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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


Jjh 


PAGE 


CALLORHY.NC  H  US    ANTARTICA 

ELCPH/^NT  r/SH . 


FISHES   AND  FISHING. 

ARTIFICIAL  BREEDING  OF  FISH, 

THEIR  LOVES,  PASSIONS,  AND  INTELLECTS. 


WITH   ILLUSTEATIVE    FACTS 


BY    W.    WRIGHT,    ESQ. 


SURGEON   AURI8T  TO  HER  LATE  MAJESTY   QUEEN  CHARLOTTE,  TO 

HIS  ROYAL  HIGHNESS  THE  LATE  DUKE  OF  CAMBRIDGE, 

FIELD-MARSHAL  HIS  GRACE  THE  LATE   DUKE  OF 

WELLINGTON,  AND  HER  ROYAL  HIGHNESS 

THE  LATE  DUCHESS  OF  GLOUCESTER. 

LECTURER    ON  THE   ANATOMY  AND  PHYSIOLOGY    OF   THE   EAR; 

ON  CHEMISTRY,  AND  THE  MEDICAL  APPLICATION  OF 

ELECTRICITY  ;    AUTHOR  OF  MANY  WORKS  ON 

DISEASES  OF  THE  AUDITORY  ORGANS  ; 

AND  OF  NUMEROUS  PAPERS    IN  THE 

LANCET  FROM  1831  TO  1843, 


LONDON: 

THOMAS  CAUTLEY  NEWBY,  PUBLISHER, 

30,  WELBECK  STREET. 

1858. 


^W 


TO 

THE  NOBLEMEN  AND  GENTLEMEN, 

WHO  HAVE  IN  STJCH  A  PRAISEWOKTHY  MANNER 

ASSOCIATED    THEM8ELYE8 

TO     PROTECT      OUR     NOBLE      EIVER     FROM      POACHERS, 

**  iljj  f  liamBS  Ingling  'f  rusFniatrDii  Inrirtij,  '* 

THIS    WORK 
IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED,   BY 

THEIR  YERY  OBEDIENT    SERVANT, 

W.  WllIGHT. 

[Ko.  4,  Duke  Street,  St.  James'  Sciuare. 


m51 84S 


EERATA. 

Page  125,  "  Wrus  "  should  be  "  Wrass," 

Page   190,  last  paragraph  beginning  "  I  bad  enough,"  and 

ending,  "  good  sport  in  taking  perch,"  should  come  in  page 

193,  after  *•  rights  of  the  Church,"  and  immediately  before 

"Perch  are  a  very  voracious  fish." 
"Wherever  the  name  of  "Sir  Francis  Chantry"  is  mentioned, 

read  "  Chantrey." 


ADDRESS  TO  ANGLERS. 


I 


During  a  great  number  of  years  I  have  been 
in  the  constant  practice  of  entering  in  abook 
the  result  of  my  own  observations,  or  authentic 
facts  gleaned  from  sources  which  could  be  de- 
pended upon,  and  worthy  of  being  remembered, 
relative  to  Angling,  in  all  its  branches;  and 
I  hope  I  shall  be  rendering  an  acceptable 
service  to  those  fond  of  the  recreation,  by  giv- 
ing my  Memoranda  to  the  admirers  of  that 
fascinating  and  health-inspiring  amusement. 
Should  my  experience  assist  any  worthy  brother 
of  the  angle  to  increase  his  sport  or  amuse  him 
at  seasons  when  he  cannot  enjoy  the  reality, 
I  shall  feel  myself  amply  repaid. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


INTEODUCTION. 


As  Oppian  is  often  referred  to  in  the  following 
pages,  it  may  be  proper  to  give  some  account  of  him, 
more  particularly  as  he  was  the  first  who  ever  wrote 
upon  Fishes,  and  Fishing. 

He  was  the  last  of  the  Greek  poets,  and  flourished 
about  1 652  years  ago,  in  the  reign  of  Severus  Septi- 
mus, Emperor  of  Rome,  who  succeeded  to  the  throne 
about  A.D.  192.  Oppian's  father,  Agesilaus,  was  a 
man  of  wealth  and  distinction,  at  Anazarbus,  in 
Cilicia,  where  Oppian  was  born,  a.b.  183.  Agesilaus 
being  of  a  studious  and  philosophical  disposition, 
avoided  the  fatigue  and  hurry  of  public  meetings ; 
and  when  the  emperor,  in  his  progress  through  Cilicia, 
entered  Anazarbus,  the  old  gentleman  hoped  his  stu- 
dious habits  would  excuse  his  attendance  on  Severus. 
But  the  emperor  being  of  a  very  tyrannical  dispo- 
sition,* considered  the  non-attendance  of  Agesilaus  as 

*  Of  all  the  Eoman  emperors  whose  busts  are  in  the  British 
Museum,  his  is  the  most  handsome. 


Vlll  INTHODUCTIOJT. 

a  mark  of  such  disrespect,  that  he  banished  him  to 
the  island  of  Halta.  Oppian,  with  filial  piety,  accom- 
panied his  father  in  his  exile,  and  there  wrote  his 
Halieuticks ;  or,  the  nature  of  Fishes,  and  Pishing ; 
thought  to  be  one  of  the  finest  remains  of  antiquity. 

According  to  the  custom  of  those  times,  Oppian 
recited  his  Halieuticks  in  a  public  theatre,  before  the 
emperor,  who  was  so  delighted  with  the  sweetness  of 
the  composition,  the  novelty  of  the  subject,  and  pro- 
bably the  flattery  of  himself,  and  his  son  Caracalla, 
who  reigned  jointly  with  his  father,  diffused  through- 
out the  whole  poem,  that  in  order  also  to  support  his 
character  as  a  patron  of  learning,  of  which  he  wa;i 
proud,  he  desired  Oppian  to  ask  what  he  would, — 
nothing  should  be  denied  to  him.  Oppian  prayed 
for  the  restoration  of  his  father  to  liberty,  and  to  his 
country  ;  the  emperor  not  only  granted  this,  but  pre- 
sented him  with  3,506  staters  of  gold,  each  stater 
being  about  I65.  4.d.,  or  together  then  of  the  value  of 
£2863  2s.  8d.  The  munificent  gift  at  the  present 
time  would  be  enormous  in  value. 

Oppian  was,  no  doubt,  personally  engaged  in  the 
diversions  he  so  well  describes,  and  also  availed  him- 
self of  all  the  knowledge  of  more  ancient  philosophers 
in  the  prosecution  of  his  studies  as  a  naturalist ;  he 
united  the  utile  et  dulee,  the  philosopher  with  the 


INTEODirCTION.  IX 

gentleman,  and  though  a  heathen,  his  morality  and 
religious  sentiments  would  put  to  the  hlush  many 
who  consider  themselves  wiser  men. 

Soon  after  his  favourable  reception  at  the  court  of 
Severus,  he  returned  to  his  paternal  home ;  but  he 
did  not  long  enjoy  the  pleasures  resulting  from  having 
obtained  the  liberty  of  his  father,  for  the  plague  cut 
oif  this  last  of  the  ancient  poets,  in  the  thirtieth  year 
of  his  age.  The  citizens  of  his  native  city,  to  mark 
their  grief  for  his  loss,  gave  him  a  most  honourable 
funeral,  and  erected  a  statue  to  his  memory,  with 
this  inscription : — 

"  Though  much  they  lov'd,  no  Heliconian  maid 
Could  Oppian  save,  or  sullen  Fate  persuade.  ' 

The  rigid  Destinies'  superior  power 
Snapt  quick  the  thread,  and  fix'd  the  hastened  hour, 
But  had  these  Sisters,  like  the  nine,  been  kind, 
Nor  Oppian's  life  to  thrice  ten  years  confin'd, 
All  the  inspired  had  hira  their  chief  allow'd, 
And  all  to  him  their  humbler  laurels  bow'd." 

Many  of  the  fishes  which,  when  Oppian  wrote, 
swam  in  the  Mediterranean,  are  totally  unknown  in 
our  seas,  or  have  not  been  caught  by  the  fishermen  of 
this  part  of  the  world  ;  others  puzzle  modern  Ichthy- 
ologists to  determine  what  fishes  are  intended  by  the 
ancient  descriptions  of  them ;  and  large  allowances 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

must  be  made  for  the  talented  translators,  Messrs. 
Diaper  and  Jones,  in  their  endeavours  to  give  English 
names  to  those,  to  which  they  had  no  guide,  but  the 
Greek  ones,  by  which  they  were  distinguished. 

Oppian  chiefly  studied  the  fishes  of  the  ocean ;  but 
there  is  little  doubt  those  inhabiting  fresh  water  are 
analogous  in  their  nature,  habits,  passions,  generation, 
senses,  and  enemies ;  however,  it  is  not  proposed, 
neither  would  it  be  possible,  to  follow  him  relative  to 
all  the  fish  he  mentions. 

Oppian  wrote  three  poems,  each  containing  five 
books ;  of  that  on  beasts,  and  hunting,  the  last  book 
is  believed  to  be  totally  lost ;  and  of  that  on  birds  and 
fowling,  there  is  only  a  Greek  paraphrase  remaining. 
This  on  fishes  and  fishing  is  perfect ;  and  there  are 
several  translations.  I  have  referred  to  the  Univer- 
sity of  Oxford  edition. 

According  to  him,  the  implements  used  by  ancient 
fishermen  were — 

"  The  slender  woven  net,  vimineous  weel, 
The  taper  angle,  line,  and  barbed  steel, 
Are  all  the  tools  his  constant  toil  employs  ; 
On  arms  like  these  the  fishing  swain  relies." 

It  was  supposed  by  the  ancients,  that  immense  fish, 
much  larger  than  whales,  peopled  the  depths  of  the  sea 


INTEODUCTION.  XI 

beyond  where  soundings  could  be  obtained,  namely, 
300  fathoms,  or  1800  feet ;  below  that  depth,  it  was 
supposed  the  line  only  appeared  to  sink,  but  realW 
did  not. 

On  the  26th  December,  1850,  in  latitude  28"  21' 
south,  longitude  29°  11'  west,  the  bottom  was  reached 
at  3,100  fathoms,  18,600  feet  (3^  miles);  and  since 
that,  an  American  ship  has  sounded  in  coming  over 
to  this  country,  and  found  the  bottom,  and  the  state 
of  it,  by  a  very  ingenious  apparatus,  at  the  depth  of 
above  nine  miles ! 


FISHES  AND  FISHING. 


At  a  very  distant  period  from  the  present  time,  I 
found  myself  the  inmate  of  a  large,  old-fashioned 
mansion-house,  surrounded  with  extensive  walled-in 
gardens,  beautiful  pleasure  grounds,  a  bowling-green, 
a  wilderness,  a  canal  with  small  summer-houses, 
under  weeping  willows  at  one  end,  and  a  handsome 
stone  temple  at  the  other,  and  a  clear  trout  stream  run- 
ning at  the  bottom  of  the  garden  ;  numerous  stables, 
coach-houses,  laundries,  poultry-houses,  and  yards, 
with  other  offices,  were  attached  to  the  premises. 
All  these  were  situate  down  a  lane  called  Water 
Lane,  leading  out  of  the  main  street  on  entering 
Dartford,  in  Kent,  a  posting  town,  then  of  very  con- 
siderable notoriety,  being  the  chief  direct  road  to  the 
continent.  The  middle  of  this  lane  was  occupied  by 
a  shallow  stream  of  clear  water ;  on  one  side  of  it  was 
a  raised  fjot  path :  on  the  other  side,  the  water  washed 

B 


2  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

the  hedge,  within  which  were  a  few  detached  cottages, 
with  small  gardens,  reached  by  stepping  from  one  little 
post  or  stump,  to  another  ;  these  stumps  were  placed  at 
certain  distances  apart,  so  that  a  carriage  could  pass 
down  the  lane  with  a  dexterous,  accustomed  driver ; 
to  a  stranger  it  appeared  wonderful,  how  easily  men, 
women  and  children,  stepped  from  one  of  these  little 
posts  to  the  other,  without  ever  falling  into  the 
water.  As  this  stream  approached  the  mansion- 
house  offices,  the  ground  was  raised  artificially,  and 
the  water  was  conducted  in  an  open  brick  channel, 
over  gravel,  under  a  small  parlour  window,  but  being 
confined  in  space,  it  was  consequently  deeper,  and 
ran  with  more  velocity,  and  a  rippling  sound  over  its 
pebbly  bed,  till  it  passed  under  an  arch,  over  which 
was  the  large  porch  of  the  mansion.  A  few  yards 
from  the  house,  the  stream  re-appeared  and  occupied 
the  middle  of  the  lane,  having  dwelling-houses,  and  a 
continuous  pathway  on  one  side,  and  a  long  walk 
shaded  with  fine  lime  trees,  on  the  other ;  outside  of 
the  high  walls  of  the  garden  of  the  mansion-house, 
the  water  in  the  middle  continued  in  its  course  into 
a  creek  called  Dartford  Greek,  which  fell  into  the 
Thames,  and  at  spring  tides  the  water  was  a  good 
depth,  even  up  to  the  porch  of  the  house.  I  am  thus 
particular,  for  a  reason  which  will  be  seen  hereafter  j 
the  trout  river  which  bounded  the  garden,  orchard^ 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  3 

and  grounds  just  below  them,  expanded  into  a  very 
large  pond,  and  the  superfluity  of  the  water  not  re- 
quired for  the  mill,  passed  over  a  tumbling  bay  by 
the  side  of  that  building.  In  Doomsday  Book,  a  mill 
was  mentioned ;  but  it  was  then,  and  had  been  long 
before,  a  mill  for  grinding  corn.  According  to  Mr. 
Dickens,  Sir  John  Spielman,  Jeweller  to  Queen 
Elizabeth,  whose  tomb  (that  is.  Sir  John's)  is  in 
Dartford  Church,  built  a  paper*mill  for  the  making  of 
writing-paper,  and  Her  Majesty  granted  him  a  license 
"  for  the  sole  gathering  for  ten  years  of  all  rags,"  &c. 
"  necessary  for  the  making  of  such  paper."  It  is 
said  that  Sir  John,  in  coming  to  this  country  from 
Germany,  brought  with  him  two  young  lime  trees, 
which  he  set  before  his  dwelling-house  at  Dartford. 
This  house,  therefore,  in  which  I  was  born,  leased 
with  the  mill,  was  no  doubt  the  mansion  built  by  Sir 
John  Spielman,  in  a  style  of  magnificence  suitable  to 
his  position  in  life  ;  and  the  ball  room,  grounds,  and 
gardens,  where  I  ^used  to  play,  had  been  formerly 
graced  by  royalty,  courtly  knights  and  dames. 

A  paper-mill  was  erected  at  Dartford  in  1588, 'but 
this  was  not  the  first  of  the  kind  set  up  in  England, 
as  is  generally  stated*  In  the  above  year,  Thomas 
Churchyard  published  a  poem  entitled,  "  A  descrip- 
tion and  playne  discourse  of  Paper,  and  the  whole 
benefits  that  Paper  brings,  setting  forth  in  verse  a 

B  2 


4  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

Paper  Myll  built  near  Dartfoord,  by  an  high  Ger- 
maine,    called    Master    Spilman,    Jeweller   to    the 
Queenes  Majestie."     According  to  the  Harleian  MS., 
2296,  a  special  license  was  granted  in  1589  to  John 
Spilman,  *'  for  the  gatheringe  of  all  manner  of  linen 
ragges,  scroUes  or  scrappes  of  parchment,  peace  o 
lyme  leather,  shredds  and  clippings  of  cardes,  and 
oulde  fishinge  nettes,   fitte  and  necessarie  for  the 
makinge  of  all  or  anie  sorte  or  sortes  of  white  wright- 
inge  paper  for  the  space  of  tenne  years  next  ensuing." 
Spilman  was  knighted  by  James  I.  in  1605,  and  not 
by  Queen  Elizabeth  as  is  commonly  said  {see  Nichols' 
Progresses  of  James  I.).      Churchyard  alludes  to  a 
paper-mill  built  by  Sir  Thomas  Gresham ;  this  was 
most  likely  in  Osterly  Park.     But  the  priority  is  to  be 
claimed  for  Hertford;  that  one  was  standing  there  in 
the  reign  of  Henry  the  Seventh,  is  clearly  proved  by 
three  independent  authorities.     1st.  One  of  the  notes 
to  Vallans's  "  Tale  of  Two  Swannes,  1590,"  affirms  that 
in  1507  there  was  a  paper-mill  at  Hertford,  and  be- 
longed to  John  Tate,  whose  father  was  Mayor  of  Lon- 
don. 2nd.  This  John  Tate  is  shewn  to  have  been  the 
first  paper-maker  in  England,  in  a  very  valuable  work 
in  the  British  Museum,  the  English  translation  of 
Bartholomew  Glanvile's  "DeProprietatibusRerum,** 
printed  by  Wynkyn  de  Worde,  about  1495  ;  at  the 
end  are  these  lines : — 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  6 

•'  And  John  Tate  the  younger  joye  mote  he  broke, 
Which  late  hathe  in  England  doo  make  this  paper  thynne, 
That  now  in  our  Englysshe  this  boke  is  printed  inne." 

This  book  is  said  to  be  the  first  printed  on  paper  of 
English  manufacture ;  our  principal  supplies  pre- 
viously to  this,  and  for  some  time  afterwards,  being 
from  France  and  Holland;  and  even  so  late  as  1662, 
paper-making  in  this  country  had  made  little  pro- 
gress. 

3rd.  Henry  YII.  visited  Hertford  on  the  23rd  of 
May,  1498,  and  in  the  privy  purse  expenses  of  this 
sovereign  occurs  the  following  entry  : — 

''  1498. — May  25.  For  a  reward  given  at 
the  Paper  Mj/lne        ....         16s.  8d." 

The  "  Express,"  October  9,  1855.  Upon  the  autho- 
rity of  what  Shakespeare  has  coined  as  part  of  Jack 
Cade's  charge  against  Lord  Say,  that  he.  Lord  Say,  had 
**  contrary  to  the  king,  his  crown,  and  dignity,  built  a 
paper-mill;'*  this  is  in  the  Second  Part  of  Henry  the 
Sixth,  Act  iv.  Scene  7,  but  is  no  proof  that  there  was 
a  paper-mill  in  Henry  the  Sixth's  reign,  any  more 
than  it  is,  that  Lord  Say  either  built  or  exercised  any 
kind  of  instrumentality  in  erecting  any  such  building, 
or  that  Jack  Cade  spoke  so  learnedly  of  "The  King, 
his  crown,  and  dignity." 


6  PISHES   AND   FISHING. 

How  I  became  the  inmate  of  this  antiquated  man- 
sion, I  know  not ;  but  I  was,  as  I  found  after  a  little 
time,  as  knowledge  began  to  dawn  upon  me,  born  in  it, 
and  was  the  only  son  of  a  gentleman  and  his  wife, 
who  were  the  much-respected  inhabitants  of  this 
large  building,  and  the  only  persons  enjoying  it,  and 
the  luxuries  of  its  prolific  gardens ;  but  how  I  ac- 
quired that  title  is  a  mystery  beyond  the  finite  com- 
prehension of  human  beings;  we  find  ourselves  in 
that  relationship  to  certain  individuals,  but  when  or 
how  we  came  into  existence,  we  are  in  a  state  of 
complete  ignorance. 

One  of  the  earliest  of  my  reminiscences  is  that  of 
seeing  a  large  basket  brought  into  the  garden  through 
a  door  near  the  mill  pond,  on  to  the  grass  plot  which 
surrounded  the  lake  or  canal,  and  a  great  number  Of 
fish  turned  out  upon  the  green  sward,  which  my 
father,  aided  by  one  or  two  of  his  men,  were  placing 
in  rows  side  by  side,  shifting  them  from  one  place  to 
another ;  this,  I  since  know,  was  for  the  purpose  of 
assorting  them  into  braces  or  pairs,  as  nearly  alike  as 
could  be,  to  send  away  as  presents;  some  were  sent 
into  the  house  to  be  cooked  for  dinner,  and  some  were 
given  to  the  workmen.  It  is  now  nearly,  or  quite 
eighty-three  years  ago,  yet  the  scene  is  fresh  in  my 
memory,  the  beauty  of  their  red  spots  now  flash  in 
my  eyes,  and  their  fragrance  even  now,  I  can  fancy 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  7 

regales  my  olfactory  nerves.  Such  are  the  lasting  im- 
pressions made  upon  ns  in  our  days  of  early  childhood. 
My  mother  never  having  tasted  fish,  when  I,  as  a  child, 
saw  a  lady  partake  of  it  for  the  first  time,  I  regarded 
her  with  astonishment,  and  could  scarcely  believe  that 
the  person  I  saw  before  me  was  of  the  feminine 
gender  :  indeed,  I  thinks  I  looked  closely  at  the  chin 
to  see  if  there  were  any  appearance  of  a  beard. 

These  scenes  of  the  assortment  of  fish,  which  I  since 
know  were  trout,  were  repeated  frequently  during  the 
fine  warm  weather ;  after  a  time,  I  was  allowed  to  be 
present  at  these  fishings,  either  in  care  of  my  mother,  or 
a  servant.  The  manner  of  conducting  them  was  thus  : 
a  portion  of  the  water  in  the  mill-pond  was  allowed 
to  run  oif,  then  two  men  went  into  the  water  with  a 
long  net,  having  a  pocket  in  the  centre,  bungs  at  the 
top,  and  leads  at  the  bottom ;  at  each  end  of  the 
net  was  a  staff  five  or  six  feet  long  ;  one  man  placed 
himself  close  to  the  bank,  and  the  other  took  a  good 
circuit,  and  came  round  to  the  bank;  persons  on  shore 
and  behind  the  net,  as  soon  as  the  semicircle  was  com- 
plete, beat  the  water  with  poles,  both  to  prevent  the 
trout  from  springing  over  the  net,  and  to  drive  them 
into  the  pocket  of  it,  when  the  men  came  nearer  each 
other,  and  finally  the  net  was  drawn  ashore,  the  pocket 
was  untied,  the  small  fish  were  returned  to  the  pond, 
and  I  have  since  understood  that  none  were  taken 


8  riSHES    AND    FISHING. 

under  the  estimated  weight  of  three  quarters  of  a 
pound.  My  father  kept  an  account  of  all  the  trout 
he  killed  during  nine  years,  and  to  whom  he  gave 
them,  and  I  have  heard  him  say,  in  after- years,  that 
he  generally  took  two  hundred  brace  per  annum. 

