known skunks to drown in an uncovered camp spring. The annexed diagram shows a section of a bank with a barrel set in a "sand spring."

In the real wilderness, where there is no human population, almost any water is

An easily made earth closet.

good to drink and it was in the far northern wilderness that I drank the amber-colored water from a swamp because, although it was in June, the ice still adhered to the bottom of the swamp and made the water delightfully cold.

Read Deuteronomy, chapter xxiii, thirteenth verse, and you will see that the ancients were more cleanly about camp than are the ordinary people to-day. That was because they habitually lived in camps and were consequently better acquainted with camp sanitation. Right here I would advise all summer campers to read Dr. Harvey B. Bashore's book, "The Sanitation of Recreation Camps and Parks."

Dig a garbage pit in a place protected by high weeds or brush and keep a heap of loose earth or sand handy. If possible, this earth should be kept dry and under

shelter. Every night before retiring cover the garbage with a layer of earth as shown in the accompanying sketch of an imaginary vertical section of such a pit.

Of the thirty-six species of flies which breed in human fæces, about six of them may be found sampling the food in your kitchen, and the worst offender in the bunch is the common house fly, next comes the little vinegar or fruit fly, and then the stable fly.

If all camps are supplied with earth closets and covered garbage pits like the one just described, the flies will not find the camps tempting places, and the annoyance will be avoided. A common coal scuttle with dry earth in the bottom of it may be used for an earth closet by placing it under a seat and having a box of dry earth and a wooden paddle or scoop with which to keep the contents of the pail covered. This is a simple method, the pail is odorless, and to all appearances contains nothing but loose earth.

The last sketch shows how to make an earth closet of a small packing box. Split a forked stick, nail the forks on each side of the box so as to make supports for two poles when placed under the forks to be used to carry the box of earth to the dumping place. In my permanent camp there is no available earth and the wood ashes are saved and used in place of earth. The box at this camp rests on runners, like a stone boat, and an iron ring is bolted to the front to which a horse or ox is hitched whenever it is necessary to haul it to the dumping ground.

M

OST people have their vacation in August, and the mountains and seashore are about equally divided, perhaps some will want to fish in both places. I purpose here to give the best

fishing available to both. Brook and littleriver fishing for trout is about over, rivers are usually dry and very low. The trout that remain uncaught have wandered in search of the deep, cool pools at the bottom

of which they lie still during the hot dog days to rise at sundown, feeding all night long. You cannot entice them to the surface with any fly or bait in the daytime. These fish are gorged with plenty of food, have grown big, and very, very wary, so that when they are caught, they fight to a finish with the chances all in their favor. It is the same with bass fishing, the large, vigorous fighters are full to overflowing with every kind of food that lavish July affords them. They, too, sink deep to cool places for their summer vacation, to reappear in October and November, empty of stomach but full of fight and strength. Pickerel, pike, and muscalonge are ravenous all the time; in lakes where perch grow to a good size they afford excellent sport in this month, either with fly or bait.

THE SALT-WATER KIND

Therefore, the best fishing in fresh water is to be had now, at evening, or by deep water trolling or still fishing. The case is different in salt water; migratory semitropical fishes are all here in North Atlantic waters; weakfish in bays; striped bass, channel bass, and drumfish in the surf from Cape Cod to the Carolinas; bluefish, bonito, mackerel, and others invite you to take them at the surface from a motor boat. They are all in their prime and at their best. For that reason the ardent, all-round angler desirous of following his favorite pastime will be sure to choose the seacoast for a vacation in August, leaving the mountains till next May or June. The inland angler not familiar with sea fishing should give marine fishing a trial; he will find it an experience quite different from the methods used in fresh water, though not at all difficult of practice.

After watching how the old veterans go about the business of landing a good-sized marine fish, they will want to follow it up. The only trouble resulting from practicing both is the large accumulation of fishing tackle, which requires not only much attention, but is quite expensive This, however, is offset by good health and vigor of mind and body. Such blessings to a hard-working business or professional man, are worth all the trouble and expense. Fifty dollars are ample to set up a man in salt-water tackle twenty dollars for two rods, a surf

casting rod, and a bay fishing rod, twenty dollars for two good reels, and ten dollars for lines, leaders, hooks, and sinkers, cover the bill for all that is required.

