The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-07
TROUT THAT ATE HORNETS.
Rocky Mountain Fish that Made Dsi.ty
Diet OF Bees.

II was reading in New York newspaper the
other morning" said a Western prospector whois
stopping at one Of the downtown hotels, of the
finding OF a big trout dead In u Canada stream.
There were no scars on its body or signs Of in
jury. but when II was cut open there was found
a dead bumblebee. The theory was that the
bee had retained enough Vitality after being
swallowed to inhict vital sting.
Now stings must bother Canadian trout q
heap more than they do our Rocky Mountain
fish for that story to he true. Just before came
East this trip an incident came under my notice
which that newspaper article recalls. | was
stopping at the CABIN Of a miner in a gorge near
the border line between Missoula and Flathead
counties. II is a wild spot about thirty miles
the Great Northern Railroad. The day before I
came away old 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. 50 We saddled our
road TO Libby. well beaten and fairly level.
and on that We made good time TIL We came 70
crosses We turned then and after a half hours
rough ride, for the underground was thick and
high, we reached the hank OF the Big Cherry.
This is a main branch at Libby Creek and IL IL .
BEAUTIFUL stream, Water ~ clear as crystal and
cold as Ice rolls smoothly over the bright gravel
or down rocky glen. IL Is only three or four
rods wide and not over five feet deep in most
places, aud It is the greatest trout stream In all
" Just at this place where he old trail crosses
Is a shallow inru, AMI below n deep, dark pool.
with a circular ledge OF gray granite perhaps
20 feet high along the northern bank, nearly
enclosing tte hole, 4 point OF stone lutisd ons
over the waters edge AT about the middle ~
this well, and as we rode nut upon the south
bank bid Hutch held up his hand,
sure enough. The whole pool was alive.
There was not a square yard of its usually calm
surface unbroken by the mqyrmcnts Of FEEDING
hsh. They leaped and tumbled aud circled and
spia. he'd Ike harie9uins nan could wams
prptLA SIGHT use tlg PINK
belled trout were. playing in the sunlight.
Tie centre OF the excitement seemed 10 be di-
rectly under paint OF rock thai jutIed out over
the water and jrgt nov met with The spray from
% il aid i noIos that a huge hornets ne~i as
large as pick hasSet hung, from this stone
aCrCss the creek the swarm Of busy insects COM
ing IA and going from their round gray nest.
TO near the water in crossing the creek and ala
active trout would seize i in an iastant. Some
times two hornets would get 10 hghtlEg ana
drop struggling 10 the surface. Hall a dozen
hungry pairs Of jaws would snap Al them as
THE dies did not resemble these insects. but
we each tied on tSo orange duas, and with
them for the next two hours had grand sport.
Nedld not 90 over hundred yards rom the
ford altogether up and down stream, but from
under upliited rocks, sunken stumps and roots,
draEscd nearly eighty soOd-sized trout, the
largest weighing two pounds and a half: sew
eral tunes landed two together, one hacked on
saw one OF two more following the flies when
these biz. Altogether il WAS the best BIT Of sport
] ever enjoyed on any waters.
When We got Jack To the cabin We dressed
some Of the trOIt for supper, aud every one that
was opened had dead hornets Ia is stomach.
One tsh must have haa at least forty Of the hot
tailed insects ia lts belly. and remfInb Der wun-
dered II the stings did not hur1 their throats.
'speCts, said old HutCh. that them trout
gifts tired er ordinary spiders en- Gus- en- dies Jes
tanles PIE en- you git- sick er PLAN Eenison en-
they takes er day on en- goes up by some hornets
or bees meet en- stuus their lGHaEls fun er red-
hot stngeTs tLtt spice Their glllets mp, samcs
pepper en- ketcLu up fixes up our meals wen We run
down ter Libby FUR or day
However that Sas. the trout evidently thriyed
on the dlet, aud nos ] am wondering whether
that Canadian trout that died of ersting bee
wasn't SORT Of dyspsptic, seak -sL0Inzched
nah that ceuLdnt stand hiEh-seAsoned ns4lAs