UC-NRLF

B 2 TM2 3D1

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

International Fisheries Exhibition

LONDON, 1883

THE

FISHERIES EXHIBITION
LITERATURE.

VOLUME III.

HANDBOOKS— PART III.

FISHES OF FANCY : THEIR PLACE IN MYTH, FABLE, FAIRY-TALE,

AND FOLK-LORE.

ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION SOCIETIES OF LONDON
AND THE PROVINCES.

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.
SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.
LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

LONDON
WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,

13 CHARING CROSS, S.W.
1884

LONDON :
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,

STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.

/.

HANDBOOKS— PART III.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

FISHES OF FANCY : THEIR PLACE IN MYTH, FABLE,
FAIRY-TALE, AND FOLK-LORE. With Notices of the
Fishes of Legendary Art, Astronomy, and Heraldry. By
PHIL ROBINSON ....... i

ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION SOCIETIES OF

LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. By J. P. WHEELDON 99

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED. By HENRY LEE, F.L.S., F.G.S.,

F.Z.S. .... 179

SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED. By HENRY LEE, F.L.S.,

F.G.S., F.Z.S 319

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. By

J. P. WHEELDON 441

LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING. By J. J.

MANLEY M.A. . 527

FISHES OF FANCY:

THEIR PLACE IN MYTH, FABLE, FAIRY-TALE
AND FOLK-LORE;

WITH

NOTICES OF THE FISHES OF LEGENDARY ART,
ASTRONOMY AND HERALDRY.

BY

PHIL ROBINSON,

AUTHOR OF ' IN MY INDIAN GARDEN,* ' UNDER THE PUNKAH,' ' NOAH*S

ARK— AN ESSAY IN UNNATURAL HISTORY,' 'SINNERS AND

SAINTS,' 'THE POET'S BIRDS,' ETC., ETC.

VOL. III. — H.

CONTENTS.

PACK

PREFATORY NOTE 4

THE FISHES OF FANCY.

" Where hast thou floated, in what seas pursued
Thy pastime ? "—Cowper.

CHAP. I. — PRIMITIVE FISH-BELIEFS . 5

"So many fishes of so many features,
That in the waters we may see all creatures,
Even all that on the earth are to be found,

As if the world were in deep waters drown'd."

Walton.

CHAP. II. — FISHES IN ZOOLOGICAL MYTHOLOGY .... 17

" ' And is the sea ' (quoth Coridon) ' so fearfull ? '

* Fearful much more ' (quoth he) * than heart can fear ;
Thousand wyld beasts with deep mouths gaping direfull,

Therein still wait, poore passengers to teare.' "

Spenser.

CHAP. III. — FISHES IN RELIGION 31

" Ye monsters of the bubbling deep

Your Maker's name upraise ;
Up from the sands, ye codlings peep,
And wag your tails always."

New England Hymn.

CHAP. IV.— FISHES IN ARTS AND SCIENCES 44

"Anon ten thousand shapes,
Like spectres trooping to the wizard's call,
Fly swift before him ; from the womb of earth,
From ocean's bed, they come/' — Akenside.

CONTENTS. 3

PAGE

CHAP. V.— FISHES IN FABLE AND FAIRY-TALE .... 53

" And there were crystal pools, peopled with fish,
Argent and gold ; and some of Tyrian skin,

Some crimson-barred. And ever at a wish
They rose obsequious, till the wave grew thin

As glass upon their backs, and then dived in,
Quenching their ardent scales in watery gloom,

Whilst others with fresh hues rowed forth to win

My changeable regard." — Hood.

CHAP. VJ. — FISH IN HERALDRY 65

" There rolling monsters, arm'd in scaly pride,
Flounce in the billows, and dash round the tide.
There huge Leviathan unwieldy moves,
And through the waves, a living island, roves ;
In dreadful pastime terribly he sports,
And the vast ocean scarce his weight supports.
Where'er he turns, the hoary deeps divide ;
He breathes a tempest and he spouts a tide."

Groome.

CHAP. VII. — FISHES IN MODERN FOLK-LORE 83

" And all the griesly monsters of the sea
Stood gaping at their gate, and wondred them to see."

Spenser*

APPENDIX. — A Sea-dream ............ 93

B 2

PREFATORY NOTE.

THE range of this Handbook is so extensive, that it is
obviously impossible to accomplish more than a very
superficial review of its subjects in the compass of a
hundred pages. For it touches on Primitive Zoolatry
(glancing at Totemism and Sacred Fish-myths), Zoological
Mythology, Legendary Art, the Folk-tale of all nations,
Fables, the Sciences of Heraldry and Astronomy, Poetry
from Chaucer to Wordsworth — and Modern Folk-lore.
Moreover, following the liberal " fish-idea " of the Exhi-
bition, it has been necessary to wander from the cetaceans
on the one hand through fishes proper to the Crustacea and
molluscs on the other. So that not only in Unnatural, but
in Natural History also, the range of this Handbook is of
necessity very wide. I have contented myself, therefore,
with bringing a few leading thoughts into prominence —
antiquity of the Religious Fish-myth, its dignity, its im-
portance in Totemism, the benign aspect of Fish in the
Folk-tale, the persistence of ancient fancies in modern
superstitions.

Such subjects are not, I take it, to be treated with a
uniform gravity ; at the same time their intrinsic import-
ance should never be lost sight of.

It is in this humour that I have written, and fully
conscious that the magnitude of the matters of which I
have to treat — Animism in some of its widest and latest
aspects — makes it impossible, in so limited a space, to say
all that I should, would, or could.

I would, therefore, anticipate my critics, by saying, that
the value of this Handbook will probably be found in what
it omits rather than in what it contains. It has in it the
suggestions for a very desirable and entertaining volume.

PHIL ROBINSON.

FISHES OF FANCY.

CHAPTER I.

PRIMITIVE FISH-BELIEFS.

The loss of Solomon's work on Fish a possible misfortune — Reticence
in Holy Writ as to Fish — Even St. Peter does not identify his
Fishes — The First Fishers— Dignities of Fishes and their Antiquity
— How they chose Leviathan king, and how the Monarchy is now
a Republic — Individual Fishes of Honour and of Disrepute — That
the Sea is a duplicate of the Earth, an error ; but resemblances
not to be despised — That Birds were once Fish — Romance of Fact
— Are not the Popular Ideas about Fishes prejudiced by error? —
What Fishes might think of us.

THAT the world sustained a great loss in the destruction
of Solomon's work on Fishes may be accepted as beyond
dispute, for let the scientific attainments of the sumptuous
builder have been what they might, there can be no doubt
of it, Solomon, who was of an artistic kind, would have
preserved to posterity a vast quantity of old-world nonsense,
possibly even of antediluvian facts, which is now hopelessly
lost to us ; and except Solomon, no other personage of
Holy Writ has expatiated on the subject of fishes. We
have no scriptural recognition of any great fisher " before
the Lord." Indeed, the untranslated Bible is singularly
reticent on the subject, for it does not specify a single fish.
Tobit's fish and Jonah's fish, the fishes of the Psalms and
of the New Testament, are spoken of only generically, and
even when the Lawgiver is enumerating the things which

6 FISHES OF FANCY.

the Hebrews might and might not eat, he is careful to
distinguish by their names the creatures in fur and feathers,
but the fish are merely divided into " those with scales and
fins," and "those without." Still more remarkable is it
that Peter and his comrades, themselves professional fisher-
men, should have omitted to identify the actual species
with which the Saviour worked His miracles. In fish
history, therefore, there is a very considerable gap, and it
is not until we go to Pagan Mythology that we find the
things of the water identified into species.

Of fishing itself we have records from the earliest times,
for the Vedas, and of course the Bible, speak of the net
and line, spear and hook. But the first of fishers of whom
any record remains is undoubtedly that primaeval god of
the ichthyophagous Polynesians who existed in the very
beginning, and when first heard of was out a-fishing on the
face of the waters. And he fished up dry land with a
hook and line —

" His hook he baited with a dragon's tail,
And sat upon a rock, and bobb'd for whale."

Coeval with this deity were those mighty anglers Thor
and Odin, who fished (sometimes for the sea-serpent itself)
in the Scandinavian seas. Judging, however, from the fact
that in the East the caste is still one of very low degree,
and that in the most primitive communities, fish-catching
is still the work of women — and so distinguished from
other kinds of sport, which are always the first and proudest
privilege of savage manhood — it is not likely that the pri-
vate angler was an individual of any importance. Coming
down, however, to the classical period, we find the pastime
established in popularity and fashion. Kings and their
courts amused themselves with the spear and net. Agrippa

PRIMITIVE FISH-BELIEFS. 7

was so fond of fishing that he called himself Neptune. The
Emperors of Rome practised it with every circumstance of
characteristic luxury : their nets were of purple silk, and
the ropes of gilt twine. It is true that "from time im-
memorial " the Emperors of China had gone a-fishing, and
not less a fact that Gulliver found folk fishing both in
Brobdingnag and in Liliput. "But the people of the
former country did not care for sea-fish ; they were all
the ordinary size. Sometimes, though, they caught a
whale, and I have known them so large that a man could
hardly carry one upon his shoulders ; and sometimes, for
curiosity, they are brought in hampers to Lorbrulgrud."
What they caught in Liliput he does not tell us.

Izaak Walton — "that quaint old coxcomb" — I know,
amuses himself by surmising that Seth, the son of Adam,
taught his son to cast a fly, and that he engraved the
mystery of the craft upon those pillars of which Masons
and Mormons know so much. But the world in general
will hardly be content to believe that the patriarch really
occupied so much valuable surface with the details of
fishing, and will prefer to accept the imperial masters of
Rome as the first of gentlemen anglers, and the fascinating
Cleopatra as the first of the fair sex who made angling a
feminine fashion.

Apart from their historical records, the fishes have held
a really important place in the world's attention from the
beginning of time. This, at any rate, is beyond doubt, that
the oldest folk-lore extant, the Buddhist, abounds in morals
and significances drawn from the finny race, and that one of
the oldest of worships, the Phallic, finds under the symbol
of these creatures a conspicuous expression. Wherever we
go in the East, we find them in Art and Literature per-
petually recurrent It was in the First Age of the World

8 FISHES OF FANCY.

(so spake the Buddha when reproving the luxurious Monk
of Jetavana) that the fishes chose Leviathan for their king.
Aqueous society, therefore, was an established monarchy
at the earliest possible date. What manner of thing
" Leviathan " was in those unevoluted days — the period
called (until the days of Lyell) the Epoch of Diluvium and
Catastrophe, the age of unlimited mud — it would be almost
profane for us, in these puny days of whales, without spirit
enough in us to firk up even a sea-serpent, to attempt to
imagine ; and for myself I am content to believe with the
Talmudists that it was an indefinable sea-monster, of which
the female lay coiled round the earth, till God, fearing her
progeny might destroy the new globe, killed it, and that
then He salted her flesh and put it away for the banquet
which the pious shall enjoy at the Great End. In that
day the angel Gabriel will kill the male also, and will make
a tent out of his skin for the elect that are bidden to the
banquet. It* is a hazy old tradition, I confess, but it is the
oldest we have, and, as regards Leviathan, quite as satis-
factory as any other on the subject.

But the monarchy must have collapsed, for fishes are
nowadays distinctly republican, and each arrives at its
own particular measure of dignity upon grounds apart
from any relation to a central authority. An Arabic
legend * tells us of the Lake Biserta, which received twelve -
different kinds of fish, one for each month of the year,
without any intermixture, for when their month elapsed all
the fish of the species then in possession used to vacate the
lake, and were replaced by another. But this admirable
system of methodical tenancy — reminding one of the
system in vogue in rest-houses in the East, where a party

* Now for the first time in print, as are most of the others in this
Handbook from Arabic sources.

PRIMITIVE FISH-BELIEFS. g

of travellers can only remain twenty-four hours, and on
the arrival of the next party has to move on, bag and
baggage — does not obtain anywhere else, for fish are now
thoroughly American in their confusion of classes and
the assertion of their disregard for each other's liberty.

In the general struggle some of them have attained to
honours by their force of character. For instance, the
salmon — so lordly in its nature as to worthily justify the
name of that proud King of Elis who defied Olympus.
But he was hurled to the shades by a judiciously-directed
thunderbolt, and thus abundantly expiated his arrogant
obliquities. So too the shark, that awful Attila of the sea ;
and the pike also, the dispeopler of the lake, that by its
ferocity of countenance and manners usurps the autocracy
of the reedy waters, and compels the vigilance not only of
the otter that comes to poach, but of the beasts of man
that come to drink, and even of man himself; for it has
been known to rout the " goose-footed prowler," to bite off
a swan's head, to seize the nose of a drinking cow, and,
crowning audacity, to bite man. Did not Theodoric the
Goth die of fright at seeing a pike's head on his table?
He mistook it for the head of a person whom he had that
day unjustly put to death.

Other fish, again, have compassed dignity by the passive
virtues of their flesh. Did not Domitian order a special
session of the Senate to discuss the cooking of a turbot,
and " nihil ad rhombum " — all Lombard Street to a
China orange — pass into a proverb ? What man in Rome
would not have been a lamprey to be petted by the
beautiful wife of Drusus ? and what a pitch of dignity they
attained to in the households of epicures, those mullet and
muraena and carp !

But by far the greater number have achieved distinction

io FISHES OF FANCY.

by legendary exploits, or by accidents of honour. Thus
the dolphin and the tortoise, or the haddock and the John
Dory. It was a crab that retrieved the crucifix of St
Xavier from the sea —

" Nor let Xavier's great wonders pass concealed,
How storms were by the almighty wafer quelled }
How zealous crab the sacred image bore,
And swam a catholic to the distant shore ;"

and to a codfish that Scandinavia owed its recovered
crown. Was it not a fish that guided the Vedic ark to its
resting-place, the hill-peak Naubandha? and from a fish-
pond (according to Arabic legend) that Moses was rescued
by Pharaoh's daughter ? When the demons had usurped
Solomon's throne, and the monarch was an outcast in his
dominions and jeered at as a sort of Perkin Warbeck, a
preposterous claimant, a fish found the omnipotent signet-
ring, and so enabled the king to reascend his throne. Did
they not give their names to a score of cities ? Is not fkh
one of the special foods promised to the faithful in the
paradise of the Moslem, with, hard by, that tree from Sinai
that yields sauces " for them who eat " — a kind of paradi-
saical cruets. The heirs of France take their name from
a " fish " ; and have not fishermen given three kings to
Persia and an emperor to Rome ?

But just as many have thus adventitiously arrived at
celebrity, so many others have accidentally fallen into
disrepute. The mackerel can hardly be a proud fish,
recollecting its traditional imputations, nor lobsters go
haughtily. The character of this crustacean in legend is
perhaps worth a passing remark, for it is curious that while
the crab ever holds a place of honour, the lobster should
be always disreputable. Very old engravings show us a

PRIMITIVE FISH-BELIEFS. n

fool astride a lobster ; and the significance of that medal
of the Pretender, in which the youthful aspirant is shown
in the arms of a Jesuit who rides a lobster, conveys nothing
to the credit * either of the friar or the fish. Mercury in
his ignobler aspect rides a cray-fish. The porpoise is
popular in the same homely way that the pig is ; but the
eel has the worst of characters.

It was a common myth once that the sea held a dupli-
cate of every animal on the earth, and antiquity therefore
was familiar with many marine equivalents for their land-
beasts, even though they could find no better resem-
blances for the corresponding terrestrial beasts than a
lobster for the " lion," a crab for the " bear," a skate for the
" ox," a dog-fish for the " dog," and an eel for the " wolf."
The names were probably given at first simply to indi-
cate a single point of fancied resemblance, but eventually
some imaginative theorist, seeing so many correspondences
recognised, hit upon the idea of extending the identities
throughout creation. The attempt, however, was a com-
plete failure, and the further enquiry is made, the wider
become the differences between the inhabitants of the
water and the earth. Sailors and fishermen still retain
many of the old names, and popular usage has familiarised
us more or less with the sea-horse — the quaint little
creature, more like a knight on a chess-board than a horse
— sea-lion, sea-bear, sea-cat, sea-eagle, . sea-bat, sea-hedge-
hog, sea-leopard, sea-mouse, sea-scorpion, sea-snipe, sea-

* " The imputation upon the legitimacy of the Pretender, conveyed
in the above, was occasioned in a great degree and almost justified by
the pilgrimages and superstitious foolishness of his grandmother,
increased by his mother's choosing St. Francis Xavier as one of her
ecclesiastical patrons, and with her family attributing the birth of the
Prince to his miraculous interference." — Notes and Queries.

12 FISHES OF FANCY.

swallow, sea-parrot, and so forth ; while heralds are re-
sponsible for the perpetuation of many amphibious hybrids.
But this tendency to see in the water a reflection of
everything on land is only an instance of human self-
consciousness, for if we were to be just to our seniors in
creation, and more modest, we should call ourselves land^
manatees, our elephants land-whales, and our tigers land-
sharks. As Sir Thos. Browne says — " If we concede that
the animals of one element might bear the names of
those in the other, the watery productions should have
the pre-nomination."

Yet at the bottom of the sea are green fields — such as
Israel walked over when crossing the smitten flood — in
which the small fish take refuge from the greater, just as
the field-mice and birds and insects hide in our own grass.
The Water-baby found at the sea-bottom both meadows
and woods ; and Strabo tells us of the flocks of rich fat
tunnies that feed on the acorns of submarine oaks. And
who would doubt their existence who has read how the
prince rides out into mid-ocean to find the casket among
the roots of the tree ? Once upon a time, too, if the poet
is to be believed, our birds were all creatures of the sea.
Accident or high spirits took them out of the water into
the moist herbage of the banks, whence they could not
escape, but which was just wet enough to support life.
Their progeny throve there, but their fins, shrivelling,
split up, and the scales, crackling, fell off, and by-and-by
a woolly growth took their place and eventually became
feathers. The under-fins, with which they used to scrape
their way along the sea-floor, became real legs, and thus
the bird grew into existence. This un-Darwinian evolution
was science a few centuries, ago, just as it is science now
to understand that the whale once had legs, and roamed

PRIMITIVE FISH-BELIEFS. 13

our terrestrial forests— but what a thought! Imagine, in
the gloom of a forest, coming upon a whale on legs !

Indeed, it is hardly necessary to go to fable for wonders,
for the actual natural world of fishes is a very wilderness
of marvels. They come out of the water and migrate in
companies across meadows ; they wander along river-banks,
hunting for terrestrial insects, unfairly trespassing on the
grounds of the lizard and land-bird ; they climb up trees ;
are met with travelling along hot and dusty gravel roads
under the midday sun ;* have been seen thrown up alive
from volcanoes in water that was only two degrees below
boiling point, f So the wonders of fish-land, the real world
of fishes, is as startling and as marvellous as the fictions of
mythology itself, and we need go to no Islands of the
Pescadores, nor cruise on the bewitched shores of Calypso,
to meet with abundant matter for astonishment.

In character, they range through every variety of tem-
perament, from the gentle carp, that in Java and else-
where are tamed into the playfulness and familiarity of
dormice or caged birds, or the Adonis, "darling of the
sea," to the dog-fish, that are cruel and fierce beyond all
mammalian comparison. It is true that the Zulus to this
day cut flesh out of a living beast, and that other savages
do the same ; and in a legend of New Zealand we read
how a man used to take occasional snacks out of a pet
whale. But what episode is there in all human knowledge
more terrible than the manner of the death of those whales
which the dog-fish follow for days, and days, and days,
living upon them as they go ? Was ever a death more
awful, or cruelty more dreadful ? Who, again, has not
applauded Trinculo's excellent phrase of an "ancient and
fish-like smell," or ever thought of the odour of fish as

* Tennant's * Ceylon.' f Humboldt.

14 FISHES OF FANCY.

agreeable ? Yet to " smell daintily as a flower or a fish "
has been accepted by our forefathers as an allowable
simile. One angler says the smelt has a fragrance of
lavender ; another that it savours of cucumber ; another
that the grayling has the aroma of thyme. St. Am-
brose called it the "sweet flower of fishes." The cuttle-
fish was supposed with " its sweet odour " to attract fish
to it ;* and the whale to obtain its food by opening its
mouth, whence issued "so agreeable a scent" that the
creatures of the deep gathered together in its jaws to enjoy
the fragrant atmosphere. As a general rule, too, the smell
of fish cooking is considered rather worse than that of fish
raw: yet, says an Athenian enthusiast, "the odour of a
cooking conger is so divine that it would make a dead man
sniff."

Fish, again, are charged with being voiceless, but how
then about the gurnard that pipes, the other that snorts,
the diodon that grunts, and the others that drum and
whistle and play on Jews' harps ? The legend that they
were caught in Egypt by singing to themf is not without its
plausibility. " Fishes, though little, have very long ears,"
is an old Chinese proverb ; and to this day, on the
Danube, men hang little bells to their nets to attract the
fish. In Japan the tame fish are summoned to dinner by

* " And verily all living creatures in the sea love the smell of them
exceedingly well, which is the cause that fishers besmeare and anoint
their nets with them, to draw and allure fishes thither." — Historic
Devices and Badges.

f If we may believe yElian, that most unsophisticated fish, the
Thrissa of the Lake Mareotis, " was caught by singing to it, and by
the sound of clappers made of shells ;" and so musically inclined
was this species, and so sharp in hearing sounds even out of its own
element, that, dancing up, it leapt into the net spread for the purpose,
giving great and abundant sport. — Wilkinsorfs Egypt.

PRIMITIVE FISH-BELIEFS. 15

melodious gongs. In India I have seen them called up
out of the muddy depths of the river at Dholpore by
the ringing of a hand-bell ; and from the abbey in Bel-
gium where the tame carp answer at once to the whistle
of the monks who feed them, right away to Otaheite
where the chiefs have pet eels which they whistle to the
surface, the same belief in the sympathy of fish with
musical sounds will on enquiry be found prevailing.
" Dull as a mullet " was a Roman proverb, yet the very
men who quoted it prided themselves on the docility,
sensitiveness to sound, and personal attachments of their
favourite mullets. This fish too, as it happens, was conse-
crated to Diana the huntress, as it was supposed to hunt
the sea-hare, and if any one of the Roman divinities was
averse to dulness, it was surely the high-spirited Diana.

I am inclined, therefore, to think that the finned folk
have been somewhat calumniated. A grudge, it is pos-
sible, has been borne against the fish, under the idea that
they escaped the Deluge. Thus Whiston, in his philo-
sophical Romance of the Deluge, surmises that the fish
living in a cool element were more correct in their lives
than the beasts and birds of the sun-lit land, and were
therefore spared from the destruction of the primitive world.
But it is extremely improbable that the fish did really
escape the ruin of the Deluge. If so, it must have been
some of the deep-sea forms only, so that envious deprecia-
tion of the marine world on this account would seem to be
gratuitous. Yet the very word fish itself has come, by some
obliquity of reasoning, to signify an object of doubtful
character or absurd appearance, and one-half the creatures
of the world are treated as a joke by the other half.
Beasts are regarded with deference, birds with admiration,
but fish are laughed at as absurdities.

16 FISHES OF FANCY.

Even men of science say that fish life is " silent, mono-
tonous, and joyless," though science itself contradicts
them, as I have already shown ; and seriously — if it is
permissible to be serious over a whimsical theory — if
the fish were to have things their own way for a while,
would they not with as much reason (if they argued
with as little sympathy) condemn terrestrial existence as
flat and dull ? They would pretend that our continents
were accidents of nature ; and as for our islands, that
they were merely warts and wens. The interruptions of
rock and sand, which now prevent their swimming every-
where, would be pronounced ridiculous — good sea all run
to land. Some scientific fish would get up and point out
what circumscribed lives the things that went on legs had
to lead. There is neither height above nor depth beneath
in which they can disport ; and as for variety of landscape,
the land-folk could make but a poor show as compared
with the water-world. The limits within which variation
of life-forms are restricted on the earth would afford the
marine critic an excellent point against us, and he could
hit us very hard indeed when he came to ask us if we
had any animated vegetables. If, again, the fish were to
hold an Exhibition,* they would divide their sections
according to water-spaces and rivers, and not, as man
does, according to the geography of dry land ; while their
exhibits would possess such a thrilling interest for humanity
as nothing could surpass, except that apocalyptic solution
of all the world's mysteries at the Last Day — when the sea
shall give up its dead.

* See Appendix to Handbook.

CHAPTER II.

FISHES IN ZOOLOGICAL MYTHOLOGY.

What Pantagruel saw in Lantern-land — The Greek Naturalists — The
dignity of the Fish Myth, and of Zoological Mythology in
general — Fish in the Solar Myth — Fish-version of Reineke
Fuchs— Vishnu's Fish-Avatar — The Phallical Fish— The Philan-
thropic Dolphin, a Hellenic creation — The Cosmopolitan Turtle
Myth — Purely fanciful Fishes — The Stay-ship and others — Sea
Monsters, their persistence in popular belief — Lavvrens Andrewe,
" hys Fisshes."

WHEN Pantagruel was on his travels, he came, he tells us,
" into the country of Tapestry, and saw the Mediterranean
Sea open to the right and left down to the very bottom :
just as the Red Sea very fairly left its bed at the Arabian
gulf, to make a lane for the Jews, when they left Egypt.
There I found Triton winding his silver shell instead of a
horn, and also Glaucus, Proteus, Nereus, and a thousand
other godlings and sea monsters. I also saw an infinite
number of fish of all kinds, dancing, flying, vaulting, fight-
ing, eating, breathing, hitting, shoving, spawning, fishing,
skirmishing, lying in ambuscade, making truces, cheapening,
bargaining, swearing, and sporting. In a blind corner I saw
Aristotle holding a lantern, in the posture in which the
hermit uses to be drawn near St. Christopher, watching,
prying, thinking, and setting everything down in writing."

But if Aristotle had not taken his lantern into the
depths of nature, the world for some centuries would have
been more ignorant and superstitious than it was, and we

VOL. in. — H. C

i8 FISHES OF FANCY.

owe to him and to Strabo and Oppian, ^Elian and Pliny —
those brave old thinkers who, in spite of the shoals of error
and the fogs of myth, tried their hardest to keep the ship's
head straight for the glimmering beacon-light of Truth —
more than we can ever repay. For though the world has
grown beyond their facts, and modern science has sifted
their knowledge through and through — indeed, I should
like to see a fine imposed upon those writers who still
persist in larding their lean pages with quotations from
them, and imprisonment without the option of a fine
upon all who call Pliny " quaint " — yet their works, the
Pyramids of old-world thought, abound in significances
that can never lose their interest. Zoological mythology
is no whimsical study. It reaches out with arms of
astronomical power to the beginnings of time, demonstrates
the continuity of human intelligence, and proves the evo-
lution of modern creeds.

And since in the beginning there were only Light and
Water, the eldest of zoological myths is the Fish-myth.
Asia believes the earth to have been saved by a fish
and to be supported on a tortoise ; Polynesia, that it was
brought up, a fish itself, on a fish-hook, out of the primaeval
ocean ; America, that a turtle, the sole tenant of the waste
of waters, dived for it into the depths of diluvian chaos.
Among the most ancient of Syrian divinities is the fish-
form ; it is found among the remoter antiquities of Egypt ;
primitive Europe saw gods in its fish. Thus gradually,
down through the ages, the same symbol was passed on
from nation to nation, and the sea, from its mystery, its
acknowledged seniority, claimed conspicuous honours in
each Pantheon, until, reaching historic times, we find the
Greeks — borrowing they knew not whence — perpetuating
the original myth, and adding to it as only the subtle

FISHES IN ZOOLOGICAL MYTHOLOGY. 19

Greek spirit could. And how bright their sea-life was,
with its goddesses that sailed about in shells, and gods
that rode on dolphins ; when mariners saw chariots drawn
by sea-horses, hurrying along to scenes of submarine
revelry, and heard in the bays the music bubbling up from
the sea-kings' palaces ! In the beautiful Greek waters
were troops of happy people, and it seems no hard fate
for Pompilus or for Nais, or any of the other men or
women, who for their misdemeanours were condemned to
the livery of scales, to have been banished in the Golden
Age of fishes from the solid earth to the subaqueous regions
where Neptune held his glad court, and Amphitrite her
revels. And then came those grand old thinking men,
trying, out of a chaos of superstitions to deduce scientific
order, and yet preserving for us in their pages all those
credulities which now enable us to retrace the paths of
human thought, and locate the sources of human beliefs.

In the Solar Myth the fish has been made, like every-
thing else, to play a prominent part : the fair-haired and
silvery moon, in the ocean of night, is the little gold-fish
and the little silver-fish which announces the rainy season,
the autumn, the deluge; out of the cloudy, nocturnal or
wintry ocean comes forth the sun, the pearl lost in the sea,
which the gold or silver fish brings out. The little gold-fish
and the luminous pike, like the moon, expands or contracts,
and in this form, as expanding or contracting, the god
Vishnu or Hari (which means fair-haired or golden) refers
now to the sun, now to the moon, Vishnu having taken the
form of the gold-fish. But the commixture of accidental
coincidences and incongruous objects which go to make up
the myth that Gubernatis sets forth in its most bewildering
aspect, has in itself material for volumes, and it is enough
here to say, that those who go to any work on the subject

C 2

20 FISHES OF FANCY.

will be surprised to find how large a space the fishes fill in
this mythological maze. Indra, who had to hide in the
waters ; Adrika, the fish-nymph, who became the mother
of Matsyas, the king of the fishes ; the Puranic fishes,
symbolical and natural ; the fishes of the Eddas, with the
scaly transformations of Andvarri and Loki ; the porpoises
that draw the golden chariot ; the Russian whale that
swallows the fleet, or the Hindoo one that swallows the
monkey-god ; the brown pike that is really the devil and
hopes to eat the hero ; the shark that devours the
princess ; the phallical pike with the golden fins ; the fish
that helps the lazy baker's son ; the eels with all their dis-
reputable significances ; the fishes that laugh ; the dolphins
that find Ivan's ring ; the turbulent perch, and the golden
carp into which Vishnu turns himself; all combine with
donkeys and blackbirds, bull-moons and fish-moons, rain-
clouds, twilights, and thunderbolts, bamboos and hares,
luminous and "diabolical," into a mythical cycle of fishes,
or, as the master calls it, " their epic exploit," that ought,
if anything can, to give the reader a broader sense of the
possibilities of fish than he probably ever expected to
entertain.

Two of the myths I have referred to will bear more
than a passing notice, for the story of the turbulent perch
shows a singular affinity in its scheme to " Reynard the
Fox," while the fish transformations of Vishnu form an
important item of piscine mythology. The jorsh, or little
perch, makes itself such a public enemy, that it is called
before the royal tribunal, and the bream, and the herring,
and the sturgeon all give evidence of the evil conduct of the
perch. Judgment of death is accordingly passed upon it,
and the crayfish seals the warrant with its claw. But
the jorsh rails violently against what it calls the

FISHES IN ZOOLOGICAL MYTHOLOGY. 21

against it, spits at the judge and, jumping out of the
dock, escapes. He continues his misdemeanours, and fish
after fish is sent to bring him again to the bar. He
cleverly gets the better of the messengers, but at last
comes and demands a judgment from God. This is per-
mitted, and the jorsh having got into a net, manages to
wriggle out again, and is thereupon acquitted, and straight-
way recommences to annoy all his neighbours worse than
ever. This myth, from its resemblance to Reineke Fuchsy
is obviously an important one in the Thier-epos upon
which comparative mythologists work ; while the other,
that of Vishnu's fish-incarnation, has a dignity of its own,
apart from its possible lunar interpretation, as an episode
of one of the great religious epics of Asia. The god
had become a small fish, and in this form went to Menu,
praying for his protection against the larger creatures of
the water. The sage, in pity, put the little thing into a
water-jar ; but in a single night it grew large enough to
fill the jar, so Menu put it into a pond. Here the same
increase was repeated, and so the fish was taken to the
Ganges ; but the river soon proved all too restricted for
the expanding monster, and it was therefore conveyed to
the Sea. Upon this the god made himself known, and
warned the sage that in seven days the earth would be
overwhelmed by a Flood ; but, said the fish, " You must
build a ship, and enter it, with seven sages, with a pair of
every kind of living thing, and with the seeds of all kinds of
plants ;" and it promised, when the flood subsided, to come
and tell the inmates of the ark. In due time, accord-
ingly, the god, still in the fish shape, appeared, and Menu,
making a rope fast to the horn of the fish, was towed
to Naubandha, and there the ark rested upon the moun-
tain peak. The Diluvian Legend, therefore, is older than

22 FISHES OF FANCY.

the inspiration of Moses, and the Biblical narrative of
Noah's arrangements had been anticipated by some
centuries.

In the later myths — those, for instance, of Greece and
Rome — though they, too, reach back by similarities both
of design and detail to a distant past, fishes retain their
prominence. The distant, mystical ocean was then an
object of awful reverence. The nearer seas were go-
verned by powerful but kindly divinities. But both alike
were populous with strange fishes, and romantic with
legends.

The chief water-myth was that of Aphrodite. Sometimes
she springs, a perfect goddess, from the sea itself ; at others
fish roll on to the shore an egg, from which, a dove brood-
ing on it, the mother of Love is born. Later on, she and
her son Eros, to escape the tumult of giant-beleaguered
Olympus, hide in the Euphrates in the form of fish ; and
yet again we find the goddess taking the starry Pisces
under her protection. So, too, Athor, the Egyptian
Venus, had been a fish ; and so, too, Derceto, the Syrian
love-nymph. In the Puranic legend a fish receives the
love-god, and assists him to espouse Maya.

In the limited space of a handbook — even if it were
proper to its object — it would be impossible to enumerate
all the fish-myths of the so-called classical period, and
I will therefore select only those that seem to me
typical of the four classes into which the whole group
themselves.

As essentially Greek in brightness of conception is the
myth of the philanthropic dolphin. It was pre-eminently
the friend of man, and a creature of gladness. Whenever
needed it was present, and the stories of its lending itself
as the vehicle of gods and nymphs, poets and schoolboys,

FISHES IN ZOOLOGICAL MYTHOLOGY. 23

are too numerous for recapitulation.* Endowed by tra-
dition with perfectly super-cetaceous virtues, it was accepted
by all, mariner and landsman alike, as an amiable ally.
The scientific mythologist, as may easily be imagined, has
made much of the dolphin, but ingenuity can never get
more out of the old myth than that the natural habits of
this animal endeared it in the past to all sea-goers, just as
they have endeared it to those of the present. Eros,
therefore, the blithest of gods, rides on a dolphin — Amphi-
trite has one for a guardian — and when out a merry-making
all the jolly sea-magnates have dolphins tumbling about
them. They brought Hesiod's body to shore ; and Ulysses,
in gratitude for their saving Telemachus, wore their effigy
upon both signet-ring and shield. All fish are benign
in fairy tale, but the sum of their united amiabilities
hardly equals the services conferred in myth and legend
by the dolphin upon the human race. Well does the swift
cetacean deserve its place among the stars.

In contradistinction to the dolphin, a purely Hellenic
creation, we may place the world-wide, cosmopolitan, turtle.
Though a creature to laugh over when we see it creeping
stealthily about on tiptoe, as if it were abroad for the pur-
pose of picking pockets, it has a very notable place in myth,
for it was almost universally reverenced. The East believes
that the world rests upon a tortoise, which rests upon no-
thing— and what a grand old testacean it is, this Vedic turtle,

* " They loved music, especially of the * hydraulic sort ' (whatever
that sort may have been), and they were easily tamed, and fondly
attached to men. Pliny says he should never end all the stories he
knows of the obliging behaviour of dolphins, who allowed children
to ride on their backs. One of them — as attested by Msecenas
and Fabianus — in the reign of Augustus, carried a boy every morning
to school, and when the lad died the dolphin pined away waiting for
him on the shore, and at last expired of grief." — Frances P. Cobbe*

24 FISHES OF FANCY,

standing simply on its own dignity, and yet upholding upon
its Atlantic carapace all the burdens of the round world and
them that dwell therein ! Here is a subject for Walt
Whitman himself, the self-sufficient, democratic, thewy-and-
sinewy, double-sexed, bully-for-you, old tortoise. More
power to your shell, sir ! We creeping things take off our
hats to you, testudinous ancient. And how splendidly
the deliberate thing looms out of Hindoo myth as the here-
ditary foe of the mystical elephant, the Darkness !* The
Red Indian to this day says that in the beginning of
things there was nothing but a tortoise. It brooded upon
space : covered Chaos as with a lid. But after a while it
woke up : its solitary existence was irksome to it, and it
sank splendidly into the abysmal depths ; and lo ! when it
re-emerged, there was the terrestrial globe upon its back !
For something to do, it had fished up our earth from its
depths in the protoplasmic liquids, and, rather than be idle, it
still keeps on holding it up. But some day it will sink again,
and then will come the End — with Ragnarok and Arma-
geddon. In Greek and Roman fancies the tortoise hardly
fares so well. It is the form to which a bright nymph, who
had jested at the nuptials of Zeus and Here, was turned
into by Mercury ; and ridicule falls upon the greatest of the
Greeks when a tortoise falls upon his head. Yet they, too,

* " As the elephant and tortoise both frequent the shores of the same
lake, they mutually annoy each other, renewing and maintaining in
mythical zoology the strife which exists between the two mythical
brothers who fight with each other for the kingdom of the heavens,
either in the form of twilights or of equinoxes, or of sun anoT" moon.
In the particular struggle between the tortoise and the elephant,
terminated by the bird Garuda, who carries them both up into the
air in order to devour them, the tortoise and elephant seem, however,
especially to personify the two twilights of the day, and the two twilights
of the yz*x?—Gubernatis.

FISHES IN ZOOLOGICAL MYTHOLOGY. 25

knew of the tradition of the world-supporting thing, and
did reverence to it. And so. from East to West, from
antiquity to to-day, the creature vast, ponderous, inert,
has commanded, and commands the homage of men.

As a third type of myth — the fanciful without any
latent significance — the remora or sucking-fish, may be
cited. In modern times it has been used to illustrate the
power of technical trivialities to retard a lawsuit, but
antiquity believed it had the power of arresting a ship
under full sail by attaching its tail-end to a rock, and its
head-end to the keel of a passing vessel —

" The lazy Remora's inhaling lips,
Hung on the keel, retard the struggling ships."

In the Natural History of the period we read that "there
is a little fish, keeping ordinarie about rockes, named
Echeneis. It is thought that if it settle and sticke to the
keel of a ship under water, the ship goeth the slower by
that means, wherefore it is called the ' stay-ship.' ;' Now,
Pliny is here cautious enough, and attributes no more
to the remora than is actually the property of barnacles
when in number. But popular fancy outran fact, and a
single remora four inches long was supposed to have held
back Antony's flag-ship in the sea-fight off Actium.
Periander also among others declared himself the victim
of a similar accident,* and the fiction flourished, thanks

* It is of this incident that Pantagruel makes fun : —
" I saw a remora, a little fish called echineis by the Greeks, and
near it a tall ship, that did not get ahead an inch, though she was in
the offing with top and top-gallants spread before the wind. I am
somewhat inclined to believe, that 'twas the very identical ship in
which Periander the tyrant happened to be, when it was stopt by such
a little fish in spite of wind and tide." — Rabelais.

26 FISHES OF FANCY.

chiefly to poets and heralds, till a couple of centuries

ago.

" The sucking-fish, with secret chains

Clung to the keel, the swiftest ship detains."

Of late years, of course, this fancy has been exploded,
and instead of being the terrible thing antiquity thought it,
the remora is really like the little street boy who gets on
to the step of the omnibus when the conductor is not
looking, and gets a penny ride for nothing. For the fish
attaches itself to the shark and others, merely, it would
seem, for the luxury of cheap travelling. Yet knowing
this, what are we to say of Mr. Francis Holmwood's
astounding discovery at Zanzibar of the "sucking-fish"
that is used to catch sharks and crocodiles ? Here, at any
rate, are his own words, as quoted from the " Exhibition
Catalogue," p. 382 : —

" Young chazo (sucking-fish) being secured, a ring or hoop of iron
is let into the tails ; they are then kept in a small canoe, the water in
which is changed from time to time. They are fed sparingly with
pieces of meat and fish, and, if they survive the confinement, soon
become used to captivity and to being handled. When they have
reached two or three pounds in weight, they are strong enough for use,
and are taken out for trial. A line is fastened to the iron hoop, which
has become embedded in a firm growth, and on sighting a tortoise or
turtle, the chaze is put overboard. It has to be prevented from affixing
itself to the canoe, and then it soon makes for the nearest floating
object, to which it instantly adheres, and generally allows itself to be
drawn with its prey towards the boats. Should it prove too timid to
stand this treatment it is discarded as worthless, but if it will hold on,
it soon gets bold enough to retain its hold until taken into the boat,
when it is at once detached from the prize by being drawn off side-
ways, and being returned to its tank is at once fed. They are said
soon to learn what is required of them, and it is reported that they
have been trained to catch sharks. When in Madagascar some years
ago, I was told that the "Tarundu," which the fish is there called,
had been trained to catch crocodiles, numbers of which infested the
rivers and, as I observed, came down to the neighbourhood of the

FISHES IN ZOOLOGICAL MYTHOLOGY. 27

fishing villages on the coast, without being affected by the salt water.
I hope to forward a specimen of this interesting fish before the
close of the Exhibition."

An official footnote to this passage is as follows : — " Up
to the time of going to press with the Second Edition, this
exhibit had not arrived." And if any confidence is ever
to be reposed in modern science as opposed to ancient
fancy, let us hope this terrific creature never will arrive.

In this class of merely fanciful creatures may be also
noticed the Pompilus, the sailor's pilot-fish, which was sup-
posed to guide mariners to their destinations, and, having
seen them safely into harbour, to go back to look for another
job, for Apollo, it is said, changed a fisherman (named Pom-
pilus), who had crossed him in his loves, into this fish, and
condemned him for all eternity to the task of gratuitous
pilotage. The whale, again, was said to be attended by
the " musculus," a little fish that swam in front of Behemoth
and warned him off the shoals on which he might have
otherwise run aground. This legend reappears in the
Pentameron, where the whale that has lost its way is told
to go and get " the sea-mouse " to pilot it.

As the fourth class of zoological myths, may be grouped
the non-existent sea-monsters —

" Most ugly shapes and horrible aspects,
Such as Dame Nature selfe mote feare to see,
Or shamed, that ever should so fowle defects
From her most cunning hand escaped bee ;
All dreadfull pourtraicts of deformitee :
Spring-headed Hydres ; and sea-shouldring whales :
Great whirlpooles, which all fishes make to flee ;
Bright scolopendraes arm'd with silver scales ;
Mighty monoceres with immeasured tayles."

Grseco-Roman literature abounds with them, especially
such as were hybrids between men and fish, or between

28 FISHES OF FANCY.

terrestrial and marine animals, and their counterparts
are to be found in the folk-lore* of every coast-dwelling
people at the present day. I will only notice here the
Scylla-myth. Her form is very variously described, but
the most familiar acceptation is that which combines the
woman, dog, and fish. She gives her name to the dread-
ful Scyllidae of science, one of which, the black-mouthed
dog-fish, is known to Italian fishermen as the " Bocca
d' Inferno " —

" As a shark and dogfish wait

Under an Atlantic isle
For the negro-ship whose freight
Is the theme of their debate,

Wrinkling their red gills the while."

Yet they eat it, and its even more appalling relative, the
Rough Hound — converting these terrors of the sea into a
very palatable soup.

With the growth of knowledge and the extension of
navigation, the Hellenic monstrosities, themselves the re-
production of still more ancient myths, became gradually
discredited ; but travellers, and those who lived by catering
to the human love of the marvellous, were not behindhand
in replacing them with others better suited to contemporary
taste and sentiment. Among the more impossible mon-
strosities that the Middle Ages possessed, the sea-bishop,
that had a shark's head, crocodile's claws, and goat's legs,
deserved all the eminence it attained ; while, not far behind
it, came the monk-fish, a tolerably good caricature of a
friar, constructed by the showmen of the day out of portions
of different fish, but nevertheless as thoroughly believed in
by the fair-frequenting public as any pig-faced lady of
modern times. This credulity as to "fish-like monsters"

* See Chapter VII.

FISHES IN ZOOLOGICAL MYTHOLOGY. 29

suggests to Trinculo making a fortune out of Caliban,
whom he has mistaken for a sea-creature. " Were I in
England now, and had but this fish painted, not a holiday
fool there but would give a piece of silver : there would
this monster make a man ; any strange beast there makes
a man." We still have the monk-fish, and though the
face might pass for a malignant travesty of the human
countenance, there are none of the monkish habiliments
which made the old-world monster so attractive to the
peep-show public. Indeed, the other name of the monk is
the " angel-fish," from the wing-like fins that spread out on
either side its demoniacal countenance.

Still later, and coming down to England itself, three
centuries ago we find popular ichthyology still largely con-
cerned with non-existent forms, as the following from the
work of Lawrens Andrewe, on " the fishes moste Knowen,"
will show : — The eel is of no sex ; the Ahuna, when " in
peryl of dethe be other fisshes," makes himself as round as
a bowl and puts his head in his belly and eats a bit of
himself, " rather than the other fisshes sholde ete him hole
and all." The balaena, a large merwoman, puts her young
in her mouth in rough weather ; the cray-fish eats oysters
by waiting till the mollusc opens its shells, and then
throwing stones in to prevent it shutting up again ; the
caucius is most difficult to net, because when it sees
the meshes settling on it, it sticks its head in the mud
and the net slips over the tail ; the whale is caught
3y ships coming round it with bands and amusing it with
music till it is speared ; the phoca kills its wife when
it is tired of her, and gets another ; the halata has the
power of taking her young out before they are born, and
putting them back again ; the pike is begotten by the west
wind ; the musculus is the herald of balaena, but the orchun

30 FISHES OF FANCY.

is its deadliest enemy, for it pelts it with stones till it kills
it ; the serra races with ships, and, if it gets the worst of
it, cuts the vessels through with its fins and eats the crew,
but is not to be mistaken for the scylla, which is " faced
and handed lyke a gentylwoman, but it hath a wyde
mouth and ferfull tefehe ; " the way to escape the siren
when met with, is to throw her an empty barrel or two to
play with ; the sturgeon has no mouth, and grows fat on
east winds."

Or take again the * Old English Miscellany/ with its
account of the Cetegrande : — " It is the largest of all fish,
and looks like an island when afloat. When hungry, it
gapes, and out comes a sweet scent, by which numbers of
fishes are drawn into its mouth.

" MORAL : The Devil is like the Whale ; he tempts men
to follow their sinful lusts, and in return they find ruin."

CHAPTER III.

FISHES IN RELIGION.

Primitive Fish-Divinities — and Greco-Roman — Fish-spirits and Genii —
Patron Saints — Sacred fishes — Fish-totems — Fish not eaten
because sacred — Fish sacred because not eatable — Fish both sacred
and eaten — Putting off the Gods with the Worst fish — Magnifying
them with the Best — Religious Fish-legends, Savage, Hindoo,
Buddhist, Mahomedan— Fish as Food — Christian Legends — Holy
Church perpetuating the Heathen Worship of Venus in Lent — Fish
a Christian Symbol.

" WHEN Kareya made all things that have breath, he first
made the fishes in the Big Water." So say the Red
Indians, and the legend goes on, curiously enough, to tell
how Kareya, in a dog-in-the-manger spirit, kept the fish
(they were salmon) to himself, but how man, with the help
of the coyote, the prairie-jackal, outwitted the Creator, and
got the salmon up stream. Does this point to an artificial
system of fish-ladders being known to the primitive savage ?
At any rate, it authenticates the dignity of fish in the
cosmogony of the aboriginal American. But, as older
even than this antiquity, we must accept the Polynesian
theory of creation. In this the Creator is himself half a
fish. That is to say, from the head to the feet, the left
side of the body is fish. Coming down, however, to more
recent mythologies, we find the senior of the gods of
Olympus, the ever-youthful Eros, is a fish, and his so-called
" mother " a fish also. We may note, too, that Jupiter
never asserted control over Neptune. On the sea-shore,

32 FISHES OF FANCY.

near Delphi, sate a priest who delivered his oracles accord-
ing to the fish that his visitors saw in the waters below.
At the present day, if we go to the far North, we find the
elements under the control of the Spirits of the Sea,
irrespective of the powers of the land.

That the Ocean appealed very strongly to the natural
reverence of humanity is thus abundantly in evidence, and
we find fish, therefore, occupying a very conspicuous place
in the world's beliefs. And apart from the creative powers
identified with fish and the divinities that held marine
dominion, the creatures of the water could claim the
special tutelage of Venus (under all her varying names), of
Apollo Opsophagus, and of Artemis, the guardian goddess
of fresh waters. In the Dagon form they found gods of
their own natural order in many lands, and in Scandinavia
knew Odin the All-father as a fish. The number of
deities, primitive and classical, that have at one time or
another assumed the piscine incarnation is very great, and
ranges from Vishnu, the Hindoo Jehovah, to Loki, the
Norseman's Mercury.

Of subordinate fish-spirits there is a still larger number ;
which are graduated from the New Zealander's Tangaroo,
through the Genii of the Lake and the Gulnares of the
Sea, to the Arnarkuagsak and Ingnersuaks of the Arctic
regions, and thereafter dwindle away into mere maritime
goblins, Noks and Soetrolds, Grim and Fosse-grim, that
are only a superior sort of " Davy Jones."

In mediaeval times the fish found, too, several Patron
Saints. St. Peter of course stands at the head, as a fisher-
man himself, and actor in the fish-miracles * of Holy Writ,

* It is one of these, the finding of the tribute-money, that gives the

haddock.

" A superstitious dainty, Peter's fish,"

its legendary celebrity, the monks averring that it was a haddock

FISHES IN RELIGION. 33

and to this day the Company of the Fishmongers bear
the crossed keys of the saint on their arms. That St.
Peter's tutelage of fishes and his fief of fisheries was no
empty assertion of the Church, may be understood from
the fact that the Abbot of St. Peter's, Westminster,
claimed all the salmon caught in the Thames, on the
ground that the Saint had granted the same to him
when he consecrated the Church. After St. Peter came
St. Anthony (who preached to the fishes with such effect),
St. Christopher, St. Zeno, and St. Andrew of Scotland.

St. Anthony, as is well known, the patron saint of
animals of all kinds, utilised his power over fishes in a very
meritorious manner, by calling them up from the sea to
listen to his preaching, and thus put to shame some stiff-
necked heretics of Rimini who refused to listen to his
pious counsels. A delightful woodcut in an old chap-
book depicts the saint, in the attitude of exhortation,
addressing a company of fishes, that poke long goose-like
necks out of the water to listen to him, while on the bank
— expressing by their gestures their surprise at the miracle
and, perhaps, foreshowing also their own approaching con-
version— stand in file the stubborn scorners of his teaching.

That St. Christopher was always a patron saint of fisher-
men is certain, but for what reason seems somewhat ob-
scure. He certainly lived on the river-side, for, so the
legend says, he earned his living by carrying people across

(a sea-water fish) that the saint caught in the fresh-water lake of
Genesaret. This of course only adds another miracle to the original
episode. In a miracle which Jesus worked, and of which, though
Holy Writ is silent the Koran preserves the tradition, there descended
from Heaven a red table upon which were seven loaves and seven
fishes, and the latter tasted at each mouthful of a different Paradisaical
delicacy. When all had feasted to their heart's content, Jesus restored
the fishes to life.

VOL. III.— H. D

34 FISHES OF FANCY.

the water, but nothing is said of his having been an enthu-
siastic angler. The inference no doubt was that, as no man
could be expected to live all his life by the side of a run-
ning stream, especially with long intervals of idleness in his
days, without angling, the saint eked out his income, and
passed his time, by fishing. It was in that notable passage
of the river, when he carried the child-Christ across, that he
caught the John Dory, a sea-water fish, and left the marks of
the pinch which he gave it to be handed down in memoriam
to the Dory's posterity. This fish, by the way, had a certain
classical sanctity as being called Zeus, and Aristotle has a
" sacred fish," the Anthias, which, from his description of
its habits, has been conjectured to be the John Dory. It
was also called Faber, " the blacksmith," and so under the
protection of Hephaistos, Mulciber, or Vulcan. Again, the
Apah, or king-fish, * is a native of the eastern seas, and it
is not a little singular that, by a people so distant and
secluded as the Japanese, this fish (originally included in
the genus Zeus) should also be regarded as devoted to the
Deity, and the only one that is so. The Apah is by them
termed Tai, and is esteemed as the peculiar emblem of
happiness, because it is sacred to Jebis or Neptune.

St. Zeno was an enthusiastic angler, and therefore worked
for, and earned, his position as a patron saint. He was
probably an advocate of preserving waters. To this list I
have added the patron saint of Scotland, for we read in
the adventures of the " Seven Champions of Christendom,"
how, on the fourth day, by the emperor's appointment,
the worthy kriight St. Andrew of Scotland obtained the
honour to be the chief challenger for the tournament, " and
how his tent was framed to represent a ship swimming
upon the waves of the sea, environed by dolphins, tritons,

* Yarrell.

FISHES TN RELIGION. 35

and many strangely-contrived mermaids ; and upon the top
thereof stood the picture of Neptune the god of the sea."
That a Christian knight, already well assured of canonisa-
tion, should have fought under such pagan tutelage, is
enough to scandalise the Sabbatarian North. But such are
the facts.

St. Benedict of Ramsey Mere claims also a fraction
of the patronage, as also does St. Benignus, who may
be seen at Glastonbury with his fish at his feet. Shell-
fish may fairly be said to have a patron saint all to them-
selves in St. James of Spain, and the crustaceans one in
St. Xavier.

Among sacred fish, less well known, are " the Sheikh "
and " the Prophet's fish." Says the Arabic legend :—

" A Sicilian cast a hook into the Mediterranean and caught a fish
about a span long. Under its right ear were the words, ' There is no
God but the God,' and behind it the word ' Muhammad,' and under its
left ear ' The Apostle of God.1 "

And again : —

" A fish called the Jewish Shaikh has a long white beard and a body
as large as a calf, but in the shape of a frog, and hairy like a cow. It
is called the Shaikh because it comes out of the sea on Saturday and
remains there until sundown on Sunday."

An analogy to this Sabbath-observing fish is to be found
in the commentators on the Koran, where we are told that
the fish, in order to tempt the Hebrews, used to come up
to the camp on Saturday mornings, and provoke the poor
wanderers to catch them. And the Hebrews, thinking to
avoid sin, went out and dammed up the channel, and then
ate the fish on the next day. But as there was little difference
in the matter of " working on the Sabbath " between fishing
and dam-building, they were very properly punished for
this violation of the Day of Rest by being all turned into
apes.

D 2

36 fISHES OF FANCY.

Totemism, the system of tribal emblems — " medicine
animals " and " clan-animals " — brings into the category
of sacred fish another class of great interest, namely
those which have been selected by primitive clans as
their tutelary genii.* Thus the Pike, Trout, and Sturgeon
are among the totems of Red Indian tribes. There are
Fish-tribes of both Africans and Australians. Among the
Fijians are Eels, Crabs, and Sharks. These individual
fishes, thus chosen as the tribal badge, are held sacred by
those who have adopted them. They are called the pro-
genitors of the tribe, and are never eaten, nor, if possible,
even molested. Among the Wakerewe (of Africa) it is
believed that the fish of a neighbouring lake are their
special ministers and creatures, and are therefore under
their protection. If a fish-hawk so much as touches one,
it dies in the very act. With another African race the
drum-head fish -is taboo, and its teeth, rattled in the
fetich-man's gourd, give forth Delphic utterances.

Going back to the past again, we find fish arriving at
sanctity by previous uncleanness, and cities taking their
totems, so to speak, from the polluted creatures which in
the lapse of time they came to worship. When Isis was
collecting the remains of the body of Osiris, she found a
portion missing, and discovering that the fish had eaten it,
the three species found in the river at that part were for-
bidden to be eaten by the people of the neighbourhood.
The Egyptians in general, says Plutarch, do not abstain
from all fish, but some from one sort and some from
another. Thus the Oxyrhinchites will not touch any fish
taken by a hook, for as they pay special deference to the
oxyrhinchus, from which they take their name, they are
afraid the hook may be defiled by having, at some time or

* See also Chap. VII.

FISHES IN RELIGION. 37

other, been employed in catching their favourite fish. If
one of this kind were found in a net full of others, the
whole draught was set at liberty rather than take captive a
single oxyrhinchus. The people of Syene, again, regarded
the phagrus as the herald of the rising Nile, and as such
abstained from it. This eel gave its name to Phagriopolis,
another to Latapolis, while Elephantine venerated the
mseotis, a silurian. But fishes proper are of frequent
occurrence in Egyptian sculpture, and among the articles
placed with the dead were very often small effigies in metal
and clay of the fish-form ; while dead fish of the sacred
species were buried with as much ceremony as the cats,
ibises, crocodiles, and other creatures that the Children of
the Pharaohs worshipped.

These Egyptian fish were not of course totems in the
proper sense ; for the primitive man performs an act of
positive sacrifice when he devotes to the religious tribal
idea the best fish of the waters, and thenceforward abstains
from eating them, whereas the Egyptians shabbily denied
themselves only the refuse. They made that sacred which
they could not eat. For it is an interesting fact that all
the evidence we have on the point strongly tends to the
suspicion that the pagan gods were put off by the priests
with the very worst of the fish. If a species was poisonous,
or belonged to a class that was generally unwholesome, it
was declared " sacred " ; the Church thus exerting its in-
fluence to prevent only that being eaten which was already,
in their opinion, unfit for food. In the Mosaic prohibitions
we find that fish without scales and fins were unclean, the
reason probably being that the law-giver had just come up

i'rom Egypt, where the scaleless fish were taboo in conse-
quence of their notorious unwholesomeness. Out of the
six species venerated by the ancient Egyptians, two were

38 FISHES OF FANCY.

quite unfit for food and a third not worth the eating. The
identity of the remainder has never been established, but
the chances are that they belonged to sorts that no
Egyptian would have eaten even if it had been permitted.

This process of hygienic selection does not extend,
obviously, to the rest of the animal world, and yet the
theory, if tested with beasts and birds, would, I venture to
think, be found more, widely applicable than might be
expected. Another reason for forbidding certain animals
as food was of course their being more useful in other
ways ; but as this does not concern fish (whose only uses
are after death), it appears to me that the only system
on which the priests of the oldest times — the thinking
men of the community — distributed the honours of conse-
cration among the finny tribes was selection by common
sense.

I have now referred to fish that were not eaten
because they were sacred, and to fish that were sacred
because they were not eatable. There still, however, re-
mains the fish which were both sacred and eaten. Leaving
the Graeco-Roman affectation of consecration out of the
question, we find in India, where the fish holds a place of
the highest importance in the religious system, a fish diet
universal. The Ruhoo, bearing on its back three goddesses,
personifies the junction of the three sacred rivers at
Prayaga,* "the confluence," one of the holiest spots in
India, where the Ganges and the Jumna combine with the
mystic Saraswati that is supposed to flow underground to
meet them here. Yet this fish is one of the staples of the
food of a large proportion of the citizens of Prayaga. As
a solitary fish, Vishnu filled the primaeval ocean, and as a
fish he rescued the Ark from the Deluge.

* Allahabad.

FISHES IN RELIGION. 39

"In the whole world of creation,

None were seen but these seven sages, Manu and the Fish.
Years on years, and still unwearied, drew this Fish the bark

along,

Till at length it came where reared Himavan its loftiest peak ;
There at length they came, and smiling, thus the Fish addressed the

Sage:

' Bind now thy stately vessel to the peak Himavan !'
At the Fish's mandate, quickly to the peak of Himavan
Bound the Sage his bark ; and even to this day that loftiest peak
Bears the name Naubandha."

As a fish, Brahma instructed Manu in all wisdom. It
was a fish that saved Kama, the love-god, and restored him
to the earth, yielding its own life for his. Varuna, the
genius of the waters, is the special protector of the fish
therein. Yet, as I have said, the whole country is ichthyo-
phagous. Were it not that other facts forbid it, we might
whimsically detect in this impartial sanctity, combined with
impartial consumption, a vein of reasoning analogous to
that which leads the Polynesian to enrol all his best fish
in his myths and then to eat them. That which he mag-
nifies alive he canonises dead, thus adding to the three
aspects of the pious-economic fish-myth a fourth, of a
people who deify fishes out of gratitude to excellence, and
call those most sacred which are the best eating.

Religious fish-legends next concern us. They are a
literature in themselves. The Hindoo and the primitive I
have already touched on. In the Buddhist Birth-stories,
the oldest of folk-lore extant, the Teacher finds frequent
subject for parable and moral in the finned things of the
river. The love-sick monk in a previous existence was a
fish, and his uxorious enthusiasm carried him into a net,
and Buddha, passing along, found him about to be fried,
and restored him to the water, telling him to go and
sin no more. It was by her compassion to a fish that

40 FISHES OF FANCY.

Well-born arrives at her rewards, and from the story of
the talkative tortoise that Lord Buddha admonished the
loquacious king.

In Mahomedan tradition there is much fish-lore of the
most curious kind, and commentators on the Koran vie
with the Talmudists in the grotesqueness of invention.
As a single example, I will take " The fish of Moses and
Joshua," which, read irreverently, is really only a delightful
explanation of flat-fish having so much more meat on one
side than the other. Moses and Joshua ate the other half.
The legend runs thus : —

" Moses was asked who was the most knowing of men, to which he
answered, ' I '; whereupon God blamed him for this, because he did
not refer the knowledge thereof to Him. And God said unto him by
revelation, ' Verily I have a servant at the place where the two seas
meet, and he is more knowing than thou.' Moses said, ' O my Lord,
and how shall I meet him?' He answered, ' Thou shalt take a fish,
and put it into a measuring vessel, and where thou shalt lose the fish,
there is he.' So he took a fish, and put it into a vessel. Then he
departed, and Joshua the son of Nun departed with him, until they
came to a rock, where they laid down their heads and slept. And the
fish became agitated in the vessel, and escaped from it and fell into
the sea, and it made its way in the sea by a hollow passage, God
withholding the water from the fish so that it became like a vault over
it, and when Moses' companion awoke, he forgot to inform him of the
fish."

But on their way they remembered it, and turned back
to find it, and, coming to the rock again, there they met the
man who was wiser than Moses. Now the question arose,
What was the fish ? and the answer was supplied by Hamed
of Andalusia, who states that he saw in the Mediterranean
" the fish of Moses and Joshua " : —

" It is of the breed of that fried fish a half of which Moses and
Joshua ate and the other half God revived. It is about a span long.
On its one side it has bristles and its belly is covered with a thin skin.

FISHES IN RELIGION. 4I

It has but one eye and half a head. Looking at it on one side you
would deem it dead, but the other side is perfect in all its parts. The
people consider it as a good augury, and the Jews pay a large sum for
it and carry it away to distant places."

The Koran allows the faithful to fish in the sea when on
pilgrimage (but not to hunt game by the way), and sea-fish
were specially permitted as food. At first they were un-
lawful, as the name of Allah frequently could not be pro-
nounced over them before they died ; but, to remedy this,
Mahomed, blessing a knife, cast it into the sea, whereby
all the fish were blessed, and had their throats cut before
they were brought on shore. " The large openings behind
the gills are the wounds thus miraculously made without
killing the fish." Another legend on the same subject says
that Abraham, having sacrificed the ram instead of Isaac,
threw away the knife into the stream that flowed near the
altar, and accidentally struck a fish. " Fishes therefore are
the only animals eaten by Mahomedans without previously
having their throats cut."

By the Christian religion the consumption of fish is
directly encouraged, for, apart from the general prece-
dent afforded by the miracles in Holy Writ, the Church
specially enjoins the diet ; and this, too, on such a scale
that in the time of Queen Elizabeth, the annual "fish
days " * were 145 in number. Among the annual Church

* The chief were the forty days of Lent ; the Ember-days at
the four seasons, being the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after
the first Sunday in Lent; the feast of Pentecost (Whitsuntide);
September 14 ; December 13 ; the three Rogation-days, being the
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Holy Thursday ; and all
the Fridays in the year, except Christmas-day when it falls on a
Friday. Even after the Reformation the number of fish-days con-
tinued large, about 1596-7 those observed by the household of Queen
Elizabeth being only some thirty-seven days short of half the year.

42 FISHES Of FANCY.

disbursements up to the end of the i6th century were
herrings, "red and white," to the poor on Maundy Thursday.
Those who, in pious observance of Christian ordinances,
thus charged themselves with phosphorus were, let us
hope, not aware that they were simply perpetuating the
worship of Venus. Friday, again, is the dies Veneris,
and fish, her own symbol, is therefore appropriate food
for the day. The poisson d>Avril is the survival of the
old Spring offering to Aphrodite, under whose auspices
the constellation of the Fishes was then in ascendant
influence ; and through the interrogatories of the old Con-
fessional we can trace back some innocent, but significant,
customs of the English country folk of to-day to the
rites in honour of the goddess of Love, in the days when
the world was young.

In connection with this pious fish-eating it is worth
noting that their error as to the true character of the ceta-
ceans betrayed our forefathers into breaking Lent, for under
the impression that the whale, porpoise, and seal were
fish, they ate them on fast-days. High prices, moreover,
were paid for such meats, and " porpoise pudding " was a
dish of state as late as the sixteenth century.

In other aspects also the fish was eminently a Christian
symbol. It occurs frequently in the Roman catacombs,
bearing on its back a bowl with wine and covered with
wafers of bread ; and in many of the tombs are found small
fish in wood or ivory, while the simple figure of a fish on a
gravestone or monument was employed as an emblematic
acrostic * to point out to his co-religionists the burial-place
of a Christian without betraying the fact to their pagan
persecutors. It has been imagined that the pointed oval

* I-ch-th-u-s being the initial letters of the Greek words for Jesus —
Christ — of God — Son — Saviour.

FISHES IN RELIGION.

43

so common not only for enclosing pictures, seals, mono-
grams, etc., but even for rings and ornaments, is the
symbol of the fish, and the representations of the Virgin
" in a canopy " or vesica piscis, are supposed therefore to
have a specially Christian significance ; but if it has any at
all, it is a very heathenish one.

( 44 )

CHAPTER IV.

FISHES IN ARTS AND SCIENCES.

Fashions in fish-eating — Pisces Regales — Fishes in Art — In Astro-
nomy— Legends of the Zodiac — In Astrology — Fish-gems.

BUT eating is not, after all, solely a religious exercise, and
in the matter of fish, though the priests sometimes dictated
the bill of fare, the people as often chose their dishes for
themselves. Thus, in old Egypt, the priests abstained
from fish altogether, and therefore, when all the rest of
the people were obliged by their religion to eat a fried
fish before the door of their houses, they only burnt
theirs, without tasting them.' So says Plutarch, and the
reason which he tells us the priests gave for their absten-
tion was, that fish was neither nice nor necessary. But
among the nation in general, the favourite kinds* were
the bulti (Labrus Niloticus), the kishr (Perca Nilotica),
the beuni (Cyprius Benni or C. Lepidotus), the shall
(Silurus Shall), the shttbeh (the Silurus Schilbe Niloticus),
and arabraby the by ad (Silurus Bajad), the karmoot (Silurus
Carmuth).

As to the attitude of the Syrians towards such diet, I
find some difficulty. That their priests also abstained from
fish is tolerably certain, but it is difficult to reconcile the
statement, that in consequence of Derceto, a Syrian divinity,
having changed herself into a fish, the people of that

* According to Wilkinson.

FISHES IN ARTS AND SCIENCES.

45

country never touched any kind whatever ; and the other
statement, that Queen Atergatis was so passionately fond
of the food that she allowed none to be sold till the refusal
of it had been offered to the royal kitchen. It is possible
that the two traditions are really halves of a third, which
states that Queen Gatis, who was also said to be inordi-
nately addicted to fish-eating (tunny, conger, and carp, her
favourites), was put to death by Mopsus the Lydian, who had
her thrown into Lake Ascalon. That the princess should
be deified and the fish of the lake abstained from, is strictly
in sympathy with contemporary sentiment, and the con-
flicting testimony of the ancients I have quoted would thus
be reconciled. But of course this is mere surmise.

That the Greeks ate fish, and had their fashions therein,
is notorious, yet Homer never mentions fish in his ban-
quets, and Ulysses is depicted as resorting to that diet
only when in great extremity. In Rome, the fish mania,
both as pets and as delicacies, was carried to such a pitch
of insane, criminal extravagance, as to have been incredible,
had not the savage satire and the fierce denunciation of
contemporary literature assured us of the facts. It is
enough to say that a single dish of fish might cost from
;£ioo to j£iooo, and that pet eels were fed with human
slaves. It is worth noting also that, in spite of the intoler-
able affectations of Roman connoisseurs as to the niceties of
flavour between this fish, that had been caught on one side
of a river, and that, which had been caught on the other,
they all drenched their subtly-flavoured dishes with halec,
garum, and other sauces, which were so strong and com-
posite that it would have been hardly possible to distin-
guish a fresh fish from a putrid cat — except by the
bones.

The ancient Britons were not, as a nation, fish-eaters, due

46 FISHES OF FANCY.

probably to the fact that our painted ancestors worshipped
the streams, and from this pagan reverence for the waters,
their naiad-folk, and the fishes they protected, I would
venture to surmise that the objection of the lower classes
at the present day to a fish diet has arisen.

Sea-fishing as an industry is said to have been intro-
duced into Albion by St. Wilfrid, and the Anglo-
Saxons, then abandoning paganism, came to indiscrimi-
nate fish-eating. In the fourteenth century sturgeon
was declared a royal fish, and statutes exist (of a later
date) restricting the consumption of porpoises, seals, and
" grampus," as meats too dainty for the million. That Henry
I. died of a surfeit of lampreys " is one of those things that
every schoolboy knows ; " but the extraordinary estimation
in which this fish was long held is a less familiar fact.
Royal edicts have been published regulating the price of
the dainty when the cupidity of fishmongers threatened
to send it up beyond the purses of the rich, and King John
sent special agents to the Continent to purchase lampreys.
Gloucester city used at one time to send every Christmas
a lamprey-pie to the sovereign.

Herring-pie also was once accounted a royal delicacy.
Yarmouth, by its charter, was pledged to furnish the king
annually with a hundred herrings baked in twenty-four
pasties, and more than one private estate on the coast was
held on a tenure of herring-pies. In Queen Elizabeth's
reign, sturgeon, " whales," and porpoises were among the
Pisces Regales, but it is not probable that her sister was an
enthusiast, inasmuch as her royal husband was of opinion
that fish was not proper food for human beings, " being
only congealed water." France had its notable ichthyo-
phagists in Louis XII., Francis I., Henry IV. (who kept
twenty-five royal fishmongers), and Louis XIV. In China

FISHES IN ARTS AND SCIENCES. 47

the sturgeon is a royal fish, and in the Sandwich Islands,*
the bonito, albicore, and squid, are among the monopolies
of the king's table. That any one should quarrel over the
privilege of eating squids may seem strange to us who reject
them except as bait, but they were esteemed by the ancients,
notably the Greeks, and are at this day eaten by all the
races on the Eastern seas, as well as the nations of Southern
Europe and the Mediterranean f generally. Odious as the
idea of eating an octopus may be, it is not, after all, so
strange as the Japanese mania for the poisonous furuke, by
eating which, in defiance of imperial edict, they are enabled
to obtain, at one and the same time, the carnal pleasure of
a tasty dish and the posthumous honours of the Happy
Despatch.

As properly leading out from my note preceding on the
Patron Saints of fishes, their place in legendary art may be
here briefly referred to. Notable among the paintings in
which fish, in connection with their patrons, are con-
spicuous, are Raphael's noble piece, the Madonna della
Pesce, in which the child Tobias, with the fish in his
hand, is being brought by St. Raphael to the Virgin ;

* There the " lords of the manor " have also the right to specify
one kind of fish as exclusively for their own eating, whenever caught
in their waters.

f " Along the western coast of France, and in the countries border-
ing on the Mediterranean and Adriatic, they form a portion of the
habitual sustenance of the people, and are regularly exposed for sale
in the markets, both in a fresh and dried condition. Salted cuttles
and octopus are there eaten during Lent as commonly as salted cod
are brought to table in England ; and, thus prepared, generally form a
portion of the provisions supplied to the Greek fishing-boats and
coasters. This strange diet is chiefly obtained from Tunis, and in the
Levant and Greek markets its trade name is octopodia or polypi." —
Prof. Martin Duncan (CasseWs Nat. Hist.}.

48 FISHES OF PANCY.

and the other that represents Tobias hauling the fish
to land, with the Angel standing by. St. Peter in many
pictures of celebrity carries a fish, and in the pictures
of the "Calling of Peter and Andrew" and "Finding
the Tribute-Money," and the celebrated cartoon of "The
Miraculous Draught," his avocation is always conspicuously
represented. St. Zeno, bishop of Verona (said to have
been an enthusiastic angler), carries a fishing-rod in the
statue in the church at Verona, and in early pictures of the
Veronese school wears the habit of a bishop with a fish
hanging from the crook of his crozier. The picture by
Salvator Rosa of St. Anthony's fish-sermon is well known,
as is also the mosaic in St. Peter's, Rome, Naviculo di
Giotto, which represents St. Peter drawing his nets. The
same subject is engraved upon the Pope's ring, ranello
del piscatore. An armed knight with his foot on a sea-
monster (a mediaeval variation of the zodiacal Water-
carrier) may, or may not, be St. Andrew of Scotland ;
while in another artistic representation of the heavenly
system, in which the Apostles take the place of the pagan
signs of the zodiac and Saints are used instead of the
mythical figures of the constellations, I find St. Matthias
paired off against the Fishes.

In Astronomy the sea-things occupy their full share of
space, for among the principal constellations there are four
marine creatures as against; seven quadrupeds and three
birds, and if we take the complete list the same proportion
is maintained. Their presence also in the zodiac gives us
one more link with the remotest past. Does not Proctor —
and with something more than mere surmise — read in the
configurations of the firmament the first suggestions of the
story of Noah's Flood ? and can we not by these recurrent

FISHES IN ARTS AND SCIENCES. 49

signs trace back — through the origin of Egyptian animal
worship — through old Israel's twelve coincidences in the
naming* of his sons — through the zodiac of Denderah,
eight centuries before our era — to the very alphabet and
rudiments of Aryan science ?

What antiquities, then, they are, these sea-myths of our
stellar hemispheres ! Tumbling in open space, the happy
Dolphin, belted with stars, the gift of grateful Olympus ;
the luminous Sea-lizard ; Cetus, the shaggy whale, spangled
from twinkling snout to twinkling tail, that, but for the strong
bright-fronted Ram that intervenes, seems agape to swallow
the suppliant Andromeda; Hydra, dripping stars as it
goes, and trailing its gem-lit convolutions across the hemis-
pheres ; the Flying-fish,t feathered and beaked, darting its
brief flight from the pole of the southern ecliptic; the
austral Fish, with radiant eyes uplifted to the grateful flood
that the Waterer for ever pours upon it ; the Sword-fish,
cleaving its bright way to encounter in the ocean of the
firmament its hereditary foe; the Tortoise, that in its
starry concave holds the lyre whence Mercury first struck
the music of the spheres.

Above all, The Fishes of the Zodiac —

" The double Pisces, from their shining scale,
Spread wat'ry influence and incline to sail "J—

foster the sailor-spirit in men and teach navigators to be

* Zabulun, " that dwells at the haven of the sea," stands for the sign
Pisces.

f So Pantagruel. " I saw here the sea-swallow, a fish as large as
a dare-fish of Loire." In Chaldaean astronomy the northern of the
Pisces is swallow-headed, as heralding the arrival of summer and its
bird.

J This and succeeding quotations are from the translation of
Manilius' poem by Creech.

VOL. III.— H. E

So FISHES OF FANCY.

boldly self-reliant, preside over sea-fights, and are the
patrons of fishermen — whom they generously direct

" To sweep smooth seas with nets, to drag the sand,
And draw the leaping captives to the land,
Lay cheating wires, or with unfaithful bait
The hook conceal, and get by the deceit."

But the children born under the sign are, by a poetical
extension of the Venus tradition, hot-blooded, given to
jealousies and strife :

" But could I rule, could I the Fates design,
The rising Fishes ne'er should govern mine ;
They give a hateful, prattling, railing tongue,
Still full of venom, always in the wrong."

For the tradition is, that " when the skies grew weak and
giants strove, and snaky Typhon shook the throne of Jove,"
Venus fled the tumultuous scene, and hiding herself in the
Euphrates as a fish, inspired the scaly tribes with new
passions, " and with the Ocean mixt her Fire." So, too, the
Southern Fish claims Aphrodite's favour, for the legend
says that it saved her daughter from drowning in the Lake
Boethe ; and yet another claims for it that it is the pro-
genitor of all the fishes in the firmament.
Next " glowing " Cancer,

" As close in 's shell he lies, affords his aid
To greedy merchants and inclines to trade."

But over births his influence is hardly more auspicious
than the Fishes', though in omen * it is happy —

" The dream 's good,
The Crab is in conjunction with the Sun."

* Under the influence of a conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars,
which took place in the year 1604, Kepler was led to think that he
had discovered means for determining the true year of our Saviour's
birth. He made his calculations, and found that Jupiter and Saturn

FISHES IN ARTS AND SCIENCES. 51

And it is by the Gate of Cancer, Mercury standing at the
starry portals, that souls descend to take possession of the
bodies of men. Not that the reasons of the crustacean's
exaltation commend it to popularity ; for when Hercules
was fighting with the Hydra, Juno meanly sent Cancer to
bite the hero's heel ; but Hercules merely stopped for a
moment in his job, killed the crab, and then went on
with the Hydra. The goddess, however, translated the
smashed crustacean to the skies, the crabs thus rising

" On stepping-stones
Of their dead selves to higher things."

In astrology, fish forms were in great request, the mystery
attaching to sea-things commending them to the special
service of the necromancer. But besides the strange fish
with which the man of dark science made his studio dreadful,
and which in his computations played such high pranks as
might have made Herschel weep, he professed a knowledge
of occult influences in fishy products that opened up vast
possibilities. Coral and amber, nacre and ambergris, were
potentially dreadful. From the heads of fishes he took you
the dread cimedia, that, properly handled, worked Darwinism
backwards ; and from the tortoise the gem chelonia, which,
smeared with honey and laid upon the tongue, bestowed
the gift of divination, provided the stars were in auspicious
conjunction. This precious thing bore the tortoise shape,
and the Magi told wonderful stories of its powers in
appeasing storms ; nevertheless the kind starred over with
gold spots, if thrown together with a beetle into boiling

were in the constellation of the Fishes (a fish is the astrological symbol
of Judaea) in the latter half of the year of Rome 747, and were joined
by Mars in 748. . . Their first union in the East awoke the attention
of the Magi, told them the expected time had come, and bade them
set off without delay towards Judaea (the fish land).

E 2

52 FISHES OF FANCY.

water, would raise a tempest* Once, therefore, find the
chelonia, and you were Moses and Prospero, or Cassandra
and the Witch of Endor, in one. Plutarch (' On Rivers ')
says that the sangaris produces the gem called Ballen, " the
king," by the Phrygians. Ptolemy Hephaestion, the astro-
loger, describes a gem (asterites) found in the belly of a
huge fish named Pan, from its resemblance to that god.
This, if exposed to the sun, shot forth flames, and was a
powerful philtre. Helen used it for her own signet, en-
graved with a figure of the Pan fish, and owed to it all her
conquests. To these may be added the astrobolos, "the
fish-eye," and the " adularia," both of them gems of force in
the Black Art, and also, as being gifts of the sea, those
shells which, powdered into potions, made love-philtres.
And no wonder ! What was the happy shell that held
Venus before she was vouchsafed to the earth? What
fortunate mollusc lent Amphitrite its pearly home for a
chariot ? Yet supreme among all shells must ever remain
the rough rind that holds the pearl, the delight of poets,
the ambition of women, the favourite of all.

Pearls were supposed to be sea-dew, which the oyster
drank in, and by its own mystic chemistry transformed
into gems, and the differences in colour were fancifully
attributed to climatic influences. On cloudy nights the
oyster secreted dark pearls ; and when the moon shone
brightly, " the perles were white, fair, and orient." They
were soft till the sun shone on them, and then they
hardened. One legend (it is a Moslem one) tells us that
devils dived for pearls for Solomon, but devils here means
only "jinns"; and it almost needed this interference of a
supernatural agency to account for man being the master
of such an exquisite possession.

* ' Gems and Precious Stones ' (King).

( 53 )

CHAPTER V.

DISHES IN FABLE AND FAIRY-TALE.

Fishes in Fable — as a rule Foolish Folk— but the Crab wise— the
Tortoise not always sagacious — nor the Fiat-Fish — Fishes in Fairy-
tale as a rule Benign — also in Folk-tale of all countries — Fishes
the Patrons of distressed Heroes and Heroines — Tendency ot
Fishermen to become Princes — Grateful Fishes — The Jewel-
finding Myth — Fish as Guardians of Treasure — Cities of the Plain
now Lakes, and their inhabitants Fishes — Some Fish-mysteries.

IN the story of the "Cruel Crane Outwitted," the bird,
finding the fish likely to die of drought in a fast-shrinking
puddle, offers to carry them across to a large and pleasant
lake of which he knows. After much suspicious demurring,
the fishes go with the crane one by one, and are, of course,
eaten up in succession. Left last of all, however, is an old
crab, and the bird proposes to take it over too to join its
old comrades. " Very good," says the crafty crustacean,
" but as you cannot very well hold me in your beak as you
did the fishes, suppose I hold you with my pincers." The
crane agrees to this, and having arrived at the shambles,
announces to the crab that he is now about to be eaten.
" Not a bit of it," is the reply. " On the contrary, if you
do not take me to the lake at once, I shall nip your head
off your thin neck." So the crane, in great alarm, takes
Cancer straight to the lake, but before getting off the bird's
back the crab bites its head off.

This fable illustrates the difference of character in fables
between the fish and the crustaceans. The former are
always used as the stupid persons of the incident — the

54

FISHES OF FANCY.

foolish folk who are found dancing in the nets just when
they should be most serious ; who get caught and beg the
fishermen to put them back, " so that we may grow larger
and better worth your eating ; " who catch hold of hooks in
order to pull the angler into the water ; who rush into the
net just to make fun of the fisherman, forgetting that, though
it is the same old net, with the same meshes that they used
to slip through when they were tiny fry, they have been
gradually getting bigger themselves ; who fall victims, in
fact, to every designing person who comes their way.

The crab, however, enjoys a character for sagacity, and
humour of a grim sort. His " swike " with the crane was
excellent fooling ; and so again, when he kills the snake and
sees it lying stretched out along the ground, he addresses
the dead viper with the caustic moral — " This fate would
never have befallen you if you had lived as straight as you
have died." The crab runs the fox a race, and as soon as
his opponent starts catches hold of its tail. When the fox
reaches the winning-post it turns round to see how far the
crab has got, when the wily crustacean quietly drops off,
crosses the winning-line, and startles the fox with — " What !
come at last, are you ? I've been here some time ! "

Tortoises also are occasionally credited with ingenuity.
Thus, when the great bird Kruth came to eat it, the tortoise
begged to have one chance of life given it, and therefore
offers to race the bird across the lake, Kruth to fly and
the tortoise to dive. The bird agreeing, the testacean
calls its kindred together, and stations them, at short
distances apart, all round the lake, and having made
these preparations gives Kruth the signal to start — Off!
and down he dives under the water. Away goes the
bird straight across the lake, but wherever he tries to
settle, up pops a tortoise, and Kruth, not knowing one

FISHES IN FABLE AND FAIRY-TALE. 55

from another, concludes it is always the same old tor-
toise, and flies off in disgust. But this is exceptional, for
the tortoise as a rule is a fool. He begs eagles to take him
up into the sky, " to see the world," and gets dropped on to
rocks and eaten in return for his misplaced confidence.
He pretends he will tell the king of the birds a great secret
if he will carry him over a range of mountains, and is made
half-way to tell his secret, and then, as usual, dropped on
to the customary rock. So again when his good friends
the wild geese are carrying him to the Golden Cave on the
Himalaya Mountains, the people of a town over which they
pass, go into fits of laughter at seeing two geese with the
ends of a stick in their beaks and a tortoise hanging down
by his mouth from the middle. The tortoise cannot resist
the opportunity for a retort, but he has hardly got the first
word out of his mouth when down he comes smash on the
ground.

Flat-fish, again, have a distinctive character, their gro-
tesque facial arrangements suggesting superciliousness, and
a general kind of wry-mouthed ill-nature. The fluke,
therefore, gets its mouth twisted round for sneering at the
coronation of the herring : in Grimm it is the sole, and
elsewhere the plaice ; while all the flat-fish are flattened
out for being disagreeable, the rays for stinging a god when
out fishing, and the turbot for upsetting a nymph it was
carrying, and so forth. But with these few exceptions the
fishes of fable are simply foolish folk.

In fairy-tale they are invariably benign. Thus in the
admirable Red Indian story of " Sheem, the Forsaken Boy."
the sturgeon that saves Owasso plays a beneficent part.
The wicked old magician, his father-in-law, takes him out
fishing, and just as Owasso is about to spear the sturgeon,
he makes his enchanted boat dart away from under the

$6 FISHES OF FANCY.

striker's feet, and the young man falls into the water.
But the sturgeon magnanimously carries Owasso to the
shore (where it gets cooked and eaten for its pains), and
bye-and-bye the wicked Manito comes to well-merited grief
at his son-in-law's hands. Again, in the story of " The
Little Spirit, or Boy-man," the main incidents are fish ones.
The boy-man steals the fish of the giant brothers, and
incurs their dislike, and then upsets them by a stratagem
into a fishing-hole in the ice, and so kindles their dislike
into wrath. But he outwits them, and takes refuge inside
a fish which he calls to his assistance, but which he after-
wards betrays and eats.

In Portuguese folk-tale the recurrence of the fish-figure
is very marked, and always in the same benign aspect. Thus
in the story of the Baker's Idle Son (that has its well-known
Russian and German counterparts), the fish that comes up
to him in the wood to eat his crumbs, and though caught
by the boy, is released when it begs for its life, continues
to befriend him till his fortunes are completed : the good
daughter of the wicked witch takes the form of an eel, to
assist the prince ; a whale, at the cost of its own life, rescues
the maiden from whose head the pearls used to fall when
she combed her hair; in the Portuguese version of Cin-
derella— the Hearth-cat, as she is called — it is a fish which
plays the part of the good fairy or the white pigeons ;
St. Peter makes use of a fish to save his little god-
daughter from death ; a beautiful fish is caught, and sub-
mits to being sliced up into pieces, for the aggrandise-
ment and future welfare of the family of his captor. This
last story is one of many that are common to the nurseries
of the whole world. In the tale of the Gold Children,
the golden fish that is cut up into six pieces, to the great
good fortune of the fisherman and his family, is the same

FISHES IN FABLE AND FAIRY-TALE. 57

as the beautiful fish of Breton fairy-lore, that makes its
captor promise to eat its brains, as all manner of good luck
will then overtake him ; and the same as the numerous
other fishes who reward those who catch them with all the
riches and pleasures of life. Common also to most fairy-
lores are the flounder that was an enchanted prince, which
gave to a fisherman all that his wife asked for, even to
becoming Pope, but when she asked to be the Creator, the
flounder, in indignation, sent her back to her original state ;
the grateful fish in the story of Ferdinand the Faithful ;
the accommodating fishes who, to help the drummer out of
his difficulties, jumped out of the pond and arranged them-
selves in proper order on the grass ; the other fishes in
Russian and Portuguese stories that assist heroes and
heroines to accomplish impossible tasks ; the fish that so
wonderfully refreshed the lovers when they were flying
from the Dwarfs Island. In all these cases, and many more
besides, the benign and philanthropic aspect of the fishes
is consistently expressed, and even when these creatures
are not actively employed in what may almost be called
the routine of their amiabilities, they are found co-operating
with men and women for their advantage in a most dis-
interested way. Fishermen are perpetually arriving at
honours and wealth by the advice of the things they hook
and net, and it is quite in the day's work if a fisher-lad
becomes a prince and marries the king's daughter. When
Biroquoi and his friends are arming the Prince, the fishes
furnish the young warrior's "harness," as Don Quixote
would call it. They gave him a brilliant cuirass of the
scales of golden carps, and placed on his head the shell of
a huge snail, which was overshadowed with the tail of a
large cod, raised in the form of an aigrette ; a naiad girt
him with an eel, from which depended a tremendous sword

58 FISHES OF FANCY.

made out of a long fish-bone ; and lastly, they gave him
the shell of a large tortoise for a shield. So that by the
time Babiole was equipped cap-a-pie there had been a con-
siderable destruction of friendly fishes. When the seal-
fisher falls into the water, and is caught by the seals, what
do they do with him ? They take him down into Seal-
world, and there show him a harpoon of his and a wounded
seal, and they make' him lay his hand on the wound which
he had inflicted, and swear that he will never hunt seals any
more. And then they take him, by a short cut, back to his
home again. Even when fishes swallow human beings,
they do so in the most friendly spirit imaginable. The
number of notable personages that have thus been amiably
gulped down, and afterwards restored to friends and sun-
light, is very large indeed, and the conduct of the fish is in
every case admirable. When, for instance, the " great fish "
swallowed Jonah, it did so with the best intentions, for, so
the Arabic legend says, it swam to shore, a three days'
journey, with its mouth above water all the way, for the
greater convenience of the prophet's breathing. The good
taste of such behaviour is undeniable.

But by far the most widely-spread legend of the sea-
things' philanthropy is that which makes them the guardians
of lost treasures, and the vehicle for their restoration to
their proper owners — the fish-with-the-ring-inside-it myth,
that every country in turn has adapted from the original
story that was told on the banks of the Oxus to Aryan
children, long before Britain, as we know it, had come to
the surface of the sea.

The salmon with a ring in its mouth, that figures in the
arms of Glasgow, is one of the many fishes credited with
being the means of lost jewels returning to their owners.
A certain queen gave a soldier, with whom she had fallen

FISHES IN FABLE AND FAIRY-TALE. 59

in love, a ring that had been presented to her by her con-
sort ; but the king discovered the intrigue, and having
obtained the ring, threw it into the Clyde, and then de-
manded it of his disloyal lady. In her alarm she sought
help from the holy Kentigern, and the saint, proceed-
ing to the river, forthwith caught a salmon which, on being
opened, was found to have swallowed the all-important
jewel. So the queen regained the good graces of the king,
and, it is satisfactory to be able to add, lived a better life
ever afterwards.* A Tyne salmon caught in its mouth as
it fell, and was the means of restoring to its owner, a ring
that had dropped off a bridge at Newcastle ; and a Thames
pike has been known to be equally opportune and useful.
The best known of all such narratives is, of course, that of
Polycrates' signet-ring, which was thrown into the sea and
recovered from the body of a fish presented to the king by
a fisherman. But this is by no means the original of the
episode, for Solomon recovered his throne by a fish restor-
ing him the talisman ring by virtue of which he held
dominion over all the devils ; f and more ancient still is the

* A variation is to be found in the following : — " The legend o
the fish and the ring," says the Rev. Dr. Dibdin in his ' Northern
Tour,' " is extant in well-nigh every class-book in Scotland ; old Spots-
wood is among the earliest historians who garnished the dish from the
Latin monastic legends, and Messrs. Smith, M'Lellan, and Cleland
have not failed to quote his words. They report of St. Kentigern, that
a lady of good place in the country having lost her ring as she crossed
the river Clyde, and her husband waxing jealous, as if she had be-
stowed the same on one of her lovers, she did mean herself unto
Kentigern, entreating his help for the safety of her honour, and that he
going to the river after he had used his devotion, willed one who was
making to fish to bring the first that he caught, which was done. In
the mouth of the fish he found the ring, and sending it to the lady, she
was thereby freed of her husband's suspicion."

t Sale gives the following version : — " Solomon entrusted his signet
with one of his concubines, which the devil obtained from her and

60 FISHES OF FANCY.

recovery of Sakuntala's ring by a fish, which thus enabled
King Dasyanta to marry the lady of his love.

From this fancy of the Aryan poet has descended an
immense progeny of treasure-retrieving fishes, and the ring
of Sakuntala, like the magic circlet of the Persian story,
has begotten innumerable rings exactly like itself.

In the 'Arabian Nights' is the well-known tale of the
priceless diamond which the fisherman takes from a fish,
and which, placed on a shelf in the cottage, gives so much
light that they are saved all expenditure in oil, and which
when sold makes the family rich for ever and for ever. In
Scandinavian myths is that of the long-lost crown, which
the fishes kept safely down among the rocks, till the real
heir to the throne came a-fishing, when they rolled it into
his net ; in Russian, that of Ivan, who finds the all-impor-
tant ring by the help of the perch — the herrings try to
lift the casket to the surface, but fail, and so two dol-
phins come and put their shoulders to the wheel, and the
ring is regained ; in the Portuguese is one that tells us how
St. Peter's god-daughter is ordered by a malicious queen
to dive into the sea to bring up a ring which she has
purposely thrown into the waves, but St. Peter restores
it to the little girl by making a fish swallow it and be
caught for the King's table. In the other story of the
Basket of almonds, the king of the fishes himself brings
up the key which the monarch has thrown into the sea,
its recovery being the price of the hero's marrying the
princess ; in the (?) Italian story of the White Snake the

sate on the throne in Solomon's shape. After forty days the devil de-
parted and threw the ring into the sea. The signet was swallowed by
a fish, which, being caught and given to Solomon, the ring was found
in its belly, and thus he recovered his kingdom."

FISHES IN FABLE AND FAIRY-TALE. 61

three grateful fish bring to the servant, in a mussel-shell,
the ring that brings every one joy ; in the Russian the
crayfish recovers the merchant's magic snuff-box. Nor are
these, probably, a half of the fairy legends that have all
grown out of Kalidasa's beautiful creation.

Specially noteworthy among these jewel-restoring, and
so (by a not unreasonable extension) treasure-defending,
fishes is the pike. It is, says Afanassieff, a fish of great
repute in northern mythology. One of the old Russian
songs, still sung at Christmas, tells how the pike comes
from Novogorod, its scales of silver and gold, its back
woven with pearls, and costly diamonds gleaming in its
head instead of eyes. And this song is one which promises
wealth, a fact connecting the Russian fish with that Scandi-
navian pike which was a shape assumed by Andvarri, the
dwarf-guardian of the famous treasure, from which sprang
the woes recounted in the Volsunga Saga and the Nibe-
lungenlied. According to a Lithuanian tradition there is
a certain lake which is ruled by the monstrous pike
Strukis. It sleeps only once a year, and then only for
a single hour. It used always to sleep on St. John's night,
but a fisherman once took advantage of its slumber to
catch a quantity of its scaly subjects. Strukis awoke in
time to upset the fisherman's boat, but fearing a repetition
of the attempt, it now changes every year the hour of its
annual sleep.*

Apart from any special characteristic in the nature of their
service to man, fish play in the folk-tale a most important
part. In every country the cultus of the water-spirit has
more or less obtained, and the aqueous feature of local
myth being thus popularly accepted, the prominence of
water-things is a natural result, just as among tribes to
* Ralston's ' Russian Folk-tales,' chapter iv.

62 FISHES OF FANCY.

whom the sea, as a means of livelihood, is as important as
the land — whether we go to Polynesia or Scandinavia to
find them — we find marine and fishery folk-lore predomi-
nant. Thus the old goblin from Norway, who came a-wooing
to the Elfin-hill, and spoke so pleasantly about the stately
Norwegian rocks and the waterfalls, and the salmon that
leaped in the spray while the water-god played to them on
a golden harp, could never tell a story without something
about a fish in it. And again, when he spoke of the
cheery winter nights within doors, he described particularly
how the salmon would gambol in the water outside his
cave, and dash themselves against the rocks, but could not
come in.

But into this prodigious literature of fairy-tale fish, in
which the finny ones merely play the part of wonder-
workers, or represent the victims of sorcery, I have no
space, though all the will, to plunge. But how can I close
this chapter without referring to that little fish of the
Arabian Nights which was really a pomegranate seed,
which the cock (who was really a princess) overlooked
with such disastrous consequences to all concerned ? Or
to those other fishes, white, red, blue, and yellow, that
the fisherman found swimming in the enchanted lake
between the four small hills, and which when brought into
the Sultan's palace led to such notable results ?

This formation of a lake as a punishment for the wicked-
ness of the People of the Plain is a widely-spread tradi-
tion.* Thus, so local legends say, Lake Tanganika was
called into existence. " Years and years ago, where you
see this great lake," so runs the African story, " was a wide
plain, inhabited by many tribes and nations, who owned

* The mythologist may read in the following story a significance
which supports Gubernatis.

FISHES IN FABLE AND FAIRY-TALE. 63

large herds of cattle and flocks of goats, just as you see
Uhha to-day. On this plain there was a very large
town, and in it lived a man and his wife, who possessed a
deep well which contained countless fish, that furnished
both the man and his wife with an abundant supply for
their wants ; but as their possession of these treasures
depended upon the secrecy which they preserved respect-
ing them, no one outside their family circle knew anything
of them. A tradition was handed down for ages through
the family, from father to son, that on the day they showed
the well to strangers they would be ruined and destroyed.
It happened, however, that the wife, unknown to her hus-
band, loved another man in the town, and bye-and-bye, her
passion increasing, she conveyed to him by stealth some of
the delicious fish from the wonderful well, and afterwards,
when her husband had gone, she took him to the enclosure
and showed him what appeared a circular pool of deep
clear water, which bubbled upwards from the depths, and
she said, * Behold ! this is our wondrous fountain ; is it not
beautiful ? And in this fountain are the fish.' The man
had never seen such things in his life, for there were no
rivers in the neighbourhood, except that which was made by
this fountain. His delight was very great, and he sat for
some time watching the fish, and bye-and-bye one of the
boldest of the fish came near where he was sitting, and he
suddenly put forth his hand to catch it. But that was the
end of all ! — for the Muzimu, the spirit, was angry. And the
world cracked asunder, the plain sank lower and lower and
lower — the bottom cannot now be reached by our longest
lines — and the fountain overflowed and filled the great gap
that was made by the earthquake, and now what do you
see ? The Tanganika ! All the people of that great plain
perished, and all the houses and fields and gardens, the

64 FISHES OF FANCY.

herds of cattle and flocks of goats and sheep, were swal-
lowed in the waters."

But why can we not find some friendly fish, in all this
host of friendly fishes, to clear up some of our water myste-
ries ? What, for instance, is the meaning of this story from
the Arabic : — "A traveller near the Caspian Sea saw some
fishermen catch a large fish and perforate its ears, when
suddenly a ruddy-coloured maiden, of a beautiful counte-
nance, with long hair, came out of one ear, began to smite
her cheeks and to tear her hair. God, the Creator, had
provided her with a short white apron, which extended
from her waist to her knees." And what fish was it that
gave its shell, six fathoms long and three in breadth, to
make a bridge across the palace-moat of the King of the
Genii ; and what was the monster, " resembling a green
meadow," on which Sindbad and his fellow- voyagers landed
to cook their meals, and to which we are indebted for all
Sindbad's subsequent adventures? What were the fish
that ate the bitumen that flowed from the Inaccessible
Mountain and returned it to the waves as ambergris, or
the others that so pleased the fair Persian when the Caliph
played at being Fisherman ? What was the sea-beast
St. Margaret overcame, or that other with which Beorwulf
fought for a night and a day ? Can any one tell me the
species of Thiodvitnir's fish that plunges everlastingly in
the roaring Thund ?

CHAPTER VT.

FISH IN HERALDRY.*

Frequency of Fish-crests — Derived from Names or Puns upon Names
— from Privileges of Fishery — from Incidents of Family History
— Towns with Fishing Rights — Badges of the Piscatorial Fran-
chise— Perpetuation of Old-world Myths — Fishes of Fancy —
Mermaids and their Relatives — Crustaceans — Shell-fish and
Shells — Fish-bones as a Crest — Fish on Signboards.

HERALDRY has been called "the science of fools with
long memories," but, regarded more sympathetically, the
title which heralds claim for it, that it is " the shorthand
of history," is better deserved. It is an epitome, also, of
the strangest fictions and the most beautiful fancies of past
times. For though heraldry proper does not date beyond
the twelfth century, its subject reaches back through all
the world's traditions and myths to the very remotest
antiquity.

Sylvanus Magnus, in his anxiety to prove that Adam
was a gentleman, has given him a coat of arms. But
heraldry needs no such absurdity of patronage to commend
it. For though as a science it may be modern enough, it
has been a loadstone both to myths and historical facts,

* The heraldry of fish is a curious study, and in the works of Moule
and Mrs. Bury Palliser is invested with a remarkable interest from the
intelligence with which history, folk-lore, legends, and superstitions,
are used to illustrate the various devices and to throw light upon both
badges and mottoes. In the charming pages of Planch £ the facts of
heraldry, and the broad rules upon which that fantastic science works,
are set forth with a delightful amplitude of queer lore.

VOL. III. — II. F

66 FISHES OF FANCY.

and in its lucid preservation of them has been veritable
amber.

In badge and device, shield and crest, the fish-form is
very frequently recurrent, and research into the figure-
heads of the vessels of antiquity would probably, while
extending the legitimate area of heraldry, show that the
fish and sea-monsters which are so conspicuous in modern
coats-of-arms are, in some cases, the survival of the badges
with which the sea-going heroes of old delighted to adorn
their war craft. That heralds have not taken any notice of
this, the earliest European mode of expressing upon pro-
perty the distinctive emblem of the owner, is somewhat
remarkable, for in this old-world fashion a clue might
perhaps be picked up that would connect the dolphins,
salmons, pike, and so forth of the present day, with the
primitive clan-animals and totems to which I have already
alluded.

Meanwhile, there is an abundance of fish-heraldry con-
nected with those popular beliefs which form the subjects
of my previous chapters ; and, indeed, the relation which
the present chapter bears to the rest of this pamphlet is an
apt simile of the relation of heraldry in general to all
previous history. For it traverses every subject, and con-
cerns itself with each phase of animism in turn. I shall
treat this chapter, therefore, as an epitome of those that
precede it, and follow fish heraldry in particular through
the same aspects, and in the same sequence, as I have
dealt with fish-lore in general.

Fish crests and badges have, it seems to me, been
acquired by three means — from -the resemblance of name,
from privileges of fishery, and from incidents in personal
history. To the first class belong the impresas of the
families of Barbel, Breame, Chub, Codd, Crabbe, Dolphin,

FISH IN HERALDRY. 67

Eales, Fish, Fry, Goujon, Haddock, Hake, Herring, Karp-
fen, Loach, Mackerel, Mullet, Pike, Roach, Seal, Shelley,
Smelt, Sprat, Sturgeon, Tench, Troutbeck, Whalley, Whiting,
and no doubt many others. A number more take their
cognisance from local names, such as Butt (flounder),
Chabot (miller's thumb), Dare (dace), Geddes and Lucy
(pike), Sparling (smelt), Tubbe (gurnard), Gobyon (gudgeon),
Cobbe (herring-fry), Garvine (garvie or sprat), and Carter
(carter-fish or sole) ; while very many others adopt as a
crest either some fish which bears a name of proximate
resemblance, as Bar (barbel), Sammes (salmon), Conghurst
(congers), Piketon (pike), Garling (gar-fish), Heringot
(herring), Tarbutt (turbot), Ellis or Elwis (eels) ; or else
one upon which, more heraldico, they can pun or make a
joke, as the head of a bull for the Gurneys (a gurnard
being also called the " bull's head ") ; a fish-skeleton for
armorial bearings because an otter was the crest. The
Caters have a salmon because that fish was often the
" standard " of an entertainment that had been properly
catered for ; the Cheneys a burbot, or coney-fish, with a
rabbit ; the Dishingtons a scallop-shell, the pilgrim's dish.
The Lucy family has the pike's head, which is arrived at
in two ways : first as the head of the luce (the pike), and
second as the fleur-de-luce (the fleur-de-lis), which in its
shape is like the head of a halberd or pike.

Another variety of the fish-crest (but still connected with
the name) is that in which any fish for which a particular
river happens to be famous, is adopted in the arms of
families who take their name from that river or an estate
upon it. For instance, Yarrell bears the ruffe which
abounds in the Yare ; Way (from Wey), a salmon ; Streat-
iey, an eel-spear, that place being noted for that form of
sport. The Broughams bear a pike, from the abundance

F 2

68 FISHES OF FANCY.

of that fish in the Lowther ; and the Glynns a salmon-
spear, from the fishery at Glynn-Ford, on the Fowey.

As other instances of "privilege" (personal) may be
noted the Lostwithiel crest of fish, the Earls of Cornwall
having feudal rights of fishery in the Fowey, and the horn
of tenure of the Hungerford burgesses ; while among other
English crests typical of the franchise of rivers are eel-
baskets, oyster-dredges, fish-weirs, nets, and fish-hooks.
The cognizance of the " Stern Falconbridge " — " the thrice
victorious Lord of Falconbridge, Knight of the noble Order
of St. George, Worthy Saint Michael, and the Golden
Fleece, great Mareschal to Henry VI., of all the wars
within the realm of France"* — was "the fysshe hoke."
In Germany, this heraldic indication of rights in waters
is very frequent, the fishing-spear, or " pheon," t recurring
abundantly in family escutcheons.

Analogous to this, of course, is the representation on the
civic seals of fishing towns, of the particular fish that was
most important. Thus Kingston-on-Thames bears the
salmon, in reference to "the privilege of fishery" long
enjoyed by the town. " By charter of Philip and Mary,
a fishing-weir is held by the Corporation of Kingston in
consideration of repairing the bridge, which was formerly
of wood, but has been lately rebuilt with stone, and the
emblems of their privilege, three salmon, are sculptured
over the centre arch." For the same reason the burghs
of Peebles, Lanark, and Helmsdale, show the same fish
on their seals — the salmon fishery at Helmsdale (in
Sutherlandshire) being one of the ancient privileges of

* The fishing- spear, or "pheon," better known now as the broad-
arrow, has been the royal mark of possession from the days of Coeur-
de-Lion.

t « Henry VI.,' Part I., act iv., scene 7.

FISH IN HERALDRY. 69

the dukedom. The town seal of Coleraine shows the
salmon ; and the Lords of the Isles, as masters of many
fisheries, bear the same fish. The town of Stafford (Izaak
Walton's birthplace) is on the Sow, a river noted for its
trout and grayling. A charter from King John confirmed
the privileges which had been held by the town from
remote antiquity, and the corporation seal, showing the
fish in the stream, with the castle on the bank, alludes to
this right of fishing. So, too, Newcastle (on Trent) bears
an allusion to a " franchise " of fishery. Yarmouth has, of
course, herrings, and has carried them ever since King
John gave the burgesses their charter with the right of
the fishery, of which till then the privilege had vested in
the Barons of the Cinque Ports. Wexford displays the
hake ; and on the seal of Congleton (in Cheshire) two
congers glare at each other. Kilrenny, in Fifeshire, carries
fish-hooks on its shield as typical of its chief source of
revenue. Dunwich, Southwold, and Inveraray, all confess
their gratitude to the herring ; and Truro, Looe, Fowey, and
other Cornish towns, to the pilchard.

As illustrative of the third class, the fish-crests com-
memorative of incidents of personal history are the Con-
stantinople dolphins of the Courteneys ; the whale of the
Enderbys, whose ancestors were mighty fishers in the
Northern Seas ; the barbels of the Colstons, one of those
fishes having the credit of stopping a leak in a ship in
which a Colston was embarked ; the shark of the Watsons,
Sir Brook Watson having lost his leg from the bite of a
shark in the harbour of Havannah.

For the connection of heraldry with the sea-myths of
antiquity it would really be only necessary to instance the
dolphin. It is with heralds the " chief of fish "; and just
as in Hellenic devices it was always used to represent the

70 FISHES OF FANCY.

fish-world in general, being placed at the feet of Venus, on
the tripod of Apollo, in the beard of Poseidon, at the heels
of Orpheus, and employed perpetually to symbolize the
ocean itself, — so in the modern art of emblematic designing
it is the hieroglyph of fish in general. Thus a great many
towns that owe their prosperity to their fisheries bear a
dolphin as their cognizance. Two dolphins embowed within
a shield are upon the seal of Brighton. Poole carries a
dolphin and mermaid. So, too, among many others on
the Continent, Dunkirk, Dornheim, Otranto, Bernbach,
Onoltzbach, Swartzac, bear the dolphin as a " fish."

Old gems show us Neptune on a dolphin, Arion on
another, Amphitrite in her shell drawn by a team of
dolphins, and ships always attended by friendly dolphins.
Emperors of Rome had the dolphin and anchor* for the
device of their seals, and under the Greek empire the
dolphin continued an imperial cognizance. So in later
times English admirals took the sea-god or the dolphin
for their supporters. Italian academies bore the emblem
of Arion with his harp —

" A fiddler on a fish through waves advanced ;
He twanged his catgut, and the dolphin danced."

Princesses borrowed Amphitrite's shell and steeds, and
European kings adopted the ensigns of bygone empires.
Fortune on a dolphin was the device of Charles, Archduke
of Austria. Admiral Chabot had the dolphin and anchor
of Titus and Vespasian, as also had that Adolphus of Nassau
who was killed at the Battle of the Spurs. Charles V.

* A dolphin twisted round the anchor, with the legend " Hasten
slowly " (so the English family of On-slow). Analogous devices are
the crab and butterfly of Augustus, and the tortoise rigged with sails ol
the Tuscan Dukes.

FISH IN HERALDRY. 71

used the dolphins for supporters, as bettering in swiftness
the azure greyhounds which formerly held that place of
honourable trust ; and Portugal among its royal crests
has the dolphin and ship. Another fish-antiquity that
has survived is the remora. Thus Giovanni Battista
Bottigella, of Padua, who fought in the Italian wars under
Ferranti Gonzaga, took for device a ship in full sail, with
the remora, or sucking-fish, attached to it, and the motto,
sic frustra. Another motto for a similar crest is Sic parvis
magna cedunt, and it is in this sense that Spenser employs
the figure in his verse. The mythical fragrance of the
cuttle-fish suggested to Domenichi to give the Cardinal
Ferrara as device a sepia, with the motto, Sic tua non
virtus, " meaning that as the cuttle-fish by its sweet odour
attracts other fish around it, so the Cardinal, by the
sweetness and affability of his disposition, drew all men
after him." By the ancients, again, the seal was supposed
to enjoy immunity from lightning, and among those who
borrowed the protection of its skin was the Emperor
Augustus, who always wore a belt of seal-fur. The idea
arose from the fancy that the seal sleeps most profoundly
during thunderstorms, and a seal slumbering peacefully
on a rock in the midst of a stormy sea, still survives as one
of the devices of the Dukes of Mantua. The crab again
was believed by the ancients to grow only during the
waxing of the moon ;* hence the crab of the Costi family,
looking gratefully at the moon which warms the sea and
makes the shelled thing comfortable, with the motto, "I
take my form from its varied aspect."

From the old fiction of the sea-mouse piloting the

t "That planet," says Pliny, "is comfortable in the night-time,
and with her warm light mitigateth the cold of the night."

72 FISHES OF FANCY.

whale,* James V. of Scotland took his device of the whale
and little fish, with the motto "Urget majora."

As perpetuating other old superstitions, should be cited
the sea-lions borne by the Earls of Thanet (where, says
Moule, " the inhabitants, partaking of the amphibious
character of the sea-lion, live by sea and land, making the
most of both elements as farmers and fishermen ") ; the
black sea-lions of the Harlands ; the blue one of the
Duckworths. The sea-horses, as an emblem of naval
dominion, are among the insignia of our Admiralty ; and,
among other coats-of-arms, are to be found in that of
David Garrick. The Earls of Cardigan also display the
sea-horse.

Heraldic variations of other terrestrial monsters of fancy
are the sea-griffin (to be seen on a pillar in IfHey Church),
the sea-unicorn of the Prussian arms, and the antlered
fish.

The mermaid and her relatives are especially popular
as devices ; and the half-human half-fish monster that
from the Cannes of ancient Chaldaea to the Nibanaba of
the Canadian Indian, has always held a place in popular
belief, is a very conspicuous, and indeed beautiful, device
in heraldry. In French heraldry the mermaid is called
the Siren ; in Germany she has two tails ; in the Italian
she carries a harp ; and in many cases in each country
she is crowned. In England it is a very ancient crest ;
'and among others the Lords Byron, the Earls of Ports-
mouth (a black mermaid with golden hair), with the
families of Bonham, Broadhurst, Garnyss, Hastings, John-
son, Lapp, Lauzun, Mason, Rutherford, Moore, and many

* " For whereas the whale hath no use of his eies (by reason of the
heavie weight of his eie-brows that cover them), the other swimmeth
before him."

FISH IN HERALDRY. 73

others, display the sea-maiden in their armorial bear-
ings. With her comb and looking-glass she smiles at us
from the shields of the Holmes, Ellises, Lapps ; and as a
supporter holds up the arms of the Viscounts Boyne and
Hood, the Earls of Howth and Caledon, and is borne by
the heads of the families of Sinclair of Rosslyn, and Scott
of Harden. Two mermaids crowned are the supporters
of the Boston arms. La Mellusine, " a very beautiful
syren in a bath, who with one hand combs her thick hair
over her shoulders, and with the other holds a mirror," is
an instance of its very frequent device in French heraldry ;
and another, on a coronet, holding a bottle and a glass,
a specimen of the Belgian " Mermaid."

Her kindred, the tritons, are also familiar badges. As
a crest, a triton leaving the sedges is borne by the Tatton
Sykes ; a merman with a hawk's bill is the crest of the
Lany and Cratfield families. Two Tritons support the
Lyttelton arms, and other instances are displayed on
the shields of the Earls of Sandwich, and some of the
Campbells.

Of fishes, religious and ecclesiastical, the science takes
comprehensive notice, and from the walls of Dendereh and
the tombs of the martyrs, the fish symbol has come down
to our own day, and the Pisces may be seen on the doorway
of Iffley Church, in the nave of Peterchurch in Hereford-
shire, and elsewhere. Whales are the insignia of Whalley
Abbey ; bream of Peterborough ; haddock of Petershausen ;
herring of St. Edmund's, and also of the Black Friars
Priory at Yarmouth. The arms assumed by monasteries
were sometimes those of their benefactors, as the pike of
Calder Abbey, largely endowed by the Lucy family, and
the salmon of St. Augustine's at Bristol, in memory of the
fishery attached to that abbey by the Lords of Berkeley.

74 FISHES OF FANCY.

Many prelates and some primates have borne fish crests.
Thus Peter Courtenay, Bishop of Exeter, and afterwards of
Rochester, bears the dolphin of Constantinople — a previous
Peter of the house having attained to the purple, and
transmitted it to his sons Robert and Baldwin. An azure
dolphin curves itself upon the arms of John Fyshar,
another Bishop of Rochester, who also bore three eel-spears
— Rochester Cathedral being dedicated to St. Andrew,
who was put to death with those instruments. William
James, Bishop of Durham, also bore a black dolphin ;
Henry Robinson, Bishop of Carlyle, a flying-fish ; John
Cameron, Bishop, and James Beaton, Archbishop, of Glas-
gow, carry the salmon of the city arms ; Cardinal Benli-
venga, a grayling ; Richard Cheney, Bishop of Gloucester,
the ling ; Cardinal Enrique de Guzman, two pots of eels ;
William Attwater, Bishop of Lincoln, three crayfish ; and
so on through a lengthy catalogue of prelates who have
gone to the fish-world for their crests. Archbishop Herring,
and Thomas Sprat, Bishop of Rochester, display on their
coats the fishes of their own name.

Of the higher dignities of fish in heraldry, imperial and
royal examples have already been given. Among the
remainder, barbel appear in the royal arms of Bohemia
and Hungary, and again in the arms of Queen Margaret
of Anjou; salmon on those of the Princes of Lorraine;
a dried cod crowned is the arms of Iceland,* and borne
by the Kings of Denmark ; the crab, " an emblem of incon-
stancy," says Moule, appears on the shield of Francis I,
and, according to Sir Samuel Meyrick, is an allusion to
the advancing and retrograde movements of the English
army at Boulogne.

Crustaceans, indeed, are curiously frequent. " The lob-

* " Of Iceland to write is little nede, save of stock-fish " (Hakluyt).

FISH IN HERALDRY. 75

ster, as an enemy to serpents, was," says Moule, " some-
times used as an emblem of temperance, and two lobsters
fighting as an emblem of sedition." The union of a
lobster with the human form is an impresa of very old
date, but the families on the Continent that bear this
crustacean for a badge probably refer it back to no earlier
times than the chivalric days when knights went forth to
fight in that armour of overlapping plates which were
called " ecrivisses." Prawns and shrimps are among the
heraldic bearings of the Crafords and Atseas of Kent ;
and the crayfish, also an English crest, was the badge
of the Prince of Orange, and betrayed that warrior to
imprisonment when he had hoped to escape identifi-
cation among a heap of the killed after the battle of
St. Aubin du Cormier. The crab frequently recurs — the
golden crabs of the Scropes, Danbys, and Bythesees being
instances. The turtle is not common, there being perhaps
only six in English heraldry ; and among the miscellanea of
the sea are found the starfish, sea-urchins (Echinidae), and
numerous shellfish.

A scallop on a shield shows, or should show, that an
ancestor had been in the Crusades, as it was the cognizance
of St. James, and after him of all who fought against the
infidels, and so of all pious pilgrims. The badge of the
Order of St. James of Spain is a sword with a cross
handle and a scallop on the pommel. The same shell
forms the badge and collar of the Order of St. James
in Holland, and Saint Louis instituted the " Order of the
Ship and Escallop " for the decoration of the nobility who
accompanied him to the Holy Land. The collar of the
Order of St. Michael, founded by Louis XL, was garnished
with golden scallops. The cockle, whelk, and several of
the genera Turbo and Cyprcea found among modern crests

76 FISHES OF FANCY.

and shields, date back to the palmy days of Phoenicia,
when Tyre and other cities of the Mediterranean stamped
their medals and coins with them. The nautilus, a favourite
emblem in Southern Europe, bears in the badge of the
Affidati Academy the motto, " Safe above and below," in
allusion to the old-world description of its habits.

" But among the greatest wonders of nature is that fish which of
some is called nautilos, of others pompilos. This fish, for to come
aloft above the water turneth upon his backe, and raiseth or heaveth
himselfe up by little and little ; and to the end he might swim with
more ease as disburdened of a sinke, he dischargeth all the water
within him at a pipe. After this, turning up his two foremost clawes, or
armes, hee displaieth and stretcheth out betweene them a membrane
or skin of a wonderful thinnesse ; this serveth him instead of a saile in
the aire above water. With the rest of his armes or clawes he roweth
and laboureth under water, and with his taile in the mids, he directeth
his course, and steereth as it were with an helme. Thus, holdeth he
on, and maketh way in the sea, with a faire shew of a foist or galley
under saile. Now if he be afraid of anything in the way, hee makes
no more adoe but draweth in water to baillise his bodie, and so
plungeth himselfe downe, and sinketh to the bottom."

But, of course, the most celebrated and popular of shell
crests and devices was the pearl-oyster. Charged with
its precious freight, it appears in a hundred forms, the
legend always repeating one or other of the curious and
beautiful fancies of antiquity. Every royal Margaret, by
right of name, claimed the precious thing as her emblem ;
princes and nobles bore it on their impresas, and the
coronets of nobility take the degrees of rank from the
pearls upon them.

In German heraldry, fish as devices are even more
common, and their positions on the shields are infinitely
more varied than in the armorial bearings of England.
In France, also, where heraldry is more generally popular
than in Britain, there is a striking fertility in design, and

FISH IN HERALDRY. 77

the fish form is very frequent. Among the curiosities of
foreign heraldry must certainly be accounted the fish
skeletons which we find as baronial crests on the Con-
tinent. That Amsterdam is built on herring bones is an
old saying ; but why Bavaria, Franconia, and Switzerland
should adopt such a singular, such a beggarly, badge, is a
phenomenon still requiring explanation.

On signboards the fish is a figure of common recurrence.
The trout is a favourite angler's cognizance, and "the
golden perch," the gudgeon, the salmon, and the pike are
among the individual fishes that swing before the doors of
riverside inns. The Elephant and Fish — unless fish means
" dragon," which in tradition is the hereditary foe of the
elephant — is a device that puzzles the herald ; nor is the
Cock and Dolphin more obvious in its significance. The
dolphin, of course, is everywhere, in all kinds of curious
combinations, and passing through as large a range of
colours as the fabled creature when dying.

Moule only glances at piscine heraldry in his admirable
work. " Frequently," he says, " the sign of the fish is seen
without any further specification ; in this case it is probably
meant for the dolphin, which is the signboard fish par
excellence. The fish sign is a very common public-house
decoration at the present day, probably for the same
reason as the swan, because he is fond of liquor — nay, to
such an extent goes his reputation for intemperance, that
to ' drink like a fish ' is a quality of no small excellence
with publicans." In Carlisle, however, there are two signs
of the Fish and Dolphin, a rather puzzling combination,
unless it has reference to the dolphin's chase after the
shoal of small fishes. The Fish and Bell, Soho, may either
allude to a well-known anecdote of a certain numskull,
who, when he caught a fish which he desired to keep for

;8 FISHES OF FANCY.

dinner on some future occasion, put it back into the river
with a bell round its neck, so that he should be able to
know its whereabouts the moment he wanted it ; or it may
be the usual bell added in honour of the bell-ringers. A
quaint variety of this sign is the Bell and Mackerel, in the
Mile End Road. The Three Fishes was a favourite device
in the Middle Ages, crossing or interpenetrating each
other in such a manner that the head of one fish was at the
tail of another.

" The Three Herrings, the sign of James Moxton, a book-
seller in the Strand, near York House, in 1675, is evidently
but another name for the Three Fishes ; at the present
day it is the sign of an ale-house in Bell Yard, Temple
Bar. Several taverns with this sign are mentioned in the
French tales and plays of the seventeenth century. Two
of them seem to have been very celebrated, one in the
Faubourg St. Marceau, the other near the Palais de Justice.
This last one seems to have been particularly famous, for
it is named as a rival to the celebrated Pomme de Pin.
The Fish and Quart, at Leicester, must be passed by in
silence, as the combination cannot immediately be ac-
counted for. Were it in France a solution would be easier,
for in French slang a 'poisson,' or fish, means a small
measure of wine. The Fish and Eels at Roydon, in Essex,
the Fish and Kettle, Southampton, and the White Bait,
Bristol, all tell their own tale, and need no comment. The
Salmon is seen occasionally near places where it is caught.
The Salmon and Ball is the well-known ball of the silk-
mercers in former times added to the sign of the salmon ;
whilst the Salmon and Compasses is the masonic emblem
that is added to the sign. Both these occur in more than
one instance in London."

CHAPTER VII.

FISHES IN MODERN FOLK-LORE.

Survival of Zoolatry in Modern Folk-lore — Mermaid Superstitions —
Water-horses and Water-bulls — How Fishes got their Shapes —
Feminine influences Sinister — Parsons of ill-omen to Fishermen
—Fish annoyed by Bells— Fish-prognostications— As Weather-
prophets— Fishes in Medicine — Superstitions as to Origin of
certain Fishes.

FACE to face with the living myths. and superstitions of
the present, one feels, as I think it is Max Miiller says,
like a geologist who in a country ramble should sud-
denly find himself confronted with a herd of megatheria.
For the world has not all grown old together, and there
are still in existence to-day people who have not aged
a bit in their intelligence since the " once-upon-a-time "
period which we — the precocious youngsters and the wise-
acres of the human family — only now retain as the com-
mencement of children's fairy-tales. We ourselves, for
instance, have long ago learned to look down as from
a superior pedestal upon the beast-world, and loftily
bespeak sympathy for the "poor dumb brute." But it is
not so all the world over ; for there are nations breathing
the same air with us, sharing the same sun and moon,
launching boats on the same seas, who still to-day, in
the nineteenth century, in the age of electricity, speak
respectfully of beasts, birds, and fishes as of equals.
There are actually some also who still look up to and

8o FISHES OF FANCY.

reverence the things in fur, feathers, and scales as their
superiors.

The Red Indian calls them his "younger brothers," and
though compelled to eat them, he does so with apologies.
He excuses himself for the painful necessity of making a
meal off his " dear cousin " ; deprecates the anger of the
eaten thing's relations by formulas of propitiation, and
hopes by posthumous ceremonials of respect to the skull
and bones and skin, to condone the consumption of the
meat and fat. This is all, no doubt, grotesque enough,
but it is very much like meeting a megatherium in a
country lane. One begins to feel the clothes slipping off
one's back. The fingers itch to chip flints. Time seems
to wheel backwards through the intervening cycles, and
we are again the contemporaries of primitive man. In
this savage theology, this zoolatry, that sees divinity itself
— or emanations from divinities, or symbols of divinity —
in the beast-world, the fishes afford a very interesting study.
Throughout the Pacific, modern folk-lore is still the same
clan-animal worship that I have referred -to in Chapter III.
The fish are lords of the sea. In the Tongan, Fiji,
and other groups of islands, reverence for the whale and
shark, eel and sun-fish, and many another creature of the
waters, influences the daily life of the people, controls their
habits, and colours their thought. Among tutelary spirits
— the " aitu " of the Samoans, the " atua " of New Zealand —
we find all the larger and more dangerous fishes ; and just
as in the Far West we find fish among the medicine-
animals and the totems of the Red Man, so in South Africa
we have "The Fishes" tribe of the Bechuana, the Batlapi ;
and among the tutelary " Kobongs " of the Australian
savage are numerous fish. And with these, their habits,
predilections, and potencies, the modern folk-lore of these

FISHES IN MODERN FOLK-LORE. 81

people solely concerns itself. They think and live, in fact,
in the old world of zoological myths.

To take the Polynesians only in illustration of the rest :
fish and fishing are everything with them — their religion,
their history, their art, their poetry, their daily life. They
have fish gods, fish feasts, fish sacraments. In every-day
matters, all quarrels arise out of fishing affairs, and every
narrative of an incident commences "when out fishing."
Similes of beauty and personal grace are drawn from
fish. They use sea produce as currency, and divide off
the water surface into individual holdings with the accuracy
of land surveys. For are they not, after all, the descend-
ants of fish themselves ? and is not the earth, a gift of the
sea, a fish also ? One of their original gods was out
fishing, and letting a hook — made out of a bone of " an
ancestress " (fish-hooks are still made out of fish bones) —
over the boat-side, hooked the earth, and drew it up to
the surface. In the true spirit of zoolatry he returned at
once to sacrifice a portion, but while he was away, his
companions, unable to restrain their appetites, began eating
the fish, which flopped and flung itself about. This
accounts for the earth being so hilly and irregular. Had
the hungry ones duly waited till the propitiatory " first-
lings " had been offered, the earth would probably have
been smooth and flat (as all savages would like it to be),
for the fish would have understood that though it was
being eaten, the proper formalities of respect had been
observed, and would have placidly accepted the apologetic
offering.

One of the most important incidents of their folk-lore
is that which tells us how Kae stole a whale. Not that
this cetacean lends itself very handily to the industry of

the pickpocket, or seems a suitable article for stealing.
VOL. in.— H. G

82 FISHES OF FANCY.

But then Kae was a magician. Moreover, the whale was
a tame one. It belonged to the god Tinirau, who, when
visitors dropped in upon him, would occasionally hand
round bits of his pet whale, as our forefathers used to
hand round comfits, or, as everywhere in the East, the tray
still circulates among callers with the complimentary car-
damum or clove. And one day Kae whistled the whale
away from its master, and ate it up in the seclusion of
his own parlour. But Tinirau guessed where his pet had
gone, and told his wife, and she, with some of her lady
friends, went and kidnapped the magician, and brought
him back in bonds to Tinirau, who very properly put him
to death, and gave him " to the sharks and whales " to eat.

In another direction, the shapes of fishes, the Polynesians
have a lively mythological imagination. Why some fish
are flat is thus explained : Ina, the daughter of Vaitooringa
and Ngaetna, attempted to flee to the Sacred Isle. She
had asked one fish after another to bear her thither, but
they were unable to sustain such a burden, and upset her
in shallow water. She at last tried the sole, and was suc-
cessfully borne to the edge of the breakers. Here again
she was unshipped, and the heavenly maid (tantaene
animis !) was so provoked that she stamped on the head
of the unfortunate fish, and with such energy that the
underneath eye was squeezed through to the upper side !
" Hence the sole is now obliged to swim flat, with one side
of its face having no eye." But the day's work was by no
means over, for Ina now summoned the shark, and suc-
ceeded in reaching the Sacred Island. Feeling thirsty
during the voyage, Ina cracked a cocoa-nut on the shark's
forehead, and this accounts for the bump now found on
the forehead of all sharks, and called Ina's bump.

Now, though all this is as old as the hills, and older

FISHES IN MODERN FOLK-LORE. 83

perhaps than some, it is nevertheless modern folk-lore, and,
though of course in a modified form, to suit other circum-
stances and conditions, is the prototype of fishing folk-lore
all the world over. Away up among the icebergs live
people as truly ichthyophagous as any that Pliny knew of,
and to whom a single species of fish is as all-important as
the palm-tree to South Sea Islanders, or the banana to
central Africa. They look upon the land as a pensioner
of the sea, as indeed they well may, seeing that not only
they themselves, but their cattle and dogs, live upon the
produce of the water. Their coasts and rocks are the
home and haunts of water-powers, whom they propitiate
by deference ; and the shapes of fish are explained by
superstitious traditions as incredible as the incidents of
Polynesian theology. But let us come nearer home. Ask
the Scandinavian why salmon are red and have such
fine tails, and you will be told that the ruddy colour of
the flesh is due to the fact that the gods, when heaven
was on fire, threw the flames into the sea, and the salmon
swallowed them (indeed this fish is accepted by some
mythologists as symbolizing fire) ; and the delicacy of the
tail of the fish is explained to the Norseman by Loki
having turned himself into a salmon when the angered
gods pursued him. He would have escaped if Thor had
not caught him by the tail, " and this is the reason why
salmon have had their tails so fine arid thin ever since."
Or go even to Yorkshire, and ask why the haddock has
those dark marks on its shoulders. You will be told either
the old story about St. Peter, or else that when the devil,
in order to bother the fishermen, was building Filey Bridge,
he dropped his hammer into the sea. A haddock tried to
make off with it, but Satan was too quick for the fish, and
gave it such a pinch that no haddock has ever forgotten

G 2

84 FISHES OF FANCY.

it. And why has the stickleback to build a nest ? Because
during the Deluge it pulled the tow out of the bilge-hole
of the Ark, and if it had not been for the hedgehog who
plugged up the leak with its own body, Noah would have
had an exciting time of it, baling out his boat.

Those who read these pages do not probably believe in
mermaids, or in the sea-cattle which they have helped to
herd ever since the days of Proteus, and long before that.
Yet the belief in the mermaid is a contemporary fact,
and in the British Isles too. From the Shetland Isles to
Cornwall, and in the Sister-isle as well, the coast is still
the resort of kelpy, and nix, and water-sprite ; while sea-
bulls — lineal descendants of those sea-calves with which
Neptune terrified the hostile charioteer — and sea-horses,
such as whirled the car of Poseidon over the waves he
ruled, still come out on dry land in the Isle of Man and
the Hebrides, to the great annoyance of those who own
land-cattle. And what are these sea-things but the prin-
cipalities, and powers, and possessions over which the
Morskoi Tsar, the Water-King of Russian folk-tale, lineal
descendant of Neptune, holds the sceptre ? In Ralston's
delightful pages we see him, a somewhat shadowy form
but a patriarchal monarch, living in subaqueous halls of
light and splendour, whence he emerges at times to seize
a human victim. It is generally a boy whom he gets into
his power, and who eventually obtains the hand of one of
his daughters, and escapes with her to the upper world.
And so through the cycle of the sea-trow myth we come
to our own coasts and our own day, and in the land of
Thule find the old, old fancy still in all its unmarred charm.
Along the sandy margin of the voes of Uist the beautiful
maiden still comes up from her home beneath the waves to
enjoy the sunshine, and if the tourist should chance to see

FISHES IN MODERN FOLK-LORE. 85

a sealskin or other " ham " lying on the rock, he ought at
once to seize it, for there will come to claim it bye-and-bye
the pretty Nereid to whom it belongs, and who, without it,
cannot return to her caves and her friends. He must be
careful, of course, not to jump rashly to conclusions, and
carry off a bather's clothes, or some fisherman's oilskin laid
down for a moment by the owner, who has perhaps just
gone round the corner. But if he finds the real thing, it
will all happen just as I have said, and the maiden will beg
very prettily for her skin, and if he refuses it she will accept
her destiny, put her hand in his, and if he does not mind
being seen walking along a turnpike road with a girl in the
garb of Eve, he may lead her back into the town and
straight to the altar of the little church that overlooks the
billowy sea where his bride's friends live — but which she,
so long as he hides her skin from her, will never be able to
remember again. But sometimes it happens that husbands
of mermaids, grown careless by the lapse of time, leave
the " ham " (as the sea-nymph's fish-tail covering is called)
lying about in an attic or an unlocked box, and then, alas !
all is grief for the motherless bairns. For one unlucky day
the wife finds her old garment, and there comes upon her
the sudden recollection of another world which she once
lived in, and a longing — that she cannot understand, and
still less resist — to put on the familiar thing overtakes her.
She yields, and lo ! in a twinkling, she has forgotten all
her earth-life, her husband's love, and her children, and
hurries away straight to the sea, and is gone for ever.

