and the Maritime Provinces. 173 



It is strictly a sea-fish, being very rarely found in brackish waters, 

 and it generally locates for the summer on the rocky reefs, where there are 

 mussel-beds and growths of kelp and sea- weed, such as abound in Vineyard 

 sound and Buzzard's bay. It makes its first appearance at Martha's Vine- 

 yard early in May and remains about our shores until late in the autumn, 

 when it returns to the deep water for the winter. It is a bottom feeder, and 

 a voracious one, but is not as destructive to other fish as are the squeteague 

 and bluefish, its food consisting chiefly of crustaceans and small shell-fish. 



It is a quick, greedy biter, and will accept almost any bait, a piece of 

 quahaug, clam, or a strip of menhaden being apparently as attractive as 

 the most dainty bit of sheddar-crab, or lobster. 



It is generally taken with a hand-line, but when a rod is used the 

 angler finds, if a large fish is hooked and played, considerable sport before 

 it is landed ; the rod, however, must be a stout one, for the fish is a 

 heavy puller, hugging down to the bottom in a most dogged manner and 

 tugging away from the boat with a strength that is truly .astonishing. It 

 does not, however, make quick runs like those of the squeteague, and it 

 never leaps above the surface. 



All along the New Jersey shore it is quite a favorite species, both with 

 rod and hand-line fishermen, and all sorts of crafts are utilized to carry 

 the anglers out to the "banks" where the bass abound. In the height of 

 the season it is not an uncommon occurrence to see fifty or more yachts 

 or other boats lying at anchor at some favorite locality, and even steamers 



The Scup, or Scuppaug. 



