WESTERN CARP. 371 



noticed was what is familiarly known in that vicinity 

 as " the pond fish." In colour it much resembles the 

 beautiful black bass, in shape slender but graceful ; 

 the placement of the fins is the same as in the pike 

 family, but the head is small and not unlike that of a 

 trout. It is a greedy feeder, and from its being un- 

 eatable (the flesh being hard and rank) is considered a 

 great bore by the fishermen. Their average weight is 

 from two to four pounds. Still another variety with 

 which I had been previously unacquainted was taken, 

 viz., "the Great Western carp," there called "the 

 buffalo fish." It is frequently captured of enormous 

 size several I have seen over twenty pounds. They 

 are much and deservedly esteemed, and are taken in 

 immense numbers in the spring of the year by 

 spearing ; for as soon as a flood takes place, 

 when the water is rising, they rush out over all 

 the inundated lands, wherever there is sufficient 

 depth for them to swim. For more than an hour 

 one day I watched a lad, spear in hand, who had 

 taken his post over an opening which passed under 

 the Ohio and Mississippi railroad, made similar to a 

 sluice for the purpose of preventing the water in time 

 of floods becoming dammed. During my stay this 

 youngster must have killed a couple of hundredweight. 

 You must not imagine that these were all that were in 

 the net. Sunfish, pike, pickerel, black bass, catfish, 

 mullet, and turtle to a waggon-load rewarded the 

 fishermen's efforts. In the end of the bag, I was 

 about to place my hand upon what I considered a rare 

 prize, when I was stopped by the rough intervention 

 of one of the people, and the exclamation of "You 

 don't want to die before your time ? If he bite you, 



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