54 SEA TROUT. 



the trout and salmon coast along the rocks and visit the 

 inlets as they did when priests promenaded the natural 

 terraces of Tadousac, and when the shortest road to the 

 Northwest was up the Saguenay River. The trout care 

 not though the iron horse has sprung two great leaps 

 across the water that they live in, and know not that a 

 woman, the only Catholic that can read, officiates as 

 high priest in the sanctum of the woman-haters, the 

 mission church of the Jesuits. 



The St. Lawrence abounds with most delicious food 

 for trout ; there are acres of small fish ; the sand eels 

 crowd the bays yards deep, the sardines, the mullet, the 

 capelin, the tommy cods, push and jostle their way 

 along, while shellfish innumerable cover the sandy bot- 

 tom. Flies swarm on the water, and the deep rivers in 

 Winter and the cool streams in Summer constitute the 

 paradise of the salmonidce. 



Along the shores of the tide water, early in Spring the 

 trout and salmon make their appearance, and wandering 

 about pass the merry days of May, June and July in 

 feasting and junketing, in visiting new scenes and tast- 

 ing every variety of food, till instinct warns them the 

 waters are falling, and they must hasten to their syl- 

 van bowers and enjoy the pleasures of love and paternity. 

 Then slowly, the largest first, they leave the tide waters 

 and swarm up all the practicable streams, running the 

 rapids and steadily advancing to their pebbly spawning 

 beds, which kind nature appears to have prepared in the 

 heart of these impassable mountains for their especial 

 protection. Through all this season, June, July and Au- 

 gust, the fishing is magnificent ; they are in great 