The  water  which  gave  motion  to  the  wheels  of  the 
mill,  was  discharged  into  the  creek  leading  into  the 
Thames ;  and  one  day,  when  I  was  about  four  years 
old,  my  father  was  leading  me  along  at  the  back  of 
the  furnaces,  where  there  was  an  open  door,  facing 
and  nearly  down  to  the  water  of  the  creek  when  the 
tide  was  up.  I  was  frightened,  and  my  parent 
startled,  by  a  large  fish,  a  salmon,  springing  in 
through  the  door,  and  falling  nearly  amongst  the 
cinders  of  the  furnace ;  my  father  secured  the  fish, 
which  weighed  14lbs.  About  a  year  after  that,  I 
was  disturbed,  very  early  one  morning,  by  a  consider- 
able noise,  and  when  I  went  down  to  breakfast,  there 
lay  on  a  table  in  the  great  marble  entrance-hall,  a 
large  salmon,  above  20  lbs.  as  I  was  told,  which  had 
been  captured  close  to  the  mansion-house,  having 
come  up  with  the  spring  tide,  and  endeavoured  to  get 
upward  ;  but  being  discovered  by  one  of  my  father's 
men,  he  aroused  his  master,  and  they  two  placed  a 
net  behind  it,  and  when  the  tide  receded,  it  became 
an  easy  prey.  Often  large  salmon  were  killed  by  the 
water-wheels  in  trying  to  go  up  stream  ;  this  demon- 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  9 

strates  how  powerful  must  be  the  instinct  of  this 
genus  of  the  finny  tribe  to  get  out  of  salt,  or  brackish 
water,  into  fresh,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year ; 
further,  and  most  splendid  examples  of  it  are  to  be 
seen  in  various  parts  of  the  world  ;  and  this  American 
^^ go  a-head'^  propensity  was  exhibited  by  the  artifi- 
cially bred  little  salmon  endeavouring  to  make  their 
way  from  the  lower  water  to  the  higher,  and  over- 
coming the  obstruction,  to  the  great  amusement  of 
Her  Majesty  at  the  Dublin  exhibition,  for  the  water 
these  young  fish  endeavoured  to  escape  from  was  not 
salt  or  brackish. 

When  I  grew  a  little  older,  I  sometimes  accom- 
panied my  father  and  mother  to  the  tail  of  the  mil), 
where  they  caught  a  large  dish  of  fine  flounders  in  a 
very  short  time,  with  what,  I  knew  a  few  years  after, 
was  very  rough  tackle — but  these  fish  are  not  par- 
ticular. 

In  the  large  lake,  or  canal  in  the  garden,  through 
which  always  flowed  a  supply  of  fresh  water,  were 
very  large  eels ;  proper  lengths  of  line,  with  baited 
hooks  were  attached  to  bungs,  into  each  of  which 
were  fixed  a  good-sized  white  feather ;  these  wer® 
thrown  into  the  canal  on  favourable  nights,  and  in 
the  morning  the  bungs  were  easily  discovered,  and  I 
often  saw  them  taken  out  by  my  father  with  a  long- 
handled  rake,  generally  with  a  fish  attached,  and  I 


10  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

have  heard  my  father  say,  none  of  these  lines  were 
ever  totally  lost. 

Owing  to  some  legal  disputes  about  the  quantity  of 
water  by  millers  higher  up  the  river,  the  mills,  man- 
sion-house belonging,  with  its  delightful  gardens  and 
grounds,  where  I  had  for  the  first  six  years  of  my 
life  revelled  in  abundance  of  the  most  choice  wall, 
and  other  fruits,  and  sat  down  daily  to  an  amply 
supplied  table,  whereon  fish,  poultry,  and  every 
vegetable  and  fruit  which  the  skill  and  industry  of  a 
professed  gardener  and  assistants  kept  on  the  premi- 
ses, in  proper  season,  could  produce,  we  removed  to  a 
village  thirty-five  miles  distant.  Immediately  after 
my  father  left  the  house,  it  was  pulled  down,  and 
about  six  years  ago,  when  I  visited  the  spot,  there 
was  a  railway  station  erected  thereon ;  a  heap  of 
rubbish  as  high  as  a  moderate-sized  house,  occupied 
the  place  of  the  once  beautiful  grounds  and  garden, 
and  the  mill-pond,  which  used  in  my  infancy  to  have 
some  graceful  swans  on  it,  and  was  a  large  expanse  of 
water,  was  now  an  expanded  sheet  of  mud,  with  a 
rivulet  of  water  meandering  through  it. 

Before  I  say  anything  further  of  the  miserable 
change  the  whole  family  experienced  by  the  removal, 
a  few  reminiscences  occur  to  me  of  this  my  native 
place. 

When  I  was  about  four  years  old,  I  went  to  school 


FISHES    AND   FISHING.  "  11 

in  the  High  Street  of  the  town ;  on  one  occasion 
when  my  father  was  taking  me  there,  and  had  nearly- 
reached  the  door  of  the  school,  we  were  astonished  to 
see  two  short,  fat,  middle-aged,  well-known  inhabi- 
tants, rush  out  of  the  church,  where  there  had  been 
a  vestry  meeting,  and  the  moment  they  reached  the 
street,  they  each  knocked  off  the  cocked  hat  and 
bushy  powdered  wig  of  his  opponent,  then  the 
fashionable  dress  of  that  class  of  persons,  and  began  to 
pommel  each  other  most  furiously.  A  crowd  soon  col- 
lected, and  the  post-boys  (an  impudent  and  numerous 

set  of  fellows)  called  out,  **  Well  done,  B n ;  hit 

him  again  B ^r."     They  were  not  separated  until 

they  had  drawn  blood  from  each  other,  and  it  was 
some  time  before  either  could  walk  the  streets  with- 
out eliciting  the  same  cry  from  idle  urchins  or  others ; 
and  I  believe  the  circumstance  gave  rise  to  some  em- 
ployment for  gentlemen  of  the  long  robe. 

I  also  remember  seeing  large  bodies  of  troops  pass 
through  the  town  to  form  a  camp  at  Coxheath,  and 
the  King,  George  III.,  also  going  through  to  inspect 
it.  Many  ladies  on  horseback,  and  in  phaetons,  at- 
tired in  military  costume,  as  to  the  upper  part  of 
their  dress,  alone,  or  accompanied  by  officers,  were 
continually  passing  to  the  same  place. 

The  comforts  and  luxuries  of  my  father's  house  at- 
tracted a  succession  of  visitors  from  London,  and 


12  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

many  chief  and  second  mates  of  Indiamen,  with  whom 
he  had  become  acquainted,  who  at  that  time  brought 
up  in  the  river,  on  their  homeward  voyage,  my  father 
sent  presents  of  poultry,  vegetables,  and  fruit,  on 
board  to  his  nautical  friends ;  and  my  recollection  is 
quite  perfect  of  going  on  board  with  both  my  parents, 
and  being  hoisted  up  on  deck  in  a  chair  in  my  mo- 
ther's lap,  and  being  let  down  in  the  same  way  into 
the  boat  on  our  return.  My  mother  was  fond  of 
china,  and  bought  on  board  at  different  times  enough 
to  fill  her  large  china  closet,  which  was  conveyed 
somehow  safely  home,  and  she  was  much  envied  by 
many  ladies  for  having  such  a  collection. 

I  knew  a  Mr.  T d,  a  superior  and  most  acute 

officer  of  the  Customs,  the  terror  of  smugglers ;  he 
and  my  father  were  intimate,  and  he  often  dined  at  our 
house.  One  day,  just  as  our  family  were  setting  down 
to  dinner  with  him,  two  mercantile  gentlemen,  whom 
my  father  slightly  knew  arrived,  and  being,  as  they 
said,  rambling  about  the  country,  they  called  to  visit  us. 
A  very  pleasant  afternoon  was  spent  by  all ;  the  wine 
circulated,  of  which  I  was  allowed  to  partake,  as  I 
had  a  small  glass  which  held  about  a  thimbleful.  A 
postchaise  and  four  had  been  ordered  by  these  gen- 
tlemen, to  be  in  waiting,  at  a  certain  hour,  a  little  way 
up  the  London  road.  They  slipped  away  from  the 
company  under  some  pretence,  reached  the  chaise,  in 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  13 

-which  was  already  another  person,  as  was  known 
afterwards,  and  arrived  safe  in  London,  with,  it  was 
believed,  many  thousand  pounds*  worth  of  valuable 

lace.     T d  had  by  scouts  gained  information  of 

this  intended  contraband  affair ;  but  the  parties  were 
too  artful  for  the  officers,  for  they  walked,  or  in  some 
way,  as  it  was  supposed,  came  across  the  country  from 
the  coast.  My  father  was  so  much  displeased  at  being 
thus,  though  innocently,  made  in  some  way  instru- 
mental to  the  scheme,  that  he  never  allowed  either  of 
those  two  persons  to  enter  his  house  again. 

My  mother's  brother  had  married  a  female  belong- 
ing to  a  family  respectable  in  their  position,  but  in- 
ferior in  habits,  occupation,  and  manners  to  my 
father  and  mother,  whose  station  and  education  were 
of  a  superior  order.  My  aunt's  brother,  whom  my 
father  did  not  know,  and  who  was  a  journeyman 
cabinet-maker,  made  an  arrangement  with  a  fellow- 
workman,  presuming  on  the  very  slight  relationship, 
to  start  from  London  on  a  Saturday  night,  or  rather 
Sunday  morning,  and  walk  down  to  my  father's 
to  breakfast,  where  they  arrived  so  dusty,  travel- 
stained,  and  differently  apparelled  to  those  persons 
usually  visiting  at  our  house,  that  my  father  was 
obliged  to  lend  them  clean  linen,  &c.  He  was  so 
vexed  at  the  occurrence,  that  he  wrote  to  my  aunt 
next  day,  saying  he  had  no  objection  to  receive  her 


14  FISHES   AXD    FISHING. 

relatives  as  occasional  visitors,  but  requested  they 
would  come  so  conveyed  and  attired  as  not  to  Id  jure 
his  respectability  amongst  his  neighbours,  workmen, 
and  servants.  The  result  was  a  total  cessation  of  all 
intercourse  between  the  families  during  about  seven 
years. 

Strange  indeed  are  the  mutations  of  this  life,  and 
an  illustration  may  not  be  improperly  introduced. 
My  aunt's  brother,  who  could  at  that  time  merely 
read  and  write  English  tolerably  well,  became  under 
usher  to  a  clergyman,  who  kept  a  school  at  or  near 
Cambridge,  and  had  married  into  my  aunt's  family. 
From  that  station  this  cabinet-maker,  by  diligence, 
came  to  be  bead  usher  of  the  clergyman's  school ;  and 
at  that  time,  when  ^^  literate  persons*^  were  freely 
ordained,  he  entered  the  church,  subsequently  mar- 
ried a  person  with  a  little  property,  became  incum- 
bent of  one,  if  not  two  benefices  in  the  county  and 
diocese  of  Lincoln,  and  died  respected  by  his  parish- 
ioners. His  fellow  workman  married  the  widow  of 
a  person  who  kept  a  colour  shop.  This  second  hus- 
band invented  an  article  for  the  embellishment  of  a 
portion  of  ladies'  persons,  which  became  so  fashionable 
that  he  acquired  a  good  fortune  by  its  most  extensive 
sale ;  though  now,  such  are  the  vagaries  of  fashion, 
that  any  lady  wearing  blue  silk  stockings,  would  be 
considered  as  having  a  very  extraordinary  taste  in 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  15 

dress.  He  was  fortunate  in  the  invention  and  sale  of 
other  articles,  of  colours,  magic  lanterns,  &c.,  and 
through  industry  and  integrity  he  became  wealthy, 
highly  esteemed  as  a  tradesman,  and  by  observation 
acquired  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  world.  "We 
became  intimately  acquainted,  and  I  regarded  him  as 
a  friend. 

JS'ear  his  residence  were  several  old  houses,  whose 
inhabitants  paid  no  rent  to  any  one,  and  whose  only 
title  was  possession,  the  property  being  said  to  belong 
to  a  young  lad  then  at  sea.  This  property  he  ob- 
tained for  a  mere  trifle,  pulled  down  the  old  houses, 
and  built  a  small  theatre  (which  he  named  the  Sans 
Pareil)  upon  the  site,  where  he  exhibited  a  variety  of 
most  ingenious  divertisements,  and  at  last  obtained  a 
license  for  theatrical  performances.  A  few  years 
previous  to  this  period,  some  excise  officers  lodged 
information  against  the  owners  of  most  of  the  theatres, 
for  not  stamping  their  scenery,  and  paying  a  duty  of 
threepence  halfpenny  a  yard.  The  proprietors  of  the 
scenes  then  pleaded  that  it  was  an  old  act,  and  that 
they  had  erred  through  ignorance.  The  Attorney- 
General  said  that  he  would  not  press  for  convictions 
for  the  penalties,  upon  the  understanding  that  the 
scenery  should  be  stamped,  and  pay  the  duty  in 
future  ;  and  the  judges  considered  that  the  proprietors 
of  theatres  had  been  treated  very  leniently,  by  being 


16  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

let  off  SO  easily  as  only  to  pay  the  costs  of  tte  solicitor 
of  the  Excise.  Just  as  an  offer  was  made  (partly  in 
my  presence,  and  I  advised  it  to  be  accepted)  to 
purchase  this  theatre  (now  the  Adelphi)  as  it  stood, 
for  £25,000,  some  excise  officers,  tempted  by  the 
prospect  of  a  share  of  the  very  heavy  penalties,  ob- 
tained powers  from  the  Commissioners  to  seize  and 
leave  a  man  in  possession  of  the  scenery  in  every 
theatre,  panorama,  and  wherever  a  piece  of  unstamped 
painted  canvas  could  be  detected.  Consternation 
most  extreme  was  caused  amongst  theatrical  and 
other  persons  concerned.  Attornies  and  eminent 
counsel  were  consulted,  reference  was  made  to  East's 
Eeports  of  the  former  proceedings,  the  legal  gentle- 
men shook  their  heads,  and  offered  no  hope  ;  the  only 
thing  they  could  advise  was  to  petition  the  Board  of 
Excise,  which  was  done,  praying  that  they  would 
accept  of  bonds  with  sufficiently  responsible  sureties, 
for  the  value  of  the  scenery,  and  the  duties,  that  if  on 
trial  the  scenery  should  be  declared  forfeited,  the 
whole  amount  should  be  paid.  To  which  the  Board 
replied,  "  That  the  scenery  must  be  measured,  the 
duty  paid  immediately,  a  bond  given  for  the  value  of 
the  scenery ;  but  should  the  result  of  the  proposed 
trial  be  even  in  favour  of  the  theatres,  no  return  of 
the  duty  must  be  expected;  and  until  the  scenery 
was  measured,  and  the  duty  paid,  the  men  must  re- 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  17 

main  in  possession  of  every  theatre,  &c.,  &c.  And 
all  old  and  useless  scenery  must  also  be  stamped  and 
paid  for,  or  removed  to  the  Excise  Office  and  de- 
stroyed." These  were  the  generous  (?)  terms  proposed 
by  the  Commissioners,  as  appears  by  a  letter  from 
the  attorney  of  Mr.  John  Astley,  now  before  me, 
after  he  had  had  an  interview  with  the  solicitor  of 
the  Excise  Board,  and  received  this  as  their  determi- 
nation. Desirous  of  serving  Mr.  John  Astley,  my 
friend,  Mr.  Scott,  the  proprietor  of  the  Sans  Pareil, 
as  it  was  then  named,  and  the  other  parties  whom  I 
considered  harshly  treated,  and  thinking  I  could  read 
and  understand  an  Act  of  Parliament,  I  sought,  and 
with  some  difficulty  found  and  purchased,  the  Act  10th 
of  Anne,  cap.  19,  when  reading  it  over  most  carefully, 
almost  word  by  word,  I  discovered  that  the  statute 
only  applied  to  painted  canvas,  &c.,  which  was  fok 
SALE,  and  as  scenery  was  not  foe  sale,  it  was  evident 
that,  in  defiance  of  the  dictum  of  judges,  the  opinions 
of  counsel,  attornies,  or  the  determination  of  the 
Board  of  Excise  and  its  officers,  I  could  extricate  my 
friends  and  all  concerned  from  their  difficulties';  and 
though  I  felt  I  had  the  power  in  my  hands  to  do  so,  I 
induced  Mr.  Astley  and  Mr.  Scott,  with  myself,  to  go 
in  Mr.  Astley's  carriage  to  the  Excise  office,  and  seek 
an  interview  with  the  Commissioners,  without  saying 
why  I  wished  it ;  which  if  that  conference  had  been 


18  PISHES   AND    FISHING. 

granted,  I  intended  to  have  given  them,  the  Commis- 
sioners, the  opportunity  of  gracefully  recalling  their 
tyrannous  decision,  by  showing  them  the  section  of 
the  Act.  But  no  !  the  solicitor,  earwigged  by  the 
interested  Excise  officers,  treated  us  as  if  we  were 
paupers,  and  induced  the  Commissioners  to  refuse  us 
an  interview;  which  so  irritated  me,  that  I  said  to  my 
friends,  "  Come  away,  let  us  go  and  apply  to  these 
gentlemen's  masters."  Mr.  Astley  and  my  friend 
were  much  vexed  at  what  they  considered  was  hasty 
impetuosity  of  temper  on  my  part,  which  they  said 
would  ruin  the  cause  ;  but  when  we  were  again  in 
the  carriage,  I  showed  them  the  section  of  the  Act, 
which  astonished  and  delighted  them.  I  proposed 
drawing  up  a  memorial  referring  to  this  section,  for 
presentation  to  the  Lords  of  the  Treasury ;  which  I 
did,  and  sent  it  to  Mr.  Astley,  after  I  had  shown  it 
to  my  friend  Scott.  I  went  to  Mr.  Astley  that  even- 
ing, 17th  Sept.,  1819,  who  had  a  person  there  to 
make  a  fair  copy,  which  was  signed  by  him,  my 
friend,  andparties  belongingto  the  two  Theatres  Royal, 
presented  to  the  Lords  of  the  Treasury,  who  imme- 
diately ordered  the  men  in  possession  to  withdraw, 
and  gave  directions  that  the  Board  of  Excise  should 
pay  for  any  damage  or  loss  such  seizure  had  occasioned. 
Thus,  through  me,  were  all  the  theatres  relieved, 
probably  for  ever,  from  this  annoyance,  and  the  poor 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  19 

fishermen  upon  the  coast,  who  were  often  mulcted  by- 
some  Excise  officer  for  painting  their  old  sails  as 
floorcloths  for  their  little  rooms,  may  do  so  now  with- 
out danger.  Yet  I  never  demanded  or  received  any 
reward  whatsoever,  nor  even  accepted  the  price  which 
the  old  Act  of  Parliament  cost  me ;  certainly  I  and 
my  family  were  free  of  Astley's  and  my  friends' 
theatres  whilst  in  the  hands  of  the  then  proprietors. 

With  a  view  to  placing  the  Commissioners  of  Ex- 
cise in  a  good  position  with  the  public,  a  statement 
appeared  in  the  papers  on  the  12th  of  November,  1819, 
that  *'  the  Supervisors  of  the  Excise  have  for  some 
weeks  past  had  their  officers  in  possession  of  the 
scenery  in  the  different  theatres;  last  week  the  ques- 
tion was  decided  by  the  Honourable  Board  of  Excise, 
in  favour  of  the  theatres.*' 

This  is  wholly  false ;  the  facts  are  exactly  and 
truly  as  I  have  stated,  and  I  have  the  documents  to 
prove  them,  and  the  conduct  of  the  then  Commissioners 
is  most  strictly  true ;  and  as  those  documents  will 
show,  I  have  told  the  plain  unvarnished  truth. 

I  remember  a  Mr.  H ds,  as  a  good-looking  and 

pleasant  gentleman,  a  frequent  visitor  at  our  house, 
who  I  think  had  some  dealings  in  corn  or  malt,  and 
some  of  his  descendants  are  still  influential  inhabi- 
tants at  Dartford.  Some  time  after  we  left  this  part 
of  the  country,    he  (Mr.  H»)  was  returning  from 

c  2 


20  FISHES   AKD    FISHING. 

London,  with  a  friend  in  his  (Mr.  H.'s)  chaise,  whefl 
about  three  miles  from  his  home  he  was  attacked  by- 
seven  footpads  ;  Mr.  H.  shot  the  man  who  held  the 
horse's  head,  the  animal  ran  away  into  the  next  vil- 
lage, an  alarm  was  given,  parties  went  out,  and  found 
the  wounded  man  in  a  chalk  pit,  stripped  by  his  com- 
panions, and  nearly  dead.  Medical  assistance  was 
immediately  rendered,  and  the  robber  stated  that 
their  gang  consisted  of  about  seventy  men,  but  he 
would  only  impeach  the  dastardly  companions  who 
had  treated  him  in  such  a  cruel  manner.  The  six 
men  were  taken,  but  before  he  could  legally  identify 
these  fellows  he  expired ;  and  as  nothing  could  be 
brought  home  to  them,  they  were  reluctantly  dis- 
charged. Mr.  H.  received  many  threatening  letters, 
supposed  to  emanate  from  the  gang,  and  he  never 
went  out  unarmed  with  pistols.  One  afternoon,  in 
walking  home  from  Crayford,  two  men  begged  of 
him ;  he  gave  them  some  halfpence,  but  immediately 
after  thought  he  recognised  their  faces  as  being  two 
of  the  six  who  had  been  taken  up,  and  as  they  were 
following  him  closely,  he  took  his  pistols  from  his 
pocket,  and  said,  "  I  have  seen  you  before  my  lads, 
and  I  do  not  like  you ;  now  either  go  before  me  into 
Dartford,  or  go  back."  They  chose  the  former  alter- 
native, and  he  thus  by  his  determination  probably 
saved  his  life,  and  was  afterwards  left  in  peace. 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  21 

Some  time  before  we  left  our  delightful  home,  a 
succession  of  farewell  dinners,  or  suppers,  were  in- 
terchanged between  my  family  and  our  local  friends, 
at  which  I  was  always  present.  One  of  these  enter- 
tainments was  at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Latham,  our 
medical  attendant,  and  he  amused  us  in  the  evening 
with  some  experiments  in  electricity,  which  made  a 
great  impression  upon  my  mind,  young  as  I  was,  and 
induced  me  to  study  the  science  when  I  became  older ; 
and  I  think  it  can  be  proved,  that  I  have  carried  its 
successful  medical  application  far  beyond  any  other 
person. 

