Forest and stream

S20 FOREST AND STREAM.

[Jan. 17,1889.

aue8_{are f}1,whicholsocovers themembershipfee.

We

ofcourse wanthelpfinancially. Ifyou can organizea clubofnumbers, and semi amountsofsubscriptions withnames andaddressto Mr. JohnWilkinson,of Parkhnrst

&

Wilkinson, No. 150Kinzie street,Chicago, the membershipticketswillbesentiosubsoribers.

Havereceiver!material assistanceinthiswayfromEgin.

Regardingthefishway in the

dam

belongingtothe State at Dayton;itwasput infi«isfall,andisclaimedtobeofsuch con- struction astopermitfreepassage- Will,however, writeto Col.

Bartlettforhisreportofit.andwillwritetoyoulater, Will be pleasedtohear furtherfrom youatanyiiuic\andwill take pleasurein reportiugtoyou thework accrnipltshedfrom timetotime. Yoursverytruly. C.F.Hills,

PresidentFoxRiver Fishand

Game

Association.

Itshould beaddedtbat theremarkintheSandwichlet- terinregardtotheinactivityofourFishCommissioner, Mr.Bartlett,isinnocentlywrong. Mr. Bartletthasbeen unabletoact

from want

of funds. This the Association have clearlyrecognized, as

may

be seen byreferences above.

The

Daily

News

of thismorning, undertheheadingof ''Many

New Laws

Needed,"has strong referencetothe needof

new game

laws. Thearticleshows seven coun- tiestobea unitonthe matter agitatedby the

Fox

River Association

The

shootingand fishingclubs arefalling intoline. Let thepoliticianstakenote,andalso fallinto line. If they do not,they

may

see theday

when

they willwish theyhad.

Chicago.111.,Jan.10.—Mi'. D. L. Barclay, president ofthe

WaUonian

Club at

Fox

Lake,started yesterday irom his

home

at Elgin,111.,for a trip to thePacific coastcountry.

Fishing through theice will soon beginontheinland lakes now,and therewill be slaughterunmeasuredof fi-dilifetill theice breaks again. To-daycoldweather has struck this place for the first time this winter, although it is not yet severe

and may warm up

again.

Yesterdaytherewas a melting snow;

two

daysbefore thatwererainy, and upto that time our weatherhere

had

beenlikethatofa pleasantfall. It isalmost unpre- cedented here. Shouldthesefairdaysbegin againthe seasonwill be most favorable for our

game

and will give the icefishers at best only a limited chance for

their butchery. E.

Hough.

No.175

Monroe

Stbbki'.

V/

LANDLOCKED AND ATLANTIC SALMON IN ^November

^last Commissioner E. M. Stilwell, of Maine, requested Mr. Robert Edesto send to the U. S. National

Museum

a pairof the large landlocked salmon which were at that time spawninginSebago Lake,Maine,

and

he askedforinformationaboutthere- lationship existingbetween the landlockedand marine forms of the

Salmo

salar. Thisrelationship has been afertilesourceof interestandinquiry

among

anglersand fhhculturists,and the fine specimens sent

from

Maine furnish an excellent opportunityto

make

a comparison betweenfresh individualsofthetworaces.

It

may

beas well to state by

way

of preface that studentsof fishesare united intheir belief inthespecific identity ofthe seasalmon

and

the landlocked salmon, or winninish. Thedifferencesbetween the

two

are limited toformandcoloration,andin

some

waters,size of indi- viduals. Theseare characters oflittlevalue,and

may

be observedinotherspecies ofthesalmonfamily, bothina state of nature and under domestication. The land- lockedsalmonisequally well

known

in Europe,andes- pecially inlakesofScandinavia. Itmustbe

remembered

that the colorshave changed

somewhat

since the fish

came

out ofSebago Lake. Mr.Edessays:

"The

natural color ofthesefish

when

ingoodconditionisabout the

same

as the Penobscot seasalmon;in fact,itwouldbe hardtodistinguish one from the other bv their color

when

takeninthemonthsofMav,Juneor July."

