Jackie /T\aking \ N Jo[\x\ iiarnT|gtor] r^mp UNIVERSITY Of CAUFORNiA THE BOY'S OWN GUIDEy FISHING FOR THE SUN- FISH 73 fine tackle, where only one will respond to the " pole and cord " style of equipment. In sun-fish angling I always use a float, or bob ; and a very good one for this purpose can be made of a turkey quill feather, as I directed you when speaking of sucker fishing. Split shot should be closed on the leader, to sink the float so that three-quarters of an inch rises above the surface of the water; and so adjusted as to lift the bait about six inches from the bottom of the water. You are then in a fair way to catch fish. By the way, there is a rough-and-ready way to split your shot I don't think I told you of. Get out your jackknife, make a slight circular inden- tation in a piece of hard wood, — the top of a post will do, — lay the shot in this, and simply cut the lead halfway through. All sizes of shot, from buck-shot to No. 5's, should be split and kept ready in a pill-box ; and the preparation of these is a good job for a rainy afternoon. Having selected the spot you intend to fish, be quiet ; for though these fish are not easily scared, you want to be light, and not boisterous, in your movements. Bait the hook with a small wriggling 74 SUMMER ANGLING worm or grasshopper, or either of the other bait I mentioned, and gently swing it out. Presently you will see by the tremulous motion of the bob that a sun-fish is biting — then down it goes be- neath the surface. A sharp strike fixes the hook firmly ; and now you have quite a fight on hand before the plucky little fellow gives up. Size for size, he is little inferior to the trout in this respect, though I am aware " comparisons are odorous," as Mrs. Malaprop would say. A very good variation of the tackle is thus made. Place the split shot or sinkers (sufficient, of course, to " cock " the float or bob) at the end of the leader. Now tie one of the snelled hooks at a distance of six inches above the sinker, at right angles, and above this, at a distance of another six inches, tie on another hook. You can thus use two kinds of bait, and frequently catch two fish at a time. Should you get two half-pounders hooked, you have got a con- test indeed that will occupy all your wits and re- sources for a few minutes. Especially as I urgently insist you must not lift the fish from the water until they have had their struggle out. Of course if you, on the other hand, insist on doing so, you must use very strong tackle, or be broken unex- FISHING FOR THE SUN-FISH 75 pectedly at some odd time when a larger and stronger fish is visiting you. The sun-fish has a bad habit of stripping the worm from the hook. I know of no cure for this ; but if you watch carefully, and learn their methods of biting, you will soon be able to time your strike so that this does not happen once in ten bites. These little fish are very good pan fish in early summer, but become " wormy " as the water gets warmer. The black spots with which they are then sometimes covered is caused by the cyst or cell of a minute " worm " or larvae parasite. Do you not remember that : — " Big fleas have little fleas Upon their backs to bite 'em, And little fleas have lesser fleas. And so on ad infinitiwi / " Under the heading of sun-fish there are many members of the family, all to be taken as I have described, or to be gotten with the artificial fly. I do not go into detail anent the fly at this time, as that branch of fishing will be dealt with ex- haustively when I come to hold forth on trout fly- fishing ; and any one who can catch trout with 'j6 SUMMER ANGLING the fly can of a surety catch "pumpkin-seeds" by the same method. The other members of the sun-fish family, be- sides the well-known Lepomis gibbosiiSy are the long-eared sun-fish {L. megalotis), known through- out the Mississippi Valley and south-westward to the Rio Grande, and in the north-west, and plen- tiful in Indiana and Illinois ; the yellow belly, or bream (Z. auritns), found plentifully east of the AUeghanies from Maine to Florida, and also in Virginia and the Carolinas ; the blue gill {L. pal- lidus), the most widely diffused of all ; the green sun-fish (Z. cyanellus), found in all waters between the Rocky Mountains and the AUeghanies, and several more not necessary to be specially enu- merated. They are all to be caught with the angle-worm, and are all "boys' fishes." One step above the sun-fishes, towards the game fish properly so called, we find the rock bass (or red eye). This fish is fond of quiet, rocky pools, and is a fiercely ' preying and pluckily fighting member of the great bass family. He takes almost everything, from a piece of raw meat to a black beetle, and is best caught with rather larger hooks and stronger tackle than his brother FISHING FOR THE SUN-FISH 7/ the sun-fish. The same remark applies to the " crappie," so beloved of the youth of the Missis- sippi Valley. Small fish are a good bait for these, and also for the rock bass ; and I have caught the latter in great plenty in the upper Hudson on "dobsons," — the larvae of the coiydalus cornutns, or helgramite fly. To fish for the yellow perch is yet one step higher in angling promotion, and very nearly ap- proaches the art of catching the black basses. In all waters inhabited by them, the yellow perch is a beautiful fish, and differs but slightly from its European brother of the same name. Given cool water and plenty of food, it grows to a fair size, and is then a brave fighter ; and if taken before it spawns, is succulent and even delicious as a table fish. One day last August (1893), Mr. Edward Newbury and myself took a hundred and twenty yellow perch out of Summit Lake, Wash- ington County, New York, weighing just eighty- six pounds, and we only fished eight hours. These were all caught out of thirty feet of water, and some of them went one pound in weight. Of course in fishing for them it was necessary to take off the bob and use a light sinker, striking 78 SUMMER ANGLING sharply because of the great depth. Our bait was worms. Perch also take a fly, the making of which will be explained in the chapter on fly-fishing for trout. The white perch {Morone Americana) is another fish chiefly found in the estuaries of rivers in the brackish waters, and are justly much esteemed. They may be caught with the same tackle and in the same way as the sun-fishes and perch, and are to be highly recommended for their toothsome- ness and the sport they give. They are generally most plentiful in early summer, and are said to feed on the ova of shad, as these fish are ascend- ing the rivers. FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT 79 CHAPTER V FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT No one will question my opinion that fly-fishing for trout is the very highest form of angling. It may be defined as fishing with an artificial or hand-made imitation of the natural flies and flying insects (and in some cases of jumping and crawl- ing creatures, as in the case of crickets, grasshop- pers, and grubs). In its practice only the neatest and finest of tackle is ordinarily used, the chief reason for this being the absence of all handling of living baits, and the necessity for skilful methods in order to give the lure a semblance of what other baits do or have possessed, but which this has not ; namely, life and movement. In order that the fly may be cast lightly, as if it fell accidentally on the water, it is necessary in this form of fishing to use a rod possessing pli- ancy, strength, and lightness — that is necessary if you would be ranked as a true fly-fisherman. Of course you can fish with a bean-pole, as for suck- 8o SUMMER ANGLING ers, if you choose, — this is a free country, — but there is no sense of fitness in doing so. You wouldn't write a letter home with a broom-handle ; and so I will assume that you desire to have tackle befitting the aristocratic fish you are pur- suing, and that you are desirous of knowing how to use it. In such a case, without further preface, we will consider the rod. Fly-rods for trout are of two orders, the single and double handled, — meaning for use by one or two hands. The former are chiefly in use, and only differ in that the latter are longer and heav- ier, and have handles so made that both hands can grasp the rod. The single-handed trout-rod is ordinarily made of cane glued together in sections, and whipped at short intervals, and of solid woods, such as lance- wood, bethabara, greenheart, etc. The cane rods are the best ; but they must be made of the very best material, and fitted with infinite skill and care, or they are worthless, as they break easily, or come apart when you least expect it ; and as the best materials and workmanship are costly, my boy readers must, I presume, be content with the other kind. A solid lancewood or greenheart FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT 8 1 makes up into a capital rod, and is far less costly ; and to give you an idea how both rods will last with care, I may say that I possess one of each wood which I have used eleven years, and they are of my own making. A fair lancewood fly-rod can be got for from five to ten dollars from the tackle stores ; but suppose my boy reader goes to work and makes one ! I will take one of my own made rods as a pattern, and we will make it together. It is understood to be a difficult matter to ex- plain a mechanical process on paper ; but if the following instructions are followed, I do not see why there should be any failure. Of course the beginner, especially if unused to carpenter's tools, will find some trouble await him ; but " if you don't at first succeed, try, try, and try again," is all I can say to you to lighten your task. Now, no matter what you want to build, never omit a plan of it to work from. Therefore let us make a plan of the fly-rod we are about to con- struct. The one before us is just ten feet two inches over all in length. Now take a sheet of tin, and draw a diagram with an awl and rule or 82 • SUMMER ANGLING Straight-edge, like Fig. 34 ; that is, with all the lines and figures shown and of exactly same size. The handle is to be ten inches long, so you deduct that from the full length of the rod, leaving one hundred and twelve inches. Now mark off the figure into eight sections, and let the widest be one-half inch, and the tip one-sixteenth inch. The rod is taper, just as shown ; that is to say, at every i i 1 - 1 1 I 1 >- i 1 .i ■■"1 1 ocrr: 1 ' ' T— j ■ 1 - J .. ,of 2 i^ Fig. 34. — Plan cut out of Tin or Brass Plate for Lancewood Rod. part the rod is to be just as thick through as the diagram represents. For example, if the end of your rod is to be half an inch in diameter, at just half-way between it and the tip, or fifty-six inches, it will be one-quarter inch ; and the thickness the rod should be at any point can be determined by measurement at once. But that is not all the advantage to be gained. Having marked the FL Y-FISHING FOR TROUT ' %l sheet of tin or thin brass (the latter is best), just as shown, get your hardware merchant, or do it yourself, to cut out and file true the tapering space between the two outer lines, leaving it exactly as shown at Fig. 34, with the space cut out. Now you have the plan of your rod and a gauge to guide you in tapering it as you plane and work the wood into shape. For example, say you are working on the tip joint of your rod, and you want to know how thick' it should be seven inches from the extreme tip. You just place it in the slit, and if it fits closely half-way between o and 14°, it is right ; for the diagram is divided into eight sec- tions of fourteen inches, and seven inches are half of each section. (Before reading farther, go over the above again, until you fully understand the whole thing. It is perfectly simple, if you once grasp it, and is indis- pensable for you to know about.) The tools required are neither costly nor hard to procure. A good plane, a good wood file ; a piece of old saw steel, some, broken glass and sandpaper, and a jackknife and gimlet are really all you want with which to make your first fly-rod. I made mine with just those tools, and no more. 84 SUMMER ANGLING As you become proficient, you can extend your possessions, and get several iron planes and more files, etc.i The rod is to be in three pieces, so the larger or longer joint should be of 3 ft. 8 in. (for 3 ft. 6 in.) in length, and three-fourths inch square ; the two other joints will be 3 ft. 6 in. (for 3 ft. 4 in.) each in length, and may be of half-inch and quarter- inch stuff square. Pick out some well-seasoned and straight-grained wood, and you can then go to work as follows : — Into your work-bench drive a short hard-wood bolt, and bore holes to correspond in the ends of each of your rod pieces. This is to enable you to plane them from you ; and you will find this the best way always. Now commence to plane the pieces taper, keeping them square until they just fit the gauge at the proper places on it ; for ex- ample, the but-end of the large piece must be just small enough to go in the end of the plane, or measure one-half inch, and its other end must go in at the third 14-inch section; then the but of the next just fits the third 14-inch section and the 1 You can procure your wood from A. B. Shepley & Sons, 503 Com- merce Street, Philadelphia ; either lancewood or greenheart. FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT 85 sixth 14-inch section, and the tip or top joint at its largest part fits this sixth 14-inch section, and the tip fits the end, or is one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter. Having got it to fit in the square, you must now take two pieces of square -edged hard wood of four- foot length each, and take a strip off one square edge of each, and then nail them together, as shown in the diagram (Fig. 35). Now lay your Fig. 35. —Section of Wood Strips to aid in Planing, Strip in this groove, and plane the four edges down so that each joint forms an octagon, or eight-sided stick of wood, and be particular that it is according to the gauge. Next comes the file. Now, the file must be what is known as a mill-file, and you must always use it at right angles to your work ; that is, crosswise. With this rub off the eight corners of the octagon, and you will see you 86 SUMMER ANGLING are quickly progressing towards a round form for the rod joint. At this point, the utility of the piece of old saw comes in. Get a round file, and file it to the shapes shown (Fig. 36), leaving three sides plain for ordinary scraping ; and you will find this tool, when good and sharp, is a great help. If, however, you cannot get or make this simple tool, you must depend upon your pieces of broken glass and file and sandpaper ; and, by dint of fre- quent measuring and much persevering rubbing, Fig. 36. Piecs of Old Saw filed for Scraper. you will finally get it round, and of the right diameter for each joint. The handle of the rod must be larger, of course, than the end of the largest joint, so that it fits the hand comfortably. It may be made of sumach, or some soft wood, as you please ; and if you cannot get it turned round for you by some carpenter of your acquaintance, you must get it bored about three inches down whilst square, and work it down FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT '87 to about three-fourths inch diameter in the round, as you did the rod. At the end of it, it must be narrowed to receive the reel-fitting (Fig. 37), and the place for the hand must be swelled, as Fig. 37. — Reel Seat. shown (Fig. 38). You can drive the large end of your rod into it at once, cementing it with Le- Page's liquid glue. Fig. 38. — Handle of Rod with Reel Seat in Place. The ferrules (Fig. 39) next demand your atten- tion. Obtain from Shipley's a set to fit the joints of your rod, and fix them on in this way. Having Fig. 39. — Ferrule — "Male " and "Female." got the wood so that it will go easily into the fer- rules, wind it with some sewing-silk in wide coils, and saturate with the glue. Now place the fer- rule on the end, and push it home. Do not put a pin into the ferrule to keep it on the rod ; that 8S SUMMER ANGLING would weaken the latter. If the ferrules work too tight, a little rotten stone and oil rubbed over them will render them freer. The guides are now the next consideration. Now, the guides of a fly-rod are usually of the kind shown at Fig. 40, and are whipped in place, usually during the process of winding the rod. This process consists in winding coils of silk vary- ing from one-quarter inch to one thirty-second Fig. 40. — Guide Rings in Place on Rod. 0000 00 Fig. 40. — Guide Rings Apart. inch in breadth, at intervals up the rod, to strengthen it and increase its resiliency. These whippings are made with spool-silk, to be obtained from any of the dry-goods stores ; and it should be waxed with the wax given in the chapter on sucker fishing. There is a proper way to wind a rod, and it is as follows : Having waxed the silk, take the joint in the left hand, with the FLY-FISHING FOR TKOUT 89 end towards you under the left hand ; lay the silk on the rod (Fig. 41), and turn the latter till the end is caught under the first coil of silk, guiding the latter with the right finger and thumb ; keep Fig. 41. — Method of commencing to wind a Rod. turning with the left hand from you, steadying the other end of the joint against something, — a post will do, — and so continue till you have a quarter of an inch (if it be the large end of the Fig. 42. —Method of finishing off winding with "Invisible" Knot. rod) wound. Now make the invisible knot (Fig. 42), and draw it tight by tightening the coils, and, pulling the end through, cut off close, and it is 90 SUMMER ANGLING done. The guides need putting on in a like man- ner ; and with a little practice this may be done as neatly as in the rods made by professionals. The number of whippings may be varied to suit your fancy ; but the more the better for the dura- bility of your rod. There should be at least two guides on the lowest or largest joint, three on the next, and four on the tip. Practically the rod is now ready for varnishing, and only the best coachmaker's varnish should be used. It is best to give it two or three coats with a camel's-hair brush, and to put it on thin (thin- ning with turpentine), taking care that each one dries before another is put on. Of course the smoother and more finished every process is, the nicer will be the appearance of the rod ; and you had better get the loan of a good shop-made rod, which will remind you of each feature as you make it. In rod-making (as in every other art) practice makes perfect, and if you do not satisfy yourself at first, keep trying ; that is my earnest advice. The reel for fly-fishing cannot be made at home ; you must save up and buy one. The Star reels are the best and cheapest, and such a one as FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT 9 1 shown in Fig 43, called the " Gogebic," costs only a small amount, and will answer every purpose. All the tackle stores keep these reels, as they are standard. The very finest reel in the world for fly-fishing is the Automatic, shown in Fig. 44 (p. 92). This Fig. 43. — The "Gogebic" Reel. reel winds up the line when you have hooked a fish by means of a spring released by the touch of the little finger (Fig. 45, p. 92), so that with the other hand you may use the landing-net. I, personally, never use any other. The line for fly-fishing may be one of Martin's 92 SUMMER ANGLING Fig. 44. — " Automatic " Reel. Fig. 45. — Siiowing Method of operating Spring Catch. FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT 93 " Kingfisher " lines of medium thickness. If you prefer to buy it undressed, and to dress it yourself, do so. The following are some useful receipts : — 1. Boiled oil and best coach varnish, equal parts ; mix at blood heat (about 100°), and im- merse line twelve hours. . 2. Boiled oil, one pint >./>.eeswax, four ounces ; put the oil in an earthenware jar, and stand it in boiling water. (Keep the latter boiling.) Add the wax in small shavings. Immerse the line when the temperature has fallen to 100°, or thereabouts, and keep it immersed several hours, the longer the better. The mixture should be retained at about blood heat on the stove as long as the line is in it. 3. Boiled oil, one-half pint ; three-quarters ounce beeswax ; one and one-half ounce Bur- 'gundy pitch ; tablespoonful copal varnish. Raise the heat of this a little above that necessary for complete solution, and immerse the line, keeping the mixture warm on the stove for twelve hours. These are first-class dressings, and are decidedly the best I know of for the boy angler. Do not forget to wind your line on the winder (Fig. 10) you made for your linen sucker-line, and stretch it when soaked the proper time in some dry place 94 SUMMER ANGLING between loops of string rather than on nails. A barn makes a good place ; but, as it is apt to be dusty, an unused attic is better. Wipe off the superfluous dressing at the time of stretching with a part of an old kid glove. When it is perfectly hard and dry, a little^? French chalk will give it a splendid polish, if ap^ed between the folds of a piece of chamois leather. The next operation for the fly-fisher to learn is to make his own leaders. Now, to begin at the beginning, a leader is a line made of silkworm gut, generally three yards long ; and it is attached to the silk or reel line, and to it is attached the snell on which the fly is tied. As the silkworm gut comes in lengths, according to price, from eight inches to twenty inches in length, they must of course be joined together until the three yards is made up. Sometimes, as for bass fishing, six feet is deemed sufficient, but I prefer my leader to be within a foot of the length of the rod for trout fishing ; so nine feet let it be at this time. The gut is cheapest if a good fair price is given for it. You can trust yourself with Shipley to send you a hank of good quality — for it comes in hanks of a hundred fibres each — at a reasonable FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT 95 price. There are two waste ends that are wrapped in red cotton yarn, and these must be cut off. Then immerse the strands in lukewarm soft water, and let it stand till cold. If the gut be allowed to soak all night, so much the better. In the morn- ing proceed to make your leader, selecting only the round and even strands. You can easily see if they are round by twisting them, each end in a different direction, between finger and thumb. If flat, the gut will resemble a screw in appearance, because of the twisted flat edges. If round, no Fig. 46. — Loop for End of Snell or Leader. such appearance will show itself. It is well to pick out the round and clear strands, and place them in another receptacle. There are sure to be a few flat strands that can be laid aside to come in at some time when a short piece of indifferent gut will serve some odd.purpose. Assuming that you are ready to begin, — take the first strand and tie a loop (Fig. 46). This is the easiest of all the loops, though I am not quite sure that it is the best absolutely. However, I 96 SUMMER ANGLING have never known it to draw loose in a long ex- perience, and it is very easy to tie. Draw it tight, and cut off the ends close. The next knot to be tied is called the fisherman's knot, and is easily made (Fig. 47), and one of the best for medium thick gut ; but for the very finest the angler's knot (Fig. 48) is both easy and effective. Either Fig. 47. — " Fisherman's " Knot, for Leader tying. of these will do for the tyro, as they are quickly made, strong and easy. Other knots have been advocated even by myself, and I must refer you for these to my other books for advanced anglers. Fig. 48.— "Angler's " Knot for Fine Gut. Having tied up sufficient lengths to amount to nine feet, finish with another large loop. Both of the loops should be at least, one inch in length. You can now stretch the leader between two brass or clean iron nails on a board or on the side of the barn ; and when dry, being straight, it will coil neater for packing in your tackle-book. Some FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT 9/ good anglers like their gut for snells and leaders stained a mist color (a bluish dun), and this you can do before stretching with the following stain : — In a teacupful of hot water — nearly boiling — drop a piece of copperas (sulphate iron), and set that aside. Now take a piece of extract of log- wood about the size of a bean, and dissolve it in another teacupful of hot water ; add to this a good pinch of carbonate of soda (saleratus), placing the gut into a bowl sufficient to hold the two cups of solution, and pouring the dissolved logwood over it. Let it soak for fifteen minutes, till the gut has attained a faint but decided crimson color. Then add the copperas solution all at once (not pouring slowly), and keep the gut moving for fifteen min- utes longer. Then take out and wash with cold water. The result is a neutral dark tint, which renders the gut invisible on dull days, but is not, I think, the best for bright, clear, sunny days. The gut is best dyed after tying, as the stain seems to render it less easy and smooth to tie ; but the point is trivial and need not be insisted on. The length of the snell is commonly four and a half inches in American fly-making ; but English- men tie their flies on the whole strand, which is 98 SUMMER ANGLING sometimes, as I have said, over a foot long. The arbitrary length is on account of the fly-hook being just so long ; and though not to be rec- ommended, because the fish are liable to see the double loop of the snell and leader when it is not over four and a half inches away, the tyro can follow it for the present on account of its being convenient for the fly-hooks in general use. Sometimes the snell is " re-enforced " by doub- ling the gut at the hook end. This is done by tying a large loop, and, after stretching, cutting through it (Fig. 49). Another good way is to have three strands for re-enforcement (Fig. 50) ; and whereas I have found two inefficient at times, I have never found three to fail with the biggest fish. The re-enforcement is also a preventive of the accident known as " cracking " off the fly, due to a clumsy cast, as will be shown farther on. We now arrive at the daintiest art of all arts whatsoever, — fly-making. I must beg your close attention, and will at the outset promise you to give the easiest and plainest of tasks for you to do. First, let us make the easiest of all artificial flies together, a *' Pennell Hackle." Take a snell of gut, and a feather (hackle) from the neck of a FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT 99 lOO SUMMER ANGLING FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT lOI rooster; also a hook and a waxed piece of spool silk. Place the snell underneath fj the shank of the hook, and whip || it with the silk and the end of the hackle (Fig. 51), taking care the hackle is placed with the under side ///. Then take the quill end of the hackle, and wind it round at right angles to the shank (Fig. 52), and finally tie it in place, and run the silk down to opposite the barb of the hook, leaving the end of the hackle protruding to form the tail of the fly. When finished, it appears as shown in Fig. 53. This fly may be made without other tools than the fingers ; but for all other kinds, some other tools are advisable. These are as follows : — A vice made somewhat after the diagram (Fig. 54). A pair of pliers made of steel ^. ^„ „ ,. „ ,, *■ ^ Fig. 53. — Making a Hackle wire (Fig. 55). ny — 3d stage. 102 SUMMER ANGLING FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT IO3 A little hook made from a crochet hook, to draw the thread through in tying knots ; and on the other end you can roll your wax, as the stick enables you to rub it on the silk with less risk of getting it on your fingers. The wax needed is as formulated in the chapter on sucker fishing. The varnish is of white (or bleached) shellac. The feathers you need will depend upon the kind of fly made, of course, and consist of hun- dreds of varieties, though you can make killing flies with few. Never disdain the wings of any bird, or the hackles of any rooster. They are always useful. The silks used for the bodies of flies are the best " wash " embroideries. The tinsel is the flat kind, to be purchased at the theatrical costume- makers ; but if you find a difliculty in this mate- rial, send to Shipley's, or substitute yellow or white silk for the gold or silver tinsel. In most cases this can be done without hurting the use- fulness of the fly. For the beginner I advise the following modest list of feathers : — Hackles, from brown, black, Plymouth Rock, and white roosters. I04 SUMMER ANGLING FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT 105 Wings from the crow, white goose, brown hen, and mallard duck, with feathers from the breast of the latter, turkey tail feathers, peacock tail or sword feathers. The silks to be used can be procured as they are wanted from any dry-goods store. Let us now make a hackle fly, say a brown hackle, which is a killing fly everywhere for trout, and will probably take more fish in a year than any other one fly known to anglers in five years. Set your vice in place on the edge of a good firm table. Take a No. 6 Sproat hook (see Fig. 33), and tie a snell to it, commencing an eighth part of the shank away from the end (for there is where your head of the fly will be, and you don't want it to be too large). Now take two of three fibres of the peacock's tail feathers (called herl), and tie in the ends as shown (Fig. 56) ; wind them round the shank till within one-eighth of an inch of the end ; and now wind your tying silk around the herl, that is, wound in a loose coil to where you want the herl to be secured (one-eighth of an inch from the end). Now tie the herl with a half-hitch (Fig. 57), and cut off the loose part. Now take a hackle, and, by stroking it from io6 SUMMER ANGLING FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT lO/ end to end, draw out the fibres. Run the nail of the middle finger of the right hand down next the mid-rib, holding the point of the hackle between the finger and thumb of the right hand, and the root of it between the forefinger and thumb of the left hand. The nail of the middle finger can be forced in this way against the roots of the fibres, and they will be " turned!' as it is termed (Fig. 57), and so arranged away from the mid-rib that they will not be tangled up when tied on the hook. This little operation should be mastered, as it is of great value to the fly-maker. Now cut off the extreme tip of the hackle, and tie it in (Fig. 57) ; then wind it as you did with the Pennell hackle, and tie it firmly with the ty- ing silk, with two half -hitches ; cut off the loose ends of the silk and hackle, touch with the varnish, and your Brown Hackle is finished. Now, in the making of a winged fly, let us take the " Coachman," which is a Brown Hackle with a white wing added. The easiest way is to so dress the Brown Hackle as to leave space enough when the hackle is tied to lay on a pair of wings taken from two feathers (Fig. 59) — from opposite wing feathers of the white goose or pigeon. The slips io8 SUMMER ANGLING of feather are held between the forefinger and thumb of the left hand, and pressed down to the shank of the hook ; then the thread is passed up and over the ends of the slips, and down round the shank, and there se- cured (Figs. 59 and 60). These are called laid on wings ; and small white whole feathers will do equally as well as slips, and may be tied with less difficulty. Indeed, in the large-sized bass fly a pair of feathers is always used. The " reversed " wings, which are applied to all the best trout flies in this country, are, how- ever, put on the hook first. That is, when the hook is at- tached to the snell, two slips are placed in the position shown (Fig. 61), and there se- cured. Then the body and legs, or hackle, are Method of tying Reversed *^ Wing Flies. tied as in the case of Fig. 61. FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT IO9 the Brown Hackle fly ; and after the hackle is secured, the wings are turned back and secured with two half-hitches, and the fly is finished. The learner has only to practise making these two flies till he can find no fault with them, to un- derstand the whole principle of fly-making. And he can catch fish with one or the other of these all days in the trout season. Of course, as he gets other patterns to imitate, he will want to search the works on angling for the names of the materi- als used, and it will be necessary for him to some- times undo a fly (from the head) to find out how it is made ; but with perseverance he will soon learn the process, and will only thus be doing what many others have done before. Mr. Francis Francis, the great English angling author and editor of the Field, admitted that he had never had a les- son on fly-making in his life, yet he was certainly an excellent fly-maker, to my certain knowledge. As I have mentioned a few materials that the tyro had better provide himself with, I will give the flies they are useful for : — Brown Hackle, — peacock herl body, brown hackle for legs. Black Hackle, — black embroidery silk body, black hackle for legs. no SUMMER ANGLING Plymouth Rock Hackle, — green silk body, ribbed with gold tinsel or yellow silk, and the hackle 'for legs. White Hackle, — white silk body, ribbed silver tinsel, hackle at head for legs. Black June is made thus : Body^ peacock herl ; legs, black hackle ; luings, crow. Coachman has been described. Cowdun, — body, yellowish green wool yarn ; legs, brown hackle ; wings, from the brown hen. Red Spinner, — body, blood-red silk ; legs, brown hackle ; wings, from the leaden part of the wing feathers of the mallard duck. Professor, — body, yellow silk ribbed with gold tinsel, and a tuft of red ibis feathers (you can get ibis sufficient for this from me) as tail ; legs, brown hackle ; wings, two breast feathers of the mallard. Montreal, — body, wine-colored silk, ribbed gold tinsel ; legs, a wine-colored hackle (stained or dyed, from the white rooster hackles) ; wings, turkey tail feather. These flies will be sufficient for the young fly- maker to begin on ; and when he has mastered them, he must go for further information to my FLY-FISniNG FOR TROUT III more advanced book, " Fly-fishing and Fly-mak- ing," published by the " Forest & Stream Co.," New York City ; or he can send to me direct, and I will advise and help him, so that he cannot fail. I spoke of stained hackles just now. The staining can be done very easily by means of the " Diamond Dyes," to be got at any drug-store. * Be sure you follow the " directions " exactly — they are given on each ten-cent package of dye. The feathers must be washed with soap and warm water until every particle of the natural grease is out, and rinsed in several waters, to get out the soap. They are best dried, after dying and rinsing in cold water, by placing them in a cardboard box, pierced with holes through the lid, and letting them get warm on the stove ; or, if the weather be favorable, out in the air, shaking the box vigor- ously every now and again. This is my practice for a large quantity. For a small number (a few dozen or so), tie the hackles on ordinary skewers, or slips of wood, a dozen on each ; and when you want to dry them you can do so by simply twirl- ing them between the palms of both hands. Having constructed your fly, I must now tell 112 SUMMER ANGLING you how to use it, — and let me here say that the most successful fly-fisher is he who knows how to drop his fly daintily, rather than he who only knows how to cast a long line. Most fish are caught within fifty feet ; and you need not, there- fore, endeavor to learn how to cast ninety feet at the first start. Fig. 62. Improper Method of Casting. Here is the procedure I recommend to the beginner. Take a boat and row out into a lake ; casting on the grass zvill do, but water is better. Now grasp your fly-rod firmly by the handle ; the reel below the. hand (no matter what anybody else says), and hanging from the rod ; the grasp should be as shown in Fig. 45 ; and if you use the automatic reel, the little finger must go round the break, as shown, but not on it, except where necessary to draw out line or land a fish. Draw out from the reel a few yards of line, and, waving the rod with a smart movement, cause it to pass through the guides. The cast is made by drawing FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT II3 the rod smartly backwards, so as to throw the fly back in the air to the extent of the line out ; and then a forward thrash of the rod brings the fly forward, and lays the line out straight. It is a matter of judgment, based on much practice, to know when to bring the rod again forward ; but practice and watching others are the only roads Fig. 63. Proper Moment for Forward Throw or Cast. by which an elegant manner of casting can be achieved. Be careful, first, to throw back (or retrieve) the line quickly; and, second, to not make the forward cast or throw too quickly thereafter. If you do, the result is shown in Fig. 62, where '^;he fly has not got back far enough, and the forward movement snaps the fly off (most probably on the principle of the snap of a whip). Fig. 62 shows the mi- proper forward cast, and Fig. 63 the p7vpcr mo- ment at which the cast should be made. Again I say, practice, practice, practice ! If you do so on the grass, tie a little tuft of wool yarn on your line end ; and I have found the snow in 114 SUMMER ANGLING winter to be a capital fly-casting ground. As soon as you can lay out thirty feet straight and without snapping, go to work and strive