Tusker
Used loosely for a well-grown boar.
Underhand thrust.- [See SPEAR.] PIGEONS. - PIGEON FLYING.
Homing pigeons, under various disguises, such as Antwerps, Skinnums, Longfaced Beards, Horsemen, &c., have been known, in this country at any rate, since the publication of Moore's Columbarium early in the eighteenth century. The homing instinct is common to all the varieties of the pigeon, and goes right back to the fountain head, the half domesticated blue rock. In the fancy varieties, the breeding for points purely has tended to decrease the homing instinct, whereas the homing fancier heeds not the colour of the eye or shape of bill or wattle; his one idea has been to intensify "the homing qualities" of the parents, and in this way only the best performers have been used for stock purposes. It has been a game of the "survival of the fittest," and the pigeon of great homing capability has been produced. The flight feathers are long and wide, the webs of the feathers overlapping, while the skull is moderately short, wide at the base and across, and furnished with a strong short bill. The eye may be of any shade, from white to red, though deep red is the most common, and the colour of the plumage may be anything from white to black, though the prevailing colours are undoubtedly blues, or reds with blue or black checkering, the self colours of white or black being the rarest.
The homing pigeon, like all the other varieties, is a product of human patience and skill, and, it has been said, derives its strength of wing from the dragon, and its height of flight from the cumulet, a highflying Belgian variety. In Belgium, the home undoubtedly of the homing pigeon, it may be stated that there are two great divisions of the breed. These are the Antwerp type, which is the one above described, with the size throughout exaggerated, and the Liège type, which is finer in build generally, save that the wing power is retained, while the skull is shorter and rounder. Some of the finest long distance performances have been accomplished by these little "messengers of Liège," and the British fancier has for some time been importing the Liège type as a cross with what may be called, for want of a better term, the Antwerp type. The result is apparent, for the homing pigeon of to-day is finer in body form than it was many years ago. It may be said that the Belgian fancier has proceeded on the same lines, and we think the result has been to produce a bird distinct in itself as a variety, more pleasing to the eye than formerly, and without sacrifice of stamina or speed.
The history of long distance flying in this country may be soon told. Before the introduction of the telegraph, the pigeon was used almost exclusively as a messenger for conveying commercial intelligence, and many of the large houses had lofts especially devoted to bringing news of the ebb and flow of the markets. The distances over which these messages were conveyed did not exceed fifty miles, though some of the firms had birds capable of flying from London to Lancashire, which was considered a notable fly fifty years ago. It is a historical fact that the news of the victory of Waterloo was, by means of a pigeon post, in the hands MR. OSMANS RED CHEQ. COCK, "FORLORN HOPE."
Flown from Thurso, 500 miles, twice; Lerwick, 600 miles, twice. of a private firm many hours before the Government knew the result of the battle.
The telegraph killed the homing pigeon as messenger for commercial purposes, though it is interesting to record that the progeny of these birds are doing good work a [PIGEONS in the races of to-day. It was, however, through the Siege of Paris, when the city was shut in on every side, that the world at large became really aware of what the "MEALYCOCK," A NOTED STOCK BIRD. homing pigeon was capable. Mr. W. B.
Tegetmeier was the first to introduce pigeon flying on a popular basis into England by organising two flights of Belgian birds, each numbering many hundreds, from the Crystal Palace, as long ago as June 24th and September 4th, 1871, and was one of the first to import, for stock purposes, the very cream of the Belgium lofts. The United Counties Club was formed about 1880, under which the larger part of England was divided into competing districts, and the era of long distance racing began. It is interesting to record that the south-eastern was the route first adopted, viâ Dover and Arras to Paris.
There are now clubs in every town and village in the United Kingdom flying long races, and the number of birds in training amounts to hundreds of thousands. The Homing Pigeon Fancy, as it exists to-day, is not in any way associated with public house sweeps of, say, one mile to three miles; the shortest race of the majority of clubs is about seventy miles, extending, with intermediate races, up to a final point of 400 to 550 miles. The three clubs in this country with the largest membership are the National Flying Club, the Manchester Flying Club, and the Central Counties Flying Club. In London there are about one hundred strong clubs and a similar number in Liverpool. Some idea of the extent to which pigeon flying is prac- PIGEONS] tised may be deduced from the facts that over one million young birds are entered and marked annually, and that the aggregate losses in training and racing amount to TYPE OF THE SHOW HOMER. quite 100,000 a year. Many of these are killed by hawks, others are shot, accidentally or maliciously, but the majority are lost, and of these numbers join the flights of other flying men, and their arrival is reported in The Racing Pigeon, a London journal devoted to the sport. The best routes to fly are the northerly or southerly, and experience has proved that easterly winds are to be avoided as far as possible. In addition to the club races, several clubs band themselves together under the name of federations and combines, and thus we find from one to eight thousand birds competing in a race.
So unwieldy did the fancy grow that it was found necessary to have a governing body at the head of affairs, and hence at the end of 1896 the National Homing Union was formed, of which Mr. J. W. Logan was president, and Mr. Plackett the secretary.
The rules of the Union were drawn on the lines of those of the Jockey Club, and in fact the Union is the Jockey Club of pigeon flying. There are more than 1,000 clubs enrolled under the Union representing an individual membership of over 20,000. The sport has now become very popular in most of our Colonies.
In dealing with the instinct of the homing pigeon, little can be given in explanation.
It is an enigma which possibly will never be unriddled. It has been put down to a mysterious sixth sense, to a love of home, to marvellous sight, &c., but the fact stands out that if a number of birds were taken without having been previously trained at VOL. III intermediate stages and tossed at, say, 100 miles, not a bird would find its loft again; whereas, if carefully trained up to about 250 miles, the birds may safely be jumped another 250 miles over strange country. If the weather is favourable, a large percentage will be in their lofts again the same day. This would point to the fact that education plays the important part, but, over and above all, the pigeon possesses some unexplained power of orienting itself, and so striking on the line for home. It is capable of explanation also by the gregarious character of the pigeon and the undoubted fact that when a large number of birds are tossed together for a long flight, those to whom the immediate country is strange keep company with those which know the way until they descry familiar objects.
This leads to the speed of the homing pigeon, and a moment's consideration will show that the speed of flight must depend on the direction and the force of the wind.
It is quite a common occurrence for pigeons to fly over a mile a minute for long distances with a strong favouring wind, and the season of 1910 stands out prominent in the many velocities recorded of over 1,800 yards a minute. The races, however, that want winning are those flown against a head wind, the winning bird flying 700 to 800 yards a minute. These are the races that bring out RED CHEQUER COCK, A NOTED SCOTTISH WINNER. stamina, and in which blood and condition tell a tale.
The ambition of the Fancy is to fly over 500 miles in the day, but it is apparent, if this is to be done, that wind and weather must be favourable for the entire journey.
It is therefore much easier to fly 550 miles on a favourable day than 200 against a head wind on a bad day. The 500 miles in the Y day has often been accomplished on the Continent and in America, and in 1896 several birds flew from Thurso to London in the day, the winner actually covering 1,454 yards per minute for the entire journey of 501 miles. In 1897 the La Rochelle and one or two other Clubs, flying on the same day, flew from Marennes, in the south-west of France, about 500 miles in the day, many birds accomplishing from 1,000 to 1,300 yards a minute. The longdistance English record was made i.. 1909 by Dr. Barker's True Blue, which flew from Mirande, in France, to Clitheroe (Lancashire), 726 miles 1,691 yards, at a velocity of 838 yards per minute. The two longest distances flown in the day from the North and South respectively were by Mr. Lulham, from Lerwick (Shetland) to London, 605 miles 920 yards, velocity 1,153 yards a minute, and by Mr. Orchardson, from Bordeaux to Ford (Lancashire), 613 miles 1,100 yards, velocity 1,203 yards.
