and the Maritime Provinces. 171 



deep water at sea, but early in May approaches the shore and remains at 

 one of its favorite abiding-places through the summer. One of the inter- 

 esting peculiarities of the tautog is its inability to endure very cold weather, 

 there being many instances on record of its having frozen to death under 

 the water, the inside of the tish becoming a lump of ice. So fatal is severe 

 cold to it that thousands have been picked up on the shores of Noman's 

 Land and Gay Head, the early winter having caught them before they 

 began to move out to sea. 



" Although in New England the tautog is most abundant south of Cape 

 Cod, it is found in many localities along the shore from Cape Ann to 

 Provincetown, and, unlike most other species, its numbers, instead of dimin- 

 ishing, seem to increase. 



" I have had good tautog fishing from the rocky shore near the light- 

 house at Eastern Point, Gloucester, have taken quite a number at Nahant, 

 and have known of many being caught at Cohasset, and from the bridge 

 that crosses the river between Quincy Point and Weymouth. At the first- 

 named locality the fishing is done from the rocks, a strong, heavy rod 

 being used, and the bait cast out into the surf and allowed to sink to the 

 bottom. But at the Weymouth bridge, unless one fishes from a boat, a hand- 

 line is necessary, it being almost impossible to save one of the heavy fish 

 by lifting it with a rod. The best bait for the tautog is one of the small 

 crabs that are found hiding beneath the rocks on the shore, little fellows 

 an inch or so in diameter ; they are obtained by turning the rocks over at 

 low tide, and if they are kept in damp sea-weed they will live a long time ; 

 the hermit crab is also a capital bait, and if neither of these is to be 

 obtained, a piece of quahaug, clam, lobster, or sand-worm will prove an 

 acceptable lure. 



" The large fish are usually sharp biters, and when hooked they give 

 no little sport by making occasional quick runs of considerable length and 

 resisting capture in a very plucky manner. The angler must always be on 

 the alert against having his line carried under and entangled among the 

 rocks, for the tautog is full of tricks, and hanging the line to a bowlder is 

 one of them. 



" On one occasion, at Eastern Point, while using two baits, I hooked a 

 heavy fish, which darted at once beneath a rock and fastened the other 

 hook securely. For several minutes it remained firmly fixed, although 

 every possible effort was made to dislodge it, and the prospect seemed 

 good for losing both fish and tackle, when it suddenly became released, 

 and the discovery was then made that another large fish had taken the 

 bait and was hooked. The rod was not a very stiff one, being only an 

 eight-ounce bait rod, and as there was quite a little surf on, those fish for 

 nearly a quarter of an hour could not be conquered. 



