70 THE HIVE OF THE BEE-HTNTER. 



line our southern streams, the quantity of fallen timber, 

 the amount of " snags" and " saw^^ers," and the great 

 plentifulness of game, make the beautiful art of angling, 

 as pursued in our Northern States, impossible. 



The veriest tyro, who finds a delicate reed in every 

 nook that casts a shadow in the water, with his rough 

 line, and coarser hook, can catch fish. The greedy 

 perch, in all its beautiful varieties, swim eagerly and 

 swiftly around the snare, and swallow it, without sus- 

 picion that a worm is not a worm, or that appearances 

 are ever deceitful. The jointed rod, the scientific reel, 

 cannot be used; the thick hanging bough, the rank 

 grass, the sunken log, the far reaching melumbium^ the 

 ever still water, make these delicate appliances useless. 



Arrow-fishing only, of all the angling in the interior 

 streams of the southwest, comparatively speaking, claims 

 the title of an art, as it is pursued with a skill and a 

 thorough knowledge that tell only with the experienced, 

 and to the novice, is an impossibility. 



The originators of arrow-fishing deserve the credit of 

 striking out a rare and beautiful amusement, when the 

 difficulties of securing their game did not require it, 

 showing tliat it resulted in the spirit of true sport 

 alone. 



The origin of arrow-fishing we know not ; the coun- 

 try where it is pursued is comparatively of recent set- 

 tlement ; scarce three generations have passed away 

 within its boundaries. 