The Fancy, we think, should finish its season at about 450 miles. This distance has been, and can be, accomplished in the day against a head wind, and it is doubtful if 600 ever will. The conclusion of the matter is, that no distance should be attempted that cannot be accomplished in the day against a head wind. Pigeons have returned from a 1,000 miles, but this is not sport, but cruelty.
Before wireless telegraphy was discovered and adapted to every-day requirements, there was a recognition of the value of the homing pigeon as an accessory to military and naval operations. On the Continent we find France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, and other countries with hundreds of military lofts and thousands of trained birds. In the Boer War pigeons rendered great services, and in the military manœuvres in 1910 Lieut. Bertrand Stewart reported that they were most valuable accessories, notwithstanding wireless telegraphy.
A few words in answer to the question, "How to start a loft?" There is no need whatever to go on importing birds from Belgium. We have as good birds in England as ever flew in Belgium, and, given Continental weather, there is no doubt whatever that our performances in longdistance racing compare favourably with anything done in Belgium. We should advise purchasing half a dozen pairs or so of squeakers of the best blood. If these are taken away early enough, they may be easily used to a new loft. As regards the loft, any room will answer the purpose provided it is dry, sweet, and free from draught. [PIGEONS The homer is of the hardiest nature, and does not want coddling in any way. There must, however, be no overcrowding, and cleanliness of water fountains, food, and loft is an essential. The food varies according to the season. Good sound barley is the best food during the moulting season and to the end of January. The birds may then be put on to a mixture of tares, peas, dari, &c., and this may be continued to the end of April, when they go into the training baskets, after which old peas and tic beans are the strongest and most sustaining food.
The life of a homing pigeon as regards racing may be briefly put as follows:-At twelve weeks old it may be taken a mile from home, and this may be increased to three miles the next day, and so by stages of six, twelve, twenty-five, fifty, and seventy-four miles. The last would be about the first race point. The birds should not be sent on every day, but allowed a day or so to rest, especially if they should have met with bad weather. From the seventyfour miles it would be jumped to the next race point, say, in seven days after to ninetysix miles, and so to 124, 154, and 200 miles. It will seem by this that a bird under twenty weeks old would have flown over 600 miles in races alone. This is what many birds do, but it is perhaps forcing matters too far.
The racing season is then over for the year, and the following year the bird will go over the same ground again and on to, say, 250 miles; though some few birds go through to 350. In the fast race from Marennes several yearlings flew over 520 miles and were well up in the prizes. For long distance work, the third to fifth season is undoubtedly the best, though birds have been known to work well for nine or ten years, and in some rare cases to much older.
In conclusion, the training of the homing pigeon is a most fascinating pastime, and, granted a real love of animals to begin with, and sufficient time to study the birds and to attend to their training and feeding, there is no reason why success should not follow one's efforts.
E. TEGETMEIER. “ PIGEON SHOOTING.-Wood Pigeons. - Though perhaps the least organised" of all forms of shooting, there is no better or more difficult sport than is afforded by the wild pigeon. The natural shyness of the bird combined with its rapid flight and quickness of eyesight make the sport a severe test of the shooter's field craft and accuracy.
Most shooters who have lived for any length of time in the country are familiar with the method of waiting for pigeons in PIGEONS] the dusk of the short days, but for the benefit of the young sportsman a few words on the subject may not be amiss. About an hour before dark the shooter should betake himself to one of the coverts which he will have observed that pigeons most frequent at roosting time. This will generally be found to be a wood with a fringe or a clump of spruce or Scotch fir.
He should then place himself in a position where he has ample room to see the incoming birds and to swing his gun. It is essential that his clothing should be as far as possible correspondent with the trees and shrubs near which he is standing. Occasionally position may be taken up outside especially if pigeons are in large numbers about the district. The pigeons get into flocks from the beginning of the winter months, but where pheasants are preserved it is as well not to disturb the coverts at roosting time until after the shooting is over. A peculiar fascination for the outdoor man about this kind of shooting is the life of the woods, which he has an especially good opportunity of observing. As will be gathered from the foregoing remarks, it is essential to keep quiet while waiting, and the quieter the sportsman keeps, the more natural will be the appearance and sound of the wood to the approaching flock. Thus, though a long wait may sometimes be neces- NOON TYPE OF PIGEON SHOOTING GUN. the coverts where a convenient hedge gives the necessary concealment. But in all cases it should be remembered that a pigeon is extraordinarily quick to see any figure, and that white cuffs, collars, or lightcoloured clothing should be particularly avoided. As the evening draws in, the pigeons will arrive in flocks, and if the shooter has placed hmself judiciously and is quick with hand and eye, splendid sport may be obtained as the pigeons swing over the wood. A high wind is a great advantage, for it deadens the report of the gun, and also carries the pigeons overhead more rapidly, and consequently lessens their powers of observation. At the same time, of course, it materially increases the difficulty of the shooting. It is a good plan to arrange with neighbouring sportsmen and farmers an evening for pigeon shooting. With a gun in each covert, the flocks will be driven from wood to wood, and a large number of pigeons may be shot.
Farmers are never sorry to take a hand, [By courtesy of Messrs. Lang. sary, and even end in disappointment, the shooter may train his observation and incr crease his knowledge of wild life with great advantage to his skill as a sportsman and shot.
Besides this method of shooting pigeons, a somewhat more elaborate course may be pursued. The shooter in this case must sally forth in the early morning to where he knows that beech mast or acorns are lying in profusion, taking with him two or three decoy pigeons, which are described hereafter. These should be placed in a convenient tree near the ground most frequented by the birds, among the top branches if possible, and always facing head to wind. He should then conceal himself, relying probably to some extent upon the colour of his clothing, at a little distance, say, fifty yards or so, from his decoys. An artificial screen of boughs, &c., will not deceive any but the most unsophisticated pigeon, and it is better to rely on the shelter of a tree. The pigeons that come to feed Y 2 will be attracted by the decoys, and will swoop in their flight preparatory to settling head to wind. A high wind will assist the sportsman in the same way as when he is waiting for the birds at dusk-in fact, in this case is almost essential.
Pigeon shooting from cliffs is also another form of the sport which, though little practised, affords excellent variety and difficulty of shot. The blue rock pigeon, which frequents caves and cliffs, is frightened out by the sportsmen rowing to the mouths of the caves and making a noise. The pigeons then rush out in large numbers with rapid, twisting flight over the head of the gun, who will generally find that it takes all his skill to account for them, placed as he is in a rocking boat. Occasionally also guns are stationed on the top of the cliffs, and the downward shot combined with the twisting birds will be found none too easy, especially if the cliffs be high.
A few words are necessary upon the matter of decoy pigeons. Stuffed pigeons may be used, and if so should be fitted down each leg with copper wire projecting a foot or more beyond the claws, so that they can be fixed to branches and twigs of a tree.
As soon, however, as one or two birds have been shot, they can readily be used as decoys by propping their heads up with a small forked stick stuck in the ground, and letting their bodies rest on the breast-bone, with the wings closed. Freshly killed birds are better, as a rule, than stuffed, as the latter tend to become untidy, and get spoilt by the wet. Another excellent method of mounting birds as a decoy is to cut out a diamondshaped piece of wire-netting long enough for the point to be beneath the chin of the bird to support the head, and the opposite point beneath its tail, and wide enough for the two points to meet over the bird's back to hold the wings in place. It will be found that birds thus mounted tend far less to become untidy.
Finally, as to the way in which to kill pigeons. The shooter should always bear in mind that the vulnerable spot of a pigeon is the chin. One pellet in the chin will kill a bird at a distance when half the charge elsewhere in the body, especially on the breast, will only serve to turn him over in the air and leave him unhurt. In this sport the first-class shot naturally has an immense advantage, but it is essential, too, that he should be a thorough sportsman; the discomfort is sometimes great, the disappointment frequent, but we venture to say that there is no better training for hand, eye, and ear than the pursuit of the pigeon.
