TROUT AND ANGLING. 359 



but on the contrary, with feelings by no means pro- 

 pitiated in his favor by the threatening erection of 

 his horns, and his obvious objection to a restoration 

 of the hook, first having disposed of the rod by 

 placing it in the only safe position, that is, in an 

 upright one, by means of the spike, then take the 

 staff of the landing net, which is also armed with 

 a spear, for this and other purposes, seize a quiet 

 moment as he lies upon the shore, and force it 

 quickly through his head into the sand, by which 

 operation he is instantly and therefore humanely, 

 deprived ever after of an indulgence in his pro- 

 pensities of smelling, biting, and jerking ; we then 

 withdraw the handle of the net from the sand, 

 with the impaled sculpin " dead as a herring" 

 upon it, after which, his mouth being open for the 

 first time since the enjoyment of his personal ac- 

 quaintance, the hook is disengaged with perfect con- 

 venience. Finally, the handle of the net acting as a 

 powerful lever, the unfortunate " sea-devil " is cast 

 from it with that force and to that distance which 

 settles the question of further annoyance ; then 

 into the water, splash he falls like Lucifer, never 

 to bite again. 



But enough, perhaps too much of sculpins 

 let us therefore return to the trout. Their only 

 screen from the view of the angler at the point, is 

 the depth of the water, and it is for this reason, as 



