BLAOK BASS. 97 



is not less so ; but the screech of your reel, when 

 first you are fast to a heavy game-fish, is a song that 

 even Patti herself can not rival. For a fish to be 

 popular among fishermen, he must have three requi- 

 sites, viz., gameness when hooked, boldness in feed- 

 ing, and, when he has yielded his life, be a fit feast 

 for an epicure. All these requisites I claim for the 

 black bass : and, therefore, presume to lay his claims 

 for introduction before your numerous readers. 

 There is no section of the world so intersected by 

 rivers and lakes as the Xorth American continent, 

 and in nearly all these waters, from northern Canada 

 to the tributaries of the Mississippi, and the various 

 waters that flow into the Gulf of Mexico, the black 

 bass is to be found. It matters not whether it be 

 river or lake ; whether the water be clear or muddy, 

 stagnant or rapid ; in all he appears equally to 

 flourish. What splendid homes could we ofier him 

 here ! All our ornamental waters, though generally 

 unsuited to trout, would be retreats eminently fitted 

 to his nature ; and the fishermen, instead of captur- 

 ing such common pluckless fish as bream, tench, 

 carp, or even perch, would have an antagonist that 

 would test all his skill, the stoutness and endurance 



of his tackle, with that untiring, unflinching resolu- 

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