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Toua laa autraa axamplairaa originaux sont filmte 9n commandant par la prami^ra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'Impraaaion ou d'Uluatration at an tarminant par la darniira paga qui comporta una talla amprainta. Un daa symbotaa suivants apparaltra sur la damlAra imaga da chaqua microfiche, salon la eaa: la symbols — ^ signifia "A SUIVRE". la symbols V signifia "FIN". Laa eartaa, planehaa. tablaaux. ate., pauvant 4tra nimtm i daa taux da rdduetion diff«rants. Lorsqua la documant aat trop grand pour itra raproduit an un saul ciieh*. II aat film* k partir da I'angia sup4riaur gaueha, da gaucha i droita, at da haut an baa, an pranant la nombra d'Imagaa nieassaira. Laa diagrammaa suivants iliustrant la m^thoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 i „ ^ 1 i I ! I J\ G a ., I WATERS. » *1.<i*v 11'; ! !, ', I FISHING IN AMERICAN WATERS. By GENIO C. SCOTT. mrH ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY ILLUSTRATIONS. "Give me, Great Father, give me strength and health, A liberal heart, affections kind and free ; My rod— my line— be these my pride, my wealth ! They yield me present joys— they draw my soul to Thee. NEW YORK: HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, FRANK I. IN 8QCAKE. 1869. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by Genio C. Scott, '" "' """■' "^'Zt '?i^'"« Co„„ Of .,. „„i„a S.«es for ,he Southern District of New York. ' ■e^ : /§4(^ TO he THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONS FOR THE PROTECTION OP 'fish, game, and birds of song, THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR. (I f '■ PREFACE. As it miglit not be deemed kind in me to inflict upon the reader my tliousand reasons for writing and illustrating this book with pencil sketches copied from life, 1 will therefore merely state that my experience of many years in the prac- tice of the gentle art, which has led nie through so many scenes of beauty and loveliness, has made me wish that all the world might learn the enjoyment conferred by the practice of angling. I have endeavored to portray the recreations of the an- gler in America, with his implements and his game ; add- ing a small tribute to the temperate and industrious class of men who follow for a livelihood the hazardous business of hshing on the broad seas. An outline of the progress of fish-culture in Europe and America is also given, with pencil sketches illustrative of the art of liatchhig and rearing fishes, including stairs and fish-passes for enabling fishes to surmount mill-dams and falls. The fishes of our coast and estuaries, and the peculiar methods adopted for their capture, form not only a sealed book to Europeans, but to those anglers in America also who confine their recreations to fresh-water attractions. Each game fish affords a distinct interest, with peculiarities worth studying. My sketches may lack artistic finish, but possess the merit of correct outline; and in the words of Raphael, The outhne is the picture." The reader may be assured that fishmg, whether for recreation or gain, entices its vo- taries to unexplored sources uf revenue and pleasure viii PREFACE. J. B. Steai'iis, Brookhii E D P^^«^- • S.Sr; Kt;f ™^™"'"'^-' B,o„™fie.d,N. Y. Katura. ^ MMieton, Ca^an, & Co.,F..U„„ Ma,.et. S,aMes of Pntcbard Brotliers, Fulton Street. Artificial FV , hne Bass-reel. ^"'^^n<^i{il i^ lies and Mr. M'Bride, Mumford K Y V n. Stained Gut Lines. ^' ^^ ^- ^"^^^ Trout-flies and John Shields, Brookline Mis^ '^,.. • Trout-flies. ^^^^^-^lass. Specnnens of excellent Ct) N T E N T S. PART I. COAST a™ ESTUARV PISHIKG Wm. «0D AKD L^E. Section CHAPTER I I. General Characterization of Fishes * ^w 11. i i-erequisites for Fishing 17 III. Ge,^al Habits and Senses of Fi;i^:::: ^2 IV. On Vision in Fishes 24 V. On Taste in Fishes ,' 26 VI. On Smell in Fishes ..'.[ ' ' 33 VII. On Hearing in Fishes. . ..........'.'.*.".* 36 3^ T -r ,. CHAPTER II. I. Fecundity of Fishes II. Voracity of Fishes.... • 41 III. Times of Feeding and ^i^ts'^ Fbhei^Z''.'ZZ *^ T ^ ■ CHAPTER III. 1. Coast and Estuary Fishes... II. Angling for Striped Bass... 46 in. Trolling in Hell Gate 48 IV. Still-baiting for Bass .'>2 V. Casting-bait for Striped Bass ^8 VI. Angling at the Bassing Clubs... 64 ""• 69 T IV ,«u CHAPTER IV. 1. VVeakfish or Squeteague.. , II. Southern Sea Trout ..*.".',' 79 III. Sheepshead 82 IV. Angling for Sheepshead."..'." 84 V. The Kingfish 92 VI. The Hogfish, 98 ; the Gnmteroo*'' tV,P rTr"*',;;"';, ^•''^ White Perch, 'lOl ; the Sm'ek 'lO^ tt"^ ^^""'^' ''' ' ^'^« Caplin ' ^"^ ' *h« Spearing, 1 03 ; the vm S'' S"" ^^''' 106; the Poi'gee.'.Z ^^^ VIII. The Family of the Wrasses or Rockfi;h"7;r":r"r;' ^"^ BIackfish,113; theFlounder ' '^ '' '^^ ^^"""g ^^ lA. TheBluefish 116 117 ^ Contents. Swtion X. Tlie Spanish Mackerel ' ^"^^ XI. The Bonetta or Boiiita. ^^^ XII. Thecero,cerus,or8ien;;'i347"ti;eHo;;;"Ma;;k^;i::::::::::::::; J3J — ■ — - ♦ ^^^ PART II. FRESH-WATER FISHING WITH FLY AND BAIT CHAPTER I. I. The Poetry of Angling. IL The Brook Trout .'." ^*' HI. Fly-fishiug for Trout, l^^rModern'^;!!;; fo^Fli^^j-;;;;;;;^^ ]^ CHAPTER II. I Fly-fishing on Mas^apiqua Lake II. How to Pish a Stream .f 105 ; -Lianding- nets, 173; Troui ' ightening Casting-lines, 1 7.-) rout-flies i^^ I/O CHAPTER III I. Middle Dam Camp... III. Bait-fishing for Trout ^^^ 189 CHAPTER IV. I. Lesson hy Josh Billings, 191 ; the Ardent Angler.. ,no H. Anghng for Children '^^ 198 CHAPTER V. I. The Salmon • IL Outfit for Salmon-fishing "^^ yn. Jolly Sport on Rattling Run ''^^^ MIL Ply-fishing helow the Palls '""""* ;^*' IX. Thoughts of returnii.g Homeward zt^ >... The Silver or Sea Trout, 2r„K , the whi;;T;;;;;;"^;;H:';j;;-vfi;;: nmish, 2.!0; Red Tro... of Long Lake, 2(12; Trout of Sene a and Cayuga Lakes, 263 ; the Mackinmv Trout.. " .r, XL American Pickerel or Pike, 2GG ; Skittering f<„. Pi.'.L^^d 'among a.e Lily-pads, 270; Still-baiting for Pickerel ... . o;, Vane . 126 . 132 , 135 CoJ^^TENTS. XI Section CHAPTER VI. I. Trolling among the Thousand Islands ^'^'^ II. The Maskhionge -74 III. The Black Bass, 280; the Oswego Bas^; 2827 iheBh^^Ba^ ^'^ r n'eTaLf ''-''-' "-^ - ^^^^' Hen;'2i.f r/ IV. The Sunfish, 28G ; the i'^rch,287 ;"ihe'^a:^;^'orW^n:;;^a '^' Pike, 288; theWhitefish,290; the Lake Herring, 291 deS coor Ciscoquette,2()2; the Shiner ^' ' ^'" ^^, mw^fn^^f" Trolling-bait, 297; the Propelling Min- now, 2Jh ; Buel's Patent Feather Troll 900 . c, ■ • ?r, , , for Live B„i„, ,,,, , Sp„„„ VicttirLS Jn^"™?. ^S' ...e We,,„er and Bai.s, 303; Ki.h - hooks *3oT"^,„t .fc 310 PART III. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES. T , ^. , CHAPTER I. Lake Fisheries 315 CHAPTER IL I. The »«;:;!":: '™ """"-'" °' ™" ™— "«- IL The Shad 319 IV. Ti,o codfeh-audiiii;;^ c;;,y,;gV-;3^^^^ ",-» o28 xvu ^ ^■.. CHAPTER IIL ^^ hale Fishing, 332 ; the Striped Red Mullet 008 ^ , CHAPTEr. IV. &alt-wator Fisheries, 339; the Chesapeake Bav Fishery 340. p;„ , Haddocks, 342 ; Preserving Food-fishes^ Fresh '^' ' "^'"^^"^ .,, o4iJ The Art among the Ancients PART IV. ANCIENT AND MODERN FISH-CULTURE. CHAPTER L 347 Xll CoNTEJJTS. Section CHAPTER II iMsh-cuftnre in Europe in Early Times ' ^ish-culture of this Centu^!;^!!!!./'^- ^^^^ ***** •••«.., Qr,*" x.f ITT- CHAPTER IV Natural History of the S-iImnn 'jr- t^ . y ^^"^^'^'™«»>^<''; Development of the Sahnon 371 I Fi.h P . CHAPTER V. X. i^ish Propagation assisted by Art '^7S i . «r Salmon. ;?«•? . ....,.;„, t.".^.^'^'.*^^^ 5 Ijest Wa bed, 3..i; fb;ding';;:7Tro;;r^'^^'' ^'"'"""'"^ ^ ^l™"'g- Ponds with Trout.. °' ''^'''"""' ^•'- 5 «t«^'ki"g old II. Aiiisworth's Race and ycreens'"'}<i7.'''^ ', 393 «ace, 401 ; ^^ General Dh- 'ti' ■>' w r,? V'^^""/ ^^''^^•'"■"^' Farmer should have a Trout iZJi !r r^''"' f' ' '''"'y tions ^lesene, 40,, ; General Observa- _* 40G c I „ CHAPTER VI Salmon Passes, Ladders, etc -107 PART V. A GLIMPSE OP ICHTHYOLOGY. Cartilaginous Fishes .„_ . . . ' ' "^ '"''' ^''''•^•"^ «f" Wishes- rr. The common Eol -f^ri. fi,„ t ,' 4<l'> ■". «... fo,. aoe,i,::;,t";, ll'VCSS •""" '""" " «' 440 APPEN^DIX Fancy Drinks, 4(;o • Genon,! i'„J ,','>' -^''^ ! <-'<Jni])()undiiig Page .. 350 . Soii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 393 40G •iVt " .-I 32 3!) ■to 1. Frontispiece.— The Striped Bass. '2. Title-page.— An Angler's Outflt. 3. First Families PAQE 134 136 130 137 44. Cero or Sierra 45. Ilarpooiiiug aNanicsofPlos f, ?, „," °;'""'" ... .JS:S,US,r""- ::•■• :S».-e:::::::;;::::: 147 152 155 1.19 ICO 101 102 1(54 105 15.PlayiugaBassintheSurf:::::::" cK" wf r" ' ^'^™™ - 10. Baits, Thumb-stall, Bait-spoon .... cr .' T^Sllt"^''' ""' "^'"^'^ ^^ 17. Shrimp and Prawn 7^ ,.„ ! " "'°! 177 18.Weak<ishorSquol.,,„e.. ^o cJ" trm.''T™ ^'' 19. Southern Sea Tnnu .... '" ' " Sf "''"'"" ^"""P 20. The Shecpshead L :. If'^'H ^'""'"■"'^ 180 ISl -■ ^SS^'.'^' '''^'''^^ ^^ Sl-^'-t Bends 22, 85 0.^ Fly Hooks ^^ ]=;,'> 185 191 193 •!iy Drake, FJy jg^ 23. Tackle for Kingflsh. 0^) t ^'"^'^ Trout-flies ' ' '^ 24. The irogfi.*. ..... "!.':t'- n,?'" ^'""'^'^ 25. The Oxrunttr 98 07. 1 lie Ardent Angler 20. The Golden MuVk.;." .■:::::.■ ,!";:'• ^"■?'^» «••«'■ 27. The White Perch J ' '^' ^^"'"? '^ ^'^'^-^ -'8.TheSmelt n! '?' ^''''"'"S 29. Oast for small Fishes:::;:; Tmi^lT'"'T] ■•iO. .-. .aring or Silverside ol n" "''^"^^^'^''"""■'•od . 31. The Caplin ' ^^''^-'looks - ^"'"^ "•*• Fishing Equipment . . ion 1.5. Getting a Bite 109 70. Encampment ; ; 111 77. Camp Bed ;;:;; 117 78. Pool ))elow the Chute 120 70. Silver or Sea Trout 121 8((. The White Trout ••i2. Sea Bass 33. Porgee U. Wrasses or Rockflsh 35. The Blueflsh 86, Bluetlsh Squids . . . . ; 87. The FlyiuL' Fish .38. Troll! ' ' " " " .^9. The Troller made Bait of 40. The Spanish Mackerel . . . . 41. Spanish Mackerel Feeding ling for Blueflsh ,00 «i' ti,„ iv . • , 'r,.„ii„ .1 IT 1-.SM. lho\\ inniuish. 122 S2.1?od Trout of Long Lake 127 8.^. Trout of Seneca Lake , ' " j""iKuuM reeding I.^n sjj Ti.„ iir i- ™ 42. SpainVl, Mnckere) H^xM^ ' - 'l ,;• ;!'^ ^ackninw Trout, -. . 13. Bonettu or Bonito. . ! 00 . ^ l^'^'^'S} "'' ^^'ke . 198 . 201 . 202 . 208 . 214 215 . 216 . 22.3 . 229 . 245 . 256 269 200 202 204 2G5 132,80. Open counteuauces ;::::;::::;;;;; oj? XIV IisT OP Illusteations. f!' ^'^'"ering for Pickerel . 88. Still-baitiug for Pxkerel . 89. Dragon Flies. PAOKl . 2T01131. Parr Fifteen Mouths 01(1. paqe 3T4 — 27^1132. Smolt Fifteen MnmhJ'AVj 91. The M;.kinong6 "'""'' '''""''' ' Hth ^^"^' «'^"«o"' • • •.■ lit 92. The Black Bast... f^f N The Swordfish Ill 93.ThecswegoBas8..:;:: Jltt-^^^''^'''^-^^''''^ •••".' S 94. Black Bass of the South..:::::;.- mS "'^if^'^^'T*'' '''•"y- »"rt Grili;'" S 95. Spottea Bass or Speckled Hen eS Loo' ^'P^°" '^^'^ ^'"cers ' f! 90. Rock Bass of the Lakes " ' " ?ff !f ' ^^"^^"ng Salmon Eggs. f*! 97. Sunflsh ' 286 140. Stripping a Tront ... f' 98. The Perch : :::; 28!| 41. Feeding Yo,;ng Tront:::: foj 99. Glass-eyed Pike .... f']f- ^msworth's Hatching-race f - 100. Whitefish . 289 143. A Hard Leap... ^ ^^' 101. Lake Herring 290 144. Salmon Leaps.... 102. Cisco or CiscoquetVe : : : : Sf/ ^;?"y««dare Salmon-pa.^^s 10.S. Shiner-natural Size lf,\]f- ^''S« Salmon-stairs . . . . 104. Bait-can ^94 147. Canadian Salmon-stairs 105. Spinning Tackle . . : H^\]f- Horizontal Screen 7,1 106. Spinning Baits ^97 149. Current WTieel. ... ^J! 107. Spinning Tackle fci; LiVe Baits ' " " Z '" ' ^^''^^"'"gy : : : : ' ' ""- 108. Feathered Spoons... •••^^^ 407 411 413 415 151. Pike-perch.::: ^23 152. Spine-rayed Fishes.::::::::;;' ■ ■■ tf. 3071m. 424 425 109. Fish-hooks.. ^^^ 110. Salmon Flies....; 11^ 111. Mounting Fliei 112. ponderaungSLkj;^ ::;:;;; SS r r°'-«^'^ •■:":::::::::: S 113. Indian Summer f "l S,^" !^™^h and Dace " ' J^J 114. Hammer-headed Shark Jo'^rl' ^^ S!"'^ ^"""'^ 4^ 115. The Mackerel ^ 5 .I S' JY ^'''' """'""^ "m lie. Shad, Menhaden, Herrin..' SlS" S ""n V"^ '^'''""^ ^'^^i'v ' 420 117. The Codfish " '-T • ^^^ ^""^ F'lmily .... Tor, 118. The John Do; 329 161. Flatfish Family jf 119. Whale Fishing fl|lC2. Sharks J..://: 431 120. Harpooned . . ff 2jl63. Sturgeon and Chimtera 121. Striped Red Mullet' ; ; ; ^.^fi ?f- ^^ay Family 122. A surprised Codfish. . . . ;; ^l^' ^"'^^^ Family 123. Morning '^^1 ^^^- Gi'euouille :„ 124. Ancient Pish-'culVure': ^3]%' 2:??^ ^""i^on Eel...:;;;;; 125. Modern Fish-culture . . . ; ttl^lTo' ?," ^^'"'P^'y 126. Cuttle-fish ^.f/^^l- Estuary Catfish and Sih.rc 127 History of the Salmon : : of I?" ^^o short Sunfish ^^ 128. Salmon Om and .Ito'n..: S -J' p°°^r^ ..'.m 129. Salmon Pry . . . IH]'^- ^eol to Dry Lines .... !^ 130. Parr EightMoutiis bid:: o"!;!'!" f^^e.^^^^^s Iw Field-sports 3»d|174. InvitnUnn f„ H,„Qi— .' 432 432 433 434 436 437 440 |1T4. Invitation to the Streams. 463 466 477 i paqe 374 375 376 377 377 383 He . . 834 385 387 391 393 .... 397 .... 407 .... 411 .... 413 .... 415 • ..416 .... 419 . .. 419 ... 423 ... 423 ... 424 . .. 425 ... 420 ... 420 ... 427 .. 428 .. 429 .. 42!) .. 430 .. 431 .. 432 .. 432 .. 433 . 433 . 434 . 43(i . 437 . 440 . 442 . 445 403 406 477 fJart I'lxst ON COAST AJS-D ESTUARY FISHI WITH ROD ANT> LINE. iL ill ill i! FISHING IN AMERICAN WATERS. CPIAPTER I. GENERAL CHARACTERIZATION OF FISHES. SECTION FIRST. ON seriously contem- plating the immensity of the waters and their innumerable inhabit- ants, it is not difficult to realize the importance of these branches of ma- terial and animal na- ture, and I shall con- sider myself fortunate if able to present rea- sons sufficient to induce the employment of an amount of time at 'ill commensurate witl, the prope,- dividon of labor between ai^" .u,d water for the pm^ose, of health, wealth, and rlert: .W equeathed to flsh-kmd than to mankind, bat "its first fam- MuZuofn T^- ^'"^ ""^ " P'™'' ^hen all the in- habitants of th.s planet were fishes, previously to the sublime ...oment when "God said 'Let the dry. land appear "'tI ancents thought that the illimitable beautie T he wal were reflected iu the heavens; hence thev .ave to thl^r s.ellat,ons the nan.es of fishes. Thus, prior^to the time "f 18 Fishing m American Waters. -nd south.,,, ccstellation, to mo " '"'^ '"' """""•" were „a,ned after .heir favorit fiah o'r X 1 "'"'" connecting these fishes with heatli™ ,V ''S™'''' been evolved and handed down ?, "'*'"' """•" *•"'• the signs of the .odiaeMe^d in''. ,"""'' T" ''"P™-'^' of a man, whieh signs are m ,"""'"^' "^^ ""^ Agun. sailor and angler /^d the lar™"'™"^ ""'"""'^ "^^ b<«'' f"' of great suedes nn 3 •^"C """'" <">"«"»' or hope- Whether or no this be a Ine,^! *", '"' '"'°''« "■' l-"»- cieuts I have not bestovX; ";;„?•'*''''' "^ *^ - plead guilty to the woakne,, Z v ? esam,ning, but fluent of good sport o,;;r/;t:if"' """,'' ''"'''' "™- aoh, or bowels, but never T" i, *'" "' ,'" ""^ ''^''"' «'»■»- ' Man, from h s inferior <,h! . f '" "" '«S^ "'• <■«'• "ittle space he app";' "f, '"? r"'"'" ""■'■»"^' '« -"-h wing to soar, conLllate, w,h " '" " *" '" "'™ "^ " Wens; whiL the Zt " ^T'" "" f^'"'"'«'"S beating the shoi-es into f,.,„ • "'"'''"' "« breakers » elos'e lines, and ifs^ormfr ""',''' ""'owy battalions Us soul with'awe and Z eteTfh """"'-' P-««™e wMeh, in comparison, his own is nothinr"'' """'"■"'«'• ^" "at It ,s not n,y intention to estima'^;. ,1 waters, or their value for bi'hir. '"""'"'''"' Power of the «y object is to show the rea^rthn ""•"""» P"'^-* and to convince him that whe e™ f ""' °' """""«• have been made, the water, hi , f """'"'»'»«e efforts . his toil or skill than thitd T . "" f " ''''''' P™«'^ '« «^nance of a large ma, tile powr'lf "'™"'^"= '"« ""*"'- the experience of thp R.i, ■ t , " ™<""'^ of wealth, tively ilignifiea:' » thr:"tZ°""f; -<• -"»-- proves that nothing is too exaLd.^ ?''''* "" '^'"^ "">- eral maritime powe,- Bn, T ,^ ' ''"P'''^ '■™- ^i' " "b" the riches of their^habft \ ' ,' '"'""' "''*'>'' """ters in mention, ^s ^^L^ re^f ttrr''' ""'""^ '"^''" c^'itc or Uhlies, comparatively lit- Fl6HING INCLUDES AnGLING. IJ) tie is b^own ; but I feel assured that they would rank higher in the scale of entities" than the fourth class of vertebrate animals, accorded them by Cuvier, did all men of thought hnd science appreciate and pursue fishing. Fishing as a term, is general; while angling is a special kind of fishing The word angling is supposed to have been derived from the bend of the hook, forming an angle; but the ongin or antiquity of the term is comparatively unim- portant now. It is sufficient to know that the art of angling requ„.es as much enthusiasm as poetry, as much patience as mathematics, and as much caution as housebreaking." That field-sports were among the earliest and most respect- able pastimes of the ancients, we have abundant evidence from their poets and philosophers, such as Aristotle, Plato Cicero, and Horace; and that angling was practiced "with much succ^ess and love of the sport is evident from the Plali- eutics of Oppian, the only Greek poem iLow extant on this subject; but we learn from Athena^us that several other writers had written treatises or poems upon fishino- some centuries before the Christian era. "Fishing was a favorite pastime of the Egyptian gentle^ man both in the Nile and in the .acious ' sluices, oi ponds for fish,* constructed within his grounds, where they were fed for the table, and where he amused himself by anglino-f and the dexterous use of the bident, a two-pronged spear for striking two fish at a time. These favorite occupations were not confined to young persons, nor thought unworthy of men of serious habits ; and an Egyptian of rank, and of a certain age, IS frequently represented in the sculptui^s catching, fish ma canal or lake, with the line, or spearing them as^they glided past the bank. Sometimes the angler posted himself m a shady spot by the water's edge, and, having ordered his servants to spread a mat upon the ground, sat upon it as he threw his hne; and some, with higher notions of comfort' used a chair, as ' stout gentlemen' now do in punts. Thp rnd * Isaiah xix., ]0. * t • i. . t Isaiah XIX. . 8. 20 Fi8HiNG IN American Wateks. In; Au Egyptian geiUlemau liaiiiug. was short, and apjjarently of one mpoo • *hr. v <r\e thono-h i,.ofo * piece, the hne usually sin- ,ie, though instances occur of a. double line each with I. t'.o paintings ^o^.r^^lTl^Z:^',:': "'''''''""' '"' that they ever put them tr. .1, .! , ' ' " ""' "PPcar had devfse<l any aethod li ," "^' '""^ '''" '"^^ '"•■" ">"y sented for the benefit of those who retaS s aloT ^ '' ^"''' along the streets : ^''^ ^''' ^''^"' ^^''^"'^« "Poets are nonsense ; for they never say A single thing that's ne^v. But all they do Is to clothe oldideas in language new r Turmng the same things o'er and o'er again . ^"d ;>pside down. But as to fishmongers ' The. re an mventive race, and yield to none ffi Beauty IN Form and Coloeino. 21 In sliameless conduct. For as modern laws Forbid them now to water their stale fish, Some fellow, hated by the gods, beholding His fish quite dry, picks with his mates a quarrel. And blows are interchanged. Then when one thinks He's had enough, he falls and seems to faint. And lies like any corpse among his baskets. Some one calls out for water ; and Lis partner Catches a pail, and throws it o'er his friend So as to sprinkle all his fish, and make The world believe tliem newly caught and fresh." In regard to propagating fishes, the experiments of the an- cients amounted to little more than robbing the nests of her- bivorous fishes, and planting the eggs in other waters ; but the moderns have, within the past thirty years, invented success- ul theories for studying the habits of fishes at their aqueous homes, m rapid streams, or placid lakes, and deep down into the depths of old ocean. As these will be explained in this work under their appropriate titles of ancient and modern fish culture, I merely allude to them in passing as havino-- through their developments of the habits of fishes-opened up a subject so attractive as to have induced anglers and men of science to study more assiduously and minutely these creatures of elegant forms, whose colors vie with the rainbow and reflect the hues of every precious stone. Se . their scin- tillant scales, their metallic rays, and colors more beautiful than are given to birds of most favored plumage ! What satin sheen, aurora borealis, or heavenly sunset «^n vie witli the prismatic colors of the living trout or the dying«olphin '^ What gold so finely burnished as the spots on the Spaiiish mackerel ? or what shade of carmine so brilliant as the spots on a samlet? What so transcendently lustrous and beau- titul as a fresh-run salmon ? The Spanish mackerel, salmon, and bonetta combine to form the models for the speed and beauty of our ships il-ven as far back as the Revolutionary War, one of our ship, was named " Bonetta." In symmetry of form and beautiflil coloring, fishes stand at the head of animal creation 'J2 Fishing in American Wateks. f ' SECTION SECOND. prerequisites for fishing. In o-der to pursue with success any branch of fi«i • u^Hn„ 18 one of the most anc ent m"thod« nf fi.i,: and an of the lllTJ^Znl' V':. ™""' '" """"> which i^ f}.p ^n] • nothing to desire but a barb ^eSr^ir^r r;" --h' V"^ -^^^^^^^^^ their food. •^^eiuiiy studied. So also should "Fish have their various characters defined, Not roore by coJor than by mind " They have their times to eat and their choice of food Th tTuL I '""" *" """" *'«' approach of a shovfer Appetite and Locomotion. 23 (luring a fall of snow or rain. Indeed, ■ .tnow-storm seems to improve the appetite of some fishes; and rains which do not render the stream too turbid, but give to the water a slight- ly-darkened tint, do not injure it for even fishing with the fly. It is a commonly received opinion that angling is not as good as usual during easterly winds; but this is only true when the winds cause the tides to rise so high on our coast that fishes change their feeding-grounds. Fly-fishing for both salmon and trout are, in some waters, best during an cast wind. A really windy day is not good for fly-f shing. rhe gentle, balmy breeze, which merely produces a catspaw ripple on the surface, and carries the cast of flies out, so as to leave part of the merit for their graceful and snow-flake fall to the angler and the rod, under " a sun of mild but not too bright a beam," form a few of the conditions which give fly- fishing its peculiar zest. The prejudice against an east wind with the American angler on the Atlantic slope near the coast 18 probably caused by the fact that an east wind so raises the tides along the shores, and sets it back in the estu- aries and creeks, as to cover shoals and islets of eel-grass This gives fishes a wider range to forage and prospect over shallow and weedy places for shrimp, shedder and soft-shell crabs, instead of remaining in the tideway to watch for bait carried along by the current. To converse intelligibly about fishes, it is necessary to know the names of their fins, for these give the means of lo- comotion ; and though this work is not intended as a school- book, or to be especially scientific, yet, as all retfflilers of fish- stones should know enough of a fish to name fte^ns I pre- sent on the following page the form of a fish, with the names of them. The propulsive power of a fish is its tail or caudal fin The pectorals and ventrals assist a little in speed, but more especially in turning and diving, while the anal and dorsals serve as centre-boards to a ship, to prevent leeway and beino- easily capsized. Of rapid swimmers in the American water^ Ill i\ ; I ' I 24: Fishing in American Wateks. ii 'DorsaJ ^■ed the swiftest of the forkelt 'n» h , "'?' '■"■" '"""''^- so.he™e.„r;r;Lii!-tr:i;zr--^"^ SECTION TIIIBD. ia.-ge pans:?e::: e,^f:.o':r;:a t:[.k"" r """ '""' though the Chinese had uiKlerstood fish ouU '«»«,'■ a,„, M. OdK.,,, of thtvLl ^ ]^r"T"*"' "•'■ «"■ vato fish hv ...tififi. I ,„.; .-^ ' ' ^"""^"'^og^n to clti- differenee i' " , ' o^ flT'""- '''^' """ ■"'""■ '"=" ""• vcrsity of thd hi, S " " "," ="™''^'- "'"" « ^'"^ <'!• The Value of a Teak. 25 others bottom fish, like the flounders and the flat-fish fiimily ; some prefer a sandy bottom, as the kingfish, others a rocky^ as the striped bass; and yet others rejoice in mud, as the eels and catfish, with the rest of the silurus family. Some fish prefer salt water, others fresh, and yet others brackish ;. while eels prefer to spawn in salt water and fatten in fresh, as pal- pably as do salmon pursue the opposite by feeding in gait water and spawning in fresh. Thus salmon, shad, and striped bass prefer to feed in salt water, spawn in fresh, and dally in brackish waters. Some fishes keep near shore, others in deep water and for from land. Bottom fishes are usually sluggish, while surface swimmers are generally active. Som^losJ then- vitality as soon as they are landed, others live a long time out of water, and dart revengeful glances at their cap- tors. Some can creep like the eel, others climb trees like the anabas scandens. I may also state my conviction that a whale is a fish, and that the porpoise is also a fish, though members of this genm travel in pairs, suckle their young, of which they usually liave but one at a birth, wliicli the parent mammals guard with jealous care, making it swim between them; and if the calf is harpooned, the mother always yields her life an easy prey to tlw same weapon. The dudong, one of the must intelli- gent of mammal fishes, is the Malays' emblem of constancy m affection ; and as it is said to cry when wounded by the harpoon and brought on deck, they catch the tears and bottle them as a charm, supposing that the application of a single drop will render a wife constant for life. The black porpoise and the puffing i>orpus are great con- sumers of estuary fishes. Tlu-y should not only be hunted and harpooned, but small cannon loaded with grape or canis- ter should be so planted as to project their contents into the shoals which attempt to forage near bassing grounds. Por- poises watch mouths of rivers for salmon, and they are sup- posed to be the lu-incipal cause of depoi.nlating manv of tJie Irish rivers of that royal fish. m Fishing in American Watees. ! ! pofpot: IZt t:t^' "'■"■^^ "y -■"■ «-^ '•»' every estnarics should adonf » ■!?„ I °^ "'"' """s' and away. The plotcis olt ';:,^^P'""".S ^^ •Jiving them capture a, itrofl k th « "" "o*' VoAtaWe Ashe, for SECTION FOURTH. ON VISION IN FISHES. scicuoe and the ».^ler loZ "'"^^"■'*'" *» 'he man of both,m„re than dTt „ IXTd "if '"'"'' ^"™»'» "^ed devoured, and to aid thenTin . T "" '"""'' *" ""^^ being fl^hes; for their fortifieatLs arT 7"^- ™' """"""S "the! obliged to leave ^.TZ,Z7 7^'"' ''^'^ '^<>y -^-^ farther than^ tolo, t If""" """" "™<='P'- "^ -ence ".otives by ^^JZy'.T::ZZVf'''' °'"*^' ""> »--.her„.ith„;n"j.— Cl'tr^^^^^^^^ EouND Eyes detect Motion, not Foem. 27 erally taken by the angler while they are foraging for food. When salmon or trout rise to feed, they may always be taken with a well-made artificial fly, presented to them gently and artistically. The form of the eyes of almost all fishes proves them to be near-sighted. All animals with very c mvex eyes quickly de- tect the slightest motion, but lack the power to discriminate form. Hence a deer, with its full lustrous eye, will approach any still form to within a few feet of it, but at the first move- ment it bounds away like the wind. In addition to the eyes of fishes being convex, the density of the water— as a medium through which they see— rathor shortens than extends vision. "The vision must also be farther limited from the eye beino- covered with the common skin of the head to protect the eye^ ball; and as they have no eyelids, of course the eyes never close ; and, whether sleeping or waking, their vision must be mdistinct." White, of Selborne, states that eyes of fishes are immovable ; but it is known that those of the silver and gold fishes m glass cases turn in their sockets as occasion requires and that, while they take little notice of a lighted candle, they will dart and appear much terrified if their glass house is touched. As fishes have no eyelids, it is difficult to discern the difference between their sleeping and waking hours That they do not always sleep in the night is proven by the many instances when trout have been taken by risino- to the artificial white miller in total darkness. M. de Blainville at- tributes the greatest distinctness of vision to migratory fishes because he states their eyes are the largest; but, instead of tliat being so, the cod is about the only migratory fish which lias larger eyes than the general run of river fishes while those with eyes of moderate size, such as the genmPerca and those of the ^almo genus, give indications of better Sight than most sea fishes. Anglers of great experience and acknowl- edged judgment select baits, whether live minnows, or such artificial lures as flies, squids, etc., whicli contrast stronfflv with the water and the color of the clouds. Wliat angler If I II II 28 Fishing in Amebican Watoib. *t::^t:-rrr:ir^^^ 7 ?"""= «>- - -^^'■ water ,,vhether by a ship sel? 1. '" '"'' "P°" *''" ory by ,bc anecdote tbat ,L,. T ."^ ™"' "*'"''» ""^■ ■ Street from „„e of ,1, , I, ' '"'"'" ™"''"« »P Bon,l ago, .ai., a «« t^e'l^"^ "'"' ™ '"^riou^erso,,. "■ '» wall, a,^, that t,; , :^:~,rv.''r '"^™'=^' street he lilted. When thev I. ^ ''''""'' "''''■ <'*'"'o had not seen one, wh "theTtife T^ "' "" """ "" ''""^^ explanation was that h! °"«"; ^ad eonnted thirteen. The knowing that eats ^efer "r™ f^V'" "'""'> *' "Salmonia," gives tirlllo ^^ • ^'^ H'™P'"-y, in his «"ng.. " Wl eb en :l::X "\'r'''''="'^ ^* "■ baeks to the s„n, whieh 2 w ? ' *"'° *'"> y™'' shadows of yonr elv s and' o ^''« 7^ '''«'>' '»^ "'rown the have ala^ed thefisirXne™ , °" "'" ''''"' »"'' y°" -e I have fished wt m^ ^ ^VXtl """ ' '^^ ^"" ■neonvenieneed by the lii, 1 ' *""' ™d, though James Rennie if A f ^' f' .®'™" "" "'"■■»■•" of fishes prZtffeilav of """'"'''"'""' '" '"^ "-»" the flshes\ro so weU v3 " T"" ""«'"■' ^>''"' *"-- ha.- flies as to reft, e "tie "o " " ■'""' '''"■"'' "^ ?»••''<="- tienhu- days, and even t V^ '" '"""^ """""' ''"<' "" P"'- " Nothing'. „T no" 1 ?"' P"™''^ "'"'» '"""^ <3ay- vors.a. thongh it be .ronT''"""' "'"" ""''' » '""i^-""!- 'h.V theory 1s ^ut, d „/ ,,"? .T 1"^ ''"^'''" = ^"^ is to be acconnted for on\r /• f'"'»'°Phy. hnt the result Daniell state "th'e "^ '^"^'-™"* P™eiple." a eonsiderab ,i3an a^rth^'T "' ""^ «*- seein. that are .leeeived b^d ffc™ t h 't™ "' """"^ °' "'™- their food, give., room fo ! ^TF""'^'"''^ '" ™'«^«<>n »f distinctly ;?reeived';; .t^.r: ^.tr " "^ ""' -'>■ Gay Colors the most ArrKACTivE. 29 Light seems peculiarly attractive to fishes, as proven by their surrounding a diving-bell with a light in it. Walter Scott, in his Guy Mannering, describes the plan adopted in Scotland for attracting fishes by grates of living coal, or torches carried by the fishermen as they wade shallow streams for 'lo purpose of spearing. When a fish is thus discovered, it remains fascinated by the glare of light, sel- dom makes an effort to escape, and is easily speared. This is one Of the many devices by which the Indians and vagrant whites kill the salmon and trout while on their spawning- beds, both in Maine and in the dominion of Canada. The Chinese catch fish by employing two narrow boats, with a board painted white and varnished nailed to them, so as to slope outward and almost touch the water, and so as to reflect the light of the moon. Toward these boats the fish <lart, and, falling on them, are caught with ease. From the pretended imitations of baits and flies for cap- turing fishes may be logically deduced the fact that fish are near-sighted, and do not perceive with great distinctness any minute object, however near to them. The most successful artificial baits to troll with for the fishes of our lakes and rivers are thus arranged : a pair of hooks disguised by a few gaudy feathers— bright red and white being the most suc- cessful colors— and at the shank of the hook is placed a piece of silver, brass, or copper, of oval or diamond shape, so ar- ranged as to revolve rapidly, and appear as little like any thing living in or out of the Avater as possible. What is known as the common " spoon," made with swivels, and a shoulder on the shank of he hook, so as to revolve rapidly by drawing it through the water, is frequently a more capti- vating lure than a live fish. In trolling for bluefish, a piece of lead or bone five inches long forms a more successful lure than the sea-shhior which is its principal sustenance ; and a piece of pearl, five inches long by half an inch in diameter, either round or oval, is the most attractive troll for Spanish mackerel ; while a plain piece of red flannel, attached to a f ) j i ' 11 i! P Mi iff!' 1!. SO Fishing in American Watkrs. fcli for a livelihood ^ "'"' '""''"» *" Wuefish, who Of eo„r.e tlfe rod b rtr^t T""-'' ''•'"" "'^ ^''■■'■''''••>^'' -n on t..e w,.te™tf TZ^^Z^^ T1 '"'-* resulted fi-om the frequent rice, .J, ''" •■wloption fi»l.i"g with buit. I !. ce : "■" '" ""•' '■"<' «°"' ^>">ife willing to ri,k hi reputat:^,™"""'^' ^ "*'" '"« ''» ''""■■•I *« a red float is t fe ' ^'1 r"' ""'"'"'• "''O" "'--^ting gcoran, regarded trXTtrr"'""^- ^"""'^^ -1 cafirice of theirs while on a ;t Z T " " "■'''"'^'- Judge Philo T. Ku2<-Ies a„d M.t- ' '"'»>=™i-, with fly-fi.l>ersi„ the stale Cy^onAd"',?" """"^ "'» "« trout by oftering them a L T 1 '" '""' "'<= ''»'"=y »f bought a ml ibfs of a ta.id fj'; t'"'"""?'^' ^''- J''™ to make it into flies. T e ^I ir' ""'""^'^" " %-*y«- tyor, who w-as presented wira,ro:,;""r' '"" '"" «>- .io.e„, actually n.ade n.oney „o"„h bvTh , " ^-P'" "'" The Aktificial Dkagon- FLY. Dessert for Salmon and Trout. ^i of a claret body, brown mallard wing, and tail of the top-knot from the golden plieasant ; or the blue professor, with blue silk body and dark gray wings. With the following remarks from a clever writer on an- gling in the Encycloptedia Britannica, and a few comments on them, I shall dismiss the subject of the vision in fishes: " It may be asked upon what principle of imitative art the different varieties of salmon-fly can bo supposed to bear the most distant resemblance to any species of dragon-fly, to im- itate which we are frequently told .that they are intended ?" The reader will please compare the artificial dragon-fly with a true copy of a natural one on the following plate of natural salmon and trout flies : Amehioan Neeve-winoki) Insects, tiatural size. 1. Common Dr-trni. flv o ti,„ a Of the dissimilarity of the artificial lures to the natural ones, the same may be generally said and prove true, whether I li M ! •32 Fishing m American Waters. tor salmon, trout, maskinongo, pickerel, black bass, blucfish Spanish mackerel, and all other surface feeders. Besides t J pretended imitations are used several months earlier in' the year than nature produces their originals; thus, while the hues almon-fishmg m Europe is during the spring months, the diagon-fly is a summer insect, and rarely makes its ap pearance until Juno. ^ ^ If artificial flies have no resemblance to natural ones « how much more unlike must they be when, instead of being swept down by the current, as a real one would be, the artificial fly •s seen crossmg and recrossing every stream and torrent with ^e agihty of an otter and the strength of an alligator^ ^^ow as It ,s demonstrable that the artificial fly ge,rerallv used for salmon bears no resemblance, except in Le, to any Iivmg one; that the only tribe which it may be supposed to represent does not exist in the winged state durin/I pe nod when the imitation is most generally and most success- u ly used; and if they did, their habits and natural powers totally prevent them from being at any time seen under such circumstances- as would give a color to the supposition of the one being even mistaken for the other, may we not fairlv conclude that, in this instance at least, the fish proceed upon other grounds, and are deceived by an appearance of life Ld motion rather than by a specific resemblance to any thino- which they had previously been in the habit of capturino- v ^^ hat natural insect do the large flies and spoons It which sea trout, lake trout, black bass, etc., bite, resemble ? These us well as salmon, frequently take the lure far within thJ bounds of salt-water mark, and yet materialists know that no inhabits the sea What species are represented by the palm- . cr, or by three fourths of the dressed flies in use ? An arti- ftcial fly can, at the best, be considered only as the represent- ative of a natural one which has been drowned, as it is im- possible to imitate the dancing or hovering flight of the in sect over the surflice of the stream, and, even with that re- Most Fishes ake Short-sighted. 38 atricted idea of its resemblance to nature, the likeness must be scarcely perceptible, owing to the difference of motion and the great variety of directions in which the angler draws his flies, according to the nature and locality of the current and the prevailing direction of the wind." The sight of fishes is like laat of all animals with round and convex eyes. . If the angler will stand quite still in the water, fish will not fear to congregate about him, or to flap his legs with their fins ; but with his slightest motion they dart to their hiding-places. The convexity of the eye pro- duces short-sightedness in man as well as in quadrupeds, birds, and fishes. The round eye is inferior to the almond- shaped for distinguishing form : thus round-eyed animals and fishes mistake a man for an inanimate object, and, from their shortness of vision, approach him without fear. These gen- eral and specific reasons convince me that fishes are short- sighted, and that, while quick to detect action, they are slow to distinguish form. SECTION FIFTH. ON TASTE IN FISHES. The sense of taste in both birds and fishes, which subsist on similar food, is less acute than in other animals, a circum- stance strongly indicated by the hard, gristly texture of the tongue when it exists, which it may scarcely be said to do m all fishes, though it is very distinct in the CypHnidce, and rather less so in the genus Salmo. Dr. Rennie states that numerous experiments made by him on birds T 'lose food consists of small fruit and insects, which they swallow without breaking, leads him to conclude that they choose some and reject others, not by taste, but by touch, probably aided by smell; and he adds, "I have no doubt It is the same with fishes; at least it is obvious, from their so generally swallowing their food without chewing or bruising it, that, even if they possessed acute taste, it could not aid them in the discrimination." C . 34 FiSinNG IN Amekicjuj Wateks. furnished to g.ve U a more acute taste for preventing it from being p„,soned by eating water hemlock, or other deleterious plants as it .s known to.feed on water-plants. That all fish are not thus provided with taste sufliciently acute to !nab e fToal"'"* "'"* " P™""""^' ""P"^™ ^™- '"« 1-ct e Irof r^ '" r'°"'"« *"" '^ p^^^^^^g a„d miki„g » fnt\ 1, f f ' '"' ^'""^"" '■*«. - 'i-^b tl'ey form mto balls about the size of peas and east into the water , Z I T"""' ''"''' »""• ^<"""^"'S iutoxicated o palsied thereby, float to the surface of the w^ter and are ea" ly canght, or soon die. Chub and dace are ready victims to this device, as are also the black bass, Osweso yellow white, rock and all the varieties of lake aM river te I^ IS always dangerous to purchase fish out of season any where; but residents of cities should be especially careful who hey purchase from, and the safest houses ai-e those which deal 'argely with fishing firms of established reputation. Teeth of fishes appear destined more especially for layin.. hold and detaining their prey than for chewing. With tM, view they ai-e bent inward, like tenter-hooks, lo that fish howsoever small and slippeiy, are forced backinto the gu -' le , and their escape or return prevented. It is no doubt with the same design that the throats of many fish Istd tteth'" Sul rn''- ^7 ''•^'™^"' '^™^ a'pavemLt :■ teeth. Such fishes as have teeth thus placed far back on the palate and upper part of the throat, while in their jaws they have none, are termed by anglers " leather-moutLd," b.I technically malaeoslomata. Anglers of the British Isles reckon among tt. princinal of eather-mouthed fishes the minnow, gudgL, rL". To c , bleak, chub, daces, barbel, bream, rud, tench, cL-p, ani other minor fishes. The salmon and the pike have tU in tl jaws and in all parts of the mouth, and the perch in all parts of the mouth except the tongue. The sturgeon and sucker agam, have no teeth whatever. ' Bony and Leather Mouths. 35 The division of anglers' fishes into such as are and such as are not leather-mouthed may be important to the young an- gler, as diflferent management is required in playing each. Old anglers considered such fishes leather-mouthed as have their teeth in the throat. Hooks seldom part their hold from the mouths of such fishes, which are not generally regarded as gamy, though good sport for ladies and youth. But the contrary is the case with the striped bass, squeteague, pick- erel, maskinonge, perch, and most game fishes which are white-meated. These have a bony mouth, and not much flesh or skin to hold a hook; therefore you are never sure of landing these fish unless you play them so lightly as not to permit them a foot of slack line, except, perchance, they have gorged the hook. That water-grasses and some other plants are partly the food of leather-mouthed fishes, especially of the carp c/enus, is unquestionable ; and in the Orient herbivorous fishes are' considered the most delicate and highly prized. But when they feed on liver, brewers' grains, boiled barley, split peas, and the like, they probably mistake these for the eggs or co- coons of water animals, inasmuch as they could not procure a supply of these except by rare accident. That some fish may feed on the seeds of such plants as are scattered about the water is not improbable, and it may have been from observ- ing this that it is recommended by Lebault and Debraw, aft- er removing the fish to let fish-ponds dry, to sow them with oats or other grain, and, when it is ripe, to let the water again into the pond, and bring back the fish to feed. Bowlker remarks that carp will eat barley, wheat, or oaten bread, while tench and perch will not touch it. Of course perch prefer meats to vegetable diet; but as the tench differs with the carp upon vegetable diet, both being vegetarians, it proves that fishes have discriminative tastes. Most leather-mouthed fishes like both vegetable and ani- mal diet, and the carp is said to devour young eels, frog- spawn, fish-roe, and young fishes, including its own specie's, 36 Fishing in American Waters. kind of fish from tl^e mnmo w to the Halmon ; every thin., that hves and moves bein, swallowed without-;o far'as ha:been lectionT ^^ discrimination of species or much nicety of se- 8ECTI0N SIXTH. ON SMELL IN FISHES. bi'L"^ ':, '"' ""'"""'' '" ™'"^<l-'<"y connected wi.h b eatl„ng,and wo ean not easily conceive how »moIl is pro- Jueed except by a current of air, in wlaich odoriferous parU cks are diff„sed,pas.ing through a moistened chan ,as'w so admirably described by Schneider two hundred years ago but m fishes wh.ch do not breathe, smell ean not be thus pro^ fus 1 d """• •'^"'"' ""'""'' '' '^ S-d '^ -'J'""' ford f fusng odors as air, and there is the less necessity for a cur- rent of th.s being produced through the nostrils, al fish move about so constantly through the water. Their nostrils, tter^ fore, are generally large, but imperforate backward • that ! they do not communicate with the throat; but in so^e fishes space mto the mouth, and through this a current of water may probably run. M. Dumeril and the Rev. W. B DitTi hmk that, from the structure of the nostril and the want of an aenal medmm for odors, fishes can not smell atTand that the,r nostnls perform a function similar to taste- b^t "o a late professor of .oology i„ King's College, London lis upposmon appear, improbable. From all'that I ha"; covered, I fee confident that a majority of anglers and m „ of scenee beheve that smell in fishes is quite paLble Smell .ng substances for enticing fish to the hook are eeommLd d by too many honorable names to leave a shadow o"do„U upon the subject. Walton, for example, reeommeLs numer 0U8 strong-smelling pastes for .attraetLg fish to the bait sit .ng that "old Oliver Henley, now with! God, a noted fit; Composition Baits. 37 botli for trout and salmon," contended in favor of acuteness in the smell of fishes. In an old volume on " The Secrets of Angling," by J. Davors, publxshed in 1813, I find the fol- lowing : "To bless thy bait and make the fish to bite, Lo! here's n means, if thou canst hit it right: Take gum of life, well beat and laid to soak In oil well drawn of ivy which kills the oak. Fish where thou wilt, thou shalt have sport tlij- fill ; When others fail, thou shalt be sure to kill. " M. Chars, who was apothecary to Louis XIV., composed a perfume which attracted all kinds of fresh-water fishes by the use of cat's fat, heron's grease, the best asafoetida, Egyptian mummy finely powdered, aniseed, camphor, galbanum, Ven- ice turpentine, and civet. These he made into the consist- ence of thin ointment by means of oil of lavender, of aniseed, and camomile, which may be preserved for a year or two if kept where the air is excluded. The bait and about eight inches of line are directed to be anointed with this to attract fish. Of the numerous scented baits recommended, Walton Avrote in favor of petroleum, and Daniell suggested that tar is most attractive in the composition of a scented ointment for bait. But the most fascinating of such pastes for fresh-water fishes is that composed of the roe of salmon ; and I should be opposed to its use if millions of salmon-eggs were not annually wasted along most of the salmon rivers ; and it is to be hoped that, by the means of science, some successful theory may soon be adopted for turning this seed into the waters to restock them, for it is morally revolting to an angler to contemplate the great loss by the depletion of the waters from the waste of ova. While the wholesale waste continues, those w^ho desire to make bait from the roe of fishes should sprinkle it with salt, and then put it down in a pot in alternate layers with wool. Rev. W. B. Daniell advised the taking of a pound of roe in September, and, after boiling it fifteen minutes, beat it in a mortar until sufticiently mixed with an ounce of salt and 38 V 1 I! I I. 18' " i r I 1 FisniNG IN American Watkks. an ounce of saltpetre, the membrane in whieh the spawn i, ontamed being eareful.y pieked out; it i. then pSed i that tjr""^ """^ ™<^ of »"«=■• fl*es would do as well a. 1 he tiefir r" '^.^"™°-'''— «- -ell, which .ecms the chief attraction, is quite similar. A paste made i„ Z TT ™'^f°"' ^"^"^^ ^""'"1- '^ ="- att™ ve Mu" Tf thetoC" ■""' "'™' "'"^' *™-y - --^« speettr™:u'i'flV''"r"' "" °"""' ''^'=^''™«' ^-^^ - the I erfesTf n ', """'""'^ "^ *' ''"'"I P''-- "-' le fact It fiT "" Z"°' "'"' *'"" <'^*'"'"^"' inclusively the lact that fishes are gifted with tlie sense of smell. SECTION SEVENTH. OM IIEAEING IN PISHES. ^^n^.::is-----:-^ « ""wal:.""-"' '-^'"^^ '" verse-"harped a flsh out":' ^Han tells us that the chad is allured by the sound of cas^nets and in Germany they take these /sh s wU net to which bows of wood hung with little bells are attaeWl i:d ' Tr";: '° ""™" -■ '-™™y ->-' »"» ™ moved. These fish, it is stated, will not ittnm^t ♦ ■•vhile the bells continue to rin-^ OnTi r 7 *'"'"'"' -PC people are in the hab': ellli,,? " ^:;' 1;:?.:' ""l as o^er iishes i„ pouds, to bo fed at the si d otuu ^"" Professor Bradley states that in Rotterdam at t oreserv^ of carps owned by Mr. Eden, he saw then, fed. " -fi "c , .^..e.tt ^::^r;, - ™e.iat:^ttiS^i-i-tr:i--- Fishes have sensitive Eaes. 39 pond in duch numbers that there was scarcely room for them to lie by one another, and then he threw some spinach-seed among them, which they devoured very greedily. This sat- isfied me that fishes have the sense of hearing." Sir Walter Rogers, an English gentleman, had a pond of pikes which members of his household called together at pleasure; and as carnivorous fishes are more wild and untamable than are those which feed on herbs, it offers the most palpable proof that fishes hear. M. Lebault advises fish culturists not to permit shooting about the ponds for wild-fowl, etc., as it frightens, injures, and destroys the fish. This opinion is also entertained by celebrated physiologists ; and John Hunter, who describes the ear of fishes— always, he says, important— as consisting of a gristly substance, very hard and firm in parts, and in some species crusted over Avith a thin plate of bone, so as not to permit it to collapse. The ear of fishes he also remarked to possess the singular peculiarity of increasing with the size of the individual, whereas in quadrupeds it is nearly as large m the young as in the full-grown animal. " When in Portugal," said Dr. Hunter, " in 1762,1 observed in a nobleman's garden near Lisbon a small fish-pond full of difterent kinds of fishes. Its bottom was level with the ground, and was made by forming a bank all round, with a shrul>bery close to it. Wliile lying on the bank seeing the fish, I desired a gentleman vt^ho was my comparion to go be- hind the shrubs (that there be no reflection from the flash) and fire his gun. The moment the report was made the fish seemed universally affected, for they vanished immediately, raising, as it wore, a cloud of mud from the bottom. In about five minutes afterward they began to appear and swim about as before." The discussions of Dr. Munro, Geoffroi, Comparctti, Scarpa, Weber, aiul De Blainville, may be referred to, as their works fullv settle tl le (jiicstion in favor of hearing in fishes. Web discovered a communication between the cr ear in 11 dies and 40 Fishing in American Watises. ment at the magnitude of their nerve, of hearing It IS snperfluous to multiply examoles of ti5L. „ • when cane., by a .histle or a'b'ell. So t^ZZ^^ pol tTrau'ee"":"'""" f """^ '' "™- 'o™'-" Tn M cfr ' Tf? **' d,ief of the Fisheries Commis- heai, but that some of them talk ! From all the evidence Large and anxious Families. 41 CHAPTER II. FECUNDITY OF FISHES. First. Mammalia, including whales, porpoises, and all fish- es which bring forth alive and suckle their young, whethei^v herbivorous or carnivorous, seldom have mors than one or two young at a birth, which sailors term calves. Second. The families of which the salmon and trout are the heads are called by naturalists the genus Salmo. These fishes have the palpable mark of an adipose second dorsal fin ; their meat is of a tint between mallow and pink, and they are regarded by anglers and epicures as the highest game and most luxurious fishes of the oviparous class, or those fishes which replenish their species by laying ego-s which are vivified by the milt of the male, and then, after a time, the eggs hatch hi the water. This process is common to all egg-laying fishes; but, while eggs of the salmo genus require from three to four months to hatch, those of the du- pea genus hatch in as many days. Seth Green hatched shad artificially on the Connecticut River within forty hours from the time the ova and milt fell into the hatdiing-boxes in the stream-being the main current of the river-and not in boxes so placed as that a stream should run through or over them, but anchored so as to float in the current of the river submerging a sufficient portion of them for keeping the eo-.s covered with water to a sufficient depth. A salmon is sm,- posed to ay a thousand eggs for every pound the mother fish weighs, consequently they average from ten to thirtv thousand for eacli ])air. ^ Third. Included in this class are all the oviparous tribes but those of the genus ^almo. The number of eggs in the 42 Fishing in American Waters. lit m ha?f -11 . *^^f^^^P.-nd the sturgeon produce from ha fa million to a million and a half, the celebrated Dutch naturahst Leuwenhoeck reckoned that the codfish contains over mne millions of eggs. This estimate was ba^ed upon weighing accurately a small part of the roe and counting th. eggs, then weighing the remainder, and estimating the whole from the part counted. Without doubt the fecundity of all ^le food-fishes of the sea is beyond human estimate; so that, a^t bo'l' Vr^ "'^ ""' '™^*^'^^ ^^ '''' ^^'^ fi«h^«> the Ire t f "^.1. '' '''"''^' ''''^^ ^ ^^^ y^^^-«' become too great for the waters to contain. SECTION SECOND. voracity of fishes. pa,t of the food for larger ones, md even those full grown oft n meet m fierce combat, when the one whieh hfstLe widest ti„..t come, off victorious by swallowing his oppo to an ^^^f •I'-S ->"looded animals, are not "susceptible to an acute sense of pam ; thus it does not hurt an eel ueh to be skmned and a shark has been observed to seek pr y for ^JLT "f T' P'"^"" °^''^'"''' "■""'»« domesticated m p nvate ponds, do not fail occasionally to devour such members of their own family as venture near enough, st Wilham Jardu.e states that "the lake trout are vet rapa- cious, and, after attaining the weight of three or four pound, fwn yZtr'"''"''' °" ^™^" '^^''•"O' «P-'"'g -en thei.: This bei°„g t.™ of the finny tribes generally, how malapro- pos IS the sympathy extended for them by good souls who do not understand the savage character of the^ cronLir sohctnde. Such was the poet Dr. Walcott, author of 1 fo. lowing verses: Ceuelty of Fishes. 43 " Why flyest thou away with fear? * Trust me, there's naught of danger near : I have no wicked hook, All covered with a smarting bait, Alas ! to tempt thee to thy fate, And drag thee from the brook. Oh harmless tenant of the flood, I do not wish to spill thy blood ; For nature unto thee Perchance ha? given a tender wife. And children dear, to charm thy life, As she hath done to me. Enjoy thy stream, oh harmless fish, And when an angler, for his dish. Through gluttony's vile sin Attemi)ts — a wretch — to pull thee out, God give thee strength, oh gentle trout. To pull the rascal in !" Instances are common of fishes following a hooked one, and, while it is being played by the angler, biting pieces out of it, and sometimes swallowing it, so that both are landed. It may be readily inferred from this that small fish form at- tractive bait. Fish evince no mercy for any living thini>- which inhabits the waters, and most of the angler's fishes feed readily on their own broods. As fish are generally at- tracted by the sight or smell of blood, ro>l feathers, burnt wool, and scarlet braid, etc., are found to fascinate them when attached to trolls; especially is this proven to be the case in trolling for bluefish, black bass, and maskinonge. I therefore conclude that, as the principal food of all fishes consists of animals and animalculse, with water-insects, and the spawn deposited in the waters, these last seeming to form the dainties most eagerly sought by them, so the unlimited voracity of fishes, which has no counterpart in any other branch of animal creation, may be one of the means wiseiy ordered to check an excessive multiplication ; and that their extraordinary fecundity is probably a provision of nature for supplying an adequate amount of food, upon the same prin- ciple that land insects are so crreatlv multinlipd nrnhahlxr fny supplying food to birds. 44 Fishing in Aaiekica^j Waters. i SECTION THIRD. TIMES OP FEEDING AND HAUNTS OP PISHES Most fish are said to be night-feeders, yet all of them feed the night, and are tempted to come abroad when the weathp! IS so cloudy as to resemble twili^^ht so auTZ^l +},;„ f„„-i ,. . *^^"o"^j »o aiso tne nshe?. With this farther peonharUy, that a turbid sta ,„ ,™te,' from recent ra.Bs may so dim the light that t. ,. wUl bUe wZ the sun shines brightly. When the weather is bright and the water dear most fishes Iceep their places of retirement, some amongtedsTnd other w^ter-plants, some nnder banks or ledges of rock Inrt ■ng m deeper and deeper water as the weather becomt warmer, so that the feeding-level for lake tront. whTeh is oftet I "^ ; :f1 '"\ '" ""'' ^P™S. i^ found from flf; a hundred feet below the surface in July and Auo-ust rL,. fishes «ek the shade of overhanging t.es; C u^* stones; some squattnig close to the ground over SBrins-t sand, or „. the sludge at the bottom off he wateT I™! ent waters, however, there are peculiarities of cu,-re„ts od d.es, and pools that fish are fond of haunting eonee™i„t «*.ch no practical rule of general utility can II ^ZZ^ ^^uVh^^Lg^r™ ^^^'""^ «'^"'' -- "^ «-^' "*■ STRENGTH AND PEOPCLSIVE POWEE. The true indication of a fish's strength is found in fh. shape of its head and shoulders back to'the fl^t d rsal fin while .ts speed or propulsive power is shown by its shanj from the front of the second dorsal and anal fins tott et of the ta. 1, and the shape of this caudal continuation. Of the o,fed.ta,|,.t has already been remarked that the swordflsl while of the square-tails the brook trout and squetea<.ue an supposed to propel with th,. greatest velocity. \n,::g I": Peofessok Bokelli's Experiments. 46 which unite the greatest velocity with the greatest degree of strength must be reckoned the whale ; for, struck with a har- poon or spear with a line attached, the leviathan of the watery darts down into the deep with such velocity that if the line were to entangle it would either bo broken or the boat would be capsized. Upon the act of striking a whale, therefore, one man is stationed to give his whole attention to the line run- ning off clear, while another is employed to pour water con- tinually on the wood over which the line runs, to prevent ig- nition by friction. The angler knows that the sheepshead has this power of diving with the velocity of lightning ; so have all fishes which are swift and wide compared to their length. In diving or darting upward, the swim-bladder is a great assistance, as it is found to be compressed while the fish is at the bottom, and expanded when the fish is on the surface of the water. Probably the salmon and the bluefish unite the greatest amount of muscular strength to the great- est power of propulsion. Other fishes of our coast, such as the Spanish mackerel, bonetta, cerus, and the horse mackerel, add to the muscularity of the salmon and bluefish the propul- sive power of the swordfish and the dolphin. The pectorals, ventrals, and anal fins assist the fish in maintaining its bal- ance or level position of body. In experimenting upon the use of fins. Professor Borelli, of Naples, ascertained that after clipping off the pectoral, ventral, and anal fins of fishes, all their motions became unsteady, and they reeled from right to left, and up and down, in such irregular manner as to prove that they were left at the mercy of their voracious neighbors of the deep. 46 Fishing in Ameeican Watebs. CHAPTER in. COAST AND ESTUARY FISHES. As the fishes of the Atlantic coast of North America in- cud,„g those ofthe estuaries and tidal waters which debouch along our coast, are more numerous, and include a greater va- do the fi^ '' -l' n^^" ^"' ^^^ ^—-1 iisheLa tVan neaily every American angler of a tidal river regards the ^nped bass as the fish of fishes, .a. excellence to be angled hist on the list, and showing some ofthe artistic ways for taking him. j ^^^ The Stkiped Bass. This fish, so beautiful and gamesome, is peculiar to the tidal waters and estuaries ofthe rivers which empty on the coast of the Atlantic from Portland to Norfolk. The striped bass IS known farther north and south, but it exists in the most perfect state in the rivers and along the coast between the points named. It affords good sport with light tackle when Its weight is but half a pound; and it trie^ both the metal and skill of an angler after it rises to the ponderou importance often pounds, though it is said to attain to the Api ^abance aot) Habits of Stkiped Bass. 47 weight of nearly a hundred. I have captured but one which weighed over forty pounds, although I have angled for them every season for the past thirty years. It. is great game when weighing any where from ten to thirty pounds. In muscular power the striped bass equals the salmon, but it lacks the caudal power for leaping, which is so palpable in the form of a salmon, back of its adipose fin, including its crescent-shaped tail. This fish is known south of New Jersey as the rockfish ; but as no two ichthyologists agree upon a classical name for the fish, it had probably best be called the name by which it is known where the greatest numbers are taken, and there it is known only as the striped bass ; and as there is no other fish which at all resembles it, there is no chance of mistake. It approximates the Perca genus, the front dorsal fin being composed of seven spinous or spiked rays, and having two nearly concealed spines. Its scales are rather large, and of. metallic lustre; gill-covers serrated and edges sharp. The color of the back is a blending of black, blue, and green, light- mg to bluish-gray at the sides, and to a satin white belly. The longitudinal stripes are usually seven or eight in number, and are like narrow black braids, sparkling with silver or diamonds and emerald. Its symmetry, marks, and satin sheen render it one of the most picturesque and interesting fishes in the world, independent of its great game, generous play, and luxury as a dinner fish. The striped bass is eminently domestic in his habits He IS not given to wandering or vagrancy. He is generally to be found at home and in good condition. The female de- posits her eggs in fresh and brackish waters, but never in the sea. In November the bass shoal and congregate in brackish water-ponds, or back waters of tidal rivers, or in the bays and bayous of rivers which have an outlet to the sea, after which time It will not take bait until the following spring, after having spawned and returned to active waters. The pond<^ formed by the back water of the Seconnet River were a few M FiSHINO IH Ameeicin VVatees. ^.nters smce so full „f rtriped bass that tl.o flsl, were di, covered by the r dorsal fins in the ice, whore they had be „ frozen by too .Jose packin.. The ice was cut, aul hundred" of cart-loads were pi, .ed out with forks 'and taken t Striped bass will live and increase when confined to fresh water, but .ts shape then becomes changed, and instead oft symmetry and lustre when having access to both fresh and tUlant. Th,s I discorvered in those I took in the upper part of Lake Ontano, audit corroborates the opinion whichlhave hea.-d expressed by other angle,, and fish' ulturists These fish dehght in rocky shoals, among which they flan then- tads and rub their scales as they pros;ect for S'a .cac.es Their great power and swiftness enable them to for- ■age with impunity for disabled menhaden, spearing shrimD c^bs she der lobsters etc., among the bre'akls, rfiihey Zh .mes, when the sea ,s agitated, that casting for them from hatangln" r ""7/'''^''"»"'^ ■'^"'^'"S -^ -"active man angling tor any other game fish tvlfir^'r ■""■'""' "^"y ^^"''^ «»• <"'Pt«rins this beau- ^ of the estuary, the chief of which are still-baitto. from a" ^mchored boat along the edge of the tide, trolling w^Zive .^..o.-es and islands «rYol I M^^n:^;!' ^« SECTION SECOND. AXGLING FOR STRIPED BASS, In order that the reader may proximately realize the ',ar- w tr 1 ''"''' ^" " ' ^^"^ fish, I propose taking Z with me on several excursions after the lustrous beauty ..nd, first, we will try him in the vicinity of Is^cw York Tjfe Effects of an easterly Wind. 49 weather and tide are favorable, and the moon is right for giv- ing hsh an excellent appetite and great activity. Fishes in waters near the ocean bite best in the first quarter of the .noon, while those which are up rivers and creeks, near fresh water, bite best at full tides, and immediately after a « nor'- easter," when the wind, having backed round by the south has settled m the northwest. You may prove these facts' without going a dozen miles from the metropolis ; and I have always noticed that it is better fishing in « the Kills" and at the hedges of Newark Bay, as well as at those in the lower pm-t of the Bay of New York, when the tide is low, whileihe hslnng at King's Bridge and Spuyten Duyvel is best at verv' high t.des The only exception to this rule is applicable to h5 Ms. "^ ^ ' ^""''^ ^'^^ ''''^' ^''' ^""»8- .utl7'%'''\^''uV^^ ^''' to-morrow, suppose we make a lay of It ? \\ ell, that being agreed to, we will first try Har- lem River, or the creek at King's Bridge. Being an angler you of course know that the baits here are confined to shrimp c^1rly m spring and late in autumn; to soft-shell and shedder crab m the summer and until the middle of October; after which soft-shell clam for the English Neighborhood Bridge and shnmp, with an occasional shedder lobster, serve as baits in the vicinity of New York, except for trolling in Hell Gate where we use squid; and for fishing in the surf at Newport' and along the coast generally, the menhaden is preferred' ^had roe is frequently recommended for bass bait. I once tried It at Saybrook, near the mouth of the Connecticut Riv- er, where the bass were said to bite it unconditionally but though I stood on the platform and fished from it, I did not capture a single fish. It was not because the bass did not like the bait, but rather that the great depth of wa.er and strength of tide obliged me to fish with a heavy tracing smker, and the fish stole my bait before it settled c^ the bot- tom because I was not prepared with the means of nomas niusim wherein to tie the bait over the hook. I have' never D I 50 Fishing in American Waters. I tried the bait since, and though it is very attractive, it is un- pleasant to use. The thousands of barrels of shad cured there every shad season, when the roe is thrown into the river, attracts myriads of strijied bass every May and June, causing a regret that Seth Green could not use the roe of this delicious esculent for restocking the river as he does at Holyoke. Of course tackle is of the utmost importance. As we are to angle for small bass, with crab and shrimp bait, we will rig light, and as represented by the following engraving : Tackle for taking Small Bass A. Solid Cork-float. B. Swivel Siuker. C. Piece of the top of Rod, showing the double guides ; on one side bell-metal, and the other agate. D. Agate or Caraeli- an tip to screw into the top of the rod. E. Upper Hook, rigged a foot above the oth- er hook for shrimp. P. Lower Hook, for baiting with shedder crab. G, H. Single- gut Leader. 1. Line ; of either linen twisted or silk braided ; very small, uo larirer than for trout, but from 300 to 400 feet in length. The reel should be a multiplier, Avithout any stop, check, or drag ; it should be of brass, German silver, or bell-metal, run on steel or agate pivots, and Avith a balance crank. The rod for this style of fishing should be from 9 to 1 1 Angling at King's Bridge. 51 feet long, bearing in mind that a short, stiff rod is the best to cast with, but not so good to pUiy a fish with light run- ning-tackle. Of course the size of float and weight of sinker will be changed to suit the waters and the tides. ".See that all things be right, For 'twould be a spite To want tools when a man goes a-fishing." — Cotton, You perceive that I have selected one hook with an O'Shaughnessy bend (E), and the other (F) an Aberdeen. Well, brother angler, a night of sound sleep, and our in- comparable breakfast at the Astor, with our drive over the Bloomingdale Road this beautiful morning, has so enlivened me to a sense of the beautiful that I feel assured we shall have good sport to-day, and enjoy it. This is King's Bridge, the name of the most spicy and succulent oyster that ever graced the cuisine of a Dorlon. Our horse will be well cared for at this hotel, for the host— an admirable caterer— appre- ciates anglers. We will first see what sport there is to be had at the east bridge, where we will joint our rods, and rig sinkers and floats according to the movement of the tide. I perceive that the tide is just on the turn to flood. Rig light for half an hour, and then change to heavier sinker and larger float. I. like bridge fishing, for, after making a cast, you may humor your line so as to lead the bait in the most angling manner from current to current ; and then, in striking at a bite forty yards off, there is so much sport in playing your fish until you get him into the slack water formed by the piers of the bridge ; and, being from 8 to 10 feet above the water, you generally fasten the fish at the first bite. Strike ! You've hooked him ! There ! give hijn play, but feel his weight, and make him con- tend for every foot of line you give him, or he will tak- the whole without exhausting himself, and you will lose him. Do not permit him to run back on you, for that is a favorite <lodge of these striped sides to get slack line, and enable them to dislodge the hook. Keep your rod up nearly perpendicu- 52 I'iSHiNG IN American Waters. lar, giving him the benefit of its spring, for he is bony-mouth- ed, though the teeth in his upper jaw are too small and short to bite or even chafe off a siik-worm gut snell. Keep your fish out of the swiftest of the tide, and, after playing him un- til he succumbs from exhaustion, land him on the shore, for he is too heavy to lift upon the bridge. Well done ! Now bait quickly and cast for another. You perceive that at the foot of the rapid tide the bass lie in wait for bait, for our floats dip at that place. But the fish move away from there after the tide gets running its full strength, and an hour is all of first-rate fishing we may expect in one tide, therefore it is necessary to be active in baiting and expert at casting and playing a fish, always using shrimp on the upper hook and shedder on the lower one, when you use two baits at a time m this style of fishing. Now, as the tide has become too swift for float-fishing, just step into this boat, and we will row down to the first island in the creek, seventy-five rods beyond the west bridge, and try Spuyten Duyvel Creek. The fish are smaller here, but they bite more generously. I took 1 74 here m one day, and yet Judge Brevoort, my companion, beat me by one fish. - See ! one on each hook at every cast ! Say you not that angling for small bass with light tackle forms a pleasing excitement? Well, having fished out the tide, suppose we return to the hotel and take our vehicle for iiome ? This place is accessible by public conveyances over several routes, but as it is only eleven miles from the City Hall, I prefer to drive out. We have taken between thirty and forty bass which scale from half a pound to a pound each— only three two-pound fish and one three-pounder; and this may be regarded as an average morning's sport. SECTION THIRD. TROLLING IN HELL GATE. You doubtless perceived, brother singler, that the sport which we yesterday enjoyed at King's Bridge might be i>racticed and greatly relished by ladies. Many ladies of Angling suited to Ladies. 63 New York and its suburbs are experts at casting a fly for trout or a bait for bass ; and, in my opinion, they lend one of the principal charms to ruralizing. I do not like the pent- up, hide-bound, cynical geniuses of the Diogenes quality, nor yet of those bachelors whose rectangular apartments each side of a hall in our hotels are not inappropriately consider- ed by some as stalls for the stray oxen of society. I agree with Brother Lathv that "No scenes more suited are to themes of love, Than whilst on rivers' banks you fish and rove ; T' instruct the fair tlie happy lover tries, And, grateful, she rewards him with her eyes. No longer, then, our angling sports disdain, Since Venus sprung from Ocean poets feign, Rising all beauteous from the briny main : As, of our grief, do thou partake our pleasure— Our life, our heart, our soul, our earthly treasure!" When you decide to tvdll for a day over the tumultuously- seethmg and hissing waters of Hell Gate, where an oarsman must know the tides and shoals to keep his boat right side up, you will require heavier tackle, and will therefore select them from the plate of " implements for angling in lakes bays, rivers," etc., on the following page. Select a rod from 8 to 9 feet long, like A,B,C,in the *en- <ii' aving Let it taper regularly and be rather heavy. The butt and second joint should be made of ash, and the top of lancewood. Bell-metal top and guides are best for mount- ing a trolling-rod, while agate or carnelian are best for the purpose of casting a long distance, as the friction is less on jewels than on metals. The guides for all kinds of bass angling should be large enough to pass a knot in the line through theni. In ringing rods for salmon and trout, the rings should be diminished in size from butt to tip, as the rods taper; but such is not the case with bass guides, all of which should be equal in size and shape, and polished for th0 Ime to run smoothly. Large guides are a modern inventioti!^ About ten years ago I was fishing at West Island-that par- A' B.C. Butt, middle joiut, and top of a Brass Rod. D. Baiting Needle. E. Sinker TrarhiJ'sfnknt''»?.'i'^- ^^\^''^k' ^^'^ohvin,, four inches acrJs the bend. Vl^ Ova Bp«?^^f^ »^f ' ^"^ ^'^}^ through centre. H. Swivel Sinker. I. Pivot multiplying I^nk^r K^Wo^'l';""""^ ^\^\T ^Y'r«'' <■"'• fl«l''"g "» the bottom with trac nf ?««,?;>, ^" ^«"?ee, to fasten trolling sinker E for the different lengths of squid. L. u^.lf'^r ,11"''^'* ^' tl.'. ^^•'*'=*> the line is attached; length optional. M. Heavy O Srnfl'nprfi'r'iT.M^- ^^^^^'^ ^*°"'? I ?'"''-"' strong/well tempered, SmmtV bend*. ?;.,,i ? V",^*^ f"*^ c Itch ng shrimp, or, with larger meshes, a landing-net l^ro.l. Shank- bended Hook, with line fastened bv three Imlf hiK-h^s fo nuL'l" f(<- -r r'i=^ int'-Mu. "?•» l"r,l'"ge striped bass, a and y. Smaller jsizes, for casting menhaden bait or still-bnitlng witli heavy tracing sinker. 4. Kinsey bend, or I'ennsylvan rilook ' 6 OShaughuessybend. 6. Sproafs bead. 7 and 8. 'Kendal Hooks. ""'"""""• "' How TO Squid a Hook. 55 adise of the bass angler— when one morning I was awakened from my early slumbers by the loud calls of Hosier, my gaff- er, who had tried a cast with one of my rods from the Table Rock, and, in casting, had thrown a knot in the line about thirty feet from the reel ; and, as the guides were too small to pass the knot. Hosier, to prevent the fish from getting • slack line, ran back as the fish came toward shore, and ran forward when the fish carried off too much line, calling lusti- ly for me as he ran backward and forward in great excite- ment. . I finally relieved him of the rod in due time, and he gaffed the bass, which Aveighed twenty-two pounds. Smce then I have all guides made large enough to pass a small pea. Double guides are best, unless you have Pritchard's patent guides, which turn on a fixed metallic band. It is al- ways best to disjoint a rod when done fishing for the day, and then change the sides of the two upper joints every day| as it prevents the rod from warping or setting. The reel, like I, should carry 600 feet of hawser-laid Imen line, of from twelve to fifteen threads, thus rendering it about the size of a fine salmon line; but the line should be free from any oily composition, and a dip in dye to give it a greenish shade is beneficial. Never, by any chance, use a check reel for coast or estuary fishing. Depend on the pressure of your thumb for checking the fish, and wear knitted thumb-stalls. Hooks like H, with taper shank and loop of linen line, the same size as that on the reel, extending six inches beyond the end of the shank. Place your squid along the hook so that the extreme bend of the hook will be opposite its eyes, when slide up sinker on loop E toward L until the sinker is' even with the other end of the squid. By this process your tackle will fit your squid. Then fasten E to its place by K ; hook the squid back of its mouth, running tlio point forward,' and turning it down so as to bring the point out between the eyes ; attach loop L to the baiting-needle ; draw the sinker up thi-ough the ink-snok. or body, and attach the loop to the end of the reel-line, and you will be ready to commence trolling. I In' Ini ;;'! 56 Fishing in American Wa' TEKS. Those who employ a man to row and gaff the fish would do well to direct him to squid half a dozen hooks before start- ing, and lay them aside in the boat under some wet rock-weed before leaving shore. If you have ever been trolling-as I have-when large bass were biting generously, you will real- ize the force of this advice. It is unpleasant to be trolling in rough waters, and, when a bass strikes the back of your hook and takes your bait without fastening, to be obliged to ' stop and squid a hook before proceeding. Now for the fray ! Our boats are made by Hughes, fellow- apprentice of George Steers; and with Sile Wright and Sandv Gibson as guides and gaffers, we shall be sculled over all the favorite trolhng grounus from the ferry below to the Drowned Marsh above Ward's Island. Our first move will be toward lide Rock, swinging Big and Little Mill Rocks on the way • then we shall glide over the Hen and Chickens, swinr. Holt's' Rock on the Hog's Back, round Nigger Point, and, stopping at .John Hilhker's to rest, enjoy a piece of incomparable apple- pie and a glass of milk served by two charming ladies. While indulging these ruminations one day, as my friend was swina. mg* Holt's Rock, he hooked a large bass and played it all th^e way roui 1 the east end of Ward's Island to Chowder Eddy, where, on landing, it weighed twenty pounds. The sketch on the opposite page represents my friend as the bass first rose and laid its course. I was not so fortunate as my friend ; for, as my squid was struck by a large bass, Sile said he heard the rod crack; but the fish made such a long, vigorous run, that I scarcely 'real- ized what he said, and, alier turning the fish and reelin- hiu) in gradually, he broke water with a leap, clearing the sinface and revealing a forty-pounder. While turning and bringin..' hira toward the boat for the third time, he darted down an.^i * Swinging a ro,ck is done by the oarsman holding the boat sixty feet from the rock and swinging it so that the troll will move about the rock on all sides and play as if alive. This art is possessed in great perfection by Hell (iat« oarsmen. j "tm A "Word on Gaffing. 57 Fish and Tide Ikresistible snapped the middle joint of my rod in two, when I threw the broken rod down at my feet and took hold of the line; the iish made but feeble resistance, and I towed him alongside the boat and shouted to Sile for the gaff, but he had thought- lessly placed it in tlie other boat. I then endeavored to put my hand m his mouth, and, while in the act, the fish turned over, breaking the hook and bleeding profusely as he settled ott mto the tide, leaving us astonished and almost desperate On exammation, I learned that a flaw in the hook had been the cause of our loss of the Iish; but had we rowed ashore and towed the fish after the rod broke, we should probably have landed him. I have never since been caught trollino- or anglmg for large bass without a gaff and tried hooks ; and as the gaff IS an implement of such high importance, I have given the shape and description in another part of this book • but the one shaped like F among the "implements," and from 3 to 4i mches across the bend from point to shank, made with a screw to fit into the gaff handle, leaves little to be desired In usmg it, drop it below the fish, point upward, and as it is raised to the fi.h, the fish settles against it, and a simple jerk impales it. Do not strike a fish with the gaff; insert the 58 Fishing in Amekican Watees. gaff gently beneath, and it will be hooked with the utmost ease. Well, with broken rod and tangled line, I ordered Sile to row away froih the scene of our misfortune. I found my friend at Hammock Rocks, his fish laid out in state on rock-grass, and he mutely bending over it with a face radiant with pleas- urable satisfaction at his achievement. . Trolling, to him, was a new-born pleasure, and his first capture a trophy of which a slayer of lionP might be justly proud. It would be super- fluous to add, we drank to the study for a Stearns or a Bracket as it lay shining on the pallet of sea-grass. Sandy commiserated Sile's misfortune at losing the large bass. In the centre of a radius containing the most picturesque land- scape near the metropolis, we rested, wondered, and admired. " The skies tlieir fairest canvas spread When the angler goes a-troHing ; Eelenting clouds float overhead, And tears and smiles alternate shed, When the angler goes a-trolling. "— Stoddart, Having toasted the health and appetite of bass in that neighborhood in a glass of sherry, and replaced the broken joint of my rod with a sound one, we again seated ourselves in our boats, and commenced trolling the Little Gate, the Kills, and all about Randall's and Ward's Islands, and, after the usual alternatives of hopes, fears, and moments of ecstasy we finished up a mess of seven bass between us, the largest nearly thirty, and the smallest four pounds in weight. Well, having given you a taste of the sport on the waters bounding Manhattan Island on tlie north and east, let us an- chor our boat near the lower hedges of New York Bay and learn how different bottom fishing with a tracing sinker is from both trolling and angling with a float. SECTION FOURTH. ~ STILL-BAITING FOR BASS. Use a stifiish rod, like A,B,C on the page of implements. It should be from eight to nine feet in length. The Japan Rig fok Bottom Fishing. 59 bamboo pole, being a rod without joints, of the same lengtli, and mounted the same, with top and guides of agate or car- nelian ; multiplying reel like I, which shall carry from four to six hundred feet of fine linen or silk dine. Linen is the best for bottom fishing, but it should be made of the finest and strongest flax or hemp. You may use a double-gut leader, three fourths of a yard long, or make a leader frc >ur line, which I prefer when bottom fishing for bass ranging from three pounds upward ; then one hook only is used. Use a tracing sinker in the form of a long roll or cylinder of lead, three fourths of an inch in diameter, with a hole for the line longitudinal, cutting oif the weight required for a sinker ; or let it be an oval form, as represented by G, with a swivel to stop it at the top end of the leader, like J. The swivel should be brass; all swivels for use in salt water should be brass, for steel is soon corroded. Thrust your line through the sinker, and attach the end of your line to a swivel, and your leader to. the other end of tlie swivel. This leader may be either linen or double gut of the silk-worm. If the latter, the hook wil] require tying or Avinding on with waxed thread ; if the former, the hook should be headed like a pin, and the line fastened to it by three half hitches, as if for fishing with menhaden bait. Shedder or soft-shell crab is preferred for bait ; but, if it can not be pi ared, use shedder lobster. 60 Fishing rs American Waters. I I ab!!.::' I:::!,".:' £J1::: t ^^"" ^^^^ ""■■ »=- "-e. til tho ,i,l„ 7 t '"' '""'so. and fish toward it un into eia„::,::f^, ^:^:z:zzt " "-' ^^^^ by the space, left in the mer^nTZZM^rHr' eti:.Zo^rtLitrr;i-"-^^^^^^^^^^^ and, if thev feel ,l,„ I , ? " *""' '>"<' 'lash away, "b.a.i„,'wa::;t z rett;::r,:':;;::?e: '-'-' thumbstalirorCts on the^h f """"''''" "'""J'' *-'■ will reel up, or he tvill ores lyHn; and bvtec ''^'' ' tangled, you may lose your fish After .n'^-"^^ '"■ - to require a /aff. if is best io ifave bo L ,' ^T 7 ""^' •scap-net in the boat for such fishint ^''''"' ^'^'^^^ Our sport bids fair to-dav Wo hn^rn i ^ clozen bass.besido« a fev^ l^o ^'7,^^^'^^^^ t^^en a - a Ie^. .^uetcague and biackfish, and the The Luxury of a Lunch. ' Qi tide is not yet full ; but perhaps we had better use the last of the flood tide to help us up to the light-house on Ber- gen Point Reef, for the best time there is just after the tide has turned ebb, when I never failed of an hour's brisk sport. Let's, therefore, up with our killick and man the sculls, which, with the tide, will carry us there in twenty minutes. Well, brother angler, our good arms, assisted by the tide, have enabled us to arrive in time for me to cast anchor on' this, my favorite ground. The tide is just high-water slack. Our landmarks are right. Let go the anchor. Be seated and ready, but do not cast until the boat toles by a decided ebb of the tide. In the mean time suppose we lunch ? Now, as we enjoy these broiled squab, buttered biscuit, and a mod- icum of claret to moisten them, we will feast our eyes upon the captivating scenery. Comparatively few understand the pleasures of boat fishing. It is removed from the dust and hurry-scurry of terra Jirma. Our position enables us to sur- vey several shores and the employments of busy life. What can be more lovely on a mild autumn day than scenes like these from a boat ? We are near enough to the metropolis to hear its noises subdued into a musical monotone. That raountam which you perceive at the head of Newark Bay— of which we are at the foot-is Snake Hill, at the confluence of the waters of the Passaic and the Hackensack, which emp- ty at each prong of the fork formed by the head of this bay. To the south a few miles you perceive a large city whic 1 IS Newark. The spires of a town still farther south' are over Elizabethtown, while two miles south from us is Ehzabethport. On the Staten Island shore, at the east of us are New Brighton, Factoryville, Port Richmond, and a serieJ of buildmgs and gardens, as a part of the periphery of Staten Island Dn-ectly in front of us is Bergen Point, being a gar- den charniingly dotted with dwellings of picturesque archi- ecture^ Do not these scenes present subjects for contempla- tion sufiiciently enchanting to pay the artist for a vi«:,. Jth- out any sportmg accessory ? Many innocent persons wonder 62 Fishing m AaiEKicAN Waters. how a man can "waste" an occasional dav "of .1, ... sport of anfrlinfr" Ti, '*»i"nai aay at the stun d or portrayed by g„„a om'izJw^™ t: Z'T"''"'- caps a«, ocomotives fro™ <,,„,,„„,, ^» ;:;. ^ r"""" liic tide here appears to t^h^ 1 =» i^odcnes. turn than at any 'CVoVX^T^l '""f," f^'^^" crabs, as the boat tolos nearlyrilt \ J T ,""" * '^=''' the aock at Bergen Point k^ 1? f f *''° '""'l""*" : Brighton ; the sl^ifZe of the Su ^^ ''""'"' "' ^<"^ high chimney on Staten Island ho f 1-7"' ™*'' ^""^ ""•" angle where onr boat rits a h .', "'°^'";»Scs form the Light-honse. and within r^in^ 'k^t f/ ^7' "^ '»e ;::t'or " ''- '^^ -" ^™ - th::ig:[;.:r^r-:;' .o^:;t::^nx?h::r:^ » rtXof:-";"' ^'™' ~ - -rir you have a bite We , tS""'" "1 ''"'' ^""^ "* '"''"'"•^ playing a bass Indlg , m ^ rtl^ IT", "' 7 '^ ^""^ tions, it will depend o^ the 'c ivTv bf i ^ ''r" ™"'^'- in playing and landing o 'fish ' f™ ! °' ?"'' '''^"^"'^ thegreatestnumber.^IU:ttt':;u ;t«^^ a pound to two pounds generally wi,I. L7 '"'f-fro™ times, and a semi.ooasi™a;vSo™der W r™'" """ for all that The tid» I,„ pounaer, but it is rare sport, harder top ay D ftlvt!?"'' T' '^"''' ""'' ""■- "*»■■<•' You know George Wilkes, of the SpikitV Well ho o IT were one;- still-baiting here and n« ., ! ' "^"^ ^ after taki'nn. i..f , ' ' ^ ^^^ ^^''^ ^bout to leave aiiex takmg between thrty and fort vhncci . i- "-'^^^j the fish were strung, ami i.J::^z;:;i:z:i:x ihe stupid vv that the Jnt dream- percussion 3hes. a decided led a few ndmarks : e at New with the form the it of the bmerged stern of , and let ^ill cast 3 rocks, t before s either e condi- 3xterity ^ill take ! — from r some- ? sport, ish are iile not ^n bass tweu- ist the and I leave, «hich e])ing A MORTIFYING LoSS. 6fe the hsh alive in the water, parted as we were in the act of hftmg the fish into the boat, and we lost nearly all of them The same circumstance happened here while anglino- with George Austin, Esq. Such luck is aggravating to a common man, but an angler soon learns that effects follow causes. If you prefer to keep your mess alive, either tow a fish-car at the stern of your row-boat for placing them in, or deposit them m a net fastened lo a thole-pin, or purchase the new in- vention of a string made of raw-hide by Andrew Clerk & Co. It 18 time for us to reel up and count our mess, for we have tide enough loft, to float us to New Brighton, where we hired the boat in the morning. Your count says twenty-seven ftsh. VV ell, that is an average take. We will unjoint our rods, place them in their cases, take up anchor, and you may light a regalia, while we enjoy the enlivening scenes along Kill Van Kull on our row to the landing. This is the be witching time for driving along the cornice road of Staten Island ; and that couple which you now see in a buggy oppo- site us think that driving a fast horse on a dusty road is fa- mous sport. See the cavalcade of roadsters stirrino- up the aust ! Coaches with liverie.l drivers and footmen^re not rare, and the outriders will come next. But we are at New Brighton, our fish are basketed, and our boat returned We will now step on board the steam ferry-boat for New York which stops here every fifteen minutes. Our sail across the Bay of New York to the Battery you perc^ive,s a continuation of the enlivening local and aq latie views which have blessed our eyes throughout the day We must part now with a shake of the hand. Your steam- ship is to leave at noon to-morrow, and the engagements of which I spoke to you may prevent me from bidlling you L oo,age on the deck of the vessel which is to convey you to home and happiness in one of the British Isles. mL the blessmgs which usually accompany true sportsmen be with you ; and when thinking of this land of long rivers and b oa lands, I trust that you will not forget the sHght tas'of^^ 04 Fisiimo IN American Watees. which yoa have experienced in the immediate vicinity of Tmrfishes r^" '"^'^^' '"^ ^"^^^"^ -^ trolling for the game fishes of our coast and estuaries. SECTION FIFTH. CASTING BAIT FOB STRIPED BASS. Casting menhaden bait for striped bass fmm *i. shores of the bays, estuaries, and iSands^io'^^^^ " iHslrf "*^^^''^ highest branch of ZZl^ f^C M 18 mdeed questionable— when considorm^ oii .1 ' "^""g- Which contribute toward the sum totlfof ^ '^'' '^'"^"^ whether this method of strined h! i v'^''' '" ""^""^- actensno of the modem angler by its energy of style and the exercise and activity necessary to success ^ ' the r? TJ ^'"'' '"'*"""S h-ve taxed the ingenuity of not,like the salmon, stop to sfndv ft ' f ^'' ^"'^^ >w,h„t straightwa'y i.! Trt t t^oT hr^L^ 'T be so covered wUh aJi ' ''""''"* ™" °» Jewels, and saltwater Th!', V ?f """ "' *« P"°*<''" ">«"• from Z!l:rC° '""' '""" '-" '" ""- '■™^ed yX? Ws should either be of linen or hemp, hawser-laid, or of Keady for the Gaff. 1 1 65 braided silk. The latter is the easiest to cast, but not so good to fasten a fish by a strike, because of its elasticity, while a hnen one will respond at a hundred yards to the shghtest strike. A linen line, formed of from twelve to eighteen strands, and strong enonah tn «„ofoi„ „ ^.„ ^ a vtCilU \W l-.X. E igut 06 Fishing in AMiiRicAN Waters. ^it' llfli "f thirty ponnds, should be stained to the color of the water when It forms the best line possible for this Icind of fishing' und .t shouW not be larger than a salmon line. The buoyaney of the water, strength of tide, and dash of the surf, render a very strong line indispensable for large bass. Still, as the tish IS as gamy us a salmon, and full as cunning, the line must be hne and the rig very clean, or he will sd^et every ,. ece of ehum thrown to him, and refuse the one with a hook >i It; or if by chance-wheu feeding on chum-hc taltes •, l-eee wnh a hook in it, he rejects it h.stantly, and befo t h ^ngle has tm,o to strike, probably disth.guishing tlie differ- «eo by the weight of the hook. The m'ost successful wlv angle fpr them is to rig so clean that they will grab the ba.t hke hungry dogs, and dash away for more, or to keep i, awixy from other fishes. ^ le„'!r~Tl'°",''' ^", '"'■°" "=™" '" "•'■S'^* *■«' «!-^ i'"=l'«« i" ength. The two lower joints of .n.h, and the upper one of tancewood, mounted as indicated by A, B, C, with silver, bell- metal, or brass. Some prefer a Japan bamboo pole, because of .ts strength and lightness ; several gentlemen o'fth Pas,,^ Island, Cuttyhunk, and West Island elubs are among tho^ and a, these cubs include many of our amateur expe s T,' «ns elegant k.„d of fishing, their opinions claim atCt on Myownopm,on,sthatahighly-fl„ishcd, well-balanced, the: jomted rod ,s the best for use, and of course most convenion, tor carrying o„ fishing excursions. Some angle,, havl job ed bassn,g-rods made exclusively from split bamboo weirf .«g less than a pound, including their silvL and jewd mo^t- ugs; the objects attained being lightness, strcgth, bll and just elasfcty enough for casting and playing a fi h S sockets and shoulders of the joints of all rods for co t am estuary fishing should be lined and covered wit, t^sam metal used for the bands and guide-frames. Double gudes one s,de lined w,th jewels and the other made of bell-nict *l, anu a jeweled top, io,-m a good mounting, the shoulde,-, be,ng covered wth tlie —mp T-,! i . - """""e"- tni „„mfc mcial as the bauds. It is nei- Peeparino to Captivate. 67 ther artistic nor in good taste to cover the rod several inches with bright metal for attaching the reel. Whether double guides or patent ones are preferred, carnelian or agate make good lining and tip. The tip should be formed with a screw to fit several top joints. German silver, brass, bell-metal, oi- any other metal, hard and still malleable enough, and which will not oxydize in a saline atmosphere, form good mount- ings, A solid butt, without elaborate and heavy mountings to hold a reel, is preferable. If the line does not run on jew- els, bell-metal is the next best material, except it be the alu- minum—a light metal of new invention in combination and manner of manufacture— which is lighter than any other metal, and is said never to oxydize. Our fisli ig-tackle maii- ufiacturers are making trout-reels of it, and; to judge from ap- pearance and recommendation, I should decide that it is the best metal ever employed for reels and mountings of fishing- rods. As no sinker is used for assistance in casting menhaden bait, and as the striped bass are extremely knowing, the ne- cessity for a clean rig, and nothing to check the impetus of the bait, make up desiderata never to be lightly regarded by the bass anjjler. Baixs, Chum-spoon, and Thumb-stall. No. 1. The menhaden— ^?os«5 metihadenr-a species of her- ring used for bait, and showing the mark, back of which a bait is taken on each side. No. 2. Bait cut from No. l,the knife being drawn through the flesh p4do at dotted line, but not so deep as to part tlie skin, but to facilitate folding like 3. I 68 Fishing in Amekican Waters. No. 3. Bait folded at dotted line and baited on shank-headed , hook, with a half hitch of the line cast round the end of bait to prevent it from slipping down and filling the bend of the hook. Some anglers cast one half hitch around the bait just below the head of the hook, and another round the top of the bait; it forms a more compact bait, and bet- ter shape to cast; but bluefishes are more likely to cut the line off than when the bait is secured by one half hitch above the hook, as represented. No. 4. A thumb-stall, knitted from heavy double and twisted woolen yarn, to be worn on each thumb, to prevent the friction of the line in checking the too swift revolviuo- of the reel. "= No. 5. Chum-spoon for throwing minced fish with. After taking a bait from each side of the menhaden between the first dorsal and the tail, which is done by first scalino- the part from which the bait is taken, then chop fine th'e re- mainder of the fish, head and all, with a hatchet or bait- knife, and use the spoon to cast it out on the pool to be ftshed. The spoon is about a foot long. This chopped-up fish IS called "churn," and casting it out is called "chum- ming, which is continued until the debris of half a dozen menhaden so scattered on the water produces an oily sur- face, or « slick," as thg gaffers call it, extending sometimes halt a mile from shore. When bass smell it they approach It and follow the oily surface toward the point where the chum was thrown in, occasionally findhig small bits of men- haden, which the angler on the rocks may see them break water to obtain. Nearer and nearer the bass approach in the path of chum until they arrive within casting distance. Ihe chum should be chopped very fine; some persons cast m the head of a menhaden whole; this is bad practice for It not only invites sharks and bluefish, but bass'fecd on it when they might otherwise take the baited hook. Recupeeating Health. 69 SECTION SIXTH. A DAY WITH THE DOCTOR. — ANGLING AT THE BASSING CLUBS. Well, doctor, having arrived at West Island, which is owned by an association of gentlemen who have formed themselves into a club for the incomparable enjoyment of angling for striped bass, they will of course assign us stands to fish from to-morrow. It is the practice here for all mem- bers to draw at night for the choice of stands to fish from the next day. Doctor. A gentleman just handed me a card containing u " number," and " outside the Hopper," marked on it. ^. I perceive by the card that the outside of the Hop- per is assigned to us. Well, of course that is owing to the composition of the club ; the members have given us their best stands. That is a feature of all the bassing clubs ; and besides, William C. Barrett, Esq., is president of this institu- tion, and he is a sportsman possessed of the most discrimin- ative sense of true hospitality. On the morrow we will try to do honor to their estimate of us. D. Gentlemen, as Mr. S. and myself are somewhat fa- tigued, and would prefer to retire early, will you have the goodness to join us in a parting glass for the night ? All join ; and we retire with a sense of good-will toward all mankind, and indulge school-boy hopes of the morrow. " While others are brawlyig, let anglers agree, And in concord the goblet replenish ; 'Twill cost not a care so long as we share The cups of content and of concord." Our dreams were rose-tinted ; but the pleasurable antici- pations of the morrow's exploits caused us to awake early, and I sounded the doctor before daylight. 