If you do not wish to spend money on tackle, try trolling from a motor boat for bluefish, which requires only a line and squid of lead or bone; the latter are only twenty-five cents each. A line, however, is another matter, as the price has much to do with the serviceableness of the article. To curb and get aboard a nasty-tempered, kicking blue requires from Number 9 to Number 21 cuttyhunk, Swastika brand line, or a fifty-fathom, hawser-laid SeaIsland cotton line. Everything depends on the rate of running through the water and the average size of fish, though the lines described are strong enough to haul in the very devil himself, as all anglers who have taken him will agree the bluefish to be. The month of August is just right for motor boating all along the Atlantic coast from St. Augustine to the St. Lawrence. Between these two places, other large and gamy fish are sure to be encountered, such as the bonito, Spanish mackerel, and perhaps a giant tuna.

Another delightful method of midsummer angling is fishing for sea bass, blackfish, and striped bass from the rocky shores of New England and adjacent islands. Then, there is casting in the surf from the sandy beaches of New Jersey, down the coast all the way to Key West. Lastly, if you are the head of a family of young boys and girls and have the laudable desire of sharing your pleasures with them, having no expert angling skill, but being located near some body of water containing such common and plebeian fishes as the catfish, sunfish, eel, perch, pickerel, or carp, you may be able to get even riotous fun that will be enjoyed by all ages from the tot of four to the man of fourscore. I am not aware of a more diverting spectacle than to watch the antics of a nine-year-old boy extracting the hook from an eel or catfish. It is a labor not accomplished in a minute; sometimes it takes an hour, and then after the creature's head is severed, the body runs away and escapes.

We will first assume that our vacation is spent near a river containing, brook, brown, or rainbow trout. We will provide ourselves with flies that have light-colored wings, silver body; or a coachman for end

fly will do equally well. We start for a large, deep pool where bubbles run along the middle of ruffled water; if the surface is smooth, it will be noticed that the swiftest flow is sure to carry down flies, dead or alive, with leaves and other refuse. Take a seat by the river side and calmly smoke to quiet your spirits till the fish are seen flopping above the surface. The rise may be long or short, it may be ten minutes after the sun falls below the mountain side, or it may not be till dusk. If trout are in the pool they will rise for at least a few minutes, and if one does, others will follow. As soon as you see or hear them--for in the quiet evening they sometimes give a sounding slap on the surface-begin to cast and beat the very spot in which they appeared with your flies till a fish is hooked, then lead it to the net or into the shallows, and repeat the game till pitch dark.

There is this to be said of trout: when they are feeding at the surface the chances of capture are certain, regardless of the kind of fly used, only so that it is reasonably like those they are feeding upon. If we are located near a lake that contains large perch, bass, or sunfish, exactly the same method and tackle will land rising fish, either from shore or from a boat quietly anchored among the lily pads and rushes.

TIME FOR STILL-FISHING

In still-fishing for pickerel, pike, or muscalonge, on a lake, the best time is from four P.M. till dusk, or from sunrise to seven A.M., though such early fishing at other seasons is less effective. The best bait for these three fish is small, two- or three-inch minnows for pickerel; five-inch minnows for pike, and eight inch for muscalonge. For the last, shiners, silvery dace, young white fish, chub, or a young sucker will do. Anchor the boat quietly ten to twenty feet out in the lake from the weeds and use a sinker heavy enough to keep the live bait below, according to the size of bait.

The right tackle consists of a phosphorbronze wire leader with one or two single hooks snelled of the same material; insert the hook through the back of the shoulders, using care not to kill the bait, so that it can swim around the leader. Have swivels attached to each snell and one connecting the line to leader, so that the bait will not

get twisted while in the water. Some anglers use two hooks, one a foot from the sinker, the other four feet above it. A float is very useful in keeping the line straight up from the bottom and is an excellent device to denote when a fish takes the iure. When it does, and the float sinks beneath the surface, be patient, it will come up again to take a journey more or less rapidly; after it has traveled a few yards, raise the tip of your rod strong and quick, you will thus hook the fish. Then begin to reel it in toward the boat and be sure to use a net.