So " gone back to the sea " is a pretty and decorous
euphemism for " run away from home."

To refuse to marry a mermaid, when in your power, is
what no man should do who has any regard for his family.

86 FISHES OF FANCY.

For not only will he die mad himself, but he will bequeath
insanity to his heirs for ever. Remember Duke Magnus.

So much, then, for modern mermaids and their kith and
kin. Their cattle include both water-horses and water-
bulls. These are still seen on our coasts. The former is a
harmless and sociable beast that grazes with common
cattle, but if any attempt at capture is made, it at once
rushes over the cliffs into the sea. The water-bull is more
troublesome, does much mischief, and even kills its terres-
trial equivalents in combat. Before it disappears under
the water it always gives a defiant bellow. By this you
may always know a water-bull.

The world therefore is still young ; and coming to religious
superstitions, we find the vestiges of an ancient fish-cultus
in vigorous existence among our own fishing population.
Some of the charms, incantations, and propitiatory offerings
are very significant, and when the interpreter arises — a
Tylor, or Lyell, or Ralston — large inductions of principle
will be drawn from them and the great code of superstitious
observances which influence both the social and industrial
lives of these people, be shown in its breadth and length to
be the survival of the zoolatry that still flourishes elsewhere
in pristine force. At present popular superstition is a
mass of unexplained items, but all the same they bring
us, so to speak, face to face with the megatherium. Thus,
ten years ago a herring-fisher was brought to a police
court for repeatedly ill-using his wife. He admitted the
conduct, but explained it was done, not from ill-will towards
his wife, but to attract the herrings !

Is it due to the grudge, dating back to Paradise, and the
day when, as the negro preacher said, " dat woman robbed
de orchard," that fishermen consider feminine influences so
sinister ?

FISHES IN MODERN FOLK-LORE. 87

In the Isle of Skye, if a woman crosses the water during
the fishing, the luck is doomed. At Flamborough, if a
woman happens to enter a cottage when the men are
preparing their lines, she is not allowed to depart until she
has knelt down and repeated the Lord's Prayer. In Lap-
land, the fishermen avoid spreading their captured fish on
that part of the shore frequented by the women, as the
next expedition would be a failure. In very many parts
of our coast it is most unlucky for a woman to walk over
the nets or any of the fishing-tackle, although they take
a very active part in collecting bait.

Burn the teeth of fish you catch, or your luck will be bad
next day — pins found in church make good fish-hooks —
a quarrel on the beach, if blood be drawn, will drive the
herring from the coast for the rest of the season (Scotch) —
stolen tackle is lucky (Swedish) — herrings eaten on New
Year's Day bring luck all the twelvemonth through (N.
German).

Flamborough, by the way, is conspicuous for the tenacity
with which it has preserved superstitions. As late as three
years ago the fishermen would not put to sea if any one
mentioned a pig when they were baiting their lines. In
Scotland the salmon is equally unmentionable, and is only
obliquely alluded to by a circumlocution. It is called
So-and-So's fish. As being somehow connected with the
powers of evil, it often receives for a pseudonym the name
of the tax-collector of the nearest village.

The days to be avoided or selected for fishing enterprises
are religiously observed. But the fisherman's religion is not
always that of the Church, as, for instance, on the coast of
Lancashire, where the custom is to set sail on the Sunday.
A clergyman of the town once prayed against this breach

88 FISHES OF FANCY.

of the Sabbath, as he called it, but to neutralise his prayers
the fishermen made a small image of rags, and piously burnt
the parson in effigy.

At Buckie, not long since, the fishermen dressed up a
cooper fantastically, his bright flannel shirt bestuck with
burs, and carried him in procession through the town in
a hand-barrow. This was done to " bring better luck " to
the fishing. It happened, too, in a village where there
are no fewer than nine churches and chapels of various
kinds, and thirteen schools. Now, whence arose these
ludicrous practices and credulities ? And how came " the
parson " to be a personage of ill-omen to so many fisher-
men? His influences are hardly less adverse than those
of women, and the practices which I have noted as con-
nected with the ill-omen of feminine interference apply
also to the clergy. The herring all left one part of the
Irish coast because they heard the new parson say he was
going to tithe the fishery ; and in Lapland and on the
coasts thereof fish need never be looked for where a
church is in sight. The Finns make the sign of the
cross when they catch certain species of flat fish, and the
Irish will not eat the skate (sometimes called the maid),
because it is supposed to bear a very questionable resem-
blance to some of the grotesque mediaeval delineations of
the Virgin Mary.

The avoidance of the neighbourhood of churches referred
to above finds some illustration in the fisherman's belief in
the great quickness of the hearing of fishes. In Sweden,
for instance, the church bells are not rung during the bream
season, lest the fish should take fright; and where the
pilchard is fished, the people are no less careful of their
sensitiveness to sound. From this half-mystic belief in
the sympathies of fishes has no doubt sprung the idea

FISHES IN MODERN FOLK-LORE. 89

that they foretell the death of their owner by fighting
among themselves in their fish-ponds. Oliver Cromwell's
death was " foretold" by fish, and also that of Henry II.

As barometers and weather prophets generally, fish are
of as much interest to the fisherman as birds, beasts, and
insects are to the man of woodcraft, the trapper or the
forester, and some of these traditions of prognostication are
founded upon the experiences of many generations. Thus
Wellsford, in his ' Secrets of Nature,' refers to several
which are of great antiquity, and of which the following
are of interest, if only as a sample of the sea-folks' weather-
lore : —

" Porpoises, or sea-hogs, when observed to sport and
chase one another about ships, expect then some stormy
weather. Dolphins, in fair and calm weather, pursuing one
another as one of their waterish pastimes, foreshow wind,
and from that part whence they fetch their frisks ; but if
they play thus when the seas are rough and troubled, it is
a sign of fair and calm weather to ensue. Cuttles, with
their . many legs, swimming on the top of the water, and
striving to be above the waves, do presage a storm. Sea-
urchins thrusting themselves into mud, or striving to
cover their bodies with sand, foreshow a storm. Cockles,
and most shell-fish, are observed, against a tempest, to
have gravel sticking hard into their shells, as a providence
of nature to stay or poise themselves, and to help weigh
them down if raised from the bottom by surges. Fishes
in general, both in salt and fresh waters, are observed to
sport most, and bite more eagerly, against rain than at any
other time."

When they feel an earthquake, the Malagassies say " the
whales are turning over," or " the whales are bathing their
children." The serpent or dragon turning over and causing

90 FISHES OP fANCY.

an earthquake is a widely-spread myth, and the whale of
ancient astronomy is really a sea-dragon.

In medicine, fishes filled an absurdly large space, nearly
every species being, at one time or another, held a cure for
some impossible ailment. Shark's teeth, rubbed on the
gums, helped children speedily through dentition. The
liver of the Muroena cured poisonous bites. The eyes
of pike, powdered, were wonderful in their effects — so
said the Duchess of Portland of merry memory. Petted
as the lamprey once was by Rome, its supposed affinity
to the fabulous remora of the ancients has earned it the
reputation of being a thing of ill-omen. Yet its fat
removed small-pox scars. Fever is cured (in Abyssinia)
with an electric eel, and in Wiltshire with a common eel.
Rheumatism yields, if you cannot procure the hand
of a drowned man, to a rubbing with red-herrings ;
cramp (in Ulster and N. Scotland) to an application of
fresh eel-skin ; toothache (in N. E. Scotland) can be got
rid of by carrying about the person a piece of a dog-
fish, the fish being returned alive to the water after the
excision ; a sprain is cured (in Ulster) with eel-skin ; deaf-
ness by powder of eel's liver ; jaundice by applying a split
tench to the soles of the feet (Yorkshire), but you must not
forget to bury the tench when it is done with ; haemorrhage
can be stopped with the brain of the same fish ; cancer
needs only a crab tied on to the spot to disappear ; hooping-
cough can always be banished by putting a live fish into
the child's mouth.* This tradition is found, not only over

* An old fisherman, formerly well known at the Foye, Keswick, once
caught a fish, which he put into the mouth of a child suffering from
hooping-cough. He then replaced the fish in the water. He affirmed
that the fish gave the complaint to the rest of its kind, as was evident
from the fact that they came to the top to cough !

FISHES IN MODERN FOLK-LORE. 91

a large area of Europe, but also in America. A corre-
spondent of Notes and Queries gives an account of a similar
practice in America. " One morning, during the fall of the
year 1875," he writes, " I was wandering along the banks
of the Schuykill river, when a young woman, carrying a
child two years old, approached two anglers, and asked
one of them for a fish he had caught. Receiving it, she
seated herself on the bank, deliberately opening the child's
mouth, and, thrusting in the head of the fish, held it there,
despite the child's struggles, for the space of a minute or
more. She then threw it into the river." A turtle is a
regular medicine chest. "The stone from its eye" is a
specific for ophthalmia ; its legs will, by simple application,
cure varicose veins ; its shell, powdered up with some of its
liver, affords an antidote to various poisons. But even in
this aspect alone, the medicinal fish-lore is far too vast for
more than this meagre recognition here.

Of the origin of fishes, folk-lore is full of information of
its own kind. That birds were once fish I have already
noticed, and now that the palaeontologists are agreed that
the Iguanodon, that mighty eft, walked like' a bird on
two legs "in his oolitic pride and his bloom," the French
tradition may help forward the derivation of the birds from
the fishes through the great sea-lizards.

Eels are to be accounted for in various ways. When the
Brittany fishermen happen to catch the " lotte " they throw
them back into the water, as they are supposed to turn
into eels. In England they are supposed (as in Yorkshire)
to be bred from dew in the months of May and June, or
(as in Derbyshire) from the hairs of horses or kine which
drop into cart-ruts, or into drinking-troughs and springs,
and there quicken after rain. The origin of this belief is

92 FISHES OF FANCY.

of course obvious to those who have seen the hair-worm
in fresh water. Soles, so the French say, are bred from
prawns.

But, as I have said, the time for reading the true sig-
nificances of these local traditions has not yet come. Folk-
lore is still waiting for its interpreters.

( 93 )

APPENDIX.

A SEA-DREAM.

I HAD to go on business the other evening, after the regular hours, to
the Fisheries Exhibition. The public, duly informed by placards that
" the Exhibition will close to-day at seven o'clock," had already ebbed
out of the buildings, and, trickling away by a thousand rills, had dis-
appeared into its hidden springs in the suburbs. The buffets were
desolate and the sections a waste. Here and there a care-taker, with
a scarlet badge upon his forehead, flitted through the gathering gloom,
tapping and tinkering at the woodwork like some human woodpecker.
Here and there an " executive," like some black-beetle creature of the
twilight, hurried across the silent sections, his arms laden with papers.
Occasional lamps threw a spot here and there into sudden reliefs of
light and shade, but between them stretched long dim spaces of
twilight, an eerie sort of gloaming in which all the exhibits conspired
together to look mysterious. The stands of the boats had disap-
peared from view, and yawl and smack and canoe seemed veritably
afloat. A doorway opened somewhere, and the draught made the
fishing nets hanging overhead wave and wobble, and in the deep-sea
gloom that surrounded me I almost began to fear that perhaps some
mistake had occurred ; that I was really and truly at the bottom of
the sea ; when lo ! turning round a rock, I found myself suddenly face
to face with a gigantic specimen of the thresher shark. Turning to
retreat, I found a bottle-nosed whale barring the doorway, while some
fathom and a half above me a Japanese spider-crab, with all its legs
outstretched, was hideously floating down through the dim space upon
my hat.

I sped on, narrowly escaping collision with a great white whale that
lay glimmering under the shadow of the rock-wall and passing directly
under an enormous ribbon-fish — a slab-sided ghost of misery — that
happened to be crossing overhead. But in a few steps more I was
safe, and sitting down, regardless of spat, on an oyster-bed, I looked
back into the ocean cave from which I had just escaped. (Poets, I
observe, always do this, as it gives them an opportunity of describing

94 FISHES OF FANCY.

the same scene twice.) Sounds of 'water trickling here, plashings
there, bubbling up from springs, or sluicing down the salmon ways,
filled the air, and every now and again the ear could catch the sudden
splash of pike meeting pike, or flurry of reconnoitring lobsters un-
expectedly colliding. Far away in the distance were lights and what
seemed to be human figures moving to and fro — Naiads and Tritons,
no doubt, but strangely provided, for folk of that kind, with long-
handled brooms and poke bonnets ; yet as I sat there watching them
sweeping the sea floor and dusting the rocks, with the figures of the
ocean-monsters looming up between me and them, I became aware
that the great sea-things were talking together. The white whale had
the floor, and it spoke in a dull, plaster-of-Paris voice, while ever and
again the husky voices of narwhal and shark, sturgeon and sun-fish,
speaking as one who was stuffed with hay might speak, murmured a
subdued " House-of-Lords " applause.

I caught but little of what was said. So many trout were hatching
in the ponds close by that it was difficult to follow the speaker. But
the drift of the bulky one's utterances was unmistakable. It was
grumbling consumedly. Whoever had heard of such nonsense as
studying the manners and customs of whales and sharks on dry land ?
Why was not the Exhibition held off the Dogger Banks in thirty
fathoms of good sea-water ? There was the place to see things as they
really were. The right way to study the manners and customs of a
shark (and the white whale was quite sure the honourable exhibit
from Otaheite would agree with him) was for the public to get into
water out of their depth, for he had been informed that sharks always
turned over on their backs before disposing of swimmers, and the
public would thus have the opportunity of seeing both sides of the
shark. At present they could only see one side, as the late Frank
Buckland had cemented the other down to the blocks they lay on.
Or how could any one arrive at an intelligent appreciation of his friend
the sting-ray unless they met him at home? and what was the dis-
tinction between an electric eel and any other kind, if the former had
no opportunity of illustrating the difference ? "If the British public is
so interested in us and our ways, why don't they come down and see
us in our daily lives, let their children play with live lobsters in the
cracks of the rocks, tickle the torpedo fish, and play bo-peep with an
octopus? They would learn more in one afternoon intelligently
devoted to romping with a spider-crab than in a whole life spent out
of water." At least so the white whale thought — and all the other sea-
things agreed with him.

Some of his remarks struck me as being both ingenious and just.

APPENDIX. 95

" The human beings," said he, " who have organised this exhibition
live on dry land, on the uppermost crust of it. Even superficially
measured, the extent of their habitation is far smaller than our own,
while in depth there is not any possible comparison. And yet they
have arranged this Exhibition solely according to their own divisions
of the surface of the dry land, instead of according to the divisions of
the sea. There appears to me in this arrangement an assumption of
superiority that is hardly warranted under the circumstances. Sup-
posing madrepores were to hold an exhibition, and to apportion off
the world according to the different varieties of corals ! Should we
not laugh at them ? Now, it happens that human beings cannot live
under water. Indeed, it has come under my own experience that, if
they remain beneath the surface even for a very inconsiderable time,
they die from choking." (Some whitebait began snickering at this,
and were suppressed.) "And the result is," continued the speaker,
" that because they cannot live under water themselves, they look at
everything from a dry-land point of view. Our marine industries,
such as sinking vessels or ramming them, the destruction of nets
which gives occupation to such vast numbers amongst us, the con-
sumption of fish-hooks and angling-gear generally, and so forth, are
surveyed from a purely arbitrary terrestrial standpoint. Our marine
mysteries again — what can these land-folk know of them ? They are
actually discussing among themselves whether our life is, or is not,
' silent, monotonous, and joyless ! ' They are disputing, believe me,
as to whether there is such a thing as the sea-serpent or a cuttle-fish
big enough to seize and founder a yacht under full sail ! Now, if
these human beings are sincere in their desire for information, why
do they not let us organise a Grand Inter-elementary Fisheries
Exhibition, and, in a proper spirit of justice, consent to see things for
once from the sea-things' point of view? Think of the exhibits we
could produce relating to lives and ships lost at sea in what they call
an ' inexplicable ' way. Why, our Polar Expedition relics alone would
suffice to draw the whole world together to see. Who but ourselves
knows the true story of Arctic explorers that have disappeared ? Let
human beings, then, meet us fairly. Let them give over using the
word 'fishy' in the opprobrious sense they now use it. Let them
remember that the sea contains within it duplicates of nearly every-
thing the earth contains, and a great deal besides that the earth
cannot match ; that though they speak of sea as an interruption to
continents, we look upon continents as interruptions to sea — good sea
run to land ; and, remembering all this, let them recognise the true

96 FISHES OF FANCY.

majesty of the water-worlds, and arrange for holding the next Exhi-
bition— at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean."

When he had finished speaking, the whole aquarium began firing
off motions and amendments, and as the electric eels in their excite-
ment began to get luminous, there was sufficient light to see the Irish-
member kind of scene that ensued. Each fish had apparently moved
that the Exhibition be immediately adjourned to its own particular
habitat, and as the fresh-water creatures could not agree with the salt-
water ones, they all began behaving like French Deputies. But the
sea-things proved, on the vote which was ultimately taken, to be
greatly in the majority, and though the fresh-water fish kept on rising
to questions of privilege and points of order, and otherwise obstruct-
ing, the original motion, thanks to the assiduous hammering of the
hammer-headed shark, was eventually carried.

It was to the effect that the next Great Interoceanic Fisheries
Exhibition be held in the middle of the South Atlantic — with an
ironical amendment by the white whale that if the site did not
commend itself to the fresh-water fish, they might hold an Exhibition
of their own in any " land-puddle " they liked. An executive com-
mittee was at once appointed, the Gulf Stream fixed upon as the
central office, the Sea-Serpent invited to be present on the opening
day, and the prizes scheduled. Gold and silver medals were awarded
for the whales that sank the biggest schooner and drowned the most
Dundee whalers respectively ; the same for the sharks that swallowed
the biggest man (if dressed in tarpaulins at the time an extra honour-
able mention) ; and the same for the sword-fishes that rammed their
snouts deepest into ships. The list was a* very long one — for every
fish had a suggestion to make for its own benefit — and it closed with a
copper badge for the oyster that could choke an American.

All seemed happily settled, and the meeting was relapsing into
quiescence, when I became aware of a deputation of monsters in the
aisle on my left. It was the sea-animals, who had been patiently
waiting to see what arrangements would be made for them, and the
silence was now broken by the voice of an aged walrus hoarsely
inquiring whether he was a fish. A " movement," as the French say,
was at once apparent in the assembly, but no one replied. " For," said
the walrus, " it appears to me that, as I am fished for, I am a fish,
and entitled, therefore, to be treated as such." A chorus of approval
broke from the narwhals, seals, sea-lions, manatees, and dugongs, and
the argument finding no contradiction, it was agreed that some ice-
bergs and other conveniences should be provided for the animals.

APPENDIX. 97

Upon this another difficulty arose, for the polar bear, who had walked
over from the Terra Nuova annexe, gruffly put forward a claim on his
own behalf. " This Exhibition," said he, " is not only for fishes but
for fishers as well ; and though I should never think of asking any
one to call me a fish, I am entitled to be called a fisherman." The
outrageous bad taste of this aroused the indignation of the whole
assembly, and calls for Captain Gossett resounded through the dim
aisles. But the bear persisted that he had a right to take his place in
any Fisheries Exhibition that might be held, and that the rights of his
constituents deserved as much respect as those of any other com-
munity represented in the House. But the fish would not hear of it,
and after what is called "a disgraceful scene," the sea-lions were
deputed to chuck-out the polar bear — which they did.

I followed the party out of the building, and when I had seen the
polar bear — still grumbling immensely and threatening public demon-
strations when he got back to Greenland — balanced in his old place
on the top of his pyramid in the Terra Nuova annexe, and the sea-
lions on guard all round him, I turned back. But whether I missed
my road, or whether the fish had had the doors shut, I could not find
my way back into the convention. So I went home.

PHIL ROBINSON.

VOL. III. — H.

ANGLING CLUBS

AND

PRESERVATION SOCIETIES

OF

LONDON AND THE PROVINCES.

BY

J. P. WHEELDON,

LATE ANGLING EDITOR OF ' BELL'S LIFE.'

VOL. III.— H. H 2

CONTENTS.

PAGE
. 101

INTRODUCTION •

THAMES AND SEA, CONDITION OF .* I02

METROPOLITAN AND DISTRICT ANGLING CLUBS AND FISHERY

ASSOCIATIONS • • • *

PROVINCIAL CLUBS :

ENGLAND J32

SCOTLAND 139

SHORT ACCOUNTS OF PROMINENT ANGLING CLUBS . .143
LONDON ANGLING CLUBS l65

THE

ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION SOCIETIES
OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES,

INTRODUCTION.

IN writing this handbook it was my original Intention to
give something like a short history of the formation and
present position of some, at any rate, of the chief Angling
Societies of the metropolis. Considering that there are
certainly over 1 50 of these societies in London alone, I well
knew that I had set myself no light task. Mapping the
matter over in my own mind, I came to the conclusion that
the only course for me to adopt was to seek the co-opera-
tion of the societies themselves, asking through their various
secretaries for information as to their origin, and also what,
if any, good work they were doing in the present. With
this view a letter was sent to the secretaries of the various
metropolitan clubs, apprising them of my design and
intention. I have to thank a small proportion of these
gentlemen, and I regret to say a very small one, for the
courtesy of a reply. The larger number evidently con-
sidered the matter beneath their valuable notice, and so
ignored it altogether. The situation hardly requires further
comment.

102 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

With regard to the provincial societies, the line adopted
has been entirely different — not in so far as I personally
was concerned, because the same letter was addressed to
each and all, but in the matter of politeness and courteous
consideration towards myself. The result leaves me little
room for doubt that the gentlenesses of modern society are
cultivated far more abroad than they are at home. Many
gentlemen have taken considerable trouble in affording
me especially valuable information ; to all such I tender
my warmest and heartiest thanks — not so much perhaps
for the knowledge conveyed in their letters, as for the
kindly sentiments which accompanied it.

Thus much by way of introduction. For the reason
stated, I regret very much that my little book does not
contain fuller and more concise information. I leave it,
however, to the tender mercies of my readers.

It would probably be very difficult for the angler of
to-day to realise what the Thames and the Lea were like
some fifty years ago. Those are the two great home rivers,
centres of all the persevering efforts made day by day, week
by week, and month after month, by the London angler,
whose great aim it is to catch a big fish of some sort — it
matters very little what — and have his name go down
to posterity, decked with emblematic laurels as the
"champion" in such and such a class of fishing. Such
happy fate may be preserved for all time — until at any rate
the record is beaten — upon the tablets of fame connected
with some small local angling club.

But fifty years ago — and what a paradise for sports-
men the Thames must have been then ! — swans were kept

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 103

within bounds, and at that time it was not necessary to
employ bands of men, as it is in the present day, to drive
these handsome but terribly destructive birds from the
line of weed-fringed roots dependent from stubbly pollards
lining the bank, and upon which spawning perch have
deposited their riband-like strings of ova, nor from " the
hills " in the weir streams, where the great and bonny
mother trout has frequented during that time when she was
simply obeying Nature's urgent laws.

Steam launches, probably the greatest of all great curses
to him who, following the example of a writer of other
days, would fain —

"Live harmlessly, and by the brink
Of Thames or Avon have a dwelling place,

Where I may see my quill or cork down sink
With eager bite of perch or bleak or dace,

And on the world and my Creator think,

were then absolutely unknown. In any event, there were
none of those thrice detestable " puffers," with silent engines
and dull moaning whistle, which daily and hourly tear
through the water at the rate of 12 to 20 miles an hour,
doing direful and deadly injury every yard they go. It
may be said that this language is excessive in its strength,
and overstrained in its application. Not a whit, take my
word for it. I have seen more damage done to the ova of
spawning fish in one season, and particularly perch and
pike, by the everlasting swash and wash of these deadly
pests, more — aye, far more than an army of poachers and
fishermen could do in five years, had they even combined
their forces, without absolutely netting the river wholesale
every day, and harried every fish to death that came
within their ken.

At the first glance this woirtd seem to be an overwhelming

104 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

statement, hastily and rashly made. One moment's con-
sideration will suffice to impress any thoughtful man's mind
with an assurance of its truth. A pike wirer, it is true,
may kill a female fish, ripe and full of ova, and hence many
thousands of future pike are lost to the fair fisher. But
where he kills one or two fish without detection, the steam
launches are perpetually and everlastingly ploughing
through the water, not only washing away the ova de-
posited upon the weeds and sheltering roots, but destroying
thousands upon thousands of tiny just-hatched fry, which
would otherwise have probably grown up, and made in time
mature fish, the source and foundation of good sport to the
fair fishermen.

In those far-off days of the past there were such delight-
ful and fishful nooks as one misses nowadays. Com-
paratively speaking the Thames was a great stretch of
maiden water, where the unharried fish dwelt in a sense of
the most perfect security. Their chief enemy was then,
probably, the village poacher, with his rude, yet none the
less dangerous, ash pole and bit of dangling copper wire.
Lazy and idle — as indeed some few perhaps of the village
loungers of to-day may be — this worthy would stroll
down to the- river side, where mayhap, amongst bonny
sweet-smelling hay-fields lined with meadow-sweet, and
where glorious purple loosestrife bounds the river's marge,
he met not a solitary living soul the whole summer's day.
Here he would pry about, until he might haply descry,
basking amongst the water weeds, a big pike, with the tip
of his nose and tail clear of the water, or the dorsal fin of a
great lumbering carp. Then the fatal noose would be
brought into play, and towards night, when reeling home
from " The Haymakers," the gloriously happy fellow might
possibly reflect, and withal possessed of an infinite sense of

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 105

satisfaction, that he was a very lucky dog indeed to be
able to get such a skinful of good old ale with so little real
trouble.

But the injury done to the fisheries of a river in such a
case — and examples of it are now happily almost extinct —
is increased a millionfold every year by that wrought by
the terrible rate at which traffic up and down the stream
is permitted. I have seen, for instance, the wave raised
by a fast launch or heavy steam-tug rushing along the
bank nearly a yard high, sweep up some little inland bay
where the water perhaps shallowed from a foot or so
at its mouth to only a few inches in depth in its interior.
That little bay, and all such like it, is full to this day, I
hope, of tiny mites of baby fish. I have seen, as I have
said, the wave sweep across it, and as it receded it left
hundreds, possibly thousands, of little fish to die amongst
the pebbles and rank grass growing along the shore. Talk
about the destruction effected by a pair of otters, talk
about the war waged by the idle village lout upon the
finny inhabitants of a river — why, the argument falls flat
and becomes both baseless and ridiculous as opposed to
the terrible havoc wreaked by these puffing pests, deter-
mined enemies as they are to good sport, peace, and
quietude.

It may be in the recollection of some few of the readers
of this little book that I have for years waged war, with
both voice and pen, for the suppression of what I cannot
help seeing is the chief enemy to the fisheries of the
river. My work has borne at least some little fruit, inas-
much as a Bill for the better regulation of steam traffic upon
the river has gone through a select Committee of the Com-
mons, and is now before the House of Lords ; and all good
anglers will, I am convinced, say amen to my prayer for its

106 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

success. But suppose it passes and becomes law, as I
earnestly hope it may do, it will still be an abortive and
useless measure, unless the " Angling Clubs of London " —
and here I strike the key-note of my book — help it by their
united support and assistance. It is useless for Tom to
wait while Jack or Harry strikes, in the event of any
outrage upon propriety. Tom, being the spectator of an
abuse of the existing law, should strike at once, and then
perhaps others will follow his example, so that in the event
of any breach of law in the future, the result, affecting,
recollect, the angler's dearest and nearest interests in con-
nection with his sport, rests with the angler himself. As
there are twenty " clubmen " fishing the Thames to one
unassociated with any such body, this warning, and it is a
very grave one, is addressed particularly to them.

Practically, I think, or at any rate to any great extent,
poaching on the fisheries of the Thames is very nearly
extinct. Now and again there is a raid made, it is true, by
some of those determined spirits always to be found in
villages and large towns, and who would, every man-Jack
of them, infinitely prefer one poached hare or pheasant,
obtained at the price of a little adventure and devilry, to a
brace got by fair means ; but I hardly fancy that the extent
of the mischief done is very great. The reason lies in the
fact that a very large proportion of the river is now pro-
tected either by the keepers and officers of the Thames
Angling Preservation Society or by the officials of some
one or other of the local associations, all of whom are in
reality offshoots from the parent-tree just named. There
can jpe little doubt that the growth of the angling clubs of
London has been largely fostered by the efforts made by
the " Thames Angling Preservation Society " in the con-
servation and preservation of its fisheries. In tracing,

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 107

therefore, an imperfect history of the growth of the angling
clubs, due credit should be given to the leading Preservation
body, which exercises such an important control over the
interests of the great home river. It may therefore, at
this point, be a fair opportunity for a short description of
establishment and progress up to the present time.

The Thames Angling Preservation Society was, I believe,
first established in the year 1838. Somewhere about that
time, a report was certainly promulgated to the effect
that "the Fisheries of the River Thames had of late
afforded so little sport, owing to incessant poaching and
the destruction of the young brood and spawn during the
fence seasons, that it was almost useless to attempt angling
in certain districts at all." Fortunately, that report found
its way to a sympathetic quarter, and it occurred to those
into whose hands it fell that if a proper representation of
the facts were made to the Lord Mayor of London (then
Sir John Cowan) he might probably be induced, in his
official capacity as Conservator of the River Thames, to
help those early pioneers of fish preservation in the course
they were endeavouring to take for the good alike of anglers
and the river itself. Acting upon this view, a meeting was
convened on the i/th of March, 1838, and was afterwards
held at the " Bell Inn," Hampton. It was attended by the
following good anglers, most of whom, I am afraid, have
gone to that shadowy bourne, from which no angler,
however good he may have been, ever returns — Mr. Henry
Jephson, Mr. C. C. Clarke, Mr. Henry Perkins, Mr. W. H.
Whitebread, Mr. Edward Jesse, Mr. Richard Kerry, and Mr.
David Crole. These gentlemen having met, fully discussed
the important issues brought before them, and that meeting
was the groundwork upon which the present important work
of the Thames Angling Preservation Society was founded

io8 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

They therefore resolved themselves into a Society for " the
protection of fish from poachers ; " and one of the earliest
steps taken was the appointment of a staff of river-keepers,
selected principally from amongst the professional fishermen
who gained a livelihood upon the Thames. The valuable
action of this small preservative body was from the outset
fully recognised by the Lord Mayor, and warrants were
then granted to the river-keepers to act as water-bailiffs,
while certain bye-laws were framed for the better protec-
tion of the fisheries of the river. Under these by-laws
the position and power of the river-keepers is thus defined : —
They are empowered " to enter any boat, vessel, or craft of
any fisherman or dredgerman, or other person or persons
fishing or taking fish or endeavouring to take fish, and
there to search for, take and seize all spawn, fish, brood of
fish, and unsizable, unwholesome, or unseasonable fish, and
also all unlawful nets, engines, and instruments for taking
or destroying fish as shall then be in any such boat, vessel,
or craft in and upon the river, and to take and seize on
shore or shores adjoining to the said river all such spawn,
fish, and also all unlawful nets, engines, and instruments
for taking and destroying fish as shall there be found."

The extent of water taken under control was from
Richmond to the City Stone at Staines, and immediately
efforts were made to preserve the various deeps in the
course indicated, thus making them " harbours of refuge "
for the fish. The position of such preserves may be shortly
pointed out as follows.

Richmond. — The preserve is westward of the bridge to
the Duke of Buccleuch's, 700 yards. Twickenham.— The
preserve is the west end of lawn, Pope's Villa, to the ait,
400 yards. Kingston. — The preserve is from the Lower
Malthouse at Hampton Wick to the east end of Mr. J. C.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 109

Park's lawn at Teddington, including the back-water
known as the Crolock, 1060 yards. Thames Ditton and
Long Ditton. — The preserve is from Lord Henry Fitz-
gerald's, running eastwards, 512 yards. Hampton. — The
preserve is from the west end of Garrick's Lawn, including
the Tantling Bay, to the lower end pile below Moulsey
Lock, 1514 yards. Sunbury. — The preserve is from the
weir westward to the east end pile of breakwater, 683 yards.
Walton. — The preserve is at the east end of Tankerville
and west of Horse Bridge, called Walton Sale, 250 yards.
Shepperton. — The preserve is, Upper Deep, 200 yards ;
Old Deep, east of the creek rails, 240 yards ; Lower Deep,
east of the drain, 200 yards. Weybridge. — The preserve
is from the weir to Shepperton Lock, 830 yards. Chertsey.
— The preserve is the weir to 80 yards eastward of the
bridge, 445 yards. Laleham and Penton Hook. — The
preserve at Penton Hook is from the guard piles eastward
round the Hook to the east end of the lock. Staines. — The
preserve is the City boundary stone to 210 yards eastward
of the bridge.

From time to time these preserves have been rendered
more efficient by the sinking of old punts, brick burrs, and
by driving stakes into the river bed, as a protection against
netting operations. The last of such established preserves
was that at Kingston, which was made in the year 1857.
Upon application being made to the Lord Mayor, the move-
ment was opposed by some of the professional fishermen,
but such opposition was overruled, and the following is a list
of the obstacles sunk : — " Five old punts, two iron waggons,
7 feet 3 inches in length by 4 inches, and 2 feet 6 inches in
height, open at one end ; 450 stakes driven ; six 2-horse
loads of large brick burrs ; twenty egg chests with tenter
hooks ; fifty large flint stones ; ten tar-barrels, tenter-

no THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

hooked ; two large sugar casks, tenter-hooked ; two punt
loads of old iron gas lamps and other useful things ; and
three sacks of tin cuttings for the landing-places along the
shore."

In December 1857 the Board of Thames Conservancy
became invested with fuller powers in its' government, and
an application made by the Thames Angling Preservation
Society for a continuance of the powers vested in their
bailiffs or water-keepers was at once granted. The next
step taken for the further preservation of the fisheries of the
Thames was in 1869, when an application was made for the
whole abolition of netting between Richmond Bridge and
the City Stone at Staines. This was supported by the
entire body of Thames fishermen, and in consequence of
the Conservancy Board acceding to the application the
following notice was inserted in several of the London
papers : —

"Be it ordered and established that the i6th item of
the rules, orders, and ordinances for the fisheries in the
Thames and Medway, made on the 4th day of October,
1785, be repealed, and that henceforth no person shall
use any net for the purpose of catching fish in the River
Thames between Richmond Bridge and the ' City Stone '
at Staines, except a small net for the purpose of taking
bait only, of the following dimensions — namely, not ex-
ceeding 13 feet in circumference, and an angler's landing
net, under penalty to forfeit and pay £5 for every such
offence. The seal of the Conservators of the River
Thames was this 23rd day of January, 1860, affixed by
order."

But the most important work, after all, effected by
the Thames Angling Preservation Society was perhaps
the abolition of snatching and laying night lines. It is

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES, in

absolutely impossible to overestimate the destruction
effected amongst spawning fish, or to others flocking to
certain places where a sewage discharge induced them to
harbour, than was effected by the detestable and unsports-
manlike practice of snatching. The sewer at the Joot of
Richmond Bridge was a noted place where the so-called
angler was in the habit of exercising his unworthy craft.
The modus operandi was very much as follows : an angler
— heaven save the mark ! — perhaps pretended to be fishing
for dace, and attached to his tackle he had a dozen stout
hooks set at intervals on his line, some of them baited —
others with not even that shallow pretence — with a fragmen-
tary portion of worm. All day long these delightful gentry
kept dropping a heavily shotted line into the swim, and
instantly jerking it upwards again with a powerful stroke.
Thus many a great carp has been impaled, many a lusty
bream dragged nolens volens from his watery home. The
same kind of thing was done openly and in broad daylight,
along the parade at Kingston, and the operators pretended
they were fishing — legitimately fishing ! Now and again a
bold sportsman, rendered hardy and brave with impunity,
disdained to use the shallow artifice of the bit of worm at
all, and boldly lowered amongst the gathering shoals of
bream or dace a cruel implement of sport, consisting of a
bunch of bare triangles weighted with a sinker. It may
well be in the recollection of a great many disgusted
spectators, even as the memory is likely to abide with me
for all time, of the shameful and detestable scenes that
were wont to be enacted day after day at many of the
accessible weirs, when the dace were heading up. I have
seen them slaughtered in scores, and scores of hundreds ;
and this little game went on day after day, for weeks. It
was stopped at last, and high time too. The only wonder

1 1 2 THE ANGLING CL UBS AND PRESER VA TION

I have, thinking back upon such scenes, is this : How was it
that many a good angler, who must have shuddered with
indignation at the cruel, shameful waste of life, the pain
inflicted upon the hapless fish, escaped trial for man-
slaughter at the Old Bailey, consequent upon trying to
effect the death by drowning of one or other of the manly
and noble crew ? I know not.

As to the practice of laying night lines, its results were
all too palpably apparent to him who reads by the wayside
as he runs. Many and many a grand Thames trout, the
pride and crown jewel of some deep reach, has met his
d«2ath ignobly at the end of a night line, ostensibly laid
for the capture of eels. Then it was that the lucky captor
would knock his prize on the head, and straightway take
it up to the village house of a well-to-do and worthy
inhabitant, who had probably tried a round dozen of times
to effect his capture legitimately. Some such scene and
dialogue as this then followed : —

A trim and natty servant-maid appearing at the door,
honest old Bill Boozier, the hard and horny-handed, who
never told an untruth in his life, or pretended to bait a
barbel swim when he had not had a worm near his
premises for a month, rush basket in hand, thus addresses
her :—

" Mornin', Mary, my dear. Why, Lard a mussy, what
cheeks them is o' yourn, surelie. Redder 'n the best Ribson
pippen as I ever seen. Lard, ef I'd only bin a younger
man."

" Go along with you ; a married man and all. You
oughter bin ashamed o' yourself," is naturally red-cheeked
Mary's retort.

" Well, so 'tis, Mary. Mortal 'shamed of myself I is, and so
J don't deceive you. Muster Fubsy in? But, theer, I needn't

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 113

arst. Aint them his brekfus' things agoin* in ? Course
they is ; new laid heggs there is, which they're werry good
at times, and a leetle bit o' bacon frezzled crisp. Tray
bung, as the Frenchmen says, and now, Mary, my dear,
will you be so good as to give Muster Fubsy ole Bill
Boozler's compliments, and say he's sorry to say as that
theer trout has a-come to a huntimely hend at larst."

The natty one, having delivered her message, is nearly
upset by the anxious Fubsy, who rushes out, spec-
tacles on nose, the Times in one hand, and loosely
arrayed in his dressing-gown. He opens upon William at
once.

"William — William Boozier, you don't mean to say
that you've er — er — caught that trout, after all the number
of times I've been out with you, and the pounds and
pounds I've spent ? "

" Suttenly not," cries the worthy William, with an air of
mingled grief and astonishment. " No, sir, suttenly not. But
this blessid mornin' as ever was, I'se a goin' down to Bun-
kin's Ait in the little skiff, to see about the eel barskits, and
I hears a floppin' and prancin' about in my old punt — that
one what the Westa, confound her ! stoved in — and so I
sculls across softly, thinkin' it was rats. Soap me never,
marster, I was that knocked-a-cock as I could ha' drunk
arf-a-pint o' ole ale quick, just as I could at this heer minnit,
fur theer lay that theer loverlly trout, a nine-pounder ef he
weighs a hounce, wi' just a kick and no more left in him ;
and I takes him in my two hands tenderly as ef I was a
lefting a babby, and 'olds his 'ed up stream. But it worn't a
mossel 'o use, he was stone gone ; and I says to myself, I
does, ' Bill, this punt is yourn ' — which it is, cause why, my
own brother's sister's husband built her, best pine deal and
oak stretchers, which well it is beknown down at the bridge,

VOL. in. — H.

ii4 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

and at the ferry ; but, ' Bill/ says I, ' this trout ain't yourn,
and for why, cause Muster Fubsy bin a fishin' wi' you, Bill,
off and on, a matter of a score o' times, ole days and arf
uns ' — though I never was the man to arst for a ole day's
pay for a arf un— ' and that theer trout, Bill,' says I, ' is
Muster Fubsy's fish by rights ' ; and so I brings him
straight up to you, sir, and theer he lays — a beauty as
he is — wi' spots on him as big as a crown piece, werry
nigh."

" But, in the name of fate, William," cries Fubsy, carefully
putting his spectacles on the bridge of his nose, " how
did the trout get into your punt ? "

" Chucked hisself in, sir — chucked hisself in, which it is
well known they will do arter a bait, or else a leaping out
o' the water arter a butterfly or what not, and so the pore
creater hadn't the sense to chuck hisself back again, and
theer he is. Blessed if I ain't as dry as bones, a-talking so
much."

" William, you're a very worthy and honest fellow — a
very worthy fellow indeed, William. There's a sovereign
for you, and I'm much obliged to you, while Mary will
draw you a jug of ale. Good morning, William. Good
morning."

The end draws nigh. William at any time during that
day may be discovered at the bar of the " Angler's Rest,"
where for the hundredth time, at least, he tells the story of
"that theer trout a-chucking hisself high and dry into the
old punt." The trout goes to Cooper, and when it comes
home, at the expiration say, of six to twelve months, it
may perhaps bear an inscription to this effect : " Thames
Trout caught by A. J. Kubsy, spinning. Weight, nine
pounds."

In my own opinion the abolition of night-lining is the

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 115

sole and only reason for the immense increase in late years
of the stock of trout in the river.

The new by-laws as to snatching and night-lining were
approved by Her Majesty at the Court of Balmoral on the
28th of October, 1879. They are as follows :

"Snatching of fish. — It shall not be lawful for any
person to fish for, or to take, or attempt to take, any fish
by using a wire, or snare, or hooks (baited or unbaited), or
any other engine for the purpose of foul hooking, commonly
called * snatching or snaring.'

" Night lines. — It shall not be lawful for any person to lay
night hooks or night lines of any description whatever
between the * City Stone ' at Staines and Kew Bridge ; and
any person laying fixed lines of hooks by night or day
(commonly called night lines), or taking, or attempting to
take, eels or fish of any description by such means, shall be
deemed as committing a breach of this by-law."

The Thames Angling Preservation Society continues its
jurisdiction as far as Staines, and at that point the first of
the local associations for the preservation of the river
commences its work. This is the Windsor and Eton
Society, which is supposed to look after something like
about twelve miles of water extending from Staines Bridge
to Monkey Island. Throughout that stretch, some of the
finest water in the Thames is to be found, and if this
society were more thoroughly supported by the public, it is
probable that no similar length of water would be more
splendidly productive. It is the fashion, however, to rail at
the promoters and managers of any incorporated body
whose objects may not appear to be carried out well and
to the point. It escapes probably the notice of those who
gibe and speak harshly about the work done by the
Windsor and Eton, that it is simply impossible for the

I 2

ii6 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

Society to keep going unless the angling public provides
the sinews of war. This section of the public will know in
an instant whether they have done so or not.

It is at once an injustice and a wrong to brand a body of
men with shortcomings in their work, when the very work
itself is dependent upon the help which a local association
like the Windsor and Eton receives from the public who
fish its waters. I venture to think that few, if any, of the
hundreds of men who yearly go to Windsor and its
charming environs from London, sometimes taking good
bags of fish home with them, ever subscribe, or ever did
subscribe, one single penny to its funds.

The Maidenhead, Cookham, and Bray Angling Society,
whose headquarters are at Skindle's Hotel, and whose
excellent secretary is Mr. W. G. Day, takes up the work of
preservation at Monkey Island, continuing their operations
over an important section of the Thames. There is pro-
bably none other of the local associations which has done
such wonderfully good work. But then the reason is not
far to seek ; they are not only supported fairly by the local
gentry and inhabitants, many of whom are themselves keen
lovers of angling, but also by a considerable number of
London anglers, principally members of the leading clubs.
That just makes all the difference, and although I do not
pretend to say that the Windsor and Eton has not done all
in its power with the funds which it had at command, the
Maidenhead and Cookham sets such a brilliant example, by
stocking their waters with splendid Wycombe trout, and
that too in the most liberal manner, that their example
possibly commanded the support they have unquestionably
received to a certain extent from a small section of the
angling public.

I say a small section advisedly, because where a society,

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 117

like that under notice, proves that it is doing a valuable
and extensive work, it ought to be recognised, in no matter
how small a degree, by every angler who fishes its waters.

Now is this the case, or anything approaching to it ? I
say no — emphatically no. I have seen scores and hundreds
of men, during the many years which I have fished the
Thames, pursuing their sport on the Maidenhead waters,
and but very few of them ever contribute a single farthing.

If this state of things were confined solely to the coarse
fish of this or any other section of the river, it would not
possibly matter so much — but then it is not. Trout fishers
come and take fish — not confining themselves in some
instances very strictly to size — and those very trout
represent so much hard cash deducted from the Society's
income. Still the Society goes on its way quietly, and
year by year does good and worthy work. They are
assisted by an excellent body of keepers, under the
command of Harry Wilder, who is himself a rare good
fisherman, and year after year show an admirable return
for their labours.

In justice to Harry Wilder and Captain A Styan, one of
the early founders of this Association, it should be added
that they were really the first to start the Society. Wilder
informs me that he originated the idea of stocking this
part of the river with Wycombe trout, and that he and
Captain Styan raised a subscription for that purpose. Such
a subscription was raised, and in the year before the Associa-
tion was really started over 50 brace of fine Wycombe trout
were turned into the river opposite the Ray Mead Hotel.

It may now be interesting to trace the absolute history
of tLi Society itself.

The Maidenhead, Cookham and Bray Thames Angling
Association was started so recently as 1874. The objects

n8 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

in view were, generally speaking, to preserve and improve
the fishing from the Shrubbery to Monkey Island, that
is to say, the water between the Great Marlow and the
Windsor and Eton Districts.

Prior to their establishment poaching and illegal fishing
were rampant in this district ; and I am informed, by those
who speak from personal knowledge, that netting on the
meadows adjacent to the river during flood time was carried
on wholesale, and large quantities of all kinds of river
fish, the greater part undersized, were captured and sold.
Wiring fish in the ditches, where they had retreated for
spawning operations, was also a very common practice.

Ten years ago trout had become, comparatively speak-
ing, a very rare fish in these parts, and a young trout of
greater rarity still. Angling was almost at a standstill,
and anglers were seeking other waters which promised
greater success.

Several gentlemen belonging to London, and to the
locality of Maidenhead, feeling that a great deal could be
effected in the way of improvements at a comparatively
small cost, if a good system were pursued, took the matter
in hand. Support was solicited from the various classes of
the community interested in the results, and it ended in this
Association being formed.

Their first step, after forming a good working committee,
was to make arrangements with the several riparian owners
in the districts, by which the Society obtained the rights
to drag their ditches and prosecute poachers, and I am
pleased to say that they found little difficulty in obtaining
these powers.

The Society then took into its service several of the
fishermen of the district, and at their request the Thames
Conservancy granted deputations for each, by which they

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 119

were empowered to enter boats to search for fish unlawfully
taken, and seize any unlawful net, &c. The Society also
had an understanding with its water-bailiffs, that they were
to net the ditches adjacent to the river immediately after
floods, and that they were to be constantly on the watch
for any infringement of the Thames Conservancy By-laws.

During the nine years which have elapsed since their
establishment, a number of prosecutions have resulted from
the vigilance of their officers, and several convictions have
been obtained. The Society has also, after floods, dragged
the ditches in their district, from whence large quantities of
fish have been returned to the river. The water-bailiffs
have also tajcen a number of night-lines at different times,
and I feel, I may say without fear of contradiction, that the
Thames Conservancy By-laws are now far more respected
in this district than they ever were before.

With a view to improve the fishing, the Society turned in,
by way of experiment, a large quantity of golden bream,
which were kindly placed at their disposal by the Bedford
Angling Association, but the fish appear to have left this
locality altogether, probably because the water, except in
certain places, was entirely' unsuitable to their habits.

From time to time a large quantity of good sized Wycombe
trout have been turned in, running from half to five pounds
in weight. I should mention that this Society wisely recog-
nised from the first that it was worse than useless to turn
in fish below half a pound in weight ; and if one may judge
from the quantity of trout of that breed now taken, and the
numbers of young fish seen in the Maidenhead waters, the
Society has been successful in that branch of their under-
taking, or at any rate so far as the limited means at their
disposal would permit.

The difficulty experienced in purchasing trout of the

120 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

right sort and size induced the Society, some time since, to
obtain competent advice as to the practicability of breeding
and rearing them. With this view one of the vice-presidents,
Mr. W. H. Grenfell, of Taplow Court, who has always shown
a lively interest in the success of the Society's undertaking,
expressed his willingness to place at their disposal a likely
place for the purpose. In every respect but one it was
pronounced suitable, but it was soon found that the con-
stantly recurring floods would render attempts at breeding
useless, and hence the scheme was not prosecuted farther.

The Great Marlow Thames Angling Association does
capital work, and is thoroughly well officered. The
honorary secretary is Major Simpson Carson, who most
efficiently helps the Society in their efforts for the general
good of the river. Here again a large share of the Society's
income is laudably spent in the purchase of trout of
excellent size from the Wycombe waters, which are turned
into the Thames at an age, and when they have attained
such a size, as enables them to take care of themselves.

The Reading and District Angling Society comes next, and
in the hands of its worthy and efficient secretary, Mr. Arthur
Butler, of Zinzan Street, Reading, prospers exceedingly.
This Society has made the most strenuous efforts to re-stock
that portion of the river more immediately under their
own control, and I have little doubt that their efforts have
met with the success they deserved. It was only a few
years ago that the fisheries of the Reading district bore a
most unenviable reputation from the extent of netting going
on. To my certain knowledge now there is no section of
the river which is better looked after and where I think less
netting or poaching is prosecuted. Much of this happy state
of things is due to Mr. Butler, who is not only a hard
practical worker, but a man, moreover, who never walks

SOCIETIES OF LONDON' AND THE PROVINCES. 121

about the world with his eyes shut. Such a man is bound
to do good, and Mr. Butler does it without stint.

' This flourishing Thames Preservation Society — one of the
most useful and influential on the river — was formed in
December, 1877, at a meeting at the Queen's Hotel, Reading,
at which upwards of 100 gentlemen of position were present.
The intention at first was to protect and improve the fishing
in the fine stretch of water between Mapledurham and
Sonning — then so denuded of fish that even the poachers
let it alone. Henry John Simonds, Esq., J.P., was appointed
the first president ; Charles Stephens, Esq., J.P., treasurer ;
and Mr. Arthur Butler — the originator of the movement
—honorary secretary, dn office he still holds. Mr. Stephens
still acts as treasurer. It was soon found desirable to ex-
tend the operations of the association both up and down
stream, and its district now reaches from Goring Lock to
Shiplake Lock. The first president resigned in February
1881, and James Simonds, Esq., J.P., who still occupies the
position, was chosen in his stead.

The association has done a really great work for the
public, and all its operations have been attended with
success. Since its formation about 60,000 trout have been
turned in, a large proportion having been reared in a stream
belonging to the association ; and, as a result, trout fishing
has vastly improved. Six years ago the trout were very
" few and far between ; " this season at least 1 50, ranging
from two to nine pounds in weight, have been landed in
the immediate neighbourhood of Reading. Coarse fish
have by no means been neglected. Tens of thousands of
pike, perch, roach, dace, &c., have been recovered from the
ditches after floods, &c., and restored to the river; and
several reservoirs and lakes have from time to time been
netted, by the kind permission of the owners, and great

122 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

numbers of perch, carp, tench, rudd, &c., thus added to the
stock.

Coarse fish culture has this year been undertaken with
surprising success. Two large " Lund " hatching-boxes —
stocked with fine Kennet perch — have been filled with
spawn, all of which hatched out ; and since the perch fry
were liberated, a great quantity of carp spawn has been
hatched.

No less than eleven bailiffs are employed by the com-
mittee, and their work has been so effectual that illegal
practices have been, practically, entirely stamped out. It
is gratifying to be able to state that every prosecution
undertaken by the committee has resulted in a conviction.

Extensive private rights of fishing have lately been
acquired for the members (an annual extra charge of five
shillings being made). From these waters, fish may not be
taken under the following sizes : trout 2lbs., pike 3lbs., tench
2lbs., perch Jib., barbel 3lbs., carp 3lbs. — a sportsmanlike
standard, which the committee recommend for observance
also in the public fisheries.

The minimum subscription to the association is los. 6d. ;
but subscribers of £i is. and upwards have the privilege of
cheap railway tickets to 28 fishing stations. There are at
present 117 subscribers (elected by ballot) on the books.
Last year's income was £109 19^. 7*/., and the expenditure

The Henley and District Thames Angling Association
does no doubt excellent service, and certainly not before it
was wanted in that much be-poached district.

The honour of originating this Society belongs to the
late honorary secretary, Charles H. Cook, Esq., whose
bad health unfortunately compelled him to retire. They
preserve the Thames between Temple and Hurley Locks,

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 123

and have turned into the river considerable numbers of
trout. Hardly is this a very satisfactory district, I am
afraid, but certainly the improvement made in the fisheries
of the neighbourhood redounds very much to the credit of
the Association. The president of the Association is the
Right Hon. W. H. Smith, M.P., while the present secretary
is Mr. J. W. Knight.

The Wycombe Angling and Preservation Society is
another body of, shall I say, private conservators, from
whom the Thames itself derives a very large amount of
good. All the splendid trout which have been turned into
the river at Maidenhead, Marlow, and other places, come
from the water under the control of this association, and
the following short particulars embody nearly all that is
necessary to say about a Society whose reputation as trout
preservers is a very great one. It has been in existence
for nearly four years. It originally commenced with
about one hundred members, who paid a low annual fee,
but it was found necessary to gradually reduce their
number and raise the subscriptions. At present it consists
of 30 members who each pay an annual fee of from
three to five guineas. This number also includes six
artisan members at a nominal subscription. The club
preserves a mile and a half of the Wycombe stream,
and possesses a magnificent stock of trout. The president
is the Rt. Hon. Lord Carrington ; honorary secretary and
treasurer, J. Thurlow, Esq.

The last of the Preservation Societies of which I shall
have occasion to speak in connection with the Home
District is the Newbury and District Angling Association.
The following short history of its position at the present
time is full of interest to anglers frequenting the lovely
Kennet Valley, over which this Association has jurisdiction.

124 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

This very young association was started on the i8th of
June, 1878, with the object of protecting the rivers in and
about Newbury — putting a stop to poaching which had
been going on for years, and also the practice of taking
fish out of season, which was very rife.

After considerable trouble on the part of its chairman
and committee it succeeded in obtaining leave to exercise
its protective right over the whole of the waters under the
control of the Mayor and Corporation of Newbury, also more
than seven miles of the Kennet and Avon Canal ; and it also
rents on a long lease about one mile of the river Lambourne,
abounding with trout, and on which stream only the fly is
allowed.

The streams over which this association exercises con-
trol are the Kennet and many of its back streams, the
Lambourne, and the Kennet and Avon Canal.

The fish found in these streams are all very fine, and
comprise trout, pike, perch, chub, barbel, roach, dace, carp,
tench, eels, gudgeon and — last, but by no means least — very
famous crayfish. Indeed, not many miles up the stream
there is an old saying concerning them, running as follows —

" Hungerford crayfish,

Catch me if ye can ;
There's no such crawlers,
In the o-ce-an."

In a short sketch like this it is impossible to do more
than glance at one or two of the notable fish for which this
neighbourhood is celebrated.

Its trout are beaten nowhere, having been taken up to
20 Ibs. While Pope pleasantly says of its eels —

" The Kennet swift,
For silver eels renowned."

And travellers of a nearly bygone age in the old

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 125

coaching days could tell of the great gastronomic attractions
of the Kennet eel,

" At the house below the hill."

There it was that, in the days when the " Pelican " did
flourish, seventy coaches in the day and night passed
through the good old town.

But I must pass to the present time and the working
of the Association. Well, from small beginnings it has
grown so much that at the meeting previous to the next
angling season this question will have to come to the fore
— either the Committee must raise the price of the tickets
or place a restriction upon the number of the members.

It may be as well to add that no profit whatever is
made out of the Association, as it is only in existence to
preserve the water and improve sport, and all its Committee
of Management wish to see is enough to pay the outgoing
expenses. They are of necessity large, when consideration
is given to keeping up a stock of fish, by turning in hun-
dreds at the proper season, the pay of the keepers all the
year, and the constant supervision that is required.

Many fine specimens of Kennet fish may be seen in the
Western Quadrant of the Fisheries Exhibition now open
at South Kensington.

It only remains to add that all particulars may be
obtained of the worthy chairman of the Association, Mr.
John Packer, 87 Northbrook Street, Newbury, who will
forward rules and all needed information upon application,
and from whom alone tickets can be had.

There is yet another Society doing good work upon the
Thames, called the Oxford Angling Association, but I
regret that I received no particulars as to its constitution
until too late for insertion in this book.

Finding it to be a matter of exceeding difficulty to

126 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

obtain reliable information as to the origin and growth
of the various preservation societies scattered about the
country, I was compelled to fall back, either upon the
horns of a dilemma, or upon the charity of my very good
friend, Mr. R. B. Marston, the editor of the Fishery Gazette
who has very kindly placed at my disposal " The British
Fisheries Directory," a valuable little book of reference,
dedicated to Mr. Birkbeck, the Chairman of the Executive
Committee of the International Exhibition. From that
little volume I extract much of the following information
with regard to the London and Provincial Preservation and
Angling Societies of this country.

METROPOLITAN AND DISTRICT ANGLING CLUBS AND
FISHERY ASSOCIATIONS.

The Fisheries Preservation Association, 22 Lower Seymour Street,
Portman Square, London.

The National Fish Culture Association of Great Britain and
Ireland, Royal Courts Chambers, 2 Chancery Lane.

Thames Angling Preservation Association. Thomas Spreckley,
president; W. H. Brougham, secretary. Office, 7 Ironmonger
Lane, E. C.

Thames Rights Defence Association, Francis Francis, chairman;
J. M. R. Francis, Hon. sec. Office, 1 1 Old Jewry Chambers, E.C.

United London Angling Associations Fisheries Society, Star and
Garter, St. Martin's Lane, Charing Cross, W.C.

West Central Association of London and Provincial Angling
Societies, P. Geen, president; T. Hoole, hon. sec. Club-House — The
Portman Arms, Great Quebec Street.

LONDON CLUBS.

Albert .... The Crown Coffee House, Coronet Street,

Old Street.

Alliance . . . ClerkenweU Tavern, Farringdon Rd., E.C.

Alexandra . . Crown and Anchor, Cheshire St., Bethnal

Green.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 127

Amicable Brothers .
Amicable Waltonians

Angler's Pride
Acton Piscatorial Society
Albert Edward
Anchor and Hope .

Act on the Square .
Admiral Brothers .
Acorn . • •
Acme ....

Bostonian • .

Battersea Friendly .
Bloomsbury Brothers
Bermondsey Brothers

Brothers Well Met .
Beresford . . .
Burdett ....
Bridgewater Brothers

Brunswick . • •

Brentford . . .
Buckland ...
Barbican . . •
Battersea Piscatorials
Cadogan ...

City of London . •
Cavendish . . .
Clerkenwell Amateurs
Convivial • .

Carlisle , • •

Clapham Junction . .

Bald Faced Stag, Worship St., Finsbury.

Horse and Groom, St. John's Street,
Clerkenwell.

Five Bells, Bermondsey Square, S.E.

George and Dragon, High St., Acton, W.

Tile Kiln, Tullerie Street, Hackney Road.

William the Fourth, Canal Bridge, Old
Kent Road.

The Ferry Boat, Tottenham.

Admiral Hotel, Francis Street, Woolwich.

Duke of York, Gloucester St., Clerkenwell.

Weaver's Arms, Drysdale Street, Kings-
land Road.

Dalby Tavern, Prince of Wales Road,
Kentish Town.

Queen's Hotel, Queen's Road, Battersea.

Rose and Crown, Broad St., Bloomsbury.

Alscot Arms, Alscot Road, Grange Road,
Bermondsey.

Berkeley Castle, Rahere St., Goswell Rd.

Grove House Tavern, Camberwell Grove.

Joiners' Arms. 118 Hackney Road.

Three Tuns, Bridgewater Gardens, Bar-
bican.

Brunswick Arms, Stamford St., Black-
friars.

Angel Inn, Brentford End, Brentford.

Middlesex Arms, Clerkenwell Green.

White Bear, St. John Street, Clerkenwell.

Queen's Head, York Road, Battersea.

Prince of Wales, Exeter Street, Sloane
Street, S.W,

Codger's Hall, Bride Lane, Fleet Street.

Duke of York, Wenlock Street, Hoxton.

George and Dragon, St. John Street Road.

Bull and Bell, Ropemakers' Street, Moor-
fields, E.C.

Hall of Science Club and Institute, Old
Street, E.C.

Lord Ranelagh, Verona Street, Clapham
Junction.

128 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

Canonbury . .
Cambridge Friendly .
Cobden . . . .

Clerkenwell Piscatorials .
Crescent .

Critchfield

Crown ....

Crown Piscatorials .
Dalston ....
De Beauvoir .
Duke of Cornwall .

Duke of Norfolk .

Ealing Dean .

Excelsior

Excelsior

Eustonian

Edmonton and Tottenham

Friendly Anglers

Foxley ....

Golden Tench.

Golden Barbel

Good Intent .

Grafton ....

Grange .

Great Northern Brothers

Globe . • .

Gresham . .

Hammersmith Club
Hammersmith United

Hearts of Oak . •

Monmouth Arms, Haberdasher Street,

Hoxton.
Rent Day, Cambridge Street, Hyde Park

Square.

Cobden Club, Landseer Terrace, West-
bourne Park.

Horse Shoe, Clerkenwell Close.
Giraffe Tavern, Newington Crescent,

Kennington Park Road.
Myddleton Arms, Queen's Rd., Dalston.
Crown and Sceptre, Friendly St., Dept-

ford.

Crown Tavern, Clerkenwell Green.
Hope, Holies Street, Dalston.
Lord Raglan, Southgate Road, Islington.
Duke of Cornwall, Lissmore Circus,

Haverstock Hill.

Ledbury Arms, Ledbury Road, Bayswater.
Green Man, Ealing Dean, W.
The Hope, Bird Street, Kennington.
Palmerston, Well Street, Hackney.
King's Head, Swinton St., Gray's Inn Rd.
Three Horse Shoes, Silver St., Edmonton.
Albion Tavern, Albion St., Hyde Park.
Foxley Arms, Elliot Road, Brixton.
Somers Arms, Ossulton St., Euston Rd.
York Minster, Foley Street, Portland Rd.
Crown Inn, Church Street, Shoreditch.
King's Arms, Strutton Ground, Wesmins-

ter.
Grange Club and Institute, Bermondsey,

S.E.
Robin Hood, Southampton Street, Penton-

ville.
Bank of Friendship, Blackstock Road,

Highbury Vale.

Mason's Hall Tavern, Basinghall St., E.G.
Grove House, Hammersmith Broadway.
Builders' Arms, Bridge Road, Hammer-
smith.
Dolphin, Church Street, Shoreditch.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 129

Highbury . .

Hoxton Brothers . ,
Hampstead . .

Isledon Piscatorials
Izaak Walton . •

Jovial . . • .
Junior Piscatorial . ,

Jolly Piscatorials
Kentish Perseverance
Kenningtonian
Knights of Knightsbridge

King's Cross United
Kingfishers . • «

Kentish Brothers .

L. & S. W. Railway

Larkhall

Limehouse Brothers ,

Little Independent . «

Metropolitan . • «
Marylebone . • .

Nautilus . • «

Norfolk . • • «

«
North London • ,

North Eastern • *
North Western • ,

New Globe . • «
Never Frets • •

VOL. III.— II.

Plimsoll Arms, St. Thomas's Road, Fins-
bury Park.

Cherry Tree, Kingsland Road, Shoreditch.

Cock and Crown, High Street, Hamp-
stead.

Crown and Anchor, Cross St., Islington.

Old King John's Head, Mansfield Street,
Kingsland Road.

Jolly Anglers, Whitecross Row, Richmond,
Surrey.

Duke of Cornwall, South Island Place,
Clapham Road.

Sugar Loaf, Great Queen Street, W.C.

Corner Pin, Cold Bath, Greenwich.

The Clayton Arms, Kennington Oval.

Grove Tavern, Grove Place, Brompton
Road, S.W.

Prince Albert, Wharfdale Road, King's
Cross.

Oliver Arms, Westbourne Terrace, Har-
row Road.

George and Dragon, Blackheath Hill.

Brunswick House, Nine Elms.

The Larkhall, Larkhall Lane, Clapham.

Dunlop Lodge, 70 Samuel St., Limehouse.

Russell Arms, Bedford Street, Ampthill
Square.

The Rose, Old Bailey.

Prince Albert, Sherbourne Street, Bland-
ford Square, W.

British Lion, Central Street, St. Luke's.

Norfolk Arms, Burwood Place, Edgware
Road.

Prince Albert, Hollingsworth St., Hollo-
way.

Shepherd and Flock, Little Bell Alley,
Moorfields.

Lord Southampton, Southampton Road,
Haverstock Hill.

Albion, Bridge Road, Stratford.

Crown and Shuttle, High St., Shoreditch.

K

130 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

Nelson .

Odds and Evens
Original Clerkenwell
Original Alexandra .

Peckham Perseverance
Pictorial .
Penge .
Phoenix .

Prince of Wales

Portsmouth Waltonian
Peckham Brothers .

Princess of Wales .
Perseverance .

Pike and Anchor .
Queen's . •

Reform . • .
Royal George .

Richmond Piscatorial
Royal Piscatorial
Rodney .
Second Surrey
South Essex .
Sportsman .
Suffolk .
South Essex .
St. John's

Savoy Brothers
Silver Trout . .

St. Alban's . .

Nelson Working Men's Club, 90 Dean St.,
Soho.

Albion, East Road, Hoxton, N.

White Hart, Aylesbury St., Clerkenwell.

Duke of Wellington, Three Colt Lane,
Bethnal Green.

Eagle, 118 Trafalgar Road, Camberwell

King's Arms, Tottenham Court Road.

Lord Palmerston, Maple Road, Penge.

Tavistock Arms, Wellington St., Oakley
Square.

Victory, Newnham Street, John Street,
Edgware Road.

Golden Fleece, High Street, Landport.

Prince Albert, East Surrey Grove, Peck-
ham.

Prince of Wales, Gt. Barlow St., Man-
chester Square, W.

The Perseverance, Pritchard's Row,
Hackney Road.

Pike and Anchor, Ponder's End.

Queen's Arms, Bomore Road, Netting
Hill, W.

Jolly Coopers, Clerkenwell Close.

Hope Tavern, Tottenham St., Tottenham
Court Road.

Station Hotel, Richmond.

Foxley Tavern, Elliott Road, Brixton.

Albion, Rodney Road, Walworth, S.E.

Queen's Head, Brandon St., Walworth.

The Elms, Leytonstone, E.

Lady Owen Arms, Goswell Road.

Suffolk Arms, Boston St., Hackney Rd.

Victoria Dock Tavern, Canning Town, E.

Three Compasses, Cow Cross Street,
Farringdon Street.

Green Man, St. Martin's Lane.

Star and Garter Hotel, St. Martin's Lane,
W.C.

Royal George, Great New St., Kenning-
ton Park Road.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 131

Sir Hugh Myddleton

South London.
St. Pancras Club
Stanley Anglers . ^ •

Star ....
Stepney . .

South Belgravia
Surrey Piscatorial .

South Eastern.

Sussex ....

Sociable Brothers .

Social Brothers

St. James's and Soho

Stoke Newington

St. John's Wood .

Society of Caxtonians
The Piscatorial

Trafalgar . .

True Waltonians .
Three Pigeons . .

United Brothers •
United Essex . .

United Society of Anglers
United Marlboro' Brothers
Woolwich Piscatorials
West Ham Brothers
Woolwich Invicta . .
Waltonians . .
Walton and Cotton . .

Walworth Waltonians

Empress of Russia, St. John Street Road,

Clerkenwell.

George and Dragon, 235 Camberwell Rd.
2 Crescent Place, Burton Crescent.
The Lord Stanley, Camden Park Road,

Camden Town.

King's Arms, Charles Street, City Road.
Beehive, Rhodeswell Road, Stepney.
Telegraph, Regency Street, S.W.
St. Paul's Tavern, Westmoreland Road,

S.E.

Prince Arthur, Stamford Street, S.E.
Sussex Arms, Grove Road, Holloway.
Princess, 237 Cambridge Rd., Mile-End.
Prince Regent, Dulwich Rd., Herne Hill.
39 Gerrard Street, Soho, W.
Myddleton Arms, Mansfield St., Kings-
land Road.
Queen's Arms, Lower William Street, St.

John's Wood.

Falcon Tavern, Gough Square, E.C.
Ashley's Hotel, Henrietta Street, Covent

Garden.
Star and Garter, Green Street, Leicester

Square.

White Horse, 80 Liverpool Rd., Islington.
Three Pigeons, Lower Richmond Road,

S.W.
Druid's Head Tavern, Broadway, Dept-

ford.
Dorset Arms, Leyton Rd., Stratford New

Town.

Duke of Wellington, Shoreditch.
Hercules' Pillars, 7 Greek Street, Soho.
Cricketer's Arms, Sand Street, Woolwich.
Queen's Head, West Ham Lane, E.
Golden Marine, Francis St., Woolwich.
Jew's Harp, Redhill St., Regent's Park.
Crown and Woolpack, St. John's Street,

Clerkenwell.
St. Paul's, Westmoreland Rd., Walworth.

K 2

132 1HE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

West Central . . . Cross Keys, Theobald's Road, High

Holborn.

Woolwich Brothers . . Prince Regent, King Street, Woolwich.
Westbourne Park . . Pelican, All Saints' Road, Westbourne

Park, W.
Walthamstow . . • Common 'Gate, Markhouse Road, Wal-

thamstow.

West London . • • Windsor Castle, King St., Hammersmith.
Watford • • • Leathersellers' Arms, Watford, Herts.

Wellington • • . Prince Regent, Beresford St., Walworth.

ENGLAND.

BEDFORDSHIRE.

Bedford Angling Society, Bedford.

Blunham Angling Association— C. Forge, u and 12 Addle Street,
Wood Street, secretary.

BERKSHIRE.

Maidenhead, Cookham, and Bray Thames Angling Association—-
W. G. Day, secretary. Club-House— Skindlfs Hotel.

Newbury and District Angling Association — J. Smith, 62 North-
brook Street, Newbury, secretary.

Reading and District Angling Association— Arthur C. Butler, hon.
sec. Club-House — Great Western Hotel, Reading.

Windsor and Eton Angling Club. Club-House — Royal Oak Hotel,
Windsor.

Windsor and Eton Angling Preservation Association — Rev. E.
James, Eton, secretary.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.

Great Marlow Thames Angling Association — Major Simpson Car-
son, Great Marlow, hon. secretary.

High Wycombe Angling Association, High Wycombe.

Marlow Angling Association — A. Maskell, Great Marlow, secretary.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE.

Cambridge and Ely Angling Society— W. Purchas, secretary. Club-
House — Lion Hotel, Cambridge.

CHESHIRE.

No. i Crewe Angling Society— John Dickens, secretary. Club-
House — Dog and Partridge Inn, High Street, Crewe.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 133

CUMBERLAND.
Carlisle Angling Association — J. B. Slater, Carlisle, secretary.

DERBYSHIRE.

Aquarium Angling Society — T. Winfield, secretary. Club-House —
The Three Crowns, Bridge Street, Derby.

Burton-on-Trent Angling Association — Sir M. A. Bass, Bart., M.P.,
president; John C. Perfect, hon. sec. Club-House — Midland Hotel,
Burton-on-Trent.

Castle Fields Angling Club, Messrs. Beden's Factory, London St.,
Derby — M. Bland, secretary.

Ctatsworth Angling Club, Chatsworth.

Chesterfield Angling Association— G. R. Hornstock, 26 Durrant
Road, Chesterfield, secretary.

Excelsior Angling Club — J. Hibbert, secretary. Club-House—
Lamb Inn, Park Street, Derby.

Mazeppa Angling Club, Traffic Street, Derby — F. Bond, secretary.

Melancthon's Head Angling Club, Park Street, Derby — W. Peet,
secretary.

Pride of Derby Angling Club— W. Tunnicliff, secretary. Club-
House, Old English Gentleman, Normanton Road, Derby.

Red Lion Angling Association, Bridge Street, Derby — Joseph Selvey,
secretary.

DEVONSHIRE.

Avon and Erme Fishery Association, Plymouth.

Culm Fishery Association — C. J. Upcott, Shortlands, Cullompton,
secretary.

Exe Landowners' Salmon Fishing Association— Mr. Whippell,
Rudway, Silverton, secretary.

Exe Occupiers' Trouting Association — W. C. James, Thorverton,
secretary.

Lower Exe United Fishing Association, Exeter.

Tiverton Angling Association, Tiverton.

Upper Culm Fishery Association, Exeter.

Upper Exe Angling Society, Exeter.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE.

Avon and Tributaries Angling Association — E. B. Villiers, 26 Bath
Street, Bristol, hon. secretary.

Bristol Golden Carp Angling Association — Lewis Wride, Digby
House, Barton Hill, Bristol, secretary.

134 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

Bristol United Anglers' Association — R. D. Frost, 48 Victoria St.,
Bristol, secretary.

Cheltenham Angling Society — W. H. Davis, 7 Priory Terrace,
Cheltenham, secretary.

City of Bristol Angling Association — H. Lewis, Morton House,
Barton Hill, Bristol, secretary.

HAMPSHIRE.

Portsmouth Waltonian Society— F. Tranter, secretary. Club-House
— Golden Fleece, Commercial Road, Portsea.
Stockbridge Angling Club, Stockbridge.

Titchfield Angling Club — E. Goble, solicitor, Titchfield, secretary.

•

HEREFORDSHIRE.

Bodenham Angling Club, Bodenham.

Leominster Angling Club — V. W. Holmes, National Provincial Bank,
Leominster, secretary.

HERTFORDSHIRE.

Harefield Valley Fishery, Rickmansworth.

Watfield Piscatorial Society — H. A. Vincent, htm. sec. Club-
House — The Leathersellers1 Arms, Watford.

KENT.

Maidstone Angling and Medway Preservation Society— David Pine,
Maidstone, hon. secretary.

Stour Fishery Association — Club House — Fordwich Arms.

Tonbridge Angling Association — Edwin Hollomby, secretary. Club-
House— Bull Hotel, High Street, Tonbridge.

LANCASHIRE.

City of Liverpool Angling Association, 19 West Derby Road,
Liverpool

Liverpool Angling Association — Richard Woolfall, hon. sec. Club-
House — Strawberry Hotel, West Derby Road, Liverpool.

Liverpool Central Angling Association, 181 Dale Street.

Manchester Anglers' Association — Abel Heywood, jun., hon. sec.

Manchester and District Anglers' Association — J. Yiocter, president ;
Edwin Hicks, 6 Belmont Street, Eggington Street, Rochdale Road,
secretary. The Association comprises sixty-six different Clubs.

Stalybridge Angling Society — J. B. Udale, secretary. Club-House
—The Q. Inn, Stalybridge.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 135

Stamford and Warrington Angling Club. Club House — Guide Post
Tavern, Staly bridge.

Wigari and District Amalgamated Anglers' Association — Levi Booth,
president; John Stones, secretary. This Association consists of twenty-
six different Clubs.

LEICESTERSHIRE.

Leicester Jolly Anglers' Club. Club-House — The Earl of Leicester,
Inn, Infirmary Square, Leicester.

North Britons' Angling Association. Club-house — The York Castle,
Northgate Street, Leicester.

LINCOLNSHIRE.

Boston Angling Association — Mr. Day, Boston, secretary.

Great Grimsby Angling Association. Club-House — Masons' Arms
Hotel, Great Grimsby.

Market Deeping Angling Association — S. B. Sharpe, Market
Deeping, hon. secretary.

MONMOUTHSHIRE.

Abergavenny Fishing Association — C. J. Daniel, Cross St.,
Abergavenny, treasurer.

Usk Fishery Association — Charles R. Lyne, Tredegar Place,
Newport, secretary.

NORFOLK.

Bure Preservation Society — C. J. Greene, London St., Norwich,
secretary.

East Anglian Piscatorial Society — R. Palmer, Great Eastern Wine
Vaults, Norwich, secretary.

Great Yarmouth Piscatorial Society — James Lark, St. George's
Tavern, 162 King St., Great Yarmouth, secretary.

King's Lynn Angling Association — Frederick Ludby, president;
H. Bradfield, hon. secretary.

Norwich Angling Club — R. Moll, hon. sec. Club-House — Walnut
Tree Shades, Old Post-Office Yard, Norwich.

Norwich Central Fishing Club. Club-House — Old Oak Shades
Lower Goat Lane, Norwich.

Norwich Champion Angling Club — G. Daniels, president.

Norwich Piscatorial Society — Mr. Capon, secretary. Club-House —
Walnut Tree Shades, Old Post-Office Yard, Norwich.

Wensum Preservation Association — E. H. Horsley, Fakenham,
hon. secretary.

136 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

Yare Preservation and Anglers' Society— C. J. Greene, London St,
Norwich, secretary.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE.

Northampton Working Men's Angling Club. Club-House—Bridge
Street, Northampton.

Wellingborough and Higham Ferrers Angling Club— E. Brummitt,
WeHingborough, secretary.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE.

Lenton Anglers' Association— George Tilley, hon. sec. Club-House
— Black's Head Inn, Lenton, Nottingham.

Newark Piscatorial Society. Club-House — Horse and Gears Inn,
Portland St., Newark.

Nottingham and Notts Anglers' Preservation Association — Mr.
Clarke, secretary. Club-House — The Minstrel Tavern, Market St.,
Nottingham.

Wellington Angling Association — Club-house — Wellington Hotel,
Station St., Nottingham.

OXFORDSHIRE.

Henley and District Thames Angling Association — Mr. Cooke,
Henley, secretary.

Oxford Angling Society. Club-house— The Pheasant Inn, St. Giles,
Oxford.

Oxford Thames Angling Preservation Society — W. T. Mayo, 13
Cornmarket Street, Oxford, hon. secretary.

RUTLANDSHIRE.
Oakham Angling Society, Oakham.

SHROPSHIRE.

Plowden Fishing Association (River Onny)— A. B. George,
Dodington, Whitchurch, hon. treasurer.

Shrewsbury Severn Angling Society — F. H. Morgan, hon. sec,
Club-House— 57 Mardol, Shrewsbury.

SOMERSETSHIRE.
Kingswood and District Angling Association, Kingswood.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 137

STAFFORDSHIRE.

Cobridge Angling Society. Club-House— Wedgewood Hotel,
Waterloo Rd., Burslem.

Isaac Walton Angling Club — William Gregory, secretary. Club-
House — Coach and Horses, Stafford St., Longton.

Isaac Walton Angling Club — Frederick Higginson, secretary. Club-
House — Dresden Inn, near Longton.

Longton Excelsior Angling Club — Thomas Morris, secretary.
Club-House — Crown and Anchor, Longton.

Stoke-upon-Trent Angling Society — J. Hollins, hon. sec. Club-
House — Pike Hotel, Copeland Street.

SUFFOLK.

Dipping Angling Preservation Association — George Josselyn,
president ; W. C. S. Edgecombe, National Provincial Bank, Ipswich,
hon. secretary.

Norfolk and Suffolk Fish Acclimatisation Society — Edward Birk-
beck, W..¥ ., president ; W. Oldham Chambers, Lowestoft, hon. sec.

SURREY.

Godalming Angling Society — F. Dowse, High Street, hon. sec.
Club-House — Sun Inn, Godalming.

Richmond Piscatorial Society — F. Gaunt, secretary. Club-House —
Station Hotel, Richmond.

SUSSEX.

Brighton Anglers' Association, Brighton.

Chichester Angling Society — W. Cooke, secretary. Club-House —
Globe Hotel, Chichester.

Ouse Angling Preservation Society — Hector Essex, Hillside, Lewes,
hon. secretary.

Rother Fishery Association — D. N. Olney, Blenheim House,
Robertsbridge, secretary.

WARWICKSHIRE.

Birmingham and Midland Piscatorial Association— James Gregory,
39, Vyse St., hon. secretary.

WESTMORELAND.

Kent Angling Association — G. Fisher, Kendal, hon< secretary.
Milnthorpe Angling Society — W. Tattersall, Milnthorpe, secretary.

138 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

WILTSHIRE.

Bradford-on-Avon Angling Association.

Sarum Angling Club— -H. Selby Davison, 40 King St., London, E.G.,
secretary.

WORCESTERSHIRE.

Evesham Angling Club, Evesham.

Isaac Walton Angling Society — Club-House, Plough Inn, Silver St.,
Worcester.
Teme Angling Club — W. N orris, Worcester, secretary.

YORKSHIRE.

Aire Fishing Club — T. H. Dewhurst, Whin Field, Skipton, secretary.

Burnsall, Appletrewick, and Barden Angling Club — T. J. Critchley,
Brook St., Ilkley, secretary.

Costa Anglers' Club— J. H. Phillips, 22 Albemarle Crescent, Scar-
borough, secretary.

Derwent Anglers' Club. Address — Mr. Patrick, gunmaker, Scar-
borough.

Hawes and High Abbotside Angling Association — B. Thompson-
Hawes, secretary.

Knaresborough Star Angling Club. Club-House — C. M 'Nichols,
Knaresborough.

Marquis of Granby Angling Society — T. H. Settle, hon. sec. Club-
House — The Marquis of Granby i Leeds.

Middleham Angling Association — J. E. Miller, Middleham, secretary.

Otley Angling Club — Mr. Pratt, Otley, secretary.

Rockingham Angling Society — E. F. Atkinson, president. Club-
House — The Fox:, Leeds.

Ryedale Angling Club, Hovingham.

Sheffield Anglers' Association— Charles Styring, president \ Messrs.
Baker, Gill, Greaves, Guest, Jenkinson, Leonard, Sheldon, Stuart,
Swinden, Thompson, Unwin, and White, committee; Thomas Walker,
24 Blue Boy St., Sheffield, secretary. This Association comprises 232
Clubs in Sheffield and district.

Wilkinson Angling Association, Hull.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 139

ANGLING CLUBS AND FISHING ASSOCIA-
TIONS IN SCOTLAND.

ABERDEENSHIRE.

Dee Salmon Fishing Improvement Association — William Milne,
C.A., 147 Union St., secretary.

BERWICKSHIRE.

Berwick Anglers' Club — Robert Weddell, solicitor, Berwick,
secretary.

Coldstream Angling Club— John Tait, High St., Coldstream,
secretary.

Ellen Fishing Club, Duns — The Hon. Edward Marjoribanks,
president; G. Turnbull, 58 Frederick St., Edinburgh, secretary.

Greenlaw Fishing Club — David Leitch, Greenlaw, secretary.

DUMFRIESSHIRE.

Esk and Liddle Fisheries Association — The Duke of Buccleuch,
K.G., president; Robert M' George, writer, Langholm, secretary.

EDINBURGHSHIRE.

Cockburn Angling Association — George E. Y. Muir, I West Cross-
causeway, Edinburgh, secretary.

Edinburgh Angling Club — William Menzies, 18 Picardy Place,
secretary.

Edinburgh Amateur Angling Club— J. Gordon Mason, S.S.C.,
secretary.

Midlothian Angling Club— Joseph A. Cowan, 53 Rose St., secretary.

Penicuik Angling Club— James Foulis, clothier, Penicuik, secretary.

St. Andrew Angling Club — Professor Williams, president; J. Young
Guthrie, S.S.C., 29 Hanover St., Edinburgh, secretary.

Walton Angling Club — Professor Williams, president; James Grant,
S.S.C., 12 Howard Place, Edinburgh, secretary.

Waverley Angling Club— John M'Dougal, 3 Rutland Place,
Edinburgh, secretary.

i4o THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

FlFESHIRE.

Dunfermline Angling Club— James Mathewson, Dunfermline,
secretary.

Kirkcaldy Angling Club— Patrick Don Swan , of Springfield
president; Thomas Johnston, solicitor, Kirkcaldy, secretary.

FORFARSHIRE.

Alyth Angling Club— Major Japp, president; James D. Murdoch,
Alyth, secretary.

Arbroath Angling Club — David A. Wilson, Kirk Wynd, Arbroath,
secretary.

Brechin Angling Club — James B. Hodge, 2 Swan St., Brechin,
secretary.

Canmore (Forfar) Angling Club— David Maxwell, 16 Watt St.,
Forfar, secretary.

Dundee Angling Club— David Ireland, Calcutta Buildings, Dundee,
secretary.

Dundee West End Angling Club — Alexander Mitchell, Roseangle,
Dundee, secretary.

Dundee Walton Club— W. Mudie, 3 Athole Terrace, Maryfield,
Dundee, secretary.

Forfar Angling Club — James Dall, joiner, Market Place, Forfar, sec.

Strathmore (Forfar) Angling Club — James Paton, 10 Arbroath Road,
Forfar, secretary.

HADDINGTONSHIRE.

East Linton Angling Club — The Rev. Thomas Stirling Marjoribanks,
Prestonkirk, president; George Smellie, East Linton, secretary.

Haddington Fishing Club — Captain Houston of Clerkington, presi-
dent; George Angus, 35 Court St., Haddington, secretary.

KINROSS-SHIRE.

Kinross-shire Fishing Club — Thomas Steedman, Clydesdale Bank,
Kinross, secretary.

Loch Leven Angling Association (Limited) — Sir J. R. Gibson-Mait-
land, Bart, of Craigend, president; George Bogie, solicitor, Kinross,
secretary.

LANARKSHIRE.

Abington Angling Club— David Oswald, teacner, Abington, sec.

Buckland Angling Club — William Cross, 41 York St., Glasgow,
secretary.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 141

Coatbridge Angling Club — David Gird wood, Langloan, Coatbridge,
secretary.

Echaig Angling Club — John Clark, 17 Royal Exchange Square,
Glasgow, secretary.

Glasgow Dodgers.

Glasgow Junior Angling Club.

Lanark Amateur Angling Association — David Gourlay, Bannatyne
Street, Lanark, secretary.

Lanarkshire United Anglers' Protective Association— Crawford
Brown, 1 10 Garthland Drive, Glasgow, secretary. (Nine associated
Clubs.)

Loch Lomond Angling Improvement Association — Alfred Brown,
163 West George Street, Glasgow, secretary.

Motherwell Star Angling Club — James Brown, Braidhurst Colliery,
Motherwell, secretary.

Stonehouse Angling Club— A. Hamilton, Stonehouse, secretary.

St. Mungo Angling Club— W. Craig Ramsay, writer, Glasgow,
secretary.

Trout Preservation Association — David B. Macgregor, 51 West
Regent Street, Glasgow, secretary.

West of Scotland Angling Club — David B. Macgregor, 51 West
Regent Street, Glasgow, secretary.

Western Angling Club — John Wilson, 59 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,
secretary.

LlNLITHGOWSHIRE.

Armadale Angling Club— Robert Kerr, South Street, Armadale,
secretary.

Avon Conservancy Association — W. Horn Henderson, Linlithgow,
secretary.

Bathgate Angling Club — Robert Bryce, Bridgend, Bathgate, sec.

PEEBLESHIRE.

Peebles Vigilance Trout Protection Association — Charles Tennant,
M.P., The Glen, president ; James Anderson, Peebles, secretary.

Peebles Angling Association — James Wolfe Murray of Cringletie,
president j Alexander Pairman, grocer, Peebles, secretary.

St. Ronan's Angling Club— James Cossar, Innerleithen, secretary.

PERTHSHIRE.

Aberfeldy Club— James Forbes, Chapel Street, Aberfeldy, secretary.
Aberfoyle Angling Club.

142 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

Blairgowrie Angling Club.

Perth Anglers' Club— P. D. Malloch, 209 High Street, Perth,
secretary.

Perthshire Fishing Club— Robert Keay, City Chambers, Perth, sec.

ROXBURGHSHIRE. «

Kelso Angling Association — Sir G. H. S. Douglas, Bart., of Spring-
wood Park, president; Archibald Steel, Bridge Street, Kelso, secretary.

Upper Teviotdale Fisheries Association — The Duke of Buccleuch,
K.G., president ; Walter Haddon, Royal Bank of Scotland, Hawick,
secretary.

SELKIRKSHIRE.

Caddonfoot Fishings— H. W. Cornillon, S.S.C., 139 George Street,
Edinburgh, secretary.

Gala Angling Association — Robert Hall, 131 High Street, Galashiels,
secretary.

Selkirk Angling Association — John Anderson, Elm Row, Selkirk,
secretary.

STIRLINGSHIRE.

Bonnybridge Angling Club — Alexander Mitchell, Greenbank Cottage,
Bonnybridge, secretary.

Callander Angling Club — D. Melrose, Callander, secretary.

Denny and Dudipace Angling Club — Robert Shearer, Well Strand,
Denny, secretary.

Dollar Angling Club.

Dollar and Devondale Angling Club — Peter Cousins, Dollar, sec.

Doune Angling Club— W. H. Hogg, Lanrick Castle, Doune, sec.

East Stirlingshire Association of Anglers — John Hogg, writer, Lar-
bert, secretary.

Falkirk Angling Club — J. A. Miller, 144 High St., Falkirk, secretary.

Forth Angling Club, Stirling.

Haggs Angling Club — George Mirk, Haggs, by Denny, secretary.

Muiravonside and Polmont Angling Club — A. Campbell, Blackbraes,
Falkirk, secretary.

Sauchie and Whins of Milton Angling Club— Sir J. R. Gibson-Mait-
land, Bart., of Craigend, president; Wm. Reid, Whins of Milton, by
Stirling, secretary.

Skinflatts Angling Club— William Russell, Skinflatts, by Falkirk,
secretary.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 143

Stirling Forth and Teith Angling Association — Alexander M offal,
Clydesdale Bank, Stirling, secretary.

Stirling Fishing Club— Sir J. R. Gibson- Maitland, Bart., of Craig-
end, president; Robert M'Luckie, Stirling, secretary.

The following short descriptions of some of the most
prominent Angling and Preservation Societies of the
Provinces are compiled mainly from the information
kindly supplied by the secretaries of each Association.
They are placed as nearly as may be in alphabetical
order, the particulars being summarised as much as pos-
sible, so as to come within the scope of this little book.

AIRE FISHING CLUB.

This club, which has been in existence some forty-five
years, was founded and fostered by J. R. Tennant, Esq.,
of Kildwick Hall, Skipton. It consists of twenty
members, paying an entrance fee of ten guineas, and an
annual subscription of the like amount, who preserve the
river from Cargrave to Eastburn Brook. It has also a
number of subscribers, limited to thirty, paying an annual
subscription of thirty shillings, who are allowed to fish the
river from Carleton Stone Bridge to Eastburn Brook. The
Hon. Secretary is T. H. Dewhurst, Esq., of Whinfield,
Skipton, while the President is J. R. Tennant, Esq.

ABERGAVENNY FISHING ASSOCIATION.

This Association was founded in 1860, and has been
carried on from that time with fairly good success. The
number of salmon and trout season tickets is limited to 20,
the holders of such tickets in the previous years having

144 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

the option of renewing them. Five of these tickets are
reserved for persons living twenty miles from the town.

Rule 6 provides : That the price of salmon and trout
season tickets be 4<D/-, except to persons who, in the
judgment of the committee, are professional fishermen,
who will be charged ;£io; season tickets for trout,
2O/-, to admit the use of fly, worm, minnow, or gentle;
season tickets for trout, if fly only be used, io/-. Day
tickets for salmon and trout, 5/-, to be restricted to
persons residing io miles or more from the town ; day
tickets for trout, fly only to be used, 2/6 ; or 5/- to
admit the use of worm, minnow, or gentle. None of
these tickets are transferable, except as provided for in
Rule 8. Also that tickets for clodding for eels shall
be issued at 5/- ; and that tickets for dace fishing during
the trout closed season shall be 5/- ; or to include both
eels and dace, io/-, such fishermen to be subject to
Rule io, as to time of fishing. Ladies may be allowed to
fish on the payment of half the price of any of these
tickets.

The Association has about two miles of water, most 01
which can be fished from both banks. The Marquis of
Abergavenny gives the right of fishing from his property
on the left bank, while the Association rents the right bank
from a local landowner.

THE BIRDSGROVE FLY-FISHING CLUB, MAYFIELD,

ASHBOURNE.

This club, which is limited to twenty members paying
an annual subscription of five pounds each, was formed by
J. H. Villiers, Esq., and fishes four miles of the river Dove
situate about a mile from Ashbourne, and lying between
the Okeover and Norbury Fishing Clubs. The river

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 145

abounds in trout and grayling, and runs through some
very fine scenery.

The members at present consist of eighteen gentlemen,
thus showing a vacancy for two more rods.

BRADFORD-ON-AVON FISHING ASSOCIATION.

This Association was formed about ten years ago with
the object of putting a stop to the poaching, netting and
pollution which was then going on in the Avon. The
principal supporters of it were W. Stevine, Esq., of
Warleigh, the Rev. George Baker, of Manor House,
Freshford, and Captain Sainsbury, of Bathford. It pre-
serves the river from Holt to Stoke, which distance is
divided into three sections. The charge for a yearly
ticket for the whole of the water is £1, and such ticket is
transferable to any member of the owner's family. For
half the water the cost of a ticket is icxr., and for one of
the sections it is 2s. 6d. per month. In 1876 the water was
handed over to an association formed at Bristol, of which
Mr. E. W. B. Villiers, of 26 Bath Road, Bristol, is secretary.

BOSTON ANGLING ASSOCIATION

Was established in 1871, having for its object the pre-
vention of the wholesale destruction, by netting, of fish in
the river Witham and its tributary streams, so that good
angling might be provided for the inhabitants of Boston,
its visitors, and the neighbourhood. This object the Asso-
ciation has undoubtedly attained, and is now one of the
largest and best free fisheries for coarse fish in the kingdom,
being bountifully supplied with pike, perch, roach, rudd,
chub, ruffe, bleak, bream (two kinds), tench and eels.
Burbot are occasionally taken. It is 148 miles in extent,
comprising the river Witham, and the drains in the East,

VOL. III. — II. L

i46 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

West and Wildmore Fens, under the jurisdiction of the
River Witham Drainage Commissioners, and under whose
by-laws the B. A. A. have power and act. At the
present time it is the principal resort of the Sheffield
anglers, it being nothing uncommon to witness two
thousand in a single day. It is computed by competent
authorities that there were not less than 30,000 visitors
last season. It is regulated by a code of rules twenty
in number, and supported by voluntary contributions. The
officers consist of patrons, a president, vice-presidents,
treasurer, secretary, and a committee of management.
The officers are appointed annually by ballot, on the first
Monday in July. The committee meets monthly on the
second Wednesday in every month, having power to call
special meetings. The quarterly meetings are held the
first Monday in October, January and April.

Besides the above there is the North and South Forty-
foot drains, about forty miles in extent, under the juris-
diction and management of the Black Sluice Drainage
Commissioners. The latter drain is large and deep, with
excellent water, and though it has only been preserved
three seasons it abounds with most kinds of the fish
previously mentioned, but is particularly noted for its
pike and perch. There is a small annual fee of 2s. 6d.
charged by the Commissioners on these waters.

BRISTOL GOLDEN CARP ANGLING ASSOCIATION.

This Association was founded in September 1879, and is
limited to 200 members. The subscription for the first
year is $j., and 2s. 6d. per annum afterwards. General
meetings are held the last Monday in each quarter, and
committee meetings last Monday in each month.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 147

Secretary, Lewis C. Wride, Digby House, Barton Hill,
Bristol.

CARLISLE ANGLING ASSOCIATION.

This Association was formed in 1852 to preserve the
River Eden and its tributaries. Up to that time a great
amount of poaching had existed, there being no regular
watchers on the river. In the first year of its existence the
bailiffs seized thirty-two illegal nets, in most cases securing
convictions. Up till 1870 'they were the only preservers
of the river, then, however, the Eden Board of Conservancy
was formed, having a staff of ten men and an inspector,
whose salaries were paid out of the funds arising from the
sale of net and rod licences. The number of salmon and
trout has steadily increased since the Association was
formed. In 1878 the salmon disease broke out amongst
the fish, and has continued more or less ever since,
showing itself principally in the spring and autumn. The
Eden is one of the finest trout and salmon rivers in Eng-
land, abounding in fishy streams and runs with occasional
rocky pools. There are netting-stations for fifteen miles
from the outlet, but in spite of these salmon and grilse run
up the river in large numbers. The Hon. Sec. is J. Bedwell
Slater, Esq., of Chatsworth Square, Carlisle.

THE CHICHESTER ANGLING SOCIETY.

This Association was established in 1881. Its Patron is
His Grace The Duke of Richmond and Gordon, while the
President is W. W. Baker, Esq., and Vice-President,
W. Kerwood, Esq. ; Treasurer, Mr. A. Purchase ; Hon.
Sec., Mr. G. F. • Salter. The head-quarters are at the
" Globe Hotel," Chichester.

This Society numbers over 100 members, and has a fine

L 2

,48 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

stretch of water within a short distance of the club-room,
well stocked with carp, bream, perch, roach, and a few
tench and eels. Pike are also fairly represented. The
canal from the basin to the lower lock is over three miles,
and since the weed clearance by the Society in 1882 is in
fine angling condition.

THE COSTA ANGLERS' CLUB.

The River Costa at Keld Head runs in considerable
volume at the foot of the oolitic limestone moorlands,
lying north of Pickering, in the North Riding of the
County of York. In many respects it is a remarkable
stream. It is of high uniform temperature, rarely below
37 degrees, consequently it never freezes, and in cold
winters the condensation of vapour is a striking phe-.
nomenon, rising, as it frequently does, high into the air,
and may be seen for many miles.

This high temperature naturally promotes the rapid
growth of weed, and is one of the annoyances which the
managing committee have to contend with in being com-
pelled to cut and keep it under so very frequently in the
height of the fishing season. On the other hand, this weed
forms a capital shelter for fish, and produces a vast amount
of insect food, on which young fish rapidly increase in size
and condition.

The club is only a youthful institution ; nevertheless,
the managers have already a breeding establishment in
operation, and are able to turn out annually from 15,000 to
20,000 fry, consequently the stream is becoming fairly
stocked with both trout and grayling. Those killed last
season, and so far as this one has progressed, have been
of an average weight of i £ to 2 Ibs., and a few 3 Ibs.

Each member is limited to ten brace a day, not less than

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 149

10 inches in length, and to 20 days, angling during the
season, for which he pays four guineas subscription and an
entrance fee of five guineas. There are 40 subscribing
members, under the presidency of the Rev. J. R. Hill, of
Thornton Hall, near Pickering, a thorough sportsman and
a county gentleman of the truest Yorkshire type.

The Costa receives the Pickering Beck near Kirby
Misterton, and two or three miles below the united waters
are discharged into the Derwent. J. H. Philips, Esq., of
Scarborough, is the honorary secretary, and it was mainly
through his exertions that the club was re-established some
four years ago.

DERWENT ANGLERS' CLUB.

This Club preserves a stretch of water extending from
two miles below East and West Ayton, near Scarborough,
through the celebrated Forge Valley, thence past the highly
picturesque village of Hackness, the seat of Lord Derwent,
to Hill's Green Bridge at the entrance of " Barnescliffe," a
wild gorge of surpassing beauty, running up and forming
the eastern side of the lofty "Langdale Rigg," from the
summit of which there is a magnificent view of a large
expanse of country. On the east the cliffs of the sea coast,
with the baronial castle keep of Scarborough standing out
like a sentinel to guard that ancient borough and queen of
watering places — on the south are the Great Wolds, with
the bold promontories of Filey Brigg and Flamborough
Head forming striking objects, whilst on the west the eye
stretches away to Malton and the Howardean Hills, with
the Hambleton plateau in the far distance. On the north is
large expanse of moorland lying in the direction of Robin
Hood's Bay, and the Peak, flanked by the railway from
Pickering to Whitby, emerging from Newton Dale on to

ISO THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

the heights above. It is here on high ground, under the
shadow of " Lilla's Cross," that the " Derwent " takes its
rise ; and, descending in a meandering form, with many a
pretty waterfall, it traverses the monotonous expanse ot
moor in a south-easterly course until it meets at the foot
of the upper end of Langdale Pike the " Luggerhowe "
stream coming from Harwood Dale, and unitedly they
enter the Barnescliffe Valley. From this point to Hill's
Green Bridge is a nice stretch of stream, full of small
yet toothsome trout, of which Lord Derwent is the
owner, and who liberally grants permission to honest
anglers. That portion of the Derwent which is preserved
by the club is a pleasant fishable stream, with abundance
of trout and a few grayling, though neither of them
are of large size, averaging about three to the pound.
The stream may be briefly described as one of alternate
pool, with here and there gravelly streams, fringed on
both sides with trees and bushes where trout love to hide
and dwell and to watch for their daily ephemeral food.
Through the Forge Valley the stream runs deep and
sluggishly, but many a lusty trout lies there in ambush, only
to be interviewed when there is a wind blowing up or down
the valley. A practical hand then may readily fill his
pannier.

Lord Derwent and Lord Londesborough are the chief
proprietors, and are the liberal patrons of the Club, though
there are other riparian owners, all of whom generously
place their respective waters at the disposal of the members'.
The Derwent being at such a convenient distance from
Scarborough and easily accessible by rail, are great facilities
for the members reaching the stream. The Club was
formed upwards of forty years ago, namely in 1839, and,
from its many surroundings, has always been a popular

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 151

one, especially with the gentry residing in Scarborough.
The managers have a breeding establishment at the Forge
Cottages, and for many years past have turned out from
10,000 to 20,000 fry, so that the stream is kept constantly
replenished with an abundant stock of fish, to supply diver-
sion for its many members, who occasionally jostle each other
— as for instance in the Mayfly season, when every one is
anxious for the fray and to secure a basket. If, however,
the angler should fall on an untoward day, when trout
decline conclusions with his " gentle art," he has before him
magnificent scenery which will well repay him for his outing,
though he may have to return home with an empty creel.
T. B. Etty, Esq., of Scarborough — a relative of the dis-
tinguished painter — is the acting and obliging honorary
secretary of the Club, which consists of 40 members,
subscribing two guineas each annually and three guineas
entrance.

THE DART DISTRICT FISHERY BOARD

Exercises certain powers of control over a defined district,
the limits of which were settled by a certificate from the
Secretary of State dated 26th of March, 1866, under the
powers conferred by the Salmon Fishery Acts ; and under
the same powers the members of the Board are appointed
by the Magistrates at Quarter Sessions. The Board has
the power to issue licences, without which no person (not
excepting owners of property) can fish. The Chairman is
Jeffrey Michelmore, Esq., of Totnes, while the Hon.
Secretary is Anthony Pike, Esq., of the same place.

DERWENT VALLEY ANGLING ASSOCIATION.

At a public meeting held at the Town Hall, Shotley
Bridge, on Tuesday, March 9th, 1865, to consider the

152 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

propriety of forming an association for the protection of
fish in the River Derwent, the late Thos. Wilson, Esq.,
of Shotley Hall, in the chair, it was resolved :

I. That the above Association be formed for the above
object.

II That it be governed by a president and a committee
of not less than six members, with secretary and
treasurer.

III. That Mr. Wilson, of Shotley Hall, be president, and
that the provisional committee to carry out the resolutions
of meeting should be composed of the following gentle-
men, viz : Mr. John Armandale, Mr. Thos. Ramsay, Mr.
Geo. Peile, Mr. Thos. Richardson, Mr. (now Dr.) Renton,
the Rev. W. Cundill, Mr. Featherstonehaugh, and Mr.
Thirlwell, Mr. A. Town (Hon. Treasurer), the Rev. F. B.
Thompson, and Mr. Booth (Hon. Sec.).

IV. That such committee be authorised to communicate
with the landed proprietors along the bank of the river,
asking their co-operation, &c., and report to future meeting,
together with proposed rules and regulations for working
of the association.

V. That a subscription list be now opened and sub-
scriptions solicited towards funds of the Association.

At a public meeting held on Monday, 3<Dth October, 1865,
the report was presented and rules adopted, while it was
settled that fishing should commence on the i6th of March,
1866, and close on the 1st of October. Tickets los. each.
The first subscription amounted to £32.

Since March 1879 the tickets to new members have been
5^., to old members 2s. 6d.

From report of annual meeting held in February last I
find that the Society commenced earlier, viz., on March 1st
instead of i6th. Since its formation 6,000 fry (fario and

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 153

levenensis) have been introduced in the river and tributaries.
(Fishing- in the latter is strictly prohibited.)

The subject of introducing grayling is postponed for the
present.

THE EAST ANGLIAN PISCATORIAL SOCIETY.

This Society had its origin in the City of Norwich, and
was founded by Mr. Alfred Palmer, the then proprietor of
the Great Eastern Hotel. It was first started in the year
1879, and up to the present time has had a most successful
career. The society consists of, and is limite'd to thirty
members, besides several honorary members. Prominent
amongst the latter is the name of Edward Birkbeck, Esq.,
M.P., as also the names of W. H. Grenfel, Esq., M.P.
for Salisbury, and Edward Fanshaw Holley, Esq., of
Gunyah Lodge, Norwich. The above gentlemen have
taken a keen interest in the welfare of the Society.

The members meet once a month for the transaction of
business, special meetings for readings, and " Social Board "
meetings are held at intervals. The society has done
much in prohibiting netting and other unfair fishing both in
the rivers Yare and Bure.

THE EATON FISHING CLUB.

\

The club preserves about three miles of the rivers Lugg
and Arrow, commencing a mile below the town of
Leominster, Herefordshire. The water which runs through
land belonging principally to the Earl of Meath is well
stocked with both trout and grayling.

This society was originally formed some thirty-five years
since, and is limited to fourteen members. Since then it
has passed through various changes in rules and con-

i54 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

stitution, and is now managed by a committee of local
gentlemen.

THE ESK FISHERY ASSOCIATION

Was founded in the year 1866, and consists of the land-
owners consenting to the preservation of their portion of
the stream by the club, and persons who subscribe to the
whole of the club waters. This Association has done good
and important work in breeding salmon, having turned
into the river not less than 100,000 fish. Last season more
salmon were taken with the rod than sea-trout or bull-
trout

THE GRASSINGTON, THRESHFIELD AND LINTON
ANGLING CLUB

Was commenced in 1855, for the purpose of preserving a
length of about three miles of the river Wharfe near
Grassington and between the Kilnsey and Burnsall angling
waters. The fishing is almost entirely for trout and
grayling.

The present subscription is IDS. for a season ticket, and
2s. 6d. for a day ticket. The Club is managed by a
committee consisting of a president, secretary, and three
other members of the club. Tickets may be obtained
from the secretary, Mr. William Harker, Grassington, near
Skipton, Yorkshire.

GREAT GRIMSBY ANGLING ASSOCIATION.

This Association was formed a short time back by Mr.
Hollingsworth, " Mason's Arms Hotel," Grimsby. It now
numbers 100 members, and has secured by rental a great
part of the " South Navigation Canal." The society rents
several fishing streams. The river Ancholme is within

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 155

easy reach of the vicinity of Grimsby, and contains numbers
of bream, roach, perch, pike, &c. It is the property of the
" Ancholme Commissioners," who issue a season ticket at
the moderate charge of $s. ; it is strictly preserved, and
affords excellent sport. From the docks a stream called
the " Haven " runs for miles through several adjoining
villages, and contains plenty of trout and roach ; it is
preserved in some parts by the owners of the land through
which it passes. The docks abound in roach, pike, &c.,
and the fishing is free. The Association is managed by a
president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and a com-
mittee of twelve members, and is in a very flourishing
condition. Their head-quarters are the "Mason's Arms
Hotel," Grimsby.

KING'S LYNN ANGLING ASSOCIATION.

This society was started in December 1880 — the origi-
nator being H. Bradfield, Esq. It preserves the Gaywood
river, and hires the Middle Level Main Drain, the Hundred
Feet river, Roxham Drain, and the Drain — Downham or
St. John's Eau — the Walks rivulet, Long Pond, and Lake,
the latter being provided for the fishing of the inhabitants
of the borough free of charge.

The Association rears large numbers of trout fry, part of
which are procured from parent fish in the neighbourhood.
The greater portion of the ova is hatched in the Lynn
Museum — entrance to which is free — and the operation is
one of great attraction to the inhabitants. The young fry is
afterwards transferred to a nursery pond. Last year 1 5,000
fry were hatched, and this year 20,000.

The annual subscription is $s., honorary members £i is.
and los. 6d. The Hon. Sec. is H. Bradfield, Esq., of Gay-
wood Road, Lynn.

156 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

LIVERPOOL ANGLING ASSOCIATION. — Head-quarters,
" Strawberry Hotel," West Derby Road, Liverpool.

Some four years ago a number of anglers who were in
the habit of meeting at the above hotel conceived the idea
of forming an angling association, and after some difficulty
succeeded in their endeavour. The number of members at
first was thirteen, but this has now increased to 100, with
about twelve hon. members. They had great difficulty
in obtaining or renting fishing waters, but have now secured
the right of fishing in the reservoir of the Ruabon Water
Company, which is well stocked with trout averaging
half a pound each. About 2000 Lough Neagh trout have
been placed in the brook leading into the reservoir as a
trial, with the intention of placing some 10,000 more there
if this attempt is successful. They have also got permis-
sion from the Parks Commissioners to fish in the Park
lakes. The President is James Wilkinson, Esq., while the
Hon. Sec. is Mr. R. Woolfall, of 27 Troughton Road.

LOWER MONNOW FISHING CLUB.

This Club is limited to twenty-five members, paying an
annual subscription of £$ each, and has the fishing for
about nine miles on the lower Monnow. The trout average
three to the pound ; fish of three and four pounds are,
however, frequently caught. There are vacancies for more
members. The Hon. Secretary is R. Wrightson, Esq.,
Newport, Monmouth.

LOWER TEIGN FISHING ASSOCIATION.

This Association was formed in February 1876, after a
public meeting held at Newton Abbot on the 24th of that
month. All the principal landowners on the Teign and its

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 157

tributary the Bovey gave up their fishing rights to the
Society. Since then part of the Bovey has been withdrawn,
and the Association right now extends for about nine miles
up the Teign, and about two miles up the Bovey. Tickets
are issued to the public at ios. 6d. for the season, $s. per
month, 2 s. 6d. per week, and I s. per day ; a trout licence of
2s. 6d., and a salmon licence of £1 is., is also imposed by
the board of conservators.

The Secretary is the Rev. J. Yarde, of Culver House,
Chudleigh, while the Treasurer is Sidney Hacker, Esq., of
Newton Abbot.

THE MARKET DEEPING ANGLING SOCIETY.

The right of fishery in the river Welland at Market
Deeping extends from a point at the end of Mr. Thorpe's
mill-stream to Kenulph's Stone, a distance of six miles,
and formerly belonged to the Crown as Lord of the Manor
of East and West Deeping. It was let until 1872 to a
fisherman who netted it at all times and seasons, sparing
nothing. Mr. S. B. Sharpe represented the matter to Mr.
Gore, Commissioner of Her Majesty's Woods and Forests,
who accordingly discharged the tenant and accepted Mr.
Sharpe, in company with Mr. Holland and Mr. Molecey, of
that place, as tenants. In 1875 the manor was sold, and in
1877 the right of fishery was purchased by a few local
noblemen and gentlemen, consisting of the following : —
Lord Kesteven, Lord Burghley, William Holland, William
Beadzler Deacon, George Linnell, John Thorpe, John Mole-
cey, Twigge Molecey, Edmund Lawlett, and Samuel Bates
Sharpe, Esqs., and an angling society formed which has been
eminently successful. The Welland is a very good breeding
river, running over a gravel bottom, the lower parts running
through low-lying lands which in winter become flooded,

,58 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

and form what is called Crowland Wash, a few miles below
Deeping, and there the fish, especially pike, breed in great
numbers. The dace in the higher waters about Deeping
are very fine and rise freely to the fly ; large numbers have
been caught from eight to fourteen ounces. Through the
efforts of the proprietors, aided by the untiring exertions of
the Hon. Sec., Mr. S. B. Sharpe (who is also on the Council
of the National Fish Culture Association), the river Welland
at this portion literally teems with fish. The object of the
Society being "the preservation of fish for legitimate
sport," and that alone, the rules are extremely liberal to
anglers — the annual subscription of five shillings, for
example, including the head of a family and his young
children.

THE MIDDLEHAM ANGLING ASSOCIATION.

This Society was founded in 1880, and preserves the
fishing on the river Cover (a tributary stream of the Yore).
The water contains trout and grayling, and is rented from
the lord of the manor, J. Wood, Esq. The members at
present number about twenty, and pay an annual subscrip-
tion of;£i is. with an entrance fee of a like amount.

The President is S. T. Scrope, Esq. of Danby Hall,
Bedale; Secretary and Treasurer, J. E. Miller, Esq.,
Middleham, Bedale.

THE NENE ANGLING CLUB.

This Club was established in 1856, Dr. Webster being
the first President and J. Hensman, Esq., Hon. Secretary.
They preserve from twelve to fourteen miles of the river
Nene. The water contains jack, bream, perch, carp, &c.,
and large bags are frequently made. A bream of 6 Ibs.
and a carp of Q| Ibs. were lately taken from the water.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 159

The annual subscriptions are £3 $s. for the whole fishery
extent ; from the Paper-mills to Castle Ashby, £ I I s. ; and
lOs. 6d. for the third fishery, from the Paper Mills to Billing;
there being also an entrance fee of los. 6d. for the whole
water, and 5^. for the^i is. preserve.

President, the Rev. H. Smyth, Little Houghton ; Hon.
Sec., H. P. Hensman, Esq.

NORWICH PISCATORIAL SOCIETY.

This Society was originated by Mr. W. Capon, of Norwich.
It numbers 50 fishing and a large number of honorary
members. The annual subscription is ios., hon. members
2os. The Club gives a very fine Challenge Cup, to be won
twice before becoming the property of any member.

Hon. Secretary and Treasurer, Mr. W. G. Capon, Mar-
ket Street, Norwich.

THE NORTHAMPTON WORKING MEN'S ANGLING CLUB

Was formed May 22nd, 1876, and now numbers 80
members ; fishes about 8 miles of private water in the Nene.
Annual subscription 8s. 6</., hon. members los. 6d. The
Society has several prize competitions during the year.
Its head-quarters are at the ' Half Moon ' Inn, Bridge
Street. Hon. Sec., Mr. J. James, 10 Pike Lane.

NEWARK AND MUSKHAM FISHERY ASSOCIATION.

This Association was formed 1868, it has about 4j miles of
private water rented from Lord Middleton and H. Manners-
Sutton, Esq. The number of members is about 70, paying
a subscription of 15^. per annum for a single ticket, and
£l is. for a family ticket. The limits of the fishery are
defined as follows, and include some of the very finest

160 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

lengths on the river Trent. The "Muskham Fishery"
extends on the north bank of the river from the "Fir
Trees " in Kelham Lane to the fence dividing the parishes
of North and South Muskham, two fields below " Toder's
Holt ; " and on the south bank, from the fence dividing the
parishes of Kelham and South Muskham, nearly opposite
the aforesaid " Fir Trees," to the fence dividing the same
parishes opposite the Bottom Lock. The "Dead Water"
and " Muskham Fleet " are also included in the Fishery.

The Hon. Secretary of the Association is J. Neal, Esq.,
of Mount Schools, Newark-on-Trent.

OTLEY ANGLING CLUB.

The Otley Angling Club was formed in 1876, principally
through the kindness of Ayscough Fawkes, Esq., of
Farnley Hall, who gives to the Club about six miles of
fishing on one side of the river Wharfe. The number
of members is limited to 30, paying an annual subscription
of £3 and an entrance fee of £2. The society hatches
about 26,000 trout fry annually and places them in the
river. The President is Ayscough Fawkes, Esq., while the
Hon. Sec. is R. M. Pratt, Esq., Otley.

THE REDDITCH PISCATORIALS.

The Club was established a short time ago to meet the
requirements of the working-men anglers (who are mostly
engaged in the Redditch hook, &c., manufactories). So far
it has been a decided success. The subscription is is.t
with id. for a book of rules. The Club has been greatly
assisted by several of the manufacturers giving prizes to
be fished for.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 161

President, Mr. George Welch ; Secretary, John E. Wilkes,
31 Edward Street, Redditch.

RYEDALE ANGLING CLUB.

The Ryedale Angling Club was formed June 1st, 1846,
and consists of 20 members paying an annual subscription
of £4 4s. and £2 2s. entrance fee. They rent from Lord
Feversham the length of water from Helmsley Bridge to
Newton, a distance along the stream of about 4 miles ;
the fishing is restricted to artificial fly and dead minnow.
The river Rye is a good trout and grayling stream, and is
strictly preserved both above and below the Club water.
The Honorary Secretary is Bryan Ed. Cookson, Esq., of
40 Holgate Road, York.

SHREWSBURY AND SEVERN ANGLING SOCIETY.

This Angling Society was started in March, 1882, having
then 70 members, which have increased to no at the
present time. The honour of originating it belongs chiefly
to T. H. Morgan, Esq. The annual subscription is 2s. 6d.,
with is. entrance fee ; hon. members IDS. 6d. The
Society has promoted an Act of Parliament to do away
with netting in the part of the Severn within the limits of
the borough.

President, James Watson, Esq., of Berwick Hall ; Hon.
Sec. T. H. Morgan, Esq., Shrewsbury.

THE SPALDING ANGLING CLUB.

This Club was formed in the year 1864. The fishing

exists in the Drains belonging to the Deeping Fen Drainage

Trustees and extends over some 25 miles of water, the

Society also has a reach of about four miles of the River Glen.

VOL. in. — H. M

162 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

Tickets are issued to subscribers at the rate of £1 is. for
double tickets and IDS. 6d. for single.
The Hon. Secretary is J. G. Calthrop, Esq., of Spalding.

THE STOUR FISHING ASSOCIATION.

This Association was formed in January 1866, in the
place of an old private club which had almost become
extinct. They preserve part of the River Stour, containing
some of the finest trout in England, and also breed
artificially with success. The number of members is limited
to 100, paying an annual subscription of £3 $s. to £5 $s.
and an entrance fee of £10 los.

Hon. Sec., Captain Lambert, Stanmore, Canterbury;
Assistant Sec., Mr. F. G. Haines, 9 Watling Street,
Canterbury.

ST. JOHN'S AMATEUR ANGLERS' ASSOCIATION.

This Association was formed about five years ago by
several anglers residing at St. John's, Worcester, with a
view to securing for themselves good fishing waters and
to encourage sportsmanlike angling. The number of
members is limited to 30, paying an annual subscription
of 2s. 6d.

Hon. Sec., Arthur Hill, Fern Villa, St. John's, Worcester.

UPPER EXE FISHING ASSOCIATION.

This Association was formed in February, 1851, by the
owners and occupiers of land on the river Exe, and was then
called " The Occupier's Exe Fishing Association," but has
since been altered to the above title. Cards for the season
are issued at £1 is.} monthly, IO.T. ; weekly, $s. ; day, 2s. 6d.
The extent of fishing is about five miles up the river Exe,

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 163

from Thorverton Bridge to near Beckleigh Bridge, and
comprises the best fishing in that river.

The Hon. Secretary is W. C. James, Esq., Thorverton,
Collumpton, Devon.

TRENT FISHERY BOARD OF CONSERVATORS.

The chief honour of the establishment of this important
Board belongs unquestionably to Thomas Worthington,
Esq., solicitor, of Derby, who in 1863, by means of a series
of letters addressed to the Derby Mercury, called public
attention to the fact that no proper steps had been taken,
under the Salmon Fisheries Act of 1861, for the preser-
vation of the Trent. At a public meeting which followed,
Mr. Worthington and another gentleman, on the motion of
the late Sir Oswald Mosley, Bart., were appointed the first
conservators under the act. The movement greatly inte-
rested the then Lord Vernon and other fishery proprie-
tors, amongst whom was Mr. Dennison, the then Speaker
of the House of Commons. In June 1864 a meeting of
fishery proprietors was held at Mr. Dennison's residence,
when an association was formed, and called the " Trent
Fishery Association." Mr, Thomas Worthington, and
Major Scott, of Knaith Hall, near Gainsborough, were
appointed joint honorary secretaries.

In 1865, the Salmon Fisheries Amendment Act having
been passed, the Trent Fishery Association was duly formed
into the "Trent Fishery Board," in pursuance of the act.
Major Scott resigned the honorary secretaryship, and
Colonel G. M. Hutton, of Gate Burton, Gainsborough, was
appointed in his place, and still remains hon. secretary.

In December 1880 Mr. Worthington, in consequence of
ill-health, was compelled to resign the hon. secretaryship,

M 2

1 64 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

and Mr. C. K. Eddowes, solicitor, Derby, was appointed
clerk and solicitor in his place.

TONBRIDGE ANGLING CLUB AND FISH PRESERVATION

SOCIETY.

This Society was established at Tonbridge about eight
years ago to preserve the upper reaches of the Medway, and
put a stop to the continuous poaching and netting which was
then going on. The Society received great assistance from
the riparian proprietors, and is now in a very flourishing
condition. They have recently acquired " The Ballast Pit,"
a lake of about six acres, which it is the intention of the
association to stock with trout. The annual subscription
is IDS. 6d. for the whole fishery, and $s. for part ; day
tickets, is.

President, A. T. Beeching, Esq.; Hon. Sec., Mr. E.
Hollomby, Quarry Hill, Tonbridge.

UNIVERSAL ANGLING SOCIETY.

This Society was formed in 1872, and was principally
composed of the former members of the " Yorkshire and
Lincolnshire Angling Association," which had ceased to
exist as a club in the preceding year. The association
owes a great deal of its present success to the good
services and management of Mr. Thomas Maplebeck, who
was for several years their president. The number of mem-
bers at present is eighty, paying an annual subscription of
8s. with an entrance fee of is.

Secretary, Mr. W. H. Barker, High Street, Hull.

THE WATFORD PISCATORS.

This Society was established in March 1882, for the
purpose of putting a stop to the poaching which was going
on in the public waters of the neighbourhood, and to rent

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 165

fishing for the exclusive use of its members. In May the
club got under their control about half a mile of the river
Colne from the railway arches to the Leathersellers' Arms,
and some time afterwards secured a reach of the canal from
Cassio Bridge to Beasley's Lock. The number of fishing
members is limited to 50, with numerous hon. members.
The annual subscription is 5-y.

Hon. Sec., Mr. H. A. Vincent, 4 Carey Place, Watford.

LONDON ANGLING CLUBS.

I now come to an entirely distinct consideration of the
" Angling Clubs " of London pure and simple. It is very
likely that a certain class of unreflecting people, or people
who don't know any better, may imagine that the sole aim
and ambition attendant upon the formation or weekly
gathering together of the members of an angling club is
centred in the consumption of a good deal of fourpenny
ale, unlimited grogs, and the strongest sort of tobacco.

Now and again it is possible, but they are very isolated
instances, that this view of matters represents something
like the facts of the case. More frequently such an un-
generous reading is as far wide of the mark as the North
Pole is to California. Then, again, it may be asked ' What
good do angling clubs effect ? what are they really doing
that is worth doing ? and what might they not do ? Truly
three such queries open up a terrible vista of argument,
and although the first question may be, and is, easy enough
to answer, the two following must inevitably place the ma-
jority of the angling clubs, to speak simple truth, in a by
no means complimentary or particularly enviable position.

What good do angling clubs effect ? Well, by way of

166 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

answering that question I will endeavour to show the
difference between angling clubs past and present.

At a date by no means very far antecedent there were,
comparatively speaking, only a very few angling clubs in
existence. Such as they were, they embraced all the best
and longest-lived societies then in being, with some few of
the now rapidly springing body of piscators, constantly
resolving themselves into some new club, and which might,
under proper skilled management, become in time a mighty
host, powerful to do good.

Such angling societies as existed then, or many of the
members at any rate, were anglers only in name. They re-
cognised, save with rare exceptions, no fence seasons at all,
and as to size, bagged every living thing in the shape of a
fish that they could entice with either worm or gentle. It
was no disgrace then for an angler proudly to display in
the club room, as the result of his day's sport, such a col-
lection of fish as nowadays he dare not even bring home.
It was literally shocking in those degenerate days to see
what baby fish were slaughtered. It was sad to think
that men were amongst us calling themselves sportsmen —
Heaven save the mark ! — who were content to base their
claim to the title upon the wretched laurels they might
win by the production of such a tray of fish as would have
almost disgraced the doughty deeds done in the days
when the embryo angler sallied forth armed with a pea-
stick, bent pin, some stolen cotton, and a borrowed pickle
bottle. However, such were the facts, and I turn gladly to
a contemplation of the picture in our own day.

That resolves itself into a totally different one. Anglers
nowadays are, in the first place, restricted by most
wholesome rules, which bar them from showing anything
but fairly good sample fish, and in the second, I fully

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 167

believe that their latent sportsmanlike feeling has been so
thoroughly developed by good example, that in many
cases they would not exhibit poor specimens even if they
had the chance. A very strong feeling, emanating it is only
right to say with the " Gresham Angling Society," has
sprung up of late years against the promulgation of " gross
weight competitions," and in favour rather of specimen fish.
The scale of weights has been fixed in all cases at a fair size,
and in many instances some of the clubs — and notably
those old Societies, " The Piscatorial Society " and " The
Friendly Anglers " — fix their weight at a very high standard
indeed. How different from the old days, when everything
in the shape of a fish was bagged, and the waters north,
south, east, and west of the compass, were slowly, it is true,
but not the less surely, depleted and gradually fished out.

I may ask now, What are the London Anglers doing
for the common good of their brethren ? and the answer,
without giving offence, which I should be sorry enough to
do, is one especially difficult to shape nicely.

In the first place they have established by joint effort,
spread over certain districts, three institutions by means of
which cheap railway facilities have been obtained from all
those companies whose permanent way leads to well-known
angling resorts. These are the West Central Association
of London and Provincial Angling Societies, The United
London Anglers' Central Committee, and the Central
Association.

In the next place, they have founded what should be
known as the best and most important work that the
London anglers, as a body of sportsmen, have ever at-
tempted to give root and birth to, in the shape of " The
Anglers' Benevolent Association." This has for its main
object the assistance of anglers who through declining

168 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

years, or the working of that strange unwritten law which
would seem to hamper some unfortunates with the unvari-
able and accursed sting of poverty, sink gradually into a
pitiable state. Before its institution, and when a properly
accredited member of an angling club fell into distress,
there was nothing by way of relief save the " whip round "
with its open declaration of distress, sometimes especially
hurtful to a man's feelings, but which, to the credit of his
comrades, they were never disposed to shirk. Now a dis-
tressed angler simply makes his case known to the Com-
mittee of that institution, and he is instantly relieved to
the best of its ability.

But is this institution, which should be one of the first
and most important, properly supported ? No, I answer —
emphatically no ; yet the very men probably who hesitate
in the time of prosperity to put their shilling into its funds
are the very men who would think they were hardly dealt
by if, in the hour of need, they were not offered pounds.

My friend Mr. Geen, the hard-working practical " anglers'
friend," if ever man deserved the title yet, has lately written
a paper, which has been read before various Angling
Societies, upon "The better Organisation of the London
Anglers." I had not intended to trench upon the ground
he, in that admirable and sensible essay, has taken up, but
he speaks so much more powerfully than my feeble pen is
capable of expressing, that I shall not hesitate, with many
apologies for so doing, to quote here and there his opinions,
mainly as a means of strengthening my own.

Hear what he says, ye London Anglers, concerning this
same " Anglers' Benevolent," and mark, learn, and inwardly
digest the wisdom of his repeated warnings.

" Another fault, and not a small one, is the difficulty of
getting members to join. One of the chief reasons which

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 169

caused me to work for the society was the hope that
begging would be done away with. I feel certain that
there have been more journeys undertaken, and more
earnest pleading, and eloquent speeches made to get
members to join the Anglers' Benevolent than was ever
made for the needy angler under the old system.

" And what does all this begging for members produce ?
£37 %s- 7^- — actually a smaller sum than they took out of
it. No one could possibly take exception to a single item
of tjie expenses, yet they amount to £$ I 3 s. 4d., which is
only £5 1 5 s. less than the members' subscriptions."

The last good working of the London anglers, or at
any rate its outcome, is the establishment of the " United
London Fisheries Association," having for its object the
renting and stocking of various waters for the use and
pleasurable enjoyment of its members.

Now the business working of these five associations
means simply and totally, apart from their admirable
objects, a sheer waste of both time, labour, and money.
Mr. Geen's great idea, and in this I fully and entirely join
issue, is that all might be comprised under one general
head, and that in lieu of five sets of officers, embracing
three presidents, two vice-presidents, five chairmen, five
treasurers, fifteen trustees, five committees of twelve each,
and five secretaries, all might be well and efficiently done
by one set of officers alone, and that in opposition to the
ridiculous issue of three sets of privilege tickets for rail-
way purposes, all might be easily comprised in one, saving
trouble, expense, and a lot of entirely unnecessary round-
about business.

What would be the result? There would be more
money at command to help the various Preservation
Societies, at present greatly neglected ; there would be still

170 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

more to help to stock the waters, at present absolutely in
the London anglers' hands, and get them more efficiently
protected and watched, and there would be still more
left vested, and ready when needful, to help and assist the
sacred cause of charity.

I quote Mr. Geen again, because no language of my own
could make the question of how is this desirable result to
be obtained more clear than he does.

He first of all tells us that there are 4117 enrolled
members of one or other of these split-up associations.
Some belonging to one, some to another, but few to all
three combined. Upon the question of ways and means
he says : —

" I have left the important matter of ways and means
until the last, as I thought it best you should first be
informed as to the nature and extent of my other sug-
gestions.

" At present we pay is. to the association of whom we
get a privilege ticket, and is. to the Fisheries Society; so
that the yearage is now 2s. Then the Benevolent steps in
and asks us to voluntarily pay them is. Six hundred and
ninety-one out of the 4117 responded to that appeal, and
paid over £37 8s. yd. How much easier, how much fairer
and more satisfactory that we should all pay 3^. ! I hope
no one will accuse me of being unmindful of my poorer
brother anglers. I would not be a party to taking a single
penny unnecessarily from their pockets, and before I could
bring myself to consent to make this suggestion, I had
ascertained that it is the poor angler that is paying
the is. now. I have also asked myself the question,
' What do I offer in return ? ' The answer is, your railway
concessions shall be guarded, and, if possible, extended ;
your free rivers shall be protected, and private waters shall

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 171

be rented for you ; the needy and distressed among you
shall be relieved.

" Three shillings per year means a trifle more than one
halfpenny a week. Many of you must have been struck
with the wonderful penny's-worth offered. Cheap tra-
velling, good sport, pleasure and charity for one half-penny
per week. Small as this sum is, it would produce £617 us.
The donations and annual subscriptions to the Benevolent
amount to £6$ i?s. 8d., making our gross income £683 Ss. %d.
Out of this sum we must pay our secretary and bailiff, vote
a sum to the Benevolent committee, and provide for printing,
stationery, stamps, and general expenses.

" Much will depend on our getting a good

practical secretary, whose salary I fix at

^"150 per annum, payable monthly, not

yearly £150 o o

Head bailiff, 30^. per week . . . . 78 o o

Benevolent vote (the amount expended

last year) 50 o o

Present amount paid for printing, station-
ery and stamps, £133 15^. $d. ; proposed

amount, £33 15^. $d. (This sum

would be found ample, if not more than

sufficient, when augmented by the

numerous advertisements which a fully

paid secretary could get) . . . . 33 IS 5

Incidental expenses 20 o o

Total .. £331 15 5
Which leaves us an available balance of £351 13 3

" What are we going to do with this handsome sum of
money ? Why, give it to the Preservation Committee,

172 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

who, with the active assistance of our secretary and bailiff,
and with our support and encouragement, will remove
those cruel evils in our present system of preservation."

