A Glance at Billingsgate

JuLT

30. 1885.

FOREST AND STREAM. 9

The

ChastnelCatfish(Ictahmispunctatiis, Rafinesque).

^The

^{channel cat reaches} a length of3 to 3 feetanda weia;htof15to20poundsor more.

As

usually seenin the marketsit rangesfrom 1 to 5pounds inweight,andthose exceeding5poundsare notcommon. ^Itishandsomer,more graceful,and more active than anyother ofourcatlishes.

Itislightolivaceousandsilveryincolor,covered with small

brown

spots

when

young. Theskinisthinandtranslucent,

much

lessthickanilleatherythanin our

common

catflshes (Amiurus).

The

head is small, the

mouth

small, and the bodyslender. There is

much

lesHwasteinthebodyofthe channelcatthanin otherfishes,asthelatter losemorethan halftheirweightbytheremovalof thehead,the entrailsand the skin.

The

^flesh of the channel cat,

when

fresh, is

verysuperior;itiswhite, crispandjuicy,of excellent flavor andnot tough. It is

much

moredelicateb(ithinfibreandin flavor than thatofourother catlishes.

When

well cooked, I con.sider^itsuperiorto that of theblack bass, the wall eye, the yellow perch,oranyotherofourpercoidfishes. x\mong our fresh-waterfishes,it isinferioronlytothewbitefisli,tne trout,andother Salmonidcp.

The

channel cataboundsinall

flowing streamsfromWestern ISiew

York

westwardtoMon- tana and southwardto Florida and Texas. Itis,perhaps, most

common

in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri. It seems^topreferrunningwaters, andbothyoung and^oldare most abundant in gravelly shoals andripples.

The

other catflshes prefer rathersluggishwaters and

mud

bottoms. I have occasionallytaken channel catsin ponds andbayous, but suchlocalitiesareapparently nottheir preference.

They

rarely entersmall brooksunlessthese are clearandgravelly.

Whether theywill thrive in artificial ponds

we

can only

know

from experiment.

The

channel cat is

much

^less tenaciousof life thanthe "bull-head" {Andurus nebulosits)

ana other Amiuri, It is a cai-nivorotis fish,although less greedythailitslarger-mouthedrt^latives. Itfeedsoninsects, crawfishes,

worms

andsmall fishes,and readily takes the hook. Itspawnsinspring,butitsbreedinghabits have not been studied.

As

a foodflsh,the channel cat is certainly betterworthyof attention thananyotherAmerican catfi.«h.

If once introduced,it ought to thrive in the rivers of the MiddleStates,ofSouthern

New

England,andofOaUfornia.

Itisalsotobe

commended

tothe attention ofEuropean^fish-

culturists. In the streams of WesternEurope,which are not cold enoughnorclearenough for the trout,thechannel catoughtto thrive,andthereisnofishnative tothosewaters whichisasvaluableforfood.

—

David fl.Jordan in BuUetifi ofthe U,b'. Fish Commission.

BassFishing.

—

^Putnam,

Conn

,July17.—Fishingin this partof thecountry has beeugoodthis spring, and

now

the fraternitjf arc after black bass, and are bringingingood

strings. ^'Speaking of bass tempts

me

togive

Forest

'and Stkeam:readers

my

firstandonlyd.ay's bass tisJung as yet thisseason.

A

friend ofmine

who

neversawa basscaught wantedtogowith me.

We

wenttoWebster

Pond

one day this week. After taking .some fifteen or twenty bass of smalland

medium

size, tiielargeronesbeganto foolaround, and at this .stageoftheproceedingsIthoughtIwouldtry the old 9ounce fly-rod, just to

show my

friend

how

the thingwasdone,

A

bigswirl,alightyank,a rush, and the old click reel s?punouttheusual music, until forty or flfty feetof linewasplayedout. "Where's your bass goneto?'"

"Look

out yonder,"saidI.

At

that instant asmall-mouth, 3-pound bass broke water, and shookhimselftwoor three feet in the air. "Say, is that fishtheoneyouare after?"

"Well,yes, Ishould smileandsayhewas."

The

fish

now

makesa divefortheboat,butswingingheraround in time thebassmakesanotherleap forty feet on the other side of the boat.

"Look

out,he'llbreakyour rod; he will break your rod." "Don't be alarmed,

my

friend; this rod has killeda 9-poundtrout inrapid water,andIguess it's good for this."

And

inaboutthreeminutesthatbasstook ascoot intothelandingnet.

My

friend looked admiringly at the bass, and then at the rod, quietly remarking, "Well,it's

worththewholetripupheretoseethat fellow taken with that

whip

ofyours." Idothink thereismore fight to the square inch in a small-mouth blackbassthaninanyother fishthatswims.

And

asIintend to spendafewdaysfool- ingwiththemabout thefirstofAugust, and if any of the

"oldsettlers"undertaketo"telegraph"to

me

fromtheirend oftheline,Iwilltell the readers of

Fokest and Stkeam

whatluckIhadin"telegraphing"backtothem.

— ^W.

Trout

Fishingin

Oregon. —

Editor ForestandStream:

Ihavenoticed an occasional itemin thecolumnsof j'^our paper giving specimens of "good catches"in Oregon. I

wish to contribute another item that will not compare unfavorfble with those that have happened before. In

company

withCaptain Fowler, of theSecond Cavalry.IJ.

S.A,,stationed at Fort Klamath, Bishop Morris, of Port- land,andmyself spent severaldays lastmonthon William- son Riverin Klamath county, Oregon, testing ourfishing tackleandthe quality of the trout that aboundthere. Un- fortunately

we

^didnot keep a recordof allthe fish taken andsocannot givethe total

number

orweight. Therewere caughtatthat time,however, several who.seweightwasnot forgotten.

The

Bishop landed withoutgaffornetandwith an eight-ouncerod, one thatweighed 6 pounds 10ounces.

Ihadthegoodluckto landthreethat togetherweighed18 pounds 5ounces. Captain Fowleralsolandedseveral that weighedover5pounds.