N. D. G.
PIGEONS Trap Shooting. The difficulty of defending pigeon shooting from the imputation of cruelty is scarcely lessened by the reflection that its claim to be considered as a sport rests rather on the element of skill required in its exposition than upon the higher qualities of daring, or hardihood. There exists, indeed, a very wide feeling of prejudice against it among a large class of people, and not perhaps without reason; yet, in spite of the sentiment that underlies this prejudice, the sport of pigeon shooting still retains a hold upon certain section of sportsmen in this country, and as a test of skilful shooting it a Henry Stannard BLUE ROCk. affords the most ample and undeniable opportunities for the display of first-class marksmanship.
It is conceded by authorities that pigeon shooting is perhaps the fairest method by which the relative skill of two guns in shooting on the wing may be decided. The conditions of the test equalise the chances of everybody, and there is room for neither foul play nor favour.
The method of procedure is this: There are five traps arranged at a certain equidistance from the peg at which the gun (or shooter) is stationed, and each trap is placed five yards from its neighbour, the whole five thus forming the arc of a circle of which the gun is the centre. A bird is placed in each trap, and to each trap is attached a wire communicating with an iron case, which stands about thirty-five yards from the trap, behind the gun. Inside this case ca there is concealed a mechanical arrangement of springs, working on a cogwheel, set in motion by a disc inserted by the shooter, to which in turn are attached the necessary wires. Behind the gun a man stands, whose duty it is to pull a lever at a given word.
Directly this lever is pulled, the cog-wheel operates upon the springs in such a way as to release immediately one of the five traps, PIGEONS but which one of the five neither the man who pulls, nor the gun, nor indeed anybody else, can form the least idea before the actual fall of the trap itself.
It can be seen at a glance how favourably this modern method of freeing the bird Henry Standard TRAP SHUT. contrasts with the old one, which consisted in the casting of dice behind the gun, each die bearing the number of one of the traps to be pulled. It was not impossible for the number of the trap to be thus communicated to the gun in a stage whisper at the moment of pulling the string. That contingency is by the present system absolutely nullified.
The centre trap is usually considered the easiest one from which to kill your bird, since the eye is always kept directed in the first instance to the centre trap, in order that the field of vision embraced by the arc of the traps may be best commanded. Consequently a bird issuing from the centre trap involves no readjustment of the eye, and affords a more immediate target.
The distance from the peg to the traps varies from twenty-two to thirty-one yards, according to the qualifications of the competitors, and handicapping is arranged by diminishing or adding to this distance.
Matches are usually made for money, and although the most unscrupulous elements of bookmaking are fortunately absent as a rule from these meetings, there are frequently large sums of money at stake, and thus considerable nerve is often required on the part of the shooters.
The favourite method of determining the relative merits of shooters is by means of a sweepstake, in which perhaps a dozen guns may take part. This leads to more general and sustained interest than a match between two individuals only, and at the same time the claims in dispute are settled with equal conclusiveness and satisfaction.
In shooting off a sweepstake of this character, each competitor first shoots at his five birds. Should any of the competitors after the fifth round be found to tie in respect of the birds killed, it is usual for such competitors to shoot singly (that is to say, at one bird only) till one of them misses his bird, whereupon he is ruled out of the match. This continues until two competitors are left. The first who then succeeds in killing the winning bird (i.e., one bird more in the same number of shots than his adversary) wins the sweepstake, unless they agree to divide it without shooting.
A boundary of about sixty yards from the centre trap is allowed for the bird to drop in, after being hit; but the distance of this boundary need not be arbitrarily fixed, various clubs affecting various distances.
Within the boundary the bird must be retrieved, or else it does not count to the gun; should the bird fall within the allotted boundary but succeed in fluttering beyond it, even though it lie dead a yard on the other side, it must be counted a "lost bird." Moreover, a bird that has once been out of the bounds must be scored a "lost bird."
Except the shooter whose turn it is, no other gun is allowed to fire at a trapped bird. It sometimes happens that a bird, on being freed from the trap, will not rise on the wing, but walks away from the trap; it is then the shooter's option to take the bird or not, as he likes; but, if he declines it, he must call out "No bird" immediately, and another pigeon is thereupon substituted in its place. If, however, the bird has once risen, it is too late for the shooter to refuse it. It is not permissible to shoot at a bird until it is on the wing; but the shooter Henry Slannard TRAP OPEN. having fired his first barrel at the bird while on the wing, is allowed to fire his second barrel at it even though it be on the ground.
This is a very important rule, as the bird may rise again and drop out of boundary, دو 'and is too often disregarded by less informed guns. A bird that is shot at on the trap, or on the ground, with the first barrel, is a "no bird" if killed, and a "lost bird if it escapes. Unless he kill with his first barrel, the shooter must not leave his position until both barrels have been discharged: should he do so after the first barrel and then return to his mark, he is not allowed to fire his second barrel at all.
After taking up his position at the mark (directly opposite the middle trap), the shooter, when he is ready, calls out "Pull." The man in charge of the apparatus thereupon pulls the lever, and one of the five traps is instantly liberated and the pigeon flies out. The pigeons are kept in a kind of hamper, technically termed a "pigeon flat," and from this hamper, or pigeon flat, the man who is in charge of the trap (technically the "trapper") selects a bird, carries it to the " sprung trap" (i.e., the trap from which the bird has just been expelled, and which lies flat), and there imprisons it to wait its turn, which may, of course, be at the next pull of the lever.
Should the trap be pulled before the shooter calls "pull," he may refuse to take the bird, but in this case he must not fire at it; should he fire and miss, he cannot then demand another bird on the plea that he was not ready. [PIGEONS chance is a very poor one when only thirty yards divide the pigeon from the cartridge of an unerring marksman.
The character of domesticity which, further, clings round this class of bird renders it doubly an object of commiseration, and the reflection that a large percentage of the pigeons consigned to the pigeon flat are not killed at all, but are doomed to drag out a maimed existence, is one that causes a grave feeling of doubt whether after all the sport has sufficient counter-balancing advantages to justify its encouragement.
Types of Pigeon for Use. The pigeon m most in request at these matches is the small Lincolnshire blue rock pigeon, since it is the quickest on the wing and the sharpest flying bird for trap shooting. The ordinary tame, fan-tail pigeon is at once too heavy and too slow for this purpose. The flight of the pigeon and the flight of game are appreciably different, and it is obvious that in pigeon shooting judgment of distance (one of the most important features in successful field shooting) is scarcely called into requisition at all. Equally obviously, the practised snap shot in the field has immense advantage in shooting at the traps. an Method of Shooting. -In "trap shooting" the object of the crack shot is to bring down his bird as near to the trap as pos- From this short summary of the techni-sible for the further it flies from the trap calities of the sport, it may be seen that pigeon shooting is not without its exacting conditions, and that for a man to hope to win fame as a pigeon shot, he must possess at least coolness, quickness, and readiness of resource. In comparison with the less artificial forms of shooting, it cannot be urged that pigeon shooting should be expected to rank high as a sporting pursuit; but none the less it is a form of marksmanship in which only the possessor of an eye trained by long apprenticeship to the many vicissitudes of shooting in general need ever expect to excel, although the sudden demand made upon one's resources by the unexpected whirr of a pheasant or partridge rising without warning from unanticipated quarters is not experienced in the tamer sport, where the battue is prescribed by the limits of a line of plainly visible traps.