The following short particulars give some idea of the
formation and history of such few of the London Angling
Societies as responded to my application for them. I
regret personally that they are so few, in opposition to the
lengthy list of provincial societies. The regret, however
keenly felt, will not unfortunately supply the deficiency.

THE PISCATORIAL SOCIETY.

In the year 1836 a few friends, who were in the habit of
meeting at the " Granby Tavern/' South Audley Street,
Grosvenor Square, who were devoted to angling, and
frequently made parties for competing in a friendly
manner, resolved to form an association to take the name
of " The Piscatorial Society."

This was done in October of the same year, the object
of the Society being to meet their friends and associates in
social conversation and harmony (religion and politics
being excluded), to encourage fair angling ; while a portion
of the funds was to be appropriated to prizes, and forming
a museum and collecting works on angling, &c. Rules
were formed, and under their Secretary, the late Mr.
Cotterill, the Society was launched and has sailed on
progressively to the present time.

In the course of the past 47 years they have had a great
many good anglers, who have contributed largely to the
museum and library. The late Frank Buckland, Esq., an
old member, was especially devoted to their welfare, and
frequently gave a lecture on the Natural History of Fishes.
He presented, in conjunction with the late H. L. Rolfe, Esq.,
a cast of pike, which was painted in his usual excellent

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 173

manner, forming a noble and valuable angling trophy.
The late Mr. Chapman, who was Hon. Secretary for several
years, contributed largely to the museum and library, and
his celebrated composition of the " Fine Old Jolly Angler "
was also presented to the Society. A valuable album of
original sketches was presented by T. H. Parker, Esq.,
and another, containing comic sketches of the members of
the Piscatorial Society, by B. Perelli Rocco, Esq. The
library now consists of over 150 volumes, with many
valuable paintings and portraits.

In 1838 the Society exerted themselves in giving
assistance to the formation of the Thames Angling
Preservation Society, and one of the members, the late
H. Dean, was for several years secretary. The Piscatorial
Society have subscribed three guineas annually to that
association, independently of the subscriptions of the
individual members.

The museum consists of a large number of cases, and
have been exhibited at the Westminster Aquarium, for
which a silver medal was awarded ; also at the Fisheries
Exhibition, Norwich (silver medal and £1$) ; at the Fisheries
Exhibition, Edinburgh (a gold medal) ; and now exhibiting
at the International Fisheries Exhibition, Kensington.

The Society now holds its meetings at " Ashley's Hotel,"
Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, on Monday evenings at
8 o'clock.

The members number 150.

THE TRUE WALTONIANS

Was established in 1830, and the number of its members
is limited to 40. It seeks rather to avoid than to court
publicity, and the feeling of the society is strongly opposed
to prize fishing.

174 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

Quoting from its memoirs, I find that " This society was
established in the year 1830 to encourage periodical
meetings of its members whereat they might reason,
converse or instruct with sober pleasantry and unlicentious
hilarity; to promote the principles of fair angling, to
vigorously oppose every description of poaching, and to
cultivate and advance brotherly and true Waltonian feeling
among the members of the society and anglers generally.

It also provides for the renting and preserving, for the
purposes of angling, such water or waters as may be
decided upon from time to time."

THE WALTONIAN ANGLING SOCIETY.

After many removals from place to place in search of
suitable head-quarters this Society settled down at last
at the "Jew's Harp," Redhill Street, Regent's Park, where
they now number 58 members, and under the secretary-
ship of Mr. J. Packman are in an extremely flourishing
condition.

THE SPORTSMEN'S ANGLING CLUB

Is one numbering amongst its members many who devote
themselves to other pursuits than .a study of the gentle
art. One of them is now lion-hunting in Africa, while
several other members are fishing on far off continental
waters. Its head-quarters are at the " Lady Owen's Arms,"
Goswell Road, and its Secretary Mr. Benjamin Denny.

THE EALING DEAN CONVIVIAL ANGLING SOCIETY
Was started in October only of last year, yet already
numbers 54 members. They fish for no prizes and have
no subscriptions, are very rigorous as to the size of fish
shown, and support the Thames Angling Preservation

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 175

Society. I care not to say more, for if their rules are novel
they are at least good.

WESTBOURNE PARK PISCATORIAL SOCIETY.

This Society, started in 1876, has gradually increased
until it stands now with a list of nearly seventy names.
Although in existence but seven years the walls of the
club-room boast of twenty-three cases of preserved speci-
men fish (thirteen of the cases are now being exhibited at
the Fisheries Exhibition). Amongst this number may be
mentioned the following : Jack weighing 26 J Ibs., a Thames
Trout 6 Ibs., 2 Roach 4 Ibs., I Dace 16^ ounces, and also a
very pretty Jack of 16 Ibs. taken from the Regent's Canal
by the late Mr. Severn (in which water he recently lost his
life), I Bream weighing 6Jlbs., I pair Tench Qlbs., and also
a pair of Carp weighing i61bs.

I may mention that " gross weight " competitions have
been entirely abolished in the Society, and none but speci-
men fish of the following weights are now recognised :
Jack 5 Ibs., Bream 3 Ibs., Trout 2 Ibs., Barbel 2 Ibs., Chub
2 Ibs., Carp 2 Ibs., Tench l£ Ibs., Roach I lb., Rudd I Ib.
Perch I lb., and Dace \ lb.

WEST LONDON ANGLING CLUB.

This Society was formed March 31, 1880, at a meeting
held at the "White Bear," King Street, Hammersmith.
It holds its meetings now at the " Windsor Castle," and
under the secretaryship of Mr. G. S. Benham the Society
is in a thoroughly sound condition.

THE HAMMERSMITH UNITED ANGLING SOCIETY
Is another excellent association of anglers possessing a
splendid museum, upwards of sixty members, and under

i?6 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION

the presidency of Mr. P. Geen and the secretaryship of
Mr. J. Hoole is as flourishing as need be.

THE WOOLWICH BROTHERS ANGLING SOCIETY, AND
WOOLWICH PISCATORIALS.

These are two capital clubs, numbering a fair average
number of members, established in the town of Woolwich.

THE ACTON PISCATORIAL SOCIETY.

This excellent Society, small in number yet high of
purpose, at its start in 1881 had very few members, yet it
now musters forty to fifty. Gross weight is barred, and
specimen fish are entirely sought after. Its secretary is
Mr. C. Simpson, and its head-quarters the "George and
Dragon," High Street, Acton.

GOLDEN BARBEL ANGLING SOCIETY.

The above Society was established in the year 1872 at
the " Bear and Runner," Wells Street, Mortimer Street, by
Mr. Fullerton, then a fishing-tackle maker of Wells Street,
W. Dixe, the late secretary, and six or seven other gentle-
men.

After some two years or so the Society was removed to
the "York Minster," Foley Street, Portland Street, W.,
where it still remains. The Society is enrolled on the
"West Central Association of London and Provincial
Angling Societies," at whose meetings the Society send
two delegates to represent it

The objects of the Society are to promote the interests of
its members, so far as regards angling, to assist its members
to preserve specimen fish. The Society gives prizes for
every species of fresh-water fish, and prizes for the three
first gross weights, and one for the gross weight of pike.

SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 177

THE BUCKLAND ANGLING SOCIETY

Was formed in September, 1 88 1, and its title taken, as
may be surmised, from the name of the late Mr. F.
Buckland. Its head-quarters are at the "Middlesex
Arms," Clerkenwell Green, and its secretary is Mr. L. V.
Delean.

THE ALLIANCE ANGLING SOCIETY

Holds its meeting at the " Clerkenwell Tavern," Farring-
don Road. It possesses a good museum of preserved
trophies, and under the secretaryship of Mr. T. J. Cundell
flourishes exceedingly.

CLERKENWELL PISCATORIAL SOCIETY.

The above Society was founded in August 1879 by the
united efforts of Messrs. Stebbings, Trott and Cooper. Its
head-quarters were fixed at the " White Hart," Aylesbury
Street in Clerkenwell, and at the present time it has about
forty members. The contribution is 12s. per annum, which
sum clears all expenses. The members fish free waters
only.

THE GRANGE ANGLING SOCIETY.

This Society was formed in 1882, and although only in
existence for little more than twelve months, is in a highly
efficient state, being both well officered and well supported.
Their head-quarters are at the " Earl of Derby," Grange
Road, the Society having for president W. Hosken, Esq.,
while its hon. secretary is Mr. William Kayes.

This ends the list of the "Angling Clubs of London."
If it is "cribbed, cabined, and confined," it is not the
fault of J. P. W.

VOL. III. — H. N

A MERMAID.
From a Picture by Otto Sinding.

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

BY

HENRY LEE, F.L.S., F.G.S., F.Z.S.,

SOMETIME NATURALIST OF THE BRIGHTON AQUARIUM, AND AUTHOR OF THE

'OCTOPUS, OR THE DEVIL-FISH OF FICTION AND FACT;'

'SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED,' ETC.

ILLUSTRATED.

VOL. III. — H N 2

CONTENTS.

PAGE

PREFACE . . . 181

THE MERMAID • • • • l85

THE LERNEAN HYDRA . .236

SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS 247

THE "SPOUTING" OF WHALES 250

THE "SAILING" OF THE NAUTILUS . . , . . • 264
BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES 286

PREFACE.

THE little book 'Sea Monsters Unmasked/ recently
issued as one of the Handbooks in connection with the
Great International Fisheries Exhibition, has met with so
favourable a reception, that I have been honoured by the
request to continue the subject, and to treat also of some
of the Fables of the Sea, which once were universally
believed, and even now are not utterly extinct.

The topic is not here exhausted. Other sea fables and
fallacies might be mentioned and explained ; but the
amount of letter-press, and the number of illustrations that
can be printed without loss for the small sum of one
shilling — the price at which these Handbooks are uniformly
published — is necessarily limited. I have, therefore, thought
it better to endeavour to make each chapter as complete
as possible than to crowd into the space allotted to me a
greater variety of subjects less fully and carefully discussed.

I have the pleasure of acknowledging the kind assist-
ance I have again received in the matter .of illustrations.
I gratefully appreciate Mr. Murray's permission to use
the woodcut of Hercules slaying the Hydra, taken from
Smith's 'Classical Dictionary/ and those of the golden
ornaments found by Dr. Schliemann at Mycenae, and

1 82 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

figured in the very interesting book in which his excava-
tions there are described. I have also to thank the
proprietors of the Illustrated London News, the Leisure
Hour, and Land and Water, for the use of illustrations
especially mentioned in the text.

Some of the illustrations in the first edition of this book,
and of ' Sea Monsters Unmasked/ having met with much
commendation, I only do justice in mentioning that almost
all those copied in fac-simile from old books, and in reduced
size from periodicals, are the work of the Typographic
Etching Company.

HENRY LEE.
SAVAGE CLUB;
Sept. tfh, 1883,

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

FIG. PAGE

A MERMAID. From a picture by Otto Sinding . . .178

1. NOAH, His WIFE AND THREE SONS, AS FISH-TAILED DEITIES.

From a gem in the Florentine Gallery. After Calmet • . 1 86

2. HEA, OR NOAH, THE GOD OF THE FLOOD. Khorsabad . . 187

3. DAGON. From a bas-relief. Nimroud . . . . .191

4. DAGON : HALF MAN, HALF FISH. From Lamy's ' Apparatus

Biblicus* 192

5. DAGON. From an agate signet. Nineveh . . ... . 192

6. FISH AVATAR OF VISHNU. After Calmet and Maurice . . 193

7. NOAH AND HIS WIFE AS FISH-TAILED DEITIES .... 194

8. ATERGATIS, THE GODDESS OF THE SYRIANS. From a Phoenician

Coin 195

9. VENUS RISING FROM THE SEA, SUPPORTED BY TRITONS.

After Calmet 196

10. VENUS DRAWN IN HER CHARIOT BY TRITONS. From two

Corinthian Coins . . . . . . . 197

11. DITTO 197

12. SEAL, DRAWN AS A FISH. From the Catacombs at Rome . . 198

13. MERMAID AND FISHES OF AMBOYNA. After Valentyn . . 200

14. A JAPANESE ARTIFICIAL MERMAID . . . . .216

15. AN ARTIFICIAL MERMAID. Probably Japanese .... 216

16. PORTRAIT OF A MERMAID SAID TO HAVE BEEN CAPTURED IN

JAPAN . .217

17. THE DUGONG. From Sir J. Emerson Tennenfs ' Ceylon ' . .231

18. THE MANATEE .233

19. FIGURE OF A CALAMARY, FROM THE TEMPLE OF BAYR-EL-

BAHREE • .238

20. FIGURE OF AN OCTOPUS ON A GOLD ORNAMENT FOUND BY

DR. SCHLIEMANN AT MYCEN/E . . . . 239

21. DITTO. ......••••• 24°

22. DITTO. . . . . . ' 24J

23. DITTO. ... 24i

184 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

FIG. PAGE

24. HERCULES SLAYING THE LERNEAN HYDRA . . . . 245

25. THE PHYSETER INUNDATING A SHIP. After Olaus Magnus . 252

26. A WHALE POURING WATER INTO A SHIP FROM ITS BLOW-

HOLE. After Olaus Magnus . . . ... . 252

27. SPERM WHALES, ERRONEOUSLY REPRESENTED AS "SPOUTING" 253

28. THE PAPER NAUTILUS (Argonauta argo) SAILING . . . 264

29. DITTO. RETRACTED WITHIN ITS SHELL 269

30. DITTO. CRAWLING . 274

31. DITTO. SWIMMING . . . . . . . . . 275

32. SHELL OF THE PAPER NAUTILUS (Argonauta argo) . . . 276

33. SHELL OF THE PEARLY NAUTILUS (Nautilus pompilitis} . .277

34. THE PEARLY NAUTILUS (Nautilus pompilius} AND SECTION OF

ITS SHELL . 278

35. DEVELOPMENT OF GEESE FROM ROTTEN WOOD. After Claude

Duret. 294

36. THE TREE WHOSE LEAVES ARE CHANGED INTO BIRDS WHEN

THEY FALL ON THE LAND, AND INTO FlSHES WHEN THEY

FALL INTO WATER. After Claude Duret .... 295

37. THE GOOSE-TREE. From Gerard's 'HerbalP . 300

38. DITTO. Fac-simile from Aldrovandus ...... 302

39. DEVELOPM'ENT OF BARNACLES INTO GEESE. Fac-simile from

Aldrovandus ......... 303

40. SECTION OF A SESSILE BARNACLE. Balanus tintinnabuhim . 307

41. PEDUNCULATED BARNACLE. Lepas anatifera .... 309

42. A SHIP'S FIGURE-HEAD PARTLY COVERED WITH BARNACLES . 310

43. WHALE BARNACLE. Coronula diadema 31!

44 A YOUNG BARNACLF- Larva of Chthamalus stellatus . . > 312

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

THE MERMAID.

NEXT to the pleasure which the earnest zoologist derives
from study of the habits and structure of living animals,
and his intelligent appreciation of their perfect adaptation
to their modes of life, and the circumstances in which they
are placed, is the interest he feels in eliminating fiction
from truth, whilst comparing the fancies of the past with the
facts of the present. As his knowledge increases, he learns
that the descriptions by ancient writers of so-called " fabu-
lous creatures " are rather distorted portraits than invented
falsehoods, and that there is hardly one of the monsters of old
which has not its prototype in Nature at the present day.
The idea of the Lernean Hydra, whose heads grew again
when cut off by Hercules, originated, as I have shown in
another chapter, in a knowledge of the octopus ; and in
the form and movements of other animals with which we
are now familiar we may, in like manner, recognise the
similitude and archetype of the mermaid.

But we must search deeply into the history of mankind
to discover the real source of a belief that has prevailed in
almost all ages, and in all parts of the world, in the
existence of a race of beings uniting the form of man with
that of the fish. A rude resemblance between these

1 86

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

creatures of imagination and tradition and certain aquatic
animals is not sufficient to account for that belief. It
probably had its origin in ancient mythologies; and in the
sculptures and pictures connected with them, which were
designed to represent certain attributes of the deities of
various nations. In the course of time the meaning of
these was lost ; and subsequent generations regarded as

FIG. I.— NOAH, HIS WIFE, AND THREE SONS, AS FISH-TAILED DEITIES.
From a Gem in the Florentine Gallery. After Calmet.

the portraits of existing beings effigies which were at first
intended to be merely emblematic and symbolical.

Early idolatry consisted, first, in separating the idea of
the One Divinity into that of his vari9us attributes, and of
inventing symbols and making images of each separately ;
secondly, in the worship of the sun, moon, stars, and
planets, as living existences ; thirdly, in the deification of
ancestors and early kings ; and these three forms were
often mingled together in strange and tangled confusion.

THE MERMAID. 187

Amongst the famous personages with whose history men
were made acquainted by oral tradition was Noah. He
was known as the second father of the human race, and
the preserver and teacher of the arts and sciences as they
existed before the Great Deluge, of which so many separate
traditions exist among the various races of mankind. Con-
sequently, he was an object of worship in many countries
and under many names ; and his wife and sons, as his
assistants in the diffusion of knowledge, were sometimes
associated with him.

According to Berosus, of Babylon, — the Chaldean priest
and astronomer, who extracted from the sacred books of
" that great city " much interesting ancient lore, which he in-
troduced into his ' History of Syria,' written, about B.C. 260,
for the use of the Greeks, — at a time when men were sunk
in barbarism, there came up from the Erythrean Sea (the
Persian Gulf), and landed on the Babylonian shore, a creature
named Cannes, which had the body and head of a fish. But
above the fish's head was the head of a man, and below the
tail of the fish were human feet. It had also human arms, a
human voice, and human language. This strange monster
sojourned among the rude people during
the day, taking no food, but retiring to
the sea at night ; and it continued for
some time thus to visit them, teaching
them the arts of civilized life, and in-
structing them in science and religion.*

In this tale we have a distorted ac-
ne. 2. — HEA, OR

count of the life and occupation of Noah NOAH, THE GOD
after his escape from the deluge which °f TH* FLOOD'

A fiorsaoaa

destroyed his home and drowned his
neighbours. Cannes was one of the names under which
* Berosus, lib. i. p. 48.

1 88 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

he was worshipped in Chaldea, at Erech (" the place of the
ark"), as the sacred and intelligent fish-god, the teacher
of mankind, the god of science and knowledge. There he
was also called Oes, Hoa, Ea, Ana, Ann, Aun, and Oan.
Noah was worshipped, also, in Syria and Mesopotamia,
and in Egypt, at "populous No,"* or Thebes— so named
from "Theba,"" the ark."

The history of the coffin of Osiris is another version of
Noah's ark, and the period during which that Egyptian
divinity is said to have been shut up in it, after it was set
afloat upon the waters, was precisely the same as that
during which Noah remained in the ark.

The Mexican " Coxcox," who was entitled Huehueton-
acateo-cateo-cipatli, or " Fish-god of our flesh," also resembled
Noah ; for the Mexican tradition related that in a great
time of flood, when the earth was covered with water, he
preserved himself and his wife Xochiquetzal in a boat made
out of the trunk of a cypress tree — some say on a raft of
cypress wood — and peopled the world with wise and in-
telligent beings. Paintings representing the deluge of
Coxcox have been discovered amongst the Aztecs and
other nations.

In the Aztec legend of the flood, as translated by the
Abbe Brasseur de Bourbourg from the Codex Chimal-
popoca, Nata and his wife Nena were the persons saved,
and the deluge took place on the day Nahui-atl. We find
in this word and in the $ame of this central-American
Noah/ Nata, the root Na, to which, in all the Aryan
language, is attached the meaning of water, and which,
pronounced with the broad sound of the a, is very like
Noah, or Noe.

The ancient Peruvians also had their semi-fish gods,
* Nahum iii. 8.

THE -MERMAID. iSg

but the legends connected with them have not been pre-
served.

The North- American Indians relate that they were
conducted from Northern Asia by a man-fish. Once upon
a time, according to the legend, in the season of opening
buds, the people of their nation were terrified by seeing a
strange creature like a man riding upon the waves. He
had upon his head long green hair, resembling the coarse
weeds which mighty storms scatter along the margin of
the strand. Upon his face, which was like that of a
porpoise, he had a beard of the same colour, and they saw
that from his breast down he was a fish, or rather two
fishes, for each of his legs was a whole and distinct fish.
He would sit for hours singing to the wondering Indians
of the beautiful things he saw in the depths of the ocean,
always closing his strange descriptions with the words :
" Follow me, and see what I shall show you." For many
suns they dared not venture upon the water, but when they
became hungry they at last put to sea, and, following the
man-fish, who kept close to their boat, reached the coast of
America.*

Amongst the Mandans, the landing of Noah from the
ark and the events of the deluge are commemorated with
religious ceremonies even at the present day, and a rude
image of the ark, which has been handed down from
generation to generation, is still preserved amongst
them.f

* ' Traditions of the North American Indians/ J. A. Jones, 1830,
p. 47.

t George Catlin, in his ' North American Indians,' vol. i. p. 88,
says . — « in the centre of the village is an open space, or public square,
1 50 feet in diameter, and circular in form, which is used for all public
games and festivals, shows and exhibitions. The lodges around this

190 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

Amongst the historical chants of the Lenni-Lenape, or
Delaware Indians, is one entitled the "Song of the Flood,"

open space front in, with their doors toward the centre ; and in the
middle of this stands an object of great religious veneration, on
account of the importance it has in connection with the annual
religious ceremonies. This object is in the form of a large hogshead,
some 8 or 10 feet high, made of planks and hoops, containing within
it some of their choicest mysteries or medicines. They call it the
' Big Canoe.' "

This is a representation of the ark, and further on, in the same
volume (p. 158), Mr. Catlin describes the great annual rites and cere-
monials of which it is the centre. He says : —

" On the day set apart for the commencement of the ceremonies, a
solitary figure is seen approaching the village. During the deafening
din and confusion within the pickets of the village, the figure dis-
covered on the prairie continued to approach with a dignified step,
and in a right line towards the village. All eyes were upon him, and
he at length made his appearance within the pickets, and proceeded
towards the centre of the village, where all the chiefs and braves stood
ready to receive him, which they did in a cordial manner by shaking
hands, recognizing him as an old acquaintance, and pronouncing his
name Nu-mokh-muck-a-nah — the first or only man. The body of
this strange personage, which was chiefly naked, was painted with
white clay, so as to resemble at a distance a white man. He enters
the medicine lodge, and goes through certain mysterious ceremonies.
During the whole of this day Nu-mokh-muck-a-nah travelled through
the village, stopping in front of each man's lodge, and crying until the
owner of the lodge came out and asked who he was, and what was
the matter. To which he replied by relating the sad catastrophe
which had happened on the earth's surface by the overflowing of the
waters, and saying that he was the only person saved from the
universal calamity ; that he landed his big canoe on a high mountain
in the west, where he now resides ; that he has come to open the
medicine lodge, which must needs receive a present of an edged tool
from the owner of every wigwam, that it may be sacrificed to the
water, for if this is not done there will be another flood, and no one
will be saved, as it was with such tools that the big canoe was made.
Having visited every lodge in the village during the day, and having
received such a present from each as a hatchet, a knife, &c. (which is
undoubtedly always prepared ready for the occasion), he places them
in the medicine lodge, and on the last day of the ceremony they are
thrown into a deep place in the river— sacrificed to the Spirit of the
Waters."

THE MERMAID.

191

in which the ancestor of the new race of men is called
Nana-Bus/i*

The Chinese, in their early legends, connected their origin
with a people who were destroyed by water in a tremendous
convulsion of the earth. Associated with this event was
a divine personage called Nin-va. In another account
the name of Nai Hoang-ti, or
Nai Kortiy is given to the
founder of Chinese civilization.
In all these instances there is
a remarkable resemblance be-
tween the names therein of
the hero of the deluge and the
Hebrew Noah.

Dagon, also — sometimes
called Odacon — the great fish-
god of the Philistines and
Babylonians, was another
phase of Oannes. " Dag," in
Hebrew, signifies "a male
fish," and " Aun " and " Oan "
were two of the names of
Noah. " Dag-aun " or " Dag-
oan" therefore means "the
fish Noah." He was por-
trayed in two ways. The
more ancient image of him
was that of a man issuing

from a fish, as described of Oannes by Berosus ; but
in later times it was varied to that of a man whose
upper half was human, and the lower parts those of

FIG. 3. — DAGON. From a bas-
relief. Nimroud.

The American Nations.' C. S. Rafmesque, Philadelphia, 1836.

192 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

a fish. The image of Dagon which fell upon its face to
the ground before "the ark of the God of Israel," was
probably of this latter form, for we read * that in its fall,
"the head of Dagon and
both the palms of his hands
were cut off upon the thres-
hold : only the stump (in the
margin, ' the fishy part ') of
Dagon was left to him." This
was evidently Milton's con-
ception of him :

" Dagon his name ; sea-monster,

upward man
And downward fish." f

In some of the Nineveh

sculptures of the fish-god

. the head of

the fish forms

a kind of

mitre on the

head of the

man, whilst

the body of

the fish ap*

pears as a
FIG. S.-DAGON. cloak or cape

From an Agate

Signet. Nineveh. O V e r his

shoulders and

FIG. 4. — DAGON. From Lamy's
Apparatus Biblicus.

back. The fish varies in length; in some cases the tail
almost touches the ground ; in others it reaches but little
below the man's waist.

i Samuel v. 4.

f ' Paradise Lost,' Book i. 1. 462.

THE MERMAID.

193

In one of his " avatars," or incarnations, the god Vishnu,
" the Preserver," is represented as issuing from the mouth ot
a fish. He is celebrated
as having miraculously
preserved one righteous
family, and, also, the
Vedas, the sacred re-
cords, when the world
was drowned. Notonly
is this legend of the
Indian god wrought up
with the history of
Noah, but Vishnu and
Noah bear the same
name — Vishnu being
the Sanscrit form of
"Ish-nuh," "the man
Noah." The word
" avatar " also means
" out of the boat." In
fact the whole myth-
ology of Greece and
Rome, as well as of
Asia, is full of the his-
tory and deeds of Noah,
which it is impossible
to misunderstand. In
all the representations
of a deity having a
combined human and
piscine form, the
original idea was that
of a person coming out of a fish — not being part of

VOL. III. — H. O

FIG. 6. — FISH AVATAR OF VISHNU.
After Calmet and Maurice.

,94 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

one, but issuing from it, as Noah issued from the ark. In
all of them the fish denoted "preservation," "fecundity,"
" plenty," and " diffusion of know-
ledge." * As the image was not the
effigy of a divine personage, but
symbolized certain attributes of
Divinity, its sex was comparatively
unimportant ; although it is possible
that, combined with the fecundity of
the fish, the idea of Noah's wife, as

FIG. 7.— NOAH AND HIS WIFE

AS FISH-TAILED DEITIES, the second mother of all subsequent
On a Babylonian Seal, generations, according to the widely-
spread and accepted traditions of the
Deluge, may have influenced the impersonation.

Atergatis, the far-famed goddess of the Syrians, was also
a fish-divinity. Her image, like that of Dagon, had at
first a fish's body with human extremities protruding
from it ; but in the course of centuries it was gradually
altered to that of a being the upper portion of whose
body was that of a woman and the lower half that of
a fish. Gatis was a powerful queen of Sidon, and mother
of Semiramis. She received the title of " Ater," or " Ader,"
" the Great," for the benefits she conferred on her people ;
one of these benefits being a strict conservation of their
fisheries, both from their own imprudent use, and from foreign

* Some writers are of the opinion that the legend of Cannes con-
tains an allusion to the rising and setting of the sun, and that his.
semi-piscine form was the expression of the idea that half his time was
spent above ground, and half below the waves. The same commen-
tators also regard all the " civilizing " gods and goddesses as, respec-
tively, solar and lunar deities. A double character in one impersonation
is so common in ancient mythology, and the attributes symbolized in
the worship of Noah and the sun are so nearly alike, that the two
interpretations are not incompatible.

t From an electrotype kindly presented to me by Messrs. W. and
R. Chambers, Edinburgh.

THE MERMAID. I95

interference. She issued an edict that no fish should be
eaten without her consent, and that no one should take fish
in the neighbouring sea without a licence from herself. It
is not improbable that she and her celebrated daughter, who
is said by Ovid and others to have been the builder of the
walls of Babylon, were worshipped together ; for that
Atergatis was the same as the fish-goddess Ashteroth, or
Ashtoreth, " the builder of the encompassing wall," we have,
amongst other proofs, a remarkable one in Biblical history.
In the first book of Maccabees v. 43, 44, we read that " all
the heathen being discomfited before him (Judas Maccabeus)
cast away their weapons, and fled unto the temple that was
at Carnaim. But they took the city, arid burned the temple
with all that were therein. Thus was Carnaim subdued,
neither could they stand any longer before Judas." In the
second book of Maccabees xii. 26, we are told that " Macca-
beus marched forth to Camion, and to the temple of Atar-
gatis, and there he slew five and twenty thousand persons."
In Genesis xiv. 5, this city and temple are referred to as
" Ashteroth Karnaim"

Fig. 8 is a representation of Ater-
gatis on a medal coined at Marseilles.
It shows that when the Phoenician
colony from Syria, by whom that city
was Founded, settled there, they
brought with them the worship of
the gods of their country.

Atergatis was worshipped by the /IG' ATERGATIS.

Front a Phoenician coin.

Greeks as Derceto and Astarte.

Lucian writes* : — " In Phoenicia I saw the image of Der-
ceto, a strange sight, truly ! For she had the half of
a woman, and from the thighs downwards a fish's tail."

* ' Opera Omnia] torn. ii. p. 884, edit. Bened. de Dcd Syr.

O 2

196

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

Diodorus Siculus describes (lib. ii.) the same deity, as
represented at Ascalbn, as " having the face of a woman,
but all the rest of the body a fish's." And this very same
image at Ascalon, which Diodorus calls Derceto, or
Atergatis, is denominated by Herodotus* "the celestial
Aphrodite," who was identical with the Cyprian and Roman

FIG. 9. — VENUS RISING FROM THE SEA, SUPPORTED BY TRITONS.

After Calmet.

Venus. Of all the sacred buildings erected to the goddess,
this temple was by far the most ancient ; and the Cyprians
themselves acknowledged that their temple was built after
the model of it by certain Phoenicians who came from
that part of Syria.

Thus the worship of Noah, as the second father of man-

(<rv\r)aav TTJS Ovpavirjs 'A<£/Jo8iY»;? TO Ipov. — Lib. i. cap. CV.

THE MERMAID. 197

kind, the repopulator of the earth, passed through various
phases and transformations till it merged in that of Venus,
who rose from the sea, and was regarded as the representa-
tive of the reproductive power of Nature — the goddess whom
Lucretius thus addressed :

" Blest Venus ! Thou the sea and fruitful earth
Peoplest amain ; to thee whatever lives
Its being owes, and that it sees the sun : "

and to whom refers the passage in the Orphic hymn :

" From thee are all things — all things thou producest
Which are in heaven, or in the fertile earth,
Or in the sea, or in the great abyss."

Under this latter phase — the impersonation of Venus —
the fish portion of the body was discarded, and the cast-off
form was allotted in popular credence to the Tritons — minor
deities, who acknowledged the supremacy of the goddess,
and were ready to render her homage and service by bearing
her in their arms, drawing her chariot, etc., but who still
possessed considerable power as sea-gods, and could calm
the waves and rule the storm, at pleasure.

FIG. IO.

VENUS DRAWN IN HER CHARIOT BY TRITONS. From two Corinthian coins.

Figs. 10 and 1 1 are from two Corinthian medals, each
shewing Venus in a car or chariot drawn by Tritons, one
male, the other female. On the obverse ot Fig. 10 is the

i98 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

head of Nero, and on that of Fig. n the head of his
grandmother Agrippina.*

From the very earliest period of history, then, the
conjoined human and fish form was known to every
generation of men. It was presented to their sight in
childhood by sculptures and pictures, and was a conspicuous
object in their religious worship. By the lapse of time its
original import was lost and debased ; and, from being
an emblem and symbol, it came to be accepted as the

* It is worthy of note that the fish was also* adopted as an emblem
by the early Christians, and was frequently sculptured on their tombs
as a private mark or sign of the faith in which the person there
interred had died. It alluded to the letters which composed the
Greek word lx#vs ("a fish") forming an anagram, the initials
of words which conveyed the following sentiment : Irjaovs, Jesus ;
Xpio-ros-, Christ ; Geov, of God ; Yfos, Son ; Somjp, Saviour. But it
doubtless bore, also, the older meaning of " preservation " and " re-
production," of which the fish was the symbol, and betokened a belief
in a future resurrection, as Noah was preserved to dwell in, and
populate, a new world. In * Sea Monsters Unmasked,' page 55
[page 381 of this volume] I gave a figure, copied by permission from the
Illustrated London News, of a rough sculpture in the Roman catacombs,
of Jonah being disgorged by a sea-monster. Near to it was found, on
another Christian tomb, one of these designs of the " fish ; " and it is
not a little curious that, whereas the animal depicted as casting forth
Jonah is not a whale, but a sea-serpent, or dragon, the ichtheus in this
instance is apparently not a fish, but a seal.

FIG. 12.— CHRISTIAN SYMBOL. From the Catacombs at Rome.

The article referred to appeared in the Illustrated London News
of February 3rd, 1872, and the woodcut (Fig. 12), an electrotype of
which was most kindly presented to me by the proprietors of that
paper, was one of the sketches that accompanied it.

THE MERMAID. 199

corporeal shape and structure of actually-existent sea-
deities, who might present themselves to the view of the
mariner, in visible and tangible form, at any moment
Thus were men trained and prepared to believe in mermen
and mermaids, to expect to meet with them at sea, and to
recognise as one of them any animal the appearance and
movements of which could possibly be brought into con-
formity with their pre-conceived ideas.

Accordingly, and very naturally, we find that from north
to south this belief has been entertained. Megasthenes,
who was a contemporary of Aristotle, but his junior, and
whose geographical work was probably written at about
the period of the great philosopher's death, reported that
the sea which surrounded Taprobana, the ancient Ceylon,
was inhabited by creatures having the appearance of
women. ^Elian stated that there were " whales," or " great
fishes," having the form of satyrs. The early Portuguese
settlers in India asserted that true mermen were found in
the Eastern seas, and old Norse legends tell of sub-
marine beings of conjoined human and piscine form, who
dwell in a wide territory far below the region of the fishes,
over which the sea, like the cloudy canopy of our sky,
loftily rolls, and some of whom have, from time to time,
landed on Scandinavian shores, exchanged their fishy
extremities -for human limbs, and acquired amphibious
habits. Not only have poets sung of the wondrous and
seductive beauty of the maidens of these aquatic tribes,
but many a Jack tar has come home from sea prepared to
affirm on oath that he has seen a mermaid. To the best
of his belief he has told the truth. He has seen some
living being which looked wonderfully human, and his
imagination, aided by an inherited superstition, has sup-
plied the rest.

200 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

Before endeavouring to identify the object of his de-
lusion, it may be well to mention a few instances of the
supposed appearance of mermen and mermaidens in various
localities.

Pliny writes : *

" When Tiberius was emperor, an embassy was sent to him from
Olysippo (Lisbon) expressly to inform him that a Triton, which was
recognised as such by its form, had shown itself in a certain cave, and
had been heard to produce loud sounds on a conch-shell. The
Nereid, also, is not imaginary : its body is rough and covered with
scales,_but it has the appearance of a human being. For one was
seen upon the same coast ; and when it was dying those dwelling near
at hand heard it moaning sadly for a long time. And the Governor
of Gaul wrote to the divine Augustus that several Nereids had been
found dead upon the shore. I have many informants — illustrious
persons in high positions — who have assured me that they saw in the
Sea of Cadiz a merman whose whole body was exactly like that of a
man, that these mermen mount on board ships by night, and weigh
down that end of the vessel on which they rest, and that if they are
allowed to remain there long they will sink the ship."

^Elian in one of his short, jerky, disconnected chapters, t
which rarely exceed a page in length, and some of which
only contain two lines, writes :

"It is reported that the great sea which surrounds the island of
Taprobana (Ceylon) contains an immense multitude of fishes and
whales, and some of them have the heads of lions, panthers, rams, and
other animals ; and (which is more wonderful still) some of the ceta-
ceans have the form of satyrs. There are others which have the face
of a woman, but prickles instead of hair. In addition to these, it is
said there are other creatures of so strange and monstrous a kind that
it would be impossible exactly to explain their appearance without the
aid of a skilfully drawn picture : these have elongated and coiled tails,
and, for feet, have clawsj or fins. And I hear that in the same sea
there are great amphibious beasts which are gregarious, and live on

* Naturalis Historia, lib. ix. cap. v.
t De Naturd Animalium, lib. xvi. cap. xviii.

t " Forfices? literally " shears," or " nippers," like the claws of a
lobster.

THE MERMAID 201

grain, and by night feed on the corn crops and grass, and are also
very fond of the ripe fruit of the palms. To obtain these they encircle
in their em-brace the trees which are young and flexible, and, shaking
them violently, enjoy the fruit which they thus cause to fall. When
morning dawns they return to the sea, and plunge beneath the waves."

^Elian seems to have derived this information from
Megasthenes, already referred to ; but in another chapter,*
he writes with greater certainty concerning these semi-
human whales, and claims divine authority for his belief in
the existence of tritons.

" Although," he says, " we have no rational explanation nor absolute
proof of that which fishermen are said to be able to affirm concerning
the form of the tritons, we have the sworn testimony of many persons
that there are in the sea cetaceans which from the head down to the
middle of the body resemble the human species. Demostratus, in his
works on fishing, says that an aged triton was seen near the town of
Tanagra, in Bceotia, which was like the drawings and pictures of
tritons, but its features were so obscured by age, and it disappeared so
quickly, that its true character was not easily perceptible. But on the
spot where it had rested on the shore were found some rough and very
hard scales which had become detached from it. A certain senator —
one of those selected by lot to carry on the administration of Achaia
and the duties of the annual magistracy " (the mayor, in fact) — " being
anxious to investigate the nature of this triton, put a portion of its
skin on the fire. It gave out a most horrible odour; and those
standing by were unable to decide whether it belonged to a terrestrial
or marine animal. But the magistrate's curiosity had an evil ending,
for very soon afterwards, whilst crossing a narrow creek in a boat, he
fell overboard and was drowned ; and the Tanagreans all regarded
this as a judgment upon him for his crime of impiety towards the
triton — an interpretation which was confirmed when his decomposing
body was cast ashore, for it emitted exactly the same odour as had
the burned skin of the triton. The Tanagreans and Demostratus
explain whence the triton had strayed, and how it was stranded in
this place. I believe that tritons exist, and I reverentially produce
as my witness a most veracious god — namely, Apollo Didymaeus,
whom no man in his senses would presume to regard as unworthy of

* Lib. xiii. cap. xxi.

202 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

credit. He sings thus of the triton, which he calls the sheep of the
sea:

1 Dum vocale marts monstrum natst cequore triton
Neptuni pecus, in funes forte incidit extra
Demissos navim '/"

which I venture to translate as follows :

A triton, vocal monster of the deep,
One of a flock of Neptune's scaly sheep,
Was caught, as o'er the wat'ry plain he strayed,
By lines which fishers from their boat had laid.

" Therefore," Lilian concludes, " if he, the omniscient god, pro-
nounces that there are tritons, it does not b ehove us to doubt their
existence."

Sir J. Emmerson Tennent, in his 'Natural History of
Ceylon/ quoting from the Histoire de la Compagnie de
Jesus, mentions that the annalist of the exploits of the
Jesuits in India gravely records that seven of these
monsters, male and female, were captured at Manaar, in
1560, and carried to Goa, where they were dissected by
Demas Bosquez, physician to the Viceroy, " and their in-
ternal structure found to be in all respects conformable to
the human." He also quotes Francois Valentijn, one of the
Dutch colonial chaplains, who, in his account of the
Natural History of Amboyna,* embodied in his great work
on the Netherlands' possessions in India, published in 1727,!
devoted the first section of his chapter on the fishes of that
island to a minute description of the " Zee-Menschen,"
" Zee-Wyven," and mermaids, the existence of which he
warmly insists on as being beyond cavil. He relates that
in 1 65 3, when a lieutenant in the Dutch service was leading
a party of soldiers along the sea-shore in Amboyna, he and

* One of the Dutch spice-islands in the Banda Sea, between Celebes
and Papua.

t Beschrijving van Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indien, etc., 5 vols. folio,
Dordrecht and Amsterdam, 1727, vol. iii. p. 330.

THE MERMAID. 203

all his company saw two mermen swimming at a short
distance from the beach.

" They had long and flowing hair of a colour between grey and
green, and from their swimming side by side it was presumed that
they were male and female. Six weeks afterwards the creatures were
again seen by him and more than fifty witnesses, at the same place,
by clear daylight. If any narrative in the world," adds Valentijn,
" deserves credit it is this ; since not only one, but two mermen
together were seen by so many eye-witnesses. Should the stubborn
world, however, hesitate to believe it, it matters nothing, ^s there are
people who would even deny that such cities as Rome, Constantinople,
or Cairo, exist, merely because they themselves have not happened to
see them. But what are such incredulous persons," he continues, " to
make of the circumstance recorded by Albrecht Herport* in his
account of India, that a merman was seen in the water near the
church of Taquan on the morning of the 2Qth of April, 1661, and a
mermaid at the same spot the same afternoon ? Or what do they say
to the fact that in 17 14 a mermaid was not only seen but captured
near the island of Boero, five feet, Rhineland measure, in height ;
which lived four days and seven hours, but, refusing all food, died
without leaving any intelligible account of herself?"!

This last example is said to have been taken in 1712 by
a district visitor of the church, who presented it to the
Governor Vander Stell. Of this "well-authenticated" speci-
men Valentijn gives, on a large uncoloured plate, an

* Itinerarium Indicum, Berne, 1669.

f Valentijn's arguments are as amusingly quaint as the description
given by Stow, in his 'Annals' (p. 157), from the 'Chronicle' of
Radulphus Coggeshale, of a merman taken on the coast of Suffolk in
the time of Henry II. " Neare unto Orford in Suffolk," he writes,
" certain fishers of the sea tooke in their nets a fish having the shape
of a man in all points ; which fish was kept by Bartholomew de Glaun-
ville, custos of the castle of Orford, in the same castle by the space
of six moneths and more, for a wonder. He spake not a word. All
manner of meates he did eate, but, most greedily, raw fish, after he had
crushed out the moisture. Oftentimes he was brought to the church,
where he shewed no signs of adoration. At length he stole away to
sea, and never after appeared."

204

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

elaborate portrait amongst those of the most remarkable
fishes of the island*

This plate and the others in the third volume of his fine
work, in which the fishes of the Bornean Archipelago are
depicted in gorgeous hues, are copied in smaller size from
a series of drawings from nature by Samuel Fallours,
which had been previously published in 1717 by Louis
Renard, in two handsome volumes, dedicated by him to

FIG. 13. — MERMAID AND FISHES OF AMBOYNA. After Vdlmtijn.

King George III. of England. These plates are tinted by
hand in such resplendent colours that the editor felt it
necessary to obtain certificates from clergymen and others
that they were true to Nature, and that the brilliancy of
the coloration was not exaggerated. Amongst them is the
picture of the mermaid reproduced by Valentijn, and the
following description is given of it.

* With the permission and assistance of Messrs. Longman, the.
accompanying wood-cut of this picture, and that of the Dugong, on page
231, are copied from Sir J. Emerson Tennent's book published in 1861.

THE MERMAID. 205

" Zee-wyf. A monster resembling a Siren taken on the coast of the
Island of Borne' or Boeren, in the department of Amboyna. It was
fifty-nine inches long, and of the thickness of an eel of proportionate
size. It lived on land, in a large tub full of water, during four days
and seven hours. It occasionally uttered little cries, like those of a
mouse. It would not take food, although small fishes, mollusks, crabs,
crayfishes, &c., were placed before it. After its death some excre-
ments, like those of a cat, were found in its tub."*

The Emperor Peter the Great of Russia, happening to
visit Renard, who was then the British representative at
Amsterdam, whilst he was preparing these plates for pub-
lication, saw and admired them, and was so much interested
by the figure of the mermaid that he expressed a desire to
know more about it, and to have some confirmation of the
description given of it. Renard accordingly wrote at once
(on the i /th of December, 1716) to Valentijn, who had
returned from the Indies, and was then a minister of the
gospel at Dordrecht, informing him that he was instructed
to apply to him by the Czar, who thought it possible that
the mermaid might have been sent to him from Amboyna
by the governor, Vander Stell. Valentijn replied that it
was not impossible that, after he had left Amboyna, the
mermaid might have been seen by Fallours, but that, up
to that date, he had neither seen nor heard of the original
of the drawing enclosed in Renard's letter. But he assured
his correspondent that there are such monsters, and, in
proof thereof, declared that in addition to other trustworthy
evidence, which he mentioned,

" He could himself affirm that, during his voyage home from the
East, he saw on the ist of May, 1714, in lat. 12° 18', and on the
meridian, during clear, calm weather, and at a distance of only three
or four ships' lengths, a monster which was apparently a sea-man. It

* Poissons, Ecrevisses, et Crabbes des hies Moluques et Terres
Australes. L. Renard. Amsterdam.

2o6 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

was ot a ' sea-grey * colour, stood well up out of the water, and seemed
to have on its head a kind of fisherman's cap made of moss. All the
ship's crew saw it also. Although its back was towards them, it
perceived that they were approaching too near, and dived suddenly
beneath the surface, and was seen no more."

To complete his proofs of the existence of mermen and
merwomen, Valentijn, in his subsequently published work,
points triumphantly to the historical fact that in Holland,
in the year 1404, a mermaid was driven, during a tempest,
through a breach in the dyke of Edam, in West Friesland,
and was taken alive in the lake of Purmer. Some girls
going in a boat to milk their cows observing her in the
shallow water, and embarrassed in the mud, took her home,
dressed her in female attire, and taught her to spin.*
Thence she was taken to Haarlem, where she lived for
several years, always showing a strong inclination for
water, and where, several years after, she died in the
Roman Catholic faith ; — " but this," says the pious Calvin-
istic chaplain, " in no way militates against the truth of her
story." The worthy minister citing the authority of
various writers as proof that mermaids had in all ages been
known in Gaul, Naples, Epirus and the Morea, comes to
the conclusion that as there are " sea-cows," " sea-horses,"
" sea-dogs," as well as " sea-trees," and " sea-flowers," which he
himself had seen, there are no reasonable grounds for doubt
that there may also be " sea-maidens " and " sea-men."

In an early account of Newfoundland,! Whitbourne
describes a "maremaid or marernan," which he had seen
" within the length of a pike," and which " came swimming
swiftly towards him, looking cheerfully on his face, as it had
been a woman. By the face, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, ears,
neck and forehead, it appeared to be so beautiful, and in

* Panval's Delices de Hollande.

f Whitbourne's ' Discourse of Newfoundland.'

THE MERMAID. 207

those parts so well proportioned, having round about the
head many blue streaks resembling hair, but certainly it
was no hair. The shoulders and back down to the middle
were square, white, and smooth as the back of a man, and
from the middle to the end it tapered like a broad-hooked
arrow." The animal put both its paws on the side of the
boat wherein its observer sat, and strove much to get in,
but was repelled by a blow.

In 1676, a description was given by an English surgeon
named Glover, of an animal of this kind. The author did
not designate it by any name, but his account of it was
communicated to the Royal Society, and was duly recorded
in the Philosophical Transactions*

" About three leagues from the mouth of the river Rappahannock,
in America, while alone in a vessel, I observed, at the distance of about
half a stone-throw," he says, "a most prodigious creature, much
resembling a man, only somewhat larger, standing right up in the
water, with his head, neck, shoulders, breast and waist, to the cubits
of his arms, above water, and his skin was tawny, much like that of
an Indian ; the figure of his head was pyramidal and sleek, without
hair ; his eyes large and black, and so were his eyebrows ; his mouth
very wide, with a broad black streak on the upper lip, which turned
upwards at each end like mustachios. His countenance was grim and
terrible. His neck, shoulders, arms, breast and waist, were like unto
the neck, arms, shoulders, breast and waist of a man. His hands, if
he had any, were under water. He seemed to stand with his eyes
fixed on me for some time, and afterwards dived down, and, a little
after, rose at somewhat a greater distance, and turned his head
towards me again, and then immediately fell a little under water, that
I could discern him throw out his arms and gather them in as a man
does when he swims. At last, he shot with his head downwards, by
which means he cast his tail above the water, which exactly re-
sembled the tail of a fish, with a broad fane at the end of it."

Dr. John Hill tells us t that soon after the publication of

* Glover's * Account of Virginia,' ap. Phil. Trans, vol. xi. p. 625.
f 'A Review of the Works of the Royal Society of London,' 1751,
p. 96.

2o8 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

this "transaction" it was ascertained that "the creature
was no other than an Indian of the country diverting
himself with swimming, and having a high cap upon his
head made of split wood, in the manner of our basket-work,
to keep up his hair."

Thormodus Torfseus * maintains that mermaids are
found on the south coast of Iceland, and, according to
Olafsen,f two have been taken in the surrounding seas,
the first in the earlier part of the history of that island, and
the second in 1733. The latter was found in the stomach
of a shark. Its lower parts were consumed, but the upper
were entire. They were as large as those of a boy eight or
nine years old. Both the cutting teeth and grinders were
long and shaped like pins, and the fingers were connected
by a large web. Olafsen was inclined to believe that these
were human remains, but the islanders all firmly main-
tained that they were part of a " marmennill," by which
name the mermaid is known among them.

Of course the worthy bishop of Bergen, Pontoppidan,
has something to tell us about mermaids in his part of the
world.

"Amongst the sea monsters," he say s,$" which are in the North
Sea, and are often seen, I shall give the first place to the Hav-manden,
or merman, whose mate is called Hav-fruen, or mermaid. The
existence of this creature is questioned by many, nor is it at all to be
wondered at, because most of the accounts we have had of it are
mixed with mere fables, an£ may be looked upon as idle tales."

As such he regards the story told by Jonas Ramus in
his ' History of Norway,' of a mermaid taken by fishermen
at Hordeland, near Bergen, and which is said to have sung
an unmusical song to King Hiorlief. In the same category

* Historia rerum Norvegicarum.

t Voyage en Islands, torn. iii. p. 223.

t * Natural History of Norway,' vol. ii. p. 190.

THE MERMAID. 209

he places an account given by Besenius in his life of
Frederic II. (1577), of a mermaid that called herself
Isbrandt, and held several conversations with a peasant
at Samsoe, in which she foretold the birth of King
Christian IV., "and made the peasant preach repentance
to the courtiers, who were very much given to drunken-
ness." Equally " idle " with the above stories is, in his
opinion, another, extracted from an old manuscript still
to be seen in the University Library at Copenhagen, and
quoted by Andrew Bussaeus (1619), of a merman caught
by the two senators, Ulf Rosensparre and Christian Holch,
whilst on their voyage home to Denmark from Norway.
This sea-man frightened the two worshipful gentlemen so
terribly that they were glad to let him go again ; for
as he lay upon the deck he spoke Danish to them, and
threatened that if they did not give him his liberty " the
ship should be cast away, and every soul of the crew
should perish." »

" When such fictions as these," says Pontoppidan, " are
mixed with the history of the merman, and when that
creature is represented as a prophet and an orator ; when
they give the mermaid a melodious voice, and tell us that
she is a fine singer, we need not wonder that so few people
of sense will give credit to such absurdities, or that they
even doubt the existence of such a creature." The good
prelate, however, goes on to say that " whilst we have no
ground to believe all these fables, yet, as to the existence
of the creature we may safely give our assent to it," and,
" if this be called in question, it must proceed entirely from
the fatulous stories usually mixed with the truth." Like
Valentijn, he argues that as there are " sea-horses," " sea-
cows," " sea-wolves," " sea-dogs," " sea-hogs," &c., it is pro-
bable, from analogy, that " we should find in the ocean a

VOL. ill. — H. P

210 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

fish or creature which resembles the human species more
than any other." As for the objection " founded on self-
love and respect to our own species which is honoured with
the image of God, who made man lord of all creatures, and
that, consequently, we may suppose he is entitled to a
noble and heavenly form which other creatures must not
partake of," he thinks " its force vanishes when we consider
the form of apes, and especially of another African creature
called 'Quoyas Morrov' described by Odoard Dapper in
his work on Africa," and which appears to have been a
chimpanzee. Pontoppidan regarded it as being the Satyr
of the ancients. He therefore claims that " if we will not
allow our Norwegian Hastromber the honourable name of
merman, we may very well call it the ( Sea-ape,' or the
' Sea-Quoyas-Morrov ;' " especially as the author already
quoted says that, "in the Sea of Angola mermaids are
frequently caught which resemble the human species. They
are taken in nets, and killed by the negroes, and are heard
to shriek and cry like women."

The Bishop adds that in the diocese of Bergen, as well
as in the manor of Nordland, there were hundreds of
persons who affirmed with the strongest assurances that
they had seen this kind of creature ; sometimes at a
distance and at other times quite close to their boats,
standing upright, and formed like a human creature down
to the middle — the rest they could not see — but of those
who had seen them out of water and handled them he had
not been able to find more than one person of credit who
could vouch it for truth. This informant, " the Reverend
Mr. Peter Angel, minister of Vand-Elvens Gie'ld, on
Suderoe," assured his bishop, when he was on a visitation
journey, that

" In tbe year 1719, he (being then about twenty years old) saw what

THE MERMAID. 211

is called a merman lying dead on a point of land near the sea, which
had been cast ashore by the waves along with several sea-calves
(seals), and other dead fish. The length of this creature was much
greater than what has been mentioned of any before, namely, above
three fathoms. It was of a dark grey colour all over ; in the lower
part it was like a fish, and had a tail like that of a porpoise. The
face resembled that of a man, with a mouth, forehead, eyes, etc.
The nose was flat, and, as it were, pressed down to the face, in which
the nostrils were very visible. The breast was not far from the head ;
the arms seemed to hang to the side, to which they were joined by a
thin skin, or membrane. The hands were, to all appearance, like the
paws of a sea-calf. The back of this creature was very fat, and a
great part of it was cut off, which, with the liver, yielded a large
quantity of train-oil."

The author then quotes a description by Luke Debes *
of a mermaid seen in 1670 at Faroe, westward of Qualboe
Eide, by many of the inhabitants, as also by others from
different parts of Suderoe. She was close to the shore, and
stood there for two hours and a half, and was up to her
waist in water. She had long hairs on her head, which
hung down to the surface of the water all round about her,
and she held a fish in her right hand.

Pontoppidan mentions other instances of similar appear-
ances, and says that the latest he had heard of was of a
merman seen in Denmark on the 2Oth of September, 1723,
by three ferrymen who, at some distance from the land,
were towing a ship just arrived from the Baltic. Having
caught sight of something which looked like a dead body
floating on the water, they rowed towards it, and there,
resting on their oars, allowed it to drift close to them. It
sank, but immediately came to the surface again, and then
they saw that it had the appearance of an old man, strong-
limbed, and with broad shoulders, but his arms they could
not see. His head was small in proportion to his body,

* Feroa Reserata^v Description of the Feroe Islands. 8vo. Copen-
hagen, 1673.

P 2

212 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

and had short, curled, black hair, which did not reach below
his ears ; his eyes lay deep in his head, and he had a
meagre and pinched face, with a black, coarse beard, that
looked as if it had been cut. His skin was coarse, and
very full of hair. He stood in the same place for half a
quarter of an hour, and was seen above the water down to
his breast: at last the men grew apprehensive of some
danger, and began to retire ; upon which the monster
blew up his cheeks, and made a kind of roaring noise, and
then dived under water, so that they did not see him any
more. One of them, Peter Gunnersen, related (what the
others did not observe) that this merman was, about the
body and downwards, quite pointed, like a fish. This same
Peter Gunnersen likewise deposed that " about twenty years
before, as he was in a boat near Kulleor, the place where
he was born, he saw a mermaid with long hair and large
breasts." He and his two companions were, by command
of the king, examined by the burgomaster of Elsineur,
Andrew Bussaeus, before the privy-councillor, Fridrich von
Gram, and their testimony to the above effect was given
on their respective oaths.

Brave old Henry Hudson, the sturdy and renowned
navigator, who thrice, in three successive years, gave battle
to . the. northern ice, and was each time defeated in his
endeavour to discover a north-west or north-east passage
to China, though he stamped his name on the title-page of
a mighty nation's history, records the following incident : —

" This evening (June 1 5th) one of our company, looking overboard,
saw a mermaid, and, calling up some of the company to see her, one
more of the crew came up, and by that time she was come close to
the ship's side, looking earnestly on the men. A little after a sea
came and overturned her. From the naVel upward, her back and
breasts were like a woman's, as they say that saw her ; her body as
big as one of us, her skin very white, and long hair hanging down

THE MERMAID. 213

behind, of colour black. In her going down they saw her tail, which
was like the tail of a porpoise and speckled like a mackerel's. Their
names that saw her were Thomas Hilles and Robert Rayner."

Steller, who was a zoologist of some repute, reported
having seen in Behrings Straits a strange animal, which he
called a " sea-ape," and in which one might almost recog-
nise Pontoppidan's " Sea-Quoyas-Morrov." It was about
five feet long, had sharp and erect ears and large eyes,
and on its lips a kind of beard. Its body was thick and
round, and tapered to the tail, which was bifurcated, with
the upper lobe longest. It was covered with thick hair,
grey on the back, and red on the belly. No feet nor paws
were visible. It was full of frolic, and sported in the
manner of a monkey, swimming sometimes on one side of
the ship and sometimes on the other. It often raised one-
third of its body out of the water, and stood upright for a
considerable time. It would frequently bring up a sea-
plant, not unlike a bottle-gourd, which it would toss about
and catch in its mouth, playing numberless fantastic tricks
with it.

But it is probable that Steller afterwards recognised the
animal, which he at the time compared to the ape ; for he
gives the following description of the sea-otter, which is
now so rare and shy, but which in his time, and on the
previously unvisited islands in Behring's Sea, was both
common and free from timidity at the sight of man.

" With respect to playfulness," he says, " it surpasses every other
animal that lives either in the sea or on the land. When it comes up
out of the sea it shakes the water from its fur, and dresses it, as a cat
does its head with its fore-paws, stretches its body, arranges its hair,
throws its head this way and that, contemplating itself and its beau-
tiful fur with evident satisfaction. The animal is so much taken up
with this dressing of itself, that while thus employed it may be easily
approached and killed. If it eludes an attack it makes the most

214 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

laughable gestures to the hunter. It looks at him, placing one foot
above the head, as if to protect it from the sunlight, throws itself on
its back, and, turning to its enemy, as if in scorn, scratches itself on
the belly and legs. The female is very fond of her young. When
attacked she never leaves it in the lurch, and when danger is not near
she plays with it in a thousand ways, throws it up in the air, and
catches it in her fore-feet like a ball, swims about with it in her bosom,
throws it away now and then, to let it exercise itself in the art of
swimming, but takes it to herself with caresses when it is tired."

Accounts somewhat similar to that of Steller have been
brought from the Southern Hemisphere, two, at least, of
which are worth transcribing.

Captain Colnett, in his * Voyage to the South Atlantic/
says : —

" A very singular circumstance happened off the coast of Chili, in
lat. 24° S., which spread some alarm amongst my people, and awakened
their superstitious apprehensions. About 8 o'clock in the evening an
animal rose alongside the ship, and uttered such shrieks and tones of
lamentation, so much like those produced by the female human voice
when expressing the deepest distress, as to occasion no small degree
of alarm among those who first heard it. These cries continued for
upwards of three hours, and seemed to increase as the ship sailed from
it. I never heard any noise whatever that approached so near those
sounds which proceed from the organs of utterance in the human
species."

Captain Weddell, in his 'Voyage towards the South
Pole' (p. 143), writes that one of his men, having been left
ashore on Hall's Island to take care of some produce, heard
one night about ten o'clock, after he had lain down to rest,
a noise resembling human cries. As daylight does not
disappear in those latitudes at the season in which the
incident occurred, the sailor rose and searched along the
beach, thinking that, possibly, a boat might have been
upset, and that some of the crew might be clinging to the
detached rocks.

THE MERMAID. 215

" Roused by that voice of silver sound,
From the paved floor he lightly sprung,
And, glaring with his eyes around,
Where the fair nymph her tresses wrung." *

Guided by occasional sounds, he at length saw an object
lying on a rock a dozen yards from the shore, at which he
was somewhat frightened. "The face and shoulders ap-
peared of human form and of a reddish colour ; over the
shoulders hung long green hair ; the tail resembled that of
a seal, but the extremities of the arms he could not see
distinctly."

" As on the wond'ring youth she smiled,
Again she raised the melting lay," *

for the creature continued to make a musical noise during
the two minutes he gazed at it, and, on perceiving him,
disappeared in an instant.

The universality of the belief in an animal of combined
human and fish-like form is very remarkable. That it
exists amongst the Japanese we have evidence in their
curious and ingeniously-constructed models which are
occasionally brought to this country. I have one of
these which is so exactly the counterpart of that which
my friend Mr. Frank Buckland described, originally in
Land and Water, and which forms the subject of a
chapter in his ' Curiosities of Natural History/ f that the
portrait of the one (Fig. 14) will equally well represent
the other. The lower half of the body is made of the skin
and scales of a fish of the carp family, and fastened on
to this, so neatly that it is hardly possible to detect where
the joint is made, is a wooden body, the ribs of which are so
prominent that the poor mermaid has a miserable and half-

* John Ley den.

f Third Series, vol. ii. p. 134, 2nd ed. -4

2l6

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

starved appearance. The upper part of the body is in the
attitude of a Sphinx, leaning upon its elbows and fore-arms.
The arms are thin and scraggy, and the fingers attenuated

FIG. 14. — A JAPANESE ARTIFICIAL MERMAID.

and skeleton-like. The nails are formed of small pieces of
ivory or bone. The head is like that of a small monkey, and
a little wool covers the crown, so thinly and untidily that if
the mermaid possessed a crystal mirror she would see the
necessity for the vigorous use of her
comb of pearl. The teeth are those
of some fish — apparently of the cat-
fish, (Anarchicas lupus). These Japa-
nese artificial mermaids have brought
many a dollar into the pockets of
Mr. Barnum and other showmen.

Somewhat different in appearance
from this, but of the same kind, was
an artificial mermaid described in the
Saturday Magazine of June 4th, 1836.
Fig. 15 is a> facsimile of the woodcut
which accompanied it. This grotesque
composition was exhibited in a glass
case, some years previously, " in a
leading street at the west end " of
London. It was constructed " of the skin of the head and
shoulders of a monkey, which was attached to the dried

FIG. 15. — AN ARTIFICIAL
MERMAID, PROBABLY
JAPANESE.

THE MERMAID.

217

skin of a fish of the salmon kind with the head cut off, and
the whole was stuffed and highly varnished, the better to
deceive the eye." It was said to have been " taken by the
crew of a Dutch vessel from on board a native Malacca
boat, and from the reverence shown to it, it was supposed
to be a representative of one of their idol gods." I am
inclined to think that it was of Japanese origin.

Fig. 1 6 is described in the article above referred to as
having been copied from a Japanese drawing, and as being
a portrait of one of their deities. Its similarity to one of
those of the Assyrians (Fig. 2,
page 187) is remarkable. The
inscription, however, does not
indicate this. The Chinese cha-
racters in the centre — " Nin
giyo " — signify " human fish ; "
those on the right in Japanese
Hira Kana, or running-hand,
have the same purport, and
those on the left, in Kata Kana,
the characters of the Japanese
alphabet, mean " Ichi him ike"

— " one day kept alive." The whole legend seems to pretend
that 'this human fish was actually caught, and kept alive in
water for twenty-four hours, but, as the box on which it is
inscribed is one of those in which the Japanese showmen
keep their toys, it was probably the subject of a "penny
peep-show."

We need not travel from our own country to find the
belief in mermaids yet existing. It is still credited in the
north of Scotland that they inhabit the neighbouring seas :
and Dr. Robert Hamilton, F.R.S.E., writing in 1839, ex-
pressed emphatically his opinion that there was then as

FIG. 16. — A MERMAID. From a
Japanese picture.

2i8 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

much ignorance on this subject as had prevailed at any
former period.*

In the year 1797, Mr. Munro, schoolmaster of Thurso, -affirmed that
he had seen " a figure like a naked female, sitting on a rock projecting
into the sea, at Sandside Head, in the parish of Reay. Its head was
covered with long, thick, light-brown hair, flowing down on the
shoulders. The forehead was round, the face plump, and the cheeks
ruddy. The mouth and lips resembled those of a human being, and
the eyes were blue. The arms, fingers, breast, and abdomen were as
large as those of a full-grown female," and, altogether,

" That sea- nymph's form of pearly light
Was whiter than the downy spray,
And round her bosom, heaving bright,
Her glossy yellow ringlets play."f

" This creature," continued Mr. Munro, " was apparently in the act
of combing its hair with its fingers, which seemed to afford it pleasure,
and it remained thus occupied during some minutes, when it dropped
into the sea."

The Dominie

"saw the maiden there,
Just as the daylight faded,
Braiding her locks of gowden hair
An' singing as she braided," %

but he did not remark whether the fingers were webbed.
On the whole, he infers that this was a marine animal of
which he had a distinct and satisfactory view, and that
the portion seen by him bore a narrow resemblance to the
human form. But for the dangerous situation it had
chosen, and its appearance among the waves, he would
have supposed it to be a woman. Twelve years later,
several persons observed near the same spot an animal
which they, also, supposed to be a mermaid.

* Naturalist's Library, Marine Amphibiae, p. 291.

t John Leyden.

I The Ettrick Shepherd.

THE MERMAID. 219

A very remarkable story of this kind is one related by
Dr. Robert Hamilton in the volume already referred to,
and for the general truth of which he vouches, from his
personal knowledge of some of the persons connected with
the occurrence. In 1823 it was reported that some fisher-
men of Yell, one of the Shetland group, had captured a
mermaid by its being entangled in their lines. The state-
ment was that

"The animal was about three feet long, the upper part of the body
resembling the human, with protuberant mammae, like a woman ; the
face, forehead, and neck were short, and resembled those of a monkey ;
the arms, which were small, were kept folded across the breast ; the
fingers were distinct, not webbed ; a few stiff, long bristles were on the
top of the head, extending down to the shoulders, and these it could
erect and depress at pleasure, something like a crest. The inferior
part of the body was like a fish. The skin was smooth, and of a grey
colour. It offered no resistance, nor attempted to bite, but uttered a
low, plaintive sound. The crew, six in number, took it within their
boat, but, superstition getting the better of curiosity, they carefully
disentangled it from the lines and a hook which had accidentally
become fastened in its body, and returned it to its native* element.
It instantly dived, descending in a perpendicular direction."

Mr. Edmonston, the original narrator of this incident,
was "a well-known and intelligent observer," says Dr.
Hamilton, and in a communication made by him to the
Professor of Natural History in the Edinburgh University
gave the following additional particulars, which he had
learned from the skipper and one of the crew of the
boat : —

" They had the animal for three hours .within the boat: the body
was without scales or hair ; it was of a silvery grey colour above, and
white below ; it was like the human skin ; no gills were observed, nor
fins on the back or belly. The tail was like that of a dog-fish ; the
mammae were about as large as those of a woman ; the mouth and
lips were very distinct, and resembled the human. Not one of the
six men dreamed of a doubt of its being a mermaid, and it could not

220 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

be suggested that they were influenced by their fears, for the mermaid
is not an object of terror to fishermen ; it is rather a welcome guest,
and danger is apprehended from its experiencing bad treatment."

Mr. Edmonston concludes by saying that

" The usual resources of scepticism that the seals and other sea-
animals appearing under certain circumstances, operating upon an
excited imagination, and so producing ocular illusion, cannot avail
here. It is quite impossible that six Shetland fishermen could commit
such a mistake."

It would seem that the narrator demands that his readers
shall be silenced, if unconvinced ; but

" He that complies against his will
Is of his own opinion still."

This incident is well-attested, and merits respectful and
careful consideration. If Mr. Edmonston himself had seen
the animal, his evidence would have been still more im-
portant ; but I decline to admit any such impossibility of
error in observation or description on the part of the
fishermen, or the further impossibility of recognising in the
animal captured by them one known to naturalists. The
particulars given in this instance, and also of the supposed
merman seen cast ashore dead in 1719 by the Rev. Peter
Angel (p. 210), are sufficiently accurate descriptions of a
warm-blooded marine animal, with which the Shetlanders,
and probably Mr. Edmonston also, were unacquainted,
namely, the rytina, of which I shall have more to say
presently (p. 228).

It would be hazarding too much to identify them
with that Sirenian, for its only known habitat is far
away northward in Behring's Sea; yet these occurrences
seem to me to afford some indication that as this remark-
able beast, which was supposed to have become extinct in
1768, is now known to have been still in existence in 1854,
it is not impossible that, at rare intervals, individuals of

THE MERMAID. 221

this genus may have been carried by ice, or driven by
currents or weather, further south than it was met with by
its original describer, Steller.

Turning to Ireland, we find the same credence in the
semi-human fish, or fish-tailed human being. It was
affirmed —

"That in the autumn of 1819. a creature appeared on the Irish
coast, about the size of a girl ten years of age, with a bosom as pro-
minent as one of sixteen, having a profusion of long dark-brown hair,
and full, dark eyes. The hands and arms were formed like those
of a man, with a slight web connecting the upper part of the ringers,
which were frequently employed in throwing back and dividing the
hair. The tail appeared like that of a dolphin."

This creature remained basking on the rocks during an
hour, in the sight of numbers of people, until frightened by
the flash of a musket, when

" Away she went with a sea-gull's scream,
And a splash of her saucy tail," *

for it instantly plunged with a scream into the sea.

From Irish legends we learn that those sea-nereids, the
" Merrows," or " Moruachs " came occasionally from the sea
gained the affections of men, and interested themselves in
their affairs ; and similar traditions of the " Morgan " (sea-
women) and the " Morverch " (sea-daughters) are current in
Brittany.

In English poetry the mermaid has been the subject of
many charming verses, and Shakspeare alludes to it in his
plays no less than six times. The head-quarters of these
" daughters of the sea " in England, or of the belief in their
existence, are in Cornwall There the fishermen, many a

time and

"Oft, beneath the silver moon,f

Has heard, afar, the mermaid sing,"

* Thomas Hood. ' The Mermaid at Margate.'
f John Leyden.

222 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

and has listened, so they say, to

"The mermaid's sweet sea-soothing lay
That charmed the dancing waves to sleep."*

Mr. Robert Hunt, F.R.S., in his collection of the tradi-
tions and superstitions of old Cornwall,! records several
curious legends of the " merrymaids " and " merrymen "
(the local name of mermaids), which he had gathered from
the fisher-folk and peasants in different parts of that
county.

And, in a pleasant article in 'All the Year Round/I 1865,
" A Cornish Vicar " § mentions some of the superstitions of
the people in his neighbourhood, and the perplexing
questions they occasionally put to him. One of his
parishioners, an old man named Anthony Cleverdon, but
who was popularly known as " Uncle Tony," having been
the seventh son of his parents, in direct succession, was
looked upon, in consequence, as a soothsayer. This
" ancient augur " confided to his pastor many highly effica-
cious charms and formularies, and, in return, sought for
information from him on other subjects. One day he
puzzled the parson by a question which so well illustrates
the local ideas concerning mermaids, and the sequel of
which is, moreover, so humorously related by the vicar,
that I venture to quote his own words, as follows : —

" Uncle Tony said to me, ' Sir, there is one thing I want to ask you,
if I may be so free, and it is this : why should a merrymaid, that will
ride about upon the waters in such terrible storms, and toss from sea
to sea in such ruckles as there be upon the coast, why should she
never lose her looking-glass and comb?' 'Well, I suppose,' said I,

* John Leyden.

f ' Romances and Drolls of the West of England.' London :
Hotten, 1871.

J Vol. xiii. p. 336.

• § The " Cornish Vicar " was, evidently, the Rev. Robert Stephen
Hawker, M.A., Vicar of Morwenstow, and author of ' Echoes from
Old Cornwall,' ' Footprints of Former Men in Cornwall,' £c.

THE MERMAID. 223

' that if there are such creatures, Tony, they must wear their looking-
glasses and combs fastened on somehow, like fins to a fish.* ' See ! '
said Tony, chuckling with delight, ' what a thing it is to know the
Scriptures, like your reverence ; I should never have found it out.
But there's another point, sir, I should like to know, if you please ;
I've been bothered about it in my mind hundreds of times. Here be
I, that have gone up and down Holacombe cliffs and streams fifty
years come next Candlemas, and I've gone and watched the water by
moonlight and sunlight, days and nights, on purpose, in rough weather
and smooth (even Sundays, too, saving your presence), and my sight
as good as most men's, and yet I never could come to see a merry-
maid in all my life : how's that, sir ? J * Are you sure, Tony,' I re-
joined, ' that there are such things in existence at all ? ' { Oh, sir, my
old father see her twice ! He was out one night for wreck (my father
watched the coast, like most of the old people formerly), and it came
to pass that he was down at the duck-pool on the sand at low- water
tide, and all to once he heard music in the sea. Well, he croped on
behind a rock, like a coastguardsman watching a boat, and got very
near the music .... and there was the merrymaid, very plain to be
seen, swimming about upon the waves like a woman bathing — and
singing away. But my father said it was very sad and solemn to
hear — more like the tune of a funeral hymn than a Christmas carol,
by far — but it was so sweet that it was as much as he could do to hold
back from plunging into the tide after her. And he an old man of
sixty-seven, with a wife and a houseful of children at home. The
second time was down here by Holacombe Pits. He had been looking
out for spars — there was a ship breaking up in the Channel— and he
saw some one move just at half-tide mark ; so he went on very softly,
step by step, till he got nigh the place, and there was tne merrymaid
sitting on a rock, the bootyfullest merrymaid that eye could behold,
and she was twisting about her long hair, and dressing it, just like one
of our girls getting ready for her sweetheart on the Sabbath-day.
The old man made sure he should greep hold of her before ever she
found him out, and he had got so near that a couple of paces more
and he would have caught her by the hair, as sure as tithe or tax,
when, lo and behold, she looked back and glimpsed him ! So, in one
moment she dived head-foremost off the rock, and then tumbled her-
self topsy-turvy about in the water, and cast a look at my poor father,
and grinned like a seal.' "

And a seal it probably was that Tony's " poor father " saw.

224 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

What, then, are these mermaids and mermen, a belief in
whose existence has prevailed in all ages, and amongst all
the nations of the earth ? Have they, really, some of the
parts and proportions of man, or do they belong to another
order of mammals on which credulity and inaccurate
observation have bestowed a false character ?

Mr. Swainson, a naturalist of deserved eminence, has
maintained on purely scientific grounds, that there must
exist a marine animal uniting the general form of a fish
with that of a man ; that by the laws of Nature the nata-
torial type of the Quadrumana is most assuredly wanting,
and that, apart from man, a being connecting the seals
with the monkeys is required to complete the circle of
quadrumanous animals.*

Mr. Gossef argues that all the characters which Mr.
Swainson selects as making the natatorial type of animals
belong to man, and that he being, in his savage state, a
great swimmer, is the true aquatic primate, which Mr.
Swainson regards as absent. Mr. Gosse admits, however,
that " nature has an odd way of mocking at our impossi-
bilities, and " that " it may be that green-haired maidens
with oary tails, lurk in the ocean caves, and keep mirrors
and combs upon their rocky shelves ;" and the conclusion
he arrives at is that the combined evidence "induces a
strong suspicion that the northern seas may hold forms of
life as yet uncatalogued by science."

That there are animals in the northern and other seas
with which we are unacquainted, is more than probable —
discoveries of animals of new species are constantly being
made, especially in the life of the deep sea — but I venture
to think that the production of an animal at present

* ' Geography and Distribution of Animals.'
t ' Romance of Natural History,' 2nd Series.

THE MERMAID. 225

unknown is quite unnecessary to account for the supposed
appearances of mermaids.

We have in the form and habits of the Phocidcz, or earless
seals, a sufficient interpretation of almost every incident of
the kind that has occurred north of the Equator — of those
in which protuberant mamma are described, we must
presently seek another explanation. The round, plump,
expressive face of a seal, the beautiful, limpid eyes, the
hand-like fore-paws, the sleek body, tapering towards the
flattened hinder fins, which are directed backwards, and
spread out in the form of a broad fin, like the tail of
a fish, might well give the idea of an animal having the
anterior part of its body human and the posterior half
piscine.

In the habits of the seals, also, we may trace those of the
supposed mermaid, and the more easily the better we are
acquainted with them. All seals are fond of leaving the
water frequently. They always select the flattest and
most shelving rocks which have been covered at high tide,
and prefer those that are separated from the mainland.
They generally go ashore at half-tide, and invariably lie
with their heads towards the water, and seldom more than
a yard or two from it. There they will often remain, if
undisturbed, for six hours ; that is, until the returning tide
floats them off the rock. As for the sweet melody, " so
melting soft," that must depend much on the ear and
musical taste of the listener. I have never heard a seal
utter any vocal sounds but a porcine grunt, a plaintive
moan, and a pitiful whine. But another habit of the seals
has, probably more than anything else, caused them to be
mistaken for semi-human beings— namely, that of poising
themselves upright in the water with the head and the
upper third part of the body above the surface.

VOL. III.— H. ' V

226 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

One calm sunny morning in August, 1881, a fine
schooner-yacht, on board of which I was a guest, was
slowly gliding out of the mouth of the river Maas, past the
Hook of Holland, into the North Sea, when a seal rose just
ahead of us, and assumed the attitude above described.
It waited whilst we passed it, inspecting us apparently with
the greatest interest ; then dived, swam in the direction in
which we were sailing, so as to intercept our course, and
came up again, sitting upright as before. This it repeated
three times, and so easily might it have been taken for
a mermaid, that one of the party, who was called on
deck to see it, thought, at first, that it was a boy who
had swam off from the shore to the vessel on a begging
expedition.

•Laing, in his account of a voyage to the North, mentions
having seen a seal under similar circumstances.

A young seal which was brought from Yarmouth to the
Brighton Aquarium in 1873, habitually sat thus, showing
his head and a considerable portion of his body out of
water. His bath was so shallow in some parts that he was'
able to touch the bottom, and, with his after-flippers tucked
under him, like a lobster's tail, and spread out in front, he
would balance himself on his hind quarters, and look in-
quisitively at everybody, and listen attentively to every-
thing within sight and hearing. When he was satisfied
that no one was likely to interfere with him, and that it
was unnecessary to be on the alert, he would half-close his
beautiful, soft eyes, and either contentedly pat, stroke, and
scratch his little fat stomach with his right paw, or flap
both of them across his breast in a most ludicrous manner,
exactly as a cabman warms the tips of his fingers on a
wintry day, by swinging his arms vigorously across his
chest, and striking his hands against his body on either

THE MERMAID. 227

side. He was very sensitive to musical sounds, as many
dogs are, and when a concert took place in the building
a high note from one of the vocalists would cause him
to utter a mournful wail, and to dive with a splash that
made the -water fly, the audience smile, and the singer
frown.

Captain Scoresby tells us that he had seen the walrus
with its head above water, and in such a position that it
required little stretch of imagination to mistake it for a
human being, and that on one occasion of this kind the
surgeon of his ship actually reported to him that he had
seen a man with his head above water.

Peter Gunnersen's merman (p. 212), who " blew up his
cheeks and made a kind of roaring noise " before diving,
was probably a "bladder-nose" seal. The males of that
species have on the head a peculiar pad, which they can
dilate at pleasure, and their voice is loud and discordant.

The appearance and behaviour of Steller's "sea-ape,"
described on p. 213, was, as he subsequently perceived, in
exact conformity with the observed habits of the sea-otter,
and they might, I think, be attributed, with almost equal
probability to one of the eared seals, the so-called sea-lions,
or sea-bears. Every one who has seen these animals fed
must have noticed the rapidity with which they will dive
and swim to any part of their pond where they expect to
receive food, and how, like a dog after a pebble, they will
keenly watch their keeper's movements, and start in the
direction to which he is apparently about to throw a fish,
even before the latter has left his hand. This may be seen
at the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, and, better than
anywhere else in Europe, at the Jardin d'Acclimatation,
Paris. It would be quite in accordance with their habits
that one of these Otaria should dive under a ship, and

o 2

228 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

rise above the surface on either side, eagerly surveying
those on board, in hope of obtaining food, or from mere
curiosity.

The seals and their movements account for so many
mermaid stories, that all accounts of sea-women "with
prominent bosoms were ridiculed and discredited until
competent observers recognised in the form and habits of
certain aquatic animals met with in the bays and estuaries
of the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the west coast of Africa,
and sub-tropical America, the originals of these " travellers'
tales." These were — first, the manatee, which is found in
the West Indian Islands, Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and
Brazil, and in Africa in the River Congo, Senegambia, and
the Mozambique Channel ; second, the dugongy or halicore,
which ranges along the east coast of Africa, Southern Asia,
the Bornean Archipelago, and Australia ; and, third, the
rytina, seen on Behring's Island in the Kamschatkan Sea
by Steller, the Russian zoologist and voyager, in 1741, and
which is supposed to be now utterly extinct, in conse-
quence of its having been recklessly and indiscriminately
slaughtered.* Then science, in the person of Illeger, made

* Almost all that is known of the living rytina is from an account
published in 1751, in St. Petersburg, by Steller, who was the surgeon
of Behring's ship wrecked on an unknown and uninhabited island in
the Kamschatkan Sea, thenceforth called "Behring's Island." When
the unfortunate crew landed there, on November i/th, 1741, the " sea-
cows," as they were named, pastured along the shore in herds ; but
during the ten months that the party remained on the island, they
found the flesh of this animal so palatable that the fame of it was
published by them on their return home, and it became a practice
for the crews of all Russian vessels fitted out for the capture of the
sea-otter to pass the winter on Behring's Island, in order to lay in a
sufficient provision of sea-cow meat to last them during the hunting
season. The rytina thus became more and more scarce, and until
within the last few years it was believed to have been exterminated in
the year 1768, only twenty-seven years after its first discovery by

THE MERMAID. 229

the amende honorable, and frankly accepting Jack's intro-
duction to his fish-tailed innamorata, classed these three
animals together as a sub-order of the animal kingdom,
and bestowed on them the name of the Sirenia. This was,
of course, in allusion to the Sirens of classical mythology,
who, in later art, were represented as having the body of a
woman above the waist, and that of a fish below, although
they were originally figured as having wings at their
shoulders, and the lower portion of their body like that of
a bird.

It has been found difficult to determine to which order
these Manatidcz are most nearly allied. In shape they most
closely resemble the whale and seals. But the cetacea
are all carnivorous, whereas the manatee and' its relatives
live entirely on vegetable food. Although, therefore, Dr.
J. E. Gray, following Cuvier, classed them with the cetacea
in his British Museum catalogue, other anatomists, as
Professor Agassiz, Professor Owen, and Dr. Murie, regard
their resemblance to the whales as rather superficial than
real, and conclude from their organisation and "dentition
that they ought either to form a group apart, or be classed
with the pachyderms— the hippopotamus, tapir, etc. — with
which they have the nearest affinities, and to which they
seem to have been more immediately linked by the now
lost genera, DinotJwrium and Halitherium. With the
opinion of those last-named authorities I entirely agree. I
regard the manatee as exhibiting a wonderful modification
and adaptation of the structure of a warm-blooded land
animal which enables it to pass its whole life in water, and

Steller. This supposition was, however, incorrect, for Professor Nor-
denskiold, when he visited Behring's Island in the "Vega," in 1879,
obtained evidence of a living rytina having been seen as recently
as 1854.

230 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

as a connecting link between the hippopotamus, elephant,
etc. on the one side, and the whales and seals on the other.

The Halitherium was a Sirenian with which we are only
acquainted by its fossil remains found in the Miocene
formation of Central and Southern Europe. These indicate
that it had short hind limbs, and, consequently, approached
more nearly the terrestrial type than either the manatee,
the rytina, or the dugong, in which the hind limbs are
absent. The two last named tend more than does the
manatee to the marine mammals ; but there is a strong
likeness between these three recent forms. They all have
a cylindrical body, like that of a seal, but instead of hind
limbs there is in all a broad tail flattened horizontally ; and
the chief difference in their outward appearance is in the
shape of this organ. In the manatee it is rounded, in the
dugong forked like that of a whale, in the rytina crescent-
shaped. The tail of the Halitherium appears to have been
shaped somewhat like that of the beaver. The body of
the manatee is broader in proportion to its length and
depth than that of the dugong. In a paper read before the
Royal Society, July I2th, 1821, on a manatee sent to
London in spirits by the Duke of Manchester, then
Governor of Jamaica, Sir Everard Home remarked of this
greater lateral expansion that, as the manatee feeds on
plants that grow at the mouths of great rivers, and the
dugong upon those met with in the shallows amongst
small islands in the Eastern seas, the difference of form
would make the manatee more buoyant, and better fitted
to float in fresh water.

In all the Manatidce the mammae of the female, which
are greatly distended during the period of lactation, are
situated very differently from those of the whales, being
just beneath the pectoral fins. These fins or paws are

THE MERMAID. 231

much more flexible and free in their movements than
those of the cetae, and are sufficiently prehensile to enable
the animal to gather food between the palms or inner
surfaces of both, and the female to hold her young one
to her breast with one of them. Like the whales, they are
warm-blooded mammals, breathing by lungs, and are there-
fore obliged to come to the surface at frequent intervals
for respiration. As they breathe through nostrils at the
end of the muzzle, instead of, like most of the whales,

FIG. 17. — THE DUGONG. From Sir J. Emerson Tennenfs 'Ceylon?

through a blow-hole on the top of the head, their habit is
to rise, sometimes vertically, in the water, with the head
and fore part of the body exposed above the surface, and
often to remain in this position for some minutes. When
seen thus, with head and breast bare, and clasping its
young one to its body, the female presents a certain re-
semblance to a woman from the waist upward. When
approached or disturbed it dives ; the tail and hinder portion
of the body come into view, and we see that if there was
little of the " mulier formosa superne" at any rate " desinit

232 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

in piscein" The manatee has thence been called by the
Spaniards and Portuguese the "woman-fish," and by the
Dutch the "manetje," or mannikin. The dugong, having
the muzzle bristly, is named by the latter the "baard-
manetje," or " little bearded man." There are no bristles
or whiskers on the muzzle of the manatee ; all the portraits
of it in which these are shown are in that respect erroneous.
The origin of the word " manatee " has by some been
traced to the Spanish, as indicating " an animal with
hands." On the west coast of Africa it is called by the
natives "Ne-hoo-le." By old writers it was described as
the " sea-cow." Gesner depicts it in the act of bellowing ;
and Mr. Bates, in his work, 'The Naturalist on the
Amazon,' says that its voice is something like the bellow-
ing of an ox. The Florida "crackers" or "mean whites,"
make the same statement. Although I have had oppor-
tunities of prolonged observation of it in captivity, I have
not heard it give utterance to any sound — not even a grunt
— and Mr. Bartlett, of the Zoological Gardens, tells me that
his experience of it is the same. His son, Mr. Clarence
Bartlett, says that a young one he had in Surinam used to
make a feeble cry, or bleat, very much like the voice of a
young seal. This is the only sound he ever heard from
a manatee.*

I believe the dugong to be more especially the animal
referred to by JElian as the semi-human whale, and that
which has led to this group having been supposed by
southern voyagers to be aquatic human beings. In the
first place, the dugong is a denizen of the sea, whereas the

* For a full description of the habits of this animal in captivity, see
an article by the present writer in the « Leisure Hour ' of September 28,
1878 ; from which the illustration, Fig. 18, is borrowed by the kind
consent of the Editor of that publication.

THE MERMAID.

233

manatee is chiefly found in rivers and fresh-water lagoons ;
and secondly, the dugong accords with ^Elian's description
of the creature with a woman's face in that it has " prickles
instead of hairs," whilst the manatee has no such stiff
bristles.

FIG. l8. — THE MANATEE. ITS USUAL POSITION

In the case of either of these two animals being mistaken
for a mermaid, however, " distance " must " lend enchant-
ment to the view," and a sailor must be very impressible
and imaginative who, even after having been deprived for
many months of the pleasure of females' society, could be

234 SEA PABLES EXPLAINED.

allured by the charms of a bristly-muzzled dugong, or
mistake the snorting of a wallowing manatee for the love-
song of a beauteous sea-maiden.

Unfortunately both the dugong and the manatee are
being hunted to extinction.

The flesh of the manatee is considered a great delicacy.
Humboldt compares it with ham. Unlike that of the
whales, which is of a deep and dark red hue, it is as white
as veal, and, it is said, tastes very like it. It is remarkable
for retaining its freshness much longer than other meat,
which in a tropical climate generally putrefies in twenty-
eight hours. It is therefore well adapted for pickling, as
the salt has time to penetrate the flesh before it is tainted.
The Catholic clergy of South America do not object to its
being eaten on fast days, on the supposition that, with
whales, seals, and other aquatic mammals, it may be
liberally regarded as " fish." The " Indians " of the Amazon
and Orinoco are so fond of it that they will spend many
days, if necessary, in hunting for a manatee, and having
killed one will cut it into slabs and slices on the spot, and
cook these on stakes thrust into the ground aslant over a
great fire, and heavily gorge themselves as long as the
provision lasts. The milk of this animal is said to be rich
and good, and the skin is valuable for its toughness, and
is much in request for making leathern articles in which
great strength and durability are required. The tail con-
tains a great deal of oil, which is believed to be extremely
nutritious, and has also the property of not becoming
rancid. Unhappily for the dugong, its oil is in similarly
high repute, and is greatly preferred as a nutrient medicine
to cod-liver oil. As its flesh also is much esteemed, it is
so persistently hunted on the Australian coasts that it will
probably soon become extinct, like the rytina of Steller.

THE MERMAID. 235

The same fate apparently awaits the manatee, which is
becoming perceptibly more and more scarce.

I fear that before many years have elapsed the Sirens of
the Naturalist will have disappeared from our earth, before
the advance of civilization, as completely as the fables and
superstitions with which they have been connected, before
the increase of knowledge ; and that the mermaid of fact
will have become as much a creature of the past as the
mermaid of fiction. With regard to the latter — the Siren
of the poets, — the water-maiden of the pearly comb, the
crystal mirror, and the sea-green tresses, — there are few
persons, I suppose, at the present day who would not be
content to be classed with Banks, the fine old naturalist
and formerly ship-mate of Captain Cook. Sir Humphry
Davy in his " Salmonia " relates an anecdote of a baronet, a
profound believer in these fish-tailed ladies, who on hearing
some one praise very highly Sir Joseph Banks, said that
"Sir Joseph was an excellent man, but he had his pre-
judices— he did not believe in the mermaid." I confess to
having a similar "prejudice ;" and am willing to adopt the
further remark of Sir Humphry Davy : — " I am too much
of the school of Izaac Walton * to talk of impossibility. It
doubtless might please God to make a mermaid, but I
don't believe God ever did make one."

* Allusion is here made by Sir H. Davy to a paragraph in ' The
Complete Angler,' in which Izaak Walton says : " Indeed, we may
say of angling as Dr. Boteler said of strawberries, * Doubtless God
could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did ' ; and
so (if I might be judge) God never did make a more calm, quiet,
innocent recreation than angling."

236 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

THE LERNEAN HYDRA.

THE mystery of the Kraken, of which I treated in a com-
panion volume to the present, recently published,* is not
difficult to unravel. The clue to it is plain, and when
properly taken up is as easily unwound, to arrive at the
truth, as a cocoon of silk, to get at .the chrysalis within
it. It was a boorish exaggeration, a legend of ignorance,
superstition, and wonder. But when such a skein of facts
has passed through the hands of the poets, it is sure to be
found in a much more intricate tangle ; and many a knot of
pure invention may have to be cut before it is made clear.

Nevertheless, we shall be able to discern that more than
one of the most famous and hideous monsters of old
classical lore originated, like the Kraken, in a knowledge by
their authors of the form and habits of those strange sea-
creatures, the head-footed mollusks. There can be little
doubt that the octopus was the model from which the old
poets and artists formed their ideas, and drew their
pictures of the Lernean Hydra, whose heads grew again
when cut off by Hercules ; and also of the monster Scylla,
who, with six heads and six long writhing necks, snatched
men off the decks of passing ships and devoured them in
the recesses of her gloomy cavern.

Of the Hydra, Diodorus relates that it had a hundred
heads ; Simonides says fifty ; but the generally received
opinion was that of Apollodorus, Hyginus and others, that
it had only nine.

* ' Sea Monsters Unmasked.' Clowes and Sons, Limited.

THE LERNEAN HYDRA. 237

Apollodorus of Athens, son of Asclepiades, who wrote in
stiff, quaint Greek about 120 B.C., gives in his ' Bibliotheca '
(book ii. chapter 5, section 2) the following account of the
many-headed monster. "This Hydra," he says, "nourished
in the marshes of Lerne, went forth into the open country
and destroyed the herds of the land. It had a huge body
and nine heaSs, eight mortal, but the ninth immortal.
Having mounted his chariot, which was driven by lolaus,
Hercules got to Lerne and stopped his horses. Finding
the Hydra on a certain raised ground near the source of
the Amymon, where its lair was, he made it come out by
pelting it with burning missiles. He seized and stopped it,
but having twisted itself round one of his feet, it struggled
with him. He broke its head with his club : but that was
useless ; for when one head was broken two sprang up,
and a huge crab helped the Hydra by biting the foot of
Hercules. This he killed, and called lolaus, who, setting
on fire part of the adjoining forest, burned with torches the
germs of the growing heads, and stopped their development.
Having thus out-manoeuvred the growing heads, he cut off
the immortal head, buried it, and put a heavy stone upon
it, beside the road going from Lerne to Eleonta, and having
opened the Hydra, dipped his arrows in its gall."

If we wish to find in nature the counterpart of this
Hydra, we must seek, firstly, for an animal with eight out-
growths from its trunk, which it can develop afresh, or
replace by new ones, in case of any or all of them being
amputated or injured. We must also show that this
animal, so strange in form and possessing such remarkable
attributes, was well known in the locality where the legend
was believed. We have it in the octopus, which abounded
in the Mediterranean and ^Egean seas, and whose eight
prehensile arms, or tentacles, spring from its central body,

238

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

the immortal head, and which, if lost or mutilated by
misadventure, are capable of reproduction.

That a knowledge of the octopus existed at a very early
period of man's history we have abundant evidence. The
ancient Egyptians figured it amongst their hieroglyphics,
and an interesting proof that they were also acquainted
with other cephalopods was given to me by the late
Mr. E. W. Cooke, R.A. Whilst on a trip up the Nile, in
January, 1875, he visited the temple of Bayr-el-Bahree,
Thebes (date 1700 B.C.), the entrance to which had been
deeply buried beneath the light, wind-drifted sand, accu-

FIG. 19.— FIGURE OF A CALAMARY. From the temple of Bayr-el-Bahree.

mulated during many centuries. By order of the Khedive,
access had just at that time been obtained to its interior,
by the excavation and removal of this deep deposit, and,
amongst the hieroglyphics on the walls, were found, between
the zig-zag lines which represent water, figures of various
fishes, copies of which Mr. Cooke kindly gave me, and
which are so accurately portrayed as to be easily identified.
With them was the outline of a squid fourteen inches long,
a figure of which, from Mr. Cooke's drawing, is here shown.
As this temple is five hundred miles from the delta of the
Nile, it is remarkable that nearly all the fishes there repre-
sented are of marine species.

THE LERNEAN HYDRA. 239

That the octopus was a familiar object with the
ancient Greeks, we know by the frequen cy with which its
portrait is found on their coins, gems, and ornaments.
Aldrovandus describes " very ancient coins " found at
Syracuse and Tarentum bearing the figure of an octopus.
He says the Syracusans had two coins, one of bronze, the
other of gold, both of which had an oTctopus alone on one

FIG. 20. — FIGURE OF AN OCTOPUS ON A GOLD ORNAMENT, FOUND BY
DR. SCHLIEMANN AT MYCENAE.

side. On the reverse of the bronze one was a veiled
female face in profile, with the inscription ZYPA. I have one
of these bronze Syracusan coins ; it was kindly given to
me, some years ago, by my friend Dr. John Millar, F.L.S.
The octopus is really well depicted. On the gold coin the
female head was differently veiled, and at the back of the
neck was a fish. The inscription on this coin was

240 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

ZYPAKOZinN. Goltzius was of the opinion that the head
was that of Arethusa. The coins found at Tarentum had
on one side a figure of Neptune seated on a dolphin, and
holding an octopus in one hand and a trident in the
other.

Lerne, or Lerna, the reputed home of the Hydra, was a
port of Southern Greece, situated at the head of the Gulf
of Nauplia, and between the existing towns of Argos and
Tripolitza. Within a few miles of it was Mycenae ; and it
is remarkable that Dr. Schliemann, during his excavations

FIG. 21. — GOLDEN ORNAMENT IN FORM OF AN OCTOPUS, FOUND BY
DR. SCHLIEMANN AT MYCENAE.

there in 1876, found in a tomb a gold plate, or button, two
and a half inches in diameter (Fig. 20), on which is figured an
octopus, the eight arms of which are converted into spirals,
the head and the two eyes being distinctly visible. In
another sepulchre he discovered fifty-three golden models
of the octopus (Fig. 21), all exactly alike, and apparently
cast in the same mould. The arms are very naturally
carved. By the kindness of Mr. Murray, his publisher, I am
enabled to give illustrations of these and two other
handsome ornaments.

THE LERNEAN HYDRA. 241

Having ascertained that the octopus was a familiar
object in the very locality where the combat between
Hercules and the Hydra is supposed to have taken place,
let us compare the animal as it exists with the monstrous
offspring of Typhon and Echidna.

It is a not uncommon occurrence that when an octopus
is caught it is found to have one or more of its arms shorter
than the rest, and showing marks of having been amputated,
and of the formation of a new growth from the old cicatrix.
Several such specimens were brought to the Brighton
Aquarium whilst I had charge of its Natural History

FIG. 22. FIG. 23.

FIGURES OF THE OCTOPUS ON GOLD ORNAMENTS FOUND BY
DR. SCHLIEMANN AT MYCEN/E.

Department. One of them was particularly interesting. Two
of its arms had evidently been bitten off about four inches
from the base : and out from the end of each healed stump
(which in proportion to the length- of the limb was as if
a man's arm had been amputated halfway between the
shoulder and the elbow), grew a slender little piece of newly-
formed arm, about as large as a lady's stiletto, or a small
button-hook — in fact just the equivalent of worthy Captain
Cuttle's iron hook, which did duty for his lost hand. It
was an illustrative example of the commencement of the
repair and restoration of mutilated limbs.

This mutilation is so common in some localities, that
VOL. ill. — H, R

242 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

Professor Steenstrup says * that almost every octopus he
has examined has had one or two arms reproduced ; and
that he has seen females in which all the eight arms had
been lost, but were more or less restored. He also
mentions a male in which this was the case as to seven of its
arms. He adds that whilst the Octopoda possess the power
of reproducing with great facility and rapidity their arms,
which are exposed to so many enemies, the Decapoda — the
Sepiida and Squids — appear to be incapable of thus
repairing and replacing accidental injuries. This is
entirely in accord with my own observations.

This reparative power is possessed by some other animals,
of which the starfishes and Crustacea are the most familiar
instances. In the case of the lobster or crab, however, the
only joint from which new growth can start is that con-
nected with the body, so that if a limb be injured in any
part, the whole of it must be got rid of, and the animal has,
therefore, the power of casting it off at will. The octopus,
on the contrary, is incapable of voluntary dismemberment,
but reproduces the lost portion of an injured arm, as an
out-growth from the old stump.

The ancients were well acquainted with this reparative
faculty of the octopus : but of course the simple fact was
insufficient for an imaginative people : and they therefore
embellished it with some fancies of their own. There
lingers still amongst the fishermen of the Mediterranean a
very old belief that the octopus when pushed by hunger
will gnaw and devour portions of its arms. Aristotle knew
of this belief, and positively contradicted it ; but a fallacy
once planted is hard to eradicate. You may cut it down,
and apparently destroy it, root and branch, but its seeds
are scattered abroad, and spring up elsewhere, and in un-
* Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. August, 1857.

THE LERNEAN HYDRA. 243

expected places. Accordingly, we find Oppian, more than
five centuries later, disseminating the same old notion, and
comparing this habit of the animal with that of the bear
obtaining nutriment from his paws by sucking them during
his hybernation.

"When wintry skies o'er the black ocean frown,
And clouds hang low with ripen'd storms o'ergrown,
Close in the shelter of some vaulted cave
The soft-skinn'd prekes * their porous bodies save.
But forc'd by want, while rougher seas they dread,
On their own feet, necessitous, are fed.
But when returning spring serenes the skies,
Nature the growing parts anew supplies.
Again on breezy sands the roamers creep,
Twine to the rocks, or paddle in the deep.
Doubtless the God whose will commands the seas,
Whom liquid worlds and wat'ry natives please,
Has taught the fish by tedious wants opprest
Life to preserve and be himself the feast.

The fact is, that the larger predatory fishes regard an
octopus as very acceptable food, and there is no better
bait for many of them than a portion of one of its arms.
Some of the cetacea also are very fond of them, and
whalers have often reported that when a " fish " (as they
call it) is struck it disgorges the contents of its stomach,
amongst which they have noticed parts of the arms of
cuttles which, judging from the size -of their limbs, must
have been very large specimens. The food of the sperm
whale consists largely of the gregarious squids, and
the presence in spermaceti of their undigested beaks is
accepted as a test of its being genuine. That old fish-

* The octopus is still called the " preke " in some parts of England,
notably in Sussex. The translation of Oppian's * Halieutics,' from
which this passage and others are quoted, is that by Messrs. Jones and
Diaper, of Baliol College, Oxford, and was published in 1722.

R 2

244 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

reptile, the Ichthyosaurus, also, preyed upon them ; and
portions of the horny rings of their suckers were discovered
in its coprolites by Dean Buckland. Amongst the worst
enemies of the octopus is the conger. They are both rock-
dwellers, and if the voracious fish come upon his cephalopod
neighbour unseen, he makes a meal of him, or, failing to
drag him from his hold, bites off as much of one or two
of his arms as he can conveniently obtain. The conger,
therefore, is generally the author of the injury which the
octopus has been unfairly accused of inflicting on itself.

Continuing our comparison with the hydra, we have in
•the octopus an animal capable of quitting its rocky lurking-
place in the sea, and going on a buccaneering expedition
on dry land. Many incidents have been related in con-
nection with this ; but I can attest it from my own obser-
vation. I have seen an octopus travel over the floor of a
room at a very fair rate of speed, toppling and sprawling
along in its own ungainly fashion ; and in May, 1873, we
had one at the Brighton Aquarium which used regularly
every night to quit its tank, and make its way along the
wall to another tank at some distance from it, in which
were some young lump-fishes. Day after day, one of these
was missing, until, at last, the marauder was discovered.
Many days elapsed, however, before he was detected, for
after helping himself to, and devouring a young "lump-
sucker," he demurely returned before daylight to his own
quarters.

Of this habit of the octopus the ancients were, also, fully
aware. Aristotle wrote that it left the water and walked
in stony places, and Pliny and ^Elian related tales of
this animal stealing barrels of salt fish from the wharves,
and crushing their staves to get at the contents. An
octopus that could do this would be as formidable a

THE LERNEAN HYDRA.

245

predatory monster as the Lernean Hydra, which had the
evil reputation of devouring the Peloponnesian cattle.

Whoever first described the counter-attack of the Hydra
on Hercules must have had the octopus in his thoughts. " It
twisted itself round one of his feet " — exactly that which an
octopus would do.

Finally, according to the legend, Hercules dipped his
arrow-heads in the gall of the Hydra, and, from its poisonous
nature, all the wounds he inflicted with them upon his

FIG. 24. — HERCULES SLAYING THE LERNEAN HYDRA.
From Smith? s * Classical Dictionary?

enemies proved fatal. It is worthy of notice that the
ancients attributed to the octopus the possession of a
similarly venomous secretion. Thus Oppian writes :

" The crawling preke a deadly juice contains
Injected poison fires the wounded veins."

The accompanying illustration (Fig. 24) of Hercules
slaying the Hydra is taken from a marble tablet in the
Vatican. It will be immediately seen how closely the
Hydra, as there depicted, resembles an octopus. The body

246 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

is elongated, but the eight necks with small heads on them
bear about the same proportion to the body as the arms to
the body of an octopus.

The Reverend James Spence, in his 'Polymetis/ pub-
lished in 1755, gives a figure, almost the counterpart of this,
copied from an antique gem, a carnelian, in the collection of
the Grand Duke of Tuscany at Florence. Only seven
necks of the hydra are, however, there visible, and there
are two colis in the elongated body. On the upper part
are two spots which have been supposed to represent
breasts. This was probably intended by the artificer ; but
that the idea originated from a duplication of the syphon
tube is evident from the figures (Figs. 22, 23) of the octopus
on the smaller gold ornaments found by Dr. Schliemann at
Mycenae. In the same work is also an engraving from a
picture in the Vatican Virgil, entitled 'The River, or
Hateful Passage into the Kingdom of Ades,' wherein an
octopus - hydra, of which only six heads and necks are
shown, is one of the monsters called by the author " Terrors
of the Imagination.11

C 247 )

SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS.

IN the description given by Homer, in the twelfth book of
the * Odyssey,' of the unfortunate nymph Scylla, transformed
by the arts of Circe into a frightful monster, the same
typical idea as in the case of the Hydra is perceptible. The
lurking octopus, having its lair in the cranny of a rock,
watching in ambush for passing prey, seizing anything
coming within its reach with one or more of its prehensile
arms, even brandishing these fear-inspiring weapons out of
water in a threatening manner, and known in some locali-
ties to be dangerous to boats and their occupants, is trans-
formed into a many-headed sea monster, seizing in its
mouths, instead of by the adhesive suckers of its numerous
arms, the helpless sailors from passing vessels, and devour-
ing them in the abysses of its cavernous den.

Circe, prophesying to Ulysses the dangers he had still to
encounter, warned him especially of Scylla and Charybdis,
within the power of one of whom he must fall in passing
through the narrow strait (between Italy and Sicily) where
they had their horrid abode. Describing the lofty rock of
Scylla, she tells him :

" Full in the centre of this rock displayed
A yawning cavern casts a dreadful shade,
Nor the fleet arrow from the twanging bow
Sent with full force, could reach the depth below.
Wide to the west the horrid gulf extends,
And the dire passage down to hell descends.

248 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

O fly the dreadful sight ! expand thy sails,
Ply the strong oar, and catch the nimble gales;
Here Scylla bellows from her dire abodes ;
Tremendous pest ! abhorred by man and gods J
Hideous her voice, and with less terrors roar
The whelps of lions in the midnight hour.
Twelve feet deformed and foul the fiend dispreads;

Six horrid necks she rears, and six terrific heads ;
* * * * *

When stung with hunger she embroils the flood,

The sea-dog and the dolphin are her food;

She makes the huge leviathan her prey,

And all the monsters of the wat'ry way ;

The swiftest racer of the azure plain

Here fills her sails and spreads her oars in vain ;

Fefl Scylla rises, in her fury roars,

At once six mouths expands, at once six men devours." *

Circe then describes the perils of the whirling waters of
Charybdis as still more dreadful ; and, admonishing Ulysses
that once in her power all must perish, she advises him to
choose the lesser of the two evils, and to

"shun the horrid gulf, by Scylla fly;
Tis better six to lose than all to die."

Ulysses continues his voyage ; and as his ship enters the
ominous strait,

"Struck with despair, with trembling hearts we viewed
The yawning dungeon, and the tumbling flood ;
When, lo ! fierce Scylla stooped to seize her prey,
Btretched her dire jaws, and swept six men away.
Chiefs of renown ! loud echoing shrieks arise ;
I turn, and view them quivering in the skies ;
They call, and aid, with outstretched arms, implore,
In vain they call ! those arms are stretched no more.
As from some rock that overhangs the flood,
The silent fisher casts th' insidious food ;

* Homer's ' Odyssey,' Pope's Translation, Book XII.

SCYLLA AND CHARY BDIS. 249

With fraudful care he waits the finny prize,

And sudden lifts it quivering to the skies ;

So the foul monster lifts her prey on high,

So pant the wretches, struggling in the sky ;

In the wide dungeon she devours her food,

And the flesh trembles while she churns the blood."

250 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

THE " SPOUTING " OF WHALES.

ONE of the sea-fallacies still generally believed, and accepted
as true, is that whales take in water by the mouth, and
eject it from the spiracle, or blow-hole.

The popular ideas on this subject are still those which
existed hundreds of years ago, and which are expressed by
Oppian in two passages in his * Halieutics ' :

" Uncouth the sight when they in dreadful play

Discharge their nostrils and refund a sea,"
and

" While noisy fin-fish let their fountains fly
And spout the curling torrent to the sky."

Eminent zoologists and intelligent observers, who have
had full opportunities of obtaining practical knowledge of
the habits of these great marine mammals, have forcibly
combated and repeatedly contradicted this erroneous idea ;
but their sensible remarks have been read by few, in com-
parison with the numbers of those to whom a wrong im-
pression has been conveyed by sensational pictures in which
whales are represented with their heads above the surface,
and throwing up from their nostrils columns of water, like
the fountains in Trafalgar Square. One can hardly be
surprised that the old writers on Natural History were un-
acquainted with the real composition of the whale's " spout."
Those of them who sought for any original information on
marine zoology, obtained it chiefly from uninstructed and
superstitious fishermen; but they generally contented

THE "SPOUTING" OF WHALES. 251

themselves with diligent compilation, and thus copied and
transmitted the errors of their predecessors, with the
addition of some slight embellishments of their own. Ac-
cordingly, we find Olaus Magnus * describing, as follows,
the Physeter, or, as his translator, Streater, calls it, the
Whirlpool " The Physeter or Pristis" he says, " is a kind
of whale, two hundred cubits long, and is very cruel. For,
to the danger of seamen, he will sometimes raise himself
above the sail-yards, and casts such floods of waters above
his head, which he had sucked in, that with a cloud of
them he will often sink the strongest ships, or expose the
manners to extreme danger. This beast hath also a large
round mouth, like a lamprey, whereby he sucks in his meat
or water, and by his weight cast upon the fore or hinder
deck, he sinks and drowns a ship."

Figures 25 and 26 (p. 252) are facsimiles of the illustra-
tions which accompany the above description. It will be
seen that, in the first, the Physeter is depicted as uprearing
a maned neck and head, like that of a fabled dragon ;
whilst in Fig. 26 it is shown as a whale flinging itself on
board a ship, which is sinking under its ponderous weight.
In both, torrents of water are issuing from its head, and
it is evident that they are merely exaggerated misrepre-
sentations of the " spouting " of whales.

Gesner copies many of 'Olaus Magnus's illustrations, and
improves upon Fig. 26 by putting a numerous crew on
board the ship. The unfortunate sailors are depicted in
every attitude of terror and despair, and seem to be in-
capacitated from any attempt to save themselves by the
flood of water which the whale is deliberately pouring upon
them from its blow-holes.

* ' Historia dc Gentibus SeptentrionalibusJ lib. xxi. cap. vi. A.D.

252

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

FIG. 25. — THE PHYSETER INUNDATING A SHIP. After OldUS MagUUS.

These old pictures appear, no doubt, ridiculous, but they
are, really, very little more absurd and untrue to nature
than many of those which disfigure some otherwise useful
books on Natural History of the present day. I could

FIG. 26. — A WHALE POURING WATER INTO A SHIP FROM ITS BLOW-HOLE.
After Olaus Magnus.

THE "SPOUTING" OF WHALES. 253

refer to several, in which whales are represented as spouting
from their blow-holes one or more columns of water, which,
after ascending skyward to a considerable distance, fall

over gracefully as if issuing from the nozzle of an ornamental
fountain. I select one from amongst them (Fig. 27), not with
any disrespect for the artist, author, or publisher of the work

254 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

from which it is taken, but because, whilst it shows correctly
the position of the blow-hole of the sperm whale, it also
exhibits exactly that which I wish to confute. The pub-
lishers of the valuable work in which this picture appeared
have generously consented to my reproducing it here.

When, in describing, in 1877, the White Whale then ex-
hibited at the Westminster Aquarium, I said that whales
do not spout water out of their blow-holes, and that the
idea that they do so is a popular error, the statement was
so contrary to generally-accepted notions that I was not
surprised by receiving more than one letter on the subject.
One very reasonable suggestion made to me was that
although the lesser whales, such as the porpoises, which I
had had opportunities of watching in confinement at
Brighton for two years, and the Beluga, which had been
observed for a similar period at the New York Aquarium,
and also at Westminster, did not " spout," the respiratory
apparatus of the larger whales might be so modified as to
permit them to do so. Let us consider the construction of
the breathing apparatus which would have to be thus
modified, as shown in the porpoise.

In the first place, there is a pair of lungs as perfect as
those of any land mammal, fitted to receive air, and to
bring the hot blood into contact with the air, that it may
absorb the oxygen of the air, and so be purified. But this
air cannot well be breathed through the mouth of an
animal which has to take its food from and in water ; so it
has to be inhaled only by the nostrils. If these were
situated as they are in land mammals, near the extremity
of the nose, the porpoise would be obliged to stop when
pursuing its prey, or, escaping from its enemies, to put the
tip of its nose above the surface of the water every time it
required to breathe. A much more convenient arrange-

SPOUTING" OF WHALES. 255

ment has, therefore, been provided for it, and for almost all
whales, by which that difficulty is removed. Instead of
running along the bones of the nose, the nostrils are placed
on the top of the head, and the windpipe is turned up to
them without having any connection with the palate. The
upper jaw is quite solid. Thus the mouth is solely devoted
to the reception of food, and the animal is enabled to con-
tinue its course when swimming, however rapidly, by rising
obliquely to the surface, and exposing the top of its head
above it. On the blow-hole being opened, the air, from
which the oxygen has been absorbed, is expelled in a
sudden puff, another supply is instantaneously inhaled, and
rushes into the lungs with extreme velocity, and then the
porpoise can either descend into the depths, or remain with
its spiracle exposed to the air, as it may prefer. In this
act of breathing the spiracle is normally brought above the
water, the breath escapes, and the immediate inhalation is
effected almost in silence. But frequently, and in some
whales habitually, the blow-hole is opened just below the
surface, and then the outrush of air causes a splash upwards
of the water overlying it.

I may here mention that I have frequently seen the
porpoises at the Brighton Aquarium lying asleep at the
surface, with the blow-hole exposed above it, breathing
automatically, and without conscious effort. Aristotle was
acquainted with this habit of the cetacea 2,200 years ago,
for he wrote : " They sleep with the blow-hole, their organ
of respiration, elevated above the water."

The apparatus for closing the blow-hole, so that not a
drop of water shall enter the windpipe, even under great
pressure, is a beautiful contrivance, complex in its structure,
yet most simple in its working. The external aperture is
covered by a continuation of the skin, locally thickened, and

256 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

connected with a conical stopper, of a texture as tough as
india-rubber, which fits perfectly into a cone or funnel
formed by the extremity of the windpipe, and closes more
and more firmly as the pressure upon it is increased.
Whilst the orifice is thus guarded, the lower end of the
tube is surrounded by a strong compressing muscle, which
clasps also the glottis, and thus the passage from the blow-
hole to the lungs is completely stopped.

There is nothing in this which indicates the possibility of
the spouting of water from the nostrils ; but as assertions
that water had been seen to issue from them were positive
and persistent, anatomists seem to have felt themselves
obliged to try to account for it somehow. Accordingly
the theory was propounded by F. Cuvier that the water
taken into the mouth is reserved in two pouches (one on
each side), until the whale rises to blow, when, the gullet
being closed, it is forced by the action of the tongue and
jaws through the nasal passages, somewhat as a smoker
occasionally expels the smoke of his cigar through his
nostrils. Although these pouches, or sacs analogous to
them, are found at the base of the nostrils of the horse,
tapir, etc., — animals which do not " spout " from the nostrils
water taken in by the mouth — the explanation was accepted
for a time.

Mr. Bell held this opinion when the first edition of his
'British Quadrupeds ' was published in 1837, but before
the issue of the second edition, in 1874, he had found
reasons for taking a different view of the matter; and,
under the advice of his judicious editors, Mr. Alston and
Professor Flower (the latter of whom supervised the proofs
of the chapters on the Cetacea) his sanction of the illusion
was withdrawn as follows : —

"The results of more recent and careful observations, amongst

THE "SPOUTING* OF WHALES. 257

which we may notice those of Bennett, Von Baer, Sars and Burmeister,
are directly opposed to the statement that water is thus ejected ; and
there can now be no doubt that the appearance which has given rise
to the idea is caused by the moisture with which the expelled breath
is supercharged, which condenses at once in the cold outer air, and
forms a cloud or column of white vapour. It is possible indeed that
if the animal begins to * blow ' before its head is actually at the surface,
the force of the rushing air may drive up some little spray along with
it, but this is quite different from the notion that water is really
expelled from the nasal passages. We may add that on the only
occasion when we ourselves witnessed the ' spouting ' of a large whale
we were much struck with its resemblance to the column of white
spray which is dashed up by the ricochetting ball fired from one of
the great guns of a man-of-war."
•

The simile is admirable, and nothing could better describe
the appearance of a whale's " spout " ; but, in the previous
portion of the passage (except with reference to the sperm
whale, the nostrils of which are not on the top of the head),
I think sufficient importance is not conceded to the volume
of water propelled into the air by the outrush of breath
from the submerged blow-hole. I do not know how many
cubic feet of air the lungs of a great whale are capable of
containing, but the quantity is sufficient to force up to a
height of several feet the water above the valve when the
latter is opened, not only in " some little spray," but for some
distance in a good solid jet — enough, in fact, to give the
appearance of its actually issuing from the blow- hole, and
to account for the erroneous belief of sailors that it does so.
It must be remembered that the escape of air is not by a
prolonged wheeze, but by a sudden blast, and thus when
the spiracle is opened just beneath the surface, an instant
before it is uncovered to take in a fresh supply of air, the
water above its orifice is thrown up as by a slight sub-
aqueous explosion, or as by the momentary opening under
water of the safety-valve of a steam boiler. Some idea of
the force and volume of the blast of air from the lungs of

VOL. III. — II. s

258 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

even the common porpoise may be formed when I mention
that one of the porpoises at the Brighton Aquarium, hap-
pening to open its spiracle just beneath an illuminating gas
jet fixed over its tank, blew out the light.

In the sperm whale the nostrils are placed near the
extremity of the nose, and therefore this whale has to raise
its snout above, the surface when it requires to breathe ;
but instead of this being necessary, as in the case of the
porpoise twice or thrice in a minute, the sperm whale only
rises to " blow " at intervals of from an hour to an hour and
twenty minutes. Mr. Beale says* that in a large bull sperm
whale the time consumed in making one expiration and one
inspiration is ten seconds, during six of which the nostril is
beneath the surface of the water — the expiration occupying
three seconds^ and the inspiration one second. At each
breathing time this whale makes from sixty to seventy
expirations, and remains, therefore, at the surface ten or
eleven minutes, and then, raising its tail, it descends
perpendicularly, head first. In different individuals the
time required for performing these several acts varies ; but
in each they are minutely regular, and this well-known
regularity is of considerable use to the fishers, for when a
whaler has once noticed the periods of any particular whale
which is not alarmed, he knows to a minute when to expect
it to come to the surface, and how long it will remain there.
The " spout " of the sperm whale differs much from that of
other whales. Unlike, for instance, the straight perpen-
dicular twin jets of the " right whale," the single, forward-
slanting " spout " of the sperm whale presents a thick curled
bush of white mist. Each whale has a different mode and
time of breathing, and the form of the " spout " differs
accordingly.

It is said that the blowing of the Beluga, or "White
* ' Natural History of the Sperm Whale.' Van Voorst, 1839.

THE "SPOUTING" OF WHALES. 259

Whale," is not unmusical at sea, and that when it takes
place under water it often makes a peculiar sound which
might be mistaken for the whistling of a bird. Hence is
derived one of the names given to this whale by sailors —
the "Sea-canary." Though I have had opportunities of
attentively watching the breathing and other actions in
captivity of two specimens of this whale I have never been
able to detect the sound alluded to.

Besides the opinions cited by Mr. Bell concerning whales
spouting water from their blow-holes, we have other
evidence which is most clear and definite, and which
ought to be convincing.

We will take first that of Mr. Beale, who as surgeon on
board the " Kent " and " Sarah and Elizabeth," South Sea
whalers, passed several seasons amongst sperm whales.
He says : —

" I can truly say when I find myself in opposition to these old and
received notions, that out of the thousands of sperm whales which I
have seen during my wanderings in the South and North Pacific
Oceans, I have never observed one of them to eject a column of water
from the nostril. I have seen them at a distance, and I have been
within a few yards of several hundreds of them, and I never saw water
pass from the spout-hole. But the column of thick and dense vapour
which is certainly ejected is exceedingly likely to mislead the judgment
of the casual observer in these matters ; and this column does indeed
appear very much like a jet of water when seen at the distance of one
or two miles on a clear day, because of the condensation of the vapour
which takes place the moment it escapes from the nostril, and its
consequent opacity, which makes it appear of a white colour, and
which is not observed when the whale is close to the spectator. It
then appears only like a jet of white steam. The only water in addi-
tion is the small quantity that may be lodged in the external fissure of
the spout hole, when the animal raises it above the surface to breathe,
and which is blown up into the air with the ' spout,' and may probably
assist in condensing the vapour of which it is formed. ... I have
been also very close to the Baltzna mysticctus (the Greenland, or
Right whale) when it has been feeding and breathing, and yet I never

S 2

26o SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

saw even that animal differ in the latter respect from the sperm whale
in the nature of the spout. ... If the weather is fine and clear, and
there is a gentle breeze at the time, the spout may be seen from the
masthead of a moderate-sized vessel at the distance of four or five
miles."

Captain Scoresby, who was a veteran and successful
whaler, a good zoologist, and a highly intelligent observer,
says : —

" A moist vapour mixed with mucus is discharged from the nostrils
when the animal breathes; but no water accompanies it unless an
expiration of the breath be made under the surface."

Dr. Robert Brown, who communicated to the Zoological
Society, in May, 1868, a valuable series of observations on
the mammals of Greenland, made during his voyages to
the Spitzbergen, Iceland, and Jan Mayen Seas, and along
the eastern and western shores of Davis's Strait and Baffin's
Bay to near the mouth of Smith's Sound, remarks, in a
chapter on the Right whale (Balcena mysticetus) : —

" The ' blowing,' so familiar a feature of the Cetacea, but especially
of the Mysticetus^ is quite analogous to the breathing of the higher
mammals, and the blow-holes are the homologues of the nostrils.
It is most erroneously stated that, the whale ejects water from the
blow-holes. I have been many times only a few feet from a whale
when ' blowing,' and, though purposely observing it, could never see
that it ejected from its nostrils anything but the ordinary breath —
a fact which might almost have been deduced from analogy. In the
cold arctic air this breath is generally condensed, and falls upon those
close at hand in the form of a dense spray, which may have led sea-
men to suppoie that this vapour was originally ejected in the form of
water. Occasionally, when the whale blows just as it is rising out of
or sinking in the sea, a little of the superincumbent water may be
forced upwards by the column of breath. When the whale is wounded
in the lungs, or in any of the blood-vessels immediately supplying
them, blood, as might be expected, is ejected in the death-throes
along with the breath. When the whaleman sees his prey * spouting
red,' he concludes that its end is not far distant ; it is then mortally
wounded."

THE "SPOUTING" OF WHALES. 261

Captain F. C. Hall, the commander of the unfortunate
" Polaris " Expedition, thus describes, in his ' Life with the
Esquimaux,' the spout of a whale : —

" What this blowing is like," he says, " may be described by asking
if the reader has ever seen the smoke produced by the firing of an
old-fashioned flint-lock. If so, then he may understand the 'blow ' of
a whale — a flash in the pan and all is over."

Captain Scammon, an experienced American whaling
captain, who, like Scoresby, could wield well both harpoon
and pen, in his fine work on ' The Marine Mammals of the
North- Western Coast of America,' writes to the same
effect.

Mr. Herman Melville, who is not a naturalist, but has
served before the mast in a sperm-whaler and borne his
part in all the hardships and dangers of the chase, writes,
in his remarkable book, ' The Whale ' : —

" As for this ' whale-spout ' you might almost stand in it, and yet be
undecided as to what it is precisely. Nor is it at all prudent for the
hunter to be over curious respecting it. For, even when coming into
slight contact with the outer vapoury shreds of the jet, which will often
happen, your skin will feverishly smart from the acrimony of the
thing so touching you. And I know one who, coming into still closer
contact with the spout — whether with some scientific object in view or
otherwise I cannot say — the skin peeled off from his cheek and arm.
Wherefore, among whalemen, the spout is deemed poisonous ; they
try to evade it. I have heard it said, and I do not much doubt it,
that if the jet were fairly spouted into your eyes it would blind you."

The only other eye-witness I will cite is Mr. Bartlett, of
the Zoological Gardens, whose experience and accuracy as
an observer of the habits of animals is unsurpassed. He
spent an autumn holiday in accompanying the late Mr.
Frank Buckland and his colleagues, Messrs. Walpole and
Young, in a tour of inquiry into the condition of the
herring fishery in Scotland. When the commissioners

262 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

left Peterhead, he remained there for a few days as the
guest of Captain David Gray, of the steam whaler,
"Eclipse," and as it was reported that large whales had
been seen in the offing, his host invited him to go in search
of them, and pay them a visit in his steam-launch. When
about twelve miles out, they saw the whales, which were
"finners," at a distance of four or five miles. Fourteen
were counted — all large ones — some of which were seventy
feet in length. On approaching them the captain shut off
steam, and the launch was allowed to float in amongst
them. So close were they to the boat that it would not
have been difficult to jump upon the back of one of them
had that been desirable. Mr. Bartlett tells me that he was
greatly astonished by the immense force of the sudden out-
rush of air from their blow-holes, and the noise by which it
was accompanied. He believes that the blast was strong
enough to blow a man off the spiracle if he were seated on
it. He authorises me to say that having seen and watched
these whales under such favourable circumstances, he
entirely agrees with all that I have here written concerning
the so-called " spout." The volume of hot, vaporous breath
expelled is enormous, and this is accompanied by no small
quantity of water, forced up by it when the blow-hole is
opened below the surface.

An effect similar in appearance to the whale's spout is
produced by the breathing of the hippopotamus. When
this great beast opens its nostrils beneath the surface,
water and spray are driven and scattered upward by the
force of the air, but, of course, do not issue from the nasal
passages. I have, also, seen this effect produced, though
in a less degree, by the breathing of sea-lions.

I repeat, therefore, that not a drop of sea-water enters or
passes out of the blow-hole of a whale. If the spiracle

THE "SPOUTING" OF WHALES. 263

valve were in a condition to allow it to do so the animal
would soon be drowned. Every one knows the extreme
irritation and the horrible feeling of suffocation caused to
a human being, whilst eating or drinking, by a crumb or a
little liquid " going the wrong way " — that is, being acci-
dentally drawn to the air-passages instead of passing to the
oesophagus. If water were to enter the bronchi of a whale
it would instantly produce similar discomfort.

The neck of a popular error is hard to break ; but it is
time that one so palpable as that concerning the " spout-
ing" of whales should cease to be promulgated and dis-
seminated by fanciful illustrations of instructive books.

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

THE "SAILING" OF THE NAUTILUS.

ONE of the prettiest fables of the sea is that relating to the
Paper Nautilus, the constructor and inhabitant of the
delicate and beautiful shell which looks as if it were made
of ivory no thicker than a sheet of writing paper.

FIG. 28. — THE PAPER NAUTILUS (Argonauta argo} SAILING.

It is an old belief that in calm weather it rises from the
bottom of the sea, and, elevating its two broadly-expanded
arms, spreads to the gentle air, as a sail, the membrane,
light as a spider's web, by which they are united ; and that,

THE "SAILING" OF THE NAUTILUS. 265

seated in its boat-like shell, it thus floats over the smooth
surface of the ocean, steering and paddling with its other
arms. Should storm arise or danger threaten, its masts
and sail are lowered, its oars laid in, and the frail craft,
rilling with water, sinks gently beneath the waves.

When and where this picturesque idea originated I am
unable to discover. It dates far back beyond the range
of history ; for Aristotle mentions it, and, unfortunately,
sanctioned it. With the weight of his honoured name in
its favour, this fallacy has maintained its place in popular
belief, even to our own times ; for the mantle of the great
father of natural history, who was generally so marvellously
correct, fell on none of his successors ; Pliny, and ^Elian,
and the tribe, of compilers who succeeded them, having been
more concerned to make their histories sensational than to
verify their statements.

Naturally, the Paper Nautilus has been the subject of many
a poet's verses. Oppian wrote of it in his ' Halieutics ' : —

"Sail-fish in secret, silent deeps reside,
In shape and nature to the preke * allied ;
Close in their concave shells their bodies wrap,
Avoid the waves and every storm escape.
But not to mirksome depths alone confined ;
When pleasing calms have stilled the sighing wind,
Curious to know what seas above contain,
They leave the dark recesses of the main ;
Now, wanton, to the changing surface haste,
View clearer skies, and the pure welkin taste.
But slow they, cautious, rise, and, prudent, fear
The upper region of the watery sphere ;
Backward they mount, and as the stream o'erflows,
Their convex shells to pressing floods oppose.
Conscious, they know that, should they forward move,
O'erwhelming waves would sink them from above,

* The octopus.

266 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

Fill the void space, and with the rushing weight,
Force down th' inconstants to their former seat.
When, first arrived, they feel the stronger blast,
They lie supine and skim the liquid waste.
The natural barks out-do all human art
When skilful floaters play the sailor's part.
Two feet they upward raise, and steady keep ;
These are the masts and rigging of the ship :
A membrane stretch'd between supplies the sail,
Bends from the masts, and swells before the gale.
Two other feet hang paddling on each side,
And serve for oars to row and helm to guide.
'Tis thus they sail, pleased with the wanton game,
The fish, the sailor, and the ship, the same.
But when the swimmers dread some dangers near
The sportive pleasure yields to stronger fear.
No more they, wanton, drive before the blasts,
But strike the sails, and bring down all the masts ;
The rolling waves their sinking shells o'erflow,
And dash them down again to sands below."

Montgomery also thus exquisitely paraphrases the same
idea in his ' Pelican Island ' : —

" Light as a flake of foam upon the wind,
Keel upwards, from the deep emerged a shell
Shaped like the moon ere half her orb is filled.
Fraught with young life, it righted as it rose,
And moved at will along the yielding water.
The native pilot of this little bark
Put out a tier of oars on either side,
Spread to the wafting breeze a twofold sail,
And mounted up, and glided down, the billows
In happy freedom, pleased to feel the air>
And wander in the luxury of light."

Byron mentions the Nautilus in his 'Mutiny of the
Bounty ' as follows : —

"The tender Nautilus, who steers his prow,
The sea-born sailor of his shell canoe,
The ocean Mab— the fairy of the sea,
Seems far less fragile, and alas! more free.

THE "SAILING" OF THE NAUTILUS. 267

He, when the lightning-winged tornadoes sweep
The surge, is safe : his port is in the deep ;
And triumphs o'er the armadas of mankind
Which shake the world, yet crumble in the wind."

The very names by which this animal is known to the
science which some persons erroneously think must be so
hard and dry are poetic. In Aristotle's day it was called
the Nautilus or Nauticus, " the mariner," and though two
thousand two hundred years have passed since the great
master wrote, the name still clings to it. As the Pearly
Nautilus, a very different animal, also bears that name,
Gualtieri perceived the necessity of distinguishing the
Paper Nautilus from it, and was followed by Linnaeus, who
therefore entitled the genus to which the latter belongs
Argonauta, after the ship Argo, in which Jason and his
companions sailed to Colchis to carry off the "Golden
Fleece " suspended there in the temple of Mars, and
guarded by brazen-hoofed bulls, whose nostrils breathed
out fire and death, and by a watchful dragon that never
slept. According to the Greek legend, the Argo was
named after its builder Argus, the son of Danaus, and was
the first ship that ever was built. Oppian (' Halieutics,'
book i.) expresses his opinion that the Nautilus served as
a model for the man who first conceived the idea of con-
structing a ship, and embarking on the waters :—

" Ye Powers ! when man first felled the stately trees,
And passed to distant shores on wafting seas,
Whether some god inspired the wondrous thought,
Or chance found out, or careful study sought ;
If humble guess may probably divine,
And trace th' improvement to the first design,
Some wight of prying search, who wond'ring stood
When softer gales had smoothed the dimpled flood,
Observed these careless swimmers floating move
And how each blast the easy sailor drove;

268 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

Hence took the hint, hence formed th' imperfect draught,

And ship-like fish the future seaman taught.

