LONG ISLAND TROUT FISHING. 349 



" With this pond I shall close my notice of the south side 

 waters, merely adding that at Moritches, and yet further east, 

 there are many streams and lakelets abounding in fish, though 

 inferior to those of the waters I have enumerated, both in size 

 and quality; and these are, I believe, all open without limit to 

 all persons who desire to fish them. 



'' It may be worth while here to mention, for the benefit of 

 strangers, that the houses kept by Snedecor and Carman are by 

 no means country taverns, at which nothing can be obtained, 

 as is often the case in the interior, but hard salt ham and tough 

 hens just slaughtered. Being frequented by gentlemen entirely, 

 they are admirable hotels in every respect. 



'' I will now turn for a moment to the north side, on which 

 there are also many streams containing Trout, but none, with a 

 single exception, which can show size or numbers against the 

 southern waters. That exception is Stump Pond, near Smith- 

 town, now rented to a company of gentlemen, and of course 

 shut to the public in general. The fish in this large sheet of 

 water are very numerous, and very large, but are for the most 

 part ill-shaped, ill-conditioned, and inferior in flavour, — long, 

 lank fish, with very large black mouths. I have been informed 

 that in latter years the fish in this water have been gradually 

 improving, but of this I cannot speak from personal experience ; 

 it is, however, notorious, that occasionally Trout of very fine 

 quality, both in appearance and flavour, have been caught here ; 

 which is somewhat remarkable, inasmuch as the same feeding 

 grounds rarely produce two difterent qualities of fish. 



" With regard to weather, a darkish day, with a moderately 

 brisk breeze, sufiicient to make a strong ripple on the water, is 



