The Drum 317 



come from the water, and resembled the escape 

 of air from boiling liquid. It ceased at nine 

 o'clock." Not a few black boatmen who fish where 

 the drum is found are terrified by the mysterious 

 sounds. 



The large drums are fishes of striking appear- 

 ance, and while not quick of motion, when they 

 find themselves hooked, they make a remarkable 

 fight and afford good sport. The greatest catches 

 are made with hand-lines; and near Fernandina, 

 in a party of a dozen men fishing, but two had 

 rods, the others being armed with lines which 

 would have held a man-eater shark, and I was 

 told by my sable boatman that even these were 

 sometimes broken by big " sheepshead. " But I 

 found that a number fifteen line was large enough 

 for any " sheepshead " up to seventy pounds, and 

 the largest drum known can be taken with a light 

 rod and a number twenty-one cuttyhunk line. So 

 far as tackle is concerned, I should use for these 

 fish the equipment employed for the yellowtail, 

 that is, for large fishes, but the twenty-pound 

 drum can be taken on a much lighter line. 

 Crab and clam bait were used in the Chesapeake, 

 fiddler crabs being a common lure at Fernandina. 

 I used crab, a "fiddler" community affording 