EarlyinNovember,1837,Mr. E. G. Blackford sentto the National

Museum

a spent male salmon that was caught in a net alongwith stripedbassat Port Mon- mouth, N. J. This

was

a remarkable fish, both on accountofitsconditionandtheunusualplace ofitscap- ture—no salmon having been taken therebefore. The lower

jaw

had aslight cartilaginous tip,whichcould be receivedintoahalf-round cavityinthesnouc. Theteeth in themiddle ofthe roofofthemouth,ina long double series,were entirely imbeddedin thickened skin. The sideswere

marked

withmoderately numerousblackspots of irregularshapeandwithalaiger

number

ofvermilion spots.

The

bone covering the gills had

two

moderate sized blackblotches, nearly round,and encircled bya narrowborderoforange,besides

two

smallerspots simi- larly surrounded, and

many

blotches of orange brown.

The cheeks had

numerous

spotsoforange brown. The

tailfin with

many

vermilion spoisandstreaks. There were several streaks of vermilionon the base of the largeback^fin,andfiveblackblotches, allencircledbya narroworange

brown

border.

Thelandlocked salmon received

from

Mr.Edes were takeninthe height of the breeding seasonand werecon- sidered largefishinthe

museum,

butCommissionerStil- wellstatesthat larger ones were not

uncommon,

_some even weighing25 orSOlbs. Theweight of themale was

lilbs.,ofthefemale13. In themalethe skin isevery- where thickened byan accumulationofadiposetissue;

thescalesare scarcely perceptibleonthisaccount. The finsare

much

swollen, particularly alongtheir basal por- tions. Theconnecting

membranes

betweenthe rays are so infiltratedwithfatty tissuethatit isalmost impossible tocountthe rays withoutaisspction. Tnetail

when

ex- pandedisnearlytruncate. Thelastrayofthelargeback tin is split into twoparts, the posterior of whichisa thickened adiposestrip,

much

slendereratthe pointthan atthe base Strongteeth ate presentinthemiddleof the root ofthe

mouth

inasingle shortseries,butalmost entirelyconcealedinthe thickened_tissues. Theteethin the iront partof theupper

jaw

areina band Urn.long;

the first andthird teeth of thisbandareenlargedand canine-hke.Iheteeth ofthe lowerFourteeth arejaware scarcely enlargedon each side of the tongue.beyond theirheadnormal_bear

many

sizedark brown

when

not breeding.spots,whichTheappearsides oftohavethe

beentosomeextentsurrounded bypinkishinlife. The largest ofthesespotsisnearlytwothirdsas long as the eye.

A

tewot the spots are nearly round, butmo,4of

them

areirregular in outline. Thesidesofihebodycon- tainnumerous

brown

spots,someof which have become confluent;noneof themareaslongastheeye,and most

oL

?

m ^

^e

^J

^er

^ymuch

^{smaller. These spotsaremost}

tSd

.

m

fr°

n

£?

f lai«eback _a* d do«ot ex-

itnit

^{1 °r},

beI °

w

themiddle

Une

ofthe body- The Jangthof thismale

was

32fin, ^'

The female

was

30|in. She wasfullof ripe eggs,

which

averagedabout£in.indiameter. The weightofthe ovaries

was

olbs.5oz.

The

leftovary

was

15in.,theright 12in. long.

The number

ofeggs

by

actual count is9,642.

As

intho male, the skin has beenrubbedoff both jaws, leaving the boneexposed.

At

thebase of thebreastfinthereisa space denudedofskin nearlyaslong but notsowideastheeye.

The upper edgeofthe pectoralisalso bare. Theendsof the rays of the tailfin are

much worn and

the skinis wanting. Smallbare patchesarepresentalso atthefront

of thebellyfinon eachside. The jaws^arenot elongated as inthemale,norare the teeth increasedinsize. The teethonthetonguearealmost concealedin fatty tissue, but the otherteethare lessdeeplyimbeddedthaninthe male. Teeth in themiddleofthe roofofthe

mouth

inan irregular patch nearlyliu.long,while the seriesatthe sidesofthe roofof the

mouth

are1Jin.long. Thecolors are less brilliant thaninthe male.