At  last  came  the  sad  morning  of  our  departure. 
The  chaise  was  engaged  to  go  throughout,  as  we  had 
much  luggage  ;  and  after  travelling  post  about  thirty- 
five  miles  (no  trifle  then),  we  arrived,  one  chilly  night 
in  the  month  of  April,  at  cheerless  furnished  lodgings, 
where  everything  was  so  different  to  the  happy  home 
I  had  left,  that  I  felt  quite  wretched,  and  went  to 
bed  with  a  very  heavy  heart.  In  the  morning  I  ac- 
companied my  parents  to  see  the  village,  the  mill, 
and  its  dependencies,  and  to  look  for  a  house.  My 
mother  felt  so  acutely  the  difference  between  our 
former  and  present  situation,  that,  in  the  bitterness 
of  her  heart,  she  declared  this  village  must  be  the 
very  last  place  which  was  created,  when  everything 
good  had  been  used  up. 


22  FISHES   AND   TISHING. 

My  father  was  very  anxious  to  have  a  garden ; 
there  was  a  large  piece  of  ground  belonging  to  the 
works,  but  the  last  proprietor  had  had  it  made  into  a 
succession  of  fish-ponds,  supplying  them  with  water 
from  the  navigation  which  was  the  head  of  the  mill, 
conducting  it  through  the  several  ponds,  and  letting 
it  pass  out  into  the  water  which  led  to  the  tail 
of  the  mill.  These  ponds  he  stocked,  at  great  ex- 
pense, with  carp,  intending  to  assist  in  supplying  the 
London  market  with  that  species  of  fish ;  but  the 
winter  brought  the  usual  tremendous  floods,  common 
to  that  locality  of  the  Thames,  and  the  carp  escaped 
into  the  river,  which  formed  the  backwater,  and  that 
stream  became  well  stocked  with  them.  When  we 
first  saw  the  land  by  the  mill,  nothing  could  be  more 
desolate  ;  there  were  four  or  five  large  apple  trees,  a 
walnut  tree,  and  the  rest  large  excavations  with  a 
little  water  in  them,  separated  by  wide  banks  ;  a  very 
unpromising  state  of  the  ground  to  convert  into  a 
garden.  My  father,  nevertheless,  drew  a  plan  of  the 
ground,  and  made  his  calculations;  and  as  his  ma- 
nagement may  give  to  others  some  useful  information 
how  to  make  the  most  of  unpromising  ground,  I  will 
state  them. 

He  marked  out  one  broad  walk  the  whole  length 
of  the  ground,  and  cross  walks ;  all  these  he  caused 
to  be  trenched  six  feet  deep,  and  threw  the  loamy 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  23 

mould  into  the  fish-ponds,  mixed  with  many  barge- 
loads  of  road  scrapings,  and  other  manure,  which 
made  with  the  natural  loamy  soil  most  prolific  ground. 
The  trenches  made  for  the  walks  he  caused  to  be 
filled  with  clinkers,  ashes,  and  scoria  of  the  iron, 
covering  the  whole  with  a  thin  coat  of  road- 
scrapings,  which  made  them  very  dry  and  firm.  He 
cut  down  two,  and  lopped  some  other  large  horse 
chesnut  trees,  which  he  had  made  into  wattles  to 
protect  a  quickset  hedge,  which  he  had  planted  within 
them ;  put  up  a  door-case  and  a  door,  with  a  lock, 
which  caused  persons  who  knew  the  locality  to  smile, 
and  assure  my  father  that  he  was  only  providing 
abundant  vexation  for  himself,  for  that  the  bargemen, 
who  continually  passed  by  the  side  of  his  embryo 
garden,  between  their  vessels  and  the  village,  would 
never  let  him  enjoy  the  produce  of  it.  My  father 
proved^  that  these  opinions  were  badly  founded  ;  for 
as  soon  as  the  garden  became  productive,  which  it 
was  very  soon  abundantly,  my  father  freely  offered 
these  men,  as  they  passed,  vegetables  or  apples,  and 
none  of  them  ever  took  even  an  apple  without  per- 
mission ;  indeed,  had  any  one  of  them  done  so,  he 
would  have  been  scouted  by  the  rest  of  his  compa- 
nions. 

"When  my  father  first  entered  upon  the  mill,  he 
found  the  workmen  very  irregular  in  their  habits, 


24  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

and  drunkenness  was  of  common  occurrence ;  but  he 
was  a  man  to  whom  might  be  applied  with  great 
truth,  the  line  suaviter  in  modo,  fortiter  in  re  ;  and 
having  brought  his  foreman  and  deputy-foreman,  from 
his  other  works,  he  made  it  known  as  his  irrevocable 
determination,  that  he  would  immediately,  and  for 
ever,  dismiss   any  man  who   became   intoxicated  a 
second  time,  during  the  period  when  he  ought  to  be 
at  work ;  for  though  it  was  no  injury  to  the  concern 
in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view,  because  the  men  were 
paid  by  the  quantum  of  work  performed,  yet  it  was 
an  injury  to  the  other  men  if  one  of  their  number 
was  incapable  of  taking  his  share  of  the  duty,  as  they 
were  obliged  to  have  a  man  from  another  branch  of 
the  works  as  a  substitute.     The^^r*^  time  any  work- 
man became  intoxicated  he  was  fined,  had  to  pay  his 
substitute,  and  was  wheeled  to  his  lodgings  or  house 
in  the  village,  in  a  large  barrow,  the  bell  of  the  mill 
tolling  all  the  time.     Under  my    father's    judicious 
management,  the  workmen  became  steady,  and  most 
of    them    respectable    householders  in  the    parish  ; 
some  kept  a  cow  upon  the  common,  pigs,  and  poul- 
try, until  the  rage  for  inclosing,  got  up  by  country 
attornies  for  their  own  especial  benefit,  reached  this 
village :  many  were  deprived  of  advantages  enjoyed 
for  ages  by  their  ancestors,  and  some  died  in  the 
village  workhouse  in  consequence  of  losing  them. 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  25 

Our  residence  was  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
from  the  works,  and  in  going  there  we  had  to  cross  a 
tolerably  wide  river,  the  backwater,  on  a  foot-bridge 
about  two  feet  wide,  placed  high  above  the  water,  on 
account  of  the  floods ;  numberless  bleak  sported  below. 
I  caught  and  killed  a  large  quantity  of  house  flies, 
and  when  I  went  with  my  father  I  was  much  amused, 
and  I  believe  so  was  he,  by  seeing  the  fish  take  them. 
Sometimes  I  threw  in  a  large  blow- fly,  which  would 
go  down  the  river  a  considerable  way,  and  then  dis- 
appear with  a  sudden  plunge ;  these  I  soon  learned 
were  taken  by  chub.  I  bent  a  pin,  tied  a  long  piece 
of  fine  thread  to  it,  put  on  a  fly,  and  dropped  it  over 
the  bridge ;  the  bleak  came  up  and  looked  at  it,  but 
were  not  to  be  caught  by  such  clumsy  tackle.  At 
last,  one  day,  just  as  my  fly  touched  the  water,  a 
large  bleak,  more  careless,  or  more  hungry,  I  suppose, 
than  the  rest,  took  my  fly,  bent  pin  included;  my 
heart  beat  quickly,  I  pulled  him  nearly  to  the  top  of 
the  bridge,  when,  to  my  great  disappointment,  he 
fell  off*,  and  this  was  my  dehut  in  angling.  I  told 
one  of  my  father's  men,  an  experienced  old  fisherman, 
of  my  loss,  and  he  gave  me  a  small  fish-hook  tied  on 
hair;  this  I  attached  to  my  thread  line,  and  baiting 
with  a  bluebottle  fly,  I  had  the  great  triumph  of 
hooking  and  killing  a  chub  about  six  ounces  weight. 
I  was  then  seven  years  old,  and  thought  myself  a 


26  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

very  clever  angler,  only  wanting  proper  tackle  to  be- 
come first-rate. 

Mr.  AUaday,  the  lock-keeper  at  Thames  lock,  who 
devoted  his  leisure  to  angling,  told  my  father  there 
were  plenty  of  carp  in  the  backwater,  but  that  we 
must  fish  for  them  early.  My  father  said  if  I  would 
get  up  at  six  o'clock  the  next  morning,  he  and  I 
would  try  if  we  could  catch  some.  Accordingly 
worms  were  provided,  and  tackle  which  had  served 
for  flounder-catching  at  Dartford,  cork  floats,  bullets, 
&c.,  were  produced,  and  we  had  a  spell  of  three 
hours  without  a  single  nibble,  when  Mr.  AUaday 
coming  to  see  what  sport  we  had  had,  soon  convinced 
my  father  that  fishing  for  flat  fish,  and  fishing  for 
carp  were  different  things,  and  required  tackle  of  a 
kind  my  father,  who  had  no  knowledge  of  Izaak 
Walton,  or  his  art,  was  wholly  unacquainted  with. 
Mr.  A.  gave  us  some  hooks,  we  bought  better  floats, 
and  in  the  afternoon  my  father,  mother,  and  myself, 
seated  in  chairs,  tried  our  skill  again  in  another  part 
of  the  river ;  we  caught  two  or  three  flounders,  and 
some  little  eels,  and  there  ended  my  father's  attempt 
at  angling.  I,  by  degrees,  under  the  tuition  of  Mr. 
A.,  managed  to  capture  gudgeons,  roach,  dace,  and 
chub ;  from  him  I  learned  the  qualities  of  gut,  hair, 
and  hooks,  how  to  make  my  own  floats,  and  other 
tackle,  tie  on  hooks,  &c.,  and  the  advantage  of  ground 


FISHES    AND   FISHING.  27 

baiting.  All  my  pocket  money  was  expended  upon 
these  objects,  but  I  had  to  encounter  the  opposition 
of  my  father,  who  having  been  unsuccessful  himself 
as  an  angler,  and  being  devoted  to  his  garden,  looked 
on  angling  in  a  very  unfavourable  point  of  view,  and 
what  with  my  attendance  at  school,  and  my  father's 
discouragement,  my  pursuit  of  piscatorial  knowledge 
was  enveloped  in  difficulties.  My  mother  having 
given  my  father  another  son,  never  angled  but  once, 
and  that  was  on  the  occasion  of  a  visit  of  a  friend 
from  town,  when  I  went  with  him  and  her  in  a  punt 
gudgeon  fishing  in  the  Thames,  I  being  occasionally 
allowed  to  hold  one  or  other  of  the  rods. 

In  1780,  the  No-Popery  riots  took  place  in  London, 

and  a  Mr.  L ,  whose  house  and  furniture  were 

burned,  and  he  himself  escaped  with  difficulty,  he 
being  a  Catholic,  was  sent  by  the  firm  in  town 
in  which  my  father  was  a  partner,  for  shelter  in 
our  house.  My  mother  dispatched  me  to  my  father, 
who  was  at  the  works.  I  took  with  me  my  bow, 
which  was  a  most  excellent  one,  and  some  sharp, 
steel-pointed,  and  feathered  arrows,  I  had  crossed 
more  than  half  the  first  enclosure  of  the  paddock, 
when  a  bull  who  was  there  grazing,  espied  me  and 
gave  chase.  I  ran  for  my  life,  and  reached  a  high 
stile  over  which  I  was  in  the  habit  of  pitching  a  sum- 
mersault, throwing  my  bow  and  arrows  first  over; 


28  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

but  I  never  performed  that  saltatory  feat  so  quickly 
as  I  did  on  this  occasion.  "When  once  over,  I  knew 
I  was  safe,  and  waved  my  bow  at  my  enemy,  and 
struck  him  on  the  horns  with  it  gently,  so  as  not  to 
injure  my  bow;  he,  finding  his  attempt  useless, 
retreated  a  little  way,  and  stood  watching  me,  stamp- 
ing the  ground.  I,  to  revenge  myself  for  the  run  he 
had  given  me,  and  the  fright  he  had  occasioned,  fitted 
one  of  my  sharpest  arrows  to  my  bow,  and  sent  it 
with  all  the  strength  I  could  command  into  his  flank, 
which  made  him  run  and  bellow  to  my  great  satisfac- 
tion. I  searched  for,  and  found  my  arrow  a  day  or 
two  after,  when  the  bull  was  removed  to  another 
pasture ;  but  I  had  bled  him  tolerably  well,  as  was 
evident  by  his  hide.  About  a  year  after  that,  a  strong 
active  young  man,  one  of  our  workmen,  determined 
to  cure  this  bull  of  attacking  people,  contrived  to 
dodge  the  animal  round  a  tree,  caught  hold  of  his  tail, 
and  beat  him  with  a  flat  piece  of  oak  paling  which  he 
had  prepared  on  purpose,  till  the  bull  fairly  sunk 
on  the  ground,  partly  with  fright,  and  .partly  with 
exhaustion, — the  workmen  looking  out  of  the  mill 
windows,  laughing  and  cheering  their  companion ; 
after  that,  the  animal  was  as  civil  and  well-behaved  a 
bull  as  any  person  might  wish  to  meet :  but  he  was 
very  careful  to  avoid  any  proximity  to  man.  Dis- 
couraged as  I  was  in  my  favourite  pursuit  by  my 


FISHES    AT7D    FISHING.  29 

father,  I  did  very  little  more  than  look  at  others  en- 
joying it,  treasuring  up  in  my  own  mind  everything 
worth  remembering,  until  I  was  about  ten  years  of 
age,  when  looking  in  the  book-case  of  an  old  gentle- 
man, a  neighbour,  and  intimate  acquaintance  of  my 
family,  I  found  an  excellent  edition  of  "Walton  aad 
Cotton's  Angler  ;  this  I  borrowed  and  read,  until  I 
had  impressed  it  upon  my  memory,  and  having  had 
the  present  of  a  solid  rod,  winch,  line,  &c.,  I  now 
and  then  obtained  permission  from  my  father  to  angle 
for  an  hour  or  two,  as  a  reward  for  performing  an 
abstruse  arithmetical  calculation,  or  making  a  correct 
drawing  of  some  geometrical  figure,  and  giving  a  cor- 
rect calculation  of  the  contents  of  its  area.  One  day, 
whilst  standing  rather  insecurely  on  a  narrow  piece 
of  planking,  I  hooked  a  large  fish,  and  the  sudden 
impetus  given  to  me,  caused  me  to  fall  over  into  the 
river ;  the  water  was  rather  too  deep  for  me,  but  the 
depth  only  extended  a  little  way.  I  held  on  to  my 
rod,  and  aided  by  the  pulling  of  the  fish,  and  by  my 
own  paddling  with  one  hand,  I  got  on  a  bank  of  sand 
in  the  middle  of  the  river,  where  the  water  was  only 
about  two  feet  deep,  and  there  I  stood,  and  played  my 
fish,  which  turned  out  to  be  a  barbel,  weighing  nearly 
five  pounds.  One  of  my  father's  men  waded  off  to 
me,  with  a  bushel-basket  in  his  hand,  a  common  sub- 
stitute at  the  works  for  a  landing-net ;  he  carried  me 


30  PISHES   AND    FISHING.    ' 

through  a  deeper  part  ashore.  I  went  to  the  porter's 
lodge,  got  into  his  bed,  between  the  blankets,  whilst 
my  clothes  were  being  dried  at  the  furnace-fires,  and 
my  father  never  knew  I  had  been  in  the  water  till 
some  years  afterwards.  All  of  us,  except  my  mother, 
enjoyed  our  barbel,  baked,  with  a  pudding  in  his 
belly,  with  some  savoury  gravy;  and  a  friend  of  ours 
having  come  from  London  to  our  house,  on  an  angling 
excursion,  dined  with  us,  and  anticipated  what  rare 
sport  HE  should  have  with  his  beautiful  tackle,  if  a 
boy  like  me  could  take  such  a  fish.  I  had  three  or 
four  holidays  to  go  out  angling  with  him.  I  shewed 
him  all  the  best  spots,  and  we  had  capital  sport ; 
when  he  went  away,  he  gave  me  quite  a  stock  of 
tackle,  so  that  I  was  completely  furnished  as  an  an- 
gler for  bottom  fishing ;  and  my  father,  after  the  visit 
of  our  friend,  did  not  object  to  my  reasonable  use  of 
the  amusement,  to  which  he  saw  I  was  attached. 

Amongst  my  father's  men,  there  was  one  who  had 
been  all  his  life-time  a  fisherman,  and  I  now  believe 
was  not  very  particular  tmw  he  caught  fish,  so  that  he 
only  obtained  them.  "We  had  a  great  number  of 
pike  in  our  waters,  and  large  eels,  which  were  very 
destructive  of  other  species  of  the  finny  tribes.  This 
man  taught  me  how  to  lay  trimmers,  and  I  often  suc- 
ceeded in  taking  pike  from  three  to  eight  pounds  in 
weight,  and  eels  two  to  three  pounds.    When  I  came 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  31 

home  for  my  holidays  in  winter,  I  used  to  shoot 
snipes,  wild  ducks,  wood  pigeons,  starlings,  &c. ;  and 
in  summer,  I  angled  with  great  success  for  barbel,  chub, 
roach,  dace,  and  gudgeons.  The  Thames  fishermen 
often  came  up  our  back-water  with  their  nets ;  my 
father,  therefore,  had  piles  driven  into  the  bed  of  the 
river,  rails  laid  across,  and  a  gate,  through  which  I 
could  go  in  my  boat ;  the  gate  was  secured  with  a 
chain,  and  lock,  with  copper  wards,  which  effectually 
blocked  all  persons  from  coming  into  our  waters. 
I  had  not  yet  paught  a  carp.  I  refrained  from  all 
other  angling  for  a  whole  month,  endeavouring  to 
catch  one  of  these  cunning  fish,  without  success, 
though  I  tried  all  the  scents,  and  different  things  I 
read  or  heard  of.  I  had  seen  them  taken  close  to  me 
by  a  person  who  performed  the  bricklayers'  work  for 
the  mill,  with  tackle  very  much  inferior  to  mine.  I 
observed  that  he  kept  throwing  in  small  pellets  of 
paste,  which  he  took  out  of  his  pocket,*  but  that  he 
baited  his  hook  with  paste  out  a  horn  that  hung  to 
his  button.  I  asked-him  for  a  bit  of  paste;  he  put 
his  hand  in  his  pocket  to  give  me  some,  but  I  took  a 
piece  out  of  his  horn,  saying,  "this  will  do."  I  put 
part  of  it  into  my  mouth,  and  found  out  the  secret, — 

*  See  Oppian's  Halieuticks,  Book  iii.  verse  625.  The  ancient 
Greek  fishermen  threw  in  a  shower  of  pills  made  of  odorous 
cheese  and  flour,  formed  into  a  paste,  and  baited  their  hooks 
with  the  same, — he  does  not  say  for  what  fish. 


32  ■     FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

it  was  made  up  with  honey  ;  after  that,  I  could  catch 
carp  as  well,  or  better  than  him.  To  make  this  paste 
your  hands  must  be  very  clean,  and  well  rinsed  from 
soap  ;  dip  a  piece  of  wheaten  bread  that  is  a  day  old, 
in  clean  water  for  a  moment,  then  press,  and  squeeze, 
and  work  it  up  into  a  stiff  paste  with  honey  ;  ascer- 
tain the  depth  of  the  spot  where  you  propose  to  angle 
the  day  before,  and  make  a  mark  so  that  you  may 
know  whether  the  water  have  risen  or  fallen ;  ground- 
bait  the  place  with  bread  made  into  paste,  mixed  with 
a  little  barleymeal,  and  a  small  quantity  of  honey, 
the  night,  or  even  two  nights  before  you  angle ;  your 
hook  must  be  short  in  the  shank,  and  the  hook  should 
be  hidden  by  the  paste ;  the  whole  bait  should  be 
about  the  size  of  a  marrow-fat  pea.  You  must  ap- 
proach the  bank  very  quietly,  not  too  close,  drop  in 
your  bait  gently,  and  let  your  rod  lie  down ;  the  shot 
should  nearly  rest  on  the  bottom,  but  not  quite,  so 
that  your  float,  which  should  be  very  light,  will  have 
its  lower  end  a  little  depressed ;  the  bait  will  be 
about  nine  inches  from  the  shot ;  the  gut  must  be 
fine,  but  round  and  strong :  throw  in,  one  at  a  time, 
very  quietly,  little  pellets  of  plain  paste,  about  the 
size  of  peas.  Angle  in  a  still  place  near  an  eddy,  in 
from  four,  to  six  or  more  feet  of  water.  The  carp 
will  suck  in  the  bait,  the  end  of  the  float  will  dip 
under  water.     As  soon  as  you  see  this,  cai'efully,  and 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  33 

without  shaking  it,  put  your  hand  to  your  rod,  and 
in  a  second  or  two  after,  the  float  darts  off;  then 
firmly,  but  not  violently,  only  with  a  mere  turn  of 
your  wrist,  strike,  and  the  struggle  commences  ;  the 
fish  will  endeavour  to  run  in  amongst  roots  of  trees, 
if  there  be  any  near,  and  if  large,  will  put  your  skill 
to  the  test.  On  the  front  of  the  dorsal  or  back  fin, 
the  bone  is  like  a  sharp  saw.  When  he  is  hooked, 
he  will  make  many  very  short  turns  in  his  endeavours 
to  escape  ;  and  it  is  possible,  that  the  line,  from  bad 
management  on  the  part  of  the  angler,  will,  in  some 
instances,  pass  across  this  bone,  and  if  so,  will  be 
instantly  severed. 

An  angler  should  calmly  watch  the  route  the  fish 
he  has  hooked  takes ;  let  him  have  more  line  as  may 
be  absolutely  necessary,  and  wind  up  whenever  prac- 
ticable, with  safety ;  be  in  no  haste  to  see  the  fish, 
for  many  a  good  fish  has  been  lost  through  the  angler 
throwing  himself  into  a  flurry ;  and  be  cautious  to 
play  yourfish  away  from  the  spot  where  he  was  hooked, 
or  other  fish  near  will  be  driven  away.  This  you 
can  easily  do  as  soon  as  yOu  strike  him,  probably  in 
consequence  of  the  surprise  the  fish  must  experience, 
at  having  his  motions  so  suddenly  controlled. 

I  have  had  excellent  sport  in  taking  barbel,  some- 
times from  six  to  twenty  in  a  day.  The  largest 
I  ever  took,  weighed  above  ten  pounds;    and  the 


34  FISHES   AND   PISHING. 

heaviest  I  believe  on  record  in  England,  was  one 
taken  in  the  river  Lea,  weighing  nineteen  pounds. 
Eut  Cuvier  says,  in  localities  favourable  to  them, 
they  will  grow  to  ten  feet  long.  In  the  Danube, 
during  the  autumnal  equinox,  ten  to  twelve  tons  are 
annually  taken. 