for deli- cacy and correctness of aim, especially the former. It is unpardonable to make a splash of your line in the water when fly-fishing. We now come to an important point, — how to fly-fish. On this subject volumes have been writ- ten ; and, as Izaak Walton long ago pointed out, one might as well try to teach another how to use his fists in writing as to try to teach fishing in the same way ; nevertheless, if the learner will let this little book accompany his persistent practice, he will be on the right road towards becoming a proficient fly-caster and trout fisherman. If the stream to be fished is a tolerably broad and slow-flowing one, the dry fly may be used ; and this means that the fly is dried in the air by several times making the motion of casting, but not dropping the fly. In England, especially on the clear chalk streams, this fishing is the only style deemed ordinarily applicable ; but it is rarely used in this country, though I frequently practise it, having had at one time ten miles of the premier dry-fly stream of England in my charge. And FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT II5 the fly in this style must be cast up stream, not doivn, and be allowed to float until, it approaches the feet of the angler. This is a deadly style of fishing ; but the flies must be small, and require to be made with large wings, and sometimes it is advisable to use double wings ; that is, two slips for each wing instead of one. The ordinary way of fly-fishing is, however, to cast the fly down stream and across, drawing it up with slightly jerking motion. This motion ex- pands and contracts the fibres of the fly, and gives a semblance of life, as if the insect struggled to be free ; and this movement, of course, goes far to hide the fraud on the fish. In dry-fly fishing this movement is not made, but the fly is allowed to float quite without movement ; and is neces- sarily, therefore, of much closer imitation, — that is, to be successful. Personally, I am an advo- cate of the " exact imitation " theory, and be- lieve that all imitations should be as close as possible. This is, however, a refinement into which the boy-angler need not be led. Down-stream fishing is certainly easier to prac- tise, and the task of casting is much facilitated by the downward and therefore pidlmg action of the water. Il6 SUMMER ANGLING Of course all likely spots must be covered, whether they lie down or up stream, — quiet cor- ners and eddies ; the edges and, in early summer, the centre of swift-running streams ; beneath dams ; near old sunken trunks of trees or logs ; near to springs and cool incoming streams ; and though no special time of the day can absolutely be set apart, yet early morning and late afternoon are generally found most fruitful of sport in trout fishing. Nor is the night-time to be despised in mid- summer. During the excessive heat of the day no fish will bite ; but if the moon be on the ascend- ant, or even on the decline, providing it be not too bright, trout will rise to the fly very satisfactorily in the night. Indeed, the fact that no fish are so easily taken in the daytime whilst there are moonlight nights, may be assumed to be because the fish find food plenteously at night-time, and therefore have no room for it in the daytime ; or, at least, do not feel so eager as they otherwise would do. For night fishing large flies are best ; a large Brown Hackle or Coachman is a capital lure, and it can be cast into the water with some splashing, for the purpose of attracting the fish's FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT \\^ attention. Some of the largest fish are taken in this way ; though, to be sure, it is rather lonesome work, unless one is accompanied by another brother of the rod. Another very productive way of fly-fishing is angling with what is known in England as a " blow- line." This consists of a light floss or twist silk reel line, and a single hook at the end of the leader, on which is impaled a natural fly — a " blow " or blue-bottle fly is the best. The only time this lure can be used is when the wind is fav- orable. It must be at your back, blowing either up, or up and across, or down, or down and across ; but, as you can fish from either bank, you have a good choice of winds, and can fish quite a number of days in the summer. It is especially fitted for fishing the riffles or shallows, and is very killing. The way to practise it is as follows : First, catch your blue-bottles — the butcher will gladly spare you what he has, and a gauze insect collec- tor's net is the most useful device for their capture. Then kill them by pinching their heads ; next tie a fine piece of silk thread around each one ; pre- pare, say, two dozen in this way before repairing to the stream. You will not regret the time it takes. IlS SUMMER ANGLING Being on the bank of the river, you must find out about the wind ; for to it you owe the placing of your fly where the fish are. Having slipped the hook into the girdle of silk thread round the fly, you raise your rod aloft, and begin drawing out your fine silk line. The looser the strands of the line the better, as the wind catches it the more readily when it is loosely twisted. Let it float out before the wind, till some forty feet or more are being blown up or down over the stream. Then by lowering the point of the rod, drop your fly just on the water, let it float a few inches, and lift the rod again, so as to take it off, con- tinuing to do this over any likely spots you may perceive. It is rare that a trout refuses to rise to this lure, and there is really more in it than seems to be the case from this brief mention. Fly-fishing with the natural fly is to be com- mended as a killing method of fishing at all times where possible ; but it does not compare with fish- ing with the artificial fly as an art. A word of advice may here fitly be given in ref- erence to the playing and landing of a hooked trout. Don't forget that you must never allow the fish a slack line ; keep the tip of the rod always FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT I19 up and at tension against the fish ; be careful and deUberate ; never hurry the fish ; and, finally, never lift the fish by the line, — use a landing-net, and bring it up behind the fish, rather than dive for the head of the fish, as I have seen novices do many times. *If the fish is not tired out, let it struggle until it is, and tJicn you can use the net, if you cannot do so at first. 120 SUMMER ANGLING CHAPTER VI FLY-FISHING FOR BASS, PERCH, SUNFISH, ETC. In summer, especially during the early part of July, the bass (both " large " and " small " mouth) will take the fly with avidity. A rather more powerful rod is necessary to completely enjoy bass fly-fishing ; but the one made for trout will do if a tip be fashioned rather shorter — say six inches — than the one you use for trout. The reason for this requirement is the heavier and larger fly in use. It is usually twice as large as the ordinary ones employed |or trout ; and for the large-mouth bass of the South, I have made flies nearly three inches long, but these are very exceptional. A No. 3 or 4 hook (see Fig. 33) is ordinarily large enough for the black basses of the generality of our streams and lakes. The reel need not be changed, and that em- ployed for trout can be used without difficulty. The line may be a little thicker, but the point is FLY-FISHING FOR BASS, FTC. 121 of no importance if it be strong enough. I always use my trout fly-line for black bass, and find no difficulty. The leader should be of thicker gut, and the same length as for trout. If you have carefully followed the directions for fly-making for trout, you do not need them re- peated here ; for bass fly-making is identical in principle and practice, except that a larger hook and stouter gut are used. A few of the best bass flies I know of may be described, and with these you will probably catch as many fish as anybody else with a ;^500 collection. These have the merit, also, of simplicity : — Brown Hackle, — made as described for trout on No. 3 or 4 hook. Brown Moth, — body, brown worsted (cinnamon brown) ; tail, a few hairs from tail of brown squir- rel ; legs, brown hackle ; wings, turkey tail. Size of hook. No. 3. Coachman (see chapter on trout). Royal Coachman, — made same as ordinary Coachman, but the body is divided in centre by a band of scarlet silk. (Fig. 64.) Gray Hackle, — same as for trout. No. 3 hook. Professor, — same as for trout. No. 3 hook. 122 SUMMER ANGLING Black June, — same as for trout. No. 3 hook. Cowdun, — brown wings ; green- ish-yellow worsted body ; brown hackle. White Miller, — body, white wool and silk-ribbed gold tinsel, or orange silk ; hackle, white ; wings, white. Seth Green, — body, green silk ribbed with yellow silk ; wings, brown (buff turkey tail) ; hackle, brown. No. 3 hook. These are sufficient to begin with. In using the fly for bass, some- what similar tactics to those in vogue for trout are employed. Of course the thing to do first is to ascertain beyond peradventure that bass are present. The fly is cast in precisely the same style as for trout ; but it is allowed to sink several inches at least under water before it is dirawn back by little jerks towards the caster. In deep FLY-FISIIIA'G FOR BASS, FTC. 1 23 water it is advisable to close a small split shot about a foot above the hook, so that the line is sunk a foot, or even two, beneath the water. The small-mouth black bass is usually found over a rocky bottom, near old submerged trunks of trees, and in deeper water generally than its confrere of the " large-mouth " species. But both take the fly greedily at times ; and when either is hooked, there is quite a " circus " on hand to deal with. Especially is this so with the small- mouth fish. He is the very bull-dog of the water. As soon as the hook pricks him, the line runs out with startling rapidity ; then he leaps from the water, following this up with other leaps, sometimes to the number of six, or even more ; and it is necessary to be patient arid wary if you would secure the fish in the end. I do not think any fish that swims is superior to the black basses in fighting-power on the hook. By the way, the young angler is sometimes puzzled to know how to distinguish between the large-mouth, and the smaii-mouth. fish. Let him do it by observing the feature that gives them their colloquial names. The large-mouth has a proportionately much larger mouth, extending to 124 SUMMER ANGLING the outer orbit or rim enclosing the eye, whilst in the small-mouth, the mouth only extends to a line drawn perpendicularly through the centre of the pupil of the eye, and in addition there is a spot of red in the eye of the latter. All the various black basses of fresh water in this country have been decided by authoritative naturalists to belong to one of these species : either Microptertis salmoides (the large-mouth), or M. dolinieii (the small-mouth black bass). I have at times dressed the flies I used with a slip of lead on the hook shank under the body ; but it has the disadvantage of interfering with the casting. The fly does not alight so softly, and cannot be propelled through the air so readily. The movement in bass-fly casting should be almost exactly like that in throwing a ball ; and I suppose my boy readers know how this is done overhand. Perch will take the fly in summer in any waters where they are numerous. Near where I write is a beautiful little mountain lake on the summit of a hill (whence it is termed Summit Lake), supplied by springs, and deep and clear and cool. Bass and perch inhabit it ; and the perch vie with the bass in taking the fly. Whilst camping on its FLY-FISHING FOR BASS, FTC. 1 25 shores last August, I found that a special fly was wanted to withstand the sharp teeth of the perch ; and after many experiments I found the follow- ing to be the most killing combination. It is a modification of the ever useful " Coachman." I call it the Bronze Coachman : — Body, of the bronze tinsel cord one gets at the dry-goods stores at five cents or so a ball. It is used by ladies for embroidering on velvet, etc. Legs, plenty of brown hackle ; wings, white. With this fly we sometimes caught three perch on a line at one time ; of course using three flies. These flies were made on a No. 6 hook. (See Fig. 33.) A Brown Hackle is a capital fly also for perch. So is what is known as the Soldier Palmer. This fly has a red silk or woollen yarn body ; and one hackle is tied in at the bend of the hook or tail end of the body, and run up in several coils to the head, and there fastened ; another one is then tied in at the head in the ordinary way. Either of these flies will also catch the lively little sun-fishes ; and I do not by any means dis- dain this small fry, if fished for on the trout-rod with fine gut and small hooks. 126 ^ SUMMER ANGLING The wall-eyed pike, white perch, and even pick- erel, will take a fly ; and in the waters of Plorida almost every fish that swims will respond to a gaudy fly or insect. I therefore strongly advise my boy readers to make the fly-rod and its acces- sories their chief thought in fishing. Fly-fishing is the fine art of angling, and they will never re- gret the time and pains exi:)ended on it. The lord of all sporting fishes is the salmon, and he is chiefly captured with the beautiful creations of the fly-makers' fingers. In the years of maturity my readers will doubtless come to fish for and catch this superb fish, and these pages are in- tended as preparatory lessons for so doing. But all must begin with this alphabet before going farther. The memories of many adventures in pursuit of fish with the fly-rod arise in my mind as I ap- proach the end of this chapter, and I am minded to tell of a coincidence that occurs to me now when thoughts of summer fly-fishing are com- manding the attention. A fish-story, to be generally palatable, must be very highly spiced with romance. This one is a record of veritable experience. FLY-FISHING FOR BASS, ETC. 12/ My narrative really consists of two separate stories, each being perfectly distinct and complete in itself. The incidents occurred many years and thousands of miles apart. But coincidence con- nects them with each other in the fact that they both occurred on the same date, May ist, and that their salient features were alike, as were also their results. " So much," to quote old Izaak Walton, " for the prologue of what I mean to say." I was born on the banks of the English Thames ; how long ago it does not boot to say. My father, and generations of his ancestors, were professional Thames fishermen, so it is easy to understand that I loved and learned fishing as soon as I could walk — nay, I am given to under- stand that I caught my first fish before I could walk. Be that as it may, I could handle a rod long before most boys hear of one, and I was a constant companion of my father whenever pos- sible. He was a great fisherman, — I say it advis- edly, — keen of eye, intuitive, an athlete, and a fish lover, and particularly was he a great trout-fisher- man. The Thames trout is a brown trout {Salmo faiio), and grows to sixteen pounds on exceptional occasions, and averages, or did, from seven to ten 128 SUMMER ANGLING pounds. He is a vara avis of the water, I am bound to admit. But my progenitor rarely failed to capture the " sockdolager " of every dam or " weir " above the tideway each season. He had his own methods. Here they are, in brief : The rod was a light red deal and lancewood rod of some fourteen feet (he was tall) ; the line was a fine strong silk one ; the leader was a six-foot length of good stout gut ; and the one hook — no gangs of ten for him — was a No. i Sproat or Limerick. His bait was a small fish named bleak or bley, similar to, but brighter than, a " shiner." The manner of using this outfit was simple. These large trout frequent the deep, quiet waters adjacent to the rough waters of the dams or " weirs," and there in some corner watch, in per- haps twenty feet of water, for what they may dis- cover. Now, above and some eight or ten feet over these dams is built a beam as a bridge-way — a single beam, without railings ; for the public were not supposed to use it. Only danger-lov- ing English boys would dare to run along its dizzy path and gaze into the tumbling water be- low ; the general public never intruded. This beam always formed the coign of vantage on FLY-FISHING FOR BASS, ETC. 1 29 which my father — and none but himself hitherto, owing to the dizzying effect — had taken his stand for the glorious Thames trout. From this stand- point the bait was manipulated deftly across and athwart the rushing waters ; and there was fre- quently ten or fifteen yards of loose line drawn from the reel and coiled in a figure eight in the hand preparatory to casting. Many a time had I watched his dexterous movements with envy ; and once, after aiding to boat a particularly large fish, I remember the resolve was suddenly born in my boy- ish heart that I would, could, and must do likewise. The fishing season began in April, but was best a little later ; and behold me, therefore, one bright May Day morning, a boy of about twelve, early in the light skiff, eager to reach the vicinity of the " weir." I remember the joy I felt : it comes back to me now ; and also the scent of the hawthorn hedges, with their masses of white bloom ; the carol of the skylark, the song of the thrush and the blackbird, and even the brilliant azure and orange-red hues of the kingfisher as he darted by — all nature was radiant ! I soon reached the venerable weir ; and, selecting with a general's eye the most " likely " spot, I made the boat fast, and 130 SUMMER ANGLING climbed lightly on to the beam. Very soon I was sitting astride it, and deftly casting the brilliant minnow, and manoeuvring it from cataract to eddy through the myriad jewelled spray. As it skipped and danced from crest to crest, it seemed like some silvern butterfly rather than a fish. Herein lay its attraction ; and before I had fished twenty minutes the great tortoise-shell shoulders of a big trout heaved above the torrent, and with a determined plunge he had seized the bait, and sunk for his* watery lair. How well I remember the thrill of awe-like ecstasy I felt ! And then began the l)at- tie. I will not attempt its description. Such com- bats have been portrayed by more masterly pens than mine. It is sufficient to say that, from my high post, it was one of tragic interest to me as well as the fish ; and just as the latter seemed to become sufficiently amenable to reason to allow of my seeking the shore, with a view to landing him, I remember the top of my head seemed to be swimming off somewhere ; then the water became sheets of silver flame — I staggered, recovered my- self, for I had risen on the narrow bridge, the bet- ter to traverse it shoreward ; then the loose line dropped from my left