Then mortals tried the shelving hull to slope,

To raise the mast, and twist the stronger rope,

To fix the yards, let fly the crowded sails,

Sweep through the curling waves, and court auspicious gales."

Pope, too, in his ' Essay on Man ' (Ep. 3), adopted the
idea in his exhortation —

" Learn of the little Nautilus to sail,
Spread the thin oar, and catch the driving gale."

Poetry, like the wizard's spell, can make

"A nutshell seem a gilded barge,
A sheeling seem a palace large,"

but the equally enchanting wand of science is able by a
touch to dispel the illusion, and cause the object to appear
in its true proportions. So with the fiction of the " Paper
Sailor."

I have elsewhere described the affinities of the Nautili
and their place in nature, therefore it will only be necessary
for me here to allude to these very briefly, to explain the
great and essential difference that exists between the two
kinds of Nautilus which are popularly regarded as being
one and the same animal.

The Pearly Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius] and the
Argonaut, which from having a fragile shell of somewhat
similar external form is called the Paper Nautilus, both
belong to that great primary group of animals known as
the Mollusca, and to the class of it called the Cephalopoda,
from their having their head in the middle of that which is
the foot in other mollusks. In the Cephalopoda the foot is
split or divided into eight segments in some families, and
in others into ten segments, which radiate from the central
head, like so many rays. These rays are not only used as

THE "SAILING" OF THE NAUTILUS. 269

feet, but, being highly flexible, are adapted for employment
also as prehensile arms, with which their owner captures
its prey, and they are rendered more perfect for this purpose
by being furnished with suckers which hold firmly to any
surface to which they are applied. The Cephalopods
which have the foot divided into ten of these segments or
arms are called the Decapoday those which have only eight
of them are called the Octopoda. All of these have two
plume-like gills — one on each side — and so are called
Dibranchiata ; and in the eight-armed section of these is the
argonaut or Paper Nautilus. Of the Pearly Nautilus and
the four-gilled order to which it belongs I shall have more
to say by-and-by : at present we will follow the history of
the argonaut.

Notwithstanding all that has
been written of it, it is only
within the last fifty years
that this has been correctly
understood. An eight-armed
cuttle was recognised and named
Ocytkoe, which, instead of hav-

,., ,, FIG. 20. — THE PAPER NAUTILUS

ing, like the common octopus, (Arsomula argo) RETRAC.
all of its eight arms thong-like TED WITHIN ITS SHELL.
and tapering to a point, had

the two dorsal limbs flattened into a broad thin mem-
brane. Although this animal was sometimes seen dead
without any covering, it was generally found contained in
a thin and slightly elastic univalve shell of graceful form
and bearing some resemblance to an elegantly shaped boat.
It did not penetrate to the bottom of this shell ; it was not
attached to it by any muscular ligament, nor was the shell
moulded on its body, nor apparently made to fit it. Hence
it was long regarded as doubtful, and even by naturalists so

270 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

recent and eminent as Dumeril and De Blainville, whether
the octopod really secreted the shell, or whether, like the
hermit-crab, it borrowed for its protection the shell of some
other mollusk. Aristotle left the subject with the faithful
acknowledgment : " As to the origin and growth of this
shell nothing is yet exactly determined. It appears to be
produced like other shells ; but even this is not evident,
any more than it is whether the animal can live without it."
Pliny, as usual, instead of throwing light on the matter,
obscured it. He regarded the shell as the property of a
gasteropod like the snail, and the octopod as an amateur
yachtsman who occasionally went on board and took a trip
in the frail craft, and assisted its owner to navigate it for
the fun of the thing. This is what he says about it : *

" Mutianus reports that he saw in the Propontis a shell formed like
a little ship, having the poop turned up and the prow pointed. An
animal called the Nauplius, resembling an octopus, was enclosed in
the shell with its owner, for its amusement in the following manner.
When the sea is calm the guest lowers his arms, and uses them as
oars and a helm, whilst the owner of the shell expands himself to
catch the wind ; so that one has the pleasure of carrying and sailing,
and the other of steering. Thus, these two otherwise senseless animals
take their pleasure together ; but the meeting them sailing in their
shell is a bad omen for mariners, and foretells some great calamity."

Although the animal was never found in any other shell,
and the shell was never known to contain any other animal,
and though, when the shell and the animal were found
together they were always of proportionate size, this octo-
pod, as I have said, was looked upon by some conchologists
as a pirate who had taken possession of a ship which did
not belong to him, until Madame Jeannette Power, a
French lady then residing in Messina, having succeeded in
keeping alive for a time an argonaut the shell of which had
* Naturalis Historia, lib. ix. cap. 30.

THE " SAILING " OF THE NA UTIL US. 27 r

been broken in its capture, discovered that the animal
quickly repaired the fracture, and reproduced the portions
that had been broken off. Induced by this to make
further experiments, she kept a number of living argonauts
in cages sunk in the sea near the citadel of Messina, and in
1836 laid before the "Academy" at Catania the following
results of her observations of them : —

ist. That the argonaut constructs the shell which it
inhabits.

2nd. That it quits the egg entirely naked, and forms the
shell after its birth.

3rd. That it can repair its shell, if necessary, by a fresh
deposit of material having the same chemical composition
as its original shell.

4th. That this material is secreted by the palmate, or
sail, arms, and is laid on the outside of the shell, to the
exterior of which these membranous arms are closely
applied.

Madame Power was mistaken on two points. Firstly,
the construction of the shell does not commence after
the birth of the animal, but, as has been shown by
M. Duvernoy, its rudimentary form is distinctly visible by
the aid of the microscope in the embryo, whilst still in the
egg ; and secondly, she continued to believe in the use of
the membranous arms as sails, and of the others as oars
This fallacy was exploded by Captain Sander Rang, an
officer of the French navy, and " port-captain " at Algiers,
who carefully followed up Madame Power's experiments,
and confirmed the more important of them. Thus were
set at rest questions which for centuries had divided the
opinions of zoologists.

" The * Paper Nautilus ' is, in fact, a female octopod
provided with a portable nest, in which to carry about and

272 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

protect her eggs, instead of brooding over them in some
cranny of a rock, or within the recesses of a pile of shells,
as does her cousin the octopus. From the membranes of
the two flattened and expanded arms she secretes and, if
necessary, repairs her shell, and, by applying them closely
to its outer surface on each side, holds herself within it, for
it is not fastened to her body by any attaching muscles.
When disturbed or in danger she can loosen her hold, and,
leaving her cradle, swim away independently of it. It
has been said that, having once left it, she has not the
ability nor perhaps the sagacity to re-enter her nest, and
resume the guardianship of her eggs." * From my own
observations of the breeding habits of other octopods I
think this most improbable. The use and purpose of the
shell of the argonaut will be better understood if I briefly
describe what I have witnessed of the treatment of its eggs
by its near relative, the octopus.

"The eggs of the octopus," as I have elsewhere said,
"when first laid, are small, oval, translucent granules,
resembling little grains of rice, not quite an eighth of an
inch long. They grow along and around a common stalk,
to which every egg is separately attached, as grapes form
part of a bunch. Each of the elongated bunches is affixed
by a glutinous secretion to the surface of a rock or stone
(never to seaweed, as has been erroneously stated), and
hangs pendant by its stalk in a long white cluster, like a
magnified catkin of the filbert, or, to use Aristotle's simile,
like the fruit of the white alder. The length and number
of these bunches varies according to the size and condition
of the parent. Those produced by a small octopus are
seldom more than about three inches long, and from

1 Appendix to Sir Edward Belcher's 'Voyage of the Samarang:
by Mr. Arthur Adams, assistant surgeon to the expedition.

THE "SAILING" OF THE NAUTILUS. 273

twelve to twenty in number ; but a full-grown female will
deposit from forty to fifty of such clusters, each about five
inches in length. I have counted the eggs of which these
clusters are composed, and find that there are about a
thousand in each : so that a large octopus produces in one
laying, usually extended over three days, a progeny of
from 40,000 to 50,000. I have seen an octopus, when
undisturbed, pass one of her arms beneath the hanging
bunches of her eggs, and, dilating the membrane on each
side of it into a boat-shaped hollow, gather and receive
them in it, as in a trough or cradle which exhibited in its
general shape and outline a remarkable similarity to the
shell of the argonaut, with the eggs of which octopod its
own are almost identical in form and appearance. Then
she would caress and gently rub them, occasionally turning
towards them the mouth of her flexible exhalant and loco-
motor tube, like the nozzle of a fireman's hose-pipe, so as
to direct upon them a jet of the excurrent water. I believe
that the object of this syringing process is to free the eggs
from parasitic animalcules, and possibly to prevent the
growth of conferva, which, I have found, rapidly over-
spreads those removed from her attention." *

It has been suggested that the syringing may be for the
purpose of keeping the water surrounding the eggs well
aerated ; but this is evidently erroneous, for the water
ejected from the tube has been previously deprived of its
oxygen, and consequently of its health-giving properties,
whilst passing over the gills of the parent. Week after
week, for fifty days, a brooding octopus will continue to
attend to her eggs with the most watchful and assiduous
care, seldom leaving them for an instant except to take
food, which, without a brief abandonment of her position,

* The Octopus, 1873, P- 57- "
VOL III. — H. T

274 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

would be beyond her reach. Aristotle asserted that while
the female is incubating she takes no food. This is
incorrect ; but in every case of the kind that has come
under my observation the mother octopod, whenever she
has been obliged to leave her nest, has returned to it as
quickly as possible ; and so I believe can, and does, the
female argonaut to her shell, and that, too, without any
difficulty. In her case the numerous clusters of eggs are all
united at their origin to one slender and tapering stalk
which is fixed by a spot of glutinous matter to the body-
whorl of the spiral shell.

FIG. 30.— THE PAPER NAUTILUS (Argonautd argo) CRAWLING.

• This " paper-sailor," then, whom the poets have regarded
as endowed with so much grace and beauty, and living
in luxurious ease, is but a fine lady octopus after all.
Turn her out of her handsome residence, and, instead
of the fairy skimmer of the seas, you have before you an
object apparently as free from loveliness and romance as
her sprawling, uncanny-looking, relative. Instead of floating
in her pleasure boat over the surface of the sea, the
argonaut ordinarily crawls along the bottom, carrying her
shell above her, keel uppermost ; and the broad extremities
of the two arms are not hoisted as sails, nor allowed when
at rest to dangle over the side of the "boat ; " but are used

THE "SAILING" OF THE NAUTILUS. 275

as a kind of hood by which the animal retains the shell in
its proper position, as a man bearing a load on his shoulders
holds it with his hands. When she comes to the surface,
or progresses by swimming instead of walking, she does so
in the same manner as the octopus : namely, by the forcible
expulsion of water from her funnel-like tube.

But if truth compels us to deprive her of the counterfeit
halo conferred on her by poets, we can award her, on behalf
of science, a far nobler crown ; namely, that of the Queen
of the whole great Invertebrate Animal Kingdom. For
the Cephalopoda, of which the argonaut is a highly
organised member, are not only the highest in their own
division, the Mollusca, but they are as far superior to all

FIG. 31. — THE PAPER NAUTILUS (Argonauta argo) SWIMMING.

other animals which have no backbones, as man stands
lord and king over all created beings that possess them.

Although in outward shape the spiral shell of the Pearly
Nautilus (Natitihis pompilius) somewhat resembles that of
the argonaut, its internal structure is very different. A
section of it shows that it is divided into several chambers,
each of which is partitioned off from the adjoining ones, the
last formed or external one, in which the animal lives, being
much larger than the rest. The object and mode of
construction of these chambers is as follows. As the
animal grows, a constant secretion of new material takes
place on the edge of the shell. By this unceasing process
of the addition of new shell in the form of a circular curve

T 2

276 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

or coil around the older portion, the whole rapidly increases
in size, both in diameter, and in the length of the chamber.
The Nautilus, requiring to keep the secreting portion of its
mantle applied to the lip of the shell, finds the chamber in
which it dwells gradually becoming inconveniently long for
it, and therefore builds up a wall behind itself, and continues
its work of enlarging its premises in front. Each of these
walls, concave in front, towards the mouth of the shell, and
concave behind, acts as a strong girder and support of the

FIG. 32. — SHELL OF THE PAPER NAUTILUS (Argonauta argo).

arch of the shell against the inward pressure of deep water :
and it was formerly supposed that each successive chamber
so constructed and vacated remained filled with air, and
thus became an additional float by which the constantly
increasing weight of the growing shell was counterbalanced.
By this beautiful adjustment of augmented floating power to
increased weight, the buoyancy of the shell would be secured
and its specific gravity maintained as nearly as possible equal
to that of the surrounding water. This adjustment does

THE "SAILING" OF THE NAUTILUS.

277

probably take place, but in a somewhat different manner.
As the Nautilus inhabits a depth of from twenty to forty
fathoms, it is evident that the air within its shell would
be displaced by the pressure of such a column of water.*
Accordingly, in every instance of the capture of a Nautilus
the chambers of its shell have been found filled with water.
It is not improbable that the fluid they contain may be less
compressed, and exert less pressure from within outwards

FIG. 33.— SHELL OF THE PEARLY NAUTILUS (Nautilus pOlllpilius} .

than that of the external superincumbent column of water,
and that by this unbalanced pressure — under the same

* "At 100 fathoms the pressure exceeds 265 Ibs. to the square inch.
Empty bottles, securely corked, and sunk with weights beyond 100
fathoms, are always crushed. If filled with liquid the cork is driven
in, and the liquid replaced by salt water ; and in drawing the bottle up
again the cork is returned to the neck of the bottle, generally in a
reversed position." — Sir F. Beaufort, quoted by Dr. S. P. Woodward
in his Manual of the Mollusca.

278

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

hydro-dynamic law which governs its mode of self-propulsion
when swimming, and possibly in some degree within the
control of the animal— the latter is relieved of much of the
weight of its shell. When the Nautilus is at the bottom of
the sea its movement is like that of a snail crawling along

FIG. 34. — THE PEARLY NAUTILUS (Nautilus pompilius)> AND SECTION OF

ITS SHELL. After Professor Owen.

a a, Partitions ; b b, chambers ; b\ the last-formed chamber, in which the
animal lives ; c c, the siphuncle ; d, attaching muscle ; e e, the hollow
arms ; ffy retractile tentacles ; £•, muscular disk, or foot ; h, the eye j i,
position of funnel.

upon the ground with its shell above it. The shell, in
proportion to the size of the animal that inhabits it, is a
heavy one, and unless it were rendered semi-buoyant, its
owner's strength would be severely taxed by the effort to
drag it along. By the means indicated this portable

THE "SAILING" OF THE NAUTILUS. 279

domicile is borne lightly above the body of the Nautilus,
without in any way impeding its progress.

The chambers are all connected by a membranous tube
slightly coated with nacre, which is connected with a large
sac in the body of the animal, near the heart, and passes
through a circular orifice and a short projecting tube in the
centre of each partition wall, till it ends in the smallest
chamber at the inner extremity of the shell. Dean
Buckland believed this " syphon " to be an hydraulic ap-
paratus acting as a " fine adjustment " of the specific gravity
of the shell, by admitting water within it when expanded,
and excluding it when contracted. As it contains an
artery and vein near its origin at the mantle, Professor
Owen has regarded it as subservient to the maintenance of
a low vitality in the vacated portion of the shell. Dr.
Henry Woodward is of the opinion that, whilst in the
early life of the Nautilus this siphuncle forms the main
point of attachment between the animal and its shell, it
is in the adult " simply an aborted embryonal organ whose
function is now filled by the shell-muscles, but which in the
more ancient and straight-shelled representatives of the
group (the Orthoceratites) was not merely an embryonal
but an important organ in the adult."

Every one knows the shell of the Pearly Nautilus. It
may be purchased at any shell-shop in a seaside watering-
place, and is imported by hundreds every year from
Singapore.* It is abundant in the waters of the Indian
Archipelago, especially about the Molucca and Philippine
Islands, and on the shores of New Caledonia and the Fiji

* I need hardly say that before the nacreous layer of the shell
from whicu this animal takes its name is made visible, an outer deposit
of dense calcareous matter has to be removed by hydrochloric acid :
the pearly ourtace thus exposed is then easily polished.

28o SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

and Solomon Islands. It has also been found alive on
Pemba Island, near Zanzibar. It seems strange, therefore,
that until about half a century ago hardly anything was
known of the animal that secretes and inhabits it. Rum-
phius, a Dutch naturalist, in his 'Rarities of Amboyna/
published, in 1705, a description of one with an engraving,
incorrect in drawing, and deficient in detail ; and until 1832
this was the only information which existed concerning it.
The great Cuvier never saw one, and being acquainted only
with the two-gilled cephalopods, he regarded the head-
footed mollusks as absolutely isolated from all other
animals in the kingdom of nature, even from the other
classes of the mollusca^ It seemed, however, to Professor
Owen, then only nineteen years of age, that in the only
living representative of the four-gilled order, Nautilus
pompilius, might be found the "missing link." When,
therefore, in the year 1824, his fellow- student, Mr. George
Bennett, was about to sail from England to the Polynesian
Islands, young Richard Owen earnestly charged his friend
to do his utmost to obtain, and bring home in alcohol, a
specimen of the much-coveted Pearly Nautilus. The
opportunity did not occur till one warm and calm Monday
evening, the 24th of August, 1829, when a living Nautilus
was seen at the surface of the water not far distant from
the ship, in Marekini Bay, on the south-west coast of the
Island of Erromango, New Hebrides, in the South Pacific
Ocean. It looked like a dead tortoise-shell cat, as the
sailors said. As it began to sink as soon as it was
observed, it was struck at with a boat-hook, and was thus
so much injured that it died shortly after being taken on
board the ship. The shell was destroyed, but the soft
body of the animal was preserved in spirits, and great was
the joy of Mr. Owen when, in July, 1831, Mr. Bennett

THE "SAILING" OF THE NAUTILUS. 281

arrived with it in England, and presented it to the Royal
College of Surgeons. Mr. Owen was then Assistant-
Conservator of the Museum of the College under Mr. Clift,
who was afterwards his father-in-law. He immediately
commenced to anatomise, describe, and figure his rare
acquisition, and in the early part of 1832 published the
result of his work in the form of a masterly treatise, which
proved to be the foundation of his future fame.*

Mr. Owen's investigations confirmed his previous sup-
position that the Pearly Nautilus is inferior in its organisa-
tion to octopus, sepia, or any other known cephalopod ;
that it is not isolated, but that it recedes towards the
gasteropods, to which belong the snail, the periwinkle, &c.,
and that in some of its characters its structure is analo-
gously related to the still lower annulosa, or worms. Mr.

* It is so interesting to most of us to know something of the early
work of our greatest men, and of the tide in their affairs, which,
taken at the flood, led on to fortune, that I hope I may be excused for
referring to the period when the distinguished chief of the Natural
History Department of the British Museum, the great comparative
anatomist, the unrivalled palaeontologist, the illustrious physiologist,
the venerable and venerated friend of all earnest students, was be-
ginning to attract the attention, and to receive the approbation of his
seniors as a promising young worker. In Messrs. Griffith and Pidgeon's
Supplement to Cuvier's ' Mollusca and Radiata,' published in 1834, the
treatise in question is thus mentioned : " We have much pleasure in
referring to a most excellent memoir on Nautilus pompilius, by Mr.
Owen, with elaborate figures of the animal, its shell, and various parts,
published by direction of the Council of the College of Surgeons. The
reader will find the most satisfactory information on the subject, and
the scientific public will earnestly hope that the present volume will be
the first of a similar series." This hope has been more than fulfilled.
Dean Buckland, in his ' Bridgewater Treatise,' wrote of this work : " I
rejoice in the present opportunity of bearing testimony to the value of
Professor Owen's highly philosophical and most admirable memoir —
a work not less creditable to the author than honourable to the Royal
College of Surgeons, under whose auspices the publication has been so
handsomely conducted."

282 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

Owen was just about to start for Paris with the intention
of presenting a copy of his book to his celebrated contem-
porary and friend, and of showing him his dissections of the
Nautilus which had been the subject of his research, when
he heard of Baron Cuvier's death. It must have been to
him a great sorrow and a grievous disappointment.

The Pearly Nautilus, then, is a true cephalopod, in that
it has its foot divided and arranged in segments around
its head, but the form and number of these segments are
very different from those of any other of its class. Instead of
there being eight, as in the argonaut and octopus, or ten, as
in sepia and the calamaries, the Nautilus has about ninety
projecting in every direction from around the mouth. They
are short, round and tapering, of about the length and thick-
ness of the fingers of a child. Some of them are retractile
into sheaths, and they are attached to fleshy processes
(which might represent the child's hand), overlying each
other, and covering the mouth on each side. They have
none of the suckers with which the arms and tentacles of all
thet other cuttles are furnished, but their annulose structure,
like the rings of an earthworm's body, gives them some
little prehensile power. None of these numerous finger-
like segments of the foot are flattened out like the broad
membranous expansions of the argonaut, and, in fact, the
Nautilus is without any members which can possibly be
regarded as sails to hoist, or as oars with which to row. It
has a strong beak, like the rest of the cuttles, but, unlike
them, has four gills instead of two ; and it has no ink-sac,
for its shell is strong enough to afford it the protection
which its two-gilled relatives have to seek in concealment.

The Pearly Nautilus usually creeps, like a snail, along
the bed of the sea. It lives at the bottom, and feeds

THE "SAILING" OF THE NAUTILUS. 283

at the bottom, principally on crabs ; and, as Dr. S. P.
Woodward says, in his 'Manual of the Mollusca/ "perhaps
often lies in wait for them, like some gigantic sea-anemone,
with outspread tentacles." The shape of its shell is not
well adapted for swimming, but it can ascend to the surface,
if it so please, in the same manner as can all the cuttles —
namely, by the outflow of water from its locomotor tube.
The statement that it visits the surface of the sea of its own
accord is at present, however, unconfirmed by observation.

But, if the Pearly Nautilus is the inferior and poor rela-
tion of the argonaut, it lives in a handsome house, and
comes of an ancient lineage. The Ammonites, whose
beautiful whorled and chambered shells, and the casts of
them, are so abundant in every stratum, especially in the
lias, the chalk, and the oolite, had four gills also. These
Ammonites and the Nautili were amongst the earliest
occupants of the ancient deep; and, with the Hamites,
Turrilites, and others, lived upon our earth during a great
portion of the incalculable period which has elapsed since
it became fitted for animal existence, and in their time
witnessed the rise and fall of many an animal dynasty.
But they are gone now ; and only the fossil relics of more
than two thousand species (of which 188 were Nautili)
remain to tell how important a race they were amongst the
inhabitants of the old world seas. They and their con-
geners of the chambered shells, however, left one represen-
tative which has lived on through all the changes that have
taken place on the surface of this globe since they became
extinct — namely, Nautilus pompilius, the Nautilus of the
pearly shell — the last of the Tetrabranchs.

I need offer no apology for endeavouring to explain the
difference between the Nautilus of the chambered shell and
the argonaut with the membranous arms which it was

2g4 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

supposed to use as sails, when Webster, in his great stan-
dard dictionary, describes the one and figures the other as
one and the same animal ; and when a writer of the cele-
brity of Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes also blends the two in
the following poem, containing a sentiment as exquisite as
its science is erroneous. I hope the latter distinguished
and accomplished author, whose delightful writings I enjoy
and highly appreciate, will pardon my criticism. I admit
that the beauty of the thought might well atone for its
inaccuracy (of which the author is conscious), were it not
that the latter is made so attractive that truth appears
harsh in disturbing it.

"THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS."

" This is the ship of pearl, which poets feign

Sails the unshadowed main,

The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings,
In gulfs enchanted, where the siren sings,

And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.

Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl,

Wrecked is the ship of pearl !

And every chambered cell,

Where its dim, dreaming life was wont to dwell,
As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,

Before thee lies revealed,
Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed !

Year after year beheld the silent toil

That spread his lustrous coil;

Still, as the spiral grew,
He left "the past year's dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft step its shining archway through,

Built up its idle door,
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.

THE "SAILING" OF THE NAUTILUS. 285

Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,

Child of the wandering sea,

Cast from her lap forlorn !
From the dead lips a clearer note is born
Than ever Triton blew from wreathed horn !

While on mine ear it rings,
Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings : —

* Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,

As the swift seasons roll!

Leave thy low vaulted past ;
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,

Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea.'"

286 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES.

THE belief that some wild geese, instead of being hatched
from eggs, like other birds, grew on trees and rotten
wood has never been surpassed as a specimen of ignorant
credulity and persistent error.

There are two principal versions of this absurd notion.
One is that certain trees, resembling willows, and growing
always close to the sea, produced at the ends of their
branches fruit in form like apples, and each containing
the embryo of a goose, which, when the fruit was ripe, fell
into the water and flew away. The other is that the geese
were bred from a fungus growing on rotten timber floating
at sea, and were first developed in the form of worms in
the substance of the wood.

When and whence this improbable theory had its origin
is uncertain. Aristotle does not mention it, and con-
sequently Pliny and ^Elian were deprived of the pleasure
they would have felt in handing down to posterity, without
investigation or correction, a statement so surprising. It is,
comparatively, a modern myth ; although we find that
it was firmly established in the middle of the twelfth
century, for Gerald de Barri, known in literature as
Giraldus Cambrensis, mentions it in his * Topographia
Hiberniae,' published in 1 187. Giraldus, who was Archdeacon
of Brecknock in the reign of Henry II., and tried hard, more
than once, for the bishopric of St. David's, the functions of
which he had temporarily administered without obtaining

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 287

the title, was a vigorous and zealous reformer of Church
abuses. Amongst the laxities of discipline against which
he found it necessary to protest was the custom then
prevailing of eating these Barnacle geese during Lent,
under the plea that their flesh was not that of birds, but of
fishes. He writes : —

"There are here many birds which are called Bernacae, which
nature produces in a manner contrary to nature, and very wonderful.
They are like marsh-geese but smaller. They are produced from fir-
timber tossed about at sea, and are at first like geese upon it. After-
wards they hang down by their beaks, as if from a sea-weed attached
to the wood, and are enclosed in shells that they may grow the more
freely. Having thus, in course of time, been clothed with a strong
covering of feathers, they either fall into the water, or seek their liberty
in the air by flight. The embryo geese derive their growth and nutri-
ment from the moisture of the wood or of the sea, in a secret and most
marvellous manner. I have seen with my own eyes more than a
thousand minute bodies of these birds hanging from one piece of
timber on the shore, enclosed in shells and already formed. Their
eggs are not impregnated in coitu, like those of other birds, nor does
the bird sit upon its eggs to hatch them, and in no corner of the world
have they been known to build a nest. Hence the bishops and clergy
in some parts of Ireland are in the habit of partaking of these birds on
fast days, without scruple. But in doing so they are led into sin.
For, if any one were to eat of the leg of our first parent, although he
(Adam) was not born of flesh, that person could not be adjudged
innocent of eating flesh."

This fable of the geese appears, however, to have been
current at least a hundred years before Giraldus wrote, for
Professor Max Muller, who treats of it in one of his
" Lectures on the Science of Language," amongst many
interesting references there given, quotes a Cardinal of the
eleventh century, Petrus Damianus, who clearly describes
that version of it which represents the birds as bursting,
when fully fledged, from fruit resembling apples.

It is a curious fact that these Barnacle geese have

288 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

troubled the priesthood of more than one creed as to the
instructions they should give to the laity concerning the use
of them as food. The Jews— all those, at least, who
maintain a strict observance of the Hebrew Law — eat no
meat but that of animals which have been slaughtered in a
certain prescribed manner ; and a doubt arose amongst
them at the period we refer to, whether these geese should
be killed as flesh or as fish. Professor Max Miiller cites
Mordechai,* as asking whether these birds are fruits, fish,
or flesh ; that is, whether they must be killed in the Jewish
way, as if they were flesh. Mordechai describes them as
birds which grow on trees, and says, "the Rabbi Jehuda, of
Worms (who died 1216) used to say that he had heard from
his father, Rabbi Samuel, of Speyer (about 1150), that
Rabbi Jacob Tham, of Ramerii (who died 1 171), the grand-
son of the great Rabbi Rashi (about 1 140), had decided that
they must be killed as flesh."

Pope Innocent III. took the same view ; for at the
Lateran Council, in 1215, he prohibited the eating of
Barnacle geese during Lent. In 1277, Rabbi Izaak, of
Corbeil, determined to be on the safe side, forbade altogether
the eating of these birds by the Jews, " because they were
neither flesh nor fish."

Michael Bernhard Valentine,! quoting Wormius, says
that this question caused much perplexity and disputation
amongst the doctors of the Sorbonne ; but that they passed
an ordinance that these geese should be classed as fishes,
and not as birds ; and he adds, that in consequence of this
decision large numbers of these birds were annually sent to
Paris from England and Scotland, for consumption in

* Riva, 1559, leaf 142*.

t Historia Simplicium, lib. iii. p. 327.

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 289

Lent. Sir Robert Sibbald * refers to this, and says that
Normandy was the locality from which the French capital
was reported to be principally supplied ; but that in fact
the greater number of these geese came from Holland.
The date of this edict is not given.

Professor Max M tiller says that in Brittany Barnacle .
geese are still allowed to be eaten on Fridays, and that the
Roman Catholic Bishop of Ferns may give permission to
people out of his diocese to eat these birds at his table.

In Bombay, also, where fish is prohibited as food to some
classes of the population, the priests call this goose a " sea-
vegetable," under which name it is allowed to be eaten.

Various localities were mentioned as the breeding-places of
these arboreal geese. Gervasius of Tilbury, f writing about
121 1, describes the process of their generation in full detail,
and says that great numbers of them grew in his time
upon the young willow trees which abounded in the
neighbourhood of the Abbey of Faversham, in the county
of Kent, and within the Archiepiscopate of Canterbury.
The bird was there commonly called the Barneta.

Hector Boethius, or Boece, the old Scottish historian,
combats this version of the story. His work, written in
Latin, in 1527, was translated into quaint Scottish in 1540,
by John Bellenden, Archdeacon of Murray. In his four-
teenth chapter, " Of the nature of claik geis, and of the
syndry maner of thair procreatioun, And of the ile of
Thule," he says :—

" Restis now to speik of the geis generit of the see namit clakis.
Sum men belevis that thir clakis growls on treis be the nebbis. Bot
thair opinioun is vane. And becaus the nature and procreatioun of
thir clakis is strange we have maid na lytyll laubore and deligence to

* Prodrom. Hist. Nat. Scot., part 2, lib. iii. p. 21, 1684.
t Otia Imperialia, iii. 123.
VOL. III.— H.

290 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

serche ye treuth and verite yairof, we have salit throw ye seis quhare
thir clakis ar bred, and I fynd be gret experience, that the nature of
the seis is mair relevant caus of thir procreatioun than ony uther
thyng."

From the circumstances attending the finding of "ane
gret tree that was brocht be alluvion and flux of the see to
land, in secht of money pepyll besyde the castell of Petslego,
in the yeir of God* ane thousand iiii. hundred Ixxxx, and of
a see tangle hyngand full of mussill schellis," brought to
him by " Maister Alexander Galloway, person of Kynkell,"
who knowing him to be "richt desirus of sic uncouth
thingis came haistely with the said tangle," he arrives at
the conclusion, by a process of reasoning highly satisfactory
and convincing to himself, that,

" Be thir and mony othir resorcis and examplis we can not beleif
that thir clakis ar producit be ony nature of treis or rutis thairof, but
allanerly be the nature of the Oceane see, quhilk is the caus and pro-
duction of mony wonderful thingis. And becaus the rude and ignorant
pepyl saw oftymes the fruitis that fel of the treis (quhilkis stude neir
the see) convertit within schort tyme in geis, thai belevit that thir geis
grew apon the treis hingand be thair nebbis sic lik as appillis and
uthir frutis hingis be thair stalkis, bot thair opinioun is nocht to be
sustenit. For als sone as thir appillis or frutis fallis of the tre in the
see nude thay grow first wormeetin. And be schort process of tyme
are alterat in geis."

In describing the bird thus produced, Boethius declares
that the male has a sharp, pointed beak, like the gallin-
aceous birds, but that in the female the beak is obtuse as
in other geese and ducks.

According to other authors, this wonderful production of
birds from living or dead timber was not confined to
England and Scotland. Vincentius Bellovacensis * (1190-

* For this quotation and the following one I am indebted to
Professor Max M tiller's Lecture before referred to.

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 291

1 264) in his ' Speculum Naturae,' xvii. 40, states that it took
place in Germany, and Jacob de Vitriaco (who died 1244)
in his ' Historia Orientalis,' cap. 91, mentions its occurrence
in certain parts of Flanders.

Jonas Ramus gives a somewhat different version of the
process as it occurs in Norway. He writes : * "It is said
that a particular sort of geese is found in Nordland, which
leave their seed on old trees, and .stumps and blocks lying
in the sea ; and that from that seed there grows a shell fast
to the trees, from which shell, as from an egg, by the heat
of the sun, young geese are hatched, and afterwards grow
up ; which gave rise to the fable that geese grow upon
trees."

But, strange to say, if any painstaking enquirer, wishing
to investigate the matter for himself, went to a locality
where it was said the phenomenon regularly occurred, he
was sure to find that he had literally, " started on a wild-
goose chase," and had come to the wrong place. This was
the experience of ^neas Sylvius Piccolomini, afterwards
Pope Pius II., who complained that miracles will always
flee farther and farther away ; for when he was on a visit
(about 1430) to King James I., of Scotland,! and enquired
after the tree which he most eagerly desired to see, he
was told that it grew much farther north, in the Orkney
Islands.

Notwithstanding the suspicious fact that the prodigy
receded like Will o' the Wisp, whenever it was per-
sistently followed up, Sebastian Muenster, who relates \

* ' Description of Norway,' p. 244.

f ^neas Sylvius gives us information concerning the personal
appearance of his royal host, whom he describes as " hominem quad-
ratum et multa pinguedine gravem?— literally, "a square-built man,
heavy with much fat."

% Cosmographia Universalis, p. 49, ed. 1572. The original edition
was published in 1550.

U 2

292 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

the foregoing anecdote of ^Eneas Sylvius, appears to have
entertained no doubt of the truth of the report, for he
writes : —

" In Scotland there are trees which produce fruit, conglomerated of
their leaves ; and this fruit, when in due time it falls into the water
beneath it, is endowed with new life, and is converted into a living
bird, which they call the * tree-goose.' This tree grows in the Island
of Pomonia, which is not far from Scotland, towards the north.
Several old cosmographers, especially Saxo Grammaticus, mention
the tree, and it must not be regarded as fictitious, as some new writers
suppose."

One of the " new writers " to whom the eminent German
divine and mathematician referred was probably Polydorus
Vergilius, who bluntly avowed that he looked upon the
whole story as fabulous. For this brusque expression of
his opinion he was taken to task by Giralomo Cardano,
who told him that he had arrived too rashly at his con-
clusions, and that before doing so it was his duty to have
read the writings of Hector Boetius on the subject, and if
he were unable to refute them to have abstained from
treating the matter so dogmatically and superciliously.

Cardano, however, whose character was a curious com-
pound of wisdom and folly, weakness and power, evidently
found it impossible to give full credence to so strange a
phenomenon. After rebuking Polydorus Vergilius for his
unreserved disbelief, he, with the caprice and inconsistency
for which he was noted, lays before his readers various
arguments for and against the possibility of geese being
generated in the manner described by Boetius, and, after
much seemingly impartial consideration of the subject,
quits it as one open to grave doubts, and requiring further
and more precise evidence to substantiate it*

Cardano having taken this view of the matter in dispute,
* De Rcrnm Varietate. lib. vii. cap. 36, 1557.

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 293

we may, of course, expect to see his bitter opponent, Julius
Caesar Scaliger,* appear (probably more satirically than
sincerely) as a champion on the other side. Accordingly,
we find him not only prepared to challenge the correctness
of Cardano's judgment, but also giving publicity to a new
version of the legend, in which it is asserted that the leaves
which fall from the tree into the water are converted into
fishes, and those which fall upon the land become birds.
In his " Exercitatioms? f addressed to Girolamo Cardano,
Scaliger says : —

" I must not pass over in silence that which is reported of a river in
Juverna (Ireland), namely, that a certain tree grows on its banks the
leaves of which when they fall into its water as.sume the form of fishes.
These fishes come to life — a phenomenon which, on careful considera-
tion, appears to be attributable less to any power or property of the
said river than to the tree itself ; for those leaves of the latter which

* Julius Csesar Scaliger, born in 1484, probably at Padua, was one
of the most celebrated of the many great writers of the sixteenth cen-
tury. He was a man of real talent, but, also, of unbounded vanity
and unscrupulous ambition. Originally baptized " Jules," he added
" Caesar " to his name, and, to enhance his own merits by the tdat of
high birth, made for himself a false genealogy, and asserted that he
was the hero of adventures in which he had taken no part. In order
to force himself into notice, he attacked Erasmus, and in two harangues,
which the latter disdained to answer, used towards him the grossest
invectives. Scaliger next directed his insolent hostility against
Giralomo Cardano. Jealous of the fame of the great Pavian physician
and mathematician, he, in a critique containing more insults than
arguments, ferociously assailed Cardano's treatise, De Subtilitate, and
so exaggerated was the estimate he formed of the effect of his diatribes
on the objects of his malice, that, when Erasmus died, and a false
rumour was spread abroad of the decease of Cardano, he believed, or
affected to believe, that the death of both had been caused by his
conduct towards them, and, in fulsome terms of eulogy, expressed his
regret for having deprived the world of letters of two such valuable
lives. Scaliger died in 1558, aged seventy-five years.

f Exoticarum Exercitationum Liber XV. De subtilitate; ad
Hieronymum Cardanum. Paris, 1557. Exercit 59, sect. 2.

294

SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

fall upon the land are transformed into flying birds. And you will be
still more astonished to learn that in the British seas a bird like a
duck, of a species unknown to you, hangs by the beak to fragments of

FIG. 35.— THE TREE THAT WHEN ROTTEN PRODUCES WORMS WHICH ARE

DEVELOPED INTO LIVING AND FLYING DUCKS. After Claude Duret, 1605.

old and rotten wood, the remains of wrecked vessels, from which it
ultimately becomes detached, and flies away in quest of the fishes
which are its natural food. We have seen these birds. The Gascons
who live on the sea-coast call them Crabrans. The Britons call them

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES.

295

Bernachiae ; and this word is also used by them proverbially to desig-
nate a person whom they wish to rebuke for indolence and vacillation ;

FIGj 36. — THE TREE WHOSE LEAVES WHEN THEY FALL ON THE LAND ARE
CHANGED INTO BIRDS, AND WHEN THEY FALL INTO WATER BECOME

FISHES. After Claude Duret, 1605.

as much as to say that he is neither flesh nor fish. The following is
the history of a most remarkable prodigy. There was brought to the
French King a shell, not very large, within which was a little Dird,

296 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

almost perfect even to the points of its wings, its beak, and its feet.
It still adhered to the shell by the tip of its beak. Learned men of
whom the king was the encouraging and munificent patron were of
the opinion that the flesh of the shell-fish had been transformed into
that of the bird."

So completely was the statement that geese were pro-
duced from the fruit of trees, or generated from rotten
timber, accepted as true in the sixteenth century, that
Guillaume de Saluste, the Sieur du Bartas, in his "La
Semaine" a Miltonic poem, published in 1578, in which the
first few days of the existence of all terrestrial things are
described reverendly and with considerable power, repre-
sents Adam as wandering through the garden of Eden, and
regarding with astonishment, amongst other wonders of
the earthly Paradise in which he had been placed, these
goose-bearing trees.

" Darbre qui -vapor tant sur ses branches tremblantes
Et les peuples nageurs et les trouppes volantes;
yentens VArbre aiiiourd'huy en Juverne mvant
Dont lefeuillage espars, par les souspirs du vent,
Est metamorphose d'une vertu ftconde
Sur terre en vrays oiseaux, en vrays poissons sur Vonde; " *

which his translator, Sylvester, thus renders : —

" And then that tree from off whose trembling top
Both swimming shoals and flying troups doe drop ;
I mean that tree, now in Juverna growing,
Whose leaves, disperst by Zephyrs wanton blowing,
Are metamorphosed, both in form and matter,
On land to fowls, to fishes in the water."f

* La Seconde Semaine, ie jour.

t Du Bartas. His Divine Weekes and Workes ; translated and
dedicated to the King's most excellent Maiestie by Joshua Sylvester
London, 1584.

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 297

In another part of the same poem, Du Bartas, referring
to animals growing without natural parentage, writes :—

" Ainsi souz soi Bbote 6s glaqeuses campagnes
Tardif, void des oysons qrfon appelle Gravaignes,
Qui sontfils (comme on dif] de certains arbrisseaux
Qui leur feuille feconde anime dans les eaux.
Ainsi le vieil fragment d'une barque se change
En des canards volans : 6 changement estrange !
Mesme corps fut jadis arbre "verd,puis vaisseau
Naguieres champignon, et maintenant oyseau." *

Of this, Sylvester gives the following English version : —

" So slow Bootes underneath him sees,
In th' icy isles, those goslings hatched on trees,
Whose fruitful leaves, falling into the water,
Are turned, they say, to living fowls soon after ;
So rotten sides of broken ships do change,
To barnacles, O, transformation strange !
'Twas first a green tree ; then a gallant hull ;
Lately a mushroom ; then a flying gull."

Thus this extraordinary belief held sway, and remained
strong and invincible, although from time to time some
man of sense and independent thought attempted to turn
the tide of popular error. Albertus Magnus (who died
1280) showed its absurdity, and declared that he had seen
the bird referred to lay its eggs and hatch them in the
ordinary way. Roger Bacon (who died in 1294) also con-
tradicted it, and Belon, in 1551, treated it with ridicule and
contempt. Olaus Wormius f seems to have believed in it,
though he wrote cautiously about it. Olaus Magnus (1553)
mentions it, and apparently accepts it as a fact, occurring
in the Orkneys, on the authority of "a Scotch historian

* La premiere semaine , 6e jour.
f Museum, p. 257.

298 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

who diligently sets down the secrets of things," and then
dismisses it in three lines.

Passing over many other writers on the subject, we come
to the time of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when (in 1 597)
" John Gerarde, Master in Chirurgerie, London," published
his " Herball, or Generall Historic of Plants gathered by
him," and in the last chapter thereof solemnly declared,
that he had actually witnessed the transformation of
" certaine shell fish " into Barnacle Geese, as follows.

Of the Goose tree, Barnacle tree, or the tree
bearing Geese.

Britanicte Concha anatifera.
THE BREED OF BARNACLES.

IF The Description.

Hauing trauelled from the Grasses growing in the bottome of the
fenny waters, the Woods, and mountaines, euen vnto Libanus itselfe ;
and also the sea, and bowels of the same, wee are arriued at the end
of our History ; thinking it not impertinent to the conclusion of the
same, to end with one of the maruels of this land (we may say of the
World). The history whereof to set forth according to the worthinesse
and raritie thereof, would not only require a large and peculiar volume,
but also a deeper search into the bowels of Nature, then my intended
purpose will suffer me to wade into, my sufficiencie also considered ;
leauing the History thereof rough hewen, vnto some excellent man,
earned in the secrets of nature, to be both fined and refined ; in the
meane space take it as it falleth out, the naked and bare truth, though
vnpolished. There are found in the North parts of Scotland and the
Islands adiacent, called Orchades, certaine trees whereon do grow
certaine shells of a white colour tending to russet, wherein are contained
little liuing creatures : which shells in time of maturity doe open, and
out of them grow those little liuing things, which falling into the water
do become fowles, which we call Barnacles ; in the North of England,
brant Geese ; and in Lancashire, tree Geese : but the other that do
fall vpon the land perish and come to nothing. Thus much by the

BARNACLE GEESE—GOOSE BARNACLES. 299

writings of others, and also from the mouthes of people of those parts,
which may very well accord with truth.

But what our eies haue scene, and hands haue touched we shall
declare. There is a small Island in Lancashire, called the Pile of
Foulders, wherein are found the broken pieces of old and bruised ships
some whereof haue beene cast thither by shipwracke, and also the
trunks and bodies with the branches of old and rotten trees, cast vp
there likewise ; whereon is found a certaine spume or froth that in
time breedeth vnto certaine shells, in shape like those of the Muskle,
but sharper pointed, and of a whitish colour ; wherein is contained a
thing in forme like a lace of silke finely wouen as it were together, of a
whitish colour, one end whereof is fastened vnto the inside of the shell,
euen as the fish of Oisters and Muskles are : the other end is made
fast vnto the belly of a rude masse or lumpe, which in time commeth to
the shape and forme of a Bird : when it is perfectly formed the shell
gapeth open, and the first thing that appeareth is the foresaid lace or
string ; next come the legs of the bird hanging out, and as it groweth
greater it openeth the shell by degrees, til at length it is all come
forth, and hangeth onely by the bill : in short space after it commeth
to full maturitie, and falleth into the sea, where it gathereth feathers,
and groweth to a fowle bigger than a Mallard, and lesser than a
Goose, hauing blacke legs and bill or beake, and feathers blacke and
white, spotted in such manner as is our Magpie, called in some places
a Pie-Annet, which the people of Lancashire call by no other name
than a tree Goose : which place aforesaid, and all those parts adjoyn-
ing do so much abound therewith, that one of the best is bought for
three pence. For the truth hereof, if any doubt, may it please them to
repaire vnto me, and I shall satisfie them by the testimonie of good
witnesses.

Moreover, it should seeme that there is another sort hereof; the
History of which is true, and of mine owne knowledge ; for trauelling
vpon the shore of our English coast betweene Douer and Rumney, I
found the trunke of an old rotten tree, which (with some helpe that I
procured by Fishermen's wiues that were there attending their
husbands' returne from the sea) we drew out of the water vpon dry
land ; vpon this rotten tree I found growing many thousands of long
crimson bladders, in shape like vnto puddings newly filled, before they
be sodden, which were very cleere and shining ; at the nether end
whereof did grow a shell fish, fashioned somewhat like a small Muskle,
but much whiter, resembling a shell fish that groweth vpon the rockes
about Garnsey and Garsey, called a Lympit : many of these shells I

300 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

brought with me to London, which after I had opened I found in them
liuing things without forme or shape ; in others which were neensr

FIG. 37. — THE GOOSE TREE. Copied from Gerard's 'Herball^ \st edition , 1 597-*

come to ripenesse I found liuing things that were very naked, in shape
like a Bird : in others, the Birds couered with soft downe, the shell

* The original of this picture is a small wood-cut in Matthias de
Lobel's 'Stirpium Historia,' published in 1570. The birds within the
shells were added by Gerard. Aldrovandus, in copying it, gave leaves
to the tree, as shown on page 302.

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 301

halfe open, and the Bird ready to fall out, which no doubt were the
Fowles called Barnacles. I dare not absolutely auouch euery circum-
stance of the first part of this history, concerning the tree that beareth
those buds aforesaid, but will leaue it to a further consideration ; how-
beit, that which I haue seene with mine eies, and handled with mine
hands, I dare confidently auouch, and boldly put downe for verity.
Now if any will object that this tree which I saw might be one of those
before mentioned, which either by the waues of the sea or some violent
wind had beene ouerturned as many other trees are ; or that any trees
falling into those seas about the Orchades, will of themselves bear
the like Fowles, by reason of those seas and waters, these being so
probable conjectures, and likely to be true, I may not without prejudice
gainsay, or endeauour to confute.

If The Place.

i

The bordes and rotten plankes whereon are found these shels breed-
ing the Barnakle, are taken vp in a small Island adioyning to Lanca-
shire, halfe a mile from the main land, called the Pile of Foulders.

T The Time.

They spawn as it were in March and Aprill ; the Geese are formed
in May and June, and come to fulnesse of feathers in the moneth
after.

And thus hauing through God's assistance discoursed somewhat at
large of Grasses, Herbes, Shrubs, Trees, 'and Mosses, and certaine
Excrescenses of the Earth, with other things moe, incident to the
historic thereof, we conclude and end our present Volume, with this
wonder of England. For the which God's name be euer honored and
praised.

Gerard was probably a good botanist and herbalist ; but
Thomas Johnson, the editor of a subsequent issue of his
book, tells us that

" He, out of a prepense good will to the publique advancement of
this knowledge, endeavoured to performe therein more than he could
well accomplish, which was partly through want of sufficient learning .
but," he adds, " let none blame him for these defects, seeing he was
neither wanting in pains nor good will to performe what hee intended :
and there are none so simple but know that heavie burthens are with

302 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

most paines vndergone by the weakest men ; and although there are
many faults in the worke, yet iudge well of the Author ; for, as a late
writer well saith :— ' To err and to be deceived is human, and he must
seek solitude who wishes to live only with the perfect' "

It is difficult to comply with the request to think well of
one who, writing as an authority, deliberately promulgated,
with an affectation of piety, that which he must have

FIG. 38. — THE BARNACLE GOOSE TREE. After Aldrovandus.

known to be untrue, and who was, moreover, a shameless
plagiarist ; for Gerard's ponderous book is little more than
a translation of Dodonaeus, whole chapters having been
taken verbatim and without acknowledgment from that
comparatively unread author.

After this series of erroneous observations, self-delusion,
and ignorant credulity, it is refreshing to turn to the pages

BARNACLE GEESE—GOOSE BARNACLES. 303

of the two little thick quarto volumes of Caspar Schott*
This learned Jesuit made himself acquainted with every-
thing that had been written on the subject, and besides
the authors I have referred to, quotes and compares the
statements of Majolus, Abrahamus Ortelius, Hieronymus
Cardanus, Eusebius, Nierembergius, Deusingius, Odoricus,
Gerhardus de Vera, Ferdinand of Cordova, and many

FIG. 39. — DEVELOPMENT OF BARNACLES INTO GEESE. After Aldrovandus .

others. He then gives, firmly and clearly, his own opinion
that the assertion that birds in Britain spring from the
fruit or leaves of trees, or from wood, or from fungus, or
from shells, is without foundation, and that neither reason,
experience, nor authority tend to confirm it. He concedes
that worms may be bred in rotting timber, and even
that they may be of a kind that fly away on arriving at

•

* Physica Curiosa, sive Mirabilia Natures et Artis, 1662, lib.
cap. xxii. p. 960.

304 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

maturity (referring probably to caterpillars being developed
into moths), but that birds should be thus generated, he
says, is simply the repetition of a vulgar error, for not one
of the authors whose works he has examined has seen what
they all affirm ; nor are they able to bring forward a single
eye-witness of it. He asks how it can be possible that
animals so large and so highly-organised as these birds
can grow from puny animalcules generated in putrid
wood. He further declares that these British geese are
hatched from eggs like other geese, which he considers
proved by the testimony of Albertus Magnus, Gerhardus
de Vera, and of Dutch seamen, who, in 1569, gave their
written declaration that they had personally seen these
birds sitting on their eggs, and hatching them, on the
coasts of Nova Zembla.

In marked and disgraceful contrast with this careful
and philosophical investigation and its author's just deduc-
tions from it, is 'A Relation concerning Barnacles by
Sir Robert Moray, lately one of His Majesty's Council for
the Kingdom of Scotland/ read before the Royal Society,
and published in the ' Philosophical Transactions,' No. 137,
January and February, 1678.

People had begun to see the absurdity of the story, and
the fallacy was dying out, when this sage philosopher, a
distinguished Fellow of the Royal Society, and who, I
find, was "nominated vice-president and sworn as such,"
July 1 8th, 1666, undertook to investigate the subject, and
made a journey northward for that purpose. The account
he gave of his precious researches, and the publication of
it under the auspices of so learned a body of savants, partly
reinstated the error in popular opinion, though only for a
short time.

Describing "a cut of a large Firr-tree of about two and
a half feet diameter, and nine or ten feet long," which he

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 305

saw on the shore in the Western Islands of Scotland, and
which had become so dry that many of the Barnacle shells
with which it had been covered had been rubbed off, he
says : —

" Only on the parts that lay next the ground there still hung
multitudes of little Shells, having within them little Birds, perfectly
shap'd, supposed to be Barnacles. The Shells hung very thick and
close one by another, and were of different sizes. Of the colour and
consistence of Muscle-Shells, and the sides and joynts of them joyned
with such a kind of film as Muscle-Shells are, which serves them for a
King to move upon, when they open and shut. . . . The Shells hang at
the Tree by a Neck longer than the Shell, of a kind of Filmy
substance, round, and hollow, and creased, not unlike the Wind-pipe
of a chicken, spreading out broadest where it is fastened to the Tree,
from which it seems to draw and convey the matter which serves for
the growth and vegetation of the Shell and the little Bird within it.
This Bird in every Shell that I opened, as well the least as the biggest,
I found so curiously and compleatly formed, that there appeared
nothing wanting as to internal parts, for making up a perfect Sea-
fowl : every little part appearing so distinctly that the whole looked
like a large Bird seen through a concave or diminishing glass, colour
and feature being everywhere so clear and neat. The little Bill, like
that of a Goose ; the eyes marked ; the Head, Neck, Breast, Wings,
Tail, and Feet formed, the Feathers everywhere perfectly shap'd, and
blackish coloured ; and the Feet like those of other Water-fowl, to my
best remembrance. All being dead and dry, J did not look after the
internal parts of them. Nor did I ever see any of the little Birds alive,
nor met with anybody that did. Only some credible persons have
assured me they have seen some as big as their fist."

It seems almost incredible that little more than two
hundred years ago this twaddle should not only have been
laid before the highest representatives of science in the
land, but that it should have been printed in their " Trans-
actions " for the further delusion of posterity.* Dr. Tancred

* Sir Robert Moray seems to have been fond of marvels. In
Birch's ' History of the Royal Society ' (vol. ii. p. 41) we find the
following entry relative to a meeting of the Society held April 26th,

VOL. III.— H. X

3o6 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

Robinson subsequently contradicted Sir Robert Moray
and assured the society that "the Brent Geese were bred,
like other geese, from eggs laid by the females, and that
the shell which it was pretended contained them had
nothing in it but a * fish/ such as oysters, cockles, and all
other shells."

Ray, in his edition of Willughby's Ornithology, published
in the same year as the above, contradicted the fallacy as
strongly as Caspar Schott ; and (except that he incidentally
admits the possibility of spontaneous generation in some
of the lower animals, as insects and frogs) in language so
similar that I think he must have had Schott's work before
him when he wrote.

Aldrovandus * tells us that an Irish priest, named Octa-
vianus, assured him, with an oath on the Gospels, that he
had seen and handled the geese in their embryo condition ;
and he adds that he " would rather err with the majority
than seem to pass censure on so many eminent writers who
have believed the story."

In 1629 Count Maier (Michaelus Meyerus — these old
authors when writing in Latin, latinized their names also)
published a monograph ' On the Tree-bird ' f in which he
explains. the process of its birth, and states that he opened
a hundred of the goose-bearing shells and found the rudi-
ments of the bird fully formed.

Now, let us turn from fiction to facts.

1665:— "Sir Robert Moray affirmed that he had known a man who
could take two or three pipes of tobacco into his stomach before he
let out any smoke ; and then let it out afterwards all together. This
was seconded by Mr. Evelyn, who remarked that he had seen a person
who after taking tobacco would discourse awhile before he let out the
smoke."

* Ornithologia,) lib. xix. p. 173, ed. 1603.

t De Valuer i Arbor ea, 1629.

BARNACLE GEESE—GOOSE BARNACLES. 307

Almost every one is acquainted with at least one kind of
the Barnacle shells which were supposed to enclose the
embryo of a goose, namely the small white conical hillocks
which are found, in tens of thousands, adhering to stones,
rocks, and old timber such as the piles of piers, and may
be seen affixed to the shells of oysters and mussels in any
fishmonger's shop. The little animals which secrete and
inhabit these shells belong to a sub-class and order of the
Crustacea, called the Cirrhopoda, because their feet (poda),
which in the crab and lobster terminate in claws, are modi-
fied into tufts of curled hairs (cirri), or feathers. When

FIG 40. — SECTION OF A SESSILE BARNACLE. Balanus tintinnabulum.

the animal is alive and active under water, a crater may be
seen to open on the summit of the little shelly mountain,
and, as if from the mouth of a miniature volcano, there
issue from this aperture, from between two inner shells, the
cirri in the form of a feathery hand, which clutches at the
water within its reach, and is then quickly retracted within
the shell. During this movement the hair-fringed fingers
have filtered from the water and conveyed towards the
mouth within the shell, for their owner's nutriment, some
minute solid particles or animalcules, and this action of the
casting-net alternately shot forth and retracted continues

x 2

3o8 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

for hours incessantly, as the water flows over its resting-
place. The animal can live for a long time out of water,
and in some situations thus passes half its life. Under
such circumstances, the shells, containing a reserve of
moisture, remain firmly closed until the return of the tide
brings a fresh supply of water and food. These are the
"acorn-barnacles," the balani, commonly known in some
localities as " chitters."

Barnacles of another kind are those furnished with a long
stem, or peduncle, which Sir Robert Moray described as
" round, hollow, and creased, and not unlike the wind-pipe
of a chicken." The stem has, in fact, the ringed formation
of the annelids, or worms. The shelly valves are thin, flat
and in shape somewhat like a mitre. They are composed
of five pieces, two on each side, and one, a kind of rounded
keel along the back of the valves, by which these are
united. The shells are delicately tinted with lavender or
pale blue varied with white, and the edges are frequently
of a bright chrome yellow or orange colour.

It is not an uncommon occurrence for a large plank
entirely covered with these " necked barnacles " to be found
floating at sea and brought ashore for exhibition at some
watering-place ; and I have more than once sent portions
of such planks to the Aquaria at Brighton, and the Crystal
Palace.

It is most interesting to watch a .dense mass of living
cirripedes so closely packed together that not a speck of
the surface of the wood is left .uncovered by them ; their
fleshy stalks overhanging each other, and often attached
in clusters to those of some larger individuals ; their
plumose casting-nets ever gathering in the food that
comes within their reach, and carrying towards the mouth
any solid particles suitable for their sustenance. How

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 309

much of insoluble matter barnacles will eliminate from
the water is shown by the rapidity with which they
will render turbid sea water clear and transparent. The
most common species of these " necked barnacles " bears
the name of " Lepas anatifera" "the duck -bearing Lepas"
It was so entitled by Linnaeus, in recognition of its having
been connected with the fable, which, of course, met with
no credit from him.

FfG. 41. — PEDUNCULATED BARNACLES. {Lepas anatifera.}

Fig. 42, on next page, represents the figure-head of a
ship, partly covered with barnacles, which was picked up
about thirty miles off Lowestoft on the 22nd of October,
1857. It was described in the Illustrated London News,
and the proprietors of that paper have kindly given me a
copy of the block from which its portrait was printed.

Others of the barnacles affix themselves to the bottoms
of ships, or parasitically upon whales and sharks, and
those of the latter kind often burrow deeply into the skin of

3io SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

their host. Fig. 43 is a portrait of a Coronula diadema taken
from the nose of a whale stranded at Kintradwell, in the
north of Scotland, in 1 866, and sent to the late Mr. Frank
Buckland. Growing on this Coronula are three of the
curious eared barnacles, Conchoderma aiirita, the Lepas
aurita of Linnaeus. The species of the whale from which
these Barnacles were taken was not mentioned, but it was
probably the " hunch-backed " whale, Megaptera longimana,
which is generally infested with this Coronula. This very

FIG. 42. — A SHIP'S FIGURE-HEAD WITH BARNACLES ATTACHED TO IT.

illustrative specimen was, and I hope still is, in Mr. Buck-
land's Museum at South Kensington. It was described by
him in Land and Water, of May iQth, 1866, and I am
indebted to the proprietors of that paper for the accom-
panying portrait of it.

The young Barnacle when just extruded from the shell of
its parent is a very different being from that which it will
be in its mature condition. It begins its life in a form
exactly like that of an entomostracous crustacean, and,
like a Cyclops, has one large eye in the middle of its fore-

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 311

head. In this state it swims freely, and with great activity.
It undergoes three moults, each time altering its figure,
until at the third exuviation it has become enclosed in a

FIG. 43. — WHALE BARNACLE (Coronula diadema), WITH THREE

Conchoderma aurita ATTACHED TO IT.

bivalve shell, and has acquired a second eye. .It is now
ready to attach itself to its abiding-place ; so, selecting its

3i2 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

future residence, it presses itself against the wood, or what-
ever the substance may be, pours out from its two antennae
a glutinous cement, which hardens in water, and thus fastens
itself by the front of its head, is henceforth a fixture for

FIG. 44. — A YOUNG BARNACLE. (Larva of ChtJiamalus stellatus.)

life, and assumes the adult form in which most persons
know it best.*

* If any of my readers wish to observe the development of young
barnacles they may easily do so. The method I have generally
adopted has been as follows : Procure a shallow glass or earthenware
milk-pan that will hold at least a gallon. Fill this to within an inch
of the top with sea-water, and place it in any shaded* part of a room —
not in front of a window. Put in the pan six or eight pebbles or clean
shells of equal height, say i£ or 2 inches, and on them lay a clean
sheet of glass, which, by resting on the pebbles, is brought to within
about 2j inches of the surface of the water. Select some limpets or
mussels having acorn-barnacles on them ; carefully cut out the limpet
or mussel, and clean nicely the interior of the shell ; then place a
dozen or more of these shells on the sheet of glass, and the barnacles
upon them will be within convenient reach of any observation with
a magnifying glass. If this be done in the month of March, the ex-
perimenter will not have to wait long before he sees young Balani
ejected from the summits of some of the shells. Up to the moment of
their birth each of them is enclosed in a little cocoon or case, in shape
like a canary-seed, and most of them are tossed into the world whilst
still enclosed in this. In a few seconds this casing is ruptured longi-

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 313

It is unnecessary for me to describe more minutely the
anatomy of the Cirripedes ; I have said enough to show
the nature of the plumose appurtenances which, hanging
from the dead shells, were supposed to be the feathers of a
little bird within ; but it is difficult to understand how any
one could have seen in the natural occupant of the shell
"the little bill, like that of a goose, the eyes, head, neck,
breast, wings, tail, and feet, like those of other water-fowl,"
so precisely and categorically detailed by Sir Robert
Moray. As Pontoppidan, who denounced the whole story,
as being "without the least foundation," very truly says,
" One must take the force of imagination to help to make
it look so !"

As to the origin of this myth, I venture to differ from

tudinally, apparently by the struggles of its inmate, which escapes at
one end, like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, and swims freely
to the surface of the water, leaving the split cocoon or case at the
bottom of the pan. Some few of the young barnacles seem to be
freed from the cocoon before, or at the moment of, extrusion. From
three to a dozen or more of these escape with each protrusion of the
cirri of the parent, and as the parturient barnacle will put forth its
feathery casting net at least twenty times in a minute for an hour or
more, it follows that as many as ten thousand young ones may be pro-
duced in an hour. These, as they are cast forth at each pulsation of
the parent's cirri, fall upon the clean sheet of glass, and may be taken
up in a pipette, and placed under a microscope, or removed to a
smaller vessel of sea- water, for minute and separate investigation. It
seems strange that animals which, like the oyster and the barnacles,
are condemned in their mature condition to lead so sedentary a life,
should in the earlier stages of their existence swim freely and merrily
through the water — young fellows seeking a home, and when they
have found it, although their connubial life must be a very tame one,
settling down, and not caring to rove about any more for the remainder
of their days. These young Balani dart about like so many water-
fleas, and yet, after a few days of freedom, they become fixed and
immovable, the inhabitants of the pyramidal shells which grow in
such abundance on other shells, stones, and old wood.

314 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

philologists who attribute it entirely to " language," " the
power of popular etymology," and " a similarity of names ;"
for, although, as Professor Max Miiller truly observes in one
of his lectures, " words without definite meanings are at the
bottom of nearly all our philosophical and religious con-
troversies," it certainly is not applicable in this instance.
Every quotation here given shows that the mistake arose
from the supposed resemblance of the plumes of the
cirrhopod, and the feathers of a bird, and the fallacious
deductions derived therefrom. The statements of Gerard
(p. 298), Maier (p. 306), Sir Robert Moray (p. 304), &c.,
prove that this fanciful misconception sprang from errone-
ous observation. The love of the marvellous inherent in
mankind, and especially prevalent in times of ignorance
and superstition, favoured its reception and adoption, and I
believe that it would have been as widely circulated, and
have met with equal credence, if the names of the cirripede
and of the goose that was supposed to be its offspring had
been far more dissimilar than, at first, they really were.
For this is not the only instance of a downy substance
found upon a tree or plant having given rise to a report
that the animal whose covering it resembled was itself of
vegetable growth. The equally absurd belief that lambs
grew on trees in Tartary was curiously analogous to it.
The story of " the Scythian Lamb " is, however, too long
to be introduced parenthetically here ; therefore, although
it has an important bearing on the origin and acceptance
of such fictions, I can only cursorily refer to it, for it is not
a Fable of the Sea.

Setting aside several ingenious and far-fetched deriva-
tions that have been proposed, I think we may safely
regard the word " barnacle," as applied to the cirrhopod

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 315

as a corruption of pernacula, the diminutive of perna, a
bivalve mollusk, so-called from the similarity in shape of
its shell to that of a ham — pernacula being changed to
bernacula. In some old Glossaries perna is actually spelt
berna.

To arrive at the origin of the word "barnacle," or
"bernicle," as applied to the goose, we must understand
that this bird, Anser leucopsis, was formerly called the
" brent," " brant," or " bran " goose, and was supposed to
be identical with the species, A nser torquatus, which is now
known by that name. The Scottish word for " goose " is
" clake," or " clakis," * and I think that the suggestion
made long ago to Gesnerf (1558), by his correspondent
Joannes Caius, is correct, that the word " barnacle " comes
from " branclakis," or " barnclake," " the dark-coloured
goose."

Professor Max M tiller is of the opinion that its Latin
name may have been derived from Hiberniccz, Hiberniculce
Berniculce, as it was against the Irish bishops that Giraldus
wrote, but I must say that this does not commend itself to
me ; for the name Bernicula was not used in the early
times to denote these birds. Giraldus himself described
them as Bernacce, but they were variously known, also, as
Barliates, Bernestas, Barnetas, Barbates, &c.

I believe that Dr. John Hill,{ following Deusingius, gave
the true explanation of the origin of the story, as follows.
The Branclake, or Brent Goose, abounds at certain times
of the year in the Western Islands of Scotland, and some
other parts of the British dominions, but rarely breeds

* See the quotation from Hector Boetius, p. 289.
t Historia Animalium, lib. iii. p. no.

j 'Review of the Works of the Royal Society of London,' 1751,
p. -105 ; and ' Natural History of Animals,' 1752, p. 422.

3i6 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED.

there. The ignorant people of those localities, never
finding any of the eggs or nests of these birds in places
where they were so commonly seen, supposed that they
never laid eggs, nor made a nest, and that they were not
bred like other birds, but in a different and mysterious
manneY. Upon the shores most frequented by these geese
were, also, found in abundance certain " shell-fish," having
fibres, or filaments, hanging out of them which, in some
degree, resembled the feathers of a bird. From this slight
origin arose the belief that they contained real birds. The
fishermen persuaded themselves that these birds within the
shells were the geese whose origin they had been previously
unable to discover, and that they were thus bred, instead
of being hatched, like other birds, from eggs. The " shell-
fish " were found growing on pieces of timber or old trees
floating in the water or cast upon the land. As the tale
spread to a distance, it gained by repetition. The trees
found upon the shore were soon reported to be trees
growing on the shore ; that which grew on trees people
soon asserted to be the fruit of trees ; and thus, from step
to step, the story increased in wonder and obtained credit,
till, at length, Gerard had the audacity to assert that he
had witnessed the transformation of the "shell-fish" into
geese.

The Barnacle Goose is only a winter visitor of Great
Britain. It breeds in the far north, in Greenland, Iceland,
Spitzbergen, and Nova Zembla, and probably, also, along
the shores of the White Sea. There are generally some
specimens of this prettily-marked goose in the gardens of
the Zoological Society in the Regent's Park, 'London ; and
they thrive there, and become very tame. In the months
of December and January these geese may often be seen
hanging for sale in poulterer's shops ; and he who has

BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 317

tasted one well cooked may be pardoned if the suspicion
cross his mind, that the " monks of old," and " the bare-
footed friars," as well as the laity, may not have been
unwilling to sustain the fiction in order that they might
conserve the privilege of having on their tables during the
long fast of Lent so agreeable and succulent a " vegetable "
or " fish " as a Barnacle Goose.

SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

BY

HENRY LEE, F.L.S., F.G.S., F.Z.S.,

SOMETIME NATURALIST OF THE BRIGHTON AQUARIUM, AND AUTHOR OF 'THE
OCTOPUS, OR THE DEVIL-FISH OF FICTION AND FACT.

ILLUSTRATED.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

PREFACE .... { ... .321

THE KRAKEN -325

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT . . . . . . . 378

PREFACE.

As I commence this little history of two sea monsters
there comes to my mind a remark made to me by my
friend, Mr. Samuel L. Clemens — "Mark Twain" — which
illustrates a feeling that many a writer must have
experienced when dealing with a subject that has been
previously well handled. Expressing to me one day the
gratification he felt in having made many pleasant
acquaintances in England, he added, with dry humour,
and a grave countenance, " Yes ! I owe your countrymen
no grudge or ill-will. I freely forgive them, though one
of them did me a grievous wrong, an irreparable injury !
It was Shakspeare : if he had not written those plays of
his, I should have done so ! They contain my thoughts,
my sentiments ! He forestalled me ! "

In treating of the so-called " sea serpent," I have been
anticipated by many able writers. Mr. Gosse, in his
delightful book, 'The Romance of Natural History/
published in 1862, devoted a chapter to it ; and numerous
articles concerning it have appeared in various papers and
periodicals.

But, for the information from which those authors have
drawn their inferences, and on which they have founded
their opinions, they have been greatly indebted, as must

be all who have seriously to consider this subject, to the
VOL. ill. — II. Y

322 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

late experienced editor of the Zoologist, Mr. Edward
Newman, a man of wonderful power of mind, of great
judgment, a profound thinker, and an able writer. At a
time when, as he said, " the shafts of ridicule were launched
against believers and unbelievers in the sea serpent in a
very pleasing and impartial manner," he, in the true spirit
of philosophical inquiry, in 1847, opened the columns of
his magazine to correspondence on this topic, and all the
more recent reports of marine monsters having been seen
are therein recorded. To him, therefore, the fullest
acknowledgments are due.

The great cuttles, also, have been the subject of articles
in various magazines, notably one by Mr. W. Saville
Kent, F.L.S., in the ' Popular Science Review ' of April,
1874, and a chapter in my little book on the Octopus,
published in 1873, is also devoted to them. In writing
of them as the living representatives of the kraken, and as
having been frequently mistaken for the " sea serpent,"
my deductions have been drawn from personal knowledge,
and an intimate acquaintance with the habits, form, and
structure of the animals described. It was only by
watching the movements of specimens of the "common
squid " (Loligo vulgaris\ m& the "little squid" (L. media),
which lived in the tanks of the Brighton Aquarium, that
I recognised in their peculiar habit of occasionally
swimming half-submerged, with uplifted caudal extremity,
and trailing arms, the fact that I had before me the " sea
serpent " of many a well-authenticated anecdote. A mere
knowledge of their form and anatomy after death had
never suggested to me that which became at once apparent
when I saw them in life.

It is a pleasure to me to acknowledge gratefully the
kindness I have met with in connection with the illustra-

PREFACE. 323

tions of this book. The proprietors of the Illustrated
London Neivs not only \ gave me permission to copy, in
reduced size, their two pictures of the Dcedalus incident,
but presented to me electrotype copies of all others small
enough for these pages — namely, " Jonah and the Monster,"
Egede's " Sea Serpent," and the Whale as seen from the
Pauline. Equally kind have been the proprietors of the
Field. To them I am greatly indebted for their permission
to copy the beautiful woodcuts of the " Octopus at Rest,"
" The Sepia seizing its Prey," and the arms of the New-
foundland squids, and also for " electros " of the two curious
Japanese engravings, all of which originally appeared
in their paper. From the Graphic I have had similar
permission to copy any cuts that might be thought
suitable, and the illustrations of the sea serpent, as seen
from Her Majesty's yacht Osborne and the City of Balti-
more, are from that journal. Messrs. Nisbet most courteously
allowed me to have a copy of the block of the Enaliosaurus
swimming, which was one of the numerous pictures in
Mr. Gosse's book, published by them, already referred to.
And last, not least, I have to thank Miss Ellen Woodward,
daughter of my friend, Dr. Henry Woodward, F.R.S., for
enabling me to better explain the movements and appear-
ances of the squids when swimming, and when raising their
bodies out of water in an erect position, by carefully
drawing them from my rough sketches.

HENRY LEE.

SAVAGE CLUB;
July 2u/, 1883.

V 2

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

FIG. PACK

The Sea Serpent as first seen from H. M.S. Dtzdalus . . . 318

1. Beak and Arms of a Decapod Cuttle . . ... . . .339

2. The Octopus (Octopus vulgaris] 342

3. The Cuttle (Sepia officinalis] 345

4. Hooked Tentacles of Onychoteuthis 346

5. Japanese Woman seized by an Octopus whilst bathing . . 351

6. Japanese fisherman attacked by a Cuttle 353

7. Arms of a great Cuttle exhibited in a Japanese fish-shop . 353

8. Facsimile of De Montfort's "Poiilpe colossal" 357

9. Gigantic Calamary caught by the French despatch vessel

Alecton, near Teneriffe .365

10. Tentacle of a great Calamary (Architeuthis princeps] taken

in Conception Bay, Newfoundland 369

11. Head and Tentacles of a great Calamary (Architeuthis

princeps] taken in Logic Bay, Newfoundland .... 370

12. Jonah and the Sea Monster 381

13. Sea Serpent seizing a man on board ship 384

14. Gigantic Lobster dragging a man from a ship 384

15. Pontoppidan's "Sea Serpent" 389

1 6. The Animal drawn by Mr. Bing as having been seen by Egede 392

17. The Animal which Egede probably saw 393

1 8. The Sea Serpent of the Wernerian Society (facsimile) . . 394

19. A Calamary swimming at the surface of the sea .... 402

20. The Sea Serpent passing under the quarter of H.M.S.

Dadalus 406

21. The Sea Serpent and Sperm Whale as seen from the

Pauline . 421

22. The Sea Serpent as seen from the City of Baltimore . . . 424

23. The Sea Serpent as seen from H.M. yacht Osborne.

Phase i 425

24. The Sea Serpent as seen from H.M. yacht Osborne.

Phase 2 425

25. Skeleton of the Plesiosaurus, restored by Mr. Conybeare . 435

26. The Sea Serpent on the Enaliosaurian hypothesis . . . 437

SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

THE KRAKEN.

IN the legends and traditions of northern nations, stories of
the existence of a marine animal of such enormous size
that it more resembled an island than an organised being
frequently found a place. It is thus described in an
ancient manuscript (about A.D. 1180), attributed to the
Norwegian King Sverre, and the belief in it has been
alluded to by other Scandinavian writers from an early
period to the present day. It was an obscure and
mysterious sea-monster, known as the Kraken, whose form
and nature were imperfectly understood, and it was pecu-
liarly the object of popular wonder and superstitious
dread.

Eric Pontoppidan, the younger, Bishop of Bergen, and
member of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Copenhagen,
is generally, but unjustly, regarded as the inventor of the
semi-fabulous Kraken, and is constantly misquoted by
authors who have never read his work,* and who, one after
another, have copied from their predecessors erroneous state-
ments concerning him. More than half a century before him,
Christian Francis Paullinus,t a physician and naturalist of

* * Natural History of Norway.' A.D. 1751.
t Born 1643; died 1712.

326 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

Eisenach, who evinced in his writings an admiration of
the marvellous rather than of the useful, had described
as resembling Gesner's ' Heracleoticon,' a monstrous animal
which occasionally rose from the sea on the coasts of
Lapland and Finmark, and which was of such enormous
dimensions, that a regiment of soldiers could conveniently
manoeuvre on its back. About the same date, but a little
earlier, Bartholinus, a learned Dane, told how, on a certain
occasion, the Bishop of Midaros found the Kraken quietly
reposing on the shore, and mistaking the enormous creature
for a huge rock, erected an altar upon it and performed
mass. The Kraken respectfully waited till the ceremony
was concluded, and the reverend prelate safe on shore, and
then sank beneath the waves.

And a hundred and fifty years before Bartholinus and
Paullinus wrote, Olaus Magnus,* Archbishop of Upsala, in
Sweden, had related many wondrous narratives of sea-
monsters, — tales which had gathered and accumulated
marvels as they had been passed on from generation to
generation in oral history, and which he took care to
bequeath to his successors undeprived of any of their
fascination. According to him, the Kraken was not so
polite to the laity as to the Bishop, for when some fisher-
men lighted a fire on its back, it sank beneath their feet,
and overwhelmed them in the waters.

Pontoppidan was not a fabricator of falsehoods ; but, in

* Olaus Magnus has sometimes been mistaken for his brother and
predecessor in the archiepiscopal see, Johan Magnus, author of a
book entitled Gothorum, Suevorumque Historia. Olaus was the last
Roman Catholic archbishop of the Swedish church, and when the
Reformation, supported by Gustavus Vasa, gained the ascendancy in
Sweden, he remained true to his faith, and retired to Rome, where he
wrote his work Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus, Roma, 1555.
An English translation of this book was published by J. Streater, in
1658. It does not contain the illustrations.

THE KRAKEN. 327

collecting evidence relating to the " great beasts " living in
" the great and wide sea," was influenced, as he tells us, by
" a desire to extend the popular knowledge of the glorious
works of a beneficent Creator." He gave too much
credence to contemporary narratives and old traditions of
floating islands and sea monsters, and to the superstitious
beliefs and exaggerated statements of ignorant fishermen ;
but if those who ridicule him had lived in his day and
amongst his people, they would probably have done the
same ; for even Linnaeus was led to believe in the Kraken,
and catalogued it in the first edition of his * Systema
Naturae,' as * Sepia Microcosmos? He seems to have after-
wards had cause to discredit his information respecting it,
for he omitted it in the next edition. The Norwegian
bishop was a conscientious and painstaking investigator
and the tone of his writings is neither that of an intentional
deceiver nor of an incautious dupe. He diligently en-
deavoured to separate the truth from the cloud of error and
fiction by which it was obscured ; and in this he was to a
great extent successful, for he correctly identifies, from the
vague and perplexing descriptions submitted to him, the
animal whose habits and structure had given rise to so
many terror-laden narratives and extravagant traditions.

The following are some of his remarks on the subject of
this gigantic and ill-defined animal. Although I have
greatly abbreviated them, I have thought it right to quote
them at considerable length, that the modest and candid
spirit in which they were written may be understood :*

" Amongst the many things," he says, " which are in the ocean, and
concealed from our eyes, or only presented to our view for a few
minutes, is the Kraken. This creature is the largest and most sur-
prising of all the animal creation, and consequently well deserves such

* * Natural History of Norway/ vol. ii., p. 210.

328 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

an account as the nature of the thing, according to the Creator's wise
ordinances, will admit of. Such I shall give at present, and perhaps
much greater light on this subject may be reserved for posterity.

" Our fishermen unanimously affirm, and without the least variation
in their accounts, that when they row out several miles to sea, par-
ticularly in the hot summer days, and by their situation (which they
know by taking a view of different points of land) expect to find eighty
or a hundred fathoms of water, it often happens that they do not find
above twenty or thirty, and sometimes less. At these places they
generally find the greatest plenty of fish, especially cod and ling.
Their lines, they say, are no sooner out than they may draw them up
with the hooks all full of fish. By this they know that the Kraken is
at the bottom. They say this creature causes those unnatural shal-
lows mentioned above, and prevents their sounding. These the fisher-
men are always glad to find, looking upon them as a means of their
taking abundance of fish. There are sometimes twenty boats or more
got together and throwing out their lines at a moderate distance from
each other ; and the only thing they then have to observe is whether
the depth continues the same, which they know by their lines, or
whether it grows shallower, by their seeming to have less water. If
this last be the case they know that the Kraken is raising himself
nearer the surface, and then it is not time for them to stay any longer ;
they immediately leave off fishing, take to their oars, and get away as
fast as they can. When they have reached the usual depth of the
place, and find themselves out of danger, they lie upon their oars, and
in a few minutes after they see this enormous monster come up to the
surface of the water ; he there shows himself sufficiently, though his
whole body does not appear, which, in all likelihood, no human eye
ever beheld. Its back or upper part, which seems to be in appearance
about an English mile and a half in circumference (some say more,
but I chuse the least for greater certainty), looks at first like a number
of small islands surrounded with something that floats and fluctuates
k e sea-weeds. Here and there a larger rising is observed like sand-
banks, on which various kinds of small fishes are seen continually
leaping about till they roll off into the water from the sides of it ; at
last several bright points or horns appear, which grow thicker and
thicker the higher they rise above the surface of the water, and some-
times they stand up as high and as large as the masts of middle-sized
vessels. It seems these are the creature's arms, and it is said if they
were to lay hold of the largest man of war they would pull it down to
the bottom, After this monster has been on the surface of the water

THE KRAKEN. 329

a short time it begins slowly to sink again, and then the danger is as
great as before ; because the motion of his sinking causes such a swell
in the sea, and such an eddy or whirlpool, that it draws everything
down with it, like the current of the river Male.

" As this enormous sea-animal in all probability may be reckoned
of the Polype, or of the Starfish kind, as shall hereafter be more fully
proved, it seems that the parts which are seen rising at its pleasure,
and are called arms, are properly the tentacula, or feeling instruments,
called horns, as well as arms. With these they move themselves, and
likewise gather in their food.

" Besides these, for this last purpose the great Creator has also
given this creature a strong and peculiar scent, which it can emit at
certain times, and by means of which it beguiles and draws other fish
to come in heaps about it. This animal has another strange property,
known by the experience of many old fishermen. They observe that
for some months the Kraken or Krabben is continually eating, and in
other months he always voids his excrements. During this evacuation
the surface of the water is coloured with the excrement, and appears
quite thick and turbid. This muddiness is said to be so very agree-
able to the smell or taste of other fishes, or to both, that they gather
together from all parts to it, and keep for that purpose directly over
the Kraken ; he then opens his arms or horns, seizes and swallows his
welcome guests, and converts them after due time, by digestion, into
a bait for other fish of the same kind. I relate what is affirmed by
many ; but I cannot give so certain assurances of this particular, as I
can of the existence of this surprising creature ; though I do not find
anything in it absolutely contrary to Nature. As we can hardly
expect to examine this enormous sea-animal alive, I am the more
concerned that nobody embraced that opportunity which, according
to the following account once did, and perhaps never more may, offer,
of seeing it entire when dead."

The lost opportunity which the worthy prelate thus
lamented, with the true feeling of a naturalist, was made
known to him by the Rev. Mr. Friis, Consistorial As-
sessor, Minister of Bodoen in Nordland, and Vicar of the
college for promoting Christian knowledge, and was to the
following effect :

" In the year 1680, a Krake (perhaps a young and foolish one) came
into the water that runs between the rocks and cliffs in the parish of

330 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

Alstahoug, though the general custom of that creature is to keep
always several leagues from land, and therefore of course they must
die there. It happened that its extended long arms, or antennae, which
this creature seems to use like the snail, in turning about, caught hold
of some trees standing near the water, which might easily have been
torn up by the roots ; but beside this, as it was found afterwards, he
entangled himself in some openings or clefts in the rock, and therein
stuck so fast, and hung so unfortunately, that he could not work him-
self out, but perished and putrefied on the spot. The carcass, which
was a long while decaying, and filled great part of that narrow channel
made it almost impassable by its intolerable stench.

" The Kraken has never been known to do any great harm, except,"
the Author quaintly says, " they have taken away the lives of those
who consequently could not bring the tidings. I have heard but one
instance mentioned, which happened a few years ago, near Fridrich-
stad, in the diocess of Aggerhuus. They say that two fishermen
accidentally, and to their great surprise, fell into such a spot on the
water as has been before described, full of a thick slime almost like a
morass. They immediately strove to get out of this place, but they
had not time to turn quick enough to save themselves from one of the
Kraken's horns, which crushed the head of the boat, so that it was
with great difficulty they saved their lives on the wreck, though the
weather was as calm as possible ; for these monsters, like the sea-
snake, never appear at other times."

Pontoppidan then reviews the stories of floating islands
which suddenly appear, and as suddenly vanish, commonly
credited, and especially mentioned by Luke Debes, in his
1 Description of Faroe.'

" These islands in the boisterous ocean could not be imagined/' he
says, " to be of the nature of real floating islands, because they could
not possibly stand against the violence of the waves in the ocean,
which break the largest vessels, and therefore our sailors have con-
cluded this delusion could come from no other than the great deceiver,
the devil."

This accusation, the good bishop, in his desire to be
strictly impartial, will not admit on such hear-say evidence,
but is determined to, literally, " give the devil his due;"

THE KRAKEN. 331

for he warns his readers that "we ought not to charge
that apostate spirit without a cause ; for," he adds, " I
rather think that this devil who so suddenly makes and
unmakes these floating islands, is nothing else but the
Kraken."

Referring to a monster described by Pliny, he repeats
his belief that " This sea-animal belongs to the Polype, or
Star-fish species ; " but he becomes very undecided and
indefinite between the Cephalopoda and the Asterida,
between the pedal segments, or arms, of the cuttle radiating
from its head, and the rays of a Star-fish radiating from a
central portion of the body. He evidently inclines strongly
towards a particular Star-fish, the rays of which continually
divide and subdivide themselves, or, as he describes it,
"which shoots its rays into branches like those of trees,"
and to which he gave the name of " Medusa's Head," a title
by which, in its Greek form, Gorgonocephalus, it is still
known to zoologists. " These Medusa's Heads," he says,
" are supposed by some seafaring people here, to be the
young of the Sea-Krake ; perhaps they are its smallest
ovula." After considering other reports concerning the
Kraken, he arrives at the following definite opinion :

" We learn from all this that the Polype or Star-fish have amongst
their various species some that are much larger than others ; and,
according to all appearance, amongst the very largest inhabitants of
the ocean. If the axiom be true that greatness or littleness makes no
change in the species, then this Krake must be of the Polypus kind,
notwithstanding its enormous size."

His diagnosis is correct ; but it is stated with a modesty
which his detractors would do well to imitate ; and his
concluding words on this subject place him in a light
very different from that in which he is popularly regarded.

332 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

" I do not in the least insist on this conjecture being true," he writes,
" but willingly submit my suppositions in this and every other dubious
matter to the judgment of those who are better experienced. If I was
an admirer of uncertain reports and fabulous stories, I might here add
much more concerning this and other Norwegian sea-monsters, whose
existence I will not take upon me to deny, but do not chuse, by a
mixture of uncertain relations, to make such account appear doubtful
as I myself believe to be true and well attested. I shall, therefore,
quit the subject here, and leave it to future writers on this plan to
complete what I have imperfectly sketched out, by further experience,
which is always the. best instructor."

It is easy to recognise in Pontoppidan's description of
the Kraken, the form and habits of one of the " Cuttle-
fishes," so-called. The appearance of its numerous arms,
with which it gathers in its food, and which grow thicker
and thicker as they rise above the surface, is just what
would take place in the case of one of the pelagic species
of these mollusks raising its head out of the sea. The
rendering of the water turbid and thick by the emission of
a substance which the narrator supposed to be faecal
matter, is exactly that which occurs when a cuttle dis-
charges the contents of the remarkable organ known as
its ink-bag ; and the strong and peculiar scent mentioned
as appertaining to it, is actually characteristic of its inky
secretion. The musky odour referred to is more percep-
tible in some species than in others. In one of the Octo-
pods (Eledone moschatus}, it is so strong, that the specific
name of the animal is derived from it.

The ancient Greeks and Romans, v/ho were well ac-
quainted with the various kinds of cuttles, and regarded
them all as excellent food, and even as delicacies of the
table, applied the word "polypus" especially to the
octopus. But Pontoppidan evidently uses it as descriptive
of all the cephalopods. It must not be forgotten, however,

THE KRAKEN. 333

that when he wrote, science was only slowly recovering
from neglect of many centuries' duration. In the en-
lightened times of Greece and Rome, natural history
flourished, and as in our day, attracted and occupied the
attention of the man of science, and afforded recreation to
the man of business and the politician. Aristotle wrote
322 years before the birth of Christ, and his works are
monuments of practical wisdom. When we consider the
period during which he lived, and the isolated nature of his
labours, and compare them with the information which he
possessed, we are astonished at his sagacity and the great
scope and general accuracy of his knowledge. Pliny, 240
years later, lived in times more favourable for the cultiva-
tion of science ; but, with all his advantages, made little
improvement on the work of the great master. And then,
later still, the sun of learning set ; and there came over
Europe the long night of the dark ages which succeeded
Roman greatness, during which science was degraded and
ignorance prevailed ; and it is not till the middle of the
sixteenth century that the zoologist finds much to interest
and instruct him. When we further reflect, that until
within the past five and twenty years — till our large
aquaria were constructed — Aristotle's knowledge of the
habits and life-history of marine animals, and amongst them
the cephalopods, was incomparably greater and more perfect
than that possessed by any man who had lived since he
recorded his observations, we cannot help feeling that in
some departments of knowledge there is still lost ground
to be recovered.

In the old days of the Caesars, a Greek or Roman house-
wife who was accustomed to see the cuttle, the squid, and
the octopus daily exposed for sale in the markets, would,
of course, have laughed at the idea of mistaking the one for

334 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

the other ; but there are comparatively few persons in our
own country, at the present day, except those who have
made marine zoology their study, whose ideas on the sub-
ject are not exceedingly hazy. This want of technical
knowledge is not confined to the masses ; but is common,
if not general, amongst those who have been well educated,
and is frequently apparent even in leaders in the daily
papers — the productions, for the most part, of men of
receptive minds, trained discrimination, and great general
knowledge. As the subject is one in which I have long
felt especial interest, I venture to hope that I may succeed
in making clear the difference between the eight-footed
octopus and its ten-footed relatives, and thus enable the
reader to identify the member of the family from which we
are to strip the dress and " make up " in which it masque-
raded as the Kraken, and cause it to appear in its true
and natural form.

One of the great primary groups or divisions of the
animal kingdom is that of the soft-bodied mollusca ; which
includes the cuttle, the oyster, the snail, &c. It has been
separated into five "classes," of which the one we have
especially to notice is the Cephalopoda* or " head-footed,"
—the animals belonging to it having their feet, or the
organs which correspond with the foot of other molluscs, so
attached to the head as to form a circle or coronet round
the mouth. Some of these have the foot divided into eight
segments, and are therefore called the Octopoda :\ others
have, in addition to the eight feet, lobes, or arms, two
longer tentacular appendages, making ten in all, and are
consequently called the Decapoda.

* From the Greek words cephale, the head ; andfoda, feet,
f From octo, eight ; and^ous (poda}, feet.

THE KRAKEN.

335

Of the ten-footed section of the cephalopods, there are
four " families ; " two only of which exist in Britain — the
Teuthida, and the Sepiidce. The Teuthidce are the Cala-
maries, popularly known as " Squids," and are represented
by the long-bodied Loligo vulgaris, that has internally,
along its back, a gristly, translucent stiffener, shaped like a
quill-pen ; from which and its ink it derives its names of
" calamary " (from " calamus? a " pen "), " pen-and-ink
fish," and " sea-clerk." The Sepiida are generally known
as the Cuttles proper. As a type of them we may take the
common " cuttle-fish," Sepia officinalis, the owner of the
hard, calcareous shell often thrown up on the shore, and
known as " cuttle-bone," or " sea-biscuit"

It must be here remarked, that as these head-footed mol-
lusks are not " fish," any more than lobsters, crabs, oysters,
mussels, &c., which fishmongers call " shell-fish," are " fish,'
the word " fish " is misleading, and should be abandoned ;
and secondly, that the names " cuttle " and " squid," as dis-
tinctive appellations, are unsatisfactory. The word " cuttle "
is derived from " cuddle," to hug, or embrace — in allusion
to the manner in which the animal seizes its prey, and en-
folds it in its arms ; and " squid " is derived from " squirt,"
in reference to its habit of squirting water or ink. But as
all the known members of the class, except the pearly
nautilus, Nautilus pompilius, have these habits in common,
the distinguishing terms are hardly apposite. As, however,
they are conventionally accepted and understood, I prefer
to use them. As with other mollusks, so with the cepha-
lopods, some have shells, and some are naked, or have only
rudimentary shells. The Argonaut, or paper nautilus, has
been regarded as the analogue of the snail, which, like it,
secretes an external shell for the protection of its soft body ;
and the octopus as that of the garden slug, which, having

336 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

organs like those of the snail, as the octopus has organs
like those of the shell-bearing argonaut, has no shell. The
cuttles and squids may be compared to some of the sea-
slugs, as Aplysia and Bullcea, and to some land-slugs, as
Parmacella and Limax, which have an internal shell.

fhe argonaut and the other families of the cephalopods
do not come within the scope of this treatise ; we will there-
fore confine our attention to the three above mentioned. Of
the anatomy and homology of the Octopus, Sepia, and Cala-
mary we need say no more than will suffice to show in what
manner they resemble each other, and wherein they differ,
in order that we may the more clearly perceive to which of
them the story of the Kraken probably owes its origin.

The octopus, the sepia, and the calamary are all con-
structed on one fundamental plan. A bag of fleshy
muscular skin, called the mantle-sac, contains the organs
of the body, heart, stomach, liver, intestines, a pair of gills
by which oxygen is absorbed from the water for the puri-
fication of the blood, and an excurrent tube by which the
water thus deprived of its life-sustaining gas is expelled,
The outrush of water with more or less force, from this
" syphon-tube," is also the principal source of locomotion
when the animal is swimming, as it propels it backward — not
by the striking of the expelled fluid against the surrounding
water, as is generally supposed ; but by the unbalanced
pressure of the fluid acting inside the body in the direction
in which the creature goes. Into this syphon-tube, or
funnel, opens, by a special duct, the ink-bag ; and from it
is squirted at will the intensely black fluid therein secreted.
I doubt very much the correctness of the statement
mentioned by Pontoppidan and others, that the cuttle
ejects its ink with a desire to lie hidden and in ambush
for its intended prey, or with the intention to attract fish

THE KRAKEN. 337

within its reach by their partiality for the musky odour of
this secretion. It may be so, but during the long period
that I had these animals under close observation at the
Brighton Aquarium, I never witnessed such an incident.
I believe that the emission of the ink is a symptom
of fear, and is only employed as a means of conceal-
ment from a suspected enemy. I have found, that
when first taken, the Sepia, of all its kind, is the most
sensitively timid. Its keen, unwinking eye watches for
and perceives the slightest movement of its captor ; and if
even most cautiously looked at from above, its ink is
belched forth in eddying volumes, rolling over and over
like the smoke which follows the discharge of a great gun
from a ship's port, and mixes with marvellous rapidity with
the surrounding water. But, like all of its class, the Sepia
is very intelligent. It soon learns to discriminate between
friend and foe, and ultimately becomes very tame, and
ceases to shoot its ink, unless it be teased and excited. By
means of the communication between the ink-bag and the
locomotor tube, it happens that when the ink is ejected,
a stream of water is forcibly emitted with it, and thus the
very effort for escape serves the double purpose of pro-
pelling the creature away from danger, and discolouring
the water in which it moves. Oppian has well described

this—

" The endangered cuttle thus evades his fears,

And native hoards of fluids safely wears.

A pitchy ink peculiar glands supply

Whose shades the sharpest beam of light defy.

Pursued, he bids the sable fountains flow,

And, wrapt in clouds, eludes the impending foe.

The fish retreats unseen, while self-born night

With pious shade befriends her parent's flight."

Professor Owen has remarked that the ejection of the

VOL. III. — H. Z

338 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

ink of the cephalopods serves by its colour as a means of
defence, as corresponding secretions in some of the mam-
malia by their odour.

It is worthy of notice that the pearly nautilus and the
allied fossil forms are without this means of concealment,
which their strong external shells render unnecessary for
their protection.

From the sac-like body containing the various organs
protrudes a head, globose in shape, and containing a brain,
and furnished with a pair of strong, horny mandibles, which
bite vertically, like the beak of a parrot. By these the
flesh of prey is torn and partly masticated, and within
them lies the tongue, covered with recurved and retrac-
tile teeth, like that of its distant relatives, the whelk,
limpet, &c., by which the food is conducted to the gullet.
Around this head is, as I have said, the organ which is
-equivalent to the foot in other mollusks — that by which
the slug and the snail crawl — only that the head is
placed in the centre, instead of in the front of it, and it
is divided into segments, which radiate from this central
head. These segments are very flexible, and capable of
movement in every direction, and are thus developed
into arms, prehensile limbs, by which their owner can
seize and hold its living prey. That this may be more
perfectly accomplished, these arms are studded along
their inner surface with rows of sucking disks, in each of
which, by means of a retractile piston, a vacuum can
be produced. The consequent pressure of the outer at-
mosphere or water, causes them to adhere firmly to any
substance to which they are applied, whether stone, fish,
crustacean, or flesh of man.

But, although in all these highly-organised head-footed
mollusks the same general build prevails, it is admirably

THE KRAKEN.

339

modified in each of them to suit certain habits and neces-
sities. Thus the octopus, being a shore dweller, its soft
and pliant, but very tough body, having merely a very
small and rudimentary indication of an external shell (just
a little " style "), is exactly adapted for wedging itself
amongst crevices of rocks. A large, rigid, cellular float, or
" sepiostaire," such as Sepia possesses, or a long, horny pen
such as Loligo has, would be in the way, and worse than
useless in such places as the octopus inhabits. Its eight
long powerful arms or feet are precisely fitted for clamber-

FIG. I. — BEAK AND ARMS OF A DECAPOD CUTTLE.

a, the eight shorter arms ; /, the tentacles ; f, the funnel, or locomotor tube.

ing over rocks and stones, and as its food, of course, consists
principally of the living things most abundant in such
localities, namely, the shore-crabs, its great flexible suckers,
devoid of hooks or horny armature, are exactly adapted to
firm and air-tight attachment to the smooth shells of the
Crustacea.

Unlike the octopus, which is capable only of short flights'
through the water, the "cuttles" and "squids," such as
Sepia and Loligo, are all free swimmers. For them it is
necessary for accuracy of natation that their soft, and in
the squids long bodies, should be supported by such a

z 2

340 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

framework as they possess. In Sepia, the mantle-sac is
flattened horizontally all along its lateral edges so as to
form a pair of fins, which nearly surround the trunk. These
fins could never be used, as they are, to enable the animal
to poise itself delicately in the water by means of their
beautiful undulations, which I have often watched with
delight, if their attached edges were not kept in a straight
line on either side. Then, these ten-footed or ten-armed
genera have not, because they need them not, eight long,
strong and highly mobile arms like those of the octopus, nor
have they large suckers upon them. Whereas a great length
of reach is an advantage to the octopus, animals which are
purely swimmers, and which hunt and overtake their prey
by speed, would be impeded by having to drag after them
a bundle of stout, lengthy appendages trailing heavily
astern. Their eight pedal arms are short and comparatively
weak, though strong enough, in individuals such as are
regarded on our own coasts as fullgrown, to seize and hold
a fish or crustacean as strong as a good sized shore-crab.
But, as compensation for the shortness of the eight arms, they
are provided with two others more than three times the
length of the short ones. These are so slender that they
generally lie coiled up in a spiral cone in two pockets, one
on each side, just below the eye, when the animal is
quiescent, and are only seen when it takes its food. These
long, slender tentacular arms are expanded at their extre-
mity, and the inner surface of their enlarged part is studded
with suckers — some of them larger in size than those on
the eight shorter arms. As the food of these swimmers
consists, of course, chiefly of fish, their sucking disks are
curiously modified for the better retention of a slippery
captive. A horny ring with a sharply serrated edge is im-
bedded in the outer circumference of each of them, and

THE KRAKEN. 341

when a vacuum is formed, the keen, saw-like teeth are
pressed into the skin or scales of the unfortunate prisoner,
and deprive it of the slightest chance of escape.

The manner in which the eight-armed and ten-armed
cephalopods capture their prey is ' similar in principle and
plan, but differs in action in accordance with their mode of
life. The ordinary habit of the octopus is either to rest
suspended to the side of a rock to which it clings with the
suckers of several of its arms, or to remain lurking in some
favourite cranny ; its body thrust for protection and conceal-
ment well back in the interior of the recess ; its bright eyes
keenly on the watch ; three or four of its limbs firmly
attached to the walls of its hiding place — the others gently
waving, gliding, and feeling about in the water, as if to
maintain its vigilance, and keep itself always on the alert,
and in readiness to pounce on any unfortunate wayfarer
that may pass near its den. To a shore-crab that comes
within its reach the slightest contact with one of those lithe
arms is fatal. Instantaneously as pull of trigger brings
down a bird, or touch of electric wire explodes a torpedo
or a mining fuse, the pistons of the series of suckers are
simultaneously drawn inward, the air is removed from the
pneumatic holders, and a vacuum created in each : the crab
tries to escape, but in a second is completely pinioned :
not a movement, not a struggle is possible ; each leg, each
claw is grasped all over by suckers, enfolded in them,
stretched out to its fullest extent by them ; the back of
the carapace is completely covered by the tenacious disks,
brought together by the adaptable contractions of the limb,
and ranged in close order, shoulder to shoulder, touching
each other ; and the pressure of the air is so great that
nothing can effect the relaxation of their retentive power but
the destruction of the air-pump that works them or the

342

SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

THE KRAKEN. 343

closing of the throttle-valve by which they are connected
with it. Meanwhile the abdominal plates of the captive
crab are dragged towards the mouth ; the black tip of the
hard horny beak is seen for a single instant protruding
from the circular orifice in the centre of the radiation of
the arms ; and, the next, has crushed through the shell, and
is buried deep in the flesh of the victim.

Unlike the skulking, hiding octopus, its ten-armed rela-
tive, the Sepia, loves the daylight and the freedom of the
upper water. Its predatory acts are not those of a con-
cealed and ambushed brigand lying in wait behind a
rock, or peeping furtively from within the gloomy shadow
of a cave ; but it may better be compared with the war-like
Comanche vidette seated gracefully on his horse, and scan-
ning from some elevated knoll a wide expanse of prairie, in
readiness to swoop upon a weak or unarmed foe. Poised
near the surface of the water, like a hawk in the air, the
Sepia moves gently to and fro by graceful undulations of
its lateral fins, — an exquisite play of colour occasionally
taking place over its beautifully barred and mottled back.
When thus tranquil, its eight pedal arms are usually
brought close together, and droop in front of its head, like
the trunk of an elephant, shortened ; its two longer tenta-
cular arms being coiled up within their pouches, and unseen.
Only when some small fish approaches it does it arouse
itself. Then, its eyes dilate, and its colours become more
bright and vivid. It carefully takes aim, advancing or
retreating to such a distance as will just allow the two
hidden tentacles to reach the quarry when they shall be shot
out. Next, the two highest or central feet are lifted up,
and the three others on each side are spread aside, so that
they may be all out of the way of the two concealed ten-

344 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

tacles, presently to be launched forth ; and then, in a
moment — so instantaneously that the eye of an observer,
be he ever so watchful, can hardly see the act — this pair
of tentacles, side by side, are projected and withdrawn, as
if in a flash. The fish, or shrimp, has vanished, the suckers
of the dilated ends of the tentacles having adhered to it,
and left it, as they re-entered their pouches, within the fatal
"cuddle," or embrace, where it is torn to pieces by the
devouring beak.* This action of the tentacles of the
decapods is the most rapid motion that I know of in the
whole animal kingdom — not excepting even that of the
tongue of the toad and the lizard. These long tentacles
are not used when the food is within 'reach of the shorter
arms.

The calamaries, or squids, of our British seas seize their
prey in the same manner as Sepia, and the description of one
will suffice for both. But there exist two groups of them,
which are armed with curved and sharp-pointed hooks or
claws, either in addition to, or instead of suckers. In the
one group (Onychoteuthis], the hooks are restricted to the
extremities of the pair of tentacles, in the other (Enoploteu-
this), both the tentacles and the shorter arms have hooks.
Professor Owen, in his description of these hook-armed
calamaries in the Cyclopedia of A natomy, notices also
another structure which adds greatly to their prehensile

* See an excellent article in the Field, Sept. 2, 1876, on the ' Ten
Footed Cuttle ' (Sepia officinalis), by the late Mr. W. A. Lloyd, an
earnest and accomplished aquatic zoologist ; eccentric, but in all that
relates to the construction and management of an aquarium a master
of his craft. It was his wish that in any future edition of my little
book on the Octopus, or other writings on the cephalopods, I should
use the woodcuts which illustrated his articles on Sepia and Octopus.
By the kind permission of the proprietors of the Field, I reproduce
them in suitable size for these pages.

THE KRAKEN.

345

346

SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

power (Fig. 4). "At the extremity of the long tentacles a
cluster of small, simple, unarmed
suckers may be observed at the
base of the expanded part. When
these latter suckers are applied to
one another the tentacles are se-
curely locked together at that part,
and the united strength of both the
elongated peduncles can be applied
to drag towards the mouth any
resisting object which has been
grappled by the terminal hooks.
There is no mechanical contrivance
which surpasses this structure ; art
has remotely imitated it in the
fabrication of the obstetrical for-
ceps, in which either blade can be
/ H\ used separately, or, by the inter-
locking of a temporary blade, be
made to act in combination."

The cephalopods obtain and eat
their food very much like the rapa-
cious birds. They are the falcons
of the sea. Some of them, like
OnychoteuthiS) strike their prey with
talons and suckers also, others lay
hold of it with suckers alone ; but
they all tear the flesh with their
beaks, and swallow and digest their
food in the same manner as the
1 ' hawk or vulture.

FIG. 4.— HOOKED TENTACLES .

OF Onychoteuthis. The Sepia, the owner of the

broad, flattened bone, has a decided predilection for the

THE KRAKEN. 347

vicinity of the shore, and for comparatively shallow water.
It there attaches its grape-like eggs to some convenient
stone or growing alga, and delights occasionally to sink to
the bottom, and there to rest half covered by the sand,
a habit for which the form of its body is well adapted.
But the calamaries — they of the horny pen — prefer the
wide waters of the open ocean ; and although they, too,
especially the smaller species, are common upon the coasts,
they are frequently met with far out at sea, and away from
any land. The elongated and almost arrow-like shape
of their bodies enables them to glide through the water
with great rapidity, and the momentum imparted by a
vigorous out-rush from their syphon-tube is sometimes so
great that when the opposite pressure thus produced is so
exerted as to cause them to take an upward direction they
leap out of the water to so great a height as to fall on the
decks of ships ; and are, therefore, called by sailors,
" flying squids." Their spawn is very different from that
of either octopus, or sepia. It consists of dozens of semi-
transparent, gelatinous, slender, cylindrical sheaths, about
four or five inches long, each containing many ova imbedded
in it (making a total number of about 40,000 embryos), all
springing from a common centre and resembling a mop
without a handle. I have never seen any of these " sea-
mops " attached to anything, and the pelagic habits of the
calamaries render it probable that they are left floating on
the surface of the sea.

Having made ourselves acquainted with the structure
and habits of these three divisions of the eight-footed and
ten-footed mollusks, let us take evidence as to the size to
which they are respectively known to attain, and the degree
in which they may be regarded as dangerous to man.

An octopus from our own coasts having arms two feet in

348 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

length may be considered a rather large specimen ; and
Dr. J. E. Gray, who was always most kindly ready to place
at the disposal of any sincere inquirer the vast store of
knowledge laid up in his wonderful memory, told me that
" there is not one in the British Museum which exceeds
this size, or which would not go into a quart pot — body,
arms and all." The largest British specimen I have hitherto
seen had arms 2 ft. 6 in. long. We have sufficient evidence,
however, that it exceeds this in the South of France, and
along the Spanish and Italian coasts of the Mediterranean ;
and my deceased friend John Keast Lord tells us in his
book, ' The Naturalist in British Columbia/ that he saw
and measured, in Vancouver's Island, an octopus which
had arms five feet long.

I have often been asked whether an octopus of
the ordinary size can really be dangerous to bathers.
Decidedly, "Yes," in certain situations. The holding
power of its numerous suckers is enormous. It is
almost impossible forcibly to detach it from its adhesion
to a rock or the flat bottom of a tank ; and if a large one
happened to fix one or more of its strong, tough arms on
the leg of a swimmer whilst the others held firmly to a rock,
I doubt if the man could disengage himself under water
by mere strength, before being exhausted. Fortunately
the octopus can be made to relax its hold by grasping it
tightly round the " throat," (if I may so call it), and it may
be well that this should be known.

That men are occasionally drowned by these creatures
is, unhappily, a fact too well attested. I have else-
where * related several instances of this having occurred.
Omitting those, I will give two or three others which have

* See ' The Octopus ; or, the Devil-fish of Fiction and of Fact.'
1873. Chapman and Hall.

THE KRAKEN. 349

since come under my notice. Sir Grenville Temple, in his
1 Excursions in the Mediterranean Sea,' tells how a Sardinian
captain, whilst bathing at Jerbeh, was seized and drowned
by an octopus. When his body was found, his limbs were
bound together by the arms of the animal ; and this took
place in water only four feet deep.

Mr. J. K. Lord's account of the formidable strength of
these creatures in Oregon is confirmed by an incident
recorded in the Weekly Oregonian (the principal paper of
Oregon) of October 6th, 1877. A few days before that
date an Indian woman, whilst bathing, was held beneath
the surface by an octopus, and drowned. The body was
discovered on the following day in the horrid embrace of
the creature. Indians dived down, and with their knives
severed the arms of the octopus and recovered the corpse.

Mr. Clemens Laming, in his book, * The French in Al-
giers,' writes : —

" The soldiers were in the habit of bathing in the sea every evening,
and from time to time several of them disappeared — no one knew
how. Bathing was, in consequence, strictly forbidden ; in spite of
which several men went into the water one evening. Suddenly one of
them screamed for help, and when several others arushed to his assist-
ance they found that an octopus had seized him by the leg by four
of its arms, whilst it clung to the rock with the rest. The soldiers
brought the 'monster' home with them, and out of revenge they
boiled it alive and ate it. This adventure accounted for the disap-
pearance of the other soldiers."

The Rev. W. Wyatt Gill, who for more than a quarter
of a century has resided as a missionary amongst the in-
habitants of the Hervey Islands, and with whom I had the
pleasure of conversing on this subject when he was in
England in 1875, described in the Leisure Hour of April
2Oth, 1 872, another mode of attack by which an octopus might
deprive a man of life. A servant of his went diving for

350 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

" poulpes " (octopods), leaving his son in charge of the
canoe. After a short time he rose to the surface, his arms
free, but his nostrils and mouth completely covered by a
large octopus. If his son had not promptly torn the
living plaister from off his face he must have been suffo-
cated— a fate which actually befel, some years previously, a
man who foolishly went diving alone.

In Appleton's American Journal of Science and Art,
January 3ist, 1874, a correspondent describes an attack
by an octopus on a diver who was at work on the wreck of
a sunken steamer off the coast of Florida. The man, a power-
ful Irishman, was helpless in its grasp, and would have been
drowned if he had not been quickly brought to the surface ;
for, when dragged on to the raft from which he had
descended, he fainted, and his companions were unable to
pull the creature from its hold upon him until they had
dealt it a sharp blow across its baggy body.

A similar incident occurred to the Government diver of
the Colony of Victoria, Australia. Whilst pursuing his
avocation in the estuary of the river Moyne he was seized
by an octopus. He killed it by striking it with an iron
bar, and brought to shore with him a portion of it with the
arms more than three feet long.

Mr. Laurence Oliphant, in his * China and Japan,' describes
a Japanese show, which consisted of " a series of groups
of figures carved in wood, the size of life, and as cleverly
coloured as Madame Tussaud's wax-works. One of these
was a group of women bathing in the sea. One of them
had been caught in the folds of a cuttle-fish ; the others,
in alarm, were escaping, leaving their companion to her
fate. The cuttle-fish was represented on a huge scale, its
eyes, eyelids, and mouth being made to move simultane-
ously by a man inside the head."

THE KRAKEN. 351

An attack of this kind is most artistically represented
in a small Japanese ivory-carving in the possession of
Mr. Bartlett, of the Zoological Gardens.* A Japanese
woman has been seized by an octopus whilst bathing — for
as my friend Mr. Frank Buckland
remarked when he examined this
work of art, the lady wears a bath-
ing-dress. One arm of the octopus
is in the act of coiling round the
woman's neck, and she is en-
deavouring to pull it off with her
right hand ; another arm is en-
twined around her left wrist ; and

FIG, 5. — JAPANESE WOMAN

the rest of the eight writhing SEIZED BY AN OCTOPUS

WHILST BATHING.

thongs encircle her body and

waist. With her left hand she is trying to force away from
her the mouth of her formidable assailant, which is evidently
overpowering her. The arms of the octopus and their
sucking disks are admirably carved, but, as in almost all
Japanese portraits of the octopus, the animal is incorrectly
depicted as having a long snout — the funnel, or syphon
tube, being misrepresented as the mouth.

The Japanese are well acquainted with the octopus ; for
it is commonly depicted on their ornaments, and forms no
unimportant item in their fisheries.

I have recently had an opportunity of inspecting a most
curious Japanese book, in the possession of my friend Mr.
W. B. Tegetmeier, which is chiefly devoted to the repre-

* A wood engraving of this carving was figured in illustration of an
interesting paper by Professor Owen, C.B., F.R.S., &c., " On some
new and rare Cephalopoda," in the Transactions of the Zoological
Society, April 20, 1880. With the cordial consent of the distinguished
author I reproduce it here.

352 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

sentations of the fisheries and fish-curing processes of the
country. It is in three volumes, and is entitled, * Land and
Sea Products,' by Ki Kone. It is evidently ancient, for it
is slightly worm-eaten, but the plates, each 1 2 inches by
8 inches, are full of vigour. Two of these illustrate in a
very interesting manner the subject before us, and by the
kindness of Mr. Tegetmeier I am able to give facsimiles of
them, which appeared with an article by him on this book
in the Field 'of March I4th, 1874. Fig. 6 represents a fisher-
man in a boat out at sea : a gigantic octopus has thrown
one of its arms over the side of the boat ; the man, who is
alone, has started forward from the stern of the boat, and
has succeeded, by means of a large knife attached to a long
handle, in lopping off the dangerous limb of his enemy.
As Mr. Tegetmeier says, " From the extreme matter of fact
manner in which all these engravings are made, and the total
absence of exaggeration in any other representation, I can-
not but regard the relative sizes of the man, the boat, and
the octopus, as correctly given, in which case we have
evidence of the existence of gigantic cephalopods in
Japanese waters." The only doubt I have is whether the
fisherman correctly described his assailant as an octopus,
and whether it was not a calamary. Fig. 7 is a vivid
picture of a fishmonger's shop in a market, under the awn-
ing of which may be seen two arms of a gigantic cuttle hung
up for sale as food. These are evidently of most unusual
size, judging from the action of the lookers on ; the one
to the left, with a tall stand or case on his back, like a
Parisian cocoa-vendor, is holding out his hand in mute
astonishment ; whilst the attention of the smaller personage
in the right-hand corner is directed to the suspended arms
of the cuttle by the man nearest to him, who is pointing to
them with upraised hand. In another plate in this most

THE KRAKEN.

353

FIG. 6.— JAPANESE FISHERMAN ATTACKED BY A CUTTLE.

FIG. 7. — ARMS OF A GREAT CUTTLE EXHIBITED IN A JAPANESE
FISHMONGER'S SHOP.

VOL. III. — H.

2 A

354 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

interesting work a Japanese mode of fishing for cuttles is
delineated. A man in a boat is tossing crabs, one at a
time, into the sea, and when a cuttle rises at the bait he
spears it with a trident and tosses it into the boat.

The octopus, therefore, though not abundant on our own
coasts, is found in every sea in the temperate zone ; and in
so far that it secretes an ink with which it can render
the water turbid, and has many radiating arms with which
it can seize and drown a man, it possesses certain attri-
butes of the Kraken : but we have no authentic knowledge
of its ever attaining to greater dimensions than I have
stated, nor does it bask on the surface of the sea. It is not
amongst the Octopidcz therefore that we must look for a
solution of the mystery.

The basking condition is fulfilled by the Sepia ; and its
flattened back, supported and rendered hard and firm to
the touch by the calcareous sepiostaire beneath the skin, is
broader in proportion than that of the octopus or the squid.
Thus Sepia might pass as a microscopic miniature of the
great Scandinavian monster. But it lacks the character of
size. We have no reason to believe that any true Sepia
exists, as the family is now understood, that has a body
more than eighteen inches long. If it were otherwise it
would be more likely to be known of this family than of its
relatives, for its lightly constructed and well known " cuttle-
bone " would float on the surface for many weeks after the
death of its owner, and large specimens of it would be seen
and recognised from passing ships.

As we can find no species of the Octopida or Sepiidc?
which can furnish a pretext for the stories told of the
Kraken, we must try to ascertain how far a similitude to it
may be traced in the third family we have discussed, the
Teuthida.

THE KRAKEN. 355

The belief in the existence of gigantic cuttles is an
ancient one. Aristotle mentions it, and Pliny tells of an
enormous polypus which at Carteia, in Grenada — an old
and important Roman colony near Gibraltar — used to
come out of the sea at night, and carry off and devour
salted tunnies from the curing depots on the shore ; and
adds that when it was at last killed, the head of it (they
used to call the body the head, because in swimming it
goes in advance) was found to weigh 700 Ibs. ^Elian re-
cords a similar incident, and describes his monster as
crushing in its arms the barrels of salt fish to get at the
contents. These two must have been octopods, if they
were anything ; the word " polypus " . thus especially
designates it, and moreover, the free-swimming cuttles and
squids would be helpless if stranded on the shore. Some
of the old writers seem to have aimed rather at making their
histories sensational than at carefully investigating the
credibility or the contrary of the highly coloured reports
brought to them. These were, of course, gross exaggera-
tions, but there was generally a substratum of truth in
them. They were based on the rare occurrence of speci-
mens, smaller certainly, but still enormous, of some known
species, and in most cases the worst that can be said of
their authors is that they were culpably careless and fool-
ishly credulous.

Unhappily, so lenient a judgment cannot be passed on
some comparatively recent writers. Denys de Montfort,
half a century later than Pontoppidan, not only professed
to believe in the Kraken, but also in the existence of
another gigantic animal distinct from it ; a colossal poulpe,
or octopus, compared with which Pliny's was a mere
pigmy. In a drawing fitter to decorate the outside of a
showman's caravan at a fair than seriously to illustrate a

2 A 2

356 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

work on natural history,* he depicted this tremendous
cuttle as throwing its arms over a three-masted vessel,
snapping off its masts, tearing down the yards, and on the
point of dragging it to the bottom, if the crew had not suc-
ceeded in cutting off its immense limbs with cutlasses and
hatchets. De Montfort had good opportunities of obtain-
ing information, for he was at one time an assistant in the
geological department of the Museum of Natural History,
in Paris ; and wrote a work on conchology,f besides that
already referred to. But it appears to have been his de-
liberate purpose to cajole the public ; for it is reported
that he exclaimed to M. Defrance : " If my entangled
ship is accepted, I will make my ' colossal poulpe ' over-
throw a whole fleet." Accordingly we find him gravely
declaring J that one of the great victories of the British
navy was converted into a disaster by the monsters
which are the subject of his history. He boldly asserted
that the six men-of-war captured from the French by
Admiral Rodney in the West Indies on the I2th of April,
1782, together with four British ships detached from his
fleet to convoy the prizes, were all suddenly engulphed in
the waves on the night of the battle under such circum-
stances as showed that the catastrophe was caused by
colossal cuttles, and not by a gale or any ordinary casualty.
Unfortunately for De Montfort, the inexorable logic of
facts not only annihilates his startling theory, but demon-
strates the reckless falsity of his plausible statements. The
captured vessels did not sink on the night of the action,
but were all sent to Jamaica to refit, and arrived there

* Histoire Naturelle gdntrale et par ticu Here des Mollusques, vol. ii.,
p. 256.

t Conchy liologie Systtmatique.

\ Hist. Nat. des Moll., vol. ii., pp. 358 to 368.

THE KRAKEN.

357

FIG. 8.— FACSIMILE OF DE MONTFORT's "Foulpe colossal"

35» SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

safely. Five months afterwards, however, a convoy of nine
line-of-battle ships (amongst which were Rodney's prizes),
one frigate, and about a hundred merchantmen, were dis-
persed, whilst on their voyage to England, by a violent
storm, during which some of them unfortunately foundered.
The various accidents which preceded the loss of these
vessels was related in evidence to the Admiralty by the
survivors, and official documents prove that De Montfort's
fleet-destroying poulpe was an invention of his own, and
had no part whatever in the disaster that he attributed
to it*

* De Montfort endeavoured to support his statements by so many
inaccurate details, which by a considerable number of ill-informed
persons of his own nation have been accepted as true, that I think
some particulars of the events above referred to may be interesting.
My information is obtained from Rodney's despatches, and paragraphs
of contemporary naval news published in the Gentlemarfs Magazine
of 1782 and 1783 ; from the Annual Register of 1783 ; and from Capt.
J. N. Inglefield's own account of the loss of his ship the " Centaur,"
in a rare pamphlet of thirty-nine pages, " published by authority," and
dated " Fayall, October I3th, 1782."

In Sir G. B. Rodney's action with the French fleet under the Count
de Grasse, off St. Domingo, on the I2th of April, 1782, the manoeuvre
of breaking the enemy's line, and separating some of his ships from
the remainder, was for the first time successfully put in practice. The
following captures were made by the British, viz. : — The admiral's
ship, Ville de Paris, 104, which was a splendid present from the City
of Paris to Louis XV. ; the Glorieux, 74 ; Casar, 74 ; Hector •, 64 ;
Caton, 64; Jason, 64; Aimable, 32; and Ceres, 18 ; besides one
ship of 74 guns, sunk during the engagement. The Ccesar, one of the
best ships in the French fleet,»took fire on the night of the action,
and, before the prisoners could be removed from her, blew up. By
this accident a lieutenant, the boatswain, and fifty Englishmen belong-
ing to the " Centaur," together with about four hundred Frenchmen,
perished. The remainder of the prizes were sent into Port Royal,
Jamaica, to repair damages, and on the $th of May, 1782, Rodney
wrote to the Admiralty announcing their safe arrival in that harbour.

On the 26th of July following, a fleet and convoy, amongst which

THE KRAKEN. 359

I have been told, but cannot vouch for the truth of
the report, that De Montfort's propensity to write that
which was not true culminated in his committing forgery,
and that he died in the galleys. But he records a state-
ment of Captain Jean Magnus Dens, said to have been

were these ships, left Port Royal for England, under the command of
Admiral Graves in the " Ramilies." They encountered several very
heavy gales of wind, and on the i6th of September, in lat. 42° 15',
long. 48° 55', a storm set in which lasted several days. About 3 A.M.
on the 1 7th, the wind, which had been blowing from S.E., suddenly
shifted, and a brief lull was succeeded by a most violent squall, with
furious rain from N.N.W., which is described as " exceeding in degree
everything of the kind that the oldest seaman in the fleet had ever
seen, or had any conception of." The " Ramilies " went to the bottom
soon after 4 P.M. on the 2ist. Most of her crew were saved. The
" Centaur " foundered on the night of the 23rd, in lat. 48° 32', long. 43° 20'.
Her captain, Inglefield, and eleven of her people, in the pinnace, left
her in a sinking state about rive o'clock on that evening, and, after
suffering severely for sixteen days, in the course of which one man,
Thomas Matthews, quartermaster, died from cold and exposure, they
landed at Fayall in an exhausted condition, having made a voyage of
more than 750 miles in an open boat. The Glorieux and the Ville de
Paris also sank during the gale, and only one man of the crew of the
latter vessel was saved, having been picked up on some floating wreck.
His name was John Wilson, and he gave evidence at Portsmouth
concerning the disaster on the 22nd of March, 1783. The Caton,
Canada, Ardent, and Jason, escaped with loss of spars and other
damage. The " Hector " was attacked by two French frigates, left by
them in a crippled condition, and sank — many of the crew being saved
by the " Hawkesnow," letter of marque. These are well-attested facts.
De Montfort's fabulous statement was, that on the night following the
battle, the Ville de Paris fired minute guns, and made other signals of
extreme distress, and that in consequence of this nine other men-of-
war bore down to her assistance, converging on her as a common
focus, and were all simultaneously involved in her mournful fate —
that of being dragged beneath the yawning waves by enormous poulpes.
His pretended history, as well as his ingenious, but disingenuous theory,
was drawn from his imagination ; and the one is as false as the other
is absurd.

360 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

a respectable and veracious man, who, after having made
several voyages to China as a master trader, retired from a
seafaring life and lived at Dunkirk. He told De Montfort
that in one of his voyages, whilst crossing from St. Helena
to Cape Negro, he was becalmed, and took advantage of
the enforced idleness of the crew to have the vessel scraped
and painted. Whilst three of his men were standing on
planks slung over the side, an enormous cuttle rose from
the water, and threw one of its arms around two of the
sailors, whom it tore away, with the scaffolding on which
they stood. With another arm it seized the third man, who
held on tightly to the rigging, and shouted for help. His
shipmates ran to his assistance, and succeeded in rescuing
him by cutting away the creature's arm with axes and
knives, but he died delirious on the following night. The
captain tried to save the other two sailors by killing the
animal, and drove several harpoons into it ; but they broke
away, and the men were carried down by the monster.

The arm cut off was said to have been twenty-five feet
long, and as thick as the mizen-yard, and to have had on it
suckers as big as saucepan-lids. I believe the old sea-
captain's narrative of the incident to be true ; the dimensions
given by De Montfort are wilfully and deliberately false.
The belief in the power of the cuttle to sink a ship and
devour her crew is as widely spread over the surface of the
globe, as it is ancient in point of time. I have been told
by a friend that he saw in a shop in China a picture of a
cuttle embracing a junk, apparently of about 300 tons
burthen, and helping itself to the sailors, as one picks
gooseberries off a bush.

Traditions of a monstrous cuttle attacking and destroying
ships arc current also at the present day in the Polynesian
Islands. Mr. Gill, the missionary previously quoted, tells

THE KRAKEN. 361

us * that the natives of Aitutaki, in the Hervey group, have
a legend of a famous explorer, named Rata, who built a
double canoe, decked and rigged it, and then started off in
quest of adventures. At the prow was stationed the daunt-
less Nganaoa, armed with a long spear and ready to slay
all monsters. One day when speeding pleasantly over the
ocean, the voice of the ever vigilant Nganaoa was heard :
" O Rata ! yonder is a terrible enemy starting up from
ocean depths." It proved to be an octopus (query, squid ?)
of extraordinary dimensions. Its huge tentacles encircled
the vessel in their embrace, threatening its instant destruc-
tion. At this critical moment Nganaoa seized his spear, and
fearlessly drove it through the head of the creature. The
tentacles slowly relaxed, and the dead monster floated off
on the surface of the ocean.

Passing from the early records of the appearance of
cuttles of unusual size, and the current as well as
the traditional belief in their existence by the inhabitants
of many countries, let us take the testimony of travellers
and naturalists who have a right to be regarded as com-
petent observers. In so doing we must bear in mind that
until Professor Owen propounded the very clear and con-
venient classification now universally adopted, the squids,
as well as the eight-footed Octopidcz, were all grouped
under the title of Sepia,

Pernetty, describing a voyage made by him in the years
1763-4,1 mentions gigantic cuttles met with in the Southern
Seas.

Shortly afterwards, during the first week in March, 1769,
Banks and Solander, the scientific fellow-voyagers with
Lieutenant Cook (afterwards the celebrated Captain Cook),

* Leisure Hour, October, 1875, p. 636.
f Voyage aux lies Malouines.

362 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

in H.M.S. Endeavour, found in the North Pacific, in lati-
tude 38° 44' S. and longitude 110° 33' W., a large calamary
which had just been killed by the birds, and was floating in
a mangled condition on the water. Its arms were furnished,
instead of suckers, with a double row of very sharp talons,
which resembled those of a cat, and, like them, were retract-
able into a sheath of skin from which they might be thrust
at pleasure. Of this cuttle they say, with evident pleasur-
able remembrance of a savoury meal, they made one of the
best soups they ever tasted. Professor Owen tells us, in the
paper already referred to, that when he was curator of the
Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, and
preparing, in 1829, his first catalogue thereof, he was struck
with the number of oceanic invertebrates which Hunter had
obtained. He learned from Mr. Clift that Hunter had sup-
plied Mr. (afterwards Sir Joseph) Banks with stoppered
bottles containing alcohol, in which to preserve the new
marine animals that he might meet with during the circum-
navigatory voyage about to be undertaken by Cook.
Thinking it probable that Banks might have stowed some
parts of this great hook-armed squid in one of these bottles for
his anatomical friend, he searched for, and found in a bottle
marked " J. B.," portions of its arms, the beak with tongue, a
heart ventricle, &c., and, amongst the dry preparations, the
terminal part of the body, with an attached pair of rhom-
boidal fins. The remainder had furnished Cook and his
companions Banks and Solander with a welcome change of
diet in the commander's cabin of the Endeavour. As the
inner surface of the arms of the squid, as well as the
terminals of its tentacles, were studded with hooks, Professor
Owen named it Enoploteuthis CookiL He estimates the
diameter of the tail fin at 15 inches, the length of its body
3 feet, of its head 10 inches, of the shorter arms 16 inches,

THE KRAKEN. 363

and of the longer tentacles about the same as its body-
thus giving a total length of about 6 ft. 9 in. Although
individuals of other species, of larger dimensions, are known
to have existed, this is the largest specimen of the hook-
armed calamaries that has been scientifically examined.
It would have been a formidable antagonist to a man under
circumstances favourable to the exertion of its strength, and
the use of its prehensile and lacerating talons.

Peron,* the well-known French zoologist, mentions having
seen at sea, in 1801, not far from Van Diemen's Land, at a
very little distance from his ship, Le Gtographe^ a " Sepia,"
of the size of a barrel, rolling with noise on the waves ; its
arms, between 6 and 7 feet long, and 6 or 7 inches in
diameter at the base, extended on the surface, and writhing
about like great snakes. He recognised in this, and no
doubt correctly, one of the calamaries. The arms that he
saw were evidently the animal's shorter ones, as under such
circumstances, with neither enemy to combat nor prey to
seize at the moment, the longer tentacles would remain
concealed.

Quoy and Gaimardf report that in the Atlantic Ocean,
near the Equator, they found the remains of an enormous
calamary, half eaten by the sharks and birds, which could
not have weighed less, when entire, than 200 Ibs. A por-
tion of this was secured, and is preserved in the Museum of
Natural History, Paris.

Captain Sander Rang % records having fallen in with, in
mid-ocean, a species distinct from the others, of a dark
red colour, having short arms, and a body the size of a
hogshead.

* Voyage de Decouvertes aux Tcrres A us tr ales.

f Voyage de VUranie : Zoologie, vol. i., part 2, p. 411. 1824.

% Manuel des Mollusques, p. 86.

364 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

In a manuscript by Paulsen (referred to by Professor
Steenstrup, at a meeting of Scandinavian naturalists at
Copenhagen in 1847) ls a description of a large calamary,
cast ashore on the coast of Zeeland, which the latter named
Architeuthis monachus. Its body measured 21 feet, and its
tentacles 18 feet, making a total of 39 feet.

In 1854 another was. stranded at the Skag in Jutland,
which Professor Steenstrup believed to belong to the same
genus as the preceding, but to be of a different species, and
called it Architeuthis dux. The body was cut in pieces by
the fishermen for bait, and furnished many wheelbarrow
loads. Mr. Gwyn Jeffreys * says Dr. Morch informed him
that the beak of this animal was nine inches long. He adds
that another huge cephalopod was stranded in 1860 or
1 86-1, between Hillswick and Scalloway, on the west of
Shetland. From a communication received by Professor
Allman, it appears that its tentacles were 16 feet long, the
pedal arms about half that length, and the mantle sac 7
feet. The largest suckers examined by Professor Allman
were three-quarters of an inch in diameter.

