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THE MINNOW 



Is a beautiful little fish, which, contributes much to the 

 sustenance of the trout during the spring and summer, 

 and for which it excels all other baits for underwater 

 fishing. Length about three inches, belly white, 

 sides shades of green, olive and brown, tinged with gild 

 and yellow with blue reflections which thicken up al- 

 together on the back into a uniform dark shade. Their 

 shape is that of the smelt or young trout, which likens 

 them to diminutive recklings of these noble families. 

 They are smooth and fleshy, a rich and delicious mor- 

 sel for the trout, or the fishing boy's tansy, whom they 

 teach his first lessons in angling. They are a quick, cun- 

 ning, and courageous, but harmless little fish, having 

 no teeth or weapons of defence or attack, but their fine 

 shape, fins, and tail, give them great power of agility and 

 quickness in the water, by which they escape their inces- 

 sant enemies. They go in shoals, a few inches from the 

 bottom, in still places or where the water runs gently 

 over them ; they glide easily about, turn quickly and 

 shoot like a meteor, to avoid danger. Copious streams, 

 running smoothly away over sloping shoals of sand and 

 gravel, seem to be most congenial to their nature, and 

 where the trout is of first-class colour and quality ; 

 rougher streams have fewer of them, and some pro- 

 bably none at all. But our business with the minnow 

 is as a trolling bait for the trout. 



