FOREST AND STREAM 
265 
powder around it. Will some ono having a Creodmoor rifle try 
this and give ua the results ? 
Mn Bioby to tue President of the SnAnra Rifle Go. — To the 
President of Sharp* Jitfe Manufacturing Company: Dear Sir— 
Preatt of buainoaa prevented my replying eoonor to youra of March 
5th. I do not think any useful purpoBe cau bo served by diacuaa- 
iug further the points raised in your lettor. 
It has boon published at length in the American Proas, whpreas 
mine, to which it was a roply, has been passed over. Thus tho 
public are liable to bo misled by having ono sido only of such argu- 
ments. I am not “getting away from my original challenge," 
but you seek to fasten on it a meaning whioh it does not fairly 
bear. I do not need to bo instructed iu the capabilities of breocb- 
loading rifles when rapidity and accuracy aro combined . My ex- 
perience of broach-loading arms is perhaps of longer date than 
that of any one now connected with the Sharps Company, and I 
am perfectly aware that by slightly modifying the method of load- 
ing you could render any time match betweon a muzzle-loader and 
a breech-loader absurd. 
My “challenge,’’ as you call it, was to tost the muzzle-loading 
match rifle used at Wimblodon against the American breech-load- 
ing matoh rifle as used at the Centennial. 
This is proved by tho context ae my remark came at tho end of 
a letter giving a description of tlioso rifles. This would bo fairly 
tried by following tho conditions laid down in my. last letter, to 
whioh I must adhoro. 
If they do not Buit you it Is open to you to givo at Creedmoor a 
public exhibition of the capabilities of your rifle in shooting 
against time at 1,000 yards, and so attain the object you have in 
view. 
If you prefer to accept the conditions in my last I shall bo glad 
to hear from you in course of post. 
I am faithfully yours , John Rioby. 
Dublin, April 20, 1878. 
M** wd $iver 
FISH IN SEASON IN MAY. 
Trout, Salmo/ontlnalU. Salmon Trout, Salmo oonflnia. 
Salmon, Salmo talar. Shad, A lota. 
Grayling, Thymmallus tricolor. Laud- locked Salmon, Salmo gloven. 
FLIES IN SEASON IN MAY. 
Black May, No. 10.— Body, black ; feet, blaok; wings, grayish 
hyaline. 
Oow Dung, No. 10 and 11. — Body and feet, brownish yellow i 
wings, yellow-gray. . 
Qkeat Don, No. 9 and 8.— Body, purple brown; feet, gray 
brown; wings, dark gray hyaline; eotffi, dark brown annulated with 
gray. 
Red Spinneb, No. 10 ANif 9.— Body, bright claret, ribbed with 
gold tinsel; feet, brick color; wings, gray hyal; Bette, paleine 
briok color, 
Yellow May, No 10.— Body and feet, pale yellow wings, pale 
yellow, mottled with brown ; sotto, yellow. 
Coachman.— B ody, peackcook borl ; feet, dark red hackle ; wings, 
white. 
Kino of tme Wateb.— Same as qaoen of the water, with scarlet 
body instead of orange. 
Gold Spinneb.— B ody, orange, ribbed with gold tinsel; feet, 
pale red hackle ; wings, bright gray. 
Captain . — Body, posterior half, peacook horl, antorior half, 
gray ; white foot ; red hackle ; wings gray ; setro, scarlet green 
and wood duck feathers niixed. 
Soldieu. — B ody, crimson ; feet, red hackle ; wings, gray. 
Kingdom. — B ody, white, riDged with green ; feet, peacook herl, 
and red hackle ; wings, gray, mottled with brown. 
Black Palmer, Brown Palmer, Bed Palmer and Gray Palmer 
aro made respectively of the different colored hackles that dis- 
tinguish them. 
Fise in Market— Retail Prices.— Striped bass, 20 cents, 
large do., 12J ; blue fish, 12^; frozen salmon, 30; green do., 
CO; Connecticut River, 75; mackerel, large, 15;.do. small, 10; 
native shad, 30; weakfish, 15; white perch, 15; Spanish 
mackerel, 75; green turtle, 15; halibut, 15; haddock, 0;king 
fish, 25; codfish, heads off, 8; do., heads on, C; black-fish, 
large, 12 ; small, do., 8; flounders, large, 10; do., small, 8; 
porgies, 10 ; sea bass, 20 ; eels, large, dressed, 15 ; lobsters, 
live, 8 ; do., boiled, 10; sheepsheads, 25 ; turbot, 20; scal- 
lops, $1.60 per gallon; soft clams, per 100, 80; do., large, 
GO ; brook trout, wild, 60 ; Long Island brook trout, $1 ; 
bard crabs, per 100, $3; soft, crabs, per dozen, $1.25; red 
snapper, 15 ; pompano, $1. 
