466 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[March 20, 1909. 
of contracting pneumonia. But by standing up 
in the canoe to “spy out the land” (or, rather, 
the water), and at times walking through the 
shallow water and dragging the canoe after him, 
the captain was able to finally emerge on the 
Chesapeake, wet through, hungry, and anxious 
to find a dry place to sleep, if possible. 
Both ponchos were soaked, and it would not 
be practicable to use one as a ground-cloth for 
the tent: for if that were done, the blankets 
(which, fortunately, were dry) would be wet in 
a few minutes. But while wondering what was 
to be done in this direction, the captain was 
paddling steadily southward; and before long 
he came to a place where a dozen or fifteen 
Chesapeake Bay “canoes” (sailboats 30 or 40 
feet long, pointed at both ends) were moored, 
close to a couple of fishing cabins. The boats 
tossed briskly at their moorings, but no one 
was in sight; and both cabins turned out to be 
unoccupied, though they contained bunks full 
of dry bedding that looked fairly inviting. But 
if I pre-empted one of these, the owner might 
come along at midnight and throw me out on 
the cold, cold ground. Fortunately, the sand 
in the lee of the cabins proved only fairly 
damp; and if I could protect my blankets from 
the sand I could pitch the tent here and sleep 
in comfort. But a mental review of the con¬ 
tents of the dufHe bags did not bring to mind 
a dry article of sufficient size to protect the 
blankets. 
Flere is where the captain had a real, bright 
idea! A large ten-cent magazine (full of the 
blood-curdling sea stories aforesaid) was in 
one of the bags; and its leaves, if properly 
spre_ad over the wet sand, would keep the 
blankets from getting wet and sandy. It only 
took a minute to tear the ma.gazine to pieces, 
spread the leaves in an even layer over the 
floor of the tent, spread out the blankets, re¬ 
move the wet clothes, and get into bed. Then, 
“snug as a bug in a rug,” the captain, propped 
up on one elbow, cooked supper by candle¬ 
light, and ate it; and wasn’t it good! Mean¬ 
while the rains descended, and the floods came; 
but the silk tent shed the water like a duck’s 
back, and the captain fell into a dreamless sleep 
in the midst of the downpour. 
Next morning the sky was still cloudy, but 
the rain had stopped; and when the owners of 
the cabins returned breakfast had been dis¬ 
posed of, and the canoeist was washing dishes. 
He was told that he would have been entirely 
welcome to the use of the bunks in the cabins; 
and the men took a hearty interest in the de¬ 
tails of the outfit and the story of the cruise. 
From them the captain learned that his tent 
had been pitched on what is known as Whale¬ 
bone Island, among the Drum Island Flats. 
The men gave the canoe a rousing send-off as 
she paddled away; and soon Whalebone Island 
was lost in the distance. 
From here it was only eight or ten miles to 
Old Point; and after a pleasant paddle of a 
few hours, the guns of Fortress Monroe were 
seen, and a corner of the Chamberlain Hotel 
peeped over the earthworks. The captain had 
been saving a good, healthy appetite for dinner 
at the hotel; and when he landed at the wharf 
this appetite was still present, and making itself 
felt. Fortunately, the manager of the hotel 
came down to the dock as the little boat was 
being unloaded; and upon learning the story of 
the cruise he extended every facility to the cap¬ 
tain to make himself comfortable and present¬ 
able for dinner. I shan’t describe that meal, or 
the one that followed at six o’clock, for fear 
of making the reader hungry; but let it be un¬ 
derstood that full justice was done to both. 
The evening meal was finished in time for 
the captain to walk leisurely down to the dock 
and put himself and Bunny aboard the steamer 
for Washington. The surface of the Chesa¬ 
peake was calm, and the evening air was balmy 
as the big vessel plowed her way northward. 
