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FRANK FORESTER' S

FISH A^-D FISHING

or THB

UNITED STATES

AND

BRITISH PROVINCES OF NORTH AMERICA.

ILLUSTRATED PROM NATURE

HENRY TV-IILLIAM HBjfeBKRT,

AUIHOB OF FBANK rOEMTEB's "nOESE AND nOESEMANSHlP," "rtEU, SPOETt.," "tM OOHFURB
MANITAL FOB TOUKO BP0BT8MEK," BXa

NEW EDITION, KEVISED AND CORRECTED, WITH AN AMPLE SUPPLEMENT
BT TUE AUTHOE, TOGETHER WITH

A TREATISE ON FLY-FISHING,

BY "DINKS."

NEW YORK:

W. A. TO^NSBNn PTJBLISHicR.

18B6.

Entered according to the Ac* -rf Congress, In the year 1859,

BY W. A. T0WN8END & COMPANY,

In the aery's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.

C. A. ALV'JRI>. rKlKTEIt, KBW TOtth

F B A. N O I S STTRG-ET, Esq.

or NATOBtZ, MISSISSIPPI,
THIS WOBK, ON THE

iiti\( Bitb discing of ftflrt^ gimericB,

IS DEDIOATJBO^

BOTH AS TO AN ARDBNT AND INTILLIOINT BP0BT8UAN,
AND A riBM raiKND,

BY HIS FEIEND AND 8EETANT,

FBANE FORESTER

■. \

TO THE PUBLIC.

Thk Publishers have the pleasure of stating that the present re-
vised edition of Frank Forester's "Fish and Fishing," contains an
entirely new treatise on "Fly-Fishing," prepared by "Dinks," and
arranged for this work by Mr. Herbert before his death, as will be
seen by the subjoined announcement. They have to express their
obligations to the Messrs. J. & J. Conroy, for providing them with
the finest specimen of Flies and improved Angling Implements, from
which the illustrations have been engraved ; also their indebtedness to
Mr. Francis P. Allen, for aiding the artist in preparing the drawings.

ANNOUNCEMENT.

I am very happy to have it in my power to add to the new edition
of my "Fish and Fishing," the following admirable and most entirely
practical treatise on every thing connected with the science of tying
and the science of using the artificial fly, by my friend "Dinks," by
whom it has been originally prepared for this edition, and who is well
known as one of the most accomplished and thorough practical fly-
fishers in this country.

For the favor, I return him my sincere and earnest thanks ; and
prognosticate for him, from our readers, general and most enviable
distinction.

Hekrt William Herbert.

The Cedars.

ADVERTISEMENT.

In offering this work to the public, I have little to say, as its oharao-
ter speaks for itself, but to indicate the sources of tho information
which it contains, and to give credit to those who, by their works, let-
ters or conversation, have aided mc in its execution.

And first, I must express my sincere gratitude to my friend, Pro-
fessor Agassiz, who kindly aflForded mo every assistance in his power,
with free access to his fine library, and unrivalled collection of fishes,
from which most of my drawings are taken

To my friend Mr. Perley, of St. Johns, I am indebted for much
valuable and interesting information in regard to tho fish and fisheries
of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia ; and to Mr. DeBlois, of Port-
land, for a communication respecting tho great Trout of Sebago Lake,
in Maine, which was probably a distinct variety, though the fact can
not be easily now ascertained — the noble fish being, alas ! extinct.

To Mr. Yarrel's fine work on British Fishes, to Hofland's British
Angler's Manual, to Richardson's Fauna Boreali Americana, to De-
Kay's Fishes of New York, to Soyer's Cooking Book, I thankfiilly
record my indebtedness for extracts more or less copious.

All the outs were drawn by myself, on wood, either from the dead
fishes themselves, or from original drawings in the possession of Pro-
fessor Agassiz, lent to me for this purpose, with the exception of the
True Salmon — ^which is copied from his beautiful work on the Fresh-
Water Fishes of Europe— of the Arctic Charr, or Masamacush, and
the Arctio Grayling — ^which are taken from Richardson's Boreali Ame-

... ADVERTISEMENT

VlU

ricanar-of the Salmon Trout-taken from Yarrel-and of the Lake
Trout and Pike Pearch, from DeKay's Fauna of the State of New

For the fidelity and excellence of the engraving, I am indebted to
Messrs. Bobbett & Edmonds, and Brotherhead, by whom, with one or
two trifling exceptions, all the cuts have been executed.

To the Messrs. Conroy I have to record obligation for preparations
of the fine specimens of various Trout, Lake and Salmon Flies, which
are engraved in this work ; and I take this opportunity of strongly and
cordially recommending them to all my friends and readers, as deci-
dedly, in my opinion, the best rod and tackle makers in the United
States.

Another edition of this work having been already called for, I have
taken the opportunity carefully to revise it, and correct the unavoida-
ble errors, so far as I have discovered them, which must occur in a
book treating of a subject so comprehensive as mine.

A tour through the nortn-western lakes, during the past summer
and autumn, has given me opportunity to observe the habits and cha-
racteristics of many fish which previously I had known only by report
of others — to collect information relative to the mode of taking them
— and, hence, to verify or correct opinions heretofore expressed.

A work of this nature must necessarily be more or less compiled, as
no man can be expected to have fished in every State of the Union,
or to be personally acquainted with the fishes of each and all. To
relate personal experiences, where they exist — to collect the best au-
thorities, where there are authorities ; and otherwise to be silent, rather
than give character to vulgar rumors — I deem the writer's duty.

This, to the best of my ability, I have endeavored to do ; and I can

ADVERTISEMENT.

only add, that, as it is not delightful to err, I shall be too much obliged
to those who will Mndly convince me of error, and enable me to cor-
rect it.

In addition to those, my obligations to whom I have heretofore
gratefully recorded, I have pleasure in referring to Mr. King, of
Charleston, South Carolina; Messrs. Mandeville and Cobleigh
of Geneva; and Mr. Gregory, of Adirondack, N. Y., for information
and specimens from various parts of the country.

Several kind correspondents, and some ingenious critics, have point
ed out errors, and suggested emendations, of which I have thankfully
availed myself.

All the matter thus collected will be found embodied in a copious
Supplement to this new edition, provided with a separate Index,
under the head of the fishes to which it relates ; and including some
authentic information relative to Southern Fishing, obtained from Mr.
King.

A few pages on Deep-sea Fishing will also be found in the Supple-
ment ; as it is a subject to which— myself considering it very inferior
as a sport— I perhaps gave scarce " verge enough " in my first edi-
tion.

I am happy once again to express my gratitude to the public in
general, for a kind reception and favorable hearing ; and to my critics,
on the whole, for kindness and candor.

Their Friend and Servant,

Frank Forester.

LIST OF EMBELLISHMENTS.

FRONTISPnSCE-THE MASCALONGE. '*"

OUTLINE OF LAKE TROUT, 37

HEAD OF THE SILVER TROUT, •-..... 45

GILL-COVERS AND DENTAL SYSTEM OP TRODT, .... 45

THE TRUE SALMON, - . . . . . . , . 54

SALMON PINKS, 54

SALMON SMOLT, gl

THE BROOK TROUT, • • 86

BROOK TROUT FRY, - gg

THE MACKINAW SALMON, lOj

VARIETY TRUITE DE GREVB, IO4

THE SISKAWITZ, . jl2

THE LAKE TROUT, j,5

THE SALMON TROUT, jgQ

THE MASAMACUSH, jgj

BACK'S GRAYLING, • . 131

THE AMERICAN SMELT, * . . jgg

THE WHITE FISH, . ,-,

THE OTSEGO BASS, . j^

HEAD OP THE NORTHERN PICKEREL, 149

HEAD OF THE MASCALONGE, 161

THE GREAT NORTHERN PICKEREL, jgj

THE COMMON PICKEREL, 167

THE LONG ISLAND PICKEREL, ' . ' . jgj

THE COMMON CARP, ' , ' ^^

THE AMERICAN ROACH, , • ' • 170

THE NEW YORK SHINER, .172

THE AMERICAN BREAM,

MINNOWS,

' 176

THE HERRING, '

THE SHAD,

••• ISO

THE CAT-FISH,

•••• 182

THE EEL, . J^

THE AMERICAN YS!" LOW PERCH, . . ..*..' lor

THE STRIPED SEA BASS, ' • ' • ' 189

THE YELLOW PIKE PERCH, « • .

THE BLACK BASS * . ' ' .Z

THE ROCK BASS, ,Z

THE COMMON POND-PISH, J!

iii

i!f

_,, EMBELLISHMENTS.

**' fASB

222

THE COD, .223

THE AMERICAN HADDOCK, .224

THE AMERICAN WHITING, , ' . ' . ' 226

SALMON-FLIES, .'.'.8B3

TROUT-FLIES,

VIGNETTES.

. > • • • XZiT

RUSTIC BRIDGE, ^

FALLS OP THE MONTMORENCI,

MILL AND TROUT STREAM,

BROOK TROUT, • • • ' ' ' . 115

RIVER VIEW,

LAKE INCAPAPCO,

• • • 125

TROLLING UNDER SAIL,

■ • • 135

STRIKING A GRAYLING,

...«•• 149

NETS DRYING,

. • • • 153

THE i-'ERRY,

GORGE HOOK AND BAIT, • •

• 171

SKIFF AND WATER FENCE,

TROUT-DAM, LONG ISLAND, '^^

. . ■ • 176

SILVER LAKE, *

17T
WATER MILL, - . -

TROUT, PERCH, AND BAIT KETTLE, ^'^

NETTING FROM BOATS, '°*

THE EEL, . ■ *^

LITTLE WHITE BASS, ^^'

1Q4

CLICK REEL, *

ROCK-BASS FISHING, ^^

FOOT BRIDGE AND TROUT STREAM, 20^

FISHING BOATS, 206

A MACKEREL BREEZE, ^M

CREEL AND RODS, ^^^

SQUIDDING TINDER SAIL, ^19

HAULING THE NET, ^^

THE COMMON SALMON, 25^

MAY FLIES AND STONE FLIES, 273

TROLLING WITH SCARLET IBIS FLY, - - • • - - 280

THE COMMON PICKEREL, ...--•-• 289

RIVER PERCH, 293

THE UPPER DELAWARE, 296

NETS AND BUOYS, --. ^^

RIVER VIEW ^

FISHING BOATS, • - ^'^

GOLDEN PHEASANT, WOODCOCK WING, AND HACKLE, . . • 329

BAIT KETTLE, ^*

FINIS, *"

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PAOE.

Introductort Remarks 11

The Game Fish of North America 17

Salmonidje, or the Salmon Family 34

The True Salmon 64

The Brook Trout 86

The Greatest Lake Trout 104

The Siskawitz 112

The Liike Trout 116

The Salmon Trout 120

The Masamacush 126

Back's Grayling 131

The American Smelt 136

TheCapelin 139

The White-Fish 141

The Otsego Bass . . . 145

ESOCIDJE, OR THE PiKE FaMDCT 149

The Mascalonge 161

The Great Northern Pickerel 164

The Common Pickerel , ,167

The Long Island Pickerel . 161

CrPRINIDJE, OR THE CaRP FaMILT 164

The Common Carp 164

The American Roncf* 170

The New York ''3hai"-.r . 172

The American Hr I74

Minnows 176

Clupid^, or THE Herring Familt 178

The Herring ... ..<(... 180

The Shad 180

blLURID^, OR THE CaT-FiSH FaIMLT 182

The Cat-Fish 182

AMGUILLIDiE, OR THE EeL FaMILT 186

The Eel 186

Percidje, or the Pearch Familt . , , . . . 187

The American Yellow Pearch i87

The Striped Sea-Bass 189

Tko Vall/vur Dilro Pa.iwiU mnn

•nif

, CONTENTS.

. . . • • 19*

The Black Bass . , 197

The Growler , * . 198

The Rock Baas ^ 200

The Common Pond-Fiah .202

The Lake Sheep's-Head ' . * 203

The Malasheganay * . 204

Shoal-Water Fishes , * . * . * 206

The Sea Bass * ^ ^oi

The Lafayette * . * 208

The Weak-Fish ' * '209

TheKing-Fish .211

The Silvery Corvina * . * . 213

The Branded Corvina 2^^

The Big Drum and Banded Drum ^^^

The Sheep's-Head ^yj

TheBigPorgeo 2jg

The Blue-Fish gg^

TheTautog ' . 222

Deep-Sea Fishes '222

The Cod 223

The American Haddock * 224

The American Whiting ^35

Salmon Fishisg * .-g

The Implements of Salmon Fishing ^^

Trout Fishing

Lake Trout Fishing

Salmon Trout FisHiHO ^^^

Pickerel FisHiHO

Pearch Fishing

Carp Fishing 297

Striped Bass FisHiNO * J

Black Bass Fishing

Eel Fishing AND Trimmers *"°

Shoal-Water Sea FisHiNO ^10

The Weak-Fish ^^^

The Barb or King-Fish J**

The Sea Bass .... ^16

TheTautog .... * ' ' olo

The Sheep's-Hoad ... 319

The Drum ' ' ' III

Deep-Sea FisHiHO 322

Blue-Fish FisHisa 320

Appendix A.

Appendix B 330

Appendix C • . • • ••••'*"-'--

CONTENTS TO SUPPLEMENT.

PAST I.

Introductobt Eeuabks ^ 'gfr

The Game Fishes or Ameeioa 359

The Salmon --,

The Brook Trout ' 866

The Greatest Lake Trout ogi.

The Siskawitz -^-

The Lake Trout .^

The Salmon Trout ... «w..

The Salmon op the Paooto "Watbbs . . 379

^^^Q'^^"^* *.*.*.*.* 383

Gairdner'a Salmon . , . „».
886

The Weak-toothed Salmon . . ««„

* • • • • . 888

TheEkewan ...

**••• Bad

TheTauppitch ' 391

Clarke's Salmon .

^ „ •••••••• 392

The North-west Capelin ....

^ • . • 39^

The White Fish

, „ . 391

Le Sueur's Herring Salmon .

•••• 398

The Lake Huron Herring Salmon .^

The Pike Pearch . ,

403

Southern Sea Pishes

• . . 405

PABT II.

The Fishinq or North Amebioa ^^

Salmon Fishino . .

• . 409

The Rod and Tackle .

* * • 409

The Castdio-Linb

THouT-PisniNo

• The Rod . . •••--.., 418

'*••••«. 41S
The Use of the Rod .

416

CONTENTS.

FAOB

Of Tholiino fob Lake Tbout *^^

The Rod ^^^

The Reel ^^^

TheLine ^^0

The Leader and Train of Hooka *^*

The Bait and Flies *^^

The Bait Kettle *^^

The Boat and Oarsman, or Guide *21

The Manner of Striking ^^^

Set Lines for Lake Fishing ... 425

ABTinciAL Flies . • *^^

Salmon and Lake Trout Flies ^34

Lake Trout Flies ^^^

Trout FUes . *^^

Ska Fishing.

Table of Depths, Baits, how to Strike and Kill 436

Table of Tackle and Average "Weight *37

Table of Spring, Summer, and Autumn Bwta, Tunea of Tide and Day . 438

III

i ■ i
ill

CONTENTS

TREATISE ON FLT-PISHING.

Fly-Pishinjf

Different Habits of Pish .
Articles for Ply-Tying .
Pishing Case . . ,
Book for Feathers
Variety of Feathers requisite
Hooks

The Kendal, Limerick, O'Shaughnessey, and Carlisle Hooks
Gut ... .

Tying-Silks •

A Vice to hold the Hook whUe Dressing
How to dress a Ply . ,
Plato of Diagrams and Explanation
Examples of the Process

Palmers

• • • •

Example No. III. ....
Lines, Receipt for preparing

Reels

Rods ...

448,

441

442

44S

444

44b

446

447

460

452

453

463

456

466

Length of Rod .... *^'

Landing-Net Hoop . , • . . ,

Fish-Basket ....

Salmon-Bag . . • • • ,

Example for a Salmon-Ply Book . .

Example for a Trout-Fty Book ..'.**'*

Trout-Flies .... ' *

Palmers . . , • • • . ,

Receipts . . • • • .

• .

2 • •

458

460

461

462

463

467

468

lis

,,, 0ONTBNT8.

XTlii

PAOJ

469

Plies, continued • , , . 410

Sea-Trout Flies ..••••* ... 470

Salmon-Fliea ..•••• , , 418

Handling the Rod , , . 480

Trout-Fishing ' . . 482

Throwing the Line .••••.* ^ ^ ^g^

Haunts of Sahnou ^ ^ ^gg

Trolling , . 487

Implements for Trolling ^ ^^^

Natural Bait .491

Natural Bait Tackle .492

Bottom-FLshing .»•••***

XOn BT THB BDITOB.

495

American Tackle ^^^

Rod^ .'.'.'. 496

^'"'' • .".'.*... 496

Reels .... 497

Hooks .*.'.* 497

Miscellaneous • ***„«„

497

Floats, etc.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

^%^^%^^^%^M^^^MMMMMM^^<P

To DEAL with a subject so wide as the Fish and Fishing ot aa
extent of country greater than the whole of Europe, stretching almost
from the Arctic circle to the Tropics, from the waters of the Atlantic
to those of the Pacific Ocean, may seem, and indeed is, in some
. respects, a bold and presumptuous undertaking. It were so altogether,
did I protend to enter into the natural hbtory of all, or even of one-
hundredth part, of the fish peculiar to thb continent and its adjacent
seas.

Such, however, is by no means my aim or intention. I write for
the sportsman, and it is therefore with the sporting-fish only that I
propose to deal ; as, in a recent work on the Field Sports of the same
regions, it was with the game animals only that I had to do. In the
prefatory observations of that work, I endeavored to make myself
understood as to what constitutes game^ in my humble opinion, as
regards animals of fur and feather. I did not, it is true, expect, or
even hope, to suit the views and notions of everybody, particularly
when I looked to the great variety of soils, regions, and climates, for
the inhabitants of which I was writing ; and to the extreme latitude
and laxity of ideas concerning sportsmanship which' prevail in this
country.
One would suppose it was sufficiently evident, that a work of the

I'l'

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

; I

t I

fliil
is if

magnitude of the Universal Encyclopaedia, and noticing Bhort of that,
would suffice to give an elaborate essay and disquisition on every sepa-
rate sort of sport, which every separate individual, of every separate
State in the Union, may think proper to practice for his own pleasure

or profit

I therefore determined to confine myself, in the first place, to those
sports only which are truly Field Sports in the highest acceptation
of the term, and which are established as such by the consent of

genuine sportsmen.

In the second place, I restricted myself to those sports which aro
purely and peculiarly American, and which, as such, are not treated of
at all, or, if at all, understandingly, by European writers.

The natural history, the generic distinctions, the migrations, habits,
haunts, seasons, and the mode of pursuing and taking, in the most
artistical and sportsmanlike manner, of such animals as are peculiar
to this continent, which have never been a subject of investigation to
the sporting naturalist, seemed to me 1 ^ afford a topic intent " ud

agreeable to the writer, and not devoid of some pretetiBion toward
entertaining, and perhaps instructing, the general reader.

M the same time, neither pretending nor hoping to make my work
perfect, I tlv nr-ht proper to exe ^e my own judgment in deciding
what spe:!M5t i " 8]7(>rt3 are to be regarded as Field Sports at all, what
as American iield Sports, and what as requiring description, analysis,

or explanation.

Some men consider the shooting of migratory thrushes, and golden-
winged woodpeckers— which it pleases them to call robins and high-
holders— as well as small song-birds in general, as a field sport ; I

do not.

Many men— I might say, of the rural parts of the Eaatern and Middle
States, most men— consider squirrels, raccoons, opossums, ground-hogs,

INTRODUCTOnV REMARKS. XXI

and Buch like vermin, as being game ; I do not. Therefore I dealt not
with any of these, nor apologise for not dealing with them.

Again. Fox-hunting on horseback, in a well-fenced, arable, or
pasture country, is the finest of all field sports, beyond a question.
But the facts, that one pack of foxhounds is now kept at Montreal,
that another was kept a few years since by the members of the British
legation at Washington, and that a few planters, in two or three
Southern States, amuse themselves occasionally and irregularly by
fox-hunting, do not constitute fox-hunting an American field sport ;
which it is not ; as is demonstrated by the undeniable fact, that there
are not above three States out of thirty, more or less, in which the
fox is pursued as anything but vermin.

There are, moreover, many reasons which render it almost impossible
that fox-hunting ever shall become an American field sport. In the
Northern and Eastern States, where only, as a general rule, the coun-
try is sufficiently cleared of timber to allow of this pursuit in perfec-
tion, the severity of the winter, and the jealousy of farmers in regard
to trespass on their lands, and the breaking of their fences, oombint
to render it impracticable. In the Southern States, the woodland
character of the country, and the frequency of swamps, bayoua, and
similar obstacles, destroy all its peculiar excellences, and detract infi-
nitely from its excitement, and its scientific character.

Yet once more. Had fox-hunting been, what it is not, an American
field sport, I should still have dismissed it in a few pages. Because,
being a sport thoroughly understood, and carried to the utmost perfec-
tion in the Old World ; a sport, so far as it is one here af all, per-
fectly identical on the two sides of the Atlantic, and as such, having
no peculiarities, and requiring no new precepts here ; and, above all,
being a sport on which more able and excellent treatises have been
written than on any other in the whole range of sporting subjects, and

iii P

it y

■ *

.. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

that by such men as Beckford and Nimrod-names as familiar as
household words to all who can sit a horse, or halloo to a hound-it
would have been an act, if not of impertinence, at least of total
supererogation, to fill up the pages of a work devoted to a new class
of subjects, with trite remarks on an old one, or with quotations from
books within the reach of every sportsman.

All this which I have here set 3own in relation to my work on Field
Sports, and to some strietures which have been made upon it, is simply
explanatory of my intentions with regard to this work.

These are to furnish what information I can in relation to the classes,
migrations, habits, breeding seasons, and the modes of taking, of those
which I call and consider oporting or game fishes ; to insist on the
generic distinctions, and the true names and definitions of the various
species and families ; to show briefly how the various families and
classes may be distinguished one from the ot^er, thereby enabling
sportsmen to avoid the constant errors and blunders into which they
are now falling in the confusion of distinct varieties and orders ; and
putting it in their power, by the accurate observance, and correct
recording, of a few simple signs, to render invaluable service to the
cause of science, in one of the most important, and the least under-
stood of its branches

And, before 1 proceed farther, I shall beg gentlemen from remote
sections of the North, East, West and South, not to wax wrathful and
patriotically indignant, nor to reclaim fiercely against the author of this
work, because they fail to find therein described some singular local
mode of capturing some singular specimen of the piscine race known
in their own districts, and there regarded as a sporting-fish, but
unknown as such to the world at large.

Some gentlemen doubtless regard bobbing for eels, and bait-fishing
through holes cut m the ice— others, hauling up sharks with ox-chaina

xxiii

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

and tenter-hooks — and others yet, harpooning garpikes, as excellent
sport, and as scientific fishing, as many more will probably deem of
hauling the seine, or fishing with the set-line, or the deep-sea lino.
None of these things come under my ideas of fair or sporting fishing ;
and the gentlemen who admire these and similar practices, I beg leave
to premonish that they will be surely disappointed if they paruse the
pages of this work. By omitting to do so, therefore, they will spare
themselves a displeasure, and the author an animadversion.

Fresh-water-fishing especially is its subject.* Lakes, estuaries, rivers,
brooks, its scene ; and the Salmon, in all its varieties, the Pike,the Bass,
and the Pearch, the fish with which it will principally deal. All game
fish will, however, find a place in its pages ; all those, I mean, which
can be, and usually are, taken with the rod and reel ; nor will a few
pages be denied to deep-sea fishing ; and to the consideration of some
of the finny tribe which visit our rivers and shores, and which, from
various causes, such as peculiarity of habit, singularity of structure,
excellence on the table, or the like, may appear worthy of a passing
notice, although not coming strictly within the sportsman's category of
game fishes.

All the modes of rod-fi.«hing will be treated of in their places ; but
fly-fishing, spinning with the live, and trolling with the dead bait, more
especially will be discussed ; as, for my own part, I regard these as
the only true and sportsmanlike modes of operation. Bottom-fishing,
ground-baiting with the float and sinker, and the like, are doubtless all
very well in their way ; and will perhaps, in many instances, even with
sporting fishes, be found the most killing, as they are clearly the
easiest methods ; while, with other varieties, they are the only modes
that can be adopted ; still they are to fly-fishing, or spinning the
minnow, what shooting sitting is to shooting on the wing ; and the
fisher who is proud of lugging out of their native element twenty trout

QjY INTBODUCTORT REMARK&

by main force, aided by a lob-worm or roe-bait, stands in the same
relation to him who baskets his three or four brace with the artificial
fly and single-gut artistically cast, as the gunner who pot-hunts his
bagful of birds, treeing his ruffed grouse, and butchering his quail in
their huddles on the ground, does to the crack shot, who stops his cock
in a blind brake, with the eye of faith and the finger of instinct, oi
cuts down his wild-fowl, skating before the wind at the rate of a mile
a minute, deliberately rapid and unerring.

^4^,

illi

'If!

FRANK FORESTER'S

FISH AND FISHING.

THE GAME FISH OF NORTH AMERICA.

It is with fishing as a sport, not as a source of national wealth or
individual epicureanism, that I have to do ; therefore it is of game or
sporting fishes only that I propose to treat.

Again, it is true that no sportsman captures that, which, captured, is
worthless ; and that to be game, whether bird, beast, or fish, is to be
eatable. Therefore it is of eatable* fishes alone that I propose to treat.

By game fish, I understand those which, being eatable, will take the
natural or artificial bait with sufficient avidity, and which when hooked
have sufficient vigor, courage and velocity to offer such resistance, and
give such difficulty to the captor, as to render the pursuit exciting.

By these qualities of the fish, corresponding qualities of the fisher-
man are called forth, and the greater the wariness of the fish before
taking the hook, compelling the use of the most delicate tackle, the
greater his fury and activity when struck, requiring the nicest skill,
temper and judgment, the higher does he stand on the list; and by

NoTBTO Rkvised Edition.-II will be readily seen that the phraseology of this
page .s altered in this edition. It is so, not that I have taken any new ground, but
because it appears my language was not so definite as to enable all persons to under-
stand what that ground is. I certainly supposed it unnecessary to state so self-evi.
dent a fact as that game is eatable.

• Hence my non-mention of that very curious fish, the Garpike or Alligator Gar.
Esoz Osseus. He is no more game than the Shark or Dog-Fish, both of which
men catch for fury

jg THE GAME FISH OF NORTH AMERICA.

these qualities, not by the comparative value of his flesh, is bis rank

'^Forlugb of all field sports the motive- and origin is to kill for
the table, and not to kill for the sake of killing, stUl the sport o be
derived from them lies in the excitement of pursuit, and difficulty of
capture-not in the number or value of the game.

Wanton butchery of useless brutes, and greedy pot-hunting are the
Scylla and Ch.rybdis, between which the true sportsman, and he only,

steers intermediate. . - i. c i

It is the wariness, the subtlety and the caution of the Salmon, ren-
dcring it necessary to use materials of the slenderest and most dehcate
nature, and to apply them with the utmost nicety, which makes the
triumph over him so far more enthralling to the real fisherman than
that over the Pickerel or Mascalonge of equal weight, whose greater
voracity and inferior intellect permits the use of a gimp hook-length,
and a silken or flaxen line, instead^of the fine gut, tinctured to the very
color of the water, and the casting-line of almost invisible minuteness.

The same is the superiority of rod and reel-fishing to the use of the
hand-line, whether in trolling or in deep-sea fishing; because in both
thv-^se the sport is at an end, so soon as the fish is hooked ; it being a
mere question of brute strength whether the victim shall be conquered
or not, when once fast at the end of a line capable of pulling in a year-
ling bullock.

On the contrary, it is not the wariness and cunning, but the vigor,
the speed, the fierce courage and determined obstinacy of the true
Salmon, the Brook Trout, when of fine size and well-fed, the various-
kinds of larger Pike or Pickerel, the Bass, and some others, which
gives such a zest to their capture, as compared with the smaller and
duller fish which may be pulled out as fast as a hook can be baited and
thrown in; or the larger and more torpid fish, such as the Lake Trout,
the Carp, and the Pearches, some of which, after a single boring
plunge, resign themselves almost without a struggle, and are mastered
with no resistance save that occasioned by their own dead weight.

I have said, above, that it is upon these qualities of boldness and

Note to Revised Edition.— The killing of dangerous carnivora, as a matter of
defence, is not liere considered, because in this country, as in Europe, the practice
aud the necessity have long passed away.

THE GAME FISH OF NORTH AMERICA.

fierceiiess, combined with wariness in biting, and of vigor and determi-
nation in resistance, apart from any intrinsic value of the fish, or ex-
cellence of his flesh, that his rank for gameness must depend.

It is remarkable, however, that all those fish which are the most
game, the boldest, the strongest, the bravest, and the most obstinate,
are invariably the finest also for culinary purposes, and the most highly
appreciated by the gourmet on the board, aa well as by the fisherman
in the river or the mere.

With very few exceptions, the Game Fish are those which do not
confine themselves either to salt or fresh water, throughout the year,
but visit the one or the other, as their habits and tastes, but princi-
pally the propagation of their species, direct them. These migratory
fish are, without any exception, the strongest, the boldest, and, as
such, afford the best sport of their tribe ; nor are they, for the most
part, to be surpassed by any in excellence, firmness, and flavor, when
in their best condition.

Those fish which never visit the salt water at all, are unquestion-
ably so much inferior to others of their own family which run periodi-
cally to the sea, that they are with difficulty recognized as belonging
to the same order with their roving brethren ; while of those, none of
which are known to leave the fresh-water, but two or three kinds, are
worth taking at all ; and even these are not to be compared with the
migratory, or the pure sea-fish.

All excellence is, of course, in some degree comparative, and I am
well aware that in the interior of the country, where sea-fish are
unknown, and where the culinary science is merely in a rudimental
state, many fish are deemed excellent, and are sought out as dainties,
simply because they are better than the ordinary tenants of the same
waters; while in any place, where they could be considered in regard
to the commonest sea-fish, they would be entirely disregarded, and
sold, if at all, as among the cheapest and most worthless articles of
human food.

In the same way, many species of game, both of fur and feather, are
highly regarded in districts where markets are rare, and well-fed and
tender butchers' meat unknown ; and in such places you will find many
tasteless and inferior birds and animals nighly valued, which in cities,
„„... ^, „ ,an6ij vi ucBu auu iuvvi IS uuiiy DO 06 proouTeu, where poultry

\%\

^ THE OAME FISH OF NORTH AMERICA

1 = 1.0 linrl both fat and tender, no person

auti.ot„ that n-y — w 1 - .^^ ^_^ ^^^ .,^ ,„,,,, „f

Tht^h uta "st .orthle. prevail; the same thing hav og
fish which I regara M concerning which

occurred with regard to »? J"* ™ *;; ^ / J, .^u „, .hat bird,
0pntlemen have waxed unwisely inaignani; aa i b , . , i i „j +1,0
orthLor that n.ode of cooking it, when they have plainly lacked the
means of drawing the requisite co-nparison.

Z to nroceed : the Game Fish of this country may bo divided,
firsf n^oCgen^ral classes of fresh and salt-water fishes ; and t ese
1 *'be a-in sub-divided, each, into other two, the fresh as migra ory
. rrnon migratory; the salt, as into deep-sea and shoal-water ;
Uhou", pefhaps, to speak with perfect precision on the subject, no
de ":a fish should be called a Game Fish. Very many persons are
h wever, greatly addicted to the sport of making excursions from ou
Wer cHies to the various sea-banks, for the purpose, it is true, of
enfoyin. the sea breeze and the excitement of the sail, combined with
th attrlctions of the chowder, or the clam-bake the champagne and
the cotillion, which are wont to complete the day's amusement, but
BtiU with the object of fishing likewise ; and these persons, even if
their sport be not of the loftiest or most sporting character, will rea-
sonably expect to find some account of a favorite pursuit.

Nor in very truth-though I eschew large congregations of huma-
xiity fo'r sporting purposes, deeming them rather social and convivial
in their true character, and holding sociality and conviviality though
excellent things in their way, as utterly averse to the spirit of sports-
manship-have I not found it good sport, at times, to sally out from
some sequestered fishing hamlet, in the trim schooner or more humble
yawl, and try my fortune with the Cod, the Haddock, and the Halibut^;
or if perchance, on the rocky shores of Eastern New England, with
the delicate and lively Whiting, top little known, as yet, to the epi-
cures of America, although unsurpassed in excellence by few, if any,
of his race. With deep-sea fishing I shall deal, therefore, although
hripfly. as becomes its rank in proportion with the more exciting and

THE GAME FISH OF NORTH AMERICA.

Boientifio branches of the piscatory art ; nor will the shoal-water, or
bay and estuary fishing, as they are practised on our coasts, be denied
so many pages, as will appear proportionate to the number or excel-
bnco of the species taken in that sport. Many of these are delicious
fish on the table ; but tha sport of taking them consists, principally,
in the frequency of their biting; and the skill requisite for their cap
ture lies mainly in the knowing the most favorable bottom-grounds,
the state of the tides and eddies most propitious to success, and the
most killing baits at various seasons.

In throwing out and drawing in the bait, there is, comparatively
speaking, small science ; and taking the fish when once hooked, little
skill and small judgment ; temper, and a moderate degree of patience,
alone seem needful.

It is not, indeed, to be denied that in this, as in all other ground-
bait and bottom-fishing, an old experienced angler shall take many
times more fish than the tyro sitting alongside of him in the same
boat, and working with apparatus precisely similar, and baits identical.

This is, however, to be attributed much to practice, and habit — much
to watchful observation of minutiae, such as the fouUing of the line,
the correct depth of the plummet or sinker, and such like — and more
to delicacy of hand in feeling, appreciating and humoring the victim,
when coquetting and nibbling aboiit the bait. It cannot be likened
to the skill exerted in casting and managing the fly, or the spinning-
minnow; much less to the playing, killing and basketing the heaviest
kind of fish with the lightest running tackle.

It must be acquired by habit and practice, if it be thought worth
the trouble of acquisition, but it can scarcely be taught at all by
instruction or example ; and written precepts to this end would be
altogether worthless, as they would be dull and unamusing.

I shall now proceed to the enumeration of the Game Fishes of the
United States and British Provinces of North America, according to
my understanding of their game qualities— regarding them, first, under
their great divisions of fresh and salt-water fish ; then as migratory or
non-migratory, and deep-sea or shoal-water.

And here I shall observe that I adopt these grand divisions as para-
mount to the natural distinctions of genera, families, and the like, as
I conceive that such a treatment of my subject will be most condu-

II!

1 ■ i

: 1 ■

1 1 1

ill!

22 THE GAME FISH OF NORTH AMERICA

cive to the pleasure and advantage of sportsmen for whose benefit I
pecially write; while the naturalist wiU find that, subjec to these
d visions' he will recognise all his old acquaintances, and perhaps
encounter some new ones, under the generic and specific divisions and
definitions to which he has been accustomed. AL the Game Fish of
this country belong to a few well-marked families ; and with the sole
exception of a few deep^ea fish, are included in two large classes
abdominal Malacopterygii, and Acanthopterygii; the first class being
those which have all the fin-rays soft and flexible ; and the second,
those which have a part of the fin-rays hard and spiny, as is the case
with the Pearch and the Bass, besides some others.

The deep-sea fish, to which I have alluded as coming under a third
class, are the sub-brachial Malacopterygii, which have a different
arrancrement of the fins, although they have the soft and flexible fin-
rays in lieu of spines, as in the first class named. To this class belong
the Cod, Haddock, Whiting, and such other of the deep-sea fish,
especially Fiat-Fish, as can, by any extension of the term, be allowed
to figure as Game Fish ; for, under this head, I cannot by any means
include the Ray, the Skate, or the Lampreys, which come under the
same class with the Sharks, Chondropterygii, or cartilaginous fishes,
the skeletons of which are not, as in the Malacopterygii or Acanthop-
terygii, composed of bone, but of cartilaginous or gristly matter.
The Eel, which is not a Game Fish, is of the class Malacopterygii,
but with a different arrangement of fins, which gives him the title of
Apodal. He hardly deserves notice at all, unless as an article of food,
and if mentioned, will be kept aloof from the others.

Of these two great generic divisions, then, are all the fresh-water
fishes more or less distinct families; and all the shoal-water sea-fishes
likewise, with which we have to do ; nor is there any line to be drawn
as regards the migratory or non-migratory fishes, some of these belong-
ing to each of these two great classes.

It will be well to observe here, that I consider all those fish which
run up rivers and streams into the fresh-water for the purpose of
spawning, which pass a considerable portion of the year, and are
principally, if not wholly, taken in such water, as fresh-water fishes ;
although a resort to the salt-water is necessary to the reinvigoration

THE OAME FISH OF NORTH AMERICA.

of their constitutions ; and, it is probable, to the exoellenoe of their
fleah, and the courage and boldness of their tempers.

To this class belong several of the finest and most important of all
our fish, both as regards the table, and the sport; for to this are
directly referable the Salmon, that king of the piscine world, the Sea
Trout, the Striped Bass, the Shad, and the Smelt ; both of which, for
reasons which I shall give, when I am to treat of them, under their
own proper heads, I admit as Game Fishes.

Our fresh-water fishes, then, all belonging to the two classes above
named, Malacopterygii, soft-finned, and Acanthoptery gii^ or spiny-
finned, are divided into the following families: —
Of the first, Abdominal Malacopterygii, we have
The family of Salmonidje, of which the true sea Salmon is the
type, and of which there are many varieties and sub-genera, both
migratory and non-migratory ; the principal are
Genus Salmo :

The True Salmon, Salmo Solar.

The Greatest Lake Trout — Mackinaw Salmon — Salmo

Amethystus.
The Northern Lake Trout — Siskawitz — Salmo Siskatoitz.
The Lake Trout — Salmon Trout — Salmo Confirm.
The Sebaoo Trout, Salmo Sebago.
The Arctic Char, Salmo Hoodii.
The Sea Trout, White Trout, or Silver Trout— 5a/»w Trwtta

Marina,
The Brook Trout, Salmo Fortiinalis.
Genus Osmerus :

The Smelt, Oimerm Viridescens.
Genus Thymallus:

The Arctic Grayling, Thymallus Signifer.
Genus Coreoonus :

The White Fish, Coregonus Alius.

The Otsego Bass* — ^misnomer — Coregonus Otsego.

• This very beantifal fish so closely resembles the White-fish, Coregonus Albu*,
M to be conceived by many persons to be merely a casual variety. This, however,
does not appear to be in truth the case. It is greatly to be regretted that true and
distlneiive iiames nhould aoi be attached to fishes which, haviug been absurdly mis*

THE GAME FIBH OF NORTH AMERICA.

i| I

2. Family Siluridje,

Containing many species, Cat-Fish, Bull-Heads, &o., unworthy of

notice, except,
Gekus Silurus:

The Great Cat-Fish, Pimelodes Huron.

3. Family Cyprinidje,

Containing many varieties. The Chub, Sucker, Shiner, Roach,
Dace, Bream, &o., of no account except for bait, unless it bo
two imported species.

The Common Carp, Cyprinus Carpioy and

The Golden Carp, Cyprinus Auratus.

5. Family Clupeid^.
Genus Alosa :

The Shad,* Alosa Frastahilis.
Genus Clupea :

The Herring, Clupea Harengus.

6. Family Esocid^.
Genus Estor :

The Mascalonoe, Esox Estor,

The Northern Pickerel, Esox Lucioides.

The Common Pickerel, Esox Reticulatus.

The Long Island Pickerel, Esox Fasciatus.

The Garpike, Esox Osseus.

Beside two or three other species, found in the Pennsylvanian
and Western waters.
This brings us to the end of our fresh-water, soft-finned fishes ; or
of such, at least, as are in any wise worthy to be accounted Game
Fishes ; and we come to the second division, Acanthnpterygiiy or spiny-
named by the ignorant early settlers, still go by tliose stupid misnomers — as in the
present instance, where a fish having no possible analogy to a Bass, and, indeed,
belonging to a different class of fish, " sofl-fiuned," is termed Bass. The analogouB
fish in England are known w Gwyniad, Vendace and PoUan. I would suggest
" Otsego Lavaret" as a very suitable name for this unnamed species.

* I somewhat doubt this diatiuction. I have drawings, made from life, of two
varieties of Shad taken in New York bay, agreeing precisely with Alosa Finta and
Aloia Communis, of Yarrel — the Twaite and Allice Shad of England — to the lat«
ter of which I would refer this fish.

THE GAME FISH OF NORTH AMERICA.

116

finned fishes, which, though it is Baron Cuvior's first division, I have
postponed to the Malacopterygii^ or soft-finned fishes, on account of
the greater estimation in which they are held, especially the noble
Salmon, Pike and Shad families, by both epicure and sportsman.

Second, however, to these only are several of the families of the
second class, and scarcely inferior even to the^ is the splendid genua
Labrax, unquestionably, next to the Salmon, the most sporting fish
in all respects in the world, and in his absence facile princep$

Of the class Acanthoptervoii, then, we have
The Family Percida.

1. Genus Perca :

The Yellow Pearch, Perca Flavescens.
Of this there are three or four very closely-allied varieties.
The White Pearch, Perca Pallida.

The Common Pearch, Perca Fluviatilis, and others of less
note, among which are the genera Corvina and Pomotis.

2. Genus Labrax :

The Striped Bass — Rock Fish — Labrax Lineatus.

3. Genus Lucioperca :

The Pike Pearch— American Sandre, Ohio Salmon, &o.

Lucioperca Americana.
The Canadian Sandre, Lucioperca Canadensis.

4. Genus Gristes :

The Black Bass — Oswego Bass — Chistes Nigricans
f>. Genus Centrarchus :

The Rock Bass, Cenirarchus jEneus
6. Genus Otolithus :

The Weak-Fish, vulgo Trout, Otolithus Regalis and Caroli-
nensis.

•And with these, unless the reader choose to add the Eel, of the class
Apodal Malacoplerygii, family Anguillido!, the list of the fresh-water
sporting fishes of the United States and British Provinces may be said
to close.

Of these fish, the True Salmon, Salmo Salar, the Sea Trout, Salmo

Trutta Marim, the Brook Trout, Salmo Fontinalis, the Arctic Charr,

Salmo Iloodii, and perhaps the Sebago Lake Trout, are migratory]

as is also the Arctic Grayling, Thymallus Signifer ; all the other Lak«

Ill

^■j

rHK GAME FISH OF NORTH AMERICA

Ill 11 1

Trout, and such of the Brook Trout as are found in Bmall streams
above hnpracticablc falls, or in spring ponds, or lakes without oulete
aro stationary, or non -migratory ; and the cons .quonces of their habit
m.y be very readily discovered in the inferiority of their flesh, both
in color and firmness of muscle, and in their comparatively lazy gait,
and want of game qualities, vigor and endurance

Of other soft-finncd fishes, the Smelt, Osmerus Viridescens, the Shad,
Alosa rrdstahiJh, and the Herring, Clufca Harengns, are migratory
from salt to fresh-water, and so perhaps is the Weak-Fish, m tho
Southern waters, there misnamed Trout,* OtolUhus Carobnenm.

The VVhite-Fish, Coregonus Alius, and the Otsego Bass, Coregonui
Otsego, are partially migratory from the deeper waters of the lakca
which they inhabit. AH the SUuridcB, Cyprinida, and Esocidce, aro

stationary fish. _ ^ j •.* j

Three or four of the above species and varieties I havo admitted
with no small doubt ; and first of those, in the family Salmonida, the
Common Lake Trout,t Salmo Confinis, of DoKay ; because I can see
no sufficient cause for distinguishing this fish from the Greatest Lake
Trout, or Mackinaw Salmon, with which it appears to me to be iden-
tical, except in size ; whereas size alone is a very insufficient cause of
separation. Secondly, the Sebago Lake Trout, which is to be found,
fis a distinct variety, in no work on American Icthyology ; and yet I
have thought it best to insert it, on the authority of several distin-
guished sportsmen, who have had frequent opportunities of comparing
it with tho ordinary Lake Trout, and who pronounce it to be a new
and nondescript fish, unless it be the True Salmon degenerated. This
last hypothesis I am unwilling to listen to, as I disbelieve in the dege-
neration of animals, in peculiar localities, unless confined under unna-
tural circumstances, a.s a sea-running fish in fresh-water, without means

« This fish I have never seen ; but I greatly doubt that the fish called " Trout."
in the South, is identical with tho Northern Weak-FiBh. From Prefossor Agassiz,
1 understand it to be a peculiar variety of the Woak-Fish, Ololithus, being spotted
rather than striped, and thus differing somewhat from it, and frequenting fresh
streams, which the others do not.

• Note to Revised Edition.— With regard to this fish, I am satipfied that it 18
distinct from Ameihyitus, though closely allied to it. It is a deeper and shorter
fish. See Suppleineiit.

THE OAME riBH Or NORTH AMERICA.

of egress. I understand that this Scbago Trout has access to the sea \
there is no reason, therefore, why, if originally a true Salmon, it should
have lost ita true characteristics in waters having their exit through
the Saco, more than in those which discharge via. the Kennebec, or
why it should continue to run up a smaller river, when it has deserted
all the larger rivers westward of the Penobscot, with the exception of
a very few which are, perhaps, still taken in the Androscoggin and
the Kennebec, where, a few years ago, they absolutely swarmed.

With regard to this fish, however, I hope, before concluding this
work, to receive more decided information from some of my obliging
correspondents in that quarter ; and perhaps even a specimen by which
to compare with the other varieties of this genus.

Again, of the Sea Trout, or White Trout, I have my doubts,
whether it be not a grilse, or Salmon of the third year. It is as yet,
BO far as I know, unfigured and undescribed ; but my information con-
cerning it from excellent fishermen on the waters where it abounds,
the rivers, mainly, which fall into the Bay of Gaspe and the Gulf of
St. Lawrence, is so clear and strong, that I prefer noting it as a ques-
tionable variety, in the hopes of calling to it the attention of older
naturalists than myself, and of those who have better opportunities of
obtaining and examining specimens.

Lastly, the Red-bellied Trout, Salmo Erythrogaster^ of Dr. DeKa y,
I decline to insert on his authority, being entirely unconvinced as to ita
being anything more than a mere accidental variety. The whole of
that region of lakes and rivers, in the Northeastern angle of New York,
in which this variety is said to exist, teems with accidental varieties of
the Brook Trout, of almost every size, as well as shade and color, both
of flesh and external tints. The Trout of no two of these lakes or
rivers are precisely identical. The same may be said of Brook Trout
from various waters in Long Island. These differences, however, are
not deemed suflScient, consisting, mainly, in variations of hue, not of
form, bony configuration, scales, or fins, whereon to found generic
distinctions.

The same remarks apply to a small fish, which Dr. DeKay has
described at length, and figured under a new name, as the Troutlet,
in his fauna of New York ; and which is unquestionably nothing more
than the VOUnw frv of the cnmrnnn Rrnnlr Trmif wTii'Ia ;+ ;» c« o«,.,il —

THE OAMS FISH OF NORTH AMERICA.

to retain the lateral transverse bars, or clouded bands, whicb have
lately been discovered to belong to the fry of every known variety of
the family of the Salmon, and which have caused all the confusion, and
given rise to all the various theories, concerning the Parr of Great

Britain.

Into all these points I shall enter more fully under their appropriate
heads, when treating of the separate fish to which they relate.

The Smelt, Osmerus Viridescens, I have mentioned, though not pro-
perly a Game Fish— for it is probable that the statements of its being
taken with the hook refer to the Atherine or Sand Smelt^because
there are some errors to be refuted, connected with him and the young
of the true Salmon, which would not so easily be dealt with otherwise ;
and the Shad, Alosa Prastabilis, I have elevated to the rank of a Game
Fish, not merely on account of the excellence of his flesh in a culinary
point of view, but because I am well satisfied by indisputable proofs,
that although it is not usual to attempt the capture of this fish sports-
manlike, the fault rests not with the Shad, but with the angler.

He will not only take the fly, and on some occasions very freely, but
runs strongly away with the line, and fights hard before he is subdued.
I regard him a very decided addition to the list of Amercian sporting-
fishes.

The common Herring can be taken very readily in the same manner,
and 1 have had very considerable amusement in killing them with a
gaudy peacock-tail fly, in New York harbor, in the vicinity of Fort
Diamond, at the Narrows.

With these exceptions, and the two varieties of White-fish, one of
which is absurdly misnamed Otsego Bass, having about as much rela-
tion to a Bass as it has to a Flounder, all that I have named are
admitted to be game by all fishermen ; and these I have mentioned,
because I have little or no doubt that they also, like their European
congeners, the Gwyniad of Wales and the PoUan of Ireland, may be
occasionally laken with the artificial fly.

All these fish are Cflregoniy and are very nearly analogous to one
another, forming a sort of intermediate link between the families of
Salmonida and Clupeida. or Salmon and Shad, although they are
includod for many satisfactory roaaoos among the former — the oomraoQ

THE GAME FISH OF NORTH AMERICA.

peopls in Groat Britain calling them fresh -water Herring, while in the
United States they not unfrequently pass by the name of Shad-salmon.
The flesh of all the varieties is dolicate and highly-flavored. The
desire of comparing these American Coregoni with the British varie-
ties, and of bringing them somewhat more into general notice, has
induced me to notice them, rather than their game nature.

I now proceed to the salt water fishes, both those taken in deep, and
those in shoal water, of the various families above-named ; and there-
after shall arrange them according to their haunts and habits.

Of those salt-water fish of the Atlantic coasts which aff"ord the most
real sport to the angler, and which are alone taken with the rod and
reel, all the families belong to the class of the AcaniAopterygiiy or
spiny-finned fishes, none of the soft-finned fishes of the abdominal
division boiug taken in the shoal waters of the bays and estuaries ;
while the deep-sea fish are all of the sub-brachial Malacoptery gii^
unless we may consider as such the Sea Bass and Porgee, which are,
however, as often or oftener caught in shallow water.

Salt-water fish, taken in shoal water, river mouths, and the like,
AcantAopterygii, spiny-finned, we have of the family
Percid^, whereof the Pearch la the type.
Genus Labrax :

The Striped Bass, Labrax Lineatus.

Mentioned above as a fresh-water fish, being frequently caught
in rivers far above tide-water, as well as in the estuaries, and
even in the surfs on the ocean borders.
Genus Centropristes :

The Sea Bass, Centropristes Nigricant.

SciENIDA.

Genus Leiostomus :

The Sea Chub — Lafayette Fish — Leiostomus Obliquus.
Genus Otolithus :

The Weak-Fish, Otolithus Regalis.

The Southern Trout, Otolithus Carolinensis.
Genus Umbrina :

The Kino-Fish, Umbrina Nebulosa.
Genus Pooonias :

The Drum-Fish, Fogonias Chromis.

!)!'

THE GAME FISH OF NOKIH AMERICA.

SPARIDiE.

Genus Sargus ;

The Sheep's-Head, Sargus Ovis.
Genus Pagrus:

The Poroee, Fagrus Argyrops.

ScOMBRIDiE.

Genus Temnodon:

The Blue-Fish— Skip-Jack— TeTOTwrfoTi SaUator.

Labrid^.

Genus Tautooa :

The Tautog — Black Fish — Tautoga Americana.

Those complete the list of those salt-water fish which are of any
repute as affording sport to the angler in shoal water ; they may all
be taken with the rod and reel, in the bays, mouths of rivers, and
shallow inlets along the greater portion of our coast, especially in the
vicinity of reefs, the piles of old docks, or the hulls of sunken vessels,
around which they are often found in so large shoals, and bite so freely
and rapidly, as to afford a very high degree of amusement. Many
persons are extremely fond of this kind of fishing, though it cannot
sustain a moment's comparison with Trouting, much less with Salmon
fishing, or indeed with trolling or spinning for the Pike and the Black
Bass.

Several of the above-mentioned fishes are of rare excellence ; the
Weak Fish and Blue Fish, when quite fresh out of the water, are not
easily surpassed ; but the King Fish and the Sheep's-head, the latter
a migratory fish, visiting us during the summer months only, are in
far greater esteem, being regarded by epicures as inferior to none
which are taken in our waters.

The most extraordinary day's sport I have seen recorded in this
line, fell to the lot of a gentleman of New York, well known as an
enthusiastical amateur and a most skilful proficient in the gentle art,
and was thus recorded at the time in the Commercial Advertber of
1827. I note the circumstance, and quote the following lines from a
very useful, unpretending, and not therefore less agreeable compen-
dium, "The American Angbr's Guide," published, I believe, by Mr.
Brown, well known as the proprietor of the Angler's depot, where he
keeps an excellent assortment of tackle of all kinds, in Fult-jD street

THE GAME FISH OF N'JRTH AMERICA

I have often derived both information and entertainment from this good
little manual, which is succinct and portable, and I strongly recom-
mend it to my readers.

The feat to which I have alluded is thus recordad in its pages: —

" On Friday last, a gentleman of this city went out fishing from
Rockaway into Jamaica Bay, with his son, a lad of twelve years of
a»e. They commenced fishing at half-past seven in the morning,
fipent half an hour in dining at noon, and quit fishing at half-past one,
having taken with their rods, in six hours, four hundred and seventy-
two King-Fish. Their guide was Joseph Bannister; none of thcso
fish were taken by him, as he was diligently employed the whole time
in preparing bait."

The writer adds that he admits this to have been " an extraordi-
nary performance;" but he goes on to say "that he has many times
taken above one hundred in a tide, though of late years these fish
have become scarce in those waters, it bsing supposed that their enemy,
the Blue-Fish, by preying on their young, have caused the scarcity."

It is scarcely necessary, I presume, to remark that no such feats
are to be performed now-a-days ; and he is a happy and an envied man,
who succeeds, at present, in capturing a few brace of this delicious
game fish,

I now come to the last section of my work, the deep-sea fishes, very
few of which are worthy of remark in connexion with the angler's
Fport, although they are all of superior excellence, as dainties.

These are all soft-finned fishes, but they form a separate class of
the Malacopterygii, owing to a peculiar arrangement of their fins, the
bones supporting the ventrals being attached to the bones of the shoul-
ders which support the pectorals, whence they have obtained the terra
sub-brachial.

To this class of sub-brachial Malacopterygii belong the two families
of Gadida and Pleuronectida, Cod and Fiat-Fish, to one or other of
which portain all the species which are taken by the drop-line on our
coast ; a sport which is almost too dirty, as well as too laborious, to be
in very truth a sport.

Of the family Gadida, of which the Cod is the type, we have
The Common Cod, Morrhua Vulgaris.
The Haddock, Morrhua ^glefinis.

THE GAME FISH OP NORTH AMERICA.

The Whiting, Merlangus Americaims.
■ And although there are several other spacies of more or less esti-
mation for the table, as the Torsk or Tusk, Brosniius Vulgaris, the
Hake, Merlucius Vulgaris, and some others, none but these are such
as to require enumeration in a work of this description.

Of the second family, Pleuronedida, I sb^U think it enough to men-
tion,

The Halibut, Hippoglossus Vulgaris, which is the largest species
of this family, as well as the best that is taken in American waters ;
for the species of Turbot, Rhombus, which is found on the coasts of
Massachusetts bay, and that neighborhood, is greatly inferior, both in
size and quality to the celebrated European fish of the same name.

The Flounder, of New York, Pleuronedes Dentatus, which is also
frequently taken, though more commonly by accident, while in pursuit
of finer fish, than as the angler's prime object, is rather a delicate fish,
and often bites freely.

With this brief enumeration of sea-fish I shall content myself, as the
description and habits of others, though curious, and full of interest
to the icthyologist and student of nature, belong rather to the depart-
ment of science, than to the craft of the angler.

I may, however, mention, not as objects but accessories of the sport,
the Atherine, Atherina Menidia, a variety of the fish known in England
aa the Sand Smelt, here commoiUy called the Spearling or Sparling,
and much used as a bait, for which its bright silvery colors particu-
larly adapt it.

The British variety is frequintly taken with the hook; and on the
Southern coasts, where the true Smelt is unknown, it is commonly
known and sold as that fish, to which it bears some degree of similarity
in flavor, as well as in the cucumber smell common to both when
freshly taken from the water.

I am not aware thai; the American fish is ever eaten, though it is
very abundant on the coaats ; in appearance, it so closely resembles
the European species, that on a slight inspection it would be taken
for it.

The Sand Launce, Ammodytes Lancea, is also held in high estima-
tion as a bait for sea and hand lines, owing to its silvery brightness.

THE GAME FI8*T OF NORTH AMERICA.

Snltator, and the Striped Bass, Labrax Lineatus, strike at the
polished bono, poarl, or metal squid, as it is termed, of the fisher-
man, when it is made to play with a rotatory motion, glancing through
the water, in the wake of a swift-sailing boat, or in the surf upon the
outer beaches.

Having now accomplished the dry work of enumerating and classi-
fying those of the fish of America, whether fresh or salt-water, which
I consider worthy of the sportsman's notice, I shall proceed to describe
them more or less briefly, according to tha degree of interest attach-
ing to their habits, migrations, growth, and breeding ; and thereafter
to the best and most improved mode of taking them ; best, 1 mean, as
rega.ds art, piscatorial science, and sport, not looking to the mere
amount of slaughter, but considsring in this instance the suaviter in
modo, long before the mere fortiter in re.

And here I will venture to request my reader, who may have pro-
ceeded thus far in this volume without finding very much to interest
or enlighten him, not to lay by its pages in disgust; as this portion,
necessarily partaking much of the character of a catalogue, can hardly
be expected to be very amusing, while I think I can promise that he
will find something to awaken his interest, whether he be a scientific
naturalist, or a mere sportsman, before he has advanced many pages
farther; inasmuch, as thanks especially to the assistance of my good
friend Professor Agassiz, and other correspondents, I believe I shall
have the pleasure of laying before him something that is not only now,
but curious and highly interesting concerning the growth, the breed-
ing, and the varieties, several of them hitherto undoscribed, of the
family of Salmon, Salmonidcs, of North America, to the consideration
of which I come without farther delay

— B
i«t4

lii)

AMERICAN PISHES.

SALMONIDiE,

THE SALMON FAMILY.

It must not be supposed, although, for want of reflection on the
subject, many persons probably may expect it, that the closest observer
and most accurate discriminator of the facts on which the science of
the naturalist is founded, can lay down the law with regard to the
habits, the food, the haunts, the appetites, or even the distinct species,
of that portion of the animal creation which dwell for the most part
unseen in the bosom of the waters, with the same certainty as he can
those of domestic animals, or even of birds and beasts, /era naturd.

Of the latter even, especially of wild birds, which emigrate from
clime to clime with the change of seasons, there has been much diflGi-
culty in ascertaining the growth, the age, and the changes of plumage,
from the immature to the adult animal, or from the winter to the sum-
mer dress — so much so, that out of individuals differing in age, sex, or
season, of the same family, and belonging to a single species, in many
instances, two, three or more distinct varieties have been created by
naturalists.

Much has been effected, indeed, of late, in these particulars, owing
to the greater science and experience of modern naturalists — who now

EALMONir^a

prefer the investigation of facts to the building up plausible theories —
to the greater diffusion of knowledge and love of scientific inquiry
among the masses, and, in no slight degree, to the able and laborious
system of experiments which have been set on foot and carried out by
country gentlemen and sportsmen, to many of whom the world of
letters is indebted for very interesting and remarkable discoveries.

It is but a few years, comparatively speaking, since that accurate
observer and delightful writer, Gilbert White, of Selborne, the
most charming rural naturalist whom England — perhaps the world —
has produced, thought it not unworthy of his time or talents to enter
into a long train of investigation and argument, in order to prove that
the Swallow — as then appears to have been largely, if not generally
believed — did not pass the winter months in a torpid state, either in
the hollows of decayed trees and caverns, or beneath the waters of
stagnant pools and morasses.

In like manner Mr. Audubon has been peculiarly minute in describ-
ing the migrations of the Sora Rail, as witnessed by himself, for the
purpose of counteracting the notion, which I myself still know to be
prevalent among the vulgar and ignorant where these birds abound,
that they burrow in the mud during the cold season, hybernating like
the Marmot or the Bear.

If, then, errors so gross were commonly in vogue concerning animals,
the greater portion of whose life is spent before our very eyes ; which
make their nests, rear their young, come and go visibly, and in such
manner that their presence and absence, nay, the periods of their
departure and return, must be observed even by the careless and inat-
tentive looker-on ; much more is it to be expected that the habits,
nay, the sexes, ages, and distinct species of fish, which rarely present
themselves to the eyes even of the most curious inquirers, which come
and go unseen and unsuspected, whose mysteries of generation and
reproduction are all performed in a medium the least penetrable to the
eyes of science, whose changes of size and color, from infancy to matu-
rity, pass utterly beyond our ken, should have been misconceived, mis-
interpreted, and misdescribed.

Within the last few years more has been done to elucidate these
mysteries, and to bring us to an accurate knowledge of thb interesting

■f

tt aiji

gg AMERTCAN FISHES.

portion of the animal creation, th^n in many previous centuries ; and
although much yet remains, infinitely more, doubtless, thar, has been
done still we have very recently attained much certain knowledge
regarding several of the most interesting families ; we have arrived at
results which, by simple deduction, show us how we may hope to arrive
at more, having now obtained data wherefrom to advance and discover
the process by which to do so.

The means by which thus much has been accomplished, may be
described briefly, as the taking nothing for granted, assuming nothing
on hearsay beyond facts, and on investigating everything carefully and
painfully, not following too readily preconceived opinions, nor being
misled by mere external and superficial resemblances, but being guided
by comparison and experiment, as founded in a great degree on ana-
tomy and osteology.

In the examination and comparison of fishes, the clear ttnderstand-
ing of a few simple facts, which it is necessary to observe and record,
will enable any sportsman to describe any supposed new variety or
species, with such accuracy as to render his description of the highest
value for scientific purposes ; to make it, in short, such that a naturalist
shall be justified in pronouncing positively thereupon as to the genus,
species, sex, and perhaps age, of the variety described or discovered.

The first point to be observed is the nature of the fins, as hard-rayed
and spiny, as in the Pearch, the Bass, and others which it is needless
here to enumerate; or soft-rayed and flexible, as in the Pike, the
Salmon, the Carp, and many more. The second, is the position of the
fins; and to elucidate this point to the unscientific reader, I here
subjoin an outline with references, to render this method of examina-
tion comprehensible and easy of acquisition to anybody.

The subject of this outline is the young of the Lake Trout, Salmo
Trutta Lin. of the European continent. This figure, which is taken
by permission from Mr. Agassiz' fine work, Histoire Natwrelle des
Poissons iVEaii douce de L^Eurofe Centrale, represents a young Sal-
mon Trout, taken in the lake of Neufchatel, at the end of summer,
less than a year old. The lower figure gives the outline of the same
fish, as seen from above. Other cuts of the same simple description
will show the formation of the head, the gill-covers and the dental

SALMONIDiB.

system, from whicli after the fins, and the number of vertebroe, the
specific distinctions arc most easily ascertained.

It will be seen clearly, at the slightest inspection of the beautiful
little fish which has been selected as the subject of this cut, and which
is a species of Lake Trout from the continent of Europe, that it has
eight fins in all, including the tail, six of which are displayed in the
lateral view, two being on the farther side ; and seven in the view of
the back taken from above ; the eighth, which is indicated by a dotted
line, being on the under part of the fish.

Of these appendages, by which the motion, position in the water
and direction of the animal are regulated ; the two nearest the head,
one on either side, a a, are the peotorals; the two somewhat farther
back, one on either side, bb, are the ventrals; the one on the under
side, yet farther back, c, the anal; the tail, d, the caudal; and the
two on the ridge of the back, ee, the dorsal ; f is the lateral line.

These are all the denominations of fins possessed by any fish,
although the number and size, as well as the structure, vary in the
various species, which are thus easily distinguished.

Of these fins, all the classes of fish, concerning which this book will
treat, with one exception, the apodal Malacopterygii, one species of
wliSnli will Kb HlinrVit.lv mfintlonfld. all nosaesn the foUowinsr: —

i (1

AiMERlCAN FISHES.

Ifii .1
ill

Two pectorals.
Two vcntrals.
One anal.
One caudal
One dorsal.

No fish has more than two pectorals, or two vcntrals ; many have
several anals, and several dorsals ; none, unless deformed or monstrous,
has more than one caudal.

The apodal Malacopterygii, of which I have spoken, lack the ven-
trals entirely; wherefore their name apodal, footless; the ventral
being assumed as performing the function of feet iu the quadruped,
although somewhat fancifully.

Now, on the texture of these fins is founded the distinction between
the two first orders of fishes, as instituted by Baron Cuvier ; the first
order, Acanthopterygii, having the rays, by which the filamentous
part of the fins is supported and extended, in part hard, spinous, and
in some species, sharp and prickly; whence the designation; ^^ acan-
tkos," signifying a thorn ; while the second order, Malacopterygii, have
these rays invariably soft and flexible, as the term, derived from
" malacos," soft, sufiiciently indicates.

This distinction is so feasily drawn, that when once mentioned it
cannot be missed or overlooked by the most superficial observer ; and as
to one or other of these orders belongs every fish, without an excep-
tion, of which the sportsman takes cognizance — I do not of course
include shell-fish — its importance is self-evident.

Of the spiny-finned fishes, though there are many families, and many
species of each family, there are no great subordinate divisions.

Of the flexible-finned fishes, on the contrary, there are three
strongly-defined divisions, of which the largest is that containing

The abdominal Malacopterygii ; in all of which the two ventral
fins, BB, are situate on the belly, attached to the walls of the stomach,
and deriving no support from the bones of the shoulder. To this divi-
sion belongs, among many others, the subject of the outline cut on
page 37, the European Lake Trout ; and, as a consequence, all the
family of the Salmonidce. The fishes of this division can be readily
distinguished, on a mere external examination, by the fact that the

8ALM0NIDJE.

ventral fins, bb, are situated much farther back than in those of the
uoxt division, occupying a position nearly longitudinally posterior to
the poctorals, a a ; while in those to which I next proceed, they are
noarly vertically below them.

The second grand division of the flexible-finned fishes consists of
the Sub-brachial Malacopterygii; in all of which the ventral fins, bb,
are placed very near to the pectorals, aa, the bones supporting the
former being attached to the bones of the shoulder which support the
latter. The term sub-brachial briefly expresses this formation, signi-
fying " having lower arms" — to which human limb the reference is
pointed by the connexion of the fin, in this division, to the shoulder.

The thiid division of the flexible-finned fishes, to which I allude
rather to complete the subject, than that they fall regularly into the
angler's way, consists of those designated by Baron Cuvier as the
Apodal Malacopterygii; in all of which the ventrals are entirely
wanting. To this division belong the families of MurcBnida, and An-
guillida:, Congers, Eels, and their congeners.

First then, having noted whether the fish we desire to know more
minutely has hard or flexible fin-rays, and then, having ascertained
by the position of his ventral fins, if soft-finned, to which division he
belongs, by examining the number and position, as well as the texture
of the dorsal and anal fins, we shall speedily discover his family ; or if
we have no book at hand to which we can refer, we can easily so
describe him by letter to some competent person, as will enable him
readily to enlighten us on the subject.

To show the importance of possessing even the small degree of
knowledge conveyed in these last few pages, I will merely observe
that if the settlers of the shores of the Otsego had been even so far
advanced in the science, they had not committed the blunder of mis-
naming the excellent fish of their waters, the Otsego Bass ; when
it is in truth one of the Salmon family — the former being a spiny, the
latter a soft-finncd family.

A few steps more would have prevented our Southern frionds from
the commission of the absurdity of designating a variety of Weak-
Fish as Trout — two fish which have not the most remote connexion ;
and so on ad hifinitum.

4 \ii

t j

AMERICAN riSHEB,

III

All the family of Snlmonid., or Salmons, have two dorsal fins, a. .
wilt e observc/ia the outline figure on page 37 ; tho lundcr one of
w Ich has no rays, but is merely a fleshy or fatty appendage. Had
Th Otsegoites known this simple faet, they would at onee have per-
eived that their fish not only was not aBoss, but was a Sainton And
h s same degree of attainment would have prevented the appheat.on
f h misnoL Trout to the Weak-Fish. I have observed this very
day n the columns of a disting^iished weekly journal, an offer on the
pS of a correspondent to describe the habits 8cc., of t e Sus.u.
WA Salnon J There being notoriously no Salmon m that or any
Southern stream, although the Brook Trout abound m its upper
waters, I venture at once to predict that this Salmon will turn out to
be the fish described by DeKay as Lucioperca Amencana andvan-
ously called Ohio Salmon and Ohio Pickerel; being neither, but a
species of the Pearch family, with one spiny dorsal fin.

I hope these brief facts will induce sportsmen to give a little atten-
tion to this subject ; and that they will not be alarmed by the harsh-
ness or apparent difficulty of a few foreign terms, nor suffer themselves
to be deter^ed by a mere show of trouble from acquiring, m a few
minutes, that which will surely give them years of gratification.

More direct instruction in regard to the mode of observation, and
the point to be observed, will be given under the head of each par-
ticular fish, in the body of the work ; but I will here point out that it
is very well to note down the number of rays severally contained in
the pectoral, ventral, anal, caudal, and dorsal fins of any fish which is
suspected of being an undescribcd or distinct variety ; as on this, as
well as on the shape of these appendages, much depends in distin-
miishing individual species of the same family.

I will here, in corroboration of the last remark, state m two words,
that next to the arrangement of the gill-covers, of which more anon,
the fact on which Yakrel relies most strongly for distinguishing the
Bull-Trout, Salmo Eriox, from the true Salmon, Salmo Salar, is
this, that the caudal fin of the former is convex, while that of the latter
is more or less concave, or forked, in proportion to tho age of the

individual fish.

I shall now pass to the consideration of the gill-covers, the appa-

SALMONID^.

ratua by means of which tho fi.sh breathes ; in other words, by which
the oxygen is 8oparat(!cI from tho water, in which the animal exists, as
it enters by tho mouth ami passes out at the aperture of the gills, con-
veying its influence to the blood in its passage.

This apparatus being of course of tho highest degree of importance
to the animal, varies in form and structure according to the various
exigencies of the different species to which it is attached ; and it is
therefore of great value to the observer in distinguishing ono family,
and even ono species of the same family, from another.

With regard to the family of which we arc now treating, tho Sal-
monid(C, beyond all rjuestion the most important and most interesting
to the sportsman, as being the gamcst, boldest, and strongest of all
the fish with which ho has to do, and to the epicure likewise, as afford-
ing the greatest varieties of the most delicious food, the remarks I am
about to make have egpecial application.

Of no other family known to the sportsman, are the species so
numerous, and so difficult of definition ; and not only the truly distinct
species, but the subordinate varieties, produced in the same species
by difference of food, of water, of bottom-ground in the lakes or rivers
haunted by each, and even by the degrees of light or shadow which
affects the localities which they haunt. Those varieties, often differ-
ing by many pounds' weight, colors in tho broadest sense of the word,
not tints or shades of hue, quality of flesh, and shape, are by no means
to be set down as distinct and permanent species ; for it will bo found
that a transposition of these from one place to another, and even the
regular course of reproduction, will bring them back to the original or
normal type.

What strikes us, moreover, at first sight, as in no small degree
singular, is the fact, that different varieties of one species will very
frequently differ more widely from one another, and from the original
type, so far as those externals which strike the mere superficial obser
ver, than entirely distinct and immutable species.

This it is which so often leads common and vulgar-minded persons,
who arc in the habit of boasting that they believe their own eyes only
and resorting to other absurdities of that kind, and who will not take
the trouble of connecting causes and effects, or considering logical

V J

AMERICAN FISHES.

„p in flisreffard and even to hold in contempt, the teach-
"'"rlirfmr theoretical di-eamers, useless coiners
7::^r:^fi:^^^^^ of distinctions, founded upon no difference.
" S, I' rry to say, is too often the habit of «po;tsmen ; .ho
wilH equontly give ear to the superstitious and absurd garruhty of
:L rlc ignoramus, who pronounces his absolute yea or nay upon
om fact ab^ut which he is utterly ignorant, and who has no earth y

qualification for judging on the ^-^^^-;^ ^^^^^/f ^^^ Totow
question, than that of having seen it so often that he ought to know
riething about it, which he does not; while they turn away contemp-
uously, or listen coldly to the teachings of the man, whose arguments
are founded upon facts that cannot err, upon deductions drawn from
differences of anatomical structure, permanent from generation to gene-
ration, and liable to no modification by the change of external circum-

'ThTsit is which renders the structure of the fins, the shape of the
gills, the system of the teeth, and other matters of the same kind,
which pass wholly unnoticed by the clod-hopping hunter, of all import-
ance in distinguishing one species from another ; while the size, the
weic^ht, the color and number of the spots, things to which he wil
point as decisive with all the pig-headed presumption of self-conceited
ignorance, are of little, if any weight, as varying in individuals, and
not transmitted, like to like, through generations.

Almost all the really distinct species of the Salmomda are distin-
guished principally one from another by the form of the head and the
structure of the gills in the first degree, and by the dental system m
the second. Any permanent and unvarying difference in these,
coupled to other variations of color, form, habit, or the like, which
might otherwise be deemed casual, being held sufficient to constitute

a distinct species.

Many discoveries have been made through these means of late years ,
many varieties, which were formerly supposed to be truly distinct,
having been proved to be identical ; and many new species discovered
—the tendency of the whole having been to simplify, and to diminish
the number of species, in the upshot, and thereby to decrease the
labors of the student, and to facilitate the acquisition of science.

8ALM0NIDJE.

Much, however, yet remains to be dona, as will be rendered evident
by the consideration that, even in so circumscribed a territory as Great
Britain, every water of which has been explored, and, it may be pre-
sumed, almost every fish submitted to the examination of scientific '
men, great doubts yet exist concerning many forms, especially of this
family of Salmonida, whether they are absolutely distinct, or merely
casual varieties, incapable of reproduction.

In this country, with its boundless lakes and gigantic rivers— all
those to the northward and eastward, and all those feeding the tribu-
taries, or lying in the vast basin, of the St. Lawrence, as well as all
those on the western or Pacific coast, flowing down through the Sacra-
mento and Columbia, or wasting in the arid sands or wet morasses of
the Great Central Basin, all teeming with varieties, perhaps distinct
species of the Salmon— what a vast, what an unexplored field for the
sportsman, the naturalist ; and how doubly charming for him who unites
in one individual both capacities. But two distinct varieties of the
American Lake Trout, or at the most three, are as yet made out — for
I think it doubtful whether there be any positive grounds on which to
establish a distinction between the Salmo Confinis of DeKay, known
in the Eastern States and New York as the common Lake Trout, and
the Salmo Amethyslus of Mitcuil, known as the Mackinaw Salmon,
The Salmo Siskawitz of Agassiz, discovered in the course of the past
summer in lakes Superior and Huron, is clearly a marked and perma-
nent species. That there is yet one other distinct species, the Sebago
Lake Trout, I fully believe, but only having heard of it by oral
description, I dare not take upon myself, without examination and
comparison, to decide the question.

Again ; another huge fish is constantly mentioned as taken at times
in the lakes of Hamilton county, in New York, which, if it be not, as
[ believe it is, a gigantic casual variety of the common Brook Trout,
Salmo Fontiiialis, is certainly a distinct fish.

A slight examination of the gills, teeth, and fins, will at once settle
this point.

Of the common Trout, but one species is as yet firmly ascertained,
unless the Red-bellied Trout, Salmo Erythrogaster, of DeKay, provo
to be a distinct form ; which I, for one, do not at all believe. The
Troutlet of that author is merely the young of the common Trout

K I

N .3

AMERICAN FISHES.

Whether there exists a Sahnon Trout or Silver Trout, Salrno TruHa
Marim, at all ia American waters, apart from the Salmon-peal, Gnlse
and common Trout, having access to salt-water, hkewise remams o
be proved, by the aid of those easy methods of exammation, the use of
which I so earnestly desire to impress upon my fnends and fellow,
sportsmen, not merely as an aid to science, but as an immense addition
to their own individual gratification, when m pursuit of their finny
prey by the wild margin of some far woodland lake, or on the rocky
borders of some lone torrent of the wilderness

That many new species, entirely unsuspected and undescibed still
remain to be found and recorded in our waters, I hold to be undoubted ;
when they will be discovered, or by whom, is another question -for I
regret to say it, as yet the spirit of science, and the desire to facili-
tate and assist the inquiries of the man of letters, has scarcely pene-
trated the breast of the American sportsman ; and while, in England
and on the European Continent, many the most distinguished corres-
pondents of the literary and scientific institutions of those lands are
sportsmen, who have contributed most highly to the advancement of
knowledge by their investigations, experiments and contributions, we
can, on this side, alas ! point to but two or three of the sporting frater-
nity who have cared to record themselves as anything more than killers
of anmials; of the habits, characteristics, and even names of which
they are but too often grossly ignorant.

A few there are, it is true, who aspire to higher things, and who
are actuated by something more than the mere love of killing, the
mere ambition of boasting of bag; and among these, may their num-
bcr increase daily! it will not, I hope, be deemed impertinent to
specify the author of " The Birds of Long Island," who, from a sports-
man of no secondary skill or energy, has successfully aspired to the
honors of a naturalist; and has most deservedly acquired, as such, no
small degree of celebrity and favor.

From this short excursion, into which I have been naturally led
in the course of my subject, I return to the description of the giU-
covers of fish, and thereafter to the dental system, the method of com-
paring which I shall lay down briefly for the use of the learner, and
then proceed at once to the history of sporting-fishes.

8ALM0NIDJE.

The subject, which I now present, is the head of the Silver Trout
of Europe, Salnio Lacustris^ a species found in the large lakes of that
continent. The figure is copied, by permission, from Professor
Agassiz' great work on the " Fresh-water Fishes of Central Europe."

The gill-covers of all the fishes of the three first divisions, with
which alone we have to do, consist of four principal parts, and their use
is to close the aperture behind the gills, which in all these three
divisions is so formed, and so freely or loosely suspended, that the
water bathes in its passage every part of their surface.

These parts are, the pre-opercubtm, or fore-gill-cover. No. 1 ; the
operculum, or gill-cover proper, No. 2 ; the sub-opercuhnij or under-
gill-cover. No. 3 ; and the inter -operculum^ or intermediate gill-cover,
No. 4. The braiichiostegous rays, as they are termed, are indicated
by No. 5 ; and the fixed plates, forming the posterior immovable mar-
gin of the gill-covers, by No. 6. N. 7. indicates the pectoral fn.

How widely these parts differ in form, in different species of the
Salmon tribe, will become at once apparent by a comparison between
the gill-covers in the figure above, and those of the true Salmon, Sal-
mo Salar, and the BuU-Trout, Salmo Eriox, Nog. 2 and 3, on the
following cut, which, with these, presents a view of the interior of the
mouth and the dental system of the common Trout, Salmo Fario, of
Great Britain.

AMERICAN FISHES.

0 C ^s,E/i

In figure 2 of this cut, representing the gill-cover of the true
Salmon, it will strike any casual observer that the hinder margin of
the whole covering forms nearly a semicircle, while that of No. 3, the
Bull Trout, approaches more nearly to a rectangular figure. In the
former, the pre-o'perculum, fore-gill-cover, a, differs from the same
part, similarly marked, in No. 3, it being more rectilinear; while the
operculum, gill-cover proper, b, of the former slopes hindward and
backward; the same portion, b, in No. 3, cutting in a horizontal line
upon the joints of the sub-opereulum and inter -operculum.

And in all respects both differ entirely from the arrangement of
the same parts in the head of the Silver Trout, exhibited in the cut last
preceding at page 45.

The most striking consequence of these differences is, that a straight
line, drawn backward from the front teeth of the upper jaw, the
mouth being closed, to the longest posterior projection of the gill-
cover, will, in the three fish, run at a totally different angle to the
horizontal line of the body; and will occupy an entirely different situ-
ation in respect to the eye ; such a line in the head of the Salmon,
Salmo Salar, and in the Silver Trout, Salmo Lacustris, passing close
below the orbit of the eye ; while in that of the Bull Trout, Salmo
ErioXy it will run obliquely very far below it.

This distinction is very easy of observation, and is extremely im-
portant in the definition of species ; as indeed is everything connected

SALMONID^.

with the form and peculiarities of the head, not forgetting its relative
proportion to the entire length of the body.

Of no less value is the arrangement of the teeth in the different
classes, families and species of fish ; there being, on this point, infinitely
greater variety than can be imagined by persons who have given their
attention only to the'struetarc of quadrupeds.

" The teeth," says Mr. Yarrel, in the introduction to his fine work
on British Fishes — from which I have taken the liberty of borrowing
the last cut, descriptive of the gill-cover^ and dental system of the
Salmon, BuU-Trout, and common Trout — " of fishes are so constant,
as well as permanent in their characters, as to be worthy of particular
attention. In the opinion of the best icthyologists, they are second
only to the fins, which in their number, situation, size and form, are
admitted to be of first-rate importance.

" Some fishes have teeth attached to all the bones that assist in form-
ing the cavity of the mouth and pharynx, to the intermaxillary, the
maxillary, and palatine bones, the vomer, the tongue, the branchial
arches supporting the gills, and the pharyngeal bones. Sometimes
the teeth are uniform in shape on the various bones, at others differing.
One or more of these bones are sometimes without teeth of any sort ;
and there are fishes that have no teeth whatever on any of them. The
teeth are named according to the bones upon which they are placed ;
and are referred to, as maxillary, intermaxillary, palatine, vomerine,
&o. — depending upon their position,

" A reference to page 46, will show the situation of the teeth in the
Trout, with five rows on the upper surface of the mouth, and foui
rows below; the particular bones upon which these rows arc placed,
are also referred to."

Mr. Yarrel then proceeds to descant, somewhat too largely for
extraction in a work of this description, on the form, position and uses
of the various teeth in different families of fishes ; but the gist of his
remarks I prefer combining under the heads of the various fishes to
which they belong ; and I shall only add here, that in some species
the teeth are arranged as in the Salmonidce, in duplicate or triplicate
rows of single teeth ; in others in dense patches, occupying sometimes
the greater part of the palate, set like the bristles on a shoe-brush, as
in the Esocida or Pike famfly; and again in others, as the snecioa

- I,;

AMERICAN FISHES.

{ .

Lalrax, of the family PercicK to which belongs our own noble Striped
Bass, they cover the whole tongue, besides bemg thickly set on the

^^m position and shape of these teeth indicate as clearly the habits,
mode of feeding, and the food, of the various families to which they
belonc., as do the teeth of the carnivorous, ruminating, or gnawing
quadrupeds inform the naturalist whether the creature, of which the
iaw-bone only lies before him, fed on animal substances, on grass, on
grain, or on the bark and hard-shoUed nuts of trees; or as the beaks
and bills of birds tell the experienced looker-on whether the owner
was a bird of prey, an insect-eating warbler, or a grain-cracker.

The distinction, therefore, which is founded upon the difference of
the teeth in different fishes, is by no means fanciful, or resorted to
merely to enable naturalists to display their ingenuity in making
definitions, and multiplying species, as many people stolidly imagine;
but is real and permanent, as representing the great sub-divisions of
the dwellers of the waters, as those which feed on living, those which
feed on dead animals of their own species, as insect-eaters, or mas-
ticators of hard shell-fish, and so forth, unto the end. Differences,
which even the most bigotted enemy of scientific distinctions must
admit to be as real, and true in nature, as those between the tiger and
the wolf, the ox that chews his cud, and the horse which fattens at the

manger.

I have known a sago coroner in England, who was wont to indulge
in sapient ridicule of tie learned professions, and to sneer at anatomi-
cal and physiological distinctions, who gravely sat in inquest over
some exhumed bones, and solemnly recorded a verdict of wilful murder
a<^ainst some person or persons unknown, the skeleton, when examined,
turning out to be that of a defunct cow.

Such instances are becoming, I am happy to say, rare, as regards
men in general, and those sciences which regard the human race,
and domestic animals. Why it should not be so with the sports-
man, I know not ; but too true it is, that most of that fraternity obsti-
nately adhere to ancient error, even when it is clearly pointed out ;
and attempt to ridicule the man of letters as a mere theorist, and
unpractical, for attempting to correct them in their blunders of
norr.enelaturj, whereby th'-y confus- all the tribes of the earth, the

SALMONIDJE.

air, and the water, and all the things that have life, whether animal
or vegetable, therein.

Little are they aware how fantastic are the tricks which they play,
" like angry apes before high heaven," in the eyes of all those, whether
naturalists or sportsmen, who do not confound conceit with knowledge,
or wit with impertinent vulgarity.

I shall now proceed to a few observations with regard to the figure
No. 1, in the last wood-cut, on page 46, which represents the inte-
rior of the mouth, opened to the utmost, of the common Trout of
Great Britain and the European continent, Salmo Fario; which is
selected by Mr. Yarrel as "showing"— to borrow his own words—
"the most complete series of teeth among the Salmonida: ; and the
value of the arrangement, as instruments for seizure and prehension,
arising from the interposition of the different rows, the four lines of
teeth on the lower surface alternating, when the mouth is closed, with
the five rows on the upper surface, those on the vomer shutting in
between the two rows on the tongue," &c.

In this cut, letter a represents the situation of the row of teeth that
is fixed on the central bOne of the roof of the mouth, called the vomer,
from some fiincied resemblance to the share of a plough, for which
the word used is the Latin term ; bb, refer to the teeth on the right
and loft palatine bones; c, to the row of hooked teeth on eacli side of
the tongue; dd, to the row of teoth outside the palatine bones, on the
upper jaw, which are those of the superior maxillary bones; and ee,
to the outside row on the maxillary bones of the lower jaw.

Now it will readily be understood what is the importance of exam-
ining carefully this system of teeth, in the different varieties of the
salmon family, whether called Salmon, Salmon Trout, Lake Trout,
Brook Trout, or any other local name whatsoever ; when it is stated
that the distinct species are very strongly and permanently indicated
by the number of teeth found in each upon the vomer, central bone
of the roof the mouth.

In the true Salmon, the teeth on the vomer very rarely exceed
two ; and sometimes there is but one.

In the Bull-Trout, the tooth are longer and stronger than those of
the true Salmon; but, like that fish, ho has but two, or at most three
teeth on the vomfir: he is distino-nishnd, aecordinw to the authorities.

.^hi

AMERICAN FISHES.

■i ;

by the different formation of his gill-covers, and the convex form of
his caudal fin, whence he is said to be termed the Round-tail in the
river Annan, in Scotland. This fish is unknown in America, and is
merely mentioned for the sake of example and illustration.

In the Salmon Trout of Great Britain, Salmo Trutta Lin., a mi-
gratory fish, growing to a very large size, the teeth extend nearly the
whole length of the vomer, thereby establishing a distinction between
this and the two aforenamed species.

Of the common Trout, we have already seen the dental arrange-
ment. In the two distinct varieties of Lake Trout, recognised by
authorities in Great Britain, which are non-migratory, and analogous
to our Lake Trout ; viz —

In the Great Gray Trout, or Loch Awe Trout, Salmo Ferox, which
is common to most of the large Scottish and Irish inland waters, and
which is pronounced by Mr. Agassiz to be distinct from any of the
continental Lake Trout, — these teeth extend along the whole length of
the vomer.

And in the Lochleven Trout, Salmo Levenensis, sive Ccecifei', Walk-
er and Palmer, if it be a distinct species from the common Trout,
Salmo Fario, as appears to be conceded — although I must say I doubt
it, as I do the Gillaroo, which, however, is more doubtful — there are
thirteen teeth on the vomer, extending through its wl.le length.

It would be well, indeed, if American anglers would take a little
pains about the examination of these points, and would note them down
in their tablets — in which, doubtless, they insert the weight of their
captives — together with the relative proportion of the length of the
head to that of the entire body ; the form of the gill-covers ; and rela-
tive position of the eye to a line drawn from the front teeth to the
lower posterior angle of the operculum or suboperculum, as it may be ;
the number of rays in each of the several fins ; and especially the form
of the caudal fin-tail — whether forked, concave, square, or convex.

A very few memoranda on such points as these, accurately recorded,
and assisted, where practicable, by the roughest sketch, would be of
greater utility to the cause of science, than can be readily imagined ;
and we should undoubtedly soon arrive at facts of great importance,
and perhaps discover some new and interesting species of this most
iutcrcstiag family.

SALMONID^.

At all ovonta, we should not be tantalized by information ao vaguo
and indefinite as that convoyed in a note to the appendix, contributed
by the members of th« Piseco club to Dr. Bethune, for Me beautiful
and valuable edition of Walton's Angler recently given to the Ameri-
can world-with notes on American fiahing, the only fault of which
is their brevity— by that accomplished fisherman and erudite scholar,
who takes no shame to be held a follower of the gentle art, and to
possess the finest piscatorial library owned in the United States,
whether by private individual or collective body.

" In June of this year," says the notc» to which I have reference,
"the president of this club killed a red-flcshcd Lake Trout of 24 lbs.
weight!" And no more!

Information of the same kind has been given to me by Mr. C. Web
BER, the author of some pleasant letters on Hamilton County Fishing,
published during the past year in the columns of the New York
Courier and Enquirer ; but, unfortunately, none of the fortunate takers
have noted any points relative to this fish, on which any deliberate
opinion can be formed.

The flesh of the ordinary Lake Trouts of America, Confims, Ame-
thystus, and Siskawitz, are all pale, dingy, yellowish buff, tasteless,
coarse, muddy, and flaccid.

It seems to be admitted that the red-fleshed Lake Trout is of more
brilliant external coloring than the common variety.

This is the fish of which I have spoken at page 43, as being un
questionably a distinct species, if not an overgrown and gigantic variety
of the Brook Trout, Salmo Fontinalis. This latter, I believe to be
the case; though it Is impossible to pronounce positively, without
seeing the fish, and instituting careful comparison.

The fishermen of that district, on the lake, assert, I understand,
positively that this is not the case ; but of course their opinion is utterly
valueless, being founded on some such admirable reason as that the
Brook Trout never grows to be above five or six pounds ; meaning
only that they have never seen what they take to be one over that
average. Just in the same manner, a person used to take fi.ili only in
the small mountain brooks of Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont,
might tell you quite as plausibly, quite as positively, and quite as

. .1 <• n._ _- f~- ~~ \.l~ w,:n«>«V.1n A'<rn<>ri<^Ti(*P of ♦.mfn ornosi — inat t.nft

truiniuiiy—* 80 lui' ^ "I-t luiacioii/xv vAj/cii%^.j»^c ^i. — — -, — —

b ■'

'fi

Eijsiisja^ ...i-a*tii!-

AMERICAN FISHES..

f»

Brook Trout never grows to bo above half a pound-nor does it b

^Vhrcommon Trout of England, Salmo Fario, which is so closely
connected with our Brook Trout, Salmo Fontinalis, as to be constantly
mistaken for it by casual observers, is continually taken m the larger
rivers, especially the Thames, and in some of the Irish waters, from
ten to fifLn pounds in weight. Mr. Y.hrel, when preparing lus
British Fishes, had a minute before him of six Trout taken in the
Thames, above Oxford, by minnow-spinning, which weighed together
fifty-four pounds, the largest weighing thirteen pounds ; and one is
recorded in the transactions of the Linnaean Society as having been
taken on the 1st of January, 1822; in a little stream ten feet wide
branching from the Avon at the back of Castle-street, Salisbury, which
on beincr taken out of the water was found to weigh twenty-five pounds.
These instances, which are beyond dispute, in relation to a species
so closely related to our fish aa the Salmo Fario, render it anything
but improbable that it too, in favorable situations, should grow to an
equal size ; nor is there any reason for doubting it, since it is known to
grow to the weight of five or six pounds, within a few ounces of which
latter weight I have myself seen it; and there is no natural or phy-
sical analogy by which we should set that weight as the limit to its

increase.

Should these remarks call the attention of sportsmen to a matter of
deep interest, and elicit from them occasional records of examina-
tions, which none can institute so well as they, their end will be fully
answered, and these pages will not have been thrown away.

We now come at once to the history of this family, and first, as best,
to that of the true Salmon.

This being the noblest and most game in its character of all fishes,
as I have observed before, once abounding in all waters eastward of
the Hudson, and still, though it has now ceased to exist in numbers,
west of the Penobscot, and even there can be rarely taken with the
fly, is still the choicest pursuit of the American angler, although he
may be now compelled to seek it in the difficult and uncleared basins
of the Nova Scotian rivers; in the Northern tributaries of the huge
St. Lawrence ; or yet farther to the Westward, in the streams of the
Columbia and the cold torr-^nts of Oregon, .all of which contain the

SALMONID^.

true Salmon, with many other noble and distinct varieties, in un-
equalled numbers.

Of this glorious fish, of its generation, migrations, growth, f nd habits,
BO much has been discovered within, comparatively speaking, a few
years, that I am enabled to present a considerable number of facts,
which will be doubtless new to many of my readers, and which may
be received as ascertained and authenticated beyond the possibility of
doubt.

MMW

it }

AMERICAN FI8HBB.

SALMON ID^

ABDOMINAL
MALACOl'TEBYOIL

"-.■K-

Balmoh Pihmi upw tlx month! old.

THE SALMON.

THE COMMON SALMON, THE TRUE SALMON.

P,«. first year, Smo.t. second year. Pea. or Ga.ui.. second autumn.-Saln.o
Salar, AucToauM. British Fishes, vol. ii. p. 1. DeKay. vol. .v.

Although this noble fish has never been made the subject bo far
a« 1 know of any of the strange and monstrous fables which have
obtained concerning many others of the inhabitants of the waters-aa
for instance the Pike, of which old kaak tells us, "it is not to be
doubted, but that they are bred, some by generation, and sonie not,
as namely, of a weed called pickerel-weed, unless learned Gessner
be much mistaken ; for he says, this weed and other glutinous matter,
with the help of the sun's heat, in some particular months, and some
ponds adapted for it by nature, do become Pikes"-still, until withm
the last few years, very little has been known with certainty concernmg
him in his infancy, and during the earlier stages of his growth.

"The Salmon," says kaak Walton, "is accounted the king of
fresh-water fish, and is ever bred in rivers relating to the sea, yet so
hicrh or far from it as to admit no tincture of salt or brackishness. He
kmA to breed or cast his spawn, in most rivers, in the month of

UDM.

.Salmo

it, 80 far
ch have
,ters — aa
lot to be
inie not,
Gessner
3 matter,
ind some
til within
mcerning
h.

! king of
ea, yet so
less. He
month of

"^ Tl

c/i

C/5

^fjiiilitiu=/*ijijl..i

SALMONIDJB.

August ; somo say that then they dig" a hole or grave in a safe place
in the gravel, and there place their eggs or spawn, after the melter
has done his natural office, and then hide it most cunningly, and cover
it over with gravel and stones ; and there leave it to their Creator's
protection, who, by a gentle heat which he infuses in that cold element,
makes it brood and beget life in the spawn, and to become Samlets
early in the next spring following." '

This passage I have quoted because in sever-^^ respects it approacbes
very nearly the truth, as it has been proved by the result of a series
of well-conducted experiments, to which I shall again allude.

The true Salmon is caught in the estuaries of our large northern
and north-eastern rivers, on his way up to deposit his spawn in the last
months of spring and the early part of the summer. It has been
observed in Europe, that those rivers which flow from large lakes afford
the earliest Salmon, the waters having been purified by deposition in
the lakes, while those which are swollen by melting snows are later in
season.

It is also observed that the northern rivers are the earliest ; and it
is stated by Artedi, that in Sweden, Salmon spawn in the middle of
the summer. The causes influencing these facts are not yet decided
nor are they easy of solution, says Sir William Jardine, especially
where the time varies much in the neighboring rivers of the same
district.

I am not aware that any diff'erence of this kind has been remarked
m this country ; and the great lack of residents on the remote Salmon
rivers who will trouble themselves to observe and record such facts as
daily occur under their eyes, ronders it very difficult to obtain such
information as might assist one in coming to any conclusion.

So far as I can judge, however, this diffbrence does not occur on this
part of this continent at least ; nor do I believe that the Salmon are
earlier in their appearance in the St. Lawrence, which flows through
the largest chain of fresh-water lakes in the world, than the St. John°s,
or the Penobscot, which lie farther to the south, and have no lakes of
any magnitude on their waters. It must be mentioned, however, here,
that all these rivers are equally swollen by melting snows ; and that,
being frozen soUdly until late in the spring, the period of their open-
ing naturally connects itself with the appearance of the fish.

J ivjv^TKi-o^jfHfiCJfffXBBl'M

»l

-M

AMERICAN FISHES.

The Connecticut tivor, which has no large lake on its course, and is
the southernmost of all the rivers which have furnished Salmon for
many years past, has ceased to be a Salmon river ; or some facts
mi^hthave been ascertained through observation of its waters The
Kennebec also, though formerly an unrivalled Salmon river is becom-
in. yearly less productive of this fine fish. I am inclined to think,
bow'ver, that it is the earliest Salmon river on this side of the Ameri-
can continent ; with the Arctic rivers I have of course nothing to do ;
and of the rivers or natural productions of California, Oregon, and the
Pacific coast, we shall know nothing on which reliance can be placed,
until the gold-hunting hordes are replaced by a stationary and organ-

ised population. ., xu j

The mouth of the Kennebec is about one degree to the southward
and westward of the Penobscot, and flows out of a large sheet of water,
Moosehead lake, which abounds in the common Lake Trout, growing
to a very large size, the Salmo Confinis of DeKay. I presume that
the true Salmon no longer has the power of making his way up to the
head-waters of this beautiful and limpid stream, in consequence of the
numerous and lofty dams which bar its course ; but of this I am not

The Salmon enters our rivers, then, rarely before the middle of May,
and is taken in their estuaries so late as the end of July ; and during
the early part of the season, nearly indeed until the latter date, does
not ascend far above tide-water, generally going up with the flood, and
returning with the ebb. At this time they are taken by thousands in
stake-nets, on the Penobscot and other eastern rivers, and sent thence,
packed in ice, to the markets of all the larger cities of the United States.

At the time of their first entering the fresh-water, when they are in
the highest possible condition, in the greatest perfection of flesh and
flavor ,°and at the height of external beauty, they are of a rich trans-
parent blueish-black, varied with greenish reflections along the back,
these colors gradually dying away as they approach and pass the lateral
line, below which the belly is of the most beautiful glistening silvery
whiteness. The dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins, are dusky black,
the small fatty second dorsal fin bluish-black, the central fins white
on the outer side, but somewhat darker within, and the anal fin silvery
white, like the belly.

SALMONIDJK.

There arc generally a few dark spots dispersed along the body about
the lateral line ; and in the female fish these are more numerous and
conspicuous than in the males.

The accompanying cut, facing page 54, is of a female, fresh run
from the sea, and is copied, by permission, from the figure by Son-
rel, in Mr, Agassiz's great work alluded to above. The individual
from which the figure is taken, was caught in tho neighborhood of
Havre-de-Grace, in France ; but the Salmon of the two continents
are identical.

1 will here observe, en passant, that whenever it has been in my
power to obtain specimens, either living or in spirits, I have myself
drawn the figures from nature on the wood ; but where, from the
season of the year, or other causes, I have been unable to obtain that
advantage, I have copied my illustrations from tho best authorities,
where I could find plates or drawings which I deemed satisfactory.
In the absence of either, I have left the fish unrepresented, in prefer-
ence to giving incorrect caricatures of the animal — such as disgrace
too many works of natural history, and, I am sorry to say, among
others, the great Natural History lately published by the State of New
York, the illustrations of which are below contempt as works of art,
and, in a scientific view, utterly useless, and uncharacteristic.

After they have gained the upper and shallow parts of the rivers,
preparatory to the deposition of their spawn, the colors of the Salmon
are materially altered ; the male becomes marked on the cheek with
orange-colored stripes, the lower jaw acquires a peculiar projection,
and turns upward at the point in a hard, hooked, cartilaginous excres-
cence, which, when the mouth is closed, occupies a hollow between the
mterraaxillary bones.

The body of the fish becomes greenish above, with the sides of an
orange hue, fading into yellowish-green on the belly, and the spots
assume a sanguine hue, the dorsal and caudal fins being more or less
spotted. The females at this season are even darker than on their
arrival in fresh water.

The males are at this period termed Red-fish in Great Britain, and
tho females Black-fish ; and they are so designated in the very salutary
enactments which, in that country, by protecting the fish during their

! I"

iiji

1 l.r'

I >

^H i

■

L lit f

AMERICAN FISHES.

rti::: r ri:^epeW .p.. .. «. peo,o .m no.

"rctrot%™ .0 POP'-- -:x:Ltr;ot:

foolUh and dUccdiUble .pint ;. Hon ^ h n. w,<, a._^ ^^^^_ g__^^_
which laid the golden eg^, they «nd that by ^^^^

„a.io spirit, they are ''oP-f ;;"j;^^jt ^d^ such

of national pleasure, as well as national prom
„e the fisheries of a eonntry^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^p^^.„,_

Dnring the ^'■"« *<. «sh go th F ^^^^^^ ^^

which is th^ ''-"*f,%*;,™^;'':British Fishes:"
the Salmon," as qnoted by Yar el in liis

. A pair of fish are seen to r^a,.„ torow, y worto„^ V^^J^^^^

with th, ir noses, rather "S^'' '"^^ •„, -.^^ hu gills the
with his .-"own str-- ^^fj ::X!:Z I ™ade, the male and

wrong way, 'l"™ ^'^ J^^^^^^^^ .„ ,!,„ „„e side, and the other to
female retire .0 a Uttedstonce on ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^ ^_^ ^^

:i:X^l :"etr la ./-ng a... eaeh ot^---
.eir spawn into the ("^ ^ ^^^^tr.^^^^^^^^^^^ them to

tStir1p:r,'a:my ha^Ye they betaUe them to the
plols, and deLnd to the sea, to ^^^'f^^-^^i, „„,, ,„, ,^.

LSuUytrmed glistening creature which ran up the stream in .h,
^t:f-\rrmed propenya haggit,and the male ahipper; ahd
the two, generally, kelts. brackish

SALMONID^.

it is said, thereby a release from certain parasitical animals, gene-
rated, these by the fresh, those by the salt water, at each change of

waters.

In Great Britain, the period of the Salmon's spawning varies from
November to the end of January. They have been carefully watched
during the whole process, as have the eggs after their deposition, so
that the length of time which it takes them to attain to maturity is
accurately known. This time has been ascertained by Mr. Shaw, in
a series of experiments, of which I shall have occasion to speak more
fully hereafter, to be about

114 days, when the temperature of the water is - - 36*
101 days, - - - - - - 43*

90 days, - - - - - - 45*'

These experiments were performed in the open air, and in natural
streams, liable to the ordinary influences of the atmosphere and
weather.

Dr. Knox, however, as is recorded in the Transactions of the Royal
Society of Edinburgh, observed a pair of Salmon which completed
their spawning, and covered up their ova with gravel, in the usual
way, on the 2d of November. This was in one of the northern tribu-
taries of the Tweed.

On the 25th of February, or at the end of one hundred and sixteen
days, the ova were dug up, and found unchanged. On being removed,
however, at this stage, and placed in bottles of water in warm rooms,
the eggs were matured almost immediately, and the young fry hatched.
In this state they can be preserved in the bottles, with the water un-
changed, for about ten days, aa during that time they are supported
on the yolk of the egg which adheres to the under part of their bodies,
as exhibited in figure 1 on the cut at the head of this article.

On the 23d of March, according to Dr. Knox, the ova began to
change, and it was not until the 1st of April that the fry were found
to have quitted the beds.

Mr. Shaw's experiments were, however, so conducted as to furnish
data on which more reliance may be placed ; and as these are of the
greatest interest, and as from experiments similarly conducted, farther
results of a different kind might be attained, of surpassing importance, ,
I shall state them somewhat at length.

'■' '

t ■

[ '
i

\ '
i

'i:U

' li

i J'l^

■ j 1

AMERICAN FISHES.

. -11 U. found by those who desire to investigato the
A full aeeount will be found by ptaosophioal Journal

Bubjeet more thoroughly, in *» Edmborg

for July, 1836, and Ja'"-'?- »838^ ^ ,„ fc, „ade, of different she,
Mr. Shaw, it seems, "'"^'■^/'"''^/^^n river, Ae Erith, the ponds

.t about fifty yards distance from - 8"'^ ^^ ,1,^ ^^e

heing -PP«e^;y^ -- J ^ ;:r'of the water in the ri™let
larvffi of insects. The '''"^'^^ J. „f j^at in the river ; other-
,as rather higher and 1- '»* ^^l in the ponds, and of the

:ir^rr;:errt,:it::;::p«oiseiy simnar to o^ose of the

spawn and fr, in ^^^J"?', ^ ^-.^ well-graveUed bottoms,

twenty-live, the third thirty by fj, ,^, ,■„„ preparing to

Observing two Salmon, m^ -d ^m-U,^^ ^ ^^^ ^^^^^,^

deposit their spawn, Mr. Shaw prep ^j ^^j^,

edkasn.au ''7\' ^'^^ I^tit o te treneh, plaeed a large
from the river, and at the lower e^trem y ^^ ^ ^^^

.rthenware basin to -e.e ^ ^a^^ Th« do ^^ J^ ^„, ^,^^ ,,
net he secured the two nan wn pressure of

female, while alive, in the '--^; ^^^^b The male fisl was then
her body, to deposit h-"™ ■; "1 „f .ie milt being pressed
placed in the same pos,t,on, nd q»ntit^ topregnated

from his body, passed ^^^ ^^l^^^^ ,^, ^a.in, and thenee to .he
the ova, which were then transterre _^^^^^^

-1. -am which fed -^-PP^^^tronh: Seam .. 40», that
» the graveUs usu^l^ T« ^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^_,^^,..,„,_ ;„ „ae,
of the river 36°. i ne . K*n» u pnncor.-uv^ the species

Z prevent the possibility of doubt or «- ^^^aV J..M Pou»ds
The male fish, when taken, weighed sixteen th to ^ J^^

The result was, that ^^■'y^^^^Zitt^'i^. ...mbrane in
in the scale above given. Wbcntotcmerfc ^^ ^ ^^^^^^^_

„hich it had been e-'of '-'**: ^Totte'^'referred to above,
the young fry is a. .t is shown in ^'>■ 1' » ^j^^ «,„ ,„„„g

The'yom is absorbed in -;;^*:-ro months, the young fish
r.::trtrrro. "trand a quarter, as represented a.

SALMON I DJE.

No. 2 ; and at the age of six months, he has grown to the size of three
inches and a quarter, and, except in dimensions, is exactly rendered
in No. 3 of the above cut.

From these facts we arrive at two consequences. First, that the
growth of the young Salmon has been greatly overrated ; and, secondly,
that at a certain period of its life the Salmon is a Parr. The extent
to which the growth of the Salmon has been overrated, will be per-
ceived at once, when it is shown that Dr. Knox, in the paper from
which I have already quoted, states that the fry which emerged from
their capsules on the 1st of April, were taken, on the 22d of the same
month, in the same year, as Smolts, with the fly, of the size of the
little finger.

It was also generally believed that the fry of the year descended to
the sea that very spring, and returned, in the autumn, grilse, varying
from two to seven pounds weight.

It is distinctly shown, however, by Mr. Shaw, that the young Sal-
mon, which is called a Pink while in the state represented above,
having perpendicular lateral bars or markings of a dusky gray color,
which were once supposed to be peculiar to the Parr, does not become
a Smolt, or go down to the sea until the second spring, tarrying a
whole year in the fresh water.

Salmon Smolt, one year old.

The fish here represented measured seven inches and a half ii}
length, and three inches and one-eighth in circumi once.

Its gill-covers were silvery, marked with a dark spot ; belly and
eides, up to the lateral line of the same, silvery color ; back and sides,

1 1

AMERICAN FISHES

^^ . V • « tn frroen ; sides above thft

a„.« to *« lateral V,„o, /f J' "J ''^llfJ^He lateral lino, and both
-..teral Imo n>a,kod «,t d-y "^j" ,=„ „,,„„, „d .po.». Tba

a Uttlo above and a ^^^^^^^^^^^^'Z several d»»ky spot. ; .Uo peo-
dor.al an ba, twelve rays, marked ^__^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^__^^^j j„ , ^j

t„,al fin ha, twelve ray, c a d»,ky ^^ ^^^^ same color.

,ays of a sUvory wh.te , and the anri ^ ^^^.^^^ ^^^ ^^^„„„

When the »ealo, «e,eoaretully token _^^^^^^ ._^ ^^^^^

„d spot, became of a fine ^-^f'^^^^,^^^ „„i„ appeared, .bleb
and ten ob,c«re oval !>- "''^^/j ,Ueh ha, not acquired the
erossed the lateral Ime. '» » y"" =

Boale,, tbe,o bar, are very distmet^ ^^^^^ j^^__^ y^^,,,.

The above cnt and *«»">?"->" "'7° p, Hey,ha.n', catalogao.
u British FUhc,," the latter a, I^^^Z^ *« -'— "' '''"'
To render these fact, ^t -- -^'»;^^^ ^^^^al, began to en-
Thomas Upton, Esq., of I-Sm^e "»j ^^ ^ggg^ ,„,„„
,a,ge a natural lake on lu, property nd ^^^ .^^^^ ^^^ . ^ .,
pinks from the Lnne a S 'mon r'ver ^„„„„„.,„ation with any
This lake, which « -=»»'* ^''^""Ved can get out, or any fry,
ether water, by which the S^^ »»- " ' j,";:;; i„%ero certainly not.
from other waters, get m. '"".P" ' sixteen month, afterward,
above two or three ounces each .n wcgb S. ^.^^ ^ ^^^

a friend of Mr,,Y™ « ^J Z" e^ll"^ onditio'n, silvery bright in
palmer fly two Salmon Peal, m eweUen ^^^_^^^_^

!„l„r, measuring fourteen mches '"';°^^' ^"^t ;,/„,„,> not so

„„nc;, ; one was cooked and »■''-; ^^/j^^f,,, at „f a Peal.
„da,tbo,eoftherive^weU- avo^ ^^^^_ _^„„,,„, ,„„„

In the month of July, 1838, e lev ^ ^^ ^^^^^.^^ ^^^ ^^j„^_ „^„„t

rrcJs^^S'ai:- -:-x^^^ iri

--^ r^rtrfirTof^rtrf Stained sateen month,,

^rr^crf^^^--

j;;rr!':r':::antbrec™^^^^^^^^^^

U„e smolt, of si. and a half -« "7' ^^^ „,a,uro, five inches,
„ above, and ready to migrate. In July, the pm
^d tbc smolts have then left the nver.

flALMONID^.

ti3

Dr. Knox seems to have erred merely in supposing that the pinks,
the size of the little finger, were from the ova hatched in April, when
they were probably from an earlier hatching of fish, which spawned at
a more remote date.

It soems, however, to be clearly and certainly established by these
experiments, that the smolt, or laspring, as they are sometimes called,
which descend the rivers every spring toward the middle of May, aro
a whola year older than the pinks, which are taken in the same waters,
at the same time, and by the same fly.

With regard to the later growth of the Salmon, I am not of opinion
that the lake experiments prove much, if anything, either 'pro or con ;
since it is a known and established fact, that salt-water has a recupe-
rative influence upon the mature fish which run down the rivers ex-
haustad by spawning, and also a certain tendency to increase the
growth of the young fish which descend the streams, smolts, as it now
appears, in their second year, of six or seven inches length, and about
as many ounces weight, and return peal or grilse, varying from two to
eight pounds.

It must be observed here, that grilse is the correct name of the fish
on its return from the sea in its second season, and that ftal is merely a
fishmonger's term for a small grilse not exceeding two pounds' weight.

That the identical smolt of six or seven ounces do return, after
two or three months' absence in the sea, as grilse of as many pounds'
weight, is proved beyond all dispute ; smolts innumerable having been
taken, marked with numbered tickets of zinc attached to the rays of
their ^'.orsal fins, set at liberty, and recaptured grilse^ varying from
two to eight ^pounds, in the autumn of the same year. The same
experiment, with the labels 'unremoved, shows that the same grilse,
descending the stream of unincreased magnitude in the spring of his
third year, returns in that third a,utumn a fish of sixteen, and upward
to twenty-five, pounds' weight.

I hold, therefore, that the argument is conclusive, so long as it is
founded on a comparison between fish which, whether they be con-
fined or at large, never visits the sea. Beyond that the analogy
ceases. It remains to be seen whether the Salmon confined to fresh-
water will eveV attain the size of those which run to and fro, from the
fresh to the salt ; I greatly doubt it ; and, with Mr. Yarrel, I think it

■f

AMERICAN FlSHEft.

• * u.ihf^T thefisl'.sobtou^cu from migra-
„„„ than a dubious P-'' ^''^jj „ 'e^auce *»ir own specie.

U IS » smguUr t»«'. "« ^^ j^„ ,,., •,„ ^ soeond year, havmg

aduU-tUe gnl.e, on .ts '"'"" 'T,.„„i„„ that same autumn. The
the roe and „.i,t '^^.f^^tZ' bu"« nUor only, fron, those of
„,„in the Sf»^*7 ;;'.'„ grow"., and there is no known
tl,e adult Salmon of a yea a eg ^ ^^^

differeneo between th fry of '■«»"; j,„= ,„ .„, „o™t,y these

Itwillprove tobe U tac , 1 vc ^^ ^ ,^^ ^_.^_^,__ ^ .^^^^^^ ^,_^^

ash spawn earlier .n the » ™" ^ h„ad.water» of the river,

must do so, for in the month »f " . j jt will be

whieh they frequent are masses "^ »°''^ ;" ' J ^ ;, ,he months
found that the ova are deposited an J fj ^^^^^.^ ^,„„, M.
of September and Oetober and m j P™"*'^ ;„ ,1 „,„,»*,

return to the .»>7'": *:„»", Clever ifttle important,
before the elosmg of the r. ers^ 1 Iw ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^

, now eome to the see n p m^ prov ^^ y ^^^^ ^^ ^ ,^ ^^.^^_

enee, is, o all m tents and p p , ^^^^^ ^,^^^_ .^ ^^^

Most, rf not all, ^f '^l"^f^ J^^ ^^, ;,„„ found invariably

•■"''tlhTrellmonfaXo- »"--« '» »"' «»-'^"''"^
a small fish 0 *» S" J _^^_^^^^ ^ ^^ ^^^ ^

Tt::;S'Iy,or 2: «ransver.e bands alluded .0 above, and
of the blmsh gray, , _^^j. ^, ^i,„ „g„„

S^-rLr*: r the Brook Trout, S.,. F^^,

"toltri": this little fish, there has been a eontinual doubt and a

dilute of mlny years' standing, some persons maintammg that .t was

luna, an/r',produetive species of *e M— , w 'c they

it was neither more nor less than a young Salmon.
It was muuri "» jj J +1,0* pnrr had been marked and

In proof of this, it was adduced that Faxr naa oeeu

retaken as Grilse

8ALM0NIDA.

inlgra-
apecies.
ore it is
, having
1. The
thoao of
) knowp

try thcso
ied, thcj
;he rivers
it will be
c months
arcnt fish
e winter,
)ortant.
t by these
his oxist-
jd a Parr.
i, in some
invariably
(nsiderable
e presence
ibove, and
I also again
Fontinalis,

oubt, and a
; that it was
which they
)ther8, from
a unproduo-
1 Trout, the
t again, that

marked and

But in reply, it was statod that Parr had also been marked and
retaken as Bull Trout, Saimo ErioXy and Salmon Trout, Salmo
Trutta; whence it waa argued that the fish marked had been so
marked carelessly and injudiciously, and were not Parr at all, but
Smolts, or fry of some of the other Salmonida. Mr. Yarrel
admits that he has seen these vertical marks in the young fry of the
Salmon, Bull Trout, Parr, common Trout, and Welch Charr ; but
still maintains the existence of the Parr as distinct, principally on the
ground that the Parrs are taken abundantly even in autumn, not
exceeding five inches in length, long after the fry of the larger migra-
tory species have gone down to the sea.

This is in the body of the work, written previous to the experiments
made by Mr. Shaw; and this Mr, Yarrel there considers to be a
sufficiently obvious proof that the Parr is not the young of the Salmon,
or indeed of any other of the larger Salmonidce.

The reason is of course annihilated by the proven fact, that the
Pinks, which remain in fresh-water all the first year, are young Sal-
mon, Parr-marked ; whereas the young Salmon-fry, Smolts, formerly
supposed to be the young fish of that year, all of which have gone
down the river to the sea, are in truth the fish of the preceding year.

Similarly is the question settled with regard to the existence of
Parrs in str ims of the Western isles which are never visited by
Salmon, theae being, in all probability, the Brook Trout in the Parr
Btage of its existence.

And so again the fact that there are lakes in the same islands fre-
quented by the Salmon and sea Trout, in which Parrs are never found
— because the young fry, while in the Parr, or transversely banded,
form, keep in the swift cold streams, and do not descend to the lakes.

It now appears to be certain, or as nearly certain as anything can
be, which is not positively proved, that every species of the Salmonidce
is at one period a banded fish, or Parr.

This is known as an authenticated fact of the Salmon, Salmon
Trout, Bull Trout, and common English Trout, aa well as of the
Welch Charr, aa admitted by Yarrel.

Mr. Agassiz has figured the Hucho, Salmo Hucho, and the conti-
nental Charr, which he esteems identical with the northern Charr of
England, Salmo Umbla, in the same stage — the other characteristics

i 'Mi

AMERICAN FISHES

.or.3 b„s. TU. same ^^ 8"' °^ „ ^,^^^^ ^^^ .,„ B,«ok

.,0 Great Gra, Trout oU)*. ^U^^Jj^^^^ > ^^^ ^^ ,,;,

C«#»", of .°;'"y- , h^ i,„„„ tostitutod for tho fry of any of tlie.e
No o^peoia ''''f^l^Z-iinoo,ery goos no way to provo tho.r

r„rr:o%:"'X,^" ^ni .0. .0 ..o, t.at tw

-'" bo di'«»7«^j° '.7;„;^„„„ .H„ „o,t strongly-marked, Salnonida,
A, it now stands, of four an ^^^ ^_____^ ^^^^^^^

.i„o have boon "loarly «oi '^ ^« ^or ^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^___

:::r a:tCA: :a:a:;::koTroni . one ..-.os .««....

^hich is shown to bo no exception t„ the rnle^ ^_^^ ^__^

£..er, migratory spec.es f '« ' J ,,,„f„„, goes to show

„f the five or si,, --;=' -^^- „f ^If ,ot to deviate from the
that these species will be touna, on ,

rule of ^eir order ^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ,, ,ho

P^. r Sh -;;;i::Ll named by different observers are
Parr exists , an ^^^ ^f the Salmon family.

'"rnl^r^rCl reclaims; and justly remarks that

. ,Mf rno nct^e -idence of the non-existence of ^^^
this 13 noi exclusively applied , it

trshrt^rwlTpl^amon^g^eralobserve^t^^^^^^

between the yonng of closely-allied spec.es, three or four of wh.ch

indiscriminately called Parrs."

Jn called Parrs, is no proof that all Parrs are young and .mmature
"m matter, though, as it now stands, cleared of all the absurd

lALMONIDA.

theories conooming crosa-brooding between Salmon, Sea Trout, Gray-
ling, and Common Trout, being set aside, is of easy proof.

It only rests to show the male and fomalo Parrs full of ova, ready
for spawning, and the question is settled.

In connection with this, it is fair to state, that Dr. Hcysham, of
Carlisle, in England, who is said to have devoted particular attention
to this fish, which is there called Brandling or Samlet, observes that
" The old Samlets begin to deposit their spawn in December, and
continue spawning the whole of that month, and perhaps some part
of January. As this season of the year is not favorable for angling,
few or no observations aro mado during these months. As soon as
they have spawned they retire, like the Salmon, to the sea, where they
femain till the autumn, when they again return to the rivers."

After a number of farther observations concerning the young fry of
the supposed Parr, their sizes, seasons, &c., he concludes by these
^ords — " In short, we see Samlets of various sizes — we see them with
milt and roe, in all the various stages, and we see thera perfectly
empty ; all which circumstances clearly prove that they are a distinct

species."

Clearly, indeed ; if it appears that these circumstances can be
authenticated; but this I, for the present, doubt — first, because if
there had been visible facts, the theory never could have been started
of their being unproductive mules. Second, because Sir William
Jardine, after examination of the Parr of the Tweed, speaks of it as
still uncertain whether it may not be the young of the common Trout,
Salmo Fario ; and for this reason, that though he has found males
full of milt, ho never has seen females with the roe in an advanced
state ; and, fartherraore, distinctly avers, that " they have not been
discovered spawning in any of the shallow streams or lessor rivulets,
like the Trout."

Sir William, however, still leans to the opinion that there is a
distinct species, in which the transverse markings are permaneut,
which reproduces its own kind, and never grows to a greater size
than eight or nine inches ; and this ho would retain under the title
given to it by Ray, of Salmo Salmulus.

Mr. Yarrel is of the same opinion ; and has certainly shown
decidedly that it is not a hybrid, or a species of which there are

,^ .,rf '^^^-

AMERICAN FISHES.

, ,, ^;ao,l • siipe of three hundred and ninety-

r ' lr» males ana ono hundrca ana nmoty-»« females.

, rlfch a once aUpeU all the mystery of the qucsUon-

elear ana wbch at onee p ^^^^.^^_^„, ,„,„, „„,y, „,

r^m" Ilr::' M. Ya.el state l>nt '^^^^^ ^
e^rle youth, transverse blnish, or olive-eolorea markmgs ; that they
We Jl been confonnaea with one another, ana-f there be sueh a
fi^w th tie Parr proper ; ana that from this confnsioo, and the
wtt : aiserimination on the part of the observers, have arrsen aU
ZeLradiCory aeconnts of Salmon, Salmon Iront, Bnll Trout,
ana'Common Trout, raised from the veritable Parr.

Whelr there L or do not exist a very small, d-stmet spee.es
of Sato, in Great Britain, which retains these marks »» ""^ta"^.
i. a matter of little eomparative moment, though mterestmg to the
naturalist The first question was of the greatest .mporUnee, ^
°n wtg the whole subjeet of reproauetion of speeies, masmuch
Is the faets, as assertea ana formerly believea, were a.reetly
altlus to 'this, that from the eggs of a barn-door fowl, o one
bying", were hatJhed bantams, quail, guinea-hens, pea-fowl, ana any

other°gallinaoeous fowl you please. ,. . , „ ,., u

On this eontinent, assureaiy, there is no a>st.nct Parr, although
nnaoubtcdly it will appear hereafter, that '*^ '''V^l"^ ^^rj
of the family, like the true Salmon, the greater Lake Trout and ho
Brook Trout, the other speeies without eseeptmn, have the Parr

"on to topie I have dwelt somewhat at length, yet I trust not so
long as to weary my readers, the great interest of the pomt at .sane
and the almost interminable discussion which has been mam tamed on
the subject, rendering me peculiarly anxious to aaauce somethmg now
...a to the point ; which, thanks to the kina assistance of my frrend,
Mr Agassiz, 1 trust I have succceaed m aomg.

1 may here venture to aaa that the aistinguishea gentleman 1 have
jnst namea, is inclinea to increa»lity as regard, the existence of a

aistinet species of Parr. , „ , c...

I shall now recur to the eiperhnents on the ova of Salmon ; S.st,

SALMONIDiE.

for the purpose of shomng how they may be brought into direct
practical utility, and rendered subservient to the pleasure of the
angler, as a method of stocking inland waters ; and, secondly, of
pointing out how easily experiments might be made in this mode,
as to th°e hybridization of fishes, and the rearing new species of mules,
or ascertaining that they cannot be reared, by the commixture of the
milt and roe of various distinct species of the same family in small
tanks, fed by running brooklets.

It has been shown above, that the impregnated spawn of any two
live breeding fishes of the same family, may be artificially hatched
and preserved in waters other than thosa in which the parent species
are wont to live ; as even the Salmon in fresh- water.

I shall now proceed to show that the same result may be obtained
by the commixture of the melt and roe in aerated water, of dead fishes
recently taken.

It is absolutely necessary that the water should be afirated, or highly
supplied with oxygen. B'or it is for the purpose of finding water in this
condition, that the Salmon, the Shad, the Bass, the Smelt, and all
those fish which resort to fresh-waters, for the purpose of spawning,
run to the shifllow, pure, and swiftly-flowing brooks, to which their
rapidity and frequent falls impart purity and vitality, by mingling them
with the atmosphere. In the same manner, the fish of the sea resort
for the deposition of their ova to the weedy shoals, where the vegeta-
bles, in process of their growth, under the influence of the sun, distri-
bute air through the waters around them.

" The science required for this object" — that is to say, the raising
foreign fishes for the stocking of home waters — thus speaks Sir Hum-
phrey Davy, in his delightful work, " Salmonia" — " is easrily attained,
and the difficulties are quite imaginary. The impregnation of the ova
of fishes is performed out of the body, and it is only necessary to
pour the seminal fiuid from the melt upon the ova in water. Mr.
Jacobi, a German gentleman, who made, many years ago, experiments
on the increase of Trout and Salmon, informs us, that the ova and
melt of mature fish, recently dead, will produce living oifspring. His
plan of raising Trout from the egg was a very simple one. He had
a box made with a small wire grating at one end in the cover, for
admitting water from a fresh source or stream, and at the other en(?

",it>t'-i"-:^We^-*

AMERICAN FISHES.

. ^ 'A f *h. V^nx there were a number of holes, to allow the exit
: : : : l:: tX2^^^ ^o. ... miea w^h pehUes ... gravd
drffrentB.es, whieh were kept eovered with water that was always
n mot n In November, or the beginning of December, when the
Trlt wero in full maturity for spawning, and eoUeeted m the nvers
I ttis pup se,upon the 'beds of gravel, he eaught the n.ales and
111 in a'net and'by the pressure of his hands received the ova m
Tirif water and suffered the melt, or seminaUuid, to pass mo
the basin ; and after they had remained a few minutes ogether, he
't.od ced tVn. upon the gravel in the box, whieh was placed under
a sour-^e of fresh, eool, and pure water. In a few weeks the eggs burst
au'l the bo. was filled with an immense number of young Trout, which
had a sma 1 bag attached to the lower part of their body, containing a
part, of the yo!^. of the egg, whieh was still their nourishment In this
state they were easily carried from place to place in -"6-^ P-^J-
of fresh-water, for some days, requiring apparently no food ; but after
about a week, the nourishment in their bag being exhausted, they
began to seek their food in the water, and rapidly increased in^ size
As 1 have said before, Mr. Jacobi assures us that the experiment
succeeded as well with mature fish, that had been killed for the pur-
pose of procuring the roe and the melt, these having been nnxed
together in cold water immediately after they were taken out of the
body / fu,ve had this experiment tried twice^^ continues Sir Hum-
phrey, speaking in his own person, "a«^ wUh perfect success ; and
it offers a very good mode of increasing to any extent the quanaty
of Trout in rivers or lakes ; for the young ones are preserved from
the attacks of fishes, and other voracious animals or insects, at the
time when they are most easily destroyed, and perfectly helpless. The
same plan, I have no doubt, would answer equally well with Grayling,
and other varieties of the Salmo genus. But in all experiments of
this kind, the great principle is to have a constant current of fresh and
afiratcd water running over the eggs."

Now it is manifest from this, that any person resident in the near
vicinity of any lake or rivor, abounding in any species of this family,
the Common Trout, the True Salmon, the Lake Trout, and probably
the Otsego Bass, Coregonus Otsego, which is one of the same family,
likewiso,\aving also the command of the smallest possible source of

SALMONID^.

t h running water, can raise, in the space of a few weeks or months,
av indefinite number of young fish, of any of these varieties, which,
dv ng the first week or ten days, can be removed to any distance that
cai be reached in that time— and, in these days of steam velocity,
wh .t distance cannot be reached ?— in any cask, jar, or other vessel,
capable of containing a few gallons of water.

There would not, in this manner be the smallest difficulty, and very
small trouble or expense, in translating the Mackinaw Salmon and the
Siskawitz Trout from Lake Huron and Superior, to the inland waters
of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania — not the smallest diffi-
culty in introducing the true Salmon from the Penobscot or the St.
John, to any lake, river, or stream, in the Middle States ; and, it
having been proved by the experiments of Mr. Upton, in Lilymere,
as recorded above, that the Salmon will live and preserve its excel-
lence in fresh-water, entirely debarred from egress to the sea, would
it not be a highly interesting, and, if successful, valuable, experiment,
to attempt its introduction into the hundreds of limpid lakelets which
gem the inlands and uplands of our Northern States ?

Again, as it is well known that all the migratory fish, like the birds
of passage, return, whenever it is possible, to the streams wherein they
were themselves bred, to breed, it seems to me that it would be well
worth the trying whether these streams of ours here, to the southward
of Maine, which, within a century or two, teemed with Salmon, but in
which one is now never seen, might not be colonized and restocked
with the delicious fish.

There is no plausible reason why the pinks which should be trans-
ported to the upper Hudson, and should there remain till they become
smolts, should not return as grilse to the scones of their childhood.

Nor do I see any good reason why they should not continue to breed,
and to frequent any river into which they should be so introduced.

The cause of their desertion of these rivers is inexplicable. It has
been attributed to steamboats, but that is ideal ; for the Tay, the
Tweed, and the Clyde, and half-a-dozen other English and Scottish
rivers, which still abound in Salmon, are harassed by more steam-
boats, hourly, than are the Kennebeck and Penobscot now, or than
wore the Hudson and Connecticut at the time when the Salmon for-
sook them, daily

:• «

i '"i

AMERICAN FISHES.

I think it, myself, far more probaWe t!>at the, were po«ned, and

driven frem the hoad-waters and trihutarie., in wlneh 'hoy «' «"

to spawn, by the sawdust, espeeially of the hemloek ; and that the

Lk whi h were used to run up these estuaries hanng hoeome extmot.

ae traditional instinet is lost, and there are no fish left wlueh know

'if^SslXrason-and, the known instinet of the animal eon-
sidered, it Is as plausible a eonjeeture as any other-.t .s ccrta.n that
„anyr vers, whose water, a few years ago ran turb.d w.th sawdust,
TuTwhose e'very tributary resounded to the elaek of the »"-■»■'•.--
again run as limpid as ever, and are guiltless of saws, as well as of the

timber to supply them. . , ■■ . i, :„

I contend, therefore, that there is no analogy against, l>«t nmch in

favor of the possibility of rostoeking the Southern rivers of the Mid-

die States with Salmon, which should return, and breed in them, year

'Xriooking to the vast profit directly arising from BJich fisheries
can I ioubt, particularly when regarding the action of the ^ew York
Legislature in regard to a fish so comparatively worthless as the Carp,
that, could such a thing bo effected as the recolonization of our rivers
with Salmon fry, some action of the legislatures would ensue for their
protection, until such time as they could be fairly naturalized.

Whether thh be feasible or not, it is certain, that to every inland
sprin.-lake, from the western line of Pennsylvania to their easternmos
and northernmost limits, every variety of Brook Trout and Lake Trout
can be introduced with ea^e, and at a trivial expense ; nor these only,
but the true Salmon likewise. And I strongly believe that, when the
extreme simplieity of the method, and facility of the means, become
generally known, the true Salmon will be introduced, at least, into
The lakes of Hamilton County, as well as into many other inland
waters In fact, running as he docs now into Ontario, there is no
reason why he should not be safely lodged, beyond the power of re-
turning, above Niagara, and compelled to fill Erie, Michigan, Huron,
and Superior with his noble race.

A few years since, he found his way into Seneca and Cayuga Lakes,
and If modern improvomcnts-heavens ! how I loathe that word !--
have not excluded him, he finds his way there yet, and thence might

SALMONIDjE.

be propagated, ad infinitum^ through the whole region of the lesser

lakes.

The next point of great value to be attained by the use of experi-
ments of this nature, is the ascertaining how far fish are capable of
hybridization ; and possibly the creation of now and interesting varieties,
besides the elucidation of sundry, now mooted, questions concerning
the manner in which various species, now distinct, have arisen, and
whether in truth they are distinct or no.

Now, it is of course just as easy to commingle, in the manner here-
tofore described, the melt and roe of two distinct varieties, as of the
same species ; and the consequences of such an admixture would excita
the attention of the whole scientific world.

Anywhere in the northern and north-eastern part of the State of
New York, anywhere in the northern parts of New Hampshire, Ver-
mont, or Maine, it would bo the easiest thing in the world to procure
the common Lake Trout, Salmo Confinis, if not alive, at least within
a few hours after his capture, and the common Brook Trout, dead or
alive, in any desirable quantities.

There is little if auy difference in the spawning period of these two
Sahnonida, so that it would require very little pains or attention to
procure the males and females undoi the circumstances proper for the
making of such an exporin'ont, which might b^ performed precisely as
I have described it above ; trying, in different instances, the males
and females of the two species alteri-^ely.

There are thousands and tons of thousands of little tumbling trans-
parent rills, thrcugliou: that country- — scarcely a farm without a dozen
such —which have niauorous na,tural basins in their courses, each of
which, with the aid of a few hours' work employed in raising a timber
dam, and applying a grate at the entrance and egress of the stream,
would constitute as perfect a store-pond for the making of such expe-
riments as could be erected by the wealth of Croesus ; with the advan-
tage, too, of having the fish requisite for the tests existing, in a state
of nature, within a few miles, perhaps within a few hundred yards, of
the scene of action.

One place already made to hand, requiring no improvement or alte-
ration, strikes me on the instant ; and one familiar, I doubt not, to
very many of my readers. I mean Barhydt's Trout-ponds, near
6

it q
I •■\\

l-f

I'/,

''i«

••Tfi'-'

AMERICAN FISHES.

u tv,« Rrook Trout abound, In what perfection
Saratoga SP™jj'.;k«- * ^e I Lake Trou't could bo obtained,

'' »^:x;a:r r«iri>:::^-t ,.de . t. oo. .
ixrt :oi— r;-u..t„u a^o^ wu-,oKtbof,.y.wd

V tpUn onSoed vessels uatil the yolks of the egg were absorbed
„u'„ ft "y should be transferred to one or other of the tanks fed by

'"ir:!™ manner, in »any places, especially in Maine, near the
west branch of the Ponobseot, where it Sows w,thm a few nules of
MS Lake, the fonner a favorite spawnin, station of the true

^a Ion, the latte; abounding in the large Lake Trout we.ghmg some-
fiJs up to thirty or forty pounds, it might eas.ly be ascertamed
lefter a hybrid could be obtained between these two fishes ; and
r perhaps, in a greater degree upon the shores of the great lakes,
rWbh these Secies are taken, eastward at least of N.agara.

A similar trial mig'.' >>= made with the ova of the Salmon and of
the common Trout;" which eould be don, with greater fac ,ty han
the other, from the fact that the two species are constantly found
naturally coexistent in the same waters. . , , -j

Shoufd any of these experiment, result in the production of ybrids,
another interesting question would arise, as to -'"«'';-.'''« 7';'^*'';
produced should bo again capable of reproduc.ng their own .pec, s^
Luld this be the case, it would go very far toward the breaking up
the whole theory of distinct species of this family, an F"--mg them
to be merely accidental varieties, casually produced at 4rs , ..nd hav
,b"ome in process of generations, capable of '™n-"";"^ f^
own peculiar type to their progeny-as is the case c early with the va-
Llceds of dogs, horses, cattle and other domestic ^^^t^
,0 Ion. a, they are preserved unmixed, will produce their like , but
whieh!if inter-bred with other closoly-kindrod races, will produce a mon-
jrrel but not a h,hrid-onc, I mean, rtich is capable of reproduction.

8ALM0NID.E.

Thus Shetland ponies breeding together will produce Shetland
pomos ; and blood-horsce of the Arab stock, blood-horses.

Intermix these, and you shall have a cross-bred offspring ; which is
not, however, a hybrid, like the produce of a horse and an ass ; for it
is capable of breeding again, with its own type, or with either of the
parent races, or with any other pure horse.

And so of hounds, setters, greyhounds, and all the varieties of
domestic dogs, so long as they are interbred among themselves ; but
the moment they are associated witli the wolf, fox, jackal, dingo, or
any of the congenerous though distinct races, they will breed with them,
it is true, but the progeny will be truly hybrid and barren.

If, therefore, it should be proved on experiment, that the various
distinct species of the Salmonida, as they are now held to be, will,
when interbred, produce young capable of reproduction, it would go
very far to establish the fact that the distinctions are not distinctions,
but merely varieties.

I must not, however, be understood as saying that the success of
experiments, and the establishment of such a result as I have supposed,
would go at all to prove that such intermixture of varieties occurred, or
such cross-breeds were produced, in a state of nature; far from it.

We know, that in vegetables, hybrids can be, and are, readily pro-
duced by artificial means, which will not occur once in a century, per-
haps never would occur at all, were the plants left to the operation of
nature.

Nature abhors monstrosities ; and the proverb that the " cat will
follow kind" is of older wisdom than Will Shakspearc's. Man's
freaks have raised mongrels between the lion and the tigress ; nature's,
so far as we know, or can conjecture, never. And always in a wild
state a hundred circumstances, such as different size, different habits,
haunts, associations, and last, not least, fear — one species of the same
family being habitually the devourer of his relatives — will prevent the
occurrence of such admixtures between animals.

It would requii-e many and strong evidences to make me believe
that the Brook Trout of ordinary dimensions would trust itself wil-
lingly within such distance of the Salmon, or Lake Trout, as would
permit their ova to commingle in a single furrow.

Nor, indeed, do I believe, myself, that the result of suob taperi-

f Kid

-1 -

■it

AMERICAN FISHES.

J 1-1 K. success : although 1 gather from a
xaents as these last-named would bo ^^^"^ ' ^ ^^^ ,^^, ^o

note of Dr. Bethune., to his ^^^^^es of this faniily were
am disposed to credit. ^^^ entertainment in the

That tho.0 which 1 first men ^^^ ^^j,_^^.__^ ^^^^ ^^^^

to he ^-^'^-^'/^ta^od nd constantly practiced, like many
r::o:rt.^^o°.t.gott:n,o... .c matter on..solvc. recently

discovered, hy the ™°^-f j'*;^^ ,^^ „„„.;„„„» to England, by th.
That Carp were .nt odu ed fio ^^ ,„„„„p,uhed with-

„„„is, « -f J';^-^ .Vt;;,';: of ;,„ducing or raising the young
r 'Tbir e ow -'.ly and powerful reopens for belioving
Zt the Gray tag Va«»s y™«./er, the Charr.Sa « UnlU,i^.

SS"bc%an CW^,...^^^^^^^^

rsclald an Indilnt waters-, sometimes in only one of two

■itinL rivers whereof that which contains them is apparently
ncighbormg rivers, wnercoi ^^ ,_.^^

the least adapted to then- habits; but always in sucu
mlv « distinguished monastic institutions on their banks. While
TgL d was Catholic, great attention was paid to *-—f ^^^ ;'"
tenL the choicest varieties of fresh-water fish ; an art which has sunk
rncgl ct, partly owing, doubtless, to the abolition ""f "^'y;- ^'^
partin th'e'great facility with which the finest sea-fish are trans-
ported throughout the country.

^ If the fish I have last mentioned were so introduced it must have
,e 1 by some such process as that which I have ^^-e — ; o
thev are all of so sensitive and delicate a nature, that it is with the
' i::: difficulty they can be kept alive for an ^^our or ^o a^er

bein. captured, and that only by a constant change of fiesh spang
bem. cap , ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ .^ ^^^^^^^ impossible

SALMON I D«.

that they should have been transported from the continent, after they

had arrived at maturity. . ^ .v t .1 *i,„

Even to this day, in Austria, Illyria, and parts of the Tyrol, the
c^catest attention is paid t? the nurture of the most delicate fresh-
water fishes in confined situations ; and Sir Humphrey Davy states m
his " Salmonia," that, " at Admondt, in Styria, attached to the mag-
nificent monastery of that name, are abundant ponds and reservoirs for
every species of fresh-water fish ; and the Charr, Grayling, and 1 rout
are preserved in different waters-covered, enclosed, and under lock

and key."

And now having at length come to the end of this sort of disserta-
tion on the breeding, growth, and specific generation of the Salmon,
I shall briefly consider his characteristics, distinguishing marks and
habits, before passing to his nearest relation, in this country at least,

the Brook Trout.

The Salmon, Salmo Salar, of Linnaeus and all authors, is, I have
observed before, a soft-finned fish of the abdominal division, his ven-
tral fins being attached to the parietes of the belly. His head is smooth,
his body scaly. His dorsal fins are two in number, the first supported
by soft rays, the second adipose or fatty, withi +■ rays ; he has teeth
on the vomer, both palatine bones, and all the maxillary bones. His
branchiostegous rays vary in number, generally, from ten^ to twelve,
but are irregular, and do not always coincide on the two sides of the
head. The teeth on the vomer rarely exceed two in number, and
there is frequently but one ; a sign which is thought to distinguish him
from the Salmon Trout, and other connected species.

The length of his head, to the whole length of his body, is as one to
five ; the eye small and nearer to the point of the nose than to the pos-
terior edge of the gill-covei The pectoral fin is two-thirds the length
of the head, and has twelve fin-rays. The ventral fin lies in 1 ver^'cal
line under the middle of the dorsal fin, and has nine rays ; the anal
fin commences about half-way between the origin of the ventral and
caudal fins, and has nine rays ; the caudal fin, or tail, has nineteen
rays ; when the fish is Very young, it is much forked, but as it advances
in years, the central caudal rays grow up; and it becomes nearly
square by the end of the fourth year. The first dorsal fin has thirteen
rays, all of which, with the exception of the two first, are branched.

1;' "

■j <i i

1 ' I'hM

1 '

fc 'III

.&.i^!-»' V^&feVj*»Si*"«*' "

11 ;

i.!

AMERICAN FISHES.

The bod, is long, and about equally copveJ abovo and bolow ; th«
ktcral line dividing the body nearly .HUally, an to a ocr a,n degree,
parth g the davk hue of the haek, and .ilvory .h.tcness o the belly.
' The form of the giU-eover., shape, of the fin,, and relative propor-
tiol of t" whole toh, will bo readily understood by reforenee to the
Z facing page M, a't the head of this artiele, whioh will g>ve a more
correct idea than any written description.

The Salmon is, to all intents, a fish of prey ; and to his end every
part of his frame is adapted, in the most perfect manner by the master-
Ca of nature. The elongated form of hi.s body tapering ferward and
aft with the most gradually ourvated lines, like the entrance and h
run ef some swift-sailing barque, enables bun to glide tirou^i he
swift water in which he loves to dwell, displacing its particles with the
least resistance •, the powerful muscles and strong branched rays of his
broad and vigorous caudal fin serve as a propeller by which be can
command an immense degree of momentum and velocity, and ascend

the sharpest rapids.

No one who has once felt the arrowy rush of a fifteen-pound Salmon,
when struck with the barbed steel, will be inclined to undervalue his
strength, his speed, or his agility ; and the numerous and astonishing
leaps which he is capable of making, to the height of nuany feet above
the surface, either in attempting to rid himself of the hook or in sur-
mounting obstacles to his upward passage, in the shape of dams, flood-
gates or cataracts, prove the exceeding elasticity, vigor and strength of

his muscular system.

The prodicrious power of sinew exhibited in the lythe and springy
limbs of the quadrupeds of prey of tho feline order, is not superior in
its degree to that possessed by this, the veritable monarch of fresh-
water fishes; nor are the curved fangs and retractile talons more
efficacious instruments to the lion and the tiger for the seizure of their
victims, than are the five rows of sharp hooked teeth, with which the
whole mouth of the Salmon is bristled, for the prehension and deten-
tion of his slippery and active prey.

Nor is he less bold, fierce, and persevering, than he is well provided
with the means of pursuit and the instruments of destruction.

As a proof of the strength and courage of this family, it is recorded
by Mr. Yarrel, thut a Pike and a Trout, put together in a confined

SALMONIDiE.

place, had several battles for a particular ppot, but tlio Trout was
eventually the master. The comparative size of these fiHh is not men-
tioned, but of course there was something approaching to an equality,
as the Pike constantly preys on small Trout.

It is very certain that, although great havoc is made among Salmon
by the Seal and the Otter, there is no fresh-- . ter fish which would
venture on attacking them, not even the Pike, at his largest size.

The Salmon grows to a very large bulk, though the average run is
probably from eight to sixteen pounds ; and as is the case with many
kinds offish, the middle-sized, of twelve or fourteen pounds, are gene-
rally considered the best in an epicurean point of view, and afford,
commonly speaking, nearly as much sport when hooked, as the mon-
sters of the species,

" The present London season, 1835," says Mr. Yarrel, speaking on
this point, " has been more than usually remarkable for large Salmon.
1 have seen ten difieront fish, varying from thirty-eight to forty pounds
each. A notice appeared in the public papers of one that weighed
fifty-five pounds. Salmon, however, of much larger size have been
occasionally taken. Mr. Mudie has recorded one of sixty pounds.
In a note to the history of the Salmon, in several editions of Walton,
mention is made of one that weighed seventy pounds ; Pennant has
noticed one of seventy-four pounds ; the largest known, as far as I am
aware, came into the possession of Mr. Groves, the fishmonger in
Bond-street, about the season of 1821. This Salmon, a female,
weighed eighty-three pounds ; was a short fish for the weight, but of
very unusual thickness and breadth. When cut up, the flesh was fine
in color, and proved of excellent quality.

" The Salmon of the largest size killed by angling, of which I have
been able to collect particulars, are as follows : In the Thames, Octo-
ber 3, 1812, at Shepperton Deeps, Mr. G. Marshall, of Brewer-street,
London, caught and killed a Salmon that weighed twenty-one pounds
four ounces, with a single gut, without a landing-net."

Sir Humphrey Davy is recorded as having caught an immense fish,
weighing about forty-two pounds, immediately above Yair-bridge, and
captured him after a severe struggle.

Mr. Lascclles, in his letters on sporting, says: — "The largest

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AMERICAN FISHES.

Salmon I cvor know takan with a fly, was in Scotland ; it weighed fifty-
four pounds and a half."

In this country, except in Canada, where there are many excellent
and enthusiastic Salmon-fishers, this noble sport is but little followed,
and there are few records extant of the number or size of fish taken.

It will be sufficient to observe, however, that in the St. Lawrence
and its tributaries, especially those great streams coming in from the
Northward, the Saguenaw particularly, the number and size of the
Salmon are at least equal to those in the finest English or Scottish
rivers ; an intimate friend of my own having killed within a few years,
on the St. Lawrence, near the mouth of the river named above, twenty
fish in a single day's fishing, one of which weighed above forty pounds,
while the smallest, if I am, not greatly mistaken, exceeded sixteen.
This was all done with the fly.

" It may be stated generally," says Yarrel, " that Salmon pass
the summer in the sea, or near the mouth of the estuary ; in autumn
they push up the rivers, diverging to their tributary streams ; in winter
they inhabit the pure fresh water, and in spring again descend to the

sea.

These habits of the fish are unquestionably more or less modified by
climate and other influences, and it is certain that in America the
Salmon enter the rivers, and begin to run up thorn in June ; by Sep-
tember they have arrived at the shallow and gravelly head waters of
the streams, and are preparing to spawn ; and I presume that as soon
as that operation is finished they return to the salt-water to recruit,
and consequently that here they do not pass the winter in fresh-water.

It has been supposed by many observers, that the Salmon do not go
very far out to sea, but remain constantly within soundings, and not
very far distant from their native streams, to which, whenever it is
practicable, they return ; this is, however, very questionable.

Many are taken on the British coa.sts, while running along the shore
in the summer months, and searching for the mouths of the rivers
which they desire to ascend ; but very few are taken here until they
have made their way up the estuaries, when they are captured in great
numbers by means of stake-nets.

They do not, it is true, invariably return to the streams in which
they were bred, although they do bo, beyond doubt, in a very great

6ALM0NIDA.

majority of instances ; but it would appear from the observations of
Dr. Heysham and Sir William Jardine, that if they have roved to a
very groat distance from the estuary of their own stream, they betake
themselves to the mouth of the first river they reach, if its temperature
and the condition of its waters suits them.

Many Tweed Salmon are occasionally taken in the frith of Forth,
and it is even said that in seasons when the Forth fisheries are unusu-
ally successful, those of the Tweed are as much the reverse. Sir Hum-
phrey Davy is of opinion that the taste of the waters of different
rivers according as they are impregnated with different substances,
and the effect produced by them on the bronchiae of the fish in the act
of breathing, are the guides by which Salmon are led back to the streams
to which they have been accustomed ; and he accounts for their being
occasionally mistaken, by the fact that such mistakes frequently occur
durinff great floods, connected with storms, or violent motion in the
waters near the shore ; by which the components of the waters are
disturbed, and their flavor consequently altered. In confirmation of
this view, he relates that he " remembers in this way, owing to a tre-
mendous flood, catching with the fly a large Salmon which had mista-
ken his stream, having come into the Bush, near the Giant's Cause-
way, instead of the Bann. No fish can bo more distinct," he proceeds,
" in the same species, than the fish of these two rivers, their length to
their girth being in a ratio of 20 : 9 and 20 : 13."

I am not, however, inclined to adopt this explanation. For it seems
to me that in migratory animals of all kinds, and indeed, in some
instances, in domestic animals likewise, that there is some sort of sixth
sense, or at least some entirely distinct power, not acquired by means
of any of the senses of which we are cognizant, nor acting like reason,
by means of deduction, which enables them to steer their course
through countless leagues of air or water, or over miles of uncultivated
land, to the places where they were bred, or to which their instincts
compel them to resort for the purpose of wintering, obtaining food, or

the like.

And I no more believe that Salmon are guided back to their native
rivers by the flavor of the waters, than I do thixt the swallow, finds
his way from Africa to Europe, or from Southern to Northern
America, by the scent of the taintod atmosphere.

i i

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AMERICAN FISHES.

I am dispo?ed, therefore, to believe with Yarrel, that this oc-
casional variation from their ordinary custom, is caused by their
haviuf^ strayed to such a distance from their native estuaries, that
when the time comes foi returning, they prefer taking the first suitable
river, to making longer delay.

The female fish, it is observed, are the first to enter the rivers, and
the grilse, or young fish, which have not yet spawned, come in
earlier than the full-grown Salmon. They swim with great rapidity,
shoot up the most oblique and glancing rapids, with the velocity of an
arrow and frequently leap falls of ten or twelve feet in perpendicular

height.

It was formerly believed that, in making their prodigious springs,
the fish takes its tail in its mouth, and shoots itself like a pliant stick,
the ends of which are forcibly brought together and then allowed to
spring. This, however, is. a fable ; although, in making these leaps,
the muscular efforts of the animal do really impart to it a curvilinear

form.

It is believed that the utmost limit of perpendicular height which
they can attain is fourteen feet ; but their perseverance is as remarkable
as their strength, and though they fail time after time, and fall back
into the stream below, they remain but a few moments quiescent, to
recruit their strength, before they renew their efforts ; and they
generally succeed in the end, although they are said sometimes to kill
themselves by the violence of their own efforts to ascend, and are
frequently captured in consequence of falling on the rocks.

1 once watched a Salmon for above an hour endeavoring to pass a
mill-dam on the river Wharfe, a Salmon river in the West Riding of
Yorkshire. The dam was of great height, thirteen or fourteen feet
at least, and was formed with a sort of step midway, on which the
water fell, making a double cascade. While I was watching him,
this fish, which was, I suppose, of some seven or eight pounds, made
above twenty leaps, constantly alighting from his spring about midway
the upper shoot of the water, and being constantly swept back into
the eddy at its foot. After a pause of about a couple of minutes, he
would try it again ; and such was his vigor and endurance, that he at
last succeeded in surmounting the formidable obstacle ; and to my

SALMONID^.

great pleasure — for I had become really interested in his success-
went on his way rejoicing.

The voracity of the Salmon is excessive ; and yet from the
smgular fact, that their stomachs are invariably, or almost invariably,
found entirely empty, nono of the numerous examiners have been able
to satisfy themselves what constitutos its principal support. The
stomach of the Salmon is, comparativsly speaking, small ; and Sir
Humphrey Davy asserts that, out cf many which he had opened, he
never found anything in their stomachs, but the tapo-worms bred
there, and some yellow fluid. This peculiarity must, 1 think, be in a
great measure attributed to their rapid digestion. In this they differ
greatly from the Salmon Trout, which is constantly f^\rid stuffad with
food of all sorts, the remains of small fish, beetles, insects, and the
sand-hopper, Talitris locusta, which would seem to be their favorite

food.

Dr. Knox states, that the food of the Salmon, and that on which
all its estimable qualities, and in his opinion, its very existence
depends, and which the fish can only obtain in the ocean, he has
found to be the ova, or eggs of various kinds of echinodermata, and
some of the Crustacea. From the richness of the food on which the
true Salmon solely subsists, arises, at least to a certain cxt nit, the
excellent quality of the fish as an article of food. Something,
however, must be ascribed to a specific distinction of the fish itself ;
for though he has ascertained that th«; Salmon Trout lives in some
localities on very much the same kind of food as the true Salmon, yet,
under no circumstances docs this fish ever attain the same exquisite
flavor as the true Salmon."

Dr. Fleming states that their favorite food is the sand-eel ; " I
have myself," says Mr Yarrel, " taken the remains of the sand-
launce from their stomach." It is known, moreover, that they are
taken in Scotland by lines baited with this brilliant and glittering
little fish ; as are tho clean-run fish, fresh from the sea, with the
common earth-worm. Mr. Yarrel mentions an instance of one being
taken in the Wye with a minnow, and Sir Humphrey Davy states,
he has fish-d for them in the Tay with great success, with the Parr,
probably th-ir own young fry, on spinning tackle.

For what they mistake the large artificial fly, by which they are so

1 -'tf

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AMERICAN FISHES.

marvellously allured, taking it greedily, at a very short distance from
the sea, we cannot determine. It is like nothing that has any existence
in nature ; and some persons have imagined that the Salmon is
deceived by the gay colors and the ripple of the water, and so takes
them for small fish. This is not credible, however ; and the most
plausible suggestion is that of Sir Humphrey Davy, that the fish, on
their return from salt water, where, of course, they find nothing
analogous to the natural or artificial fly, are actuated " by a sort of
imperfect recollection of their early food and habits ; for flies form a
great part of the food of the Salmon fry, which for a month or two
after they are hatched, feed like young Trouts — and in March and
April, the spring flies are their principal nourishment. In going back
to fresh water, they may perhaps have their habits of feeding
recalled to them, and naturally search for their food at the surface."

While I am on this topic, it may not be uninteresting to quote the
relation of an experiment tried with regard to the effect of various
kinds of food on the Trout, as it is probable that, in fish so closely
allied, the facts would not vary much in relation to the. Salmon.

Mr. Stoddart relates this, in his " Art of Angling as practised in
Scotland ;" but the experiment was made in the South of England.
" Fish were placed in three separate tanks ; one which was supplied
daily with worms, another with live minnows, and the third with those
small dark-colored water flies, which are to be found moving about
on the surface, under banks and sheltered places. The Trout fed with
worms grew slowly, and had a lean appearance. Those nourished
on minnows, which, it was observed, they darted at with great
voracity, became much larger ; while such as were fattened upon
flies only, attained in a small time, prodigious dimensions, weighing
twice as much as both the others together ; although the quantity of
food swallowed by them was in no wise so great."

I may here observe that, from the fact of the Salmon roc, when
preserved secundum artem, proving a most deadly and infallible bait
for Salmon — so much so indeed, that the use of it in England is
regarded as unsportsmanlike, and as an act of poaching — there can
be little doubt that the ova of fishes of all kinds contribute to their
food, and add probably to the richness of their flash.

I have now gone through, I believe, all that is most remarkable and

SALMON I D£.

most interesting in relation to tbo natural history, the form, habits,
food and seasons of this noble fish ; but thoso who wish to study him for
themselves, and read concerning him more at large than the space,
which can bo allotted to a single specimen in this volume, will admit, I
refer to Yarrol's fine work on British Fishes ; to that delightful work
"Salmonia," by Sir Humphrey Davy ; and to Scrope's superb work,
entitled, " Days and Nights of Salmon Fishing," which, though I
have not enjoyed an opportunity of examining it, I understand to be
both the finest and the most complete treatise on this topic.

In a future portion of the work, I shall enter at large upon all the
minutiao of rods, tackle, bait, &c., necessary for the capture of the
kinc of the fresh-waters ; as well as upon the science of taking him
with the artificial fly, and all the appliances to that end. Until then,
adieu to Salmo Salar.

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AMERICAN FISHES.

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTEKYGII.

SALMONID^

Brook Trovt. virt Youno Frt.

THE BROOK TROUT.

THE COMMON TROUT THE TROUTLET.*

The New York Ciurr; Ricliardson. — Salino Fontinalis; DeKay.

Like the wild animals of this continent, almost without exception,
the Trout of America is a distinct species from the fish of Europe ;
although, as in many other instances, the general resemblance is so
strong, and the characteristic diflferences so narrow, that in the eyes
of a common observer, judging from memory only, they appear to be
identical.

Many sportsmen, who have been in the habit of killing this beau-
tiful fish, both in this country and in Europe, are under the
impression that there is no material difference ; but such is not, in
truth, the case ; for as with the snipe, the teal, the widgeon, and
many others of the birds of America, the characteristic marks of
distinction, though easily overlooked at first, by a person unacquainteo

* This name is applied to the fish while in the state represented in tho cnt, above,
by Dr. DeKav.

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SALMONIDA.

with them, when once pointed out, cannot be readily mistaken, and,
bcin" both pcrnianont and invariable, are quite sufficient to establish
diversity of species.

It is not in formation, moreover, or appearance only, but in very
many of its habits, that the Brook Trout, Salmo FontinalU, of Ame-
rica, differs from his congener, the common Trout, Salmo Fario,
Europe.

Still, in general, his manners, his haunts, his prey, and his mode of
taking it, so closely resemble those of the European Trout, that as a
general rule, the instructions given for the taking the one will be found
successful as regards the other ; and the flics, baits, and general style
of tackle, as well as the science of capturing, with some few excep-
tions, which will bo noticed hereafter, arc nearly identical, on the
two sides of the Atlantic. As in Europe, so in America, although
thore are countless varieties of this most beautiful of fishes, almost
iudvjed a variety for every stream, still, according to the opinions of
what I dsem the best authorities, there is but one distinct species.

Endless attempts have been made in England to distinguish and
define fresh species ; but these have, in my judgment, all failed.
According to Mr. Agassiz, whose opinion on this subject I consider
paramount to all others, the Gillaroo, or Gizzard-trout, as it is some-
times erroneously called by the Irish, and some of the Scottish writers,
ib merely a casual variety of the Salmo Forio. The distinction, which
consists principally in the thickness and induration of the stomach,
having arisen from feeding on shell-fish, in the first instance, in indi-
viduals, has been gradually ingrafted on generations, until, in process
of time, it has become a permanent type.

Although this variety is not known to exist on this continent, I have
a very strong suspicion, from many circumstances which I have heard,
on good authority, concerning the Trout of the Marshpee river, in Maa-
sachusets, that on examination, it will be found to possess some of the
leading peculiarities of this fish, particularly the indurated stomach.
I have never had an opportunity of seeing the Trout of this river ;
but I know that it has many peculiarities of habit resembling those of
the Gillaroo, especially that of feeding on shell-fish, a friend of mine
having actually succeeded in taking them with small white crabs, at a
time when they would look at no other bait.

AMERICAN FISHES.

I xnention this, merely by way of suggestion, as offering an interesting
subject of investigation for naturalists. , ,u 'A ,^ ^

Sir Ihunphrey Davy, in his Sahnonia, rather leans to the idea that
the Gillaroo is a distinct species, though ho leaves it uncertain whether
it umy not b. a pern.aneut variety ; his principal argument being
this that he has caught small fish, not longer than the finger, with a
fly » which had as perfect a hard stomach as the larger ones, with tho
coats as thick in proportion, and the same shells within."

In external appearance, the Gillaroo is said to difter from tho com-
mon Trout " very little, except that they have more rod spots, and a
yellow or golden-colored belly and fins, and are generally a broader
and thicker fish." Again, Sir Humphrey admits that " in a clear and
cool river, fish that feed much on larva), and swallow the hard cases,
become yellower, and the red spots increase so as to outnumber tho
black ones ; and these qualities become fixed in the young fishes, and
establish a particular variety." ^

This would seem, in plain English, to describe the existence of a
fish in the direct process of change, from the ordinary form of the
Trout to the Gillaroo, the feeding on the larvoo of winged insects, in
their hard stony cases, being, as it were, a first step toward becoming
shell-fish eaters, and the effect being indicated in the gradual change
of color, though the causes have not been as yet sufficiently powerful
to produce the induration of the stomach.

In America, likewise, it has been attempted to draw a distinction;
and Dr. DeKay, a very accomplished and able icthyologist, although
perhaps— with all deference be it spoken— rather too much of an in-
door naturalist, and too much inclined to admit hearsay evidence, has
designated a species as Salmo Erythrogaster, the Red-bellied Trmt;
whic°h I confess I do not believe to be even a permanent variety, but
merely a brilliant specimen of the common Brook Trout, in its highest
season, taken, probably, from some very bright and sunny water. In
this view I am fully sustained by Professor Agassiz, who has made
some very curious experiments with regard to the colors of fishes, of
the Salmonida especially ; and who has ascertained, beyond a doubt,
not only that the Trout of different neighboring waters are affected by
the color and quality of the water, but that the Trout of the same rivei
vary in color accordingly as they haunt the shady or the sunny side of

tALMONIDJE.

the Btr«ftm. For it is a well-known fact, that tho Salmonida^ although
many of thorn aro migratory at certain seasoua, have their own haunts
and huntin;; grounds to which tht'y steadily adhere, moving but a short
distance from on^ spot, in pursuit of their prey, and returning to it
when satisfied.

Thus, in a mountain-brook, you shall find, perhaps, that tho pool
between an uppar and lower fall or rapid is occupied by two fish ; one
of those will lie at the head, tho other at the tail, of the pool, the more
powerful fish selecting tho spot which ho chooses, and neither ex-
changing places, nor hunting far from his habitual haunts.

In still waters, in like manner, you will find that, day after day, the
same largo Trout will bo seen under this bank, by that largo stone, or
in the cavity formed by tho roots of yon a.sh or aider ; and that he will
not stray to any distance from it, but will seek his prey nearly in the
same wators, and on tho samo sido of the river, the opposite bank being
probably held by a rival fish.

That this will at first be deemed far-fetched and improbable, I think
likely enough ; but the more we consider it, tho more reasonable shall
it appear ; for when wo weigh the great influonco of light in the pro-
duction of colors, and then think how much the transmission of light
through different media, as, for instance, waters of different degrees of
density, purity, and color, affects the light itself, we shall find the
theory far loss extravagant than it strikes us at a first glance.

And here, I shall quote an anecdote, relatod in Salmonia, for the
purpose of elucidating an entirely different point, which yet is so much
to the purpose, in the present instance, that it is even more valuable
in illustration of this, than of that for which it is quoted.

" A manufacturer of carmine," thus runs the story, " who was aware
of tho superiority of the French color, went to Lyons for the purpose
of improving his process, and bargained with the most celebrated man-
ufacturer in that capital for the acquisition of his secret, for which he
was to pay a thousand pounds. He waa shosvn all the processes, and
saw a beautiful color produced, yet he found not tho least difference in
the French mode of fabrication and that which he had constantly
adopted. He appealed to the manufacturer, and insisted that he must
have concealed something. The manufacturer assured him that he
had not, and invited him to see the process a second time. He min-

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AMERICAN FISHES.

utelv examined the water, and tho materials, winch were the same as
his own, and„ very much surprised, said, ' I have lost my lahor and
mv money, for the air of England does not permit us to make good
carmine ' ' Stay,' says the Frenchman, ' do not deceive yourself ; what
kind of weather is it now r' ' A bright sunny day,' said the Eng-
lishman ' And such are the days,' said the Frenchman, on which I
make my color. Were I to attempt to manufacture it on a dark or
cloudy day, my results would be the same as yours. Let me advise
vou my fri.nd, to make your carmine on bright sunny days. ' I will,
says' the En<41shman, ' but I fear I shall make very little in London.' "
Now thislnecdote may be depended upon; for a person so distin-
guished a. a chemist and natural philosopher as Sir Humphrey Davy,
woul<1 not have related a story in regard to the effect of light, which
was contrary to truth, or which he did not directly know to be true.

And if the effect of sunshine is so great on color, as that the m-
crease or decrease of its brilliancy should cause a totally different
result to follow from the combination of precisely the same chemical
in.rredients, it will readily follow that much more effect will be pro-
duced by its excess in one case, or almost total exclusion in another,
upon hues so changeful as those which glitter on the scales of a fish.

That in a pure limpid rapid stream, rushing over a bright gravelly
bed, through open fields, where no envioas boughs intercept the sun-
light, and b a dark turbid pond, the waters of which are saturated
with the draining of peat-bogs, or with the juices of decomposed vege-
table matter, and overshadowed by thick evergreen umbrage, the light
even of the most gorgeous noon will be transmitted in very different
degrees, and produce very different effects both of color, boat and
radiance, any person can judge, who will observe the sunbeams as they
fall through a sheet of pure plate-glass, or a thick green bull's-eye ;
and that the consequences may easily be as they arc stated above, he
will, I think, be satisfied.

Now, in the first place, analogous to this, and in corroboration of
this view of the subjeci, I will remark here, that one of the principal
external differences between the American and the liluropean Trout,
IB precisely as might be expected under the views taken above. The
climate here being far more sunny, the atmosphere drier and more
* „^f ^^A tha wpnflipr morfi constant and liahtsorae, we find that

8ALM0NIDJE.

the Trout of America is a lighter colored, brighter, gayer, and more
gorgeous creature than his European kinsman. And, farther yet, we
shall find that in the purest and most limpid streams, in the lakes which
to the most transparent waters add the sunniest expanse, the brightest
and most beautiful Trout are taken ; while in black boggy waters, or
in forest-embowered rivers, the colois of the fish are rather dim and
dusky.

This is not, however, merely a matter of theory and analogy, for
experiments have been actually tried on this point, and with perfect
success. Mr. Agassiz assures me that he lias repeatedly known very
brilliant and gaily-colored fish, taken in clear and sunshiny waters, and
transferred to neighboring pools or streams of totally different charac-
ter, to begin to fade and lose the intensity of their colors, Bonsibly,
within a very few hours, and after a few days or weeks, to be entirely
undistiuguishable from the native fish of the place.

This accounts, at once, for the facts so often stated, and seemingly
so inexplicable, of two lakes communicating with each other by a com-
mon channel, and containing two distinct varieties of Trout, one beau-
tiful, and excellent upon the table, the other dark-colored and ill-tasted,
the two varieties never bjingknown to intermingle, or to exchange from
one to the other water.

The explanation of this apparent phenomenon is, that the change pro-
duced by passing from the dark and peat-soiled waters of the one lake,
to the limpid element of the other, in the fish, is so rapid, that they
assimilate themselves almost instantaneously, in outward appearance,
to the fish into whose society they have emigrated.

The lakelet, known as Stump-pond, on the northern side of Long
Island, which, as its name indicates, is filled with thebuttsof dead trees,
and saturatod with vegetable matter, has been for many years famous,
or I should rather say infamous, for the ugliness, want of brilliancy,
and indifferent quality in a culinary point of view, of its Trout, as com-
pared with those of the bright and transparent mill-ponds and rivulets
of the south side. No one, however, has ever thought of erecting them
into a species, or of designating them as Salmo Stiimppondicus, seeing
clearly the cause and effect ; and lo ! now of late years, as the cause
is passing away with the process of time, the effect is also disappearing ;
fts the vegetable matter is dsoavino' bnin" absorbed, and swe^t awa^-

-t^

AMERICAN FISHES

and as the purifying influences of the springs are gaining upon the cor-
rupt and stagnant qualities of the pond, the fishes are likewise becoming
brighter and°better. In the course of a few more years, it is probable
that they will be scarcely distinguishable from the finely-formed and
nely-colored fish of Snedecor's or Carman's streams, at Islip and Fire-
place.

Doubtless, other causes besides the influence of light, have their
effect both upon the app trance and the flavor of the Trout ; we have
seen that their color b affected by the shell-fish, or even the larvos of
flies, on which they feed ; we have also seen that they increase in
weight, size, and fatness, according as they are nourished with worms,
with small fry, or with water-flies ; and no one in bis senses can doubt,
I imat^ine, that if these fish which have obtained scarlet spots, and
becum°e golden-finned and golden-bellied by feeding on shell-fish, or
crustaceous-cased insects, were confined upon a regimen of dew-worms
or May-flios, they would gradually relapse into their original coloring.

Nor can it be supposed, I think, judging from all analogy, but that
the Gillaroo Trout, kept permanently in situations where it could never
find either shell-fish, or any hard edible substances, would gradually
lose the distinctive hardness of its stomach, as well as its characteristic
coloring. The probability is, that the young fry of a finger's length,
spoken of by Sir Humphrey, would lose the distinction individually;
and I do not at all conceive it likely that the characteristic would sur-
vive through two generations from the largest adult.

While I am writing on this point. I will cite a fact, though it belongs
with greater propriety to the history of another fish, the Greatest Lake
Trout, Sidmo Amethystus, when describing which, it will be noticed
more fully. This is simply that in the same lakes, Huron and Superior,
this same fish exists in three different states of color, so totally dissimilar,
that it is supposed by the French inhabitants of the shores, to be three
distinct fishes, and is known by three distinct names, according to the
situations in which it is found, and by which its coloring is evidently
afl*;cted.

Drawings of the fish in two of these stages are now lying before me,
and will bo presented to ray readers under the proper head ; bore, it
will be sufficient to state that, but for the shape of the head and gill-
covers, the form of the Sn§ and the number of th« fin-rays, things not

SALMONID^.

examined by the superficial observer, they would pass for different fish.
These three varieties are known as the T'ruite de GrevCj Truite des
Battures, and Truite du Large ; or, Trout of the muddy bottom, Trout
of the rocky shores, and Trout of the open waters ; the first being a
dull mud-colored fish, the second bright and handsomely mottled, and
the last bluish and silvery, and resembling more a clean-run Salmon
than a Lake Trout.

This is so fairly a case in point, that I cannot resist quoting it here,
as it is perfectly evident that there is no real distinction whatever; and
if this be so of one variety or species, there is no reason for doubting
that like causes will produce like effects, in the congenerous species.
Again, it is not only possible, but in the highest degree probable, that
the different chemical substances which arc held in solution by the
waters of various streams and lakes, may not be without their influence
on the coloring of their inhabitants. I think I have myself observed,
both on this continent and in Europe, that the Trout in streams flow-
ing from lime-stone formations are more lustrous, and more strongly
spotted than those of duller and less lively waters.

That the fish of streams rushing rapidly over pebbly beds, arc supe-
rior in all respects, both of appearance and quality, to those of ponds
or semi-stagnant brooks, is confessedly notorious ; but this may arise
not so much from any particular components of the waters themselves,
as from the fact that rapidly-moving and falling water is more highly
afirated, the atmosphere being more freely intermingled <vith it, and
therefore more conducive to the health and condition of all that in-
habit it.

Independently of DeKay's Salmo Erythrogaster^ I find mention
made in the " American Angler's Guide," of the Silver Trout, the
Common Trout, the Common Trout of Massachusetts, the Black Trout,
the Sea Trout, and the Hucho Trout, although to none of these except
the last, is any scientific name attached.

I beg, however, to assure my readers, that there are no such distinc-
tions existing in nature. The Silver Trout, which is stated to be found
in almost all of our clear, swift-running tr-ir^hern streams, and to weigh
from one to fifteen pounds, is in no respect a different fish from the
common Trout of Long Island ; nor does that fish differ in any, the

. -'V

AMERICAN FISHES.

smallest particular from the Trout of Massachusetts, or of any other
place in'the United States, where the Trout exists at all

I wish greatly, that the author of the " American Anger's Guide "
had len some authority for his statement, that this fish is taken m
tht Lntry up to fifteen pounds, or even up to half that weight 1
have myself some slight suspicion that such is the case rarely, in the
northern lakes-I do not mean the great lakes-of New York and
New England ; and that it is there mistaken for some new species, or
Tvlriet; of the Lake Trout, from which it differs far more, m all
respects, than it docs from the true Salmon. ^ ^. . „ .

Thavl, however, never been able to gain any authentic information
of any true Brook Trout having over been taken in Canada, or m the
United States, above the weight of ten pounds ; and that size is of so
rare occurrence, that when one is taken, it is regarded as a monster,
and is heralded from one end of the country to the other, through the
public press. I have myself seen a Trout, taken in the winter through
the ice'in Orange county. New York, which lacked but a ew ounces
of six pounds. I know several instances, not exceeding half-a-dozen,
of fish varying from four to five pounds, taken, some on Long Island,
some in the interior, within twelve or thirteen years, but I have never
heard it asserted that a fish of larger size has been taken m America.

There is, I am ararc, a tale that many years since, a Trout of eleven
pounds was taken at Fireplace ; and a rough sketch of the fish is still
to be seen on the wall of the tavern bar-room. I know, however, that
this fish was considered at the time, by all the true sportsmen who saw
it to be a Salmon, and the sketch is said to bear out that opinion,
though I do not mysolf understand how a mere outline, not filled up,
can c jnvey any very distinct idea of the species intended.

Sufiice it, that it is not only not on record that any Trout of seven
pounds or upward has been captured on this continent, but that old
fishermen will assert positively, that they never grow to be above five
pounds in weight; and very coolly and civilly imply to you that you
are speaking falsely, when you tell them that Trout from ten to twenty
pounds are no great rarities in England, and that they are taken even
of a much greater weight. The fact, on this point, is,,that Trout of
ten or even fifteen pounds— 1 mean the common speckled Trout,
Salmo Fario, analogous to our Brook Trout— are more common in

SALMONIDA.

some of the ? rgc rivers of England, and large lakes of Ireland, than
fish of four pounds are here. There probably rarely passes a season
ia which ten or a dozen of these large fish, exceeding ten pounds'
wei'^ht, are not taken in the Thames. I do not think that here, on an
average, one four-pound fish is killed annually ; and then: rarity is
abundantly proved by the fact that their capture is always recorded.

The Bashe's Kill, in Sullivan county, to which the Silver Trout is
assigned, is a pretty Trout stream, but in no wise superior Ui a thou-
sand others throughout the country ; and, like all mountainous streams,
is far more celebrated for the number, than for the size of its fish.

In both respects, it is surpassed by many of the Pennsylvanian
streams of the same neighborhood, falling into the Delaware from the
westward ; and in the size and excellence of its Trout, it cannot sus-
tain a moment's comparison with the fish of the Long Island streams
on the south side. Its fish, it is needless to add, are in no wise dis-
tinct.

The Trout of Massachusetts are identical with the common Trout
of New York ; the figure at the head of this article is from a specimen
taken in Massachusetts. I have caught Brook Trout myself from
Maine to Pennsylvania, and can safely pronounce on their identity.
The Black Trout is merely an accidental variety ; the colors, taste,
and habits of which arc affected by the peaty waters, and stagnant flow
of the lazy streams in which it is found, and from which it obtains a
corresponding dinginess of hue, muddiness of flavor, and laziness of
character.

With regard to the Sea Trout, as it is here called, I shall quote a
few paragraphs from the pages of " Smith's Fishes of Massachu-
setts, " although I cannot say that I e-;t am it a work on which
much reliance can be placed, as the ox^ih" r>v^ears, from some of his
statements, to be a writer of more rasht nan discrimination, and
more ready than qualified to give his opinion decidedly, and without

appeal.

These qualities are rcidcred sufiiciently apparent by his indulging in
a violent tirade against Dr. Mitchil, of New York, whom he accuses
of vanity and presumption, in affixing his own name to the Striped
Baas, which he. Smith, asserts to be " a common table Jish, known from

iiifl

C vmmzinvt tu

I all over E"-! rojie.

i ''

AMERICAN FISHES.

It is I presume, at this day entirely unnecessary to state, that Dr.
Mitohil was perfectly right as to the distinct character of the American
fish and its being utterly unknown, and non-existent in Europe ; and
Smith is wrong in every possible particular ; the fish to which ho
refers it, the Sea Bass of Europe, Labrax Lupus of Cuvier, Perca
Lahrax of Linnseus, being altogether a different fish, though of the
same family, perfectly distinct both in habits and appearance.

Of the Sea Trout, Smith says:—

" They are found, as may be inferred from the name, in the salt and
bracl'.ish waters of tide rivers nnd inland bays, in various parts of this
and the adjoining States. When taken from the salt-water early in
spring, they are in high perfection, and nothir.g can exceed their pis-
catory symmetry. The general appearance of the skin is of silvery
brightness, the back being of a greenish and mackerel complexion ;
the spots of a vermillion color, mixed with others of faint yellow, and
sometimes slightly tinged with purple, extend the whole length on
either side of the lateral line ; the fins are light in color and firm in
texture, and, together with the tail, are rather shorter and more
rounded than the common Trout. They have a firm compactness of
form from head to tail, which accounts for the superior sprightlincss of
their movement ; the head and mouth are very small, and the latter
never black inside, like the common or fresh-water Trout; the flesh
is even redder, or rather, wo would say, more pink-colored than the
Salmon, to which, by many, they are preferred as a delicacy, having,
like the Salmon, much of what is called curd, or fat between the flakes.

" A fish of a pound weight measures about eleven inches in length.
Their average size is considerably larger than the fresh-water, or Brook
Trout — having been taken in the waters to which we refer — VVaquoit
bay, upon Cape Cod, and Fireplace, Long Island — of nearly five
pounds' weight ; such instances, however, are rare, three pounds being
considered a very large fish. We do not remember ever seeing a poor
fish of this kind taken. They are invariably in good condition, let the
size be what it may," &xj., &c.

I have quoted this passage, merely for the purpose of warning my
readers, in a few words, that there is no such thing; and that the
whole of the above refers merely to the Brook Trout.

All the varieties and species of Salmonida^ with the exception of

SALMONIDiB.

Bomo of the large lacustrine species, are migratory whenever it is in
their power to bo so ; and run down to the sea, annually, for the
purpose of recruiting themselves after spawning, whence they return,
like the Salmon and Salmon Trout, in excellent condition, perfect
symmetry, and in the highest stage of external beauty.

The non-migratory habit of the large lacustrine species does not
depend, in any degree, on their position or situation above impassable
cataracts, or in waters without outlets, although they are frequently
found under such circumstances, for they do not run down to the sea,
even when they have it iu their power to do so ; as, for instance, in
Lake Ontario, where they are found abundantly; nor, on the othur
hand, do they proceed far up the rivers, for the purpose of spawning,
being content to deposit their ova on the gravel beds of shoal water,
at the margins of their lakes, or at the mouths of the brooks which
discharge into them.

Of the migratory species, the Brook Trout is one ; and when it is
in his power, he invariably descends to the sea, and returns to perpetu-
ate his species by depositing his spawn in the clearest, coolest, and
most limpid waters which he can find. There can be, I think, little
doubt that, like the Salmon, he returns to the streams in which he has
been bred.

There are, doubtless, hundreds of mountain brooks throughout th«
country, divided by impracticable falls, natural or artificial, from the
sea ; and although these teem with hordes of Brook Trout, they never
attain, in them, to any size ; the mature adults being scarcely larger
than the young fiy, while they are still marked with the transverse
bandings of the Parr. The flesh of this little fish never attains the
rich cherry-colored tint of the Trout, in full season, but is of a pale
yellowish flesh-color, and has neither the richness nor the flavor of the
sea-run variety. That these swarms do not visit, the sea, is not be-
cause thoy lack the will, but because they have not the power ; and
it is possible that the habit of running seaward being precluded gene-'
ration after generation, the instinctive desire for it passes away in the
process of time. But that the degeneracy, both in size and flavor,
is caused by the inability to recruit their powers in the salt-water, is
rendered evident by the facts I have already quoted concerning the
fallinsr off of Salmon and S.almnn Trniit. hnt\\ >n S'ze a"d aT>nf»nr'>P'"^

t *

AMERICAN FISHES.

when intentionally confined in frosh-wator lakes; as well as by tho
enormous rapidity of growth manifested in the Salmon smolts, which,
having been a year and a half in fresh water, attaining a length of
seven or eight inches, and a weight of about so many ounces, after a
visit of a few months to the sea, return not only reinvigoratcd in con-
dition, but increased in bulk to seven or eight pounds weight.

This accounts very readily for the superior size of what Mr. Smith
designates as a distinct species of Sea Trout, which is, in reality, only
the Brook Trout on his return from the sea. The circumstances of
its condition speak for themselves.

Who ever saw a Salmon fresh-run from the sea, of whatever size or
awe otherwise than in excellent condition and of rare beauty ? Who
ever took a spent fish, of the same species, that was not ugly, lean,
discolored and uneatable ?

The silvery whiteness and the bluish back of the Sea Trout, as
described above, is peculiar to all fresh-run fish of this family ; and in
Scotland a skilful Salmon-fisher will tell you, at a glance, how many
tides a fish has been in the river, merely from seeing him leap at a fly

or a minnow.

All the other marks, cited by Smith as characteristics, are merely
signs of condition, as the brilliancy of the coloring, the breadth and
thickness of the fish, and the comparative smallnoss of the head, which
is produced by no alteration whatever of that portion of the body, but
by the increase and development of the body itself, which at this sea-
son and stage of the animal, is equal in its circumference to one-half
its length.

It is well known and undisputed in Long Island, that the Pond-fish
and Creek-fish, as they are termed, pass to and fro between the fresh
and the salt-water ; and although the Creek-fish are occasionally there
called Sea Trout, it is by no means as implying that they are of a
different species, but merely indicating the watar in which they are
taken.

The fish to which I referred above in my introductory remarks on
the Salmonid(B, as being perhaps a distinct kind, analogous to the
SalTjw TruUa of Linnaeus, is by no means this Trout, but a very differ-
ent animal, found only in the eastern and north-eastern rivers, which
empty their waters into the Bay of Fundy or the Gulf of St. Law-

8ALM0NID*.

renoe. This Trout is found only in these rivers, and so far as I can
learn, instead of running up to the head waters of the streams in
order to spawn, comes up only to the foot of the first rapids with the
flood, and returns with the tide of ebb. Even about this Trout I have
my doubts, though before finishing this work, I hope to have more
definite information on the subject.

With regard to the fish mentioned above, I have no doubts whatever.
It varies in nothing from the common Trout but in those particulars,
which prove that it has run to the salt-water.

The last-named variety, Salmo Hucho, which is also cited, on the
authority of Smith, as a fish of New England, stands in the same
category with the last-mentioned.

There is no such fish on the continent of America ; and, indeed,
even on the European continent, where alone it is found, its limits are
narrower, and its geographical range smaller, than that of any known
fish. It Is, in fact, found only in tributaries of the Danube, more
especially in the Traun, the Saave, the Draave, and the Laybach
rivers. Some writers have supposed him to be purely a fresh-water
fish, but it is believed by Davy, that, in his largest state, he is an in-
habitant of the Black Sea. He is said to spawn in the Muir between
March and May, and in the Danube in Juno.

He is the fiercest and most predatory of all the Salmonida, and it
is useless to attempt the capture of large onos with the fly. Spinning
tackle, the bleak, the minnow, and small trout, or parr, are the only
modes, and the only bait which ho cares to take.

In shape, he resembles an ill-fed Trout, being the longest and
slenderest of all the Snlmmidte., the ratio of his length toliis girth
being as 18 to 8, or in well-fed fish, 20 to 9. He has a silvery belly,
and dark spots only on the back and sides, which, in itself, shows suffi-
ciently that he is not the fish described by Smith under this name.

Smith's fish is described " as resembling much the Sea Trout ; but
being found, on a careful examination, to be more slender, and to
have a greater number of red spots. The back ' ^usky ; the ventral
fin has a yellowish tinge ; all the othors are of a palish purple ; the
tail is forked, and the fish measures sometimes four feet through— or-
dinarily they are only about two, and are caught by the liook° This
Trout certainly exists in the large rivM-s and ponds in the interior, but

100

AMERICAN FISHES.

deteriorate in size. They are brouglit from New Hampshire in the
winter, frozen, for the markets, and from the northern parts of Maine,
where specimens have been taken as large as any produced in the
great rivers of Europe."

This passage I quote from the " American Angler's Guide," and 1
do so, to declare that this fish is, in the first instance, not the Hucho ;
and, secondly, to point out that no such fish has ever been authenti-
cally produced at all. A Hucho of the Laybach, of two feet ir
length, by eleven inches girth, and throe inches thickness, was found
to weigh four pounds two and a half ounces. Now, fishes increase in
weight in the ratio of their breadth and depth, not of their length, a
Trout of thirty-one inches weighing seventeen pounds. Whether any
Trout or Salmon has ever been taken of full four foot in lenolh I
greatly doubt. If so, its weight must be enormous ; the largest Salmon
ever known, the eighty-three pounder, which came into the possession
of Mr. Groves, the London fishmonger, in 1821, is described as having
been a short fish for tho weight, and I am convinced would not have
measured four feet.

Now it remains to inquire what is this fish which Mr. Smith desig-
nates as the Hucho ; and is there any such fish in existence elsewhere
than in that gentleman's imagination ?

Now I fear the answers to these questions must be in the negative,
since, most assuredly, there is no scarlet-spotted Trout on record at
all approaching to the size described by Mr. Smith, which we must
reckon at the rate of from seventy to one hundred pounds weight.

The Salmo Amethystus, Mackinaw Salmon, which does grow to
that prodigious size, and which answers to many of the particulars
specified, is never scarlet-spotted, nor does the Sahno Conjinis of Dr.
Dekay ever show a red spot.

One or both these fish do exist in the lakes of Maine and New
Hampshire, from Temiscouata to VVinnepisiogee, and it may be that
this is a mis-description of one of these. If it be not, it is either a
new and nondescript fish, of the kind mentioned as killed by the Pre-
sident of the Piseco Club, " with red flesh, weighing twenty-four
pounds," or it is a very large specimen of the Brook Trout, and,
moreover, wonderfully exaggerated in dimensions.
It is a remarkable peculiarity of the American Trout, that it is

HALMONIUA.

101

seldom found— except when, as a very rare exception, one is taken in
tho drawing the scan — in any largo rivers. I have never heard a soli-
tary instance of a fish being taken either with the bait or the fly, or
even with the spinning tackle, in any large stream, unless quite at its
head waters, where it is itot large. All the Trout which are taken,
are taken in what are here called creeks, and what would in Europo
be described as largo brooks, or small rivers of the sixth or seventh
class. In these the run of fish greatly exceeds the dimensions of the
little inhabitants of the mountain brooks. This, in addition to other
facts, at the knowledge of which we have arrived through the experi-
ments recorded heretofore as made in England with regard to the
growth of fishes, lead us irresistibly to the conclusion that the use of
large expanses of suitable water is necessary to the Trout, in order to
their arriving at any great magnitude.

It is, therefore, quite within the range of possibility, that in the
large pure inland lakes, supplied by the limpid springs of the moun-
tains, the Brook Trout of America may attain a growth analogous to
that of the well-fed and full-grown Trout of the Thames, the Stour,
and the Irish lakes ; a growth which the smallness of the streams
which they do frequent, and their inexplicable avoidance of the large
and navigable rivers, prevent them from acquiring elsewhere.

I cannot say that I shall be at all surprised should it turn out, on
investigation, that the Brook Trout, Salmo Fontinalis, is indeed occa-
sionally taken up to the weight of twenty or twenty-five pounds, espe-
cially in the waters of Hamilton County, and is now confounded, on
account of its size, with the great Lake Trout — not equal to it,
whether as a fish of game or a table fish — of the same waters.

The Brook Trout proper of America is one of the most beautiful
creatures in form, color, and motion, that can be imagined.

He is slenderly and gracefully formed, though rather deeper in
proportion to his length than the Salmon, and far more so than the
Lake Trout.

In a well-grown and well-fed fish, the length of the head to the
whole body is about as one to five ; and the length of the whole body
to the breadth, at the origin of the first dorsal fin, as four and a half
to one A line drawn from the front teeth to the posterior curve of
the gill-cover, which is nearly semicircular, is nearly parallel to the

102

AMERICAN FISHES.

lateral lino, and will divide tho body into two nearly equal parts, tho
oonvexity of tho back and bolly being also nearly equal. The oeutro
of tho dorsal fin is as nearly as pos.siblo in tho centre of tho length of
tho body ; and the second dorsal fin is equidistant from tho posterior
extremity of tho dorsal, and that of the caudal fin. Tho origin of
tho ventral fin is vertically under tho origin of tho dorsal ; and tho
origin of tho anal equidistant from tho termination of tho ventral and
tho origin of the caudal fin. Tho pectoral fin id about two-thirds tho
length of the head.

The pectoral fin has eleven rays, tho first dorsal eleven, tho ven-
tral eight, tho anal fifteen, the caudal nineteen. The second dorsal
rayless and adipose.

The head is smooth ; tho body covered with small and delicate
scales. Teeth on tho vomer, tho palatine bones, and all tho maxillary
bones. The head and upp.n- part of the back are beautifully mottled,
like tortoiso-shell, with brownish green and yellow spots ; the gill-
covers silvery, with yellowish and pink glazings ; the sides, about tho
lateral line, lustrous metallic bluish gray, with large yellow spots more
brilliant than on the back. A double row of vivid vermillion specks
irregular in number, along tho lateral lino, above and below it. The
sides and upper portion of tho belly glazed with bright carmine ; the
belly silvery white ; the pectoral fins reddish yellow, with a dusky
anterior margin ; the ventral fins tho same, with the margin blacker
and more definite ; tho anal fin red, with a broad white anterior mar-
gin, and a black lunated streak between the white and red ; tho caudal
fin purplish brown ; the first dorsal golden yellow, barred and spotted
irregularly ^vith jet-black ; the second dorsal similar to ; back.

Such, briefly, are the characteriatj, s and general appeu. ance of this
beautiful and interesting fish, whloii! a every part of tho world where
angling is resorted to as a sport, and not merely as a mode of obtain-
ing subsistence, is the great object of the scientific fisherman's pursuit.
There is no sportsman, who is actuated by the true animus of the
pursuit, who would not prefer basketing a few brace of good Trout, to
taking a cart-load of the coarser and less game denizens of tho
waters ; nor, whether we consider hb wariness, his timidity, his ex-
treme cunning, the impossibility of taking him in fine and much-fished
waters, except with the slenderest and most delicate tackle ; his bold-

MALMONIDifi.

ion

noss and vigor uftcr being h.)u!;uil, or hi.s cxcullcncc on the tabic, sltall
wo won^lor at tho ju(lgnicnt, much lens dispute it, which, next to tho
Sulmoii only, rates him the Hrst of frosh-wuter li.shos. Tlio pursuit of
him leads Uo into the lovelicat scenery of the land; tlic season at
vliii'h we fish for him is the most delicious, those sweetest months of
spring — when they are not, as at present, the coldest and most odioi s
of the year — the very name and mention of which is redolent of the
breath of flowers, the violet, the cowslip, and the celandine, which
plunge us into a paradise founded upon the rural imaginings of the
most cxquiaito of England's rural bards, until wo arc recalled from
our elysium by a piercing gale from the north-cast, and perhaps a
pelting hail-storm, bidding us crush our wandering fancies, ajid teach-
ing us that spring-time is one of those pleasant things which occura
twice perhaps in a lifetime in the United States of x\merica.

The habits of the Trout have been already discussed so fully in the
earlier part of this article, as well as tiio nature of his food, that I
shall defer further mention of these topics, until I come, in the second
part of this volume, to tho taking of him with the natural or artificial
bait, which is most intimately connected with the consideration of his
prey and his haunts, so that in that place these will be most suitably
discussed.

Note to Reviseo Edition. — For some further particulars as to tho size of the
Brook Trout see Supplement. 4rt. Brook Trout, Salrno Jibnlinalis

■ I

■■'#' '^

104

AMERICAN FISHES.

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYGIL

BALMONID^.

»/ ITT. TtUITI D« OREVK

THE GREATEST LAKE TROUT.

MACKINAW SALMON NAMAYCUSH SALMON TROUT.

Salmo Amethyatus ! Mitchil, DeKay.—Salmo Namaycusk ; Peuiiant, Richardson.

This noble and gigantic species, which equals, or even exceeds, in
size, the true Salmon, Salmo Salar, and is by far the largest of all the
lacustrine or non-raigratory Salmonidce^ is found in all the great lakes
to the northward and westward of Lake Erie, to the Fur countries and
the Arctic region. It is not found in any tidal rivers, and never visits
the sea. TheFallsof Niagara present an insuperable obstacle to its
descent into Lake Ontario; but wliother it exists in any of the smaller
lakes of New York, or the eastern waters of New England, does not
as yet appear to be fully ascertained. It has been taken by the com-
panions of Dr. Richardson and Sir John Franklin, in Winter lake,
lat. 64^° N. ; but I cannot learn that it has been discovered in any of
the waters which discharge thomsclves southward by the Mississippi
or the Missouri. I doubt not at all that it exists in the waters of the
Great Basin and the Columbia, and that it is one of the fish mentioned
by Col. Fremont, as taken in them, during his explorations. The name

SALMONIDA.

105

of Mackinaw Salmon, by which it is commonly known, is therefore a
misnomer, since it is no more peculiar to the straits of Michilimackinac
than to any other locality between the Falls of Niagara and the Arctic
ocean. The term Namaycush, which Pennant adopted, and Dr. Rich-
ardson has retdined, both as its English name and its scientific distinc-
tion, is no more than its denomination by the Cree Indians, who term it
Nammecoos, and 1 confess I think it in both respects preferable to any
other ; for Dr. Mitchil's scientific name Amethysfus, which he gave it
in consequence of a faint purplish tinge perceptible on the teeth, gums,
and roof of the mouth, is founded on a peculiarity so slight — I speak
on the authority of Prof. Agassiz — as in many specimens to be scarcely
distinguishable ; while it has no name in the English language defining
it from the Siskawitz, inhabiting the same waters, or from the common
Lake Trout, Salmo ConJiniSj of the New York and New England
lakes.

It is a remarkable fact, that at least one-half of our inland or fresh-
water fishes have no correct English names, no names at all in fact,
but such arbitrary and erroneous terms as were applied to them igno-
rantly, by the first English settlers in the districts in which they are
found, and have been adhered to since for lack not of better, but of
any real names. Thus the peculiar fish of Lake Otsego, though fully
ascertained to be, and scientifically distinguished as, one of the family
Sahnonida:, and defined as Coregonus Otsego, has, to this day, no other
appellation in the vernacular than the absurd misnomer of Otsego
Bass, to which species it has no relation whatsoever. The same is the
case with the fish called " TVoit/," by the inhabitants of Carolina and
the neighboring States, which is mentioned as the " White Salmon,"
by Smith, in his history of Virginia ; and which is said to abound in
the rivers of Pennsylvania. This is, I doubt not, the fish alluded to by
a recent writer in the " Spirit of the Times," as the Susquehanna
Salmon, unless perchance another nameless fish, the Perca Lueioperca,j
is intended. The southern Trout is of the Pearch family — nothing
more remote from Trout — though in form it has some resemblance to
the Sahnonidc. It is the Gristes Salmo'ides of Cuvier, the Labre
Salmoide of Lac«^p^de, both terms indicating its family as of the
Pearc'i or Bass, and its similarity to the Salmons ; but it has no
i-QgiiSu name at all, unless wc adopt the vulgarism of calling it a
8

5, j

I A^

?ir-,.f lir

106

AMERICAN FISHES.

Trout, which is no less absurd than it would be to call a Pickerel,

Salmon.

These prevalent misnomers, and this total absence of real and ra-
tional names, are of great disadvantage, creating excessive confusion,
and puzzling all, except the scientific naturalist. It is much to be
regretted that the Indian terms have not always been sustained ; for
when interpreted, they are almost invariably found to be truly dis-
tinctive ; and it is greatly to be desired that on the discovery of new
genera, or varieties, this system of nomenclature may be adopted, as it
has been by Prof. Agassiz with regard to the Siskawitz, a new lacus-
trine Trout, discovered by him during the past summer in the great
waters of Huron and Superior.

With regard to those misnamed long ago, the misnomers of which
have become familiar, and as it were stereotyped by the lapse of time,
it is difficult to say what is to be done, or how the evil is to be reme-
died ; and it is to be feared that the Coregonus of Otsego will remain
the Otsego Bass for ever ; since [although nothing is easier than to
explain, and even to prove, that the fish is in no respect a Bass] when
he who has been accustomed so to call it, but who is open to convic-
tion, enquires if I must not call him Bass, what is his name ? there is
no answer to the question, but that he is a Coregonus of the Salmon

family.

To return, however, to the Greatest Lake Trout, Mackinaw Salmon,
or Namaycush — it is also called, in common with all the other largo
Lake Trout, Salmon Trout ; but this is too absurd even to be admitted
as a provincial synonyme, since the Salmon Trout is a Sea Trout, and
is moreover found on the eastern shores of this continent. This is pro-
bably the largest of the Salmon family in the known world ; honce, I
have ventured on ray own authority, to designate him as the Greatest
Lake Trout, in order to distinguish him not only from the Siskawita
and the Salmo Confinis of DeKay, but also from the common Trout,
Salmo Fontinalis, when taken of large size in the small inland lakes.

The average weight of this monstrous fish in Lake Huron is stated by
the fishermen to be seventeen pounds, but thoy are constantly taken of
forty pounds weight, and not at all unfrequently of sixty or seventy.

It is stated by Dr. Mitchil, that at Michilimackinac, they have

«3Cn KlloWa to aiUiiU lUii euuilfluua rrcij^iit Oi -ju-j i.tui-..--

tj)

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Co ^

CO r^

=J :s

■ «*- —

f Li

SALMONID^.

107

twenty pounds, with which the dimensions of the same fish as described
by La Hontan, in his Mem. de PAmerique, would seem to agree — " Les
plus grosses Truites,^^ says he., " des lacs ont cinq pieds et demi de lon-
gueur et un pied de diametre^^ — but at the present day, specimens of
this gigantic magnitude are never seen, and seventy pounds may be
taken as the limit of their ordinary growth. Even this, however, is a
sua to which the Sea Salmon has scarcely been known to attain.

It is a bold, powerful and tyrannical fish, with which no other in-
habiting the same waters can compete. The Gray Sucking Carp, Ca-
tastomus Iludsonius, the Methy, a species of fresh-water Ling, Lota
Maculosa, and the Herring-salmon, Coregonus Artedi, form the
favorite food of this voracious fish, the stomach of which is constantly
found crammed with them almost to repletion ; but he will bite raven-
ously and fiercely at almost anything, from a small fish or a piece of
pork, to a red rag or a bit of bright of tin, made to play rapidly through
the water.

In form, h3 considerably resembles the common Salmon, though he
is p3rhap8 rather deeper in proportion to his length. His head is neat,
small, and well -formed, with rather a peculiar depression above the
eye, and the snout sharply curved and beak-like. The head forms
nearly a fourth-part of the whole length of the fish ; the skull is more
bony than that of the common Salmon, the snout not cartilaginous,
but formed of solid bone ; the jaws are very strong, the upper over-
lapping by about half an inch the lower, which is strongly articulated
to the preoperculum and to the jugal bone. The eye is midway
between the snout and the nape, and twice as far from the hinder edge
of the gill-cover as from the tip of the snout.

Of the gill-covers, the preoperculum is curved and vertical, or
nearly so ; the suboperculum is deeper than in the other Trouts, and
is jointed at its inner angle to the operculum and preoperculum by a
slender process conocabd by those bones. Its edge forms fully one
half of the border of the free gill-cover, and is finely grooved. The
gill-rays are twelve in number.

The dental syst3m of the Mackinaw Salmon is very complete, and
more formidable than in any other member of the family. The inter-
maxillarics and labials, as well as the palatine bones, lower jaws and
tongue, are armed with very sharp and strong conical curved teeth ;

Hi ■

108

AMERICAN FISHES.

those on the vomer oonsisting of a circular cluster on the knob of that
bone, and of a double row cxtandiug at least half an inch backward.

The dorsal fin is situated in the middle of the fish, and contains
fourteen rays, the eighth ray being exactly central between the snout
and the tip of the central caudal fin-ray. The second adipose dor-
sal fin is small and obtusely formed. The caudal fin has nineteen,
the ventrals each nine, the anal eleven, and the pectorals each four-
teen rays. The origin of the ventral fins is slightly posterior to the

centre of the fish.

Such are the principal structural distinctions of this noble fish, and
I have entered into these rather at length, since by them only can ho
be distinguished from his lake congeners. I have already observed tho
rrreat difl"erenccs existing in point of color and markings between fish
of the same species found in different waters, throughout this family,
and endeavored to show the impropriety of founding specific distinc-
tions or even p3rmanmt varieties, by reference to those alone, without
reference to structure. In the Salino Foiitinalis, common Brook
Trout this is easy to be noticed, but in none of the Sdlmonida with
which I am acquainted are the difi'erencos of color and marking so
broad and distinct as in difierent individuals of this spocies. 1 have
before me, as I write, three colored representations of this same fish,
two water-color sketches, by Mr. Cabot, of Boston, and one, a colored
lithotrraph, in Dr. Richardson's Fauna Borcali-Araoricana ; and these
three I am certain would be pronounced by nine persons out of ten
not accustomed to observe structural diflferenccs, throe different fish.
Indeed, I am informed by Prof. Agassiz, that by the French residents
on lakes Huron and Superior, thoy are actually believed to be three
distinct fish, and are known by throe different names, from th3 locali-
ties in which they are found, viz. : — Truite des Battures, Trout of the
rocky shallows — Truite de Greve, Trout of the muddy shoals — and
Truite du Large, Trout of the deep open waters. The first of those
fish is represented in the large plate facing this paper, and the second
in the cut at the head of page 104. The third is thus described in Dr.
Richardson's work named above : — " The head, back and sides have
a daik greenish gray color, which when examined closely is resolved
into small roundish yellowish gray spots on a bluish gray ground,
which covers less space than the spots ; the latter are most evident on

SALMUMO^.

109

the sidos, each of them including three or four scales. The un-
covered portion of each scale is roundish, and its convex centre
having a grayish huo and silvery lustre, is surrounded by a dark
border of minute spots, which are deficient or less numerous on the
yellowish gray spots, and also on the bluish white belly. The dorsal
and caudal fins have the greenish gray tint of the back, and the ven-
trals and anals are muddy orange ; this color also partially tinging the
pectorals. Tho iridos are bright honey yellow with blue clouds."

I will merely add to this, that in the colored lithograph, which is
beautifully executed, the fish has a blight, chan, silve'i-y appearance,
with a prevalence of bluish gray hu 3, and a silvery bjlly, precisely in
accordance with a description given to mo by Prof. Agassiz, of the
Truite du> Large, for in this condition I have never myself seen the
fish.

In the drawings by Mr. Cabot, from which the wood-cuts to this
paper are taken, and the correctness of which I had an opportunity of
verifying by personal inspection during a recent visit to the upper
lakes, the Truite des Battwres, largj plate facing page 104, is of a dark
bluish green on thj back, fading into a greenish brown about the late
ral lino, thence into a greenish yellow on the sides, and into bluish
silver on the belly, the wliolj largely marked with distinct irregularly,
shaped spots— light green on the dark back, yellowish on the brown
green of the sidjs, and silver on the bluish belly, becoming larger as
they descend from the back, and at last molting into the brightness of
the abdomen. The dorsal and caudal fins of the same color as the
back, with irregular yellowish green .spots, the latter faintly margined
with dull rod ; the pectorals bluish gray, margin.id with the same
color, and the ventrals and anals broadly margined with dusky Ver-
million. The third variety, the Tncile de Grevc, is generally of a
muddy greenish brown, darker and greener on the back, browner on
the sides, and yellowish gray on the bjUy. The spots in this variety
are much smaller than in that last described, and far less definite both
in shapj and color, so that the fish might be said to be mottled or
clouded, rather than spotted. The fins are all of the same dull,
dingy, olivaceous color, similarly clouded, with the faintest possible
indication of a ruddy margin on tin pectorals, ventrals, and anals, but
no tinge of that color on the caudal fin. Both these varieties I have

1.10

AMERH AN FISHES.

seen and compar 3d within th 3 last month, recently tak -n on Lake Erie,
and I am inform hI that th.3 color and flavor of th ; fish is affjctod, as
micrht bo expected, by th3 same circumstano >s which produce the
difference of external coloring, the brighter fish having the redder
flesh and the higher and more delicate flavor.

In the deep cold wat3rs of Lako Huron, all the fish arc infinitely
superior, both in firmness and flavor, to those of the comparatively
shaUow Ind muddy waters of Lake Erie, so much so, that those who
have been accastomed all their lives to the VVhite-Fish, Corcgonus
Albus, of the lower lake, speak of that of Lake Huron as entirely a
diff'erent fish as regards its epicuror.n qualities.

" The fl3sh of th ) Namaycush," says Dr. Richardson, " is reddish
or orange colored, being paler when out of season. When in good
condition, it yi.'lds much oil, and is very palling to the appetite if
simply boiled, but roasting rendn-s it a very pleasant article of diet.
The Canadian voyag^urs are fond of eating it in a frozm state, after
scorching it for a second or two over a quick fire, until the scales
can be t^sily d.^tached, but not continuing the application of the heat
long enough to thaw the interior. The stomach when boUed is a
favorite morsel with the same people."

Although I have seen this fish at almost every season of the year,
the fljsh of non^ has exceeded what I should call a dull, huffish flesh-
color, not approaching to what, on the most liberal construction, could
be termed red or orange color. It is in my opinion a coarse, bad
fish on the table, at onci rank and vapid, if such a combination can
be imagined, and it is d3cid«dly the worst of the large lacustrine
Trouts,° few of which in cither hemisphere arc either delicate or
high-flavored. I doubt not, however, that when fresh out of the water,
in°the cold deep lak^s of Huron and Superior, crimped and broiled
or roasted, it is far better than could be supposed by one who has
eaten it only after being many hours out of its native clement.

In no respect, however, must we regard the opinions of sportsmen
more cum grano than in their appreciation of the qualities of fish, flesh
or fowl in an epicurean point of viiw. They are apt to be very hungry
when they oat, and who does not know the eff"ect of the vSpartan sauce
on the palatabl mess of the plainest viands r and again, their tastes are
[)lified b" the absence of stimulants of every kind.

simp!

SALMONIDJE.

Ill

Tho habits of the Mackinaw Salmon are similar to those of most of
thu non -migratory Lake Trout ; thoy affect and prefer the deep waters
at most seasons of the year, and lie at a great depth beneath the sur-
face. In the spring of the year, however, they approach the shores,
and are found in the shallow waters, whither, it is supposed, they pur
BU3 the various kinds of flsh on which they prey, which resort thither
in 83arch of larvae of v.",riou3 insects. They do not enter the rivers to
spawn, but approach the shores for that purpose in autumn, depositing
their ova on the gravelly shoals, and then retiring again into the depths.
In Lake Huron thay begin to spawn about the tenth of October, and
return to the centre of the lake within three months from tho com-
mencement of the movement. The young fry of this fish has been
examined by Professor Agassiz, and found to possess the same lateral
bands or markings which were formerly believed to be peculiar to the
Parr alone, but which are in all probability, common to every species
of the family of Salmonida.

During its stay, at the spawning season, in the shallow channels
between the innumerable islands, the Namaycush is speared by torch
light in great quantities by ih^ Indians — a cruel and wasteful devasta-
tion, which, though it cannot be wondered at in the untutored savage,
cannot be reprehended too severely when practised, as it is universally,
by the civilized white man, for purposes of reckless sport or illicit and
dishonorable gain. In the fur countries they are sometimes taken in
the autumn with nets ; but tho season when it is captured in the
greatest abundance is in the months of March and April, during which
it is taken by tliousands on cod-hooks, baited with small fish set in
holes cut through the ice, in eight or nine fathoms water. It will not
be amiss here to state that when the ice is formed of snow partially
melted and recongealed. so as to be opaque, presenting an appear-
ance like that of ground glass, neither this nor any other of the Trout
family will take the bait

During the mid-summer and mid-winter months the Mackinaw
Salmon is rarely seen or captured, as during those seasons it lies in
the deepest waters in the centre of the groat lakes, so that it can be
fished for only with a drop-line and heavy plummet at an extraordi-
nary depth, in a manner similar to that practised in deep-sea fishing.

I. 'i

112

AMERICAN FISHES.

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERrGll.

SALMONlOiB

THE SISKAWITZ.

NORTHERN LAKE TROUT.

Salmo Siikawitz • Agaasiz.

This fine fish, which is second only in size to that last described,
was discovered so recently as last summer, during a trip to the upper
lakes for scientific purposos by Professor Agassiz, to whose courtesy
and kindness I owe the power of including it in this work, as it has not
up to this time been described or figured in any book of Natural History.
A journal of that tour is at this moment passing through the University
press at Harvard, which will comprise a full account of this and several
other previously nondescript fishes, together with accurate and beauti-
ful lithographic illustrations by Sonrel ; and to this for fuller informa-
tion, and especially for accounts of several species which do not como
within the lunits of this work, I refer my readers, certain that they
will derive both pleasure and profit from the perusal.

The Siskawitz in its coloring and general appearance, as regarded
by an uninstructed eye, bears a very considerable resemblance to the
Mackinaw Salmon, or Namaycush, particularly to that accidental
variety of it which I have described above as the Truite de Greve ,
and is found in the same waters with it, most abundantly in Lake
Superior, a few in Lake Huron near the Sault St. Marie, but none in
St. Clair, Erie, or Ontario. And, it is believed, in the smaller inland
waters of New York and the Eastern States, it is unknown.

The head, back and sides of the Siskawitz, above the lateral
line, are of dingy brownish olive, with a greener gloss on the upper
parts, irregularly blotched and cloudjd, rather than spotted, with
lighter circular or oval patches of the same color. Below the lateral
line the color is paler and more yellow, with clusters of the same spota

HALMONIDJfi.

113

fading into a dull d-sad whits, which is the prevailing hue of the bell/,
with a very slight silvery gloss on some of the scales.

The dorsal and caudal fins are of the same greenish brown with the
back, and like it are irregularly patched with lighter spots. The pec-
toral, ventral and anal fins are paler, but with the same markings, and
with a very faint indication of dusky red on the margins

Altogether, the Siskawitz is a greener colored and leas lustrous fish
than tha Namaycu,sh, and fur Il'ss distinctly spotted ; still there is so
much similarity, that by a porson not accustomed to look for nicer
and more permanent structural distinctions, the two species might be
very readily confounded.

In form, the Siskawitz is rather shorter and stouter than the Mack-
inaw fish, and does not taper nearly so much at either extremity. The
h-ad particularly, which in the other is very small, neatly shapod,
and daprcBSod toward the snout, is short, thick, and very obtusely
rounded, giving a coarse and clumsy profile, and distinguishing it de-
cidsdly from the kindred species. On the shoulders it is moderately
bro.id, with the sides somewhat compressed. The length of the head
is about one-fourth of the whole length of the fish, from the snout to
the tips of the caudal. The skull is strong and bony, with powerful
lower jaws. The porous lines and foramina of the bones, seen on th«
heads of several of the other Trouts, are very evident and distinctly
marked in this, as are the radiating processes on the operculum am
preoporculum.

The preoperculura is considerably rounded and almost vertical ,
the post3rior free margin of the gill-covers ia nearly semicircular,
much le.ss acute posteriorly than in the Naraaycush.

It has a very complete and formidable dontal system, all the max-
illary and palatin3 boms, as well as the lower jaws and either side of
the tongue, being armed with strong, sharp, curved teeth, and the
vomer provided with a double line extending along the whole lenf^th
backward. The dorsal fin is situated nearly midway the whole length
of thu body; the postfirior dorsal is thicker and more clumsily shaped
than in the preceding species. The caudal fin is deeply forked.

The number of rays in the several fins I am, I regret to say, unable
to supply at present.

Neither in coloring nor in form therefore, does the Siskawitz equal

P'\

I I

114

AMKRrCAN FI8IIK8

'.a«

Hie Mackinaw Salmon or Natnaycush ; it la in all ronpacts a clurasior
and coirser fish. Its flesh is of tho same nature, though much
riohor ; and when salted, it commandfl nearly doublo tho price of tho
Nauinjcush.

Its habits and haunts are almost idonfical with those of tho other
epocies, like which it is not migratory or anadromous, never entering
the rivers either for the purpose of spawning or in pursuit of food ;
although it approaches the shores, and visits the gravelly shallows of
tho lakes in autumn, in order to deposit its ova.

It is taken by the French inhabitants and by the Indian hunters,
with the torch and spear, occasionally with the scan, and also with the
long lino in deep water. It is said to strike readily at a piece of glit-
tering tin, or mothcr-of-poarl, made to revolve and glance quickly
through the water.*

There is no doubt but that with good spinning tackle, baited with
minnow, shiners, or the parr of the Brook Trout, which would proba-
bly prove the most killing of the three, or with tho deadly spoon, the
Siskawitz might be angled for with great success, and would afford
good sport, as it is a strong and powerful fish, growing to twenty-five
pounds or upwards, although its usual weight docs not exceed fifteen
or sixteen pounds.

Neither this fish, however, nor the Namaycush, nor, so far as 1
know, any other of the non-migratory Lake Trout, strikes with the
same fim-ceuess and avidity, springing out of the water to take the bait,
and leaping far and frequently above tho surface when hooked, as the
Sea Salmon, the Salmon Trout, or any of the anadromous species of
this highly interesting family. The motion of the great lakers is for
the most part confined to a heavy lumbering rush in pursuit of the
bait, and to a strong dead pull when endeavoring to escape after being
(Jtruck. They will bore down desperately at first into the deep water,
but do not fight with the swift energy or resort to the cunning arti-

NoTE TO Revised Edition. — From pcrmmul observation, iiiice writing tha above,
I am BatiHfied that these large Lake Tront cannot be angled for with succeas, e.x-
cept in very deep water, either with a drop-line, or by trolling from a boat with Q
pluininct, and a cod-hook baited with any kind of flesh, fiKh, or fowl. Tiie former
is the prtferjtble mode. The Indinns kill them with tho spear, or with baits through
'he ice, in immense numbers. Frt'sii, then* flesh is coarse, oily, rank and vapid,
JUt when pickled or sinriked, thsy are vi^rv ■ialnt:-.!!!!-

• : r

lumsier

i niuoh

of tho

e other

ntoring

food ;

lows of

unters,
rith the
of glit-
^uickly

id with
proba-
on, the

afford
jty-fivo

fifteen

ir as 1
ith the
le bait,
, as tho
cies of
i is for

of the
r being

water,
g arti-

a above,
:e8«, ex-
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B former
through
d vapidi

CO ^

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c/J

QC c/O

^ <:5

t^.

SALMON tDy-E.

115

bees, of the Salmo Salar. Strong tackle, an eighteen foot rod, and
a steady hand, will not fail to sDcure them, even with far less skill
than is required to take a three-pounder Brook Trout in a quick-run-
ning river.

I may add here, in continuation of the remarks made above, under
the head of True Salmon, in reference to the young fry of all this
family, that Professor Agassiz has discovered the Pinks, both of this
and the preceding species in what may be called the Parr form, with
dusky lateral transverse bandings. I have not judged it necessary to
give cuts of these fry, as the fact may be regarded as thoroughly
established, and as the other characteristics of these young Lake
Trout are so broad and distinct, that they could not be easily mis-
taken either for the young of any other species or for a distinct
varii'ty.

The above descriptions, as well as the representation in the annexed
wood-cut, are taken, by permission, which is here gratefully acknow-
ledged, from a spirited colored sketch by Mr. Elliot Cabot, of Boston,
who accompanied Professor Agassiz on the tour above-mentioned, and
from the notes of that gentleman.

It is trusted that this notice, although brief, of an entirely new
Salvia, will prove satisfactory both to the sportsman and to the natu-
ralist ; and if the mention of its peculiarities may induce the gentle
anglers of this country to pay a little more attention to the structural
diiFerences of fishes, so as to lead to the discovery of new species,
several of which, it can hardly be doubted, remain still nondescript in
the unfrequented waters of this mighty land, some good will Jiave been
"^one to the great cause of science.

:.' ■ I

116

ABDOMINAL
MALACOI'TERYGII.

AMERICAN FISHES.

BALMONID^

THE LAKE TROUT.

Salmo Confmis ; DeKay.

Not having been enabled this spring to obtain a specimen of this
fish, which I was exceedingly anxious to do, for the purpose of com-
paring it with the Siskawitz and Namaycush, I take the following
account from the New York Fauna of Dr. DeKay, whose description
of the fish is very complete.

