692 
The clay after this episode we had a fair 
streak of luck. Bob and I were billed to go 
down the lake for a couple of miles with the 
skiff and decoys. In two hours’ time we had 
bagged twenty between us; mostly blue bills 
and whistlers. On our return journey I threw 
out the trolling line, Bob directing me how to 
hold it. In about five minutes I had a yank that 
nearly took my finger off. “Hold on here, Bob,” 
I cried, “I’m caught on a weed!” I was sure 
that the spoon had caught on a weed or snag, 
though it proved later that I was wrong. Bob 
came to my assistance and in a short time we 
had the line wound up. With a resounding 
thud Bob hit my captive over the head and I 
pulled him in. “Him” proved to be a monster 
“lunge” that tipped the scales at twenty pounds. 
I threw in again, and in a short distance repeated 
the manoeuvre, though this time the specimen 
weighed only about the half. 
This time we had done the great things and 
Doctor was not slow in his congratulations. He 
also had a dinner fit for royalty awaiting us. 
This consisted of ham and eggs, potatoes, onions, 
FOREST AND STREAM 
pork and beans, and tea strong enough to tan 
leather. 
Dinner over, we decided that we should have a 
picture of the forenoon’s outing, and having set 
the camera up and focussed it, I attached my 
long rubber tubing and bulb which I always car¬ 
ry on these occasions. We arranged ourselves 
as we thought best. I had placed the bulb un¬ 
der my foot which does the trick, and just as I 
gave the pressure, a fly of some hundred ducks 
passed directly in front of us. After the deed 
was done, I said, “Fellows, we’ll have to name 
this picture, ‘Watching the Fly.’ ” 
All agreeing that we had had a satisfactory 
day’s sport, we lounged and smoked for the re¬ 
mainder of the day. Next morning we were 
all prepared for a good day’s sport, and were 
on the point of starting when it proved so misty 
that the shoot was called off. 
This outing, like many others, added much to 
our health and enjoyment, and enabled us to re¬ 
turn to our several duties in renewed strength 
and vigor, and filled with pleasant anticipations 
of future experiences along the same line. 
How To Smoke Fish 
Columbus, Ohio, April 14, 1914. 
.Editor Forest and Stream : 
For the past two months I have been a sub¬ 
scriber to your excellent magazine, from which I 
derive much enjoyment. If asked for my frank 
•opinion of Forest and Stream, as compared with 
•other magazines of its kind, I would say that al¬ 
though the subject matter is of the same sort, the 
articles which appear in Forest and Stream are 
written in a way that makes them more inter¬ 
esting to read. 
I would like to ask if you have at hand any 
suggestions as to a practical way to smoke brook 
trout. 
I have tried many times to smoke them by 
using an inverted sugar barrel under which a 
smudge was placed and have at times had suc¬ 
cess, but owing to the difficulty of regulating the 
amount of heat in this method I have spoiled 
many fine messes by having them “over done.” 
Any advice you can offer on this subject will 
be greatly appreciated. H. W. S. 
To make a successful job of smoking fish re¬ 
quires not only skill but close attention. Books 
on fishing and camping are full of suggestions, 
but all display a similarity as to method. Robert 
Roosevelt, writing over fifty years ago, advised 
careful cleaning of the fish and heavy salting 
down in a tub or other receptacle for two nights 
and then continuous smoking for two weeks. Dr. 
Breck, Horace Kephart and others make the same 
suggestions, with periods varying from two days 
and up for the smoking process. Dr. Breck states 
plainly that success depends on close attention to 
the smoking or smudging process. The northern 
Indians are in the habit of laying fish on racks 
over a smoky fire for a day or more, but the 
Indian, it must be remembered, is not fastidious, 
and as he usually consumes his surplus supply 
quickly and seems immune to ptomaine poisoning, 
the job to him, or his wife or wives, is compara¬ 
tively easy. An old process, now not often used, 
was to mix brown sugar and salt as a sort of 
preservative method—in other words, to “sugar 
cure” the fish. Some salmon fishers have good 
luck in smoking their catches to bring back to the 
city, and at times the old Newfoundland way of 
heavy salting and drying in the air is resorted to. 
