104 Fishing in North Carolina. 



The catfish gets much blame that it is not 

 entitled to receive. It does little, if any, harm ; 

 it can hardly catch a minnow, even when the 

 latter is on a hook; it can be prohibited from 

 becoming too many; it consumes refuse and 

 mud without pay, which is laudable; it eats 

 grass, which shows ihat it is like man, an all- 

 round feeder, in taking into consideration both 

 animal and vegetable substances. 



The flesh is fine, firm and white; well flav- 

 ored, and is really as much an epicurean diet 

 as that of lamprey eel. It is excellent, too, when 

 made a "muddle" of in connection with pork, 

 potatoes and red pepper, boiled to a standstill 

 Likewise, a diet of catfish nicely steamed and 

 served with tobasco sauce is a dish that is unfit 

 for the stomach of a collard and turnip gour^ 

 met. Nicely baked cornbread, hoe-cake style, 

 without the addition of Yankee eggs and cotton- 

 seed lard is the best bread to eat with any sort 

 of fish. 



Catfish should be skinned when being pre- 

 pared for the fire, and the best way to do this 

 is to make an erasure with a sharp knife around 