And the canoeist, looking at the twinkling 
lights along the shore where the little canoe 
had paddled her leisurely way, his mind filled 
with pleasant recollections of the cruise (and 
his stomach filled with a good dinner), mental¬ 
ly echoed the sentiments of Captain John 
Smith regarding another part of the Chesa¬ 
peake region; 
“For earth and heaven never agreed better to frame a 
place for man’s habitation.’’ 
Percy E. Budlong. 
A. C A. Membershii^. 
NEW MEMBERS PROPOSED. 
Central Division.—Frederic H. Herzsch, 504 
Jeannette street, Wilkinsburg, Pa., by Henry D. 
James. 
Eastern Division.—Howard G. Godfrey, 14 
Blount street. Providence. R. I.; Leon S. 
Sanders, Auburn, R. I., both by Wm. A. Heath; 
Gustave A. Gabulson, 39 Burroughs street, 
Jamaica Plain, Mass.; Hermann W. Bohn, 15 
Johnson street. West Roxbury, Mass.; Harold 
S. Searle, 158 Baker street. West Roxbury, 
Mass.; Eugene P. Buttinger, 104 Gardner street. 
West Roxbury, Mass.; Sidney G. Barnstead, 49 
Burt street, Dorchester, Mass.; Walter M. 
Whiting, 41 Hamilton street. West Roxbury, 
Mass., all by J. R. Robertson. 
Western Division.—^J. C. Van Duzer. care of 
Third National Bank, Rockford, Ill., by H. F. 
Norris; Martin Guest, 1127 Elizabeth street. La 
Fayette, Ind., by George Steely. 
MEMBER TRANSFERRED. 
4507, Frank S. Chase, Terre Haute, Ind., from 
Eastern Division to Western Division. 
HOSPITALS FOR FISH. 
Most people know that every large zoological 
collection has its hospital department for the 
treatment of sick beasts and birds, but few are 
aware that a similar institution is attached to 
a big aquarium, says the New York Fishing 
Gazette. Such, however, is the case. Like 
all other captive treasures, fishes kept in tanks 
are liable to numberless hurts and ailments; 
and it has been found that a little timely treat¬ 
ment, either hygienic or surgical, will often 
suffice to revivify a sickly specimen. In the 
case of a rare fish, death would often prove a 
serious loss to the scientific world. So it has 
come about that the fish doctor is an import¬ 
ant functionary at a big aquarium. 
Since the time when fish hospitals came into 
being, many interesting facts relating to fish 
hygiene have been established. For example, 
it is now known that a diseased fresh-water 
fish commonly derives marked benefit from a 
sojourn in salt water, and vice versa. This 
“change of water” treatment is especially suc¬ 
cessful as a cure for fungoid growths, to which 
many fishes—especially the smaller kinds—are 
much subject. The water to which sickly 
fresh-water fish are transferred is composed 
partly of water taken direct from the ocean, 
partly of river water. The result, of course, is 
a highly brackish solution; and this is kept at 
a slightly higher temperature than the water 
from which the invalid was taken. In like 
manner, an occasional bath of fresh water of 
the right temperature has been found very 
beneficial to sea fishes. 
It is not enough to feed the fish regularly 
and systematically, and to cleanse their tanks 
periodically. The keepers must also be con¬ 
stantly on the watch lest their charges de¬ 
velop disease or become damaged by fighting, 
or by collision with the glass walls of their 
tanks. A bruised specimen quickly develops 
the dreaded fungus disease, which not only dis¬ 
figures and ultimately destroys the injured 
fish, but rapidly infests its companions in cap¬ 
tivity. A plant parasite known as saprolegnia 
is very destructive to fresh-water fishes, while 
other disfiguring growths are of constant oc¬ 
currence, especially in the case of neglected 
tanks. Applications of formalin to the affected 
parts are said to be useful in mild cases. Fishes 
cannot, however, endure medicine, while the 
extreme delicacy of their skin renders even 
the handling of them exceedingly difficult. 