The

fishweretakenwitheight-ounce rodsand large flies.

The

coachman was the favorite. I haveneverseenfishmore

gamy

or

make

a betterfight.

They

wereineveryrespect similar to the

Rocky

Mountaintrout thataboundinthestreams onthis coast. Captain Fowler, whoseenthu-siasm for fishingisonly equalledbyhisgenerous hospitality, states that troutweretakenfrom the river this

^spring thatweighedovereightpounds andIcan wellbelieve it. Havingcastfliesin

many

streams in the State Ihave

come

totheconclusion that there is but one place tofish

and

thatisinWilliamson River.

— W.

E.PoTwaNE.

The Brack Prince.—

Chicago, July 2^.—Editor Forest

and

Stream:

Some

time ago in yourvaluablepaperunder theheading

"The

Most KilbngFly," Idescribed afly of whichI did not

know

thename, and the descriptionagrees exactly with that of "Cyrtonyx"in your issueofthe 23d inst.,savethatmine hadalong redtailinstead of shoots as he describes it. I never

knew

the

name

of the fly until

"Cyrtonyx"

named

it,and itis certainly oneof the most killing flies forColoradoand

New

Mexican streams. This flyhaving provedsotemptingtotheSalrno drginalistribe. I set to

work

(though no fly-maker)and

made

myself some

fliesexactlylikeitsavethat Iu.sedsilvertinseltwist inplace ofthegilt; this proved,if anything,more killingthan the

black prince, so I

named

it the black killer. IfMr.Hart willsend

mo

his address,Iwillbe mosthappytosend him ablackprince,black^killerandseveralotherflies tliatIhave found remarkably goodinColoradowaters,andifIcangive himoranyof

my

fellowsportsmenanyinformation regard- ingthe trout streams,ponds andlakesofColoradoor

New

Mexico,I shallbemosthappytodo so.

"Next!"—

Sport.

Maryland

NBTTreo.

—

Fau-lee Creek, KentCounty,Md.

,

July16.

—

^{While the oyster lawof Maryland isstrictlyen-}

forced,the seinefishermenarehaulingday andniaht, takina:

great quantitiesof rock, pike,etc.,anddestroyingthousands ofsmallfish. Thisisagrand

game

and fishcountry; but thisconstant seine-haulingwill tell in thecourse of time.

Fishing withhook andlineforprivateusecould never

make

anyperceptible difference,butwillnottheguardiansof the lawlookafterthe wholesale destroyers? Mostof thembe- long in other States,where theycannot haul seineatthis timeoftheyear.

—

E\^rett Von

Culin.

^islfculture.

Addressallcotnmunioationstothe Forestand Stream Publish- ingCo.

A GLANCE AT BILLINGSGATE.

BY WILLIAM

VAN

ZANDTOCX, [Apaperreadbefore cbeAmericanFisheriesSociety.|

TH.E ^Thames

^{being thehighwayto London and originally}

the sourceof itsfish supply,itwas very natural that somepointuponitshouldbecomethe centerofthefi.shtrade.

Billing-sgatehasforcenturies been thatpoint. Astotheori- gin otthe

name

thereare

many

traditions. One^isthatBelin, anancient Britain ruler,

who

livedthreeorfourcenturies B.

C.and

was

held in great reverence bythefisherfolk,con- structeda gate intheimmediate proximity to the present marketandg.iveithisname,

Stow, a very practical writer, after considerable research, comesto the' conclusion that a Mr. Belingor BiHiug, in the timeof Ehzabeth.hadawharfthere. Thiscommencement, though less flavored with romance and moreof fishthan

otlier's, Ave thinkmorethan likelywasthe beginningofthis unpoetical tish mart. The market hasbeenthepropertyof thecity ofLoudon for centuries, and therevenues derived fromit,though nostati.sticsseemto haveeverbeencompiled onthe subject,mustintheaggregate beenormous.

Originally themarket wasveryprimitivebothin structure and equipments, indeed, untilwithin the

memory

of those stni living,itconsisted of "a batchofuncleanlyoldshedsreek- ing -with tishy smellsandmoreorlessbesetbyruffianlycom- pany."

Thelanguage used

by

ttiose

who

frequentedithas, asiswell known, become^{proverbial for its}coai'seness. Atone time

women

wereengaged in sellingtish inthemarket,andit is said were largely instrumentalin giving the place the bad

name

itbore,and thoughat thistimeithaseutu-ely changed fi-om

what

itonce was,it stillbeai'Sthe stigmaof coai'seness inthemindsof many,illustrating,says aclever writer, that

"asinthe case of men,the evil that

women

dolives after them."

Theoldsheds disappeared someyearsago, tlieh places be- ijigoccupied

by

a buildingwhich tn turn has given

way

to the present market. This .structure extends northandsouth fromthe

Thames

Riverto

Thames

.street andwasbuiltwith ttieidea ofhaving not only groimd space,but alsospacein thebasement below andthegalleryoverhead. The basement part

was

intended for shellfish dealers. Butitwasnotoc- cupied by them long, torbeing twenty-six feet belowthe leveloftheriver,itwassodark,

damp

anddisagreeable that fewbuyers caredtogothere. Several deathsalsooccurred

among

itsoccupants,andthoseremaining being unwillingto stay longerinthe"black hole,"it

was

abandoned, exceptas aplace of storageandfor lobster boiling purposes. Theover- headspace

was

for dealers indriedfishandisconnectedwith thegroundfloorbothbyspaciousstairsandelevatoi-s. Being .sought,however,by fewpatrons,it

was

alsoabandoned and

itsoccupantswent below andsqueezedin,asdid theshellfish dealers from the basement; sothat atthistime theentue

trad"} is concentrated on the ground floor. Withoutgoing into detailsconcerning thearchitecture ofthebuilding,it issuf- ficienttosay thatitisgeneraUyadmitted thatthecorporation didnotactwiselyinenlarging themarketata greatexpense andina

way

that isof nopractical use,instead ofwidenurg the approachestoiton the

Thames

streetside. Thefloorsof the building areofpoUshedgranite,concealed beneath wiiich aredrainsofiron forcarrying off the du't andrefuse

when

themarketisflushed,which^{is^}done daily atthecloseofthe markethours.

