entries for the All-Age stake and the gen- 
eral hunt may be made up to 5 o’clock P.. M., Oct. 24, but 
it is earnestly desired that all hounds be in the hands of 
the^master of hounds by 5 o’clock P. M. on Oct. 23. 
The hunt last year had 150 riders and nearly 200 dogs, 
d his year the secretary, H. B. Hartman, estimates that 
there will be nearly 400 riders and 250 or 300 hounds. 
The officers of the Association are: President, W. T. 
Hughes, Chase City, Va. ; Vice-Presidents, R. G. Sneed, 
Lownsville, N. C. ; Judge Allen Hanckle, Norfolk, Va. ; 
Judge A. M. Aiken, Danville, Va. ; Mr. T. E. Roberts, 
Chase City, Va. ; Mr. AV. T. Clark, Wilson, N. C. ; Mr. 
Allen Potts, Richmond, Va. ; W. T. Lipscomb, Greenville, 
N. C. ; Dr. N. Jackson, Norfolk, Va. ; Dr. J. R. Rogers, 
Raleigh, N. C. ; Secretary, H. B. Hartman, Chase City, 
Va. ; Treasurer, E. W. Overbey, Boydton, Va. ; Master 
of Hounds, E. W. Overbey, Boydton, Va. ; Directors— 
Phil L. Hunt, Townsville, N. C. ; W. H. Elam, Jr., Bas- 
kerville, Va. ; J, M. B, Lewis, Lynchburg, Va..; G. W. 
M.arrow, Bullock, N. C. ; E. M. Milstead, Newport News, 
AH.; S. P. Cooper, Henderson, N. C. ; W. T. Lipscomb, 
CTreenville, N. C, ; J. Y. . VCilkinson, Chase City, Va. 
The prerequisites of fine sport are primarily good and 
convenient ground and plenty of- game, both of which are 
provided here. This section is in Piedmont, Va., a grand, 
gently undulating territory in which some 18,000 acres of 
hunting preserves of the hotel are inclosed and protected. 
There are foxes in abundance, quail and deer in plenty. 
1 he roads are good, and nowhere are better mounts or 
better trained dogs to be found. 
On March 24 to 28, after informal and impromptu ad- 
vertisement of a proposed meet on short notice, the result 
was an assembling, at the Mecklenburg’s first meet, of 
oyer a hundred mounted fox hunters with as many dogs. 
The sport was fine, old-time records were broken in the 
full enjoyment of the chase of the South. The press of 
Virginia a,nd other States testified to. the complete success 
of the initial gathering; and it is certain that we will 
have a return* in full force of the first company, all of 
whom are ready and willing to declare their enthusiastic 
support. 
AYith the large gathering of sportsmen and other not- 
able personages it was but one step further to organize 
a permanent Association, which has been done, and it is 
appropriately styled the Virginia-Carolina Fox Hunters’ 
A.s^ociation, incorporated, chartered under the laws of 
Virginia. 
A banquet and German, speech-making and toasts will 
be on the next programme. Membership cards with initia- 
tion fee $2, and the annual dues $1, paid in advance, en- 
titles the holders to all the privileges of the hunt and 
banquet. Non-members will be charged $1.50 for cards 
to the banquet and German. Hounds will be well cared 
for by the Association without cost to owners. 
It is expected and proposed to have this occasion sur- 
pass all fox hunting meets in the annals of the country. 
Every effort will be put forth to guarantee its success 
and to insure comfort and enjoyment to everyone present. 
The field records will pass down into history and make 
a basis of fireside stories for the. old sportsmen to the 
third and fourth generation. 
Plenty of foxes make the sport doubly sure every day. 
Photographers will be on the ground to make pictures of 
the sport. under varying conditions. These plates, like 
those made at the last meet, will be objects of pride to 
the possessors. Arrangements will be made to supply 
photographs to all, and these will make the best possible 
souvenirs of the great occasion. 
Many members of the best hunting clubs in the country 
have already declared their purpose to attend, and are 
lending their assistance enthusiastically to the complete 
success of the undertaking. 
National Bcag/e CIttb's Trials, 
The premium list of the National Beagle Club’s six- 
teenth annual field trials,- to be held at Stevenson, Md., 
beginning Oct. ,30,. can be. obtained of the secretary, Chas. 
R.’ Stevenson, Camden, N. J. The , headquarters of the 
Club will be at Avalon Inn. Stevenson is in Baltimore 
county, on the Green Spring Branch, of the Northern 
Central Railroad, 
