Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-06-12
TO THE WRONG MAN.
The Fresh Young Man Tells of the Charac
 teristics of the MuIlygrub.

of the table. He was eating fish. A red faced man dressed in a tweed suit came in and was shown by the head wait CT to a seat on tho left of the fresh young man. The red faced man was an Eng ishman. At least he had an English ac- cent that sounded as if it was his right and not by adoption. He gave the wait CT an order, and while he was waiting he began talking with the fresh young man.
 Pardon me, " the rcd faced man be- gan. 'but would you mind telling mo what kind of fish that is you are eat ing?"
 Certainly not" replied the fresh young man beamingly. This is very excellent specimen of what is known To- cally as tho Nullygruh. It is fish that | is found ill great quantities in tho shoal waters of Lal,o Erie, tho lake on the shore of which this city stands, and, so far as I know, is caught nowhere else. The mullygrub Is ;l remarkable fish. It grows to the length of two feet some- times, but is at its best for eating pur- poses when about 10 inches long. It is delicately favored, many persons claim ing that the flavor is that of an excel lent champagne, while others insist that it tastes of Medford rum. That point has long been matter of local conten- ton, but am reliably informed that in the olden days the Indians who lived originally ill these parts distilled excel lent rum from the fish, so I think the rum partisans of today have rather tho best of it. "
 Indeed, broke i'll the red faced man, that is very astonishing"
 "Oh, ycs" continued the fresh young man. but it is not the most sur prising thing about these fish. Their greatest peculiarity is the manuer in which they arc caught. It is utterly i'm possible to take them with a hook and line They will not bite at any bait yet invented by man. Nor 1t possible to catch them with anct. Their dorsal fins arc sharper than knife blade, and when caught i'll net they simply cut their way out to liberty. For this req son the fishermen do not cast net i'll places where tho mullygrub arc known to abound. The only way to catch these fish is to hire German band to play the wedding march from 'LohcuSrin' while standing N the shore. So great an admiration havc theso fish for tho music furnished by German bands and for that one tune that they swim up to shoro and wrigglc their way out on the sand. Then it Is easy to gather them up. That is tho way the entire catch is secured, and thus many worthy German musicians arc enabled to earn comforta- bio ivings when otherwise they would bo obliged to walk around the streets for an uncertain incomc to say tho least
 "HOw very extraordinary mur- mured the red faced man.
 Ut certainly is, - went on tho fresh young man, but thcre is still another habit of the mullygrub which is unique. The female lnullygrub does not have tho TOO common ill fish. Instead Shc lays cgSs which rescmblo tho cSgs of robins, hcing of pale blue, though somewhat smaller. These cSSs arc de- posited i'll tho sand after midnight in tho full ot the moon, and during days when the sun is not shining the malc mullygrub sits on them to keep them warm. The little mullyGruhs arc born with four legs, which they usc to walk with into thrwater after they aye hatcii- cd. Ill three days 7hcSo legs drop of and the fins appear.
 II can hardly believe it. said tine red faced man.
 ''Oh. yrs; yes. indeed. What l have told you C2n easily br verified anywhere in Buffalo. Then again when the n.ul- lygruh reaches the age Gt one year it sheds its skin. It also has the faculty of changing its color on occasion. 1 have seen Il mullygruh, when iu good spirits, change rapidly from red to white and then to blue and after that takc on n combination of the three cnlors, with a small patch of stars just where the head joins the body. But is it pos sible you have never heard of this won derful fish?'
 ''It certainly is. replied the rcd faced man.
 ''May inquire where you live? You arc an EnSlishman, are you not
 ''No, not exactly. 1 was born in England, but just at present. l am en- gagged in experimenting tho largo fish hatchery recently established in Can aaa.
 And the fresh young man fuintod.- Buffalo Express.