In  the  Volga,  a  river  of  Russian  Tartary,  the 
largest  river  in  Europe,  and  which  I  shall  have  occa- 
sion hereafter  to  mention,  barbel  are  taken  more  than 
lour  or  five  feet  long,  weighing  from  thirty  to  fifty 
pounds ;  the  air  bladder  of  these  fish  the  natives  on 
the  banks  convert  into  an  inferior  kind  of  fish-glue, 
or  isinglass ;  their  roe  they  either  throw  away,  or 
boil  and  feed  their  geese  and  other  poultry  with  it ; 
for  though  it  is  inimical  to  the  human  race,  it  is  not 
injurious  to  birds  of  any  kind.  Barbels  are  sold  there 
at  about  nine  pounds,  English,  per  thousand. 

The  beljugas  were  sold  at  Astrachan  at  so  much  a 
hundred  pieces,  which  are  thus  reckoned :  a  fish  of 
eighteen  to  thirty- six  inches  long,  from  eye  to  tail, 
is  reckoned  as  one  piece ;  those  under  eighteen  inches 
long,  two  for  one  piece;  one  of  thirty-six  inches 
counts  as  two  pieces;  thirty-nine  inches  for  three 
pieces,  forty-two  for  four  pieces,  and  so  on.  A  hun- 
dred of  such  pieces  of  this  fish  at  the  first  hand  then 
sold  for  seventy  or  seventy-five  roubles,  or  £15  15s., 
to  £16  17s.  6d.     Sewrjuge,  without  being  measured, 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  35 

were  sold  at  ten  to  fifteen  roubles  per  hundred,  or 
£2  5s.  to  £3  78.  6d.  Barbels  were  valued  at  forty- 
roubles  per  thousand,  or  £9. — See  Travels  of  Dr.  Pallas, 

Four  gentlemen,  named  respectively,  Ernes,  Atkin- 
son, Hall,  and  Moore,  on  the  9th  of  August,  1807,  in 
Shepperton  Deeps,  the  two  first  in  one  punt,  caught 
forty-two  barbel,  weight  SO^lbs ;  the  two  others,  in 
a  second  punt,  caught  forty-five  barbel,  weight 
70^1ba.  It  has  been  said  that  two  hundred  weight  of 
barbel,  from  one  to  fifteen  pounds  each,  have  been 
caught  with  one  rod  in  a  day.  I  think  it  must 
have  been  a  long  day,  not  beginning  as  the  above  four 
gentlemen  did,  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

A  barbel  taken  in  the  old  river  Wey,  or  in  the  navi- 
gation from  Weybridge  Bridge  to  Thames  Lock,  of 
twenty  inches  long,  will  weigh  more  by  a  pound, 
than  one  of  the  same  length  taken  in  the  Thames, 
and  the  former  is  much  more  firm,  fat,  and  better 
flavoured  than  the  latter  ;  this  may  be  accounted  for 
by  the  great  quantity  of  horse  mussels  there  are  in 
the  "Weybridge  navigation,  and  the  old  river,  and 
thence  to  Byfleet ;  these  mussels  are  of  large  size,  and 
when  they  are  moving  from  one  place  to  another 
they  expose  so  very  large  a  portion  of  themselves 
outside  their  thin  shells,  which  no  doubt  proves 
tempting  and  nutritious  food  to  any  fish ;  for  on  the 

d2 


36  riSHES    AND   FISHING. 

water  of  the  navigation  being  drawn  down,  the  im- 
mense number  of  empty  shells,  evinces  the  correctness 
of  this  opinion.  Barbel  are  best  in  season  the  latter 
end  of  summer,  before  the  weather  gets  too  cold,  as 
they  then  retire,  if  they  can,  into  brackish  water,  or 
deep  holes.  It  is  a  very  pleasant  way  of  angling  for 
them  with  a  large  float,  where  the  bank  is  excavated 
under ;  let  your  bait  be  within  half  an  inch  of  the 
bottom ;  bait  with  maiden  lob  worms,  or  three  or 
four  gentles,  or  chandlers'  greaves,  broken  into  pieces, 
in  cold  water,  then  put  on  the  fire  and  allowed  to 
simmer  up  once ;  select  the  fine  white  pieces. 

These  fish  spawn  in  April  or  May,  each  female 
giving  out  from  seven  to  eight  thousand  ova,  or  eggs, 
which  vivify  in  nine  or  ten  days,  as  it  is  said,  but  I 
do  not  believe  that  any  egg  vivifies  in  so  short  a  time, 
it  being  proved  salmon  take  "ninety-four  days ;  the 
parent  fish  recover  in  about  six  weeks,  and  are  in 
prime  season  the  latter  end  of  July,  August,  Septem- 
ber, and  if  fine,  to  the  middle  of  October.  In  fishing 
with  a  float,  strike  the  moment  it  is  pulled  under ;  in 
angling  with  a  ledger  bait,  a  large  round,  or  oval 
bullet  is  better  than  the  flat  leads,  becausfe  the  former 
rolls  about,  and  by  keeping  the  bait  moving,  attracts 
the  fish  sooner. 

If  in  ledger  fishing  you  feel  your  rod  shake  once, 
you  seldom  hook  the  fish,  though  you  strike  ever  so 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  37 

rapidly,  but  generally  lose  the  worm,  for  the  barbel 
will  take  hold  of  its  head,  and  strip  it  clean  off  the 
hook ;  to  prevent  this,  have  a  smaller  hook  whipped 
on  the  gut,  a  little  above  the  larger  one,  and  hook  the 
head  of  the  worm  on  that,  and  you  will  sometimes 
catch  the  barbel  with  that  hook.  It  is  the  natural 
instinct  of  all  fish,  many  birds,  and  reptiles,  who,  if 
they  do  not  seize  their  prey  by  the  head  at  first, 
always  turn  and  swallow  it  headforemost.  "When  a 
barbel  gives  two  or  three  pulls,  strike  quickly,  and 
you  are  tolerably  sure  to  hook  him.  If  you  angle 
late  in  the  evening,  with  two  rods  from  a  bank,  place 
a  small  squirrel's  bill  on  the  point  of  the  rod  which 
is  lying  down. 

The  improvement  in  the  navigation  of  the  Thames 
has  caused  a  great  deterioration  of  it  as  far  as  angling 
is  concerned  ;  when  a  boy,  I  have  gone  into  an  osier 
ait,  with  a  tolerably  long  rod,  a  short  line,  a  few 
cockchafers,  and  screened  by  the  leaves,  could  pick 
out  of  a  shoal  as  many  chub  as  I  chose ;  or  more  re- 
cently, with  an  artificial  fly,  I  have  filled  a  large  bag 
with  dace,  six  to  eight  ounces  each,  and  chub  from 
one  to  five  pounds;  besides  occasionally,  though  rarely 
a  trout  of  a  pound,  or  pound  and  a  half,  during  a  walk 
by  the  side  of  the  Thames  fromWeybridge  to  Sunbury. 
The  most  expert  angler  could  not  do  one  quarter,  or 
a  sixteenth  as  much  at  the  present  day. 


38  FISHES  AND   FISHING. 

In  1824  and  1825,  a  Select  Committee  of  tlie  House 
of  Commons  was  appointed  to  enquire  into  the  state 
of  the  salmon  fisheries  of  the  United  Kingdom  (from 
which  and  other  authorities,  I  have  extracted  the  oh- 
servations  on  salmon).  They  examined  in  the  course 
of  thirty-six  sittings,  at  very  great  length,  many  most 
intelligent  witnesses;  amongst  others,  Mr.  John  Hal- 
liday,  George  Little,  Esq.,  and  the  Eeverend  Dr.  John 
Fleming,  minister  of  Plisk,  in  the  county  of  Fife,  a 
great  naturalist,  who  had  published  some  works  on 
the  natural  history  of  fish.  He  mentioned  seven 
species  of  the  genus  Salmo,  that  inhabit,  or  frequent 
the  estuary  of  the  Tay,  viz., 

1 .  Salmo  salar, — or  common  Salmon. 

2.  Salmo  hucho, — presumed  to  be  the  bull  Trout. 
8.  Salmo  eroix, — the  grey  or  shewn. 

4.  Salmo  trutta, — the  common  sea  Trout. 
6.  Salmo  albus, — the  "Whiteling,  or  Finnock. 

6.  Salmo  fario, — the  common  river  Trout. 

7.  Salmo  eperlanus, — the  Spirlin,  or_^  Smelt. 
Some  of  these  are  migratory  to  the  sea,  and  the 

others  not :  those  which  frequent  the  sea,  are  found 
full  of  roe  in  August,  September,  and  October,  and 
deposit  their  spawn  from  I^ovember  to  January,  In 
the  first  of  these  three  months  they  pass  up  the  mid- 
channel,  almost  always,  of  the  river  wherein  they 
were   bred,  or  had   been  accustomed  to  frequent  j 


FISHES    AND   FISHING,  39 

should  an  insurmountable  obstacle  present  itself  to 
their  passage  upwards,  in  the  main  stream,  or  any- 
thing occur  to  alarm  them,  they  will  pass  up  any 
tributary  stream,  from  whence  fresh  water  flows ; 
and  it  is  well  known  will  make  repeated  and  astonish, 
ing  leaps,  to  arrive  at  a  fit  place  to  deposit  their 
spawn  :  the  male  is  equally  prompted  by  instinct  to 
make  the  same  exertions.  This  accounts  for  the 
salmon  leaping  into  the  mill,  and  the  one  taken  in 
the  fresh  water  which  ran  in  the  road-way,  mentioned 
in  the  former  pages :  and  many  a  noble  salmon  b^ing 
dashed  to  pieces  in  the  attempt  to  pass  the  wheels  of 
the  mill,  in  order  to  arrive  at  the  fresh  water,  as  I 
have  before  stated. 

r^  These  three  gentlemen,  the  two  first  from  an  ex- 
perience of  forty  years  each,  coincided  in  positively 
stating  to  the  committee,  that  one  male  salmon  asso- 
ciates himself  with  one  female  fish ;  that  they  play 
together  for  a  short  time,  either  very  early  in  the 
morning,  or  late  in  the  evening,  round  their  intended 
spawning  ground,  which  they  have  selected  as  fit  for 
the  purpose,  and  then  together]  make  a  furrow,  by 
working  up  the  gravel  with  their  noses,  against  the 
stream.  When  that  furrow  is  completed,  they  throw 
themselves  on  their  sides,  and,  rubbing  against  each 
other,  are  mutually  stimulated  to  shed  the  eggs  and  the 
milt  simultaneously,  into  the  hollow  they  have  made, 


40  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

which  they  carefully  cover  with  loose  gravel ;  they 
then  proceed  to  make  another  furrow,  and  the  same 
process  is  repeated,  until  the  whole  of  the  eggs  of  the 
female  are  excluded,  amounting  to  from  seventeen 
to  twenty  thousand ;  these  being  dropped  singly, 
occupies  several  days. 

The  horny  excrescence  at  the  end  of  the  lower  jaw 
of  the  male,  is  only  a  character  of  his  sex,  and  not  as 
has  been  supposed,  to  enable  him  to  make  the  above 
furrows  in  the  gravel,  for  both  male  and  female  work 
to  make  them ;  probably,  if  any  difference,  the  male 
most. 

Should  the  fish  be  disturbed,  or  frightened  away 
from  the  spot  where  they  have  begun  to  spawn,  they 
return  to  it  as  soon  as  the  cause  of  their  alarm  has 
ceased  ;  and  in  the  case  of  the  male  fish  being  cap- 
tured or  destroyed,  the  female  leaves  the  place,  and 
seeks  a  deep  pool,  from  whence  she  soon  returns  with 
another  male  partner,  who  aids  her  in  completing 
the  work ;  and  this  she  will  repeat  several  times  if 
her  then  male  partner  be  taken  away.  Poachers  are 
BO  well  aware  of  this  fact,  that  they  constantly  take 
tiie  male  fish,  which  is  then  easily  done,  always 
allowing  the  female  to  escape,  who  thus  becomes  a 
decoy  for  them.  Mr.  Young  gives  an  instance  of  a 
female  salmon,  from  the  side  of  which  nine  male  sal- 
mon were  killed  in  this  manner ;  she  then  repaired 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  41 

to  the  pool,  and  brought  with  her  a  large  male  com- 
mon river  trout,  when  the  poacher  leistered,  i.  e. 
speared,  both  of  them.  So  that  this  fish  had  a  dispo- 
sition to  have  a  hybrid  progeny ;  but  the  poacher 
being,  no  doubt,  a  man  oi  great  moral  rectitude,  would 
not  allow  of  any  such  disgraceful  proceedings,  and  so 
took  the  lady  away  from  the  temptation  of  doing  so 
again.  It  is  a  matter  of  speculation  for  the  naturalist 
how  fish  communicate  with  each  other,  and  how  this 
female  salmon  seduced  nine  salmon  to  their  ruin. 
Examples  of  a  similar  kind  are  too  often  to  be  found 
amongst  the  human  race. 

It  appears  from  the  evidence,  that  the  eggs  remain 
covered  with  the  loose  gravel  for  several  weeks,  and 
they  first  show  signs  of  life  by  a  very  slight  fin,  at- 
tached to  the  %%^,  appearing  above  the  gravel ;  the 
^g^  has  considerable  motion  by  means  of  that  fin, 
and  so  probably  becomes  emancipated  from  the  place 
where  it  was  deposited,  unless,  as  I  have  suggested, 
the  female  returns  to  assist  in  the  work. 

The  evidence  of  Messrs.  Little  and  Halliday  go  to 
prove  that  they  have  detected  something  like  amorous 
passions  in  the  salmo  genus ;  and  if  Oppian  is  to  be 
credited,  and  he  was  a  very  acute  observer,  many  fish 
have  a  predilection  for  a  particular  mate  of  the  oppo- 
site sex,  some  are  constant  to  that  one,  others  keep  a 
complete  seraglio,  and  guard  it  with  most  jealous 


42  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

care ;  and  again,  there  are  a  few  species  which  are 
attracted  by  and  follow  promiscuously  any  of  the 
females  to  their  own  ruin.  Fishermen  of  that  period, 
sixteen  hundred  and  fifty-two  years  ago, .  understood 
these  propensities  of  fish,  how  to  take  advantage  of 
their  passions,  and  to  thereby  entrap  them.  The 
above  author  devoted  nearly  half  the  first  book,  and 
almost  all  of  the  fourth  of  his  Halieuticks,  to  the  most 
curious  description  of  the  loves  of  the  fishes,  whose 
desires,  he  asserts,  are  more  ardent  than  those  of  ter- 
restrial animals. 

Francis  "Willoughby,  who  wrote  in  1686  a  most 
elaborate  folio  work  in  Latin,  giving  an  account  of 
all  fishes  then  known,  with  plates  of  them,  mentions 
a  species  of  salmon,  denominated  by  him  '' salmo 
griscus,^'  or  the  grey;  this  fish  was  then  scarce,  and 
was  considered  so  much  more  delicate  than  the  sal- 
mon, as  to  command  more  than  double  the  price. 
Another  author,  who  wrote  above  a  hundred  years 
ago,  describes  this  fish  as  being  equal  to  the  salmon 
in  magnitude,  but  very  unlike  in  shape,  being  con- 
siderably broader  and  thicker,  the  tail  as  large,  but 
not  forked,  the  body  stained  everywhere  with  grey  or 
ash-coloured  spots,  whence  he  supposes  it  takes  its 
name.  He  confirms  Willoughby  as  to  the  superior 
excellence  of  this  fish,  and  the  consequent  price  it 
obtains ;  he  says  they  enter  the  rivers  from  the  sea 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  43 

with  wonderful  swiftness,  and  surmount  almost  all 
obstacles  with  the  greatest  ease,  by  their  superior 
strength  and  agility ;  they  come  into  the  fresh  water 
early  in  August  to  spawn,  that  they  are  seldom  taken, 
and  are  therefore  known  to  very  few  persons  ;  they 
have  never  been  caught  with  any  bait.  He  thinks 
it  is  the  same  fish  that  is*  known  in  some  parts  of 
Scotland  by  the  name  of  the  ^^ grey  lord'*  This  ap- 
pears to  be  a  valuable  species  of  fish,  but  it  is  to  be 
feared  is  now  extinct.  In  the  Volga  are  large  quan- 
tities of  what  are  denominated  white  salmon;  probably 
these  may  be  the  fish  called  by  Willoughby  "  salmo 
griscuSf  or  the  grey." 

The  analogy  between  salmon  and  birds  will,  after 
reading  the  evidence  of  Dr.  Fleming,  Messrs.  Little 
and  HaUiday,  be  very  striking.  Birds  pair,  make 
nests  for  their  progeny,  and  deposit  their  eggs  as  much 
out  of  sight  as  possible  ;  salmon  make  furrows,  and 
conceal  their  ova.  It  appears  that  one  species  of  fish 
make  nests,  and  it  may  be  that  others  do  so  whose 
habits  are  not  yet  discovered  ;*  but,  for  want  of  more 
acquaintance  with  the  habits  of  fish,  at  present  we 
can  go  little  farther  with  the  analogy. 

It  had  long  been  believed  that  female  fish  shed 

*  In  an  early  volume  of  the  Edinburgh  Philosophical 
Journal,  there  is  a  curious  account  of  the  nests  made  by  the 
Gasterosthus  SpinU'tria  of  Linnaeus  (a  peculiar  species  of 
stickleback). 


44  FISHES   AND   PISHING. 

their  spawn  when  it  arrived  at  complete  maturity, 
and  that  any  male  fish  indiscriminately  endued  it  with 
the  germs  of  life,  without  contact  with  the  female  ; 
the  evidence  adduced  before  the  Committee  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  proves  that  this  opinion  and  be- 
lief was  unfounded  in  fact ;  and  some  future  scientific 
naturalist  may  discover  whether  the  female  fish  re- 
turns to  the  spawning  bed,  and  assists  to  emancipate 
the  young  fry  from  the  gravel ;  for  it  appears  she 
does  not  go  down  to  the  sea  for  some  time  after  the 
eggs  are  vivified,  and  if,  as  the  evidence  shows,  the 
female  salmon  have  sufficient  knowledge,  or  instinct 
to  seek  for  a  fresh  mate,  when  the  first,  or  other 
succeeding  ones  are  taken  away,  and  to  conduct  him 
consecutively  to  the  same  spawning  bed,  it  is  not  un- 
reasonable to  suppose  that  she  may  have  instinct 
enough  to  perform  that  service  for  her  progeny  ;  and 
the  tales  told  offish  eating  their  own  spawn,  may  arise 
from  the  misunderstood  efforts  made  by  the  female 
fish  to  attain  the  above  object.  The  work  of  E.  and 
T.  Ash  worth,  Esqs.,  with  which  they  have  favoured 
me,  p.  46,  however,  appears  to  show  that  the  females 
are  the  greatest  enemies  of  the  young  fry,  and  the 
males  the  most  zealous  defenders  of  them.*     This,  if 

*  See  Treatise  on  the  Propagation  of  Salmon  and  other 
Fish ;  published  at  Stockport,  and  by  Simpkin  and  Marshall, 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  45 

true,  (?)  is  contrary  to  all  known  laws  regulating 
created  beings.  Instances  are  often  occurring  of  ter- 
restrial animals,  when  disturbed  in  parturition,  eating 
some  of  their  young,  but  these  are  exceptions  to  the 
general  rule. 

The  male  salmon  as  well  as  the  female,  are  driven 
to  seek  the  fresh  water,  not  only  for  the  purpose  of 
propagating  the  species,  but  in  order  to  free  them- 
selves of  the  parasitical  insects  which  annoy  them, — 
the  Monoculus piscinus  of  Linnaeus ;  but  Dr.  Fleming 
does  not  entertain  that  opinion.  How  then  are  their 
violent  desires  and  exertions  to  get  into  fresh  water 
to  be  accounted  for  ?  Do  salmon  pair  before  they 
leave  the  sea  ?  Dr.  Fleming  admits  that  the  Ler- 
ncea  Salmonce  of  Linnaeus  infests  the  gills  of  salmon 
very  much,  even  to  eating  away  a  great  portion  of  the 
gills,  if  they  stay  too  long  in  the  fresh  water.  These 
insects  are  vulgarly  called  maggots ;  but,  according 
to  Dr.  Fleming,  very  improperly  so,  as  they  do  not 
change  their  state.  Salt  water  removes  them,  and 
cures  the  fish  ;  therefore,  instinct,  or  some  reasoning 
faculty,  induces  them  to  return  to  the  sea. 

The  generation  of  fish,  as  well  as  of  all  animated 
creation,  if  the  subject  be  rightly  considered,  cannot 
fail  to  excite  wonder  in  every  mind  capable  of  reflec- 
tion. Those  who  have  been  blessed  with  the  advan- 
tages of  education,  are  better  able  to  appreciate  the 


46  FISHES   A^^D   FISHING. 

stupendous  arrangements  of  the  great  Architect  of  the 
Universe,  and  are  capable  of  investigating  the  subject 
more  closely  ;  they  must  be  impressed  with  greater 
and  more  profound  veneration  for,  and  admiration  of, 
the  great  beneficent  Supreme  Being,  as  each  arrange- 
ment of  his  bounty  and  goodness  becomes  developed 
to  their  view. 

The  first  male  and  female  of  every  living  creature, 
contained  in  themselves  the  germ  from  which  all 
of  that  species  were  in  future  to  be  produced.  Ee- 
ferring  to  fish,  if  it  be  possible,  take  a  male  fish  as 
early  as  his  sex  can  be  discovered  ;  let  him  be  placed 
where  he  cannot  see,  or  have  contact  with  any  other 
fish,  yet  has  proper  food ;  do  the  same  with  a  fe- 
male :  as  soon  as  she  attain,  even  a  comparatively 
trifling  age,  the  female  will  have  within  her  the  roe 
or  eggs,  and  the  male  the  milt ;  shewing  the  inhe- 
rent principle  of  reproduction  in  each,  yet  such  repro- 
duction cannot  take  place,  unless  the  ova  be  vivified 
by  the  male.  To  keep  the  male  and  female  apart,  we 
know  there  would  be  no  yonng  fish  in  this  case ;  but 
it  would  be  an  illustrative  experiment,  to  ascertain 
the  effect  produced  on  the  health  of  both  these  fish. 