It is a very closely cognate species with the two last described, but
I believe it to be clearly distinct, which in the first instance I was
disposed to doubt.

" Characteristics. — Blackish, with numerous gray spots. Body
robust ; comparatively short in proportion to its depth ; caudal fin
with a sinuous margin. Length, two to four feet

" Description. — Body stout, thicker and shorter than the common
Salmon. Length of the head to the total length, as one to four and
and a half noarjy. Dorsal outline curved. Scales, small, orbicular,
and minutely striated. Thft lateral line distinctly marked by a scries
of tubular plates, arising at the upper angle of the opercular opening,
slightly concave until it passes over the base of the pectoral fin, when

8ALM0NIDJE.

117

it proceeds straight to tha tail. Head flattened between the eyes.
Snout protruded, and in aged individuals with a tubercular enlarge-
ment on its extremity. Eyes large ; the antcro-posterior diameter
of the orbits 1.5, and their distance apart 2.5 ; nostrils contigu-
ous, patent; the anterior vertically oval, the posterior smaller and
rounded. Under jaw shortest, and received into a cavity of the
upper. The transverse membrane over the roof of the mouth exceed-
ingly tough and thick ; the numerous curved teeth in the jaws partly
concealed by a loose fleshy membrane. Tongue, long, narrow and
thick, with a series of teeth along the central furrow. Many series
of acute teeth along the vomer and on the palatines.

" The first dorsal fin with its upper margin rounded, sub-triangular,
arising somewhat nearer the snout than the extremity of the caudal
rays, higher than long, measuring 4.5 in height, and 4.0 along the
base. It is composed of fourteen rays, the first two short, and imbed-
ded in the flosh ; the fourth and fifth rays longest. The adipose fin
1.0 long, rounded at the end, scarcely narrowed at the base, an inch
long, and placed over the end of the anal fin. Pectoral fins broad
and pointed, five inches long, and arising slightly behind a line drawn
from the upper posterior angle of the oparcle. It is composed of
fourteen rays. The ventral fins, placed nearly under the centre of
the dorsal fin, composed of nine rays, and furnished with a thick
axillary plate. Anal fin quadrate ; its extreme height 4.4, and its
base 3.0 ; composed of twelve robust rays. Caudal fin nine inches in
extent from tip to tip, furcate, with a sinuous margin.

'■'■Color from a living specimen. All the upper portion of the head
and body bluish black. Sides of the head, base of the first dorsal, of
the caudal and anal fins, with numerous rounded ^.rowded irregular
light spots. On the base of the dorsal and caudal, the spots are
oblong light greenish ; chin brownish bronze ; pupils black ; irides
Salmon color. Tips of the lower fins slightly tinged with red.
" Length 31.3 ; of the head 7.3. Weight fifteen pounds.
" Fin rays, D. 14.0 ; P. 14 ; V. 9 ; A. 12 ; C. 21^.
" This is the well-known Lake Salmon, Lake Tiout, or Salmon
Trout of the State of New York. Among the thirteen species or
varieties of Lake Trout, or Lake Salmon, so beautifully illustrated
by Richardson, I cannot find this species described. It appears more

118

AMERICAN FISHES.

nearly allied by the figure to Salmo ITvodii, but difFors in very impor-
tant particulars from this species. It occurs in most of the northern
lakes of this State, and I have noticed it in Silver Lake, Pennsyl-
vania, adjacent to Broome County, which, as far as 1 know, is its
southernmost limit. The figure illustrating this species was from a
specimen taken at Louis Lake, in Hamilton County, of unusual size
and vio-or. The average weight is eight or ten pounds ; but I have
heard fishermen speak of some weighing thirty pounds, and even
more. There is, however, such a strong propensity to exaggeration
in everything in relation to aquatic animals, that I refrain from citing
cases derived from such sources.

" They frequent the deepest part of the lake, and unlike most of
their conveners, never rise to the fly.

" The flesh is of course much prized in those districts where no
oceanic fish is ever tasted ; but to me it appears to possess all the
coarseness of the Halibut without its flavor."

This, with the exception of a few general remarks ou its habits, ia
all that Dr. DeKay has recorded of this fish.

i canuot, however, proceed, without expressing my great surprise
at Dr. DeKay's opinion of its resemblance to the Salmo Hoodii^
known also as the Arctic Charr, the Mingan river Salmon, and the
Masamacoosh of the Creo Indians. This is a decided long-finned
Charr, beautifully colored, of a rich lake purple, with numerous bright
golden spots, and the red belly of the proper Charr. It is, probably,
an anadromous species, running up the swift rivers of the north, and
descending to the salt-water to recruit. Its flesh is bright red. In
shape, again, it differs entirely from the fish before us, being the
longest and most slender of all the Salmonidce of this continent, some-
what resembling the German Hucho in shape.

I can see nothing in which it can be compared to any of the Lake
Trout, and least of all to this, which is the most worthless of all the
non-migratory species. It is found I believe in Lake Ontario, below
the Falls of Niagara, and certainly in ril the New England lakes so
far to the eastward as the State of Maine. In the British provinces,
with the exception of Lakes Mephramagog and Champlain, I do not
think that it exists.

From a careful comparison of the cut in Dr. DeKay^s work, plate

SALMONlUiE.

119

38, Gg. 123, as well as from his description of its coloring, I have no
hesitation in pronouncing it far more nearly connected with the Siska-
witz of Prof. Agassiz, tlian with any other of its congeners, although
the elongated head, the shape of the fins, and especially the lobe-like
formation of the caudal, clearly distinguishes it from this species.

it is to be regretted, however, that in the work of the uiaguitud
and importance of the New York Fauna of the State of New York,
u' plates should be, as they are, so atrociously executed, that for
matters of scientific examination they are all but useless, while as
pictorial illustrations, they are below contempt.

Note to Reviskd Edition.— See Supplement. Art. Lake Trout, Satmo
Confinis. The quality of this fish differs entirely with tlie different watera
from which it is tuken. In the New England waters, it is generally bad. In
Beneca Lake, and the Hai.iilton County waters, unequivocally admirable, and
exceeded neither by Sea Salmon nor Brook Truiu

120

AMERICAN FISHES.

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERTGII.

SALMON ID^.

iiiii,

SALMON TROUT.

SEA TROUT WHITE TROUT.

-« =!

Salmo Trutta : Yarrel.

This beautiful fish, which is the Salmon Trout of the Thames, the
Sea Trout*of Scotland, and the White Trout of Wales, Devonshire,
and Ireland, is found nowhere on the continent of America except
on the eastern side of the Province of New Brunswick and in the Gulf
of St. Lawrence

It must on no account be confounded, as it has been by Dr. Smith
in his " Fishes of Massachusetts," with the Brook Trout, Salmo Fon-
iimilis, when they run down and remain permanently in salt-water,
as they do, more or less, along the whole south side of Long Island,
but especially at Fireplace, at Waquoit bay, on Cape Cod, and pro-
bably at many other points along the eastern coast ; for tho fish are
totally distinct, as will be shown hereafter.

" It is distinguished," says Yarrel, " by the gill-cover being inter-
mediate in its form between that of the Salmon and tho Bull Trout
The posterior free margin is loss rounded than that of tho Salmon,
but more so than that of the Bull Trout. The line of union of tho

SALMONID^.

121

operculum with the subopcrculum, md the inferior margin of the sub-

operculum are oblique, forming a cousilcrable angle with the axis of

the body of the fish. The posterior edge of the preoperculum rounded,

not sinuous, as in the Bull Trout. The teeth are more slender as

well as more numerous than in the Salmon or Bull Trout ; those on

the vomer extending along a great part of the length, and indenting

the tongue deeply between the two rows of teeth that are there placed

ono row along each side. The tail is less forked at the same age than

that of the Salmon, but becomes like it, square at the end, after the

third year. The size and surface of the tail also is much smaller

than that of the Salmon, from the shortness of the caudal rays.

" The habits of this species are also very like those of the Sal-
mon, and the females are said to run up the rivers before the males
Sir William Jardine says : ' In approaching the entrance of rivers
or in seeking out, as it were, some one they preferred, shoals of
this fish may be seen coasting the shoals and headlands, leaping and
sporting m great numbers, from about one pound to three or°four
pounds m weight ; and in some of the smaller bays the shoal could be
traced several times circling it, and apparently feeding. They enter
every river and rivulet in immense numbers, and when fishing for
Salmon, are annoying for their quantity. The food of those taken
with the rod in the estuaries appeared very indiscriminate ; occasion-
ally the remains of some small fish, which were too much di..ested
to be discriminated; sometimes flies, beetles, or other insects, which
the wind or tide had earned out ; but the most general food seemed
to be the Tahtris Locnsta, or common sand-hopper, with which some
of their stomachs were completely crammed.'

" The largest adult fish of this species I have ever seen," Mr
Yarrel adds, " was in the possession of Mr. Groves, the fishmonger in
Bond-street. This specimen, which occurred in June, 1831, was a
female, m very fine condition, and weighed seventeen pounds."

Never having myself seen this fish in America, although perfectly
familiar with it in Great Britain, but having good reason for bein^
sure that it existed in the great estuary of St. Lawrence, and in the
bays of Gaspe and Chaleurs, I wrote, so soon as I decided on the
preparation of this work, to a friend, Mr. Perley, in New Brunswick,
Her Majesty's emigration officer at St. .Tohn. know.'n- th-t T Tr--^ ♦
0

12i

AMERICAN FISHES.

rclv as well on liis kindness in supplying mo with any information ho
Mt possess on the subject, as on his skill and thoroughness as a
sportsman and fly-fisher, and his science as an icthyologist.

He obli-inc^ly replied to me at len-th, beside sending me a highly
valn-.blo r^epo^rt on the Fisheries of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, fully
confirming my opinion of the existence of this noble and sporting fish

in tho Province. , , . t. ,- v r

Without farther comment I proceed to lay his observations before
my readers, premising only, that while thoy fully prove tbe identity
of the New Brunswick White Trout with the Salmon Trout of Yarrel,
Salmo Trutta^and distinguish it from the Brook Trout, whether Eng-
li^i or \merican, Salmo Fario, or Salmo Fontinalis, they show some
remarkable differences in habit from the same fish in the British Islands.
" You will perceive," says Mr. Perley, " that, under official orders,
1 have been compelled to go into natural history ; and that you may
see the whole, I send some reports printed in 1847, including one on
the Forest Trees of New Brunswick. I procured the second edition
of Yarrel when in London last year, and the beautiful supplement
containing' the plates of the Salmon, from the little Parr up to the
crilso of two years, all of which I have been compelled to study.

" The White Trout of the gulf of St. Lawrence, is precisely simi-
lar to the Salmo Trutta of Yarrel. The drawing of Vol. IL, p. 77,
second edition, is a very good representation of our White Trout. In
June when in the finest condition, they arc somewhat deeper than
there' represented "—the cut at the head of this paper is a fac simihe
of the plate in Yarrel alluded to by Mr. Perley-" the shoulder is
then exceedingly thick ; the head, especially in the female, is very
small I never heard of any weighing more than seven pounds. 1
have never seen a White Trout on this side of the province, or any-
where except within the gulf. They are of delicious flavor when new-
ly caught, the white curds lying thick between the bright pink flakes ;
and they do not cloy like the Salmon.

"Many of the common Trout, Salmo Fario''— Fonhnolis?—
" also visit the mixed water of the estuaries, and very likely go out to
Bca They then acquire a peculiar silvery brilliancy, and their con-
dition becomes greatly improved ; but they cannot be mistaken, even
then f-- the White Trout. They are a longer fish— their heads are

SALMONID.E.

123

larger— the color of the spots is more brilliant, and there are more of
them ; and the tri-colorcd fins leave no room for doubt, as the fins of
the White Trout are very pale, and of a bluish white. When first
lifted from the sea, the backs of the White Trout are of a bluish
green, just the color of the wave ; and the under part of the fish
sparkles like molten silver."

In a report of the fly-fishing of the Province, which Mr. Perley
was good enough to enclose, I find also the following pertinent remarks
on this fish :

" It is to be understood," ho says, " that the whole Gulf of St.
Lawrence abounds with White Trout, from one to seven pounds in
weight. They proceed up the rivers as far as the head of the tide in
each, but they never ascend into the purely fresh water. In the salt-
water they are caught only with the ' Prince Edward's Island fly,' so
called, the body of which is of scarlet with gold tinsel, or of gold
tinsel only, with four wings from feathers of the scarlet ibis— the
curry-curry ' of South America.

" In the estuaries of rivers where the water is only brackish they
take the Irish lake-fly with gay colors ; the scarlet ibis seems the most
attractive, however, in all cases. In the fresh-water the Trout are
quite diff^erent ; they are much longer, very brilliantly colored, with
tri-colored fins of black, white and scarlet, and numerous bright spots
over the body. When the fish are in good condition these spots are
nearly as large as a silver penny. They rarely exceed three pounds
in weight, but are a very sporting fish ; they take most of the Irish
flies, but the red hackle in all its varieties is the favorite. A brilliant
hackle, over a yellow or fiery brown body, kills everywhere, all the
season through.

" The Sea-Trout fishing, in the bays and harbors of ' Prince Ed-
ward's Island,' especially in June, when the fish first rush in from the
gulf, is really magnificent ; they average from three to five pounds
each. I found the best fishing at St. Peter's bay, on the north side
of the island, about twenty-eight miles from Charlotte's town. I there
killed in one morning sixteen Trout, which weighed eighty pounds.

" In the bays, and along the coasts of the island, they are taken with
the scarlet fly, from a boat under easy sail, with a ' mackerel breeze,'
and oftentimes a heavy ' ground swell.' The fly skips from wave to

i.i't

I. '

ini

"' 1 . !

F :'

1 il

'!!

124

AMERICAN FISHES

wave at the end of thirty yards of lino, and th.re should be at least
seventy yards more on the reel. It is splendid sport ! as a strong fish
will make sometimes a long run, and give a good chase down tho

wind "

This clear, able and sportsmanlike account of this fine fish perfect-
ly establishes' tho fact of its existence as a distinct species, intermediate
between the true Salmon, Salmo Salar, on the one hand, and the
Brook Trout, Sabno Fontimlis, on the other. And it must on no ac
count be confounded with tho ,ion-migratory Lake Trouts, which have
been just described, and which arc sometimes erroneously and absurdly
called Salmon Trout. They never quit the purely frcsh-water-theso
never leave it. These are anadromous, those stationary.

Those are a worthless fish, both to the sportsman and the epicure,
comparatively speaking ; these are in all respects tho most valuable
of the species, with the exception only of tho true Salmon ; and nei-
ther in excellence of flavor nor in sporting qualifications do they fall
behind even him, although they are far inferior in weight and size.

Mr. Yarrel states that the length of the head in this fish is as one
to four to the length of the whole body, and the depth of the body to
the length the same. The teeth, small and numerous, occupying five
rows on the upper surface of the mouth, those of the central row, on
the vomer, extending some distance along it, the points turning alter-
nately to each side, one row on each side of the under jaw, and three
or four teeth on each side of the tongue, strong, sharp, and curving
backwards, well calculated to secure a living prey, or convey food to-
wards the pharynx.

The dorsal fin-rays are twelve in number, the pectoral thirteen, tho
ventral nine, the anal ten, and the caudal nineteen. When the Sal-
mon Trout is placed by the side of a Salmon, it is in comparison
darker in color in the body, but lighter in the color of the fins.

It is with great satisfaction that I am enabled to present this beauti-
ful and gallant fish to my readers, and to establish with certainty its
identity with the Salmo Trutta of Yarrel, and its existence in the
North American Provinces. This fish has hitherto never been de-
cribed in any American sporting work, nor I believe in any work of
a scientific character, as an American species, with the exception of
the Parliamentary reports of Mr. Perley. The fish described as tho

SAf-MONlDJE.

I2fl

Salmo Trutta in the American Angler's Guide, and in Smith s Fishes
of Massachusotts, is, as I havj already observed, nothing resembling
It, but the very Brook Trout described above, with the tri-colored fin,
improved by a visit to salt-water.

I may hero observe, en-passant, that my distinguished friend, Mr.
Agassiz, was not aware, a few months since, of the existence of this
fish as an American species.

It cannot fail to prove a great acquisition to the list of the American
angler, as there is no bolder or better fish, and its haunts are of no
difficult access. I learn that an • Engli.sh yacht is already fitting out,
m order to take the field against the Sea Trout in the gulf this very
summer ; and I doubt not that ere long some of our New York clip-
pers will spread their wings in emulation of their brothers of the anc^le
from -the eastern side of the broad Atlantic. I can conceive no more
delightful trip, no more exciting rivalry.

NoT« TO REV.-KD ED,T>oN.-Mr. Perley writes me, under date of October 19,

t1 "Z " Tt 'T '" ": "^^ "' ^"''^' '° """" '"''^"--'^ ^hat the Salmon
Irout pursue the brnelts .„to the rivers and harbors, ar.d return to the sea as soou

aH the Snielt ascend tha brooks. It appears that they do aot spawn or breed in

i
1 1

126

AMEHICAN FISIIRH.

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTEUYOII.

SALMON! U.K.

THE MASAMACUSH.

HOOD'S CHARR

SalTTio Hoodii; Richardson.

This beautiful fish is given on the authority of Dr. Richardson, by
whom it appears to have been first described, although discovered by
Lieutenant Hood, in Pine Island lake, latitude 54".

It is not a little remarkable that this fish should have so long re-
mained unknown, as it is stated by its describer " to be common in
every lake and river from Canada to the northern extremity of the
continent." Whether this includes the great lakes above the Fallsof
Niagara, it is not stated, although the language would authorise that
interpretation ; no distinct mention is made of it, however, as having
been taken south of the Mingan river, which empties into the estuary
of St. Lawrence somewhere about the latitude of 50° ; all the other
specimens described being taken in Winter lake, or in the waters of
Boothia Felix ; it is scarcely possible, however, but that it must be
found to the southward of this line, to justify the words of so accurate
and correct a writer as Dr. Richardson.

At all events, the Mingan river is in Canada proper, in the lord-

BALMONID/E.

127

ship of iMin<;an, aud is constantly visitod, for the purpoHo of Salmon
fiHhing, by yachting parties from Quebec, scarcely a year ocenrring
but ono or more vessels arc fitted out for this wild spot, which ia
nearly opposite to the northern side of the inhospitable, and nearly
if not absolutely "-'nhj.'oiicd island of Anticosti, the sport amply
repaying the time and trouble.

I am personally acquainted with several very accomplished Salmon
fishers who are at home on those waters, yet by none of these have I
ov;-r hesud any mention of this fish, and I am well satisfied that
although it must, I presume, have been taken by them frequently, it
has entirely escaped their observation, being probably confounded
either with the Salmon, or the Salmon Trout, although entirely dis-
tinct from either. It is remarkable as being the only Charr that is
found in the inhabited portions of the United States or Canada, for
although Richardson designates th( common Brook Trout, Salmo
Fontinalis, as the New- York Charr ^ I confess I am at a loss to per-
ceive any grounds for so specifying it. One of the marked charac-
tM-istics of the Charr, the greater comparative height of the dorsal fin,
which will be readily observed in the cut at the head of this paper, is
entirely wanting in the Brook Trout, and although the vomerine teeth
are disposed in a cluster in that species, after the manner of tho
Charrs, this alone hardly appears to me a sufficient reason for altering
its nomenclature.

The other varieties of Charr, the Angmalook, Salmo Nitidus, and
the long-finned Charr, Salmo Alipes, arc found in the small lakes and
rivers of Boothia Felix, but as that far northern peninsula is utterly
beyond tho reach of the most determined angler, it is useless to give
them more than this mere passing notice.

The Masamacush is, on the contrary, within easy reach of all who
are willing to travel distances, without incurring either risk or fatigue,
in pursuit of their game, and is found, moreover, in the very waters
which afford the greatest variety and the highest attractions to tho
scientific fly-fisher, in their abundance of Salmon, Salmon Trout, and
Brook Trout. It is also a bold and daring biter, voraciously seizing
a bait of sucking carp, pork, deer's heart, or tho belly of one of its
own species affixed upon a cod-hook. " We took many at Fort En-
terprise, in March, in cill-neta sfit under tho ino " Bntra r»r T?iVhor/1„

ik.

i|l3|

128

AMERICAN FISHES.

son, "in the neighborhood of an open rapid by which the waters of
Winter lake were discharged into a river that remained frozen up
until June. At that time their stomachs were filled with the larvsB
<jf insocts. During the summer this fish is supposed to retire to the
depths of the lakes, but it reappears in smaller numbers in the
autumn, and is occasionally taken in the winter in nets, but seldom
))y the hook, except in the spring. The spawning season is in April
or May, judging from the great development the spawn then acquires,
though the spawning beds are unknown to us. The Masamacush
attains a weight of eight pounds, but begins to spawn before it weighs
more than two or three."

Dr. Richardson does not state whether this fish will take the fly or
not, but as it is not the general habit of the non-migratory Trout of
the American lakes, or of the British Charr, to do so, it may, 1 think,
be presumed that the Masamacush, where he exists in lakes, is to be
taken by trolling in deep water with a small Trout or other fish upon
a heavily-weighted hook, with spinning tackle.

It is not distinctly stated, and probably is not ascertained, whether
this is an anadromous or non-migratory fish. The Charrs, for the
most part, are found only in the deepest parts of the lakes which they
inhabit, and rarely enter the streams which feed or drain these but
for the purpose of spawning, when they seek out the clearest and
swiftest rivers running on gravel bottoms.

The fact, however, that the Masamacush is taken in the Minwan
river, a powerful body of water having direct communication with the
sea, would go far to prove that he is an anadromous fish there, at
least, visiting the sea, and returning to spawn ; although it is very
probable that like many of this family, and like his own congener,
the Angmalook, he can exist indifferently in fresh or salt-water.

Like all the Charrs, he is red-fleshed, and of delicious flavor. And
from these facts, were it not that the Masamacush is said not to
exceed eight pounds in weight, 1 should be vastly inclined to suspect
his identity with the red-fleshed and bright-colored lake-fish, which
is occasionally taken in the Hamilton County waters, as mentioned by

Note to Second Edition. — I believe at present, from my observation in the
Northern Lakes, that =t is of no use to attempt to take any of the Great Luke Trout
on Claire with the fly ; and th.it they will rarely hook even at a trolled bait. Heavy
l«nH and a long drcp-;ine iu sixty to one hundred ft- et wHtcr wi" ibne l«iph thfm

w..m::-mM,M-M,-..-,.^ llftlnr^fld

TIP

SALMONIDiE.

129

Or. Bethune in his beautiful edition of Walton's Angler, at page
138, in a note ; and as described to me by Mr. Webber, the author
ot a series of very agreeable letters concerning the fishing of that
region, which were published in the columns of the New York
Courier and Inquirer during the past summer.

It is very unfortunate that, so far, none of the gentlemen who have
been so lucky as to take this highly-colored and fine fish, have pos-
Bessed sufficient scientific knowledge to examine and record its cha-
racteristics in such a manner as to allow us to decide upon its identity
with any known species.

The only thing which appears to be certain, is this: that it does
not belong to any one of the three kno^vTi species of the non-migra-
tory Lake Trout. A,s it is said to have been taken by the President
of the Piseco Club, a gentleman on whose authority perfect reliance
may be placed, up to the great weight of twenty-four pounds, this
must, m my opinion, be either an entirely nondescript fish, or merely
a Brook Trout of gigantic dimensions.

It is generally described as being square-taUed, with two rows of
red spots, the vcntrals and pectorals deeply tinged with vermillion,
and the flesh of a bright glowing carnation, and a delicious flavor
Now, this description coincides with no described fish of North
America, though nearly agreeing with that of the great common
Knghsh Trout of the Thames, and of the Irish lakes and rivers.

But to return to the Masaraacush, as it is known to exist in the
northern waters.

[ts body, as will be observed in the cut, is more slender than that
of any of the SalmonidcB heretofore described, and the head is about
a sixth of the total length. The lower jaw, when the mouth is closed
projects beyond the upper one by the depth of the chin, and it
appears longer yet when the mouth is open.

The teeth of the labials, intermaxillaries and lower jaw, are very
smaU, short, conical, acute, and slightly curved-on the palatine
Dones there is a row of larger teeth mixed with smaUer ones, and on
the knob of the vomer, a cluster of six or seven. The tongue is
armed with a single row on each side, which meet in a curve at the tip ;
there are also two or three scattered teeth on the centre of the
tongue. The rakers and pharynseal bones are armed with short teeth

h^'iy

130

AMERICAN FISHES.

like velvet pile. Of the gill-covers, the operculum is very narrow
its transverse diameter being scarcely half its height. The subopor-
culum exceeds the half of its length in height.

The Masamacush of the Mingan river, which is the fish in its
normal form, according to Dr. Richardson, from whom this account
is abridged, has ten gill-rays on one side, eleven on the other ; dorsal
fin-rays twelve, pectoral thirteen, ventral eight, anal ten, and caudal
nineteen.

The back and sides of this fish are intermediate between olive
green and clove brown, bestudded with yellowish gray spots as big as
a pea. A few of these spots on the gill-covers. Belly and under
jaw white ; the latter dotted thinly with bluish gray.

The Arctic fish is brighter in color ; the back and sides being
purple, the spots distinctly yellow, and the sides, below the lateral
line, tinged with a flush of lake.

Before proceeding to the Grayling, which, though of this family, is
not a proper Salmon, but of the subgenus Thymnllus^ I will observe
that the opinion which I hazarded in my introductory remarks con-
cerning the existence of a distinct Salmon in Scbago lake, near Port-
land, in Maine, known as the Sebago Trout, and which I proposed to
designate as Salrao Sebago, is fully carried out by the information
which I have received since writing those remarks, from a thorough
sportsman, well acquainted Avith all the described species.

He assures me that the waters of that lake did contain a Salmon
closely resembling the Salmo Salar, but which has in all probability
become extinct. At the date of his writing, he was about to set forth
on a visit to the lake, and should a fish be procurable, I shall receive
it, although not in time to include it in the body of the work, at least
in season to be embodied in the appendix.

SALMONID/E.

131

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTEIJYGII.

SALMONID^,

BACK'S GRAYLING.

THE ARCTIC GRAYLING.

Thymallua Signifer ; Richardson, Cuvier.-/reMj/ooA.;,o«,aA ; Esquimaux—Pow.

ton Bleu ; Can. Voy.

The exceeding beauty, and remarkably game qualities of this noble
fish, have induced me to give him a place in these pages, to which hia
place of nativity hardly entitles him, as he is, I fear, to be found no
where southward of the 62nd parallel of latitude, between' Mackenzie's
river and the Welcome. " Its highly appropriate Esquimaux title,"
says Dr. Richardson, from whose fine work on the Fauna of Arctic
America J have borrowed both the matter of this paper and the cut
at the head of this page, " denoting ' wing-like fin,' alludes to its mag-
nificent dorsal ; and it was in reference to the same feature that I be-
stowed upon it the specific appellation of Signifer^ ' the standard-
bearer,' intending also to advert to the rank of my companion. Cap-
tain Back, then a midshipman, who took the first specimen we saw
with the artificial flv."

I may remark hire, that the European Grayling has the similar ap-
pellation of VeziUlfer, or the " banner-bearer," in allusion to the same
feature, althou^V \he fin is greatly inferior in size to that of the fish

if 1.

182

AMERICAN FISHES.

oi which I am speaking. The allusion to Captain Back, then a mid-
shipman, is founded on the fact, that midshipmen in the British navy,
rauk as ensigns in the army, and that French officers of the same
wrade, are styled enseigne de vaisseau, in consequence of the same
analogy.

Dr. Richardson proceeds to observe that " it is found only in clear
watert', and seems to delight in ihe most rapid part of mountain
streama In the autumn of 1820, we obtained many by angling in
a rapid jf the Winter river, opposite to Fort Enterprise. The sport
was excellent, for this Grayling generally springs entirely out of water
when first struck by the hook, and tugs strongly at the line, requiring
as much dexterity to land it safely as it would to secure a Trout of six
times the size.

And this l&tter would be no small feat, since I find elsewhere that
the fish grows to five or six pounds weight, greatly exceeding his Eu-
ropean congeaer in siz3, as ho does also in vigor and brilliancy of
coloring.

" The charac\«rs by which the Graylings are distinguished from the
Trouts," continues Dr. Richardson, " in the regne animal^ are the
smallness of the mouth, the fineness of the teeth, the great size of the
dorsal fin, and the largeness of the scales. The stomach is a very
thick sac ; the gill-rays are seven or eight in number."

The color of this beautiful fish, is stated by the same author to bo
as follows : " Back dark ; sides of a hue intermediate between lavender
purple and bluish gray ; belly blackish gray with several irregular
whitish blotches. There are several quadrangular spots of Prussian
blue, on the anterior part of the body, each tinging the margin of.four
adjoining scales. The head is hair brown above, the checks and gill
covers the same, combined with purplish tints, and there is a blue
mark on each side of the lower jaw. The dorsal fin has a blackish
gray color, with some lighter blotches, and is crossed by rows of beau-
tiful Berlin-blue spots ; it is edged with liglit lake-red. The ventrals
are streaked with reddish and whitish lines in the direction of their
rays.

" The scales are covered with a thiokish epidermis, consequently
having little lustre.
" The body is compressed with an elliptical profile, the head, when

SALMONID^

133

the mouth is shut, ending acutely, but when viewed from above, or ic
front, the snout is obtuse. The greatest depth of the body is scarcely
one-fifth of the total length, caudal included. The head is small,
being one-sixth of the total length, excluding the caudal, or one-
S3venth including it. Orbit large, distant half its diameter from the
snout, and two diameters from the edge of the gill-cover. Nostrils
midway between the orbit and the tip of the snout. Mouth not cloven
as fiir back as the edge of the orbit. Intermaxillarics longer than in
the Coregoni, but overlapping the articular end of the labials less
than in the Trutta. Labials, thin elliptical plates, the posterior
piece lanceolate, and as broad as the anterior one. Under jaw tolera-
bly strong and rounded at the tip.

" The teeth are small, subulate, pointed, and slightly curved, stand-
ing in a single series on the intermaxillarics, in two rows on the pala-
tines, and in clusters of six or seven on the vomer. The tongue is
smooth, but the pharyngeal bones, and cartilaginous rakers of the
branchial arches are rou<Th.

" Of the gill-covers, the preoperculum has the form of a wide mo-
derately curved crescent. The suboperculum is more than half the
height of the operculum, not exceeding it in length. Interoperculum,
small, and acute-angled

"The dorsal fin has twenty-three rays, the pectorals fifteen, the
ventrals nine, the anal thirteen, and the caudal nineteen.

" Although this exquisitely beautiful and very game fish, is not, as I
have previously observed, properly speaking, a native either of the
United States or the Jiritish provinces, being found only in tho
northern part of tho unsettled regions of British America, and tho
waters flowing from Great Slave lake into the Arctic ocean, still, so
wonderfully are the facilities of travel increasing through tho West and
North, and so great is the enthusiasm of the Anglo-Norman race in all
matters connected with sporting and sportsmanship, that it by no means
appears to me impossible that, before many years have elapsed, the
lovers of the angle, whether of English or American birth, will be
found casting the fly in the glass-clear rapids of the Winter river,
and the other waters of those untamed regions, for the Arctic Gray-
ling, and the many beautiful species of Salmon that are to be taken

I 34.

<l ■ * I,

134

AMERICAN FISHES.

■'I

) f

there. Nor would there, I believe, be much more risk or hardship
attending the performance of such a sporting tour, by a strong and
well-found party, than was incurred, not only without hesitation, but
with alacrity and enthusiasm, by the sporting gentlemen who crossed
the Mississippi, in pursuit of the elk and buffalo, at any time antece-
dent to the Black Hawk war.

The excitement, the novelty, and, consequently, the charm of such
an exj jdition, would be indescribable ; and as the brief summer of
those regions is as beautiful as it is brief, while the sportsman would be
brought into contact with an entirely new race of beasts, birds, and fish
of chase, I can imagine nothing that would better repay thx' risk and
enterprise of such an expedition.

All the arrangements of such a tour could be made with greatest
ease at Montreal, where every fiicility could be afforded to the tourists
by the agents of tha fur companies, and whore the whole of the
necessary means are just as well understood, and the necessary outfit
just as easily procured, as are those for a fishing excursion into Hamil-
ton County, in New York, or for a Maine Moose-hunt, in Boston.

The prairies of the West have long been explored as hunting grounds,
by the sportsmen of the old as well as by the hunters and the trappers
of the new world— the forests and deserts of Africa have afforded
their trophies of the savage trace, the central wilds of Abyssinia have
surrendered their fierce denizens, the forests of Ceylon, and the dark
jungles of the farthest India, have bocome familiar hunting grounds to
the English sportsmen ; and I think it is scarcely to be doubted that,
before many years have elapsed, the Swedish and Norwegian rivers
being already overfished, the votaries of the rod and reel from cither
side of che Atlantic, will be found whipping the yet virgin streams of
the far Northwest.

Political reasons, too, will have their weight in bringing about such
a consummation ; for the disturbed state of the continent is already
sufficiently alarming to deter the pleasure-seeking yatcher from visitin^'
his old haunts in the soft and sunny seas of southern Europe, while the
stormier seas of the Western world offer him peace at least and hos-
pitality, while on these shores he will find sport, whether he affect the
rifle or the rod, far superior to what he has been used to enjoy on the

ftALMONIDJE

135

Eastern continent. I have heard of one yatch already Ettin- out by
an enthusiastic English sportsman, with the intent of visitin^r this very
season the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the bays of Gaspe and°Chaleurs,
and the wild shores of Prince Edward's Island ; and that good sport to
his utmost wish may follow the adventurous owner, must be the praver
of every generous son of the gun or angle.

Not. to R.v,«ed Eo.T.o.v.-Since penning the above, Mr. Perley, of St. John's,
to whom I appLed for information touching this fish, writes me that a brother
sportsman informs him that he has killed them abundantlv in the Hudson Brv
waters. I th.nit it probablo that they may bo found in Labrador.

' li

136

AMERICAN FISHES.

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERTGII.

SALMONIDiE.

THE AMERICAN SMELT.

Osmerus Viridcscena ; LeSueur, DeKay, Agassiz.

This highly-prized and delicious little fish does not properly fall
within the angler's catalogue of sporting fishes, inasmuch as it is ques-
tionable, at least, whether it is ever taken with the hook ; I have
heard it positively asserted that it has been captured, both with the fly
and with its own roe, but I consider the fact doubtful, to say no more
— the fish having probably been confounded with the Athcrine or
Sand-smelt, a small fish commonly known in this country as the Spar-
ling, and much used as a bait fish. This fish, which a good deal re-
sembles the true Smelt, both in appearance and flavor, is of a difler-
ent order and family, being of the order Acanthopterygii, and family
Mugilidm, bitt-s freely and readily, and has probably, as I observed,
been mistaken by the unscientific angler.

My object in dwelling on this delicats^ little fish, is, firstly, to cor-
rect a vulgar error which I find still prevalent with many persons, that
the true Smelt is identical with the Salmon smolt, and is, in fact,
the fry of the Salmon at the commencement of his second year

The absurdity of this is sufficiently evident from the consideration
that the Salmon smolt is an immature fish, which runs down the rivers
he inhabits in the spring, and returns in the autumn a grilse, as has
been related above ; whereas the Smelt enters the rivers perfectly ma-
ture, and full of spawn, running up for the purpose of depositing its

SALMONID^

137

ova so soon as, or even before, the streams aro clear from ice, and
returning a spent fish in the autumn. It is a sub-genus of the genus
Salmo, true— but as distinct from it as a Roebuck from an Elk.

My second object in devoting a page or two to this little fish, is to
call the attention of scientific men to the fact that there are, in the
United States, two distinct species of this fish : the Common Ameri-
can Smelt, Osmcrus Viridcscens— which, diffe-s from the European
Smelt, Osmencs Ej>erlanus, in many particulars— and a much smaller
and more highly scented, as well as highly flavored, variety, which I
believe to be identical of the European fish.

Some years since, before I thought of publishing on this subject, 1
compared this smaller fish with the Eastern Smelt, Osmerm Viridtts-
cens, of LeSueur, and, although I have unfortunately lost the notes
which I made at that time, and forgot the specific diflFercnces, except
that the ventral fin in the smaller fish was considerably farther forward
than in the common fish, I am certain of the fact that there were
farther diflferences in the number of the fin-rays, apart from the extra-
ordinary difference in size, which could not fail to strike the least ob-
servjint.

This smaller fish, so far as I know or have heard, is never taken but
in the Passaic and Raritan rivers ; and in neither of these is the large
Smelt, common alike to the Eastern and the Southern States, ever
seen. I have observed and examined many thousands, by bushel baa-
kots-full at a time, and have never seen a fish exceeding seven or eight
inches in length taken from the Passaic, the general run not exceed-
mg six ; whereas it is notorious that the American Smolt is rarely
taken less than ten or eleven, and thence upward to twelve and fifteen
inches.

Varrel states of the European Smelt, that they are occasionally
seen ten and eleven inches long, but that this is an unusually large
sizo. ^

He also describes their food, during their residence in fresh-water,
as :onsistmg of small fish, with orustaceous and testaceous animals
In the Tay they are said to feed principally upon the shrimp ; and I
have heard it asserted by persons of integrity, that they have been
caught with the same bait near Belleville, on the Passaic.

It was my full intention to have instituted a full examination and
10

13&

AMERICAN FISHES

comparison of these— which I am perfectly satisfied will prove to be
two distinct species— this last spring ; but unfortunately I was neces-
sarily absent from home during the very few days of this season in
which they were taken in the Passaic, and lost the opportunity of
doing so. The run of them is becoming less and less numerous every
successive season, and it is to be apprehended that ere long they will
ceaso to visit us at all.

I will remark hero that the habit of the European Smelt in England
is very capricious in regard to the rivers which he honors with hia
presence. It is said that in England the Smelt is never taken between
Dover and Land's End ; on the eastern side of the island it is taken
from the Thames and Medway to the Tay, and on the western, in the
Solway, and so far south only as the Mersey and the Dee.

A specific description of this well-known little fish would be useless,
as I am unable to furnish data of comparison between the Smelt of
the Raritan and Passaic rivers in New Jersey and the Osmcrus Viri-
descens.

Before proceeding farther, I will merely observe that I am well as-
sured that it is generally believed these different species of fish cannot
be taken with the liook, merely for the reason that no one has ever
attempted so to take them ; at least, with any bait at which there was
the slightest probability of their rising.

I know that the Shad and the Herring, contrary to all received
opinion, can be taken with the fly ; and I have had great sport myself
with the latter fish, off the pier of Fort Diamond in the New York
Narrows, catching them with a gaudy peacock-fly, as fast as I could
throw it in and pull them out.

It would by no means surprise me to find, that, during the time
when Smelt run up our streams, they may be taken freely, either with
a very small bright fly, or with morsels of shrimp or pellets of their
own roe, upon a number-twelve Limerick Trout-hook, and thrown
like a fly, on the surface.* Should such prove to be the case, they
would afford very pretty light fishing at a time when there is no other
Bport for the angler.

• Note to Revised Edition.— Ou this pjiiit, see Supplement. Art. American
Smelt

SALMONIDJE.

139

ABDOMINAL
MALACXJPTERYGU

SALMONID^

THE CAPELIN. *

Mallotua Villotut; Cuvier.

Of this beautiful little fish, which inhabits the northern seas only,
never coming farther south than the shores of Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick, I am unable to offer any representation to my readers,
never having seen a specimen or engraving.

He is very nearly allied to the Smelts, from which he diflFers princi-
pally in the smallness of his teeth.

He is stated in Mr. Perley's report on the Fisheries of the Gulf of
St. Lawrence, to be " from four to seven inches in length, the under
jaw longer than the upper, the color of the back greenish, the under
surface of the body silvery. They usually appear about Miscon and
in the bay of Chaleur early in May ; but sometimes not until nearly
the end of that month. The Cod fishery does not commence until
the arrival of the Capelin, which continues near the shores until the
end of July."

Mr. Perley proceeds to state that, in consequence of the " wanton
destruction of the proper food of the Cod— Herring and Capelin—
which are taken in immense quantities, not for immediate eating, or
for curing, or for bait, but for manuring the ground," the Cod fishery
is utterly declining, the fisheries going to waste, and the establishments
deserted and going to ruin.

" In a representation," he adds, " made to the Canadian Legislature
by a fisherman of Gaspo, it is stated that this fisherman had seen five
hundred barrels of Capelin taken in one tide expressly for manure ;
and that he has also seen one thousand barrels of Herring caught at
one time, and not taken away, but left to rot upon the beach."

It is in this connection that I have here enumerated the Capelin ;
for he cannot be taken with the hook, so far as I can learn, and thero-

forft is nnt cntmn "Rut fni- H-nri floViiir* •mV>/»*liQ» Tsrt^V. *!.» J _-_ !• .

' U

■~-i^t

140

AMERICAN FISHES.

or the bultow, as it is called, or set-lino, it is invaluable as a bait.
Whenever it can bo obtained, no other should be used.

It is an exceedingly excellent fish, however, for the table, possessing
much of the flavor with the peculiar cucumber odor of the Smelt.

This wanton and stupid destruction of all kinds of game, whether
feathered, finned, or furred, really appears to bo a distinct character-
istic of all the white inhabitants of America, wheresoever they are to
bo found ; and it cannot bo doubted that ere long they will most bit-
terly regret the consequences of their rapacity and wasteful folly.

In this case, the wantonness is the more remarkable, as well as dis-
graceful, because, as Mr. Porloy well remarks, " a bountiful Provi-
dence has furnished the shores with inexhaustible quantities of kelp
and sea-wccd, and other valuable manures, which really enrich the
8)11, while it is admitted that the use offish greatly deteriorates it.

" The legislature of Canada has been strongly urged to make it a
xnifldomeanor, punishable by fine and imprisoumcnt, for any person to
to use either Herring oi Capolin as manure, and such a measure would
seem to be highly desirable in New Brunswick. To be effective, there
*hould be similar regulations on both sides of the bay of Chalcur."

Doubtless this is all very true, but unfortunately the Legislature of
Canada is much too busy in passing bills for the reward of notorious
murderers and rebels, and the opposition to the ministry much too
busy in combating them, and striving to get into office again, to think
of anything that could benefit the Province, or tend to the good of
any one except themselves and their own immediate partizans.

Their own bad passions, and factious partizanship, and no external
causes whatsoever, are the bane and curse of the Canadas ; but, after
all, I -suppose, it matters mighty little whether the legislature pass
such a law or no ; for no human being that I ever heard of in Ame-
rica, whether British or of the United States, ever dreamed of obeying
the game law, except exactly in so far as suited his own convenience.
So I presume the doom of the Capelin, and ultimately of the Cod, may
be considered sealed.

'ft

BALMONIDil!.

141

ABDOMINAL
MALACOl'TEUYGII.

SALMON ID JS.

THE WHITE-FISH.

ATTIHAWMEO
Coiegonus Albua; Le Sueur, Cuvier.

This and the succeeding fish are the last two of the Salmon family,
and the only two of their own peculiar sub-genus found within the
limits of the United States and British Provinces, although there are
Bcveral other species in the Arctic regions.

In Europe they have several equivalents which are generally known
aa Lavarets ; of these are the well-known British species, the Gwyniad,
the Vendace, and the Powan, of England and Scotland, and the
PoUan of Ireland, all closely connected, and yet perfectly distinct from
the analogous fish of America.

Here, unfortunately, these fine fish have no names at all, save the
trivial designations or absurd misnomers given to them by the first rude
settlers of the regions in which they are found.

The fish of which we arc now speaking is probably the most deli-
cious of all the purely fresh-water varieties— for such to all intents and
purposes it is, as a table fish, for it is not found within the limits of
civilization, except in the lakes above the Falls of Niagara, which
preclude the possibility of communication with the sea. It is, how-

142

AMERICAN FISHES

ever, found in the Coppermine, the Mackenzie, and other rivers which
fall into the Arctic sea, and can " probably live indifferently," as Dr.
Richardson observes, " on fresh or salt-water, like several species of
TruttcB and Coregoni, that occasionally wander to the sea, although
they are not strictly anadromous."

It is claimed by the inhabitants of that portion of the State of New
York that the finest White-Fish of the whole western country are
taken in Chatauque lake, a small mountain tarn situated some hun-
dred feet above Lake Erie, and forming one of the sources of the Alle-
ghany river. I doubt not the superiority of the Chatauque lake White-
Fish to the same species taken in the shallow, mnddy, and turbulent
waters of Lake Erie ; but I entirely disbelieve in its being able to
sustain comparison with that of the clear, deep, and cold waters of
Lake Huron, where it is found of the greatest size, and in, as I under-
stand, the greatest perfection.

" It is," says Richardson, " a rich, fat fish, yet instead of producing
satiety, it becomes daily more agreeable to the palate ; and I know
from experience, that though deprived of bread and vegetables, one
may live wholly upon this fish for months, or even years, without tiring."

" In October," observes the same author, " the Attihawnieg" — this
is its appellation among the Cree Indians, and it were most desirable
that in the absence of any correct English nomenclature the aboriginal
names could be adopted — " quits the lakes, and enters the rivers for
the purpose of spawning. It ascends the streams in the night-time,
and returns to the lake as soon as it has spawned. Dr. Todd informed
me that it enters the Severn river from Lake Huron about the 25th of
October, and retires to the depths of the lake again by the 10th of
November ; but that in some rapid rocky rivers of that lake, indivi-
duals are taken throughout the year. A few spawn in the summer
It is a gregarious fish, and resorts to different parts of a lake, accord-
ing to the season of the year, its movements being in all probability
regulated by its supply of food. In winter the fisheries are generally
established in deep water, remote from the shore ; toward the breaking
up of the ice, they are moved near to the outlets of the lake ; and in
the summer comparatively few Attihawmeg are caught, except what
are speared in the rivers. After the spawning perrod, the fall fishery,
as it is termed, is more productive in shallow bays and on banks near

SALMONIDJE.

143

the shore. I was informed in the fur countries, that this fish preys on
insects, and that it occasionally though rarely takes a hook baited with
a small piece of meat. Dr. Todd found fresh-water shells and small
fishes in the stomachs of the Lake Huron Attihawmeg; indeed shelly
nxoUmoa.— Helix, Planorbis, Lynneus, Faludim, &c.-appear to be
a favorite food of several Trout and Coregoni, both in Europe and
America.-'

The fact of the Attihawmeg feeding on shell-fish is greatly corrobo-
rated by the circumstance of its differing from all the ,.ther known
Coregoni in the extraordinary thickness of its stomach, which resem-
bles the gizzard of a fowl; the same being the case with the Gillaroo
or shell-fish-eating Trout of the Irish lochs ; and, I have little doubt,
with the crab-eating Trout of tho Marshpee river in this country.

To the excellence of the VVhite-Fish, I can bear personal testimony
when on the table, but I have never had an opportunity of examining
It ; and I am indebted for the description below, to the Fauna Boreali-
Americana, of the author I have already so often quoted.

I am informed that this fish is occasionally taken by persons engacred
in trolling for the Lake Trout, or throwing the fly for the Black Bass,
Gristes Nigricans, nor can I at all doubt that were his habits properly
observed and carefully studied by a scientific angler, judging from what
has been stated above in relation to his food, he might be taken with
the hook with as much certainty as any other of the lake fish, unless,
perhaps, the Black Bass, and he would assuredly show great sport at
the end of a long line, being both a powerful and active fish.

The average weight of this fish appears to be three or four pounds,
but when very fat, it is often taken up to seven or eight ; and in par-
ticular localities it attains a much greater size, having been caught in
Lake Huron of thirteen or fourteen, and in Lake Manito, it is said, of
twenty.

One of seven pounds, caught in Lake Huron, measured twenty-seven
inches in length.

In form, the Attihawmeg is very deep in comparison to its length ,
one of the ordinary size, taken in Pine Island lake, measuring as five
to seventeen, exclusive of the caudal fin ; but when very fat, its depth
is "s one to three.

The body is compressed, beine much leas thick t^^a" •^'^■^^

^W1

144

AMERICAN FISHES.

head is narrow above, with a moderately wide frontal bone, and form-
ing one-fifth of the length, excluding the caudal.

The eyes are large, and situated a little more than a diameter of
the orbit from the tip of the snout, and nearly thrice as far from the
edge of the gill-plate. The nostrils are placed midway between the
orbit and the snout. The snout is blunt when seen in front, but its
profile is more acute. The mouth has a small orifice, but when shut,
its angles are depressed

The jaws and tongue are furnished with a few teeth, which are too
minute to be readily seen by the naked eye, and too slender to be very
perceptible to the finger. The vomer and palate are quite smooth.

Of the gill-covers, the preoperculum is sharply curved, and rather
broad ; its width, in the middle, equalling the height of the suboper-
culum The operculum measures one-third more vertically than it
does horizontally ; while on the contrary, the suboperculum is twice as
long as it is high. The interoperculum is triangular. The branchial
arches have each a single row of erect subulate rakers, a quarter of an
inch long, and rough on their inner surfaces. The pharyngeal bones
are inconspicuous and toothless.

The scales are large, irregularly orbicular, and about half an inch
in diameter, with a bright pearly lustre.

Color, in the shade, bluish gray on the back, lighter on the sides,
and white on the belly, giving place to a nacry and iridescent pearly
lustre in a full light. Cheeks, opercula, and irides, thickly covered
with nacre.

Fins : branchiostogous rays eight, dorsal fifteen, pectoral sixteen,
ventral eleven, anal fifteen, caudal nineteen and seven-sevenths. The
adipose fin is rather large, and situated opposite the termination of the
anal. The caudal is forked, and spreads widely.

*It is, in short, a very beautiful fish, and no less useful than it r
beautiful and delicious, affording the principal subsistence to several
Indian hordes, and being the main reliance of many of the fur po.sts
for eight or nine months of the year, the supply of other articles of
diet being scanty and casual.

• Note to Revised Edition — For many further partioularg concerning this no-
t>Ie fish, See Supplement. Art. Attihawmeg.

fi'i

SALMONIDiE.

145

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTEETGII.

SALMONIDiE.

THE OTSEGO BASS

OTSEGO LAVARET.

Corcgontf Otsego,- DeKay.- Sa/mo Ottego; Dewitt Clinton .

Through the kindness of my esteemed friend, Mr. Cooper, of
Cooperstown, I have had an opportunity, during this present spring,
of carefully examining and dissecting this exceedingly beautiful and
interesting fish, as well as of testing its qualities on the table.

It is very closely cognate to the last-mentioned species, but is
unquestionably distinct ; differing in size, form, in the number of fin-
rays, slightly in the gill-covers, and so far as I could discover without
a microscope, entirely in the dental system.

Although a deep fish, it is not nearly so much so as the Attihaw-
meg ; the finest specimen :vhich I inspected measuring eighteen and
a half inches in length, and ten inches in circumference at the origin
of the dorsal fin ; the depth at the same point was a fraction under
four inches, not being much less than a fifth of the whole length,
including the caudal. The gill-covers differed in form, in having the
posterior free margin more curved, and less vortical, the operculum
less high in proportion to its length, and the suboperculum more so

1>^ ,

t , "1

146

AMERICAN riSHES.

The snout was sharper and longer, and the labial plates shallower in
proportion to their length.

The branchiostegous rays were eight on one side, nine on the
other ; the dorsal fin-rays thirteen, the pectoral seventeen, the ventral
eleven, the anal eleven, and the caudal twenty-two

I examined the mouth as minutely as I could without the aid of
a glass, and neither by my eye nor my finger could I detect the ves-
tige of a tooth on the maxillaries, intermaxillarics, tongue, palate, or
vomer, the latter parts being of a pearly whiteness, and as smooth as
glass.

The pharyngeal bones were also toothless, but the branchial arches
were armed with erect rakers, precisely as described in the last-
named species.

The colors of this fish were the most beautiful, lustrous, and bril-
liant, that I ever witnessed — the back, of a rich iridescent blue,
changing to greenish ; the sides, cheeks and gill-covers, glittering like
mother-of-pearl, and the belly sparkling like molten silver ; the fins,
of a bluish green ; the caudal very deeply forked ; the lateral line
nearly straight.

This exquisite and beautiful fish, so far as is known, is found only
in the Otsego lake, the head waters of the Susquehanna river ; but it
would be very curious to compare it with the so-called White-Fish of
Chatauque lake, a locale very similar to the Otsego, equally cut oflF
from communication with other waters, and at about an equal eleva-
tion above tide-water. I greatly suspect that the C'oregoni of these
two mountain lochs would prove identical.

The habits of the Otsego Lavaret are but little known. It is gre-
garious, however, and rushes in vast shoals, early in spring, to
all the shallow waters and shores of the lake, for a few days, during
which he is taken in vast numbers ; after that time, he retires to the
coldest depths of the lakes, and is seen no more until autumn, when
he again makes his appearance for the purpose, it is supposed, of
spawning, although the period at which the ova are deposited does
not appear to be clearly ascertained, nor whether the spawning-beds
are in the shoal waters of the lake, or at the mouth of its feeders.

It is lamentable to think, though but too true, that through the
wanton improvidence of the early settlers, who dealt with this delicious

>r in

the
itral

I of

ve8-
), or
1 as

Qhes

last-

bril-
)lue,
like
fins,
line

anly
lit it

lOf

off
eva-
bcse

gre-
, to
ring
the
hen
»of
loca
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the
ions

"irl

? I'

SALMON I D^.

147

fish much. Bs the New Brunswickers do with the Capelin, literally,
I believe, feeding their hogs with them, they have already visibly
declined in magnitude, as well as decreased in number.

They were formerly taken, weighing up to four pounds ; but now,
tlie half of that weight is regarded as an unusually fine fish The
Bpeciraen which I have described above weighed two pounds and
three ounces, and was an uncommonly well-fed and delicious fish.

With regard to their food, I can say nothing definitely ; the stom-
achs of those which I examined contained nothing but a blackish,
earthy substance, which resembled decayed vegetable matter, and
some small fragments of worms, or larvaj of insects.

I observed no thickening of the stomach, nor anything which
seemed to indicate their feeding on any shell-fish or mollusc^e.

Mr. Cooper informs me that he recollects but a single instance of
one of these fish being taken with a bait The fly, however, might
possibly prove more successful.

The rarity, excellence, and peculiarity of the Otsego Lavaret, enti-
tle him to a place, as well as the noble race of which he is a member,
though in some deforce destitute of the game qualities of his order.
My principal object, however, in introducing him in this place, waa
first, to present the whole family of American Salmonid^ to my read-
ers, as complete as possible ; and secondly, to reclaim with all my
might agamst the absurdity of calling this fish a Bass, of the famUy
Percida, to which it has neither resemblance nor kindred.

This absurdity, if possible, is rendered more flagrant by the fact
that there is yet another fish as distinct from this as possible, desig-
nated as the Oswego Bass, though it is no Bass either, but a Corvim, of
the family Saenidce, called also the Lake Sheep's-Head, which, from
the similarity of title, is frequently confounded with this Corcgoms
or Lavaret, and also with the Black Bass of the St. Lawrence, which
for the third time, is not properly a Bass, Gnstes Nigricans, and
which IS again, through the similarity of names, confused with the
Sea Bass, Centropristes Mgricans, who is also blunderingly called
Black Bass. So that we have actually four fish as different one from
the other as any four things can be, all blundered up together in con-
fusion worse confounded, owing to the timidity of naturalist, hesi-
tating to alter a misnomer originating in the ignorance of those who

148

AMERICAN FI8IIK8.

^cre naturally ignorant. The scientific name and characteristics of
this fish are well established, as Coregonus Otsego, the English of
which, being interpreted, is " the Otsego Lavaret." And now, why
should not the stupid blunder of Bass be consigned to the oblivion
which it deserves, and the true appellation be applied to the fish — an
appellation which assigns to this, the last, not least, of the American
SalmonidcE, a local habitation and a name ?

At the last moment, I quote from a very clever writer under the
signature of the " Naturalist," from the Spirit of the Times, confirma-
tory of my opinion with regard to the taking of this class of fishes with

the fly:

" Besides the Salmon and Spotted Trout, the Coregonus Albus, or
White Fish, is abundant in the Chatcaugay lakes. In the latter part
of June and early part of July they take the artificial fly freely ; in
winter, they may be often taken through the ice with the worm. 1
myself caught one of three pounds' weight, with a worm, while fishing
off the rocky shore, (the shores of both lakes are mostly rocky,) for the
Speckled Trout."

BSOCIUiS

149

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYGII.

E80CIDA.

Tins family, the Esocidce, of which the true Pike, Esox Lucius, of
Europe, is the typo, is largely represented in the waters of the United
States and the Provinces ; six or seven distinct spociss having been
discovered, exclusive of the formidable Garpike, Esox Osseus, of the
south-western waters, which, instead of scales, is cased in a complete
armor of rhomboidal plates ; and which is held, by Mr. Agassiz and
other distinguished naturalists, to be a connecting link between the
animals of the present period and those contemporaneous with the
Saurians, and other extinct races.

The fish of this family are distinguished, generally, by the want of
the second dorsal or adipose fin, by the situation of the dorsal very far
backward and opposite to the anal fin, and by having the border of their
upper jaw either formed solely by the intermaxillarijs, or by having
the labials destitute of teeth, if they enter at all into its composition.
The mouth is always large, and the teeth sharp and powerful, but the
shape and proportional length of the jaws vary greatly in the various
spacies, as do the situation and number of the teeth, and the formation
of the gill-covers; and by these particulars are the species distin-
guished.

The principal of these various species, are —

The Mascalonqe, Masqueallnnge, Esox Ester, of the great lakes ;

The Northern Pickerel, Esox Libcioides, of the same waters;

The Common Pickerel, Esox Reticulatiis, of all the ponds and
streams of the northern and midland States.

The Long Island Pickerel, Esox Fasciatus, probably peculiar
to Long Island, formerly Nassau Island, on the southern coast of
New York.

The White Pickerel, Esox Vittatns, of the Ohio, the Wabash,
and others of the western waters.

And the Black Pickerel, Esox Niger, of Pennsylvania.

Of all these species, the first two form the type, all the others fol-

■4

9f.

160

AMERICAN FISHES

lowing the formation of the licad, which is remarked in one or other
of these, as regards the comparativo length of the snout, the fc'^-^-on
of the lower jaw, the dental system, and the gill-coverw. So marked
is this diflFerence, that in addition to the wood-cuts of the entire fishes,
I have thought it well to give large representations of the heads of
these two noble fish ; and by examining these with a little care, and
comparing them with the heads of any of the smaller varieties, it will
be easy to distinguish to which type any one of them belong.

Thus, any person will at once perceive that the Common Pickerel,
in the comparative length of the jaws, and the beak-like form and
scanty dentition of the lower mandible, follows the type of the Masca-
longe ; while the Long Island species resembles, in the short obtuse
snout, and extension of the teeth to the tip of the lower jaw, the North-
ern Pickerel.

The same thing will be found to be the case with all the other sub-
species, although the diflFercnces between them are so trifling, and so
purely technical, while their general resemblance is so great, and their
habits so entirely similar, rendering it impossible to mistake them for
fish of any other family, that I have deemed it superfluous to multiply
examples, or to give specific descriptions of more than the first four
species ; contenting myself with enumerating the others, and indica-
ting the localities in which they are to be found, which will be alto-
gether sufficient, in order to prevent confusion.

Note to Revised Edition. — Another species of this voracious fish, Eaox Phale-
ratus, is laid down in some books, but it does not seem that any of the tiiree, Niger,
Vittatus, or Phaleratus, are very clearly made out as permanent and distinct va-
rieties. Their habits, haunts, and manner of feeding are ail nearly identical ; and
until a more complete search of the western and southern waters has been made, it
is useless to attempt going into minutioB of this kind. It is a singular fact, as stated
by Richardson, that no Pike or Pickerel has ever beea taken ia waters west of the
Rocky Mountains.

or c

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O X >

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'X3

C80CIDA.

101

ABDOMINAL
MALACUPTERYGO.

JtaOClDM.

THE MASOALONGE.

Matqucallongi ; Canadian French.— E»ox Ettor; Cuvicr, Agaoaiz.

This magnificent fish, wliich is the finest, largest, and most excellent
food of all the Pilce family, is found only in the great lakes and waters
of the St. Lawrence basin, not having been discovered in any of the
rivers or lakes which discharge themselves into Hudson's Bay or the
Polar Sea, nor yet, so far as I have been able to ascertain, in any of
the smaller lakes of the United States which shed their waters north-
erly into the St. Lawrence. It is stated that " in the spring, which is
its spawning season, it frequents the small rivers that fall into Lake
Simcoe" — which discharges itself by the Severn into Lake Huron —
and that it feeds on small, gelatinous, green balls, which grow on the
sides of banks under water, and on small fishes."

This great Pike is said, by Dr. Richardson, to attain the weight of
twenty-eight pounds, but it unquestionably grows to a very much larger
size, though I cannot state, with precision, the greatest dimensions that
ho has been known to acquire. Dr. DeKay says that he has been
known to exceed four feet in length, which, having in view the breadth
and depth of this fish when in condition, would give a probable weight
of sixty or eighty pounds, which I believe to approach" his maximum.
He is a bold and most voracious fish.

The cut accompanying this paper, and the following description,
are taken from a specimen preserved in spirits, in the possession of
Professor Agassiz, of Harvard University, which measured about two
feet and a half in length, and weighed eighteen pounds.

The length of the head to that of the whole body was as two to nine.

The snout, from the orbit of the eye forward, singularly elongated
and acute. The anterior edge of the orbit, midway betweon the tip
of the snout and the posterior margin of the free gill-cover. The bor-
der of the upper jaw is fo ni-'d of the maxillaries alono. th:; edrres of

m-^

■«

152

AMERICAN FISHES.

f I

which are furnished with several rows of long, powerful, and exceed-
ingly sharp, awl-shaped teeth, the points curving slightly forward.
The vomer and palatine bones are covered with card-like clumps of
spiny teeth, as are the base of the tongue, and the pharyngeal bones.
The tongue itself is soft.

The lower jaw is considerably longer than the upper ; it is armed
for something less than half its length with very powerful recurved
fantrs, the two largest being in front, a little posterior to the tip of the
ton^Tuc. Beyond these, the lower jaw is toothless, curved upwards,
with sharp, horny, beak-like edges ; and in these points, particularly,
is it distinct from the following species.

Of the gill-covers, the prcoperculum is nearly vertical, and but
slightly curved, the operculum much higher than it is broad, and
nearly four times as high as the suboperculum. which is slightly round-
ed posteriorly. The branchiostegous rays are eighteen in number.

The body and head are quadrangular, flattened above, and much
compressed at the sides. The dorsal fin is directly above the anal,
the caudal powerful and deeply forked.

The fins, according to Professor Agassiz' singularly precicc mode of
enumeration, contain — the dorsal, twenty-two fin rays ; anal, twenty ;
ventral, thirteen ; pectoral, eighteen. The main part of the caudal
fin is divided into two somewhat unequal lobes, containing, the upper,
nine ; the under, eight fin-rays ; while above and below the two larger
lateral rays there arc nine smaller rays.

In color, it differs from the Northern Pickerel in having the general
tint of the body lighter than the markings. The back and upper part
of the sides are dark, changing from greenish blue to bluish gray, on
the sides, which are irregularly dashed with darker spots and splarhes.
When exposed to a strong light, every scale reflects bright colors,
which vary as the fish is moved ; but there is no fixed pale mark on
the tip of the scales, as in the succeeding species.

The Mascalonge, which owes its name to the formation of the head
— masque allonge, long face or snout, Canadian PVench — but which
has been translated from dialect to dialect, maskinonge, muscalunge,
and muscalinga, until every trace of true derivation has been lost, is
said to be much znv^ro common in Lakes Erie and Ontario than in the
more northern waters of Canada ; but this will, I fancy, prove to be

ESOCID^E.

163

erroneous, as I know them to be taken of great size, and remarkable
excellence, in Lake ITiiron,

It is the boldest, fiercest, and most voracious of fresh-water fish ; and
there is none, unless it be the Great Lake Trout, that can ofi'er any
adequate resistance to his attacks. It is said that even the spiny dor-
sals of the Pcrcidcv, do not protect them from his ravenous attacks.

He bites daringly at a dead bait played with spinning-tackle, or
even with a simple gorge and trolling-hooks. He is, moreover, readily
taken with that murderous instrument, the spoon, or even by a bait
of tin or rod cloth, made to play quickly through the water.

Before passing to the next species, I cannot but pause to notice a
strange error of nomenclature, in Mr. Brown's comprehensive little
volume, "The American Angler's manual," to which I have alluded
before, by which he transforms the term Esor^ the specific name of
every member of the Pike family, as assigned by Linnajus, into the
Ehsi'x, which he appears to conceive a distinctive term peculiar to the
Mascalonge, which he calls " the Essex or Muscalinga of our western
lakes." I note this error, not froia any desire to underrate a useful
and valuable little book, but merely to guard against its adoption by
anglers in general.

NoTi: TO Revised Edition.— The Mascalongre is, as I presumed above, and have
verified by pcrs(..ial observation, vastly more abundant, and infinitely larger, and in
nil rcspocta suporior in Lake Huron to those in the lakes below ; indeed tlie superi-
ority of all kiiiils of lish in those cold, pure, deep waters, improving the farther you
go northward, to those in the muddy shallows of Lake Erie, cannot be believed until
it is learned by experience.

isr

154

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYGIL

AMERICAN FISHES

ESOCIDiE.

GREAT NORTHERN PICKEREL.

Etox Lucioides ; Agasslz.

This great Pike, like the last, is peculiar to the basin of the St
Lawrence, and was first clearly described and specified during the
Bcieniific tour to Lake Superior, which I have already mentioned, by
Prof. Agassiz, who pointed out Kr. distinctions, both from the European
Pike, and the Mascalonge, tothe former of which, Esox Lucius, it is
by far the most closely allied, although it appears to have been con-
founded with both— ie Su 'ur, who first gave a distinct specific name
to the Mascalonge, having de^cnbed it as the fish now under consid-
eration, Esox Lucioides, itiiJ not at all as Esox Ester.

The Northern Pickerel is taken up to the weight of sixteen or
seventeen pounds, but rarely, I believe, exceeds that weight. It is an
exceedingly handsome fish, longer and slighter, in proportion to its
depth, than the Mascalonge.

Its body is four-sided, the back broader and flatter than the belly ;
the vertical diameter is equal to about one-seventh of the body, caudal
included ; the transverse diameter is two-thirds of the vertical , the
body carries its thickness to the dorsal fin, and then tapers into the
thin tail ; the sides are compressed and flattened ; the head is about
one-fifth the length of the body ; the snout not nearly so long, and
much more obtuse, than in the Mascalonge ; the under jaw does not
exceed the upper in length nearly so much as in that fish, and is
armed around all the fore part with a single row of small, slightly-
hooked teeth ; on the sides of the lower jaw are a row of larger awl-
shaped teeth, implanted in the bone ; the palate bones, vomer, and
pharyngeal arches, are all armed witli bands of small sharp teeth, like
carding machines, as in the former species ; the tongue is broad, and
truncated at the tip.
The gill-covers are nearly as they arc described in the Mascalonge,

' ¥1

itj. A

ESOCID^.

155

except that the odgo of the suboperculum is straighter and more
vertical, and that the opcrcula are in a slight degree scaly.

The gill-openings are very large ; and the branchiostegous rays are
fifteen in number, or more numerous by two than in the English Pike,
which differs from the Northern Pickerel moreover in the number of
all the fin-rays, in having tha cheeks and opcrcula covered with regular
scales, as in the Esox Rcticulntus, and in the teeth on its vomer and
palatine being dispersed into lines, rather than planted in serried

patches.

The Northern Pickerel has dorsal fin -rays, twcnty-ono ; anal, eigh-
teen ; caudal, seven above and seven bjlow the larger lateral rays ; the
whole caudal divided into two unequal lobes, the upper of nine, the
lower of eight rays ; the ventral eleven, and the anal sixteen.

The back of this beautiful fish is of a rich blackish green, which
changes on the sides to greenish gray ; there is a bright speck on the
tip of each scale, which gives a singularly light and sparkling aspect
to the whole fish. The belly is of a lustrous pearly white. There
arc several rows of oblong, diamond-shaped, yellowish gray spots on
the sid's of the head, body and tail. The cheeks are varied with
emerald green reflections, the under jaw and gill-rays white ; the
iiides purple, with a golden band around the pupil; the dorsal and
caudal fins are blackish green, marked with patchy bands of a darker
oil green ; the anal greenish gray, with orange margins, and a few
dark spots ; the ventrals the same, witli orange tips, but wHhout spots ;
the pectorals dusky yellow.

The Northern Pickerel is equal in boldne- »nd voracity to the
Mascalonge, and to the northern European Pike, irom which he differs
in the fin-rays, dtmtal sysicm giil-covers, and very essentially in the
coloring— the Pike biding ban led or mottled, and having no indication
whatever of the regular rhomboidal spots which mark the sides, and
form a characteristic of the Northern Pickerel.

He takes any sort of bait in spinning or trolling, and being readily
captured by set baits through the ice, forms a very essential article of
food to the Indian hunter when the chase fails him. No animal food
of any kind comes ami.s3 to this fresh-water tyrant. Fidi of every
variety, even his own species, and the spiny Pearch, the immature
young of wild fowl, rats, reptiles of all sorts— in short, every living

.-11

! I

166

AMERICAN FISHES.

thing that comes within his reo'jh, ministers instantly to his voracious
appetite.

But the baits by which he is most sportingly secured are the small
bright leucisciy or shiners, at the end of a double swivel trace, or a
live frog, which he can rarely refuse.

Note to Revised Edition. — I have recently been informed by a correspondent,
that this fish, or the Mascalonge, is taken in the Connecticut, near Bellow's Falls.
That he himself has captured it, and is assured of its being wholly distinct from the
CuJimon Pickerel, with which he asserts himself to be, and of course is, conversant.
He also adds, that it has only been known in those waters within a limited number
of years ; and that it is the popular belief that it was introduced i.ito the Connecti<
cut by the breaking out of a new outlet from some mountain lake. If this be bo, it
is a strange fact, as this fish was only distinguished as belonging to the great lakes,
last year, 1848, by Professor Agassiz, who considers it peculiar to them ; and the
Mascalonge has been hitherto distinctly limited to the St. Lawrence basin. This
fish wiij considered by Richardson, as identical with the English Pike, Esnx T<ii-
ciun, A-.'. ."oh it is not, tluinj;h nearlv allied to <>, whciici- its iiiiiiic. Lticioidrs

ESOOID^.

157

ABDOMINAL
MAI^uCOPTERYGII.

ESOCID^.

•%>^

THE COMMON PICKEREL.

'Esox Rcticulatus; Le Sueur.

Throughout the United States, excepting only the extreme west-
ern and southern waters, this is perhaps the commonest of all game
fishes ; from New England to the western limits of Pennsylvania, not
a river, pond, or streamlet but abounds with this bold and rapacious
fish ; and it is probable that, like many other of the northern fish, ho
is found in the waters of the hill districts of Virginia, Carolina, and
even of the Western States, although in such locations he is lost sight
of among the tribes peculiar to those regions.

With regard to the Southern States, especially, it is almost impos-
sible to arrive at anything like certainty concerning the species or
varieties of game fish to be found within their limits, from the univer-
sal misapplication of names, and the unhappy tendency of sportsmen,
to which I have already made allusion, to adopt any barbarous local
misnomer, rather than to make themselves acquainted with the true
specific names, and to learn the distinctions, so as to speak under-
standingly of the game which they take.

It is indeed a hopeless task to hunt up the real per-uliarities ana

158

AMERICAN FISHES.

true genera of fisb, known in their own regions as the " Wclchman,"
the " Ponipano," and such other denominations, which of course are
not to bo found in any work of natural history, while the people, who
aro in the habit of taking them daily, can give you no information,
■iuv indeed data, on which to found an opinion, except that they are
" very like a whale," or a Trout, as it may be. I mention this hero
I passant y because I am perfectly prepared to find myself violently
;!,ssailed, and pronounced utterly incompetent to prepare a book of
(his nature, because I have not included " that delicious fish, the pride
of our southern waters, well known to the real sportsman, the noble
' Ponipano,' or the unrivalled ' VVclchman,' as it may bo, in my list
of game fishes." But I have made up my mind to peaceful submis-
sion, deeming it quite enough to have investigated the identity of what
it amuses southern gentlemen to call " Trout," and Western New
Yorkers "Bass" and " Sheep's-Head," without troubling my head
about mere provincial barbarisms. I believe the " Ponipano " to be
of the Mackerel family, and the " Welchman," which is described as
a bold biter at small fish, worms, and the like, to be a percoid fish,
analogous to Rock-Bass, CciUrarchus yEncics, or perhaps a Cor vim,
analogous to the Malas/iegane, or Sheep's-Head of the lakes.

The Common Pickerel — to return to my subject — does not in gene-
ral exceed five pounds, and in most districts this is considerably above
his average, which does not, I think, go beyond two and a half or
three pounds, but they arc occasionally taken in the smaller lakes,
and in some few of the more sluggish streams, of infinitely larger
size, even so far, it is said, as to twelve and fifteen pounds' w. ight ;
but such instances are rare, even if they can be reli-d upon as facts
— which I am somewhat inclined to doubt, tliiuking that they have
probably been mistaken for some other cognate species.

lu the year 1838, I myself took a Pickerel which weighed fifteen
pounds threo ounces, under Stillwater bridge, on the Hudson river,
while fishing for Black Bass, Griaies Nigricans, with a large gaudy fly|
and landed him, aftor a long and severe struggle, having only a light
fly-rod, and neither gaff nor landing net, although I was fishing with
a Salmon-reel, and one hundred yards of line.
^ I was not at that time sufficiently conversant with minute distinc-
tions to say positively to what species this large fish belonsed. and I

ESOCIDiE.

159

■

unfortunately took no notes at the time. According to the best of
my recollection, however, it was a longitudinally spotted fish, and if
so, was probably a stray Northern Pickerel, which had found his way
down the canals, from the basin of the St. Lawrence, into that of the
Hudson.

And this, which would at first seem a highly improbable, if not
impossible hypothesis, becomes at once reasonable, when the fact is
known that three, at least, of the fish peculiar to the great lakes and
to the waters of the St. Lawrence have found their way into the
Hudson and its tributaries since the opening of the various canals,
and are now taken abundantly within the State of New York — these
are the greater Black Bass, Gristcs Nigricans ; the Oswego — not to
be confounded with the Otsogo — Bass, Corvina Oscula ; and the
Rock Bass, Centrarchus JEnexLS.

Any of these species, in order to reach the Hudson, must descend
thj canals, and take advantage of the moment when the boats are
passing through the locks, and the gates opened — which, when we
consider the commotion of the water, the splashing, hubbub, and con-
fusion which occurs at such times, is in itself sufficiently extraordinary,
and seems to go far toward proving that fish, except as regards feeliu"-,
are much less shy than is commonly believed, and to -^rd abolishing
the idea that they are driven out of their favorite rivers by craft or
steamboats.

If one species, however, can succeed in passing those numerous
obstacles, there is nothing to prevent another from doing likewise ;
and it is in no respect more difficult to believe that the Northern Pick-
erel should so make his way to our southern waters, than that the
varieties of Bass above-mentioned should— as it is well-established
that they have done— introduce themselves as an indigenous fish in the
same.

From what I have personally seen, therefore, of the Common Pick-
erel, Esox Reticwlatm, I am a good deal inclined to doubt the tales I
have heard of its groat size ; and, until I shall be satisfied, on personal
examination, am unwilling to credit him with a growth exceeding six
or seven pounds.

This fish, as will appear from examination of the cut, follows the
type of the Mascalonge, in the elongation of the snout, the curvature

■m

all

160

AMERICAN FISIIKS.

of the lower jaw, and the sraallncss, though not absolute deficiency,
of teeth in the foro part thereof.

It is easily distinguished by its having, its cheeks and gill-covers
completely cased in gmall scales, and by the brownish lines on its
flanks, occasionally intersecting each other, like the meshes of a net,
whence the name Reticulata.

In form this Pike closely rosomblcs the others of his family. His
body is quadrilateral, the back broader than the belly ; th'i depth is to
the entire Lngth, including the caudal, as one to seven, tho thickness
is about two-thirds of the depth ; the length of the head to tho
entire length is as one to four ; tho posterior edge of the orbit is
midway between tho tip of the snout and tlie posterior margin of tho
frcj gill-cover ; tho origin of the ventral fin is midway between the
tip of the snout and the fork of the caudal ; the termination of the
caudal opposite to tho origin of tho anal ; the gill-covers are nearly
vertical, and very slightly rounded, except the margin of the suboper-
culum, which is very short as compared with tho operculum ; the
brauchiostegous rays are nine in number, dorsal fin rays twenty,
pectoral sixteen, ventral ten, anal twenty, caudal eighteen, seven
above and seven below the greater rays.

The back is of an olive green with blue reflections, the sides olive

green fading into greenish yellow, with vertical lines of dull brown

occasionally crossing one another, so as to form a sort of irregular

network ; the dorsal and caudal fins arc of an olive brown clouded

with green; the pectorals and ventrals greenish brown, margined

with dull yellow ; .he anal dusky green ; the irides golden yellow •,

the cheeks and opercula, which are covered with small scales, are

olive green, with brownish marks and reflections. The snout brown ;

the lower jaw and gill-rays white; the belly white, marked with brown!

This is the Common Pickerel of the Middle and Eastern states ; and

IS the fish intended, when the word Pickerel is used without the aid of

any epithet or definition. It is rather a favorite fish ; and has been

injudiciously introduced into many fine Trout ponds and streams,

which have in consequence lost all thrir attractions to the fly-fisher,

but now swarm with this coarser and comparatively worthless fish.

^ He is a bold biter, and affords considerable sport when hooked ; but

IB coarse, watery, and of small value on the table.

•'\

ESOOIDiB.

161

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYOII.

ESOCIDiE.

THE LONG ISLAND PICKEREL.

Esox Faaciatus ; De Kay.

This, which is the smallest and most insignificant of the family, so
far as its sporting or epicurean qualities are concerned, was first distin-
guished and named by Dr. DeKay, of Now York.

Its principal characteristic is the very remarkable size of its scales,
which, in most of tho family, even in the enormous Mascalonge, are
very minute and slender.

In this little denizen of the running brooks and clear Trout ponds
of Long Island, tho scales are larger than in any other of tho family,
80 as to make it resemble, in that particular, some of the Cyprinida^
rather than its own tribe.

In other respects, size excepted, it diiFors little from the other Pike,
whieh follow the type of the Northern Pickerel, rather than that of ths
Mascalonge, to which variety it belongs ; as is readily seen in the
short snout, straight lower jaw, of this small fish, the latter carrying
its teeth, of full size, quite round the fore part of the jaw.

The Long Island Pickerel rarely, if ever, in those waters, exceeds
a pound weight, and that is greatly above the average, which is proba-
bly nearer one-half that size. It is less voraciou? also than the larger
members of its family, and is said to be in no wise detrimental to the
Trout, which literally swarm in the same waters. Indeed, its size
would render it innocuous to anything beyond the small fry, as a

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162

AMERICAN FISHES

well-grown pound Brook Trout would be considerably more than a
match for any of these little Pickerel which have come under my ob-
servation. In shape and general proportions, the Long Island Pickerel
is not dissimilar to the species last described, the head alone excepted,
which, allowance being made for the difference of size, and the scali-
ness of the cheeks and opercula, is, in all respects, similar to that of
the Great Northern Pickerel.

Its gill-covers do not materially differ from those of the Common
Pickerel, except that the lower margin of the suboperculum is some-
thing more oblique, giving the posterior edge of the free margin
rather an angular form.

The branchiostegous rays are four in number ; the dorsal fin-rays
twenty-two, pectoval sixteen, ventral ten, anal eighteen, and caudal
eighteen, seven above and seven below the greater rays.

Its color is olive green, darker on the back, and fading into greenish
yellow on the sides, irregularly barred with transverse waving bands
of dusky brown, whence its designation of Fasciatus. The fins are
brownish green, generally, without spots or bars ; the pectorals and
ventrals the palest, and bordered with dingy yellow.

Before closing this paper I would mention a very remarkable speci-
men of this fish, which was kindly sent to mo by my friend, Mr.
William Pennington, of Newark, who perceived that it was a fish of
unusual character, and knowing that I was engaged in this work, took
some pains to procure me a sight of it.

This individual was caught in a net in the salt-water, in the lower
part of Newark bay, and at first sight I was inclined to believe it a
nondescript species.

It weighed something over a pound and a half, was unusually tliick
in proportion to its depth, and was in the finest condition. Its culor,
however, was the most remarkable ; for the back and sides, dovsTi to
the lateral line, were of the richest and most lustrous copper-color,
paling on the sides into bright brazen yellow, with th^ belly of a silvery
whiteness. The cheeks, gill-covers, and fins all partook of the same
coppery hue, and the whole fish was far more lucent and metallic than
any of the family I had before seen. There was not the slightest in-
dication of any transverse bars or of any mottling ; nor was thero any
of that sea-green color which is so peculiar to the Pike family.

ESOCID.E.

163

On a minute examination, howovor, of its charactoristics, and espe-
cially of the size of its scabs, I was p3rf jctly satisfied that it was
neither more nor loss than an individual Long Island Pickerel, l^sox
Fasciatus, which, having wandered into salt-waters, had thus entirely
changed its colors, and grown to a weight exceeding its natural average,
in the ratio of at least three to one, probably from the superiority and
greater abundance of food which he found in his new hunting grounds.

I did not myself taste the fish, but was informed that it was of
very unusual excellence.

I never saw a more striking instance of the eflfect which different
waters have upon the coloring and condition of fishes, than in this
Pickerel ; nothing was left unchanged except those specific characters
on which alone permanent distinctions can be founded ; and without a
knowledge of which, the quickest observation is useless, so far as as-
signing their places to any of the animal kingdom.

In addition to the four species above described, there are laid down
in the books three others, beside the hideous Garpike, or Alligator
jrar, Esox Osseus, of the West.

These are the Esox Ntger^ Esox Phahratus, and Esox Vittatus,
of the western waters, all which are so closely allied, and so closely
similar in habit, that there is no object in occupying space in their
description, the rather as they are well known, and not liable to be
mistaken for others of the same familv.

Note to Revised Edition. — I have obeerved a statement of a correspondent to the
N. Y. Spirit of the Times, that I have erred in assigning one to one and half pounds
as the limit of growth to the Long Island Pickerel, because he had killed Pickerel
of four pounds and upward on Long Island. The common Pickerel, Esox Reti-
culatus, which grows to five and even seven pounds, is taken on Long Island, but
is not, therefore, or for other cause, the Long Island Pickerel, which was scientifi-
cally distinguished from it by DeKay, on account of its diminutive size and large
scutes. The distinctiou has been allowed by Agassiz, and all eminent naturalists.

/io* tfijf t^ n4^hifit^

164

AMERICAN FISHES.

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTEETGIL

OTPRINIDjB.

THE COMMON CARP. ,

Cyprinuf^ Carpio ; Linnsus, Cuvier.

Of this family, Cyprinidcty the principal characteristics are a mouth
slightly cleft ; weak, and generally toothless jaws ; pharyngeal hones
strongly dentated ; one dorsal fin ; branchial rays few in number ; to
which may be added large fleshy lips, and bodies covered with large
scales.

It comprises eighty or ninety well-known American species, not one
of which is worthy of notice, as either a fish of sport or a dainty.
There are in America no Carps proper, indigenous to the country — no
Barbels — no Cobitis, or loaches. Leucisci^ analogous to, though by
no means — as stated by Dr. J. V. C. Smith, of Massachusetts — iden-
tical with the Chub, Roach, Dace, and Bleak of Europe, are found in
abundance under the above names, but still more commonly as Shiners.
The genus Abramisy Bream, has again several representatives in the
waters of North America, but none, either of this or the last sub-
genus, can attain to dimensions which lead the angler to trouble him-
self about them, unless it be as bait for other fish, as Pike and Pearch,
for which purpose several of these fish are better adapted than those
of any other family, unless it be the young fry of the Salmonida^
while in their Parr form.

. CYPRINIDiE

165

In lieu of those genera, however, which exist in England and on
the continent of Europe, but entirely lack American representatives,
several prevail here which are totally wanting in Europe, as the genus
Labco, the genus Catastomus, Suckers, or Sucking Carp, many varieties
of which are found throughout the waters of the United States and
Canada, from north to south, and many species of Hydrargyra, ana-
logous to the European Minnow.

Several of these last species are of great interest to the naturalist, the
Catastomij or Suckers, especially, from the singular formation of their
mouths, which are situated far below and posterior to the tip of the
snout, and furnished with crimped and pendanJ labials, adapted for the
deglutition of vegetable substances and even of mud; but to the
sportsman they are of no account, as they do not take the bait, and
are worth little as bait themselves, while, by the epicure, they are
justly held in utter scorn.

The truth is, that nowhere under the canopy of Heaven are tho
genus Cyprinus worthy to be accounted sporting fishes, and nowhere
are they eatable — not even excepting the Carp and Tench of Europe
— unless with the aid and appliances of a most careful cuisine, and by
dint of stewing in claret, with condiments and spices, garlic and force-
meat balls, and anchovies, such as might convert a kid glove, or the
sole of a reasonably tender India-rubber shoe, into delicious esculents.

The shyness of the Carp in biting, the great size of the Bream and
Barbel, and even in some waters of the Chub, induce bottom -fish-
ing anglers at home to take some pleasui*e in their pursuit and capture,
but that is invariably in such slow and sluggish waters as contain no
gamer or more delicate fish ; and the dull, logy, watery fish them-
selves, and the cockney punt-fishers, who aspure to take them, are held
in about equal esteem, or disesteem, by those who know what it is to
throw a long line lightly, with a cast of flies, for the vigorous-speckled
Trout, or to spin, or even troll, with the Parr or Minnow, for the
savage and voracious Pike or Salmon

In America, none of the Leucisci, Chub, Roach, Dace, or Shiners,
and none of the Abramis^ Bream, exceed nine or ten inches in length,
and consequently are never subjects of more serious pursuit than the
holiday crooked-pin and angle-worm fishing of schoolboys. They are

r^x.^/ */ fii\hiA^

166

AMERICAN FI8HE9.

the detestation of the Trout bottom-angler, constantly nibbling away
his bait, and tantalizing him with vain hopes of a bite.

Of this family, therefore, so far as the true American genera are
concerned, no notice need be taken in a sporting work, except as re-
lates to two or three little fishes, to which I shall devote a few lines
each, as being excellent bait for all the larger and bolder fishes.

Within the last few years, however, two European varieties have
been introduced, and have become entirely naturalized in some of our
waters. The Gold Carp, Cyprinus Auratus of Linnseus and Cuvier,
or common Gold and Silver fish of China, in the Schuylkill, and in
some streams of Massachusetts, and the Common Carp of Europe,
whose title stands at the head of this paper, in the Hudson, especially
in the vicinity of Newburgh.

The former of these little fish is, indeed, unworthy of notice, except
as an ornamental fish, to be kept in garden tanks and fountains ; but
the other being much, though I must confess in my opinion unde-
servedlyj esteemed in Europe, and having been deemed worthy of le-
gislative enactments for his protection, by the State of New York, 1
shall proceed to describe as a species, which, within a year or two at
the farthest, will come within the American angler's list of game.

The mode of this fish's introduction into American waters, is as fol-
lows : — Captain Robinson, who has a fine place immediately on the
banks of the Hudson river, containing some fine fish ponds, between
Newburgh and New Windsor, imported some years since a quantity
of Carp at considerable expense, I believe from Holland, where the
species is very abundant and very fine in quality. His ponds were
soon admirably stocked ; but in process of time a heavy freshet
carried away his dams and flood-gates, and a very large proportion of
his Carp escaped into the Hudson. This fact being represented to
the Legislature of the State, a penal enactment was passed, heavily
mulcting any person who should take any one of these Hudson river
Carp, at any season or under any circumstances, until after the expi-
ration of five years from the passage of the act.

The provisions of this bill have been strictly enforced ; several per-
sons have been fined, and the fish is nOw extremely abundant.

I cannot here, in relating these circumstances, control myself, but

CYPRINIDiE.

167

mnst invoke the contempt and indignation of every gentle sportsman,
every reasonable thinking man, upon the heads of that ignoran*
motley, and destructive assemblage, which is entitled the Senate ana
Assembly of New York. For the last fifteen yeurs not a session has
passed without the strenuous and sustained attempts of the most edu-
cated and most influential gentlemen of the State, both of the city
and the agricultural counties, to induce the faineant demagogues Oi
that assembly to take some measure to prevent the total extinction,
within that very county of Orange, of some of the noblest species or
game in existence, indigenous to that region, and oncb abundant, but
already scarce, and within twenty years certain to be lost altogether,
through the mal-practices of their destroyers, the errors of the ex-
isting game-laws, and the difficulty of enforcing them in their present
state.

It is quite unnecessary to state that these efforts were wholly inef-
fectual— that it was found impossible to induce those learned Thebans
to do anything to prevent American Woodcock from being shot before
they are fledged, and American Brook Trout from being caught upon
their spawning beds ; but that no sooner is a coarse, watery, foreign
fish accidentally thrown into American waters, than it is vigorously
and effectively protected, which protection was merely granted, I be-
lieve, to enable " a facetious member of the legislature,^^ as he is styled
by the learned Doctor Bethune in his fine edition of Walton's Angler,
to draw a witty comparison between the naturalization of "scaly
foreigners" and Irish voters. I dare say the facetious member was not
devoid of hopes that the scaly foreigners would some day or other vote
for him.

It is impossible to feel anything but contempt for such unutterable
blockheadism, while it is equally impossible to expect anything better,
after their recent exhibitions in the legislatorial line, from such a body
as the New York Houses of Assembly.

Since, however, their wi&dom has pronounced that henceforth the
Carp is to be a game fish of America, I shall proceed to describe
this " scaly foreigner," thus naturalized with a five years' exemption
from liability to captu^ 'n the waters of Hudson's river.

The European Carp .^ of the fish which has been the longest

known and esteemed, being mentioned by Aristotle and Pliny,

r^x f>ft/rt 4>h tfi r

168

AMERir.AV FISHES.

although they do not at that period appear to have attained their
present celebrity. They are found in most of the lakes and rivers
of Europe, but thrive best in th^^ 'nore temperate southern districts,
degenerating when they are carried farther north. !t is said that in
Russia they are even now unknown. "Their growth," says Mr.
Yarrel, " is, however, particularly cultivated in Austria and Prussia,
and considerable traffic in Carp nrevails in various parts of the Euro-
pean continent, where an acre of water will let for as much yearly rent
as an acre of land, and where fres^-water fishes, as articles of food, are
held in higher estimation than in this country." — Mr. Yarrel means
England, but the observation is even more applicable to the United
States than to Great Britain. " Carp," he continues, " are said to live
to a great age, even to one hundred and fifty, or two hundred years ;
but they lose their rich color — their scales, like the productions of the
cuticle in some other animals, becoming gray and white with ago."

The exact period of the introduction of the Carp to England is
unknown, but it is mentioned in the Boko of St. Albans, by Lady
Juliana Berners, printed in 1496, and the great probability is that it
was naturalized from the continent, probably from the Low Countries,
or Austria, previous to the suppression of the monastic institutions.

The Carp thrives best in ponds or lakes, and in such parts of rivers
as have a slow, lazy current, and a muddy or marshy bottom.

" They are very prolific," I again quote from Mr. Yarrel, " breed-
ing much more freely in lakes and ponds than in rivers. Bloc found
six hundred thousand ova in the roe of a female of nine pounds' weight,
and Schneider seven hundred thousand in a fish of ten pounds' weight.
They spawn toward the end of May, or the beginning of June, depend-
ing on the temperature of the water and the season ; and the ovc are
deposited upon weeds, among which the female is followed by two or
three males, and the fecundation of a large proportion of the ova is
by this provision of Nature effectually secured ; but they both breed
and grow much more freely in some waters- than in others, without
any apparent or accountable cause."

The Carp, and indeed the whole family of Cyprinida, are the least
voracious of all fishes, and the least addicted to animal food, the larvae
of insects, worms, the softer and more gelatinous parts of aquatic
nlants, and even vegetable mud, furnishing them with ample subsist-

.,^.

CYPRINID^.

169

enc3. During tho winter, it is belinvod that they eat little or nothing,
and lie, half-torpid, in the mud. They are extraordinarily tenacious
of life, and can be kept alive in a cool place for many days, and even
weeks, if placed in wet moss, and fed on bread steeped in milk. This
peculiarity renders them very easy of transportation.

They are slow of growth, not arriving at the weight of three pounds
before their sixth, or ten before their ninth year ; they arrive, how-
ever, ultimately at a very great size, having been taken up to eighteen
pounds, at which ultimum they are nearly as broad as they are long,
measuring thirty inches in length by twenty-two or three in depth.

" They are in season for the table," says Yarrel, once more, " from
October to April, and are greatly indebted to cooks for the estimation
in which they are held.

" The mouth is small ; no apparent teeth ; a barbule or cirrus at
the upper part of each corner of the mouth, with a second smaller one
above it on each side ; tho nostrils are large, pierced at the second-
third of the distance between the lip and the eye. The eye is small ;
the operculum marked with striaj radiating from the anterior edge ;
nape and back rising suddenly. The dorsal fin-rays are twenty-two
in number, the pectorals seventeen, ventrals nine, caudals nineteen.
The first dorsal fin-ray is short and bony, the second also bony and
strongly serrated posteriorly. The first anal fin-ray is also bony and
serrated posteriorly. The tail forked, the longest rays as long again
as those of the centre. The caudal rays of the two halves of the
tail always unequal in number in the Cyprinida. The body covered
with large scales, about twelve rows between the ventral and dorsal
fins ; the general color golden olive brown, head darkest ; insides
golden ; belly yellowish white ; lateral line interrupted, straight. Fins,
dark brown."

This fish is very well adapted for keeping in muddy stow ponds,
when he will become very fat, and can be used with advantage when
no othar fish is to be procured.
12

LjCoC fil t/ /t iTi'AjA C_

170

AMERICAN FI8IIK8.

ABDOMINAL
MALAOOPTERYGII.

CYPRINIDiB.

THE AMERICAN ROACH.

LEUCISCUS RUTILUS

The American Roach is a pretty, lively little fish, common to most
of the ponds and small running streams of the Middle and Northern
States, and is closely analogous to the European fish of the same
name, although it never approaches it in size. In England the Roach
has been taken up to the weight of five pounds, in the United States
it rarely exceeds five or six inches in length, and together with its
congeners, the Chub and Dace, as they are generally termed, though
none of them identical with Itie European species, are seldom tak?n
except by schoolboys, and never put on the table except in remote
country districts where sea-fish, and the better inland varieties bein'i
unknown, anything will pass muster, in this line, as dainties.

The Roach is readily distinguished by his blood-red irides, and the
ruddy tinge which borders his pectoral, ventral, and anal fins. His
head is thick and obtuse at the snout, the labials coarse and fleshy
The eye large, and situated midway between the tip of the snout and
the po=tirior margin of the gill-covers. The gill-covers are mode

CYPRINIDiB.

171

rately carvad, forming an irr.-jular somicircle. Tha pectoral fin has
its origin inuuediately bi;hind tho edge of tho suboporculum. The
origin of tho dorsal is midway between tho snout o,nd origin of the
caudal fin, and th- veutrals vortically undjr it. The caudal Cu is
powerful and lunated. Tho dorsal rays are ten in number, tho
pectoral sixteen, ventral nine, anal cloven, and caudal nineteen. This
little fish is gregarious, swimming in shoals, and feeding on worms
and herbs. It is admirable as a bait for Pike, and for tho larger va-
rieties of Pcarch and River Bass, boing, I think, preferred by them
to any other fish, as tho Parr is by the Sea Salmon, and tho larger
spocies of lake and sea Trout. Tho Chub and Dace are also good
for the same purposo, but inferior to tho Roach. As sporting fish it
would be a loss of time to doscribe thorn at length. The Am^.ican
Chub nevor exceeds ton inches.

• Note to Revised Edition. — Since penning the above, I hear from some (wr-
reppondeiits that in many of the Eastern waters they grow to a much larger size ;
my views are, however, those of Agassiz, DeKay, Smith, and Richardson.

0^4dy rfT>A^f

172

AMERICAN FIHIIEH.

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYOII.

CTPRINIDA

THE NEW YORK SHINER.

Stilbe Chryaoleucas ; Agassiz. — Cyprinua Chryaoleucas ; Mitchil.

This beautiful little fish is common to almost every pond and stream
throughout the temperate regions of North America, from the waters
of New England to those of Lake Huron. It is found associating to a
certain degree with the species last described, and still more com-
monly with the Sun-Fish, Pomotis Vulgaris^ and the Yellow Pearch,
Perca FlavescenSy though it undoubtedly falls a victim to the voracious
appetite of the latter fish, when it grows to a larger size. It loves
gravelly shallows, on which it spawns, and is constantly to be seen
sporting among the leaves of the large water lilies.

Like the species last named, it is an excellent bait both for Pearch
and Pike, and is often taken on spinning tackle by great Trouts,
whether brook or lacust-ine.

It belongs to that group of Leucisci which have the dorsal fin far
back, and in this respect greatly resembles the subgenus Abramis, or
Bream.

Its head is small, smooth, and depressed above The mouth is
small, and destitute of teeth. The eyes are large, with yellow irides.
The body is very deep, biding very nearly one-third of the length,
excluding the caudal fin Tli ^ branchiostegal rays are three in nam-

CYPRINID.E

173

ber, the pectoral sevonteen, ventral nine, dorsal nine, anal fourteen,
and caudal nineteen.

The upper part of the head, back, and sides, dark glossy green ;
lower sides, and holly, silvery white, with golden reflections. Dorsal
fin, hrownish yellow ; pectorals, reddish buff ; ventrals, dull lake,
anal and caudal, dull reddish brown, streaked with lake.

Of this group, there are several species, all abundiiut, and affordliig
much sport to schoolboys and young ladies. To the angler, except
as bait, they are little worth, and to describe one variety, as a typo of
the species, will bo amply sufficiont.

liF"

MifM%ill(?lLyUL//.:E'Mi /I ^

174

AMERICAN FISHES.

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERTOII.

CTPRINIDA

AMERICAN BREAM.

Abramis VcrsicoLr ,• AgasBm.

The Bream of America, of which there are several inferior species,
like most others of this family which I have enumerated, never grows
to any size, and is very little accounted by the angler in general,
though in some of the western waters, where they bite freely, they
are sometimes angled for with the small red worm, and arc accounted
a delicate pan-fish.

They are distinguished from the other Cyprini, by the great depth
of their bodies, by having the dorsal set very far back, behind the
extremity of the ventral, and by the great length of the dorsal fin.

The tongue is smooth, as well as the jaws and palate, but the
lower pharyngeal bones are set with large teeth.

Like the other Cypriiiij the Breams are among the least carnivo-
rous of fishes.

This is a beautitul species. The back is dark, of a hair-brown hue,
varied with many colored changeable reflections ; the sides golden
yellow, and the belly silvery white ; the dorsal and caudal fins brown ;
the otl'crs yellowish, tinojed with red

CYFRINIDJE.

175

The branchial rays are three in number, the dorsal fin-rays twelve,
the pectorals twelve, the ventrals seven, the anal twenty-seven, and
the caudal nineteen.

A little fish, closely resembling this in form, is described and figured
in Dr. Richardson's Northern Zoology, on the authority of Lieut.
Col. Smith, who took it at the confluence of the Richelieu and St.
Lawrence. It is known to the Canadians as la Quesche. In form, it
closely resembles this species ; and in color, the last described ; but
it has one spiny ray in the dorsal, and one in the anal fin, and a
todthed tongue, which would seem to divide it from the ganua Abra-
mis ; while the size of the anal divides it from the true Carps. It
has, moreover, small scales, and barbels.

f^i^.. ^^fi*^P^^^^'*^^'Cl WlmTTV'ft'WfF^^^

176

AMERICAN FISHES.

ABDOMINAL
MALACv^PTEEYGII.

CTPRINID^

MINNOWS.

Hydrargyra ; Auctorum.

The Minnow proper of Europe, Cyprinus, Leiidscus, Pkoxinus, ib
unknown to the waters of North America, but as its equivalent,
and analogous to it, we have innumerable species of the Hydrar-
gyra^ or American Minnow ; which, in general appearance, habits
and haunts, are very nearly assimilated to the European fish.

Its food consists of aquatic plants, small worms, and minute portions
of any animal substances. It bites boldly and readily at small red
worms, gentles, or the larvae of any of the Phryganea, known as cad-
dis-baits, stick-baits, and the like, on the least Limerick hooks, num-
ber twelve ; and is constantly taken by boys with a worm alone tied
to a fine string, which the little fish swallows so greedily that he is
pulled out before he has time to disgorge it.

Under many local names this beautiful little Cyprinut is found in
every swift-running stream with a gravelly bottom, and in the shallows

— _. — J J j^ -—J.

CTPRINID^.

177

known as Killy-fish, and are an excellent bait for M\ of almost every
kind that prey on other fish.

As live bait for Pike, Pearch or Catfish, they are not to bo equalled ;
and in spinning or trolling, they are excellent for the noble Striped
Bass, the Pike, the Salmon, the Lake Trout in all its varieties, and
for the Brook Trout — especially those which are found in the tide-
creoks, where they are less willing than in other waters to take the
fly. A more particular description of so common and well-known a
fish would take up space needlessly, which is more required for other
parts of my subject ; and the species are, I was almost about to say,
innumerable. Three of the commoner varieties, and those most useful
as bait, are represented on the preceding page.

'Hi

KvTh

fipc^y fX/ar/^V^ytr

178

AMERICAN FI8HB8.

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYRII.

OLUFIDiB.

THE HERRING.

Clupea Harengua.

The common Herring, which visits both continents, runs into the
jiouths of all the northern and north-eastern rivers of North Ameri-
ca, and is not only greatly sought for as an article of food, but really
affords very excellent sport to the angler. In spring, when he enters
the estuaries in full condition, and full of spawn, he leaps freely at
any gaudy-colored fly— whether of the peacock feather, or, what is yet
better, a four-winged fly of the scarlet ibis and silver pheasant, on a
scarlet chenil body, not unlike the fly used in Black Basa fishing, but
of a smaller size. The best way to use it is with a single bb shot
attached to the gut an inch or two above the fly, so as to troll with it,
as it were, slightly sunken below the surface. I have taken the-n in
this manner, off Fort Diamond at the Narrows, almost as fast as 1
could cast and draw in the fly.

The appearance of this fish is so well known that a very particular
description is hardly necessary. The length of the head to the body
is about as one to four, the depth to the length of the body as one to
five. The upper part of the fish is a fine blue, with green and other
reflections, when viewed in different lights ; the lower part of the side
and belly silvery white ; the cheeks and gill-covers silvery. Dorsal
and caudal fii^ dusky ; the fins on the lower parts of the body almost

CLUriDJE.

179

white. The lower jaw is much long!?r than the other, with five or six
small teeth extending in a line backwards on ouch side from the an-
terior point ; four rows of small teeth on the central upper surface of
the ton'Tue, and a few small teeth on the central surface of the upper
jaw. Branchiostogous rays are eight in number, pectoral sixteen,
ventral eight, anal sixteen, dorsal nineteen, and caudal eighteen.
The scales are large. The caudal fin deeply forked.

Several other species of Herring are common to the waters of the
United States, but this is the only one which is taken with the fly, or
can be accounted as game to the sportsman

££.

C^y rX

hMi.

180

AMERICAN FISHES.

ABPOMINAL
MALACOPTERYOII.

CLUPin^

THE SHAD.

Aloaa Prastabilia; DeKay.

This delicious and well-known fish, which is by many persons es-
taemed the queen of all fishes on the table, has been, until very re-
cently, regarded as one that could be taken only with the net, and
therefore of no avail to the angler. It is, however, now clearly proved
that, like the He'rin?, the American Shad will take a large gaudy fly
freely, and being a strong, powerful and active fish, affords great play
to the sportsman.

It is undoubtedly the fact that, until within the few last years, fish-
ing in the United States, except of Trout, having been practised
rather as a means of providing the table, than as a matter of sport, it
has been taken for granted that many species of fish, which are easily
captured by the ssan, will not take the bait or thi fly ; and few spe-
cies have been pursued as game except those which are not easily
caught otherwise than with the hook. Fly-fishing, moreover, having
been a few years ago confined to a very few individuals, and even now
being comparatively limited, it was attempted only with those families
which could hardly be otherwise captured. Now, however, nom avonn
ckang^ tout cela, and opportunities for the practice of this delightful

if ara aniirrTif fnr an ftn.nrArlv. that

anv nersinn is rp.trardf^A in seme de-

»• r — --n -

CLUPIDiE.

181

groe as the sportsman's benefactor if ho introduces to his notice a now
species which will afford sport with the artificial fly.

It is, as I have observed, indisputably true, that on his entrance into
fresh-wator from the salt, for the purpose of spawning, the Shad will
readily take a gaudy fly, the more readily the higher he runs up into
the cold and highly a6iat3d waters in the upper parts of our large
rivers, where also they are taken in the greatest perfection, as for
instance in the Delaware, «o far up as Milford, in Pike county, Penn-

pylvania. a *. a'

Th- New York Shad, Alosa, PmstaUlh, was, I believe, first dis-
tinguished specifically by Dr. DeKay of New York, having been pre-
viously confounded with the Allice Shad of Europe, Alo.a CoMMunn,
of Cuvier, Clufka, Alom, Auctorum, to which it boars a very con-
siderable reseinblaace, although I presume that the distinction can be

fully made out. , , . , xt.

The body of this fish is deep and compress-^d, the thickness rather
bs9 than one-third of the length. The length of the head is to that
of tho whole fish as one to six ; the depth to the length as one to four.
The scales are very large ; the tail long, slonder, and dr.ply forked.
The dorsal fin-rays are nineteen, the pectoral fifteen, ventral nine,
anal twenty-six, and caudal twonty. The greatest depth of the body
is just before the ventral fin. The shad has no distinct lateral line,
its abdominal edge is strongly serrated, especially behind the ventrals.
The top of the head and back are dusky blue, with brown and green
reflections in particular points of view. There is a single dusky spot
behind the operculum. The irides, sides of the head and body, are of
a silvery white, with a tinge of copper-color. The dorsal and caudal
fins are dusky, the pectoral, ventral, and anal fins, white.

The flosh of the Shad is perhaps the most delicate of any existmg
fish ; and, though it lacks the lusciousness, as well as the glutinous
fin of the Turbot, it is preferred to that fish by many judicious epi-
cures, notwithstanding the drawback r-casioned by its innumerable
and shavply-pointed bones.

From personal experience and success, I can assure the fly-fisher
that he will find much sport in fishing for the Shad during his upward
run in the spring, with a powerful Trout-rod, a long line, and such fliea
as he will procure in perfection at Conroy's, in Fulton-street, New York

r^r:^/ t/fti<A.

182

AMERICAN FISHES.

ABDOMINAL
MALACCr i'EUTGII.

BILUBIDiB.

THE CAT-FISH.

ttmon Pitnelode. Silurua, Pimelodua, CanoniB: Richwrdson

This singular and hideous family of fishes is distinguished from
the others of the same order, by the skin b3ing cither naked or pro-
tected by large plates, but always destitute of true scales. The inter-
maxillaries are s''jponded under the ethmoid bono, and form the border
of the upper jaw, while the labials are longthenod out into barbels, or
are simply rudimental ; it has, also, a second adipose dorsal fin. First
rays of the dorsal and pectoral fin spinous.

This family contains twenty-five or thirty species peculiar to Ame-
rica, which are generally known as Cat-fish, Bull-heads, Bull-pouts, &c.
They inhabit the larger lakes and rivers, especially, but are found in
all the waters of North America.

The commonest and the larg2st species both belong to the sub-
genus Pimdodus, and are well known as Cat-fish ; the ordinary kind
measuring only a few inches in length, and never exceeding a few
ounces weight ; the largest reaching a hundred or even a hundred and
fifty pounds, especially in the great northern lakes, and in the western
rivers. The great Huron Pimelode, o-, .as jt in o''ten oalhd, the Chan-

SIHIRID^.