We have also the statement of the officers and crew of
the French despatch steamer, Alecton, commanded by Lieu-
tenant Bouyer, describing their having met with a great
calamary on the 3Oth of November, 1861, between Madeira
and Teneriffe. It was seen about noon on that day floating
on the surface of the water, and the vessel was stopped with
a view to its capture. Many bullets were aimed at it, but
they passed through its soft flesh without doing it much
injury, until at length "the waves were observed to be
covered with foam and blood." It had probably dis-
charged the contents of its ink-bag ; for a strong odour of
musk immediately became perceptible — a perfume which I
* ' British Conchology,' vol. v., p. 124.

THE KRAKEN.

365

FIG. 9. — GIGANTIC CALAMARY CAUGHT BY THE FRENCH DESPATCH
VESSEL Ahcton, NEAR TENERIFFE.

366 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

have already mentioned as appertaining to the ink of many
of the cephalopoda, and also as being one of the reputed
attributes of the Kraken. Harpoons were thrust into it,
but would not hold in the yielding flesh ; and the animal
broke adrift from them, and, diving beneath the vessel,
came up on the other side. The crew wished to launch
a boat that they might attack it at closer quarters, but the
commander forbade this, not feeling justified in risking the
lives of his men. A rope with a running knot was, however,
slipped over it, and held fast at the junction of the broad
caudal fin ; but when an attempt was made to hoist it on
deck the enormous weight caused the rope to cut through
the flesh, and all but the hinder part of the body fell back into
the sea and disappeared. M. Berthelot, the French consul at
TenerifTe, saw the fin and posterior portion of the animal on
board the Alecton ten days afterwards, and sent a report
of the occurrence to the Paris Academy of Sciences. The
body of this great squid, which, like Rang's specimen, was
of a deep-red colour, was estimated to have been from
1 6 feet to 1 8 feet long, without reckoning the length of its
formidable arms.*

These are statements made by men who, by their intelli-
gence, character, and position, are entitled to respect and
credence ; and whose evidence would be accepted without
question or hesitation in any court of law. There is, more-
over, a remarkable coincidence of particulars in their several
accounts, which gives great importance to their combined
testimony.

But, fortunately, we are not left dependent on docu-
mentary evidence alone, nor with the option of accepting
or rejecting, as caprice or prejudice may prompt us, the

* In the accompanying illustration, the size of the squid is exagge-
rated, but not so much as has been supposed.

THE KRAKEN. -367

narratives of those who have told us they have seen what
we have not. Portions of cuttles of extraordinary size are
preserved in several European museums. In the collection
of, the Faculty of Sciences at Montpellier is one six feet
long, taken by fishermen at Cette, which Professor Steen-
striip has identified as Ommastrephes pteropus. One of the
same species, which was formerly in the possession of M.
Eschricht, who received it from Marseilles, may be seen in
the museum at Copenhagen. The body of another,
analogous to these, is exhibited in the Museum of Trieste :
it was taken on the coast of Dalmatia. At the meeting of
the British Association at Plymouth in 1841, Colonel Smith
exhibited drawings of the beak and other parts of a very
large calamary preserved at Haarlem ; and M. P. Harting,
in 1860, described in the Memoirs of the Royal Scientific
Academy of Amsterdam portions of two extant in other
collections in Holland, one of which he believes to be Steen-
strup's Architeuthis dux> a species which he regards as
identical with Ommastrephes todarus of D'Orbigny.

Still there remained a residuum of doubt in the minds of
naturalists and the public concerning the existence of
gigantic cuttles until, towards the close of the year 1873,
two specimens were encountered on the coast of New-
foundland, and a portion of one and the whole of the other
were brought ashore, and preserved for examination by
competent zoologists.

The circumstances under which the first was seen, as
sensationally described by the Rev. Moses Harvey, Presby-
terian minister of St. John's, Newfoundland, in a letter to
Principal Dawson, of McGill College, were, briefly and
soberly, as follows : — Two fishermen were out in a small
punt on the 26th of October, 1873, near the eastern end of
Belle Isle, Conception Bay, about nine miles from St. John's.

368 ' SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

Observing some object floating on the water at a short
distance, they rowed towards it, supposing it to be the dttris
of a wreck. On reaching it one of them struck it with his
" gaff," when immediately it showed signs of life, and shot
out its two tentacular arms, as if to seize its antagonists.
The other man, named Theophilus Picot, though naturally
alarmed, severed both arms with an axe as they lay on the
gunwale of the boat, whereupon the animal moved off, and
ejected a quantity of inky fluid which darkened the sur-
rounding water for a considerable distance. The men went
home, and, as fishermen will, magnified their lost " fish."
They " estimated " the body to have been 60 feet in length,
and 10 feet across the tail fin ; and declared that when
the " fish " attacked them " it reared a parrot-like beak
which was as big as a six-gallon keg."

All this, in the excitement of the moment, Mr. Harvey
appears to have been willing to believe, and related without
the expression of a doubt. Fortunately, he was able to
obtain from the fishermen a portion of one of the tentacular
arms which they had chopped off with the axe, and by so
doing rendered good service to science. This fragment
(Fig. 10), as measured by Mr. Alexander Murray, provincial
geologist of Newfoundland, and Professor Verrill, of Yale
College, Connecticut, is 17 feet IcTng and 3^ feet in circum-
ference. It is now in St. John's Museum. By careful calcu-
lation of its girth, the breadth and circumference of the
expanded sucker-bearing portion at its extremity, and the
diameter of the suckers, Professor Verrill has computed its
dimensions to have been as follows : — Length of body 10 feet ;
diameter of body 2 feet 5 inches. Long tentacular arms
32 feet ; head 2 feet ; total length about 44 feet. The upper
mandible of the beak, instead of being " as large as a six-
gallon keg " would be about 3 inches long, and the lower

THE KRAKEN. 369

mandible \\ inch long. From the size of the large suckers
relatively to those of another specimen to be presently

FIG. 10. — TENTACLE OF A GREAT CALAMARY (ArckiteuthlS princeps) TAKEN
IN CONCEPTION BAY, NEWFOUNDLAND, OCT. 26, 1873.

described, he regards it as probable that this individual was
a female.

In November, 1873 — about three weeks after the occur-
rence in Conception Bay — another calamary somewhat
smaller than the preceding, but of the same species, also
came into Mr. Harvey's possession. Three fishermen, when
hauling their herring-net in Logic Bay, about three miles
from St. John's, found the huge animal entangled in its folds.
With great difficulty they succeeded in despatching it and
bringing it ashore, having been compelled to cut off its head
before they could get it into their boat.

The body of this specimen was over 7 feet long ; the
caudal fin 22 inches broad ; the two long tentacular arms
24 feet in length ; the eight shorter arms each 6 feet long,
the largest of the latter being 10 inches in circumference at
the base ; total length of this calamary 32 feet. Professor
Verrill considers that this and the Conception Bay squid
are both referable to one species — Steenstrup's Architen-
this dux.

VOL. III. — H. 2 B

370

SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

Excellent woodcuts from photographs of these two speci-
mens were given in the Field of December isth, 1873, and
January 3ist, 1874, respectively, and I am indebted to the

FIG. II.— HEAD AND TENTACLES OF A GREAT CALAMARY (ArchiteuthlS
princeps) TAKEN IN LOGIE BAY, NEWFOUNDLAND, NOV. 1873.

proprietors of that journal for their kind and courteous per-
mission to copy them in reduced size for the illustration of
this little work.

For the preservation of both of the above described

THE KRAKEN. 37 1

specimens we have to thank Mr. Harvey, and he produces
additional evidence of other gigantic cuttles having been
previously seen on the coast of Newfoundland. He men-
tions two especially, which, as stated by the Rev. Mr.
Gabriel, were cast ashore in the winter of 1870-71, near
Lamaline on the south coast of the island, which measured
respectively 40 feet and 47 feet in length ; and he also tells
of another stranded two years later, the total length of
which was 80 feet. .

In the American Journal of Science and Arts ', of March,
1875, Professor Verrill gives particulars and authenticated
testimony of several other examples of great calamaries,
varying in total length from 30 feet to 52 feet, which have
been taken in the neighbourhood of Newfoundland since
the year 1870. One of these was found floating, apparently
dead, near the Grand Banks in October, 1871, by Captain
Campbell, of the schooner B. D. Hoskins, of Gloucester,
Mass. It was taken on board, and part of it used for bait.
The body is stated to have been 1 5 feet long, and the pedal
or shorter arms between 9 feet and IO feet. The beak was
forwarded to the Smithsonian Institution.

Another instance given by Professor Verrill is of a great
squid found alive in shallow water in Coomb's Cove,
Fortune Bay, in the year 1872. Its measurements, taken by
the Hon. T. R. Bennett, of English Harbour, Newfoundland,
were, length of body 10 feet ; length of tentacles 42 feet ;
length of one of the ordinary arms 6 feet : the cups on the
tentacles were serrated. Professor Verrill also mentions a
pair of jaws and two suckers in the Smithsonian Institution,
as having been received from the Rev. A. Munn, with a
statement that they were taken from a calamary which
went ashore in Bonavista Bay, and which measured 32 feet
in total length.

2 B 2

372 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

On the 22nd of September, 1877, another gigantic squid
was stranded at Catalina, on the north shore of Trinity
Bay, Newfoundland, during a heavy equinoctial gale. It
was alive when first seen, but died soon after the ebbing of
the tide, and was left high and dry upon the beach. Two
fishermen took possession of it, and the whole settlement
gathered to gaze in astonishment at the monster. Formerly
it would have been converted into manure, or cut up as
food for dogs, but, thanks to the diffusion of intelligence,
there were some persons in Catalina who knew the import-
ance of preserving such a rarity, and who advised the
fishermen to take it to St. John's. After being exhibited
there for two days, it was packed in half-a-ton of ice in
readiness for transmission to Professor Verrill, in the hope
that it would be placed in the Peabody or Smithsonian
Museum ; but at the last moment its owners violated their
agreement, and sold it to a higher bidder. The final
purchase was made for the New York Aquarium, where it
arrived on the 7th of October, immersed in methylated
spirit in a large glass tank. Its measurements were as fol-
lows : — length of body 10 feet ; length of tentacles 30 feet ;
length of shorter arm 1 1 feet ; circumference of body 7 feet ;
breadth of caudal fin 2 feet 9 inches ; diameter of largest
tentacular sucker I inch ; number of suckers on each of
the shorter arms 250.

The appearance of so many of these great squids on
the shores of Newfoundland during the term of seven years,
and after so long a period of popular uncertainty as to
their very existence had previously elapsed, might lead one
to suppose that the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean
which wash the north-eastern coasts of the American Con-
tinent were, at any rate, temporarily, their principal habitat,
especially as a smaller member of their family, Omma-

THE KRAKEN. 373

strephes sagittatus, is there found in such extraordinary
numbers that it furnishes the greater part of the bait used
in the Newfoundland cod fisheries. But that they are by
no means confined to this locality is proved by recent
instances, as well as by those already cited.

Dr. F. Hilgendorf records * observations of a huge squid
exhibited for money at Yedo, Japan, in 1873, and of another
of similar size, which he saw exposed for sale in the Yedo
fish market.

When the French expedition was sent to the Island of
St. Paul, in 1874, for the purpose of observing the transit
of Venus, which occurred on the Qth of December in that
year, it was fortunately accompanied by an able zoologist,
M. Ch. Velain. He reports f that on the 2nd of November
a tidal wave cast upon the north shore of the island a great
calamary which measured in total length nearly 23 feet,
namely : length of body 7 feet ; length of tentacles 1 6 feet.
There are several points of interest connected with its
generic characters, and M. Velain's grounds for regard-
ing it as being of a previously unknown species, but they
are too technical for discussion here. This specimen was
photographed as it lay upon the beach by M. Cazin, the
photographer to the expedition.

The following account of the still more recent capture of
a large squid off the west coast of Ireland was given in the
Zoologist of June, 1875, by Sergeant Thomas O'Connor, of
the Royal Irish Constabulary : —

"On the 26th of April, 1875, a very large calamary was met with
on the north-west of Boffin Island, Connemara. The crew of a

* Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft naturforschenden Frcundc
Berlin, pp. 65-67, quoted by Professor Owen, op. cit.
t Comptes Rendus, t. 80, 1875, p. 998-

374 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

1 curragh ' (a boat made like the ' coracle,' with wooden ribs covered
with tarred canvas) observed to seaward a large floating mass, sur-
rounded by gulls. They pulled out to it, believing it to be wreck, but
to their astonishment found it was an enormous cuttle-fish, lying per-
fectly still, as if basking on the surface of the water. Paddling up
with caution, they lopped off one of its arms. The animal immediately
set out to sea, rushing through the water at a tremendous pace. The
men gave chase, and, after a hard pull in their frail canvas craft, came
up with it, five miles out in the open Atlantic, and severed another of
its arms and the head. These portions are now in the Dublin Museum.
The shorter arms measure, each, eight feet in length, and fifteen inches
round the base : the tentacular arms are said to have been thirty feet
long. The body sank."

Finally, there is in our own national collection, preserved
in spirit in a tall glass jar, a single arm of a huge cephalopod,
which, by the kindness and courtesy of the officers of the
department, I was permitted to examine and measure when
I first described it, in May, 1873. It is 9 feet long, and 12
inches in circumference at the base, tapering gradually to a
fine point. It has about 300 suckers, pedunculated, or set
on tubular footstalks, placed alternately in two rows, and
having serrated, horny rings, but no hooks ; the diameter
of the largest of these rings is half an inch ; the smallest is
not larger than a pin's head. This is one of the eight
shorter, or pedal, and not one of the long, or tentacular,
arms of the calamary to which it belonged. The relative
length of the arms to that of the body and tentacles
varies in different genera of the Teuthidce, and it is not
impossible that this may be the case even in individuals
of the same species. But, judging from the proportions of
known examples, I estimate the length of the tentacles
at 36 feet, and that of the body at from 10 to n feet:
total length 47 feet. The beak would probably have been
about 5 inches long from hinge socket to point, and the
diameter of the largest suckers of the tentacles about

THE KRAKEN. 375

I inch. So much for De Montfort's " suckers as big as
saucepan-lids." From a well-defined fold of skin which
spreads out from each margin of that surface of the arm
over which the suckers are situated, Professor Owen has
given to this calamary the generic name of Plectoteuthis^
with the specific title of grandis to indicate its enormous
size. No history relating to this interesting specimen has
been preserved. No one knows its origin, nor when it was
received, but Dr. Gray told me that he believed it came
from the east coast of South America. It has, however,
long formed part of the stores of the British Museum, and,
although previously open to public view, was more recently
for many years kept in the basement chambers of the old
building in Bloomsbury, which were irreverently called by
the initiated "the spirit vaults and bottle department,"
because fishes, mollusca, &c., preserved in spirits were there
deposited. I hope the public will have greater facility of
access to it in the new Museum of Natural History.

Here, then, in our midst, and to be seen by all who ask
permission to inspect it, is, and has long been, a limb of a
great cephalopod capable of upsetting a boat, or of hauling
a man out of her, or of clutching one engaged in scraping
a ship's side, and dragging him under water, as described
by the old master-mariner Magnus Dens. The tough
supple tentacles, shot forth with lightning rapidity, would
be long enough to reach him at a distance of a dozen yards,
and strong enough to drag him within the grasp of the
eight shorter arms, a helpless victim to the mandibles of a
beak sufficiently powerful to tear him in pieces and crush
some of his smaller bones. For, once within that dreadful
embrace, his escape, unaided, would be impossible. The
clinging power of this Plectoteuthis is so enormously aug-
mented by the additional surface given by the expanded

376 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

folds to the under side of the arms, that I doubt if even
one of the smaller whales, such as the " White Whale," or
the " Pilot Whale," could extricate itself from their com-
bined hold, if those eight supple, clammy, adhesive arms,
each 9 feet long, and 5 inches in diameter at the base
on the flat under surface, and armed with a battery of
2400 suckers, were once fairly lapped around it

Ought it to surprise us, then, that an uneducated sea-
faring ' population, such as the fishermen of Fridrichstad,
mentioned by Pontoppidan, absolutely ignorant of the
habits and affinities, and even unacquainted with the real
external form of such a creature, should exaggerate its
dimensions and invest it with mystery? All that they
knew of it was that whilst their friends and neighbours,
whom we will call Eric Paulsen, Hans Ohlsen, and Olaf
Bruhn were out fishing one calm day, a shapeless " some-
thing " rose just above the surface of the tranquil sea not
far from their boat. They could see that there was much
more of its bulk under water, but how far it extended they
could not ascertain. Mistrusting its appearance, and with
foreboding of danger, they were about to get up their
anchor, when, suddenly, from thirty feet away, a rope was
shot on board which fastened itself on Hans ; he was
dragged from amongst them towards the strange floating
mass ; there was a commotion ; from the foaming sea
upreared themselves, as it seemed to Eric and Olaf, several
writhing serpents, which twined themselves around Hans ;
and as they gazed, helpless, in horror and bewilderment,
the monsters sank, and with a mighty swirl the waters
closed for ever over their unfortunate companion. The
men would naturally hasten home, and describe the dread-
ful incident — their imagination excited by its mysterious
nature ; the talc would spread through the district, .losing

THE KRAKEN. 377

nothing by repetition, and within a week the fabled Kraken
would be the result.

The existence, in almost every sea, of calamaries capable
of playing their part in such a scene has been fully proved,
and this vexed question of marine zoology set at rest for
ever. The " much greater light on this subject " which, as
Pontoppidan sagaciously foresaw, was "reserved for pos-
terity," has been thrown upon it by the discoveries of the
last few years ; and the " further experience which is
always the best instructor," and which he correctly antici-
pated would be possessed by the " future writers," to whom
he bequeathed the completion of his "sketch," has been
obtained. Viewed by their aid, and seen in the clearer
atmosphere of our present knowledge, the great sea monster
which loomed so indefinitely vast in the mist of ignorance
and superstition, stands revealed in its true form and
proportions — its magnitude reduced, its outline distinct,
and its mystery gone — and we recognise in the supposed
Kraken, as the Norwegian bishop rightly conjectured that
we should, an " animal of the Polypus (or cuttle) kind, and
amongst the largest inhabitants of the ocean."

378 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT.

THE belief in the existence of sea serpents of formidable,
dimensions is of great antiquity. Aristotle, writing about
B.C. 340, says* : — " The serpents of Libya are of an enor-
mous size. Navigators along that coast report having seen
a great quantity of bones of oxen, which they believe,
without doubt, to have been devoured by the serpents.
These serpents pursued them when they left the shore, and
upset one of their triremes " — a vessel of a large class,
having three banks of oars.

Pliny tells us | that a squadron sent by Alexander the
Great on a voyage of discovery, under the command of
Onesicritus and Nearchus, encountered, in the neighbour-
hood of some islands in the Persian Gulf, sea serpents
thirty feet long, which filled the fleet with terror.

Valerius Maximus,J quoting Livy, describes the alarm
into which, during the Punic wars, the Romans, under
Attilius Regulus (who was afterwards so cruelly put to
death by the Carthaginians), were thrown by an aquatic,
though not marine, serpent which had its lair on the
banks of the Bagrados, near Ithaca. It is said to have
swallowed many of the soldiers, after crushing them in
its folds, and to have kept the army from crossing the
river, till at length, being invulnerable by ordinary weapons,
it was destroyed by heavy stones hurled by balistas,
catapults, and other military engines used in those days
for casting heavy missiles, and battering the walls of

' History of Animals,' book 8, cha-. 28.
t Naturalis Historic, lib. vi., cap. 23.
\ De Factis, Dictisque Memorabtlibus, lib. i., cap. 8, 1st century.

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT, 379

fortified towns. According to the historian, the annoyance
caused by it to the army did not cease with its death, for
the water was polluted with its gore, and the air with the
noxious fumes from its corrupted carcase, to such a degree
that the Romans were obliged to remove their camp. They,
however secured the animal's skin and skull, which were pre-
served in a temple at Rome till the time of the Numantine
war. This combat has been described, to the same effect,
by Florus (lib. ii.), Seneca (litt. 82), Silvius Italicus (1. vi.),
Aulus Gellius (lib. vi., cap. 3), Orosius, Zonaras, &c., and is
referred to by Pliny (lib. viii., cap. 14) as an incident known
to every one. Diodorus Siculus also tells of a great serpent,
sixty feet long, which lived chiefly in the water, but landed
at frequent intervals to devour the cattle in its neighbour-
hood. A party was 'collected to capture it ; but their first
attempt failed, and the monster killed twenty of them. It
was afterwards taken in a strong net, carried alive to
Alexandria, and presented to King Ptolemy II., the founder
of the Alexandrian Library and Museum, who was a great
collector of zoological and other curiosities. This snake
was probably one of the great boas.

The " Serpens marinus " is figured and referred to by
many other writers, but as they evidently allude to the
Conger and the Murena, we will pass over their descrip-
tions.

The sea serpents mentioned by Aristotle, Pliny, and
Diodorus were, doubtless, real sea-snakes, true marine
ophidians, which are more common in tropical seas than is
generally supposed. They are found most abundantly in
the Indian Ocean ; but they have an extensive geographical
range, and between forty and fifty species of them are
known. They are all highly poisonous, and some are so
ferocious that they more frequently attack than avoid man.

38o SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

The greatest length to which they are authentically known
to attain is about twelve feet. The form and structure of
these hydrophides are modified from those of land serpents,
to suit their aquatic habits. The tail is compressed ver-
tically, flattened from the sides, so as to form a fin like the
tail of an eel, by which they propel themselves ; but instead
of tapering to a point, it is rounded off at the end, like the
blade of a paper-knife, or the scabbard of a cavalry sabre.
Like other lung-breathing animals which live in water, they
are also provided with a respiratory apparatus adapted to
their circumstances and requirements — their nostrils, which
are very small, being furnished, like those of the seal,
manatee, &c., with a valve opening at will to admit air, and
closing perfectly to exclude water.

Leaving these water-snakes of the tropics, we come,
next in order of date, upon some very remarkable evidence
that there was current amongst a community where we
should little expect to find it, the idea of a marine monster
corresponding in many respects with some of the descrip-
tions given several centuries later of the sea serpent. In
an interesting article on the Catacombs of Rome in the
Illustrated London News of February 3rd, 1872, allusion
is made by the author to the collection of sarcophagi or
coffins of the early Christians, removed from the Catacombs,
and preserved in the museum of the Lateran Palace, where
they were arranged by the late Padre Marchi for Pope
Pius IX. There are more than twenty of these, sculptured
with various designs— the Father and the Son, Adam and
Eve and the Serpent, the Sacrifice of Abraham, Moses
striking the Rock, Daniel and the Lions, and other Scripture
themes. Amongst them also is Jonah and the "whale."
A facsimile of this sculpture (Fig. 12) is one of the illustra-
tions of the article referred to. It will be seen that Jonah

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 381

is being swallowed feet foremost, or possibly being ejected
head first, by an enormous sea monster, having the chest
and fore-legs of a horse, a long arching neck, with a mane
at its base, near the shoulders, a head like nothing in
nature, but having hair upon and beneath the cheeks, the
hinder portion of the body being that of a serpent of
prodigious length, undulating in several vertical curves.
This sculpture appears to have been cut between the
beginning and the middle of the third century, about

FIG. 12. — JONAH AND THE SEA MONSTER.
From the Catacombs of Rome.

A.D. 230, but it probably represents a tradition of far
greater antiquity.

We will now consider the accounts given by Scandinavian
historians, of the sea serpent having been seen in northern
waters. Here, I suppose, I ought to indulge in the usual
flippant sneer at Bishop Pontoppidan. I know that in ab-
staining from doing so I am sadly out of the fashion; but I
venture to think that the dead lion has been kicked at too
often already, and undeservedly. Whether there be, or be not,
a huge marine animal, not necessarily an ophidian, answering
to some of the descriptions of the sea serpent — so called —
Pontoppidan did not invent the stories told of its appear-
ance. Long before he was born the monster had been
described and figured ; and for centuries previously the
Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, and Fins had believed in its

382 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

existence as implicitly as in the tenets of their religious
creed. Olaus Magnus, Archbishop of Upsala, in Sweden,
wrote of it in A.D. 1555 as follows :* —

" They who in works of navigation on the coasts of Norway employ
themselves in fishing or merchandize do all agree in this strange story,
that there is a serpent there which is of a vast magnitude, namely
200 foot long, and moreover, 20 foot thick ; and is wont to live in
rocks and caves towards the sea-coast about Berge : which will go
alone from his holes on a clear night in summer, and devour calves,
lambs, and hogs, or else he goes into the sea to feed on polypus
(octopus), locusts (lobsters), and all sorts of sea-crabs. He hath
commonly hair hanging from his neck a cubit long, and sharp scales,
and is black, and he hath flaming, shining eyes. This snake disquiets
the shippers ; and he puts up his head on high like a pillar, and
catcheth away men, and he devours them ; and this happeneth not
but it signifies some wonderful change of the kingdom near at hand ;
namely, that the princes shall die, or be banished ; or some tumul-
tuous wars shall presently follow. There is also another serpent of
an incredible magnitude in an island called Moos in the diocess of
Hammer ; which, as a comet portends a change in all the world, so
that portends a change in the kingdom of Norway, as it was seen
anno 1522 ; that lifts himself high above the waters, and rolls himself
round like a sphere. f This serpent was thought to be fifty cubits long
by conjecture, by sight afar off : there followed this the banishment of
King Christiernus, and a great persecution of the Bishops ; and it
shewed also the destruction of the country."

The Gothic Archbishop, amongst other signs and omens,
also attributes this power of divination to the small red
ants which are sometimes so troublesome in houses, and
declares that they also portended the downfall, A.D. 1523,
of the abominably cruel Danish king, Christian II., above
mentioned. His curious work is full of wild improbabili-
ties and odd superstitions, most of which he states with a
calm air of unquestioning assent ; but as he wrote in the

* Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus, lib. xxi., cap. 43.
t " Coils itself in spherical convolutions " is a better translation of
the original Latin.

THE GREA T SEA SERPENT. 383

time of our Henry VI I L, long before the belief in witches
and warlocks, fairies and banshees, had died out in our own
country, we can hardly throw stones at him on that score.
It is a most amusing and interesting history, and gives a
wonderful insight of the habits and customs of the northern
nations in his day.

Amongst his illustrations of the sea monsters he describes
are the two of which I give facsimiles on the next page. In
Fig. 13 a sea serpent is seen writhing in many coils upon
the surface of the water, and having in its mouth a sailor,
whom it has seized from the deck of a ship. The poor
fellow is trying to grasp the ratlins of the shrouds, but is
being dragged from his hold and lifted over the bulwarks
by the monster. His companions, in terror, are endeavour-
ing to escape in various directions. One is climbing aloft
by the stay, in* the hope of getting out of reach in that
way, whilst two others are hurrying aft to obtain the shelter
of a little castle or cabin projecting over the stern. I am
strongly of the opinion that this is but the fallacious repre-
sentation of an actual occurrence. Read by the light of
recent knowledge, these old pictures convey to a practised
eye a meaning as clear as that of hieroglyphics to an
Egyptologist, and my translation of this is the following.
The crew of a ship have witnessed the dreadful sight of a
serpent-like form issuing from the sea, rising over the
bulwarks of their vessel, seizing one of their messmates
from amongst them, and dragging him overboard and
under water. Awe-stricken by the mysterious disappear-
ance of their comrade, and too frightened and anxious for
their own safety to be able, during the short space of time
occupied by an affair which all happened in a few seconds
to observe accurately their terrible assailant, they naturally
conjecture that it must have been a snake. It was pro-

SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

FIG. 13. — A SEA SERPENT SEIZING A MAN ON BOARD SHIP.

AJter OLAUS MAGNUS.

FIG. 14. — A GIGANTIC LOBSTER DRAGGING A MAN FROM A SHIP.

After OLAUS MAGNUS.

THE GREA T SEA SERPENT, 385

bably a gigantic calamary, such as we now know exist,
and the dead carcases of which have -been found in the
locality where the event depicted is supposed to have taken
place. The presumed body of the serpent was one of the
arms of the squid, and the two rows of suckers thereto
belonging are indicated in the illustration by the medial
line traversing its whole length (intended to represent a
dorsal fin) and the double row of transverse septa, one on
each side of it.

In Fig. 14 an enormous lobster is in the act of similarly
dragging overboard from a vessel a man whom it has seized
by the arm with one of its great claws. From the crude
image of a lobster having eight minor claws and two larger
ones, to that of a cuttle having eight minor arms and two
longer ones, the transition is not great ; and I believe that
this also is a pictorial misrepresentation of a casualty by
the attack of a calamary similar to that above described,
possibly another view of the same incident. The idea
is that of a sea animal capable of suddenly seizing and
grasping a man, and we must remember that we have
evidence, in the writings of Pontoppidan and others, that,
even two centuries later than Olaus Magnus, the Norse-
men's knowledge of the cuttles was exceedingly vague and
indistinct. Any one who has seen, as I frequently have at
the Brighton Aquarium, and as they doubtless had whilst
lobster-catching, the threatening and ferocious manner in
which a lobster will brandish, and, if I may use the term,
" gnash " its claws at an intruding hand, even if held above
the surface of the water, can well imagine a party of fisher-
men discussing such a tragic occurrence as the foregoing,
and differing in opinion as to the identity of the creature
which had caused the catastrophe, some maintaining that
it must have been a sea serpent, and others shaking their

VOL. in.— H.- 2 c

386 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

heads and asserting that nothing but a colossal lobster
could have done it>

Pontoppidan, in writing his history of Norway, of course
had before him the statements of Olaus Magnus ; but,
though their author was an archbishop, he did not accept
them with the childlike simplicity generally ascribed to him.
Quoting, and, singularly enough, misquoting, the Swedish
prelate as referring to a sea serpent, when he is describing,
incorrectly, one of the Acalepha, or sea-nettles, Pontoppidan
says : —

" I have never heard of this sort, and should hardly believe the
good Olaus if he did not say that he affirmed this from his own
experience. The disproportion makes me think there must be some
error of the press ... He mixes truth and fable together according
to the relations of others ; but this was excusable in that dark age
when that author wrote. Notwithstanding all this, we, in the present
more enlightened age, are much obliged to him for his industry and
judicious observations."

Of the sea serpent Pontoppidan writes : —

"I have questioned its existence myself, till that suspicion was
removed by full and sufficient evidence from creditable and expe-
rienced fishermen and sailors in Norway, of which there are hundreds
who can testify that they have annually seen them. All these persons
agree very well in the general description ; and others who acknow-
ledge that they only know it by report or by what their neighbours
have told them, still relate the same particulars. In all my inquiry
about these affairs I have hardly spoke with any intelligent person
born in the manor of Nordland who was not able to give a pertinent
answer, and strong assurances of the existence of this fish ; and some
of our north traders that come here every year with their merchandize
think it a very strange question when they are seriously asked whether
there be any such creature : they think it as ridiculous as if the
question was put to them whether there be such fish as eel or cod."

The worthy Bishop of Bergen did his best to sift truth
from fable, but he could not always succeed in separating
them. Many stupendous falsehoods were brought to him,

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 387

and some of them passed through his sieve in spite of his
care. Of these are the accounts of the " spawning times "
of the sea serpent, its dislike of certain scents, &c. We
must pass over all this, and confine ourselves to the
evidence offered by him of its having been seen.

The first witness he adduces is Captain Lawrence de
Ferry, of the Norwegian navy, and first pilot in Bergen,
who, premising that he had doubted a great while whether
there were any such creature till he had ocular demonstra-
tion of it, made the following statement, addressed formally
and officially to the procurator of Bergen : —

" Mr. JOHN REUTZ —

" The latter end of August, in the year 1746, as I was on a voyage,
on my return from Trundhiem, on a very calm and hot day, having a
mind to put in at Molde, it happened that when we were arrived with
my vessel within six English miles of the aforesaid Molde, being at a
place called Jule-Nasss, as I was reading in a book, I heard a kind of
a murmuring voice from amongst the men at the oars, who were eight
in number, and observed that the man at the helm kept off from the
land. Upon this I inquired what was the matter, and was informed
that there was a sea-snake before us. I then ordered the man at the
helm to keep to the land again, and to come up with this creature of
which I had heard so many stories. Though the fellows were under
some apprehension, they were obliged to obey my orders. In the
meantime the sea-snake passed by us, and we were obliged to tack
the vessel about in order to get nearer to it. As the snake swam
faster than we could row, I took my gun, that was ready charged, and
fired at it ; on this he immediately plunged under the water. We
rowed to the place where it sunk down (which in the calm might be
easily observed) and lay upon our oars, thinking it would come up
again to the surface ; however it did not. Where the snake plunged
down, the water appeared thick and red ; perhaps some of the shot
might wound it, the distance being very little. The head of this
snake, which it held more than two feet above the surface of the water
resembled that of a horse. It was of a greyish colour, and the mouth
was quite black, and very large. It had black eyes, and a long white
mane, that hung down from the neck to the surface of the water,

2 C 2

388 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

Besides the head and neck, we saw seven or eight folds, or coils, of
this snake, which were very thick, and as far as we could guess there
was about a fathom distance between each fold. I related this affair
in a certain company, where there was a person of distinction present
who desired that I would communicate to him an authentic detail of
all that happened ; and for this reason two of my sailors, who were
present at the same time and place where I saw this monster, namely,
Nicholas Pederson Kopper, and Nicholas Nicholsen Anglewigen,
shall appear in court, to declare on oath the truth of every particular
herein set forth ; and I desire the favour of an attested copy of the

said descriptions.

" I remain, Sir, your obliged servant,

" L. DE FERRY.
•' Bergen, 2ist February, 1751.

" After this the before-named witnesses gave their corporal oaths,
and, with their finger held up according to law, witnessed and con-
firmed the aforesaid letter or declaration, and every particular set
forth therein to be strictly true. A copy of the said attestation was
made out for the said Procurator Reutz, and granted by the Recorder.
That this was transacted in our court of justice we confirm with our
hand and seals. Actum Bergis die et loco, ut supra.

"A. C. DASS (Chief Advocate}.
" H. C. GARTNER (Recorder}."

The figure of the sea serpent (Fig. 15) given by Pontop-
pidan was drawn, he tells us, under the inspection of a
clergyman, Mr. Hans Strom, from descriptions given of it
by two of his neighbours, Messrs. Reutz and Teuchsen, of
Herroe ; and was declared to agree in every particular
with that seen by Captain de Ferry, and another subse-
quently observed by Governor Benstrup. The supposed
coils of the serpent's body present exactly the appearance
of eight porpoises following each other in line. This is a
well-known habit of some of the smaller cetacea. They
are often met with at sea thus proceeding in close single
file, part only of their rotund forms being visible as they
raise their backs above the surface of the water to inhale

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT.

389

air through their " blow-holes." Under these circum-
stances they have been described by naturalists and
seamen as resembling a long string
of casks or buoys, often extending
for sixty, eighty, or a hundred
yards. This is just such a spec-
tacle as that described by Olaus
Magnus — his " long line of spheri-
cal convolutions," and also as one
reported to Pontoppidan as being
descriptive of the sea-serpent : —

" ' I have been informed,' he says, ' by
some of our sea-faring men that a cable *
would not be long enough to measure the
length of some of them when they are
observed on the surface of the water in
an even line. They say those round
lumps or folds sometimes lie one after
another as far as a man can see. I con-
fess, if this be true, that we must suppose
most probably that it is not one snake,
but two or more of these creatures lying
in a line that exhibit this phenomenon,'
In a foot-note he adds : 'If any one
enquires how many folds may be counted
on a sea-snake, the anwer is that the
number is not always the same, but
depends upon the various sizes of them :
five and twenty is the greatest number
that I find well attested.' Adam Olearius,
in his Gottorf Museum, w . ites of it thus :
'A person of distinction from Sweden
related here at Gottorf that he had heard
the burgomaster of Malmoe, a very
worthy man, say that as he was once
standing on the top of a very high hill,
towards the North Sea, he saw in the water, which was very calm, a

* Six hundred feet.

FIG. 15. — PONTOPPIDAN'S
"SEA SERPENT."

390 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

snake, which appeared at that distance to be as thick as a pipe of
wine, and had twenty-five folds. Those kind of snakes only appear
at certain times, and in calm weather.' "

I believe that in every case so far cited from Pontoppidan,
as well as that given by Olaus Magnus, the supposed coils
or protuberances of the serpent's body were only so many
porpoises swimming in line in accordance with their habit
before mentioned. If an upraised head, like that of a
horse, was seen preceding them, it was either unconnected
with them, or it certainly was not that of a snake ; for no
serpent could throw its body into those vertical undulations.
The form of the vertebrae in the ophidians renders such a
movement impossible. All their flexions are horizontal ;
the curving of their body is from side to side, not up and
down.

The sea monster seen by Egede was of an entirely
different kind ; and his account of it — let sceptics deride it
as they may — is worthy of attention and careful considera-
tion. The Rev. Hans Egede, known as " The Apostle of
Greenland," was superintendent of the Christian missions
to that country. He was a truthful, pious, and single-
minded man, possessing considerable powers of observa-
tion, and a genuine love of natural history. He wrote two
books on the products, people, and natural history of
Greenland,* and his statements therein are modest, ac-
curate, and free from exaggeration. His illustrations are
little, if at all, superior in style of art to the two Japanese
wood-cuts shown on page 353, but they bear the same
unmistakable signs of fidelity which characterise those of
the Japanese.

* ' Des alien Gronlands neue perlustration] 8vo., Frankfurt, 1730,
and * Del Gamle Gronlands nye perlustratione eller Naturel Historie?
4to., Copenhagen, 1741.

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 391

In his ' Journal of the Missions to Greenland ' this author
tell us that—

" On the 6th of July, 1734, there appeared a very large and frightful
sea monster, which raised itself so high out of the water that its head
reached above our main-top. It had a long, sharp snout, and spouted
water like a whale ; and very broad flappers. The body seemed to be
covered with scales, and the skin was uneven and wrinkled, and the
lower part was formed like a snake. After some time the creature
plunged backwards into the water, and then turned its tail up above
the surface, a whole ship-length from the head. The following evening
we had very bad weather."

The high character of the narrator would lead us to
accept his statement that he had seen something previously
unknown to him (he does not say it was a sea-serpent)
even if we could not explain or understand what it was
that he saw. Fortunately, however, the sketch made by
Mr. Bing, one of his brother missionaries, has enabled us
to do this. We must remember that in his endeavour to
portray the incident he was dealing with an animal with
the nature of which he was unacquainted, and which was
only partially, and for a very short time, within his view.
He therefore delineated rather the impression left on his
mind than the thing itself. But although he invested it
with a character that did not belong to it, his drawing is so
far correct that we are able to recognise at a glance the
distorted portrait of an old acquaintance, and to say unhesi-
tatingly that Egede's sea monster was one of the great
calamaries which have since been occasionally met with,
but which have only been believed in and recognised within
the last few years. That which Mr. Egede believed to be
the creature's head was the tail part of the cuttle, which
goes in advance as the animal swims, and the two side
appendages represent very efficiently the two lobes of the
caudal fin. In propelling itself to the surface the squid

392

SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT.

393

raised this portion of its body out of the water to a
considerable height, an occurrence which I have often
witnessed, and which I have elsewhere described (see
p. 347). The supposed tail, which was turned up at some

FIG. iy.— THE ANIMAL WHICH EGEDE PROBABLY SAW.

distance from the other visible portion of the body, after
the latter had sunk back into the sea, was one of the
shorter arms of the cuttle, and the suckers on its under
side are clearly and conspicuously marked. Egede was, of
course, in error in making the " spout " of water to issue
from the mouth of his monster. The out-pouring jet,
which he, no doubt, saw, came from the locomotor tube,
and the puff of spray which would accompany it as the
orifice of the tube rose to the surface of the water is
sketched with remarkable truthfulness. In quoting Egede,
Pontoppidan gives a copy (so-called) of this engraving, but
his artist embellished it so much as to deprive it of its

394 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

original force and character, and of the honestly drawn
points which furnish proofs of its identity.

Pontoppidan records other supposed appearances of the
sea serpent, but from the date of his history I know of no
other account of such an occurrence until that of an animal
" apparently belonging to this class," which was stranded
on the Island of Stronsa, one of the Orkneys, in the year
1808:—

" According to the narrative, it was first seen entire, and measured
by respectable individuals. It measured fifty-six feet in length, and
twelve in circumference. The head was small, not being a foot long
from the snout to the first vertebra ; the neck was slender, extending
to the length of fifteen feet. All the witnesses agree in assigning it
blow-holes, though they differ as to the precise situation. On the
shoulders something like a bristly mane commenced which extended
to near the extremity of the tail. It had three pairs of fins or paws
connected with the body; the anterior were the largest, measuring
more than four feet in length, and their extremities were something
like toes partially webbed. The skin was smooth and of a greyish
colour; the eye was of the size of a seal's. When the decaying
carcass was broken up by the waves, portions of it were secured (such
as the .skull, the upper bones of the swimming paws, &c.) by Mr.
Laing, a neighbouring proprietor, and some of the vertebrae were
preserved and deposited in the Royal University Museum, Edinburgh,
and in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, London. An
able paper," says Dr. Robert Hamilton, in his account of it,* "on
these latter fragments and on the wreck of the animal was read by the
late Dr. Barclay to the Wernerian Society, and will be found in Vol. I.

\

FIG. 18.— THE "SEA SERPENT" OF THE WERNERIAN SOCIETY. (Facsimile.)

of its Transactions, to which we refer. We have supplied a wood-cut
of the sketch " (of which I give a facsimile here) "which was taken at

* Jardine's Naturalists' Library: 'Marine Amphibia,' p. 314.

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 395

the time, and which, from the many affidavits proffered by respectable
individuals, as well as from other circumstances narrated, leaves no
manner of doubt as to the existence of some such animal."

Well! one would think so. It looks convincing, and
there is a savour of philosophy about it that might lull
the suspicions of a doubting zoologist. What more could
be required ? We have accurate measurements and a
sketch taken of the animal as it lay upon the shore, minute
particulars of its outward form, characteristic portions of
its skeleton preserved in well-known museums, and any
amount of affidavits forthcoming from most respectable
individuals if confirmation be required. And yet,

" Tis true, 'tis pity;
And pity 'tis 'tis true,"

the whole fabric of circumstances crumbled at the touch
of science. When the two vertebrae in the Museum of the
Royal College of Surgeons were examined by Sir Everard
Home he pronounced them to be those of a great shark of
the genus Selache, and as being undistinguishable from
those of the species called .the " basking shark," of which
individuals from thirty to thirty-five feet in length have
been from time to time captured or stranded on our coasts.
Professor Owen has confirmed this. Any one who feels
inclined to dispute the identification by this distinguished
comparative anatomist of a bone which he has seen and
handled can examine these vertebras for himself. If they
had not been preserved, this incident would have been cited
for all time as among the most satisfactorily authenticated
instances on record of the appearance of the sea serpent.
As it is, it furnishes a valuable warning of the necessity for
the most careful scrutiny of the evidence of well-meaning
persons to whom no intentional deception or exaggeration
can be imputed.

396 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

In 1809, Mr- Maclean, the minister of Eigg, in the Western
Isles of Scotland, informed Dr. Neill, the secretary of the
Wernerian Society, that he had seen, off the Isle of Canna,
a great animal which chased his boat as he hurried ashore
to escape from it ; and that it was also seen by the crews
of thirteen fishing-boats, who were so terrified by it that
they fled from it to the nearest creek for safety. His
description of it is exceedingly vague, but is strongly
indicative of a great calamary.

In 1817 a large marine animal, supposed to be a serpent,
was seen at Gloucester Harbour, near Cape Ann, Massa-
chusetts, about thirty miles from Boston. The Linnaean
Society of New England investigated the matter, and took
much trouble to obtain evidence thereon. The depositions
of eleven credible witnesses were certified on oath before
magistrates, one of whom had himself seen the creature,
and who confirmed the statements. All agreed that the
animal had the appearance of a serpent, but estimated its
length, variously, at from fifty to a hundred feet. Its head
was in shape like that of a turtle, or snake, but as large
as the head of a horse. There was no appearance of a
mane. Its mode of progressing was by vertical undula-
tions ; and five of the witnesses described it as having the
hunched protuberances mentioned by Captain de Ferry
and others. Of this, I can offer no zoological explanation.
The testimony given was apparently sincere, but it was
received with mistrust ; for, as Mr. Gosse says, " owing to a
habit prevalent in the United States of supposing that
there is somewhat of wit in gross exaggeration or hoaxing
invention, we do naturally look with a lurking suspicion
on American statements when they describe unusual or
disputed phenomena."

On the 1 5th of May, 1833, a party of British officers,

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 397

consisting of Captain Sullivan, Lieutenants Maclachlan and
Malcolm of the Rifle Brigade, Lieutenant Lister of the
Artillery, and Mr. Ince of the Ordnance, whilst crossing
Margaret's Bay in a small yacht, on their way from Halifax
to Mahone Bay, " saw, at a distance of a hundred and fifty
to two hundred yards, the head and neck of some denizen
of the deep, precisely like those of a common snake in the
act of swimming, the head so far elevated and thrown
forward by the curve of the neck, as to enable them to see
the water under and beyond it. The creature rapidly
passed, leaving a regular wake, from the commencement of
which to the fore part, which was out of water, they judged
its length to be about eighty feet." They " set down the
head at about six feet in length (considerably larger than
that of a horse), and that portion of the neck which they
saw at the same." " There could be no mistake — no delu-
sion," they say ; " and we were all perfectly satisfied that we
had been favoured with a view of the true and veritable
sea serpent." This account was published in the Zoologist,
in 1847 (p. 1715), and at that date all the officers above
named were still living.

The next incident of the kind in point of date that we
find recorded carries us back to the locality of which
Pontoppidan wrote, and in which was seen the animal
vouched for by Captain de Ferry. In 1847 there appeared
in a London daily paper a long account translated from
the Norse journals of fresh appearances of the sea serpent.
The statement made was, that it had recently been fre-
quently seen in the neighbourhood of Christiansand and
Molde. In the large bight of the sea at Christiansand it
had been seen every year, only in the warmest weather,
and when the sea was perfectly calm, and the surface of
the water unruffled. The evidence of three respectable

398 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

persons was taken, namely, Nils Roe, a workman at Mr.
William Knudtzon's, who saw it twice there, John Johnson,
merchant, and Lars Johnoen, fisherman at Smolen. The
latter said he had frequently seen it, and that one afternoon
in the dog-days, as he was sitting in his boat, he saw it
twice in the course of two hours, and quite close to him.
It came, indeed, to within six feet of him, and, becoming
alarmed, he commended his soul to God, and lay down in
the boat, only holding his head high enough to enable him
to observe the monster. It passed him, disappeared, and
returned ; but, a breeze springing up, it sank, and he saw
it no more. He described it as being about six fathoms
long, the body (which was as round as a serpent's) two feet
across, the head as long as a ten-gallon cask, the eyes
large, round, red, sparkling, and about five inches in
diameter: close behind the head a mane like a fin com-
menced along the neck, and spread itself out on both sides,
right and left, when swimming. The mane, as well as the
head, was of the colour of mahogany. The body was
quite smooth, its movements occasionally fast and slow.
It was serpent-like, and moved up and down. The few
undulations which those parts of the body and tail that
were out of water made, were scarcely a fathom in length.
These undulations were not so high that he could see
between them and the water.

In confirmation of this account Mr. Soren Knudtzon,
Dr. Hoffmann, surgeon in Molde, Rector Hammer, Mr.
Kraft, curate, and several other persons, testified that they
had seen in the neighbourhood of Christiansand a sea
serpent of considerable size.

Mr. William Knudtzon, and Mr. Bochlum, a candidate
for holy orders, also gave their account of it, much to the
same purport ; but some of these remarks are worthy of

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 399

note for future comment. They say, " its motions were in
undulations, and so strong that white foam appeared before
it, and at the side, which stretched out several fathoms. It
did not appear very high out of the water ; the head was
long and small in proportion to the throat : as the latter
appeared much greater than the former, probably it was
furnished with a mane."

Sheriffe Gottsche testified to a similar effect. " He
could not judge of the animal's entire length ; he could
not observe its extremity. At the back of the head there
was a mane, which was the same colour as the rest of the
body."

We must take one more Norwegian account, for it is a
very important one. The venerable P. W. Deinbolt,* Arch-
deacon of Molde, gives the following account of an incident
that occurred there on the 28th of July, 1845 :

" J. C. Lund, bookseller and printer ; G. S. Krogh, merchant ;
Christian Flang, Lund's apprentice, and John Elgenses, labourer, were
out on Romsdal-fjord, fishing. The sea was, after a warm, sunshiny
day, quite calm. About seven o'clock in the afternoon, at a little
distance from the shore, near the ballast place and Molde Hooe, they
saw a long marine animal, which slowly moved itself forward, as it
appeared to them, with the help of two fins, on the fore-part of the
body nearest the head, which they judged by the boiling of the water
on both sides of it. The visible part of the body appeared to be
between forty and fifty feet in length, and moved in undulations, like
a snake. The body was round and of a dark colour, and seemed to be
several ells in thickness. As they discerned a waving motion in the
water behind the animal, they concluded that part of the body was
concealed under water. That it was one continuous animal they saw
plainly from its movement. When the animal was about one hundred
yards from the boat, they noticed tolerably correctly its fore parts,
which ended in a sharp snout ; its colossal head raised itself above
the water in the form of a semi-circle ; the lower part was not visible.
The colour of the head was dark-brown and the skin smooth ; they

Hitherto erroneously printed " Deinboll."

400 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

did not notice the eyes, or any mane or bristles on the throat. When
the serpent came about a musket-shot near, Lund fired at it, and was
certain the shots hit it in the head. After the shot it dived, but came
up immediately. It raised its neck in the air, like a snake preparing
to dart on his prey. After he had turned and got his body in a
straight line, which he appeared to do with great difficulty, he darted
like an arrow against the boat. They reached the shore, and the
animal, perceiving it had come into shallow water, dived immediately
and disappeared in the deep. Such is the declaration of these four
men, and no one has cause to question their veracity, or imagine that
they were so seized with fear that they could not observe what took
place so near them. There are not many here, or on other parts of
the Norwegian coast, who longer doubt the existence of the sea
serpent. The writer of this narrative was a long time sceptical, as he
had not been so fortunate as to see this monster of the deep ; but after
the many accounts he has read, and the relations he has received from
credible witnesses, he does not dare longer to doubt the existence of

the sea serpent

"P. W. DEINBOLT.
"Molde, 29th Nov., 1845."

We may at once accept most fully and frankly the
statements of all the worthy people mentioned in this
series of incidents. There is no room for the shadow of a
doubt that they all recounted conscientiously that which
they saw. The last quoted occurrence, especially, is most
accurately and intelligently described — so clearly, indeed,
that it furnishes us with a clue to the identity of the
strange visitant.

Here let me say — and I wish it to be distinctly under-
stood— that I do not deny the possibility of the existence
of a great sea serpent, or other great creatures at present
unknown to science, and that I have no inclination to
explain away that which others have seen, because I
myself have not witnessed it. " Seeing is believing," it is
said, and it is not agreeable to have to tell a person that, in
common parlance, he " must not trust his own eyes." It
seems presumptuous even to hint that one may know

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 401

better what was seen than the person who saw it. And
yet I am obliged to say, reluctantly and courteously, but
most firmly and assuredly, that these perfectly credible
eye-witnesses did not correctly interpret that which they
saw. In these cases, it is not the eye which deceives, nor
the tongue which is untruthful, but the imagination which
is led astray by the association of the thing seen with
an erroneous idea. I venture to say this, not with any
insolent assumption of superior acumen, but because we
now possess a key to the mystery which Archdeacon
Deinbolt and his neighbours had not access to, and which
has only within the last few years been placed in our
hands. The movements and aspect of their sea monster
are those of an animal with which we are now well
acquainted, but of the existence of which the narrators
of these occasional visitations were unaware ; namely, the
great calamary, the same which gave rise to the stories of
the Kraken, and which has probably been a denizen of the
Scandinavian seas and fjords from time immemorial. It
must be remembered, as I have elsewhere said, that until
the year 1873, notwithstanding the adventure of the Alecton
in 1 86 1, a cuttle measuring in total length fifty or sixty
feet was generally looked upon as equally mythical with
the great sea serpent. Both were popularly scoffed at, and
to, express belief in either was to incur ridicule. But in
the year above mentioned, specimens of even greater
dimensions than those quoted were met with on the coasts
of Newfoundland, and portions of them were deposited in
museums, to silence the incredulous and interest zoologists.
When Archdeacon Deinbolt published in 1846 the declara-
tion of Mr. Lund and his companions of the fishing ex-
cursion, he and they knew nothing of there being such an
animal. They had formed no conception of it, nor had
VOL. III. — H. 2 D

402

SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

they the instructive privilege, possessed of late years by the
public in England, of being able to
watch attentively, and at leisure, the
habits and movements of these strangely
modified mollusks living in great tanks
of sea-water in aquaria. If they had
been thus acquainted with them, I be-
lieve they would have recognised in their
: supposed snake the elongated body of a
giant squid.

When swimming, these squids propel
themselves backwards by the out-rush
of a stream of water from a tube pointed
j in a direction contrary to that in which
3 the animal is proceeding. The tail part,
therefore, goes in advance, and the body
tapers towards this, almost to a blunt
| point. At a short distance from the
; actual extremity two flat fins project
\ from the body, one on each side, as
! shown in Figs. 17 and 19, so that this
i end of the squid's body somewhat re-
sembles in shape the government
"broad arrow." It 'is a habit of these
: squids, the small species of which are
met with in some localities in teeming
abundance, to swim on the smooth sur-
face of the water in hot and calm
weather. The arrow-headed tail is then
raised out of water, to a height which
in a large individual might be three feet
or more ; and, as it precedes the rest of
the body, moving at the rate of several miles an hour, it

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 403

of course looks, to a person who has never heard of an
animal going tail first at such a speed, like the creature's
head. The appearance of this " head " varies in accordance
with the lateral fins being seen in profile or in broad
expanse. The elongated, tubular-looking body gives the
idea of the neck to which the " head " is attached ; the
eight arms trailing behind (the tentacles are always coiled
away and concealed) supply the supposed mane floating
on each side ; the undulating motion in swimming, as the
water is alternately drawn in and expelled, accords with
the description, and the excurrent stream pouring aft from
the locomotor tube, causes a long swirl and swell to be left
in the animal's wake, which, as I have often seen, may
easily be mistaken for an indefinite prolongation of its
body. The eyes are very large and prominent, and the
general tone of colour varies through every tint of brown,
purple, pink, and grey, as the creature is more or less
excited, and the pigmentary matter circulates with more or
less vigour through the curiously moving cells.

Here we have the " long marine animal " with " two fins
on the forepart of the body near the head," the " boiling of
the water," the " moving in undulations," the " body round
and of a dark colour," the " waving motion in the water
behind the animal, from which the witnesses concluded
that part of the body was concealed under water," the
" head raised, but the lower part not visible," " the sharp
snout," the " smooth skin," and the appearance described
by Mr. William Knudtzon, and Candidatus Theologian
Bochlum, of " the head being long and small in proportion
to the throat, the latter appearing much greater than the
former," which caused them to think "it was probably
furnished with a mane." Not that they saw any mane, but
as they had been told of it, they thought they ought to have
seen it. Less careful and conscientious persons would have

2 D 2

404 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

persuaded themselves, and declared on oath, that they did
see it.

I need scarcely point out how utterly irreconcileable is
the proverbially smooth, gliding motion of a serpent, with
the supposition of its passage through the water causing
such frictional disturbance that "white foam appeared
before it, and at the side, which stretched out several
fathoms," and of " the water boiling around it on both sides
of it." The cuttle is the only animal that I know of that
would cause this by the effluent current from its " syphon
tube." I have seen a deeply laden ship push in front of
her a vast hillock of water, which fell off on each side in
foam as it was parted by her bow ; but that was of man's
construction. Nature builds on better lines. No swimming
creature has such unnecessary friction to overcome. Even
the seemingly unwieldy body of a porpoise enters and
passes through the water without a splash, and nothing can
be more easy and graceful than the feathering action of the
flippers of the awkward-looking turtle.

We now come to an incident which, from the character
of those who witnessed it, immediately commanded atten-
tion, and excited popular curiosity. In the Times of the
9th of October, 1848, appeared a paragraph stating that a
sea serpent had been met with by the Dcsdalus frigate,
on her homeward voyage from the East Indies. The
Admiralty immediately inquired of her commander, Captain
M'Quhae, as to the truth of the report ; and his official
reply, as follows, addressed to Admiral Sir W. H. Gage,
G.C.H., Dcvonport, was printed in the Times of the I3th of
October, 1848.

" H.M.S. Dcedalus, Hamoaze,
"October nth, 1848.

" SIR,— In reply to your letter of this date, requiring information as
to the truth of the statement published in the Times newspaper, of a
sea serpent of extraordinary dimensions having been seen from H.M.S.

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 405

Dadalus, under my command, on her passage from the East Indies,
I have the honour to acquaint you, for the information of my Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty, that at 5 o'clock P.M. on the 6th of
Aug. last, in lat. 24° 44' S. and long. 9° 22' E., the weather dark and
cloudy, wind fresh from the N.W. with a long ocean swell from the
W., the ship on the port tack, head being N.E. by N., something very
unusual was seen by Mr. Sartoris, midshipman, rapidly approaching
the ship from before the beam. The circumstance was immediately
reported by him to the officer of the watch, Lieut. Edgar Drummond,
with whom and Mr. Wm. Barrett, the Master, I was at the time
walking the quarter-deck. The ship's company were at supper. On
our attention being called to the object it was discovered to be an
enormous serpent, with head and shoulders kept about four feet
constantly above the surface of the sea, and, as nearly as we could
approximate by comparing it with what the length of our main-topsail
yard would show in the water, there was, at the very least, sixty feet of
the animal hfleur cfeau, no portion of which was, to our perception,
used in propelling it through the water, either by vertical or horizontal
undulation. It passed rapidly, but so close under our lee quarter
that had it been a man of my acquaintance I should easily have
recognised his features with the naked eye ; and it did not, either in
approaching the ship or after it had passed our wake, deviate in the
slightest degree from its course to the S.W., which it held on at the
pace of from twelve to fifteen miles per hour, apparently on some
determined purpose.

" The diameter of the serpent was about fifteen or sixteen inches
behind the head, which was without any doubt that of a snake ; and it
was never, during the twenty minutes it continued in sight of our
glasses, once below the surface of the water ; its colour dark brown,
and yellowish white about the throat. It had no fins, but something
like the mane of a horse, or rather a bunch of seaweed, washed about
its back. It was seen by the quartermaster, the boatswain's mate,
and the man at the wheel, in addition to myself and the officers above
mentioned.

" I am having a drawing of the serpent made from a sketch taken
immediately after it was seen, which I hope to have ready for trans-
mission to my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty by to-morrow's
post. — PETER M'QUHJE, Captain."

The sketches referred to in the captain's letter were
made under his supervision, and copies- of them, of which he

4o6

SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

THE GREA T SEA SERPENT. 407

certified his approbation, were published in the Illustrated
London News on the 28th of October, 1848. I am kindly
permitted by the proprietors of that journal to reproduce
two of them, reduced in size to suit these pages — one
showing the relative positions of the "serpent" and the
ship when the former was first seen (p. 318), and the
other (Fig. 20) representing the animal afterwards passing
under the frigate's quarter. An enlarged drawing of its
head was also given, which I have not thought it necessary
to copy.

Lieutenant Drummond, the officer of the watch men-
tioned in Captain M'Quhae's report, published his memo-
randum of the impression made on his mind by the
animal at the time of its appearance. It differs somewhat
from the captain's description, and is the more cautious of
the two.

" I beg to send you the following extract from my journal. H.M.S.
Dcedalus, August 6, 1848, lat. 25° Sw long. 9° 37' E., St. Helena, 1,015
miles. In the 4 to 6 watch, at about 5 o'clock, we observed a most
remarkable fish on our lee-quarter, crossing the stern in a S.W.
direction. The appearance of its head, which with the back fin was
the only portion of the animal visible, was long, pointed, and flattened
at the top, perhaps ten feet in length, the upper jaw projecting con-
siderably ; the fin was perhaps 20 feet in the rear of the head, and
visible occasionally ; the captain also asserted that he saw the tail, or
another fin, about the same distance behind it ; the upper part of the
head and shoulders appeared of a dark brown colour, and beneath the
under-jaw a brownish-white. It pursued a steady undeviating course,
keeping its head horizontal with the surface of the water, and in rather
a raised position, disappearing occasionally beneath a wave for a very
brief interval, and not apparently for purposes of respiration. It was
going at the rate of perhaps from twelve to fourteen miles an hour,
and when nearest was perhaps one hundred yards distant ; in fact it
gave one quite the idea of a large snake or eel. No one in the ship
has ever seen anything similar ; so it is at least extraordinary. It was
visible to the naked eye for five minutes, and with a glass for perhaps
fifteen more. The weather was dark and squally at the time, with

408 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

some sea running.— EDGAR DRUMMOND, Lieut. H.M.S. Dadalns;
Southampton, Oct. 28, 1848."

Statements so interesting and important, of course,
elicited much correspondence and controversy. Mr. J. D.
Morries Stirling, a director of the Bergen Museum, wrote to
the Secretary of the British Admiralty, Captain Hamilton,
R.N., saying that while becalmed in a yacht between
Bergen and Sogne, in Norway, he had seen, three years
previously, a large fish or reptile of cylindrical form (he
would not say " sea serpent ") ruffling the otherwise smooth
surface of the fjord. No head was visible. This appears
to have been, like the others from the same locality, a
large calamary. Mr. Stirling, unaware, doubtless, that
Mr. Edward Newman, editor of the Zoologist, had pre-
viously propounded the same idea, suggested that the
supposed serpent might be one of the old marine reptiles,
hitherto supposed only to exist in the fossil state. This
letter was published in the Illustrated News of October 28th,
and four days afterwards, November 2nd, a letter signed
F. G. S. appeared in the Times, in which the same idea
was mooted, and the opinion expressed that it might be
the Plesiosaurus. This brought out that great master in
physiology, Professor Owen, who in a long, and it is
needless to say, most able letter, which was published in
the Times of the nth of November, 1848, set forth a series
of weighty arguments against belief in the supposed serpent,
which cannot properly be abridged, and which I therefore
quote in edtenso, as follows : —

" The sketch (a reduced copy of the animal seen by Captain M'Quha?,
attached to the submerged body of a large seal, showing the long eddy
produced by the action of the terminal flippers) will suggest the reply
to your query, ' Whether the monster seen from the Dcedalus be any-
thing but a saurian ? ' If it be the true answer, it destroys the romance

THE GREA T SEA SERPENT. 409

of the incident, and will be anything but acceptable to those who
prefer the excitement of the imagination to the satisfaction of the
judgment. I am far from insensible to the pleasures of the discovery
of a new and rare animal ; but before I can enjoy them, certain con-
ditions— e.g., reasonable proof or evidence of its existence — must be
fulfilled. I am also far from undervaluing the information which
Captain M'Quhas has given us of what he saw. When fairly analysed,
it lies in a small compass ; but my knowledge of the animal kingdom
compels me to draw other conclusions from the phenomena than those
which the gallant captain -seems to have jumped at. He evidently
saw a large animal moving rapidly through the water, very different
from anything he had before witnessed — neither a whale, a grampus
a great shark, an alligator, nor any of the larger surface-swimming
creatures which are fallen in with in ordinary voyages. He writes : —
1 On our attention being called to the object, it was discovered to be
an enormous serpent ' (read ' animal '), ' with the head and shoulders
kept about four feet constantly above the surface of the sea. The
diameter of the serpent ' (animal) * was about fifteen or sixteen inches,
behind the head ; its colour a dark brown, with yellowish white about
the throat. No fins were seen ' (the captain says there were none ;
but, from his own account, he did not see enough of the animal to
prove his negative). i Something like the mane of a horse, or rather
a bunch of sea-weed, washed about its back.' So much of the body
as was seen was not used in propelling the animal through the water,
either by vertical or horizontal undulation. A calculation of its length'
was made under a strong preconception of the nature of the beast.
The head, e.g., is stated to be ' without any doubt that of a snake ' ;
and yet a snake would be the last species to which a naturalist, con-
versant with the forms and characters of the heads of animals, would
refer such a head as that of which Captain M'Quhae has transmitted a
drawing to the Admiralty, and which he certifies to have been accu-
rately copied in the Illustrated London News for October the 28th,
1848, p. 265. Your Lordship will observe that no sooner was the
captain's attention called to the object than it was discovered to be an
enormous serpent, and yet the closest inspection of as much of the
body as was visible afleur d'eau failed to detect any undulations of the
body, although such actions constitute the very character which would
distinguish a serpent, or serpentiform swimmer, from any other marine
species. The foregone conclusion, therefore, of the beast's being a
sea serpent, notwithstanding its capacious vaulted cranium, and stiff
inflexible trunk, must be kept in mind in estimating the value of the

4io SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

approximation made to the total length of the animal as (at the very
least) sixty feet. This is the only part of the description, however,
which seems to me to be so uncertain as to be inadmissible in an
attempt to arrive at a right conclusion as to the nature of the animal,
The more certain characters of the animal are these : Head with a
convex, moderately capacious cranium, short obtuse muzzle, gape of
the mouth not extending further than to beneath the eye, which is
rather small, round, filling closely the palpebral aperture ; colour, dark
brown above, yellowish white beneath, surface smooth, without scales,
scutes, or other conspicuous modifications of the hard and naked
cuticle. And the captain says, ' Had it been a man of my acquaintance,
I should have easily recognised his features with my naked eye.'
Nostrils not mentioned, but indicated in the drawing by a crescentic
mark at the end of the nose or muzzle. All these are the characters
of the head of a warm-blooded mammal, none of them those of a
cold-blooded reptile or fish. Body long, dark brown, not undulating,
without dorsal or other apparent fins, but something like the mane of
a horse, or rather a bunch of seaweed, washed about its back. The
character of the integuments would be a most important one to the
zoologist in the determination of the class to which the above defined
creature belonged. If an opinion can be deduced as to the integu-
ments from the above indication, it is that the species had hair, which,
if it was too short and close to be distinguished on the head, was visible
where it usually is the longest, on the middle line of the shoulders or
advanced part of the back, where it was not stiff and upright, like the
rays of a fin, but washed about. Guided by the above interpretation
of the mane of a horse or a bunch of seaweed, the animal was not a
cetaceous mammal, but rather a great sea seal. But what seal of large
size, or indeed of any size, would be encountered in latitude 24° 44'
south, and longitude 9° 22' east, viz., about 300 miles from the western
shore of the southern end of Africa ? The most likely species to be
there met are the largest of the seal tribe, e.g., Anson's sea-lion, or that
known to the southern whalers by the name of the * sea-elephant,' the
Phoca proboscidea^ which attains the length of from twenty to thirty
feet. These great seals abound in certain of the islands of the southern
and antarctic seas, from which an individual is occasionally floated off
upon an iceberg. The sea-lion exhibited in London last spring, which
was a young individual of the Phoca proboscidea, was actually captured
in that predicament, having been carried by the currents that set
northward towards the Cape, where its temporary resting-place was
rapidly melting away. When a large individual of the Phoca pro-

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 411

boscidea, or Phoca leonina, is thus borne off to a distance from its
native shore, it is compelled to return for rest to its floating abode,
after it has made its daily excursion in quest of fishes or squids that
constitute its food. It is thus brought by the iceberg into the latitude
of the Cape, and perhaps further north, before the berg has melted
away. Then the poor seal is compelled to swim as long as strength
endures ; and in such a predicament I imagine the creature was that
Mr. Sartoris saw rapidly approaching the Dcedalus from before the
beam, scanning, probably, its capabilities as a resting-place as it
paddled its long stiff body past the ship. In doing so it would raise
a head of the form and colour described and delineated by Captain
M'Quhas, supported on a neck also of the diameter given, the thick
neck passing into an inflexible trunk, the longer and coarser hair on
the upper part of which would give rise to the idea, especially if the
species were the Phoca leonina explained by the similes above cited.
The organs of locomotion would be out of sight. The pectoral fins
being set very low down, as in my sketch, the chief impelling force
would be the action of the deeper immersed terminal fins and tail,
which would create a long eddy readily mistakable by one looking
at the strange phenomena, with a sea serpent in his mind's eye, for
an indefinite prolongation of the body. It is very probable that not
one on board the Dcedalus ever before beheld a gigantic seal freely
swimming in the open ocean. Entering unexpectedly from that vast
and commonly blank waste of waters, it would be a strange and
exciting spectacle, and might well be interpreted as a marvel ; but
the creative power of the human mind appears to be really very limited,
and on all the occasions where the true source of the * great unknown '
has been detected — whether it has proved to be a file of sportive
porpoises, or a pair of gigantic sharks — old Pontoppidan's sea serpent
with the mane has uniformly suggested itself as the representative of
the portent until the mystery has been unravelled.

" The vertebras of the sea-serpent described and delineated in the
' Wernerian Transactions,' vol. i., and sworn to by the fishermen who
saw it off the Isle of Stronsa (one of the Orkneys) in 1808, two of
which vertebrae are in the museum of the College of Surgeons, are
certainly those of a great shark of the genus Selache, and are not
distinguishable from those of the species called basking-shark, of
which individuals from thirty feet to thirty-five feet in length have
been from time to time captured or stranded on our coasts.

" I have no unmeet confidence in the exactitude of my interpretation
of the phenomena witnessed by the captain and others of the Dadalus.

412 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

I am too sensible of the inadequacy of the characters which the
opportunity of a rapidly passing animal * in a long ocean swell ' enabled
them to note for the determination of its species or genus. Giving
due credence to the most probably accurate elements of their descrip-
tion, they do little more than guide the zoologist to the class which
in the present instance is not that of the serpent or the saurian ; but
I am usually asked after each endeavour to explain Captain M'Quhse's
sea serpent, ' Why should there not be a great sea serpent ? ' — often,
too, in a tone which seems to imply, ' Do you think, then, there are no
more marvels in the deep than are dreamt of in your philosophy ? '
And, freely conceding that point, I have felt bound to give a reason
for scepticism as well as faith. If a gigantic sea serpent actually
exists, the species must of course have been perpetuated through suc-
cessive generations, from its first creation and introduction into the
seas of this planet. Conceive, then, the number of individuals that
must have lived and died, and have left their remains to attest the
actuality of the species during the enormous lapse of time from its
beginning to the 6th of August last. Now a serpent, being an air-
breathing animal, with long vesicular and receptacular lungs, dives
with an effort, and commonly floats when dead ; and so would the
sea serpent until decomposition or accident had opened the tough
integuments, and let out the imprisoned gases. Then it would sink,
and, if in deep water, be seen no more until the sea rendered up its
dead, after the lapse of the aeons requisite for the yielding of its place
to dry land— a change which has actually revealed to the present
generation the old saurian monsters that were entombed at the bottom
of the ocean, of the secondary geological periods of our earth's history.
During life, the exigencies of the respiration of the great sea serpent
would always compel him frequently to the surface ; and, when dead
and swollen,

1 Prone on the flood, extended long and large,'
he would

' Lie floating many a rood : in bulk as huge,
As whom the fables name of monstrous size
Titanian or earth-born that warred on Jove.'

Such a spectacle, demonstrative of the species if it existed, has not
hitherto met the gaze of any of the countless voyagers who have
traversed the seas in so many directions. Considering, too, the tides

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 413

and currents of the ocean, it seems still more reasonable to suppose
that the dead sea serpent would be occasionally cast ashore. How-
ever, I do not ask for the entire carcass. The structure of the back-
bone of the serpent tribe is so peculiar, that a single vertebra would
be sufficient to determine the existence of the hypothetical ophidian ;
and this will not be deemed an unreasonable request, when it is
remembered that the vertebras are more numerous in serpents than
in any other animals. Such large blanched and scattered bones on
any sea-shore would be likely to attract even common curiosity, yet
there is no vertebra of a serpent larger than the ordinary pythons and
boas in any museum in Europe. Few sea-coasts have been more
sedulously searched, or by more acute naturalists (witness the labours
of Sars and Loven), than those of Norway. Krakens and sea serpents
ought to have been living and dying thereabouts from long before
Pontoppidan's time to our day, if all tales were true, yet they have
never vouchsafed a single fragment of the skeleton to any Scandinavian
collector, whilst the great denizens of those seas have been by no
means so chary. No museums, in fact, are so rich in skeletons,
skulls, bones, and teeth of the numerous kinds of whales, cachalots,
grampuses, walruses, sea-unicorns, seals, &c., as those of Denmark,
Norway, and Sweden, but of any large marine nondescript or in-
determinable monster they cannot show a trace.

" I have inquired repeatedly whether the natural history collections
of Boston, Philadelphia, or other cities of the United States, might
possess any unusually large ophidian vertebrae, or any of such peculiar
form as to indicate some large and unknown marine animal ; but they
have received no such specimens.

" The frequency with which the sea serpent has been supposed to
have appeared near the shores and harbours of the United States has
led to its being specified as the ' American sea serpent,' yet, out of the
two hundred vertebrae of every individual that should have lived and
died in the Atlantic since the creation of the species, not one has yet
been picked up on the shores of America. The diminutive snake, less
than a yard in length, killed upon the sea-shore, * apparently beaten to
death ' by some labouring people of Cape Ann, United States (see the
8vo. pamphlet, 1817, Boston, p. 38), and figured in the Illustrated
London News, October the 28th, 1848, from the original American
memoir, by no means satisfied the conditions of the problem. Neither
does the Saccopharynx of Mitchell, nor the Ophiognathus of Harwood
— the one four and a half feet, the other six feet long. Both are sur-
passed by some of the congers of our own coast, and, like other

414 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

murocnoid fishes, and the known sea-snake (Hydrophis), swims by
undulatory movements of the body. . . .

" The fossil skull and vertebras which were exhibited by Mr. Koch
in New York and Boston as those of the great sea serpent, and which
are now in Berlin, belonged to different individuals of a species which
I had previously proved to be an extinct whale, a determination which
has subsequently been confirmed by Professors Miiller and Agassiz.
Mr. Dixon, of Worthing, has discovered many fossil vertebrae in the
Eocene tertiary clay at Bracklesham, which belong to a large species
of an extinct genus of serpent (Palceophis], founded on similar vertebras
from the same formation in the Isle of Sheppy. The largest of these
ancient British snakes was twenty feet in length, but there is no
evidence that they were marine. The sea-saurians of the secondary
periods of geology have been replaced in the tertiary and actual seas
by marine mammals. No remains of Cetacea have been found in lias
or oolite, and no remains of Plesiosaur, or Ichthyosaur, or any other
secondary reptile, have been found in Eocene or later tertiary deposits,
or recent, on the actual sea-shores ; and that the old air-breathing
saurians floated when they died has been shown in the ' Geological
Transactions' (vol. v., Second Series, p. 512). The inference that
may reasonably be drawn from no recent carcass or fragment of such
having ever been discovered is strengthened by the corresponding
absence of any trace of their remains in the tertiary beds.

" Now, on weighing the question whether creatures meriting the
name of ' great sea serpent ' do exist, or whether any of the gigantic
marine saurians of the secondary deposits may have continued to live
up to the present time, it seems to me less probable that no part of the
carcass of such reptiles should have ever been discovered in a recent
or unfossilized state, than that men should have been deceived by a
cursory view of a partly submerged and rapidly moving animal, which
might only be strange to themselves. In other words, I regard the
negative evidence from the utter absence of any of the recent remains
of great sea serpents, krakens, or Enaliosauria, as stronger against
their actual existence than the positive statements which have hitherto
weighed with the public mind in favour of their existence. A larger
body of evidence from eye-witnesses might be got together in proof of
ghosts than of the sea serpent."

The reasoning of the most eminent of living physiolo-
gists of course had its influence on those who could best
appreciate it ; but, as it went against the current of popular

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 415

opinion, it met with little favour from the public, and has
been slurred over much too superciliously by some sub-
sequent writers. It was generally felt, however, that,
although the head of the animal, as shown in the enlarged
drawing, was wonderfully seal-like, Professor Owen's sug-
gested explanation, that it might have been a great seal,
such as the leonine seal, or the sea-elephant, was unsatis-
factory and untenable.

Captain M'Quhse's reply was promptly given in the
Times of the 2ist of November, 1848, as follows : —

" Professor Owen correctly states that I evidently saw a large
creature moving rapidly through the water very different from anything
I had before witnessed, neither a whale, a grampus, a great shark, an
alligator, nor any of the larger surface-swimming creatures fallen in
with in ordinary voyages. I now assert — neither was it a common seal
nor a sea-elephant, its great length and its totally differing physio-
gnomy precluding the possibility of its being a * Phoca ' of any species.
The head was flat, and not a ' capacious vaulted cranium ; ' nor had it
a stiff, inflexible trunk — a conclusion at which Professor Owen has
jumped, most certainly not justified by the simple statement, that no
portion of the sixty feet seen by us was used in propelling it through
the water either by vertical or horizontal undulation.

"It is also assumed that the ' calculation of its length was made
under a strong preconception of the nature of the beast ; ' another con-
clusion quite contrary to the fact. It was not until after the great
length was developed by its nearest approach to the ship, and until
after that most important point had been duly considered and debated,
as well as such could be in the brief space of time allowed for so doing,
that it was pronounced to be a serpent by all who saw it, and who are
too well accustomed to judge of lengths and breadths of objects in the
sea to mistake a real substance and an actual living body, coolly and
dispassionately contemplated, at so short a distance, too, for the ' eddy
caused by the action of the deeper immersed fins and tail of a rapidly
moving gigantic seal raising its head above the surface of the water,' as
Professor Owen imagines, in quest of its lost iceberg.

" The creative powers of the human mind may be very limited.
On this occasion they were not called into requisition ; my purpose
and desire throughout being to furnish eminent naturalists, such as the

416 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

learned Professor, with accurate facts, and not with exaggerated
representations, nor with what could by any possibility proceed from
optical illusion ; and I beg to assure him that old Pontoppidan having
clothed his sea serpent with a mane could not have suggested the idea
of ornamenting the creature seen from the Dcsdalus with a similar
appendage, for the simple reason that I had never seen his account, or
even heard of his sea serpent, until my arrival in London. Some other
solution must therefore be found for the very remarkable coincidence
between us in that particular, in order to unravel the mystery.

" Finally, I deny the existence of excitement or the possibility of
optical illusion. I adhere to the statements, as to form, colour, and
dimensions, contained in my official report to the Admiralty, and I
leave them as data whereupon the learned and scientific may exercise
the ' pleasures of imagination ' until some more fortunate opportunity
shall occur of making a closer acquaintance with the ' great unknown '
— in the present instance most assuredly no ghost.

" P. M'QUH^E, late Captain of H.M.S. Dadalus.

Of course neither Professor Owen, nor any one else,
doubted the veracity or bona fides of the captain and
officers of one of Her Majesty's ships ; and their testimony
was the more important because it was that of men accus-
tomed to the sights of the sea. Their practised eyes would,
probably, be able to detect the true character of anything
met With afloat, even if only partially seen, as intuitively as
the Red Indian reads the signs of the forest or the trail ;
and therefore they were not likely to be deceived by any of
the objects with which sailors are familiar. They would
not be deluded by seals, porpoises, trunks of trees, or
Brobdingnagian stems of algae ; but there was one animal
with which they were not familiar, of the existence of
which they were unaware, and which, as I have said, at
that date was generally believed to be as unreal as the sea
serpent itself— namely, the great calamary, the elongated
form of which has certainly in some other instances been
mistaken for that of a sea-snake. One of these seen

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 417

swimming in the manner I have described, and endeavoured
to portray (p. 402), would fulfil the description given by
Lieutenant Drummond, and would in a great measure
account for the appearances reported by Captain M'Quhae.
" The head long, pointed and flat on the top" accords with
the pointed extremity and caudal fin of the squid. " Head
kept horizontal with the surface of the water, and in rather a
raised position, disappearing occasionally beneath a wave for
a very brief interval, and not apparently for purposes of
respiration" A perfect description of the position and
action of a squid swimming. " No portion of it perceptibly
used in propelling it through the water, either by vertical or
horizontal undulations? The mode of propulsion of a
squid — the outpouring stream of water from its locomotor
tube — would be unseen and unsuspected, because sub-
merged. Its effect, the swirl in its wake, would suggest a
prolongation of the creature's body. The numerous arms
trailing astern at the surface of the water would give the
appearance of a mane. I think it not impossible that if
the officers of the Dcedalus had been acquainted with this
great sea-creature the impression on their mind's eye would
not have taken the form of a serpent. I offer this, with
much diffidence, as a suggestion arising from recent dis-
coveries ; and by no means insist on its acceptance ; for
Captain M'Quhae, who had a very close view of the animal,
distinctly says that " the head was, without any doubt, that
of a serpent," and one of his officers subsequently declared
that the eye, the mouth, the nostril, the colour, and the
form were all most distinctly visible.

In a letter addressed to the Editor of the Bombay Times,
and dated " Kamptee, January 3rd, 1849," Mr. R. Davidson,
Superintending Surgeon, Nagpore Subsidiary Force, de-
scribes a great sea animal seen by him whilst on board

VOL. III. — H. 2 E

4i8 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

the ship Royal Saxon, on a voyage to India, in 1829. The
features of this incident are consistent with his having seen
one of the, then unknown, great calamaries.

Dr. Scott, of Exeter, sent to the Editor of the Zoologist
(p. 2459), an extract from the memorandum-book of Lieu-
tenant Sandford, R.N., written about the year 1820, when
he was in command of the merchant ship Lady Combermere.
In it he mentions his having met with, in lat. 46, long. 3
(Bay of Biscay), an animal unknown to him, an immense
body on the surface of the water, spouting, not unlike the
blowing of a whale, and the raising up of a triangular ex-
tremity, and subsequently of a head and neck erected six
feet above the surface of the water. This was evidently a
great squid seen under circumstances similar to those
described by Hans Egede (p. 393).

In the Sun Newspaper of July 9th, 1849, was published
the following statement of Captain Herriman, of the ship
Brazilian :

" On the morning of the 24th February, the ship being becalmed in
lat. 26° S., long. 8° E. (about forty miles from the place where Captain
M'Quhae is said to have seen the serpent), the captain perceived some-
thing right astern, stretched along the water to a length of twenty-five
or thirty feet, and perceptibly moving from the ship, with a steady
sinuous motion. The head, which seemed to be lifted several feet
above the water, had something resembling a mane running down to the
floating portion, and within about six feet of the tail. Of course Captain
Herriman, Mr. Long, his chief officer, and the passengers who saw
this, came to the conclusion that it must be the sea-serpent. As the
Brazilian was making no headway, to bring all doubts to an issue, the
captain had a boat lowered, and himself standing in the bow, armed
with a harpoon, approached the monster. It was found to be an
immense piece of sea-weed, drifting with the current, which sets con-
stantly to the westward in this latitude, and which, with the swell
left by the subsidence of a previous gale, gave it the sinuous snake-
like motion."

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 419

Captain Harrington, of the ship Castilian, reported in
the Times of February 5th, 1858, that :

" On the 1 2th of December, 1857, N.E. end of St. Helena distant
ten miles, he and his officers were startled by the sight of a huge
marine animal which reared its head out of the water within twenty
yards of the ship. The head was shaped like a long nun-buoy,* and
they supposed it to have been seven or eight feet in diameter in the
largest part, with a kind of scroll or tuft of loose skin, encircling it
about two feet from the top. The water was discoloured for several
hundred feet from its head, so much so that on its first appearance my
impression was that the ship was in broken water."

Evidently, again, a large calamary raising its caudal
extremity and fin above the surface, and discolouring the
water by discharging its ink.

This was immediately followed by a letter from Captain
Frederick Smith, of the ship Pekin, who stated that :

"On December 28th, 1848, being then in lat. 26° S., long. 6°
E. (about half-way between the Cape and St. Helena), he saw a very
extraordinary -looking thing in the water, of considerable length. With
the telescope, he could plainly discern a huge head and neck, covered
with a shaggy -looking kind of mane, which it kept lifting at intervals
out of water. This was seen by all hands, and was declared to be the
great sea serpent. A boat was lowered ; a line was made fast to the
" snake,' and it was towed alongside and hoisted on board. It was a
piece of gigantic sea-weed, twenty feet long, and completely covered
with snaky-looking barnacles. So like a huge living monster did this
appear, that had circumstances prevented my sending a boat to it, I
should certainly have believed I had seen the great sea serpent."

In September, 1872, Mr. Frank Buckland published, in
Land and Water, an account by the late Duke of Marl-
borough, of a " sea serpent " having been seen several times
within a few days, in Loch Hourn, Scotland. A sketch of
it was given which almost exactly accorded with that of
* See illustration, p. 393.

2 E 2

420 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

Pontoppidan's sea-serpent, namely, seven hunches or protu-
berances like so many porpoises swimming in line, preceded
by a head and neck raised slightly out of water. Many other
accounts have been published of the appearance of serpent-
like sea monsters, but I have only space for two or three
more of the most remarkable of them.

On the 10th of January, 1877, the following affidavit was
made before Mr. Raffles, magistrate, at Liverpool :

" We, the undersigned officers and crew of the barque Pauline (of
London), of Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, in the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, do solemnly and sincerely declare
that, on July 8, 1875, in lat. 5° 13' S., long. 35° W., we observed three
large sperm whales, and one of them was gripped round the body with
two turns of what appeared to be a huge serpent. The head and tail
appeared to have a length beyond the coils of about thirty feet, and its
girth eight feet or nine feet. The serpent whirled its victim round and
round for about fifteen minutes, and then suddenly dragged the whale
to the bottom, head first.

"GEO. DREVAR, Master ; HORATIO THOMPSON, JOHN HEN-
DERSON LANDELLS, OWEN BAKER, and WILLIAM
LEWARN.

"Again, on July 13, a similar serpent was seen, about two hundred
yards off, shooting itself along the surface, head and neck being out of
the water several feet. This was seen only by the captain and one
ordinary seaman.

" GEORGE DREVAR, Master.

" A few moments after it was seen some 60 feet elevated perpendicu-
larly in the air by the chief officer and the following seaman :— Horatio
Thompson, Owen Baker, Wm. Lewarn. And we make this solemn
declaration, conscientiously believing the same to be true."

In the Illustrated London News, of November 2Oth, 1875,
there had previously appeared a letter from the Rev. E. L.
Penny, Chaplain to H.M.S. London, at Zanzibar, describing
this occurrence and also the representation of a sketch
(which I am kindly permitted to reproduce here), drawn by

THE GREA T SEA SERPENT.

421

422 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

him from the descriptions given by the captain and crew
of the Pauline. "The whale," he said, "should have been
placed deeper in the water, but he would then have been
unable to depict so clearly the manner in which the animal
was attacked." He adds that, " Captain Drevar is a singularly
able and observant man, and those of the crew and officers
with whom he conversed were singularly intelligent ; nor did
any of their descriptions vary from one another in the least :
there were no discrepancies." The event took place whilst
their vessel was on her way from Shields to Zanzibar, with
a cargo of coals, for the use of H.M.S. London, then the
guardship on that station.

It is impossible to doubt for a moment the genuineness
of the statement made by Captain Drevar and his crew, or
their honest desire to describe faithfully that which they
believed they had seen ; but the height to which the snake is
said to have upreared itself is evidently greatly exaggerated ;
for it is impossible that any serpent could " elevate its body
some sixty feet perpendicularly in the air" — ^nearly one-
third of the height of the Monument of the Great Fire of
London. I have no desire to force this narrative of the
master and crew of the Pauline into conformity with any
preconceived idea. They may have seen a veritable sea
serpent ; or, as has been suggested, they may have wit-
nessed the amours of two whales, and have seen the great
creatures rolling over and over that they might breathe
alternately by the blow-hole of each coming to the surface
of the water ; or more probably, the supposed coils of the
snake may have been the arms of a great calamary, cast
over and around the huge cetacean. The other two appear-
ances— ist, the animal seen shooting itself along the surface
with head and neck raised " (p. 402), and second, the eleva-
tion of the body to a considerable height, as in Egede's sea

THE GREA T SEA SERPENT. 423

monster, (p. 393), — would certainly accord with this last
hypothesis. Captain Drevar, however, adheres firmly to
his original theory, and in a communication which I have
recently received from him he writes : —

" You may rely upon my report as strictly true, and in no way
exaggerated. I called the second officer out of his bed to witness the
conflict, and he remarked at the time that had the occurrence been
further off he would have concluded that it was a sword-fish and a
thrasher fighting a whale, which he thought he saw on his first voyage
to sea. Several shipmasters told me that they had seen the same con-
flict near the locality that I saw it, but had not been close enough to
see the coils ; they thought it was two separate fish fighting the whale,
but were satisfied that it might have been the head and tail portion of
a huge serpent about the whale."

On the 28th of January, 1879, a " sea serpent " was seen
from the s.s. City of Baltimore (Fig. 22, next page), in the
Gulf of Aden, by Major H. W. J. Senior, of the Bengal
Staff Corps The narrator " observed a long, black object
darting rapidly in and out of the water, and advancing
nearer to the vessel. The shape of the head was not unlike
pictures of the dragon he had often seen, with a bull-dog
expression of the forehead and eyebrows. When the
monster had drawn its head sufficiently out of the water,
it let its body drop, as it were a log of wood, prior to
darting forward under the water. This motion caused a
splash of about fifteen feet in length on either side of the
neck much in the ' shape of a pair of wings.' " This last
particular of its appearance, as well as its movements,
suggest a great calamary ; but, as one with " a bull-dog
expression of eyebrow, visible at 500 yards distance," does
not come within my ken, I will not claim it as such.

In June 1877 Commander Pearson reported to the
Admiralty, that on the 2nd of that month, he and other
officers of the Royal Yacht Osborne, had seen, off Cape

424

SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

Vito, Sicily, a large marine animal, of which the following
account and sketches were furnished by Lieutenant Haynes,

FIG. 22.— THE " SEA SERPENT " AS SEEN FROM THE ' CITY OF
BALTIMORE.'

and were confirmed by Commander Pearson, Mr. Douglas
Haynes, Mr. Forsyth, and Mr. Moore, engineer.

Lieutenant Haynes, writes, under date, " Royal Yacht
Osborne, Gibraltar, June 6 :"

" On the evening of that day, the sea being perfectly smooth, my
attention was first called by seeing a ridge of fins above the surface
of the water, extending about thirty feet, and varying from five to six

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT.

425

feet in height. On inspecting it by means of a telescope, at about
one and a-half cables' distance, I distinctly saw a head, two flappers

FIG. 23. — THE "SEA SERPENT" AS SEEN FROM H.M. YACHT Oslorne.

PHASE I.

and about thirty feet of an animal's shoulder. The head, as nearly as
I could judge, was about six feet thick, the neck narrower, about four

FIG. 24. — THE "SEA SERPENT" AS SEEN FROM H.M. YACHT Osborne.

PHASE 2.

to five feet, the shoulder about fifteen feet across, and the flappers
each about fifteen feet in length. The movements of the flappers

426 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

were those of a turtle, and the animal resembled a huge seal, the
resemblance being strongest about the back of the head. I could not
see the length of the head, but from its crown or top to just below the
shoulder (where it became immersed), I should reckon about fifty feet.
The tail end I did not see, being under water, unless the ridge of fins
to which my attention was first attracted, and which had disappeared
by the time I got a telescope, were really the continuation of the
shoulder to the end of the object's body. The animal's head was
not always above water, but was thrown upwards, remaining above^
for a few seconds at a time, and then disappearing. There was an
entire absence of ' blowing,' or ' spouting.' I herewith beg to enclose
a rough sketch, showing the view of the ' ridge of fins,' and also of the
animal in the act of propelling itself by its two fins."

From this description, and the drawings by which it was
accompannied, it seemed impossible to identify the appear-
ance with that of any one animal yet known. The ridge of
dorsal fins might, possibly, as was suggested by Mr. Frank
Buckland, belong to four basking sharks, swimming in line,
in close order ; but the combination of them with long
flippers, and the turtle-like mode of swimming, formed a
zoological enigma which, when the first edition of this book
was written, I was unable to solve. Soon after its publica-
tion, however, I received from an officer of H.M.S. Monarch
a communication which throws light on this incident, and,
I have no doubt, furnishes the true explanation of it. He
wrote as follows : —

" H.M.S. Monarch sailed from Gibraltar for Spithead on the 6th of
June, 1877, and whilst steaming slowly along the Portuguese coast
those on board witnessed a very unusual spectacle, namely, a number
of (from ten to twelve) enormous fishes, apparently whales, swimming
on the surface of the calm summer sea, generally in single file and close
order, marching and counter-marching with the utmost regularity, but,
now and then, breaking into disorder and confusion. The 'explanation
which occurred to me was that they were ' black-fish,' or whales of
some other species, swimming in the track of, and in pursuit of, a
single female of the same kind. Little was thought of this occurrence,
and it would doubtless soon have been forgotten, but that on arriving

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 427

at Portsmouth a week later we were much astonished and amused by
seeing in the Times a sensational description of the sea serpent as seen
by the officers of the Royal yacht Osborne at the same place only a few
hours before we passed it. The conclusion is obvious."

We have only to place somewhat further apart the eleven
tips of the fins shown in a row in Fig. 23, to transform the
picture into a fairly correct representation of the dorsal
fins of so many whales swimming in line, as seen from the
Monarch. Allowing for similar inaccuracy of drawing in
Fig. 24, the probability of this is borne out by the appear-
ance therein depicted, as well as by the known habits of
some of the smaller whales. (See p. 388.)

I know, from my own experience, how easily one may
be deceived by the movements of some of these smaller
whales, and by the appearance of a " ridge of dorsal fins,"
as seen from the Royal yacht Osborne. No one has been
more positive, more sincere, or more mistaken than myself
in his belief that he has seen a sea serpent. The circum-
stances attending the occurrence referred to were described
by me in a letter which I addressed to the Editor of the
Brighton Gazette, whilst the spectacle of the supposed sea
monster was fresh in my mind. It was dated February 16,
1857, and was signed " A Brighton Visitor." I here append
a copy of it with all its faults : —

" I have to tell you that which many, perhaps most, of your readers
may be disposed to treat with ridicule ; but I pledge my word that the
following statement is strictly true. A sea serpent passed Brighton
this morning at about twenty minutes past eight. I was walking along
the beach below the terrace at Kemp Town, and as I approached the
bathing machines which stand there (the last towards Rottingdean)
some boys who were playing about called out ' A sea-snake ! A sea-
snake ! ' Supposing that they had probably found an eel upon the
beach, I walked on, and took no notice, but as their continued exclama-
tions evinced considerable excitement, I was induced to look in the
direction to which they pointed. Coming from the westward, and

428 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

about a quarter of a mile from the shore, I saw what I at first thought
was a very long galley, very low in the water ; but as it came towards
and passed in front of us I saw it was that which the boys had pro-
nounced it to be — a veritable sea monster. It was swimming on the
surface, against the tide, at the rate of from twenty-five to thirty miles
an hour, and had exactly the appearance represented in one of the
illustrated newspapers a few months since. I should say that about forty
or fifty feet of it was visible, and I counted seven dorsal fins, if such they
were, standing up from its back. It continued in view for six or seven
minutes, and by the end of that time had got so far on its course to the
eastward that the eye could no longer follow it. A small boat was
about a mile and a half outside of it, and those on board may have
seen it also, for I observed that shortly after it had passed the boat's
head was turned towards the shore. I hope that although it was rather
early in the morning my account of it may be confirmed ; but whether
it be or not, the fact remains the same. There was no possibility of
mistake. The sun was shining brilliantly, the sea was smooth, and the
creature was, as I have before said, not more than a quarter of a mile
from the beach. I took the address of the boy who first saw it, which
with my card I enclose ; but I decline to allow my name to be pub-
lished, for if the assertions of the officers and crew of one of Her
Majesty's frigates were considered unworthy of credit, or at any rate
explained away, I can hardly expect that mine will meet with greater
respect."

The above description, written twenty-seven years ago,
conveys clearly enough the impression made upon my mind
at the time, but it is characterised by an unwise impetuosity
of assertion, and an unwarranted assurance of infallibility.
I hope that, with greater experience, I should write with
less positiveness and more caution now. For, by the irony
of fate, I, who was so indignant by anticipation at the very
thought of a suggestion of inaccuracy, or of the reasonable-
ness of explanation, have had to condemn my own observa-
tion as erroneous, and to perceive that others, with equal
sincerity of intention, may have been similarly mistaken.
" No possibility of mistake," forsooth ! I now know that
the erect dorsal fins that I saw belonged to " long-nosed

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 429

porpoises," or dolphins, and, by their shape and height, am
able to recognise their owners as having been of the species
Delphinus delphis. My sea serpent was composed of seven
of these cetaceans swimming in line, and, as is their wont,
maintaining their relative positions so accurately that all
the fins appeared to belong to one animal.*

Another curious sea serpent incident has been described
since the first edition of this book was published. The
Times of October 17, 1883, contained the following letter
from the Rev. E. Highton, Vicar of Bude, Cornwall : —

" Yesterday afternoon, about 4.30, a remarkable sight was seen from
Summerleaze, an open down at Bude, overlooking the sea. I saw a
long, low, dark object, about a mile and a half from the shore, skimming
along the surface of the sea, the back of the creature being a little
above the top of the water. It kept on its course at a rate which I
calculated to be about twenty-five miles an hour, never once disappear-
ing entirely the whole time it was in sight. It was watched by several
friends who were with me and myself for about ten minutes, and by that
time it had passed over a considerable space of water, between four
and five miles, I should think. The creature's length was variously
guessed by us to be from fifty feet to eighty feet. Just once a larger
mass appeared out of the water than at any other time, and then not
for more than a couple of seconds. This was at the end, apparently,
of the creature, but it scarcely looked like a tail. It seemed more like
a curl in some long, thin monster. Can any of your scientific readers
suggest what it was ? Would a whale swim for several miles in such a
regular even course ? One scarcely likes to suggest a sea serpent ; but
if these creatures are really in existence, that would be the best solution
of the question.

" October I2th, 1883. " E. HlGHTON, Vicar of Bude."

Mr. Highton's description of the object seen was so clear
and unvarnished, and his freedom from preconceived notions
as to its nature was so evident, that his communication
deservedly attracted attention. In response to his invita-

* I was unable to record this incident in the first edition of this
treatise, as I had temporarily mislaid my memorandum concerning it.

430 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

tion of suggestions, I wrote to him on the subject, and the
following is a portion of his courteous and unprejudiced
reply :—

" My impression is that the head did not resemble the cuttle figured on
p. 78 of your * Sea Monsters Unmasked ' [see p. 402 of this volume],
whether the fins were horizontal or vertical. Of course, it may have
been one, for I cannot pretend to say what it was. My first idea, when
I first caught sight of it, was that it was a long boat, without any man in
it. Then it seemed to be lower in the water as it came nearer, and it
looked like a very large log of wood floating on the sea. I soon saw, from
the rate it was going, that it could not be that. When it came nearer to
us, some dark mass towards the end of it slowly heaved up out of the
water and went down again as slowly. It continued on its course quite
steadily, and without once disappearing. Its rate of gliding through the
water was a very noticeable feature. It reminded me of a rat swimming
over a pond, in its apparently noiseless, gliding motion. And I hear from
Newquay that some masons at work near the shore say it made them
think of a huge rat. It is singular that the same impression struck
them and myself. I had mentioned it to friends before I heard their
view. A correspondent writing from Newquay (a distance of at least
forty miles from Bude) speaks of it as appearing like a huge conger,
and going at a great rate. It must have done so, for it was very little
more than an hour in going from Bude to Newquay. It is rather
strange that it kept so near the coast for so long a distance, for you
will observe if you look at the map that it had to pass a decidedly pro-
jecting point, Trevose Head, and thus turn south. Would this be more
like the movements of a cuttle ? I should certainly say that the two
most noticeable things about it were the thinness of the part which
appeared above the water (it may have been two feet in diameter), and
the great rate at which it was travelling without any apparent commo-
tion in the water. I had no glass, unfortunately, with me. I wish I
could give you more definite information. But I thank you very much
for your desire to throw light on the object we saw, which has certainly
caused a considerable amount of excitement here."

Amongst the comments in the newspapers on Mr.
Highton's report was a letter in the Times of the 2Oth of
October, from Admiral Gore-Jones, who wrote :

" In reference to a letter which appeared yesterday in the Times
headed < The Sea Serpent once more,' perhaps the following story will

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT.

throw some light on what the Rev. Mr. Highton saw, and on sea
serpents in general : — In 1848 I was attached to H.M.S. St. Vincent,
bearing the flag of Sir Charles Napier, and lying at Spithead. One
summer evening, about six o'clock, just as the officers were sitting down
to dinner, the midshipman of the watch ran into the wardroom and
reported that a sea serpent was passing rapidly between the ship and
the Isle of Wight (this was after the reported appearance of the
Dcedalus sea serpent). We all got our glasses and went on deck, and
there, sure enough, about a mile off, was a large monster, with a head
and shaggy mane, about 100 feet long, and tapering towards the tail ;
it was going with the tide, and had a rapid, undulating motion. Two
or three boats were manned, and some officers got their guns and went
in pursuit. We watched them from the ship ; they gradually got close,
and guns were raised and levelled at the creature's head ; but just as
we thought the sport was about to begin, down went the guns, and
from their gestures we saw something very laughable had occurred.
On their return we found that the supposed serpent was a long line of
soot. Some steamer in the Southampton Waters had evidently swept
her dirty flues, and the soot from tubes or flues is always of a very sticky
nature, and as it was pitched overboard it went away with the tide,
sticking together, and gradually forming into the shape of a long
serpent, the wave motion giving it an undulating life-like appearance.
In this case, if the boats had not gone we should have all believed we
had seen the real sea serpent; and this 'arrangement in soot' is
evidently what Mr. Highton saw. The curl he describes towards the
tail end arose from an occasional wave having a little more than
ordinary velocity, and carrying its dusky crest for a moment along with
it, while a strong tide and fair wind would give considerable velocity.
My story will, I think, supply a raison d'etre, not only for Mr. Highton's
sea serpent, but probably for the whole brood.

" W. GORE-JONES, Vice-Admiral."

The foregoing anecdote is interesting and very instructive,
as showing how easily even the observant and practised
eyes of naval officers and sailors may be deceived as to the
identity of objects seen at sea ; but it certainly does not
account for " the whole brood " of supposed sea serpents in
general, nor Mr. Highton's in particular. The soot from a
steamer's flues, and her cinders shot overboard, leave a long

432 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

line in her wake, but not one that will swim from twenty-
five to forty miles in an hour, and present the same appear-
ance after travelling that distance.

Amongst the known living objects of the sea met with
near our coasts I can only suggest three, the appearance of
which at a little distance would accord with that witnessed
by Mr. Highton, viz., a great calamary ; one of the whales,
or a flight of ducks. It might have been either of these ;
but I will not presume to say that it was one of them.
Possibly, as in the case of the Osborne, explanatory in-
formation concerning this incident may some day be
given.

This brings us face to face with the question : " Is it then
so impossible that there may exist some great sea creature,
or creatures, with which zoologists are hitherto unacquainted,
that it is necessary in every case to regard the authors of
such narratives as wilfully untruthful, or mistaken in their
observations, if their descriptions are irreconcileable with
something already known ? " I, for one, am of the opinion
that there is no such impossibility. Calamaries or squids
of the ordinary size have, from time immemorial, been
amongst the commonest and best known of marine
animals in many seas ; but only a few years ago any one
who expressed his belief in one formidable enough to cap-
size a boat, or pull a man out of one, was derided for his
credulity, although voyagers had constantly reported that
in the Indian seas they were so dreaded that the natives
always carried hatchets with them in their canoes, with
which to cut off the arms or tentacles of these creatures, if
attacked by them. We now know that their existence is
no fiction ; for individuals have been captured measuring
more than fifty feet, and some are reported to have
measured eighty feet, in total length. As marine snakes

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 433

some feet in length, and having fin-like tails adapted for
swimming, abound over an extensive geographical range,
and are frequently met with far at sea, I cannot regard it
as impossible that some of these also may attain to an
abnormal and colossal development. Dr. Andrew Wilson,
who has given much attention to this subject, is of the
opinion that " in this huge development of ordinary forms
we discover the true and natural law of the production of
the giant serpent of the sea. It goes far, at any rate,
towards accounting for its supposed appearance. I am
convinced, however, that, whilst naturalists have been
searching amongst the vertebrata for a solution of the
problem, the great unknown, and therefore unrecognized
calamaries by their elongated, cylindrical bodies and
peculiar mode of swimming, have played the part of the
sea serpent in many a well-authenticated incident. In other
cases, such as some of those mentioned by Pontoppidan,
the supposed " vertical undulations " of the snake seen out
of water have been the burly bodies of so many porpoises
swimming in line — the connecting undulations beneath the
surface have been supplied by the imagination. The dorsal
fins of basking sharks, as figured by Mr. Buckland, or of
ribbon-fishes, as suggested by Dr. Andrew Wilson to
account for the appearance seen from the Osborne, may
have furnished a " ridge of fins ; " an enormous conger is
not an impossibility ; a giant turtle may have done duty,
with its propelling flippers and broad back ; or a marine
snake of enormous size may, really, have been seen. But
if we accept as accurate the observations recorded (which I
certainly do not in all cases, for they are full of errors and
mistakes), the difficulty is not entirely met, even by this
last admission, for the instances are very few in which a
ophidian proper — a true serpent — is indicated. There has

VOL. III. — H. 2 F

434 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

seemed to some writers on this subject to be wanting an
animal having a long snake-like neck, a small head and
a slender body, and propelling itself by paddles.*

The similarity of such an animal to the Plesiosaurus of
old was remarkable. That curious compound reptile, which
has been compared with "a snake threaded through the
body of a turtle, is described by Dean Buckland, in his
Bridgewater Treatise, as having " the head of a lizard, the
teeth of a crocodile, a neck of enormous length resembling
the body of a serpent, the ribs of a chameleon, and the
paddles of a whale." In the number of its cervical vertebrae
(about thirty-three) it surpassed that of the longest-necked
bird, the swan.

The form and probable movements of this ancient saurian
agree so markedly with some of the accounts given of the
' great sea serpent," that Mr. Edward Newman advanced
the opinion that the closest affinities of the latter would be
found to be with the Enaliosauria, or marine lizards, whose
fossil remains are so abundant in the oolite and the lias.
This view has also been taken by other writers, and empha-
tically by Mr. Gosse. Neither he nor Mr. Newman insist
that the " great unknown " must be the Plesiosaurus itself.
Mr. Gosse says, " I should not look for any species, scarcely
even any genus, to be perpetuated from the oolitic period
to the present. Admitting the actual continuation of the
order Enaliosauria, it would be, I think, quite in conformity

* It must be noted, however, that in almost every case, except that
of the Osborne, the paddles were supposed, not seen, and were invented
to account for an animal of great length progressing at the surface of
the water at the rate of twelve to fifteen miles an hour without its being
possible to perceive, upon the closest and most attentive inspection,
any undulatory movement to which its rapid advance could be ascribed.
As the great calamaries were unknown, their mode of swift retrograde
motion, by means of an outflowing current of water, was of course
unsuspected.

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT.

435

with general analogy to find some salient features of
several extinct forms."

The form and habits of the recently-
recognized gigantic cuttles account for
so many appearances which, without
knowledge of them, were inexplicable
when Mr. Gosse and Mr. Newman
wrote, that I think this theory is not
now forced upon us. Mr. Gosse well
and clearly sums up the evidence as
follows : " Carefully comparing the
independent narratives of English
witnesses of known character and
position, most of them being officers
under the Crown, we have a creature
possessing the following character-
istics: 1st. The general form of a
serpent. 2nd. Great length, say above
sixty feet. 3rd. Head considered to
resemble that of a serpent. 4th. Neck
from twelve to sixteen inches in dia-
meter. 5th. Appendages on the head,
neck, or back, resembling a crest or
mane. (Considerable discrepancy in
details.) 6th. Colour dark brown, or
green streaked or spotted with white.
7th. Swims at surface of the water
with a rapid or slow movement, the
head and neck projected and elevated
above the surface. 8th. Progression,
steady and uniform ; the body straight,
but capable of being thrown into convolutions. 9th. Spouts
in the manner of a whale. loth. Like a long nun-buoy."

2 F 2

FIG. 25.

436 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

He concludes with the question— "To which of the re-
cognized classes of created beings can this huge rover of
the ocean be referred ? "

I reply : " To the Cephalopoda." There is not one of
the above judiciously summarized characteristics that is
not supplied by the great calamary, and its ascertained
habits and peculiar mode of locomotion.

Only a geologist can fully appreciate how enormously the
balance of probability is contrary to the supposition that
any of the gigantic marine saurians of the secondary
deposits should have continued to live up to the present time.
And yet I am bound to say, that this does not amount
to an absolute impossibility, for the evidence against it is
entirely negative. Nor is the conjecture that there may be
in existence some congeners of these great reptiles entirely
inconsistent with zoological science. Dr. J. E. Gray, late of
the British Museum, a strict zoologist, is cited by Mr. Gosse
as having long ago expressed his opinion that some un-
described form exists which is intermediate between the
tortoises and the serpents.*

Professor Agassiz, too, is adduced by a correspondent of
the Zoologist (p. 2395), as having said concerning the present
existence of the Enaliosaurian type that " it would be in
precise conformity with analogy that such an animal should

* Dr. Gray wrote in his ' Synopsis of Genera of Reptiles,' in the
Annals of Philosophy, 1825 : "There is every reason to believe from
general structure that there exists an affinity between the tortoises and
the snakes ; but the genus that exactly unites them is at present
unknown to European naturalists ; which is not astonishing when we
consider the immense number of undescribed animals which are daily
occurring. If I may be allowed to speculate from the peculiarities of
structure which I have observed, I am inclined to think that the union
will most probably take place by some newly discovered genera
allied to the marine or fluviatile soft-skinned turtles and the marine
serpent."

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT.

437

£

P H

X. §

o 3

o 3

438 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

exist in the American Seas, as he had found numerous
instances in which the fossil forms of the Old World were
represented by living types in the New."

On this point, Mr. Newman records, in the Zoologist
(p. 2356), an actual testimony which he considers, "in all
respects, the most interesting natural-history fact of the
present century." He writes :

" Captain the Hon. George Hope states that when in H.M.S. Fly,
in the Gulf of California, the sea being perfectly calm and transparent,
he saw at the bottom a large marine animal with the head and general
figure of the alligator, except that the neck was much longer, and that
instead of legs the creature had four large flappers, somewhat like
those of turtles, the anterior pair being larger than the posterior ; the
creature was distinctly visible, and all its movements could be observed
with ease ; it appeared to be pursuing its prey at the bottom of the sea ;
its movements were somewhat serpentine, and an appearance of
annulations, or ring-like divisions of the body, was distinctly percep-
tible. Captain Hope made this relation in company, and as a matter
of conversation. When I heard it from the gentleman to whom it was
narrated, I enquired whether Captain Hope was acquainted with those
remarkable fossil animals Ichthyosauri and Plesiosauri, the supposed
forms of which so nearly correspond with what he describes as having
seen alive, and I cannot find that he had heard of them ; the alligator
being the only animal he mentioned as bearing a partial similarity to
the creature in question."

Unfortunately, the estimated dimensions of this creature
are not given.

That negative evidence alone is an unsafe basis for argu-
ment against the existence of unknown animals, the follow-
ing illustrations will show :

During the deep-sea dredgings of H.M.S. Lightning,
Porcupine, and Challenger, many new species of mollusca,
and others which had been supposed to have been extinct
ever since the chalk epoch, were brought to light ; and by
the deep-sea trawlings of the last-mentioned ship, there have

THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 439

been brought up from great depths fishes of unknown
species, and which could not exist near the surface, owing
to the distension and rupture of their air-bladder when
removed from the pressure of deep water.

Mr. Gosse mentions that the ship in which he made the
voyage to Jamaica was surrounded in the North Atlantic,
for seventeen continuous hours by a troop of whales of
large size of an undescribed species, which on no other
occasion has fallen under scientific observation. Unique
specimens of other cetaceans are also recorded.

We have evidence, to which attention has been directed
by Mr. A. D. Bartlett, that " even on land there exists at
least one of the largest mammals, probably in thousands,
of which only one individual has been brought to notice,
namely, the hairy-eared, two-horned rhinoceros (R. lasiotis),
now in the Zoological Gardens, London. It was captured
in 1868, at Chittagong, in India, where for years collectors
and naturalists have worked and published lists of the
animals met with, and yet no knowledge of this great beast
was ever before obtained, nor is there any portion of one in
any museum. It remains unique."

I arrive, then, at the following conclusions : 1st. That,
without straining resemblances, or casting a doubt upon
narratives not proved to be erroneous, the various appear-
ances of the supposed "Great Sea Serpent" may now be
nearly all accounted for by the forms and habits of known
animals ; especially if we admit, as proposed by Dr. Andrew
Wilson, that some of them, including the marine snakes,
may, like the cuttles, attain to an extraordinary size.

2nd. That to assume that naturalists have perfect cogni-
zance of every existing marine animal of large size, would
be quite unwarrantable. It appears to me more than pro-
bable that many marine animals, unknown to science, and

440 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED.

some of them of gigantic size, may have their ordinary
habitat in the great depths of the sea, and only occasionally
come to the surface ; and I think it not impossible that
amongst them may be marine snakes of greater dimensions
than we are aware of, and even a creature having close
affinities with the old sea-reptiles whose fossil skeletons tell
of their magnitude and abundance in past ages.

It is most desirable that every supposed appearance of
the "Great Sea Serpent" shall be faithfully noted and
described ; and I hope that no truthful observer will be
deterred from reporting such an occurrence by fear of the
disbelief of naturalists, or the ridicule of witlings.

PRACTICAL LESSONS

IN THE

GENTLE CRAFT.

BY

J. P. WHEELDON,

LATE ANGLING EDITOR OF ' BELL'S LIFE.'

VOL. III.— II.

CONTENTS.

PACK

INTRODUCTION . • 443

ROACH FISHING . • 446

BARBEL FISHING . • 4$4

TROUT FISHING . • 466
PIKE FISHING :

SPINNING ... . . • 477

LIVE BAITING . -481

PERCH FISHING ... • 4^9

CARP FISHING . • 496

CHUB FISHING .'..»... . . 501

TENCH FISHING .... . . 508

BREAM FISHING • 512

DACE FISHING Sl%

PRACTICAL LESSONS

IN THE

GENTLE CRAFT.

I HAVE the honour to submit for your approbation a few
remarks based principally upon practical knowledge, and
having reference to the pursuit of angling for what are
commonly called " the coarse fish " of this country.

This class of sport is, very deservedly, popular in the
extreme, and day by day, I think, grows in the public
estimation. The reason for such popularity is not difficult
to find, inasmuch as in great towns, such as London, or
indeed in any manufacturing centre, the man who either
inherits or cultivates a taste for angling, becomes a student
in a charming and health-giving pastime, not necessarily
expensive to one of limited monetary resources, yet one
which, followed out faithfully and observantly, is, I believe,
the invariable means of developing any latent disposition
to good. Coarse fish angling has also another distinction
of its own. It is particularly the sport of the poor man.
Salmon fishing, with all its gloriously moving incidents by
"flood and field," is a branch of English sport nearly
entirely confined to the wealthier classes. Trout fishing
is almost, if not quite as exclusive. There is hardly a yard

444 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

of trout water within hail of any large town but what is at
once monopolised, either by its owner, or by some one who
can afford to pay a high price for the privilege of fishing it.
In the case of the coarse fisher this state of affairs takes
an altogether different aspect; because the very poorest
amongst the community can, if he so pleases, and thanks
to that binding law which is the result of long-continued
user, hie him to the banks of such noble rivers as the
Thames and the Lea, and there fish to his heart's con-
tent. I am not about to tell you that he is certain to
obtain sport sufficient to repay him for his trouble and
possible outlay. That is a question in these modern days,
and amidst the riot and hurly-burly caused by those
angler's pests — steam launches — and the greatly increased
traffic of the river, which must always remain merged in
obscurity, until, at any rate the close of the day. An acute
mind will naturally reflect that the same ratio of reasoning
applies to all classes of fishing, and I am by no means
prepared to gainsay it. In the Thames, however, such a
reflection comes home with tenfold force, and it only shows
how keenly the love of angling is developed in the bosoms
of many men, how patient and long-suffering fishermen are,
as a race, and how content with the hope even of small
mercies, when throughout the season the great railway
stations are crowded every week with whole battalions of
the rank and file of the angling army.

It is, however, at the London, Brighton, and South Coast
Railway Station, and that at Liverpool Street, on the Great
Eastern Line, that the most extraordinary sight in
connection with the coarse fishermen of London is to
be seen on every Sunday morning.

It may be that mention of the selected day may offend
the " unco guid " section of polite society ; but it must be

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 445

remembered, as a set-off, that nine out of every ten of the
great crowd gathered round the Booking-Office window
are recruits from the still greater host of workers with bone,
muscle, thew and sinew, to whom loss of time during the
working hours of the week means not only loss of bread,
but perhaps the loss of some small delicacy to a sick and
ailing child. Thus it would seem particularly hard to
attempt restraint upon such men in the gratification of
their simple pleasures, nor is it by any means certain that
they do not imbibe far more real good through their vigil
by the river's side, than if they had donned the carefully saved
suit of go-to-meeting broadcloth, and dozed drowsily and
drouthily over a drawling, doctrinal dissertation, delivered
by a divine of the " Stiggins " type. Rest assured if
there be a sick baby, the little one is rarely forgotten, and
smoke-grimed Daddy, all the better and healthier in soul
and body for his twelve hours' rest from the roaring forge,
gathers her or him, as the case may be, a bonny bundle of
wild blossoms which he takes home with him as the top-
most layer of the cargo in his roach basket.

The approaches to either of the lungs of the great Wen
which I have spoken of, are indeed a wonderful sight.
Gathered there are pale-faced weavers from Spitalfields, with
flexible delicate fingers, cane-chair workers, with hard and
horny hands ; brawny, swart hammermen, and stout-limbed
big-muscled strikers, both of them probably from some
neighbouring foundry. Then there are dyers and curriers
with the stain of their calling set indelibly on their skins,
together with workers, perhaps from a white lead factory
with that tallowy, unhealthy complexion inseparable from
such a life of toil. Amongst these there are a few, but a
very few, smartly dressed clerks with their sweethearts,
and these probably eye the hundreds of fishermen wonder-

446 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

ingly as upon an introduction to a strange development of
human nature. Later on, this latter section of the holiday
throng will be found tea-drinking in shady Broxbourne ar-
bours, or watching the fisherman with a curiously developed
interest as he plys his delicate tackle. Look round carefully
through the ranks of thronging piscators, and any one may
see for himself that they are all anglers of one stamp. It is
curiously strange, but none the less strange than true, that
nine out of every ten of the anglers of London are all
wedded to the pursuit of roach fishing. Every man there
has a long i8-ft rod in its jean case, and with this is tied up
the handle of his landing net. His rod is invariably slung
across his shoulder, and dependent from the butt, and
resting on his broad back is the well-known basket or box
seat without which the true roach fisher never sets out.

It may perhaps be well at this point to consider why it
is that the modern rodster is apparently attached so much
to this particular branch of the sport. The answer is, that
it is at once the prettiest and most skilful branch of
angling in the world, as well as that which is most easily
attainable ; and to see such men at work on the Lea as
Hackett, Bates, Da Costa, or my old friend Tom Hughes,
whose show of fish at this exhibition is second to none,
in their particular style, or Theaker or Bailey upon the
Trent, is to see one branch at least of the true poetry and
craft of angling.

It will be impossible within the limits of time at my
command to enter fully into all the mysterious ramifications
attaching to many branches of the silent craft. One or
two of them however I must touch upon, and knowing that
roach-fishing is the most popular of all branches, I venture
to deal with that first.

Now at the outset I may tell you, gentlemen, who may

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 447

not, possibly, have seen roach fishermen at work on the
Lea, something about the manner in which they set to work.
In the first place, I think it might be well to consider the
rod, which is usually one of 18 feet in length, built of the
very best white Carolina or West Indian cane. The best rods
are invariably made as free as possible from burrs and knots,
the cane being specially picked for their manufacture. Stiff-
ness and pliability throughout their entire length is one
great thing which is always looked to, and yet they have
an immense amount of give and take in the very fine, yet
short, top joint, and the immediate connecting joint. That
is a very essential qualification in a rod devoted to the
special branch of angling with which I am dealing.
Previously, I think, to the famous match between Woodard,
the champion of London, and Bailey, an equally great
fisherman on the Trent, there was no such thing as real
thorough roach rods made at any time, or at any rate rods
made especially for roach-fishing, and specially with regard
to the habits of the fish. They were simply bamboo bottom
rods, and not half so much attention was given to their manu-
facture. But upon the occasion of this famous match, which
excited an immense amount of interest at the time, a great
impetus was given to that particular branch of the craft,
and for months and months nothing else was talked about
in London angling circles but roach-fishing and fishermen.
Directly following this leading affair, match followed match
amongst lesser luminaries of the angling world, and presently
a maker named Sowerbutts, of Commercial Street, brought out
a first class rod for roach-fishing, and he it was perhaps who
gained an enormous reputation as being the first man who
made roach rods in their present excellent form and finish.
There is no doubt he studied the particular play and style
of rod necessary for this kind of fishing. Then he was

448 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN TH£ GENTLE CRAFT.

followed, and imitated also, by a host of other makers, until
in the present day, and amongst such traders as Carter
and Sons of St. John Street Road, Alfred of Moorgate
Street, and last, but not least, a little maker I have known
something about lately, named Gold, of Waterloo Road, and
who I think makes as good a class of rod as it is possible
to obtain for this particular branch of fishing, there is
small appreciable difference to be found in the quality of
their manufactured goods. Generally, then, a rod for roach-
fishing should be lengthy yet full of equable spring —
tapered beautifully from the broad butt, built of the very
lightest white pine, to the slender cane and lance-wood top,
as light as possible in the hand, with no superfluous weight
attached in the shape of rings, or heavy metal fittings, and
altogether a perfect weapon suited for a very perfect
branch of the art of angling. I have no belief in general
all-round rods. A salmon rod should be a salmon rod and
nothing else, and a roach rod ought to be equally distinct.

I may now, perhaps, properly discuss the question of
roach lines, and I may also at this point premise that a
really good and skilful roach fisherman almost invariably
uses tight tackle. He seldom or never condescends to the
use of running tackle, save, it may be, by operators upon
the Trent. There has been a considerable controversy
during the last few years in the columns of the ' Fishing
Gazette,' and other sporting journals, with regard to the
advantages of gut over hair. For my own part I never
could see that there was any strikingly great advantage
derived from the use of hair in roach-fishing, and par-
ticularly when the chances were that one was likely to get
hold of a heavy chub or barbel in the same swim — save it
might be from the sportsmanlike desire to kill one's fish
with the lightest possible tackle. Therefore, I think a

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 449

nice round fine gut line is as good a tackle as one could
possibly use. Roach-floats are invariably made from either
quill or reed, and they are selected as a matter of course
with regard to the depth and character of the water which
it is intended to fish. Nicely shaped wooden floats are

favourites also, but, carrying little shot, they are only suit-

ij
able for swims of medium depth. There is a considerable

amount of difference in the manner in which the roach-float
is shotted, as against other floats used for other purposes.
For instance, it matters very little if the perch or chub-
float wants the completing shot to effect its perfect balance,
but the roach-float cannot possibly be shotted- too deeply
down, so long as the immediate tip of the float, which I
may explain is the top of the white quill and the cap,
swims steadily and nicely over the surface of the stream.
That is the very best character that a roach-float can
possibly assume. It should be shotted down to the point,
when three or four shot corns more, over and above the
weight of the bait itself, would assuredly swamp it.

I will now go to the question of baits. For roach-fishing
they are few in number and very simple, and without
touching upon the question of pearl barley, wheat, shrimps,
wasp grubs, silk weed, or any other of the many various baits
which kill at certain times, I think I may say that one of
the best kinds of bait one can possibly use, is a paste
made of stale crumb of bread just moistened, and worked
up in the palm of a cleanly hand. A very excellent paste
is likewise made of an arrowroot biscuit, from which the
outside brown crust has been scraped off, until the inner
and white interior only is left. Slightly moistened with
fair water, this biscuit works up into a capital white paste,
which is at times especially killing. Gentles, again, during
the winter time, are a capital all-round bait, and the same
VOL. III. — H. 2 G

450 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

may be said of the tail of a lob worm, or small red worm,
either in summer or winter, when floods have caused a rise in
the streams, and probably a course of coloured waters.
Ground bait, which is usually a very expensive matter in
various other methods of fishing, is in roach-fishing very
simple and inexpensive. The roach-fisher seldom uses
anything but a stiff paste made of bread and bran. He
soaks his bread over night, and in the morning squeezes
the surplus water away, and then adds to it a quantity
of bran, working it up in his hands, until he gets a stiff
paste as tough and hard as putty. He baits his swim with
pieces of this ground bait about as large as a pigeon's egg,
or a good sized walnut. That is quite sufficient for the
purpose of baiting a roach swim. On the Lea they have a
practice which I have found wonderfully good at times,
when roach are exceedingly shy, and when they will not
take a bait under any conditions, and that is this. When
these experienced operators have baited their hook with an
ordinary piece of paste or with gentles, they take a little
of this tough ground bait, and nip it immediately over the
two shots which are usually put on the bottom length of
hair or gut, about two inches above the hook. When the
float is thrown gently up-stream, the extra weight causes
it to sink, but the rodster lifts it carefully along until it
gradually reaches the point where the roach are supposed
to be lying. The whole way it comes down the stream,
this little bit of bread and bran keeps flaking small parti-
cles off along its downward track- This is especially
attractive to roach, and practice has frequently proved that
they will then feed a great deal better than they had been
doing previously, when the simple bait itself had been
floated time after time down the swim. Now, the roach is
a particularly quick and active fish in its habits. It follows

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 451

the bait down, and I believe sucks it in as it goes down
the stream, taking hold of it with the peculiarly shaped
prehensile upper lip. That upper lip of the roach is pre-
cisely like the hood of a perambulator. I believe those big,
aldermanic fellows, sly and wary as courtiers, cautiously pro-
trude their upper lip, and, hunger getting the better of them,
suck the bait in. But the instant they get the bait into
their mouths, and they detect that there is anything foreign
about it, that instant they reject it. That shows the im-
portance of the float being shotted down until the very
lowest depth of its floatability has been secured. You see
it will hardly bear one corn more shot, and when these
artful old roach follow the bait down-stream, when they
look at it even, to stretch one's imagination a little, much
less touch it, instantly the float gives way, and there is a
little sharp dip. Now, the good roach-fisherman is mar-
vellously quick in hooking his fish, and from start to finish
it is a bit of finished wrist-action entirely. He fishes with
this long 1 8-foot rod — which I have attempted to describe
to you — and it is curious and beautiful to see the accuracy
with which a crack roach-fisherman will hook fish after fish
with merely a little upward jerk of the wrist. The line is
very short ; indeed, from the point of the float to the top
of the rod, it is usually not more than a couple of feet in
length, and consequently, this short length being kept taut
throughout the float's downward journey, the slightest
upward stroke is sufficient to hook the wariest old roach,
so long as it is done at the proper moment of time. Miss
that moment, and one might just as well not strike at all.

There is a considerable difference between the various
styles adopted upon the three rivers, viz., the Lea, the
Thames, and the Trent That upon the Trent is called
" stret pegging " in some cases, " tight corking " in others,

2 G 2

452 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

and is always founded upon the midland fisherman's
excellent theory of fine and far off. It is questionable,
however, whether this is quite so good as the Lea style.
Roach-fishing on the Thames at any rate is practised from a
punt by fishing with a long light line and a short rod. The
punt angler on the Thames almost invariably uses running
tackle, but in the Lea and most other rivers I think the
best anglers use that class of tackle which experience
tells them is the most useful, viz., a long rod with a tight
line, and that I am well assured is the finest and most
artistic principle of roach-fishing.

Now, with regard to the rivers in which roach are found.
I think the finest roach I ever saw or heard of came
respectively from the Avon and Stour, one being a Dorset-
shire and the other a Hampshire river. The Lea, in days
gone by, was also a famous roach stream, although in later
years I think its angling capacities have not been quite so
good. There are also excellent roach in the Mole, a
beautifully quaint little stream, its banks teeming with
thoughtful associations with the works of dead and gone
poets, while the Colne also is a charmingly productive
stream whose fish are strikingly handsome specimens.

One word now upon swims, and then I will close this
branch of freshwater fishing.

It is likely enough to strike even the most unreflective mind,
that there should naturally be a great difference between
the swims selected for almost any class of fishing during the
heats of summer, and those picked out during the rigours of
the winter season. Some men there are, however, who never
learn. Others, who do, soon gather together the fact that
there is a considerable difference in the style of water which
should be selected by rodsters at various times of the year.
As a matter of fact, roach are ground-feeding fish, seldom

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 453

or never taking bait except on the bottom of the river. It
does not follow, however, that roach in the great heats of
the summer do not take flies and insects on the surface of
the river, because they will do so beyond all question. So
will they also take baits presented at mid-water, or off the
bottom, at times. They affect two different classes of water
during the summer and winter. Some of the best roach
swims in the more pleasant portion of the year are almost
invariably found near large beds of weeds, at sharp swims at
the tails of mill streams — not too sharp for the travel of an
ordinary roach-float — or where the water runs smartly with-
out too much stream by old camp-shedding. There the roach
will easily be found during the summer months. It is very
frequently the practice during those months, and particularly
during great heat seasons, when it is almost impossible to
catch fish on the bottom of the river, to fish for them by
means of dipping or daping with the live natural insect.
Then there is another very killing method called blow-line
fishing, That is effected in this way. The operator is
armed with a long, light, pliable rod, to which is attached a
line somewhat longer than the rod itself, made of floss silk.
The angler has his back to the wind, and having found out
where the fish are lying he waits for a breeze. His tackle
consists of a little length of the finest possible gut at the
end of a long length of floss silk. To the gut link is
attached a small hook which he baits with a natural grass-
hopper or blue-bottle fly. With the rod held aloft, the baited
hook in the left hand, he waits for a breeze. Presently
it conies and bellies the floss silk line out in a long grace-
ful curve which blows right over the water. He watches
his opportunity until it gets directly over where the roach are
possibly lying, and then, drops the baited hook gently as a
bit of thistle down on the surface. That is a very killing

454 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

method of taking roach when they will not by any means
take a bait at the bottom of the river. Regard being had
to the best time of the year for roach-fishing, the autumn,
and better still, the winter months occupy the post of
honour. I personally have had some of the very finest takes
of roach in the winter months that man ever had in this
world, and I remember upon one occasion when fishing in
the Hampshire Avon I took 75 Ibs. of heavy roach in
5 hours. I took them all with a tight line— not running
tackle— and using an 1 8-foot rod over a very heavy stream
of swirling water. I had some of the finest sport you can
possibly imagine. There is no time better in the world than
the winter time for roach-fishing. On a sharp, crisp morning,
when the trees and grass are frosted all over with hoar ;
when you hear the robin's notes whistling out bright and
clear, and the sooty rook's harsh caw sounds less strident,
then is the time to go roach-fishing.

I do not say the fish will feed very early in the morn-
ing, but when the sun gets up, the hoar begins to melt,
and there is a little softness in the ground, then the fish
begin to feed, and the deeper the selected swim consistent
with a fairly good convenience in fishing it, the better at
that period of the year. The fish are in the best condition ;
they are lusty, plump, and glowing with radiant colour. 1
know of no class of fish that makes a more thoroughly
good and handsome basket as the result of the angler's
toil, than a rattling good basket of roach.

BARBEL FISHING.

There is another highly popular branch of sport to which
the London angler is deeply attached, and that is barbel-
fishing. It is mostly practised on the Thames. I do not
say there are no barbel in the Lea, because I know there

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 455

are, and plenty of them, but as barbel-fishing is most
effectively carried out on the Thames, and is possibly better
understood on that river than on any other in the kingdom,
I shall confine my remarks chiefly to the practice there.

