112 FISHING IN AMEEICAN WATERS. 



THE TAUTOG. 



This fish (Fig. 3) is termed tautog along the coast of New 

 England, and is equally well known as Uackfish along the 

 shores of Long Island and New Jersey, south of which it is 

 not numerous, nor is it north of the Vineyard Sound, though 

 it has greatly increased along Cape Cod within the past fif- 

 teen years. 



Wherever kelp and sea-weed cling 

 To ramparts form'd of rugged rocks, 

 The tautog finds a dwelling-place, 

 Deep down in waters at their base ; 

 Or where a passing boat hath met 

 Its fate along the rocky shore, 

 And, with its broken ribs and keel, 

 Lies rotting on the ocean floor 

 There, where the clinging shell and weed 

 Gather, and barnacles abound, 

 The blackfish, seeking out their feed, 

 In numbers by the hook are found. 



The tautog is one of the largest family of fishes which in- 

 habit the waters along the coast from Vineyard Sound to Del- 

 aware Bay. Urchins along shores begin fishing by taking 

 cachogset, kunners, and bergalls all of the diminutive car- 

 nivora or bait-robbers and if, in their efforts, they succeed in 

 capturing a tautog, the lucky urchin who thus succeeds to 

 the first step of fishing thereafter scrapes money together to 

 purchase a regular hand-line and two tautog hooks, with a 

 heavy sinker. He then rigs a hand-line en regie, and consid- 

 ers himself a juvenile member of the " hand-line-committee," 

 not to be entitled to full membership until he can earn by 

 fishing a miniature scow large enough to float two young- 

 sters of from seven to ten years of age. Then, with a stone 

 for anchor, they scull from clump to reef of rocks near the 

 shores of our tidal estuaries and small bays, and once in a 

 while add to their catches of blackfish a weakfish, or even a 

 striped bass ! This achievement aifords the barefooted regi- 

 ment a week's discussion, and forthwith the lucky urchin be- 