183

nd Cat-fish, which is the largest of the family, is thus described by
Richardson :

" Profile oval, tapering into the tail. Head broadly oval, forming
two-ninths of the total length. Orbits small, and nearer to the snout
than to the gill-openings. Nostrils situate some distance before the eye.
A shnder barbel, half an inch long, springs from their posterior mar-
gin. Snout obtuse. Labials ending in a tapering barbel, which b an
inch and a quarter long, and reaches to the gill-opening ; there are
also two slender barbels, one each side of the chin. Both jaws are
armed with a brush-like band of short teeth. The palate and vomer
are stnooth. In this genus the suboperculum is wanting ; the prcoper-
culum is attached to the operculum by bone, and can be traced by its
elevated ridge. The interoperculum cannot be traced through the
skin. There are nine gill-rays. The gill-openings are rather narrow.
The dorsal rays are — one spinous, seven soft ; second dorsal, adipose.
Pectorals, one spinous, eight soft ; ventrals eight, anals twenty-four,
caudals seventeen.

The skin is smooth, thick, adipose, and lubricated by a mucous
secretion. The color is a dingy greenish brown above, and dirty
white below. The fiesh is very rich and gelatinous, and not dissimilar
either in quality or fiavor to that of the Eel. In some places it is
esteemed a great delicacy. All the Cat-fish are greedy biters, and
will take almost any animal substance as a bait. After being hooked,
however, although they arc powerful fish, and pull hard for a while,
it is yet a dead lug entirely, unlike the lively and fierce resistance of
the Trouts and Pearchcs ; and they aflSird in truth very little real
sport to the angler.

Seven species of this fish are quoted by M. Le Sueur, as belonging
to Lakes Eric, Ontario, and their tributary waters, besides many other
varieties in the southern and western waters, where it grows to a yet
more enormous size.

There is, however, so little di " nee either in the appearance or
habits of this filthy, mud-loving and hideous fish, that the description
of one species must sorvc for all.

The cut at tho head of this paper represents the great Cat-fish, or
Huron Pimelode.

The Silurus Glanis, Slv Silurus, or Sheat-fish, is the largest fresh-

r^i^ ^ / t/ rt4\h^t

T84

AMERICAN FISHES

water fish of Europe, growing, it is said, to six feet in length, and
attaining to three hundred weight.

Dr. Smith includes this species of Siliirus in the fishes of Massa-
chusetts, and Dr. Flint attributes it to the Ohio and Mississippi, both
ovidently confounding it with the various indigenous Pimelodes, which
it greatly resembles. It differs from the American Pimelodes in hav-
ing the anal fin extremely long, extending almost the whole distance
from the extremity of the ventral tc the origin of the caudal fin

>■'

ANOUILLIUiC.

185

APODAL
MALACOPTEBTOIL

ANOUILLIDiB.

THE EEL.

Anguilla ; Auctoram.

Although I in no respect regard the Eel as worthy of the notice
of the angler, a volume on fish and fishing would be incomplete, had
it not some allusion to this singular fish, which is, moreover, very
excellent on the table.

The family to which it belongs is of a diflFerent order from any
which have been enumerated, that of the apodal Malacopterygiij or
soft-finned fishes, destitute of ventrals. They have slender and elon-
gated bodies, without apparent scales, these being deeply imbedded in
mucous skin. Gill-covers they have none, the gill-openings are small,
before, and rather below the origin of the pectoral fins. The dorsal
fin extends above two-thirds, and the anal above one-half the length
of the whole fish, both united at the end, and forming a tail. The
lateral line exhibits a series of mucous orifices.

The general color is hair-brown, varying to glossy bluish green,
13

' ■^** ^>£MLMjkltJ

186

AMERICAN FISHES.

above, and coppery-yellow varying to silver-white below, aooordin;; to
the purity and brightness of the waters which they inhabit.

They may be taken with a hook and angle-worm, but it is a nasty,
jJimy business, and affords no sport to eompcnsate the disagreeable
nature of the labor. The Eel-spear, the set-line, or the Eel-pot, is the
tiuo mode of taking them, and their true place is not in the creel of
the genuine angler, but on the board of the elaborate epicure, en ma-
telotte, or a la tar tare, according to individual preference.

With this fish, our list of the soft-rayed species is brought to a close,
and I shall now proceed to the Acanfhopterygii, or apiny-finned fishes,
among which are several of our finest species, both of fresh and salt-
water, both for sport in the water, and excellence on the table

PCKcipyfi:.

187

ACANTlIOPTERYQn.

PERCIDJL

THE AMERICAN YELLOW PEARCH.

Perea Flavtactna; Mitchil.

This is a very oomtnon fish, widely difTusjd, with small variation
of sizo, shape, form and color, through all the inland fresh waters of
the whole United States, ranging through all the lakes and rivers of
the country from the eastern part of Maine to the waters of the Ohio,
into which it has gained access through the Ohio Canal, and whence
it will undoubtedly ere long make its way into the Mississippi. There
are several subordinate varieties of this fish, which differ in size, color,
and slightly also in the number of fin rays, in different waters, and
these have been created into distinct species, under the titles of the
Rough Yellow Pearch, Perca Cerrato Crranvlata ; the Rough-
headed Yellow Pearch, Perca Granulata ; the Sharp-nosed Yellow
Pearch, Perca Acuta ; the Slender Yellow Pearch, Perca Gracilis ;
and the White Pearch, Perca Pallida. It does not, however, appear
that these distinctions are sufficiently broad or permanent to justify
this arrangement ; and it is now generally held that there is but one
speciss of true fresh -water Pearch in the United States, and that the
forms which have been designated under the above titles arc mere
accidental varieties, similar to those which have been previously
notiood of the common Trout. Originally the Yellow Pearch was a

_«v w

AtAr

188

AMERICAN FI8HEJ.

northern fish, its range extending to about the fiftieth parallel, but it
has lately, like several others of the same species, been much more
widely diffused through artificial channels, as, for instance, the Black
Bass, Griites Nigricans, and the Rock Bass, Centrarchus ^neus,
which have descended from the basin of the St. Lawrence, by the
Eric and Whitehall canals, into the waters of the upper Hudson.

The Yellow Pearch is a bold biter, and a tolerably good fish on the
table ; it frequents the same waters with the Pickerel, from the assaults
of which it is defended by the sharp spinous rays of its dorsal fin.

In color, its sides are yellow, varying in intent. ;ty from greenish to
bright golden in different waters, and occasionally In tide waters to
pale greenish white Its back is banded with six or eight dark verti-
cal bars. Its pectorals, ventrals and anal are golden orange — its
doraals and caudal greer'-^h brown.

Its body is compressed, elongated, with a slightly gibbous dorsal
outline. The scales are small, the head, above the eyes and between
them, smooth, lateral line concurrent with the line of the back. Head
sub-depressed, and in the larger and older fish the rostrum is pro-
duced, causing a hollow in the facial outline. The first dorsal com-
mences above the base of the pectorals, the first ray much shorter than
the second, the fourth, fifth and sixth rays are the longest, and the
last the shortest — it has in all thirteen rays. The second dorsal has
seventeen rays, the two first spinous. The pectorals have fifteen soft
rays ; the ventrals have one spinous and five soft rays ; the anal, two
spinous and eight soft; the caudal is forked, with rounded tips.

The mouth is of moderate size ; the preoperculum strongly toothed,
the operculum serrated beneath, with a spine on its posterior angle.
The irides are golden yellow — the pupils black.

It varies in weight in different waters, from a few ounces to four or
five pounds. It is a bold, hardy fish — is easily transported from one
water to another, and appears to thrive equally well on all soils.

It is taken with the worm or small fish, used either as a live or
dead bait, and affords very fair sport, pulling strongly on the line for
a few minutes, but by no means requiring the same degree of skill as
the Pearch to effect its capture. It is the favorite fish of rural anglers,
where Pickerel do not abound, and is esteemed a great delicacy where
fica-fish cannot be obtained.

PERCIDJE.

188

AOANTHOPTERYGU.

PERCIDiK

THE STRIPED SEA BASS.

Roek Fish ; Bar-Fith ; Richardson — Labrax Lineatvt ; Cuvier.

This noble fish, which, after the Saluion family, is unquestionably
the most sporting fish of this continent, has its geographical range
from the Capes of the Delaware, in which river it is known as the
Rock Fish, to the coasts of Massachusetts ; unless, as I think almost
certain, the Bar-Fish of Richardson, which is taken in the St. Law-
rence, prove to be merely an accidental variety.

The Striped Bass is properly a sea fish, entering the rivers in the
spring to spawn, at which time he runs as high up the courses as the
depth of water will permit, and lies among the bushes where the chan-
nels are narrow. They run far up the Hudson — are taken at the
foot of the Cohoes Falls of the Mohawk in great numbers, and ascend
yet higher up the cold, clear waters of the Delaware.

In September and October they run along the coast in large schuUs,
nntering the inlets, and being taken in great numbers between the
outer bars and the beach by the sean. In the heaviest surfs of the
Atlantic, on the outer ocean beaches, they are captured of grtat size
with a bone or metal squid. They are a bold, ravenous and powerful
fish, biting voraciously at almost every sort of bait, from soft crabs
and clams, on a drop-line, to shiners or sparlings on trolling tackle,
Shad-roe in rivers frequented by that fish in the spring of the year,
and even the artificial fly of large size and gaudy colors, with which,
at the end of a hundred yards of line, they afford great sport, being
vigorous, fierce and active, nor succumbing until after a long and
violent conflict with their captors.

In winter, when the weather becomes cold and stormy, they again
enter the estuaries of rivers, and imbed themselves in the mud of the
brackish bays and lagoons, which possess the advantage of being calm
and undisturbed by the tempests which vex the open sea.

They attain to a very great size, even, 1 believe, to seventy or

r^rtf jOjT-tJt^si^wnuk

190

AMERICAN FISHES.

eighty pounds' weight, though I have never myself seen one of above
forty-three ; the smaller sized fish, of seven or eight pounds, are,
however, by far the most delicate, and I think those not exceeding
fifteen pounds give the best sport to the angler.

In color, the Striped Bass is bluish brown above, silvery on the
sides and beneath. Along each side are from seven to nine equidis-
tant dark, parallel stripes, the upper series terminating at the base
of the caudal, and the lower above the anal fin. These lines are
occasionally indistinct, sometimes interrupted, and more rarely each
alternately a continuous stripe and a row of abbreviated lines or dots ;
this appears to be the form which Dr. Richardson has designated as
the Bar-Fish of the St. Lawrence.

The body is cylindrical and tapering. Head and body covered
with large adhesive scales. Lateral line obvious, running through the
fourth stripe, and nearly straight. Head bluntly pointed ; eyes large ;
nostrils double ; gill openings large ; lower jaw the longest ; teeth numer-
ous on the maxillaries, palatine bone and tongue ; operculum armed
with two spines on its lower margin, the preoperculum finely dentated.

The first dorsal consists of nine spinous rays, of which the first and
the last are shortest. A simple ray occurs between this and the
second dorsal, which consists of twelve branched rays. The pectoral
fins have sixteen rays ; the ventrals one spinous and five soft rays ;
the anal three spinous and eleven soft ; the caudal, which is broadly
lunate in shape, has seventeen branded rays.

The pupils are black, the irides silvery.

Altogether it is one of the most beautiful, as well as the most excel-
lent and sporting of American game fish, the flesh being very firm,
white and well-flavored.

There are two other species of Bass, the Lahrax Rufus, and Lahrax
Pallidus, or Ruddy, and little White Bass, which are better known,
both to anglers and epicures, as the River Pearch of New York, and
White Pearch. They are both taken in the brackish waters of tide
rivers, and afford fair sport to the angler, as well aa being a very deli-
cate pan-flsh

^^maf:- f*^ %<* at Wi^\A.t^J

Blaok BaL^'lf " 'T'"''' '■>»""« M of .hi, "'

* "^j -Labrax Nigrica'n* »,i,- l . '^ S^^"s> M the flm*II

. 2"?^ po-d, of Queof, r's*t "i: ^-"b^aa being C"?

2'°'°« *» 'wo p„„„d, -^t^^f. ^'"""'i™. Lo„g m1, ,^ '"

uTvei,Iv7'' "o 'lo flj. ^ • ■""■« ^''^^"-^O '^--y good ea^^

«- once of .be St. We.oe bL I :"" ''^"^'^' " » *™». of fte
l^ork »„.i „f (,^ prfTt M ° ""'"' »' *» State f Nol

thore «„o doubt that, like h„ Pea 1 ! "^""'"^ "' *= «««■*, b J

Parti„„Lr°llT ''™'''°'''™- ™«--™"y i-Portan. to ™erit »or.

ty ^

/n>

>Af

192

AMERICAN FISHES.

ACANTHOPTERYOI I.

PEBOIDiB.

THE YELLOW PIKE PEARCH.

AMERICAN 8ANDRE.

laieioperca Americana ; Cuvier.

THE OHIO PIKE, GLABB-EYE. YELLOW FIKE, OHIO BALUOK

This bold and voracious fish I have never seen, though it is
abundant from the western part of the State of New York td the
waters of the Ohio, the great lakes and the rivers of the fur countries,
up to the 58th parallel of latitude. It aflFords great sport to the
angler, being readily taken with the hook, with almost any live or
dead fish bait, though it is said to prefer the common fresh water
Cray-fich, Astacus Bartoni, according to Dr. DeKay, whose account
of this fish I have taken the liberty of borrowing from his Fauna of
New York :

" The best time for fishing Ls in the dusk of the evening, with a
great length of line, keeping the bait in gentle motion. The foot of
rapids or beneath milldams appears to be its favorite haunts. In the
heat of summer it seeks the deepest parts of lakes, or in streams in
the coolest places under weeds or ^rass. It is esteemed one of the

PERCIDS.

193

most valuable fishes of the western waters, in which it greatly abounds,
and sells readily for a high price. It spawns in Lake Huron in April
or May, and has been taken of the length of thirty inches.

" Its color is yellowish olive above the lateral line ; lighter on the
Bides ; silvery beneath. Head and gill-covers mottled with green,
brownish and white. Chin pale flesh-color. Pupil dark and vitreous,
irides mottled with black and yellowish. Membrane of the spinous
dorsal fin transparent, with a few dark dashes ; the upper part of the
membrane tipped with black. Soft dorsal fin light yellowish, spotted
with brown in irregular longitudinal bars. Ventral fins transparent
yellowish ; pectoral fins yellowish olive, with brownish bars. Anal fin
transparent yellowish, with a broad whitigh margin ; caudal fin with
irregular dusky bars.

" The body is elongated, cylindrical and tapering. Scales of
moderate size, lateral line straight from the upper edge of the gill-
covers to the tail. Preoperculum serrated with a series of distant
spines. Opcrcle with one slender flat terrinal spine, beyond which is
a pointed membrane. Branchial rays, seven. Mouth wide extensi-
ble, the lower jaws received into the upper. A series of acute re-
curved teeth in both jaws, and on the vomer and palatines. Two
very long and conspicuous teeth, resembling canines, in front of each
jaw ; those of the lower received into cavities above. Teeth on the
vomer minute. Tongue smooth, pointed, free. The first dorsal fin
is composed of thirteen or fourteen long slender spinous rays ; the
second dorsal has one short, simple, subspinous ray, and twenty-one
soft rays ; the pectorals have fourteen soft rays ; the ventrals one
stout spine and five branched rays ; the anal one spine and fourteen
rays ; the caudal is deeply furcate, and has seventeen distinct, beside
many accessory rays."

This fish is a true Pearch, though its form, elongated mouth, and
fiercely predatory habits suggest the idea of a Pike, whence Dr. De-
Kay has given it the appellation of Pike Pearch, which is a translation
of its classical name, in preference to the name Sandre, which beloncrs
to the Canadian fish of the same species, and to the analogous Euro-
pean fishes.

1^1 ■

\h4

r . . ^ r

194

AMERICAN FISHES.

The Grat Pike Pearch, Ludoperca Grisea, would seem to bo a
pormanent variety of the above, if not a distinct species ; it differs
from it in size, never exceeding ten or twelve inches, in color and
aovoral other important particulars. It is found in the same waters
•nth the preceding species, and is equally prized as an article of food.

Richardson's Pike Pearch, the Canadian Sandre, iMcioperea
Canadensis^ is another small distinct species, found in the river St.
La.wrcnce. Its principal characteristic difference lies in the fact that
the operculum has five acute spines on the lower margin. In color
i*i is dark olive green above, and whitish beneath, with a few pale-
veP.ow spots on the sides below the lateral line. It does not exceed
fourteen inches in length. It is, like the others of its species, esteemed
an excellent fish on the table, and, being a free biter and hard puller,
affords good sport to th-e angler. It is not, however, of so great im-
Dortance that I care to enter into a more minute description.

I'his 18 the fish concerning which a controversy haa been gcirg on
between " Dinks " and some Western fishermen, who insist o '. orlling
it a Pike, as distinct from Pickerel. It is a true Pearch a.id hos no
connexion with any of the Pike family.

lem to bo a
; it differs
I color and
ame waters
lie of food.

I/ueioperea
3 river St.
le fact that
. In color
I few pale-
Dot exceed
8, esteemed
lard puller,
> great im-
11.

n goirg on
\i o\ crlling
a;id 1198 no

'^ri\ft\ftm^mmmi

PERCIOiE.

195

AOANTHOPTER Ya IT.

PERCIUiE.

THE BLACK BASS

OP THE ST. LAWRENCE.

This « „„„ of iho fla,,t „f ,t, American fresh-«t=r fiAe,- it »

wnen hooked and by a very few only in exoellenoo upon the board

Peonhar originally to the basin of the St. Lawrenee in S it
.bounds fron. the Palls of Niagara downward, if not tbr„ ' h iTs lie
ourso .t has made its way into the waters of the upper HudLt
through the eanaU. It is said by Dr. DeKay to be found'l ra, ! °'
Ihe small lakes of the State of New Fort b„. i i / "" ^

n.usUe limited to those whieh.ermlte-l' ."hTrtt Lt

unspl:::^:''^'""""™^'^ "^^'"^^ «-.'- - poaching and

and a la™ 1 ;; "a ;l'd: T'^T T' """"'"^'^ "°"'° '-«>
.1.. .-1 , ^ °^ '°"'°' "''""'l and four win-s two of

the sdver pheasant and two of the searlot ibis As the nitV B
attains to the weio^ht of .;, „ • i,, , '*'''™ ^ass

In color, thU « is of a dusky bluUh black, sometimes with bronze

i' .

^ r .-.X'4ut(

I 3

196

AMERICAN FISHES.

reflections, the under parts bluish white, the cheeks and cill-covcrs
nacrous of a bluish color.

The body is compressed. Back arched and gibbous. Profile do-
Bcending obliquely to the rostrum, which is moderately prolonged
Scales large, truncated. Scales on the operculum largo ; a single
series on the suboperculum, much smaller on the prcoperculum, ascend-
ing high up on the membrane of the soft dorsal and caudal fins Eyes
largo ; nostrils double. Operculum pointed, with a loose membrane
I he lower jaw is somewhat longest. The jaws are smooth and scale-
less. Both jaws are armed with a broad patch of minute conic acute '
reserved teeth. An oblong patch of rasp-like teeth on the vomer
and a band of the same kind on the palatines. Branchial arches
minutely toothed. Pharyngeal teeth in rounded patches.

The dorsal fin is composed of nine stout spines; the second dorsal
of one spine and fourteen soft rays. The pectorals have eighteen soft
rays, the ventrals one spine and five soft rays, the anals three
spines, and twelve soft rays, and the caudal sixteen soft rays '

*It IS somewhat doubtful to me whether the fish known in the waters
of Lake Erie and those generally above the Falls, as the Oswego Bass
IS not distinct from this fish, though it is also occasionally called Black
Bass. There is very evidently some confusion about the matter, as I
am well assured that another fish of the same family, the Corvina O,-
cj./^, IS at tinies confounded with it, and called by the same name,
though m truth It but slightly resembles it. Another fish of the same
family is the Growler.

lakl''rharh"T7 EorTioN.-During a tour. thi. autumn, through the great
lake I had abundant opportunities of learning the habits of this fish, which swL
in al, the Canad,a„ lakes though not found north of them. It is taken in Zoa
Crooked and Cayuga Lakes, and in the first is of rare excellence. I leartlTh.
opnnon that the differences between this and the Oswego Bass rise n e 1 fl
difference of condition and feeding-grounds. This Ba» has. I understanlbee. Tn
troduced into Lake Mahopach, Dutchess Co.. N.Y. «na«rBiana. bee., m-

PERCIDA.

197

ACANTIIOPTEIIVGII.

PERCIOiE.

THE GROWLER.

Orittea Salmoeidet ; Auctorum.

The White Salmon , Smith's History of Virginia Tii* TiiouT ; Carolina Pro-

viiiRiallBin.

This fish, in general form, closely corresponds with that last de-
Bcribed. It Ims the same gibbous back, with the lateral linu following
the dorsal curve, and the same protruded lower jaw. Its teeth arc pot
minutely in broad bands or patches. Tho operculum has two mode-
rate points.

its color is deep greenish brown, with a bluish black spot on the
point of tiio operculum. When young it has twenty-five or thirty lon-
gitudinal brownish bands, which become effaced by age.

The first dorsal fin has ten spines, the second thirteen or fourteen
soft rays; the pectorals sixteen soft rays; the ventrals one spine and
five soft rays ; the anal three spines and eleven or twelve soft rays ;
the caudal fin, which is slightly lunate, has seventeen soft rays.

There may, perhaps, be two distinct varieties of this fish. It has
been taken in the waters of Western New York, in the Wabash in
Indiana, and abundantly in Carolina, where it attains to tho length of
two feet, and is considered an excellent fish, passing, as well aa
another fish of the same family, the Carolina Weak-fish, Otolithm
Carolinensis, under the misnomer of Trout. I am inclined to believe
that this fish is also known as the Welchman in the inland waters of
North Carolina. It is also the Salmon of the Susquehannah.

Before passing on to the next species I will observe that I consider
the proper classical name of the Black Bass of the St. Lawrence deci-
dedly to be Gristes— tho genus Huro not having been by any means
satisfactorily defined. For that of Centrarchus is distinguished by
having many spinous rays to the ventral fin, while the genus Grisies
has but three, Perca two, and Liicioperca only one— this affording a
broad and clear distinction, and being that on which Agassiz founds the
subgenus in question.

"H(i

> fal

f —

I f

f^^ .«.-.t..^^

198

AMERICAN FISHB^.

ACANTIIOPTEUTGII.

PEBOIDA

THE KOCK BASS.

FRESH WATER BASS.
Ctntrarchus JEntua; Cxynvt.

This is another delicate and game fish, which, originally peculiar
to the basin of the St. Lawrence, has made its way through the canals
into the upper waters of the Hudson and the anastomosing streams.
It is abundant in the great lakes, and Lake Champlain.

It, like the Black Bass, is a bold biter, taking a small fish dead or
alive very freely, but preferring to all other baits the Cray-fish, Aita-
cus Bartoni.

The general color of this fish is a dark coppery bronze above, with
grcca reflections, the head above dark green, gill-covers metallic green,
with a dark spot on the posterior margin of the operculum. The sides
golden copper, with several rows of oblong dark spots below the lateral
line. Thfe fins bluish green.

The body is cr .ressed, short and broad. The dorsal outline gib-
bous ; the lateral line following the curve of the back. Head large,

with a concave outline. Gill-covers scaly ; the operculixm with rudi-
ments of a double angle on the posterior margin ; lower jaw somewhat
the longest. Teeth small, conical, recurved, on the maxillaries, inter-
maxillaries, vomer, palatines and pharyngeals.

The dorsal fin has eleven spinous and twelve soft rays ; the pecto-
rals fourteen rays ; the ventrals one weak spine and five branched
rays; the anal, six spinous and eleven soft rays; the caudal with
rounded tips has seventeen rays.

The Rock Bass is excellent eating, and gives good sport to the
angler, though it never attains to the size of the Black Bass, rarely
exceeding a pound or a pound and a half, and consequently being far
less difficult to take.

This fish, as well as the Black Bass and others of the family, might
be transplanted with great ease into inland waters ; and as they are
hardy, and defended from all enemies by their sharp and spiny fins
would be sure to thrive, and would prove delicious additions to our
lacustrine species of fishes.

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200

AMBRIOAN FISHES.

ACANTHOPTEEYGIL

FEBOIDiB.

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THE COMMON POND FISH.

FRESH WATER SUN FISH

Pomotit Vulgaris. — Cuvier.

This beautiful little fish has gained its provincia. name from the
•xtreme brilliancy of its colors when disporting itself in the sunshine
The numerous spots on its body have procured for it the absurd name
y{ Pumpkin-seed in many States, and in Massachusetts it is known as
Bream. It is valueless as an article of food, and equally so as a bait
fish, its acute spines deterring any fish from seizing it. It is, however,
a constant object of pursuit to boy and lady angleis.

It has very many varieties, and a wide geographical range, being
found from Lake Huron, through all the Eastern States, and along the
Atlantic coast so far south as Carolina.

Its color is greenish olive above, with irregular pointe. of red and
broader yellow or reddish browu hpots disposed in very irregular lines
Ranges of brighter spots on the bluish oporculam, and on the hinder
prolongation of the oporculum a black spot with a bright scarlet margin.

Its body is much compressed, very broad, oval. Scales large and
even. Forehead sloping *o the snout. Lateral line concurrent with

PERCIUS

201

the back. Eyes large, circular near the facial outline. Nostriia
double ; mouth small, with very minute thick-set teeth on the mazil-
laries, palatines and yoraer.

Its dorsal fin has ten spinous and twelve soft rays, pectorals twelve
soft, ventralfl one spine and five soft rays, anal three spinous and five
soft, caudal seventeen soft rays.

There is another well-defined species, the Black-eared Pond-fish,
Pomotis Appendix^ which is distinguished by a large lobe-like black
prolongation of the upper posterior angle of the operculum.

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203

ACANTHOFfERYGIL

AMERICAN FISHES.

SClENIDiG.

THE LAKE SHEEP'S-HEAD.

Corvina Oscula ; Cuvier.

This is a very common fish in Lake Erie, and also below the Falls
of Niagara, where it is readily taken with the hook, though it is in
very small repute for its edible qualities, being commonly reported to
be dry, lean and tasteless. It is in fact very rarely eaten.

Its color is bluish gray on the back, darker on the abdomen and the
snout. Abdomen and chin grayish white.

In shape it considerably resembles the preceding genera, Gristes
and CentrarcAus, having a gibbous dorsal outline, and arched profile,
the lateral line being also, as in these, concurrent with the curve of the
back. The eyes are large, round and prominent, situated close to the
facial outline. The teeth in the jaws are small, conic, and sharp, but
the palate and pharyngeals are paved with large rounded solid teeth,
well adapted for crushing its hard and shelly prey, such as the fresh-
water clams and muscles, cyclas and paludina which constitute its
principal subsistence.

The dorsal fin has nine spinous rays, the second dorsal one spinous
and twenty-eight soft rays, the pectorals nineteen soft rays, the
ventrals one spinous and five soft, the anal two spinous and eight
soft, the caudal, seventeen rays. Its air bladder is very large and
simple.

This fish, if I am not greatly in error, is very frequently confounded
on the lakes in the vicinity of Buffalo with the Gristes Nigricans,
under the name of Oswego Bass,* and in fact, though of a different
family, Scienida, does bear somethiiig of general resemblance to that
species. It is also found in many of the small inland lakes throughout
the country.

• It is more probable, however, that there is no true distinction between the
Black Jinrl Oswego Bass, save in the diflfcrence of condition

SClENlD^.

doa

AOANTHOPTEBTOII

BCIENID^

THE MALA8HEGANAY.

Coroina Richaidaonii ; Cuvier*

This, like the species last named, id an inhabitant of the upper
lakes, though it is not found below Lake Erie. In Lake Huron it is
known as the Sheep^s-head, and in the vicinity of Buffalo as the Black
Skeeph-head,

It affords very good sport to the angler, and unlike its congener last
described, is highly prized as one of the most delicious of the lake
fishes.

Its color is greenish gray, banded with dusky or blackish bars over
the back, its sides are silvery, its belly yellowish. In form it closely
resembles the Corvina Oscula, but its forehead descends in a more
vertical angle to the mouth. The under jaw is somewhat the longer.
The mouth is cleft back as far as to the middle of the eye, which is
large and round. The teeth are very numerous and very small. The
opercu]-im has two lobes behind.

The first dorsal fin has nine spinous rays, the second one spine and
eighteen soft rays, the pectorals have fifteen soft rays, the ventrals
one spine and seven soft rays, the anal one spine and seven soft rays,
the caudal seventeen soft branched rays.

There is yet another species of this family, the Corviiia Gfrisea,
known familiarly as the White Pearch of the Ohio, which is found
in the waters of that noble river, but it is of little importance either
to the angler or the epicure, and merits not a more particular descrip-
tion.

With this fish ends the list of those fresh-water fishes of the United
States and British Provinces, which by the most liberal courtesy may
be called game or sporting fishes.

Hence I proceed to the shoal-water sea fishes of the same division,
Acanihopterygii^ and thence, and lastly, to the deep-sea fish of the order
Sub-brachial Malacopterygii.

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AMERICAN rrgHES.

SHOAL-WATER FISHES.

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Having now come to tk ) conolusion of that, by far the most impor-
tant, portion of my subject which relates to the fresh-water fishes,
including those anadromous or migratory species which, although they
make their abode during a part of the year at least in salt water, are
taken in sporting style in rivers and estuaries only, I shall proceed to
devote a few pages only to these sea fish ; all of the division Acanthop-
terygii, and all of five families, Percida, Scienida, Sparidaj Scombri-
da, and Labrida, which are taken in shoal waters at the mouths of
large rivers, in bays and estuaries, and which not only afi'ord much
sport to the angler at particular seasons of the year, but furnish a
delicious article of food.
These are the Sea Bass, or Black Sea Bass, Ceniropristes Ni
gricans.

The Lafayette, Leiostomus Obliquus.

The Weak-Fish, Otolithus Regalis.

The Kino-Fish, JJmbrina Nebulosa.

The Silvery Corvina, Corvina Argyroleuea.

The Branded Corvina, Corvina Ocellata.

The Bio Drum, Pogonias Chromis.

The Sheep's-head, Sargus Ovis.

The Poroee, Pagrus Argyrop$.

The Blue-Fish, Temnodon Soltator.

The Tautog — Black-Fish — Tautoga Americana.

SCIENIDJE.

205

AOANTHOPTERyon.

BCIENIDA.

THE SEA BASS.

BLACK SEA BASS.
Centropristea Nigricana ; Cuvler.

This is an excellent fish, and a very general favorite on the table
It is with us a summer fish of passage, in the Northern States I mean,
appearing on the coasts of New York during the months of May,
June and July, in which it is frequent in the markets, and readily
taken with the baited hook.

Its geographical range is very wide, extending from the coasts of
Florida to Cape Cod, on the shores of Massachusetts ; abundant in
the vicinity of Martha's Vineyard, it is rare in Boston bay. Properly
a southern species, though it visits the waters of the Eastern States
in summer, it invariably returns to the eastward in autumn.

With the wonted stupid perversity of their order, the fishermen of
our coasts have confounded it, by deans of absurd misnomers, with
two entirely different species, the Blue Fish, Temnodon Saltator,
and the Black Fish or Tautoo, Tautoga Americamy calling 't com-
monly by both these appellations.

The color of the Sea Bass is a general blue black, sometimes more
or less slightly bronzed, the edges of every scale are much darker
than the prevailing color, which gives the character of a black net-
work on a bluish ground to the whole surface of the fish. The fins,
excepting the pectoral, are pale blue ; the dorsal and anal more or
less distinctly spotted with a darker shade of the same color.

The body is oblong and compressed ; the scales are of an oblong
form, covering the opercula and extending high up on the dorsal ; the
preoperculura is distinctly toothed along its entire margin, the oper-
culum has a large spine on it, and another above ; the teeth are like
velvet pile on all the bones, those on the outer edges of the jaws the
largest.

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206

AMERICAN FISHES.

The dorsal fin has ten low spinous, and eleven much more elevated
soft rays, the pectorals have eighteen soft rays, the ventrals one
spme and five soft rays, the anal three spines and seven soft ravs
the caudal trilobed, consisting of eighteen soft rays. '

This fine fish is known by a great number of provincial titles ; among
others Dr. DeKay mentions the trivial names of Black Harry and
Hanahilh.

It is a bold and free biter, and is one of the principal objects of
pursuit by those who join in steamboat excursions to what are called
the sea banks, off the port of New York, in the process of whicl
they are often taken in considerable numbers.

JCIENID£.

207

ACANTHOrTERYGH.

8CIEN1DA

THE LAFAYETTE

SEA CHUB.

Leiostomus Obliquua; Lacepcde.

This is a beautiful and cxquisitoly-flavored little fish, which pro-
perly belongs to the southern waters, being very common on the coasts
of Florida, where it is much prized both as a sporting fish and as a
delicacy.

New York is probably its northern limit, and in the New York
waters it is a rare visitant, though it appears at times in extraordinary
abundance.

One of the seasons of its most remarkable frequency happening to
be simultaneous with the visit of Lafayette to America, it thus obtained
its common name by general consent, it never having been observed
previous to that date, and so taken for a new fish, though it had in
truth been defined long before by Dr. Mitchil, who designated it
Mngil Obliquus.

Its color is grayish white, with fifteen or sixteen darker gray bars,
more or less, pointing obliquely forward, those nearer the tail more
vertical ; pupils black, irides yellow, fins pale yellow, the dorsal and
anal finely spotted with black. There is a round spot of dark brown
on the lateral line above the pectorals.

The first dorsal fin has nine spinous rays, and is triangular in shape,
its fourth and fifth rays being the largest ; the second dorsal has one
spine and thirty soft rays ; the pectorals twenty, the ventrals fifteen
soft rays ; the anal has two spines and twelve soft rays ; the caudal
has nineteen branched and articulated rays.

rhoro is a variety of this fish, Leiostomus Xanthurus, peculiar to
.South Carolina, which has no spots or bands, but has all the fins, and
more especially the caudal, yellow.

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208

AMERICAN FI8HE9

ACANTHOPTERVGU.

ECIENIDiG.

THE WEAK-FISH.

Wheat Fish ; Squeteaque, ChecoaiB.—Otolithua Regalia ; Cuvier.

The trivial name of this fine fish has never been very distinctly
explained, some ascribing the title " Weak " to the delicacy of the
mouth, which when hooked often tears away from the barb ; others to
the briefness of its resistance after being struck, though at first it
pulls strongly.

Yet a third explanation is, that Weak is a corruption from " Wheat,"
because it comes into season when the wheat is ripe ; this, however, ie
not the fact, as it is an early spring fish, though taken through the
summer months abundantly in the waters of New York ; probably
both names. Wheat and Weak, are really corruptions from the Narra-
gansett appellation by which it was first known to the English settlers,
Squeteaque.

Its geographical range is very wide, extending from New Orleans
and the mouth of the Mississippi, where it is styled " Trout," to the
estuary and Gulf of the St. Lawrence. It has also, it is said, been
taken at Martinique.

It is less common in the New York waters than formerly, being
savagely hunted by its deadly enemy, the Blue Fish, Temnodon Sal-
tator, which has lamentably thinned its numbers. Still it exists in
sufficient numbers to give very exciting sport to the shoal salt-water
angler, and when quite fresh out of the water is a very exquisite fish,
its flavor greatly resembling that of the Trout, whence probably its
southern misnomer. When it has been taken three or four hours it
becomes flaccid, insipid, and in fact utterly worthless.

Its color is bluish gray above, with irregular lines of transverse spots
on the back and sides ; the head is greenish blue, the irides are yellow,
the gill-covers and belly silvery and nacrous, the chin Salmon-colored,
dorsal and caudal fins brown, pactorals pale brownish yellow, ventrala
and anal orange.

bCIENIDyl!,.

209

The body is long, slender and compressed ; head convex above the ,
eyes, the scales moderate-sized, oval, coveiing the head and gill-covers;
the lateral lino is 8li;5htly curved ; the eyes large ; maxillaries, inter-
mazillarics, and pharyngeals minitely toothed.

The first dorsal fin is triangular, and longer than it is high, of eight
weak spines ; between this and. the second dorsal is a single weak
spine. The second dorsal has twenty-eight soft rays, the pectu. iIh
have eighteen soft rays, the ventrals one spine and five soft rays, the
anal thirteen, and the caudal seventeen rays.

Of this fish there are two distinct varieties, the Otolithu$ Caroli
nensis, also misnamed Trout, which is bluer on the back than the
Common Weak-Fish, and is spotted rather than striated ; and th
Otolithus Drummondi, a smaller species found at New Orleans.

The Common Weak-Fish is taken with the hook and reel of al
sizes, from a few ounces up to seven or eight pounds, and it is posi-
tively asserted even up to thirty, but I have never seen a specimcB
approaching to such dimensions.

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AMERICAN FISHES.

AOANTHOPTERYOU.

SClBNIDiC.

/ I:

THE KING-FISH.

BERMUDA WHITING.
Umbrina Nebuloaa; AgtMiz.—Umbrina Alburnu$.

This admirable fish, which was formerly very abundant in the
waters of New York and its vicinity, very few ever wandering so far
as to Boston, is becoming daily less frequent. On the coasts of Caro-
lina and Florida, where it is still taken in vast numbers, it is known
absurdly as the Whiting, a fish to which it bears no resemblance.

It is perhaps the gamest of all the shoal salt-water fishes, and the
angler regards the King-Fish in his basket much as the sportsman
looks upon the Woodcock in his bag— as worth a dozen of the moro
easily captured and less worthy fry.

His colors on the back and side are dark bluish gray, with lustrous
and silvery reflections, and bright many-colored nacrous gleams flitting
over him as he dies. His iridos are yellow ; his dorsals, caudal, and
pectorals are dusky olive brown, the former the deepest ; the ventrals
and anals pale yellow. There arc several dark oblique bands on the
back, broken toward the tail, and a dark horizontal stripe, more or
less distinct, from the pectorals to the tail.

The body is long, cylindrical, and slender ; the scales round, the
lateral line parallel to the back ; the snout is long but blunt ; the
operculum has two strong flat spines ; the preoporculum is serrated
behind ; the branchiostegous rays are seven ; the teeth of the upper
jaw are long, sharp and rare, in the lower even and crowded.

First dorsal fin is triangular, with ten spinous rays, the second
dorsal has one spinous and twenty-five soft rays, the pectorals thirteen
soft rays, the ventrals one spine and five soft rays, the caudal fin
has seventeen rays, and has its upper lobe acute, but its lower rounded.
There is said to be a permanent variety of this fish, Umbrina
Coroidcs, peculiar to South Carolina, which has two spines to the anal
fin, and is marked with nine dark vertical bands on the back.

1 I

8GIENIDA.

911

AC-VNTHOPrERVari.

BOIENII)^.

THE SILVERY CORVINA.

CORVINA AKOYROLEUCA.

SiLviRY Pkarcii. Bodianua ArgyroleucoB ; Mitchil.

This fish, which greatly resL'rnbles the Pcarch both in shape and
habits, is well known to the fishermen of New York as the Silvery
Pearch. It "is properly a native of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of
Mexico, but ranges during the summer so far north as the waters of
New York.

It is a free biter, and a moderately good fish.

It is of a lustrous silvery white on the upper parts of the body, and
opaque white below. Its dorsals, pectorals and caudal are pale
yellow ; its ventrals and anals orange yellow.

Its body is compressed, its dorsal outline arched and gibbous, its
lateral line concurrent with the back ; eyes large, mouth deeply cut,
teeth small and disposed in bands ; the prooperculum has two small
spines, and a serrated margin ; the operculum terminates in two flat
spines.

The first dorsal fin has eleven spines, the second dorsal two spines
and twenty-two soft rays, the pectorals seventeen soft rays, the ventrals
one spine and five soft rays, the anal two spines and nine soft rays, the
caudal is slightly rounded, and has seventeen soft rays.

.JL'Auk^

212

AMERICAN FISHES

ACANTHOPTERYGII.

SClfNIDiE.

THE BRANDED CORVINA.

Corvina Occllata ; Cuvier.

This is a beautiful species, very rare at the north, hut is abundant
to the southward. It is as excellent as it is handsome, and my south-
ern readers will recognise it as the Poisson Rouge, or Red-fish, of New
Orleans, and as the Sea Bass or Red Bass of Charleston. Like the
rest of its family it is a bold biter and a vigorous fish, and is considered
superlative on the table.

In color it is blue above, lighter below, with head, cheeks and
shoulders of a deep golden yellow, with ruddy metallic reflections. Its
dorsal fin is dark green. Pectorals, ventrals and anal dull red. At
the base of the tail it has one and sometimes two dark brown confluent
spots. To these its name of Branded has been ascribed by Dr.
Mitchil, as if the marks resembled the brand left by a heated iron.

The body of this Corvina is more cylindrical, less compressed and
shallower than in any others of its family. The snout is blunt but
prominent. Lateral line concurrent with the dorsal outline. The
teeth in one band in both jaws. The preoperculum is serrated or
toothed along the whole margin ; the operculum terminates posteri-
orly in two blunt spines.

The first dorsal fin has ten spines ; the second one spine and twenty-
six soft rays ; the pectorals have seventeen soft rays ; the ventrals one
spine and five soft rays ; the anal two spines and eight soft rays ; and
the caudal, which is nearly even, but slightly hollowed out in the centre,
has seventeen branched rays.

It is found in the southern seas from eight inches to three feet in
length, and in those waters is one of the most favorite objects of pur-
suit to the salt-water angler.

SCIENIDiB.

213

ACANTHOPTERYOIL

BCIENIDJB

THE BIG DRUM.

Pogoniat Chromia; Cuvier.

AND

THE BANDED DRUM.

Pogoniaa Faaciatus ; Lacepede.

Both of these fish are so constantly and commonly taken by the
bait fisher in shoal salt water that it would hardly be proper to omit all
mention of them in a work of this nature, although except the great
size and difficulty of landing the former, and the rapid biting of the
latter variety — if they be indeed distinct species, which I think Dr.
DeKay has satisfactorily establbhed them to be — they have little or
nothing to recommend them.

The geographical range of both these fishes is from Florida to New
York, their northern and southern limits being identical.

They have both deep compressed bodies, large eyes, lateral lines
parallel to the dorsal outline, numerous teeth in card-like bands on the
jaws, and the pharyngeals furnished with large hard grinders.

They have both double dorsals, the former with nine, the latter with
ten spines in the first — both with one spine and twenty-two soft rays
in the second. Pectorals, respectively, eighteen and twenty ; ventrals
of both, one spine and five soft rays ; anals, respectively, two spines,
seven soft rays, and two spines, five soft rays ; caudals seventeen, and
fifteen branched rays.

The large fish is of a brownish bronze color, rather lighter below,
with a strongly marked spot behind the pectorals ; scales silvery at the
outer edges.

The smaller fish is nearly of the same color, chocolate brown, or
bronze intermixed with silver, but marked with four dusky bands, one
oominor down to the nectorals- the second crossing the first dorsal- and

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214

AMERICAN FISHES.

the last two crossing the second dorsal. The pectoral fins are yellow
ish, the others dusky brown.

The smaller fish has been by some persons supposed to be the young
of the larger species, but this is, in my opinion, satisfactorily contro-
verted by Dr. DeKay, who has seen them in September six inches long
with all the characteristics of the adult.

It is known by various popular names, as the Grxmter^ Young Druniy
and Young Sheeps-head, but is a fish of very small estimation.

The larger species is rarely taken of less than three feet in lcngth»
and fifteen or eighteen inches in depth ; they weigh from twenty to
eighty pounds, and although the large fish are very coarse, the young
are considered by some persons delicate eating. They rarely go north
of New York, but very rarely visit the coasts of Massachusetts.

•KN"«—- — -

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ellow

SPARIDiB.

215

young
ontro-
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young
north

AOANTHOPTERYGIl.

SPARrilifiU

THE SHEEP'S-HEAD.

Sargua Ovia; Auctorum.

This fine and delicate fish must on no i. icount be confounded with
the fresh-water Corvirue, two of which pass by the same synonyme in
the vernacular, and are peculiar to the great lakes. This is, on the
contrary, a purely salt-water species, never ascending rivers, although
it enters all the shallow bays on the coast, so far as Cape Cod. It is
a southern fish in its natural state, although during the heat of the
summer it wanders to the northward, where it is taken along the shores
from June to October. Its southern limit is the Mississippi, and the
coasts of Florida and the Carolinas are its breeding-grounds.

As a delicacy, it holds " the same rank with American gastrono-
mers," says Dr. DeKay, " that the Turbot holds in Europe. I have
frequently eaten of both, under equally favorable circumstances, that
is to say, within an hour after being taken out of the water, and can
assort that the Sheep's-Head is the more delicate and savory fish. The
Turbot, I may here state — though I have heard the contrary frequently
asserted — does not occur on the shores of America."

I have quoted the above remarks for two reasons, first because I
desire to register my assertion as against Dr. DeKay's, although such
things are, after all, merely matters of opinion, that the Sheep's-Head,
though a delicious fish, is not more delicate— savory neither of them
are— than the Turbot, and that it is immeasurably inferior to it in
lacking what constitutes the Turbot's chief excellence, the admirable
gelatinous fins, which have been famous the world over from the time
of Domitian and Heliogabalus, arch epicures of old, to the palmy
days of Ude and Carenne.

Secondly, I beg leave to state positively, that although <Ac Turbot of
Europe does not exist on the shores of America, a Turbot, and a very
admirable fish too, as far superior to the Halibut as one fish can well
be to another, docs exist, and is congtantly taken on the shores of Mas-

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216

AMERICAN FISHES.

sachusetts, although, like many other excellent species, it is strangelj

undervalued.

But to return to the Sheep's-Head : it is a timid and wary fish,
very difficult to hook, and when hooked a fierce and bold battler,
exceeding difficult to land, and making a more desperate resistance
than infinitely larger species. It is considered the greatest achieve-
ment of the salt-water fisherman to master this king of the seas.

It is occasionally taken up to seventeen pounds, though seven or
eight pounds may be considered the average of largo fish, but like
many, I might say most fishes, the smaller and middle-sized run may
be generally set down as the most choice.

The Sheep's-Head has a deep compressed body, a head sloping
abruptly to the snout, and equally so to the chin and throat. Scales
large and oblong,* smaller on the gill-covers and throat ; the lateral
line is parallel to the dorsal outline ; the preopcrculum is broadly
rounded, the operculum emarginate. In front of each jaw it has
several large quadrilateral cutting teeth, and inside of these, both
above and below, as well as on the pharyngeals, are many series of
large-paved grinders.

Its dorsal fin has twelve spinous and eleven soft rays, its pectorals
fifteen soft, ventrals one spinous and five soft, its anal three spinous
and ten soft, and its caudal seventeen soft rays.

In color it is of a dull silver, with coppery gleams on the back,
with five slightly arched bands of a darker color crossing the back
and tail. The irides are brown, the pupils black, girdled with a

golden ring.

The fins are all deep brown or blackish ; the head and forehead
black, with golden green reflections ; the chin marked with smutty
patches, from some fancied resemblance of which to a Moorland
sheep's face, its trivial name is derived.

Note to Revised Edition.— Since writing the above, I learn from the correspon-
dent of a paper, writing hostilely, that the Sheep's-Head janges even south of the
MiBsisfiippi. I used the best authority I could command, not having visited that
country. 1 now gladly avail myself of his matter, though " I detest his manner."

8PARIDiE.

217

AOANTHOPTERYGII.

SPARIDiE.

THE FilG PORGEE.

Pagrvs Argyrops ; Cuvier.

This i8 a good and a handsome fish, and would be more valued if
loss common. It is a bold and free biter, and affords great sport to
the salt-water angler, being, with the Sea Ba&s, the principal object
of pursuit to those who affect steamboat excursions to the fishing
banks. Its geographical range is from Charleston southward, to Cape
Cod on the north, beyond which it has been found impossible to natu-
ralize them.

The color of the Porgoe is a deep brownish black on the head and
back, with green and golden reflections, especially about the neck and
sides, which are sUvery, with brazen gleams. A black spot marks the
upper corner of the gill-covor crossing the lateral line, and there is
another of the same kind at the base of the pectoial fin. The dorsal,
anal and caudal fins arc brown, the vcntrals bluish, the pectorals light
yellow. The body of this fish is much compressed, with a gibbous
outline, nearly half as deep as it is broad ; the face arched ; the
scales are large, and the lateral line corresponds with the curve of the
back.

The jaws are largely furnished, as well as the pharyngeals, with
alternating series of acute and paved teeth. The dorsal fin is com-
pound, with one stout and twelve feeble spines, and twelve soft rays ;
the pectorals are unusually long, with sixteen soft rays ; the ventrals
have one spine and five soft, the anal three spines and eleven soft, and
the caudal soventeen soft rays.

There are two smaller fish of the same family, one well known to
all fishermen, especially on the Long Island shores, as the Sand
PoRGEE, Sargus Arenosus ; and another far less common, described
by Cuvier and others as the Rhomboid al Porgee, Sargus BhoiJi'
boides, which, though very similar to the Big Porgee, are clearly
distinct.

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918

AMERICAN FISHES

ACANTHOFTERYGn.

BCOMBRIDiG

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THE BLUE-FISH.

HORSE MACKEREL, GREEN-FISH, IN VIRGINIA ; SKIPJACK, IN
CAROLINA ; SNAPPING MACKEREL.

Temnodon Saltator / Cuvier.

A BOLD, fierce, and wcll-knowa fish this, greatly sought after, and
afibrding fine sport to the fisherman, and right-royally good to eat
when quite fresh out of the water, split in two down the back, nailed
upon a shingle, and roasted before a quick fire.

It is a singularly erratic fish, sometimes swarming on the coasts, and
again almost entirely disappearing. It occasionally runs far up rivers,
and was taken in the Hudson, so high up as the Highlands, in great
quantities in the year 1841. It appears to have been entirely unknown
on the coasts of New York before the year 1810, since which it has
been, on the whole, gradually on the increase, while in like propor-
tion its'victims, the Weak-Fish and King-Fish, appear to be dying out.

The Blue Fish is said occasionally to reach the weight of thirty-five
pounds, but the average run is from three to eight. They generally
frequent the coasts of New York from May until late in the autumn.
Their geographical range is very wide, from Brazil to Massachusetts
on the coasts of America, from New Holland to Madagascar, and
from Amboyna to Egypt.

The young fish abound in the mouths of our rivers from four to six
inches in length, and even then they will take the bait with avidity.

The ordinary mode of catching this fine fish is with what is techni-
cally termed a squid, or piece of bright bone or metal, hurled out
from the stem of a sailing boat, going with what is known as a " mack-
erel breeze " in a sea-way, and drawn rapidly home by hand.

There are many worse kinds of sport than this ; the swift motion
of the vessel, the dashing spray, and the rapid biting of the fish, com-
bining to create! a highly pleasurable excitement.

»COMBRIDJE.

219

The color of this fish is a light bluish gray, with deeper tints on the
back, and greenish reflections on the sides, becoming silvery on the
belly. The pectorals, dorsal and caudal fins greenish brown, the ven-
trals and anal bluish white.

The body is oblong, cylindrical, compressed and slender, the facial
outline gently sloping, the scales, which cover the whole body, the head,
gill-covers, and much of the fins are of moderate size and oblong
oval form.

The lower jaw is longest, both niaxillaries are well armed with sharp
lancet-formod teeth ; the palatines, vomer and base of tongue banded
with card-like patches of teeth The operculum terminates in two
indistinct flat points.

The first dorsal fin is composed of seven weak spinous rays, the
second of one short and twenty-five longer flexible rays. The pecto-
rals have seventeen soft, the vontriils one spine and five soft, the anals
one spine and twenty-seven soft, and the caudal nineteen flexible
rays.

Of the same family with the above are the well-known Spring Mack-
erel, Scomber VcrTuilis^ of Mitchil, and Fall Mackerel, Scomber Grex.
of the same author, as also the Spanish Mackerel, Scomber Colias, all
of which species are excellent eating, and give good sport in the bays
and inlets. They are, however, so common that they are rarely pur-
sued for the sport, or taken except as an article of food and commerce.
I therefore pass them without farther notice than this mere cursory
mention

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220

AMERICAN FISHES.

AOANTHOPTERYOn.

LABRIDiE.

THE TAUTOG.

The Black-Fish of New Yotli.—Tautoga Americana ; DeKay.

This, like all the fishes last described, is rather a general favorite
among both sportsmen and epicures, though I confess my own opinion
to be that he is generally overrated in both capacities. As a game
fish he is a dead, loggy, heavy puller on the hook, offering little resist-
ance beyond the vis ivertue and dead weight, and on the table his excel-
lence depends mainly on the cook.

The color of the Black-Fish is indicated by his name, but varies con-
siderably from deep dull black to glossy blue black with metallic
reflections, and occasionally to dusky brown.

His body is elongated and compressed, the outlines of the back
arched forward of the dorsal to the snout, straight posteriorly. The
lateral line concurrent with the back. The eyes are rather small, the
scales small, extending over the gill-covers, which are very large and
rounded. The lips are very thick and fleshy, the teeth stout. The
branchiostegous rays are five in number.

The dorsal fin has seventeen low spinous rays, and ten soft rays,
the pectorals seventeen soft, the ventrals one spinous, five soft, the
anal three spinous and eight soft, the caudal fourteen soft branched
rays.

The Tautog ranges only from the capes of the Chesapeake to Mas-
sachusetts Bay. He is readily taken with the hook baited with crabs,
clams, or other small shell-fish, from April until late in the autumn,
especially in the vicinity of rocks, reefs, hulls of sunken wrecks, or old
deserted docks, where he finds food in abundance. It is well to bait
the ground largely for several days in advance of fishing for him.*

* Note to Revised Edition. — I have recently learned that this fish, as well as
the Providence Whiting, is becoming common in Charleston, having, it is believed,
»sf !iued from the car of a fishing-boat, and bred there.

UB0P-8EA riSHES.

221

DEEP-SEA FISHING.

I HARDLY hold myself justified in enumerating the Cod, Haddock,
Whiting, Halibut and Flounder among game fishes, but as it is proba-
ble that some of my readers do regard them as such, and pursue them
for the pleasure of the capture, independent of profit, I shall proceed
to describe the first three briefly, and shall devote a few pages in
another portion of this work to a consideration of the modes and
methods of their capture.

The huge Halibut, Hippogtossus Vulgaris, and the Flounder, Pleu-
ronectes Dentattis, I shall content myself with naming, as I cannot
bring myself to regard them as fit for any but culinary purposes. In
like manner the Hake, the Cusk, the Pollock, and many others of the
Cod family, I shall pass in silence as objects only of casual pursuit,
except to the professional fisherman, who plies his daily toil to earn hit
daily bread

^ -.'yf..

222

AMERICAN FISHES.

8UBBRA0II1AL
MALACOPTEllVtill.

OADIDiB.

I I

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THE COD.

Morrhua Vulgaris.

This is the common Cod of Newfoundland, well-known as au
article of food the wide world ovsr. There is an American variety,
Morrhua Americana, which is slightly though permanently distinct.

The fishes of this class are distinguished from the other soft-rayed
fishes by having the vcntrals situate nearly vertical under the pec-
torals, and having two or three dorsal and anal fins.

The color of this well-known species, which attains to a vast weight,
sometimes seventy or eighty pounds, varies much in individuals. It
is generally greenish brown, fading into ash-color when the fish is
dead, with many reddish yellow spots. The belly silvery opaque
white, the fins pale green, the lateral line dead white.

The body is long and cylindrical, the head sloping in an arched
line, the eyes large, the scales small and adhesive. It has a cirrus
or barbel at the extremity of the lower jaw. It has four rows of teeth
on the upper, and one on the lower jaw.

It has three dorsal fins, respectively of fifteen, twenty-two, and
nineteen rays ; pectorals nineteen rays ; ventrals six rays. Two anal
fins respectively of twenty-two and nineteen rays ; caudal forty rays.

It is a bold and voracious fish, ranging from New York northwardly
along all the coasts of America.

0A02 -iS.

223

BUBRACIIIAL
MALACOPTERYOIL

OADIDifi

^i,ZJi-

THE AMERICAN HADDOCK.

Morrliua Mg\ejinx9', Cuvior

The distinctive coloring of this fish is blaclcish brown above, and
silvery gray below the lateral line, which is jet black. The back and
sides are varied by purplish and golden gleams ; there is a large dark
vertical patch posterior to the pectorals, crossing the lateral line.

The fins are dusky blue.

The body of the Haddock is stout, anteriorly, and tapering back'
ward. The head large and arched. The eyes are large. The lower
jaw is the shortest ; the teeth small, in a single row on each jaw ; a
single small barbel on the chin.

It has three dorsals, the first and third triangular, the second long-
est, respectively of fifteen, twenty-two and twenty rays The pecto-
rals have twenty-one, the ventrals sixteen, the two anals respectively
twenty-five and twenty-one, and the caudal thirty-four rays.

The range of the Haddock is similar to that of the Cod ; it is very
abundant, and is about equal in estimation as an article of food with
its congener?.

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224

BUnimAClIlAL
MALACOI-TKltYOII.

AMERICAN FISHES.

OADIDia

THE AMERICAN WHITING.

Merlangua Americanus.

This is, comparatively speaking, a rare and little-Known fish, that
which is commonly called Whitings being in reality a Hake Mer/ucius
It ranges only from Massachusetts northward.

It is easily distinguished by its long, tapering, cylindrical body, and
its high, triangular, wing-like dorsals.

Its color is, above the lateral lino, a bright nacrous bluish gray, and
below a silvery white, with fins nearly of the same color.

The head of the Whiting is acutely prolonged ; the eyes large and
prominent ; the gill-covers rounded ; the teeth sharp and small.

The three dorsals have respectively thirteen, twenty and twenty
rays ; the pectorals nineteen, the ventrals six, the anals respectively
twenty-four and twenty-one, and the caudal thirty-two.

The Whiting is a delicate fish. It is taken in the same manner
and in the same waters with the Cod and Haddock, and, like them,
has little or no game habits. My chief reason for inserting him in
this work is, that his existence in American waters has been doubted
and denied.

• Note to Uevibbd Euition — I have just learned from Mr. King, of CharleBton,
S. C, that this iish has lately been found m tneir waters, having, it is thought, es*
caped from an Eastern fishing-hoat, and bvcomo naturalized.

SALMON FISHING.

225

SALMON FISHING.

,*f

Of all the pificatory Hports, this is the first and finest ; and although
it cannot now be pursued by the American angler except at the
expense of some not inconsiderable time and trouble, still there is no
land on earth in which it exists in such perfection as in this.

Time was, when every river eastward of the Capes of the Dela-
ware swarmed with this noble fish, but, year after year, like the red
Indian, they have passed farther and farther from the sphere of the
encroaching white man's boasted civilization, and perhaps will also
ere long be lost from the natural world of this era.

The Kennebec is now the western limit of the Salmon's range, and in
that bright and limpid river he is yearly waxing less and less frequent

In the Penobscot, even to this day, he abounds ; but for some
singular and inexplicable reason, whether it be from the sawdusty
turbidness of its lower waters, or from some especial habit of the fish,
he is rarely or never known to take the bait or the fly, within very
many miles of the mouth of that grand and impetuous stream.

Far up the northern and northwestern branches of the river it is
speared constantly by the Penobscot Indians ; but the white residents
of that wild region, lumbermen for the most part, and sparse agricul-
tural settlers, are guiltless of the art of fly-fishing — the only method,
by-the-way, except the use of roe-bait, whereof more anon, by which
much success can be expected or obtained.

To the sportsman, that great track of grandly-timbered and superb-
ly-watered wilderness, which yet lies virgin almost and unbroken, from
within a few leagues of the ocean to the great St. Lawrence, and
from the Upper Kennebec to the Aroostook and St. John's, is yet
well nigh term incognita.

i'et well would it repay the fisherman or the hunter, to pack his
rraps m the smallest compass, and set forth with rifle, shot-gun, and

* ^l

■jo^jwifc- A.,tA.j

229

AMERICAN FISilEH.

long Salmon-rod, via Augusta, Norridgewook, and the magnificent
gorges of the Keunoboc, for that land of the Moose, the Deer, the
Trout, and the lordly Salmon, there to encamp for days or weeks, as
his taste for excitement and his manly hardihood should dictate, floating
by day in the birch-bark canoe over the bright transparent waters,
sleeping by night on the fragrant and elastic shoots of the green hem-
lock, winning his food from the waters and the wilds by his own skill
and daring, and earning the appetite whereby to enjoy it, by the toil
which is to him a pleasure.

Such in fact ia at present the only mode by which the angler can
enjoy truly fine Salmon fishing, unless indeed he be a man of such
liberally endowed leisure that he can fit his own yacht, and visiting
the estuaries of those Salmon-freighted rivers, which, from the St.
John's, round all the eastern and northeastern shores of New Bruns-
wick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward's Island, to the vast mouth of
the St. Lawrence, and up that splendid river and its great northern
tributaries, the Mingan and the Saguenay, so far almost as the heights
of Cape Diamond, offer the largest temptations to the adventurous
angler.

Within a few years, indeed, the rivers close around Quebec, the
Montmorenci, the Chaudierc, and the Jacques Cartier, abounded with
Salmon ; and a drive of a few hours in the morning from the Plains
of Abraham, set the fisherman on waters where he could confidently
count on filling his creel, even ^o overflowing, before night-fall ; but
latterly these streams have failed almost entirely, and a sail of many
miles down the St. J a^vrence to the mouth of the Saguenay or the
lordship of Mingan, has mw become necessary to ensure good sport.

In the upper province jf Canada, although Salmon run up the river
into Lake Ontario, and frequent many of the streams falling into it
from the northern shore, as the Credit and others, they are very
rarely fished for or taken with the fly, and it is said confidently that
in the lake itself they will not take the fly under any circumstances.

Within my own recollection, Salmon were wont to run up the
Oswego, and so find their way into all the lesser lakes of the State of
New York ; but the dams on the river, erected, I believe, in order to
the construction, of the canal, have completely shut them out from
these waters. I may here observe that it is very greatly to be deplored

magnificent
le Dter, the
or weeks, as
tatc, floating
rent waters,

green hem-
liis own skill
, by the toil

! angler can
nan of such
and visiting
om the St.
New Bruna-
st mouth of
at northern
I the heights
adventurous

Quebec, the.
ounded with
a the Plains
confidently
bt-fall ; but
ail of many
icnay or the
50od sport,
up the river
lling into it
!y are very
idently that
instances,
un up the
he State of
in order to
n out from
be deplored

SALMON FISHING.

227

that, as is corapoUed by law in the Scottish and Irish Salmon rivers,
a small aperture is not left in the rivers and dams, if they be above
twelve feet in height, by which the fish may ascend to the cool and
gravelly head-waters, in which they deposit their spawn.

Such an aperture or run-way, which need not be of more than two
or three feet square, would not occasion any material waste of water
in rivers of the vast volume and rapidity which are characteristic of all
the American Salmon rivers, and, therefore, would detract nothing
from the utility of the works, while, by suffering this most valuable
fisli to ascend the course, and so to propagate its species, it would ensure
to the inhabitants of the Inland shores a delicious variety of food, and
create anew an important article of commerce.

It is singular that the Saluion of the lakes are never known to enter
the Niagara river, although they are constantly taken at its mouth.
They might ascend it some sixteen or seventeen miles, to the foot of
the Falls, but I believe it to be a fact that none have ever been taken
within the stream.

The cause of this is probably to be found in the great depth of
the Niagara rivor, in its abrupt and wall-like shores, and in the total
absence of gravel beds, or pebbly shoals of any kind, on which they
can deposit their ova.

Again, I am not aware that Salmon are ever taken in the Black
river, the Rackett river, or any other of the fine streams, all abound-
ing with the finest Brook Trout, which make their way from the
romantic region of the Adirondach lakes and highlands, to the north-
ward, into the basin of the St. Lawrence.

Everywhere to the northward of the great Canadian river, to the
extreme arctic regions, the Salmon is found in vast numbers, and,
together with the White-Fish, or Attihawmeg, the delicious Arctic
Grayling, Back's Charr, and the Common Trout, afford their principal
subsistence to the Esquimaux, and to the adventurous fur-traders,
whose posts are dotted down, hundreds of leagues apart, throughout
those inhospitable countries.

Again, throughout the whole of that huge territory lately won at
the sword's point, by the Saxon energy of young America, from the
degenerate children of old Spain, throughout the British possessions,
and even in those far northern shores which the Russian holds upon

W^M

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228

AMERICAN FISHES.

this western continent, the estuaries and courses of those waters which
pour into the Pacific, can boast not only the true Sahuon, but many
fine, distinct varieties. Many years will not probably elapse, taking
into consideration the incessant stream of immigration which is almost
overflowing Northern California, and remembering the restless, enter-
prising energy of the Anglo-American race, before railroads, oven to
the Pacific, across the western prairies, and through the gorges of the
Rocky Mountains, will open this new world to the adventurous angler,
and the dwellers of the Atlantic cities wUl make their trips to the
Salmon rivers of the Pacific with less trouble, and in less time, than
it took their sturdy Dutch f,.iefathers to visit Albany, now reached
with ease in a few hours.

For the present, however, it is needless to discourse of those west-
ern waters, since time must pass before any species of game will be
pursued for sport on the shores of the Pacific, or killed except to
afford subsistence to a population occupied wholly by the greedy race
for riches. To the fislierman, therefore, the Eastern States and the
north-eastern British provinces afford the only accessible Salmon fish-
ing ; and I should strongly urge it upon those who are enthasiastic
about this fine sport, not to waste time even in the Kennebec or the
Penobscot, but to pack up their traps at any time between May and
September, and set forth at once for the city of St. John, in New

Brunswick.

This town, which might be styled not inaptly the paradise of Ame-
rican fly-fishers, may be reached with ease in a few days via Boston,
whence, if 1 am not mistaken, a stout and well-found Btcaracr, the
Admiral, takes her departure every Wednesday for New Brunswick.
In St. John every requisite for the prosecution of the sport can be
obtained, every information concerning the vast waters, and every
facility for the procurement of guides, boats and the like will be gladly
furnished, and every thing that hospitality can effect will be lavishly
offered to the gentle angler.

I venture here to mention the name of an enthusiastic and thorough
fisherman, Mr. Perley, Her Majesty's emigration officer in the city of
S^ John, as one certain to do whatever in his power lies to forward
tho views and promote the pleasure of any who shall visit his part of
the world, led by the love of the gentle science ; and 1 take the same

SALMON FISniNO.

239

opportunity of thanking him for the very valuable information he has

afforded me concerning the fisheries and fishing of the province, and

of bespeaking his friendship and attention for any of my readers who

shall be induced by the perusal of these pages to wet a line in the

rapids of the St. John, the Obscache, the Chemenpcek, or the Richi-
bucto.

Before proceeding to describe the mere technical portions of Salmon
fishing, and the implements nccossary for the prosecution of the sport,
I shall take the liberty of quoting from myself a chapter of a nove-
lette now in course of publication in Graham's excellent magazine,
entitled Jasper St. Aubyn. I do this not egotistically, nor altogether
to save time and trouble, but rather because it contains as correct an
account of the mode to bo pursued in casting for the Salmon, hooking,
playing and killing him in an English river, as I am capable of writing ;
and because the variety of the narrative style may possibly prove a
relief to the reader, after the drier routine of more didactic writing.

It is scarcely, perhaps, nece.-'sary to add that the mode of fishing for
the Salmon in England and America are identical, the tackle and im-
plements the same, and the same flies the most killing in all waters, of
which singular fact, and other matters connected with which, I shall say
more hereafter. Nor, I presume, need I apologise to my reader for
the slight anachronism which has attributed to an ideal personage sup-
posed to live in the age of the Second James all the modern improve-
ments and advantagT^s possessed by the anglers of the present day, and
all the skill and science which were certainly not to bo found at that
time in any Salmon-fisher, not excepting even good quaint Father
Izaak, whose maxims on Salmon-fishing, and indeed on fly-fishing in
general, savor far more of antiquity than of utility.

" It was as fair a morning of July as ever dawned in the blue sum-
mer sky ; the sun as yet had risen but a little way above the waves of
fresh green foliage which formed the horizon of the woodland scenery
surrounding Widecomb Manor; and his heat, which promised ere
mid-day to become excessive, was tempered now by the exhalations of
the copious night-dews, and by the cool breath of the western breeze,

r.^^r

^ JL u .4 ^

230

AMERICAN FISHES.

which came down through the leafy gorges, in long, .oft swells fro™

the open moorlands. . , . , .,

"AH nature was alive and joyous; the a,r was vocal with the
pipintmelody of the blackbirds and thrushes, caroling m every brake
rb^skrainglo; the smooth, green lawn before the windows of tlie
:^HallL;o^edw^--^^^^^

r ^a!^r:i:;^"^^-, -. a sco. of sp.^. peacocks
Tere strutting to and fro on the paved terraces, or PO-^e^^ J- "^
larved stone balustrades, displaying their gorgeous plumage to the

'^XZ^.., mists of the first morning twilight had not been dis-
persod from the lower regions, and were suspended still in ho middh.
air in broad fleecy masses, though melting rapidly away in the incrcas-
in<r warmth and brightness of the day. , , , , , i

" And still a faint blue line hovered over the bed of the long rocky
.orge, which divided the chase from the open country, floating about
ft ifke the steam of a seething caldron, and rising here and there into
tall smoke-like columns, probably where some steeper cataract ot the
mountain-stream sent its foam skyward.

" So early, indeed, was the hour, that had my tale been recited ol
these degenerate days, there would have been no gentle eyes awake to
look upon the loveliness of new-awakened nature.

" In the crood days of old, however, when daylight was still deemed
to be the fitting time for labor and for pastime, and night the appointed
time for natural and healthful sleep, the dawn was wont to brighten
beheld by other eyes than those of clowns and milkmaids, and the gay
Bongs of the matutinal birds were listener] to by ears that could appre-
ciate their untaught melodies. . ^ .,

" And now, just as the stable clock was striking four, the groat

oaken door of the old Hall was thrown open with a vigorous swing that

made it rattle on its hinges, and Jasper St. Aubyn came bounding out

into the fresh morning air, with a foot as elastic as that of the moun-

• tain roc, singing a snatch of some quaint old ballad.

" He was dressed simply in a close-fitting jacket and tight hose of
dark-green cloth, without any lace or embroidery, light boots of un-
tanned leather, and a broad-leafed hat, with a single eagle's feat^-r

SALMON FISHING.

231

thrust carelessly through the band. He wore neither cloak nor sword,
though it was a period at which gentlemen rarely went abroad without
these, their distinctive attributes ; but in the broad black belt which
girt his rounded waist he carried a stout wood-knife with a buckhorn
hilt ; and over his shoulder there swung from a leathern thong a large
wicker fishing-basket.

" Nothing, indeed, could be simpler or less indicative of any parti-
cular rank or station in society than young St. Aubyn's garb, yet it
would have been a very dull and unobservant eye which should take
him for aught less than a high-born and high-bred gentleman.

" His fine intellectual face, his bearing erect before heaven, the
graceful ease of his every motion, as ho hurried down the flagged steps
of the terrace, and planted his light foot on the dewy greensward, all
betokened gentle birth and gentle associations.

" But he thought nothing of himself, nor cared for his advantages,
acquired or natural. The long and heavy salmon-rod which he carried
in bus right hand, in three pieces as yet unconnected, did not more
clearly indicate his purpose than the quick marking glance which he
cast toward the half-veiled sun and hazy sky, scanning the signs of the
weather.

" ' It will do, it will do,' he said to himself, thinking as it were
aloud, < for three or four hours at least ; the sun will not shake oiF those
vapors before eight o'clock at the earliest, and if he do come out then
hot and strong, I do not know but the water is dark enough after the
late rains to serve my turn a while longer. It will blow up, too, I think,
from the westward, and there will be a brisk curl on the pools. But
come, I must be moving, if I would reach Darringford to breakfast.'

" And as he spoke he strode out rapidly across the park toward the
deep chasm of the stream, crushing a thousand aromatic perfumes from
the dewy wild-flowers with his heedless foot, and thinking Kttle of the
beauties of nature, as he hastened to the scene of his loved exercise.

" It was not long, accordingly, before he reached the brink of the
steep rocky bank above the stream, which he proposed to fish that
morning, and paused to select the best place for descending to the
water's edge.

" It was, indeed, a striking aad romantic scene as ever met the eye
«f painter or of poet. On the farther side of the gorge, scarcely a bun-

/"-— ^ r . . ^ JL 'a .^ <»

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232

AMERICAN FISHES.

dred yards distant, the dark limestone rocks rose sheer and precipitous
from the very brink of the stream, rifted and broken into angular
blocks and tall columnar masses, from the clefts of which, wherever
they could find soil enough to support their scanty growth, a few
stunted oaks shot out almost horizontally with their gnarled arms and
dark-green foliage, and here and there the silvery bark and quivering
tresses of the birch relieved the monotony of color by their gay bright-
ness Above, the cliffs were crowned with the beautiful purple hea-
ther now in its very glow of summer bloom, about which were buzzing
myriads of wild bees, sipping their nectar from its cups of amethyst.^

" The hither side, though rough and steep and broken, was not m
the place where Jasper stood precipitous; indeed it seemed as if at
some distant period a sort of landslip had occurred, by which the
summit of the rocky wall had been broken into massive fragments, and
hurled down in an inclined plane into the bed of the stream, on which
it had encroached with its shattered blocks and rounded boulders.

« Time, however, had covered all this abrupt and broken slope with
a beautiful growth of oak and hazel coppice, among which, only at dis-
tant intervals, could the dun weather-beaten flanks of the great stones

be discovered.

" At the base of this descent, a hundred and fifty feet perhaps below
the stand of the young sportsman, flowed the dark arrowy stream-a
wild and perilous water. As clear as crystal, yet as dark as the brown
cairn-gorm, it came pouring down an.ong the broken rocks with a
rapidity and force which showed what must be its fury when swollen
by a storm among the mountains, here breaking into wreaths of rip-
pling foam where some unseen ledge chafed its current, there roaring
and"surging white as December's snow among the great round-heeded
rocks, and there again wheeUng in sullen eddies, dark and deceitful,
round and round some deep rock-rimmed basin.

" Here and there, indeed, it spread out into wide, shallow, rippling
rapids, filling the whole bottom of the ravine from side to side, but
more generally it did not occupy above a fourth part of the space
below, leaving sometimes on this margin, sometimes on that, broad
pebbly banks" or slaty ledges, affording an easy footing and a clear
path to the angler in its troubled waters.

« After a rapid glance over the well-known scene, Jasper plunged

SALMON FISHING.

233

into the coppice, and following a faint track worn by tho feet of the
wild-doer in the first instance, and widened by his own bolder tread,
soon reached the bottom of tho chasm, thouj^h not until he had flushod
from the dense oak covert two noble black cocks with their superb
forked tails, and glossy purple-lustcrod plumage, which soared away,
crowing their bold defiance, over tho heathery moorlands.

"Once at the water's edge, tho young man's "tackle was speedily
made ready, and in a few minutes his long line want whistling througli
the air, as he wielded tho powerful two-handed rod, as easily as if it
had been a stiipling's reed, and the large gaudy peacock-fly alighted
on the wheeling eddies, at tho tail of a long arrowy shoot, as gently as
if it had settled from too long a flight. Delicately, deftly, it waa
made to dance and skim the clear, brown surface, until it had crossed
the pool and noared the hither bank ; then again, obedient to the pli-
ant wrist, it arose on glittering wing, circled half round the angler's
head, and was sent fifteen yards aloof, straight as a wild bee's flight,
into a little mimic whirlpool, scarce larger than the hat of the skilful
fisherman, which spun round and round just to leeward of a gray lodge
of limestone. Scarce had it /oached its mark before the water broke
all around it, and the gay deceit vanished, the heavy swirl of the sur-
face, as the break was closing, indicating tho great sizT of the fish which
had risen. Just as the swirl was subsiding, and tho forked tail of the
monarch of the stream was half seen as he descended, that indescri-
bable but well-known turn of the angler's wrist, fixed the barbed hook,
and taught tho scaly victim the nature of the prey he had gorged so
heedlessly.

" With a wild bound he thtew himself three feet out of the water,
showing his silver sides, with the sea-lice yet clinging to his scales, a
fresh sea-run fish of fifteen, ay, eighteen pounds, and perhaps over.

" On his broad back ho strikes the water, but not as he meant the
tightened lino ; for as he leaped the practised hand had lowered the
rod's tip, that it f^U in a loose bight below him. Again! again!
again ! and yet a fourth time he bounded into the air with desperate
and vigorous soubrcsaults, like an unbroken stood that would dismount
his rider, lashing the eddies of the dark stream into bright bubblini
streaks, and making the heart of his captor boat high with anticipation
16

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' ^ ■>» j^ / . ^ mJt <«bk Jk *4I «i*

a34

AMERICAN F19IIK8.

■ J I

I :

Of the desperado «truggIo .hat should follow h.^forc « . '"°-«- ""i"
lie panting and exhausted on the yellow sand or mo,.t .p^ee,,« ,, .

<' Awav' with the rush of an eagle through the a,r he « gone bke
an arrow down the rapids-how the reel ring,, and the hue wh stle,
fromth! swift working wheel; he is too swift, too headstrong to h
Ihe^ked as yet ; tenfold the strength of that slender taekle nught no.
control him in his Brst fiery rush.

" But Jasper, although young in years, was old m the art, and sWM
„ the eraftiest of the gentle eraftsmen. Ho gives h.m the butt of h ,
1 s eld y t ying the strength of his t..okle with a delieate and gentle

nge gt!ing k ™ line a. every rash, yet flr,„ly, -""""f ' '-'.'"^ '"'
lotth all the while, and moderating his speed even wh.le he yrelds to

'■''"Meanwhile, with the eye of intuition and the nerve of iron, he
bounds Ion- the diffieult shore, he leaps fron, rook to roek al.ghfng
!„ their li^pery tops with the firm agility of the rope^aneer he
Ites k e'de'ep through the slippery shallow, keeping h„ l,ne
„t, inelining his rod over his shoulder, bearing on Ins fish eve
w' h a kil in-- pall, steering him elear of every roek or stump aga n.t

*l A:;Io:t:'great salmon has turned sulky ; like . pieee of lead
. he has sunk to the bottom of the deep blaek pool, and hes on the
.ravel bottom in the 8ullenn»ss of despair.

"Jasper stooped, gathered up in his left hand a heavy potble, and
pUehe^' into the ool, as nearly as he eould guess to the whereabout

A™u he throws himself elear out of water, and agam fo led m h,«
attempt to smash the taekle, dashes away down stream ™f;"™»,

"But his strength is departing-.he vigor of h,s „,sh ,s br k n^
The anrfer gives him the butt abundantly, stram, on nm w,.h a
Lavicr pull, yet over yields a little as he exerts his fa,l,„g powers ■,
Le his '.o a. silver sMe has thrie» turned up, even to the surfaee
Tnd though ea^h time he ha, reeovered himself, eaeh t.me ,t has been
™ith a heavier and more sicldy motion.

SALMON FI8IIIN0.

235

" Brave fellow I his last race is run, his last spring sprung — no
more shall he disport himself in the bright reaches of the Tamar ; no
more shall the Naiads wreathe his clear silver scales with river-groens
and flowery rushes.

" The cruel gaff is in his side — his cold blood stains the eddies tor
a moment — ho flaps out his death-pang on the hard limestone.

" ' Who-whoop ! a nineteen pounder !'

" Meantime the morning had worn onward, and ere the great fish
was brough to the basket, the sun had soared clear above the mist-
wreaths, and had risen so high into the summer heaven that his slant
rays poured down into the gorge of the stream, and lighted up the
clear depths with a lustre so transparent that every pebble at the
bottom might have been discerned, with the large fish here and there
floating mid depth, with their heads up stream, their gills working
with a (juick motion, and their broad tails vibrating at short intervals
slowly but powerfully, as they lay motionless in opposition to the very
strongest of the swift current.

" The breeze had died away, there was no curl upon the water, and
the heat was oppressive.

" Undor such circumstances, to whip the stream was little better
than more loss of time, yet as ho hurried with a fleet foot down the
gorge, perhaps with )me ulterior object, beyond the mere love of
sport, Jasper at times cast his fly across the stream, and drew it neatly,
and, as he thought, irresistibly, right over the recusant fish ; but though
once or twice a large lazy Salmon would sail up slowly from the
depths, and almost touch the fly with his nose, he either sunk down
slowly in disgust, without breaking the water, or flapped his broad tail
over the shining fraud as if to mark his contempt.

" It had now got to be near noon, for, in the ardor of his success,
the angler had forgotten all about his intended breakfast ; and, his
first fish captured, had contented himself with a slender meal furnished
from out his fishing-basket and his leathern bottle.

" Jasper had traversed by this time some ten miles in length, follow-
ing the sinuosities of the stream, and had reached a favorite pool at
the head of a long, straight, narrow trench, cut by the waters them-
selves in the course of time, through the hard shistous rock which walls

ilii

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If I

g3§ AMKIUCAN FISHES.

the torrent on each hand, not leaving the slightest ledge or margin
between the rapids and the precipice.

"Through this wild gorge of some fifty yards in length, the river
shoots like an arrow over a steep inclined plane of limestone rock, the
surface of which is polished by the action of the water, till it i.«i as
slippery as ice, and at tho extremity leaps down a sheer descent of
some twelve feet into a large, wide basin, surrounded by softly swell-
ing banks of greensward, and a fair amphitheatre of woodland.

" At the upper end this pool is so deep as to be vulgarly deemed
unfathomable ; below, however, it expands yet wider into a shallow
rippling ford, where it is crossed by the high-road, down stream of
which again there is another long, sharp rapid, and another fall, over
the last steps of the hills ; after which the nature of the stream be-
comes changed, and it murmurs gently onward through a green pas-
toral country, unripplcd and uninterrupted.

" Just in the inner angle of the high-road, on the right hand of the
stream, there stood an old-fashioned, low-browed, thatch-covered,
stone cottage, with a rude portico of rustic woodwork overrun with
jasmine and virgin-bower, and a pretty flower-garden sloping down
in successive terraces to the edge of the basin. Beside this, there was
no other house in sight, unless it were part of the roof of a mill which
stood in the low ground on the brink of the second fall, surrounded
with a mass of willows. But the tall steeple of a country church,
raising itself heavenward above the brow of the hill, seemed to show
that, although concealed by the undulations of the ground, a village

was hard at hand.

" The morning had changed a second time, a hazy film had crept
up to the zenith, and the sun was now covered with a pale golden veil,
and a slight current of air down the gorge ruffled the water.

" It was a capital pool, famous for being the temporary haunt of the
very finest fish, which were wont to lie there awhile, as if to recruit
themselves after the exertions of leaping the two falls and stemming
the double rapid, before attempting to ascend the stream farther.

" Few, however, even of the best and boldest fishermen, cared to
wet a line in its waters, in consequence of the supposed impossibility
of following a heavy fish through the gorge below, or checking him at
the brink of the fail, it is true, that throughout the length of th'-

SALMON K 1811 1 NO.

237

pass, the current was broken by baro, slippery rocks peering above
th > watora, at intervals, which might be cleared by an active crags-
man ; and it had been in fact rcconnoitercd by Jasper and others in
cool blood, but the result of tbo examinatior was that it was deemed
impassable.

"Thinking, however, little of striking a large fish, and perhaps
desiring to waste a little time before scaling the banks and emerging
on the high-road, Jasper throw a favorite fly of peacock's horl and
gold tinsel lightly across the water ; and, almcst before he had timo
to think, had hooked a monstrous fish, which, at the very first leap,
h-) set down as weighing at least thirty pounds.

" Thereupon followed a splendid display of piscatory skill. Well
knowing that his fish must bo lost if ho once should succeed in getting
his head down the rapid, Jasper exerted every nerve, and exhausted
every art to humor, to meet, to restrain, to check him. Four times
the fish rushed for the pass, and four times Jasper met him so stoutly
with the butt, trying his tackle to the very utmost, that he succeeded
in forcing him from the perilous spot. Round and round the pool he
had piloted him, and had taken post at length, hoping that the worst
was already over, close to the opening of the rocky chasm.

" And now perhaps waxing too confident, he checked his fish too
sharply. Stung into fury, the monster sprang five times in succession
into the air, lashing the water with his angry tail, and then rushed
like an arrow down the chasm.

" He was gone — but Jasper's blond was up, and thinking of nothing
but his sport, he dashed forward, and embarked, with a fearless foot,
in the terrible descent.

" Leap after leap he took with beautiful precision, alighting firm
and erect on the centre of each slippery block, and bounding thence
to the next with unerring instinct, guiding his fish t^e while with con-
summate skill through the intricacies of the pass.

" There were now but three more leaps to be taken before he would
reach the flat table-rock above the fall, which once attained, ho would
have firm foot-hold and a fair field ; already he rejoiced, triumphant
in the success of his bold attainment, and confident in victory, when a
shrill female shriek reached his ears from the pretty flower-garden ;
caught by the sound, he diverted his eyeSj just as he leaped, toward

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238

AMERICAN FISHES.

the place whence it came ; his foot slipped, and the next instant he
was flat on his back in the swift stream, where it shot the most furi-
ously over the glassy rock. Ho struggled manfully, but in vain. The
smooth, slippery surface afforded no purchase to his griping fingers, no
hold to his laboring feet. One fearful, agonizing conflict with the
wild waters, and he was swept helplessly over the edge of the fall, his
head, as he glanced down foot foremost, striking the rocky brink with

fearful violence.

" He was plunged into the deep pool, and whirled round and round
by the dark eddies long before he rose, but still, though stunned and
half-disabled, he strove terribly to support himself, but it was all in

vain.

" Again he sunk and rose once more, and as he rose that wild shriek
again reached his ears, and his last glance fell upon a female form
wringing her hands in despair on the bank, and a young man rushing
down in wild haste from the cottage on the hill.

" He felt that aid was at hand, and struck out again for life — for

dear life !

" But the water seemed to fail beneath him.

" A slight flash sprang across his eyes, his brain reeled, and all was

blackness.

" He sunk to the bottom, spurned it witli his feet, and rose once

more, but not to the surface.

" His quivering blue hands emerged alone above the relentless
waters, grasped for a little moment at empty space, and then disap-
peared.

" The circling ripples closed over him, and subsided into stillness.

" He felt, knew, suffered liothing more.

" His young, warm heart was cold and lifeless — his soul had lost its
consciousness— the vital spark had faded into darknews— perhaps was
quenched for ever."

TIIK IMPLEMKM'S OF SALMON FI8H1NO

THE IMPLEMENTS OF SALMON FISHING

roso once

Time was, when every angler was required to make his own instru-
Qionts, from the rod itself to the artificial fly, but now, so general has
become the love of this calm and gentle pursuit, and so multiplied
and subdivided are all trades and professions, that there are few cities
in the civilized world, of any magnitude, in which it is not easy, at
any moment, to procure anything that is requisite for this pursuit.

Of consequence, the necessity for skill in manufacture of imple-
ments has passed away, and, comparatively speaking, but few anglers
think it necessary any longer to be familiar even with the method of
tying their own flies, the tackle-shops furnishing every possible
variety, more neatly executed, it is probable, and consequently more
killing, than any could be of private manufacture.

Still, to tie a noal and taking fly is a very useful accomplishnient
to the enthusiastic fisherman, especially when he is in wild and remote
districts, as frequently must be the case ; and at times some rare
natural fly will be seen on the water, which it may be found expedient
to imitate without delay.

The art of tying flies is attained with greater readiness, and, in fact,
is far less difficult, than is generally thought, or than would be imagined
needful, from the beautiful delicacy of the manufacture in its perfection.
Most works on practical angling contain long and otaborato diiections
how to hold, and how to tie the feathers on the hook, but ail these are,
in my opinion, utterly valueless and futile ; nor do I believe that anj
person has ever learned either to tie a fly, or to cast it when tied, from
the perusal of any printed explanation ; any mo'-e than the young
sportsman has ever acquired the knack of shooting on the wing except
by practice and experience.

The best way to acquire the art of tying flies is to observe carefully
the manipulation of some skilful operator, and to obtain from him,
during the performance of the work, oral instructions on the subject.

uiiimaLab £\ d^ % t

840

AMERICAN FISHES.

U i;

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! :

From any good tackle-maker, a few lessons can be obtained at a vcr;y
Bmall expense, and these will, in a very short space of time, render
the novice au fait to the trick.

The first thing to be considered in the angler's equipment, is the
rod, and it is here well to observe that, for almost every sort of fish-
ing, some different and peculiar rod is essential. That which is com-
monly called a general fishing-rod, is, in fact, an abomination, and is
useful only to the bait-fisher, and even for him is an awkward and
ineffective instrument, it being impossible so to regulate the arrange-
ment of the lower joints as to produce that regular and equable degree
of pliancy alike with a si it! baiting or with a pliant fly-top.

For the Salmon, the rod should not be of more than eighteen, or
less than sixteen feet ; the longer is apt to be a little cumbrous, and
deftly to wield a doufc^i-handed Salmon-rod, during a whole summer-
day, requires no small practice of the muscles. The best wood for
the butt, which shoiiid be very stout and solid, is well-seasoned maple,
which is both light and strong ; the second joint of ash, the third of
hickory, and the fourth or top joint of equal parts of lance-wood,
or split bamboo, carefully spliced together.

Many experienced anglers prefer to have their Salmon-rods manu-
factured without metal joints, but with neatly-cut and accuratoly-fitted
fcares, which are adjusted and firmly spliced together with strong
waxed-end when at the river-side.

The supposed advantage of this method is the greater certainty of
the rod's holding together during a severe struggle, in the course of
which a joint will f-onietimes be disengaged from the socket ; and a
greater equability of pliancy throughout the whole length, from the
butt to the end, \*hich is supposed to be in some degree impaired by
the metallic ferrules into which the heads of the ferruled joints are
inserted.

In the present improved state of the manufacture of all sporting
articles, I must however admit that these objections are, in my opin-
ion, very fanciful, and that the trouble of splicing and unsplicing
greatly exceeds the benefit derived from the practice.

Nothing can be more beautifully regular and equal throughout their
whole length, than the springy bend of the best l-'nglish, Irish, Scot-
tish, and American Salmon-rods ; and I may here record it aa my

THE IMPLEMENTS OF SALMON FISHING.

241

deliberate opinion, tliat tho best rods in the world are now manufac-
tured in the city of New Vork, and that Conroy is superior, as a
fljf-rod maker, to either Chevalier or Martin Kelly, of universal
reputation. David Welch, too, has few equals, if superiors.

The reel should bo very large, capable of containing one hundred
feet of twisted line, composed of hair and silk intermingled, and
tapering gradually from the centre to each end, where It should be
neatly looped to a bottom of the best and stoutest Spanish silk-worm
gut, as thick, if possible, as the 32nd of an inch, to which the hook-
links of the flies should be fastened.

The hook-link for Salmon fishing should be of the best strong gut.
The casting-line, of the best Salmon gut, is to be looped to the reel-
line, and must taper thence to the hook-link. The loops must be
whipped securely on both sides with best waxed silk.

The casting-line is to be three yards in length without the addition
of the fly -link. Every knot on the casting-line should bo what anglers
terra the water-knot, which is merely a common knot made by passing
the ends to be secured three times around each other ; the ends to bo
w '11 whipped as before.

The casting-line is to terminate with a loop, and the fly is to be
knotted with the water-knot, to a link also looped, and secured by
waxed line, which is then to be looped on the casting-line.

One fly only should be used for Salmon fishing.

The best method of attaching the hand fly and the second fly to
tliD casting line for trout-fishing, when three flies ai-e to be used, as is
oftm the case, is entirely different from anything hitherto stated.

There is but one knot which will allow these flies to hang truly, and
that is fully described with a cut at page 63.

It is very desirable that the gut should by dyed, in order to deaden
its silvery glitter, which is too conspicuous in the water, and often
scaree tho fish. The best preparation for this purpose is dark green
tea, which brings it nearly to the color of water, when slightly discolored
by rain, at which time the fish are most apt to bite freely.

Too much attention cannot be paid by the angler to the quality
and condition of his gut-lengths, or to the proper adjustment of the
knots and loops by which it is fastened. These can scarcely, indeed,
bn loo narrowly or jealously scrutinised, as gut is a material which is

mmatOiM I ■ t„ H,

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242

AMERICAN FISHES.

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easily frayed and cut by its own friction, and the slightest imperfection
v?ill often cause the loss of a very heavy fish.

The great beauty of gut is, to be correctly round and perfectly equal
in thickness, which enables it to stand a strain which, if it were une-
qual, would cause it to give way.

The reel should be of brass, which I prefer to German silver,
bushed and rivctted with steel. It should have a balance handle, and
a click, which is of great use, as preventing more of the line than is
required from running oflF it while in the act of casting, before a fish
is struck ; but a catch or stop must on no account be used, as it will
frequently stop the line at the very moment when it should run tho
fastest. I had almost forgotten to add, that the simple reel is vastly
preferred by all truly scientific anglers to the multiplier, which in fact
is now almost exploded.

The fly-hooks should unquestionably be of the Limerick bend, and
even for spinning with the parr, or fishing with the worm or the deadly
roe-bait, all of which are very killing to the Salmon, tho same form
is the preferable.

The great size and weight of the Salmon renders the use of the
landing-net impossible, and it is, n-.oreover, at the best, a clumsy and
unportablc machine. For it, therefore, tho angler substitutes the

gaflP a sharp, unbarbcd hook, of convenient size, which screws

securely into the head of a stout ashen shaft, the butt of which may
conveniently be hollowed so as to contain spare fly-tops, as it is inad-
missible to subtract from the weight of the rod-butt by hollowing it.

With this hook, so soon as the fish is sufficiently exhausted to be
drawn within striking, held in the right hand while the rod is trans-
ferred to the left, he gaffs the fish steadily and sharply in the solid
portion of the tail below the abdominal cavity, which gives it a firm
hold, and enables the lucky sportsman to pull out even a forty-pounder
with but little trouble. .

It is not a bad plan to have a stout knife-blade, with the inner edge
sharpened, hinged on the back of the gaff, which will often be found
of use in cutting away any twig or other obstacle which may entangle

the fly.

A creel is of little use to the Salmon fisher, as in order to carry
any number of those noble M\, one vvould be requisite of the size of a

THE IMPLEMENTS OF SALMON FISHING.

243

clothes-basket ; and such is the weight of the fish, that, if you expect
to be successful, an attendant is indispensable.

With those instruments, then, a well-filled fly-book in his pouch,
and perhaps a spare gut foot-length round his hat, the fisherman may
deem his outfit perfect.

A suit of plain dark clothes, a pair of stout nailed shoes, and heavy
loose trowscrs of the coarse Scottish plaid worn by the shepherds, is
the best attire for the sportsman. India-rubber boots are an abomi-
nation, unwholesomely confining the perspiration, and excessively
uncomfortable from the intense heat which they create ; besides, an
angler is hardly the sort of person to care much about wet feet or a
soaked jacket.

Having now equipped and rigged him, we will conduct him to the
marge of limpid lake or rapid torrent, and see how best his scaly
prey he may ensnare.

In order to become a fly-fisher, 1 think that something of an
especial genius is necessary — I mean a fly-fisher in the highest sense
of the word, and regarded in the same light as the sportsman whom
we can deservedly term a crack-shot.

Still, although something of a natural and inherent aptitude ia
necessary, practice, experience, and a love of the art, go so far that
no one who really desires to attain eminence in this skill need despair,
for perhaps no one very keenly desires it who has not that aptitude,
though perhaps latent, and even of himself unsuspected.

To teach a man, as I have said befor^ . "f / writing or even by oral
instruction, unless coupjed -vith active practice and example, how to
make a fly, how to cast a 'Ay. how to hoak a fish, or how, when hooked,
to kill him, is to my a '..prehension impossible. Yet without some
instructions on this subject, a work on Fishing would justly be deemed
imperfect, and perhaps even impertinent.

After the first slisht skill is attained which enables a fisherman to
cast a fly at all without whipping it ofi" the hook-length, the great
points to be acquired are, precision in casting, and neatness in deliver-
ing the fly.

In Salmon fishing with the double-handed rod, all these things are
somewhat more difficult than with the light twelve-foot Trout-rod, and
more practice ia requisite before perfection can bo gained ; yet the

fir

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44.£-

^44

AMERICAN FISHES.

III J 1

mode is identical, and the instructions which alone can be given arc

alike few and simple.

The first thing to be observed is, that the rod must not be firmly
grasped, but held with a loose and delicate play of the thumb and
fingers, as a cue should in billiard playing, or a foil in fencing.
Secondly, that in throwing out the fly, nothing like a jerk or snap
should be performed, such as is done with a four-horse whip in flank-
in<r a loader. It is very difficult to explain, except by comparison,
what that movement is; but it may perhaps be described as by a
sudden checking of the propelling power, or as almost a retroversion
of it at the moment of its greatest impetus, somewhat such as that
which is termed spinning, or Englishing, a ball at billiards.

The rod being held Ughtly in the fingers, the butt of it must be so
moved in front of the person, with all the muscles of the arm relaxed,
the elbow and the wrist free and pliant, that the tip shall describe a
complete circle above and sometiiing behind the head, and it will be
not amiss for the tyro to practise this motion without attempting to

cast as yet any line.

Secondly, it must be remembered, when the line and fly is brought
into play, that by the circular motion of the tip, the whole line, with
its cast of flies, must be made to stream out at full length, and to
describe a semicircle, so that at the instant previous to propulsion, if ,
we desire to throw directly forward, the flies shall be at the whole
length of the extended line, exactly behind us ; when they must be
thrown out by a direct and even motion, without any jerk, and yet
must be in some sort checked rather by a gradual holding up or
cessation of the impelling force, than by any sudden stop or retro-
gression.

The mode of casting which I have endeavored to d<>8cribc for a
forward throw, must be used in all cases ; if to the right, the line
must stream out, and the flies be extended at full length to the
extreme left, and via vena ; and this is the method by which accu-
racy and precision in casting can bo acquired, and by perseverance in
which, with experience, the fisherman will ultimately succeed in
throwing his stretcher, or last fly, with certainty into a smaller circum-
ference than that of his own hat.

Thifl it is which we call precision.

THE IMPLEMENTS OF SALMON FISHING.

245

By neatness, we intend tho knack of so delivering the lino that each
one of the cast of flies shall alight upon the surface of the water
singly and everally, and as lightly as the thistle-down, without any
portion of the foot-longth, much less of the lino, bagging or falling in
a bight upon the stream.

This delivering of the cast at the end of a perfectly straight, yet
perfectly easy line, is tho first great thing to be obtained. If wo
attempt to throw the flies, oxcopt aftor having made them describe a
full somicircle in the direction opposite to the purposed cast, we shall
throw thorn nowhere.

If we fling out tho whole line loosely, it will fall in a baggy bight
upon the water, probably striking the surface in advance of the flies,
and certainly making a splash and scaring away tho fish which wc
desire to allure.

If wo check it too suddenly, or jerk it back at all, we shall snap oiF
all our flies with a loud crack, and so remain disarmed and useless
for the nonce.

In practising, the novice should use but a short line, five or six yards
at the utmost, and a single fly— and when he can throw that with
certainty into a space of a few feet in circumference, he may gradually
let out his line till he has reached fifteen yards, which I regard as the
extreme length that can bo managed with certainty, neatness, and
precision, and add to the stretcher his first and second droppers, more
than which arc wholly useless.

Having said thus much of the mode of casting the flies, we will
suppose our angler clad in the plainest and least obtrusive colors, at
tho margin of the stream, if it be such as he can command with his
double-handed rod, or wading it if not too deep, or in his boat if it be
too broad to be cast over successfully.

First, he shall go down stream ; for the motion of the water will so
keep his line taut, the benefit of which hereafter ; and he will also
have fewer casts to make, and find less trouble in giving a nJitural and
easy movement to the artificial insect, whicli hn must keep ever floating
on the surface. Furthermore, the fish are wont to lie, especinlly in
swift wattMS, with thoir heads up stream, and will therefore perhaps
take tho fly most readily when cast down, and drawn gently "vcr th^^ra.

Secondly, he must on no account fish with tho sun bohin<l Ins back,

III

iihaA.

■«^<.

i 1

f I

246

AMERICAN FISHKS.

for, if he do, the shadow of his body, with his arms thrashing the air,
and the counterfeit prcscntinont of his long rod vibrating aloft, will
be thrown on the bright surface of the waters in such a manner as
will undoubtedly alarm the fish ; which, however much doubt there
may exist as to their powers of auscultation, no one will deny to bo
capable of quick vision.

Thirdly, he shall not so draw his fly along the surface as to give it
the appearance or reality of floating up stream ; for flies do not in
nature float up stream ; nor do the Trout or Salmon, although they
may nover have studied logic, and are probably incapable of deducing
consequences from causes, lack the ability to discern what is, from
what is not, natural.

Across the stream he may bring it gently and coquettishly home,
with a slow whirling rotatory motion, letting it swim down in the
swifter whirls of the stream, and float round and round in the eddies,
with this special observance, that he shall, in so far as he can, keep it
ever at the end of a tight line, for so only will the fish hook itself,
without any movement of the hand on the angler's part — an end most
desirable to effect.

Both Salmon and Trout lie in wait for their prey, for the most part,
rather than swim in pursuit of it in schulls or companies. They are
often, I would say generally, found in pairs, and therefore, after killing
one in any favorable pool or eddy, it will be well not too soon to desert
the spot, even although it may have been disturbed by the bustle and
burly of the first capture.

The tail of swift rapids, where some large stone breaks the force
of the current, and causes a lull, or, as one would say of wind, a l(>e,
will always be found a likely spot wherein to cast ; ard in pools, be-
tween two rapids or cascades, the head and the foot, immediately
above the one and below the other descent, will generally each hold
a fish.

Still clear deep reaches will again be found to contain many times
the most, and often the largest fishes, especially of Brook Trout ;
and these places require the neatest and the finest fishing, for two
very suflScient reasons j first, that the transparency of the water enables
the fish clearly to discern the angler, unless he stand well back from
the murtrin of the bank • and-, s'^condlv, tliat its stillness allows all the

THE IMPLEMENTS OF SALMON FISHING.

247

imperfections of the artificial fly, and perhaps the gut to which it ia
appended, to bo discovered by the intended victim.

In nothing is piscatory skill more distinctly evidenced, than by th(t
instinctive accuracy with which, in whipping a stream, the practical
angler will discern what places to fish closely, accurately, neatly ; which
to pass over lightly — in other words, which are more and which are
most unlikely to hold the objects of his pursuit ; and this skill, this
power, like that of casting the fly, or even in a greater degree than
that, can be gained only by dint of long practice and accurate obser-
vation.

As I had occasion to remark, not once, but many times, in my
" Field Sports," aeteris paribus of eye, hand and nerves, on which
almost everything depends, the closest observer of nature, the most
diligent inquirer into the actions, the habits, the prey, the haunts, thj
every-day life of the bird or beast which he is pursuing — in other
words, the best naturalist — will be the best and most successful sports-
man ; and so it is, and perhaps even more so, in the case of the
iingler. And, indeed, after years spent in this exciting and yet gentle
pursuit, the angler will ever find that he has something still to learn,
that he has gained something daily, if he keep his cars, his eyes, his
mind opr^n to the sounds, the sights, the beautiful provisic . of nature.

In large lakes, which must bo fished from boats, the vicinity of the
chores, the edges of shoals, and the holes in the close neighborhood of
large rocks or bouldcM's whicli cause eddies, and above all the entrances
or outlets of streams, brooks and rivers, are the likeliest places in
which to find SalmoB, but not reedy banks or weed beds, as is the case
with the Pickerel and Mascalonge ; and such spots as these deserve
the utmost care and attention of anglers. And now, I believe that I
have said all that I can say about the casting of the fly, and the places
into which it should be cast in order to ensure the first success, the
getting a rise, I mean, from this noblest of fishes. Little is dono, how-
ever, in getting this rise, unless we know how to strike, and how to kill
him when he has ris^n. On this head, perhaps, it might be said tlia+
the art of striking a fish, or so handling the rod that the barbed hook
shall be buried securely and quickly, or ere tiie fish has time to dis-
cover that the gaudy bait is an unreal mockery, without substance or
savor, consists in knowing what is nol^ rather than what is to be done

*• f^ES^PSnfclflpp^^'

- ".- > - -^ ^ ;

248

AMERICAN FISHES.

Very certain it is that the fly must not bo jerked or twitcbcd away
quickly, as is done by ninety-nine hundredths of novices who thereby
instead of fixing the bait in, flirt it out of the n.outh of the Samon
and probably prick him in doing so, rendering him thereby shy of
again looking at the bait, and teaching him a lesson, which he may

not forget in many days. , ^ , ,

At two moments only, of the ordinary cast of a fly, is the fish nearly
feuro to hook himsclf-that is, when it first alights on the surf-vce of
the stream, and when it is in the very act of being withdrawn from it,
for tin purpose of making a fresh throw-for at these two n.oments
only is it necessarily at the end of a taut extended line. When a
fish strikes boldly at either of these two points of time, it is v<>ry sure
to hook itself without any exertion of the angler ; but if the line is in
the slightest degree curved or baggy, unless there is a certain almost
indescribable movement of the wri.'.t, the fly will often be rejected,
owing to the discovery of its quality, and the fish will so escape scot-
free.

This striking I have seen variou.sly described, but never, m my
opinion, comprehensibly. I consider that the great thing in fly-fish-
in<r is to keep the line always as straight as possible, never allowing
any portion of it to float on the water, and to have the fly never sub-
merged, nor yet skipping, but trailed evenly along the ripples, as if it
were'^naturally floating down, at the end of a straight ext>'nd<>d Imo.
By this method, the chances of striking your Salmon, without any eff-ort
on your own part, will be hugely increased. If, however, it be found
necessary to strike, this must not be done by a jerk or backward whip
movement of the rod, but by the slightost possible turn of the wrist
inward and downward-what that turn is, every angler knows, but it
certainly cannot be described in writing, nor can it be, I think, very
easily demonstrated— so exceeding slight it is— by example.

More fish are, in my opinion, lo.st by clumsiness, and especially by
over-violence at this moment, than at any other time ; the utmo.st
caution, therefore, and delicacy of manipulation, are indi.=ponsable ;
and at first, until he has killed some fish, and obtained some practical
experience in the art, I confidently advise the novice to beware of
striking; to allow the fish, if possible, to hook himself; and rather to
lose him from his not doing so, than from his own act by whipping tho

THE IMPLEMENTS OP SALMON FISHING.

249

half-swallowed fly out of his imperiilod jaws If strike ho must, let
huu do it with tlio least possible force or exertion.

When first a large and lively fish feels the hook, he will not unfre-
qucntly, if checked suddenly, throw himself clear out of the water to
the height of several feet, and so endeavor to cast himself across the
tightened line, which, if he succeed in doing, he shall break it surely,
and escape. The counter-movement to this dodge, .viiich is often
repeated many times in rapid succossion, is to sink the top of the rod
quickly, so as to slacken the line, and suffer the fish to strike it only
when lying in a bight on the water ; but care must again »bo taken
here to reel it in again quickly, lest it may become entangled by the
fish rushing suddenly in towards the angler.

Beyond this there is not much to say on the score of playing a
hooked fish ; the great end and object is to keep him, with as heavy
a strain as you can venture to support upon his mouth, with his head
down stream ; for in that position the water enters his gills the wrong
way, so that the vital principle of tlie oxygen cannot be separated from
it by the branchial apparatus, and the fish naturally dies by suffoca-
tion, or by something analogous to drowning.

To effect this, very much delicacy and nicety of touch are requisite ;
the rushes of the fish are .sometimes of fearful impetus and velocity,
and sustained for such a length of time as to take nearly all the line
off the reel, and to compel the angler to run at full speed, up or down
the bank, as it may be, in order to avoid smashing his tackle. It is
well here to observe, that it is in all cases the best plan to follow your
fish as early in the game, and as rapidly, as you can, rather than to let
off too much line, as you thereby keep so much in hand for an
emergency.

The great principle is, to make the fish pull as hard as possible
without ceding line, and never to give him an inch that he does not
exact from you by force ; the knowledge of the exact amount of re-
sistance which you may offer, and of the when exactly and how much
you must yield, is the grand proof of the Salmon-fishf r's science. If
he run for a rock, against which to smash your tackle, or for a cascade
or cataract, over which you cannot pilot him with a hope of success,
you must resist him to the last, which is done by advancing the butt,
fii-mly grasped, toward him, and bearing y )ur rod backward over your
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IMAGE EVALUATION
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Pnotograprric

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

A'-

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250

AMERICAN FISHES.

right shoulder, thereby compeUing him to strain out the line, the
velocity of which you must regulate with the ball ot your thumb, mch
by inch from the reel, against the whole reluctance and spring of the

elastic rod.