hand, and, without further FLY-FISHING FOR BASS, ETC. I3I to-do, I rolled off into the boiling torrent below, — down — down — down to the abysmal depths. The cold water revived my mind, and with a good diver's prescience I held my breath, and sought to emerge from *the curling, eddying, twisting fury of the maelstrom of which I was the sport. Try as I would, I found my arms and legs held as in a vice, and powerless ; then after a time, interminable as it seemed, I was violently thrust forward, as by some strong human arm, and found I was ascend- ing. With one convulsive kick I arose amidst a great clot of white foam, which I remember to this day looked like a great sky window from below. My breath came back convulsively, and, oh how painfully and chokingly ! and in another moment I was washed on to the shallow riffle ten or twelve rods below the dam. There I lay for quite a time, till I could cough up what water I had unavoidably swallowed. Finally, I began to realize. The first poignant thought was the fish. The loose line had wound round and round my legs and body, and even arms, in the eddy ; but still something was at- tached to it. This was the rod. Carefully I drew it up unbroken and reeled in the line, which I had disengaged from my body. There was still a lot of 132 SUMMER ANGLING line in tne water, apparently entangled tip stream. I unsteadily wound it in — it was fast around the woodwork of the dam. I tried to draw it to me — then suddenly out sped the still attached fish. Was ever such good fortune } Reader, I fought that fish aneWj and landed him. He weighed seven and a quarter pounds I He should have been lost to me, I know, according to usage in all fishing stories, but — I cannot tell a lie ! This occurred at Chertsey Weir, England, a.d. 1867; and many yet live near the spot who can attest the occurrence. My second episode occurred in 1 891, at the East Greenwich Dam, Batten Kill River, Washington Co., N.Y. Time of year, also May ist. A glori- ous morning for the fisherman was this when I drove up to Lake's Hotel " as the gray dawn was breaking." The robins were still at matins around the house, and very soon I had mine host and his satellites roused. A keen sportsman he ; and to his salutation I returned, " Is the dam in good order for fishing } " receiving an affirmative reply in no uncertain tone. No boat being on the river, I had taken my " Acme " canvas folding boat, intending to fly-fish all the likely spots of this famous trout FLY-FISHING FOR BASS, ETC. 1 33 water. Very soon I had the boat geared ; and whilst one of the men carried her to the water, I took my " morning draught," as quaint old Walton would term it. That duly accomplished, and with rod lightly arranged, I stepped into the fragile bark, and was pushed off into the stream. In this instance I was below the dam, and intended approaching as near as might be advisa- ble, and anchoring, altering positions to suit cir- cumstances. A select crowd had gathered on the shore, and were taking in the situation with enjoy- ment ; and I soon increased their admiration by boating a nice little twelve-ounce fish. Now, this dam was built for supplying a knitting and flour mill near by, and is not at all a formidable one, its fall not being more than ten feet ; but at the time of which I am writing, a very respectable volume of water was coming over, and there was, at one part near the side, a swift and powerful undertow, — a fact of which I was yet unaware. Presently, however, a good fish rose to my Royal Coachman ; and as I struck him, and saw him plunge, I knew it was a two-pounder at least. How he did fight ! And finally, finding I should have trouble in boat- ing him, the boat being so light, and I being so 134 SUMMER ANGLING heavy for it, I determined to raise anchor and let her drift to the shallow water, where I could step out and accomplish the deed. The raising of the stone anchor I easily accomplished with one hand, and then prepared to manage the fish. As the boat drifted, however, I found she took a rather erratic course, which, being so light (seventy pounds only), I attributed to the pressure I was putting on the fish. At all events, I suddenly realized that we were in the undertow, and rapidly approaching the dam's fullest rush of water. Once under that, and, with my heavy boots and other paraphernalia, I was doomed. I tried to row her free, but the hold of that fell stream was great. Still I should have rescued her had not the light oar broken. Then, when there was nothing else to do, I jumped ; and, as fortune would have it, I escaped by some miraculous means the force of the reflecting current, and, with nothing more than a good ducking and some excitement, I swam as best I could, and was pulled out on terra firma. What of the boat .'' Well, released from my weight, she floated on the upper stratum of the current, and was stranded a few hundred yards lower down. And ''what of the fish.''" do you FLY-FISHING FOR BASS, ETC. 1 35 ask. M' yes, I cannot tell a lie. I didn't find it still on. It broke loose ! But it weighed just two pounds seven ounces^ all tJie same. I am positive of that. And this is how I know : — Two months later I was fishing the dam of a flax-mill lower down the same river. It was evening ; and as the soft-winged moths fluttered alongside my own artificial white miller, I "rose" a fish and hooked him. Moreover, I landed him ; and in his mouth were the remains of my identical Royal Coachman fly, lost at the upper dam in the early season. No one makes this fly just as I do. This fish weighed two pounds seven ounces exactly, — that is why I am positive of the weight of the lost one, you see ! PART III AUTUMN ANGLING CHAPTER VII MINNO^W-FISHING FOR TROUT It is not usual to fish with a minnow for any trout except the Salmo nmnaycush, or Great Lake trout, in this country ; but those who have tried it for brook trout, including myself, find it quite as deadly as the fly or worm. I shall not describe the process of trolling for the lake trout, asv it is a sport that is rather outside the reach of my young readers, further than to say a gang of hooks, on which a shiner is impaled, as in pickerel trolling, is ordinarily used, or one of the artificial fish (the "Caledonian " Minnow or ** Phantom " Bait) is attached to the line and towed behind a boat pre- cisely as in pickerel trolling — in principle, though the detail may vary. The Great Lake trout is taken in spring and fall by this method, and a grand fish it is ; but if one can use the minnow for the brook trout, he may be pretty certain that the lake trout fisherman can teach him but little concerning the larger fish. 139 I40 AUTUMN ANGLING Now, the minnow is only used for brook trout on rivers where it is known large trout exist. These large fellows are also very hard to catcli with the fly or bait, and hence it is not unsports- manlike to use the live or dead minnow. In no case need the young sucker, dace, or shiner be longer than two and one-half inches ; and some- times, if smaller, the sport resulting will be the more. The live minnow must first claim our attention. Be sure they are got from some cool stream, if you are to use them near springs, where the large trout do most congregate at this season of the year. If you do not pay attention to this little matter, they will not live and play freely on the hook, any more than an African from Central Africa would find the climate of the Esquimau to his liking ; but they will certainly die, and that sometimes as soon as they touch the cooler water. The tackle you must use for the live minnow may be one single No. 2 hook on strong gut, with a light sinker to carry the bait down, or it may be like that figured ; namely, a single loop hook to go through the bait's lip, and a triplet hook to lie MINNOW-FISHING FOR TROUT I4I by side the bait (Fig. 65). In the case of the single-hook tackle there is a good chance of hook- ing the fish, but in the case of the triplet hook arrangement the chance is far better ; and espe- cially is this tackle fitted for use in the rapid water of dams, etc., where the biggest fish un- doubtedly lie. The triplet hook simply lies along- side the living minnow, and it is worked around in the likely places pretty much as any other bait, taking all the care you can, of course, not to get 'innidiififiiii'- ^^ — Fig 65.— Gang for Liue-minnow Fishing for Trout. "hung up" on the stones or sunken logs, boughs, etc. Sometimes, when trout are found to inhabit the deep springs of lakes, a large glass jar may be filled with minnows, and closed, and lowered by a line near their hovers, and allowed to remain. Perch and trout both are attracted by this lure, and I know of several instances where the method has been exceedingly successful. There are no further hints to be given on this head, except two words of advice. Keep your bait moving, and use 142 AUTUMN ANGLING lively minnows. When they die, take them off and place away in a little piece of tissue paper, in your can or basket, for another style of fishing ; viz., dead-minnow fishing, which is frequently more deadly than fishing with the live bait. The particular form of dead-bait fishing I prefer to all others is that known as the " sink and MINNOIV-FISHING FOR TROUT 1 43 draw " bait. To prepare the tackle, you take a single hook, about No. 3 (Fig. 33), and, having tied it to double or extra thick gut, slide upon it a barrel lead or sinker (Fig. 66) ; let this be plugged, so that the lead stays as shown. To use it, a bait of suitable size is selected, — it must be dead, of course, or you will kill it ; and, if dead, it must be fresh, — and a baiting-needle (Pig. 6j), made by turning the end of a thin, piece of iron or brass wire, is attached to the loop of the gut by the eye. The needle is now entered into the fish by the mouth, and brought out exactly in the centre of the tail ; the gut is drawn through, and, finally, the lead is pulled into the stomach of the bait, leaving the hook to hang around its mouth sufficiently rank or outstanding to easily hook any fish that swallows it. The tail of the bait is tied round with a piece of thread, to keep the gut from tearing out if the tail catches in anything ; and the piece of tackle is now ready to be attached to the reel line. The latter should be fine, and not a heavy one, and the rod needs to be light and moderately pliant. Having attached the bait, a few yards of line are drawn off the reel with the left hand, and the 144 AUTUMN ANGLING bait is gently urged through the air, rather than cast to any suitable eddy or spot likely to hold a trout. Letting the point of the rod droop, the bait " shoots headlong through the blue abyss," as Fig. 69. Trout Gang baited. Fig. 68. — Trout Gang. a poet has aptly described the motion. That is the " sink " of the " sink and draw " bait-fishing. After a little pause the point of the rod is gently MINNOW-FISHING FOR TROUT 1 45 lifted, and a foot or two of the line gathered in, and the bait is again allowed to shoot downward. It is generally at the moment of the headlong plunge of the bait that the trout darts out and takes the bait. If, on drawing up, you find that vicious tug ! tug ! which infallibly denotes a fish, just lower the point of the rod a few seconds, and then strike sharply. In nine cases out of ten you will hook the fish, and must proceed to land him. You will find that in every case your fish will be the largest, not the smallest, of the stream. A gang of small hooks (Fig. 6Z) is easily made, and is very effective if plenty of swivels are placed above it, to prevent the line kinking when the bait revolves, as it will do when baited (Fig. 69). I, however, recommend the other " sink and draw " tackle in preference ; though such a gang is very useful to have with one in the event of see- ing a large trout unexpectedly, which will take no other bait. A small artificial minnow is also emi- nently useful at times, and sometimes may replace the natural bait, but not often. 146 AUTUMN ANGLING CHAPTER VIII BASS FISHING W^ITH THE MINNOW Bass — that is, black bass — fishing by means of the minnow, termed technically " minnow-cast- ing," has got to be quite a distinct science, espe- cially with the Western brethren of the rod. The rod is usually a nine-foot, or even less, lancewood or bamboo weapon, with standing guides of ample size, to allow the line easy passage through them. The line is of the best make one can afford ; and the reel is a Gogebic, or Star (Fig. 43), or other fine reel constructed so that when the bait is cast its friction is of the very least, and the line runs out till the thumb stops the spool of the reel, and the minnow drops on the water. Of course, a sinker must be attached to the end of the line ; and the kind of leader, sinker, and snell I invaria- bly use myself is shown at Fig. 70, with one to three hooks. Now, the manner of making this cast so that the bait's head is not jerked off in the rush BASS FISHING WITH THE MINNOW 1 4/ through the air and the termination of it, is almost, if not quite, impossible to describe. Personally, I favor the overhand cast, the motion of throwing a ball in baseball, and find it the simplest to teach the beginner. Be sure, however, to practise first with a sinker miiiiis hooks and bait, on the grass or snow in winter, and you will soon get the " hang of it." If you can persuade some kind friend to give you a lesson or two, so much the better. This method of casting the bait is distinctively American, and is never used in England, where very different styles of bait-casting prevail. These are termed the " Nottingham " and the " Thames " styles. The former is a " round arm " cast, made with both hands grasping the rod handle, and from a light wooden reel, the finger of the right hand acting as a brake on the circumference of the outer reel plate, which revolves ; the " Thames " style is more easily learnt, and for short casting may be of use to the novice. Briefly, these are the proceedings. The rod is grasped firmly in the right hand, and a few yards of line drawn off the reel ; these are gathered in the palm of the hand in a form of the figure 8 by 148 AUTUMN ANGLING a reciprocating motion of the finger and thumb and ball of the hand (or lower part of the palm) and little finger, bending the wrist back and forth the while. This gathers up the line slowly for the cast ; and when the point of the rod urges the bait forward, the line goes out without hindrance. It is a pretty method of fishing. In general, bass fishing where the live minnow or other bait may be used, the " paternoster " (as it is termed in England for want of a better name) is decidedly the most useful contrivance (Fig. 70), for the simple reason that it permits of three baits of different kinds being used at one time ; and the angler may attach a minnow to the bottom hook, a dobson to the next, and a frog to the highest one, with the certainty that they will be kept in motion by the moving fish. Sometimes the bass won't take a bait fish ; and if this be so, even a fly can be attached to find out if they will take that. They are very capricious, especially in midsum- mer. The " sink and draw " bait mentioned as useful for trout is a very good bait also for the basses, as also is the " Caledonian minnow," and " Phan- tom." BASS FISHING WITH THE MINNOW 149 PICKEREL FISHING WITH A MINNOW. Pickerel may be caught in precisely the same manner as bass ; that is, with the live minnow, ? and with the dead " gorge " bait, or " sink and draw." Trolling with a gang is also a killing method, and requires no further instructions than 150 AUTUMN ANGLING are given for bass to make the method of procedure plain. The only difference consists in the neces- sity for using very strong tackle ; and if I know I am likely to get pickerel or mascalonge, I tie my hooks to fine piano wire, otherwise, the razor-like teeth of these fish will bite through the snell. The wall-eyed pike {Stizostedion vitretini) is amena- ble to bass treatment, and in Lake Champlain and Fig. 71.— Larvae of Dragon Fly, or "What is It?" other waters is an agreeable relief, being a gamey and palatable fish. BASS FISHING WITH DIFFERENT BAITS Perhaps one of the most killing of baits for the bass in summer is the larva of the dragon-fly (Fig. 71). This creature is obtained from the weeds one finds in waters where the dragon-flies (or " devil's darning-needles ") most frequent, and are termed by anglers, in some parts of New York BASS FISHING WITH THE MINNOW 51 State, " What is It ? " The odd appearance, and the variations in that appearance, are sufficient to puz- zle the ordinary observer ; but my boy readers may Fig. 72. — The Dobson, or Helgramite. recognize the creature pretty surely from the above cut. The dobson (Fig. 72)- really deserves a chapter by itself. It is the larva of a large fly (Corydaliis 152 AUTUMN ANGLING cornutus)y and wherever it is found, there will it catch bass. Moreover, it is a very sure thing that bass will thrive in the waters that produce it, and that they are pretty generally to be found there- abouts, even as the silver birch-tree is a sign that the soil and water will do for trout. This '* Dob- son " has also about a score more local names ; and few boys living on the banks of bass rivers will fail to remember its decidedly interesting but pugnacious appearance. In the winter the dobson cannot be found in the water, but hides itself deep in the earth be- neath stones and debris, especially if the latter be woody. Early in spring it may be dug up from such positions ; but as time goes on it seeks the water and lives under stones, where it can be caught with a net of mosquito-netting. As its breathing apparatus permits it living in either air or water, it can be kept among half-rotten chips of wood in a box all summer without other food, if once a day the can or box be flooded with cool water, and this water carefully drained out again. The dobson should be hooked under the hard cara- pace or armor-piece at the back of the neck, taking care that you hold it firmly by the back BASS FISHING WITH THE MINNOW 1 53 with the left finger and thumb, or you may receive from a male dobson such a nip as will startle you, and probably cause you to drop the repulsive and savage creature in disgust. Of course this nip with the mandibles is not poisonous. The crayfish, or, as it is sometimes termed, the fresh-water crab, is another very good bait for large bass. These live under the stones and woodwork incidental to mill-streams, and where they are plentiful are easy to catch in the follow- ing way : Select a dark night. Have ready some mosquito-netting tied on a wire hoop for a net. In the centre of this secure a lump of lead and a piece of fresh liver. Attach your net to a pole by means of three cords extending from it to the cir- cumference of frame of the net, and sink it in the spot where you have reason to suspect the exist- ence of these crayfish. Every now and then lift it suddenly, and you will find sometimes half a dozen crayfish at a time feeding on the liver. Of course if you have half a dozen nets to attend to, so much the better. Frogs are specially good bait for bass. They are most useful when young, about an inch long, and can be kept an indefinite time in a cool place 154 AUTUMN ANGLING in grass ; but you must be careful not to allow the least chink of light, if you would save them from vain efforts to escape. They should be hooked under the skin of the back. A little fold only need be pierced, and the frog will live a long time. TROUT FISHING WITH THE GRASSHOPPER AND CRICKET. All through the summer and autumn the angler can find the bass and perch ready for his lures ; and amid such a wealth of sport he must not for- get that the trout fishing closes long before the bass ceases to feed. A few golden days are there on most streams containing the " Apollo of the fountains," when the grasshopper and cricket are a delicious bonne boiicJie to the trout. At such times let my pupil collect a goodly number of the red-legged grasshopper (for he it is who is the prime favorite), and also a goodly number of the black field-cricket. He can get the former with a butterfly net wherever they abound, and the latter are to be got in this wise. Strip off any pieces of loose bark from dying trees, and lay it near to fences where the crickets can crawl, and there be discovered. Let the wood remain overnight, and BASS FISHING WITH THE MINNOW 155 go early in the morning, and underneath will be found some of the plumpest of the black crickets. An old Vermont trout fisherman told me this, and I have verified it. A small fine hook, very sharp, is the best for grasshopper fishing, size No. 6 (Fig. 33). There is one little hint in connection with this fishing that needs imparting. When the trout seizes the bait, he usually does so savagely, and only to crush it. Consequently, wait until he turns again to swallow it before you strike, and you will catch your fish. Otherwise you will not. A dis- abled " hopper " cast on the stream once in a while will set the fish feeding on your hook that is baited. One other form of fun-making fishing occurs to me before I close this chapter. All through the early summer and late fall both bullheads and eels will take a bait ; but as they are nocturnal in their habits, it is only at night one gets really good sport with them. Bullhead fishing is usually practised on a dark night — preferably, just after a heavy warm rain, and the lines are primitive enough. Large sized eyed hooks are tied to lines, of which two are enough for each angler. 