A salted or smoked fish, in the opinion of many 
people, tastes the same whether it be herring, 
white fish or trout, and if the amateur cannot do 
anything else, he will find a healthy substitute for 
smoked trout in the Yarmouth bloater or white 
fish of the average grocery or delicatessen store.— 
Angling Ed.] 
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME DEPUTIES 
UNDER CIVIL SERVICE RULES. 
By Golden Gate. 
All of the employes of the California Fish and 
Game Commission are now under civil service 
regulations, except the chief deputy and the at¬ 
torney. In the future all deputies that are ap¬ 
pointed must pass a satisfactory examination, and 
in addition all deputies appointed since last Au¬ 
gust must also qualify in this manner. On May 
1st the California State Civil Service Commission 
will hold examinations at Sacramento, San Fran¬ 
cisco, Los Angeles, Fresno and Redding, to pro¬ 
vide registers of eligibles from which to make 
certification to fill positions as Deputy Fish and 
Game Commissioners with the State Fish and 
Game Commission. The entrance salaries range 
from $75 to $100. These examinations will be for 
valley wardens, mountain wardens and coast and 
bay wardens, and candidates will be allowed to 
take any one or all of the three. They are open to 
citizens of the State, between the ages of 21 and 
46, who comply with all the requirements, which 
include a physical test. The examination will 
consist of the following subjects, weighted as in¬ 
dicated : 
1. Interpretation of the Game Laws, 10 points. 
This subject will consist of the application of fish 
and game laws to hypothetical cases. The con¬ 
testant will be allowed to refer during this part 
of the examination to a copy of the State Fish 
and Game Laws. 
2. Knowledge of Duties, 15 points. This sub¬ 
ject will consist of questions intended to test the 
applicant’s knowledge of what constitutes a viola¬ 
tion of the law, of methods of dealing with vio¬ 
lators, method of making arrests, methods of 
gathering and preparing evidence, and of present¬ 
ing a case to a justice of the peace. 
3. Identification of Fish and Game, 15 points. 
This subject will call for the identification of 
specimens of fishes, skins of birds and small 
animals. 
4. Practical Knowledge of Fish and Game Dis¬ 
tricts, 15 points. This subject will require a 
knowledge of the fish and game, and of the meth¬ 
ods and implements of hunting and fishing in the 
valley, mountain, or coast and bay districts, to¬ 
gether with the fish and game laws especially 
applicable to those districts. 
5 - Education and Experience, 20 points. Edu¬ 
cation and experience will be rated upon the 
statements of the candidate in his application, sub¬ 
ject to verification by the Civil Service Commis¬ 
sion. 
6. Personality and Fitness, 25 points. This sub¬ 
ject will consist of an oral examination to test 
the candidate’s personality and fitness for the 
position, to be conducted by a board of special 
examiners designated for these examinations by 
the Civil Service Commission. 
Candidates must obtain an average rating of 
70 per cent, in order to pass these examinations. 
No average rating will be computed unless the 
candidate obtains at least 70 per cent, in educa¬ 
tion and experience and in personality and fitness. 
This placing of deputies of the Fish and Game 
Commission under civil service regulations is re¬ 
garded as being one of the most important moves 
that has been made since the Commission was 
established and is expected to result in a much 
more efficient patrol force, besides eliminating the 
element of politics. A large number of applicants 
are now studying for the examination. 
RIGHT TO TRAP ON HIS OWN LAND. 
William H. Seabury of Little Compton, R. I., 
was fined $20 and costs at Newport recently for 
trapping a black duck on his farm. He appealed 
and furnished $100 bonds. 
Evidence against Seabury was presented by 
Deputy Game Commissioner F. W. Hen¬ 
nessey, who had investigated complaints of citi¬ 
zens of Little Compton, who charged that ducks, 
foxes and rabbits were being trapped out of sea¬ 
son on the Seabury farm. 
Commissioner Hennessey visited the premises 
and found several carcasses and many traps scat¬ 
tered over the 160-acre farm. After several days 
he found a black duck in one of the traps, and 
the arrest of Seabury followed. Another charge 
was brought against the trapper, that of catch¬ 
ing rabbits out of season, but this was abandoned 
by the prosecution, as it was impossible to prove 
that the carcasses of rabbits found had been 
caught in the traps on the premises. 
Seabury took an appeal on the ground that 
he had a right to trap ducks and other game birds 
and animals on his own property at all times. 
