2 20 
near a pool, and on one occasion—when bacon, 
fried trout, etc, were disposed of and pipes 
lighted—our veteran offered to give a vaude¬ 
ville show, just for dessert. 
He made several short casts with a six-ounce 
rod, when the curtain rose and the reel began 
to sing. After twenty minutes of continuous 
performance of high kicking, a nine-pounder 
was added to our score. It was the slickest 
surprise party I ever saw. The vet never did 
it before and never will again. 
The judge, who has short legs and an embon¬ 
point figure, somehow got afoul of a six- 
cylinder racer.' The fish had left his pipe at 
tidewater and thought it was a good time to go 
and fetch it; it was fun to see our legal friend 
dancing down stream over the boulders, both 
hands pushing the butt into his breadbasket, 
rod swaying as though a cyclone had struck it. 
Judicial dignity was at a discount. He tried his 
best to hold down the job, but it was no use, 
the salmon went to sea, leaving his honor sore 
in mind and body. 
One patriarch played us an hour and a half 
and then said good-morning; estimated weight 
ioo pounds. Another shot across the river, ran 
up a shelving rock a couple of feet and rolled 
over 'pnd over into the water; this act was re¬ 
peated and then he got away. We thought he 
had earned his freedom. We hooked numbers 
of parr about three inches long; they came out 
of the waster and took a full-sized fly as gallantly 
as though they were two-year-olds. 
A pleqsing experience was meeting a bright¬ 
eyed, rofy-cheeked gentleman eighty-eight years 
young, who was camped a few miles above us. 
He has been taking salmon for over half a 
century, and, like Oliver Twist, wants more. 
With great modesty he gave points from his 
vast experience which put us youngsters in a 
fever. I will mention but one: In one after¬ 
noon on the Cascapedia he killed fourteen fish, 
weight 385 pounds. He never allows salmon to 
be gaffed; always beaches them. He told us 
how to do it; we tried and found it easy. May 
he live to be 100, and capture a fifty-pounder 
for a centennial prize. 
We had no rain, and after two weeks of fine 
sport the water got so low and clear that there 
was nothing doing, so we started for home. 
Our tally was twenty-eight salmon, 284J4 
pounds, largest 21 pounds, besides numbers of 
grilse and all the trout we wanted from 4 
pounds down. We hooked and lost more than 
we saved; of course every fish was fresh from 
salt water and full of fun. 
When we left Newfoundland July 1, lilacs 
were just in bloom; the only “garden sass” 
available was rhubarb, or pieplant, as it is com¬ 
monly called; strawberries had not blossomed 
(they gather the crop in August). Big snow 
banks filled the gorges in the mountains, and it 
is said that some seasons they never disappear. 
Over two tons of netted salmon were among 
the freight when we crossed from Port-au- 
Basque to North Sidney. It was so cold on the 
steamer from Halifax to Boston that we could 
not remain on deck. Boston was hot—always is. 
There are many formulas for becoming a 
centenarian; “Never neglect fishing for busi¬ 
ness” is the best one I know of. More than 
half that happened I have not told, but perhaps 
this will do. We have golden memories stored 
which cannot be effaced. R. D. Starkweather. 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
The British Bird Plumage Bill. 
In the House of Lords of the British Parlia¬ 
ment, Lord Avebury has introduced what is 
known as the Importation of Bird Plumage Pro¬ 
hibition Bill. In a memorandum the bill states: 
The object of this act is to check the wanton and 
wholesale destruction of birds which is being carried on 
everywhere throughout the British Empire, and in all 
parts of the world, without regard to the agricultural, 
educational, and aesthetic value of birds. As a proof of 
the extent of the destruction that at present goes on, 
and which is threatening the extinction of some of the 
most beautiful species, it may be mentioned that at the 
plume auctions held in London during the last six 
months of 1907 there were catalogued 19,742 skins of the 
birds of paradise, 1411 packages of the nesting plumes 
of the white heron (representing the feathers of nearly 
115,000 birds), besides immense numbers of the feathers 
and skins of almost every known species of ornamental 
plumaged bird. At the June sale, held at the Com¬ 
mercial sale rooms, 1386 crowned pigeons’ heads were 
sold, while among miscellaneous bird skins' one firm of 
auctioneers alone catalogued over 20,000 kingfishers. A 
deplorable feature of recent sales is the offer of large 
numbers of lyre birds’ tails and of albatross quills. The 
constant repetition of such figures as the above—and 
these plume sales take place at least every two months— 
shows that the Legislature must choose between the ex¬ 
termination or the protection of the birds in question. 