8. Hallo, doctor ! Hosier, who is to be our gaffer, rapi)C(l at my door .and ^aid it was four o'clock. ■ />. Well, sir, I have been up an hour, and down on the ]> 70 FisHiNo IN Amekfcan Wate TER8. II azza trying to joint my rod, but I can not get a light, and ' daylight don't appear," A*?. Bravo ! I'll be with you in a minute. 2>. The sea fog sets in chilly; what say you to a cocktail and a cracker ? aS. Oh! Do you know where we are? B. Certainly; we are near Plymouth Rock, the blarney- stone of America. ^ S. Tush! I will accompany you, and we will take a sto^ machic and a cracker; but do not-for appearance sake- call drinks by their ordinary names in this " land of steady habits where it is unlawful to taste diffusible stimulants. ^. l" or medicine ? S. Of course not, if prescribed by a physician ! D. It was upon that hypothesis I ventured the invitation 1 brought my diploma with me, and, aso doctor, I prescribe the potion. r S. Ahem I you are right ; I feel that your prescription is a good antarthritic. And now we will hie to the Hopper Kocks. take our stands, joint our rods, and be ready by the time Hosier gets the fish chummed ia Hosier calls up the bass here just as a farmer brings his chickens to feed. Let us prepare ; but there is no use to make a cast before sunrise Moei^. I've throwed in the chum of six fish, an them scups an cachockset comes up an takes it just for all the vvorld as if they was game ! an I hain't seen nothin of no bass yet. . ^ S. That is right, doctor ! you have jointed your rod per- fectly ; every ioint should be driven home. Now, in fasten- •ng the hook to your line, cast two half hitches with the end of your line over the shank, just below the head ; then turn ' up the end of the line, and cast a half hitch over it and the shank, and turn the hook round in the tie thus formed to see that it revolves easily-cut off any superfluous end of line .^ee how Hosier chops up the chum, and where he throws it; HMd j!ist where he throws the chum, cast your baited hook.' Caitain Mosier in Command. 71 Mosier, bait the doctor's hook. I see luminous rays from the God of Day, and he will make a splendid appearance in ten minutes. Now, doctor, reel up your line, so that the bait will be within a yard of the top of your rod, and make a cast to the whirl which you see was made by a bass. Your reel <>verruns? That is unfortunate. You should keep your thumb on the reel, and check it as the bait drops on the water. Mosier, bait my hook ; I have put on a medium- sized hook with a headed shank, and I am going in for the Hsh refused by the doctor. Mosier. Mr.S.,jist cast along there in Snecker's Gap, for they are roether sassy there on the young flood. S. Well, Mosier, here goes for a forty-pounder ! Mosier. There ! I told you so ; I knew that feller wanted breakfast, an I guess he's got enough to last him. D. Mr. Mosier, as I have succeeded in getting my line out of snarl, shall I cast now ? Mosier. Not quite yet, I guess, for there's no knowin where that critter will yet lead Mr. S. D. Well, I will take a seat on the rock here, and look at the play. Ugh ! that wave wet me all over. Is it not dan- gerous to remain here? Mosier. No, sir ; ony keep a look-out for them ninth waves ; don't git down toward a gulch, but watch where the waves 'throw the most water when they break, for it allers depends on the course of wind. D. I see your philosophy is correct, Mr. Mosier, and I have now got a dry seat. Mr. Mosier, do you think that fish will ever be landed? He has run nearly all the line off the reel already. Mosier. I can't say; there's no counting on them chaps till they are landed, if so be you fish with a pole; but if I had him on my hand-line, I'd make him come humming, and sho^i^ no quarters. aS'. Mosier, keep my line away from the rocks with your gaff, for he seems bent on rounding the Hopper Rock, and 72 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. its corn!.™ may cut or chafe and part my lino. " There! he has tacked again; be ready to gaff him, if I get hhn near enough, beiore he maltes another run ,i jf^'r. ^r '"' T' " ''"'P'"*' '"™S^'<''^ "f"™ a» tbe .me ; she s 'bout as b,g as the hooked one. I mean to gaff that one first How like tarnation the feller fights, an tries I t'^Z'u ! ^'"'^ '^'^ '"^ '•■'"= ">"* ^'"'^^ he-; sitting tired. When they curl themselves up on the top of the w^- not to hold so hard as to let 'em break the line with their tail nor out It off with their back fin; nor so loose as to lei Wm git slack hue to unhook, or knock the hook out of his .jaw hTsts^VT ^"' ^-'"-^t-ightenout! Hehasmik his last fight, and got whipped - His mate has gone. 'Twas no use for her to stay an try to help him any longer, for she knows he's dead. Now, with the heave and liaul of the tide there is more danger of breaking the line an losing him than .f he was ahve; but here he comes, an here goes the gaff-a forty-pounder at least ! b"" J has^r**" ^'""'' ^'°™'' ' ^'™"'' J"" '" ''""'' '■'"■ th" ''«<>"' Mosier. Ji«t so; I hain't no confidence m them hooks with the barb curling out so that you can not git it into the flesh The Kmsey point an Sproat bend, or the O'Shaughncssy with the Kmsey pomt, are the best. J "i Z>. Well, my preconceived notions of bass-fishing have all been cast wide. When you first hooked the'bass, I thoughr could take a seat and be a quiet looker-on at the play but I have been so excited by alternate hopes, fears, doubls and surprises, that I want you to pardon me for getting into your way several times. The truth is, it astonishes me to see the flsh on terra Jirnu,. I thought him lost a dozen times • and I can not now fully realize how it is possible to play success- fully so large a fish, and one so game, in such bo sterous water, with such slender tackle. I am really afraid to "L make a cast, for r expect if I get a strike that I shall ei her break my rod, or the fish will part my lino. TllE DOCTOK DOING BeTTEK. 73 S. Hoot ! doctor, don't be too modest ; a man who has shot wolves in the Black Forest, and killed salmon in the Dee and Moisie, is not easily demoralized by a striped bass. Mosier. Yes, doctor, you jist make a cast out into the Rifle Pit, and do it right away, for I see by their whirls that they are hungry. S. See that your thumb-stalls are well on, and that your line is clear. Now reel up so that your bait is within two feet of the tip of your rod, and when you cast, hold your thumb gently on the reel-line, and as the bait touches the water, press your thumb on the line to check the reel at once, and prevent the reel from overrunning. B. Well, here goes for a second trial. ' S. Very fair cast ; far enough for bass at this stage of tide. D. Ye— ye— es, I see it is, but then I shall not be able to save him— I know I can not, for he runs and pulls so like a reindeer that I can not check him. There ! my thumb-stall is loose, and I feel that my reel is not tight. He's gone ! 1 knew 1 couldn't save him. S. Don't be so excited, doctor; keep cool, and reel in your slack line; he is only studying a new dodge or making a new tack. Mosier. He breaks water; I seen him; he's a scrouger! S. There, doctor, you perceive he has hove to for a lunar, and to discover how to tack; there! he is now laying his course^for Newport ; reel as fast as you can, and, if necessary, i-un back to prevent him from getting slack line. I). This last turn and the dash of spray nearly capsized me. Why, he plays as strong as he did when he was first hooked. S. How long do you suppose you have played him ? 2>.' Nearly an hour, and he seems to grow stronger and stronger. 8. It is not yet fifteen minutes since you hooked him ; bear up, keep cool, and keep your line clear on the reel, and be prepared for his fight. They do not appear to be in a mood T4 Fishing in American Waters, I for sulking this morning ; sometimes they settle behind rocks and butt the hook against them to spring it out. Mosier. Don't you hold him a leetle too taut ? B. I don't know; but I can not play him easier, for when 1 give him an inch, he takes a rod ! S. He will soon stop for his final fight. See ! he is prepar- ing Now ease the line a trifle, and trust to the chance of his being well hooked. , . ^' ,?"'; ^T' ^ ^"^"^ ^' ^' • -^"^^ ^^^ the fellow throw himself like Pat McAroon in a street-fight. There, he's off' iNo, he IS not ; what's to be done ? S Reel up gently ; he is dead ; that is, he has fought until he has fainted. Gingerly, doctor; reel with the incoming surt, and slacken with the ebb— there I JfW. He is a game one, and will weigh over twenty pounds. They're allays hifalorum in them liifle Pits » Gen- tlemen, the, breakfast horns has been bio win a good while ^. I am Jilted. These rocks are rough to run about' on and play a fish, when every now and then Neptune drenches one with spray. I had long heard that striped bass were game, but all that I evei- heard or read did not prepare me for such encounters as I have seen and realized this morning 1 am not now surprised that Americans consider this the head of game fishes. The u.cessories of fishing for it, the scenes where it is taken, together with the modus operandi of its capture by artistic means, render the sport the most exciting that I know of under the head of angling. I shall certaini; prescribe something to steady my nerves. Eh Hen! To breakfast is the order; and as we have taken tv.o grand bass ne quid nimis, we will even leave off fishing while they are feeding, which, for the vulgar object of ourselves feeding is with a real angler, an unpardonable offense against the *s- hetics of sport. But, though belonging to the refined con- fraternity of anglers, our excuse is that we are rigged with human necessities. As the breakfagt-table is \ho mr»vni«~'- ■^- , i- t •♦PI lauit. IS u\c moiniiig a LiyHting-piace for Breakfast and Departuke. 75 the members of the chxb, where they recount their exploits over their tea and coffee, with broiled bluefish, striped bass, and scopogue, or with broiled chicken and beefsteak, the ten- der of congratulations to my friend for his success, and the stories of successful takes by some, and of parting tackle with others, acted as charming opiates to witch away the time ; and when we rose from table we saw our yacht hove-to, and the sails flapping an invitation for us to step on board. With great reluctance and regret we parted from the members of the West Island Club, and the most attractive five-acre island in America. The sail to Cuttyhunk was remarkably interesting, present- ing views of the picturesque landscape, alternating with vil- las and foliage on Massachusetts shore, and the group of Eliz- abeth Islands and Martha's Vineyard, with No Man's Land peering above the waves far out in the ocean. We arrived be- fore lunch-time, and, having examined the trout preserve, the black bass and white perch ponds, and taken each a couple of striped bass from that incomparable stand, " Bass Rock," we adjourned to dinner, where we were regaled with choice vi- ands, wines, and the recital of angling exploits by the mem-, bers of the club, who are justly celebrated as amateur experts with rod and reel. After dinner we shook hands as an au revoir, mais pas adieu, and ran over to Pugne Island, to drop in upon John Anderson, Esq., and learn from him what charms he could see in his little island home of a hundred acres to induce a millionaire of his industrious proclivities and habits— with- out a knowledge or taste for field-sports or yachting— to shut himself out thus from the enjoyments of the greatest and most social city in the Union— his birth-place, where he has, by enterprise, accumulated a fortune, and possesses one of the finest residences in the metropolis. He infonned us that the charming climate, with the constant feast to his eyes in scenery, made up of the main land and the islands, witli the ever-changing aspect of the sea, filled his soul with rap- 76 Fishing in Americvn WArEEs. tui-e and made his cup of happiness full to overflowing. With a promise to visit him before taking final leave of Vineyard Sound, we steered for :•..,,,.■. Island, only six miles distant. Here we found a club-house with appointments calculated to render not only the members of the club and their families' comfortable, but all such guests as members of the associa- ■ tion thmk proper to extend invitations to. The island in- cludes more than a thousand acres, whicl. uie club has divid- ed into two farms, erected commodious buildings, including club-house, ice-house, stabling, etc: The club has also vege- table and flower gardens, sail-boats and row-boats, and the river, which sets back, a mile into the island, is stocked with a hundred thousand menhaden as bait for the use of the club Ih.s IS the neplus ultra of a place for angling, beinc sep- arate by a strait half a mile wide from Norshon, which is nine miles m length by two miles wide, fifteen miles from the main land, and stocked with all the English and Scotch <rame birds and most of their game animals, including also several hundred American deer, prairie-fowl, etc. It also contains a large pond well stocked with black bass, besides several perch ponds; the latter is not regarded as a very valuable acces- sory to any piece of real estate, for perch fishing is not eon- sidered sport in America. I mean the common yellow perch with barred sides; but the white perch, like those of Cutty- hunk, offer good sport to ladies and children, and are a vei-v good pan-fish, ranging in size from three ounces to three pounds. We remained at Pasque Island several days, most of the time angling for striped bass, but occasionallv, on a dark day spending it in a cruise after swordfish, which we took with the harpoon. Other days we rowed a little boat out a hundred rods from shore, when we put down killick and still- baited for squeteague, weighing from five to fifteen pound, each. Then, again, if the bluefish came in such shoals as to turn our strait into a state of ...ommotion resembling soai,- ATTEAOnONS OF THE El.IZABETH IsLANDS. 77 Huds, we rigged to the end of our bass-line about two feet of piano wire, on which we wound a hook with copper wire. Then Ave anchored on the edge of the tide, and cast out a hook baited without much care, and the moment afterward we were aluted by a jerk and a summersault a yard clear of the surtiice, and a short, vigorous fight to bring the blue- fish to gaff. An hour of energetic sport, and twenty bluefish of from eight to twelve pounds each, generally satisfied us; and though the fish challenged us by menacing leaps to con- tinue the contest, we preferred to retire — however ignomini- ous it might ap[»ear to them— ancl recuperate for another time. It was hard to part from those charming scenes and the healthful recreation. The doctor decided to return home to England, arrange his business, come back, and spend his life at Pasque Island. But how to leave those captivating aquatic scenes, ranging from simple loveliness to grand-ur, and some- times rising to sublimity ? What scene can be more refresh- ing and exalting than an expansive view of the mighty waves, dotted here and there with such beautiful islands as those in * the Vineyard Sound ? The Elizabeth Islands oifer the condi- ments of existence to season the dry hurry-scurry and com- monplaceism of the business world on the main lands of America ; and they will, before many years, be numbered with the Avatering-places of the world par excellt ace. ' While aquatic birds skim the waves, and the gulls sa- screaming, dipping, and darting over a shoal of bluefish or menhaden, vessels outward and homeward bound are always passing, for it includes in its 'ange of view the packets and steamers for England, and th* steam and sailmg crafts between New York and Boston. We have lere the foreground and perspective worthy the pencil of Claude de Lorraine, while the back- ground is formed of the granite shores ofMassar lusetts, with its improvements so varied and important as to give surety of an intelligent and industrious population. Who would not delight to angle here ? 78 Fishing in American Wai-ers. " Eternal ocean ! old majestic sen ! Ever I love from shore to shore to look on thee, And sometimes on thy billowy back to ride, And sometimes o'er thy summer breast to glide ; But let me /he on land, where rivers run ; Where shady trees may screen me from the sun ; Where I may feel, serene, the fragrant air ; Where, whatever toil or wearying pains I bear, Those eyes which look away all human ill May shed on me their still, sweet, constant light, And the hearts I love may, day and night, Be found beside me, safe and clustering still,'" Tackle for "Weakfisii. 79 Weakfish, ok JSqueteague. —Zairj(» Squeteague. — Storer. CHAPTER IV. WEAKFISH, OR SQUKTEAGUE. Xiiis fish is considered the second in interest by the angler of the coast and esiuaries of our Eastern and Middle States. It never visits fresh water, and either spawns along the sea- shores, or on deep middle-grounds of estuaries or bayous, the latter being small bays and back-sets of tide waters. It is probably a family of the Clupea genus, one of the marked characteristics of which is that it contains roe in different stages of approximate maturity, though this fish differs by continuing to spawn at different times from the last of March until the first of November. It is, therefore, quite probable that the squeteague visits our shores to spawn, and that it re- mains during the spawning season ; and if it be true that the time of their stay is regulated by the duration of their spawn- ing season, then we may reasonably suppose that they spawn along the t^-m of time between March and November, though th^ b^st time to angle for the squeteague is from the first of June until October. From the middle of June until September the tidal parts of rivers from Chesapeake Bay to Vineyard Sound actually teem with them. I have taken with light bassing-tackle, comprised of a nine-foot jointed rod, a reel carrying jj hundred yards of fine linen line, a s1*lv<sl sinker, single-gut leader, hooks snelled on single gut, like those represented on the plate for taking small striped bass, medium-sized cork float, and shrimp bait, on many occasions 41 i\ so Fishing in Ameuican Watekh. <!• .1 p.'iir a niinuto for Homo timo ; but tho fish would not scale over halt" a ]»ou;id each. Shoals of them rise to the surface^ like mackerel, at full tide, and take bait as fast as it can be cast to them ; but after they sink it is useless to angle longer for them. Then you will generally hear a croaking sound in the water all round your boat, which indicates their presence; but while croaking they will seldom bite. They generally croak for half a minute after being landed. At full tide slack I once n»wed out from the Bath Hotel, where I was passing the summ< r, nearly to the mouth of Co- ney Island Creek, where I took eighiy-four squeteague withui forty minutes. They averaged about three quarters of a l)ound. This was in July. At' every cast I hooked a pair, and lished as expertly as i)ossible until a shoal of porpoises ai)proached, when tho squeteague settled, or sank, and quit bitmg. This is a white-mented fish, the meat rather mealy when small; l)ut after it scales ten pounds it becomes as Haky as a salmon, and resembles one very much, except in its being a S(piare-tail. It is an excellent ))an-tish if cooked when first caught, being free from tlie flavor of any foreign substance; but it soon deteriorates, and its juices become absorbed. In ])oint of delicacy of fl.-ivor, many eincures prefer it to cither the strl|)ed })ass or bluefish. Its eyes being oval, it is sup- posed to possess the strongest sight of any estuary fish. Al- though it has no teeth on the tong;ie or in the throat, its jaws are armed with pn^tty strong and sharp ones, which are set so far apart as to i)revent it from biting off a gut snell. Its mouth is very bony, and the nieat being tender, it is thertv fore liable to unhook easily by the hook tearing a large ori- fice, or not taking sutticient deinii of hold. I therefore rec- ommend a hook of fine wire, well tempered, and of large bend. The rushing bite of a s(pu>teague is i)recisely like that of a brook trout, but its play is of shorter duration, and it sooner yiehis to fatigue. The shape of the S(pu'teague is represented bv the engrav- SpoKTIVE EsTUAKY F18IIING. I! 81 ing, and its colors arc gray, masculated on the bacK and down to the middle of tlie sides with clouded spots of dark- er shade, and all terminating in a gold-colored belly, pecto- ral, ventral, and anal fins. The dorsals and tail are clouded like tlie l)ack. The first dorsal is composed of spiked rays, and the second soft. In angling for lai-ge squetcague about the ^Jizabetli Isl- ands and in the Vineyard Sound, heavy combination tracing sinkers are used, and the shank-headed bass-hook, baited with menhaden, is preferred. There they are taken by still-bait:. ig from a boat anchored from thirty to fifty rods from shore, in from fifteen to twenty feet water. The squeteague is one of the swiftest fishes of the square-tails, and its ready and dashing bite, and short fight, render angling for it with light bass-tackle as exciting as for almost any other fish of our es- tuaries. For the very small fish shrimp is the best bait ; for the yellow-fins shedder crab is the best ; but for those of the largo and rounded form of the salmon, the menhaden bait is generally preferred. It is almost supei-fluous to state that angling in the tide- ways witli success requires that attention be paid to the stages of the tide. In general, squeteague bite best on the second half of the flood tide, but there are places where they bite best on the ebb. If outside the mouth of a river, the first of the flood is best, while well up the estuary they begin biting when the tide is half up, and continue until half ebb. Though feeding-ground for squeteague is in deeper water than is cliosen by striped bass, yet they generally forage along the bank of the channel. I have frequently anchored my boat so that, angling with the tide, I was sure to take nothing but strijHHl bass, but by casting to the right or left, outside the bank, within tlu'oe rods of the boat, I would t^ke nothing but squeteague, and an occasional blackfisli or tautog. In a commercial ])oint of view the squetcague is important. The runs of shad up our rivers cease about the first week in Tune, Avhen the squeteague become numerous in our bays and F 82 FiSilING IN AmEKICAN WaTEKS. I i I the estuaries of the larger rivers. Great quantities are tlien taken in seines, pounds, and set-nets, which supply the marble stands of the markets lately vacated b^ the shad. The sque- teague at this time divides interest with the earlv run of blue- fish, and about the middle of June the sheepshead visit us, when the variety includes also tauiog and black bass, with the bonetta, cero, and the incomparable Spanish mackerel. These do not include any of the fresh-water fishes, of which the black bass is very numerous in June. SECTION SECOND. SOUTHERN SEA TKOUT. From Delaware Bay all along the Southern coast, and in the estuaries of rivers which debouch into a bay or arm of the Atlantic, this fish is taken in great numbers with nets and angling tackle, and is known as the " sea trout." Both its habits ar>d play are so much like those of the squcteague, or weakfish, that anglers along the coast of New Jersey term it the spotted weakfish, to distinguish it from the oth- er, Avhich they call the mottled weakfish ; but the inhabit- ants of the coast from Delaware to Florida know it only as the " sea trout," or " spotted silversides." Southern Sea Trout. — " Otolithus rcyalis." The body of the sea trout is more round, and it is smaller from the tail to the second dorsal and anal fins than the weak- fish or squeteague. Its meat is also firmer, and the flakes closer and more compact, while its silver-gray back and sides are of a bluish tint, which shines like burnished steel, and its belly and the lower fins are white, without a yellow tinge. Eesorts of Sea Teout. 83 It is also sprinkled all over, including its dorsal fins and tail, with jet black dots about the size of a pea. ^^ Professor Mitchill, in writing of the squeteague, states : "A beautiful variety of this fish is sometimes seen with the following characters, to wit : Spotted squeteague— [Lab. Sq. mamlatus]. There are black, well-defined spots among the specks over the back and sides, and checkering the caudal and second dorsal fins. The pectoral fins are rather small ; ventral and anal fins not yellow, birt brownish. The parts' thus variegated with spots have a pretty appearance." With- out doubt, the professor alluded to the Southern sea trout; and as it shoals with the squeteague, and only visits the shores of New Jersey occasionally and in small numbers, he <lid not see proper to distinguish it by other than a peculiarly marked variety of the squeteague ; whereas it differs more palpably from the squeteague than do some families of the mackerel tribes, eminently the Spanish mackerel and the cero, which differ only in the color of their spots, the first being gold color, and the latter black. The sea trbut is superior to the squeteague as a table-fish ; its scales are about the same size, but firmer, brighter, and not so viscid. As a game fish, it is fully equal to the sque- teague, as free a biter, and as readily netted. Both fishes are summer spawners, laying from 175,000 to 700,000 eggs. The sea trout appears along the coast and estuaries of the Southern States nearly all the year round, but takes the hook most freely from Juno until December. It is taken of all sizes between a pound and fifteen pounds' weight, and if there is a difference in game between this fish and the squeteague, it is in favor of the sea trout, which is a heavier fish of its size, and rather more elaborately rigged with fins. It should be angled for in the same manner and with the same tackle used ibr taking squeteague ; and shedder crab is its weak- ness. But as all the shores and estuaries of the South are alive with crabs, as well as other erustacea, baits are easily obtained for striped bass, trout, golden mullet, hogfish, grunt- 84 Fishing in American Waters. ers, sheepsliead, and several other species of anglers' fishes, all of which are much more numerous than they are in the latitude of New York. Fishes for the troll are also very nu- merous along the coost of the Southern States ; such, for ex- ample, as the Spanish mackerel, bonetta, or bonito, pompineau, redfish, cero, and bluefisli ; and while gunners extend their sporting tours as far south as the Floridas, and west to the Itocky Mountains, anglers seem contented with trouting in spring, visiting Canada* for salmon in summer, and casting the hook baited with menhaden for bass in the surf alono- tL rocky shores of the Atlantic in the autumn. But it would be well worth while to make an angling tour southward in au- tumn; and such as may desire to extend the sporting season would do well to take a trip to Washington, and angle for striped bass below the falls of the Potomac; thence to Nor- folk, for meeting the Spanish mackerel, striped bass, sea trout, and hogfish— a great delicacy— and other fishes of the coast. If the sportsman be a relative of Nimrod, he may close the season's sport along the coast of North Carolina by shooting wild geese, and .the numerous varieties of duck whica congre- gate there in myriads. SECTION THIRD. SIIEEPSIIEAD. At mouth of river, or where deep O'er mussel-beds the bay tides sweep, Tlie bulky sheepshead loves to hie When Slimmer suns ride hot and diy ; And there, for hours, in anchor'd boat, Hopeful, the patient anglers float, Only too happy if a score Of dainty fish enrich their store. The sheepshead is one of the most interesting on the list of anglers' fishes. It is a dinner-fish, and by many termed the American turbot, because it frequently figures at alder- manic dinners. It is really a delicious fish when either boiled o- stuffed and baked. It usually makes its apj)earance in our bays and estuaries about the first of June, and remains unT,il Ous Aldekmanic Fish. 85 the middle of September; but it does not visit s^^reams above the estuary, and is found in greatest numJiors along the mus- sel shoals or beds, and around old wrecks in the bays. When it first makes its appearance in our waters it is thin and lean, but it soon increases in plumpness and succulence, so that from an average weight of four pounds early in June, it increases to nine pounds by the middle of August. Its maximum w^eight is twenty pounds, but the runs along tlie coasts of Long Island and New Jersey, where they are confess- edly in best condition and flavor, seldom range higher than from ten to fifteen pounds. Its mouth is paved throughout the roof and lower jaw with square teeth of flat surface, li'ie eight-inch square mosaic, but rather larger at the outer edge of the jaw, where its even teeth resemble those of a sheep, from which it is supposed its name is derived. But the teeth are not sharp, and there is space between them for a fish-line to play, so that it seldom parts a line, or even a single gut snell, while mussels and clams are instantly crushed to pow- <ler by its powerful jaws. JShk; iiH';A;>. — Sftonis ovis. — DeKay. Its scales are lav; •, and surpass in brilliancy the highest metallic polish ; they are about half an inch in diameter, haid. and radiate from concentric; lines, lapping so as to form a de- fense on the back and sides agahisl ii blunt-pointed gaff. 86 Fishing in American Waters. Hi rif The crescent-shaped bands on each side are sometimes quite black on the back, and lighten gradually to a dark gray tint near the belly. The color of the fish is neutral-tinted on the back, which lightens gradually to the lateral line, below which it is like white chetie silk. The spiked dorsal fin is followed by a second of soft rays. The upper ray of the pectoral fin IS spiked. Its eyes are large, and almost beam with intelli- gence. The cheeks are often tinged with a pinky glow ; and when first raised from the water, and lying exhausted and mo- tionless in the landing-net, it is one of the most beautiful and. happy-looking objects ever raised above the sparkling wave. Hooks and Sinkers for Sheepshead Examine youe Tackle. 87 As the play of the sheepshead yields a new sensation to the amateur who for the first time indulges the penchant of angling for this dinner luxury, and as the modus operandi of its capture is somewhat peculiar, the opposite sketch is giv- en to indicate the forms and sizes of the hooks and sinkers used by anglers with rod and reel, and by members of the hand-line committee. No, 1. Hook of the Sproat bend, small but strong, of finest ^ tempered steel, and the short point and barb sharpened like a fine knife-blade, not round and needle-pointed like those for striped bass and squeteague. There is a fine ginip-wire • loop wound to the shank with fine waxed sewing silk or fine linen thread. I recommend waxed linen thread when snells are wound to hooks for any of the respectable sized game fishes of our estuaries ; for fresh water, silk is pref- erable. No. 2. Shank-headed hook, with the line fastened below the head by two or three half hitches, the same as for use in fishing for large striped bass. In fastening the line to the hook, cast the two half hitches around below the head, then turn up the end of the line and cast another half hitch over the shank and the end of line, filling the space to the head. Then ctra\rthe hitch tight, cut off the end of line even with the head of hook, and turn the hook in the tie until it turns easily, and you have the best possible hook-rigging. The hook should be made of finest tempered steel, and the point very sharp, or it will be either turned or broken in the mo- saic pavement of the mouth before it slides to the rim of the jaw, and by the turn of the fish fastens the hook in the lip or corner of the mouth. No. 3. This is the size of hook for hand-line fishing, at which a large business is done during July and August, and some- times throughout September. There is a greater number caught by the hand-line than by sweep-nets or seines, the only other methods of taking them for market. The Vir- ginia bend, like 3, with knife-blade edges of barb and point, 88 Fishing in Amekican Wa TEK8. IS preferred; and the fine but strong linen leader, or twist- ed or braided hair leader a yard long, is armed with a h >ok at each end, one to be baited with a whole soft-shell clam by inserting the hook between the shells, and the other with the clam taken out of the shell. Xo. 4. Tracing sinker of lead, with a hole through the centre longitudinally. All sinkers should be of lead, as one of the most ponderous metals. At the upper end of the leader- which IS the same material as the line-three fourths of a ^ yard above hook No. ] , the leader should be tied to a brass swivel, and, after running the end of the line through the sinker, the end of the line should be tied to the upper end of the swivel, to prevent the sinker from falling too near the hook, and still to permit the line to play freely through it when It rests on a mussel-bed at the bottom, so that the angler may feel the slightest nibble. This is also a mark- ed point in still-baiting on the bottom for striped bass and squeteague. No. 5 Sinker for hand-line fishing. Tie the end of line to the sinker though the hole in the end. About ten or twelve inches above the sinker, tie to the main line a leader with a hook like No. 3 at each end. The leader should be near- ly a yard long, and if made of hair it will be lighter and " play easier than if of linen; and when the sinker lies on the bed of mussels where sheepshead feed, it is well to have the eader so liglit that the hooks will be moved about by the tide One hook should be abput a foot from the main line, and Che other two feet. When thus rigged, and you have cast as far as you can astern of your anchored boat, take up all your slack line and your heavy sinker, which will pemit you to draw the line straight without moving It, and this will enable even a member of the hand-line- committee to feel the slightest bite. I am thus particular in describing the rig for hand-line fish- ing because many good anglers consider the electric dips and dives of a "head" too quick for a line to render before bi^k I ' Starting for a Day's Fishing. 89 insf a rod. I do not appreciate a repugnance to a rod because a fish plays rapidly and with powerful demonstratioii. The angler should use a heavy rod, about nine feet in length, and, like the ordinary bass rod, the two low-^r joints should be of ash, and the top of lancewood, or the whole rod should be of Japan bamboo. I rather favor a bamboo rod for sheepshead fishing.- The angler should use the heaviest make of a steel pivot bass reel, large enough to carry six hundred feet of line, though there will probably never be more than half that length carried off the reel; but the fish doubles and turns so rapidly that a large drum, or much line on a reel, is necessary to wind the line in quickly and prevent the fish from gettino- slack line, and to give him time to disgorge or break the hook. To the angler who has never fished for sheepshead I would say," You have a rare treat in store, so enjoy it the first op- portunity." If a resident of New York, you will find Canar- sie, or the " Old Mill," near East New York, the most conve- nient places to take sail-boat from, and bait is generally plen- ty at either place. Sail down the channel above the inlet toward Near Rockaway ; about a mile below Remsen's Hotel, feel by sounding for a mussel-bed: they are numerous for a mile along shore, about 200 yards from it. When found, cast anchor far enough away, so that when the boat toles round by the tide toward the feeding-ground, the cast required for dropping your sinker on it will be about fifty feet. The wa- ter should be about seven feet deep at low tide, and it rises there from four to six feet. The best tide to fish is during high and low tides, when the water is slack, Jlnd until it runs at the rate of five miles the hour, or one hour after it begins to run; for when the tide runs at its full strength, sheeps- head seek some still-water ground, and wait for a moderate motbn of the waters. During the intermission I am in the habit of taking up anchor and trolling for bluefish, or of seeking some feeding-ground up a bayou, or some sunken vessel, where I angle for sea bas s, s<i«eteague, striped bass, !)() FiHiiiNo IN Amkrican Waters. hlackfisli, and an occasional si ('c])shoa(l, until the tide ui^ain servos on the nni8sel-l)eds, which generally border the laain channel. At the rii?ht times of tide, the locatioiiH of the mnssel-beds are plainly indicated by a fle(>t of from twenty to fifty small sail-boats of hand-line fishermen. Many of them are fanners who reside near the whore of Jamaica Hay, and employ th(! interregnum between Jiay and grass to unite j)leasure and profit by eaining from three to ten dollars a day at fishing for sheepsluad. There is always ready sale for the fish at a price nearly etpial to that obtained for salmon. Having grouped tlu^ implements— except the necessary one of a largo landing-net, of heavy brass rim and large meshes of strong twine— suppose we drive down seven miles to C^i- narsie, and go out from there to try the " head" for one turn of tide ? Crossing the ferry from New York, our drive from Brook- lyn lies through a labyrinth of flower and vegetable gardens, forming a landscape dotted here and there with eh((te(m;i' whoso surroundings prove the menage to have been designed with a view to uniting comfort Avith elegance. Those old oaks, cherry-trees, and black walnuts, together Avith the ser- pentine windings of a cou])le of trout brooks, are the only marks left of that antiquity which antedates our Revolution- ary War for Independence ; but the gardens, lawns, fruit- trees, and margins of flowers, forming the landscajjc into a picture of beauty, and loading the air with perfume, demand that the senses of smell and sight shall do their duty. * * • * * * ^ ^ Yes, judge, we are already at Canarsie, and I do not won- der at your surprise that in less than one hour we should have left urban blocks of brick and marble, and been wafted, as it were, through seven miles of flower'^, to be set down on the margin of the sea, with all its aquatic views breaking upon us like a startling pun or paradox. Be pleased to step upon the piazza of the hotel and take a look seaward, while Quaint Salts at Canarsie. 91 <mr host orders Captain Abraius to bring Iuh yaclit aloni? the dock. It was amusing, wli n I first inaugurated rod-fishiug for shot'pshead, to perceive i iie members of the hand-line-com- mittee cast furtive ghin- ! at me as tliey winked knowinj^ly to one another, as much .. to nay, All's fish as comes to our net , and a greenlioni is as good as any, if he pays." The clan; rakers and crnb atchers, whose small sail aiiJ row boats dot the shores an(, hoals of Jamaica ]>ay as they saunter about baretboted and clad in a red shirt and rolled-up trowsers, also believed that anglers for 8hee})shead w ith rod and reel were monomaniai s ; and though they freely took my money for bait, they frankly advised ne to use a hand-line for "head." This Avant of faith, however, lasted no longer than did the gibes and siu-ers of the shad-fishermen at IL ' ke when Seth (Treen stated that he could hatch a milh 'U ot Miad a day,nnd within a week he hatched si.v times that inmiber daily. So the members of the hand-line-con Jttee and bait-catchers soon became not only civil, but vied with eacli other in sec- onding my wishes by taking pains to procure me peculiar baits, et . ., concluding finally that angling with a rod and reel may be as respectable iis fishhig with a hand-line. SECTION FOURTH. ANGLING F( . SIIEEPSIIEAD. The saline nir is invigorating, and a slight haze protects us from an unwelcome glare of the sun. The gulls scream as they dip and sweep over shoals of young herring and men- haden. Members of *he hand-line-committee are out in full force, and sixty clinker-built and copper-fastened tiny sail- boats. With poles lowered and sails wrapped round them, are anchored along the banks of mussel-beds, intent on baiting with clams, and casting their heavy sinkers — catchung ! ca- lung ! Our captain rounds our craft to as if he intended to swamp half a dozen tiny craft ; but all is serene and the an- chor cast, when the captain falls to opening shedder crab and soft-shell clams, and throwing the shells overboard at the bow IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^ / 10 i.i 2.2 2.0 11:25 1 1.4 m 1.6 PnotogBphic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 87^-4503 .•\ iV V ?^ ^ !.<?> ^^^ 92 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. of the boat, so that the tide will carry them astern and at- tract the fish. With the sail lowered over the centre of the stern and lashed, the judge takes his stand on one side of it and my- self on the other, when each with a single-rigged hook, as be- fore stated, and well baited with shedder crab, make our first cast. " Judge, permit me to advise that when your sinker toucli- es the water you do n(jt slack your line or permit any to run from the reel, but let it sink naturally, and the tide will keep your line straight, so that you will be able to distinguish the faintest nibble after it settles on the bottom. If you do not get a bite in a minute, jerk— as if you intend to hook a fish— and reel in a yard or two of the slack caused by tiie jerk, and then let the sinker settle as at first. Keep striking and reel- ing a few feet every minute until you have effectually fished over all the ground from where you cast to the boat. Then reel all the way up and repair damage to bait, and cast again. I have cast and reeled in for hours, sometimes without get- ting a single bite from a ' head,' and in such cases my friends resorted to segars and other expedients to prevent them from becoming discouraged; and if they saw the hand-line men catch a few and string them to a cord fastened to the thole- pins, leaving the fish in the water to keep them alive, they would forthwith order our captain to bargain for a few at a dollar each. But, before we or they discontinued fishing, we would take the greatest number of any craft in the bayfand frequently more than we knew how to' dispose of. But the tide slackens, and ' head' will begin to bite Very soon.* Keep your line clear on the reel, and straight from the tip of your rod to the sinker." "There! I've hooked one !" "His shoot- ing up to the top of the water is no sign of weakness, for you perceive that I can not prevent him from diving to the bot- tom quicker than he came up. Captain, man \he landing- net, and be ready and careful, for he is a fifteen-pounder ! There, he is offag.iin; you perceive that I can turn him and Contest with a SheepsiiexVd. 93 bring him to the surface, but as soon as he smells the upper air he turns quicker than thought, and, unless I yield him line, he will either part it or break my rod. The sheepshead is what Lord Dundreary said of a certain bird, ' werry wobust.' You are right, judge, he is beautiful ; but do not count him until he is in the landing-net. There ! stand out of the way of his dorsal and pectoral spikes ; I always wear boots when angling for sheepshead or trolling for bluefish." " Ho ! judge, you have hooked a good one. Good ! Play him gently ,.nd gingerly." " He'll not let me ! I expect to lose him. There, that's the third time I have brought him to the suvface, only to see him take more line and get farther from the boat at every turn. By the powers, there ! Captain, how much will he weigh ?" "I guess summut near on to ten pound." " What ! You don't mean to say he'll not scale more than ten pounds ?" " Yes, 811* ; maybe et's summut bigger." I check the interesting )lloquy b^ stating that I think our fishes are about the same size, but that the one I have just iiooked is larger than either. The judge then sees that it is best to employ all his time at fishing while the biting con- tinues. As I land the second one, I remark : "Judge, you perceive there is no mistaking the bite of a sheepshead ; his bite informs you that he is in earnest." " Piecisely so. His bite is like that of no other fisb. It . is as spasmodic as a bluefish and as powerful as an alligator, and he gives, also, an indescribable premonition, info- ming you that a poAverful fish is examining your bait. There ! he's gone !" " Well, judge, please examine your hook. The point is bro- ken off. The only safe place to hook a ' head' is in the lip, or at the angle covering the mandibles. I took thirteen here one day, and played a greater number which I lost. Our fishing-tackle kings should inspire greater confidence and better temper by giving us finer tempered hooks." 94 Fi8iim'> IN American Waters. The captain counts eleven as our take. Moderate, but enough. Suppose Ave reel up ? Captain, head the craft home- ward. Let's unjoint our rods, put them in their cases, and enjoy the sail. To our left is. the lower bay of New York, the fortifications and shore of New Jersey. To our right is Rockaway, and the great South Bay. Those birds in the weeds are yellow-leg snipe, and those on the sand-bars are summer snipe, of numerous varieties. The gulls seem to be at war, for they sally from the islets and descend on spearing and shoals of small fry as if they were storming a fortification. Our horse is ready, and our fish are stowed under the car- riage seat. We will try to drive home before sundown. There are many places along our shores better than Jamai- ca Bay, where we fished to-day, for sheepshead. The hand- line-coramittee make it pay at Fire Island, and there are many superior feeding-places in the South Bay. About the wreck of ihe Black Warrior, near the Narrows, is celebrated for great numbers of them. In truth, our whole coast south of Long Island is rendered inviting by this delicious fish. Late in autumn the sheepshead are numerous along the shores of Virginia and the Carolinas, but they are not so good any where else as within the latitude of the State of New York. The sheepshead of our northern chain of lakes IS an inferior fish, and should not be confounded with oui- coast and estuary delicacy. Along the shores of New Jersey sheepshead arc numerous from May until October : Where inle'; of the Barnegat Opes to the boiling surf its gate, When the young flood-tide washes iu Limpet and ':rab, a luring bait, Then, where the affluent current pours The deepest o'er its mussel floors, Tlie greedy sheepshead hidden lie To seize whatever may float by. And there, in dancing boat tliat swings At anchor hi the floating tides, The angler line and plummet flings, And takes tlie robber where lie hides. A GAMY AND DELICIOUS FlSII. 95 SECTION FIFTH. THE KINGFISH. By many anglers this fish js regarded as the best water- game of the estuaries. It is justly entitled to be considered one of tlif best food and anglers' fishes of the waves which wash the shores from Sandy Hook to New York City. Its small and hard mouth is bordered with a gristly rim, j^eculi- arly adapted to holding a small hook. In the waters about the city this fish is not numerous, nor are the members of the limited shoals of large size, running only from a half to two pounds each off Communipaw, Kill Von Kull, and Newark Bay; but at the south end of Staten Island, in Amboy Bay, and where it merges into the lower Bay of New York, near Freeport, and in Jamaica Bay, near Barren Island, they some- times run as heavy as five pouvds. All along the South Bay and the New Jersey shore aiid inlets this delectable fish is tak€n in greater or less numbers in fykes, seines, pounds, and W+.h the hand-line, while they yield tithe to sportsmen witli rod and reel. The Kingfi«h. —^cetcnre iVe/>«fosa.— Mitcliill. The meat of the kingfish laminates in flakes of very close texture. It is a very heavy fish for its size. Though emi- nently a breakfast fish, yet f-v a chowder the epicure prefers it to sea bass or cod, the acknowledged chowder fishes. The 96 color Fishing in American Waters. of the fish is gray, with irregular marks nearly black. It is covered with fine, rigid scales, which extend over the . head. The first dorsal is spinous, and all the other fins are soft-rayed. The fish possessesj great propulsive power, as in- dicated by its fins, so that a three-pounder at the remote end of a line, with delicate bass rod, generally induces the novice to believe the strength, speed, and endurance of the fish un- der-estimated. « Gently, but firmly," are the words in play- ing a kingfish, which some denominate "barb," because a .short adipose barb shoots out beneath its lower jaw; but it bears no resemblance to the barbel family. It spawns in .spring-time, as most white-meated fishes do; and, though rather solitary iu its habits, it remains in our estuaries and small bays along the coast from May until November. Au- gust and September are the best months to angle for it; and as the tackle required should be adapted to its size of mouth and great propulsive power, the following cut may assist the angler who would enjoy the spore of taking the fish, which— for his inches— is eminently the king of game fishes. The rod is the common three-jointed bass-rod, from eight to ten feet in length. Pivot, multiplying reel of German sil- ver or brass, large enough to carry from four to six hundred feet of fine linen line. The play of a kingfish is peculiar, though like the striped bass he takes the bait without hesitation and starts away, and when he feels the prick of the hook, accelerates In peed,' swimming low, and making a very long and strong run. If you have never taken one you will be puzzled with his invet- erate persistence in keeping down and running deep, and your surprise will not be diminished when he finally breaks water a hundred yards from the boat ; and you will wonder, after landing a fish which has taken you nearly half an hour to kill, that it weighs scarcely three pounds. The vital spark of the kingfish is very brilliant, and he is very tenacious of it ; but, once landed, he exhibits a vanquished look, and his or- ange-colored eyes and scaly head turn downward, as if both IIang-dog Look when Vanquished. 97 — ^^I^C»^'©-==-^ KiNGFISH TaCKI*. to .crew Ipt'o a^KW"' KiZ'^SiS?"" ? VVS^S »' '""i worm gut. leaaer . both leader and enell (or snood) are double silk- fatigued and ashamed; not like the striped bass and sheeps- head, who look happy, and seem to say, "Mr. Angler, I guess you had your metal tried in playing me;" or like a traveler just arrived from Europe, assuming an air of importance, as If condescending to visit America just to see for himself what the lankees are like. But, though the kingfish looks like a deck-passenger after a long voyage, the angler is sure of one point m his favor, and the cook, as well as the epicure, will be fully assured of another. The kingfish shoals on a clean sandy bottom, feeds on Crus- tacea, and prefers shrimp, shedder, and sofl-shell crabs and lobsters. Anchor off Barren Island to the north of the edge of the channel, and expect sport. Anchor east of Obesnequack i^reek, on the border of the channel between there and Free- port, and in August and September you can not fail of ob- G 98 Fishing in American AVateks. taming rapturous sport. Take your bait with you from a New York market, for fear of delay. Caving Channel a sandy bottom tideway from Communipaw to Jersey City' is said to be a favorite run for small kingfish, where good sport 18 often realized on the lirst of the flood. Kingfish feed also at numerous places in the South Bay, and all along the coast of New Jersey. To anglers who dwell near the coast, The kingfish is a peculiar joy ; And among all the scaly host, This they choose as theif favorite toy. . SECTION SIXTH. « , THE HOGFISH. This fish is very numerous on the Bahama banks and alon«- the coast of the Southern States, visiting in the spring, which is its spawning season, as far north as the mouth of the Ches- apeake Bay. It is white-meated and very juicy, requiring no butter or lard in cooking, and its peculiar flavor is very rich and creamy, being the best table-fish among anglers' fishes of the South. It ranges in weight from five to fifteen pounds. Its scales are rather large, except on the head, where they arc The Hcgfish. very small. The first dorsal is spinous-rayed, and all the rays of the other fins are soft. It is marked similar to the perch, with rays or bars of a darker shade than the rest of the fish, which is a reddish-brown. This fish is angled for by still-baiting with shedder or soft-shell crab, and with shank- \1 Delicacies without Olive Oil. 99 headed hooks, like those for taking large bass. As its scales are very tenacious, some cooks recommend skinning it as the New Englanders do tautog and yellow perch. It is an excel- lent fish when stuffed and baked, but it is rather adipose for boilhior. Apropos of scaling fish : First, lave them in vinegar, and the most tenacious scales will be easily removed. THE GRUNTEB. This is a silver-sided fisb with gray back and white belly. The fish is very plump, round, and fat, without any foreign taste. It usually weighs from two to five pounds, and is juicy enough to fry without butter. It is one of the best breakfast fishes of the shores and estuaries, and usually shoals with the squeteague, and utters several grunts after being landed. It is angled for the same as the squeteague. Its fins are all soft-rayed, and it is leather-mouthed; medium sized scales cover the body. In speaking of a frying fish, I believe in the epicurean theory of never frying a fish which weighs over half a pound ; and that boiling, broiling, baking, and chowdering are the only true ways to cook fish, except the primitive ones of rolling them in buttered paper and roast- ing them in hot embers, or threading them on a birch toast- ing-fork, with a slice of pork, and roasting them before a camp-fire. The grunter is a great delicacy, and very good game for the sportsman with rod and reel. > The Guunt£<{. mm 100 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. hi ( THE GOLDEN MULLET. This is eminently a fish of the coast and inlets of the Caro- linas, though in summer it is taken in considerable numbers as far north as the coast and estuaries of New Jersey. Its mouth is very small and toothless, so that a person might be led to suppose that it lived on animalcula did it not bite so ravenously. In size, the golden mullet range from half a pound to a pound, and they are so fat tho . cooks say " they fry themselves." I know of no fish possessing in an equal de- gree the rich, sweet juiciness of the golden mullet. It is al- ways distinguishable by from two to four jet spots above the tail. The color of the back is brown, sides golden, belly white, meat a cream color. Its scales are small and soft, fins soft-rayed. The body is masculated in dark sliades like the squeteague, and the tail is straight across the end. Trk Golden Mullet. The golden mullet affords exciting sport to the young an- gler with very light bass and perch tackle. The rod should » either be four-jointed and ten feet long, or a plain bamboo pole, mounted with guides and reel-rilgs. The reel may be small, but large enough to carry a hundred yards of fine linen Ime, because the angler sometimes hooks squeteague, grunt- ers, striped bass, and kingfish while angling for the smaller delicacy. The golden mullet affects shrimp bait, but will sometimes take mussels and soft clams. The hook must be small-single leaders are preferred-and a swivel and float afford the prettiest sport, with two hooks, as rigged for small striped bass. The golden mullet seldom ventures far above the estuaries of rivers, and it should not be disgraced by con- I Sport kok Ladies and Ciuldeen. 101 founding it with the numerous family of mullets of the Muyil genua. THE WHITE PEKCH. This fish is found at the meeting of salt and fresh waters all along the coast from Cape Cod to the Carolinas, and, though siinilar in essential marks, it differs in shade and symmetry either according to its food or the waters it inhabits. It is a little fish at best, ranging all the way from three ounces to three pounds. Of course you throw the small ones back if you do not hook them in the gills. The back is neutral-tint- ed, sides a silvery, lustre, and belly Avhite. The first dorsal is spinous, and the others soft-rayed, except the first anal. The head is small, and, with its silver-plated gill-covers, small mouth, and little teeth, looks pretty, bites freely, and resists the angler merrily. This fish is peculiarly adapted for the sport of juveniles. It is a pan-fish, white-meated, flat, easily scaled, and quite a delicacy in November, for it is one of our latest biting fishes. Angle for it with light bass-tackle, and it is generally to be found near where a creek of fresh water empties into salt water, or in brackish waters over springs which bubble up from the bottom of a pond or river. A white perch which weighs but a pound affords sport with light tackle, and, when weighing three pounds, it plays very vigorously. The White Perch. I tl I'.' 1 ! t 102 FisiiiNo IN Amekican Waters. THE SMELT. This i,s a small delicate fish, supposed by some to belon.. to the sa mon tr,be, though it is not nearly so mueh like"^ as .a sinner like a shad. It is almost tranLcent, and from five to eight inches in length; its meat is soft, ;hite and sweet, with no bones but the spine and ribs, which a^so smal and tender that they are eaten with the' preciourmoi ^od i buuir " 1 Y " ^'^^ '^^ ''• ^-^"^^ - «-r - ble, but the skin, traced in small diamond lines, is like the canvas skin of tlie trout of Long Lake. It is ash-col red o. ^r tr::t':;?r '^ ''t "^' '^'"^- ^'-^ ^^ ^ ^-"" bait. As affording sport, the smelt is no mean game Late The Smelt.— Osmerus Eptrlanus.—YimMW m the autumn when ice begins -to border the streams the angler rigs a long perch-rod with a small multiplying re«l and a fine line rigged with half a dozen small trout or min-' now hooks on short snells fastened to the main line, six inch- es apart, and baited with pieces of shrimp or bits of clam and resorts in boat up small tidal streams, anchors and anc^les or them during the flood tide, when it is not uncommon to take from a fourth to half a dozen of these pearly beauties at a time, as fast as he can bait his hooks and cast them near he boat. There is nothing prettier than these gems danglin.. and shining at the end of the line, when they emit the odor of fresh cucumbers. On the approach of winter, anglers of all ages are seen on the bridges and along the saline streams of the coast, from Delaware Bay to the eastern boundary of Maine; and as an article of commerce, thousands are sold in A Bait fob Striped Bass. 103 the New York markets, the average retail price being twenty cents a pound. The smelt is eminently the winter sport for the angler, succeeding the white perch in small tidal creeks. This fish will alsd take the fly when sunk to their feeding level near the bottom. When twinkling icicles depend From woods that with the bright freight bend, When siilty stream anu open sound With adamantine ice are bound, Then o'er the solid frozen stream The tents of the smelt-fishers gleam ; Each opes with axe the crystal floor, Then patient watches at the door. TUB SPEARING, OR SILVERSIDES. •This is the same order of abdominales ,as the smeiu and caplin, shoals with them, and is eminently a bait for the sal- mon and striped bass. I,ate in October, in a tideway, bait with this fish for striped bass. On Pelham Bridge, anglers are seen letting the line carry out with the strong tide this shiny bait, or casting with float, light swivel sinker, and this bait, which— where the most rapid current slackens toward :in eddy— attracts the leap of a striped, satin-sided beauty, forcing the blood to the ends of the digits of the angler. The upper part of the head i§ rather flat, and the tiny gill rays ar& six in number, and the side-belt shines like silver. " ^olor.— Pale olive-green above the lateral line ; opercles and sides silvery ; obscure traces just below the lateral line ! 104 Fishing in Amekican Wa.^eks II The Spearing, or Sihy eusidks.— Genus Atherim. of a broad satin-like band, extending the whole length of the body; the place of the ribs indicates lustrous stripes, which disappear shortly after death; upper part of the opercles near the nape, dark green ; caudal dark at the base, and with an obscure marginal band; dorsal caudal fius light green- p-ctorals, ventrals, and anal light colored, tinged faintly with bluish; iridos silvery; bones of the head sub-diaphanous." The foregoing quotation is from De Kay's description of the smelc ; but he inadvertently described a spearing. I am not surprised at that, for they shoal together, and even Dr Clerk^an angler and a scholar, did not know the difference until ^ casually pointed it out to him. When in the autumn's latest time. And first the streams run icy cold In Indian surnmer'a crimjon prime, When forest trees are touched with gold, Then take t: 3 silvery fish that gleam Along the eddies of the stream. THE CAPLIlf. This is the tiny, translucent fish, of from three to six inches m length, ^7hich shoals in great abundance on the shores of Ne«rfoundland and Labrador, and is chiefly used as bait for cod It will be seen that this fish belongs to the same order as the smelt and spearing, the chief diflference consisting in Its double anal fin. All codfish fleets employ a sloop, two i-ow-boats, and a set of hands with caplin nets, to keep them supplied with bait. It is an interesting sight to witness a city of boats dj-.ributed over many miles of water in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, or about Newfoundland, and the bait- tenders hauling seines over shoals and about islands where the tiny caplm resort for protection from the ood So it -ip be 3h !S, th n r. e Cod Bait in the Gulf of S-t. Lawrence. 105 pears, Great Nature has wisely ordained that big fishes shall eat the little ones, and, to compensate for this consumption hshes naturally increase many hundred fold faster than land animals, as before observed. I have presented these three great baits-the smelt, spear- mg, and caplin-for thn angler's information, for I have been acquainted with many anglers who could not name the dif- ferent fishes when taken together in great masses. Shoals o. these fishes are followed by salmon, codfish, and by the larger fishes of prey, such as the horse mackerel, cero, and bonetta, over which hover flocks of gulls, and ever and anon the latter swoop and shriek as they pick up the debris float- ing on the surface left by the monsters as thev follow and teed on the shoals of these tender delicacies. The CAPLin.—AIallotus villosus. All the estuaries of rivers and shores of the St. Lawrence teem with the caplin, and sometimes with the smelt also, and occasionally with all these three shoaling together. They form the staple food of the silver trout of the estuaries. All these fishes spawn in the spring, and, therefore, I am sur- prised that they should be suppoijed to belong to any branch of the Salmo genus. SECTION SEVENTH. THE SEA BASS. Where low the level Jersey shore Spreads out its ribb'd and sandy floor, At break of day the fishers launch The little skiff, so swift and stanch, Spread the white sail, forsake the strand, To dure the ocean miles from land. Full well by shorem^vks they may know Where reefs of weeds lue hidden low ; G2 TER8. il 106 Fishing in Ameeican Wa There, anchor'd at the dawn of dnv, They rob the marine banks of prey,' The sea bass is not strictly a vegetarian, though it visits vegetable banks to spawn and feast upon the numerous small Crustacea which hide amongst sea-weed. It occupies a re- spectable place in the culinary calendar, and is preferred to cod for a chowder. It is eminently a coast fish, and seldom ventures far above the estuaries, bays, and back-waters, or bayous The sea bass, porgee, and tautog banks along the coast of New Jersey form one of the attractions of Lono- Branch, and they are a real blessing to the members of the hand-lme-committee, who realize in them a cheap relaxation trom business and the lassitude caused by too constant work m a city during the heat of summer. The Sea Bass, Several excursion steamers run every alternate day to the ^ Fishing Banks, where they make a day's excursion for half a dollar, and whence often on the evening of the same day each passenger returns with three dollars worth of sea bass. A large business is done throughout the summer and autumn in the capture and sale of sea bass. The meat of the sea bass laminates in compact ilakes, not so soft and watery as .the cod, but more succulent and deli- cate in taste. This fish usually runs from three to iwelve pounds, and is what angler's term a bottom-feeding fish con- sequently not an especial favorite with the discinlen of rod *?-: Its lli 'e- to m )r ic g e k To JVJ A SIMPLE Chowder. 107 and reel. Its feedin^^ grounds extend along the coast from Delaware to Alaine, wherever the sea-weed grows from beds of mussels. This fish, like many herbivorous fishes of the Urient, lays its eggs, and they are vivified on the weeds and among the shells of the bottom. This process continues from May until August, and the shoals remain on the banks until most of their annual progeny leave the shell, when they all resort to deeper waters to winter. Jll'r 'Z"T\^-'^ '"^ ^'"'^ ^"^^ seldombreaks water until eady for the landmg-net. Unlike the tautog, its mouth is large and leathery, easy to hook, and tenaciourto hold. It color is a bluish, and sometimes a greenish black, lightened a rifle at the lower parts of the sides and belly. Is ^1^" a- about a quarter of an inch in diameter, and its dorsal fins- while spmous-are not very hardj the other fins are soft- rayed, except the front ray of the anal. The sea bass is a boiler, but epicures regard it as superior ma chowder. Chowder clubs use no fish !ut sea bass Tt. tie Neck clams improve the chowder, and, as I was for some ime secretary of the Latourette Chowder Club, andsup^i^! tended a combmation of the gustatory elemenL, I will here describe a simple chowder for anglers. A comm;n iron pot of globular shape, is best to make a chowder in. Slice as sides of the pot, to prevent the chowder from burning. Then cover the pork with a layer of quartered onions, wlfch have been previously parboiled fifteen minutes; the^ cover the omons with a layer offish cut in two-ink-square pi ces then cover the fish with a layer of tomatoes ; then a layei ot' «ea-biscuu ; then a layer of clams ; then a la/er of onions and con mue the layers in the rotation described until the pot" s ed. Season each layer with salt, and a mixture of reS and bl^k peppers together with such other condiments as de r'uponTf ''''•"' '^' '' ''''' ^^' ^«^^ - ^-"-^ then poui upon It from a pmt to a quart of Chateau TVTov.;,. ^r good L<.rdeaux claret, and let it simmer half an ho^iti^;;: I 108 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. Chowder should remain over the fire nearly two hours. This chowder has the merit of being simple, and-to a hungry sportsman-it is palatable, though not so epicurean as the chowder made by the late Daniel Webster, the receipt for which is given on another page. Chowder -parties and clam -bakes are American institu- tions, and they are indulged in annually in July and August throughout the whole length of the coasts of New York and New England. In a commercial point of view, the sea bass ranks with the tautog, and next to the cod, being consumed annually to the number of millions. For capture with rod and reel the common striped bass- tackle is used. I have taken hundreds of small ones in a day while angling for sheepshead. They take with equal voraci- ty shrunp, clam, and shedder crab. A shoal of a single pair offish number probably five thousand which attain to the weight of half a pound and over; not more, because ground- sharks and other marine carnivora thin their ranks when fin- gerlings. Their feeding-time is during the lull of the waters between the turn of the tides, when they yield themselves wilhng victims to the angler's captivating art. They weigh from half a pound to five pounds, and some shoals run from eight to fifteen pounds. As one of our common food fishes, it is a shade more respectable than most of those which have by quality and status been consigned to tlie hand-line multi- tude. THE PORGEE. This fish runs from a quarter to three pounds in weight, and unites with the blackfish (tautog) and bergall (cachogset) to form the guerrilla army of thieves for robbing bait when the angler, with hooks too large for its mouth, is fishing for larger game. Its mouth is armed with pin-point teeth like those of the perch, and while it can not bite in two a single gut snell or thin linen line, is most dexterous in robbing bass A SLY Bait Thief. io9 hooks, or mauling and mutilating the bait. It is a greedy little sniny sinner, which is both herbivorous and carnivor- ous, foraging on both fish and vegetable diets, and shoaling with the omnium gatherum of bottom fish, which make their summer habitations among the weedy banks called by their name all along the coast from Maine to Georgia, from three to SIX miles from shore, purveying every where from their homes, mto all the estuaries and tidal back-sets, for proven- der. The porgee is one of the most numerous of coast fishes and as greedy as it is plenty. Dr. Brown, in his Anglers' t^uide, states that the steam-boat which runs daily to the porgee banks in summer returns with many thousand por- Thb VoiidE.^.—Pogrus Argyrops. gees, besides the sea bass and tautog, averaging from six to ten thousand as their daily catch with the hand-line. To the mechanics and clerks of the metropolis these daily excursions m midsummer to the fishing-banks are great blessings; for, besides the inflation of the lungs with bracing sea-aii the change of scene, and the exercise out of doors, they bring back more than an adequate compensation for the pittance expended for the <lay's recreation. There can not be too many boats engaged in making fishing-bank excursions, pro- vided the boats are sound and well managed. In general, the captains of excursion steamers are well acquainted with the topography of the banks, and know where to order the 110 Fishing in Ameeican Watebs. heaving of the anchor for good fishing. The charge for pas- sage includes hand-line tackle and bait, so that a man may start in the morning empty-handed, and be landed at home the same evening with a large mess offish. The porger is a pan-fish of sweet and de'licate flavor when first caught, but its juices soon become absorbed, and, witli the loss of its juiciness, becomes nearly tasteless. While casting along tlie' coast for striped bass, anglers frequently hook these nimble shiners, and the guides always draw them at once and place them in moss between a cleft of rocks for thm own eating, preferring them to the striped bass. The porgee is supposed to spawn on the weedy banks with the sea bass and tautog early in spring, when the last year's hatch leave for estuaries, purveying to the head of tide- waters. In angling for this fish perch tackle is used. The rod 18 from ten to eleven feet in length, multiplying reel car- rying a hundred yards of fine linen or silk line, cork float, and swivel sinker, single -gut leader and snells, with minnow books Takmg them is pretty sport for ladies and children Use shrimp or clam bait, and let the bait nearly cover the point of the hook; and where they are numerous-as they are throughout summer in nearly all tidal waters in and above ' the estuaries-the angler will pair them nearly every time he baits his hooks. The fashion is becoming more and more prevalent along the tidal waters of the Atlantic coast, where they are shut in from the heaving and throbbing of the sea for whole families to take a seat in a row-boat toward even- ing, and row out to some favorite ground not far from shore but at a suflicient distance to enjoy different landscape views' of both shores, and there to anchor the boat and ano-le for ' porgees, with an occasional sea bass, squeteague, and'black- hsh. Eockmg in a boat over the running tide is great food to vitality, and the evening scenes from the water, with the pleasing exercise of angling, are blessings to be thankful lor. Lies Low and Looks Cunning. Ill SECTION EIGHTH. ■fr ] Tji . . Scale of Inches. ' ' The family of ,.,,e trasses, or rocMsh, includes our com- mon bergalls, the New York tautog or common blacM h aTd U.o«e fancy-colored species known as "old wives of the sea" Of the latter there are several varieties, such as tl e .Xd wUe, the Une old wife, and the yetto,. old wife, whth Ire o named m accordance with their prevailin.. colors TheTLv c'Cfe -r t '* "^'"' ^""'"^ are'thriJ^trfkt charactenstic. The wrasses were known to the poet Opnia,r Who^desenhe. the beds of sea-weed as their -favorite '^C "And there thick beds of mossy verdure grew- bea-grass, and spreading wrack are seen : below Oay rainbow-fish, and sable wrasse resort. " The foregoing is an extract from Willson's Fifth Reader and forms a part of the " Glimpse of Ichthyology- Jelii is work mchides. ^^ ^^^ 112 Fishing in American Waters. TUB TaUTOG. This fish (Fig. 3) is termed tautog along the coast of New England, and is equally well known as hlackjish along the shores of Long Island and New Jersey, south of which it is not numerous, nor is it north of the Vineyard Sound, though it has greatly increased along Cape Cod within the past fif- teen years. Wherever kelp and sea-weed cling To ramparts form'd of rugged rocks, The tautog finds a dwelling-place, Deep down in waters at their base ; Or where a passing boat hath met Its fate along the rocky shore, And, with its broken ribs and keel, Lies rotting on the ocean floor — There, where the clinging shell and weed Gather, and barnacles abound, The blackfish, seeking out their feed, In numbers by the hook are found. The tautog is one of the largest family of fishes which in- habit the waters along the coast from Vineyard Sound to Del- aware Bay. Urchins along shores begin fishing by taking cachogset, kunners, and bergalls — all of the diminutive car- nivora or bait-robbers — and if, in their efforts, they succeed in capturing a tautog, the lucky urchin who thus succeeds to the first step of fishing thereafter scrapes money together to purchase a regular hand-line and t wo tautog hooks, with a heavy sinker. He then rigs a hand-line en regie, and consid- ers himself a juvenile member of the " hand-line-committee," not to be entifled to full membership until he can earn by fishing a miniature scow large enough to float two young- sters of from seven to ten years of age. Then, with a stone for anchor, they scull from clump to reef of rocks near the shores of our tidal estuari.s and small bays, and once in a while add to their catches of blackfish a weakfish, or even a striped bass ! This achievement affords the barefooted regi- ment a week's discussion, and forthwith the lucky urchin be- • f.T-J I r Members of the IlAND-LmE-coMMiiTEE. 113 comes the arbiter in all piscatorial (llsi)utos, as well as the oounselor in all arrangements of fishing-tackle, until some other boy takes a larger fish. Bnt the blackfish, or tantog, is not to he disdained by the <Iisciple of rod and reel. Though he is eminently a commer- cial fish, yet a tide-runner of his family which weighs from eight to twelve pounds makes such dips and runs as try both the angler and his tackle. A somewhat celebrated senator of Rhode Island (now the Chinese embassador) used annual- ly to spend several summer w(!eks in fishing for tantog with an artistically-rigged hand-line. lie sculled his boat lo the edge of the tide, on the bank between a rapid current and nearly slack water, and hear an islet or reef of rocks in the Seconnet River, where the water is about fifteen feet deep • anchored his punt firmly, standing up in the stern, and cast some seventy-five feet of line, armed with two hooks about two feet above the sinker, and baited with clam. In this way I have known him to take one hundred pounds of tau- tog in one hour. At the mouth of the Seconnet River there are numerous pounds, built of stone, or staked out with netting, for the purpose of catching tau og, porgee — or scapogue, as the large ones are called— and numerous minor bottom fry. Re- cently a salmon was caught in one of these infamous traps, and, if it is seriously contemplated to restore salmon to our deserted rivers, the first step should be to take up all nets fastened to stakes in the rivers and along the coast. Tautog are eaten while fresh. Neither the tantog or any other fish of the estuaries whicri is angled for are cured by salt or refrigeration. They are, as it Avere, hand-to-mouth fishes. Both the tautog and sea bass are kept alive many days, and sometimes weeks, in fish-cars anchored in water suited to their growth. The blackfish is next to the shad in affording the greatest amount of estuary fish to our markets Its meat is watery, and the scales are so firmly set, that somp persons invariably lave them in vinegar before scaling In H ■ 114 Fishing in American Waters. New England they generally skin the tautog, as an easier proces^than scaling, and consider it a culinary delicacy when properly cooked, of which there are three methods, i. e., broil- ing, frying, and stewing. Before frying the fish, score him across each side an inch apart, as you would any breakfast pan-fish. Fry some salt pork to a crisp; take out the pork, and, while the fat is so hot as to be next to blazing, roll your fish in a mixture of rye and corn meal, and place it in the sparkling hot fat, and let it brown. Turn it twice, and dred^re it each time with flour, so that its crust will become an eio-lith of an inch thick. After broiling, and while piping hot, baist It with butter, salt it, and give it a simple dash of red pep- per, which stimulates without inflanting the stomach, and the slightest dash of black as a bouquet, though it does inflame the stomach without stimulating or assisting digestion. The following receipt by an editor oiquelque 'chose de goin is worth rememberinjr : "Now, fair ruler of the destinies of dinner (for if thou beest a man I have no sympathies toward thee), smoke-compelling Betty, or Mary, or whatever else may be the happy appella- tive in which not only thon, but all jf us rejoice, thou hast before thee one of the most delicately absorbent substances in nature, imbibing flavor from every thing whicli surrounds it, whether of adverse or of propitious tendency ; subject, as Warren Hastings said of the tenure of the British possessions in India, alike 'to the touch of chance or the breath of ophi- ion.' "Thou hast it, my choice Mary! The small, deep stew- pan— with its thin cullender or strainer, on which the fish is to be lowered to the bottom, that it may, when stewed into soft delight, be gently raised again without injuring its integ- rity of form— glows with brightness in front of thee! Thy vigorous arm of mottled red, thy round wrist, and small, com- pact fingers, grasp the sharp-pointed knife with which to sat- isfy thyself that not one scale remains around the head, the fins, the tail. • f *.'>a To CATCH AND COOK TaUTOG. 115 " Now tail and fins are nicely shortened in their termina- tion, not hacked off. A little salt is thrown over the fish, merely to hcmleyi and not salt it, and it lies two hours for this' purpose. It is then scored, that it may not break when it swells, and browned well upon the gridiron, from which it is carefully taken up, and laid to repose upon a bed of nicely- peeled and very fresh mushrooms, daintily spread over the strainer. "While the fish was hardening, Mary has had a communi- cation from up stairs. Ah extra bottle of the Chateau of twenty-five had been unavailingly opened the day before to tempt a total abstinence friend who had arrived from the country. Good part oi^it remains, and at this moment it is* decanted into the stew-pan; the freighted strainer descends mto the wine, and the fish, entirely immersed in the amethys- tme element, regrets no more its loss of life, of liberty, and youth. A white onion or two is sliced into rings, that foil as decorations over him ; a few berries of pepper thrown in ; six cloves; two blades of mace ; an eschalot, if you think proper • and Cayenne or not, according to your taste. The stew-pan IS then covered, and a careful, slow, epicurean simmer com- pletes the work." During winter the blackfish hibernates under rocks in the bays and estuaries, as proven by the vent entirely closino- and a thm film growing over the mouth. In the spring they appear with the dogwood blossom and the chestnut leaves. " When chestnut leaves are as big as thumb-nail Then bite blackfi h without fail ; But when oliestnut leaves are as long as a span Then catch blackfish if you can." In angling for the tautog, use a heavy bass rod, heavy trac- ing smker like that for sheepshead, but hooks of the Virginia bend and short ni^. Swivel sinkers are preferred by some Let the point of hook be very sharp. Sometimes striped bass, sea bass, squeteague, grunters, and sheepshead feed with the tautog. It IS necessary, therefore, to rig with as laro-e a 116 Fishing in American "Waters. i 'J hook as will answer for small striped bass and squeteague and one strong enough for tautog, or one rather larger than' the common blackfish hook. Let your leader be part of your Ime, say three fourths of a yard long, and attached to a brass swivel ; run the line through the tracing sinker, and attach It to the upper end of the sw; vel. Bait with shrimp, shedder crab or shedder lobster, fiddler, soft or hard shell clam, or the sand-worm dug along the sandy shore at low tide. The tautog bites like the sheepshead, but with less power You feel the premonition, but when he dashes aside the pull IS weaker than that of a sheepshead. I mean now a tide-run- ,ning tautog of from three to eight pounds, which feeds on the edge of swift water, has a white nose, and is fair game The tautog which feeds close to the base of the rocks is an adept at getting hooks or sinkers fastened in the clefts, for so soon as he bites he darts under or between the rocks, leaving the angler thankful if the fish will liberate the hook or sinker as the price of his freedom. The bite of a small blackfish of from one fourth of a pound to a pound is like that of a roach or sunfish, but large ones bite with energy, and play so as to afford sport All the fishe. angled for along the coast, except the striped bass and bluefish, are usually landed with a net The color of the tautog is bluish-black, with a lighter shade under che belly and lower mandible. The mouth is furnish- ed with very small teeth. The engraving is a perfect coun- terpart of the fish in appearance. The FLov^j)ER.~Pleuronectes Flesus. The flounder is an important estuary fish for boys a^H h. d line fishers, though it is not appreciated very h;. biy by ^od fishermen. It is one of the latest fishes angled for in autumn when the icicles begin to form, and it, is the first fish that bites m the spring. It is to be found in the estuaries and up the tjvsrs as far as salt water runs; also in our bays. It is a fisn ,*' ^^ tetr'perate zone, and, from its great nrmbers in spnn^t HI ^^W tLe inlets from the Atlantic, is a profitable fi«h I A Biter and Broiler. h^ and a great blessing to the poor. Though generally caught with a hand-hne, many are taken m set-nets and fykes. With light perch tackle, small hooks, and clam bait, it furnishes sport to the disciple of rod and reel Avho does not fish for trout, and has no fishing in the vicinity of Ncv York until the striped bass awaken to a feeding sense, which is usually from the first to the twentieth of May, toward the head of tide water. SECTION NINTH. THE BLUEFISH. Professor Mitchill has given to this fish, which affords more sport witii the troll than any other, the classical name' of Temnodon Saltator, the first from temno, to cut in pieces probably nidicating its sharp teeth; and the last signifying a pantomnne dancer, doubtless with reference to its leaping or skippmg; but, as if these names were not sufficiently de- scriptive, he adds those of Scomber Plumbeus, or leaden mack- erel. The Bluefish.— 7e/««o(/oH *Sa/to^on— Mitchill. The bluefish is known along the coast of New England as the horse mackerel, but that is a different fish, and grows to the weight of a thousand pounds, and Gometimes more, while the bluefish seldom attains to twenty, though I have' heard of thirty-pounders. The color from the back to the almost imperceptible lateral line is a leaden blue, whence it o-radu- ally lightens to a white belly. The first dorsal fin is spinous —very sharp and strong, while the second and anal are ap- 118 Fishing in Ameeicajst Watpj ES. proximately rigid, being fixed and translucent; the rays though noc spinous, remain standing even after life is extinct' These fins are like sails always set, or like a centre-board above as well as in the keel. The body, head, and fins for half an inch are covered with infinitesimal scales. The jaws are very strong, and the gill-covers like three plates of steel. The jaws are armed with a row of strong, closely-set, sharp teeth, which will cut a cord of one fourth of an Inch in diam- eter m two as smoothly as it could bo done witli a knife for they are sharp-edged, and those of each jaw are like saw- teeth which match perfectly; therefore beware of fin-ers in disIodg'Mg a hook from its powerful jaws. The young bluefish, which are hatched in quiet nooks of bays along the beaches, wag their way like other estuary younglings, without being provided with a bag of provision suspended by the umbilical cord, like the young of the Salmo genus, but by ii stinct they propel their tiny selves to the sa- ine creeks and inlets from the sea, to prevent being devoured by the parents which visit the spawning beds early in June to subsist on such of their young as have not yet emio-rated' The young fish are vulgarly called « snapper" or " snappino- mackerel," and are the bright little 'predacious thieves which steal by small particles the angler's bait before striped bass or squeteague can get a taste of it. In October, havino- grown to the weight of half a pound each, the shoal reunites preparatory to going into winter quarters, where the Gulf bti-eam keeps the Avater at an even temperature; and if per- chance they meet gut snells on their way, they bite them in two without effort. During the last fortnight of their sojourn near the shore they purvey for young menhaden and spear- ing, but keep at a respectful distance from shoals of older fish. This is supposed to be the case with nearly all shoals of coast and estuary fishes, and a shoal is merely the proo-cnv of one pair of fishes, and tJie hatch of one laying o/'ova Tiiough in summer they may wander apart for food, yet warned by an unerring instinct, tliey reunite in autumn t(! form an army. Best fob Table in October, 119 The blucfish returns to our shores after its first voyage a two-i)ounder, being then one year old ; and by autumn these eighteen-months' old fisli weigh from three to five pounds each ; but only those which weigh from five to fifteen pounds, with a semi-occasional twenty-pounder, are regarded as good sport for the troll. These large ones are seldom taken in pounds or nets, for they can liberate themselves with their teeth from almost any net or pen not made of steel ; but the younger shoals evince more prying curiosity, which leads many of them into nets fastened to ground fixtures in suffi- cient numbers to keep our markets supplied with them from June until November. But the midsummer bluefish, having recently spawned in our bays, are lean and dry food unless cooked within the same hour they are caught, when they are juicy and tender, but . lack the rich succulency of the October shoals. The bluefish taken in autumn is equally good as a broiler, or to bake or souse, so long as it can be kept sweet by the use of ice. This is the case with every branch of the mackerel family ; and the bluefish of October, when canned in salt, is preferred by many to the common mackerel. Both the bluefish and mack- erel are in best condition from tlie middle of October until the tenth of November, ulien they begin to deteriorate and fall away to thinness, probably because the butter-fisli and bay-shiners liave settled away to hibernate, and the smelt and spearing have moved into brackish waters, leaving the blue- fish no alternative but to starve or move farther south, and within the influence of the Gulf Stream. It is well understood by anuiteurs and fishermen that the bluefish, like the ])rawn, visit our bays and estuaries period- ically, remahiing sometimes only a season, and at other times several years. The present visit of the bluefisli has been the longest one known to the oldest inluibitant of Long Island, having lasted twenty jears. Every year since its present advent it has hocomo more numerous and lar-gor. In 1850, a ten-pound bluefish was a greater curiosity than is a twenty- 120 Fishing in American Waters. pound one now. Then, shoals of bluefish were rare; now they are to be met with every where that the angler pi es hi. gentle art along the Atlantic coast best though bone, ivory, and pearl are frequently used in -i hght b..eze ^. small fish. Large, heavy baits a're best fo arge bluefish. The following engraving illustrates Z hapes, and they should be made from five to six inches t length, or they can be purchased of the right weights Ld patterns at our best fishing-tackle stores Bluefish Squids. No. 1 Matenal German silver, with a pearl plate inlaid on each side. The shank of the hook extends through the squids, and the trolling-lino attaches to the rin" bv 'i double hitch, or to a strip of raw hide-whicli is better- that plays freely in the ring. The points of the hooks are at right angles with tlie width of the squid Xo. 2 Block tin or Britannia metal, flat on the under side and forming three edges, as represented. The loop at the' end of the trolling-line closes at the hole in the end of the squid by tJirusting the loop through and over the end of the squid. On eacli side of the middle tliere is a hole drilled, m which red webbing or burnt wool l,raid is in- serted, and a knot formed witl, it n. represented, ibr eitlier red cloth or blood attract nearly all species of game fisli SiiAKP Hooks and Strong Lines. 121 The hooks should be very strong, and the points should be hied very sharp : this last piece of advice applies to all hooks tor all kinds of fishing, and its importance is not generally appreciated by amateur fishermen. Trolling-lines of cotton are better than linen lines. They should be hawser-laid, so as not to kink, and be from three eighths to a quarter of an inch in diameter. Although it is well to have then, fifty yards in length, yet when the fish are feeding in earnest fifty feet is line enough to let oflf. Always fasten the end of your line to the boat, and in case you put outriggers, a check line should be attached to each to draw them to the boat or yacht, so as to take hold of them without disturbmg the rigger. Lines to outriggers should be so short as to skitter on the surface of the water. Gloves of heavy woolen yarn should be worn; the line will wear through leather much quicker than throucrh wool and woolen gloves do not slip, and they are more comforta- ble to the hands. It is common to double the gloves over the forefinger and on the under side of the little fingers Buckskin or dogskin, the two best kinds of leather to use when wet, are only a momentary protection, good for noth- ing as trolling-gloves or thumb-stalls. 'V- V- Thk Flying Fish. 122 Fishing in American Waters. Trim the white sail ; the rising breeze Blows fleshly from the open seas ; It ripjjles over ocean's breast, Tips with the foam each billow's crest. Now cast astern the drijiping line, That cuts and whistles through the brine. TROLLING FOR BLUEFISIL EOLLiNG for bliiefish by New York sportsmen is generally done in sail- boats, and the flood tide is best. Therefore, whether we start Avith sail-boat or yacht from the city, or go to Islip or South Oyster Bay, or to Rockaway or Canarsie to sail from, it is best to sail out to the feed- ing-grounds during the ebb tide, so as to be sure of no delay after the fish begin to bite ; and as the fish ap- How TO Sail and Tkoll. 123 proacli nearer shore with the rising tide, tlie sail-boats may be working nearer home, so as not to be obliged to stem a strong ebb tide in returning to port. The best grounds fgr large blueiish are outside and near the inlets of Fire Island. These inlets are formed by the tides of the Atlantic passing through Fire Island into the South Bay ; the principal ones are opposite Islip and South Oyster Bay. But late in the fall the best trolling is off Rockaway and Jamaica Bay, the grounds extending from the Highlands, off the Jersey shore, to some ten miles below the light-ship. As a sample of the sport, I will recount my last day's ex- perience. My respected friend Gilsten having retired nearly twenty years ago to the charming village of Fort Hamilton, of which he owns the greater part, residing on the border of the trolling-grounds, and in close proximity to the favor- ite resorts of sheepshead, squeteague, and kingfish, has given his exclusive attention to field-sports for many years, anglino- and trolling in the waters between New York City and the Narrows until November, when he repairs to his island near the coast of Virginia, and shoots duck and wild geese until the first of January. Being a gentleman of good taste and large experience, as he could not angle in the winter, he hab kindly employed his time in designing trolls and stools for fishing and shooting. Well, my friend Gilsten called at my office one evening late last October, and left me two squids, with notice that the bluefish were biting generously in the Lower Bay, and that he would be obliged if I would try his newly-designed models, of which the foregoing samples were copies. I th refore acted promptly upon his generous adv4ce, and called on my angling friend Charles Gaylor and several others, all of whom agreed to meet me promptly next morn- ing at seven o'clock at the yacht moored in Jamaica Bay. Of course none of them came to time ; and as Captain Morri- son brought the yacht alongside the dock, a haze, perceptible on the waters, was just lifting at the rise of the sun. A "'en- erous breeze flapped the sails of the trolling crafts lyinf-to I 124 Fishing in Ami-kicas Watees. awaiting company, but nearly all the trolling fleet had «ail,vl ho„..s betbi^unc. the lowne»s of the ebb tid! I™^r tt Island and Rockaway Beach, amid shrieks of gulls and fli.,hts of duek, the sun lighting up the beach and the breake." a.,d th clouds of fog which at fitful turns enveloped us. Pre" outly a gentle, fog-subduing warmth, with wind freshening "gtso^""^ '"''' '"""^ '"°"'"' -'' ="' «- «"i°- "On the surface ranging, boys, We'll beat from bay to bay', Sea and water changing, boys,' It's the angler's way : So we troll, One and all, And cheerily, cheerily pass the day. "-Stoddaht We passed on near the Black Warrior, whose battered ™ck was lifted silently above the waves as' a warl " • ^ITV^Z'T'"' ''''"'^^- '^""''^''^ '''' ^^-™-« and the n! eat' ..' "' f '"""'^ "^^^ ^'^'^ ^-^"^^^ -^^ eross- " Why snre, thought they, The devil's to pay, 'Mongst folks above the water." Soon we joined the merry fleet. Our trolls had been put out. as we entered the bay, and our outriggers from each Id of the craft, a httle aft of midships, consisting of stiff poles with a hne attached to the end of each, and a troll at the oth- er end, but the line so short that the troll skittered on the top of he waves. A check line was fastened to the main one with Its end in the boat, so as to draw the main line in with^ out moving the hoop-pole rod to which it was attached. I„ addition to the two outriggers we had four trolling-lines out, th ends of which were fastened to the taffrail of the boat. Captain Morrison took the first fish, a ten-pounder. « Small " said the. captain. Presently a whirl was made at one of m'y Gay Parties all Engaged. ' 125 squids ; another dash, and he hooked himself. I took hold to pull him in hand over hand, but the pull was quite enough for me. Before I landed him another was on my other squid, which my helper landed. Now a whopper fastened to my first hook, and I found him difficult to draw in; he weighed nearly twenty pounds, and was as much as I could manage. The prospect was most gay and enlivening, as the fleet con- sisted of small sail-boats, cat-boats, sloops, schooners, and yachts, over sixty in all, crossing and jibing. Mobile the troll- ers were tugging and hauling at fish, and all seemed to vie witli the jollity of the gulls and the fun of the loons, which kept jabbering, with now and then a scream and hurrah, as if they joined in our sport. We continued trolling until noon, when the wind died away, and we turned our craft homeward. We counted our take, whicU numbered thirty-six fish, and weighed four hundred and eighty pounds, avei-aging over thirteen pounds each. Thus ended one of the most interesting, health-giving, and delight- ful days of the season. Trolling with sail and row boats in September and October is extensively indulged in by amateurs and professional fish- ermen who fish for a livelihood along the shores from the east end of Massachusetts to Chesapeake Bay; and as the shoals begin to turn southward in September, the best troll- ing is in October along Long Island and the Jersey shores, after which the angling is good along the coasts of Maryland and Virginia up to December. Although the bluefish is sufficiently plucky to take a coarse troll, and few venture to angle for him with ordinary tackle even with gimp snells, yet, with good bass-tackle and strong hooks, cither wound with copper wire on a heavy gimp lead"- er or snell, or with a hook fastened with wire to a piano strmg, capital sport is found at still-baiting for them from a boat anchored along the edge of tideways in the estuaries and near the shores of bays. The coast of Rhode Island, and 126 Fishing in American Waters. the islands which form the Elizabeth group, are filled with shoals of them all summer and fall, whqre they forage foi- menhaden and young mackerel ; and, anchoring in either of the straits which separate those islands, we find that the cast of a menhaden bait is usually met by the generous offers of half a dozen fish, whose whirls make the tide boil. Were it not that the electrical jerk of the bite of a large itluefish has such great power in it as to make the angler sometimes feel that he too is being fished for, and that its teeth are so sharp as to make strong and heavy tackle necessary, it would be considered incomparably the highest game-fish of the Ameri- can coast. When estimating the value of anglers' fishes by the play they give, and the sceney into Avhich the angler is led in search of each kind, the bluefish must occupy a foremost rank ; and the man who has neither trolled nor still-baited for this peculiar fish— the best breakfast fish on our coast e'xcept the Spanish mackerel — has two treats in store, which, the sooner he improves, the earlier he will regi-et that he had not tasted before. SECTION TENTH, THE SPANISH MACKEREL. LoA-ely with all their spangled dyes, Fairer than flush 'd autumnal skies, With gold-drops all their sides a-glow, Tinct like the rainbow's prismy bow, The Spanish mackerel gorgeous roam The rolling, yeasty world of foam ; Now glittering o'er the waves they skim, Now lost in deep abysses swim. Tills incomparable breakfast luxury is a comparative stran- ger to us, and, though never known to venture as far north as the fortieth degree of latitude until about ten years since, yet his families are now as numerous on our coast as are those of most other estuary fishes. He is coy and careful, slow to make acquaintance, and donbtfiil of a squid or baited hook. Beauty Unadorned. 