It  is  affirmed  by  the  fishermen  of  the  Yolga,  that 
they  sometimes  take  fish  of  the  sturgeon  species, 
which  are  hermaphrodites,  having  a  milt  on  one  side, 
and  a  roe  on  the  other ;  the  same  thing  has  been  ob- 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  47 

served  in  Holland  amongst  the  chevins  or  large  codfish. 
This  is  a  curious  fact  for  the  investigation  of  the  natu- 
ralist. But  how  it  is  to  be  accomplished  is  the  diffi- 
culty, as  only  by  considerable  and  most  close  observation 
it  could  be  ascertained,  even  if  it  were  possible  at  all 
to  ascertain  whilst  the  fish  were  alive,  whether  it  were 
in  such  a  state  ?  If  that  could  be  done,  the  fish  might 
then  be  confined,  and  it  would  be  seen  whether  it  had 
any  productive  power. 

Every  judicious  gardener  knows,  in  backward  sea- 
sons, when  there  are  no  bees  abroad,  that  he  must 
fructify  his  melons  and  cucumbers,  by  introducing 
the  farina  of  the  male  flower,  to  the  female  flower.  It 
is  a  very  plain  example  of  the  inherent  reproductive 
property  of  flowers,  to  shake  the  fine  farina  from  a 
sunflower,  which  is  indeed  so  minute  that  it  can 
scarcely  be  seen  with  the  naked  eye;  place  this 
under  a  very  moderate  power  of  the  microscope,  and 
every  single  speck  is  a  perfect  sunflower,  with  its 
leaves  and  farina,  in  miniature  ;  but  no  seed  will  be 
produced  unless  the  farina  of  the  male  flower  be  wafted 
by  the  wind,  or  conveyed  byinsects  to  the  female  flower. 
To  bees,  and  other  winged  insects,  man  is  much  in- 
debted, for  conveying  the  farina  of  the  flowers  of 
fruit  trees  to  those  of  the  opposite  sex;  in  which 
process  the  wind  also  very  much  assists ;  indeed, 
without  these  aids,  female  flowers  would  bring  forth 


■^ 


FISHES   AlfD   FISHING. 


neither  seed  or  fruits.  Animals  in  like  manner 
kept  sexually  separate  from  each  other,  lose  their 
energies,  or  become  diseased,  or  soured  in  temper, 
and  often  die  early.  In  the  human  race,  where  the 
forms  of  the  world,  or  other  circumstances  arising  in 
civilised  society,  prevent  the  laws  of  nature  from 
being  fulfilled  at  the  proper  season,  great  nervous 
irritability,  even  extending  to  insanity,  or  a  state  of 
occult  disease  a  little  removed  from  it,  shewing  itself 
in  a  disposition  to  regard  every  circumstance  of  life  in 
an  unfavourable  light,  or  some  more  apparent  malady, 
total,  or  partial  privation  of  one  or  more  of  the  senses, 
is  almost  sure  to  occur.  That  a  great  cause  of  in- 
sanity may  thus  be  traced,  is  a  well-known  truth 
amongst  those  of  the  professional  world,  who  have 
the  supervision  of  lunatics. 

The  experiment  I  have  alluded  to,  of  keeping  the 
two  sexes  of  fish  apart,  would  probably  develope  a 
curious  physiological  fact. 

Fifty  years  ago,  when  the  water  of  the  Serpentine 
river  was  quite  clear,  angling  in  it  was  an  exclusive 
privilege  possessed  by  few ;  all  beyond  the  superin- 
tendent's house  was  a  green  bank  down  to  the  water, 
to  which  the  road  was  over  the  foot-bridge  by  the 
guard-house,  which  idlers,  and  those  who  had  no  right 
there,  were  not  allowed  to  pass.  I  was  one  whose 
name  was  inscribed  on  the  free  list.     The  roach  then 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  40 

were  from  six  ounces  to  three  quarters  of  a  pound,  or 
sometimes  a  pound  each,  and  they  were  eager  after  a 
well-prepared  bait.  I  often  took  carp  from  four  to 
six  pounds  each ;  tench,  from  one  pound  to  two,  and 
once,  a  tench  weighing  five  pounds  three  quarters ; 
and  eels,  one  to  three  pounds.  I  do  not  think  there 
have  been  any  pike  in  this  water  for  many  years,  or 
I  believe  many  perch  :  of  the  latter,  one  was  taken  in 
the  year  1800,  as  one  of  the  keepers  (Bonham)  in- 
formed me,  weighing  nine  pounds ;  but  though  I 
fished  there  during  several  years,  I  only  took  two  of 
the  weight  respectively  of  one  pound,  and  one  pound 
and  a  quarter.  Bonham  also  stated,  that  about  1796, 
a  pike  was  taken  nearly  on  the  opposite  side  to  the 
receiving  house,  in  a  most  curious  manner.  As  a  foot- 
man was  walking  by  the  side  of  the  Serpentine  one 
morning,  very  early,  he  saw  something  struggling  in 
the  weeds  near  the  shore ;  thinking  it  was  some  one 
drowning,  he  rushed  into  the  water,  and  found  it  was 
an  immense  fish,  nearly  powerless ;  the  man  got  be- 
yond the  fish,  and  gradually  lifted  him  nearer  the 
shore,  and  at  last  threw  him  out.  It  proved  to  be  a 
pike,  that  had  attacked  a  carp  of  nearly  seven  pounds 
weight,  which,  in  endeavouring  to  swallow,  had  stuck 
fast  in  the  throat  of  the  pike,  and  disabled  him;  on 
being  weighed,  he  proved  to  be  more  than  thirty 
pounds.     I  have  not  angled  in  the  Serpentine  for 


60  FISHES   AND   PISHING. 

many  years ;  for  since  a  road  has  been  made  beyond  the 
receiving  house,  the  annoyance  of  the  questions  of 
curious  promenaders,  and  the  hosts  of  blackguard  boys 
looking  out  to  see  what  they  can  steal,  and  the  state 
of  the  water,  effectually  prevented  me  from  doing  so  ; 
independent  of  which,  the  fine  roach  which  used  to  be 
there,  are  supplanted  by  a  sort  of  hybrid,  apparently 
between  a  crusian  carp  and  a  roach,  or  a  bream  and 
a  roach  ;  they  are  extremely  numerous,  may  be  taken 
in  any  number,  and  from  being  very  bony,  are  useless 
when  caught.  It  would  be  an  excellent  plan  to  turn 
two  or  more  pike  in,  of  a  good  size,  to  fatten  upon 
these  myriads  of  fish,  which  eat  the  food  that  ought 
to  support  more  valuable  kinds  ;  but  in  placing  pike 
therein,  care  should  be  taken  to  have  all  of  one  sex, 
otherwise,  the  water  would  soon  swarm  with  young 
pike ;  and  as  the  large  ones  should  only  be  put  there 
for  twelve  months  or  so,  the  state  of  celibacy  during 
that  period  would  not  injure  the  fish ;  when  these 
were  fat,  they  might  be  caught,  and  others  placed  to 
undergo  the  same  process. 

The  fecundity  of  fish  is  truly  astonishing,"'  Pro- 
fessor Blumenbach  states,  that  there  are  more  than 
two  hundred  thousand  eggs  in  a  carp.  M.  Petit  found 
nearly  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  in  a  tench, 
three  hundred  thousand  in  a  perch,  twenty-five  thou- 
Band  in  a  pike,  above  fifty  thousand  in  a  roach,  sixty 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  51 

thousand  in  a  smelt,  six  thousand  in  a  shrimp,  twelve 
to  twenty-one  thousand  in  a  lobster,  four  thousand  in 
a  crab,  thirty-six  thousand  in  a  herring,  one  million 
in  a  sole,  the  same  number  in  a  flounder,  of  a  large 
size,  above  one  million  four  hundred  thousand  in  a 
sturgeon.  This  account  of  the  fecundity  of  a  stur- 
geon must  apply  only  to  those  of  southern  climes  ; 
for  in  the  Volga,  where  this  fish  is  from  thirteen  to 
sixteen  feet  long,  and  the  weight  of  1200,  1800, 
or  2300lbs.,  two  hundred  pounds  of  roe  have  been 
taken  from  one  fish ;  now,  as  Dr.  Pallas  asserts  that 
five  eggs  weigh  only  a  grain,  it  is  easy  to  calculate 
that  the  eggs  in  this  sturgeon  were  seven  millions ! 
But  this  is  nothing  compared  with  one  caught  in  that 
river  in  the  winter  of  1769,  seventeen  feet  long; 
weight,  2,5001bs. ;  from  which  were  taken  720lbs. 
of  roe,  which,  by  the  same  calculation,  would  give 
25,200,000  ova. 

To  take  fish  of  the  large  size  mentioned  by  Dr. 
Pallas,  called  the  beljuga,  or  bjeluga  sturgeon,  a 
species  of  trap  or  weir  is  constructed.  Another 
method  is  to  ascertain  where  the  fish  are  lying  side 
by  side  in  a  state  of  torpidity,  in  deep  holes.  Make 
apertures  in  the  ice,  and  with  long  poles,  having  a 
large  sharp  hook  at  the  end,  disturb  them,  and  aa 
they  rise,  the  fish  are  hooked,  and  drawn  up  on  the 
ice ;   if  too  heavy  for  one  fisherman,  others  assist. 

E  2 


52  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

A  third  method  is  by  netting.  Upon  one  occasion 
(as  described  in  Trusler's  Habitable  World,  vol.  ii. 
p.  189),  five  hundred  of  these  fish  were  taken;  the 
generality  of  which  were  thirteen,  fourteen,  to 
twenty-three  hundred  weight  each. 

A  fourth  mode  of  taking  them  is  by  strong  lines 
and  hooks,  baited  with  a  small  fish,  called  in  Eussia 
Obla  {Cyprinas  Griflagine). 

All  these  modes  are  adopted  at  certain  seasons, 
and  under  strict  regulations.  In  winter,  those  fish 
caught,  are  sent  on  sledges,  frozen,  to  Astrachan,  and 
100  of  these  fresh  beljugas  then  sold  for  120  roubles, 
of  4s.  Qd.  each,  or  £27.  Of  the  roe  of  the  female  fish, 
the  cavear  is  made  thus  :  the  roe  is  pressed  through  a 
coarse  sieve,  to  cleanse  it  from  the  skins  and  blood- 
vessels ;  one  pud  of  roe  placed  in  a  trough,  will  take 
five  pounds  of  salt ;  it  remains  in  the  trough  an 
hour ;  it  is  then  spread  over  fine  sieves  to  drain  away 
the  brine,  and  then  pressed  down  into  barrels;  this  is 
the  granular  cavear,  and  sold  at  one  rouble,  eighty  co- 
pecs  (or  kopecks)  the  pud,  or  7*.  lOd.  English.  There 
is  another  kind  of  cavear  made  thus  :  the  roe  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  skins  and  blood-vessels,  is  placed  for 
half  an  hour  in  strong  brine ;  it  is  then  taken  out, 
and  laid  on  sieves  to  drain ;  then  put  into  pointed 
bags,  like  jelly  bags,  each  bag  containing  18lbs.  In 
these  bags  it  is  squeezed  till  all  the  brine  is  out  j  it  is 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  53 

then  placed  in  barrels,  and  trodden  down  by  a  man 
wearing  leather  stockings.  The  casks  are  well  se- 
cured against  leakage,  and  this  cavear  sells  for  two 
roubles  the  pud.  A  pud  then  was  40lbs.  Eussian,  36lbs. 
English.  A  rouble  was  then  4*.  6c?.  English,  and  a 
copec  one  half-penny ;  now,  the  value  is  very  different. 

No  part  of  these  fish  is  lost  except  the  lower  part 
of  the  abdomen  and  bowels,  which  are  thrown  away. 
The  fat  off  the  milt  from  the  male  fish  is  scraped  thence 
with  knives  into  a  pail,  it  is  then  boiled  and  cleaned. 
This  fat,  when  fresh,  is  very  good  tasted,  and  may  be 
used  instead  of  butter  or  oil.  In  Astrachan  it  is  sold 
from  forty  to  fifty  copecs  per  pail,  then  \s.  Sd.  to 
2s.  Id. ;  but  how  much  the  pail  contained  is  not 
stated. 

In  the  Caspian-sea  fisheries,  the  beljuga  stone, 
which  (Dr.  Pallas  says)  has  always  remained  proble- 
matical, is  often  found  in  the  larger  species  of  this 
fish,  and  commonly  sold  at  the  price  of  a  few  roubles  ; 
according  to  the  fishermen's  accounts,  this  stone, 
when  found,  is  in  a  sac  of  the  rectum.  They  are 
also  found  in  the  largest  sorts  of  sturgeons;  they 
weigh  (he  says)  occasionally  from  one  to  three  ounces, 
and  may  with  difficulty  be  scraped  with  a  knife:  they 
are  amongst  other  Russian  domestic  medicines,  but  he 
says  it  does  not  merit  to  be  so  placed.  It  is  said  to 
be  the  petrified  roe  of  the  fish. 


54 


FISHES   AND   FISHING. 


There  are  more  than  nine  millions  of  ova  in  a  cod, 
more  than  half  a  million  in  a  mackerel,  and  seven  to 
eight  thousand  in  a  barbel.  By  the  evidence  given 
before  the  Committee  of  the  House  of  Commons,  as  be- 
fore mentioned,  salmon  have  from  seventeen  to  twenty 
thousand  eggs,  and  trout  probably,  being  of  the  same 
genus,  have  as  many.  But  the  quantity  of  ova  varies 
according  to  the  age  of  the  fish ;  as  an  instance,  a 
flounder  of  two  ounces  will  contain  133,407  eggs, 
whilst  one  of  twenty-four  ounces  contained  1,857,403. 
It  must  not  be  supposed  that  these  enormous  quantities 
of  eggs  are  all  vivified ;  many  are  greedily  devoured  by 
other  fish  whilst  in  the  ova  state,  and  many  more  im- 
mediately the  ova  attains  vitality,  and  a  very  large 
proportion  when  they  assume  their  proper  character. 
A  little  well-known  fish,  called  a  stickleback  or  sharp- 
ling,  which  I  have  elsewhere  mentioned,  is  most 
destructive  of  the  spawn  of  all  species ;  it  is  a  matter 
of  doubt,  whether  small  eels  or  the  stickleback  de- 
stroy most  spawn.  It  is  unsportsmanlike  to  take  any 
fish  when  full  of  spawn,  for  then  man  becomes  a 
wholesale  destroyer  of  fish  by  tens,  or  even  hundreds 
of  thousands;  another  practice  is  adopted  by  some 
persons  of  using  salmon  roe  as  a  bait,  a  practice  inju- 
rious to  the  breeding  of  this  noble  fish,  and  which 
cannot  be  too  strongly  reprehended,  for  hundreds  are 
taken  for  the  sake  of  the  roe,  which  causes  a  diminu- 


FISHES   AND   PISHING.  55 

tion  of  millions  of  salmon, — and  for  what  ?  Why,  to 
excite  a  species  of  taste  for  cannibalism  amongst  that 
class  of  animals,  and  to  gratify  some  would-be- angler, 
who  has  not  skill  enough  to  take  fish  by  legitimate  me- 
thods recognised  by  all  true  sportsmen!  I  have  been 
told  by  a  gentleman,  upon  whose  word  I  think  de- 
pendence may  be  placed,  that  a  tackle-maker,  who 
professes  publicly  to  point  out  the  necessity  of  pro- 
tecting salmon  from  being  unfairly  caught  by  small- 
meshed  nets,  obtains,  and  sells  SOOlbs.  weight  of  this 
roe  nearly  every  year  ! 

The  liquor  of  the  oyster,  it  is  asserted,  contains 
incredible  multitudes  of  small  embryo,  covered 
with  little  shells,  perfectly  transparent,  swimming 
nimbly  about.  One  hundred  and  twenty  of  these 
in  a  row,  would  not  exceed  one  inch.  Besides  these 
young  oysters,  the  liquor  contains  a  great  variety  of 
animalculse,  five  hundred  times  less  in  size,  which 
emit  a  phosphoric  light.  The  list  of  inhabitants,  how- 
ever, does  not  conclude  here ;  for,  besides  these  last- 
mentioned,  there  are  three  distinct  species  of  worms, 
called  the  oyster  worm,  half  an  inch  long,  found  in 
oysters,  which  shine  in  the  dark  like  glow-worms. 
A  good  microscope  is  necessary. 

Amongst  the  voluminous  evidence  obtained  by  the 
Committee  of  the  House  of  Commons,  there  is  no 
mention  of  southern  rivers  ;  the  fact  is  well  authenti- 


66  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

cated,  that  salmon  were  formerly  very  plentiful  in 
the  Thames  ;  and  the  fishermen,  within  my  recollec- 
tion, added  very  materially  to  their  incomes  by  the 
capture  and  sale  of  that  noble  fish,  some  of  which 
were  very  large,  I  perfectly  remember  rowing  ofi"  to 
see  one  in  the  year  1789,  which  was  enveloped  in 
nets  between  two  punts,  kept  apart  by  short  spars 
lashed  head  and  stern.  This  fish  was  caught  near 
Laleham,  and  the  weight  was  said  to  be  seventy 
pounds.  Salter,  in  one  of  his  publications,  confirms 
the  fact,  and  states  that  it  was  sold  to  Howel,  a  fish- 
monger in  the  Minories,  opposite  America  Square,  for 
one  shilling  a  pound];  shewing,  by  the  price,  the  great 
plenty  there  were  of  them.  Formerly,  in  walking  by 
the  side  of  the  Thames  on  a  summer's  evening,  any- 
where above  Sunbury,  up  to  Windsor,  you  would  see 
numbers  of  large  salmon  leap  out  of  the  water  by  the 
side  of  the  osier  aits,  either  in  sport,  or  after  flies.  I^ow 
the  locks  and  weirs  are  so  unscientifically  constructed, 
that  if  salmon  were  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  passing  the 
pool,  their  further  passage  upward  would  be  com- 
pletely obstructed  by  these  badly  contrived  erections. 
The  salmon  fishery  of  the  Thames  was  anciently  of 
very  great  importance  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
parishes  upon  the  banks  of  that  river,  who  appear  to 
have  had  each  an  assigned  ^^  room  or  rome'*  or 
bounds  for  their  respective  fishery.    In  the  church- 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  57 

warden's  book  of  "Wandsworth,  under  date  1580,  is 
the  following  entry:  *'M.  D."  (presume  memoran- 
dum) *'  That  this  yere  in  somer,  the  fishing  rome  of 
Wandesworthe  was  by  certain  of  Putney  denyed,  and 
long  sute  before  my  Lord  Mayor  of  London  continued, 
and  at  the  last,  according  to  right,  restored  by  the 
Lord  Mayor  and  the  Councell  of  London.  And  in 
this  somer,  the  fysshers  of  Wandesworthe  tooke  be- 
tweene  Monday  and  Saturday,  seven  score  salmons 
in  the  same  fishings,  to  the  great  honor  of  God." — 
From  *'  I^otes  and  Queries." 

From  a  newspaper  of  July  1754.  "  Was  caught  at 
London  Bridge,  the  greatest  take  of  salmon  ever 
known,  whereby  the  price  of  that  fish  fell  from  one 
shilling,  to  sixpence  per  pound." — See  ''Bell's  Life," 
August  22nd,  1852. 

The  ancient  Greeks  it  is  said,  did  not  know  the 
salmon,  although  they  had  the  trout.  In  Macedonia, 
fish  were  caught,  probably  this  species,  (the  trout,) 
with  a  fly,  the  mosquito,  and  the  horse-fly ;  but  their 
rods  and  lines  were  very  short  and  imperfect,  accord- 
ing to  the  measurement  given  by  a  recent  author. 
Soyer  says,  salmon  were  known  to  the  Komans,  also 
the  common  trout,  the  white  trouts,  and  the  sea  trout, 
perch,  and  gudgeon,  the  latter  called  by  them  Gobio. 
According  to  all  naturalists  whose  works  I  have  been 
able  to  consult,  Soyer  is  in  error,  as  no  salmon  have 
ever  been  found  in  the  Mediterranean. 


58  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

Greater  attention  has  been  given  to  this  subject,  as 
regards  salmon,  in  the  river  Severn ;  a  meeting  of 
landed  proprietors  upon  the  banks  of  this  last-men- 
tioned river  was  held  at  Tewkesbury,  on  Wednesday, 
the  16th  of  December,  1840,  relative  to  the  proposed 
improvement  of  its  navigation;  Earl  Beauchamp  in  the 
chair.  Mr.  Strickland  stated  that  he  had  heard  a 
paper  read  at  a  meeting  of  the  British  Association  at 
Glasgow,  describing  a  plan  of  making  passages,  which 
were  called  '*  staircases,"  by  which  the  salmon  were 
enabled  to  pass  up  the  weirs;  and  he  wished  to 
know  if  the  proposed  weirs  would  obstruct  the  salmon, 
and  so  injure  the  fisheries,  which  were  of  great  im- 
portance. Mr.  Cubitt  replied,  that  he  believed  the 
intended  weirs  would  not  obstruct  the  salmon ;  *'  that 
the  staircases  were  a  very  neat  contrivance,'*  and 
they  would  be  furnished,  if  necessary. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  manner  of  construct- 
ing the  weirs  in  the  Severn,  the  fisheries  have  not, 
as  far  as  I  can  learn,  been  injured. 

Since  writing  this,  I  observed  in  **  BelPs  Life,"  of 
Sept.  3,  1854,  the  following,  copied  from  the  "Wor- 
cester Chronicle.*' 

**  Seveen  Salmon. — The  take  of  Severn  salmon 
has  never  been  so  great  as  during  the  present  season. 
In  three  days  in  May,  200  prime  fish,  weighing 
lOSOlbs.,  were  brought  by  the  fishermen  to  one  of 


FISHES   AifD   FISHING.  59 

the  principal  fishmongers  in  Gloucester,  and  250  in 
another  three  days.  During  the  month  of  July  the 
same  tradesman's  receipts  of  fish  averaged  a  ton  a 
week.  This  is  entirely  owing  to  the  steps  adopted 
by  the  Fisheries  Association  for  the  preservation  of 
the  river  in  fence  time,  and  the  removal  of  fixed  traps 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  river  in  the  close  months. 
Close  time  commenced  on  Friday,  and  we  hope  that 
the  fishermen  will  see  that  it  is  their  interest  strictly 
to  observe  it." 

