HASTY VISITS TO AMERICA 259 



tank of young sturgeon ; and, in a general assembly 

 next door, were a few wall-eyed pike ; this is really a 

 pike-perch, differing in the markings, however, from 

 the zander of Central Europe. 



A most droll-looking customer is the paddle fish. 

 With body suggesting a compromise between sturgeon 

 and catfish, he has a long, perfectly straight duck bill, 

 and so seems to be always shoving ahead of him a good 

 broad paper knife nine or ten inches long. This weapon 

 is used for digging up the bed of the river, but if it 

 could be insinuated out of the water into a drowsy 

 angler's leg it would probably make him sit up. As the 

 paddle is as long as the fish the creature presents a 

 really farcical appearance. The species runs to a 

 hundredweight, I believe, in the Mississippi. 



There was a river form that seemed particularly 

 anxious to come to the front that is called the sea 

 trout, from its rough-and-ready resemblance to that 

 species, but its real name is the weak-fish a sad come- 

 down for any creature. There was a puffed-out beast, 

 with velvet jacket, zebra markings, and turquoise eye, 

 which was a perfect monster of ugliness, but I did not 

 catch its name. Its head was as much a caricature 

 as a pantomime mask. 



On another page I mentioned the killing of a fon- 

 tinalis trout of over 9 lb., and I begged the captor to 

 tell me the story of his prize. " Why, certainly," said 

 Mr. Osgood ; " I caught that fish with the rod, and 

 the place was a typical anglers' paradise. You'll 

 experience that for yourself when you keep that promise 

 you have made me. You see, when I made my first 

 cast Oh ! I beg your pardon. Begin at the be- 

 ginning must I ? I understand ; you want to give 

 your English brother anglers and my brother anglers 

 too, I suppose ? an idea of what a fishing expedition 