During the last ten days no less than 40 very fine salmon 
have been caught in the Connecticut River and sold in Fulton 
market. Connecticut River has also furnished shad weighing 
seven pounds each. At Mr. Blackford’s, trout from Moose- 
bead Lake were exhibited weighing four pounds. This is a 
season of wonders. Blue fish, coming from Baltimore, have 
beon in market weighing 7 pounds, fat and iu splendid con- 
dition. At this time of the year in former seasons, blue fish 
seldom are heavier than 1 to l£ lbs. This advance of the 
Bcason is notable in pompano and sheepshead. Fish are cheap 
and plenty. 
Parasites in Fish. — Relative to the very stupid alarm about 
be trichinm in shad, a correspondent writes to us : “ Many 
of our fishes are infested with pin-worms. The late Prof. O. 
F. Hart told me that, while studying under Prof. Agassiz, be 
discovered that tho flesh of the codfish was invariably “alive ” 
with parasites, to a greater degree, in fact, than that of any 
other fish." 
Richardson Lakes — Ottford Co., Maine, May 3. — The ice 
went out of the lakes this year April 26. Fishing may be ex- 
pected to commence about May 10th. Last year, which was 
an early one, Ihe ice went out on May 0, and the fishing was 
quite good May 26th. In 1876 tho ice did not go out until 
May 26th, and in 1875 until May 28th. Whitney. 
Movements of tub Fishing Fleet. — There have been no 
home arrivuls from the Southern mackerel fleet as yet. The 
Georges fleet continue to bring in very small fares for the 
season, and the average trip will do little more than pay ex- 
penses, while many fail to do this, and but few show any re- 
spectable margin of profits. Tho number of fishing arrivals 
reported at this port the past week has beeu 14 from the 
Banks, with 80,000 lbs. codfish and 230,000 lb9. halibut, and 
47 from Georges, with 550,000 lbs. codfish.— Capo Ann Ad- 
vertiser, May 3. 
Connecticut — Windermere, April 10. — The fishing in tho 
lake this year is remarkably fine. Some large strings ore 
caught almost daily. 
Salmon in the Connecticut. — Centre Brook, Conn., 
May 6. — Hurrah 1 for Connecticut salmon are ascendiDg the 
Connecticut River. I have apiece of a twelve pound salmon, 
one of the fliteen caught near the mouth of tho river within 
the last few days. They are probably just beginning to os- 
cend the river. Average weight, ten to fifteen pounds. 
Trouling fair this season. I tool; a basket of trout April 15, 
ten largest weighing over ten pounds, largest one weighed one 
pound nine ana a half ounces. G. H. C. 
Rhode Island. — Newport, May 7. — Scup have begun to 
arrive in goodly numbers ; some blackfiah and tautog arc 
being taden off Brenton’s reef. 
Long Island.— Menhaden fishing is active at tbo east end 
of Long Island, and some of the largest catches on record aro 
reported as having been made last week. 
New Jersey— Bornegal Inlet, Kinsey's Ashland House, 
May 1. — Blueflsh made their first appearance to-day; over 
2,000 lbs. taken. They run from six to twelve pounds. Tho 
inlet is swarming with them and moss-bunkers. Previous to 
this year, the earliest ever known was tho year 1872, when 
the first taken was May 18. Noah Taylor and John C. Bailey 
caught on that day 1,460 lbs. B, 
Greenwood Lake, April 27. — From present indications the 
bass fishing will be very fine. Several salmon trout, six to 
eight inches long, are reported to have been seen. Pickerel 
are taken in large numbers at the lower or Jersey end of tho 
lake. Greenwood. 
Pennsylvania— Erie, May 3.— FishiDg very fine for the last 
week. A good number of black bass aud muskalongo have 
been caught m our bay. “ Jake Graham," who is wellJcnowu 
among sportsmen, has leased “ Massassaugie Point,” a well- 
known shooting and fishing ground, Bituated five miles from 
our city at the head of the bay. Snipe. 
Pottsville, May 0. — Trouting good in tho Tobehana. 
Dom Pedro. 
Maryland— Baltimore, May C.— Numerous fishing parties 
are embarking daily on trips down the Chesapeake. Several 
visited Cobb’s Island during the past week, and report the 
sport very good and active. Gudgeon are still being caught 
by the thousands on the Patapsco and other surrounding 
streams. Nearly eight thousand people visited the Relay, B. 
