110 



With Rod and Gun in New England 



" It was a tame fight, altogether," said the guide, " and no wonder, for 

 the fish was hooked in the gills " ! 



On examining the salmon I found that in taking the fly he had drawn 

 it into his mouth and had passed it through his gills before I hooked it. 

 The fish was thus rendered almost completely powerless, and this plainly 

 accounted for the easy conquest. Ordinarily the salmon, in taking the fly, 

 ejects it from its mouth almost instantly unless it is hooked, and I have 

 known of but two or three instances of its being hooked in its most vul- 

 nerable point, the gills. 



" He was an unfort'nit fish, altogether,'' said the guide, pointing to a 

 red circular wound on the throat; "see where a lamprey has been fast to 

 him." 



"Yes," I replied, "one of those abominable lamprey eels has been 

 sucking at his life blood ; it 's not a common occurrence with a salmon, 

 but I have often taken a trout with one of those parasites attached to its 

 gills or throat." 



Photo, by R. O. Ilardinjr. 



A Determined Fighter. 



A shout from the Judge at that moment was heard, and Hiram, seizing 

 the gaff, hurried to meet him. My friend's salmon proved to be a deter- 

 mined fighter and he gave the Judge all he could attend to for a quarter of 

 an hour at least, before he showed signs of yielding. All over the pool he 

 went, sometimes leaping six feet in the air and taking out the line with 

 the greatest speed. 



" Sure, he 's a lively beggar, altogether," exclaimed Hiram as he passed 



