Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1869-04-02

| their nldlng places! Iney kuo" VINO
we are now, and what we have come for,
as well as If they had made US.
was once walking around Seth
Green's trout ponds, with Seth by my
side, throwing food to the trout with a
paddle, making all sorts of fierce motions
at them. The trout came right up TO
the bank and followed Seth around like
a flock of sheep after farmer with his
dish of salt; and as they saw the move
ment of the paddle toward them, were
ready 70 jump out of the water to catch
the falling pieces of meat. "You see
they are not afraid" said Seth; now
hand me your cane" Seth took the
cane and made flourish with it as if it
was tishingrod, and the trout all in
stantIy lodged off to the other side of
the pond. avery one of these fellows
was caught with fly said Seth, and
when they see any motion like that of a
fishing rod, they think it means mischief.
They have had the hook in their mouths,
been reeed in. and looked me and my
tackle right in the face, and they haven't
forgotten any OF it. Now come to this
other pond, where all the trout in it have
been Matched artifcialy and grown up
here in ignorance of such things as fish
ing traps, and see how they take it,"
Seth took the cane and fiourished it over
that division of his trout family without
making any impression whatever. "Sch
is life." Those who have been tenderlv
reared and closely watched, and guarded
from danger without knowledge of life's
inevitable snares, fall an easy prey.
Upon the blank and virgin page of mere
innocence, without the virtue of resist
ance that grows by trained contact with
the world, destruction writes its name at
the first advance of tie spoiIer.
Speaking of Seth Green's trout breed
ing reminds me that the trou. seem to
spawn earlier in the season in this north
ern latitude than in Western New York
and along that parallel. 1t wo6Id
doubtless be fouDd, on investigation that
in most of these streams the young trout
are all Matched before or soon after
Christmas. beginning early in Septem
Der, while Seth's experiments have show
that in his neighborhood the trout are
spawning and Matching from October TILL
April. Our Northwestern trout are in
good condition for eating early in Feb
ruary-partly from having finished their
business of spawning early in the winter,
and partly from the abundant supply Of
their natural food that grows in these
waters: the wood-worms. shrmps, toad
fish, or crumplies," etc, without num-
Der. On any of the shoals where the
water is Lively, especially abou: the
springs and mouths of spring creeks, the
toadtish are seen darling about ali win
ter. and when you find them, look out
for large school of trout in the next
pool below.
Our sugar camp, referred to in pre-
vious letter, was near one of these places,
at the head Of Cave Greek. The head
spring burst out at the foot Of tremen,
dous ledge of rocks, and Immediately
formed creek nearly twenty feet wide
and from six inches to two feet deep,
widening and deepening as it took in
some springs little further down. A
short distance from the head sDring there
was a long ripple perfectly alive with
toad-fisb, and at the foot of it a pool
that contained probably half barrel of
trout. Tie water was so clear, we could
see every one of the trout on a still day.
The usual length of these trout was about
eight or ten inches; but there were
number of larger ones, and two in par
ticular that we shall never forget. They
were of about even weight, the pair be-
ING good Cor five pounds, or more. One
was short, stout-Luilt fish, very dark
on the back, orange color on that part
nearest the ground when he was swim
ming, deep red spots, and fins brilliant
ly tipped with the same color: this one
wo called the Il" Captain" The other
was a long, slab sided fellow, with
light. greenish color, and less brilliant
spots, and white on that part where the
other was orange. This one. from his
color and great length, we called the
Pine Trout" They acre both males
and had kept house together in that
same pool all winter. Now, with all def
erence to Seth Green's theory $50 far rs
bis observation goes-and it goes over
rs much ground as any other man's)
that there is but one kind of brook trout,
and that the difference observed among
them are owing to sex, or the nature of
the water and the ground under the wa
ter where they live, and the different re
gions inhabited by them, etc., | would
like to have Seth reconcile his theory
with those two Cave Creek trout; and
in doing so he may bear in mind that
" tho Pine Trout" is frequently seen in
that creek and in Rush River, that it
flows into, in company with the other
kind. and is always the same long, slab
sided fellow, with the greenish hue, and
his mate, the female, has the same gen.
eral appearance. We let the Captain"
and "the Pine Trout alone in the pool
mentioned for a month or more, partly
because they were inclined to letus alone,
but finally lifted them for closer inspec-
ton. We cheated them with toad fish,
dropped il down about half yard above
their noses, and let it lay still while.-
We could see their eyes glsten as they
watched the bait lying on the bottom
Directly we gave toad fish little jerk,