At

the present time thereare 156stallsand14shops on the groimdfloor. Theformerarelocatediuthecenter,whilethe latterare on thesides ofthebuilding. Thereisalsoa tavern whereflshareservedastheleadingarticleofdiet. Formerly therewore three taverns, Simpson's, Bowler's and Bacon's, whereinother days the salesmen congregatedbeforedayhght, dranktheii'blackcoiieeand"affandatf,"atefishandtalked over theprices, salesandsupplyoffishforthecomingday, In ordertohave morespace, howevex-,the

number

oftavernshas been reduced to one,which

now

^bi-ings inarental of |4,0U0 annually. Thestallsvaryin size,averaging82sq.ft.,accord- ingtothe Clerkof the Market, Mr.John Little, to

whom

I

am

indebted for

many

courtesies. Thestalls,accordingto location,bringfrom10to18centspersquarefootperweek,or anannualrentalfrom§166 to |300 each. Theshops bringfrom

$1,700 to13,000.

Avenuescrossthe marketat regular intervals, and from necessity arevery liarrow. Great effortisrequiredtokeep themopen,andthe rules of themarketarevery explicit in regardto placingobstructions in them. Porters carry the fishintoand fromthe marketin baskets,boxes, crates, bar- rels,in fact inallkindsofways.

No

oneis permittedtoper- form the duties ofporterwithout alicense,forwUich he has topay2s.6d.

When

onduty, in ordertoreadily distinguish him,theporteris obliged towearonhis leftarmametalhc badgehavtug onitthearmorial bearingsof thecity of Ijon- don. If aport.er misbehaves, uses any abusive or obscene language,gets intoxicated,steals,commits assaultorviolates anyoftherides of themarket,his hcense is at once taken fromhim. I

was

told thatthe presentconductofemployes in Billingsgateso happflyin contrastwith"yeoldentimes,"

isduetorigidenforcement of rulessimilar intenortothose justmentioned.

Theporter's dress consists ofcottonoveralls,acoarsecotton sMi-t,

worn

onthe outside ofthetrousers,whichfromthebe- grimed and bespattered appearance arevery appropriately called "slops." The headisprotected

by

a "porter'sknot," a hatwhichhas a cushioninthe crown,very necessary padding,

itmightbe remarked,as the roiigh and heavy "ti'unks"ai'e eitherbornedirectlyonthetop ofthehead, or resting onthe shoulders,back and neck.

Wooden

sandals are generally wornonthe feet to keepthebottomsofthe shoesfromcon- tactwiththe sloppysurface. Theporterreceivesonanaver- age about^apenny fai-thing forcarrying eachboxoffishto thesalesman. Thetakingofitfromthesalesmentothecon- veyanceof thebuyerisanoptional charge,dependingupon thekindsoffishanddistance tobe carried.

Land-borne fish enter the buildingon the

Thames

street

side, while river-borne fish are brought into the market throughthesouth doorfacingtheriver. Theboats bringing them to London are not permitted to

come

alongsidethe building tn unload, but, forsomereason

unknown

tome, are reqtui-ed to

make

fast to fasteningsprovidedforthemadjacent to floating pontoons and barges that iirtervene. Planks, mostly unprotectedbysiderails,extendfi-om boat tomarkec about ahundredfeet distant.

Up

and

down

andacrossthese plankstheporterstramp withtheirheavybm-dens,foreach titmkweighsabout100pounds.

Nine .steam carriers run to andfromBillingsgateandthe fleetsintheNorthtSea,andbring thebulkofthewater-borne fish. Theunloadingof th eseboats—indeedallkindsof craft

—

is an interesting sight. But let Sala tellthestory: "This wharfis covered with fish,andthescalythingsthemselves are being landed

wth

prodigiouscelerityand in quantities almostasprodigiousfromvesselsmooredintriple tierbefore themarket. HereareDutcliboats thatbiingeels,andboats fi-omtheNorth Seathatbring lobsters,andboatsfrom Har-

tlepool,Whitstable,Harwich,GreatGrimsby,andotherEng-

lishseaportsandflshiug stations. TheyareallcaUed boats, though

many

areof asizethatwotddrendei-thetermship,or at leastvessel,farmore applicable, Theyaremostly square andrsquatin rigging,and somewhat tubbyinbuild,and nave anrmmistakablyfishyappearance. Nauticaltermsaremin- gledwithLondonstreetvernacular;freshmackerelcompetes inodorwithpitchandtar; thetigbt-straincd riggingcuts in dark indigo relief against the pale bluesk>'; thi?wholeisa confusion, slightlv'dirtybut eminentlyxjictm-esque,of ropes, spars, baskets,oakum,'tar]);:iuliii, Ush,canvas trousers, osier baskets,loudvoices,tramplingfeet;uid'perfumedgales,'not exactlyfrom'Arabytheblest,'butfromtheholdsofthefish- ingcraft."

The methodofhandling and eanyingthefish

may

sti-ike theauthor of "Twice AroimdtheClock"asoneof "prodigi- ouscelerity,"buttoanAmerican familiarwithsteamappli- ancesandlabor-savingmachinei'y,itappearsto beverytedi- ous, costly, old-fashioaedandingreatcontrast tosysternsseen withus,where avesselputsin,unloads,packs up,andleaves thewharfintwo hours.

Steam ^appliances havenotbeenadoptedat Billingsgate, I

am

informed, becausethefishwouldbemorerapidlybrought tothesalesmen than they could be haudlod,and sothe old systemis clung to,and porterswith trunksontheirheads approachthe salesman, standinwaiting,then depositthem onlyasrapidlyasthey can besoldandagainboraeaway.

Thesalesman or auctioneergetsfivepercent,on thesales made.

Many

flsh were formerly sold at "Dutch auction,"

wherethe salesmannamesahigh^figure,thou dropstoa lower one,andso onuntilabidis

made

wliichisaccepted,andthe procedm'eisgone through with denovo.

