260 
FOREST AND STREAM. 

For Forest and Stream. 
CASABIANCA. 
Seat ee 
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL CHINESE INTO ‘‘PIGEON ENGLISH.” 
Se 
‘Ger boy he stop topside that night; 
All man hab chop-chop makee whilo; 
He see that flire, he shine so blite, 
On muchee man hab makee spoilo. 
He No.1 handsome; allo same Joss— 
Spose he wanchee, he can talkee. 
That piecee typhoon velly closs, 
That typhoon quick, he makee walkee. 
By’mby that boy he wanchee go; 
That fire he blun he litty hand. 
He fader no hab talkee so— 
He makee die down side, how can? 
He sing out stlong, ‘‘Hi! fader, hi!” 
This pidgin. maskee, wanchee whilo. 
He no saby, he hab makee die, 
And no can hear he piecee chilo. 
‘Wi, fader!’’ one more teem he cly; 
“My wanchee go; what for no can?”’— 
That gun just now he bobbly high, 
That fire he come, he no hear man. 
He facee now he catchee hot; 
He tailee too commencee blun. 
He look all side; no man hab got; 
He no got fear—but wanchee lun. 
And one more teem he cly so stlong, 
“What fashion! My no likey he! 
Too mutchee nonsense!”’ Yet all along 
That flire blun junk; he burney he. 
All side that junk, he got that flire. 
He go that mast, chow-chow that sail; 
Chop, chop, he walkee high and higher, 
That boy he lookee allosame pale. 
Hi yah! What ting! He makee bust! 
That boy galah my no can see. 
What side hab walkee? Allosame dust; 
Look, see that wind, he catchee he. 
PIsEcO. 
GLossary or TerMs.— Top-side, on deck, upstairs; chop-chop, quick- 
ly; whiJo, get away, clear out; allosame, the same as, like: joss, deity; 
typhoon, hurricane, storm; downside, below; pidgin, business, affair; 
no saby, no savez; bobbery, row, noise; blun, burn; (r is generally pro- 
nounced 1); what ting, what fashion, what do you mean; hi yah, exclama- 
tion; galah, exclamation; chow chow, verb to eat or devour; maskee, 
enough said, finished; he, his, her, it, his, hers, she, he, &c.; my, me, I, 
my. 
oe 
PRACTICAL FISH CULTURE, 
eS pees 
NUMBER TWO. 

[Taking Trout Spawn.] 
etapa hy 
AVING shown how the fish deposit their ova when in 
a state of nature, we will now explain how the fish- 
culturist manages to secure all the eggs and impregnate a 
much greater percentage than the fish can possibly do. 
We will therefore leave the building of ponds and such 
other work as may be done only in the spring and summer 
months, until a more favorable time, and take up the artifi- 
cial manner of taking spawn by hand, or stripping, as it is 
sometimes called. 
The implements necessary for this operation are: a couple 
of tubs, a small hand net, or a large dipper, some impreg- 
nating pans, a few feathers, and a large net to catch the 
fish with. This net should be six or eight feet long and 
fastened to a square frame at the mouth, which should 
either slide in a groove at the lower end of the spawning 
place or fit so closely at the sides and on the bottom that 
the fish cannot dodge past. It is astonishing how quickly 
a trout’s eye can take in the situation and take advantage 
of the smajlest aperture that may be left, even when he is 
frightened and rushing down a raceway, which has always 
been open, but is now found to be closed with some large 
unfamiliar object. The small end of the net is closed with 
astring, which, when untied, will allow the fish to swim 
out into the tub and so avoid pouring them out at the large 
end. When all is ready the net is quickly slipped over the 
mouth of the raceway, the board covering removed and the 
fish driven down into the net; water is then put into a tub, 
placed as near the net as possible, which is lifted from the 
raceway intoit. For this operation a net made of coarse 
bagging or coffee sacks, is preferable to one that is knit, as 
it is so fine that in the transit through the air from the pond 
to the tub, it will hold water, while a knit one will leave 
the fish dry and floundering, which may cause the death of 
every ripe fish in the lot. 
And here I would remind the beginner that he cannot 
handle a gravid fish too carefully if he expects it to live 
after the operation, 
Having untied the lower end of the net and emptied the 
fish carefully into the tub, it will be found most convenient 
to sort them and put the males in the other tub; take them 
out with the small hand net or large short-handled dipper, 
and dip the edge of it in the water, that they may not be 
injured by being poured in. The object of separating the 
sexes is that it often happens that their numbers are un- 
equal, or if nearly so, then there may be a scarcity of ripe 
males, even though this sex should be in excess, and some-, 
times a male fish will have but a small quantity of milt as 
a consequence of a former mating, but as one good ripe 
male will serve to impregnate the eggs of several females, it 
ordinarily happens that there is enough; still, it is well to 
be prepared for a scarcity, as there are few things more 
provoking than to take a fine batch of eggs and have no 
milt to impregnate them with; therefore, while it is a good 
thing to use it freely if plenty, and so make assurance 
doubly sure, it is better to spin it out and make it go as far 
as possible if the supply is limited. 