156 AUTUMN ANGLING These lines are linen braided, and have a sinker attached to each, a loop being tied in the end. The hook snell is also linen ; and in fishing it is best not to wait to take the hook out of the fish, for the reason that a nasty wound may come of handling the spiny, slimy bullhead, and a sore fore- finger will certainly result from your efforts in un- hooking him, if you persist in doing so. Therefore, I suggest tying the snell hook each time with the tie shown (Fig. yi). The free end at A can be Fig. 73. — Attaching Loop and Knot for Night Fishing. drawn out with the teeth every time, and the fish dropped into the receptacle minus handling, which, let me assure you, if the fish run large is no small consideration. Eels can be caught in precisely the same way, and with the same tackle ; and if you are careful not to let the tail of the fish curl around anything, he can be released at once. Bobbing for both bullheads and eels is another good way of fishing. A " bob " is made by taking a darning-needle and some worsted yarn, and BASS FISHING WITH THE MINNOW 1 5/ threading large worms on it, making a loose tie at intervals, and so continuing till a large, hideous squirming mass of worms is formed, more or less in the form of a ball. This is thrown overboard, attached to a stout line, and, as the fish bite, is hauled up quickly, but not too hurriedly. The fish are too voracious to let go, and, their teeth being sharp, they are drawn up, and can be lifted into the boat. Of course a lantern is necessary in all these night excursions. I cannot say I par- ticularly care for this kind of sport, but it is some- times amusing when no other is available. PART IV WINTER ANGLING ■ CHAPTER IX FISHING THROUGH THE ICE When the ice king has clothed every lake and stream, and the ordinary styles of fishing can no longer be indulged in, fishing through the ice be- comes at once a healthful sport, and one produc- tive of palatable food, and possibly of a little fish- ing-tackle money to the juvenile angler from the sale of his superfluous capture. For this style of fishing is well fitted for the strong, healthy boy when no other occupation demands his attention. He has the glorious sunshine sparkling on the white snow ; with his skates firmly attached, he can glide from tip-ujD to tip-up, breathing in great volumes of oxygen in the cold air ; and besides this, he is catching fish, — for sure, — if he will go about it as I am about to direct. In the first place, it is necessary to provide the tackle. The most interesting form of ice-fishing is by means of the " tip-up ; " and the simplest form of this is a twig set up at an acute angle to i6i 1 62 WINTER ANGLING Fig. 74. Improved "Tip-Up. the ice, and on the tip of this is hung the Hne, to which a piece of red stuff has been attached. When the fish takes the bait, it pulls the piece of flag off the twig, and the angler knows at once that a fish has been at work, and runs to the hole to superintend the allowance of line the fish requires whilst pouching or swallowing the minnow. There are various reasons why the primitive form of "tip-up," however, should give place to one of more cer- tain usefulness ; and the appa- ratus I am about to describe out-distances the twig, as the split cane rod goes beyond the " pole " cut from the brush alongside the water. Get some half-inch deal board and cut out pieces, as many as you require, in the shape of an outline of Fig. 74. There is FISHING THROUGH THE ICE 1 63 no difficulty about this. Next, with a brace and bit bore two holes, one at each end, at A ; then with a chisel take out the middle of each board, as shown. Now procure some stout iron wire ; but previously to bending it there is a lead sinker to go on the upper end, at B. This sinker is best made by boring into the end of a piece of green hard wood, and driving a nail down into the centre of the hole for a cylindrical mould. One mould will cast a dozen or more sinkers, and the lead can be melted in a ladle over the cook-stove fire without causing inconvenience. The wire now is cut into lengths exactly the length of the space in the middle of the board, and one loop is twisted at C. Through this a nail is driven, including both sides of the board ; and the wire should now swing freely round and round on this nail, as on an axle. A lead is now slipped on the upper arm of the lead (B), and a hook is formed in the wire (D). To the end of the other arm is tied a piece of old red cotton or woollen cloth, and about forty feet of stout braided linen line should be attached to the middle of the " tip-up " at E. To the other end of the line, of course, the hook is tied, which is preferably a Vir- 1 64 WINTER ANGLING ginian hook not less than one-half inch across opposite the barb, and as large as No. i% (Fig- 33). The tip-up is set in ice-fishing as shown (Fig. 75). A is the line on which the hook and Fig, 75. — Tip-Up set on the Ice. bait, plumbed so as to be sustained about one foot from the bottom, are let down through the ice ; B is the "tip-up," set obliquely, held by the chunks of ice cut out of the hole ; C is the line coiled. Observe how it works. As soon as a fish takes FISHING THROUGH THE ICE 1 65 the bait he pulls on the line A, which pulls down the wire hook at D. This throws the line loose, so that the fish can uncoil and take what it wants of C, whilst the lead sinker slides down to the hook on the wire {a), and up flies the red pen- nant, telling to everybody interested that a fish has bitten. (The dotted lines indicate this mo- ment). The angler's duty now is to proceed as fast as his legs will carry him to the tip-up, care- fully ease out the line, so that the fish be not checked, and after waiting five minutes by the watch proceed to haul in the fish. If these *'tip-ups" are set for any length of time, and if they be left, they will certainly be frozen in ; and no one can do less or more than cut them out with an axe, or wait till spring ' comes. Even during the day's fishing we are supposing, it becomes necessary to incessantly keep the ice from accumulating or freezing in the hole that is cut. To obviate this, and even allow of the tip-up being set for days, I have found the following device quite successful ; and as it invariably happens that a fish gets on dur- ing the night or early morning, it is sometimes quite desirable to keep the tip-ups set all the 1 66 WINTER ANGLING time. Get a number of stout sticks about eigh- teen inches long, and boring through the centre of each at right angles, thrust about one foot of thick iron wire through, and turn a loop in the end (Fig. 'j6). When this line is set, the stick is laid crosswise over the hole, with the rod and loop downward (Fig. ^6). Of course if the ice is likely to be thicker than a foot, this wire ought to be longer. It should reach into the water at least three inches. To it is attached the line, which, when you are setting it, is first wound up round your thumb and finger in a figure 8 fashion, and then attached, as shown (Fig. Jj), to the pieces of wire shaped as in Fig. 78. I think the diagrams quite explain themselves. The ice-fishers in Canada, and on Champlain and the other large lakes, make a large revenue ; but it is not to that class that I am addressing myself. On Champlain, when fishing for perch, the eye of the fish is used almost exclusively ; but for ordinary fishing for ling, burbot, wall-eyed pike, perch, and pickerel, small fish are the bait — and very excellent bait they prove to be. Spear- ing and netting through the ice are also practised ; but I find little sport or pleasure in this, and do FISHING THROUGH THE ICE 1 6/ lb Fig. 76.— "Tip-Up" Sticli. Fig. 77.— Parts of "Tip-Up. Fig. 78. — Parts of "Tip-Up. 1 68 WINTER ANGLING not recommend my young friends to pursue it. I want them all to be true sportsmen — first, last, and all the time ; and so I have been careful that not one word in all this book gives a hint of any- thing but angling with a hook and line, so that the quarry the angler is pursuing for food and fun may have a good chance for its life every time. The other forms of winter fishing possible in the South and in Great Britain are not described in this chapter. They are essentially similar to those referred to in the earlier pages ; for the sea- sons, of course, vary according to the latitude. What is true of the East and North, however, is, in the main, true 'of the West and South ; and the same methods apply pretty generally all over the country, taking into account the differences of temperature. A lengthened experience has shown me that a good fisherman in England is a good fisherman on the American continent, and a good angler in the East is a good one in the West. I shall, therefore, not enlarge further on winter fishing as it is in latitudes other than the one in which I am writinof. There is, however, yet one other kind of winter fishing that may be spoken of here. I refer to PISHING THROUGH THE ICE 1 69 that pleasant outing we all may have in imagi- nation, sitting before the blazing winter fire or heated stove whilst the winter gale blows snow- laden in the outer darkness. Or when busily re- pairing our rods, making new leaders, snelling more hooks, or neatly constructing that feather- poem, the dainty artificial fly ! And how pleas- ant to recall the help one has been to the others because of the knowledge acquired in the ways taught by this book ! And one other instructive amusement can be followed, even in winter, beside fishing through the ice and recalling past experience — I refer to amateur fish-culture. The time will surely come when every farmer will be as fully prepared to breed fish as cattle. In the chapter on the sub- ject included in this little book I have written with the idea bf introducing trout-culture to my young readers as intensely interesting and in- forming, and possibly useful to them in after life. It certainly will fill up the dead season of fishing, if practised as I have laid down. I/O WINTER ANGLING CHAPTER X TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER That grand old angler and good Christian, George Dawson of Albany, has put it on record that "it is not all of fishing to fish." Similarly, I may say, " It is not all of fish to fish." I mean, of course, that there are many interesting points about the fish themselves that become apparent, aside from the actual operation of fishing. It is a poor angler that passes his days by the waterside intent only on filling his basket, and on simply the capture of the fish. To him the best pleasures of the pastime are sealed and unknown. He should not be counted with the true disciples of the sainted Izaak Walton ; nor is he to be considered a true member of the "gentle craft." To such an one fishing is fishing and nothing more. He is like Peter Bell : " A primrose by the river's brim, a yellow primrose was to him, and it was nothing more." But how different with the observant fish lover ! Every denizen of the water is to him an TROUT-BREEDING IiV WINTER I /I object of observation and delight. He not only delights in their capture as a tribute to his own prowess, but he is an admiring possessor of the beautiful piece of watergoing architecture, than which there is no more perfect example than the trout or salmon. Taking one step farther, what could be more interesting to my young readers than the care of either of these beautiful fish from the ^^g up to vigorous trouthood or salmonhood } The task proposed may look a 'difficult one, but it really is not, as I shall demonstrate. As a boy I have done precisely as I shall describe, and subse- quent experience has confirmed some conclusions which were at first tentative. To go back to my own earliest knowledge of the subject. One of my most pleasant recollec- tions is that of the late Mr. Frank Buckland (author of " Curiosities of Natural History," etc.) amongst his beloved infant trout at the Mu- seum of Fish Culture, South Kensington, Lon- don, Eng. With fatherly assiduity would he at- tend on them ; and as he brought to bear on the tiny entities the resources of his great and ingen- ious mind, one almost wished himself a fish, were it only to be brought within the tender care of such 172 WINTER ANGLING a fond foster-parent. Mr. Buckland's success in the breeding and rearing of fish was, as a conse- quence, very pronounced ; and his charming lec- ture before the London Royal Institution, on the subject of fish culture (which was afterwards pub- lished in book form), proves to any one that, so far from the subject being a dull one, it is replete with remarkable interest, and far from difficult of prac- tice. Of course, however, it is impossible for boys in general to undertake the artificial spawning, im- pregnation, rearing, feeding, etc., on the scale car- ried out in the various State hatcheries ; but, as I shall explain in the following pages, it is quite within the means of my readers to artificially hatch and rear a few dozen of trout or young salmon ; and what can be a prettier or more interesting amusement for the student of fish-life, apart from the knowledge it imparts of the natural history of the most important family of fishes in the world ? Boys breed and rear canaries and other birds, rab- bits, guinea-pigs, mice, and dogs ; why, therefore, should fish be neglected, when they are really easier to breed and keep than any of those just named } And are they not far more beautiful } TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER 1 73 What can form a more lovely pet than a tame car- mine-spotted trout taking its food from your fin- gers ? I intend, therefore, giving plain directions, by means of which any one possessed of ingenuity and a little careful patience may satisfactorily be- come a trout and salmon breeder on a small scale at a very little cost ; and, as the chief part of the operations will be carried out during the winter, when outdoor sports are few, I feel sure my in- structions will not fall to the ground. First, I must recapitulate briefly the natural his- tory of the salmon family. Now, all this family, which consists of several species of trout and the lordly salmon himself as the head, have habits as regards food, places of habitation, spawning, feed- ing, etc., very similar to each other. As winter approaches, unlike many other fish of our rivers, which spawn in summer, the trout or salmon as- cends the river and proceeds to make a nest in the gravel. " Fancy," I think I hear some one say, "a fish making a nest. I thought it was only birds did that." Quite incorrect, my young friend ; the trout and salmon make a distinct nest in the gravel, not of fibres it is true (the stickle-back does that, however), but by turning up the stones 1/4 WINTER ANGLING by means of a sort of undulating movement from head to tail. Both male and female assist in this ; and when a suitable cavity is formed, the female deposits the eggs, which are about the size of a small pea, and of a beautiful salmon-flesh color. The male then impregnates them, and they both set to and cover them up. After about a hundred days the eggs burst, letting out the tiny fish, which for a considerable time lie helpless, feeding only by absorption from an oil-bag, or vesicle, which in time becomes the stomach of the perfectly formed fish. After this it feeds, and takes its chance in the struggle for existence. Such is a short history of the natural process of breeding. The artificial method, of which the la- mented Seth Green and his yet living brother and others were and are apostles, consists in taking a fish full of spawn and catching the eggs from it in a suitable vessel. These are then impregnated and passed on in an artificial stream of water until they hatch, after which, as soon as they can feed, they are fed, and so grown on. It is a part of the artificial method I am going to explain. The artificial spawning of fish is manifestly im- practicable for most of my readers ; but as there TROUT-BKEEDING IN WINTER 1/5 are many gentlemen who sell ova, or eggs, they may be procured without difificulty,^ and I will therefore commence from the period when the eggs are actually in progress towards hatching. The apparatus first commands our closest atten- tion. A constant stream of water is indispensable at the outset, and the next requisite is a suitable box or boxes for the reception of the ova and the fry when they appear. Neither of these is diffi- cult to obtain. As to the water. If it be possible to join on a pipe to the water-works' supply, and regulate the stream of water by means of a tap, then half the battle is won ; but as it is not likely that boys will care to purposely go to this expense, some other device must be thought of. A cistern, or even tub, if clean and sweet, will do to store the water in, if the latter is pumped from a well ; and it should be indoors, out of the reach of frost, and raised above your boxes or troughs. It need not necessarily be very near, for a small India- rubber pipe will convey all the water. I have said that it should be indoors ; thafev is, in 1 J. Annin, Jr., Caledonia, Livingstone Co., N.Y., supplies eggs and fry in the proper season. 