Seeing  these  advantages  of  the  ^Severn  salmon 
fishery,  the  credit  of  which  I  believe  is  very  much  to 
be  attributed  to  Mr.  Boccius,  and  with  the  evidence 
that  the  Thames  salmon  fishery  was  formerly  as  good, 
it  appears  worthy  of  a  trial  to  alter  the  weirs,  and 
restock^ the  river  with  young  salmon, 

I  have  had  the  pleasure  and  advantage  of  a  con- 
versation with  Mr.  Boccius,  and  he  assures  me  if  the 
weirs  were  altered,  so  as  to  allow  the  salmon  to  pass 
up  and  down  the  Thames  freely,  that  he  will  under- 
take to  restock  that  river  with  salmon.  It  will  show 
great  neglect  in  those  who  have  the  real  conservancy 
of  that  river,  or  have  the  interests  and  comforts  of  the 
community  at  heart,  if  the  attempt  to  carry  out  this 
desirable  proposal  be  not  adopted,  to  which  he  says 
he  can  show  that  the  state  of  the  river  from  Ted- 
dington   downwards,   and  the  traffic  of   the  pool, 


60 


FISHES   AlfD   FISHING. 


will  not  be  so  great  obstacles  as  is  generally  sup- 
posed. 

In  Scotland  salmon  fishing  begins  on  the  fiirst  of 
February,  and  ends  the  thirteenth  of  September. 

The  salmon  fishery  of  the  river  Thames  is  a  subject 
of  sufficient  and  proper  importance  to  engage  the  at- 
tention of  the  Thames  Angling  Preservation  Society, 
or  the  Court  of  Conservancy  of  the  city  of  London,  or 
even  of  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  to  ascertain  how 
far  it  may  be  possible  to  renew  the  breed  of  salmon  in 
that  river,  and  to  have  such  alterations  made  in  the 
weirs  as  would  allow  that  fish  to  pass  to  and  from  the 
sea.  Surely  the  engineers  of  the  city  of  London 
could  accomplish  the  object  by  the  *'  neat  contrivance 
of  stair  cases  J  ^  as  Mr.  Cubitt  designated  them,  or  some 
other  method,  to  allow  salmon  free  ingress  and  egress 
to  and  from  the  fresh  water.  In  order  to  restock  the 
Thames  with  salmon,  obtain  a  male  and  female  fish 
at  the  proper  season,  and  artificially  breed  young 
salmon  as  is  practised  now  so  extensively  and  success- 
fully ;  let  them  be  protected  and  fed  for  some  time, 
and  let  that  protection  be  continued  until  the  young 
fish  are  able  to  provide  for  their  own  wants ;  at  the 
same  time  let  active  measures  be  taken  to  destroy  as 
much  as  possible  the  large  pike  and  perch  in  the 
neighbourhood  where  the  young  brood  are  set  at 
liberty ;  they  will  remain  in  the  fresh  water  until 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  6l 

strong  enough  to  go  to  the  sea  ;  and  as  it  is  an  un- 
doubted fact  that  salmon  bred  in  a  river  will  return 
to  the  same  stream,  or  some  of  its  tributaries,  in 
spite  of  very  great  obstacles,  there  is  a  probability  that 
this  species  of  fish  may  become  once  more  a  visitor  to* 
the  Thames,  though  I  fear  the  traffic  on  the  river, 
and  its  filthy  state,  are  against  it ;  but  Mr.  Boccius 
says  that  would  not  be  an  unsurmountable  difficulty, 
as  the  fish  travel  at  night.  The  same  plan  might  also 
be  tried  with  a  greater  chance  of  success  in  the  river 
Lea,  provided  free  passage  be  afi'orded  to  them,  as  to 
reach  this  river  the  fish  would  not  have  to  traverse 
the  Pool :  heavy  penalties  should  be  inflicted  on  any 
person  fishing  for  them  with  nets,  within  three  to 
five  years.  The  Thames  and  Lea  might  also  be  well 
stocked  with  trout  in  like  manner,  fishermen  being 
prevented  from  netting  for  them. 

That  the  river  Lea  had  its  share  of  salmon,  is  an 
undoubted  fact ;  the  gentleman  who  set  me  up  with 
tackle  for  bottom  fishing,  before-mentioned,  caught 
one  with  a  worm,  at  the  White  House  fishery,  about 
eighty  years  ago,  which  weighed  ten  pounds.  A 
person  angling  in  the  Pool,  at  Eromley,  for  dace, 
with  a  gut  line,  and  No.  9  hook,  caught  hold  of  a 
large  fish,  which  bade  fair  to  break  his  tackle ;  he, 
having  no  winch,  allowed  his  rod  to  go  into  the 
water.     Mr.   Baker,  then  at  the  mill,  lent  him  a 


62  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

boat,  in  which,  taking  hold  of  his  rod,  he  followed  the 
fish  round  the  pool,  and  after  a  considerable  time, 
tired  and  killed  a  fine  salmon  of  twelve  pounds 
weight. 

In  1805,  whilst  angling  at  the  Horse  and  Groom 
fishery,  Lea  Bridge,  I  saw  lying  under  the  bank  a 
large  fish.  I  put  a  worm  opposite  to  his  mouth,  and 
when  he  opened  it,  the  worm  went  in,  and  I  hooked 
him.  He  did  not  leave  me  long  in  doubt  as  to  what 
he  was.  I  had  a  solid  trolling  rod,  forty  yards  of 
platted  silk  line,  and  a  stout  gut  bottom.  My  line  was 
soon  nearly  all  run  out.  He  was  so  strong  that 
it  was  hazardous  to  check  him,  and  he  soon  shewed 
me  the  bright  side  of  a  splendid  salmon,  by  leaping 
entirely  out  of  water  several  times  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river.  I  humoured  his  impetuous  motions 
as  much  as  I  could,  by  dropping  the  point  of  my  rod, 
which  slackened  the  line  sufficiently ;  by  degrees  I 
persuaded  him  to  come  a  little  nearer  to  me,  and  by 
playing  him  into  shallow  water,  where,  as  a  French 
gentleman  said  when  he  had  hooked  a  large  trout  in 
the  LuUingstone  waters,  "  Vat  a  dust  he  did  kick 
up."  Finding  him  at  length,  as  I  thought,  pretty 
quiet,  I  stepped  one  foot  into  the  water  to  get  hold  of 
him,  for  I  had  neither  landing  net  or  hook,  or  any 
one  within  hail;  but  the  moment  he  saw  me,  he 
darted  ofi*  again,  and  if  I  had  not  had  my  rod  upright 


PISHES   AND   PISHING.  63 

to  let  the  spring  of  it  bear  upon  him,  at  the  same 
time  giving  him  a  little  line,  so  as  to  defeat  his  sud- 
den effort,  I  should  have  lost  my  prize.  I  played  him 
round  again  to  the  same  spot,  when  he  began  to  swim 
unsteadily,  and  occasionally  turned  on  his  side.  I  fixed 
the  spear  of  my  rod  in  the  ground,  with  my  left  hand  on 
the  rod  and  the  line,  in  case  he  should  make  another 
rush,  and  with  my  right  hand  in  the  water,  watched 
for  the  opening  of  his  gills,  inserted  my  finger,  and 
leaving  my  rod  standing,  ran  with  my  prize  up  into  the 
meadow,  where  I  killed  him.  He  was  the  most  game 
fish  I  had  ever  handled,  and  when  I  arrived  at  home, 
I  found  he  weighed  nine  pounds  and  a  quarter. 

Mr.  Shaw,  of  Dumfrieshire,  in  a  communication  to 
the  "Edinburgh  Journal,"  in  January,  1836,  gave 
some  valuable  information.  He  stated  that  by  the 
artificial  method,  the  ova  of  salmon  were  vivified  in 
ninety -four  days ;  and  in  the  natural  way,  the  vivifi- 
cation  took  place  in  ninety  days. 

In  August,  1853,  a  large  meeting  took  place  in  the 
County  Buildings,  Perth,  of  the  Salmon  Eishing  Pro- 
prietors of  the  river  Tay,  and  their  representative, 
Mr.  Thomas  Ashworth,  of  Poynton,  Cheshire,  stated 
that  it  was  easy  to  breed  salmon  artificially  in  rivers. 
He  said  that  it  was  an  established  fact,  that  salmon 
and  other  fish  may  be  propagated  by  millions  at  a 
small  cost ;  and  being  protected  against  their  natural 


64    ,  FISHBS   AND   FISHING, 

enemies  by  being  in  ponds  for  the  first  year  of  their 
existence,  were  more  capable  afterwards*  of  taking 
care  of  themselves,  and  that  he  and  his  brother  had  at 
that  time  20,000  young  salmon,  from  two  to  three 
inches  long,  alive  and  thriving,  artificially  produced 
in  ponds,  which  were  daily  and  suitably  fed  with 
chopped  meat.  Mr.  H.  Ramsbottom,  fishing-tackle 
maker,  of  Clitheroe,  said,  he  had  been  very  successful 
when  engaged  for  himself,  and  his  brother,  who  are 
proprietors  of  the  Galway  Salmon  Fishery.  Some  of 
these  little  salmon  were  in  the  Dublin  Exhibition  for 
several  weeks,  and  shewed  their  natural  instinct  to 
run  up  a  stream  by  ascending  a  miniature  weir  with  a 
proportionate  salmon  ladder  in  it,  as  before  mentioned. 
The  expense  of  breeding  salmon  he  estimated  at 
about  one  farthing  each  fish. 

In  the  "Morning  Post,"  15th  of  August,  1854,  it  is 
stated  that  on  a  visit  to  the  Storemont  Fields  pond, 
near  Outerard,  the  young  fish  growing  rapidly,  con- 
sumed a  liver  a  day  for  food.  Breeding  boxes  were 
being  dried  and  cleansed,  to  destroy  the  eggs  of  any 
insects.  Breeding  season  to  commence  in  November 
and  December. 

To  Mr.  Boccius  I  am  indebted  for  the  following : 
— ♦'  The  Chinese  were  the  first  people  who  introduced 
artificial  breeding  of  fish,  by  capturing  brood  fish  just 
emerged  from  the  egg,  protecting  them,  and  feeding 


FISHES   AJ^^D    FISHING.  65 

them,  until  in  a  fit  condition  for  food.  Herr  Jacobi, 
a  retired  military  officer,  of  Osnaburgh,  about  1756  or 
1758,1  believe,  was  the  first  who  attempted  to  take  the 
spawn  and  milt  from  the  live  parent-fish,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  impregnation  and  production  ;  and  after  some 
years  of  experience  and  attention,  and  proving  his 
arrangements,  introduced  the  subject  to  Count  Gold- 
stein, a  talented  naturalist,  who  published  the  ac- 
count of  Jacobi' s  experiments;  but  the  subject  died 
away." 

Sir  Humphrey  Davey  mentions  that  Jacobi  bred 
trout  artificially. — See  *'  Salmonia,"  3rd  ed.  p.  80. 

Mr.  Boccius  says,  that  Sir  Humphrey  Davy,  Sir 
Prancis  Chantry,  Mr.  Pepys,  the  improver  of  British 
steel,  and  some  others,  attempted  this  process  at  Mr. 
Hamlet's,  on  the  Colne,  near  Uxbridge,  but  failed, 
not  producing  more  than  five  per  cent,  of  brood. 

Mr.  Blakey  appears  rather  to  depreciate  this  most 
useful  art,  as  being  merely  a  revival  of  a  branch  of 
science  known  to,  and  practised  by,  the  Romans  two 
thousand  years  ago,  and  that  it  is  largely  treated  of  by 
Columella  and  other  ancient  writers.  This  is  not 
the  fact ;  the  Romans  caught  very  young,  probably 
brood  fish,  or  like,  as  mentioned  by  Mr.  Ashworth, 
the  method  practised  by  the  Chinese,  placed  them  in 
ponds,  where  they  were  fed  most  plentifully,  and  were 
taken  out  when  in  a  state  of  perfection,  to  grace  the 

F 


66  •  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

patrician  tables,  or  were  preserved  in  ponds  to  be 
angled  for  by  Eoman  nobles,  and  even  emperors. — 
See  Oppian's  '*  Halieuticks,"  Book  i.  v.  75  to  95. 
Columella  was  a  pbilosopber  of  Cadiz,  and  was  the 
author  of  a  treatise  on  Agriculture ;  he  flourished 
about  A.D.  43. 

I  do  not  pretend  to  decide  to  whom  we  owe  the 
revival  or  the  invention  of  the  method  of  breeding  fish 
artificially  in  our  country ;  but  I  think  Mr.  Boccius 
has  certainly  brought  it  to  great  perfection  in  the 
south,  as  many  gentlemen  have  in  the  north,  and  on 
the  continent,  and  they  have  very  much  simplified 
the  process :  his  work  on  the  subject,  published  by 
Yan  Yoorst,  of  Paternoster  Eow,  Mr.  Ash  worth's,  and 
those  of  several  other  men  of  science,  are  very  expla- 
natory, and  to  which  I  must  refer. 

Samuel  Gurney,  Esq.,  Jun.,  a  few  years  ago,  gave  me 
the  egg  of  a  trout,  which  had  been  thus  artificially 
vivified  in  the  river  "Wandle,  upon  the  plan  of  Mr. 
Boccius.  A  sort  of  fine  fin  was  attached  to  the  egg, 
which  was  of  a  light  reddish  stone-colour,  so  far 
transparent,  that  the  circulation  of  the  blood  in  a  pul- 
satory manner  could  be  seen  by  a  magnifying  glass  of 
very  moderate  power.  The  phial  in  which  it  was, 
being  placed  in  a  horizontal  position,  it  moved  from 
end  to  end  with  great  velocity,  but  for  want  of  a  proper 
current  of  aerated  water,  it  only  lived  a  few  days. 


riSHES   AND    FISHING.  67 

Mr.  Ashworth  says,  that  the  Chinese,  from  the  most 
distant  ages,  have  collected  and  disposed  of  "fish  seed,'* 
-^fecundated  ova,  I  presume,  to  those  who  wanted  to 
stock,  or  restock  their  rivers  or  ponds,  and  that  the 
Eomans  merely  did  the  same ;  but  it  is,  I  think,  easy 
to  prove,  that  this  was  the  extent  of  the  knowledge  of 
either  the  Chinese  or  Eomans  on  this  subject. 

A  beautiful  plate  of  the  progress  of  the  egg  of  the 
salmon  to  maturity,  is  to  be  found  in  the  Second  Re- 
port on  the  Salmon  Fisheries  of  the  United  Kingdom, 
plate  10 ;  ordered  by  the  House  of  Commons  to  be 
printed,  3rd  June,  1825.  Also  a  very  explanatory  one 
in  Messrs.  Ashworth's  little  work  before  mentioned. 

The  immense  quantity  of  sticklebacks  in  the 
"Wandle  must  prove  very  destructive  to  the  spawn 
and  young  fry  of  trout ;  also  the  eels,  which  will  take 
trout  as  large  as  gudgeons;  therefore,  unless  the 
young  trout  are  protected  and  fed  till  old  enough  to 
take  care  oY  themselves,  they  will  be  destroyed  in 
great  numbers,  as  soon  as  they  are  turned  into  the 
river*  These  pugnacious  little  fish,  the  stickleback 
will  attack  fish  twice  their  own  size. 

Stickleback,  prickleback,  or  sharpling  are  taken  in 
stagnant  waters,  and  inlets  of  rivers,  with  a  very 
small  piece  of  red  worm,  with  the  prickles  cut  off ; 
they  are  a  very  good  bait  for  perch.  (Taylor.)  It 
preys  on  the  spawn  of  fish,  therefore   is  very  inju- 

f2 


68  FISHES   AND   FISHING, 

rious  in  fish  ponds.  (Bowlker.)-;Tliey7will  attack 
roach,  dace,  &c.,  twice  their  own  size,  and  are  most 
destructive  of  the  spawn  of  fish.  In  the  fens  they 
are  so  numerous,  that  about  once  in  eight  years  they 
are  caught  in  cart-loads  in  the  river  Welland,  and 
are  used  as  manure ;  they  fertilize  the  land  extremely. 
They  are  also  good  food  for  poultry,  who  are  very  fond 
of  them,  as  well  as  of  sprats,  and  their  effect  is  to 
increase  both  their  fecundity  and  size.  (Salter.) 

**  A  man  has  been  known  to  make  four  shillings 
per  day  by  catching  them  and  selling  them  at 
one  half-penny  a  bushel  for  manure — 96  bushels  \ 
They  are  so  strong  as  to  spring  eighteen  inches  out 
of  the  water.  The  males  are  extremely  quarrelsome^ 
and  will  fight  with  each  other  most  furiously  ;  biting 
each  other  with  their  mouths,  which  are  well  fur- 
nished with  teeth,  and  endeavour  to  pierce  each  other 
with  their  lateral  spines ;  the  conqueror  pursues  the 
conquered  most  vindictively,  and  the  forAier  changes 
his  appearance,  the  lower  jaw  and  belly  becoming  a 
deep  crimson,  and  the  back  a  fine  green  or  cream 
colour,  shewing  animation  and  spirit,  the  latter  losing 
both  colour  and  spirit.  Each  choosing  a  different 
locality,  a  battle  is  the  result  of  'ja.nj  infringement 
of  another's  territories."* 

*  I  copied  the  above  paragraph  many  years  ago  from  a  work 
*♦  Tales  about  Animals,  Fish,  &c. ;"  and  the  statement  about  the 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  69 

Le  Societe  d'Emulation  of  Yosges,  France,  have, 
Bince  1 844,  awarded  medals  to  two  fishermen  of  La- 
brasse,  named  G^tin  and  Eeni,  for  having  artificially 
hatched  the  eggs  of  trout ;  they  have  five  to  six  mil- 
lions of  these  fish,  from  one  to  three  years  old,  in  waters 
belonging  to  themselves  ;  and  they  say  that  a  trout 
of  two  years  old  weighs  about  four  ounces  and  a  half, 
and  at  three  years,  about  nine  ounces.  Mr.  Relph, 
who  has  been  engaged  in  the  salmon  fishery  above 
fifty  years,  states  salmon  grow  under  favourable  cir- 
cumstances about  an  ounce  per  week. — **  Edinburgh 
Journal  of  ITatural  History,"  Dec.  1839,  p.  40. 

These  two  persons  in  France,  have  extended  their 
methods  of  hatching  the  eggs  of  trout,  to  those  of 
salmon,  carp,  pike,  tench,  and  perch,  whereby  they 
have  not  only  restocked  many  rivers,  but  lakes,  and 
rivers  in  which,  before,  there  were  no  fish,  are  now 
teeming  with  them. 

The  French  Government  have  properly,  and  highly 
to  their  honour,  set  the  example  to  other  governments, 
by  taking  up  this  interesting  subject,  as  a  matter  of 
great  national  importance,  inasmuch  as  it  will  be  a 
means  of  supplying  the  public  through  the  medium  of 

"fights  of  the  stickleback,"  in  "  Humphrey's  River  Garden," 
js  nearly  a  copy  verbatim  of  that  former  publication — a  little 

more  dressed  out  in  point  of  language.      Humphrey  does  not 

acknowledge  whence  he  copied  this. 


70  PISHES    AND   FISHING. 

the  railways,  with  a  large  quantity  of  nutritious  food. 
The  Minister  of  Marine  and  Colonies  has  ordered  ex- 
periments to  be  made,  as  to  salt  water,  and  some 
kinds  of  shell  fish ;  and  Commissioners  have  been  ap- 
pointed to  'examine  the  mouths  of  rivers,  and  the 
coasts  from  Havre  to  La  Teste,  Cherbourg,  Gran- 
ville, and  in  the  environs  of  Trouville, 

It  is  a  very  serious  subject  for  consideration,  or 
ought  to  be,  with  the  government  of  this  country,  to 
promote  as  much  as  possible  the  breeding  of  fish,  as  a 
means  of  providing,  in  some  measure,  for  the  immense 
increasing  population  ;  the  law  should  be  put  in  force 
against  every  person  taking  fish  with  spawn,  or  milt  in 
them,  or  of  an  illegal  size ;  for  every  individual  who 
captures  them  contrary  to  these  regulations,  is 
thoughtlessly  an  enemy  to  the  community,  by  de- 
priving it  of  what  would  contribute  to  the  support 
and  nutriment  of  many  of  his  fellow-creatures. 

The  skegger,  or  scegger  is  the  most  beautiful  of 
English  fishes,  and  formerly  abounded  in  the  Thames. 
They  had  the  shape  and  fins  of  the  salmon ;  the  back 
was  a  dull,  dark,  blue  green,  gradually  going  off  to  a 
bright  silver,  ias  it  went  down  to  the  belly ;  it  was 
marked  with  black  and  carmine- coloured  spots,  and 
a  row  of  shaded  blue  marks,  descending  irom  the 
back  to  the  belly,  at  intervals  from  the  head  to  the 
tail,  dark  blue  at  the  back,  and  by  degrees  less  intense, 
as  it  descended  to  silver, 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  71 

*  Hofland  considered  these  a  distinct  species  of  fish, 
and  gave  them  the  name  of  salmon  pink,  brandling 
or  parr.  Mr.  Graham,  of  Eedgorton,  entertains  the 
opinion  that  the  parr  was  not  of  the  salmon  species. 
As  an  instance,  he  adduces  the  river  Almond 
as  having  no  salmon,  but  great  plenty  of  parr* 
Another  author  calls  them  samlets,  and  in  the  Mer- 
sey, in  Cheshire,  Dr.  Brookes  says,  the  scegger  is 
called  a  salmon- smelt,  and  that  two  of  them  whilst 
small,  were  put  by  a  tradesman  of  Stockport  into  his 
fish-pond,  and  taken  out  in  three  years,  when  they 
were  found  to  weigh  five  pounds  each.*  He  also 
states,  that  they  leave  the  Mersey  in  May  or  June, 
but  does  not  say  where  they  go  to. 

These  fish  have  been  extinct  in  the  Thames  ever 
since  salmon  ceased  to  frequent  it ;  and  I,  therefore, 
think  they  were  the  young  of  that  species  of  fish, 
abiding  in  the  fresh  water  till  strong  enough  to  bear 
the  sea  water ;  for  it  is  a  well-authenticated  fact,  that 
young  salmon  will  die  if  immersed  in  salt  water  until 
they  have  acquired  sufficient  strength,  and  then  they 
go  naturally  to  it  with  advantage  to  themselves. 

About  1790,  sceggers  were  caught  very  freely,  and 
in  great  numbers,  in  the  shallows  at  I^aleham,  near 

*  I  must  take  leave  to  doubt  this  statement,  being  satisfied  that 
sceggers  are  the  young  salmon,  and  would  not  live  unless  they 
had  access  to  the  sea^ 


72 


FISHES   AND    FISHING. 


Chertsey  ;  a  light  fly-rod  and  line,  a  small  artificial 
black,  or  dun  gnat,  with  a  gentle  on  the  point  of  the 
hook,  ensured  good  sport ;  they  did  not  exceed  six 
inches  in  length,  and  would  take  a  small  red  worm. 
The  last  I  have  seen,  and  that  was  considered  a  great 
curiosity,  was  one  I  took  with  the  last-mentioned 
bait,  when  angling  from  a  punt  for  gudgeons,  in 
August,  1 825  ;  and  about  that  time  salmon  ceased  to 
be  known  in  the  Thames. 

In  the  *' Times"  of  15th  July,  1854,  it  is  stated, 
from  the  "  Glasgow  Mail,*'  that  this  month  a  visit 
was  made  to  the  ponds,  canals,  and  breeding  boxes 
for  salmon,  on  the  river  Tay,  carrying  on  under  the 
superintendence  of  Mr.  Robert  Buist,  and  they  were 
found  swarming  with  young  salmon  ;  they  are  from 
two  to  three  inches  long,  will  leap  at  flies,  are  fed 
on  liver  dust,  have  all  the  marks  of  parr,  and  if  found 
in  the  river,  would  be  so  denominated. 

In  the  "  Supplement  to  Bell's  Life  in  London," 
23rd  of  July,  1854,  there  is  a  long  article  by  **  Ephe- 
mera,'** bearing  very  much  on  the  subject  of  parr, 
whether  they  are,  or  are  not  a  distinct  species  of 
fish,  or  the  young  fry  of  salmon.  I  have  not  the 
same   opportunity  of  ascertaining   this   fact  as  the 

*  «'  Bell's  Life  in  London,"  Nov.  22nd,  1857,  p.  8,  records 
the  death  of  Edward  Fitzgibbon,  Esq.,  known  as  Ephemera, 
with  an  account  of  his  life. 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  78 

gentlemen  whose  names  are  mentioned  by  him  ;  but, 
as  I  before  observed,  there  are  no  salmon  now  in  the 
Thames,  and  there  are  no  sceggers  or  parr;  and 
when,  in  my  recollection,  the  former  were  numerous, 
there  were  plenty  of  the  latter. 

A  very  easy  method  of  determining  the  question 
will  be  thus :  if  these  little  fish  be  a  distinct  species, 
they  must  have  the  organization  necessary  for  the 
reproduction  of  their  progeny.  We  know  that  the 
Thames  is  a  river  congenial  to  them ;  let  some  of 
its  waters  be  stocked  with  two  or  three  pairs  of  parr, 
well  protected,  and  mark  the  result;  if  they  be  a 
separate  species,  [they  will  breed  their  own  species : 
but  it  is  most  probable  it  will  be  discovered  that  the 
parr  cannot  propagate  their  own  kind.  Another 
circumstance  is  very  strongly  conclusive ;  the  sceggers 
of  the  Mersey  leave  that  river  in  May  or  June,  and 
so  did  the  sceggers  of  the  Thames,  evidencing  their 
migratory  propensities,  and  those  who  did  not  do  so, 
were  probably  some  who  had  not  acquired  sufficient 
strength  to  battle  with  the  ocean.  The  above  state- 
ment from  the  *'  Glasgow  Mail"  appears  decisive  ;  for 
here  are  young  fish  absolutely  bred  from  the  ova  of 
the  salmon,  yet  having  all  the  character  of  parr.  A 
very  extensive  enquiry  has  been  instituted  by  Dr. 
Knox  on  this  subject  in  his  excellent  little  work  "  Fish 
and  Fishing  in  the  Lone  Glens  of  Scotland,"  published 


Y4  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

1854,  by  Routledge,  p.  80,  to  which  I  must  refer  any 
person  curious  on  this  subject.  He  admits  that,  if 
the  course  of  the  salmon  be  interrupted  in  any  river, 
the  parr  disappears,  and  cites  the  Clyde  :  below  the 
falls  of  Stone  Byres  there  are  plenty  of  parr,  but 
above  the  falls  not  one  is  taken 

I  remember,  when  I  was  a  boy,  the  Thames  fisher- 
men condemning  the  practice  of  persons  taking  sceg- 
gers,  as  tending  to  depreciate  the  salmon  fishery  in 
that  river,  as  they  all  were  of  opinion  at^that  time 
that  these  little  fish  were  the  young  salmon  which 
were  not  yet  strong  enough  to  bear  the  salt-water. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  the  crucian  carp  is  a 
hybrid,  probably  the  spawn  of  the  carp  vivified  by 
the  milt  of  the  bream,  or  vice  versa  ;  and  the  swarms 
of  little  fish  apparently  between  the  crucian  carp  and 
the  bream,  or  some  other  mixed  breed,  which  fill  the 
Serpentine  and  many  other  large  pieces  of  water, 
serve  to  prove,  that  although  the  hybrids  of  beasts 
do  not  produce  any  like  themselves,  yet  the  hybrids 
of  fish  do  multiply  most  rapidly.  Now  this  circum* 
stance,  I  consider,  might  be  turned  to  very  good 
account,  both  as  increasing  the  quantity  of  excellent 
and  nourishing  food,  and  affording  amusement  to  the 
angler.  And  this  opinion  is  confirmed  by  one  of  the 
most  experienced  fish  breeders  we  have. 

At    the    meeting    of    the    Kewcastle-upon-Tyue 


FISHES    ANP    FISHING.  7^ 

Farmers'  Club,  held  on  4tli  Harch,  1854,  Mr.  Orton, 
of  Sunderland,  read  a  paper  on  the  '*  Physiology  of 
Breeding."  He  stated,  *'  that  in  the  reproduction 
of  the  animal  species  there  is  no  casual  blending  of 
the  parts  and  qualities  of  the  two  parents,  but  that 
each  parent  contributes  to  the  formation  of  certain 
structures,  and  to  the  development  of  certain  qualities ; 
and  maintains,  that  the  male  parent  chiefly  deter- 
mines the  outward  structures  and  locomotive  powers 
of  the  offspring,  e.  g,  the  brain,  nerves,  organs  of 
sense,  bones,  muscles,  limbs,  and  skin;  while  the 
female  parent  chiefly  determines  the  internal  struc- 
tures and  the  general  size  and  quality,  mainly  fur- 
nishing the  vital  forgans ;  e.  g.  the  heart,  lungs, 
glands,  and  digestive  organs,  and  giving  tone  and 
character  to  the  vital  functions  of  growth,  nutrition, 
and  secretion/* 

Yet  he  considers  that  the  male  is  not  wholly  with- 
out influence  on  the  internal  organs,  and  vital  func- 
tions, or  the  female  wholly  without  influence  on 
the  external  organs,  and  locomotive  powers  of  the 
offspring. 

This  he  illustrates  by  the  example  of  the  male  ass 
and  the  mare,  and  the  horse  and  the  she  ass. 

I  am  not  about  to  follow  this  scientific  gentleman 
into  his  very  interesting  reasoning,  but  feel  con- 
firmed thereby,  and  instructed  in  a  theory  I  had 


76  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

written,  relative  to  the  mixed  breeding  of  some  of 
our  most  valuable  fish.  It  is  a  subject  deserving 
serious  consideration  and  experiment ;  for  instance, 
Bay  the  ova  of  a  trout  vivified  by  the  milt  of  a  salmon, 
we  suppose,  upon  the  above  hypothesis,  should  be 
outwardly  formed  like  a  salmon ;  but  what  its  migra- 
tory propensities,  or  necessity  for  periodically  visiting 
the  salt  water  might  be,  it  is  impossible  to  form  an 
opinion,  without  actual  experiment ;  and  so  with  the 
ova  of  a  salmon  vivified  by  the  milt  of  a  trout,  we 
should  expect  the  outward  shape  to  resemble  the 
trout  species,  but  what  disposition  would  be  produced 
for  constantly  abiding  in  fresh  water,  we  have  to 
learn,  or  whether  either  of  these  fish  would  be  trou- 
bled with  those  parasitical  plagues  as  the  salmon  are, 
would  be  seen,  if  the  theory  proved  to  be  a  fact.  It 
certainly  would  be  a  most  desirable  consummation  to 
arrive  at,  if  rivers  could  be  stocked  with  fish  of  the 
salmon  species,  which  had  not  the  necessity  to  migrate 
to  the  sea.  If  the  Thames  particularly  could  be 
stocked  with  a  fish  of  this  description,  without  its 
migratory  necessities,  as  thereby  the  filthy  water 
of  the  river,  from  Battersea  downwards,  and  the 
immense  traffic  of  steam  boats,  would  be  of  no 
importance,  as  to  the  fishery  of  our  noble  river.  I 
sent  a  copy  of  this  to  Thomas  Ashworth,  Esq.,  and 
in  his  little  work,  pp.  18  and  19,  are  some  observations 
on  the  subject. 


PISHES    AND    FISHING.  77 

Gentlemen  "who  have  the  means  at  command,  could 
easily  ascertain  the  possibility  of  this  suggestion 
being  carried  out,  and  could  watch  the  ejQfect  upon 
the  fish  produced;  supposing  that  the  same  law 
obtains  in  respect  to  fish  as  to  hybrids  of  the  terrence 
animals,  and  that  hybrid  fish  have  no  power  of  pro- 
ducing a  progeny  (a  question  of  easy  solution),  there 
would  be  little  difficulty  in  annually  stocking  the 
Thames  and  other  rivers  with  a  valuable  hybrid, 
thereby  most  materially  benefitting  the  community 
in  many  parts  of  the  world,  as  well  as  in  these 
kingdoms. 

A  curious  illustration  of  the  physiology  of  breed- 
ing is  to  be  found  in  the  little  fish  called  the  ruff,  or 
pope,  which  is  no  doubt  a  hybrid,  for  it  is  marked 
like  a  gudgeon,  but  has  the  form  of  the  perch,  is,  like 
the  latter,  gregarious,  a  fish  of  prey,  erects  his  dorsal 
fin  as  a  defence,  and  is  probably  produced  from  the 
ova  of  a  gudgeon  vivified  by  the  milt  of  a  perch. 
Kow  this  at  fijst  view  may  appear  very  extraordi- 
nary, seeing  that  the  perch  are  constantly  preying 
upon  gudgeons,  and  cannot  be  supposed  to  form  any 
friendly  connexion,  but  it  may  be  easily  accounted 
for ;  thus,  the  latter  with  ova  at  maturity,  in  endea- 
vouring to  escape  from  the  former,  might,  and  most 
likely  do,  from  the  exertion,  exude  some  of  the  ova, 
and  the  former  from  the  same  cause  probably  excrete 


78 


FISHES   AND    FISHING, 


a  portion  of  vivifying  milt  upon  them,  and  this  would 
so  continually  occur,  as  to  give  a  reason  for  the  great 
numbers  of  these  fish  in  rivers  vrhere  perch  and 
gudgeon  abound,  if  even  hybrids  have  no  powers  of 
procreation.  It  is  said  by  Dr*  Brookes,  who  wrote 
above  a  hundred  years  ago,  that  the  ruff  spawns  in 
April :  much  depends  upon  the  state  of  the  weather* 
This  year,  1865,  nearly  the  middle  of  May,  I  have  a 
rufi^,  or  pope,  full  of  ova  ;  there  is,  in  my  opinion,  every 
reason  to  think  this  fish  is  a  hybrid,  and  here  is 
ample  proof  that  it  is  capable  of  producing  its  own 
species,  which,  from  the  quantity  of  ova  in  the  speci* 
men  now  before  me,  must  be  very  numerous.  Birds 
produce  hybrids,  and  those  hybrids  produce  progeny. 
At  Syfran,  on  the  rivers  Krymsa  and  Syfranka,  they 
breed  the  Astrachan  swan  goose  j  the  bird  intermixes 
with  the  common  goose,  and  its  progeny  will  couple 
with  each  other.  The  pure  bastards  partake  of  the 
nature  of  the  swan-goose,  and  the  common  goose  as 
to  size,  shape,  and  colour ;  and  mixing  further  with 
common  geese,  the  young  are  of  a  blackish  hue,  their 
bills  are  red  and  bent,  and  have  sometimes  a  little 
protuberance  at  the  upper  end.— Vide  *'  Travels  into 
Siberia  and  Tartary,*'  by  Dr.  Pallas. 

There  can  be  little,  if  any,  doubt,  that  hybrids 
amongst  fish  are  very  common,  and  that  these  hybrids 
breed.     In  the  Serpentine  and  other  large  pieces  of 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  79 

water  there  are  bream  and  pure  roach,  and  within 
these  few  years  there  have  appeared  thousands  of  fish 
which  partake  of  the  characters  of  each  of  those  pure 
species,  and  it  is  the  same  with  other  large  waters 
with  which  I  am  acquainted.  I  have  been  informed, 
lately,  that  a  person  was  seen  to  turn  loose  two  or 
three  small  jack  into  the  Serpentine,  so  probably  some 
years  hence  another  monster  pike  may  be  taken  there, 
as  plenty  of  gudgeons  and  myriads  of  these  hybrids 
will  serve  him  for  food. 

ISTow  as  the  above,  upon  the  authority  of  Dr. 
Pallas,  proves  that  hybrid  birds,  which  have  sexual 
contact  do  breed  amongst  themselves,  or  with  other 
species  of  fowls,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  fishes, 
which  can  be  bred  without  sexual  contact  of  the  pa- 
rents (as  in  artificial  breeding),  may  and  do  produce 
hybrids,  and  that  those  hybrids  produce  progeny  like 
themselves.  Plants  and  flowers  are,  many  of  them, 
a  mixture  of  two  distinct  species ;  amongst  many 
curious  specimens  are  to  be  found  the  plant  whose 
flower  or  seed  is  a  perfect  resemblance  of  a  small  snail, 
and  another  producing  a  crop  of  caterpillars.  Do  we 
not  cross  the  breed  of  dogs  ?  and  those  cross  breeds 
have  progeny  ?  To  revert  again  to  aqueous  animals, 
look  at  Willoughby's  folio  Latin  work  on  fishes ;'  the 
varieties  in  the  numerous  plates,  prove  there  are  an 
immense  number  of  hybrid  fishes,  and  the  recent 
work  on  apodal  fish  demonstrates  the  same  fact. 


80  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

Persons  who  have  not  thought  upon  the  subject,  or 
whose  education  has  not  comprised  any  knowledge  of 
comparative  anatomy,  express  sometimes  doubts 
whether  fishes  have  the  sense  of  hearing.  Without 
entering  into  a  prolix  account  of  the  anatomy  of  the 
organ  of  hearing  in  fish,  I  shall  proceed  to  give  such 
concise  observations  on  this  interesting  portion  of  the 
animal  economy,  which  has  occupied  the  attention  of 
the  most  celebrated  anatomists  of  the  continent,  and 
some  in  our  own  country.  I  have  not  had  many 
opportunities  of  examining  the  organs  of  hearing,  in 
any  great  variety  of  this  class  of  created  beings, 
neither  can  I  in  this  little  work  enter  into  the  exten- 
sive field  of  comparative  anatomy.  I  must,  therefore, 
refer  those  persons  desirous  of  further  investigation  to 
the  works  mentioned  by  Brechet,  or,  if  they  have 
time  and  ingenuity  sufficient,  to  investigate  the  subject 
themselves. 

The  work  just  alluded  to  is,  "  Anatomical  and 
Physiological  Researches,  as  to  the  Organ  of  Hearing 
in  Fish,"  by  Gilbert  Breschet,  Professor  of  the 
Faculty  of  Medicine  of  Paris,  Member  of  the  French 
Institute,  &c.,  &c. ;  4to.,  with  17  Anatomical  Plates. 
Paris :  1838.  This  work  is  in  the  French  language : 
some  of  the  notes  are  in  English.  Amongst  other 
works  M.  Breschet  refers  to,  are  those  of  E.  H. 
Waber;  Leipsic,  1820.     H.  M.  Ducrotay  de  Blain- 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  8l  ■ 

ville,  1822.  Modf,  Le  Baron  G.  Cuvier  et  M.  Va- 
lenciennes, 182i3.  Professors  Otto  and  Heusinger, 
1826.  Dissertations  on  the  Organ  of  ^Hearing  in 
Man,  Beptiles,  and  Fish ;  GeofFroi.  Amsterdam, 
1778.  The  Structure  and  Physiology  of  Fishes  com- 
pared with  those  of  Man,  &c. ;  Monro.  Edinburgh, 
1785.  Observations  on  Animal  Economy;  John 
Hunter.  London,  1792.  Many  of  these,  with  Mons. 
Breschet's  well- written  work,  I  have. 

Breschet,  in  quoting  from  Monro,  p.  48;  would  lead 
us  to  think  that  Monro'^asserted  all  large  fish  had  an 
external  auditory  passage,  whereas  that  celebrated 
anatomist  was  only  there  alluding  to  the  skate,  which 
genera  have  two  small  holes,  or  external  auditory 
passages,  terminating  in  a  comparatively  large  sac, 
containing  a  white,  opaque,  and  viscid  matter,  which 
must  be  of  an  alkaline  character,  for  it  effervesces 
violently  if  an  acid  be  introduced  to  it.  The  whale 
species  have  also  two  external  auditory  passages,  but 
they  are  only  like  the  skate  in  point  of  size  exter- 
nally, namely,  sufficient  to  admit  the  head  of  a  small 
pin.  In  the  whale  genus,  the  bottom  of  this  passage 
s  closed  by  a  membrana  tympani,  membrane  of  the 
drum,  vulgo  drum  of  the  ear,  to  the  interior  of  which 
membrane  are  attached  a  chain  of  small  bones,  and 
other  organized  parts  as  in  terrestrial  animals. 

A  work  on  ''Diseases  of  the  JEar,''  consisting  of 


82  FI8HK8   AND    FISHING. 

above  644  pages,  filled  with  anonymous  cases,  has 
been  recently  published  by  John  Nottingham,  of 
Liverpool,  Licentiate  of  the  Eoyal  College  of  Phy- 
sicians ! !  and  Fellow  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Surgeons,  England ! !  as  appears  by  the  Medical 
Directory,  though  not  added  to  his  name  in  the  above 
publication. 

In  his  preliminary  remarks  is  the  following : — "  In 
the  human  being,  as  well  as  in  the  higher  vertebrata, 
the  organ  of  hearing  has  three  important  parts. 
1.  An  external  ear  and  tube,  to  receive  and  transmit 
sound.  2.  A  middle  ear,  or  drum,  (communicating 
with  the  throat)  to  modify  sound,  and  carry  it  on- 
wards to,  3,  the  internal,  or  true  ear,  or  labyrinth' 
which  receives  the  expansion  of  the  auditory  nerve, 
through  the  medium  of  which  it  is  connected  with 
the  brain.  This  part  of  the  organ  is  essential  to 
hearing ;  the  other  two  parts  to  the  perfection  of 
hearing,  as  enjoyed  by  the  higher  animals. 

"  Of  the  parts  above  mentioned,  fishes  possess  only 
the  first :  reptiles  and  birds,  the  first  and  second ; 
terrestrial  mammalia,  the  first,  second,  and  third." 

If  common  language  is  to"  be  understood,  the  above 
assertion  is,  that  fish  have  only  an  external  ear  and 
tube,  to  receive  and  trnsmit  sound.  JSTow,  with  the 
exceptions  I  have  just  mentioned,  fish  possess  no  ex- 
ternal ear  or  tube  to  transmit  sound,  but  fish  do  posbess 


FISHES    AND    PISHING.  83 

the  other  organization  of  the  sense  of  hea/ring,  including 
nerves.  It  being  known  to  several,  that  I  had  seen 
the  above  book,  I  cannot  stultify  myself  by  allowing 
such  ignorance  of  comparative  anatomy  as  to  fish,  to 
go  forth  to  the  world,  without  notice.  And  from 
what  I  know  of  the  subject  as  to  birds,  the  same  ani- 
madversion would  be  properly  applied. 

Monro  says,  it  was  disputed  during  two  thousand 
years,  and  until  the  time  of  Goffroi,  or  Geoffirey,  in 
1 753,  whether  fish  had  any  sense  of  hearing.  In  this 
assertion  Monro  was  labouring  under  very  great  error ; 
for  when  Oppian  wrote,  about  1559  years  before 
Geoffrey,  it  is  evident,  by  reference  to  his  Halieuticks, 
the  sense  of  hearing  in  fish  was  not  then  a  matter  of 
question  or  doubt,  but  a  fact  established  so  completely,  as 
to  require  no  confirmatory  observation. 

Some  fish  have  a  passage  outwardly  analogous  to  the 
auditory  passage  of  terrestrial  animals.  Of  these  are 
the  whale,  the  porpus,  and  skate,  the  anatomy  of  which 
ai-e  delineated  by  Monro,  who  says  that  the  whale 
genus  can  close  the  small  outward  orifice  when  they 
descend  under  water.  Heusinger  states  that  he  has 
discovered  openings  at  the  summit  of  the  skull,  closed 
by  membranes.  G.  Cuvier  has  indicated  their  situa- 
tion at  the  base  of  the  skull,  and  that  they  are  closed 
by  membraneous  leaves. 

The  internal  auditory  apparatus  in  fish,  resembles 

G  2 


84  FISHES   AND   FISHIKG. 

in  many  respects  that  of  animals  which  inhabit  the 
gurface  of  the  earth ;  but  the  organic  formation  of  the 
different  species  of  fish  varies  materially.  Their  nerves 
are  easily  traced,  and  in  some,  the  division  of  the  audi- 
tory nerves  follow  a  similar  arrangement  as  in  man, 
and  probably  with  the  same  wise  purpose ;  the  one 
division  being  that  of  motion  chiefly,  the  other  that 
of  sensation.  Take,  for  instance,  the  carp  ;  the  bones, 
or  ossicula  representing,  or  in  place  of  those  of  the  ear 
of  man,  are  lodged  in  a  cavity  divided  into  two  parts 
by  a  partition,  where  they  float  in  a  semi-gelatinous 
clear  fluid  ;  and  in  each  of  these  cavities  is  found 
two  ramifications  of  the  auditory  nerves,  which  are 
expanded  over  the  respective  bones,  two  in  number,  on 
each  side.  There  are  also  three  semi-circular  canals 
on  each  side ;  these  are  filled  with  a  semi-gelatinous 
fluid,  and  in  them  very  minute  fibres  of  the  sensitive 
portion  of  the  auditory  nerve  float,  as  in  the  human 
ear ;  and  the  base,  or  sensorium  of  those  nerves,  is 
in  the  brain.  Other  fish  have  similar  formation  of 
the  organ  of  hearing,  more  or  less  perfect,  appor- 
tioned, no  doubt,  by  the  All- wise  Creator,  to  their 
habits,  modes  of  life,  and  nature  of  their  food.  The 
bones  belonging  to  the  organ  of  hearing  in  fish,  like 
the  bones  of  their  bodies,  are  more  solid,  and  larger  in 
those  inhabiting  the  sea,  than  those  living  in  fresh 
water ;  and  the  ossicula,  of  which  I  have  a  little  col 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  85 

lection,  vary  extremely  in  their  shape,  and  the  dispo- 
sition of  their  grooved  surfaces,  in  which  they  receive 
the  auditory  nerves.  But  in  none  of  these  ossicula 
can  be  found  a  trace  of  phosphate  of  lime,  or  of  car- 
bonate of  magnesia,  they  being  composed  of  animal 
matter  somewhat  about  one-fourth,  and  carbonate  of 
lime  three-fourths.  The  gelatinous  fluids  mentioned, 
are,  no  doubt,  renewed  from  the  mucous^^membranes 
lining  the  several  cavities,  as  in  man. 

