208 AN INVITATION TO DINE. 



his scaly arms, as they hung loosely over the side of the 

 rock, were as large as the wrists of a man. He was some 

 six or eight rods from us, and Spalding gave him a shot 

 with his rifle. The ball glanced harmlessly from his massive 

 shell against the ledge behind him, and starting from his 

 sleep, he clambered lazily and clumsily into the water. 



We threw out a trolling line as we passed up the lake ; 

 but we caught no trout. Along the shore, however, we 

 caught small ones in plenty with the fly. These shore trout, 

 as I call them, seem to be a distinct species, differing hi 

 many respects from the other trout of the lakes or streams. 

 They are uniform in size, rarely exceeding a quarter of a 

 pound in weight. They are of a whitish color, longer 

 in proportion than the lake, river, or brook trout, have 

 fewer specks upon them, and those not of a golden hue, 

 but rather like freckles. They are found among the broken 

 rocks where the shores are bold and bluff, or near the 

 mouths of the cold brooks that come down from the hills. 

 I caught them at every trial, and whenever we wanted them 

 for food. Their flesh is white and excellent better, to my 

 taste, than that of any other fish of these waters. 



We rejoined our companions in a little bay that lay 

 quietly around a rocky promontory, where we found them 

 enjoying a dinner of venison and trout, under the shade 

 of some huge firtrees, by the side of a beautiful spring 

 that came bubbh'ng up, hi its icy coldness, from beneath 

 the tangled roots of a stinted and gnarled birch. Happily, 

 there was enough for us all, and we accepted at once the 



