154 THE BLUE-FISH. 
He seems to have superseded another and larger fish of 
the same name, and as his numbers augment, those of 
the weak-fish, otolithus regalis^ diminish. The blue-fish 
has singular vagaries, sometimes crowding every inlet 
in swarms, and then deserting us altogether, visiting in 
one season one locality and in the next another, but ordi- 
narily frequenting our entire coast north to Massachusetts. 
They afibrd excellent sport on a rod and line, being 
among the strongest and boldest of their kind, taking 
the fly readily, and making fierce and well-sustained 
rushes ; but from the localities they usually frequent, 
they are mostly taken with a hand-line from a sailboat. 
An artificial squid of bone, ivory or lead, is trailed along 
at the end of forty yards of stout line, from a boat 
dancing merrily over the waves under the influence of a 
fresh mackerel breeze. The boatman's business is to 
watch for a shoal, which can be seen by their breaking, 
and when he has found it, by repeated tacks to keep the 
boat in or near it ; the fisherman's duty is to haul in 
steadily and regularly immediately on feeling a bite, 
and to get out his line again as §.oon as possible. The 
fish dart forward, and throwing themselves out of water, 
turn a complete somersault, when, if the line is not taught, 
they will throw the hook out of their mouths. The dash- 
ing of the waves and flying of the spray, the rapid exhi- 
larating motion of the vessel, the fresh sea-breeze, the 
rapid biting and fine play of the fish, make a day pass 
pleasantly if they do not afford scientific sport. 
Blue-fish attain a weight of thirty pounds, and the 
largest being usually taken outside the bars, beyond the 
breakers, are a source of much gLmusement to our yachts- 