12: A select family of the mackerel tribes, he is not yet fully un- •lerstoocl by either amateurs or fishermen, and commands a higher price than salmon in the markets. Apart from being the greatest beauty that swims, he is undoubtedly the best fish for the gridiron to be found in the waters of either hem- isphere. The Spanish Mackeiiel. My experience in trolling for the Spanish mackerel off the inlets of Fire Island has convinced me that the fish is as nu- merous as the bluefish, more so than the sti-iped bass at cer- tain seasons, and a little farther seaward than either of those fishes. The striped bass is the fish which ventures nearest shore ; the bluefish feeds in a range farther from shore, and the Spanish mackerel feeds farther from shore than either, except the large bluefish at the last of the season. Every year the shoals of Spanish mackerel become more numerous, and more are taken, but never in sufficient numbers to reduce the average price below sixty cents per pound. The shor.ls which I saw, when last trolling for them, would have formed an area of nearly five miles square, and still tlie most successful boat did not take more than a dozen in three days. He Avill not bite freely at any artificial lure, and though numbers came near leaping on the deck of our yacht, they treated our lures with an indiflference which savored of perverseness. " Oh !" thought I, " how I would like to be an- chored in a small boat, and still-bait for you with a pearl squid, a shiner, or a gar-eel !" But the difficulty was that their favorite feedihg-grounds seemed to be just beyond the verge of anchorage for a row-boat. This fish is eminently shy of all kinds of nets, and, when a shoal is surrounded by a 128 FisuiNG IN Amekican Wateks. I »( IP shir-net or seine, will point their heads down in the bottom of sand or weeds, and the nets glide over their backs without capturing one. Two intelligent fishermen of the south side of Long Island, men well learned in their trade, and who have for many years followed fishing successfully, concluded that they would turn their exclusive attention to the Spanish macke)-el, and, by studying their habits and watcliing their movements, invent some plan for their capture, and thus en- rich themselves. They persevered for three years, try:>3g all sorts of artificial lures, difierently constructed nets and fykes, set in different ways, besides employing the Spanish casting- net ; but their patience became so exhausted that they re- linquished the enterprise, and had learned to look at a shoal leaping so that thousands were above the wave at a time without causing the slightest emotion or sensation of either hope or fear. A few silly fish occasionally stray away from their shoal, and are found in a fyke or pound, and an occasion- al one hooks himself by indulging a dangerous curiosity; but the genius who will invent a successful method for taking the Spanish mackerel may be as sure of a fortune as the person who owns a goose which lays a large egg of gold every day. The Spanish mackerel is much more beautiful than the dolphin, even when the latter is dying. Its back and sides, down to the corrugated lateral line, are dark blue, shot with purple and gold ; below the line it is pink and gold for a short way, terminating in a white belly. The shaded parts of the body are orn.miented with spots of gold, like new gold dollars, to the number of between twenty and thirty. Its scales are imperceptible to the nakxl eye, but they extend a short way up the fins also. The first dorsal is spinous-rayed, -^ and the first rays of the second dorsal and pectoral are spin- ous; all the rest are soft, though the tail and anal fins are nearly rigid or set, and do not fall together or close like those of the common mackerel. There is a suiall adipose fin on each side extending from the tail three inches upward. Its head is a perfect cut-water, carved most artistically, and small TiiE Breakfast Luxury of the Age. 12U i.i proportion. Its jaw8 are armed with small, fine teeth, that laugh at S.Ik or linen reel-lines; gills of two rigidly resisting plies; meat white, but neither mealy nor flaky, thouc^h of close texture, creamy and peculiarly delicate, of most" deli- eious flavor. The Spanish mackerel is seldom taken with rod and reel though small ones of from three to six pounds sometimes venture to taste a baited hook. I i,ave taken two while angling for striped bass with shedder crab bait ; but it is em- inentb^ a fish for the troll, if captivating trolls can be invent- ed. These fish surround a shoal of gar-eels, butter-fish, shin- ers, spearmg, or young menhaden, when the tiny baits-anx- .0U8 to eseape-rise to the surface, followed by the Spanish mackere , which may be seen two miles distant, leaping a housand at a time, their forked tails conspicuous, and their bodies gleaming like miniature rainbows. The bite of a Span- ish mackerel is very different from that of a bluefish It is not so dashing or strong ; and when hooked, it swims deeper and does not resist so pertinaciously. In size it ranges from' hree to fifteen pounds. It is often reported as having been taken of thirty pounds* weight, but this, I think, is an error 1 he bonetta is very like it in outline, and it is also a compar- ative stranger along our coast ; one of these fish was recently taken m Jamaica Bay which weighed about thirty pounds and tlie daily papers noticed it as a large Spanish mackerel- but the bonetta-as a food fish-is vastly inferior Both Che Spanish mackerel and cero are spring-spawning fishes and no doubt spawn in our bays, for there are occa sionally small ones taken by the angler in June, before the large ones visit our shores, and I argue, therefore, that the small half-pounders are of last year's hatch Spanish mackerel and large bluefish shoal together while ceding, and woe be it to any soft-rayed herbivorous beauty that crosses their path. Bluefish and striped bass feed to- gether also, but the bass swims deeper than the bluefi-h and generally nearer shore. This is frequently proven while 'cast^ 130 Fishing in Amkkican Waters. iiig for striped bass; lor if tlie cast be made beyond a certain range, the angler is sure of a bhietisli, if any thing. 1 have here rouglily skctdied a part ot a shoal of Spanish mackerel feeding. To troll \\ ith hope of success for these r S /" ^^^^■t^yS-^J' '' Spanish Mackeuel Fkluing. delicacies, employ a light, swift-sailing craft, and ri^: it with a long outrigger on each side ; for a heavy vessel cleaving a shoal disperses the live bait on Avhich they arc feeding, and the fright causes the shoal to settle ^^ iLiiout biting. Fre- quently have I trolled through a shoal of thousands, with hundreds in sight all the time, and as the craft passed through and got far enough from the shoal to tell, I have felt the bite, and, Avhile drawing the fish in, have commented upon the ease of detecting the diftei-ence between the Spanish mackerel on my troll from the hard-mouthed bluefish, only to be laughed at a moment afterward as I landed a bluefish in the boat. Said I, "This is, of course, a Spanish mackerel; any novice might distinguish him by his bite ; and then he comes in so gently, but swims low." I can detect by the bite, when still- baiting, almost any kind of estuary fish; but in trolling any angler is liable to be deceived. From the limited exiierience thus far ixaiued bv usinsr CUEIOUS FANCk OF F18IIE8. 131 brigljt inctiil trolls, not one Spanish mackcrol in ton thousand will j)ay the least regard to them. Having ascertained that they feed on several kinds of fishes, the squid-makers have recently obtained some data to work from, and the following are the latest and most captivating sam|)les. yi'ANisu Mackeuel Syuios. A. Artificial squid or bait, made of Britannia metal, block tin, or German silver. The hooks of all trolls should be tinned or silver-plated. The shank of the hook extends through the squid, and forms an eye to attach a trolling-Iine. Feadi- ers extend beyond the bend of the hook to form the tail of the gar-eel. The form of the H(iuid is tapering, cylin- drical, and about five inches long exclusive of the hook. It should be kept polished as bright as possible, and is a very taking lure. A tail of red ibis feathers would probably be the most attractive. B. Squid as bright as polished silver, inlaid with pieces of peari, and intended to represent a sea -shiner, about five niches long besides the hook. The line is attached by a hole in the end, and at the other there are several small feathers from the red ibis. The shape of the body is lialf as thick as it is wide, and in order to render it as i^ondei-- ous as possible for its size, it is best to cast it of lead over the hook, then plate it with copper, and plate or wash it with silver. Spanish mackerel do not generally feed on fish as large as the bluefish bait, and it is therefore impor- t. Hi I!' i i M ! ■ t iiJi i;{-i Fishing in Americaj^ Waters. taut to liavo u small but pon.lorous bait attaclicd to a fifty- yard hnv of the smallest si/o for trollin- The jaw of tl.c Spanisl. inack(>rol is toiwlor, tliercforo lio plays more -iu- ^or\y, and does not resist so hard in landing as does Ihc Nueiisli; but he should be handled earefully, and prevent- ed from taking slack lim^ as he unhooks easily My opinion is that this fish will yet be taken in great num- l.ors with ro,l and reel. As they annually beeome n.ore nu- ••U'rous, they eome farther into the estuaries an<l baek-sets fro,u the bays along the coast, and after tlu^y get a taste of shed.ler and sofl-shell erab, with smelt in abundance, and a ...odicum of spearing and shrimp, they will soon make them- selves more fi.miliar, and accept tJie dainties offered on the angler's hook ; and when once fairly converted, he will afford the angler better sport than the salmon or the striped bass. SECTION ELEVENTH. THE UONETTA, OIJ HOMTO. The bonetta is the heautiful and swift fish after which on.- of our war vessels of the Kevolution was named. The Span- ish name is bomfo. T prc-fer the other na.ue because of its associations. This fish is fouml in great numbers about tlu- U est India Islands, where it preys on the flyin--fish Uh hrst arrival along our beaches and in our bays'was about <Mght years ago, and his shoals have increased remarkablv fast over since his advent. As a table luxury it ranks witi, ypM'ures below the striped bass and bluefish, i)ut because of • ts comparative rarity it commands a price rather above Thi; IJonktta, o.: Boyiro. — mp>„i,s j,el,,w>/s.-.Cxixiev. LovKs Flying-fisii, laughs at Tuollk. 13;^ •'ithcr. The miml.crs (>f tliis fish animully taken about tlu- approaches to our liarbors witli the troll and in nets increase, so that it bids fair to bcconu; nearly as numerous as the l)lne- tish. Of the shoals which venture along the shores of beaches or breakwaters, the iisli i-ange in weight Ironi five to fifteen pounds, whik^ farther south they are said to attain to the weight of nearly a hundred. The menhaden of our shores form the leading attraction to the food-fishes of the troll, and they are so pr..lific that, if they can be protected against oily speculators, there will be no danger of our losing entirely any of the large food-fishes of the coast. The bonetta is veiy beautiful, having a dark greenish-blue back, which lightens to midsidcs, and terminates in a satiny white belly. The diagonal rays are nearly black, and extend a little below the sinuous lateral line. The first dorsal is s])inous, as are the first rays of the second dorsal and pecto- ral. Tlie tail is framed by two spinous rays, and never closes. The anal fin is also rigid. There is an adipose fin about three inches long from the tail up the lateral line, as on the Spanish mackerel and cero. The mouth is armed with teeth both strong and sharp. The tufts of fins from the second dorsal and anal to the tail add to its superior means of propulsion, and its shape, being i)erfectly adapted to cleaving the waters,' prove it to be one of the swiftest fishes of the soundings and harbor approaches. Its scales are so small as not to be seen without the aid of glasses. It is usually taken on a large metal scpiid in trolling for bluefish, and very few have been cauglit in fykes and pounds. It is a very voracious fish, and generally in good condition and very ganfj-. It spawns about June in our bays, but probably earlier in the season farther south. While angling in company with Alderman Dodge, last year, in Jamaica Bay, he took one which weighed less than a pound, on shedder-crab bait; it was one of a shoal hatched the year previous. Some fif^hing naturalists state that it spawns about the islaiuls of tlu Western Archipelago, 134 FisnmG IN AaiEKicAN Waters, Iff where it is known as the "albicore," and comes to Northern waters for recnperation. Others suppose it to be the " tunny," which follows ships for the crumbs from the table, and at- tains, off the coast of Spain and in the Mediterranean, the weight of a thousand pounds. I do not believe the bonctta to be similar to the tunny, but I know that it is called albi- core by sonie Southern fishermen. The fishes of our coast and estuaries which I name as belonging to the troll are sup- posed to be of this hemispliere, and are spine-rayed families of the mackerel tribes. I am often surprised at the innocence of intelligent anglers*, who do not know a cero from a Spanish mackerel, nor the latter from a bonetta, or a spearing from a smelt, and can not distinguish the great Northern pike from the maskinonge SECTION TWELFTH. THE CERO, CERUS, OR SIERRA. It is rather a cereus matter to ascertain the names of such fishes as ichthyologists have left out of their catalogues; and as I make no pretensions of claiming this to be a school-book, the angler will please scan the illustrations which I made per- sonally from the fishes of which these are intended to be true copies. The Ceko, Cerus, Oh Sierra. The cero is evidently a member of one of the mackerel tribes, and in esculent quality ranks between the Spanish mackerel and bonetta. It is a now visitant along the shores from Virginia to Rhode Island, but it is quite numerous in the West Indies. It evidently spawns in spring-time; is white-meated; ranges in weight from four to twelve pounds ; is longer in proportion to its vvcight than any other of his Tup: Estuary Sentinel. 13^ mackerol kindred ; an individual specimen a yard in lengtli weighs from six to eight pounds only. The cero is of a lead- en color on the back and sides ; belly and belly-fins white ; back and sides sprinkled thickly with black dots nearly the size of peas. The first dorsal is spinous, as are also the first rays of the pectorals and second dorsal ; all the others are rigid, but not spinous. The frame of the tail is spinous, blit tfie tail is translucent ; it has an adipose fin each side on the lateral line at the tail. Its jaws are armed with serrulated teeth which laugh at any cords softer than coi)per wire. I believe that none have yet been taken with rod and reel, though they are said to be very ravenous biters and ambi- tious vaulters, which can leap much higher than a salmon. They are taken in increased numbers annually by persons'' while trolling with common Britannia metal squids for blue- fish. This fish has no apparent scales. THE HORSE MACKEREL. ( HIS monster mackerel is sup- posed to be a " thynnus^'' as some members of its family weigh nearly a ton ; but I may be in error, and the fish may be the head of the mackerel tribes, whose fam- ily commands the coast from Nantucket to the Straits of Belle Isle. At Quebec and Gaspe it is called "Bluefish." The name may have been de- rived from its leaden color, and having a head like the New York bluefish, though its body discloses a few mackerel marks, and'its tail is like that of the honito. While in Gaspe I sketched the head and tail of a horse mackerel which had just been harpooned in the Bay of Gaspe by Thomas Morland, Esq. The fish weighed 1^6 Fishing in American Wat: EKS. seven hundred and fifty pounds, was nine feet in length, and SIX feet in circumference. The ilhistration here given is a The Horse Mackerel.— Genus T/ii/nnus. copy of my sketch of the fish made from still life. As Gaspe .s a great fishing port, the " old salts" would have det cted this fish as a tunny, had it been one. That it is a great deli- cacy for the table is proven by its marketable value, which nearly equals, per pound, that of the salmon hi the vicinity where both fishes are i.iken. It is stated that this fish attains to the weight of two thousand pounds, but it is very rare to take one of more than a thousand. This eight-hundred- pounder towed the boat to which the line of the harpoon- was fastened nearly five miles. They an taken, like the swordfish, by sailing for them ; and when coming on a shoal or even a single one, a well-aimed harpoon is sent into the hsh where its head unites to the body, and then the towing- line IS manned carefully, and the fish tows the boat until he gets fatigued, and, when in a fainting condition, the lance bleeds him in the gills, and he is towed alongside until his powerful rigid tail has made its last flap; then he is raised into the boat, a subject of wonder to the amateur. I think the horse mackerel one of the links in the chain of fishe. whose head is the tunny, and which rank as follows : Tunny horse mackerel, bonetta, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, cero wmding up with the common mackerel, which— as the bar- ber said of the baker when asked to shave a coal-heaver- "is as low as we go." It will be seen by the conformation, of the horse mackerel Habits of Fishes Illustbated. 137 that his propulsive power is equal in proportion to that of the bluefish, and so are his teeth. The foot or hand of a man would stand no chance in the jaws of this monster delicacy, lalk of the bad reputation of the Sllurus glanis of the Pan- ube because portions of human bodies have been found in their stomachs! the horse mack .-el would make nothino- of choppmg up both man and fish. This is not a fish for the troll, or the rod and reel; for it is as strong in proportion to Its weight as the bluefish, and it would trouble an angler to kill a thirty-pound bluefish, or even take him in by trollinc. But sailing for horse mackerel is rare sport ; and I would ad-' vise those about New Bedford and Martha's Vineyard, who dehght so inuch in sailing for and harpooning swordfish, t<. sail down about Nantucket for horse mackerel, where thev are comparatively numerous. To conclude : Having presented the best samples of the coast and estuaries for affording sport by the recreative art of anghng,! will postpone for the present the description of those commercial fishes which belong of right to the liarpoon the net, and the hand-line. ' Pale student, who consumes the night Witli learned vigils till ihe light ; Merchant, who toils in city street Through all the summer's fervid heat ; Ail ye tired sons of gold and gain, Turn from your weary tasks of j)ain, And haste to wood, and bay, and stream, Where health, and joy, and sunshine beam IPart Scconb. FRESH-WATER FISHING WITH FLY AND BAIT. I ! % CHAPTEII I. THE POETRY OF ANGLING. SECTION FIRST. "The patient angler threads the wind- ing brooiv, Tempting the dainty trout with gilded bait ; And ever and anon, as fleecy clouds Pass o'er the sun, the fish voracious darts From the cool shadows of some mossy bank. Swallows the bait with one convulsive acti And learns too late that death was at the feast ; AVhile the glad sportsman feels the sudden jerk. And plays his victim with extended line, Swiftly he darts, and tlirougii the glit- tering rings The silken line is drawn with ringing sound, Till, wearied out with struggling that but serves To drive the barbed weapon deeper still, lie seeks his quiet shelter 'neath the bank. And thence in triumph to tlie shore is borne, A prize that well rewards a day of toil." The question lias been discussed by hundreds of enlight- ened minds, from King Leopold to Bill Kromer— from men highest in the sciences and most exalted in the state, to the lowest in worldly means and position, as to who can ade I 1 1 142 Fishing in American Watkrs. quately describe the pleasures that surround the ano-lerV The most compendious, truthful, and summary is contained in the poetical exclamation of O. W. Holmes in the followim; couplet : ■ *^ "Oh ! what are the treasures we perisli to win, To the first little niimiow we caught with a pin!" But who can catalogue the pleasures Avhich cluster around the angler's pursuit ? lie pursues his avocations amid scenc^s «>f beauty. "It is he who follows the windings of the silver river, and becomes acquahited with its course. He Knows the joyous leaps it takes down the bold cascade, and how it bubbles rejoicingly in its career over the rapids. He knows the solitude of its silent depths, and the brilliancy of its shal- lows. He IS confined to no season. He can salute Nature when she laughs with the budding flowers, and when her bi-eatluis the glorious breath of spring. The rustling sedges make music in his ear when the mist has rolled off the sJu- tace of the water, or the dew been kissed from the grass bv the sun's rays." The lark sings for him, and robin red-breast; with the brown thrush and jolly bobolink, pipe and chirp their mellifluous notes along his path. The gorgeou.' king- iisher heeds him not, and the meadow-hen seldom moves from her nest as he passes. The storm and the tempest scarcely Innder his sport. He throws the line when ruddy Autumn gilds the western heavens, and the fruit of the year hangs heavy on the bough, or waves in golden abundance on the uplands Even stern Winter does not forbid him his enjov- inent. If he cares to pursue his favorite pastime, he may do so equally when the tall bulrushes, wavy reeds, and chestnuts ••attle with December's winds, as when the marsh mario-old opens its big yellow eyes on an April day, or the birds of all song size, and feather congregate along the streams, and teter on the sprays that kiss the ripples, while they chirp and ca- vort with their mates on yonder side the stream. The au- tumn trolling season over, the angler begins to think of the sprmgmg into life of all nature, when again the fro-s hotxm An'jk^lity of I'liE Gentle Akt. 14a to croak, the trout to louj), the Avild geese to honk, the kine to low, {Uicl muLorial nature gusJiingly bursts forth into new hfe luid loveliness. If he is an ardent sportsman, the whole year is before him. When the trout in spring, the salmon in summer, the .,trij)ed 1)ass in early autumn, and the trolling for blucfish, Spanish mackerel, cero, and bonetta wind up the falling season, he may hie to the Carolinas and Florida, where the oranges, amid labyrinths of flcnvers, greet his senses, and there troll for black bass and angle for bream to his heart's content. "It was always so in the infancy of mankind; the finny tribes were pursued by a primitive i)eople with as much ar- dor as they are by civilized men at the present time. Sav- age and cultivated nations equally followed, either as a busi- ness or as a pastime, the occupation of capturing fish with a line and hook, with or without a rod. We find its praises celebrated in ancient poetry, and its memory embalmed in holy writ." The rudest appliances of a savage life have been used to aid the angler at his delightful task, and science has not disdained to aid the modern fisherman in his sport. There are tribes who yet fashion fish-hooks out of human jaw- bones, and the Saxons managed to snare fish Avith hooks ibrmed of flint. Indeed, the Anglo-Saxon race have followed angling with an energy and a zest far beyond any other na- tion, not excepting the Chinese, whose great perseverance is ilevoted rather to cultivate fishes than insnare them. ' We know the iidiabitants of tlie British Isles pursued it as a prof- itable occupation in remote times, and we have it on the au- thority of the venerable Bede that the people of Sussex wen^ at one time preserved fi-om fiimine by being taught by Wil- fred to catch fish. Among the earliest printed books is on<' on fishing, by Dame Juliana Berners or Barnes, prioress of the nunnery of Sojiwoll, near St. Alban's. This book wa- printed in 1496. The old lady shows that if ^port fails the ambitious angler, his time is not spent in vain, for has he not, "atte the leest, his holsom walke, and merry at his ease a' 144 Fishing in Amekican Watp:r8. sweto ayre of the swoto sauvouic of the meede flowres, that makyth liim hungry; he hereth the melodyous armony of fowlos ; lie sceth tlic young swannes, hcerons, ducks, cotes, and many other fowles with theyr brodes ; whychc me sem- yth better than all the noyse of houndys, the blastes of hornys, and the scrye of fowlis, that hunters, frunkeners, and fowlers do make. And," says the good old lady, "if the an- gler take fysshe, surely their is no man merier than he is in his spyryte." Angling, in modern times, is the most I'efined of all field- sports. If the angler take a fish, he knows that it is only one of a spawn of from a thousand to many hundred thousands, and that all shoals which can, prey on one another. Not only so, but the old prey on their own offspring ; and from the time when the mother fish appears in the spawning-pools, there are several milt fish waiting to gorge themselves with the ova/ and so, during all stages of fishhood, the larger eat the lesser ones, and — as cold-blooded animals — they can not be susceptible to an acute sense of pain. These truths can not be said in favor of killing a land animal, whose annual j)rocreative increase never amounts to a tithe of any individ- ual of the oviimrous fishes. The innocence of angling is therefore a feature which has commended it to the good of all ages. " When bank and meadow lie starred and enameled with flowers; when the trill of the song-bird issues from every thorn ; when all sounds and all prospects are joyous and exhilarating, and the cloud itself, sleeping high in the arch of heaven, is as the honored presence of some benevolent watcher ;" with the soul toned by the sights, sounds, and exercise into a state of harmony with all nature, then the angler realizes that the precious gift he enjoys is " One of the spirits unwithdrawn, That, erst the fall, were charged to minister To the earth's gladness, and continually, Out of their ample and unfailing liorns, To pre-endow the advancing tracks of men. " TiiK C11ABM8 OF Angling. * 145 Modem improvements in anglers' irpplements, and recent inventions m lures to captivate by trolling, have rendered the angler of to-day very different from the ancient dreamy hshing philosopher. Especially is the difference from the ancient angler-as portrayed by good Izaak Walton-ob- servable in the United States of America, where an angler i« expected to scull a boat with alacrity and pull an oar grace- fully, to sail a boat and man a pair of trolling-lines, to brave the ocean's dashing surf and spray, and, clad in sailor's garb of water-proof material, stand on the rocks of the shore and cast menhaden bait for striped bass, and play large fish from a stand where the dashing waves threaten continually to wash him off. ^ The art of angling has become so rich in variety of imple- ments, so varied in scenes, so replete with all the elements for exercise-as well for the student as for the man of action —as to render it a recreation entirely satisfactory to its dis- ciples, who believe that "All pleasures but the angler's bring I' th' tail repentance like a sting." Men of cultivation and natural gentleness of disposition have frequently l,een known to indulge in the chase, and fol- ow a well-trained dog with pleasure, though they are often known to forego these for angling; but there was never a true angler known to exchange his gentle wand, his quiet, rambles among the most charming haunts of nature, for any other means of recreation. " Bear lightly on th«ir foreheads, Time! Strew roses on their way ; The young in heart, however old, That prize the present day. " I love to see a man forget His blood is growing cold. And leap, or swim, or gather flowers, Oblivious of his gold, And mix with children in their sport. Nor think that he is old. K 146 Fishing in American Waters. " I love to see the man .of care Taka pleasure in a toy ; I love to see him row or ride, And tread the grass with joy, Or throw the circling salmon fly As lusty as a boy. "The road of life is hard enough, Bestrewn with slag and thorn ; I would not mock the simplest joy That made it less forlorn, But fill its evening path with flowers As fresh as those of morn." h SECTION SECOND. THE BROOK TROUT. Where the tangled willowy thickets lave Their drooping tassels within the wave. There lies a deep and darkened pool. Whose waters are crystal clear and cool. It is fed by many a gurgling fount. That trickles from upland pasture and mount, And when the deep shadows fall dense and dim, The speckled trout delight to swim. The illustration on the opjiositc page is a copy of a trout drawn by Walter M. Brackett, Esq., of Boston, as a contribu- tion to this work. Of his gifts and inspirations, it is difficult to decide whether he draws trout best with a fly-rod or a pen- cil. He is authority for either, and in painting fishes has no superior. This book — not being especially devoted to ichthyology — could scarcely be improved by giving the genus and family of each separate fish of which it treats ; but as the heading indicates that the brook trout belongs to the gemis Salmo, I will add that it is still questionable with some ichthyologists whether the trout is not the head of the genus, and the sal- mon belongs to the genus Trutta, or the trout is distinct from the genus Salmo. Pliny confounded them, and the different members of the genus Salmo were never assigned their posi- tion by the aid of science until within the present century. The scales of the trout are imperceptible to tiie naked eye; i A Thing of jJii^vuTv wiTiioi-T Alloy. 147 The JJi,„„„ 'Ji,uuT.-i„/,„„}i„„„„;,.^. allits fin, are soft-rayea except the second dorsal which is adjose; ats caudal fin, or tail, is nearly strai.i:t I'crosslhe nd, contradistinguished from the otherLihe's oHl 7„t olo.ed, and of all the shades between pinic and white the al low-colored trout is preferred for perfection of ^«„ The ".oat laminates u> flakes, and, when i,i best condition hei^is Tiou taken in streams which empty into tidewaters ai^ usually in best condition, because their food consists of mcT spearing shrimp, herring roe, rocs of other fishes and S' alev,ns,,„ addition to their <lcs.erls of flies to rend r them more delicate, to say nothing of ground bait driven dow th" ream by Ireshets, and from which our Bean Brumm™ of l.e estuary turn aside their beautiful noses. Streams backed Lmlinc tides .are not often impregnated by the .liMs^l^ ned<Wn with the flood, or by any foreign sLtanctrienel New Yorkers regard Long Island trout as the best, whi e Bos fom.ans consider the Marshfield trout as the ,^e pluluflZ Though I .accord a preference to trout which havnceessTo ..de-waters, those of mountain streams arc better than W ,>o..d trout. Writers upon angling mention many fli^fe^ . the brook trout ; there are doubtless very many Lt ZZ I ...ted States I know of but few. A marked pLdiarkvi! obspival.le m tho tmnt nf ti, t- ^ Peculiarity is - a.-e the tiout of the Lmbagog range of lakes and :; 1.1 148 Fisiimo IN American Waters. i rivers, in the State of Maine, whose fins are bordered on one side with a ray of pure white; but I know of none which are not definable as Salmo fontinalis, differing only in quali- ty and unimportant superficial marks, generally caused by the distinctive properties of the waters which each family in- habits. Thus the black-mouthed trout of the swampy forest would soon become assimilated to the trout of the saline es- tuaries were they transported thither. Upon this subject permit me to quote from Thomas Tod Stoddart, a very high authority : " Of the food and habits of trout I have said comparative- ly little ; nor have I called direct attention to what may be termed the cross-breeds, in coi-tradistinction to the true or original breed peculiar to each stream or lake. * * * * I may notice that the cross-breeds to which I refer are simply those which have their origin in the difierent varieties of the common trout brought into contact with each other at the breeding season, and do not implicate the questionable prod- uce, or mule breed, arising from any haphazard connection be- tween the /areo and bull trout, or whitling, a connection al- together discountenanced by nature, and not likely to take place. I may also remark that, although cross varieties may for a season, or term of seasons,, rival in number the true breed belonging to this or that stream, and threaten to ex- tinguish it altogether, yet there is no fear or likelihood of such a result, the peculiar nature and qualities of the water, aided by the remaining original stock, always tending to re- instate the breed." This is merely reasserting that the qual- ities of the loater and/eec? will govern and regulate the color and quality of all trout of the same breed, whether /on^ma^/s ox'fario. The speckled beauty known as the brook trout has been an exhaustless theme for pastoral poets of all ages. It has afforded recreation for thousands of years to most of the lov- ers of nature throughout the temperate zone of the northern hemispheres. The old and young, the learned and ignorant. Tbout-fishino a Fine Akt. 149 the poor and nch-all classes, ages, and conditions, have en- Zc .a': '^T/^'f"' '"' "■■""• '' P°-""y -"^ '"■■'" Mlvinv ""^'^■''"l*™ of both mind and body to success- fully .nvent and present the lures most captivating to it than ISi: f ™t™'" ^'''- ^""""S" ">e bro'k troutt p.obably the most numerous of all the game fishes, and sought to. by the greatest number of conten.plative philosophers yet may be angled for with the commonest tackle, and wit fisW 7 '™"'' '=■" ^y ">« ^'''» "'""y "feam, or it may be fished for w,th a very elaborate apparatus, and in either case afford genuine sport. Tl^ common trout is the standard sport of the enthusiastic ..ngler. In many countries the trout and salmon are the only varieties of game fishes which interest the angler; and while salmon-flshmg may be justly regarded as the highest branch of fresh-water sport, yet it has been justly said by Francis Francis that "a good trout-flsher will easily become an ex- pert at salmon-fishing; but a very respectable practitioner with the salmon-rod w.ll often have all his schooling to do afresh, should he descend to trout-flshing, before he can take rank as a master of the art." But it is left to the American angler to enjoy those numer- ous and various resources of sport unknown to the European. Our black bass are nearly as high game as the salmon, while some thmk the striped bass higher, not to name the other va- neties ot game for the rod and the troll, which shoal in myr- iads a ong our coasts, and in the estuaries o£ innumerable riv- ers debouching in salt waters. After enumerating the fascinations of all other fishes the mind settles in pleasurable contemplation of the brook trout Ills capture is so delicate, and yet so artistic. Even the rus^ tic IS taught refinement of address by following a trout stream with his ash wand. Trouting is an abiding and universal source of pleasure to all classes and conditions of men and boys-ay, and of ladies also. It must therefore be invested with a great variety of elements intended to create refined 150 Fishing m American Waters. I emotions of pleasure to the best minds ; and while much of it is due to the incomparable beauty and superior qualities of the fish, yet his habits and attributes command unmixed ad- miration. " He is an intellectual kind of creature, and has evidently a will of his own. He looks sagacious and intelli- gent — sedulously avoids thick, troubled, and muddy waters — prefers the clear spring stream — displays an ardent ambi- tion to explore streams to their source — is quick, vigorous, and elegant in his movements — likes to have the exclusive command of the stream — keeps up a rigid system of order and discipline in the little community of which he is a mem- ber — exhibits a remarkable degree of nicety and fastidious- ness about his food — is comparatively free from vulgar, low, and groveling habits — entices his pursuer into the loveliest scenes of Nature's domains — calls forth from man his utmost ingenuity and skill — and, in a word, in every stage of his ex- istence preserves a dignified demeanor, unattainable by any other living occupant of the streams. "While these may be styled his social and intellectual qualities, his physical constitution is equally entitled to our respectful consideration. He discloses a prepossessing and fascinating figure, moulded in strict conformity with most refined principles of symmetrical proportion, sparkles in all the gorgeous colors of the rainbow, and occupies a distin- guished position in the important science of gastronomy." Reasons which combine to establish so high an estimate in the regard of anglers are connected with the idea that the amber beauty is gifted with tnind^ for in every thmg which claims human attention, mind, real or imaginary, in the object is necessary to attract our serious notice and to secure our lasting esteem. Once nearly every stream in the Middle, Northern, and Eastern States teemed with both trout and salmon. The salmon have been driven away, and, had not anglers inter- fered to save the trout, the luxury would now only be known from bookp and the stories of th.i^ oldest inhabitants. A« it Make effective Game-laws. 151 is, the trout streams have been so depleted and thinned of their most attractive beauty that restocking by artificial means has been found necessary as a last resort. Before addressing myself to the task of describing the ar- tistic means for capturing this beauty of the brook, it should be known that it is not lawful to take trout in the State of New York by any other means than with the angle in fly and bait fishings. Considering the diminished numbers in our best streams, and the swift-growing density of the population throughout the North, it is a question of importance whether this h^ should not be adopted by all the states north and east. Ihe inhabitants of the United States are a peculiar people in some things, and in no one element is this more patent than in their running on the last idea, to the disregard of all others. This is eminontly so in artificial fish-culture There are many waters which require protection only to ren- der the increase of trout abundant ; but instead of protecting the waters by proper legal enactments, and faithfully carry- ing them out, some states leave the waters to the mercy of nets and spears. They appropriate sums of money for prop- agating trout, and while the fish-culturist is hatching trout on the middle of a stream, the mouth is being netted, and the spawning-grounds thinned with the spear. This is "feeding at the spigot and leaking at the bung." . Game-laws should be enacted in each state establishino- the fence or close seasons for game fish and game animals,'thus protecting them while with young, while hatching, and until they have recovered and fattened sufiiciently for the table The legal season for taking trout in the State of New York ^8 from March until October, leaving six months of the year wherein it is unlawful to take trout by any means. It would be well if the Northern and Eastern States could unite upon a close season, as it would assist to prevent poaching. Al- though I have no key to fit the humor of the selfish proprie- tor who would begrudge the laboring man his snatch of pleas- ure at this universal and fiivorite pastime, or limit him to .r .a 152 Fishing in American Waters. xl I'OACUEK, hours in a day's fishing, where- by lie might add a real zest in the way of luxurious variety to his eveiy-day fare, yet I would second all efforts to thwart the poacher, who robs the streams of their life and beauty to sell, when these waters are be- queathed to the poor as well as to the rich as a health-giv- ing blessing. " Bill Blossom was a nice young man, And drove the Bury eoacli ; But bad companions were his bane, And egged him on to poach. " Once, going to his usual haunts, Old Cheshire laid his plots ; » He got entrapped by legal Berks, And lost his life in Notts." — Hood, The poacher is an unmitigated scamp wherever found. On Long Island, he robs the streams by night with fine silken nets, which he conceals in a pocket or in the crown of his hat (if he have one), and, knowing all the by paths of the island as they meander among the net-work formed of dwarf pine and scrub oak, he approaches a trout stream after midnight. There are usually two poachers in company. They set the net across a narrow place in the stream, and while one at- tends to it, the other drives in the trout. The meshes of the net are so small that a two-ounce trout can not escape. Before daylight the poachers are back at their wretched homes, and those who wink at the crime purchase the fish, and send them to the New York markets. The fish being in season, no ques- tions are asked. It is difficult to detect poachers on the isl- and, because proprietors of real estate and hotel-keepers are afraid to inform against these desperadoes, lest they should, in revenge, add arson to poaching. There is not withhi any settled portion of the United States PoAcriERs Rob all Classes. 153 ,>a atively so numerous and productive as they are through- ^ny d„-eet,oa without crossing a trout stream, whether from nXTo, :'TV" '™*-P'^»- "-e south' side, Jr fZ «cwto»n to Greenport on the north side; and when taliin.. mto account the necessity for a kind of rec eatior^which si ",1 who are pent up m squares of brick and mortar, and engaged arslr 2 "7"^"°"^' " '^ ""P°-^'« "> -«-te if lol fee airv^n, :»" T'''""" ^'''^''' "^il" it is sufficiently tree, airy, and attractive to inflate the lungs, jog the biliarv organs, and unbend the mind, is not so dilc'u tl plsu Z to prevent the most delicate in p^j^eyue from cnLin„ iT The va ue of the Long Island trout streams to New iork Ci t 'ZtT'f "1 ™^ "''"'"^ '' approaehabilt ?2 above price How deep must therefore be the turpitude of the c ime of that vagrant class of va<rabonds who reckless^ "ob the streams of their life, beau . .„d means of recreate" to the overworked citizen who depends on angling instead of physic for restoring his waning health of body and decreas mg vigor of mind ! Streams in New Jersey and Connecticut, and those west of the Hudson to the Delaware Rivers, and far beyond in both this state and Pennsylvania, contain trout, and many of them are well stocked. Indeed, it would bo difficult to fln/a st earn within a radius of a hundred miles from the city of New York which has not more or less trout in it. The papei-milk .-ailroads, bleaehing-iields, chemicals of acids and gases, lim; manures, and numerous kinds of manufactories which cast' their choking and poisonous debris and flltr.ations into the streams, have not proved suflicient to depopulate them of their speckled beauties ; and were it not for tie poacher, who » ops not at nets spears, snares of singular device, killiii; the ■ lout by Inning the streams and poisoning them with ooculm ■I 154 Fishing in American Wateks. indicus, they would still be so numerous as to require noth- ing toward propagation but protection. Want of moral rec- titude, indolence, and greed make up the modest sum total of a poacher's character; and the sooner the class is forced to work' for the state the better, therefore our legislators will please take note of the true penalty for poaching. SECTION THIRD. FLY-FISHING FOB TROUT, "Thin, o'er the wave, the quivering insects skim, And faintly dip their pinions on its brim. Winter its power has not yet resigned. And yet, I fear, the weather is unkind. But there, an answer to that doubt receive— A gallant trout !— behold it, and believe." Here we see the fly-fisher wading a brook while it rains, with shoulders protected by a water-proof cape, and extremi- ties clad in India-rubber boots, with silk rubber attached and extenaing up to the thighs, thus rendering the toggery light, and so impervious as to keep the shoulders and feet of^the' angler dry. The boy with rolled-up trousers represents the ancient angler. He quietly contemplates and fishes in a drenching rain, taking eels, catfish, and chubs in the pool be- low the beaver-dam, never dreaming of a trout, when an ap- parition wading the stream surprises him as the fly-fisher casts his line, armed wiih artificial flies, quite over his pole, and hooks a trout to his great astonishment. Fly-fishing is more indolent and elegant than bait-fishing. From the streams on the Styrian Alps, eastward over Hun- gary, and westward over all the vast empire of intellectual man, wherever the lands are divided by the ornamental tra- cery of trout streams, even to the mildly sublime Pacific Ocean, fly-fishing is regarded as an elegant accomplishment. To cast a fly gracefully, so that it will fall in the right place like a snow-flake, or light like a winged insect, requires prac- tice. The beginner should not attempt to cast too long a line. Let him first try to throw a line as long as his rod, say Ctuaed against a Slack-line Cast. 155 Fly-fishing fob Thout twelve feet of line; then increase the length as he learns to oast It, so that it will lie straight on the ^ater and a ront m attempting to taste, will be sure to hook hin se"f beea, se there ,s no slack line. This is important; for i f the rou s nkes at a fly on a slack line, he at once b comes disgn te< at so lame an effort to deceive, and the slack-line flshT W never rece,ve a second visit from him, Bnt if yon af u straight hne, and the trout misses th. fly, he wUl com 156 Fishing in American Waters. again, sometimes as many as four times, before he fastens. It is necessary that the line be so straight that a slight touch will be felt by the angler, and that a responsive jerk at the top of the rod will be sure to fasten the fish. But if the line is slack, and the trout happens to get hooked, he will be like- ly to disgorge before the angler has time to strike. Do not be in a hurry to lay out more line than you can cast straight from the tip of your rod to your stretcher-fly. Some good' fly-fishers prefer to cast a short line, because it is so much easier for them to hook their fish and play him. Especially is this the case when tro ^ are plenty. On Long Island they are educated ; but even tnere do not strain vour nerves and muscles to make a wide cast. Exjjerience is the only teach- er who will confer the perfection of casting. So soon as the angler learns to lay out thirty feet of line straight, without a bend from the tip of his rod, he may count himself a fly-fisher ; and as he continues to practice for im- proving in the elegance of his casting, he will naturally ac- quire the habit, so that fifty or sixty feet casts will be done with perfect ease, grace, and precision. Over-hand and under casts will be his next practice, in order to succeed in wading a stream overhang with willows or alders, or margined with large trees whose wide projecting branches warn the angler to beware lest he cast too high. Many simple swils suppose angling an indolent pastime ; and Johnson's plagiarism from a Greek author of " a stick and a string, with a fool at one end and a wonn at the oth- er," helped to fix in the minds of the ignorant the impression which .the stolen aphorism was intended to convey. Such vulgar witticisms may please the splenetic; they only dis- gust liberal-minded men. A word more about the costume of our model angler. The color of the dress should either be green, to blend with the foliage, or gra^/f. to harmonize with the shade of the rocks. Wading boots, with rubbered silk extensions, are the lightest and best, except, perhaps, the Scotch wading stockings, of Tecutino on Long Island. 157 quite recent invention, and imported by our principal fishing- tackle houses. A cape of water-proof silk may be carried hi the pocket, and put on as a protection to tha shoulders in case of a shower, as it is not too warm and does not impede casting. ^ Trouting on Long Island is the most artistic angling that 1 have ever seen practiced, either in Europe or America The trout there appear to have learned to detect many of the an- gler 8 artifices. Fly-fishing is there practiced near the estu- aries of streams, where they are influenced by the tides, so that m flood tide the fisher begins below and casts along as the tide makes, as far up the stream as the trout feed • and when the tide turns, the angler fishes along down with the tide and the feeding fish. There being little protection to veil the angler from the tenants of the stream, it is necessary that he keep far back from the bank, which necessitates lon^ ■ casts, and frequently the first intimation which the angler receives of a bite is the gushing and slapping rise of the fish and the tremulously nervous resistance at the end of his line • then approaches the play and the contest, when li<.ht-but finely-constructed-tackle tells. Deftly and gingerfy are the words, for Long Island trout are not to be trifled with The rod should be permitted to do its duty, and the angler be neither impatient nor excited. Anglers who have never vis- ited Long Island are comparatively innocent of the real zest of troutmg; for, without being annoyed with stinging and biting flies, the trout are as large and as free from rust or the effects of discolored waters as are those of the estuaries on the coast of Maine or along the "Gulf of St. Lawrence. Qn the island they run from a quarter to three pounds in weio-ht sometimes more, and are in the highest state of succulent'ad- iposity. The climate is charming, surroundings most invit- ing, hotels where good cheer greets the sportsman through- out the year. I love Long Island, and venerate its trout streams. 158 Fishing in Amekican Wateks. r " Nature hiith endless nsjiectH : to the nngler She doth her beiiuties mid her glories all unfold ; A mugic light rests upon liuid and sea, ' And all her brooks are silver, all her sunshine gold." What angler's heart does not beat more quickly at the joyous announeement of the opening day of the trouting season ? He will find, upon asking himself seriously, be he rich or poor, learned or ignorant, that no announcement of any other recreation so thrills his heart. The emotion caused by the school-master when he used to say "boys may go out," or " there will be a vacation until next Monday," is quadrupled and sublimated by the permission given from a higher sphere, as if Heaven said " boys may go out." Go forth from your counting-houses, your mephitic offices, your workshops, for it is the opening day of the trouting season ! " With Winter's frown let sadness cease, And cankering care, And o'er the brow sweet smiles of peace Wreathe garlands fair ; From joyous Nature catch the smile, And every weary hour beguile From care and pain — Join, join with bird and flowing stream In shouting forth the rapturous theme, 'Tis Sprhig again, ' 'Tis Spring again!" Who can forget the angling of old at Oba. Sncdicor's ? The late Daniel Webster used to be there on the opening day of the trouting season, and so did many of our truly great men. It was there that John Stephens was advised to sail his yacht in the regatta in England, which resulted in his winning the race. But the Snedicor Preserve is now in different hands. A close club of wealthy and intellectual sportsmen own it, and they have rendered it worthy of its name, the " South- side Club." The light, artistic character of the fly-fisher's tackle proves him a disciple of the line arts, though translating their spirit into graceful action. Always Uhe the best Tackle. 15U TuouTiNo Tacklk MODERN SPLICE FOB PLY RODS ul for splicing the top joint of a trout-rod Th.T!^ is the description : « tL' .,.•.. :fl\T ..' ^^" Allowing description : « The splice is of the ordina small, thin rinu or fl.^t rin- of brass at the thick y length, with end of each 160 Fishing in American Waters. splice ; the thin end of each splice fits so tightly into (under) the brass rim -or ring at the thick end of the other one that it will not shift in the least degree ; a length of waxed glov- er's or tailor's thread, tied on at your leisure (for all is hard held to your hand by the brass rings), completes' the splice." mmmMiiMmmmmmtiniiimm Numbers 1, 2, 3 present a side view of the splice, and 4, 5 a surface view. Of course the ferrules or rings are fastened firmly on the thick ends of each splice, and splice ends are requisite after unjointing the rod for protecting the thin ends of the splice when thrusting the joints into a case to carry the rod after a day's fishing, or when the angler desires to pack his rod. That is, " corresponding pieces of spliced wood, with brass rings (or ferrules) attached, are made, joined to- gether, carried in the pocket, and when the rod is untied and unjointed they are detached from each other, and attached to the spliced parts of the rod, to save the splices from any accident." This is a precaution necessary for protecting all kinds of splices of rods. In returning to the general subject, the spring opens earlier on the south side of Long Island than in any other part of the state. This is owing to the island extending so far into the Atlantic that the Gulf Stream mellows tlie air by its warmth. Radishes, celery, lettuce, and sometimes eschalots, are not un- common on the 1st of March, while the martin and meadow- lark enliven the air, aiid the robin is not far behind in putting in an appearance to open the full court of Spring ; and as the angler casts from the bank or from a boat, all nature is alive. The island being in the direct routC for the passage of wild- fowl, the honking of them high in air, and the gunners' in- tonations on the bay, give a touch of sublimity and grand- eur which, when mingling with the sounds of lowing herds and the music of bh'ds, brings heaven and earth together, and Op.™g Dav or THE TBouTzNa Season. m and the dovLo" Lcclt , ""'"'■''""' '■*'*^ "f^nt, aecoptunce. i 11 i ,, "T™' '""' S"-f"% '«■ thei,: '— . a ..:^c;:t:r "r etri;: ""^"' click one. imon whinh ; "u. xiis leel is a narrow yards in Icno-th A nin. ft . i '^"'^' ''"^^ ^« thirty »a, and .ui,i t;r ::':?rsr;'°°'-' -^ er, a sray professor o, tl,„ « •' "'mamon fly as a stretch- fo- jo/a't „, at;::: , "ifr::';L"::.e:« '^^ "°°! '^"' -" "- birds, hears al. nature w ki^ « ^IT"'""^' ^''^^ npon the mead when the -rass is W ' ' ^''^ "'"P a se„.e of velvety elastioitv , , ^"f""""" '° ''""" '^""fe'-'' the cat-tails of tife v C ^/i;!' 'J' " """'^ '"^ ^'■■-».-- ■■iPi>lc. and the tron r hT , -'''"^ ^ "'° ""''S'" "^ *^ oast miniature rainhor^: r'l^f^m'rif ^ " •"" '"^^ e appr„aohc.„,thi„ easti,,, dis^^ 7/, Ir" 17 ?" •*i cast, and a aro-e tronf mnm. i • ^ \ ^ ^^^ "^^^^'^s -turns with the now spri 1' and asl^. '"" 7 •''"^'^""^ '>lood quickens ho .nnnf "" , "^ circulation of his luiLKcns, no ^spontaneous y ciacul'ito^ « w n i- . u'orth living for !" J' U^icuuies, \VeI], this is 162 Fishing m Ateeican Waters. CHAPTER II. FLY-FISHING ON MASSAPIQUA LAKE. Fly-fishing from boats or punts on ponds and lakes forms a most interesting branch of the art of angling. The tackle is fine, and the boat comfortable. When tlie pond covers not more than fifty acres, the oarsman rows across from side to side without turning the boat, but merely changing his seat and sculls ; thus the angler, at the bow when crossing first, is at the stern while returning, and the oarsman continues to cross and recross the water back and forth, with sufficient lee- way to prevent the water being twice fished over. The an- gler must needs be ambidexterous, for he must change hands every time the water is crossed. On the trout lakes border- ing the Adirondacks the boats are very light, and finely con- sti'ucted of narrow and thin cedar boards, very closely braced Fly-fishing FKOM A Boat. ^j^ cet long and four feet wide, and are intended for one anMe, and h,s gu,de. The gnide has a seat toward the boC!., e angkr takes a seat near the stern, either tf.oZl vviiicn laiib Horn the mountain into the lako tn,.„rfi * rni:!::^e';.tra ?:: .r t -S"e:rd "a"-i iiuoKh a tiout the ffuide rows nut m.ro,r r 2- -.no the';r::i-t or;nf;^it r: r:^ cuHoSy. ' """ ^■"" """• ""- - 1-y «"■ 'heir cruel ' Lalcc Massapitjua, at South Oyster Bav on T n„„ T.i , • probably the best trout preserve in the U^Ud Z rt' " tk.„a„ maintains the preserve for his exe us v„ use »d Z. .- « -nvued guests, who are the ardent discipLs Ihe W :i"S:;;: -::c:,=r;; : :r:: I I lt)4 Fishing in American Waters. so dispose of the bounties with which Providence lias favored them as that they shall confer blessings on all classes. There are several reasons in favor of fly-fishing from a boat over that of wading a stream, or catching casts from streams bordered with foliage. It is out on the water, away from shore, and free from the danger of getting flies fast on the limbs of trees while casting or playing a fish. There is room to play your fish. Your shore views are fess restricted. Two anglers, in such case, form the best company possible. The business of the world may be canvassed while excellent sport is enjoyed amid the gushing music and harmony of nature. SECTION SECOND. now TO FISH A STREAM. * ' Wliere the robin carols loudly — Gayly and untroubled sings, And the lark is poised most proudly On his strong, untiring wings. There may I be found each morning, With my rod and reel complete, Not a speckled beauty scorning In the pearly streams I meet. " Oft I pause to hear the thrushes Trilling out their morning song In those wild and rapturous gushes Which to melody belong." Then mingled is with song of bird. The monotone of barn-yard herd ; Anon, a flock of geese appears, Honking to calm each other's fears ; And as I angle the streams along, All the world seems made of song. I Don't see it in that Light. " 1^5 Hus we deftly cast the artifi- cial lure on the margin of the streams, or on the bosom of lake or pond, whipping, whip- ping, whijDping all the day, gjid playing trout till twilight. Questions in relation to fish- - ing up or doxon a stream should be decided by the con- dition of the stream and its borders. While casting from -■ the shore, it makes very lit- " tie difference which way the ill- it is best to fi 1. . '*'^^''' '' ^'^^^5 ^"t i" ^-^d- w wo, cast to the farther shore, drawhig your flie« across the ream, but not too fast, lest the trout beeome suspic » L Cast first near shore; then a yard or two far^he off n!^^' across the stream. If vou wt not , ,.i . , ' ' up the stream and repeat "cll t T' " ''"" °'' '^™ arises as to whether tCont aWyZl:." h e' " ^T oue fly by another of diffe..nt colo^fC ny'o ' ,:':^" Hy that the trout adm.re, change your other fliea (if you fi,h on :r-* •" T" '"'"""'■' '" ^"S"' -l-f to he'tX tto-l t of, . ti , "■' "? "'"^ ^^ ''■•?''■» ■■™°ve above .est ot manknul as not to be susceptible to a slight influ- 166 Fishing in American Waters. ence from the baser sentiments of humanity ; but I have actu- ally seen a man so self-willed as to fish all day without a rise, " because," as he said, " he was determined to bring the trout to his terms." All kinds of angling call for the exercise of patience ; but fly-fishing requires the gift of genius. Do not fish with too long a cast. In fishing a creek up stream, thirty to forty-five feet are quite sufllicient. In striking, let it be with suflicient force to fasten the hook in his jaw; but play your fish most gingerly and even tenderly, but not so as to give him slack line, or he will disgorge the hook. One of the principal causes of losing large fish is the being in too great a hurry to land thMm. If the hook is well fastened, the more deli- cately your fish is played the better; for snubbing a fish ^lard at all points wears an orifice in its jaw from which the hook falls by the mere turning of the fish. It is true that the trout has a good mouth to hold a hook, but the hook must first be Avell fastened to hold, and then the orifice made in hooking should not be worn larger in playing, if possible to , avoid it. SECTION THIRD. KNOTS, LOOPS, AND DROPS. While anglers should let every trade live, and buy their tackle in preference to making it, yet with the make of cer- tain parts of tackle every amateur should be familiar. Of course he should know how to tie on a hook, and how to make a loop whose equal bearings would prevent it from chafing or breaking at the loop-knot. No. 1. Bending on, or tying on a hgok. The hook should be tied on stained silk-worm gut, round, clear, and strong ; for in playing a fish the tackle generally parts near the hook. Use scarlet silk, well waxed with a drab wax made from tar, like shoemaker's wax, only light-colored. From about half an inch below the end of the shank, make lialf a dozen turns with the silk to t1ie end of the shank, and place an Soak Gut befoke Tying. 167 ™ h/ . . ' ™"^'"S "'''^''' *'sht, and neat, until you have wound down to near the end of the gut, Or Nearly half the length of the shank, when hold the end of your silk here and form a loop of the remainder, and cast it three or our fmes over the shank as represented ; then draw up the loop by the end of the silk thread, which will leave the end fas ened under those three or four loops cast over the bend of the hook, thus forming a good finish, so that you may cut the end of the silk thread close to the tic without dan ger of its drawino-. 168 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. I 'I! No. 2. Snell loop. Soak the gut, and tie the loop as repre- sented. It is the very best tie for a loop, and I have en- deavored so to represent it as to enable an amateur to im- itate it. No. 3. A helm-knot, or tiller hitch, useful in sailing a boat or yacht, because the hitch-though secure-is loosened' in- stantly by a jerk at the end. No. 4. The cor^mon knot for forming a loop at the end of a silk-worm gut or line. No. 5, 5. Two half hitches, forming a slide-knot in a casting- line, to slide for holding a drop, and for changin' drops at will. Some anglers cast the end twice round Tnstead of once, as shown. The drop hangs well from it, being at a right angle from the casting-line ; but with only one hitch of each end, as represented, the gut is apt to slip and part the casting -line, especially if the drops are frequently changed, because, when the knots become drawn very tight they are hard to slide, and sliding them to change drops' weakens them; but I have taken many hundreds of trout on drops so arranged. No. 6. The first drop, of the correct length. It is the red ibis fly, all formed of the ibis feather but the red silk body wound with very small gold or silver cord. This is one of the most attractive lures for trout, but it is not so good as the coachman, or several of the protessors, for larg3 fish. The tail and hackle at the neck are brown. No. 7. A knot recommended by many accomplished anglers for connecting lengths of gut to form a casting-line. Some bend the end twice round inst-^d of once, as shown. If only once, the ends should be lashed with waxed silk. No. 8. Drop, fastened by a half hitch round the castino--line and the end of the gut near the knot. After tying the\not of the casting-line, draw it tight, and cut off one and close leavmg the upper end half an inch long. Lash this end to' the hne, and cover it with varnish, and loop the end of the drop over it. By this plan the drop will not chafe or ToBN OFP Knbs wrr„ Var«is„ ok S„.ll«." 169 • tto lasheS " "■«'" '°™ * Sood covering f„,. ""fow^r: "•"'"'^"''^- ^^^^"''"'^ ™'S "o-Jy »d Guinea. silk, and vatS.uIr ""' '""«' ""' '"^'^ ""^ -'" «» No. 12. Alcler-fly-^,y%^y^,,^g^_^^^, peacock's horl . i • ped w.th red silk ; ™,s of g.yLkl ^K ' ^'''' ^o. 13. Attaching the casting-line to the reel-line Th;« i ml*s T!;,V":,*;'"S-""^' "gg^d with rtretcher and two drop fl'es. The object .s to show the stndent how thev shouM be ..gged, so that all may fall at the same til ™ tit wa Vo '/:r f S^ ""^ "^'"™' ^"S'-^ "^"^ -ting-C drop; 17, the second drop, or hand-flv h,.i„„fi "'""''">'• est to the angler's hand. V t^X^X::^^ two"::, It,; ":£:^i\^-^^^^ ^ %t™'^ ^ '^" luiee mclieb ni icngth. The knots in the 170 Fishing in American "Waters. casting-line show where the lengths of gut are tied— thus, fron. the stretcher-fly to the first drop are four lengths of gut, and three or four longths from the first drop to the hand-fly. Thesi- diilances will be changed to suit taste and tho distance of cast. For long casts, the drops should ^e a yard apnrt. No. 18. A tie for uniting lengths of gut, so that they will break at any other part as easily as at the tie. Tie a knot in the end of each length of c y , Jap them an inch, and wmd them closely between the knots with white waxed silk. This is the best tie for a salmon leader or a trout casting-line. Casting-lines sho.uld be made of stained gut the gut selected so as to taper regularly from the reel-tine' to the stretcher-fly; and the drops should be cf fine, clear round gut, stained to the shade of the casting-line It is' an mdication of very bad taste in a fishing-tackle maker to otter finely-tapered and stained casting-lines and flies tied to coarse gut, and not dyed or shaded to the tint of the castmg-line. All should be in harmonious keeping, l\om the reel-line to the casting-line and drops. For casting from a boat or from the clear margin of a stream, the cast- ing-hne should be nine feet in length, or even a foot or two more, only have a care not to make it so long that, with the bend of a twelve-foot rod, you can not reel np sufiiciently close to bring your fish within reach of your landing-net. For rough fishing on a stream of bramble marsjins a cast- ing-line of from six to seven feet in length, and one drop besides the stretcher, may be sufiicient. Many anglers dis- pense with drops, and fish with one fly only ou some streams m the interior of Pennsylvania, Maine, New Hampshire, and throughout the region in New Y<,rk known as the Adiron- (lacks, which is about forty miles square, and one of the greatest fish and game regions in America. HOW TO stain SILK-WORSI GUT. > Gut may be stained by leaving it in a strong decoction of To STAIN Silk-worm Gut. ' i^^ i^TL '""""'•"o'"'' without iDJuring the gut Hals as stair fh^ \ ^ "^^''''^ ^"^ such mate- dye .s obtained by boiling a handful of the Z^o,- slv -:ro?arur::r;;:::Lt^^^^^^^ -..r::,r-irt,rif"^^ Gut .hould bo emirelv did « ""^"""^ " "''*^'"«'- .bouldbe thoroug"; Lw .rf"'/'""'"^ ''' """ '"- " in« it perfect,,, it' hL^t ™ ^ Col ^I^'"' *^ <'^>- ed on a boa.-d with the ends fasten ^ t0^2ZTt e.vcellout p an for kepnino- ti,o * . /^t^<^P it straight. An are tied is Hutchinson W,! ^ "«'" "P™ -"eh Ai-s ^o ^xuLcuiiison s, before mentionpH tk^ t ^ between the loops or rings and th hook" luM be ' uated as to aecomnjodat.. different „g, ,,s of " f % ^''"" tedonthe pao-e of trontin„ t„„i,i ., ^ ' "' """stra- to change L:ffl:ir:;^rot''.^r„r''^ ee".,t for drop,but stre'tchers wo^ret J 5 ^ ^ ^ 00. l(,r convenience. On ffoii.o- n f..«„4- t "^ ^" a couple , casts, -such as fmay Think "n "'""'""' "P -hich I contomplate fishing. For most wl i "l" """^ the stre ; fW I ""J ^"P'o^ '»» -— as or, and a mallar. 1" ..It ' "'': "' '' ="•"'"''- f" anoth- mg, wit<; claret body, for the tliird. The 'ill II m 172 Fisiirao IN Amebican 'Watebs. above the ib.s .s a cm„amo„, a,„l tl,e *i™t ,lr„,, above the ma ur.l w.„g » a cmnamon. The hand-Hk. are ihe blue dun or he cow.d„„g. The blue professo,- fa aUo an excellent flv •7 My advice to the angler i, to purchase his flics of the best fly-tyers m New Yorlc and Boston, where competition has pro- duced the necessity for employing first-rate materials in all the departments of flsliing-taclile, whether of g,it, flies hoolcs hues, reels rods, and the coarser paraphernalia of the Cle ' Tboux R..ts._The click reel is incomparably the Ls*; hongh ,t ,s not so good to dry a line on as is the Billinghas reel, wh.ch is formed of brass or German silver wire, and the me open on all sides to the air. The click reel checks the Hue to a certam weight of resistance, to which the an^er soon becomes accustomed, and in giving the flsh the bntt'he does .t wHh confldenee, because he has ascertained frou, ev penenee bow great a check he puts upon the flsh, and the pre- cise s ram caused to his casting-line, which he has rcrulated accordingly This is not the case with a reel whose tens o of drag may be changed several times during one day's sport But the best reel for my use is a click reel, with a targe'pe' forated barrel or cylinder to reel the line on, and it fh.Mild also be perforated at the ends over the cylinder, for dryino- the line. The advantage of a large cylinder to .«! the lim- on when the reel does not multiply is important, because i, shortens the time of reeling. Besides, with a Large cylinder thirty yards is a sufficient length of line. I once killed a flve- and-.a-half-pouiid trout in a very rapid stream with a nine- onnee rod and only thirty y.ards of line. It took me two houi-s and twelve minutes to kill the flsh, timed by Dr Be- thiiiie, of Boston. .X '-"e A click multiplier is better for anglmg with the worm or minnow, but many bait anglers of the country prefer a small multiplier without a click or drag. BelLmeUl is su;;™" M AGIO IN A OOOI) FlY-KOD. 173 millet r y f "™'" '''''' ^^ ^^'^«^' ^"^ -1---^ or al«. milium, IS better than either. Fly RoDs._Rods made from split bamboo are unquestioii ab y the best in use ; but a Robert Weleh rod, of ash for tl l>oo for the foiirtl, or top joint, is the best rod that I liave mulT W *■""■ Tr' ''■''''''"-■ '""' «I"" bamboo rod "lu twelve feet m length, and I had rather have it six mehes over, or so made with duplicate top and third id, ts « to make it either twelve or twelve feet siv thnnJ " longest fly rod is only twelve feet and two Z^^' 1' peter a singje action rod to the one of doubl a t ion t a kiek m the handle," though the latter may send a fly ft " tier, and deliver it more gleefully, but it lacks the si of shonid weigh from seven to ten ounces when mounted- and . .Hrom ash, lancewood, and split bamboo, if strictly fo sh, gle hand, their weights should range from nine f„ flft a d a lia^tt ^ '""'^'^'IS'"' '^'J ^ouW^ about twelve and a half feet long, ^'either rod should be too withy but la e snap or elasticity enough in the top to hook a fish with out ytelding enough to permit the sinner to dis-^orge One of the pleasures of fly-fishing is to nse a rod wh.eh will ," .pensively hook a tront without an eff-„rt of the .angler T,e » port consists ,n delivering a fly ne.atly on a strai^h linll eeing the trout rise gushingly to the surface and Lent the ' the manie. of takmg the trout, and the suiTonndings of a pleasing landscape-the music of birds, the sprin.-tfmc o^ general rejuvenation, and the running h.;r,non/of fnt llcctu al conversation. Tnere is society in trouting, but it Z o" p.-event the soul from basking in all the lift and bettl of sound and gayety around. ^ WD,NoNETs.-Iffor landing in a boat or on shore a two jomted handle is the best. If for wading, a short hancLlt I 174 Fisiima IN AsiERicAN Watkks. 11 tached to an elastic cord and suspended from the slioulder, ,tOr a double-jointer, in which the second one slides into the first, and is attached by a loop to a button on the breast, is the least cumbersome. I have found the hollow wire rims the best, and brass is the best metal for them. ' The hollow rim is light, and it does not rust. As to the round and oval shapes, they are matters of caprice, and as to the wicker frames of wood, they are no lighter than hollow brass wire, while they offer fourfold resistance to the water. The rim should be large, the meshes large, the twine not too fine, and the net itself large. A landin§--net, large, strong, and light, is one of the angler's sources of delight. Trout Basket. — Let it be plaited or woven from the thin outer grain of the willow or osier, very light and large; to contain ten, fifteen, and twenty pounds of fish are the sizes. They should be stained inside and painted outside, or by painting the inside also they are more easily cleaned. Green is the color preferred. The shape not very deep, with a hole in the lid, brass hinges, a staple extending up through the lid, fastened with a padlock. Tlie strap should be of worsted webbing instead of russet leather, or if of russet leather there should be a pad attached, with straps to slide on the shoul- der-strap to the r:ght place. The New York fishing-tackle dealers have introduced a new gear, by which the weight rests on both shoulders, and the basket is held more securely, and is less cumbersome in forest-fishing. The angler's coat should be made with a stvap and button on the shoulder, un- der which to hold the stra]i of the trout-basket ; and there should be another strap on the coat at the left side, to pre- vent tlie basket -strap from moving, and the basket from swinging about Avhile climbing over logs and fences. But the great desideratum consists in getting a light and snuill basket, whicli will contain a great many large trout of your own taking. Bait Box. — Of course bait-boxes and fly-books are articles to purchase at the fishing-tackle stores ; and while there are Finishing vr the Trouting Rig. 175 numerous theories about fly-books, there can be but few ab«ut bait-boxes I will therefore state, beware of those thre ! story complications. Procure a box as simple as possible in belt which holds up the wading water-proofs, or the common leather waist-belt. It should consist of two compartmeat ^ Carkyi^g Casts of FLiEs.-Instead of winding a castin<.- hne ound the hat, a double band is made to fit the hat an^'d buckle round over the hat-band, and the casting-line or snell- ed fl.es are attached to it and folded in, so aslot to ex^ hem or render them liable to get loose and dangle about to the danger of the face and eyes. The Calcutta ^r Gib UUr spornig-hat, Illustrated on the plate with the salmon-rc:^^ i 'Wlf f/ " ""'f' '"' ""'^'^"^^ '^"^'"^'^^ «-^ -• -«ts. A snelled fly" is a length of silk-worm gut, ^Vith a fly at one end and a loop at the other. ^ STRAiGHTExixa CASTiNG-LiNEs.-IIitch the line at one end either by the hook or a loop, and rub the line with brown paper between your thumb and finger, and it will take the turns out of it; or, rub it between India-rubber; but both these methods tend to chafe the gut more or l,ss, and neither should be resorted to if you can have time to soak the <.ut in tepid water half an hour. I am in the habit of soakhr. my casting-lme over night in cold ^vater if I intend to fish early the next morning; and lam accustomed also to selecting the flies which I thmk may be necessary, and on the rim of a kass nearly filled with water I hang the hooks, letting tin -nU fid! Ml the glass and soak all night. I do not approve of stmight- ening gut by iriction when soaking it is possible Thus, with a finely-balanced and finished fly-rod a click reel attached to the rod below the hand, a silk Ld hair braided line, protected from the eftect of water by bei„. o.led varmshed, or saturated with some oleaginous substance" braided hke a whip-lash to taper each xv.ay from the middies 176 Fishing in American Waters. a stained gut casting-line tapering from tlie reel-lino to the stretcher, a well-selected cast of flies, with drops artistically fastened to the casting-line, and of proper length, a good landing-net and light basket, and I am ready for tlie fray and to angle all day ; for I never yet experienced a day long enough Avhile Ashing. Oh ! the varied and mixed emotions of the fly-fisher. How often he is tantalized by false rises, which suddenly inflate him with hope, to collai^se as soon by disappointment. Some- times he misses a well-intended rise of so bold an eflbrt as to render the fish too much alarmed by the sights and sense of the upper air to trust a repetition. Anon he liooks a fine trout, and in playing it the hook parts from the j:^\v of the fish, leaving to conjecture whether it was really a disgorge or a too tender hold. Thus he continues whipi)ing the water, exercised by various emotions when a large feeding trout springs above the water, rev* aling all his beauties of color and proportions, and, takhig the fly, he dar^s away Avith the power and celerity which prove that he is going to try the strenorth of the tackle. What intercstiuGr moments to the angler ! The numerous runs of the fish, his wiles and strat- egy to escape, are all tried in vain, and he is finally helped out of the wet .by means of the landing-net. The man or boy who lias never taken a trout has not really seen one — with angler's eyes. To the angler, a large, healthy trout in fnll season, just taken, when fish are scarce and bite shy, is the prettiest object in the whole world of beauty. NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL TROrT FLIES. Letter A, the artificial, and B, the natural dun-cut fly {phry- (/anca), is a good lure for the month of IVlay. IJody of brown bear's hair, mixed with blue and yellow worsted, whip[)ed with green and yellow ; brown feather wings, and squirrel's-tail hair for antennie. Letter C, the artificial, and 1), the natural of the green-tail fly Deceptions of Akt. 177 Lotto,- E,tl,c natumi, a„,l F, the artificial of tl,o prime d„„ ■^ fly for March (ep/.e,nc,-a), auA for which mon ,, X til Lottcr I, the artificial, a„<l J, the natural ,)„n drake, or March sk If, ;."'""'" ' "'• '""'^ ™' "•'■il'l'«l with red «lk , mottled wings, and hackle from the gray coek Pro fc-»«or lienn.c, M. Carroll, and hosts of other authoriticr oonsKlcr thi, the iK-st March fly. """' M U 178 Fishing in Asiekican Waters. ■I til Letter G, the natural, and H, the artificial cow-dung fly. The body of iemon-yellow mohair and a yellow feather, whip- ped with yellow silk, and the wings of grayish-blue feather of a hen, land-rail, or mallard. This is one of the taking flies for March and April, and the best that I ever saw were tied by Pritchard Bro3. Letter K, the artificial, and L, the natural blue dun or vioxct fly. Body of light worsted violet, mixed with gray down ; the wings from the pale feathers t>f a starling's wing, whip- ped with pale yellow silk. The black gnat, early and late bright browns or cinnamons, palm fly, an! whirling dun, with the blue dun, dun drake, with palmers, hackles, and the stone fly, are intended for both March and April. Letter M, the natural, and N, tlie artificial hawthorn fly. Body of black ostrich herl or black seal's fuv, mixed with buft* mohair ; wings of horn shavings, or of the palest snipe's feather or mallard's wins'. Letter O, the natural, and P, the artificial oak fly. This is a May insect, famous under the names of oi\k fly, camlet fly, down-hill fly, and canon fly. The body is dubbed with dark brown shining camlet, Avhippcd witl^ very fine green silk, or is made with a bittern's feather, and the wings from the double gray feather of a mallard ot of a woodcock. Letter Q, the natural, and R, the artificial green drake or green May-fly the common fresh--water fly for May. The body is dubbed with hog's down or liglit bear's hair, mix- ed with yellow mohair, whipped with pale floss silk, and a small strip of peacock's herl for the head; the wings from the rayed feathers of the mallard, dyed yellow ; the hockle from the bittern's neck, and the tail from the long hairs of the sable or ferret. The gray drake is similar in form, but difl'erent in colors, having the body dubbed with Avhitish hog's down, mixed with black spaniel's fur or white ostrich hei-1, whipped wi(U black silk; the wings dark gray mallard; black hackle, with silver twist; whisks of tail from a black cat's whiskers. Fine Tackle always Alluking. 179 -adilv attfl d bv th " '"'"'' ''" S™''--''"^ ""»« by its'fo™ A , .'"'' ™'°'' ""'^ '«='»'' "fa '--e than one thfr » "' " ■'""""S '"■■'= '« '*«"•• ">an a sinking ■.Imost perfect .tate" to w^ cT ft Irorr™""^ T" '"^ attained. I prefer a hnrl^ !<• ,, o*^ "y^y"? "i^s '»l™cly «-«-»o.,t^ bt,,: S^': nlT\"' T'"* ''"■ *"" Joes common w„„l „',"."'"«''■»'■•<' when wet than which shonid be wonnd with iZ^H^T"'-^' "' c'St copies of natin-P thnt T . " ^^^^ "^'ii'" t:r;„:7,;;rrtr r; "h- ^^^:: ^ America, if not in tl," tvlrif "^ "'""' '""' "^ ""^ "»- » -vf? mol^ifd::;::':;;: r^ .'• "''^'"•™» «y - -<i""- ^r J luutn anung the trouting season- hut thnl i - n>y experience with tront, „;.. of .bj b'Tt T, e tVu ,! and chanc . i,T;,l .'' ''l '" "' ""l'™''""^ """"'t A^™, J^-'t»ker, an aiitlioritvon onrrj;.,^ .„.„, 1^ i -,i 180 Fishing in American Waters. "A brother of the angle must always he sped With three black palmers, and also tliree red ; And all made with hackles. In a cloudy day Or in windy weather, angle you may." lie then recommends the May-fly, and states that the haw- thorn fly should be small, while the oak fly with brown wings and the grasshopper should be carefully imitated, concluding .»dth the following advice : •' Once more, my good brother, I'll speak in thy ear • Ilog's, red cow's, and bear's wool to float best ai)pear ; And so doth your fur, if it rightly iall ; I3ut always remember, make two, and make all.' Wise Trout below the Daai. CHAPTER in. MIDDLE DAM CAMP. of the Linbao-oo. ,„ ^ chain of a do.on lakes, in the State of ^t^rol 'l t" "w^V'" "^'^""^^^"^'^ «^'P---'^ting that state om Canada. Kapul River f.ls i„to Umbagog Lake, and as this IS a famous troutmg region, I give a view of the camp vhei-e the angler hixnriates on brook tront and spruce par^ tridges, and rests from his day's labor on a spring-bed. Trout of nine pounds' weight each have been taken there, thouc^h I never ux,k one which scaled much over six pounds. It was hei-e that I met a new experience in the character of trout and think it worth relating for the benefit of anglers. Wlnle I believe tliat trout are not generallv ^o discrimin- ating m the se ection of artificial flies as to evhice acuteness of vision, yet I have experienced that at certain waters, when the streams are low and clear, a copy of the living fly ^ more ^\'M J'! I iM 182 Fishing in American "Waters. or less necessary to success. This is the case at the pool and rapids below the micldle dam at the head of Rapid River, and half a mile below Middle Dam Camp, wher. a large shoal of —apparently educated— trout keep leaping and tumbling so that from fifty to a hundred speckled beauties of from two to five pounds' weight are always in sight. But it used to be said that they would not take an artificial fly ; so, school-boy like, the guests at the camp sent every angler, on his arrival, to " try below the dam," as a sell. It pleased them to see a fresh man's face glow at the first sight of. those sportive beau- ties, which acted as if half in coquetry and half in defiance of anglers. I felt thankful when Avitncssing the self-denyine hospitality which prompted several anglers, who were entii-e strangers to me, to cease angling opposite the camp for the sole purpose of shoAving me a pool full of very anxious trout. They left after I had tried in vain to coax a favorable notice at one cast of flies. I changed my cast several times, and then rested the pool to allow them to change their minds or whet their appetites, until I devoted in that way about two days, to the amusement of the anglers at the camp, and final- • ly began to think that the stories I had heard about the sa- gacity of those trout were true. On my return to camp aft- er each trial below the dam, I saw that my brethrex^ of the angle were interested in my eff"orts by their furtive glances and sly winks at each other as they anxiously inquired what «port I had enjoyed. But all their jokes fell short, for my mind was with the sparkling beauties below the dam. Aftei- having exhausted my fly-books of their attractive lures, I concluded to repair to the dam and study the trout. There they were, apparently as jolly as ever, rolling, tumbling, and leapmg about the surface of the clear, curling pool. 1 had not sat long on the dam, and peered into the sparkling eddies below, before I saw a trout rise gracefully and swallow an ash-colored midge which had floated down from the dam. On looking around me, I saw a cloitd of drab ephemera, rath- er larger than musquitoes, swarming over the dry timber Fish PiiiLosoniY evolved. * ig'S dam, and ever and anon, as one fell on the water, a trout rose very gracefully and swallowed it, turning quickly down and causing a whirl made by his caudal train, which had so excited me when I first looked upon the pool. With assidu- ity 1 commenced examining my flies in search of an ash midge. I soon found a pair, and, placing one on as my stretch- er, the first cast I made with it fastened a three-pound trout played and landed it. The next cast I fastened another, but «o slightly that the hook parted from his mouth. Two or three more casts assured me that the shoal » smelt a rat •» and as minks, muskrats, and fiics with hooked tails are their terror,! adjourned to another pool, and did not return to the dam until nearly night, when I took the conceit out of four more beauties ; but, after playing the fifth nearly half an hour he made a rush for the rapids, and went over the c/«^^. cai' lymg away my casting -line. Having captured five, and played two more trout that day, I felt satisfied. T had for years contended that trout might be taken with artificial fly when in feeding humor, but I had never before found them so fastidious 01 discriminative. Since then, Mr. James Stephens, of Hoboken, and myself, hired a trout-pond in Connecticut, and though I fished it three days, and Mr. Stephens three weeks yet neither of us succeeded in capturing one with the fly. Neither w'ould tlicy take a minnow, while they rose .ireely to angle and grub worms, cast, without sinker, as a fly On tJie last day of my visit to the pond I saw the trout rush- mg furiously after tadpoles; but, as I had not time to re- main and try that bait, I probably lost a treat, for I have since heard that it is the favorite lure for trout in some parts of the state. Indeed, the fish-culturists of Fn.uce p. .palate irogs, that the trout may feed on tadpoles. The angler, on making a lengthy tour for sport, can not have too great a number or variety of artificial flies He can procure them at the principal fishing-tackle establishments m Now lork, where competition has so sharpened invention and enterprise that the best flies and fly-tiers are imported I! 184 FisiiiNo IN American Wateks. li together with the best materials, from wlicrever on oartli they are to bo obtained. Or he may be supplied in Bo>ton, Montreal, Quebec, or at Rome, Rochester, or Mumlurd, New York. In addition to an extensive assortment of flies, the angler should carry silks, wools, mohair, duiliiigs, and featiiers of va- rious colors, gold and silver tlireads and thiscls, tine houks, and selected gut, so that he may occasionally extemporize a cast of flies, which, though not so finely tied, mn v combine size and colors attractive for the finny epicures which show themselves fastidious about putting in an appearance. This course is pursued by many experienced anglers, whom, I may justly add, arc groat bunglers at tying a fly or [>ropcrly mounting a hook. Half a dozen lessons from Pritchai<l Brothers, or from one of the fly-tyers for Andrew Clerk & Co., could scarcely fail of being useful to the student of con- templative philosophy. SECTION SECOND. SELECT ARTIFICIAL TROUT-FLIES, No. 1. Black Guat.— Black ostrich-l'eatlier body, wings of pale 8tnrlinj,''s feather, drab tail and antennie. 2. Red Ibis.— Red body, wound with gold or silver cord; brown hackle and tail, red ibis-feather wings. 3. Wilson's Professor.— Yellow gut body, mounted by M'Brldc, of Mumford. N. Y. ; red ibis tail headed with gold tinsel, brown hackle, gray mallard wing. 4. Stwiie Ply.— Green drake wing and hackle, drab body and tall. 5. Pritchard's Stone Fly — Composition body, drab wings, tail, and anten- nae. 0. Cinnamon Fly.— Orange body, ash-colored wings, brown hackle ami tail. 7. Green Drake.— Silver body, tipped with gold ; short black hackle, black head, brown tail ; wings and shoulders of green drake feather. A C'KOOKEl) BUT POIMtU SlUJECT. 165 ROUND BEND FLY-IIOOKH, These are Adl igton and Hutchinson's superfine warranted east-steel hooks. They are imported in great nun i hers by- Andrew CleH V < and, whether straight or ^ urbed, arc i lie host fly-hou use, and infinitely superior ti. the c )nimon Limerick hook. o (^f]f^^A^ 00 n FISH-HOOK I'HILOSOPHY. Upon the subject of fisli-hook heir important qualities and bearings are applicable hooks for all fishing purposes. The draft, or ])ull on a hook, is equally applicable to a hook for fly-fishing or for caj-t ing tlie largest sharks. It is con- ceded by hook-makers that the forged hook is the best, , whether it be hammered flat, square, or round. The needle- pointed, cast-steel hooks, of round bend, are probably best for mounting with flies for salmon, black bass, or trout, or bait- ing for striped bass, squeteague, and maskinonge ; while for sheepshead, kingfish, and for all fishes Avhich have a small and hard mouth, ic Sprout bend is preferable. Of the Kin- sey or Pennsylvania hook, the shape is good for small fish, but it gape^ so much that a large fish is apt— in sulking and beating its nose against a rock, or rubbing it on the travel bottom— to spring the hook out. If made of large wire and well tempered, it is good for slK'epshead and kingfish, because it is not so long from the bend to the barb as is the Limerick , C f/»,^ c ! Ill .o.% IMAGE EVALUATiON TEST TARGET (MT-3) m. .^^ .<^ 4 1.0 I.I *4£ 12.8 |50 *^™ 25 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.25 14 J4 ^ 6" — ► p> ^* °a *;. /^^ -^# .v W^''W Photographic Sciences Corporation ^ ^^ ,\ # :\ \ C-t^ 23 WEST MA4N STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 87!2-4503 10 186 Fishing in American Watees. of the O'Shaiighnessy pattern, or the regulation hook for ex- portation. The Virginia hook, and the Sproat and round bends of Redditch, are the best that I have seen. The foregoing cut, representing the samples of two hooks, was clipped from a recent number of the Field, and as it embodies philosophy founded on experience, I give it, refer- ring to the cut, as follows : " Now I have this autumn devoted particular attention to this subject, i. e., hcoks. I have been fishing with Hutchin- son's Limerick and Sproat bends (I may remark that I can not speak too highly of the latter for its prehensile capabili- ties), and the following is the result. In seven consecutive days' fishing I hooked thirty-six fish, and of them landed twenty-seven. I was broken four times. Once my single gut, with which I always fish, was frayed by a heavy fish against sharp boulders, and tliree times the hooks were the traitors— two were Limericks, and one was a Sproat. Three out of thirty-six is too large a proportion, and it is very de- sirable to reduce it. Even in fishing with single gut, the heaviest fish, if properly handled, barring the circumstances of snags or boulders, seldom succeed in breaking the line. But what handling will save a hook ? One toill go some- times, and most unaccountably, probably from being fixed so as to allow the fish to wrench, jerk, or squeeze it. The first step to a cure is to find the weak point. "The only Sproat hook which has broken with me went at the point a. I think it is an admirable form of hook, al- though I tried it first as an experiment this year, with much prejudice against the looks of it. It is less apt to break than the Limerick, both from its form, and because the pull, b, c,is nearly in the direction of the point, whereas in the other thv line of puU, d, e, forms an obtuse angle at the point e. Of the thousand and one Limerick hooks which I have seen bro- ken, either against stones or in fish, by far the greater propor- , tion have failed at the point /, where— in good hooks to a less, and in bad to a greater measure — the wire is reduced in IivrpoRTANT Elucidations. 187 forming the barb. Having determined the weak point, I think it can be merely a mechanical difficulty which prevents that part of the hook being made as strong as the rest, and anglers should insist on manufacturers overcoming it. I ob- tained some hooks from Messrs. Bernard, of St. James's Pas- sage, which were flat-sided— that is, they were filed to angles, and the section of the wire would be nearly an oblong. They appeared exceptionally strong, but were otherwise objection- able, being over-ironed and over-barbed. I think something might be done b> xlattening the wire from the beginning of the bend, the shank being left circular for fly-dressing facili- ties. A section of the wire at the bend would then be ellip- , tical. However, ignorance as to the manufacture, unfortu- nately, is in the way of my suggesting any thing practical ; but if I succeed in drawmg attention from anglers and man ufacturers to this subject, my object in occupying so much of your space will be fulfilled. Salmoniceps. " [The hooks which ' Salmoniceps' describes as flat and filed at the sides are, we fancy, not Mod, but hammered, as they are usually described in the trade .is ' forged Limerick tapers.' We have previously expressed a very high opinion of the Sproat bend, which is undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best, salmon hook mf*de. — Ed.]" Having a greater variety of fishes to angle for in America than there ai 3 of angler's fishes in Europe, it will be necessary to recur to this subject, for the fish-hook is the foundation of all fishing-tackle; and if it gives way, all the expense of mounting or baiting it, with expense of other tackle and loss of time, besides the chagrin, amounting to mortification and sometimes almost desperation at losing a very large fish, o-o for worse than nothing. The centre-draft hoolc* of the an- cients is quite similar to the hook a, ft, c, minus the barb, and it is probably the best form for all large fish. i : it i I i I if I mm i Plate of Trout-flies. ^ ■ A Clergyman's Conteibution. 189 wl.u^*^i ^^^^' ^""""^ ^'*^ g°"* cord ; streamers red, blue legs, 2, Coachman _ White w ngs, green peacock herl body, brown legs. 3. Drab upper win^s and b?mj;; under ditto ; cmnamon body and legs. 4. Red body and leg^brown mailed wines 5 Peacoclc herl body, Guinea-hen wfngs, brown hackle. 6. Sold body o?anee w nf s' sandy legs, and gray tail. T. Silver-drub wings, yellow body; and black le^s 8 nfrt' dish-brown wings and legs, with peacock herfbody. 9. SrXwinKs bromi bodv' legs^nd tail. 10. Brown lody, reef legs, gray mottle wings and anSa, 1? Jun^l fly.