As forthe manner of holding and manipulating a fish, 
there are almost as many ways as there are operators. A 
person will soon find a way in which it is the most conven- 
ient for him to do it, and this will soon become his fixed 
manner from which he will find it hard to deviate; there 
are certain rules however that must be observed and on 
which all agree. Force must not be used; if the eggs or 
milt will not flow freely at a light touch, the fish must be 
put back in the pcnd to ripen. Do not grasp a fish any- 
where on the abdomen or gills, but take it up with one 
hand on the strong bony arch behind the gills, and the 
other grasping the tail between the vent and candal fin; 
here the fish is solid and is not easily injured by pressure. 
Never handle a fish with a dry hand; if one should jump 
from the tub or be dropped to the ground by any mis- 
chance, always wet your hands before touching it, then the 
slime will not rub off from the fish; it will stick to a dry 
hand, and it is that which causes finger marks to show so 
plainly on a fish that has been handled; these marks often 
become sores covered with a fungoid growth which gen- 
erally kill the fish. The slime on a trout is necessary to its 
existence, and they never have as much of it at any other 
season as they do during the spawning period. The loss of 
this slime or of a few scales is much more serious to them 
than a clean cut. If a trout should be taken carefwly 
from the water and laid in a dry towel, dried off gently and 
quickly and then let go in the water, he would swim off ap- 
parently all right, but in the course of a week or ten days 
would look woolly, and in a few days more would die. 
Wherever this woolly fungus grows, the flesh beneath it 
appears ulcerated and the edges highly inflamed. I will 
refer to this again under the head of diseases of adult trout, 
and in the mean time make some microscopical examinations 
of it, provided I get a better instrument than the one I have; 
and now will try and get back to the subject of taking 
spawn. How easy it is to digress on such a subject! 
Tf the day is cold, as it generally is, the tubs can be taken 
to tne hatching house in order to work comfortably, as a 
lively fish in numb fingers may make sad work if it slips 
into a pan of eggs. 
My manner of handling a fish is to put both hands in the 
water with the backs up and take the head in the right 
hand with the thumb and second finger grasping the fish 
behind the gills, leaving the forefinger free, the other 
fingers will keep the fish from going through the hand 
without pressing too much on the gills; the left hand 
grasps the fish by the tail below the vent. A miale is usu- 
ally taken first, and if ripe, will yield a few drops of clear 
white milt; if it is of any other color, or has a streak of 
blood in it, it is not good. Bloody milt will come if too 
much pressure is used, but will be so sometimes without it. 
It requires but a few drops of milt to fertilize a pan of eggs, 
yet we take all we can get; if the water is slightly tinged 
with good milt it is sufficient. It was formerly the custom 
to put a little water in the pan and then strip a male fish so 
that the egg as soon as taken could absorb milt, but now I 
think it is the custom of most operators to take the spawn 
by what is known as the Russian or dry method, in which 
it makes little or no difference, which is taken first. 
The fish is stripped by a slight pressure of the forefinger 
of the right hand. Other operators hold a fish so that they 
use the thumb instead of the forefinger and some use two 
or three fingers. 
More care must be used in handling the female. If the 
eggs feel hard, like shot, put her back, for if ripe the eggs 
will generally flow if she is held in position over the pan. 
Holding in position is, with the head and tail thrown back 
as she bends herself when depositing her own egys. If 
ripe, the belly will feel soft and the eggs, by changing their 
positions at the touch, will show that the tissue that en- 
veloped them is ruptured. This is the condition in which 
the shad and herring are when called ‘‘shotters” by the 
fishermen, and I would advise opening a fish to see how the 
spawn lays before attempting to take it. A trout has the 
spawn in two layers, each enveloped in a thin membrane, 
and in the last stage of its development it reaches from 
the vent to the pectoral fins, almost behind the gills. 
The female must be pressed more slowly and carefully 
than the male, as well as oftener. C:mmence the pressure 
at the pectoral fins and do not allow the finger to move 
faster than the eggs; hold the vent under water, if you use 
any, and after moving the finger an inch or two, repeat the 
stroke, but do not press near the vent or the fish may be 
permanently injured. 
If the fish struggles do not squeeze it, and if, as is some- 
times the case, one proves obstinate, put it back in the tub 
and try again. The male is stripped from the ventral fins 
to the vent. ; 
Spawn and milt are taken according to your judgment. 
After the first pair are stripped, that is, if the water is 
“thick” enough, you can handle several females in succes- 
sion; if not, use more milt, give the pan an occasional light 
shake, or stir the water with a feather, or tail of a fish so 
as to bring the contents in more immediate contact, and 
after the bottom of the pan is well covered, take another; 
a common milk pan will take four or five thousand to com- 
pletely cover the bottom. After the operation is finished 
the pan should be left undisturbed for half an hour; it re- 
quires about this time for the eggs to ‘‘free.” 