No

licenseisi-eqiured to seUfishby Dutchauction,and thismethodis stillingreat favorin

many

ofthe fishing ports.

The Bumm'areeappearstobeanindividual essentialtoBil- lingsgate.

Jonathan Bee, in his slangdictionaiy ("LexiconBalatroni.-- cum"), published182:;,defines the

bummaree

tobe the

man who

atBiUingsgatetakesthe placeofthe salesman,andgen- eraUyafter y o'clockA.M.,buysthelastlotoffish.

Theauthoi" ot"London Labor and London^Poor,"18.53,says thatatthattimeBillingsgatewasopenedat ^-1A. M.,but for

two

hom-sitwasotUy attended by theregularfishmongerand thebummaree. Atthepresentt'hne,Ivowever,not onlyisthe

bummaree

thefirstto arrive, but, as in182^,he isthelastto leave.

He now

purchasesfromthe salesmanaudseU*tiOsmall dealers,eostermougersandconsum«Ji'i<. Beforemaking asale the

bummaree

breaks the packages and assortsthefish,sup- phdngtheljuyerswiththe kinds,sizes and cjuahty de*s>3"edl.

A

veryusefulfunctionit might be remarked when

w«

re-

member

that a"ped"often contains various kinds of fish,

smtableandunsuitable fortheusesforwdiichthey arewanted byditferent classes of purchasers. But how'ever useful the

bummaree may

be,thatsuchanindividual exists at^all,only goestoprove the inadequateaccommodationsofBDlingsgate forthetrade,and whetherthereisioundationornotforsuch accusationasare heard concerning him;the

bummaree

will exist solongasthefishsupplyofpopulousLondonhastopass throughthislimited inaccessiblemarketin a limitedtime.

The marketisopened at .5 o'clock in the morning and is

practicaUy overat 10 o'clock. Beforethe opening,however, the auctioneersai"e intheir places,behind what are called-

"bidks" or "forms,"upon which the fish are depositedin

"trunks,""doubles,"etc. Littleif anyopportunity isgiven buyersto ascertainthe condition of the tish,for no sooneris theboxdepositedon the "bulks" thanit is knocked

down

as sold,andagainboi'neaway. Ifthebuyeris not infoimied in some

way

inregardtothe condition ofthe fish,topurchase theunopenedboxesso rapidly,and withsuch apparentindis- criminaterecklessness,seemstoanoutside observer, toputit mildly,great confidenceinthecomhtionofthefish,andinthe honestyofthe salesman.

Duringthe whirlofbusinessallseems confusionandchaos.

Porters areseen rushinghitherandthitherwith reekingbar- rels,basketsand boxes. Auctioneerswith long narrowae- coxmt booksin theirhandsare

bawhng

toljuyers,who, with hands

by

the side of theirmouths,direct backtheirshouting answers, while theuninitiatedexplorerstands bewilderedin their midst, until he is caUedto his sensesbythe exclama- tion,"Houttheway." "The onlycomparison leanfindfor theaspect, the sights andsoimdsof the place,"sa.ysawell-,

known

writer,"isarush,a rushhitherandthither atahelter skelter speed,apparently bUndly, apparentlywithout motive, butreallywithabusiness-likeandengrossingpre-occupa,tion forfishandallthingsfishy. Baskets f idlof turbot borneon theshoulders ofthefacchini of theplace, skimthi'ough the airwithsuchrapiditythatyou might take

them

tobeflying fish."

"Atthat piscatorialhouse,"saysBertram, ("Haiwestofthe Sea,"p. 59)

"we

cansee intheieaiiymorningtheproduceof ourmostdistant seas brought toourgreatest seat of popula- tion, sure of finding a ready and profitable market. The aldermanicturbot,thetemptingsole,thegigantic codfish,the valuable salmon, the cheapsprat,and the universal herring, arealltobe found dm-ing their diflierent seasons in great plentyat Billingsgate,andinthelower depthsofthemarket buildings, countless quantitiesof shellfish ofall

kmds

stored intubs

may

beseen,andalloverissprinkledthe drippingsea water,and allaround

we

feel that 'ancient and fish-like smell'whichistheconcomitantofsucha place."

CommerciaUy spea,king fishare dividedbytheLondoner into

two

classes:1. Prime. 2. Oft'al. The former compre bonds thechoicevarieties,suchassole,btill,turbot,etc. The latter includesthe

commoner

coarse kinds, suchas place, roher,haddock, etc. The quantitiesthat

come

intoBillings- gateareverydisproportionate. Mr.Littlesays thatthirteen boxesofoffalreachesthemarkettoone

box

ofprime. That gentleman has verykindly furnished

me

atablesho\vingthe quantityoffish arx-ivingat Billingsgatepermouthduring the year1883,whichI shall

make

a partof thispaper,as alsoa i

seriesof tablesshowingtheamountoffishcomingtoLondon since1875. ItwillbeseenfromMv.Little'sstatement that the quantitycoming

by

wateris

much

lossthanbyland. Special trainsbearing ^flshalone rundaily toLondon from Grimsby, Hull,Yarmouth and other places. As these trains donot comeinthevicinity of Billingsgate, thefishhave tobe carted through the narrow-streetsandtortuouslanes,acrossthecity tothe market inordertobesold,and

when

soldtobe again carted over the same streets through whichit hasaheady withdiflicultypassed.

Speaking ofthe approachesto Billingsgate,the Quarterly Review, October,1882,says: "Their badness

was

of compara- tively slight importancesolongas thebulkof thefishw^as broughtthitherbywater. "RHien, however,itbecameneces- sarytodealeachyearwithsome90,000tons of railway-borne

10 FOREST AND STREAM.

[July30, 1885.

fish, andto deliver

them

at Billingsgate through choked streetsand narrowlaneswhich woulddisgraceatownof50,- 000 inhabitants, the difficultiesweresoaugmentedthatfish vans sometimes tookeighthoursto getfromthe GreatEast- ern orGreat Northern railway terminustothe market where they hadtounload."