-Orange wings, brown body and hacBe. 12. Red body, brown wines Prav Zt • ard wings. 13. Brown hackle and two hooks. 14. Purple bXwiuf|'fe/!°rav tail and gr. a herl at root of tail. 15. Gold body, yellow an/bkck I'els^ wfn- ^Ti'nL.?^''"^ ?'"f^ ^'"■''• !«• S'^'*"' ''"•Jy. speckled wings, brown legs !?' B ac k hackle over body of oiange wound with gold;gray wings, and yellow tall 18 Brown ^^»V'7l^ with gold cord, grav wingsT red an Alack" hackle! 19 Green bo?^^^^^^ tail, gray legs, and hackle round the neck. 20. Yellow Professor -Yellowish-^rn v wings, red tail golden body, gray antenna. 21. Gray PrSor -Brown maO m«^'u'f ^^^''^i^ sray body^ wound with gold, yellow legs 22. Black Gnat - W« hh,»^^' ^a^a' l"''^'^ ' ^^ "''SS"- 23. Blue^'Pro'fessor.-Bo^dy dark Wue and golT S^l?'d"»ro1^fwrgf;nK'^^''" SECTION THIRD. BAIT-riSHING FOR TROUT. " Hail to the spring-time and the hills ! Hail to the meadows and the fog ! Hail to the gorges and the rills ! All hail the trout 'neath yonder log ! Have good care, That's his lair : Heigh-ho, hop, Flip, flap, flop. Hail to the shocking old straw hat. Second-hand trowsersj coat, and boots, Box of worms, lively and fat, All hail your hook in those old roots ! Careless man, Mad as bran. Neither snap, Nor flip, flap. Blessed and calm the smiling mom ; Birds sing wheresoe'er we roam. Flowers the fields and woods adorn ; All hail my line 'midst dancing foam ! Now look out — Silent stand — And a trout Will kiss my hand. Hail the graceful silver gleam ! Lo ! a trout, with sudden spring, Forms a spray-bow o'er the stream, And is added to my string. Verhum sap, Flip, flop, flap." 190 Fishing, in American Waters. l! The above pastoral was contributed by a clergyman who is as eloquent in the pulpit as he is persuasive along the streams. The disciples v/ere fishermen, The bait-rod should be a little heavier and longer than the fly-rod. I prefer one not less than fifteen feet in length, formed of four joints, the top one lancewood; and in place of rings, I prefer guides of aluminum. A click multiplier is the best reel. In angling a stream of tangled brush margin, it may be fished without the bottom joint by tying on the reel ; and in carrying the rod through brambles, it is best to unjoint, leaving the line and reel on when the distance is only from one trout pool to another, or not more than a mile. The bait-fisher is much more eager in pursuit of his game than is the fly-fisher. He threads his way through thorns and bram- bles that appear impenetrable to any one but a bait-fisher. He prefers to wade the stream if it be not too deep, but he permits nothing to prevent him fi-om fishing all the pools. He generally prefers to fish down stream, and if he discovers fresh tracks of an angler gone before, he will either endeavor most adroitly to get before him, or he will fish so slow as to let the trout recover from the fright caused from the disturb- ance of the waters by the angler ahead of him. In the mean time the foremost angler is continually on the alert to see that no one gets before him on the stream ; but if he suspects an attempt to outflank him, he pretends to reel up and p)-e- pare for home, when in reality he is only putting up his tao^ to make a long detour and arrive at the stream at a greater distance below his adversary. The bait-fisher does not — like the fly-fisher — fish all the stream, but knows how to judge where the trout lie in wait for bait. The fly-fisher often takes them from the shallow reefs before they seek their hid- ing-places, where the bait-fisher finds them. Bait-fishing is, of all field-sports, the parent of more patience and eager per- severance than any other. U mmi Glokious intellectual Musings. 191 CHAPTER IV. LESSON BY "JOSH BILLINGS." Anglers with bait are a more queer, quaint, peculiar class of sportsmen than are the devotees of the fly, and they include in their class students deeply read in nature and books. If you de- sire to find an original genius, you will most readily succeed among anglers with bait, who use primitive rods and tackle, and follow the streams solitary and silent, in a meditative mood, enjoying the sights and sounds of nature unmolested by the presence of the less contemplative fly-fisher, or the worshiper of dog and gun. Such a one Josh Billings appears to be, with his coat buttoned on the wrong side, if his writings are any index to the man. His lesson is included in the following original verse : " Whare the dul stream Ilaz fatted tew .a pulp The sooty arth, Oo seek the dark-skinned alder (A tiny forest), And from the crowded growth Selekt a slender wand, I ' ii m 192 Fishing in American Waters. Trii tapering from base to pinnakel, F'our yards in length. Bee it thy care Smoothly the bark tew cleave from awl the pole Save near the springy top. Thare leave the nat-tf kivver two feet or more ; Haply thus the game no fear will Lav When thwart the brook yu stretch the reed." Anglers will agree that "Josh" has studied both the rod and the habits of trout, for he describes what a fishing-rod should be for general use in angling along a stream where reels and jointed rods are scarcely ever seen. The favorite baits for such anglers are, 1st, angle-worms, or common earth- worms, kept in moss a day to scour, and then sometimes sprinkled with milk to feed them, and still not to darken their color ; 2d, the white grub-worm, found in great numbers by splitting decayed logs of soft maple or cherry; 3d, the shiner of the brook ; 4th, the grasshopper. The two latter baits are preferred by members of highest rank in the profession; and in lieu of the shiner, when near the coast, they use smelt and spearing with nearly equal success. THE AKDENT angler. Our wide acres and free streams are favorable to the cul- tivation of liberal, poetical, and artistic ideas, and I select the following verse from a poem by a gifted student at painting and the fine art of angling : "We break from the tree-groups, a glade deep with grass ; The white clover's breath loads the sense as we pass. A sparkle— a streak— a broad glitter is seen, The bright Callikoon through its thickets of green ! We rush to the banks— its sweet music we hear : Its gush, dash, and gurgle all blent to the ear. No shadows are drawn by the cloud^covered sun. We plunge in the crystal, our sport is begun. Our line, where that ripple shoots onward, Ave throw ; It sweeps to the foam-spangled eddy below ; A tremor— a pull— the trout upward is thrown, He swings to our basket— tJie prize is our own !" Alfred li. Strket. ^-A„ The Harmony of Nature. 193 The akdent Anolkk. I have also seen excellent fly-fishers with such an extem- porized rod as Josh Billings recommends. On Pine Creek, in Pennsylvania, anglers who fish for a livelihood use such a rod, and fish with only one clumsily-tied fly. They wade the stream— which is a good plan to avoid meeting rattlesnakes —and to a string tied over the left shoulder and under the left arm they attach their fish, and tow them along as they angle down the stream. On some days they take from thirty to fifty pounds of trout. On Trout Run, a tributary to Ly- coming Creek, the best native anglers use a rod formed of two hickory joints lashed together, and a top joint of whale- bone lashed on— whole length about nine feet. They fish down stream, wading the middle of the creek where not too deep, and casting right and left some forty feet, under boughs which barely clear the water, bringing out large prismatic beauties at nearly every cast with a single fly of domestic make. They do this where gentlemen amateurs, from all parts of the country, find it extremely difl^icult to get a rise to their superior flics, though presented with the best make N .i r I II 194 Fishing in American Waters. of split bamboo rod, handled by expert anglers. The natives tie on their click reel ; and for guides and top, use loops of leather or raw-hide. Reprenons notre Discours. — Of bait-fishing nothing seems more simple to the uninitiated than to be able successfully to angle with a worm. Mere urchins have succeeded with a rough stick, linen line, and clumsy hook, more clumsily tied on, and covered with a worm, in landing a goodly-sized fish. But this is a mere matter of luck, and it would V j absurd to classify the performance among the efforts of scientific bait- anglers. Entertaining, as I really do, great respect for many bait- fishers of trout, I the more cheerfully present the following opinion from the genial angler and man of genius, Thomas Tod Stoddart, whose " Companion" and '" Anglers' Rambles and Songs" have afforded me so much pleasure and instruc- tion : " It may perhaps startle some, and those no novices in the art, when I declare, and offer moreover to prove, that worm- fishing for trout requires essentially more address and expe- rience, as well as better knowledge of the habits and instincts of the fish, than fly-fishing." He does not refer to the prac- tice followed in brooks and petty streams, nor as pursued after heavy rains in discolored waters, and goes on to say : "My aflirmation bears solely on its practice as carried on during the summer months in Scotland, when the waters are clear and low, the skies bright and warm. Then it is, and then only, that it ought to be dignified as sport ; and sport it assuredly is, fully as exciting, perhaps more so than angling with the fly or minnow." As I agree in the method recommended by this teacher, I will give its principal features, and leave with the angler to decide in his course of practice between us. " The rod should approach seventeen feet in length, but light, top pieces some- what stiff, of lance or hickory." The common trouting-line of stained silk and hair, tapering RiQ FOB Bait-fishing. 195 from the middle to each end, as sold by our fishing-tackle men, ,s the best. The same may be said of the ordinary click reel, though it were better did it multiply. "The casting- me of silk- worm gut should be well tapered, and seven lengths of long single gut, tinged rather than dyed with the ordmary decoction of logwood and alum. The knots should be tied with care, but not whipped with thread-an operation which should be confined solely to the upper joints of the line. They ought to be of picked material, sound, clear, and fine, without flaw or fretting." • Hooks should be of finest steel, needle-pointed, and either the common Aberdeen round bend, Hutchinson's round bend Sproat's bend, or the Kinsey bend, known as the Pennsylva- nia trout-hook. " Before attaching the snell or gut, file and break oflTfrom a quarter to half an inch of the shank which 18 usually too long." This I have found best with hooks for small striped bass, which weigh each from half a pound to three pounds. Tie on the hooks with red silk, well waxed "Some worm-fishers of celebrity adopt a small projection of gut or bristle, as in the tackle used for the stone fly," etc. Sinkers should be made of split shot, from all sizes' between pigeon and buck shot, according to the tide or current or by winding sheet-lead round the line a foot or more above the hook. The bait should play under water, be kept mov- ing, and never allowed to sink to the bottom or float on the surface; and when the current is swift, shot should be dis- tributed above the regular sinker on the casting-line. The best bait-anglers seldom use a float ; when they do it is very small, only large enough to float the lightest sinker that will answer for the water. Casts should be regularly made, and the bait kept moving as if it were a fly under wa- ter ; or if in the current of a stream, should be made to move with the current, as if there were no hook in it. The head of the worm should be broken off", and the hook so baited with the remainder as to leave an inch of the tail free to plav naturally. ^ ^ 196 Fishing in American Waters. Of the varieties of angle-worm, that with rings, from five to six inches long, and about the size of a wheat-straw, is jJic best. Place the lot dug for fishing in cold water a little salt- ed, and leave them in five minutes ; then take them out, and place them on a dry board for ten minutes. To farther scour them, place them in swamp-moss which is damp, but not wringing wet ; let them remain over night, and next morning go a-fishing. The grub-worm is best in streams after a shower, because, beincr white, it shows best in discolored water. But the best bait of all for trout, to my notion, is a live shiner. Large trout will take it in preference to any other bait. As trout do not usually bite freely previous to a shower, it is best to bait-fish in the rain, or just after it has ceased. Fish know by instinct when it is going to rain, and they fast until it be- gins, because they expect the rain to swell the stream and bring down to them all sorts of delicacies; therefore, as soon as it commences to rain, they take any thing offered which they can swallow. It is the angler's duty and pleasure to study all the pecu- liarities of weather, with the habits and haunts of trout, and to practice upon them; for as the bait-fisher does not usu- ally whip all the surface of the water, but selects his places to drop his bait, it is necessary to know on which side of a rock or los it is natural for the trout to lie in wait for bait. The successful bait-angler studies also the condition of the water, and selects his favorite pools, while the fly-fisher looks for a gentle wind that will carry his flies off", and trusts to his skill and good fortune for attracting sport. Fly-fishing possesses its peculiar advantages. As a means of exercise, it reaches just the degree to brace the muscles, ex- ercise the temper, enliven the spirits, and produce the alter- nations between hope and despair characterized as sport. It encourages fine address and graceful attitudes, produces ear- nestness and even enthusiasm, and while the practice in minu- tiae is not so close as to pin the mind to earth, every sound of Alone with Nature. 197 so- bird or sight ot rioM-er is enjoyed by the devotee, and as he casts his eyes aloft and around, the eartli appears a paradise, and anglers the only appreciative recipients of its blessings! Hence, from tlie variety of emotions which entrance the mind of the angler, men of genius and learnmg, especially those of ideal temperament, such as poets, painters, sculptors, philoso phers, and worshipers of nature, become so penetrated witi the beauties which surround its pursuit, that the cold, calcu lating outer world deems them mad upon a trivial subject. But it was owing solely to the pleasures which angling con- fers that Thomson, Burns, Scott, Hogg, and a host of other acknowledged worthies, succeded by Prof. Wilson, Words- worth, King Leopold, Dr. Bethune, and Daniel Webster, ea- gerly exchanged the gray goose-quill and the fellowship o*" books for the gently-tapering trout-rod and the music of the rills and cascades, older than the rhythm of Homer, and as at- tractive as the propositions of Socrates. "Therefore it was that Paley left his meditative home, and Davy his tests and crucibles, Chantrey his moulds, models, and chisel-work-eacli and all to rejoice and renovate themselves," and to fish up new ideas as with the gentle wand they cast their lines in pleasant places, playing trout in sparkling waters, and enjoy- ing a sportive recreation which ever fills the mind with pure and joyous emotions, tempered by serene philosophy. 198 Fishing in American Watkrs. I I SECTION SECOND. angling for children. " Come when the leaf comes, angle with me, Come when the bee comes crossing the lea ; Come with the wild flowers, Come with the mild showers. Come when the singing bird calletli for thee !" Stoddart. TRANGE ! I sometimes involun- tarily ejaculate when I see people economize the necessa- ries of life in order to be able to support a carriage and dress the family fancifully, to take them on a drive hi the country over dusty roads as an airing and exercise for the promotion of health. Of course, exercise in the open air is necessary for the ^reservation of good health; and a residence in a city where the only breathing-places are its parks, or in the few country places which are remote from waters that ofter the recreation of angling, there is an excuse for the next means in the sim- ple catalogue for promoting and preserving health, which is driving or ridhig on horseback. But in our country of broad acres and free fishings, every parent should teach his children to angle. The sport, which is not laborious, soon renders the young student so ardent in its pursuit that he will get sufficient exercise, while his mind I Tempering youthful Ambition. 199 will be rendered logical by the realization of cause and effect and his whole being will soon become attuned to the harmo- nies of nature. The pleasurable exercise and anxieties in the practice of angling rest and recuperate the mind, so that children are thereby enabled to commit their school lessons to memory with greater ease, and to understand them more fully. A small stream to angle in from the shore, or a pond to row out on and anchor the boat to fish from, is a- great lux- ury which a family should not omit the enjoyment of. I have noticed with pleasure that the taste for angling has been in- creasing annually for the past ten years with our ladies. They begin to delight in fishing excursions and in the harmony of angling. There is, therefore, hope of a large crop of anglers from the rising generation. Twenty years ago there were scarcely a dozen ladies in the metropolis who could scull a boat, but now many ladies ply a pair of sculls very grace- fully. With those families settled near the shores of the numerous water approaches to New York, and along Har- lem River, the taste is setting in favor of light, buoyant, com- fortable, and elegant row-boats; and morning and evening these boats, laden with joyous families of children, lend an enlivening charm to the scene. Sometimes papa and mamma take the children a-fishing Whenever they do, they should supply them with a light bamboo rod, and attach at a joint one tliird from the top end a very fine silk or linen line; wind it a few times round the rod, and cast two half hitches over the top end ; then affix a float according to the depth of the water, so that the bait will sink within six inches of the bottom, and a foot above the hook fasten to the line from one to three split shot. Let the hook be the minnow size, and the bait— a piece of angle-worm' dug the day previous, and laid in moss or green grass over night to scour, if for small fresh-water fishes— should merely cover the point of the hook. Never bait with the head of the worm; always break that off and throw it in the water. iwwirft* ^pp 200 Fishing in American Waters. Sometimes it is best to take an extra supply of m orms, and cut some of them into small pieces and throw them into the fishing-pool to attract the fishes to the place where you in- tend angling. The liver of any animal is good bait for sun- fish, shiners, chubs, dace, etc. If angling in salt-water for white perch, smelt, spearing, porgees, and tomcods, use shrimp for bait; or, if they can not be procured, use either soft or hard shell clam. Rig the line with only one hook, and let papa regulate the whole tackle according to the size of the fishes to be angled for. Oh ! well do I remember the time when I first essayed to capture the finny beauties of the brook. I was about seven years old, and as my father, who was devoted to educational pursuits, had found both recreation and consolation in an- gling, he used sometimes to permit me to accompany him and carry his strings of trout, and finally rigged me out with a wand, line, and hook. The first fish that I caught was a shiner. The sensation caused by the bite of the fish, and the sight of the trembling and shining beauty as I cast it over my head, and when realizing, by running to my hook and learning that I had actually caught it, were moments as in- describable as they were ecstatic. I was anxious to return home at once and show the trophy to the family, and was not dissuaded until my larger comrades pointed out the pos- sibility of my taking a long string of such jewels. After practicing a season with this light tackle, it will be best to procure regular perch-tackle, and the next season a reel and trout-rod may be added to the outfit. Then grass- hoppers will be found the favorite bait for trout and young black bass, and small shiners and white grub- worms will be found most attractive after a shower for large trout, black bass, perch, and now and then a sand pickerel, which some of the fishermen call dork. The lad will soon learn that the most rapturous sport is realized along a stream and amony the birds as they chirp and sing while flitting from spray to spray, for they rightly regard the young angler as a friend. vna First Sense of < se and Effect. 201 meldvr'i' ' T'""" '' ^'^^ ^^^ ^^^^ -«'^ o^he. i„ melody to charm hini on. , <1 en m the punt, when papa rows out on the pond and an- ors the punt, and then baits the hooks and takes off t" 'sh. This IS the contemplative philosopher's recreation. It iJ' f^imple, mnocent, and charmino-. "Delicious musings fill the heart, and images of bliss; Ah I that all pictures of the past were innocent as this!" "Like distant music— heard at even, When the gold light has left the dj^ing day- Which, like some spirit song from heaven, Swells softly, then as softly dies away; Yet dieth not away within the soul, But leaves a soothing influence behind That oft will in our thoughtful hours control The grosser, worldly cares that crowd the mind- Just so the thoughts of dearest friends will steal Over the pensive soul with fond reflections And, waking slumbering chords of love, reveal Those hidden ties that bind our best affections ; And-goodness gracious, bless me I-what a deal Ut good It does to have such recollections ! "—C Bede 202 Fishing in American Waters. The Salmon. — Salmo salar. CHAPTER V. THE SALMON. This is the head of a numerous species, or rather of many families. The body is covered with fine scales ; the fins are all soft-rayed except the second dorsal, which is composed of a soft adipose film. It has an air-bladder which extends the whole length of the abdomen. The genus Salmo contains those species, sixch as the salmon and trout, in which the upper jaw is formed by the superior maxillary bones — the intermaxillaries being small — situated between the maxillaries. Usually these bones descend into the front of the superior maxillaries, and form the upp'er boundary of the mouth. The maxillaries, palatines, vomer, and even the tongue, are furnished with teeth. The bran- chiostegous, or gill rays, are about ten in number. Numerous species of this genus are found in the seas of the northern hemisphere, one of the largest of which is the com- mon salmon {Salmo salar. — Lin.), a fish too well known, both as to flavor and appearance, to require particular desci'iption. Cuvier states that it is found in all the arctic seas, whence it enters the rivers in the spring. The Salmo salar, which the inhabitants of the British Isles appropriately distinguish as both " noble" and " royal," be- '^ause it is the fish which affords them their highest degree of sport in angling, according to their estimate of the value of field-sports, has been differently esteemed for its esculent qualities at several periods in modern history, though at no Anglers THE TRUE FRIENDS o the Salmon. 203 time have its gamy qualities been questioned. In the eight- eenth century its shoals became so numerous as to make it necessary to guard, by a clause in indentures, against feed- mg apprentices with it more than two days in each week This was the case in England and in some of its colonies But from many of our rivers, which teemed with salmon at the beginning of the present century, this delicious and grace- tul fish has been driven away ; and were it not that-through the efforts of a few angling philosophers-the public has be- come sufficiently enlightened to see the necessity for the em- ployment of means to restock our salmon rivers, it would be scarcely worth the time and ink necessary to describe the salmon m its varied aspects for the table, for commerce, and as an mterestmg feature in the -ecreative sports of the coun- try. But, thanks to a few public-spirited gentlemen, whose sci- entific discoveries were derived from experiments instituted at their own expense, the recent reports of the Fisheries Com- missioners of New England show that the waters are being restocked with such zeal and alacrity that it will not be more than five years before most of the rivers north of Pennsylva- nia will be literally repeopled with salmon. The favorable prospects thus extended, when coupled with the generosity of our Northern neighbors, whereby the Dominion permits us to compete equally with its own people in the leasing of Ca- nadian salmon-waters, gives hopeful promise that salmon-fish- ing with the fly will soon engage the atteniion of our anglers for striped bass during June and July, and thus add an inter- esting feature to the sports of the year, without trenching upon the best season for striped-bass angling. The Highlander who stated that " no man has any right to a hunter's badge who has not killed a red deer, an eagle, a salmon, and a seal," had nevor been in America, or he would have made some additions t , his prerequisites. If it exhilar- ates and even astonishes to ti.Ke a salmon in the modest riv- ers of the British Isles, with gaffers as helpers, who know 204 Fishing in American Waters. every cast in a pogl, what must the sport be on the large, wild, and rapid rivers of Canada, with no adequate help ? Since we have no other choice, if we would go a salmon- fishing, but to repair either to Scotland, Ireland, or to the Do- minion of Canadji, and as several rivers in Canada are leased by American anglers, and all sportsmen from the States are liberally and even courteously treated there, I should 'give a preference to Canadian salmon-waters over those across the Atlantic, even were the fishings offered at the same price ; but in the matter of expense, Canada is much the most eco- nomical for our anglers. The fish are also much larger on this side on an average, the scenery is more majestic, and the riv- ers more graTid. To spend a summer month on one of the riv- ers which empty on the north shore of tKe Gulf of the St. Law- rence is to rest the mind by the most absolute exclusion from the world. When I essayed the ascent of one of the great rivers which empty into the Gulf of St. Lawrence north of the island of Anticosti, the world was tranquil. I rested there free from the news of civilization. For a month I admired the grandeur of the mountains, the majesty of the broad and rapid river, the elegant play of salmon, and the dexterity of the seals ; and at night the brilliancy of the northern horizon and gcu-geousness of the lunar bow enraptured me. On my return down the river, I was astonished to hear that a great war was in progress between Prussia and Austria, and that the cholera was raging in many places; but I was delight- fully surprised to learn that the Atlantic telegraph was in successful operation, though shocked at hearing of the dead- lock in Washington and the intention to impeach the Presi- dent. Neither of these important topics were spoken of when I left New York to visit the wilderness on the north side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. I therefore advise those who de- sire to unbend the mind and become perfectly Rip Van Win- klefied, to try the rejuvenating effect of salmon-fishing in Canada. Anglers of the United States who desire to fish a salmon- Pbepaking to Staut for Salmon. 205 river in the dominion of Canada should club together and apply for the fluvial parts of rivers. The estuary is usually devoted to net-tishing, but it would be a better plan to apply for a whole river, and then have the estuary netted if prefer- red, or devote the whole river to fly-fishing. As salmon do not rise to the fly in the tidal parts of rivers, if the river is well stocked, the company might have the tidal part netted with sweep-nets to a certain extent, but gill-nets and other nets fastened to ground fixtures should be avoided. A party of four gentlemen own the lease of the Godbout, and permit no netting. It is contrary to law to fish on Sunday in any part of Canada. The government leases the rivers for a term of nine years, and the rivers unlet on the first day of each year are advertised by the government to be let to the high- est bidders. The places of residence of those tendering for fishings are not considered in letting a river, and if a gentle- man of the States overbids a Canadian, the river will be de- clared as his. Rivers are therefore hired by Europeans as well as by Canadians and citizens of the States. Prior to the formation of the Dominion of Canada out of the provinces, the salmon-rivers were under the control of the Minister of Crown Lands ; but now they are managed by the Minister of Marine and Fisheries, at present the Hon. Peter Mitchell, to whom all applications should be made for leases of rivers. Rivers are either let in whole or in parts, each part permit- ting the use of a given number of rods, generally four. The fluvial part of the Moisie, for example, is divided into three fishings, the estuary being hired for fishing with nets. The other two parts accommodate eight rods. Parties, on making application to the Hon. P. Mitchell, at Ottawa, should state what number of rods they desire to accommodate, and on v'hich side of the St. Lawrence they prefer a river. He will then forward the applicants a list of the rivers to be let, wath such other information as he may deem necessary for their guidance. After receiving the list of rivers and a note of in- formation, they should apply to some gentleman of the Do- 206 Fishing in American Waters. minion to make the tender for them. If necessary, on appli- cation, I will name a suitable person at the seat of govern- ment to whom they may apply with confidence. The course which I recommend to gentlemen of the States is pursued by sportsmen of Canada. The prices for the flu- vial parts of rivers are very modest. I belonged to a party of four anglers who hired the whole of the fluvial part of a first-class river for three hundred dollars for a single season. The leases of fluvial parts of rivers vary from two to six hun- dred dollars a year for from three to eight rods; and the price for guides or gaffers is a dollar a day. Canoes and pro- visions are cheap there ; a first-rate canoe may be purchased for from twelve to fifteen dollars ; and as for desiccated meats and canned vegetables, with potatoes and eggs, also wines and diffusible stimulants, they do not cost more than half the sum demanded for them in the States. Then, as an econom- ical summer trip of a month or six weeks, the cost is less than the expense of staying at a watering-place hotel, which is similar to a city hotel minus its comforts. If the lovers of field-sports in the United States can but be induced to try salmon-fishing, it will not be long before the rivers in the States will teem with the silver beauties. I have before me a score of five weeks' fishing in the Godbout for four rods. The total count was 279 salni* a, weighing 3116 pounds, or the average weight of each fish 1 U pounds. They did not aver- age the use of more than three rods daily, or more than five days each week. I have seen larger takes, but this is a high score for salmon-fishing in any part of the world. As I have stated, an application to hire the fluvial or an- gling part of a salmon-river from the government of the Do- minion is to be for the term of nine years, and the prices of the rivers must necessarily advance as anglers multiply in numbers and America increases 'n wealth ; for salmon-fish- ing, on the list of recreations which most deeply interest cul- tivated men, is esteemed a high art. To Kenew our Youth. LOT SECTION SECOND. OUTFIT FOR SALMON-FISHING. 1 tent, either a marquee, wall-tent, or a common circular tent. 2 rubber blankets. 2 head-nets. 1 musquito-bar. 1 pair wading trowsers, water-jiroof and large. 1 water-proof overcoat, large and light. 1 oil-cloth coat and pants, to wear when fishing in the rain. 2 pairs of pegged army shoes for wading. 6 " heavy woolen half hose. 1 pair of heavy woolen blankets. 1 rubber bag, large size. 1 rubber pillow. 1 pint aqua ammonia, for applying to bites of black flies, for preventing the secondary effect of swelling. 1 small case of medicines. • To guard against being bitten by black flies and musqui- toes, carry a bottle of castor-oil mixed with a strong tincture of camphor. Some salmon-angle'-s employ a composition of tar and camphor, which gives them the tawny tint of the In- dian, though it is one of the best protections against flies. The black fly is the worst during daytime, while the musqui- toes and gnats begin their depredations at sundown and con- tinue until sunrise. Your gaffer should fumigate your tent every night before you retire with a smudge smoke. Both the head-net and musquito-bar should be used every night. For constant wear, day and night, supply yourself with a pair of woolen gloves extending near to the elbows, worn over the coat sleeve and held up by an elastic strap ; or sew a pair of cotton stocking-legs to the wrists of a pair of gloves, either dogskin, buckskin, or close and thick woolen gloves. A trip to Canada for salmon-fishing would be the gem of the year for all anglers, and even summer excursionists, Avere 208 Fishing in American Waters. It not for the flies ; yet they are no worse there thun they are in the Adirondacks, nor so bad as they are in the wilds of Maine and New Hampshire. A fishing-hat like No. 1 is formed of two parts, like 2 and 3, the latter setting on the band of 2 so that the vents will not meet, but the outer ones alternate with the under ones just above the brim. The edge of 3 is tacked down on the brim, which leaves a space between that and the upright part of 2 of half an inch or more, and cover the sewing to the brim with a band. The ventilation of thishat is excellent. The hat is known by name as the Gibraltar hat, while others call it the Calcutta hat. It is usually made of drab felt, and worn as an undress hat by European military officers when doing duty in warm climates. It is unquestionably the best ventilated hat made, except those from India, woven from grass or platted from bamboo ; but the felt ones are the best in shape, and lighter than the real Indian hat. ■0- Fishing-hat ani> Salmon-uod. 2 Salmon Rods, — The salmon-rod of four joints is indica- ted by Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7. The two upper joints are spliced with a small ring covering the end of each, as directed for the modern splice illustrated on another page. The following explanation I think worthy the attention of fly-fishers : An excellent Rod. ' 209 " «i«»-^^ot the least pleasure of the angler consists in looking back upon the summer-time when he 'wandered dreamily away up among the hills by the side of a tiny beck new to the angler, with no sound but the plover or the cur- lew, or the distant tinkle of the bell-wether; no incumbrance but a light rod; no bother about what flies will or will not HUit ; no tackle beyond a yard of gut and two or three hooks m a piece of brown paper; a small bag of moss with well- scoured worms within ; a sandwich or cold mutton Chop- in ^^""•/^^•.Pr^f'f^'^^^^e-in one pocket, and a flask of the dew tha shines m the starlight when kings dinna ken in the other " etc., etc. ; and when autumn, with its bracing air succeeded summer, to the wild, excited, yet concentrated thril that shot through his frame when he hooked the « lord- ly salmon," and which lasted till he could say to h mself "Tt IS my turn now; you shall not have all your own way ^ith "^'^"<^h have been my feelings this cold, Stormy winter even- mg, as I sat over a cosy fire in my easy-chair. I felt inclined to good fellowship with all anglers, especially such of them as have arrived at my time of life, when they naturally look back to what they have been in preference to what they are now, but are still fond of the sport when stength and oppor- tumty allow of following it. For the especial benefit of the latter, if you and they think it worth accepting, I have turned to my writing-case to give you the particulars of a light sal- raon-rod, equally good for worm or salmon fishing, which I got made at home last year. "Its weight is n lb. ; length, 15* feet; first fish killed with It, 18 lbs. weight. "The first week in September this season I hooked and killed a male fish, 17 lbs., and hooked and killed on successive days seven fish, aggregate weight nearly 90 lbs., without los- ing any thing once hooked. Two or three had the sea-lice on them-one especially, a ISj-pounder, which for running jumping, wheeling round and round in circles, shaking iu aio Fishing in American Waters. head, and lashing the water with its tail, exceeded any thing I ever had on. An old angler who was on the opposite side of the river, and has himself killed above fifty salmon this season, said it was the wildest fish he ever saw. " Well, not to be prolix, I give you the result of many hours' study in few words, prefacing thi.'n with the observa- tion that the rod is as straight and serviceable now as when first made, and has never failed or needed repair. "For the butt, 5f feet of well-seasoned, selected memel, with the fibre of the wood running straight in the direction of the rod ; if these conditions are not observed the wood is useless. For the middle piece, 4} feet of selected ash. For top, 4i feet of lancewood. The memel butt is brass-hooped, has good strong brass hoops for the wheel, and is joined to the ash middle-piece with the usual brass ferrule. The lance- wood top and ash middle-piece are joined with a new splice, which is superior to the ferrule joining for its lightness, im- possibility of any shifting, and the quickness with which it is put together. This is the 'modern splice for fly-rods,' which is illustrated and described on page 160, under the head of'Trouting Tackle.' " There are twenty rings, giyiduatmg in size from the butt to the top, including the top ring, which is just large enough to allow the line to run freely. Proper ringing of a rod dis- tributes the weight of a fish equally over it until it comes to the ring on the butt end. The rod graduates from the butt end to the top, is neither stiff" nor supple, and throws a long line. The weight of the whole rod will give an idea of the thickness of each piece. " I wish to draw especial attention to the material of lie butt, the ringing, and the new splice. This new form oi splice obviates the only objections (loss of time in tying, loosening of splice during use, and the wearing of the ends of the splice) against a spliced rod, and renders it incompar- ably superior to a 'i. I'uled rod." Francis Fi^avh ;ut- '■ that "the best wood is unquestion- IVluTUAL Congratulations. 223 I just touch the bite with ammonia, and it gives me no pain, and never swells. The black flies do not trouble you after dark, and that's a great comfort." I saw a few signs of defaced beauty, but kept mum. In fact, on looking upon those two ladies, I felt proud of such specimens. One of them had visited most of the courts of Europe, and the other had accompanied her triumphant hus- band throughout our recent great war. We therefore num- bered six in the party, two ladies and four gentlemen; and I am bound to acknowledge that, throughout our month of camp life, hundreds of miles from a post-oflice, the ladies ex- emplified the highest degree of spirit and pleasure, ^ith the least appearance of annoyance at any discomfort; and these were the two first white ladies. that ever ascended the great St. John River. Having examined the surroundings, and admired the great contrasts of the heavens with the mountains, and the wide, -4 ^ 2M Fishing in American Waters. rapid, roaring river with its tributary of Rattling R;;n, and while I was beginning to scan the lay of the grounds for de- ciding where to pitch tents, behold our comrades ! They came fishing along, towing four salmon on the gaff, while the general played a fifteen-pounder all the way down from the falls, a mile up the river. It having become midday, we compared notes and took dinner. At dinner we discussed the almighty salmon in all his aspects — from his seclusion in corners of the earth, where he is protected by flics and an almost impenetrable wilder- ness, to his high game, and, finally, the epicurean appearance he lends to the ainner-tablo. Our dinner consisted of Saumon il la maitre cVhotel. Saunion frit. Saumon au gratin. tTaniOo^i briilee. Les 07'^nons de Bermnde. Biscuit de mer. Le X>ain et du beurre. Du the et du sucre. Having twenty -seven miles of rapids against which to transport our stores, our potatoes and our claret were left at the mouth of the river, besides our desiccated meats, soups, vegetables, and fruits preserved in cans. Even our old Ja- maica rum was left, and the only diifusible stimulant was gin —Holland gin ! But, in order that our coffee, milk, and the numerous luxuries laid in for the campaign should be on hand for the glorious Fourth of July, we divided our men and canoes, half to transport our provisions from the mouth to the camps, and the other half to serve in the way of pad- dling us to our places for angling, gafling our salmon, and pitching our tents, waiting on us, cooking, etc. The general and the doctor had so excited my friend the banker and myself with stories of captivating sports, that, immediately after dinniir, we hardly thought of a cigar, but Peepaeiho fob the Encounter. 226 forth«^th commenced .plicing oar rods. To save mo that -. .*rM,r :r:xtt^t\:t.tdt .-de me sit down i„ the river to ooo. 0^:1: UH:' tilt -•endor it captivating in tl,at wide anr/apiZivor T 7 m,rcd the rivor; the breaks of salmon of from to to twonf ' -.e^niLrrSr];:!--:!-^^^^^^^^^^ pectcd the salmon were waiting for Cml ' *" '" can had retnrnod to the m„„ h o I • "'"'f "' "' """" again examined mv teckr I, , f "iV"'' i'™"™''s,I fish average from ei!ht ' .hi, T" """'«'" ^'"""'^ Lave take? a fo^lnd ,t ITl T'' ""'y' »"" ' striped bass was /sCg 1 L7; Lc TeL':' • '"^'""""^ ''"^ silk-worm gut " ' '""" '' '" ™'y ^ single ». .0 examined t..aarn;raS:sC:^rht'r 7' cast, abont half a, ll; the?, 7 '"'""' ' ''"" "' -"h Tl-e fish did not tl t J y auZ" T"''', "^ '""• tVom beneath, but ro.so over th, I 1 f '^ ""'""S "' " H,. «n„„„ • : '"""y .'"'J 'ook it ongoing back Ho soon convinced mo th»t he was thor,. 1. • • ? ••...ove water, and ont fanhonntor :::er;;rt,:::r::: 226 Fishing in American Waters. was stronger. When he leaijed, as he did numerous times, I lowered the top of my rod as if bowing to his mandate. By- and-by he suffered himself to be reeled up quite near me, no doubt because his curiosity prompted liim to study the cause of his difficulty, and to try, if possible, to reach its source. In the mean time I was snouting for some man to come and gaff my salmon. After having scanned " tho head and front of the offend- ing," he turned and ran off moderately until he arrived in the swiftest part of tlie current, and then all I could do would not stop him. I Avas therefore obliged to follow, and down 1 started along the stony shore for a quarter of a mile, when I became fatigued ; and, as if to spell me, the fish halted and remained until he rested long enough, and then he rose and made a quadrilateral leap, or four leaps in as many directions at the same time. Said I, " My chap, you are some !" " How many lives have you got, anyhow ?" thought I. But there was no use of thinking or speculating, for he had mounted his high horse again, and down the river I had to follow. My extemporized gaffer advised me to snub him. I replied that I had, but it was of no use. Presently he halted again, and, drenched with perspiration, I doffed my head fly-net and pre- pared to do battle in open air. It was not long before he gathered strength again, and started for the middle of the river ; but a little harder play coaxed him to change his mind. He then began leaping and cavorting, as if he wtus only in fun all the time, and had as lief as not come in out of the wet. In a few more turns, the gaffer made a pass at the fish and missed him. The fish then showed great vigor, and acted as if he would never say die; but after several efforts the gaffer brought him up, and he weighed only twelve pounds. With perspiration rolling down me and not a little fii- tigued, I started back to where I hooked the salmon and com- menced casting for another. It was not long before I liookcd him, and without much make-believe he started down the river and I after liim. Presently he waited to rest, and then Goma THROUGH A Course of Sprouts. 227 eat fpt "do^" h' '"^ "'"*' *''^ "'^'"'^'' "» «'"^<^ >^ He weighed within a mile below wliere I had hooJed him pound of as much as the first one ' Again I retraced my steps to the head of the pool to when- ontly he slackened speed, and even ston,W f^ i ^ against a .ook, a,u, U,. t^I^^ el'I^o .Ir; the wove merely casual experiment. ,o wl.ot Im i,,. ', " ith his other hand hnhl: leg, the pig too 1 lar<> "g a rope fastened to a pig's for Pat to control. About that time 1 1 ! I I i 228 Fishing in Ami<;rican Waters. did not think of black flies, nor rocks and sore shins. My friend sometimes generously came near shore, and once I thought I saw him throw his tail up, as a sure sign of grow- ing weakness, but it was all sham. He was only studying my tackle, and his means of escape by parting it. He was up near the gaff several times, and eyed the instrument crit- ically, but with a whirl of astonishment akin to anger and disdain, as if in this age of negro suft'rage a man so cruel could be found as to fight salmon with so unequal and hide- ous a weapon. But he curled on the water, and while he touched his nose with the end of his tail, ho looked askance for an instant ; then he made a prodigious leap down stream, :?nd planged some ten feet under water and came up five rods above, thus forming a bight in the line, by which he ex- pected to gain slack and extricate himself But it Avas all no go. I thought he was mine, and preserved great care lest he should unhook while bringing him to the gaff. He came for- ward as willing as a pet lamb until within three rods of shore ; he then made a turn, and with dips, dives, leaps, and other 'devices, liberated himself, and took my fly-hook with him. I felt wilted ; worse, I was outgeneraled ; worse still, I was vanquished. I once more mechanically walked nearly a mile to the foot of the rapid, but I could not cast with hope and confidence, and, as the sun was about setting and the musqui- toes began their carnival, I repaired to the tent and to sup- per, used up, though partially successful. Thus ended my first afternoon's angling for salmon in Lower Canada. SECTION FIFTH. tenting in the wilderness. Our guides had pitched our tents, and carpeted them witli fir -boughs which they clipped from the shrubbery back- ground of the plateau. My bed consisted of two breadths six and a half feet long of canvas, closed by a seam length- p tlie centre, and hemmed six inches wide at each side «r<tj'"» " ■....4 A BKFRPJSHING LlXUKY. 22J* reived to fasten the poles to, thus forming a canvas bed 6^ feet long, 3 feet wide, and a foot above the carpet or ground of the tent. If preferred, the foot-log need not be so large I. the head one; only have regard to stretching your bed hi..h enon,^h to admit the circulation of air under it. The follow mg .ketch may help illustrate. Camp Bed. The guides had also cut the poles and inserted them in the hems of the canvas, which I bought and brought with me from Quebec, and with stretchers across the ends of the can- vas, they had fastened my bed to the head and foot logs made my bed, and had built a smudge fire in front of my tent. Oh, how refreshing the aroma of a tent carpeted with hr-boughs! no one, without experience, can properly apnre- ciate the luxury. ^ After a social supper, we convened in a circle around t})e smudge fire before my tent to discuss the mighty salmon and to mform the ladies of the changes in the fashions up to the day we left, being a week after their departure. Of course the changes had been considerable, and the gentle- men's forty-eight hours' advance in studying the peculiarities of the salmon there had entitled them to the honors of Men- torship. So, after summing up and being summed up, and the tent smoked o. t with a smudge fire on a piece of birch bark, I laid my rubber blanket on the bed, and was soon dreammg that I had captured the beautiful salmon that I had played so long, and was being serenaded l)y all the oth- er milt salmon for ridding them of the dandy of the river Being vociferously called on for a speech, it so shocked my nervos that I awoke, and the light peering in through the in- terstices of my tent, I forthwith arose for the morning. 230 Fishing in American Waters. n "The little landscape round Was green and woody, and refreshed the eye ; It was a spot wliieh you might aptly call The Valley of Seclusion." Bright and beautiful was tlio weather, and the two birds whicli charm the mornings of that wilderness wild were pip- ing their mellifluous notes, while the only responses heard were the snores of our guides in a one-sided bark shanty, where they lay on fir-boughs, toasting their feet before a smudge fire. As it appeared to be about seven o'clock, I was surprised to see not a soul moving. I walked a few rods to the river, where I watched admiringly the salmon's leap, but looked in vain for a seal. After having been up nearly an hour, and perceiving that friends and guides were still asleep, I concluded to- call up the gaffers and cidsinier, or cook. As our cook was perfectly innocent of any language but a lui- miek patois^ by which tongue potatoes or pommes de terre are known as potack, of course I found it difticult to make him understand either English or French, and that is an un- pardonable fliult in a cook. Well, as they lay snoring, and not one awake, I thought I would see what time it was before arousing them ; and on consulting my watch, I learned that it was precisely half past three o'clock ! Well, said I, sotto voce, this is a strange coun- try, and, lest I should disturb my lodging comrades, I re- clined outside the tent, and tried to take another nap ; but the black flies had also awoke, and began paying their dis- tresses to me, much to the sacrifice of an amount of beauty too scant to lose any without an exposure of its want. I re- monstrated at the presentation of bills at such an unseason- able hour, but they only shouted the louder, and called to- gether so great a number as to oblige me to decamp. I therefore resorted to Kattling Run to take a bath. While bathing it was all very Avell, but between undressinji and dressing they took me at a disadvantage, and by both nius- (piitoes and black flies I was decidedly worsted. On mv re- Y'lELDINO TO ClK0l'M6TANCEe. 231 »nore, tl,c noisos of hares, porcupines, and squirrels in the ^ ove hard by, and the two songsters singing so .ner^Sy a to dr .„, , i„ „,^„^ _^__^^_ .^^^^ Sn^examining ™; «atcl^ I learned that it was five o'clock. I the.-efore deter- mined on arousing the cook and the gaffers. They Ce ...n s n, the river, and that was all the toilet-making needed or they had slept with their boots and shoes on as protee-' on against flies. John, the captain of the gang becaCof Ins superior Milesian intelligence, who could sLk cZllv lo^el had been the custom under Dr. Bluff, of the First Fiisi oe.^ or any gentleman who had prcviousi; fished that it" We then l"r TT' V° ™'"""'"" «*'"S "«'»- ■>-.' Well, then, I replied, we Yankees will teach you a new lesson But, upon aseertaining that my friends were opposed to ri"' S^^Tc :k"s'^'°. 1 "■•^■"""•"^''^ y^oidedfand ti,:;:. toi ward the cook and gmdcs suited their own comfort about toes. "' '" ''™'' ""= '''"'''"' "f"'" "'"^q'"- But it seemed that the noise caused from mustering the men had aw.akcned the doctor, who crawled out of his t with modest eare for fear of arousing the other two inmate when he mildly saluted me with " G^od mornh,gn,reame your eye out?" I replied that my eyes were ^^od nZh to perceive that three or four bites from black flies had . .anged his phi. into a picture of a Chinese monstl ity ^ ou don't say so !" he ejaculated " Where ?" I pointed g them he forthwith applied ammonia to the bites, and bathed mine also with it. Smudge fires were at once made before our tents and ex- temporized breakfast-plaee. Our euisinier was soon cn^tTd .'l fr.v.ng pork and Bermuda onions, broiling salmon, mlwng 232 Fishing in American Watees. tea, etc., etc. As we had not tasted potatoes in a week, we began to long for them. Our table was set, and breakfast about ready, when the general and the banker made their appearance with their ladies, and, after mutual salutations, we all seated ourselves for breakfast. Our plates and dishes were composed of cast-iron outside and porcelain inside; and, though nearly as beautiful as sets and dishes of figured china, they were as durable as iron, and just the kind that should be adopted for kitchen use in the metropolis. By each plate a stone about the size of a goose-egg was placed, to use in cracking our sea-biscuit. Good sea-biscuit is much better than common bread in the wilderness, and when cracked uj) and crumbled into a bowl of tea, or, by being first dipped into cold water to soften it, is afterward fried in the fat of the pan after pork and eggs, is excellent, especially in the absence of potatoes. I was almost shocked on perceiving that the right eye of the banker's lady was closed, and a large lump on her left temple, almost spoiling her beauty ; but I did not allude to it until she mentioned that the flies had somewhat disfig- ured me, when I asked her how she had rested. She replied, " Very well ; but this morning, while bathing my face, I found that I had a large lump on the left side of it, and my right eye felt fatty. I called to ray husband, and asked him what it was. He replied by asking me to shut my left eye and look at him with my right one, and when I obeyed he said he was surprised, for my right eye appeared to be enthely closed. Neither my eye nor my face pain me at all, but the general's lady has applied ammonia to the bites, and I expect nothing more serious from them. Hereafter I shall wear my head-net night and day, and my Esquimaux boots." I com- plimented her philosophy, and imitated her example by wear- ing boots every night for a month, though fishing in shoes and wet trowsers, and, on returning to the tent twice a day, doffing my wet clothes, and rubbing down with a crash tow- el, and substituting dry clothes and boots until ready to start New Course of Tkaining. 23a for the nver again, when I would doff the dry clothes and re- place them by wet wading ones and shoes, with thick woolen half hose— sometimes two pairs— in a very large pair of shoes. Wide-soled pegged bottoms are the best. This changing of dresses was our daily mochts operandi; and I waded, bathed, changed dress, whipped, played salmon, and was bitten by tiies until I reduced my weight more than twenty pounds. I therefore suggest salmon-angling as the best training that a person can indulge in whose adiposity preponderates. This system has the advantage of " Banting on Corpulence," be- cause, while it reduces the amount of fat or adipose matter, it hardens the muscles, and thus improves the wind and phys- ical power of a man. If a person desires training so as to endure great flitigue, and render him more active and supple, I advise him to forthwith apply for a salmon-river; and, aft- er having secured a lease of it for the usual term of nine years, to send a good, trusty man there next April, and let him employ a couple of Canadian half-breeds, buy a couple of bark canoes, to be had for fifteen dollars each, and let your man build a couple of log huts at the foot of each of the prin- cipal rapids or falls, and let him cover them well with birch bark, and line them throughout with the bark, so as to keep out the flies. A chimney is quite unnecessary, as a smudge fire in the middle of the cabin will keep the flies away, if musquito-netting covers each window or aperture loft to ad- rait light. Then I should advise visiting the river as early as the 15th of June, and angling until the end of July. This plan will insure a month of good fishing, and no trouble fr n the effects of flies worth naming. In fact, it will un- bend the mind, invigorate the body, and renew your lease of life. Of biting flies, the following, written by the Bishop of Quebec while on a journey up the Red River, in his "Songs of the Wilderness," is truthfully expressive : / if I 4 II ' '2M Fishing in American Waters. ' ' Among the plagues on earth which God has sent. Of lighter torment is the plague of Hies : Not as of Egypt once the punishment, Yet such sometimes as feeble i)atience tries. Where wild America in vastness lies, There diverse hordes the swamps and woods infest. Banded or singly, these make man their prize ; Quick by their subtle dart is blood expressed Or tumor raised. By tiny foe distressed, Travelers in forest rude with veil arc fain To arm the face ; men there whose dwellings rest Crouch in thick smoke; like help their cattle gain.* Oh wise in trials great, in troubles small, Who know to find mementoes of the Full." A morning's experience. Our two solitary " birdies" were piping the peculiar notes of the Northern wilderness, the salmon were leaping and splashing, and I longed to tackle the mate of the silver beau- ty lost the evening previous. Having already soaked ray casting-line, I shouldered my heavy and lengthy friend, the Castle Council rod, and march- ed up the river about a hundred rods to where a bend in the shore threw the current out around the eddy rock. I select- ed a medium -sized fly with purple body, blue legs, brown mallard wings, and golden pheasant top -knot for the tail. Then I commenced casting out toward the middle of the riv- er, and letting the fly float down and around to near the shore. About my third cast brought a bite and a leap that made my heart palpitate with anxiety. I played him about half an hour, he once and a while running off" about two hun- dred feet of line, and then coming back as ta'ne and cosy as possible, until by-and-by his patience became exhausted, and he thought he would start up the river a hundred miles or so to the spawning-beds. He navigated the rapid about twen- * It is asserted as a truth by border settlers that, when burning off a sum- mer fallow, and the smoke no longer protects cattle in contiguous' pastures, that they run lowing to the house to have the fire renewed ; and it is some- rimes necessary that they shall stand in dense smoke to enable them to re- main still long enough to be milked. / Get fairly Vanquished. 255 ty rods above, but I turned him, when he went down stream nmch faster than it was convenient for me to follow ; but he ■stopped to rest where I hooked him, and glad enough was I tor the morning was oppressively warm, and my rest had not been of the most refreshing kind during the previous night Here I began to call loudly for a gaifer, and presently I saw the doctor's demijohn form approaching with a gaff, and closely following was the general. By the time they arrived my friend had concluded to return to sea, and started- but he soon found a resting-place, and, while playing nim here the general msisted so strongly against playing him too gen- tly that I put a little more stress on the line. The fish rol- licked around the pool, and showed his whole size and beau- ty, when my friends judged that he would weigh over thirty pounds. I thought so too, and played with great care. But the salmon became impatient of restraint, and started. He had not darted more than a hundred feet before the hook sprang back to me, and he went on his way rejoicing, while my friends returaed to the tents. I felt as if I needed a strong glass of lemonade with a stick m It to sustain me ; but, being strictly temperate-that morn- ing— I sauntered back to the point above the eddy where I had hooked my recently-departed friend. There I examined the fly and hook with care, and found it seeimdum artem After becoming sufficiently rested, I made a cast, and at once hooked another salmon about the same size as the one which had just unbooked. On realizing that my fish was on, with a slight jerk I fastened the hook, in order to play him ginoer- ly if he wanted to « gallivant and cavort" some. Two or thr^^e times he revealed his enormous size and great symmetry, so tliat I felt quite sure I had hooked the mate of the first one This also remained half an hour trying small tricks about the pool, when all at once he dashed away across the current and, on rismg to the surface, I distinctly saw the line wound three times round him. After this he plunged and leaped up, down, and across tJie river, until he liberated himself and 236 Fishing in American Wateks. took my fly. Well, thouj^ht I, salmon of st.ch ^reat size i„ -^o large and rapid a river, should be fished for with leader. ov casting-lines of double gut all tho way. I will return to tent, and try to rig gut leaders to hold them. The situation of our menaffe began to look invitincr- and with the birch bark gathered by our gaffers, and the 'illus- trated papers and magazines, our log cabin and dining-room were cheerfully ornamented by the ladies, and the menu of our dinner would nrt have dishonored a metropolitan hotel. Ihe gaffers' shanty was finished, and the cuisine attractively arranged in order. After dinner, numerous sentiments wor- thy of the day wo were commemorating-it being the glori- ous Jourth of July -were given, and we made the welkin rmg with shouts and music. The evening was spent in tying flies, and concluded by ex- a^nining the lunar bow through the smoke of a camp-fire and the bottoms of our punch-glasses until the near approach of midmght, when we retired to fight again the battles of the day m our dreams, and to mingle in them the faces of be- loved ones far awa. SECTION SIXTH. HISTORY AND RUMINATION. Neither the Greeks nor Romans knew anything about an- gling for salmon. The Saxons knew not the real luxury oi' angling. A thorough appreciation of angling can only be known by man civilized. "Catch who catch can" is the niotto by which savages are guided, and the surest means of killing game is to them the best. Savages kill solely to eat rhey know no better, and lack the genius of the civilized poacher to mvent stake and concealed nets. Civilization en- ables the true sportsman to adopt suitable means to secure sport, and as civilized men enjoy a more prosperous condition than savages, they are not so dependent on the fish or game they take or kill. Hence the sportsmen of the civilized world can afford to give the animal pursued some fair-play " law," Saw the North Polio. 237 supposing the nature of the prey entitled to it. But, in the opnnon of an uncivilized people, to allo>v a quarry or a shoal he smallest chance of escape would be considered great folly o the ,g„oranc.e and cruelty of the poacher nmy be attribu: ted the reason for the robbing of salmon-rivers of their life |md beauty. Existence could not have been so enjoyable to the angler m either the palmy days of Greece or Rome or dunng any era since, while robbing the rivers of salmon ;as pursued, as it is m our day, when science revives sport and invents generous means for its perpetuity Le, travaux sur ler, Poissons se sent singulierrnent multi- plies clurant la periode qrd s^etend cle repoque de la mart de Luvier au moment actuel. Having flown in my cogitations from Greece to Rome, and •trom thence to the British Isles and part way back to France where I endeavored to think in French, and as if in dan^ei' of being overcome by a fresh swarm of musquitoes, I supposed myself aroused by their singing, when, to my surprise, on lookmg up, It was the doctor at the door of my tent, insist- ing m stentorian tones that I should get up. I asked him the time of night, and he replied that it was beautiful There is no use to contend with a doctor, and so I arose when, before my tent door, he was complacently seated on a bench, with a smudge fire and the boiling tea-kettle on one Hide, a bowl of loaf-sugar on the other, and a bottle of old Jamaica before him. Being already dressed, for I slept with my overcoat, body-coat, and boots on, between army blank- ets on an India-rubber one, and yet was generally cold to- ward mornmg, I concluded to join the doctor and learn what new system of philosophy or astronomy he was prepared to propound. With looks of amazement, he pointed to the bril- liant a^ivora borealis in darts shooting up throuo-h the lu- nar bow like streams of gold and fire through a^-ainbow ! - We viewed it with unstinted admiration until he composed a hot rum punch. We then examined the aurora borealis .md lunar bow through the bottoms of our glasses, and the 238 J ' Fishing in American Waters. s>ght was really gorg^eous ! After three or four similar ren- etitu)„s, we agreed that we saw the North Pole distinetlt heading Su- John F.ankhn's grave, and the bow, spearH^^l' hn'toir """ '""'" """ """^^^ '''' ^'^ ---^rank- While the doctor was evolving a new theory.of mundan. .matters, only to be understood by draining a dose of diff^s ess. ho soon as he recovered power of utterance he said ^ ^Gintlemen, bedad there's a bear just foment yees ! I seeVl '' Well, John," we replied, " J,ow did he look ^" J3edad he was as big as an elephant, and had a fiil -is long as meself, and as big around, be gorr^h -" How long was he ?" we inquired ;; Bedad he was as long as I can reach with n.y two arms." What color was he?" " Was he green ?" " Wo supposed so, John ; it is a fox." "No no, yer honors! Dr. Bluff, of the First Fusileers sii.l he'd ;,iten see'd bears here, an' I thiuk the beast I l^dt ^ "This was .at the shoot, twonty-scven miles farther up the nver, we rephed; and just then the halo of the rising s„„ began to .Itamnate the eastern horizon, and teach „s to° , " pa..e for the fresh-ruu salmon whiei, had arrived that mornin,, rom then- v,s,t to the sea. Havi,,g consulted our wat s' and learned, to our surprise, that it was only three o'ctock' and as onr gaffers were still asleep, we reluctantly retired to our tents .and to sleep until called to breakfast As ,t was our custom to rest the salmon-pools durin.,- the ' best part of the day for angling, in order to protect the ri™. . . .. „ Kacing along the River. 231 » fi-om too great a depletion by our captivating flies, we start- ed to fish our several pools at the time of the forenoon when the salmon seeks the shady side of a rock in the river, and which had perceptibly fallen during the previous night, so that, from its clearness, we could distinctly see numerous sal- mon lymg m pairs beside the rocks. They were very inter- estmg to look at, but it was hard to induce a rise. Presently the general, who had been angling at the flills a mile above was seen approaching, and doing some pretty tall walking' now m the river and then on the shore, following a salmon' as best he could, for the fish seemed determined to return to sea. Down they came, passing us, while the perspiration streamed from the general's face, and he was too busy to re- turn our salutations, but he finally brought th*e fish to -afi*. In a short time thereafter the doctor was seen comino- at the speed- of two-forty on his rejoicing way down the idver from the falls, led by a large salmon. We soon saw that the salmon was playing the doctor, who, finding that he was los- ing strength, called lustily for help, which was instantly ren- dered, and a twenty-four pound salmon was soon played out and landed. The doctor retired to his tent and was not seen agam until the next morning, when he said, « It's heavenly to p ay a generous salmon, but when he turns the tables and plays you, lie's worse than the cholera !" It was the banker's turn next, and, thoroughly aroused and divested ot his dignity, down he came, skipping over rocks ana through brush at a very rapid rate. Down he came to Rattling Run, and brought his fifth salmon to gaff that day the largest twenty, and the smallest eleven pounds The doctor's serious intent at evoking a reliable theory for the brilliant coruscations near the northern horizon pre- vented him from risking the play of another salmon until he should quite recover from his last encounter. In the mean time, every fresh contest with a salmon increased my respect for the fish; and I lost so many in pronortiou to the -re'^t number hooked, that I began, when my n- was first taken 240 Fishing in Amekican Waters. 1 • * to realize an indescribable sensation of nervous hesitancy ; and the mm-Q gentle he appeared when fii-st hooked, the more r dreaded the fight that I knew must come, sooner or later ; for a salmon never surrenders until he faints. As the waters settled until as transparent as ether, the fish became not only more shy, but they gave better play and were harder to ex- haust. They bit gingerly and short. I had ample opportu- nity for testing some theories which had been told me by an- glers with great seriousness. One of them is, that " if a sal- mon rises to your fly and misses it, you should not cast again immediately, because he is sure to settle back before rising. Vou had better, therefore, light a segar and smoke half of it, or take a glass of sherry, and rest the pool at least fifteen minutes before repeating the cast." This I ascertained to be all bosh. Once, in particular, a salmon took my fly at the fourth cast, though having rose to it at every previ: us one and missed it, while I repeated my casts with as little sus- I)ense as, if angling for brook trout. A salmon will return to the fly, if he rose to it in earnest at first, as often as will a trout; but either fish, when pricked by a fly-hook, will refuse to come again until he forgets it. Again it is said that " if you hook a salmon and he parts your tackle, taking your hook and a piece of the gut snell to wliich it was attached, )»e will not rise to an artificial fly again that season." This is also a mistake; for the gentleman who awns the "York River," Gaspe, fished with a friend who. lost a hook and part of a leader by a salmon one morning last July, and on the evening of that day took the salmonVith the hook and gut still in his mouth ; and what appears most singular is that he hooked the salmon with the same kind of^fly that was then fastened to the jaw of the fish. .. . Hot Days and Cold Nights. 241 . i SECTION SEVENTH. .TOLLY SPORT ON KATTLINO RUN. "Oh ! not in camp or court Our best delights we find, 13ut in some loved resort With water, wood, and wind ; Where nature works, And beauty lurks. In all her craft enshrined." The clays were divided into four hours of night, made scin- tillant by tlie aurora borealis, and the hinar bow more bril- liant tlian daylight, but cool and huslicd so that no sounds remained but the rushing waters, the splashing of the royal salmon, and the piteous cries of seals ; three hours of morn- ing, mild and serene, enlivened by the wild music of the birds of the wilderness and the occasional sounds of animals forag- ing for breakfast hi the mountain forests by which we were surrounded ; fourteen hours of a day, when clear, ranging in the sun from eighty to ninety degrees Fahrenheit ; and three hours of mild twilight, with light enough to read. The morning was clear and still; not a zephyr swept through the gorge by the falls, or came up laden with the fragrance of codfish from the Gulf The shrill music of our two charming birds and an occasional splash of feeding sal- mon Avere the only sounds which relieved the moiiotone of the clear and rapid river. Our plateau, surrounded by majestic mountains, steep and rocky, formed a vast amphitheatre. The river was still falling, and as tliin and clear as possible. Our assembling at breakfast proved that the black flies had partially desisted from scoring us, and each member of the party felt relieved of farther danger from that scourge. It is w^ortliy of remark, that from the almost unbearable annoy- ance caused by the punishment from black flies on our ar- rival, we had in one short week become so accustomed to them that they ceased to elicit our fear or attention. The morning time to angle for salmon having expired, we Q • ■t em af ' cf iw rm i 242 Fishing in American "Waters. regarded the river as having been protected, and the pools rested long enough, and so mounted our toggery and ar- ranged our flies for the fray. It was the doctor's turn for the upper pool, at the foot of the falls ; the general's for the bend to Rattling Run ; the btmker's included all tho opposite of the river, while my sporting-water was Rattling Run, and I had never fished it. My gafter was wanted elsewhere, and the doctor most generously consented to supply his place. He led the way with gaif on shoulder, marching up to the first pool with an elan and energy which meant that he was determined to show me where salmon disported. After walk- ing half a mile through the brush, we emerged opposite a sal- mon-pool on Rattling Run. The run was about twenty rods wide, with shallow water three quarters of the distance to the opposite bank. The doctor pointed to the pool on the opposite shore, and told me that a salmon made a feint at his fly there two days previously. The water ran swift over a pebbly bed, but it was not much above knee-deep on our side of the pool, I waded to within casting distance of the head of the pool, and commenced casting while moving slowly down the stream, until, having made half a dozen cast -, and swept the surface with great care, I delivered my fly just above a rock near the foot of the pool, where a salmon made its appearance and rose to take the fly, but missed it. The next cast delivered the fly beyond and below the rock, in the white-water foam, when the salmon accepted the fly, and fast- ened good and strong. Instead of turning to tlie falls just below, he shot up to within a few paces of me. The doctor, seeing his move, ran below the salmon to pre\ ent it from dashing down the chute. For a full half hour while the play lasted, it was so amusing to see the doctor run and flourish the gaff in his endeavor to drive the salmon to the pool above that I could hardly restrain my laughter enough to stand and steady the fish's head occasionally against the cur- rent. But the doctor finally conquered, and the fish became so fatigued that the doctor took him out of the wet with his .. mymmmsrmm "■ Shaep Contest with a Salmok. 243 gaff, when it scaled twelve pounds; and, though not large, it IS something to play and save a twelve-pound salmon with a smgle gut in a swift and shallow rapid just above a chute. We now proceeded to the second pool above, where the doctor seated himself to rest on shore and watch my move- ments. Here also the run was about twenty rods wide, with the channel along the bank opposite. I therefore waded out so as to cast across the main current, and let my fly sweep round to the eddy, some eighty feet below. I had not made many casts before a salmon deliberately swam up to my fly and examined it, and then, as if suspicious, turned from it like electricity, his turn forming a most exciting whirl. In vam I cast several times more, but the run was too wide to deliver my fly at the farther shore, where was a deep pool from which I might have enticed him. But we gave up the chase and commenced a return, the doctor walking along the shore, and I wading and casting as I went. We had not gone far when I hooked a very elegant salmon. There was a pool on each side of the run, and the salmon took the fly on the farther side. As soon as the fish realized that he was hrmly hooked, he came across the run for the pool near us. I stood in the water nearly between the two pools, but rath- er above them. As the run was very rapid all the way be- low until t entered the St. John, I requested the doctor to tall below the salmon, and thus prevent the fish from run- ning the chute. The doctor waded below the pool on the eft, and as he saw the salmon darting for that pool, he ran below, to prevent the fish from turning down stream after it should learn that it was mistaken in finding protection where It was gomg to seek it. The salmon came to the near pool, and, finding no assistance, it endeavored to sulk a little, but finally resolved to run the chute, or return to the pool at the larther shore. After a close contest of an hour's duration, in which the -salmon passed twice between the doctor's legs, the fish was brought to gaff; and weighed fifteen pounds. On returning >i 244 FiBIIING IN AmEKICAN WatEKS. I to dinner, we learned tliat onr friends had fished hard for modest results. By the supervisory care of the ladies, the dinner was served in the following order or menu : Vegetable soup. Boiled salmon and fried trout. Roast mutton, green peas, and other vegetables. Claret wine, tea, bread and butter, etc., concluding with r. dessert of marmalade and dried fruits. After dinner we concluded to rest the ^ ' (urn some to- bacco, and tie some flies. When we first n^ogan angling, the preference by the salmon seemed to be given to the Montreal tly, or a purple body, brown mallard wings, and tail from the top-knot of the golden pheasant ; but within the last two days they would not touch it. Their next favorite was a good imitation of the real salmon fly, body and wings light gray ; but after a couple of days more they refused all flies but those with a preponderance of bright yellow and orange, tied on a very small hook. The double-hook flies were the most successful in bringing salmon to gaff", but I never tried them ; and it is contended by some that two small hooks fall better, and are more attractive than a single one, Forrest, of Kelso, is the favorite fly-maker with Canadian anglers, and he generally ties on a double hook. SECTION EIGHTH. FLY-FISHING BELOW THE FALLS. "Below the Falls of St. John, from deep crevice stealing, , The bright salmon watches his prey, And when 'mid the white foam some stray fly lies wheeling, Slyly bears — slyly bears it away. " 'Tis thus in this bright world, at joys without measure, Unheeding, we ardently spring, And forget that oft hid by the plumage of pleasure Lies a hook — lies a hook in the wing." — Stood art. To a man unaccustomed to the broad, rushing, tumbling torrents which debouch in the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the north, there are many subjects to inspire wonder, and some ^ ,. The Angler and his Gaffer. 245 few to challenge admiration. The bold mountains of gray rock, from which a few stinted fir-trees struggle into the light of day above the fissures and dark gorges are sombre to see and sublime to contemplate ; and the rivers, tumbling down frantically in their narrow passage between high walls of solid masonry, would appear frightful did they not contain thousands of beautiful salmon and trout, which make their way with great assiduity to clear themselves of sea-lice by the action of fresh water, deposit their eggs, and, when warn- I' V ! 246 Fishing m American Wateks. ed by, fresh-water parasites, return to sea to recuperate and fatten preparatory to another visit up the river to their spawning-grounds. One day, while fishing the pool below the falls, I felt a tug, and as my reel spun round whir ! whir ! ! whir ! ! ! I raised my rod to a perpendicular, when — the reel still con- tinuing — I saw three leaps at once, each fish leaping fasten- ed to my fly. Thought I, " If you make three leaps at once there is small chance of saving you," and so it resulted. By the mana3uvre, it formed a bight in my line and unhooked. My captures were very fair that day, and it is a remarka- bly interesting pool to fish ; but the river was so Ioav, and its waters so transparent, that I could count scores of salmon lying in pairs by the rocks, awditing a rise in the river to help them surmount the chute. The next morning I fished the same pool from the opposite side of the river, and in response to my second or third cast I hooked a large salmon, which ran out to the middle of the river and took nearly all the line off my reel, when it made a leap about twenty feet up the river, and several feet above the water, and the swiftness of the current made such a bight in my line that its weight parted the single leader, though I dipped the point of the rod as I saw the leap coming. As my line came back I felt despondent at losing such a beauti- ful fish ; but I venture to state that no angler, under the cir- cumstances, could have %aved it. Such is salmon-angling. You must use a single gut for the half of your casting-line toward the end, and tie your fly on a single gut, or you will be regarded as a coarse angler, and all your large scores will count you naught as an artist at angling. Here are salmon in a broad, rapid river, large enough to try the strongest striped-bass tackle ; and yet they are to be taken on a single gut, and played from half an hour to three hours to bring to gaff. Add to the delicacy of play necessitated from the light- ness of tackle the fact, also, that the mouth of a salmon is very tender. These are points to be noted if you would angle for ■ " '" Salmon Leaps and Spray-bows. 247 . sal mon. No one ever hears of a string of salmon, for the very good reason that their bodies are so heavy and gills so ten- der that they will not sustain their weight. I put on another fly and cast again. For some time my eyes were not blest with the sight of a rise; but by-and-by a salmon accepted the fly in earnest and fastened. The prick of the hook gave it such a shock that it bounded and leaped three or four times, as quick as thought, several feet above the water. Finding itself still hook.d, it came toward me, and I retreated, for fear that too acute an angle of the line and rod might enable it, by a salmon dash, to break the top of my rod. I therefore walked backward, and the salmon fol- lowed me until within five feet of the shore. It then turned as quick as lightning, and whir ! whir ! whir ! ! went my reel. Another leap showed it to be in the middle of the current, with but little line remaining on my reel, and a reef of rocks rising above the water between me and the salmon. I at once saw that it might extricate itself and take my fly and some of the line; but it misjudged its own situation, and started to leap the falls. By its failure I turned its head shoreward, and brought it within a rod of me, Avhen it took fright again and started down the river. After checking and turning it, back it came to me, gentle as possible, leaping oc- casionally, as if it v/as its nature, for I should have thought a fish so circumstanced would have swam low; but no — all game fish are alike in that respect. Although the salmon had become used to my aj^pearance, it still distrusted me, and started out into the current again. There he leaped a few times, and finally consented to be led back ; but when it gain- ed sight of the gaff" it shot off" again, though I could both see and feel that it was losing strength. After two or three more visits to the shore it became weakened, and Duncan gaffed it.^ The fish weighed only sixteen pounds, but it was the prettiest salmon that I had ever seen. Above the line from gill to tail, it was a light and brilliant salmon color, and below it was like polished silver. I could not help exclaim- 11 i ftpf 248 FisiiiNcj IN American Watkus. If iiig liow boautifiil! Tliorc is nothini? more hcfiutiful than a trosli-nin salmon when Hrst taken, ncitluT is tlioro any |)on- cil capable of crcatiiit^ its apparent^ counterpart. To feel a salmon fast to your lly aL see its leap is alone worth a voy- age to Canada to exi)erience. Again I swept the pool with care and got a rise. As I oould not allure the beauty to a second attempt, I concluded to rest the pool and go to the foot of the plain water, where I saw the salmon disporting like dolphins just above the rapid. The bed of the river was about a <puirter of a mile wide, and shallow on my side. I therefore waded out, and after a few casts hooked a large, vigorous salmon. After a high leap it struck out to the middle of the river. Then it made numerous rushes and leai)s, Avitli turns and sweeps, un- til fmally the hook sprang back to me, and let the twenty- l)ounder go on its way rejoicing. Very soon I hooked an- 'other, and it attempted to run the rapid ; but I checked it a quarter of a mile below, wlicre it stopped to sulk behind a rock, and before it formed another plan, my man Duncan watched his chance and gaifed it. Again, after half an hour's j)layiug, I succeeded in losing a very large fresh-run salmon. I felt mortiiied, and so con- cluded on returning to the head of the stretch to learn the intentions of the large lish which had oftered before I left, and for which I rested the pool. I went to the liead of the pool and swept it along down until I came to where I got the rise before I left ; but it had eitber leaped the chute or gone from home, and after a few rises but no strikes, I returned to dinner. " Moving large fish, however, is held by every true angler only second to hooking them ; but many persons are apt to despise the most skillful and patient efforts unless crowned with immediate success." This is the experience of John Colquhoun and every true angler. Next morning, by dint of perseverance and continued ef- fort,! finally hooked a salmon at the foot of the pool, and just at that moment a loud crackling was heard in the thick un- ■■ f DAY-lHtKAMS AND KXCITING Si'ORT. 240 (lorvvood nlong tlio Hhore, and Duncan called my attention to a bear tljat,liaviiig <liKcovered us, was niaking off with all the Hpeed i)()SHil)le. I could not turn to look i'roni my salmon, for it had not yet decided upon what course of tactics to pursue. After a ihw minuses, when the salmon had concluded to run the hook out, 1 turned to see, l>ut the bear was no longer in sight. After several runs, tacks, shifts, sweeps, and leai)-!, I brought the salmon home as gentle as a kitten, so that it seemed a pity to gall it. My friends had been fully as lucky as I had, and, as the flies were disappearing, and we had examined our plateau, walled by mountains and watered by beautiful rivers, we concluded to digest a good dinner by admiring the works of nature and enjoying the cmrora borealis and lunar bow. Itosy were our dreams ; but, be it remembered, one of the party began to sigh for Husan Jane. The following day, and for several days thereafter, the sport was about the same. The river soon began to shrink and clarify, and as the salmon became more scarce, the num- bers of sea trout increased. Sea trout are precisely like those of Long Island. Their voyage to sea renders them as white and plump as are those of the Willows, below Oba. Snedicor's, and perhaps cleaner and Avhiter; but tliey are the same fish hi ichthyological peculiarity. The next day that I fished Rattling Run I took two salmon at its mouth, Avhere the eddy was formed by the confluence with the St. John; and I cast again to the foot of the rapid, where my fly was usually drawn into the eddy, and before it fliirly touched the water a salmon took it, and leaped some ten feet up stream, dropping it while thus leaping. As I saw the fly fall, I was in the act of retrieving my line, when an- other salmon was fast to the fly, and I broke the top of my rod. This proved to mo that the movement of a salmon is too swift to be followed by the eye. I played and killed the salmon after the rod was broken, and niy gaffer landed him. Before I could splice another top to my Martin Kelly (a 250 Fishing in A>iekican W/tees. great improvement on the Caatle Connell rod) the shoal had either passed by, or otherwise had concluded to decline ray flies, and I was obliged to ibrcgo the amusement of ao-yin playing a salmon that day. * As there ai)peared no prospect for the river rising soon, we began to think seriously of dividing the party, and two of us taking gaffers and canoes, and going to the upper falls, twen- ty-seven miles above. The next morning, however, was show- ery, and the river had risen more than a foot during the night; we therefore concluded to defer going up the river until the prospective rain should have subsided. The fitful showers of the morning increased to a steady and lieavy rain in the afternoon, and both the general and banker met with fine sport, taking several salmon of fine size. This day the gen- eral evinced a commendable perseverance, for, in the heaviest shower, if a salmon part ed his line and carried away his fly, he would forthwith stop where he Avas, and tie a fly in a drenching rain, attach it to his leader, and proceed to casting. He lost several large fish that day, and saved only three; one of these he hooked in the pectoral fin of the left side of tlie fish, on the opposite side from the general, as the fish started down stream, leading the general at double-quick time. I Avas sweeping the pool at the mouth of Rattling Run when I saw the general hastening doAvn the St. Johir, along the shore. The rain was drenching. Pie wore rubber overalls, overcoat, and hat; the brim of his hat turned under across the forehead, giving him the air of enthusiasm so fine- ly represented in the picture of Napoleon when he commenced crossing the Alps. Of course there was the slight difl^'erence of our general being on foot; but, with his rod stretching high in air, the storm catching liis loose garment, the ha't with brim turned under and giving it the military chapcau shape, the toia ensemble was all energy and action. Down swept the general. Rattling Run had swollen considerably, and was three feet deep and very rapid just above the mouth' mto which the general dashed and w^aded across, holdino- on Veuy Tall Walking. 251 to his fish, which he thought a forty-pounder at least I Hi^ gaffer followed close behind, and was about to embark the general in a canoe to foUow the salmon down the river; but the fish stopped in the pool where I was angling, and after a play of less than half an hour the general brought it to gaff, when it weighed IVi lbs. This feat was the greatest of thJ season ; and, had not the fish been hooked on the far side from the general, so that it was hard to maintain an equipoise, it would probably have torn away. I shall never forget t'he picture of ardor and energy which rushed down along the shore and dashed across Rattling Run, speechless with won- der and excitement. At dinner we canvassed the morning's sport, and, though the rain dripped slightly through the ba'^-k roof of our dining arboi-, we began to realize that a home in the wilderness possesses an indescribable attraction, and the apparently settled rain seemed an omen for better fishino- than we had yet enjoyed, and we parted that night to our several camps with a renewed stock of hope and pleasing an- ticipation. • ■ SECTION NINTH, THOUGHTS OF RETURNING HOMEWARD. " 'Tis a midnight fair to see, Wotulrous in slll)limit'^ Lingering at our cabin door, Fast beside the river shore. Dazzled is my gazing eye With the grandeur of the sky. Clouds are flying in mad chase O'er the moon's benignant face ; In the blue concave of air Stars like diamonds gleam and glare, While with weird, celestial glow Springs aloft the lunar bow. See ! like arch triumphal, high How it soareth to the sky ; See ! like heavenly rainbow, bent O'er a showery firmament, How its gorgeous columns climb With a majesty sublime. "—Isaac M'Lellan. 252 Fishing in American Waters. 1 11 Our dreams of home were rosy. Though unlooked-for, modest flushes of the great St. John, produced by summer showers at its tributaries, caused temporary hope, yet the stream kept gradually narrowing and falling so fast that sal- mon refused to ascend to the fluvial part of the river. About the 20th of July the grilse began to make their appearance, and the parr rose to the fly in the most plucky manner, evincing more courage than their grandparents. "At length the morning for our departure has arrived," said one of our party while returning from enjoying his last bath of the season in Rattling Run. Instead of learning from the "Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones," we were about to exchange the scenes of nature, nnadorned by art, for the crowded mart, and the hurry-scurry of aggre- gated humanity. The thoughts which made bearable the re- flections called forth by preparing to leave our home of free- dom, and felicity of angling for salmon, were the dearest of earth — home, family, and friends. For these we could en- dure the sights of striking tents, and loading the bark ca- noes for our departure to the mouth of the river. Our tents were struck, tents, trunks, and rubber bags packed before breakfast. None but the experienced can re- alize how lonely appears the little spot of ground over which his tent has been stretched for several weeks, but of which nothing remains except the boughs of the fir-tree which rest- ed him, and gave him pleasant dreams for many nights. We still heard tiie salmon leaping and splashing in the river, and the two lone birds piping their merry notes, though our tents were removed and packed in the canoes. But, shaking oflT the sense of melancholy Avhicli I felt to be gaining on me, I rememberecj that the lines of true anglers always fall in pleasant places, and so adjourned to breakfast. As the general had decided to remain and see the salmon season out, 'twere wrong to deny the fact that leaving him A Farewell View. 253 and his lady greatly deepened the shade of our feelings at parting from the peaceful plateau. But we all put on cheer- ful faces and mixed our coffee with anecdotes. Our break- fast consisted of fried or broiled trout, broiled grilse, termed in Canada ''dejeuner^' signifying "breakfast." By others it is called the " white salmon." Then we had ham and eggs, hot biscuit, etc. We enjoyed our last meal as well as "cir- cumstances would admit under the conflicting feelings of a hope to soon see our flimilies, and a regret that the luntr bow and aurora borealis, with the singing birds, would have to sing and shine without us. As to the salmon which had played us, and at numerous times sold us, we felt as if we would have liked another con- test with them ; but as that was impossible then and there, as we had not the time to spare, we promised those of them which parted from us with our hooks as nose-jewels, and oth- ers that— having played us long enough— sprang the hook out of their beautiful mouths, that if we hook them again they will not get off so easily. After breakfast, and all being ready for our departure, the stars and stripes were raised, and while the general Avavcd his salmon-rod, we started, and a salute to our honor was fired from our only cannon as we parted from view of the pla- teau and disappeared from its remaining inhabitants around the foot of the mountain, at the bend of the St. John, just be- low the entrance of Kattlino; Run. Our hearts were full as we responsively shouted hurra ! Ye rivers, so haunted with myriads of flies, Whose flashes of salmon-hreaks gladden the eyes ; Scenes wliere the brown bear roams the thick brake ; Scenes where the seals their gambolings make ; When slmll I tread your fair precincts again ? When kindle my camp-fires over your plain ? When again cast my line and my flies, Charming my senses— feasting my eyes ? The river was low and the reefs nearly bare, so that navi- gation was not so safe as when we ascended j but our guides II i 254: Fishing m American Waters. knew how to manage bark canoes better than to speak any language, their jmtois being a medley of French, Indian, and English. But they were all trusty and industrious, as all Canadian guides are. It is best that each angler have two guides and one canoe ; for, though one man only is needed to .attend an angler for gaffing and rowing in the neighborhood of the encampment, yet for loAg journeys up rapid rivers two men are indispensable. Cabins for cooking and for lodg- ing may also be soon erected, and they arc preferable to port- able tents. • The River St. John winds like a serpent between the moun- tains, and as the fall from our plateau to the mouth— 27 miles -^is more than 150 feet, the rapids ar- very swift; so that many times in rounding a bend we surprised a family of seals teaching their young to catch salmon, wild geese with their goslings, ducks with their broods, and expected to see Bruin but didn't, ' The row down the river was most pleasurable. The thin • bark canoe responded to the lashings of the tide, and we felt as tae lobster-peddler said, "All alive ! all alive !'' The doc- tor, who had taken a front seat in the canoe, with his coat on and broad-brimmed hat, had found the passage so jolly that -like Obadiah Oldbuck-he had turned over a new leaf by takuig off both his hat and coat, and remarked, as we shot a rapid, " Let her went !" The Indians were returning up the St. John to their homes m the icy regions, having disposed of their furs at the Mhi- gan tair, and laid in a winter sui)ply of flour and salt. It was all vain to look kindly to these Esquimaux squaws who are really beautiful, with their olive complexions, raven locks, and lustrous eyes. They are wedded to the forest We met some twenty odd Indian canoes ascending the river to their homes, who knew enough of English to ask "Salmon plenty V" But very few would make so bold as to ask " Has you nothing good for me?" Of course they do not supi.ose It degrading to beg from civilizvd men, for they consider ■ I Welcomed by the Dogs. 266 them as appertaining to the outer world. I was greatly amused by their appearances. There were many young men among ,, „,„ ^,5^^,^^^^, ^^^^^ ^^^^ ,^ ^^^ arrangfment then- han-; and some of the squaws had heads of loclcs worth diamonds, and for whieh many of our belles would swap then- eye-teeth, of best manufacture, for similar heads of natural growth. On our arrival at the mouth of the river, the dogs eame ftom some thn-ty cabins to welcon.e us. They were of all come. The sight and hospitable bark of our own kind of clogs g addened our eyes and ears, producing a ch.arming ef- quarte.s of the government agent, while our guides attended to landing our luggage and cutting fir-boughs for our bed, we join ed our trout-rods, and walked a short distance f^m he eabm to the sandy shore of the river, where, within tZ y mmutes,we took over fifty sea trout 'aveiWing a ^o, d each. I fi-equently fastened two at a time on the same cast ■ of files with which I had last fished on Long Island. SECTION TENTH. THE SH,VEB OK SEJ TKOUT. Tins fish mhabits for nearly half the year the tidal water, of the streams m Canada, Nova Seotia, and Newfounlland -:tc:e^t™L":tadS^^^^^^^ I -t beg humbly to dissent; anTlfttf Xl: oiiption I myite anglers to decide for themselves wht-tllr the sea trout ,s not the Sal^nofonHnall., or brook trc^^ com mon to the streams of the northern part of North Imeri" nrs":n t' : rr: ■ ;:':r' ''-"n-' "~'™'-^ X. *, , , a(Jo\e thu lateral lijiu arc like tlioso of the brook treat, its vermilion, white, and amber dots "re • II 1 256 Fishing in American Watees. ■' 1 like the brook trout's ; its fins are like those of the brook trout, even to the square or slightly lunate end of tail. It has the amber back and silver sides of such brook trout as have access to the estuary food of the eggs of different fishes, the young of herring, mackerel, smelt, spearing, shrimp, and even the young of its own family and those of the salmon. Ow- ing to this food, it becomes whitei- and brighter than those The SiLviiK ok Hex THovr.