APPENDIX. 147 



I remember that a fact of tlie same sort is recorded of two lakes, I 

 think in the north of Ireland, connected by a short stream running 

 through a bog meadow. In the upper of these lakes the fish, as here, 

 are worthless — in the lower superlative ; and they are never known to 

 intermingle. How this should be, cannot well be explained ; for grant- 

 ing that the excellence of the fish arises from the soil and food, and that 

 the inferior fish improves on coming into the superior water, still there 

 must be a transition state. 



With this pond I shall close my notice of the south side waters, 

 merely adding that at Moritches, and yet further east, there are many 

 streams and lakelets abounding in fish, though inferior to those of the 

 ■waters I have enumerated, both in size and quality ; and these are, I 

 believe, all open without limit to all persons who desire to fish them. 



It may be worth while here to mention, for the benefit of strangers, 

 that the houses kept by Snedecor and Carman are by no means country 

 taverns, at which nothing can be obtained, as is often the case in the 

 interior, but hard salt ham and tough hens just slaughtered. Being fre- 

 quented by gentlemen entirely, they are admirable hotels in every 

 respect. 



I will now turn, for a moment, to the north side, on which there are 

 also many streams containing trout, but none, with a single exception, 

 which can show size or numbers against the southern waters. That 

 exception is Stump Pond, near Smithtown, now rented to a company of 

 gentlemen, and of course shut to the public in general. The fish in 

 this large sheet of water are very numerous and very large, but are for 

 the most part ill-shaped, ill-conditioned, and inferior in flavor — long, lank 

 fish, with very large black mouths. I have been informed that in latter 

 years the fish in this water have been gradually improving, but of this 

 I cannot speak from personal experience ; it is, however, notorious, that 

 occasionally trout of very fine quality, both in appearance and flavor, 

 have been caught here ; which is somewhat remarkable, inasmuch as 

 the same feeding grounds rarely produce two difl^erent qualities of fish. 



I shall take leave of the waters of Long Island for the present, having 

 briefly but fairly enumerated them with their merits and defects ; and 

 before taking leave of the reader also, shall proceed to state a few facts 

 and opinions relative to the best methods of taking this king of fish on 

 these waters, and to the differences I have observed in the habits and 

 feeding of the trout here and in England. 



In the first place, I would remark that the season of trout fishing on 

 the Island commences, as defined by law and sanctioned by all true bro- 

 thers of the angle on the first of March; and if the month be genial 

 and the spring gentle, the earlier after that date the angler is abroad, the 

 better his chance of success ; the waters being so continually whipped, 

 that ere ]ong many of the best fish are taken, and the others pricked and 

 teazed by bad fishermen till they become so shy that they can hardly be 

 tempted to rise to fish or fly. 



With regard to weather, a darkish day with a moderately brisk breeze, 

 sufficient to make a strong ripple on the water, is the most favorable. It 

 is somewhat singular, that in spite of the generally received opinion that 



