THE BLACK BASS 



No daintier fish in ocean's pastures bred, 

 Swims thy compeer.' 



Ausonius. 



One of the largest of American fresh-water fishes, which I 

 have Tainly attempted to catch, is the fresh- water drum or 

 Gaspergou {Aplodinotus grunniens). I have seen it in the New 

 Orleans market, and it reaches a length of four feet and a weight 

 of one hundred pounds. I am told it makes an extraordinary 

 resistance. It is found in the Great Lakes of America. In the 

 Ohio it is the perch ; in the rivers of Louisiana the drum. 



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