—lrtitta Argenfina or Trutta marina. trout which inhabit swampy winters impregnated and discol- ored by decayed vegetable matter, where the trout are con- fined without the power of visiting salt water. All the au- thorities agree that the sea trout spawns at the heads of fresh-w.iter streams, ascending from the estuary in August, and not returning until the following winter and sprino-. All brook trout visit the heads of streams in autumn, and return to the lower waters at the close of winter. Brook trout of mountainous regions, Avhere the streams run through rocky defiles and mountain gorges, or through a sandy soil, are always brighter thar. the black-mouthed trout of hemlock and tamarack swamps. I am informed that, of fifteen trout- lakes in a certain part of Scotland, there are not two lakes which contain trout entirely similar. Even the famous Gil- laroo trout, which some anglers suppose to have a gizzard, has merely a lump in its stomach formed by the peculiarity of the clay and other substances on which it feeds. In the United States and the Caimdus we have the salmon, the sal- ■■ Choice Heshsek of a Fiest Familv, 257 mon-t.-„ut of the lakes, the brook trout, the silver or sea trout, w h,eh I believe to be the brook tro, t, the who trout *-«.), the Maekuaw trout, the wi„„i„i.,h, and the red trout of Long Lake. All these fishes have the adipose seeond do .al, a e ,.n,kj..„eatod,and the laminary tiakes are separated by a thin curd or creamy substance The real salmon of different waters do not differ so much in hape and surface-marks as do either the brook trout or the Wc trout, though old fishermen in Canada can distin..u sh by the app..aranee of a salmon to what river it belong: o they say, ■ least. Twenty-five salmon of some rivers Im m a barrel, while of those from other rivers from forty o ^fdllr.™'^''"'''"™-'^''^'"^'--^^^^^^^^ of ae St'^'T ™"*'r'' *" '"'^ "•""' '^""y »* the mouth 1*1 tt\tt;":s"ri;r^"Ti;rv '°"^"'' ^™' "- beautifid, being^,h™; t^tun Vuri'ts'LUtd'" s'T' gtaening brightly with a satin sheen ^lieh'sp S,!: glowmg lustre in the light. Its superior condition Ld I ''f""f' '"^ 'rl ™'-y ''"*y' ">"1 the play very vigorous and leapiiiiv at them for a tisfo Tt « „ • • ^ ' 41 •' lasto. Jt was surpris no- to nnfp he exeuement wineh fiy-fishing fortrout prodtleed a«e eod.flsh„,g femibes. Men, women, and children followed us incie was a fieet of some sixty sail of cod fishermen in the place, and their hired hands " shammed Abram to be"dk" t ;*; l7 '" '"'" '""' ™ "'"■ "'^ ''- "- -"-fto tf t wate,. It ,,,, ^,,y ^_^^,^_. ^^ ^^^^ ._^ ^^^ of trout running from half a pound to fourpounds. The wa terwas so perfectly clear that we could occasionally perceive II 258 FisiiiNG IN Amekican Watees. ;i lordly salmon move majestically amon^ the speckled beau- ties, no doubt waiting for a sliower to swell the waters, and enable hiiu to start on his j^erilous voyage to the spawning- grounds near tlie head of the river. As we were fisiiing from the beach which forms the breakwater at the mouth of the 8t. John, my attention was arrested by a thirty-pound sal- mon swimming along slowly toward the mouth, and within easy casting distance for my single-banded trout-rod. As I was admiring him, he chanced to see my motion in casting, and dashed away into tlio sparkling surf at the mouth of the river. Taking trout with the fly is always more or less interest- ing, but, as a branch of sport, it dwindles greatly on return- ing from a successful trip of angling for salmon. Uroadway is beautiful to those Avho have never visited Paris ; but on returning from the BoHlevards, the Champs Ely sees, and the Bois de Boidogne, the beauties which he contemplated with admiration before he loft New York lack the charm of artist- ic finish and the picturesque variety which youth always per- ceives, but Avhich age or experience can not discover even with the aid of alasses. 1? THE "VVIIITE TROUT. While the fog is lifting from Schoodic Lake, And the white trout are leaping for flies, It's exciting sport these beauties to take. Jogging the nerves and feasting the eyes. This trout inhabits Schoodic and Grand Lakes in the State of Maine. Although it is eminently a lake fish, yet it is found in the tributaries and outlets near the lakes named. It is similar to the hirling in Scotland in the peculiarity of its mea^ arying from cream to mallow color. The average size of the white trout is from three to five pounds' Aveight, and in outline it is between the salmon and the brook trout, with the top of head and color of dorsal and caudal fins black and lustrous as velvet, the latter crescent-shaped, with jet spots "(f Gamy asd Beautifcl. 2S9 with tooth on tl,o palato, tongue, vomorino, palatine, and max- 'llary, l,ko those of the brook trout, or as are nearly air^he you„« of the Salmomace; but ,ts head i. long; tL ' , a salmon .. Its s. ale, arc small, and the body is entirely white mg »"!■ netalhc Instre. It is better game than any other lak ianuly of the ycu.cs tialmo, and will readily take the fly on the surface of the water Win, „ , i , , ^ fifteen f,.„, l„ " two-handed trout-rod, leTn f '=','"' "' »"'«•««" ""Skilled in fly-ii.l,i„„ ,,a, taken over a hundred n, three hours of these transeend™t beauties The Whitk ntom.—Salmo alius. Some persons have supposed this 1 ' e beauty "a land- locLod sahuon," than which nothing c.u be mucl, more ab- suM lor It has the common egress of a commodious river wnch debouches in Passamaquoddy Bay, while those of the lakes m the provinces have equally favorable avenues of es- cape. JS^o, It IS a comparatively new luxury to the American angler, and well worthy his attention. Though many anglers use a two-handed fly-rod for takin<r the white trout, yet it is more artistic to use a half pound flv"- rod and smgle fly; the cinnamon, Montreal with claret body and brown mallard wing, with the yellow and blue profes- sors are all the flies needed for any weather, though the coachman of white wing and peacock's herl body is a ^ood sunset fly, and the red ibis wing with silver body sometimes tokos very well. The late Kev. Dr. Rothiine regarded this flsh and its sport- ive ways with enthusiasm, and the borders of Schoodic lakes St lii iii' ! ; 260 Fishing in American Waters. and the St. Croix River still retain many marks of his en- campments. The approaches to these grounds are via East- port or Calais, Maine. At either of these places the angler will find guides to the aromatic groves which overlook the waters where the white trout disport in shoals of thousands. THE WINNINISII. ** At early dawn, or rather when the air, Glimmering with fading light, and shadowy eve Is busiest to confer and to bereave. Then, pensive votary, let thy feci repair To silent lakes, or gentle river fair." This fish belongs to the genus Salmo, and tenants the up- per waters of the Saguenay, near the outlet of Lake St. John, in Canada. The fish runs from three to nine pounds' weight ; and as no very young members of the family nor the spawn- ino--beds have been seen by the habitans and Indians of that region, it is reasonable to infer that they breed farther north; and as they have a dorsal fin like that of the grayling, it is quite probable that it is the fish written of by an officer of the expedition in search of Sir John Franklin, whose descrip- tion made " Frank Forrester" suppose it to be an American grayling. But it is neither the grayling nor the omble chev- alier, but a rare delicacy of the frozen latitudes of the Cana- dian forests. Professor Agassiz is said to have named it the Northern charr. The Winninish. The fins of the winninish, being large in proportion to its size, render it very gamy. It sails near the surface, with the ■ top of dorsal and caudal fins in view, and when it takes the Ve;ry EAiiE Delicacies. 261 fly, leaps, runs, and plays more vigorously than a grilse. The tish is gray on its back and sides, interspersed with white scales, all of which are small, but brilliant. Epicures regard the wmninish as a higher luxury than either the brook trout or salmon. Its head resembles the trout, but the mouth is larger, and equally tough for holding a hook. The meat is pmk-colored. It takes either the minnow or the fly gener- ously. Fish-culturists might with advantage turn their at- tention to the winninish and the white trout. Lake Teout of Moosehead Lake.— This trout is unlike any other in the American waters. It is round in body, and resembles the winninish in large first dorsal and large tail. Its meat is straw-colored, and on each side below the gUls are five or six dark spots the size of peas, and like those on the shad. It IS clad in small scales, dark on the back, orange sides, and belly like the doree or common river pickerel Be- ing so excellent a dinner-fish, it is surprising that the markets ot Maine continue to monopolize it to the exclusion of epi- cures in other states. It is caught by the hand-line, as other lake trout. BED TEOTJT OF LONG LAKE. " I see the bright trout springing Wliere the wave is dark, yet clear, And a myriad flies are winging, As if to tempt him near. With the lucid waters blending, The Adllow shade yet floats, From beneath whose quiet bending I used to launch my boats." This is the richest and most beautiful specimen of lake trout known in the State of New York. In outline it resem- bles the brook trout which have access to marine feeding- grounds, except in the tail, which is forked. In color it is a reddish-brown on the back, mellowing to a pink at the sides and a belly of white with pink tinge. The whole of its sur- face. fiYrpnf. it.a lioo/I 0-.-./1 'u^n^ ;„ ii-.-.i i -^ ,. -> . , clotted with orange specks about the size of pigeon-shot. Li 2 the trout of all I ■ i I ' f I I! 262 Fishing iw American Watkrs„ the lakes, its scales are so small as to be scarcely perceptible, but its body is marked with fine, transverse diagonal lines' forming diamonds or canvas like the surface of fine drilling or marsoilles. This is an unfailing mark of peculiarity. Its meat is pink-colored, with rich layers of cream between its Hakes. Red Trout of Long Lake. The red trout will rise to the artificial fly, take a feathered spoon or well-dissembled minnow. Trolling is the favorite mode of fishing for this beauty, whose average weight is from five to fifteen pounds. It is very gamy, displaying much muscular force and propulsive power in its runs and leaps. To angle for the red trout is worth a voyage to the Adiron- <lacks in June and July. It is fine sport to use salmon-tackle and take him on the fly until fatigued, when the exercise may be changed to trolling. There is a universe of pent-up luxuries for the sportsman in that ninety-two miles square known as the Adirondacks, in the heart of the State of New York. A hundred moun- tains t^hade as many lakes, which teem with living beauties too rich in coloring and symmetrical in foi-m to be copied by the painter's art. All the American varieties of the Salmo genus except the salar are found in these lakes and their trib- utaries, with the palpitations of busy life shut out, and naught but a simple tenting residence on aromatic boughs for a bod, where the timid deer comes with her spotted fawn to the margii; of the lake to drink, and hesitatingly trusts the cross- paths of men. The eagles soar aloft in the heavens above the blue summits of cloud-capped mountains which seem to jostle each other. Imagination is not sufliciently vivid to ■ ■ The Home of a Sportsman. 263 realize the sense inspired in the Adirondacks by a sunrise scene. The owl has ceased to hoot, the whip-poor-will to sing, the panther to scream, and the wolves to howl; but the sun lights up each bush and spray, and the shadows and mountains form majestic basins. Now the brook trout are busy, and the day-birds are musical. Here, in these narrow lakes of pure water, fed by trout- brooks, the gentle angler takes his morning walk, where the breaks of speckled beauties enliven the waters with hopeful expectancy, and naught disturbs the tranquillity, richness and grandeur of primeval nature. Here the poet, painter or philosopher may inflate the soul and invigorate the body' so that, on returning to the busy world, he may be the better able to endure its chafings and contests for another year. TROUT OF SENECA AND CANANDAIGUA LAKES. '• The generous gushing of the springs, When the angler goes a-trolling ; The stir of song and summer wings, The light which shines, and life which sings. Make earth replete with happy things When the angler goes a-trolling. "—Stoddart. This fish spawns in October and November, or when other faixuhes of tlie genus Salmo do ; is white-mouthed and pinky- meated. Its qualities, outlines, and superficial marks are as varied as are its edible qualities. All anglers know that these depend much on the quality of water they inhabit and the food they eat. In the latter ]3articular they resemble all animals and fishes. There are salmon-trout in nearly every lake within the State of New York; but the fish of Seneca, Canandaigua, Skaneateles, and Long Lake are infinitely supe- rior, both as game and for the table, to those of Lake Onta- rio and the other great lakes. The color of this fish is a drab, with pink tinge from the back two thirds down each side, shaded with vermiculate marks, and covered with infinitesimal scales, like the com- mon LAKE TROUT. The fins are like those of the brook trout if 264 Fishing in Amkrican "VVators. except the caudal, which is forked. Tlio head resemhles the brook trout's, even to tlie teetli. By 8ome persons this fish is supposed to be a land-locked salmon ; but it is a distinct family of the genus Salmo^ though in principal outward marks of characterization it resembles the salmon-trout of Ontario and tlie other great lakes, diftering because of inhabithig lim- ])id spring waters with better food. Trout of Seneca and Caylg.v Lakes.— Aii'a///w cunjinis. In May, after the waters become settled and clear, these fish are taken by trolling with spinning-tackle and minnow bait. It is necessary to sink the bait near the bottom, and, as the trout remain near shore until June, a light sinker will be sufficient ; btit when the weather becomes quite Avarm they resort to a feeding-level from fifty to two hundred feet below the surface, where they are taken by trolling with feathered squids. The lino should be two hundred yards long, of the size used for catching cod, and from twelve feet above the hook to twenty-five feet leads an eighth of an inch thick are rolled at intervals on the Hne, sometimes to the weight of a pound. Row slowly, and let out line until you get a bite, and then calculate the depth to the feeding-level, as the water in some places is a thousand feet deep. Baiting the buoy and fishing with a drop-line is also prac- ticed with success, though none of these methods of taking lake trout are very attractive to the angler. THE MACKINAW TROUT. This trout is the largest of the genus in American waters, generally running from two to five feet in length, and weigh- ing from fifteen to fifty pounds, though Dr. Mitch ill states A Luxury of the Noktiiwest. 265 that it sometimes attains to the weitflit of 120 ])ounds It is Clark colored on the back, sides, dorsal and caudal fins, mel- lowmg off from the lateral lines to a white or creamy belly Vermiculate marks cover its back and sides. The second •lorsal, like that of all the ^almonklw,, is adipose. Pectoral ventral, and anal fins light cream color, as are also the irides' The Mackinaw Tkout.— ,b«//«(, «/««/%*<««.— MitchiU. As this trout inhabits the jdeep pools in the cold lakes from Huron to the frigid zone, its meat is firm, and the fish 18 highly prized by epicures. It is sometimes taken as far south as the Ohio shore of Lake Erie, either by trollino- with a minnow or a feathered spoon, or with cisco and yount- lake herrings-all captivating lures. There are many taken with gill-nets and set-lines in deep water, as also with hand-lines by previously sinking a large stone with a rope attached and at the other end of the rope fasten a buoy, and for several days cast in butchers' offal by the buoy until it is supposed the fish are chummed to that place as a feeding-ground, when —with large hook, heavy sinker, and codfish line— the 'fisher with the hand-line takes them as fast as he can bait and land them. This killing method is a favorite one with many men who fish for lake trout to sell, but it is very unsportsman- like. In winter it is taken on hooks baited with pork throuo-h lioles cut in the ice for the purpose. The best places to ali- gle for this luxury, either with the troll or hand-line, is in Lakes Huron, Superior, the Straits of Mackinaw and Green Bay ; from the latter water, Chicago, Galena, and many towns m the mterior of Wisconsin are supplied. In fishing throu-h the ice, when a fisherman gets a bite, he throws the line ovm- his shoulder and walks away from the hole, drawing the fish 2G6 Fishing in Amekican Wateks. i lii rapidly uj^ and out on the ico, where it is left to freeze. Be- sides the thousands of them transported every winter in a frozen state, many are salted and shipped off in the sprino-. This trout is the most voracious of all the species, fattening on such delicate luxuries as herrings, ciscos, and whitefish. SECTION ELEVENTH. AMERICAN PICKEREL, OR PIKE. By blue lake marge, upon whose breast The water-lilies love to rest, Lurking beneath those leaves of green The fierce pike seeks his covert screen, And thence with sudden plunge and leaj), Swift as II shaft through air may sweep, He seizes, rends, and bears away To hidden lair his struggling prey. This fish, like the brook trout, is almost universally known. It inhabits nearly all the waters of the north temperate zone, and varies in appearance accordhig to its food, and the vol- ume and quality of the water in which it is found. The large pickerel taken in the St. Lawrence River and in many Cana- dian waters is called by some the " great Northern i)ike," of the famWj Usocidce, supposed to be unlike the common pike or pickerel, or Esox Lucius ; but throughout twenty years' experience at taking pickerel, I have been unable to discover a very marked difference between the Northern pike and the pickerel south of the St= Lawrence. Amkhican Pickerkl, oil Pike. " The pike is the Englisli name of a fish belonging to the order Malacoptcrygii, section Abdomiuales,' family Esocidte, and genus Esox." The pickerel or pike spawns in March and April, and should not be caught between January and July. In England it 1 i One of the American Fishes. 267 sometimes attains to the weight of sixty pomids, and in Nor- way it occasionally rises to a hundred pounds, and more than eight feet in length, while in America it is quite rare to take one ot more than twenty pounds' weight. OF PICKEREL, AND ANGLING FOR THEM. isH of this family are known in the United States by the name of pickerel, which is the name in England for a dimin- utive pike. All pike, after ris- ing above the pickerel weight, and under five pounds, in En- gland, are known as " Jack," probably named after a poach- er by the name of Jack Pike. In the waters of the East- ern, Middle, and Western States, as also throughout the , . . Dominion of Canada^thepick- uel IS ound m most of the lakes, ponds, and some rivers- especially is it numerous fn ponds where surface-water pre^ exruXr'' '"'^ ^^ '''''" '^""'^"''^ '^'' ''^'^'" families are The meat of small pickerel is mealy, fresh, and without de- cided flavor, when-because of its yellow color-it is called doree; but those from three pounds upward, taken in pure water, may be justly considered a good breakfast-fish. The pickerel of Greenwood Lake arc good, because the food is abundant, and trout rills drop into the lake from every direc .1011. As the lake is only 00 miles from New York, I used to take a seat ,n an evening train of the Erie Railroad, arrivino- in Chester at 7 P.M., and drive down ton miles to the lake in ime to give Jack-the baitman-orders to have all things eady nnd call me at five next morning. Tap-tap-tup at my chamber door announced that it was five, and nothino- more I 268 FisHmG IN American Watebs. V' ■■ Forthwith 1 mounted my toggery, took a cracker, and fol- lowed Jack to the boat, where all things were in readiness, and he sculled me out to a raft or tloat on the lake, which had been anchored at one of the best feeding-places for the long- noses. Leaving me with my half dozen poles, ten feet long each, and a pail of live minnows. Jack returned to the shore. Among the numerous methods of still-baiting for pickerel, that from an anchored float is the most quiet and easy. As I was attaching a line to each pole, a deer, Avith elegant but timid tread, came to the margin of the lake and took a drink. It was September — a month for excellent venison ; but then he was too pretty and innocent-looking to kill, and, though within short range, I had no rifle with me. Tlie god of day had not yet appeared, but the merry songsters made the copse and fields joyous. To each stout pole I tied a line, three feet longer than the pole, and at the end of each I at- tached a gimp-snelled hook, and covered the connection of line and snell Avith a small strip of sheet lead. The water was from seven to nine feet deep, and for a float I tied a piece of pine shingle, which produced no resistance to a bite, but merely kept the bait a foot above the bottom. The shingle- float was ten inches long, two inches wide at the thin, feath- ered end, and tapered to a point, being half an inch square at the end where I made the notch and tied the line. In still-baiting for pickerel, if the fish takes the bait, and learns that it is anchored or not at liberty, the fish at once rejects it ; but by means of the sharp-ended float no percep- tible resistance is offered, and the pickerel swims off" toward a convenient place to gorge it. Tliere were places arranged on the float for properly setting the poles, and arm-chairs at intervals invited to rest between bites. By the time I had baited my sixth hook and set my last pole, I saw the sliingle- float to one of my lines tip up a trifle, and glide along the surface of the water, sinking gradually as it moved. I gave a sudden jerk with the pole to an opposite direction from that which the float was moving, aud thus hooked and landed How TO ENJOY A Bkeakfast. 269 on the raft a four-pound pickerel. Before I had baited again, another float gave signs of agitation, and I landed another.' Jack, who had observed my success, now sculled alongside, and took the two pickerel to be prepared for breakfast." I continued fishing and admiring the scenery, with the tops of the mountains just beginning to be illuminated by the rays of a bright sunrise, and the pickerel accepted my of- ferings most voraciously, so that I was in the midst of a most successful contest when the horn blew for breakfast. After fastening my rods securely to the float, and seeing that each hook was well baited, I sculled ashore for breakfast. On that lovely morning the sun seemed to have decked all nature in holiday costume. After a refreshing bath, on en- tering the hall leading to the dining-room, in the fragrant aroma of the coftee I scented a welcome. The pickerel, which had been first ^roiled or singed on the flesh side to prevent the juice from escaping, was turned, and with a renewal of hickory-wood coals was " done to a turn." Fresh butter, red pepper, and a dash of black pepper for its aroma, prepared the melting delicacy for the table. The smoke of the viands, fish, and of the tureen of mashed potatoes, with the fragrant cofiee, greeted the senses like incense, and filled the measure of my hope and ambition. After breakfast, a walk on the veranda, the discussion of a cabana, and a look at the morning papers, which had al- ready been received from the city, made me again anxious to try the metal of those sly and peering long-noses. Adjourn- ing to the hotel at eleven o'clock, forty-four pickerel included my mess, and, partaking of an attractive lunch, I returned to New York City in time to dine at seven in the evening. 270 FisiimG In Amekican Waters. i SKITTERING* FOR PICKEREL AMONG THE LILY-PADS. ' • Now changed the tackle and the bait ; For larger i)rey we're all elate ; 'Mong lily-pads none vainly tries ; The line runs off — a noble prize ! Give time to poach — now strike ! " Now seeks his haunt the wounded prey, And then begins the angler's play ; rie lengthens out, now slackens line, Till struggles past — a welcome sign — He lands a glorious pike ! Chorus. — The jolly angler's is the life, Devoid of care, devoid of strife." Angling for pickerel among the lily-pads and pickerel-weed is very exciting sport. The angler should use u rod from 1 3 to 1 5 feet long, flexible, but strong. For skittering a float is not used, nor is natural bait the best. Use Buel's or M'Harg's spoons, mounted Avith red ibis feather, and white ■" Skittering is a word which belongs to an angler's vocabulary, but not found in a dictionary. It means drawing or jerking n bait along the top of the water. Quiet Scenery and Active Sport. 271 tt'w Z ''" "" ""= """"' ^'"^ °f *•"= ^P-- stand near the bow of year p„„t, and skitte,- the lure along the surface of the water, near the margins of the lily-pads, and if yon are on Sodus Bay, or tempting the fish from almost any of the bayous of Lake Ontario, you will find eause for surprise that w foree yon to ejaculate; for it will be questionable which mil be the most astonished, the novice in the boat or that in the water. A most important essential is to have a man at the stem who can use the setting-pole and sculls so as to en- able you to fish the border of the lily-pads without searing the prey mto their hiding-places. '' Cuffy says, "Uf we had de gun, we might git a mess of .vooMuek." I reply, " Confound wood-duclc ! Don't you «e hat the large p.ekerel is going into the weeds, and tha can not prevent him ? Turn the punt from shore." the bet'" n"°/'" ^"'?'"' '"* "™ ">i™°-.the shiner is o sp,„n „g-tackle." Keep your bait in motion, upon the s the favor-teplan of angling for pickerel in NewEn^and and .s, moreover, essentially modern, and affords aetive°r«:;.t STILL-BAITING FOR PICKEREL. "The angler i.s free From the cares which degree Finds itself with so often tormented ; And although we should slay Each a hundred a day, 'Tis a slaughter needs ne'er be repented. "-Cotton The primitive and philosophical method of an,li„g for pick- le is with an ash or hickory pole. The bait '^ ali." W Of course, while angling in this way, you may study n.turf .' with you, for they are frequently unfathomable. Seek a place on the margin of a solitary pond, shut out from th h'bt tions of men by a dense grove. Seat yourself on son^e flii;: i i 272 Fishing in Aaiekican Waters. SX1LL-I5A1TING FOK JflCKEKEL. tree of ancient renown, and there beside you place your books. Then bait your hook, and cast it off among the lily-pads or stumps which margin the pond, and gaze away on vacancy. There is naught set down against smoking at such a place on such occasions. Let the birds bill and coo in the grove behind you, and if your mmd is intent on developing a new theory, let your bait crocp up on a stump near yon. to the The contemplative Piiilosowiek. 273 envy of all kingfishers who mav covet it • nn^ i.. v . i of yo,... afflatus .LHe H watched ^r :l;::t ^ Cpt -id that sages had seen them D s'l^f^^ t r" -?''"'" opinion who stated that the solitudeXh t IT ^ ways „ea.. cities o- ia.,e towns. fJ' ^ ^ '" ^'" 274 Fishing in American Wa' TERS. CHAPTER VI. TROLLING AMONG THE THOUSAND ISLANDS. Here is the angler's paradise, A dreaniiTig, Eden-like retreat, With balmy perfume in the air, And wild-flowers springing at the feet. All the charms winch angling for pickerel confer are sub- hmated and condensed into trolling among the Thousand L'- •T \ T^^P^^''^^^^1 «f the thousand lucent streams and rap- ids shaded by as many floral islands, are much better flavor- ed than are those which dream out an indolent existence while watching for frogs among the lily-pads, or darting, until they wear themselves thin, after the minnows of pond^and rivers. Ihe Thousand Islands extend from Cape Vincent to a few nules below Alexandria Bay, or about thirty miles, and the HvcTage width of river is about five miles. Imagination may better picture than I can describe the hundred and fifty miles of trolling and casting the fly on streams dividing picturesque islands, or islets covered with greensward and enlivened by The Quiet and Beautiful. 27S 0„?W Tf "; ""'^ '-'vcnwa,-,,. This cl„.n„i„g Lnc I ™I.vonc.a by tho wood-.luck anU other bh.ls ofgay phil. • , ™" ^- ^'■'""" tl"' water streets of Ve.iice with their aoii- aoas, nor the Hois ,fc y,„„,„,„, ,,„, ,,, „.,„„„„,, '^I," l^h*;',: Tr,""" 'f;: '";" '"""^'""».-- =" «" eo,n„ara l witn the Ihoufsand Islantls. From Cape Vineent to within a few miles of Ogdensbtm. there ,s fl.hn.g and shooting enongh to satisfy all tt.e opie u- ean lovers of field-sports in Ameriea, did they but know of the nches of land and water whieh their oxeellent fis and game otter as attraetions. The Thousand Islands forms the most extensive spawnin... ground between the Atlantie and the great ehain If Taker- there are numerous eddies and shallow sand-bars among' these tslands where the wall-eyed pike and blaek bass spaw ^ but the fishermen are eomplaining that the annual diminu- t.on m ca ehes ealls loudly for a law of reeiproeal proteetion between the Dominion of Canada and the United States. If sandXt f ■*" """ """'*■*"' "''■'* '■'■■^°^' '" «- Thou- sand Islands to spawn were allowed to breed-nnmolested by net or spear-an annual stock of pickerel, blaek bass, Hass- eyed p,ke, Oswego bass, and fishes of smaller varieties wouhl ts':::!:""'' '" ^'■'*"'™' "™''^" '° ^^--^ »" «•«< All the little towns .along the Thousand Islands have be- come attr.act,ve summer resorts. It was here that Bishop On visiti^^ig the Thousand Islands for a few days' reerea- t.on, my advice is to go in p.airs. A gentleman eLpaX , W.I1 answer, but , lady is better. Clayton, whieh is a town 276 Fishing in America?. Waters. nearly midway of the ishuuls, on the soutli side of the river, is said to bt the most convenient point to select for trolling ; for, in addition to the best '];ronnds being near there, its cen- tral location enables angievs to niake a trip up or down the river to the extremity of iLe inlands and to return the same day. The hotels along the Thousand Islands are generally comfortable, and the landlords reliable. Make known your Avants to the proprietor, and he will engage a man and boat for you. All the trolling-boats are , in k r in model for speed and comfort. The boatman furnishes rods, lines, baits, and rows his own boat. I prefer to use my own tackle, even to spoons and feathered squids. Each row-boat is furnished with two cushioned arm-chairs, in which yourself and lady are seated near the stern and facing it. The bottom of the boat is carpeted, and crimson is the favorite color. Tiie fish- ing-rods are so set, by appliances in the boat and on the taft- rail, that the troll follows outside of the track, as the rods are held at right angles with the boat, like outriggers. The line is from fifteen to twenty yards long, and the troller lets it run from the reel as the gaifer rows along. The trollers soon become so enraptured with the varied beauties of the shifting .scenes that they lose the consciousness of being on a fishing excursion until the oarsman calls loudly, " Bite on the lady !" which sufficiently disenchants them for the lady to reel in a pickerel or black bass, or perchance a niaskinonge ; when " Bite on the gentleman !" is heard, and he reels in a fish to the gaff of landing-net. Parties leave the hotels in couples, agreeing upon a rendez- vous for lunching on some island. The boatmen take bread, ice, vegetables, and condiments, and couples sally forth upon the waters, and adjourn at the appoint "d time in the midst of groves of more than Oriental beauty. The fish are cooked by an artist on an extemporized fireplace, while other gaffers are spreading the cloth on the greensward, where the repast is perved, and all goes on enchantingly. After luncheon they repair to their boats, when they continue ttfolling, or cast an- Leader op the Clan. 277 chor on the shaay side of a floral islet, in a narrow, rapid elian- nel, where they east the flies for blaek bass. Thus passes the day, on waters where the air is laden with perfume from wild roses and honeysuckles, and where the music of birds chimes in with the running water, as the trollers alternate between light and shade, now gliding along in gorgeous sunlight, an<l anon tracing narrow channels, shaded by tall forest trees where wild ducks and other winged game are rendered al- most tame by the contiguity of civilizadon and the frequent sight of gay and jolly fishing-parties. SECTION SECOND. THE MASKINOXGE. Where'er Ontario's waters chafe The rocky bhiffs that crown its shore, And wlicre Canadian banks are green, And crystal tributaries pour, The savage maskinonge' doth roam The tyrant of the watei v plain. No rebel to dispute his claim, No rival in his great domain. fa Jn'v '"%l'Tt ■" "'"i""'' ""="•""■"' '1'"™™ of '■>« I'ik" r„,ri ™'- V"'"'--" •'«™<l"y, and to m„.t of the lakes ami „ve, . m the vast northwctem wilderness extending to U>e ingKl zone The Ojilnva name of this flsh is " maskauo,.- J«, mea„,„g"long-s„o„t." When Canada was a French col- ony, the ha>Mans" named it m„,gu. Icwm, signifying Ion,. v.sage I submit that the Ojibwa wa,^ entitled by priority t: ho ,>ght of naming the flsh ; but as the Dominion of Canada has named ,t again, and in all legal enactments there in ref- orem- to n the name of the flsh is written " maskinon..,-. " I w.lln,,ly aoo„pt the modiflcatiou instead of either the Ind an or the i^rencii name. .lod^r rti' T^l^"^^^«" «f "'--""^^ a fish which has puz- zled most ichthyologists and anglers, «o that they have been uncertam and dubiotis on the point. The name is Maski- NONGE. 278 Fishing in Amkbican Wateks. Having hoard many anglers state tliat they could not dis- tinguish the maskinonge from the jtiekerel, I invite them to look at the diversities. The mandibles of the former are longer, the tail more forked and larger, the dark gray back and light sides arc dotted in black, the outline of the fish is more delicate and elegant, presenting the appearance of greater refinement and higher breeding than the pickerel or pike. The surface difierences are palpable, but they are not so marked as are the epicurean qualities. The meat of the maskinonge is compact, white, tender, and peculiarly delicate and rich in flavor, without i)artaking of any taint of extrane- ous substance such as decayed wood and bark, which so com- monly aftect the flavor of pickerel, and even trout. This proves that the maskinonge inhabits springs; and when taken in lakes where surface-water is supposed to preponder- ate, is always found at points where the fountains gush from the bottom. ' The Maskinonge. Rice Lake, twelve miles north of Coburg, in Canada, con- tains favorite feeding-grounds for the maskinonge. Its nu- merous springs, its beds of wild rice miles in length, formhig a ground shade, its row of islands rising high above the level of the lake, covered with dense forests of lofty trees in whoso shade the fish disport near the fountains, make this their fa- vorite resort. These attractions, and the rivers which feed the lake and teem with shiners and other tiny baits, render Rice Lake remarkable for containing maskinonge which are equal in game qualities to any known in America ; and I be- lieve the fish has never been discovered in any Avater of the eastern hemisphere. This fish often attains to nearly seven feet in length, and ' A Study and a Luxury. 279 to the weight of from sixty to s..enty ponruls in the upper lakes, as well as in Ontario and the River St. Lawrence. But when so large they are less active than when from ten to thirty pounds in weight, as in liice Lake, and the River Oitan- abee, which enters Rice Lake opposite and about four miles from Gore s Landing. The greatest number that I ever took in one day on this lake and river was sixteen, and as I took them egitimately-with rod and reel-the gentlemen at Ilar- nss Hotel decided that I had won the spurs, and invited me o their club. I there learned that it was the greatest num- ber ever taken from the lake in one day with a single rod and reel ; and as the club was chiefly composed of retired officers ot the English army and navy, wit], a sprinkling of civilians who own charming boxes on the margin of this beautiful lake of thirty miles in length, I regarded the compliment as a very flattering one. Maskinoii-.^e are taken on a troll like either of those repre- sented on another page, under the title of "Spoon Victuals for Long-snouts." Instructions.~Troll with a striped bass rod about ten feet ong, and on a reel which will carry six hundred feet of fine bass line place three hundred feet of the largest linen reel line. To the end of this line attach your feathered squid In trolling, let your squid be about sixty feet behind the boat Ihe oarsman will regulate the speed. Then the first saluta- tion that you will probably receive will be a shock.m<r jerk and you will see at the end of your line, and about sfx feet above the water, a maskinonge suspended like Mohammed's coffin, only shaking the squid so that it jingles. In that case don t get excited, for it is the last time probably that day that you will see him. Row on ; do not turn to go over the ground to retrieve your loss, but be ready for a new adven- ture. After he hooks himself, do not play him with too stiff a line, nor yet slack enough to let him get a bight in it Tire hmi out, and bring him gently to gaff, and see that your gaff be the best of the striped bass pattern. Keep away from m 280 Fishing in American Waters. him after your oarsman lands him in the botton;. of the boat, where he always keeps a mallet or billet of hickory wood to pound the fish on the head and prevent him from leaping out of the boat, for his saltatory powers surpass those of the salmon. It is said that a trout Avill rise a fall six feet high, a salmon one of eleven feet perpendicular, and a maskinonge one of nearly thirty feet. Far where Lake Erie's billows glance, An ocean-like immense expanse, The sharp-teeth'd maskinongc abides, The shark of the fresh-water tides. Now in the dr.rk abyss of waves He glides ; now where the shallow laves The gratisy shore, and crisp waves break O'er the white sands that gird the lake. SECTION THIRD. THE BLACK BASS. Amid the Thousand Isles that gem St. Lawrence like a diadem, Where winds are soft, and waves are calm. And pine-woods steep the air with balm, riscator floats the calm abyss 'Mid scenes of most transcendent bliss ; Wafted across that teeming flood, His heart o'erfiows witli gratitude. Many anglers think tiie black bass next to the salmon for game. It is unquestionably high game. Being numerous in many waters of the Northern States, it has come to be re- garded as a commercial fish, and, through ignorance, many confound it with the Oswego bass, which is quite an inferior fish as to game and for the table. Some persons have ex- ported the black bass both to England and France with the view of propagation ; but whether they were the real black bass is questionable, as they are diflicult to export after they grow to be larger than fingerlings. The black bass is supposed to belong to the perch family, or rather order of fishes, because its mouth, gills, fins, and scales are similar to those of the Percidm ; but, in order to Moke Gamy than Beautiful. 281 distinguish it from otlier fishes of similar color and apparent organization, it should be remembered that the real black bass has a red speck in each eye like a dot of carmine. It is also more delicate in outline, and has a smaller head than the Oswego and the Southern bass. The black bass spawns in tlie spring, and, like most fishes Avhich spawn in that season IS not supplied with a sac of nutriment attached to the um- bilical cord. The activity and muscular power of the black bass are suf- ficient to enable it to liold its own and increase its numbers in waters inhabited by the most ferocious fresh^ivater fishe. such as the maskinonge, glass-eyed pike, and the pickerel or pike ofthe great lakes. The Black ^\ss.—Centrarchus/asciatus.~J)G Kay. With a view to giving the angler a list of the principal fishas m the fresh waters ofthe State of New York, I append the following extract from a letter written by an old, intelli- gent, and successful angler, who has resided in the central part of the state, and fished for the most gamy part of the list of which he writes for more than thirty years. His theory of the black bass hibernating in clefts of rocks is corrobora- ted by other authorities, and is doubtless true. But to the extract.* and Ca^i^rrTr ?/*'" ^^'I^-^^^^' 0"^''^"o Lake, Seneca River, Oneida in thP.V T ^'^°?'/''^'-° ••^'•° f"""*! »'>« (>«wego and l,Iack bass, veiy siSl >n then- shape and in some of tiieir habits, so much so thaf tbo- „..! a mistaken for one and the same «nerips Thn n r ^""*.*'''^^ "'^ o^^en are good biters, and are game to the last. ' ^82 Fishing in American Waters. THE OSWEGO BASS. This fish is similar to the black bass in all outward marks, except that it has a larger hea d, lacks the double curve at "The black bass seldom attain to more than four and a half pounds^~I have taken hundreds, and have never seen one weighing more They are distinguished from the Oswego bass by a faculty of changing color in and out water -sometimes yellow, or yellow with dark bands across, and often black as mk. All these changes I have seen in the same individual after landing him ; and they invariably emit a disagreeable musky odor. I have never known them to be taken in winter, and I think they seek a particular location and remain torpid during winter. My attention was directed to this fact about thirty years since. At that time I was in the habit of spearing fish in a miU-dam, on the outlet of the Seneca Lake, at Waterloo, in Seneca County. From April to November I found numbers of bass ; from Decem- ber to March I found all other varieties, but no bass. " In the winter of 1837 the w; ar was shut off at the lake for the purpose of deepening the channel to improve the navigation. This was considered a favorable time to quarry the limestone in the bed of the river ; and upon re- moving the loose rock in tlie above-named mill-dam, where the ledges crop- ped out, there were found hundreds of bass imbedded in their slime, and pos- itively packed together in the crevices and fissures of the rocks. My subse- quent experience has done mucli to convince me that my theory is correct The black bass appear in the waters of the Cayuga Lake in April. ' They make their beds and spawn between May 10th and June 20th, and disappear in No- vember. The trolling commences in tlie early part of May, and continues until July 1st, after which time we find great annoyance from the weeds. "In the Seneca and Canandaigua Lakes the ba'ss make their appearance at a later dnte— usually about the middle of May— and spawn between June 1 0th and July 25 th. This is the best time to take them. They locate in gi-eat numbers upon shoals and bars where there are large boulders. The Seneca Lake, unlike other lakes in this region, is very deep. It has a clean beach and bottom ; no weeds or grass except in the little coves and bays. In these places we find small patches of grass filled with all sorts of small fry, and it is about these grass patches that we have the finest sport in August and the fore part of September. By the 1 st of October the bass have disap- peared from their usual haunts, and the next we hear from them is at the 'Bass Grounds,' near Big Stream, where they congregate in immense num- bers about the middle of October. The manner of fishing is with the hand- line and rod and line, using crawfish and minnows for bait. Hundreds are taken in a day in this place. This sport continues until the middle of No- vember, when it ceases. The appearance of the bass in this locality I con- sider as another fact in corroboration of my theory. The shore is a bold rocky cliff, and the water very deep. ' ' The bhick bnss of the great chain of lakes range from three to nine pounds.— G. C. 8. Habits of the Black Bass. 283 the end of the lateral line at the joining of the tail, and has no red m the eye. Its flaky meat is soft and watery, and its common weight is from five to ten pounds Like the black bass, this fish is taken by casting the arti- ficial fly, or by trolling with the feathered spoon, ^ith a min- "Th^fi l! T "J""^ '^ ^'°^^' '"^ ^^^™^"S spinning tackle. This fish inhabits most of the lakes in the interior of the State^ofNew^York^the waters of Ohio, Kentucky, and .ie^ to "if lZ° ™°,"'', °T°° ^°'"^' ''"» '-"'-y f'"-' I"" <"«"">'« vnrie- S r„d "priS^^ke " • '"^^ ""'"• '""'"' '""^'■' '■"'' -*- The w„,e,. " The Seiieea nncl Canamlaig,,,, Lake, are supplied with late tront ,vl,i,. r.h, h„„„,.«,„,„„, pike.p,„h, black and rj\„.,, y^J^;:X':l^ a;ii^;^Mt^jL;:i:xrdti, ^\r at '™"> '*r Iiiindi-fxl foof ,!-,„. 1 . . -^ uoep, lake trout at sixty to one ' inclietl feet deep-flhva.ys at the bottom, rowing moderatelv Wp „«« ? 284 Fishing in American Waters. Thk Oswego Bass. those of many of the Western States teem Avith it, n^ do the chain of lakes on our Nortliern border, and the rivers and lakes in the w^estern part of Canada, and most of the waters of ti. a Northwestern wilderness. In some places it is known us the yellow bass, and at others as the white bass. BLACK BASS OP THE SOUTH. To the casual observer this fish very nearly resembles th. black bass of the North. Its habits are indeed similar, and so are its fins and color; but it has a larger head, and in all ponits excepting contour it is like the Osv 3go bass. The Black Bass of the South. rivers in Florida are alive with this fish, and it is not diflicult to take several hundred pounds of them in one day. It is taken there in winter, wTien the sport may be varied by shoot- ing deer, ducks, wild geese, an occasional brown bear, and an alligator, and all from the same trolling-punt. f i -By SOME CALLED StKAWBEEKY. 285 he 1(1 rs n\ THE SPOTTED BASS OR SPECKLED HEN. * This is a common fish in the fresh waters of the Western Mates; it is also taken in the waters of the western part of the Dommion of Canada, where it is known as the speckled hen This IS one of the r.umerous small pan-fishes of the Western waters which naturalist, have not yet classified It ranges m weight from a quarter of a pound to two pounds, is blackish-green on the back, greenish-yellow on the sides, with u white belly, and dotted in black similar to some of the dace 0^'s of \V estem streams. It is an excellent breakfast-fish, ei her rolled in flour and fried in butter, or in sparkling hot fat of salt pork. Sweet or olive oil is the best juice for frv- •ng fish in, but seldom used in America for the purpose ex- cept by Israelites. The Spotted Bass oe Speckled Hen. EOCK BASS OF THE LAKES. Tins is rather better game than the " s))eckled hen » bites freely at a feaLl.-^red squid troll, or to any shiny revolvino- spoon bait ; it also bites at the apple-worm, white grub grassy- hopper, or shiner-. This may also be said of the speckled hen. Ihe Buel feathered spoon of smallest size and brightest feath- ers is a CI?)': iiing hire for both the spotted bass and the rock bass T is fish inhabits all the lakes in the centre of the state, or ' is regarded as an excellent pan-fish. It is green on the back, orange at the sides, and cream-color on the abdo- men; the mottled spots are black and green. This is emi- 286 I Fishing in American Waters. Rock Bass of the Lakes. nently a lake fish, where it is found in greatest numbers over the shallows near the shores, and contiguous to the entrance of sprnig streams. It ranges in weight from a quarter to u pound. SECTION FOURTH. THE SUNFISn. This little fish inhabits nearly all the lakes, rivers, and ponds m the United States. Its habits arc very domestic seldom lep,ving its spawning-ground out of its sight, but seeks' some rock or large stone where it plays about ; and the re- mamders of shoals of a single pair maybe seen disportincr to- gether, gay and lively, while watching the bottom for mch ground-bait as angle-worms, and the surface for flies and grasshoppers. This tiny gormandizer is a great annoyance to fishers with the fly or worm when it becomes numerous in a trout-pond, for it will take both the worm and the fly • and besides, it will steal the trout-eggs from the spawning-beds' but It affords ladies and children much sport, and is withal an excellent pan-fish ; and as it affords good sport for school- boys, it should be tolerated. It never attains to more than half a pound weight ; but the buffalo, a Western fish, which IS snnilar to the spotted bass, is sometimes mistaken for this fish, and in some waters ranges from half a pound to nearly five pounds. The sunfish is dark greenisli- brown on the back, greenish-yellow on the sides, lower end of gill tipped Greedy Small-fky. 287 The Sunfish. With ml, and tlie belly orange and gold. It is to be fished lor with perch tackle and very small hooks. THE PERCir. • Thi, foh is tl,e heart of the families of the Pccidm or Per- «fe of Cuver. The p,-e„perem„m is dentionlated, the oper- culum IS produeed behind into a flattened spine the infL o.-b>.al, are obscurely denticulated, and the to,!gue'i smoo , This IS the common fresh-water perch-tho Pe^ca prone. ^ .';i:e~ itt:™" """"*■'"' •■' ^^^^^ =---- y necessa.y. It ,s a very voracious fish, will bite to the ar- ±t ''elT 1 "r"-'!:'^ '^ '" weakness, while it seems equally well pleased with any bait which the angler may adopt o, change to Its weight is usually about hatf a po d cales as high as seven pounds, b„t rarely except in the large The Pkkch.— Pcrta. a i 288 Fishing in Amehican Watkrb. Til Europe it is found dt'Hirublo to cultivate this fish, ;is it is j((>ry prolific and an excellent pan-fish ; but in Anun'ica, wluM-e it is no trick to take Iialfa bushel a day or. the ponds in t)ie iininediate vicinity of the city of New York, it is not deenu'd worth while to encourasj^e its propagation. Iiuk'ed, so great a scourge is it regarded on Long Island, thut pouch- cr.s' having a grudge against an owner of a trout-pond go in the night-time and stock it with perch. Of the fishes belonging to this order there are over twenty families, including the numerous kinds of baas, and nearly all of those fishes of fresli waters with the first dorsal spiked or spinous rayed. Of these families there is scarcely a fresli- water river ov lake on earth which does not contain a repre- sentative. The ovarium of a percli is one fourth the weight of the fish ; and a i)ound pcnih has been known to contain 992,000 eggs. THK (.LASS-EYED Oil WALL-EYHn IMKE. This is one of the fishes of the Middle and Northern States. vVt the Southwest it is called wall-eyed, while at the North it is known r.s the glass-eyed pike, and by other local and un- imjiortant names, such as the pike-perch, sand-pike, etc. Hut its eyes being the most distinctive mark, it is more generally known by the names given at the heading than by hny other. It sometimes attains to a very great weight. Doctor JJuel took one in the Kentucky Kiver which weighed nearly fifty pounds. They arc found in all the tributaries of the Ohio lliver, in the range of jjreat lakes, and most of the rivers and lakes as far east as New York, south as far as Tennessee, and west as far as Wisconsin. They also inhabit many of the Avaters in the western part of the Dominion of Canada. In Cayuga, Seneca, and other lakes of the western part of New York they are often taken, sometimes weighing as high as forty pounds. In Oneida Lake they are numerous ; in fact, the glass-eyed Vaiuous in Sua™ anu Vuwm. 289 •miMKircial fislicH of tlio |"ko is ono of t|„, most important o lukcH. Tub Gr-Ms-BVED on Wall-biku Vmi Iho Klax,-„y„d ,,ikc of tl,o rivers in New York is very sat- .a,t, an, ,» g„„„rally fo,„„l at tl,o .i,ot of a rapid, watchi„K or any ame or disconcerted fish winel, appear' „. t to k "w .ow to take care of itself: Ti,e best way to an.de for t. 7 tLerefore, ,s to anchor yo„r l,oat at the side or ahovc a rapid • «e sh,ner l,a,t, and cast to the foot of the rapid, or let yo„; "■!"«': "V .y^" "'«"''"■ »"'i(-J-l«»s tuekle and flfh w,t a float The p,ke of the Moha„k River are supposed to , , ''•''>^.''. l'»»s™»>"g a pecniiar flavor n.ost tempting as a break ast d.sh. Those fish which run from thro .,'Z at the Lutlo tails to the weight of nearly twenty pounds and proved to he a superior fish for stuflin/ and baWn; ' The scales of the glass-eyed pike are hard, close, and difli- oult to detach. The mandibles are wider and the aws - ronger than those of the pike or pickerel, while its teeth aTe hor^r and closer set. It is dark gray, with greenish tir- o^ fte back gray s.des with yellowish tinge, and white abdo- renders It common and unappreciated, but it is really one of the best table-flshes of the rivers / ^ne ol anrWesttrv-'"- ''"^'y f SUs.-eyo:^ pike, known in Ohio and Western Virginia as the salmon. It resembles the pike 290 Fishing m American Waters. of the Mohawk by being bluish-black on the bu.k, bluish-c^ray «des and white belly. It is iound in the Kunuwha and^Mi ami luvcrs, as also in many other streams of Ohio. THE WHITEPLSH. This sucker-mouthed, succulent delicacy is to be found in most of the small lakes in the middle ofthe Sta.e of Xew York, where It forages near the springs which ^^ush from the of a most delicate flavor. The color of the back is gru and the rest of the fish a clear white of most lustrous sh^^n; The great lakes from Ontario to Superior produce millions annu- ally, and it is supposed the fish near the nort, shores are su- perior to those on the south side ofthe lakes, because a Great- er number of cold spring streams debouch in the lakes on the nor I side. The whitefish is leather-mouthed, and sometimes akes the spoon or spinning bait. In weight it rur-s from three to mne pounds, and there is less waste in it than in any s'^n'if / 1v ', "". ^''' "^^'■'""^- ^^ ^ ^«Py sketched fV Z still life by Walter Bracket, Esq., a Boston artist of merit The WHiTEkisu.—Correffoms alosa or alb 'US. It IS emmently an economical fish, requiring no butter to try It; but, of course, those persons who unite a little knowl- edge of hygiene with gastronomy never fry any but the ^-"Ji^'lltJ^iWflBIMiaieaMHiM ANOiHER BREAKFAST Bi.UCAOY. 291 smallest kiruls of pan-fishes. This is a broiler as truly as i. ;, shad or a Spanish mackerel. Though an alxh ■ninal, it does not belong to the ymm Sal- mo any more than ioes the smelt, which some ichthyo'o^ri8t^ classify with that cfenm, though the smelt spawns in sprin-, and the whit( in summer or early in autumn. Whitefish are taken with nets and placed in fish r ounds in the fall, confined by an ater-fencing with nets or stone, whence they taken with large scap-nets and sent to market. The new process of dry -freezing is being resorted to at the West, i^u as to enable the netters t< take them in the season when they are best for the table, and preserve them in a certain stage of refrigeration until it is thought desirable to market them. This is til ^ Arable method, because, when confined m pounds, closely packed, many of tbem get frozen, beini; thus rendered unmarketable hv rea.Mii of their slow death^ In the winter of 1808 ihere were 500 lost from one pound near Detroit by freezing. T' le po and system should be abol- ished by law. ' ■ The fisher stakes his net and weir The persecuted shoals to snare ; The seiner runs his seines around, Where'er their shining scales abound ; Then, dragging to the neighboring shore, The white sands strew with ample store ; Yet, spite of foe, and net, and seine, Unnumb( l myriads yet remain. "—Isaac M'Lellan. THE LAKE IIERRINCr, The herring belongs to the Clnpeidce family of fishes, and is the fifth and last division of the ''Malacopterygiens ahdomi- naux;' being the supposed link between the GadidcB and the Salmonidm, without second dorsal or adipose fin. The lake herring is quite similar to that of the salt waters, fis^bsisting chiefly on animalcula3. Its back is dark gray with a greenish tinge, white sides and abdomen, and covered with laro-e sil- very scales. It is from nine to twelve inches in length, and when fresh is a good broiler; but the world knows that' it is i^v^ ":^^> ^>, IMAGE EVALUATIOeSj TEST TARGET (MT-S) k 4o A «< & 1.0 I.I 2.0 1.8 111.25 1^ 1^ — 6" Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 37^-4503 ^^ 292 Fishing in American Waters. The Lake Hekking.— 67«/>ea harengus. cured every possible way with salt and smoke, from the deli- cate bloater to the shriveled, smoky-brown substance of a smoked herring-box. Nevertheless, it has been truly stated that "the ancients placed among their gods manv a worse creature than a red herring." It is a great fish of commerce and one of the indispensables to the poor in many parts of the world. Thus far, although the lakes of the United Stateo swarm with a fr< sh-water herring which is not inferior to the best British, yet it has hitherto claimed little attention as a fish for exportation; but the demand for it is becoming an- nually greater, and the fishermen of the Western lakes are now beginning to study the best net and management for Its capture. The drift-nets will probably be found the best, and the lake herrings-which are more delicate than those of salt water — will soon become an important article of com- merce. THE CISCO OB CISCOQUETTE. The Cisco is a small white fish similar to the lake herring but differing from it by the addition of a second filmy dorsal and m its meat being more delicate, and, when scaled, trans- lucent as a smelt. It usually measures from six to nine mches m length, sometimes twelve inches, but rarely longer The scales are white as polished silver except on the back which 18 greenish-gray like the caplin. ' The Cisco is known in some places, eminently by fishermen and fish-dealers along the great lakes, as the ciscoquette, and IS just beginning to be regarded as a commercial fish great quantities being taken with the whitefish by the fishermen 6f New Spoet on Western Lakes. 293 Huron and Superior. A letter from one of the principal Lake Erie fishermen contains the statement that they entertain high hopes of profitable enterprises in this modern luxury. The Cisco is found in all the lakes belonging to the great chain bounding the United States on the north, and in some west- ern lakes of the interior; but, while the lake herring— its fre- quent companion— is numerous in Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, I have not seen a cisco there; but the large shiner of Canan- daigua Lake may be the cisco. Both the cisco and herring are favorite baits for lake trout, and, as food for game fishes, the waters should be kept well stocked with them. The Cisco or Ciscoqcette, From a recent letter to t. Spirit of the Times from Camp Steriing, on Geneva Lake, Wis,, it appears that "ciscoing"is the principal June sport for man, woman, and child in all the area formed by a radius of twenty miles round the lake. The Cisco may be taken with bait or fly, though the latter is the most natural food, as its small, square mouth and soft teeth indicate that animalculm or flies are its natural aliment. At Geneva Lake there is a fly called the " cisco-fly," which ap- pears to be its natural food ; it is nearly an inch long, of gray- ish-brown body and light gray wings, with tail and antennae— probably a Phrijganea. The eel-fly is also said to be a favor- ite lure ; but the cisco and cisco-fly both appear in great num- bers at the same time. The cisco is said to be excellent game of its size, and will rise as vigorously as a brook trout, often meeting the fly be- fore it touches the water. They should be fished for with a single-handed fly-rod, like the trout ; though a sixteen feet perch-rod is recommended, as perch and small black bass oc- 294 FisiiiFn IN AMf:KicAN Waters. cupy the same feeding-grounds, and often rise to the fly or take the bait. The cisco of the great lakes resembles an ale- wife, and sometimes attains the weight of three pounds. THE SHINER. This tiny white fish, with scales of metallic lustre, is from two to four inches long, and the best bait-fish which belongs to the fresh waters of America, where it is found in most of the brooks, rivers, and lakes of the north temperate zone. It is a greedy biter, and with a bit of angle-worm covering the point of a minnow-hook it is taken as fast as it can be drawn out with a supple willow wand. While fishing in rivers for black bass, I have moored one end of my scull-boat at the shore, and sat my waiter at catching shiners at the shore-end of the boat, while I took black bass with the shiner-bait at the other end. Thk Shinek. As a pan-fish, it is the sweetest, most juicy, and delicate of any fish except the golden mullet ; and when fried to a crisp in olive oil or fresh butter, it forms a mouthful more delicious than any other pan-fish. Many epicures in country places appreciate the delicious shiner ; but as it is too insignificant in size to form an object of commerce, inhabitants of cities are innocent of any knowledge of this succulent luxury. But it is as a bait-fish that I would recommend the shiner, and a bait-can is necessary for keeping it alive. SECTION FIFTH. BAIT-CAN AND BAITS. A simple tin can or pail, large enough to contain from two Keeping Alive to Take Life. to three gallons of water, with the lid perforated to let air into the bait, is generally sufficient; but some anglers prefer a double pail, the inper one per- forated all over in holes the size of buckshot. In this case the pails are of equal size at the top and bottom, or cylindrical, and the inner pail may be taken out and the water changed be- tbre returning it, without the danger of losing bait. Another plan is to have a can shaped like the foregoing cut, and, in- stead of frequently changing the Avater, insert a siphon, and <lraw the water up and let it fall back into the can, which aerates the water and revives the bait. In carrying young trout to stock streams, the cans may be of either wood or tin, but they should be constructed with a pump to aerate the water. Clean swamp-moss, asiu a small piece of ice in moss, should always be j)laced in the water for conveying live fish cpv^ral miles in warm weather. SPINNING BAITS. Spinning baits for trolling on all fresh waters have proved the most successful for nearly all the game fishes which in- habit them. I incline to the opinion that, if spinning minnow squids could be made strong enough for trolling with along our coasts and in our estuaries, all the surface-feeding fish of those waters might be taken in greater numbers than they are now by casting menhaden bait, and by all other fish- ing appliances except the set-nets and pounds, which — as they take all sizes of fishes — should be regulated by law, es- pecially as to where they may be used, and under what con- ditions, etc. Of course, the rig for coast-trolling would re- quire to be made very strong ; for even the plain bluefish squid fastened to a heavy hawser-laid line is often parted by the jaws of bluefish, Spanish mackerel, bonetta, or cero. Even a fifty or seventy-five pound atriped bass, or a twenty or thir- 296 Fishing in American "Waters. I! I ty pound bluefish, would make the line hum some. But how would it be with a hundred and twenty pound bonetta ? I have taken large striped bass by trolling for them on the Se- connet River with a bone squid covered with white linen, out of \«hich I formed the tail. The squid played by means of a brass swivel. All swivels should be of brass or copper, even if silver-plated afterward. Steel swivels rust. The leath orn satchel for carrying hooks, screw-driver, pincers, porpoise-oil, and all the appliances necessary for use in mending rod, reel, or any part of tackle, should be framed with brass. Water- proof canvas satchels are better than the leathern, and in them hooks and other anglers' implements will take no in- jury. Water-proof canvas is also preferable to leather for gaiters, and for boat-fishing they are preferable for shoes. I prefer Russia leather boots for wear when trolling off the coast, as the spinous dorsal and pectoral fins of some fishes are sharp and strong enough to pierce any kind of cloth. Foreigners have frequently swindled the anglers of this country by attaching hooks of inferior quality to spinning baits; but the domestic competition in the fishing-tackle business has become so strong that first-rate tackle of all kinds can be had at home ; and the Buel feathered trolling- spoon, and those of M'Harg, are the best in the world for taking the principal fishes of our lakes and rivers. The sam- ples which I submit for the use of anglers on American wa- ters are supposed to be the best in use. Those just xef :ed to I know are. If a plain spoon is used, it should be of sil- ver outside and copper on the concave side. HACKETt's spinning-tackle, cork, IRELAND. This piece of spinning-tackle was noticed in the London Field, and I think it a very good rig for trolling with a live minnow for maskinonge, glass-eyed pike, black and Oswego bass, pickerel, and the numerous lake and river fishes which delight in spoon victuals or captivating artificial lures. In baiting, put the large hook in at the mouth, and run the Disguises all the Go. 297 point of hook along the side, under the skin, bringino- it out opposite the dorsal fin ; then draw up the fish on the shank of the large hook, and insert the small hook through the upper and lower lips, thus closing the mouth; let the bait settle back so as to draw on the small hook, and you are ready for action. The hooks, screw, and swivel should be silver-plated It the snells are of gimp, they should be made very fine ; but twisted gut snells, finely made, are better. The minnow should represent a silver-side or a shiner. This would be a killing bait to offer along the margin of a pickerel-pond while spinning it among the lily-pads "with a long rod. Just cast it as far as convenient, without sinker; let it sink a trifle, and draw it along, when its spinning will soon be stopped if there is a pickerel, perch, or glass-eyed pike, or even a black bass near. Properly made and handled, it must prove a very attractive lure and successful bait. Haskell's trolling-bait. — No. 1. The invention is patented, but may be had at most fishing- tackle stores. It is made of three sizes. The largest is 5| inches long ; medium size, 4^ inches ; small, 3 inches. This troll must prove a successful lure if properly made. A whirl- ing joint below the dorsal fin must require great care to ren- der it quite free and yet sufliciently strong. I have heard good reports of the bait, and should think it would prove successful on the lakes of the Adirondacks and among the Thousand Islands. 298 Fishing in American Waters. Thi« ba t IS intpndea to represent a live flsh with a screw tall. Its main feature Is an InKonloUM roinbina ion of the xpinninp minc\i>\c with that of the well-known ''troll- mj,' ininiiow. It is constructed of thin sheet metal, beautifully anil durably si - mnit'nfri..,7'?<''t ''","• h"' 1"'".'""/,'"^ ''^ ^''^ e-'Kniyins, 'represents ^a Jerfect flsl { the n." ?J 1^^ i." V m'** ^I'i^y is Stationary, and keens in a vertical position in the wa- of the tafl, A and ll!° ' ' '■^^°'^^'' ** ^^"^ J"^"* by means of the turued ends It is well to have but two hooks on metal trolls, but they should be as largo as allowable for the size of lure. Needle-pointed, finely tempered steel hooks, of the Sproat bend, are as good as any. Especial attention should always be paid to the quality of hooks for all kinds of angling, but more especially for troll- ing. The brightest artificial disguises are generally the best for trolling baits. This troll, if made strong enough, would be a very success- ful one for bluetish and Spanish mackerel. THE PROPELLING MINNOW. — No. 2. This minnow is made from gutta-percha, shaded and colored to represent a live minnow. The pectoral fins are represent- ed by screw propellers, which, with the curve of the tail, ren- der the lure very attractive, as its motion in the water re- sembles that of a living fish. This may be made of any size, to suit the kind of fishing for which it is required. Andrew Clerk & Co. have them of all sizes, from those for use with a fly-rod to such as are large enough to troll with for the fishes of our great lakes. This bait has never been tried in our waters. It is similar to the troll for salmon in the iakes of Scotland, and, I think, will prove to be excellent for sea trout. It received a pre- Lures for Game Fishes. 299 inium at the World's Fair in Paris, and the boanty of its make surpasses any spinning bait that I have seen. A small brass swivel connects the gimp snell with the line. BUEl's patent FEATIIEKEl) TKOLL. — No. 3. Among the many eftbrts at making captivating metal trolls, the one with a piece of silver, in the oval or fish-form, revolv- ing at the head of the shank of the hook, proved, from the year it was invented, the most successful ; and, when the ad- dition of feathers was introdi;ced, I trolled with it at the Thousand Islands, Rice Lake, ai.d on other waters, always with great satisfaction. The Iiooks should be heavy and well tempered. M'Harg's troll was very popular at the Thousand Islands, chiefly be- cause it was made with a pair of hooks ; but he tells me that recently trollers prefer a cluster of three hooks. Mr. Clerk says the same. It is a great mistake, because lai;ge fish crush a cluster of hooks and disgorge them. The feathers which I found the most taking were the red ibis. The best troll that I ever used for maskinonge is a red ibis feather for the top of the troll, and a small tuft of white hair from a deer's tail for the under side. The white hair from a deer's tail is brilliant in the water, and it disguises the point of the hook, while the attractive red feathers extend back of the bend of the hook from the top of the shank. I prefer, also, plain brass trolls, trolls of silver for one side and of copper for the other, and trolls of pure silver. The troll for maskinonge should be oval in shape, and from two and a half to three inches long, playing round from a shoulder on the shank of the hook. The hooks should be rext to the lar gest size represented on the plate of implements for taking striped bass'. SPINNING-TACKLE FOR LIVE BAITS. The three desiderata in spinning rigs for trolling with and playing live bait are, 1st, the strength and applicability of ' 300 Fishing in American Wat ER8. Spinning-tackle fok Livr Baits. tached to the gang; and, 3d, the delicacy necessary to form t an at raction instead of a warning. No. 1 represents an half knot fastening at the bend of the hook to the correct length, to hold the fish by the lips and leave the gills free ^ Always use shiners for bait when they are to be had In impahng or affixing the minnow or shiner to the gang of hooks, first msert the bottom hook nearly an inch afcve the ^il, and run it down and out at the tail, as represented by JNo. 2, so as to curve the tail; and, that the tail may have precisely the correct curve, fix the next hook, at the top of the shank of the large hook, in the skin at the side, so as to hold the tail to the curve required ; then insert under the skin the two middle hooks, which fasten more firmly the bait and confine it to the requisite curve. Then slide down the' ip-hook, or upper one, and insert it through both the lips of the fish, shutting its mouth, but leaving the gills free for res- piration. Take a half hitch with the snell round the shank The Biter Bitten. 301 of the hook at the curve, wind it a few times round the shank, and run it through tlie hole at the top of the shank of the hook. This completes baiting; and with a good swivel at the top of the snell or snood, a few inches (say six) above the upper hook, the bait will revolve in water, and remain an attractive lure for hours while trolling, unless a bite inter- venes, and then the biter is quite sure to be hooked ; for the triangular gang, playing to a ring on the outside of the fish, is generally sure to intercept the fish (which aims at the head of the bait) befofe it is taken by the tail-hook. Francis Francis, in philosophizing upon the superiority of the spinning of artificial baits over natural ones, concludes that it is " because they are stiff throughout ;" and that is one of the reasons why they do not get out of proper shape as do the living ones when not properly impaled and perma- nently fixed on a gang of hooks so arranged as that nothing but a bite will disturb or derange the bait. I have not the slightest hesitation in pronouncing this spinning gang the best arrangement of hooks that has thus far been presented to the American angler. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate what is termed the " dead snap." Of courEe,all gangs for natural baits should either be fasten- ed to single, double, or twisted gut snells, or to the finest pos- sible silver gimp wire. They are generally wound to the lat- ter with fine wire, but fresh-water trolls or spinning gangs should be fastened on silk-worm gut. Regulate the number of plies of gut to the size and power offish to be trolled for. The present gang, No. 3, may be fastened to single gut, if the gut be round and strong. In baiting, insert the tail hook first, then the middle hook just under the skin, and finally slide dovn the lip -hook and insert it through both lips. Sometimes a baiting-needle is used to insert the snell from the body out at the mouth through the upper gill-cover. The upper hook should always slide on the snell by a hole or small loop of gut at the top of the shank. 302 FisiiiNo IN American Wa TERS. All MiQs of tho f/e7ius Salmo are more readily captured by trolling with natural baits, such as the shiner or the smelt which is the salmon's natural food, to a troll formed of burnished silver, with the hook disguised by gay feathers while all families of the pike and perch prefer the feathered squid. For trolling, the black bass prefers live bait; but in July he will bite at almost any gay fly, if artistically pre- sented. '' ^ The troll is the most killing method of angling short of the ' net and the pound, and yet it is not neady so popular in America as in Europe. An American gentleman would hard- ly consent to troll for salmon, and yet in both Scotland and Ireland they cross-fish for them by two row-boats carrying, each an angler with trolling-rods, and the lines of each anrrle" are connected at the ends, where a float marks the division To each line numerous flies arc attached, and the boats are rowed along at a convenient distance, and when a salmon bites, the angler on which side of tlie float the fish is fastened reels and plays the salmon, while the other angler gives line If the oarsmen, who gaff" the fish, get nervous, a snarl of lines -ind hooks, and a loss of the fish, are results quite naturally expected and frequently realized. SPOON-VICTUALS FOR LONG-SNOUTS. The larger sizes of feathered spoons are preferred in troll- ing for the maskinong(3 and the great Northern pickerel as also for the glass-eyed pike. The difierence in the two styles of troll is illustrated by A and B. Troll A revolves on a shoulder, to which two hooks are first wound with brass-wire then soldered. On the shank, as represented, feathers arc' mounted. Decisive colors are to be preferred, such as red and white. Sometimes two swivels, one at the shank of the hook and the other at the end of the gimp snell, six inches above, are used to prevent the rapidity of the action of the troll from kinking the line. Troll B is so arranged that difierent fly-hooks may be Caitivating Trolls. 303 looped on by their wires at the joint, as iUustrated. It is supposed by many that this rig is the best, because it permits free play to the hooks. In all other respects it is similar to A. Feathered trolls, like A and B, made strong, with stout hooks, and heavy, strong gimp or wire snells, would be most killing among such coast fishes as the Spanish mackerel, blue- fish, and squeteague. TROLLIN^G WEATHER AND BAITS. Of weather for trolling there are several opinions. Some think that the calm after a storm is the best time ; others, that a windy day is be^t. It is good weather for all kinds of angling and trolling when the mercury is well up in the ba- rometer and there is a gentle breeze ; also when the sun looks with a modest silver face, it is much better than when the god of day is red and fiery, or glares with a golden or jaun- diced stare. ■ I li H 304 Fishing in American Waters. Trolling is a luxurious style of fishing. It is not very ar- tistic until the fish fastens. Then the play of the fish calls for the deftly-expert handling by an angler whose experience has taught him the strength and tricks to effect escape pecu- liar to each family of fishes. Of bait-fishes, the river chub probably ranks next to the shiner. It bites eagerly to a minnow-hook baited with liver. Then there are the daces, both the horned and smooth heads^ which are good for bait, and bite readily to a red fly, ano-le- worm, or liver. The stone-sucker is often used for blit, but It uas no other merit than being firm and lasting ; it is not a taking lure. I am in the habit, when angling in the interior of the country, and in want of minnow bait, to cut a two-inch thick rod, with a fork at the end, trimming the fork, and cut- tmg It down to the length of two feet, and then fasteninc. a piece of bobbinet lace or musquito-nettina into the fork full enouo to form a bag, and with that ext^emporized scap-net I have always been able to scap up enough bait from the brooks or backsets from the fishing waters. But it is more desirable to carry a minnow-net on making these country ex- cursions. The gaff-hoc:, landing-net, and minnow-net are es- sential implements toward an outfit for an expedition for general fishing. FISH-HOOKS. In the two rows of hooks represented opposite, the angle r may see the two important bench, without reference to the slight bend sidewise, and called the Ki-hy bend, which may be given to either one. Some anglers prefer a Kirby bend, while others contend that it is not so good for mounting with flies for either salmon or trout ; but Mr. Hyde, the best amateur expert in America, generally mounts his flies on Kirby round- bends. Offish-hooks the shape is important,but scarcely more so than are the qualities of metal, temper, and finish. Oh how many aching regrets and hopeless feelings of momentary desperation have been caused '■ - ■ - ^'y in a fish-hook. or m ''yflP^"' ■.iSMESi.lS'^^'*^*^'"'*"'"' Impoetance of Fish-hooks. 305 ' 11 I 14 15 I its deficiency of quality ! As the quality of the hook is the foundation of the general results for the angler, it may not be a matter of surprise that I endeavor to impress the embryo philosopher with the importance of fish-hooks. I remember that, when a boy of seven summers, an extemporized bridge for carting hay was cast over a trout-brook in front of our dwelling, and that I baited a pin with a worm and lay down on the bridge, which was but a few inches above the water, and let the baited pin run under the bridge. In a moment I experienced a tremendous jork, and pulled in my line, when the trout struggled, and finally straightened my pin -hook. Oh, what would I not have promised at that moment to give for a real fish-hook! The store was near by, where Uvo hooks might be had for a cent, but whore was the cent? I have never forgotten the feelings of that moment, and never will while life lasts. I would therefore plead for paternal generosity toward youths who early contract a penchant for angling. V t ■ 306 Fishing in American Waters. The rows of samples include the useful sizes to mount with flies for salmon and large brook trout, or to use for bait in the river fishings for commoner fish. The upper row repre- sent Adlingtou & Hutchinson's needle-pointed round-bends. This is also an excellent hook for small striped bass and black bass, and generally for fishing when a float is used. The lower row of Siiroat bend hooks are samples of the manufacture of Hutchinson & Sons, intended for the same uses as the foregoing. This bend is better than the round one for fish with a small mouth, like the kingfish. The Sproat bend appears to be the ne plus ultra in the form and quality of a fish-hook. The Virginia hook is quite similar in its short- ness of nib and low bend, while the Kinsey or Pennsylvania hook is lower still in the nib and wider in the bend, and, being shorter from the point of the hook to the bend or centre of draught, is preferred by many ; but my experience in losing large fish by their springing the hook out induces me to pre- fer a hook of larger wire, finer finish, and tempered better. These hooks enlarge gradually to No. 20, and in quality are truly superior. SALMON FLIES. The flies on the upper row are tied on the Adlington hook with Sproat hend, while those of the lower row are mounted on the round hend^ of numbers from 15 to 18. Fig. 1. Wing of diagonally barred feathers from under pide of snipe's wing, in drab and black ; dark blue and black pig's-wool hackle ; gold tail. Fig. '.'. Mottled black and white wing from a turkey's tail; body of olive-colored mohair iind black hackle, with brown shoulders, and orange peacock tail. Fig. 3. Black and drab diagonally barred wing, blue and cliirot hackle body, with gold shoulder; tail of gold and green. Fig. 4. Brown wings and legs, drab body, all of gutta-percha; glass eyes. Fig. 6. Ribb»d drab wing and antennie; legs and body of gutta-percha; reddish- brown mohair shoulders, and black bcr.d eyes. Fig. 6. White miller; white ribbed wings, drab body and legs, red glass eyes. Fig. 7. Brown gutta-percha wings, pur- ple body wound with gold tinsel, reddish-brown mohair shoulders. Fig. 8. Black hackle body wound with gold ; barred duck-wing tail ; argo pheasant wing. Fig. 9. Purple body with gold tail ; blue and purple hackle ; tail of the golden pheasant top-knot; browu mallard wings. Fig. 10. Brown and white pheasant w:ng; gold body tind tail ; brown hackle shoulders, and black hackle head. Fig. 11. Golden body and tail; black hackle shoulders, with pheasant and burnt-brown wings. Asia has contributed more material for artificial flies in her linmerous families of pheasants than has any other quarter of the globe. Neither the South American fox, the barred wing 308 Fishing in American Watees. of the wood-duck, nor the brown mallard feather are equal in attraction and delicacy to the top-knot of the golden pheas- ant, or the feathers of the argo pheasant. The two lower rows of flies are copies of those used with success last year in Canada by Dr. Clerk, of Andrew Clerk & Co. FLY DRESSING. TEOUT-PLIES. Fig. 1. Preparatory to snelling your hook, which means tying the hook to a ^ilk-worm gut snell, wind the head of the shank with several turns of waxed silk. Wax for fly-tying is the same as shoemaker's, only more clear and lighter col- ored. Then wind three or four times from near the bend of the hook up to the first thread at the head, and lay the end of the gut on th^ inside of the shank down near to the bend, and wind with the last silk thread down to the end, and fasten end as directed on the page of" loops and ties," leaving ends as 1. Fig. 3 is the same as 1, only the end of silk at the bend end of the tie is cut short, whereas the two threads of 1 are seen on 2 as follows : Fig. 2. Place two hairs as antennae, and the hackle that you intend for the head in the direction of the bend of hook, and fasten them by several loops ; then fasten the end of the dufling like 2 or 9, and wind it round the hook to form the body, winding it afterward with a thread of gold or silver twist, or a hackle feather like 4, fastened as at 10, and wind round the body. Then add the wings like 5, finishing ofi" like 8 ; or cut from a feather a pair of wings like 6, and wind them from the head so they will maintain their present spread shape. Many tyers of trout-flies tie only one wing on, but it never falls so naturally as do the two-winged flies ; and, to imitate Nature perfectly, some flies require to be tied with four wings. Imitate the natu- ral fly as shown on the plate of " natural and artificial flies." 310 Fishing in Ameeican Watees. MOUNTING SALMON-HOOKS. • Fig. 11. Wind oi your silk-gut loop, and wind the end of your duffing and antenna, fastening it all at the head, and form- ing the head of hackle as shown by 14. The hackle should be doubled, as represented by 1 ; and, after the duffing is wound, the hackle should cover it like 13; or the hackle may be heavy like 12. Some persons use a vice to hold the hook, as 14; but the best artists at fly-tying do not use them. After the duffing, the antenna?, and hackle are fastened, the body is usually wound with a cord of silver or gold, as 1.3 and 15, when the wings are fastened like 12 and 15, the head and tail finished like the latter, and the ends of threads covered and closed off with shellac. This also fastens the tinsel at the head of the antennae ; but with all your windings of hackle, duffing (the body), cord, or tinsel, carry with each your thread of silk, well waxed with trans- parent wax, and as nearly the color of the material you are winding as possible. First fasten well your hook to the snell, and then exercise taste and practice delicacy of ma- nipulation. After all, an hour's instruction from an artist is worth more than all the books in Christendom on in- struction for making artificial flies. I prefer to purchase flies from those who follow the art for a livelihood ; but all anglers should be able to tie a fly when in a wilderness. THE PONDERATING SINKER. This recent invention is not in general use, or known to many anglers. I have tried it. It may do for river and fresh- water fishings witlyi float, but for bottom fishing the hollow tracing sjaker is vastly superior. The object for thus in- creasing the ponderosity of a sinker is to save the trouble of carrying numerous sinkers of different weights when going a-fishing, and to increase or decrease the weight without tak- ing off the sinker. Explanation of the Cut.—^o. 1 is the smallest size of the A NEW Combination. 811 set represented. In case a heavier sinker is required, No. 1 is unscrewed, and presents the appearance of Nos. 2 and 3. The increased weight necessary is found in such wheels as 4 and 5, which are screwed on 3, and then 2 is again fastened to 3 by means of the screAv. The sinkers are of lead, and the screw of 3 and the hole of 2 are brass, in drder that they shall be strong and not corrode. I can not recommend them for the heavy fish of our bays and estuaries, as they are liable to unscrew on the bottom and in a strong tide ; but as sinkers for float-fishing, no invention, I think, could be more oppor- tune. They are to be found at the principal fishing-tackle stores. -mssL art tijirtr. COMMEKCIAL FISHERIES. CHAPTER I. LAKE FISHERIES. Statistics of a couple of Fisheries on the Western Lakes. As I have before stated that this is not a school-book, I will add that it is not intended for the counting-room. The few statistics given are mere glimpses at a branch of industry which is a sealed book to the public. The lake fisheries of the United States are confined to the southern half of the range of lakes to which the River St. liawrence is the outlet. Later in the history of this country important fisheries will be established on Lake Superior and at intervals fa: beyond. At present the few fisheries are controlled by private indi- viduals or companies, who have not cared for the publicity which would enable reporters to make a correct estimate of this industry. FOOD-FISHES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. The catch of fish in Lake Superior averages about ten thousand barrels, of which nine thousand a^e whitefish, and the remainder ciscoquettes (ciscos) ; but this only applies to the fish which are salted for an Eastern market ; for large quantities are shipped while fresh, of which no correct ac- count is kept. In Detroit one firm alone ships annually some three hundred tons of whitefish, which, however, is a portion of the harvest of Lake Huron. The largest whitefish are caught below Coj^per Harbor, in Lake Superior, and weigh about 8 pounds, or 60 to a barrel ; those caught above Copper Harbor average 1^ to 2 pounds, and about 130 to the barrel. From an estimate made in dollars by the dealers in Lake Supe- rior fishes, the catch of last year, when salted, amounted to... $200, 000 00 300 tons fresh whitefish, shipned by one house, at 10 cts. per lb. 60.000 00 1(200,000 00 316 FisiiTNG IN American "Waters. My informant — who is one of the most intelligent fisher- men of the lakes — adds that " ciscoqiiettes" (or the ciscos) are supposed to be the finest of the fresh-water fishes taken in the lakes. " They are something like a Spanish mackerel, very fat, and becoming valuable. They are never found far away from copper-mines, and wherever copper is found most abund- ant there also are found the greatest number of ciscoquettes. None are caught at the lower end of the lake. Fishing is yet in its infancy, many places having never been fished before last season," i. e. 1867. The ciscoquette is only like the Span- ish mackerel in its flavor being free from any foreign taste ; but it is more juicy, and, if possible, more delicate in flavor. FISHERY OP SANDUSKY, OHIO. This is one of the principal fisheries on the lakes, and the following statement shows its annual catch, and the means employed : WHITEFISH. Taken in pounds, 1,800,000 fish ; aggregate weight, 4,500,000 lbs.; price, 10 cents the pound, or $450,000 00 2000 lbs. daily, or over, for 200 days, taken in gill-nets 40,000 00 490,000 00 GLASS-EYED OR WALL-EYED PIKE. 4,400,000 pounds, of sizes running from 1 ^ to 14 lbs. each. The wholesale price averages 4 cents the pound 170,000 00 BLACK BASS. 65,000. Average, 3 lbs. Price, 4^ cents per lb 8, 775 00 SAND PICKEREL OR SAND PIKE. 1,200,000. Price, 1 cent each 12,000 00 LAKE HERRINGS. 13,500,000 fish, weight ^ lb. each, at i cent per lb 33,7.')0 00 WHITE BASS. 1,200,000 fish, at a cent each 12,000 00 MASKINONGE. 500 fish, 10 lbs. each, at 6 cents per lb 300 00 LAKE TROUT. 20,000 Ibo. ci ,>p,; t , ,; Cape "Vincent, N. Y. , and 40,000 lbs. caught at ColilTi.i'^rilisi . id ri,;enwood, at 10 cents per lb 6,900 00 Amount tot.^] $738,825 00 Fisii Pounds and Food-fishes. 817 NUMBER AND EXTENT OF NETS EMPLOYED. The fishery has 1/5'^. pounds or stationary nets, set in waters from 20 to 42 feet deep. The length of each net is 100 rods, and the cost $1000 each. Amount total, $150,000. The cost offish-pounds are the principal expense, though the company has in continued use 1000 gill-nets, twenty seines, and numer- ous small boats. The fishery is very prosperous, and o-.vned by men of energy and business capacity. The extensive coast and estuary fisheries of the United States, having been regularly worked ever since the eastern border was first settled by Europeans, have to such a degree absorbed the capital and enterprise of fishei-men and fish-deal- ers that the lake and river fisheries were not thought of until within the past twenty years, with one solitary exception. Prior to that date the establishment of fisheries in the inte- rior of the United States was not even spoken of. Now there are many, from which I have selected the foregoing exemplars to illustrate results of this growing industry. Throughout the interior of our vast territory there is an ornamental tracery of running, sweet, and healthful waters, well supplied with food-fishes. The working of these wate'-s is free to all fishermen, with the unimportant exception of a few depleted rivers, consequent on their having been over- worked, but which are now being restocked and protected by legislative enactments during the process of recuperation. These are all near the sea-board. The lakes and lengthy riv- ers of the interior are still free ; and where no regular fish- eries are established, the inhabitants take what fresh fish they want, either with the angle, net, or spear. The poaching pro- clivity of some indolent persons has induced them to use the spear too freely in our small lakes during winter. In the State of New York there is a law against it, with fine and penalty attached, but it is still done in defiance of law. These poachers erect a board shanty on sleigh-runners, furnished 318 Fishing in American Waters. with a foot-stove, and a hole in the ridge of the roof for the spear-handle. This shanty they draw out on the lake, cut a hole through the ice under it, lock the door, and commence spearing all the fish that come near their hole. If the con- stable raps at the door, no reply is meant to signify that the occupant is absent. Thus poachers squat in villages on our lakes in wintei* when the ice is thick, and sjjear the fish at a season when they aie unwholesome for food. In Canada, for attracting the maskinonge to the spear, in one hand the poacher holds a line attached to an artificial minnow, which he keeps ploying in the water, while with the other hand he holds the spear. The maskinonge darts to within a foot of the minnow, and, Avhile hesitating there, the spear takes him. The great Western rivers swarm with fish, and all the way for five hundred miles below the sources of both the Missis- sippi and the Missouri every tributary is a trout-stream. In addition to the pik*- and pickerel, the glass-eyed pike, doroe, or sand pickerel, the gray pickerel, known as the Ohio salmon, there are some half dozen varieties of bass in nearly every Western river, besides perch, sunfish, chub, bream, eels, buf- falo. There are also several varieties of catfish, the most im- portant of which are the black, yellow, and channel cats. The Missouri River is justly celebrated for the latter fish, which runs from five to fifteen pounds each, and, besides yield- ing excellent sport for the rod, is a choice table luxury, equal- ing the sahire of the Danube, which is also a species of cat- tish highly prized by European epicures. The Hammer-headed Shark. An imi'oktajs't Need of Man. 319 CHAPTER II. COAST FISHES AND FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. The fisheries of the Atlantic coast from Chesapeake Bay to the Gulf of St. LaAvrence are so extensive as to cause re- gret that statistics in the catches of many important fislies are not sufficiently reliable to form the data necessary to a correct report of the numbers and weights annually caught by the thousands of fishermen -who keep no account of their takes, but sell them at retail or wholesale, and live on the pro- ceeds, without keeping an account of their expenses. THE MACKEREL. Coasting New England's rocky shore, Sailing where Southern sm-ges ponr, The daring fisliers spread the sail To Southern haze and North2rn gale. Thousands of craft the ocean si)eck, Thousands of seamen juice the deck, Eager to follow to the end, Where'er tlie mackerel shoal may tend. This is one of the most important food-fishes of the seas, as well as one of the most prolific. Nature, in the harmoni- ous arrangement of the universe, and in turning all things toward man's good, has made the duration and existence of numerous families of fishes dependent upon their searching out brooding-places and depositing their eggs in the neigh- borhood of man's need. By the process of procreation, these fish form, to a certain extent, home attractions, and dally about the shoals near shore, where they are fished for with the hook, and the more sure means of a drift-net twenty feet deep by one hundred and fifty feet in length, Avell corked at top, but with no leads at the bottom, for when mackerel are ff a 320 Fishing in American Waters. in a biting or a moA'ing mood they rise to the surface. Like all sea fishes, the mackerel is more easily taken than fishes of fresh waters. He foolishly dashes at whatever he sees before him which he thinks will not devour him. But in this pecu- liarity he does ncc differ from the royal salmon, which will snap at flies when out of season, and evince the most culpable rapacity when just returned from sea, even biting at an arti- ficial minnow, or a fly unlike any thing in existence. The Mackeuel. — Scombridce — Scomber. — Linn. It would be difficult to find a fish more exquisite in form, or more important in a commercial point of view, than the common mackerel. It is also capricious in its movements. It is not always to be depended on for visiting us in great numbers, though it has never entirely deserted us for a sin- gle season. It is in best condition on our shores in October. Then it is most succulent, and orders for private tables should be made of that month's catch. Catches early in the season are lean. The catch of June is scarcely worth salting ; but mackerel fiitten fast, and by September are very good. Oc tober mackerel are preferable to those of any other month in the year, for, as a singular fact in the nature of the fish, it be- gins to deteriorate or lose condition in November, In gen- eral, mackerel move away from shore gradually after the first frost, and they finally settle off in soundings, not much influ- enced by the cold weather along our shores. October is con- sidered the closing month of the mackerel season ; but about five years since, near the 1st of December, the fishermen of New Providence, Massachusetts, were surprised by the sight of the saltatory exploits on the bay of myriads of mackerel leaping, shining, and gleaming in every direction. The boats The Conscience of Mackerel. 