In trolling for lake trout a similar tackle is used, though the method and tackle vary slightly in different localities. The most necessary thing is to be sure of the depth, rate of rowing, and the hiding place of the fish. This may be accomplished by the assistance of a guide or native oarsman, or you will have to make tests yourself and find out by experience.

The last fresh-water diversion is family angling for common fishes. Catfish and eels spend most of the day lying in the mud, going in search of food at night, though at times, if bait be placed within sight of them, they are unable to resist it. However, evening is the time when most of these fish are caught. Worms are the best bait, just a single live, kicking worm placed on a small hook that is strongly snelled to a stout leader. A small sinker must be attached to the end of the leader to keep the bait on the bottom. Eels and catfish prefer stagnant water, especially near docks and piles, or among grass and weeds; a milldam is the best place. The same tackle will do for perch, sunfish, and pickerel, though the sinker should be replaced by a couple of small split shot to convey the bait below the surface to about midwater. fish and perch may be taken on very small flies, a black gnat and coachman is the best, and they should be cast in open patches of water between rushes and lily pads.

Sun

Turning to marine fish, we take up bluefishing from a motor boat. There are certain signs by which to locate a bluefish school. Large schools habitually hover in and out near shore and in bays in search of food, menhaden being the favorite, but herrings, mackerel, the young of many other fish, and even their own kind are not scorned. So savage are they and so waste

ful that they leave in their tracks a long line of cut fish in floating sections which attract great flocks of gulls and terns. When not feeding-and that is on rare occasions—the schools may be detected by small waves and a considerable agitation of the water, with here and there a leaping fish. When the school is sighted, the power boat should follow on behind as they move along, not running in ahead to split them up, but keeping alongside. The squid should be played at the edge of the school. Let out about a hundred feet of line-more if the propellers kick up a row. As many as six lines may be flung abaft, but it will be advisable for one person to be content to handle one line. If the fish are ravenous and of good size, say ten pounds, there will be plenty to do in landing one fish at a time.

Swastika brand.

In fishing from the rocks, mostly in localities north of New York, especially along the Connecticut shore, Block Island, Cuttyhunk Island, Martha's Vineyard, up to Cape Cod for sea bass, blackfish, and striped bass, the angler should provide himself with a heavy stout rod and equally strong line, a Number 9, cuttyhunk, For sea bass and blackfish no leader is necessary, but a sinker heavy enough to convey the bait and keep it on the bottom is essential. For striped bass, a six-ply woven-gut leader to which is fastened two snelled Number 1 or Number 2 sproat hooks, according to the size of fish taken, should be used. Blackfish have special hooks, which are small but very stiff, Number 2 to Number 8 hook, according to size of fish. The same hooks will do for sea bass, with its very large mouth, although bigger hooks would be better as this fish is a glutton. The larger the bait, the better chances of bigger fish. The best bait is clams and various crabs, according to the locality. For striped bass use shedder crab and lady crab. sand and blood worms, small spearing. killies and menhaden.

The last we have space for is "surf casting" and "heaving and hauling from the shore," as it is practiced south of New York, particularly along the Jersey shore. By these two methods, what are termed large "tide-runners" may be captured. The fish taken are striped bass, channel bass, black drum, weakfish, kingfish, and bluefish, all taken on skimmer clam, shedder crab, cut menhaden, blood worms, and

various other baits. In surf casting, the fine art of sea fishing, it is necessary to have a good rod, line, and reel. Also the longdistance caster has by far the best chances.

