Our Dogs in Summer Time 271 



The dogs, however, depend principally 

 upon their cleverness in capturing- fish for 

 their food. Some of them are ever haunt- 

 ing the shallow places and bays, and are 

 quick to notice the fins of the great jackfish 

 when they crowd in so near the shore that 

 the shallow water betrays their presence. 

 This is the clever dog's opportunity, and it 

 is interesting to observe how noiselessly 

 they can wade out and endeavour to cap- 

 ture the great fish. We have said " en- 

 deavour " for there are jackfish so large 

 that no single dog can capture one alone. 

 Still the plucky dog will make the attempt 

 and often he returns with fore-legs limping 

 as a result of the powerful blow which the 

 muscular fish gave him as he attempted to 

 seize it. Yet wounded and defeated, he is 

 ever ready to try again. 



The large Huskie dogs can grip and hold 

 in their teeth, jackfish up to ten or twelve 

 pounds weight, but I have never seen a dog 

 able to capture a twenty pound fish, and in 

 those days there were scores of such, and 

 even heavier ones, in every bay. The har- 

 vest time for jackfish is from the latter part 

 of May into July. After that the dogs have 

 to be on the lookout for other varieties of 



