The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-08-15
THE STONE TOTERS.
BY C. F. HOLDER.

It was our custom each afternoon
to row out among some of the
islands of the thousand or more
that crowd and jostle each other in
the St. Lawrence river and then
allow the boat to drift with the
soft west wind. Sometimes our
bark stranded on the shining little
beach to drift off again. Sometimes
it sailed down the little channels or
became entangled among the water
lily pads, the fragrant white bios
SONS being pulled in as SO many
anchors.
One day we drifted along in water
ten or twelve feet deep, watching
the fishes upon the bottom of the
waving weed that formed the carpet
of the little bay, when the prov of
the boat almost grazed miniature
mountain that, apparently without
reason, rose precipitously from the
bottom. It presented so singular
an appearance that we stopped the
boat. Reaching over I touched the
summit and picked from it stone or
pebble, which latter had the Curl
osity to weigh. A small steamer ran
dodging in and out of the islands
on certain days in the week, pass
ing through very narrow passages,
where the wild roses almost met on
either side, and l at first assumed
that thie singular heap was of ashes
or clinkers that had been thrown
over from the little vessel, but the
stone which I brought up disproved
this. 1t was piece of granite, worn
by the water, and a slight investi-
CATION showed that the entire pile
was made up Of stones, the whole
amounting to almost CARLOAD and
weighing, we estimated, over ton,
possibly two or more.
For many yards about there was
not a pebble to be seen upon the
bottom; the nearest deposit was
beach, 100 feet away, and from here
the stones must have been brought
and dropped one by one. There
were thousands Of them, and the
more we looked and investigated
the more extraordinary it appeared.
Certainly it could not have been
the work of boys, as to have accu-
mulated such heap would have
exhausted the patience of the most
energetic lover of outdoor life. We
were puzzled and after measuring
the heap and finding that it was
nearly five feet high and seven OF
eight feet across, we drifted on to
run across several others; one in
deeper water and apparently larger:
while another was smaller and
seemingly but half completed.
To solve the mystery we sought
one of the oldest fishermen on the
river, who pronounced it the nest OF
the black bass. The old man had
seen the bass asleep on the stones
but we knew the habits of the bass
Another fisherman, who was born
here, laid the work to the yellow
perch; but we were familiar with
tie ways of the perch, and knew
that it did not indulge in pyramid
or mountain building. Finally ar
old guide on the river said it was
"chub heap"-and the mystery was
solved. The piles, that must have
been a stupendous piece of work
were the results of the labor OF
fish known as the chub-more com
monty as the "stone toter"-whlle
those familiar with fish will remem
Der it as semotilus bularis.
The stone toter is an attractive
fish, attaining a length of foot ano
a half, has silvery scales and brigh'
eyes. The pile of stones is then
work-the nest, or home, or castle
or where their eggs are deposited
and where the little stone toterE
first see the light of day. Instinct
lively the parent fish collects stones
and drops them in the place select
ed. Probably, in the first year, tht
castle does not rise above a hrs
story, and is but the foundation fo' .,
the vast aggregation that is to toi
low. Among these foundation
stones the eggs are deposited, there
finding protection from the ca
fishes and others that prey upor
such delicacies. AS each successive
season comes around it is doubtless
added to; several generations o
fishes in all probability working a
the nest, collecting stones often o
astonishing weight when the size o
the fish is remembered. and drop
ping them upon the growing pill
that finally almost reaches the sur
face, as we have seen. The labo
ond ro o.;ence involved in this wOrl