Evening star., 1883-06-06

the millionaire can Jump fences, turn hand
springs, go in swimming, indulge in game of
.'one old cat' or play the cornet without any
body but his own family being the wiser.
American Contributions to the Fish.
cries Exhibition.
From the London Times.
In variety and completeness Of illustration the
collection sent to the Fisheries Exhibition at
South kenslngton from the United States of
America is not surpassed by that of any of the
foreign contributors. and while the visitor whose
concern with fish begins at the fishmonger's and
ceases at the dinner table will find much to sur
prise and possibly some things to amuse him
here, the fisherman will see a great deal to in
terest him, and probably not few exhibits from
which, If he takes the trouble to understand
their purpose, he may get useful hints for the
practice of his own calling. OF the 43 distinct
fisheries carried on in different localities of the
country, and each by methods more or less
peculiar to Itself, the most important in the
quantity and value Of the produce are illustrated
IN this court In various ways The first object
which attracts attention when one reaches the
outskirts OF the court is a whale boat with
masts stepped, sails up, and all it's fittings and
appurtenances ready for the crew to start from
the ships side. One thing worthy of remark is
the care which has been taken to save the visi
tors trouble and to make the exhibits interest
ing to the least learned of them. In this boat,
for example. every part, every seat each oar,
cleat, chock, implement and utensil has its name
painted on it. and every object in the collection
Will have attached to it an explanatory label
printed in large type.
Near group OF the Alaskan seals-valuablef for
their fur-is screen with series ofwater-color
drawings by Mr.. w. H. Elliott, illustrating the
mode OF capturing these creatures on islands
OF the Pribylof group. In one view, a gang of
Aleutes, provided with pair of bladebones Of
seals. which they use as clappers, are frighten-
Ing drove of 200 or 500 seals along shall
low lagoon toward village on st. Paul sIsland for
slaughter another shows how the seals are
killed in pods of twenty to forty at time by
squads OF the Indians, who are employed in this
work by the Alaska Commercial Company
Other drawings give an idea of the abundance of
these creatures, which drew from lady visitor
remark of not unnatural surprise that seal
skins should be expensive. The setting and
background of compartments in case
Of stuffed birds should be noticed, for
each bird is mounted in way to show its
proper habitat and way OF living. Here are four
teemed by gouu'naets only second as delicacy to
the canvas-back; the Florida cormorant or
snake-brd; the blue-Wing and green wing teal;
the wOod-duck, which makes it's nest in trees
over water into which it promptly drops its
young when they are to begin life on their own
account; and the summer-duck. which may be
found almost anywhere in the country east of
the Rocky Mountains. The cast of a walrus
head near by, with tusks nearly four feet long,
is curiosity. The elaborate, yet easily under
stood bathOmetric models in this part of the
court sent by the United States photographic
office show the cOnfguraton of the sea bottom
of the eastern coast from Newfoundland to the
Gulf of Mexico.
Returning to the examination of the fishing in
dustries. in which the last United States census
returns showed that over 130, 900 persons are en-
gagged, of whom about 1O0, 600 are fishermen, the
visitor may first make the acquaintance of kinds
Of fish of which, unless he happens to be some
what of a naturalist, he may never even have
heard before. On screens round the court
arranged in families are accurately taken and
painted casts Of the cod and it's allied genera.
with the mackerel, herring. perch, and founder
families-some 100 species altogether; while in
fishes of different kinds from the New York
market by Mr.. E. G. Blackford, are fresh speci-
mems OF the American shad. which is held in
high favor across the Atlantic the striped bass,
the California salmon. etc. Passing now to the
on and some 81, ,546, 900, or not far from
f9, 600 600 worth of fish procured in year,
the visitor has models and pictures as
well as the nets and apparatus used to enable
him to watch the progress made from
the frail cOracle-like "bull-boat" Of the Indian
and the rude bone instruments be used to the
wellfound whaler and the highly finished appa-
ratus used in sea-fshing nowadays. On the
walls are thirty crayOn drawings made on the
usiliilS gTouIluS Dy Tie captain OF VeSSel, when
enable one to realize some of the dangers and
hardships OF the fsherman's work There is
also set of twenty India-nk drawings of fish
ing scenes, and a series of $50 photographs,
thirty inches by forty inches. enlarged from
eight inch by ten inch negatives taken by the
photographer to the Smithsonian Institution,
who spent several months with the fishing
fleets for the purpose of obtaining these
photographs. To illustrate the evolutiOnJ
Of the New England fishing schooners.
there are two sets Of models-rigged models
to show changes in the cut of sails and manner
of rigging. and builders models. exhibiting
the gradual improvement in the hulls from a
tub-bowed craft of the year 1885. "too slow"
as fisherman said, "tO get out of its own way"
to fine-lined ''sharp- p-shOOter' of the present
decade. short and succinct account of the
fisheries of the United States. in which much
statistical Information is put in short article,
appears In the Exhibition catalogue. in preface
to this section written by Prof. G. Brown Goode,
assistant director of the National Museum at
Warrington and commissioner for the United
States The interesting exhibits of the United
States signal service department and Of the fish
Matching apparatus with models of various
kinds of patent fshways for salmon, ETC., exhib-
tied by the United States fish commission, and
sent over in charge Of Mr.. R. E. Earll, of that
department. deserve more detailed report than
could be given at the end Of this notice.
They Went to the Matinee.