Why He Stopped.

Otago Witness, Issue 2569, 10 June 1903, Page 77

Why He Stopped.

Dr David Starr Jordan, president of the L-eland Stanford, Jr., University, who has recently discovered a number of new varieties of fish in the streams of Hawaii and the Philippines, i& a great sportsman as well as a conscientious ichthyologist: —

"I have met, some fishermen, even among professional sportsmen, who prefer oldfashioned metnods," said Dr Jordan, "and though the ancient story of tho farmer's boy who catches fish with a bent pin fastened to a piece of twin© where fullrigged sports from the city fail to get a bite borders on the mythical, I have actually witnessed instances of success with back-number outfits where modern appliamces failed to land the game. "One day in California I had had a remarkable run of luck, and that night as we eat round the eamp-firo I took occasion to say that my buecccs was due to tho superior tie of flic>3* I had used.

" ' You may flatter yourself on the bag you've brought in to day,' eaid an old fisherman who had joined our party, ' but let mo tell you, doctor, that I saw a Digger Indian catch more fish in an hour in this stream than you'vo landed all day with your fine- lines.' "'What bait did ho usgV I asked. " ' Live grasshoppers,' replied tho eld man, * but he didn't impale them. From his head ho would stoically phick a hair, and with it bmd the rtrugghng insect to tho hook. Almost upon the instant that this bait struck the water a fish would leap for it. After landing him the Indian would calmly repeat the- performance of snatching a hair from his head Bind affixing a. fresh grasshopper to the hook. " ' I became fascinated.' continued the narrator. "After the Indian had landed in quioki succession a mighty string of salmon trout he suddenly stopped. I called to him to go on with the exciting sport, but he merely smiled grimly and pointed significantly to his head.' "'"What was the matter with his head? I asked, said Dr Jordrn. '"He had plucked it bald,' replied the eld man."