40 AMBROSE ON ST. MARGARET S BAY FISHING GROUNDS. 



long tentacles which, beardlike, hang from his chin, and which — as 

 he feeds on muddy ground, like the monk-fish {Lophuis American- 

 us), may be intended to act like the tentaculse of that sea-monster, 

 to entice and deceive such unwary fish as go half burrowing along 

 the oozy bottom in search of sea- worms. Hake are found in the 

 muddy gulches, whither, except in sickness, cod never resort. Here 

 in deep water hake are to be found in the early part of summer ; 

 but they strike in shore about the fii*st of August, for the purpose 

 of spawning, and remain, for ail that is known to the contrary, 

 until spring; Indeed, there is a small lagoon about three miles this 

 side of Chester, across the neck or outlet of which the mail coach on 

 its way from Halifax passes, by means of a small bridge. It is 

 called " Frail's Pond," and is brackish, as the fresh water coming 

 into it from the land side is mingled with the salt water which fills 

 it at every tide. Here, throughout the winter, considerable num- 

 bers of good sized hake are taken in day-time, by hooks dropped 

 through holes cut in the ice. These are, by our fishermen, jokingly 

 called "tame goats." It is quite possible, and indeed probable, 

 that this fish may also be found during winter in many other such 

 brackish ponds, which are so numerous along the shore, between 

 this Bay and Shelburne. I should also expect to find cod in such 

 places, or in the mouths of the rivers along our coast in winter, 

 for they are very frequently caught by the hand in the land-wash 

 in this Bay, and in New Brunswick, in the Kennebeckasis river, off 

 Clifton, and not far from Gondola Point, (where even at high tide 

 the water must be but slightly impregnated with salt, and at low 

 water must be very nearly fresh). Justus Wetmore, Esq., last sum- 

 mer informed me, that in the winter of 1864, large codfish were 

 caught through holes in the ice. Indeed, the winter habits of our 

 sea fish are as yet but little known, owing to the present habit of 

 closing up the shore fishing from the middle of November, to the 

 middle of May. 



Hake take the same bait as the cod, and will freely take fish of 

 its own kind, herein differing from cod, which after a few nibbles 

 will desert the hook that is baited with codfish, though they will 

 frequently devour small members of their own tribe. It may here 

 be observed that every bait seems to have its own proper season, — 



