Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-11-24
TROUT THAT ATE HORNETS.
Rocky Mountain Fish That Made Dainty
Diet Of Hornets.

Rocky Mountain Fish That Made Dalsty
Diet Of Hornets.
II was reading in q New York
newspaper the other morning." said
Western prUspector, who Is stopping
ut one of the down town hotels, says
the New York Sun, 'Of the finding
off big trout dead In a Canada
stream. There were no scars on Its
body or signs of injury, but when 1t
was cut open there was found dead
bumblc.bee. The theory was that
the bee had retained enough vitality
after being swallowed to infiict a
vital sting.
snow. stings must bother Canadian
trout heap more than they do our
Rocky Mountain fish for that story
to lie true. Just before I came East
this trip an incident came under my
notice which that newspaper article
recalls was stopping at the cabin
of q miner in o gorge near the border
line between Missoula and Flathead
counties 1t Is q wild spot, about
thirty miles from the nearest settle.
ment-Libby, q station on the Great
Northern Railroad. The day before
/ came away cid man Logue said:
Les give Their trout In ther Big
Cherry one more try. Els kinder
hazy en- they'd orter bite good"
"Of course was ready, so we sad.
died our cayuses 1t took us an hour
to reach the county road to Libby,
we'll beaten and fairly level, and on
that we made good time till We came
to where the old abandoned Thomp.
sons Falls trail crosses We turned
then, and after half.hour's rough
ride, for the underground was thick
and high, we reached the bank Of tho
Big Cherry. This Is q main branch
Of Libby Creek and 1t is a beautiful
stream. Water as clear as crystal
and cold as ice rolls smoothly over
the bright gravel beds and down o
rocky glen. it Is only three or four
rods wide and not over five feet daep
in most places, and 1t Is the greatest
trout stream 10 all the Rockies"
'Just ut this place where the old
trail crosses IL shallow ford, and be-.
low II q deep, dark pool, with q cir
cular ledge OF gray granite perhaps
twenty feet high along the northern
bank, nearly inclosing the hole. A
point OF stone jutted out over tho
waters edge ut about the middle Of
his we'll, and rs we rode out upon
the south bank old Hutch held up
his hand.
".Sh.' he whispered, us look ut
them trout"
"Sure enough! The whole pool was
alive. There was not O square yard
OF Its usually calm surface unbroken
by the movements OF feeding ash.
They leaped and tumbled and cir.
cled and splashcd like harlequins A
man could wade many o weary mile
Of brook In this country and never
see 50 pretty . sight Us those big
! pink. bellied trout we're, playing In
| the sunlight. The center OF the ex.
element seemed to be directly under
q point OF rock that jutted out over
the water and just now met with the
spray from tho jumping fish. Not
until the old mans keener eyes had
spied II out and he had pointed to II
did ! notice that huge hornets
nest as large Us q peck basket hung
FROM this stone point As w drew
nearer could sec even across the
creek the swarm Of busy In sects com
Ing to and going from their round
gray nest Every now and then q
yellow Jacket would circle too near
tho water In crossing the creek and
an active trout would seize II In au
instant. Sometimes two hornets
would get to lighting and drop strug.
CLING to the surface. Half a dozen
hungry pairs Of jaws would snap at
them Us they fell.
The flies did not resemble these
insects, but we each tied on two
orange duns. and with them for the
next two h urs had grand sport We
did not 70 over u hundred yards from
the ford altogether up and down
stream, but from under uplifted
rocks, sunRen stumps and roots,
dragged nearly eighty gOOd.sizcd
trout, the largest weighing twN
pounds and hall. Several times !
landed two together, one hooked on
the drOpper and the other on the trail
lily, and saw one or two more follow.
ing the liies when these bit Alto
gether 1t was the best bit Of sport
ever enjoyed on any waters.
when we got back to the cabin
We dressed some Of the trout for sup.
per, and every one that was opened
had dead hornets In its stomach. One
fish must have had at least forty ri
the hot-tailed insects In Its belly, and
! remember ] wondered II the stings
did not hurt their thrOats
II aspects said old Hutch. that
them trout gifts tired or ordinary
spiders en- bugs en- flies jes same's me
Gu you gifts sick or plain venison en-
they takes or day Oh en- goes up By
some hornets or bees nest On stutfs
their iRnards full or Ted.hot stingerl
tibet spice ther outlets up, same,
pepper en- ketchup likes up our meal.
wen We run down ter Libby fer o.
day"
"HOwever that was, the trout evi
IDENTIFY thrived on the diet, and nov
l am wondering whether that Can
adian trout that died OF eating a he,
wasn't u sort OF dyspeptic. weak
stOmached fish that couldn't stan(
high.seasOned meals.