472 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 16, 1911. 
ceived five years before, when I had tramped 
up to the lower end of this lake and looked far 
off across it. revived and I recognized Oakland 
Lake. We knew where we were at last, and in 
high spirits we ran down it at a famous clip 
with the stiff wind behind us and the waves 
chasing hard astern. We were obliged to search 
for the small, inconspicuous outlet, but found 
it a third of a mile from the lower end and on 
the western side. Here came trouble. I re¬ 
called that I had walked up to see Oakland from 
the deadwater some distance below, but had not 
explored the stream between the two. Hence it 
happened that the rather easy going at the 
start of the waterway deceived us and we got 
degree by degree into difficulties. Some time 
later, after we had surmounted most of our 
troubles, we discovered a fine easy trail off to 
the left—the carry from Oakland Lake to Oak¬ 
land Deadwater. The guides spent a couple of 
strenuous hours, dragging and pushing and 
lifting the canoes, before they were forced to 
give up and make a carry the remaining dis¬ 
tance to the open water below. We did some 
fishing but the results were nothing wonderful. 
After lunch the canoes were again loaded and 
we paddled from the upper to the lower end of 
Oakland Deadwater, probably two miles, over 
shallow sandy bottoms, and through a snarl 
of water lilies and other aquatic plants. All 
about us was a fairly open, gently rolling coun¬ 
try, with short, tough bushes near the water, 
while further back scattered bunches of little 
trees of lighter green and finer texture, covered 
the rocky slopes. Now and then huge boulders 
rose like monuments from out the water, or 
more frequently broke the monotonous outline 
of the hillsides. But in the main the country 
did not differ much in contour or characteris¬ 
tics from that of other places where we had 
been. 
NEW ENGLAND FISHES. 
Five more fish have been added to the Waiter 
H. Wesson collection of fresh water and game 
fish to be found in New England, making in all 
twenty-eight now in the case. There will be 
about fifty more added as Mr.* Wesson obtains 
them, and it will then represent a complete col¬ 
lection of the food and game fish to be found 
in the New England States. * It has been the 
object of the Science Museum to keep all of 
its collections as largely local; that is, taking in 
the New England States, rather than making a 
collection ot the more showy specimens from 
all over the country. 
The new specimens are a salmon, taken from 
the Penobscot River, a go.d fish taken from 
Wellesley, an Eastern pickerel taken from Lake 
Sunapee, a short nose pickerel and a cusk, both 
from Wellesley. The samion, a huge fedow 
weighing twenty-four pounds and measuring 
about three and one-half feet in length, is a fine 
specimen. The Atlantic salmon is possibly the 
best known of all game fish and was undoubtedly 
sought by all of the earliest ang.ers. It inhabits 
both coasts of North Atlantic and is known be¬ 
yond the Arctic circles, although no one knows 
how far they range. They were most plentiful 
in the Connecticut River at one time, and it is 
an established fact that a hundred years ago the 
salmon furnished an important food product 
right here in this region. The life of a salmon 
is a part of it spent in the sea, and it is said by 
one writer that a salmon is bred in fresh waters 
and attains its size in the sea. The eggs are 
laid in the late fall and are hatched in the early 
spring. The Penobscot has yielded a few sal¬ 
mon during the past years as large as forty 
pounds, but this is unusual. Since the Connecti¬ 
cut River has been dammed up, the salmon have 
gradually died out, and in this immediate vicinity 
are an unknown quantity. 
The Eastern pickerel caught by Iiarry Graham, 
son of fish and game commissioner George H. 
Graham in Lake Sunapee, N. H., is also a fine 
specimen. It is a familiar inhabitant of nearly 
every lake and pond in New England and during 
the winter they are caught many times through 
the ice by using a bait of minnows. 
The short-nose pickerel, also the cusk, came 
from Wellesley where the fish were prepared by 
the Denton brothers. The cusk, or burbot, in¬ 
habits deep water along ledges and is used for 
a food fish, but is not as pleasing a fish to the 
taste as some of the others. 
The gold fish, a fine large fish of its kind, is 
from a fami y of fish originally of the Chinese 
species, but it is now bred everywhere, and used 
for ornaments in ponds and aquariums. In a 
state of nature, it is a dull olivaceous green, to 
which color it tends to revert if left to itself 
on escaping cultivation. The brilliant colors of 
a gold fish, such as the bright reddish gold, the 
silver and the black are artificially produced. 
The collection given by Mr. Wesson when it 
is completed will be one of great value as a sub¬ 
ject for study, taking in, as it will, all of the 
New England specimens known to be of use 
either as a food or a game fish.—Springfield 
Homestead. 
RUDIMENTARY RULES. 
In a perfect cast the line appears to sweep 
well above the angler’s head in a beautifully 
graduated curve which ends at last in a straight 
fine somewhat horizontally over the surface of 
the water. The rod point is never far behind 
the back of the performer, and, as it passes for¬ 
ward with lessening pace, the line, the gut collar 
[leader] and, last of all, the stretcher, or end 
Hy, are at full extent and tension when the ut¬ 
most delicacy of touch comes into operation to 
lay the fly or flies on the water without the 
s.ightest disturbance of the surface. Such a cast 
should be attempted even on rough or tem¬ 
porarily discolored water, for the best work and 
the most successful is wrought by those who are 
in the habit of using their tools in the best man¬ 
ner possible always. 
Whether up, down or athwart the stream, with 
wet, dry or sunken fly, the action of casting a 
line is invariable, save that there are tricks of 
the trade which are as useful as difficult under 
exceptional circumstances and conditions. 