A precedent for legislation on this subject exists in 
the law that now obtains, in the State of New York, 
where the entire feather trade of the United States has 
its center; according to which law no wild birds, other 
than certain species named therein, and birds for which 
there is an open season, can be taken or possessed at 
any time, dead or alive, except under the authority of a 
certificate, and no part of the plumage, skin or body of 
any protected bird can be sold or had in possession for 
sale. It is greatly to be desired that the British Parlia¬ 
ment may follow the example thus set by the Legisla¬ 
ture of the State of New York, and not delay taking 
action until it is too late. 
The bill provides that after Jan. i next no 
person “shall import or bring into the United 
Kingdom for the purpose of sale or exchange 
the plumage, skin or body, or any part of the 
plumage, skin or body, of any dead wild bird 
which is not included in the schedule of exemp¬ 
tion to this act, shall be guilty of an offense, 
and shall on summary conviction be liable to a 
penalty of not exceeding five pounds, and for 
every subsequent offense to a penalty of not 
exceeding twenty-five pounds, and in every case 
the court shall order the forfeiture and destruc¬ 
tion of the articles in respect of which the of¬ 
fense has been committed. 
“Provided, that this section shall not apply 
(a) to anything done by virtue of a license 
issued from time to time by the Board of Trade 
under such conditions and regulations as they 
may prescribe for the purpose of supplying 
specimens of any birds not included in the 
schedule to any particular natural history or 
other museum or for the purpose of definite 
scientific research; or (b) to the plumage, skin 
or body, or to any parts thereof, of any bird 
not included in the schedule to this act and form- 
ing part of the wearing apparel being bona fide 
the property of and either actually in the use of 
or accompanying any person entering the United 
Kingdom and not being for the purpose of sale 
or exchange. Every such person shall if so re¬ 
quired make a written declaration to this effect.” 
The privy council is authorized to add to or 
take from the schedule the name of any foreign 
wild bird after due notice. The bill exempts 
ostriches, eider ducks and wild birds used as 
articles of diet. 
At a recent hearing before the committee in 
charge of this bill, R. B. Marston, editor of the 
[Aug. 8, 1908. 
Fishing Gazette, stated that if the bill be passec 
without some clause permitting the importation 
of the chief feathers of foreign birds used ii 
salmon, trout and other artificial flies, it wouh 
inflict injury on many hundreds of men anc 
women engaged in making flies, and would diver 
this trade to France, Spain and United States 
He said the amount of material used for thi: 
purpose is comparatively small. It was sug 
gested that a list of birds, whose plumages art 
used in fly-tying, be made up and presented b\ 
the Fly-Fishers’ Club. 
Mr. Leafe, manager of one of the large fish 
ing tackle manufactories, emphasized the impos¬ 
sibility of dyeing feathers to equal the natural 
ones, and thought the feathers of the bustard 
the blue chatterer, some of the pheasants, jungle 
cock, the macaws, toucan, scarlet ibis, etc., should 
be excluded. He felt certain manufacturers 
would be willing to give every guarantee re 
quired that material imported by them would be 
used only in fly-tying. 
A New Fish Hook. 
A British firm has brought out what it claims 
is a new form of fish hook, the principle of 
which is illustrated herewith. In shaping the 
hook the wire is bent around in a circle, form¬ 
ing a coil. It is claimed that hooks made thus 
are more reliable, as the additional elasticity im- 
/ ' 
HOOK WITH COIL BEND. 
parted in this way will prevent breaking or 
straightening. Round, sneck and Limerick 
bends, eyed, ringed, tapered and flatted shank 
hooks are all made thus, the coil being placed 
where the strain is greatest. 
While there may be merit in this method of 
forming hooks, no account is taken of the fact 
that hooks very often break at the barb, par- 
ticulaily small trout fly hooks, and if they are 
weak at this point it seems that the spring will 
not improve them. In all fly hooks the ad¬ 
ditional weight of wire required to form the 
cod will be noticeable, while the attempts at 
imitating natural flies will be made even more 
difficult than with present types. 
Small trout fiv hooks often vary materially 
in temper, as one will ascertain in tying a large 
number of tournament flies, for which purpose 
the hooks are broken off at the bend. Usually 
the wire snaps off short as soon as force is ap¬ 
plied with pliers, but some hooks must be bent 
back and forth several times before they will 
break, and others are so soft and wiry that they 
may be straightened and bent into any form. 
It is in recognition of this fact that the coil- 
spring method is applied, for it is almost im¬ 
possible to temper all hooks alike. 
National Association Growing. 
1 he Anglers’ Casting Club of Chicago has 
applied for membership in the National Asso¬ 
ciation of Scientific Angling Clubs and its appli¬ 
cation, as is usual, is being voted on by mail by 
members of the executive committee. 