This statement has greater force

when

it is remembered that thewidthof the roadwayof

Lower

Thames street,on whichthemarketissituated,isbut^1R>2feetwide. St.Mary-

at-liUlhasawidthof 10feet,while Botolph laneand Pudding lane areeach but7 feet Sinches wide.

Languagefailstoconveyto one'smindthebewUderedcon- dition ofthingsinthe congested approachesto themarket, wherethe stoppingof a"shandr.y," forinstance, will block theentirestreet. Itwas showninaninvestigation

made by

Spencer Walpole,lateH.M. Inspectorof Fisheries,thatordi- uaiHyitnot only took hoursforfishvanstoreach the market, but inoneinstanceavanof"fresh fish"

was

elevendays en route,and aUthe timetrying to get iinloaded.

A

^vastamount of goodfood isverynatiu-allyspoiled beforeit reachesthe market,and afterward too forthat matter,simplyfromthe absenceofproper appliancesforitspreservation;andit isnot strange that

when

the fish reach the consumer it isso en- hancedinpi-iceas tohavebecomealuxuryinsteadofanordi- naryarticleofdiet.

The Timesof Oct..30,1883, despondingly asks,"Could not sciencehave fishvaultswhere thetemperatui-e

was

keptat about3:^deg.atthe markets? Could notscienceimprove on theicechestsfishmongereuse?"

We

answerunhesitatingly inthe affirmative,and cordially invitetheeditor ofthe"Thunderer"tovisit America andsee the fish marketsin Boston,

New York

and other centers, wherethe application ofscientificmethodsofrefrigeration to thefishtrade thathavelongbeeninusewouldbeseen.

What

Londonrequu^es inordertohave theprice offishre-

ducedand the quahtyimproved,and a cessationfrom talk about"Billingsgatering"and "Billingsgatemonopoly," isto haveamore commodiousmarket, amarketwithrefrigerating appliances,amarket on theriver side,easily accessiblenot onlyfor boats,but for cars,vansandall kindsof convey- ances.

Thusfarithas been impossibletoagreeupona

new

site. If themarkethastoremainwhereit

now

stands, sochokedfor space and difficult ofapproach, then ^if it be desirable to remedythepatent evils,the streets leading to Billingsgate willhavetobe widened. The postponementof thewidening toamoreconvenient seasonwillnotlessen thecost. In 1802 the approaches could have beenwidened for £88,000, but twelve years afterward the estimated costwas £525,000,and now,doubtless,itwouldbe

much

more.

In conclusion,Iregret tosay thereisMttle,ifanything, at BillingsgateforAmerican fish dealers to learn,except

how

far inadvanceof

them

ineveryrespect

we

ai-eonthisside of theAtlantic.

RETXIRN OFTHE QUANTITYOF FISHDELIVEEBD ATBILLINGSOATE

MABKET

DURINGTHE

YEAR

1883—(JOHNLITTLE,*

CLERK, BILLINGSGATE).

Land

can-iage, Watercarriage, Total

Month. Tons. Tons. Tons.

Januai-y 0.015K ^;i,949 8,964^

February 5,5(32

V

^{'^M'i '3',5Sli|}

March ^{f' '' '} 9 6053^

ApiTl 10,305

May

10,663%

June ^ji.-' 13,215

July ^{o,353i,^} 8,753K

/-.nmi^t ..'Ws 3, -186 9,164

. 7.1U4>.< 4,671 11,775V

. fi..5S334' 3,028 8,611V

. . .. 7,401% 1.984 9,385%

Decemiier 9,1661^ 2,.529 ll,695i^

Total 80,7233^ 38,946K 119,669%

N.

B.—

There

was

alsofrom20,000 to 25,000 tons offishde- livered intheimmediatevicinityduring theyearwhichisnot includedintheabove.

Thequantity destroyedbytheofficers of theFishmongers Company,^asbeingunfitfor food,was273 tons, 16cwb.,1qr.,

andof this 95tons

was

composedofshellfish.

APPROXIMATE QUANTITIESOP FISH DELIVERED AT BILLINGS- GATE

MARKET AND

VICINITY,187.5-1884.

(BritisliFisheriesDirectoryandMr.Little'sReport.)

Tons.^" Tons.

1875 94,949 1880 130,629

1876 99,425 1881 137,000

1877. ^107,

m

^{1882 150,000}

1878. ^12(i,764 1883 144,669%

lf>79 126,893 1884 156,005

HOW TO DISTINGUISH THE SEX OF CARP.

TTTHEN

the adult fish isnearing the spawningtime the

VY

^{ripeningoftheova}produces a broadened appearance in the female,which is sufficient toenablemost anyoneto distinguish the sex. It isnecessaiy,however,to beable to distinguish

them

ata

much

earherage,andthis,althoughnot generally understood,isdeclaredbyexperienced fishculturists to presentbutlittlediffictdty. Dr. Hessel,superintendentof the United States Government^{ponds,scarcely}everfailsto identify the sexes, although he declares his inability to deciibeinwordsthemannerinwhichhe doesit. The

German

carp-Gulturists,however,havedistinctly stated their method.

Hordk,in a

work

pubUshed 1869,and entitledDie Teich- wirthschaft mit hesonaerer EucksichtaufdassudlieheBohmen.

Mn

populdres

Handbuch

fur Teichwirthe, Fischereihedienste

und

FreundederFischzucht,by WenzelHord,k, says: "Fisher-

men who

are not abletodetermine thesexes ofthefishat onceareinthe habitofsqueezing thegenitalijartsuntil they yield eithermiltor roe. Thismetnodisveryinjurious tothe production of young fish.

An

experienced pond-culturist will,at thefirstglance, distinguisha male froma femalecarp, even

when

theyareonlyone yearold. Themilter,ormale

fish,has a depression or concaveplace initsgenital parts, while the spawner,or female fish, has aprotuberance or convexplace."

Carl Nicklas,perhaps the most skilled cai-p-culttu-ist at present living inGermany,indorsesthe above quotationfrom Horak, and adds: "The aperture of the gemtalorificealso seemstobesomewhatlargerandredderinthefemalethanin the male. Itisnot verydifficultto distinguishthemalefrom the femalecarp;still,it

may

requirealittle pi-actice." Prof.