The

beadcontains fewerspotsandthese arealmost concealedinthegeneral duskycoloration.

The

bodyalso is less profuselyspot- ted,andthereisanentireabsenceofthepinkish tingeof themale. The bodyspots,asa rule, have nointermix- ture oflargeones. Thereareafewveiy smalldarkspots onthe largebacktin.

The male salmoninthebreeding seasonofcoursehas thejawsgreatlyprolonged, the upper

jaw

being nearly twice as long as ina femaleofequal size; butatother times the maleis readilydistinguished by the'greater lengthof theupper

jaw

andofthe breastfins,aswellas bythe

much

shorterdistance betweenthe ventandthe tipof theextendedbellyfin;inthemale abovedescribed this distanceisIfin.,inthe female, notwithstandingits

smallersize, it is2gin.

We

regret thatthecomparisonhere givenisnot complete, but ifsome one

who

has the opportunitywill put on record similar dataforthe breeding seasalmon

we

shall have

means

ofdistinguishing the

two

forms if this is possible.

RUBBISH IN THE THAMEs!

IN

^{hisreporttotheBoardofTrade,}

^by

^{Mr.C.E.Fryer,}

Inspector of Fisheries,on the injury allegedtobe causedto thefisheries

by

the depositof rubbish in the estuaryoftheThames,Mr.Fryerstatesthat thehouseand streetrefusebarged

away

from

London

anddeposited in theThames, andespeciallythe former, arecausing great complaints

among

the fishermen, whose business is thereby affected. The fishermen hold that thefish are driven

away

or killed andtheirfood destroyed

by

the rubbish; also that theirnets are

damaged

by ^it.

The

trawlers are the principal sufferers. "In

some

places the accumulations areso solidthatthe netsget fastin them. In other cases the

mouth

of the netischoked so thatthe fish cannot enter,oritbecomes soladen with heavy jagged articles that itchafesandtears itselfto piecesalong the bottom." Trawlsfulofshrimpareoften smashed bycontactwith foreignbodies,andnetsfullof fish are frequently rent and their contentslost.

The

dredgermen onthe oyster bedsofWhitstableandvicinity lose

much

time and labor bybringing up tinpotsand crockery with or instead of their oysters.

A more

seriousinjury,however,is thatthreatened tothe oyster beds themselves by the deposit of sediment thereon.

The fisheries injuriouslyaffected by this rubbish are valuedat$750,000ayear.

Beoidesthe injurytothefisheries the sanitary author- itiesofSheerness

and

vicinitycomplain ofthe nuisar ce and possible danger to health,causedbytheaccumula- tion ofdecaying animal and vegetable refuse

dumped

fromthebarges.

Mr.Fryerdoes notfindadequate

means

of remedying thisevilbyexistinglaws,but

recommends

certainlegis iation topromptlystop"agreatand growingnuisance."

bellyfins,and asimilar traceboundsthewhiteofthefin behindthe vent. The groundcnlor of thesidesiegreen- ish olive.

The

sides ofthehead have numerousspotsof lemon yellow,

some

of

them

larger than thelargestof those on the sides.

The

lips are yellowishfleshcolor.

The eyeisgolden with a duskyborder.

The

topofthe headand back have

some

scatteredvermiculationslike thoseofthebrooktrout,but

much

lessdevelopedandnot so plentiful.

The

tail tin andboth finsofthebackare spottedwithlemonyellowlikethesides.

The smaller of the two supposed males hastheback slightlyelevated asinold male brook trout,but itstail fin isforkedand^ithas thelarge scalesandpeculiarcolorr ation ofits brother hybrid.

As

longasthese beautiful fish live

we

cannotinquire veryclosely into their denti- tionandvisceralanatomy,but

we may

be sure thatsome- thingof interest willbe discovered therein

when

these partsare availableforstudy.

LAKE AND BROOK TROUT HYBRID.

SEVERAL

hybrids between the lake trout and the brooktroutwerereceivedatthe Central Station of theTJ.S. FishCommission in"Washington, Jan.3, I8b9.

fromthePennsylvaniaStateHatcheryatCorry.