Moreover, there must always exist a lingering prejudice in the breasts of sportsmen against the annihilation in cold blood of either birds or beasts to whom is not given a fair and equal chance of escape; and though it may be contended that the pigeon in the trap is offered its reasonable chance of escape by the opening caused by the trap falling flat, it cannot be denied that that the stronger its flight becomes, and consequently the more difficult becomes the shot. When the bird instantly directs its flight in a straight line away from the shooter, it is a maxim with experienced guns to "hold well over your bird"; that is to say, the shooter instead of firing direct at the bird will invariably aim a little over it (i.e., above it), so that the shot may catch the pigeon as it rises in its flight. The necessity for this becomes apparent when we add that the tendency of the bird is to rise immediately on leaving the trap, and to continue to rise for some distance afterwards. As a rule, guns are now made to shoot a little high, in order to assist the shooter in this direction.
On the other hand, in the case of a bird flying directly towards the shooter on leaving the trap, the gun, especially if a novice, is apt to shoot under his bird. An experienced shot, however, will not permit himself to be taken unawares. When the pigeon flies towards him he will take it as a driven shot, and if he gives sufficient lead, will kill.
There is no doubt that a pigeon adopting this line of flight becomes a very puzzling bird to deal with. Should the bird present a crossing shot, the shooter will, of course, PIKE] treat it in the same way as, say, a partridge flying in like manner.
Choice of Ground. - In selecting the venue for a match, the chief point to be considered is open space; it is advisable to choose the flattest ground, and the further from a house or a road, the better. Trees should, if possible, be sedulously avoided in the vicinity of the traps, and a clear, unhampered stretch of distance beyond is of incalculable advantage in providing a good sight" for the shooter. Wire netting usually forms the boundary. 66 Guns and Powders. In pigeon shooting a twelve-bore gun is generally used, with both barrels fully choked, and chambered for cartridges. Occasionally, guns for 3 in. are made. Its weight, about 7 to 8 lb., is in excess of a game gun, this being necessary in the first place to enable it to bear the strain to which it is subjected, and, secondly, to afford a minimum of recoil, and thus enable the shooter to retain his equilibrium after the discharge of the first barrel. Most shooters adopt 6's or 7's shot, though some few prefer to use "number eights" in their first barrel.
The regulation charge of shot is limited to one ounce and a quarter, but there is no restriction with regard to powder.
Of powders, nitro powder is the best for the purpose, for it is clean, smokeless, of penetrating force, and allows a quick sight to be taken for the second barrel if the bird be missed with the first.
The Trap. The trap in which the pigeon is concealed is shaped like a box, three of the sides being made of sheet iron, and the front one having openings like a cage, so that the bird is enabled to enjoy a full view of the country before it, but none of the gun behind. Thus, directly the trap is pulled and falls flat to the ground, the liberated bird is instantly off in any direction that it may have chosen for its flight.
HENRY STANNARD.
THE TATE LIBRARY, BRIXTON, S.W. delight, discovered that it was a very fine specimen of the pigmy hog (Sus salvanius).
The pigmy hog is blackish-brown, irregularly shaded with dirty amber; iris hazel; nude skin, dirty flesh-colour; hoofs glossy brown. Length-snout to vent, 26 inches; tail little more than I inch.
Height-10 inches. Weight-7 to 10 lb., rarely 12 lb. The young are striped like the ordinary little ones of the wild pigs.
There is no mane, but the general pelage is ample, and there is a moustache-tuft.
The false molars are compressed, and the face is proportionally less long than in the boar. The female has only six mammæ, and the tail is not so long as the hair of the rump. The full-grown males live constantly with the herd, which consists of from five to twenty individuals, and are its habitual and resolute defenders against harm. These pigs eat roots, bulbs, &c., and also birds' eggs, insects, and reptiles. The female has a litter of from three to four young ones.
F. T. POLLOK.
PIKE. -The pike is the largest and most voracious of the purely fresh-water fish found in these islands. His shape, as will be seen from the illustration, is admirably suited for piercing a way through the weedbeds and rushes, among which, as a rule, he makes his home. The colour of his back and sides-green with yellow markings - harmonises with his surroundings, and, no doubt, in a large measure serves to hide him from the smaller fish on which he preys.
The roof of his mouth literally bristles with small teeth, which are hinged to work one way only, yielding to food in its passage down the capacious throat, but readily opposing exit therefrom. Along the edges of the lower jaw are long sharp teeth which can inflict a very nasty wound.
Local Names. The name pike" is, no doubt, derived from the old English word meaning pointed, or peaked, in allusion to its shape. Jack Pike, John Pike, [CLAY PIGEON SHOOTING. -See Luce, and Pickerel are names rarely heard SHOOTING.] PIGMY HOG. Here and there in the Dooars I sometimes came across a sounder of tiny hogs without encountering any large ones near, and came to the conclusion that they were squeakers who had lost their parents. I never fired at one, until my last trip, and then, there being a scarcity of food, I went into an island in the bed of the Manass to shoot hog deer. I shot several deer and a boar as large as a big hare, but, noticing that it had tusks and was very savage, I examined it, and, to my nowadays, except the last mentioned, which is only used in America, where it is the popular name for Esox reticulatus. In America, I may mention, there are considered to be four species of the genus Esox - namely, Esox nobilior, or Muskalonge (also known as Lucius maskinonge); Esox lucoides, the Great Northern Pickerel, or Pike; Esox reticulatus, the Common Pickerel, and Esox fasciatus, the Pickerel of the West, which does not often reach a pound in weight, while the pickerel proper, though sometimes reaching 6 or 7 lb., does not, so it is said, average over 2 lb. It is i quite possible that some of these are local varieties of the same fish. Gedd, and Gade, are terms used in the lowlands of Scotland, while in Northumberland the pike is sometimes called the Gullet, the reason for which will be obvious to anyone who has had occasion to open its mouth to its fullest extent. Haked, another name for the same fish, is occasionally heard in Cambridgeshire. In the southern and midland counties of England this fish mostly goes [PIKE pike weighed only 2 lb., the trout exactly I lb., so that the former was able to swallow a fish half its own weight, and then, still unsatisfied, seize the very large spoon I was using.
Monster Pike. The capture of the big pike crops up regularly. As a rule, the exact weight of the fish is given, but, on inquiry being made, it is equally the rule to find that the fish has not been weighed.
In those cases where it has been weighed PIKE FEEDING. by the name of jack; in fact, on the Thames, the word pike is not often heard.
In Scotland and Ireland, on the other hand, pike is the most common word. Not a few fishermen regard the pike as simply a very large jack, but the words are used loosely.
No creature has been the hero of a larger number of remarkable stories than the pike.
There is probably a soupçon of truth in many of them, but most may only be accepted with caution. When very hungry and very large, this fish will no doubt, at times exhibit extraordinary daring. For one remarkable instance of ferocity I can personally vouch. While fishing with a very large spoon-bait in Lough Derg, I caught a pike which had the tail of a trout sticking out of its mouth. I pulled up the trout, which had only just been swallowed, and had the two fish put in the scales. The Photograph by J. Turner-Turner. with great care, my experience is that the body of the fish has almost invariably been disposed of, in Ireland usually being given to the pigs. In Kenmuir Castle, County Galway, is the head of a pike measuring 9 inches across. The body of the fish when complete is said to have weighed 72 lb.
The following weights and measurements, furnished by Mr. Alfred Jardine, a very successful pike fisher, may be found useful for the purpose of comparison :- A thirty-seven pound pike caught in Buckinghamshire; extreme length 47 ins., length eye to tail 39 ins., length of head 13 ins., girth 25 ins. A thirty-six pound pike; extreme length 46 ins., length eye to tail 38 ins., length of head 12+ ins., girth 25 ins. A thirty-one pound pike, a female in good condition and well-proportioned; extreme length 44 ins., length eye to tail PIKE] 361 ins., length of head II ins., girth 24 ins.
