EASTERN COAST FISHES. 243 



strong ebb tide. The breeze is blowing fresh. Up mounts your 

 boat on the glassy billow, whose crest is foaming just two rods in 

 front. A false move now is ruinous. Ready about, hard down 

 your helm ! Now ! while she shakes, toss in your " squid " into 

 the deep green brine. There, you have him. Keep her away 

 and haul in lively. Hurrah ! a four-pounder. Lift him over the 

 rail easy ; belay your sheet there — steady ! Whish ! away we go, 

 with wind and tide fair, and a seven knot current, and in a jiffy 

 are swept many rods off from the land, and ready to repeat the 

 manoeuvre again. Clear away your line, come about, and charge 

 up to the beach once more. What can be more exciting .'' Here 

 we have all the attractions and excitement of yachting and fishing 

 combined, with every sense on the alert, and every nerve tautened 

 to fullest tension. Who will dare turn up his nose in contempt of 

 weakfishing. 



The weakfish is also taken with squid in the surf at Montauk, 

 Newport and elsewhere, and affords the most exciting sport — the 

 angler, often standing waist deep in the breakers, throwing his 

 . squid to incredible distances by practice, and dragging the fish by 

 main strength to terra firma when he has struck. The best 

 season for angling is from the middle of June until the first of 

 September. 



Lafayette ; goody (Cape May) ; chub (Norfork) ; roach ( Virginia) j 

 Liostomus obiqluus. — De Kay. 



This is a fair biter and a tolerably good fish for the table. A 

 very beautiful fish in form and markings, taken in Hudson River 

 and all along shore. (See Southern Qjast Fishes.) 



KiNGFisH ; whiting ; halce or barb (New Jersey) ; Menticirrus xelulosus.—GSl 



Genio C. Scott, whom the writer has accompanied on many 

 angling excursions, says in his book entitled " Fishing in American 

 Waters " : 



" By many anglers this fish is regarded the best water-game of 

 the estuaries. Its small and hard mouth is bordered with a gristly 

 rim that is peculiarly adapted to holding .a small hook. In the 

 waters about New York the fish are not numerous, nor are the 

 members of the limited shoals of large size, running ohiy from a 



