/ 



APPENDIX. 137 



on in Venice that he must sink the boat. But, by the exertions of his 

 captor, his antlers were jammed down on the gunwale of the boat, and a 

 cord having been thrown to liim, the ends were fastened, one at a time, 

 to his horns, and he was thus let loose, and an attempt was made to drive 

 the gallant courser to the shore ; but, being unused to obey bit and bri- 

 doon, the driver was obliged to haul in his hnr7is, again secure him, and 

 by attaching another boat tow him to the shore, where he was secured 

 to a tree within a few yards of the dining-table. Having happily accom- 

 plished their purposes, the chowder was again returned to the fire, and 

 the appetite, keenly whetted by the exciting pursuit of the noble quarry, 

 did ample justice to the feast. While on the subject of these wild 

 sports, it may not be amiss to add another singular adventure that 

 occurred to one of the members of the Club a few years previous. As 

 he was fishing in the lake, he perceived a large buck crossing the water 

 and immediately gave chase, sometimes gaining upon him, and then the 

 animal redoubling his energies, would widen the distance between him 

 and his pursuers ; at one time he was so near that a gentleman in the 

 bow seized him by the tail, when with one bound he cleared himself, and 

 before the boatman could resume his oars he had left some distance 

 between them ; the pursuit was continued, and when the boatman was 

 nearly exhausted, and the deer about to effect his escape, a fortunate 

 suggestion occurred to the eager sportsman who was standing in the 

 boat ready to pounce upon his victim. He took from his fishing appa- 

 ratus a strong drop line with hook and sinker attached, and whirling 

 over his head sent it v.ith unerring aim over the back of the deer, and 

 drawing it in the hook fortunately fixed itself in the flank of the animal, 

 and this placed him under the perfect control of his captor, and at his 

 will towed the boat about the lake until it became necessary to secure 

 him. 



But to proceed with the abstracts, there appear to have been taken in 

 1845, in eleven days, from 28th May to 9th June, 1019 lbs. This year 

 but few large fish reported : 1 of 7^, 1 of 6, 1 of 6h, 2 of 5i, and 3 of 5. 

 Of this quantity, 50 lbs. of brook-trout were taken in one day by artificial 

 flies by two of the party. 



18^6. — 719 lbs. of trout were taken in nine days fishing, from the 28th 

 of May to 7th June, and the number of large fish unu.sually great ; 1 of 

 14i 1 of I2h, 1 of 11, 1 of 8^, 1 of 7, 1 of 6, 2 of 5.^ 1 of 5^ 2 of 5, 

 1 of 4i^, and 1 of 4 ; and there was captured, by a gentleman of another 

 party, a magnificent trout weighing 20^ lbs., after a contest of three 

 hours ; he measured, on being taken out of the water, three feet, less 

 one-half inch, in length ; and two feet, less one-half inch, in circum- 

 ference. 



The manner in which the lakers are taken is principally by trolling, 

 though a few have occasionally been taken by the fly. The tackle is of 

 the most delicate kind ; a leader of six to nine feet, of single gut, with 

 snell having five hooks arranged with two at the end placed back to back, 

 two more one inch above, and a fifth, or slip hook, one inch above, which 

 passes through and secures the upper and lower jaw of the minnow 

 which serves for bait; one of the middle hooks is placed in the back of 