When the fish runs in, the rod must be hold nearly erect, and the
line reeled in as quickly as possible. If the fish turn sulky, as he will
sometimes, and plunge down to the bottom, lying there like a stone or
a lump of lead, he must be aroused and forced to run again by a peb-
ble cast in as closely as may be to the spot where he lies, and then his
run must be alternately humored and controlled, like the whims of a
pretty woman, until his resistance is overpowered, and, like her, he

yields him to your will. .

The fly is, as I have before observed, by far the most effective and
killincr bait for the Salmon, although it is very doubtful for what the
animal mistakes it, since it has no resemblance in nature. The best are,
in my opinion, combinations of peacock herl, and jay's wing, with
body of pink, blue or green silk twined with gold or silver tinsel ; there
are, however, many other gay and gaudy feathers which are nearly
equally killing, and every fisherman has his own favorites. 1 he ac-
companying plate contains at No. 1, representations of several vane-
ties of Salmon-flies, and at No. 2 of Lake-flies for great Trout, which 1
know to be killing, as I know them to be beautiful-and which were
prepared especially for this work, to my order, by the Conroys of Ful-
ton-street, New York, of whom I have already spoken as, in my opin-
ion, the best rod and tackle maker in America, if not perhaps in the

world. -v I 1,

The Salmon, especially when quite fresh-run from the sea, will lalce
the worm at times greedily ; for which mode he must be fished for
with a stiffer rod, similar to that used for Bass angling, with a quill-
float, and enough of slot on the gut to carry the bait down close to the
bottom. The best w-ias are the large loh or rfeto-worms, and they
should be cleansed or scoured by keeping them for several days pre-
vious to .using them in a pot full of moistened moss. Two worms should
be used, and they should be baited thus :

Enter the barb of a large sized No. O, or No. 1 Limerick Salmon-
hook at the head of your first worm, and bring it out at the middle ^
run the worm quite up on the gut above the arming of the hook ;

THE IMPLEMENTS OF SALMON FISHINO

351

...in e.>tsr the barb at the middle of the second worm, a-d bimg it up
ZTlrly to the head. Draw down the first worn, to n.ee the
m Ji the bait will move on the bottom wth " -'7"°»''- .
prte composed of roe of the Salmon, taken out when freshly Ml d,
wa!h^d caSy, and cleansed of all the impurities, the blood and ffla-
:„ntt:lr thoroughly dried in the air, salted withtwo ounc. o

loued down and covered with melted lard or suet in earthen pots, ■
t st trderous bait both for Trout or Salmon WWn a.^ «^^
M it will cut out of the pot. like stiff cheese, and wrll f i'='; 'ff ''^

: L hook, ^^^::^::^;:^^z::^t::?r:

r "si::- :*■ -.TZl'lX of -ark that the roe of the

^d Cutis little prob* th^t the gothic savages who resort
rt'se practices at all will trouble themselves so far as even to en-
deavor to do a minimum of mischief.

lLv the Minnow, the Shiner, the Smelt, the Sparling or Ath -
anting' above all, th^ young Parr, are very killing baits, especially
Z'bere is a freshet in the stream, for the Salmon, upon spinnmg-

nUfullongrodshoulOe^.^^^^^^

t t^^t^^X^o. - vf \^ r: '"":?• the

nut., ttu»i " " vr« 1 T imoripk hook at the end ot tne

There should be one large No. 1 LimencK noojt "*
1 Here saouiu s in and 5 tied back to back of the larger

-rlhTslSrar fuu'length of the bait, to hook mto

the lip when the fuuncl will slide down upon the nose. The second

t iTbrought out at the fork of the tail, giving a curve to the Ssh
w U causes'it, when drawn rapidly throu<Oi -'"' '^^f '^,
glance beautifully, in a manner most attractive to this noble fish. All

2bU

AMERICAN FISHES

the fins should be cut oflF except the pectoral on the outer side of tho
curve, which will cause it to spin more certainly.

Some persons use a second hook-length with three No. 7 hooks tied
back to back triangularly, not entered in the bait, but suffered to play
loosely around it : but I see no advantage in the addition.

With any of these baits, with the art to boot, and a clear eye, a
Bteady nerve and true hand, anywhere almost eastwaj-d of the Kenne-
bec, and thence northward to the grand St. Lawrence, the adventurous
fisherman is certain of such sport, as, once tried, makes all other fishing
for ever more stale, weary, and unprofitable.

TROUT FI8HIWO.

253

TROUT FISHING,

This charming sport, second only in its excitement to the skill
which it requires, and in the quality of the captive, to its elder sister,
Salmon-fishing, cannot, ho enjoyed in any part of the known world in
greater perfection than on the northern continent of America

Everywhere from the Arctic Circle to somewhere about the forty-
fourth degree of north latitude, everywhere from the mouth of the S .
Lawrence and the wild shores of Gaspe and Chaleurs to the far coasts
of the Pacific, and the swift streams of Oregon, this heautiful and
active fish is found ahundant, in every spring-stream and fountain-

nourished lakelet. , , „

Everywhere he is pursued eagerly, and esteemed a pn^e worthy of
the sportsman's skill and the epicure's idolatry To the northward
and eastward he is, however, both the finest and the ™* P'""**^
The rivers of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia swarm with Brook
Trout ranslng from halt a pound to five pounds in weight In the
streams of Maine and New England they are equally abundant
although they are generally smaller in ske, and arc for the most part
taken in the small mountain streams from which they rarely run down
to salt water; whence their colors are less brilliant, and therr flesh

inferior in flavor. ,, , ,, ,

In the State of New York they are of unrivalled excellence and
are found in vast numbers, especially in the streams of the south side
of Long Island, in the lakes and rivers of the north-eastern counties
which debouch into the basin of the St. Lawrence and in aU ^he
streams of the south-western tier of counties which ^-^ ^^'^'^^J
southwardly into the Delaware, the Susquehannah and the Alleghany
All the waters of Northern and Western Pennsylvania arc likewise
admirably stocked with this delicious and game fish, nor naj any one
n.ed to seek bettor sport than he can find at Carman's or Snedecor s
on Long Island. In the Marshpee river, on Cape Cod, famous as being

r ■ ar

254

AMERICAN FISHES.

the favorite fiBhing-ground of that good Bpoitsman and great states-
man, Daniel Webster ; in the Callikoon and Bcavcrkill on the east,
and the fine Pennsylvanian streams on the west of the Delaware ; in
the net-work of lakes and rivers which renders Hamilton County in
New York the angler's earthly paradise, or in the swift Canadian
streams which swell the St. Lawrence, from the Michigan westward to
the Sault St. Marie, and upward to the head of Lake Superior, sport

is certain. • • a

The implements of the Trout-fisher are similar, except in size and

power, to those used in the capture of the Salmon ; but as less strength

is necessary to subdue, so is, perhaps, oven greater delicacy requisite

to ensnare him.

The Trout-rod should be twelve feet long, and as pliant, almost, aa
a coach-whip, equally bending from the butt to the tip. It should be
composed of hickory, tancewood, or bamboo, with a solid butt of ash,
at the extreme lower end of which should be attached a simple click-
reel with a balance handle, but without a stop, capable of containing
thirty yrds of London made hair and silk line, tapering equally from
the reel to the point. The bottom, or leader, as it is called generally
in America, should consist of about five yards of round tapering silk-
worm gat, and the flies should be three in number. Plain rings should
be used on a fly-rod, and not the new tubular metallic guides, which
stiffen it too much, and prevent its equal curvature under a strain.

For bait-fishing, spinning a minnow, or daping with a grasshopper,
a stouter rod may be adopted, similar to that used for ordinary fresh-
water, or shoal salt-water fishing.

The best baits are the Salmon-roe, prepared as I have described it,
common brandlings or dew-worms, and any small fish, and especially
its own young fry, which may be used either dead on spinning tackle
such as is described above, or alive, hooked through the back under
the first dorsal fin, and sunk with shot to within a few inches of the bot-
tom. In this mode, the slightest possible quill float should bo adopted.
The spinning is by far the more sporting and exciting method ; and in
large stream's running directly into salt water, where the finest and
greatest Trout are found, and where they do not willingly rise to the
fly, none is much more killing. In addition to these, a grasshopper
dropped deftly on the surface just before the nose of a fat, basking, lazy

TROUT F18UINU.

255

„mc» Wll when all other plans fa.1 ; •'^"P'?';' '^ . , ^y^n jho ,
.„U water erooto and river n-ouths and m *»;;;; ^"^^^^^^^ ,^ ,^„
fi.h haunt, when in it, greatest P=*«';;. -* Tmu^ f " he throat
same loealitie, it will bite at a small wh.te erab, a "»^"'». »'
S'the two peetoral fins attaohed, of "^^^^^Z the n>o,t
M^ of these, however, pale ^^^l^^ :^X^'^.., diffieult,

legitimate, the most seten. fie tbe-^^^ „, ^„, „f .„

and lastly, not Icastly, the most Kuun,,

the methods used to capture him. ^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^

takmg colors. It was formei y g ^^ ^^^^ ^^.^ ^^^^

Tr:::arh:icrifrrrst p.* «.e ^efiies ^

tho\:s: MlUng in all waters the world o.r in -^^^^^^
Norway, and in the waters of Amenca ; »- « f ^""^rde'nt vota-

n r :CTr::"ted of » ^-e-- :-f -

Europe would not improperly be *»»|^' -™^7; *e ginger haetle,

The flies whieh I hold thebest "« *;™^;li^;,iw„. tin-

tho black hackle, °«'=-<'°'' Vr .wl vcllow dun and the blue

.«•. *->' March-brown ->^^-^^::XtlX^^ "^ ^'^»' «^'
d^_hoth very kdUng fl s-Ae °; *^ = ^'^^ ^. ^^,^^ ,„y „f
the green and gray drakes ; and tor ni„M

inJBkla^'L-JWiH^»

256

AMERICAN FISHES.

* ■ ;iV

the gray, oroam-colorcd, or mealy moths ; of these 1 pvefer a large
whitc-wingcd moth with a black body. In many waters some of the
coppery-golden and green peacock herls are found to kill well, and
last season, 1848, nothing was so successful on Long Island as the
scarlet ibis with a gold tinsel body. For my own fancy, however, 1
decidedly prefer the hackles of almost every color and variety, from
the gin-cr, through all the shades of cock, grouse, partridge, wood-
cock, up to jet black ; and my favorite oast is a coch-a-bondu or soldier
palmer for my stretcher, a ginger hackle or-blue dun for my second,
and a black palmer or a dotteril hackle for my first dropper. The
accompanying plate of flies are many of the best and mast beautiful
varieties, and there is not one of them which at some time or another
I have not proved to be killing. All these, as also the large gaudy
lake flies, marked No. 2 on the plate preceding this, which very ne^vrly
resembles the Salmon-fly except in size only, and are deadly indeed
to the Trout of the Adirondach waters, were all prepared expressly for
representation in this work by Mr. Conroy, and are not, iu my opinion,

to be surpassed. , n r *

Beyond this I shall say nothing on the score of flies, nor shall I enter
into any minute and elaborate descriptions of these or other vane
ties with which most books on fly-fishing abound, usque ad muscam ,
for I am satisfied that such descriptions must be entirely unsatisfactory
and us3less to the fisherman, who should attempt to tie flies by their
aid without other and more practical instruction ; and they are so
well-known to all anglers, and to all tackle-makers, by their names
that they can be readily and unmistakeably ordered by letter, and
obtained at any distance, from any of the large cities. The following
vi.^notte is a representation of two well-known Ephemerae, the com-
mon Green Drake or May-fly, and the Stone-fly, in their embryo and

perfect stages. ,

In pro-rcss of this subject, I take the liberty of quoting, from Dr.
Bethune"s very beautiful edition of Walton's Angler, the followmg
paper, which was drawn up and contributed to that work by myself,
on the Trout-fishing of Long Island, at the request of the accomplished
author It contains everything that I knew or could collect at that
time on this branch of the subject, and as I rest well-assured that my
borrowinrr it will in nowise injure or interfere with that beautiful and

TROUT FIBHINQ.

25?

1 VI T fnol fhat it would bo useless and absurd to re-

''^^^'X^ZZ:^:^^ *o oaroM o.,... Wt..cn
inopuu^'F _ T mi (tilt sav North America m

".- ^:=:r vJ^fH S^^^

never thrown a lioo, or taken a 1 rou .n « 1*, an

r omo al^XrHal^ca . ,. prUo --°™-- — I
without the aid of gaff or teding-nct, brought to basket

Txlefaet is remarkable ; the example decidedly unworthy of imi-

""!" L other Instanee to whieh 1 have referred is in all respce^
M • „f (he flsh the very opposite of the former ; as, in it,
e.eept the «« "^ «" j^; *" l^Jl ,, aue as m„eh to superior

rrrLlrlJ; :::> «.= ^or^er, is attributable to blind and

unmerited good luck.

/> - ^ ^ . ^ M^

258

AMEBICAN FUnta.

"Tho hero of tl.i» anoclot. U a gonrtn.nan, too,,- h, th, «».. rf.
„„r. of Connnodorc Limbrick, a ch.rucl.r in rtich ho hn, flgnred
Tany „ day in the columns of the Spirit of tl>o T.mc, and »ho »
Zor^ally allowed to bo one of tho bet and moat o.por.oncod, a.
well as tho oldest fisherman of that city.

"After having flshod all the morning, with various suoeessm tho
pond! ascortafned, it seems, that in the pool W"" .-"■»*-
I fish of extraordinary size, whieh had been observed repeated ,
Tnd fished for constantly, at all hours of the da, and evening, w,h
"ery iMorent variety of bait, to no purpose. Hearing this, he be ook
3 to the miller, and there having verified the i»forn.ation which
h 1 i r ce led, and Laving satisfied himself that neither fly nor min-
nw gentle nor red-worm, would attract the great Trout, he procured
Z:L refcr^^, a »,«. from the miller's trap and F"ceedmg o
trill therewith, iook, at the first cast of that inordinate dainty, a fish
that weighed four pounds and three-quarters !

" Inother fish or two of the like dimensions have been taken m
Liff Snedecor's and in Carman's streams ; and it is on record, tl^^a
^Fireplace, many year, since, a Trout was taken of ^W™ POJ^s^
A rough drawing of this fish is still to be seen on the wall of the tavern
bar-room, but it has every appearance of being the sketch of a Sa -
mon- ani I am informed by a thorough sportsman, who remember
It i'me and the occurrence, although he did -';-*»«*'•■; ^
doubt was entertained by experienced anglers who did sco it, of its

beinc in truth a Salmon.

"In the double-pond among the Musconetcong Hills, on the eon-
fines of New York and New Jersey, in tho Greenwood lake in th
^:o region, and in some other ponds in Orange County Brook Trout
have been occasionally taken of the same unusua iz. One fi h 1 saw
myself on last New Year's Day, which, shameful to ell ' '""l J^^™
Taucht through the ice, near Newburgh. This fish weighed an ounce
: tolb ve-'five pounds, and was well-fed, and apparently m good
Iffiion-but, as I said before, all these must be taken as e^ceptl ns
p ving the ruie, that Trout in American waters rare y exeee ««
three pounds in weight, and never compare in me with the fish taken
'England, and stiU less with those of the Scottish and Irish waters
in alfof which, the regular, red-spotted, yellow-finned Brook Trout,

TROUT PISHINO.

259

arc constantly Ukon, with tbn fly, of ton pounds wolght and upward ;
and BomotinioR, in tho lakoa of Ireland and Cumberland, in tho Black-
water, Coquet, and Stour rivers, attain to the enormous bulk of twonty-

six and thirty pounds.

" With regard to the second point of distinction, I have never heard
of a Trout being taken at all in the Hudson ; nov.: in tho Delaware,
even so far up as Milford, where the tributaries of that river abound
in large and well-fed fish ; never in tho lower waters of the Connec-
ticut, or any Eastern river so far as tho Penobscot, although the head
waters of all these fine and limpid rivers teem with fish of high color
and flavor. In Great Britain, on tho contrary, it is to tho larger, if
not to tho largest, rivers that the angler looks altogether for good
sport and large fish ; and it is there as rare a thing to take a fish a
pound weight in a rivulet or brook, as it is hero to catch a Trout at

all in a large river.

«• In Canada, and in the British Provinces to tho eastward of Maine,
it is true that Sea Trout, or Salmon Peel, are taken of largo size in
tho St. Lawrence, and in the rivers falling into the bays of Gaspd and
Chaleurs; but although occasionally confounded with the Trout proper,
this is in truth a totally different fish, and one, so far as I know, which
is never taken in any of the waters of the United States.

" In appearance, tho Brook Trout of America and Great Britain
are to my eye almost identical ; both presenting, in well-fed and
well-conditioned fish, the same smallness of head, depth of belly,
and breadth of back ; tho same silvery lustre of the scales, and the
same bright crimson spots. The flesh of the American fish, when
in prime order, and taken in tho best waters, is, I must confess, of a
deeper red hue, and of a higher flavor, than that of any which it has
been my fortune to taste at homo— and I have often eaten the Thames
Trout, which, rarely taken below ten pounds in weight, are esteemed
by epicures the very best of the species.

" We travel now, be it observed, by railroad to our fishing stations,
but for the convenience of reviewing tho country, and scanning the
waters, in regular succession as we pass eastward, I will suppose that,
as in tho pleasant days of old, wo are rolling along in our light wagon,
over tho level roads, on a mild afternoon in the latter days of March,
or the first of April.

■X...* *« *

260

AMERICAN FISHES.

pebbly barrier. ^^^^^^ ^^y„,„, and wild

"Now we are in tne lauu ui

'"f^. t.e ..B hand, t.o ^t .ead^. --e. JJ.;^;^^:' ^I:

i!uJX: »ndM f „l anU., p.« up . .ho doo. 0. 3e.
Smith's tavern. „uv,nn.rb it be a better station for

is to be made of Long bland ««""■ ^j^^ ,„„ formerly

.. On tins stream there are two P "^'-^^^ f ^^^ „,„,„ ,,,„ «ro

private property, and c>-^ J^ ':';r;rtrall person, indiserlmi-
fnrnUhed wHl. a permit tliey a e now p _^ ^^

lately, and 1 believe without rertr.etn ^'^^^^^^ „f .,;, j,,

taken by eaeh individual or by a pa.ty Th »„ q ^^^^^^^^

*at these ponds have detenorated e, ap- J- ^^^ ^^„„,

they are well-stoeked wA smal flsh of ^^^^^.^^^ ^^ ^

»- rarely taken "Jjf^rm Zn a» »,».. average of the

good fisherman. HaU a pound^ y ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^,_^^

:fr:^ r bu e : - heard or mueh work heiug done rn . ;

TROUT FISHING.

261

and, in truth, except that this is the first southern pond of any note, 1
would hardly advise the angler to pause here.

" About a mile and a half farther eastward is a large pond, and a
fine house, both recently constructed at a great expenso by Judge
Jonc«— the former exclusively designed as a fish-pond. The place
has, however, passed out of his hands, and the house is now kept as a
hotel by one of the Snedecors. The pond has hitherto been private,
but is now open, though with a limitation. It is well-stocked with
fish of a fair size. When I was last there, a fortnight since, a gentle-
man had taken eight fish, weighing as many pounds, with the fly that
morning. The largest did not exceed a pound and a half, but they
were handsome, clean, well-fed fish, and, as the day was anything but
propitious, easterly wind, and very raw and cold, I considered it fair
sport. He had not been fishing above a couple of hours. I under-
stand, however, that there are many Pike in this pond, and in the
stream that supplies it ; and I much fear that this must ultimately
prove destructive to all the fish in the water, although those resident
on the spot assert that the Pike never grows in that region to above
half a pound, and rarely to that weight, and that little, if any, detri-
ment is observed to arise from his presence.

" This, however, I cannot believe, for the growth of the Pike ia
usually almost as rapid as his voracity is excessive ; and I am aware
of many instances, both in the United States and in England, where
ponds and streams, excellently stocked with Trout, have been utterly
devastated and rendered worthless by the introduction of this shark
of the fresh waters.

" The house is well-kept, as is almost invariably the case on Long
Island ; and I have no doubt that the angler may pass some days here

with pleasure.

" Some miles beyond this, still keeping the southside road, we come
to Babylon, where there is an excellent house, under the management
of Mr. Concklrn, of whom all accommodation may be obtained, both
as regards fowl-shooting in the bays and Trout-nshing in the neighbor-
hood. There are several ponds and streams more or less well-stocked
in this vicinity, but none of any particular note, eitlier for the size or
flavor of the fish.

" Such, however, is not the case with the next station at which we

./-. - «^ ■ J ««

262

AMERICAN FISHES.

arrive, Liff. Snedecor's-in whose pond the fish run to a larger size
than in any water we have yet noted. The Trout here, both in the
pond and in the stream below, are noted for their great beauty, both
of form and color ; and although there is some debate among con-
noisseurs as to the comparative flavor of Snedecor's fish and those
taken at Carman's, eighteen miles further east, the judgment of the
best sportsmen inclines to the former.

" The pond is of the same character with those which I have de-
scribed heretofore, and can be fished only from boats. It is open to
all anglers, but the number of fish to be basketed by each person in
one day is limited to a dozen. In the stream there is no limit, nor
indeed can there be, as the tide-waters cannot be preserved, or the
free ri-ht of fishing them prohibited. The Trout here are not only
very numerous and of the first quality of excellence-their flesh being
redder than that of the Salmon-but very large ; the average pro-
bably exceeds a pound, and fish of two and two and a half pounds
weight are taken so frequently as to be no rarity.

*< The outlet of this pond, after running a few hundred yards, opens
upon the salt meadows, where there is no obstacle whatever to throw-
ing a long line. It is broader and longer than any stream we have
hitherto encountered, and is incomparably the best, contaming fish
even lar^r than those of the pond above, and, in my opinion, of a
finer flavor. I believe it, indeed, to be an indisputable fact tha.
Trout, which have access to salt water, are invariably more highly
colored and flavored than those which are confined to fresh streams
by natural or artificial obstacles. .

" There is no distinction, of which I am aware, in favor of pond or
stream, for the use of the fly, the fish taking it readily in cither,
although as a general rule they will rise to it earlier in the fresh, than

in the tide-water.

« At some distance down this stream there is a range of willows on
the bank, nearly opposite to a place owned by Mrs. Ludlow ; and
under the trees are some holes famous for being the resorts of the
largest fish, which affect here the deepest water and the principal
channel. Here, as in the pond, fish of two and a half pounds are no
rarity, and, in fact, such are taken here more frequently than above
1 should say that one would rarely hook a Trout in this stream under

TROUT FISHING.

2Gb

one and a half pounds ; and the true angler woU knows that a well-
conditioned fresh-run fish, from this size to a pound larger, on the
finest and most delicate tackle, will give him nothing of which to com-
plain in the way of exercise or excitement.

" At a short distance from Sncdecor's is another stream, known ai
Green's Creek, which contains a peculiar and distinct variety of Trout,
which is called in that district the Silver Trout. I have not seen this
fish, but learn from good sportsmen that it is of a much lighter and
more pearly hue than the common Trout, the bright and silvery lustre
of the scales prevailing over the back and shoulders. It is crimson
spotted, but the fins are less strongly yellow, and it is perhaps a
slenderer fish in form. The flesh is said to be firm and well-flavored.
The Silver Trout is rarely taken much over or much under a pound
in weight, and rises to the fly or takes the bait indiscriminately. This
stream has, 1 know not wherefore, of late years lost much of its cele-
brity, and is rarely visited by the best sportsmen.

At Patchoguc, yet a few miles further, there is a very large pond,
which was formerly perhaps the most famous on the island, both for
the abundance ^and the size of the fish which it contained. They have,
however, become latterly so scarce, that few persons from a distance
think it worth their while to pause there, but proceed at once to Sam
Carman's, at Fireplace, eighteen miles eastward from Liff. Snedecor's;
these two being in fact the par excellence fishing grounds of the Island,
and the difi"erence between the two rather a matter of individual pre-
judice and fancy, than of any real or well-grounded opinion.

" The character of the fishing at Fireplace is nearly similar to that
at Islip ; the stream flowing from the pond is larger, and contains
much larger fish, the most beautiful, both in shape and brightness of
color, of any on the island. In this stream, two pounds is a very com-
mon size ; perhaps, fish are as frequently taken of this weight as under
it, and upwards to four pounds. Their flesh is very highly colored,
and t'uolf flavor, as I have observed before, second to none. Indeed,
it is but a few years since Carman's fish were estimated by old sports-
men the only fish worth eating ; of late, however, fashion— which rules
in ^astronomic tastes as otherwise — has veered a little in favor of the
Islip Trout, and it remains at present a debatable point between the
two. The course of Carman's stream lies chiefly through open salt

Ill

^C^i^-^tLm^iSLmm » tf •^^

264

AMERICAN FISHES.

„e.dow», and the baok» are entirely de.Utuie of covert =0 ha. v^,ry
careful and delieate fishing is neeeseary m order to fill a basiet.
En with gronnd halt it i. de.irahle .. keep eompletely out of B>ght
^21 as far from the hank as possible, and to avo.d janmg the
wl^ so «ry and shy are the larger fish. It is also ad^ablo to fish
water, so wary y ._^ this water, the same pre-

7„rbem Jtat n°and tie bait-fish being dropped a. lightly on the
Sr a f t w r'e a fiy, so as to ereate neither splash nor sound^
Thlpond aiove is likewise deservedly eelebrated, the fish a.cragmf
Ihe PO""" » . , ^ „^i i„ all respeets to any pond

Tr ::t hi'sor n o;::" region. The fly-fishing hero in season is
IroTab^ he best on Long Island, although of late, here, a, every-
where ie, Trout are beeoming eomparatively few m number ; so that
it has been found neeessary to impose a limit on sportsmen.

" «n' Iny years ago, a eelebrated English shot »d "ngW-*
has since left tUU country, and who, I believe, was among *e « ^'. ■'
tr. he very first, to use the fiy on Long Island waters, took betw en
forty ^d fifty good fish in this pond before dinner, and rn the after-
n„!n Tasketed above a dozen of yet larger size in the stream below.
"TThtfl, the like of which will not, I fear, be soon heard o
ag J, was performed with a fly, the body of which was composed of
TeVear fur, and the hackle of a woodcock's wmgs-a very kdlmg

. " ""wrTs : X e ed S: IsW pond, with a saw and
r: U rroXt, wMch contams a great nu„,ber of fisl, o very

, d --f!rra;:2:Lrer,"LteVr" : the

zx:^^^^ 'w -- -L^:raeruS

:t:rrfr::d IchSlave'oecasion'to mention here-
'' "'l remember that a fact of the same sort is recorded of two lakes,
through a uog mcuuuw. -" -n,. u^^--

TROUT FISHING.

2bd

aro worthless— in the lower superlative ; and they are never known to
intermingle. How this should be, cannot well be explained ; for,
granting that the excellence of the fish arises from the soil and food,
and tha°t the inferior fish improves on coming into the superior water,
still there must be a transition state.

« With this pond I shall close my notice of the south side waters,
merely adding that at Moritches, and yet further east, there are many
streams and lakelets abounding in fish, though inferior to those of the
waters I have enumerated, both in size and quality ; and these are, 1
believe, all open without limit to all persons who desire to fish them.
" It may bo worth while here to mention, for the benefit of sti-angers,
that the houses kept by Snedecor and Carman are by no means
country taverns, at which nothing can be obtained, as is often the case
in tho interior, but hard salt ham and tough hens just slaughtered.
Being frequented by gentlemen entirely, they are admirable hotels in

every respect.

" I will now turn, for a moment, to the north side, on which there
are also many streams containing Trout, but none, with a single ex-
ception, which can show size or numbers against the southern waters.
That exception is Stump Pond, near Smithtown, now rented to a
company of gentlemen, and of course shut to the public in general.
The fish in this large sheet of water axe very numerous, and very
large, but are for the most part ill-shapod, ill-conditioned, and inferior
in flavor— long, lank fish, with very large black mouths: 1 have been
informed that in latter years the fish in this water have been gradually
imprc/i..g, but of this I cannot speak from personal experience ; it is,
howe- "notorious, that occasionally Trout of very fine quality, both
in an, iice and flavor, have been caught here ; which is somewhat
remarkable, inasmuch as the same feeding grounds rarely produce two
diflferent qualities of fish.

" With regard to weather, a darkish day, with a moderately brisk
breeze, sufficient to make a strong ripple on the water, is the most
favorable. It is somewhat singular, that in spite of the generally re-
ceived opinion that southerly or south-westerly weather is the only
weather for Trout-fishing, few old Long Island anglers are to be found
who cannot state that they have taken as many, some say wore, fish
during the prevalence of easterly winds, as in any weather. A friend
18

m £

[ ■• -• '**■ ^ '^ «■* I

266

AMERICAN FISHES.

„f mine on whoso a«ll.o.ity 1 oan P"rfe«"y --"ly' "■"* '» "'"'"' ' ^'""^
con^Mbtodness for .any facts stated in this pap,, azures
^ that ho has nevor inown Trout to tako the fly more free y than
Zing a northeasterly snow-storm. Still, 1 mnst con..dcr those a.
tep'tions to the general rule ; and 1 at least would ^^ee'. '^ "^f
my ehoice, ' a southerly wind and a eloudy sky'-always ban.ng
Ihnnder-and no objcetion to a slight sprinkling of warm ram _

"There is another peculiarity to observe in the Long Island wale
_Jd so far as I know, in them only-that Trout brte dec.ded^y
better and more freely, when the water is ver, flue and clear than
when it is in flood and turbid. Indeed, if there be a good r.pplc on
the surface, the water can hardly be too transparent.

"It has been suggested to me, that this may be accoun ed or h,
U,e act that in flood the waters are so well filled wrth natural b. ,

bat the fish become gorged and lazy. ' -»-' -^^"^t
this is perfectly satisfactory to n,c; as the same must bo he case,
Ire or less, in all waters; whereas it is unquestronably the ease,
ZZ\ hive fished, except on Long Island, that Trout are more
easily taken in turbid than in fine water.

"i, eonnectedwith the foregoing remarks, 1 wdl here add ha
as a seneral rule, the minnow, with spinning or trollmg tackle,
• und to be more killing than ground bait in the ponds, and «« vena
ZL tide srreams-prohably from the mere fact that *» — J «
the rarer in the one water, the red-worm in the other, and that each
bv its rarity becomes the greater dainty."
'filnd this I have nothing to add, with respect to Trout-fishmg
with the e«cption of a few very general observations on the most
My tta s, seasons, and places in which to fish for the Trout, since
h mode 0 taking them with the fly is in all respects the saino a
that akeady given under the head of Salmon-fishing, the modes o
casLtfor' striking and playing these kindred fishes being in all

Ttetrt'plte, I am clearly of opinion that for very early fishing
in March and April there is no place on this continent at all compa-
aWeto Long Island, where all along the south shore the, can be
taken in number, almost innumerable, in every pond, stream and salt
or..*, until the end of July, when the, cease to bite freely. It «

TROUT FISHING.

267

worthy of observation that very early in the season the bait is more
kiUin<r than the fly, but that from May to the end of the season the fly-
fisher will fill his creel when the bait-fisher will go empty-handed home.
In the salt creeks the fish take the fly far loss wiUini^ly than the bait ;
and in Carman's Creek, which is very decidedly the best Trout river
on Long Island, it is said that there is but one example of a fish bemg
killed with the fly, by an old friend of my own, Mr. Luxford, formerly
of H M 's Royal Dragoons, in whose eye, should this meet it, those
words may awaken not unpleasant reminiscences of his visit to the
United States, and of his many, many sporting rambles with Frank

Forester. . t xi.* i -i -n

In Carman's River the largest fish in America are, I think it will
be allowed, mostly caught, running often quite up to five lbs. weight,
and 1 fully believe that if it were fished patiently and resolutely, cspo-
cially at the gray twilight, or in the shimmering moon-shine quite
down to the bay, throu-h the salt meadows, with a small Trout on good
Bpinnincr-tackle with three swivels, or with a very large fe<.ady fly, sunk
by means of a shot to several inches below the surface, fish might be
taken of s.ven or eight pounds weight. After Long Island fishing is
nearly at an end, commences, and continues quite until September,
that in the crystal streams of the Southern New York counties, in the
Pennsylvanian streams, and even later in the waters of th., Adirondaeh
Hicrhlands and later yet at the Sault St. Marie.

The Juniata, the Wyoming, the upper Delaware, the upper Alle-
ghany and the upper Susquchannah swarm with fish, as well as all
their tributaries. The former rivers, and many another equally fine
streams in the Alleghany and Blue ridges, are within easy striking dis-
tance of Philadelphia; all the waters of the Dela^vare and Susquchan-
nah rivers can be reached in a day from New York, by the Moms
and Erie railroad ; nor is there any lovelier or more romantic region
nor any waters dearer to the angler, than those which are now opened
to the world by that noble avenue which is already complete so far as
to Owego, and which will soon link with its iron chain, Erie and all
th'i upper lakes to the Atlantic sea-board.

Hamilton County and its splendid fishing-grounds may be reached
in many ways from New York, via Albany. From Caldwell's on
Lake George, from Lake Champlain by the Saranac, from Scheneo-

r' . - ^ jf . * ^\

268

AMERICAN FISHES.

tady by thcFish-house, and from the St. Lawrence it ia accessible to
the Canadians by the Black River or the Racket.

These waters abound in the Brook Trout, and the groat Lake Trout,
whereof a word more hereafter, though he very little merits a word;
and good accommodations can now be obtained in many places
through that of late inhospitable region; but much of the pleasure of
a trip°thither is destroyed by the swarms of mosquitoes, and yet worse,
of venomous acupuncturing black and sand-flies, which phl.botomizo
almost beyond endurance the hapless unacclimatcd stranger who ven-
tures into their demesnes, between May and the latter days of August
Boyond this I will only add that the haunts of the Brook Irout
closely resemble those of the Salmon ; that they lie lurkmg for their
passing prey under great stones at the head or tail of swift glancmg
rapids! in the small deep pools between, beneath the roots of grea
trees which protrude from banks over swirls and whirlpools, in holes
under weirs and sluices, and in no place more frequently than at the

tail of mill-races .,• i ^ r*

The best and heaviest fish do not begin to feed until twilight, after
which, for about three hours, they are exceedingly voracious, reposing
again after that until daybreak is at hand, when they again feed for
an hour or two, lying quite still, and oftentimes refusing the most
temntin^T baits during the whole of the day-time

1 have been told lately, and ne no reoBon for doubting the accuracy
Of the information, that great sport may be had by baiting any well-
ascertained haunt in a stream with the common Cray-Fish, his shell
being cracked to pieces for several days in succession, previous to

fishing it with a fly. . i x- „ *i,«

From the Brook Trout I pass on to his nearest relations the
various kinds of Lake Trout, Mackinaw Salmon, Siskawitz, and, as it
is called erroneously, Salmon Trout of the lakes.

Before closing this article, 1 have judged it well to q«ote a few re-
marks on Trout-fishing, from that admirable work, Hofland's Angler 8
Manual, inasmuch as they are in the highest degree appropriate to the
Trout-fishing of America generally, while the observation on bush-
fishing, dipping or dapping, will be found of great advantage to the
angler for small Trout in the beautiful tumbling mountam-streams far
inland, in our northern and north-eastern States.

TROUT FISIIINQ.

269

((

THE ARTIFICIAL FLY

" Fly-fishing 19 certainly llio most gentlemanly and pleasant kind
of angling, and it has many advantages over every other mode of
fishincr. In the first place, your apparatus is light and portable ; tor
a slight rod, twelve feet long-or if wanted for a narrow and wooded
Btroam, one of ten feet only would be more convenient-a reel con-
taining thirty yiird« of line, a book of artificial files, and a landing- '
n.t, and you are fully equipped for the sport. In the second place, it
is the most cleanly and the least cruel mode of angling, as you are
not obli-'cd to soil your hands by ground bait, or live baits, nor to
torture a° living fish, or insect, on your hook. Another charm m fiy-
fishincr is, that you are never fixed to one spot, but continue to rove
aloncTthe banks of the stream, enjoying, in your devious path, all the
varie°tics of its scenery ; the exercise induced is constant, and not
too violent, and is equally conducive to health and pleasure. I have
already said that a one-handed rod should be ten or twelve feet long,
and a two-handed rod from sixteen to eighteen ^eet ; to either of
which must be attached a reel containing thirty yards of twisted silk
and hair line, tapering from a moderate thickness to a few hairs, at
the end of which you are, by a loop, to attach the bottom tackle.
This should be made of round, even gut, and three yards long ; some
persons prefer four yards ; but I think too great a length of gut
increases the difficulty in casting the line. Those bottom tackles may
be purchased at the shops in two, three, or four-yard lengths. These
lines should also taper gradually, the gut being much stronger at the
end which is to be attached to the line on the reel, than at the end to
which the stretcher-fly is to be fixed. When you fish with only two
flies, the sccond-or drop-fly-should be at a distance of thirty-six or
forty inches from the bottom, or stretcher-fly •, but, if you use three
flies th 3t drop should be only thirty-four inches from the stretcher,
and'the second drop thirty inches from the first. These drop-fiies
are attached to the line by loops, and should not be more than three
inches long ; and, by having the gut rather stronger than for the end-
fly they will stand nearly at a right angle from the line. I recom-
mend the beginner to commence with one fly only ; but, at most, he
muflt not use more than two ; and, aa for his mode of casting, or

* .**'

270

AMERICAN FISHES.

throwing his fly, now his tackl,^ is prepared, I fear little useful instruc-
tion can be given, as skill and dexterity, in this point, must depend
upon practice. I may, however, advise him not to attempt to cast a
lon<r line at first, but to try his strength, and gain facility by degrees.
He^must make up his mind to hear many a crack, like a coachman's
whip, and find the consequent loss of his flies, before he can direct
his stretcher to a given point, and let it fall on the water lightly as a
gossamer. When I come to speak of the different Trout streams m
the neighborhood of London, and elsewhere, I shall recommend the
flies to be used for the place and season; in the meantime, I shall
attempt to describe the haunts of the Trout.

" He is fonJ of swift, clear streams, running over chalky, lime-
stone, or gravelly bottoms ; but he is more frequently in the eddies,
by the side of the stream, than in the midst of it. A mill-tail is a
favorite haunt of the Trout, for he finds protection under the apron,
which is generally hollow, and has the advantage of being in the eddy,
by the side of the mill-race, awaiting his food. He delights also in
cascades, tumbling bays, and wiers. The larger Trout generally have
their hold under roots of over-hanging trees, and beneath hollow
banks, in the deepest parts of the river. The junction of little
rapids, formed by water passing round an obstruction, in the midst of
the general current, is a likely point at which to raise a Trout ; also
at the roots of trees, or in other places where the froth of the stream
collects All such places are favorable for sport, as insects follow the
same course as the bubbles, and are there sought by the fish. After
sunset, in summer, the large fish leave their haunts, and may be found
on the scowers, and at the tails of streams ; and during this time, so
long as the angler can see his fly on the water, he may expect sport.
Unfortunately, when the deepening shades of twilight drive the sports-
man home, he is succeeded, on dark nights, by the poacher, with his
night-lines; and, I am sorry to say, that the north-country angler
gives too faithful a picture of this uight-fishing, which he himself

^'*'' And now, having told the young angler where to search for fish,
I must strongly impress upon him the necessity of keeping out of
Bight of the fish, for, if once seen, not any kind of bait he can offer
will tempt a Trout to take it ; therefore, approach the stream with

TBOUT riSHINO.

271

cution keeping as far ftom it a« possible : fir.t, fi.h the mJo nearert

„ Cnd then oast your line »0 a, to drop jn»t under the bank on

r :;ple Bide of 'the Btrean., drawing it, by ^'^J^^

l!«rde you, always continuing oarcful to show yoursell as l.ttl. a.

•""" slme persons recommend Sshing up stream, and throwing the 4y
before thm; others walk down the river, and east the fly before the^^
For ny own part-after much experience-whenever can do o

:r:ur ;V oCirr'stld dose t„ the water, edge, and
Sc^Jour east Cose to .c bank «« --J™ ;-' I^il

Com ll^le ; but ^hen the water you fish is weedy, or much wooded,
! l"e haris very difficult to manage ; but in ponds, or streams free
r :tpere:ts,'it may be used by a skilful hand with great advan-
Z The winds most favorable to the angler are south s uthc st
Shwest, and northwest; but in March and Apr.l th,s latter wmd
Jgene ly too cold. A fresh breeze is favorable, espoerally for U^-
«, 111 dams or the still deeps of rivers; as the ripple on the
„t7i "Ve ^c-e, has the same effect as a rapid stream, ,a
;t::;rg the Lrp^ighted Trout from discovering the dceepfon of

""tti^Ihing you can hardly have too much wind, if you can
man ge your boft'comfortably, and keep your fly on the water
TherTare very tew lakes, with which 1 am aequamted where go d
Iportc nbehL from the shore; to ensure »--- '.\»:';.;;t;
^ VI A if vm, pan procure a boatman well acquainted with the

:Z'Zt manayrenG his boat, the battle is half won^ After
r^ ; he fish seek L shallow water, and a lake may *en <>» flsW
Zn the shore. I have found, from long e.penenee m ""-fi^-g.
rrit il better to east your line towards the shore, rather than from
tl;^ or up or doJu the lake The boat should be mamtarned.

.1?

l_..A-.a* ldm.'Jk^*f I

272

AMERICAN FISHEb.

ill

as far as possible, at u p.opor distance from the shore— that is, so that
your flies may fall where the water b(>gin3 to doepeu from the shore
The boat should be allowed to drift with the wind, and the oars used
as seldom as possible, and merely to keep it in a proper position and
distance from the shore. Tho flies used in lake-fishing are larger
than those for rivers ; and I have frequently observed that tho winged
flics answer better than palmers. Perhaps tho cause of this may bo,
that many rivers and small Trout streams are bordered with trees,
which overhang them, and from which drop tho insects that tho
palmers imitate ; whereas tho shores of the lake are generally rocky,
or stony, and mostly denuded of trees, and consequently do not pro-
duce this kind of food for their finny inhabitants."

" BUSH-FISHING, DIBBINO, OB DAPINO.

" One great recommendation to bush-fishing is, that it can be prac-
tised with success in the months of June, July, and August, when the
river is low, and the sunshine . bright, and in the middle of the day,
at a time and season when no other circumstance would f-tir a fish, the
largest Trout are taken by this method. The angler intwt bo provided
with a fourteen-fcet rod, with a stiff top, and str ng ;uuniu^ tackle i
he will seldom have to use more than a yard of line, the bottom of
which should be of strong silkworm gut. I recommend strong tackle,
because, in confined situati. is, overhung with wood, you will not have
100J.J L (lay your fish, but .ust hold him tight, and depend on the
«tf«ngri of t^o tackle.

" Tiu'. size of your hook must depend on the size of your fly, from
No. 7 to 9 for small flies and grubs, and, for beetles. No. 4 or 5.
For bush-fishing, you should be provided with well-scoured brandlings
and red worm, cad-baits, clock-baits, earth-grubs, beetles, grasshop-
pers, and a horn of flies, or, at least, as many of the above as you
can procure. A small green grub, or caterpillar, which may be got
in June and July, by shaking, over a sheet or tablecloth, the boughs
of an oak-tree, is a most killing bait for this kind of fishing.

" Great caution is necessary in using your rod and line ; for, if
there are few bushes or brambles to conceal you, the water must bo
approached warily, as the large Trout often lie near the surface, and.

TROUT riSHINO

273

if you are once seen, they will fly from you If the water Hhould bo
deep, dark, and overhung with thick foliage, bo that you can scarcely
and an open space for your bait, your line mu»t be shortoncd to half
a yard, and Bometiines less.

" If your flies are small, use two of them at once, as they frequently
fall into the water in couples ; when daping with the fly, if you boo
your fish, drop the fly gently on to the water, about a foot before him,
and if you are not soeu, he will eagerly take it. When your fish it)
struck, do not allow him to get down his head, for fear of roots and
weeds, but keep him to the top of the water, where his fins and
strength will be of little use to him ; and in this situation, with good
tackle, you may soon exhaust him, and make him your own by a
landing-net, the handle of which should be two yards lonfe ; or he
may bo landed by a hook or gaff", with a long handle ; and this, in
some situations, amidst close, thorny brambles, will be found more
useful than a landing-net, which is liable to bo caught in the bushes.

" When you use the worm, the caddis, or any other grub, you will
require a single shot. No. 6, to sink your bait, for it cannot sink too
slowly, or cause too little disturbance in the water."

No. 1. Mayflies, perfect, and emDryo.
No. 2. Stonefly, perfect, and embryo.

¥'^

r.m r.^..

L ^ 1-

974

AMERICAN FISHES.

LAKE TROUT FISHING,

! 1

These great, bad, course and unsporting fisli, of all the three varie-
ties, are very nearly similar in their habits, lying for the most part iu
the deepest parts of the great lakes, seeking their food in the depths,
and very rarely rising to the surface, either for food or play. Of
these the great Mackinaw Salmon is perhaps the liveliest, and the
common Lake Trout, Salmo Confiim, of DeKay, the heaviest and

most worthless.

They will scarce ever rise to a fly, and can rarely be taken even
with a spinning minnow ; with a live bait, however, or a peacock-fly,
submerged to a considerable depth, with a bullet at the end of two
hundred yards of line, played from a stiff- rod at the stern of a light
skiff or canoe moved rapidly through the water by sails or oars, they
can be caught with considerable certainty. When hooked, however^
they are but a heavy, torpid fish, bearing down with a sullen dead
weight, and offering little more than a passive resistance. My friend
William T. Porter, who constantly fishes in the waters of Hamilton
county, informs me that he has been exceedingly and almost invariably
successful with what seems a very strange and unsporting combination,
a small fish namely, and a large fly on the same line, at about a yard's

distance asunder.

The commonest way, by far, of angling for the common Lake Trout
is with a stout drop-line and a Cod-hook baited with a piece of salt
pork, or the belly of a Yellow Pearch or Brook Trout let down into
ten or fifteen fathom water. The fish bites, gorges his bait, for which
you may allow him a few seconds' time, after which ho is hauled in by
main force. He is very indifferent eating, but perhaps the best way
of preparing him when quite fresh out of water, is to crimp him to the
bono after stunnning him with a heavy blow on the head, wrap him up
in a cover of thick greased paper, and roast him without removing the

LAKE TROUT FISH I NO.

275

entrails, which will come away at a touch when he \s cooked, under

'';re';:el:: M^^^^^^^ Sal.on, or Namaycush, and the Masa.a-
cush or Arctic Charr, the latter a delicious and very voracious fish, are
both' taken in the same manner, in very deep water, in the summer,
and through holes cut in the ice in the dead of winter. The favonte
bait for both these fishes, is the belly of the yellow or gray sucking
Carp, or a piece of the raw heart or liver of a deer.

The Mackinaw fish is, however, a far bolder fish than any of his
race, and occasionally follows any shining bait or squid up to the very
surflce of the water, if it is sunk by means of a weight, and then
trolled sharply upward and onward to the surface. A piece of bright
tin, with a rag of scarlet cloth attached to it, is, I am informed, found
to bo very successful and killing in the hands of the Indians. If thi
be the ca.e, of which I am well assured, there can be little or no doubt
that the deadly spoon, as it is called, an implement shaped precisely
like the bowl of a table spoon, of bright metal, silvor-washed within,
and brazed without, attached by a swivel at the lower extremity to a
stout tiiplo hook, and at the upper to a piece of strong gimp-which is
so murderously destructive to the Black Bass of the St. Lawrence and
the Mascalonge-would be found no less effective with the great Lake
Trout ; nor if any one should think it worth the while, would any harm
be thought of his applying any invention, however slaughtering and
poacher-like, to so base and caitiff a fish as the Lake Salmon

Of Back's Grayling it is almost unnecessary here to speak, so tar
north are his customary haunts, and so very difficult and expensive is
it to reach the districts in which only he exists. This is the more to
be regretted for that he is one of the finest, if not the very finest, of all
the sporting fishes of America. He is the boldest of ^;ters at a fly
taking all those flies which are most preferred by the Brook Ti out
Laplnc. many times out of the water in his efforts to extricate himself
from the hook, nor ever succumbing to his captor's will without a des-
perate resistance and a severe conflict. His flesh is no less delicious,
and his excellence at the board in no wise inferior to his spirit, or the

beauty of his coloring.

Of the Attihawmeg or White-Fish of the great lakes, of the Otsego
Bass, or as I should desire to have it hereafter called, the Otsego La-

I'S '-I'M

.♦. 1

Kr "-"

, - ^ ^ - .. Ml *^'A

276

AMERICAN FISHES.

varet, and of the little Smelt, which are all members of this same
noble family, it needs not to make farther mention. They all have
been occasionally taken with the fly, and will all undoubtedly be often-
times again so captured, but the certainty of their rising is by no
means sufficient to warrant the fisherman in wasting much time in

their pursuit.

I may here, before finishing this head of my subject, observe that in
fact there is scarcely any fish which will not, apparently from some
whim or other, take the fly on the surface. I have myself so caught
the Striped Bass, the Shad, the Herring and the Northern Pickerel
with the Salmon-fly. All the family of the small CyfrinUa, as the
Roach, Dace, Bream and Chub, will at times bite freely. In the Black
River a species of this family rises very freely, and gives good sport.
It is there called the Chub, and is, I believe, identical with another of
the same division, known as the Wind-Fish in some of the streams of
Duchess County, in the State of New York ; and a thoroughly good
fisherman of the city informed me yesterday that he had even caught
Suckers with a Trout-fly, a fact, which but for the very great respec-
tability of the source whence I derived the information, I should hardly
have been inclined to credit.

None of these unimportant little fish, however, give sport enough,
or are sufficiently good on the table, to make them worthy the pursuit
of others than boys, snobs, and the ladies, who must pardon me for
the company into which I have introduced them, certainly not accord-
ing to their merits, on my estimation of them.

Note to Revised Edition.— See Supplement, article Lake Trout, for some altered
views and farther instructions in regard to the tuclile and mode of taliing tliis fish.
I am more than ever satisfied that there are two distinct Lake Trouts in the Now
England and New York waters, apart from the Namaycush or Mackinaw Trout,
and the Siskawitz.

SALMON TROUT FI8HINQ

277

SALMON TROUT FISHING.

There is but one region on this continent in which this admirable
sport can be enjoyed at all ; for, singular to say, the fish is found only
ID those rivers of New Brunswick which flow eastwardly mto the Gulf
of St. Lawrence, and the Bays of Gaspe and Chaleurs.

As if to mak3 amends, however, for the narrow limits of their geo-
graphical range, they absolutely swarm, during their season, in all the
rivers which thoy frequent, traversing the sea bays in enormous schuUs,
and running up all the rivers to the head of tide water, beyon^ which
they do not ascend on those coasts. Why this should be the case it is not
easy to conjecture, since it would appear to indicate a variation in the
species from one of the normal habits of the race— that, I mean, which
dictates to the parent fish that they must run up into the aSrated waters
of pure fresh rivers, in order to deposit their ova.

It may be, though I am not prepared to state that it is, the fact, that
the ascent of all these rivers beyond a certain point is rendered im-
possible to the fish, by long rapids, or impassable cataracts, and that,
perceiving the impossibility of arriving at the place of their proper
and natunal destination, the fish themselves cease to attempt it, and
merely run up from the brackish into the fresh water, in order to enjoy
those alternations of temperature and food, in which all this family
would appear especially to rejoice.

In the Scottish and English waters, the Salmon Trout, like the true
Salmon, ascend quite to the head waters of the streams which they
frequent, and deposit their ova precisely in the same manner as the
other of their congeners. Here, it is evident, from Mr. Perley's re-
ports to the British Parliament on the Fisheries of the Province, that
they do nothing of the kind.

In the St. Lawrence, I have never heard of their being taken above
Montreal, and rarely above Quebec, although there is no obstruction of

.kit!

Ifk,

■it

Jmmm.ft,/^ irf t4>'A>A r

278

AMERICAN FISHES.

any sort lo hinder their running quite up to the mouth of Niagara, as
is the case with the true Salmon.

. One thing, however, it may be observed in this connexion, is very
evident-that wo know, comparatively speaking, almost nothing of the

nature of fishes' instincts. _ , +;.„

That they possess exceedingly tenacious memories, I cannot in the

least doubt ; and I have more almost than strong suspicion that these

memories became hereditary, and are so transmitted from generation

*' irnrother way can we account for that extraordinary instinct
which leads back the young bird to the nest in which it was hatched
the grilse to the river in which it had its birth-sinee the young bird
are deserted by their parents at a period long anteceden to their
return from their migration, and the fish never have the protection of

their nrocenitors. , _, ,

Nor in any oth»r way can « explain the fact that the true Salmon
never enter the Niagara River, although they run '^-^'-j'^^
„,outh ; even if we admit that its waters are enfre ly unBtted for the
purpos s of the fish, and that it eontains no shoals smted for spawnrng-
grounds; for otherwise, we should cxpoet that every md>v,d«al fish
'would vi^it it at least onec, in order to get a taste of .ts qual, y and
then finding it unsuitahle, desert it ; whereas ,t ,s not on re ord that
any fish has ever heen taken of this spceies withm Us ^l?"- --

It may be that this wonderful power is an espee.al gift of Prov.
denee, preventing the fish from wasting too mueh time m seekmg out
a hau;! and so losing the season for the propagat,on of .^ spec », by
conduetW it truly, as the needle to the magnetre pole, to the stream

" tt^Z^:':^ it may, certain it is that ^n all the rivers which
fiow el^waX f.o... the Provinces into the Northern AtlanUc w.*
!vTry fiood-tide a horde of these beautiM fishes ™n »P ""f *;?
trlke the junction of the salt and fresh water, usually at the foot of a
f^ or rap d, and there remain disporting themselves m the hr.ght
Eddies, Ind throwing themselves quite out of their natwe element,

in pursuit of their scaly prey. c.„,tl,h or

in these places they will take very greeddy any of the Scott sh or

Irish gaudy lake-flics, leaping out of the water to take and se,.e them,

SALMON TROUT FISHING.

279

and risin- ho voraciously and rapidly, that it is found impossible to fish
with above one, or at the most, two flies; as it is not at all an unusual
thing, if fishing with three, to hook at the same moment three several

fisliGS

IntheObscach^, several years since, Mr. Perley, who visited those
Witters in his official capacity, accompanied by Capt. Egerton, of H.
M 43d Light Infantry, killed three hundred of these fine fish at the
junction of the fresh and salt water, at the foot of a long glancing
rapid, in a single tide ; and the former gentleman writes me word, that
one morning last season he killed, in an hour or two, eight fish, which

weighed forty pounds. ^^ i e 41.

This must be regarded, however, as an unusual run of luck ; tor the
average size of the Salmon Trout does not appear to exceed four
pounds, although they are taken up to S3ven and eight.

In the fresh water, within the rivers, they arc taken exactly as the
Salmon, or Brook Trout, with a double or single-handed rod indifi-e-
rently, and with any of the baits or flics which are killing to the others
of the ftimily ; but best of all, with a scarlet Ibis fly, with a gold tinsel
body,.which it prefers even in bright water, to the best peacock herl
and gay feather lake-flies. Although a fine game fish, a strong fighter,
and hard dier, the Salmon Trout often comes in for a share of the
Salmon fisher's maledictions, jumping incessantly at the deceits in-
tended to fascinate a larger and more potent victor, and in fact, for
insisting on being taken in lieu of its great congener.

In the sea bays, (luite out of sight of land, while roving along the
coasts, in search probably of its favorite estuary, the Salmon Trout is
caught nearly as we catch Mackerel or Blue Fish, by trolling with the
Ibis^fly, above described, at the end of thirty or forty yards of line,
from the stern of a sailing-boat, under all canvass, in a stiff Mackerel

breeze.

For this sport it is necessary to use a reel, with not less than a hun-
dred yards of line-as the largest fish are taken by this method, and
make a very violent resistance before they can be brought home.

The fly is kept skipping from wave to wave, as the boat laveers, or
beats to windward, and the fish throwing itself out of the sea to secure
it with its beautiful bright sides flashing like virgin silver in the sun
light, and^when struck, constantly dashing away with the whole of th«

. ' y

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jJL1Aj^l£.^

280

AMERICAN FISHES.

line from the whizzing reel, and giving a long run down wind, there
is perhaps no sport in existence more full of pleasant excitement and

adventure. . .^ i. * 4.«x

Nor when taken is the prisoner unworthy of the pams it has cost to
kill him ; for although smaller, he is in all other respects nearly of
equal excellence with the true Salmon, and occupies a place second to
liim alone, with the judicious epicure.

Right well would it repay some of our gallant yachters, to turn the
heads of their tight crafts easterly, and bear away, as the old song has
it, with a wet sheet and a flowing sail, for the rock-bound shores of
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, for once there, right hospitable
would they find their welcome, and their sport right royal.

PICKEREL FISHING.

fl81

PICKEREL FISHING.

III

From the gigantic Mascalonge and its nearly equal congener, the
great Northern Pickerel, to the small barred variety, which is found
only in the waters of Long Island, the whole of this fierce and vora-
cious family affords great sport to the fresh-water angler ; and where
the Trout and Salmon do not obtain, they are considered as the kings
of the waters. There are many modes of fishing for thorn, and the baits
which they will take are almost innumerable, comprehending in their
range almost the whole animal creation, fish, flesh, fowl and reptile.

When of great size they are excessively destructive— not to other
fish only, of which they are the tyrants, but to frogs, water-rats, and
even the young of wild-fowl.

They are taken either with trimmers, that is to say, small floating
buoys with a rude reel attached, and a dependent live bait, with long
set-lines ; or again, by roving with the live, or trolling with the dead
bait. In the former mode, it is the better way to use two moderate-
sized hooks, one passed through the lip, and the other through the dor-
sal fin of the bait, which should be sunk about two feet below the sur-
face, with a large float on the line, and suffered to swim about at his

pleasure.

By this method, however, large Pearch are often taken instead of
the proper fish, and trolling with the gorge-hook, or fishing with the
snap-hook is by far better sport— especially the former— more legiti-
mate, more exciting, and last, not least, more killing.

Of these methods, Mr. Hofland, in his British Angler's Manual,
thus discourses— and although he is speaking of the English Pike,
Esox Lucius, not of the Mascalonga or Pickerel, as the fishes are of
the same family, and the modes to be pursued in capturing them in all
respects identical, I have not hesitated to extract his able and well-
written description ; I must premise, however, that where he speaks
19

■J; ; ! :

lira

.' '-1

jTilT ^ ^ ^ - -' fif ^ '* •^ I

! i

! I I

282

AMERICAN FISHES.

, n ^ nn for bait wc must substitute the Roach, the
of Dace,Bleak or Gudgeon f b.t we ^^^ ^^^^ .^ ^^^._

Minnow, th. small Bream the New i ^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^

iedly the b >st aud most kiUmg of a., the youu, y,

Brook Trout. ♦^nllmfr with the gorge-hook,

Like Mr. Holland, I Mmtoly Pf « 'J"""/^^*, J,, ^,uh the

common snap, or with what is ftere oa

Xh tat I «gard as a groat -d^f^-;-;';™'';^,^ ^r. Hofland.
The rod for Piko-troUing U well do»er,bed "^ ,, ;,_ ;„

but one of Conroy, best general ;";P; ^ '^^^ „,„a for Bas.
f.ct, .be best for ovorytbing e.eep «r« ; ' "^..^ .„p_.Ul be
or Weak-FUh thongb with rail cr a s .on ^^ ^,„

found all-suffioient. In n,, op.mon a large el k reel, ^,^^

for Salmon, and a stout sdken Ime of " 1'"*;'^ / y^j^^^ dis-

bo found preferable to the contrivances of ^hieh Mr.

courses. ^ ^„„,4 i,„ got against the

grasping the butt about a y,.d a^ove it-*-"^^ „„, „.„„,,„

The body should *- "J^j'^lj position; the rod, as
round again, with a qa.ck jerk, to .ts or P ^.^^

aeseribod before, will follow the sarje mot™, and darv^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^

g,eat velocity and -°.X' ^^ t VoP 'he bait upo" *« •«*- »>"
checkins its motion gently, so as lo uiup

ttwiiout creating a ripple, certainly -*-'-/ tliver a dead

^ Uttle practice '"'^J* t;: ' C ^^ - twenty-five

ril":;; St SeUi,rre:::r. that the longer his easts, the

^«r"i:xr:et:--u,dbedra^^^^^^^^

home, the loft hand constantly g.vmg out and -™ 8

ti^X .1.1™ r-rrr ..^ i-, -

PICKEHEI. FISHING.

283

be surpassed ; and paying due attention to the above and givmg heed
to his Ltmctions, the young angler will hardly fad of sport m any of
the inland lakes or rivers of this country fronx Maine to Lake Supo-
rior and La Belle Riviere, as the French designate the Ohio, and from
the Atlantic coasts to the Arctic Circle. , u

<' I must here inform the novice in trolling, that Uttle sport can be
exp>5cted without a tolerably clear water.

'' Nobbs, the father of the art of trolling, speaks of April and
May as the best months; but, with due deference to so great an
authority, 1 should say September, October, and November, are the
best moMhs, as the fish are then in prime season, and are worth
taking whereas in April and May they have not recovered from
spawning, and although they may feed freely, they wilUe lank and

thin, and in bad condition. „ „ „ i. * „♦

"Early in March the Pike are often taken full of spawn, bu at

tbis season they will seldom gorge the f ^' f ;-. ^^^^^^/^^X
by the snap. In the autumn, rivers and ponds begin to los their
weeds, which, in spring and summer, are so troublesome to the troller,
Zl the fish then take to the deep holes, and their haunts are more
easilv found. The troller cannot be too early or too late at us sport,
for during the middle of the day the fish seldom feed, unless it be
cloudy and the breeze fresh. _

" The best baits for Jack and Pike are Roach, Dace, Bleak Gud-
geon. Minnow, small Chub, and Trout, or the Skegger or Brandlmg ;
when none of these can be procured, a small Perch, by cutting away
The back fin, may be used. Indeed, in the lakes of Derwentwater and
Bassenthwail, and various places where other fish are scarce, and th
small Bass or Perch plentiful, it is the bait in genera use. It is of
he utmost consequence that the baits should be perfectly fresh and
sweet ; although a Pike might run at a stale bait, he will rarely pouch
it, even at the snap : your baits cannot be too bright or fresh.

" Many writers have recommended birds, mice, frogs, &c., as bait
but where small fish can be procured, no other will be wanted : of all

the baits mentioned, I prefer a -^^-^^^^f ,^tr''kTtLX
cially for the gorge-hook, as the sweetness of the fish makes the Pike

more eager to pouch it.

An
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284

AMERICAN FISHES.

« n U.V Jw and when tho water is not very clear, I should
polLd, aad carefully waAod before you bait with them.

" TROLLING TACKLE.

.. The rod should be of strong bamboo cane, and from ten to t^Iv.
lBeroQ»uo whalebone or hickory; the

r-.'=» s .■..t'.-r "'- ..... «.-*'■ - -

a very L'ood sort of line for this purpose, manufactu cd by ivi ,

^ n nl.oe Hackney Some troUers prefer a rod twenty feet long,
Duncan-place, HacKnty. o ^^^^^^^^ ^^

rj:;:::i:r:h=:r"r:rw: ::.": ^^ -> --

;X you-r bait fall, .'^^^^ -^ ^Z~ J^^
r ir td—a:lX:;1he r., .oovcd for the rocep-

tion of the line. rnni(^Hv when the cast ia

"'These reels turn round with great rapia.ty when i
„.e:iettlr,.out^suae^t^;of.n.^

by turning them With the fore hne y ^ ^^,^ ^^^^^^

l!^;::- X^trnl: », .^dm, up, and the ,.0

"T-:^llar . t. U usedV.^^

„ there called a pirn Uj 11 eq F .__ ^^^^^^ ^^^_^^^^

r:rr;:i?dir si:^.- p;efer «... .1**0

kind of fishing I shall first describe.

PICKEREL FISHING.

THE OOROE-nOOK

286

" Is cither a double or single hook, fixed on twisted brass wire, and
loaded on the shank with lead, to which is attached a piece of gimp,
eight or ten inches long, at the end of which is a small loop. To
b^it this hook you must have a brass needle, about seven iuchos long ;
put the loop of the gimp on the eye, or small curve, of the needle ;
then put the point of the needle in at the mouth of the fish, and
brin^ it out at his tail ; bring the gimp and wire along with it, the
lead'being fixed in the belly of the bait-fish, and the hook or hooks
lying close to the outside of his mouth ; then turn the points of the
hooks towards his eyes, if a double hook, but if a single one, directly
in a line with his belly ; next tie the fish's tail to the arming wire
very neatly, with strong thread. To the line on your reel you must
attach a gimp-trace, twenty-four inches long, having a swivel at each
end, and one in the middle. The spring swivel, at the end of your
line' is to be hooked on the loop of your baited trace, and you are

ready for sport.

" When you are thus prepared, drop in your bait lightly before you,
then cast it on each side, and let the third throw be across the river,
or as far as you can reach— still letting the bait fall lightly on the
water. In each case let your bait fall nearly to the bottom ; then
draw it up gently towards you, and again let it sink and rise till you
draw it out of the water for another cast.

" I have before named the favorite haunts of the Pike, but when
you arc in a good water you should carefully fish every part of it, for
you may often have a run where you least expect it :— weeds are a
great annoyance to the troller, and he will often bruise his bait, and
injure his tackle, unless he is very cautious. At every new cast be
careful to examine the bait, and clear it from leaves and weeds, as the
Pike is very dainty, and will not touch a soiled bait.

" The farther you throw your bait, if the water be broad— provided
always that it falls lightly— the greater your chance of success, so
that you are not intorrupted by weeds, roots of trees, &c. ; and if the
water should be very weedy, you will be compelled to drop your bait
into deep cbar openings.

" When you feel a run, let your line be perfectly free, and allow

i I
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286

AMKUICAN FISHES.

the fish to make for his haunt witliout chock ; and whiMi ho stops give
out a little slack lino. By your watch, give him ton minutes to pouch
the bait before you strike, which you may then do, by first g-nitly
drawing in your slack line, and then striking gently; but should your
fish move soon after ho has been to his haunt, give him line, and ho
will stop a^ain ; but after this, if ho move a second time before tho
ten minutes are expired, strike, and you will niost likely secure him ;
but if ho has only been playing with the bait, you will have lost him.
" When I have boon so served once or twice, I generally resort to

my snap-tackle.

" If you have fairly hooked your fish, ho cannot easily break away,
and as your tacklo is strong, unless ho is very largo, you need not
give out much line, but hold him fast, and clear of the weeds ; giving
him but a short struggle for his life. The gaflf is better than a net for
landing a large Pike, for he is dangerous to handle, and his bito is

much to be dreaded.

" When you are without cither gaff or landing-net, seize the fi.sh by
putting your finger and thumb into his eyes. Half a dozen gorge-
hooks may bo carried in a tin box, with a little bran, ready baited,
which will generally serve for a morning's sport.

"angling at the snap.

« I shall first describe the old fashioned mode, although it is now

rarely practised. ,

" The spring-snap was formerly much in use, and may be purchased
at any of the tackle shops. It consists of three hooks, the upper one
small, and the two lower hooks large. The spring confines the lower
hooks, but the spring gives way, and the hooks spread out when the
fish is struck, and hold him securely.

" It is baited by introducing the point of the small hook under the
skin of the bait, on the side, and bringing it out at the back fin. Mr
Salter gives the following directions for the double hook-snap, which
may be used either with a dead or live bait :

" 'This snap-hook is a double -hook, or two single hooks. No. 6,
tied back to back, on gimp ; to bait this snap, use the baiting- needle
havine first placed the loop of the gimp to which the hooks are tied

PICKKRKI, FtSIIINO.

287

in tho oyo of tho nocdlo. l-^ntor the point of tho noodlo just above
tlui gills of tho fnh, n-ar tho hack, avoiding to picroo tho flnsh a«
much as possible, as it is only intended that tho gin»p should lio just
behind tho skin. Brin;,' tho noodle and tho loop of tho gimp out near
tho tail, an.l draw till tho hooks lio oloso to tho part your noodlo
entered, and nro Homowhat hi.l by tho gills. Tho bait will live a long
time after being thus hookod, and may be uscmI in fishing with a float,
by putting three swan shots on tlr^ gimp to keep it down :— alway.^
prefer a Gudgeon for this huitii.g. I oall this a snap, bocauso, wh -n
fishing this way for Jack, I strike in.modiately I porcoivo a run, and
have met groat buccoss this way of snap-fisliing. This snap may b.^
baited with dead fish, and trolled with.'

« Although I have quoted this mode of keeping a bait * a long time
alivo on the hook,' I by no means recommend tho practice to my
young brothers of the angle, for I have long confined myself to tin
use of tho dead bait ; and with tho gorge-liook, and the snap used in
the manner I am about to describe, tho Piko-fisher will never waufc
sport in a well-stored water.

" I have before said, that by spinning tho Minnow with tho samo
kind of tackle as that used in spinning the Bleak for Thames Trout,
I have taken many Jack, Pearch, and Trout ; but I have also fre-
quently lost my tackle, by tho gut being bitten through by the sharp
teeth of tho Pike. To remedy this evil, gimp may be employed
instead of gut; indeed, the snap-taeklo now generally sold at the
shops is of this description, but with larger hooks than I use, and

coarser gimp.

" The angler must now make his casts in the manner recommended
in trolling with tho gorge-hook, letting the bait partly sink, and then
drawing H towards him by gentle touches, by which means the bait
will sphi freely, and look bright and glittering in the water. When
you feel or see a bite, let the fish turn, and then strike gently, but
still with sufficient quickness and force to make your hooks hold ; and
now, with patience and perseverance added to those instructions, a
complete disregard of cold and wind, and a determination never to
lose his temper at trifling disappointments, the tyro may soon becomo

The best waters for Pickerel of all kinds are deep, slow, sullen,

.;. 1

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f,'-'! V

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2S8

AMERICAN FISHLS.

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shadowy streams, with dark, creeping waters, and shores fringed with
Pickerel-weed, water-lilies, and marsh grass ; and the best places m
which to cast for them are the edges and openings of the floa mg
weed-patches, under the cover of which they are wont to lie expecting

^^ Whe7the fish has taken the bait, the great thing is to give him
time enough to gorge it, and not to mar all by -P^^-^^ "j
striking before it is time. Once hooked, a steady hand, and cool
temper" will soon ensure his capture ; for though ho is strong and
fierce, his boldness and incautious way of biting permits the use of
vcy strong tackle ; and though he fights hard for a while, he has nei-
ther the arrowy rush nor the innumerable artful resources of the true

^""'prkerel fishing with trimmers on large lakes, a. described under
the head of Eel fishing, is by no means bad sport ; and if seve-
ral large fish chance, as is very often the case, to be hooked at once,
the sinking and reappearance of the gaily-paint.^ buoys, and their
rapid motion through the water as the terrified fish rush away wth
them, offer an amusing spectacle, while the rapid chase with swiftly-
rowed boats is full of gay excitement. ^ , . t, j ,i„

For this sport all the limpid ponds and lakelets of this abundantly-
watered land are most admirably adapted, from the ^f^^^'^^f^V'l
New England through all the Eastern States to the fine inland k.s
Tf Northern PennsyWania. But to enjoy this sport, or that of trolling,
n perfection, the angler should visit the Great Lakes and the steams
of the great basin of St. Lawrence, and that stupendous river ts^f ,
in which, from the Thousand Islands, among which swarm both the
Masc loi- and the Great Northern Pickerel, up to the farthest

^butaries%f Lake Superior, he will find T'l\'t<>^ ^1^2^'^^
he may be of killing, which will not disappoint his wildest wishes.

In tl same manner as the Pike is the Pike-Pearch or Sandre, U-
ciLea^A..ricana, erroneously called the Ohio Salmon, and otho
Zurd provincial nicknames, which is a very fine and delicate fish, as
well as a very sporting one, to be taken. . ^ , , . ..-.^^

In the western waters he is the most abundant and his favorite
haunts are the tails of mill-races and whirling eddies under shady
banki*

riCKEREL FISHING.

2By

Him Bball you surely take by troUing with the Shiner or bottom-
fishing with the fresh -water Cray- Fish ; nor will you despise him
taken and smoking on your board. ,, „ t. u

The Black Bass and the Rock Bass, and the large Yellow Pearch
may also be taken by trolling ; but there are for these fish other and
more appropriate methods, of which I shaU treat under their proper
heads

\ 1 r "

:c;5^^<#^^

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CllW fl r . * M lA» '<^ »*» I

'2Q0

AMERICAN FISHES.

PEARCH FISHING.

In every pond and river of America is this fish found, and none of
the smaller and less vigorous biters are greater favorites with the

^°There is, in my opinion, but one distinct species of the Yellow
Pearch in Ameiica, although there are several strongly-marked but
I think casual varieties. In the salt-water bays, however, and the
estuaries of tide rivers, there are two small and distinct species of the
Bass, the little White Bass, Lahrax Pallidus, and the i^^^dy Bass,
Labrax Ricfics, both of which are constantly confounded with the
Pearch, to which they bear a strong resemblance, being members of
one and the same family, and are called by the New York fishermen
Sea Pearch, White Pearch, and Salt-water Pearch.

These brave and hardy little fish run from a few ounces up to a
quarter, and occasionally half a pound weight, which n,ay be considered
their maximum. They swim in largo shoals, near the sur ace of the
water, and are a most delicious fish. The Yellow Pearch is found
occasionally in company with thorn, although he rather affects fresher
water, and I have thought that when taken in tide streams he wears a
greener garb than his ordinary dress. ^

The Minnow, the red worm, and at times small Shnmp will take all
these varieties in the salt water ; and from the very earliest dawn of
Bprinc to the setting in of severe cold weather, it is rare but the angler
can fi°nd some sport with these .quick and lively biters

In almost every lakelet and pond from the sea-board to Lake Huron,
the Pearch abounds, swimmin,, in company with the MhPonoUs
Vulgaris, ^nd the New York Shiner, Stilbe Chrysokacas ' they run
front half a pound up to three, four, and occasionally even five pounds

""''"^ratoga Lake, the Greenwood Lake, in Orange County, New York,

:i\\m

PEARCH FISHING.

391

Hopatkong, in Suescx County, New Jersey, Seneca Lake, and the
Northern tkos, Huron more especially, contain these fish of the
U;:est size, and in the greatest perfection, but every where they may

bo cmAt almost at any time. „ , ,. „;,i, «

ir„ond-a*ia", tUo oommoa ground-worm, on a Aotted Ime m& a
on Xt ^ P^Aaps tho commonest bait ; in America pastes are bn
£ LLs U, nor in trntb have , any great ^^^^^^^^^^
they are recommended by many good anglers Of late yea, s how
Ter, I thini they ha,e lost repute. In the days of old Isaac they
were esteemed almost sovereign. ■

The Minnow, Shiner, or small Trout is, in thU country, by all odds,

.W most takinAait. It should be affixed to the line by one or two

man h ot Uher through the lip or under the dorsal fin as hghtly

TpLmc, and being sunk with a shotted gut to withm a foot or so

of the bottom, should be allowed to swim about at h>s own wdU

1 do not approve of the frog for Pearch fishmg, although when n
th humor they will lake this, or indeed almost any 6^^ or rep,^
Ta^t The following is Holland's advice as to the mode of fishmg for
h m and although the English and American speoes are «>s met
to habits are identical, and the rules laid down below cannot bo

'ThltuTaTrod will do well for taking Pearch, but a heavy one Is
n„t";uired. A reel and silk or grass-line with a J»~";-
gimp, if Pike haunt the same waters, as is apt to be the ease, will
produce the desired effect.

' The same tackle and mode of fishing -^l/^P^-^. V^ut'and
Pickerel, the Pike Pearch, the Rock Bass, and even the Tiout and
H s h fore well, in Pearch fishing, always to be provided with the
ta kltnoc sary t secure larger fish than those which you actuaUy
exptt to take,'and to be prepared and on the look-out that you bo

^:Zt:^^ to lie by tl. side of the -am, and^d.
deep banks, or near beds of the water-lily, the eddies at mill-taUs,

d^u:bli;g bays, near the old piles of -den «ges . old kemp
sheeting ; the best baits for a Perch are, the Mmnow, the Gudgeon,
the red worm, and the Brandling. ^, ^ , , ^.v tl.P back

" A Minnow may bo used by fixing a No 9 hook undei the back

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292

AMERICAN FISHKS.

Ki '(

fin, or by passing it through his lips, with a cork-float, carrying shot
according to the depth of the water. You should fish within a few
inches of°the bottom, and when a fish bites, a little time should be
given before you strike, as the Pearch is tender-mouthed, and, if not
well hooked, is apt to break his hold. The paternoster is much used
for Minnow fishing ; it may be had at all the tackle shops ; it is sun.;
by a small bullet, and has three hooks at different distances, which
may be baited in the manner above described ; but my favorite mode
of Pearch fishing is, by spinning the dead Minnow, which gives me a
chance, at the same time, of taking Jack and Trout.

« The Gudgeon or the Bleak may of course be used m the same
manner when large Pearch are expected. ^ , ,

" In worm-fishing, the Brandling and the red worm are the best ; a
No 8 or 9 hook may be employed, and the float must be suitable for
the water. Some anglers prefer roving for Pearch in the following

manner : , - , j r

« Use a 1-eel on your rod, and have bottom-tackle of three yards of
gut, with a hook No. 8 or 9, with one or two shot-corns to sink the
bait which should be one or two well-scoured red worms, and you
must then cast your line across the stream, letting it sink, and drawing
it towards you alternately, till you feel a bite, then allow a few seconds
before you strike. You may also drop this bait into still, deep holes,
as in Trout-fishing ; indeed, a practical angler-especially an old
Trout-fisher-will prefer this mode of worm-fishing to the use of the

float." , .J u *

After these apposite instructions there is little more to be said ; but
I cannot refrain from quoting a few lines in relation to the habits of
the Yellow Pearch in the West, from the pen of an admirable writer,
» • • * ♦, who has contributed very largely to our stock of in-
formation concerning the fishes of the great lakes and Western rivera
of New York, by his admirable articles formerly published m the
Buffalo Commercial Advertiser. I shall have occasion to quote from
him a-ain, in relation to the Black Bass, the Oswego Bass, and the
Lake °Sheep's.Head, concerning which he has furnished us with tue
best information that wo possess :

" In the spring, aa soon as the ice has left the Btrearas, the Pearch
begins running up our creeks to spawn. IL^ is then caught in them

I'EARCH FISHING.

293

m great plenty. About the middle of May, however, he seems to
prefer the Niagara's clear current, and almost entirely deserts the
Tonawanda, and other amber waters. You then find him in the eddi.s,
on the edge of swift ripples, and often in the swift waters, watchmg
for the minnow. As the water-weeds increase in height, he ensconces
himself among them, and, in mid-summer, comes out to seek his prey
only in the morning and towards night. He seems to delight espe-
cuVy in a grassy bottom ; and when the black frost has cut down the
tall water-weeds, and the more delicate herbage that never attams the
surface is withered, he disappears until spring, probably secludmg
himself in the depths of the river.

" The back fin of the Poarch is large, and armed with strong spmes,
He is bold and ravenous. He will not give way to the Pike or to the
Black Bass ; and though he may sometimes b; oaten by them, his com-
rades will retaliate upon tne young of his destroyers.

" The proper bait for the Pearch is tho Minnow. He will take that
all seasons. In mid-summer, however, he prefers the worm, at whicn
he generally bites freely. Uh is often taken with the grub, or with
small pieces of fish of any kind."

1 may here observe that the Pearch, like his congeners, the various
tribes of Bass, will occasionally take the fly, though not so ba\dly or
freely as to justify its use largely.

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AMERICAN FISHES.

Ill HI

111 '■'■]

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CARP FISHING.

This, I confess, I regard as very miserable sport, for though tne
fish is shy and wary, the difficulty in taking him arises only from his
timidity and unwillingness to bite, and he is as lazy when hooked as he

is slow to bite. . ,

His proper haunts are deep, stagnant, slow-flowmg streams, or ponds
with nmddy bottoms ; and he lies under weeds, and among the stems
and flat leaves of water-lilies, flags, and marsh-grasses. ^

Not indigenous to this country, he has been naturalized m the
waters of the Hudson, where he is, for the present, protected by
severe legislative enactments. , • „

He will doubtless, ere long, become very plentiful ; and as he is a
rich fish when cooked sccundv^m artem, and by many esteemed a great
delicacy, he is likely enough to become a favorite with the angler^^

Hofland thus describes the method of baiting the ground and fishing
for Carp in England, and his directions are the best 1 have seen; they
raay by followed with implicit confidence : '.,.,«

" In rivers, the Carp prefer those parts where the current is not too
strong, and where the bottom is marly, or muddy ; and in lakes or
ponds are to be found near beds of water-lilies, and other aquatic
plants. Old Carp are very crafty and wary, and wdl no easily be
Lken by the angler ; but young ones, when a pond is well stocked,
mav be easily taken in great quantities.

'^Notwithstanding these instances of familiarity, it is by no means
easy to make a large Carp familiar with your bait: to do this, the
Litest nicety and caution must be observed ; but if the young ang er,
wh" has been'often foiled in his attempts, will patiently and implicitly
follow my instructions, he will become a match for this cunning fish^
« Use a strong rod with running-tackle, and have a bottom of
three yards of fineish gut, and a hook No. 9 or 10 ; use a very light

CARP FISHING.

295

qum-float, that will carry two small shot, and bait with a well-scoured

red worm.

" Now plumb the depth with the greatest nicety, and let your bait
just touch, or all but touch, the bottom ; but you are not yet pre-
pared ; for a forked stick must be fixed into the bank, on which you
must let your rod rest, so that the float will fall over the exact spot
you have plumbed. Now throw in a sufficient quantity of ground-
bait, of bread and brand worked into a paste, and made into little
balls ; or, in want of these, throw in the garbage of chickens or ducks ;
and all this is to be done on the evening of the day before you intend

to fish.

" The next morning, if in summer, be at the pond-side where you
have baited and plumbed your depth, by four o'clock at least, and,
taking your rod and line, which is already fixed to the exact depth,
bait with a small, bright, red worm ; then approach the water cau-
tiously, keeping out of sight as much as possible, and drop your bait
exactly over the spot you plumbed over night ; then rest part of your
rod on the forked stick, and the bottom of ic on the ground.

" You must now retire a few paces, keeping entu-ely out of sight,
but still near enough to observe your float ; when you perceive a bite,
give a little time ; indeed, it is better to wait till you see the float
begin to move off, before you strike, which you may then do smartly ;
and, as the Carp is a leather-mouthed ilsh, if you manage him well,
there is no fear of losing him, unless the pond is very weedy. Be
careful to have your line free, that, if a large fish, he may run out
some of your line before you attempt to turn him ; as he is a very
strong fish, and your tackle rather light, you must give him careful
play before you land him.

" The extreme shyness of the large Carp make all this somewhat
tedious process necessary to ensure success ; but 1 can safely assert,
that I scarcely ever took this trouble in vain. Various baits are
recommended for Carp— such as green peas, parboiled, pastes of all
descriptions, gentles, caterpillars, &c. ; but I have found the red worm
the best, and next to this, the gentle, and plain bread-paste. Those
who prefer a sweet paste may dip the bread in honey. Paste and
gentle will answer better in autumn than spring. April and May are,
in my opinion, the best months for Carp fishing ; and very early in

ITS

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296

AMEKiCAN FISHES.

Hli

the morning, or lato in the evening, is tho best time for pursuing yom

'^ The above mode of baiting bottom grounds, and of fishing with the
worm, in all its particulars, may bo pursued with perfoet success m
all ponds and slow-running streams, for all the many species of the
Carp family, which are, for the most part, the least carmvorous of
fishes, and consequently the most difficult to allure, as the Bream,
Roach, Dace, Chub, and Shiner, as they are provmcially termed,
though by no means identical with the European fishes of the same
nam^s. The Suckers, Cata^to^xi, a sub-genus of the same family,
will hardly take any bait whatsoever.

While fishing, as above described, both small river Pearch and Eels
of all sizes are likely to be hooked, as the baited bottom-ground allures
all those species which seek their feed at the bottom to its vicmity

STRIPED BASS FISHING.

297

STRIPED BASS FISHING.

With the sole exception of Salmon fishing, this is the finest of tne
seaboard varieties of piscatorial sport. The Striped Bass is the bold-
est, bravest, strongest, and most active fish that visits the waters of
the midland States, and is, as I have before observed, to be surpassed

only by the Salmon.

Everywhere, from the capes of the Chesapeake to the St. Lawrence,
they run up the rivers to spawn it. the early spring, and shelter them-
selves in the shallow lagoons within the outer bars during the winter.

Everywhere they are fished for eagerly, and esteemed alike a prize
by the angler and the epicure.

In every manner they are fished for with success, and with almost

every bait.

The fly will take them brilliantly, and at the end of three hundred
yards of Salmon-line a twelve pound Bass will be found quite sufficient
to keep even the most skilful angler's hands as full as he can possibly

desire.

The fly to be used is any of the large Salmon-flies, the larger and
gaudier the better. 'None is more taking than an orange body with
poacock and blue-jay wings and black hackle legs ; but any of the
well-known Salmon flies will secure him, as will the scarlet-bodied fly
with scarlet-ibis and silver-pheasant wings which is so killing to the
Black Bass of the lakes.

With the fly, he is to be fished for with the double-handed rod, pre-
cisely as the Salmon ; and when hooked, though he has not all the
artifice and resource of that monarch of the deep, he is hardly inferior
to him in agility, strength, and vigor of resistance.

It is singular that more recourse is not had to this mode of taking
him, as in waters where the Salmon is not, there is no sport equal to it.

Those who try this method will not, I dare to assert, regret the
20

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298

AMERICAN FISHES.

trial; th.y muBt, ho«v=r, fish from a boat, as the "A'' «' *"
.troam, which Ba» frequent do not permit them to be eo.nmanded
from the shores, even with the double-handed rod.

Again, the Striped Bass may be caught either w.th the Sorgf-'""'*
and he iroUing tackle described under the head "/ /'"-f*'"";

with the spinning-fish and swivel-traces «™»-"<l»Vir'h N «
Salmon. Almost any small fi»h will answer for the bart, but the t^cw
York Shiner, the real Smelt, or the Atherme-«(«s Sand Sme t or
Spearlin"-cspecially the latter, will the most read.ly allure h„n
^hUmcthod of fishi'ng, second only to the use of t e fly ,s he mo.
exciting, as it requires finer tackle, and consequently eal , forth far
more °M1, than I ordinary modes of fishing for him at the botton.
For boat fishing, a strong ash or hickory, and lance-wood, rod, w.th
patent guides and the new agate funnel-top, wh.ch can be procured a.
Conroyt, and is one of the most perfect nuprovements of the day
■ with a SalmOB-reel and two hundred yards of silk or grass Imc, vnl b
found the best ; of course, for Salmon-fishing, the ha,r and sdk Imc
takes the precedence of all others. A rod of twelve or fo-'-" ' !
will suffice from a boat, but for bank or bridge fishmg one of about
eighteen feet is preferred by the best fishers.

Comparatively few persons troll for Bass as described abovxi ; for,
in fact, the great majority, even of our good fishermen are ,n some
It Dot-anders, and prefer taking monstrous giants of the water w. h
irlckt to the L greater excitement of skilfuHy and deUea. y
conquering a moderate-si.ed fish with the finest tackle, lie Stuped
bZ, it is said, is known to attain the weight of a hundred pounds -,
but ueh giants are rare, though up to forty or fifty pounds they are
no rarities. The largest fch are taken in deep, rapid fde-ways, such
as Hellgate or the Haerlcm river, by trolling from the stern of a row-
boat wil a strong hand-line and a large hook baited w th that h.deous
preine reptile, or insect rather, the real squid, or w.th the art.fioal
™Xf tin or pewter. A good deal of skill is required for th.s mode
of fishing, but yet more strength than skill, and it is a very weansomo

' mI more fatiguing is the exercise of squidding for them wiU. «.o
artificial bait in the ocean surfs of the outer beaches, m which the tod
of throwing out and dragging in the squid becomes a real labor

STRIPED UAS8 FIsniNO.

299

Neither of these methods, any more than taking them on sct-linea
baited with Spoarling or Tom-Cod, as is very successfully practised in
the Hudson, do I regard as legitimate or honest fishing ; and they are
resorted to rather by the professional fisherman than by the amateur

for sport. 1 c u

Nor can I say that I look with much sympathy on those who hsh
for them as is the usual practice at Macomb's dam. King's bridge, or
BclleviUe hridgo on the Passaic, and similar places, with floats
and sinkers and the bottom baits ; though I confess that the size and
vigor of the fish when hooked, render this the finest of all the kmds

of bait-fishing.

The rule is, to fish as near the bottom as possible, with a smker
light enough to move with the tide. The hook should be large, and
I believe the Kirby form is generally preferred to the Limerick. Some
anglers recommend the use of double, others of single gut; and some
fish with, others without the float ; both plans have their own advan-
tages, and probably there is little difference in reality between the

two. „ ,

In rivers frequented by Shad, the Shad-roe, either fresh, or preserv-
ed and potted, as described above in reference to Salmon, is the most
killing bait that can be used in the Spring-time, and is especially the
favorite bait of the Passaic anglers at the Belleville bridge and the
reefs near Acquackanonck I have no doubt of its success in the
upper Delaware so high as Milford, where the Bass, there called
Rock-Fish, is taken of rare excellence. In tide-ways it is obviously
useless, since the Shad never spawn in such places, and as animals in
a state of nature feed naturally, the Bass never looks for, nor will
take, such a bait, except in spots where it abounds naturally.

The Bass may be fished for with success from early in April, some-
times even in March, until lato in October and September. On his
first appearance, and up to the latter part of June, the shrimp is the
best bait ; and it should be used with a float, suspended at ten or eleven
inches distant from the bottom. From June, throughout the summer
the shedder crab attracts the Striped Bass rather than any other bait
A sliding sinker should be used in this instance, which rests on the
ground, "and allows the crab to move on the bottom. No float is re-
quired for this method.

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AMERICAN FISHKS

So soon 03 tho soaaon is so far advanced that tho shodder has re-
covered his scaly panoply, which sets his enemies' assaults at defiance
the shrimp agaiti comes into play, and, with the various kinds of s.nall
Balt-watcr fishes, constitutes the best river baits. ^ ,„ , „. ,

For boat ashinj? in tho bay, with sinkers-as for tho Weak-twh,
ICin. Fish, and others, among which the Striped Bass is taken the
Boftdam is tho favorite appliance ; and for this kind of sport full and
«oapt tides, and a wind off shore, arc the best periods.

In killing the Bass, after he is hooked, great skill, great persever-
ance, and incessant vigilance are necessary. It \b a sine quan^ to
keep him up, frastrating his efforts to rush to the bottom, and to hold
him ever in hand, with a taut line, ceding nothing to his wildest
efforts, except on absolute compulsion.

Excellent tackle is requisite, and to preserve it excellent, constant
attention to it must b^ had, or all will be in vain. Nothing is more
provokin.^ than to lose a fine fish, well played, and perhaps all but
killed, owing to some .slight i.nperfection in the gut bottom or the
arming of the hooks, which care, before coming to the water a edge,
would°have easily and .surely prevented.

Whether the Striped Bass has ever been killed by the fatal spoon,
I know not ; but I cannot doubt that it would be found nearly as effec-
tive as with its congener, the splendid Black Bass of the St. Lawrence,
to which I shall now proceed.

BLACK BASS FISHINO

30 1

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BLACK BASS FISHING

IN THE 8T. LAWRENCE.

From the Files of the Buffalo Commercid I borrow the fol owing
description of the habits, haunts, and modes of taking the Black and
Oswo.0 Bass-if different they be, as I boliavo thoy arc m the Niagara
rivor° It is by the same distinguished sportsman and sound naturalist
to whom 1 have before alluded in my article on the Pearch

I prefer quoting hi.n to writing of this fish rnys.lf ; as although not
unacquainted with his habits, 1 have nover yet myself enjoyed he
pleasure of catching him cither with the fly, the spoon, or th.

'^ « The Oswego Baas and Black Bass bear so strong a resemblance to
each other, that not one fisherman in ten knows them as distmct en-
titles. In form, color, weight, and habits, the two are almost per-
fcctly identical ; and yet their differences, though minute are striking
and essential. An Oswego Ba.a, when placed by a Black Bass of the
same size, is readily distinguished by his more forked tad, his grea er
thickness of shoulder, his coarser scales, and, above f ^^^^ ™;^*^'
which, when open, is nearly twice as large as that of the B^ack Bass.
In LakrOntarL, the Oswego Bass is abundant, and the Black Bass
comparatively rare. In Lake Erie, the Black Bass great y predomi-
nates, and it may be doubted whether the Oswegonian-like certain
citizens of the Ontario shore-is not an interloper m our waters, who
has found his way to us from below, through some canal. However
this may be, he is certainly right welcome!

« The Black Bass is our chief object of pursuit-his capture is our
dearest triumph-his captive form our proudest trophy. When word
first comes, in June, that the Black Bass bites in our "ver^ what a
atir there is among our anglers !-what questionmg as to the when,

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AMERICACf F1SHE5

.„d the whore, and by wh»m, aud wUh what hait, and «« numW

tnd s« '-what an anxious inquiry after b.g minnows !-wha a rat

^tZ serapin. of pond-holes for soft lobsters !-what a watehmg of

2 tJ°-U it Aero be no wind, or a zephyr from the south or
the sties . an , ^^^^ „, ^

e IroTa less easy task, and involves, or is supposed tomvolve
capture IS j ^^^.^ ^^ _^_^ ,^^^ jhan any

Xtfi^tif r'streams and rivers, and probably, too, on
,,e ba : and shoals of our bay. Numbers run up 'Hjl-^or s ream
in Mav and bite freely at the worm, in the middle and latt.r part ot
thar^ntt in the Tonawanda. His appearanee is 00 familiar to
t, "Lri tion. His eolor varies, though it ^enen^Uy appro^h.
W,.k I thinit only the smaller Bass runup the ereeks. Thos taken
rxonall sTl/om overweigh two or 'wo and a half pounds an
have a^roenish hue. In the river they attain a weight of four and four

general eolor ot the fish a n. o ^^^ .^

hook, in the Niagara, untd June. He is always

fattest and best i- a^^m-" „ ;„ ,^, ^^^ „,y, and with

" Ho IS angled for, ^J' »-^7 '^ gass or Salmon ; and

munication :

BLACK BASS FISHING.

303

« < This is a gamo fish, affording tho angler the V3ry liighcst enjoy
ment. Thesa fish are taksn in various ways. Whon collected on
their feeding grounds, in August and the succeeding fall months,
th-y are sometimes taken in considerable numbers. The usual mode
of an-lin- for them at this time, is either with or without a float,
and with livo bait-a small fish taken for the purpos3, along the lake
shores or in brooks. They are exooedingly strong and active-
qualities which delight the angler. When first hooked, they run
v^ry wild, and almost invariably rise to the surface, and leap one,
two and even three feet in the air, shaking the head violently, evi-
dmtly with a view to dislodge the fatal hook. Frequently, while
makincr their runs, they will suddenly turn and come with all their
power°directly towards their enemy, and by thus slacking the Ime,
will succeed in shaking the hook loose : this often happens with m-
experienced fishermen, but more rarely with the angler who holds a
good reel and winds rapidly. The most beautiful mode of angling
for them known, is trolling, either with live bait or an artificial fly
of large size and gay appearance. The writer has succeeded re-
markably well with a fly made on a large-sized Limerick hook, such
as are used for Striped Bass when fishing with crab bait. The fly
is made as Mlows :-Body of a peacock feather, wings of bright
scarlet kerseymere and white pigeon feathers ; or, the feather strip-
ped from a white goose-quill, and wound round like the hackle, and
surmounted with thin strips of scarlet forwings. For trolling plea-
santly and comfortably, the angler should provide a moveable seat,
which he can place across the gunwale of his boat, in order that he
may sit with his back to the oarsman, and facing the stern. Thua
he will have full command of his rod and line, and not be sitting
in the cramping attitude which the lowness of the seats would cause.
He should reel off fifty to sixty, or even one hundred or more feet
of line, and in going over shallow reefs of seven or eight feet depth,
two hundred feet, as the fish feeding on the reefs usually dart aside as
the boat passes, and do not return immediately to their harboring spot,
which is one reason why those who do not use the reel are not as suc-
cessful as those who employ it. After a few moments they glide back
to their favorite spot, and as the fly comes along, dart at and seize it.
A strong tug is felt by the angler, who has only to draw gently, and

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AMERICAN FISUHS.

his prey ia fastened. The oarsman rests on his oars, to give the
an/er full command of his line. The noble fish, a tor one or two
runs to right and left, suddenly rises and makes his splendid leap, and
plun^in., again seeks the bottom, again rises, and then tries his last
LeHmcnt of dashing right towards the boat. He struggles long and
vigorously, but his strength is at last exhausted, and you trail your un-
resisting captive to the landing net. I have taken them of various
weights" the largest weighing five pounds nine ounces : this was done
last%u;mer, 1844, in Lake George. I believe they are sometimes
taken much higher in the St. Lawrence river, and upper lakes ; but
xny acquaintance with them is limited to the beautiful lake just ment-

'''''' At SherriU's capital hotel at Caldwell, every facility for enjoying
this delightful sport can be had, though the best fishing grounds aro

down the lake. .,

« An excellent house is kept by Mr. Garfield, twenty-two miles
down the lake, where the best fishing stations for the Salmon Trout
are situated. There is a good deal of fine ground for the Bass m the

neighborhood. „ , .1 t^t

^ About ten miles from Caldwell, there is a place called the Narrows,
where there are numerous small islands, with shelving rocky shores,

and fine trolling ground. , «, v„

' An^rlers will find good plain accommodation at a house kept by

Mr. Lyman, who is very kind and attentive to his guests, and furnishes

baits, guides, &c.

' In trolling for the Black Bass in Lake George, you will fre-
uucntly strike those of one-half to three-fourths pound weight, even
with the very large fly which 1 have described. There is so great a
difference, both in shape and color, between the fish of this size and
those of two or more pounds weight, that a stranger would never take
thorn to be of the same species. These small fish are very similar in
shape to the Blue-Fish of the salt-water, while those of the larger size
spread in width as they increase in size, so that a fish of two and a
half to three pounds, is of a shape between a Black-fish, or Tautog,
and the famous Sheep's-Head. In color they differ also greatly ; the
small Bass being of a light dull greenish color, while the larger grow
d.arkor as thov increase in size, the largest being nearly black on the

BLACK BASS FISHING.

305

back, and of a very dark brownish green on the sides. The younger
ccntiT, above described, are not to be despised on account of their
size for wttcn taken with a light Trout-rod, they will be found to be
a fine vigorous fish ; and when in their temerity they seize the largo
fly on fueling the hook, they will, true to their nature, make the leap,
in imitation of their sires, thus showing themselves to be game fish.
1 have known them to leap three times while reeling in the long ^trol-
linff line, whereas the larger gentry rarely leap more than once.' "
In addition to this I will only add-for all that is said here is correct
• and clear— that in the St. Lawrence, among the Thousand Islands, this
admirable fish is taken in unequalled numbers, and of unrivalled
excellence That in the Black river they are likewise very abundant,
and rise in it very freely to any gaudy fly. A friend of my own has
killed many of this fine Bass with a large red hackle, with a gold tinsel
body, and also with a green-tailed grannam. The best fly, however, is
decidedly one manufactured by Conroy, after the colors of that de-
scribed in the above quotation, with a scarlet chenil body, binder wings
of the red ibis, and upper wings of silver pheasant ; this will be found

unfailing. - i j it,

A singular fact, which obviously, though oddly enough, escaped the
observation of my friend at Buffalo, is that at the first appearance of the
Black Bass at the mouth of the Niagara, say in the latter part of May,
the fish all lie around a reef on the Fort Niagara- or Amcrican-
sido of the river, not one being ever, at that period, taken on the
Canadian reef opposite. After about six weeks' residence, however,
they change sides, and cross over, deserting the American shore alto-
gether, and being taken only on the Canadian side.

The New York Shiner is there esteemed the best bait, and with it,
in last May, an officer and three men in H. M. service, caught in a
few hours enough of these fish to load two strong men to their heart's

content. j j i

The small Rock Bass of the lakes is taken off the wharfs and docks

on all the same waters, from Kingston to Lake Superior, with the

Minnow or small Shiner, though rarely with the fly. It is a good

fish, but rarely exceeds a pound in weight.

From tho first writer I here quote a few lines concerning the Lake

Sheep's-T-L'acl, Corvina Oscula. to which I have alluded before, Mit

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306

AMERICAN FISHES

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which must not be confounded with the Malashcganay— or Black
Sheep's-Hcad, Corm^i EicAflrrfsowii, a congenerous fish, taken nearly
in the same waters, and with the same bait— any, to wit, of the fresh-
water Molluscas, and, above all, with the Cray-Fish— which ia as ex-
cellent as this other is abominable on the table :

" This is a villain in general estimation— the pest of the fisher for
Bass— a fish that putteth the cook, who would render him acceptable
at table, in a quandary— from which, I am sorry to say, I cannot re-
lieve her, though she be at her wit's end.

" He is generally brown, gray or reddish above, and of a dead, im-
pure white below. His head is large, and his body is flattened latterly,
though the frying-pan rejecteth him. His ordinary weight is two or
three pounds, though he sometimes weighs five, and even six. His
food, his haunts, his habits, are similar to those of the Black Bass,
whom he ever accompanieth, as though he were intended by nature as
a foil to set oif the merits of that jewel of the flood. He is despised,
yea, detested, by the choleric angler, who pulls him out, and then
dasheth him upon the stones.

" The Sheep's-Head of the sea is a lusty, crafty fish, bepraiscd alike
by the fisherman and the epicure. At the turn of the tide, he takes
the whole soft clam on your hook at a mouthful, and chews it, shell
and all, and pulls like a Salmon as you draw him in ; and his radiant,
deep and broad-barred sidcs-as he flaps about on the sand of that
low islet in the great south bay of Long Island, to which you have just
hauled him— how brilliantly they show, and make you think of the
dying Dolphin, and of old Arion ! And when he reposes at the head
of th^'e table— fit place for him— beautiful, though boiled, how heartfelt
is the homage he receives from all around ! Truly, it is libel on him,
\a call by the same name this Paria of the lakes.

" And yet our fish is vigorous, and not altogether destitute of beauty,
to the eye at least of those who know him not. Is it not chronicled,
that at kack-Rock, a strange angler once bartered away two noble
Bass for two large SheepVHeads, which, for the nonce, wore called
White Bass .' ' The freckled toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a
precious jewel in his head'— and our fish, in his clumsy cranium,
wears two small loose bones, serrate, and white and polished, which
must have some use to him, some wondrous adaptation to his mode of

BLACK BASS FISHINa.

307

life wWcb, when unfolded, will prove that he is not unregarded by
Him who made the great whales and the fishes of the sea.

" His mouth is paved with large, flat, rough hones, or teeth, like
those of the sea fishes that root up and devour the hardest testace.«;
and I have little doubt but that the naturalist who watches him
narrowly will one of these days detect him crushing and consuming
the Uni'and Anadontaa-the fresh clams of our muddy flats and

sandy bars. ,

" He bites at the worm, the Minnow, the Chub, the Lobster, and
makes good play with the line, though he gives in more quickly than
the Bass An experienced angler can generally distinguish his bite
and his resistance— but the most knowing ones are sometunes taken
in, and think him Bass until he is fairly brought to view.

" When you have caught him, let any oue who will accept him
have him; and take to thyself no merit for the gift. His meat is
more like leather than fish or flesh. It is a common saying, that the
more you cook him the tougher he becomes ; and I am not aware that
ho is ever caton raw. But, some people do eat him, and profess to
like him ; they must have stupendous powers of mastication and diges-
tion. I have been told that, roasted whoie in the ashes, just as he
comes from the water, he is savory and tender— sci credai Judmis !
I once did eat him, prepared as follows :— he was split through the
back, put upon the gridiron, there grilicU enough to cook a side of
pork ; his flesh was removed from the skm, boned, chopped up into
dice, probably with a cleaver, and stowed with milk, butter, pepper
and salt. 1 must say that, though it was mpot of great tenacity, and
might well be likened unto India-^rubbor ^t had much sweetness "

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AMERICAN FISHES.

EEL FISHING AND TRIMMERS.

With regard to the Eel, if I consulted my own tastes only, 1 should
remain in utter silence, holding them totally below the contempt of
the angler, although en matdotte, or a la tartare, on the table they
certainly are not despicable ; there arc, however, those who probably
think otherwise, and who would regard it as an omission, perhaps a
slight, if I were to pass over their favorite wriggling reptile. I there- •
fore quote from Hofland's British Angler the following, which com-
prises all that can be said on the subject, and is no less applicable to
the Eel of America, than to that of Great Britain :

" To angle for Eels, use a strong gut line, with a light float, and
No. 9 hook, and bait with a large red worm ; or use a No. 6 hook,
and bait with a marsh-worm, and let your bait touch the bottom ; but
the most alluring bait I know of for an Eel is, Salmon-roe ; and when
fishing for Trout with this bait, the angler will frequently take Eels,
much to his annoyance, if, like myself, he detests their dirty slime,
and serpent-like writhings. I shall say nothing of bobbing for Ko\s,
or of sniggling, as they are practices below the angler ; but as the
largest Eels are caught by night-lines, and this method is a necessary
resort for the supply of the table, I shall give the instructions of
Daniel on this point.

"*It is of little consequence where they — i. e. night-lines — arc
laid, as they will succeed in streams, when the Eels are in search of
food, as well as in the still, deep holes of rivers ; and they will take
frogs, black snails, worms, Roach, Dace, Gudgeons, Minnows— which
two last are the best— Loaches, Bleaks, and Millers' thumbs ;' a suffi-
3ient quantity of links, of twelve hairs, should be doubled— or use
twisted gut, and a hook tied to each Unk ; these are to be noosed, at
proper distances, to a piece of cord fifteen feet long ; bait the hooks
by making an incision with the baiting-needle under the shoulder, and

thrusting it out at the middle of t

.he tail, drawing the link after it ; the

EEL FISHING AND TRIMMERS.

309

point of the hook should bo upright towards tho back of the bait-
fish • fasten one end to tho bank, or a stub, and cast the other into
the water, but not to the extent of the line, as Eels will run a little
before the gorge ; the lines should be taken up early in the morning ;
such of the lines as have Eels at them will be drawn very tight.
Dark nights in July, August, and September, are the best for this

kind of fishing.'

" Hooks proper for this method of taking Eels may be purchased,
either double or single, and are called Eel-hooks. When a double
hook is used, I should say the following mode of baiting is better
than Mr Daniel's. Without a baiting-needle, enter the point at the
fish's mouth, and bring it out at the tail, letting the two hooks lie
close to the mouth of the bait, as described in baiting the gorge-hook

for trolling. , x i v

" Trimmers, baited with a live Gudgeon, are sure to be taken by
Eels The wire to which hooks are fixed should be strong and well
tempered, as the Eel struggles hard to free himself. Very large Eels
are caught in the lakes of Cumberland and Westmoreland, by trim-
mers, b°aitod with small Trout or Pearch-there called Bass-with
the back fin cut off. On Derwontwater-Keswick lakc-it is a com-
mon practice for parties to engage a fisherman, who provides twenty
or thirty trimmers ; the tops being painted bright red and white, that
they may be seen at a distance. The party should be m the boat by
four o'clock, A. M., at the latest ; the fisherman then baits the trim-
mers with live Bass, small Trout, or Minnows, and places them at
equal distances across the lake, spreading to the extent of from half
to three-quarters of a mile ; and if there are two or three boats
belonging to the party, and the Pike and Eels are on the feed, the
great diversion is to see the trimmers carried off by fish, in different
directions at the same time, when all becomes animation and exertion
in the different boats; all rowing towards the tHmmers, and eager to
seize on their prey ; and very large Pike and Eels are often caught
in this manner."

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AMERICAN FISHES.