At times surgical operations become abso¬ 
lutely necessary, as in the case of a very bad 
growth of fungus about the gills. The fish, 
which has been previously placed in the op¬ 
erating tank, is carefully lifted therefrom by 
means of a net. The surgeon then grasps 
the patient firmly but as gently as possible 
with the left hand, and with a scalpel held in 
his right removes the foreign substance. Ab¬ 
scesses are also lanced, but it is seldom that 
these operations prove successful, and they 
are only resorted to in extreme cases. The 
reader, after a moment of thought, will realize 
the unusual difficulties which beset fish sur¬ 
gery. A fish is a creature of the water. It is 
impossible for it to sustain life in the air for 
more than a limited period of time. Just as 
soon as it is removed from its natural element 
it begins slowly to die. Indeed, an operation 
on a fish is performed under the same con¬ 
ditions as would obtain if a surgeon were to re¬ 
move a patient from his warm bed and hold 
him beneath cold water while he plied his lancet. 
The most frequent successful operations are 
performed upon fishes whose air bladders fail 
to effect their proper functions. The chief 
cause of such defects is the too rapid removal 
of a fish from the water to the air, as when it 
is captured or removed from one tank to an¬ 
other. It is brought quickly to the surface with 
its mouth open. Its air bladder is charged to 
a greater or less extent with water, which 
enables it to maintain its specific gravity in 
deep water. But the suddenness with which 
the fish is jerked out of its natural element 
prevents it from correctly adjusting the quan¬ 
tities-of air and water in the bladder, and con¬ 
gestion results. When returned to its tank the 
wretched creature is unable to sink or rise at 
will, and is washed about by the movements 
of the water in a helpless condition. 
It has been found that fishes injured in this 
way may often be cured by a little gentle mas¬ 
sage. The operator grasps the fish firmly with 
the left hand by the tail, draws it carefully out 
of the tank, but allowing the head and should¬ 
ers to remain submerged. Massage is then 
commenced toward the gills, and generally 
after a few minutes’ action of the hand the air 
is forced out of the bladder. 
GUNS FOR NEXT SEASON. 
Every gunner is aware of the outstanding 
advantages of a properly fitting gun, and all 
who can conveniently bear the expense will have 
their firearms made to order. A first-class 
weapon made to actual measurements by one 
or other of our world-renowned gun-makers 
is a lifelong treasure, and one that is keenly 
desiderated by every ardent sportsman, says 
the Scottish Field. All who wish to have guns 
specially built for them should now lose no 
time in placing their orders, for the construc¬ 
tion of these finely adjusted appliances is 
necessarily a slow and intricate process. A 
large proportion of sportsmen buy their weap¬ 
ons, however, from their gunmaker’s ordinary 
stock, and it cannot be doubted that they have 
every chance of being well fitted. They are 
given an opportunity of bringing a dozen or a 
score of various kinds of guns to their should¬ 
ers, and selecting one that is likely to afford 
the readiest and most correct aim. Judging 
roughly from his client’s height, length of arm, 
length of neck, and breadth of chest, the gun- 
maker will place in his hands the weapons 
that bid fair to suit him, and will not trouble 
him with those that he could never use with 
comfort. If the expert dealer could witness 
his customer’s manipulation of the gun during 
an hour’s practice at the traps, he would be 
better able to supply a well-fitting and satis¬ 
factory weapon. And here let me observe that 
years of practice will’not enable one to shoot 
well with an unsuitable gun. It is indeed vain- 
to expect that a tall, broad-shouldered man can 
ever adapt himself to a weapon designed for 
a small, slender person. In some cases a gun 
can be made to fit very accurately by making a 
slight alteration in the shape of the stock, and 
this is a task that the experienced tradesman 
can accomplish with little difficulty. Single 
triggers still appear to be in increasing de¬ 
mand, especially among youthful sportsmen. 
In these days of perfect safety mechanisms a 
heavier trigger-pull than that of two or three 
pounds is not really necessary. 
