SPANISH MACKEEEL. 309 



more than one or two caught. They would leap in 

 graceful curves in front of the approaching boats, 

 showing their abundance and hunger, but when the 

 prow came near they would sink, and the trolling 

 lines would pass unsuccessfully over the spot which 

 they had Just occupied. Two old watermen, blue- 

 fish followers, who had been in the habit of going 

 after that more easily deluded species for years, de- 

 voted their time to ascertaining what was the best 

 squid or lure for Spanish mackerel, but after two 

 seasons of failure were compelled to abandon the 

 attempt, not much wiser than when they began. 



Ninety-nine-hundredths of all the Spanish mack- 

 erel which come to our markets are caught in nets, 

 and the line does not yield suflQcient results to make 

 its use satisfactory even for sport, but still so beau- 

 tiful and desirable are they, that a few will now and 

 then be accepted instead of ten times the number 

 of their coarser brethren. To take these few, there 

 is a choice of means, and one thing which has never 

 been used is well worth trial, the natural food, 

 either a piece of a moss-bunker or a small spearing 

 fastened on a gang of hooks, and the reader who is 

 in a position to troll for Spanish mackerel should 

 certainly make this experiment. The squids which 

 have been found most satisfactory are of bone, the 

 metal ones being almost worthless. Of the bone 

 squids those which are stained a bright red, or red 

 and white, are the most killing. Others made of 

 the heart of the cedar will often do good work. It 

 is supposed that the red color, which gives the ap- 