SHOAL-WATER SEA FISHING,

This sport, which is pursued with great eagerness by many of our
city anglers, has for its scene the various channels, bays, shoals, reefs
and mud-flats of our harbors, the great land-locked lagoons along our
coasts, and many places in the East river, and Long Island, as well as
in the estuaries of all the larger rivers from the capes of the Chesa-
peake to Massachusetts Bay.

It is pursued in boats, which are rowed from spot to spot, and
anchored over the various reefs and shoals, or in the vicinity of sunken
reefs, about which these fish are supposed to abound, according to the
state and variation of the tides. The fish usually taken are the Sque-
teague or Weak-Fish, the Barb, or King-Fish, the Tautog or Black-
Fish, the Striped Bass, the Sea Bass occasionally, the Sheep's-Head,
the Big Porgee, and soraetunes the Drum.

For the Sea Bass, however, and the Porgee, longer excursions are
generally necessary, as the best fishing for these is on the outer sea-
banks, in the Atlantic, whither steamers and sloops occasionally pro-
ceod with companies for a day's amusement. In these, however, there
is most frequently more fun than fishing, although sometimes very
good sport is had, and greater quantities of fish taken.

For Sheep's-Head, again, boats are generally fitted out expressly, as
this large powerful fish and heavy biter requires stronger tackle than
is needed in the capture of any of thj other species.

The ordinary booty, therefore, of the shoal-water sea angler, is con-
fined, nine times out of ten, to the Weak-Fish, the King-Fish, the Stri-
ped Bass, and sometimes the Black-Fish, although this latter differs
somewhat from the others in his accustomed haunts; and for these,
all of which may be taken with the same tackle, and nearly with the
eame baits, he constantly goes prepared.

The best localities for this sport are so numerous, and so well known

BHOAL-WATER SEA FISHING

311

to the guides and professional fishermen of every neighborhood, that it
is needless to enter into a particular narrative of their whereabouts,
since it is very littli likely that a stranger would attempt to find them
unassisted by a guide, and to the practised and experienced angler of
each region, they are of course well known.

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AMERICAN FISHES.

THE WEAK-FISH

The Weak-Fish is a very abundant species in the vicinity of New
York, and is angled for with much success in almost all parts of tho
inner bay. The name is said to be derived from tho weak mouth of
the fish, which is so soft that it very frequently is torn by the hook,
and 80 allows the fish to escape. It pulls fairly upon the hook, and
when struck of a considerable size, gives considerable play to tho
an*Tler before he can bo secured.

Many persons fish for this species, and the others which haunt the
same grounds, with the drop-line, but this b a poor and unexcitmg
sport, as compared with the use of the rod and reel.

The best rod is a moderately stiff general fishing-rod, with a reel,
and from one hundred to one hundred and fifty yards of flax or hemp
line • a No. 1 Kirby hook will probably be found, on the whole, tho
most successful ; and the most killing baits arc shrimp, shedder-crabs,
or clams The Weak-Fish occasionally runs up to eight or nine lbs.
weight, but the general average does not probably exceed two. When
quite fresh out of the water, the Squeteague is a very tolerable fish
not a little resembling the Trout in flavor, but it very soon becomes
soft and flaccid. It is by no means so game or so good a fish, when
taken, as the Striped Bass or the King-Fish, yet it is not without many
votaries who pursue it with ardor. ^ .•, r^ j

Immediately around the Battery, and even from the Castle Garden
bridge, good sport is frequently had with this fi.sh, as also on the flats
off Communipaw, in Buttermilk Channel, off the Owl's-Head, as well
as at Bergen Point, Elizabethtown Point, and many other places, both
in the Kills, and in Newark Bay. It is said that the afternoon tides
are the most favorable for taking the Squeteague, until a short time
before sun-set, but that so soon ^ the peculiar drumming or croakmg
sound, which is ascribed to this fish, is heard, it is useless to fish

1 »»« no lio fliAii nnasea to bite.

THE BARB, OR KINO-FISH

313

THE BARB, OR KING-FISH.

This is, in all respects, a better and finer fish, both for the captor
or the epicure, than the last.

He is with us, at New York, a summer fish of passage, and is, it is*
much to be lamented, becoming yearly more and more rare.

In Mr. Brown's \merican Angler's Guide, it is stated that, " As a
game fish, he is considered as giving more real sport than the Trout,
Bass, or Salmon. His name and whereabouts has only to be whispered
to the New York angler, and he is off after sport that he has perhaps
anticipated for years."

Now, to this I must record my positive dissent; for, though it may
be, and is, very true that the King-Fish is a great favorite with the
New York angler, that he is a game fish, biting briskly in those sea-
sons when he is found abundantly in these waters, and offering resist-
ance both longer and stronger than any other small salt-water fish-
still no one— except those jelly old codgers who consiilor patience
demonstrated by sitting still in an anchored boat, and comfort evi-
denced by the consolation of the inner-man with beef sandwiches and
cold brandy-and-water — would dream of considering it better sport to
sit for hours, between Black Tom and the Jersey shore, with no hope
save that of hooking a little fish, which rarely exceeds two pounds in
weight, with a bottom bait and strong ground tackle, than to hook a
twenty-pound Salmon with a fly on the surface, and to play him for
an hour before he can be gaffed.

The one sport requires luck and patience — the other skill, hardi-
hood, endurance, courage, long experience, quick eye, stout heart,
Beet foot, and ready hand. How, then, shall these sports be com-
pared ?

I do not desire, however, to discredit the King-Fish ; nor does he
21

■wp.

' If

' *- i» jt' ir

I li mLi ' ^ " "*

III

! i

314

AMERICAN FlbUliS-

■„, „„y„Uo dc»crv. it, «, both for dur.nle vM and ,o^-«orlm ex

t:- • ':;f:::jt°::o:':.., .uh *„ .a „„a ta^. w.. a.

,crib.a .ndcr the hoad of the S,uotoa,,uo, or Woak-FM., oxcopt that

rlLtotu «I.ou.a bo »..a,t„o ,„o„th of the K.n«-Hsh bo.„,

'-"■ T1.0 best bait '» *« *"f J"^t,„, .„ ,,„ „„„,a,.ratio„ of

,„ „ f»;-7°;7^ „" rCf ; 'ed - aneoaoto,publi.hoai„

M it »t J i„ tbo An,o,.icao An.lor. Cuido, tbat two„ty or th.rt,

a„a Roinss of all .uis'-afry =■""""'= »" °'°"'

migratory flsbo». ^f^^^^f "^ ^ ,,,, f„ ,„,, far botwoon. Tbo

Th.r '-^ - ^" ;B,„,'Fisl, nay, o.c. tho,c scaly en,-
King-lMsh, tbo Latajctto, disappear

'°"'? r :r;::faftt an Itn^:, U perbapl tban Jacob.

turning in nu,„bor. i""™''; "''''•■ ^ p„i„t to Jcr.=y City,

I. New y-.""!'^' *\ n, "b" r t called Black Ton,, and
within tho fortified islands, a.nj the Dl Kin-Fish. Bat

'^'rtr::°J^°>^^^^^^^'- >„ the

in the Passaic bay, ana on ambers.

.agoons of Lon. '*f >;^::; ' *" -f pre, and remain .

Mav they soon return to us as y

togasitlitethtbcm. They shall be welcome.

i^-

THC SEA BASS.

310

em ex

jrc do-
pt that
I being

ition of
shed in
ling tho
y and a
; and 1
)r thirty

qualkd ;
days the
kills his

comings
those of

•

^n. The
scaly CU9-
disappear
tn Jacob's
crs by re-

■rsoy City,
Tom, and
^ish. But
Iso in the
crs.
remain a"

THE SEA BASS.

The Sea Bass is another gentleman among his finny comrades, and
he is sometimes taken by tho rod-fisher whilo angling for tho Squo-
teaque, or King-Fish. He is, however, difficult so to kill, and is com-
parativcly rare in the inner waters.

On tho sea banks without Sandy Hook, in tho lower bay, and in the
Sound, he is very abundant, and affords great sport to those who are
sati.sfii;d with quick biting and continual hauling in.

Both for the Bass and tho Big Porgee, stout hempen or flaxen drop-
lines are tho most successful, varying from t.>n to twenty-five fathoms
in length, fitted with a single sinker of a pound weight, and three or
four hooks on separate snoods, eighteen inches asunder, of various
sizes, for various species of fish.

For Porgees, the No. 3, round Black-Fish-hook, is preferred ; for
Sea Bass, No. 1 or 2, Kirby. The only bait is tho clam, and it is
desirable to salt him for a day, which, hardening the flesh, renders it
more difficult for the fish to abstract him.

No skill is required for this mode of fishing, except that of keeping
one's wits about him, striking very sharply the instant he feels a bite,
and hauling in rapidly with a taut line ; for, if a slack occurs, the fish
will often disengage themselves.

Many people are very fond of this sport, but I hold it, after all, but
heavy work, not the less so for being considerably laborious, and for
the fact that hauling in the small, cutting line, hand over hand, and
the salt-water, are apt to make the fingers exceeding sore, if gloveless ;
and to use gloves in angling, would be something like donning the
upper Benjamin with fox-hounds.

lii

1 1,11

I'll

' 9\\

I i f\\

^ . . .1

316

AMERICAN FISHES.

! t.

THE TAUTOG, OR BLACK-FISH.

i> 'I

Of him Dr. Mitchil, not unsagely, nor unpleasantly, discourscth
after thk fashion. The facts of natural history, as herein recorded, .
are worthy of all confidence ; nor are the maxims wortnless to the

^"" The Black-Fish abounds in the vicinity of Long Island, and is a
stationary inhabitant of the salt-water. He never visits the rivers,
like Salmon or Sturgeon ; nor, on the other hand, deserts his dwelling-
place as they do. He is fond of rocks, reefs and rough bottoms. He
is taken through the whole course of Long Island Sound Fisher a
Island Sound, and in the neighborhood of Rhode Island. The Tautog
was not originally known in Massachusetts Bay ; but withm a few
years he has been carried beyond Cape Cod, and has multiplied so
abundantly, that the Boston market has now a full supply, wi bout
the necessity of importing from Newport and Providence. The Black-
Fish, however, does not confine himself to rough bottoms; for he is
also caught in the southern bays of Long Island, and on the banks of
the ocean off Sandy Hook. He is considered, by the New Yorkers
as a very fine fish for the table. He grows to the weight of ten or
twelve pounds, and even more ; but it is a fish of a good size, that

equals two or three. j ^ j „„,1

" He may be kept for a long time in ponds or cars ; and fed, and
eveu fatted there. When the cold of winter benumbs him, he refuses
to eat any more, and a membrane is observed to form over he vent^
and close it. He begins to regain appetite with the return of warm h
in the spring. The blossoming of the dogwood, cor^^jiorxia early
in April, is understood to denote the time of baitmg Black-Fish, ^s
soon as these flowers unfold, the fishermen proceed with their hooks
and lines to the favorite places. If there is no dogwood, a judgmen
is derived from the vegemuuu ut cU^ en. ..n

m -ri

THE TAUTOG, OR BLACK-FISH.

317

Beason of baiting is reckoned very favorable until the increasing
warmth of the season brings food enough to fill their stomachs, and
they thereupon afford less pastime to the sportsman, and less profit
to the professor. The people express this sentiment in these coarse
rhymes :

" • Whea chestnut leaves are as big as thumb nail,

Then bite Black-Fish without fail ;

But wiieii chestnut leaves are as long as a span,

Then catch Black- Fish if you can.' "

" The common bait for Black-Fish is the soft clam, mya. The
soldier crab, or fiddler, ocypoda, will frequently tempt him when he
refuses to taste the other. And he snaps very readily at the large
finny worm of the salt-water beaches, nereis, when used on a hook

"^ " Some persons, who live contiguous to the shores where are sit-
uated the rocks frequented by Tautog, invite the fish there by baiting.
Bv this is meant the throwing overboard broken clams or crabs, to
induce the Black Fish to renew their visits, and fine sprt is pro-

''''" Rocky shores and bottoms are the haunts of Black-FisL Long
experience Is required to find all these places of resort. Nice obser-
vations on the landmarks, in different directions, are requisite to
enable a fishing party to anchor on the proper spot. When, for
example, a certain rock and tree range one way, with a barn window
appearin^^ over a headland the other way, the boat being at the point
where tw°o such lines intersect each other, is exactly over some famous
rendezvous. To insure success on such expectation, it is proper to
have a pilot along, well versed in all the local and minute knowledge
According to the number and distance of the rocks and reefs visited,
will be the time consumed, from the duration of a few hours to a long
summer's day. An opinion prevails, that the Black-Fish can hear
very well ; and, for fear of scaring them away, the greatost stillness is
observed. He is a strong fish, and pulls well for one of his weight

and size. , « j • xi,

" At some places Black-Fish bito best upon the flood: m others,
they are voracious during the ebb. Thunder accompanying a shower

i,r I

318

AMERICAN' FISHES

is an indication that no more of them can be caught. The appcaranc.
of a porpoise infallibly puts an end to sport. Curious stones are told
of fish in the wells and ponds, floating in their native element, having
been found dead, after sharp and repeated flashes of lightning Dull
weather, with an easterly wind, is generally the omen of ill luck.
The exploits performed in fishing for Tautog, are recounted occasion-
ally, with remarkable glee ; and they afford a never-failing theme of
entertainment to those who are engaged in that sort of adventure.
Thoucrh the hand line is generally used, the rod is sometimes employ-
ed to great advantage. The Black-Fish is remarkable for retaming
Ufe a long time after he is taken out of water. He sometimes swims
over even ground, and is caught in seans."

A stout trolling rod, with a strong flaxen line, and a reel, are the
best implements. The hooks should be those known universally as
the Black-Fish hook, of various sizes, according to the angler's taste,
ran.ring from three to ten. These should be armed-two being used,
which is the proper number— on hook links of ticbly-twistcd gut, re-
spectively, of twelve and fifteen inches, which links should be securely
fastened to a small brass ring. This ring is to be looped to the end
of the line to which the sinker is appended.

This is the best arrangement of the hooks for aU salt-water shoal

bait fishing.

The Black-Fish b entirely a bottom fish, and is caught everywhere
within his geographical range, in whirls and eddies, in the close vici-
nity of rocks and reefs.

Robin's reef, at the entrance of the Kills, is a favorite feedmg-
ground ; and some years since I had rare sport daily for many weeks,
about the hull of the wrecked packet ship Henri Quatre, below the

Narrows. , u j

The rocks off the well-known watering house, the Sachem s Head,

on the Sound, and many other rocks in the bays and Sound of Long

Island, are of equal reputation.

He must bo struck sharply, and pulled up without a moments

quarter. i x ui

He is better in the pan than on the hook, and better on the table
than in the pan. How you may cook him you shall learn hereafter.

THK SHKEP'S-HEAD.

3!9

THE SHEEP'S-HEAD.

This capital fish, which holds the same repute in America which
is hrbyThe Turb; in Europe, is sometimes hooked by the rod-fisher
:'i angling for the Barb, Squeteague, or Striped Bass; but wl.n
This occurs, he generally beats his retreat successfully, carrying off
with him bait, bottom-line and hooks together. .

Still he is sometimes mastered by delicate skill and judicious ad-
n^inistration of the reel, but then only by the stoutest tackle, manipula-
Tedby the best of fishermen. Drop-lines of strong hempen cord,
or the ordinary Cod-line two hundred yards long, with a h.avy
Ler, and a large stout Black-Fish hook, will, however, pretty cer-

tainlv brinfT him home.

He frequents the vicinity of rocks, and loves to bite at the small
rock-crab, and the soft-shelled clam. ■ ^

The best way is to bait with the clam whole and unbroken, burying
the whole hook nearly to the arming in the neck of the clam. By
doing this, the incessant and vexatious nibbling of the small fish is
avoided ; and the shell of the clam is a mere nothing to the great
paved round teeth, which line the palate of this strong, voracious fish.
Where small fish are not frequent, the . lams may be put on open,

with success. , , , « tvt v,v«v

The Sheep's-Head is becoming scarce in the harbor of New York
and those brought into the city come mostly from the south bays of

Long Island.

No fish is better on the table, or more valued.

He is the highest prize of the salt-water angler, and the idol of the

epicure's adoration.

Let him enjoy his reputation, he deserves it; perhaps the know-
ledge of his posthumous honors may be a consolation to him m his
death-pang.

''mm

. , . J.

320

AMERICAN FISHES.

THE DRUM.

Neither to catch nor to cook the Drum, will I teach you, gentle
reader mine, for he is not worth the hook which he will probably carr j-
away, if you strike him, nor the salt which you might waste in season-
ing him.

Unless in his vast size and great power, he has no merit, and in
these he is surpassed by the Shark, the Porpoise, and the Whale, for
which I should about as soon think of angling.

BLUE-FISH FISHING.

A general favorite from his southern to his extreme northern
limit, this great Mackerel is every where an object of pursuit, and
deserves to be so, both for the fun of taking and the pleasure of eating
him. When fresh from the water he is superlative. A very bold and
daring biter, he is caught in great numbeiii in swift tide-ways, eddies
and inlet mouths. In the Sound, in the Long Island South Bay chan-
nels, in the inlets of the Jersey beaches, from June to August, he
affords rare sport.

Sail for him in a large cat-rigged boat, and the fresher the breeze,
and the brisker the sea, the better. In large schulls he swims near
the surface, leaping af every living thing which crosses his track of
devastation.

When you have the luck to strike a schull, stick to it pcrgcvcringly,

^MHihrt

.i;lj|*Bil

BLUt-FISH FiaHino.

321

Mossbg U tack and tack, as fast a. you can go about m the d.reot:ou
rrirse ; aud it the god. of the deep look w.th heu,gna.oe ou
vour labors, you shaU kUl a hundred at the least, m a trde.
^ Thus fish L him: To a stout cotton W of -f "^f /'* \ff
a sa^d of bright tin, or bone,arn.ed with a good-sized K.by hook,
X strong gimp hook-link. Make fast the end of your Ime to a
:t inrstL't the boat, then whirl out the ^^-f, '° ^I ''"^^
1 nlth of your line, and play it with both hands alternately. The fish
; tr ke' tsolf, a^d is to bo hauled in with -egular even puU new
Jeld, nor yet slacked for an instant, for if .t be, the fish wdl dis-
engage himself almost certainly.

When you taek your boat, if the water be shoal, haul m your line,
else shall you foul it in the sea-weeds.

When you have hooked your fish, raise your squid w. h the hook
up^nrost, and a slight shake shaU cast him into the bottom of the

^tabvlon Islip, and Quogue, on Long Island, in Fire Island inlet,
and Sue let, Shrewsbury, Squam-Beach, and Bamegat, rn New er-
ZyX estuaries of the rivers in Connecticut, and the trde-ways m
Boston harbor, are all favorite grounds for Blue-Frdimg.

TTconclud:: there is no pleasanter summer day s a---"^ *-
a merry cruise after the Blue-Fish, no pleasanter close to it than the
\ 7Z the chowder, and the broUed Blue-Fish, lubricated with

*7rf ' Ctldds mo^t t the zest of such a day, is the presence
o7 rdarm ng ttau being one of the few .ports of field or fioo
• V r.L oan femininely, and therefore fittii.gly, participate. For
Ltt X^eS-ish, say the phUosophers, efthirty po^ s
ti^htLugh? doubt it. Of four andfive pounds y™ « -f
L surely ; if of eight, rejoice ; if of ten, smg p«ans,-for that is
triumph.

823

AMERICAN FISHES.

DEEP SEA FISHING.

The Cod, the Haddock, the Whiting, the Hake, the Halibut, and
the Flounder, may be caught every where north of Massachusetts ; and
from Boston to the eastward, parties of pleasure are made constantly
to take them. On the Great Banks they are most abundant, but in
Boston Bay great sport is not uncommon, nor is it unusual for a single
boat to bring in its fifteen or twenty quintals of these fine fish.

The whole sport consists in the frequency of the biting, and the
size of the fish, which, for the modt part, varies from ten to fifteen
pounds ; for though they are sharp and voracious biters, they require
no play when hooked, offering only an inert resistance, and a dead

heavy pull.

Fifty yards of stout hempen line, two small-sized Cod-hooks, baited
with the mud-clam, the menhaden, or where it can be procured, the
capelin, and a pound sinker, is all your apparatus.

With this, in any eastern water, you may rest assured of returning
home with a boat-load of fish, a set of very weary limbs, a pair of very
sore hands, and an enormous appetite, of which, mejudice, the first and
the last alone are desirable.

If you be content with these, fair or gentle reader, go out for decp-
Bea fishing wh';a and where you will, prov; Jed you ask me to follow
you no farther j for here, once more we . .u^i, part. Ere long, if the
fates— and the booksellers— be propitious, < I'-ust, to meet again, with
undiminished satisfaction, each of us with the otl.or.

And so fare ye well, who have accompani'-d ma so far on my ram-
bling way ; may all your pleasures, as you wodld have them, be both
long and lasting ; and all your pains, as ye must have them, being
mortal men, brief and transitory ; and so may fair fortunes be about
ye. and kind thoughts toward Frank Forester.

"S.

rni

t 4

APPENDIA

'iEiii I

i^PPENDIX.-(A.)

IHE A^NGLER'S APPARATUS.

Prom Hofland'9 Britlih Angler's Manual.

X, . impossible .0 .e«o»e a --^^^'-rrr^: L" I

--""trtu^rse" X— ces;aoaat™
prepared for all times, seasoua, ^vpvcise of his inge-

f L eraft-wiU and much to amuso h,» m «>e ox.c» o ^J

„„i., in making and -P-'^f l-'; J^'/ ,^ „!, 1 following Is a
disposition of tho materials of h« art-of wmon

list : ,,. •„„:„- tiiA minnow and bleak,

Rods for Salmon-fishing, trolling, spinning the minnow

patent lino for trolling.

Winches or reels for running-taekle. ^^_

Hooks for trolling, on wire or gimp, ^^'^ ^^^^^^^^^^ [i^es.

Bleak and minnow tackle, and baiting needles, ot vanoTis
Hooks tied on gut, from No. 4 to No 12
Hooks tied on hair, from No. 10 to No. 13.
Loose hooks of all sizes.
Paternosters for Pearch-fishing.

Shoemakers' wax and sewing-silk.
• Floats of various sizes, and caps for floats.

Split shot and plummets for taking the depth of the water.

Disgorger, clearing ring, and drag.

Landing-net, gaff, and kettle for live bait.

Gentle-b3X, and bags for worms.

A fishing-basket, creel, or game pouch.

326

APPENDIX. -

A pair of pliers, a paii of scissors, and a pe
A. book of artificial flics.
A book of general tackle.

RODS.

Choice rods are of the utmost consequence to the angler's success,
and various instructions have been given by different authors for
selecting pioper kinds of wood for the purpose, and the method of
raakinp; them ; but as excellent rods of every description are nov? to
bo purchased in almost every part of the United jvingdon, I shall
recommend such as will be generally useful, and may be procured
without difficulty at any of the fishing-tackle shops in London.

In choosing a rod, be careful to examine if the joints fit securely,
if it be perfectly straight when put together, and if it spring equally
in all its parts, from the butt to the top, when bent.

That which is commonly termed a " general rod " will be found
most useful to the traveller who has not an opportunity of carrying
more than one with him at a time, it being so contrived that it may
be used either for fly-fishing, trolling, or bottom fishing, as the butt
of the rod is bored, and contains several spare tops, i. e., one for the
fly, one for spinning the Minnow, one for the float, and another for
trolling — the whole being conveniently packed up in a canvas bag.

Although this kind of rod will be found highly serviceable on many
iccasions, I would by no means recommend the use of it when you
lave an opportunity of employing separate and appropriate rods for
Jhe different kinds of angling. The rods used exclusively for fly-
fishing should be as light as possible, consistent with strength, and if
for throwing with one hand, not more than from twelve to fourteen
feet long, and if with both hands, not more than from sixteen to
eighteen feet. Indeed, a rod shorter than either of these would be
found very convenient in a narrow, closely-wooded stream, where it is
frequently necessary to force your fly with a short lino under over-
hanging bushes

I am acquainted with some excellent anglers in the north oi Eng-
land, who cannot be persuaded to use any other fly-rod than one
composed of two pieces only, and spliced in the middle ; but this is

APPENDIX. A

3J7

inconvenient to carry, and the jointed rods arc now brought to such
perfection, that I feci assured they will answer every purpose of the
Lliccd rods, besides being much more portable. Tho Irish fly-rodfl
are screwed together at each joint, and arc much more elastic than
tho English rods.

THE TBOLLINO ROD

Should be very strong, and not less than twelve nor more than sixteen
feet in length, with large rings upon it, that the line may run frecl>.

The rod for spinning a Minnow or Bleak should be of ))amboo cane,
and from eighteen to twenty feet long, with a tolerably stiff top ; tho
rings should be placed at a moderate distance from each other, and

be of the middle size.

The barbed rod, for angling with the ledger-bait, should have a
stiff top, and bo about eleven or twelve feet in length ; but for float-
fisliing it must be much lighter and something longer.

Thl rod for Roach and Dace should be of bamboo cane, and, if for
bank-fishing, from eighteen to twenty feet long ; but if for angling
from a punt, not more than eleven or twelve feet. It must be very
light, perfectly taper, and of a proper degree of elasticity, as the
anger's success in Roach and Dace-fishing will depend upon his
dexterity and quickness in striking when ho has a bite. Many anglers
never fish without running-tackle, that they may be always prepared
to encounter a large fish ; but they must not hope to meet with the
same sport in Roach and Dace-fishing as those do who use a light rod
without rings, and a short line, when the chance of striking your fish
is much more certain.

LINES.

The b:;st lines for running-tackle are composed of silk and hair, of
different degrees of strength and thickness, according to the purpose
for which they arc intended. For Salmon -fishing, a strong winch or
pirn, large enoush to contain from eighty to one hundred yards of
line, is requisite, and for Trout a brass reel, containing from thirty to
forty yards of line, gradually tapering to a few hairs at the end, where

foot-link of gut containing the flies is to be fixed.

*f*r"

'l«;i

328

APPENDIX. — A.

1 ^'

•y

Silkworm gut lines are from two to four yarda, and arc used as
lengths to bo added to the lino on the reel, cither for fly or bottom-
fishing.

Lines for trolling are of several kinds, some of twisted silk, and
others of silk and hair, but that sold by the tackle-makers, called
patent troUing-Une, is in most general use. A strong reel, and from
forty to sixty yards of line, are requisite.

Indian weed is a good material for bottom-tackle, but infoiior to

the silkworm gut.

Eel-lines, night-lines, and trimmers, may bo purchased ready

fitted up. 11 J

A winch, or reel, is used for running-tackle, and is generally made
of brass, but I have seen them in Scotland made of wood, whore they
are called pirns; the multiplying reel was formerly much used, but
from its liability to bo out of order, a plain reel, without a stop, is
now generally preferred. Reels are of various sizes, containing from
twenty to one hundred yards of line.

Bleak and Minnow tackle arc of endless variety in form and con-
trivance, almost every experienced angler having his own peculiar

plan.

The paternoster is a line* used for Pcarch fishing, made of strong
gut, and should be connected with a running-line by a fine steel
swivel. It contains three hooks, the size Nos. 7, 8, or 9, placed at
equal distances from each other; the first near the bottom, where a
small plummet of lead is fixed to sink the line, and the others each
from eighteen inches to two feet apart. The hooks are so contrived
by swivels as to revolve round the line, and thereby give play to the
live Minnows with which they are to be baited.

FLOATS.

Much care and judgment are required in adapting your float to the
various streams or waters in which you angle. A deep and rapid river
will require a float that will carry from sixteen to twenty of No. 4
shot, if the stream be deep and the current gentle, a float carrying
one-half that number of shot will be sufficiently heavy ; and when the
water is perfectly still, a very light quill-float, carrying two of No. 6

APPENDIX. A.

s»

rf,ol .hoaldb.u.«di .ndl ma, remark horo, that "'"«"»"" J""
tat, the fo-cr the omubcr of .hot, and the fiuor your bottcu-taekl..
•Kn aroatcr wUl be >our sucoesa.

""::;£, ». u... i ,.*...-*.-•-'-"■•••• '■■"

™o. as thcT inako Icsa disturbance in the water.

Yo„ ine nmst be .hotted tiU not more than the eap of your fioa
U In above the water, unlcs, it .honld bo very rough from wmd or
rapid eurrent, in wbieh ea»e something more of the float mu.t .wm,

"'TheT-pine quiU i. a favorite float with some angler,, but for .
moderate Stream I prefer a swan'a quill.

THE LANDINO-NET AND OAFF.

The landing-net may be purebased so contrived as to unscrew from
a slkeUn the handle-whieh should be four or five feet long-and a
Jor took for landing Salmon, Pike, and large Trout, may also be
bougl to screw into the same socket, and both the net and gaff may
bo ^irried in your basket or creel till you reach the nver side

fit

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BA£.f-

APPENDIX.-(B.)

THE FLY-FISHER'S APPARATUS.

Fiom Hofland's British Angler's Manual.

A COMPLETE fly-fisher will make his own flies, and will find much
amusement in the practice of this delicate art. It will be necessary
that he should provide himself with the following materials to enable
him to imitate the flies described heretofore :

HOOKS.

London, Kirby-sneck, and Limerick hooks, of all sizes. Of these,
the Limerick hook is in the greatest general estimation ; but in the
north of England, the Kirby-sneck hook is preferred for small hackle
flies.

FEATHERS.

Cocks' and hens' hackles, of all colors ; those chiefly in use are
red, ginger, coch-a-bonddu, black, dun, olive, grizzle, and white ; the
latter for dying yellow, &c.

Peacock's herl, coppery colored, green, and brown.

Black ostrich's herl.

Gallino fowls' spotted feathers.

The feathers of the turkey, the grouse, ptarmigan, pheasantr— cock
and hen— woodcock, snipe, dotteril, landrail, starling, golden plover
or peewit, wild mallard, bustard, sea-swallow, wren, jay, blackbird,
throstle, blue pigeon, argus and silver pheasant.

Water-rat's fur, mole's fur, and hare's ear.

Mohair, dyed, of all colors.

APPENDIX. B

331

Fine French sewing-silk, of aU colors.
Flos silk, of all colors.
German wool, of all colors.
Gold and silver twist.
Silk twist, cobblers' and bees'-wax.

A pair of pliers, a pair of fine-pointed scissors, a small hand slide-
vice and a fine-pointed strong dubbing-needle.

silkworm gut, from the finest to the strongest, and Salmon gu.

gincle and twisted , . .i„

Lengths of the white and sorrel hairs .f stallions' tails.

APPENDIX.-(0.)

HOW TO COOK FISH

THE SALMOM

Me Mi«, Ae Img of fah«, « tho best plain boiled Hi, riohncsa
is 1- lent, hi, «avo;,o e.oolleut, that, bo far from bcog .mproved
hisuatural qualities are destroyed and overpowered, by anythmg of
artificial condiment.

MT OWN RECEIPT FOtt BOILINO SALMON.

If yon arc ever so lueky a, to eateh a Salmon, where incontinently
y„n can proceed to cook him, that is to say, in the wdderness, wrth n
Un yards of the door of yonr shantec, with the fire burnmg and the

'"'s^frronce by a heavy blow on the head, crimp him by a
succession et cuts on each side, through the muscle, quite down to the
bTct b nc, with a very sharp knife, in slashes parallel to *» gai-covcr^
Then place him for ten minutes in a cold spring, or under the jet of a
waterlll. In the meantime, keep your pot boiling, nay, but screech-
b,» with intense heat, filled with brine strong enough to bear an egg.
tL: n immerse him. having cut out the gilK opened the beUy^n
washed the inside, and boil him at the rate of seven mmutes and a half
rthe pound ; di h him, and, serving him with no sauce save a tureen-
!°.,. .,rV...r in which he has been boiled, proceed to cat h,m, wrth

■ fr ■^^0'M

APPENDIX. C.

33»

no other condiment than a little salt and the slightest squeeze of a
lemon I do not object to cucumber sliced very fine, with a dressing
of oiL three tablespoons to one of vinegar, salt, and black popper
guantun svff ; but I regard green peas, or any other vegetable, with
this grand fish, as a cockney abomination.

soyer's receipt— salmon au naturel.

Clean and prepare as before; but, if he be not fresh enough to
crimp, scale him, and proceed as follows :

" Put your fish in cold water, using a pound of salt to every six
quarts of water ; let it be well-covered with water, and set it over a
Lderate fire ; when it begins to simmer, set it on the side of the fir
. If the fish weighs four pounds, let it simmer half an hour-if eight
pounds, three-quarters of an hour, and so on in proportion ; dish it on
a napkin, and serve lobster or shrimp-sauce m a boat.

soyer's lobster-sauce for salmon.

Put twelve table-spoonsful of melted butter into a stew-pan ; cut a
middling-sized hen-lobster into dice, make a quarter of a pound
Z lobster-butter with the spawn, thus : take out the spawn and pound
t well in a mortar, then add a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, mix
til well together then rub it through a hair sieve ; when the melted
Wer is upoi the oint of boiling, add the lobster-butter, st. he sau.e
round over the fire, until the butter is -^^''^^'^/'^'''^ ^''\;''^^^
essence of anchovy, the juice of half a lemon, and a quarter of a tea-
poonful of cayenne ; pass it through a tamis into another stew-pan,
th n add the flesh of the lobster. When hot it is ready to serve
where directed. This sauce must be quite red ; if not rod m the lob-
Bter, use live spawn.

soyer's shrimp sauce.

Make the melted tatter a. for Ae '-'.''«'.«"'»'! '"''■''"X;
„{ Bhrimps, and serve Mf-a^int of pieWed shrimps m the boat mft .t
K fo Zoncc of shrhnps, the anehovy sauee may bo served ..th shr,n,p.
in it as a subst'tuto, if no essence can be naa.

! :.;;

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-;mi i

334

APPENDIX. C.

SALMON A LA BEYROOT

Broil two dices of Salmon, in oiled paper, over a moderate fire ;
when they are done, peel the skin from the edge, and lay them on a
dish without a napkin ; have ready the following sauce : put one table-
spoonful of chopped onions in a stew-pan, with one ditto of Chili vine-
gar, one of common vinegar, two ditto of Harvey sauce, two ditto of
mushroom catsup, and twenty tablespoonsful of melted butter ; let it
reduce till it adheres to the back of the spoon, then add two table-
spoonsful of essence of anchovy, and a small quantity of sugar, pour
it over the fish, and serve it hot.

HOW TO COOK TROUT

My own Method.

This is the method of tlie woods, and in the woods I learnt it ; but
havmg learned, I practice it at home, considering the Trout one of
the most delicious morceaux, when thus cooked, in the world. It
mast be cooked, however, in the open air, by a wood fire kindled on
the ground or by a charcoal fire in a small Boston furnace.

Clean and scale your fish, open, 'clean and wash him interaally ; take
for a one pound fish two small skewers of rod cedar wood, upon each
thread a piece of fat salt pork half-an-inch square ; with these fasten
the belly of the fish asunder, annex hira by the tail to a twig of pliant
wood, which suffer to bend over the fire so as to bring the fish oppo-
site the blaze, place a large biscuit or a slice of thin dry toast under
the drip of the gravy, cook quickly— for a two-pound fish, ten minutes
will suffice— dish with the biscuit under him, and cat with salt and
lemon-juice, or, if you please, with shrimp or lobster sauce, or a dash
of Worcestershire or Harvey sauce, though I think these, for my own
cheek, bad taste.

TROUT AU NATUREL.

A large Sea-Trout or Salmon-Trout is to be cleaned, cooked and
eaten precisely as the Salmon in my first receipt. I conceive, myself,
that any piquante or rich sauce overpowers the flavor of the fish, and

*^Vr?»^

■■: ^

APPENDIX. C.

335

should therefore be eschewed; but those who favor such things may
eat him with shrimp or lobster sauce as above.

HOW TO COOK PIKE.

Nohhs' Receipt for dressing a Pihe.
Take Your Pike and open him ; rub him within with salt and daret
^ne • save the milt, and a little of the bloody fat ; cut him in two
or thi-ee pieces, and put him in when the water boils •, put m with him
let marjoram, savory, thyme, or fennel, with a good handful of
silt : let them boil nearly half an hour. For the sauce, take sweet
butter, anchovies, horse-radish, claret wine, of each a good quantity J
a little of the blood, shalot, or garlic, and some lemon sliced; beat
them well together, and serve him up.

Soyer's Receipt for Pike roasted.
This fish in France is found daily upon the tables of the first epi-
cures, but the quality of the fish there appears much more delicate
than here. But perhaps the reason of its being more in vogue there
is that other fish are more scarce ; not being so much in use here-
that is, in London-but in the country, where gentlemen have sport
in caJhing them, they .re much more thought of, and to them, per-
haps, the following receipts may be the most valuable. To dress i^
nlain it is usu^i^ ' baked, as follows : having well cleaned the fish, stuff
it and sew the belly up with packthread ; butter a saute-pan, put the
ush into it and place it in the oven for an hour or more, according to
the size of it ; when done, dish it without a napkin, and pour anchovy
sauce round it ; this fish, previous to its being baked must be trussed
with its tail in its mouth, four incisions cut on each side, and well
buttered over.

Pihe cL la Chambord.
The large fish are the only ones fit for this dish, (which is much
thought of in France.) Have the fish well cleaned, and lard it ma
square on one side with bacon, put it in a fish-kettle, the larded side
upwards, and prepare the following marinade : slice four onions, one
carrot, and one turnip, and put them in a stew-pan with six bay-leaves,

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336 APPENDIX. C.

six cloves, two Wades of mace, a little thyme, basil, a bunch of parsley,
half-a-pound of lean ham, and half-a-pound of butter ; pass it over a
slow fire twenty minutes, keeping it stirred ; then add half a bottle of
Madeira wine, a wincglassful of vinegar, and six quarts of broth ;^ boil
altogether an hour, then pass it through a sieve, and pour the liquor
into the kettle over the fish ; set the fish on the fire to stew for an
hour or more, according to the size, but take care the marinade doos
not cover the fish, moisten the larded part, now and then, with th:;
stock, and put some burning charcoal on the lid of the kettle ; when
done, glaze it lightly, dish it without a napkin, and have ready the
following sauce : put a pint of the stock your fish was stewed in— hav-
ing previously taken off all the fat— into a stew-pan, with two glasses
of'^Madeira wine, reduce it to half, then add two quarts of brown
sauce, keep it stirred over the fire till the sauce adheres to the back
of the' wooden spoon, then add the roes of four carp or mackerel— cut
in large pieces, but be careful not to break them— twenty heads of
very white mushrooms, twenty cockscombs, twelve large quenellings
of whiting, and finish with a tablcspoonful of essence of anchovies and
half a one of sugar, pour the sauce round the fish, arranging the garni-
ture with taste, add twelve crawfish to the garniture, having previously
taken off all the small claws ; serve very hot.

This dish, I dare say, will be but seldom made in this country, on
account of its complication, but I thought proper to give it on account
of the high estimation in which it is held in France ; I must, however,
observe, that I have omitted some of the garnUure which would make
it still more expensive, and if there should be any difficulty in getting
what remains, the sauce is very good without.

Pike en matelole.
Stuff and bake the fish as before ; when done, dress it without a
napkin, and pour a sauce matelote in the middle and round the fish,
and serve very hot. Or the fish may be stewed as in the last.

Pike a la Hollandaise.
Boil the fish in salt and water, in the same manner as Cod-Fish ;
drain it well, dish it without a napkin, pour a sauce Hollandaise over it

APPENDIX. C.

Small Pike d la Meunihe.

337

Crimp a small Pike, it must not weigh more than two pounds, but
Bmallor if you can got it,_and proceed exactly as for Sole a la meu-
nidre, but allow it more time.

Pike mth caper sauce.
Boil the fish as before, and have ready caper sauce made as follows :
put fifteen tablespoonsful of melted butter in a stew-pan, and when M
boils add a quarter of a pound of fresh butter ; when it melts, add two
tablespoonsful of liaison ; let it remain on the fi-.^^t '.d t!o
not let it boil ; moisten with a little milk if required, then add two
tablespoonsful of capers, and pour over the fish.

Pike d la Mailre d'HStel.
Boil the fish a« usual, and dish it without a napkin ; then put twelve
tablospoonfulB of melted butter in a stew-pan -, and when i^t is upon the
point of boilin,, add a quarter of a pound of maitre d'hotel butter,
and when it mJlts pour over and round the fish ; serve very hot.

Pike d la Egyplienne.
Cut two onions, two turnips, one can:pt, one head of celery, and one
leek into slices; put them into a large stew-pan with some parsley,
thyme, bay-leaves, and a pint of port wine ; then have your fish ready
trussed, with its tail in its mouth ; put it into the stew-pan, with the
^o.otables ; add three pints of broth, and set it on a slow fire to stew,
with some live charcoal upon the lid ; try, when done, by runnmg the
knife close in to the back bone ; if the meat detaches easily, i is done ;
take it out, and place on a baking sheet •, dry it with . cloth, then
c. and bread-crumb it ; put it in the oven, and salamander it a light
btown ; then put twenty tablespoonsful of white sauce ma stew-pan,
with ei^^ht of milk, and reduce it five minutes ; then add four gher-
kins the whites of four hard-boiled eggs, and two truffles, cut m very
small dice ; finish with two tablespoonsful of essence of anchovies, the
ju=ee or half a lemon, and four pats of butter : dress the fish without a
napkin, and sjiuce over.

Filleh nf Pil(f tn -natelote.
If for a dinnn- for twelve, ftll.t » - «r.4l m^ m aad bread-

l:i '^- ^n

■i :■

338

APPENDIX. C.

crumb, and fry in oil ; dish them round on a border of mashed pota-
toes, previously cutting each fillet in halves, and serve sauce matelote
in the centre.

Fillets of Pike d la Meunilre.
Fillet four Pike as above, cut each fillet in halves, rub some chop-
pod eschalot into them, dip them in flour, broil them ; when done,
sauce as for Sole ^ la mcuni^re. Observe, if you happen to live in the
country where Pike is plentiful, you may dish the fillets in as many
ways as Soles, or any other fish ; but I have omitted giving them here,
thinking it useless to fill a useful book with so many repetitions ; wo
have several ways of dressing Pike to be eaten cold in France, which
I have also omitted, as they would be quite useless in this country.

HOW TO COOK PEARCH.

The best mode of cooking a Pcarch, under a pound weight, is by

broiling it.

Small Pearch will serve to make water-souchy thus : Scale, gut,
and wash your Pearch ; put salt in your water ; when it boils put in
the fish, with an onion cut in slices, and seperated into rings ; a
handful of parsley, picked and washed clean ; put in as much milk as
will turn the water white ; when your fish are done enough, put them
in a soup dish, and pour a little of the water over them, with the
parsley, and the onions ; then serve them up with parsley and butter

in a boat.

Large Pearch may be crimped and boiled in the same way.

Soyer's Receipt for Pearch d, la Hollandaise.
Have three middling-sized fishes ready prepared for cooking ; then
put two ounces of butter, two onions, in slices, ore carrot, cut small,
some parsley, two bay-leaves, six cloves, and two blades of mace in a
stew-pnn ; pass it five minutes over a brisk fire, then add a quart of
water, two glasses of vinegar, one ounce of salt, and a little pepper ;
boil altogether a quarter of an hour, and pass it through a sieve into a
small fish-kettle ; then lay the fishes into it, and let them stew twenty
or thirty minutes over a moderate fire ; dress them on a dish without a
napkin, and pour a sauce Hollandaise over them.

APPENDIX. — C.

Pearch d la Mailre d'Hdtel

339

Prepare and cook your fish as above ; then put twenty tablespoons-
ful of melted butter in a stew-pan, and when it is upon the point of
boiling add a quarter of a pound of Maitre d'H6tel butter, and pour
the sauce over the fish, which dress on a dish without a napkin.
Small Pearches en xcattr souchet.
Cut four small fishes in iialvos, having previously taken off all the
scales, and proceed precisely as for Flounders en water souchet.
Small Pearches frits au beurre.
Scale and well dry six Pearches, and make incisions ^ero and there
on each side of them •, then put a quarter of a pound of butter mto a
Lt^-pan, season your fishes with pepper and salt, put them in the
utlpan'and fry them gently, turning them carefully ; when done
dross them on a napkin, garnish with parsley, and serve without sau e^
In my opinion, thoy are much better cooked in this way than boiled
• or stowed ; large fish may also be done this way, but they require more
butter, and must cook very slowly.

fc W TO COOK CARP.

Izaak Walton's receipt.
But 4>st, I will tell you l,ow to make this Carp, ftat is so curious
to bo caught, so curious a di»l, of meat as shall make h>m worth a 1
;„„, labor aid patience. And though it is not without some troubl
and charges, yet it will .eeompenso both. Take a Carp-abTC rf
polible : seiur him, and rub him clean with water and saH but scale
rtot then open him, and put hi,n with his """^ -^ '--t:
you must save when you open him, into a '"^"P" "'';"'=' *!"
take sweet marjoram, thyme, or parsley, of each a handful ; a pr^
of rosemary, and mother-of-savory ; bind them into two or three
ml, buni;, and put them to your Carp, with four or five who
onions, twenty pickled oysters, and three anchov.es. 1 ^'^Vjr^^^
your Carp as much elaret wine as will only cover h.m -and season
Z claret well with salt, cloves and mace, and the r,nd of orange
and lemons. That done, cover your pot, and set .t o- Y"'f "
till it be sufficiently boiled. Then take out the Carp, and lay it w,.h

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5:! 4

I 1

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840

APPENDIX. C.

tho broth into the dish, and pour upon it a quarter of a pound of the
best fresh butter, melted and beaten with a half-a-doze i spoonsful ol
the broth, the yolks of two or three eggs, and some of the herbs
Bhred ; garnish your dish with lemons, and so serve it up, and much
good to you.

Soyer's Receipt for Carp en matelote.
Have your fish ready cleaned, and make four or five incisions on
each side ; then put two sliced onions, three sprigs of thyme and pars-
ley, and half-a-pint of port wine in a stew-pan, or small fish-kettle ;
season the fish with pepper and salt, lay it in the stew-pan, add four
pints of broth, and place it on a slow fire to stew for an hour-wluch
will be sufficient for a fish of five pounds wcight-or more, in propor-
tion to the size; when done, dress it on a dish, without a napkin;
drain it well, and serve a matelote sauce over it ; only use some of the
stock from the fish, having previously taken off all the fat, instead of
plain broth, as directed in that article.

Carp d la Genoise.
Prepare your fish as above, and lay it in your fish-kettle, with two
ounces of salt, half a bottle of port wine, two onions, two turnips, one
leek, one carrot, cut in slices, three bay-leaves, six cloves, two blades
of mace, and a sprig of parsley, cover the fish with whi'. broth ; stow
it as before, dress it without a napkin, prepare a sauce GenoiBC and
pour over it.

Stewed Carp a la Marquise.

Cook the fish as above, and when done, dress it on a dish without a
napkin, and have ready the following sauce : put twenty tablcspoonsful
of white sauce in a stew-pan, reduce it over a fire until rather thick,
then add a gill of whipt cream, two tablcspoonsful of capers, and two
o^' chopped gherkins ; pour over the fish, then sprinkle two tablcspoons-
ful of chopped beet-root over it, and serve.

Carp vnth caper sauce.

Cook the fish as above, and dress it without a napkin ; then put
twenty-five tablcspoonsful of melted butter into a stew-pan, and when

APPENDIX. — C.

341

nearly boiling add a quarter of a pound of fresh butter ; stir it till tho
butter melts, then add four tablespoonsful of capers, and pour over.
This sauoo must bo rather thick.

Carp fried.
Open tho fl,h down tk. back with a sharp knifo from tho hoad to
tho tail, cutting off half tho hoad, m that tho fch B qmto flat ; broak
tho back-bono in th.00 plaoos, but allow tho roo to romain; then d,p
tho fi* in flour, and fry it iu hot lard ; dross it on a napkm, garmsh
with parsloy, and sorvo plain moltod buttor, woU-scasonod, m a boat.

HOW TO COOK EELS.

Eelsfried.
Cut tho Eels in pieces about three inches long, dip them in flour,
egg and bread-crumb, and fry them in very hot lard, dress them on a
napkin, garnish with parsley, and serve shrimp-sauce m a boat.

Eds d la Tartare.
Cut tho Eols and fry as abovo, ha,o roady somo Tartaro Banco upon
. coU «, lay the Eols upon it, and sorvo immodiatoly •, should the
Eols bo lar'go, ftoy must bo throo-parts stowed botoro thoy are fr.od;
dry them upon a cloth previous to bread-crumbmg them.

SpitchcocJced Eels.
Tako tho bones out of tho Eels by opening them fi:om k™* '» ' j^l-
and cut them in pieces about four inohes long, throw them mto some
«™r then have ready upon a dish about a couple of handfuls of bread-
! :mbta tab - oonful'of chopped Jarsley, a little dried thyme, and
aTittlo cayenne opper, then egg oaoh piece of Eel and bread-crumb
them with it, fry them in very hot lard, dish them on a napkm, and
serve shrimp-sauce in a boat.

Stewed Eels.

Cut tho Eels in pieces as before, and tie each piece round with pack-

thr^Id then put them into a stew-pan with an onion, a tablespoonful

* white wine, three cloves, three whole allspice, a bunch of parsley

thyme, and b y-leaf, and a little white broth, suflieient to cover them ;

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342

APPENDIX.-

place them over a moderate fire, and let them stew gently for half an
hour or more, if requu-ed— according to the size of the Eel— take
them out, drain them on a napkin, dish them without a napkin, and
have ready the following sauce r put a teas;ioonful of chopped onions
into a stew-pan with four tablespoonsful of white wine, and eight ditto
of brown sauce, let it boil gently for a quarter of an hour, keeping
it stirred, then add a teaspoonful of essence of anchovies and a little
sugar, and pour over your Eels.

Eels en matelote.
Stew the Eels as above, dress them without a napkin, and pour a
sauce matelote over them. They may also be served with a sauce k
la Beyrout.

HOW TO COOK SHAD.

Broiled Shad.
Scale, clean, cut oflF the head and fins, split down the back, broil
quickly over a charcoal fire ; broil the roe separately in the same
manner ; serve on a hot dish, garnished with the roe and fried parsley.
Eat with drawn butter, anchovy, or shrimp sauce.

To Boil Shad.

Scale, open, clean, and wash your fish ; boil him quickly, wrapped
in a napkin, in boiling water ; serve upon a napkin, garnished with
fried parsley ; eat with caper sauce.

Sea-shore receipt for Boasted Shad.

Split your fish down the back after he is cleaned and washed, nail
the halves on shingles or short board ; stick them erect ;" -< the sand
round a large fire ; as soon as they are well-browned, serve on what-
ever you have got ; eat with cold butter, black pepper, salt, and a
good appetite.

This is a delicious way of cooking this fine fish.

HOW TO COOK TAUTOO.

Clean, score, and broil your Black-Fish quickly ; lay it in a stew-

APPENDIX. C.

343

pan, with a bottle of port wine, two sliced onions, six or seven cloves
and a few pepper-corns ; add an eschalot and some cayenne ; pour in a
quart of weak veal-broth, stew gently for an hour.

HOW TO COOK 8QUETEAOUE.

Boil when cleaned, and serve with shrimp sauce, precisely as Salmor
or Trout.

HOW TO COOK SEA BASS.

Boiled.

Boil plain, as above ; serve with shrunp sauce, caper sauce, or

parsley and butter.

Broiled.

Broil quickly over a charcoal fire ; serve with matelote sauce, as

follows :

Sauce Matelote.

Peel about twenty button onions, then put a teaspoonful of powdered
sugar in a stew-pan, place it over a sharp fire, and when melted and
getting brown, add a piece of butter the size of two walnuts, and your
onions, pass them over the fire until rather brown ; then add a glass
of sherry, let it boil, then add a pint of brown sauce and ten spoonfuls
of consomm6, simmer at the corner of the fire until the onions are
quite tender, skim it well ; then add twenty small quenelles, ten heads
of mushrooms, and a teaspoonful of essence of anchovies, one of catsup,
one of Harvey sauce, and a little cayenne pepper. Serve where
directed.

HOW TO COOK KING-FISH.

BroU over a quick fire, serve plain, eat with anchovy or shrimp

sauce.

Fry in olive oil, serve plain, eat with salt and red pepper.

HOW TO COOK SHEEP's-HEAD.

Rub it over with salt and lemon before putting it in the water. To
every six quarts of water add one pound of salt. Boil a ten-pound

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111

344

APPENDIX. C.

fish about, twenty minutes. Serve on a napkin, garnisli with parsley,
eat with shrimp or lobster sauce.

HOW TO COOK HALIBUT.

Soyer's Receipt for Halibut to boil.

A Halibut must be well rubbed over with salt and lemon before it
is put in the water ; have ready a large Halibut-kettle half-full of cold
Witter, and to every six quarts of water put one pound of salt, lay the
fish in, and place it over a moderate fire ; a Halibut of eight pounds
may be allowed to simmer twenty minutes or rather more ; thus it will
be about three-quarters of an hour altogether in the water ; when it
begins to crack very slightly, lift it up with the drainer, and cover a
clean white napkin over it ; if you intend serving the sauce over your
fish, dish it up without a napkin ; if not, dish it upon a napkin, and
have ready some good sprigs of double parsley to garnish it with, and
serve very hot.

Halibut d la Crime.

Cook the Halibut as above, and dish it without a napkin— but be
caieful that it is well drained before you place it on the dish, and ab-
sorb what water runs from the fish with a napkin, for that liquor would
spoil your sauce, and cause it to lose that creamy substance which it
ought to retain ; this remark applies to all kinds of fish that is served
up with the sauce over it ; then put one pint of cream on the fire in a
good-sized stew-pan, and when it is nearly simmering add half-a-pound
of fresh butter, and stir it as quickly as possible until the butter is
melted, but the cream must not boil ; then add a liaison of three yolks
of eggs, season with a little salt, pepper, and lemon-juice, pom- as
much over the Halibut as will cover it, and serve the remainder in a
boat ; or if not approved of, dish the fish on a napkin, garnish with
parsley, and serve the sauce in a boat This sauce must not be made
until the moment it is wanted.

Halibut Sauce homard.

Cook the Halibut as before, then take an ounce of lobster spawn
and pound it in a mortar with a quarter of a pound of fresh butter,
rub it through a hair sieve with a wooden spoon upon a plate ; have

APPENDIX.-

34u

ready a pint of good melted butter nearly boiling, into whicb put the
red butter, and season with a teaspoonful of essence of anchovy, a
little Harvey sauce, cayenne pepper, and salt, then cut up the flesh of
the lobster in dice and put in the sauce ; serve it in a boat very hot.

Halibut d. la Hollandaise.

Cook the Halibut as before, and dish without a napkin ; then put
the yolks of four eggs in a stew-pan with half-a-pound of fresh butter,
the juice of a lemon, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a quarter of one of
white pepper ; set it over a slow fire, stirring it the whole time quickly ;
when the butter is half-melted take it off the fire for a few seconds,
still keeping it st-.ed,till the butter is quite melted, then place it
again on the fire tUi it thickens, then add a quart of melted butter, stir
it again on the fire, but do not let it boil, or it would curdle and be
useless ; then pass it through a tammie into another stew-pan, make it
hot in the bain marie, stirring all the time ; pour it over the fish or
serve in a boat. The sauce must be rather sharp ; add more season-
ing if required.

Halibut d, la Mazarine.

Cook the fish as above, then have all the spawn from two fine hen
lobsters; if not sufficient, get some live spawn from the fishmonger's,
making altogether about two ounces ; pound it well in the mortar and
mix it with°half-a-pound of fresh butter, rub it through a hair sieve,
place it upon ice until firm, then put it in a stew-pan with the yolka
of four eggs, a little pepper, half a teaspoonful of salt, and four table-
spoonsful of lemon-juice, place it over the fire, and proceed as for the
sauce Hollandaise, adding the same quantity of melted butter, and two
teaspoonfuls of essence of anchovy, pass it through a tammie mto a
clean stew-pan to make it hot, dish the fish without a napkin, soakmg
up the water in the dish with a clean cloth, and pour the sauce over
it ; be careful the sauce does not boil, or it will curdle.

This dish is one of the most elegant, and is the best way of dressing
a Halibut; for I have always remarked, that notwithstanding its sim-
plicity, it has given the greatest satisfaction, both for its delicateness
and appearance, causing no trouble— only requiring care.
23

ai6

APPENDIX. — C.

Halibut en matelote Normande.

Procure a smallish Halibut, one weighing about ten pounds would be
the best ; cut off part of the fins, and make an incision in the back, but-
ter a saute-pan, large enough to lay the Halibut in quite flat, and put
three tablespoonsful of chopped eschalots, three glasses of sherry or
Madeira, half a teaspoonful of salt, a little white pepper, and about
half-a-pint of white broth into it, then lay in the Halibut and cover it
over with white sauce, start it to boil over a slow fire, then put it into
a moderate oven about an hour, try whether it is done with a skewer ;
if the skewer goes through it easily it is done ; if not, bake it a little
longer, then give it a light brown tinge with the salamander, place the
fish upon a dish to keep it hot, then put a pint of white sauce in the
saute-pan and boil it fifteen minutes, stirring it all the time, then pass
it through a tammie into a clean stew-pan, and add a little cayenne
pepper, two tablespoonsful of essence of anchovies, two dozen of oys-
ters, blanched, two dozen of small mushrooms, two dozen quenelles,
six spoonsful of milk, and a teaspoonful of sugar, reduce it till about
the thickness of buchamel sauce, then add eight tablespoonsful of
cream and the juice of a lemon, pour over the Halibut ; have ready
twenty coriltons of bread cut triangularly from the crust of a French
roll, and fried in butter ; place them round the dish, and pasd the sala-
mander over it, and serve.

Halibut en matelote vierge.

Boil a Halibut as before, dish it up without a napkin, and have
ready the following sauce : chop two onions very fine and put them in
a stew-pan with four glasses of sherry, a sole cut in four pieces, two
cloves, one blade of mace, a little grated nutmeg, some parsley, and
one bay-leaf; boil altogether five minutes, then add a quart of white
sauce, boil twenty minutes, stirring all the time, then put a tammio
over a clean stew-pan, and colander over the tammie, pass the sauce,
take the meat off the sole and rub it through the tammie with two
spoons into the sauce, add half a pint of broth, boil it again until it is
rather thick, season with a teaspoonful of salt, one of sugar, the juice
of a lemon, and finish with half-a-pint of cream whipped, mix it quickly
and pour over the fish ; garnish with white-bait and fried oysters, that
have been egged and bread-crumbed ; or if there is no white-bait,
gmclts will do.

APPENDIX. C.

Halibut d la Religieuae.

347

Dress the Halibut as before, and cover with Hollandaise sauce ;
chop some Taragon chervil, and one French truffle, which sprinkle
over it; garnish with hard-boiled eggs cut in four lengthwise and laid

round.

Halibut d, la Cremi ; gralinL

Put a quarter of a pound of flour in a stew-pan, mix it gently with
a quart of milk, be careful that it is not lumpy, then add two escha-
lots, a bunch of parsley, one bay-leaf, and a sprig of thyme tied toge-
ther, for if put in loose it would spoil the color of your sauce, which
should be quite white, then add a little grated nutmeg, a teaspoonful
of salt and a quarter ditto of pepper, place it over a sharp fire and stir
it the whole time, boU it till it forms rather a thickish paste, then take
it off the fire and add half-a-pound of fresh butter and the yolks of two
eggs, mix them well into the sauce and pass it througe a tamraic ; then
haVing the remains of a Halibut left from a previous dinner, you lay
some of the sauce on the bottom of a dish, then a layer of the Halibut,
without any bone, season it lightly with pepper and salt, then put
another layer of sauce, then fish and sauce again until it is all used,
finishinc' with sauce ; sprinkle the top lightly with bread-crumbs and
grated Tarmesan cheese ; put it in a moderate oven half an hour, give
it a light brown color with the salamander, and serve it in the dish it is
baked in.

Halibut a la Poissoniere.

Boil a Halibut as before, and take it up when only one-thitd cooked,
then put in a large saut^-pan or baking-sheet forty button onions
peeled and cut in rings, two ounces of butter, two glasses of port wme,
the peel of half a lemon, and four spoonsful of chopped mushrooms,
then lay in the Halibut, and cover with a quart of brown sauce, set it in
a slow oven for an hour, then take it out and place it carefully on a
dish, place the fish again in the oven to keep it hot, then take the
lemon-peel out of the sauce and pour the sauce into a stew-pan, reduce
it till rather thick, then add twenty muscles, (blanched,) twenty heads
of mushrooms, and about thirty fine prawns ; when ready to serve add
one ounce of anchovy butter, a tablespoonful of sugar, and a little

a» ii

34S

APPENDIX. — C.

cayenne pepper, stir it in quickly, but do not let it boil ; pour the
sauce over the fish, and serve very hot.

Halibut d la Crime d'Anchois.

Boil the Halibut and dish it without a napkin, then pour the follow-
ing sauce over it and servo immediately : put a quart of melted butter
into a stew-pan, place it on the fire, and when nearly boiling add six
ounces of anchovy butter, and four spoonsful of whipped cream, mix it
quickly, but do not let it boil ; when poured over the fish sprinkle
some chopped capers and gherkins over it.

Small Halibut d la MeHniire.

Crimp the Halibut by making incisions with a sharp knife, about an
inch apart, in the belly part of the fish, then rub two tablospoonsful of
chopped onions and four of salt into the incisions, pour a little salad
oil over it, and dip it in flour, then put it on a gridiron a good distance
from the fire — the belly downwards — let it remain twenty minutes,
then turn it by placing another gridiron over it, and turning the fish
over on to it, place it over the fire for about twenty-five minutes, or
longer if required ; when done place it upon a dish and have ready
the following sauce : put six ounces of butter in a stew-pan, with ten
spoonsful of melted butter, place it over the fire, moving the stew-
pan round when very hot, but not quite in oil, add a liaison of two
yolks of eggs, a little pepper, salt, and the juice of a lemon, mix it
quickly, and pour over the fish ; serve directly and very hot. The
fish must be kept as white as possible. For the above purpose the
Halibut should not exceed eight pounds in weight.

Halibut d la gratin Provenfale.

This dish is made from fish left from a previous dinner. Put two
tablespoonsful of chopped onions, and two of chopped mushrooms into
a stow-pan with two tablespoonsful of salad oil ; place it over a mode-
rate fire five minutes, stirring it with a wooden spoon ; then add three
pints of brown sauce, and reduce it one-third, then add a clove of
Bcrapod garlic, a teaspoonful of Harvey sauce, one of essence of an-
chovy, a little sugar, a little cayenne, and two yolks of eggs, pour a
little sauce on the dish you serve it on, then a layer of fish lightly

APPENDIX. C.

349

seasoned with pepper and salt, then more sauce and fish again, finisli-
iuf with sauce ; sprinkle hrcad-crumbs over it and place it in a mode-
rate oven half-an-hour, or till it is very hot through, brown it lightly
with the salamander and serve very hot. The garlic may be omitted
if objected to, but it would lose the flavor from which it is named.

HOW TO COOK FLOUNDERS.

Soytr's Receipt for Flounder en matelote Normande.
Cut the fins off a fine fresh Flounder, and make an incision down
the back close to the bone, in which put some force-meat of fish, well
seasoned with chopped eschalots and parsley, then butter a saute-pan
very lightly, and put a teaspoonful of chopped eschalots into it with
two glasses of white wine ; lay the Flounder into it and season with a
little pepper and salt, then cover it with some bechamel sauce, and
put it into a moderate oven for about twenty minutes or half an hour
—but try whether it is done with a skewer— brown it lightly with the
salamander; then take up the Flounder, dish it without a napkin, and
make the saace as follows : put six spoonsful of white sauce in the
saut^-pan with six ditto of milk, let it bod four minutes, keeping it
stirred, then add one dozen oysters blanched, one dozen quenelles of
whiting, one dozen mushrooms, half a teaspoonful of essence of ancho-
vies, and four tablespoonsful of cream, with a little cayenne pepper
an(^ sugar ; pour the sauce over and round the fish, pass the salaman-
der again over it, and garnish round with fried bread cut in small tri-
angles. The sauce may be passed through a tammie before the gar-
niture is added, if required. Fried smelts are frequently served as
garniture around it.

Flounder d la Poltaise.
Trim a fine Flounder and make an incision down the back, clearing
the meat from the bone, then melt two ounces of butter, and mix with
it a teaspoonful of chopped eschalots, one of chopped mushrooms, ono
of chopped parsley, and a glass of sherry ; put the Flounder in a dish,
and pour the butter, etc., over it ; sprinkle a few bread-crumbs on it,
and put it in the oven twenty minutes or half an hour ; when done,
pour a little anchovy sauce over it, and brown it lightly with the sala-
mander.

850

APPENDIX,

Flounder aux fines herbes.
Boil a Flounder— if the Flounder is very fresh it may bo put in boil-
ing water, but it is best to let it only simmer— in salt-and-water, and
dish it without a napkin ; have ready the following sauce : put in a
stew-pan six teaspoonsful of chopped onions and a piece of butter, fry
the onions a light brown, then add eight tablespoonsful of brown sauce,
and let it boil at the corner of the stovo ten minutes, then add a tea-
spoonful of chopped mushrooms, half ditto of chopped parsley, ono
ditto of essence of anchovies, and the juice of a quarter of a lemon ;
pour it over the fish and servo. This sauco must be rather thick, but
not too much so.

HOW TO COOK HADDOCK.

Soyefs Receipt for common Haddock, plain.

This is a very serviceable, light, wliolesomc fish, and may bo ob-
tained, like Solos or Whitings, at any time of the year ; to dress them
plain, put them in boiling water well salted, and let them simmer about
twenty minutes, or according to the size, dress on a napkin, and servo
shrimp sauco in a boat.

Haddock d la Walter Scott.
Put two tablespoonsful of chopped onions, one ditto of Harvey
sauce, ono ditto of catsup, one ditto of sherry, and twenty ditto of
melted butter into a middling-sized stew-pan, place it over the fire and
let it boil fifteen minutes, keeping it stirred, then have ready a good-
sized Haddock, cut in four pieces, put it into the stew-pan with the
sauce, place it over a slow fire for twenty minutes, or longer if neces-
sary; when done, dress it on a dish without a napkin ; reduce the sauce
a little more if required, then add a little sugar and essence of an-
chovy, pour it over the fish and serve.

Fillets of Haddock d la St. Paul.
Fillet your fish the same as a Whiting, dip the fillets in flour, egg,
and tread-crumb, and fry in hot lard, or oil, in a saut6-pan, dress
them on a napkin, garnish with fried water-cress, and serve with two
If i,^,™ v.^*4^/>>. r««itoH Kiif Tint, hoilftd. in a boat.

APPENDIX. C.

351

Fillets of Haddock a la Hollandaue.
Fillet youT fish as above, and proceed as for fillets of Whiting 4 la
HoUandaise.

HOW TO COOK WHITINQS.

Soyer''a Receipt for Whitings, to fry them.

Every person knows the delicacy of this fish, and its lightness as
food, especially invalids ; it is generally well received at all tables : to
fry them well, dry them in a cloth, then throw them in flour, egg and
bread-crumb, fry them in hot lard, observing the directions for frying
Soles ; servo them on a napkin with shrimp-sauce in a boat, and gar
nish with parsley.

Whiting au gratin.

Have the Whitings skinned, with their tails turned into their mouths;
butter a saute-pan and put in the Whitings, with a tablespoonful of
chopped onions and four tablospoonsful of brown sauce over each ;
sprinkle bread-crumbs over them, and a little clarified butter, and put
them in a moderate oven half an hour ; take them out and dress them
on a dish without a napkin ; then put twelve tablespoonsful more
brown sauce into the saut^-pan, with a teaspoonful of chopped mush-
rooms, one ditto chopped parsley, one ditto essence of anchovy, a
little pepper, salt, and sugar, boil ten minutes, pour round the fish,
and pass tho salamander over them.

Whitings broiled.
Have the fish skinned and curled round, fiour it, and lay it on the
gridiron over a moderate fire ; it will take about twenty minutes; dish
it on a napkin, garnish with parsley, and serve plain melted butter in
a boat. Season when near done.

Whitings boiled d la Maitre d'Hdtel.

Broil the fish as above, dish them without a napkin, have six table-
spoonsful of melted butter in a stew-pan, put it to boil, then add two
ounces of maitre d'hdtel butter, stir it till it is melted, but do not let

if \\f\\\ . jiTid nour over the fish.

— J ^

11 H

;ri

:F'

1109

AFPKNUIX. C.

fillets of Whitingi fried.

Take tho fillets of ix siuall Wbitiugs which have not been skinned,
dip them in flour, « i>f, and bread-crumb them, and fry in very hot
lard ; garnish with fried parsley, and servo with sauce IloUandaiso in
a boat.

Fillets of Whitings d la Hollandaise.

Fillet six Whitings as above, cut them in halves, then butter a saut^-
pan, and lay in the fillets, skin side downwards ; season with a little
pepper, salt, and lemon-juioo, place them over a slow fire five minuten,
turn them and place them again on tho fire ; when done, dish them
round on a dish, and pour some sauce Hollandaise over them

Fillets of WhUings d V Italienne.

Fillet and dress tho fish as in tho last, adding chopped parsley to
the seasoning, and make the sauce as for Filets do Soles k I'ltalienne.

Wliiting d VHuiU.

Fry the Whiting in very hot salad oil, instead of lard, of a very
light brown color ; dish it on a napkin, garnish with fried parsley, and
aerve shrimp-sauce in a boat

SUPPLEMENT

Jj'BANK FORESTER'S

|is% ani |is^iit9

HUNRY WILLIAM HERBERT.

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1 N D E X '!,' ( '

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.{.MKIV HACKLii.

H^ PAl MRK IIAI.R.UK-

.^.,K siUVlR i'AUMKR.

iVir PALMKK UACKUfc

■i ; i.AC« PALMEtt HACKLK-

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INDEX TO PLATE OF FLIES,

I. RED PALMER HACKLE.

i. PEACOCK PALMER HACKLE.

3. BLACK SILVER PALMER.

4. YELLOW PALMER HACKLE.

5. BLACK PALMER HACKLE.

6. BLACK PALMER HAPKLE, Ribhed

with Oold.

7. GREEN DRAKE, OR MAY FLY.

8. GREY DRAKE, OR MAY FLY,

9. COW DUNG.

10. BEE FLY

U. BLACK GNAT.
12. HAKV'S EAR.

13. COCK TAIL.

14. WHIRLING DUN.

16. KINGDOM FLY.
10. WHITE GNAT.

17. BLUE DUN.

18. RED ANT.

19. GOLD SPINNEU

20. WHITE MOTH.

21. GOVERNOR.

SB. MARCH BROWN.
93. STONE FLY.
24. WILLOW FI.Y

I ^11)11 llf. I Jl»,. I l"ll

I il

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\ 'Si

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

On coming to revise the body of this work for a new edition, it
was found, as might naturally be expected in a book embracing so
large a field, that some errors had crept in, of commission, but yet
more of omission ; that some opinions with regard to fishes, unknown
to the writer through his own observation, quoted from others, are, as
verified by his own experience, incorrect ; and that some few things
stated as facts, when tried by the same test, are incorrect.

To set these right in the body of the work, would have rendered it
necessary to reprint and re-stereotype the whole volume ; as, by the
insertion of new matter, the paging would have been all thrown out of
order, and many whole pages would have been entirely destroyed,
merely in order to rectify a single word.

1 have therefore judged it best to throw what new information i
have gained, into the form of a Supplement ; embodying therein the
eoifcction of all erroneous opinions which, through want of informa-
tii misinformation, I have fallen into ; and adding farther instruc-

tions „ith regard to the implements, and the art of angling.

On Trolling for Lake Tvout, and on Fishing with the Fly, very con-
siderable additions will be found in this edition ; as well as a Table ex-
plaining the seasons, bait, &c., of the principal salt-water fishes of
our waters.

I had hoped to have been able to insert some information concern-

QgQ INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

ing the more interesting sea-fish of the Southern States ; but having
wdted as long as it was possible, for a number of specimens of which
I had a promise from a friend in Charlcaton, South Carolina, I am
very reluctantly compelled to go to press without that advantage, and
am precluded from doing much more than naming what I learn to
be the best and gamest of the southern species.

In this Supplement, I shall adhere to the plan adopted in the Vol-
ume, of dividing it into two parts, one treating of the structure, habita,
and classification of the fishes; the other of the implements, the ma-
terials, and the art of angling.

The Salmon family will claim-as of the Volume itself, so of the
Supplement also-the larger portion. Of this interesting group, the
proper Salmons, I have herein inserted descriptions of six new species
peculiar to the Columbia and other rivers of the Pacific coast, now
growing into so great importance ; and of the sub-genus Coregonus, of
the same group, I have two new varieties from the north-western lakes.
Concerning the several varieties of Lake Trout, I have cause materi-
ally to modify opinions expressed heretofore; and have succeeded in
collecting much new information as to their habits, quality, instincts,
and the mode of capturing them.

To the various friends who have assisted me with advice, informa-
tion, and friendly criticism, I take this opportunity of again express-
ing my gratitude, and of putting it on record how much is due to them
of the increased value of this edition.

PART I.

THE

GAME FISHES

Snrtli %mim.

mmmmmmmm

■ i

€)^t (0anie ^isliBB nf Emnirn.

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPrERYGIL

SALMONIDiB.

THE SALMON.

THE COMMON SALMON — THE TRUE SALMON.

Salmo Salar; Auctorum.

I STATED in the body of this work, that the True Salmon was wont,
in former years, to run up into Seneca, Cayuga, and others of the
small lakes of central New York, and expressed a doubt whether it
was not now prevented from doing so, by the obstructions in the Os-
wego river.

In the course of a visit to that interesting region, during the past
autumn, I had an opportunity of verifying this doubt ; and I found, as
indeed I expected, that the True Salmon has ceased to exist in those

beautiful waters.

It is with great pleasure, however, that I lay before my readers an
enactment for the preservation of that noble fish, just passed by the
Supervisors of the county of Oswego, in conformity with the act of the
State Legislature, committing the care of Game, and the passing of
Game laws, to those Boards throughout the country.

This act is precisely what it should be, and reflects the highest
credit on the liberality, \?isdom, and energy of the Board which en-
acted it. I only regret that its provisions extend only to a single
river • 1: ". trust that this defect will be' amended, and that the Os-
wego River, and the Seneca, Cayuga, and other outlets will receive the
same privilege, which would doubtless lead to the speedy re-establish-
ment of the Salmon in those lovely and limpid waters :
24

lifr

C32

AMKKICAN FIfellEb.

LAW FOR THE PRESERVATION OF SALMON.

PUDUBHED DY ORDER OF THE BOARD OK 8UPKRV.BOR8.

AN ACT for the preservation of Salmon in the Salmon River and Lake Ontario con.

tlgnous thereto :—PnBBod Dec. I2th, 1836.

The Board of SnpervisorB of the County of Oswego, convened at PulnBki. m the
KHid county, do enact as foUowflt

. 1. It .hall not be la,.ful for any person to fish for. catch, or take, any Salmon,
wi h any ne-. seine, weir, of any kind or dcBcription. in any of the waters o the
slon River in said county, or in the waters of Lake Ontario, wuh.n one n. e of
" mlth of said river, between the first day of April and the -«-;■-»' ^^^y''^^-
u,ber, in any year after the passage of this act. And any person offend.ng h rem,
ha for every such off.nce. forfeit and pay the sum of one hundred dollars, to be

covered by action, with the costs of suits, by and for the use o any person who
TproBccute for the same before any justice of the peace in and for the sa.d county

"' IT And be it further enacted. That the Salmon so caught and taken in any of
the waters aforesaid, in violation of the provisions of this act. together w.th any
111 net, weir, or traps so used or set for use. in violation of th.s act as aforesa.d
Tl belrfoitei to and may bo immediately taken into pos8ess.o» o . and curr.ed
aw!y!b ny person who shall find said net. seine, weir, or trap, whde so used or
Jfo uL as aforesaid; and such person may and he is hereby authonsed to keep,
Telo otherwise dispose of the same for his own use and benefit as to h.m may
c ^fit^a^^^ proper And any such weir or trap which shall be affixed to any dam
or le obstructls in any of the waters of Salmon River, or wh.ch shall be set or
lured to the bottom of said river or lake aforesaid, Bhall be. and the same .s hereby
"l-udged a public nuisance, and may be abated by any person summardy wUhout
nrocessoflav. other than the proviwons of this act.

63 And be it further enacted, That the owner or owners of m.U or other dam
which are now erected across the said Salmon River, or any branch or channel
Th eof BO a, to obstruct the usual course of the Salmon m gomg "P -«i nv-' -»>«
Shu not on or before the first day of June, in the year o,. thousand e.gh hundred
^.d f^, have altered such dam by constructing an apK>n or slope on the lower s.de
hereo xtending fr..m the top of said dam to the bottom of the nver below, sa.d
Inrr; Bl pe to be not less than twenty feet wide, with a smooth and even sur-
aprou or slope lo fortv-five degrees with the horizon, and to be loca-

'T ""'*::? .oil n /"ul Hv., .. o.c»,„.U»c„ »,« pc™U, »

,ed m o .. n.« «» -J" "■" ,t„„ .„„h j.^, ,h.„ „.pec.ively

*:\ 717. r. w'™ w c .»ch d.m i. .ocaM, .h. .,™ of o„o hundred

ir:i:. r^ oi; of „h-,cH .. ^ p- .« .,. co^p,..,,.. .„- .>. ~

1 .:: It "e„,v.r.vo doU... to be .ppro.,,i«Ud .o th. support of ib. «»r of .„ch

SALMON. D^:.

868

town, and to be received by the overseer or overseers of the poor thereof, in the
manner provided for in the first section of this act. And in case such dam shall not
have been so altered within the time above-mentioned, such dam shall bo adjudged
a public nuisance, and may be abated in the same manner us is provided in the
second section of this act. And further, that any mill or other dam which shall be
hereafter erected across said river, or any branch or channel thereof, shall bo con-
structed with an apron or slope as aforesaid. And any owner or owners of such
dam, which shall be hereafter constructed iicross said river as aforesaid, who shall
neglect or refuse to comply with the provisions of this section, shall respi.«tively for-
feit the same penalty, to be prosecuted for, received and applied, as is herein before
provided in this section.

§ 4. And be it further enacted. That it shall not be lawful for any person to fish
for, catch, or take Salmon, while passing over such aprons or slopes, or within the
distance of four rods of said slopes, aprons or dam ; And any person ofTending herein,
shall forfeit and pay the sum of twenty-five dollars, to be recovered and applied in
the manner provided for in and by the first section of this act.

§ 5. And be it further enacted. That nothing contained in the first three sections
of this net, shall be so construed as to prevent the fishing for, catching, or taking
Salmon with a spear, in the waters aforesaid, by the owner or owners, lessee or les
sees, and their lawfully authorized agents of the lands over which the waters of said
river flow, or adjoining the waters of Lake Ontario aforesaid.

^ 6. And be it further enacted, That this act shall take efiect on the first day of
January, eighteen hundred and fifty.

A. L. Thomabon, Chairman.

I earnestly recommend the passage of similar laws to this, by the
Legislatures of the various Eastern States, especially by that of Maine,
in reference to every river eastward, at least, of the mouth of the Ken-
nebeck, as the only method by which the speedily approaching extinc-
tion of the Salmon can be prevented.

I have no doubt, however, that if the same law were passed by the
Legislatures of Connecticut and New York, with regard to the fine
liver which gives name to that first State, and to the noble Hudson,
coupled with an absolute prohibition to take or destroy the Salmon for
th? space of five years, that this, the king of fishes, might be re-intro-
duced into those waters, by the adoption of the simple method des-
cribed at page 60 tt seqiientes of this volume.

And I take this opportunity of stating, that I have good hope of ma-
king such arrangements as will enable me to procure, in this coming
spring, such supplies of the Salmon fry, in the state which admits of

tf'<r

864

AMKRICAN riSMK*.

their transportation from Nova Scotia, as will Huffioo to c»tabli.sh th.
posHibility of tho und .rtakiiiR. It is my intention, should I sucooed
in obtaining' any support or i.ncouragem.'nt from the LegiHlaturo of
New Jersey, to make the experiment in the tributaries of the I'a^'saic ;
and should it bo successful, 1 can only add that it will give mo but too
much pleasure to assist any gentlonian of spirit in procuring the means
of restocking any waters on which they may reside, with this most
game and noblest of fishes.

tALMONIDJ

300

AllDOMtNAI-
MAI.ACOprKRYail.

lAUdONIDiE.

THE BUOOK TROUT.

THE COMMON TROUT.

Salmo Fontinalii; DeKay.

With regard to this very beautiful and excellent fish, 1 have very
little to add to what ia recorded in the former part of this volume, at

page 86 et seq.

I have ascertained, however, as a fact, what I mentioned there as a
mere surmise, that in some places and on some occasions the Brook
Trout of America are taken of a very much larger size than is gene-
rally imagined.

At the Sault St. Mario, which I visited this autumn, although too
late for Trout-fishing in its perfection, the average run of fish is ex-
ceedingly large ; as also in the Garden River, which falls into the St.
MaryC, a few miles below the beautiful rapid I have mentioned.

Three and four pounds is by no means an unusual weight ; but the
most important fact is this, that some years since, the commandant of
the United States' Fort, at the Sault, offered a reward to any Indian
who should bring in a Brook Trout of ten poitnds' weight. The result
was, that many were brought in of six and seven pounds and upward,
and at last one monster which actually weighed eleven pounds and

some ounces. , . . u j

There is no question about this fact, or of its bemg actually a red-
spotted Brook Trout, as distinguished from the Namaycush or Siska-
witz • for the whole affair originated from a desire to investigate and
ascertain the fact of natural history, on the part of the distinguished
officer in question, and the fish was submitted to a thorough scrutiny
and scientific examination before the premium was awarded.

The question may therefore be regarded as settled, that, in favorable
situations and peculiar waters, the Brook Trout grows to a size much
larger than is usually supposed to be its utmost limit, possibly even up

^MMi,iiBi-wi naa »ti

366

AMERICAN FISHES.

to fifteen or twenty pounds, though the average of the fish is undenia-
bly below a pound.

There can, I aui now satisfied, be no doubt that the very largo red-
spotted fish described by Dr. Smith, under the title of Hucho, as ex-
isting in many of the lakes of New England, is nothing more, as I
surmised in the first instance, than an enormous and overgrown Brook
Trout, very large specimens of which are constantly brought into the
Boston markets from the interior of New Hampshire. The wonderful
effect of different waters on the growth, coloring and flavor of fish has
been already mentioned ; and I shall have yet more to say on this sub-
ject when I cc'ue to speak of the Lake Trout.

1 will only here farther observe, that on recent information from an
undoubted authority, I have reason to believe that I have overestima-
ted the average weight of the Brook Trout taken in Carman's Creek
on Long Island ; a very highly accomplished angler, who fishes those
waters constantly, having assured me that the average is not now above
three-fourths of a pound. There is no question, that in waters so
assiduously whipped as those of Long Island, not only the number but
the size of Trout must necessarily decrease. For farther instruction
on Fly-fishing, &o., I must now refer my reader to the Second Part of
this Supplement, where he will find, I trust, all that may be necessary
to supply what was omitted above, both as regards doctrine and prac
tice, art and implements, necessary for the gentle craft.

8ALM0NIDA.

367

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYGIL

SALMON IDiE.

THE GREATEST LAKE TROUT.

MACKINAW SALMON NAMAYCUSH.

Salmo Ameihyatuti Mitchil, DeKay.—Salmo Namaycush; Pennant, Richardson.

Of this fish — concerning which, in the body of the work, I wroto
chiefly on the report of others— in the course of a recent tour to the
upper lakes, I had ample opportunities of judging. I saw certainly
liundreds of specimens, none below seventeen or eighteen pounds
weight, and many up to forty and forty-five. They are so abundant
on Lake Huron that the Indians sell them willingly for a quarter of a
dollar each, without reference to size.

The flesh of this fish, as an article of food, is exceedingly bad ; it
is coarse, flabby, and at once rank and vapid, when fresh, if such a
combination can be imagined. On one occasion, a very large fish of
this species having been served up boiled one day, and pronounced,
by a large party of good epicurean judges, less than indifferent, a por-
tion was dressed cold on the following day with salad, and was so
insufferably rank, that it was incontinently sent from the table as un-
eatable.

When salted and smoked, or preserved in salt pickle, it is somewhat
better, though not at all equal to its sister fish the Siskawitz.

I should be willing to assert that the average of this great fish is fully
up to twenty pounds. I will here add, that I have reason to believe
that the opinion hazarded on report of others, that the Great Macki-
naw Trout is the livdiest of his species, is entirely erroneous ; and that,
from all the inquiries I made among Indians, hunters, and scientific
anglers on the lake, I am inclined to disbelieve that this or the next
described fish can be taken either with the fly or the spinning-minnow
in trolling. If ever they are taken in either of these modes, or with
the spoon or squid, it is contrary to their usual habit; and may be con-
sidered a freak of the fish, and one of so rare occurrence as to render

368

AMERICAN FISHES.

it a very unprofitable attempt for the angler to fish for them by any
of these modes.

A coarse, heavy, stiff rod — a long and powerful oiled hempen or
flaxen line — on a large winch, with a heavy sinker, a cod-hook baited
with any kind of flesh, fish, or fowl — but, best of all, with a piece of the
belly of its own species, is the most successful if not the most orthodox
or scientific mode of capturing him.

Its great size and immense strength alone give him value as a fish
of game ; but when hooked, he pulls strongly and fights l*ard, though
he is a boring deep fighter, and I think never leaps out of water, lil.o
the True Salmon or the Brook Trout.

'^'"

SALMONIDiE

360

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTEEYGH

SALMONIDiG.

> H

THE SISKAWITZ.

NORTHERN LAKE TROUT.

Salmo Siskawitz ; Agaasiz.

This fish, like the former species, came frequently under my eye
during my late northern tour ; and I rejoice in the possession of a
barrel of him in his pickled state, which I procured at the Sault St.
Marie, on the strength of which I can recommend him to all lovers of
good eating as the very best salt fish that exists in the world.

He is so fat and rich, that when eaten fresh he is insufferably rank
and oily ; but when salted and broiled, after being steeped for forty-
eight hours in cold water, he is not surpassed or equalled by any fish
with which I am acquainted.

Since my return, he has been tasted by very many gentlemen of my
acquaintances, and by no ona of them has he been pronounced any-
thing less than superlative.

His habits closely resemble those of the Namaycush ; and like him
I cannot learn that he ever takes the fiy, or is ever taken by trolling.
I do not, however, believe that either of these methods are often re-
sorted to for his capture, although there are many scientific fly-fishers
about the Sault, and the Brook Trout of those waters are principally
taken with large and gaudy lake-flies.

The average weight of the Siskawitz does not exceed four or five
pounds, though he is taken up to seventeen. His excellence is so per-
fectly understood and acknowledged in the Lake Country, that he
fetches double the price per barrel of his coarser big brother, the
Namaycush ; and he is so greedily sought for there, that it is difficult
to procure him even at Detroit, and almost impossible at Buffalo.

1 believe none were ever brought to New York, previously to the bar-
rel which 1 brought down with me from the Sault. I am now able to
supply, from personal inspection, what I was compelled unavoidably to

li • ■•lifl

870

AMERICAN FISHES.

omit above, the number of rays in the various fins. They are as fol-
lows:

First dorsal twelve branched rays, second dorsal adipose, pectorals
fifteen, vcntrals ten, anal nine, and caudal twenty-one perfect, besides
several rudimental branched rays ; in all of which it diff^crs from the
Namaycush. It is, I think, on the whole, a bluer and less distinctly
spotted fish than the Namaycush

As a sporting fish, it is, I am of opinion, of small value ; but as an
article of cuisine — he is valuable, or rather, and that not hyperboli-
cally, invaluable.

!ii|

ll|i

i !

SALMONID^.

871

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYGII.

SALMONID^.

THE LAKE TROUT.

Saltno Confinia; DeKay.

Concerning no fish have I seen occasion so greatly to alter my ex-
pressed opinions— founded chiefly on the opinions of others, and, where
original, formed from examination of fish taken in the waters of the
Eastern States, and in Lakes George and Champlain, in none of which
is it either a game fish, or in my opinion a good fish.

I still doubt greatly whether there be not two distinct species of
Lake Trout, one quite peculiar to the small lakes of New York. Cer-
tainly 1 never saw or tasted any Lake Trout similar in appearance, or
equal in flosh and flavor, to those which I ate at Geneva, and which
were subsequently sent down to me in ice, by my friend Mr. Mande-

ville, of that city.

The description of these fish exactly tallies with the account of the
red-fleshcd Lake Trout of Hamilton county, where I have never fished,
being deterred therefrom by dread of that curse of the summer angler,
the black fly, which is to me especially venomous.

A letter which I insert below, from a capital angler, who has caught
this fish in the far-famed Louis Lake, agrees exactly with the charac-
teristics of the Seneca Lake Trout, but not with his habits; as I have
the best authority for stating that in Seneca Lake they are never taken
cither by the fly or by trolling ; although in Crooked Lake, immedi-
ately adjoining it, they are constantly caught by trolling for them
" with shiners strung upon the hook, and drawn head foremost, with
a hook leaded to sink twenty to thirty feet."

In Seneca Lake they are taken on set lines, varying in depth from
twenty-five to four hundred feet, concerning which method more under
the head of Lake Fishing.

The following is an accurate description of one of the fish sent to
me from Senega Lake. It differs, as will be seen, in many respects,

372

AMERICAN FISHEft.

of structure, shape, and color, from the account quoted at page 117,
from Dr. DeKay's Fauna of New York— almost widely enough, in my
opinion, to justify its erection into a separate species:

Dental system. — A double row of strong hooked teeth on the labials
and palatines of the upper jaw. The vomer perfectly smooth and
toothloss. In the lower jaw, a single row of strong hooked teeth on
the labials, and a double row of smaller size on the tongue.

Branchiostegous rays, eleven on the right side, thirteen on the left.

Pectoral fin-rays sixteen, ventral ten, anal twelve, dorsal thirteen,
caudal twenty-seven.

In all these respects it diflFers from DeKay's Salmo Conjinis.
Whole length, nineteen and a half inches. Head, four inches to the
lower mai-gin of the inter operculum. Eye, one inch and a half from
tip of snout. Origin of the ventral fin, nine inches and a quarter ; of
the anal, thirteen ; of first dorsal, eight and a half; of the second dor-
sal, fourteen, from the tip of the snout.

Depth of the fish at the origin of first dorsal, three inches and three-
fifths ; breadth of back two inches.

Curvature of the belly greater than that of the dorsal outline. Color
of the head dark bluish black. Irides silvery, gill-covers silvery with
nacrous reflections. Back and sides, above the lateral line, beautiful
glossy cseiulean blue, mottled with bright silvery spots of the size of
large duck-shot ; below the lateral line the silvery spots arc larger, and
the ground lighter blue ; belly pure silver.

Pectoral fins pale yellowish green, ventrals and anal greenish, very
faintly tinged with red. First dorsal greenish transparent, veined with
black ; second dorsal silvery grey, slightly mottled ; caudal greenish
grey, mottled with black.

A very beautifully formed fish, more tapering than the Namaycush
or Siskawitz, with the small head, and much both of the form and
lustre of the True Sea Salmon.

Flesh rich orange buflF, very firm, highly flavored and delicate. This
fish, and another rather larger, but otherwise exactly agreeing with
this, were eaten at my table by a party of six gentlemen, as good
judges of good eating as any Ivith whom I am acquainted, and were
unanimously pronounced better than Brook Trout! better than True
Salmon ! the best fish in the world !

SALMONID^.

873

Singularly enough, at the very time that my opinion was becoming
changed with regard to this-I now think excdhnt fish, 1 received a
long and most kind letter from the accomplished fisherman to whom I
had applied for information in regard to Hamilton county fishing, dif-
, fering from the opinion given in the bulk of this volume, whicL 1 had
just before discovered to be faulty.

I have no hesitation in laying this verbatim before my readers, as I
have no doubt it is thoroughly correct in all respects, both as to the
habits and quality of the Hamilton county Lake Trout, with which 1
am satisfied that the Lake Seneca variety is identical; the variation
in the habits of the fish in the different localities being ascribable to
the different qualities of the water which they inhabit.

The average weight of the Lake Trout in Seneca Lake is much as
is stated by my kind correspondent-that is to say, under /o^r pounds,
and they very rarely exceed seven. ^

This letter was written at my request, for the purpose of pomtmg
out commenting upon, and correcting any errors of omission or com-
mission which he had discovered in my work ; and I can only express
mvself equally obliged by the candor and kindness of the criticism.

Had I permission to give the name of the writer, I am well aware
that in every angler's opinion it would add immensely to the value of
his remarks as authority ; but it will suffice that 1 should assert that
he is, of my own knowledge, one of the best fly-fishers in the United
States.

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATION ON THE LAKE TROUT.

" The average weight is eight or ten pounds."

This is an extract from the New York Fauna of Dr. DeKay. Now,
I venture to assert that Dr. DeKay never wet a line in the waters of
Hamilton county, and that " the propensity to exaggeration in every-
thiu-r in relation to aquatic animals," induced his informant to mako
the above statement. I boldly assert that the average weight of Lake
Trout is not four pounds.

An ei<rht or ten pound fish is considered an unusually heavy fish. 1
Will give" you my experience. In May, 1848, I spent eleven days m
HamUton county, in company with a friend, and that friend an old
Hamilton county troUer. We faithfully fished in Lake Pleasant

W I'

- ■1;. i:. '* J : ' I

•««H*9w*nMnnn

liil!

Si;

874

AMERICAN FISHES.

Round Lake, and the far-famed Louis Lake. We killed about two
hundred pounds' weight of fish. I killed one of sixteen pounds, one
of nine pounds and a quarter, and two of five pounds each. My friend
did not kill a single fish heavier than three pounds and three quarters,
neither did I, save those just mentioned ; and I would and do say, that
our fish did not average three pounds, the great majority being two
pounders.

At the same time two friends fished Pisoco Lake and Raekott Lake ^
the heaviest fish killed by them was eleven pounds; and I do not be-
lieve that they took another of greater weight than four pounds ; at all
events, we beat them all to smash in weight and number. So much
for the average weight.

The wholesale assertion on your 118th page, that they never rise to
the fly, should be qualified. It is not correct that they " never rise to
the fly." They frequently do.

The nine pound and a quarter Lake Trout above referred to, was
killed by me with an artificial fly. The facts are these : — On the 28th
of May, 1848, I was fishing on Louis Lake. I was using a trolling-
rod and a small Trout-rod, casting with one and trolling with the other.
Upon my trolling-leader 1 had two flics ; and when my oarsman was in
the act of pulling round a projecting elbow of wood, I reeled up, to
avoid contact with a fallen tree, and just as my first fly trailed on the
surfiicc of the water, the fish broke or rather dashed at it ; I struck
him instantly, and' away he went, with so much velocity that I had
hard work to keep my line from overrunning, not having a click-reel ;
I fortunately thumbed the reel, and passed my Trout-rod to the oars-
man, and then had fair play ; and I assure you I never had hold of a
fish of the same size, that showed more game, power or endurance. He
never sulked for an instant ; and the only diff"erencc which I could
discover in his mode of action from a Salmon, was that after being
struck, he did not show himself, or leap. Had I hooked this fish with
my light rod, I would not have killed him under an hour ; and, indeed
as it was, he was not " half gone " when Cowlcs, my guide, put the
gaff" into him. This fish rose in about eight feet water, and took me
twenty-five minutes to kill him ; and I never worked harder in my life
to secure a fish, for you juay imagine that I was anxious to secure a
Lake Trout, hooked as I have described.

SALMONIDiE.

876

On the same page, you quote from Dr. DeKay, that this Trout has
" the coarseness of the Halibut, without its flavor ;" and subsequently
assjvt, as your own opinion, " that this is the most worthless of all the
non-migratory species." I think that you arc mistaken— my reasons
presently. On page 274 to 276, you also use the following expres-
•jions : " These great, bad and unsporting fish," &c., " with a bullet at
the end of two hundred yards of line, run rapidly through the wa-
ter." " He is very indifferent eating."

I disagree with you. "Every man to his taste." "What's one
man's m°at is another man's poison." I prefer a Lake Trout to the
host Brook Troni— don't laugh ! Now for my proof. To my know-
ladcc, Lake Trout are preferred at John C. Holmes', the proprietor
of Lake Pleasant House, to anything you can lay on the table. The
nine; poimd and a quarter Trout to which I have before alluded, was
eat m in this city, at the house of a mutual friend of ours, and was de-
clared to be a glorious morsel. The sixteen pound and a half Trout
was eaten at a friend's house in Broadway ; seventeen persons, myself
among them, partook of it, and I never heard anything surpass the
praise°of all; and for myself, let me say, that I never tasted a finer
fish. He was boiled and eaten with plain drawn butter, or as house-
keepers and cooks call it, I believe, " parsley and butter ;" and during
my sojourn in the woods, my friend and myself invariably preferred
and had the small Lake Trout cooked by our guides. If it be " very
indifferent eating," then I am easily pleased, and every person with
whom 1 have spoken on the subject are no judges of fish flesh.

Have you fished for Lake Trout in Hamilton county .? I presume
not, for most assuredly you labor under a mistake as to the " modus

operandi^

Your instruction on lines, 9, 10, 11, page 274, is incorrect, and
tends to lead the novice astray. Our friend of the " Spirit " is much
nearer the mark, but the instruction is defective, as you have quoted
it. 1 believe that no portion of your work was more anxiously looked
for, than your views, direction and instruction upon fishing for Lake
Trout. Hamilton county is becoming known ; and as the majority of
anglers never can and nevor will be "fly-fishers," trolling for Lake
Tiwit is destined to be the prevailing modo of fishing in that county

of crcat waters.

Now, I propose to give you a description of the truo,

I S 1.1 1 I

fM.

m I

! i;ii

11)

376

AMERICAN PISHES.

and proper tackle for this branch of angling, which is, by all odds,
second only to casting the fly ; and a description of which has not, as
far as I know, ever been published in any work on angling.

This excellent treatise will be found under the head of Lake Trout
Fishing ; and herewith, for the present, I quit the Lake Trout.

gALMONIDJC

877

ARDOMINAL
MALACUITERVQU.

BALMONlD.t.

THE SALMON TROUT.

8EA TROUT WHITE TROUT.

Salmo Trutta; Yarrel.

When speaking of this beautiful fish-which, by the aid of ray friend
Mr. Perley, of the city of St. John, 1 have been enabled fully to estab-
lish for the first time as an unquestionable inhabitant of our waters—
I mentioned, on page 277, the singular fact that this fish, although it
enters every river and estuary on the eastern side of Nova Scotia, and
runs up so far as the meeting of the tidal and fresh waters, docs not
run up into the shoals, or spawn in the gravel beds of any of those

rivers. '^

While commenting on that fact, I stated that it would appear to
indicate a variation in this species from one of the normal habits of the
race— that of running up into aerated waters, in order to spawn.

This, it now seems, was founded on an erroneous interpretation of
the fac't, which is, that the Salmon Trout, which does run up into
fresh shallow streams, in order to spawn, on the Eastern Continent,
does not breed with us at all on the Atlantic coasts of America, though
• it will probably be found to do so in the waters which fall into the Pa-
cific, as the Columbia, Sacramento, and other rivers in which, as I
loam from returned Californians, it literally swarms

The Salmon Trout in our north-eastern waters is merely a transient
and very rapacious visitor, pursuing the vast shoals of smelts which
run into all those rivers, and hunting them with unwearied activity
and ferocity, until they escape above his reach into the swift and
shallow fresh waters, into which he does not seem to pursue them
After their escape, he returns at once into the outer bays and larger
estuaries, where he is taken, as I have before described, with the scar-
let ibis fly.

The pursuit of the smelt by this fish indicates the propriety of spm-

Pill

378

AMERICAN riSHKS.

ning for him mtu tl.at bait, in tho proper localities, in case of his
refusing tho fly, especially when tho smelts aro becoming rare.

Mr. Pcrloy, from whom I derive tho above valuable information,
assures mo that ho was very successful last spring in taking smelt with
a very small scarlet ibis and gold tinsel fly. They rise constantly, he
says, leaping quite out of the water at their favorite bait.

I propose to try this sport in the Passaic, in tho coming spring ;
ftnd in default of other fly-fishing, doubt not to find it good fun.

'■Z/I^^

SAT.MONID£

87U

AIIDOMINAI.
MAhACOlTEUYUII.

SALMON I DiE.

TllK SALMON OF THE PACIFIC WATEUS.

As thcao variotioa aro now fulling within tlio notice of American
citizens, and furniHhing both food and sport to the bold and hard^
pioneers of civilization who aro resorting in such numbers to the El
Dorado of tho Far West, 1 quote from Richardson's Fauna Borcali
Americana tho following lively description of tiieir structure, species

and habits :

" In the paucity of our information respecting the fish of New Cale-
donia, tho following notices, collected from the Journal of Mr. D. VV.
Harmon, a partner of the North-Wcst Company, aro valuable. This
gentleman resided for several years at a fur-post on Stuart's Lake,
which lies in tho 55th parallel of latitude, and 125th degree of longi-
tude, and which discharges its waters by a stream, named also Stuart,
into Frazer's River, that falls into tho Strait of Juan da Fuca. Aa
his remarks upon fish relate chiefly to tho Salmon tribe, this appears
to be the most appropriate place for their insertion.

"'1811. May 11. — Stuart's Lake. The ice in the lake broke up
this afternoon. 22. VVc now take Trout in the lake, with set lines
and hooks, in consideraldc numbers, but they aro not of a good kind.
It is perhaps a little remarkable, that Pike or Pickerel have never
been found in any of the lakes and rivers on the west side of tho
Rocky Mountains.

" ^August 2. It is impossible at this season to take fish out of this
lake or river. Unless the Salmon from tho sea soon make their ap-
pearance, our condition will be deplorable. 10. Sent all our people
to a small lake about twelve miles off, out of which the natives take
small fish, much resembling Salmon in shape and flavor, but not more
than six inches long. They are said to be very palatable. 22. One
of the natives has caught a Salmon, which is joyful intelligence to us
all, for we hope and expect in a few days to have abundance. Theso

380

AMERICAN FISHES.

fish visit, to a greater or less extent, all the rivers in this region, and
form the principal dependence of the inhabitants as the means of sub-
sistence. The native," always make a feast to express their joy at the
arrival of the Salmon. The person who sees the first one in the river
exclaims, Td-loe naslay ! td-loe naslay ! Salmon have arrived ! Salmon
have arrived ! The exclamation is caught up with joy, and repeated
with animation by every body in the village.

'■^ *■ September 2. We have now the common Salmon in abundance.
They weigh from five to seven pounds. There are also a few of a
larger kind, which will weigh sixty or seventy pounds. Both of thcui
are very good when just taken out of the water ; but when dried, as
they are by the Indians here by the heat of the sun, or in the smoke of
a fire, they are not very palatable. When salted, they are excellent.
As soon as the Salmon come into Stuart's Lake, they go in search of
the rivers and brooks that fall into it, and these streams they ascend
so far as there is water to cnabhi them to swim ; and when thoy can
proceed no farther up, they remain there and die. None were ever
seen to descend these streams. They are found dead in such num-
bers, in some places, as to infect the atmosphere with a terrible stench,
for a considerable distance round. But even when they are in a putrid
state, the natives frequently gather them up and eat them, apparently
with the same relish as if they were fresh.

^''^ October 21. We have now in our store twenty-five thousand
Salmon. Four in a day are allowed to each man. I have sent some
of our people to take White Fish, Attihawmeg.

'''■^November 16. Our fishermen have returned to the fort, and in-
form mo that they have taken seven thousand White Fish. They
wngh from three to four pounds, and were taken in nine nets of sixty
fathoms each. 17. The lake froze over in the night.

"' 1812. January 30. I have returned from visiting five villages
of the Nateotains, built on a lake of that name, which gives origin to
a river that falls into Gardner's Inlet. They contain about two thou-
sand inhabitants, who subsist principally on Salmon and other small
fish, and arc all well made and robust. The Salmon of Lake Nateo-
tain have small scales, while those of Stuart's Lake have none.

" ' May 23. — Stuart's Lake. This morning the natives caught a
Sturgeon tli:it would woicrh about two hundred and fifty pounds. We

SALMONID^.

381

frequently see much larger ones, which we cannot take for want of
nets sufficiently strong to hold them.

" ^August 15. Salmon begin to come up the river. Few Salmon
came up Stuart's River this fall, but we procured a sufficient quantity
at Frazer's Lake and Stillas. These lakes discharge their waters into
Frazer's River, which is about fifty rods wide, and has a pretty strong
current. The natives pass the greater part of the summer on a chain
of small lakes, where they procure excellent White Fish, Trout, and
Carp ; but towards the latter part of August they return to the banks
of the river, in order to take and dry Salmon for their subsistence
during the succeeding winter.

" ' 1813. August 12. Salmon have arrived.
" ' 1814. August 5. Salmon begin to come up the river. They are
generally taken in considerable numbers until the latter part of Sep-
tember. For a month they come up in multitudes, and we can take
any number we please.

" ' September 20. We have had but few Salmon this year. It is
only every second season that they are numerous, the reason of which
I am unable to assign.

" ' 1815. August 13.— Frazer's Lake. Salmon begin to come up
the river, which lights up joy in the countenances both of ourselven
and of the natives, for wo had all become nearly destitute of provisions
'"1816. September 9. Salmon begin to come up this river.
'' ' 1817. August 6. — Stuart's Lake. Salmon arrived. In the
month of June, we took out of this lake twenty-one Sturgeon, thai
wore from eight to twelve feet in length. One of them measured
twelve feet two inches from its extreme points, four feet eleven inches
round the middle, and would weigh from five hundred and fifty to six
hundred pounds.

" ' The Carrier Indians reside a part of the year in villages, built at
convenient places for taking and drying Salmon, as they come up the
rivers. These fish they take in abundance with little labor , and they
constitute their principal food during the whole year. They are not
very unpalatable when eaten alone, and with vegetables they are very
pleasant food. Towards the middle of April, and sometimes sooner,
the natives leave their villages, to go and pass about two months at
the small lakes, from which, at that season, they take White Fish,

*-«l

S82

AMERICAN FISHES.

Trout, Carp, S.C., in considerable numbers. But wben these bogin t(.
f.iil, they return to their villages and subsist on the small fish which
they dried at the lakes, or on Salmon, should they have been so pro-
vid'jnt as to have kept any until that late season ; or they eat herbs,
the inner bark or sap of the cypress tree, (piniis Banksiana,) berries,
&c. At this season, few fish of any kind arc to be taken out of the
lakes or rivors of New Caledonia. In this manner the natives barely
subsist, until about the middle of August, when Salmon again begin to
make their appearance in all the rivers of any considerable magnitude ;
and they have them at most of their villages in plenty until the latter
end of September, or the beginning of October. For about a month
thoy come up in crowds, and the noses of some of them are either
worn or rotted off, and the eyes of others have perished in their heads ;
yet in this maimed condition they arc surprisingly alert in coming up
rapids. These maimed fishes are generally at the head of large bands,
on account of which the natives call them mce-oo-tecs, or chiefs. The
Indians say that they have suffered these disasters by falling back
amonf^ the stones, when coming up difficult places in the rapids which
thry pass. The Carriers take Salmon in the following manner. All
the Indians of the village assist in making a dam across the river, in
which they occasionally leave places to insert their baskets or nets of
wicker-work. These baskets arc generally from fifteen to eighteen
feet in lenj;th, and from twelve to fifteen feet in circumference. The
end at which the Salmon enter is made with twigs in the form of the
entrance of a wire mouse-trap. When four or five hundred Salmon
have entered this basket, they either take it to the shore to empty out
the fish, or they take them out at a door in the top, and transport them
to the shore in their large wooden canoes, which arc convenient for this
purpose. When the Salmon arc thrown upon the beach, the women
take out their entrails and hang them by the tails on poles in the open
air. After they have romained m this situation a day or two, they take
them down and cut them thinner, and then leave them to hang for
about a month in the open air, when they will have become entirely
dry. They arc then put into store-houses, which are built on four
posts, about ten feet from the ground, to prevent animals from destroy-
ing them ; and, provided they arc preservinl dry, they will remain
jrno'l fnr aovoral vonrs''—IInrmon''s Travels in North America^ 1820."

gALMONID£.

883

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTEEYGII.

BALMONIDiG.

THE QUINNAT.