The pike-fisher should certainly carry a spring balance guaranteed to weigh accurately up to 50 lb., especially when fishing remote waters such as one finds in Ireland, Scotland, and Sweden. I shall never cease to regret that a pike I caught in Lough Derg, which measured exactly the same as Mr. Jardine's 31-lb. fish last referred to, was not properly weighed at the time it was caught, for the naturalist who set it up when it arrived in Dublin, some days after its capture, informed me that it weighed only 25 lb. twenty years ago, I could under favourable conditions almost make sure of 5 or 6 brace of good fish in the course of a short winter's day, now yield only three or four jack to the most skilful and patient angler.
In some waters the fish are so harried by anglers that they have no time to grow to any size. They are caught before attaining any considerable weight. But the most important point connected with the preservation of pike is sadly neglected. These fish run up ditches to spawn in the early spring, and an enormous percentage of the spawners are caught by rustics armed with a long pole, at the end of which is a wire SPINNING FOR PIKE FROM A BOAT.
One of the largest fish caught recently was the Cheltenham pike, picked up dead in the reservoir at Cheltenham. The weight was stated to be 60 lb., but on inquiry I found that the fish had not been put in the scales. Its measurements were, however, taken, I hope with accuracy, and the fish has been preserved by a Cheltenham naturalist and is placed in the public library. The following alleged measurements and weights, if carefully compared, afford food for reflection :- Cheltenham pike: Length, 53 or 54 ins.; girth, 23 ins.; weight, 60 lbs., admittedly not weighed, see Field, May 30, 1896.
Lough Romer pike: Length 544 ins.; girth, 25 ins.; weight, 37 lb.
Pike caught by Mr. Jardine: Length, 47 ins.; girth, 25 ins.; weight, 37 lb.
Breeding and Preservation. This is a subject to which anglers who love to catch these fish should pay considerable attention, for good pike-fishing is rapidly getting more difficult to obtain. Rivers in which, noose. The bigger the fish, the more easily it is caught in this fashion. After the spawn is deposited among the weeds, there come the farmer's ducks, and the King's swans, to say nothing of wild fowl, to eat it up; and the marvel to me is that there are any jack left at all. During the fencemonths the ditches require as careful watching as any game preserve. Habits. To come now to the more practical portion of this article, it may be as well first to describe the haunts of the pike at various seasons of the year. The open season commences on June 16th, and the fish will be found from that date and throughout July close to and among weeds and rushes; if in rivers, they prefer a nice stream to dead water. A good many pike, too, are found in weir pools at this time of the year. In fact, wherever roach and other small coarse fish are to be found, there are the jack. In August and September, though they still haunt the reeds and weed-beds, many shift into rather deeper water, but still show a preference for a slight stream. As soon as the weeds have died down, they spread over the river, and spinning is then the most successful way of catching them. With the first flood they cease to be found in mid-stream, and lie close along the banks, at the tails of Gimp-Trace.
Reel-line.
Flat Bullet. 12 inches of Gi.mp.
PIKE LEGER, WITH SINGLE HOOK. 15 inches of Salmon Gut. islands, in eddies, and especially just below the hills on which the reeds have grown during the summer. A very heavy flood will drive them into still backwaters, and in any case they will be found in these soon after Christmas.
Live Baiting. - Live bait may be presented to the fish in two ways: It may be (I) carried down to them by the stream, or cast out to them on float tackle, in which case the lead is above the fish, and between it and the float; or (2) it may be placed on a line without a float, in which case the lead is either at the end of the line, and the tackle is called a Paternoster, or the fish is at the end of the line and the lead is a yard above it, and rests on the bottom, in which case it is called a Leger. I should explain that the various tackles I am about to describe are probably the very best that can be obtained, so far as our present knowledge goes; but I need hardly say that, with cheaper and rougher tackle, good sport is often obtained by competent hands.
Float Tackle. - The best float is that named after the Fishing Gazette. It has a slit in its side through which the line can be passed, and many a time, when the bottom has been too weedy to work the paternoster, I have simply slipped one of these floats over the paternoster tackle and used it as ordinary float tackle with much success. The next illustration shows the two best Snap tackles (the old-fashioned Gorge tackle is altogether out of date).
No. I is used for large baits, or those of average size, while No. 2 is better suited for small baits. For what I may term very small baits that is to say, three inches in length, or less a single hook is best. The [PIKE hook is mounted on gimp of not less than 12 inches in length. This is connected by means of a hook swivel to 1 yards of the stoutest salmon gut. In weedy lakes, where immense fish are likely to be caught, twisted gut may be used, and rather stout gimp, but in most rivers nowadays ordinary salmon gut is quite strong enough, and the hooks may be mounted on 000 gimp. Gimp of the next size larger is termed oo, and the size larger still, o.
Line. The line, or running-tackle, should be solid 8-plait silk, thoroughly well dressed with an oil dressing, and as smooth as possible on the surface. The pike fisher should have nothing to do with lines which contain an inner core, or are hollow, or have so hard a dressing as to crack when bent, or so rough a dressing as to impede the running of the line through the rings.
Reels. For a reel, nothing is better than one 31 inches in diameter, of the Nottingham type, and fitted with either Bickerdyke or Slater guard, to prevent the line from untwisting and getting out of place. It should have an optional check. If made of wood, it should be taken to pieces and well vaselined or painted inside with enamel, to prevent the wood from getting wet and swelling. Not a single steel screw should be used in its construction. I am now using an ebonite reel made somewhat on the Nottingham principle, called the "Simplex," and am inclined to believe it is about the best reel yet made. It has a "Bickerdyke guard, which a slight pressure with the finger turns into a brake on the rim of the reel, by means of which the check can be increased. Other excellent reels deserving of mention are the Silex, Duplex, and Ariel _ the last mentioned so light that a puff of air moves it. دو Rods. The rods should be about eleven feet in length, and should be furnished with 94 BICKERDYKE TOP RING.
BRIDGE RING. three tops of different lengths and degrees of stiffness. The best makers are now turning out such excellent pike-rods that very little advice is necessary on this point.
For material, some anglers prefer greenheart, while others, because of its lightness PIKE and toughness, prefer bamboo, but use greenheart for the top joint. Very important are the rings with which the rod is fitted. These should all be equally large, with an internal diameter of at least inch, and should be fitted with an internal revolving ring of phosphor-bronze. Steel is sometimes used for the purpose, but it is not so good, for it invariably rusts. The ring on the butt next the reel should be of the shape shown in the illustration, and, indeed, this is one of the best shapes for all except the end ring, for which I find nothing better than one of my own inventing, which works on pivots, adapts itself to whatever angle the line makes with the rod, thereby increasing the life of the line considerably. If a fixed ring be used, it should be placed at right angles to the rod, and should, like the others, contain an interior ring of phosphorbronze. As these rings add considerably to the cost of a rod, I should mention I. the set of hooks and rubbed vaseline over twenty yards of the line to make it float, it remains only to adjust the float to its proper distance from the bait, and to cast the tackle out, or let it float down to the fish.
In very clear water the float should be placed so that the bait swims a little below mid-water, unless the depth is considerable, when the baits may swim somewhat nearer the bottom. In thick water the bait should be within a foot of the bottom, or less, or the pike (unless travelling about in search of food) will not see it. 2 SNAP TACKLE. that the well-known snake ring may be used for all rings except the one at the point of the rod and the one next the butt.
For strong tackle the rod should be stiff; for light tackle it may be lissom, to avoid a break when striking a heavy pike, or when the fish makes a sudden rush. But it is not really necessary to have two rods, sufficient alteration in stiffness being effected by simply using the long, medium, or short top. The rod, reel, and line described will do for practically any kind of jack-fishing, but a long rod has its uses, as, for instance, when fishing from the bank over a belt of weeds or reeds.