& O. R. R. in one week gudgeon fishing. A party of six of 
us went down last Saturday and caught thirty dozen in four 
hours, but the season for them will soon be over now. Tho 
first crab of the season was caught at the Ferry Bar last 
Friday by a little boy. Old fishermen say the coming season 
is going to be a very good one, and already there are lots of 
elegant perch coming to the markets, and last week I saw 
the finest fresh shad in our markets I have ever seen. 
Traymorb. 
Virginia. — Bas9 weighing six pounds have been caught in 
the river near Clifton Forge. The propagation of these fish 
has been completely successful around Forecastle. Bass yield 
fine returns in the Shenandoah at Warren. Trout fishing is 
good about Wytheville. 
Tennessee — Nashville, May 8.— A catfish weighing 83 lbs. 
net was caught last week in Big Harpeth by Messrs. Parr and 
Grumpier. It measured 4 feet 8 inches in length, by 9 inches 
around the body. We have had too much rain for the last 
two weeks for good takes of fish, besides the fish are now 
shoaling and will not bite. For the last few nights some 
parties have been out seiniDg Mill creek, which with the fish 
shoaling has virtually put an end to any legitimate sport in 
that stream for this year. J. D. H. 
heaviest salmon. Our information was of rather an indefinite 
character. We are haply now able to give an authentic figure, 
namely, 83 pounds, the weight being attested to in ihc follow- 
ing letter dated : 
. „ WALLA Walla; April 33, ISIS. 
Eiitor toiutST and Stream : 
Iu ^ answer to a request mode by yon In ouo of your nuutbore, la rc- 
ganH° the weight of salmon, I would say that there was ono caught by 
a nahoruiau In tho employ of Booth ft Co., near tho mouth of tho Col- 
utnbla River, which weighed S3 pounds. Yours truly, 
John Goudy. 
something similar to tho homed* d^'Vh^w^alw^ya 
darker than the others. In this river 1 have caught them on 
all varieties of bait— on the tlv and a few m 1 
They „ S&58,, 
l f0W S CA "&}\ 1,1 compared 5ith other seal 
sons When caught among the rifts { n swift water on a 
7 a . ffor d w^derabio sport, aud are nicSathi J 
while the water is cold. Most of the residents of tho Mohawft 
wfndflsh ' ^ thCm Wkltefl8h ' IIav0 nevor Leartl tlicm called 
Dexter. 
Carlisle, Pa., April 29.— With us they arc called fall llsh 
r^i, WUh t rod i imt ? l i,ic ncar >y a11 tho year round! 
tbe W U t° gnib ’ ‘ j Ug l hidt. grasshopper ami mussel 
the common red worm and pieces of minnow. 1 notice that 
one of your correspondent* says that they very seldom weigh 
more than a pound. I have eecu them taken from our creeks 
from 1 , 0iD - *0 37in. in length, and weighing 
from two to three pounds. They are a very beautiful Halt the 
e T 5iall y- , l 7 hack being a .lark blue color, and 
S 8ilvor y whiteness, while the flits and Under part 
?, f the body are a beautiful scarlet. I would mention here 
tuat we have some of tho finest fishing in this country to bo 
had anywhere. We have trout, black bass, pike, aud in fact 
almost any kind of fishing a true angler may desire. 
Geo. D. Keller. 
Movements of Sportsmen.— AU tho Florida visitors have 
returned home, and tho mosquitoes, alligators and moccasins 
can now have It all^their own way. 
Mr. John Johnston, of the Milwaukee Rifle Team, sailed 
yesterday for tho Paris Exposition. 
A. E. Hume, of Charleston, a. C , owner of ono of tho 
island cottages In the St. Lawrence RIvor, has gono to Lon- 
don for the summer. 
Dr. W. H. Daly, of Pittsburg, Pa., sailed for Europe a few 
days ago in company with his wife, to ho gono a year or two. 
Fayette S. Giles, luto President of tho Blooming Grove 
Park Association, recently rejoiued liia family at Geneva, 
Switzerland. 
Messrs. Goo. M. Sleo, of Poughkeepsie, and J. Ortlway 
take charge of the Ordway House at Blue Mountain Lake, 
Adirondacks, tho coming summer. 
E. C. Litchfield, Esq., of Brooklyn, has Just returned from 
an extensive tour through tho West Indies. 
Fred A. Ober, tho naturalist, is at Granada, West Indies, 
and expects to go thence to Martinique and return home to 
the United States. Ho is well, and is doing good work. 
