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The Little Fish and the Fisherman: Trout

The Sprightly Trout.

The Mackinaw Salmon, also called the toward evening and during the night they rove about in search of small fish, insects and larvæ.

The American Brook-Trout closely resembles the common European Trout in appearance, size, habits and qualities, but is still a distinct species. It is widely distributed, being found in Great Lake Trout, is two to five feet long, nearly all the clear running streams of the and is the largest of the known salmon- United States north of Virginia, and is idæ, sometimes weighing one hundred familiarly known to all American masters and twenty pounds. It is very voracious, of the rod. There are many other varieand feeds on every fish within its reach. ties, passing by the name of Silver Trout, It is speared by the Indians by torch-light; Black Trout, Sea Trout, Hucho Trout; its flesh is reddish, and is eaten, some- all, however, are of the same species. The times in a frozen state, by the Canadian diversities in the appearance of these fish voyagers. It is found in the Great Lakes are mostly confined to color, and are of the Northwest, and never visits the caused by the different qualities of the sea. streams in which they are bred.

A Fable.

The Salmon-Trout is one of the fishes that migrate from the sea to fresh waters, The sport of angling furnishes a great and takes rank next the Salmon; the com- variety of entertaining stories and pleasmon weight is two to four pounds, but ing incidents. It is not difficult to draw they sometimes weigh twelve to seven- from this pastime moral lessons, as may THE FISH AND THE SHEPHERD WHO PLAYED ON THE CLARIONET. (375) be seen from the following fable concerning the little fish and the fisherman : A LITTLE Fish will larger grow, in time, If God will only grant him life; and yet To let him free out of the tangling net Is folly; and I mean it though I rhyme :

The catching him again is not so sure, c'est tout.

A little Carp, who half a summer knew, Was taken by an angler's crafty hook. "All count," the man said; "this begins my feast :

I'll put it in my basket." "Here, just look!"

Exclaimed, in his own way, the tiny beast. "Now, what on earth can you, sir, want with me?

I'm not quite half a mouthful, as you see.

Let me grow up, and catch me when I'm tall, Then some rich epicure will buy me dear; But now you'll want a hundred, that is plain, Ay, and as much again, To make a dish; and what dish, after all?

Why, good for nothing." "Good for nothing, eh?"

Replied the angler. "Come, my little friend, Into the pan you go ; so end.

Your sermon pleases me, exceedingly.

To night we'll try How you will fry."

The present, not the future, tense, Is that preferred by men of sense.

The one is sure that you have got; The other, verily, is not.

The Fish and the Clarionet-Player.

Another fable, which pictures a shepherd with his clarionet, endeavoring to charm the fish and draw them from their hiding places, runs as follows: