Tail Spread a Sex Distinction in 
Ruffed Grouse 
DEAR FOREST AND STREAM: 
HE beautiful picture of a ruffed 
grouse which accompanies the arti- 
cle by Major H. P. Sheldon in ForEst 
AND STREAM for November, carries a 
legend to the effect that the “tail spread 
approximates a semi-circle.” 
Some years ago some of our friends 
in a little group of grouse shooters 
were in the habit of speaking of cock 
grouse and hen grouse that they had 
shot. When report came from orni- 
thological sources that there was no 
way for distinguishing between a cock 
grouse and hen grouse excepting by 
evidence found on dissection, I inci- 
dentally made examination of a num- 
ber of tails. It seemed to be a fact 
that the tail of the cock grouse when 
spread would go somewhat beyond a 
half circle before margins of the webs 
of the feathers began to separate. 
Margins of the webs of the tail 
feathers of hen grouse bégan to sepa- 
rate before the tail had been spread 
quite to the point of making a semi- 
circle. This was the only distinguish- 
ing characteristic that we found, much 
to the surprise of some of the men who 
had been speaking freely of cock 
grouse and hen grouse. 
I do not know if the observation will 
hold good over a very large series, but 
reports from others might establish a 
point. Dr. ROBERT T. Morris, 
New York City. 
Striped Bass on the Jersey Coast 
DEAR FOREST AND STREAM: 
HE largest striped bass taken this 
scason at the Highlands was 
caught by Richard Kroll (Little Dick), 
of 109 Orient Avenue, Jersey City, 
N. J. He fished one of his favorite 
spots, just back of the Highlands Beach, 

Railroad station and landed the biggest 
fish so far this season. The length, as 
near as I remember, was 3 ft. 5% in. 
and the; girth 244° The boys 
cheered* him as he came ae the boat=. 
house; they, all knew that there were 
big fish there, but Dick is a nut for 
bass and takes chances on the jetties. 
He played his fish well and landed him 
after twenty-five “minutes of work, or, 
I should have said, pleasure, for he 
enjoys fishing. 
There were’ several bass and blue 
fish caught over the week-end, varying 
in weight from 4 to 29 lbsy. One weak- 
fish, caught by Wilmot Simith,, tipped 
the aealee to 8% lbs.; that was‘the only 
weakfish taken frdiit the surf. this sea- 
son from this locality that I have any. 
record of. 
The fishermen trying.for bass are 
using either a Capt. White or Poeter 
squid, tipped off with pork rind. The 
pork rind is supposed to be a fresh- 
water bait, but the bass seem to take 
to it like a Bostonian to his beans, and 
most fish taken in the surf were taken 
with this lure, which goes to prove that 
you can never tell what a fish will do 
when he is hungry. Mullet have also 
been a favorite bait, more so in the 
river where the tide is swift as the 
mullet is then held in a natural posi- 
tion. Many big fellows have been ta- 
ken with this bait in the river. One 
man will not fish at any other time 
than the fall of the year when the 
mullet are in season, and seldom goes 
home without at least one bass. There 
have been times when mullet were 
scarce and we would seine for an hour 
and get only two or three. This fisher- 
man would be satisfied, and after he 
‘had one bass (the rest was easy), he 
would perform an operation on the 
bass, remove what undigested mullet it 
happened to have in its gullet, and pro- 
ceed to bait with it. The fish took that 
bait as readily as though it were fresh. 
Se 
An excellent photo of a leaping salmon, taken by P. F. Close, Medford, Ore. 
740 
There are times when bass will not take 
the hook; no good reason has ever been 
given just why this is except that they 
are not hungry. One can stand on the 
bridge and see some big fellows. They 
seem to hold one position in a beam of 
light, paying no attention to any one. 
A baited hook fixed up with the finest 
kind of worms and a plentiful meal 
of them does not tempt them. The bait 
can be led right in front of his nose, 
and Mr. Bass will slide right on top 
of it or brush it aside. That is most 
provoking, and I have heard some of 
the fishermen say some very uncom- 
plimentary things about the bass’s an- 
cesters. Many anglers feel disappoint- 
ed at a thing like that and swear they 
are off bass for life, and really mean 
it, but the next week finds them back 
doing the same thing over again. There 
is something alluring about this sport 
and once the bug gets you, you can not 
see any other sport. 
JAcK BAuRsS, Highlands, N. J. 
Who Knows? 
DEAR FOREST AND STREAM: 
| Bee an argument with a friend 
hunter. We were out in South Da- 
kota hunting prairie chickens and the 
argument arose as to which bird cack- 
led when it got up to fly—the genuine 
prairie chicken that lives in the open, 
or the grouse that principally clings 
to the draws where the brush grows. 
Will some reader kindly give me his 
views on this matter? 
W. A. Hauce, Freeport, Ill. 
Trout Curling Up When Fried 
DEAR FOREST AND STREAM: 
N page 601 of your October issue 
a writer speaks of scoring trout 
through the backbone to prevent curl- 
ing up when frying. This spoils the 
appearance of the trout. It is very 
easy to prevent their curling up. Put 
the fish in the pan and when it shows 
the first sign of curling or even before 
this turn the fish over—it will not 
curl up. 
J. W. HOWELL, Newark, N. J. 
Young Waterfowl Plentiful 
HARLIE SUMMERSON, District 
Sales Manager of the Ithaca Gun 
Company of Ithaca, New York, reports 
the geese and brant have arrived along 
the New Brunswick Coast and in 
goodly numbers. More young birds 
this year than for five or six years 
past and this will be good news for — 
the fellows further down along the At- 
lantic Coast, Long Island, New Jersey, © 
Virginia and North Carolina, as young 
birds means good shooting for those 
who care for this sort of sport. 