Baits. The baits which can be used with float tackle are numerous. They include small dace, chub, gudgeon, roach, gold-fish, small carp, and lastly, minnows, which, in very clear, low water, will kill when larger baits are of little use. After having baited [Copyright, T. Upcott Gill.
Casting. - In lakes, streamlets, and backwaters it is necessary to cast out this tackle some distance; and this is done by unwinding a quantity of line on the ground, or floor, of the punt, and then swinging out the float in the direction required, releasing the line, which shoots through the rings and enables the bait to travel in the right direction.
Another plan The which, for this method of fishing, is certainly preferable, as soon as the angler has acquired sufficient skill, is to cast off the reel. To do this, the check is removed from the reel, which is kept from revolving by the first finger of the left hand, which holds the rod below the reel. float, bait, and lead are swung backwards, then forward with some force, and, if the reel is released at the right moment, they fly out over the water, the reel automatically paying out the line. The speed of the reel, however, is apt to increase while the speed of the bait decreases, and, in order that the reel may not overrun, it is necessary, when the float, &c., are halfway to their destination, to check the reel slightly by touching it on the rim with the finger. A good deal of practice is necessary before casting from the reel can be done satisfactorily.
Striking. With the tackle I have men- In tioned, the angler should strike as soon as the float goes under, and the more distant the bait, &c., the harder should be the strike to overcome the elasticity of the line.
After the fish is struck, a reasonable and constant strain should be kept on him until he is in the landing-net, the line being on no account allowed to go slack. The rod should be held as much as possible at an angle of 45°. If the fish makes a sudden rush, the rod should not be yielded to him, i.e., lowered, but the fish should take the line off the reel on which, immediately after the cast, the check has been applied. rivers, unless fishing from the bank, it is not necessary to make a cast of any considerable length, the better plan being to drop the tackle in the water and allow it to be carried down by the stream over the various pike strongholds. In summer time as much water should be fished as possible, letting the bait work along the sides of reed-beds, over submerged weeds, and other likely places. But in winter, when the fish get collected in backwaters and lay-bys, it is often best to wait a considerable time in one place, only shifting the float a yard or two every ten minutes or so. a Paternostering. - Paternostering is very deadly method of catching pike. As a rule, a single hook is used, but the arrangement shown in the illustration is best where the baits run over three inches in length. To use the paternoster with much success requires considerable skill and experience. This tackle is particularly suited for fishing in rather small rivers or in small pools, and generally in rather weedy waters where the line can only be got in here and there through openings among the weeds.
IMPROVED PATERNOSTER HOOK.
BAITED PATERNOSTER. 스 نه It is a good tackle for use in old-fashioned weir-pools, where there are many corners, eddies, and lay-bys. Its use is simple enough, though it requires considerable practice. The lead is swung out pendulum fashion; a few loose yards of line, held in the hand, are released, and the lead and bait dart into the water and sink rapidly to the bottom. Then the rod is held steadily with [PIKE the line taut for two or three minutes.
If there is a fish on the feed a pull may be felt, or, what is more often the case, a gentle shake of the line or a series of little tugs which only suggest the struggles of the bait to be free from the hook. It is very remarkable how quietly a pike will often take a bait on a paternoster, and yet with what vigour they always seize and go off with a bait presented to them on float tackle. If tackle and bait of the size recommended are used, the angler may strike at once; but if he has the large bait on a single hook, it is almost absolutely necessary to allow the pike a couple of minutes to turn the bait and commence swallowing it.
In winter time, when the weeds are down, a paternoster may be used in a somewhat different fashion. Wide reaches of the river may be searched with it by casting out a long distance in the manner I have described for float-tackle, leaving it lying on the bottom for a few minutes, then drawing in half-a-dozen yards, waiting as before, and continuing these movements until all the water has been covered.
Legering for Jack. The object of legering for jack is to fish not only near the bottom, but in such a way that the greater portion of the tackle is hidden from the sight of the fish by being below the line of vision. This tackle is, as a rule, cast out and left for a considerable time in one place. In thick, shallow water, when the fish congregate in an eddy, it is at times very killing; and, paradoxical as it may seem, it will sometimes take jack when every other method fails, owing to the water being exceedingly low and bright. Either the single hook, or the triangle and single hook recommended for the paternoster should be used, according to the size of the baits.
Fishing with Dead Bait (Trolling).- The very ancient method of fishing with dead gorge, termed trolling, is, every true sportsman will be glad to know, rapidly dying out. Not that it involved any absence of skill on the part of the angler, but because the method involves the fish swallowing or gorging the bait before it is landed. Thus every case it has to be killed, whether undersized or not, before the hook can be extracted. Even when not killed, it is so injured that it rarely survives the operation of hook removal. The illustrations show a trolling hook unbaited. The baiting is performed by placing the loop at the end of the gimp attached to the hook in the eye of a baitingin almost PIKE] needle, and passing the needle in at the mouth and out at the tail of the fish. The tail and sometimes the gills of the bait are then bound round with thread. The gimp is next attached to the main line, or, if the line is coarse, to a yard of fine gimp connected with the main line, and the arrangement is complete. The bait is dropped smartly into the water and allowed to sink as rapidly as possible by its own weight nearly to the bottom, and then drawn up sharply twice or thrice and allowed to sink again. Immediately a run is felt, the fish larly when the water is coloured and the fish lie close under the bank.
Spinning. This is certainly the most interesting and sportsmanlike of all the methods enumerated. The hanging of the lead below the level of the line is of the greatest importance to prevent the running tackle from getting twisted by the revolutions of the bait, and kinking. All the swivels should be placed below the lead.
There is nothing better than a double brass swivel immediately below it; and if this works properly, no others are required.
GAFFING A PIKE. is allowed to take the bait and go off with it to its lair, the line being paid out. When five minutes have elapsed from the time the fish has ceased running, it may be considered to have gorged, if it is going to gorge at all, and the double hook being in its entrails, it is easily hauled up to the side of the bank or punt. The method is only permissible in densely weeded places where any other kind of fishing is impossible, or in rivers where pike are not preserved, and it is desirable to kill as many as possible in the interests of other fish. Some years ago, however, I devised a snap trolling tackle. This is cast out and worked in the ordinary way, but, the bait being adorned with two triangles, the angler strikes directly he has a run from the pike. I have killed a good many fish with this tackle, particu- The trace may be of fine gimp or twisted gut; as a rule, I use the latter. Strong salmon gut is excellent for the purpose.
Of artificial baits there are many hundreds, but few better than the Devon minnow, phantom minnow, and spoon. Of spoons, the best are the rather long, shallow variety, half-gilt and half-silvered on both sides.
Small sizes of artificial baits should be used when the water is low and bright. When it is coloured, or on very rough, dark, windy days, large baits may be used. The best natural spinning bait is a bleak which has been toughened for some weeks in spirits of wine, formalin solution, or other preservative. Small dace are almost equally good, and so are sprats, and, for clear water, gudgeon. The use of natural bait required what is termed a flight-that is to say, an arrangement of hooks which, when adjusted to the bait, will so twist the tail of the bait as to cause it to spin. Or the hooks may be connected with a couple of fans or propellers, which are placed at the head of the bait, which then remains straight. The Chapman and the Bromley-Pennell flight of 4 feet Gimp 8000円 8 inches W GORGE TROLLING HOOKS. are, of the two varieties mentioned, the best, though there are many others. I hardly ever miss a pike when using a Chapman spinner, provided the hooks are the right size and shape, and I am able to strike sufficiently hard. The old-fashioned Thames flight, in which a number of triangles are placed in the bend of the fish, involves the loss of a very large percentage of the pike which are run.