1/6 WINTER ANGLING an out-house or cellar, of course, because if it were out the frost might stop the supply of water dur- ing the night, and kill all your fish in a few hours. I will suppose you have a tool-shed, or part of a barn, therefore, at your disposal. Of course a good and reliable stove must be fixed ; that is a prime essential. This is how I would go to work in the very cheapest way. Fix in one corner, at about five feet from the floor, two stout iron brackets. Procure a cask ; a molasses cask will do. Have the head knocked in, and the inside thoroughly cleansed with boiling water, and after that deeply charred ; the charcoal thus formed clears the water of impurity. The charring is done with hot embers from the stove. Set the barrel upon your brackets securely, and be sure they are strong enough to bear the weight of the water. You have thus your water receptacle, which will, of course, require refilling as it empties (Fig. 79). Now, before going farther, just let me make two or three remarks on this important sub- ject of water supply. Of course, when advising the ptirchase and fixing of a barrel, I am suppos- ing that no house-tank is accessible, and that my reader depends upon an artificial supply. Of TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER 177 course, also, a zinc or lead, or even wood, tank would do better, though not much. Besides, the barrel is always useful long after my experimen- talist has given up fish-breeding. Just, however, as it is certain a kennel is necessary for a dog, or a hutch for rabbits, so is the barrel or reservoir Fig. 79. — Water Cask. necessary for the fish, and, as I have recom- mended, does not come very high. We will now suppose the cask is fixed ; the next thing is a covering or lid to keep out the dust. Anything that suggests itself as suitable will do 41 178 WINTER ANGLING for this, so nothing further need be said about it. The arrangement for an outlet must now be made. An ordinary wooden faucet will do capi- tally ; but you must boil it in water for some time before using it, in order to extract any sap, etc., in the wood likely to taint the water. When dry, drive it into a hole previously bored at a distance Fig. 80.— Filter. of about six inches from the bottom. An India rubber pipe will connect this with your next necessary article, namely, a filter ; for trout must have the purest water when they are very young. Now, the filter (Fig. 8o) is very easily made in this wise. Procure a large flower-pot, the largest TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER 1 79 you can get. Make a wire tripod stand for it of about a foot in height. Into the hole at the bottom of the pot insert a cork, through which a glass pipe (easily procurable at your drug-store) of about three inches long has been inserted. You can bore the cork through with a red-hot iron, and be careful that it is a good sound one ; also be very sure that it fits the aperture exactly, so that no water can escape except through the pipe. The latter should be at least three-eighths of an inch in diameter, inside measurement, or the supply of water will be inadequate to the de- mands of health in the fish. When the cork is inserted, the glass pipe should be flush or even with that part of it inside the flower-pot, and the rest outside. On the outside length your India- rubber piping will be attached. The making of the filter, from which we have slightly digressed, is as follows : Having arranged the cork and glass as I have directed, immediately above the latter, inside the pot, a piece of well- washed, fine sponge, not larger than a slice from an orange of say half-inch thickness, should be placed. Immediately on this a half-inch layer of well-washed stones of not more than three-eighths l8o WINTER ANGLING of an inch in diameter are placed ; they may grad- uate, of course, to lesser sizes. Thereafter follows a layer of at least an inch and 'a half of smaller stones, the limit of size being a pea, and the min- imum being a mustard seed. Next a layer of wood charcoal, broken up into small pieces ; next a layer of sand, well washed before using, and finally a piece of coarse muslin. Another piece of sponge may be placed at the top to break the fall of the water from the cistern. Here, there- fore, is a splendidly efficient filter, which will, however, I must say, require cleaning out occa- sionally, more or less frequently, in fact, according to the purity or impurity of the water. In view of this, perhaps it is well to make two or three others at the same time, so that the fish may never have impure water. The stream of water is now assured, and its purity certain. The next concern, of course, is the troughs or tanks in which the eggs are to be kept and matured into life. These are constructed of various materials, and so used by the professed fish culturist, slate, glass, earthenware, and wood being chiefly in requisition. For the present purpose wood is quite good enough. Let me TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER l8l first, however, describe what the trough is when adapted for its use. It consists of a receptacle, say, six inches deep, of a rectangular shape, in which the ova are stored, fitted to receive water, and also furnished with a spout from which the overflow emerges. This is how it is made, and I do not think I can be too terse and practical. Take (for our present purpose) three lengths of well-seasoned pine plank half an inch thick by three feet long by ten inches for one, and the others nine inches broad. The ten-inch wood plank will form the bottom, and the other two the sides. Two other ten-inch-by-nine pieces of the same kind of wood are necessary to form the ends. These parts should be put together with copper nails such as boat-builders use, and no corrosion in consequence ensues, as would be the case were iron nails employed. Iron nails will do, however, if the copper are not available. After the box has been made so securely that no water can escape, the next operation is that of charring the interior. It is a well-known fact amongst pisciculturists that the charred wood box or trough presents more lively fish than any other kind of apparatus. Well, the charring process is 1 82 * WINTER ANGLING easy enough. Take out the red-hot embers of a good coal fire and place them in a box, moving them as it is found the wood ignites. Some care and perseverance are necessary to char the in- terior properly ; but it can, of course, be done without more difficulty than a certain amount of patience and dexterity in themselves indicate. The idea is to make the inside of the trough a perfect lining of charcoal, so that no fungus or other impurity can exist. Curious, isn't it, that carbon, or charcoal, is one of the most powerful antiseptics of nature, and that vegetable growths and all impurities will not attach themselves to it } or, if the latter do, they lose all their vicious char- acter and become innocuous. Mr. Monroe Green of the Caledonia Hatchery, N.Y., uses a coating of coal-tar only, and finds it all that is required. Thus your trough is finished, excepting the all-necessary outlet. In order to make this, bore a hole seven-eighths of an inch in diameter, and with a cement of white lead introduce a short length of lead pipe. Now, the white lead must be used sparingly, and as little as possible should be allowed to appear on the water side of the trough. It must also be allowed to become hard before the TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER 183 receptacle is put in use ; and if sufficient care be exercised in this, there is but little fear of the lead proving deleterious to the fish. A slanting section of the pipe may be cut off by means of a good sharp knife or saw ; and trough, spout, and all is then furnished with sufficient complete- ness to rear the most delicate of all fishes (Fig. 81). Fig. 81 . — Trough. In large fish-breeding establishments a series of troughs, either of slate, glass, earthenware, or, as I have just described, of wood, is usually erected, and the water passes, by means of the spouts, from end to end of each. This series may, and often 184 WINTER ANGLING does, number ten or a dozen troughs, and, of course, admits of a great number of fry being hatched. I am, however, writing for boys here, and I do not advise a larger receptacle than that described, for an initial experiment. Such a trough will accommodate some thousands of ova at a pinch, though I advise the learner not to, in any case, overcrowd. The fewer the eggs under care, the easier is each individual looked after, and the easier is it to remove dead matter, debris, and the ordinary flotsam and jetsam inevitable on an as- semblage of living beings. The trough I have described should be placed on either trestle, or on stakes driven into the ground, to a height which, whilst it admits of a fairly good fall from the cistern to the filter, is not too low so as to be inconvenient. In my fish- breeding experiment nothing has seemed to con- duce to the lack of patient, absorbed observation of the eggs and embryos like the backache engen- dered by reason of the inconveniently low troughs ; therefore, be particular when making your trestles not to make the legs too short. The trough can be nailed (copper nails preferable) to the stakes or trestle for security's sake ; in fact, it is advisable TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER 1 85 this should be done. I once had a terrible disas- ter when I first began, as a boy, to artificially hatch fish. My coat happened to catch in a corner of the trough, and the whole bag of tricks came splash over me, costing me the death of at least a hundred young fish. As these were worth about two cents each, I can leave my reader to imagine the lesson it taught. The tank which is to receive the young fish when their period of absorption-feeding is past, and when they begin to eat with their mouths, when, in fact, they are to be fed and brought up till of sufficient age to be transported to the aqua- rium, pond, or stream, must be of larger dimensions than the hatching-trough. I recommend, there- fore, that it be made of deal, as before, which can be charred or not, and of these dimensions : one foot deep, four feet broad by six feet long. Six clear inches of water is quite sufficient for these young gentlemen ; and an outlet, as recommended for the hatching-trough, which communicates with a drain, is necessary. Before and over both the openings in the trough, and that in this "stew," or tank, it is important to bear in mind that a zinc- wire covering must be fixed at some distance from 1 86 WINTER ANGLING both. The object of both these contrivances is to keep the tiny embryos and fry from passing away from their allotted dwelling-places, which, with a perverseness of all young organisms, they would inevitably do were they left to their own devices. Coverings of wood must also be provided for both these receptacles ; for it is found that eggs hatch better in darkness, and the young alevins are intolerant of light. With the fry the precau- tion is not so necessary, except for the purpose of keeping away all nocturnal enemies. An old cat once played me a pretty trick, catching and eating a lot of my two-inch fry ; and a rat once did worse than that, — he simply gnawed a hole in the bot- tom of the tank, and when it was empty hopped in and devoured the lot of fish, remaining high and dry. I have now described the chief apparatus, which, to recapitulate, consists of a reservoir, a filter, a hatching-trough, and a "stew," or tank, for the fish when they have arrived at the feeding-age. Place them in order, and turn on your water for a day or two to sweeten the whole affair. This done, it be- comes necessary to see about stocking the hatch- ing-trough. First, however, procure some nice sharp gravel ; the stones should not be larger than TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER 1 8/ peas, and as uniform in size as possible. They should be boiled (not to render them soft, of course), to clear off and kill any impurity. Having thereafter washed them carefully in several w^aters, spread a layer of about an inch in thickness over the bottom of your two receptacles. It is not really necessary to do this in the "stew" until you are ready to receive the fry in it. However, as it is scarcely necessary to take two bites off one cherry, it may be better, perhaps, to do both at the same time. Having done this, obtain some larger stones, ranging from the size of a filbert to that of a plum, and place these sparely, so that, as the water passes over them, tiny eddies may be formed. These are of very salutary value to young trout or salmon, and serve the purpose of shelter and quietude. I have said that the art of spawning and im- pregnating is impracticable for most boys. This being so, and as there are gentlemen who make a business of supplying eyed ova, I can only re- peat my advice as to the purchase of the eggs from a reliable fish culturist. As a rule, the eggs are retained by the vendor until the two eyes of the little fish, which are large and unmistakable. 1 88 WINTER ANGLING ^ can be seen through the shell of the ^gg. If the ova are removed before this the chances of their dying are very great ; and when '' eyed," however, the chances are just oppositely small, insomuch as that as many as ninety-five per cent may be safely received off a journey of one hundred miles if they have been packed with judgment and care. Let us suppose the tyro has purchased, say, one thousand eyed eggs, and has his apparatus in order, with a gentle stream dribbling into his hatching- trough. The eggs will, doubtless, come to him in damp moss, and no time should be lost in introdu- cinof them to their future home. This is done in no extraordinary manner ; the ova being only turned in and distributed over the gravel by means of a feather. Be careful in doing this to spread the tiny opaline beads so that they do not bunch, but are well apart. Having done this, replace the cover of your trough, and let them have twelve hours clear rest before you again look at them. On again closely scanning them you may per- chance notice one or two of a different color to the rest ; that is, they are whitish, as if addled. These are dead, and must be removed. To do TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER 189 this a new piece of apparatus is brought into requisition. This simply consists of a glass tube Fig. 82. — Tube for Siphon. of about half an inch inside diameter, bent to an obtuse angle (Fig. 82). The thumb is placed on IQO WINTER ANGLING the top of the longer leg, and the tube is then forced down into the water near the (^gg desired to be brought up. Of course but little water can enter the tube whilst the air is retained by the ball of the thumb ; but as soon as the latter is removed the air rushes out, and the water passing in with great swiftness carries with it the ^gg or eggs you wish to examine. If now the tube be held with its contents between the eye and the light, the Qgg which is dead will be seen to contain an immov- able, mouldy-looking creature ; whereas, should there be a live ^gg in its company, the embryo will be seen to incessantly wriggle and move about within its shelly covering. It will be well to" watch incessantly for the insect enemies which, in spite of all care, will sometimes creep into the trough. The larvae of all water-flies and beetles are inimical to the well-being of both the Qgg and alevin. If reasonable precautions be taken, such as I have suggested, however, the tyro need not fear such visitants. Our experimentalist will have had no opportu- nity of watching the gradual development of the ova from the moment of their impregnation to the time they become " eyed ; " because, of course, he TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER I9I will not have received them till this period, and so he has missed a very interesting part of the fish's history. To supply, in some part, this omission, I will give just those little details which can be seen by the aid of a good lens, which, by the by, should find a place in every naturalist's outfit. *' For some time," says Mr. Francis Francis in his "Fish Culture" (after impregnation), "little change is observable in the ova ; but at length little globules of an oily looking substance are formed. By degrees these densify, and by the aid of a strong glass a thin, whitish line may be traced coiled within the ^^^. This is the earliest devel- opment of the spinal column, and, of course, it becomes more distinct as the animal becomes more formed. And about the fifth or sixth week (in water of moderate temperature we may say usually from the thirty-fifth to the forty-fifth day) a small dark speck, probably, on examination, two black specks, will be observable. These are the eyes of embryos, the form of which may now be traced almost by the naked eye. In a few days the eyes become distinct, and the embryo may now be discerned without the aid of a glass, mov- ing and turning round the ^%%'' 192 WINTER ANGLING This is how Mr. Francis speaks of the period in the existence of the ovum between its birth and the time it comes into possession of our tyro. The by far most interesting part of its nonage, however, Hes before us. By means of our glass siphon and lens you will perceive through its transparent walls the gradual growth and definition of the tiny fish. You will perceive the pink lines hereafter to become arteries, the ruddy spot pres- ently to form the heart, and which even now does elementary duty in circulating the vital fluid. All this can be seen without injury to the ^g^ or its contents ; and marvellous and altogether beautiful is the gradual development of this germ of life, which in its full maturity will, perhaps, arrive at the " lusty " life and glorious symmetry of a four- pound trout or a twenty-pound salmon. By-the- by, let it be clearly understood that the ova of salmon are equally interesting with those of trout. For my part, I advise a half-and-half mixture. The salmon could be reared