50 SEA FISH; 



amusement. The chad is to be found in great num- 

 bers in most of the bays and harbours, particularly of 

 the southern coast, all through the summer months, 

 greedily seizing such baits as mud-worms, or pieces of 

 their own unfortunate brethren, who have preceded 

 them in their trip to the surface. To prepare a chad 

 for bait, it should be first killed by a smart blow or 

 two over the head, cut off the fins, which are as sharp 

 as needles, very like those of the river perch, and 

 requiring exactly the same mode of handling when 

 secured, viz., a downward sweep of the hand, so as to 

 compress the spines, and turn them backwards ; hold 

 the fish overboard, and scrape the scales from tail to 

 head with the bait knife until quite clean, when small 

 narrow pieces of about an inch long should be cut 

 transversely, and hooked through one end. Fish 

 about a foot from the bottom. The line for chad 

 fishing should be round, "No. 6 or 7, mounted as 

 shown in the accompanying woodcut. Hooks, No. 2 

 Kirby trout pattern, tied on a strand of stout gut, 

 which must have a loop tied in the end, to loop with 

 the spreader A, which is made of a piece of round 

 scraped whalebone, fifteen inches long, tapered at each 

 end, to which a loop of any ordinary fine-sized fishing 

 line must be whipped with waxed thread, as at B. 

 The spreader is passed through the hole in the sinker, 

 c, until its centre is reached, when the edges of the 

 holes must be closed in tightly with a small hammer, 

 which will, if properly done, retain the spreader 