Coulin Campbell, of Tarrytown, has Just returned from 
Nova Scotia, where he has boon salmon flaking. Ho and 
Saul the Indian broko space in the ice for lly-castlug early in 
tho season, and landed many goodly flab. Saul always takes 
his first fish in March and sometimes in February. The best of 
the season in Nova Scotia is over before it begins on tho St. 
Lawrence. Campbell says the salmon run up tho river 
under the ice all the winter through, and ho bas a theory thnt 
they go up on an errand of pure gallantry, namely, to escort 
the smolts down In tho spring on tlioir first visit to suit 
water— just as if a smolt couldn’t drift down to tho ocean with 
the tide without being piloted by friends .' But “ it may bo 
true— yes-h— it ma-ay be true.” 
Kentucky — Lexington. — The observance of the laws is 
followed here by a notic^ble increase in the supply of game 
fish in the waters hereabouts. Several large fall fish have been 
caught, and the prospects are that in a year or two there will 
be sport and profit for all. 
The Wilderness Trout Regions of Vermont.— The Now 
•York and Connecticut River Railroad enables the angler to 
reach the White Mountain region in one day. Within easy 
acces9 of the famous hotel resorts are wilderness districts, al- 
most unknown, except to the natives, which abound in small 
mountain trout. From these sources the guests of the hotels 
are kept supplied. As many as lOOlbs. arc known to have 
been taken from a single stream in the course of a season. 
Exceptional fish are large, but those weighing one aud a half 
pounds are seldom caught. The average run of a basket 
would possibly not exceed a quarter of a pound. But the 
streams are ice-cold, having their sources in the snow deposits 
of the higher mountain valleys, and the trout are very beauti- 
ful to look upon and very gamey. The Amonoosuc River 
and its tributaries are well tenanted with trout ; and if tho 
angler has only pluck enough to stroll beyond the sound of 
the hotel gong or tho farm-house horn, he will be able to re- 
fute the oft-told story that the White Mountain streams are 
drained aud depleted. The stage roads througout that region 
make a large area of country accessible, and a night or two 
in camp will not only satisfy, invigorate and embrown the 
tender young men who go abroad, but make heroes of them 
in the eyes of the damsels. The girls will never fail to in- 
quire, with eyes enlarged, if they saw a bear. The scenery 
of the White Mountains is justly celebrated, while the com- 
forts to be obtained on every hand are greater than ia other 
regions less frequented and circumscribed. 
The Heaviest American Salmon.— Some weeks since we 
answered a correspondent who inquired tho weight of the 1 
Nor a Centenarian.— In our Inst issue, in correspondents' 
column, Mr. O. W. V. S. attempted to givo some information 
about the dobBon, purporting to Bay that lie caught dobsous 
and black bass on tho Mohawk in 1824. But really lie didn't 
do anything of tho kind. The types lied whou they said so, 
and Mr. 8. doesn’t mince matters much with the compositor 
in asserting the fact. It is true that Mr. 8. is tho editor of a 
work first published in 1496, entitled “ Fysshe and Fysablng,'’ 
(and a very readablo book it is— for sale at this ofllce, price, 
$1.60), but it does not necessarily follow that ho is now 400 
yeare old, and was a comparative youth in 1824 1 The author 
of that book died long since, lamented by the anglrng frater- 
nity of which she was a noble part, in everything but sex— 
Dame Juliana Berners by name. It is only the editor who 
lives (t), and we cannot toll whut mercies may yet bo In store 
for him 1 But by all that’s gracious, wo cannot divine wby 
the man “8." is so chagrined ut being considered old! Had 
it been the woman, Dome Berners, who protested, we would 
have attributed the protest to tho natural diffidence of the sex; 
but as it is— well, as the old woman herself said : “ It iB 
as it is, and can’t be any tisser!” Let tho reader pay heed 
while he speaks : 
“ Helgramites in the Mohawk, 1824 ! O, Lord ! 1824 ! 
When was I born ! Will you please sentence your proof- 
reader to angle for tom-cods in Bowery Huy ? It was 1864 
when I used ‘ dobsons ’ for bait in the Molmwk. There are 
three gray whiskers on my right cheek now— but don't say 
1824 ! And don't let your proof-reader correct my spelling. 
It is not the printer's fault ; because it happens twice iu four 
lines. The right way is ‘sieve,’ not ‘seiVe.’ But 1824 1 
Guess I’ll apply for a pension. There were plenty of hel- 
gramites left in 1804. G. W. V. 8." 
The First Bite. — A veteran angler, whose flies have danced 
upon the waters of every more important trout aud sulmon 
stream in the United States and Canadas, remwrked to us th 