B.Benecke,ofKonigsberg,says: "Asa generalrulethebeUj^

ofthespawnerisbroaderandrounder; thegenitalapertureis larger and reddishand has thick lips,whileinthemaleit

forms anan'owslit.

Apparently without any knowledge ^{of these} German authorities,GeorgeM.Ramsey,M.D., ofClokey,Pa.,writing under date of

November

22, 18S3,says: "I have discovered

how

to distinguish the sexof

German

carpatallseasons of the vear.

By

inspection of the female carpasmallfleshy protuberance, that pouts a verylittle,willbeseen

m

^{front of}

the vent, whereas in the male carp the same is shghtly depressedorsunkenratherthan protubei-ant.

On

examina- tioneachfishshould be helduptotnelightinthe same posi- tion,back downward." EvidentlyDr.

Ramsey

has

made

an independent discovery^of

what was

already

known

in Ger- many.

Among

the most successful of theAmericans

who

have received carpfromtheUnitedStatesPishCommissionis Mr.

Kemp

Gaines, of Springfield,Clarke county, Ohio.

He

had young fish to sellas early asthe

summer

of1883,andseeing thenecessity offurnishingapplicantswith the propernumber

ofmalesandfemales,heimdertookto seeifhe coulddiscover any method of distinguishing sexes. November 31, 1883,he reportedhis observations tothe Fish Commission.

On

exam- iningthe carp takenfor tableusehe found adifferencein the form of the head and surmised that tliis might possibly indicate the sex.

He

putittotestdm-ingthe

summer

when- ever he dressedfi-shfor useandfailed to distinguishthe sex butonce.

It would be gratifying ifthose

who

havecai-pwoiddput thesemethodsseverely totestandreport to thePishCommis- sion their success or failure.—C/ias. W.Smileyin Bulletin U.

S.Fish Commission.

AddressallcommunicationstotheForestand iStream Publish- ingCo.

FIXTURES.

BENCH

SHOWS.

Sept.22, 23,24and25.—Dof?ShowoftheMilwaukeeExpositionAs- sociation. JohnD. Olcott,Superintendent,Milwaukee,Wis.

Oct.6, 7,8and9.— FourthAnnual DogShowof tiieDanburyAgri- cultural Society. E.S.

Haw

lev,Secretary,Danbury,Conn.

Oct.27,28and29.-TwelfthDof?ShowoftheWesternPennsylvania PoultrySociety,Pittsburgh,P.i. C.B.Elben,Secretarv.

FIELDTRIALS.

Nov 9.— SecondAnnualField TrialsoftheFisher'sIslandClub, for

membersonly, MaxWenzel,Secretary,Iloboken,N.J.

Nov. 9.—FirstAnnual Trials of theWestern Field TrialsAssocia- tion,atAbilene,Kan. Entries close Oct. 15. A.A.Whipple, Secre- tary,KansasCity,Mo.

JJov.16,1885.— SeventhAnnual Field Trials ofthe Eastern Field Trials Club,High Point,N. 0. Entries forDerbycloseMay1. W.

A.Coster,Secretary,Flatbush,L.I.

Dec.7.— SeventhAnnualField Trials oftheNational Field Trials Club,GrandJunction,Term. Entries forDerbycloseApriU. B.M, Stephenson,LaGrange, Tenn.,Secretary.

A. K.

R.-SPECIAL NOTICE.

rpHE AMERICAN KENNEL

REGISTER, forthe registration of pedigrees,etc.(withprizelistsofallshows andtrials),ispub- lishedeverymonth. Entriescloseon the1st. Should bein early.

Entry blanks senton receiptofstamped andaddressed envelope.

Registrationfee(50cents)must accompanyeachentry. Noenti-ies insertedunlesspaidinadvance. Yearlysubscription81.50. Address

"American KennelRegister," P. O.Box2833,

New

York. Number ofentriesalready printed

2519.

IS

THE

A. K. C.

TO LIVE?

EditorFo7~estandStream:

Theabovequestionispressing.justnow.

Many

ofus,

who

didnotprefertheformoforganization theA.K.C.took,have cometothink thatasit isorganizedandinworkingorder,it isbetter to

make

itan efficientfactor inkennel matters than to getupa rival club;but

how

it ispossibleto

make

sucha club even respectable,

much

less efficient,

when

itspathis

one string of blundere;wherever it goes,whateveritdoes, blunder,bungleandbotchworkmarksoutitspath.

At

the Philadelphia meeting, Messrs. Morgan,Childsand Osbora,withwhathelpIcouldgive,endeavoi ed to startthe clubtowardbetter thingsthanhad markedthepast. Major Taylorseemedwilling tohelp uson,butwasalsoreadytofall intoanypitholethatcouldbefoundanddrag thewholeA.K.

C. along. Theattempttoruninacountyfairassociation at Dayton,O.,

when

the constitution plainlyprovides that

mem-

bersmust be organizedwholly or in partforholding bench shows,was one sample. The grave proposal to"recognize"

theAmericanSpanielClubandtheInternationalCocker Span- iel Association inthejoint

work

ofpreparing a standard on cockers,was stupendous! Imagine a"standard," theresult ofthe joint efforts of twoclubs whose separate existence seems onlydueto thefactthatthey cannot agreeon astand- ardI Fortunately boththeseblunderswerestavedoff. Then there

was

the mistakeof appointingIMr.EUiotSmithon the

"St.Elmo" committee

when

ne

was

thedefendant! Didvou ever hear the ^like? Then Pelionwaspiled on OssabyMr.

Faxonbeingaddedtothiscommittee

when

hewasnota

mem-

berof the Executive Committee! Allowing thatthese last blundei-s

may

be passed over on groimdsof oversight,

what

possible excuseis there fortheaddedblunderofappointing Mr. Nickerson onthecommittee

when

heisalsoinehgible be- cause not a

member

ofthe Executive Committee. Ishineas thebright particular fightonthisbusiness, asbeingthe only oneoffom-so far appointed

who

isehgible;butIshould nob have been appointed after

my

opensfeitementthatthe close intimacysolongexistingbetweenMr.Watson (theappellant inthe case)andmyself,

made my

appointmentat least "bad form."

