402 AMERICAN GAME FISHES. 



sportsmanship, when suddenly this Perch appeared as a fish 

 that readily took the fly, and was therefore elevated from the 

 realm of boyish fun to "legitimate sport." And this is the 

 way it happened: An invitation to fish for Black Bass, in a 

 private pond on Long Island, had been accepted, and several 

 flies were cast, one evening toward the close of July, without 

 reward. Flies were changed and position was shifted sev- 

 eral times, until the combination was a clear spot in some 

 weeds and a red ibis and gray drake on the leader. Then 

 a rise; my boatman irreverently said: "arise my soul, arise!" 

 The reel sang as the morning stars never did, and a silver- 

 sided fish leaped into the air. It was not a Bass, but some- 

 thing strange; the spring of the rod soon checked the stranger, 

 ■ and the reel began to draw us into closer relationship. As 

 we were approaching each other a second fish seized the 

 other fly, and then the real contest began. My ordinary 

 practice is to fish with one fly if the fish will take it, and to 

 put on a second one only when they seem indifferent to what 

 is offered. Two fish on a single gut do not represent two 

 souls with but a single thought, although they may have two 

 mouths which jerk as one, and they often part company 

 when their desires to separate are synchronal; hence the 

 experienced angler seldom cares to risk his leader in a con- 

 test with a double, and, if it is repeated, will remove one fly 

 and content himself with one at a time. A school had been 

 struck — for this perch is gregarious, and is usually present in 

 numbers or is entirely absent; and soon a fine fish was struck 

 that leaped into the air three times before it was brought to 

 hand — a habit not mentioned, to my knowledge, by angling 

 authors, none of whom mention fly-fishing for it. 



Norris says: "Frank Forester, in his book on angling, dis- 

 misses it (the Perch), after a slight notice, as 'not sufficiently 

 important to merit more particular notice. ' The latter gen- 

 tleman missed much, by not becoming acquainted with our 

 little friend Pallidus.''' But even Norris, the Nestor of 



