176 
THE FLYING FISH. 
[Nature and Art, November 1, 1866. 
piece of stout copper wire into the groove, leaving 
a ring at each end, to lay across the notches, as in 
fig. 2. Bore a hole through the body with a 
gimblet or red-hot wire, as shown by the arrow at 
fig. 3, and at each side secure in the holes so made 
a tuft of bristles from a sweeping-brush, which is 
best done with a little hot pitch, as vide fig. C. 
These serve to represent the fins or wings. Another 
and shorter tuft opened to receive the tapered end 
of the body, and secured in its place Avith AA r axed 
silk or thread, serves for a tail. Prepare a long, 
narrow strip of sheet lead, wind it firmly and evenly 
in a spiral coil, from end to end ; scrape the lead 
bright and smooth Avith a pocket-knife, secure the 
two ends Avith tacks, and the body is complete. 
Mount it as follows : fasten two No. 4 sea-hooks 
back to back on a piece of strong line about five 
inches long, which must be served Avitli fine copper 
Avire ; form a loop in the end, and attach it to the 
tail ring A. The same arrangement of hooks on a 
three-inch piece of line served like the other, must 
be looped to the head ring, B. Attach your main 
line, which must be a strong one, to the bait, Avitli 
a loop at B. Place a couple of large-sized brass 
SAvivels at tAvo feet apart, the first being fitted as 
shown in the Avoodcut, and serve the line from about 
a foot from the bait Avitli the wire, as in the hook 
lengths. An omission of this precaution Avould in 
all probability, lead to the loss of both fish and bait, 
as both the bonita and albacore haA r e sets of re- 
markably sharp teeth, and know Avell how to use 
them. The arrangements being now completed, 
the lure may be cast into the sea, and the line 
veered aAvay until a sufficient distance from the ship 
has been reached, Avhen the bait should be kept 
leaping from AvaA’e to wave by hauling in and giving 
out line : thus roughly imitating the motions of 
the Flying Fish. Few bonitas or albacores Avill be 
found self-denying enough to resist this attraction. 
The glittering, springing bait once seen by the 
pursuing fish, a general rush is made; a gleam of 
blue and silver is seen for an instant, and the line 
becomes tense as a bell-wire, as the painted captive 
sheers off beloAv, or darts in a race for life far off 
from the ship’s side. Coolness, readiness, and strong 
tackle are the great aids now required, and with 
them, backed up Avith a moderate share of luck, the 
prisoner may be brought on board, Avhere Avith stark, 
stiff fins, quick shuddering flutter, and changing 
ultra-marine hues, his life rapidly ebbs away, and 
the remorseless cook claims him as a sort of wind- 
fall to swell the carte of the next coming meal. 
Honest forecastle J ack either strikes the bonita and 
albacore Avitli the grains — a trident- shaped instru- 
ment, in the management of which he is usually 
an adept, — or makes use of a primitive contrivance, 
with which to inveigle them, and thus he prepares 
it : a stout piece of hard, strong wood, about six or 
seven inches long, is obtained, notched at the neck, 
to receive a couple or three lmlf-hitches of strong 
line, under which is firmly secured a strip of Avhite 
rag to serve as wings. At the loAver or tail end of 
the stick a hole is obliquely bored, and a stout 
sharp nail, such as carpenters use, driven through 
it {vide fig.) A cross lashing of fine tAvine is then 
put on, in order to keep the nail in its place, 
prevent the Avood from splitting, and to secure a 
short piece of rag, which represents the tail in 
its proper position. 
The bait is now 
ready for use, and 
is by no meaus 
a- bad make-shift 
Avhen hooks are 
difficult to obtain. 
The Esquimaux use 
contrivances of 
various sizes, very 
much in principle 
like this, for the 
capture of both 
large and small fish, 
only omitting the 
rag, baiting them 
much as Ave bait an 
ordinary fish-hook. 
The trace, or 
connecting piece 
between the hook 
and the line, is 
composed of a strip 
of sinew or Avh ale- 
bone; the body or 
shaft, of a bit of 
driftAvood gathered 
from the beach; the 
point, of a sharp, 
finely-scraped bone ; 
and the arming or lashing, of a thread of tendon or 
split ground AvilloAv. The neatness and ingenuity 
