Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1895-01-18

Among Tie Tomcods wns Discovered.
Not TO Jig ing the Thames River Is to
BE Put Down as Eccentric.
Its good thing that virtue is it's
own reward" said man from Connect
icut That is about all the recompense
1t ever gats, even in Connecticut Now,
for instance, take the confiding and
credulous tomcod Like all fish, the
tomcod has habits. Unlike many fishes,
none of the tomcod's habits is bad. Yet
the most innocent and touching of them
leads the tomcod to his inevitable undo
ing over in Connecticut, especially
along the Thames river His very vir-
tues are his ruin. He might better be a
vicious, rollicking, thieving doghsh, the
tomcod might, ten times over than his
own highly reputable and innocent self
he would live many times as long as he
does and have q heap moro fun, because
then folks wouldn't jig for him A
good many scores of my compatriots
take advantage of his trustfulness and
jig him from his chilly but congenial
home by the bushel
Never jigged for tolncods? Then it
is plain that you are so unfortunate as
never to have lived in Connecticut-any-
way not in any of those parts of that in
comparable state where tomcods are jig
ged. Not to jig for toncods over there,
especially along the Thames river, is to
be eccentric.
1.-THE fatal habit of the tomcod is to
be caressing If you never noticed this
popularity of the tomcod, make point
of doing it the very first chance you get
A good place to detect him at it is from
the end Of some pier that rises from wa
ter he frequents. You will see him come
up in schools around the supporting
pieces Of the pier and rub himself
against them, passing all around them,
always in gentle contact with them,
turning first this side and then that side
to the pile, rubbing his nose against it
and fondling it in many ways, as pet
cat might rub itself against your leg.
But piers are not the only objects of the
tomcod s fondness. He caresses all sorts
of jetsam and even ventures to the sur
face and pays his addresses to cold and
unconscious flotsan. He puts his trust in
anything that offers. His credulity is
boundless, His confidence. is sublime
And the jigger plays them for all they
are worth.
People in Connecticut are very OBJ
servant folk, especially along the
Thames river. One day long ago one of
my fellow citizens sat musingly upon
the bank of that storied stream. He held
in his hand small oak bough on which
leaves were clustered At last he aim
lessly dropped the bough into the river.
1t fell near the shore, and the punches
Of leaves sank somewhat below the sur
face. Presently tomcods came swim
ming up to the leaves, obtruding them
selves into the line Of my fellow citi-
zen's pensive vision. Scores Of them sur
rounded the oak leaves and swan in a
fondling way among them and about
them, manifesting much the same dumb
delight that a cat does as it rolls and
wriggles ON bunch Of catnip
AFTER awhile this strange affinity
between the oak leaves and tho tomcods
gradually gave my fellow citizen an
idea Pensiveness gave way to the prac-
teal He got up and went home and
then tied some sharp hooks TO tho end
Of long stick. Then he returned to the
river. The oak branch was still lying
close at hand in the water. He manip.
ulated its leaves beneath the water gen
tly, and as the caressing and trustful
responded 10 their undulating
my fellow citizen yanked
them out with the hooks at the end Of
his stick So long as he kept the bunch
Of oak leaves moving in the water the
swarmed about II, unmindful
Of the play Of the destructive gan among |
them Now and then my fellow citizen
would remove the bough from tho wa
Ter Then the tomcods would instantly |
disappear. The oak back again In the |
water, back would come tho tomeOds
and were aware Of no other presence
Soon the shore was stTewn with tho UNI
suspeoting fish, and tho sport becoming
my fellow citizen filled his
basket and went home,
"Of course this interesting discovery
IN pisoatorial psychology, 20 % speak,
soon absorbed attention ia those parts,
aud e4penmenteTs lined the banks Of
ihe Thames river daily These ezpeIt-
nents ht last tookOn the accepted naIpe
II jigging, and tOmcod jigging became
, popular recreation Ia Connecticut and
b yet
"Ap expert with bunch Of oak leaves
lnd jig can hll wagon with tomcods
N few hours II he wants 10, aud II
,yely tomood that sBiHls gas IN school
around oHe bunch Of leaves sad tho jlg
goa at that bunch could stay aud vs.
Ong enough he could mako fhe Faoe "
ome0d extinct fog eYegy tQneod would
iome right up ~ that bunch ~ leaves
Ind b. eFeflaslingly jagged a gEeai
many good Connecticut peQple plaiest
hat they llg foF f0meQda not fog ploa
aTe % peoanlagy profit, bnl because "
he ggeai maral lessQil lhey leaFE fFQN
q WheiheT thai u ~ ~ AQt, the fapt
amaigs thai ihe tQoihslo,e l0laeQa y
lac most e0anding, 9eaaloug spa lnae