The method of casting, size of sinker, hook, and bait vary so much in different localities that the angler will do best to practice the method used in the place where he happens to be. From Belmar to Cape May there is splendid fishing everywhere; indeed, all along the Atlantic coast August fishing is superb; not only because of the variety of fish, but also by reason of their game qualities. Wherever the angler goes it is always advisable to get points from fishermen or boatmen on the ground, as to the kind of bait and where fish are most abundant. Then try the native methods as well as your own. By so doing much time may be saved, a statement which applies more to sea fishing than to the freshwater sport.

CASE OF GETTING TOGETHER"

If an angler succeeds in taking numerous blackfish or weakfish, it is customary for those near by to move as close in as possible -without impoliteness to the lucky angler. They are all aware that most marine fishes are gregarious, or move from place to place in bunches and schools. It is also wise to get in as many fish as possible during the time they are taking the bait, as the entire school may leave the spot at any moment. Then, again, they may stay till the tide turns. It is this fascinating elusiveness of sea fishing that causes the entire absence of what we call "playing a fish”; the motto is, "When hooked, get it quick, and do not let good chances slip." Marine fishes, as a rule. are good biters, therefore the anticipation is always keen.

Power boats have converted sea fishing into unalloyed pleasure. Sailing craft are all right if there is wind, but to lie becalmed. "a painted ship upon a painted ocean," within sight of a big school of bluefish, is very galling. In reference to the location where August sea fishing is best, there is no choice; it is all good from Key West to the St. Lawrence Gulf. It is always best in the neighborhood of the mouths of rivers, large or small, or near rocky shores where seaweed clings and shellfish may be found. Even sandy shores,

like that of the Jersey shore, are good where the sea bottom is covered with beds of shellfish. The north shore of Long Island is not nearly so good as the Connecticut coast opposite. On the other hand, the south shore of Long Island is excellent, being cut up in numerous bays and inlets, beginning at Rockaway Point, Jamaica Bay, Great South Bay, and so on to Montauk. Splendid fishing is available from Block Island to Cape Cod and up to Boston Harbor, and thence along the Maine coast as far as the Bay of Chaleurs. The season for this region is not confined to the month of August, but continues on till cold weather nips the fingers.

For anglers within a radius of fifty miles from New York City there is nothing to equal the daily trips made by the Taurus and other steamboats to the fishing banks, a large area of shallow water running about twelve miles from Rockaway Point out to Seabright. It is the cheapest and easiest way available of getting direct to good fishing. The service is excellent, and the average catch all that could be expected, as may be learned by anyone who makes a trial trip. All the boats start from the Battery piers about 8 A.M. and return to the dock about 4 or 5 P.M.

These boats carry

from 400 to 1,300 passengers, the largest crowd being on Sunday. All that is required is money enough to pay the fare, which is not large. The restaurant and other conveniences are adequate, and bait and tackle may be purchased or hired, so that the angler has only to do as he sees others doing.

In bay fishing all round New York City, small boats and launches can be hired anywhere, and if the fisherman is not an expert, or even a fair amateur, a guide can be taken along to pilot the angler in the varied and devious ways of doing things right, so that a good mess of fish is pretty certain to be secured from among the many species this month affords. Taking it altogether, the North Atlantic coast offers as good fishing as any other known section on the globe. In variety of game sea fishes, we have three times the number to be caught on the British or French coasts, in addition to their being of a larger average size and of more value as food fishes. This favorable condition is no doubt due largely to the fact that many kinds of tropical fishes migrate northward, either to spawn or in search of more abundant food, which in the temperate zone is much more plentiful than in tropical seas.

T makes practically no difference what

I particular season of the year you may

elect to "rough it" in camp, the pleasure of your outing will depend largely upon the ability of your cook. You may smile at such a suggestion in town where there are plenty of good cooks waiting to anticipate your slightest whims and fancies, and yet, as any experienced sportsman or guide will tell you, more than threequarters of the amateur camping experi

ments fail because of the culinary ignorance of the several members of the party.

Not that you are very likely to require the services of a French chef when you go to the woods to fish, or hunt; not that your palate will still crave the dainty entrées and the complicated, highly seasoned sauces that add so much zest to the evening's repast in town. On the contrary, even the simplest fare will both delight and satisfy the most fastidious of campers, providing