to two and three pounds' weight in fresh water if land-locked, — that is, kept in a lake and fed ; otherwise they seek the sea, to reascend in spawning-time. While young, however, both trout and salmon are very lovely, and can be rendered quite manageable. TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER 1 93 It is well if the buyer of the eggs inquires when they are expected to hatch. After the eyes appear, however, three weeks or a month sees this important change, according to temperature. One morning, as usual, you go to see what prog- ress your ova have made, when you perchance perceive a tiny speck of bright red amongst the eggs of pale coralline tint. On looking closer, and taking this up with a siphon, you are amazed to see that the fish has thrown off the ^gg and emerged into active, vigorous, energetic life. See how he kicks in the glass with frantic endeavors to get away somewhere. Now it is quiet, and what a wondrous little fellow it is ! What does it look like } See, there is a thin streak of almost trans- parent substance with a huge belly, larger, appar- ently, than the ^'g'g it has just emerged from. And its length is nearly an inch over all. The stomachic appendage seems composed of some gelatinous liquid, in which the tiny oil globules before referred to seem to float. And see the bright red spot near the head. What is that } It is the heart, dear reader, that as we look at it through our lens is visibly pumping the life fluid through these tiny coral-like veins, that ramify 194 WINTER ANGLING from it. And this fish is the one that hereafter shall make the blood thrill with an exquisite pleas- ure as it bounds and flies up and down and across the stream, securely hooked by the deft hand of a piscator. How glorious are the works of the Creator ! This tiny entity is, perchance, a young salmon, for whose family miles and miles of paper have been inscribed with laws, on whose flesh hundreds of thousands have been fed, and whose members have given health-bringing joy on the salmon rivers of the world. Turn it back into the trough. See its huge, dis- proportionate eyes, which shall be in future years as brilliant and keen of sight as those of the mountain eagle, dislike the light, and it "wab- bles " to the bottom behind some sheltering stone, there to mature its vitalized, but as yet unformed and ungainly, body. As you are looking at this, your welcome homely first-born, you perhaps may remark the frantic movements which seem to be going on inside an ^^^ near, and should turn and watch the antic- frolic. Pick it up with the siphon and hold the glass with your warm hand a second, and see ! The shell has burst, and a pair of wide-open eyes TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER 1 95 are protruding. Replace the ^gg in the water very gently, and watch the operation of hatching. With two or three frantic struggles the shell splits open, and the captive is free. See how he exults in this new found world and freedom ! Up to the surface he wriggles ; and after splashing there- abouts some little time his strength is exhausted, and he falls prone on his side beside some shelter- ing stone. Should the struggler have difficulty in separat- ing from the shell, take your feather and gently aid nature in her work. Not infrequently are there cases of strangulation owing to difficulty in this process. The hatching will now go on with- out intermission till all will have emerged. After you know the hatching has begun, it is as well to keep the fish in darkness. Of course you can, if you wish, take a few of the eggs likely to break through, into the drawing-room in a dish with plenty of water, that such friends as you may have present may see the wonderful sight. This change will do the fish little harm, provid- ing they are returned to the hatching-trough in a reasonable time. There is no more beautiful study in the world than one of the newly hatched 196 WINTER ANGLING fry placed in an ordinary microscopical tank and viewed with medium powers. Hitherto the care of the tyro has been directed to the supply and temperature of the water ; now, however, these cares increase in gravity and num- ber. The water supply must on no account fail, and it should be more plentiful than before. The zinc guard to the outlet must be seen to, so that none of the little fish can struggle against it and get stuck there, which would be the case if it were placed too near the aperture. My plan is to bend the zinc netting into a square form, and place two pieces of wood, like rafters, as it were, between the two sides of the trough to keep it close. No accident will then ensue, because the draught of water is not sufficient to overcome the natural vigor of the fish. The filters must be changed and cleansed often. The same materials will do again and again ; and as soon as it is judged that all the eggs have hatched, the feather must be used gently to agitate the water, so that the egg- shells may be taken out by means of a little fine muslin net, which can be easily made. Perfect cleanliness is your most important consideration, or there is a strong probability of a fungoid TkOUT-BRkEDlNG IN WINTER 1 97 disease attacking the gills of the little fellows ; and this seems to be entirely without remedy when it-gets a distinct hold. In about another six or seven weeks you will observe your fry have grown larger, and have nearly, if not quite, lost the umbilical bag or vesi- cle on which they had previously fed by absorp- tion. They must now be removed to the tank or cistern, and in a short time you will perceive they are getting remarkably lively, and dart hither and thither as if in search of food. You can now dis- connect the hatching trough from the reservoir, and allow the water to fall not too lavishly from the filter into the larger tank. Your fish now require feeding, and the all-important question of food now presents itself. At one time grated liver — that is, liver that had been boiled and grated — I almost entirely used ; but it was found to sometimes remain in the water, rendering it impure. However, it will do very well if used sparingly. In feeding it is absolutely necessary that no refuse be allowed to sink to the bottom uncon- sumed, and so remain to putrefy. I should rec- ommend that, whatever food be given, a good 198 IVINTER ANGLING lookout be kept to avoid this nuisance. Feed the little fellows very often, not with an excess in quantity, but let "little and often " be your motto. You cannot overfeed them ; and it will be quite as well if you use them to the broad daylight instead of covering them up, except at night, of course. Small worms and. maggots are a good food. Now, when they arrive at the time at which they feed greedily, I would advise the introduction — they can be procured from aquarists — of some of the fresh-water shrimp {PiUex gaminai'us), to be found in some gravelly streams under the stones. These little crustaceans (albeit they are not shrimps at all, but belong to the flea family) are capital scav- engers of the water. You cannot make a mistake as to which they are, if you notice their very active movements and shrimp-like character ; and they are easily caught in a muslin net, which you can easily make. Turn over the stones, and, as they seek to get away, dexterously put your net beneath, and so secure them. At three months old a salmon or trout fry is over an inch long, and a very bright, voracious little "cuss" he is! By this time you had better look out for other quarters for him. If you have TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER 1 99 anything like good fortune, — which you can alone have, by-the-by, by following the directions I have laid down, — out of fifty eggs you will have at least twenty-five young fish, lovely, bright, go-ahead little fellows, who will recognize you by this time if you have fed them regularly. An aquarium, or a little clear adjacent stream preferably, should now be their destination ; but mind, I do not say it is impossible to keep them much longer in their tank aforesaid. However, you must please your- self. Coarser food may be given to your fish as soon as you find they are strong enough and large enough. By the time they are six or seven months old this diet should be regular. Small pieces of fresh meat, tadpoles, flies, the tiny fry of coarse fish, are all food, and will tend to the tam- ing of the trout if you feed yourself. The brook trout is the boldest in this wise. I have inferred that salmon can, as well as trout, be hatched and cultured. This is most certainly true, and I know of no prettier fish, till it gets impatient at its twelve months' birth- day with the restraints put upon it. Seaward its instincts impel it ; and though I have grown them 200 WINTER ANGLING up to a couple of pounds, I prefer the Salmo fario or brown trout, or the Salmo fontinalis referred to above (American brook trout), both on account of beauty and docility. In the foregoing chapter I have, I think, com- pletely demonstrated the possibility of the breed- ing of trout. The winter days are often vacant of sports ; and if any one derives amusement or in- struction from these teachings, I am amply paid for the trouble I have taken to make the process clear. \< ^ !S :^^ « K^- LEE AND SHEPARD'S ILLUSTRATED JUVENILES 27 GEORGE MAKEPEACE TOWLE'S BOOKS HEROES OF HISTORY. 6 volumes. The Voyages and Adventures of Vasco da Gama. By George M. Towle. Illustrated. $1.25. The subject of this work was in his own day more famous than Columbus. His discovery of the way to India around the Cape of Good Hope was one of the most momentous ever made by man ; for up to the time the Suez Canal was opened it was the only sea route between Europe and India. His story is full of striking incidents, of strange adventures, of desperate dangers, and of moving triumphs. Pizarro : His Adventures and Conquests. By George M. Towle. Illustrated. $1.25. Pizarro was heroic in the indomitable energy with which he pursued his end, in the patience with which he bore terrible hardships, in the courage wiih which he assailed a great empire with a mere handful of resolute troops, and in the vigor and genius with which he established the Spanish rule over the conquered nation. Magellan; or, The First Voyage round the World. By George M. Towle. Illustrated. $1.25. As Vasco da Gama found the water-way to Asia around the Cape of Good Hope, so Magellan, a little more than twenty years after, discovered the route to the same continent by sailing westward and passing through the stormy straits which perpetuate his name and renown. The story of his famous expedition comprises one of the most thrilling portions of the world's history. Marco Polo: His Travels and Adventures. By George M. Towle. Illustrated. $1.25. In this volume the old narrative of " Marco Polo " is transformed into an interesting story, and we follow the young Venetian of the thirteenth century as he journeys among the fierce tribes of Asia and Abyssinia. We see him at the Tartar court of Kublai Khan, where he rose to distinction. We see him after his return engaged in the war between Venice and Genoa, and find him a prisoner in the latter city, where he dictated his wonderful narrative. The scenes and incidents in which he was the leading actor are dramatic and thrilling. Ralegh: His Exploits and Voyages. By George M. Towle. Illustrated. $1.25. A well-known and brilliant figure at the court of Elizabeth, an undaunted explorer and soldier, a scholar and historian, and a poet with the verve and - directness of that age, — the career of such a man could not fail to be invested with interest by the accomplished author of this series. Drake, the Sea-King of Devon. By George M. Towle. Illustrated. $1.25. Sir Francis Drake, as is well known, was the leading naval captain under the reign of Elizabeth, and was chief among the destroyers of the Spanish Armada. Loose notions prevailed in that age, and Drake's exploits in plunder- ing foreign vessels differed little from piracy. He was safe, however, so long as he shared his plunder with his royal mistress and her friends. He was the first English admiral to sail a ship completely around the globe. The book is full of adventures spiritedly told. Heroes and Martyrs of Invention. By George M. Towle. Illustrated. $1.00. Mr. Towle's book will be fascinating to young people who have not yet made the acquaintance of the heroes of the age of industry, nor learned that the battles of life are fought with many weapons besides the cross-bow, the sword, and the cannon. LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE. H OLIVER OPTICS BOOKS All-Over-tlie- World Series. By Oliver Optic. First Series. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.25. 1. A MiHsing: Million ; ok, The Adventukes of Louis Belgrave. 3. A iVlillionnaire at Sixteen ; or, The Cruise of the Guardian Mother. 3. A Young Knight Errant; ok, Cruising in the West Indies. 4. Strange Sights Abroad ; or, Adventures in European Waters. All-Over- tlie-World Series. By Oliver Optic. Second Series. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.25. 1. Americ.in Boys Afloat; or. Cruising in the Orient. 2. The Young Navia:«tors; or, the Foreign Cruise of the " Maud." Louis is a fine youn^ fellow wilh jrood principles. But he does not have entirely smooth sailinji:. In the first place, there was a rascally stepfather whom he had to subjugate, a dear mother to protect and care for, and the niiss- imr million to rind before he could commence his delij^htful travels. All was accomplished at last, and there was plenty of excitement in the doing of them. The cover design shows many things, — a globe, the Eiffel Tower, mountains, seas, nvers, castles, and other things which Louis saw on his travels. (Other volumes in preparation.) Young" America Abroad: A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. By Oliver Optic. Illus- trated by Nast and others. First Series. Six volumes. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.50. 1. Outward Bound; or. Young America Afloat. 2. Slianirock and Thistle; or, Young America in Ireland and Scotland. 3. Red Cross; cr, Young America in England and Wales. 4. Dilces and Ditches; or. Young America in Holland and Belgium. 6. Palace and Cottage; or, Young America in France and Switzerland. 6. Down the Rhine; or, Young America in Germany. "The story from its inception, and through the twelve volumes (see Second Series), is a bewitching one, while the information imparted concerning the countries of Europe and the isles of the sea is not only correct in every particu- lar, but is told in a captivating style. Oliver Optic will continue to be the boys' friend, and his pleasant books will continue to be read by thousands of American boys. What a fine holiday present either or both series of ' Young America Abroad ' would be for a young friend ! It would make a little library highly prized by the recipient, and would not be an expensive one." — Provi- dence Press. Young" America Abroad. By Oliver Optic. Second Series. Six volumes. Illustrated. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.50. 1. Up the Baltic; or, Young America in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. 3. Northern Lands; or, Young America in Russia and Prussia. 3. Cross and Crescent; or. Young America in Turkey and Greece. 4. Sunny Shores; or. Young America in Italy and Austria. 5. Vine and Olive; or. Young America in Spain and Portugal. 6. Isles of the Sea; or, Young America Homeward Bound. " Oliver Optic is a nom de plume that is known and loved by almost every boy of intelligence in the land. We have seen a highly intellectual and world- weary man, a cynic whose heart was somewhat embittered by its large experi- . ence of human nature, take up one of Oliver Optic's books, and read it at a sitting, neglecting his work in yielding to the fascination of the pages. When 9. mature and exceedingly well-informed mind, long despoiled of all its fresh- ness, can thus find pleasure in a book for boys, no additional words of recom- mendation are needed." — Sunday Times, LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE. OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS 5^ The Blue and the Gray Series. By Oliver Optic. Six volumes. Illustrated. Beautiful binding in blue and gray, with emblematic dies. Cloth. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.50. 1. Taken by the Enemy. 4. Stand by the Union. 2. Within the Enemy's Lines. 5. Fighting: for the Kight. 3. On the Blockade. 6. A Victorious Union. "There never has been a more interesting- writer in the field of juvenile literature than Mr. W. T. Adams, who, under his well-known pseudonym, is known and admired by every boy and girl in the country, and by thousands who have long- since passed the boundaries of youth, yet who remember with pleasure the genial, interesting pen that did so much to interest, instruct, and entertain their younger years. 'The iJlue and the Gray ' is a title that is suf- ficiently indicative of the nature and spirit of the latest series, while the name of Oliver Optic is sufficient warrant of the absorbing style of narrative. This series is as bright and entertaining as any work that Mr. Adams has vet put forth, and will be as eagerly perused as any that has borne his name. It would not be fair to the prospective reader to deprive him of the zest which comes from the unexpected by entering into a synopsis of the story. A word, how- ever, should be said in regard to the beauty and appropriateness of the binding, which makes it a most attractive volume." — Boston Budget. WoodvlUe stories. By Oliver Optic. Six volumes. Illus- trated. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25. 1. Rich and Humble; or, Thk Mission of Rkrtha Grant. 2. In School and Out; or, Thk Conquest of Hichard Grant. 3. Watch and Wait; or, The Young Fugitives. 4. Work and W^in; or, Noddy Newman on a Cruise. 6. Hope and Have; or, Fannv Grant among the Indians 6. Haste and Waste; or, The Young Pilot of I^ake Champlain. " Though we are not so young as we once were, we relished these stories almost as much as the boys and girls for whom thev were written. They were really refreshing, even to us. There is much in them which is calculnted to inspire a generous, healthy ambition, and to make distasteful all reading tend- ing to stimulate base desires." — Fitchburg Reveille. The Starry Flag" Series. By Oliver Optic. In six volumes. Illustrated. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25. 1. The Starry Flag; or, The Young Fisherman of Cape Ann. /8. Breaking Away; or, The Fortunes of a Student. 3. Seek and Find; or. The Adventures of a Smart Boy. 4. Freaks of Fortune; or, Half round the World. 5. Make or Break; or. The Rich Man's Daughter. 