At

the same time and fromthe

same

sourcewereobtainedsix large lake trout, six rainbowtroutandsixbrooktrout.

Thesefishweresecuredthroughthe requestof Col.

John

Gay, of theU. S. Fish Commission.

They

furnish a beautifulillustrationof theskillinrearing trout mani- fested by the superintendent of theCorryStation, Mr.

WilliamBuller.

The brooktroutaregorgeouslyarrayedintheirnuptial colors,

and

are as

plump

asgoodfeedingand pure water can

make

them. The milky white marginsof thelower finsare.well contrastedwithnarrowpencilingsofblack, and the sides are aflame with

warm

vermilion. The olive green of the back is closelyvermiculated with lighter markings,and the back fin isrichlyvariegated witholivegreenandvelvetyblack. Thevermilionspots of thesidesareabsorbed in the generalwealthof vivid color.

The rainbowtrout arenot yet atthe

summit

of their beauty,butthecrimson bandsalong thesides

and

head arebeginningtogivepromiseofbrilliancy.

The lake trout are big,

handsome

fishes, although

somewhat

plainin theirsimplelivery ofgray

and

white.

The hybrids, however, are

more

attractivethan

any

of the others, because-of their

known

ancestry and their singular beauty. These trout are

now

five years old. They are theresult of fertilizinglake trout eggswiththe miltofthebrooktrout.

The

history of the experimentsinhybridizationistobefoundinthe report ofthePennsylvaniaFishCommissionfor 1880.

Thelargerofthetwo hybridsisabout 20in. long. It isapparentlyamale, asthe lower

jaw

hasanincipient cartilaginous tip. The end of the upper

jaw

extends behind theeyea distance nearly equal tothe length of thesnout. Thescalesare larger thaninthebrooktrout and aboutaslarge asthose of the laketrout. Thetail fin isforkedaboutasdeeplyasthatofthe laketrout. In shapethehybrid is similar to the laketrout,asalso in the general pattern of coloration; but the verynumerous spotson thesidesare

somewhat

smaller,and'palelemon in colorinsteadof whitish. Thespotsbelowthemiddle lineofthesideshave acenter of orange.

The

finsonthe breast, belly,behindthe vent,andthelower lobe of the tail fin,have abroad white edge. Thefins onthebelly

and

behind the vent are pale vermilion orange. The outer half oftheuppersurface of the breastfins isdusky.

There is ^ji narrow black line limiting the whiteofthe

EXPERIENCE WITH THE STEEL ROD.

EditorForest

and

Stream:

Last seasonItriedaHortonsteelrod

and

formed

some

verydecided opinions, pro and con, in regard to it,

which

may

be of interest not onlyto

many

of your readers,but to themanufactures, who.I believe, invite criticismwith a view to eventually

making

the rod perfect:aconsummationto be earnestly hoped for, as theadvantagesofasatisfactoryrod

made

of

some

kind ofmetalwouldfarexceedthoseofone

made

ofwood.

The

advantages of the Horton rod are its greater strength and durability; its telescoping arrangement which obviatesthe useof ferrulesand

makes

therodas convenient to carryasifbut one piece; therunningof the line through the interior,thereby dispensingwith theinconvenience of guides.

The

defects oftherod,asappeared tome,are,first,its top-heaviness or

want

of proper balance; second, its stiffnessorlackofnecessary pliancy; third the greater friction ofthe line;fourth, rust; fifth, the inevitable wearingoffofthe protective coating

by

therubbing of the surfacesin drawingthe parts outinto positionfor use; sixth,tooshorta space betweenthereeland where thelineenterstherod,

making

it

more

difficultto

draw

thelinefromthe reel.

As

to the

want

of balanceand flexibility,itmay, no doubt,beremedied bygraduallyreducingthe thickness ofthemetalfrom one end totheotherofeach piece. I foundby a testthat thestiffness of the rodwas about twice thatofaHenshall

minnow

rod,andforbait-fishing thatis anunpleasantdifference,whilefor fly-fishing it

wouldnotdoatall.

