5IO AUDUBON 



waters are too muddy to suit its habits; and glad no doubt 

 it is to enter one of the numberless tributaries whose 

 limpid waters are poured into the mighty river. Of these 

 subsidiary waters the Ohio is one in whose pure stream 

 the White Perch seems to delight ; and towards its head- 

 springs the fish advance in numerous shoals, following the 

 banks with easy progress. Over many a pebbly or grav- 

 elly bar does it seek its food. Here the crawling Mussel 

 it crunches and devours; there, with the speed of an 

 arrow, it darts upon the minnow; again, at the edge of a 

 shelving rock, or by the side of a stone, it secures a cray- 

 fish. No impure food will " the Growler " touch ; there- 

 fore, reader, never make use of such to allure it, otherwise 

 not only will your time be lost, but you will not enjoy the 

 gratification of tasting this delicious fish. Should you 

 have no experience in fishing for Perch I would recommend 

 to you to watch the men you see on that shore, for they 

 are excellent anglers. 



Smooth are the waters, clear is the sky, and gently does 

 the stream move — perhaps its velocity does not exceed a 

 mile in the hour. Silence reigns around you. See, each 

 fisher has a basket or calabash, containing many a live 

 Cray; and each line, as thick as a crowquill, measures 

 scarce a furlong. At one end two Perch-hooks are so fas- 

 tened that they cannot interfere with each other. A few 

 inches beyond the reaching point of the farthest hook, the 

 sinker, perhaps a quarter of a pound in weight, having a 

 hole bored through its length, is passed upon the line, and 

 there secured by a stout knot at its lower extremity. The 

 other end of the line is fastened ashore. The tackle, you 

 observe, is carefully coiled on the sand at the fisher's feet. 

 Now on each hook he fixes a cray-fish, piercing the shell 

 beneath the tail, and forcing the keen weapon to reach the 

 very head of the suffering creature, while all its legs are left 

 at liberty to move. Now each man, holding his line a j^ard 

 or so from the hooks, whirls it several times overhead, and 



