198 



THE SHEEPSHEAD. 



should be thoroughly tried before they are cast into the water 

 With such an outfit, the accidents spoken of by Mitchili may 

 be avoided. 



An amateur friend, who has had great success in taking 

 this fish, furnishes the following: 



" This noble fish has become quite scarce in our harbor. 

 The writer has taken them .repeatedly on a small reef near 

 Governor's Island, opposite the Battery, but this was in days 

 ■ long since gone by. They are taken still occasionally at 

 Caving Point, and opposite the signal poles at the Narrows ; 

 also at Peluam Bridge, and in Little Hellgate. 



" Strong tackle is essential for taking them, as they are a 

 very vigorous and powerful fish. They are usually found on 

 reefs or in the neighborhood of large rocks, whither they re- 

 sort for their favorite food, which is the small rock crab and 

 the soft-shell clam — a very common bait is the latter. The 

 clam is put on the hook whole, by inserting the point of the 

 hook through the stem, and burying the whole of the curve 

 in the body of the clam. This fish is furnished with a fine 

 set of front teeth, very nearly resembling the teeth of the 

 sheep — whence the name ; the roof of the mouth is literally 

 paved with rouud teeth, placed closely together, like the 

 paving stones in the carriage track of our city, enabling them 

 to crack the shell of the clams with perfect ease. Some 

 anglers, after placing the clam on the hook, slightly crack 

 the shell on one side ; but this sometimes causes the flesh 

 of the clam to be exposed to those enemies of the angler for 

 sheepshead — the bergalls. The sheepshead will take the 

 whole clam when he finds it, and crack it in his paved mouth, 

 without the previous aid of the fisherman. Where the small 

 fish are not plenty — which is the case on the feeding grounds 

 in the south bays — I much prefer a bait of the opened soft 

 ur bird clam of large size — as large at least as a pullet's egg — 

 and have been tin 1 m ire successful with it than with tha 