The

amount

of line friction is,by acareful testwhich

Imade,justdouble thatoftheHenshall rod. This

may

not be objectionable in a fly-rod, but forbait-casting from the reel and

some

other methods,itisout of the question;

and when

thelinebecomeswet,asitmust, the friction is increasedto suchanextent that thelinecan hardly be forcedtorender.

Itisneedlesstotalkofcoatingtherod with anything to prevent rust.

Any

coating—even nickle-plating

—

would soon be

worn

off;especiallyontheinsidebythe attritionoftheline.

The

anglercouldbeprovidedwith somethingtoreplacethecoatingontheoutside,but the insidewouldprobably bebeyondhis reach. Itisimpos- sibletoprevent rust by keepingthe interior ofthe rod dry,because theline

must make

itwet.

In regard to the shortness ofspace betweenthereel and point at which theline enters therodit

may

be merely an individual opinion arising

from

the useof otherrods;butinanycaseitisanobjection

which

isnot withoutremedy.

My

decided opinionisthatfora bait-rod thetelescop- ing systemwill have tobe abandonedandferrulesand guides employed. Both ferrules and guides

may

be soldered on, or the ferrules

may

beputon with cement intheusual

way

andthe guides

may

be ringed. Ringed guidesto slide on and off might beusedwiththetele- scopic plans,butIdo not think thatit would bedesira- ble.

Even

forthefly-rodI

am

^inclinedtothink that it

wouldbebest toadopt the ferrule,notwithstanding the convenienceofthepresentmethod. Ifbest toadhereto the telescopicmethod,orindeedinanycase,

why

would

itnotbebetter to

make

therodofbrass?

Ipresent theseviewstothe considerationof practical anglers,hoping that they

am

sufficiently interested in the successofametallicrodtogivetheiropinion ofwhat

Ihavesaidandalsoanyideasof their own.

Splasher.

"THE COMPLEAT ANGLER."

THE ONE HUNDREDTH

EDITIONOF

WALTON AND

COTTON.

THE

scholarly angler,aswellasthe scholar

who

isnot an angler, takes great delightin tine editions of Izaak

Walton

and hisyounger companion,Charles Cot- ton,

who

issometimescalled"the fatherof fly-fishing."

A

modestangling book published in

London

in 1653, which has bfen edited by

many

other anglersand been republished in Edinburgh, Philadelphia, Manchester,

New

York, Liverpool, Halifax,

Hamburg and

Boston, until in the pa^tyear it has reacheditsonehundredth edition,

may

trulybecalledaclassic.

In thevolumes

now

beforeus*,

we

havethe most ele- gantreproductionof thisfamous work,edited by oneof themostscholarly anglersoftheday,in demiquartoon largepaper, which hasyet been issued. Theeditionis strictly limited to 500 copies,each of which bears the autograph signature of Mr. R. B. Marston, the editor.

Tne volumesareinboards,withuncutedges,suitablefor rebinding insuchstyle astheowner

may

prefer,andthe

American

copiesare inthehandsofMessrs.Dodd,

Mead

& Company, New

York.

Theplanof

making

the illustrationsof scenes onthe rivers Lea

and

Dove, where

Walton

chiffly fished, has been carried out,and they are gems, whether

we

con- siderthe full-pagephotogravures or the smaller

wood

*TbeLea and Doveedition,being the 100theditionofThe Com- pleatAnglerortbeContemplative Man'sRecreation,beingadis- course ofrivers, fishponds,fish,and fishins writtenby Izaak Walton, andinstructionshowtoangle foratroutorgrayling in a clear stream,byChas.Cotton—editedandarrangedbyR. B.

M&rsHin, editorofthe FishingGazette,honorarytreasurerofthe Ely- Fishers'Clubetc.,withfifty-tourphotogravuresand about one hundredwoodcuts-andeontaiuingareprintofTheChronicle of the CompleatAngler,a Biographical Record ofitsvarious editionsandimitatims, byT.WestwoodandTSatchell. Intwo volumes. London:Sampson Low,Marstoa, Se^rleandRivtngtoo, Limited. Bt.Dunetan's House, Fetter Lane,E, C, 1888,