It has been said that the eggs when first taken were 
furnished with a glutinous matter which caused them to 
\ 
adhere to the pan and to each other, but we now know 
that this is caused by the absence of water between the 
coverings which causes them to stick to what they touch 
by the pressure of the water, and as they fill, the pressure 
on the inside causes them to ‘‘free.” As soon as this hap- 
pens the eggs are washed from all superflous milt—for they 
will take no more—by being placed under a small strearn 
and the water changed repeatedly. 
Taking spawn may appear to be a very formidable oper- 
ation as described, and there really is a great deal of skill 
required to perform it neatly and quickly without injury to 
the fish, yet I am confident that I could show a person how 
to do it in a great deal less time than he could ever learn it 
from written instructions. There is a great difference on 
these. points even among operators of considerable exper- 
ience, and a beginner must expect not only to be awkward 
at it, but also to kill many fish. The greatest danger is in 
using too much force. If the fish are ripe you will know it, 
if not you may have doubts, and I beg of you to give the 
poor fish the benefit of them, for if your entertain a doubt 
of it after you have her in position and have touched 
her abdonren, then she is not ripe. 
There are signs of ripeness that will enable one to form 
a near guess. There are in the female a fullness of the 
abdomen, which however looks the same if the fish is 
gorged with food, and a protruding purple vent which a 
novice at first sight might think was injured or diseased. 
Did you ever see a ripe male? If not, then, you that 
have caught thousands of trout in season might possibly 
ask, as many visitors do, ‘‘ What fish is that?” For in 
addition to his brilliant fins and deep orange belly, which 
gets brighter as the spawning season approaches, he appears 
to be of a rich drab color on his back when fully ripe, and 
his sides appear darker than usual as you stand near the 
edge of the pond and look down upon him. The female, if 
not of a more sober hue appears so by contrast with her 
gaudy mate. At other seasons the sexes are not so easily 
distinguished, but as a general rule it may be said that the 
female’s nose is the roundest, and she presents a more cor 
pulent appearance. These signs however are not infallible, 
and a person of experience will rightly pronounce the sex 
nine times out of ten without being able to explain just how 
he does it. If a doubt is raised in my mind as to the sex 
of a trout, as it is, if I cannot pronounce from the first 
look, then I would not care to hazard a guess, so subtile is 
the difference of expression, if that word may be used in 
this connection. It is as if one were to pronounce on the 
sex of human faces; the majority are unmistakable, but oc- 
casionally one would puzzle him. At the spawning season 
there is not the slightest difficulty. 
I have not taken spawn from trout in this manner for 
several years, as I use the invention known as the Ainsworth 
screens, where the fish deposit their own eggs, and J gather 
them once or twice a week, or when convenient; but this is 
matter enough for another chapter. 
Frep. MATHER. 
ee 
SKETCHES IN FLORIDA. 
ee 
FISHING AT 8ST. AUGUSTINE. 
So 
T. AUGUSTINE is a quaint old Spanish city, for a 
long, time dull and quiet, but now waking up with 
the influx of Northern people, many of whom have built 
stately and beautiful residences for their winter sojourn. 
For real enjoyment, St. Augustine far surpasses any 
other part of Florida. You avoid the bustle of business in 
Jacksonville, as well as its sharp frosts and hot days; you 
are not ‘tout of the world,” as at Enterprise, nor is it so 
warm. 
The climate is charming; a happy medium; nor is it so 
variable as at most other places in Florida. Frost is almost 
unknown; also, extreme heat. You have good hotels, your 
daily mail, and, though the ‘“‘morning papers” do not reach 
you until the afternoon, still, you are ‘“‘in the world;’’ 
while the facilities for boating, hunting and fishing are un- 
surpassed. 
The bay is beautiful, and affords a fine opportunity for 
sailing. Whether your party tries the ‘‘Osceola,” or ‘‘Belle 
of the Bay” of Mr. Ivanowski (Neé Sweeney), the ‘“Water 
Witch” of Captain Walton, or any of the smaller craft in 
the harbor, you can enjoy a pleasant and comfortable sail 
under safe pilotage. 
While for fishing, one has but to go to the sea-wall, or 
the long wharf, or take a skiff or canoe, and push out in 
the bay, and there will be no want of sport. 
The only drawback is the universal prevalence of the cat- 
fish, which is of all sizes, from the tiny youngster of three 
inches to the full-grown paterfamilias of two feet or more. 
These are of a grey color and shaped like their Northern 
brethren, but covered with a thick tough slime, just as the 
eels of the north are, and the result is, your hook, line and 
fingers—and often clothes get covered with this sticky sub- 
stance. Your hook and line must be thoroughly cleansed, 
or no other fish will touch it—your hands and clothes are 
at your option. 
Another favorite fishing place is from the bridge over the 
San Sebastian, just at the back of the town. 
At any or all of these places you can catch bass, trout, 
sheepshead, mullet, flounders, sharks, and many other 
varieties. 
One of the pleasantest amusements is fishing in the surf 
for bass. 
as follows:— 
. Remember that Iam giving the custom of the country, 
and shall not be surprised if scientific bass-fishers, who re- 
~ y 
+ i ) ot 
ra 
meester = 
Te 
The ‘‘modus operandi” of this sportis somewhat ~ 