Skill in spinning is only to be acquired by practice. The bait may be either cast Thames fashion, or off the reel, Nottingham fashion, as described under the head of "live-bait." On reaching its destination it should be allowed to sink, unless the water is very shallow or weedy, until it reaches about mid-water, and then drawn in with alternate pulls of the line, and draws off the rod, to keep the bait constantly spinning. It is not desirable to draw in the bait faster than is necessary to make it spin and to keep it off the bottom, and the fish should be struck as hard as the tackle will bear. A lissom rod is certainly a mistake for pike-spinning, pleasant as it may be to cast with. In immense lakes, in which the fish are much scattered, the spinning bait is usually trailed behind the boat, success depending on keeping as close as possible to the weeds.
The pike-fly is no fly at all, but a fancy bait made with bright feathers, which the pike possibly takes for a young bird. It [PIKE can be cast, or trailed, in exactly the same manner as a spinning bait, but need not spin. In very shallow, weedy meres it is sometimes worked near the surface, but it is a very clumsy bait for casting, even with a powerful salmon-rod. One of the most successful flies in Ireland is made of the end of a brown calf's tail, and is not a bad imitation of a water rat, for which, no doubt, the pike take it.
So much for the methods of catching pike. When they are caught, no attempt should be made to take out the hook until they have been knocked on the head. Not long ago I invented an improved form of 66 Priest," which contains in the tube forming the handle a capital pike gag to keep the fish's mouth open, and a powerful disgorger to remove the hooks. The gag also acts as a measure to take not only the length, but the thickness of the fish. Out of some waters pike are excellent eating when in their best season, which is from October to the middle of January. If stuffed and baked with a rich gravy flavoured with port wine, many people esteem them for the sake of the gravy and stuffing. They require a liberal basting. Personally, I prefer cutlets of pike, egged, sprinkled with bread-crumbs, and fried in butter. The fish should be cut into cutlets before being cleaned, and cleaning done after the fish is in pieces. Pike-fishing in public waters, and the sale of pike, is prohibited between March 15th BROMLEY-PENNELL FLIGHT. and June 15th following, both dates inclusive. The Act does not apply to the Norfolk Broads. JOHN BICKERDYKE.
Double- and Single-hand Casting from the Reel. - Within the limits of the space at my disposal it is impossible to do more PIKE] than give a general survey of this most interesting and indeed fascinating branch of angling. In England up to within the last ten years or so nearly all casting from a revolving reel was done with the side-swing action and with a doublehanded rod. The "multiplier" reel was invented in England, but although it has always been used here, it has never been in any sense popular like the ordinary "Nottingham" reel or the ordinary trout reel with handle on the revolving side-plate. I think it was the late delightful and most practical writer on angling, Mr. Francis Francis, who almost killed the multiplier when he published his "Book of Angling" in 1867, and advised pospossessors of multipliers to "give them away." Fortunately for me, a schoolfellow followed his advice, and gave me an excellent brass multiplier, which I used in all kinds of fishing for many years. Athough the multiplier is an English invention, it was our American friends who brought it into general use and to its present state of perfection.
It is curious that the practical Americans have adapted the principle of the multiplier (by means of which one turn of the handle gives about three turns to the THE "ROYD" CASTING REEL. tarpon and tuna. It would require pages merely to describe the many ways in which multiplier reels are now made in THE "ILLINGWORTH" HIGH BAIT CASTING REEL.
In fishing competitions where a strong line is not required the "Illingworth" reel has had a wonderful record the last two or three years. Its inventor, Mr. Illingworth, President of the Yorkshire Anglers' Association, has killed salmon with it, and I am informed that very shortly an improved form is to be put on the market, smaller in size, and yet able to take a stouter line; the price is also to be reduced. Anglers who have skill and nerve are enthusiastic over this reel.-R. B. M. This reel is the invention of Mr. Holroyd Smith, the well-known engineer, and is an improvement upon the one he first made. The illustration shows the line being wound in the drum rises and falls as it revolves, securing a criss-cross winding of the line. When casting, the line is released from the hook. Strong lines can be used. An ounce weight can easily be cast over 50 yards. barrel of the reel, or spool, with the line on it) to every description of fresh- and salt-water angling, including that for the greatest game fish in the world, the America and recently in England and France, but they have all two features in common-small diameter of spool or barrel, even when filled with line, and width of barrel, when capacity for holding a long, strong line is required. In the States the demand for "the best possible" in multiplying reels has existed for the best part of a century, and a really good American reel costs up to £5 or more, the cogwheels being made with the same care and skill as those of a watch or clock. I have an American "Shakespeare" multiplier reel which has been used thousands of times, and yet no wear is noticeable. These American reels, whether used with one hand or both, are controlled by delicate pressure of the ball of the thumb on the revolving spool as the line runs out. The reel is placed on the rod in front of the hand-grip when the short 4- to 6-foot casting-rod is used, and in front of or between the two hands when a longer double-hand rod is used. For 15s. or so one can now get a very decent American multiplier, with which many big pike and salmon have been killed, on singlehand 6-foot split-cane rods. I think the time is coming here, as it long ago did in America, when, except for heavy bait casting for sea fishing, only these light singlehand rods will be considered the best form for bait casting. Like all innovations, the new light single-hand style is looked on as toy-work by the old school accustomed to rods and reels weighing pounds as against ounces, but all who have once mastered the new style, with its sweetness and lightness, are not likely to return to the old. The disadvantage of the short rod is only felt, I think, when a longer rod would enable you to lift the line over bushes and other obstructions on the bank of a river which is too deep to wade. The first book describing the American style of single-hand bait-casting was, I think, Dr. Henshall's "Book of the Black Bass," published in 1881. Using the American style of casting with a Hardy Silex reel (since much improved for this work), I described its fascination in pike-fishing, casting a light wagtail bait, some ten years ago. The first salmon-angler to kill salmon with the short single-hand rod from the American reel in this country was Mr. L. J. Graham Clarke some four or five years ago; since then he has every season killed salmon up to 30 lb. on this delicate tackle; more recently Mr.
Schroeder has had great sport with the Lune salmon in the same way, as well as sea-trout and brown trout.
Grasping the little 6-foot or so split cane weighing only perhaps 4 oz. by the cork handle below the reel, which is fixed on the upper side of the butt, you press the thumb on to the line on the reel with the bait hanging a foot or so from the top ring; if the side swing is used, you bring the rod point round until the bait is hanging almost touch- DREADHOUCHT CASTINGREEL CELT OIL 10 THE "METEOR" CASTING REEL. (Made by the Dreadnought Co., Newport, I. of W.) This very fine piece of mechanism has been used with great success by anglers, and also has carried off a great many first prizes at tournaments. The spool only revolves when you cast out, and being of aluminium the lightest weight will move it; the reel is controlled by the spring handle, which is also used in adjusting the tension in preventing over-runs. I have never yet seen a reel with which over-runs are impossible. ing the ground on your left side and well behind; you then swing the bait round with gradually increasing speed until the rod top is as much to the right in front of you as [PIKE: it was to the left behind you at starting.
You keep raising the rod all the time you are making this half-circle, which lifts the bait at the same time that it is gaining im- A THE NEW FARLOW LIGHT-WEIGHT CASTING REEL.
