The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-04-18
THE ENEMIES OF THE FISH
ARE GREATER IN NUMBER THAN
 THOSE
Or Any Other Inhabitant of the Earth.

Of Any Other Inhabitant of the Earth.
 The fish-no matter what breed or slze-have more dangers to run through than any other inhabitant of nature. Its life is always beset with dangers of some kind, and thus the most valuable and more gamy of the fish have learned to be wary. They are in fear of all, from the minute in- sect to the man, and I don't blame them for being so of the latter. Many men have no judgment when fishing, so their enthusiasm runs away with them, and they are called by the infa- nous name of the game hog. Every section is blessed with them. Next in line are the winged people of the air, and nearly all ad a bit of poaching to a certain extent. Also, there are the va rious land animals, snakes and inju- rious insects-many fish eat of their own breed. I will give a few brief facts about some of the destroyers that one can find near home.
 First on my list is man. Nothing will ruin stream so quick as man. In single night an expert angler can run stream dry, but it takes heron or kingfsher many nights and days to do 1t. Think of the various ways an an- gler uses. The net, the spear, the dy namite, the dams, and heaven only knows how many more ways. How long do the fish last with such an ar ray of weapons? In many parts of our country the public is breaking down the breakers of the laws, while in oth- CT parts the game hogs rule all. The only way is to fish with the single hook, and should think man would feel prouder to look upon fish he caught with the single hook after a long. hard fight, than to look upon one he hooked with so many hooks that it came in like water-logged stick.
 The next destroyers are the injurious insects. We do not notice what injury the insects do to the fish as quickly as with the birds or animals. It is much greater than one would suppose, how ever. Several kinds of water beetles destroy fry in great numbers. The larvae of the dragon flies and the great water beetles are well known en- ennies of the fish. The eggs of the fish are bored into, fish several inches long are eaten. and large fish have holes bored into them. The water bug is, also, injurious to the place where the trout abide. If you knew the amount of cruel work done to the fish of all kinds by the insects there would be a general uprising to save them. But we don't.
 Next comes the bears It may seem ridiculous to write that bears destroy the fish. They do; and delight in 1t. The fish is next to honey and berries to the bear. Many a man has come upon a bear stretched out upon log that hung over the brook, where with one sweep of his paw he brings up a drip ping trout When the salmon run up the river the bears come down from the hills to collect on shore, then rush into the midst of the panic stricken salmon, catch one and rush out to devour the fish. The bear is true angler in some ways; that Is, he will wait on a log a long time for fish to pass the log. When the fish are extremely plenty the bear will fill himself up to the neck and go to sleep in some secluded glen.
 We will leave the bear to his sleep and see that the next enemy is the barred owl. Several years ago a barred owl was caught at state hatchery in Pennsylvania, that had caught 8 large trout. I never knew this bird to catch fish, but thought it contented itself with fish food. It had been seen securing fish by quick movement of the foot while sitting close to the edge of the water. Vari- nft. 11i of trouble.
 We will pass on to the fish them" selves. The fish has an enemy in it. self. A pickerel will cause havoc in a school of sinners, and a slow sucker will destroy a nest of trout eggs in no time. Many of the fish we catch are scared in a frightful manner, and this Is done, I suppose, by duels under wa ter. Many of our fish are cannibals in the first degree--thus a trout pond stocked with bass will soon be full of bass and no more trout. That fish will eat & fish is true, and we let the matter drop.
 We now come to the mink and otter, foes of the fish and birds long sought for by the trappers, and friend of the ladies. Both are we'll known animals to all. They love to live where there is fish, and make the angler wish they were never made, for number of them will devastate water in no time. The otter will go into the water for a fish, while the mink is watchful animal.
 will not say any more about these two animals, but pass on to the night heron. It is found in large numbers in many sections, and is serious bird to have around where the fishing is good. It stands perfectly motionless in the water until a fish comes within reach, when it strikes with it's long sharp bill that kills fish of any kind. The her. on is very shy and cautious in showing itself, fishing early in the morning or dn the night. When opened, a mess of l fish has been found in the stomach that would astonish one with the amount l the bird can hold. Sometimes they strike a fish that is too large for them and there is a general mixup in which | fha fish comes out hest with many