PREFACE 



" Carpe diem^ quam minimum credula postero " 



T may be well at the beginning to set forth 



the motive which inspired the present work, 



in which I have endeavored to depict by pen 



and brush the ineffable charm of Nature and 



the beauty which she everywhere bestows with 



lavish hand. 



From boyhood an ardent lover of the treasures 

 of glade and woodland, I have, in the all-too-short 

 intervals allowed between attention to more pro- 

 saic duties, devoted myself to the capture and 

 study of the finny specimens of life existing be- 

 neath the surface of fresh-water lakes and streams, 

 and of those found in old Ocean, whose mys- 

 terious alchemy adds to his denizens increase of 

 strength, power, and size, and that marvellous 

 brilliancy which is ever to be found within the 

 realm of Neptune. 



My efforts have been directed towards gathering 

 all the information possible to obtain regarding the 

 fishes that inhabit the fresh and brackish waters of 

 New England and Eastern Canada, and to present 

 in book form to my fellow-anglers, in the most 



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