Now as to the qualities of my friend the barbel. We
have heard a great deal lately about the marvellous game-
ness of the black bass of America, and I have heard my
friends Mr. Wilmot and Dr. Honeyman expatiate upon
him at vast length, saying that there is no such fish in this
world for game qualities. I am perfectly prepared to
admit it, but I must insist that the barbel of the Thames
is an equally game fish, indeed I doubt very much whether
there is any fish which can possibly eclipse my old antag-
onist the Thames barbel. He is a wonderfully game fish ;
you can never call him dead until he is absolutely in your
landing net. I can tell you, gentlemen, that when I have
had a big barbel " hang on," to use a fisherman's slang, in a
heavy weir stream, the sport has been comparable to the
best fighting salmon I ever hooked in my life or ever saw
hooked, considering the relative difference in the tackle
used. There is a considerable difference between the
style of barbel-fishing on the Trent and on the Thames,
and these are the two principal rivers where barbel are
fished for in the present day. The Trent fisherman
almost invariably fishes with float tackles, the Thames
fisherman with a leger. The difference is still greater
when you listen to the conditions on which success is said
to depend. The Trent fisherman tells you that unless the
river is low and exceedingly bright there is no possible
chance of catching barbel at all. The Thames fisherman,
and I take it upon myself to say he is right, will tell
you that you rarely get fish in the Thames unless the
water is high and thick. The higher the water, and the

456 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

thicker the water is, short of anything like the thickest
" pea soup " condition, the better, I think, is your chance
of getting barbel. The difference between the two styles
can be easily understood, because they are so totally and
distinctly opposite. The Trent fisherman fishes with a
float, and consequently he wants low and bright water, so
that the fish for which he is angling may see the bait
and follow it down the stream. The Thames fisherman,
knowing perfectly well that the barbel, not only being a
gregarious fish swimming in shoals, but also being an
essentially ground-feeding fish, feeds his fish up to a
certain point, and then fishes for them with tackle which
lies at the bottom of the river. I am not prepared to say
that the Trent fisherman is not as good a man as it is pos-
sible to conceive, but I certainly think that taking the best
samples of the two men, and pitting them one against the
other upon the two rivers, and each fishing in his own style,
that the Thames fisherman will invariably beat the Trent
man, because after all that is said and done barbel are barbel
all the world over, and their habits are precisely similar.

Now in the selection of swims for barbel in the early
part of the summer I should prefer sharps and good scours,
because there the fish are lying beyond all question.
They are freeing themselves from parasites, cleansing
themselves from spawning operations, and there they will
occasionally feed, and you will always find them in three
or four feet of water. There is no reason why, in such
a depth as that, excellent fish should not lie. I have
over and over again seen them of eight and ten pounds in
such situations equally as well as in deeper water. As the
summer progresses and the autumn season comes on,
they shift down bit by bit into the lower waters, and get
into heavy runs under projecting clay banks or close in to

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 457

deep swims protected by camp shedding. I do not
know that I can pick out a better sample of such a bank
than the one well known to all Thames fishermen, called
the " High bank " at Sonning. There the water runs in a
very heavy stream indeed. The banks are hollowed and
scoured out, presenting harbours of refuge to the fish ;
and during the autumn period and that of approaching
winter, heavy barbel lie under those banks for shelter,
and consequently it is a capital place to angle for them.

Now there is an immense difference between the bite of
a barbel when he really means business and the reverse.
Occasionally it so happens that when a barbel swim has
been well baited, and the proper length of time has been
allowed for the fish to recover after a heavy dose of baiting,
before the work of the angler commences, your barbel,
when he does feed, makes so little mistake about it that
there is very little trouble to the angler. Then one gets
the poetry of angling so far as barbel are concerned ; but
on the contrary, now and again, they feed in the most
curious and perverse manner In speaking of hook bait-
ing on the Thames, the general practice is as follows : the
fisherman takes a worm, dips it into a basin of sand, rolls it
up, takes a big white Carlisle hook, puts it in at the head,
and threadles that unhappy worm right up the whole
shank of the hook. Thus the unfortunate worm is pierced
clean through by the hook from end to end, leaving just a
little bit of the tail wriggling at the extreme point of the
hook. Now that bait being thrown into the stream upon
ledger tackle, and when barbel are feeding, they will take it
like a shot. Sometimes I think my friend would take a
boot-jack. He seizes hold of the bait, and there can be no
mistake about the fact of his bite, because he frequently
pulls the rod clean down to the water. On the other hand,

458 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

he does nothing of the kind. I have frequently heard
Thames fishermen say to one another, " Have you had any
sport to-day," and shaking their heads mournfully they
say, " No, but those confounded dace have been nibbling at
the bait all day long." But the nibbling probably arose
from a totally different source, and it has been barbel
biting when they were in that capricious mood I just spoke
of, and when they only bite very gently and tenderly.
Now I have a little bit of a dodge by means of which I have
tried to find out the weak points of a barbel when he has
been in that particularly low-spirited condition with regard
to feeding. Instead of completely spoiling my worm by the
process of threadling previously spoken of, I take a perch-
hook, No. 8 or 9, and then a lob worm, and pop the hook
right through the middle. I just nick it through the
middle of the worm, and leave the two ends of the worm to
work about. Now if you compare the action of those
worms in a basin of water, the one being threadled right up
the gut with only a little atom of lively flesh at the end of
his tail, and my worm with two small punctures only made
in his flesh while the rest is wriggling and curling most
deliciously, I think you will agree with me that if the fish be
delicate and refined in his taste with regard to worms, there
can be little doubt which of the two he would be likely to
prefer. I venture to think he would take mine. The
Thames fisherman also, when legering, throws out the bullet
and turns the rod sideways at a distinct angle, so that when
the fish bites he pulls the rod right down. Well, a child
even could hook him then, but sometimes, when they are
not feeding, the little resistance that is offered by the rod
frightens them and they are off. Now I hold my rod and
bait somewhat differently. Having put the worm on I
throw out the bullet, and feeling it strike the bottom I lift

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

459

it up, and draw it towards me so as to get the gut bottom
taut, and then drop it very gently and wind up with a swift-
actioned Nottingham reel. This being done, I next turn the
point of the rod so that its extreme top indicates the precise
spot where the bullet lies, and place the smallest possible
amount of tension on the reel, just so much only as to
prevent the stream taking the line off. Consequently, when
a barbel takes the worm I feel the slightest little touch
and release my ringer so that the line may run freely.
Thus I let him take the worm, and he on his part feels
no resistance whatever. Away he goes with it, and then
he usually gets pepper, and it is cayenne of the first order.
A great consideration in connection with barbel-fishing is
baiting your swim, and upon that depends the whole of the
after success. I frequently hear of men who go down to
fish the Thames, and in really good localities, where there
are plenty of fish, putting in a quantity of bait over night,
fishing the swim early the next morning, and the next day
going home disgusted. A brother fisherman says, " Well,
Jones, did you have any sport ? " he says, " Not an atom ; I
put in 5,000 worms on the swim, and I never caught a fish."
Why is that ? Well, the answer is, because in nine cases out
of ten a thoughtless angler puts his worms in at night, and
he fishes over them the next morning. The consequence is,
there is a herd of barbel inhabiting that particular section
of the stream, they have all fed on those worms, and are in
precisely the same position as a London alderman would
be, if, after having just swallowed a huge dose of turtle-soup
and venison somebody offered him a fat pork chop. You
may put 5,000 or even 10,000 worms on to a barbel swim —
I do not care how many there are — and allow the fish
sufficient time to recover their appetites, say 25 to 30 hours
afterwards, and then most certainly will you get fish, unless

460 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

there is some peculiar circumstance in connection with the
temperature of the air, or water, or electrical disturbances,
or anything of that kind which prevents the fish feeding. I
could give a curious illustration of that. I once went to
fish at Mr. Worthington's weir at Sonning. I put into a
barbel swim there 28 quarts of lob worms. I think there
were nearly three slop pails full. I fished there 24 hours
afterwards ; and I may add that at that time I was the
angling editor of 'Bell's Life,' and my racing chief, Mr. Henry
Smurthwaite, known to every racing man under his nom de
plume of " Bleys," was with me. The result of the day's
fishing, after giving the barbel a really good rest after
baiting, was for the two rods something like three cwt of
fish, besides some large trout and perch. I should add,
however, that out of the three cwt. we only brought ten
fish home, the rest being turned back into the river. Now
for a few words of practical instruction.

The best known methods of capturing this essentially
sporting fish are three in number, to wit — with the leger,
float and clay-ball. Practice with the float may be divided
into what is known as " tight " or " long corking," and
fishing with the " slider "—the latter, certainly, a capital
style to adopt, when deep and varying runs of water have
to be attempted. I propose, therefore, to deal with the
subject matter of this part of my paper in the order named
at its head, making my chief point the leger. The rod used
— an important item, — should, in my opinion, for convenient
fishing never exceed 12, or at most 14 feet in length ; for
as this sport is usually pursued by its votaries from the
medium of a punt or boat, as affording the readiest
opportunity of reaching known haunts of the fish under
notice, a rod of this length will be found far more handy
and useful in a cramped space than one of greater length. .

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 461

Its material is the next consideration, and, after trying rods
manufactured from a variety of woods, I can find none so
reliable and lasting as one of good sound cane, such as
can be obtained to perfection from my friend Alfred, of
Moorgate Street, himself a good and practical fisher, and
hence a good man to apply to. The joints should be
perfectly straight, free from flaw, and the less knots in
them the better, the ferrules strong and well fitted, the
rings upright, as a matter of course, thus allowing the
line to run freely, when thrown out from the winch ; and
with regard to the action or " play " of the rod, it should
neither be too stiff nor too supple. If it is very stiff it does
not show by the "niggle" at the point of the top-joint,
a process most popular in use, when the fish is attacking
the bait, or at any rate, if they are feeding badly, the best
moment at which to strike. If it is too supple, the quick
stroke of the wrist necessary in driving the steel home into
our tough-nosed friend's snout is frequently lost through
the action being diffused too slowly through the elasticities
of the weapon in use. The rod, therefore, should be fairly
stiff, with a fine top, a trifle stouter than a roach top, yet
with an amount of bend and give-and-take work about it
as will aid the hand, wrist, and reel, in killing a good fish,
should the angler be so fortunate as to get hold of one.
The best advice that I can offer to a tyro in the selection of
a rod is this — in buying your rod go to such men as Alfred
of Moorgate Street, Gowland of Crooked Lane, Bowness
and Farlow of the Strand, or Carter of St. John Street Road.
Tell them exactly what you want, pay a good price at the
outset, and the probabilities are that you will get a tool
that with careful usage will last a lifetime. While upon
the subject of rods I may mention, perhaps with advantage
to my readers, the excellent rods that are to be obtained

462 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

from many of the well-known Nottingham tackle manufac-
turers, and no one does them better than Wells, of Sussex
Street, Nottingham. They are made of deal, beautifully
balanced, well whipped and ringed, with substantial fittings,
and for float work a man can have no better rod in his
hands. For legering, however, they are a bit too " kittle,"
and from the frail nature of the material employed in their
manufacture it is obvious that at the best of times they
require a delicate hand, and an absence of anything like
pully-hauly business. Otherwise a smash is about as
likely to ensue as an explosion if one dropped a hot coal
into a barrel of powder. In the hands of a workman these
rods are simply perfection for floating, and so beautifully
light that the longest day never tires. And now as to the
winch, another important auxiliary. Wooden pirns, or
Nottingham winches as they are more generally called, as
well as those made of vulcanite, are so thoroughly well
made, and so cheaply put together nowadays, that no one
would dream of using any of the old-fashioned brass
furniture that formerly pertained to the rod. Reels can
now be had combining two actions, the one being the free,
easy run, so necessary to the practice of float-fishing with a
long run down-stream, the other, a check action, obtained
by simply pressing a spring on the reverse side of the
handles, which impels a little catch downwards, the point
of the bolt-shaped catch nicking into the cogs of a wheel
fitted upon the centre pin, thus obtaining the most perfect
check. Pressure backwards upon the spring relieves the
cog wheel, and the winch then runs upon its centre pin
with the velocity of " greased lightning." Such a winch as
this is the best that can be used, the only drawback being
— and of course there must be something — is that if it be
manufactured from wood and one gets out on a soaking

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 463

day, the inner rim will swell with the wet, causing the
winch to clog. I have once or twice experienced the
misfortune of a " strike " on my colleague, the reel's part,
brought about under watery conditions of weather, and that
too at a time when the fish were, to use an angler's slang,
"mad on" — a concurrence of circumstances not to be
devoutly wished. It has struck me that an edge of
very thin metal fitted upon the rim of the inner wheel
would entirely obviate this only defect in an otherwise
perfect winch. A twisted silk line is good, but a plaited
line is far better ; I would advise anglers, therefore, always
to choose the latter. Twisted lines, unless the angler is an
adept at throwing from the reel, of which more anon, kink
abominably after they once become wet, and I leave it to
my reader's own mind to picture the misery of a man who
gets some 25 or 30 yards of line in a fearful "boggle"
about twice out of three times in his attempts to throw
out to a spot where the fish are taking the bait. With
a plaited line it is different ; and even if the angler cannot
throw from the reel — a little performance that requires
some practice before perfection is attained — he has only to
be fairly careful and see that his coils of line are free and
clear of any obstruction in the shape of twigs or stiff blades
of grass if upon the bank, or the toes of his boots, or the
chair legs in a punt. At the time of throwing out also,
dispense with anything like a jerk when impelling the bullet
to its desired destination, thus securing the ultimatum of your
happiness — to wit, the free running of the line through the
rings, without any tangle, or the annoyance of finding the
fine line linked well round one of them, and the bullet and
leger bottom flying away through space by itself, broken
away from the line by the impetus of the throw, and the
sudden check caused by the link aforesaid. Supposing, then,

464 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

that a plaited line has been selected, I would have 100 yards
of it at least on the reel for legering, and for this reason.
Careful as one may be, a fine line always rots and frets more
or less with hard work, and it is always advisable before com-
mencing a day's campaign against such an undoubted hard
puller as your barbel, to see that the line is in good condition.
If it is not, break it away in lengths of a yard at a time,
until it will stand the test of a strong, steady pull. Thus 100
yards will not be too much. Consistently with the requisite
strength that is required, the line cannot be too fine, for it
should be remembered, that the finer the line the less effect
the stream has upon it, and the less weight will be required
to keep it at the bottom. Thus it will be sufficiently
patent to every rodster that the smaller the bullet used, if
one can only make certain of its being upon the bottom, the
more readily will the bite of the fish be distinguished, and
the more likely is one to kill a large one with a light bullet
that can be held taut above him, than with a heavy one,
which must cause a certain amount of bend or "sag " in the
line when the fish is struck and pounding away for liberty.
While upon the subject of lines, and before dismissing it, I
may, perhaps, add a few words upon their preservation.
Nothing ruins a line, no matter how good it may be, so
much as allowing it to remain on the reel for any length
of time after use, and a capital adjunct to the angler's
equipment will be a light wooden winder, say a foot square,
that fits closely and neatly to the side of the basket On
this the line should be wound off the reel, but not in lengths
overlapping each other, directly the sport of the day is over,
and care should be taken that a few yards more than the
quantity that has actually been in use be unwound from the
reel and well dried, to provide for the great probability of
the wet having soaked down amongst the silk that has

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 465

been unwound during the day. When the line is thoroughly
dry it may be advantageously dressed with the following
preparation — as good and simple as can be used, keeping
it thoroughly supple, and aiding it in water-resisting power
— Take a bit of the best bees-wax that can be got, say of
the size of a walnut, and a piece of the hard fat from the
exterior of the sheep's kidneys, of about the same size, and
melt them up together, giving the mixture frequent stirs
with a stick, so as to assimilate the two substances
thoroughly. When it is cold and hard, give the line a rub
or two with this preparation every time it is used, and it will
be found an excellent preserver of the most delicate lines.
Leger bottoms should be selected from round, stout gut.
Finer, of course, should be in the tackle book for use if the
water is very bright, and each should be a yard in length.
I have found nothing so good in the shape of colour as gut
dyed of a light sorrel hue. I cannot help thinking that
gut of this colour is less likely to be distinguished by the
watchful, wary eye of a shy feeding fish, when lying on a
sandy, gravelly bottom, than the blue gut, although I am
aware that some of our best barbel-fishers pin their faith
to the latter colour, and allow nothing to shake their
allegiance. For my part, and having killed some barbel in
my time, and at all seasons, I have found the sorrel gut
giving better results than anything else. The proof of
the pudding, therefore, being in the eating, I have only
to add that white gut is an utter abomination. In "tit-
ting up the leger bottom, I use a length of the very finest
stained, gimp, of a yard in length, with a small bored
shot fixed firmly upon it at the lower end, where the
gut joins — this gimp being for the bullet to work upon, as*
I have found, over and over again, that the chafing of the
bullet upon the fine silk line has caused a large amount
VOL. III.— H. 2 H

466 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

of wear and tear, and losses of good fish, from the silk
breaking exactly at the spot where the bullet worked upon
it. Such experience caused me long ago to alter my
tactics, and, if the gimp is selected fine enough — and it
can be got nearly as fine as stout gut — and it is used with
a yard of gut below it, it will not operate against the
angler's success if the fish are feeding at all. If they don't
feed, nothing on earth will make them. Hooks for leger-
ing, at any rate for lob-worm fishing, should be long in the
shank, stout in the wire, and not too broad at the bend ; they
are sold at all respectable tackle shops now, with a small
silk loop whipped on the shank in lieu of the usual length of
gut, and are far preferable, doing away with the chance of the
hook link being weaker than the gut bottom — and, again,
a quantity can be carried without the chance of getting the
gut links tangled and warped, a state of things frequently
happening no matter how careful a man may be.

Perhaps the best hook in use at present amongst barbel-
fishers is one made by Messrs. Allcock of Redditch, an
eminent manufacturing firm, and called "The Wheeldon
Barbel Hook." It is a white Carlisle and has a small wire
loop at the top of the shank, on which it is only necessary
to loop the gut bottom.

Although my paper is entitled " On Modern Fishing other
than Trout and Salmon," I can hardly, in dealing with the
Thames, leave the question of trout-spinning entirely out,
because it is a question so strongly applicable to the
Thames, and to no other river ; therefore, I feel I must say
half-a-dozen words even at the risk of tiring you. I think
we ought, as English anglers, to feel very proud of our
great home river, and of the quantity and calibre of the
fish which inhabit it. I doubt very much if our friends
from America or New Zealand, or any other place you like

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 467

to mention, can bring forward more magnificent trout than
have been taken in the Thames within the last few years.
The Kennet again is swarming with trout, and as for size,
I have only to point to some examples in the Exhibition.
I think Lord Craven has taken trout in the Kennet up to
20 Ibs. in weight, and two years ago a trout was taken in
the Kennet behind Messrs. Huntley and Palmer's biscuit
factory close upon 17 Ibs. Neither is that an isolated
instance, because within the last Thames trout season an
old friend of mine, Mr. Ross-Faulkner, took a trout at
Hampton Court Weir 14 Ibs. 15 oz., and that is almost
within the sound of the omnibuses and cabs rattling through
Oxford Street. Other anglers have had splendid samples
from the Thames. I might mention the names of Messrs.
Allard, Hughes and Pugh amongst them, all of whom are
showing grand trout at this Exhibition. I think it redounds
very greatly to their credit as anglers to have caught such
splendid trout. Again, Mr. Forbes, of Chertsey, a gentle-
man I have the honour to know, has perhaps the most
magnificent collection of Thames trout that any man ever
saw. With regard to trout-fishing there is a considerable
amount of judgment necessary in approaching the locality
that a trout inhabits. In the early part of the year you
find trout on the scours near where they spawn, and they
do not move up to the weirs, where they are more fre-
quently caught, until the warm weather induces them to do
so. As soon as hot weather sets in, you invariably find
that trout follow the stream up further and further, getting
at last to the heads of the big Thames weirs. There is a
considerable amount of precaution necessary in approaching
a weir. If a man goes to a weir-head where the foot-walk
goes across from side to side, with a great sixteen-foot rod in
his hand, and looks over the head of the weir where usually

2 H 2

468 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

the trout are in the habit of lying, what is the consequence ?
Away goes your fish. Thus I may perhaps, hint at the
best style to adopt under the circumstances.

To my notion a man wants two rods, so as to make his
kit thoroughly complete, and so far as spinning pure and
simple is concerned, I propose to speak of that branch of
trout angling first, thus giving it the preference over live
baiting. Not because I have fallen into the hypocritical
groove which obtains in angling circles, and which enables
certain very virtuous gentlemen to denounce live-baiting
publicly, while they follow it up on every possible occasion
in private ; nor from the conviction that spinning is neces-
sarily the purest and most sportsmanlike method of angling
for large trout.

But why two rods ? Well, I will give you my reasons.
In punt fishing, or spinning from a boat, a long rod is often
sadly in the way, and in the course of a day's casting to
either side while working down a likely-looking reach where
it is known fish lie, will tire and strain even a very stout
arm indeed, quite as much as in a day's salmon casting,
take my word for it. For such work, therefore, commend
me to a rod lightly yet strongly made of sound unblemished
mottled cane, 12 feet in length, with plenty of spring and
play in it from butt to point, and fitted with the very best
ring that ever was invented for casting or throwing purposes,
viz., that brought out by Gregory of Birmingham, and at
present fitted to most of the rods turned out by the
celebrated firm of Allcock of Redditch. It is a perfectly
simple appliance, being an arched wire whipped on at either
side. The ring itself is firmly soldered into the centre of
the arch ; but it is absolutely out of even a careless angler's
power to engender such an awful possibility as a kink, and
that alone should be a sufficient guarantee of its worth to

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 469

any one who has either lost, or who can imagine for one
moment the diabolical and horrific grief and misery of losing,
a good trout by such an unlooked-for and apparently
impossible contingency.

In weir spinning the condition of things is altogether
different. Here, not only is it sometimes necessary to fish at
a considerable distance below one's standpoint, but a very
large scope of water, every inch of it looking capable and
likely ground, has to be covered. For this, therefore, give
me a sixteen foot rod, pliable and springy, so that by the
mere motion of the top joint alone I can keep my bait
revolving smartly without taking up more than an inch or
two at a time of the line.

Traces, flights and baits should have each a separate
place. In connection with the first and second of these, two
very necessary items, the greatest possible care should be
used in the matter of their selection, for it is mainly upon
their delicacy, accurate work, and powers of successful
resistance to the plunging of a big and powerful fish, that
the issue of the battle lies. Colour, likewise, is a great
point, therefore principally choose, for trout spinning at 'any
rate, gut of a pale smoky blue-green, if such a colour exists, a
matter I am by no means certain about, and next see that
it is correct and clear to the eye, free from white specks, or
from knotty excrescences to the touch. Then if you have
sufficient ability, and will take my advice, make your traces
yourself. If not, you will not be far out by leaving them in
the hands of such men as Alfred, Farlow, or Gowland.

But in their manufacture, whether it may be done at
home or abroad, either carry out, or leave, positive instruc-
tions, that from top to bottom of the trace there shall not be
one atom of binding in it. It is this very thing that in nine
cases out of ten has been responsible for the loss of a good

470 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

fish. " Godfrey Daniel ! " says the fisherman, after seeing
a grand fish just hooked fling himself clean out of the water
and go with lightning-like speed down the run. " Godfrey
Daniel ! what a beauty ! " Then ensues a splendid run
for twenty yards, when a man's heart thumps painfully —
absolutely painfully — at the bare notion of such a glorious
creature becoming his own in due and proper time, and one
vows " by our lady " that he shall be played as carefully,
and with as gentle touch as one approaches the dear partner
of one's bosom at that awful period when she's sulking for
a new bonnet and can't have it. Hands up! There's
another fling out of the water, and old brown-faced and
horny-handed Tom Davis says excitedly and hoarsely,
" Drop point on ye're rod, sir — smart, now ! " and you
instinctively do it as matter of course. Gone ? Impos-
sible ! But it is so, and there's no getting away from it,
and presently you see your own once fondly hoped-for trout
leap a hundred yards in the stream below you, in the vain
attempt to get rid of the half-yard of gut hanging from his
jaws and the stinging triangles in his soft fleshy mouth.
" Ah, gone at a bit o' binding," says old Tom ruefully at
your elbow, surveying the broken trace. " Thowt so ; I
did by gum ! It's they blessed careless coves at the shops
as is to blame for half the trout as is lost ; " and I entirely
endorse old Tom's imaginary opinion. Therefore not a
scrap of binding, if you please. It is just as easy to make
small loops for the swivels, and after putting the loop
through (the gut being well wetted previously), to draw them
tight ; and in the long run it is ten times more reliable, take
my word for it. Now as to swivels and the length of the
trace.

I sometimes tumble across trout-fishers up the Thames
who are spinning a weir with three-quarters of a yard of gut

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 47 1

(and that very coarse), three large jack swivels, and a great
ugly lead, heavy and coarse enough for the coarsest and
roughest pike fishing in private waters, where sharpset fish
will often run at anything. For my own part, and knowing
that if there is one fish which is especially more wide-
awake and cunning than another it is an old wary Thames
trout — I always start on the war-path as well and carefully
armed as a man can be. I don't mean to assert, mind, as
a fact, that the angler with coarse tackle never gets a fish.
On the contrary, there is nothing so likely, supposing he
knows from observation exactly where a trout feeds — and
they feed day after day in the same spot to the fraction of
a foot — that if he goes at early morning, before the weir
has been disturbed by any of its paddles being drawn, and
cautiously drops a biggish bait which spins well exactly
over his lovely mottled nose, but that he will dash at it
without an instant's reflection. That's when he is dead
hungry, and then any fool can catch him. But only let
him have a " bit in hand ; " let him have, say, two or
three bleak or dace down his throttle, just to take the
sharp edge of the morning off, and rely upon it, it's the artist
then, and not the chance man, that gets him even to look
at a bait at all.

Thus I like a fine gut trace of full a yard and a quarter
long, the lead so placed that it is a yard of trace length,
and the length of the flight-link itself from the bait, and
with at least five small, well made, well oiled swivels, and
one double one, all set below the lead. There is no
necessity for any above it ; the lead is not intended
to spin, and all the motion, therefore, should be below
it. The more there is, and the freer it is, the less likeli-
hood of a kink or snarl in the line. For the lead itself,
nothing, in my opinion, beats the " Field lead," when

472 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

mounted on an inch or two of very fine gimp, and next to
that is a very good one brought out by the editor of the
1 Fishing Gazette/

As to the flight, after trying them all, I come to the
conclusion that there is nothing better, perhaps, than the
simple old Thames flight, with four sets of small stout wire
triangles and a single liphook. The liphook is the main
trouble, because, do what one will, or act as carefully as
one will with it, there is always more or less charing. I
tried the liphook bound upon a short slip of starling's wing
quill, the gut passing through the interior of the quill, and
this answered well— for a time. Afterwards, as the gut
and quill both swelled with the wet, it became simply
immovable, and necessitated each fresh bait being of pre-
cisely similar size to its predecessor. Then I went back to
the old-fashioned hook, with a single small loop of gut tied
on the tip of the shank. This loop permits the hook to fly
loose up and down the gut link, but when it is in use, and
the gut thoroughly wet, a very efficient "bite" is obtained
by simply lapping the gut carefully and systematically
round the shank, until the liphook fits accurately to its
place at the nose of the bait

It is by no means easy to describe baiting theoretically.
More may be learned by watching the operations of a really
good Thames fisherman for an hour, than by all the pen-
and-ink teachings in the world. However, practice, based
upon a fairly good theory, may accomplish great things, so
that, having first selected a clean silvery bleak — perhaps
the best of all bait for a big trout, and particularly for a
spinning flight — wet your fingers and hands thoroughly
before handling the little fish, with a view to saving as
much as possible of his brilliant silvery armour. Then
nick one of the hooks of the bottom triangle exactly through

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 473

the fleshy root of the tail, and precisely at the angle of the
fork. That establishes a firm hold, and then, taking the
lateral line as a guide, carefully fit in hook after hook
upwards, towards the head, taking care that you bruise not
nor tear the delicate skin, finishing off at the top triangle,
which should fit nearly at the root but slightly above the
pectoral fin. Draw back the liphook, hanging loose on its
wet gut, measure off say half an inch for lapping, twist it
carefully up until the bend of the hook touches the lips of
the bait, and equally carefully put the hook through the
very centre of the gristle of both lips. If it hangs straight
as a die, with only a gentle curve at the tail, it will spin so
as to kill a Thames trout, and if it don't, it won't ; so there
you are, don't you know !

I do not like artificial baits, although I don't say that
they will not kill at times. But those times are, in my
opinion, and in the majority of cases, just the same as
when the short trace, coarse gut angler gets a run. Even
here I must make an exception in favour of one bait, and
only one, and that is the * Bell's Life ' spinner, made and
sold by Alfred & Son, of Moorgate Street. This is simply
a really good bait, beyond all shadow of doubt, and both
in the Thames and other rivers has proved its unquestion-
able excellence and killing powers over and over again. As
an instance, I may place it on record that on the 2?th of
April, 1880 — the first season, I fancy, in which they came
into general use, and on a bitter cold day to boot — H. P.
Hughes, Esq., caught at Shepperton Weir a brace of
splendid Thames trout, weighing respectively 9 Ibs. and
7 J Ibs. In each case the trout had completely gorged the
bait, taking it so thoroughly into the mouth that it required
the assistance of scissors before the hooks could be cut
away. A very great deal, however, of the excellence of

474 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

these baits consists in the exact angle at which the tail is
bent They are sold, I fancy, with the tails fashioned
sheer across, and this won't spin, or anything approaching
it. The tail should be bent slightly over with the thumb
and ringers of the right hand until it assumes a very gentle
downward sweep or angle from slightly below the point or
root of the dorsal fin to about the line of the ventral fin, or
where the ventral fin should be. With this bait I have
killed many good fish, both in the Thames and Kennet, a
few years ago, and I shall try them again with certainly
renewed confidence.

In casting, I think nothing will beat the good old-
fashioned Thames plan, of holding a coil of line in the left
hand, and throwing from that, save it may be that the
stream is sufficiently heavy and strong to permit the use of
a heavy lead, and then one can throw from the reel — best
plan of all. In any event, have no loose line about either
the bottom of the punt, or on your knees, if sitting on the
weir beam with your legs dangling over in space. The end, in
the event of a run, may be summed up in one sentence, viz.,
total loss of temper, and the continued and frequent use
of a word which distinguishes say the mother of a thorough-
bred foal, for the rest of that day on every possible or
impossible opportunity. Remember that the least possible
movement of the bait is sufficient. Do not let it remain
stationary, or spinning in one position long together,
because to the discriminating eye of an old and judiciously
educated trout, particularly of the order Triitta Tamesis,
such a course of procedure would look odd, to say the least
of it. Rather work it slowly and very gently in and out
and round about every little eddy and curl, and quickly
across those dark, oily-looking patches between foamy
runs.

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 475

I approach the subject of live-baiting in fear and
trembling, because I am half afraid that its very mention
may bring a hurricane about my devoted head, and heaven
knows, having had some experience of married life, I don't
want that. Still, I know full well that there are scores of
people ready to howl indignantly and defiantly against
any one even breathing a word about live-baiting in
connection with Thames trout-fishing, yet who are the very
first to put it in practice when they are clear of the lens of
public scrutiny. I live-bait myself, and shall continue to
do so, for three very good and sufficient reasons. In the
first place I beg to assert that there is ten times more real
skill and science displayed in killing a good trout with my
live-bait tackle than with all the spinning tackle in the
world, because it is fifty times at least more delicate and
fragile. In the second place, because, in spite of lamenta-
tions with upheld, shocked, and horrified hands, by sundry
virtuous and " unco guid " howlers, I fail utterly and
entirely to see anything unsportsmanlike in it ; and, for the
third, and perhaps most important of all, because I know
perfectly well that, good as my chances are in a weir or
rough stream with spinning bait, in wide, open, still reaches
such as the very biggest trout lie in nowadays, it is at least
twenty to one on the live-bait tackle as against that for
spinning. Aye, and there is yet another reason, and that
not the least of them either. Wherever it is known that a
big trout feeds — and there is not a trout in the Thames
whose home is not spotted to the fraction of an inch — there
sits day after day either a professional fisherman with a
customer, or without one — it is quite immaterial which, in
the majority of cases — or some riverside loafer, whose only
mission is to catch that trout by hook or by crook — crook
preferred — and straightway convert his bones and body

476 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

into beer and " bacca." Now, why should I, whose trout-
fishing, cut it as fine as may be, costs at least a pound a
day on the Thames, run less chance possibly than the very
man who writes to tell me of a trout in such-and-such a
place, and who very likely has run him, pricked him hard,
or in some few cases absolutely caught him and sold him
the day before ; or of the individual who values the
splendid fish by just so many pots of beer and no more,
who knocks him ruthlessly on the head, in or out of
condition, and who has been at him morning, noon, and
night from the first peep o' day on the opening of the
season ?

Now here's the pattern of my tackle, any one is welcome
to it, and if there be any who in time to come can tell me
they have killed a ten-pounder on it fairly and squarely,
no one will say more heartily — " Here's t' thee, my lad,
and more power to your elbow," than he who pens these
lines. First for the rod. It is a little 1 2-foot Nottingham
barbel rod, made of deal, with a lancewood top, light,
springy and handy. My reel is a wooden one, holding
200 yards of very fine silk, such as would be used for
chubbing with pith and brains, or with cheese in the autumn
and winter months. I have a bottom of three yards of
finest gut — a very fine tapered fly cast is best — with, at
the extremity, two small fine-wired perch hooks bound on
the bottom strand, the lower two inches from the upper.
One shot only — size No. 3 — is put on the gut — 4 ft. from
the bait, so as to steady it in the stream. Just above the
gut, and on the silk running line, is a bit of pear-shaped
cork as big as a barbel bullet, sufficient only to buoy the
line in a slight degree. On the upper of the two hooks is
liphooked a live bleak ; the other hook flies loose, or, as I
fancy, clings to the side of the little bait. If you can find

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 477

and kill a big trout with this — fairly and squarely, mind,
taking all the chances of submerged roots, boughs of
trees, weed-beds or sunken piles — never mind anybody
growling, but tell them to go and do likewise. There is
not one in twenty who can, you bet.

PIKE FISHING (SPINNING).

I may now perhaps give you my ideas with reference to
pike-fishing, and in the first place I think that a pike-
fisher's equipment should, with regard to rods, consist of
two — one being kept solely for spinning. This rod, being
not more than 12 to 14 feet in length, is built so as to
be more limber, and consequently has more " spring " in it
than the other, which may be kept for paternoster work,
trolling upon rare occasions, and live-baiting. A stiff rod
for spinning — to my mind the most artistic method that
can be adopted — is simply comparatively useless. The
top, and indeed the rod generally, should give freely to
the upward sweep of the arm when throwing, the rod
being held tightly and easily in the right hand, while the
butt is planted firmly in the hollow of the groin. Thus it
materially helps in the direction to be obtained, and the
length of the cast. Having a solid butt (which I prefer to
a hollow one), the rod may yet be obtained as light and
handy as is consistent with the work in hand ; and any of
the well-known London makers may be thoroughly de-
pended on for workmanship. Upright or standing rings, as
a matter of course, are a sine qua non; without them it is im-
possible to throw to any distance without the line " kinking "
and knotting up in a horrible tangle — perhaps the most
annoying thing of all on a cold day, and when fish are
feeding. The line used for spinning should be 60 or 70

478 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

yards in length, not too thick, thoroughly waterproofed, and
well made and substantial in quality and strength ; for it
must be borne in mind, that it has to undergo more friction
in the length used for casting than any other running line.
The length named will be found amply sufficient for
ordinary waters, such as the Thames or Trent, where the
fish taken are usually of the ordinary size, though were I
fishing some of the Irish lakes, or the private inland waters
of England, where the fish have the reputation of being
monstors, I should perhaps take care to have a bit more
on the reel. The winch to be used is really very much a
matter of fancy, although, for my own part, I prefer the
plain wooden Nottingham reel to any other, for its ease in
manipulation, and the rapidity with which one can reel up
slack line. A reel I have lately seen, and one of the most
recent manufacture, is a Nottingham reel combining two
actions — the one being the smooth, easy run so necessary
in " long corking," the other attained by pressing a spring
on the reverse sides of the handles by which a cog is set to
work giving check action instantaneously. The " flight "
mounted upon fine gimp should have a set of three or four
triangles and one moveable single hook. In baiting this
flight of hooks, care should be taken to use dace, gudgeon,
roach or bleak, whichever may be preferred, of a size
proportionate with the length and fit of the flight of hooks
used, as nothing tends so much to the ugly " wobbling " of
a bait in the water as an over-sized fish badly mounted.
Supposing then that a suitable bait is found, the bottom
triangle is firmly fixed by the penetration of one of the
hooks only in the extreme root of the tail, just where the
flesh joins the rays; then, holding the dead fish firmly
between the thumb and fingers of the left hand, so bend
or curve the body that the tail assumes a clear and

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 479

distinct sweep. Keeping it thus, force the point of one of
the next set of triangles nicely, and without displacing the
scales, into the body of the dace, so that the tail is kept
firmly in the position desired. The other triangle is fitted
into its place, whilst the small sliding hook is pulled down
the gimp, and fixed through the nose of the bait, thus
keeping all in the required position. Let us still further
suppose, then, that the angler is at the waterside, and about
to make his first cast. First, one word of advice as to ap-
proaching the side of a weir or river. Wherever you may be
intending to angle use extreme caution — it is never thrown
away — and tread as though you were in the backwoods
and dreaded to hear the twang of an ambushed Indian's
bowstring. Rely upon it that fish nowadays are not to
be caught as they were in the days of Walton and Cotton ;
they get more and more subtle and cunning every day.
Where there were ten anglers ten years ago there are now
a hundred ; the consequence is that every bit of fishable
water is fished to death by anglers of every grade, from the
rank duffer with a coarse gut line, enormous cork float and
a big hook with a brandling impaled thereon, and sitting
right over the water, yet who still, with a true fisherman's
soul, hopes to catch that whacking perch that he saw an
hour ago chase some gudgeon out of that deep hole and
on to the shallows at his very feet, to the real artist, who
fishes the hole with fine Nottingham tackle but little later,
and takes glorious perch one after the other under "big
float's " very nose, much to the latter's astonishment. So
he puts his primitive tackle down to wonder at the other's
skill, delighted if he can even manipulate the landing-net
when an extra " big 'un " comes to bank.

Pike in fine open weather lie close in to the side, and under
cover of projecting banks, tree-roots, and beds of water-

480 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

flags and reeds. In colder weather they seek the shelter
of the deeps. As a matter of course, if the angler ap-
proaches full in view, and with heavy and incautious tread,
the place where a fish is lying, it becomes almost equally
certain that the fish sees him long before he is close to his
abiding place; and with one stroke of his great tail, he
shoots out of the shallows and into the deeper portions of
the river. So let us then "softly tread, 'tis hallowed
ground," and having gained a likely spot, reel off some
loose line, letting it fall clear of roots, grass, stumps, and
rushes, to the left hand, and cast quietly, with as little
splash as possible, if on a fine quiet day — on a windy day
it doesn't matter — first to the right and then left, until
converging to the centre. If the water has been fairly
covered, and these preliminary casts need never be more
than 10 or 12 yards from the side, and if further success
does not attend you, draw off yard by yard from the reel,
until a long cast, yet well within your power of rod and
arm, has been attained. Never attempt to overdo it,
because it always results in failure, and the tyro who tries
to do a tremendous throw, will find that the extra
momentum simply brings his line into a glorious tangle,
and a very nice thing in fishing is a real, downright tangle
— soothing to the feelings, very! As soon as the bait
touches the water after the cast has been made, draw it
across and against the current, with long regular strokes,
with the left hand, avoiding a jerky motion, and taking
care to keep the point of the rod well down, almost touch-
ing the water. The moment the point of the rod is raised,
it causes the bait to spin nearer the surface, which is not
to be desired, save in shallow, weedy waters. Spin the
bait right up to your feet, and do not be in a hurry to get
it out of the water for a fresh throw, for it often happens

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 481

that both jack and perch will follow the bait out from the
deeps, and take it quite close home ; in fact, within sight.
When a jack strikes the bait — of which fact there is
usually little doubt on the angler's part, for it is plainly
perceptible to the touch — strike him gently, yet still hard,
so as to fix the hooks well within his bony jaws, and,
having hooked your pike, it must then be very much a
matter of discretion and judgment how you handle him.
If you are fortunate enough to get hold of a really big fish,
remember that, although pike as a rule do not go with
the rattle and dash of a freshly-hooked salmon, or trout
even, nor have they the dogged pertinacity of a" barbel,
they have — and particularly big fish — an immense amount
of muscular strength, and no liberties must be taken with a
good one "just on." Keep a tight line on your prey;
keep him, if it is possible, as far away from the beds of
weed as you can, and at the earliest opportunity get his
head out of the water, and well up, giving him the benefit
of a " back wash," as the rowing men say, down his
capacious throat. Watch him keenly and warily, and give
him hand and reel instantaneously if he makes a determined
rush, taking care that no slack lies loosely about to get
entangled in coat buttons or your feet. When your fish
shows by his rolling, with his broad flat side to the surface,
that he is fairly settled, lead him to a convenient place
where the water shallows, and, bringing him to the side by
the aid of the reel, and not the hand, get him close in, and
gaff him with all speed.

LIVE-BAITING,

Under the head of live-baiting, the pike-fisher embraces
several varieties of angling, chief among them being the
VOL. III.— H. 2 I

482 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

well-known and most common method of fishing with a
living fish bait attached to a hook and trace, and suspended
in the water by the buoyancy of a big cork float. In large
pools or meres, or indeed in any waters where there is little
or no current, this style of pike angling is the easiest, and
consequently the most idle. After baiting the hook, the
angler can put his rod down and leave the bait to play its
own part, which it generally does if lively and attractive ;
but it always seems to me a far less amusing method, apart
from the science displayed, than spinning, or paternoster
work, while it cannot be doubted, supposing one has a cold
wintry day to fish in, which of the two is better calculated
for keeping up the necessary caloric at any rate. A rod for
live baiting should be stiffer in its action than the spinning
rod, and one of 14 feet, light and handy, will be found long
enough for anything, with well-made upright rings of good
size, through which the line can run freely. A pike rod
with small or moveable rings, is an abomination, and not to
be tolerated at any price, and it certainly seems strange to
think that nowadays, with all the vast improvements that
have been made in sporting tools, one could find any man
so conservative in his opinions as to be firmly wedded to
the use of one of the old-fashioned rods in preference to a
modern one. That there are such men in the world is
beyond all question, for it was but the last season that a
dear old friend of mine, whom I have preached to any
number of times, yet in vain, was out "jacking" with me
and lost three or four good fish through using a miserable
old rod with moveable rings. The line " kinking " with the
wet, ran freely for a moment or two and then got into a
lovely " boggle " round one or other of the rings. A guess
at what ensued, with a good fish running, is not difficult.
The same dear old "buffer" persists in using a muzzle-

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 483

loader on " the first," whilst every one else has their Boss or
Grant, with breech action, and modified choke, and all the
rest of it, and then he grumbles at being left behind ! while
the major, as he crams his cartridges in, mutters, politely

muffling his tones, however, something about " D d old

muff!" Given, then, a suitable rod, a plain check winch,
or, better still, a " Nottingham " holding plenty of line, from
70 to 100 yards at least, is the next desideratum. It will
be noticed that I advocate more line on the winch for live-
baiting than I do for spinning. Why ? I fancy one of my
readers' queries. For this simple reason — a fish striking
at a spinning bait is hooked, or should be, there and then ;
and, unless he is a veritable mammoth, he will, by careful
management, succumb under 30 or 40 yards' run ; but in
live-baiting, unless one is using snap-tackle — of which more
anon — a fish may run fully that quantity off the reel, before
he reaches his sanctum sanctorum, and before absolutely
pouching the bait. A much finer line can be used in live-
baiting than when adopting spinning m Aures, because there
is far less friction, hence less wear and tear ; and my idea is
that tackle cannot be too fine. Half the fun consists in the "
satisfaction that ensues in knowing that you have settled a
" grouser " with a thread, as opposed to " the barge rope and
pully-hauly system." The next thing to consider, then, is the
" trace," which should consist of fine gimp, or better still,
stout gut, with three or four swivels in its length, to assist
the bait in its gyrations. These swivels, and their free
working, are important elements in jack-fishing, so that at
the end of a day it is worth while for a piscator to see that
they are dry, and indeed all metallic portions of his tackle,
before putting them aside. Care in this particular is never
thrown away. Touching live-baiting, and when adopting the
old-fashioned, and, I am glad to say, nearly played-out

2 I 2

484 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

method with live-bait and a double hook, it is made so as
to lie flat and close to the side of the fish. This is attached
to the trace either by a spiral screw or a wire running round
a portion of the extremity of the bottom swivel, or by a
sort of snap. I certainly prefer the spiral apparatus. With
the double hook, the infamous baiting needle comes into
operation, and is used by looping the loop of the hook-link
into the eye of the needle — the latter being made with a
flat sharp point at the other end. Then holding your dace
tenderly, " as though you loved him," insert the point of the
needle just beneath the skin at the edge of the gills, carry
it through, taking care not to wound the flesh under the
surface of the skin, and bring the point of the needle out
behind the rays of the dorsal fin, drawing the gimp
through, noting that the hook lies flat and close to the side
of the fish — then pop him at once into the bait can. Jack-
men using the single hook simply hook their bait through
the upper lip or the back fin ; but this is a style which
finds little favour with a good pikeman. All being arranged,
attach the hook-link to the gimp trace, and you are ready
so far as the baiting is concerned. The trace should, of
course, be sufficiently leaded or weighted, to ensure the bait
being kept well down, and without giving it an opportunity
of rising too often to the surface, which they frequently have
an unhappy knack of trying to do. Much depends, with
regard to the lead, and its weight, upon the sije of the bait
used, and also upon the depth and character of the water.
Personally I strongly disapprove of side-hook fishing, and
only speak of it because fish will occasionally take a bait
upon this tackle when they will look at nothing else. The
float used must also depend, so far as its size is concerned,
upon the buoyant power required, but it is a good maxim
never to use one larger than is absolutely necessary, nothing

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 485

being more likely to scare a shy- feeding fish than to find
that he is dragging a lot of unknown apparatus behind him.
Besides that, a smaller float, supposing it to be a weedy
water, is the less likely to be " hung up " during the pre-
liminary canter. I prefer an oval-shaped float, bored, of
course, and with a quill through it, through which the
running line is passed, and a wooden peg fitting firmly
into the orifice of the quill, keeps all tight — particularly
as the action of the water causes the peg to swell. Many
anglers use the above float and one or two smaller floats,
called "pilots," which prevents the line "bagging" im-
mediately round the float, and from twisting, and they
are doubtless a useful adjunct. In windy, boisterous,
and very cold weather, the nearer one's bait swims
to the bottom the better, as the fish — the larger ones
especially — under such circumstances always resort to the
deeps, while on fine, mild days they will be found more in
the shallows ; and it has seemed to me that on such occasions,
when the wind and atmosphere is nipping keen, live-bait
fishing in the deepest portions of the river is more likely to
command success — from the fact that the fisher goes at
once into a likely stronghold. A big gudgeon, carefully
put on the hook, is, when the water is bright, as good and
attractive a bait for pike as can well be used — he is, besides,
a tough and game little fish, and, if uninjured when thrown
into the water, has another qualification, which makes him
valuable, — he always seeks the bottom. In thick water,
he is, from his sombre colour, not so good a bait as the
more silvery dace. This latter fish, as well as small' chub,
are also excellent as pike baits, and good-sized bleak as
well, but bleak are an excessively delicate fish, and require
most careful handling in any case of live-baiting, and if hurt
in the least degree, soon " turn it up." Small carp furnish

486 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

a good, lasting bait, and in an emergency, the gold-fish bowl
may be emptied — this, however, only on high days and
holidays, for it will be found an expensive luxury. Nothing
can be more certain than that a lively, hard-working bait is
immeasurably superior in its killing powers, in opposition
to a spent or weary bait, so that the angler should always
endeavour to have his lure in the very best possible con-
dition. It is equally certain however that there are times
when pike are so lavenously "on/' that I am almost inclined
to believe in a chance of a run if one used an old boot for
a bait. Given a run, there is not the least necessity to
wait " ten minutes ; " pay out the line freely, and when he
stops he'll pouch it in three or four, or not at all. If after
stopping he moves on again, strike him at once. A great
disadvantage in the method of live-baiting with side-hook
is the certain tearing of the skin, and consequent disfigura-
tion of the bait, as well as the chance of killing small fish.
All this is obviated by the use of snap-tackle, which simply
consists of two triangles bound upon the gimp hook-link
and about two inches apart. One of these triangles is
placed carefully through the root of the dorsal fin, while
the other is fixed at the root of the pectoral. Another
advantage gained arises from the fact that here there is no
waiting for the fish to run to his nook, and then gorge the
bait. The instant the float disappears one can make ready to
strike, and when the line becomes taut and the angler feels his
fish he can do so with the certainty, in nine cases out often, of
securing the aggressor. Pike, as is well known, take their prey
sideways ; thus it is clear that if a fish seizes the bait attached
to snap-tackle, the triangle must be within his jaws, and the
probability is that he is safe, due skill being observed on the
angler's part when he is hooked. There is not the least
necessity to strike heavily, a smart handstroke is amply

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 487

sufficient ; indeed, where the line is taut, as it should be,
a simple pull on the fish when running fixes the hook firmly.
A point that may be mentioned is the likelihood of an
inexperienced hand mistaking the efforts of a bait to escape
the murderous jaws of a big pike, for "a run." It is
astonishing what an amount of strength is shown by an
active, lively dace, when he sees, as he doubtless does, the
fish poke his shark-like head out from a weed patch or the
cover of a bank, before making his fatal rush. I have seen
a large float go clean down out of sight ; and where the
water has been very clear, have traced the white top for
some little distance, as the dace shot down -stream. A jack
usually leaves little doubt on the subject: down goes the
float clean away, and the water frequently eddies and
surges round, showing where our friend " Johnnie " has shot
out from cover.

Paternostering, another class of live-bait fishing, is a
method of which I am excessively fond. It is carried out
as follows : — Attached to the running line by means of a
loop is a yard of good stout gut, the rounder it is the
better, with a further loop at the other end A pater-
noster lead, not heavier than is absolutely necessary,
shaped like a pear, and with an eye of brass wire, is next
fastened to the bottom loop, by simply slipping the loop
through the eye and over the extremity of the lead, and
then drawing it tight. Personally I prefer a silk loop
attached to the end of the gut, and this loop to be put
through the eye of the lead. A foot or a foot and a half
above the lead a single hook (on gimp) is fastened, and a
small dace or gudgeon is lip-hooked as the attraction.
Drawing a sufficient quantity of line from the reel, the
angler casts out in the most likely place where jack harbour,
round the edge of rush-beds and reeds, or in deep still

488 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT

pools ; the lead upon reaching the bottom communicates a
distinct jar through the silk, which is easily distinguished.
The line, held in the left hand, is then slowly worked in
towards the bank or punt, from whichever stand-point the
piscator is throwing, the lead being clearly felt as it scrapes
along the bottom. I have found it much the better plan,
instead of coiling the line at one's feet, to gather it back-
wards and forwards in the palm of the left hand, and with
a good line, free from knots and kinks, this, after a little
practice, is easily done. Those proficient in the use of
the Nottingham winch throw from the winch itself, thus
have no slack, and work in with the handle, a method, for
those who care to overcome its no slight difficulties, far in
advance of the other style. Much diversity of opinion
exists among anglers adopting the paternoster in jack-fishing
as to the correct moment at which to strike when the bite is
felt. As a matter of course fish feed differently, and hardly
ever two days alike. One day they are ravenous, and
prepared to gulp down everything, the next dainty, and
wonderfully hard to please ; but I have always found that
if small baits are used — and these are more killing than
large ones, although the latter are possibly more attractive
—few mistakes will be made in striking if one feels a good
fair pull, and particularly if momentarily afterwards the
fish begins to move off. It should be recollected that
supposing a small dace, say of three or four inches long, is
on the hook, a jack has a rare width of jaws, and an
enormous power of expansion, and with such a cherry, will
scarcely make two bites, but gulp it in at once. Thus the
hook is very likely to nick him, and once hooked, show no
mercy, but reel up at once. Always avoid having more
loose line than is really required, and kill your fish, when-
ever practicable, with the reel, and not with the hand. If a

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 489

large bait is in use it is advisable to give him more time,
but if they are feeding freely and the bait is taken while
the fish is moving off at the same instant, it is only reason-
able to suppose that he has turned the bait as he ran, and
so the " strike " may be attempted. In places where it is
weedy, it will be found a better plan rather to dip down
from the point of the rod, into all likely looking " shops,"
and abstain from working the bait on the bottom at all,
from the likelihood of getting " hung up " in the weeds, and
a consequent smash of tackle ensuing. Very much, how-
ever, depends upon the characteristics of the place when at
the river side, and the intelligent angler will be greatly
guided by circumstances. Nine times out of ten when
paternoster fishing, the fish will be found hooked at the
edge, or just outside the lip, and no difficulty will be
experienced in extracting the hook. Beware, however, at
all times of putting fingers near a pike's teeth ; he'll bite
like a crocodile if he has half a chance, and even a chance
scratch is unpleasant. It is far better therefore first to
land heavily on his cranium with the toe of your boot, and
then — if the hook is gorged, and it is not easily got at with
the disgorger — of slipping the hook off the trace altogether,
than stand the chance of getting your fingers well scored
with his grinders, which, to say the least of it, is not a
pleasant process, and especially on a cold day. I speak
from experience, and therefore feelingly.

PERCH FISHING.

A gloriously handsome fish, perch, when in condition,
afford excellent sport, and they are deservedly favourites
with each and every fisherman, let him be young or old.
One of the very first fish I ever caught in my life was a

490 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

perch, and to this day I recollect my pride and exultation
when I effected his capture. He had located himself near
the sluice-gates at the head of a mill-stream, hard by my
native vale of Derwent, and day after day I caught sight
of him and looked wistfully and longingly, trying him with
wasp grubs and brandlings — alas ! in vain. One day I met
a man chubbing, using shrimps for bait, and watched him
roving without float or shot under the high banks of the
stream, letting the current carry his bait where it would.
Thinks I, — " Shrimps will catch that perch," and so they
did, for going to tea an evening or two afterwards I found
the clergyman's superior moiety was expected, and amongst
other delicacies shrimps were on the festive board. I
" went for " that plate, and quick as thought a handful was
transferred from it, and during the whole of that warm
evening lovingly reposed in my trousers pocket, amongst, I
doubt not, alley-taws, peg-tops, bits of string, a broken-
bladed knife, a jew's-harp and a paper of eel hooks. Break of
day found me on the sluice-gates, and ten minutes after-
wards that perch was on the bank among the dewy grass.
What man is bold enough to say that my boy's heart
exulted not, and that my blood coursed not rapidly in my
veins, even as the deer stalker's who sees the Monarch of the
Glen totter and fall to the crack of his trusty grooved barrel ?
Pennant, an excellent authority, thus describes the fish
under notice :— " The body is deep, the scales very rough,
the back much arched, and the side line approaches near to
it ; the irides are golden, the teeth small, disposed in the
jaws and on the roof of the mouth, which is large; the
edges of the covers of the gills are serrated, and on the
lowest end of the largest is a sharp spine." So far as colour
is concerned, our friend is perhaps as brilliant an inhabitant
of our lakes and rivers as we have, his back being a rich

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 491

olive-green, deepest in shade at the ridge, and growing
gradually lighter in hue as it approaches the belly, which is
white, with a faint green tinge ; transverse broad black bars,
pointing downwards, mark his shapely sides, while the ven-
tral fins are a glowing scarlet, the tail and anal fins being
of a like colour, though a shade paler." The distinguishing
characteristic of the perch is his formidable dorsal fin, and
armed as it is with very long and spinous rays, it makes him
at all times an antagonist well capable of taking care of
himself. " It would be just as well, if an angler is fortunate
enough to get hold of a big, lusty fellow, to see that this
saw-like fin is carefully smoothed down before gripping him
to take the hook out, for I have known instances where a
man's hand has been badly cut through incautious handling,
and it is sometimes difficult to heal. They are thoroughly
gregarious in their habits, herding together, and remaining
for a long time, unless disturbed, in the same situation. I
have watched them repeatedly when the water has been
clear in a deep hole, and the larger fish always seem to
claim and keep precedence over the smaller. Where such
a hole is found, if the tenants thereof are in a feeding
humour, it is just as likely that if the angler is wary and
noiseless, and hooks and lands them, he may take every
fish out of it. Prick, and hold one for an instant, and then
let him escape, the probabilities are that every one of the
shoal will follow their frightened fellow — then, one may
just as well try somewhere else.

Perch are found nearly everywhere, all our English
rivers containing them — Thames, Trent, Severn and Wye
alike holding plenty of this game fish, while the-Loddon
is famous for bouncers, and nearly all the great inland
waters of Britain, meres and lakes, are well stocked.
Instances have been quoted to show that they have

492 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

attained a large size, it being said that a perch of 9 Ib.
was taken out of the Serpentine in Hyde Park, and
another of 8 Ib. from Dagenham Reach. The best that I
ever saw was one that weighed 4 Ib., full weight ; he was a
splendid fish, and was caught by a lad with a sixpenny
rod, a stout gut-line and a hook baited with worm, from
one of the pools of the little Brent at Hanwell. I was a
boy at the time, and remember offering him a threepenny
bit and my dinner for it ; he didn't see it, and perhaps it
was just as well, for I should have assuredly deceived my
worthy sire as to who caught it. Deep, quiet water, where
there is a gentle eddy, under hollow banks, holes where the
roots of trees run down and their pendant branches shade
the retreat from the fierce heat of the sun, the piles of
locks and sluice-gates, and the back-water of millstreams,
are all favourite perch haunts. In navigable rivers and
canals he seeks the deeper parts, where barges lie, and
about floats of timber, always choosing, if obtainable, a
" habitat " where the bottom is sandy and pebbly. I have
found it a good plan in wandering about the banks of an
unknown river in quest of perch to note where the small
fry of dace, roach, &c., most do congregate. Such a place
will be a sandy bank at the edge of a bed of sedge and
rushes, and where the current forms a little eddy ; here
the youngsters get out of the force of the main stream, and
if the angler remains quiet, and unobserved by the fish-
meanwhile observant himself— it is any odds that he will
notice ere long the rush from the deeps, of a perch, with his
bristling back fin erect and menacing, and a scatter of the
small fry for the shelter of the sedges. Try here, then— it
is sure to be good ground and likely to be remunerative.

Now for the tackle to be used. Select a nice light cane
rod, 12 ft. or 14 ft, with standing rings, and not too pliable ;

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 493

indeed, the rod previously described for legering will do
admirably. Use a Nottingham winch, with fine running
tackle, and first try the paternoster ; this should be a gut
length of a yard, round, and good in quality, and mounted
with two hooks, the bottom one not more than five or six
inches from the lead, the top a foot and a half above it.
The lead itself need not be any heavier than is absolutely
necessary to find the bottom, and withstand the current ; if
there is little or none of the latter, use as small a one as
possible. I have seen advocated the desirability of using
three or four hooks to the paternoster, but I am inclined to
think that all practical men will agree with me in saying
that two are ample ; indeed with more, when one is using
minnows, it would be found that a large supply of bait
would be necessary, from the frequency with which they
are- jerked off the hook at the moment of striking. Don't
use too large a hook — " No. 7's " are large enough — and
hook the minnows through the side of the lip, it is easier
than through the extremity of the nose, and it should be
remembered that they are a delicate little fish, and won't
bear much pulling about. At a likely-looking place, par-
ticularly at a spot where one may see the aforesaid small
fry, drop the paternoster quietly in, and keep the line taut
from the winch the moment the bottom is felt ; then move it
gently along the bottom, lifting it now and again from the
point of the rod, until the spot chosen has been thoroughly
searched. If they are there, and in a feeding humour, the
angler will not be long before he knows it, and at the sharp
" tug-tug," indicating the attack, one should strike without
loss of time— instantaneously, in fact — and if the fish be
hooked, as he will be nine times out of ten, and proves a big
one, keep the line taut ; be in no hurry with him ; and after
the first few desperate plunges are over, he is, with ordinary

494 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

care, your own ; then get him to the bank as soon as you
can, into your landing net — and mind his fin. It is a
curious fact, but nevertheless an indisputable one, that
perch will frequently refuse a minnow on the paternoster,
and yet take it greedily if put on to a hook, attached to
a shotted and floated line ; so that it may ,be always wisely
remembered that if they refuse the one, the other method
may be tried with advantage. Small gudgeon are a
capital bait for large fish, and if they persistently refuse
the paternoster, a light spinning flight may be rigged up
and tried, with a possible chance of success. Stone loach
will also kill perch, and in waters that are brackish and
subject to tidal influences, live shrimps are a killing lure.
They are best kept in an open basket in wet sand, and
care should be taken that they are never packed close
together. Caddis worms, wasp grubs, and occasionally
gentles, attract the notice of our striped friend ; but having
done with the subject of live-baits as applied to fish,
nothing will be found of greater killing power than the old
and well-known bait, the worm of various classes, and first
in order I take the lob. . No perch angler should be with-
out worms, for it frequently happens, and particularly
in the autumn, and a little later on, that they will take
worms freely, when minnow and gudgeon are totally dis-
regarded. Worms cannot be too bright and tough, or
too well scoured for perch-fishing, and lobs want a week at
least in moss, and well looked after, if the weather is warm,
before being fit for the hook. If they are wanted for
immediate use, put them in a pot of tea-leaves squeezed
dry, and let them remain for a few hours ; it will be found
that the tannin, presumably, has had a miraculous effect.
In waters where there are deep, slow eddies, with little or
no stream, some of the largest perch, and now and again a

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 495

chub or two, are captured by using a gut bottom, of a yard
in length, attached to a running line of the finest Notting-
ham or Derby silk. Before attaching the bottom, fit up a
long cork float on the silk line, with a small well-drilled
bullet below it — the hole through the bullet being suf-
ficiently large for the line to run easily and freely. Then,
having tied on the gut bottom, a split shot is fixed on the
silk, just above the loop, so as to prevent the bullet running
over the bow of the silk line. Selecting the place of
operation, the float must be so arranged that the bullet just
touches the bottom, and the proper depth being thus
obtained, select a flat, silvery lob from amongst the stock,
and note those with a red vein running down to the tail
are the best for the hook, and put the hook point in an
inch below the head. Threadle the worm until the shank
of the hook is just covered. Worms put on in this manner
show far better than when looped up on the hook, or
entirely " threadled," and hence must be a more attract-
ive bait. Then cast out, and draw the bullet, when it
is found to have reached the bottom, towards the point
angled from, until the gut length is likely to lie straight on
the bed of the river. If there is any current, the float, after
righting itself, must be " held back " from the point of the
rod, the light silk line being clear of the water ; and do not
be in a hurry if a dip of the float indicates that a fish is
attacking the worm. Recollect that it is likely to be a
big one, and, as a consequence, a far more cautious gentle-
man than the smaller of the tribe ; wait then, until after the
first preliminary dip or two, the float goes down clean out
of sight, then strike, not too hard, however, and look out
for storms and a long and strong pull at the top joint.
Brandlings found in old rotten manure, and red worms,
sometimes kill as well as anything, but I must confess to a

496 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

great fancy for the lob for nearly all big fish— the others
are more suitable for the paternoster. If the water is very
bright, and the fish are " dead off," take away the float
previously mentioned, and, substituting a smaller bullet as a
sinker, throw out the lob, across, and up and down the
water with a motion similar to that of spinning ; a brace of
fish may be taken in this way when they are very dainty.

CARP FISHING.

The carp is perhaps as handsome a fish as British
waters can boast of as a resident, and is without any ex-
ception one that will try an angler's skill and resources
to the utmost. In colour, a bronze or yellowish olive,
deeper in shade towards the back ; and with, when in
condition, a splendid burnished sheen diffused over his
sides, and great round scales, he looks, when freshly caught,
a very noble and handsome fellow. The fins are brown, with
a faint violet or purple tinge, the dorsal, in particular, large
and well developed, and continued in its rays for some
distance down the slope of the back ; he has a large head,
but by no means an unsightly one, a small round mouth,
tough and leathery to a degree, with two small cirri or
beards on either side; the tail, but little forked, is set
firmly on, and denotes great strength, and he is, when large,
a deep and thick-set fish. Carp are extremely prolific, and
in suitable waters increase and multiply to an enormous
extent ; indeed it has been stated upon good authority that
the weight of the roe taken from a single female fish
exceeded the weight of the despoiled carcase when the two
have been weighed the one against the other. A good
deal of uncertainty seems to exist as to when carp were
first introduced into England ; but we get evidence from

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 497

the ' Boke of St. Albans ' published in 1496 that they were
known then at any rate, while other ancient writers dealing
with him establish his place in our native lakes and rivers
somewhere about the same period. They attain a vast age.
Buffbn telling us that he has seen at Pontchartrain fish of
this species which were known to be 1 50 years old ; how
this age was arrived at is not very clear, but well authenti-
cated accounts have been from time to time brought for-
ward, proving that they are, under suitable conditions, an
extremely long-lived fish. In Prussia and Germany they
are cultivated carefully, and there carp of 25 Ib. and 30 Ib.
weight is not of unfrequent occurrence, while in warm
climates, India to wit, fish of this species grow to an
enormous size, specimens of the family being taken in the
tanks and lagoons of 40 Ib. to 60 Ib. Fancy, brother
angler, getting a fellow of this size on a fine gut bottom 1
Here, a fish of 10 Ib. or 12 Ib. is accounted a good one, but
there is little doubt that in some of the deep inland meres
and lakes they grow to a much larger size. I have myself
seen in an extensive sheet of water that I had the
opportunity of fishing in Hampshire some years ago, fish
basking in the weeds on a hot summer's day, that I have
little doubt would have run from 15 Ib. to 20 Ib., and once
or twice got hold of one, but never was able to hold him,
for he pulled like a donkey, and went straight for the
nearest weed-bed, and quietly smashed me up. The rod
to be used should not be too long, 12 feet is ample;
when it is longer it does but make it more tiring to
the man using it, who, I need hardly say, should avoid
laying it on the bank as much as possible, particularly when
it is remembered that he is on the trail of the "water
fox," as old anglers delighted to call our golden friend.
This perhaps is the situation. One's arm gets a bit

VOL. III.— H. 2 K

498 PRACTICAI LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

cramped, and one puts the rod down — tired, perhaps, of
a long spell with no signs of a fish — and carelessly, of
course, with the handle of the winch on the grass ; then, just
as one is putting the vesuvian into the bowl of one's pipe,
comes a tug at the top joint ; one goes with a dash at
the rod, and waits eagerly for the expected pull. No go ;
the golden moment is gone, and the chance of a golden
prize into the bargain. The finer the running line the
better, consistent with the proper degree of strength that
is required, supposing a " bonser '"' is hooked. When baiting
with paste or gentles, triangle hooks, not too large, should
be used, and the lead, having the hole through it well
bored out, so that the line runs very easily, should work on
the silk running line or better still a very fine piece of gimp,
in preference to the gut bottom, so that friction of the gut is
avoided, as well as any possible obstruction from a
knot. Carp will sometimes take worms freely ; large red
worms, thoroughly cleansed and toughened in moss, being
almost a standing dish, and a bright silver lob is another
very attractive bait. Wasp grubs, and the larvae of the
insect in an immature state, are another killing lure. I
have taken them with green peas, and I have heard of
them taking cherries ; but of all the baits that I have ever
tried, commend me to- a yellow waxy potato, fairly well
boiled, but not so as to be too soft of course, and with a
plentiful ground-baiting of the hole where one intends
operating, for a day or two previously, with boiled potatoes
and bran, well kneaded and worked up, so that when
formed into balls about the size of a billiard ball, they sink
at once. The potato should be cut into an oval shape,
of the size of a thrush's egg, the gut drawn through its
centre by means of a fine baiting needle, and the points of
the triangle pushed into the bait until they are fairly

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 499

embedded. Now cast out a yard or two beyond where
your baited spot is situated, and, when the lead has reached
the bottom, draw it towards you, so that the hooks lie clear
of the lead and line, and straight from the point of the rod.
Then hold the rod, with the top joint pointed directly to
where your hooks lie, and lower the point, that the line
may be straight through the rings (which, of course, should
be standing rings), and directly in a line with the thumb
and forefinger of the left hand. By adopting these means,
one avoids the fish feeling the pull on the top, which must
be felt when the rod is at an angle, and if the line is held
very delicately between the fingers, the least motion can be
detected. The first indication of a nibble, in nine cases out
of ten, will be a tremulous movement, that will, I warrant,
send a thrill through the angler's frame ; hold the line as
you would a gossamer thread. Niggle, niggle, niggle, again
it comes ; then a little pull, and at last the line begins to
sneak through one's fingers. Now's the time ! Strike
smartly, not too hard, and if you find that you're home,
give him another little tug, just to send the hooks well into
his leathery mouth ; keep a taut line, and humour him
nicely for a little, until you find out the calibre of the game
you have to kill. Bear this in mind, however, that you
have no cowardly foe to conquer. A large carp is a gallant
fellow, and will resent any untimely indignity in the shape
of early " pully-haulings," by a terrible rush, that may very
likely upset all your previous calculations, and free himself
at the same moment. Do not, therefore, be in a hurry to
get him out — always reflect that, so long as your line is
tight, and the hooks hold, he is as much your prisoner as
though he were on the bank. If possible, get him away
from the hole where you hook him, and play and land him
lower down, so as to avoid disturbing others that may be

2 K 2

500 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

lying in the same locality, and always keep, from first to
last, well out of sight of the water. In pond or lake
fishing, much the same tactics may be adopted, except
that one may use a much lighter leger lead where there is
no stream, and indeed I would not use a lead at all if it
were possible to get the line out without it. If float-fishing
be the order of the day, the float cannot be too light, and a
small quill carrying three or four shot only is to be pre-
ferred. The bait should always be well on the bottom.
I fish with the baited hook at least six inches on the
bottom — and the shot may be placed on the hook-link of
gut so that they too rest on the ground, and thus there is
nothing of a foreign nature to catch the wary eye of the fish
that may be prowling about. Even the gut may be dyed
green or of a bluish tint, so as to assimilate as nearly as
possible with the tinge of the water. The rod used should
be a longer one than the one previously mentioned, for it is
a time-honoured maxim in angling for some classes of fish,
to " fish fine and far out ; " and the carp is one of them where
this maxim should be observed. A good plan, when float
fishing, is to have an iron rod rest, or a forked stick, stuck
in the ground, so that the rod, in this case, unlike when
legering, may be placed in the rest or cleft stick. Throw
well out, and, particularly when the water is clear and
bright, have no more of the rod than is absolutely necessary
projecting over the bank, then sit well away from the water ;
don't move the rod if you see a bit of a nibble, but if the float,
after a preliminary cautious dip or two, sails slowly away
and out of sight, then get your line taut, and strike, not two
hard, however. The remarks I have just made apply more
directly to worm fishing, and it is useless to strike when
operating with this bait unless the float begins to slide off,
for carp suck the bait in very artfully, and if he is not given

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 501

time to gulp the whole of the worm, the chances are that
you lose your fish, from the fact that by striking too
hurriedly you may have only allowed him to get hold of
the tail end. When fishing with paste or gentles, and
using triangle hooks, I should strike immediately if the
float dipped fairly down ; for these fish are so. crafty and
wary that they will suck the whole of the bolus of paste
away from the hook, and that being effected quietly sail off.
Strike gently, however, and should you not succeed in
hooking the fish, let the bait drop quietly again, when it is
possible, if he is in a feeding humour, he may have another
try. Various grubs and caterpillars, caddis and turnip
worms, beetles, and a hook baited with a red worm and
tipped with a gentle have been from time to time
recommended as super-excellent lures ; my experience,
however, tells me that if carp will not take potatoes, well-
scoured lobs, red worms, or a lively bunch of gentles,
they won't take anything, and one might just as well go
home and have a rubber of whist and a pipe.

CHUB FISHING.

The chub, another member of the numerous carp family,,
attracts no inconsiderable share of the angler's attention,
and particularly numbering amongst his followers that
section who delight in getting hold of something that pulls.
Amongst the number is my humble self. I know of no fish
that I have had at the end of my line that goes with such a
devil of a rattle as a big chub, and as he usually when
pricked by a hook bolts with the speed of a rocket for the
first stronghold he can get to — sunken roots of trees, or
pendant boughs overhanging hollow banks — it requires no
little skill to keep the line and tackle out of danger. His

5o2 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

first rush over, however, he is pretty safe, and, unlike the
barbel, who rights with dogged pertinacity to the last,
quickly succumbs, and with ordinary care is soon come-
atable. Common in most of the English rivers, and growing
to a large size, the chub, or cheven, affords endless amuse-
ment, for he feeds well at times when other fish refuse a
bait. In the summer large flies and beetles of various kinds
tempt him ; while in autumn and winter, cheese, greaves,
lobs, pith from the vertebrae of the bullock, as well as live
bait, such as minnows and small gudgeon, attract his atten-
tion. It has always been the fashion to speak of him as " the
loggerheaded chub," and well-known angling writers have
described him as having an ugly misshapen head, but I
utterly fail to see this, and, indeed, consider him, when in
condition, an exceptionally handsome fish, with a longer
body than the carp, large silvery scales, his back of a deep
olive green, the belly white, the irides of the eye a shining
silver, pectoral fins, large and well developed, of a dusky,
yellow hue, ventral and anal fins a pale salmon red, while
the tail, slightly forked, is brown, with a distinct bluish line
at the extremity. They are frequently taken both in the
Thames and Lea, from three to four pounds in weight, it
being asserted that specimens from the former river have
come to bank of far greater calibre ; while upon the authority
of Dr. Bloch, we are told that fish of 8 Ib. and 9 Ib. is no
uncommon -size in some of the continental waters. The
Loddon and Mole hold gigantic fish ; from the latter river
came the best chub I ever saw in my life. It was taken by
my friend, Mr. Callen, of East Molesey — was tempted by
a couple of shrimps, and, weighed by myself, bumped
down the scale at ;J Ib. Chub usually spawn in the latter
end of March, if the weather is open and fine, or in April,
and are again in full vigour in June.

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 505

No more cautious, timid fish swims than your chub, and
I have frequently seen a shoal of them lying near the top
of the water, sink slowly down and out of sight, the only
thing that I could discover as likely to alarm them being a
crow or two winging their way across the stream. Hence
the chub-fisher cannot be too cautious and subtle in his
operations.

Chub in the summer resort to the deeps, and large still
pools overhung by foliage ; here they lie, day after day, if
undisturbed, watching for grubs and insects dropping from
the sheltering trees ; and at such places the dibber, with
his humble bee in the day-time, or large moth in the
evening, kills his fish. In the winter they seek places
where high marly banks form the sides of the stream, or
deep holes, with a sandy or clayey bottom, afford them
good harbourage ; and in nooks where this fish are known
to resort, they are found at the proper season, year after
year. Hence the say ing among anglers, "once a chub hole,
always a chub hole." They are a restless fish, however,
and shift about in the autumn and winter months, when
insect diet has failed them, continually seeking fresh ground.
It is advisable, therefore, never to stay long in one spot —
ten minutes or a quarter of an hour is enough — for if there
are fish there and they mean feeding, they will do so at
once, or not at all.

For legering for this, and indeed for all other fish, a rod
of 12 ft. in length is fully long enough. I don't believe in
long rods for general use, and feel assured that if an
angler, with a short one, pits his own brains and resources
against the craft of the fish he is trying for, he will in the
long run succeed. Long rods are cumbersome and tedious
to the wielder, and it is only in roach fishing from the bank
in a. river like the Lea, for instance, where they are practi-

504 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

:ally of any use — for angling in such a water, and for this
specified class of fish they are of course indispensable. I
recollect, many years ago now, when my passion for the
river-side and the " contemplative man's occupation " was
just as keen, if not more so than now, I had an impression,
and I find that young anglers of the present day indulge in
the same idea, that fish can only be found in the middle of
a river or pond, or so near thereto as one could throw out.
Thus I used to perch myself on the extreme edge of the
bank, completely forgetting that fish could see me when I
could not see them. As a consequence the bag was nearly
always lighter at night than in the morning. Now it is
different, simply because I reflect, and reflection and the
caution that naturally accrues, is in. my view the great
secret of success. To return to the rod : let it be of cane,
light and handy, 12 feet in length and fitted with upright
rings, moderately stiff and well balanced. Always avoid a
rod that is top-heavy. The winch — and one can hardly
improve upon the Nottingham reel for "reel work" —
should be capable of holding sixty or seventy yards of fine
plaited Derby silk line ; some prefer a twist line, I don't,
while the finer the better if the operator has a light hand,
and can hdld a " big 'un " tenderly. Besides which, a fine line
requires a far less heavy bullet than a stout one — another
advantage — and these requisites obtained, one is ready,
so far as rod and line are concerned. Now for the leger
bottom ; this is an important item, for upon it much of the
desired success is likely to attend. Choose it of the
finest and roundest natural gut, a yard in length at
least (I use them a yard and a half), and always have a
length of gimp fitted to them for the bullet to work
upon. Other accessories are entirely unnecessary, and
the less foreign matter one has, the better. At any

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 505

of the first-class tackle shops, these bottoms are to be
obtained, stained to any desired shade ; it is therefore
obvious that, if an angler is fishing a river where the bottom
is composed of deep-coloured marly oose or clay, a length
of gut assimilating as nearly as possible with the ground
on which the wary chub are lying, is far preferable to a
shiny piece of white gut, which moves about as the stream
catches the line and bullet, and can certainly not look like
a piece of weed. Look your gut well over before com-
mencing, and reject a bottom that has cracks or flaws. Far
better to be particular in the tackle than stand a chance of
losing a fish that, if landed and " set up," may, in its case
" be a thing of beauty and a joy for ever." If lob worms
are the order of the day, use hooks whereon, in lieu of the
ordinary length of gut, a small loop of silk is whipped ;
they are easily attached to the leger bottom, and do
away with the chance of the hook links of gut being
stronger or weaker than the remainder of the gut in use.
Some have a morsel of bristle whipped on the reverse way
from the hook's point ; this certainly prevents the worm
from slipping or wriggling down the shank of the hook, and is
possibly an advantage, but if chub mean business, they will
bolt one's lob before it has the chance of slipping very far
down. Being on the bank, keep well out of sight, and
avoid shuffling about, or moving unnecessarily. Every move-
ment of the feet causes a certain amount of vibration,
and, rely upon it, chub will bolt if they fancy anything is
wrong. If you have plenty of lobs,' and the stream is not
too heavy, throw them in whole, and some little distance
above where you are fishing. Cast in down-stream and
make sure that your gut bottom lies straight on the bed of
the river, by drawing the bullet towards the place where
you are sitting. The chub, when he feeds, is nothing like

5o6 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

so distrustful as the carp, therefore the same intent watch
is not absolutely needful, and the rod may be placed in the
rest or on the bank so long as the line is fairly taut. Given
a bit of a tug, up with it instanter, and strike at once, for it
is most likely that the fish has taken the bait and gulped
it down his capacious throttle. The same tackle may be
used in baiting with cheese or greaves, save that the hook
should be a triangle, and that of fair size. In fishing with
cheese, two or three holes may be baited the night before
angling, with some of the most rotten old cheese that can
be got at. Samples outside the cheesemongers' shops,
smelling strong, full of animal life, and at about $d. a
pound, is the correct thing ; and a couple of pounds of this
aromatic variety worked up roughly .with some soaked
bread makes a highly seasoned dish of a surety likely to
please the palate of the loggerhead, wherever he may be,
and keep him hanging about the baited place. Once let
him get the full flavour of the sunken mess, there he'll stick
until every atom is gone. Touching and concerning the
paste for the hook, this cannot be too carefully made, for
as cheese having a tendency to harden in the water, it is
obvious'that the material should be thoroughly softened and
incorporated, so as to do away with this as much as possible.
Select rich old Cheshire, oily, and full of unctuous quality,
pare away the rind, not too sparingly, so as to get rid of
the harder portions, then with a bottle, or a rolling-pin,
crush the cheese thoroughly upon a table or flat piece of
stone, breaking up every hard bit ; when completely rolled
out and soft, get a piece of stale crumb of bread — a piece
the size of an egg will be sufficient for a good quarter of a
pound of cheese— and moisten it thoroughly, then squeeze
dry, and with the hands work and mix it up with the
cheese— it will take a good half hour to do well ; when

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 5<>7

finished, put it in a damp cloth for use. At the water-side
it will want working up now and again so as to keep it soft
and pliable, and when baiting the hook, take a piece of
cheese a little bigger than a thrush's egg — the chub has a
capacious gullet, and will easily negotiate this — and make
a hole in it with the thumb, inserting the triangle ; then
pinch it close round the gut, covering the hook completely.
By this method the hook lies encased simply by a shell of
cheese, which will break with the strike, when the fish
takes the bait. If the paste is moulded round the hook in
a mass it becomes very shortly a solid body, hard as a
bullet, and the chances are that a fish is lost by the bait
being pulled out of his mouth, the hooks being unable to
break through the bait and penetrate his leathery muzzle.
Strike instantly and sharply when a bite is felt ; if the fish
is not hooked, drop the bait ; he may try it again, if
hungry. If hooked, keep him away from roots and sub-
merged boughs, for once let him get among them, all the
king's horses and all the king's men won't save the tackle
unless one is very lucky, and if the hooked fish is lost it is
all up with that hole for a time, and one might just as well
seek fresh pastures.

Shrimps are another bait that at certain times kill chub
well, and I prefer the pink to the brown. I always shell
them, saving husks, heads and tails, and putting them with
a few whole shrimps into some clay for ground bait ; and
then three or four of the shelled crustaceans neatly on a
small triangle, casting into likely places. Greaves also are
better on a triangle than a single hook, and the whitest and
softest pieces should be selected. In preparing greaves
the cake should be broken up and put in any old vessel
with just water enough to cover the contents, and into a
slow oven to simmer and stew until the compound is soft

5o8 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

Never throw much greaves in as ground bait, fish soon
sicken of it, so that it should be used sparingly.

A baby frog is the grandest bait in the world for a big
chub, just at that doubtful period of his existence when
even his mother might feel some pardonable uncertainty as
to whether he belonged to her family or not ; but it would
occupy too much space to dilate impartially upon frogs
and black-beetles, cockchafers and slugs, and the beauties
of Nottingham fishing with pith and brains under the
boughs; so that I must even leave all I would say
unsaid.

TENCH FISHING.

With regard to angling for tench there is really little to
be said. They are so seldom met with in rivers, and are so
uncertain in their biting moods, that it would be simply
waste of time for an angler to devote much, if any, of his
leisure to angling specially for them. One hears every
now and then of a good fish that has fallen to a skilled
rodster, both in the Thames and Lea. But it usually turns
out upon investigation that the capture has been one purely
of a chance nature, and that the fish has been taken either
by a banksman who was roach-fishing, or, in the Thames
more particularly, by some angler who is bream or barbel-
fishing, and who gets a cautious preliminary nibble or two,
puzzling him for a moment from its being utterly unlike any
other bite he has had, and who upon striking when he finds
his float sailing off, finds that " the doctor " has taken a fancy
to his lobworm. Where, however, it is known that tench
have chosen some slow, heavy water, and their habitation
is a part of a river, I would always advise those who may
have a sufficient stock of patience to devote part of their

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 5<>9

time in pursuit of them, to see that their tackle is of good
quality and without flaws, for a river tench of any size, and
who being hooked gets into anything like a strong current,
will try the tackle as much, perhaps, as a barbel, and
that is saying a good deal for his fighting powers. Far
and away more likely places will be old clay pits, deep
ponds, fleets and meres, and the large ornamental sheets
of water that are found in many of our large landed
proprietors' domains, and where a request for a day's
angling rarely meets with refusal if properly preferred. In
such a situation, and supposing the water to be fairly free
from weeds, or with large open spaces between the weed-
grown places, I would recommend that before fishing, the
place should be plentifully ground-baited for a night or two
previously. If it is intended to angle with worms, chopped
lobs should form the attraction, first selecting from the
stock gathered, the flat, silvery and medium-sized worms
for the hook. Never bait the hook with those dull, leaden-
coloured worms, with a red band running round them, and
an orange-coloured belly. I don't mean to say that a
tench would never take one if offered him, and nicely put
on the hook ; but I think the other worm will kill in the
proportion of four to one — at least such has been my
experience, therefore I think it proves which of the two is
the better. If float fishing is preferred it should be as
light as possible, for the tench is a shy feeder, and would
infallibly leave the bait if he found that he was dragging at
a big cork float on the surface. A small swan or porcupine
quill is as good as any ; the gut should be fine yet good,
the hook No. 7 or 8, fairly long in the shank and round in
the bend, the running line of fine yet strong silk — plaited
for choice — while the rod need not be longer than is
necessary to reach the place selected. If the water be

5io PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

very weedy and the clear places small and confined, then
perhaps a long rod would be serviceable, dispensing with
the running line altogether, but taking care that the gut
bottom and line at the top-joint be additionally strong. In
such a cramped position, should the fish feed and a big one
be struck, it will be simply a case of testing the fish and
his strength against the tackle ; all I can say is, keep him
away from the weed-beds, he'll bolt for them like a ferret
after a bunny, and if he gets among them — good-bye. The
bait should, if possible, touch the bottom, but inasmuch as
tench retreats are usually muddy in the extreme — which
fact is easily ascertainable by the plummet — it would be
useless to put a lively lob well on the bottom, because he
would very soon become part and parcel of the mud itself.
I have found it a good plan when, as I have said, there are
plenty of clear open spaces, and the bottom is sound and
hard, to dispense with float, etc., altogether, and first
baiting the hook with a picked lob, draw from the reel a
sufficient quantity of line to reach the desired spot, and
then, coiling this line, let it lie on the bank free and clear
of all obstructions. Lay the rod as well on the bank, and
take the baited hook in the thumb and fingers of the right
hand, cast it out from the hand with a gentle swing, and
the line, if sufficiently light and fine (and what big fish can
be killed on a fine line if one only knows how to use it), will
fly out after the baited hook, which sinks from its own
specific weight and that of the worm combined ; give it time
to find the bottom and then reel up any slack line there may
be. Keep the rod down upon the bank, with the winch
handles (and the winch for this work must be a Nottingham
with perfectly free action) uppermost, and clear of any twigs
or other things likely to impede it, and then take a seat
well away from the water, keep perfectly still and motion-

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 511

less, and await events. A bite is first indicated by a
trembling of the line ; give him plenty of time, and presently,
if master tench means business, the winch handles begin to
slowly revolve and the line to sneak away yard after yard ;
then strike, not too hard, for he has a leathery mouth, and
the hooks are sure to hold, and the probability is that if he is
a good fish there will ensue a " leetle fight " before he caves
in. Never be in a hurry when tench-fishing, and the float
indicates some hidden attentions — this fish will mumble and
suck at your worm or gentles for a long time in some
cases, before he finally makes up his mind to do or die —
then the float either goes slowly down, and out of sight, or
it may rise up, and seem half inclined to topple over, and
then move along the surface, or it may be raised up, and
laid flat on the water, indicating that a fish has taken the
bait, and has risen to the surface — either are critical
moments, and one is warranted in striking at once. Sweet
paste, made from stale bread-crumb, and judiciously
blended with honey, kills tench well at times, at others they
won't look at it. Wasp grubs are another good bait, and
caddis worms occasionally make their mark, while gentles
are at times taken greedily. Worms, however, clean and
well scoured, seem at all times to be the most favourite
lure, and although I am aware that many anglers will
disagree with me, I prefer the lobworm to any, even to
the red worm, or brilliantly striped brandling. Bright, clean
and tough, I am inclined to think that nothing beats the
lob for big fish, and the bigger the inhabitants of the pool
are, the more they seem to like it.

512 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

BREAM FISHING.

The fish under notice is tolerably well known to anglers,
and yet merits a passing word or two in the matter of
description. He grows to a large size, and as he increases
in weight becomes a very handsome fellow, requiring no
little skill on the part of a fisher to successfully make a
large bag. With a high arched back, and deep belly, he is
somewhat of a rhomboidal form, his sides being, unless very
well nourished, extremely flat in comparison with his great
depth. His head is small, with the nose pointed and
tapering down to the mouth, which is void of teeth, and
not by any means a large one. The eyes are large and
full, the irides of a silvery hue, the fins, the dorsal in
particular, are small sized, the anal extending from the vent
to the root of the tail, which is large, powerful and deeply
forked. In colour, bream vary considerably; and there
seems to be two distinct classes of the same species,
although both inhabit similar localities. The one cabled
the golden, or carp bream, attains a far larger size than his
relative, the white bream, the latter never carrying the
brilliant bronze tint of his big brother. The golden bream
has his back coloured with a deep olive bronze tint, the
sides gradually growing lighter in hue as they approach
the belly, which is a shining silvery white, the fins of a
dusky grey, tinged at the root with the predominant golden
cast; the scales in both species are large, round and well
developed. Bream are thoroughly gregarious in their
habits, herding together in large shoals, and generally
seeking the deepest and widest part of a river, where the
stream is slow and heavy, and the sides are fringed with
beds of reed and rushes. Such situations are always

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 513

looked upon as likely habitats for the "flat, unwieldy
bream," but it does not follow that there he will be
invariably found, for some of the largest fish of this tribe
are taken in the Thames immediately in the boil and rapid
water of a heavy weir fall. The river just mentioned, the
Thames, holds plenty of bream at certain places, and there
can be little doubt that the fish attain a very large size. I
have taken them myself close upon 6 Ibs., and I have heard
of them being landed considerably heavier. Halliford,
Shepperton, Weybridge and Penton Hook, of the higher
sections, and Teddington and Kingston of the lower parts
of the river, are all famous bream waters. The Mole again,
from its rise to the point where it empties itself into the
Thames, nearly opposite Hampton Court Palace, and the
Wey, are both celebrated for their abundant supply, while
the Medway, at many of its stations, gives the bottom fisher
plenty of sport with large specimens of this class. Then
further afield, the Ouse, throughout its entire length, is full
of them ; and the Yare, and the contiguous " broads " of
Norfolk literally swarm with bream ; while the Trent, at
some places, produces large supplies for the Birmingham and
Sheffield Angler's delectation. Close home, the Lea holds
a few fish in its waters, but they are rarely angled for
properly, and hence rarely caught ; three fish, however, may
be seen at Mr. Benningfield's house, the Crown, at Brox-
bourne, which were taken by Mr. Bradlaugh at Carthagena
Weir — fruits of philosophy and good angling combined ;
these three specimen fish weighing together 21 Ibs. Then,
quite recently, a gentleman, whose name I at the moment
forget, but who is, or was, attached to the Conservancy
Board of the Lea, caught a splendid bream close upon 9 Ibs. ;
so that it proves that if they are not as plentiful as black-
berries in this river, they run large at any rate. The Surrey

VOL. III.— H. 2 L

5i4 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

and Commercial Docks, formerly open to the hard-working
London angler, but now unhappily tabooed, unless at a
terribly high price for a season ticket — £$ I am told — holds
plenty of them; and the Welsh Harp and Dagenham fishery
lakes as well, usually returns a take of these fish to one who
knows the peculiarities of each spot, and studying them,
takes the trouble to fish with caution, suitable bait and fine
tackle. Very much depends upon the water to be fished,
upon the method adopted and the description of tackle
employed. In the Thames, except at one or two places,
where the bank fisher may command one or other of the
deep holes which are known to be bream haunts with the
leger, it is simply labour in vain to attempt to fish for them
from the bank with any chance of making a good catch.
They are shy and crafty in the extreme, and take good care
to keep well away from the sides of the river — and out in the
more fancied security of the deeps ; so that even if the bank-
man can throw his leger into the hole, his only chance of
success would be at the very earliest peep of " early morn "
or at the close of " dewy eve ; " and these two periods of the
day may be taken, from first to last, as the best times to
endeavour to seduce our slimy friend into appreciating the
flavour of a well scoured lob, or, indeed, any other bait with
which one may choose to tempt him. In Thames fishing,
then, for bream, it is absolutely necessary to fish from a
punt or boat, and for this method of angling a Nottingham
rod, with two tops, of 12 or 14 feet in length, is the best
that can be used ; they are wonderfully light, and one may
fish all day with one of these rods without tiring the arm,
no small desideratum in a long day's work. These rods *
are besides so nicely adjusted that the change of tops
makes a complete change in the character of the rod — with
the long and somewhat flexible top, one gets a rod with the

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 515

most perfect action for either long corking or the sliding
float ; affixing the shorter, and consequently much stiffer
top, one gets a tool the very beau ideal of what is required
for either paternostering or legering ; and, after that, I think
I need hardly say more in praise of my favourite, the
Nottingham weapon. If the place selected has a bottom
tolerably uniform in depth, there is no method more killing
than "tight corking," i.e., using a bottom of the finest
natural gut, with the shot equally placed along its entire
length ; by adopting this method of placing the shot it
will be obvious that the line hangs much more true and
straight in the water from the extremity of the float than if
they were placed all together. The running line, and there
should be from 60 to 100 yards on a reel, cannot well be
too fine, while the reel itself should be perfectly smooth and
easy in its action — in point of fact, so nicely made and
regulated that the mere action of the stream on the float,
and the weight of the float itself, is sufficient to cause
the reel to revolve easily, and without the least stopping
or scraping. If the reel acts properly, and the line is
sufficiently light, it can be held perfectly taut and straight
from the cap of the float to the point of the rod, no matter
how long, in reason, the swim may be, and the fish can be
struck with almost as great a certainty as the roach
fisherman hooks his fish with half a line only of strike
line from float to top joint. Five-and-twenty, thirty, or
forty yards is no uncommon distance for a swim down
from the punt, and the fun that ensues when a three or four
pounder is hooked on fine tackle at this distance is no
little, rely on't ! The hook used for bream should be size
No. 7 or 8, round in the bend, and, if for worm-fishing, long
in the shank, so that the worm may be drawn neatly up the
shank of the hook, and not hang in loops. Supposing then

2 L 2

5i6 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

that suitable tackle has been rigged up, we will now proceed
to the fishing itself. Ground-baiting, whether in river or
pond, is essentially necessary for this fish ; for as they
frequently shift their locale and rove about in search of
food, it is obvious that they are likely to be kept together
where they find a supply of .palatable rations. Now there is
nothing that your river bream takes so kindly to as a diet
of worms, and where the fish run large, lobs well scoured
are a very attractive bait ; indeed I don't know anything to
beat them for big fish. The hole, or run that is intended to
operate upon, should therefore be well baited one or two
nights before fishing with a plentiful supply of lobs, either
chopped up or thrown in whole ? of the two I think the
latter is far preferable, and saves a somewhat unpleasant
operation. One thing should, however, be borne in mind,
that if there is no clay used when ground-baiting, and it is
better without it, the worms should be taken sufficiently
above the hole, and the set of the current studied to ensure
them sinking, and not being swept away from the chosen
place. It is an extraordinary fact, yet none the less certain,
that these fish will sometimes refuse to have anything to do
with a worm that travels down the stream, no matter how
neatly or showily put upon the hook, when the self-same
bait, stationary upon leger tackle, kills him instantly ; and
again they frequently reverse their tactics, declining the
leger business altogether, yet attacking the moving bait the
instant it reaches the bottom. The bream-fisher, bearing
this in mind, should, then, never despair of filling his basket
if the fish seem at first to be " dead off/' but try other
methods, and by offering them a suitable bait, he will
usually succeed in killing a brace or two of fish, and perhaps
a good many more, when, if he had stuck to his original
style, he would in all probability have gone home with a

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

517

very light basket. In legering much the same tackle may
be used as that described in carp-fishing — a fine gut bottom,
a bullet no larger than is absolutely necessary to find and
hold the ground against the stream, the hook the same as
that previously described, allowing the fish a fair time if the
bait is a large one, before striking him. A capital bait at
times for a bream is a bolus of plain bread paste, made
from the crumb of stale, yet perfectly sweet and white
bread, just dipped into water, and worked up with scrupu-
lously clean hands until it attains a tough and stiff con-
sistency. This may sometimes be sweetened with a little
honey to advantage, although I have usually found that
when they are in a paste-feeding humour, the plain kills
just as well as the sweet. Paste will not stand a heavy
current long, so that the hook should be frequently looked
at, and a small triangle will be found more serviceable than
a single hook, holding the paste much better together.
Gentles, again, sometimes exercise a powerful attraction ;
they are best used on a diminutive triangle, ground-baiting
with plenty of "carrion," and using liver gentles for the
hook. Bream seek the deep secluded parts of ponds and
lakes, and thrive amazingly in favourable waters, such as
have a bottom of an oozy, sandy nature, and where the
sides have an edging of weed-beds, lilies and water-flags.
Here, in the hot weather, they will be found rolling
and tumbling about in the weeds, to which they resort
for shade and shelter during the heat of the day. In
some waters that can be fished only from the side,
a long rod is really needful, so as to clear the weeds.
At all times, however, cumbersome and heavy, a long
rod, where running tackle is employed, becomes an abomi-
nable nuisance, from the difficulty in unshipping a
joint to allow landing the fish. I should, then, always

;i8 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

advise, whenever practicable, the use of a short one — of, say
12 or 14 feet, with strong yet fine-running tackle of plaited
silk. When the proper depth has been obtained, a
sufficient quantity of line to ensure reaching the desired
spot may be drawn from the reel and taken out in a loop
from the bottom ring of the rod and the reel itself. It
may then, when drawn fairly taut, be hitched over a tiny
twig, or a blade of stout grass projecting from the ground,
and the piscator, taking up the rod and giving the float
and the shotted line a swing in the desired direction, will
find that the light line flies easily through the rings after
the weighted portion, and, with a little practice, almost any
part of a pond may be easily reached. In a gastronomic
point of view the bream has always been held up to execra-
tion. Here is a recipe for cooking a river fish of, say
3 or 4 pound weight : — Cleanse him and lay him in salt
and water one hour ; stuff with a rich veal stuffing and
bake him — plentifully anointed with good butter — in a slow
oven, until the meat comes easily from the bones. Serve
him up, hot and hot, with cayenne pepper and lemon juice.
Carpers may say — I don't mean carp-eaters or carp-fishers
—that the veal-stuffing, lemon juice and butter, are the
only parts of the dish worth going in for ; it may be so, but
I have found the fish very toothsome.

DACE FISHING.

Dace are found in most of our English rivers, streams
and brooks, and will thrive well in either swiftly running
water, or in slower streams, so long as there is a fresh
supply coming from the head or from the feeders running
into it To the beginner in fly-fishing, we have no fish
indigenous to our waters that gives such good practice

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 519

to the learner as the one under notice, for during the
spring and summer months the dace rises greedily at small
flies and insects of various kinds, and is besides so brave
and dashing in his attempts to escape when hooked upon
fine tackle, that he gets the pupil's hand well in for
higher and nobler game. He is an extremely handsome
fish, and elegantly shaped, the head small, with the irides
of the eyes a pale yellow, the body lengthy and the tail
well forked ; the scales are much smaller than those of the
roach, and have a brilliant silvery gloss predominating over
a cast of yellowish green ; the back is of a dusky green
tint, the belly white, the ventral, anal and caudal fins
of a pale reddish hue. In the Thames they are seldom
taken of any great size, but in the Lea, and particularly
above Ware and Hertford, they run much larger ; while
in the Lark and Linnet — the former a tributary of the
Ouse, of Suffolk and Cambridge, the latter another
tributary stream joining the Lark near Bury — it is said
that they attain a pound or more in weight. Personally,
however, I have never seen anything approaching this size,
and shall be inclined to take such statements cum grano,
although Pennant gives an account of one that weighed a
pound and a half, and Linnaeus says that it grows to a foot
and a half in some countries. The most likely localities in
which to find these fish is in the vicinity of rapid currents,
sharps and eddies ; the point of .junction between two
streams is another habitat, while mill-races and the tail of
a mill-run are nearly always sure finds, and here they will
work up among the sharpest streams, and in the froth
and foam of the most turbulent looking water. In cold
and stormy weather they leave their favourite gravelly
scours, and seek deeper and more subtle water, where the
bottom is marly or clayey in character, and here they are

520 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

more likely to be taken by means of bottom fishing.
Spawning somewhere about the middle of March, or the
beginning of April, it is a wonderful sight to watch a school
of these fish upon the spawning beds, working and burrow-
ing amongst the sand and gravel, in active preparation for
the deposition of their ova, and upon favourable ground,
countless thousands may be frequently noticed by the
attentive observer ; while so intent are the little fellows
upon the object at issue, that they seemingly take not the
slightest notice of lookers on. Always provided they keep
tolerably quiet, and don't throw brickbats among them — a
little amusement I saw practised some few years ago on the
Maidenhead shallows, by some of the thoughtless men who
make camping out an amusement upon the banks of the
Thames as soon as the sun has fairly made his appearance
for the summer season. In bottom fishing for dace, there
is little, if any, difference to that practised in roach-fishing ;
at any rate the same tackle will kill equally well. It is,
however, in the autumn months that the best sport can be
obtained, when they, like the roach, have retired to the
deeper portions of the river. In the earlier periods of the
year dace will feed greedily, occasionally upon worms of
all kinds, and the little red worm in particular, as well as
the larvse of beetles, grubs, wasps and caddis worms. In
the hotter months, such as June, July and August, if the
angler chooses to try for them on the bottom, no bait is so
killing as gentles, well scoured and cleansed in sand, and
thus rendered tough and lasting on the hook. Some
pieces of greaves, of which dace are extravagantly fond,
are another excellent bait for them, and many an anathema
has this fish to put up with from the barbel-fisher when
legering with this substance, in return for the multitude of
sharp tugging bites — very different, however, to that of a

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 521

barbel — that he favours the angler with at such times. A
capital plan for their capture when they come upon a
barbel swim, is to fit up a small hook upon a length of gut,
and so affixed to the leger bottom that it hangs close to
the larger lump of greaves destined for the bigger fish —
thus, when these little pests, at such times, rush at the big
piece of greaves, one or other of their number is certain to
swallow the small bit, and come to bag, where one might
strike all day at their sharp tugs at the larger baits, without
once hooking one of them. It is always a good sign when
dace on a sudden cease biting on a barbel swim. Rely upon
it, that larger fish have hustled the little thieves away, and
that the probabilities are that while barbel or chub are on
the bottom inspecting your bait, preparatory to a final
smack at it, the dace have risen over them as a flight of
wood pigeons will watch a hawk. During the summer,
supposing the angler to be bottom fishing, it is always
advisable to fish rather off than on the bottom for dace ;
for, unlike the roach, they seek the swifter runs of water,
such as the angle of two sharp streams, or the races of mill-
wheels, and there, stemming the current, lie poised and
waiting for chance food that may come down. In such a
place, where eddies and back currents whirl the waters
back and forth in tortuous fashion, drop in the plummet,
and set the bait four or five inches from the ground. A
light, handy rod is required, a little springy in its action,
fine running tackle and a fair sized cork or quill float, well
shotted, and yet of such buoyancy as to resist the suction
and swirl of the heavy stream ; then let the stream take
the baited hook — and the lure may be caddis, red worm,
or gentles — right down away among the sharpest whirls
and eddies. Here lie the dace, and the instant the bait
reaches them away goes the float, and good sport ensues at

522 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

once, for dace fight hard and pluckily, and upon such fine
tackle as this, and in such a boil of water, will not yield
till they've had a sharp fight for victory. For its size
nothing plunges more violently at first, and proper care
should always be taken in striking a fish at such a place,
from the extreme probability that a trout or two may be
lying there, and that one of the spotted beauties may have
bolted your worm, or bunch of caddis or gentles. In ground
baiting for dace I know of nothing better than plenty of
carrion gentles, obtained from bone boilers' and crushers'
places of business. These, mixed with coarse pollard or
bran, and put loosely into balls of clay, will be found as
useful as anything ; but care should be exercised in the
quantity given, as dace are greedy feeders at all times,
and if they get thoroughly gorged with food, will cease
biting at the baited hook, as a matter of course.

As I have already said, no better practice for the embryo
trout-fisher can be obtained than fly-fishing for dace. An
ordinary trouting rod will do as well as any ; the cast
should be of the finest gut, and two or three flies may be
used tied on hooks of small pattern : when, however, a
beginner in the graceful art of fly-fishing is desirous of
obtaining instruction and accuracy in throwing a fly, one
only is sufficient. Small black and red palmers and black
enats are good and staple flies for dace whipping, and
occasionally, if the black flies have a gentle put upon the
tip of the hook's point, it seems to possess extraordinary
attractive qualities, and the fish will dash at it madly. In
lieu of gentles, supposing them to be unattainable, a bit of
wash-leather with the point of the hook pushed through it will
be found an efficient substitute. The best method of fishing
the Thames shallows is to throw from a boat, having a heavy
stone, or, better still, a small anchor, so as to effectually

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 523

moor the craft whenever a likely spot is reached. The
flies may then be cast straight down the stream and to the
right and left, and it will be soon apparent to the angler
whether dace are on the shallows or no, for if there they
will likely enough come with a rush at the flies at once, pro-
vided the weather is at all favourable ; if they are not there
or none are taken after ten minutes' time, try elsewhere.

Capital sport as is obtained with the artificial, I must
confess that I think the practice of blow line fishing will
beat it hollow, and, at the risk of repetition, I will suggest
that whenever shallows and likely looking scours can be
reached from the bank, they should be fished in the
following manner : — Use a lengthy, light and stiff rod, with
a long line of floss silk, which can be obtained at any of
the tackle shops for this particular purpose, and should be
two yards at least beyond the length of the rod ; then, with
a small hook placed carefully between the shoulders of a
bluebottle — at all times a most deadly lure — get the wind
at your back, and, sheltered from view by a bit of rising
ground, a bush, or the old stump of a tree, let the breeze
carry the light floss until it bellies out, clear of the uplifted
rod. With the baited hook held between the thumb and
finger of the left hand, raise the point of the rod, and at
the instant a puff of wind comes, release the fly, gradually
lowering the rod until it drops gently and naturally upon
the surface of the stream. It sometimes happens, from
some unaccountable reason, that dace will not take the fly
when upon the surface. Supposing that this occurs and
few fish are observed rising over ground where they are
known to lie, and those which do rise refuse to take the fly
thrown, perhaps, directly over them, put on the hook-link
of gut or hair a single shot, and let the insect sink, gently
drawing it backwards and forwards to the surface of the

524 PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT.

water ; by these means many fish may be captured that
otherwise would have gone untouched. The ant fly, a
winged insect found in the interior of the anthills, is a
splendid natural bait for dace, and Walton thus gives
instructions for their capture and subsequent keeping. He
sayS : — « Gather them alive with both their wings, and put
them into a glass that will hold a quart or pottle ; first put
into the glass a handful or more of the moist earth out of
which you gather them, and as much of the roots of the
grass of the said hillock, and then put in the flies, gently,
that they lose not their wings ; lay a clod of earth over it,
and then so many as are put into the glass without bruising
will live there a month or more, and be always in readiness
for you to fish with. But if you would have them keep
longer, then get any great earthen pot or barrel, or three
or four gallons, which is better, then wash your barrel with
water and honey, and having put into it a quantity of earth
and grass roots, then put in your flies, and they will cover
it, and will live a quarter of a year — these in any stream
and clear water are a deadly bait for roach or dace, or for
a chub." So far as culinary properties are concerned, the
"silvery dace" has little, if anything, to recommend him,
although when fried, crisp and brown, in good oil or lard,
and eaten in lieu of anything better, with the appetite
engendered by a long ramble, rod in hand, by the brink of
some sparkling streamlet, he is not to be despised ; and I
can well recollect on one occasion, when cold, wet, and
hungry, I got back to a little village " pub.," at which I
had engaged a bed for the night, I was met with the
comforting assurance, that save some rusty bacon, and
cheese like soap, there was nothing eatable in the house. I
had, however, some three dozen splendid dace, and these were
forthwith consigned to the kitchen for my supper ; presently

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE GENTLE CRAFT. 525

they appeared, crisp and hot, and with brown bread and
butter, pepper, and salt, they made an appetising and
savoury meal — better than sprats, at any rate. Carefully
wiped dry, and placed in methylated spirits in an air-tight
jar, they will keep wonderfully well and make grand baits
for winter jack spinning.

LITERATURE

OF

SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

BY

J. J. MANLEY, M.A.,

AUTHOR OF 'NOTES ON FISH AND FISHING,' ETC., ETC.

VOL. III. — H.

CONTENTS.

CHAP. PACK

I. THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF FISHING LITERATURE — CATA-
LOGUES— LIBRARIES, ETC.— AUTHORS ON THE BIB-
LIOGRAPHY OF FISHING 531

II. AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING, ETC., BEFORE
THE INTRODUCTION OF PRINTING INTO ENGLAND
(1474 A.D.) ... ... 543

III. AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING, FROM THE
INTRODUCTION OF PRINTING INTO ENGLAND (1474
A.D.) TO THE TIME OF IZAAK WALTON (1653 A.D.
FIRST EDITION OF "THE COMPLETE ANGLER") . 565

IV. IZAAK WALTON— His LITERARY CONTEMPORARIESX

AND SUCCESSORS TO END OF CENTURY XVII. . 592

V. AUTHORS ON FISH AND FISHING IN CENTURY XVIII. 612
VI. AUTHORS ON FISH AND FISHING IN CENTURY XIX. . 617
VII. THE ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING . . . .637
VIII. THE PERIODICAL LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER
FISHING — NEWSPAPERS — REVIEWS— MAGAZINES —
BOOKS ON SEA FISHING, ICHTHYOLOGY, AND PIS-
CICULTURE—THE LITERARY "OUTCOME" OF THE
FISHERIES EXHIBITION . • f , , « 677

INTRODUCTION.

THOUGH this Handbook far exceeds in length all the
other members of that large family to which the Fisheries
Exhibition has given birth, it cannot pretend to traverse
thoroughly all the ground indicated by its title. The
Literature of Sea and River Fishing is so extensive, that
within the present compass only a comparatively brief
survey can be essayed ; and this must be mainly confined
to the literary productions of our own country. Even
the names of many English authors must necessarily be
omitted, and the chief of them only find a place.

Necessarily, too, the literature of Freshwater Fishing will
take up by far the greater portion of the space at com-
mand, as books on Sea Fishing are limited in number, and
generally speaking of a purely technical or commercial
character.

Criticism has not been indulged in to any great degree
in the following pages, as the Handbook is principally
intended to be a work of " reference," and something in the
way of a "guide" to those who may desire to form a
general idea of the extent and character of our angling
literature.

The quotations introduced may strike some readers, who
are more or less familiar with the subject, as somewhat
" hackneyed " ; but necessarily they are so, because they

VOL. HI. — H. 2 M

530 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

are the most appropriate and best illustrative of the
matter in hand, just as the "beaten paths" of travel are
" beaten " because they are the most interesting and
striking. A considerable portion of the quotations is from
authors of early or comparatively early periods, whose
works are not so easily accessible to general readers as are
those of more modern date.

Among the books to which the writer is indebted are
those mentioned towards the end of the first chapter ; but
he would specially acknowledge the invaluable assistance
of the Bibliotheca Piscatoria recently published. A longer
and fuller chronological survey of piscatory, and especially
of purely angling literature than that which is here offered
to angling and other readers, has not, he believes, been
hitherto attempted ; and, without the aid of the volume
just mentioned, what has been achieved would have been
almost impossible.

The labour has not been a slight one ; and owing to the
thousands of references it has involved, many mistakes in
names, dates, and other details may have been made. For
these he pleads indulgence at the hands of his readers ;
and concludes these preliminary remarks with the hope
that this little book, like the historic cod-fish caught in
Lynn Deeps, in 1626, with three literary treatises in its
stomach, and served before the Vice- Chancellor at Cam-
bridge, will be found at least in some degree to contain
" good learning and entertainment"

LITERATURE

OP

SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

CHAPTER I.

THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF FISHING LITERATURE — CATA-
LOGUES — LIBRARIES, ETC. — AUTHORS ON THE
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF FISHING.

THE bibliography of Sea and River Fishing, and especially
of the latter, in itself covers such an enormous field that
only a brief glance at it is here possible.

The various " Catalogues " of books which have from
time to time been published, as containing all or most of
the known works on piscatory subjects, first claim attention.
For several generations bibliophilists and bibliographers —
several of whom have had more or less interest in pisca-
tory pursuits — have been very busy in their researches into
angling literature, and the catalogues of such literature
have gradually been growing in magnitude and biblio-
graphical importance. The last output of labour from this
literary mine has been the Bibliotheca Piscatoria by Messrs.
T. Westwood and T. Satchell, a magnum opus in every sense
of the words, and in itself a history of angling literature.
From this it may be gathered that there are in existence
about a score of general catalogues of books relating to

2 M 2

532 LITERATURE OP SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

fishing and fish, of which a large proportion deal almost
exclusively with the subject of angling. One Rittershusius,
as far back as 1597, in the Prolegomena of an edition of
Oppian, gives a Catalogue of those who besides Oppian have
written something about fish ; and then, after a long gap, we
have, printed at Altenburg in 1750, Kreysig's list of ancient
writers on hunting, fishing, and other rural amusements.
Enslin followed in the same line in 1823, and Engelmann
ten years later ; both their works being published at Berlin.
In 1842 Schneider published, also at Berlin, a continuation
of the labours of the two authors last mentioned. But of
continental contributors to this branch of literary knowledge
D. Mulder Bosgoed, librarian of the Rotterdam Library,
stands foremost. He published his Bibliotheca Ichthyologia
et Piscatoria in 1874, a work of great comprehensiveness
and accuracy, which, up to its date, is a very complete
bibliography of angling, and contains notices of books on
every conceivable subject connected with fish and fishing,
and especially of those published on the Continent.

But it is with the piscatorial bibliographers of our country
that we are more immediately concerned. Several of these
to a great extent confined themselves to compiling cata-
logues of books on angling proper, but others have taken
a more comprehensive line. In an interleaved copy 'of
C. Bowlker's (of Ludlow) work on angling (1806) was

found a MS. List of Angling Books y by White of

Crickhowell, whose library was dispersed by auction about
the year 1806; and this is probably the first catalogue of
its kind made in this country. It is now in the Denison
collection, but is of no great intrinsic value. The first
of any real importance, entitled A Catalogue of Books on
Angling ; with some brief Notices of several of their
Authors, compiled by Sir Henry Ellis, was published in

FISHING BIBLIOGRAPHY. 533

1811. It contained a list of between seventy and eighty
works ; and, aided by a revised copy with MS. additions
(now in the Denison collection), Mr. Pickering, in 1836,
published his Bibliotheca Piscatoria, increasing the number
of works to 1 80, with an intimation that his catalogue would
"be found more extensive than any hitherto published."
J. Wilson, brother of Professor Wilson of the " Noctes,"
published a catalogue in 1840, but it contained only 100
works, as he confined his enumeration very strictly to those
which dealt only with angling. The next great advance in
piscatorial bibliography was made in 1847 by the Rev.
G. W. Bethune, who, though hailing from the United States,
we must for the nonce consider an Englishman. In his
edition of Izaak Walton he gives a List of such Works as
relate to Fish and Fishing ; and these number 300, exclu-
sive of those on ichthyology, but inclusive of Greek and Latin
authors who give descriptions of fishing, some of which will
be quoted in the next chapter. The next important cata-
logue is that appended by Mr. J. Russell Smith, the pub-
lisher of Soho Square, to Blakey's Angling Literature in
1856. It was professedly based on the catalogues above
mentioned, and excluded works " which only treat inciden-
tally on angling ; " but it claimed to be " a complete list
of English writers on ichthyology." The number of works
mentioned is 264. By the way, it may here be noted that
amongst the books on angling belonging to the writer
of these notes, he has a reprint of the Angler's Progress, by
H. Boaz, written in 1789. This reprint was published by
J. H. Burn, of Maiden Lane, in 1820; and in it is the fol-
lowing advertisement: "Preparing for the Press, and
speedily will be published, A Bibliographical List of all
the books written either for the improvement in or that
are descriptive of the Art of Angling." The writer has

534 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

never seen any notice of the actual publication of this
" List," and probably it was never printed. Mr. John
Bartlett, of Boston, U.S., has published a most interest-
ing catalogue of his own valuable collection of books on
fish and fishing.

We now come to what may be called a new epoch in the
history of angling catalogues. In 1861, Mr. T. Westwood
— who wields the fishing-rod as ably as he does the pen —
presented the literary and angling world with A New Bib-
liotheca Piscatoria ; or a General Catalogue of A ngling and
Fishing Literature, with Biographical Notes and Dates.
This was a more ambitious attempt in its line than any
which preceded it, and showed a marked advance in its
field of research. The author laid the literature of all lands
under contribution; and it was to his labours that Herr
Bosgoed, before mentioned, was to a very great extent
indebted, as he himself acknowledges, in the compilation
of his catalogue, in which nearly 600 English works are
enumerated.

But it would be superfluous to dwell on the contents of
Mr. Westwood's book, as the new and long-expected Bib-
liotheca Piscatoria, already referred to, the joint work of
Mr. Westwood and Mr. T. Satchell, has been published
within the last few months. As Mr. Westwood's previous
book, like Aaron's rod which swallowed up the serpents of
the Egyptian magicians, had swallowed up all previous
catalogues, and had in turn been assimilated by Herr
Bosgoed, so now the last Bibliotheca Piscatoria has incor-
porated all its predecessors in this and every other country.
It is certainly one of the most interesting and masterful
works in the whole range of bibliographical literature ; and
though of necessity, when we consider its subject-matter,
there must still remain addenda et corrigenda, it may be

FISHING BIBLIOGRAPHY. 535

fairly said to be as complete as it could well be made, its
authors having spared neither time nor pains to perfect what
has evidently been to them a real " labour of love." Its
publication has been most opportune at a time when fish
and fishing have become subjects of special interest, and
anglers, from the aristocratic capturers of the lordly salmo
salar down to the humble pecheurs a la ligne, are rightly
called "legion." " Piscatoribus sacrum" inscribed by
Cotton over his fishery-house on the Dove, might be the
appropriate motto of this book ; as anglers will find within
it interest and instruction to the full, while its purely
literary value is almost inestimable from the wealth of
biographical notes, pithy criticisms, and of quaint and
piquant quotations scattered throughout its pages. As
regards its actual contents, suffice it to say that, compared
with Mr. T. Westwood's Bibliotheca, a small duodecimo
volume of 82 pages, this is a large octavo of 397. That
enumerated 600 works, but in this, as may be learned from
the preface, there are 3158 editions, and reprints of 2148
distinct works registered, including contributions from " far
Cathay." Of these 2465 have been personally inspected —
1685 in the Denison collection, 482 in the British Museum,
and 348 in other libraries. The Parliamentary papers on
fish and fishing, which have been included, amount to 727,
together with the titles of 341 Acts of Parliament ; and
a separate and exhaustive list is also added of works on
Pisciculture. This will give some idea of the marvellous
store of piscatory information contained in, or suggested
by, the volume, which has been well and by no means
hyperbolically described as a "hagiography for the enthu-
siastic followers of Walton ; a substantial help to the
bibliographer ; a series of finger-posts by the side of
English history to guide the curious student of diversions

536 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

which found favour with our forefathers ; an amusement
for the idle angler as he notes the names of those dis-
tinguished of old in his craft ; and a veritable delight to
the scholarly fisherman." In a word, it is a literary
treasure of which not only anglers but the nation may
be justly proud ; and which, though only nominally a
"catalogue," is a most valuable addition to the Literature
of Sea and River Fishing.

It may be here mentioned that Professor Brown Goode,
who has so ably represented the United States Section at
the Fisheries Exhibition, has for some years been engaged
in the compilation of an elaborate bibliography of ichthy-
ology, fisheries, and fish culture, which will doubtless prove
of great value to all interested in fish and fishing in all parts
of the world.

In addition to the general catalogues which are given in
the Bibliotheca Piscatoria, there is a very interesting list of
over twenty " sale " catalogues, in which books on angling
are a special feature. Most of these sales were conducted by
the well-known firm in which the name of "Sotheby"
occurs, and they stretch over a considerable number of
years. Among them is the notice of the sale, in March
1854, of the "valuable and unique private library of Mr.
W. P. [William Pickering, before mentioned], consisting of . . .
works on angling, embracing the first five and almost
every other edition of Izaak Walton's Complete Angler, and
also the works of all his favourite authors." Also the notice
of the sale, in July 1869, of the library of Sir H. E. Ellis,
above mentioned. In some cases the price, which rare
editions of Walton and other angling authors fetched, is
given ; as, for instance, £92 for an illustrated edition of
Walton and Cotton, published by Pickering, and £27 for a
copy of the fourth edition of Secrets of A ngling, by J. D., at

FISHING BIBLIOGRAPHY. 537

the sale of the Rev. F. Corser's library in 1869 ; £6$ for an
illustrated Walton at the sale of W. S. Higgs's library in
1830; and £40 for a Dr. Gardiner's Booke of Angling or
Fishing (1606), at the sale of Mr. Lynch Cotton's collection
in 1856. Dr. Dibden, in his Bibliomania, rightly says that
"catalogues are to bibliographers what reports are to
lawyers — not to be read through from end to end, but to be
consulted on doubtful points." When priced, and with
purchasers' names, their importance, both as standards of
value and means of tracing the proprietorship of rare and
curious books, is sufficiently obvious. The present seems
to be an age of Bibliothecas ; and it may be incidentally
mentioned that among recent productions of this character
the Bibliotheca Nicotiana — * A Catalogue of Books about
Tobacco ' — which mentions over 400 works of various
kinds, and was privately printed in 1880, in connection with
Mr. Bragge's collection of books and objects connected
with tobacco, is almost as great a success as the Bibliotheca
Piscatoria.

Speaking of piscatorial libraries, the authors of the
Bibliotheca Piscatoria acknowledge their indebtedness to
several private collections, including those of Mr. Joseph
Grego, and Mr. Alfred Denison of Albemarle Street. The
former is a large collection, principally of old English
books, many of them very scarce, which had taken fifty
years of patient labour to collect. Anglers and biblio-
philists of this country will regret to hear that they have
recently found a new owner in the United States, whither
so many piscatory libraries, or the pick of them, are con-
stantly making their way. The library of Mr. Denison, of
Albemarle Street, access to which the writer most grate-
fully acknowledges, may truly be said to be unique, both
for the number and value of its books on angling, and

538 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

indeed on all matters connected with fish and fishing. It
numbers about 3,000 volumes, and yet does not contain
two-thirds of the works (or rather, editions) mentioned
in the BibliotJieca Piscatoria. It is hardly necessary to
enlarge on the enthusiastic devotion and the long purse
required to form such a library, or on its literary value, as
it is only in such a collection that the most rare of angling
books can be consulted. Collectors now sigh in vain for
such volumes, and hunters of old bookstalls and other
places which suggest the possible presence of literary
treasures have very great difficulty in finding old angling
books. The value of these is constantly rising as the
search for them increases, and bibliomania becomes more
and more of an endemic. Recently the writer considered
himself fortunate in picking up one of the volumes by
G. M. (Gervase Markham), dated 165.3, which includes a
dissertation on fishing. Several works and their different
editions by that author are not specially scarce ; yet the
second edition of his Young Sportsman's Delight, &c.,
though imperfect, is now worth as many pounds as the
first sold for pence in 1712. The only perfect copy known
to be in existence is that in the Denison library. Many
of the works in this grand collection are almost priceless.
Among others there are two editions of J. D.'s Secrets of
Angling, of the second and third of which there are no
other copies. When these were sold at Prince's Sale in 1858
they fetched £6 and £3 14^. respectively; but it would
probably require two o's added to the 6 to represent the
pounds they would realise now if offered to public com-
petition. Mr. Denison once missed another valuable edition
of J. D.'s Secrets ; and only an enthusiastic collector can
sympathise with the regret he feels at letting slip a chance
which may never offer itself again. Only twice in this

FISHING BIBLIOGRAPHY. 539

century has a copy of Dame Juliana Berner's Boke been
offered in an auction-room. A well-known dealer in such
literary pearls of great price secured one last year for
600 guineas. Mr. Denison has since become the happy
possessor of the other in exchange for £450.

One more very interesting work in the library we must
briefly glance at. It was privately printed for Mr. Denison
himself in 1872, and only twenty-five copies were struck off.
It is entitled, A literal translation into English of the
earliest known book on fowling and fish, written originally
in Flemish, and printed in the year 1492. The Boecxken
was printed (black-letter) by Matthias van der Goes, but
also contains the printer's mark of Godfridus Bach, who
married Van der Goes' widow. It contains twenty-six
chapters of a very few lines each, in eight leaves, with six
woodcuts, and gives recipes for artificial baits, unguents,
and pastes, and the periods at which certain fish are " at
their best." In date it thus has the priority of the Book
of St. A Ibans, as far as fishing goes.

And now we must reluctantly leave this storehouse of
literary treasures, so admirably bound and arranged, in
their resting-places, and so lovingly cared for and guarded.
Habent sua fata libelli ; and if priceless tomes, which re-
ceive greater attention than even royal nurselings, have any
feelings, they must rejoice at having found such a home as
that in Albemarle Street, where they are the very joy of
the soul of their possessor, and we hope safe for a very
long time to come from the ups and downs of the famous
black-letter volume of Dame Juliana Berners, as told in
Mr. Blades's charming Enemies of Books.

It is very difficult to make an accurate statement as to
the number of books in existence on angling " pure and
simple," as so many works in a greater or less degree

540 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

include cognate matter. The New Bibliotheca Piscatoria
of Westwood (1861, and Supplement, 1869) claimed to
" include 650 distinct works on the sport " of angling ; but
no statement appears to be made on this point by the
authors of the Bibliotheca of the present year. Mr. Charles
Estcourt, F.C.S., a member of the Manchester Anglers'
Association, in a most interesting paper on the "Biblio-
graphy of Angling," read before the members, and pub-
lished in A nglers* Evenings, says that " the mother-country
possessed in 1861 no less than 470 works upon fish and
fishing " ; and that the various countries of the world
contributed to piscatory literature, as regards the number
of works, in the following order : — Great Britain, Germany,
France, America, Italy, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Spain,
and Norway. Also, with a view to show the literary position
of each of the more prominent angling countries, he gives
the following table as the result of an analysis of publishers'
lists and catalogues up to the month of September 1879 : —

Britain. Germany. France. America.

Real angling works . . . 411 64 41 12
Natural history, which in-1)

eludes ichthyology, pisci-> 50 18 15 3

culture, &c j

Poetry and rhyme ... 37 .. ..

Reports 59 5 4

Total. .... 557 88 60 15

In this list, under the name of each country, are included
only those books which are printed in the language of that
country. The grand total is 720, of which Great Britain
contributes more than three times as many as the other
countries put together ; thus testifying to the fact that she
is the home of, and great international instructress in, the
"gentle art." But after all, notwithstanding the above

FISHING BIBLIOGRAPHY. 541

figures and statements, we do not seem to possess a really
accurate statement as to the relative number of books on
angling "pure and simple," and on other piscatory subjects,
which have up to the present time been published in this
and other countries.

This chapter may perhaps be appropriately concluded
with the mention of one or two treatises that deal with the
subject in hand, so that readers who are specially interested
in piscatorial bibliography may know where to find fuller
information, and very many interesting facts connected with
it, which the present limitation of space renders it impossible
to touch on. In addition to the "catalogues" and other
works above referred to, such as Blakey's Angling Literature
(J. R. Smith, Soho Square), which, by the way, has many
inaccuracies scattered about its pages, and Mr. Estcourt's
paper in Anglers' Evenings (Abel Hey wood, Manchester),
may be mentioned an erudite and charming little volume
by Mr. Osmund Lambert, entitled Angling Literature in
England (Sampson Low, Marston & Co., London), which
briefly surveys the whole of angling bibliography. Among
articles of considerable length which have appeared in
current literature during the last few years, the reader may
be referred to The Fly -fisher and his Library, by H. R.
Francis, which appeared in the " Cambridge Essays " in
1856 (J. W. Parker & Son, London), most pleasant literary
chit-chat, but necessarily somewhat discursive and limited
in its range ; and to " The Angler's Library " in the July
number of the Edinburgh Review of the current year,
wherein will.be found much curious and solid information,
as well as light and entertaining reading. Blackwood and
other magazines have also of late years contained more or
less lengthy notices on the bibliography of fishing ; and the
volumes of Notes and Queries, and The Angler s Note-Book

542 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

(Satchell & Co., London), may be consulted with pleasure
and profit. Dr. Badham's A ncient and Modern Fish Tattle
is another book — one of the most interesting ever written
on fish and fishing — which abounds with notes on piscatory
bibliography.

( 543 >

CHAPTER II.

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING, ETC., BEFORE
THE INTRODUCTION OF PRINTING INTO ENGLAND,
A.D. 14/4.

IT is difficult to say when fishing came to be practised by
the ancients as an amusement. Of course it was first
resorted to, both by means of nets and of hooks and lines,
for the purpose of procuring food. But, doubtless, in very
early times, what seems to be the instinctive desire of man
to capture animals feres natures, led him to pursue fishing
as " a sport," and not merely for " the pot " ; and many
ancient coins, gems, frescoes, mural inscriptions, and
other " antiquities " preserved to the present day, bear
testimony to this fact, "the angle" being frequently re-
presented. Certain it is, too, that the Greeks, Romans,
and Egyptians, during what may be called the historic
period, pursued angling as a pastime. We should naturally,
therefore, expect that ancient writers would allude to, if
not compose treatises on, fishing from both the above
points of view, and especially from that of "sport," as
being more interesting and giving wider scope for descrip-
tions both in prose and verse.

Athenaeus — called by Suidas ^pa^anKo^ a term which
is best rendered into English as "a literary man" — who
wrote in the middle of the third century, and whose pet
subjects seem to have been grammar and gastronomy, cites
in his writings no less than 1,200 separate works and
800 authors, and of the latter the names of a very large
number are given in his Deipnosophistce (" Banquet of the

544 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Learned ") as those of authors who had written on fish and
fishing. The great majority of their compositions are un-
fortunately lost to us, but their names are a testimony to
the abundance of ancient literature of the net and angle.

But the words "ancient" and "literature" are very com-
prehensive, and cover a very wide field ; and it may be a
question as to how far authors who only incidentally make
mention of, or very briefly describe, fishing of various kinds,
should be included among contributors to angling literature.
Enthusiasts in this matter claim among them the authors
of several books in the Bible, such as the author of the
Book of Job, the prophet Amos, Habakkuk, and Isaiah,
the prophecy of which latter concerning the destruction of
Egypt, Bishop Lowth has thus translated : —

" And the fishes shall mourn and lament ;
All those that cast the hook in the river,
And those that spread nets on the surface of the waters, shall

languish ;

And they that work the fine flax shall be confounded,
And they that weave net-work ;
And her shores shall be broken up ;
Even all that make a gain of pools of fish."

But the Biblical notices of fishing are really only evidences
of the antiquity of the practice, and of the " engines " used
in its prosecution. Herodotus is claimed as a piscatory
author, because he tells us of the fisheries of the Lake Mceris ;
and of course Homer is pressed into the service in conse-
quence of his several allusions to angling. In the 1 6th
Iliad (408), for instance, reference is made to hook and line
fishing, and the passage has been rather freely translated
thus : —

" As from some rock that overhangs the flood
The silent fisher casts the insidious food ;
With fraudful care he waits the finny prize,
And sudden lifts it quivering to the skies."

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 545

In the 1 2th Odyssey (251) "a very long fishing-rod" is
spoken of; and in a passage a little further on the com-
panions of Ulysses resort to fishing " with crooked hooks " ;
and yet another passage refers to the use of pieces of bullock's
horn in fishing, which, by the way, does not mean that
the hook was made of this material, but that the piece
of horn was slipped down the line to prevent the fish
biting through it. The Greek tragedians frequently allude
to fishing. Aristotle shows a wonderful knowledge of fish,
and in his Animalia recognises 117 different kinds. Theo-
critus, the Sicilian, who flourished about 270 B.C., and of
whose Idylls there are several English translations, may
fairly claim rank as an ancient piscatory poet. In his
2 ist Idyll a fisherman is represented as recounting a
dream of the previous night —

" Methought I sat upon a shelfy steep,
And watch'd the fish that gamboll'd in the deep."

A huge one takes the "bait fallacious, suspended from
his rod " ; and then is described the " playing " of the fish,
as best it could be played in an era before winches and
running lines were thought of : —

" Bent was my rod, and from his gills the blood
With crimson stream distain'd the silver flood ;
I stretch'd my arm out lest the hook should break —
The flesh so vigorous, and my hook so weak !
Anxious I gaz'd ; he struggled to be gone :
You're wounded — I'll be with you, friend, anon —
Still do you tease me ? — for he plagu'd me sore.
At last, quite spent, I drew him safe on shore,
Then graspt him with my hand, for surer hold :
A noble prize, a fish of solid gold ! "

This is rather a poor translation, but it will answer its
purpose. Perhaps that by Chapman (Bohn, 1853) is the
best.