Salmo Quinnat: Cavier.

" ' This is the species which ascends the Columbia earliest in the
season, commencing its run in the month of May in enormous shoals,
clearing the greater Dalles, cascades and rapids innumerable, and ma-
king its way to the sources of the river, where, at the close of the sea-
son, it is found dead on the beach in great numbers. The muscular
power of this fish is truly astonishing, even in a class of the animal
kinc^dom remarkable for vigorous movements, for it may be seen
^c'^ndmcr channels at the Kettle Falls so rapid, that when a stone as
bi.r as a man's head is dropped into them, it is shot downwards with
the swiftness of an arrow.* Individuals of this species have often been
seen with their noses fairly worn down to the bone, and in the last
sta-e of emaciation, yet still striving, to the last gasp, to ascend the
stream The selection of particular streams for spawnmg is a remark-
able feature in the history of the fish. It ascends the Walamet, Snake,
and Kootanie rivers, &c., and passes by the Kawalitch, Okanagan
Dcase's river, and others, seeming to prefer a rapid stream interrupted
by falls to one of a quieter character, though other circumstances
must regulate its choice, as some of the rivers which it refuses to enter
have an°extremely rapid current. It is this Salmon which forms the
main subsistence of the numerous hordes of Indians who live upon the
banks of the Columbia, and it is known by the name of Quinnat, for
one hundred and fifty miles from the mouth of the river. It attains a
large size, weighing often from thirty to forty pounds.' The Quinnat
is evidently the ' Common Salmon' of Lewis and Clarke. These tra-
vellers men.^oa the first arrival of the Salmon at the Skilloot village,

• In the map published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, the
descent at the Kettle Falls is stated at twenty-one feet ; but Lew.s andC arke were
of opinion that in high floods the water below the falls nses nearly to a level w.th
that above theni.

884

AMERICAN FISHES.

below the site of Fort Vancouver, as having occurred on the 18th of
April, in the year 1806.

" ' Color. — General tint of the back bluish gray, changing, after a
few hours removal from the water, into mountain green ; sides ash
grey with silvery lustre ; belly white ; back above the lateral line stud-
ded with irregular rhomboidal or star-like black spots, some of them
occellated. Dorsal fin and gill-covers slightly reddish ; tips of the anal
and pectorals blackish gray ; the dorsal and caudal thii' .iv studded
with round and rhomboidal spots, back of the head sparingly marked
with the same. Whole body below the lateral line, with the under fins,
destitute of spots. Lower jaw and tongue blackish gray ; roof of the
mouth tinged here and there with the same. Scales large. Teeth
disappearing on the medial line of the upper jaw, one row on each
palate bone, a few small teeth on the fore part of the vomer, and two
rows on the tongue. Form. — The greatest convexity of the back at
the origin of the dorsal; end of the caudal semilunar ; adipose oppo-
site to th6 posterior end of the anal ; dorsal of greater height than
length. Fins.— Br. 17 ; P. 16 ; V. 10 ; A. 16 ; D. 14—0 ; C. 19f .'
" The specimen of this. Salmon, though it is very soft, and has lost
its scales, still retains its form, so that 1 am able to add the following
particulars to Dr. Gairdner's description : — General form much like
that of a Salmon Trout. The head is exactly one-fourth of the length,
from the tip of the snout to the end of the scales on the caudal. The
snout is cartilaginous as in S. Salar, and the length of the lower
jaw rather exceeds that of the upper surface of the head. The edge
of the gill-plate is an arc of a circle as in that species, but the sub-
operculum is still more sloped ofi", having much the form of that of
Salmo Scouleri. There are sixteen gill-rays on the right side, and
seventeen on the left. The largest teeth are those of the under jaw,
of which there are eleven in each limb, placed at regular distances,
with some small ones in the intervals attached to the soft parts only.
The labial and intermaxillary teeth are similar to these, and but little
inferior in size. The lingual teeth, considerably smaller than those in
the jaw, are placed in two parallel rows, five in each. The palatine
teeth are a little shorter than the lingual ones, and those on the vomer
are the smallest of all, scarcely protruding through the sof., parts in
fhfl recent specimen : there are nine of them — two in front, the others

SALMONID*:.

886

in a single series, running upwards of half an inch backwards, or ahout
two-thirds as far back as the palatine teeth. The gullet is armed with
small teeth above and below. The jaw teeth are as big as those of the
Salmon Trout. There are sixty-six vertebrae in the spine. The
pyloric ccBca aro very numerous, there being about one hundred and
fifty-five of them ; and their insertions surround the intestines from the
pylorus until it makes a bend downwards, below which they continue
to be inserted for a short way on one side of the gut only."

ilil

386

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYGII.

AMERICAN FISHES.

BALMONIDifl

GAIRDNER'S SALMON.

THK QUEACHTS.

Salmo Oairdnerii; Richardson.

•' The specific name which I have given to this Salmon is intended
as a tiibutj to the merits of a young though able naturalist, from whom
science may expect many important accjuisitions, and especially in the
history of the Zoology of the north-west coast of America, should his
enf^agcmcnts with the Hudson's Bay Company permit him to cultivate
that hitherto neglected field of observation.

" ' This species ascends the river in the month of June, in much
smaller numbers than the Quinnat, in whose company it is taken. Its
average weight is between six and seven pounds.

" ' Color. — Back of head and body bluish gray ; sides ash gray.
Belly white, i he only traces of variegated marking are a few faint
spots at the root of the caudal. Form.— Profile of dorsal line nearly
strai'fht, tail terminating in a highly semilunar outline. Ventrals
correspond to commencement of dorsal and adipose to end of anal.
Teeth. — Jaws fully armed with strong hooked teeth, except a small
space in centre of upper jaw. Vomer armed with a double row
for two-thirds of its anterior portion. Palate bones also armed with
strong teeth. FiNS.-Br. 11-12; P. 13; V. 11 ; A. 12.'

" In this species the gill-cover resembles that of Salmo Salar still
more strongly than that of the Quinnat does, the shape of the sub-
operculum in particular being precisely the same with that of Salar.
The teeth stand in bony sockets like those of the Quinnat, but arc
scarcely so long. Those of the lower jaw and intermaxillaries are a
little smaller than the lingual ones, and somewhat larger than the pala-
tine or labial ones. The tongue contains six toeth on each side, the
rows not parallel as in the Quinnat, but diverging a little posteriorly.
The pharyngeals are armed with sr.iall sluiip teeth. The numbers of

8.* ,'f.

6ALM0NIDJE.

387

the teeth, excluding the sraall ones which fall off with the gums, are as
follow: — Intormax. 4 — 4 ; labials 21 — 21 ; lower jaw 11—11 ; palate
bones 12 — 12; vomer lost; tongue 6 — 6. When the soft parts are
entirely removed, tha projecting under edge of the articular piece of
the lower jaw is acutely serrated, in which respect this species differs
from all the others received from Dr. Gairdner. There are sixty-four
vertebrao in the spino "

888

AMERICAN FISHES.

AKOOMINAL
MALACOPTERYGII.

BAIMONIDyG.

WEAK-TOOTHED SALMON.

QUANNICH.
Salmo Paucidens; Richardson.

"This Salmon ascends the Columbia at the same time with the S.
Gairdnerii, and in equal numbers. It is taken in company with that
species and the Quinnat, and haa an average weight of three or four
pounds.

" ' Color.— Back of head and body bluish gray ; sides ash gray with
a reddish tinge ; belly white. No trace of spots on the body or fins.
Form. — Commissure of the mouth very oblique, approaching to verti-
cal, dorsal profile quite straight, tail forked. Ventrals corresponding
to middle of the dorsal, and adipose to posterior extremity of the anal.
Teeth sparingly scattered and feeble on the jaws, only a few short
weak ones on the anterior extremity of the vomer, and on the palate
bones. Fins.— Br. 13; P. 17; V. 12; A. 17; D. 12—0.'

" From the labels having dropped off, I cannot refer the fragments
of any of the specimens to this species with certainty ; but I am in-
clined to think that the spine, containing sixty-six vertebrae, belongs
to it, and if so, the gill-cover is extremely like that of S. Scouleri,
and the bones of the head have the same fibrous structure which we
have noticed in the description of that species. None of the teeth
have been preserved, but those of the lower jaw appear to have been
fixed in cartilaginous sockets, which have separated from the bone,
leaving a rough surface. The palate and upper jaw bones are lost.
The union of the branchial arches at the root of the tongue is longer
and narrower than in the preceding two species, and the gill-openings
consequently are more ample. Either this species or the S. Scouleri^
or perhaps both, are named ' Red Char ' by Lewis and Clarke."

SALMONIDA.

380

AI»1)<>M1NAL
MALACOPTERYGn.

SALMONID^

THE EKEWAN.

Salmo Scouleri} Richardson.

" ' The Ekewan, which averages thirty pounds in weight, ascends
the Columbia towards the end of August and in the month of Septem-
ber. Its flesh is paler and of inferior quality to the four preceding
kinds.' From Dr. Gairdncr's description of this species, I have little
doubt of its being the same with the S. Scouleri of Observatory Inlet;
and I should, without hesitation, have referred to it the spinal colume
and opercular bones noticed at the close of the account of the prece-
ding species, had not Dr. Gairdner mentioned that no specimen of the
Ekewan was sent, as he had not obtained one small enough to be put

in spirits.

" ' Color.— Body above medial line smoke gray, passing on head and
tail into bluish gray ; a slight reddish tinge at the root of the dorsal,
and between it and the adipose. Fins bluish gray, and all tinged with
red except the caudal, which, with the back, is studded with irregular
semilunar and stellated blackish brown spots. A large verraillion red
patch in the concavity of the vertex, and another on the preopercule.
Body below the mesial line grayish white with a reddish tinge. Form.

A remarkable flattening over extremity of snout, behind which

a slight concavity to occiput, where the body rises suddenly into a
hump, and continues rising as far as the first dorsal, this elevated por^
tion being accuminated into a ridge. A notch behind the point of the
snout gives an arched outline to the commissure of the mouth. Lower
jaw also arched upwards, so that the two jaws do not approach each
other when the mouth is closed, except at the two extremities. Teeth .
—Jaws fully armed with strong hooked teeth, except a small space in
the medial line of the upper jaw. Teeth moveable, from being imbed-
ded in soft cartilaginous sockets. Two rows of strong lingual teeth, a
single row on each palate bone, and a few rudimentary ones can be
felt in a single row on the anterior extremity of the vomer. Teeth on

mrl

300

AMERICAN FISHES.

RAYS.-Br. 16; p. 16; V. 9} A. 16; D

the pharyngeal bones.

12 — 0.

" ' This description applies to a female— the male differs in the up-
per jaw being elongated into a proboscis, which projects beyond the
lower jaw when the mouth is closed ; it is formed of a moveable carti-
laginous mass articulated to the extremity of the nasal bones, and is
furnished with teeth as well as the rest of the jaw. The lower jaw is
narrower, and entirely received within the concavity of the upper one
when the mouth is shut.' "

Hi"

8ALM0NIDA.

891

fifT

ADDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYOII.

BALHONID/B.

THE TSUPPITCH.

Salmo Ttuppitch;

" 'The Tsuppitch ascends the Columbia at the same time with the
Ekewan. I counted 1644 ova in the ovary of a female.

" ' Color. — Back of body and head studded with oval and circular
spots ; sides and fins, including the caudal, destitute of spots ; back
medially bluish gray, passing on the back of the head into blackish
gray, and on the sides into yellowish gray, with a greenish tinge and
silvery white. General color of the fins ash gray. Teeth. — Jaws
fully armed with minute sharp teeth, a single row on each palate bone,
a very few on the anterior end of the vomer in a single series, and a
double row on the tongue. Form. — Head small, exactly conical, ter-
minating in a pointed snout. Commissure of mouth very slightly ob-
lique. Convexity of dorsal profile rising gradually to origin of first
dorsal, and declining from thence to the tail. Caudal forked. Rays
—Br. 13; P. 13; V. 10; A. 13; D. 12—0.'

" A spine containing sixty-four vertebrae, and an under jaw with ten
curved teeth in each limb, are all the bones that I can with any ap-
pearance of correctness refer to this species. The teeth are of equal
size with those of S. Gairdneri, or perhaps rather larger, and are at-
tached to the jaw-bone through the medium of cartilage.

«i

302

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYGIL

AMERICAN FIBHEb.

BALMONID^,

CLARKE'S SALMON.

Salmo Clarkii ; Richardson.

" Dr. Gairdner doe8 not mention the Indian name of this Trout,
which was caught in the Katpootl, a small tributary of the Columbia,
on its right bank. I have therefore named it as a tfibuto to the me-
mory of Captain Clarke, who notices it in the narrative prepared by
him of the proceedings of the Expedition to the Pacific, of which he
and Captain Lewis had a joint command, as a dark variety of Salmon
Trout. In color this species resembles the Mykiss of Kamtschatka,
and there is no very material discrepancy in the .number of rays in the
fins. Vide Arct. Zool., Intr., p. cxxvi.-

" ' Color.— Back generally brownish purple red, passing on the sides
into ash gray, and into reddish white on the belly. Large patches of
dark purplish red on the back. Dorsals and base of the caudal ash
gray, end of caudal pansy purple. Back, dorsal, and caudal studded
with small semilunar spots. A large patch of arterial red on the oper-
culc and margin of the preopcrcule. Pectorals, ventrals, and anal
grayish white, tinged with rose red. Teeth.— Both jaws armed with
strong hooked teeth, a single row on each palate bone, a double row
on the anterior half of the vomer and on the tongue. Dorsal profile
nearly straight. Ventrals opposite to the middle of the first dorsal.
Fissure of mouth oblique. Extremity of caudal nearly even. Fins.
Br. 11; P. 12; V. 8; A. 13; D. 11—0.'

" There appear to have been two specimens of this species sent to
me by Dr. Gairdner. In both the spinal column contains sixty-two
vertebrae. The teeth, which are closely set, rather long, slender and
acute ; and, in the older specimen, considerably curved, are in num-
ber as follows: — Intcrmax. lost ; labials 28 — 30 ; palate bones 15 —
17 ; vomer 13, two in front and the others in a single flexuose series,
as long as the dental surface of the palalc-bones ; lower jaw 13—13 ;
tcDsuo 6"~6, lu two almost parallGl rows. xuS iiHi-usi v06»»b* srs vi«6

SAI.MOtflDJC:.

393

largest and most curved, thuau uf tlio lowur jaw aro next in size, then
follow the vomerine, palatine, and labial teeth, which are equal to each
other. The pharyngeal toeth are also proportionaHy long, and thcro
ifl an oblong palato, rough with very minute ones, on the isthmus which
unites the lower ends of the branchial arches. Thia space is quite
smooth in S. Salar, in several, if not in all the English Trouts, and
in S. Quimiaty Gairdneri, and in the imperfect specimen which I havo
referred to S. Scoultri. In tho latter the surface of the arches is also
quite smooth, but in tho Quinnat and Gairdneri minute rough points
become visible with a good eye-glass. In all the Trouts the com-
pressed rakers hare their thin inner edges more or less strongly toothed.
In one of tho specimens of S. CUirkii the spinal column is nine inchosi
long, in the other six."
20

Pliil

i II!

304

\BDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYGII.

AMERICAN FISHES.

BALMONIDiG.

THE NORTH-WEST CAPELIN.

Salmo{Mallotu8?) Paeificus; Richardson.— Sub-genus Mallotus; Cuvier?

" ' The Indian name of this fish is Oulachan. It comes annually in
immense shoals into the Columbia, about the 23rd of February, but
ascends no higher than the Katpootl, a tributary which joins it about
sixty miles from its mouth. It keeps close to the bottom of the stream
in the day, and is caught only in the night. The instrument used in
its capture by the natives is a long stick armed with sharp points,
which is plunged into the midst of the shoal, and several are generally
transfixed by each stroke. It is the favorite food of the Sturgeon,
which enters the river at the same time, and never has a better flavor
than when it preys on this fish. The Oulachan spawns in the different
small streams which fall into the lower part of the Columbia. It is
much prized as an article of food by the natives, and arrives oppor-
tunely in the interval between the expenditure of their winter stock of
dry Salmon and the first appearance of the Quinnat in May.' This
fish is noticed by Lewis and Clarke in the following terms :— * The
Anchovy, which the natives call Olthen, is so delicate a fish that it soon
becomes tainted, unless piokled or smoked ; the natives run a small
stick through the gills, and hang it to dry in the smoke of their lodges,
or kindle small fires under it ; it needs no previous preparation of gut-
ting, and will be cured in twenty-four hours ; the natives do not ap-
pear to bo very scrupulous about eating it when a little foetid.'

" ' Color generally silvery white, passing on the back into a blackish
tinge. Large irregular, but generally oval spots of yellowish white and
blackish gray on the back. A bluish black spot over each orbit. Mar-
gins of lips black. Back of head grayish white. Minute black dots
on the silvery basis of the cheeks. Form.— Head small and pointed.
Large suborbital covering the greater part of the cheek. Opercule
terminating in a thin rounded angle. Mouth opening obliquely up-
wards, its fisaure extending as far back as the anterior margin of the

SALMONID^.

395

orbit. Lower jaw projecting beyond the upper one, and terminating
in a rounded knob turned slightly upwards. Margins of upper jaM
entirely formed by the intermaxillaries, on which there are a few mi-
nute set» in place of teeth. Lower jaw, vomer and palatines devoid
of teeth. Tongue rough, and pharyngeals armed with teeth. Fins.
Br. 8 ; P. 11 ; V. 8; D. 11 — 0 ; A. 20. Adipose fin thin and con-
taining little fat. Lateral line straight and continuous.'

" Five specimens were sent to me by Dr. Gairdner, but they were
unfortunately all so much injured that I can add very few particulars
to that gentleman's brief description. In the general form, the ap-
pearance of the scales, the black specks on the head and body, the
form of the anal and its attachment to a compressed projecting edge
of the tail, the structure of the lower jaw and gill-covers, and in the
shape of the head as far as it could be ascertained, this fish closely
resembles the Capelin. On the other hand, the ascent of the species
into fresh water to spawn, and perhaps its dentition, ally it to the
Smelt. Head as in the Capelin, forming one-fifth of the length be-
tween the tip of the snout and end of the central caudal rays. Caudal
forked. Dorsal commencing a very little anterior to the middle be
tween the tip of the snout and end of scales on the caudal, agreeing,
in this respect, more nearly with the Smelt than with the Capelin, in
which the dorsal is farther back, its first ray being equidistant from
the end of the snout and the extremity of the central caudal ray. Anal
of one specimen containing twenty-one rays. Gill-covers thin, papery,
and flexible, lined with nacre. In drying, the surfaces of the opercu-
lar bones are marked with wrinkles parallel to their sides, as may be
observed in the Smelt and Capelin, but not so conspicuously. These
wrinkles are most evident on the square operculum. As the thin
lining of the mouth and lips is mostly abraded, from the putrescency
of the specimens, the dentition can be only imperfectly ascertained
from them. In four specimens no teeth whatever can be discovered ;
but in a fifth, a female full of mature roe, the lower jaw is armed
with a single series of very slender, curved teeth, rather more distant,
and longer than those of the Capelin. There is also a solitary tooth
remaining on the vomer of the same specimen, occupying the place of
the exterior vomerine tooth in the Smelt, and nearly as large. Tongue
conical as in the Smelt, and not presenting an oval flat surface sur-

1 :f«1

396

AMERICAN FISHES.

rounded with teeth like the Capelin. In all the specimens the upper
jaw was so much injured that its structure could not be ascertained ;
but it is probable that the inter maxillaries, being small as in the Cap-
elin, were not distinguished from the labials by Dr. Gairdner, in his
examination of the recent fish. The rakers of the branchiae are long
and slender as in the Smelts and Capelin. The stomach resembles
that of the Capelin ; the descending portion ends in a pointed sac, and
a short branch which it gives off in the middle terminates in the pylo-
rus. The intestine makes a bend, or rather twist, downwards at the
pylorus, and runs straight to the anus, its calibre gradually becoming
less as it approaches the latter. There are nine caeca, three of them
rather shorter than the others, close to the pylorus; the other six, in-
serted in a single series down one side of the intestine, are each half
an inch long. In three specimens there are sixty-eight vertebrae in
the spine, and in two sixty-nine. A male specimen, with the melt
half-grown, showed no traces of viUi, or altered scales, on the lateral
line, though the skin was apparently entire in that place. Male Cape-
lins, destitute of the ridges of elongated scales, are occasionally taken
in Greenland."

riALMONID£.

897

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTERYGII.

BALMONID.'E.

THE WHITE FISH.

ATTKHAWMEG.

Coresonus Alius-

It is very worthy of remark, that this delicious fish is taken abun-
dantly, and of the very finest quality, infinitely superior to the fish of
Lakes Erie and Ontario, and not inferior to that of Huron and Superior
in the small inland lakes of Seneca and Cayuga.

So far as 1 can learn, the White Fish is nowhere taken with the fly,
unless by pure accident ; and that it is utterly unworthy of the angler's
pursuit, as a fish of game, cannot be doubted. The Coregoni, in
general', are the most vegetable-eating of all the Salmonida, and rarely
take a bait of any kind, although I learn that in Seneca Lake they
are occasionally caught on set lines, especially with stale bait.

I find it stated in Dr. Richardson's Fauna Boreali Americana, that
the White Fish runs up the Severn River from Lake Huron, in order
to spawn, on the authority of Dr. Todd ; there must, however, be
some error in this; as having visited the Severn this autumn, and
canoed up it into Lake Simcoe, I can answer for the fact that it is im-
practicable to any fish; and that having a purely rocky bottom until
above the great falls, it possesses no spawning grounds to tempt fish.
At the very outlet there is a natural fall or rapid of above twelve feet,
with an old Indian mill-dam ; at about twelve miles higher yet, there
is a very powerful rapid of about fifteen, and at twcnty-five from the
mouth a superb rapid and fall of seventy feet descent in about a hun-
dred yards of length. , • n

The Severn notoriously contains no fish except a few sucking Carp
of different kinds, a few Rock Bass, and in the shallow rice lakes above

the Mis, goodly Mascalonge. u c. at '.

The best White Fish are taken in the rapids of the Sault St. Mane,
with scoop-nets; but they are also speared by the Indians, and taken
in vast quantities with the seine, by the white settlers.

398

ABDOMINAL

MALACOPTERYGII.

AMERICAN FISHES.

8ALM0NIDJE.

LE SUEUR'S HERRING SALMON.

Coregonua Artedi ; Le Sueur.

This fish is the Herring of Lake Erie and the Niagara River. It
is not of much value as an article of food, and of next to none as a fish
of sport. The meat is white and delicate enough, but rather dry and
tasteless.

Richardson thus alludes to it in his fine work, so often quoted, on the
Northern fishes of America :

" This species having been taken in Lake Erie and the Niagara
River, requires to be noticed in this work. M. Le Sueur says that it
is locally known by the name of Herring Salmon, and is considered to
be very delicate food. As it did not foil under our notice, we shall
transcribe the description given of it by its discoverer.

" Description quoted from M. Le Sueur. — Body subfusiform, a little
elevated at the back ; head small, having an osseous radiated plate
which is covered by the skin ; snout pointed. In form this species
approaches the Scombri ; a section of it is ovai Head small and nar-
row ; snout short, terminated by small intormaxillaries ; maxillarica
wide, sharp-edged as in the Herring, edges entire ; mandibles carinate,
producing inwardly a triangular pedunculate expansion ; very small
conical teeth inserted in the f-kin of the lips at the extremity of the
jaws : these teeth were sufliciently manifest in a small individual, but
not visible in a larger one, a female, which came under my observa-
tion. Rays in the osseous plate of the head tubular, and open at the
exterior, some tending backwards, and others towards the end of the
snout. A faint carinate line divides the top of the head in the dried
specimen. Lateral line straight and near the middle; nostrils double,
close to the end of the snout and articulation of the maxillarios ; scales
round, approximated, easily falling off; the base of the tail is covered
with them. Color ash blue at the back, paler and silvery on the rest
of the body, with yellow tints on the tail, liead and dorsal ; iris whitish,

.W-Tii

8ALM0NID£.

399

pupil black. Length ten to twelve inches. Fins. — Br. 9 ; P. 16 ;
D. 12— 0; V.12; A. 13; C— g.

" M. Le Sueur, in comparing our Attihawmeg, or his Coregonus Al-
ius with C. Artedi, says that it has a less fusiform hody, and the back
elevated from the nape to the dorsal. * The C. Albus,"* he further
states ' has more depth of body, a greater elevation of back, and much
stronger proportions in its body, fins, and scales. The adipose fin,
which is broad ^ appears to consist of delicate rays, much pressed, and
in pairs.'' A careful examination of the dried specimens of our C.
Alius from Lake Huron, exhibited no rays whatever, nor any interspi-
nous bones to support them, but the fin, in drying, splits in a fibrous

manner."

This is the Herring of Seneca Lake, now becoming very rare, but
much prized, as the best and most killing of all baits upon the deep
lake set-line for Trout, Pike-Perch, Eels, and Black Bass.

|i|

400

AMERICAN FISHESt

ABDOMINAL
MALACOPTKRYOIl.

SALMON I Difi.

LAKE HURON HERRING SALMON.

THE HERRINCJ.
Coregonua Harengua ; RichardBon.

This fish is exceedingly abundant on the shores of Lake Huron, to
which it resorts in enormous shoals in the spring and autumn, and con-
stitutes a principal article of food to the Indians and white settlers. It
is rather a dry and tasteless fish. It occasionally rises at the lly, but
is rarely taken except by the seine.

Richardson describes him thus. I have examined this and the last
species, and am satisfied that they arc distinct :

" This fish is plentiful at Penetanguishene, on Lake Huron ; but I
am unable to determine whether it be the same with the C. Artedi of
Le Sueur, which we have already noticed as an inhabitant of Lake
Erie. Baron Cuvier's remark upon our specimen was, ' Esfece nou-
velle voisine det Coregones: It resembles C. Lucidus very nearly ; its
larger head, smaller scales, and a slight difference in the position of
its ventrals being the principal distinctive characters I have been able
to detect in the dried specimens. Havinor lost my notes of the dissec-
tions which I made of C. Lucidus, and having examined the recent
specimens of C. Harengm only cursorily, I can say nothing respect-
incr any differences that may exist in their viscera. An argument
against the identity of the species may be adduced from their habitats
being upwards of twenty degrees of latitude apart.

"The Lake Huron Herring Salmon is gregarious, like the Bear
Lake one, and frequents sandy bays during the summer months. It
spawns in April and May, and at that time is occasionally seen in
rivers. According to Mr. Todd's observations, it is ' a timid fish, ap-
pears to be in constant rapid motion, and associates in shoals in pursuit
of the fry of the small fishes on which it f'cds. As an article of diet,
it is well tasted and wholesome, though much less rich and agreeable
than the Attihawmeg.

SALMONID^.

401

" The following is a description drawn up from notes made at Pone-
tanguishene, aided by a re-examination of the dried specimens :

" Color, in the recent fish, olive green on the back, silvery on the
sides and belly, and blackish green on the top of the head ; the gill-
covers, cheeks, and irides are whitish and nacry.

" Scales of the same form with those C LuciduSy but only of two-
thirds the size ; on the sides their transverse diameter is four lines,
their longitudinal one rather more than three, and when in situ, eight
are included within a linear inch. There are eighty-four on the late-
ral line,* and twenty-two in a vertical row under the dorsal, of which
nine are above the lateral line, and eight between it and the ventrals.
The lateral line is straight.

" Form. — Body compressed, back rounded, belly slightly flattened,
the greatest thickness, however, being at the lateral line, which is
rather nearer to the back than to the belly ; the height of the body,
at the dorsal, is double its thickness. Profile like that of C. Liicidus,
the head being, however, more acute. f The snout is obtuse, when
seen in front or from above, and the vertex is smooth and rounded in
the recent fish ; in the dried specimen the radiated tubular lines near
the nape, the sagittal ridge and other eminences, appear as in C. Lu-
cidus, but not so prominently. The length of the head is more than
one-fourth of the distance between tha tip of the snout and end of the
scales on the caudal, and somewhat less than one-fifth of the total
length, including the lobes of the caudal. In the position of the eye,
and the forms of the jaws and opercular bones, this species scarcely
differs from C. Litcidus. When the mouth is fully open, its orifice
measures seven lines vertically, and five and a half transversely ; the
under jaw, which is narrow, but not acute, then projects about four
lines beyond the articulations of the labials.

" Teeth, none on the jaws, vomer, or palate, but three rows of very
Blender ones on the tongue may be perceived by the aid of a lens.
Rakers stiff, subulate, and rough on the margins, the middle or.es of
the first arch, which are the largest, measuring five lines.

» Ono Bpecimen had only Beventy-Bcven scales on the lateral line, but the same as
the above in a vertical row.

t The figure, which was taken from a dried specimen, presentB a less elegant pro-

tUe than that of the recent fish.

402

AMERICAN FISHES.

« Fins.— Br. 9—9 ; D. 12 or 13-0 ; P. 16 ; V. 12 ; A. 13 ; C.

19|.

" The ventrals originate under the sixth or seventh dorsal ray, but
the structure and form of all the fins are nearly as in C. Lucidu$.
The adipose is not supported by interspinous bones, but it exhibits in
the dried specimen a very fine, apparently fibrous structure, which en-
tirely disappears when the fin is moistened. In one specimen the
centre between the tip of the snout and end of scales on the caudal,
corresponds with the first ray of the ventrals and thirtieth scale of the
lateral line ; in another it is a little posterior to the first ventral ray,
being at the thirty-third scale of the lateral line : in the last specimen
the lateral line has seven scales more than the other."

PERCIDA.

ACANTHOPTERYGH.

403

PEQOIDiG.

THE PIKE PEARCH.

YELLOW PIKE PERCH, OJ AMERICAN 8ANDRE.

Lucioperca Americana; DeKay.

In speaking of this fish in the body of this work, not having then
seen it, I borrowed both the description and the cut from Dr. DeKay's
Fauna of New York. >

The cut, I regret to say, is very incorrect, especially as regards the
position of the ventral fins, which, as in the subbrachial Malacopterygii
and the Bass group of the Fercidce, are attached to the humeral bones,
and situate immediately below the pectorals.

The following is the description, with measurement, of very fine spe
cimens, sent to me by Mr. Mandeville, of Geneva :

Head prolonged, snout-like, with a flattened depression above the
eyes. Prcoperculum nearly vertical, scalloped rather than dentated
on the under margin. The operculum has three flat angular processes,
corresponding to a line drawn from the snout through the centre of the
orbit, and a pointed membrane beyond.

Eye very large, nearly equidistant between the snout and the oper-

cle.

Dental system most formidable ; several powerful recurved canine
tusks at the extremity of each jaw, those of the lower received into
corresponding cavities of the upper jaw ; a series of smaller hooked
teeth on the labials, and a row of very long sharp recurved tusks on
the palatines ; no teeth on the tongue or vomer.

Whole length, 19 inches ; from snout to posterior angle of operclo,
5 inches; from snout to centre of eye, 1^ inch ; to origin of the pec-
torals, 4f inches ; of ventrals, 5| ; of anal. 111 ; of caudal, 16^ ; of first
dorsal, 5 ; of second dorsal, lOJ. Breadth, 5J inches ; thickness, 2^.

Branchiostegous rays, 6.

Pectorals thirteen soft rays ; ventrals one spine five branched rays ;
anal one spine twelve branched rays ; caudal deeply furcate, nineteen

404

AMERICAN FISHES.

rays ; first dorsal, fifteen spiues, first three short, fourth and fifth long-
est ; second dorsal, two short spines, seventeen soft rays. The ventrals
are placed, as in the tubbrachial MatacojpUrygii, immediately below,
and a little behind the pectorals.

The dorsal outline is slightly curved, and descending abruptly to
the snout, above the operculum ; the lateral lino is nearly concurrent
with the dorsal outline ; ventral outline much curved.

The pectoral fins are golden yellow ; the ventrals and anal, ruddy
orange ; dorsals, transparent yellowish green, mottled with blackish
gray. Head, blackish brown above. Gill-covers, golden yellow,
mottled with purplish gray. Back, above the lateral line, purplish
brown, with a golden spot on the edge of every scale, giving it a beau-
tiful dappled hue. The sides down to the pectorals, and in a lino
thence to the anal, beautifully mottled with vivid golden yellow and
purplish brown, running in irregular wavy diagonal lines, upward and
backward. Belly pure white.

This is a beautiful fish, and as good and game as he is beautiful.
In Seneca Lake these fish wUl rarely take the bait in trolling or
spinning ; but in Cayuga they are constantly so taken with Shiners, or
by trolling with two hooks about two and a half inches apart, baited
with a frog, one hook through the lip, the other through the thigh,
which, as the frog is drawn along, gives it a natural swimming motion.
The Pike Perch fights hard and pulls very strongly. The same
♦.ackle as for Pickerel is the best.

His flesh is delicate and delicious ; boiled, he is best with parsley
and butter or egg sauce ; but in no way is he other than a good table

PERCIDiB.

406

ACA.NTHOFlERYOn.

PEROIDiE.

SOUTHERN SKA FISHES.

It is a Bouroe of much regret and diBappointment to me that a num-
ber of specimens, which I was promised from Charleston, have not
come to hand in season for this edition ; I relied on then! wherefrom
to draw figures and compile descriptions of several, to me, new gt^ra,
which 1 can now only name by their provincial appellations, which,
being incorrect and local, are not to be found in the books.

The principal of these are the Cavalle, and Horse Cavallc, two fish
of the Ptrcoid family, strongly spined, which are said to be bold
biters and th. former a very fine fish. Besides these, there is the
Southern Black Fish, entirely different from the Tautog, or Northern
Black Fish, and having a much larger mouth; several varieties of
Mullet, and the far-famed Pompano of Florida, a fish of the Mack-

arel family. ,..,••• i

Of late years, the Tautog and Boston Bay Whiting have been mtro-
duced into the Bay of Charleston, and are said to be greatly thriving
and becoming abundant. .

None of these fish, as I am informed by my friend Mr. Kmg, of
Charleston, South Carolina, the keenest fisherman of those waters, are
ever taken except with the hand-line, with a heavy sinker and clam
bait, the rod and reel being ignored and voted useless by the anglers

in the deep-sea line. ,, x- • r

I trust, at some future period, to procure more and authentic mfor-
.nation touching these fishes ; but in lack of certain and positive infer-
mation, I prefer sUence to either theory or error.

PART IL

THE

FISHING

Snrtli ^Imniro.

SALMON FISHINU

409

SALMON FISHING.

On reconsidering what I have written in the body of the work, 1
perceive that I have wiiten somewhat too rapidly, taking matters for
granted which are granted with a finished angler, and therefore passing
them over without comment, where, perhaps, they need to a novice
farther explanation.

I shall therefore recapitulate, first, the implements, and then the
modus operandi.

THE SALMON-ROD AND TACKLE.

My description of the Salmon-rod, on page 240, is nearly unobjec-
tionable, so far as it goes. Experience makes the angler dread whale-
bone ; I think that it should never be used in any rod, parti ularly on
the tip of the top joint of a Salmon-rod ; it will curve, and by pressure
cease to be clastic, or spring. I have seen the worst effects from its
US3. The stationary curve or bend of the extreme end of the tip will,
despite of every precaution, cause the line to coil round the top, and
then, "where are you .?" reel useless — tackle gone — fish gone ! Any-
thing but whalebone. Split bamboo, spliced, is preferable to any
other wood. Lance-wood is good — very good. All modern Salmon-
rods are made with ferrules and cappings, each of which is received
into a socket of metal, brass, or German silver, let into the receiving-
joint. This is all very neat and convenient ; but I never would think
of throwing a fly for a Salmon, with a rod of this character, without
loop-tics, as security against the joints loosening or flying apart.

The continued use and action of a powerful cighteen-feet rod, whon
subjected to the constant tug and work of a Salmon, will loosen them, I
care not how well made, or how closely fitted ; aud even with the loop-
ties, I have known the very best to shake, and make one also shake
27

410

AMERICAN FISHES.

liliilill]

Screwed joints are, I think, not lasting ; they very soon get worn and
shaky, and make a man timid ; for in Salmon fishing, one should have
the most unbounded confidcnco in his tackle. I cannot overcome my
respect and reverence for the old-fashioned spliced rod; with it one
has elasticity, firmness, and strength, combined with lightness. A
modern eightecn-feet rod must weigh at least two pounds twelve
ounces. The spliced rod, sime length, will not weigh more than two
pounds two ounces; and ten ounces additional weight is no joke m a

day's cast.

Every Salmon-rod should be provided with a spike to screw into
the butt ; it is all-important for many purposes, and every Salmon-
fisher knows the use of it. The great fault in most Salmon rods is the
imperfect and ignorant " ringing." The modern rods have too few
and too small rings; too many are better than too few, particularly
on the top joint. The very best rods now have sixteen rings.

One hundred yards of line is abundant for the heaviest Salmon ;
and I believe that no Salmon was ever lost owing to shortness of line,
with one of this length on the reel. Every experienced, angler for Sal-
mon knows that a Salmon is, unlike the Bass, not a « run-away" fish.
His run seldom exceeds fifteen or twenty yards, and even then, like a
trotting horse, he requires a tight rein to make him " go." In Salmon-
fishing\ answers very well where you have eighty or a hundred yards
■ of lin°e on the reel, to have the taper gradual from the fortieth or fif-
tieth yard, the centre of the line, to the reel end, and from the cen-
tre to the fly end ; and thus, when necessity requires it, the reel end
can be changed to the fly end, and the old fly end made the reel end.
1 have killed my share of Salmon, and I never had a fish take seventy-
five yards from mo, even in a large lake, where they had plenty of

"sea-room." .

A friend of mine struck a very heavy fish on Loch Comb, m tho
County Galway, in Ireland. The water was very rough, and be
was standing on a projecting rock which ran out of a small island,
opposite to the beautiful village of Ouehterard. He had light tackle
and not more than seventy yards of line on his reel. He killed the fish
after about one hour's work ; and that fish did not run off fifty yards of
liis line. His weight was eleven pounds, much lighter than the angler
expected when he first struck him.

SALMON FISHING.

411

The use of two or more flios, when fishing for Salmon in a river,
would be an experiment, I think, dangerous in the extreme ; and even
in lakes I have never seen any man use even two flies, when fishing with
the rod.

A true Salmon fisher should disdain and spurn the use of double
gut. A friend, instructed by the best fisherman during his day, states
that he never shall forget his direction, viz:— " Let your tackle be
.of the lightest kind, consistent with strength." He never used double
gut. I never have, and never will. The link on which the fly is tied
should be finer and more slender than the link to which it is looped or
knotted. The end of the casting-line, which is united to the reel-line,
should be the thickest and strongest portion of the gut, and the whole
should taper to the fly. Three yards and a half is the proper length
from fly to reel-line. This instruction is all-important, as I hope to
show, when speaking of Trout.

THE CASTING-LINE.

The casting-line should be looped, for Salmon flshing, to the reel-
line. Th*j loops on both should bo securely whipped with strong and
well-waxed silk. The casting-line, without the addition of the fly
links, should be three yards, and no more ; and every knot on the
casting-line should be the water-knot, which is the simplest knot in the
world, being the common tie-knot, with two or three turns round
itself instead of one. For Salmon fishing three knots are necessary,
though two arc sufficient for Trout.

Each knot should be well secured by whipping with waxed silk ; and
at the end of the line a link should be made, and well secured as above.

The link upon which the fly is tied, should be knotted with the wa-
ter-knot, as described, to another link, upon which a loop should be
made, also well secured by whipping.

Thus, then, we have two links upon which the fly is tied. The loop
then upon the fly-link is looped to the casting-line, and thus the cast-
ing-line is about three yards and a half in length from reel-line to fly.
By this mode, the disadvantage arising from the double loop on the
casting-line is partly obviated by having the loop removed a consider-
able distance from the fly.

Sijll

in HI

412

AMERICAN FISHES.

This is my Salmon casting-line, and experience and close observa.
tion enables wo to say, with confidence, that it is the proper one.

On page 244, I have stated that " the mode is identical," that is,
of casting the fly for the Trout and the Salmon. What I intended
here to say is simply, that the effect to be aimed at is the same ; the
mode of operation is certainly in some sort different. The wielding
of an eighteen-feet Salmon-rod, as done with both hands, certainly
differs from the handling with one hand of the light twelve-feet rod.

The former requires more power, slowness and steadiness of arm ;
and far more caution is needed to prevent the fly from cracking off.

It is the most difficult thing in the« world to describe motions of the
arm, so as to be distinctly understood ; much more, motions of an im-
plement so delicate as a fly-rod.

With regard to the mode of casting or delivering the fly, 1 have
nothing to add to the instructions given on page 246 of the body of
the work. I will, however, add, that in playing a heavy fish, hooked
on a single gut, it is very well, " beside advancing the butt, and bear-
ing your rod backward over your right shoulder," to lower the body
by bending the knees as much as possible, or even kneeling down, as
by so doing you diminish and equalise the strain on that most delicate
of instruments, the long Salmon-rod.

It is to be observed that a moment longer may be given to a Salmon,
before striking, than to a Trout ; many good writers recommend allow-
ing him to turn before striking, but with this I do not coincide.

My own idea is like shooting on the first aim— always to strike, and
to kill, with judgment, as quickly as you can ; never giving a moment of
time, or an inch of line, which you can avoid giving.

On the subject of flics, it is not necessary to say more. All largo
and gaudy flies, on Limerick hooks, will kill in some state or other of
some waters ; and with a pretty good assortment, the angler has only
got to chjinge till he finds one to which the fish will rise, and then
Btick to that.

And so, adieu tc Salmon Fishing.

IllWlllil

TROUT FISHING.

418

TROUT-FISHING.

THE IMPLEMENTS.

With regard to the rod, as described on page 254, 1 have little or
no more to say.

Different persons approve of different degrees of pliancy in rods,.
Irish anglers generally using one much more pliant than their English
brethren.

My con-espondent referred to above, writes to me in reference to
my description, thus : and his theory and practice are both so good,
that I cannot do better than again quote him, as 1 agree fully with
every word.

THE TROUT-ROD.

"A PLIANT Trout-rod, in the hand of a fly -fisher, is a comfort. Per-
sons who use spliced rods can handle a very pliant one, but the great
majority of anglers, as you are aware, use the jointed rods ; and it is
almost impossible for ' an old hand,' who has for years used a spliced
rod, to procure one sufficiently pliant.

A rod can, however, be too pliant, even in the hand of the most ex-
perienced. Every man who has used a very pliant rod, knows that
when preparing for a fresh cast, the line will catch before it can be
carried sufficiently back to make the forward movement ; ^md the effect
is, that in the effort to obviate the threatened difficulty, a fly will crack
off. Now, I use a very pliant rod ; but I am an Irishman, and learned
my trade in that land of lake and river. You are an Englishman,
and I suppose became master of your trade there. The English use
comparatively stiff rods. A rod should not be pliant below the second
joint It is no easy matter to describe one. Your length, twelve

414

AMERICAN FISHES.

foet, is exactly up to my notion The weight should not exceed thir-
teen or fourteen ounces ; and above all, it should not bo top-hoavy.
In stormy weather, a very pliant rod, even in the hands of the best
angler, is very inconvenient and laborious ; and when used in such
weather, nothing short of constant care and exertion will save the flies
from snapping off.

" You omit to mention the necessity for a spike in the butt. Every
fly-rod should have it. In case a new cast of flies is required, or any
change, what a convenience to have the rod erect, and the line hang-
ij;<r down to your hand. How many rods get broken when stretched
on the ground, by some careless devil standing on the tip ; or the tip
being obstructed by weed or brier, in a sudden and careless lift.

" You give no directions about the number of rings. A rod should
have sixteen. Avoid whalebone tip. There should be no percepti-
ble spring in a fly-rod before three and a half feet from the spike ; a
spring below that will inevitably make the rod top-heavy. Three
yards is the length of the casting-line, but never more than three and
a half.

" You say ' the flies should be three in number.' Not always— there
arc exceptions, many exceptions. In confined streams, where there
are bushes, weeds, &c., one fly is as much as can be managed or used.
Also, in streams where the fish are very numerous, one fly is plenty,
particularly with the light tackle, which a gentleman and an anglei
should use. In clear water, lakes and ponds, three flies are the proper
number.

" Now to return to the casting-line. On a casting-line no loops of
any kind should be used, because they are unnecessary ; and every un-
necessary bulk, or uneven surface, which may make a splash, or
frighten fish, should be avoided. To tlio reel-line, splice a link of the
stroncrcst gut ; that is, proportionate with the tapering gut of the cast-
ing-liiO, which is a fixture, ubtii used up by constant cutting, when
another is put on

" Let the casting-line be nine feet, the largest and stoutest links at
the top, graduating to the bottom. To the bottom or last link, knot
the link upon which the tail or strel. hei-fly is tied. Three feet from
the end of the casting-line, before the tail-fly is put up, or three feet
eight or nine inches from the tail-fly, use this knot :

TROUT FUUINO.

415

Two feet from the first knot, have a similar knot. The ends of all the
other knots, except the one which secures the tail-fly, tie neatly with
waxed silk, as near the color of the casting-line as you can. The knot
should be the ' water-knot.' Let the first dropper or drop-fly be tied
on gut three and a half or four inches long, the second a shade longer.
Upon the end of each link upon which the drop-fly is tied, let the knot
be that in the cut. The slip-knot on the casting-line, as depicted in
the plate, can be pulled open by catching the little projections on each
fiide, and pulling them apart. I insert the knot end of the drop-fly
between the opening or two links, and then pull the knot together, and
the dropper hangs perpendicular. There is no more secure or neater
knot ; every cast tends to increase its security ; and there is no con-
trivance whereby the drop-flics can work, or hang so well. The reason
why wc whip or tic the ends of all the knots save those for the drop-
pers and tail-fly, is, that when fishing in stream or pond, if the projec-
tions of the knots are exposed, the casting-line will constantly become
foul and heavy, by every floating piece of grass or stuff, which will ad-
here to the sharp projections of the knots.

" Objections may be made to knotting the tail-fly to the casting-line,
and thus making it a fixture. The answer to this is, that the advan-
tage is far greater than the disadvantage. One can in a moment slip
out cither or both his droppers, by drawing apart the knot, and in-
B2rt other flies ; or he can, as every man should, when fishing, have a
perfect mounted casting-line 'all round his hat;' and it is only the
work of a moment to cut the discarded casting-line from the stationary
link attached to the reel-ime, and tie on the substitute. Or one may

416

AMERICAN FISHES.

cut the casting-lino in use close up to tho knot which secures the
tail-fly, and tie on another — the loss of gut is trifling — and when, by
constant cutting, the link becomes short, he ties on a new one.

" There is one other remark worth mentioning. The tail-fly should
be the heaviest, the first dropper should be less in size, and the hand-
fly, or second dropper, less than tho first ; and let the angler be as-
Burod, that attention to these apparently minor matters tend to fill his
creel and save his fly. This is the true idea of a casting-line. A man
should be particular in his tackle, and he is as much entitled to credit
for its neatness as for dexterity in its use.

ON THE USE OF THE ROD,

" Every angler should learn to use the rod with either hand ; and
no man is a finished, safe, expert, or self-saving angler who cannot use
the left as well as the right hand. To say nothing about a sprained
wrist, and consequent loss of sport during the season, or being obliged
to cease fishing from the fatigue and weaknef ^ of one hand, there are
certain winds, in some situations, when and where a cast cannot be
made with the right hand.

" Again, it is important to be able to throw a fly in the teeth of the
wind, which, when done properly, often lifts the very best fish. It is
not difficult, but it is a little laborious, and needs practice. It is not
accomplished either by the double or single turn ; it is done by bring-
ing the rod right up in front, avoiding, if possible, the wind taking the
rod to the right or left. Now when the rod is almost straight, press the
butt strong towards the body with the wrist, keeping the arm as close
to the side as possible, until the tip comes about three-quarters
straight against, or in the eye of the wind; and then run the' arm out
directly forward, turning the wrist, during the forward action, outside,
or towards the right side. By this mode, which is more easily done
than described, the line, which should be only of manageable length,
will unfold, and display a pretty fair cast ; at all events, the waves, or
turbulent state of the water, will conceal the defective fall of the flies

" Every angler should tie his own casting-line ; no depcndance can
be placed on those purchased, for the reason that very few tackle-sel-

TROUT PISIIINQ.

417

lers are practical fly-fishcrs, and do not know the necessity, and will
not take the pains, of making a tapering lino.

" A casting-line will cost soventy-fivo cents at the tackle store ; made
at home, they cost about eighteen cents. It is important then, on the
Bcore of economy, as well as success, that the angler should make his
own casting-line.

"It is therefore important that the proper knots should be known
by name, and how to make them.

" There arc but three knots suitable for angling, to wit : the slip-
knot described in the cut above, which is only fit for the insertion of
the drop-flies ; the water-knot, and the knot, or mode of finishing a
knot, which might be termed the ' finishing-knot.'

" The slip-knot need not bo described — it is plain enough in the

drawing.

" The water-knot is the most simple of all knots. It is the ^com-
mon knot,^ passing or turning the ends to be united twice round each
other, and then pulling them together. It is only necessary to pass
thorn twice round ; it is enough, although some persons use three turns
It is the smallest knot by which gut can be united. When the knot
is pulled tight, then cut off the ends, leaving a little remaining for the
whipping or fastening. The projecting ends should then be fastened
with thin but strong silk, waxed with white wax. Every practical
anclor knows how to finish off, or secure the end of the silk. The silk
is wound round the projecting and main gut, until within six or seven
turns or rounds of the end of the projecting bit of gut; then turn the
point of the silk towards the knot, and continue the wina.ng around
the end of the silk which has been turned towards the knot, until the
winding is finished, then pull the end tight under the whipping, and
the fastening is secure and invisible.''

!IIH i|

'ilB

El|i

|i I

111

418

AMERICAN FISHES.

OF TROLLING FOR LAKE-TROUT

IN HAMILTON COUNTY, NEW-YORK

(■T A IFBCIAL CORRIirOMDINT.)

I PROPOSE, in this connexion, to treat of this fino and exciting sport,
describing Ist, The rod ;

2nd, The reel ;

3rd, The line ,

4th, The leader, and train of hooks ;

5th, The bait and flies ;

6tu, The bait-kettle ;

7th, The boat and oarsman, or guide ;

8th, The manner of striking the fish, when the bait is taken.
And lastly, 9th. How to play, and gafiF the fish.

1st. The Rod.— > mutual friend of ours, who writes occasionally
for the " SpHf," and who is a most skilful troller, wrote an article
which appeared in the " Spirit " in the fall of 1848, signed " M., Maa-
peth, Long Island," in which he gave a capital description on most
of the above heads. I wish you had the paper, as it is all that is to

be said on the subject.

The trolling-rod spoken of by you on page 327, would answer, to
wit : the barbed rod. * • * had two of the most perfect trolling
rods I have seen; they were made by Ben. Welch, of Cherry-street,
and are all bamboo cane. I had one made by George Karr, of Grand-
street, which I like very much ; and I will describe it the best way 1
can, although it is no easy matter to describe on paper a rod of any
kind :— Length from eleven to thirteen feet ; butt of ash, thoroughly
seasoned, about one and a quarter inches in diameter, or about as thick
as an ordinary Bass-rod. The butt should be hollow, t contain sparo

TROLLING FOB LAKE TROUT,

419

tips. Tho sooond, third and fourth jointa should bo bamboo, so that
when tho rod is put together, it will bo about twelve foet.

The rod should have two spare tips ; one should be stronger and
shorter than tho other, to vary tho fishing according to the state of tho
weather, and circumstances.

The fourth or last joint, tip, should bo about three feet, thinner,
and more pliant than the spare toyj which fit in the bored butt. The
first spare top should be two feet long, stiifor and stronger than the
original top. The second spare top should bo about fourteen inches
long, strong and stiflFj and in heavy weather, this strong, stiff top will
bo tho one to u.se.

Rod-making has been brought to such perfection, it would be a
waste of time to give further instructions ; but still I only know two
men in this city who can make a true troUing-rod, viz: — Ben. Welch,
of Cherry-street, and George Karr, of Grand-street, near Broadway.

Rings should never bo used on rods of this character. The "rail-
road" through which the line travels, constitutes one of the peculiari-
ties of this rod. Rings interfere with, and impede the line, and should
not be used. The guides used by Welch are the only true ones — they
are neat, light, with a thin flat shank, about one-fourth of an inch in
length, which is firmly secured on tho diS"erent joints. There should
be very few guides on the rod — five, I consider sufficient, exclusive of
the metal case at the top of each tip. This metal case should have a
rounded surface, perfectly smooth, and sufficiently large to allow the
line to run without the slightest obstruction or friction.

Let me give one hint before I take leave of the rod. I recommend
that all troUing-rods should have guides on both sides — that is, a guide
on the opposite side of the other : not on the butt, but on all joints from
the butt to the end ; and why ? In this kind of fishing there is power-
ful pressure on the rod ; and the very best will, from hard work, be-
come bi>nt, and remain bent, and thus lose its elasticity. To ob-
viate this, turn round the joints, slip the line through the spare guides,
and in a few hours the rod is "all straight."

2nd. The Reel. — To give an explanation of this to you, would be
absurd. I will simply say, that No. 3 is about the proper size for a
troUing-rod, without stop, click, or multiplier. The line cannot run

m I'i

Illil

420

AMERICAN FISHES.

oflF too free. According to my opinion, John Conroy oau make tlie
best reel in the world.

3rd. The Line.— One hundred yards is abundant. Twisted silk
is tho best lino for trolling. I know thoy kink, when new ; but very
little use will put an end to it— id est, knock tho kink out of it.

Plaited lines aro very good and cheap, and do not kink ; but ikey
absorb tho water, and do not run frco from tho rod.

A mixture of hair in lines, is my abomination. It is tho most dan-
goroas and uncurtain stuff a man can use. You can never depend on
it; the hairs will give way with but little strain; and when you hook
tho heaviest fish, tho greater danger is to bo apprehended. 1 hate
them.

4th. The Leader and Train of Hooks.— This word " leader"
goes against my grain. Tho old familiar English-Irish sound of " cast-
ing-line," has a charm for my ear, equalled only by tho still, silent

noise of . ., . „

" Bttllynaliiuch or Cotlello'a flowing waters.'

But let leader go for trolling.

Most troUers uso twisted gut for a leader, with a small swivel at-
tached to one end. The other end is fastened to the reel-line, either
by loop or knot, but a knot is by far preferable. The leader should
he two yards long — some good and old hands use three yards. I never
use twisted gut. I prefer a leader of good round Salmon-gut.

The train of hooks is attached to the eye of the swivel, at the end
of the leader. The train is made of five hooks, and made on the very
best and most perfect gut, single. The strand upon which the hooks
are tied, is fastened by a knot to another equally strong and perfect
strand, which is fastened by a loop to the swivel at the end of the
leader. Thus you have the rod, reel, line, leader, and train of hooks.
Perhaps a sketch of the train of hooks will bo better than an explana-
tion. Here it is :

This train, you will perceive, is made of five hooks. The lip-hook

TnoLLINO FOn LAKE TROUT.

421

flhould bo a size or two smallor than the tail-hooks — say No. 5 for tho
tail, No. 6 for the iniddlo, and No. 7 for the lip. These hooks aro
joined shank to shank, with tho gut between them, and then firmly
tied with waxed silk. But I procured from Ireland a set of hooks
welded or united together, and they are far superior to single hooks
joined by tyjiig together, for they frequently double up, and become
very troublesome. George Karr, before named, can rig this kind of
train better than any man in this city, as far as my cxpcrienco goes.

5th. The Bait and Fmes. — The proper bait is tho Shiner, which
can be plentifully procured in all the lakes of namilton county. They
aro taken with tho smallest kind of hook. No. 12, with worm bait ;
and when secured, aro put into the bait-kettle, and preserved until
used. Tho mode of putting tho Shiner on tho train is simple : put tho
lip or single hook through the lip, the middle hook in the belly, tho end
hook in the tail.

Unlike Trout-fishing proper, I loop on my flies when trolling. About
thirty-six inches from the Shiner I loop on the leader — a large fly ;
and thirty inches from that fly I loop a smaller-sized one, and then I
am rijiaed to " throw out."

6th. The Bait-Kettle, — This is a most indispensable article for
the troUer— ho can't get along without it. It should be made of
Btronf tin, painted green outside and white inside. The bottom should
be wider than the top, but sloping gradually. Conroy has cow in his
store some very good and complete ; but there is one great improve-
ment, to have the handle lie or fall inside the lid. I recommend a small
gauzo ladle, with a short handle, to take the bait from the kettle when
required — it will save much trouble, and injury, if not death, to the
" dear little creatures."

The kettle should be replenished with water every hour ; and one
unerring sign that the Shiner needs fresh water, is when he pokes his
nose to the surface. When the fishing is over, sink the kettle in tho
shoal water, and secure it, so that it cannot be tossed about by " wind
or weather."

7th. The Boat and Oarsman, or Guide.— Here you must trust
to luck—" first come, first served." But any person going to the house

f„>^;L3"-

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M HHii

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!v7. - :^ 9 flinHHI

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Ky M pwigj

■1

mIhI

422

AMERICAN FISHES.

of John C. Holmes, at Lake Pleasant, will find good accommodation,
and " honest John" will secure a good guide and a good boat ; and
from experience I can safely recommend Cowles, Batchellor, and Mor-
rell, of Lake Pleasant, as faithful, honest, persevering, safe and skil-
ful guides and oarsmen.

Trolling is solely done from the boat. The troUcr sits with his face
to the stern ; the oarsman in the middle, or rather near the bow, and
rows slowly and gently along the lake ; about one and a half or two
miles an hour is the proper speed.

8th. The Manner of Striking the Fish when the Bait is
Taken.— Should there be much wind, thirty-five yards of line is suf-
ficient to run out-if calm, say forty-five or fifty. When a fish is felt,
the tip of the rod should be eased off, or given to the fish, in order that
he have time to take hold ; then give a good surge of the rod, and you
will rarely miss striking him. Should you be fishing with two rods,
which is almost always the case, pass the other rod to the oarsman
Never give the fish an inch, unless by actual compulsion ; invariably
keep him in hand— feel him at a distance, but still be kind and gentle,
not rude or rough. Do not show the gaff until you know that the fis-h
is " used up ;" if a small fish, run the not under him ; and if the fish
is spent or exhausted, he will fall into it ; but if he shows life, draw
him over the net. If a large fish, use the gaff, which pass under him,
with the point downwards ; then turn it up inside, and strike as near
the shoulder as possible. I say shoulder instead of tail.

1 believe that I have now done with this branch ; but let me say,
that no good tr oiler uses lead or sinker of any kind. I hav^i seen it
used, but used to the destruction of sport and tackle. Sinkers carry
the hooks to the bottom, and there you stick either to root or rock.

When trolling, you take, on the average, more fine Brook Trout
than Lake Trout. I tbink that two to one is correct.

One word as to the sporting quality of the Lake Trout. The nine
pound and a quarter Trout, before mentioned, may perhaps be an ex-
ception ; but I do affirm, that the Lake Trout is a fish of game, spirit,
» and endurance.

I have killed them from one to sixteen and a half pounds. The

"~Ui

TROLLING FOR LAKE TROUT.

423

eixtecn and a half pound Lake Trout was hooked by rae, on a single
gut leader ; from the time I struck him, till his capture, was one hour
and forty-five minutes. During the first half-hour, he showed great
bad temper, and kept the perspiration flowing off my head ; he did sulk
for half an hour, but it was a moving and a dragging sulk, unlike the
Salmon ; and during this sulk he took me along the lake for about
mile ; 1 became fatigued, and bore so heavy on him that I got him
near the surface, and from that time until his death was one continued
run and fi^ht. He had not the vivacity of the nine and a quarter
pound fish, but still I had " my hands full," and was effectually "used
up" when he was gaffed by Cowles, my guide.

There is another mode of fishing to which you have made no refe-
rence, and which I have never seen described or spoken of in any
work upon angling. I mean " cross-fishing," as practised on the large
Irish hikes ; and although it affords great amusement, still it is a spe-
cies of poaching, and should not be practised by the legitimate angler.
The cross-line consists of one hundred and fifty yards of strong line,
say thin whip-cord, seventy-five yards of which is wound on a card,
similar to a card used in trolling for Blue fish, and the other seventy-
five yards on another or similar card. In the centre of the line, a flat,
square cork, about an inch thick, five inches wide, and of the same
length, is secured to a loop in the middle of the cork, and made per-
fectly stationary, but still so sjcurod that the cork shall lie flat and
even on the water. To twenty yards, on both sides of this cork, the
flics arc attached — that is, three feet from the cork, loop on the first
fly, and so on, every alternate two yards, until eight or nine flies are
looped on the line, on each side of the cork. The flies should be the
usual lake-flies, tied on twisted, or very strong, Salmon-gut of about two
feet in length.

Two boats arc of course needed. One card is held by the person
in one boat, and the other by him in the second boat. The line is
then stretched out as the boats separate, until the hand-fly is distant
about twenty yards from each bos.t. The boats arc slowly rowed along,
in parallel lines. The line should be kept taut, so that the flios skim
or dance on the surface of the wator. Each angler knows his own fish
by tho cork, and the person holding the card on the opposite side of
the cork has no right to kill tin fish which has been struck on the side

!^1

424

AMERICAN FISHES.

nearest to his friend. There is much art and tact necessary in thia
kind of angling. The friend who is not entitled to the fish has as
much sport, and " work on hand," as the person in the opposlto boat
—he must play the fish with equal care— but the nicety is, in man-
aging the flics. Suppose the fish has taken the fly next the cork-
there are, then, say eight flies between the angler and the fish. Two
modes can bo adopted. Should the fish be small, when the hand-fly is
drawn to the boat, it should be laid on the side, with the fly hanging
about a foot outside the boat ; and so on with each fly, until the fish is
captured. Should the fish be large, this mode is dangerous ; for,
should the fish make a violent run, the flies laid over the side might
get fast in the wood, and play the deuce. To obviate this, all the flies
can be run up on the line, towards the fish— that is, when the first fly
comes to hand, run the loop along the line until it meets the second
fly, and so on, until you have all the flies between you and the fish, in,
as it were, a heap. After the fish is killed, a few moments will suffice
to re-arrange the tackle.

Upon Rackett Lake, Long Lake, Lake Piseco, and other large wa-
ters, this mode of fishing would afford great amusement ; and the only
objection to it is, that it is a deadly way of capturing fish. But it is not
half so bad, and is in fact honorable and legitimate, when contrasted
with the innumerable " infernal machines" used for the destruction of
game of all kinds.

There is an advantage in trolling which I have omitted. You can
lay the trolling-rod on the stern of the boat, and use the fly-rod for
casting, and thus " kill two birds with one stone"— troll with one rod,
and cast your fly with the other. In this way, I raised and killed with
my light Trout-rod many of my best and bravest Brook Trout.

I win close this subject by stating, that from the 15th of May to the
15th of June, and from the 1st to the 20th of September, are the best
seasons for trolling on the lakes in Hamilton county.

The " black fly " seldom appears before the 1st of June — ho is a
most infernal tormentor ; but one consolation to the angler is, that,
unlike the mosquito, he is a sound sleeper, and is never seen, heard, or
felt at night. Every man going into the woods should carry a gauze
net, sufliciontly large to cover the liat and tie round the neck, to pro-
tect the face, ears and neck from the black fly

TROLLING FOR LAKE TROUT.

43d

SET-LINES FOR LAKE-FISHING.

I HAVE only to add to the above complete, and, I think, perfect de-
scription of lake trolling, the following account of the manner used in
Seneca, and many of the other small lakes, for taking fish with the
set-line.

It is not a sporting, but it is a very killing way of taking fish ; and
there is some fun, after all said and done, in making a haul.

First, the set-line is baited with live Minnows, Shiners, or — best —
Lake Herring, Coregonus Artedi. Anchor one end of the line firmly
near the shore, in fifteen feet water ; thence run directly out into the
lake from a quarter of a mile to two miles, with a very strong hempen
cord, having short whip-cord bait-lines, with hooks armed on gimp
attached at every sixteen feet ; the depth varying from twenty-five to
five hundred feet.

The same method is much used in Scotland, and off the coast of
Newfoundland, for deep-sea fishing, and with immense success ; the
bait there being the Herring proper, or Capelin, and the depth from
ten to fifty fathoms.

In the British Provinces this deep-sea line is known as the '' bul-

tow."

Whether for lake or deep-sea fishing, this is a very dirty, laborious,
unscientific, and unsporting mode of killing fish; and there is nothing
to recommend it but the immensity of pot to which it ministers.
28

'jms^ss^-

426

AMERICAN FISHES.

ARTIFICIAL FLIES

(Soe Frontispiece to Supplement.)

The superiority of " fly-fishing" over every other mode of angling,
cannot be questioned, even by the most ardent admirer of the float or
ground-bait. The natural and acquired skill actually necessary, be-
fore any man can throw a " neat fly," is only known to those who have
made this method of angling their study and amusement. I believe
that no man was ever made a " fly-fisher" from written instruction.

The rudiments may be acquired from books ; but a practical know-
ledge of the art can only be acquired by patience, perseverance, and
good temper. All works on angling contain something on the subject ;
and if my angling friends do not find sufficient instruction in my " Fish
and Fishing," they must be content to begin with old Isaak, and travel
down to the last authority.

It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to present a correct and
satisfactory list of artificial Trout flies. Every angler has his own
fovorito fly, particularly if he is in the habit of fishing in one particular
pond or stream. The fly which may be found most killing on Stump
Pond, may not stir a fish in the adjoining water.

In 1848, the " ibis" was all the rage in Stump Pond ; it was wholly
worthless at Spoonk and Mauritchez. The accompanying plate con-
tains flies of acknowledged merit, and generally used in the waters of
this State ; and I feel assured, from my own experience, as well as from
the accounts of others, that no angler can be at fault when his book
is supplied with flics of the character described in the drawing.

I am indebted to Thomas Finnegan, of this city, for much valuable
information in relation to the exact colors used in making the follow-
ing described flies ; and indeed the greater number of them have been
prepared by him, and the coloring arranged under his supervision. ^
By turning to the plates, and number of ^each fly, the reader will,

ARTIFICIAL FLIES

427

from the following description, see the material of which it is com-
posed, its color, quality and peculiar character.

No. 1. Red Palmer Hackle. — Body — Dark red colored mohair,
ribbed with gold or silver twist. Hackle — Of the red cock, worked
with red silk. Hook—^o. 5, 6, or 7.

No. 2. Peacock Palmer Hackle. — Body — A full fibre of pea-
cock herl. Hackle — Of a dusky red cock, worked with red silk.
Hook—^o. 5, or 6.

No. 3. Black Silver Palmer Hackle. — Body— a &hre irom. a
black ostrich feather, ribbed with silver twist. Hackle — Black, wrap-
ped over the whole body with black silk for fastenings. Hook — No.
5, 6, or 7.

No. 4. Yellow Palmer Hackee. — The body is made of white
hackle dyed yellow. The hackle of yellow silk. Hook — No. 5, 6, or 7.

No. 5. Black Palmer Hackle. — The iody of black ostrich's
herl, wrapped with a black cock's hackle. Hook — No. 5, 6, or 7.

No. 6. Black Palmer Hackle Ribbed with Gold.-— The body
of peacock's herl, wrapped with a black cock's hackle, and ribbed with
gold twist. Hook — No. 5, 6, or 7.

The flies from No. 1 to 6, inclusive, which I style " Palmer hackles,"
are known to every " fiy-fisher" as most effective in taking Trout; and
as they are intended to represent the larva) or caterpillars of flies, as
well as some v,. ' le insects themselves, it is evident that their size and
color may be varied. In angling vocabulary, the terms " black hackle,"
' red hackle," &c., are almost invariably applied to all flies of the
above character ; and it may be, that the above addition of the terra
" Palmer," may be deemed by many good sportsmen to be an innova-
tion upon old-established angling phraseology. I know that criticism
should be avoided in the use of fly-fishing terms, which every man
knows cannot be justified by any literary rule ; but some angling terms
are so glaringly absurd and contradictory, that it seems to me actually
necessary to correct evident inconsistencies, when such corrections do
not confound or mystify that piscatory learning which time has, as it
were authorised as an angling alphabet

l-J^iMiiti^i

428

A-iEBICAN FISHES.

In several works upon angling, the term " hackle" is variously ap-
plied. Wc find it synonyuious with " palmer," which expresses an
artificial fly and a caterpillar. We find instructions to prepare the
" hackle" to make the fly ; and again, we are instructed to fish with a
"hackle" or a "palmer." Thus the angler is confounded. The
" hackle" is at one moment a feather, and at the next a fly-the fly of
one angler is the hackle of another ; a hackle is nothing more than the
feather of a bird, and a portion of the material which composes the

palmer.

There is also some apparent inconsistency in the use of the term
" palmer fly." The term " palmer," as I understand it, is only appli-
cable when speaking of the " palmer worm ;" but as this worm is des-
tiued to become a winged insect, the term "palmer fly" or " palmer
hackle" is, according to my notion, a more expressive term than
" hackle" or " palmer" alone. The palmer is the insect represented
—the hackle is the material to form the representation.

' The foregoing few general remarks I have deemed necessary— not

from any desire to infringe upon old and perhaps well-established

names, but for the purpose of inducing others to examine the subject.

A little research upon this apparently unimportant matter led mo

into a labyrinth, from which I have with difiiculty escaped ; and I am

by no means assured that my views may not increase the mystification

of our angling vocabulary.

No 7 Green Drake or May Fly.— TFin^s-Tho mottled

feather of the mallard dyed yellow, to stand rather erect and divided.

Bodv-YeWo^ mohair, ribbed with peacock's herl and orange silk.

Legs-Roii ginger hackle. TaU forked with two or three haira.

Hook—^o. 5, 6, or 7. , , * ^ v

There are other modes of dressing this fly, but I prefer the above.

No 8 Gray DRAKE.-mn^s-The gray feather of a mallard, if
not too dark, to stand erect. IIead~A morsel of peacock's harl.
nodv-rmo, down from a white pig. light gray camlet, or whitish gray
ostrich herl, striped with deep maroon silk. Tail forked with two or
three gray hairs. Legs-A grizzled hackle. Hook-^o 5, 6, or 7.

The green or gray drake h not, so far as I can judge, an American

ARTIFICIAL FLIES.

429

fly • still I have found both to be killing flies, from the middle of May
to the close of Juno. Every angler who has fished in England and
Ireland knows of their surprisingly attractive qualities ; and that dui-ing
the " green drake month" the Trout reject tvery kind of artificial and
natural bait, for the "green or gray drake ;" and that at no period of
the Trout season are the fish so powerful, vigorous, and fine-flavored
as when this apparently luxurious and sanative food appears on the
streams and lakes.

If I am correct in saying that it is not an American fly, and conse-
quently not an imitation of any existing American insect, and that it
is still a killing artificial bait on American waters, then the position
taken by some of the best anglers will hold to be true, that for the
purpose of successful fly-fishing, it is unnecessary to imitate the natu-
ral insect.

It is necessary to say a word in relation to the mode of casting with
those flies. The green drake is thrown in the usual way ; but the
action of the gray drake being entirely dififercnt from the green, the
same mode of casting will not answer. Unlike the green drake, the
gray drake does not rest on the water. His light on the water is mo-
mentary—" no sooner on than off.'' Therefore, the artificial gray
drake should bo thrown right over the Trout, and then lifted so as to
imitate the rise and fall of the natural fly.

No. 9. The Cow-dung Fly. — T^mn-s— The feather of a landrail,
dressed a little longer than the body, to lie flat on the back. Body^
Yellow wool, with a little brown fur, to give the body a dirty orange
color ; the body tolerably full, icn^s— Ginger hackle, same color as
the body. Hook— "So. 6, 7, or 8.

This is my favorite fly. As a standard and universal fly-bait for
Trout, I think that the Cow-dung should stand "A. No. 1." It is not
much 'known to American anglers, and is rarely used on American

waters.

The origin of the fly is not aquatic. It is found on the excrement
of animals" particularly on that of the cow. In windy weather it is
blown from the land to the water ; and no bait is more greedily seized
by the Trout. In March and April I use it as a tall-fly ; in May and
June as a dropper ; and in July and August as a hand-fly. I regulate

430

AMKBICAN FISHES.

the size of the fly acooiding to the state of the wind and water. There
are few flics so frequently murdered in dressing as the " cow-dung ;"
and there is no fly iu the whole list which rcquhes more care in shape
and color.

No. 10. The Bee-Fly.— WingS' Feather, the pigeon's wing,
dark. Body— Chcml of various colors, arranged in stripes in the
following order : black, white, light yellow, white, black, white. Legs
— Light black hackle.

No. 11. The Black Gnat. — Wings— Vale starling feather, or
hen blackbird. Body— Black ostrich herl, or black worsted. Hook

—No. 9, or 10.

This fly is generally dressed short and thick, as represented in the
plate, and is classed among the " midge flies." In summer, when the
water is clear and low, it is a good fly. In cloudy weather it may be
used through the day; but in bright days, it is only useful in the morn-
ing and evening. *

JVlngs —
Hook —

No. 12. Hare's F.\r.— Body— Fur from a hare's ear.
Feather of a starling's wing, i^c^-s— Ginger cock's hackle.
No. 6, 7, or 8.

From the first to the last day of the Trout season, I have found this
fly to be a good killer and a favorite bait. It is not generally known
to the American angler. Finnegan, before referred to, can tie this
fly to perfection. I prefer to use it as a dropper.

No. 13. The Cock-tail.— TFin^-s— The bright feather of a snipe's
wing. Body— YiiWov^ mohair, ic^s.— Light black hackle. TaU
forked with two long hairs.

Let the angler try this fly, and then judge of its quality. I in-
clude it in the list, because a friend has given it a good character.

No. 14. The " Whirling Dun." — Body— B\nc fur and light
brown mohair, wrapped with yellow silk. T-Fm^s-Snipe's feather,
or the pale feather of a dun-colored bird. Lcgs—Blno cock's hackle.
The tail of two hairs from a light-colored muff.

This fly takes its name from the whirling manner of its flight, h

ARTIFICIAL FLIES.

481

can be usod with success, from the middle of May to the first fortnight
in July. With a good breeze, it ia a killing fly.

No. 15 The Kingdom Fly.— Wings— A. woodcock's feather.
Body — White silk, striped with green. Legs— Red cock's hackle.
//ooA.— No. 6, 7, or 8.

No. 16. The " White Gnat." — Wings— k small white feather.
Body — White silk. Legs — Red cock's hackle.

This is a delicate fly, and will kill in the evening of the summer
months.

No. 17. The " Blue Dun." — Wings— From the blue part under
the wing of a male widgeon ; to stand erect. Body — Blue fur from
the water-rat or squirrel. Blue mohair may be substituted for fur, if
the true shade of the natural fly cannot be procured. Legs — A very
fine hackle, as near the color of tho body as possible. WkisJcs — Tvro
blue hairs.

It is extremely difficult to procure the feather of the exact color of
the natural fly, or sufiicicntly delicate for the wings of this midge-fly.
It is a good fly early in tho season.

No. 18. The "Red Ant." — Wings — Light starling's feather
Body — Peacock's herl m'^'^e thick at the tail, and a ginger hackle for
legs.

In warm, gloomy weather, without electric clouds, ant-flies are kill-
ing baits during the day ; but they are nearly useless as a morning or
evening fly.

No. 19. The " Gold Spinner." — Body— Orango silk, ribbed with
gold twist. Wings — Starling's feather. Legs — Red hackle.
From Juno to the middle of July, this is a good general fly.

No. 20. The " White Moth." — Wings— The feather of a white
owl. Body — White cotton, and a white co, k's hackle wrapped round
the body.

This is a night fly, and should bo used in a dark, gloomy night. It
requires an experienced hand to fish successfully with this fly. The
moment the rise of the fish is heard, the angler should instantly strike.

482

AMERICAN FI8HEB.

Between 9 antl 12 o'clock, one night in the month of July, 1847, 1
took cloven handsome fish with a " white moth." Care should bo
taken in the selection of your fishing ground. A position free from
all obstruction is indispensable, to insure either pleasure or success.

No. 21. TiiF, "Governor." — Wings— k woodcock's feather.
Body — A peacock's herl, tied with orange silk.
This is a good fly iu June and July.

No. 22. The " Mahch Brown."— TFiu^s— Mottled feather from a
partridge's tail, set upright. /Wt/— Light hair and red squirrel's fur,
mixed." Legs-a. grizzled hackle. Tail Whisks—Tvio hairs, reddish

brown.

This fly, like a great many others, is known by various names. I
believe that in Wales, it is called the " cob-fly." In Ireland, it is
called the " caughlan ;" and in that country it is highly prized as a
superior fly. Sonio good anglers make the body of hare's car and
yellow worsted. I have not found it to be a killing fly on Long Island,
although in some streams in Connecticut, it did good service in the
month of April.

No. 23. The Stone-Fly. — Wings — A mottled feather of the hen
pheasant, or the dark gray feather of the mallard, inclined to red— to
be dressed rather long, iior/7/— Dark brown fur, or the dark part of
a hare's ear, mixed with yellow camlet or mohair. Legs~\ few laps
of a grizzled cock's hackle ; and in the finishing two dark hairs are
frequently used for the antennae, or fe>;lers.

The angling history of this fly is full of interest ; but as I merely
propose to^giv'e a list of such flies as experience justifies mo in recom-
mending, together with a statement of the materials, colors, &c , of
which they are formed, 1 will in this place simply refer my readers to
the account given by Cotton, of this fly; but I cannot refrain from
expressing my unqualified dissent from the remarks in the " North
Country Angler," in relation to the natural history of this fly ; and it
is to mo a mlittcr of astonishment, that Mr. Daniel, in his great work
wliich treats on fishing, has fallen into great error in reference to the
stono-fly.

* ARTIFICIAL FLIES.

433

No. 24. The Willow-Fly. — Wings — A dark grizzled cock's
hackle. Body — Blui* squirrera fur, mixed with yellow mohair.

This fly appears very lato in the season, and is a favorite with some
good anglers.

I have thus gone through the catalogue or list of flies in the colore
plate, but I do not desire to ho understood as intimating that this list
contains a spocinion of all the best killing flics.

Every angler lias his own peculiar notion in regard to the best fly ;
and the difficulty of presenting a perfect catalogue, will bo very appa-
rent, when it is considered that there are upwards of one hundred and
twenty-five fllos which compose the list of various writers ; and as the
name of the fly of one writer bears a diff"erent name and description
from that of< another, it is more than probable that the name and de-
scription of some of the flies in my list may not bo in accordance with
the views and opinions of many old and experienced anglers.

It is a mooted question among tlie very best " fly-fishers," whether
an exact representation of the living insect, is necessary to insure suc-
cess in angling with the fly. The Scotch flies are not imitations of
living insects ; and the best anglers in that country maintain the
opinion that it is absolutely useless and unnecessary to imitate any in-
sect either winged or otherwise ; and 1 find that Professor Wilson ad-
vocates the inutility of such imitations.

Professor Rennie says that " the aim of the angler ought to be, to
have his artificial fly calculated, by its form and colors, to attract the
notice of the fish ; in which case he has a much greater chance of suc-
cess, than by making the greatest efforts to imitate any particular spe-
cies of fly."

The opinion of such authorities tends to shake old settled notions ;
and although I invariably endeavor, when dressing a fly, to imitate the
living insect, still I have seen nondodcript flies beat all the palmer
hackles, and the most life-like flies that ever graced a casting-line.

I shall leave the subject where I found it— in doubt— trusting that
some more experienced hand, and lover of the art, will, ere long, en-
lighten the angling community, not only upon this branch of the sub-
ject, but upon the "fly" in general. Every distinct insect has a
history full of interest and instruction ; and although some valuable

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494

AMERICAN FISHES.

treatises have been published, which depict the insects and their types
in their natural coloro, still a compilation of all that is instructive, with
such additional information as research and experienee may procure,
would make a volume of deep interest to the naturalist and the angler.

DESCRIPTION OF SALMON AND LAKE TROUT FLIES.

Plate to face page 224— body of work.

The Salmon Flies three in number. Upper row, from left to
right.

Largest Fly, No. 1.— Blue worsted head; black hackle body,
with silver thread ; upper wings, speckled turkey ; broad wing, bright
golden pheasant ; green peacock herls, blue-jay and red hackle legs ;
bird of paradise tail ; scarlet-dyed antennao.

Middle Flt.— Red worsted head ; ruffed grouse hackle and blue-
gcai wings ; green peacock herl ; red hackle body ; ruffed grouse
hackle legs ; orange silk tuft ; bird of paradise tail ; blue macaw an-
tennae.

Third Fly. Green peacock harl head ; speckled turkey and blue

geai wings, with copper peacock's herl; red hackle legs ; blue floss-
silk body ; bird of paradise tail.

DESCRIPTION OF LAKE TROUT FLIES.

Plate to face page 224— body of work.

Left-hand Fly, Lower Row, No. 2.— Black floss silk head;
brown peacock's wing ; red hackle legs ; copper peacock's herl body ;
orange worsted tuft.

ARTIFICIAL FLIES.

435

Right-hand. — Bluy worsted head; ruffed, grouse upper wings;
golden pheasant under wings ; brown cock's hackle legs ; pink silk
body, with gold twist ; bird of paradise tail ; green peacock's herl an-
tonnaa.

DESCRIPTION OF TROUT FLIES.

To face page 253— borty of work.

Upper Row, first Fly to left-hand. — Black cock's hackle,
dark blue worsted body.

Second. — Scarlet ibis wings ; scarlet silk body ; silver twist.

Third. — Green peacock's herl wings ; ruffed grouse hackle legs;
orange silk body ; green peacock herl tuft.

Fourth — Cock a bondhu hackle ; red silk body ; silver thread.

Fifth. — Cock a bondhu hackle ; green worsted body.

Sixth. — White miller ; black silk head; white owl wings; white
ostrich legs ; white chenil body.

Second Row, first to the left.— Bee.— Gray pigeon wings ;
black and yellow silk body.

Second.— Green drake; Mallard's speckled wing; light brown
hackle legs ; pale brown mohair body ; tail, three black horse-hau:s.

Third. — Black midge ; gray goose wings; black chenil body.

Third Row, first to the left.— Brown turkey's wing; cock a
bondhu hackle legs ; red worsted body ; speckled mallard tail.

Second.— Snipe's wing; gray mouse body; ruffed grouse hackle
legs ; speckled mallard tail.

Fourth Row, first to the left.— Yellow dyed hackle wings
yellow worsted body ; silver twist.

Second.— Furnace hackles ; green worsted body.

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AMERICAN FISHES.

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WOQ

A TREATISE

FLY-FISHINa

BY "DINK S,"

oaianiALLT iubtooxd *ob

CONTAINIMO COMPLETE AND KLABOBATB DIRECTIONS rOB BTEBY THINQ
CONNECTED WITH THE ABT AND BCIBNCE OT

F L Y-in I s H I N G,

TUB UATKBIALS, MODE OF TTIMO, 00IX>B8, 8BAB0NS, AND U8BS OF ALL TBI

HOST KILLINU TABIETIES OF ABTIFIOIAL FLIBS; THE USE OF TIUB

BOD, THE VABIflUB MBTHODB OF CASTING, TBB BEST F0BU8

OF TACKLE, THE TBITE MODE OF BIBINO, nOOKINO,

PLAYING, AND XILLINa YOUB FISH, ETC.

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SUPPLEMENTARY TREATISE

FLY-FISHING.

Fly-fishino may well bo considered the most beautiful of all rural
sports. For, in addition to the great nicety required to become pro-
ficient in the art, it is also absolutely requisite, for its successful {Attain-
ment, to study much and long — how to adapt and blend the various
materials used in the construction of a fly ; how to construct the fly
on certain defined rules ; and, lastly, how to select your flies, thus
carefully and correctly constructed, in accordance with the state of the
sky, the color of the water, and the peculiar habits of the fish in dif-
ferent rivers. The two first are tolerably easy to acquire ; the last by
far the most diflScult of all. A lifetime devoted to it would barely
render a man decently knowing, for scarcely do two rivers present the
same appearance, two skies the same shadows, or the fish of two rivers
the same tastes, and consequently no particular rules can be laid down
or plan devised which shall everywhere be infallible.

In this last section, then, of the first part, it is not to be expected
that more than a general enumeration, of errors to be avoided, plans
and practices found useful, can be given. Each angler must study for
himself the peculiar habits of the fish in the various rivers in his sec-
tion of the country, where he may hope to be after a while a respect-
able angler ; while, perhaps, on an expedition to a distant river, he
20

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442

AMERICAN FISHES.

would in all probability be beaten by a much inferior fisherman. ^
But 80 it is, and so in all probability it ever will be; and that man
will be the best angler who is the readiest at taking hints from those
living on the waters he wants to whip.

There is, I regret to say, amongst fishermen an unaccountable dis-
like to impart knowledge to a brother disciple, and with many an
almost insuperable objection even to show their cast of flies, still less
the favorite nooks for the best fish ; the last one can understand and
think little about, for if we did want to know, wo could either watch
unknown and unseen for a day, or we could, by carefully fishing ev-ery
part of the river for one day, select the best for another; but for fiies
we should be at a loss. Luckily all this class of men are approachable
in an indirect way ; a quiet chat by the river side, after a casual meeting
(regulariy planned by you), about the state of the water, weather, bad-
ness of gut now-a-days (a very catching topic by the way), producing
your point by way of a clincher: "'Tis the best that 1 can get, say
you "how do you manage-for 1 find the greatest difficulty now m
getting it anywise decent; yours seems very strong and good, pray
where" do you obtain it?" will generally produce to your eyes the
casting line. A casual examination of it, a particular one of the flics,
done quickly, interspersed with praise on their construction etc. will
probably gain a trifle more knowledge for you; a present of a kilhng
fly or two on a strange water will gain you as many useless ones But
a sight of the stock— this will render you au fait to the style of fly in
use; you must then add up all your gains, and manufacture accord-
ingly Invariably have I noticed that the most successful local fisher-
men are the most diflicult to draw; and I always held, and do hold,
that any means are fair to circumvent them.

We will now proceed to enumerate the various articles requisite for
fly trying. On the following page you will see the plan of a most con-
venient and portable box to contain all these articles in store, and also
ft portable case for short items. Of floss silks-such as ladies embroider
ottomans and such-like things with-you require every shade almost;
of Beriin wools, the same ; of pig's-wool, or mohair, various colors
and tints; of furs, you require Musk-Rat, Field-Mouse, Black Squu^
rel. Mink, Marten, young Fox-cub, ditto Coon, Green Monkey, 1 or-
cnpine-belly. Red Squirrel, the ear of the English Hare, and ditto
P.. 'cut.

FLV-FISUINO.

443

Inside must be

♦plan of FISniNO-CASK.

This may be made of any wood, according to fancy,
red cedar, to keep moths away.

a c, height, fifteen inches ; c rf, width, fifteen inches ; / ?, depth,
eleven inches ; i i, are drawers of equal size ; j j, are two drawers half
larger than i i ; k k, arc two pigeon-holes ; p and h arc folding-doors
shuttirig in centre, bolted top and bottom on one side, locked on the other.

The drawers i i have all shallow trays fitting
inside them ; two in each are sufficient. Tlie top
trays of the top drawers are divided into three
compartments each; the one by two longitu-
dinal strips of wood, the other by two transverse
ones, thus. The transverse ones should have
lids in. There you keep your hooks and tinsel
a 6 / c is a movable top fastened with
hinges at n n, to be turned over on to the doors
ff and h, lined inside with parchment. On this
lid and the other half of the top of the box you
place your feathers, &c., to dress your flies on.
The lower figure represents the top opened out;
they do not quite touch one another when shut
up, as a slight rim runs all around both boards to
raise them. In this cavity you can always keep
your mixed wings, or pieces of lead to keep the
feathers from blowing away. Atmor m, you fix
your movable vice, taking it off when you shut

n;:i

It! .;

444

AMKBIOAN FI8UK8.

„p. J, !, U whore you lock it up. Cl^niUo of variou. .ub.Unco mi

form of book t? hold a,, a.»urtm™t of feather., &e.. for a »hort fl.h.ng
our The feather, mu.t bo tied up in buneho., eaeU .ort b, itaol , and
th quill end iu,orted into a co.npartment The mo.t eouvemeu .uo
U eight and a half inchc. long by «ve and a half wide, when Mded „p
when opened, however, it U twenty-eight inehe, long by five and .
S wide, no ineluding the flap. Thi. i» folded up, however, one
Z over the other. It i. be,t made of parehment a 6 reprosen
r.ver,e .lip. of «n.o material. The.o are .t„ehod through th.
baek at regular di.tance,, to hold tho feather., and at the end., c. »

i^A=

1 ■,\

VLT-FI8IIINa.

446

whoro each fold is. u d d, arc the flaps to wrap over all when
folded upon e, for convenience of holding hooks, tinsel, silk, ntc. It
is best to have a couple of pockets, one over the other, covering b.
The in <)uth of one is represented at f. You cnn also, if requisite, have
a pocket to each flap at the back of the four flaps, the opening being
downward, as represented in the additional cut, which shows the first
or lowest flap partly turned up on the - ond. In this book it is best
to put the largest feathers in the bottoni row of slits, and smaller
ones in the upper row, as it does not matter if the larger ones hide the
smaller ones. In the second row I have shown how the feathers are

stowed away.

The lines c are merely to mark the turns over, as the above is only
of one sheet of parchment, save the cross pieces and pockets.

Of feathers you require an infinite variety. Wild Turkey tail and
tail coverts, also the neck feathers, may be useful. The tail of the
American Ruffed Grouse; the neck and tail of the English Grouse;
the yellowish-tinged neck feathers of the Ptarmcgan ; the tail of cock
and hen Pheasant, neck of both and wing coverts of hen ; of the duck
tribe you require the black, white, brown and white-barred feathers
from under the wing of the Gray, Wood, Canvas-back, Mallard, Teal,
and Widgeon ; of the Peacock, the neck and tail ; the neck feath-
ers of various colored cocks (commonly called hackles), black, red,
yellow, gray, marled, and white, for dyeing blue, green, plum, claret,
brown, &c. ; also Woodcock, starling, and Landrail wings. Wren's
tail, Guinea-Fowl tail, tail coverts and neck feathers. Macaw feathers
of various colors, tail of the Macaw, blue and yellow under, blue and
red under side; Cock of the Rock's neck; Golden Pheasant-neck
toppinsand tail; Great African Bustard tail, tail coverts and neck;
Golden Plover rump coverts ; Argus Pheasant neck and tail feath-
ers ; English Jay wings ; Parrot tails of every color, neck ditto ;
also topknots of American Kingfisher, skin of English one ; tail and
wing feathers of Capercailzie, those deeply and closely barred with
white; Guinea-Fowl feathers dyed green, orange, and claret colors;
Ostrich feathers, the thickest and best, of various colors; tame Turkey
tails of various tints; Scarlet Ibis; three or four barred feathers
. from the quail's tail; tail of Long-tailed Thrush, &c.

These are all that at present occur to my mind. They are tolerably
numerous certainly, but all extremely useful ; many of them every day.

r t

446

AMERICAN FIBIIKS.

Doubtless many more might be added from the birds of America, but
these are sufficient for general purposes.

HOOKS.

The hook requires particular attention. It is bad enough to make a
good fly on a bad hook, but to lose a good fish in consequence, is far
worst. The best hooks undoubtedly are O'Shaughnessey's Limerick,
when to be had. There are also the Kendal or Kirby Sneck, and
Carlisle hooks, of some celebrity ; also Kelly's Dublin ; and Bartlett's,
of Redditch.

KENDAL OB BNECK BSND.

HOLLOW rOINT T.IMF.RICK
OH kxlly'b UOOK.

O'snAUGBMCSSKT.

O'Shaughnessey used to make his hooks as here described: "They
are at first small straight bars of the best iron, of the requisite length,
with a rude kind of head at one end. They are first barbed, sharp-
ened and rounded with a file, and then bent with circular pincers to
the proper degree of curvature ; they are next steeled by the applica-
tion of fire and charcoal ; and then, after a little final polishing, are
placed on a smoothing iron heated to 580 degrees of Fahrenheit, and
are, lastly, immersed in grease to preserve them from rust." (See
Angler in Ireland.)

Of these you require every size, from the largest to the least. Bartlett
of Redditch manufactures the best now-a-days, as regards shape and
temper, having more of the form of the real Limerick— now I believe
no more, the original makers of them being dead. What were and are
usually called Limerick hooks are very far from them in appearance.

BTUND BEND OABLSLK.

KIBBT BIND CABUILB.

BABTLXTT B.

Of gut you require the very strongest for Salmon, and very fine for

FLY-FISHING.

447

Trout that is, where you choose to use a single-handed rod and small
flies. When, however, you use Salmon-flies for them, you must use
Salmon gut and rod.

Of tying-silks, you require yellow, red and orange, of three or four
diff'ercnt substances; foi fine, the ravellings of a lady's dress will do ;
for the other sizes, you can purchase small reels of required colors of

China silk.

Of tinsel, you require flat gold and flat silver of various sizes, and
also gold and silver twist. Some few flics require a crimped kind of
flat, broad gold and silver.

You now require a vice to screw on to your stand, to hold your hook
firm while you dress your fly, and a pair of tweezers to hold on to the
end of a hackle, thread, or silk, etc., while you use your hand for any
thing else ; small flat pieces of lead, to prevent your feathers being
blown away ; a pin or two ; cobblers' wax, and a bottle of copal varnish,
or liquid wax still better.

DIAGRAM OF THE VICE Rlsgi:iUKI)

Here is the pattern of a portable vice : a is the frame which is se-
cured on to the tabic by e; b is a movable vice inserted into fi*ame
tlirough square holes at c and d. The upright pillar b is squared so as
to fit into c and D ; r o is a screw running through the upper part so
as to tighten the vice, the back side of which has a hinge unseen at i.
H is the top of the vice showing the position in which the fly is held.

TO DREfci, A PLY.

" The art of fly-trying requires the rarest combination of manual skill,
judgment and fancy, and the happiness of invention with which these
gorgeous deceits are often devised, and the neatness with which they

':' -!

443

AMERICAN FISHES.

are executed have ever greatly won my admiration." So writes the
" Angler in Ireiand."

And hear again what the poet Gay has to say on the subject:

" To frame the little animal, provide
All the gay hueo Jict wait on female pride ;
Let nature guide thee— sometimes golden wire
The shining bellies of the fly require;
The peacock's plume thy tackle must not fail,
Nor the dear purchase of the sable's tail.
Each gaudy bird some slender tribute brings,
And lends the glowing insect proper wings.
Silks of all colors must their aid impart;
And every fur promote the fisher's art ;
So the gay lady with extensive care
Borrows the pride of land, of sea, of air ;
Furs, pearls, and plumes the glittering thing displays,
Dazzles our eyes, and easy hearts betrays."

EXPLANATION OF FIGURES ON OPPOSITE PAGE.

No. 1. Hook with waxed string, a, taking four turns round it

No. 2. Gut, b, fastened on.

No. 3. Hackle, c, fastened on with single turn round.

No. 4. Tinsel, d, fastened on, with another single turn round.

No. 5. With silk, c/, showing position preparatory to wrapping it
on; e being wound over/; kept in its place by a finger.

No. 6. With silk body wound on, and fastened at g by single turn
of waxed end ; a, end of silk being cut off" close.

No. 1. With d, tinsel wrapped on, and confined at ff by single turn

of a.

No. 8. With hackle c wrapped on, fastened at g by triple turn of
waxed end a, looped; h represents the triple row of hackle close
together for shoulders, and i the legs.

No. 9. With/, the wings in position, secured by triple turn of a; k
represents the stumps of wing not cut off.

No. 10. Represents the fly all finished.

No. 11. A single loop.

No. 12. The triple invisible ; one end, a, being passed through loops
bed, each being afterward tightened.

No. 13. A pair of tweezers.

No. 14. Prepared hackle clipped at sides, at l.

FLT-FISHINQ.

449

i )

Ill

460

AMBRICAN FISHKS.

No. 14

No. 18.

We will now, as well as we can, describe how to dress these different
styles' of flies, commencing with the easiest ; and we would recommend
the novice to practice at No. 1 until he can produce something pre-

e tk; for, for some time it wiUbe any thing else, '^^Vf^^^^^
deavors to master the difficulty. Select a tolerable-sized 1 ook. No. 3
for instance; fix it firmly point downward in the vice, which screw
tight to the edge of a table placed in front of the wmdow or und r a
skylight. Wax your silk well. To do this properly, you must st.ck ,
a pin in your trowsers knee ; take two or three turns of the silk round

he head and point alternately to prevent its shppuig; hold a small
r und bit of wax, not much bigger than a pea, between finger and

humb; well wax every part, beginning at the bottom, takmg care not

0 put your fingers on the silk, else it is apt to break Tae three or
four turns along the bare hook some distance apart, to w.thm a nfl.
of the head; select your gut; bite the thick end a htt e up and <Wn
as far as the hook will cover; take eight or ten tight turns o the silk
close together round both, the gut being on the under side of the hook
and then whip on loosely to a point opposite the barb. Now wi h one

1 round all make fast a cock's hackle, we will suppose. Tins hack e
re uir spreparing. It is done thus : at the quill end the fluff or woolly
Zer m'ust'be Ipped off; at the other end with a fine-pomted scjs-
Trs clip away close to the end two or three fibres on each sule of the
qv^ 1 «us prevents the end tied on being too thick and clumsy. Now
I return to the fly; next with another turn fasten one end of tinsel

FliT-FIBHlNO.

or twiat, as the case may be ; next take a turn round an end of wool
or peacock's tail or ostrich, and with a couple of turns round the shank
pass the waxed silk to the head. If the body be of floss silk, with the
finger of one hand press one end of the silk on the shank, twisting the
other over the shank and over the silk end also ; take a second turn
round, draw tight, and wrap evenly to the head, secure with tweezers
for the present. When a wool, mohair or fur body is to come on, you
twist a portion of them round the waxed thread and work it evenly up
to the head; pull off the superfluous dubbing; make fast; twist on the
tinsel slaptingly from heel to head at regular distances ; three to four
turns round generally suffice; fasten with a turn of the silk; next
pass the hackle alongside of the tinsel, close to it all the way, and the
same way. If across (some flies are tied so), the teeth of fish cut
througli the fibre, and the fly does not look so well; if close alongside,
the teeth are not so liable to cut the hackle, and take two or three
turns with it round the upper end of the shank close together to form
the legs and shoulders. Now take a couple of turns of the waxed silk,
to fasten all on tightly ; passing the end of the silk through the last
turn, pull it tight; this forms a knot and secures it. Select your
fibres of feathers for wings, observing not to make them too heavy or
too long ; one half way between the point of the hook and the extreme
end of the bend is long enough. Holding on to the root end of the
wing, pass it between your lips to moisten it ; fit to the proper length
over the hook, holding it there with one hand, while with the other
you take two or three turns of the silk tightly over the wing as close
as possible to the legs. Draw back {i.e. toward the head) the wing;
pass the silk twice close behind the wing, between it and the eye and
shoulder hackle, to give it a correct set ; then pass forward ; cut off
'ho stump of the wing as close as possible ; finish off with four or five
jrns of the waxed silk over the cut off part. Make a couple of knots
as above described, or invisible knot ; then break off the silk, and you
have your fly all com'^-ete.*

To render the above more plain, I have made a set of drawings of
each process, accompanied with letters and notes, so that with a little
attention a very correct idea may be formed how a fly should be tied.
When a tail is used, it must be set on before the tinsel or hackle, with
a couple of turns of waxed silk, and cut off quite close.

452

AMERICAN FISHES.
EXAMPLE I.

No.1

Ko.a.

Here No. 1 represents th^ body wound on, and the tinsel (if any),
with the hackle b and buzzy wings, c, fastened and ready to wrap on.

No 2. As above, with b wrapped on up to e, and there tied; after
which 0 is wrapped on alongside of b, after b reaches "it, fastened on
also at E, by waxed end, a, tied off with invisible knots.

EXAMPLE 11.
No. 1.

No. a.

rLY-FISHlNO.

453

Here are represented two ways of making a palmer.

No 1 represents the body fastened on as above (plate 1, No. 1); o
being the waxed end, d the hackle, to be wound on, finishing off at c.
N. B. — Palmers are made with very long, thick hackles.

No, 2 represents another sort of palmer; two hooks are fastened
back to back, as shown in example, b represents a Peacock's harl, or
other substance, for the body to be finished off at f, {a No. 2). c and
D are two hackles set on the reverse way, i. c, quill end tied on first.
B is wound along past hackle d, fastened down at f. Hackle c is
wound along pretty closely, waxed end a being alongside, or a may be
carried on to <; with the harl and there left. Hackle c is fastened
down at ff and cut off close, as also waxed end a. Hackle d then is
wound on to f, where it is tied down by waxed end (a No. 2), ends all
cut off close.

EXAMPLE III.

Example HI. represents a real salmon -fly; a b horns; c head of
ostrich; d tail; e gold tag behind the tail. This plate gives nearly
the representation of a real Limerick (O'Shaughnessey) hook.

The above is pretty nearly a general fly, omitting only the head,
which consists generally of a trail of ostrich turned round the head
after the wings are clipped close, and two horns put on either outside
or just under— the head lying on top of the wings. There is what is
called a buzzy fly and a palmer, represented in examples I. and IL

Example HI. is a perfect salmon-fly, and in these also directions are
giyen.

m 11

ill

iH.:i

«ai5i

. I

464

AMERICAN FISHES.

Wo trust that these directions will enable any one to manufacture
for himself, after patience, practice, and perseverance. But wo would
particularly advise any one so beginning to take a few lessons from a
practised hand, where he will sec all the minute dodges wo cannot de-
scribe.

Finnegan of New York would doubtless give lessons in this beauti-
ful art, and, to judge by his flies, no one is more competent to do so.
They have that peculiarity about them that bespeaks them Irish, and
are most neatly manufactured, though without any appearance of stifl"-
ness or eye-serving about them.

Having described the method as practised by ourselves, we will for
the present pass over th? different sort of flies in vogue, and show how
your gut casting-line is to be made. Select for salmon eight or ten of
the very strongest gut you can pick out, prove each link separately —
one end between your teeth, the other round a finger ; pull till it
breaks. Try it again, and if it resist considerably put it into a basin
of water. Ser\'e the rest in the same way, then take out two pieces
of about equal thickness; place the thiol: end of one to the thin of the
other, let them once lap an inch or two; holding them so, take the
short end of one, pass it over the other long end ; bring it underneath,
and, passing it twice through, the loop is formed. The same with the
other short end ; pull the knots tight and draw the two ends together ;
this knot never gives. Observe the following figures :

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

Figure 2 is the single knot, but it is liable to slip. Keep adding
to these two links, either thicker at one end or thinner at the other, till
you get the required length of foot-line. To the thick end may be
added two or three lengths of double and treble gut, if you like it, it is
rather better. To twist gut, you must wet it and put one or two in
each quill, with a stick to keep it from slipping, then plait one over the
other, drawing it out of the quills as you proceed. I have mentioned
this, not because I thought it necessary — for I presume every school-

■*p*w^.

FLY-FISHING.

485

boy knows how to plait a line— but for fear I might meet with a Uttle
abuse if I did leave it out. I always buy my links already plaited, as
they are better done by machine, and it saves much bother. Hair
points for trout-fishing are also made in a similar way to the double
and treble gut, by increasing or diminishing the number of hairs ac-
cording to the substance required.

The next article that deserves our attention is the line. It is a
point of much dispute among fishermen, whether hair, hair and silk or
hemp lines are best for Salmon ; for all seem to agree that for trout-
fishing proper (and I mean always in thus naming it, such aa is carried
on with suitable trout-flies and a one-handed trout rod), there is
nothing better than a mixed hair and silk line tapered at either end
to reverse, in case of accidents. This is the best ; hair is next best.
For Salmon, however, the case is different. You require weitrht to
propel the line against wind, and also great strength. I have always
used one hundred and fifty yards for a line, one hundred of which
was hemp steeped in boiled oil, dried and well rubbed in, and fifty
yards of heavy black or gray country hair-plait line, as being stronger
and better than any thing else. I use it still ; it is infinitely better
than hair and silk. I prefer it to all hair, as it reels up closer than
hair alone would do.

When last in England, there was great talk about new discoveries in
the line way. I have never tried them, and consequently cannot vouch
for the performance of them, but several friends of mine, who are by
no means contemptible fishermen, spoke strongly in their favor. From
the appearance, it is evident that they are dressed over with more than
boiled oil, with the use of which as a preservative of hemp lines I have
been long familiar ; they present just such an appearance and smell as
a mixture of boiled linseed oil and soluble India-rubber would — and
of that I doubt not the composition is made.

The following receipt will be found to answer every purpose, with-
out pretending, however, to be " the one :"

3st boiled linseed-oil, four ounces (one-fourth of a pint), saturated
solution of India-rubber in naphtha, four ounces ; mix well together, n\h
with a brush over the line stretched in the open air; when dry, repeat
the dressing, and leave exposed to the air till stiff. Care must be taken
to rub it on thinly, yet evenly all over, and avoid touching it till dry.

Lines thus prepared, they tell me can be thrown further than any

456

AMBRIOAK riBHKB.

other. If 80, of course they arc the best, but I prefer the hair, know-
ing that when wet it acquires such a weight that you can cover twenty

yards with it readily.

Wo now come to the consideration of reels, which wo shall dismiss
in a few words. Tliero are only two sorts that are fit for use, the
plain* and the click wheel.\ The others are downright impostors,
always getting out of order or getting you in trouble, whichever
sort you have of them. For Salmon, the most convenient size is one
four and a half inches diameter by one and a half inches wide inside.
For Trout, two and a half inches diameter by three-fourths of an inch
wide. They should have a long, flat brass base to fasten to the rod by
means of slides, and arc more convenient with the new patent handle,
the ivory knob of which screws and unscrews, allowing a hinge to
work so that the knob can either bo put mside and kept there by a
notch cut m the rim of the outside plate, or else in the proper position
for reeling up.

BBEL WITH PATENT HANDLE.

A. Plate of wheel with cut in it.

* The catch of a click wheel, unless well made and kept oUed, is apt to refuse to
work sometimes. When it does this in running out, it overshoots the hue and
fouls. Take off the cap and give the steel dagger a blow with a liammer or any
iron substance ; this generally corrects the defect unless the cogs are too much worn,
in which case they must be renewed.

f Never buy a plain or any other reel with a stop, 'tis the devils mvention, to
cause you to lose many a fish, and thereby "swear a few." It constantly slips,
and brings the line up taught, and snaps when running out fast.

FLY-FISIIINO.

457

D. ITandlo.

0. Pill to fasten in tho other joint.

D. Of liantUo.

B. Tho ivory knob.

The handle o, by means of tho screw represented on d, is screwed
down on to n, which keeps the whole in its place, and presents tho
same appearance as the common immovable handle, over which it pos-
sesses the great advantage of freedom from breakage while travclini^.

We now come to the consideration of the material to be nscd for
reels. Brass used to be thought good enough ; now German silver, if
not silver ones, arc in fashion. As long as they work well, it is no
great consequence what tho material bo. I have used brass for fift<>on
years and more, and as long as it acts as well as it has hitherto done,
I must say that nothing need be better. *

THE ROD.

Tlie next article deserving our notice is the rod, on the goodness uf
which as much as any other part of the turn out, depends our success.
Some men never in their lives could make a rod. An old fisherman
makes the best always; he knows exactly where they should be stiff,
and where liniber. There are various styles in rods to suit varioiu
tastes, and for the following purposes :

No. 1. Twelve-feet single-handed trout-rod; two pieces spliced, abi
feet each.

No. 2. Fifteen-feet double-handed trout or salmon; three piecea
spliced, five feet each.

No. 3. Eighteen feet double-handed salmon-rod; three pieces, one
ferule, one splice, six feet each.

No. 4. Twenty -feet double-handed salmon-rod ; two pieces spliced,
thirteen and seven feet each.

No. 1 is the most magnificent rod I ever handled ; it throws an
extraordinary length of line, was made by Edmundson of Liverpool,
and cost ten shillings sterling. It is moderately limber, with heavyish
top.

No. 2 is at present on the stocks, and ought to be good ; if it is
not, it will travel and let anothor take its place.

No. 3 is a fair rod by the same maker as No. 1 ; cost thirty shillinga
sterhng ; but I fear the ferule ; more are worse than better than it.

