^8 AMERICAN FISHES. 



are caught in great numbers with the worm, in the waters below and above 

 Philadelphia. The angler sits in the stern of the boat and fishes with a 

 short rod and line. Perch caught by the above methods run large and 

 are gamy, and those caught on rod and reel at Pennsgrove, Salem and 

 other places further down the bay give great sport on light-running tackle. 

 I see nothing to commend in the method of fishing for Perch as practiced 

 by the " bow-line " fishers for the fingerlings which swarm in great schools 

 upon the bars of the river above and below the tide-waters of the Dela- 

 ware. It takes a basketful to make a breakfast for a small family. I 

 have seen and counted a catch of 1,300 small Perch made with worm bait 

 by three lines in two hours' fishing at Titusville, N. J., nine miles above 

 tide-water." 



It seems very strange that no attempt should have been made to intro- 

 duce the White Perch into Europe. It would thrive admirably in the 

 estuaries and sluggish streams, and would be far more worthy of the atten- 

 tions of the British angler than various species of so-called " coarse fish " 

 which he now pursues. It would be a great boon to the easy going 

 British angler of the Waltonian type, to whom the pleasure of the rural 

 scenery and quiet outing is of more moment than the strength and vo- 

 racity of the fishes which chance to encounter his lures. 



