BLACK BASS AND MUSKALLONGE FISHING. 209 



As I pushed slowly along the shore I came to a 

 river previously unknown to me, and which I have 

 since learned is the only outlet from this lake. The 

 edge of this stream was fringed with a dense net- 

 work of weeds, and the channel had scarcely a per- 

 ceptible current. On breaking full in view several 

 dozens of wild duck rose, conspicuous among whom 

 were many of the beautiful wood duck, a gem among 

 his brilliant-plumed race. What a pity at home we 

 could not acclimatize this bird, but I fear his migra- 

 tory habits would sadly interfere. The sedgy na- 

 ture of the shore here predicted pike, so, replacing 

 the red cloth by a large Buell's spoon with some 

 scarlet ibis feathers tied along the shanks of the hooks, 

 I again tried my fortune. Few who have not heard 

 of the muskallonge, the king in stature of the pike 

 family. He is to be found in nearly all the rivers 

 and lakes of northern Canada. Among the shoals 

 and rapids of " The Thousand Islands," on the St. 

 Lawrence, he is said to attain an immense size, even 

 eighty pounds ; but the largest I have seen did not 

 exceed two-thirds of that weight. Such large fish as 

 the above I had not on that occasion to deal with, 

 but before I ceased, the bottom of my canoe had a 

 goodly show of bass and pike : so many, that I was 



