Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-01
WATCHING THE HERRING.
Queer Fish These in Their Dislike of
 Cloudy, Cold Weather!

Cloudy, Cold Weather!
 I had been watching the herring for an hour or more as they struggled through the sluice to the dam. The fall of the water over the gates was unusually heavy that day, as was also the run of herring For a week they had been struggling in from the sea, but to-day they poured in by thous- ands. The stream was clogged.
 Something-their increased numbers and greater rivalry, perhaps-had no- ticeably excited the fish. They seem ed electric with it. Perhaps this school had been delayed by the cold April weather, md now must reach the pond to lay their eggs and were in hurry. Whatever the cause they certainly seemed to be in hurry, for had never seen them scramble over the shoals aud over one another in quite this rush before. HE
 The unusual excitement was less manifest in their mad rush upstream than in their still madder rush at the fall. On any running day q few of the stronger, bolder fish, fiuding their way barred by four-foot dam, try to climb over through the down-pouring sheet of. water. The vast majority, however-not unlike. suppose, the majority of men--coming to the inn possible barrier, stop in the easy pen built for them beneath the falls, and are content to be scooped out, for pick l ling and fishbait, most of them, though | a few are carried up in barrels to the spawning ponds.
 But today it was different Instead of the usual few there were many l fighting to get over. I had watched them time and time again, but had never seen one pass the four feet of sheer falling water. In Wild Life l Near Home I have described how they would dart through the foam into the great sheet of water strike 1t like an arrow, rise straight up through it, hang an instant in midfall, and be hurled back and killed, often, on the rocks beneath.
 To-day felt new thrill as watch ed them. Something of the evident excitement among the fish possessed me. I somehow knew that, as the horsemen put 1t, "The track was fast CT to-day''-that the swimmers were on their mettle, that record would be broken.
 l The falls were all a-f1ash and a. glitter with the darting fishes. Not
 only Was there greater number In the contest; there was also a much l higher average jump than usual Over and over again one would get within half a foot of the lip of the gate. Soon noticed that it seemed to be a certain fish that made this highest mark. I followed her as she fell back, l and, though it was impossible through the foam and thick rush of other l forms to keep her insight, yet | am sure that each time she rose it was 1 with a peculiar bound showing a par l ticularly long, 1.-the body. And each time she fell, peculiar good luck at ] tended, or else 1t was that her supe- rior sense and training served her, for each time she landed just between or l just beyond the rocks.
 I Again she flashed through the foam and hung, fixed like silver arrow in the dark water just below the edge l Again she fell. I was excited. Flash, flash! flash! score of the shining ones shot into the falls, when over them flashed the long, 1.-the form of the win ner. striking one of the weaker rivals beneath her just as she reached her highest mark, and bounding sidewise
 from her. glanced over the dam and l was gone.
 The record was broken, and within five minutes, by the same curious nap
 another turned her silver side over
 the great hurdle and dived into the .l quiet pond beyond.
 It is rather paradoxical state oi
 things that creatures like these fisl
 hate cloudy weather and rain and vii
 not leave the ocean willingly for ths
 shallow fresh waters unless the SUI
 shines and the wind suits and the tenn
 perature is to their liking. There i,
 some reason for the chickens stayins
 in when 1t rains; but what need. have herring for umbrellas ?-Dallas LOT,