With

nothingbut the kindestfeelingstoward MajorTaylor personallyandasajudge,Icannot but say thattheonlyhope for theA.K.C.isin his resignation. Hiswhole administra- tionhas been a series of bltmders, his appointment ofMr.

Nickerson the worst, becausehisblunderinMr.Faxon'scase hadbeen pointedout,yet hemakesthe same bungle over again. Ichallengethe namingofa single instance where MajorTaylor has goneright

m

hisofficialcourse as president,

when

there

was

a chancetogo wrong. "Construction"was badenough, butithasbeen capped bya continual string of helpmates.

What

are

we

todo?Are

we

to tryandkeepupa continualfightand watchagainstblunders thata

member

of a primai-yschooldebatingsocietywould

know

wereblunders, or are

we

tocutloosefromtheA. K. C, andletitdieofpub-

lic contempt? Really this tiling of being

made

a pubhc laughing stock isgettingsomewhat monotonous. To such organizationsastheN. E.K.Club,tne Eastern FieldTrials, the

New

Haven, PhiladelphiaandPittsburghclubs,themain stays ofdogshowsinthe country, Iwouldsay,doyoupropose todo anythingforthe unfortunate A. K.C,or shallitperish of publicridicule?

Lest1

may

be suspectedof personalanimus againstMajor Taylor,let

me

say thathis declarationthat he gave a dogffi-st atPhiladelphia

when

hewouldnot have done so hadthe standard beenlesson head,isto

me

convincing proof of his honestyasajudge,andjust

what

every judge shoiUd^do,sub- ordinate his

own

preferences to the establishedauthorityon thematter;andifMajorTaylorprefersa standardwithless valueforheadit isaperfectly legitimate thing totry toso estabhshit;the onlyrequisitebeing that^fairplay be allowed others of different views. Mr. Nickersonadvises

me

(muchto

my

regret)that heisinehgibleandhastherefore resigned.

Whilethe A. K.C.still has a nominal ^{existence, let}

me

pointout aserious mistake in Rule 2,providing that adog mustbeidentifiedbyitsdateof birth;this isoften impossible.

We

areallresponsible for this mistaJce, asit

was

substituted fortheold rulethatadog mustbeidentifiedbyitsage. This

isobjectionable,as oftenlitterbrothers orsistersareentered as of different ages, as was the case with themastifflitter sistersHebe andDidoII.at Philadelphia,andweseemtohave overlooked that putting this requii'emeat before "and if

known"

leftthe exhibitorwith no chanceofescapefromwhat mightoften beanimpossibUity. Therule evidentlyshouldbe, adoff"mustbeidentifiedbyitsname, andif known,itsdate

ofbif-th."

W. WADE.

HuLXOK,Pa.,July25,1885.

CRYSTAL PALACE DOG SHOW.

THE

Enghsh KennelClub heldtheir twenty-fifth exhibition ofsportmgand non-sportingdogs onthegroundsoftho Crystal Palace Company, undertents,on the Tth. 8th,9th and10th of July,and the exhibitionon thewholewasequal toa-nyof theirformer gatherings. There weresix judging rings,and the awardswere all handed in onthefirstday, the judgesbeing, for mastiffs andbloodhounds, M, Beaufoy, Esq.:St.Bernards,H.J. Betterton,Esq.

;Newfoundlands, H.

R. Parquharson, Esq.; foreign dogs and Great Danes, R.

Groom,Esq.;deerhounds,greyhounds, black and tan setters, Irishsetters, retrievers,coUiesandbuU-terriers,S.E.Shulev, Esq.;pointei-s, S.Price,Esq.;Enghshsetters,

W.

D. Duncan, Esq.; spaniels. Rev. A. L. Willett;dachshunde and Basset hounds, H.Jonas, Esq.;bulldogs,J.S.P.Sellon,Esq,;Dandle Dinmonts,theEarlofAntrim;pugs,G.Weekley,Esq.; Irish temers, Dr. Carey; wire-haii-ed fox-terriers, Airdales and Bedlingtons,A.MaxeU,Esq..;smoothfox-terriere, T.Bassett.

Esq.

; Skye andScotchtei-riers,J.Pratt, Esq.;the remaining classes, J,Percival,Esq.

The total entrywas1,288,rather less than at thewinter show, yetthe qualitywasrealgood,and mostalloftheclass were remarkable for the qualityand the keenness of the comjietition.

Crovm

Prince oncemoreheaded theUst inchampionmas-

tiffsand

won

the40-guinea challengecupforthe best mastiff dogiuthe show. CambrianPrincesswinningfirstincham- pionbitches, also the40-guineacup for thebestbitch.

We

consider,however, thatshe wasveryclosely pressedbythe brindle LillyII.,

who

isareallygoodbitch'allthrough, and moves

much

betterthanCambrianPrincess. In the opendog

class, Dr.Turner exhibitedtwovery promisingyoungones, Beaufortand Hotspur, the former winning whilethe latter gotvhc. Inthepuppyclassthey

won

easilyffi-standsecond.

Hotspurissome two monthstheyounger,andofcoursemore improvement

may

be expectedin himthanthewiuuer,

who

gotmostoftheadvantagelaysuperiorsize. The secondprize dog.Prince ofWales,is only amoderatespecimen.

He

has been winninglately in Scotland.

He

isonly a medium-sized dog, but witha well-shaped body notinhighcondition at present; hismuzzlebefore theeyesistoolongandnotdeep enough. JohnBull,thirdprize,

we

have reportedbefore.

He

isamallinsize,notenough ofwrinkleandmight havemore bone,butis ofa goodtype. Bismarck,vhc.

