36 
THE BOOK OF FISHES 
rnotograph by l^.dith b. W atson 
FISHWIVES BEHEADING CAPELIN: ISLAND OF ST. PIERRE 
The Islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, ceded by Great Britain to France as shelters for her fishermen 
by the Ireaty of Pans, 1763, are now only relics of the once great French empire in America. Both were 
formerly very valuab e as stations from which France carried on her fisheries on the Banks of Newfoundland 
bt. I lerre is the smaller, but the more important of the two, and the little town of the same name presents 
a busy aspect during the fishing season. The American Capelin was so called because early French fishermen 
saw a resemblance to the European Capelan^ a small Cod, but the American fish is classed as a Smelt. 
earns his dinner. It makes a smashing 
fight, and the fisherman who lacks the 
skill of giving proper tautness to his line 
is likely to find it broken by a sudden 
rush or shaken loose if allowed to slack. 
Though the leader may be of wire, the 
fish will attempt to swim ahead and bite 
the line in two with its sharp teeth. 
One angler has also described the hooked 
Bluefish as a wild tiger, with all its 
strength and courage and deviltry—now 
running deep, now rushing from side to 
side, but always pullingandjerking with its 
entire strength in its mad battle for free¬ 
dom—a foeman worthy of anyone’s steel. 
Lobster tail, shedder Crabs, live Killies 
or small Herrings are tempting tidbits to 
the voracious Bluefish, which has been 
called the glutton of the deep. 
It is related that Bluefishes are utterly 
wanton in their gluttony and will prey on 
a school of lesser fish until their stomachs 
are so full that they disgorge the harvest 
and begin all over again. 
The Bluefish, like the Striped Bass, 
brings the joy of salt-water game fishing 
into many of the Atlantic coast rivers, 
notably the Hudson, the lower Potomac^ 
and Hampton Roads. 
