154 THE BLUE-FISH. 



He seems to have superseded another and larger fish of 

 the same name, and as his numbers augment, those of 

 the weak-fish, otolithus regalis, diminish. The blue-fish 

 has singular vagaries, sometimes crowding every inlet 

 in swarms, and then deserting us altogether, visiting in 

 one season one locality and in the next another, but ordi 

 narily frequenting our entire coast north to Massachusetts. 



They afford excellent sport on a rod and line, being 

 among the strongest and boldest of their kind, taking 

 the fly readily, and making fierce and well-sustained 

 rashes ; but from the localities they usually frequent, 

 they are mostly taken with a hand-line from a sailboat. 

 An artificial squid of bone, ivory or lead, is trailed along 

 at the end of forty yards of stout line, from a boat 

 dancing merrily over the waves under the influence of a 

 fresh mackerel breeze. The boatman's business is to 

 watch for a shoal, which can be seen by their breaking, 

 and when he has found it, by repeated tacks to keep the 

 boat in or near it ; the fisherman's duty is to haul in 

 steadily and regularly immediately on feeling a bite, 

 and to get out his line again as soon as possible. The 

 fish dart forward, and throwing themselves out of water, 

 turn a complete somersault, when, if the line is not taught, 

 they will throw the hook out of their mouths. The dash- 

 ing of the waves and flying of the spray, the rapid exhi- 

 larating motion of the vessel, the fresh sea-breeze, the 

 rapid biting and fine play of the fish, make a day pass 

 pleasantly if they do not afford scientific sport. 



Blue-fish attain a weight of thirty pounds, and the 

 largest being usually taken outside the bars, beyond the 

 breakers, are a source of much amusement to our yachts- 