VOL. in. — II; 2 N

546 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Passing on to later times, we have Virgil in his Georgics
singing,

" How casting nets were spread in shallow brooks ;
Drags in the deep, and baits were hung on hooks."

And after the Christian era we have Ovid entering the
lists of angling literature, and telling us in his Ars Amatoria
how

" The wary angler in the winding brook,
Knows what the fish and where to bait his hook ;w

and how he plies " his quivering rod." In his Halieuticon
(if the fragment be rightly credited to him, which some
critics question) he gives us much genuine angling infor-
mation, and amusing notices of the expertness of different
fish in escaping from the angler's hook. Pliny shows
himself a learned ichthyologist, and is the first Latin poet
who makes even cursory mention of the king of the Sal-
monidae (S. salar) as frequenting rivers in Aquitaine. He
also gives many most interesting accounts of the modes of
capture of various fish. Here is one of the capture of the
Anthea, which is quaint in itself, and quaint in the words
of Ph. Holland's translation : —

" When the time serveth there goeth forth a fisher in a small
boat or barge, for certaine dales together, a prettie way into the
sea, clad alwaies in apparell of one and the same colour, at one
houre and to the same place still, when he casteth forth a bait for
the fish. But the fish antheus is so craftie and warie, that what-
soever is throwne forth hee suspecteth it evermore that it is a
meanes to surprise him. He feareth therefore and distrusteth;
and as he feareth, so is he as warie ; until at length, after much
practice and often using this device of flinging meat into the
same place, one above the rest groweth so hardy and bold as to
bite at it The fisher takes good mark of this one fish, making
sure reckoning that he will bring more thither, and be the meanes
that he shall speed his hand in the end. At length this harclie

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 547

capitaine meets with some other companions, and by little and
little he cometh every day better accompanied than other, until
in the end he bringeth with him infinite troupes and squadrons
together, so as now the eldest of them all (as craftie as they bee)
being so well used to know the fisher, that they will snatch meat
out of his hands; then he, espying his time, putteth forth an hook
with a bait, and speedily with a quick and nimble hand whippeth
them out of the water, and giveth them one after another to his
companion in the ship — who ever, as they be snatched up,
latcheth them in a coarse twille or covering, and keepes them
sure ynough from either strougling or squeaking, that they should
not drive the rest away. The speciall thing that helpeth this
game and pretie sport is to know the capitaine from the rest, who
brought his fellowes to this feast, and to take heed in any hand
that he be not twicht up and caught ; and therefore the fisher
spareth him, that he may flie and goe to some other flocke for to
traine them to the like banket. Thus you see the manner of
fishing for these anthiae. "

Plutarch also tells us a good deal about fish and fishing,
and relates the well-known story of the angling match
between Antony and Cleopatra, which makes as certain an
appearance in every book on angling, as does Macaulay's
New Zealander on the ruins of London Bridge in the work
of every writer who can possibly squeeze him into his pro-
duction. Martial shows us that the Romans of his time
knew something of fly-fishing, by asking —

" Who has not seen the scarus rise,
Decoy'd and kill'd by fraudful flies ?"

But we learn from ^Elian, a contemporary of Martial,
at the beginning of the 2nd century, that this art was
known far away from Rome. In Book XV., Ch. I., of his
De Animalium Naturd he says (according to the transla-
tion from Schneider's edition given by Mr. Lambert) : —

" I have heard of a Macedonian way of catching fish, and it is
this : between Beroca and Thessalonica runs a river called the

2 N 2

548 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Astracus, and in it there are/J/fc with spotted (or speckled) skins;
what the natives of the country call them you had better ask the
Macedonians. These fish feed on a fly which is peculiar to the
country, and which hovers over the river. It is not like flies
found elsewhere, nor does it resemble a wasp in appearance, nor
in shape would one justly describe it as a midge or a bee, yet it
has something of each of these. In boldness it is like a fly, in
size you might call it a bee, it imitates the colour of the wasp, and
it hums like a bee. The natives call it the Hippouros. As these
flies seek their food over the river, they do not escape the obser-
vation of the fish swimming below. When then a fish observes
a fly hovering above, it swims quietly up, fearing to agitate the
water, lest it should scare away its prey, then coming up by its
shadow, it opens its jaws and gulps down the fly, like a wolf
carrying off a sheep from the flock, or an eagle a goose from the
farmyard ; having done this it withdraws under the rippling water.
Now though the fishermen know of this, they do not use these
flies at all for bait for the fish ; for if a man's hand touch them,
they lose their colour, their wings decay, and they become unfit
for food for the fish. For this reason they have nothing to do
with them, hating them for their bad character ; but they have
planned a snare for the fish, and get the better of them by their
fisherman's craft. They fasten red (crimson red) wool round a
hook and fit on to the wool two feathers which grow under a
cocks wattles, and which in colour are like wax. Their rod is
six feet long and the line is of the same length. Then they throw
their snare, and the fish, attracted and maddened by the colour,
comes up, thinking from the pretty sight to get a dainty mouthful;
when, however, it opens its jaws, it is caught by the hook and
enjoys a bitter repast, a captive."

It may be taken for granted that these " spotted " fish
were some kind of trout, or at least members of the
Salmonidce family, who are still so open to having a rise
taken out of them by the " fraudful fly." ^Elian also
describes minutely a variety of methods of fish capture,
and among them a very singular mode of taking eels,

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 549

which is a much more ingenious device than the modern
practice of " sniggling " with a mop of threaded lob-worms.
He says : —

" The artful eeler pitches upon a spot favourable for his
purpose at the turn of a stream, and lets down from where he
stands, on the high bank, some cubits' length of the intestines of
a sheep, which, carried down by the current, is eddied and
whirled about, and presently perceived by the eels, one of whom
adventurously gobbling some inches at the nether end, endeavours
to drag the whole away. The angler, perceiving this, applies the
other end, which is fixed to a long tubular reed serving in lieu of
a fishing-rod, to his mouth, and blows through it into the gut.
The gut presently swells, and the fish next receiving the air into
his mouth, swells too, and being unable to extricate his teeth is
lugged out, adhering to the inflated intestine."

JElian also speaks of the Thymalus, which we may almost
certainly take to be the grayling, as he assigns it to the
rivers Ticeno and Adige, in which it still abounds ; the
name itself is still associated with the grayling, which has
always been considered to emit a thyme-like fragrance ;
and the fly, in accordance with what -^Elian says, is its
favourite food.

A voluminous writer on fish and fishing, who chrono-
logically next presents himself for mention is Oppian, who
was born in the year 183. His chief work was his Halieu-
tics, a poem of five books in Greek hexameters, which he
is said to have publicly recited in a theatre. A very fair
translation of it is that of Diaper (not Draper, as frequently
given) and Jones (Oxford, 1772). Many of the quotations
from his writings, in their English form, are well known to
all readers of books on angling ; but, though hackneyed,
a few of them must be here introduced. The modern
angler cannot fail to enter into their spirit, and feel that the

550 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

fishermen of old were of the same fraternity as " brothers
of the angle " now. This is how JSlian divides fishermen
into classes : —

" By those who curious have their art defined,
Three sorts of fishers are distinct assigned ;
The first in hooks delight, here some prepare
The angler's taper length and twisted hair ;
Others the tougher heads of flax entwine,
But firmer hands sustain the sturdy line ;
A third prevails by more compendious ways,
While numerous hooks one common line displays."

The following is a capital rendering of a famous pas-
sage :—

"A bite I Hurrah ! the length'ning line extends,
Above the tugging fish the arch'd reed bends ;
He struggles hard, and noble sport will yield,
My liege, ere wearied out he quits the field.
See how he swims up, down, and now athwart
The rapid stream — now pausing as in thought ;
And now you force him from the azure deep ;
He mounts, he bends, and with resilient leap
Bounds into air ! There see the dangler twirl,
Convulsive start, hang, curl, again uncurl,
Caper once more like young Terpsichore
In giddy gyres above the sounding. sea,
Till near'd you seize the prize with steady wrist,
And grasp at last the bright funambulist."

Here is another : —

" The fisher, standing from the shallop's head,
Projects the length'ning line and plunging lead,
Gently retracts, then draws it in apace,
While flocking anthias follow and give chase
As men their foe, so these pursue their fate,
And closely press the still receding bait.
Nor long in vain the tempting morsel pleads,
A hungry anthia seizes, snaps, and bleeds ;
The fraud soon felt, he flies in wild dismay,
Whiz goes the line— begins Piscator's play !

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 551

His muscles tense, each tendon on the rack,
Of swelling limbs, broad loins, and sinewy back*
Mark yon fine form, erect with rigid brow,
Like stately statue sculptured at the prow,
From wary hand who pays the loosening rein
Manoeuvring holds, or lets it run again !
And see ! the anthia not a moment flags,
Resists each pull, and 'gainst the dragger drags ;
With lashing tail, to darkest depths below
Shoots headlong down, in hopes t' evade the foe.
' Now ply your oars, my lads ! ' Piscator bawls ;
The huge fish plunges — down Piscator falls !
A second plunge, and, lo ! th' ensanguined twine
Flies through his fissured fingers to the brine.
As two strong combatants of balanced might
Force first essay, then practise every sleight,
So these contend — awhile a well-matched pair-
Till frantic efforts by degrees impair
The anthia's strength, who, drain'd of vital blood,
Soon staggers feebly through the foaming flood,
Then dying, turns his vast unwieldy bulk
Reversed upon the waves, a floating hulk.
Tow'd to his side, with joy Piscator sees
The still leviathin ; still on his knees,
With arms outstretch'd, close clasps the gurgling throat,
Makes one long pull and hauls him in the boat."

There is a true piscatorial ring about these lines. So
there is in the following, which describes the troller making
ready his line for the capture of sea fish, much after the
ashion of modern trollers in fresh water, with a dace or
gudgeon on their gorge-hook : —

"He holds the labrax, and beneath his head
Adjusts with care an oblong shape of lead,
Named from its form a dolphin ; plumb'd with this
The bait shoots headlong through the blue abyss.
The bright decoy a living creature seems,
As now on this side, now on that, it gleams,
Till some dark form across its passage flit,
Pouches the lure, and finds the biter's bit.*1

552 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Oppian, however, recommends as a bait a living labrax,
when one is to be got. Here is an account of how sargues
or sargs (a species of Sparidcz) were captured in ancient
days. The biographers of these fish say that the males
are extremely uxorious, and fortunately are able to obtain
the hyper-mormonistic accompaniment of at least a hundred
wives apiece ; and further that the tribe have such a strong
affection for goats, that when a herd come down to bathe
they flock to the place, and there remain for a long time.
Hence the fishermen were in the habit of dressing them-
selves in gjoat-skins and skinning the water of the poor
sargs — Credat Judceus —

" When bleating concerts and the deeper sound
Of shepherds echo through the vast profound,
With eager haste th' unwieldy Sargos move,
By nature slow, but swift to meet their love ;
With wanton gambols greet the horned fair,
Vault o'er the waves and flutter in the air ;
Unhappy lovers, who too soon shall find,
Their pleasures hollow and their goats unkind.
Deceitful swains, the fatal hint improve,
And arm the flattering destinies with love.
A goat-skin o'er his back the fisher throws,
And sets th' erected horns above his brows ;
The flesh and fat incorporates with flour,
And scatters o'er the flood a foodful shower,
The fair disguise and scented victuals' charms,
With joint attraction call the finny swarms ;
They round the mimic goat in crowds repair,
Thoughtless their sports, their joys are insincere.
Poor ignorants ! a deadly mate they find,
His shape familiar, but estranged his mind.
A sturdy rod his latent hand extends,
The flaxen cordage from the top descends,
The fleshy feet of goats unhoof'd conceal
With odoriferous bait the barbed steel ;
With unsuspicious haste the fish devours,
Mounts to the jerk, and tumbles on the shores."

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 553

In another passage he relates how the fishermen of the
Tyrrhine Sea constructed light skiffs, resembling Xiphias,
which attracted these fish, and from which the fishermen
harpooned them. He also mentions and gives the use of a
great variety of ancient nets, to which, as he says, he might
have added many more but for the exigencies of verse : —

" A thousand names a fisher might rehearse
Of nets, intractable in smoother verse."

And specially he describes the meshed " engine," used for
the capture of tunny ; so immense, complex, and intri-
cate, that—

" Nets like a city to the floods descend,
And bulwarks, gates, and noble streets extend."

He thus shows that the ancients kept a magnificent stock
of nets, and probably anticipated in many instances what
we imagined to be modern improvements or inventions.

His sketch of the well-known pilot fish, or "whale's
friend," is very pretty, and even touching : —

" Bold in the front the little pilot glides,
Averts each danger, every motion guides ;
With grateful joy the willing whales attend,
Observe the leader and revere the friend :
True to the little chief obsequious roll,
And soothe in friendship's charms their savage soul.
Between the distant eyeballs of the whale
The watchful pilot waves his faithful tail,
With signs expressive points the doubtful way,
The bulky tyrants doubt not to obey,
Implicit trust repose in him alone,
And hear and see with senses not their own ;
To him the important reins of life resign,
And every self-preserving care decline."

Under the Greek name "Echeneis," i.e., "stay-ship"

554 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

(Latin remora\ Oppian well describes the "sucking-
fish":—

" Slender his shape, his length a cubit ends,
No beauteous spot the gloomy race commends :
An eel-like clinging kind, of dusky looks,
His jaws display tenacious rows of hooks ;
The sucking fish beneath, with secret chains
Within his teeth, the sailing ship detains."

The " cramp-fish " of the Greeks, or torpedo of the
moderns, must have been an awkward customer to tackle,
if Oppian's description be correct : —

" The cramp-fish when the pungent pain alarms,
Exerts his magic pow'rs and passion'd charms,
Clings round the line, and bids th' embrace infuse
From fertile cells comprest his subtil juice,
Th' aspiring tide its restless volume rears,
Rolls up the steep ascent of slipp'ry hairs,
Then down the rod with easy motion slides,
And entering in the fisher's hand subsides.
On every point an icy stiffness steals,
The flowing spirits bind, and blood congeals.
Down drops the rod dismist, and floating lies*
Drawn captive in its turn, the fish's prize.

Some of Oppian's best bits are his animated descriptions
of fish sea-fights, in which the combatants are as intensely
personified as his Homeric Greeks and Trojans in their
hand-to-hand combats on the banks of the Simois and
Scamander But unlike mortal heroes, the aqueous bellig-
erents of Oppian pull each other to pieces without any
responsibility on their part or shock to moral sense on
ours : —

« Unwise we blame the rage of warring fish,
Who urged by hunger must supply the wish ;
Whilst cruel man, to whom his ready food
Kind earth affords, yet thirsts for human blood."

From Oppian we gather that the ancients were well

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 555

versed in the use of all kinds of medicated and scented
pastes, both as baits and ground-baits for fish, and also
with a variety of intoxicants and narcotics, by which fish
could be rendered senseless and capturable. The cyclamen,

or " sow-bread," was known to the ancients, as it is to the

f
Neapolitans and others at the present time, as having a

special property of drugging fish ; and the poet tells us

that—

" Soon as the deadly cyclamen invades
The ill-starr'd fishes in their deep-sunk glades,
Emerging quick the prescient creatures flee
Their rocky fastnesses, and make for sea,
Nor respite know ; the slowly- working bane
Creeps o'er each sense and poisons every vein,
Then pours concentred mischief on the brain.
Some drugg'd, like men o'ercome with recent wine,
Reel to and fro, and stagger through the brine j

. Some in quick circlets whirl ; some 'gainst the rocks
Dash, and are stunn'd by repercussive shocks ;
Some with quench'd orbs or filmy eyeballs thick
Rush on the nets and in the meshes stick ;
In coma steep'd, their fins some feebly ply ;
Some in tetanic spasms gasp and die ....
Soon as the plashings cease and stillness reigns,
The jocund crew collect and count their gains."

But almost irresistible as the temptation is to quote
further from this most interesting author, even in his
English garb, we must pass on. Arrian, a Greek historian,
who lived in the second century, and rose to the highest
dignities in Rome, furnishes us with some interesting
details of an almost exclusively ichthyophagous com-
munity in India, and their wonderful skill, both in the
manufacture and use of nets made from the inner
bark of palm-trees. Towards the close of the second
century we have Julius Pollux, a Greek writer who, in one
of the books of his Onomasticon, tells us a good deal about
fish and fishing.

556 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

We will take Ausonius to represent the fourth century.
He is a notable piscatory writer, and is the first Latin poet
who mentions the salmon under its present title : —

" Nee te puniceo rutilantem viscere salmo
Transierim."

And in another passage : —

" Purpureusque salar stellatus tergora guttis."

He further also distinguishes it by different names, accord-
ing to its age, as it is distinguished now ; though modern
nomenclature, varying as it does in so many different
districts in the United Kingdom, leads to great confusion,
and has been a bar to the advancement of knowledge as
regards salmonoid biology. He mentions also the trout
and grayling, the latter under its significant title of
" umbra " (umber), given it because of its quickly passing
out of sight by its rapid movements like a " shadow " : —
" Effugiens oculis celeri umbra natatu."

Ausonius seems to be the first author in prose or poetry
who introduces the pike or jack (Esox lucius). Thus : —

" The wary luce, midst wrack and rushes hid,
The scourge and terror of the scaly brood ;"

and, gastronomically deprecating him, adds : —

" Unknown at friendship's hospitable board,
Smokes 'midst the smoky tavern's coarsest food."

The Mosella (Moselle) is Ausonius's chief work, in which
he describes the beauty of the river, the fish therein, and
the anglers who take them thereout. Here is a picture
of angling in the passage beginning with "Ille autem
scopulis ; " and though it might run better in a metrical
translation, reads fairly well as given by Mr. Lambert : —

" While the other, stooping over the rocks towards the waters
below, lowers the bending top of his limber rod, casting his hooks

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 557

laden with killing baits. Upon these the vagrant crowd of fishes,
unskilled in snares, rush, and their gaping jaws feel too late the
wounds inflicted by the hidden steel; their quivering tells the
fisherman of his success, and the wavy rod yields to the quivering
tremor of the shaking line ; and at once the angler jerks sideways
his stricken prey with a whistling sound (i.e. the rapidity of his
action in bringing out his line makes the air whistle). The air
receives the blow, as when it resounds with the cracking of a
whip, and the wind hisses from the air in motion. The watery
spoils (i.e. caught fish) jump on the diy rocks, and dread the
death-dealing beams of the light of day. They, that were so full
of vigour in their native waters, spiritless gasp out their wasting
lives in our air ; now with weakened body they wriggle feebly on
the ground — the torpid tail quivers its last ; the jaws do not close,
but through its gills, dying it gives back in mortal gasps the
breath it draws ; as when the wind plays on the fires of a work-
shop the (opening) mouth of the beech-covered (sided) bellows
alternately draws in and expels the blast. Some (fish) I have
seen even at the point of death gather up their strength, then
spring aloft and fling their curved bodies headlong into the
stream below and regain enjoyment of the waters lost to hope ;
while after them the fisherman, impatient at his loss, wildly Jeaps,
and by swimming vainly strives to grasp them again."

It has been suggested by Mr. Lambert that as the Salme
flows into the Moselle, it was probably from it that the
salmon took its name, unless, indeed, it was the fish that
gave its name to the river, just as "colours" have often
given their names to " materials." Mr. Lambert also
mentions that Ausonius wrote a poem " on the oyster " —
a subject which we can well understand does not readily
lend itself to poetical treatment, unless the " blessed bi-
valve " were dilated upon as being happy in love, as well as
" crossed in love," in accordance with the suggestion in The
Critic of Sheridan.

JEsop in the sixth century introduced fish and fishing

558 LITERATURE OP SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

into his fables ; and a long stride brings us to Cassianus
Bassus, who flourished in the beginning of the tenth century.
The twentieth book of his Geoponica is almost entirely
devoted to fishing and baits.

It is not pretended that the above-mentioned authors
exhaust the list of Greek, Roman, and other writers on
fish and fishing during the first ten centuries ; but the
extracts given are sufficient to show that the subject from
very early times gradually gave rise to a literature more or
less its own. Authors who treated of the vivaria^ or -fish-
stews of the Romans, might be quoted, notably Varro (who
wrote De Re Rustica in his eightieth year), Columella,
Palladius, and several others also, in whose works a good
deal of halieutic and ichthyological information is to be
found scattered up and down.

Numberless early works on fish and fishing have been
wholly or partially lost to us, among which may be
mentioned those of piscatory poets, such as Numeneus of
Heraclea, Ccecius of Argos, Poseidonius of Corinth,
Pancrates the Arcadian, and Leonidas of Tarentum. Of
these only a few fragments have been preserved ; and the
following translation (Blackwood s Magazine, vol. xxxviii.)
of an " Epitaph of an Angler," by the last-named, is worth
quoting : —

" Parmis, the son of Callignotus— he
Who troll'd for fish the margin of the sea,
Chief of his craft, whose keen, perceptive search,
The kichle*, scarus, bait-devouring perch,
And such as love the hollow clefts, and those
That in the caverns of the deep repose,
Could not escape— is dead.

Parmis had lured

A julis from its rocky haunts, secured
Between his teeth the slippery pert, when, lo !
It jerk'd into the gullet of its foe,

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 559

Who fell beside his lines and hooks and rod,
And the choked fisher sought his last abode.
His dust lies here. Stranger, this humble grave
An angler to a brother angler gave."

The " Old Fathers " of the church have been cited as
contributors to the literature offish and fishing, such as
Clemens Alexandrinus, Basil, Ambrose of Milan, Athan-
asius, Augustine, Isidore of Seville, and others ; but their
contributions in most cases are little more than allusions.
Isidore, however, in his De Ordine Creaturarum, gives an
account of fish, and the seas and rivers they inhabit ; and
the well-known passage, referred to by Izaak Walton, from
the Hexameron ; or, the Six Days' Work of Creation, by St.
Ambrose, anent the grayling (Salmo thymallus), always
deserves to be quoted as a happy description. The trans-
lation of the Latin may thus run : —

" Nor shall I leave thee unhonoured in my discourse, O Thy-
mallus (grayling), whose name is given thee by a flower : whether
the waters of the Ticino produce thee or those of the pleasant
Atesis, a flower thou art. In fine, the common saying attests it ;
for it is pleasantly said of one who gives out an agreeable sweet-
ness, he smells either of fish or flower : thus the fragrance of the
fish is asserted to be the same as that of the flower. What is
more pleasing than thy form? more delightful than thy sweet-
ness ? more fragrant than thy smell ? The fragrance of the
honey exhales from thy body."

So gastronomically enchanted was the good bishop with
the grayling, that it is said he "never let it pass without
the honour of a discourse."

Perhaps as a " curiosity of literature " connected with
fish, the sermon said to have been delivered by St. Anthony
of Padua (351 to 356 A.D.), to a "miraculous congregation
of fishes," may here be given. It is taken from a curious

56o LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

little volume in the writer's possession, the third edition of
The Anglers Museum, by T. Shirley, the first edition of
which was published in 1784. The sermon, with some
introductory and closing remarks, was prefixed to the second
edition, and altogether stands thus : —

" The following Curious Sermon,
preached by ST. ANTHONY of
PADUA, in ITALY, to a miraculous
CONGREGATION of FISHES,
extracted from ADDISON'S
TRAVELS, is here inserted
for the Amusement of our
READERS.

"When the Hereticks would not regard his preaching, he
betook himself to the seashore, where the river Marecchia dis-
embogues itself into the Adriatic. He here called the fish
together in the name of God, that they might hear his holy word.
The fish came swimming towards him in such vast shoals, both
from the sea and river, that the surface of the water was quite
covered with their multitudes. They quickly arranged themselves
according to their several species, into a very beautiful congrega-
tion ; and, like so many rational creatures, presented themselves
before him to hear the word of God. St. Antonio was so struck
with the miraculous obedience and submission of these poor
animals, that he found a secret sweetness distilling upon his soul,
and at last addressed himself to them in the following words : —

"' Although the infinite power and providence of God (my
dearly beloved fish) discovers itself in all the works of the
creation, as in the heavens, in the sun, in the moon, and in the
stars ; in this lower world, in man, and in other perfect creatures ;
nevertheless, the goodness of the Divine Majesty shines out in
you more eminently, and appears after a more particular manner,
than in any other created beings ; for, notwithstanding you are
comprehended under the name of reptiles, partaking in a middle
nature between stone and beasts, and imprisoned in the deep
abyss of waters; notwithstanding you are tossed among the

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 561

billows, thrown up and down by tempests, deaf to hearing, dumb
to speech, and terrible to behold ; notwithstanding, I say, these
natural disadvantages, the Divine Greatness shows itself ill you
after a very wonderful manner. In you are seen the mighty
mysteries of an infinite goodness. The Holy Scriptures have
always made use of you as the types and shadows of some
profound sacrament. Do you think that without a mystery the
first present that God Almighty made to man was of you?
O ye fishes ! Do you think that without a mystery among all
creatures and animals which were appointed for sacrifices, you
only were excepted ? O ye fishes ! Do you think that our
Saviour Christ, next to the Pascal Lamb, took so much pleasure
in the food of you ? O you fishes ! do you think it was mere
chance, that when the Redeemer of the world was to pay a
tribute to Caesar he thought fit to find it in the mouth of a fish ?
These are all of them so great mysteries and sacraments, that
oblige you in a more particular manner to the praises of your
Creator. It is from God, my beloved fish, that you have received
being, life, motion, and sense. It is He that has given you, in
compliance with your own natural inclinations, the whole world
of waters for your habitations. It is He that has furnished it
with lodgings, chambers, caverns, grottos, and such magnificent
retirements as are not to be met with in the seats of kings, or in
the palaces of princes. You have the water for your dwelling, a
clear transparent element, brighter than chrystal; you can see
from its deepest bottom everything that passes on its surface.
You have the eyes of a lynx or of an Argus. You are guided by
a secret and unerring principle, delighting in everything that
may be beneficial to you, and avoiding everything that may be
hurtful. You are carried on by a hidden instinct to preserve
yourselves and to propagate your species ; you obey, in all your
actions, works, and motions, the dictates and suggestions of
nature, without repugnancy or contradiction. The colds of
winter and the heats of summer are equally incapable of molesting
you ; a serene or clouded sky are indifferent to you ; let the earth
abound in fruits or be cursed with scarcity, it has no influence on
your welfare. You live secure in rain, and thunders, lightnings,
and earthquakes ; you have no concern in the blossoms of spring
VOL. III. — H. 2 O

562 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

or in the glowings of summer, in the fruits of autumn or the
frosts of winter ; you are not solicitous about the hours or days,
months or years, the variableness of weather or changes ot
seasons. In what dreadful majesty, in what wonderful power, in
what amazing providence, did God Almighty distinguish you
among all the species of creatures that perished in the universal
deluge! You only were insensible of the mischief that laid
waste the whole world. All this, as I have already told you, ought
to inspire you with gratitude and praise to the Divine Majesty
that has done so great things for you, granted you such particular
graces and privileges, and heaped upon you such distinguishing
favours ; and since all this you cannot employ your tongues with
praises of your benefactor, and are not provided with words to
express your gratitude, make at least some sign of reverence :
bow yourselves at his name ; give some show of gratitude ;
according to the best of your capacities express your thanks in
the most becoming manner you are able, and be not unmindful
of all the benefits that he has bestowed on you.' M

He had no sooner done speaking, than, behold a miracle !
The fish, as though they had been endowed with reason,
bowed down their heads with all the marks of profound
humility and devotion, moving their bodies up and down
with a kind of fondness, as approving what had been spoken
by the blessed Father St. Antonio.

The legend adds, that after many heretics who were
present at the miracle had been converted by it, the saint
gave his benediction to the fishes and dismissed them.

Several of the like stories of St. Anthony are repre-
sented about his monument in a basso-relievo.

There is very little indeed in the way of anything on
ichthyological literature to dwell on between the close of
the tenth century and the introduction of printing. It was
a period very barren of all kinds of literature. Blakey
presses into the service of angling literature of this period
Juan Ruiz, a Spaniard, who wrote a poem called The Battle

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 563

of Mr. Carnal and Mrs. Lent, in 1350, fish and beasts being
represented in an internecine contest, which resulted in the
victory of the former. But this is hardly to our purpose.
A recent writer on angling literature states that the oldest
English treatise on fishery is contained in the Colloquy of
the Saxon yElfric ; but it is valueless as far as matter is
concerned, though the list of both salt and fresh water fish
is interesting. A record of the different modes of fishing
with worm, fly, torch and spear, night lines, &c., is to be
found in Richard de Fournival's Latin poem, De Vitula,
supposed to have been written in the thirteenth or fourteenth
century. It existed only in manuscript until 1861, when it
was printed by Aubry. A most interesting old English
poem by Piers of Fulham, supposed to have been written
about the year 1420, contains some very quaint notices
about fish and their capture. It is entitled " Vayne conseytes
of folysche love undyr colour of fyscheng and fowlyng?
Three or more manuscripts of this poem are in existence.
It opens thus in the version given by Blakey : —

" A man thath lovith ffisshyng and ffowlyng bothe,
Ofte tyme that lyff shall hym be lothe,
In see in ryver in ponde or in poole,
Off that crafte thowe he knowe the scole,
Thought his nett never so wide streiche,
It happith full ofte hym naught to ketche."

The author was evidently a good sportsman as times
went, and preferred running to stagnant waters, though in
the former he does not intend to stick to entirely legitimate
angling. He delivers himself on this wise : —

" But in rennyng ryvers that bee commone,
There will I fisshe and taake my fortune
Wyth nettys, and with angle hookys,
And laye weris, and spenteris in narrowe brookys."

2 O 2

564 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

But a still earlier British author in connection with
angling is a Scotch rhymster called Blind Harry, who is
credited with the Poeticce, in which lines a contention about
fishing rights between Sir William Wallace and Lord Percy
is related. The date of the poem is put toward the end
of the fourteenth century. It does not seem to be recog-
nised in the Bibliotheca Piscatoria. The contention de-
scribed reminds one of the suggested etymology of rivalry,
from rivus, a river; and certainly the constant disputes
about "fishing rights" up to the present day, e.g. those
connected with the Thames, which are still sub judice,
favour the suggestioa

( 565 )

CHAPTER III.

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING, FROM THE
INTRODUCTION OF PRINTING INTO ENGLAND (1474
A.D.) TO THE TIME OF IZAAK WALTON.

THE first printed book connected with the literature of
fishing claims England as its nationality, and an English
lady as its author. It is known as the Book of St.
Albans, and was written (or perhaps it might be more
correct to say "edited") by Dame Juliana Berners (or
Barnes), or, as some call her, Dame Julyans, and even plain
" Mrs. Barnes," who is generally believed to have been the
Prioress of Sopwell, near St. Albans. Some ruins of this
still remain, and can easily be visited by anglers who, like
the writer, have the privilege of whipping the Ver, below
the city, whose ancient name of Fmilamium is still per-
petuated by this pretty trout-stream. The Book of Si.
Albans is supposed to have been written early in the
fifteenth century, but the first edition of it, which comprises
discourses on hawking and hunting and " other commend-
able treatyses," and was printed by the "schoolmaster-
printer" of St. Albans in 1486, contains nothing about
fishing. The next edition was printed by the famous
printer at Westminster, Wynkyn de Worde, in 1496, and in
this appears, as an addition to the others, a Treatyse of
fysshynge. Whether the good and learned Dame was an
angler herself, or whether she ought to receive the full
credit of originality for her treatise on angling (a fact which

566 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

may seriously be called in question, judging at least from
an old MS. of much earlier date in the Denison collection),
we will not now discuss. Certain it is that she wished to
encourage the art of angling to be raised in public estima-
tion, as the following paragraph appended to her discourse
shows : —

" And for by cause that this present treatyse sholde not come
to the hondys of eche ydle persone, whyche wolde desire it yf it
were emprynted allone by itself, and put in a lytyll paunflet;
therefore I haue compylyd it in a greter volume of dyuerse bokys
concernynge to gentyll and noble men. To the intent that the
forsayd ydle persones whyche scholde haue but lytyll mesure in
the sayd dysporte of fysshyng sholde not by this meane vtterly
dystroye it."

However, the good Prioress herself, or some one with or
without her consent— the law of " copyright " then being as
little understood or observed as it is now — republished the
treatise in a separate form in the same year, entitling it
The Treatyse of Fysshynge with an Angle. It was "Im-
printed at London, by Wynkyn de Worde, dwellynge in
Flete-street, at the sygne of the Sonne," and must have
appeared very soon after the second edition of the Book of
St. Albans in 1496. Here, then, we have the first printed
volume of our angling literature ; and only one copy of it
is known to be in existence, though many MS. copies of it
are to be found in the greater libraries, and at least ten
printed editions of it appeared before the year 1600. One
of the best fac-similes of the treatise, from the second
edition of the Book of St. Albans of 1496, is that produced
by Mr. Elliot Stock (Paternoster Row), in 1880, with a most
interesting preface by the Rev. M. G. Watkins. This, like
many other reprints of old books, which are one of the
literary fashions of the day, is likely soon to become very

A UTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 567

difficult to obtain, only a limited number of copies having
been printed. The editions of the combined treatises of
Dame Juliana Berners have been numerous. Mr. Stock has
also reproduced in fac-simile the whole of the original Book
of 1486.

Looking to the contents of the Treaty 'se of Fysshynge
itself, admirers of old authors on the gentle craft can
hardly be enthusiastic in its praise as a literary production,
nor can modern anglers derive any useful knowledge from
it. It is rather as a literary curiosity than as a book of
practical value that it must be regarded, as the following
extracts, which perhaps had better be given in the more
modern English of later editions, will show. The Dame
introduces her subject in this strain : —

" Solomon in his parables saith that a good spirit maketh a
flowering age, that is, a fair age and a long. And sith it is so : I
ask this question which be the means and the causes that induce
a man into a merry spirit? Truly to my best discretion, it
seemeth good disports and honest games in whom a man joyeth
without any repentance after. Then followeth it that good
disports and honest games be cause of man's fair age and long
life. And, therefore, now will I choose of four good disports and
honest games, that is to wit : of hunting, hawking, fishing, and
fowling."

She has no hesitation in saying, " The best to my simple
discretion which is fishing, called angling with a rod, and a
line, and a hook," and then she goes on to contrast it with
various other sports : —

" Hunting as to my intent is too laborious, for the hunter must
always run and follow his hounds travelling and sweating full sore ;
he bloweth till his lips blister ; and when he weneth it be a hare,
full oft it is a hedge-hog. Thus he chaseth and wots not what.
He cometh home at even, rain-beaten, pricked, and his clothes
torn, wet shod, all miry, some hound lost, some surbat. Such

568 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

griefs and many other happeneth unto the hunter, which for dis-
pleasance of them that love it I dare not report. Thus truly me
seemeth that this is not the best disport and game of the said
four. The disport and game of hawking is laborious and noisome
also as me seemeth ; for often the falconer loseth his hawks, as
the hunter his hounds, then is his game and his disport gone ;
full often crieth he and whistleth till that he be right evil athirst.
His hawk taketh a bow and list not once on him reward ; when
he would have her for to flee, then will she bathe ; with misfeeding
she shall have the fronce, the eye, the cray, and many other sick-
nesses that bring them to the souse. Thus by proof this is not
the best game and disport of the said four. The disport and
game of fowling me seemeth most simple, for in the winter
season the fowler speedeth not, but in the most hardest and
coldest weather ; which is grievous ; for when he would go to his
gins he may not for cold. Many a gin and many a snare he
maketh ; yet sorrily doth he fare ; at morn-tide in the dew he is
wet shod unto his tail Many other such I could tell, but dread
of meagre maketh me for to leave. Thus me seemeth that
hunting and hawking and also fowling be so laborious and
grievous, that none of them may perform nor be very mean that
induce a man to a merry spirit ; which is cause of his long life
according unto the said parable of Solomon."

The quaint passage is worth continuing : —
" Doubtless then followeth it that it must needs be the disport
of fishing with an angle : for all other manner of fishing is also
laborious and grievous ; often making folks full wet and cold,
which many times hath been seen cause of great infirmities.
But the angler may have no cold nor no disease, but if he be
causer himself. For he may not lose at the most but a line or a
hook : of which he may have store plenty of his own making as
this simple treatise shall teach him. So then his loss is not
grievous, and other griefs may he not have, saving but if any fish
break away after that he is taken on the hook, or else that he
catch nought : which be not grievous. For if he fail of one, he
may not fail of another, if he doth as this treatise teacheth ; but
if there be nought in the water. And yet at the least he hath his

A UTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 569

wholesome walk and merry at his ease, a sweet air of the sweet
savour of the mead flowers, that maketh him hungry. He
heareth the melodious harmony of fowls. He seeth the young
swans, herons, ducks, coots, and many other fowls with their
broods ; which me seemeth better than all the noise of hounds, the
blast of horns, and the cry of fowls that hunters, falconers, and
fowlers can make. And if the angler take fish, surely there is no
man merrier than he is in his spirit. Also whoso will use the
game of angling, he must rise early, which thing is profitable to
man in this wise, that is to wit, most to the heal of his soul. For
it shall cause him to be holy, and to the heal of his body, for it
shall cause him to be whole. Also to the increase of his goods,
for it shall make him rich. As the old English proverb saith in
this wise, whoso will rise early shall be holy, healthy, and zealous.
Thus have I proved in my intent that the disport and game of
angling is the very mean and cause that induceth a man into a
merry spirit : which after the said parable of Solomon, and the
said doctrine of physic, maketh a flowering age and a long. And
therefore to all you that be virtuous, gentle, and free-born, I
write and make this simple treatise, following by which ye may
have the full craft of angling to disport you at your last, to the
intent that your age may the more flower and the more longer to
endure."

A curious instance of literary plagiarism may be men-
tioned in connection with this passage. That terribly long-
winded but entertaining author, old Burton, of " melancholy
anatomy," evidently had it in his eye as well as in his mind
when he wrote —

" Fishing is akinde of hunting by water, be it with nets, weeles,
baits, angling, or otherwise, and yields all out as much pleasure to
some men as dogs or hawks, when they draw their fish upon the
bank," saith Nic. Henselius, Silesiographice, cap. 3, speaking of
that extraordinary delight his countrymen took in fishing and
making of pooles. James Dubravius, that Moravian, in his book
De Pise., telleth how, travelling by the highway-side in Silesia, he
found a nobleman booted up to the groins, wading himself, pulling

570 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

the nets, and labouring as much as any fisherman of them all :
and when some belike objected to him the baseness of his office,
he excused himself, that if other men might hunt hares, why should
not he hunt carpes ? Many gentlemen in like sort, with us, will
wade up to the armholes, upon such occasions, and voluntarily
undertake that to satisfie their pleasure, which a poor man for a
good stipend would scare be hired to undergo. Plutarch, in his
book De Soler. Animal., speaks against all fishing as a filthy, base,
illiberall imployment, having neither wit nor perspicacity in it,
nor worth the labour. But he that shall consider the variety of
baits, for all seasons, and pretty devices which our anglers have
invented, peculiar lines, false flies, severall sleights, &c., will say,
that it deserves like commendation, requires as much study and
perspicacity as the rest, and is to be preferred before many of
them ; because hawking and hunting are very laborious, much
riding, and many dangers accompany them ; but this is still and
quiet ; and if so be the angler catch no fish, yet he hath a whole-
some walk to the brook side, pleasant shade, by the sweet
silver streams ; he hath good air, and sweet smels of fine fresh
meadow flowers ; he hears the melodious harmony of birds ; he
sees the swans, herns, ducks, water hens, cootes, &c., and many
other fowle with their brood, which he thinketh better than the
noise of hounds, or blast of horns, and all the sport that they can
make."

But to return to our authoress — she is very minute in
her instructions as to baits and tackle, "roddes," and
"harnays" generally, and the " instrumentes " for making
them. Among several curious woodcuts is one of hooks of
eighteen sizes (of something like the " Limerick " bend),
with thick shanks and beards, which she says are "the
most subtle and hardest craft in the making of your
harness ; " and these are her directions for their production,
given (as a specimen) in the old spelling :—

" For smalle fysshe ye shall make your hokes of the smalest
quarell nedlye that ye can fynd of stele, and in this wise. Ye

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 571

shall put the quarell in a redde charkcole fyre tyll that it be of
the same colour that the fyre is. Thenne take hym out and lete
hym kele, and ye shall fynde hym well alayd [alloyed] for to
fyle. Thenne rayse the berde with your knyfe, and make the
poynt sharpe. Thenne alaye him agayn, for elles he woll breke
in the bendyng. Thenne bende hym lyke to the bende fyguryd
hereafter in example. Whan the hoke is bendyd bete the hynder
ende abrode, and fyle it smothe for fretynge of thy lyne. Thenne
put it in the fyre agayn, and yene it an easy redde hete. Thenne
sodaynly quenche it in water, and it will be harde and strong."

"Good" anglers, who look on "trimmering" as a crime
second only in enormity to wilful murder, and on " live-
baiting " of any kind as a heinous misdemeanour, will be
shocked to find our piscatory Dame giving directions for
the latter, and adding —

" If ye lyst to have a good sporte, thenne tye the corde to a
gose fote, and ye shall have a gode halynge, whether the gose or
the pyke shall have the better."

The "twelve manere of ympedyments whyche cause a
man to take noo fysshe " enumerated by the Prioress, may
be useful in suggesting excuses which the angler with an
empty creel is always supposed to produce for his want of
success. They are, " I, badly-made harness ; 2, bad baits ;
3, angling at wrong time ; 4, fish strayed away ; 5, water
thick ; 6, water too cold ; 7, wether too hot ; 8, if it rain ;
9, if hail or snow fall ; 10, if there be a tempest ; 1 1, if
there be a great wynd ; 12, if wind be east."

Our authoress concludes her treatise by giving all kinds
of good advice. To rich anglers she says, " fish not in no
poor man's water," and "break no man's gins." To all,
" break no man's hedges," and " open no man's gates, but
that ye shut them again." Anglers are to " use this foresaid
crafty disport for no covetousness," but for " solace " and

572 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

health to both body and soul ; not to take too many persons
in their company, so that they may " not be let of their
game " or prevented " serving God devoutly in saying
afTectuously their customable prayer;" and, lastly, they
are not to be " too ravenous in taking game," or " to take
too much at one time," which they " might lightly do, if in
every point they do as this present treatise showeth them."
With a final injunction to anglers, that they " nourish the
game," and " destroy all such things as be devourers of it,"
she assures them that " if they do after this rule they shall
have the blessing of God and St. Peter."

Whether " Mrs. Barnes " is entitled to the appellation of
the " Diana of the English," and " this Rosa Bonheur of
mediaeval literature," with which Mr. Adams, in one of the
Fisheries Handbooks, compliments her, though perhaps
somewhat ironically, readers of the Treatyse must decide
for themselves. They will certainly find in its quaint pages
an ample fund of amusement.

But though the introduction of printing on the Continent,
and the appearance of an English book on angling only a
little more than twenty years after Caxton set up his
printing press in Westminster, might have been thought
likely to have soon called forth an abundance of piscatory
literature, this was hardly the case. Among foreign
authors of the sixteenth century on fish and fishing we
find Dubravius, Bishop of Olmutz, who wrote on fish and
fishponds in 1552 ; Heresbach, who, in 1594, published his
four books on Rustic Occupations, one of which, on fishing,
has been translated by Mr. Westwood in the Angler's Note
Book of 1880 ; and others who followed much in their line.
The names of Sannazarius the Italian poet, Olaus Magnus
Archbishop of Upsala, Salviani, Ongaro, and Villifranci
occur to the bibliographer; also those of Gesner and

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 573

Rondeletius ; and later on in the seventeenth century
(without paying due regard to chronological order) those
of Du Bartas, Du Cange, Cats of Amsterdam, Aldrovandri,
and Giannettasius. Several of the above, as readers of
Izaak Walton remember, are frequently quoted by him,
but the works of most of them will not repay study, being
the products of a period singularly deficient in knowledge
and the gift of scientific observation ; while the poetical
writers among them seldom rise above mediocrity. As a
whole they have but little interest for English readers,
whether anglers or otherwise ; while in some cases they
can hardly be considered as contributors to piscatorial
literature at all, though they have been claimed as such by
some bibliographers. Several of them find no place in the
Bibliotheca Piscatoria.

We are naturally much more interested in the works of
English writers, and with these it may be presumed that
this little volume was intended to have most to do. How-
ever much our literary Prioress of Sopwell may have
stimulated the practice of angling, she does not appear, as
far as we know, to have stimulated angling authorship. It
is not till the year 1590 that we come to another real
angling author, Leonard Mascall, who at that date pub-
lished his Booke of Fishing with Hooke and Line, and all
other instruments thereunto belonging, a quaint black-letter
quarto. With the exception of some remarks upon the
" preservation of fish in ponds," and intructions for killing
vermin, piscatorially it is no improvement upon Juliana
Indeed the portion relating to fish and fishing is mainly
taken, though very clumsily, from the Treatyse of the
Prioress ; and thus Mascall set an example of literary theft,
which has continued to be a feature of angling literature up
to the present day. A copy of the first edition is in the

574 LITERA TURE OF SEA AND RIVER PISHING.

British Museum. In 1596 was published William Gryndall's
Hawking, Hunting, Fowling, and Fishing . . . now newly
collected by W. G. Faulkener ; the " W. G. " being the initials
of the author, and the " Faulkener " a fancy name added
because the volume contained some remarks on " the maner
and order in keeping of hawkes." It is little more than a
reproduction of the Book of St. Albans with variations.
Taverner followed in 1600 with Certaine Experiments con-
cerning Fish and Fruite " by him published for the benefit
of others."

The beginning of the seventeenth century introduces us
to a new kind of fishing literature, which has been termed
"Angling Spiritualised." It is forced and unnatural from
a literary point of view, though in accordance with the
fashion of symbolism in vogue among the Caroline divines.
The " Old Fathers," in some instances, gave the cue to it,
but many " reverend " authors and preachers who affected
it, approached more than closely the confines of the
ludicrous. We cannot, however, forget the many scriptural
associations with fish and fishing. The first of the divines,
of the period of which we are speaking, to come out
strongly in this line, was Samuel Gardiner, D.D. He
published in 1606 A Booke of Angling or Fishing, "wherein
is showed, by conference with Scriptures, the agreement
between the Fishermen, Fishes, and Fishing; of both
Natures, Temporal and Spirituall .... Mat. iv. 19. I
will make you fishers of men." The author summarises
the contents of his book in two Latin verses, which he
" delivers in English thus " : —

The Church I gouern as a shippe,
Wee seae with world compare,
The Scriptures are the enclosing nettes,
And men the fishers are."

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 575

The nine chapters (162 pages), of which the book is com-
posed, elaborate the idea with tedious simile and allegory.
Hone, in his Year Book gives several extracts from it.
There are only two known copies of the work, the one in the
Bodleian, and the other in Mr. Huth's collection. A tran-
script, prepared for republication, was made by the Rev.
H. S. Cotton, and is now in the Denison collection. The
author was himself "a lover of the angle." In 1609 we
have Dr. Rawlinson's sermon — Fishermen Fishers of Men —
preached at Mercer's Chapel. Quaintly enough observes
the worthy doctor : —

" Very likely, that while I thus launch forth into the deepe and
cast my nette upon the face of the waters, it will fare with me
as with other fishermen, who, among many fish, meet with some
carps, and if by chance they alight upon a sturdy jack, there is
great tug betwixt them, whether thev shall catch the jack or the
jack them."

And further on,

" It is fabled by the poet (Ovid, Met. iii. 8) that Bacchus began
his empire by the transmutation of mariners into fishes. So doth
Christ, the true Bacchus, bis genitus (God of the substance of
His Father begotten before the world, and Man of the substance
of His Mother, borne in the world), begin His Kingdome, even
the Kingdome of His Gospel, with the metamorphising of men into
fishes, yet doth He not either transubstantiate them into fishes, like
those mariners, or ingulfe them into the bellie of a fish, like Jonas,
or make them fish the one halfe, flesh the other, like Myrmaides —

' Ut turpiter atrum
Desinat in piscetn mulier formosa superne.'

But herein will He have them to symbolize with fishes, that as
fishes are caught lineis textis, with a net of twisted lines, so must
they be lineis ex Scriptura contextis with the net of God's Word
made out of lines taken out of the Scripture."

Several other divines followed in the same groove,

576 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

notably Dr. W. Worship in a sermon entitled The Fisher.
in 1615, and the Rev. Jerome Phillips in one called The
Fisherman, in 1623. Among laymen, the Hon. R. Boyle
was a contributor to it with his Reflections, in 1665. This
edition is rare; but there is a reprint of the book by
Masson, of Oxford (1848). Readers can hardly be re-
commended to trouble themselves about it, except as a
literary curiosity by a seventeenth century moraliser, who,
after his kind, can spin out long strings of commonplace
contemplations on such commonplace subjects as on " One's
drinking water out of the brimes of his hat," and on
"Catching a store of fish at a baited place." But this
style of literature gradually died out as a better taste
prevailed.

Resuming mention of those who may truly be called
contributors to the literature of fishing, we come to one
who was at first only modestly known by his initials,
J. D. A notable work, of very great interest and literary
merit, is The Secrets of A ngling : teaching the choicest Tooles,
Baytes, and Seasons, for the taking of any fish, in Pond or
River ... by J. D., Esquire. The first edition was published
in 1613, and there are copies of it in the Bodleian Library,
and in the collections of Mr. Denison and Mr. Huth.
It is in the form of a poem in three books, but, though
mention of it anticipates the chapter on English Poets of
the Angles, it must here be introduced, because it may
be fairly considered as a practical treatise on fish and
fishing. Izaak Walton, who quotes from it, attributed it to
"John Davors," and R. Howlett,in his Angler's Sure Guide
(1706), to Dr. Donne; while it has also been credited
to no less than six different poets of the name of
"Davies"; but its authorship was finally determined in
1811, by the evidence of the books of the Stationers1

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 577

Company, in which the work was entered in 1612 as being
by " John Dennys, Esquier." The author was very probably
the son of Hugh Dennys, who came of an old Gloucester-
shire family, and was grandson of Sir Walter Dennys.
John Dennys died in 1609, and was buried at Puckle-
church ; and as Roger Jackson, for whom the poem was
first printed in 1613, states in his dedicatory letter, that it
was "sent to him to be printed after the death of the
author," who " intended to have printed it in his life,"
there is every presumption that the author is now identi-
fied. There were four editions of the poem printed between
1613 and 1652. Only three perfect copies of the first
edition are said to be in existence, one in the Bodleian, the
second in the collection of Mr. Denison, and the third in
that of Mr. Huth, from which last Mr. Arber produced his
reprint in the first volume of the English Garner in 1877.
Of the second edition Mr. Denison has the only copy
known. It is supposed to have been printed in 1620, but the
date, unfortunately, is cut off. The only copy of the third
edition (1630) is also in Mr. Denison's collection. There
are some variations in the different editions. On the title
page of the first edition is an allegorical woodcut represent-
ing two men, one treading on a/ serpent, and with a sphere
at the end of his line, while over his rod, on a label, is the

•

inscription : —

" Hold, hooke and line,
Then all is mine."

The other with a fish on his hook, labelled thus : —

" Well fayre the pleasure
That brings such treasure.1*

The reprint of The Secrets, in possession of the writer, is by
Mr. Thomas Westwood, and was published by W. Satchell

VOL. III.— H. 2 P

578 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

and Co., of Tavistock Street, only this year. Mr. Westwood
very rightly does not approve of the " emendations " and
" modernizations " in the orthography and syntax made by
Mr. Arber in the reprint above mentioned, considering that
they "rob the verse of much of its ancient air and aspect."
He therefore gives us a " strictly faithful and literal tran-
script of the edition of 1613 ;" and this is certainly the
reprint of which anglers and lovers of old literature should
possess themselves. The length of the poem in this reprint
runs to nearly forty pages of four stanzas each. It is
" excellently well " done.

And now let us look into the poem itself. J. D.'s
work has probably met with more general commendation
from critics than any work connected with angling (hardly
excepting the Complete Angler] in the whole range of
literature. Beloe, in his "Anecdotes of Literature and
Scarce Books," says of it that " perhaps there does not
exist in the circle of English literature a rarer volume :"
and Dr. Badham (attributing it, like Walton, to "Davors")
calls it an "elaborately beautiful poem;" while in his
preface to Stock's reproduction of Dame Berners, the
Rev. M. G. Watkins holds that J. D.'s "verses have,
perhaps, never been surpassed." J. D. was a poet as well
'as an angler born, and after Walton's immortal work, no
higher compliment has ever been paid to the sport of
angling. The poem contains much point, elevation of
thought and sweetness, and subtlety of rhythm, as well
as subtlety of diction in handling what, in itself, may
be considered a prosaic subject, when mere instructions in
in the art of angling are attempted in verse. It is replete
also with apt classical allusions. To give a just idea of
its scope and nature, perhaps it would be well to present
the author's table of —

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 579

CONTENTS.
THE FIRST BOOKE CONTAINETH THESE THREE HEADS.

(1) The Antiquitie of Angling, with the Art of Fishing, and of

Fish in Generall.

(2) The Lawfulnesse, Pleasure, and Profit Thereof, with all

Objections Answered, Against it.

(3) To Know the Season, and Times to Provide the Tooles, and

How to Choose the Best, and the Manner How to Make
Them Fit to Take Each Severall Fish.

THE SECOND BOOKE CONTAINETH

(1) The Angler's Experience, How to Use His Tooles and Baytes,

to Make Profit by His Game.

(2) What Fish is not Taken with Angle and What Is, and Which

is Best for Health.

(3) In What Waters and Rivers to Finde Each Fish.

THE THIRD BOOKE CONTAINETH

(1) The Twelve Virtues and Qualities Which Ought to be in

Every Angler.

(2) What Weather, Seasons, and Times of Yeere is Best and

Worst, and What Houres of the Day is Best for Sport

(3) To Know Each Fishes Haunt, and the Times to Take Them.

Also an Obscure Secret of an Approved Bait Tending
Thereunto. — D.

It is no easy task to select passages for quotation from a
work of equal merit throughout, but the following will give
a fair idea of it to those who have never perused the whole.
After comparing the joys of angling with the distractions
and excitements of town life and its pleasures, he " counts
it better pleasure to behold " —

" The hills and Mountaines raised from the Plaines,
The plaines extended leuell with the ground,
The ground deuided into sundry vaines,
The vaines inclos'd with running riuers rounde,

2 P 2

58o LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING

The riuers making way through nature's chaine,
With headlong course into the sea profounde :
The surging sea beneath the valleys low,
The valleys sweet, and lakes that louely flowe.

" The lofty woods, the forrests wide and long,
Adorn'd with leaues and branches fresh and greene,
In whose coole bow'rs the birds with chaunting song,
Doe welcome with thin quire the Summer's Queene,
The meadowes faire where Flora's guifts among,
Are intermixt the verdant grasse betweene,
The siluer skaled fish that softlie swimme
Within the brookes and Cristall watry brimme."

w All these, and many more of his creation,
That made the heauens, the Angler oft doth see,
And takes therein no little delectation,
To think how strange and wonderfull they be*
Framing thereof an inward contemplation,
To set his thoughts from other fancies free,
And whiles he lookes on these with joyfull eye,
His mind is rapt aboue the starry skye."

reminding us of Walton's lines, when he sings of the
angler as one —

" Who with his angle and his books

Can think the longest day well spent ;
And praises God when back he looks,
And finds that all was innocent."

and of what was said of Walton, that he " made angling a
medium for inculcating the most fervent piety and the
purest morality."

Towards the close of the first book, after dwelling on the
antiquity of angling, in which the rude implements of
primitive man are described — the rod a bough torn from a
tree, and hooks of hardwood thorns — he thus describes the
progress of the art : —

" In this rude sorte began this simple Art,
And so remained in that first age of old,
When Saturne did Amalthects home impart
Vnto the world, that then was all of gold ;

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 581

The fish as yet had felt but little smart,
And were to bite more eager, apt, and bold ;
And plenty still supplide the place againe
Of woefull want whereof we now complaine.

" But when in time the feare and dread of man
Fell more and more on every liuing thing,
And all the creatures of the world began
To stand in awe of this vsurping king,
Whose tyranny so farre extended than
That Earth and Seas it did in thraldome bring ;
It was a work of greater paine and skill,
The wary Fish in lake or Brooke to kill.

" So, worse and worse, two ages more did passe,
Yet still this Art more perfect daily grew,
For then the slender Rod invented was,
Of finer sort than former ages knew,
And Hookes were made of siluer and of brasse,
And Lines of Hemp and Flaxe were framed new,
And sundry baites experience found out more,
Than elder times did know or try before.

" But at the last the Iron age drew neere,
Of all the rest the hardest, and most scant,
Then lines were made of Silke and subtile hayre,
And Rods of lightest Cane and hazell plant,
And Hookes of hardest steele inuented were,
That neither skill nor workemanship did want.
And so this Art did in the end attaine
Vnto that state where now it doth remaine."

thus showing that even in his time fish were becoming less
plentiful, and gradually more "educated." He is more
particular about his hooks than Dame Juliana aforesaid.

" That Hook I loue that is in compass round,
Like to the print that Pegasus did make
With horned hoofe upon Thessalian ground ;
From whence forthwith Parnassus' spring outbrake.
That doth in pleasant waters so abound,
And of the Muses oft the thirst doth slake."

582 LITERA TURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

This rather suggests the " Pennell " bend of hook,
though perhaps the " angle of impact " would be a little
too " indirect " to suit the theory of the learned angler and
" ancologist," Mr. Cholmondeley Pennell. Further, ac-
cording to J. D., these are the qualities of a good hook : —

" His Shank should neither be too short nor long;
His point not ouer sharp nor yet too dull ;
The substance good that may endure from wrong ;
His Needle slender, yet both round and full,
Made of the right Iberian metal strong,
That will not stretch or break at every pull ;

Wrought smooth and clean without one crack or knot,

And bearded like the wilde Arabian goat."

Nor does J. D. forget to give instructions, and very
sensible ones too, even as to the garb of the angler, though
he did not live in the " Cording " age : — . .

" And let your garments Russet be or gray,

Of colour darke, and hardest to descry :

That with the Raine or weather will away,

And least offend the fearfull Fishes eye :

For neither Skarlet nor rich cloth of ray

Nor colours dipt in fresh Assyrian dye,

Nor tender silkes, of Purple, Paule, or golde,
Will serue so well to keep off wet or cold."

His descriptions of the various baits to be used by
anglers, and instructions in fishing for various fish, will in
many instances hold good in the present day. Here is a
picture of an angler " dibbing," or " dapping," for chub,
trout, &c. : —

" See where another hides himselfe as slye,
As did Acteon or the fearefull Deere ;
Behinde a withy, and with watchfull eye
Attends the bit within the water cleere,
And on the top thereof doth moue his flye,
With skilfull hand, as if he liuing were.

Soe how the Chub, the Roche, the Dace, and Trout,
To catch thereat doe gaze and swimme about.

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 583

" His Rod, or Cane, made darke for being scene,
The lesse to feare the warie Fishe withall :
The Line well twisted is, and wryught so cleane
That being strong, yet doth it shew but small,
His Hooke not great, nor little, but betweene,
That light vpon the watry brimme may fall,
The Line in length scant halfe the Rod exceedes,
And neither Corke, no Leade thereon it needes."

His description of gudgeon-fishing also stands now, if
we only substitute a " Thames punt " for the " little boate,"
and for a " pole " the " small-tooth combe," as the Thames
professionals call the " gudgeon-rake."

" Loe, in a little Boate where one doth stand
That to a Willow Bough the while is tide,
And with a pole doth stirre and raise the sand ;
Where as the gentle streame doth softly glide,
And then with slender Line and Rod in hand,
The eager bit not long he doth abide.
Well Leaded is his Line, his Hooke but small,
A good big Corke to beare the stream withall.

" His baite the least red worme that may be found
And at the bottome it doth alwayes lye ;
Whereat the greedy Goodgion bites so sound
That Hook and all he swalloweth by and by :
See how he strikes, and puls them vp as round
As if new store the play did still supply.

And when the bit doth dye or bad doth proue

Then to another place he doth remoue.

" This fish the fitted for a learner is
That in the Art delights to take some paine ;
For as high flying Haukes that often misse
The swifter foules, are eased with a traine,
So to a young beginner yeeldeth this,
Such readie sport as makes him proue again

And leads him on with hope and glad desire,

To greater skill, and cunning to aspire."

It is curious to notice the variations from the first edition

584 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

of J. D., which Walton has in his quotation of six stanzas
in the first edition of the Complete Angler (1653). All four
editions of The Secrets had appeared before Walton's book,
and it is difficult to say from which he quoted, or whether
some part was quoted from memory ; and the writer can-
not, without reference, which would be a very difficult
matter, state what variations occur in the editions them-
selves. But his idea is that Walton made the alterations
" on his own hook/' so to speak, and more particularly in
the first stanza quoted. In the Westwood reprint of J. D.
it reads thus : —

" O let me rather on the pleasant Brinke
Of Tyne and Trent possesse some dwelling place ;
Where I may see my Quill and Corke down sinke,
With eager bit of Barbill, Bleike, or Dace :
An on the World and his Creator thinke,
While they proud Thais painted sheat imbrace.
And with the fume of strong Tobacco's smoke,
All quaffing round are ready for to choke."

In Walton's version it runs : —

u Let me live harmlessly, and near the brink

Of Trent or Avon have a dwelling place ;
Where I may see my quill, or cork, down sink

With eager bite of Perch, or Bleak, or Dace ;
And on the world and my Creator think :

Whilst some men strive ill-gotten goods t' embrace ;
And others spend their time in base excess
Of wine, or worse, in war and wantonness."

In addition to the other " variations/* it will be seen that
the three last lines of Walton's stanza are entirely substi-
tuted for those of J. D. ; and as old Izaak was fond of his
pipe, like the majority of "good" anglers, it is almost
impossible to escape the conclusion that he deliberately
made the substitution, because he would not help to

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 585

perpetuate what he considered an implied libel on the
" divine herb."

The next piscatorial author to be mentioned is Gervase
Markham, whose various works, and editions of them, are
so various and complicated that no less than four and a
half pages are devoted to them in the Bibliotheca Pisca-
toria. All of them contain more or less of disquisitions
on fish and fishing, combined with " Res rusticae." His
first work was published in 1613, the year of the 1st
Edition of J. D., and was entitled The English Husband-
man, in ''two bookes." But the first book, and also the
second part of the second book, were sold separately. It
is in this second part, dated 1614, and known as The
Pleasures of Princes ; Goodman's Recreations, that we find
" a discourse on the general art of fishing with an angle,
&c.," which is evidently a prose version of J. D.'s Secrets
or, as Mr. Westwood calls it, "a transmigration," adding
that " the transmuting process was effected by no unskil-
ful hand, and without too much sacrifice of the precious
metal of the original," a compliment which very few such
experiments deserve. "This small Treatise in Rime, now,
for the better understanding of the reader, put into prose,"
as Markham speaks of it in his Country Contentments, &c.
(6th Ed., 1649), is interesting as a contemporary recogni-
tion, and the only one, of J. D. It would answer no good
purpose to enumerate the many productions of Markham,
extending, as they did, down to the year 1707. One in
the possession of the writer, entitled A Way to Get Wealth
(1653), has already been mentioned in Chapter I., and its
further title, " Containing six principall Vocations or Call-
ings in which every good Husband or Housewife may
lawfully employ themselves," suggests the kind of Olla
Podrida volumes produced by our author. It contains

586 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

descriptions of, and instructions on, almost every conceiv-
able country business and recreation, dissertations on
physic, chyrurgery, cookery, brewing, horticulture, book-
keeping, distilling, " ordering of feasts," the enrichment of
the Weald in Kent — cum multis aliis qua mine describere
longum est.

It is very probable that Markham received some ex-
traneous help in the composition of some of his treatises ;
but presuming them to be his own productions, let us take
one or two specimens of his style. For example —

" Since Pleasure is a Rapture, or power in this last Age, stolne
into the hearts of men, and there lodged up with such a carefull
guard and attendance, that nothing is more supreme, or ruleth
with greater strength in their affections, and since all are now
become the sounes of Pleasure, and every good is measured by
the delight it produceth ; what worke unto men can be more
thankfull then the Discourse of that pleasure which is most comely,
most honest, and giveth the most liberty to Divine Meditation ?
And that without all question is the Art of Angling, which having
ever bin most hurtlessly necessary, hath bin the Sport or Recrea-
tion of God's Saints, of most holy Fathers, and of many worthy
and Reverend Divines, both dead, and at this time breathing."

Our author's ideal of an angler is a very high one. He
must be, to use a common expression, a superlatively
"good all-round man" — ad omnia paratus.

" A skilfull Angler ought to be a generall scholler, and scene in
all the liberall sciences, as a grammarian, to know how either to
write or discourse of his art in true and fitting termes, either
without affectation or rudeness. Hee should have sweetness of
speech to perswade and intice others to delight in an exercise
so much laudable. Hee should have strength of arguments to
defend and maintaine his profession against envy or slander.
Hee should have knowledge in the sunne, moone, and starres,
that by their aspects hee may guesse the season ableness, or

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 587

unseasonableness of the weather, the breeding of the stormes,
and from what coasts the winds are ever delivered.

" Hee should be a good knower of countries, and well used to
high wayes, that by taking the readiest pathes to every lake,
brook, or river, his journies may be more certaine and lesse
wearisome. Hee should have knowledge of proportions of all
sorts, whether circular, square, or diametricale, that when hee
shall be questioned of his diurnal progresses, he may give a
geographical description of the angles and channels of rivers,
how they fall from their heads, and what compasses they fetch
in their several windings. He must also have the perfect art of
numbering, that in the sounding of lakes or rivers, hee may know
how many foot or inches each severally contayneth, and by
adding, substracting, or multiplying the same, hee may yie'd the
reason of every river's swift or slow current. Hee should not be
unskillfull in musick, that whensoever either melancholy, heavi-
nesse of his thought, or the perturbation of his owne fancies,
stirreth up sadnesse in him, he may remove the same with some
godly hymne or antheme, of which David gives him ample
examples.

" Hee must then be full of humble thoughts, not disdaining,
when occasion commands, to kneele, lye down, or wet his feet or
fingers, as oft as there is any advantage given thereby unto the
gaining the end of his labour. Then hee must be strong and
valiant, neither to be amazed with stormes nor affrighted with
thunder, but to hold them according to their natural causes and
the pleasure of the Highest : neither must he like the foxe which
preyeth upon lambs, imploy all his labour against the smallest
frie, but, like the lyon, that seazeth elephants, thinke the greatest
fish which swimmeth a reward little enough for the paines which
he endtireth. Then must he be prudent, that apprehending the
reasons why the fish will not bite, and all other casuall im-
pediments which hinder his sport, and knowing the remedies
for the same, he may direct his labours to be without trouble-
somenesse."

But here we had better say farewell to Gervase Mark-
ham, lest angling readers should feel too proud in con-

588 LITERA TURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

templating the picture painted of them, or too desponding
at the thought of how far they fall below the high standard
set before them.

In 1614 also was published A Jewel for Gentrie, shortly
described in the Bibliotheca Piscatoria as " a repetition of
the book of St. Alban, somewhat methodised and polished."
And now we pass on to an important work published
shortly before the appearance of Walton's Complete A ngler.
This is Thomas Barker's Art of Angling, wherein are dis-
covered many rare secrets very necessary to be known by all
that delight in that recreation. It was published in 1651,
i.e. two years before Walton's book, and another edition
appeared, without the author's name, in 1653, i.e. the same
year as Walton's. In 1657 the work appeared with the
additional title of Barker's Delight prefixed, and by this
name it is generally known, though on the title-page it is
termed " the second edition," i.e. of the Art of Angling, of
which it is an enlargement. Another edition was published
in 1659, and there have been "Reprints" of this and the
editions of 1651 and 1653, but both these and the originals
are rare. Barker's Delight, having been called by himself
"The Second Edition," has led to much confusion, and
bibliographers, in dealing with him, unfortunately per-
petuated this by speaking of the different editions without
sufficient indications whether they are referring to the
original Art of Angling or the Delight, and even in the
Bibliotheca Piscatoria the reader gets sorely puzzled.
Barker seems to have been a chef, as he says in his
Delight : — " I have been admitted into the most Ambas-
sadors that have come to England this forty years, and do
wait on them still at the Lord Protector's charge, and I am
duly paid for it." This statement, however, does not
necessarily imply that he was an actual cook, though his

A UTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 589

many directions about the cookery of fish show him well
versed in the mageiric art, and he also states that he takes
as much pleasure in the " dressing of fish as in the taking
of them." Barker also tells us that he was no scholar : — " I
doe crave pardon for not writing Scholler like," and only
professes to give the result of his own "experience and
practice." The Delight of 1659 was dedicated to "The
Right Honourable Edward Lord Montague, Generall of
the Navy, and one of the Lords Commissioners of the
Treasury," and in the "Author's Epistle" he throws down
this chivalrous challenge : —

" I am now grown old .... I have written no more but my
own experience and practice. ... If any noble or gentle angler,
of what degree soever he be, have a mind to discourse of any of
these wayes and experiments, I live in Henry the ;th's Gifts, the
next door to the Gatehouse in Westm. My name is Barker,
where I shall be ready, as long as please God, to satisfie them,
and maintain my art, during life, which is not like to be
long."

No doubt if old Barker were now in the flesh, he would
be to the fore in "Angling Sweepstakes," and ready to
dispute with any one for a wager the title of " Champion
Roach-fisher," which is affected by modern adepts in
this art

Some idea of Barker's quaintness of style may be
gathered from the following passage, with which the body
of the work begins ; —

" Noble Lord, under favour, I will compliment and put a case
to your Honour. I met with a man, and upon our discourse, he
fell out with me, having a good weapon but neither stomach nor
skill : I say this man may come home by Weeping Cross, I will
cause the clerk to toll his knell. It is the very like case to the
gentleman angler that goeth to the river for his pleasure : this

59o LITERA TURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

angler hath neither judgment nor experience, he may come home
light-laden at his leisure."

To Barker must be given the credit, or rather discredit,
of discovering and counselling the use of salmon-roe as a
bait He says : —

"I have found an experience of late, which you may angle
with, and take great store of fish. . . . The bait is the roe of a
salmon, or trout, if it be a large trout, that the spawnes be any-
thing great. If I had but known it twenty years ago, I would
have gained a hundred pounds, onely with this bait. I am bound
in duty to divulge it to your Honour, and not to carry it to my
grave with me. The greedy angler will murmur at me, but for
that I care not."

Following, too, in the wake of Dame Juliana Berners,
he recommends the " goose-trimmer " —

" The principal sport to take a pike is to take a goose or
gander, or duck : take one of the pike lines, tie the line under
the left wing, and over the right wing, about the body, as a man
weareth his belt; turn the goose off into the pond where the
pikes are; there is no doubt of sport, with great pleasure, betwixt
the goose and the pike ; it is the greatest sport and pleasure that
a noble gentleman in Shropshire doth give his friends entertain-
ment with."

Barker brings us to what may be called the Waltonian
era, which will be dealt with in the next chapter ; and it
must be confessed that, from a purely critical point of
view, our fishing literature of the period just traversed
cannot be held in very high estimation. A good deal of
it is interesting enough for its originality and quaintness,
and also for the insight it gives us into the art of fishing
as practised by our forefathers, and the "engines" and
baits they used in prae-Waltonian times ; and, it may almost
be added, for its evidence of rank plagiarism among

AUTHORS ON SEA AND RIVER FISHING. 591

many authors. It has its interest, too, and value from a
bibliographical standpoint. But beyond this, little can be
said in its praise. Allowance, however, must be made, in
consideration of "the state of learning" during many
generations after the introduction of printing, and of the
somewhat limited range of the subject treated of by pisca-
torial authors. Doubtless among those of the period we
have been surveying, J. D. stands out as the "bright
particular star " — velut inter ignes luna minores.

( 592 )

CHAPTER IV.

IZAAK WALTON — HIS CONTEMPORARIES AND SUCCESSORS
TO END OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

THE very mention of the name — clarum et venerabile — of
Izaak Walton in connection with the literature of angling,
suggests a task of far greater magnitude than can be here
accomplished, especially as the notices of authors before
his time have stretched to far greater length than was
anticipated, and those after him have yet to be dealt with.
Indeed a volume of no slight dimensions would be required
to do justice to Walton and his book ; and even a biblio-
graphical record of the various phases and mutations of
the Complete Angler as Mr. Westwood has shown in his
Chronicle of Izaak Walton (1864), affords subject matter
for a volume in itself, and yet be unexhausted. This will
be even better understood when it is mentioned that the
fifty-three editions chronicled by Mr. Westwood in his
volume just mentioned have been increased to ninety by
himself and his coadjutor Mr. Satchell, and that their
enumeration, with short bibliographical notes on some of
them, takes up no less than twenty pages in the Bibliotheca
Piscatoria. A new edition of the Chronicle is now in the
press, with notes and additions, by T. Satchell, and its pub-
lication may be expected before Christmas.

Let us glance at a few of the chief of these " Waltons."
The first edition of the Complete Angler was published
in 1653, and it was duly advertised by "the enterpris-

IZAAK WALTON. 593

ing publisher" of the period. The announcement ran in
The Perfect Diurnall from the Qth to the 1 6th of May,
1653, thus:—

"The Compleat Angler, or the
Contemplative Man's Recreation, being
a discourse of Fish and Fishing, not
unworthy the perusal of most Anglers,

of 1 8 pence price. Written by Iz. Wa

printed for Richard Marriot,

to be sold at his Shop in Saint
Dunstan's Churchyard. Fleet Street."

It was similarly advertised in the Mercurius Politicus
from the iQth to the 26th of May.

There was no indication of the name of the author on
the title-page, and he only signs himself Iz. Wa. at the
foot of the " Letter of Dedication " to John Offley, and of the
" Address to the Reader." The first sentence, ending with
" Recreation," of the title was engraved on a scroll, which
has " classic " dolphins above and below, with a string of
fish pendent on either side, and the whole resting on a
shell. It is a curious fact that the word " Cvmpleat " which
appears on the scroll is printed "Complete" on all the
pages of the book, and since then the word seems to have
been printed indiscriminately in either form,' according to
the fancy of Walton's editors, though most editions have
" Complete" On the title-page also appeared the text —
" Simon Peter said, I go a fishing ; and they said, we also
will go with thee. John 21, 3." A well preserved and
perfect copy of this edition is now worth about £50, and
perhaps more, and he who obtains one becomes in his way
as much of a hero as the owner of a winner of the Derby,
or the capturer of the largest salmon or Thames trout of
the season. The second edition, published in 1655, was
VOL. III.— H. 2 Q

594 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

" much enlarged," indeed almost rewritten by the author ;
commendatory verses by seven writers are for the first
time inserted ; a third interlocutor in the person of
Auceps is introduced ; and Venator is substituted for
Viator. It has been surmised that these characters
were suggested to Walton by the work of Heresbach,
mentioned in the last chapter. The third and fourth
editions appeared in 1661 (the edition of 1664 being really
only that of 1661) and 1668, corrected and enlarged,
but not to the same extent as that of 1655. We
now come to the fifth and very important edition, from
the fact that it was the last in which Walton had a hand,
or which was published in his lifetime. It appeared in
1676. Seven years later, and the old man laid down his
pen as he had already laid aside his rod, and full of years
and honours was gathered to his rest. This edition was in
three parts, which, as indicated on the title-page, might
" be bound together or sold each of them severally." The
first part was Walton's own Complete Angler ; the second
consisted of Instructions how to Angle for a Trout or
Grayling in a Clear Stream, written at the request of
Walton by his intimate friend, and brother angler Charles
Cotton, of Beresford ; and the third, The Experienced
Angler, by Colonel Robert Venables. The whole were
comprised under the title of The Universal Angler. These
five editions together not very long ago realised over .£100,
but this is probably a little above their market value.

Except on the supposition that Walton's work for
an interval lacked appreciation, or that the sport of
angling did not increase in popularity, it is difficult
to account for the great gap between the fifth edition of
1676 and the sixth, which did not make its appearance till
1750. This last was the work of the Rev. Moses Browne,
the author of Piscatory Eclogues, to whom we shall refer

IZAAK WALTON. 595

in a later chapter, and claims note from the fact that
its editor had the bad taste, to say the least of it,
to tamper with his author, under the idea that by
pruning, amending, and adding to the original text, he
was adapting it to the supposedly refined taste of the
time. Reverend lovers of old Izaak can only regard
Browne's work as next door to sacrilege. In 1760 another
editor comes on the stage in the person of Mr. John (after-
wards Sir John) Hawkins. Subsequent editions and
reprints of Hawkins, which number some twenty-five in
all, covering at intervals a period stretching down to 1857,
abound with notes, explanatory, critical, historical, and
biographical, and much useful miscellaneous information.
Moses Browne figures again as a Waltonian editor in 1772,
and some interest attaches to his edition of this year,
because it is said it was undertaken at the suggestion of
Dr. Johnson, who, though ever to be execrated by anglers
for his " worm and fool " libel, was one of the foremost
admirers of the Complete Angler. Major's first edition was
published in 1823, and was followed by another in 1824, both
being well supplied with copper-plate and wood engravings,
which took the public fancy. The first edition issued by
Mr. Pickering, the publisher, dates in the year 1825, and
was followed by others from the same house, the most
important of which was that of 1835-6, in two grand
imperial octavo volumes. It was edited by Sir Harris
Nicolas, and profusely illustrated by Stothard and Inskipp.
Though open to criticism in some respects, it is a noble
tribute to Walton, and must ever remain one of the
grandest ornaments of an angler's library. Other editions
of Nicolas have been published, and the last, of 1875, will
be found an excellent book of general reference on all
matters Waltonian. A special feature of the Nicolas

2 Q 2

596 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

editions is the division of Walton's dialogues into " Five
Days," which thus bring out the dramatic character of the
work. In Walton's first edition, though it is divided by
the author into thirteen chapters, the dialogue evidently
occupies five separate days, and " spaces " in the printing
show where the conversation ends on each night. Major's
fourth edition was published in 1844, and of it Mr. West-
wood, in his Chronicle, says that " it approaches more nearly
to our ideal of an edition consistent in all its parts than any
of its predecessors or successors." The Rev. Dr. Bethune,
an American, speaking of the illustrations in it, says, "Art
could scarcely go further, and no more elegant volume
could find a place in a library." Dr. Bethune is no mean
judge, for he also has entered the lists as an editor of
Walton, and is one of the most ardent admirers of the
Complete Angler beyond the great ocean. His first edition
was published in New York in 1847, and contains almost
all one would seek to know about Walton and his work,
and much interesting matter of all kinds, including papers
on American fishing, and a very extensive catalogue of
works on angling. It is well worthy of the commendation
awarded to it by Mr. Westwood, when he says that
" nowhere else do we find united so complete a body of
angling-book statistics, and so large an accumulation of
collateral data." Dr. Bethune's second edition appeared
in 1880, with some additions and corrections. No angler's
library should be without a Bethune. The editions by
" Ephemera " (Edward Fitzgibbon) are well known ; the
first appeared in 1853, and the last in 1878. Christopher
Davies, whose admirable work on the East Anglian broads
and rivers has just been published, is among the recent
editors of Walton, his volume being dated 1878. The
very last Complete Angler, published only two or three

IZAAK WALTON. 597

months ago, and consequently not included in the Biblio-
theca, is another '< Major," from the firm of Nimmo & Bain
(King William Street, W.C.). It is most beautifully printed,
handsomely bound, and profusely illustrated by masters
of the limning art, two impressions of each of eight original
etchings being, the one on Japanese, and the other on
Whatman paper. This edition will hold its own among
the best. Only 500 copies were printed, and it is now very
difficult to obtain one.

The lovers and admirers of Walton, anglers and literary
men who know their Complete Angler well, its associations
and history, and have the privilege, if only occasionally, of
spending pleasant hours in a Waltonian library, can readily
sympathise with the words and feelings of Mr. Westwood,
when on the completion of his Chronicle on which he had
so long and lovingly laboured, he says : —

" Here our task ends — the ultimate milestone on the long road
of more than two hundred years being reached at last. Through
our window, as we write these closing lines, streams cheerily (and
with a skimmer of young leaves and buzzing of insect wings), the
May sunshine — that sunshine that, of yore, gladdened Piscator on
his way through the Leaside meadows to his sport at matin-song,
and that broods, we are fain to believe, with a softened radiance
now, on his honoured grave in the grey pile of Winchester. Peace
be to his ashes ! — for his fame we have no fear ; the bygone
centuries have given their consecration to his work, the centuries
to come will ratify that consecration anew. How much of good
and great the future may have in store for it, it is not our province
to predict. Suffice it that looking up to the shelves of our
Angling Library, and to the Fifty-three several editions chronicled
in these pages, we must say already for the Father of Fishermen,
what he were Jx>o modest to say for himself could he return

amongst us —

" Si monumentura quaeris

Circumspice ! "

598 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

But though the time and treasure expended on these
many editions have raised a mighty monument to the fame
of Walton — cere perennius — still it may be questioned
whether a further multiplication of them would answer any
good purpose, unless an edition has got something really
new and important to contribute to " Waltonology." It
seems unreasonable that authors should merely edit a
Walton, as some seem to have done, for the sole purpose
of overloading it with notes — more suitable for digestion
into the form of an " Angler's Manual." Perhaps to some
the raison (Tetre of an edition of the Complete A ngler may
be the alleged fact that there are in existence five hundred
collectors who make a point of buying a copy of every one
that comes out ; but it is possible to have too much even
of a good thing. It is a different matter with editions
de luxe. Such an one was recently contemplated by
Messrs. Sampson Low, Marston and Co., to be edited by
Mr. Francis Francis, whose illness is deplored by the
literary as well as angling world. All rejoice to hear that
he is now progressing towards recovery, and it is to be
hoped that the publishers with his assistance may yet be able
to carry out their intentions. What would the angler-biblio-
philist give for the production of another old Walton, which
may have hitherto escaped the notice of bibliographers ?
This is an age of discovery of antiquities, literary and
otherwise, and though we do not wish to give encourage-
ment to piscatorial Shapiras (or Sapphiras), the finder of a
genuine old Walton on any skin would surely have his
reward. Are all cupboards, shelves, and chests, in out-
of-the-way nooks and corners yet exhaustively searched ?

Up to the present time ninety-four editions of Walton
have been chronicled, and two more are to be added to this
list, making in all ninety-six — a number which will favour-

IZAAK WALTON. 599

ably compare with the editions of Shakespeare, Bunyan,
and the Christian Year.

An admirable facsimile reprint of the first edition of the
Complete Angler was executed by Mr. Elliot Stock, of
Paternoster Row, in 1876, the very tint and texture of the
antique paper being reproduced, with the small pages of
" fat " type and its long s's ; while the art of photography
revived the Delphinic title-page, the quaint head-pieces, and
the " cuts " of the terrible fish. But like the original first
edition, it is now very scarce.

The Complete Angler was well received by Walton's
contemporaries, of whom " Delightful " Barker was one ;
and to him Walton in the "Fourth Day" acknowledges
himself indebted for his "directions for fly-fishing," which
he, through the medium of Piscator, proceeds to give " with
a little variation." Richard Franck, however, a Cromwellian
trooper, an Independent of the sour Puritan type, and a
stupendously pretentious writer, but an angler of some expe-
rience, was the exception. In his Northern Memoirs (in
which he gives an account of fly-fishing in Scotland),
published in 1694, though (as he says on his title-page)
"writ in 1658," does not hesitate to charge full tilt against
Walton on this wise —

" However, Izaak Walton (late author of the Compleat Angler)
has imposed upon the world this monthly novelty, which he under-
stood not himself; but stuffs his books with morals from Dubravius
and others, not giving us one precedent of his own practical
experiments, except otherwise where he prefers the trencher before
the trolling-rod ; who lays the stress of his arguments upon other
men's observations, wherewith he stuffs his indigested octavo ; so
brings himself under the angler's censure, and the common
calamity of a plagiary, to be pitied (poor man) for his loss of
time, in scribbling and transcribing other men's notions. These
are the drones that rob the hive, yet flatter the bees they bring
them honev."

6oo LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

This is a hard hit ; and it would appear that the author,
who was also a practical angler and salmon-fisherman, had
on one occasion a personal argument on matters piscatorial
(and perhaps religious and poetical) with Walton. Sir
Walter Scott, however, who, in 1821, published an edition
of Franck with preface and notes, comes to Walton's
rescue, though he credits Franck with practical angling
knowledge. He says : —

" Probably no readers while they read the disparaging passages
in which the venerable Izaak Walton is introduced, can forbear
wishing that the good old man, who had so true an eye for Nature,
so simple a taste for her most innocent pleasures, and withal, so
sound a judgment, both concerning men and things, had made
this northern tour instead of Franck; and had detailed in the
beautiful simplicity of his Arcadian language, his observations on
the scenery and manners of Scotland. Yet we must do our author
the justice to state, that he is as much superior to the excellent
patriarch Izaak Walton, in the mystery of fly-fishing, as inferior to
him in taste, feeling, and common sense. Franck's contests with
salmon are painted to the life, and his directions to the angler
are generally given with great judgment."

Byron, who had seldom a good word for any one, had
his fling at old Izaak, when he says —

" And angling, too, that solitary vice,
Whatever Izaak Walton sings or says ;
The quaint, old, cruel coxcomb, in his gullet
Should have a hook, and a small trout to pull it."

Some persons say they can see an expression of cruelty
in Walton's portraits !

And even a modern author on angling, who must at
least be given credit for the courage of his opinions, says
of Walton and his book —

"I am free to confess I have derived neither pleasure nor
profit. There is no doubt that in his day the worthy citizen was
an excellent angler j he was also a simple-minded, kindly, prosy,

IZAAK WALTON. 601

and very vain old gentle-woman .... I would not whisper it
at the "Walton's Head," or the "Walton's Arms," or hint at it
at the " Jolly Angler's " or the " Rest," or any other resort of his
so-called disciples, but to my readers I will impart my private
conviction, that there is now at least little practically to be
learnt from Izaak Walton's Complete Angler, and that the reading
of it is rather heavy work than otherwise."

Every one has a right, as it is said, to his own opinion,
and to the pleasure derived from thinking that singularity
may be mistaken for cleverness. And there is such a
thing as the deficiency of a reader being visited on a writer.
But perhaps in reference to no book ever written has there
been such a universal cKorus of praise, from the day of its
publication to the present time ; and for once in a way the
showers of " commendatory verses," which after a fashion
of the time fell on the Complete Angler, were justly deserved.
A very long catena of eminent critics, past and present,
might be adduced who speak in the highest terms of the
book and the author's literary merits, which he showed
also in his admirable Lives of Donne, Wotton, Hooker,
Herbert, and Sanderson. Not to go back very far, Dr.
Johnson, as before mentioned, was a great admirer of
Walton ; and Charles Lamb thus writes to Coleridge in a
letter dated October 28, 1796 :—

" Among all your quaint readings did you ever light upon
Walton's Complete Angler ? I asked you the question once before ;
it breathes the very spirit of innocence, purity, and simplicity of
heart ; there are many choice old verses interspersed" in it ; it
would sweeten a man's temper at any time to read it ; it would
Christianize every discordant, angry passion ; pray make yourself
acquainted with it."

Hazlitt, Sir Walter Scott, Wordsworth, and Hallam, all
considered the Complete Angler as a triumph of literary
skill. The last-mentioned says that our " Golden age " of

602 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

literature began "with him who has never since been
rivalled in grace, humour, and invention," and he adds —

"Walton's Cumplcat Angler, published in 1653, seems by the
title a rtrange choice out of all the books of half a century ; yet
its simplicity, its sweetness, its natural grace, and happy inter-
mixture of graver strains with the precepts of angling, have
rendered this book deservedly popular, and a model which one
of the most famous among our late philosophers, and a successful
disciple of Izaak Walton in his favourite art (Sir Humphrey
Davy) has condescended (in his Salmonid) to imitate."

Among the most recent weighty testimonies to Walton as
an author was that accorded to him a few years ago by the
Dean of Lichfield on the unveiling of a marble bust of
Walton in St. Mary's Church, Stafford, in which town he
was born, and in which church he was baptized in 1593.
The Dean also dwelt eloquently on Walton's character ; but
as that does not directly concern us here, suffice it to say
that from what is well known of his life, it accorded with a
very high Christian standard. He was remarkable for his
integrity, his simplicity, his peaceable disposition, for the
warmth and steadfastness of his friendship, for his loyalty
to his sovereign, for his humility and devotion towards
God. The times in which he lived were amongst the most
critical in our national history. His long life stretched
over the last ten years of Elizabeth's reign, and reached
onwards to within two years of the end of that of
Charles II., and during the whole of that eventful period
"honest Izaak" (as he was called by his familiars) pursued
the even tenour of his way, mourning over the calamities
which he could not avert, thanking God for the measure of
good which he enjoyed, and endeavouring to stamp on
others the impress of his own pure and contented spirit.

December the 15th next will be the two - hundredth
anniversary of his death beneath the shadow of Winchester

IZAAK WALTON. 603

Cathedral, in which his body lies. We would venture to
suggest that it would be well and appropriate that some
special notice should be taken of this bicentenary of his
departure. And might not a more worthy monument be
raised to him within the Cathedral walls or elsewhere ?

Even in this critical age the Complete A ngler is acknow-
ledged to be one of the most perfect idylls written in any
age or country. As Guillim is to the herald, Blackstone
to the legist, and Hawker to the fowler, so is Walton to
the disciples of the " gentle art ; " and though many of the
ichthyological statements in the Complete Angler are not in
accordance with the modern knowledge of zoology, or its
angling directions a reliable guide to modern fishermen, it
will doubtless remain a standard English classic " for all
time," and the best A ngler' s Companion, "which age cannot
wither nor custom stale." The angling bibliographer and
poet-angler, Mr. Westwood, thus sings its praises in his
Lay of the Lea : —

" Now in the noontide heat

Here I take my seat.
Izaak's book beguiles the time— of Izaak's book I say,

Never dearer page

Gladden'd youth or age ;
Never sweeter soul than his bless'd the merry May.

" For while I read,

'Tis as if, indeed,
Peace and joy and gentle thoughts from each line were welling ;

As if earth and sky

Took a tenderer dye,
And as if within my heart fifty larks were trilling.

" Ne'er should angler stroll,

Ledger, dap, or troll,
Without Izaak in his pouch on the banks of Lea ;<—

Ne'er with worm or fly

Trap the finny fry,
Without loving thoughts of him, and — Benedicite /"

604 LITERA TURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

There is no need to give quotations from a book that
most anglers know by heart, but if immediately after the
encomiums on Walton the bathos be not too painful, we
will reproduce the famous " frog " passage, and directions
for " live-baiting." This is the first passage —

" Put your hook into his mouth, which you may easily do from
the middle of April till August ; and then the frog's mouth grows
up, and he continues so for at least six months without eating,
but is sustained, none but He whose name is Wonderful knows
how : I say, put your hook, I mean the arming-wire, through his
mouth and out at his gills ; and then with a fine needle and silk sew
the upper part of his leg, with only one stitch, to the arming-wire of
your hook ; or tie the frog's leg, above the upper joint, to the
armed-wire ; and, in so doing, use him as though you loved him,
that is, harm him as little as you may possibly, that he may live
the longer."

And this is the second, which shows that Walton did not
repudiate the ideas of Dame Juliana Berners, or of his
friend Barker : —

" Or if you bait your hooks thus with live fish or frogs, and in
a windy day, fasten them thus to a bough or bundle of straw, and
by the help of that wind can get them to move across a pond or
mere, you are like to stand still on the shore and see sport
presently, if there be any store of pikes. Or these live baits
may make sport, being tied about the body or wings of a goose
or duck, and she chased over a pond. And the like may be done
with turning three or four live baits, thus fastened to bladders,
or boughs, or bottles of hay or flags, to swim down a river,
whilst you walk quietly alone on the shore, and are still in
expectation of sport. The rest must be taught you by practice ;
for time will not allow me to say more of this kind of fishing
with live baits."

The "bottles of hay or flags" thus early suggest the
"liggering" business, by which sportsmen (save the mark!)

IZAAK WALTON. 605

have well-nigh depopulated of their jack some of the best
Norfolk "Broads."

And now by way of contrast we will add the famous —
it might almost be said " immortal " — passage anent the
nightingale, which more than one divine have quoted in
their sermons and commentaries —

" But the nightingale, another of my airy creatures, breathes
such sweet loud music out of her little instrumental throat, that
it might make mankind to think miracles are not ceased. He
that, at midnight, when the very labourer sleeps securely, should
hear, as I have very often, the clear airs, the sweet descants, the
natural rising and falling, the doubling and redoubling of her
voice, might well be lifted above earth, and say, 'Lord, what
music hast thou provided for the Saints in Heaven, when thou
affordest bad men such music on Earth.' "

Among Walton's contemporaries who were writers on
fish and fishing Barker has been already mentioned.
Colonel Robert Venables too, a strong royalist, has been
spoken of as the writer of the Experienced Angler, which
was first published in 1662 (though Mr. Estcourt says
1661), and afterwards in the Universal Angler, or fifth
edition of Walton, in 1676. This treatise has gone through
six editions, the last dating 1827. The second edition,
the date of which is uncertain, was destroyed in the Great
Fire of London. Walton contributed a courtly commenda-
tion of the volume addressed to his " ingenious friend the
author " ; but though there is some fair reading in it, it
cannot rank in a high class of its kind. The remarks of
the Colonel on what was two centuries ago, and is still, a
vt-vata qucestio, namely, the respective merits of " up " and
" down " stream fishing, are in favour of the " downites."
They will give an example of his style : —

" Fish are frightened with any, the least, sign or motion ; there-

6o6 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

fore by all means keep out of sight, either by sheltering yourself
behind some bush or tree, or by standing so far off the River's
side, that you can see nothing but your flie or flote ; to effect this,
a long Rod at ground, and a long Line with the artificial flie, may
be of use to you. And here I meet with two different opinions
and practices ; some always cast their flie and bait up the water,
and so they say nothing occurreth to Fishes sight but the Line :
others fish down the River, and so suppose (the Rod and Line
being long) the quantity of water takes away or at least lesseneth
the Fishes sight : but the other affirm, that Rod and Line, and
perhaps yourself, are seen also. In this difference of opinions I
shall only say, in small Brooks you may angle upwards, or else in
great Rivers you must wade, as I have known some, who thereby
got the Sciatica, and I would not wish you to purchase pleasure at
so dear a rate ; besides, casting up the River you cannot keep
your Line out of the water, which we noted for a fault before ;
and they that are this way confess that if in casting your flie, the
Line fall into the water before it, the flie were better uncast,
because it frights the Fish •; then certainly it must do it this way,
whether the flie fall first or not, the Line must first come to the
Fish and fall on him, which undoubtedly will fright him : there-
fore my opinion is that you angle down the River, for the other
you traverse twice so much, and beat not so much ground as
downwards."

The length of this last sentence, its composition and
punctuation, are to be noted. The Colonel was hardly
good company for Walton and Cotton.

Cotton, Walton's other collaborateur in the Universal
Angler (or fifth edition), and great personal friend, has
already been mentioned. His remarks on trout and
grayling fishing are still for the most part sound; and
his literary work, which like Walton he threw into dialogue
form, does not fall far below the standard of "the master."
It was Walton, Cotton, and Venables, the three joint
parents of the Universal Angler, that the anonymous

IZAAK WALTON. 607

author of The Innocent Epmtre, first published in 1697,
thus apostrophises : —

" Hail great Triumvirate of Angling ! hail,
Ye who best taught, and here did best excel."

But, as it has been remarked in reference to Dame
Juliana Berners' treatise, that it gave no stimulus to
angling authorship, so it may be noted in reference to
the Walton and Cotton's Complete Angler, that it seems
to have had the effect of making anglers rather shy ot
authorship. Perhaps this may be construed into a com-
pliment to the joint authors ; but anyhow, the fact remains
that during a period of a hundred years, dating from the
fifth edition of the Complete A ngler, or, as it might be put,
down to the end of the eighteenth century, but a very few
works on angling made their appearance, though the
Complete Angler by that time had gone through fifteen
editions. Barlow's extremely scarce book, The severale
wayes of hunting, hawking, and faking, according to the
English manner, was published in 1671.

In 1674 appeared the Gentleman's Recreation, by Nicholas
Cox, another of those strange "combination" books, contain-
ing treatises on several sports and country pastimes, and all
kinds of odds and ends connected with rural pursuits.
Such volumes for a long period are a marked feature of
the literature connected with fish and fishing. But Cox's
book is a bad sample of its kind, though it has gone
through several editions. In the first place, it is not an
original book, but a compilation, or rather a "cribbing,"
from Gervase Markham and other authors ; and in the
second place, the author is a dealer in miracles, marvels,
superstitions, astrology, necromancy, and what not. The
Accomplish* Ladies' Delight, published in the following year

608 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

is another " combination and compilation " volume, in which
the author (probably a lady) gives directions for " preserv-
ing, physick, beautifying, and cookery," and "also some
new and excellent secrets and experiments in the art of
angling," which latter are freely borrowed from Barker,
Walton, and others. The book is interesting, as giving
evidence that there were lady anglers at this period ; and
part v. of the tenth edition (1719) is entitled "The female
angler, instructing ladies, &c."

Mr. W. Gilbert's Angler's Delight of 1676, is a quaint
book, of which the author says in the title — " The like
never before in print ! " He gives his readers " the method
of fishing in Hackney Marshes, and the names of the best
stands there," and bids them "go to Mother Gibert's,
at the Flower de Luce, at Clapton, near Hackney," where
"whilst you are drinking a pot of ale, -bid the maid make
you two or three pennyworth of ground-bait and some
paste (which they do very neatly and well)." He suggests
an angler's outfit as follows : " A good coat for all weathers ;
an apron to put your ground-bait, stones, and paste in ; a
basket to put your fish in, &c., .... and if you have a boy
to go along with you, a good neat's tongue and a bottle of
Canary should not be wanting ; to the enjoyment of which
I leave you." A few weeks ago a barbel was taken in the
Thames as low as Chelsea ; but our author speaks of this
fish frequenting London Bridge in his time. In a later
edition he tells us how to " fox fish " with what he calls
" Oculus India Berries ; " but he cautions his readers " that
they practice not this without a licence from the owners,
least the whipping-post or pillory be their reward"
Chetham's Angler's Vade-mecum was first published in
1 68 1. The authors of the " Bibliotheca Piscatoria " credit
him with being an "original" writer, and not a mere

IZAAK WALTON. 609

manual compiler, adding that he is "never servile, nor
plagiaristic, always honest, sometimes a little surly." He
touches on the still vexed question of the mixture of silk
and hair in fishing-lines, declaring in favour of " all of hair
or all of silk." The following recipe for an unguent to
allure fish, and its use cannot fail to provoke a smile : —

"Of Man's Fat, Cat's Fat, Heron's Fat, and of the best Assa-
foetida, of each two Drams ; Mummy, finely powdered, two Drams ;
Cummin-seed finely powdered, two Scruples, and of Camphor,
Galbanum, and Venice Turpentine of each one Dram; Civet-
grains two. Make according to Art, all into an indifferent thin
Oyntment, with the Chymical Oyls of Lavender, Annise, and
Camomil, of each an equal quantity, and keep the same in a
narrow-mouthed and well-glassed galley-pot close covered with a
Bladder and Leather ; and when you go to Angle, take some of it
in a small pewter Box, made taper, and anoint eight inches of the
Line next the Hook therewith, and when washed off repeat the
same. This Oyntment which for its excellency, Unguentum
Piscatorum mirabile, prodigiously causes Fish to bite, if in the
hand of an Artist that angles within water, and in proper Seasons
and Times, and with suitable Tackle and Baits fit and proper for
the River, Season and Fish he designs to catch. The Man's Fat
you may get of the London Chyrurgeons, &c. * • * * I forbore
(for some reasons) to insert the same in my fifth edition ; but now
since its' divulged, value it not the less, but treat it as a jewel."

R. Nobbes, who was probably Vicar of Applethorp and
Wood-Newton, in Northamptonshire, first published his
Complete Trailer, or the Art of Trolling, in 1682. He is
often spoken of as the " Father of trolling," by writers on
angling ; but it is a title of piscatory honour to which he
has no just right, as this method of "jacking" is treated of
in many of the works already mentioned. It may, how-
ever, be allowed that his discourse upon it is the first of
any length, and he may be credited with having treated
VOL. in.— II. 2 R

6io LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

this branch of angling very systematically, and of dissemin-
ating more correct views of it than had hitherto appeared.

Blome's Gentleman's Recreation, in 1686, is another of
the " Inquire-within-upon-Everything " type of books,
which have almost as many subjects treated of in them as
has that tediously interesting "Anatomy of Melancholy,"
by Burton ; and Northern Memoirs, by Franck, the author
already alluded to as tilting at Walton, was published in 1694.
We cannot forbear quoting the following delicious little
bit of his re the grayling : —

"The umber or grayling is an amourous fish that loves his
life ; his mouth waters after every wasp, as his fins flutter after
every fly ; for if it be but a fly, or the produce of an insect, out
of a generous curiosity, he is ready to entertain it. Smooth and
swift streams enamour him, but not a torrent ; yet, for this fly-
admirer, there is another bait— the munket or sea-green grub,
generated amongst owlder trees, also issues from willows, sallow,
&c. Fish him finely, for he loves curiosity, neat and slender
tackle, and lady-like. You must touch him gently, for he is
tender about the chaps; a brandling will entice him from the
bottom, and a gilt-tail will invite him ashore."

The True Art of Angling, by J. S., was first published in
1696, and has passed through many editions. Only a few
of the earlier ones have escaped the wear and tear of time.
It has been suggested that this J. S. was none other than
the owner of the good old English name of John Smith,
who in 1684 published one of those numerous patchwork
books, containing treatises on a multiplicity of rural sports
and pastimes. John Smith, in his volume, included the
" making of fireworks," and the " noble recreation of
ringing." This brings us to the close of the Waltonian
period and the end of the seventeenth century.

All interested in old angling literature will rejoice to

ISAAK WALTON. 611

hear that in continuation of their " Library of Old Fishing
Books," Messrs. Satchell, of Tavistock Street, have in pro-
gress the publication of the following rare volumes (in
uniform Roxbro' binding) : —

1. An older form of the Treaty se of Fysshynge wyth an Angle

(circa 1450), printed from a manuscript in the collection
of Mr. Denison, with preface and glossary by Thomas
Satchell.

2. The Treaty se of Fysshynge wyth an Angle, first printed by

Wynkyn de Worde in 1496, with preface and glossary by
Thomas Satchell.

3. The Pleasures of Princes (1614), by Gervase Markham, with

introduction by Thomas Westwood.

4. Conrad Heresbach's De Piscatione Compendium (1570), with

a translation by Miss Ellis and introduction by Thomas
Westwood.

5. A Book of Fishing with Hook and Line (1590), by L.[eonard]

M.[ascall].

6. A Briefve Treatis of Fishing, with the Art of Angling (1596),

by W.plliam] G.fryndall].

7. Book xx of the Geoponika of Cassianus Bassus (circa 950),

with a translation of the Greek and notes.

8. A Jewell ' fdr Gentrie (1614).

9. Richard de Fournivall's De Vetula (1470), with Jean

Lefevre's translation.

2 R 2

C 612 )

CHAPTER V.

AUTHORS ON FISH AND FISHING IN THE EIGHTEENTH

CENTURY.

•

THE angling literature of this period need not detain us
long, as its authors are neither numerous, instructive, nor
models in the way of composition. Indeed it cannot be
said that there is one among them who has left his mark,
unless it be the author of The Young Man's Companion^
1703, whose production has been described as "a sand-
wich of pastime and piety, the one following the other
as inevitably as ham follows beef at a picnic." This
is a sample of it —

" Having cast into the river half the grains, and an hour being
past, you have no bites of good Roches, you may conclude either
the season is not good, or there are Perch or Pike there. Then
go to some other place to angle for Roches ; if you had baited
the place when you first came to the river, the better. ....
Honest angler, as often as thou art weary, meditate on these

verses :

" Cease then my soul to dote on or admire
This splendid world which is reserved for fire ;
Decline the company of sinners here,
As thou wouldst not be shackled with them there.

" When you have done angling, go and see if a pike hath
swallowed the Roche, the bait, and if you perceive he is not a little
one, draw him very gently towards you, and when he sees you
away he flies ; let go and give him all the line you can, then
draw him gently again to tire him. When he is weary, you may
easily draw him to the bank-side and take him. Then will thy

AUTHORS IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 613

mind be so stayed with the fear of the Lord, that this verse
may not disagree with thy thoughts, viz. :

" When weary anglers in the night do sleep,
Their fancies on their float still watching keep."

It is almost impossible to conceive how any one could
dream of putting such mawkish trash into print.

The century has been called a " leaden " one, and is not
undeserving of the title. The Secrets of A ngting, by C. B.,
in 1705, is little more than a compilation, though fairly put
together ; and the same may be said of the Country Gentle-
man's Vade-mecum, by Jacob, in 1717. Saunders's Compleat
Fisherman, in 1724, is a very far better work, giving a good
deal of information on the English waters and fishing in
different parts of the Continent ; and it is interesting from
the fact that in it is the first mention in any book on
angling with " silk-worm gut." Pepys, however, in his Diary
(March i8th, 1677), says : "This day Mr. Caesar told me a
pretty experiment of his angling with a minikin, a gutt-string
varnished over, which keeps it from 'swelling, and is beyond
any hair for strength and smallness. The secret I like
mightily." As a matter of fact gut came into pretty
general use after the middle of this century. The Gentle-
man Angler of 1726 does not contain much that was new
in the way of piscatory information, but, under different
names and in different forms, it passed through several
editions, and seems to have been appreciated. Its special
interest lies in the fact that it is the first book on angling
in which we read of rings for the rod and the use of the
winch : —

" It will be very convenient to have Rings, or Eyes (as some
call them) made of fine Wire, and placed so artificially upon your
Rod from the one End to the other, that when you lay your Eye
to one, you may see through all the rest ; and your Rod being

614 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

thus furnished, you will easily learn from thence how to put Rings
to all your other Rods. Through these Rings your Line must
run, which will be kept in a due Posture, and you will find great
Benefit thereby. You must also have a Winch or Wheel affixed
to your Rod, about a Foot above the End, that you may give
Liberty to the Fish, which, if large, will be apt to run a great way
before it may be proper to check him, or before he will voluntarily
return." •

The volume also contained "short plain instructions,
whereby the most ignorant beginner may in a little time
become a perfect artist in angling for Salmon." The " little
time " even now, with all modern appliances, often takes a
" lifetime."

The British Angler, by Williamson, in 1740, is a mode-
rately good manual as times went, and, like most others,
dealt largely with " pastes." It is a curious fact that the
great majority of angling authors, who devote a consider-
able space to this department of fraudful baits seldom
recommend them personally. Richard Brooks, M.D., is
another of the many appropriators of other men's labours,
suggesting that Sic vos non vobis might be an appropriate
motto for many a book on angling. His Art of Angling,
in 1740, assumed the form of a dictionary. Richard and
his son Charles Bowlker were famous anglers at Ludlow,
and authors 'too, their Art of Angling, improved in all its
parts, especially fly fishing, being really instructive. There
seems to be some confusion in reference to their joint and
separate authorship. The first edition appeared about 1758,
and after that six other editions before the death of the son
Charles Bowlker in 1779. Since then there have been six
more editions, the last dating as late as 1839. "The vora-
city of the Pike" is a favourite ichthyological topic.
Bowlker the younger has a story about it : —

" My father catched a Pike in Barn-Meer (a large standing

AUTHORS IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 615

water in Cheshire), was an ell long, and weighed thirty-five pounds,
which he brought to Lord Cholmondely ; his lordship ordered it
to be turned into a canal in the garden, wherein were abundance
of several sorts of fish. About twelve months after his lordship
draw'd the canal, and found that this overgrown Pike had devoured
all the fish, except one large Carp, that weighed between nine and
ten pounds, and that was bitten in several places. The Pike was
then put into the canal again, together with abundance of fish
with him to feed upon, all which he devoured in less than a year's
time ; and was observed by the gardener and workmen there, to
take the ducks, and other water-fowl under water. Whereupon
they shot magpies and crows, and threw them into the canal,
which the Pike took before their eyes : of this they acquainted
their lord ; who, thereupon, ordered the slaughterman to fling in
calves-bellies, chickens-guts, and suchlike garbage to him, to prey
upon : but being soon after neglected, he died, as supposed, for
want of food."

Shirley's Anglers' Museum, or " the whole art of float and
flyfishing," published in 1784, is an unpretentious but well-
written and practical little book. A well-executed portrait
of " Mr. John Kirby, the celebrated angler," who was
Keeper of Newgate and died in 1804, is prefixed to the
third edition. The North Country Angler, or "the art
of angling as practised in the Northern Counties of Eng-
land," which, Mr. Chatto says, " ought to have been called
'The North Country Poacher,'" was published in 1786.
Best's Concise Treatise on the Art of Angling appeared in
1787, since when eleven further editions have been pub-
lished, 1838 being the date of the last. Best was keeper
of His Majesty's Drawing Room in the Tower of London,
and was evidently a good practical angler. He has no less
than 30 pages of his book on the " Prognostics of Weather"
to be observed by anglers.

During this century several editions of what may be
called the " standard " authors on angling were issued at

616 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

intervals, but the authors above mentioned comprise nearly
all in this country who essayed to deal with matters pisca-
torial. If other periods had not been more prolific of
fishing literature, collectors of books on angling would have
but a beggarly array of almost empty shelves.

CHAPTER VI.

AUTHORS ON FISHING IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

THE nineteenth century list of English piscatory authors is
very different to that of the last, both in quantity and
quality. A recent writer on angling bibliography has said
that " originality is scarce among them." But we venture
to differ with him. The subject-matter of angling, as has
been before remarked, is necessarily of a somewhat limited
range ; and there must, of course, be some similarity in the
works of those writers who treat mainly of it in its purely
practical aspect, and especially in reference to the more
common branches of the art. Bearing this in mind, we should
be inclined, notwithstanding the multitude of angling works
which have been published during the present century, to con-
sider the diversity of style and matter as a marked feature
in the angling literature of that period. Authors, gene-
rally speaking, have taken a variety of lines, as they them-
selves differ from each other in their fancies for this or that
particular variety of fishing, in their variety of experiences
and variety of literary bent. Thus readers have a vast
choice of works put before them to suit their different wants
and tastes — works scientific, descriptional, " informational,"
and humbly didactic. Moreover, hardly any two anglers
will be found to agree as to which are their favourite
authors ; at one time, or rather for one purpose, prefer-
ring one, and at another time, and for another purpose,
another ; or, finding that different authors suit their different
moods at different times, or supply the particular reading or

618 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

information they require on some particular branch of
fishing, or for some particular angling expedition. Thus, if
there is no very great amount of absolute " originality "
among our angling authors, there is an abundant supply of
diversity, and though in one sense they may be like one
another, they are " like in difference."

The angling works of the present century being so nume-
rous, we must perforce limit ourselves to only the mere
mention by name of many of them ; and, as the great
majority of them are easily obtainable, we shall not to any
great extent call in the aid of quotations from them, espe-
cially as this and the following chapter are intended rather
for the purposes of reference and " indication " than of
criticism.

Taylor's Angling in all its Branches, published in 1800,
is a compendious and fairly written manual, and recom-^
mended by Sir Harris Nicolas in his editions of Walton ;
and Daniels' Rural Sports of the following year contains a
good deal of readable matter on fish and fishing. The
Kentish Angler of 1804 is one of the rare local books, and
may still be consulted with profit. Mackintosh's Driffield
Angler, of 1806, is still worth reading, especially by anglers
in Midland streams. Robert Salter published his Modern
Angler in 1811; but must not be confounded with
Thomas Frederick Salter, a well-known hatter of his
time, whose Anglers' Guide, published in 1814, has gone
through a dozen or so editions, and may still be called a
standard work. The same may be said of Bainbridge's Fly-
fisliers' Gziide, 1816, the last edition of which was published
in 1840. It was illustrated with coloured plates repre-
senting upwards of forty flies of the most useful kind,
copied from nature, and well taught how

" To lightly on the dimpling eddy fling
The hypocritic fly's unruffled wing."

AUTHORS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 619

Carroll's Anglers' Vade-mecum, of 1818, was probably the
first book on angling which gave flies coloured by hand.

We will here pay our Transatlantic cousins the compli-
ment of including Washington Irving among " English "
authors, and quoting a passage from The Angler, which
appeared in his Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., in
1820:—

" There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce
a gentleness of spirit, and a pure sincerity of mind. As the
English are methodical even .in their recreations, and are the
most scientific of sportsmen, it has been reduced among them to
a perfect rule and system. Indeed it is an amusement peculiarly
adapted to the mild and highly-cultivated scenery of England,
where every roughness has been softened away from the land-
scape. It is delightful to saunter along these limpid streams,
which meander like veins of silver through the bosom of this
beautiful country; leading us through a diversity of small
scenery ; sometimes winding through ornamented grounds ;
sometimes running along through rich pasturage, where the fresh
green is- mingled with sweet-smelling flowers ; sometimes ven-
turing in sight of villages and hamlets ; and then running
capriciously away into shady retirements. The sweetness and
serenity of nature, and the quiet watchfulness of the sport,
gradually bring on pleasant fits of musing ; which are now and
then greatly interrupted- by the song of the bird, the distant
whistle of a peasant, or perhaps the vagary of some fish leaping
out of the still water, and skimming transiently about its glassy
surface."

The year 1828 is marked by Sir Humphrey Davy's Sal-
monia, which was reviewed by Professor Wilson (Christopher
North) in Blacltwood, and in the Quarterly by Sir Walter
Scott. The dialogue may be a little too formal, and Halieus
rather too particular a gentleman for an angler who often
has to " rough it ; " and certainly the whole book, though
modelled on the Complete Angler, lacks the freshness,

620 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

simplicity, and geniality of Walton's style. Still it is a
most delightful contribution to English angling literature,
and will doubtless ever remain a prime favourite in the
angler's library.

The decade dating from 1830 was prolific of angling
authors. In 1832 Jesse published his Gleanings, "with
maxims and hints for an angler;" and later on appeared
his A nglers* Rambles, of which he said —

" Fish, nature, streams, discourse, the line, the hook,
Shall form the motley subject of my book."

Richard Penn, a great-grandson of William Penn, of
Pennsylvania fame, published, in 1833, a partly practical
and partly humorous book, which has gone through four
editions, entitled Maxims and Hints for an Angler and
Miseries of Fishing, etc. This is one of the " Maxims " : —

" If during your walks by the river-side you have marked any
good fish, it is fair to presume that other persons have marked
them also. Suppose the case of two well-known fish, one of
them (which I will call A) lying above a certain bridge, the
other (which I will call B) lying below the bridge. Suppose
further that you have just caught B, and that some curious and
cunning friend should say to you, in a careless way, ' Where did
you take that fine fish ?' a finished fisherman would advise you
to tell your inquiring friend that you had taken your fish just
above the bridge, describing, as the scene of action, the spot
which, in truth, you . know to be still occupied by the other
fish, A. Your friend would then fish no more for A, supposing
that to be the fish which you had caught ; and whilst he inno-
cently resumes his operations below the bridge, where he falsely
imagines B still to be, A is left quietly for you, if you can catch
him."

And here is a brace of " Miseries " —

" Taking out with you as your aide-de-camp an unsophisticated
lad from the neighbouring village, who laughs at you when you

AUTHORS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 621

miss hooking a fish rising at a fly, and says, with a grin, * You
can't vasten 'em as my vather does.'

" Telling a long story after dinner, tending to show (with full
particulars of time and place) how that, under very difficult
circumstances, and notwithstanding very great skill on your part,
your tackle had been that morning broken and carried away by
a very large fish ; and then having the identical fly, lost by you
on that occasion, returned to you by one of your party, who
found it in the mouth of a trout, caught by him, about an hour
after your disaster, on the very spot so accurately described by
you — the said very large fish being, after all, a very small one."

The Angler in Wales (1834), by Captain Medwin, the
friend and fellow traveller of Byron, may be mentioned as
an instance of an execrably bad book, which has deservedly
received some terrible "slatings." For instance, Chatto
says of the author — " he might as well have called his book
' The Angler in Hindostan ;' " and this is how another
critic and angler epitomizes it — "The book is a medley,
and by no means a good one, made up apparently from
the odds and *nds of some MS. collection of anecdotes.
Mesmerism and dog-otters, snuff-taking and second-sight,
affectionate terriers and literary lions, portraits of young
ladies, beautiful as Diana and bewitchingly familiar with
the slang of horse-jockeys, tales of Welsh courtship,
scandal, love, lunacy, and murder, 'are jumbled antitheti-
cally jowl by cheek.' Even where the narrator deviates
into his subject, we, glean but a minimum of information
from his pages. I have, in my time, fished extensively,
and to some purpose, in the lakes and rivers of Wales.
Captain Medwin may have done the same, but, if so, he
kept his secret with the fidelity of Junius. His book
nowhere shows us how it was done. There is little or no
useful information about the flies, the seasons, or the
stations most favourable to the angler. Instead thereof, a

622 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

great deal of space is devoted to fishing with salmon roe, a
bait which he seems to think an important novelty, while,
at the same time, he shows utter ignorance of the manner
in which it is to be made the deadly lure which, under
certain circumstances, it too surely is."

Mr. Chatto, just mentioned, himself entered the lists an
author in the next year (1835) under the pseudonym of
" Fisher ;" and his A nglers Souvenir is a clever and useful
book, and deserving of the last edition published in 1877
with Mr. G. Christopher Davies, no mean angling author,
as its editor.

We now come to a book which, though to some extent
superseded by other and fuller works, may almost be said
to mark a new era of angling literature. It is the Art of
Angling in Scotland, by Thomas Tod Stoddart, published
in 1835. He published other works later on, notably the
Angler's Companion in 1853, of which no fly-fisherman
should fail to obtain a copy when he can. Stoddart is a
most practical instructor, and was the first to thoroughly
exhaust the subject of fishing with a worm in clear water.
There does not seem much connection between poets and
worms, but Stoddart was one of the former, and his
writings show that he felt all the poetry of angling.
Another great authority on fly-fishing comes next in the
person of Alfred Ronalds, whose Fly-Fishers Entomology,
first published in 1836, and since then gone through seven
editions, will long remain a standard authority in its par-
ticular line. No one whp aims at being a scientific fly-
fisherman or fly-maker should be ignorant of the contents
of this book, the excellently executed plates giving, with
some trifling inaccuracies, a coloured representation of the
natural fly, and of that to be produced artificially. The
book is a great authority, especially for what may be called

AUTHORS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 623

Midland Counties waters. In 1839 T. C. Hofland, author,
artist, and fisherman, dedicated the first edition of his
British Angler's Manual to Sir Francis Chantrey. This
and subsequent editions are enriched with engravings and
woodcuts from pictures and drawings by the author himself
and other well-known artists. There are few books on
piscatorial shelves which more fully accord with the spirit
of a true angler and a true artist.

The year 1840 is associated with three authors of mark.
The first is James Wilson (brother of "Christopher North"),
author of The Rod and Gun, and contributor of many
most genial, entertaining and instructive articles on fish
and fishing in almost every branch of the art, to Black-
woods Magazine. The second is J. Colquhoun, the author
of The Moor and the Loch, which reached its fifth edition in
1880. There are few books which are more worthy of the
favour with which it has been so Icng received by the
naturalist, the sportsman, and even the general reader.
Without much pretension to be called a naturalist (so
modestly says the author of himself), he has always
endeavoured to keep his eyes open as the wilder points of
nature were unfolded before him, and no part of his
mountain life has given him such unmixed pleasure as
watching the minute and tender care of the great Parent
of all good in adapting the creatures of the storm to their
lonely solitudes, and spreading before them a table in the
wilderness. It is this happy mixture of ardour as a sports-
man, and fresh devoutness of spirit which imparts so true
and lasting a charm to the whole volume. The habits and
haunts of birds, beasts, and fish have never been more
brightly, truly, and picturesquely described than in these
glowing and pleasant pages. Mr. Colquhoun is essentially
a gentleman and sportsman ; and he may claim to be the

624 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

first authority of his time on the wary Salmo ferox, and its
capture in the larger Scotch lochs. The third author
associated with 1840 is a poor shoemaker of Kelso, of the
name of John Younger, who had a great local reputation
as an angler and fly-dresser. He gave his experiences to
the world in his River Angling for Salmon and Trout,
which a fly-fisherman will do well to read if he comes
across it. Younger, too, is a bit of a poet, as several of his
compositions quoted in Mr. Henderson's My Life as an
A ngler testify.

Mr. Edward Chitty, Barrister-at-Law, published his very
instructive Illustrated Fly-fisher 's Text-book in 1841 ; and in
the same year Blacker, the well-known fishing-tackle maker
of Dean Street, Soho, who died a few years ago, his Art of
A ngling, wherein are illustrated with plates the various
stages of the artificial fly before it is finished. In 1842,
the articles, which during many years previously had been
written by Professor John Wilson for BlackwoocFs Magazine,
were published under the title of The Recreations of Chris-
topher North, a name which will be associated with angling
as long as the sport is pursued. Professor Wilson was a
prince among anglers and among men, and though he com-
bined the characters of artist, poet, philosopher, and philan-
thropist, yet he still stands out as a perfect individuality.
Let every angler possess his Christopher North, if only as
a specimen of angling literature of the most happy, spirited,
and withal polished style, though abounding with what
might almost be called the "slang" of angling. Just a
quotation as a specimen, in which the Professor describes
killing trout in Loch Awe when they were " well on " : —

" Lie on your oars, for we know the water. The bottom of
this shallow bay — for 'tis nowhere ten feet — is in places sludgy,
and in places firm almost as green-swatd, for we have waded it of

AUTHORS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 625

yore, many a time up to our chin, till we had to take to our fins —
there ! Mr. Yellowlees was in right earnest, and we have him as
fast as an otter. There he goes, snoring and snuving along, as
deep as he can — steady, boys, steady — and seems disposed to
pay a visit to Rabbit Island. There is a mystery in this we do
not very clearly comprehend ; the uniformity of our friend's con-
duct becomes puzzling ; he is an unaccountable character. He
surely cannot be an eel; yet, for a trout, he manifests an un-
natural love of mud on a fine day. Row shoreward — Proctor, do
as we bid you — she draws but little water ; run her bang up on
that green line, then hand us the crutch, for we must finish this
affair on terra firma. Loch Awe is certainly a beautiful piece of
water. The islands are disposed so picturesquely, we want no
assistance but the crutch. Here we are, with elbow room, and
on stable footing ; and we shall wind up, returning from the
water's edge as people do from a levee, with their faces towards
the king. Do you see them yellowing, you Tory ? What bellies !
Why, we knew by the dead weight that there were three, for they
kept pulling one against another ; nor were we long in discover-
ing the complicated movement of triplets. Pounders each, same
weight to an ounce ; same family, all bright as stars. Never
could we endure angling from a boat. What loss of time getting
the whoppers whiled into the landing-net ! What loss of peace of
mind in letting them off, when their snouts, like those of Chinese
pigs, were within a few yards of the gunwale ; and when, with a
last convulsive effort, ttey whaumled themselves over, with their
splashing tails, and disappeared for ever. Now for five flies
— wind on our back — no tree within an acre — no shrub higher
than the bracken — no reed, rush, or water-lily in all the bay.
What hinders that we should, what the Cockneys call, whip with a
dozen ? We have set the lake afeed ; epicure and glutton are
alike rushing to destruction. Trouts of the most abstemious
habits cannot withstand the temptation of such exquisite evening
fare, and we are much mistaken if here be not an old dptard — a
lean and slippery pantaloon — who had long given up attempting
vainly to catch flies, and found it as much as he could do to over-
take the slower sort of worms. Him we shall not return to his
VOL. in II. 2 S

626 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING. ,

native element, to drag out a pitiable existence, but leave him
where he lies, to die — he is dead already —

" * For he is old, and miserably poor.'

Two dozen in two hours we call fair sport, and we think they will
average not less, Proctor, than a pound. Lascelles and North
against any two in England ! We beseech you only look at
yonder noses, thick as frogs, as pow heads ! There, that was
lightly dropped among them, each fatal feather seeming to melt
on the water like a snowflake. We have done the deed, Proctor ;
we have done the deed. We feel that we have five. Observe
how they will come to light in succession, a size larger and larger,
with a monster at the tail fly. Even so. To explain the reason
why would perplex a Master of Arts. Five seem about fifty,
when all dancing about together in an irregular figure ; but they
have sorely ravelled our gear. It matters not, for it must be
wearing well towards eight o'clock, and we dine at sunset."

And yet a few lines more —

" Whirr, whirr, whirr ! SALMO FEROX, as sure as a gun ! The
maddened monster has already run out ten fathoms of chain
cable. His spring is not so sinewy as a salmon's of the same
size ; but his rush is more tremendous, and he dives like one of
the damned in Michael Angelo's 'Last Judgment.' All the
twelve barbs are gorged, and not but with the loss of his torn-out
entrails can he escape death. Give us an oar, or he will break
the rope. There, we follow him at equal speed, sternmost ; but
canny canny ! for if the devil doubles upon us he may play mis-
chief yet, by getting under our keel. That is noble ! There he
sails, some twenty fathoms off, parallel to our pinnace, at the rate
of six knots, and bearing — for we are giving him the butt — right
down upon the Laracha Ban, as if towards spawning ground, in
the genial month of August ; but never again shall he enjoy his
love. See I he turns up a side like a house. Ay, that is indeed
a most commodious landing place, and ere he is aware of water
too shallow to hide his back fin, will be whallopping upon the
yellow sand."

AUTHORS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 627

Scrope, another excellent and spirited writer, though
taking a more limited range, makes his bow, in 1843, with
his Days and Nights of Salmon- Fishing in the Tweed. The
book, even apart from its angling interest, is well worth
reading as a bright and elegant literary composition, in
which quaint legend and humorous anecdote were never
better told. An enthusiastic angler-author, though he has
unbounded admiration for many angling works, says that
" t/ie book of angling has not yet been written," adding,
that "to write it would indeed require more extensive
practice than is often attained, or perhaps even desirable,
and a singular combination of endowments. We shall
hardly see the gifts of Professor Wilson, Sir Humphrey
Davy, and Mr. Scrope united in one man ; and yet, I con-
fess, little short of such a union would complete my ideal
of the author."

Blakey — " Palmer Hackle, Esq." — began publishing his
books in 1846, but they hardly rise above the level of
mediocrity, though they contain some useful topographical
information as to fishing waters in England, Scotland, and
Ireland. Edward Fitzgibbon, so long well known and appre-
ciated in the angling columns of BelFs Life as " Ephemera,"
published his Handbook of Angling in 1847, and his Book of
the Salmon three years afterwards. Though many anglers
have questioned the correctness of some of his views, both
books will hold their own, and will repay careful study, the
former especially by the humbler class of anglers who have
not salmon and trout fishing at their command.

The Rev. Henry Newland, a " Tractarian " leader in the
prae-Ritualistic days, and as able a wielder of the fly-rod
as of the pen, published The Er.ne ; its Legends and its Fly-
fishing, in 1851, and three years later Forest Scenes in
Norway and Sweden ; being extracts from the Journal of a

2 S 2

628 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Fisherman— ddightfal books of a high literary cast, inter-
spersed with much humour. The present writer often had
the pleasure of chatting with him when he was Vicar of
St. Mary Church, South Devon, where he died. He was a
most charming raconteur especially of piscatory - incidents.
Dr. Badham's Prose Halieutics ; or Ancient and Modern
Fish Tattle, was welcomed by a very large number of
readers in 1854. It has been already mentioned as one of
the most interesting books of its kind ever written, and it
would be almost easier to say what there is not in it than
what there is, comprising as it does an almost endless
variety of chit-chat, and that, too, of the most learned kind
about fish and fishing. Dr. Badham is particularly " great "
on opsophagy. In the same year Robert Knox, M.D., who
affected to be a scientific naturalist and special authority
on Salmonoid biology, cannot be said to have added lustre
to angling literature by the publication of his Fish and Fish-
ing in the lone Glens of Scotland. Though, perhaps, hardly
deserving of the terrible lashing the book and its author get
at the hands of Mr. H. R. Francis ; still, a writer who lays
down angling and ichthyological law in an offensively
authoritative manner, muddles up Salmo salar and Salmo
fario, denies the Highlands the credit of being an angling
country, and describes the Test as a " quiet muddy stream "
—almost puts himself beyond the pale of toleration. It is,
however, but fair to the author to say that there is a good
deal of interesting reading in his book, apart from its many
blemishes.

W. C. Stewart's Practical A ngler ; or, the Art of Trout
Fishing, is another of the books which no fly-fisherman
should leave unstudied. The first edition of the Practical
Angler appeared in 1857, and the last in 1877, five years
after the author's death. Mr. Stewart was known as one

AUTHORS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 629

of the most accomplished trout fishers of his day, and
especially in " clear water." He elaborates this particular
phase of angling, and discusses exhaustively, and with
great fairness, all the vexata qucestiones of the fly-fisher's
vocation, such as " up " or " down " stream fishing, the
colour and make of flies, the pliability of fly-rods, &c.
Some "outsiders" are inclined to smile when anglers
speak of the education of modern fish ; but this is what
Mr. Stewart says on the subject : —

" Much fishing, besides to a certain extent thinning the trout,
operates against the angler's killing large takes, by making the
remaining trout more wary, and it is more from this cause than
the scarcity of trout that so many anglers return unsuccessful
from much-fished streams. The waters also now remain brown-
coloured for such a short time that the modern angler is deprived,
unless on rare occasions, of even this aid to his art of deception ;
and the clearness of the water, and the increased wariness of the
trout, are the main causes why the tackle of fifty years ago would
be found so faulty now. Fifty years ago it was an easy thing to
fill a basket with trout ; not so now. Then there were ten trout
for one there is now. The colour of the water favoured the
angler, and the trout were comparatively unsophisticated. Now
filling a basket with trout, at least in some of our southern streams
open to the public, when they are low and clear, is a feat of which
any angler may be proud. . . . Angling is, in fact, every day
becoming more difficult, and consequently better worthy of being
followed as a scientific amusement. So far from looking upon
the increase of anglers with alarm, it ought to be regarded with
satisfaction ; the more trout are fished for, the more wary they
become ; the more wary they are, the more skill is required on
the angler's part, and, as the skill an amusement requires consti-
tutes one of its chief attractions, angling is much better sport now
than it was fifty years ago."

But as we are now finding ourselves in company of contem-
porary contributors to angling literature, the great majority

630 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

of whom are still alive and " plying the angle," it would be
beyond our original purpose to do much more than men-
tion some of their names and chief productions. During the
last twenty-five years many have been very active both
with their rods and pens, and it may be fairly said that
success has attended both their piscatory and literary
efforts. We need by no means be ashamed of the angling
literature of the last quarter of a century. Charles Kings-
ley, in his Chalk Stream Studies, which first appeared in
Fraser's Magazine for September, 1858, shows us the kind
of man an angler can be, and the kind of angler a man
can be, as he also does in his Life and Letters, published
by his widow. The first-named little book is a mine of
information to the fly-fisher, and charming reading in all
respects. The last quotation we shall indulge in is one of
his pictures of English scenery : —

" Let the Londoner have his six weeks every year among crag
and heather, and return with lungs expanded and muscles braced
to his nine months' prison. The countryman, who needs no such
change of air and scene, will prefer more home-like though more
homely pleasures. Dearer to him than wild cataracts or Alpine
glens are the still hidden streams which Bewick has immortalized
in his vignettes, and Creswick in his pictures ; the long glassy
shadow, paved with yellow gravel, where he wades up between
low walls of fern-fringed rock, between nut and oak and alder, to
the low bar over which the stream comes swirling and dimpling,
as the water-ousel flits piping before him, and the murmur of the
ring-dove comes soft and sleepy through the wood. There, as he
wades, he sees a hundred sights, and hears a hundred tones,
which are hidden from the traveller on the dusty highway above.
The traveller fancies that he has seen the country. So he has,
the outside of it at least ; but the angler only sees the inside. The
angler only is brought close face to face with the flower and bird
and insect life of the rich river banks, the only part of the land-
scape where the hand of man has never interfered, and the only

AUTHORS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURA. 631

part in general which never feels the drought of summer, * the
trees planted by the water-side, whose leaf shall not wither.' "

In 1858, too, Mr. Francis Francis makes his first appear-
ance in print with his Angler's Register, and ever since
then he has been a busy writer, as the columns of the
Field and contemporary periodical literature bear witness.
His magnum opus is A Book on Angling, first published in
1867, since which date it has passed through several editions,
and is long likely to remain one of the chief and most reliable
text-books for anglers of all kinds. Probably no fisherman
living has had greater experience in almost all the waters
of the United Kingdom, and in all kinds of fishing, and
therefore he is one of the safest guides an angler can follow.
The medical profession supplies another piscatory author
in the person of Mr. W. Wright, " Surgeon- Aurist to her
late Majesty Queen Charlotte, &c," who in 1858 published
his Fishes and Fishing ..." anatomy of their senses, their
loves, passions, and intellects." It is a curious medley of
selections apparently from his note-book, but fairly in-
teresting, and flavoured with good anecdotes. "Otter's"
Complete Guide to Spinning and Trolling first appeared in
1859, and has gone through several editions, as has also
his Modern Angler, first published in 1864. Captain Alfred,
of Moorgate Street, is the "Otter" in question ; and as he
has had great experience and success as an angler, espe-
cially in the Thames and other waters within easy reach
of London, those who go the " home circuit " will find his
pleasantly written little book most helpful. Captain Alfred
is also a most skilful painter of fish.