321 were supplied with bait, and manned in quick time for even Yankees, and the take that day was almost miraculous. The catch that season had been short, but that day made up the deficiency of the year. The next morning indicated that the shoal had stacked arms and rras prepared to march. But few were taken that day, and less numbers each day for a week that the fleet followed them, when the shoals all sank, as by one general ordei-, off the coast of New Jersey. It was matter of great surprise to the fishermen that the mackerel voluntarily yielded themselves to appease the fish- ermen and supply the fish-casks of human need ; but, having done so, the shoals seemed to have retired with a glow of sat- isfaction at having done their duty, even aL the loss of some of their favorites. In vain is the intimation to the pious fisherman that mack- erel are as liable to mistakes in their calculations as men, and so settled, before the regular fishing season was over, in too cold a latitude, and rose during a warm terra to take a lunar, and lay their course for more genial winter quarters. No ! The fishermen believe that, smitten by conscience for not fur- nishing the usual supply, the fish voluntarily yielded them- selves to the sacrifice for conscience' sake. Mackerel, to be fully appreciated, should leap as it were from the water into the hands of the cook, and be made ready for the gridiron, broiled, and on the table in half an hour aft- er it has left its native element. Or a salted October mack- erel can not be depreciated by a person of nice taste ; though, of course, a fresh fish is better than a cured one, and the soon- er it is cooked after its last shuddering flutter, and its ultra- marine tints die aAvay, the better. The mackerel frequents the Atlantic coast from Belle Isle to Long Island. It spawns in spring in the bays, bayous, and estuaries, and comes into season for the table in August.' "Whether from the abundance of suitable food found at such times or from some other causes wliicb influencQ the migratinnK of fisli it is J.-ird to sav, hut expenem-e shows us that on the coasts of Ireland mackerel are taken nearly all the year round. They are rarely very abundant on the coast X 322 Fishing m American "Wateks. i : of Cornwall— although never entirely absent from it— much before March. A little later thev visit the coast of Devonshire, appearing to approach the land as the season advances. At Lowestoft and Yarmouth the fishing season is still later, and is at its height during the months of May and June, whilst in the Frith of Forth June and July are the months when they usually ap- pear. In the Orkneys few fish are taken until the last week in July or the first in August. , , ,-.1^1 "The mackerel family have an extended range, and are found most abun- dant in warmer climes than the British Isles. The Sea of Marmora and the Bosphorus at times literaUy swarm with them. It is extremely pictixresque and exciting to see the light and graceful 'caiques' dancing like bubbles over the clear blue sea, as, propelled by their lusty crews, they shoot here and there amongst the circling nets. Meantime the cunning old cormorants, un- dismayed by the bustle and splashing water, ply their occupation most dili- gently As they grow audacious from long-continued Impunity, they make a sudden raid over the corks into the thick of the struggling, fluttering fiy. The fishermen shout, and by dint of admonitory pokes, liberally administered with the oar-blades, the greedy, long-necked throng are ignominiously ex- pelled, and retire beyond the nets, gobbling down at leisure their ill-gotten plunder. Some idea of the abundance of fish to be found in this part ot the world, and of the immunity from persecution enjoyed by these krds, may be formed by watching the countless thousands of them which at times pass, m apparently endless lines, between the Sea of Marmora and the Black Sea. I have watched them for hours without seeing any apparent diminution in their pf jsing hosts. Vast numbers of mackerel also frequent the coasts of the isl- and of St. Helena, where immense quantities can be captured. I have taken them with the hook and line until literally tired of hauling up and unhook- ing, baiting with a little strip of salt pork-rind, and throwing biscuit-dust overboard as an attraction. These fish, although of excellent flavor, are rarely more than seven or eight inches long, and are much like the s/nners, or young mackerel, found abundantly on the English coast during the sum- mer months ; while in British waters, from fourteen to sixteen inches m length, and two pounds in weight, is not an unusual size. , , , ^, " Much importance appears in past times to have been attached to the sale of mackerel in London, as we find that a law was passed in the year 1098 lego'hmg their being vended by a 'cry' on Sunday, which custom, as Ave know, still continues. „ , , , . a- * i " There are several modes by Avhich the capture of the mackerel is effected. Seines, or long nets furnished with corks at the top an'l leads at the bottoin, are dexterously carried by fast boats round the advancing shoal ot hsh, which is inclosed as within a ' pound.' The ends of the net arc now secured, and the fish eitlier taken from within the inclosure with a smaller net, or drawn to the surface in the 'bunts' or bags formed in the larger seines, when the leaping, struggling fish are dipped up literally by baskettu s (by men stationed on the gunwale of the boat for the purpose) and thrown into a compartment provided for their reception. Great numbers are at times taken in ground seines or nets, which, although somewhat like those above described, are smaller, and so arranged as to be dragged to the beach with their contents. 'Trammel' and 'drift' nets may be compared to curtains suspended in mid- water, and are moored securely in the places selected for them by heavy stones fastened to their ends. In them the heedless fish, not perceiving he treacherous web, dart their heads, become hopelessly entangled, and are ulti- ' """llook-fiffhing, too, lends its aid in thinning the rainbow throng. As a matter of sport and pastime, few pursuits, I think, are more thoroughly en- Yielding Profit and Spoet. 323 the boat occasionally when vvPfnnnHVJ^ f ^'=^«''^«'- , Tacking and Avearing we killed thesrbeSS'a??rst ^J H^ bT"" n\'^°'^'' ^'^^ *^^'° ^""''^ liilarating. '" "'"'^' ^' "^ ^'""^ ^'^""t it is animated and ex- Hook-fishing for mackerel is very exciting sport. A brisk breeze,_sky mellowed by fleecy clouds, gulls swooping and screammg, every thing apparently in excitement. Under such circumstances and surroundings, it is not strange if the troller, whiffer, or still-baiter should inflate his lungs and least his soul until the waning sun warns him to desist and retire. Excellent sport is sometimes to be had by rowino- or scull- ing a boat into a thick shoal, and trolling for them with feath- ered squid, twirling spoon, or casting to them a white artifi- cial fly. '^'''"tV{8rt'^T«r-'''^'tV'" ''^ ^'"''' "^^^"'"^ ""^ Massachusetts Pom 18G3 to 18G/, and the average wholesale Prices per barrel. ^'""6 90000 " 2100 isonnnnnn • — irir^ 15 00 i,o.-)0,ooo 00 1,396,000 " mm^^O ;}24 Fishing in Amekican Waters. \ Srule of Invlit^, Hekring and Pif.ciiaei> Famua-.— 1. The Mossbonker, or Hard-head, Alom menhadru (very abmidaiit on the shores of Long Island and Mass. It is s-eldom eaten). 2. The Pilchard, Clupea piUhardm. 3. The Anchovy, EngrmdiK engramcolus. 4. Amer- ican Shad, Alosa pramtabilU. 5. The Herring, Clupca harengus. I SECTION SECOND. No. 4. THE SHAD. By the rice-border'd Southern coast, Where the Savannah River winds, The shad-shoal, an nnnumber'd host, Its earliest feeding pasture finds. Thence northward where the Hudson sweeps Connecticut's transparent deeps. Their gleaming myriads seek a home Beyond the surges and the foam. The Shad, comincM-cially, is an important fish. It winters in the ocean, dallies among the nets in the estnaries during spring, after whicli it lays its ova in the sands above tide-wa- ter, and returns to salt water to recuperate. It is very pro- • lific, yielding from a fourth to half a million eggs annually within the months of April, May, and Juno. Tlie Connecti- cut River is supposed to contain the best shad, while those of the Delaware and Hudson are excellent fish — vastly supe- rior to those of the British Isles, or to the Alosa vulgaris, which is numerous in the rivers of France, but so small and lean as never to be seen on the table of an epicure. The av- erage weight of shad hi Europe is less than two pounds, while 19 Economical Ekiiakfast Delicacy. 325 in America it is double that weight. Tho Alosajlnta visits «ome of the waters in France and Spain, and it is but recent- ly that It has been duly classified in France. The superiority of American shad in both size and quality over those of Eu- rope IS probably caused by the purity of our rivers, and the peater amount of the kinds of food relished by this tooth- less sprmg delicacy of the breakfast-table. It feeds on ani- malcule, and is exclusively caught with nets. The shad season is comparatively short, but the principal Northern markets are supplied with them from Southern Hv- ers in March, and sometimes as early as February. They do not enter the rivers of New York and Connecticut before the early part of April ; and one of the most peculiar features in this family of fishes was discovered by Seth Green, while hatching them by artificial means at Ilolyoke, on the Connec- ticut River, where he hatched nearly one hundred millions of shad in less than six weeks. From the time when he strip- ped the shad, and the ova and milt settled in the hatching- boxes, not more than thirty-six hours elapsed before nineteen twentieths of the eggs hatched, and the remainder within twelve hours later. THE SHAD FISHERIES. Sixty days include the shad season in New York Bay and the Hud- son liner, during which time the usual catch is 1,100 000 fisli averaging each 25 cts. as price, or \^jr mn The catch in Delaware ahout 750,000, 25 cts. . . 1 8? nio Connecticut, 400,000, 30 cts ,^o'nnn Kennebec, 140,000, 15 cts oornn Penobscot, 20,000, 20 cts .' •"•• f'Z^ North Carolina, 500,000,40 cts 20o'oO(l Potomac and Chesapeake, 300,000, 20 cts "' fio'oOO Norfolk and vicinity, 200,000, 30 cts go'ooo iiJTlMHJO Although the shad of Southern waters are inferior to those of the Northern, yet, as the earliest in market, they command the price of a rarity. The foregoing wholesale prices are copied from the books of tlie most extensive dealers in Ful- ton Market, New York. ;J2« FisuLNO IN Amekican "VVaters. SECTION THIRD. No. 1. — THE MOSSBUNKER OR MENHADEN. On salt-sea borders, sound, and bay, The twinkling spring-time sunbeams play. And white with froth the billows shine Where the mossbunkers lash the brine. Above them flocks of sea-gulls swing, Beneath the hungry bluefish spring. And, deadlier still, the surfmen strain The oars, and mesh them with the seine. The menhaden is a white fish, with large scales of metallic lustre. It disports, during spring, summer, and autumn, oft' the coast and in the estuaries from Delaware to the Bay of Passamaquoddy. It is from nine to twelve inches long, and in shape resembles a diminutive shad, though not so wide or thin for its length. It is a very oily fish, very bony, and therefore never eaten except by fishermen, who frequently salt it for winter use. Its flavor is like that of the shad. The principal estimate of value put upon the menhaden is for its quality as the best bait for attracting mackerel, striped bass, bluefish, and even such of the Gaclidm as the haddock, and of the Crustacea as the lobster. It is either ground or chopped fine and cast upon the water to attract mackerel and other food-fishes to the hook, while it is the best bait for lob- ster-pots. The annual diminution in the numbers of mackerel taken within the past five years— as shown by the statistics- is justly attributable to the increase of the manufacture of menhaden oil. About five years since some person conceived the brilliant idea of making oil from menhaden by grinding them to a pulp, putting them under a press, and squeezing ou| the oil. He formed a company, which erected buildings, introduced machinery, and bought sail-boats and nets. For a couple of years, while menhaden were so abundant as to be used for manure in some places along the coast, the menhaden oil companies made generous dividends ; but no sooner did this fact become known among enterprising geniuses than Calllno fob Legislation. 327 nearly two hundred manufactories were put in operation, and the sails of menhaden boats enlivened Long Island Sound throughout its length and breadth, their flocks of white wings extending along the Atlantic shore for five hundred miles, as if striving with the numerous shoals of porpoises to see which could do the most harm to the fishing interest by robbing the fishermen of the greatest amount of bait. But every "year since the shoals of menhaden have decreased in number, so that while the fishermen begin to find the price of bait op- pressive, some oil factories have been compelled to suspend operations. It may be a question worthy of attention by po- litical economists and statesmen whether menhaden oil manu- factories should not be taxed out of existence for the injury they are causing to the public ; for the oil companies off-er in- ducements which attract fishermen from their legitimate call- mg, enhance the prices of most kinds of food-fishes, and thus injure the public. Laws which should adequately encourage by premiums the capture of the black porpoise and the pufier would greatly improve the coast fisheries. This course was deferred until the porpoises robbed some of the rivers of Ireland" of their salmon, by watching in large shoals at the mouths of rivers when the salmon were returning to spawn. Already the black porpoise-the most injurious to food-fishes of all the mammal tribes-are becoming so numerous along the coast, and in the bays and estuaries, that the fishermen rightly con- sider them one of the principal causes of the annual decrease of striped bass and many other excellent fishes. The valua- ble oil of the porpoise would be a sufficient reward for its cap- ture if the fishermen could be so encouraged as to induce them to decline catching menhaden for oil mills, and brino- their forces to bear against the porpoise, the oil of which is the finest in the worid for jewelers' use, and the lubrication of all machinery requiring a fine and pure article. By some such means as I have hinted at the shoals of food- fishes may be checked in their eastern migrations, and in- 328 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. ' duced to forage in the waters of the United States, instead of settling beyond their limits. MENHADEN FOR BAIT. The largest fleet engaged at catching menhaden bait ajong the coast is at Gloucester, Mass., where twenty fast-sailhig tishing-smacks are engaged six months of t ! year at netting menhaden, and their annual sales of bait average hi amount |i75,000. Of the pilchard, No. 2, and anchovy, No. 3, they are European fishes ; but the herring. No. 5, swarms along all the shores and inlets of the Atlantic during the s[)ring and sum- mer months ; and whether it is the want of duly appreciating the fish, or because American fishermen have better employ- ment during the season which the herring visits our shores, I know not, but it does not claim its proportionate share of interest and attention among the numerous families of Ameri- can food-fishes. FROZEN herrings. Late in autumn about fifty vessels sail annually from Mas- sachusetts to Newfoundland for frozen herrings. Their aver- age catch is one hundred tons each, and their wholesale price in the New York markets is three cents a pound, or $300,000. SECTION FOURTH. THE CODFISH — CATCHING AND CURING IT. Far oft' by stormy Labrador — Far off" the Banks of Newfoundland, Where angry seas incessant roar, And foggy mists their wings expand, The fishing-schooners, black and low, For weary months sail to and fro ; Seeking no home, no rest the while. Till each is freighted full with spoil. While visiting the mouth of the St. John River, on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, I spent some time in examining the modics operandi of taking and dry-curing cod. Industry of wokld-wild Iaipoktaxce. 329 Fishermen from the isles of Guernsey and Jersey, with those trom the British American Provinces, had come from afar with tlieir wives and little ones, and early in June settled in log cabins, to remain during the cod-fishing season, which they supposed, would continue until September, when with' their freighted vessels, they would embark on their i,erilous voyage ibr home and a market. Their fleet numbered sixty sail, with a scull-boat (in which a sail might be hoisted in case of necessity) for each vessel. This fleet emplo^a>d also two sail-boats, with nets, to catch caplin for bait." Lar^e shoals of caplin, smelt, and si)earing foraged about the^stu- ary and along the bay and coast, wisely intended, no doubt, as food for salmon, cod, and other members of the Gamce family, besides the more ferocious monsters of the deep which seem to stop at nothing. During my stay of a week among these fishermen, and from what experience I before enjoyed with the class, I am forced to conclude, with Victor Hugo and others who have studied the habits of men and deduced therefrom theories for the influence which their avocations exert upon their dispositions, that fishermen are the most amiable, patient, and obliging class of men in the world. They are temperate, industrious, frugal, and aftec- tionate among themselves, and hospitable to strangers The Codfish. The fleet sailed out of the harbor every morning, each ves- sel taking a supply of bait as it passed the caplin-netters, when they would come to anchor at certain distances apart along the Banks, sometimes within a mile of shore, but more generally from five to twenty miles, always following the fish 330 rrsiiiNO IN Ameeican Waters. n r i. as they changed feeding - grounds. On tlieir return in the evening they ran alongside the planked docks, extending into the river from the salting and packing houses, ecected part- ly over the water. From vessels the cod were pitched up on the docks (with forks made for the purpose), where they were beheaded, split, drawn, and cleaned, then pitched into the salting-room, where salt was rubbed into them for two days, and on the third day they were spread on the flakes to dry. The " flakes" are tables of fir-boughs, made by driving forked stakes into the ground, then laying poles across, and covering them with boughs of the fir-tree. These flakes were two yards wide, three feet high, and covered several acres. The fish, after being salted two days, on the third day are spread singly upon the flakes to dry. Here they are left four days, when they are grouped into small piles on the flakes of twenty-five fish in each pile, and left in that condition two days to sweat, when they are again spread on the flakes as at first, and, after two days more, are piled up two days as be- fore. Then they are gathered from the flakes and formed into round stacks, their necks at the outer edge of the stack, which is usually about five feet high, and contains a ton of fish. After leaving them a week in stack, they again distrib- ute them on the flakes to dry, and after another week they again stack them. They are thus continued on the flakes or in pack about a month in summer, but only half that time in autumn, when they are considered cured. The cod cured on the north shore of the Gulf are dried harder than those on the south shore for the United States market. Those cured on the north shore are generally sold in South America, the West Indies, and to ports in the British Isles. The question of "What luck have you had?" is more espe- cially applicable to fishers for the market than to the disciple of rod and reel ; for, without bait, a perilous voyage and a whole season's labor produce nothing but disappointment. The caplin, spearing, and smelt are sometimes prevented by rough weather from npproachino- waters where the'^ mav be An intpjkestino Variety. 331 taken with the seine, in which case there is no use of thinkini? of substitutes for these baits, as the cod Ibllow them and foi" age upon tliem far away from the ken of fishermen, or their power to follow. Thus the career of the fisherman is both liazardous and precarious. The John Doity. I SiSssaEis.. 332 Fishing in American Waters. «•! CHAPTER III. WIIALES— Ceta<^a— an order of aquatic mammalB which comprises the largest ani- mated forms in existence : some of the genera composing it are phytophagous, or plant-eaters ; others are zoophagous, or animal-eaters. WHALE FISHING. " \\Tiat though the wintry night falls dark, And icy foes beset our bark, And stiff our frozen rigguig stands, Enclasp'd with rigid iron bands. While sheeted ice, like solid mail. Thickens each spar and stiffen 'd sail ? Yet brave are whalemen's valiant hearts, And stout are whalemen's hands ; And strong the arm the harpoon darts, And strong the arm that wields the lance. When o'er the tides our whale-boats glance To battle with the whale. Leviathan may lash the tide. But soon his floating, bleeding side. And soon the spouting streams of gore, That o'er the ensanguin'd waters pour, Declare that all is o'er. Right soon the precious oil is won, Oiu- dangerous labors all are done, And homewivrd — liomeward is the cry, With all sails spreading to the sky." — Isaac M'Lellan. Spouting in favor of Gas. 33;j ^ ai- or WHALE PISHING. HALING is the most ad- venturous occupation known within the cir- cle of legitimate in- dustry. It demands not only the explora- tions of most danger- ous seas, but a resi- dence upon them dur- ing the most inclem- ent seasons. For many years very lit- tle whaling has been done in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the coast of Labra- dor, but the whales are again returning to their wonted feed- ing-grounds there, and the walruses or sea-cows nightly ap- proach, and sometimes rest on the islands. The Georgia shoals, and banks near Newfoundland gener- ally, teem with nearly all the fishes of the Northern seas. Fishes from afar visit those feeding-grounds, which are form- ed into rich pastures by the settling of the debris washed down from near the frigid zone. The heavy tides whose swift currents sweep around Scotland and Ireland are met by counter tides and strong currents from Baffin's and Hudson's Bays, and these precipitate vegetable and mineral matters, in- cluding the drift of large rocks in icebergs, and, being assist- ed by the backing of the Gulf Stream, they have already form- ed the island of Newfoundland, the Fishing Banks, and the small islands which dot those waters, all of which will yet rise into an extensive territory, connecting Newfoundland \v ith the main land south of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The waters of the Straits of Belle Isle, which form one of the prin- cipal outlets to the gulf, are so deep, and the rise and fall of tho tides so great, that they liave contributed to the forma- tion of the island of Anticosti, Avhich is larger than Long Isl- inr I I i 334 FismNG IN American Waters. and, N.Y. With the great rise and fall of the tides, and the consequent swift currents, many eddies are thus formed, and for hundreds of miles to the south of Newfoundland, and ex- tending to the west end of Anticosti, the feeding-grounds for food-fishes form a larger fishing area than any other in the world. This meeting and mingling of the frosty Northern waters with those more mild from the Gulf Stream are supposed to form another attraction for fishes, and the bait-fishes are fol- lowed thither by the food-fishes, and the latter by most of the voracious monsters of the deep, and thus procreation and depletion keep step with supply and demand. A voyage by schooner from the north shore of the Gulf, and turning the west end of Anticosti while boiind for Gaspe, gave me some sights of whales in spouting groups which would be worth a voyage from New York to those waters to witness. Whales generally swim in i^airs, unless they have a calf, when that swims between them for protection ; but I saw several groups at a time of more than three in each, all spouting like politicians. Our tub of a schooner, which kept " bidding and bobbing" like Mrs. Toodles at an auction, re- minded me of the following couplet : " When to the wind we spread our sails, Along the pathless ocean strolling, Crammed in a tub stock full of nails, Like Regains, we die by rolling. " Having thus spent a few nights and days on the turbulent Gulf of St. Lawrence, rising one bright morning unharmed in our tub, ivhich seemed cast to the whales, as. they surrounded us, we were elate with joy at the brilliant display which na- ture afforded in the bright heavens, sparkling waves, whales spouting in every direction, the light-house looming on the Isle of Anticosti, and the appearance of numerous beautiful birds swimming about our craft, which we learned were puf- fins, a species of duck peculiar to the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Anticosti. These birds are about the size of a mallard, An inteeesting Voyage. 335 but robed in scinfcillant plumage of green tipped with purple, and farther ornamented with a beak shaped like a parrot's^ of a bright vermilion color. As the sun rose above the snowy peaks of Labrador, the sails slackened, when half a mile to westward we saw sloVly rise above the waves a white triangular fin, then an enormous head M^hich spouted a large shower of spray high above the waves, next a huge back, and finally the enormous tail of a monster double the length of our schooner. We were shocked at the appearance of the monster, its great size, and the enormous volume of water it spouted, and the wake and roaring splash which its breaking water and diving produced. The sailors informed us that it was a sul- phur whale, one of the Mammalia, so vicious and powerful that whalers seldom or never attack that species. In the book on ''Salmon-fishing in Canada;' by Colonel Sir James E. Alexander, author of an important work on ex- plorations, he devotes a considerable space to the once sup- posed phenomenon of mirages. Those who have sailed near the Mingan Islands have doubtless observed the singular forms assumed by objects at a distance, which is causedl^y a peculiar state of atmosphere, and the different degrees of temperature and qualities of the waters intervening between the beholder of the mirage and the objects seen through it. The peculiar mil-age along the Mingan Islands is supposed to be caused by the number of large rivers debouching in the Gulf there, and, from their rapidity, carrying waters a great way out on the Gulf which differ ih temperature and quality from that upon which they apparently float on the surface. It is stated that " the most remarkable mirages over wa- ter have occurred in straits," as those seen by Mr. Vance at Dover, and the celebrated Fata Morgana at Messina. In the St. Lawrence they present greater and more interesting varieties of ocular deception, as at Bic, Point des Monts, Min- gan, and the Straits of Belle Isle. To return to my subject. The sight of a whale-ship round- 330 Fishing in Ajueric.in Waters. ing the end of Anticosti, and several game-looking boats row- ing away from lier, increased our anxiety, as the sailors said that we were in the midst of numerous shoals of commercial whales, including the " fenners" and " hump - hacks." The white pectoral fin of the sulphur was seen to rise at intervals, receding in distance, when all at once two huge black masses arose before us and spouted. They proved to be a mother and her calf, of the hump-back family. Nearer and more near approached the boats from tlie whaler; and, after the whales rose to spout, as they descended the boats quickened their speed toward where they expected the next rise. This was repeated several times, until at last, just as one of the monsters rose, the man at the bow of the nearest boat plunged the harpoon deep in his body near the heart. "Laugh at fear! riimge it Ac , the barhcd .spear ! Strike the hince in swift career ! Give him Une I give him line ! Down he goes through the foaming brine." The instant rush of the infuriated fish drew the b at hissinr. through the waters at a speed which soon hid it from our view, rendering the sight really sublime ; and when addino- that the mother whale followed, lashing the waves with her tail and leaping like a salmon, the reader may picture to his imagination — fishing ! The mother whale swam numerous times round her calf, trying to entice it seaward away from its pursuers ; but its' strength slowly fliiling with fatigue and los. of blood, it rose to spout. Then might be seen the mother's tender solicitude lor her young, as she all but cr.ressed it and coaxed it to fol- low her out of harm's way, and several times persuasively swam a little distance, and then returned to assist it. The boatmen were meantime hauling in line and coiling It carefully in a tub made for the purpose, when, like light- ning, off the whale started again, more rapidly, apparently, than at first. The mother cavorted and disported around Opinion of an eloquent Ikisuman. 337 her young, as if to bid it persist and escape the wicked whal- ' ers. But th^ firmly-fixed liarpoon held the young whale to the tether, and after several runs it rose to the surfiice in or- der to make its last fight, to which all previous efforts seemed tame. It lashed the waves with a noise like thunder, and the spray caused by it and by the leap and writhings of the agonized mother was carried more than a mile, causing a bhndnig mist for many rods around. Finally, all efibrts fail- ing, the young whale gave the final shudder and was dead lying lifeless on the surface. Then went up the shouts of the' boatmen, in which we joined ; but a hauser, lashed to the tail of the dead whale, enabled the crews to float it slowly toward the whale-ship, which had drawn near. But the moth- er whale continued to lash the waters, as with snorting and blowing she evinced signs of fury until long after the blub- ber-spades had dissected much of the body, and a sea of blood surrounded the ship. I will conclude this chapter with the eloquent peroration of the gifted Burke, made in the House of Commons in 1774: "As to the wealth which the colonists have drawn from the sea by their fisheries, you had that matter fully opened at your bar. You surely thought these acquisitions of value, for they seemed to excite your envy; and yet the spirit by which that enterprising employment has been exercised ought rather, in my opinion, to have raised esteem and admiration. And pray, sir, what in the world ia equal to it ? Pass by the other parts, and look at the manner in which the New En- gland people carry on the whale fishery. While we follow them among the tumbling mountains of ice, and behold them penetrating into the deepest frozen recesses of Hudson's Bay and Davis's Straits; while we are looking for them beneath the arctic circle, we hear that they have pierced into the op- posite region of polar cold— that they are at the antipodes, and engaged under the frozen serpent of the south. Falk- land Island, which seemed too remote and too romantic an object for the grasp of national ambition, is but a stage and 338 Fishing in American "Waters. £ resting-place for their victorious industry. Nor is the equi- noctial heat more discouraging to them than the* accumulated winter of both poles. We learn that while some of them draw the line or strike the harpoon on the coast of Africa, others run the longitude and pursue their gigantic game along the coast of Brazil. No sea but what is vexed with their fisheries — no climate that i? '.■ ^ witness of their toils. Neither the perseverance of Hci ' lor the activity of France, nor the dexterous and firm b.^acity of English enter- prise, ever carried this most perilous mode of hardy industry to the extent to which it has been pursued by this recent people — a people who are still in the gristle, and not harden- ed into manhood." THE STRIPED RED MULLET. The striped red mullet, a beautiful fish of a pale pink col- or, but somewhat larger than the one known to the Romans, is found in considerable numbers on the English coasts. The mullets, like the cod and some other fish which feed in deep water, are furnished with long feelers attached to the lower jaw, supposed to be delicate organs of touch, by which these fish are enabled to select their food on the muddy bottoms. This fish is more gamy than the golden mullet of the Ameri- can borders of the Atlantic, but it is vastly inferior for the table. Striped Red Mullet. — Mulltis sunmletus. l^....^.. The Coast Industkies. 339 CHAPTER ly. SALT-WATER FISHERIES. COD-LIVER OIL. Maine and Massachusetts make annually about 5000 bbls, common oil, iuch as is generally used for tanning purposes, or 150,000 gals., at 80 cts.$ 120,000 00 n ^^^^^^^^^^^as 200 bbls. superior oil, used ,, i^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^*^'' nicdical purposes, IT^^^^^^^^^^^^^^BE and made at Gloucester [| v!^T^^g^^^^^^B| and Rockport, 6000 gal- \v^_:^^^Bl^^^^^B Ions, at $150 $9,000 00 Tongues and sounds. The yearly catch of Glouces- ter vessels averages 1000 bbls., at $8 $8,000 00 DRIED CODFISH. Massachusetts. The av- erage annual make is 350,000quintals, at$6 $2,100,000 00 Maine. The average annual make is 200,000 quintals, at $G.. 1,200,000 00 $3,300,000 00 HALIBUT FISHERY. Halibut caught by vessels of Gloucester, Massachusetts, aver- age annually, for five years past, 10,000,000 lbs., at 10 cts.. $1,000,000 00 Yearly catch by Boston vessels, 2,500,000 lbs., at 10 cts 250,000 00 $1,250,000 00 SMOKING SALMON AND HALIBUT. Oi.e Boston house smokes 10,000 bbls. annually, at the average price per bbl. of $38 $380,000 00 Do., 10,000 bbls., at $10 100,000 00 Do., 13,000 quintals* of smoked halibut, 9 cts. per lb 131,040 00 $611,040 00 THE EASTPORT FISHERY. Fish caught and cured in the vicinity of Eastport, Maine : 30,000 boxes smoked herrings, 40 cts $12,000 00 ' A qniutal is 112 lbs. 340 Fishing in American Waters. ,,.„^J^^"f ^ ^«™"':f--; ii2,ooo 00 1500 bbls. herring oil, $30 45 qqq qq 8000 quintals dried cod, $3 ^ ' 24000 00 20,000 quintals dried pollock, $2 ' ' 4n'nnn nn ;s,T, ," .,i„'-^'="'»'™- ■■"■"-""" ^^^ 500 bbls. liver oil, $30 15 000 00 3000 bbls. pickled cod, $4 l'>'ooo 00 5700 " " herrings, $4 'ZZZ:::Z 2^800 00 1200 " " mackerel, $15 I80OO00 500 " " haddock, $2 50 ZZ'. ],'2."o 00 $205,050 00 The foregoing statement is made by Captain S. Treat, of Eastport, and is an average annual catch for the past five years to 1868. WHOLESALE FISH DEPARTIVIENT OF FULTON MARKET. This includes fourteen establishments confined to the pur- chase and sale of food-fishes. The average annual sales by each is $150,000. Aggregate $2,100,000 00 In addition to these sales, they employ one hundred and eleven fishing-smacks, the average annual catches by each amount- ing to $12,000, or an aggregate of. 1,332,000 00 $3,432,000 00 SCOLLOPS. The trade in scollops is annually increasing, but, like the other vast water-fields of Crustacea, the business is still embryotic and the trade undeveloped. East Greenwich, R. I., sup- plies 100 gallons daily for half the year, or 18,200 gallons at75 cents jg ^.^ Southport, Matatuck, Cutchogue, and Jamesport, on Long Isl- • ' and, supply in the aggregate six months 18,200 gallons at 75 cents 13,650 00 $27,300 00 SOFT-SHELL CLAMS. Comstock & Co., of Fulton Market, sold last year 3,250,000 for $8000 It IS estimated that this is about one sixth of the aggregate annual sale in the United States, which would render the sum total $48,000 00 I could not get an estimate on the business done in hard clams, though it is nearly or quite as large as that in soft shells. SMELTS. Trade in smelts is confined to six months, or to the inclement season of the year, for which time the sales in Fulton Mar- ket averaged 1,352,000 at 16 cents $216 320 00 l^Z A Chesapeake Industey. 341 SALMON, FRESH AND SALTED. One Boston house sells annually 10,000 bbls. salmon, the fresh and salted fish averaging per bbl. $38 $380,000 m i00,000 bbls. herrings, cured and smoked in the manner of Yar- mouth bloaters, $10 per bbl 1,000,000 00 THE OYSTER INDUSTRY. Of the delicious bivalve which "gets out of bed to be tucked in," it is impos- sible to arrive at an appropriate estimate of all which are canned for the interior trade, and those sold in the sheU f - consumption in the Atlantic States ; but of the trade from Virginia to Massachusetts, it is computed by the largest dealers in the industry that about 50,000,000 bushels are an- nually sold at 50 cents per bushel $25,000 000 00 The following, copied from the Baltimore report of the in- dustry in that single city for the past year, may give some idea of the importance of this crustaceous bivalve : OYSTERS AND CANNED GOODS, This trade has been m fair activity throughout the year. The number of houses prosecutmg it now reaches about seventy-three, of which some forty are strictly in the packing trade. The hands employed equal probably 5000 of both sexes in the various departments of shucking, packing, peeling, pre- serving, etc. Six to eight million bushels of oysters are consumed, one third of which are packed raw, and the balance hermetically sealed. The cans re- quired for these reach about 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 of half to one gallon each, and require say 300,000 cases to pack them. The balance of the oys- ters, say some 4,000,000 bushels, are put up in hermetically sealed cans of 1, 2, and 3 pounds each, of which during the active season some 80 to 100,000 cans are daily packed, so that some 12 to 1G,000,000 of cans are required for this trade annually. It is estimated that some $14,000,000 to $16,000,000 are invested in this interest in and around Baltimore, and that the annual product is worth some $6,000,000 to $7,000,000. The number of vessels said to be engaged in that business on the Chesapeake is over 1600, which give employment to more than 6000 persons. Had the trade to California contin- ued, the industry would have been greatly augmented ; but in that land of abundance fishes of nearly all kinds are more numerous than on the Atlantic coast, so that there salmon is too common for food, and the sardine canning industry bids fair to supersede that of the Mediterranean. U2 Fishing in Ajmeeican Waters. THE CHESAPEAKE BAY FISHERY. By the followino' .stimate, made by Messrs. Monroe & Uemeny, of Alexandria— the largest fishery firm in the South —I am informed that 25,000,000 herrings are caught in about six weeks, and 5,000,000 shad are taken in the mean time, being in March and April. These are caught by from 20 to 25 shad fisheries, giving employment to about 1000 men and from 75 to 100 vessels. Of course, those include the fisheries along the Chesapeake, in both the states of Maryland and Virginia; yet I prefer to submit those samples of individual enterprise to the state or national reports, because they tell what may be done by showing what is "being done by indi- vidual industry, instead of trying to deduce from the aggre- gate estimates in elaborate national or state reports what proportion of the income of all the states is derived from their fisheries ; whereas these are confined to a small portion of our borders, and comparatively few men and small means are employed in them. HADDOCKS. The sale oC'Jinnan kaddies" per diem for six months of the year la New York averages 1000 lbs,, at 10 cents ' |ioo 00 Uoston, 2000 lbs ' "' 20O 00 Portland, 1500 lbs iii."-!-!...!!!!!.!!!!!!!.."!!!!! 150 00 ,n. . . $450 OU Ihus amountmg m six months for those three cities to $81,900 00 It is Stated by competent authority that 3000 lbs. of ''Jin- nan hadcUes'" per day for six months in the year are cured hi Portland, Maine, and that more than half of them are sold in the Dominion of Canada. It is becoming so large an indus- try in the United States that a brief account of its origin may prove interesting. FINDON HADDOCKS. The luxury known as " finnan baddies" was first cured at Findon, near Aberdeen, in Scotland. I can not iGarn when Yankee Invention of Dey-feeezino. 343 the industry was begun, but am informed tliat it was such a favorite dish with George IV. that it was constantly on his breakfast-table during the winter. The curing of haddocks by moderately salting them and then smoking them over a smudge made of smothered peat was an invention of some pretty Scotch woman with— like most of her countrymen of both sexes— more brains and loy- alty than money. She was, withal, a woman with an excel- lent goUt, as her invention proved ; for she had not followed the business long before many persons usurped her invention, and, instead of smoking them over the pure peat-reek fires, they used green wood of any kind- that would make a smoke. Thus the Findon haddocks lost favor in some quarters ; yet, l)Oor as it was made by bad smoking, there was still left a de- gree of delicacy, and the flavor was still so much admired as to divide the interest with the Yarmouth bloater as a break- fast-fish. Finally, as the " schoolmaster abroad" ascertained that the waters on our Eastern coast teem with haddocks, he intimated their value as a breakfast luxury, when several mem- bers of Brother Jonathan's family were not long in seeing the point of interest in the question. The result is that, within the past five years, no industry has grown faster, according to its pasture of short capital, than has the manufacture and trade in Findon haddocks, the annual amount of which in the United States is not much short of half a million of dollars. PRESERVING FOOD-FISHES FRESH. The Yankee invention for refrigerating salmon in an at- mosphere of such a degree of cold as is desired, and from which all dampness is ejfcluded, has greatly increased the amount of consumption of fresh salmon in the border cities of the United States within the past thiee years. Already the Canadians are profiting by an invention which their prox- imity to salmon-waters renders of iminense utility to them. This invention requires to be used when the fiah are entirely fresh, and have not been much handled. It consists simplv 344 FisiiiNG IN Ameijican Waters. in placing the fish in the dry retrigerutor the day that they are caught, and the sooner after they leave the aqueous ele- ment the better. Already the refrigoi:ating process is in o])- eration on railroads for the transmission of meats, fish, and fruits. Of numerous other fishes than the salmon which are sold in a fresh condition, no reliable estimate can be made. They include thousands of tons of striped bass, cero, bonita, Span- ish mackerel, sea bass, blackfish, squeteague, sheepshead, eels, flounders, flukes, crabs, lobsters, and several other kinds of coast and estuary fishes. It is, however, safe to state that they include more than half the number of pounds offish con- sumed by the inhabitants of the states on the Atlantic border, and amounting annually to a value of many millions of dol- lars. Throughout winter the netting of striped bass is pur- sued along the shores of bays, sounds, and as far up the Hud- son River as Peekskill, taking them at the latter place from under the ice. This practice should be inhibited by law. Those who feel interested in the commerce of fishes will please excuse me for not condensing the statements by reca- pitulation. The few examples which I have submitted of the industry have been those of individual enterprise in a busi- ness which is destined soon to become one among the leadino- industries of the nation. JPart Ionxi\). ANCIENT AND MODEEN FISII-CULTUER CHAPTER I. THE ART AMONG THE ANCIENTS. MONG the many arts founded on pure phi- losophy peculiar to China, we find that of propagating fishes by artificial means to have been practiced there for many cen- turies, as is proven by their works, and the intimate knowl- edge of the art pos- • sessed by so many of the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire. • Father Duhalde, one of the earliest missionaries from France to China, was the first to reveal to the Christian world that the inhabitants of China might teach those of Europe the art of water - farming. "In the great River Yang - tse - kiang," said Father Duhalde, " not far from the city Kieou-king-fou, of the province Kiang-si, at certain sea- sons of the year there assemble great numbers of vessels for conveying away the fecundated eggs of fishes. Throughout the month of May the river is barred at short intervals for sixty miles with interlacings of osier and bulrushes, leaving barely suflicient space for the passage of barks or double chaloupes^ with lateen sails, which are engaged in transport- ing ova." The reticulated weirs of osier and bulrushes are close enouffh to catch and retain the ova, and the vendor 348 FtsuiNG m Amekican Watehs. knows how to distrnguish them with the naked eye when un- 1 iact.eed ones pei-ceive nothu,g in the water. He therefore J.P8 up the water with a mixture of impregnated ova "hM many purchase in that condition, while he lips and Ms Tal for others who purchase the fishes when first hatched P„ pie are said to come from all parts of the empire for the Great care is bestowed on the vivified ec^gs placed in tl„ vases, and those having them in charge takftu,™ n aUend ng to «.em so that they are never neglected eithe; n gMo; ay At the end of some days, as the eggs disclose life the different species are removed into sepaiSe vases, and thd prices fixed and published. Father Duhalde stated" "ott gam was often a hundred fold on the expense and he "dTfrsr ^^ '''- — ^ '-«-"-" ot the Chinese m propagating fishes, but their explanations were always more or less vague. Father Hue, the mTs ioa my, .nfoi-med the French government that a great many mer- chants of vivified fish-eggs came to the province of cLTou and traversed the country for the sale of them to the propri! etors of ponds and other preserved waters. Their merchan- dise, being a sort of yellowish Mquid, was contained in a cask t appeared to be oily water, similar to the color of the vase (probably tcrra-cotta), in which it was impossible to distin- ««.sh with the naked eye the least animaleula or living thin" Kor some mfip,e^n,M coin-they purchase a oup of that u^id water, which is sufBcient to stoek-a pond of Lnsider- •ible size. They pour the contents of the cup into the pond or lake, and in a few days the eggs hatch, and by having their preserves properly divided they keep up their stock of fish. For the young fishes of the herbivorous families, snch as the carp, etc., they throw into the pond tender herbs for food, augmentmg the quantity as the fish enlarge. Carnivor r.mrmx!miwsmim;pm Growth of Heebivorous Fishes. 349 ous fishes require some kind of meat, or a mixture in which meat or offal forms a part. The fishes are fed in the morning and evening of each day, and, as they grow very fast, it becomes quite " a chore" for the boys and girls to gather them enough herbage, for they are so ravenous as to be approjiriately compared to the silk- worms when forming cocoons. Witli generous feeding they attain to the weight of two or three pounds in fifteen days, when they cease growing, and are sold alive throughout the great centres of population. The fish-culturists of Kiang-si raise uniquely fishes of a goUt most exquisite. The sea-rabbit is the name given by them to a species at once the most delicate and prolific. Fish-culture, or piscicidture, seems natural to the Chinese, who conduct the industry skillfully and successfully, culti- vating numerous species of herbivorous fishes, which they raise with great facilitj^ Herbivorous fishes acclimatize much easier than the carnivorous. The French and other Europeans have commenced to import herbivorous fishes from Kiang-si ; the red and gold fishes, originally imported from China, may be considered a luxury to the eye, and their sur- prisingly rapid increase in numbers without expense has in- duced the French to import such food-fishes as are prolific and of excellent flavor. The fresh-water fishes of commerce in China form much lighter and more digestible food than any fresh-water fishes of either Europe or America. They have cultivated their waters, and raised fishes for so many hundred years, and perhaps thousands, that their system is said to be much more perfect than any now practiced in Eu- rope or America ; and as France has sent an agent to China to study up the subject from an Oriental point of view, it might be advisable for our government to instruct its embas- sadors to make all the discoveries possible, and report tliera for the benefit of fish-culture in the United States. 350 Fishing in American Wateks. i ; CHAPTER II. FISII-CULTURE IN E, ROPE IN EARLY TIMES. The date when fish-culture was commenced in Europe is not definitely known. Its introduction there is generally at" tnbuted to the Romans, among whom, it is stated by sell, writers the art approached a remarkable degree of perfec- tion It IS known to the student of antique inventions that in the palmy aays of ancient Rome, great attention was paid' rr""l7' i"'' '^ "^"" ^' ''''''' «"^ ^-- *'- -a'and the Lay of Naples to the ornamental lakes and ponds of tlu- wealthy patricians, eminently those at Tusculum, and at oth- er vil as near Ea.e, the fishes of tlie sea were hivited by men of taste to spawn in their preserves, which they did in great numbers, as is related by J^u.al in respect to the extensiv presein..s of Lucullus. But after the spawning season am when the spent fishes sought a return to the sla, they Ce intercepted by wicker weirs or wire gates, and theie cap- tured and sold 111 the market ! This last fixct is sufficient ev- idence to prove to the modern angler or fish-culturist that the Romans knew little of the nature and habits offish or !onferod """' ^'''''' P"''^^''''^ '^''''^ ^^'^' ^^'I"«'^ i« unwhole- But in the evidence adduced thus lar we see nothing, to warrant the belidthat the ancient Romans hatched fishes bv the modern means of mingling the roe and mm of fishes and placing them in a situation to be hatched. They did no moiv than invite or conduct fish from the sea to fresh-water feed- ing-grounds and spawning -beds. The Chinese had done nriore, for they divided rivers into spawning-beds, and before the^ spawn was hatched they removed it to hatchino-.yases Among the articles exhumed from Pompeii and Ilercula- pi*'/"— V— " - <r4. CoiUMENCEMENT OF OySTER-CULTUKIO. 351 neum, stored in the Treasury at Naples, I saw a glass vase of fish-eggs similar to those of the genus JSalmo. Those eggs and their mode of preservation induced me to believe that a higher class of men inhabited Italy seventeen hundred years ago than do now in this iron age of intelligence. Is it not true that aggregations of high intellects— like celestial nebu- laB, or the focal coruscation of rays of light and heat — cluster at different times on different parts of the earth, to reflect in- tellectual light to guide coming generations ? Well, it is stated that the inventions in ancient Rome, first devised . pamper the children of luxury, afterward wen; employed to supply subsistence to the nation. Des viviern having stocked their preserves with many ornamental fishes, whose graceful gambols, beautiful forms, and colors chatoy- antes had delighted the ladies of that interesting period, did not disdain to encourage the increase of food-fishes also, with which their preserves were richly stocked. But, if the Romans did not hatch fishes artificially, that they excelled in the cultivation of Crustacea can not be suc- cessfully refuted. The removal of oysters from one water and planting them in another was begun by Sergius Grata at the commencement of the Christian era, by bringing them from Brindisium and planting them in Lake Lucrin, which, according to the evidence of the gourmet chief Crassus, greatly improved their flavo)-. Grata finally covered Lake Lucrin with reticulated paraphernalia made of wood, raised at one end on stone piers, and placed in numerous positions for the convenience of the deposit of oyster-spat. The Lake of Fusaro also, between the ruins of CumoB and the promon- tory of Miscnum — "the Avernus of the ancients" — being salt, was planted with oysters; and the plans for oyster culture adopted by the Romans were quite similar to those pursued in France at present. * My investigations of the rise and progress of fish-culture by the method of stripping the ova from the female and the milt from the male fish, and mixing them for vivifieation, in- 352 Fishing in American Waters. tlucos mc to impate its orit^iii to the monks — tlioso men of s^cnius who invented eau da vie — and who were ever engaged in investigations for ameliorating the wants of mankind. They found the waters idle, while the needs of the Church demanded that they should produce. They therefore ap- l)lied themselves to the study of cultivating the waters, and in the fourteenth century — according to Jiaron Montgau- dry, nej)hew to Button — Dom Phichiou., abbe of Jieotne, had <liscovered the plan of hatching ilshes in boxes, the process described being quite similar to that now employed. The needs of the monastic orders for complying with the require- ments imposed by their religion may be justly considered the motive cause which urged to this great discovery ; and the monks not only cultivated the waters, but they left records of their progress, and gave us their opinion that the carp is ihe most profitable fish to propagate, and next in order is the tench. The pike is considered very useful to prevent the excessive multiplication of carps, for otherwise they soon, become too nimicrous for their healthy condition in a pond. At divers epochs the idea prevailed of introducing certain fishes into barren waters. The Lake Lovitel, in the depart- ment of U'lsere, never nourished a fish before IGTO, when M. (rarden placed trout in the lake, and they multiplied so that the lake has remained stocked with them ever since. La pecherie of Comachio, on the Adriatic, is of very ancient origin. Bonaveri, and, more recently, Spallanzani, professor in Reggio, Modena, and Pavia, have described the very exten- sive eel-fisheries there. In spring, when the eels ascend the rivers, the fish-farmers open communications from the basins to the lagunes of the sea, and the young eels penetrate in great masses through all the free passes. Retained in the basins, where they find nourishment abundant, they grow rapidly. At the time when their instinct teaches them to descend to the sea, the fish-farmers lead thein by small artifi- cial brooks Avhereby they are conducted into chambers from which they have no power to escape, and hundreds of thou- Cultivate Eels and Fkoqs. 353 sands of cols arc thus annually gathered and cured for mar- ket, because tlierc is a greater number of fresh eels than is necessary to supply the markets of Italy. At tlie commencement of the decade of the eighteenth cen- tury the brilliant discoveries of Spallanzani enriched tlie nat- ural sciences, and proved beyond reasonable doubt the i)0S8i- bility of developing the mysteries which tlieorists had from time to time mooted, of impregnating tlie eggs of fishes arti- ficially. He therefore took eggs of a frog, and impregnated them with the semen of a male frog. This he did before nu- merous witnesses, who saw the live frogs, and saw that from these eggs young frogs were hatched, and the triumph of the illustrious Italian naturalist was thus rendered complete. In 17G3 Lieut. Jacobi announced through a journal of Han- over the feasi])ility of the artificial fecundation of salmon and trout. Before, however, publishing his successful exper- iments, he f'ndeavored to promulgate his discovery through the medium of celebrated naturalists, such as Buffon,De Four- croy, and Gleditch, an eminent professor of Germany. "Les savr Its" of France appeared too much jccupied to notice the Hanoverian lieutenant, especially as his writings were in German. Gleditch, who was not influenced by the same rea- sons, appeared impressed with the work of Jacobi, and he com- municated extracts from the work to the Academy of Berlin thi-ough Baron Von Ilarbke. In France the experiences relative to the artificial fecunda- tion of fishes occurred some years later. The work of Jacobi was published in Paris in 17V0. The Marquis de Pezay,'m his Soirees helvetiennes^ signalized the fortunate results ob- tained at Noterlem, including the information that England wished to recompense Jacobi by a liberal pension. Two years thereafter, and twelve years after the successful experiments of Jacobi, Adamson, in his course at the Jardin du Jioi in 1112, made known to his auditors the plan and practicability of artificial fecundation, stating that it was ha- bitually practiced on the borders of the Weser, in Switzer- 354 Fishing in American Waters. land, in the Palatinate of the Rhine, and in the mountains and elevated parts of Germany. For this object, he said, they take by the head a female salmon in November or December, or a trout in December or January, the times when these hshes deposit their ova. These fish are held over a vase with a quart of water in it, and by a light pressure on the abdo- men downward, the female vents the roe. They then take a male salmon, and rub his belly down with the palm of the hand in the same manner: milt falls on the roe and mixes with it, when it is placed in a running stream and covered lightly with gravel, and after several mouths the fish hatch. The Course of Natural History, by Adamson, was repub- lished in Paris in 1845, when its information on fish-culture first attracted attention to the truths published by him sev- enty years previously. The copy ot the manuscript of Jacobi was sent to France by German officials, and thus became finally translated. Those who are educated to be courtiers or politicians do not always read. Apropos of this truth: the artificial fecundation of roe by Jacobi, imparted through his intermediaires, the Count de Golds^ -'"i and the naturalist Gleditch, became neglected and forgotten. During sixty years no one dreamed of read- ing the "'Traits des pSehes de Duhamel,'' the veritable work of Jacobi. The end of the eighteenth century did not retain a souvenir of the success obtained at Noterlem for the artifi- cial multiplication " des Truites et des SaumonsP If the Chevalier Bufalina, of Cesena, had succeeded in fe- cundating several fishes, no one saw any novel feature in the operation not developed by Spallanzani; and if Jacobi had invented a successful plan of artificial fish-culture in Germany, and if, in the region of the Rhine and in Switzerland, where fishermen -were successfully practicing fish-culture and enrich- ing their streams by it, yet the world was as ignorant of its true bearings upon the needs and prosperity of a country as if nothing had ever been said or written upon the subject ; so the progress may thus far be counted as nil. EXPEEIMENTS IN FiSU-CULTUKE. 355 CHAPTER III. FISH-CULTURE OF THIS CENTURY. o D E R N fish - culture is indebted to only thir- ty years' practice for all the wonders it has achieved. The early part of the present cen- tury was unfavorable ^^^ to the development of industry. War en- gaged the attention of the civilized world. Many improvements known in France, Ita- ly, Germany, and En- gland ai the commencement of their revolutions, were lost to this century ; but the calm which peace restored fructified genius and utilized its discoveries. In 1820, MM. Hivort and Pilachon, two inhabitants of the Baute-llarne, fecundated eggs of trout. After hatehing, they took, the ''alevins" (the young, before the umbilical sac is ab- sorbed) to the waters which they desired to stock. These facts, though confirmed by M. de Montgaudry and M. Jour- dier, did not electrify the public mind, or even cause a single government to put forth an effort for restocking depleted waters to cheapen food. So the matter lay dormant again seventeen years, when John Shaw, of Scotland, fecundated the eggs of a salmon, and hatched them by artificial means, which resulted in a memoir of his experiments r lative to the prop- agation of salmon. Jiut this, instead of causing efforts to be- I 856 Fishing in American Watees. ■ I come more numerous and of wider scope, was merged in the side issue of the " parr question," which absorbed attention, as indicated by an important article in Blackwood of that year upon the " Transmutations of the Sahnon." \ The first person in France who seriously called general at- tention to the study and practice of artificially stocking the waters was Baron de Rivihre. He urged the peculiar advan- tages obtained by leading the young eels from estuaries up artificial streams, and capturing them, to distribute in con- venient proportions throu'^hout the waters of France. In the history of modern pisciculture a little event occurred without noise in 1844, in the Department of the Vosges, which gave rise a few years later to much excitement. A fisherman oi La Bresse^'va. the commune of Remiremont, situated in one of the most elevated parts of the canton of Saulxures — Joseph Remy by name — having seen the trout, at other times numerous in the streams of the mountains, di- minishing so fast as to produce grave prejudice to his indus- try, the rivers and the brooks in the Vosges having been dried up by a long drought in 1842, sought from Nature a remedy. This humble man, endowed with a spirit of obser- vation, studied with intelligence the habits of the trout from the moment of hatching, until he arrived at the idea of artifi- cial fecundation, and, by numerous experiments, finally suc- ceeded in arranging the hatching apparatus into compart- ments, as it is done at this day, though commencing, like Jacobi, by placing the fecundated ova in a trough, -with wire-grating cover and ends in the trout-stream, letting the natural running of the stream hatch the eggs, which were slightly covered with gravel in the trough. Remy, chagrined at not knowing any person with means from whom he might hope for assistance by communicating his discoveries, became melancholy and fell sick, when he confided his secret to the keeper of the little tavern where he boarded, by name Antoine Gehin. This inn-keeper was to him a coUaborateur, and soon became full of zeal both as |jsa_ Reasons foe Water-fabming. 357 a fisherman and pisciculturist. The names of liemy and Ge- hin were destined to become indissoluble. They unveiled the advantages of the discovery to a few notable persons ; but our two poor copartners met with the difficulties com- mon to those who discover any strange improvement by means of a switch from tlie track of Nature. In the mean time the inspector of primary schools in the Vosges received information of the discovery, and communicated it to the Society of Emulation. This society, being of high celebrity, occupied itself at once upon the question. In u report by M. Sarrazin on the recompenses accorded to agriculture and industry by the Society of Emulation, the proceedings of Bemtj and Gehin were described. M. Micard, General Guard of the Forests, had favored the early efforts of JRemy, and gave him in spawning-time the liberty of the brooks of the forests. In spite of the memoir of John ^h2iW—malgr& the results which were vauntingly promised to England— ma^^re the fortunate experiments of Eemy and Gehin, encouraged by the Society of Emulation for the Vosges, all slept again. The interest in the success of those men, whose ardor and industry greatly multiplied the number of fishes, lasted no longer than the transient sound of the murmurs of the rivers and brooks which had proved the theatre of their exploits. But on the 23d of October, 1848, M. cle Quatrefages, in pur- suit of the development of certain animals, fished up the com- munication of Count Goldstein, and read at the Academic des Sciences a memoir demonstrative of artificial fecundation be- ing the means for obviating the causes of destri^ction to the eggs of fishes. The lecture of M. de Quatrefages at the Academy of Sci- ences was published by numerous journals, which projected the subject into the air of public favor, and the assurance of the lecturer that a pursuit of the subject would be the birth of a new industry important to the world, decided the com= mencement of action. All the world was at once going into ^f| 358 Fishing in American Waters. the artificial fecundation project, aiid founded the most bril- liant hopes of the new art oi pisciculture. The information of Quatrefages' lecture reached Epinal, and was seen by the Society of Emulation in the Vosges about four months after it was delivered. On the 2d of March, 1849, the secretary of the society wrote to 31. de Qua- trefages that two fishermen of Za Hresse had been engaged since 1844 at stocking the waters of the Vosges with trout produced by artificial fecundation. All at once, loud became the acclamation in favor of Remy and Gehin, as if the echo had gained strength by the years in which the truth had lain dormant. Next an English en- gineer, M. Gottleib Boccius, announced the great advantage which the inhabitants of the Vosges had derived from re- peopling their rivers by the aid of artificial fecundation, and hatching fishes in boxes where they were secure from nu- merous enemies of both water and air. He had published a small treatise in 1841 with the object of benefiting landed proprietors in stocking their waters, and more especially their artificial fish-ponds. But the French philosophers regarded the discovery in a national aspect. Hence one of the savants most illustrious, JI. Dumas, who was minister of Agriculture and Commerce, charged the most authoritative naturalist, M. Milne Edwards, to examine and give an opinion upon the di- vers essays published in England, Germany, and France upon the subject of stocking fluvial waters with fish. On the 26th of August, 1850, M. Milne Edwards addressed a report to the minister, in which he reviewed the work of .Tacobi, and noticed the success of Hemy and Gehin with marked commendation for their perseverance in perfecting fish-culture, whereby they had restocked the streams of the canton, besides having discovered a new industry for France. He also named a dozen important rivers and lakes which they had restocked with trout, concluding with impressively recommending them to government favor. He said they had done more than to stock the waters Math trout, for they had French Fisheries' Commissioners. 350 stocked them Avith fiogs also, because the spawn of these time-beaters is an aliment which the young trout search with avidity ; and the tadpole furnishes an excellent pasture for trout more advanced in age. For fifteen years Gehin had been working under the full knowledge of what now engaged the sages of political econ- omy. The subject enlarged, as they thought of stocking the waters of France with all the choice fishes of the world ; and, conformably with the view explained by M. Milne Edwards, a commission was named by the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, dated September 28, 1850. The commission in- cluded MM. Milne Edwards, Valenciennes, members of the In- stitute ; Susanne, Inspector of Forests ; de Bon, Commission- er of Marine ; de Franqueville, Chief of Navigation and of the Ports, and Minister of Public Works ; Monny de Mornay, Chief of the Division of Agriculture, of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce ; Coste, Professor of Embryogo- ny at the College of France ; Doyere, Professor of Zoology at the National Agronomique Institute. The decree was signed by Dumas, and in the spring of 1851, M. Valenciennes — the ichthyologist — received a mission from the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce to visit and pro- cure the large fishes of the rivers in Germany wherewith to stock the lakes and ponds of France. He succeeded in ob- taining several species, of which he conveyed to Paris the living individuals, including sa?idre, genus Zucioperca, Lin., the sihire, one of the most voracious fishes in creation, the av- erage size of which is large enough to dine eighteen persons. The silures (silurus glanis), with the sandres and a dozen lotes (eel-pouts), were placed in the reservoirs at Marly. The selection of fishes speaks unfavorably for the taste ofM Va- lenciennes. The sandre grows large enough to dine eight per- sons, but is a dry fish ; the eel-pouts are detestable, and dis- gusting to behold ; the glanis is similar to a Missouri River catfish ! Of this selection wherewith to stock the fresh wa- ters of France, not one lived to leave any posterity. 360 Fishing in American Watees. M. Coste then advised that the numerous ponds of Ver- sailles be employed as " stables" wherein to propagate fishes for the waters of France, believing that in those spacious ba- sins fishes which inhabit alternately the fresh and salt waters, such as the salmon, shad, lamprey, and plaice, might be culti- vated. The advice was followed with unsuccessful result. In the mean time, two engineers of bridges, 3I3f. Uetzetn and Hertoly made large profits by peopling the Canal du Hhdne. They had been invited by the prefet of Doubs to verify the method in use in the Vosges, Avhen, with assistants, they hatched in four months 3,382,000 eggs of salmon, trout, perch, pike, etc. On May 7th, 1 851, they placed in basins confided to their care 1,583,111 fishes recently hatched. The facility for hatching fishes by millions induced them to calculate how many fishes might live in the fresh waters of France. Estimating the actual population to be twenty-five millions of fishes, they concluded that by four years' artificial hatching the number would be increased to three billions, one hundred and seventy millions, and yield a revenue of more than nine hundred millions francs. It was evident that they had consulted but one side of the question, and that the least diflicult. Myriads of fishes may easily be hatched, but the questions of greater import are, how are they to be protected, subsisted, and made to grow ? These are the questions which most seriously address them- selves to the student of modern fish-culture. The brains of Bertol and Detzeni were made dizzy by the presence of a cal- culation which proved millions of revenue easily obtained, and they exclaimed, '* Is it possible to endow France with such a revenue ?" On the examination of results so unexpect- ed, no member of the Fisheries' Commission evinced a senti- ment of distrust, stating that they were aware the calculation produces the same impression on all those who examine the subject. Bertol and Detzem, encouraged by the Minister of Agricul- ture and Commerce, followed their work with sjreat zeal, and. Fish-food for Food-fishes. 361 established at Zoechlehmn^ near Huningue, continued the op- erations of hatching trout and salmon on an extensive scale. By their second report in March, 1852, they announced that since the November preceding 722,600 eggs had yielded 700,000 fishes. From the day when M. De Quatrefages called attention to the advantages of artificial fecundation for repeopling the waters of France, M. Coste occupied himself incessantly upon fish-culture. He explained the experiments on alimentation and growth of young eels, which ascend the streams every spring. These fishes, nourished by the debris of the butcher- shops cemented into a sort of pie, are fattened and made to grow very fast, attaining to the ^^ eight of several pounds in a single season. In 1853, the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, for the object of founding an establishment of fish-culture at Huningue, accorded a credit of 30,000 francs. This credit, M. Coste stated, " is to be used in undertaking one of the most grand experiments of which the natural sciences have ever given an example." He also described the method for preparing the food for young salmon and trout with a pie formed of butchers' offal, or of horse-flesh boiled. A knowl- edge of the advantage of this feed was acquired by the ex- periments of Dr. Lamy at the artificial hatchings in the pare du 3Iaintenon. In 1856, the subject of fish-culture engaged more or less the attention of a majority of the best minds in France, whether men of state or of science, or men of wealth and en- terprise. Though the felicitations and encouragement of the fishermen of the Yosges had not been cooled or diminished, yet the book-philosophers, having road up, became aware that hatching fishes by ar^. had engaged the minds of sages in oth- er ages ; and as that was the most simple part in the train of successfully restocking waters, they were studying and exper- imenting to acquire a more perfect knov/ledge of the nature, habits, preferable haunts, and means of subsistence. M. de m. \;tpw 362 Fishing in Al^.eioan Waters. m Tocqueville had determined that a strong light was injuri- ous, and that a lamp or candle should not be thrust before young fishes. This was one of the reasons for placing the government breeding apparatus at Huningue under cover; another was to maintain in the hatching-troughs nearly an even temperature throughout the winter while hatchino' game fishes of the genus Salmo^ that spawn late in autumn ; for these, while young, are much more delicate than common fishes, which (spawning in spring) hatch in a few days, and require comparatively no care in the process or in the kinds of feed ; for, as they come into the world without a sac of pro- vision to last them a month suspended to the umbilical cord, nature prepares them for fighting their way for food from the moment when they leave the shell. Gehin had visited Paris in 1850, and was presented to Lou- is Napoleon, then president of the republic, as quite a person- age, and received from the government, in compliance with the promise of M, Milne Edwards, the mission to stock the rivers of several departments. There were 50,000 brook and lake trout introduced to the waters of the Bois de Boulogne in 1856, where they grew rapidly. At this time many of the public waters through- out France, which had rested dormant, began to astonish and delight the neighborhoods with the leaps above water of amber beauties, which formed miniature rainbows in the gleams of the sun, and many peasants regarded this novel gift of life and beauty as a providential blessing on Napo- leon's reign. Reports of successes in pisciculture poured in monthly more numerously from every department. The waters were ev- ery where stocked with young fishes, which were doing well. The ponds, lakes, and reservoirs in public parks were each annually hatching 25,000 to 50,000 of the genus Salmo for the benefit of the public rivers of France. In the departments generally, the zeal of the pr^fets kept pace with that of the government, and men of science and Impoeting Salmon Ova. 363 the Conseils Gknkraux voted the sums to successfully operate the enterprises. Thus the great work continued to proceed with unvary- ing success until 1862, when the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce published a history of the perfect success of Hu- ningue, which includes seventy acres laid out into artificial creeks, ponds, and hatching-houses. The statistics in this his- tory were furnished by M. Courses, Ingenieitr en chef des tra- vaux die Bhin, to whom application should be made for vivi- fied roe wherewith to stock waters in the United States. By my advice, Seth Green made such order in the autumn of 1865, and in the spring of 1866 the eggs came to the New York Custom-house, where official and other delays detained them until they died. The French government had gener- ously presented Mr. Green 20,000 fecundated salmon ova, so nearly hatched as to show the eyes of the alevins, carefully packed them in moss, and shipped them gratuitously ! And then to know that our government was so callous to the ma- terial interests of the people as not only to have neglected to make any eifort toward reducing the prices of food-fishes, but to have actually rendered the revenue officers a barrier against the efforts by men of enterprise who would embark their own money in it, is humiliating ! I humbly ask. Is it not the duty of Congress to authorize the Minister of the Interior to appoint a commission for the improvement of the fisheries in the United States ? Individ- ual states can not, unaided by the federal government, im- port either ova or young fishes of choice quality from abroad. Without the seal of a United States commissioner, the col- lectors of revenue have no discretion but to destroy the im- portation by delay, exposure to heat or cold, or to the air. Any authority given to United States consuls on the other hemisphere woul '. prove ineffectual, for there are no consuls near the great piscicultural establishments ; and, in fact, since tlie fiasco of the Acclimatization Society in the preserves of Mr, Francis Francis at Twickenham, there is no establishment ,1 364 Fishing in American "Waters. of fish-culture left in Europe which supplies fecundated ova ■ but the national one of Huningue, and by this one all appli- cants are served— by order of the French government— free of expense. . The liberality of France in bestowing ova and young fishes on all applicants did not prevent her from deriving the re- spectable revenue in 1862 for her fresh-water fisheries of 14,000,000. In 1861 the Huningue establishment distributed about 9,000,000 ova, and in 1862 about 12,000,000. The paramount reason for artificial culture is based on the known fact that of every thousand salmon or trout hatched in a stream in the natural way, not more than one arrives at marketable size ; and as a salmon yields about one thousand ova to the pound, a pair of salmon would scarcely yield twenty-five per cent, if hatching in a stream where the eggs and ale-ins are unprotected, while if the 20,000 eggs were hatched artificially and the young salmon protected, the in- crease to marketable size would generally be two thousand per cent. The numerous successes resulting from artificial propaga- tion, and restocking and newly stockmg waters in France, has had a favorable influence throughout the civilized world, so that within a few years Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Ger- many, Italy, and Spain have establishments offish-culture. On the British Isles great results have been accomplished near Galway and on the River Tay, so that the rentals of some fisheries have increased fifty per cent. Through the enterprise of Mr. Francis, of thei^^^W, some of the waters of Australia have been stocked by ova transported from En- gland—fifteen thousand miles! He has also succeeded in stocking a river in New Zealand in the same manner. The River Plenty, first stocked in Tasmania, has proved a success in both trout and salmon. ' That the gigantic rebellion has delayed action by the United States government is quite natural ; but one of the paramount duties of government is to increase the stock of FlSH-CULTUBE IN AMERICA. 365 food-fishes in the waters throughout the Union. Reports from the French government have been forwarded to the President, and by him they have been laid before Congress, so that the subject will doubtless soon be acted on nationally. Through the efforts of individual states, much has been done within the past three years. Influenced by an intelli- gent enterprise for which the states of New England are justly celebrated, each of those states has appointed a Fisher- ies Commission, and the following extract from a report of progress in one state may be accepted as a fair sample of all : " Of the 40,000 spawn recently placed for incubation in the Cold Spring trout-ponds at Charleston, New Hampshire, for the Connecticut River, the first salmon were hatched Decem- ber 11th, 1865. The eyes of the embryo salmon were first clearly seen in the egg about November 25th. The eggs were taken from the parent salmon on the Miramichi Octo- ber 10th, making 62 days as the period of incubation.* The first trout which broke shell at these hatching-works this season came out on November 9th, 35 days from the time when the roe and milt were shed by the parent fishes." Fish-culture is a success. It is not only triumphant, but it is almost miraculous. Waters hitherto worse than useless may be made a hundred fold as profitable as any equal num- ber of acres of land, and with not a tithe of the labor. But these truths, so palpably patent to many intellectual minds of the present day, are almost a sealed book to the mass of the rising generation. In view, therefore, of these facts, and the depressing truth that the fishes of the coast and inland waters are annually decreasing, while by immigration and natural causes our nation is increasing in population faster than any other on the globe, is it not advisable to make the art offish-culture a study in the agricultural colleges?. Up to the present time the inauguration of plans for pro-' * Mr. Francis and other fish-cultnrists are not in favor of employing water so wiirm as to hatch in .so shuil a time, believing that the young flsh are not 8 ) hiirdy as those hatched in colder water. 366 Fishing in American "Waters. tecting fisheries by laws, and increasing the numbers of fishes by aqua-culture and fish-culture, are due to the efforts put forth by sportsmen's clubs, scattered throughout the United States as offshoots from the parent New York Sportsmen's Club. Too much praise can not be awarded those benevo- lent institutions, united solely for the public good, for which they shun no duty through fear of the poacher's hatred or the malevolence of dealers in stolen goods. The poacher both hates and fears them, while they are the principal reli- ance for guaranteeing the public that the laws for the pro- tection of fish and game will be sustained. If the national and state governments will unite in stock- ing and protecting the fresh waters, they will soon arrive at truths sufficiently luminous from which to form data for laws adequate to g» ,• a rn the whole question. To the ignorance of legislators may henceforth be attributed the lack of suit- able laws for the protection and stocking of water-farms of millions of acres, which might be rendered a means of recre- ation for the improvement of health, while offering cheap and luxurious food to the million. I Cuttle-fish. — Sepia officinalis. Killing two Bieds with one Stone. 367 CHAPTER IV. NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SALMON. Near head of stream, in crystal spring, Or recess of the strand, The salmon drops its precious eggs Amid the pure white sand ; And here tlie infant fish disport Beyond the harm of tides, Each swarming slioal resplendent With dotted silvery sides. the want of data, the nature and habits of salmon were a sealed book to naturalists until, through the dis- covery and practice of fish-culture by ar- tificial means, some mysteries in physiol- ogy Avere interpreted. In the natural his- tory of the salmon, two questions occur which have presented a good deal of difficulty to pisciculturists and naturalists in arriving at just conclusions. The first is. How long do the young salmon inhabit the fresh-water streams in which they were hatched before they migrate to the sea ? The second is. How long do they inhabit the sea before they return as grilse to the rivers in which they were bred ? A salmon has properly four stages of existence. The first is when it is a parr, or a small bright fish with dark bars across the sides, which are commonly called the parr marks. 368 Flshing in American Watees. I 3! The Bccond is when it puts on the silvery scales of the grilse, which occurs when it is about to emigrate to the sea. It ap- pears as if the little pet, when in the parr state, Required some provision against the novel effects of salt water which it is about to encounter, for nature furnishes it with a new suit of scales, bright and silvery as those of the parent salmon. These begin to develop themselves just previously to the first migration of the fish. The scales form apparently over the old skin, and in doing so they obscure the parr marks, and the fish becomes a smolt, or a miniature grilse ; L^t that it is the same fish may easily be seen by rubbing off a few of those new scales, when the parr marks are plainly seen which were hidden beneath them. These scales are at this time very lightly attached to the skin, and can be easily detached, coming off 'even by the mere handling of the fish; and this insecurity of the attachment of the scales continues through- out the whole period of grilsehood, or until the fish becomes a veritable and mature salmon, when whether it develops a new suit of scales is not known, but the scales certainly be- come much more firmly fixed to the skin, and are far more difiicult to remove. But the point in debate is how long the parr remains in the river before it becomes a smolt. Now experiment has shown us thus much, viz., that a large por- tion of the parr become smolts in about fifteen montho, that is, supposing them to have been hatched from the egg in the fall, or say in the winter. They live in the river over the next autumn, and do not become smolts and migrate to sea until the next succeeding spring. It has been found that a very large proportion of them do not become smolts and mi- grate even then, but stay in the river yet another year, and so do not put on the smolt scale and migrate until the next succeeding spring. Thus some remain in the rivers altogeth- er two years and two or three months, and others remain even for another year still, and do not migrate till the third year. These facts for a long time puzzled naturalists, and gave rise to the supposition that there was another fish of Clearing up the Question. 369 the salmon species which never went to the sea, called the "Salmo samulus," because, after the great annual migration of the smolts, parr were yet found in the rivers, and it was thought that as all parr became smolts in fifteen months, those which staid behind must be of another species alto- gether. But science and fish-culture have dispelled this er- ror, and it is now known that the " Salmo samulus" is a myth. When the smolt went down to' the sea for the first time, it was generally supposed that it returned to the river again in a period of from two to four months, and its extraordinary and unusal increase was always cited as one of the most val- uable qualities of the salmon; for, if it could grow from the weight of only two to three ounces to eight or ten pounds in three months, it was almost a lusus naturce. But, though smolts do grow very remarkably under favorable circumstan- ces, a strong doubt has been thrown upon the fact of salmon growing quite so fast as this,/ro»i the smolt state, by experi- ment and experience ; for it has been found uniformly— in all cases where the waters were what are termed virgin waters, that is, waters never before inhabited by salmon- -that when such waters were stocked with young salmon fry, or • with ova laid down for hatching, a period of fifteen instead of three months invariably elapsed before the emigrating smolts came back to the river as well-grown grilse of six or seven pounds' weight ; and in the instance of much larger grilse, as those which are at times met with of even eleven pounds' Aveight, that a yet longer period may have elapsed. This, however, is merely conjecture. In the late remarkable experiments in Australia, where no such thing as a salmon ever was known, it was clearly proved that the smolts were a year and some months at sea before they returned, and in other waters never before tenanted by salmon the same re- sult has ensued. This is very strong evidence against the two or three months' theory, particularly when the evidence supporting that theory was gathered from well-stocked rivers A A 370 Fishing in American "Waters. II where there could not fail to arise great difficulties in identi- fying the fish upon M'lvicli experiments had been tried; for the uncertainty and diMculty of marking a parr of two ounces, which is to grow to sixty or seventy times that weight before it can be caught again and identified, can not fail to be very great indeed. However, this is still a moot question, and it has not been as yet satisfactorily determiried, though it would seem that ^1 c souuueBt and most reliable evidence is in favor of the fifteen months' theory rather than the other. When the grilse returns to the river, it spawns for the first time as a grilse, in which, its third stage of existence, it is per- fectly distinguishable from the salmon ; for not ( nly are the scales loose and easily detached, but the fish is more slender and delicate in shape than the adult salmon, and the tail is much more forked. Having spawned, it becomes what is called a kelt or fou! fish. The flesh is white, and the fish is out of condition and unwholesome to eat. It then goes down tu the sea by easy stages, and there, by the aid of the healthful salt waters and plenteous food, it soon recovers its condition and grows rapidly, often increasing four or five pounds or more in weight. In the course of a few months (and this point is clearly ascertained and settled) it returns again to the river,* but in the mean time it has lost its grilse form and become a veritable salmon. The scales now are hard and firm, the fish of a hardier, rounder make, the tail has lost its forked shape, and it has reached its fourth and last stage of existence. This change in the form of the fish actually at one time led to the belief that salmon and grilse were of a different spe- cies, and some few persons stoutly .idvocated this view ; but the ova of salmon have been found to produce grilse, and marked grilse have been retaken as salmon, so that there are not the slightest groimds for such a wild supposition now; and, indeed, the belief always was a very partial one, and con- fined to one or two wrong-headed individuals, so that it is now entirely exploded. As a salmon, it continues in the same Pbgteot Fish at Spawning-times. 371 course of existence until it is cooked, or dies of old age or of wounds and weakness from incessant fighting at the breed- mg-time. It seeks the river very year, as is supposed, thou, h this IS but assumption, which it is aln.ost impossible to prove and whether it breeds every year or only at intervals it is' hard to nay. The general creed, however, is, that it does breed every year, and all that it requires from man is a little reasonable forbearance, and better protection at the breedmg season until it again reaches the sea ; and if it is able to reach the higher, ranges of spawning-beds, it will speedily crowd our rivers with delicious food, and the means of healthful and magnificent sport. In these respect, the capacity of Amer- ican rivers is second to that of none in the world. Our riv- ers ought to'swarm with salmon; and when we hear of riv- ers m England, ridiculously small by comparison with our own yielding their $100,000 a year, and enormous revenues besides, do we not feel it to be a sin and a shame that such splendid capabilities as ours should be suflfered to be behind them, and to fall into neglect and disuse, and that such im- portant resources should be lost to the country and to the consumers throughout the Union? If an American wants salmon-fi. mg, he must go either to Canada or Scotland for It, and this is disgraceful. We have many good coast and estuary fishes, but none equal to the ^almon in all respects Is there any reason why we should ot have the best, and plenty ot it? England and France a.e both puttmg their shoulders to the wheel. Have we less energy and determin- ation than they ? ■DEVELOPMENT OF THE SALMON. PROCESS OP INCUBATION. The egg of any fish of the ffenue S'lmo, before impregna- tion with the milt of the male fish, is the color of the yolk of a hen's egg, and apparently of about the same consistency bemg a mixture of albumen and oil In tijis particular the egg of the salmon differs from iliose of the families Clupeid(^ 'W 372 Fishing in American Waters. I and GadidcPy which appear as infinitesimal atoms of albumen, enlarging tenfold within an hour after impregnation, turning entirely white, and the fish is hatched in a less number of hours than it takes of days for the [/enus Salmo. Incubation with all the salmon families is slow, the egg indicating no appreciable increase in size by fructification ; but, being por- ous, with tubes and globules, scientifically termed inicropyles, the milt fills them,, and they present the appearance of white globules in the egg, as represented by P^ig. 1, and enlarged like Fig. 2. After the e^,^ has remained in running spring Fig. 1. Salmon egg of natural size after fecundation. Fig. 2. Salmon egg enlarged, to 'cles and globules. Fig. 3. Salmon egg in which the embryo Is per- Fig. 4. Alevin just hatched, enlarged, and showing the umbilical vesicle. an ceptible Fig. 6. Natural length of the alevin, water of temperatures ranging from 40° to 50°, the egg will disclose the shape of the embryo salmon in from fifty to sev- enty days,* as illustrated by Fig. 3. After the embryo be- comes perceptible, and the eyes tolerably distinct, Avithin a few days — say from five to fifteen — the salmon will hatch into the shape of Fig. 4, as enlarged from the natural size, in- dicated by the length of line, Fig. 5. Suspended to the um- bilical cord is a sac containing aliment for the alevin, on which it subsists by absorption from twenty-five to forty days, when the tiny creature takes its second form. The egg, * Salmon have been hatched in fifty-five days, and trout in thirty-five days, in water 55° ; but Mr. Francis recommends spring water of from 40° to 45°, while the Cold Spring trout-ponds at Charleston, N. H., are excellent hatch- ing-waters, and they are said to be 60" as mean temperature. We Imi'rove itu Age. 873 from the date of fructification to the birth of the fish, varies from 60 to 120 days, the time required being dependent upon the quality and temperature of the water, with the condition of quiet and shade necessary to accelerate incubation. While the umbilical vesicle is attached to the tiny fish it is called an "alevin" (name borrowed from the French), but after its absorption it is known as a "fry," or "penk." Now it sculls along and seeks its food from imperceptible particles, as animalculaB of the stream and the tiny flc'dglings falling to the surface, or rising from the bottom to burst from their embryotic state and take wing at the top of the stream. Like a Salmon Fry— a, the natural length. the young of the finest breeds of animals on land, it appears more delicate and less able to contend for subsistence than do those of coarser natures. In its second form it is not beautiful, and few would suppose it a young salmon. Its transverse bars are plainly marked, and within three months after its birth it assumes lighter shades, and carmine spots begin to develop, when it becomes a parr. This specimen is half the natural length, retaining its natu- ral proportions. Though only between five and six inches in length, the parr from which I made this copy was taken by me A Parr Eight Months Old. on the fly and hook with which I had that morning brought two goodly-sized salmon to gaff. This fact proves the real 374 Fishing in Akeeican Wa'i...