We

don'tlike his colorasa fawn,andhiseyeisratherlight,yetheis aline upstandingdog andaboutthe largest in the class;but notin thecondition

we

haveseen him, otherwise

we

thinkoughtto about win in the present company. In bitches Dr. Tunier

won

firstandsecond;botharegoodintype but

we much

]jre- ferred thesecond prize.TheLadyIsabel,assfie

was

the larg- estandthe bestmover with a very goodhead. Theactual winnerwas rather the best in head and color ofmask, but small,lowat the shoulderandabadmover. Third wentto Princess Ida,goodin faceand wrinkle, rather largein ears andnotsogoodinbodyas those placedoverher. Mr.Nichols snoweda verylargeandpowerfulyoung doginVictorHugo.

He

^israther plain in face,butpossesses gj-eat sizewithgood feetand legs.

He

has alltheappearanceofgrowingiuLo a mostpowerfuldog. Thewinnerinbitchi:)uppieswaspromis- inganda long

way

aheadof theothers. Theiiroducestakes wassimply a walk-overfor Dr.Tunier.

Inthechampion classforSt. Bemai'ddogs Save hadan easywin over Bayard. In champion bitches

we

consider Cloister verylucky inwinning,being out of coat. Iltreda, second,was"alsoalittleoutofcoatandttiinin flesh,othei'wise she might have stood first.

Madam,

vhc. andreserve,is a grand, upstanding bitch,

m

good coat. vShewas shownⁱⁿ Mr. Smith'susualhighcondition. In theopenclass

Duke

of Wellington,third,isa granddog,goodincolorandmarkings, withgood coat notfullygrownat present, Hisconditionwys againsthim, otherwise'hemight have exchangedplaceswith the secondpi'izewmner. NeroHI.,

whom

wehaveoftenre- ported,washere,looking well. Firstwentto Pliulirainon,also special for the best inthe openclasses. Thisdog waslookmg betterthanever,andchangedhandsduiingtheshowat £800, the highest prizeever obtainedfor a St.BernardinEngland.

Vhc.reserve,Saracen, isazooddog,withgoodlegsandfeet.

We

don't admfi-e hiscolor,anddoubtifhewillrun

much

fur- therforward. BerninaII.,fourthprize,is a good stamp on the smallside. Grip,he,isheavilyhandicappedbyhisbadly carriedears. Kenneth

was

outof condition orhemight have beenfiu*therup. Inthebitch class

we

thinkMabelII.ought tohave beennoticed. Thebrindleandwhite

La

Mascotte,out of coat,

won

secondprize. Pvccluse,from thesamekennel, mightbebetteronforelegs,andis on thesmallside,yetofa good stamp. Queen Jura,vhc, the

Wai

wick winner, is a grandbitch,but has not enoughof markings;in fact,sheis

almostself-colored,otherwiseshewasaboutthe best bitchin the show. Thetis, thewinner,

we

admu-e Yerymuch. Sheis

alarge bitch,with good body,color,andcoat,andshownin the best of condition. Dolly,he, has a Dudleynose,large eaisandlight eyes. Therewei-esome

much

better unnoticed.

MeUta,vhc,isagoodbitch,buttoofinebeforethe eye. Vhc.

andresei-veDaciaisanice-coloiedand markedbitch.

InsmoothdogsfirstwenttoSirius,looking hisbest. Lord Wolsely, lookingbetterthan

we

eversawhim,

made

agood second. Victor"Emanuel seems going worse. The smooth bitcheswereagoodclass,some thought thatLadySuperior should have won. The secondprize winner is too fine in muzzle. Therewasnothinglikelytocometothefront

among

thopuppies.

The^{challengeclassesfor}Newfoundlands hadonly one entry each. Sothatineachcaseitwasawalk-over. In the open classforblack dogsLordNelson

won

easily,but was beaten bvCourtier forthespecial for the best in theshow.

We

pre- ferredLordNelsonandthink thatopinionwassharedbytne majority. AdmiralKeppelandGiftareboth smallandrather fightineye,while Black

Watch

shows the haw. Isla

won

will in bitches^;second goingtoagood-sizedbitchnotgoodin back.

Great Danes,asusualat the Palace, Avereoneoftho features ofthe show,therewere four entries in the challengecla.s.s.

SultanII.wasabsent. CedrictheSaxon

won

alsothecupfor the best intheshow, Mirzagetting thechaUenge cup for the bestbitch; theyarebothgoodones, in fact all through, the classeswereremarkableforquaUty, yet

we

sawnothinginthe puppyclasses fike beingAl. Mr.Messter, of Berlin, can-ied offthemajorityofthe pilzesⁱⁿthepuppyclasses.

In the challenge class for deerhoimds,Chieftainwon,

wo

think, correctly,andalong with Mr.Jopfin's other dogswas put up at auction,butwasnot disposed ofowingto there being £200reserveput onhimbyhisowner. His kennel com- panion,Clansman, a very promising ^dog,

won

ⁱⁿ the open class,andsold atauction afterward for £40, areally cheap dogattheprice. Crofter, second prize,isavery promising young dog of fom-teen months, and

was

in his right place.

The^bitches wereonly amoderate collection and correctly

^^In^g'reyhoimds, dogs, first went to a white and lemon marked^{'dog, Robbie Bell; he} was claimedat hiscatalogue price £B0. The Messre. Charles coming secondandreserve with'Balkis and CasseUs. In bitchesthe winnersarewell

known

TelegramIII.ratherfine,andCoralinbadcondition.

Intheclassfor foreign dogs, forwhichthere was no sepa- rate class provided,

we

hadaparticularfancyforadogcaUed Dornovoy described asa Russian wolfhound.

He

is sixteen months6ld,standsashighasanyofourlargest deerhoumis, withgoodfeetandlegs,wonderfuUygood shoulderandneck, with good, deep chest and weU-sprungribs;hemightbea triflebetter instifles;in coathewasneithersmoothnor rough, andcan-iedsomefeatheronhis tail;ifhepossessed a rough, wirycoat,he would come near our idea ofan Iiishwoit- hound. Howevei-,hegotnothing,whichso far goesto prove that

we

arenojudgeof foreign dogs.