Another Master in piscatorial Israel, and of almost
boundless experience like Mr. Francis Francis, is Mr. H.
Cholmondeley Pennell. His first book, Spinning Tackle,
appeared in 1 862, and his A ngler Naturalist, Fishing Gossip,

632 LITERA TURE Of SEA AND RIVER PISHING.

and other works, have followed. His Book of the Pilce is,
perhaps, the best piscatorial monograph ever written, and
exhaustive of the subject with which it deals. Mr. H. C.
Cutliffe's little book, The Art of Trout Fishing in Rapid
Streams, 1863, is written mainly in reference to North
Devon, but is applicable more or less to rapid streams
everywhere, and though rather prolix, should be read by
all fly-fishers who have to deal with such waters. It had
become very difficult to obtain a copy of this book, but
Messrs. Sampson Low & Co. have recently issued a new
edition. The Fisherman's Magazine was published in
monthly numbers, under the editorship of Mr. Cholmon-
deley Pennell, during the years 1864 and 1865, and "by
arrangement " ceased to exist when Land and Water made
its appearance. Anglers should always secure it when
they can, as many of our best angling writers contributed
to it, and it is replete with all kinds of fishing gossip and
miscellaneous articles of interest to all fishermen. The
Autobiography of the late Salmo Salar, Esq., by Mr. G.
Rooper, made a hit in 1867 ; and his other works, Flood,
Field, and Forest, and Thames and Tweed, contain pleasant
sketches in great variety. Mr. Greville Fennell, almost
better known as Greville F. in the pages of the Field
and other current literature, began to supply anglers in
1867 with TJie Rail and the Rod, which gave them a great
deal of information as to waters to be reached by the
various main lines of railway, which still for the most part
holds good. His Book of the Roach (1870) is another well
executed piscatorial monograph.

Among works of a semi-pastoral and idyllic character,
combined with that of angling proper, Mr. W. Senior's
("Red Spinner") Waterside Sketches, 1875, and Mr. G. C.
Davies' Angling Idylls, 1876, stand out conspicuous. Both

AUTHORS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 633

authors have produced other works, the features of which
are their pleasant easy style of narrative and accurate
picture-painting of angling surroundings. Here comes in
for mention one of the most remarkable books ever issued
in connection with angling literature. It is entitled A
Quaint Treatise on Flees and the Art a' A rtyfichall Flee
Making, and was brought out by Mr. W. H. Aldam, a
noted fly-fisherman in his day, in 1876. The treatise was
written, according to the title-page, " By an Old Man well
known on the Derbyshire streams a century ago," and is
printed from the old MS., "never before published," in rare
old large type, with double red-line borders and spacious
margin. The editorial notes are by Mr. Aldam. The
unique feature of the handsome quarto is the introduction
of very thick cardboard leaves, containing, in sunk, gilt-
edged panels, pattern flies and the materials for making
them. Each compartment has the pattern fly made in the
best style, the feathers, hackle, silk, hair, and twist, which
are necessary for its exact manufacture, each separate, and
securely fastened down — an idea which may have been
suggested by the earlier editions of Black er's Art of Fly-
making, which have specimens of flies wafered to the page.
In Mr. Aldam's book there are twenty-two flies given in the
way described, and they " kill " as well now as in the days
of the " Old Man." But few copies of this unique book
were brought out, in consequence of the expense and
labour involved in producing each. Its original price was
necessarily a high one, but it commands nearly double that
now, and is worth it, if only as a work of art ; but it is
seldom that a copy is found on sale. None but a perfect
enthusiast could have conceived and carried out a work like
this. Mr. J. P. Wheeldon's Angling Resorts near London,
published in 1878, is, like all the productions of his facile

634 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

pen, full of instruction and interest, and redolent of a
genial spirit Perhaps, when he is less busy with periodical
literature, he will supply us with a further instalment of a
more permanent character.

In January 1880 Messrs. Satchell & Co. began to issue
T lie Anglers' Note-Book and Naturalists' Record, in separate
numbers, which formed a volume by the end of June in that
year. It is a kind of " Notes and Queries " production, to
which many well-known scholars and angling writers con-
tributed ; and anglers and others will be glad to hear that
a new series is in contemplation. In this year the Messrs.
Satchell brought out a new edition of My Life as an Angler,
by Mr. William Henderson, the first edition of which is
most beautifully illustrated by Clement Burlison ; and
it would not be far wrong to say that this is one of the
most important contributions to angling literature of late
years. It is one of those books, like " The Complete
Angler," whose special charm is that it seems to make
the reader personally acquainted with the author, the
manner of man he is, or was, and able fully to sympathise
with him. There is no modern book upon angling and
its surroundings which could be put into the hands
of novice or veteran with greater chances of charming
both alike. It holds a copious store of information and
anecdote, and reflects in every page its author's contented
spirit, kindly heart, and ripe experience. A sound and
carefully-compiled manual for all kinds of fishing is Mr.
J. H. Keene's Practical Fisherman, published in 1881. One
of its features is that it contains full descriptions of all
kinds of fishing-tackle, and admirably plain directions. The
Scientific Angler, by the late David Foster, of Ashbourne,
was a welcome addition to angling literature in 1882.
British Field Sports, published last year by Mackenzie

AUTHORS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 635

of Ludgate Hill, E.G., contains pleasant angling reading.
Among recent angling publications of value are several
brought out by Messrs. Sampson Low, Marston, & Co.
One is entitled An Anglers Strange Experience, the
character of which may be partly surmised by the
additional title of "A Whimsical Medley, and an Of-
Fish-a\\ Record without A-£rz<^-ment. By Cotswold
Isys, M.A., Fellow of All-soles, late Scholar of Winch-
ester. Now Ready. Profusely Illustrated in a Style never
before App-roac/i-ed" The second is Float Fishing and
Spinning in the Nottingham style, by J. W. Martin (" Trent
Otter "), which Thames anglers and others wedded to their
own style of tackle and fishing would do well to read. The
third is a revised edition of Michael Theakston's British
Angling Flies, by Mr. F. M. Walbran. The first edition was
published in 1862, but has long been out of print. It
received the high commendation of Charles Kingsley, in his
Chalk Stream Studies above mentioned, and was well worth
reviving. It is now improved by a modification of the con-
fusing nomenclature of flies adopted by the author. The
Angler's Complete Guide and Companion, by Mr. G. Little,
the well-known fishing-tackle maker of Fetter Lane, E.C.
(who, by the way, has most deservedly been awarded one
of the Gold Medals and other distinctions at the Fisheries
Exhibition), is among the last contributions to angling
literature, and deserving of special mention for the seventy-
six hand-coloured illustrations of the best known flies.
May we not expect some contribution to angling literature
from the pen of that accomplished fisherman, Mr. A. G.
Jardine ? It would be more than welcomed by all anglers.
From this brief survey of the angling literature of the
present century, even though many names are omitted from
it, it will be seen that it has flowed on in a continuous

636 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

and increasing stream. Judging from all appearances, it is
likely to continue so to do. The Fisheries Exhibition, by
setting every one talking about fish and fishing, has estab-
lished what may almost be called an "ichthyomania ;" and
the rapidly increasing number of anglers will naturally stimu-
late angling authorship. Moreover, as there is no finality
in the art of angling, and fish become more and more
" educated," so that the angler has to be constantly refin-
ing upon his tackle, lures and methods, dissertations on the
subject in all its branches follow almost as a matter of
course. Thus " of making of many books " on angling, we
may presume, there will be " no end " ; but, however many
there be, and however interesting and useful in their way
anglers and would-be anglers may find them, they must
bear in mind the caution given by Izaak Walton in his
« Epistle to the Reader" :—

" Now for the art of catching fish, that is to say, how to make
a man that was none to be an angler by a book. He that under-
takes it shall undertake a harder task than Mr. Hales, that in a
printed book undertook to teach the art of fencing, and was
laughed at for his labour. Not but that many useful things
might be observed out of that book, but that the art was not to
be taught by words j nor is the Art of Angling?

C 637 )

CHAPTER VII.

THE ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING.

RIGHTLY has a poet observed that —

" The power of waters over the minds of poets has been
acknowledged from the earliest ages ; through the flumina amem
sylvasque inglorius of Virgil, down to the sublime apostrophe
to the great rivers of the earth by Armstrong, and the simple
ejaculation of Burns : —

" * The Muse na Poet ever fand her,
Till by himsel' he learned to wander
Adown some trotting burn's meander
And no think lang.' "

This has been partly testified to by the quotations
already given in chapter II. from ancient poetical authors,
whose theme has been fish and fishing, many of whom
have been happy both in themselves and in their English
translators. We now come to the English piscatory poets
themselves. But here, again, there is some little difficulty
as to who can fairly be included in the category ; and
perhaps it would not be well to draw too hard and fast a
line in this manner, but to include those who make more
or less lengthy allusions to fishing and sing the praises
of angling.

It would savour of optimism to argue that English
piscatory poetry generally maintains a high standard ; but
we cannot help thinking that Mr. Westwood is a little hard
on our authors when he says, " To some three or four of
them may be assigned a place —shall we say midway, by

638 LITERA TURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

courtesy ? — on the ledges of Parnassus ; the rest are
innocent of all altitudes whatsoever, except those of Grub
Street garrets, or the stilts of an absurd vanity." Many of
them have taken admirable advantage of what may be
called the " surroundings " of angling, and have dressed up
the art itself, which, at the best, only offers a limited field
for description, with true and beautiful pictures of the
scenes amid which it is followed. One of the great charms
of angling is that, of all sports, it affords the best oppor-
tunities of enjoying the wonders and beauties of nature ;
while, at the same time, it develops a love of nature, and
creates a taste for the study of various celestial and terres-
trial phenomena. This sentence may sound like an introduc-
tion to a heavy essay ; but it is true that whatever be the
season of the year, whether the angler be casting his fly on
the early rivers of the west of England or northern Caledonia,
mid the cold winds and storms of February and March, or
later on beneath the more genial skies of April and May,
or basking in the summer's sun on the bosom of the
Thames, as he is lazily indifferent whether his bait tempts
the fish or not, or pursuing his pastime during the soft
autumn days, or the chill and short daylight hours of winter,
whether he be strolling along the margin of the swift-rushing
streams of Wales and Scotland, with mountain and moor-
land round him, or of the more gently flowing rivers of the
South, which meander through the rich water-meadows
curtained by hanging woods, or angling patiently on lonely
loch or by side of sedgy pool— the sights and sounds of
nature are ever present to him, as she reveals herself
in her various moods and phases. It is not, of course,
meant that all anglers are keen lovers of nature, or observant
of natural phenomena ; but the great majority certainly are
so, and become more and more interested every year in all

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 639

they see and hear about their paths. He spake truly in the
" Old Play":—

" Trust me, there is much Vantage in it, sir ;
You do forget the noisy pother of mankind,
And win communion with sweet Nature's self,
In plying our dear craft."

And so not unfrequently, nay, it very often happens that
the angler is led to investigate the habits of the birds,
beasts, and insects, which present themselves to him as he
follows his vocation, and the marvels of the lives of the
innumerable creatures which tenant the earth, air, and
water ; and thus he becomes an enthusiastic, though, of
course, not always a scientific naturalist ; while the trees of
the forest and the flowers of the field are another endless
source of interest and study.

And further, though all anglers cannot be credited with
the piety of Walton, there can be little doubt but that very
many, as Pope writes, " look through Nature up to Nature's
God." The old lines which date back as far as 1706, are
in the main still true : —

" Angling tends our bodies to exercise,
And also souls to make holy and wise,
By heavenly thoughts and meditation —
This is the angler's recreation."

And many of those who seek recreation with their angle
amid the works of nature, realise the words and thoughts
of old John Dennys, where he says : —

" All these and many more of his creation,
That made the heavens, the angler oft doth see,
And takes therein no little delectation
To think how strange and wonderfull they bee,
Framing thereof an inward contemplation
To set his thoughts from other fancies free ;
And while he looks on these with joyful eye,
His mind is wrapt above the starry skie."

64o LITERA TURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Thus there is a certain tendency for the angler to become
a poet, or at least to become imbued with poetic feelings
springing from an elevated source.

The early English poets can hardly be expected to con-
tribute much to the literature of the angle ; but here is
a little bit from Chaucer's Complaynte of Mars and Venus

(1475) :—

" Hit semeth he hath to lovers enemyti,
And lyke a fissher, as men al may se,
Bateth hys angle-hoke with summe pleasaunce
Til mony a fissch ys wode so that he be
Sesed therwith ; and then at erst hath he
Al his desire, and therwith al myschaunce,
And thogh the lyne breke he hath penaunce ;
For with the hoke he wounded is so sore,
That he his wages hathe for evermore."

And one from John Gower (1483) : —

" And as the fisher on his bait
Sleeth, when he first seeth the fishes taste,
So when he seeth time ate last,
That he may worche an other wo,
Shall no man tornen him ther fro,
That hate will his felonie
Fulfill and feigne compaignie."

Nor must we expect much piscatory poetry in the six-
teenth century. Spenser can hardly be claimed by the
angling fraternity as one of their songsters, though the
contemplation of the multitudes of the various inhabitants
of the waters made him exclaim —

" Oh what an endlesse work has he in hand
Who'd count the sea's abundant progeny,
Whose fruitful seed far passeth that on land,
And also theirs that roame in th' azure sky, —
So fertile be the floods in generation,
So vast their numbers, and so numberless their nation."

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 641

He sings, too, of "the Medwaies silver streams," in which
the nymphs were wont —

" With hook or net, barefooted wantonly
The pleasant dainty fish to entangle or deceive."

But Francis Quarles may fairly be claimed by anglers
as a poet-angler, as he not only caught but sang of

" The broad-side bream,
The wary trout, that thrives against the stream j "

and of

" The well-grown carp, full laden with her spawn."

He lived on well in the seventeenth century, and, judging
from the style, there can be little doubt but that Walton
wrote the "Address to the Reader" of his Shepherd's
Eclogues, which were printed in 1646 by John and Richard
Marriott, the latter of whom was Walton's publisher and
intimate friend.

Just before the close of the sixteenth century we find the
following in Sabie's Fisherman's Tale (1595). After describ-
ing the delight of a spring morning, the poet continues : —

" I shakt off sleepe, and tooke in hand a reede,
A reede whereto was bounde a slender line,
And crooked hooke, wherewyth, for my disport,
Walking along the bankes of silver lakes,
Oftimes I vsed, with false deceiuing baytes,
To pluck bright-scaled fish from christall waves.
Forthwith I bended steps vnto the streames,
And pleasant meares, not far from mine abode,
Needless it were here to rehearse what joyes
Each thing brought then vnto my dolefull minde.
The little menowes leapt aboue the waues
And sportive fish like wanton lambes did play."

Old Michael Drayton, whom Charles Lamb eulogises
as the panegyrist of his native land, is in full song at the
VOL. III.— u. 2 T

642 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

beginning of the seventeenth century, his Polyolbion having
been published in 1613. Hymning many rivers, "our
flood's Queen, Thames," "the stately Severn," and "the
crystal Trent/' he naturally sings of their inhabitants,
mention being made of them in the 6th, 2 5th, and 26th
" Songs " of the Polyolbion, and other of his compositions.
In one he introduces a woodman, a shepherd, and a fisher-
man, each extolling the merits of his vocation ; and it is
just possible that Walton got from this his idea of " inter-
locutors." Anyhow, he was on intimate terms with Walton,
who speaks of him as " Michael Drayton, my honest old
friend," just before quoting from the Polyolbion the descrip-
tion of the salmon leaping, which runs thus : —

" And when the Salmon seeks a fresher stream to find
(Which hither from the sea conies, yearly, by his kind),
As he towards season grows ; and stems the wat'ry tract
Where Tivy, falling down, makes an high cataract,
Forc'd by the rising rocks that there her course oppose,
As tho' within her bounds they meant her to inclose ;
Here, when the labouring fish does at the foot arrive,
And finds that by his strength he does but vainly strive,
His tail takes in his mouth, and, bending like a bow
That's to full compass drawn, aloft himself doth throw,
Then springing at his height, as doth a little wand
That bended end to end, and started from man's hand,
Far off itself doth cast ; so does the Salmon vault :
And if, at first, he fail, his second summersault
He instantly essays, and, from his nimble ring
Still yerking, never leaves until himself he fling
Above the opposing stream."

We hope we shall not be considered guilty of heresy
when we venture to suggest that these lines seem to lag
somewhat, wanting in a kind of " quickness " which would
be suitable to the subject. His enumeration of the various
fish which inhabit the Trent, second only as it is to the
Thames for its prolificness in variety of species, is always

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 643

worth quoting ; and it is strange that several authors on
angling make the mistake of associating the passage with
the Severn. It occurs in the 26th song ; and the river
goddess or rather the river personified, thus sings her own
praises with a good deal of haughtiness, beginning with the
fanciful idea that her name is the French trente: —

" What should I care at all, from what my name I take,
That Thirty doth import, that thirty rivers make
My greatness what it is, or thirty abbeys great,
That on my fruitful banks, times formerly did seat :
Or thirty kinds of fish, that in my streams do live,

To me this name of Trent did from that number give.*
******

After comparing herself with the Thames and Severn
from a geographical point of view, the self-complacent
lady goes on to say —

" Their banks are barren sands, if but compar'd with mine
Through my perspicuous breast, the pearly pebbles shine ;
I throw my crystal arms along the flow'ry valleys
Which lying sleek, and smooth, as any garden-alleys,
Do give me leave to play, whilst they do court my stream,
And crown my winding banks with many an anadem :
My silver-scaled skuls about my streams do sweep,
Now in the shallow fords, now in the falling deep :
So that of every kind, the new-spawn1 d numerous fry
Seem in me as the sands that on my shore do lie.
The Barbell, than which fish, a braver doth not swim,
Nor greater for the ford within my spacious brim,
Nor (newly taken) more the curious taste doth please ;
The Greling, whose great spawn is big as any pease ;
The Pearch with pricking fins, against the Pike prepar'd,
As nature had thereon bestow'd this stronger guard,
His daintiness to keep (each curious palate's proof),
From his vile ravenous foe : next him I name the Ruffe^
His very near ally, and both for scale and fin,
In taste, and for his bait (indeed) his next of kin ;
The pretty slender Dare, of many call'd the Dace,
Within my liquid glass, when Phcebus looks his face,

2 T 2

644 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Oft swiftly as he swims, his silver belly shows,

But with such nimble sleight, that ere ye can disclose

His shape, out of your sight like lightning he is shot.

The Trout by Nature mark'd with many a crimson spot,

As though she curious were in him above the rest,

And of fresh-water fish did note him for the best ;

The Roche, whose common kind to every flood doth fall ;

The Chub (whose neater name), which some a Chevin call,

Food to the tyrant Pike (most being in his power),

Who for their numerous store he most doth them devour ;

The lusty Salmon then, from Neptune's wat'ry realm,

When as his season serves, stemming my tideful stream,

Then being in his kind, in me his pleasure takes,

(For whom the fisher then all other game forsakes)

Which bending of himself to th' fashion of a ring,

Above the forced wears, himself doth nimbly fling,

And often when the net hath dragg'd him safe to land,

Is seen by natural force to 'scape his murderer's hand ;

Whose grain doth rise in flakes, with fatness interlarded,

Of many a liquorish lip, that highly is regarded.

And Humber, to whose waste I pay my wat'ry store,

Me of her Sturgeons sends, that I thereby the more

Should have my beauties grac'd, with something from him sent :

Not Ancum's silvered Eel exceedeth that of Trent;

Though the sweet-smelling Smelt be more in Thames than me,

The Lamprey, and his less, in Severne general be ;

The Flounder smooth and flat, in other rivers caught,

Perhaps in greater store, yet better are not thought :

The dainty Gudgeon, Loche, the Minnow, and the Bleake,

Since they but little are, I little need to speak

Of them, nor doth it fit me much of those to reck,

Which everywhere are found in every little beck ;

Nor of the Crayfish here, which creeps amongst my stones,

From all the rest alone, whose spell is all his bones :

For Carpe, the Tench, and Breame, my other store among,

To lakes and standing pools, that chiefly do belong,

Here scouring in my fords, feed in my waters clear

Are muddy fishing ponds to that which they are here.*'

In reference to this passage, it may be noted that, owing
to certain reasons, Trent salmon gradually became very

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 645

scarce some years ago ; but they have shown in greater
numbers during the last two or three seasons ; and it is
evident that under proper treatment the Trent might be
made a good salmon river. Crayfish are to be found in
some of its tributaries, or were so some thirty years ago.
The " less " mentioned in connection with the lamprey
means the lamperne.

Milton can hardly be called a piscatorial poet, though he
sings of the evolutions of the myriads of "the voiceless
daughters of the unpolluted sea " (^Eschylus), which —

" Part single or with mate

Graze the seaweed, their pasture, and through groves
Of coral stray ; or sporting with quick glance,
Show to the sun their wav'd coats dropp'd with gold ;
Or from their pearly shells come forth to seek
Moist nutriment ; or under rocks their food
In jointed armour watch."

But, oh, the fall from Milton to William Browne ! and
yet the author of Britannia's Pastorals, published 1613, may
claim some attention from angling readers, who, however,
will hardly think that a pike in the following passage is a
good selection as a worm-taking fish, or the suggestion that
the line should be handled a proper one —

" Now as an Angler, melancholy standing,
Upon a greene bancke yeelding roome for landing,
A wrigling yealow worme thrust on his hooke
Now in the midst he throwes, then in a nooke ;
Here puls his line, there throwes it in againe,
Mendeth his Corke and Baite, but all in vaine,
He long stands viewing of the curled stream j
At last a hungry Pike, or well-growne Breamet
Snatch at the worme, and hasting fast away,
He, knowing it a Fish of stubborne sway,
Puls up his rod, but soft ; (as having skill) ;
Wherewith the hooke fast holds the Fishe's gill —

646 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Then all his line he freely yeeldeth him,
Whilst furiously all up and downe doth swimme
Th' insnared Fish, here on the toppe doth scud,
There underneath the banckes, then in the mud ;
And with his franticke fits so scares the shole,
That each one takes his hyde or starting hole ;
By this the Pike cleane wearied, underneath
A Willow lyes, and pants (if Fishes breath),
Wherewith the Angler gently puls him to him ;
And least his hast might happen to undoe him
Layes downe his rod, then takes his line in hand,
And by degrees getting the Fish to land,
Walks to another Poole, at length is winner
Of such a dish as serves him for his dinner."

We have already anticipated the Secrets of Angling, by
J. D., in Chapter III., for the reason there given ; and we will
now pass on to Phineas Fletcher — a by no means poetical
name — who published his Sicelides, a piscatory, in 1631,
and the Purple Island, " together with Piscatorie Eclogs,"
in 1633. He is mentioned as "an excellent divine and an
excellent angler," by Walton, who also calls his Eclogues
" excellent " ; and Quarles speaks of him as " the Spenser
of this age."

H. Vaughan, "the Silurist," also, in 1640, sings the
happiness of the contented angler : —

" On shady banks sometimes he lyes,
Sometimes the open current tyes,
Where with his line and feathered flye
He sports and takes the scaly fry."

He also wrote some charming Latin verses on a salmon
which he caught himself, and sent to his friend Dr.
Powell.

The song written by Dr. Donne in 1635, and quoted by
Walton, is worth reproducing : —

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 647

" Come live with me, and be my love,
And we will some new pleasures prove,
Of golden sands and crystal brooks,
With silken lines, and silver hooks.

" There will the river whisp'ring run,
Warm'd by the eyes more than the sun ;
And there the enamel'd fish will stay
Begging themselves they may betray.

"When thou wilt swim in that live bath,
Each fish, which every channel hath,
Most amorously to thee will swim,
Gladder to catch thee, than thou him.

"If thou to be so seen, beest loath
By sun or moon, thou dark'nest both ;
And if mine eyes have leave to see,
I need not their light, having thee.

" Let others freeze with angling reeds,
And cut their legs with shells and weeds,
Or treacherously poor fish beset
With strangling snares or windowy net ;

" Let coarse bold hands, from slimy nest,
The bedded fish in banks outwrest ;
Let curious traitors sleave silk flies,
To 'witch poor wand'ring fishes' eyes.

" For thee, thou need'st no such deceit,
For thou thyself art thine own bait :
That fish that is not catcht thereby,
Is wiser far, alas, than I."

This is quoted by Walton in the " Fourth Day," and it
is in imitation of that sung by the milkmaid in the " Third
Day," which is attributed to the sweet-singing Christopher
Marlowe.

And now we must refer to Izaak Walton himself as a
poet in verse, though the Complete A ngler itself is sufficient
to testify to him as one in prose, for, as Coleridge said, the

648 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

true antithesis of poetry is not prose, but science. This is
" The Angler's Wish," which first appeared in the third
edition, and was, as he (Piscator} says, of his own "com-
posure,'1 : —

* I in these flowery meads would be :

These crystal streams should solace me ;

To whose harmonious bubbling noise

I with my angle would rejoice :

Lit here, and see the turtle-dove

Court his chaste mate to acts of love :

" Or, on that bank, feel the west wind
Breathe health and plenty : please my mind,
To see sweet dewdrops kiss these flowers,
And then washed off by April showers :
Here, hear my Kenna sing a song ;
There, see a blackbird feed her young,
Or a leverock build her nest :
Here, give my weary spirits rest,
And raise my low-pitch'd thoughts above
Earth, and what poor mortals love :

Thus free from lawsuits and the noise

Of princes' courts, I would rejoice :

" Or, with my Bryan, and a book,
Loiter long days near Shawford-brook J
There sit by him, and eat my meat,
There see the sun both rise and set :
There bid good morning to next day ;
There meditate my time away,
And angle on ; and beg to have
A quiet passage to a welcome grave."

In the " Fourth Day " Piscator sings another song, which

begins —

" O the gallant fisher's life !
This the best of any," &c.

This was chiefly written by J. Chalkhill, but from what
Piscator says after singing it, to the effect that he had
forgotten part of it, and was forced to " patch it up " of his

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 649

" own invention," it is evident that a considerable portion of
the words is Walton's. They bear additional testimony to
his poetical talents.

It may not be out of place here to quote two or three
stanzas of the "Angler's Song" (by some anonymous
author), which occurs in the " Third Day " : —

" As inward love breeds outward talk ;
The hound some praise, and some the hawk,
Some, better pleas'd with private sport,
Use tennis ; some a mistress court :

But these delights I neither wish

Nor envy, while I freely fish.

" Who hunts doth oft in danger ride ;
Who hawks lures oft both far and wide ;
Who uses games shall often prove
A loser ; but who falls in love

Is fetter'd in fond Cupid's snare :

My angle breeds me no such care.

" Of recreation there is none
So free as fishing is alone
All other pastimes do no less
Than mind and body both possess :

My hand alone my work can do,

So I can fish and study too.

" I care not, I, to fish in seas —
Fresh rivers best my mind do please,
Whose sweet calm course I contemplate,
And seek in life to imitate ;

In civil bounds I fain would keep,

And for my past offences weep.

" But yet, though while I fish, I fast,
I make good fortune my repast ;
And thereunto my friend invite,
In whom I more than that delight :
Who is more welcome to my dish
Than to my angle was my fish."

650 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

The " Angler's Song," beginning with the words " Man's
life is but vain," &c., which occurs in the "Fourth Day,"
appears in the first edition of The Complete Angler. The
music, with old-fashioned diamond-headed notes, is curiously
printed, that for two voices being on one page (216) in the
ordinary way, but that for the other voice, on the next page
(217), is printed upside down, so that the singers standing
opposite to one another, and holding the book, would each
have his own music properly presented to him.

Cotton, Walton's friend and literary coadjutor, also
wooed the muses, though perhaps not with great success.
In his Retirement — " Stanzes Irreguliers to Mr. Izaak
Walton " — he shows poetic feeling, but some disregard of
rhythm. His favourite river, the Dove, and his desire to dwell
for ever quietly, is his theme. He exclaims in Dovedale : —

" Good God ! how sweet are all things here !
How beautiful the fields appear !
How cleanly do we feed and lie !
Lord ! what good hours do we keep !

How quietly we sleep !
What peace ! what unanimity !
How innocent from the lewd fashion
Is all our business, all our recreation !

* * * »

u Oh my beloved nymph ; fair Dove ;
Princess of rivers, how I love
Upon thy flowery banks to lie ;
And view thy silver stream,
When gilded by a summer's beam,
And in it all thy wanton fry

Playing at liberty
And, with my angle, upon them

The all of treachery
I ever learnt, industriously to try.

Most Midland people (as the writer observed when

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 651

recently paying a piscatorial visit to Shardlow, on' the
Trent) pronounce the o in Dove like the o in "rove," but
here Cotton makes "Dove" rhyme with "love," as ordi-
narily sounded.

Another of Cotton's angling pieces begins with the
stanza —

" Away to the brook,

All your tackle outlook ;
Here's a day that is worth a year's wishing.

See that all things be right,

For 'tis a very spight
To want tools when a man goes a-fishing."

And further on we are hurried —

" Away, then away,

We lose sport by delay ;
But first leave our sorrows behind us ;

If misfortune do come,

We are all gone from home,
And a-fishing she never can find us."

Sir Henry Wotton, Provost of Eton College, another
intimate friend of Walton, and an ardent angler, discoursed
well both in prose and poetry of his favourite pastime.
Walton quoted him in the " First Day " and elsewhere.
Here are two pretty stanzas : —

" This day dame Nature seem'd in love ;
The lusty sap began to move ;
Fresh juice did stir th' embracing vines ;
And birds had drawn their valentines.

u The jealous trout, that low did lie,
Rose at a well-dissembled fly ;
There stood my Friend, with patient skill,
Attending of his trembling quill."

The " Friend " was probably Walton.

Though hardly to be called poetry, the following lines of

652 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

"Napour Notpole," written in old Barker's Delights, are
very truthful up to the present hour : —

" Cards, dice, and tables pick thy purse,
Drinking and drabbing being a curse ;
Hawking and hunting spend thy chink,
Bowling and shooting end in dnnk.
The fighting-cock and the horse-race
Will sink a good estate a-pace ;
Angling doth bodyes exercise,
And maketh soules holy and wise
By blessed thoughts and meditation.
This, this the angler's recreation ;
Health, profit, pleasure, mix't together,
All sports to this not worth a feather."

Waller, whose poem " On a Girdle " will live as long as
the English language, has among his Meditations one " On
Fish," and as he has several allusions to angling in his
writings, he may be claimed for our purpose. We find
there were lady-anglers in his day, as he sings of the Court
beauties of Charles II.'s reign who angled; — perhaps in
more ways than one — in St. James's Park : —

" Beneath, a shole of silver fishes glides,
And plays about the gilded barges sides ;
The ladies angling in the chrystal lake
Feast on the waters with the prey they take ;
At once victorious, with their lines and eyes,-
They make the fishes and the men their prize."

Apropos of lady-anglers, who now number in their
increasing ranks the Marchioness of Lome (Princess
Louise), and have been doirfg wondrous execution among
the salmon northwards this autumn, the following jeu
d esprit by Mr. W. G. Clarke, late public orator at Cam-
bridge may be quoted here. The Field having announced
that the beautiful Miss had caught a salmon of

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 653

seventeen pounds weight, Mr. Clarke put these words into
the dying fish's mouth : —

" Not artificial flies my fancy took,
Nature's own magic lured me to your hook ;
Play me no more — no thought to 'scape have I—-
But land me, land me, at your feet to die."

Sir Harris Nicolas, in his first edition of The Complete
Angler (1836), mentions a poem of Waller's "On a Lady
fishing with an Angle," commencing —

" See where the fair Clorinda sits."

The MS., he says, was in the library of the Royal Society,
but he was unable to obtain a sight of it. The writer of
these notes regrets that he is unable to say whether such a
MS. really exists.

Is Bunyan, who wrote in the latter half of the seven-
teenth century, among the piscatory poets ? At all events,
in his Apology for his Book he bids us observe the angler —

" You see the ways the Fisherman doth take
To catch the fish : what engines doth he make !
Behold ! how he engageth all his wits :
Also his snares, lines, angles, hooks and nets ;
Yet fish there be, that neither hook nor line,
Nor snare, nor net, nor engine can make thine ;
They must be grop'd for, and be tickled too
Or they will not be catch'd, whate'er you do."

The Innocent Epicure, already alluded to in connection
with the authors of the Universal Angler (5th edition of
Complete A ngler\ was an anonymous poem on " The Art of
Angling," published in 1697. "Antithetical periods and
smooth classicisms " are its features. Thus Esox lucius is
introduced —

654 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

" Go on, my Muse, next let thy numbers speak
That mighty Nimrod of the streams, the Pike,"

and so forth.

Altogether; the piscatory poets of the seventeenth century
do not present a very strong list, though J. D. is a literary
host in himself. The dramatists of the period do not come
to our aid to any great degree, though passages from
" rare " Ben Jonson, Dekkar, Beaumont and Fletcher,
Massinger, and others, as bearing on or illustrative of the
" ars piscatoria," might be quoted. Shakespeare, however,
has been claimed as a poet of the angler, and as an angler
too. A large number of passages may be adduced from
his plays to illustrate him in the first-named character, and
these have been collected very recently in a charming little
book by the Rev. H. N. Ellacombe, M.A., entitled Shake-
speare as an A ngler (Elliot Stock, Paternoster Row) ; and
the author has done his best to show that he was also a
follower of the gentle craft, arguing this from his use of
many technical angling terms, correct ichthyological de-
scriptions of fish, use of fishing proverbs, and his loving
descriptions of brooks and running streams and river
scenery. The little book will repay perusal at the hands
both of the lovers of Shakespeare and the lovers of the
angle, but the general impression will probably be that
the author somewhat labours in his self-imposed task, and
is open to the charge of proving too much.

It is a modern fashion to prove that Shakespeare was
a master and follower of almost every conceivable art,
science, and pastime. Thus one author has elaborated the
poet " as a divine," another " as a physician," a third " as
a lawyer," and so on, as a soldier, sailor, &c., ad infinitum ;
and Mr. Ellacombe has also worked him out "as a

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 655

gardener." But though Dr. Johnson rightly said : " He
that will understand Shakespeare must not be content to
study him in the closet ; he must look for his meaning
among the sports of the field ;" and, it might be added,
in the history and practice of all the subjects to which he
alludes ; still, we must not conclude that the poet neces-
sarily followed personally this or that particular vocation,
of the details of which he shows much intimate knowledge.
The truth is, that Shakespeare was a man of wondrous
and most comprehensive information on a multitude of
subjects, however he may have acquired it, and was able
to use the correct technical terms connected with any
matter he handled. But to argue from such use, or from
that of proverbial and common-parlance expressions of his
day, that he was personally associated with any particular
matter to which they refer, strikes one as unreasonable as
to infer that a person must be given to horse-racing because
he uses phrases and expressions which the turf has caused
to become incorporated, as it were, with the English
language. Shakespeare is traditionally associated with
something more than a love of poaching, which seems still
an instinct in the nature of even civilised man ; but it
would be manifestly unfair to say that he was given to
" foxing " trout, because he makes one of his characters in
Twelfth Night say —

" Lie thou there ; for here comes the trout,
That must be caught with tickling."

Very probably, indeed, Shakespeare, both in his early and
latter years, fished in the Stratford Avon and elsewhere,
but that his writings show him to have been an angler
must be looked upon rather as a " pious opinion " rather
than as necessary to be held as an article of faith.

656 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

But this is somewhat of a digression ; and we must get
on to the eighteenth century, which, though it has been
called a " leaden " period as regards literature generally, is
prolific of piscatory poets of no mean attainments. Among
these Pope may be first mentioned, as he was busy versi-
ficating at the beginning of it. His name rightly finds a
place in the Bibliotheca Piscatoria and he is likely long
to remain dear to a large body of anglers because he so
sweetly sings their favourite river, " Old Father Thames "
and "The Fisher's Punt." The following passage from
Windsor Forest (1713) is known to all disciples of Izaak
Walton—

" In genial spring, beneath the quivering shade,
Where cooling vapours breathe along the mead,
The patient fisher takes his silent stand,
Intent, his angle trembling in his hand :
With looks unmov'd, he hopes the scaly breed,
And eyes the dancing cork, and bending reed.
Our plenteous streams a various race supply —
The bright-ey'd perch, with fins of Tyrian dye ;
The silver eel, in shining volumes roll'd ;
The yellow carp, in scales bedropp'd with gold ;
Swift trouts, diversified with crimson stains ;
And pikes, the tyrants of the wat'ry plains.

But Gay is specially the angler-poet of this period, and
perhaps it may be said the angler's poet of all periods.
The stock-in-trade quotations, the well-known passages in
his writings descriptive of angling, never seem to tire. We
learn from himself the kind of fishing he best liked —

" I never wander where the bord'ring reeds
O'erlook the muddy stream, whose tangling weeds
Perplex the fisher ; I nor chuse to bear
The thievish nightly net, nor barbed spear ;
Nor drain I ponds the golden carp to take,
Nor trowle for pikes, dispeoplers of the lake.

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 657

Around the steel no tortur'd worm shall twine,
No blood of living insect stain my line.
Let me, less cruel, cast the feather'd hook,
With pliant rod athwart the pebbled brook,
Silent along the mazy margin stray,
And with the fur-wrought fly delude the prey."

The above lines are from his Rural Sports, inscribed to
Pope (1720) ; and further on, in the same poem he describes
the fly-fisher, who ties his own flies on at the stream-side —

" Mark well the various seasons of the year,
How the succeeding insect race appear.
In their revolving moon one colour reigns,
Which in the next the fickle trout disdains.
Oft have I seen a skilful angler try
The various colours of the treach'rous fly ;
When he with fruitless pain hath skimm'd the brook,
And the coy fish rejects the skipping hook,
He shakes the boughs that on the margin grow,
Which o'er the stream a waving forest throw ;
When, if an insect fall (his certain guide),
He gently takes him from the whirling tide ;
Examines well his form with curious eyes,
His gaudy vest, his wings, his horns, and size ;
Then round his hook the chosen fur he winds,
And on the back a speckled feather binds ;
So just the colours shine through every part,
That Nature seems to live again in Art."

And the poet is evidently one of the " up-stream "
fishing advocates, for he goes on —

" Far up the stream the twisted hair he throws,
Which down the murmuring current gently flows •
When if or chance or hunger's powerful sway
Directs the roving trout this fatal way,
He greedily sucks in the twining bait,
And tugs and nibbles the fallacious meat,**
VOL. III. — H. 2 U

658 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Not every poet would essay to describe the practical
work of fly-tying, but Gay does —

" You now a more delusive art must try,
And tempt their hunger with the curious fly.

To frame the little animal provide
All the gay hues that wait on female pride :
Let Nature guide thee ; sometimes golden wire
The shining bellies of the fly require ;
The peacock's plumes thy tackle must not fail,
Nor the dear purchase of the sable's tail.
Each gaudy bird some slender tribute brings,
And lends the growing insect proper wings :
Silks of all colours must their aid impart,
And ev'ry fur promote the fisher's art.
So the gay lady, with expensive care,
Borrows the pride of land, of sea, and air ;
Furs, pearls, and plumes, the glittering thing displays,
Dazzles our eyes, and easy hearts betrays."

And this is how you must work your fly —

" Let not thy wary step advance too near,
While all thy hope hangs on a single hair ;
The new-formed insect on the water moves,
The speckled trout the curious snare approves.
Upon the curling surface let it glide,
With nat'ral motion from thy hand supplied,
Against the stream now let it gently play,
Now in the rapid eddy roll away :
The scaly shoals float by, and, seized with fear,
Behold their fellows tost in thinner air ;
But soon they leap, and catch the swimming bait,
Plunge on the hook, and share an equal fate."

But, though by choice a fly-fisher, Gay did not disdain to
use the worm, or to point out the proper kind of one for a
trout, and how to " scour " it —

" You must not every worm promiscuous use ;
Judgment will tell thee proper bait to choose ;
The worm that draws a long immod'rate size "
The trout abhors, and the rank morsel flies ;

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 659

And if too small, the naked fraud's in sight,
And fear forbids, while hunger does invite.
Those baits will best reward the fisher's pains
Whose polish'd tails a shining yellow stains :
Cleanse them from filth, to give a tempting gloss,
Cherish the sullied reptile race with moss ;
Amid the verdant bed they twine, they toil,
And from their bodies wipe their native soil.1'
»

Our last extract must be the description of the angler's
tussle with a big salmon —

" If an enormous salmon chance to spy
The wanton errors of the floating fly,
He lifts his silver gills above the flood
And greedily sucks in th' unfaithful food,
Then downright plunges with the fraudful prey,
And bears with joy the little spoil away :
Soon in smart pain he feels the dire mistake,
Lashes the wave, and beats the foamy lake.
With sudden rage he now aloft appears,
And in his eye convulsive anguish bears :
And now again, impatient of the wound,
He rolls and wreaths his shining body round,
Then headlong shoots beneath the dashing tide ;
The trembling fins the boiling wave divide.
Now hope exalts the fisher's beating heart,
Now he turns pale, and fears his dubious art ;
He views the tumbling fish with longing eyes,
While the line stretches with th' unwieldy prize ;
Each motion humours with his steady hands,
And one slight hair the mighty bulk commands ;
Till tired at last, despoil'd of all his strength,
The game athwart the stream unfolds his length.
He nfcw, with pleasure, views the gasping prize
Gnash his sharp teeth, and roll his blood-shot eyes ;
Then draws him to the shore, with artful care,
And lifts his nostrils in the sick'ning air :
Upon the burthen'd stream he floating lies,
Stretches his quivering fins, and gasping dies."

2 U 2

66o LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Gay was a North Devon man, and doubtless worked its
many trout and salmon waters.

Thomson, who also lived in the early part of the
eighteenth century, was hardly less a poet of the angle
than Gay, and his experience as a fly-fisher, at least in his
early years, was gained north of the Tweed. A feature in
his Seasons (1728) are his descriptions of fishing. Thus in
" Spring " we have the invitation to angle —

" Now when the first foul torrent of the brooks,
Swelled with the vernal rains, is ebb'd away ;
And, whitening, down their mossy-tinctur'd stream
Descends the billowy foam — now is the time,
While yet the dark-brown water aids the guile
To tempt the trout. The well dissembled fly ;
The rod, fine tapering, with elastic spring.
Snatch'd from the hoary stud the floating line,
And all thy slender wat'ry stores prepare."

He shrinks, however, from the worm more than Gay
does —

" But let not on thy hook the tortur'd worm
Convulsive twist in agonising folds,
Which, by rapacious hunger, swallow'd deep,
Gives, as you tear it, from the bleeding breast
Of the weak, helpless, uncomplaining wretch,
Harsh pain and horror to the tender hand ! "

This is where and how the poet would have you throw
mr flv —

your fly

' Just in the dubious point, where with the pool
Is mix'd the trembling stream, or where it boils
Around the stone, or from the hollow'd bank
Reverted plays in undulating flow —
There throw, nice judging, the delusive fly ;
And, as you lead it round in artful curve,
With eye attentive mark the springing game,

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 661

Straight as above the surface of the flood
They wanton rise, or, urged by hunger, leap
Then fix, with gentle twitch, the barbed hook ;
Some lightly tossing to the grassy bank,
And to the shelving shore slow dragging some,
With various hand proportion'd to their force."

And now let us compare his description of the death of
a big trout, " the monarch of the brook," with the death of
the salmon in the passage from Gay just above. After
recommending that little fish, if caught, should be replaced
in their native element, he proceeds : —

" But should you lure

From his dark haunt, beneath the tangled roots
Of pendant trees, the monarch of the brook,
Behoves you then to ply your finest art.
Long time he, following cautious, scans the fly,
And oft attempts to seize it ; but as oft
The dimpled water speaks his jealous fear.
At last, while haply o'er the shaded sun
Passes a cloud, he desperate takes the death
With sullen plunge : at once he darts along,
Deep struck, and runs out all the lengthen'd line,
Then seeks the farthest ooze, the sheltering weed,
The cavern'd bank, his old secure abode,
And flies aloft, and flounces round the pool,
Indignant of the guile. With yielding hand,
That feels him still, yet to his furious course
Gives way, you, now retiring, following now,
Across the stream, exhaust his idle rage,
Till, floating broad upon his breathless side
And to his fate abandoned, to the shore
You gaily drag your unresisting prize."

Both passages may be compared with a similar one from
Oppian, describing the death of a large anthia, in Chapter I.

But we must go back a little chronologically, and mention
Whitney's Genteel Recreation (i/oo), the rhymes of which

662 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

have been tersely and painfully described as being " in the
Bombastes Furioso style, and sufficiently ridiculous to be
somewhat amusing." Moses Browne (another unpoetical
name) published his Piscatory Eclogues in 1729. He is not
to be confounded with the William Browne of the last
century, whose productions Blakey in his Angling Litera-
ture confounds with those of Sannazarius, a translation of
whose Piscatory Eclogues appeared in 1726. Browne's
Eclogues are nine in number, and the author seems to have
made Virgil and Theocritus his models for composition.
They are very fair reading, especially when we remember
that the author produced them in his twenty-third year.
The following lines will give an idea of his style : —

" When artful flies the angler would prepare,
The tack of all deserves his utmost skill ;
Nor verse nor prose can ever teach him well
What masters only know, and practice tell ;
Yet thus at large I venture to support,
Nature best follow'd best secures the sport.
Of flies — the kinds, their seasons, and their breed,
Their shapes, their hues, with nice observance heed ;
Which most the trout admires and where obtain'd,
Experience best will teach you, or some friend ;
For several kinds must every month supply,
So great's his passion for variety ;
Nay, if new species on the stream you find,
Try — you'll acknowledge fortune amply kind."

In 1733, Simon Ford, D.D., wrote a neat Latin poem
Piscatio, which he inscribed to Archbishop Sheldon, the
founder of the "Theatre" at Oxford, and a friend of
Walton's, who mentions him in the " Fourth Day" as having
" skill above others " in taking barbel. The Piscatio has
been translated and adapted several times. Williamson,
mentioned in Chapter V., was a bit of a poet, and some of

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 663

the "versification" of the principal subjects of each of the
chapters in his British A ngler runs off pretty well. This is
how he versifies on silk and hair lines : —

" Choose well your Hair, and know the vig'rous Horse,
Not only reigns in Beauty, but in Force ;
Reject the Hair of Beasts, e'en newly dead,
Where all the springs of Nature are decay'd.
Be sure for single Links the fairest chuse —
Such single Hairs will best supply your Use ;
And of the rest your sev'ral Lines prepare,
In all still less'ning ev'ry Link of Hair.
If for the Fly, be long and slight your Line,
The Fish is quick, and hates what is not fine ;
If for the Deep, to stronger we advise,
Tho' still the Finest takes the Finest prize.
Before you twist your upper Links take care
Wisely to match in Length and Strength your hair ;
Hair best with Hair, and Silk with Silk agrees,
But mix'd have great Inconveniences."

In 1774 an M.D., John Armstrong, in his Art of Pre-
serving Health, like Kirke White, hymns the Trent, and
the "Healthiness of Angling":—

" But if the breathless chase o'er hill and dale
Exceed your strength, a sport of less fatigue,
Not less delightful, the prolific stream
Affords. The crystal rivulet, that o'er
A stony channel rolls its rapid maze,
Swarms with the silver fry ; such through the bounds
Of pastoral Stafford runs the brawling Trent ;
Such Eden, sprung from Cumbrian mountains ; such
The Esk, o'erhung with woods ; and such the stream
On whose Arcadian banks I first drew air —
Liddel, till now, except in Doric lays
Tuned to her murmurs by her love-sick swains,
Unknown in song, though not a purer stream
Through meads more flowery, or more romantic groves,
Rolls towards the Western main. Hail, sacred flood !
May still thy hospitable swains be blessed
In rural innocence, thy mountains still

664 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Teem with the fleecy race, thy tuneful woods

For ever flourish, and thy vales look gay

With painted meadows and the golden grain ;

Oft with thy blooming sons, when life was new,

Sportive and petulant, and charmed with toys,

In thy transparent eddies have I laved ;

Oft traced with patient steps thy fairy banks,

With the well-imitated fly to hook

The eager trout, and with the slender line

And yielding rod solicit to the shore

The struggling panting prey, while vernal clouds

And tepid gales obscured the ruffled pool,

And from the deeps called forth the wanton swarms,

Formed on the Samian school, or those of Ind.

There are who think these pastimes scarce humane ;

Yet in my mind (and not relentless I)

His life is pure that wears no fouler stains."

Here we have the question of the " cruelty of fishing "
raised, in reference to which it has been said that the chief
pain which captured fish feel is that arising from the
thought of the terrible lies which anglers will tell of their
weights.

Following the example of clergymen of the Establish-
ment, Dr. Thomas Scott, a dissenting minister of Ipswich,
comes before us in 1775 as an angling author with bis
Anglers — "eight dialogues in verse" — very tolerable
reading. A feature of angling literature is the large
number of clergymen who have entered the lists both with
prose and verse productions. As "fishers of men" it
might be expected that they would occasionally handle
the angling pen, and the rod too. To their ranks belong
some of the best fishermen of past and present times.
The fox-hunting parson is almost an extinct being, though
a few of the persuasion still linger m the far west, and
lament their famous leader, the late Jack Russell ; and the
shooting parson is now under suspicion ; but a " little quiet

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 665

angling " is freely accorded on all sides to " the cloth." A
very interesting book entitled The Amusements of Clergy-
men, was written in 1797, under the pseudonym of the
"Rev. Josiah Framptom," by the Rev. William Gilpin,
Prebendary of Salisbury, and author of Forest Scenery,
which was reprinted a few years ago by Messrs. Sampson
Low, Marston, & Co.

From The Avon, a poem ascribed to the Rev. J. Huckell,
in 1789, we may take the following pretty lines as a
specimen of his work : —

" See where serenely gay the Nymph invites
To more secure, tho' less sublime delights.
The studious angler see, with pleasing care,
The flowing line and quiv'ring rod prepare.
Delightful task ! When all the woodlands sing
The roseate beauties of inspiring spring.
Often may patience, wisdom's meek-eyed friend
To ev'ry fam'd recess his steps attend ;
And then, propitious to the vot'ry's skill,
Flow soft, ye waters, and, ye winds, be still ! "

Though it does not come within the category of English
poetry, we will conclude our notice of the period through
which we have been glancing with a few lines of transla-
tion from a poem of Delille, a charming French writer, at
the close of the eighteenth century : —

" Beneath yon willow pale, whose foliage dank
Gives added freshness to the river's bank,
The fisher stands, and marks upon the tide
The trembling line along the current glide ;—
With mute attention, and with secret joy,
He views the bending rod and sinking buoy.
Which watery guest has braved the sudden fate
Fixed to the barb that lurks beneath the bait ?
The springing trout, or carp bedecked with gold ;
Or does the perch his purpled fins unfold ?
Or silver eel that winds through many a maze,
Or pike voracious on his kind that preys ? "

666 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Somerville, who sounded his horn in The Chace at the
beginning of the present century, and has somewhat
irreverently been called " the poet of the pigskin," has not
forgotten angling among his Field Sports ; and Clifford, in
his Angler, "a didactic poem," in 1804, has immortalised
himself by putting on record his want of appreciation of
J. D.'s Secrets. In 1809 appeared the Rev. J. Buncombe's
translation in verse of the xv. Book of Vaniere's P radium
Rusticum (1/30), this book treating of fish. Daniel
transferred it into his Rural Sports without any acknow-
ledgment. In 1819, one Thomas Pike (rightly so called
"the appropriator ") Lathy distinguished himself by
publishing The Angler y the great bulk of which was
a mere transcription of Doctor Scott's book just men-
tioned, with "heads" and "tails" prefixed and suffixed
to the different cantos. He palmed the book off on a
confiding bookseller, who suffered in consequence. In
the same year an officer of the Royal Navy, T. W.
Charleton, left salt water for fresh, and produced a by no
means unreadable poem, entitled The Art of Fishing,
something in the style of John Dennys, but not nearly so
good a production. In the collected poems of Professor
Wilson (Christopher North), 1825, so many of which are
devoted more or less to angling, we find The Angler's Tent,
first published in 1812, a quotation from which will serve to
show the author's style and spirit : —

" Yes ! dear to us that solitary trade,
'Mid vernal peace in peacefulness pursued
Through rocky glen, wild moor, and hanging wood,
White-flowering meadow, and romantic glade !
The sweetest visions of our boyish years
Come to our spirits with a murmuring tone
Of running waters ; and one stream appears,
Remember'd all— tree, willow, bank, and stone ;

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 667

How glad were we, when, after sunny showers,
Its voice came to us issuing from the school !
How fled the vacant, solitary hours,
By dancing rivulet, or silent pool !
And still our souls retain in manhood's prime
The love of joys our childish years that blest ;
So now encircled by these hills sublime,
We Anglers, wandering with a tranquil breast,
Build in this happy vale a fairy bower of rest !
Within that bower are strewn, in careless guise,
Idle one day, the angler's simple gear ;
Lines that, as fine as floating gossamer,
Dropt softly on the stream the silken flies ;
The limber rod that shook its trembling length,
Almost as airy as the line it threw,
Yet often bending in an arch of strength
When the tired salmon rose at last to view,
Now lightly leans across the rushy bed,
On which at night we dream of sports by day ;
And, empty now, beside it close is laid
The goodly pannier framed of osiers gray ;
And maple bowl in which we're wont to bring
The limpid water from the morning wave,
Or from some mossy and sequester'd spring
To which dark rocks a grateful coolness gave,
Such as might Hermit use in solitary cave !
And ne'er did Hermit, with a purer breast,
Amid the depths of sylvan silence pray,
Than prayed we friends on that mild quiet day,
By God and man beloved, the day of rest ! "

Thomas Tod Stoddart, mentioned in the last chapter,
was almost as good a poet as he was an angler; and
Professor Wilson, whom we have just quoted, considered
his Songs and Poems, published in 1839, "among the best
ever written." Here is one of them : —

" Where torrents foam

While others roam
Among the yielding heather ;

Some river meek

We'll forth and seek,
And lay our lines together.

668 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIl ER FISHING.

" Some sylvan stream,

Where shade and gleam
Are blended with each other,

Below whose bank

The lilies rank
All humbler flowers ensmother.

" Where cushats coo

And ringdoves woo
The shining channel over,

From leafy larch

Or birchen arch —
Their unmolested cover.

" There daily met,

No dark regret
Shall cloud our noon of pleasure ;

Well carry rule

O'er stream and pool,
And none to claim a measure.

" With tackless care

On chosen hair,
March fly and minnow tender,

We shall invite

The scaly wight
To eye them and surrender.

" And when out-worn

We'll seek some thorn
With shadow old and ample —

The natural ground,

Moss laid around,
An angler's resting temple ! "

In Remarks on Shooting, in Verse, by W. Watt, in 1839,
we have a poem of some length on "Trolling." He seems
to be one of that class of writers who have an idea that
anything which rhymes is poetry ; and though his descrip-
tion of the tackle and the way of using it in this branch
of angling is correct enough, the poem is hardly worth
reading. The author writes very prosaic poetry ; but must
be credited with originality of design in producing the

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 559

" Game Laws Versified," in forty-eight sections. Pulman's
Book of the Axe (1841), and various poems on angling
subsequently published, only claim passing mention.

The Newcastle Fishers' Garlands are a series of songs or
poems chiefly in praise of the Coquet, and emanated from
the Waltonian Club, established in Newcastle-on-Tyne in
the year 1821-22. The custom seems to have been to
publish a Garland annually, the first of which appeared
in 1821 in form of a single-sheet broadside. It com-
mences—

" Auld nature now revived seems,"

and was the joint production of Robert Roxby and Thomas
Doubleday, who were also the authors of most of the
single Garlands to the year 1832, when the series
terminated. They were published in a collected form in
the year 1836, with Boaz's Angler's Progress, a childish
poem written in 1789, prefixed to them as the Garland
for 1820. In 1742 an attempt was made to revive the
series, but it failed after two or three years. However, in
the year just named, the original publishers of the Gar-
lands brought out A Collection of Right Merrie Garlands
for North- Country Anglers, adding to the original a mis-
cellaneous collection of songs, Doubleday again being a
contributor. The best of the Roxby and Doubleday
Garlands were republished in the Coquetdale Fishing
Songs in 1852; and in -1864 Mr. Joseph Crawhall again
reproduced the Collection of Right Merrie Garlands, &c.y
with songs and poems added mainly by himself and
Doubleday, T. Westwood being also a contributor, and
styled them by the old title of the Newcastle Fishers*
Garlands, assigning one, and sometimes two, to each year
to 1864 inclusive. Thus we have what the Devonshire folk
would call " a mixed medley ;" and the compositions, it

67o LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

must be confessed, are of very unequal merit, though many
of them strike sympathetic chords. They are about fifty
in number, and here is one of Doubleday's, entitled " The
Fisher's Call" (1828), taken almost at haphazard: —

" The thorn is in the bud,

The palm is in the bloom,
The primrose, in the shade,

Unfolds her dewy bosom ;
Sweet Cogue fs purling clear,

And summer music making ;
The trout has left his lair,

Then waken, fishers, waken !

" The lavrock's in the sky,

And on the heath the plover,
The bee upon the thyme,

The swallow skimming over ;
The farmer walks the field,

The seed he's casting steady,
The breeze is blowing west,

Be ready, fishers, ready !

" The violet's in her prime,

And April is the weather ;
The partridge on the wing,

The muircock in the heather j
The sun's upon the pool

His morning radiance wasting,
It's glittering like the gold,

Oh, hasten, fishers, hasten !

" The Felton lads are up,

They're looking to their tackle;
The sawmon's in the stream,

And killing is the hackle.
If there's a feat to do,

Tis Weldon boys should do it ;
Then up and rig your gads,

And to it, fishers, to it !"

Here is another, by W. A. Chatto, which originally
appeared in his book on Fly-Fishing in Northumber-

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 671

land, 6r., in 1834, under the title of "The Angler's Invita-

" The wild bull his covert in Chillingham wood

Has left, and now browses the daisy-strew'd plain ;
The May-fly and swallow are skimming the flood,

And sweet in the hedge blooms the hawthorn again ;
The young lambs are skipping on Cheviot's broad mountain,

The heather springs green upon Whitsun-bank side ;
The streams are as clear as the lime-stone rock fountain,

And sweet is the palm-blossom's scent where they glide.

" Oh, leave for awhile the dull smoke of the city ;

Sons of gain, quit your desks, and your ledgers lay by,
Seek health in the fields while each bird sings its ditty,

And breathe the pure air underneath the broad sky ;
Sons of pleasure, come view the sweet primroses springing,

Leave the scene where the light figurant^ whirls round ;
Come, list to the lark in the blue ether singing,

Come, see how the deer in the green forest bound.

The glad trout is roaming in every clear stream,

And the grilse and the salmon now drink the May flood ;
Then, anglers, be up with the sun's early beam,

Let your flies be in trim and your tackle be good ;
In Till there's good store of fat trouts to be won, —

Let your skill load your creels as you wander along, —
And at night, as you tell of the feats you have done,

Cheer your talk with a cup of good wine and a song."

While among the angling poets of the north, who seem
to have been among the most enthusiastic of their tribe,
we may here mention, though a little out of chronological
order, the Chaplets from Coquet-side, by Joseph Crawhall,
published in 1873. The following quaintly dainty little
bit would almost make worm-fishing allowable in the
crystal streams flowing from Parnassus itself : —

" The flee's been sung in mony a strain,
The mennum owre an' owre again

672 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Has been the poet's theme :
Gentles, and pastes, and viler roe
Hae had their praises sung enow

In drumlie verse and stream,
But let us sing the worm in June,

Auld Coquet crystal clear ;
All leafy Nature's now in tune,
Now doth true skill appear.
Sae moyley an' coyly

Steal on the gleg-e'ed trout ;
He sees ye, an' flees ye —
Gif no — yell pick him out.

" Just as the early, tuneful lark,
Dame Nature's vocal chapel-clerk,

Carols his hymn of praise,
Just as the dews frae flowers distil,
And air recovers frae nights chill,

Thro' Phcebus' slantin' rays ;
Wi' weel-graithed gear up stream then hie,

Unerring cast the lure ;
The barely covered spankers lie
Unwatchfully secure.
Then lungin' and plungin'
You feel the finny prize,
Now gantin' an' pantin'
Stretched on his side he dies.

" Straight as a sapling fir your wand,
Mid-teens o' feet, and light to hand,

With hook of ample size,
Inserted just below the head
Of worm, well scoured and purplish red,

Like arrow sourceward flies,
Swift with the current see it wear,

Then trembling, mid-stream stay,
That instant strike— my life, he's there,
At leisure creelward play.

Then stay there an' play there,

Enjoy thy latest cast,
For the worm aye, in turn aye,
Will conquer a' at last."

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 673

Blakey published his Angler's Song Book m 1855, con-
taining nearly two hundred and fifty songs and poems of
various degrees of merit, and some of no merit at all,
ranging from John Dennys down to Wordsworth. The
collection, as a whole, is not one of which anglers can feel
very proud.

The Songs of the Edinburgh Club (1851), a new and
enlarged edition of which was published in 1 879, is the last
collection we shall mention. This club was founded in
1847, and the volume was "privately printed for members,"
whose angling headquarters is " The Nest," on a famous
stretch of the Tweed rented by the club. Our quotations
from angling poets have already extended to so great a
length that we must forbear to quote but a few lines from
this elegant volume, which is full of suggestiveness of love
of nature, love of angling, and love of the brotherhood of
anglers, while at the same time it is to be prized for the
faultless typography and exquisite engravings. This is the
concluding " L'Envoi" —

" Tis time to part ; the fleeting hours
Too soon have sped their course along ;
Yet surely we have tipped their wings
With golden mirth and silv'ry song.
Old Time, upon his labouring course,
Might pause to gaze on scenes so bright
And hours like these. But, no, he's past,
And we must part — Good night ! Good night !

" We'll meet again ; you know the spot,
Where rolls the river broad and fair,
Where peeps the modest violet,
And hawthorn blossoms scent the air.
Again with song and mirth we'll crown
Our long, long days of calm delight.
But now, alas ! 'tis time to part,
To each and all — Good night ! Good night ! 9
VOL. III.— H. 2 X

674 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

The Honble. and Rev. Robert Liddell is another clergy-
man among the poets of the Angle. He published the
first canto of The Lay of the Last Angler, as a "tribute
to the Tweed at Melrose," at the end of the season of 1867.
The third canto appeared in 1 874 ; but they were all
printed " for private circulation only." They afford a rich
poetical treat to any angler who is fortunate enough to get
hold of a copy.

Numerous angling songs and poems by different modern
writers have appeared during the last few years in the
pages of magazines and newspapers more or less devoted
to national pastimes, both here and in America. Many of
them are of great beauty, and will perhaps appear in some
more permanent form. We must restrain our desire to
quote them, contenting ourselves with the following lines
on a humble brook, by Carl Waring, published in the Ameri-
can Forest and Stream : —

" You see it first near the dusty road,
Where the farmer stops with his heavy load

At the foot of a weary hill ;
There the mossy trough it overflows,
Then away with a leap and a laugh it goes

At its own sweet wandering will.

" It flows through an orchard gnarl'd and old,
Where in the spring the dainty buds unfold

Their petals pink and white ;
The apple blossoms so sweet and pure,
The streamlet's smiles and songs allure,

To float off on the ripples bright.

M It winds through the meadow scarcely seen,
For o'er it the flowers and grasses lean

To salute its smiling face ;
And thus, half hidden, it ripples along,
The whole way singing its summer song,

Making glad each arid place.

ENGLISH POETS ON FISHING. 675

** Just there, where the water dark and cool
Lingers a moment in yonder pool,

The dainty trout are at play ;
And now and then one leaps in sight,
With sides aglow in the golden light
Of the long sweet summer day.

u Oh, back to their shelves those books consign,
And look to your rod and reel and line,

Make fast the feather'd hook !
Then away from the town, with its hum of life,
Where the air with worry and work is rife,
To the charms of the meadow brook ! "

As regards the poetical literature of angling which we
have reviewed, it would be mere affectation to say that we
should be satisfied with it as a whole. It is true that there
is considerable interest in it from a bibliographical point of
view, and that the contributions of several writers are good
examples of true poetic feeling and diction ; but at the
same time there is a plethora of what is mere doggerel,
stiltedness, and affectation. Anglers themselves, however,
who form no inconsiderable portion of the community, may
be congratulated on the high testimony the poets have
borne to their favourite recreation ; and it is not likely that
a vates sacer will ever be wanting to their ranks. As time
passes on, and prose works on angling multiply, in like
manner we may expect the stream of poetic literature to
flow on, as the contemplative man's recreation is in its
surroundings and associations conducive to the develop-
ment of poetic temperament and feeling.

In this and the two previous chapters the majority of —
and, indeed, almost all — the authors mentioned were them-
selves anglers, as might naturally be expected. By way
of a note, we may here give the names of a few more or
less eminent literary men who, though not authors on
angling, have pursued the gentle craft. For instance,

2X2

676 LITERA TURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Dryden, Bacon, George Herbert, Sir Isaac Newton, Pepys,
Dean Swift, Hollingshed, Sheridan, Sir Aubrey Carlisle,
Archdeacon Paley, Sir Walter Scott, Hogg the Ettrick
Shepherd, and the first Lord Lytton, who in more than
one passage in his "Eugene Aram" pictures fly-fishing.
Among more modern literati is Mr. Matthew Arnold ;
and many others who handle the " bending reed " as well
as the pen most masterfully.

We will conclude this chapter with the soft cadence of
the final stanza of J. D., the " Laureate of the Angling
Craft":—

" And now we are ariued at the last,
In wished harbour where we mean to rest ;
And make an end of this our journey past.
Here in the quiet roade I think it best
We strike our sails and stedfast Anchor cast,
For now the Sunne low setteth in the West.*

( 677 )

CHAPTER VIII.

THE PERIODICAL LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING
— NEWSPAPERS— REVIEWS — MAGAZINES — BOOKS ON
SEA FISHING, ICHTHYOLOGY, AND PISCICULTURE —
THE LITERARY " OUTCOME " OF THE FISHERIES
EXHIBITION.

PERHAPS the subject taken in hand in this little volume
might have been considered fairly concluded in the last
chapter, as the survey in the preceding papers has covered,
though necessarily in a circumscribed and imperfect
manner, the whole field of Fishing Literature from the
earliest times to the present. Still it may not be out of
place to add a few words in reference to the current
literature of fishing ; and a list of some of the chief works
which deal with subjects more or less allied to that
immediately in hand.

A weekly newspaper, specially devoted to Fish and
Fishing is The Fishing Gazette, most ably edited by
Mr. R. B. Marston, who is well known as a learned and
skilful angler, and for the interest he takes in pisciculture,
especially in reference to "coarse" fish. The Angler's
Journal is another, edited by Captain Alfred, of Moorgate
Street. The Field has, from its first starting, devoted
much space to angling, of which department Mr. Francis
Francis has been editor for many years. A large portion
of his Angling, and kindred works, has first appeared in
its pages. Land and Water, to which the late Mr. Frank

678 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

Buckland was a voluminous contributor, follows in the
same line; and Mr. Henry Ffennell is now its angling
editor. It has recently appeared in a new and im-
proved form, which has been much appreciated. Ashore
or Afloat, a recently launched weekly, and admirably done,
makes fish and fishing a special feature. The success
in this department has been secured by the appointment
of Mr. J. T. Carrington, the naturalist of the Aquarium,
as the editor of " Sea Fishing," and Mr. J. P. Wheeldon of
" Freshwater Fishing." The Fish Trades Gazette, a new
weekly journal, rather inclined to take a one-sided view
of the fish trade, always contains a good supply of in-
teresting matter in connection with sea fishing. Of a very
similar character is the American paper called the Sea
World and Packer's Journal, published at Baltimore. The
American Angler (New York) is a Transatlantic paper of
interest to anglers. But the best of the class is Forest
and Stream (New York), of which Messrs. Sampson Low,
Marston,& Co. are the representatives in London. The
Field is another excellent American paper of the same
type. It is published at Chicago. Among journals here
which deal with miscellaneous sports and pastimes,
and .include articles on angling, may be mentioned the
Sporting Life, the Sportsman, Bell's Life, and the
Sporting and Dramatic News, and the Irish Sport.
Other weekly papers, such as the Graphic, constantly
have articles on angling in their pages. Indeed such
is the popularity of angling at the present time, that
even the London daily papers frequently publish articles
on the subject. Among provincial newspapers the Norwich
Argus, a high-class Conservative journal, is conspicuous for
the space it gives to contributions on sea and river fishing.
It is from the office of this paper that an admirable little

MA GAZINES— GUIDE-BOOKS. 679

Guide to the Broads and Rivers of Norfolk is issued ; and
also the annual East Anglian Handbook, in which articles
on fish and fishing have for the last quarter of a century
found a place. A selection of these, bound in one volume,
was exhibited by Mr. P. Soman, the proprietor of the
Argus, at the Fisheries Exhibition.

The "Magazines" of the period by no means neglect
angling. Blackwood did no little to establish its reputation
years ago by its angling articles from the pens of Professor
Wilson, and other eminent literary anglers. Fraser, also,
has long made angling articles a feature in its pages ; and
even the more sober " Quarterlies " minister to the prevail-
ing taste. The " Monthlies " of many kinds also follow suit,
such as the Corn/till, Temple Bar, &c. ; while the evergreen
Baily, and the promising young Squire (the latter under
the able conductorship of Mr. Morgan Evans), minister
regularly and pleasantly to piscatorial wants. The Sporting
Mirror angles for readers. Scribner's Monthly, now The
Century (New York), sends- us an abundant supply of
admirable angling articles from the other side of the
" herring-pond." •

What may be termed " Guide-Books " have their place,
though a humble -one, in angling literature; and very useful
publications they are. Among them may be mentioned
the A nglers Diary, issued annually from the Field Office,
which gives in alphabetical order a list of all the fishing
waters in the United Kingdom, with nearest railway
stations, and a variety of information in reference to " close "
seasons, licences, &c. Mr. Greville Fennell's The Rail and
the Rod has already been mentioned in Chapter VI., as has
also Mr. Wheeldon's Angling Resorts near London. Both
books contain most useful " guidal " information, as well as
being worthy of being ranked as books on angling from a

680 LITERA TURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

literary point of view. The same remark applies to Mr.
Little's Angler's Complete Guide and Companion. For
Scotch anglers, or others going north, Mr. Watson Lyall's
Sportsman's and Tourist's Guide, which is published
monthly during the spring and summer, is a valuable
reference book, and contains much useful information as
to letting price of Scotch fishings, &c. Of a somewhat
similar character, but in "book" form, is The Highland
Sportsman, published annually by Mr. Hall at 43, Old
Bond Street. All who wish to acquaint themselves with
Scotland in its sporting aspect should have this volume.
Just before going to press with these notes, another Scotch
sporting guide has been announced as shortly to appear,
under the title of Ross's Sportsman s Friend (68, West
Regent Street, Glasgow).

Angling Societies are also contributing to angling litera-
ture by the publication in volumes of the Papers read at
their meetings. The two series of Anglers11 Evenings
(Heywood and Son, Manchester), being Papers read before
the Manchester Angling Association, are admirable ex-
amples of such publications. Very recently that young but
flourishing angling association, " The Gresham," has issued
a pleasant little volume containing some of the Papers read
at its meetings.

Our colonies and the United States are fast forming a
piscatory literature of their own. In the latter the pastime
of fishing is becoming more and more popular every
year. Among them may be mentioned the American
Anglers Guide, the first edition of which was published at
New York in 1845, and the last in 1876. It covers all
kinds of fishing in the United States, and contains much
that may be read with profit by anglers here. Bethune's
valuable edition of the Complete Angler has been referred

BOOKS ON SEA-FISHING. 68 1

to in Chapter IV. Other American angling books are
Henshall's Black Bass Fishing ; Hallock's Fishing Tourist,
and his A merican Sportsman 's Gazetteer ; and Frank
Forester's Fishing with Hook and Line. The last files of
papers from America announce the appearance of Fish:
their Habits and Haunts, and the Methods of Catching
them, by the late Lorenzo Pronty.

For the purpose of reference, a list of some chief works
on SEA-FISHING, ICHTHYOLOGY, and PISCICULTURE are
here added.

Under those on SEA-FlSHlNG to be specially men-
tioned is Mr. E. W. H. Holdsworth's Deep-sea Fishing
and Fishing Boats (Stanford, 1874), from which may be
fully learned all that an ordinary reader would wish to
know about the fishing industry round^our coasts. Ber-
tram's Harvest of the Sea (Murray, 1865), The Great
Fisheries of the World described (Nelson, 1878), Caux's The
Herring and the Herring Fishery (Hamilton, Adams, and
Co., 1881), and The Fisheries of the World, now in course
of publication by Messrs. Cassell and Co. — are all full of
information on the subject. A little pamphlet, entitled
Sea Fisheries ; or, Christmas among the Fishermen of tJie
North Sea, which has been on sale at the Fisheries
Exhibition, may be read with interest. Many books
deal mainly with sea fishing as a " sport " — for instance
(without giving them in chronological order), Wil-
cock's Sea Fisherman (Longman and Co.), L. Young's
Sea Fishing as a Sport (1872), " Wildfowler's " Shoot-
ing and Fishing Trips (Longman & Co.), Lord's Sea Fish,
and how to catch them (Bradbury and Evans, 1862),
Brookes's Art of Angling, Rock and Sea Fishing, dating
as far back as 1740. There is valuable information, also
of a general kind, in Hearder's Degeneration of our Sea

682 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

FisJieries (Plymouth, 1870), and in the little Trade Cata-
logues of Hearder and Son, and of C. & R. Brooks, both
tackle makers at Plymouth, who exhibited and won dis-
tinction at the Fisheries Exhibition. But as valuable a
volume as any connected with our sea fisheries is the
Selection of Prize Essays recently published by the Com-
mittee of the Edinburgh Fisheries Exhibition of last year.
Almost every subject connected with the fishing industry
is therein most fully treated on. The volume is entitled
Essays on Fish and Fisheries, and is published by Black-
wood and Sons, Edinburgh.

Mr. Andrew Young's Natural History and Habits of
the Salmon (Longman and Co., 1874), The Autobiography
of Salmo Salar, Esq., already mentioned in Chapter VI.,
and Mr. Archibald Young's Salmon Fisheries (attached to
Mr. Holdsworth's book on sea fishing), are among the works
to be referred to in connection with the fish that hovers
between salt and fresh water, and has both a sporting
and commercial importance. Mr. T. Brady's Reports, and
other publications in reference to Irish fisheries, are also
very valuable. Olsen's pictorial Atlas of the North Sea, &c.
(O. T. Olsen, Grimsby), should be possessed by all who
wish to study our sea fisheries. The last work we will
mention is The British Fisheries Directory, recently pub-
lished by Sampson Low, Marston, and Co. It may truly
be called a child of the Fisheries Exhibition, and it is to
be hoped that it will be established as an annual. Of its
usefulness to both amateur and professional fishermen there
can be no doubt, as it is a book of statistics and general
information in connection with every department of the
fishing industry of the United Kingdom. The idea was an
excellent one, and it has been excellently carried out. For
a variety of other works, bearing more or less directly on

ICHTHYOLOGY. 683

sea fishing, reference may be made to that portion of the
Bibliotheca Piscatoria devoted to " Fisheries " publications.

Legal works of value connected with our fisheries which
will be found most useful are Oke's Handbook of Game
and Fishery Laws (Butterworth's, 1878), edited by J. W.
W. Bund ; Mr. Bund's own book on The Law relating to
the Salmon Fisheries^ &c.; Mr. Baker's Laws relating to
Salmon Fisheries, &c. (though the last edition was in
1868), and Mr. Archibald Young's books above-mentioned.
For an exhaustive list of Acts of Parliament relating to
our fisheries, from the time of Edward I. (1270), down to
the present, and Parliamentary Papers, reference can be
made to the Bibliotheca Piscatoria, in which the enumera-
tion of both together fill up no less than fifty pages.

The mention of works on ICHTHYOLOGY at once sug-
gests the names of the great French naturalists Buffon and
Cuvier. The Animal Kingdom of the latter, and Natural
History of the former, must ever remain standard works ,
of their kind, notwithstanding fresh discoveries in zoology.
Among our own country the name of Yarrell stands out
conspicuously, his History of British Fishes being a master
work (Van Voorst), and his Growth of the Salmon in Fresh
Water another. Mr. Van Voorst also publishes a most
interesting book, though not in the class we are now
mentioning, entitled Heraldry of Fish, by Thomas Moule.
Couch's History of the Fishes of the British Isles (Bell &
Co.) is too well known to need more than mention here.
His Treatise on the Pilchard is also well worth study, both
as a work on ichthyology and as bearing on the pilchard
fisheries of Cornwall. Another standard work is the
Introduction to the Study of Fishes, by Dr. C. L. B. Gianther,
of the British Museum (A. & C. Black, Edinburgh, 1880).
British Fresh-Water Fishes, by the Rev. W. Houghton,

684 LITERATURE QF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

is published by W. Mackenzie & Co., of Ludgate Hill,
E.G., and Edinburgh and Dublin (1880), and it is diffi-
cult to imagine a work of the kind more splendidly illus-
trated, while the letterpress is all that can be desired.
The two grand volumes make a magnificent specimen of
a livre de luxe. The chapters on the " Salmonidae " are
of special interest and beauty. The Fishes of Great
Britain and Ireland, " including their economic uses and
various modes of capture, &c.," is another of the great
books of the age and " for all time/' Dr. Francis Day,
its author, is also well known for his work on the Fishes
of India, and other productions. He has won the highest
distinctions in connection with the Indian Section at the
Fisheries Exhibition, and other honours. Cassell's Natural
History, a grand work, which has long been in course of
publication, under the editorship of Dr. Duncan, is another
most valuable book of reference. Among less pretentious
volumes may be mentioned F. Buckland's History of British
Fishes, &c. (S.P.C.K.), and his Logbook of a Fisherman and
Zoologist ; Wood's Natural History ; Fishes, in Jardine's
" Naturalist's Library " ; Brown's Natural History of the
Salmon (1862) ; YenntlVs Angler-Naturalist ; The Autobio-
graphy of Salmo Salar, Esq., already referred to ; Badham's
Prose Halieutics ; the various works by H. P. Gosse ;
Rennie's Alphabet of Scientific Angling, though published
as long ago as 1836, and consequently somewhat anti-
quated in its curious ichthyological gossip ; and Reports
on the Natural History of Sahnonoids (Blackwood, 1867).
The various writings of Professors Darwin, 'tyndall, Owen,
and Huxley, contain a variety of ichthyological informa-
tion, and the monograph on the Crayfish, by the last
named, is a veritable marvel of exhaustive treatment. The
last work we shall mention here, but by no means " the

PISCICULTURE. 685

least " in the library of ichthyology, is Scribner & Sons'
(New York) Game Fishes of the United States^ containing
a series of most magnificent paintings of fishes and scenery,
with the text by Professor Browne Goode, of the United
States Museum. This is another of the livres de luxe, but
unfortunately beyond the means of slender purses. A
large number of the books on angling already referred to
in Chapters IV., V., and VI., contain ichthyological matter
of more or less interest.

Works on PISCICULTURE are numerous, and many date
back to the Middle Ages, and even " classic " times. Some
have already been referred to in connection with what we
have called the " composite " books on angling ; and to
them may be added the Treatises of Boccius, published by
Van Voorst in 1841 and 1848 ; and several other transla-
tions of foreign authors. Our own older writers dilated a
good deal on fish-ponds, a subject to which before long
greater attention will probably be given in this country.
Roger North published his Discourse on Fish and Fish-ponds
in 1713, and it may still be studied with profit, a remark which
applies to W. Marshall's work on Management of Landed
Estates (Longman & Co., 1806), in which the Qth section
treats on " Improvement of Waters." Other comparatively
old works, such as Lebault's Maison Rttstique (mentioned
by I. Walton in "Fifth Day"), translated into English
in 1600; Ellis's Modern Husbandman (1750); Mordant's
Complete Steward (1761), in dictionary form ; Mortimer's
Whole Art of Husbandry (1707) ; Jacob's Country Gentle-
man's Vade-mecum (1717); and Kale's Complete Body of
Husbandry (1758), all contain " Fish-pondian " information,
a great deal of which is applicable to " fish-farming " at the
present time. Among works on angling, several contain
piscicultural disquisitions, and especially Bowlker's Art of
Angling, referred to in Chapter V. Among more recent

686 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

works which may be consulted are F. Buckland's Fish and
Fish Hatching (Tinsley Brothers, 1863) ; Capel's Trout
Culture (Hardwicke & Bogue, 1877) ; Sir Samuel Wilson's
Trout at the Antipodes (Stanford, 1879); Ashworth's
remarks on the artificial propagation of salmon at Stor-
montfield (1875), and Report of a Committee on the experi-
ments there (1875), and Brown's Natural History of the
Salmon, also in connection with the same establishment
(Murray, Glasgow, 1862) ; Francis Francis's Fish Culture
(Routledge, 1865), and his Practical Management of Fish-
eries (Field office, 1883) ; Hoare's Treatise on Fish-ponds
(Wyman and Sons, 1870); and Humphrey's River Gardens
(Sampson Low & Co., 1857). The United States of
America, have been prolific in piscicultural publications.
Seth Green published his Trout Culture in 1870, and
L. Stone his Domesticated Trout in 1873 — a valuable
work ; and Norris his American Fish Culture in 1868
(Sampson Low & Co.). The Reports of the United
States Commission of Fish and Fisheries date from 1871,
and are all most instructive ; as are The Transactions of
the American Fish Cultural Association (established in
1871), to which Professor G. Brown Goode is a prominent
contributor ; and from Canada we had last year the
interesting and valuable Report of S. Wilmot, Esq., on
Fish Breeding Operations, &c., in the Dominion. The
annual Fisheries Statements published by the Canadian
Government are well got up and worth consulting.

Our concluding note will be in reference to the published
literary products of the Fisheries Exhibition itself. Of
these the HANDBOOKS are naturally the chief; and for
convenience of reference we give the Series entire : —
The Fishery Laws. By Frederick Pollock, Barrister-at-Law, M.A.

(Oxon.), Hon. LL.D. Edin. ; Corpus Christi Professor of

Jurisprudence in the University of Oxford.

HANDBOOKS AND CONFERENCE PAPERS. 687

Zoology and Food Fishes. By George B. Howes, Demonstrator
of Biology, Normal School of Science, and Royal School of
Mines, South Kensington.

British Marine and Freshwater Fishes. (Illustrated.) By W.
Saville Kent, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Author of Official Guide-books
to the Brighton, Manchester, and Westminster Aquaria.

Apparatus for Fishing. By E. W. H. Holdsworth, F.L.S., F.Z.S.,
Special Commissioner for Juries, International Fisheries
Exhibition ; Author of " Deep Sea Fisheries and Fishing
Boats," " British Industries— Sea Fisheries," &c.

The British Fish Trade. By His Excellency Spencer Walpole,
Lieut. -Governor of the Isle of Man.

The Unappreciated Fisher Folk. By James G. Bertram, Author
of " The Harvest of the Sea."

The Salmon Fisheries. (Illustrated.) By C. E. Fryer, Assistant
Inspector of Salmon Fisheries, Home Office.

Sea Monsters Unmasked. (Illustrated.) By Henry Lee, F.L.S.

The Angling Clubs and Preservation Societies of London and the
Provinces. By J. P. Wheeldon, late Angling Editor of
" Bell's Life."

Indian Fish and Fishing. (Illustrated.) By Francis Day, F.L.S.,
Commissioner for India to International Fisheries Exhi-
bition.

A Popular History of Fisheries and Fishermen of all Countries,
from the Earliest Times. By W. M. Adams, B.A., formerly
Fellow of New College, Oxford.

Fish Culture. (Illustrated.) By Francis Day, F.L.S., Commis-
sioner for India to International Fisheries Exhibition.

Fish as Diet. By W. Stephen Mitchell, M.A. (Cantab.)

Angling in Great Britain. By William Senior (*' Red Spinner ").

Edible Crustacea. By W. Saville Kent, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Author of
Official Guide-books to the Brighton, Manchester, and West-
minster Aquaria.

The Literature of Sea and River Fishing. By J ohn J. Manley, M.A.
(Oxon.), Author of " Notes on Fish and Fishing," &c., &c.

Sea Fables Disclosed. By Henry Lee, F.L.S.

Fishes of Fancy : their place in Fable, Fairy Tale, Myth, and
Poetry. By Phil Robinson.

688 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.
Practical Lessons in the Gentle Craft. By J. P. Wheeldon.

The series of PAPERS read at the CONFERENCES are as
follows : —

Inaugural Meeting: Address. By Professor Huxley, P.R.S.

H.R.H. the Prince of Wales (President of the Commission)

in the Chair.
Notes on the Sea Fisheries and Fishing Population of the United

Kingdom. By H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh, K.G.
The Fishery Industries of the United States. By Professor Brown

Goode, M.A.

Oyster Culture and Oyster Fisheries in the Netherlands. By Pro-
fessor Hubrecht
Principles of Fishery Legislation. By Right Hon. G. Shaw-

Lefevre, M.P.
On the Culture of Salmonida and the Acclimatisation of Fish.

By Sir James Ramsay Gibson Maitland, Bart.
Fish Diseases. By Professor Huxley, P.R.S.
The Economic Condition of Fishermen. By Professor Leone Levi.
The Fisheries of Canada. By L. Z. Joncas.
Preservation of Fish Life in Rivers by the Exclusion of Town

Sewage. By the Hon. W. F. B. Massey-Mainwaring.
Molluscs •, Mussels, Whelks ', &£., used for Food or Bait. By

Charles Harding.

Coarse Fish Culture. By R. B. Marston.
On the Food of Fishes. By Dr. F. Day.
The Herring Fisheries of Scotland. By R. W. Duff, M.P.
Line Fishing. By C. M. Mundahl.
Fish Transport and Fish Markets. By His Excellency Spencer

Walpole.
Forest Protection and Tree Culture on Water Frontages. By D.

Howitz, Esq.

Seal Fisheries. By Captain Temple.
Fish as Food. By Sir Henry Thompson.
Storm Warnings. By R. H. Scott

CONFERENCE PAPERS. 689

On the Destruction of Fish and other Aquatic Animals by Internal

Parasites. By Professor Cobbold, F.R.S., F.L.S.
Scientific Results of the Exhibition. By Professor E. Ray Lap

kester.

A National Fishery Society for Great Britain. By C. E. Fryer.
Crustaceans. By T. Cornish.

Salmon and Salmon Fisheries. By David Milne Home, F.R.S.E.
Pilchard and Mackerel Fisheries. By T. Cornish.
Artificial Culture of Lobsters. By W. Saville Kent.
The Basis for Legislation on Fishery Questions. By Lieut-Col.

F. G. Soil

Trawling. By Alfred Ansell.
On Facilities for the Improved Capture and Economic Transmission

of Sea Fisheries •, and how these Matters affect Irish Fisheries.

By R. F. Walsh, of Kinsale.
The Fisheries of Ireland. By J. C. Bloomfield.
The Fisheries of Other Countries. By Commissioners for Sweden,

Norway, Spain, &c., who took part in the Conference.
The Pollution of Rivers. By Mr. V. B. Barrington Kennett, M.A.
The Fisheries of Japan. By Narinori Okoshi.
The West African Fisheries, with particular reference to the Gold

Coast Colony. By Captain Moloney, C.M.G.
Fish Preservation and Refrigeration. By Mr. J. K. Kilbourn.
Practical Fishermen's Congress (presided over by Mr. Edward

Birkbeck, M.P.), containing: (a) Destruction of Immature

Fish. (b) Harbour Accommodation, (c) Better Means for

Prevention of Loss of Life at Sea. (d) Railway Rates.
The Fisheries of Newfoundland. By Sir Ambrose Shea, K. C.M.G.

The above Handbooks and Papers treat of almost every
subject which can be included under the title of "Fish and
Fishing " ; and cover much of the ground occupied in
many of the books passed in review in the foregoing pages.
In addition to them there will be published the Reports
of the Jurors ; and a selection of the Prize Essays and
others, on a variety of piscatory subjects.

VOL. III. — H. 2 Y

690 LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING.

The Catalogue, the fourth edition of which occupies close
on five hundred closely-printed pages, and produced under
the editorship of Mr. A. J. R. Trendell, the Literary
Superintendent and Commissioner for Conferences, may
in a certain sense be considered as a valuable contribution
to the literature of Sea and River Fishing, and almost a
" Bibliotheca Piscatoria " in itself.

The " Handbooks " and " Papers " will be sent to every
library in the world ; and, owing to their large general
circulation, they are likely to stimulate still further interest
in both sea and river fishing and their surroundings. If
only for this literary " outcome," the great International
Fisheries Exhibition will not have been held in vain.

INDEX.

ABERGAVENNY Fishing Association, 143

Acorn barnacles, 308

Acton Piscatorial Society, 176

Adonis-fish, 13

African fish folk-lore, 36, 62, 80

Agassiz, Professor, on the Enaliosaurian hypothesis, 436

,, ,, ,, manatidae, 229

Aire Fishing Club, 143

" Alecton," ship, gigantic calamary caught by crew of, 364
Alliance Angling Society, 177
Amboyna, fabled monsters at island of, 203-205
Amiability of fabulous fishes, 23, 55, 64
Ammonites, 283
Angel-fish, 29
Anglers' Benevolent Association, the, 167

„ royal, 7
Angling clubs, objects of, 165

,, societies, list of, 126
Antiquity of fish myths, 49, 58
Apah, sacred, 34
Arabian Nights, fish in, 60, 64

Arabic Legends, 8, 10, 35, 58, 62. Legends of Koran, 33, 40, 41, 52
Arctic folk-lore, &c., 32
Argonauta argo. See Paper Nautilus.
Ark. See Flood.
Art, fish in, 47

Artificial mermaids, Japanese, 215-217
Aryan folk-lore, &c., 49, 55, 58, 60
Ashtoreth, 195

Asterites, adularia, astrobolos, and other fish-gems, 52
Astrology, fish in, 51
Astronomy, 22, 42, 48, 51
Atergatis, 194, 195
Australian folk-lore, &c., 36, 80

2 Y 2

69Z

AUTHORS ON FISH AND FISHING :

JElian quoted, 199-202, 232, 244, 247, 249

^sop, 557

Agassiz, Prof. 229, 436

Albertus Magnus, 297

Albrecht Herport, 202

Aldrovandus, 239, 300, 573

Alfred (Captain), 631

Ambrose, St., 559

Andrews, Lawrens, 29

Anthony, St. (of Padua), 559-5°2

Apollodorus, 237

Aristotle, 244, 255, 265, 270

Arrian, 555

Athenaeus, 543

Bacon, Roger, 297

Badham, Dr., 542, 628

Bainbridge, 618

Barker, Thomas, 588 ,

Barlow, 607

Bartholinus, 326

Bellovacensis, Vincentius, 290

Beloe, 578

Belon, 297

Berners, Dame Juliana, 539, 565-567, 57O, 57*

Berosus of Babylon, 187

Beserius, 209

Best, 615

Biblical notices of fishing, 544

Blacker, 624

Blakey, 627, 673

Blind Harry, 564

Blome, 6 10

Boaz, H., 532, 669

Boethius, Hector, 289

Bowlker, R. and €.,614

Brooks, Richard, M.D., 614

Brown, Dr. R., 260

Burmeister, 257

Burton, 569

Bussseus, 209, 212

Byron (quoted), 266, 600

Caius, Joannes, 315

Carroll, 619

Cassianus Bassus, 558

Cats (of Amsterdam), 573

Charleton, T. W., 666

Chatto, W. A., 670

Chetham, 608, 621, 622

INDEX. 693

AUTHORS — continued.
Chitty, Edward, 624
Clarke, W. G., 553
Clifford, 666
Ccecius (of Argos), 558
Colquhoun, J., 623
Columella, 558
Cotton, 606
Cox, Nicholas, 607
Crawhall, Joseph, 669, 671
Cutliffe, H. C., 632
Damianus, Petrus, 287
Daniels, 618
Davies, G. C., 632
Davy, Sir Humphry, 619
De Blainville, 270
De Fournival, Richard, 563
Deinbolt, P. W., 399
Delille, 565

De Montfort Denys, 355
Demostratus, 201
Dennys, John, 577
Dibden, Dr., 537
Diodorus Siculus, 196
Doubleday, Thomas, 569
Du Bartas, 573

Dubravius, Bishop of Olmutz, 572
Du Carge, 573
Dumeril, 270
Duvernoy, 271
Egede, Hans, 390
Ellacombe (Rev.), H. N., 654
Fennell, Greville, 632
Fitzgibbon, Edward, 627
Fletcher, Phineas, 646
Ford (Dr. Simon) quoted, 662
Foster, David, 634
Francis, Francis, 631
Francis, H. R., 641
Franck, Richard, 599, 610
Frus, Rev. — , 329
Gardiner, S., D.D., 537, 574
Gerarde, John, 298-302
Gervasius of Tilbury, 289
Gesner, 572
Gilbert, W., 608
Gilpen (Rev.), William, 665
Giraldus Cambrensis, 286

694 INDEX.

AUTHORS— continued.
Gosse, P. W., 224
Gray, Dr. J. E., 229, 348, 436
Gryndall, William, 574
Gualtieri, 267
Hall, Captain, 261
Hamilton, Dr. R., 217, 219
Hawker, Rev. R. S., 222
Henderson, William, 624, 634
Heresbach, 572, 611
Herodotus, 196
Hill, Dr. J., 315
Hofland, I. C., 623
Holmes, Dr. O. W., 284
Homer, quoted, 247, 544
Hone, 575
Hood, Tom, 221
Huckell (Rev.), J., 665
Hudson, Henry, 212
Hunt, Robert, F.R.S., 222
Irving, Washington, 619
Isidore of Seville, 559
Jacob, 613
Jesse, 620
Jonas Ramus, 208
Keene, J. H., 634
Kingsley (Canon), Charles, 650
Knox, Robert, M.D., 628
Lambert, Osmund, 541, 556, 557
Lathy, T. P., 666
Leonidas of Tarentum, 558
Leyden, John, 215
Liddell (Hon. and Rev.), R., 574
Linnaeus, 267, 327
Little, G., 635
Livy, 378
Lucian, 195
Lncretius, 197
Mackintosh, 618
Maier, Count, 306
Markham, Gervase, 538, 585
Martial quoted, 547
Martin, J. W., 535
Medwin, Captain, 621
Megasthenes, 199, 201
Midaros, Bishop of, 316
Montgomery, 266
Moray, Sir R., 304, 308, 314

INDEX. 695

AUTHORS — contimted.

M tiller, Professor Max, 314, 315

Munster Sebastian, 291

Murie, Dr., 229

Mutianus, 270

Newland (Rev.), Henry, 627

Newman, E., 434

Nobbes, R., 609

Numeneus of Heraclea, 558

Odoard Dapper, 210

Olafsen, 210

Olaus Magnus, 251, 572

Olaus Wormius, 297

Ongaro, 572

Oppian quoted, 243, 246, 265, 267, S49~555

Ovid quoted, 546

Owen, Professor, 229, 279, 280, 408

Palladius, 558

Pancrates the Arcadian, 558

Paullinus, 325

Penn, Richard, 620

Pennell, H. Cholmondeley, 631

Pepys, 613

Phillips (Rev.), Jerome, 576

Piers of Fulham, 563

Pliny, 200, 244,^270, 355, 378, 546

Plutarch, 547

Pollux, Julius, 555

Pontoppidan, 210, 325

Poseidonius of Corinth, 558

Pulman, 669

Ramus, Jonas, 291, 306

Rawlinson, Dr., 575 •

Ronalds, Alfred, 622

Rondeletius, 573

Rooper, G., 532

Roxby, Robert, 669

Ruiz, Juan, 562

Rumphius, 280

Salter, Robert, 618

Salter, Thomas J., 618

Salviani, 572

Sannazarius, 572

Sars, 257

Saunders, 613

Scaliger, Julius Csesar, 293

Schott, Caspar, 302

Scoresby, Captain, 227, 260

696 INDEX.

AUTHORS— continued.

Scott (Dr. Thomas), 664

Scrope, 627

Senior, W., 632

Shirley, T., 560, 615

Sibbald, Sir R., 289

Smith, John, 610

Stewart, W. C., 628

Stoddart, Thomas T., 622, 657

Taverner, 574

Taylor, 618

Tennent, Sir J. Emerson, 202

Theakston, M., 635

Theocritus quoted, 545

Thormodus Torfceus, 208

Upsala, Archbishop of. See Olaus Magnus.

Valentyn, 204-206

Varro, 558

Velain, Charles, 373

Venables, Col. R., 605

Villifranci, 572

Virgil quoted, 646

Walton (Izaak), 592, 636, 640

Waring, Carl, 674

Watt, W., 668

Webster, 284

West wood, 602

Wheeldon, J. P., 633

Whitbourne, 206

Whitney, 66 1

Williamson, 614

Wilson, Dr. Andrew, 433

Wilson, James, 623

Wilson (Professor) John, 624, 666

Woodward, Dr. H., 289

Worship, Dr. W., 676

Wright, W., 631

Younger, John, 624
Avon, River, 145

BADGES (fish), in heraldry, chap, vi., Fishes of Fancy ; of fishing franchise, 33,

46, 47, 67-70

Balani. See Acorn barnacles.
Baloena mysticetus (Greenland whale), 260
Banks's, Mr., specimens in the Hunterian Museum, 362
Barbel, 66, 67, 69, 74
BARBEL FISHING :

Difference between Thames and Trent fishing, 454

INDEX. 697

BARBEL FISHING — continued.

Selection of swims, 456

Biting and baiting, 457

Dodges in barbelling, 458

Baiting the swim, 459

Various methods of fishing, 460

Rods, 461

Winches, 462

Lines and casting, 463

Dressing, 464, 465

Colour of gut bottoms, 465

Fitting up leger tackle, 465

Hooks, 466

Barnacle geese, 286-311
Barneta (barnacle goose), 289
Bartlett, Mr., on whales spouting, 261, 262
Beale, Mr., „ „ 254

Bell, Mr. „ „ 256, 259

Beluga, 254, 258
Bennett, on whales spouting, 257

,, obtains a pearly nautilus, 280
Bible, fishes of the, 5, 6, 32 (note).
Bing, Mr., sketch of sea monster seen by Egede, 392
Birds, once fish, 12, 91 ; the great bird kruth, 54 ; and garucla, 24
Birdsgrove Fly-fishing Club, Mayfield, Ashbourne, 144
Bonito, 47

Boston Angling Association, 145
Bradford -on- Avon Fishing Association, 145
Bran, brant, or brent goose, 315
" Brazilian," ship, sea serpent seen from, 418

,, ,, ,, ,, found to be seaweed, 418

Bream, 20, 66
BREAM FISHING :

Description, 512

Localities where found, 513

Thames fishing, 513

Tight corking and hooks, 515

Ground baiting, 516

Legering and baits, 517

Cooking bream, 518

Bristol Golden Carp Angling Association, 146
British folk-lore (modern), 83-92
Buckland Angling Society, 177

,, Frank, explanation of sea serpent seen in Loch Houn, 419

„ ,, ,, ,, ,, „ from the " Osborne," 426

,, ,, his Japanese mermaid, 216

Buddhist legends, 7, 8, 39
Burbot, 145

698 INDEX.

Byelaws as to snatching and night -lining, 115, 119

CALAMARY, good for food, 323, 332, 362
,, hooked tentacles of, 344
,, mode of construction, 336, 338, 339
,, source of locomotion, 336

spawn, 347

„ stranded in Zeeland, Jutland, and Shetland, 364
Carlisle Angling Association, 147
Carnaim, 195

Carp, 9, 13, 15, 20, 57, 67, 122
CARP FISHING :

Description, 496

Localities where fish are found, 497

Baits, 498

Potatoe fishing, 499

Methods of fishing, 500

"Castilian," ship, sea monster seen from, 419
Catalina, gigantic cuttle found at, 372
CATALOGUES OF WORKS ON FISHING :

Bartlett's (of Boston, U.S.), 534

Bethune's, 533

Bosgoed's, 532

Ellis's (Sir Henry), 532

Engelmann's, 532

Enslin's, 532

Goode, Professor Brown (in preparation), 536

Kreysig's, 532

Pickering's, 533

Rittershusius', 532

Sale Catalogues of Works on Angling, 536

Schneider's, 532

Smith's (J. Russell), 533

White's (of Crickhowell), 532

Wilson's, (J.), 533
Cephalopoda, manner of feeding, 346

,, subdivision of, 334

" Challenger," H.M.S., dredging by, 438
Characters offish, 9-13 ; amiable, 22, 23 ; and grateful, 53-64
Charybdis, 247-249
Chichester Angling Society, 147
Chinese folk-lore, &c., 7, 14
Christian emblems, 42

„ legends. See Saints, Churches.
Chub, 66
CHUB FISHING :

Description and localities where found, 501

Likely places, 502

INDEX. 699

CHUB FISHING — continued.
Rods and reels, 503
Gut bottoms and legering, 504
Baiting, 505

Cheese, paste, greaves and shrimps, 506
Churches, privileges of, 33 ; badges of, 73
Cimedia chelonia, £c., 51

Cities of the plain now lakes, their citizens fishes, 41, 42
" City of Baltimore," ship, sea serpent seen from, 423
Clan-animals, fish as, 36, 64, 86
Clergymen, their presence sinister, 87
Clerkenwell Piscatorial Society, 177
Coats-of-arms and crests, 65-79
Cockle, 75, 89
Cod, 57, 66, 74

Colnett, Captain, mermaid incident, 314
Conchoderma aurita, eared barnacles, 310
Coney-fish, 67
Conger, 14, 67, 69

Cook, Captain, large calamary found by, 361
Coomb's Cove, gigantic cuttle found at, 370
Conula diadema. See Whale barnacle.
Costa Anglers' Club, 148

Cowan, Sir John, preservation of fish in the Thames by. 107
Crab and cancer, 10, 36, 50, 53, 66, 71, 74, 75, 90
Cray-fish, n, 20, 74, 75, 124
Cuttle bone, 335, 354

,, use of ink-bag of, 333, 336
Cuttles, 47, 71, 89

,, gigantic, belief in, very ancient, 355

,, ,, portions in European museums, 367, 374

,, ,, where found, 361

DACE, 67
DACE FISHING :

Description, and localities where found, 518

Bottom fishing and baits, 519

Likely places, 520

Fly-fishing for dace, 521

Blow-line fishing, 522

Ant flies, 523
Dagon, etymology of, 191
" Daedalus," ship, sea monster met by, 404
Dart District Fishery Board, the, 151
Davidson, R., sea monster seen by, 417
Decapoda, 334

Deluge, legends concerning the, 189
Deluge, the, distorted accounts, 188

700 INDEX.

Denison collection of works on fishing, 537

Dens, Captain Magnus, 359

Derwent Angling Club, 149

Derwent Valley Angling Association, 151

Dignities of fishermen, 10, 57 ; of fish, 6, 18. See Royal.

Dinotherium, 229

Divinities, as fish and fishermen, 6, 15? 19, 22, 31, 44, 50 ; Vishnu's avatar, 19,

21, 38 ; marine deities, 19, 32, 62, 84
Dogfish, 13, 28, 90

Dolphin, 10, 19, 20, 22, 49, 66, 69, 71, 74, 89
Dove, river, 144

Drowning, caused by octopus, 3 49
Drum-head fish, 36

Drummond, Lieut., memorandum as to sea monster seen from " Dsedalus," 407
Dugong, the, 228-234

EALING Dean Convivial Angling Society, 174
East Anglian Piscatorial Society, 153
Eaton Fishing Club, 153
Ecclesiastical, fish-badges of abbeys, &c., 73
,, bishop's fish-crests, 74

,, privileges of fisheries, 33

Echineis, 25
Eden, river, 147
Edible fish seldom sacred, 37 ;
Eels, 15, 20, 36, 37, 45, 56, 57, 67, 80, 90, 91, 124
Eel-baskets, 68, 74

Egyptian fish legends, £c., 12, 14, 22, 36, 37, 44
Eledone Moschatus, 332
" Epic Exploit " of fishes, 20
Esk Fishing Association, 154
European folk-lore (British), 59, 83, 92

» » (Continental), 56, 57, 83, 92

FABLES, fish in, 53-55

,, generally foolish, 54
Fairy-tales, fishes of, 20

„ their benign character in, 55, 57, 60-61

Fast-days and fish eating, 41, 44
Favourite fishes of Egypt, 44

» » Syria, 45

» » Greece and Rome, 45

» » Britain, 46

Royalty, 45-47

Ferry, Captain De, description of sea serpent, 387
Fetich-fish. See Totemism.
Feudal rights in fish, 33, 46, 67, 66-71
Finmark, imaginary monster on coast of, 326

INDEX. 701

Fish, an emblem of Christianity, 198
,, names of, suggesting crests, 66, 67
,, days in England, 41 ; Friday (Venus' day), 42
,, &c., of fancy (individual). See Sea animals, Sea monsters, &c.
Fishmongers' Company, 33
Fishermen, their patron saints, &c., 32, 47, 48
,, dignities of, 10, 57

,, i in fairy tale, 57
,, superstitions of, II

„ the earliest, 6, 7

„ royal, 7

,, gods as fishes and. See Divinities.

Flat-fish in fable, 55. See under various species.
Floating islands, 329
Flood, Biblical, 15, 48, 84

„ Vedic, 10, 21, 38, 39
Flounder, 57-67
Fluke, 6 1
Flying-fish, 47, 74
,, squids, 347

Folk-lore (modern), chap. vii. Fishes of Fancy ; persistence of superstition, 79
,, churches avoided, 88
,, clergy of ill omen, 87
,, feminine influences sinister, 87
„ foreboding death, 84
,, herring traditions, 86-88
.,, medical superstitions, 90
,, mermaids, &c., 84
,, of the origin of fishes, 91

,, their shapes, 82, 83. See also under African, Arctic, Aryan, Aus-
tralian, British, Chinese, European, Japanese, Jewish, Polynesian,
Red Indian, Russian, Scandinavian, .Syrian.
„ religious superstitions, 87, 88 v

,, water-cattle, 86
Fragrance of fishes, 13
,, cuttle, 6 1

„ grayling, 14

„ whale, 30

Franchise of fishing. See Privileges.
Furuke, 47

GAIMARD, Quoy and, great calamary seen by, 363

Garfish, 67

Gems obtained from fishes, 51

Glover, Surgeon (1676), report of a mermaid, 207

Gods as fishes and fishermen. See Divinities.

Golden Barbel Angling Societies, 176

Golden bream, 129

yo2 INDEX.

Goldfish, 19, 56
Goose barnacles, 286-310
Gorgonocephalus, 331
Grange Angling Society, 177

Grassington, Thresfield, and Linton Angling Clubs, 154
Grateful fish, 53-64
Grayling, 14, 69-74. H5» J53
Gray, Dr. J. E., on classification of manatidse, 229
size of octopus, 348
undiscovered aquatic reptiles, 436

Great Grimsby Angling Association, 154

Marlow Thames Angling Association, 120

Greek myths, &c., u, 18, 19, 22-25, 27, 45, 50, 52, 70

Greenland whale, 259

Grego collection of works on fishing, 451

" Gross weight " competitions, 167, 175

Guardians of treasure, fish as, 58-60

Gudgeon, 67

Guide books, 592

Gurnard, 14, 67

HADDOCK, 10, 32, 67, 83

Hake, 67

Halec-sauce, 45

Halicore, the, 228

Halitherium, 229, 231

Hammersmith United Angling Society, 175

Harrington, Captain, sea monster seen by, 419

Hatching-boxes (Lund's), 122

Henley and District Thames Angling Society, 122

Heracleoticon, Gesner's, 326

Heraldy of fish, French and German, 72-76

Herriman, Captain, sea serpent seen by, was seaweed, 218

Herring, 20, 42, 55, 67, 69, 75, 86, 87, 90

pie, 46

Hope, Captain, monster seen by, 438
Houn, Loch, sea serpent seen in, 219
Hydra, Lernean, 236-246

ICHTHYOLOGY, special list of works on, 683

Ichthyophagy, curious, 44-47? 83

Immature fish, destruction of, by steam launches, 105, 166

Implements of fishing, their antiquity, 18 ; in heraldry, 68

India, sacred fish of, 15, 38

Indian Ocean, sea serpents abundant in, 379

Ink-bag of cuttle, musky smell of, 332

,, „ use of, 336

International Fisheries Exhibition, list of publications in connection with, 686

INDEX. 703

Introduction of sea-fishing into Britain, 46

,, to " Practical Lessons in the Gentle Craft," 364-368

Ireland, great cuttle found near Boffin Island, 373
Irish legends of mermaids, 221

JAPANESE folk-lore, &c., 14, 34, 47

,, well acquainted with octopus, 351
,, book on fishing, 351, 382
Jewish traditions, &c., 35, 37, 40, 41, 49, 50 (note}.
,, ,, of leviathan, 8

,, ,, of Solomon, 5, 10, 52, 59

KENNET, river, 124

Ki kone, Japanese author of book on fishing, 352

King of fishes, leviathan, 8 ; dolphin, 69 ; herring, q.v.

King's Lynn Angling Association, 155

Kingston, poaching at, III

Koran. See Arabic.

Kraken, 328

,, Pontoppidan's description of, 327

,, probable origin of story of, 377

LAMALINE, gigantic cuttle found at, 371

Lamprey, 9, 46, 90

Lapland, imaginary monster on coast, 326

Lea, river, 102

Legendary art, fish in, 47

Lent and fish diet, a Pagan survival, 42

Lepas anatifera. See Necked barnacles, 309

Lepas aurita, eared barnacles, 310

Lerne, situation of, 240

Leviathan of the Talmud, 8

" Lightning," H.M.S., dredging by, 438

Ling, 74

Liverpool Angling Association, 156

Loach, 67

Lobster, 10, 75

,, and the Pretender, II

gigantic, 385

London angling clubs, 362
Love, the fish-gods of, 22, 31, 32, 50 (Venus' day), 42

„ in philtres, &c., 51, 52; fish friendly to lovers, 57, 59. See Phallical
Lower Monnow Fishing Club, 156

„ Teign Fishing Association, 156
Luce. See Pike.
Luke Debes describes a mermaid, 211

704 INDEX.

MACKEREL, 10, 67

Maclean, Mr., sea monster seen by, 396

Macquhoe, Captain P., 404

Maeotis, 37

Mahomedan traditions, &c. See Arabic.

Maidenhead, Cookham, and Bray Angling Society, 116

Manatee, the, 228, 230

Manatidse, 229, 230

Market Deep Angling Association, 157

Medieval superstitions, &c., 28, 32

Medicine, fish in, 51, 52, 90

Medway, no, 164

Melville, Mr. H., on the spouting of whales, 261

Mermaids, 185

Tritons, 73, 93

,, and their relatives, £c., 29, 72, 84

,, black, 72

,, La Mellusine, 73
Middleham Angling Association, 158
Miller's thumb, 67
Mollusca, soft bodied, 335
Monk-fish, 28

Monsters. See Sea monsters.
Mullet, 9, 15, 67

Munro, Mr., sees a mermaid, 218
Muraena, 9
Musculus, 27, 29

NAUPLIUS, the, or paper nautilus, 270
Nautilus, 76

,, pompilius, or pearly nautilus, 267

„ " sailing " of the, 264-285
Necked barnacles, 309
Necromancy, fish in, 51
Nere Angling Club, 158
Netting, no, 147, 153

Newark and Muskham Fishery Association, 159
Newbury and District Angling Association, 123
Newfoundland, gigantic cuttle found at, 367

» >» ,, size, 368

Newspapers and periodicals, 592
Night-lining, 122, 125
Nineveh sculptures, 192
Noah, 193

Noah worshipped as a sea-god, 189
Northampton, 159
Norwich Piscatorial Society, 159

OCCULT influences offish, 51, 52

INDEX. 705

Octopoda, abundant in temperate zone, 354
,, danger of, 348
„ habits of, 339, 342
Octopus, the, 47, 237
Ocythoe, 269

Odoard Dapper, on the chimpanzee, 210
Olafsen, on mermaids in Iceland, 208
Olaus Magnus, on the physeter, 251

„ ,, tales of,

,, Wormius, on the goose-tree, 297
Onychoteuthis, hooked tentacles of, 3/14
Oracles from fish, 32, 51. See under Fairy tales.
Orders of honour, shell-fish in, 75
Origin of sea fables, 186

„ world, the Creator a fish, 4, 18, 24, 81 ; of certain fishes, 91
"Osborne," H.M.S., marine monster seen from, 424
Osiris, 1 88

Otley Angling Club, 160

Ova, destruction of, by birds and steam launches, 103
Owen, Professor, 229, 279, 280

„ „ on the " Daedalus " incident, 408

Oxford Angling Association, 125
Oxyrhinchus, 36
Oyster, 29, 52, 68, 76

PAN-FISH, 52

Patron gods and saints, 32, 47, 48

" Pauline," ship, sea serpent seen from, 420, 421

PERCH FISHING :

Derwent perch, 490

Description and handling, 491

Localities where fish are found, 492

Rods, winches, and hooks, 493

Baits, 494

Worm fishing, 495
Phagrus, 37

Phallical fish, 7, 20, 42, 43
Philanthropic fishes, 22, 23, 55, 57, 60, 61
Phocce, 29

Phocidoe, probable origin of mermaid stories, 225
Physeter, the, 251
Pike, 9, 20, 29, 36, 67, 73, 90
PIKE FISHING :

Rods, 477

Lines and reels, 478

Baiting, spinning flight, 479

Likely places for casting, 480

Live baiting, 481
VOL. III. — H. 2 Z

706 INDEX.

PIKE FISHING — continued.

Old-fashioned theories, 482

General tackle, 483

Baiting, 484

Floats and baits, 485

Snap tackle, 486

Paternostering, 487

Striking, 488, 489
Pilot-fish, 27
Pilchard, 69

Pisces, "Zodiacal," 22, 42, 48-51 ; "Regales," 45-47
Piscatorial franchise, rights, &c. See Privileges.

„ Society, the, 172
Pisciculture, special list of works on, 685
Plaice, 55

Pliny's monster polypus, 355
Poaching, 104, in
Poisonous fish (sacred), 36

Polynesian folk-lore, legends, &c., 6, 15, 18, 31, 32, 39, 80, 82
Pompilus, 27
Pontoppidan, Eric, a conscientious investigator, 327

,, correctly identifies the kraken as a cephalopod, 332

,, on mermaids, 210, 211, 213

„ sea serpent, 386

Pope Innocent III., prohibits the eating of fish in Lent, 288

,, Pius II., in search of the goose-tree, 291
" Porcupine," H.M.S., dredging by, 438
Porpoise, 20, 46, 89

Porpoises swimming look like serpent, 388, 390
Power, Madame J., experiments on paper nautilus, 270
Prawn, 92

Precious stones from fish, 51, 52
Preserves, 108

Primitive fish-beliefs, chap, i.-iii. Fishes of Fancy, 80-83
Privileges of fishery, royal, 46, 47

„ „ „ feudal, 46, 47, 67, 70

„ „ „ ecclesiastical, 33

,, ,, ,, municipal, 68
Prophet's-fish, 35
Pudding, 42

QUOTATIONS FROM THE POETS :—
Armstrong (John), 663
Browne (Moses), 662
Browne (William), 645
Bunyan, 653
Burns, 537
Chaucer, 650

INDEX. 707

QUOTATIONS FROM THE POETS — continued.

Cotton, 650

Dennys (John), 639

Donne (Dr.), 647

Drayton (Michael), 641

Gray, 656

Gower, 640

Holmes, O. W., 284

Milton, 192, 645

Montgomery, 266

Pope, 124, 268, 656

Quarles, 641

Sabie, 641

Shakespeare, 655

Somerville, 666

Spenser, 640

Thomson, 660

Vaughan, H., 647

Waller, 652

Wotton (Sir Henry), 651
Quoy and Gaimard, great calamary seen by, 364

RABBI IZAAK, of Corbeil, prohibits barnacle-geese as food, 288

Railway companies 'and angling clubs, 167, 169

Rang, Captain S., experiments on paper nautilus, 271

Ray, 55

Reading and District Angling Society, 120

Redditch Piscatorials, the, 160

Red Indian folk-lore, &c., 18, 31, 36, 55, 72, 80

Reineke Fuchs, fish version, 21

Religions, fish in, chap. iii. Fishes of Fancy

Remora, 25, 71, 90

Reticence in Holy Writ as to fish, 5

Ring-swallowing myth, 58, 60

Right whale, 258, 259

Roach, 67

ROACH FISHING :

Rods, 447

Lines, hair v. gut, 448

Floats — shotting, &c., 449

Bait of various kinds, 449

Ground baiting, 450

Various methods of fishing, 450-452

Localities where fish are found, 452

Swims in summer and winter, 452

Blow-line fishing and daping, 453

Roman traditions, &c., 7, 9. n, I3> 15> 25» 34> 45> 49-51* 7°
Rough-hound, 28

7oS INDEX.

Royal fish, 45-47

„ crests, 71, 72, 74-76

„ privileges, 46
Ruffe, 67
Ruhoo, 38

Russian folk-lore, &c., 20, 56, 57
Ryedale Angling Club, 161
Rytina, the, 228, 230

SABBATH-OBSERVING fish, 35
Sacred fish, 21, 32, 35-43

„ „ why sacred, 37
" Sailing " of the nautilus, 264
St. John's Amateur Angling Association, 162
Saint Paul, gigantic calamary cast ashore at, 373
SAINTS :

Ambrose, 14
Andrew, 33, 34, 48
Anthony, 33, 48
Benedict, 35
Benignus, 35
Christopher, 17, 33
Margaret, 64
Matthias, 48
Peter, 33, 48, 56

Seven Champions of Christendom, 34, 48
Wilfred, 46
Xavier, 10, 11
Zeno, 33, 34, 48

Sander Rang, Captain, great cuttle seen by, 364
* Saturday Magazine,' extract from, on Japanese mermaids, 216
Salmon, 9, 62, 67, 68, 74, 83, 87, 154
Scaleless fish unwholesome, therefore sacred, 37
Scallop, 67

Scammon, Captain, on whales spouting, 261
Scandinavian myth folk-lore, &c., 6, 10, 20, 32, 62, 83
Schliemann, Dr., discoveries at Mycenae, 250
Scylla, 247-249
SEA-ANIMALS, &c. :
Bat, bear, 11
Bishop, 28
Cat, ii

Cattle, 84, 86, 95
Eagle, lion, hedge-hog, n, 27, 71
Horse, 19, 72, 84
Leopard, n
Lizard, 49
Mouse, scorpion, snipe, swallow, n

INDEX. 709

SEA-ANIMALS, &c., continued.
Parrot, 12
Unicorn, griffin, 72
Urchin, 75, 89

Sea bottom, green fields, &c., 12
Sea-canaiy, the white whale, 259
Sea-cow, or rytina, 232

Sea deities, 19, 22, 31, 32, 62, 84. See Divinities.
}• ,, fauna, duplicate of terrestrial, II ; for species, see Sea animals.
Sea fishing, special list of works on, 68 1
Seal, 42, 45, 56, 67, 69, 70

Sea monsters, &c., II, 12, 19, 27, 28, 30, 49, 71, 72, 75, 84, 89
Senior, Major H. W. J., sea serpent seen by, 423
Sepia, 71

,, habits of, 343

„ intelligent, 337

,, microcosmos, 327

„ mode of construction, 336, 337, 340

„ size, 354

,, source of locomotion, 337

„ spawn, 347

,, very timid, 337
Serpent, sea, abundant in Indian Ocean, 379

,, ,, Aristotle mentions, 378

,, ,, belief in, very ancient, 378

,, ,, description, 380

; „ „ ferocious, 379

,, ,, supposed, described to the Wernerian Society, 397

,, „ supposed by some to be Plesiosaurus, 408, 435

,, „ seen by Egede probably a calamary, 393

,, ,, ,, at Gloucester Harbour, Massachusetts, 396

,, ,, near Halifax, Nova Scotia, 397

,, ,, ,, Christiansand, 398

,, ,, in Romsdal-fjord, 399

,, water, Livy mentions, 378

,, ,, Pliny mentions, 378

Shakespeare, on mermaids, 221
Shapes of fish, how acquired, 82, 83
Shark, 9, 20, 26, 36, 69, 80, 82, 90
Sheikh, 35

Shell-fish, 75, 76. See under various species.
Shrewsbury and Severn Angling Society, 161
Sign-boards, fish devices, &c., 77, 79
Silurian, 37
Skate, 88
Smelt, 67

Smith, Captain, finds supposed serpent to be seaweed, 419
Snatching, practice of, ill, 115

7io INDEX.

Solander, Banks and, meet with a large calamary, 361

Solar myth, fish in, 19

Sole, 67, 82, 92

Solomon and fish, 5, 10, 52, 59

Sound, fish highly sensitive to, 14, 15, 88

Spalding Angling Club, 161

Sperm whales, 258

Spirits of the sea, 32, 84

Sportsman's Angling Club, 174

" Spouting " of whales, 250-263!

Sprat, 67, 74

Squid, 47, 242

Star-fish, 75

Statutes, curious, regulating sale, &c., 46

Stay-ship, 25

Steam launches, destruction of ova by, 103

Steller, 213, 227, 228

Stickleback, 84

Stock-fish, 74

Stour Fishing Association, 162

Stream worship, 45, 46

Sturgeon, 20, 30, 36, 46, 55, 67

Styan, Captain A., founding of Maidenhead, Cookham, and Bray Angling

Association, 117
Submarine vegetation, 12
Suckers of octop'oda, &c., 339
Sucking-fish, 25, 71, 90
Sun-fish, 80

Superstitions, modern, chap. vii. Fishes of Fancy
Swainson, Mr., 224
Swallowing human beings, 21

„ jewels, 58-60

Sword-fish, 49
Symbolism of fish, 37, 42 ; in Heraldry, chap. vi. Fishes of Fancy, as Totems,

36, 66, 80
Syrian myths, &c., 18, 22, 44

TABOOED fish, 36, 37 ; because sacred, 21, 32, 35-43. See Toteniism.

Talisman, fish as, 51

Talmud, legends of. See Jewish.

Tench, 67, 90

TENCH FISHING :

Likely localities, 430

Tench tackle, and using it, 431

Bait, 432

Tenures, by fish pies, 46, 68-71. See Privileges.
Thames, river, 102

,, Angling Preservation Society, 106, 115, 131
,, Conservancy Board, no, 118

INDEX. 7 ji

Thames preserves. See Preserves.

Tombs, fish emblems upon, 37, 42

Totemism, tribal badges, tutelary-fish, &c., 36, 66, 80

Treasure-restoring fishes, 58-60

Trent Fishery Board of Conservators, 163

Tritons, &c. See Mermaids.

Trout, 36, 69

Trout, breeding of, &c., 116, 119, 121, 123, 124, 145, 150, 155

TROUT FISHING :

Localities where fish are found, 466

Weir fishing, 467

Rods, 468

Traces, flights, &c. — colour of gut, 469

Binding and joining, 470

Spinning leads, &c., 471

Flights, and baiting them, 472

Artificial baits, 473

Casting, 474

Live baiting, 475
True Waltonians, the, 173

Tunbridge Angling Club and Fish Preservation Society, 164
Tunny, 12
Turbot, 9, 55, 67
Turtle and tortoise, 10, 18, 23, 24, 49, 51, 54-57

UNITED London Fisheries Association, 169
Universal Angling Society, 164
Upper Exe Fishing Association, 162

VEDIC legends, &c., 6, 10, 18, 20, 21
Venus, 196, 197

,, a fish. See Love.
Vesica piscis, 43
Vishnu, a fish, 19, 21, 38

,, (Sanskrit equivalent for Noah), 9
Voices of fish, 14, 1 6
Von Baer, on whales spouting, 257

WALKING fish and climbing, 13

Waltonian Angling Society, 174

Water-horse, &c., 84, 86. See Sea animals.

Watford Piscators, 164

Weather prognostics from fish, 10, 89

Weddell, Captain, reports seeing a mermaid, 214

Weeds in river Costa, 148

Welland river, 157

Westbourne Park Piscatorial Society, 155

West London Angling Club, 155

Whale, 13, 14, 20, 27, 29, 42, 46, 56, 72, 80, 81, 89

7i2 INDEX.

Whale, barnacle, 310

Whales, " spouting " of, 250

Wharfe, river, 154

Whelk, 75

White whale, the, 254

Whiting, 67

Wilder, H., founding of Maidenhead, Cookham, and Bray Angling

Society, 117

Windsor and Eton Society, 115
Witham, river, 145
Woman-fish, or manatee, 228-230
Woolwich Brothers Angling Society and Woolwich Piscatorials, 176

„ „ „ „ See Trout.

WORKS ON FISHING, or in which Fishing is mentioned :

Accomplisht Ladies' Delight, 607

Amusements of Clergymen, 665

An Angler's Strange Experience, 635

Ancient and Modern Fish Tattle, 542

Anecdotes of Literature and Scarce Books, 578, 60 1

Angler (Clifford's), 666

Angler (Lathy 's), 666

Angler in Wales, 621

Angler Naturalist, 631

Anglers Companion, 622

Angler's Complete Gttide and Companion, 635

Angler's Delight, 608

Angler's Museum, 560

Angler's Note Book, 572

Angler's Progress 1789, 533

Angler's Progress (Boaz's), 669

Angler's Register, 631

Angler's Song Book, 673

Angler's Souvenir, 622

Angler's Tent, 667

Angler's Vade-mecum, 608

Angler's Vade-mecum (Carroll's), 619

Anglers, 564

Anglers' Evenings, 540, 541

Anglers' Guide, 616

Anglers' Museum, 615

Anglers' Note Book and Naturalists' Record, 634

Anglers' Rambles, 620

Angling Idylls, 622

Angling in all its Branches, 618

Angling Literature (Blakey's), 541

Angling Literature in England, 541

Angling Resorts near London, 633

Animalia of Aristotle, 159

INDEX. 713

WORKS ON FISHING — continued.
Ars Amatoria, 546
Art of Angling, 614
Art of Angling, 624
Art of Angling (Barker), 588
Art of Angling Improved in all its Parts, 614
Art of Angling in Scotland, 622
Art of Fishing, 676

Art of Trout Fishing in Rapid Streams, 632
Ausonius, 556, 557

Autobiography of the late Salmo Salar, Esq., 632
Barker's Delights, 652
Battle of Mr. Carnal and Mrs. Lent, 563
Bibliomania, 537

Bibliotheca Ichthyologia et Piscatoria, 532
Bibliotheca Piscatoria, 531, 534, 540, 564
BokeofSt. Albans, 497, 539, 565-567, 57°, 57i
Book of the Axe, 669
Book of the Pike, 632
Book of the Roach, 632
Book of the Salmon, 627
.Z?00£ on Angling, 631
Booke of Angling or Fishing, 537, 574
.£00£i of Fishing with Hooke and Line, and all other Instruments thereunto

belonging, 573, 6ll
Briefve Treatis of Fishing, 611
British Angler, 614
British Anglers'1 Manual, 623
British Angling Flies, 635
British Field Sports, 634

Certaine Experiments concerning Fish and Fruite, 574
£&<z& Stream Studies, 630
Chapletsfrom Croquet Side, 671
Collection of Right Merrie Garlands, 669
Colloquy of the Saxon ^Elfric, 563
Complete Fisherman, 613
Compleat Angler (The), 536, 592
Complete Guide to Spinning and Trolling, 631
Concise Treatise on the Art of Angling, 615
Complete Trailer, 609
Coquetdale Fishing Songs, 669
Country Contentments, &>c., 585
Country Gentleman's Vade-mecum, 613
Zteyj ««</ yV/£A& of Salmon-Fishing in the Tweed, 627
ZV Animalium Natura, 547
Zte Or dine Creaturarum, 559
De Piscatione, Compendium^, 611

VOL. III. — H. 3 A

7H INDEX.

WORKS ON FISHING — continued.
De Re Rustica, 558
De VetulA, 563, 611
Driffield Angler, 618
Enemies of Books, Blade's, 539
English Husbandman, 585

Erne (The) ; its Legends and its Fly -Fishing, 627
Experienced Angler, 605
Field Sports, 666

Fish and Fishing in the lone Glens of Scotland, 628
Fisher (The], 576
Fisherman's Magazine, 632
Fisherman (The), 576
Fishermen Fishers of Men, 575
Fishes and Fishing, 631
Fishing Gossip, 631

/7<?a/ Fishing and Spinning in the Nottingham Style, 635
Flood, Field and Forest, 632

Fly-fisher and his Library (Cambridge Essays), 541
Fly-fishers Entomology, 622
Fly -fisher's Guide, 618
Fly-fishing in Northumberland, 670
/frm/ .Stotef j» Norway and Sweden, 627
Game Laws Versified, 669
Genteel Recreation, 66 1
Gentleman Angler, 613
Gentleman's Recreation (Cox's), 607
Gentleman's Recreation (Blome's), 610
Geoponica, 558, 6n
Georgics (the), 546
Giannettasius, 573
Gleanings, 620
Goodman's Recreations, 585
Halieuticon, 546
Halieutics, 549-555
Handbook of Angling, 627
^*«Ki /fc«/^, /fo^ ^ jfr^ ^ ^ ^

Faulkener, 574
Hexameron, 559

Year Book, 575
^/" Theocritus, 545
Illustrated Fly-fisher's Text-book, 624
Innocent Epicure, 607
Jewel for Gentrie, 588
Kentish Angler, 618
Kingsley's Life and Letters, 630
/.ay of the Last Angler, 674

INDEX. 715

WORKS ON FISHING— continued.

Lay of the Lea, 602

Maxims and flints for an Angler, &*c., 620

Modern Angler (Alfred's), 631

Modern Angler (Sailer's), 618

Moor and the Loch, 623

Mosella, 556, 557

My Life as an Angler, 624

Newcastle Fishers'1 Garlands, 669

North Country Angler, 615

Northern Memoirs, 599, 610

Onomasticon, 555

Pefys* Diary, 613 ,

Pleasures of Princes, 585, 611

Poetic ce, 564

Practical Angler, 628

Practical Fisherman, 634

Prose Halieutics, 624

Quaint Treatise on Flees and the Art a' Artyfichall Flee Making, 633

Rail and the Rod, 632, 679

Recreations of Christopher North, 624

Remarks on Shooting, in Verse, 668

River Angling for Salmon and Trout, 624

Rod and Gun, 623

Rural Sports, 618

Rustic Occupations, 572

Salmonia, 619

Scientific Angler, 634

•Saw*/* of Angling (the), 536, 538, 576

Secrets of Angling (by C. B.), 613

Several Ways of Hunting, Hawking, and Fishing, &*c., 607

Shakespeare as an Angler, 654

Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., 619

Songs and Poems (Stoddart's), 667

Songs of the Edinburgh Club, 673

Spinning Tackle, 631

Thames and Tweed, 632

Treaty se of ' Fysshynge with an Angle, 566, 6ll

True Art of Angling, 610

Universal Angler, 594

Vayne conseytes offolysche love undyr colour offysching and fowlyng, 563

Waterside Sketches, 632

Young Man's Companion, 612

Young Sportsman's Delight, 1712, 538, 561
Wycombe Trout and Preservation Society, 123

YEDO, gigantic cuttle exhibited at, 373

716 INDEX.

ZODIACAL fishes, 48-51

„ pisces, 22, 42
Zoolatry, chaps, i. ii. iii. Fishes of Fancy.

,, its survival, 79
Zoological mythology, antiquity, of, chap. ii. Fishes of Fancy.

LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS. LIMITED, STAMFORD
STREET AND CHARING CROSS.