£s. game of the pet. It was all life— a translucent thing of ac- tion—having a dark drab back, barred sides, and seven dots of carmine on each side, which were brighter than any buni- ^ ished metal or precious stone, and about the size of pigeon- shot. It was the most anxious and voracious creature that I had ever captured, and so sat down at once on the bank of Rattling Run to sketch this liveliest specimen of fish kind that I had ever seen. During the month of August parr of the last fall and winter's hatch take their places on the reefs, and nip the wings of flies intended for their parents ; especial- ly is this so of the part of the shoal intended to visit the sea with the next spring freshets. It will be perceived that while this fish has the parr rays, or the horizontal bars peculiar to the parr, its head is taking brtter form, the mouth apparently not so large, and the white scales are almost beginning to appear; but this parr is not A Parr Fifteen Months Old. Half the natural length; proportions natural. to visit the sea until it arrives at two years of age or more. Those of the shoal which do not visit the sea until after hav- ing spent two autumns in fresh water develop less rapidly than do such as visit the sea after spending fifteen months in the river. There being no longer a " parr controversy," the )iext specimen, of the same shoal as this one, will illustrate the difference in the development of those intended to become voyagers on the second spring after their birth. This fish, of the same shoal and age as the parr, is the part of the same hatch intended for visiting the sea after remain- ing only one summer in the stream of its birth. Nature, more careful than man m protecting the fixniilios of animal creation, ♦.5 m Getting Eeady foe Sea. 375 sends only half the shoal to sea at a time; the remaining part of the shoal will follow next year, or i3erhaps a few will remain three summers in the river before resorting to marine A Smolt Fifteen Months Old. feeding- grounds. In the mean time we lose sight of the first detachment, which falls back from pool to pool, and descends rapids and falls tail foremost until it arrives in the estuary, where it faces to the right about and prepares to protect itself from the monsters of the deep. For some days, and perhaps weeks, it dallies in the lower reaches and estuary, feeding on small caplin, shrimp, and the roe of coarser fish un- til its burnished sides form an armor to protect it against the briny deep. Where the marine feeding-grounds of the sal- mon are it is impossible to state from indubitable data. Sal- mon are sometimes found in soundings off the Isle of Jersey several hundred miles from any salmon river, and yet in Can- ada the netters capture all their fishes approaching their riv- ers on the north shore of the St Lawrence li-om the west, when the sea is at the east. That this ge?ire of fishes, like all others habitually visiting fresh-water streams to spawn, re- turn and enter the rivers of their birth, is well authenticated, while it has been satisfactorily proven that if scared away from the estuary by nets or other unnatural fixtures they will enter other rivers. In the physical transmutations of the salmon, from the time it breaks the egg and hides about in crevices with a i)art of the egg attached to its abdomen, to the time when it fully matures into an adult salmon, there is no form it takes which f IS so graceful and beautiful as that of the grilse, the last stage 376 Fishing in American Waters. short of the mature salmon. A slioal of them is like a joy- ous ball-party in full costume. It lacks the embonpoint of the salmon as much as tht young people of a gay ball-party do that of their parents. The grilse— when attached to a hook— plays more gayly and with less judgment than does the full-grown salmon, skipping about and playing with great energy, and never stopping to sulk, or, more properly, to study the cause of its grief, until it gayly darts up to the gaffer and falls an easy prey, as does the coquette to the practiced skill of a heart-thief. The Grilse. The grilse is the same fish which left its river as a smolt. In its ocean pastures, where it has spent one or two winters, it has doffed the clumsy guise of puppyhood, and the top of its head, dorsal, and caudal have become velvety, while the black beads on its gills and upper mandible begin to appear. It lacks the jetty intensity which the top of the head and some of the fins of the adult salmon disclose, but its white is equal in satiny sheen to the salmon of best condition. Its weight is from five to eight pounds, and, having never spawned, it fol- lows the salmon up toward the spawning-pools at the head of the stream, reaching them toward the end of the spawning season ; and after spawning, the next spring, during its early rains, or in winter before, it falls back again over cataract and rapid until it gains the estuary, to return to sea, and fatten, and enlarge to a veritable salmon. Thus the reader may have seen that the fingerling becomes the parr, the parr develops scales to cover the bars on its sides and becomes a smolt, goes to sea and returns a grilse, then returns to sea and comes back a salmon. SuPEKioEiTY Unchallenged. 377 The Salmon. I have endeavored to illustrate the marks and forms of the salmon in its different stages, concluding that pictorial illus- trations from life are more comi^rehensible than explanations in letter-press, especially to the student at angling, who has not enjoyed many summers since he first wet a line for sal- mon, and heard the beautiful music of the reel, so charmingly described by Stoddart : " A whirr ! a whirr I the salmon's out Far on the rushing river ; lie storms the stream with edge of might, And, like a brandished sword of light, Rolls plashing o'er the surges white, A desperate endeavor ! Hark to the music of the reel ! The fitfid and the grating ; It pants along the breathless wheel, Now hurried, now abating." 378 Fishing in A:iekicak Wateks. CHAPTER V. FISH PROPAGATION ASSISTED BY ART. As fish-culture assisted by art lias become a business of magnitude in France, and in England in^n-eased Jie revenue from salmon-waters over a hundred per cent.,* and as the Northern and Eastern rivers and lakes of the United States are well adapted to the rapid increase of the genus Salmo, being wooded, shaded, and fed by living springs,f what excuse is there for longer delay in restocking the rivers which used to teem with salmon and trout, and stocking anew <^hose many waters wherein fishes of the (/enus iSalmo would thrive? It is true, the inhabitants of the New England States are hopefully in earnest, and anxious to stock and protect their salmon and trout waters, and have appointed a competent Fisheries' Commission, including the following gentlemen : Maine— Charhs G. Atkins, Augusta ; N. W. Foster, East Machias. JVew Hampshire- Hon. H. A. Bellows (chairman), Concord; "Wo A. Sanborn, Weir's. Vermotit—Fiot: A. D. Hagar, Proc.torsville ; Hon. Charles Barrett, Grafton. Massachusetts— Alfred K. Field, Greenfield ; Theodore Ly- man (secretary), Brookline. Connecticut — H. Woodward, Middlctown ; James Rankin, Old Saybrook. But this question is equally applicable to the State of New * The fishing rental of the Tpv in 1853 was less than $40,000 ; in 1864 it had risen to $75,000, and this year it is over $100,000. t "Let any one look at the map of New England, with its thousands lakes and rivers, and imagine what riches ought to dwell in those waters."— N. E. Fisheries' Report. Clexu Stbeams and build Fish-passes. 379 York and the vast West, especially those waters running northward and eastward, all ol" which may, with a trifling ex- pense, be raarle alive with shining shoals of the mighty sal- mon and the beautiful speckled trout. It is also important to a:-.sist the propagation of other food- fishes by anificial means. Legislatures should appropriate sums for these pressing objects, which not only cheapen meats, but add to the variety of food a source of health as well as luxury, and so cheapen it as to bring it within the means of all. Next in importance to artificial propagation is the purify- ing of rivers from the numerous pollutions incident to a care- less procedure in manufacturing, where poisonous minerals, tan-bark, sawdust, etc., drain into the streams, instead of be- ing conducted away from them or consumed. Commensurate in importance with the purification of the rivers are properly- constructed fish-passes, to enable a salmon to surmount dams and falls to reach their spawning-pools at the heads of streams, for without such means procreation can not go forward, and of the first stock few may be taken in the same river, but the greater number will seek more accessible spawning-beds at the heads of other rivers. Of the numerous reasons in faxor of artificial propagation, the following are not the least important : It Las been proven by experiment that of salmon not more than one in a thousand hatched naturally arrive at maturity. Of trout, it iH ^}robable that double that proportion mature, for the present experiment of propagating trout and salmon side by side in Australia proves that trout thrive best, and are what Lord Dundreary would call "the most wobust." But thr n.. -is of the speckled beauties in our trout-streams and por is !;ave been eliminated, and require filling up. This can not } . done without the assistance of art. Let us sup- pose that a pond which is supplied by streams suitable for spawning is stocked wit]i five hundred trout, each of which weigiis a pound. In tlie course of one season they will de- 380 Fishing in American Waters. posit 250,000 ova. Granting that a considerable pontion of these are hatched, is it ever found that a fiftieth or a hun- dredth part of tlie whole arrive at maturity? Far from this being the case, the number of trout will continue almost the same for years; without any perceptible increase. The rea- son is plain. So soon as the fry are hatched, they are exposed to the attacks of the parent trout. Within tlie limits of the reservoir there is not the remotest chance of their ultimate escape. It is true, if the fingerlings knew enough, they might ascend the tributaries of the preserve to shoals where the parent trout could not follow ; but they do not know, and man, being placed over the kingdoms of inferior animals, should preserve them for his own good. Salmon which spawn in tho natural waters generally go to the heads of the streams durir-fj the fall floods and deposit their spawn ; when the waters subside, the ova is sometimes destroyed by being left on dry land. Other fish deposit their spawn and cover it on prior beds of spawn. Others spawn in the cur- rent of the stream, and a freshet carries it down the current as food for all the inhabitants below. In other cases the fe- male salmon makes her spawning-bed, and deposits and cov- ers up the ova, while the male fish is down at the foot of the pool guarding it from the incursions of an army of water- guerrillas. Sometimes the place in the stream selected for the spawning-bed is very good while preparing the trenches for the spawn, but by the time the spawn is deposited the stream has become a torrent, and washes away the ova ; and yet— just like a headstrong specimen of humanity — if the fe- male makes up her mind that she will spawn at a place, the rapidity of the flood of water never daunts her, though tlie swiftness of the current prevents the roe from ever touching bottom. Long Island is formed of a net- work tracery of trout- streams, and yet there are but ten establishments for the arti- ficial propagation of trout. Some proprietors and the poach- ers of the island capture trout in winter to stock ponds which are kept for the commercial advantages of letting them to be Subjects fob Consideration. 381 fished by amateurs with the fly, or the trout are fed, and then netted and taken to market. There is no general attention paid to the procreation of the speckled beauties. Many of the best preserves on the island are depleted of trout by sheer neglect. They should divide their ponds, and catch their large trout and use them for f;tocking subsidiary waters. In a word, they should tap their dams with pipes, and conduct water into spawning-boxes. Where their dams are near a road or turnpike, they should run the pipes underneath, or place their boxes along the embankment of the dam in such position as to form a rather swift flow of water throuohout the line of boxes. Nothing can be more simple or safe '^ The trout hatched in that way should be placed in small ponds each brood by itself, thus necessitating three of these small ponds. As each brood arrives at two years of age, it should be turned mto the main preserve, and that preserve should be swept annually with a large-meshed net, and all the large trout so taken should be transferred to the pond of propaga- tion, which should be watched during spawning-time -"in September, October, and November-and when found ripe ior spawning they should be netted, and the roe and milt taken from them and laid in the breeding-boxes. Before proceeding favthev, let me say here that what I may state about propagating salm.>n is eoually applicable to brook trout, for the only difleience in the treatment of sal- mon and brook trout is found in the fact that trout will al- ways prey upon roe and young fish-even its own-while only the salmon Mt is so unnatural ; but this maternal ob- tuseness is supposed to be acquired from not returning to sea with her brood, and, thus left to the mercy of fresh-water insects and the scanty food of the river, she becomes what the habitans of Canada call a "mea^/r^," with no more soul than a miser. 382 FieiiiNG IN Amekican Waters. BEST WATER FOR HATCHING S ALL: ON. Spring Avater from 45° to 55° is probably the best. Spring water is preferable, as being more pure than river water even after being filtered, while its temperature is more equable, being nearer the same throughout the year. Too much sur- face or rain water is injurious, containing less vitality for game fish, but more predaceous insects, so that their larva? may be mixed with the eggs in the hatching-boxes, and prey on the spawn before it is hatched. In situations where spring water can hot be obtained in sufiicient quantities, the river water should pass through a filter of sand and gravel. If the spring is large enough and the ground suitable, it may be divided into artificial rills, with a pipe of two inches run of water to each. Under all circumstances, a gentle, equable, and pure current is indis- pensable. HATCHING-BOXES FOR THE INCUBATION OF THE EGGS OF SAL- MON OR TROUT, AS ADOPTED BY THE COLLEGE OF FRANCE. These boxes are fed from a horizontal pipe two inches in diameter, by faucets tapping it at every tier of five boxes ; and to break the force of the jet so that it will not derange the ova in the first box, and to assist in aeration, a perforated zinc cap is sometimes placed before it, as the object is to maintain a regular movement of the current throughout the tier of boxes, which are about six feet long and two and a half wide. A constant flow of water, of nearly equal temper- ature, through the boxes is a necessity. At Huningue, in France, all the hatching-boxes are in a Avell-ventilated build- ing ; and as hatching-time continues from October until Feb- ruary, a cover to the hatching-boxes is essential ; and in En- gland, to protect the ova from thieves, Mr. Francis recom- mended a cover of perforated zinc, with the ends which are above the water of zinc also ; and in order to regulate the temperature of the water, the horizontal pipe should be sun- A Link in aotmate Nature. 383 in phed from a reservoir by a pipe running ,J„o„gh a dry-nir .■efngerator (or through a ehest filled ^ith icel, by whic modern American invention the temperature Jay Lr^t lated at any degree required between freezing and ten de- g^es Mow .ero. The pipe should be eoiiedl the tfrj. The aquarium presented above is the one selected by the College of France from numerous samples, and it has ,„Le1 a enccess ; but the object of it is more especially fo stiZ! the eggs d„rn,g the time of incubation. \he watertth",? I 384 Fishing in American Waters. fore nearly all husbanded after it passes through the boxes by catching it in a marble trough and sending it back to the supply reservoir by a pipe from a hydraulic ram, or a turbin- like tliat by Avhich many reservoirs are supplied from rivers or springs. These plans of aeration enable flsh-culturists to run the same water several times over the hatching-boxes; but it is thouglit by some professors that — for perfect safety to the ova — the water should be continually renewed, and not /low over them a second time. In establishments of fish-culture like the government one at Iluningue, they endeavor to imitate nat ire more perfectly than it can be done by a tier of boxes. The}' therefore build a race-way thirty feet long, a yard wide, and eight inches deep, as the trout-brook, and the fountain of equal tempera- ture feeding it by pipes is the spring. In this race-way are placed crosswise numerous trays of terra-cotta, glazed inside to prevent contact of "onferva) with the ova, and in wliich, to a frame of wood, glass tubes are fitted, and called a grll, the French name for gridiron. Tlie tray is six inches wido, four inches deep, and as long as the race-way is wide. Both the tray and the grille may be moved with ease to another race- way, or the grille may be moved to clean the bottom of the tray or for other purpose. The following cut may help illus- trate. vt Fig. 1. Terra-cotta Tray, to tit crosswise in race-way. Fig. 2. Grille of glass tubes, made to fit in tlie tray. Fig. 3. Race-way, as wide inside as the length of the tray. Prevent evil Contiguity. 38b After the roe becomes fruetified by the milt, the case of .i^TiJIes, l|,g. 2, IS ] ,ced in the tray, and then deposited croh Wise in the raee-n ay, .vhere the tray is mechanically continod whentheovn '.4. .od on the glass grille, and J ftfornature' to do the rest, only seemg that the water continu. . to Ibrm a stream hk. a natul-ai brook through the race-way, and that he .Hjt be never glaring or the ten.perature of the water too lugh,beanng in mmd that there will be several degrees of difference between the water at the head and foot of the way. The grilles should be examined daily, and any addled or •load eggs remo ' from eoniact with others. This should >e done so as not to disturb the other eggs, as great quiet •luring the months of incubation is, essai-y. The following cut represent, the implements for removino- dead Qggs. ° Pig.l.TlieSiphou, used for uxiiminiu"- the e".rs y Pi„m.,.. r 3. Fine brass wi?e for taitug'up S 4gi"'='''"= °"' '^'^^ ^^fe'S. The siphon is used in France to draw up the dead eggs- but as It generally disturbs so many of the live ones, its o-en-' era! use m fish-culture is now confined to examining the el^s while pincers with sharp-pointed nibs are often used for p1ck' mg out the dead eggs; but Mr. Francis states in his "Fish Culture -a small but very useful volume-- Some use a k i-.-rJ-- iii IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT.3) <" ^o ,V#3^ &?^ -k u.. s f/. 1.0 I.I 1.25 ^1^ ill 12.2 13.2 2.0 !U - 6" 1.8 1.6 c»> .% ■^ 7 -/M Photographic Sciences Corooration 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) £7i2-4503 V^^'^ '. V^^ &?^ % 386 Fishing in American Waters. small needle tied to a stick; but the toughness of the ova re- sists the prod of the needle, and goes on slipping about. * * * The best plan, by very far, is to twist up a piece of fine brass wire into an eye just big enough to take the ova, tie it to a fine-pointed handle, bend it to the most convenient angle for lifting, softly introduce it between the ova and under the one you wish to withdraw, and fetch it out swiftly, but steadily." SPECIAL DIRECTIONS ABOUT PREPARING SPAWNING-BOXES. The following explanations were made by one of the fish- culturists engaged on the Tay, in Scotland : The boxes for containing the ova were twenty-four in num- ber, each being six feet long, eighteen inches wide, nine inches deep, and open at the top. The whole were disposed in a double row, parallel with the original course of the rill. Each row consisted of twelve boxes, placed end to end, the beds of the foremost commencing shortly below the lower end of the dam. A piece of three inches in depth and nine in width was cut from each log, in order to allow a free passage for the stream through the whole series. At the junction of each box was nailed a sheet of tin, with turned-up sides, to pre- vent the escape of the water. A couple of pipes, a yard in length and two inches in diameter, conveyed the stream to the foremost box in each row, the end of the pipes inserted in the dam being covered with fine wire gauze to prevent the entrance of trout and insects. The whole were arranged on a gentle slope, so as to avoid stagnation, and insure a tolera- bly rapid flow of water. The boxes being arranged, a strata on which to place the ova was then formed. It consisted of a mixture of sand and gravel, of the depth of several inches, upon which were de- posited pebbles of the ordinary size of road metal. When properly prepared for the reception of the ova, the stream av- eraged two inches in depth above the pavement. At a short distance below the dam two ponds were con- structed to contain the fry, the one receiving the stream from I New Eules in Domestic Cikcles. 387 the double row of boxes, and the other from the bed of the nil. The superficial area of each was two hundred and forty yards, bemg much too small, as finally ascertained, for the hosts of fry with which they were ultimately tenanted. SECURING THE OVA OF A SALMON. The process by which a salmon is made to exude its roe or milt is illustrated by the engraving; but the abdomen of the fish should be kept under water, and a napkin is better than the naked hand wherewith to hold the tail. It being diffi- cult to hold a salmcn, three persons are frequently required. But what says our authority ? In order to obtain the spawn in a perfectly mature state, the fish were taken from the spawning-bed in the very act of Its deposition. They were caught with nets at night. When taken they were instantly, and without injury, put into an oval tub one fourth full of water. So soon as a pair of suita- ble fis1> were captured, the ova from the female was immedi- ately ch.charged into the tub by a gentle pressure of the hands from the thorax downward. The milt of the male was ejected in a similar manner, and the contents of the tub gen- tly stirred with the hand. After the lapse of a minute the 388 FlSniNG IN AlVtEKICAN WatEKS. water was poured off, with the exception of sufficient to keep the ova submerged, and fresh supplied in its place. This also was poured off, and fresh substituted previously to removing the impregnated spawn to the boxes prepared for its recep- tion. In discharging the ova from the abdomen of the female all violence was carefully avoided. If, on examination, the ova were found to be immature, the fish was immediately return- ed to the river, and others in a more advanced stage taken. When a sufficient quantity of spawn was collected, it was at once removed to the hatching-ground. An amount propor- tioned to the size of the boxes was carefully poured in at the head of each, the action of the water scattering it pretty equally among the crevices of the stones. A temporary in- cr ased flow of the stream easily distributed it wherever it might happen to be too closely crowded together. Out of 24,000 roe deposited in the spawning-boxes, 20,000 were suc- cessfully hatched. MR. JOHN GILLONE's PROCESS OF PROPAGATING TROUT AND SALMON. As owner of the " Longland Fishery," the opinion of Mr. Gillone is received with much confidence and respect through- out England. « In the first place," he states, " we have one mill-dam becked at top and bottom." (As the word heck means " an engine or instrument for catching fish," we sup- pose that he means a peculiar net or singularly constructed weir for preventing trout or salmon from passing it, and ren- dering them liable to capture in the attempt.) The upper part of the dam was laid with gravel suitable for salmon or trout to spawn in naturally. There is also a very suitable^ stream for trout or salmon to deposit their spawn, and, so soon as our fishing season is about to close, we take the num- ber offish required to fill our breeding-boxes with fecundated ova, and put them into the dam, and keep them there until we see them beginning to spawn. (Spawning is sometimes CiPHEEINO SO AS TO ESTIMATE. 389 continued for several days, and sometimes weeks, by a single pair offish. The male trout or male salmon sometimes forces the female to the spawning-bed before all the ova is sufficient- ly matured for deposition.) We then shut down our upper sluice, catch and examine all the fish, and keep in a large wooden box all the fish ready for manipulation, returning the rest to the dam till we see them beginning to spawn a second time, and so on till we get them all spawned. We spawn them in a box three feet six inches long, seven inches wide, and nine inches deep, with as much water as will cover the fish. We first take the female fish from a large box filled with water clbse at hand, lay her in the little box as she swims (that is, her back up), taking her by the tail with the right hand, and with the left hand gently press from the neck to the vent until you get all the roe exuded. We then pour off about .':=af the water, and use the male fish the same way, mixing the milt with the water by the hand. After mixing the ova, we have a large filter that fits the neck of a bottle, water-tight, with a rim of wire gauze two inches deep. We then fill the bottle and filter with water; then, pouring off the greater part; of the water in the spawn-box, we empty the roe and water into th3 filter. The roe, of course, sinks into the bottle ; the water runs off through the wire gauze, and pre- vents any of the ova from being spilled. The bottle is mark- ed off in divisions, each division holding 800 eggs of an aver- age size. By this way we count our roe with little trouble that we deposit in our breeding-boxes. In putting the ova into the breeding-boxes, I have a tin tube that fills the neck of the bottle, tapering to about a half-inch circle at the top. This tube I place below the water in the breeding-box, and gradually empty the roe into glass jars. Our breeding-boxes are two in number, or rather a continuation of one. They are laid quite level, so that the water circulates down the one and up the other. The boxes are made of wood, four inches deep, one foot wide, and the length of the two boxes com- bined is 135 feet. .These boxes are supplied with frames in- 390 Fishing in American Waters. side each three feet long, filled with narrow strips of glass, with the sharp edges ground off to prevent cutthig the young fish. The glass is laid across the stream, forming gutters in which the ova is placed in rows across the run of the water- the glass is supported in the frames three quarters of an inch from the bottom of the box, the water flowing freely both above and below the ova. These boxes are capable of hatch- ing at a time 15,000 salmon or trout. This season we have 24,000 salmon eggs deposited in them, and the eggs are be- coming quite visible. In depositing the ova in the several boxes, I keep each fish's eggs separate, and marked on the boxes 1, 2, 3, etc, I keep corresponding numbers in a book, with a remark on each fish's roe at the time of spawning ;' and during the time of incubation, if I see any thing worthy of notice, I take a note of the number and what has happened. I pick out all the dead ova once or twice a week, and keep an account of the number, and when the hatching is finished I subtract the number of the dead from the number deposit- ed, which will show about the quantity we have hatched. CARE IN OBTAINING FECUNDATED SPAWN. Whenever practicable, it is desirable to take the trout from the spawning-beds by means of nets, so as to insure the maturity of the ova. It can best be done in the night. So soon as caught, the fish should h. placed in a large tub, or other vessel, partially filled wii. water, till a milter and spawner are taken. In ejecting the ova, the female should first be held over a bucket or large tin can half full of water the lower end of the abdomen being inserted in the water' in order to prevent the exposure of the ova to the air. A gentle pressure of the hand from the thorax down each side of the abdomen will discharge the ova, if mature, without the least injury to the fish. The water in the bucket should then be reduced to three or four quarts previously to ejecting the milt of the male. In expelling the milt the course pursued IS precisely the same as that just described, the lower end of Gently urging Nature. 391 yxRippiNG A Trout. the ahdoraen being in this case also inserted in the water. After stirring the contents of the bucket with the hand, the water should be poured off and fresh supplied several times in succession, until no trace of the milt can be seen, always taking care to keep the ova submerged. The spawn may then be moved to the hatchmg-ground or boxes ; for the arti- ficial spawning-bed may be made in a ditch, dug for the pur- pose, and paved, and supplied through pipes with water, as well as in boxes ; but experiments have giv n the preference to boxes, as susceptible of forming thereby a stream more equal in flood, volume, and temperature. In the removal of the ova for a short distance, it is unimportant in what man- ner they are conveyed, so long as they are not much shaken. In transporting ova a great distance, it should be done in the winter or spring, placed in tanks lined with sponge and swamp-moss, with an aerating pump placed in it for frequent- ly moving the water, changing it, and exposing it to the air. Fecundated ova have been packed in moss by Seth Green and sent by n ail a thousand miles, and then hatched with very small loss. 392 Fishing in American Waters A SIMPLE PROCESS FOR PREPARING A SPAWNING-BED. If you have a trout-pond, tap it at the sluice in the dam with several pipes of two inches diameter, covering the ends in the pond wi<h fine wire gauze to exclude youno- fish or the eggs ofsuch fish or reptiles as are enemies to trott. Con- duct the water through these pipes to rows of boxes about two feet wide and six feet long, the boxes from the head one nearest the dam resting two inches lower than the one which immediately precedes it so as to produce a current sufiicient- y swift in this artificial stream formed of a row, or several lows of boxes, and each row formed of half a dozen boxes One pipe to supply each row of boxes, and then you may have as many rows of boxes as you have water to supply always bearing in mind that the water must run continually.' The waste water, after it leaves the boxes, may be conducted by a ditch into the brook below the dam, or into a pond pre- pared to receive the young trout. The bottoms of the boxes are next covered to the depth of a couple of inches with sand and small pebbles, upon which is laid a pavement of stones trom three to six inches in diameter. The water should be as much as two inches deep above this pavement, and fill the boxes two thirds full. The boxes are open at the top. Then pour the fecundated roe equally over the paved bottom of each box, and it will soon find its way into the crevices of the stony bottom, and within from sixty to seventy-five days the trout will be hatched, and a bag connected to the abdo- men by an umbilical cord contains sustenance sufficient for torty days, after which the tiny creature begins to seek food and should be removed to its pond. FEEDING YOUNG TROUT OR SALMON. After the absorption of the abdominal vesicle, the fry re- quire food of a fine and nourishing kind-crumbs of boiled liver m small particles, minced meat or fish of any kind or a pate of the intestines of any animal or fowl; horse-flc'sh is Food of easy Digestion. 393 ^eiy good; cheese-curd, farinaceous food, may be mixed and all put in solution, and fed to the tiny things through a syr- inge ; maggots— called gentles— a bait :br sale at all the rod- fishing places in Europe, and the larvje anr flies of the season, form good food after the fish are two months old. STOCKING OLD PONDS WITH TROUT. Old ponds, even if inhabited by trout, are apt to fill with weeds, which grow from all parts of the bottom except the channel cut by the creek flowing through it ; and if the stream be too small compared with the size of the pond, so that the water is not renewed sufliciently often, then the eels, sunfish perch, and pike are apt to accumulate, to the ultimate exter- mination of the trout. It becomes necessary, therefore, before stocking an old pond, that the water be drawn ofi" and the bottom of the pond thoroughly cleaned. The expense of cleaning a pond is partially paid by the manure thus ob- tamed. Some persons, after cleaning a pond, sow the bottom with hmo and salt. The creek should also be cleaned up to Its source by sweeping it with small-meshed nets; but all its shades on the margin of the stream, and its hiding-places of rocks and stones in the stream, should be left, and pegs or 394 Fishing in Amekican Waters, o t r ,', . ''°"°'"' '""""S the top, of them a foot 0. 8o above the bottom, to prevent poacher, from netti,,,, the pond or ,, The dam may or may not be eon,tr;ctod so a, to permit the trout to follow down the stream to it, estuary and return at will. This would depend upon agree- ment between the different owners of the stream. But when bhng dam offer, an mdueement to ,melt, herring, etc., to spawn m the pond, and thus stock it with the best feed ^o,. ,.ble for trout, for those trout which feed on shrimp, ,melt spearmg, young herring, and the roe of fishes are always ,u-' penor to such a, feed on worm, brought down the ,tream by f, Zm / "'™SV- of the principal charms of the trou' , that he feed, on the flies which swarm on the surface of the water, thus enlivening and beautifying the water by breakmg to the surface and forming numerous wake, of large c^rc es, and sometimes rising above the surface and disclosing Ten h?w ' "'?"'" ""'' ^''"'y"' "'^'■^ "- «™<^^ touch a r T ;rf ■"S.""'™ ^bstantial, and will not oast beef ",', IV ^ ""'"*'' '"'"'™"y' ^'''"^ -l"-^ roast beef, a, well a, plum-pudding and omekUe sovMie. So the trout requn.es hi,^te <fe ^i.^,,,, „f somethC more ,ub8tantial than flies. sometnmg moie Dubravius, Dr. Lebault, and many piscatorial professor, caie of them. Wo therefore extract the gist of thHr advice n<.rmmgled w.th our own, a, follow,: Ipond intended T; ether profit or pleasure should be cleansed once every three bvwhichTVT"'." '""'^^ "<""'"'^'='» "* '"e Stream by which It 1, fed, or if sustained by more surface-water than of spring-water. It should be drained and lie dry six or twelve months, both to kill the water-weed, and the animals which feed on trout and it, roe. The letting your pond dry rottiTthTpor^''"""' '^ ''-"'-'' '--'* •<"'«- •"' In reconstructing your pond after draining it, and havino- Habitations for Trout. 395 made tlie earth firm where the head of the pond must be,Le- bault advises that you drive in two or three rows of oak or elm piles, which should be scorched in the fire or half burned before they be driven in the earth, for being thus used it pre- serves them much longer from rotting; and having done so, lay fagots or bavins of smaller wood between them, and then earth between and above them; and then, having first very well rammed them and the earth, use another pile in like manner as the first were, and note that the second pile IS to be of or about the same height that you intend to make your sluice or flood-gate, or the vent that you intend shall convey the ovei-flowings of your pond, or any flood that shall threaten to break the pond dam. Then he advises the plant- ing of willows and osiers about the dam, and cast in charred logs not far from the side, as also upon the sandy places, in order to protect spawning-beds and form hiding-places for the small fry. All ponds should contain places of gravel bot- tom, and places sandy and shallow, where trout may disport themselves and burnish their sides. Fish should also have retiring-places, such as hollow banks, or shelves, or roots of trees, to keep them from danger, and to shade them at times during the day in the extreme heat of summer, albo from the extremity of cold in winter. If too many trees grow about your pond, the leaves, falling into the water, will impreg- nate it and injure the flavor of the fish. Although towering trees form too dense a shade, and the foliage is bad for the stream, while they yield cover to invite winged game and the consequent gunner, yet shooting much about a fish-pre- serve is injurious, and I would advise the planting of willow and alder to partially shade the stream or pond, and render firm the shores. Two trout-ponds are more profitable than one of the same area as the two, because they may be cleaned alternately, and the trout turned into one while the other is under clean- ing process. In small ponds, or ponds where the small fry of common 396 FisiiiNo IN Amekican Watkks. hh often form f„o,l for tront, Lcbanlt a,lvi»e, the frclin^ „f "out l,y throwms i.ito tho pond chipping, of broad, culd, Sra,,. or the entrails of ehieken,,, or of any bird or beLt ; bll to feed yourselves. On tho score of feeding trout in pre- serves, our experience is that they are generally fed too mud, In ponds where feed is scarce, living bait should be thrown in siieh as nunnows, mummies, shrimp, and all Icinds offish wh,eh nature intended for bait by forbidding them ever should be done sparmgly. We have known several ponds on tuTu^l :::; 't'-%'"^«^'- "'^O -■■"« ^^-y ^re l^d „m tm„. We regret to state that some animals endowed with tend that they are waters intended for the propagation of t.out,when n. reality, they are pounds, or liqiidbas.iles :^t:r:itjrc3i-rt^^^^^^^ uoiiar and a half a pound has frequently been mid f^v f,..„. bought at wholesale. It is said Lt th'ese Pet': F,mk ^b he trout-streams of their neighborhoods by mean of „"! thTZt o7 cr""rr"-^™ '"" ''-' o'^eptoXrr, tne iHst of March-and deposit their stolen gains in liouid pounds, w ore they feed them until the markft ope s Zt eept f„, the p„,-pose of se.ence or the object of propagatiin The vkky» latest Methods. 397 SECTION SECOND. ainswoktu's race and screens. A. Top of Race. B. Water Level. C. Upner Screen, or Sieve. D. Under Screen E Bottom of Race. G. Supply Pond. H. FilteriuK Gate. The Upper Screen is represented from the pround-plan, in order to show the form of he perfo.atert bottom, and the same alter paving it with pel/bles tTic bo torn of SeenTs ^Vt^-^^f '^''^V^»' !^JVtJ!^j}^:- i^^ th| side oniy of the {j-^der in construction, -^.^u»,..v^.» ....ii, n.c i-iiiiic View , uuL lue Huie oniv or tne ilnnpr ^ crstr'nXn' '"'''^- ^^^ '"'"''" ^' suggestive, calling for judgme^nt and science The object of this invention is to induce trout to spawn wlierc the fish-culturist may gather the eggs and protect tliem until lie can transfer them to the hatching-boxes once or twice a week, and it is a valuable step on the road of aqua- culture toward husbanding all the resources of a stream. The object is to form a race-way of water in a stream of moderate flow, and divide this race into three compart- ments. Those are the bottom of the race paved with cob- ble-stones, E ; a few inches above ii, and of the same width, is the lower screen or sieve, D ; a fow inches above which is the upper screen, C. Trout have access to screen C for spawning, and as tiie bottom of it is perforated with holes twice as large as a trout's egg, of course the eggs laid on it will run through the bottom of the screen and lodge on the under one, which is perforated with very small holes to drain it, but not pass the eggs. Screen C is divided into trays, with handles at the sides for removing them by the hand ; the bottom is then covered with pebbles, as indi- 398 Fishing in Amerwan "W ateks. 13 I lert cated by the upper half of the screen ; the lower, or len ^alf, merely represents the perforated bottom of zinc lZ7^ Yr T^'''^ *^' fecundated eggs, is the same width and length as C, divided into trays also for remov- ing their contents conveniently. The engraving represents the race' from the supply pond half- way to the outlet of the race into the creek or lower pond Screen C is open at each end, so that trout from the creek below or the pond above may enter freely, it being an ar- tificial imitation of a natural spawning-bed. The follow- ing IS the inventor's description : « This race may be built like the races made for the artificial impregnation of spawn used by nearly all trout-breeders to en- tice the trout up from the pond to spawn. It can be made of any length from 10 to 60 feet, and from 2 to 6 feet wide accordmg to the number of trout which are to use it, and the' amount of water for the supply of the pond. It should be made with plank sides and bottom, so tight as to keep out all sediment. Paving the bottom nicely with small stones will answer. The bottom, whether of plank or stone, must then be covered with a half-inch layer of fine, well-washed gravel When one has large trout to spawn in the race the water should be 2 inches deep at the upper or supply end, and 15 mches deep at the lower end where it empties into the pond with a gentle cui-rent throughout its whole length. This will give good spawning depth to the water for trout of all sizes from 6 to 24 inches long. Usually a race 3 feet wide, and from 15 to 20 feet long, will be quite sufiicient for a pond of 1000 or 1800 trout. P"«a or "The bo^tom of this race must be covered with fine wire- cloth screens, of about 10 meshes to the inch, made of zinc or galvanized wire, so as not to corrode, and thus injure the spawn. ^ Iron wire, if painted, will answer where zinc can rot be obtained. These wire screens must be nailed to wooden frames, made of inch-square stuff, the frames to correspond in length with the width of the race, and to be as wide as the Artificial Fish Pkopagation. 399 f-loth will permit— say 2 feet. Strips of three-quarter-inch stuff must be nailed to the bottom of the race for the screens to rest on, in such a manner that they will be raised one quar- ter of an inch above the gravel on the bottom. This ia done to give good circulation to the water under the spawn as they fall on to these wire screens. These screens must be laid the whole length of the race, side by side, to catch the spawn as it is deposited by the parent trout. "Now place over these another set of screens made of coarse wire-cloth, of about two or three meshes to the inch, so that the spawn will drop through easily. These screens must be nailed on frames of the same length as the others, but of two- inch stuff, and as wide as the cloth will permit. • These screens must be strong enough to hold 2 inches of well-washed coarse gravel from three quarters of an inch to 2 inches in diameter. They should be so large that there will be interstices between the gravel large enough to let the spawn pass down, if neces- sary, to the lower screen. The upper screens should have han- dles on each end to lift them by, as they will have to be taken out and replaced every few days during the spawning season. "When these two sets of screens are placed the whole length of the race, and all is complete, the water will pass over all, 2 inches deep at the supply end, and 15 inches deep at the lower end, with a moderate current through the whole race. The reader will perceive by the description and diagram that there is one inch of space between the two screens to hold the spawn as they are deposited by the parent trout, with a gen- tle current passing over and under them, and that the upper screen prevents the spawn from being destroyed by trout and insects, so that they are perfectly safe until removed to the hatching-box. "When the trout is ready to spawn she will enter the race from the pond and prepare her nest. This she does by whip- ping all the sediment from the gravel with her tail, and then she whips or digs a hole in the cleansed gravel about 2 inches deep, or down to the upper screen, and about 4 inches iu di- 400 Fishing m Ameeican "Watees. I wate. in tto hole with h s M . , °? ' ■■' "'^"' ^^'»' ""^ a.I di.ec,io,.s, so tCthr ^ t' Ta "J *a^.\r " "' """''" screen or in the otovpI o i ! *^^ ^^^^^ ^^ the then remove the lower ones mrl «o w^ ^ *'^-^' raising the screen „p and down a few times ttv wnll ^ down through the interstices. The race Z^f7 l . H t^e spawn than hy handh'ng, and no pa^nttlT '„!"'' As sahnon and trout spawn along at intervals o'^'eral Latest Fish-beeeding Impeovements. 401 weeks, it is natural to infer that all the eggs do not mature at one time. That this is the case has been proven by the officers of French fisheries. About the time when France endowed the Institution of Huningue, and when the waters, which had for many years remained still and dead, all at once became enlivened by the leaps of trout and the splashings of salmon, the "habitans" regarded the sight as supernat- ural, and an evidence that Heaven was pleased with Napo- leon's reign. About this time, when France had first voted 30,000 francs for the advancement of fish-culture, and then in- creased the sum to 80,000, the study of all residents along salmon-rivers and trout-streams was how to procure the eggs of trout and fecundate them. They read all about Joseph Remy's plan, and the result was that all the streams WQre rob- bed of game fishes for procuring eggs to sell to the establish- ment at Huningue. Of course the poor fishes were squeezed to death in forcing them to exude immature ova, and the streams becoming thereby depeopled, induced the unbelievers in fish- culture to set their faces against the wanton destruction. The French government then advertised that it would pur- chase no more fecundated ova unless the roe and milt were exuded by employes of government. Government agents thereafter were notified by those who had trout ready to spawn, and the agents visited the place, and took the ova only which was exuded without pressure, leaving the reso to restock their streams. Since then, water-farming has been an uninterrupted success. furman's natural hatching-race. At Maspeth, ia Kings County, which is within or joins the metropolitan district of which New York City is the centre, Mr. William Furman has been propagating brook trout arti- ficially for the past ten years ; and as he is a gentleman of genius, energy, and means, and, withal, an excellent fly-fisher, his devotion to the art offish-culture has hoon rather for love than profit. In his hatching-race there are millions of fecun- Cc 402 Fishing in American Waters. dated ova far enough advanced to render their eyes distin- guishable, and they are hatching daily, thus proving its per- fect adaptability to the objects intended of hatching and pro- tecting the eggs. It differs from that of Mr. Ainsworth in having but one race, with perforated bottom of zinc, with three holes to the inch. The bottom is covered with pebbles, and accessible to the trout from his pond during the spawn- ing season, when may be frequently seen a dozen pairs of spawners at a time. The water flows gently down the race, and the spawners keep it constantly agitated throughout the spawning season, so that the fecundated ova falls through the pc'-^orated zinc bottom to the bottom of the stream, which is made of sand and gravel, on which the eggs hatch. It will be perceived that this race differs from the Ains- worth one, which has two perforated races or troughs above the bottom, from the lower one of which the fecundated eggs are removed to hatching-boxes, while the Furman race con- sists of but one perforated race or trough, from which the eggs fall to the bottom, and remain during the period of in- cubation, or until hatched. I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate the form of the Furman race, as it is similar to the Ainsworth one, onlv it has but one screen, and the bottom is not formed of mova- ble trays, but the eggs drop to the bottom of the stream, where they hatch as in a natural stream, only that they are protected from destruction by their parents or other families of the finny race, which have no access to the compartment of the stream. These imitations of the natural stream and spawning-beds are the latest invention in American fish-culture. Thus far they have proved successful, and promise to render unneces- sary the artificial fecundation by handling the spawner and milter for forcing exudation of the seed. These plans sim- plify artificial fish-breeding, and promise to prove a greater improvement on the French grilles and hatching-trays than were the latter upon the troughs with wire-cloth ends placed The Napoleon Fish-hatcueb. 403 in streams to hatch the fecundated ova by Lieut. Jacobi or Joseph Remy. Messrs. Furman and Ains worth being both gentlemen of leisure, who devote their time to fish-culture pro bono publico and for their L/e of the subject, much ben- efit may therefore be reasonably expected from their experi- ments in water-farminsr. " GENERAL DIKECTIONS," BY SETII GEEEN. For the general management in propagating salmon and trout, and the transportation of fecundated ova and the ale- vins, the following advice, founded upon successful experi- ment and entirely reliable, may be read with interest by those who are about to commence fish-culture by artificial assistance : "Build your ponds according to the amount of water you have. If you have but little, build small. The water should be changed every 24 or 48 hours, and the oftener it changes the better. The trout can be very plenty if they have suffi- cient fresh water and food. " I can send ova a fifty days' journey packed in a box with moss. I place the moss in a tin pail, filled with sawdust, so that the spawn will not feel the changes of heat and cold. '-'Directions for handling the Spawn.— V'xok. the moss care- fully ofi" from the top of the spawn Then put the box in a pan of water and turn it nearly bottom-side up, and pick the moss out very carefully. The spawn will sink to the bottom, and you can pick the moss out of the pan. If there is a little left it will do no harm. Then pour the spawn in your hatch- ing-trough by holding the edge of your pan under water, and ' place' them, without touching the spawn, by agitating the water with the bearded end of a feather. The dead spawn will turn a milk-white color, and should be picked out. Your trough should be so arranged that the water will run in it .ibout twelve feet per minute. The water should be filtered by running through gravel or cloth screens to prevent the sediment from reaching the spawn. I run about one inch of 404 Fishing in American "Waters. water over my spawn, and if any sediment gets on them and is allowed to remain there long, it will surely kill them. Re- move all sediment with the bearded end of a quill by ao-ita- ting the water, without touching the spawn. " Large ponds with but little water get too warm in sum- mer and too cold in winter for trout to do well. It is detri- mental to have any other fish with trout. Any kind of fish or fish-spawn is good for feed. The young should be fed twice per day, very slowly ; if fed fast, the feed sinks and be- fouls the trough, and the trout will sicken and die. If fed regularly, and the trough kept clean, with a good change of water, and not kept too thick, they will live and do well. If neglected, they will surely die. " What is Death to SiMwn.—The sun, sediment, rats, mice, snails, crawfish, and many water insects. "My troughs are 25 feet long and 15 inches wide. The water that feeds each trough would go through a half-inch hole with a three-inch head. Use fine gravel that has no iron rust in it. My troughs are three inches higher at the head. The average temperature of the water is 45°, and the fish hatch in 70 days. Every degree oolder or warmer will make about six days difierence in hatching. Trout hatch the soon- est in warm water. The sack on their bellies sustains them for 40 or 45 days after hatching ; then they need food. " When the fish are hatched, raise the water in the troughs about four or five inches by putting on a piece of boaid of that width on every cross-piece, thus keeping the fish sepa- rate—about an equal number in each square. If you have small streams of shallow water near the head of your pond, put a few in a place in the stream and pond, and they will take care of themselves better than you can. The object of distributing them is that they will get more food. All old streams and ponds have plenty of food for small trout and large, which you will find by examining the moss, sticks, and stones in your ponds and streams, as they are full of water- insects. Amusement foe Ladies. 405 " The fish, after hatching, should be fed twice daily for two or three months, then once a day— the grown fish once a day or oftener. For the young fish, liver should be scraped and chopped very fine, and mixed with water, to give it about the consistency of clotted blood. Toss this to the fish a little H a time, so that they can catch and devour it before it reaches the bottom of the trough ; no more should be given than the fish will eat, because if any is left it will settle on the bottom and foul the water, and the fish will sicken and die. The fish may be fed on curds, fish offal, or other animal matter, pro- vided it be small enough for them to swallow.' ?H EVERT FARMER SHOULD HAVE A TROUT PRESERVE. From a perusal of the foregoing descriptions for breeding salmon and trout by the most celebrated and successful fish- culturists, it will be perceived that they do not differ much in the modus operandi. Nearly every farmer has a spring on his place yielding surplus water sufficient to hatch trout in boxes. If he does not wish to go to much expense in erecting a dam to form a preserve, he might at least hatch the trout in boxes and sell them, for they are as ready sale as any product of a farm. Mr. Amsworth, of Bloomfield, N. Y., said : " The original stock (of trout) was put in my pond, con- taining 61 square rods of ground, 14 feet deep, supplied with springs, three years ago, 1400 in number, age from 1 to 4 years. They weigh now from 1 to 3 pounds each. They are about as tame as kittens — come at call, and show themselves clear out of water in their haste for food by the five hundred at a time, and some take it out of a spoon six inches above the water. Think of seeing five hundred trout all at the same instant, weighing from 1 to 3 pounds, and from 12 to 18 inches long !" A two-pound trout will furnish about 8000 spawn, smaller ones less in proportion. They commence spawning when one year old. In this way they can be increased and grown to any ex- 406 Fishing in AaiEEicAN Waters. tent, and all the ponds and streams in the country stocked to overflowing. We conclude with the statement of both hope and confi- dence that the reader will find fish-breeding in boxes so sim- ple and sure that he will at once prepare to engage in the interesting and profitable occupation. ' ! GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. Upon the breeding-times of different fishes, and their re- sorts at certain seasons in the year to hibernate, there is no fixed data. "We know that eels spawn in salt waters if they have access to them, and visit fresh waters to recuperate and fatten. On the other hand, salmon seek the heads of rivers to spawn, and resort to unknown marine pastures to gain strength and fatten. Most white-meated fishes spawn in the spring, yet the fish known as the whitejish spawns in early autumn. All mem- bers of the genus Salmo spawn in autumn. The striped bass, with which our anglers on the rivers en- tering the coast are as familiar as with any other game fish, spawns at indefinite periods. It is known that in the Chesa- peake Bay it spawns in spring; that in the estuaries and buys near New York and along the coast of Long Island it begins spawning in April and continues until July. The late Judge Morris and myself were once trolling in Hell Gate in September, and suspecting that a striped bass which we had taken contained ova in an advanced otage, we had the fish eviscerated, when the ova was discovered to be nearly ma- ture. Striped bass taken in the Vineyard Sound in autumn are frequently found to be big with roe nearly ready to drop. These facts present questions for solution by ichthyologists. Do striped bass — like the hens — continue laying for several months ? Or do they lay twice a year — spring and fall ? Both the flounder and plaice, or fluke, spawn in winter. Smelt spawn at intervals from February until April. The Emperok leads in ]*ee8on. 407 CHAPTER VI. SALMON-PASSES, LADDERS, ETC. ^.AViNG studied ancient aquaculture and fish-culture, and examined the modus operandi for water-farming, with its profits a thousand -fold greater than those from cultivating the soil, the reader will have ar- rived at the threshold of an im- provement as necessary as are all the previously-named operations. One of the most important ques- tions of the day in reference to the fresh-water fisheries of the United States — especially to those devoted to the propagation of salmon and trout — is how to expand and devel- op them to the gioatest extent, so as to interfere as little as possible with existing arrangements as to mills and proprietary rights. That the salmon should breed, it is ab- solutely indispensable that it should be able to reach the heights and shallow portions of rivers, which alone afford suitable gravel-beds for the operation of depositing the ova and rearing the young. If it can not get to these, the breed of salmon is soon extinguished, and this has been the cause of its extinction in ninety-nine rivers out of every hundred. Mill-dams, those terrible enemies to the salmon, are the prin- cipal offenders in this respect. Commercial and manufactur- ing interests being almost too strong for the salmon, the 408 Fishing in Ameeioan Waters. I ! question which has been agitating the minds of the most en- lightened pisciculturists of the age for years has been, H5w we can best contrive that the fish shall have a free passage up the rivers, in order to continue its species without any loss of water-power or profits on the part of the mill owners ? If we can show them that this is possible, we have a natural right to compel those who have blocked up our rivers for their own profit to give the fish a free passage as a public benefit. The very best passage through a dam is an open run by means of a good wide pass in the centre of the dam, or, at any rate, in such part of it as will easily be found by the salmon, in showers, when the water-power is generally more than enough for the requirements of the mill and fac- tory. There can be no great difticulty about this (proper re- gard, of course, being paid to. the stability of the dam), ex- cept on rivers where the power is at all deficient, when con- trivances, such as ladders, etc., etc., are needed to prevent the waste of any of the water-power. It is true that salmon can jump up a fall of considerable height. Indeed, salmon have been known tc T)artly jump and partly swim up falls of ten or twelve feet in height, and even much more ; but the ca- pability requires certain condi' .jns for its performance, and chief of all these is a good deep pool at the foot of the fall or dam as a starting-place, and the more arched or slanting out of the perpendicular the fall is, the easier the salmon will surmount it. It used formerly to be supposed that a salmon jumped out of the water in the way that mites aiai seen to jump in a rotten cheese, viz., by putting the tail to the mouth, and then, by the exertion of a sudden effort of muscular ex- pansion, forcing its broad tail to act upon the water so as to shoot the fish ahead. This is now known to be fallacious, as it is seen that the salmon is quite powerless to leap any dam when the waters at the foot of the dam are shallow; and it is known that salmon leap like all other animals (except cheese-mites), viz., by acquiring the utmost attainable veloc- ity by means of a run, and then, by a sudden and powerful How Salmon and Tkout Leap. 409 spring, giving the impetus. This spring must be made, of course, by the assistance of every fin that can aid it, but chief- ly by a strong stroke of the tail. Unfortunately, however, the majority of mill-dams are so spread out across rivers that the water runs over them in the thinnest possible sheet, and the soundness of the dam requires a foundation on the lower face. This foundation is assisted and protected by a wooden sheathing called the apron, and this is placed as near the surface of the water as possible, and extends down stream for fifteen or twenty feet below the dam, so that the under- standing of the dam may not be undermined ; and thus it constantly occurs that while the pool below the dam is of great depth and capacity, yet it only forms a sort of reservoir for the fish, which tlie ownor of the dam catches at his lei- sure, the fish being unable to approach the dam even so as to swim or pass over it ; and a dam of this sort, if only thi'^e or four feet high, would be as impassable to salmon as if it were four times that height.- A salmon will scull up a pretty swift stream that does not perhaps cover his back, so long as his tail and pectoral fins, which are the propelling power, are im- mersed,* provided in such waters he is not called upon to make a perpendicular jump. This he can not do without a run to start him. in considerable depths, for a short space, a salmon can force his way through extremely rapid and heavy waters, but there are limits to this capability ; and the difficult^/ ichich jyi'Sciculturists labor under is the ascertaining what weight or rapiditg oficater a salmon can stem. Some salmoij, of course, can stem a stronger torrent than others, but the problem must be taken as applicable to the weakest fish, not the strongest, inasmuch as the object is chiefly to per- mit the passage of female fish very heavily laden with ova. A female fish, full of eggs, carries something like a fourth of its own entire weight in that commodity, and unless suchjish * The tail is the most important organ in this proceeding, the fins being used chiefly for balancing and steering the fish, though they all aid propul- sion on unusual occasions calling for great and sudden effort. 410 Fishing in American "Waters. are let itp, there is little tise in letting tlie others up. Therefon! the easier these passages (of whatever kind they may be) are made for the salmon, the better it will be for the fishery. Now it has been ascertained that a slope of one in seven or eight is very near the extreme of steepness which a strong Halmon can make his way through — that is, for any distance. It may be that by a sudden effort of the tail, /or a yard or two^ he can flhoot almost any thing, but when he has been a dozen yards or more of such gradient, unless he can .somehow obtain a fresh starting-point, the effort fails, and the ii;=ii is driven back by the weight of the stream. Therefore it is desirable, in all passes which are long or full-steep, to have a resting-place, or a quiet pool whence the salmon can take wind and make a fresh start. It is impossi- ble to lay down any definite rule for the construction of all fish-passes, since the architect must be governed by the facil- ities or difticulties presented by the dam or fall, and probably few dams should be treated precisely the same. Various methods have been employed where the water at the pool be- low the dam is too shallow to offer the fish a good start to leap the obstruction. One of the first and most simple plans constructed on the New England and Canadian rivers was a series of leaps from pool to pool, wnth a small dam thrown across the stream below in order to raise the water enough to give the salmon a start. A stone pier is erected above the fall to break the ice in spring, and to check the force of the timbers and the heavy debris of the stream during " iiv^ freshets. On small streams, a rough c >,. oi'big bou^i^.ers, logs, etc., has been made a few yardt '1}q\o<^ ihd existing one; this will probably be almost half the height of the other, and is com- paratively easy to get over. It returns the water against the lower face of the original dam, and so makes that much easier, and by making a pool between them of some depth, it gives the fish the start it requires. This, on small streams, has been found very effective, and can not in the least affect Stone Pier to peotect Structure. 411 Salmon Leaps. the mill-power; but upon large r>ers the plan is impracti- cable. The same principle can be applied to a pass which is imperfect, and it has been found to answer. A curving pier has been built cut from the dam below, so that the water falling over the dam is thrown back by it, and though it is open at one end, yet it passes far enough across the bed of the river just below the fall to so raise the water that fish get a start to leap the dam. To increase the depth of water between this pier and the dam, a large beam of wood, in slant- ing direction from the top of the dam to the pier, conducts a wide sheet of water from the top of the dam to between the dam and the pier. This method for a salmon-leap can not injure the water-power. In all cases, the importance of such vital means of assistance to the salmon requires that the arch- 412 Fishing in Asieeican Watees. itect should be a man of natural genius as well as learning m his profession, and bo, Avithal, a good angler, or know the habits of his client. When the mill-power is of so much consequence that no water can be wasted, and if the fall be great, a fish-ladder is mdispensable. Fish-ladders were first invented by Mr. Smith of Deanston, in England, and were employed by him very successfully, and the great secret of his success was in the easy gradient which he gave them. His original plan was something like a fall of one foot in twenty; but so easy a gradient as this greatly lengthens the ladder, and adds verv argely to the expense. The chief object of all ladders should be to deliver the water they carry to the spot where the fish are most likely to find it and to use it. This is, in all dams close to the foot of the dam, and as near as may be conven- ient to the strong main stream. If the foot of the ladder should be carried too far down the stream below the dam the fish which are at the foot ot the dam will be so far above the entrance to the ladder that they will not find it; and if It be in some wide eddy or part of the stream lohere U might be more emy to construct the ladder, the fish will not go to that part, out of the main stream, to seek it. When it is necessary, by reason of the height of the dam, to have a long ladder, it should be turned in the middle like a double pair of stairs, with a landing or pool halfway, so as to deliver the water close to the foot of the dam. The far-famed fish-lad- der atBallysadare, in Ireland, is made upon this principle, and by the aid of it salmon mai age to surmount a fall above 'thir- ty feet in height. The opposite engraving will show the principle. A stone pier above the entrance of the water to the ladder, as at D,is essential in American waters to protect the ladder from the ice and the terrific debris of spring floods. The sal- mon are all turning their pretty noses toward the ladder, and many of them are ascending. They must think the Irish a kind people to have erjc^ed such a convenience for them. Eesult of Study and Genius. 413 Ballysadake Salmon-pass. The steps in the ladder extend three fourths its width, leav- ing the stream and eddies represented. Tliis sketch illus- trates a very important principle, Avhich can be varied at pleasure. The gradient of a salmon-ladder sliould really not be less than 1 in 9 or 10, and 1 in 12 is better still. The chaml>crs between the steps are greatly improved if the bot- tom—instead of being all upon the same slope as the gen- oral gradient of the ladder-is broken into steps, «o that the water is deeper immediately behind the steps, or little steps ni 1 l^ 414 Fishing in American "Watees. or falls formed at the passage past the steps. Indeed, if it be practicable, the more the chambers are hollowed out, so as to deepen the water as much as possible in places, and thus to break and deaden the force of the stream, the better. Excellent results have been obtained by this arrangement. Of course this adds somewhat to the expense, but people should consider rent when they are making a salmon-fishery, which, if it is made, may in all probability be worth a very large sum of money annually, to risk the loss of which for the want of any little precaution, which may cost but a very trifling sum comparatively, is veiy bad economy, and hence every possible chance should be given to the fish. Salmon-ladders can be made of wood, but they ai-e far bet- ter of stone, being less liaole to destruction or damage. It is a question, however, whether a salmon-ladder could not be better and more cheaply made and put together of iron. Such a structure might be supported very easily and firmly by means of light iron piles driven into the head of the river below the dam, and made in lengths which could be bolted on to the dam and riveted together, much easier than stone or mason's work can be secured. Among other passes, there is one which is perhaps better suited to a natural fall, though it was in use formerly upon navigable rivers, where locks and damst were placed to suit the navigator. This was an artificial cut, coming into the river at the foot of the dam, but let out of the river some dis- tance above it, so as to make the ascent, which is broken by the dam, gradual and easy. There are many contrivances for helping fish surmount falls and dams, and they vary con- siderably, accordino: to the nature and position of the ob- struction ; so that, while it is impossible to lay down any gen- eral rule of construction for all, yet the principle that a cer- tain depth and head of water is reserved for the passage of the fish, and that no fall of water up which a salmon has to pass should have a greater incline than 1 in 9 or 10, are those by which alone the construction can be guided. Plain Staibs foe Short Eises. 415 The Sligo ISalmon-stairs. These stairs, of heavy timbers and mason-work, are intend- ed to assist salmon and trout up small natural falls or dams, and for such object are highly successful. A dam may be necessary across tlie stream a few rods below, so as to deepen the water below the fall, and give the fish a swimming start. The height of this sub-dam should be three feet, and the whole work well considered, and designed with much atten- tion to the gradient, depth of water, and place for the foot of the ladder. The most important American ladder is the one adopted by the Dominion of Canada, a sketch of which will be found on the following page. 4:16 Fishing in Amehicaij Waters. 6 ! Canadian Salmon-stairs. Pi'K. 1. Stone Pier to protect the Dam. 2. Plank and spike Dam, stone fonndatlon. 3. Bed of the Pass or Stairs. 4. Entrance to the Pass. 5. Egieaa from the Pass. Stairs foe the Fikst . Families. 417 This pass is built into the dam, and constructed of heavy timbers filled in with stone, or all of solid masonry. It is in- tended to be strong enough to resist and break up the acres of thick ice, and to prevent the huge trees swept down the stream by the spring freshets from injuring any material part of the structure, which is so strongly erected, and of such lieavy material, and imbedded so firmly, as to strengthen the dam of which it forms so important a part. Fig. 6 is the ground plan, and 7 the side elevation, with dotted line showing the bed of the pass, and with the ends of the steps indicated by 8 and 9. The whole subject of passes and ladders is of extreme im- portance to our fisheries, and it is one which calls for the closest, most patient, and most scientific investigation ; for if fish are not allowed to reach their breeding-places, it is use- less to look for salmon; and the difficulty is how to deal with the vested rights of mill-dams, etc., so as not to arouse the opposition of the manufacturing sections. The following account of foreign experience tells with equal force in America : "I watched the fish with a race-glass for some ten minutes before disturbing them, anxious to observe v/hat Nature was teaching me. There is a very deep pool at the point where the waterfall joins the lower level of the water. The fish came out of this pool into the air with the velocity of an ar- row; they gave no warning or notice of their intentions, but up they came, and darted out of the surface of the water with a sudden rush, like rockets let loose from the darkness of the night into the space above. When they first appeared in the air their tails were going with the velocity of n watch-spring just broken, and the whole body, sparkling it though they had been enameled, was quivering with the exertion. They looked as much like flying-fish as ever I saw any thing in my life. As they ascended their tails left off quivering, for these tails were machmes made to act on water, and not wings to act on air. Their course was somewhat trajectory in form Dd 1- «, I llll 11 ~ Pi l^i 1 i 418 Fishing in American Waters. but not so much as I should have expected. Not one single fish, alas ! did I see get over; some of them jumped into the body of the waterfall, and were hurled violently back into the pool, like the pictures we see of soldiers of old thrown down headlong from the ramparts of a besieged city. Other fish would put on more steam, and were in consequence carried by their own impetus right through the sheet of water, dash- ing themselves with the force of a cricket-ball ai^ainst the solid wall which formed the weir. These also, poor things ! fell back into the pool half stunned, and with cut and bruised noses. While the bigger fish were making these strenuous efl:brts to ascend, their smaller companions were jumping dis- tances more or less high up into the falling water. Many had evidently given it up for a bad job, and were swimming about with their little black noses projecting out of the white boiling water, doubtless crying out, ' We can't get up, we can't get up. Cruel miller to put the weir. Do what you can for us.' 'Wait a bit, my dear fish,' I said; 'the Duke of Northumberland is a kind man, and he is going to make a ladder for you ; the plans are nearly settled, and you shall then jump for joy, and not for pain. In the mean time read this,' So I pinned a lai'ge piece of paper on the weir, which read thus: 'Notice to salmon and bull-trout — no road at present over this weir. Go down stream, take the first turn to the right, and you will find good traveling water up stream, and no jumping required.' " Passes for trout over common dams may be accomplished by building a tumbling dam, so that the fish may surmount it by small leaps. That common fish should ascend dams is as important as that trout and salmon should, for the com- mon fish and their roe form food for the game fish. Smelts, herrings, moss-bunkers, chub, dace, spearing, caplin, sardines, launces, etc., are made as subsistence for salmon and trout, and the stairs and passes should be so graduated as to enable them to pass up and procreate their generations. In propagating trout, it is frequently necessary that they A Limit to the Ambitious. 419 a cer- should be prevented from running up a stream beyond tarn point; hence the following screen is intended to prevent them from leaping a small cascade. The Horizontal Sckeen. This may be constructed of horizontal bars placed three inches apart, instead of lattice-work ; or it may be of copper wire. The Current Wheel. This wheel will prevent fish from passing up stream, while the horizontal screen allows the passage of floating food. Concluding that enough information has been laid before the student for enabling him to begin fish-farming and pur- sue It with success, I will therefore proceed to another topic. r4ii ' Jlart iTiftlj. A GLIMPSE OF ICHTHYOLOGY CHAPTER I. A GLIMPSE OF ICHTHYOLOGY. LL^rI'SE8 at the sciences ave generally worse than superfluous, and to "drink deep or taste not" is the true ad- vice; but the angler and the general fisher- man may find it an advantage to know enough of ichthyolo- gy to qualify them for correctly describing the fish they catch, and it is for this ob- ject that the following "glimpse" is submitted. The speci- men of the pike-perch, being the fish known in Ohio and some other states of the West as the salmon, is presented for teaching the names of fins. The Comsion ViKE-i'Encu.—Lucioperca Americana. In describing a fish, the size, form, and color are given— the number, character, and position of the fins — and fre- 424 Fishing in Amkrican Waters. (Iticntly the shape and character of the scales, the character of the gills, and the number of the gill-openings. The most important and easily recognized of these features are thQ /ins ; and in describing them the names are given, and the number of spmea or rays in each. FIRST CLASS OF FISHES. SPINE-RAYED BONY FISHES. {Acanthopterygii.) ed Diploprioii, Diploprion bifamatum. 8. One-Hpottetl Mesopriou, Meaoprion uninit- taUts. !). Ruby-colored Eteli.«, Etdis earbunndm. 10. Armed Enoplossu.a, Enoplos- »ns armatus. 11. Lettered Serranus, ^erranus ncriba. 12. Spiued Serrauus, Serranus anthias. 13. Red Surmullet, Mullus barbatm. THE PERCH FAMILY. (CtenOlds.) The spine -rayed bony fishes comprise more than three fourths of all the various kinds that are known. From four- teen to seventeen different families, some of them embracing several hundred species each, have been included in this di- vision. At the head of the whole stands the Perch family, the most numerous of all. Most of them are salt-water fisli Aldermen and Police. 425 but about one fifth of the whole number inhabit fresh-water atreains, or occasionally ascend them from the sea. Si-alt IP/' liic/iea. ^Fni^^,i 'if/J K^^ZJ"''''^ P«)rgee, Ejthmms fnber. 4. The Sheq shend (famed foi- ls exquisite flesh) ,SV<^2"« o^''"- »• Streaked or Rock Gurnard, Tri,,la Uneata. « Ax H^ w Ifl ^^''n" "? f't representative of the family of the Mainren, which includ"-* pur WeakflsS, Corvinas/.he Ohul), Kingfl^h, and the I>rHr«, the latter noted for th,. loud drunirniug noise whth it makes, and the cause of which is still amys cry ) 8 Common Mackerel, vScomftir scomfitf. 'o Di,uittuijbn.ry.j b. The several species of the Pilot-fish, of which so many cu- rious stories have been told, also belong to the Mackerel fam- ily. The ancient naturalists asserted that the common pilot- fish, which is a pretty litUo fish about a foot in length, joins company with the tempest-tossed bark of the anxious mar- iner, indicates to him his nearest course to land, and leaves him as soon as it has fulfilled this kind office. Others, with much reason, ieny this assertion, and allege that the pilot, like the shark, ftllows vessels for the purpose of obtaining a share of the gaibage which may be thrown overboard. Certain, however, it is, that their perseverance in this respect is very singular, as is narrated in the case of an Englisli vessel which was accoapanied by two pilot-fish ill* ^fl 426 Fishing in American Waters. Scale of Feet. during its entire voyage of eighty days from Alexandria, in the Mediterranean, to Plymouth. It is a current opinion among sailor? that this fish acts a pilot's part to the shark, and accorapajiies and befriends it as The Pilot-fish,— iVawcm^es ductor. opportunity offers; and cerftinly there is a great amount of evidence which goes to stow that there is something very much like a confiding farotliarity between these two compan- ions of the weary mariier. Numerous well - authenticated / / * The Fate to Purvey for Others. 427 cases like that which we quote from Cuvier, respecting the habits of this fish, might be given. With the ancients, however, as described by their poets, this little fish was the faithful companion of the whale in- stead of the shark ; and Oppian thus alludes to the services which these pigmy pilots render to their unwieldy associates : " Bold in the front the little pilot glides, Averts each danj' r, everj^ motion guides • With grateful joy the willing whales attend, Observe the leader, and revere the friend. Where'er the little guardian leads the way. The bulky tyrants doubt not to obey, Implicit tnist repose in him alone, And hear and see with senses not their own." When, and on what grounds, the misunderstanding of the pilot with his " fat friend" took place, history fails to inform us ; but that he is now the ally of the dreaded shark, which he escorts in safety through every sea, is matter of general notoriety and almost daily observation. In addition to the foregoing spike or spine rayed fishes, many others of them among the food-fishes and those for the angle will be found described in another part of the book, under the names of the fishes. The Roach and the Dace. 428 Fishing in Amebican Waters. SECOND CLASS OF FISHES. SOFT-RAYED BONY FISES. {Malacopterygii.) Scale of Inches. '^^^Sf^^ Family.-I. Golden Carp, or Goldfish, Ci/prinua miratm. 2. The Roach LeuciMciiarntnus^ 8. The Loach, or Beardie, Cobitii barbatula. 4 The Tench K«' ca vulgariB. 6. The Barbel, Barh^m vulgaris! 6. New York Shiner, (^/MHnM™^^ mrcommS™"'' ''"''P' ''''"''''''' "''^''- '• ^""^"^"-^ ^ew York sSr, cSo- FISHES WITH ABDOMINAL VENTRAL FINS. The carps may be placed at the head of the soft-rayed di- vision. They are the least carnivorous of all fishes, and em- brace, besides the common carp and its kindred, the several species of the barbel, the gudgeon, the tench, the roach, the dace and shiners, the minnows, the loach, and the American suckers. They are the most abundant fish in the fresh-water streams of Europe and America. The carp, tench, roach, and kindred fishes are said by the Abb6 Dom Pinchon— the original fecundator and hatcher of fishes by artificial means— to be the most profitable to stock ponds with ; and unless they should become so numerous as not to find sufficient feed, introduce a few pickerel or perch. Vaeieties fob Bait asb Fly. 429 Scale of Inchei. Scald of Inchei. ^"^Z%.^Z^!F^^T Family.-I Whitcflsh of ihe Lukes, C<rreg<mm albim. 2. Commou Sea Salmon, Sahao solar, 3. New York Brook Trout, Salmo fontinali^. i Tr^Uet C. Great Lake Trout of Europe, Salmoferox. 430 Fishing in American Waters. Descriptions under each fish will be found in another part of the book, including those of the Shad and other members of the Herring and Pilchard family. THE GADID^ family, OR PISHES WITH THE VENTRAL FINS BENEATH THE PECTORALS, CALLED Suh-bvachials. Scale of Inches, The Con Family — 1. Three-bearded Rockliug, or Sea Loche, MoMla tricirrata. 2. The Torsk, Broamiua vulqarU. 3. The Haddock, Morrhxm milefimm. 4. Coalflsh, Merlan/jm earhonariufi. 6. The Ling, Lota molva. 6. Five-bearded Rockllng, Motel- la quinqiuxirrata. 7. The Whitinir, Merlangm vulgaris. 8. Great Forked Hake, Phycia furcatua. 9 Common Cod, jforr/ma vulgaris. The cod and haddock are among the most important food- fishes in the world. They are caught with the hand-line on the edges of soundings, and visit the bays along the Atlantic coast to spawn. The Georgia Banks and the Gulf of St. Lawrence form pastures for millions of them, where they feed on launces (small eels), caplin, and young menhaden. The haddock is said to refuse all kinds of bait in stormy weather. The cod and haddock, as important commercial fishes, are treated of in another part of the work. Luxuries in Disguises. 431 THE FLATFISH FAMILY. [Pkuronectidw.) Scale 0/ Inches. otZZ^r^'^e-^ar^:pl^A'l^^^^ ^- Oblon. monger, Platessa coasts). 4. TheHalibuU^^r,Ji:^r^:e^ The turbot of Europe is regarded as the aldermanic fish answering to our sheepshead. Both the sole and turbot are great delicacies, and even luxuries. Boiled sole, served in a napkin on a hot plate, with cauliflower as a vegetable, and fresh drawn-butter, is not easily refused by the most pam- pered epicure. These fishes are generally taken with the hand-hue and with the deep-sea casting-net. The meat of the sole IS very white, and the taste pure and of delicate fla- vor. It IS said to feed in deep waters along chalk cliffs Fishes 2 and 3 are the common flounder and the fluke The lower jaw of the flounder is on the right side of the head, and that of the fluke on the left side. These are among the first bitmg fishes of the early spring season in most of the estua- ries on the Atlantic coast. They are excellent fishes, but not sufficiently known or appreciated by epicures. Until within the past ten years, it was supposed that nei- ther the turbot nor the sole inhabited waters along the Atlan- 432 Fishing in American Waters. tic coast of North America ; but recently a few turbot have been taken off the coast of New Brunswick, and it is thouo-ht their feeding-grounds will yet be found along our shores. THmD CLASS OF FISHES. "TL\GINOUS FISHES. {Chondropterygii.) Scale of Feet. Sharkb.—I. Large-spotted Dog-fish, Scijllium catulm. 2. Tope, or Penny-dog, GaUm vulgaris. 3. Bhi' '^Imrk (the most common shark on our coasts), Carcharius nlau- ;:«*. ,■*• f ?''"?*!r i.^^*^"* comuhica. 5. Small-spotted Dog-flsh, Scyllium canicula. 0. Picked (or Piked) Dog-flsh, AearUMaa vulgaris. 7. Smooth Hound, Mmtelm Icevis. Scale of Feet. ^'Zf:^^'' o^^ CinM.eE/iPAMn.iKH -1. Common Sturgeon of the Atlantic, Acipenser atuno. 2. Northern Chimera, Chimcera mnmifrnsn 3 Amer'can Iiik«> Stnrfrpnji Ac'jemer rubicundua. '' " <"«'- "-""ocuu, m Bottom Denizens. 433 tina anoclus. 5. Eagle r5'o\ W&XfS^a^wJfa ''' "' ^^^-k-flsh.^fua: _ ScuU of Inches. ruE Catfish Familt.-1. Bvo^n C^ifi^),, PimoMm pullm. 2. Common Catfish or Homed Pout, Pimelodus catus. ^"""""n t^atnsn, or The Catfish family embraces the numerous fresh-water fish which are known in this country by the common names of catfish, horned pouts, and bullheads. They mostly inhabit muddy streams and lakes, are destitute of scales, sluggish in their movements, and, like the famous fishing-frog or angler, to which they bear some resemblance, depend more upon Ee A 434 Fishing in Amekican Watees. stratagem than swiftness to seize tlioir prey. The different species vary in length from three or four inches to four feet ; and some are said to have been caught in the Ohio and Mis- sissippi Rivers measuring eight feet in length. In addition to the brown or black and common catfish, there is one called the " lady-cat," or channel catfish, which tenants the Missouri River, and is not only a great table lux- ury, but one of the most gamy fishes of the West. It usually ranges from five to fifteen pounds in weight, is symmetrical- ly formed, with smaller head, and finer in general outline than the others, and is also lighter and brighter in color. This fish remains in the swiftest waters of the channel, and feeds on the chub, roach, and other small fry. It is one of the greatest^ delicacies of the fish kind, and in play it affords the disciple of rod and reel a treat long to be remembered. It is fished for with minnow for bait, using lieavy bass tackle with a tracing sinker. When hooked, its run is very swift, and it is hard to turn and coax out of the channel, or to the gaff or landing-net. The following singular circumstance, going to prove the aflinity between the common horned pout and the bullfrog, may interest the naturalist : n a recent occasion, while with Matte- son, the artist, he informed me of the experience of Dr. White — one of the principal physi- cians in the central part of New York State — in fishing for horned 'pout, known throughout the country as bullheads. The doctor, having a taste for angling, which he indulged whenever the condition of his patients permitted, was on his True as Singulab. 435 return homeward from visiting a patient, when a summer shower reminded him that it would sharpen the appetite of the bullheads in the river which he was approaching, and he therefore reined up under a shed near the river, hitched his horse, cut an ash pole, found a line armed with a hook and smker in his pocket, dug some angle-worms, and forthwitJi went a-fishing. There was a punt moored at the shore, and, leaving it an- chored to the side of the stream, he stepped into it and be- gan to fish. The bullheads put in an appearance immediate- ly, so that withui half an hour he had taken some two dozen fish, and as fast as he took them he cast them on the grassy bank of the shore. Having a pretty good mess, he ''cut r. switch and went to string them, when not one was to be found. This surprised the doctor, and he at once concluded to solve the mystery, and so commenced fishing again, and throwing the fish on the shore as he had before done, but keeping a sly watch of them. After he cast the fourth 'one a large bullfrog leaped from the water, took hold of a bull- head, and rolled into the water with it; leaping out imme- diately, and taking another fish, he rolled in as before, and so contmued until he had returned the four to the water. The doctor continued fishing, and as fast as he had cast three or iour fish on shore, the bullfrog returned and helped them back into the river. As Dr. White is an educated gentleman who enjoys the confidence of a very wide professional and intellectual con- nexion, I feel assured of the truth of the foregoing incident and therefore report the case for Professor Agassiz or some other naturalist, with the view to a learned decision on the nature of the link which connects the bullhead and frog. The bullfrog could not have helped the bullheads back to the stream to feed on them, for the spiked dorsal and pecto- rals of the latter forbid it. Even the pike-the most vora- cious fresh - water fiHh in the world, excepting the .llurm, which IS a species of catfish-is deterred from the attempt 436 Fishing in Ameeican Waters. The important question for the naturalist is, Why did the bullfrog help the bullhead? Does the celestial quality of charity influence the lower strata of vertebrates ? SECTION SECOND. THECOMMONEEL. This apode is too common in both the salt-water estuaries, and in the fresh waters throughout America, to require a mi- nute description. Though many fishes come into fresh wa- ters to spawn, the eel spawns in salt water when it can get to it, going down stream in autumn, and returning in spring. It is 'a bottom fish, and winters in the mud at the bottom of -eddies or shallow still waters in streams, where the fisher poles his boat along with the handle of an eel-spear, and jabs right The Common Eel. — Anguilh. and left in the mud, frequently impaling the writhing fish. The silver eel at the mouths of the trout-brooks on Long Isl- and is a great luxury when either fried hard or made into n stew. It is regarded as so great a dish at Vandewater's, at South Oyster Bay, as to be preferred to a trout in the trouting season. In skinning the eel and drawing it, cut deeply each side of the backbone, and from the vent, several inches down- ward, cut off all the part which appears to be a receptacle of Offek of a new B.dustky. 437 clotted blood. Yarrel informs us that "the London market 18 pnncipally supplied from Holland by Dutch fishermen." The cultivation of eels and lampreys is now rendered very remunerative in Italy and in some parts of Germany. The average weight of each is from one to three pounds, but they Iiave been known to attain to fifteen pounds' weight. THE LAMPREY. A member of the Petromyzidce family, ccnstituting the sec- tion cyclostomi of the " R6gne Animal," distinguished by an imperfectly developed skeleton and want of pectoral and ven- tral fins, combined with an eel-like form of body. The mouth is circular, consisting of a cartilaginous ring formed by sol- dering together the palatine and mandibular bones. The branchiae, instead of being pectinated, are purse-shaped, and open externally by several apertures. %V- The 'L\^\.VKEX.—Petromyzon marinus. The lamprey is supposed to be the lowest of the vertebrate animals. They are usually two feet in length, and the en- graving is a fac-simile of them. Having no swimming-blad- der, and being ako without pectoral fins, they usually swim near the bottom; and, to save themselves from the constant muscular exertion which is necessary to prevent them from 438 Fisumo IN American Waters. being carried along with the current, they attach themselves by the mouth to stones or rocks, and were, in consequence, called " Petromyzon," or stone-suckers ; while the circular, purse-shaped form of the mouth induced the name " Cyclo- stomes," or round-mouthed fishes. The lamprey is highly esteemed for the table, and is there- fore much sought after in the rivers where it is found. Like the eel, it ascends rivers in the spring, and returns to salt water in the fall. Sir W. Jardine supposes they spawn in fresh water, but he probably confounds them with the river lamprey, which is a more common fish, and less sought after by the epicure. It is known that the marine lamprey at- taches itself to vessels for traversing the coasts, rivers, and canals ; and some Continental naturalists argue that, as the lamprey is much slower than the eel, but visits the upper parts of rivers about the time when salmon and shad appear there, it must therefore attach itself by its mouth to the sal- mon and shad, and is by them towed up the rivers. I think the idea absurd, though it has the sort of sanctional belief of Doctor Gunther, and that which Professor Agassiz gives against the turtle's willingness to be turned on its back. That the marine lamprey is a more active fish than it has credit for being is probably nearer the truth. Both eels and lampreys may be cultivated by cutting ca- nals through soft marsh and swamp lands to connect with tidal waters, as they redaily enter such inlets for food, and, after they grow large and fat, and turn toward salt water, close the copper-wire gates on them, and lead them by other sluices to chambers from which there is no egress. The eel fishery at Comacchio nets annually 170,000. The Po is a shallow, sluggish river, which debouches into the Adriatic by its legs of the Reno and Volano, between which is a large swamp and numerous lagoons. Here eels, which enter in the spring and fatten through the summer, are in- tercepted on their way back to sea in the fall by closing the main outlets, and leading them by devious channels to Another Fish Arrived. 489 pounds prepared for their reception. They are then salted, •iome smoked, some roasted and salted, while the markets of Milan, Verona, Padua, Venice, and other cities are supplied with fresh ones. The same could be done along a hundred rivers on the Atlantic coast ; but we do not yet realize the Bcarcity of fish. QUEER FISHES. The estuary catfish is an oviparous abdominal, and • ue ^f the recent visitants to our coasts and estuaries fron^ L - >l^ hama Banks. The first rays of the dorsal and pectox. xins are rigid; second dorsal adipose; head broad, and depressed on the top, with small catfish eyes placed far apart; long an- tenn£E ; two distinct nostrils at end of nose, with ear-vents at the side, below the eyes. It is without scales, and its blue back mellows to pink sides and white abdomen. Its colors and brilliant sheen are like the Spanish mackerel's, without its spots. It is leather-mouthed, and the mouth small, armed with a cushion of fine, needle-pointed teeth round the borders of both jaws, showing that it may forage on Crustacea and the inhabitants of the waters generally. An individual 20 inches long weighed scant two pounds, and it seldom attains to a greater weight than ten pounds ; and, from its great del- icacy, it resembles both the lady-cat of the Missouri River and the Spanish mackerel of the Atlantic coast. Though generally captured in fykes, it is a bottom-biter to the angle, with menhaden or shedder-crab baits. The silnre is a native of the River Danube, and, from the high esteem in which it is held throughout Europe as a table luxury, acclimatizers and pisciculturists have introduced it into most of the waters of Germany, some of France, and a few of England. Bertram, in his " Treasures of the Sea," says of the Silurus glanis that its character is rather under a cloud, as its capacioufi maw has been said to contain the arm and shoulder of a man ; and from the immense weight to which it attains, of from 200 lbs. to 300 lbs,, and the 1 ]■; I m 440 Fishing in Amebican Waters. i knowledge that it is the most voracious of all fresh-water fishes, the story gains credence. It is a bottom-feeding fish, like the catfish, and, like that, it No. 1. Estuary Catfish. No. 2. The Silure, or Sihirus glanis of the Danube. IS a great gormandizer, thinning off the frogs, and provino- a perfect terror to all young fishes of the ordinary famiires. As fattenmg this fish for market is very expensive, it would scarcely pay to import it for stocking any of the American waters but the Mississippi and Missouri, wlicre it would form one more family of the catfish species, and make up their sum to SIX varieties of this ugly-looking delicacy. The London Times states that the Silurm glanis rises to the ponderosity of over 300 lbs., and " has been known to reach the enormous weight of 54 lbs. in four years; that its flesh .o-mewhat re- sembles veal in appearance, and partakes of one rich flavor of the eel." SECTION THIRD. FISHES FOB acclimatizing IN AMEBICAN BIVEES. The Lnde, a fish somewhat resembling the shad, grows to the weight of nine pounds ; subsists on aquatic plants and in- sects ; affords good sport to the angler. It is found in Scan- dinavian waters. . Fishes might Impbove by Travel. 