6. Down the Kiver; or, Buck Bradford and the Tyrants. " Mr. Adams, the celebrated and popular writer, familiarly known as Oliveti Optic, seems to have inexhaustible funds for weaving together the virtues of life; and, notwithstanding he has written scores of books, the same freshness and novelty run through them all. Some people think the sensational element predominates. Perhaps it does. But a book for young people needs this, and so long as good sentiments are inculcated such books ought to be read." Just His liUCk. By Oliver Optic. Illustrated. $1.00. " It deals with real flesh and blood boys ; with boys who possess many noble qualities of mind; with boys of generous impulses and large hearts; with boys who delight in playing pranks, and who are ever ready for any sort of mischief; and with boys in whom human nature is strongly engrafted. They are boys, as many of us have been; boys in the true, unvarnished sense of" the word; boys with hopes, ideas, and inspirations, but lackinuf in judgment, self-control, and discipline. And the book contains an appropriate moral, teaches many a lesson, and presents many a precept worthy of being followed. It is a capital book for boys." LEE AND SHEPARO, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE. 36 OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS The Great Western Series. By Oliver Optic. In six vol- umes. Illustrated. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.50. 1. Going West; or, The Perils of a Poor Boy. 8. Out West; or, Roughing it on the Great Lakes. 3. Lake Breezes; or, The Cruise of the Sylvania. 4. Going South; or. Yachting on the Atlantic Coast. 5. Down Soutli; or. Yacht Adventures in Florida. 6. Up the Kiver; or. Yachting on the Mississippi. "This is the latest series of books issued by this popular writer, and de:il< with life on the Great Lakes, for which a careful study was made by the author in a summer tour of the immense water sources of America. The story, which carries the same hero through the six books of the series, is always entertain- ing-, novel scenes and varied incidents giving a constantly changing yet always attractive aspect to the narrative. Oliver Optic has written nothing better/' The Yacht Chib Series. By Oliver Optic. In six volumes. Illustrated. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.50. 1. Liittle Bobtail; or. The Wreck of the Penobscot. 2. The Yacht Club; or, The Young Boat Builders. 3. Money-Maker; or. The Victory of the Basilisk. 4. The Coming Wave; or. The Treasure of High Rock. 6. The Dorcas Club; or. Our Girls Afloat. 6. Ocean Born; or. The Cruise of the Clubs. " The series has this peculiarity, that all of its constituent volumes are inde- pendent of one another, and therefore each story is complete in itself. Oliver Optic is, perhaps, the favorite author of the boys and girls of this country, and he seems destined to enjoy an endless popularity. He deserves his success, for he makes very interesting stories, and inculcates none but the best senti- ments, and the 'Yacht Club' is no exception to this rule." — JVew Haven jfournal and Courier. Onward and Upward Series. By Oliver Optic. In six volumes. Illustrated. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25. 1. Field and Forest; or, The Fortunes of a Farmer. 3. Plane and Plank; or, The Mishaps of a Mechanic. 3. Desk and Debit; or, The Catastrophes of a Clerk. 4. Cringle and Crosstree; or. The Sea Swashes of a Sailor. 5. Bivouac and Battle; or. The Struggles of a Soldier. 6. Sea and Shore; or. The Tramps of a Traveller. " Paul Farringford, the hero of these tales, is, like most of this author's heroes, a young man of high spirit, and of high aims and correct princi|)les, appearing in the different volumes as a farmer, a captain, a bookkeeper, a soldier, a sailor, and a traveller. In all of them the hero meets with very exciting adventures, told in the graphic style for which the author is famous." The Lake Shore Series. By Oliver Optic. In six volumes. Illustrated. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25. 1. Through by Daylight; or, The Young Engineer of the Lake Shore Railroad. \ 2. Liightning Express; or, The Rival Academies. 3. On Time; or. The Young Captain of the Ucayga Steamer. • 4. Switch Oflf; or, The War of the Students. 5. Brake Up; or, The Young Peacemakers. 6. Bear and Forbear; or. The Young Skipper of Lake Ucavga. " Oliver Optic is one of the most fascinating writers for youth, and withal one of the best to be found in this or any past age. Troops of young people hang over his vivid pages ; and not one of them ever learned to be mean, ignoble, cmvardly, selfish, or to yield to any vice from anything they ever read from his pen." — Providence Press. LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE. OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS 37 Army and Navy Stories. By Oliver Optic. Six volumes. Illustrated. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.50. 1. The Soldier Boy; or, Tom Somers in the Army. 2. The Sailor Boy; or, Jack Somers in the Navy. 3. The Young Lieutenant; or, Adventures of an Army Officer. 4. The Yankee Middy; ok. Adventures of a Navy Officer. 6. Fighting Joe; or. The Fortunes of a Staff Officer. 6. Brave Old Salt; ok. Life on the Quarter Deck. "This series of six volumes recounts the adventures of two brothers, Tom and Jack Somers, one in the army, the other in the navy, in the g^reat Civil War. The romantic narratives of the fortunes and exploits of the brothers are thrill- ing' in the extreme. Historical accuracy in the recital of the g^reat events of that period is strictly followed, and the result is, not only a library of entertain- ing volumes, but also the best history of the Civil War for young people ever written." Soat Builders Series. By Oliver Optic. In six volumes. Illustrated. Any volume sold separately. Price per volume, $1.25. 1. All Adrift; or, The Goldwing Club. 2. Snug Harbor; or, The Champlain Mechanics. 3. Square and Compasses; or. Building the House. 4. Stem to Stern; or, Building the Boat. 5. All Taut; or, Rigging the Boat. 6. Ready About; or. Sailing the Boat. •' The series includes in six successive volumes the whole art of boat building, boat rigging, boat manatjing, and practical hints to make the ownership of a boat pay. A great deal of useful information is given in this Boat Builders Series, and in "^-ach book a very interesting story is interwoven with the infor- mation. Every reader will be interested at once in Dory, the hero of ' AH Adrift,' and one of the characters retained in the subsequent volumes of the series. His friends will not want to lose sight of him, and every boy who makes his acquaintance in 'AH Adrift' will become his friend." Riverdale Story Books. By Oliver Optic. Twelve vol- umes. Illustrated. Illuminated covers. Price: cloth, per set, $3.60; per volume, 30 cents; paper, per set, $2.00. 1. Little Merchant. 7. Proud and Lazy. 2. Young Voyagers. 8. Careless Kate. 3. Christmas Gift. 9. Robinson Crusoe, Jr. 4. Dolly and I. 10. The Picnic Party. 5. Uncle Ben. 11. The Gold Thimble. 6. Birthday Party. 12. The Do-Somethings. Riverdale Story Books. By Oliver Optic. Six volumes. Illustrated. Fancy cloth and colors. Price per volume, 30 cents. 1. Little Merchant. 4. Careless Kate. 2. Proud and Lazy. 5. Dolly and I. 3. Young Voyagers. 6. Robinson Crusoe, Jr. Flora Lee Library, By Oliver Optic. Six volumes. Illus- trated. Fancy cloth and colors. Price per volume, 30 cents. 1. The Picnic Party. 4. Christmas Gift. 2. The Gold Thimble. 5. Uncle Ben. 3. The Do-Somethings. 6. Birthday Party. These are bright short stories for younger children who are unable to com- prehend the Starry Flag Series or the Army and Navv Series. But they all display the author's talent for pleasing and interesting the little folks. They are all fresh and original, preaching no sermons, but inculcating good lessons. LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE. LEE AND SHEPARD'S ILLUSTRATED JUVENILES yg J. T. TROWBRIDGE'S BOOKS lie Fortunes of Toby Trafford. By J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.25. "If to make children's stories as true to nature as the stories which the masters of fiction write for children of a larger growth be an uncommon achievement, and one that is worthy of wide recognition, that recognition should be given to Mr. J. T. Tkowbkidgk for his many achievements in this difficult walk of literary art. Mr. TKOWBKiDGii has a good perception of char- acter, which he draws with skill; he has abundance of invention, which he never abuses; and he has, what so manv American writers have not, an easy, graceful style, which can be humorous, or pathetic, or poetic." — R. H. Stoddard in New York Mail. THE START IN LIFE SERIES. 4 volumes. A Start in Life : A Story of the Genesee Country. Bj J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.00. In this story the author recounts the hardships of a young lad in his first endeavor to start out for himself. It is a tale that is full of enthusiasm and budding hopes. The writer shows how hard the youths of a century ago were compelled to work. This he does in an entertaining wav, mingling fun and adventures with their daily labors. The hero is a striking example of the honest boy, who is not too lazy to work, nor too dull to thoroughly appreciate a joke. Biding- His Time. By J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.00. *' It is full of spirit and adventure, and presents a plucky hero who was willing to * bide his time,' no matter how great the expectations that he indulged in from his uncle's vast wealth, which he did not in the least covet. . . . He was left a poor orphan in Ohio at seventeen years of age, and soon after heard of a rich uncle, who lived near Boston. He sets off on the long journey to Boston, finds his uncle, an eccentric old man, is hospitably received by him, but seeks employment in a humble way, and proves that he is a persevering and plucky young man." — Boston Home Journal. The Kelp Gatherers: A Story of the Maine Coast. Bj J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.00. This book is full of interesting information upon the plant life of the sea- shore, and the life of marine animals; but it is also a bright and readable storj, with all the hints of character and the vicissitudes of human life, in depicting which the author is an acknowledged master. The Scarlet Taiiagrer, and Other Bipeds. Bj J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.00. Every new story which Mr. Trowbridge begins is followed through succes- sive chapters by thousands who have read and re-read manv times his preceding tales. One of his greatest charms is his absolute truthfulness. He does not depict little saints, or incorrigible rascals, but just boyx. This same fidelity to nature is seen in his latest book, "The Scarlet Tanager, and Other Bipeds." There is enough adventure in this tale to commend it to the liveliest reader, and all the lessons it teaches are wholesome. LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE. 40 J. T. TROWBRIDGE'S BOOKS ?! THE TIDE-MILL STORIES. 6 volumes. Phil and His Friends. By J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.25. The hero is the son of a man who from drink got into debt, and, after having riven a paper to a creditor authorizing him to keep the son as a security for lis chiim, ran away, leaving poor Phil a bond slave. The story involves a great many unexpected incidents, some of which are painful, and some coniic. Phil manfully works for a year, cancelling his father's debt, and then escapes. The characters are strongly drawn, and the story is absorbingly interesting. The Tinliham Brothers* Tide-Mill. By J. T. Trowbridgk. Illustrated. $1.25. " The Tinkham Brothers " were the devoted sons of an invalid mother. The story tells how they purchased a tide-mill, which afterwards, by the ill-will and obstinacy of neighbors, became a source of much trouble to them. It tells also how, by discretion and the exercise of a peaceable spirit, they at last overcame all difficulties. " Mr. Trowbridge's humor, his fidelity to nature, and story-telling power lose nothing with years; and he stands at the head of those who are furnishing a literature for the young, clean and sweet in tone, and always of interest and value." — T/ie Continent. The Satin-wood Box. By J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.25. •' Mr. Trowbridge has always a purpose in his writings, and this time he has undertaken to show how very near an innocent boy can come to the guilty edge and yet be able by fortunate circumstances to rid himself of all suspicion of evil. There is something winsome about the hero; but he has a singular way of falling into bad luck, although the careful reader will never feel the least disposed to doubt his honesty. ... It is the pain and perplexity which impart to the story its intense interest." — Syracuse Standard. The Liittle Master. By J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.25. This is the story of a schoolmaster, his trials, disappointments, and final victory. It will recall to many a man his experience in teaching pupils, and in managing their opinionated and self-willed parents. The story has the charm which is always found in Mr. Trowbridge's works. " Many a teacher could profit by reading of this plucky little schoolmaster." — yournal of Education. His One Fault. By J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.25. "As for the hero of this story, • His One Fault' was absent-mindedness. He forgot to lock his uncle's stable door, and the horse was stolen. In seeking to recover the stolen horse, he unintentionally stole another. In trying to restore the wrong horse to his rightful owner, he was himself arrested. After no end of comic and dolorous adventures, he surmounted all his misfortunes by down- right pluck and genuine good feeling. It is a noble contribution to juvenile literature." — Woman'' s Journal. Peter Budstone. By J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.25. " Trowbridge's other books have been admirable and deservedly popular, but this one, in our opinion, is the best yet. It is a story at once spirited and touching, with a certain dramatic and artistic quality that appeals to the literary sense as well as to the story-loving appetite. In it Mr. Trowbridge has not lectured or moralized or remonstrated; he has simply shown boys what they are doing when they contemplate hazing. By a good artistic impulse we are not shown the hazing at all; when the story begins, the hazing is already over, and we are introduced immediately to the results. It is an artistic touch also that the boy injured is not hurt because he is a fellow of delicate nerves, but be- cause of his very strength, and the power with which he resisted until overcome by numbers, and subjected to treatment which left him insane. His insanity takes the form of harmless delusion, and the absurdity of his ways and talk enables the author to lighten the sombreness without weakening the moral, in a way that ought to win all boys to his side." — The Critic. LEE AND 8HEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE. J. T. TROWBRIDGE'S BOOKS 41 THE SII.VER MEDAL STORIES. 6 volumes. The Silver Medal, and Other Stories. By J. T. Trow- bridge. Illustrated. $1.25. There were some schoolboys who had turned housebreakers, and among their plunder was a silver medal that had been given to one John Harrison by the Humane Society for rescuing from drowning a certain Benton Barry. Now Benton Barry was one of the wretched housebreakers. This is the summary of the opening chapter. The story is intensely intci-esting in its serious as well as its humorous parts. His Own Master. By]. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.25. '* This is a book after the typical boy's own heart. Its hero is a plucky young fellow, who, seeing no chance for himself at home, determines to make his own way in the world. . . . He sets out accordingly, trudges to the far West, and finds the road to fortune an unpleasantly rough one." — Philadelphia hiquirer. " We class this as one of the best stories for boys we ever read. The tone is perfectly healthy, and the interest is kept up to the end." — Boston Home yournal. Bound in Honor. By J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.25. This story is of a lad, who, though not guilty of any bad action, had been an eye-witness of the conduct of his comrades, and felt '* Bound in Honor" not to tell. " The glimpses we get of New England character are free from any distor- tion, and their humorous phases are always entertaining. Mr. Trowbridge's brilliant descriptive faculty is shown to great advantage in the opening chapter of the book by a vivid picture of a village fire, and is manifested elsewhere with equally telling effect." — Boston Courier. The Pocket Kifle. By J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.25. "A boy's story which will be read with avidity, as it ought to be, it is so brightly and frankly written, and with such evident knowledge of the tempera- ments and habits, the friendships and enmities of schoolboys." — New York Mail. "This is a capital story for boys. Trowbridge never tells a story poorly. It teaches honesty, integrity, and friendship, and how best they can be pro- moted. It shows the danger of hasty judgment and circumstantial evidence; that right-doing pays, and dishonesty never."— Chicago Inter-Ocean. The Jolly Rover. By J. T. Trowbridge. Illustrated. $1.25. " This book will help to neutralize the ill effects of any poison which children may have swallowed in the way of sham -adventurous stories and wildly fictitious tales. 'The Jolly Rover' runs away from home, and meets life as it is, till he is glad enough to seek again his father's house. Mr. Trowbridge has the power of making an instructive story absorbing in its interest, and of covering a moral so that it is easy to take."— Christian Intellig-encer. Young" Joe, and Other Boys. By J. T. Trowbridge. Illus- trated. $1.25. " Young Joe," who lived at Bass Cove, where he shot wild ducks, took some to town for sale, and attracted the attention of a portly gentleman fond of shoot- ing. This gentleman went duck shooting with Joe, and their adventures were more amusing to the boy than to the amateur sportsman. There are thirteen other short stories in the book which will be sure to please the young folks. The Vagrabonds: An Illustrated Poem. By J. T. Trow- bridge. Cloth. $1.50. " The Vagabonds " are a strolling fiddler and his dog. The fiddler has been ruined by drink, and his monologue is one of the most pathetic and effective pieces in our literature. LEE AND 5HEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE. RETURN TO: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 198 Main Stacks LOAN PERIOD 1 Home Use 2 3 4 5 6 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS. Renewals and Recharges may be made 4 days prior to the due date. Books may be renewed by calling 642-3405. DUE AS STAMPED BELOW. fm 5 2003 FORM NO. DD6 50M 5-02 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Berkeley, California 94720-6000