Ii*'» ^>

i;i"

458

AMERICAN FIBIIE8.

/ /

No. 4 is a country-made bottom, witlt an old Edmnnd8nr.a1.non.
top; it i. an extraordinary performer; very heavy and uff; J"o«t
inconvenient to carry abont; consecinently such a m-l „ not ht fo,
other than those living on the river banks. 1 would never adv.se he
construction of one except in that case. For most men twenty feet »
too long and heavy; if bo, eighteen is the sue for a sa In.on-rod fo,
them Fifteen is only a double-handed trout-rod, but wdl kill a salmon
if need be For a moderate fisherman Nos. 1 and 3 will be .luitc
sufficient. For an occasional one, No. 3 may serve. For your i.ulo
5itigable man, twenty or twenty-one, three pieces spliced, is all hi
loinires; for vonr salmon-fisher seldom bothers the poor trout.

Everv rod ou^jht to have a spare top, and any one going on any
fishing 'oxncMlition of more than three or four days' duration, should

rovide l.iur..lf with a spare rod in case of accidents to the one
he ,e;u..allv uses. Thus, for instance, a No. 1 .and No. 2 rod, and
Nos 3 and" 4, or Nos. 2 and 3, would render a person inditferent to

*" We ucKUome to conshlcr the best wood to be used in the manufacture.
Many makers use ebony or rosewood for the butt, to got the weight at
the bottom. It is. tu my mind, not necessary. The best ro s I .avo

ever seen were those made by ,- fishermen, lliey beat the bo t

London rods to eternal smash. . rods were aU ot hngl.sh ash,

urns and middle pieces, and :.. v,o,a tops. The greatest secret m
the making of a rod, is to get perfectly clean, straight-grained wood,
reasoned f^r two or three years, and in the six-feet tops to make two
"hcch dued and whipped over with fine, well-waxed silk. Another
Xn . ^o a very good one, for tops, is to glue four pieces of lance-
wooi together, and work the top out of the centre of the mass. Tops
HO made always spring back after using. They also have generally

three splices in the top piece. n i f .k.nwSn^

In a succeeding page I shall have to describe a method of throw ng
a salmon-line, adopted on the wooded banks of the Spey for which a
different kind of rod is required, so that I may as well describe it in
this place. About half-way up the middle piece it fines off rathe
suddenly, that is to say, out of the proportion salmon-rods are bml
on; and again, half-way up the top piece, that is, thence to the point
it docs not fall off in the regular proportion ; this gives a great spring
in the centre, and causes the top to appear too heavy, which, however.

'M'

FLY-FIsniNO.

450

it ia not I trust, ere this plan h coinincntcd on— as I know ftill well it
will be, by those who pretend to know a great deul-it will bo tried I
have 8eon and tak.m too particular notice of these rods to be n.istakon
and have seen those in a Spey man's hands* send a line that would
frighten most people to look at. These rods, when you have a, .uircd
the knack, will throw ten yards more lino than a common rod- and
against wind they are superb. '

Wo ought to have stated that twenty feet is quite long cnou.rh for
this rod; It is also much stouter and heavier than an ordinary salmon-
rod. To make ourselves better understood respecting it, we will sup-
pose it to consist of three splices. These should bo carefully niid
closely wrapped on arriving at your finhing ground; and, if ciiciun-
stanccs admitted, might be kept so until leaving the place alt().r,.ther
Divide this eighteen feet by four, and you get four feet six inelios a^
the quarter. Thus, the third quarter, i. c, nine feet from the butt, is
where the great play is in this rod, and which, as I said above,' is
reduced rather more than the proportion ; while the fourth quarter is
not so much ; care, however, must be taken not to run into the oppo-
site extreme, for a slight increase in the size of the top would naturally
throw the play elsewhere; and the slightest fining off of the next
quarter confines the play there. So much value do I put on this rod,
that I am writing to the banks of the Spey for a veritable one, the
which I shall have great jileasure in submitting to any tackle-maker
desirous of the pattern ; for of all rods in the world it is the one best
adapted to tho uncleared banks of all our best salmon rivers, where
frequently you are unable to get your fly in by any other method than
as it is termed " switching."

. The great fault that most rod-makers commit, is not knowing where
to make the rod give. This should be at a point below the first splice,
according to tho size of the rod, sufficient to keep the strain from it,
and also to prevent tho natural stifl^ness caused by the splice from
interfering with the play ; again on tho second splice, it must give
from the foot, as far distant as the yield is from the top of the butt-
piece ; and again about tho same distance from its top. The top
piece also gives at the distance laid down for the top of the middle
piece. I learnt this from watching tho play of a Blackwater rod, for
which the maker was deservedly famous, so much so, that his rods
sold for more (plain though they were) than Martin Kelley's salmon-

460

AMERICAN FISHES.

rod. I should not, however, advise any one to make his own rods,
unless he has a taste that way, when probably, after spoihng twenty
or thirty, if he is a practical fisherman he might hit on the real thuig.
The least shave too much will spoil the casting of a rod; so that it «
excrcmelv difficult to know when to stop. Another great secret in
taking, the most out of your rod, is to balance it well. Generally
speaking, rods are made with a groove and sliding ring to pass over
the foot of the rod; this .hould never be fixed unless by actual ox-
penr.ent you have ascertained the exact point where it best suits with
the reel and line you mean to use. When you have discovered this
spot, pin down one ring and cut your groove for the foot of the roc
to fit in For a beginner I would recommend a light rod-it will not
fatigue him nearly so much; he will learn to throw a fly cleaner with
it than the heavier one. The Whippy rods are far more difficult to
use artistically than the others, but for fine-weather fishing they arc
elecrant tools. I trust I have said enough on this subject to make inyseh
understood. To one that knows nothing whatever on the subject,
I have only to say-go to some respectable tackle-maker; ask lor a
ffood rod ; tell him you don't understand the matter, and request his
advice and choice; for his own credit as a judge ho dare not give you
a bad one, lest you should show off his knowledge some other day.
He who would do this to you must either be a fool or a rogue-either
of which aspersions on his fair fame would not be pleasant

Our next articles of equipment are a landing-net and gaff", or clip, as
it is sometimes termed. I have brought them on the tapts together
because the same staff does for both. The best landing-net is made of
hickory steamed and bent into a circle; on the outside of it, for six or
eight inches, an iron plate is whipped on with waxed fine twine; in.
the centre of this plate is a knob, on which is worked a male screw of
the size to fit the top of the landing-pole, which has a female screw on
it. The net can be either of silk or fine whipcord, pretty bag^7, to
prevent the fish from flopping out.

LANDING-NET HOOP.

Around the outer edge of this hickory bow a grc vc is run (suffjci-
enUy deep to hold the cord by which the net is fastened on), having
smaU holes bored through it every three-quarters of an inch; this is by

FLY-FISHINO.

461

far the best net I have ever seen ; some there arc made of iron oi steel,
jointed, and s!)mo of wood, with sockets &c., like a rod, vovv pretty
and handy, but liable to get out of order. The clip ought not to bo
too small, it should be two and a half inches wide, the point slightly
bending outward, and about three inches from the lower part of the
bend to a line perpendicular to its point. The pole (landing) should
be about four feet six inches long, with a couple of rings lashed on to
it eight or ten inches or a foot from its top and about eighteen inches .
from its bottom ; to these, when you have to carry the clip yourself,
you fasten a cord and sling it behind you. Trouting, you would hold
it in one hand ; salmon-fishing, you cannot, smce you require both
hands to work the rod.

FISH-BASKET.

The most convenient thing to carry trout in is a wicker pannier,
fitting to the back, with a hole in the lid — these are to be bought at
any tackle-shop — in the back of it are holes for the strap to run through ;
let me advise every one to use, instead of leather, a fine horse-girth of
proper length, with leather at buckle and for the strap inside the bas-
ket ; this girth does not cut the shoulders, nor does it stretch when
wet.

SALMON-BAG.

The best article for salmon is a bag of moleskin, lined with fine silk
oil-cloth, two feet long by twelve inches deep, with a strap to it. I
never carried one, but fancy it won't go good with five salmon in it,
though it will hold them ; I prefer having some one else to tote the
sack along, though, if obliged, I certainly would use one of these —
they keep the fish clean, fresh, and nice, especially if you put a little
wet grass into it ; the inside requires washing occasionally.

To kill your salmon you kick him on the head. To serve out trout,
put your thumb into his mouth and bend back the head till you hear
a crack. Besides the humanity of the thing, it is unpleasant to hear
the brutes flopping about in your basket, and still more so when they
are brought to table to see their mouths wide open. Those that are
necked keep their mouths shut, and tell no tales ; the others gape most
awfully, and speak loudly of your cruelty.

What, now, is the best contrivance for carrying your flies in 1 is a
very frequent question. Some use a tin box, either oval or circular,

li H V

l!-l

»F«'-ppj^i;-«^H«t-'7«r*«JS*S*J

462

AMERICAN FISHES.

With ^ veral piece, of card-board fitted inside, between which they
Low their flies, casting-lines, &c. Others, again and they ave by
for the most uuiuerous, use pocket-books -many of them so vo umi-
nous that they require adonkeyto carry them A selection of a dozen
rimon-flies and two dozen trout-fltes are ample f^.r the day s use; the
balance of the stock may be left at home. ,, ,v ,

Here you have the plans and dimensions of a salmon and trout-book.
The sdnu.n-book was made to my order some years ago, and has been
cry nmch adopted in England since. Its great advantages consist in
vour l>oi-.'-- able to stow away a large number of flies; to keep th gut
trai.'.t (f^r the ends all hang out at one end); and, at the same time,
not To be too cumbersome. The flannel between each layer of hooks
prevents rust. The trout-book is one of many years standing, and
I do not know a better one.

EXAMPLE FOU A SALMON-FLY BOOK.

Firr 1 represents the leaves, which are of parchment, with cross-bars
of strong silk, knotted through at the point ot intersection
of the cross-lines ; the other side of the leaf presents the
same appearance, the two folds of parchment being stitched
together at the edges; between each leaf is one of parch-
ment incased in flannel-this absorbs the moisture and
prevents rust. Size, eight and a half inches long by four
inches wide, the outside case of Russia leather, on the one
side, containing three capacious pockets to hold casting-
lines, spare gut, &c.; the other side, with a band of leather
stitched across the inside to hold a pair of scissors, knife, gaff, and a
spare place for any odd matter, as lancet, &c.

^ ^ Fig. 2 represents the plan of hooking in a fly,

the barb of which is passed under one strand and
brought down to the angle over the other strands;
six o*r seven of these double leaves are ample.
The one outside must have a wide flap reaching
half-way down the other side and closed with a
wide buckle and strap to fasten the hook by (kept
in its place by two keepers on the flap, the other
on the back).

Fio. 1.

Fio a.

FLY-FISHING.

463

f 1

■

»l~»"

' It

1
t

KX AMPLE OF A TROUT-FLY BOOK.

Hero } uu Lav o uio plau of two leaves of a trout-book. The right side

forms a pocket with a flap. It is, of course,
double to the turn of the leaf, stitched up
the sides. The left side is also double,
its reverse side presenting the same ap-
pearance as the one sbown, 0, are 11. ii',
thin bits of cork to prevent the flies bei..;^'
crushed, a, «, a, a are four slips of stiR
parchment with pointed ends passed into
a slit at n, b, n, b. To secure the flics you draw out tlie end of a ; put
your flies under and slip it again into slit b. Three of these leaves,
forming six pages, to fiisten flies in, with the pocket between each to
prevent entanglement of flies in each compartment, and four leaves of
flannel, to put your wet flies in, arc sufticient.

The back of this book should be like the salmr>n-book, with similar
pockets on one side, and the band of leather also. The most con-
venient size is four inches wide by six inches deep. A buckle and
strap round the outside arc far handier than strings.

Having now got through all the various implements necessary for
the fly fisherman, it ortly remains to notice the different flics best
adapted for general purposes ; for more than that we cannot do unless
it be to specify the materials and colors. We will divide our flies into
three classes: trcut-flies proper, white or sea trout flies of three sizes
larger, and salmon-flies. To render these lists as plain as possible, we
will here give a list of terms used : taff, i. c, whatever is placed to-
ward the heel of the hook outside the tail ; tail-hody ; tinsel is flat
gold or silver; twist is round ditto; hackle is whatever feather is
fastened on at the tail and wound headward ; /fi7S— these are put on
close to the head and under the wing; they will not be mentioned
where tackle and legs are formed of one article; wings; horns;
head.

TR0UT-FLIE8.

No. 1. Red Fly. — Body — Dark red squirrels' fur equal part claret
mohair, most claret toward tail, worked round brown silk wings.
Wood-drake's ginger-dun feather. Pea-hen has same-tinted fcathera.
Xc^.s_Clarct-stained hackle. To make it buzzy, a copper tinged
dun hackle is wound on above the body. Hook — No. 6.

I Hi

464

AMERICAN FISHES.

^•o. 2. Red Spinner.— i?«(^2/— Brown silk, ribbed with fine gold
twi.t ; British officers' epaulet size. Tail-Tsvo whisks red cock hackle.
H^;„^5_ Wood-drake's feather, as above. Hook—'i^o. 6.

No. 3. Great Dark Drone.— 5ot?//— Mole fur, or black ostrich
wound round. Lcr/s and wings-Bine dun hackle. //ooA;-No. 5.

No 4 Cow-DUNO Fly.— Yellow mohair, or camlet, mixed with little
dingy brown fur of bear left rough, spun on light-brown silk. Winys
Landrail wing. Ze-7«-Ginger-colorcd hackle. Hook-Ho. 7.

No 6. rEACOCK-FLY.-5oJy-Brown peacock's harl, dressed with
mulberry-colored silk. Whiff ^-dv^vkesi part of starling's wmg feather.
Hackle-T>avk purple (stained), appearing black, but when held up to
the light of a dark tortoise-shell color. Hook—^o. 9.

No G March Brown.— /?oiy— Fur from English hare's face, ribbed
with oran-e silk tied with brown. Tail-Tv^o strands of English par-
tridcrc tail. Zer/s— Feather (tied on hackle fashion only close under
wings) from back of English partridge. W^m^rs-Under part hen
pheasant's wing. Hook— No 6.

No 7. Sand-Fly.— Sandy-colored fur from English hare's neck spun
on same colored silk. W^/n^s-Landrail made full. Zf^s- Light-
ginger from hen's neck. Hook — No. 7.

No 8.— Stone-Fly.— iJorfy— Hare's car, mixed with yellow mohair,
ribbed over with yellow silk, and showing most yellow toward tail.
Tail-Two strands mottled English partridge tail. Wings same as
March Brown. Ze</s— Hackle, stained greenish-brown. Morns— Two
rabbit's whiskers. Hook— No. 11.

No. 9. Raccoon-Fly.— 5o6/y— raccoon's fur (bclly),wound round yel-
low silk. Wings and fe^s— Landrail's wing, buzzy. Hook-No. 13.
No 10 Gravel-Bed.- ^orfy-Lead-colorcd silk, wound on very
fine win— under side of woodcock's wing. Z^^J-Blackcock's hackle,
rather long, wound on only twice round the shoulders. Hook-No.

No 1 1 Yellow T)vs.—Body-Ye\\ow mohair, mixed with blue fur
■ „f mouse, or vellow silk, well waxed, to give it an olive tint. Wtngs
-Lightest part of the starling's wing. Zc^a-Light-yeUow dun hackle.
Hook — Xo. 6.

smmm.

FLY-FISHINO.

465

No. 12. LiTTLB Yellow Ma\ Dun.— ^oc?y— Pale-ginger fur from
back of liarc's cor, ribbed with yellow silk. Tail — Two whisks from
dun hackle. H^m^.f— Mottled wood-drake, oUve tint. Zeys— Light
dun hackle, yellowish stain. Hook — No. "7.

No. 13. Black-Gnat. — Bodij—Black ostrich harl. Wings— D&vk
part of starling. Legs — Black hackle. Hook — No. 12 or 13.

No. 14. Oak Fly.— Orange floss silk, tied on with ash-colored silk,
showing at the tail and shoulders. Witigs — Outside woodcock's wino-.
Legs — A furnace hackle, i. c, red cock's hackle, with a black list up
the middle, and black tinge at the extremities of the fibres. This
hackle must be warped all down the body at regular distances, and the
fibres snipped off till close up to wings, leaving enough for legs. Hook
No. 4 or 5.

No. 15. Turkey Brown. — JBodj/ — Dark-brown floss silk, ribbed
with purple silk. Wings and legs— Bnzzy\ dark-grain hackle.
Hook — No. 1.

No. 16. Little Dark Spinner. — Bodij — Mulberry- colored floss
Bilk, ribbed over with purple silk. Tail— Two strands of hackle for
legs. TTm^jfs— Starling wing feather. Zc^rs— Stained tortoise-shell
purple-tinted hackle. Hook — No. 7.

No. 1 7. Grannom, or Green-Tail. — Raccoon's belly wrapped on
brown silk ; green tag at end of tail to represent egg-bag. Wings
very full, from partridge wing. Zeys— Pale-ginger hen's hackle.
ZTooA- No. 12.

No. 18. The Soldier or Fern-Fly. — Body — Blood orange floss
silk. Wings — Darkest part of starling. Legs — Red cock hackle, or
made-buzzy with- furnace-hackle on above body. Hook — No. 5.

No. 19. The Sailor Fly. — Body — Dark-blue floss silk. Wings
and legs same as above. Hook — No. 5.

No. 20. Alder-Fly. — Body — Peacock's harl, tied with black silk.
Wing — Brown hen, or inside of woodcock's wing. Legs — Deep amber-
stained hackle, or black May ditto. Hook — No 4.

No. 21. Green Drake. — Body — The extremities are of brown pea-
cock's harl ; middle of pale straw-colored floss silk, ribbed with silver
twist. Tail — Three rabbit's whiskers. Wings and legs buzzy. Wood-

ill)

.pHi

■SWJWWWsWiWSffiSSS

J-A'alW!..-'"**"*'"

466

AMERICAN FISHES.

drake white bar clipped oflF, or mallard tinged olive, if in a state of
rest, wings as above, legs pale-brown bittern's hackle, or partridge or
ptarmigan feather. Hook — No. 3 or 4.

No. 22. Gray DK\viis,.-rBody as above. Tail as above. WirujH
and %6— Buzzy; mottled mallard stained faint purple; if at rest,
wings of same colored mallard feather. Legs — Dark purple-stained
hackle, wrapped over the above colored body. Hook — No. 3 or 4.

No. 23. Marlow Buzzy (the celebrated cock-a-bonddu).— i?o(/y—
Black ostrich harl twisted with brown peacock's heel. Wings and
legs — a furnace hackle, buzzy. Hook—ll^o. 8.

No. 24. The Dark Mackerel or Brown Drake.— i?oc?y— Dark-
mulberry floss silk, ribbed with gold tinsel. iTaj/— Three rabbit's
whiskers. Wings— Br oyin mottled mallard. Xcii-s— purple-dyed
tortoise-shell hackle. Hook — No. 4 or 5.

No. 25. Pale Evening Dun. — Yellow martin's fur, spun on pale
fawn-colored silk. Body— a. fine-grained feather from starling's wing,
stained rather light-yellow. Legs— Tale dun hackle. Hook—^o. 12.

No. 26. July Dun. — ^orfy— Blue mouse fur and yellow mohair
mixed and spun on yellow silk. Wings— Dark starling stained darker
with onion {vide receipts). Legs— Dark dun hackle. Hook—^o.
12.

No. 21, Wren-tail.— -Ginger-colored fur, ribbed with gold twist-
hare's neck will do. Wings and Ze^s— Buzzy wren's tail. Hook—
No. 12 or 13.

No. 28. Red Ant. — 5orfy— Peacock's harl, tied with red brown
silk. Wings— Ught part of starling's wing. Legs— Red cock's hackle.

^ooA:— No. 12 or 13.

No. 29. Black Ant.— i?oc?y— -Peacock's harl and black ostrich
mixed. TTiw.^^s— Darkest part of starling's wing. Zc^r*— Black cock
hackle, ^ooi— No. 12 or 13.

No. 30. August Dun.— fiorfy— Brown floss silk, ribbed with yellow
silk. ^017- Two rabbit's whiskers. Wings— FaatUcr of a brown
hen's wing. Ze^^a— Plain red hackle stained brown, made buzzy with
grouse (English) wound on above body. Hook—lio. 8.

No. 31. Orange Fly.— Orange floss silk, tied on with black silk.

FLY-FISHING.

407

Legs—k furnace hackle. Wings— Ylcn blackbird or dark starlinc's
wing. Hnok—^o 12 or 13.

No. 32. Cinnamon-Fly.— jBoJy— Fawn-colored floss silk. Wings
—American robbin's, or better the long-tailed thrush, buzzy. Grouse
feather, or red hackle stained brown with copperas, on above body
//ooAr -No. 10.

No. 33. Blue-Bottle.— Bright blue floss silk, tied on with light-
brown silk, showing the brown at the head. W^m«7s— Starling's wing
feather. Legs — Black hackle wound on slightly from tail. Hook—
No. 0.

No. 34. Willow-Fly.— i?oc?y— Mole's fur, or blue mouse. Wings
— A dark dun cock's hackle, strongly tinged a copper color. Hook—
No. 8.

These are the best flies used in England. They are derived from
" Ronald's Fly-fishers' Entomology," with colored plates ; a very ex-
cellent work. The only variation I have made has been to substitute
the feather of an American bird whenever I knew any suitable. Un-
fortunately this is not the season for palmers or caterpillars ; and, not
having the insect or patterns, I am unable to give as many as I could
wish, as they are excellent troht-killers, especially after a flood.

PALMERS.

No. 1. The Red Palmer. — 5orfy— Peacock's harl, with red cock's
hackle wound over it, tied with dark-brown floss silk ; two hooks are
used, vide plate of flies (Ronald's).

No. 2. Brown Palmer. — Mulberry-colored worsted spun on brown
silk, brown cock's hackle wound over it (Ronald's).

No. 3. Black Palmer. — Black ostrich harl, ribbed with gold twist,
red cock's hacklo wound over it (Ronald's).

No. 4. Yellow Palmer. — Pale straw-colored worsted, wound on
same-colored silk. Pale straw-tinted cock hackle over body.

No. 5. Green Palmer. — Pea-green worsted on green silk body,
hackle steeped in onion dye.

No. 6. Fawn-colored Palmer. — Fawn-colored worsted on pale-
red silk body. Fawnish-red hackle wound over body.

? %b 18, '

i t

^^m't-'j'iwssm'i'ssmss

468

AMERICAN FISHES.

The following receipts are also taken from Konald's works above
mentioned, and are excellent.

RECEIPTS.

To DYE White Feathers a Dun Color.— Make a mordant, by dis-
solving a quarter of an ounce of alum in a pint of water, slij^htly
boil the feathers in it, taking care that they be thoroughly soaked
with the solution ; then boil them in other water with fustic and cop-
peras till they assume the proper tint. This for yellow dun— sumac
and copperas for blue dun tint. The greater quantity of copperas used,
the deeper will be the dye.

To TURN Red Hackles Brown.— Put a piece of copperas the size
of a half-walnut in a pint of water, boil it, and while boiling, put in the
red feathers ; let them remain until by frequent examination they are
found to have taken the purple color.

To dye Olive Dun.— Make a very strong infusion of the outside
brown coatings of onions, by allowing it to stand twelve or twenty-four
hours by a warm fire. If dun feathers are boiled in this they become
an olive-dun; if white feathers, they become yellow; if a piece of
copperas be added, the latter color becomes a useful muddy-yellow,
lighter or darker, as may be required, and approaching a yellow olive-
dun, according to the quantity of copperas used.

To DYE Mallard Feathers for Green Drake.— Tie up the best
white and black barred feathers from under the wing, in bunches of a
dozen; boil them in the mordant, as directed in No. 1, to get out the
grease ; boil them in an infusion of fustic, to procure a yellow, and add
copperas to the infusion, to subdue the brightness of the yellow.

To DYE Feathers Dark-red and Purple.- Hackles of various
colors boiled (without alum) in an infusion of logwood and Brazil-wood
dust, until they are as red as they can be made, may, by putting them
into a mixture of muriatic acid and tin, be changed to a deeper red.
As the solution is not to be a saturated solution of tin it must be much
diluted; if it burns your tongue much it will burn the feathers a little;
by putting the feathers, after the first process, into a warm solution of
potash, they will become purple.

FLY-FISniNO.

400

To DVE Featuers various shades of Red, Amber, and Brown.
—Boil tlicm in the alum niordaiit ivbove, then in an infusion of fustic
(tablo-spoonful to a pint of water), to bring them to a bright yellow .
then boil them in a dye of madder, peach or Brazil-wood. To set the
color, put a few drops of dyers' spirit (to bo procured at any silk-dyer's)
into the last-mentioned dyo.

To STAIN Gut. — Put the gut into an infusion of onion-coatings
(above) ; when it is quite cold let it remain until it becomes as dark
as may be. Gut may be stained in an infusion of cold grocn tea. A
cold dye of logwood will turn it to a pale blue.

After a little practice you will be enabled to do wonders with your
feathers ; perhaps, also, with your hands, which, if you operate exten-
sively on all the colors, will become quite a nondescript co^or.

FLIES — CONTINUED.

We insei-ted the foregoing receipts in this place in preference to the
end of the trout-tlies, inasmuch as, being copied from Ronald's work,
and having reference chiefly to his style of tying flics, which, by thu
way, is the most correct, since he gives you a colored representation
of the fly, and then below it a colored one of his imitation. To this
list I have added thirteen more and three palmers, the raccoon being
one, and the three last of the palmers, before enumerated, and the
ten following ones : I need hardly observe that palmers are nothing
more than caterpillars.

ITackle.
Eed twist,

Black, "

Red "

Red «'

Black "
ti II

Red "
Ginger"

Red "
None,

No. 1.

Body.
Orange floss silk,

2.
3.
4.
6.
6.
1.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Black
II

Yellow
II

II
II
II
II
II
II

Rat's fur,
Mouse fur,
Pule iron-blue mo- )
luiir with pale yel- V
low mixed, )

12. Green gosling mohair,

Tinta.

Silver,

Gold,

None,

Silver,
II

None.
Silver,
None,
II

Silver,

( Woodcock ont-
\ Bide wing.

Partridge.

Landrail.

Starling.
II

Partridge.
Landrail.

Starling.
Grouse buzzy

(legs picked out of body.)
None, None,

Red, "

Sea-swallow.
Partridge.

Mi"

!' I

470

AMKRICAK FISHES.

The foregoing lists arc ample for all trouting purposes. Tlonald's
patterns are given with the udclition uf the number of hoolc ; mul, I
may add, these arc full two sizes larger than English fishcnnoii gen-
erally use ; the dozen last enumerated may vary in size from No. C to
No. 10, but of this more anon.

Wo now come to the Sea-Trout Flics— from Nos. 1 to 4 we may sot
down as the regular size for America, Nos. 2 to 0 being those in use
in Ireland, where they most abound. They are made much more
gaudy than trout-flies, and yet not so expensively -as salmon-flics;
bodies all floss silk :

Sodj/. Tail. Tln»a Tag. Hacklt. Wings.

Pale blue, {^'"ifa^tkTh''^^''"' ^^^^^ °«^"''^' ^^'"''^^ Starling.]

Yellow , " Gold, Blue peacock,

Rod orange, Blue parrot, " Gold,

Orantjc, Guiuoa-fowl, " None.

These below liave fur or pigs'-wool bodies.
Claret and

ITtad.

Bluo
peacock.

None.

Red,
Black, \

Mixed
brown

!,[■•

( Brown )
\ mallard, J

Silver, Orange silk,

( Gold pl.eas- ) ^old,
\ ant s ueck, )

p, . ( Brown | Dlnck
tlaret, ^ ^^^[iiv^^^ ] "strieh.

Black, Mixed, "

«•

Brown,

Dark blue.

Yellow and
Palo proen
mixed, )

The above are half-a-dozcn of the very best flies used at the Bally-
nahinch river, in Ireland— the best river in the world for sea-trout. I
have given them here, confident that they will not disgrace the country
where they were bred and born. I have only to observe further, that
of all fish in the world they are least particular, rising equally well to

salmon or trout flics.

Before describing salmon-flies, it will be necessary to explain what
is meant by mixed wings, and how they arc made; also, what is meant
by a tag. A mixed wing, as its name implies, is one composed of vari-
ous feathers, and also of various hues— at one time greenish, at an-
other blue, at another red, &c.; but still the basis and the method of
constructing it are the same.

Before commencing to tie your flics,it is better to assort the feathers for
the wing. You take a quantity of brown mallard fibres, cut close to the
hen, teal, drake, or widgeon, golden pheasant's neck, guinea-fowl, par-

FLY-FISHING.

471

rot, green aud blue, cock pheasant's tail, bustard, wood-drake ; separate
the fibres of one lot, laying them on your table, with a spuco be-
tween each; then take up another lot, and lay a fibre down on each
of the others ; and so on with each bundle, except golden pheasant, of
which you use about one-half as much as the others; and parrot, one-
quarter, guinea-fowl three-quarters, English pheasant one-quarter. When
ull arc sorted out, roll them into a bundle, and draw them out several
times between your fingers, to more perfectly blend them. This is
your ordinary rich wing; nothing can be more beautiful or better.
Your fly always wears an even appearance and not blotchy. When you
require an extra colored tint to your wing, add more of the color, but
take care to blend the fibres you add well with the stock color. A
tag is whatever you wrap on the bare hook outside of the tail. And
now we come to salmon-flies, of which we can only enumerate a few
standard and well-known killers in the old country, and a few of this
continent. We regret to say, for more reasons than one, that we have
had no experience in salmon-fishing in America; it is for this reason
we crave the indulgence of our readers for the meagre lot of American
standard flies; what we have given are well-known killers in many
waters of the old country, and are the standard flies of many and
various rivers. I have little doubt but that they will be found as
effective in the new as they are in the old world. The first lot are all
small flies, used in Ireland chiefly for salmon. They will, I doubt not,
be effective here for sea-trout or river-trout. The size of hooks from
which the patterns are taken vary from Nos. 2 to G ; on the smallest
of them I have killed salmon; they may, however, be made a couple
of sizes larger.

No. 1. Gold tag. Tail — Two fibres of hen pheasant's tail. Body
— composed of fine red chenille, one-third; light bluish-green chenille,
one-third; pale-yellow straw chenille, one-third; claret-colored cock's
hackle for legs only, body being bare. Wings — Great African bustard,
with four strands of green-blue peacock harl. Head — very long, of com-
mon brown peacock's harl. (I state here, once for all, that I describe
flies in succession from the tail end, whence they are commenced in
the making.)

An extraordinary killer, tricolored chenille body, claret hackle,
bustard wings.

472

AMERICAN FISHES.

No. 2. 7ai7— Two fibres of brown mullanl two of red parrot, fine
small turn of palo orange fioss silk, next these. ^Wy— Black tlons oilk ;
the finest gold twist, wound on very close, i. <•., eleven turns on No. 2
hook. /,f>//«— Of red cock's hackle ; body hare. Tr/n«/.v— Very thick,
composed of small neck feather golden pheasant, and two fibres of
the blue-green peacock above this brown mallard. Head — Black

ostrich.

Quito as good. Black body and red cock's legs ; gold tinsel.

No. 3. Shanks— Black. Tuff— YcWow floss silk. Tail— Two strands
of pale-bhic parrot ; the yellow floss tag is wound twice around beyond
the tail quite close. IJackle— Gray cock, i^orfy— The yt^llow floss
run aU)ngside of a black floss silk band. Zcf/a— Partridge full. Wini/s
— Teal drake, //rac/— Black ostrich.

As good as the others. Shanks black ; partridge legs ; gray hacklo.

No. 4. TiiK FooGY Flv. — /?<)rf?/ —One-fourth green chenille, one-
fourth pale yellow ditto, one-half puiphi ditto. A Marled Hackle—
Root end first is wound over the body, the ends left projecting beyond
the hook at least half an inch. Winf/s—VartndgQ tail. Head—
Oranse chenille.

A very ugly but killing fly.

No. 6. Gold tag. Tail— Tea\ drake. Red hackle— GoU tinsel,
^orfy— Black floss silk. WinffS—Wixcd teal and mallard. Horns—
, Blue and gold macaw. Head — Black ostrich.
Not bad. Black and red hackle.

No. 6. ra<7— Yellow floss silk. Tuil—Uhcd. Hackle Red— SWvcr
twist, crimson floss silk body. Mixed wings, with golden phcasaut-
neck. Macaw liorns. ^eat/— Ostrich.

Very good crimson and red hackle.

No. 1. Ta^— Gold. Tail— Three golden orange parrot strands, tin-
sel gold. Huckle—B\vic. Body—B\\ic. Wings— smaW golden pheas-
ant neck, two blue English kingfisher's feathers (blue-bird might do),
a fibre or two of bustard, ditto teal drake. Macaw horns. Head-
Black ostrich.

A lovely fly, blue body, ditto hackle, ditto wings.

iti

rLY-FISHINO.

478

No. 8^ Gold /..<;. Toucan golden lail. Silver twUt blue hackle
^orfy-Two-thirds palo roso, one-third crimson flos., silk Wnian^
Mixed. //orn«— Pulc-bliie parrot. I/cad— Sona.

Great white trout-fly, rose and crimson or blue Imcklo.

We now como to the larger class of salmon flies-
No. 0. Broad gold tar,. Tail-Uhed, Jlackle-Ucd cock's tin
sol gold. i?o,/y-Grecni8h yellow floss silk. Z.^^s-English jav Urn-
coverts. Winff,-mch, mixed. ^orn»-Macaw. m<ut~lihck
ostrich.

Green yellow body', red hackle and jay logs.

No. 10. T'a^-Fine gold twist four or five turns. Ta/Z-Qolden
pheasant neck, tinsel gold. //oc^/e-Black. i?oc/y_Pale blue Z.^v-
English grouse or argus pheasant. Winffs-Oi golden pheasant, nock
teal ancl brown mallard, American widgeon, argus pheasant, buntard!
Head — Black ostrich.

Blue body, black hackle, grouse or argus legs.

No. 11. ra^-Gold. Tuil-Oold^n pheasant crest, then black
ostrich two turns. Ilackle-Loxig and black, tinsel gold. Bod,/-
Palo blue floss silk. Winffs-Bn&tard on sides and teal drake in cen-
tre, //cat/— Black ostrich.

Blue and black hackle.

No. 12. T'a^'— Gold and two turns crimson floss silk. Tail~mxcd
Hackle— Crimson orange. i?oc/y-Blood orange floss silk, tinsel gold'
Wmffs—mch, mixed with extra gold pheasant tail and neck. Horns
— Macaw. Head — Ostrich.

Orange body, hackle crimson orange.

No. 13. Ta^r-Broad gold. TatV-Mixed, gold tinsel, and twist
wound on side by side over, ^orfy— Brown palo floss silk. Hackle
—Red. Wings— Mixed, showing most guinea-fowl. /Torns— Macaw.
Head — Ostrich.

Brown body red hackle.

No. 14. Tasf-Qold. Tail— Golden pheasant neck and pale blue
parrot, gold tinsel. Hed hackle, yellow, orange body. Legs—Oi
English jay-wing (blue). Wings— Kieh, mixed. Head and horns as
above.

8'**>.r

474

AMERICAN FISHES.

Yellow orange body, red hackle, jay legs.

No 15 7'afl-Gold twist. TaJ^-Mixed, gold twist (fine). Hackle
-Black. ' ^orfy-Black floss silk. Xe^«.-Dark guinea-fowl. mng.
-Richly mixed with extra guinea-fowl. ^orns-Macaw. Head-

Black ostrich.

Black body, ditto hackle, guinea-fowl legs.

No. 16. r«^-Deep gold afterward orange silk. T^U-GoX^.x.
pheasant neck, and ditto red tail feathers, fine gold twist. HacUe-
Long black. 5orfy-Black (bluish tint) pi^s'-wool or worsted.
W^i,^.-Brown drake, guinea-fowl, with two or three flamingo fibres
under wings; over the legs and shoulders a little orange mohair (least
quantity), //mt/.— Brown peacock harl.
Blue-black body, wool-black hackle.

No 17. Tag-GoU, then crimson floss silk. TaiV-Two fibres of
muddled parrot. ^«cA:/.-Red gold twist. ^orfy-Brown worsted
Zms-Partridge. W^my.-Golden pheasant neck, guinea-fow , teal
drake, blue parrot. Macaw harm. Head-Red orange floss silk.

Very plain but eff"ective ; colors brown.

No. 18. Oranire floss silk tei7. Mixed tail. Gold twist. /facA:/e_
Red cock. £orfy-Pigs'-wool, crimson, little black and claret colors
well mixed. PTm^-Golden pheasant neck, blue (pale) parrot and
teal drake, ^carf— Black ostrich.

Ballynahinch, County Galway, fly.

No 19 Gold tag. Mixed tail, extra, golden pheasant. Hackle—
Red cock's, two fine gold twists, one each side, of bioad silver wound
on a claret-brown worsted body. Legs-Gvonso. Wtngs-Te^\
drake, brown mallard, bustard and golden pheasant neck, heavy,
jyorns— Macaw, ^carf— Black ostrich.

Clarety-brown worsted body; red hackle; grouse legs.

No 20 iTaiV— Golden pheasant crest, silver twist. Hackle-Lo^g
black" ^orfy-Least bit yellow, then black one-half, then yellow the
rest of pig's wool or mohair. Vrm./7s-Golden pheasant crest, brown
mallard, bustard, teal drake, and guinea-fowl.

Black and yellow barred body ; black hackle.

■«*»?**?*;-;;■" '

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FLY-FISHING.

476

No. 21. TatY— Golden pheasant crest, gold twist. iTac/fc^c— Gin-
ger and long body, straw-colored mohair. Ze^j— English blue
jay. Wings— Rich, mixed. Horns— Uac&w. Sead—B\&ck os-
trich.
^ Straw-colored fur body ; ginger hacklo.

No. 22. Ta^r— Gold tinsel, rose and orange floss silk. Tail-
golden pheasant neck with guinea-fowl, gold twist and tinsel. Hackle
—Black and long. 5orfy— Part rose floss silk one-third, then black
and claret, red mohair, black predominating. Wings — Heavy, guinea-
fowl, with bustard, golden pheasant-neck, brown mallard, blue parrot,
ostrich black, and macaw Horns.

Black and rose ; ditto, and claret body ; black hackle.

No. 23. Yellow silk tag. Mixed tail, silver twist. Rich crimson
body. Red hackle. Black legs. Mixed wings. Macaw horns. Os-
trich head.

Crimson body ; red hackle.

No. 24. Gold tag. Mixed tail, gold tinsel, red, yellow, orange,
claret and black mohair mixed. Body, red predominating. Guinea-
fowl or partridge legs. Rich mixed Wings. Macaw Horns. Black
ostrich Head.

No. 25. Gold tinsel, then yellow silk tag. Tail— Of three strands
guinea-fowl, and two of red golden pheasant tail. Hackle — Red cock's,
gold (fine) twist. Body — Half brown, half red mohair warped on fine
and close. Wings — Brown mallard and deep-dyed orange guinea-
fowl. Horns — Red flamingo or scarlet ibis.

Bodies and legs scored under.

No. 26. Tag— Very long, of gold tinsel. Tail—Go\dm pheasant,
tinted scarlet, broad gold twist. Hackle — Blue. Body — Blue floss
silk. Legs — Very bushy, of blue English jay, and over them a
couple of turns of pale blue parrot. Wings — Two large golden
pheasant crests, with ditto tail. Horns — Red macaw. Head— Blaxik
ostrich.

i:;

No. 27. Tag-
neck, red tint.

-Gold tinsel and black ostrich. Tail — Golden pheasant
Hackle — Black and long. Body — One-sixth yellow

476

AMERICAN FISHES.

pigs'-wool, four-sixths black ditto, and then yellow the rest. Wings—
Bustard and capercailzie, or guinea-fowl, iforns— Macaw.

No, 28. Tail — Golden pheasant crest, gold twist. Body — One-
half orange and brown mixed, most orange at tail, one-half black,
pig's-wool. Legs— Long black. Saddle hackle. Wings— A golden
pheasant crest, with teal drake and brown mallard. Macaw horns, and
ostrich head.

No. 29. Tail — Yellow-orange worsted pricked out, broad gold
tinsel. Hackle of three colors, one-fourth of crimson, warped on
crimson body, next two-fourths nearly black hackle warped on black
body, remainder pale-blue parrot on dark-blue body. Wings— T&ma
turkey's tail, black, with a white tip. Head— Black ostrich.

No. 30. Gold twist tag. Tail— YeWow worsted, pricked out; gold
twist. Hackle— Black cock, long, ^orfy— Pale-blue worsted, the
•ist yellow worked in under the wings and in front of the legs, and
then pricked out. Wings — Dingy black and white turkey.

No. 31. TVx^— Yellow floss silk. Tat7— Golden pheasant neck and
guinea-fowl, silver twist. Hackle— Black cock. i?oJy— Deep crim-
son. Wings — Mixed. Macaw horns. Ostrich head.

No. 32. Gold tag. Mixed tail, bluish tint, gold tinsel. Body-
Yellow floss silk. Hackle— Red cock. Ze^rs— Golden plover, liich
mixed wings, showing blue and red. Macaw horns. Ostrich head.

No. 33. Gold tag. Golden pheasant crest. Broad gold tinsel. Red
cock's hackle. i?orfy— Reddish brown, orange and yellow pigs'-wool
well mixed. English jay legs. Rich mixed wings. Shining red
golden pheasant tail. Macaw horns. Ostrich head.

No. 34. Gold tag. Gold tinsel, with gold twist along-side. Hackle
—A red marled one, set on quill end first, and wrapped across the
gold. Body— Thin, of yellow, orange, and reddish-brown worsted.
Wings— Brown mallard and teal drake. If hackle much longer than
end of hook, shorten a little ; ought to be half an inch longer.

The next are lar^re class flies, and must be tied on double or treble
gut.

■
i

FLY-FISHiyO.

ill

No. 35. Gold taff. Golden pheasant crest. Gold twist. Body—
One-third deep crimson floss silk ; at the end of this, one turn of
black ostrich harl ; then, on the back and belly of the fly, a small crest
of the cock of the rock is fastened short on; the next third is yellow
floss silk, the gold warped over it, the ostrich at the end, and the
crests above and below; the last third is a deep-brown orange, with
cock of the rock above and below. English jay legs, close on head-
wards. Very rich mixed wiriffs of golden pheasant. Tail- -Both, red,
and other part and neck, teal drake, bright blue parrot. Macaw horns.
Ostrich head.

This fly could not be made under two dollars.

No. 36. Gold tag. Ta?7— Light crimson worsted picked out. Gold
twist. Ifackle— Long gray. Body— Crimson prple worsted. Wings—
A golden pheasant neck, dyed deep purple, reddish-brown teal drake,
brown mallard, two harls of blue and two of brown peacock's tail.
Macaw's horns. Brown peacock's harl for head.

No. 37. Tag — Brown peacock's harl. Tail—TesA, red golden
pheasant and blue parrot. Gold twist. Black hackle. Body—Tyio-
Bixths orange, one-sixth green, one-sixth orange, one-sixth green, one-
sixth orange, floss silks. Z<;^s— Dingy black hen. Tr%s— Golden
pheasant neck feather, cock pheasant's tail three fibres, teal drake,
brown mallard, golden pheasant's centre tail feather. Brown pea-
cock's harl for head.

No. 38. Gold tag. Tail— Golden pheasant crest, broad gold tinsel

nd gold twist along side. Black hackle. Dark-blue mohair body.

Wings — Golden pheasant neck and centre tail feather, brown mallard,

Vvild turkey. A little deep scarlet wool is then worked in over the

wings, picked out and clipped short. Macaw horns.

No. 39. Tag — Gold tinsel. Golden pheasant crest. Tail — Heavy
gold twist, with band of dingy orange floss silk warped along-side
of it. Hackle — Long black saddle. Body — Pea-green floss silk.
Wings — Guinea-fowl neck dyed deep orange. Red tail of golden
pheasant, teal drake, brown mallard, and guinea-fowl. Four long
bnstard fibres for horns. Head — Dingy olive mohair.

i^iSTTa:

478

AMERICAN FISHES.

No. 40. Gold tag. Guinea-fowl and brown mallard tail. Gold tin-
sel with brown floss silk worked along-side. Hackle— hong red cock's.
£oiy-Deep crimson, mostly obscured by the brown. Ze<;s— Par-
tridijc. Prm(7S— Chiefly Guinea-fowl, brown mallard, and English
cock pheasant tail, four or five strands. Macaw horns, and ostrich
head.

No. 41. Gold and thin crimson silk tag. Mixed tail, showing a
good deal of deep blue. Bread gold twist. Dyed clarety-red hackle.
Body— Fiery brown, i. e., red, brown, and purple, pigs'-wool mixed,
brown predominating. TTin^-s— Brown mallard, blue parrot, orange
parrot, long-tailed thrush, and bustard. Head— Black ostrich.

Such is the list of salmon-flies we have selected from many and
various rivers of England, Ireland, and Scotland. Were I to attempt
to enumerate them, it would almost be an endless job. There are yet
a few more flies to be added, such as are fit for pike and black bass,
which we omitted to particularize in the early part of the work, and
which, even now, we will consign to the end of the fly-fishing part

altogether.

Having now shown you, or rather attempted to show you, how to
make your hooks, if you like so to do, and seriatim trout-flies, rods,
casting-lines, salmon-flies, we must even follow up by endeavoring to
explain the various methods of throwing and working the fly. This,
however, it is difficult to do on paper. Far more will be learnt by
practice, an ounce of which is worth a pound of precept.

To commence, then, with trout-fishing, with a single-handed rod.
When put together, the rings should all be in a line. Run one end of
the line through each of these, the balance being reeled on to the winch,
which is either screwed through or round the butt, or clasped on to it
by a movable brass ring and catch. To quote Ronald : " It is advis-
able to practise the art of throwing a fly on the grass," previously to
attempting to fish. " Any open space free from trees," says he, " will
do. A piece of paper may represent the spot to be thrown to.
Taking the wind in his back, the tyro, with a short line at first, may
attempt to cast within an inch or two of the paper; and afterward,
by degrees, lengthen his line as his improvement proceeds ; he may
then try to throw in such a direction that the wind may in some
measure oppose the line and rod; and, lastly, he may practice throw-

JNiw. tiat.l* -^.-^-»=^,^.^,, ^^m

ilft

FLY-FISHINQ.

479

ing against the wind. In this way a person may become an adept at
throwing a fly much sooner than by trusting to the experience ho
may get at the water side ; for, his attention being then wholly
engrossed by the hopes of getting a rise, &c., a bad habit may very
easily be engendered, which will not be as easily got rid of. He
should endeavor to impart to the line a good uniform sweep or curve
round the head ; for if it returns too quickly or sharply from behind
him, a crack will be heard, and the fly whipped off. There is some
little difficulty in acquiring this management."

So far, Mr. Ronald; and now we will, perfectly coinciding in every
particular, add a little to his instructions. In delivering or throwing the
fly, the back of the hand nlust be upward, quite square. In drawing
the fly toward you, the wrist must be gradually turned till the back
is downward and the thumb pointing upward. This enables you to
strike a fish by the simple motion of clenching your fingers, added to
an almost imperceptible inward motion of the wrist down very quickly
yet gently. In drawing out the line for a new cast, you raise your
arm, not your shoulder, pointing your thumb outward, 'Tis seldom
necessary to raise your elbow much, unless in casting a very long line
indeed, when your arm is bent as much as it can be. Rest a moment,
to give your line time to straighten behind you. This prevents the
crack ; delivering your line forward by turning the back of the hand
upward and straightening out your arm. This imparts to your rod a
sweep pretty much oval, and if you commence and continue this prac-
tice from the first, you will soon get used to it. At first it fatigues
the wrist a good deal, and you feel cramped, and as if set in a strait
jacket; but this weara off, use gives freedom and neatness to your
style of throwing. Nothing betrays a fisherman sooner than the way
he holds and handles his rod. Learn this lesson and the next well
and thoroughly, and you are advanced a long way toward being a fish-
erman, although you may never have had a rise.

The other lesson you have to practise — is to stay your line just be-
fore it touches the water, to prevent an awful splash. This is easy
enough to do ; when you see your line within a foot of the water, you
can either partly turn your hand so as to bring the thumb upward
with a slight turn of the wrist, or you can move your wrist, keeping
the back of the hand still upward. In either case, the motion must be
very slight, so as only to check the downward force without stopping

"II. *l

|i I'

!^ ■ . !

480

AMERICAN 7ISUES.

the direction of the line. These are the two great dodges in throw-
ing a fly. I wish I only had in my younger days as much told to me,
as you have had in the last few lines ; many a year passed before I
found them out.

In fishing for trout, there are two styles adopted. One is, to throw
your line nearly across the stream, letting it float down and gradually
across, to your side. In this case, and particularly in salmon-fishing—
for I shall not have occasion more apropos to mention it— care must
be taken not to, as the term is, let the line "belly," which means, to
let the stream carry a part of the line before the flies— which assur-
edly it will do, unless, as soon as your flies are in the water opposite,
you slightly draw the point of your rod up the stream. The other
plan is called " whipping," which means making quick casts, not let-
ting your line stay above a few seconds in the water; one style is
practised as much as tlie other. For my part I adopt the first plan
in swift-running water; the latter when fishing a dead pool or in a
lake. Three flies are suflScient to use on one and the same casting-
line; the last is the " tail-fly," or, as it is sometimes called, "the
Btretcl^er;" the other flies, which have about four inches or barely
that of gut, are made fast to the casting- line or "foot" line two to
three feet apart, and are called " droppers" or bob-flies. In the selec-
tion of flies great judgment is required ; some days one sort, other
days another sort; the beetle tribe, Coleoptera^ affect the hot days
roost. The Ephemera, or fish-fly, cold days ; the water-fly or Phryganea,
cloudy days with gleams of sunshine. The Dyptera and other land-
flies, windy days. He would do well to commence with a palmer as
a stretcher, and the fly which seems most suitable for the day as a
. dropper until he can discover what fly the fish are actually rising at
The palmer is never out of season, and is a good fat bait.'*

Again, a good deal depends on the state, size and color of the
water, and the appearance of the weather. When the water is clear-
ing ofi" from a flood, or is large, larger and lighter-colored flies may be
used. When it is very low, clear and fine, much smaller and darker
flies are preferable. In dark, gloomy weather, also judging from the
state of the water, you put on a bright fly, large or small, as the water
may be. In clear weather, the one of darker hue. Avoid high places
to cast from ; keep as low down to the water side as possible, if in it,
all the better, as fish easily see you. Never fish with the sun at your

FLV-FISHING.

481

back, as that throws your shadow down on the water you want to
throw over. •' ""

We wUl now suppose our tyro has managed to hook a halt-pounder
wh,ch will be qmte as much as he can manage to get out. L must
raise the point of the rod up, and bear gently yet evenly on him,
never suffonng the hne to get slack for a moment, letting him run on
what hne he leels disposed to take, simply keeping the forefinger over
the line and pressing gently on the rod, so as in a slight degree to
check him; always endeavoring to take the fish down stream reeling
up hne whenever opportunity occurs, increasing his strain as 'the fish
appears to weaken, until at last he can pull him out on the bank or £ret
him into the landing-net. The gveat secret is to keep the top of your
rod well up, to bear an even strain on the fish, and to keep your line
always tight.

Bear these three points in mind, and but few fish you will lose
Of course if there are rocks or fallen trees in the way, for which places
the fish always make, you must exert your utmost to prevent a lodg-
ment, bodily and by main force if your tackle will bear the strain if
not, by manoeuvring him past the spot. '

Frequently, when I fish for trout, I use a single hair in place of gut,
and even with it I do not much dread a snag; as, if you cannot turn
the fish away, you can prevent his fouling the line by being quick and
lifting your rod well up. White or Sea Trout are very greedy brutes,
striking the fly most generally when it touches the water ; conse-
quently, whipping is the best for them. But, as in general you would
use a double-handed rod, this becomes too laborious, and consequently
you fish for them as if for salmon. But still, what you "do for conve-
nience sake is not always the best, which "whipping" decidedly is.

I am afraid to say how many I have caught of these fish at the
Ballynahinch river in an hour with a small trout-rod, "whipping''
agaiiftt the double-handed rods and invariably beat them. Never in
my life did I ever see so many fish as these and probably never shall
again. Every throw, the moment the flies touched the water, one,
two and three sometimes rose at once to each fly. So troublesome, at
last did they become, from often having three hooked at once, that I only
left on one fly. That is the river, of all others, for White Trout.

We now come to the consideration of Salmon-fishing, after which
all other is poor. Be your rod what it may, you cannot hope for any

gi I

i!:i

" '

11 f:

P I

482

AMERICAN FISHES.

Man.

sport with a less one than eighteen feet, and that is full short. Of
course you use both your hands. But the position of the upper one
is still the same as when you use a single hand for trout ; the turn of
the hand and wrist (only you have to straighten your elbow more and
raise your arm) is still the same— the same oval sweep to save your
flies from cracking ; the same rest, only longer, when the line is behind

you.

Every thing is the same, even the stay to save the splash, except
that the back of the left hand, if you are right-handed (but this you
oucrht not to be, left-handed fishing the right bank of the stream,
right-handed when fishing the left) down, the left hand up. The right
hand should be eighteen inches above the reel;
Line. Shore, tho left hand within a few inches of the butt.

After delivering your line, you may rest the butt
against your hip or your groin. Mind, if you do
this, to have the butt well rounded, or else you
will soon establish a very fine raise ; you can rest
your right arm now by taking hold with the left. You must fish
more down the stream than for Trout, making an acute angle between
a line from the opposite shore to you and the direction of your rod.

Beware of "bellying" your line, as mentioned before; keep the lino
at a stretch all the time, giving it a slight "undulating motion" up
and down, and gradually yet slowly draw it toward the side you are
on. Don't fish a longer line than you can manage. That is the
way you are to act when all is clear behind you; but may I be so
bold as to inquire how you mean to manage under that high over-
hanging crag with all those nice trees growing down to the water-side,
'tis a beautiful hole "en veriU;' and must be fished. "I really don't
know," say you; "my line will be fast in the trees if I throw behind
me." ' That I also know, and, moreover, that you cannot bring itbe-
hind you up stream, if you mean in any ways to cast across it. T3ut
come, I will put you up to the spicy dodge I mentioned a while ago,
and although your rod is not the thing, we can manage middling in-

diflferently with it. . , t.

Mind, it is the most difficult style of throwing, but is also, when
learnt, unquestionably the best. It will astonish you with the length
of line even your rod will take; mine would throw fully one-third
further.

FLY-FISllINO.

483

Now, observe, I will allow the lino to run down tlio current till it is
at its full length. Now you will presently see mo raise my arms
(keeping the rod 'point upward) as high as I can, to release as much
line as possible from the water, and so to enable it to come back with-
out exertion. As soon as this is done, the point of the rod is thrown
back sideways up stream, at an acute angle to tho body, about the
level of the bent left arm, pretty much as you would bring back a
scythe, only that the elbows are more crooked, and consequently have
not the same swing.

When so brought back, the back of the right hand is down, that of
the left up ; this motion drops the fly in the water just by your feet
After a second's rest to let your fly come safe to you and touch the
water, and commence to float down stream, tho wrists are sharply
turned, accompanied by a circular motion of the arm, the left hand
grasping tho butt is brought in under the right arm, almost into the
pit ; 80 that the right arm lies on the butt of the rod at full stretch,
and pointing to the shore opposite you. In this movement the back
of the right hand is upward, of the left down.

I ought to have mentioned that the body is half-faced toward the
river, so as to give as full command of the opposite side as possible ;

; >■

1 r

484

AMERICAN FISHES.

and instead of the rod being thrown forward down the stream, it ia
pointed across as much as possible.

I mu'ch fear that this description will be difficult to understand. I
have, however, endeavored to make it as plain as possible, and ac-
companied it with three such beautiful drawings of the three different
steps, that unless the engraver touches them up considerably they will
be almost as difficult to understand.

In fishing a strange water, always endeavor to get the color of flics
preferred there, and select accordingly; but in this country, where
you may happen on scores of rivers where there are no fishermen, and
perhaps no authentic account of what flies are good, your best plan is
to mount a gnat fly as dropper and a gaudy fly as stretcher ; as, for
instance, the first six salmon flies, which are neither the one nor the
other, may be used as droppers; 9, 10, and 12 as stretchers. If none
of these suit, try a plain turkey's wing, with an iron-blue body and
black legs, or No. 16 ; in fact, almost any fly I have named. I will
undertake that more than two-thirds will rise fish in any river in the

world.

A combination of English jay is one of the most eff'ectivc flies m
the world, as it can be put into as gay a fly as you please, and also
into as plain a one as you like. The same observations hold good for
Salmon as for Trout, regarding appearance of the weather and water.
Do not fancy too large flics; for certain am I the Salmon don't except
when the river is in flood. I do not know the numbers of Conroy's
hooks after No. 1, but two sizes larger than that >frhat Bartlett calls
his 3s. are large enough. Kelly puts on his B.B.B., large size Salmon
hooks, about equal to Bartlett's 4s. Remember that in spring fish-
ing this rule won't hold good, for you then have to fish with a thing
almost as big as a mouse, if the waters are any ways high. I have
given one or two patterns of these gaudy spring flies amongst the
Salmon flies, and amongst the Pike-flies may be found three with blue
bodies, which are used in the Ness, in spring, for Salmon.

Salmon do not often lie in the middle of a very strong rapid, either
at the tail or in the very head of it; they are very fond of an eddy,
though it may be in the very midst of a boiling torrent. But I have
as often had sport at the tail, especially when it ran into a deep pool,
in which case I generally had a rise on each side of the stream in the
back water.

FLY-FXSHINO.

485

In fishing a place of this sort, cast carefully over into the stream, at
first only fishing the side you arc on; then, after that, wade in as'far
as you can, cast as far over as possible into the dead water on the
other side of the stream, lifting your rod as high as you can, else the
current sweeps away your flies before the fish have time to hook at
them.

I must not dismiss this part of my subject without saying a few
words respecting the flies in use for Pike and Black Bass. For the
former, the luost successful fly I know of is made on a very largo
hook — Codfish or Lake Trout size. It has a mouse-colored fur body,
with long, black, shiny hackle from the cock's rump, with two large
eyes from the peacock's tail set on for wings. I have not the least
doubt, however, that a fly tied to represent a young duck or gosling
(if so bo it can be called a fly) would be just as effective, to say
nothing c>f one like a mouse or a small water-rat. You must, how-
ever, use gimp instead of gut for them, and a shorter and stiffer rod.
For Bass, the fifteen-feet two-handed trout-rod seems best adapted;
but I confess I have had no success in whipping for them, and there-
fore do not speak very confidently respecting the best flies.

My only chance for fishing for them has been where there has not
been a suflSciency of current, which is a great desideratum, unless you
have a strong breeze. White Bass, however, rise well at almost any
moderate-sized trout-fly (proper), and at times — that is to say, when
they are in full run — you may by this means take a large number.
They are an active' fish, and play well; so that, with a light rod, you
can have very fine sport.

Old General Gates, who served for many years in Canada, has often
said that the very best fly for them was composed of a strip of a sol-
dier's scarlet jacket wourfd on as body, long scarlet hackle for legs and
wings; indeed, a feather from the scarlet-dyed plumes in the soldiera'
shakos of those days was what he used.

I have seen a very beautiful fly from Conroy's ; the body of beautiful
rich crimson-scarlet velvet, with long fibre — or pile, I believe, the more
correct term is. The wings, of four feathers, two on each side, red fla-
mingo or scarlet ibis inside, and a very pale barred mallard feather
outside.

I have no do ibt but that the following flies would also answer well :
Golden pheasant crest, tail, broad gold tinsel ; scarlet or red hackle ;

II . »

it II

486

AMERICAN FISHES.

body thick, of pigs'-wool— blood orange a half, yellow a quarter, and
red a quarter, well mixed ; wings, blue peacock, three or four strands,
and two golden pheasants' neck feathers; horns, red and blue macaw.
No. 2. Crest, tail, gold tinsel; red cock hackle; orange floss silk
body; jay legs; wings as above; ditto horns. No. 3. Red golden
pheasant tail,°silver tinsel; red cock's hackle; yellow worsted body;
legs, red parrot or flamingo; wings, flamingo, backed by golden
pheasant tail. Very good sport may be had in the rapids of the St.
Lawrence with fly, in the months of June and July.

I omitted to mention in the proper place, that the only substitute
of the golden pheasant crest, at all approaching to the mark, is a
Billy-goat's beard dyed the proper color, and that is perfect. I have
seen it in a fly, and could not tell the difference.

And now wo have got through the poetry of the art. Hitherto,
things have gone happy as the marriage bell. I have cottoned to my
subject con amove. What follows is decidedly against the grain. I
unhesitatingly declare, and I confidently appeal to my brother angler,
whether he, a fly-fisherman, does not feel similarly. To me fly-fishing
is a labor of love; the other is labor— alone. But notwithstanding
such are my feelings, it by no means follows that every one else so
fancies it. Every one to his taste. It is not given to each individual to
be able to find the waters wherein to kill his Salmon or Trout; and it
cannot for a moment be supposed that, because the Salmon and Trout
are not, he is to be debarred from joining in the pleasures of the flood.
For this unfortunate class of people (I am at present one of the num-
ber and therefore, if I do slightly stigmatize the class, I trust, havmg
placed myself in the same boat, that I may be forgiven) we will draw
from the hidden storehouse of our mind sundry dark and dismal
visions of things past. When, as a little boy, we delighted, with a
hazle rod, float, and wriggling worm, to pull out many a perch, carp,
tench, and slippery eel, our greatest delight then was to chuck them
out, sans ceremonie, slap over our heads; and now, at three times the
age, our first fun in fishing is to catch minnow with a fine trout top
and a pair of No. IV hooks.

We will, however, proceed; and, to do this satisfactorily, we will
divide this part into two sections; one, trolling or fishing with arti-
ficial bait; the other, with natural bait, merely resting a moment or
two to define what we mean by the term trolling.

FLY-FISHINO,

487

Trolling, then, is of two kinds: ono consists in lotting a long jino
drug after a bout progressing at a slow yet steady rate, cither by oar
sail or paddle. About three miles an hour is most proper An-
other kind of trolling is practised, either from a boat at anchor or
from the shore. The rod used is ono about eight or ton feet long
very stiff, with very largo rings so as to check the line as little as pot'
Bible. To make a cast, the line is coiled 'down by your feet, say fif-
teen yards or more, while only about four feet is left outside the
rings. Tho rod is moved evenly two or three times backward an.l
forward, with ono liand either across the body if you want to make a
cast to your right, or to tho right of your body if to cast to your left
keeping your forefinger pressing your lino to the rod. Tho motion
must be even, equable, no jerking, else the cast will be a mull. When
you get sufficient impetus, withdraw your finger, as .the rod top points
in tho direction you wish your line to go. Very little force is reoui-
sitc, more depending on knack than any thing else ; now, allow the
bait to settle down in the water a little, and commence slowly drawing
in tho lino with your hand below the bottom rinc, letting it fall in
largisTi coils at your feet, and moving th« point of the rod either up or
down, according as you wish to direct your bait here or there.

Wo shall how mention the various implements in use for trolling,
either with a lino or dead bait, the natural or the artificial :

ill

III

IMPLEMENTS FOR TROLLING WITH KITHER LIVI^ OR DEAD BAIT.

No. I.— The Kill-Dkvil.

y})

9-^

No. a— But ir lIuoKS r k k Kill-Dbvil

488

AMERICAN FISHES.

No. 8.— Oi.Afl8 BAii.

No. 4— Flexible Mikmow.

No. 6.-STO0I*. WITH Cod-Fbii Hook.

No. «.— 8p»ino-Shap BKroRB Sbttwo.

No. 7,— SmiNO Snap Set

FLY-FISHING.

480

cyBtB

No. 8.— DouiiLR OonoK Hook.

No. 9 — Baitino NuEUhE

First, then, we will describe what is called a Kill-Devil, vide Fig. 1.
This is made of lead, shaped out something fish-ways. At the thick
end it has a loop of wire soldered into it ; at the fine end, another
wire passed over a triangular piece of horn to form the tail. This wire
is either soldered into the lead or firmly whipped to it ; a piece of
broad silver tinsel, with largish silver twist on each side of it is now
secured at the tail; a very thick crimson floss silk is warped on closely
over the lead ; the silver tinsel is then wrapped on with a silver twist
on each side of it, and close to it. The whole is tied closely at the
head, and your Devil is made.

Now it only remains to attach the hooks to it.

These are set on gut, as in No. 2. First, a and b, being separate
from the rest, three hooks back to back on 6, two hooks ditto on a.
At c there is a small loop which is inserted into the eye in the head
of the Devil d. a is shorter than b, and hangs below the Devil about
the shoulders, b hangs on the opposite side, about where it is repre-
sented, cis tied down just above the tail. / and ^ are beyond it.
The Kill-Devil is an excellent bait for Trout ; quite as good as a live
Minnow. Strike the moment you feel a touch.

No. 3 is an Artificial Flexible Minnow. It is composed of cotton
wool cased over with India-rubber, and painted to represent a min-
now. The hooks arc precisely similar to the " Kill-Devil," and set on
in the same way, except that the long gut, /, is passed clear through
the body at a, instead of being fastened at the tail. This is an admir-
able invention of late years, and a most undeniable killer. I have
successfully used one against three men using the Live Minnow in the
same boat, and come within three or four of the whole of them in a

i Hi

; i

ill in

Mii !

490

AMKUICAN VIbHES.

day's fishing. Black Bass, Pike, Rock Bass, Terch and White Bass

'' No'r'" an Aiuficial Glass Minnow-a plate of fluted glass some
three inches long by three-eighths ^ide, is set into a back of German
silver, the tail of German silver, hooks used as in the others, only larger
and set on gimp instead of gut, tied down at the tad. t is extremely
showy in the water, and well calculated for pike, which run at it

'"S'is a Spoon, with a large Cod-fish hook'soldered on to it at the
point, a hole being drilled through the shoulder end of it to which
usually a few links of chain are fastened. It is used with tolerable
success for Black Bass, and also for Lake Trout.

No. 6 and 1 represent a Spring Snap-hook, set and unset I do
not value them at all ; they are liable to get out of orcler -tch in he
weeds, and tear your bait, which is hooked through the lips with the
small hook, «, and tied with a thread at 6. • , i j .

No 8 is the Common Double Gorge-Hook on brass wire leaded at
a. Tins is baited by inserting the hook end of No. 9 called a baitmg
needle into the loop-hole at 6, passing it into the mouth of the fish and
out of the vent, drawing the hooks close up to the mouth. This bait
Tgenerally used for night or lay-lines; it will catch any fish almost,
but is more particularly used for Pike or Eels

I have not thought it necessary to mention the common sort of Arti-
ficial Minnow, because no one who can get the Flexible would ever use
r It is made of lead, and painted to represent the fish; is very
chimsy and not worth having. We have now disposed of the artificial
ba^Ts and come to natural ones. Of these we shall enumerate only
fi" Salmon Roe, Minnow, Worm, Maggots, Craw-fish and Frogs.
Pieces of fish we look on only as a substitute for the Minnow.

Salmon Roe, one of the most killing baits for Trout, Eels, Salmon
and I may say, all kinds of fish, is thus prepared, according to
Blaine- *' A pound of spawn taken from a Salmon some ten days or
foTefore spawning, at which time it is in the best state is im-
mersed in water as hot as the hands can bear, and is then picked free
^om membraneous films, &c. It is now to ^y^^^^:f^ l^^ ^^
and hung up to drain for twenty-four hours, after which put to it two
ounces of rick or bag salt, and a quarter of an ounce of -Hpetre and
again hang it up for twenty-four hours more. Now gently dry it be-

PLY-FISHING.

fore the fire or in the sun, and ^hen it becomes stiff pot it down " It
18 better to use several small nots than ««« i . "

in the air it is liable to dalC M "t ^uT' ""° '^ ''"'"«
.. ^ ^^ludge. Jiach pot should have some melted

mutton suet run over the roe, and be elo«Iy tied over with bwt;
If put .nto adry place ,t will keep good for a eouple of year." When
you use this bait mould it up in your linsers TI,. « lit,i . „
cient to fill up the hollo, o/the h^o., an^Sdet i:^;:^
or three sound grazns of it on the point of the hooks. This fai 's
most deadly when used m a flooded river, either as the water rises a
Its height or as it clears off. **

Rn?7'r''^ '" ''" T""'" ^^««P*^*i«"' there are three sorts-the
Roach, the Dace or Shiner, and the Stone Loach. The first live
the longest; the Shiner shows most while it lives, and the Stone
Loach IS as hardy, perhaps as the first, but is not so plump-looking a
bait \oung Bass, Pike, Perch, &c., arc sometimes used, but are lot
nearly so good as any of the three above mentioned

These are generally secured by putting the hook in the under lip
and out of the nostril. If this be nicely done, they will live a long
time. This is supposing you use only a single hook which, however,
I consider the best. '

irii

Natural Bait Tackle.

If you use the Artificial Minnow tackle, you kill your bait immedi-
ately. One small hook for natural bait is made to travel up and down
by two small loops of gut whipped on at a and b. This is hooked into
the fish's hps, and one of the three hooks at c is stuck through the
back by the dorsal fin.

Need I say how to put on a worm ? I fear I must. To do it artis-
tically, you must begin at the head and work it on to your hook, if
not too large, without showing the steel at any point; if it be, let a
part hang down at the bottom of the hook, and a little of the tail may
hang over as a tit-bit. The little red worm, called Brandling, is the
best— found among old cow-dung manure. Worms are better kept
awhile in moss moistened with a little cream.

m w \

492

AMERICAN FISHES.

Maggots (or as they arc more gcnteely termed, gentles,) arc, as
every one knows, the house-fly in its first stage after leaving the egg.
They are plentiful enough all summer. A piece of meat need only be
left exposed and there will be plenty of them. They are a capital bait
for Trout, used when the water is low, and best in a blazmg hot day,
poked on to a very small Trout-fly. Just run the hook through at the
thick end of a couple of them, crossways. Before using your gentles,
put them in oatmeal ; it hardens and cleans them. A copper-cap box
with fine holes drilled in the lid is a good receptacle for them. Lato
in the fall, you must protect your breeding-box from frost, or else they
all go into the chrysalis state. Always use the largest.

Crawfish also is a good bait for almost all kinds of fish ; hook them
throucrh the body and use them the same as a worm.

Fro°g8 are good for Pike, Eels, Trout and Perch. Do not use the
bull-frog, but the grass-green fellows. Use a moderate sinker, else you
may find master froggy looking at you from the opposite shore, as I

>d in the " Spirit^' happened to some bright Waltonian.

Flg.1.

■^^>

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3.

For bottom fishing you require sinkers of various sizes, according to
the strength of the current. These you can easily make for yourself,
by boring a hole through a bullet with a brad-awl, and hammering the
ball on some flat piece of iron till you get it to the shape required.
You must then pass a loop of some strong line through it double,
splicing it sailor-fashion, and drawing the spliced part out of sight mto
the hole. With these you require a swivel ; but you may buy sinkers
with a brass swivel ring at each end, which are by far the best.

"' "Tnnm

rnswm*

FLT-FISHINO.

408

Fig. 2 represents a trimmer already set TJ,;= •
for Pike : a round pieee of wood whL 1 T"^ ^" '"" ^**«'

painted red or some showy eolo; abutl '" :'''1- "^'^^ '' ^^^^'
stiek stnclc in the eentre to\:\^X: ^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^''::
wood there is a groove cut, represented at « ^whieh tht V
Tround when set all but a yard or two Tk; r • T ^'""^ "

.t the .op of .tick 6; the'Ju lie U be'o": U 't'V ',"?
.Uek above water. When a fish takc/2 Li, 1 . • '"' "'' ""'

ook aharp y ft,r year trmmer ia and about the weed, to whTlpT
for wh, h they are especially intended, always make to bolt their p ey
Iney are very eflfective. '^ J'

I have not said a word as yet about floats ; they are but seldom
used nowadays ; but some people like them who ar'e o lazy to f ^
the. hues al the time. They are usually made of cork, rou'nded a
the top, and tapenng to the bottom with a quill-top fitted into .t I
run through them over the quill; a smallVeceT ' ^^ Tfi^,^^^^^^
hold the hne, whde to the bottom of the wood a wle loop is tied
nished '" ""'• '''^ ^^^^^ ^^ *^- painted'and v^r

A swivel is a piece of twisted iron wire, or rather two pieces con
nected toge«.er by a fine round small piece of iron fitted inrth' two
holes. Its heads are then hammered out to prevent its slipping out
o^^the hoHbut allow ng it to work round and round fre^. U
Fig 3)^ A good substitute when hard set, is a common wat h-key
filed oflr close below the large circle. ^

Now, r believe I have done; all but a few words in extenuation of
having presumed to write so far. Whether there is any thing new n
the foregoing remarks I cannot say. Whether the subject has been
handled well or ill it becomes not me to say, unless I may so far pre
sume as to regret its great deficiencies. Man and boy, for twenty-five
years have I been fishing, during which time I have had to contend
against many adverse circumstances, and have been obliged to put my
wits to work no small number of times, either to form some device
or other or to repair some casualty. Under these disadvantages, I
have had to learn how each and everything connected with the art
was made, and oft had to put that knowledge to a practical test
The labor, time, trouble and annoyance that these delays occasioned

AMERICAN FISHKB.

«»e, induce mo to endeavor to make young anglers ^^au/aitr to every

article they are likely to require. , , i.

U ml be urged i^mi n,e, .nd probably will bo, that I hav. «m.
Seed the bait-fiLr to th. fly-m«.. I ho„e.tly eo„fe» my am and
have only to urge in .xtonnation, that I hate the former and adore
thTlatterVbnt ftill, I have, I trust, not altogether forgotten th. ba.t.

Tregret to .ay that I have had far more experience in America with
,11 kinda of bait than with aie»; euch, however, « my misfortune, but
tetiwonld rather «.h for .hiner, than not Bah at all. I .wn a vejy
'^ong predilection for the art, and I humbly lay th.. my tribute at the
fcet of my brother anglers, hoping for their pra»e, yet feanng much

"k mrieen the mean, of conveying any information or instrue-

«on on m of *• ?'»««'='' °P™«°"' »f «""^ 1 ^'' *7. "" J
hoped t. do. And. from the bottom of my heart, my beloved broth-
e^'^^f th. angle, I trust you may each and dl catch the biggest Ssh ,n
;^ur resp«=tife waters; that you may enjoy much happiness the com-
L «id for m».y .o«K.ns; that you may live at pe«=e with dl the
Jm, but more espeeiaUy with your obedient, humble sern^^

KLY-FISHINO.

40^

NOTE BY THE EDITOR.

As nearly all the general teachings and maxims on fishing were
ongmally denved from British authors, based upon Irish or Canadian
expenenee, American fishemen have been compelled, (by the necessity
of adaptation to heir large variety of lake or river fishing,) to make
numerous alterations and improvements in the getting up of tackle,
etc. Some slight mdicatiou of these varieties will, it L presumed, b
acceptable to our young sportsmen, while showing to our best bcal
fishermen that American ingenuity is as expansive as our territory
J^irst, then, we speak of ^*

RODS.

The General Rod, as it is aptly called, is of course the style most
generally m use. These have five joints, mounted with either brass or
German silver.

The Trunk Trout, also has five joints, usually brass mounted; va-
rieties are more expensively mounted and have hollow butts

The Bass, somewhat similar, but not so varied, unless made to
order.

The Extra Fine Fly, four joints, German silver mounted, with extra
tip, IS a great favorite among sportsmen.

The Single Ferrule, four joints, brass mounted, with guide rings, and
prepared for reels. *

The Bamboo, four joints, brass mounted, fitted with pattat guides'
some have only guide rings. *

^ The Cane, with either three or four joints. These have lancewood
tips or not, guide rings or not, and are mounted for reels or not.

The Walking-stick, three or four joints, with or without "screw
ferrules, brass heads, ash butts, or lancewood tips. Some prefer the
walking-stick style, when made entirely of metal and there are circum-
stances which might justify the extra expense. The party using the
rod is the best judge.

I m

I . I

406

AMERICAN FISHES.

Tho Plain Four Joint, always good for general utility, needs no de-
Bcription ; but the purchaser should make his selection from at least
three varieties in quality, and a respectable dealer will always have on
hand spare bamboo or reed poles, ferrules, guides, tips, etc.

LINES.

The Best Linen, in coils of eighty-four feet each, five sizes ; and
seven thicker sizes, varying from ten to one hundred feet each.

The Best Linen Reel, two sizes, from one hundred to three hundred

feet each. . , «

The Best Linen Hawser-Laid, six sizes, in coils of eighty-four feet

each; but Bank Fish or Sea Lines should be selected by the party

going to use them, or else send a sample.

The Best Linen Blackfish, three sizes, not less th&n one hundred

feet each.

The Swelled-Hair, two sizes, usually ordered for twenty, thirty or

forty yards.

The Salmon-Hair, two sizes, length to order.

The American Grass, in boxes containing one gross each.

The Chinese Grass, in catty boxes, the contents various in size and

number.

The Best Hawser-L-'d Cotton, (for cod-fishing,) thirteen sizes, m

coils of eighty-four feet each.

The Common Cotton, eighteen sizes, in thirty feet lengths.

The Best Plaited Silk, (sixtecn-plait,) may be had from twenty to
two hundred and fifty yards, according to order, and the Twisted Silk
follows the same rule. The Patent Taper Fly usually ranges from
twenty to forty yards ; the ordinary Taper Hair, from twenty to fifty
yards ; and the Relaid Grass, from fifty to two hundred yards.

The nature of the service required should be explained to tho
dealers, who will furnish any of these lines with floats and hooks on
gut; or, if you wish to use ground bait, as if to catch Blackfish, of
course hooks and sinkers must be attached.

REELS.

Bailey's Patent, and Deacon's Improved Patent, are both admi-
rable, whether in brass or German silver. By pressing in or drawing

»LY-FI8HIN0.

497

out the collar of the crank shaft, the wheels can h. i. i a • .

out of gear in a moment. ^' ^°'^'^ ^''^e'' >» or

John Warrin's American Balance Handle, in hrass or P.^ ■,
with o. wHW .eel pi... .„<,.,.. se.L^rLtr. ^^I-

.se are adapted for line. tron. ten to one h„„d ' It^r " """ '°

The Cliek and the Plain varieties alao pallo'f .t
provenaent snggeatod h, American varielro?:^;"!:':^""' '^

HOOKS.

^^11.0 Superfine Salmon, fourteen sizes for single gut, and eight fo,

The Royal Improved, eight sizes for single gut, and eight for double.
18 usually preferred for trout. ^ aouDie,

The Limerick Trout, or O'Shaughnessey, nine sizes for gimp, seven
for smgle gut, and eight for double. ^

doubK "'"' '''™™' ^""'' "™ '"^ '" ™«"° sot, and eight for
The Kirby-bent Gravitation, sixteen sizes.
The Round-bent Gravitation, sixteen sizes.
The Kirby-snecked Fish, various sizes.
The Virginia has twelve varieties, and the Chestertown ten.
The Sockdologer, or Yankee Doodle, four varieties.
The Cod, the usual well-known, eight numbers.
The Halibut, usually double, various sizes.
The Limerick Pike, double or treble, various.

.n?J tT"r ^^^S ^'""^ '''''^' '^^' ^«**^°^ t^« "°gl« trimmer,
and eight for the double. "^^cr,

The Shark, various sizes, with or without chains.

The Spring Snap, (described by "Dinks,") is now made in four
varieties.

All the above are made with either flatted, ringed, or filed ends, as
tne purchaser may wish.

MISOBLIANECS.

/7oa<»._Bound cork, egg or barrel shape, various sizes. Unbound
torJr, do. Hollow wood, do. Porcupine and fancy quUl, do.

ii^ii

408

AMERICAN FISHKS.

Artijiciah.—Fish, glass, leather, tinsel, ot gutta-pcrcbft. Frogs and
mice, various sizes. Insects, great variety. Worms and Gentles,
Dobsons, all sizes. Flies, for trout, bass, or salmon. Shrimps, silver-
laco Minnows, and other bait.

Swivels. — Brass or steel, seventeen sizes.

Sinkers. —Bank, swivel, ringed, or hollow, various sizes and patterns.

Spinning ^at<.— Duel's patent, with improved flies and bobs. Th«
Patent Spoon, suitable for either artiflcial fly or minnow.

Kill-Devils.— An immense variety.

Squids.— Bom, lead, pearl, or tin, round or flat.

Books.— ¥\y or Tackle, with flat reel-lines and hooks, suitable for
general fishing.

yif.ii.r

IN DEX

INDEX.

Abdominal MALAOorTKRvau, 23.

meuniiiff of the term, 23.

liat of the fresh-water fisli of that
diviaion, 33, 35.

natural history of the, 34 to 184.

the fishing of, 235 to 396.
Aoanthopterygii, 23.

ni'taning of the term, 22.

list of fresh-water fishes of that di-
vision, 25.

natural history of tho, 185 to 224

the fishing of, 310 to 331.
Adirondach Laiie nnd Hi|;hlands, 356.
^glefinis Morrhua. 31, 323.
iEneus Centrarchus, 25, 198, 305.
Agassiz, Professor, preface, et passim.
Aloaa Pramtabilis, 23, 180.
Amethystus Salmo, 23, 104.
American game fish, 17

Bream, 174.

Haddock, 123.

Shad, 180.

Salmonidea, 34 to 148.

Sandre, 192.

Sand-smelt, 298

Smelt, 136.

Cyprinido, 194 to 177.

KsocidsB, 149 to 163.

Ciupida, 178 to 181.

Siluridaa, 182 to 184

Anguillidffi, 180.

Yellow Pearoh, 187.

Whiting, 224.
Ammodytes Launcea, 32.
Anguillidse, 182 to 184.
Angler's apparatus, the— appendix A—

325.
Apodal Malacopterygii, 22, 185.
Apparatus, the fly-fisher's, 330.
Appendix A., 325.

B., 330.

C, 332.
Argyrops Pagms, 30, 217.
Attihawmeg, 141.
Atheriua Mcnidia, 32.

or Lake Sheep's-Head,

Auratus, Carpio Cyprinus, 24.

Bait, passim, under the heads of Tariooi

kinds of fishing.
Bars on the young Trout, 28, 97.
Bar- Fish of the St. Lawrence, 190.
Bass Black, 195.

Rock, 198.

Striped, 189.

Otsego, 145.

Osweoro,
203

Sea, 305.

Little White, 190.

Ruddy, 190.

Striped Bass fishing, 297.

Black Bass fishing, 301.

Rock Bass fishing, 305.

Sea Bass fishing, 315.
Battures, Truite des, 108.
Bay fishing, 310.
Black-Fish, Tautog, 230, 316.
Blue-Fish, Skipjack, 318, 320.
Bottom-fishing, 2j.
Bream, American, 174.
British Coregoni, 24.
Brook Trout, 33, 86, 253.

young of the, 86.

of the Marshpee, 87.

colors of the, 88, 91.

the Silver, 93.

the Common, 93.

the Massachusetts, 93.

the Black, 93.

the Sea, 93.

the Hucho, 93.

size of the, 94.

of Waquoit Bay, 96.
■ of Fireplace, 96.

habits of the, 97.

of Hamilton County, 10],

where they are taken, 253.

the fishing of, 353.

the rod for, 254.

fly-fishing for, 255, 269.

}. . i

602

INDEX.

Brook Trout, anecdotes of fishing, 257.

Long Island fishing, 260.

inland fishing, 267.

bush-fishing, or daping for, 272.
BrosmiuB Vulgaris, 32.

Carolina Trout— misnomer— 23.
Carp. 24, 164.

Common, 24, 164.
Golden, 24, 166.
Carp fishing, 294.
Capelin, 139.
Cat-Fish, 24, 182.
Centrarohus JEnvns, 25, 198, 305.
Centr^oristes Nigricans, 29, 205, 315.
Chondropterygii, 22.
Chowder, 20.
Chub, 24.

the sea, 29, 207.
Charr, the Arctic, 23, 126.
Chromis Pogonias, 29, 213.

Fasciatus, 213.
Clam bake, 20.

bait under various heads of fishing.
Clupea Virescens, 24, IdO.
ClupeidsB, 24, 280.
Cod-Fi8h,31,222,322
Confinis, Salmo, 23, lib.
Coregonus Albus, 23, 141.

Otsego, 23, 145.
Corvina Oscula, 202.
Richardsonii, 203.
the Branded, 211.
the Silvery, 212.
Argyroleuca, 211.
Ccellata, 212.
Oyprinidee, 164.
CyprinuB Carpio, 164, 294.
AuraluB, 166.
Leuciscus Rutilus, 170.
Stilbe Chrysoleucas, 172.
Abramis Versicolor, 174.
Hydrargyra, 176.
Conroy, tackle-maker, preface, and pas

sim.
Cookery of fishes— appendix C— 332.
Conroy's rods, 241.

Dbntatob Pleuronectes, 32 313.
Drum-Fibh, 09, 213, 320.

Eel, 22, 135, 308.
Erythrogaster, Salmo, 27.
EsocidiB, 24, 149, 281,
Esox, 24.

Estor, 24, 151,281.

Lucioides, 24, 154, 281.

Esox Reticulatus, 24, 157, 281
Fasciatus, 24, 161.
Niger, 163.
Fhaleratus, 163.
Vitlatus, 163.
O-seus, 24, 163.

Fario Salmo, 23.
Fasciatus, Esox, 24, 161.

Pogonias, 213.
Fish and Fishing, passim,
game, of America, P
Black. 220.
Blue. 218.
Cat, 182.
King, 209.
Pond, 200.
Weak, 208.
Fishes, fresh-water, 34 to 203.
shoal-water, 204 to 222.
deep-sea, 222 to 225.
Fishing, bottom, 21.
deep-sea, 322.

grouud bait, passim, under fishes
fresh-water, 225, et seq.
lake, 274, 301, 308.
river, 225.
lb al- water, 310.
Z^rp, 294.
Eel, 308.
Blue- Fish, 320.
King-Fish, 313.
Bass, Striped, 297.
Bass, Sea, 315.
Taulog, 316.
Drum, 320.
Sheep's-Head, 319.
Salmon, 225.
Lake Trout, 274
Trout, 253.
Pickerel, 281.
Pearch, 290.
Pike Pearch, 288.
Bass, Black, 301.
Bass, Rock, 304.
Salmon Trout, 281.
worm for Salmon, 250.
worm for Carp, 294.
Fish, how to cook— appendix C— 332.
Fly-fisher's apparatus, the— appendix B

—330.
Fly for Salmon, 243, and seq.
for Trout, 246, 254.
Black Bass, 303.
Striped Bass, 297.
Shad, 180.
for Herrings, 178.

INDEX.

Fly for all small Rshes, 276.

Salmon Trout. 277.
Fontinaiis, Sulmo, 23, 86.

Game fishes of North America, 17.

Garpike, 24, 163.

Gold- Fish, 24, 166.

Gill-covers of fislies, 46.

Graylinff, Buck's, 131.

Great Northern Pickerel, 149.

Greatest Lake Trout, 104.

Grilse, under Sfilmon. 54, and passim.

Gristes Nipfrican ,, 25, 195.

Growler, 197.

tireve, Truite de, 104.

Gadidffi, 222.

Gristes Sulmoides, 197.

Haddock, the American, 223.

fishiner, 322.
Halibut, 32, 322.
Hrtke. 32.
Hamilton county Dussim from 225 to

277.
Herring, 178.
HippogJossus Vulgaris, 32.
Hybridization of fishes, 69.
Hooks — appendix A— 325.

under the head of every kind of fish
ing.

IfLANb, Long, Trout fishing on, 257.
Trout peculiar to, 93.
Pickerel of, 24, 161.

LABRIDiC, 30.

Labrax Lineatus, 25, 189, 297.
Lafayette- Fish, 207.
Lake Trout, species of, 26.

the Greatest, or Namaycush, 23,
104.

the Siskawitz, 23, 112.

the Common, 23, 116.

the Sebago, 23, 20.
Lamprey, 22.
Leiostomus Obliquus, 29.
Lucioides, Esox, 24, 154,
Lucioperca, 25, 192.

Americana, 192.

Canadensis, 194.

Griaea. 194.

MAiAMAOosH, 23, 126, 274.
Malacopterygii, 22, 25, 39, to 184.

Abdominal. 34 to 184.

Apodal, 22 to 1R5.

Snbbrachial, 222 to 224.

808

Minnows, 176.

Mackinaw Salmon, 34, 86, 274

Mascalonge, 151

fishing, 281.
Malasheganay, 203.
Menidia, Atherina, 32.
Merlangus Americanus, 32. 224
Merlueius Vulgaris, 32.
Morrhua Vulgaris, 31, 222

^glefinis, 31, 223.

Namaycush, Indian name of Mackina*
Salmon, 23, 104.

fishing, 274.
Nebulosa, Umbrina, 29, 313
Nigricans, Gristes, 25, 195, 301

Centropristes, 29, 205, 315.

Obliquos Leiostomns, 29, 207
Otohthus Regalis, 25, 208, 312.

Carolinensis, 25, 26, 39, 208.
Oscula Corvina, 202.
Osseus Esox, 34.
Otsego Bass, 23, 145.

Iiavaret, 84,
Oswego Bass, 25, 202.

different from the Black, 196
C^merus Viridescens, 23, 136.
Ovis, Sargus, 30, '. 15, 319.

Paqrus Argyrops, 217.

Percidffi, 25, 187.

Parr, passim, from 34 to 120.

Fearch, the American Yellow, 25, 187

«oU.

the White, 25.

the Common, 25.

the rough Yellow, 180.

the rough-headed Yellow, 180

the sharp-nosed Yellow, 180.

the slend°r Yellow, 180.

the Silvery, 211.

fishing, 280.
Perca Americana, 25, 187.

Pallida, 25.

Fluviatilis, 25.

Cerrato Grannlata, 180

Granulata, 180.

Acuta, 180.

Gracilis, 180.
Pickerel, 24.

the Great Northern, 34, 154, 28)

the Common, 24, 157, 281.

the Long Island, 24, 161, 281.

the White, of the Ohio and Wa-
bash, 149.

th» Black of Pennsylvania, 149.

504

INDEX.

Fickerel, the Garpike, 24.

fishing, 281.

the rod for, i/82, 325.

the bait for, 283.

the hooi58 for, 285, 286.

the tackle for, 284.
Pike FeBrch,25.

the American, 192.

the Canudian, 194.

the Gray, 194.
Pleuronected Dentatus, 32.
Pimelodes Huron, 182.
Pogonias Chromis 24, 213.

Fusciatua, 213.
Pond-fish, 200
Pomotis, 23.
Porgee, the b'.g, 30, 217.

the Sand, 217.

the Rhomboidal, 217.

Roe-bait, Salmon, 251.

Shad, 299.
Rods — appendix A — 325.

under the heads of each kind of fish-
ing,
for Salmon-Trout, Pickerel, &c.,
239 to 325.
Reels, under each kind of fishing, as
above, 239 to 325.

Salhonidjc, 23, 34 to 145.
Salmo, 23.

Salar, 23, 34.

Fontiualis, 23, 54.

Amelhystus, or Namaycu8h,23,86.

Siskawitz, 23, 104.

Confiuis, 23, 112.

Hoodii, or Masamacush, 23, 126.

Trutta Marina, 23, 120.

Erythrogaster, 27.

Sebago, 26.

Thymallus Signifer, 23, 131

Qsmerus Viridescens, 23, 136.

Mallolus Villotus, 139.

Coregonus Albus, Attihawmeg, 23,
145.

Coregonus Otsego, 23, 145
Balmon, the True, 23, 54.

the Mackinaw, 23, 86.

the Great Lake Trout, 23, 104.

Lake Trout, 23, 112.

the distinctions of, 45, et seq.

the migrations of, C3, et seq.

the size of, 79.

the growth of, 60, et seq.

the hybridization of, 73.

the haunts of, 74, 225.

Salmon, the habits of, 34 to 86.

the generation of, 43, 54, 58, etsa^

how to propagate, 69, 71.

the fishing of, 225, 252.

the rod,

the flies, 250.

the roe-bait, &c., 251

Pinks, 34, 63.

Smolt, 61.

Peal, 62.

Parr, 51.

Grilse, 63.

Saltator, Temnodon, 30, 218. 320.
Sargus Ovis, 30, 215, 319.
Rhomboides, 217.
Arenosus, 217.
Scienidffi, 205 to 217.
SoombridflB, 218, 219.
Sea Bass, 29, 205, 315.
Striped Bass, 179, 297.
Sea Chub, 29. 209.

Pearch, 211.
Sebago Salmon, 26.
Skip-jack, 30, 218,
Silvery Pearch, 211.

Corvina, 211.
Smelt, 23, 136.
Snap-hooks, 285, 286, 325.
Shad, 180.

taken with the fly, 181.
roe bait for Bass, 299.
Sheep's-head, the Sea, 215, 319.
the Lake, 202.
the Lnke Black, 203.
SparidcB, 217.

Subbrachial Malacopterygii, 31, 222 t«
225.

Tackle — appendix A — 325.

under the heads of every kind tf
fish.
Tautog, 30, 220, 316.
Tautoga Americana, 30, 220, 316
Trolling, see Pickerel fishing, 281

Blue-Fish fishing, 320.

appendix A., 325.

rods, as above.
Trout, Brook, 23, 86.

Greatest Lake, 23, 104.

Siskawitz Lake, 23, 112.

Common Lake, 23, 126.

Sebago Lake, 26.

Southern, £5, 26, 39, 208.

Salmon or Sea, 12j.

dpscription of the Brook, 86.

young fry of the brook, 92, 97

INDEX.

606

Tront, Bizu of the firook, 100.

fiahingr of the Brook, 253.

Loug Island fishiug, 257.

Salmon iuhiug in New Bruniwick
277.

Lake Trout flshing, 274.
Troutlet. the, 86.

Trutta, Sal mo Marina, 23, 120, 277.
Turbot, 215

Uhbrina Nebuloea, 29, 209, 313.

ViRIDEBCENS, OsHieruB, 23, 136.
Vulgaris, Brosmius, 39.

MerluciuB, 32.

Morrhua, 32.

Vulgaris, HippoglossuB, 32.
PomotiB, 200.

Watee, freflh, fisheB, 34 to 203.

fishing, 239 to 308.

salt, fishes, 205 to 225.

fishing, 310 to 322.

shoal, fishes, 205 to 220.

fishing, 310 to 320
Weak-Fish, 208, 312.
White-Fish, 141.
Whiting, 224, 322.
Worm-bait for Salmon, 250.

.for other fishes under the head oi
each.

3 a

1111

iii:

in ■
Hi ,

!.{»

INDEX TO SUPPLEMENT.

Abdominal Malacoptertqii, 361, 865,
867, 369, 871, 877, 879, 383, 886, 888,
389, 891, 392, 894, 397, 898, 400.

Acanthopterygii, 403, 405.

American Sandre, 403.

Artificial Flies, 420 to 435

Attehawmeg, 397.

Bass, 410.

Bear Lake Salmon, 400.
Bee-Flv, the, 430.
Black Drum, 436.

Fish, 436, 437, 438.

Fly, the, 424.

Great Fly, the, 430.

Palmer Hackle, 427.
do. ribbed with gold, 427.

Silver Palmer Hackle, 427.
Blue Dun Fly, the, 431.
Boston, 366.

Bay Whiting, 405.
British Provinces, the, 425.
Brook Trout, 365, et passim.
Bultow, the, 425.

Capelin, the, N. W., 394, 395, 396.

Carman's Creek, L. I., 366.

Carrier Indians, the, 381, 382.

Casting-Lines, 411.

Cavalle, 405.

Caughlan Fly, the, 432.

Cayuga Lake, 361, 397.

Charleston, S. C, 405.

Clarke's Salmon, 892.

Cob-Fly, the. 482.

Cock-tail Fly, the, 430, 877, 883, 388, 889.

Columbia River, 391, 392, 394.

Common Trout, 365, etpasdin

Connecticut, 863, 432.

Corregonus, Albus, 397.

Artidi, 398.

Harengus, 400.
Cotton, on the Stone-Fly, 432.
County Gal way, 410.
Cow-dung Fly, the, 429.
Cowles, Mr., 'the guide, 374, 423.
Crooked Lake, 871.
Cross-fishing, 428.

Danikl, on Fishing, 432.
DeKay, Dr., 865, 367, 371, 372, 378, 375,
408

Dease's River, 383.

Detroit, 369.

Drop-flies, 415.

Drum Fish, 437.

Double Gut for Salmon, 411.

Eastern States, 363.
Ekewan, 389.
England, 429.

Fauna Boreali Americana, 879.

of New York, 397, 372, 373, 40S.
Finishing-knot, the, 417.
Finnegnn, Mr. T., of New York, 420.
Fraser Lake, 381.
Eraser River, 379, 380.
Fly-Fishing, 366, 426, et passim.
Frontispiece, descriptions of the twentv-

four flies in, 426 to 433.
Fort Vancouver, 384.

Gairdneu's Salmon, 386.

Gairdner, Dr., 384, 387, 389, 392, 390.

Game Laws, 361.

Garden River, 365.

Geneva, N. Y., 371.

Gold-ribbed Black Palmer Hackle, 427.

Gold-spinner Fly, the, 431.

Governor Flv, the, 432.

Gray Drake llv, the, 428.

Greatest Lake 'Trout, 367.

Green Drake, or May Fly, the, 428.

Greenland, 396.

F.vRE's-ear Fly, f he, 430.

Hamilton County, N. Y., 871, 373, 37r)

418, '[■!■{■.
Harmon, 1>. W., 379.
Hair lines, ^20.
Harmon's Travels, 382.
Herring Salmon, 398, 399, 400.
Holmes, John C, 375.
Horse Cavalle, 405.
Hucho, 366.
Hudson River, 363.

Ibis, the, 426.
Indian prize, 365.
Ireland, 429, 432.
Irish Lakes, the, 423.

Kaatpootl River, 392.

*♦!

508

INDEX TO 8UPPLEMKNT.

KaiT, Mr. O., of New York, 41 S.

Kawalitch River, 3»3.

Kennebec River, 36S.

Kettle Falls, 883.

King, Mr., of Charleston, S. C, 405.

Kingdom Fly, 431.

King Fish, 486, 437, 488.

Lake Champlain, 8G9.

Erie, 307, 898.

George, 869.

Huron, 367, 397, 400.

Louis, 371, 874.

Ontario, 897.

Pleasant, 878.

Piseco, 374, 424.

Rackett, 874,424.

Simcoe, 097.

Superior, 897.

Country, the, 869.

Trout, 866, 871, 876.

Pleasant House, 875.

Trout flies, 434.

Huron Herring Salmon, 400.
Law for the preservation of Salmon, 862.
Le Sueur's Herring Salmon, 398
Le Sueur, Mens., 899.
Limerick hooks, 412, 347.
Loch Corrib, 410.
Long Island, 3G6, 482.

Lake, 424.
Lucioperca Americana, 408.
Lewis and Clarke, 888, 892, 894.

Mauritctibz, 486.

Mackinaw Salmon, 367.

Maimed Salmon, 882, 833.

Maine, State of, 863.

Mackerel, 405, 438.

March Brown Fly, the, 432.

Mandeville, Mr., of Geneva, N. Y., 403.

Mascalonge, 897.

Malacopterygii, Subbrachial, 404.

Minnows, 425.

Mykiss of Kamtschatka, 392.

Morrell, Mr., of Luke Pleasant, 422.

Namaycush, 865, 867, 069, 870, 372.
New I'aledonia, 882.

iinpland, 366.

Fuuadland, 425.

Hampshire, 866.

Jersey, 864.

York, 861, 363.

Niagara River, 398.
Northern Black Fish, 405.
North-west Capelin, 394.

Company, 879.
Nova Scotia, 864, 877.

O^NAGAN River, 383.
Ouchterard, 410.
Oulachan, 394.

I'alhbr Hackles, six varieties, 427.

Passaic River, 364, 378.

Penctanguishene, 400.

PercidaB^ 403, 405.

Perlev, Mr., of St. John, N. B., 877, 378.

Pike Verch, 403, 404.

Pompano of Florida, 405.

Porgee, 436, 487, 488.

Pulaski, Oswego Co., N. Y., 362.

QUANNICH, 883.

Queachts, 886.
Quinnat, 383, 886.

Rackett Lake, 874.
Red Char, the, 388.
Red Ant Fly, the, 481.
Rennie, Professor, 483.
Rocky Mountains, the, 879.
Round Lake, 374.

St. John, N. B., 877.
St. Mary's River, 865.
Sandre, American, 403.
Sault St. Marie, 365, 869, 397.
Sea Bass, 436, 237, 438.
Sea Fishing, a table of Depths, Baits, and
Way of striking for, 436.

Tackle, and average weight of, for,
437.

Spring, Summer, or Autumn Baits,
to suit weather or tide, for, 43S.
Sea Perch, 438.

Trout, 377.
Seneca Lake, 861, 871, 873, 397, 398, 899,

404.
Severn River, Lake Huron, 3'j7.
Sheep Fish, 487.
Sheep's Head Fish, 437, 438.
Shiners, 404, 425.

Silver-ribbed Black Palmer Huckle, 427.
Sinkers, 437.
Siskawitz, 865, 369, 372.
Skilloot Village, 383.
Slip Knot, the, 415, 417.
Smciv, 878, 385, 386.
ScrWh, Dr., 366.
.- nake River, 383.
Snoods, 437.

Southern Black Fish, 40').
Southern Sea Fishes, 4i»5.
Hpeonk, 426.

Spirit of the Times, N. Y , 375, 418.
irflillris, New Caledonia, b81.
8ton. fly, the, 432.
Strait of Juan de Fuca, 879.
'"u'iix.d Bass, 436, 437, 4;!S.
biuiirt's Lake, 879, 380, 881.

River, 381.
Stump Pond, 426.
Sturgeon, 894.

Supervisors of Oswego Co., N. Y., C6l.
Supplement, second part of the First, 866
4'j7.

INDEX TO SUPPLEMENT.

509

TAnTOO, 405, 486, 437, 438.

Todd, Dr., 897, 400.

Trolling for Lake Trout, 418 to 425-

Bait or Flies for, 421.

Bait-kettle for, 421.

Leader or Train for, 420.

Line for, 420.

Oarsman or Guide for, 421.

Reel for, 419.

Bod for, 418.

Ways of Striking, Playing, or GaflSng
in. 422.
Trout Fishfng, proper, 418.

Rod and I'ackle for, 413.

UseoftheRodin, 416.
Trout Flies (See also plate opposite page

253 in the body of the worlc), 435.
True Sea Salmon, 872.
Tsuppitch, 891.

U. S. Fort at Sault St. Marie, 886.

Waiamet River, 883.
Wales, 432.

Water-Knot, the, 415, 417.
Weak-Fish, the, 486, 437, 438.
Weak-mouthed Salmon, 388.
Welch, Mr. B., of New York, 418.
Whirling Dun Fly, the, 480.
White Fish, 880, 397.

Great Fly, the, 431.

Moth Fly, the, 431.

Trout, 377.
Willow Fly, 433.
Wilson, Professor, 433.

Ybllow Palmer Hackle, 427.
Pike Perch, the, 408.

i i

{

Il^DEX TO FLY-FISniNG.

ALDKR-Fly, 465.
American Floats, etc., 497>

Hooks, 497.

Lines, 406.

Reels, 406.

Rods, 495.

Tackle, 495.
Articles for Flies, 442.
AssortinK Feathers, 471.
August-Dun, 466.

Bait, Natural, 490.
Baiting Needle, 489.
Ballynahinch River-Fishing, 481.
Bartlett's Hooks, 446.
Bellying, 482.
Billy-Gout's Beard, 486.
Black Bass, 485.

Gnat-Fly, 465.
Blackwater Rod, 459.
Blue-Bottle, 4G7.
Book, form of, for Feathers,
Bottom-Fishing, 492.

Carlislb Hooks, 446.
Carrying Flies, 401.
Cinnamon Fly, 467.
Codfish Hook, 485.
Conroy's Hooks, 484.
Cow-dung Fly, 464.
Crawford Bait, 492.

Dahk Prone-Flv, 464.

Mackerel-Fly, 466.
Diagram of l^ortable Vice, 447.
Directions for Fly-making, 450.
Dressing Flies, 447.
Duu-Flv, Pale Evening, 466.

July, 460.
Dyeing Feathers Dark Red, 468.

Olive Dun, 468.

Mallard Feathers, 468.

Red Hackles Brown, 468.

Various shades, 469.

White Feathers, 468.

English Jav, 484.

Example ot Fly -making, 452.

No. II., 452.

No. III., 458.

for Salmon-Fly Book, 462.

for Trout-Fly Book, 463.

Feathers, Varieties of, 446.
Fern-Fly, 465.
Finnegan, 454.
Fish-Basket, 461.
Fishing-Case, Plan of, 443.

in Strange Waters, 484.
Flexible Minnow Hook, 488, 489.
Floats, 403, 497.
Fly-Dressing, 447, 450.

Fishing, 441.
Fly-Plate, Explanation of, 448.
Fly-Tying, 442.
Frogs for Bait, 492.

GLAss-Bait, 488. ,

Golden-Pheasant Crest, 485.
Gorge-Hook, Double, 489.
Grannom or Green-Tail Fly, 465.
Gray-Druke Fly, 406.
Gravel-Bed Fly, 464.
Green-Drake Fly, 465.
Gut, 446.
Gut Casting-Line, 454.

Hair-Points, 455.
Hooking in a Fly, 462,
Hooks, 446, 497.

Implements <br Trolling, 487.

Kendall Hook, 446.
Kill-Devil Hook, 487, 489.
Killing Trout, 461.

Salmon, 461.
Kirby-Bend Carlisle Hooks, 446.

Landing-Net Hoop, 460.

Trout, 481.
Length of Line, 483.

Rod, 482.
Lines, 455, 495.
Limerick Hooks, 446.

Maggots, for Bait, 492.
March Brown Fly, 464.
Marlow-Buzzy Fly, 466.
Minnow Hoofe, for Trolling. 483.
Natural Bait Tackle, 491.
Trolling, 490.

Note by the Editor, 495,

n
li

1 <i

612

Oak Flt, 465.
Orange Fly, 4fi6.
O'Shuughnessev Hooki, 446.

Palmirs, 458, 4(57
Peacock-Fly, 464.
Pike, 48.5.

Plan of Fishinff-Case, 448.
Position of Body, 4S3.
Rod, 4S2.

Raccoon Fly, 464.
Receipt fur Linos, 455.
Receipts, 468.
Red Ply, 463.

Spinner, 464.
Reels, 406.

Click wheel, 456.

Plain, 456.
Reel with Patent Handle, 456.

Materials for, 457,
Rods, 457, 495.
Rods, length of, 459.

Position of 482, 483

Varieties of, 457.

Wood for, 458.
Ronald's Files, 469.
Round Bend Carlisle Hooks, 446

Sailor Fly, 465.
Salmon-Bag, 461.

Book, 462,

Flies, 471.

Fishing, 481.

Haunts of, 484

Lines, 455.

Rods, 457, 482

Roe, for Bait, 490

INDIX TO rtT-FISHINa.

Sand-Fly, 464.
Sea-Trout, 481.

Flies, 470.
Selecuon of Flics, 480.
Set of Hooks for a Kili-Devil. 487
Suckers, 492.
Spare Rods, 4AH.
Spoon, with Codfish Hook, 488.
Spring Fishing, 484.

Snap, before Setting, 488.
Set, 488.
Staining Gut, 469.
Stone-Sly, 484.
Swivels, 493.

Throwino Flies, 479, 480.

Lines, 458, 479.
Tinsel, 447.
Trolling, 486.
Trout-fi uing, 479, 480.

Flies, 468.
Trout-Rod, 457.
Turkey, Brown, 465.
Tying-Silks, 447.

Vice, Diagram of, 447.

Wrathkr, State of, 480.
Whipping, 480.
Whippy Rods, 460.
White Trout, 481.
White Bass, 485.
Wicker Pannier, 461.
Willow-Fly, 477.
Wren-Tail, 466.

Tillow-Ddn Flj, iti.

}

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Full text of "Frank Forester's fish and fishing of the United States and British provinces of North America [microform] : illustrated from nature"

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