Up-stream casting should begin at your own 
side of the river, and all the water above you 
should be searched to the opposite bank, where- 
under may lurk a possible whopper. In throw¬ 
ing down stream with a long line we are apt to 
miss those fish which, attacked from below, 
would most likely hook themselves, owing to 
our position and more or less involuntary action 
of wrist and arm. To keep the elbow near the 
side of the body is good advice to the begin¬ 
ner, for this will compel him to employ his wrist 
and the top of his rod properly, but for the ex¬ 
pert (whom I do not presume to address or ad¬ 
vise) no hard and fast rules can be made, for 
how could the elbow rule be observed if the left 
hand be grasping a sapling while the body is 
stretched out over the water to reach a rising 
trout with the fly? 
The problem of perfect casting has by no 
means been solved, but the nearer the line from 
the reel to the fly approaches to one jointless 
weapon, stiff at the hand and tapering to the end 
fly, the better —• everything tapered ; large flies 
above, lesser flies beiow, even “points,” or fly 
pieces of gut adjusted and proportionately at¬ 
tenuated. We cannot make the line stiff enough 
at the hand, so we emp'oy a rod, and this ought 
to be so built and the line and gut cast so suited 
to it that as near an approach as possible shall 
be made to the theoretically perfect appliances. 
No good casting can be made if the line be 
allowed to fall too low behind the angler, and a 
salmon fly cannot be got out at all unless thrown 
well into the air behind, except in the case of 
fancy casts. Silence is golden. Do not thrash 
with a swishing noise. Why do we flick off and 
otherwise lose flies so easily? Either because we 
check the action of what should be a sweeping 
throw or because dry gut is brittle. We should soak 
our flies and collars in tepid water, or moisten 
the same in the mouth. Casts and points should 
be always damp and pliant. Finally, physical 
strength has nothing to do with throwing a fly; 
the tender knack requires no muscular vigor or 
exertion. The rod, not the sinews, must do the 
gentle work, which need neither be strenuous 
nor wearisome—with sufficient practice. 
As to the length of the gut col.ar, cast or link, 
there is much difference of expert opinion. Much 
depends upon circumstances. Some recommend 
a yard only, but this seems short even for two 
flies, let alone a trio, though some dry (and 
one) fly men, working from behind their quarry, 
use only three feet. Others mention three and 
a haif and even four yards, which is longer than 
the rod. A longer collar is required for down¬ 
stream than for up-stream casting, especially as 
regards small waters. Probably from six to nine 
feet hits the medium. We have to regard the 
nature and thickness and color of the line, some 
of which is requisite to facilitate the throw. 
Thus the points to be considered are taste, con¬ 
venience, the distance that we want to throw, 
and whether we operate up stream or down.— 
The Angler, Australia. 
FOREIGN GAME BIRDS IN IOWA. 
Excellent reports are being received from 
the foreign game birds liberated in B.ack Hawk 
county by the State game warden last- year and 
also last spring. From the Hubbard neighbor¬ 
hood m Cedar township comes word that a num¬ 
ber of young ring-neck pheasants have been seen. 
The lands have been posted and the crack of 
a gun will start a haif dozen farmers on horse¬ 
back in pursuit of the trespassers. 
Three pairs of Hungarian partridges were 
turned loose on the farm of C. and G. Hemmer, 
in the same township in March. The birds re¬ 
mained m the vicinity where liberated and are 
seen frequently. One pair at least mated and 
ten handsome chicks is the resu.t. The young 
resemble quails and are extremely active in the 
pursuit of insects and bugs. The Hemmer boys 
are very proud of their Hungarians and the 
pot-hunter who invades their premises will re¬ 
ceive a warm reception. 
J. E. Sedgwick released several pairs of Hun¬ 
garians on his land adjoining Westfield a few 
months ago and it is not known whether they 
hatched or not. The birds are seen frequently 
and show no disposition to wander far. Mr. 
Sedgwick will also liberate a number of ring- 
necks this fall from eggs hatched in his poultry 
yards. 
J. E. Williams placed a setting of fifteen ring- 
neck eggs under one of his hens and ten hatched. 
He succeeded in raising nine chicks and has 
liberated them on his place near Prospect Park. 
They are exceedingly tame and return to the 
vicinity of the coop at night. 
M. C. Flanagan, of Jbarciay township, who 
was supplied with a setting of ring-neck eggs 
in March, writes: “We had fair success with 
them, hatching ten birds, but they were difficult 
to raise. We kept them inclosed at first, losing 
four. After that we turned them out and the 
remaining six grew nicely. After they were 
half grown they failed to show up. I have seen 
them several times on the farm since and have 
put up signs to keep the hunters out.” 
Charles Hackett, of Waterloo township, se¬ 
cured fourteen chicks from a setting of fifteen 
ring-neck pheasant eggs, but only succeeded in 
raising three birds. These were liberated and 
remain on the premises. 
J. B. Knowles, residing in Waterloo township, 
was rewarded with ten chicks from a setting of 
ring-necks, but from various causes all died or 
disappeared. It is suspected that rats were re¬ 
sponsible for the taking off of some members 
of the brood. 
The ring-neck pheasant is a good layer and 
from a pen containing three hen birds on the 
H. H. House place 225 eggs have been produced 
since last March, an average of seventy-five per 
bird, and the hens are still laying. A hen that 
escaped from Wm. Benton’s pen in North Cedar 
