To catou AND cook Tauroa. 115 
“Now tail and fins are nicely shortened in their termina- 
tion, not hacked off. A little salt is thrown over the fish, 
merely to harden and not salt it, and it lies two hours for this 
purpose. It is then scored, that it may not break when it 
swells, and browned well upon the gridiron, from which it 
is carefully taken up, and laid to repose upon a bed of nicely- 
peeled and very fresh mushrooms, daintily spread over the 
strainer. 
“While the fish was hardening, Mary has had a communi- 
cation from up stairs. An extra bottle of the Chateau of 
twenty-five had been unavailingly opened the day before to 
tempt a total abstinence friend who had arrived from the 
country. Good part of it remains, and at this moment it is 
decanted into the stew-pan; the freighted strainer descends 
into the wine, and the fish, entirely immersed in the amethys- 
tine element, regrets no more its loss of life, of liberty, and 
youth. A white onion or two is sliced into rings, that fall as 
decorations over him; a few berries of pepper thrown in; six 
cloves; two blades of mace; aneschalot,if you think proper; 
and Cayenne or not, according to your taste. The stew-pan 
is then covered, and a careful, slow, epicurean simmer com- 
pletes the work.” 
During winter the blackfish hibernates under rocks in the 
bays and estuaries, as proven by the vent entirely closing 
and a thin film growing over the mouth. In the spring they 
appear with the dogwood blossom and the chestnut leaves. 
““When chestnut leaves are as big as thumb-nail, 
Then bite blackfish without fail ; 
But when chestnut leaves are as long as a span, 
Then catch blackfish if you can.” 
In angling for the tautog, use a heavy bass rod, heavy trac- 
ing sinker like that for sheepshead, but hooks of the Virginia 
bend and short nib. Swivel sinkers are preferred by some. 
Let the point of hook be very sharp. Sometimes striped 
bass, sea bass, squeteague, grunters, and sheepshead feed with 
the tautog. It is necessary, therefore, to rig with as large a 