441 The Salmo Hucho, or the huchen, is a very voracious fish and would do well in our Western rivers. It can be import- ed Irom Huningue. It affords good sport to the an-ler The Mountain Mullet is said by Mr. Francis to be « one of the most delicious edibles to be found among fish." It in- habits rapid streams, grows to the weight of two or three pounds, IS fished for with light tackle, and is rapturous sport for the angler. It is abundant in Jamaica, and the streams of the Southern States may easily be stocked with it. The Scandinavian Chakr is a delicious fish of from three to five pounds' weight, is fine game for the fly, and might be successfully introduced into the waters of the Northern and Eastern States. Ombee CHEVALiER.-This is regarded as the most rare Eu- ropean fish delicacy. It is found in the Lake of Geneva and many other waters of Switzerland, its eggs commanding a cent each at the fish-cultural establishment of Huningue in France. This fish, of the genus Salmo, and running from eight to twelve pounds in weight, may be acclimatized, and all the Northern waters in America readily stocked with it. So with the Salmo umbla and the salvalmus. They are rath- er more nearly related to the families of salmon and trout than are the charr, and from what I have heard of the Moose- head Lake trout, I should not be surprised to learn that it is an ombre chevalier. TLo GRAYLiNG.-Thls fish affoixls the fly-fisher as great a treat as any fish belonging to the family of the genm Salmo, provided it be fished for with delicate fly-tackle. It usually ranges from fifteen to twenty-five inches in length, and from two to four pounds in weight. The rivers of New England and New York might be readily stocked with this white- meated luxury. A few rivers and lakes south of the St. Lawrence— emi- nently those inhalnted by pike, pickerel, perch, and the fresh- water families of basR-=might be economically stocked with MASKiNONGii, which is the head of the (/enm Esox as well in \ 'I t' I ? 442 Fishing in Ameeican Wateks. edible qualities as in size, and in saltatory powers and gamy- habits while playing on the angler's hook. The WixNiNisH, of the upper waters of the Saguenay River, in Canada, should by all means be introduced to the rivers of Maine and New Hampshire. It is the richest game for its size of any belonging to the genus Salmo, and a higher lux- ury for the table than any other of the numerous salmon families. " But, after all," to use an American phrase of emphatic significance, the brook trout and salmon of our Northern wa- ters are among the best fresh-water fishes in the world for both the picure and the angler. Add to these the numer- ous delicacies of whitefish, cisco, black bass, ai'd the farther armies of our lakes and rivers, with the teeming millions of our coasts and estuaries, and we should be satisfied if we can continue our present ample store until we can conven- iently add a few kinds more. The Shout Suni'ish. APPENDIX n< cc lis jc hi w th in CO APPENDIX. COOKERY ADAPTED TO THE RESOURCES OF SPORTSMEN IN THE WILDERNESS OR ON THE WAVE. ooKiNG in the wilderness is a high art. It is not sup- posed that these simple di- rections will be of service to that class of sportsmen who take to the woods or water a retinue of cooks and attendants, but they may be of use to those who have a keen appetite for the more rugged feat- ures of such a life. An officer of the Ameri- can Army, who made me several valuable contribu- tions to this department, states: "A sportsman ig- norant of these matters is an entire stranger to that which constituted in my day one of the most agreeable phases of fishing and hunting life. With some knowledge of the sub- ject, he can at least instruct others if he dislikes the practice himself; otherwise he becomes a mere dependent on those who may be more ignorant than himself On the plains of the West, in the lake region of Canada, in the lower prov- inces, and on the waters of Maine, he might, and would, of course, subsist, and so would the Indian and the Esquimaux, hi 446 Appendix. but with this difference, that while the latter are ignorant of any better or more agreeable food, the modern sports- man would be half his time hankering after his flesh-pots at home." BOILING POTATOES. Wash them, cut off each end, put them in a pot of cold water, with a tea-spoonful of salt for every quart, cover them with a lid, and let the water merely cover them ; place them over a good fire, and boil so fast that the water tumbles, un- til you can stick a dining-fork easily through them ; then pour all the water off, and take the lid off, placing the pot on some embers beside the fire. Do not leave the least wa- ter in the pot, or it will steam them, and prevent them from drying mealy. ROASTING POTATOES. Wash and cut off the ends of the potatoes (especially the seed-end) and, when dry, draw the coals of the fire forward and place the potatoes on the embers, cover them with hot ashes, then with embers, topping off with coals, and after they have been roasting half an hour, try them. QUICK-MADE YEAST. Take a pint of new milk, a tea-spoonful of salt, and table- spoonful of flour, and stir well together ; set it by the fire and keep it lukewarm, and it will be ready for use in an hour. It is necessary to use twice the ordinary quantity of this yeast, and it must be soon used or it is good for nothing. It is suit- ed to make biscuits in a hurry, but bread made of it dries soon. . ' QUICK-MADE ROLLS. Mix well together one quart of fiour, two small tea-spoon- fuls of cream of tartar, one tea-spoonful of soda, and one pint of milk, and bake immediately. Appendix. 447 FRENCH ROLLS. Take one egg, one cup of milk (or water in lieu of it), three spoonfuls of leaven, one spoonful of butter, a little salt, and as much flour as will make it a thick paste ; then make it into rolls, and when well risen bake them in an oven, covered dish, or fry-pan. A PERFECT OMELET. Take six eggs, leaving out the whites o^ two ; beat them till they are very light, and add pepper and salt to your taste ; di- vide two ounces of butter into small pieces and put them into the eggs. Put a quarter of a pound o^ beef or veal drippings into a fry-pan, and when they boil put in the eggs ; fry gently till of a light brown on the under side ; add parsley if you wish it plain, and then double it over and serve. If you wish it of cheese, beat it in with the eggs in an earthen dish if y ' ive one. For veal, ham, kidney, or oys- ters, they must u^ rirst cooked, and then put in just before the omelet is doubled over. SCRAMBLED EGGS. Beat six eggs enough to mix white and yolk together; put two ounces of butter in a pan set on the fire, and when melt- ed, take off the pan, and add salt, pepper, and, if you like, a pinch of nutmeg ; mix it in; then add the eggs, with a table- spoonful of gravy or essence of beef; put the pan again over a slow fire, stir constantly till cooked to suit, and serve warm. TO FRY SALT PORK NICELY. Cut it in thin sliced, and put it in a fry-pan covered with hot water; let it boil up once, and then pour it off"; shake a little pepper over it ; let it fry on both sides in its own fat, then take out the pieces and add to the gravy a laro-e tea- spoon of flour; stir it till smooth and free of lumps; then add 448 ArrENDix. a cup of milk; stir over the fire a few minutes; shake more pepper over it ; then pour it over tlie pork, and serve ; or thin- sliced boiled potatoes, or fried or boiled cold parsnips, may be fried in the gravy when the pork is taken out. CLAM OR OYSTER FRITTERS. Open and dry them with a towel ; mix two well-beaten eggs, somewhat less than half a pint of thin liquor and half a ])int of milk (or the same quantity of liquor in addition if you have no milk), with a pint of flour ; beat it thoroughly to- gether till it is free from lumps ; then stir in the clams or oys- ters ; cut up some salt pork in small pieces, and try it out in a fry-pan, and remove the pieces of pork. When'the fat is boiling hot, put in your clams or oysters with a large spoon, with one or two clams, etc., and batter in each spoonful. Let them brown, and then turn them over ; as soon as done, re- move them from the pan, and lay them on a gridiron with a dish under it to catch the drippings. There should always be enough fat in the pan to cover, or nearly cover the frit- ters. ■I SMOKED BEEF AND EGGS. Shave half a pound of beef thin, and if very salt put it in a fry-pan and cover it with boiling water ; set it on the fire and let the water come to a boil, then pour off the water ; put in a piece of lard, beef drippings, or suet cut fine, about the size of two hens' eggs ; shake pepper over it to taste, and ;ry for a few minutes over a quick fire ; then pour over it as many well-beaten eggs as you please ; stir up all together till the eggs are cooked to taste, and serve. In lieu of eggs, dredge the beef over with flour, or add a tablespoon or two of canned tomato, if you have it. « ' HAM GRAVY AND TOAST. Take the remains of a ham ; break or saw the bones small ; put them in a sauce-pan with hot vvater enough to cover Appendix. 449 them ; let them simmer slowly over the fire till the marrow is extracted from the bones, then take the pan off the fire and strain the contents ; add a little pepper, fine sage ; dredge hi a table-spoon of flour previously browned in a fry-pan, and a tea-spoon of butter ; set it over the fire again and stir for a few moments ; lay your toast in a dish, and pour the gravy over it, and serve hot. CORN-MEAL FRITTERS. Beat three eggs very light; then mix them with a pint of milk, a tea-spoon of salt, and enough yellow meal to make a tnin batter; have lard, beef drippings, or pork in a fry-pan boiling hot, and then put in the batter with a large spoon, and fry each side brown ; when done, put them in some dish where the fat on them can drip off. FRIED POTATOES. Peel and cut raw potatoes, thick or thin ; let them lie in salt water as long as convenient ; have your fat very hot ; put in your potatoes, and as soon as brown remove them with a skimmer into some perforated dish, or on a cloth where the fat can drip from them and leave them dry and crisp. The fat must be as hot as possible. TENISON SAUSAGES. Take equal quantities of the odds and ends of raw venison (or other fresh meat) and old salt pork; chop fine; add pep- per and sage, or other herbs to taste ; make them into small cakes, and fry in a pan without any fat, that in the sausage being enough. Venison is best ; the meat from the neck and fore-quarters is as good as any other part for this purpose ; three tea-spoonfuls of sage, one and a half of salt, and one of pepper to a pound of meat is a good proportion. f 450 Appendix. VENISON SAUCE. Haifa i^int of port or other wine made hot, a table-spoon- ful of pulverized white sugar, currant jelly, and a piece of l)utter the size of an egg, will make an excellent sauce. LIVER AND KIDNEY BROCHET., Split the kidney (if of beef) lengthways in four equal parts ; then cut them crossways into pieces about half an inch thick. If they are of smaller animals, cut them crossways only, and K all cases remove the fat and the stringy parts ; then cut your liver and salt pork as near as may be of a size and thick- ness of the pieces of kidney ; put a piece of kidney on a skew- er or stift* piece of wire, then a piece of jDork, then a piece of liver, then a piece of pork, then a piece of kidney, and so on till the skewer or wire is full; press them well together; drive two small crotched sticks into the ground before the fire, and rest the ends of the skewer on each crotch ; put a <lish under it to catch the drippings ; turn and baste from time to time till the pork looks dried ; or bake them in an oven with the ends of the skewers resting on the edge of a tin dish. Either kidney or liver alone loith j)ork is just as good. SCALLOPED OYSTERS. , Drain a quart of oysters from their liquor ; butter th'^ sides and bottom of a deep tin dish, and put in the bottom a layer of bread-crumbs or grated biscuit ; season the oysters with pepper, salt, and a little mace or nutmeg ; cover the crambs with a layer of oysters, and spread over them several small lumps of butter ; then add another layer of crumbs, and again a layer of oysters, and so on till the dish is nearly full ; let the last or top layer be of crumbs, and fill up with the oyster juice ; cover the pan with a tin plato (if you have no bake-oven) ; then put live coals on and under it, and bake brown. Appendix. 451 <r FRESH MACKEREL A LA MAITRE d'hoTEL. Split the fish along the back ; wipe it clean and dry ; pour over it oil, with pepper and salt, and let it soak in this as lonj as convenient— the longer the better ; then boil it first on the inside (as all fish should be boiled) ; then turn it over, basting it from time to time with the oil, etc. ; mix thoroughly a piece of butter, some chopped parsley, salt, and pepper together, ' and put it in a dish ; when the fish is done, put it on the mix- ture and serve hot. DANIEL Webster's chowder. 4 table-spoonfuls of onions, fried with pork. 1 quart of boiled potatoes, Avell mashed. 1^ lbs. sea-biscuit, broken, 1 tea-spoonful of thyme, mixed with one of summer savory. ^ bottle mushroom catsup. 1 bottle of port or claret. i nutmeg, grated. A few cloves, mace, and alspice. 6 lbs. fish, sea bass or cod, cut in slices. 25 oysters, a little black pepper, and a few slices of lemon. The whole put in a pot and covered with an inch of water, boiled for an hour and gently stirred. MAJOR HENSHAW'S CHOWDER. ■ Cut up a pound and a half or two pounds of old salt pork into small pieces, and put it in a pot that has a close cover. Put in four table-spoonfuls of sliced onions when the pork is nearly tried out, and when the pork is entirely tried out re- move the pieces with a skimmer pr large spoon. Then take six pounds of sea or striped bass, cod, or any other firm fish, and cut it in slices ; a pound and a half of broken biscuit ; twenty-five large or fifty small oysters (these may be omitted if out of season) ; one quart of boiled pota- toes well mashed; half a dozen large, or eight or ten small ll 452 Appendix. tomatoes sliced (or half a bottle tomato catsup instead) ; one bottle port or claret, or other wine (the two former are best) ; half a nutmeg grated, a tea-si)oonful each of fine summer sa- vory and thyme, and a few cloves, mace, allspice, black pep- per, and slices of lemon. Put the first five articles in the pot in layers, and alternately, in the order above stated; sprinkle over each layer a portion of each of the other ingredients, theu put in water enough to cover all. Cover close, and let it simmer, and stir occasionally till done. It should not boil, but simmer slowly, and the cover should be taken off as sel- dom as possible; on this the flavor depends. When the fish on top is done, serve up the chowder. CLAM CHOWDER. Butter the bottom and sides of a deep tin or earthen dish ; strew the bottom thickly with bread crumbs or rolled crack- er (soaked) ; sprinkle over it pepper and pieces of butter the size of a hickory-nut, and parsley chopped fine ; then put in a double layer of clams. Sprinkle also over them pepper and pieces of butter, then another layer of soaked crumbs or crack- er, and again a double layer of clams, pepper, butter, and so on, the last layer being of crumbs ; add, finally, a cup of milk, or, in lieu of it, water. Put a plate over the top, with coals above and below, or bake in an oven three quarters of an hour. If too dry, before it is done add enough milk or water to moisten it. Fifty clams, half a pound of soda biscuit or bread crumbs, and a quarter of a pound of butter, is the quantity necessary for this receipt. PISH EN GRILLE OU EN PAPILLOTE. Scale and draAV your fish, wipe it dry, but use no water. Cut off the head, tail, and fins. Take dry, mealy potatoes boiled and mashed, and mix plenty of butter with them ; when thoroughly mixed into paste or dough, envelop each fish in a coating of them, and broil it on a gridiron, till done Appendix. 453 or wrap it in oiled or greased v)hite paper, and bake in hot ashes. Small fish are best by this process. FISH SAUCE. Take half a pound of anchovies, half a pint of port or other wine, a gill of strong vinegar, a small onion, a few cloves,- a little allspice and w)iole pepper, a few blades of mace, half a handful of green or dried thyme, and a small lemon with the peel sliced. Put all in a saucepan, cover it close, and stew gently until the anchovies are dissolved ; then strain off, and bottle the liquor for use when wanted. "WHITE SAUCE FOR FISH. Mix well together a lump of butter, a little warm water, and a table-spoonful of flour, and add, if you have it, a little fine-chopped parsley ; let it simmer slowly a few minutes, and pour over or serve with the fish. SAUCE A LA MAITRE d'huTEL. Mix and knead well together in a bowl two ounces of but- ter, a table-spoonful of chopped parsley, and the juice of half a lemon ; add salt to your taste. Vinegar may be substituted for lemon, but it is not so good. Pepper, chopped chives, and some grated nutmeg may be added, if liked. STEWED fish. Clean and wipe the fish ; heat from two to six ounces of butter in a pan (according to the size of the fish) ; Jieat hot ; then put in your fish, and let it remain over the fire five min- utes ; turn it over, and let it remain five minutes more, and be careful not to let it burn. Take the fish out, and put it in another stew-pan with a cover; dredge some flour into the juice and butter, let it remain over the fire three minutes, and pour it over the fish. Then take a quarter of a pound of butter, roll it well in flour, and put it in with the fish also; add two blades of mace, ten cloves, a little cinnamon, rod. |i 454 Appendix. pepper, and salt, with just enough water to keep it from burning ; cover close, and let it stew slowly. When half done, add a pint of port or other wine ; when done, put the fish in a dish, pour the sauce over it, and garnish with lemon or horseradish. BECHAMEL SAUCE. Mix dry in a tin saucepan two ounces of butter and a table- spoonful of flour; when well mixed, add a pint of milk, and dissolve the butter and flour paste in it ; set it on the fire, and stii constantly. When it gets rather thick, take it ofi" and pour into it the yolk of an egg (previously well beaten in a cup), and add a tea-spoonful of water ; salt and white pepper to taste. Mix it all well again, and it is ready for use. TO MAKE DELICIOUS BUTTER EASILY. Spread out three clean coarse towels one over the other, and lay a pint of thick cream on the top ; tie up all the tow- els as close as possible, and bury them eighteen inches deep in diy earth for twenty-four hours ; then take them up, put the cream in a cool earthen basin, and stir it for five minutes in summer or fifteen minutes in winter, and you will have a lump of as cool, fresh, delicious butter as you could desire. A EOYAL SALAD, Let your lettuce be perfectly diy. First boil an egg fully fifteen minutes ; then take the yolk, a tea-spoonful of salt, three tea - spoonfuls of pure, dry mustard, a little Cayenne pepper, half a dozen very young green onions chopped very Jine: this must not be omitted; if not to be got, a due pro- portion of the youngest onions must be used. Mix all the above, except the onions, well together; then add and mix in well a table-spoonful of vinegar ; then add two table-spoon- fuls of oil, and mix it in thoroughly ; then mix in thorouo-h- ly half a tea-spoonful of first-rate brown sugar; then cut up your lettuce of a size to taste, and the white of the \}gg smalL Appendix. 455 and mix them with the onions, turning them over carefull} till well incorporated ; after which mix all the ingredients to- gether, taking care not to bruise the leaves of the lettuce, and serve immediately. When celery is used instead of lettuce, double or treble the quantity of mustard is necessary. It can not be excelled if the different mixtures are thoroughly done. AMELIA SALAD. Beat the yolk of a raw (ig% with two table-spoonfuls of oil ; mash two moderate-sized boiled potatoes thoroughly; add (according to taste) salt, mustard, and vinegar to the oil and egg (and add more oil if preferred) ; then incorporate the whole well together, after which cut your lettuce to taste, and mix it in carefully, so as not to bruise the leaves. In using celery, a larger quantity of all the ingredients is necessary. POTATO SALAD. Take cold boiled potatoes and slice them ; rub the dish in- tended for them with garlic ; make a dressing of oil, vinegar, pepper, salt, and parsley, if you have it, or lettuce, cut very fine, and mix all together. To the above may be added any odds and ends of meat, fowl, or fish you have, cut into pieces of the size of dice. Ham, cold veal, anchovies freshened, or herrings are excellent with it; also any cold fish that is coarse-grained and firm, such as porgee, sea bass, salmon, and salmon-trout. \ FRENCH PILAU. Boil your fowls or other birds in enough water to cover them, and when done, take them out. Take out also a por- tion of the liquor; then put into the rest of the liquor enough rice (previously Avell washed) to cover the birds. When it is done, take it out and butter it well ; put half of it in a dish. : lay the birds on it ; add the liquor ; then cover the birds with t 1 1 456 Appendix. the rest of the rice ; make it smooth, and spread over it the yolk of two well-beaten eggs. Cover the dish with a tin plate, and coals above and under, or bake in an oven, with a moderate fire. mm QUAIL, RAIL, PLOVER, AND OTHER SMALL BIRDS, are prepared and cooked as directed for snipe and wood- cock, except that you cut off the head, and remove the crop and trail before cooking. Some remove only the crop from the very small birds. 'CRANES AND HERONS, when young, are often stewed and broiled like chickens, and are considered very good, but I prefer to make a soup of them, with gumbo. Pick and dress them like any fowl; cut them up with a piece of fresh beef, or a gill of the essence of beef to two or three birds, and put all in a pot, with a table-spoonful of lard or pork, an onion, sliced or not, as preferred, and wate. enough to cook the meat. After they have become soft, if you have them, add 100 or less oysters, with their liquor, or soft or hard crabs previously cleaned and cut in quarters. Let it simmer a couple of minutes or so, if oysters are used with crabs, till they are done. Just before serving, stir in, till the soup be- comes mucilaginous, one or two table-spoonfuls of gumbo. Okra is commonly called gumbo; their properties are simi- lar, but one is a vegetable pod, the other a leaf. The only place it can probably be found at in this city is Coolidge & Adams's, John Street. It is cheap. POTTED PIGEONS, CURLEW, OR OTHER DRY BIRDS. Thoroughly pick and clean them; make a stuffing of one egg, one cracker, and an equal quantity of suet or butter, and sweet marjoram or sage; make small balls of the stuffing, and put one of them, with a small slice of salt pork, into each bird ; dredge the birds weli with Hour, and lay ihem close to- Appendix. 457 gether in the bottom of a pot ; cover them with water ; throw in a piece of butter; cover the pot, and let them stew slowly for an hour and a quarter; if they are old birds, an hour and three quarters. ENGLISH OR JACK SNIPE, AND WOODCOCK. These birds live by suction, and have no crop, the stomach being somewhat pear-shaped, and about the size of a bullet. They should be cooked without being drawn, either by broil- ing, or skewered, with the ends resting on crotched sticks or on the sides of a small tin pan. A small, thin slice of pork, covering the breast, should be tied round the bird, with a slice or two of toast laid under it to receive the drippings. Cook, fifteen or twenty minutes, according to size, before or over a lively fire. Those who do not like the trail should nevertheless cook the bird whole, and remove the trail after It is served up, otherwise the flavor of the bird is nearly lost. The trail, head, and uecL are worth all the rest to ep- icures. TO SELECT MUSHROOMS. They grow in open pasture ; those near or under trees are poisonous ; they first appear very small, round in shape, and on a small stalk ; the upper part and stalk are white ; as they increase in size, the under part gradually expands, and shows a fringe fir of a fine salmon color, and so continues until the increase in size is considerable, when it changes to a dark brown. The poisonous kind have a yellowish skin, and the under part is not a clear salmon color, while the fringe or fir is white or yellow. The good smells pleasantly, the other rank. 458 Appendix. GENERAL RULES FOR COOKING. SOUPS. Let them simmer rather than boil. Put cold water in the pot, and let it heat gradually ; only uncover the pot to skim the soup. A tea-spoonful of salt and a quart of water to each pound of beef is a fair average. Remove every particle of scum before you put in the vegetables. If soup is too thick, always thin it with boiling water. Never put in green vege- tables till the water boils. Hard or fa. t boiling makes meat tough and hard. Put your herbs in when nearly done. All soups require simmering from four to five hours. BOILINGt VEGETABLES. Cabbage should boil an hour ; beets, an hour and a half; parsnips, an hour or an hour and a quarter, according to size ; squashes, the larger end should boil half an hour, the neck pieces fifteen or twenty minutes longer ; new potatoes, fifteen or twenty minutes ; old ones, from half an hour to an hour, according to size : never let them stop boiling (if you wish them mealy) till they are done ; then turn ofi" the water and let them dry. BOILING MEATS. Hard or fast boiling makes all meat dry, tough, and hard. Corned beef should, after being cooked, be left in the liquid till it is perfectly cold, or it will be dry. Fifteen minutes to each pound of ham is a fair average. Hams and meat should be put in hot, but not boiling water ; cold water draws out the juices. Beef tongues of a fair size require full three hours' boiling. BOILING FISH. Ten minutes to every pound of fish is a fair average ; if large and thick, a iqw minutes longer; cover close; simmer Appendix, 459 rather .than boil; take out immediately when done. A fresh cod of four or five pounds takes about twenty minutes to Never put the fish in till the water is boiling hot. Salt boil. fish should never boil for a moment, as it makes it hard; it should lie in scalding water two or three hours, and then be allowed to simmer, and the less water you use and the lon- ger it simmers the better it will be. The fish is done when the meat is easily detached from the bones. FRYING FISH. Never put your fish in the pan till the fat is boiling hot. Always cut your pork small, and don't try it out or otherwise cook it too fast, as it will lose much of its sweetness. Score the fish and roll them in flour before laying them in the sparkling fat. In using lard, a table-spoonful of salt to a pound is a fair average. BROILING FISH. Wipe your fish, and use as little water in cleaning it as pos- sible. Put the inside of the fish to the fire first. Mix thor- oughly in a dish a tea-spoonful of salt and pepper with about four ounces of butter, and melt it. When your fish is done, turn each piece over and over in the butter ; cover the dish,' and keep it hot till ready to serve. BROILING STEAKS. Put the steak on the gridiron for a few moments, and scorch both sides ; then take it off, and when perfectly cold proceed to broil it to your taste ; this mode preserves the juices of the meat. No sportsman's larder can be complete now without a few cans of the essence of beef, for making gravies and enriching a soup, together with a ^QVf herbs and spices for flavoring. 460 Appendix. COMPOUNDING FANCY DRINKS. EGG NOGG. Take six eggs, a quart of milk, half a pint of brandy (or a gill each of brandy and rum), or usej any other liquor, and six table-spoonfuls of sugar. Beat the yolks of the eggs and the sugar well together, and the whites very hard. Mix in the brandy with the yolks, then boil the. milk, and add it to the mixture. When well stirred up, crown the whole with the whites of the eggs. SHERRY-COBBLER. Put in a tumbler a table-spoonful and a half of powdered sugar and a slice or two of lemon; then fill it half full of crushed ice ; thei> pour on it a wine-glassful or more of sher- ry. Pour the whole from tumbler to tumbler till well mixed, and drink through a straw, if you have it. MULLED CIDER. Take a pint of sweet cider ; reserve a tea-cupful of it, and add to the remainder an equal quantity of water. Set it to boil, with a tea-spoonful of whole allspice added to it ; then beat three eggs very light, and stir gradually the reserved cup of cider into them ; then stir this mixture gradually into the boiling cider and water, and continue stirring till th( whole is smooth; sweeten to taste; over it, and serve hot in tumblers. grate a little nutmes- MULLED WINE is made in the same way as mulled cider. I ARRACK PUNCH. Mix four tumblers of Jamaica rum (Antigua is best), three quarters of a tumbler of arrack, half a tumbler of lemon-juice, and the rind of n lej-ton and a lialf; add sugar and water equal Appendix. 461 to twice the quantity of liquor. Before adding the sugar and water, let the mixture stand some ten minutes or so. CLARET PUNCU. Take one bottle of claret or Burgundy, one bottle of plain soda (some prefer two), one lemon, one glass of sherry, and sugar to taste. Mix all well and ice it thoroughly, and at the moment of serving add another bottle of soda. This punch is excellent in hot weather. * COMMON PUNCH. Mix well together one tumbler of crushed sugar, half a tumbler of any liquor, six tumblers of water, the rind of two lemons and the juice of one, or half a tumbler of lemon sirup, and ice if to be had. AGRAZ. Pound some unripe white grapes, and add some white sug- ar and water. Strain till it acquires a very pale amber or straw color ; then, if possible, freeze it in ice, and use. This is a Spanish receipt, and is considered by many of that na- tion the most delicious and refeshing hot-weather drink ever devised. REGAL PUNCH. Peel twenty-four lemons ; steep the rinds for twelve hours in two quarts of Jamaica rum ; squeeze the lemons on three pounds and a half of loaf sugar ; add two quarts of dark brandy and six quarts of water. Mix all together ; add two quarts of boiled milk ; stir until the mixture curdles ; strain it through a jelly-bag until clear ; bottle and cork. FLIP. Put the quantity of ale, porter, or beer you wish in a tin cup, and add sugar to taste ; heat the end of a thick piece of" iron red hot, plunge it in the liquor, and stir round till the 462 Appendix. liquor ceases to bubble, and drink hot. This is the most re- freshing and strengthening drink either before or after a hard day'? hunt that I know of. A piece of iron of the shape and size of a large soldering-iron is the best. GENERAL REMARKS. Although sportsmen and mariners do not seek either the wilds or the waves for the luxuries of the table, yet they set a higher estimate on heaven s bounties than to suppose meat and drink given to sustain life only. They consider them rather as bestowals for strength and enjoyment to man, and as such they are to be used intellectually and in moderation. In the foregoing list of edibles, there is not a rare article named, or one which is cumbrous to convey on fishing excur- sions. Meats, sauces, and vegetables of nearly all kinds are now canned or desiccated, and put up in convenient packages to carry, so that for a camp life of only a fortnight on the ar- omatic boughs of fir or hemlock it will pay to provide them. Persons who have never enjoyed camp li.^ out of the reach of primary elections are not expected to realize the great lux- ury of satisfying the cravings of real hunger caused by sport- ive -exercise in the forest, and especially are those creature comforts -double blessings when storm-bound and confined to the camp. Thus much I have considered necessary to state as an ex- cuse for adding the culinary and bibulous part as an appen- dix, for ti. ore are not wanting those who consider eating and drinking undignified duties. Bermuda onions, potatoes, and salted side-pork are neces- saries in the wilderness ; these, with eggs and flour, are about the only articles to be sent in bulk. Trout are cooked only four ways in the wilderness : the large ones are boiled, or rolled in a sheet of paper which has been well buttered, then protected farther by four or five thicknesses of brown paper, when it is placed on hot ashes, and covered with hot ashes Al'PKIifDIX. 463 topped off with live coals, and thus left twenty minutes foi- every pound weight. When taken from the fire the wrap- pers are removed, including the skin, which will adhere to the paper, and it is placed on a hot plate and seasoned to the taste. The third way is to draw the trout, clip off the fins, score it across on each side, roll it in flour, and place it in' a pan of sparkling hot butter, or fat tried from salt pork ; dredge with flour, and turr. it several times for a thick crust.' The fourth way is to spit it, with a thin slice of salt pork along one side, on a birch fork, turning it by hand over a camp-fire until done. Lemon-juice is a refreshing luxury on salmon or trout. In using sea-biscuits, soak them previously in cold water; they are then good when fried in the gravy left from frying ham and eggs. To those who can explain the recondite harmonies which subsist between the velvet calipash and the verdant calipee, nothing farther need be added ; and for those who do not comprehend them, words would prove superfluous. NOTEWOETHY ITEMS. Drying Lines.— Fishing clubs provide posts and hooks at headquarters for drying lines, but in wet or foggy weather they are useless. Experienced anglers there- fore generally carry a small reel withthem,for linen bass-lines, when in use, should be dried every even- ing. Reel for Drying Lines. This reel, which is formed of 24 narrow slats, tied at the ends in threes, and moving by a double button or screw in the centre, closes like an umbrella, being light, and occupying very little room in a trunk. For using it, fasten the 464 Appkndix. toot by a screw to a board or table-loaf; open it by 8li<liiig up on the staff the lower base to which the slats are fastened, autl fasten it, by the screw represented, to the centre-shatt or staff. Hold the lino with one hand and turn the reel with the other. The reel may be bought at most of the fishing- tackle stores, such as Clerk's, Conroy's, Bates's, Pritchard's, in New York, or at Bradford's, in Boston. Cop AT, Y: j;n--h. — This is the best' varnish for tackle, hook- dressings, etc. WiiiTK Wax. — This is made like cobbler's wax, and stretched until it becomes nearly white, dry, and brittle; or mix beeswax, resin, and tallow ; pour into water, and stretch and work it with the hands. Spermaceti. — Good to dress lines. To take the kink out of linen lines, darken their color, and not weaken them by preparation, dip them into tanner's or lamp oil, and, v hen saturated, hang them up until they dry, when pack then; in mahogany dust, and leave thoi'i several days, or until the dust has absorbed the oil. India-rubkek Dressing. — This is recommended both for dressing lines and for patching India-rubber boots. For lines, cut into small pieces some white rubber and dissolve it in turpentine— about tVtj rubber and -jV^ turpentine. Set the vessel coiraining them in hot water, as you would glue; or rubber may be dissolved in chloroform, llubber dressing for lines is not liable to crack, and is therefore preferred to varnish ; but spermaceti is preferred by our best fishing-tackle manufacturers. Boiled linseed oil with u lump of resin, or a little gold size, is preferred by some. To DRi:<s Leather WADiNG-nooTS. — Cut into shavings some black India-rubber (the vulcanized is not good for these preparations), and place them in a vessel containing double the amount o." spirits of turpentine ; place the' vessel in hot water until the rubber dissolves, when mix, and let it cool so as not to burn the leather, and rub the uppers and creases above the sole, and they will be water-proof. Appendix. 4G5 Some sportsmen cut hlack rubber into shreds and mix it with hot tallow until dissolved, when the mixture is supposed to keep the boots both dry and soft. To dress wading-boots in sumniei, nib them ver every morning while they are in use witii a piece of bullock's scro- tum. It will prevent them I'rom leaking, and render them as soft as chamois-skhi. To KEEP MoTii FROM Featiiers.— Placc them in ; close case with the gum of camphor, or, what is better, witli vanilla beans ; what is still better is scrapings of Kussia leather. Boxes made of cedar or sandal-wood are the best. Tobacco, and both black and red peppers, are good to sprinkle the feathers with, or to place in large amounts in the boxes of feathers. To PRESERVE SiLK-woRM GuT.— Keep it neither wet nor dry. A dry cellar forms the best store-room for it. Keep it packed and out of the air. Oil for Hooks and Reels.— That from the head or jaw of the porpoise is the best. Clearing Ring should bo about two inches in diameter, and half a pound weight for coast-fishing; one fourth pound for fresh-water fishing. The line attached to it should be wound on a spool or reel, as shown on the cut in the title- page, or that in salmon-fishing. In cas- the hook gets fast, let the ring run down to dislodge it ; or i i salm* „ or striped bass sulks, let tl, ring glide down on the line to his nose, and he will generally change quarters. To Stain Gimp.— Mr. Francis quotes "Book of the Pike" hi stathig : " Bright brass gimp is easily seen by the fish. To discolor it, soak it in a solution of bichlorate of platinum mixed with water— one of platinum to eight or ten parts of water; then dry before the fire." Marine Glue is recommended for covering splices and securing ties. Silk, Tinsel, etc.— To preserve them, keep them dry, and away from tlie fire and air. Gg 466 Appendix. Preserving Water-proofs. — Do not hang them on a nail or peg ; citlier liang them over a chair-back, or spread tliem out on the tent floor. Do not dry either boots or coats near a fire])lace or a stove. At our ])rinclpal club-houses there is a drying-room ; but on fishing excursions it were better not to dry boots and coats than to injure them. FEET DRESS FOR FIELD-SPORTS. Figures 1, 2, 3, represent the sole, front, and side views. A and U - how tbe laced lap- piui; at the ankle, C the wide tuugue, aud D the Bule. I copy these designs from a communication to the F'leld by "The Forester," who is one of the Icarling sportsmen in En- gland and Scotland. By the wear of these boots it is intend- ed that the ankle shall not be easily sprained, and that the alternate lacings on each side of the instep keep the shoe more natural and firm than if laced on one side only; and, be- sides, the lacing is less liable to gape. In the first place, the last on which the boots are made should be a shaving all round wider than the naked foot, and then the sole should be a trifle larger than the bottom of the last. The heel should be low, and extend forward in lii.e with the front of the ankle-bone. The straps should be made of soft leather, and, being broad and flat, they gather the heel portion of the boot well up, and support the ankle and instep. The boots should be large, to admit a heavy ribbed stocking of wool, rather loose, for a weft too close causes the feet to be too warm. This writer objects to water-tight boots, and at night, after a day's sport, he drains his boots, wipes them out, greases them to keep them soft, sets them in a dry place AlTENDIX. 467 very remote from the fire, and the next morning he dons them over a pair of }ieavy, ribbed, dry stockings, and is a-ain ready for the fray. Use small tacks, placed in threes on°the soles, and as they lose, replace at evening. "The Forester" is doubtless right foi^a shooting-boot, or for a boot to fish along the stream for trout, or from the rocks for striped bass ; but for wading, in summer weather, the pegged shoe of the American army regulation is the best cov- ermg for the feet. Stiff leathern leggins, like those worn by the Zouaves, are useful to protect the shins when threading rough under- growth ol thorns and briers along a trout stream. For wad- ing-boots I have found alligator-skin the best uppers for the feet, and Russia leather the best for the legs. Getchell's rubber boots, lined with clotl^ and with silk ex- tensions above the knees, are the most perfect articles of the rubber kind. AMERICAN GAME-LAWS. AMERICAN LAWS FOR THE PROTECTION OF FISH, GAME, AND INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS. The leading features of these laws are included in those for the State of New York and the Dominion of Canada, and I therefore give them for the benefit of the remainino- part of North America, as the laws for regulating the protection and capture of game and fresh-water fishes should be similar throughout the United States and their borders. GAME-LAWS OP THE STATE OF NEW YORK. An Act to amend and consolidate the several acts relating, to the Preservation oj JJoose, Wild Deer, Birds, and Fresh-water Fish, passed May 13, 18G7. The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assemble, do enact as follows : •^' MOOSE AND DEER, Sec. 1. No person shall kill, or pursue with intent to kill, any moose or mid deer save only during the months of August, Se])temher, October, No- 468 Appendix. member, and up to and inclusive of the 10th day of December, or shall expose for sale, or have in his or her possession, any green moose or deer skin, or fresh venison, save only in the months aforesaid, and up to and inclusive of the 10th of December. WILD FAWN AND GRAY BABBITS. Sec. 2. No person shall at any time kill any wild fawn during the periods when such fawn is in its spotted coat, or expose for sale, or have at any time in his or her possession, any spotted wild fawn skin, or any gray rabbit, from the 1st of February to the 1st of November. \ WILD PIGEONS. Sec. 3. No person shall kill, or catch, or discharge any fire-arm at any wild pigeon while in any nesting-ground, or break up or in any manner disturb such nesting-ground, or the nests or birdu therein, or discharge any fire-arm at any distance within a quarter of a mile of such nesting-place at such pigeon. WILD-FOWL, Sec. 4. No person sliall kill, or exp^^e for sale, or have in his possession after the same is killed, any wood duck (commonly called black duck), gray duck (commonly called summer duck), mallard, or teal duck, between the 1 st day of Febnuiry and the 1 5th day of August iu each year. No person shall at any time kill any wild duck, goose, or other wild-fowl, with or by means of the device or instrument known as swivel or punt gun, or with or by means of any gun other than such guns as are habitually raised at aim's length and fired from the shoulder, or shall use any such device, or instrument, or gun other than such gun as aforesaid, with intent to kill any such duck, goose, or other wild-fowl. No person shall in any manner kill, or molest with intent to kill, any wild ducks, geese, or other wild-fowl, while the same are sitting at night upon their resting-places. .But this section shall not apply to waters of Long Island Sound or the Atlantic Ocean. PENALTY FOU VIOLATION. Sec. 5. Any person violating the foregoing provisions of this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and sliall likewise be liable to a penalty of fifty dollars for each oftense. INSECTIVOUOirS BIRDS. Sec. G. No person shall at any time, within this state, kill, or trap, or ex- pose for sale, or have in liis possession after tlie same is killed, any eagle, fish- hawk, night-hawk, whippoorwill, finch, thrush, lark, sparrow, ycUow-bird, lirown thresher, wren, martin, swallow, toiiager, oriole, woodpecker, bobolink, or any other harmless bird, or any song-bird ; or kill, trap, or expose for sale any robin, blackbird, meadow-lark, or starling, save during the months of Au- gust, September, October, November, and December ; nor destroy or rob the nests of any wild birds v/hatever, un%er a penalty of five dollars for each bird so killed, trapped, or exposed for sale, and for each nest destroyed or robbed. y Appendix. 469 This section shall not apply to any person who shall kill or trap any bird for the purpose of studying its habits or history, or having the same stuffed and set up as a specimen ; nor to any person who shall kill on his own premise, any robm during the period when summer fruits or grapes are ripening, pro- vided such robin is killed in the act of destroying such fruits or grapes PINNATED GROlSE. .v^'"'''/; •n'' P^"'"'" '''^"' "* ^"y ^-""^ ''''^''' ^«" J-«^'-« from the passage of this act, kill ny pinnated grouse, commonly called the prairie-fowl, unless iipon grou. ds owned by them, and grouse placed thereon by said owners, un- der a penalty of ten dollars for each bird so killed. WOODCOCK, RUFFL. GROUSE, QUAIL, RAIL, AND PARTRIDGE. Sec. 8. No person shall kill, or have in his or her possession, except alive, for the purpose of preserving the same alive through the winter, or expose for sale any woodcock or ruffed grouse, commonly called partridge, between the n„ 1. i" V """'^ ""f '1 ' '' '^^y ^*' September, or kill any quail, sometimes calkd Virginia partridge, between the 1st day of January and the 20th day of October, or have the same in possession, or expose the same for sale be- tween the 1st day of February and the 20th day of October, or have in his possession any pinnated grouse, commonly called prairie-chicken, or expose the same for sale between the 1st day of February and the 1st day of July under a penalty of five dollars for each bird so killed, or had in possession, or exposed for sale. Provided, however, that in the counties lying along the Hudson River, and Susquehanna River and its branches, and in the counties lying south of the north line of the county of Greene, and the county of Co- lumbia, and m the counties bordering upon the waters where the tide ebbs and flows, it shall be lawful to kill, or possess, or expose for sale any woodl cock, or rail, or ruffed grouse, commonly called partridge, between the 3d day of July and the 1 st day of January. TRAPPING PROHiniTED. Sec. 0. No person shall, at any time, or in any place witiiin this state with any trap or snare, take any quail or ruffed grouse, under a penalty of five dol- lars tor each quail or grouse so trapped or snared. VIOLATING the SABBATH. Sec. 10 There shall be no shooting, hunting, or trapping on the first dav of the week, called Sunday, and any person offending against the provision; of this section shall, on conviction, forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding twen- ty-hve dollars, or be imprisoned in the county jail of the county where the oftense was committed not less than ten days nor more than twenty-five days for each offense. .^ .» • • TRESPASS. Sec. 11. Any person who shall at ^ny time enter upon the Inwn '-arden orchard, or pleasure-grounds immediately suiTounding a dwcliing-hcu^e. witi": 470 ArrENDix. any fire-arm, for the purpose of shooting, contrary to the provisions of this act, or shall shoot at any bird or animal thereon, shall be deemed guilty of tresnass, and, in addition to the damages, shall be liable to a penalty of ten dollars. POISONING FRESH-WATER STREAMS. Sec. 12. No person shall place in any fresh-water stream, lake, or pond, without the consent of the owner, any lime or other deleterious substance' with intent to injure fish ; nor any drug or medicated bait, with intent there- by to poison or catch fish ; nor place in any pond or lake stocked with or in- habited by trout, black bass, pike, pickerel, or sunfish, any drug or other dele- terious substance, with Intent to destroy such trout or other fish. Any per- son violating the provisions of this section shall he deemed guilty of a misde- meanor, and shall, in addition thereto, and in addition to any damage he may have done, be liable to a penalty of one hundred dollars. BUILDING AND MAINT.1INING DAMS. Sec. 13. Every person building or maintaining a dam upon the rivers emp- mng into Lake Ontario, the River St. Lawrence, or Lake Champlain, which dam is higher than two feet, shall likewise huild and maintain, during the months of March, April, May, September, October, and November, for the purpose of the passage of fisli, a sluice-way in the mid-channel at least one foot in depth at the edge of the dam, and of proper width, and placed at an angle of not more than thirty degrees, and extending- entirely to the running water below the dam, which sluice-way shall be protected on each side by an apron at least one foot in height, to confine the waiter therein. SPECKLED BROOK TROUT. Sec. 14. No person shall at any time, with intent so to do, catch any speck- led brook trout or speckled river trout with any device save only with a hook and line; and no person shall catch any such trout, or have any such trout in his or her possession, save only during the months of i\])ril, May, June, July, August, and September, under a penalty of five dollars for each trout so caught or had m his possession ; but this section shall not prevent any person or cor- poration from catching trout in waters owned by them to stock other waters belonging to them. But the counties of Kings, Queens, and Suffolk shall be exempted from the provisions of the above section so far as to allow the tak- ing or catching of trout in the counties last named during the month of March. SALMON-TROUT. Sec, 15. No person shall take or have in possession any salmon-trout be- tween the ir.th day of October and the 1st day of February in each year, un- ( er a penalty of five dollars for each fish so taken and had in possession. But this section shall not ajjply to the waters of Otsego Lake. BLACK BASS OR MASKALONOK. Sec. 16. No person sliall take or have in possession ar.y black bass or mas- Appendix. 471 kalonge between the 1st clay of January and the 1st day of May, under a pen- alty of five dollars for each fish so taken or had in possession. NETS, TRAPS, ETC. Sec. 17. No person shall at any time take any fish with a net, spear, or trap of any kind, or set any trap, net, weir, or pot, with intent to catch fish, in any of the fresh waters of this state, except as hereinafter provided ; and any person violating the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a mis- demeanor, and shall likewise be liable to a penalty of twenty-five dollars for each off"ense ; but suckers, catfish, eels, whitefish, shad, and minnows are ex- empted from the operation of this section ; Provided, however. That nothing in this section shall be so construed as to legalize the use of gill-nets in any of the fresh waters of this state. But in the waters of Otsego Lake, seines may be used from the first day of March to the last day of August, and gill- nets may be used during the months of July and August ; but no such seine or net shall have meshes less than one inch and three quarters in size. VIOLATION. Sec. 18. No person shall sell, expose for sale or purchase, or have i.i his or her possession, any fish taken contrary to the provisions of this act, under a penalty of five dollars for each fish so sold, exposed for sale, purchased, or had in possession, with intent to violate the provisions of this act. TRESPASSING. Sec. 19. Any person trespassing on any lands for the pui-pose of taking . fish from any private pond, stream, or spring, after public notice on the part of the owner or occupant thereof, or of said lands, not to so trespass, shall be deemed guilty of trespass, and in addition to any damages recoveiable by law-, shall be liable to the owner, lessee, or occupant in a penalty of twenty- five dollars for each offense. HOW PENALTIES ARE RECOVERED. Sec. 20. All penalties imposed under the provisions of this act may be re- covered, with cost of suit, by any person or persons in his or their own names, l)efbre any justice of the peace in the county where the offense was commit- ted or where the defendant resides ; or when such suit shall be brought in the City of New York, before any justice of any of the District Courts or of the Marine Court of said city ; or such penalties may be recovered in an action in the Supreme Court of this state, by any person or persons, in his or their own names ; which action shall be governed by the same rules as other ac- tions in said Supreme Court, excei)t that in a recovery by the plaintiff" or plain- tiffs in such suit in said court, costs shall be allowed to such plaintiff" or plain- tift"s, without regard to the amount of such reajvery ; and any District Court judge, justice of the peace, police, oi other magistrate, is authorized, upon receiving sufficient security for costs on the part of the complainant, and suffi- cient proof by affidavit of the violation of the provisions of this act, by any person being temporarily within his jurisdiction, but not residing therein, or 472 Appendix. by any person whose name and residence are unknown, to issue his warrant, and have such offender committed or lield to bail to answer the charge against him ; and any JJistrict Court judge, justice of the peace, police, or other mag- istrate, may, upon proof of probable cause to believe in the concealment of any game or fish mentioned in this act, during any of the prohibited periods, issue his search warrant and cause seardi to be made in any house, market- boat, car, or other building, and for tliat end may cause' any apartment, chest, box, locker, or crate to be broken open and ..le contents examined. Any penalties, v, lien collected, shall be paid by the court before which conviction shiill be had, one half to the overseers of the poor, for the use of the poor of the town in which conviction is had, and the remainder to the prosecutor. On the non-payment of the penalty, the defendant shall be committed to the common jail of the county fo- n. period of not less than five days, and at tht rate of one day for each doUar of the amount of the judgment, where the sum is over five doUars in amount. Any court of special sessions in tliis state shall have jurisdiction to try and dispose of all and any of the offenses arising in the same county against the provisions ot this act ; and every justice of the peace shall liave jurisdiction within his couniy of actions to reco\er any pen- alty hereby given or created. POSSESSION OF GAME VRIOR TO PROHIBITED PERIOD. Sec. 21. Any person proving that ti.^ birds, fish, skins, or animals found in his or her possession during tne prohibited periods were killed prior to such periods, or were killed in any phice outside of the limits of this state, and that the law of such place did not prohibit such killing, shall he exempt- ed from the penaltie of this act. COMMON CARRIERS AND EXPRESS COMPANIES. Sec. 22. In all prosecutions under this act, it shall be competent for com- mon carriers or express companies to show- that the inhibiteil article in his or their possession came into such possession in anotlier state, in wliich state the law did not prohibit such possession, and such showing shall be deemed a de- fense in such prosecution. No action for a penalty under the provisions of this act shall be settled or compromi'?3d, except upon the payment into court of the full amount of sucli penalty, unless upon such terms and conditions as may be imposed by tlie district attorney of the county in which such action shall have been brought. i-AKE ONTARIO. Sec. 23. Nothing in this act contained shall apply to fish caught or to the taking offish in the waters of Lake Ontario, or an/ of its bays or estuaries within the counties of Oswego, Jefferson, and St Lawrence, nor to the catch- ing of fish in any way in the St. Lawrence Hive'' ONEIDA LAKE. Sec. 24. The provisions of this act shall not be deemed to apply to or af- fect the taking of fish in One'da Lake, at a distance of one mile beyond the shores thereof. Appendix. 473 KENNYETTO CREEK AND 8ACANDAGA VLAIE. Sec. 25. It shall be unlawful to use or draw, for the taking offish of any kind whatever, any seine or net in Kennyetto or Fondasbush Creek, in ihe county of Fulton, or in the Saeandaga Vlaie, or in any part thereof in said county above the covered bridge, near the village of Fish House, commonly known as the " Vlaie Creek Eridge,"or in any of the streams emptying into the said Vlaie. VIOLATING THE PROVISIONS OF THE PRECEDING SECTION. Sec. 26. Any person violating the provisions of the preceding section shall, upon conviction tliereof, be deemed gm'lty of a misdemeanor, and also liable to a penalty of twenty-five dollars, which may be recovered in the manner prescribed m section twenty of said chapter eight hundred and ninety-eight, hereby amended. REPEAL OF PREVIOUS ACTS. Sec. 27. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed, except chapter one hundred and seventy-three of laws of eighteen hundred and sixty-one, which is hereby continued in full force and effect. Sec. 28. This act shall take effect immediately. TassedMay 9, 1868. State of New York, •» Office of the Secretary of State, j **' •' I have compared the preceding with the original law on file in this office, anu \o hereby cerdfy that the same is a correct transcript therefrom and of the whole of said original law. Homer A. Nelson, Secretary of State. The following is the act of 1861, referred to in section 27 : An act for the Preservation of Fish In Canandaigua Lake and the outlet there- 'if^ ^!J>n<J in the Counties of Ontario and Yates. , The People of the State of New York, represented in Senite and Assembliu do enact us follows: '' Sec. 1. It shall not be lawful for any person or persons to take, catch, or procure, m or from Canandaigua Lake, or the inlet tliereof, lying within the Counties of Ontario and Yates, any fish, with or by means of any seine, gill- net, or other net. Sec. 2. No person shall knowingly sell, or offer for sale, any fish caught in or irom said lake, or inlet thereof, contrary to the provisions of the first sec- tion of this act, and it shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to purchase any fish so taken in or from said hike or inlet. Sec. 3. Whoever shall violate any or either of the provisions of this act shall bo deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shoU also be subject to a pen- alty for each offense of not less than ten nor more than twentv-five dolW«. to be recovered in ii civil action, with costs, as hereinafter : rovided. 474 Appendix. Sec. 4. Any person may bring or prosecute an action in his own name for the recover}' of the fines or penalties imposed by this act, before any justice of the peace of either of said counties, upon first giving to such justice of the peace security for costs, satisfactory to such justice, in case he shall fail to recover ; and in case of n recovery, the amount thereof, when collected, shall be paid to the court before Avhich such an action shall be prosecuted, together with costs of such suit. The court before which such action shall be brought shall certify the reasonable costs and expenses thereof, and pay the same out of the moneys so received, and shall pay the residue thereof, if any, to the treasurer of the county in which such action is brought, for the support of the poor of said county. Skc. o. All laws inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed. Sec. G. This act shall take ciiect immediately. Passed April 12, 18G1. THE GAME AND FISHERY LAWS OE THE DOMINION OF CANADA FOR EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE. (By Edwaed C. Babbkb, Esq., Ottawa, Author of " The Crack Shot," etc., etc.) ONTARIO AND QUEBEC. Since the last issue of the Year-Book, very considerable changes have been made in the gamo-laws of the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The fish- ery-laws of the Dominion have also been revised to some extent, and it is now believed that if sportsmen will respect the provisions of the acts, and aid in enforcing the penalty against the poacher for infractions thereof, game and fish will again become plentiful. It is greatly to be regretted that the Legislatures of the different provinces have not provided the means for carrj'ing out their various enactments on the subject of the protection of game, and herein is felt the inconvenience of these mattei-s being dealt with in detail by the various provinces instead of by the Dominion, Had the Dominion Legislature been vested with the power of legislating upon the subject of game as well as upon the fisheries, the fishery overseers might have been made eflScient aids to the different game-clubs throughout the country. To those of Quebec and .Montreal much i>raise is due for their efforts to protect game ; but it is absurd to suppose that indi- vidual effort can stay the devastating hand of the pot-hunter. Much good would be accomplished if the municipalities could be induced to aftbrd their aid. In Ontario, the close season for deer or fawn, elk, moose or cariboo, extends from the 1 st of December to the succeeding 1 st of September, not to be trap- ped ; the close season for wild turkey, grouse, pheasant, and partridge is be- tween the 1 st of January and the 1 st of September ; for quail between the 1 st of January and the 1st of October; and for woodcock and snipe from the 1st of March to the 1 2tii of August ; and no wild swan, goose, or ani/ description of duck is allowed to be killed between the L'ith day of April and the 10th day of August ; neither is it to be trapped, or taken by means of traps, snares, or springs, or killed by any other method than l)y shooting. It is also un- bl Appendix. 475 lawful to use sunken punt* or batteries, or night lights. No eggs of any kind of the birds above enumerated are allowed to be taken or destroyed at any time No beaver, muskrat, mink, sable, otter or fisher, is to be taken or trapped be- tween the 1st of May and the loth of November.* There is also a clause pro- tectmg any particular kind of game that maybe imported by parties desirous of breeding the same. The fine varies from $2 to $25 for each head of game Illegally killed, and in default of payment offenders are imprisoned in a com- mon jail for a tei-m not exceeding thirty days. Speckled trout can be taken between the 1st of January and the 1st of Oc- tober, but only by angling by hand with hook and line. Whitefisli or salmon- trout are not to be taken by anij means between the 19th of November and the 1st of December, nor by means of any kind of seine between the 30th of May and the 1 st of August. The close seasons for bass, pickerel, maskinonge, and other fish are to be fixed by the governor in Council, to suit difl-erent lo- calities. In Quebec, the close season for elk, moose, cariboo, deer, fawn, or hare is from the 1 st of February to the 1st of September ; for grouse, ptarmigan, part- ndge, woodcock, or snipe, between the 1st of March and the 1 st of September No wild swan, wild goose, or am/ kind of wild duck is allowed to be shot at' tiapi)ed, or killed between the 20th of May and the 1st of September, except in that part of the province east of the Brandy Pots, where the inhabitants are allowed, for food onl;/, to kill the same between the 1st of September and tiie 1st of June. Neither is it lawful to kill any of the above between sunset and sunrise. All the game animals and birds mentioned in the act except hares and partridges are protected from trapping. No eggs of any of the kinds of birds mentioned, or any specie, of wild-fowl, are allowed to be dis- turbed, injured, or taken. No lynx, wild cat, mink, or marten to be taken or killed between the ir.th ot April and the 1st of November; no otter between the 1st of May and the 1st of November ; no beaver between the 30th of April and the 1st of Sep- tember ; no muskrat between the 1st of June and the 21 st of October Nor s uul u. y i,evson buy, sell, or have in his or her possession any unseasonable skin 0/ any of the said animals. Fines vary from $1 to $50, and in default of immediate payment the penal- ly IS imprisonment m the common jail for a terra not exceeding three months. No proceeding under diis act can be set aside by certiorari, an appeal onlv lying to the Circuit Court of the chief place of the district wherein the offense was committed. The jurisdiction is very summary, and the general provis- ions very stringent. No kind of trout (or lunge) can be taken between the 1st of October and the 1st of Januaiy; whitefish and salmon-trout are not to be taken m anyway between the li)th of November and the 1st of Decem- beis nor by means of any kind of seine between the 31st of July and the 1st ot December; between the 31st of October and the 31st of December it is t.nlnwtul to kill shad or whitefish in Missisquoi Bay, Lake Champlain ; sal- mon can not be fished for in Ontario and Quebec, or the River Restigouche (N. B.), between the 31st of July and the 1st of May, excej.t by fly surface- ' The close reason for hare is from the Ist of March to the 1st of September. 476 Al'PENDIX, fishing, which extends in Ontario and Quebec from the 30th of April to the 31st of August. It is believed that much good has already been accomplished by the recent act for the protection of insectivorous birds. By it^ provisions it is made un- lawful to kill or snare, between the 1st of March and the 1st of August, any kind of bird whatsoever except eagles, falcons, hawks, wild pigeons, kingfish- ers, crows, and ravens. This act applies to both Ontario and Quebec. NEW BRCXSWICK. The law in this province is very strict as regards moose, the only game-laws of the province being those relating to the protection of moose and partridge. The close season only extends from the 1st of February to the 1st of May: fine $40 ; and any one is empowered to kill any dog found hunting within the prohibited time. No one is allowed to kill more than two moose within a period of twelve months: $12 for each offense. The killing, except for food, is prohibited ; and leaving the carcass in the woods subjects the offend- er to a fine of $20. Partridges are not to be killed between the 1 st of March and the 1st of September. There was an act making it unlawful to kill deer on the island of Grand Menan for a peiiod of three years, but it expired June 8, 1 8G8. The fishery regulations are the same as those of Quebec and Onta- rio, except that the close season for salmon is, for net-fishing, from the 15th of August to the 1st of March, and fly surface-fishing from the luth of Sep- tember to the 1st of March. NOVA SCOTIA. Chapter 92 of the Revised Statutes of Nova Scotia has also been amended, and now reads that no moose shall be killed between the 1st of January and the 1st of September ; no cariboo between the 1st of March and the 1st of Sep- tember. The close time for partridge is from the 1st of January to the 1st of September ; and for woodcock and snipe, from the 1 st of March to the 1st of September. The prohibitions respecting the killing of cow moose, and the l.mitation of the number allowed to be killed, have been removed. Pheasants are not allowed to be killed. The export of moose and cariboo hides is pro- hibited : fine from $20 to $50, and forfeiture of the game or hides. Otters minks, and muskrats are not allowed to be killed between the 1st of May and the 1 st of November, under a penalty of $8. It is absolutely forbidden to kill robms, swallows, sparrows, etc. , and birds of song. Penalty $ I for each bird so killed. The anomaly of the game-laws being dealt with by the various provinces in detail is strikingly apparent when the close seasons are considered, e. //. ; In Ontario the legal time for killing deer ends on the 1st of December ; biit in Quebec it is lawful to kill until the 1st of February. The same with re- gard to ducks : In Ontario the sportsman is debarred from knocking them over after the 1st of March, but his Quebec brother can pop away at them until the 20th of May ; and so in other instances. This causes, and will con- tinue to cause, a great deal of trouble to secure convictions against parties for illegally killing game. These provinces being only separated bv the liiver Appendix. 47" Ottawa makes it difficult to establish the fact of the illegal killing. Would it pot be well to have a convention of sportsmen agree on close seasons that would answer for all the provinces, and press the adoption of them in their respective Legislatures ? Of course there are difficulties in the way, but these could easily be got over if sportsmen would only approach them in a candid and conciliatory spirit. PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. The game-laws of Prince Edward Island prohibit tlie killing of partridges between the 1st of Mai-ch and the Jst of October, and sahnon in the tall. NEWFOUNDLAND. There is only one game-law in this island, entitled "An act for the Protec- tion and Breeding of WiJd-fowl and Game." It prohibits the killing, taking, purchasing, selling, or possessing of partridges from the 20th of February to the L>-;th of August, and applies a similar prohibition in the case of snipe, or any other wild or migratory birds frequenting for the -purpose of incubation (except wild geese), from the 1st of April to the 20th of August. BRITISH COLUMBIA. It is unlawful to buy, or sell, or exhibit for sale, any deer or elk between the 1st of Marcli and the 1st of August ; or any grouse, prairie-fowl, or partridge, or to destroy or collect their eggs, between the 1st of March and the 10th of August. Fine $30, or three months' unprisoument. ^^Zi\^>v 478 Appendix. A WORD. IN CONCLUSION-. And now, brethren of the angle— students in fish-culture— men anxious to develop American fisheries and establish ef- fective game-laws-farewell If true anglers, you are sure to be gentle; and as the truly gentle are always virtuous, you must be happy. But the best friends must part. I have endeuvo nd to throw together some pleas in fax or of the "gentle craft," and to hint at the importance of water- farming. If my mite, contributed to the general stock for the promotion of rational enjoyment and useful occupation, shall be found worthy of those readers whom it is my pleas- ure to honor, it will be a source of gratification to know that my labors have not been in vain. Let neither prosperity nor adversity deaden "the fresh feeling after Nature" which tlic use of the rod and reel al- ways heightens or confers. Wheth-r overladen with good fortune or sufiering under the sliocks of adversity, forget not to take the magic wand and repair to the murmuring waters. "The music of those gentle moralists will steal into your heart ;" and, while invigorating physical energy, your souls will be charmed, and your minds soothed and tempered by the music of birds, the sights of nature, and the sounds of in- ferior animals above, around, and beneath the enlivening waters. ^ With rosy dreams and bright streams, breezy morns and mellow skies, a light heart and a clear conscience, may "God speed ye well." INDEX. Abrams, Captain, 91. Acclimatizing fishes, 440. Adirondack bouts, 1G2. Ain.' orth's race and screens, 397. Albicore supposed to be bonetta, 134. Alexander's "Salmon Fishing" in Canada. 1335. Amjjhion and the dolphins, 38. Ancient and modern fish-culture, 347. , Anderson, John, Esq., 75. Angel-fish o, mk-fish, 433. Antiquity of the "gentle art," 143. Apogoi the Mediterranean, 424. Ardent ut' ;ler, the, l'J2. j Ar tin, GuDrge, fl3. Australia, the salmon experiment in, 3G9, 375). "Ave Maria," Canadian version, 218. Axillary sea bream, 425. Bait-box, 174. Bait-can and baits, 294. Bait-fisiiing for trout, 189. Baits, 3(), 37, 07. Ballysadare salmon-pass, 413. Bamboo rod, L)r. Clerk's, 211. Banded ephippus, the, 425. Barbel, the, 428. Barker an authority on angling, 179. Barren Island, fidiing at, 97. Basket, trout, 1 74. Bass, angling for striped, 48 ; trolling in Hell Gate for, 52; still-baiting for, 58: casting bait for, ()4; an- gling at the clubs, fi9 ; the sea bass, 106 ; the black, 282 ; the Oswego, ' 282 ; the black of the South, 284 ; the spotted, or speckled hen, 285 ; the rock bass of the Lakes, 285; the striped sea, the black of Lake Hu ron, and the black sea, 424. "Bass grounds, "282. Bearded umbrina, 425. Beardie or loach, 428. Bellows-fish, 111. Bergen Point, reef-fishing on, 01 . Berners or Barnes, Dame Juliana, 143. Bethune, Rev. Dr., 259, 275. Big porgee, the, 425. Black buss of Lake Huron, 424. iBlack flies, antidote for, 207. j Black sea bass, 424. iBluefish, the, 117. Blue shark, the, 432. Bonetta or bonito, 132. Borelli, Professor, 45. Bory St. Vincent, M., 34. [Bottom fishing, rig for, 59. iBruckett, 'Walter M., 146, 290. Bradley, Professor, 38. Breeding times of fishes, 406. Brook trout, 146. Brown catfish, 433. Brown's, Dr., Angler's Guide, 109. Buel feathered spoon, 285. Buel's patent feather troll, 299. Bullfrog and horned pout, 435. Camp bed, 229. Canada, hiring rivers in, 205 ; salmon fishing in, 206. Canadian salmon-stairs, 416. Canandaigua Lake, trout of, 2G3 ; black bass of, 282. (^anarsie, fishing at, 90. Caplin, the, 105. Carp family, the, 428. Carps at Rotterdam, 38. Casting bait for bass, 64. Casting-lines, straightening, 175. Castle Connell rods, 212. Catfish family, the, 433. Caving Channel, fishing at, 98. Cayuga Lake, trout of, 263 ; black bass of, 282 ; pike of, 288. Cero, cents, or sierra, 134. Characterization of fishes, 17. Chars, M.,37. Chesapeake I^av fi.sherv, 342. Childreti, angling for, 198. %,v e> <\^. StiAAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) // y ^^ ^/ & l/x -^ 1.0 I.I |45 110 u u4 I AO 12.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 ^- 6" - ► 'm Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 37!2-4503 .<^ ,^ ^ «< /^^ f^ % -X^. f/i ^ 480 Index. Chimaera family, the, 432. Chinese fish-culture, 348. Chinese fishing, 29. Chinese hook, 22. Chowder of sea bass and clams, 107. Churn-spoon, (57. Cisco or ciscoqiiette, 292. Clams, trade in, 340. Clergyman's contribution, a, 189. Clerk (A.) and Co., 63, 179, 184, 211. Clubs, bassing, 69. Coalfish, 430. Coast and estuary fishes, 46. Coast fishes and fisheries, 319. Codfish, the, 328. Cod family, the, 430. Cod-liver oil, 339. Colquhoun, John, on moving largefish, 248. Commercial values — Squeteague, 81 ; sea bass, 1 08 ; of Lake fisheries, 315: of mackerel, 323 ; of shad, 32.5 ; of menhaden, 328 ; of salt-water fish- eries, 339. Coney Island, fishing at, 80. Connecticut Kiver, 49. Cookery for sportsmen, 445 ; general rules for, 458. Cosie, M., French commissioner, 40. Crooked Lake, fishes in, 283. Cross-fishing for salmon, 302. Cruelty of fishes, 43. Current v/heel, 419. Cuttle-fish, 3G6. Dace and roach, 427. Daniell, Rev. W. B., 28, 36, 37. Davy, Sir Humphry, 28. De Blainville, M.,40. Diploprion, the two-banded, 424. "Doctor, the," fishing with, 69. Dogfish, the large-spotted, the small spotted, the picked (or piked), 432. Dolphin of the ancients, 426. Dressing flies, 308. Dried codfish, 339. Drops, knots, and loops, 166. Dudong, the, 25. Duhalde, Father, on Chinese fish-cul- ture, 347. Dumeril, M., 36. Eagle or whip ray, the, 433. I^^astport fishery, statistics of, 339. Eel, the common, 436. Egyptian fishing, 19. Elizabeth Islands, 77. Encampment on St. John River, 222. EncyclopsediaBritannica, extract from. 31. ' English Neighborhood bridge, 49. Enoplossus, the armed, 424. Estuary catfish, the, 439. Etslis, the ruby-colored, 424. Europe, great lake trout of, 429. Fecundated spawn, 390. Fecundity of fishes, 41. Feeding, times for, 44. Feeding young trout or salmon, 392. "Field," the London, 159. Findon haddocks, 342. Finn, Mr., 30. Fire Island, the fishing at, 94. Fish-culture, ancient and modem,347; in Europe in early times, 350 ; of this century, 355. JFish propagation assisted by art, 378. Flatfish family, the, 431 . Flies, artificial, 30 ; natural, for sal- mon and trout, 31 ; for trout, 176 ; select artificial, for trout, 1 84 ; for salmon, 306 ; fly-dressing, 308. Florida, black bass in rivers of, 284. Flounder, the, 116 ; the oblong, 431. Fly-fishing for trout, 1 54 ; on Massa- piqua Lake, 162 ; on St. John Riv- er, 244. Flying-fish, 429. Fly-rods, 1 73 ; modem splice for, 159. Francis Francis on rods, 210; on spin- ning baits, 301. French commission on fish-culture, 359. French hatching-boxes, 382. Frog, the fishing, 42(5. Furman's hatching-race, 401. Game laws, 151, 467. Garfish, common, 429. Gaspe, horse mackerel in Bay of, 135. Gaylor, Charles, 1 23. Gehin, Antoine, fish-culturist, 24, 356. Geneva Lake,Wis., cisco in, 293. Gibson, Sandy, guide and gaft'er, 56. Gillai'oo trout, the, 256. Gillone's fMr. J.) process of propaga- tion, 388. Glisten, Mr., 123. Glass or wall-eyed pike, 288. Index. 481 Gloves for trolling with, 121. Golden carp or goldfish, 428. Golden mullet, 100. Grand Lake, trout of, 258. Grayling, the, 441. Greek poem— the Halieutics, 19, Green's (Seth) "general directions," Greenwood Lake, pickerel of, 267, Grilse, salmon, 376, Growler, the, of Virginia, 424. Grunter, the, 99. Guiana garfish, 429, Gurnard, the maUed, 425; the streaked or rock, 425. Habits of fis'es, 22. Hackett's spinning tackle, 296. Haddock, the, 430. Hake, the great forked, 430. Halibut fishery, statistics of, 339. Halibut, the, 431. Harlem River, fishing in, 49. Haskell's trolling bait, 297. Hat for fishing, 208. Hatching salmon, 382. Haunts of fishes, 44. Hell Gate, trolling in, 62. Hibernating black bass, 282. Hogfish, the, 98. Hooks— Theban, Pompeiian, Chinese, O Shaughnessy, Pennsylvanian, 22 ; for bass, 55, 62; for sheepshead, 87; round-bend fly, 185 ; fish-hook philosophy, 185; " Salmoniceps's" opmions on, 187 ; fish-hooks, 304 ; mounting salmon-hooks, 310. Horizontal screen, 419. Horned pout, the, 433. Horse mackerel, 135. Hue, Chinese missionary, 348. Huchen, the, 44L Hughes, Archbishop, 275, Hughes, boat-builder, 56. Huningue, fish-culture at, 362. Hunter, Dr., 39. Hutchinson's Sproat-bend hooks, 306. Ichthyology, a glimpse of, 421. Inde, the, 440. Intelligence of fishes, 18. Jamaica Bay, fishing in, 94 ; trolling in, 123 ; Spanish mackerel in, 129. Jardine, 8ir William, 42. H Johnson s. Dr. Samuel, plagiarism, 156. Johnson's, of Boston, rods, 212. Jones, William Floyd, 163. Josh Billinjs, lesson by, 191. Kelly's, Alartin, rods, 212. Kingfish, the, 95, King's Bridge, fishing at, 49. Knots, loops, and drops, 166. Lddd«ir, fish, 407. Ladies, fishing for, 52. Lady, catfish, 439. Lake hen-ing, 291. Lamprey, the, 437. Landing nets, 173. Leaping of trout, anecdote of, 417 Lebault, M.,39. Lines, 64 ; for trolling, 121 ; salmon casting, 212. Loach, the, or beardie, 428. Long Island trout, 147. Long Lake, red trout of, 2G2. Loops, knots, and drops, 166. Lycoming Creek, anglers on, 193. M'Harg's troll, 299. Mackerel, the Spanish, 1 26 ; the horse 135; the common, 319. ' Mackinaw trout, the, 264. Mailed gurnard, 425. Malay emblem of constancy, 25. Marshfield trout, 147, Maskinonge, the, 277, 441. Massapiqua Lake, fly-fishing on, 162. Menhaden or mossbunker, 326. Mesoprion, the one-spotted, 424. Middle Dam camp, 181. Mirage on the St. Lawrence, 335. Mitchell, Hon. P., of Ottawa, 205. Mitchell, Professor, 83. Modern fish-culture, 347. Mollychumkemunk Lake, 181. Monk-fish or angel-fish, 433. Moosehead Lake, trout of, 261 . Morland, Thomas, 135. Morrison, Captain, 123, 124. Mosier, the gaffer, 69. Mossbunker or menhaden, 326. Mountain mullet, 441. Mounting salmon-hooks, 310. Mouth, the, of fishes, 34. Mullet, the golden, 100; the striped red, 338 ; the mountain, 441 . Musquitoes, antidote for, 207. H 482 Index. Nerves of fishes, 26. Nets employed in Lake fisheries, 317. New York Bay, fishing in, 58. Ombre chevalier, the, 441. Oneida Lake, fishes in, 283, 288. Oppian, the poet, 19, 111,427. Outfit for salmon-fishing, 215. Ova of the salmon, securing, 387. Owasco Lake, fishes in, 283. Oyster industry, the, 341. Parr, salmon, 373, 374. Pasque Island, fishing at, 76. Perch, the, 287. Perch, the white, 101. Perfume bait of M. Chars, 37. Philosophy, fish-hook, 185. Pickerel, the American, 266 ; skitter- ing for, 277; still-baiting for, 271. Pike, the American pickerel, 266 ; the glass-eyed or wall-eyed, 288. Pike family, the, 429. Pike-perch, the common, 423. Pilot-fish, the, 425. Pine Creek, Penn,, anglers on, 192. Plaice, the, 431. Poachers and poaching, 152. Poetry of angling, 141. Poisoning fish, 34. Pompeii, hook exhumed at, 22. Porbeagle, the, 432. Porgee, the, 108, Porgee, the big, 425 ; the three-tailed, 425. Porpoise, the black, 25. Porpus, the, 25. Portugal, a fish-pond in, 39. Prerequisites for fishing, 22. Preserving food fishes fresh, 343. Pritchard Brothers, 184, 212. Propagation of fishes, 21, 378. Propelling minnow, the, 298. Propulsive power of fishes, 23. Pugne Island, 75. Rice Lake, the maskinonge of, 278. Roach, the, 427. Robinson splice, the, 159. Rockfish or wrasses, 111. Rockling, the, 430. Rods, 54, 68, 66 ; modem splice for fly-rods, 159; fly-rods for trout, 173; for salmon, 208, 212. Rogers, Sir Walter, 39. Ruggles, Judge Philo T., 30. Russell, Mr. Willis, of Quebec, 214. Rusty dab, the, 431. m Queer fishes, 439. Rapid River, trout fishing in, 181. Rattling Run, salmon fishing in, 241. Ray family, the, 433. Reels, 64 ; trout reels, 172 ; salmon reels, 212. Remy, Joseph, fish-culturist, 356. Reuiiie, James, 28, 33. Salmon and trout family, 429. Salmon, the, 202 ; outfit for salmon fishing, 207 ; departure for fishing, 215 ; fishing in the St. John River, 218 ; a morning's experience, 234 ; natural history of, 367 ; feeding young salmon, 392 ; salmon-passes, ladders, etc. , 407. Salmon-hatching, 382 ; securing the ova, 487 ; Mr. John Gillone's pro- cess of propagating, 388 ; feeding young, 392. Salmon, trolling for, in Scotland, 302. Salmon leaps, 411. "Salmonia,"28. " Salmoniceps" on hooks, 187, Salt-water fisheries, 339. Saybrook, 49. Scabburd-fish, the, 426. Scaling fish, instructions for, 99. Scandinavian charr, 441. Schoodic Lake, trout of, 258. Scollops, trado in, 340. Sea bass, the, 106. Sea loach, the, 430. Sea salmon, the common, 429. Sea snipe, the. 111. "Secrets of Angling, " by J, Davors, 37. Seneca Lake, trout of, 263; black bass in, 282 ; pike in, 288. Senses of fishes, 24, Serranus, the lettered, 424; thespined, 424, ' Shad, the, 324, Sharks, 432. Shaw, Mr., of Scotland, 24. Sheepshead, 84 ; angling for, 92. Shiner, the, 294. Shiner, the New York, 428. Sierra, cero, or cerus, 134. Silure, the, 439. Silver or sea trout, 255. Index. 483 Sinker, the ponderating, 310. Sinkers for slieepshead, 88. Skaneateles Lake, fishes in, 283. Sligo salmon-stairs, 415. Smell in fishes, 36. Smelt, the, 102. Smelts, trade in, 340. Smoking salmon, statistics of, 339. Smelt, salmon, 375. Smooth hound, the, 432. Snedicor's, Oba, preserve, 158. Sole, the common, 431. "Songs of the "Wilderness," extract from, 234. Southern sea trout, 82. Southside Club, 158. Spanish mackerel, 15G. Spawning-boxes, directions for, 386, 392. ' Spawning times of fishes, 406. Spearing, the, 103. Spinning baits, 295. Spinning tackle for live bait, 299. Splice, modern, for fly-rods, 159. Bpuyten Duyvel Creek, bass fishing in, 49,52. ^ ' Squetecgue or weakfish, 79. Squids— for bluefish, 120; for Spanish mackerel, 131. St. John's River, fishing on, 222. Stain, how to, silkworm gut, 170. Statistics of Lake fisheries, 315; of mackerel catches, 323; of shad fish- eries, 325 ; of menhaden, 328 ; of salt-water fisheries, 339. Stocking old pondc, 393. Stoddart, Thomas Tod, on worm-fish ing for trout, 191. Stoddart's directions for obtaining silk- worm gut, 171. Straightening casting lines, 175. Streaked or rock gurnard, 425. Stream, how to fish a, 165. Striped bass, 48. See also Bass. Striped sea bass, 424. Stripping trout, 391. Sturgeon and Chimaera family, 432. Sucker, common New York, 428. Sulphur whale, 335. Sunfish, the, 286 ; the short sunfish, 442. Superior, food fishes of Lake, 315. Surmullet, the red, 424. Swordfish, the common, and the In- dian, 426. Tackle f>: taking smiall bass, 60; for kingfish, 97 ; for sea bass, 108 ; for bluefish, 120 ; for trouting, 159 ; for salmon, 207; for pickerel, 270 ; for maskinongd, 279. Taste in fishes, 33. Tautog or blackfish, 118. Tautog, the American, 111 ; how to cook it, 114. Teeth of fishes, 34. Tench, the, 428. Thebes, hook exhumed at, 22. Thombi! ' ray, the, 433. Thousan. Islands, the, 274. Thumb-stall, 67. Tongue, tlie, of fishes, 34. Tope or penny-dog, 432. Torpedo, the common, 433. Torsk, the, 430. "Transmutations of the salmon,"356. TroUing— in Hell Gate, 62; among the Thousand Islands, 274; troll- ing weather and baits, 303; differ- ent kinds of tackle, 53, 54, 56, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299. ' Trout, the Southern sea, 82; the brook, 146; fly-fishing for, 154; bait-fishing for, 189; silver or sea, 255; the white, 258; the winni- nish, 260 ; the red of Long Lake, 262 ; of Seneca and Cayuga, 263 ; the Mackinaw, 264 ; stripping, 391; feeding young, 392 ; stocking old ponds with, 393 ; the New York brook, 429 ; the great lake trout of Europe, 429. Troutlet, 429. Trumpet-fish, 111. Trygon, the many-spined, 433. Tunny, the common, 426. Turbot, the, 431. Tusculum, ancient fish-ponds at, 360. Umbagog Lake, 181. Umbagog range of lakes, trout of, 147. Umbrina, the bearded, 425. Vision in fishes, 26. Voracity of fishes, 42. Walcott's (U*-.) verses, 43. Wall-eyed or glass-eyed pike, 288. Walton, Izaak, 36, 37. Weakfish or squeteague, 79. Webster, the late Hon. Daniel, 158. 484 Index. Welch's (Robert) rods, 212. West Island, fishing at, G9. Whale fishing, 332. Whip or eagle ray, the, 433. Whitefish, the, 290. Whitefish, frozen, 291. Whitefish of the Lakes, 429. White salmon of Virginia, 424. White's CDr.) story of a bullfrog, 434. White trout, the, 258. Whiting, the, 430. Wilkes, George, fishing with, 62. Winninish, the, 200, 442. Wolf-fish, the, 42G. Worm-fishing for trout, 194. Wrasse, the blue-striped, 111. Wrasses or rockfish. 111. Wright, Sile, the guide and gaffer, 56. Xenarchus, " the purple of," 20. Yellow perch, the American, 424. Zodiac, signs of the, 18. i * ,56. VALUABLE STANDAlID WORKS FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIBRARIES, Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New Yoek. For a full List of Books s^iilable fcrr Libraries, see Habpbb & Brotuerb* IfhJ^^TJT^ Catalogck, which may be hak gratuimsl^ ^ ajS^Z, to the Publishers personaWj, or by letter enclosiiig Five Cents. ""^^"^"^ Habpbb & Beotuebs will send any of the following works by mail, vostaaa prepaid, to any part of t he United States, on receipt ofthe^pXr^ MOTLEY'S DUTCH REPUBLIC. The Rise of the Dutch Republic A Historv ?v^ota^.*^r„rh:s^"^5Sf^'"^^-^;^-^- WithaPortraitWS}Ltf??aS MOTLEY'S UNITED NETHERLANDS. History of the United Netherlan-'- • fmn, the Death of William the Sileut to the Twelve Years' S-^^M9 With" a fuH tto7ofthP%Sh**-?"''^/'™^ele against Spain, and of the oJigin and Destru" }?^i^l '"L®- ^Pi^nish Armada. Bv John Lotubop Motley, LL.D.7D.C.L Author of The Rise of the Dutch Republic." Portraits. 4 vols., 8vo; Cloth, $140^ ^^KT^^^^^F^?"^^'rv,,J««°«°fNazareth: his Life and Teachings- Found- ed on the Pour Gospels and Illustrated by Reference to the MannersVCustoms Re- ligious Beliefs, and Political Institutions of his Times. By Lyman Ai.BOTTWh Designs by Dor6, De Laroche, Feun, and ot^ ^rs. Crown 8vo, Cloth, $3 50. NAPOLEON^S LIFE OP C^SAR. The History of Julius Cresar. By His Imperial Clot'S^O^per vol. ^^ ^''^""'' '• ''"'^ "' °°^ '^''^^- library^EdTtio^rSvS. Maps to Vols. L and IL sold separately. Prire $1 60 each, net. HENRY WARD BEECHER'S SERMONS. Sermons by Henry Wakd Befohee. Plymouth Church, Brooklyn. Selected from Published and Unpublished Di!' iTTrv^ot.rorgttK.^"''^^- With Steel Portrait by Halptf'^c'o^^p?^^ LYMAN BEECHER'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY, &o. Autobiography Correspondence Steel Portraits, and Engravings on Wood. In Two Vols., 12mo, Cloth, $5 00 BALDWIN'S PRE-HISTORIC NATIONS. Pre-Historic Nations • or Inquiries con- cerning some of the Great Peoples and Civilizations of Antiquity, an ffirProba- Rv^?.fi''W° *" '^'" Older Civilization of the EthiopiansrCushUes Kabla By^JouN D. Baldwin, Member of the American Oriental Society. Anofcioth; WHYMPER'S ALASKA. Travel and Advc- tnre in the Territory of Alaska formerlv Russian America-now Ceded to theUni ed States-and in various o her pa™ of 8vo,Sh.^$T6o!" ByFBEPEBioKWuYMPBB. With Map and Illis^ralns.^Cro^ DILKE'S GREATER BRITAIN. Greater Britain: a Record of Travel in En<rlish- '^?'EES;^s^"!2m?'S.%f5!' ^'^"«*'''"°"« °^ ^•^"-'- -^ ^-^-t- SMILES'S HISTORY OP THE HUGUENOTS. The Huguenots : their Settlements " Seff He'ln "^i?"^ Wilh' *" ^2^^^^^,^^ V^l^nd. Byl^AMUEL SMfiES, Author o^ Cr'owS.'c&.Be^SdrsA'''"''^ '^^"'^"^ '"^ '""^ ^"g"«"«'« ^ ^°»"ic«- WHITE'S MASSACRE OP ST. BARTHOLOMEW. The Massacre of St Bartholo- mew: Preceded by a History of the Religious Wars in the Rel^ of Charles IX By Heney White, M.A. With Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $1 76.^ v^naries IX. ^HX^ "JSJO^Y OF EUROPE. Fibst Seb.es: From the Commencement of the French Revolution, m 1789, to the Restoration of the Bourbon^in 1816 [In addition to the Notes on Chapter LXXVI., which correct the errors of the or gina^ fTfhfaT^l'.'i*"^ the United States, a copious Analytical Index has been appended to this Araer can edition.] Secon,, Series: From the Pall of Napoleon, ii 1816 to the Accession of Louis Napoleon, in 1852. 8 vole., 8vo, Cloth, $16 00 Harper (S^' Brothers' Valuable Standard Works. ^w„^^®iQ^F^^-?90K O^ THE WAR OP 1812. Pictorial Field-Book of tho l.lla^ «^r= '"■• I»"«trations, bv Pen and Pencil, of the History B^oeraohv BKNMn^'w'"'' '"''^ ^«';'?*l'"""* °f '*•« Last War for Wrican InSndenfe *^^v Barrm o\^TT- ^'^^- ^^T'J^ '"i"^'"*''! Engravings on Wood, by LoS anc LOSSING'S FIELD-BOOK OP THE REVOLUTION. Pictorial Field-Book of th^ Revolu on: or. Illustrations by Pen and Pencil, of the Kry, Bioeraphv L^^^^ ery, Relics, and Traditions of the War for Inden 'ndenrp Rv faV^L,^ T i"' "" K' ''''■ ''""'• ^^'^ ' "'^^^P- ^^"^ OO'Haltefirw ; W TTkef MoS; nrSv^r^rtK^tt^^i,^^^^^ tivity Collected from the Memorial "ot^EasC^as! O^Meara MJntholon ZSS" marchi, and others. By Joun S. C. Abbott. Withlilusfra^foAsSvo, Cloth $^°w" n^ro;\^e^?iStfr.nrpi^^^^^ ^eT?So^fv"aSfSiV^^^^ bur^ Vo!. I., containing the Four Gospels'. 944 pageMvo. cfoth. $6^0 j^Sheep; ^T.S:' 8^vl!gSf,^$?r- I'^-aryandHistoricalMiscellanies. ByG.oH«B "^^^Fo NORTH AND CENTRAL AFRICA. Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa: being a Journal of an Expedition undSenundPrthP Auspices of H.BM.;s Government, in the Years^ 184^56 % HeneyBabth Ph.D., D.C.L. Illustrated. Complete in Three Vols., 8vo, Cloth, $12 00 ^^r^SKfeT^l^^Sl^^T?;^^^^''^^ ^"'^^ '\ "«,New Pace: Impressions of Eu- rone in 1867-1868. By Henby W. Bellows. 2 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3 60. BOSWELL'S JOHNSON. The Life of Samuel Johnson. LL.D. Includintr a Jonmev fion^'/nn^' M^ft!'- By/^M^^s B08WELL, Esq. A New Edition, wUh numf rous S vols., 8vo, cloth; S'oa"'' ^'"*''' ^^•"''="' ^^■"•' ^-^-S- Portrait of Bosweli: 2 ^^s^'^x'o^r ^So,s;k'!^ ^'°" ^"'"^^ "^^^^'^'^ ^'^^-^' ^-^ BTONS'S LIFE AND WORKS. The Life and Works of Robert Bums. Edited bv Robbbt Chambebs. 4 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $6 00. iiaiiea Dy ^^S^° w-'f^ COMPLETE WORKS. The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Cole- ridge. With an Introductory Essay upon his Pl^ilosophical andTheoloolcalODin- Small 8^?! cttS wf"' ^''''"''- ^°"P^^*« ^ ««^«" Vols. y^llT&oS^i ^^^F?!K HISTORY OP THE CONSTITUTION. History of the Origin, Formation and Adoption of the Constitution of the United States. By gIoroe T^cS Cuetib. Complete in Two large and handsome Octavo Voames. Cloth $0 00 W % \ Harper ^ Brothers' Valuable Standard Works. m DRAPER S CIVIL WAR History of the American Civil War. By John W. Dbapeb. K' -^f- mLP'"°(^"f°' o; Chemistry and Physiology in the llni^rBltv of nIw York. In Three Vols. Vol ll.jmtpublUhed. Svo.tfloth, $a 60 per vor DRAPER'S INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF EUROPE. A History of the Intellectual Development of Europe. By John W. Dbapfe M D I r ^ i^r^fcal^^ of Chemistry and /hysiology In th^e Unl^ersfty Kw Y^rif ' 8Vo^cioi'hf$^'S. " ^"^^,?'^ ^^^^^^^^r ^V^^^ POLICY. Thoughts on the Future Civil Policy of ;?i^<,v fn -fh??!*^,""" ^- »«^/«B. M.D.,LL.D., Professor of ChemistrV and Ei- CARLYLE'S FRENCH REVOLUTION. History of the French Revolution Revised by the Author, with Index, &c. 2 vols., 12mo, ClothTK Newly ^^wuh pT^.P^P^^ CROMWELL. Letters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell With Elucidations and Connecting Narrative. 2 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3 60. CHALMERS'S POSTHUMOUS WORKS. The Posthumous Works of Dr OhfllmArp CLAYTON'S QUEENS OF SONG. Queens of Song: being Memoirs of some of fmn. tht*T? r '■?'^'* ^^1??'« VocalTsts who have performed on the Lyric Staee from the Earliest Days of Opera to the Present Time. To which Is added a Chr^ nological List of all the Operas that have been performed in Europe By Ell^ Ceeathoene Clayton. With Portraits. 8vo, Ckith, $3 00. " -^ '""*'*'• -^y^i-i-K^ DAVIS'S CARTHAGE. Carthage and her Remains : being an Account of the Exca- If^^Z^ ^•^^ Researches on the Site of the Phcenician Metropolis in Africa and ofher adjacent Places Conducted under the Auspices of Her Majesty's Goveniment EfthS^^c^-'lv^ofhrW "^^' ^^^^ Maps.^oo^dcu^s?SL"^ DOOLITTLE'S CHINA. Social Life of the Chinese: with some Account of their Religious, Governmental, Educational, and Business Customs and Opinions With epecial but not exclusive Reference to Fuhchau. By Rev. Justus Doolittle Pour, teen Years Member of the Fuhchau Mission of the AmericarSoaT Uhfstrated with more than 150 characteristic Engravings on Wood. 2 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $6 W). EDGEWORTH'S (Miss) NOVELS. With Engravings. 10 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $16 00. GIBBON'S ROME. History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. By '^J''^^"^'..?.'''''*'^^, ^l*'* Notes by Rev. H. H. Milman and M. Guizot. A nfw cheap Edition. To which is added a complete Index of the whole Work, and a Portrait of the Author. 6 vols., 12mo (uniform with Hume), Cloth, $9 00. ' GROTE'S HISTORY OF GREECE. 12 vols., 12mo, Cloth, $18 00. HALE'S (Mbs.) WOMAN'S RECORD. Woman's Record ; or, BioffraDhical Sketches of all Distinguished Women, from the Creation to the Present ffir Arrayed in Four Eras, with Selections from Female Writers of each Era. By MrrllEAH Josepha Hale, Illustrated with more than 200 Portraits. 8vo, Cloth, $6 00. HALL'S ARCTIC RESEARCHES. Arctic Researches and Life among the Esc ui- ^^''"^^I'.epAt^e Narrative of an Expedition in Search ofSir John Franklin, in the Years I860, fsOi and 1862. By Cuahles Fbancis Hall. With Maps and 100 lllus^ trations. The Illustrations are from Original Drawings by Charles Parsons. Hennr L%Ef n?*'H "n""" A°T?y^'°#l^'.^- ®- h -^ewett, and Granville Perkins, after Sketches by Captam Hall. A New Edition. 8vo, Cloth, Beveled Edges, $5 00. HALLAM^ CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND, from the Accession of Henry VIL to the Death of George IL 8vo, Cloth, $2 00. v-v-cooiuuui HALLAM'S LITERATURE. Introduction to the Literature of Europe during the ?!}*^'.t®'i.*h?^^'^®"'^' ^^ Seventeenth Centuries. By Hensy Hallam. 2 vols., 8vo HALLAM'S MIDDLE AGES. State of Europe during the Middle Ages. By Hbnby Hallam. 8vo, Cloth, $2 00. = fa j ^n-aax rilla, tiie Crocodile, LeoparX E enS Hh^L^„ ^'''' ""^ °''^« Chase of the Go- PAni, B Dd Cha.lld, cKpSn^Lnte?."/?^"!' ""? "'her Anima s. By cietv; oftheQeograj/hicalaudSstiMlSoHn.vVfiS '^"!l?f*?an Ethnological S.,- Socfety of Natural fl'ietory. WUrSetSLa^s^' «^^^^^^^^ DU CHAILLU'S ASHANGO LANT> at . ^o. »-ioui, ^ OO, CiBSAB. ViBGIL. Sallust. HOR ,B. CioErto'B Obations. CioBRo'8 Offices, &c. CiOBBO ON Obatoby T0B8. Taoitds. 2 vols. Tbbrnob. AND Oba- Soi>HO0I,Bft JUVKNAL. Xenophon. Ho.meb'8 Iliad, HOMEB'S Odybsbt. Heeodotcs. Demostuenes. Thdcydides. jEschylub. EuEipiDEB. 2 vols. tiouB. lu Two Vol&, 4to. Price $0 00 per vol ^ "^"^''^ ^*^ UluHtra- °|o7t'oMgSy"a^?T „^^^^^ HBr,PB. Complete^ln Foi^oL ."^'a^ cio^h?$^"JS'r^^ ^y^-"- ^'S^Jerem^elWtL^^ou^^^, K^? S ^-sx Seb.eb: Prom the Seocb 8KR.EB: F%m the^ir/^on^aL-^Fettf Cnni?? I'^'l''' ConStion' Sixteenth Congresa 6 vole., 8vo, Cloth, $18 00. ^""^'''"''"'i »<> the End of the Jul!u!SMo?he^AbS^^^ from the Invasion of tion, with the Author's last Corrections aiTh tI ®* ^^ ^"^^^ ^dme. A new Edi- a short Account of his Life written hi ^^ Improvements. To which is Preflieri 6 vols, 12mo, Cloth, $9 00. ' ^'^^ "^ ^'"'^^'^ ^ith a Portrait of the Author """^l^^^^^^^^ comprising his Sermons. FamilyPrayerB.&c. Authors en,a&litKXr3ToS,?v^^ ^ JOHNSON'S COMPLETE WORKS Th^ W„ v ,c «•' «vo, Uoth, $6 00. an Essay on his Life and Genius bv A LY°^« °*^ ^^Toa^l Johnson, LL.D. With 2 vols., 8vo, Cloth, $4 oa ^' ^^ '^^™"' MuBPUY, Esq. Portrait of Johnson. KINGLAKE'S CRIMEAN WAR Th» r Ja//°^^?.1^^^ t° the D^ath of Lofd Raa*ian"^Rv a"^"*'^' ^"''J'^ Account of lAKE. With Maps and Plans. Two Vols rfadv ?/m^''^?^r5? William King- ■^ r,-r^,, * "" V uiB. reaay. 12mo, Cloth, $2 00 ner vol K/IUMMACHER'SDAVID KINOOPTQTJAr-T ^ .!^^wpervol. trait drawn from Bible Histo^^^n^V^B^ok^ofP^^^^^^ ¥^ZT^^"''\^-^-' Aithor ot "Eli ah the Tffifi'^^i By Pkbi>ebiok William fiv.?^ n' |?°<=tio° of the Author by the rIv M «*^^ *^- translated under the vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3 00. •"^*'™°"^*s, by T. Noon Talfoubu. Portrait. 2 %S? 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