2 SPOKT IN NORTH AMERICA. 



inspire respect, as the grandiose and magnificent 

 never fail to do. 



In my former volume I have mentioned the prin- 

 cipal fauna, the methods of hunting the larger 

 animals, and some of the more remarkable birds 

 of the country ; in the present one, I propose to 

 describe the various modes of fishing practised on 

 the rivers, and tlie innumerable bays on the shores 

 of the Atlantic. The only merit of these pages will 

 be their exactness. I am no fisherman in the 

 strictest sense of the word ; and that is tantamount 

 to an admission that I have no patience. Moreover, 

 the art of fishing is a special gift, like that of fenc- 

 ing. Still, as a sportsman, I have killed fish with 

 line, net, spear, and even with the gun, and in the 

 course of my rambles through North America, I 

 have taken great pleasure in listening to narra- 

 tions of fishing feats, and have felt a desire to share 

 in them. You must have taken part in such feats 

 to understand the eccentric pleasure which they 

 afford. 



The quantity of fish which frequents the American 

 coast is unlimited, and so is the liberty of fishing. 

 There can be no poaching in America, for no one is 

 denied the right of sporting. The only restriction is 

 the custom, which is imposed by the laws of repro- 

 duction, to abstain during the breeding season. This 

 custom is generally respected, and everybody of his 

 own accord lays by his arms and weapons of destruc- 