This very ingenious reel is a multiplier, so it winds in rapidly; it is intended chiefly for baits of an ounce and under. The over-run difficulty is provided against by placing a light metal revolving fan, so that it is turned by the spool in the cast; the fan blades strike the air and make a curious little humming sound, and so brings the spool to a standstill, automatically almost; but personally I must say I like to have my thumb on the spool to control it, as the Americans. do. After winding in, to set spool free, the lever A must be pressed down.-R. B. M. petus. Just before the rod stops in its sweep you raise the thumb for an instant from pressing the line coiled on the spool, and the impetus of the bait then pulls the line off the reel; instantly you must press the thumb again on the revolving spool very lightly, and then with a stronger pressure towards the end of the cast, to prevent an overrun. In the overhead cast with the single-hand rod the action is the same, except that you hold the rod with the point straight back over your right shoulder horizontally, the palm side of the hand towards your right ear. Start the cast by dropping the point of the rod towards the ground (merely to get more swing on it), then bring the rod point straight overhead, but stop the action when the half-circle is about complete. Perhaps a clock face will help to explain. Suppose you are standing at VI o'clock, facing III, the rod held horizontally over your shoulder will point to IX (the clock face is supposed to be, say, IO or 12 feet in diameter); to start the cast, you drop the rod point from IX towards VII, and then instantly bring it right overhead, and stop when the point is between I and II, releasing the reel and then skidding or braking with your thumb as before. With the double-handed rod the actions are much the same; you have the reel on the cork handle between the two hands gripping the rod, and use the thumb of the left hand to control the reel. Personally, I find with the double-hand cast that I get a better and PIKE] more certain release by holding the line pressed between the cork handle and the right thumb above the reel; it seems to act THE "CHIPPENDALE" CASTING REEL. (Made by Mr. Miller, 19, New Station Street, Leeds.) This well-made, and of its kind excellent, reel is being considerably improved. The chief drawback (next to the tendency to kink the line already referred to, in all reels in which the line is pulled off a stationary drum) is that, after making a cast, you must get control of the line by hooking it into the guide, or by turning the reel, as in the "Mallocn." This is a drawback in spinning, and I understand a great improvement in this respect is to be added shortly to the "Chippendale."-R. B. M. automatically almost; an old kid thumbstall should be used. Of late years several reels have been made for light and other bait-casting; one of the best and cheapest is Mr. Washburn's "Facile," an improved Nottingham, so light in the drum that a very slight check (obtained by adjusting a screw) is sufficient to prevent overruns at end of cast. Wonderful casting has been done with the Dreadnought Co.'s "Meteor" reel, and with the "Chavagnac," a beautiful French metal multiplier. These are free-spool reels, as are also many American multipliers-i.e., the handles do not revolve in the act of casting, only the spools. Messrs. Farlow and Co. have recently brought out an English multiplier, specially designed for very light bait-casting-1 oz., oz., &c.; it is a free spool, but the latter turns a fan, the idea being that the fan striking the air as it revolves will reduce the momentum when the bait has reached the end of the cast. It is very ingenious, and I am much taken with it; Mr. Hugh T. Sheringham has used it with success for casting a small prawn in salmon-fishing. Mr. Malloch's popular casting reel, in which the line flies off a fixed drum, pivoted for turning to wind in, is too well known to need description. Thousands of salmon, trout, and pike have been killed by its means since 1883, when Mr. Malloch first brought it out. Of late years the very ingenious "Illingworth" reel, recently improved, has been popular with some of our most expert anglers. In it the line also flies off a fixed drum in the cast out; the drum revolves as you wind in, the line being distributed automatically and evenly on it. Mr. Holroyd-Smith has recently improved his reel on the same principle, and there are others, including the excellent "Chippendale" casting reel. But it is impossible to avoid putting a kink into VOL. III lines pulled end-ways off a fixed drum, though by reversing the spin of the bait, by using swivels and leads, the nuisance can be much mitigated.
One of the most successful anglers of the day, Mr. Philip Geen, dispenses with a reel to cast from; he has the line on a reel on his rod, but he carries a tin tray strapped to his side; into this he coils the line, and out of it he casts the bait, using a single-handed short rod, and he has killed hundreds of salmon in this way. After striking a fish he lets him run until the loose line has run through his hand, and then plays him on the reel. I ought to have mentioned that in the "Meteor" and the improved "Silex" the angler controls the reel by pressing a spring, not by means of the thumb or fingers on the line or spool, as with the Nottingham, and with the American multipliers. The Fly and Bait Casting Tournaments of the last thirty years have had very greatly to do with the modern improvements in rods, reels, lines, &c. Only a day or two before these notes were written Mr. A.
Piercy, hon. sec. of the British Amateur HARDY'S NO. 2 IMPROVED "SILEX" REEL.
This casting reel is made in various sizes, and is a great favourite with all who spin for salmon, pike, and other fish. The reel runs with a slight check on it or perfectly freely, according as you adjust a screw; it is then controlled by the spring lever at the side. Fly and Bait Casting Club, using a small "Silex" reel, cast the quarter-ounce bait over 42 yards, using the side swing and a single-hand 6-foot rod. Small salmon flies have been cast yards farther, but only by using a heavy line and a 16- or 18-foot rod.
One of the best and most practical fishing as well as casting reels is Messrs. Hardy's improved "Silex No. 2." In conclusion, as I said before, I have only been able to glance at this most fascinating subject; Z an ounce of practice is worth a pound of theory, and I can strongly advise all anglers who wish to learn the most modern methods of fly and bait casting to join the club just referred to; it has a ground with water for practice and tournaments, and expert members ready to impart information for the love of the thing. R. B. MARSTON.
Measurements, &c. -Length of head 3 to 4, of caudal fin 6, height of body 61 to 7 in the total length. Nostrils large, and nearer the orbit than the end of the snout.
Numerous glandular orifices on the head.
Teeth none on the maxillary; large ones and of unequal sizes on the mandibles; present on the vomer and palatines, the inner row of which are the larger, more or less strong and depressible; also fine ones on the tongue. Fins-the dorsal is situated in the last fourth of the total length (excluding the caudal fin), and slightly in advance of the origin of the anal. Pectoral placed low down and below the subopercle.
The ventral slightly behind the middle of the total length (excluding the caudal fin).
Caudal emarginate or slightly forked.
Scales-small, present on the cheeks, upper portion of the opercle, and over the body.
Lateral-line-nearly straight. Colours or when in the greatest perfection, of a green colour, becoming lighter on the sides and beneath; numerous yellow blotches, spots, or lines along the head and body; dorsal, anal, and caudal fins of a light ground colour with irregular blotches, spots, and bands of dark. When out of season, the green becomes of a grey hue, and the yellow markings pale or white.
Day, Fishes of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. ii., p. 140.
Bibliography. - The Book of the Pike (1865), by C. Pennell; Angling for Pike (2nd ed., 1897), by John Bickerdyke; Pike and Perch (1897), by Alfred Jardine. [PIKE chiefly with the Salmonidæ, and the greatest success has been achieved with the indigenous fresh-water trout (Salmo fario). Very rapid strides have been made in the re-stocking of depleted waters, and the knowledge gained by experience has been of such practical value that somewhere about thirty trout farms are now established throughout the country.
Salmon and trout both seek the head waters of our rivers and streams at spawning time. Here they find pure water and clean gravel in which to deposit their eggs.
Freedom from pollution is one of the first essentials which is of importance to the FIG. 1. pisciculturist, and so he carefully filters the water used during the process of incubation.
A useful filter which was employed for many years is shown in Fig. 1.
Half-adozen frames covered with flannel or other suitable fabric are fitted into a box through which the water passes. These may be readily removed and cleaned when required.
As hatching operations were extended and a greater volume of water was required, it A B C D W.L.
PISCICULTURE. - This art was well known to the Ancients, but their knowledge of the subject seems to have been entirely lost. It is now a little more than a century (A) being the finest, and the lower (C) being the coarsest. DD, parsince the artificial propagation of fishes was rediscovered. During the last two or three decades of that period the discovery has been turned to good practical account, and the work and knowledge of fish culture has made rapid strides.
Though very valuable marine pisciculture is being carried on at various stations on the coast, this must for some years to come be regarded as experimental. In Britain the modern pisciculturist is concerned FIG. IA.