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THE WHITE PERCH AND ITS FAVOURITE 



BAIT 



No sooner have the overflowing waters of early spring subsided within 

 their banks, and the temperature become pleasant, than the trees of our 

 woods are seen to unfold their buds and blossoms, and the White Perch, 

 which during the winter has lived in the ocean, rushes up our streams, 

 to seek the well-known haunts in which it last year deposited its spawn. 

 With unabating vigour it ascends the turbulent current of the Missis- 

 sippi, of which, however, the waters are too muddy to suit its habits ; and 

 glad no doubt is it to enter one of the numberless tributaries whose limpid 

 waters are poured into the mighty river. Of these subsidiary waters 

 the Ohio is one in whose pure stream the White Perch seems to delight ; 

 and towards its head springs the fish advances in numerovis shoals, follow- 

 ing the banks with easy progress. Over many a pebbly or gravelly bar 

 does it seek its food. Here the crawling mussel it crunches and devours ; 

 there, with the speed of an arrow, it darts upon the minnow ; again, at 

 the edge of a shelving rock, or by the side of a stone, it secures a cray- 

 fish. No impure food will " the Growler" touch ; therefore, reader, never 

 make use of such to allure it, otherwise not only will your time be lost, 

 but you will not enjoy the gratification of tasting this delicious fish. 

 Should you have no experience in fishing for perch, I would recommend 

 to you to watch the men you see on that shore, for they are excellent 

 anglers. 



Smooth are the waters, clear is the sky, and gently does the stream 

 move, — perhaps its velocity does not exceed a mile in the hour. Silence 

 reigns around you. See, each fisher has a basket or calabash, containing 

 many a live cray ; and each line, as thick as a crow quill, measures scarce 

 a furlong. At one end two perch hooks are so fastened that they cannot 

 interfere with each other. A few inches below the reaching point of the 

 farthest hook, the sinker, perhaps a quarter of a pound in weight, having 

 a hole bored through its length, is passed upon the line, and there secured 

 by a stout knot at its lower extremity. The other end of the line is fas- 

 tened ashore. The tackle, you observe, is carefully coiled on tlie sand at 

 the fisher's feet. Now on each hook he fixes a cray-fish, piercing the shell 

 beneath the tail, and forcing the keen weapon to reach the very head of 