It  will  now  be  necessary  to  give  a  short  account  of 
the  organ  of  hearing  in  man,  whereby  the  comparative 
anatomical  structure  and  physiological  functions  can  be 
properly  estimated.  In  the  human  race,  the  undula- 
tions of  air  occasioned  through  it  being  set  in  motion  by 
substances  being  struck  against  each  other, — ringing  of 
bells,  explosion  of  fire-arms,  music,  the  human  vdice, 
or  other  disturbances  of  the  air,  causing  it  to  be  set  in 
motion,  these  undulatory  waves  enter  the  auditory 
passage,  and  occasion  the  membrana  tympani  (vulgo, 
the  drum  of  the  ear)  to  vibrate ;  the  ossicula,  or  chain  of 
bones  within  this  membrane,  one  of  which  is  attached 
to  the  middle  of  this  membrana  tympani,  on  its 
inside,  are  consequently  set  in  motion,  and  that 
motion  is  communicated  to  the  delicate  fibres  of  the 
Boft  or  sensitive  portion  of  the  auditory  nerve,  which 
floats  in  a  fluid,  which  motion  is  continued  and  con- 
veyed to  the  base  or  seat  of  the  auditory  nerves  in  the 


86  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

brain,  with  a  velocity  that  annihilates  time.  In  man, 
the  soft  portion  of  the  auditory  nerve  floats,  as  I  before 
said,  in  a  liquid,  and  its  fibres  are  diffused  in  the  seve- 
ral parts  of  the  labyrinth,  consisting  of  the  cochlea, 
vestibule,  and  semi- circular  canals.  In  mankind  it 
is  necessary,  nay,  indispensable  that  the  very  nume- 
rous small  glands  which  line  the  auditory  passage 
half-way  down,  should  exude  the  usual  healthy  ex- 
cretions, the  fluid  portion  of  which  vapourises,  and 
the  heavy  vapour  or  gas  thus  formed,  descends  down- 
wards by  its  own  gravity,  lubricates  the  lower  part  of 
the  auditory  passage,  and  the  membrana  tympani, 
keeping  them  in  a  proper  state  of  elasticity  to  receive, 
and  transmit  the  slightest  vibration  of  air  occasioned 
even  by  the  sound  of  the  voice.  "When  the  auditory 
passage  becomes  dry,  either  from  congestion  of  the 
cerumenous  glands,  through  exposure  of  the  body,  or 
head,  tosuddenchangesof  temperature,  improper  modes 
of  living,  or  vicious  habits,  diminution  of  the  sense  of 
hearing,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  comes  on,  and  too 
many  general  practitioners  of  good  ability  in  other 
cases,  as  well  as  most  of  the  regular  professors  of 
aural  surgery,  have  blundered  on  for  ages,  torturing 
and  ruining  the  health  of  the  poor  creatures  who  are 
so  unfortunate  as  to  consult  ^them,  with  blisters, 
setons,  issues,  caustic,  acoustic  drops,  mercurials  in 
ointments,  or  as  internal  medicine,  and  all  sorts  of 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  87 

devilries,  not  only  perfectly  useless,  but  highly  inju- 
rious,  and  too  often  fatal. 

Two  new  aspirants  for  fame,  as  aural  surgeons,  have 
appeared ;  and  to  attain  that  object,  have  made  up 
large  books  on  the  ear.  I  have  looked  them  over, 
and  find  nothing  new  to  afford  the  slightest  satis- 
faction for  the  trouble.  But  I  do  find  useful  matters, 
of  which  I  was  the  inventor,  and  I  published  more 
than  forty ,  years  ago,  now  appropriated  without 
stating  from  whence  the  parties  borrowed  the  idea. 
The  first  of  these  book-manufacturers  assumes  a  dic- 
tatorial, self-sufficient,  tone  in  his  compilation ;  the 
other  is  all  silky,  prolix  plausibility,  endeavouring 
to  prove  that  although  the  whole  mechanism  of  an 
ear  may  be  destroyed,  and  even  speech  be  lost,  the 
dropping  into  the  ears  of  a  solution  of  sulphate  of 
copper,  and  rubbing  nitrate  of  silver  (lunar  caustic) 
on  the  protuberant  bone  behind  the  ears,  restored 
hearing  and  speech  ?  Credulous  indeed  must  any 
person  be  to  believe  such  a  statement !  The  same 
author,  in  a  case  wherein  the  membrane,  vulgarly 
called  the  drum,  was  destroyed,  advised  a  very  small 
wire  shirt  button  to  be  introduced,  with  a  pin  through 
it  to  serve  as  a  stalk  or  handle !  Surely  the  author 
cannot  be  serious,  but  has  written  this  to  ridicule 
Mr.  Toynbee's  artificial  membrana  tympani.  The 
methods  of  treatment  of  both  these  authors  are  such 
as  I  have  stigmatized. 


88  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

Having  thus  concisely,  and  I  trust  clearly,  ex- 
plained the  anatomy  and  physiology  of  the  sense  of 
hearing  in  man,  and  an  epitome  of  that  of  fishes, 
it  will  be  obvious  that  as  vibration  of  the  mem- 
brana  tympani  in  the  former,  carried  on  by  the 
ossicula  to  the  auditory  nerves,  and  thence  to  the 
brain,  produces  the  sense  we  denominate  hearing ;  so, 
if  the  ossicula  in  fish  are  caused  to  vibrate,  a  similar 
communication  will  be  made  to  the  brain  of  fishes. 
The  question  to  be  now  solved  is,  how  that  vibration 
is  effected ;  and  to  elucidate  this,  we  must  investigate 
the  nature  of  the  two  different  elements  in  which 
terrestrial  animals  and  fish  exist.  John  Hunter,  in 
his  "  Economy  of  Animals,"  says,  that  before  the  time 
of  Geoffroi  the  different  mediums  in  which  land  and 
water  animals  existed  were  not  considered :  this  is 
much  about  as  correct  as  that  Geoffroi  was  the  first 
to  assert  that  fish  had  the  sense  of  hearing.  Why, 
the  commencement  of  the  first  book  of  Oppian  shews 
how  erroneous  and  unfounded  these  assertions  are. 

Air  which  supports  and  nourishes  terrestrial  ani- 
mals is  fatal  to  fish,  (some  species  sooner  than  others,) 
if  they  remain  out  of  the  water  during  a  short  time ; 
and  yet,  like  man,  and  other  animals  of  that  class, 
they  cannot  live  unless  they  imbibe  oxygen ;  only 
there  is  this  difference,  man  inhales  it  from  the  at- 
mosphere, whilst  fish  extract  oxygen  from  the  water 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.   "  89 

by  aid  of  the  gills  (the  lungs  and  medium  of  the  cir- 
culation of  the  blood  in  aqueous  animals).  "When 
the  air  is  set  in  motion  by  the  sounds  I  have  men- 
tioned, or  any  other  sound,  the  result  is,  that  from  the 
point  where  the  noise  or  sound  is  created,  a  succes- 
sion of  circular  waves  of  air  expand  on  every  side  in 
the  form  of  a  globe ;  if  these  waves  meet  with  any 
obstruction  to  their  expansion,  and  the  obstruction  be 
of  a  concave  character,  the  waves  of  air  are  collected 
into  a  focus,  [and  are  reflected  back,  forming  what  is 
called  an  echo ;  and  if  there  be  several  of  these  concave 
ebstructing  substances,  there  may  be  several  echoes 
one  after  another,  louder  or  fainter,  and  more  or  less 
immediate,  according  to  their  several  distances. 

A  very  plain  exemplification  of  this  may  be  shown 
by  throwing  a  stone,  or  any  substance,  into  a  pool  of 
still  water ;  circular  undulations,  or  waves,  will  im- 
mediately diverge  from  the  spot ;  these  waves  will  be 
higher,  but  smaller  in  circumference,  immediately 
around  the  place  where  the  substance  struck  the 
water,  and  as  they  recede  from  the  centre  they  be- 
come less  in  height,  and  larger  in  circumference,  until 
they  are  no  longer  to  be  seen.  Now  these  undulations 
extend  below  the  surface,  forming  a  half-sphere ;  and 
like  as  waves  or  undulations  of  air  affect  the  auditory 
organs  of  man,  and  cause  vibration  which  is  commu- 
nicated to  the  brain,  through  the  auditory  nerves,  so 


90  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

the  vibration  of  water,  a  tangible  substance,  through 
the  thin  structure  and  want  of  solidity  of  the  cranium 
in  fishes,  agitates  their  ossicula,  and  that  sensation  is 
communicated  to  the  sensorium,  or  brain  of  the  fish, 
through  the  auditory  nerves,  and  instinct  or  natural 
intelligence  gives  them  the  power  of  knowing  whe- 
ther the  agitation  of  the  element  in  which  they  exist, 
is  indicative  of  danger,  or  the  approach  of  food ;  any 
explosion  or  other  cause  which  produces  trembling, 
or  shaking  of  the  banks  of  a  pond  or  river,  occasions 
agitation  of  the  water,  and  the  fish  hear,  or  rather 
feel  it,  for  in  point  of  fact  what  is  denominated  hear- 
ing is  feeling ;  we  feel  the  vibratioil  upon  the  mem- 
brana  tympani,  which  is  conveyed  thence  through 
the  ossicula  and  nerves  to  the  brain;  but  the  brain 
requires  education.  A  young  child  feels  the  vibration 
caused  by  sound  which  I  speak  of,  but  does  not  under- 
stand what  it  indicates,  until  by  degrees  it  learns 
that  certain  vibrations  given  to  its  brain,  by  the  agi- 
tation of  the  air  occasioned  by  sounds,  mean  certain 
things.  I  have  had  great  opportunity  of  forming  a 
judgment  on  this  subject ;  for  having  given  to  children 
whose  membrane  or  nerves  had  never  vibrated,  in 
consequence  of  ani/  sound  which  could  be  made,  the 
power  of  being  affected  by  the  slightest  noise,  I  took 
one  into  my  family  who  had  become  an  orphan,  and 
educated  her ;  but  the  difficulty  of  inducing  her  to 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  91 

recollect  that  certain  sounds  denoted  certain  objects, 
or  rather  that  certain  vibrations  of  what  is  called  the 
auditory  apparatus,  represented  certain  ideas  and 
things,  was  beyond  conception. 

Fish  of  prey  are  driven  away  by  disturbance  of  the 
water,  such  as  is  caused  by  throwing  in  ground  bait ; 
but  when  the  roach,  dace,  &c.,  are  thereby  gathered 
together,  after  a  time  a  pike  or  perch  will  be  attracted 
to  the  spot  by  the  number  of  small  fish  collected 
round  the  ground-bait,  some  of  which  will  become  his 
prey,  and  the  others  frightened  away  by  the  vora- 
cious enemy  of  their  species ;  the  same  occurs  in 
gudgeon  fishing ;  the  only  remedy  for  the  angler  is, 
either  to  remove  to  another  place,  or,  with  appropriate 
bait  and  tackle,  endeavour  to  catch  the  intruder. 

The  efiect  of  the  vibration  of  the  water  on  the  brain 
of  fishes,  is  no  doubt  difierent  upon  various  species  ; 
that  vibration  which  warns  some  of  them  of  the  ap- 
proach of  danger,  teaches  others  instinctively  to  seek 
for  food  the  moment  ground-bait,  worms,  or  paste  is 
thrown  into  the  water ;  this  is  particularly  seen  in 
roach,  dace,  and  chub  ;  if  a  quiet  place  in  the  Thames 
be  selected,  when  the  water  is  clear,  by  throwing  in 
some  of  the  above-mentioned  articles,  very  shortly 
after  there  will  appear  a  great  number  of  small  fish 
near  the  surface,  larger  ones  lower  down,  and  the 
largest  at  the  bottom.     I  have  observed,  that  if  you 


9K  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

put  the  ground-bait  in  very  gently,  so  many  fish  will 
not  be  attracted  to  the  spot,  as  soon  as  if  you  throw  it 
in  more  forcibly,  because  the  agitation  of  the  water 
being  greater,  it  is  felt  at  a  greater  distance ;  if  a 
handful  of  gravel  be  thrown  into  a  clear  part  of  a 
river,  you  will  see  in  a  few  minutes  a  number  of 
fish  sailing  about  as  if  looking  out  for  food.  Gud- 
geons are  attracted  in  shoals  by  raking  the  bed  of  the 
river,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  but  the  disturb- 
ance thus  given  to  the  water  and  the  gravel,  causes 
them  to  be  attracted  to  the  spot,  through  the  vibra- 
tion occasioned  to  their  ossicula  and  nerves,  and 
instinct  teaches  them  to  search  for  worms,  insects, 
&c.  If  you  approach  the  bank  of  a  river,  roughly, 
the  fish  will  rapidly  retreat  to  a  distance ;  this  is 
from  the  tremulous  motion  given  to  the  earth  ^being 
communicated  to  the  water. 

The  following  fact  will  prove  the  truth  of  this  as- 
sertion : — One  day  I  was  very  successful  in  taking 
trout  at  the  head  of  a  piece  of  water,  through  which 
a  branch  of  the  river  Test  had  been  artificially  di- 
rected, and  was  walking  round  a  plantation  to  go  to  the 
lower  part  of  the  same  water.  In  order  to  nourish 
these  young  trees,  several  channels  had  been  cut,  so 
as  to  send,  occasionally,  a  portion  from  the  upper  part 
of  the  stream  to  their  roots,  by  means  of  a  sluice ;  the 
water  ran  into  the  lower  part  of  this  species  of  lake 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  93 

through  a  cut  about  a  foot  wide,  which  had  a  depth 
of  water  at  the  lower  end  of  about  a  foot,  and  shallow- 
ing to  two  inches  at  the  distance  of  thirty  feet  from 
its  lower  point  of  exit.  As  I  approached  this  spot  I 
heard  a  noise  up  the  cut — I  had  been  using-my  land- 
ing net ;  thinking  the  noise  might  be  caused  by  a  fish 
which  had  probably  gone  up  the  little  channel  after 
minnows,  .1  placed  my  net  at  the  end  of  the  cut, 
jumped  heavily  upon  the  ground,  and  instantly  a 
splendid  trout  rushed  into  my  net,  weighing  three 
pounds.  Now  this  must  have  been  through  the  tre- 
mulous motion  I  gave  to  the  earth  being  communi- 
cated to  the  water,  and  thence  to  the  organ  of 
sensation  in  the  fish,  and  instinct  apprised  him  that 
he  was  in  danger  in  his  then  locality,  which  he  en- 
deavoured to  avoid  by  flying  for  safety  to  the  deep 
water.  This  circumstance,  and  his  explanation,  ap- 
pears to  me  quite  conclusive,  that  this  fish  must 
possess  not  only  some  sense  analogous  to  that  of  hear- 
ing, but  also  a  degree  of  intelligence  to  seek  the 
outlet  into  deep  water  where  he  must  know  he 
would  be  safe.  He  would  not  have  quitted  the  posi- 
tion he  had  taken  from  any  o'.her  cause  than  that 
of  hearing,  because  it  was  impossible  he  could  see 
me. 

Mr.  John  Hunter  caused  a  gun  to  be  fired  near 
some  water  wherein  there  were  a  number  of  fish 


94  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

sporting  near  the  surface ;  he  had  the  gun  fired  behind 
some  trees,  so  as,  he  says,  to  prevent  the  flash  from 
being  seen  ;  this  precaution  was  not  sufficient  to  pre- 
vent the  light  and  smoke  being  diffused  throughout 
the  adjacent  atmosphere,  and  the  very  perfect  vision 
of  fish  would  discover  it.  Now  as  it  is  a  well-known 
fact,  that  a  bird  flying  a  considerable  height  above 
the  water,  will  cause  fish  basking  on  the  surface  to 
descend  instantly,  so  the  fish  in  Hunter's  experiment 
descended  through  what  they  saw,  and  not  because 
they  heard.  An  opinion  has  been  very  absurdly  ad- 
vanced,  that  fish  do  not  hear,  because  it  is  asserted  they 
do  not  appear  sensible  of  the  explosion  of  fire-arms  ; 
this  is  an  opinion  based  on  no  better  foundation  than 
Hunter's  experiment.  The  organs  of  sensation  in 
fishes  analogous  to  what  we  denominate  hearing  in 
ourselves,  can  only  be  affected  by  the  vibration  of  the 
element  in  which  they  exist. 

The  tales  told  about  fish  coming  to  be  fed  at  the  ring- 
ing of  a  bell,  are  mere  fabulous  inventions ;  that  fish  as 
well  as  terrestrial  animals  will  come  at  regular  periods 
to  any  particular  spot  to  be  fed,  is  a  fact  of  constant 
observation  and  proof ;  but  that  fish  will  come  to  that 
spot  on  hearing  the  ringing  of  a  bell,  is  wholly  untrue, 
because  they  cannot  have  their  auditory  apparatus 
acted  upon  except  by  the  agency  of  the  vibration  or 
undulation  of  the  water. 


FISHES    AND   FISHING.  95 

Music  heard  by  human  ears  across  a  considerable 
expanse  of  water,  sounds  beautifully  soft  and  melodi- 
ous ;  the  reason  is,  that  the  vibrations  of  air  produced 
by  musical  sounds  not  being  able  to  penetrate  the 
water,  are  reflected  back  into  the  air,  and  uniting 
with  the  direct  undulatory  vibrations,  tempers  them 
into  a  kind  of  echo  in  the  air,  rendering  the  sounds 
far  more  harmonious  and  sweet  than  they  would  have 
been  without  this  reflection.  Fishes  are  not  sensible 
of  music,  for  this  very  obvious  reason,  it  does  not  pe- 
netrate and  agitate  the  water,  therefore  can  make 
no  impression  on  the  organs  of  sense  in  aqueous 
animals. 

ZooPHiTEs,  a  most  numerous  tribe,  are  living  sub- 
stances, which  partake  of  the  nature  of  both  animal 
and  vegetable  life,  forming  the  link  which  unites  the 
vegetable  kingdom,  to  the  immense  world  of  animated 
beings,  fully  illustrates  my  position  as  to  the  undula- 
tion of  the  water  as  affecting  animals  that  live  in  it, 
and  proves  how  extremely  susceptible  they  are  of  the 
slightest  motions  in  their  native  element ;  for  intro- 
duce your  hand,  however  gently  and  cautiously  you 
may  into  water  in  which  these  flower-like  sub- 
stances are  found,  they  instantly  close,  and  shrink 
into  the  hollow  of  the  rock,  reappearing  in  all  their 
beauty,  very  slowly  and  cautiously,  after  the  water  is 
again  quiet. 


96  '  PISHES   AND    FISHING. 

Fish  have  certainly  the  senses  of  smell  and  taste ; 
the  first  very  perfect.*  Honey  has  a  sweet  taste,  and 
also  a  pleasant  smell ;  and  I  have  mentioned  how 
almost  indispensable  it  is  to  mix  this  production  in 
paste  for  successful  carp  fishing,  also  for  roach. 
Strong  cheese  in  paste  is  very  attractive  to  chub. 
About  the  latter  end  of  August  or  beginning  of  Sep- 
tember, if  the  weather  have  continued  for  some  pre- 
vious time  fair,  the  water  of  the  river  Thames,  from 
about  Teddington  upwards,  is  so  clear,  that  fish  of  a 
moderate  size  can  be  seen  distinctly  eight  feet  or  more 
below  the  surface.  I  was  lying  down,  looking  from  a 
high  piece  of  planking  and  piling  into  a  deep  hole, 
called  Halliday's,  or  more  properly  Alliday's  hole,  near 
to  Thames  Lock,  and  seeing  a  good-sized  perch,  about 
eight  feet  down,  swimming  about  as  if  in  search  of 
prey,  I  dropped  my  bait  to  him,  a  worm,  wh^h  had 
been  on  the  hook  some  time ;  he  approached,  rubbed 
his  nose  against  it,  but  would  not  do  anything  more. 
I  drew  up  my  line  very  gentl)^,  put  on  a  fresh  worm, 
which  smelt  strong  and  exuded  a  rich  yellow  liquid  ; 
he  approached,  touched  it  with  his  nose,  and  swallowed 
the  bait  in  a  moment,  and  I  landed  him,  weighing 

*  The  Olfactory  Nerves.  B.  Harwood,  Professor  of  Anatomy 
at  the  University  of  Cambridge,  published  a  httle  work  in  1796, 
on  Comparative  Anatomy,  with  plates,  amongst  which  are  some 
explanatory  of  these  nerve*  in  fish. 


FISHES    AND    -FISHING.  97 

above  a  pound.  Kow  the  question  is,  whether  this 
was  taste,  or  smell,  or  the  two  senses  combined. 

Blumenbach  says,  fish  of  prey  swallow  that  prey 
whole.  With  every  respect  for  that  talented  anato- 
mist, I  must  take  leave  to  state  that  he  is  incorrect ; 
if  they  take  a  small  fish,  such  as  a  minnow,  they 
seize  it  by  the  middle  of  its  body,  in  turning  it  to 
take  it  down  head-foremost ; ,  they  in  a  manner  mas- 
ticate it ;  but  if  the  prey  be  a  large  gudgeon,  or  a 
large  roach,  or  dace,  it  is  much  mutilated,  and  only 
partially  swallowed — that  is,  the  head  and  shoulders ,' 
and  the  pike,  perch,  or  trout's  jaws  are  constantly  in 
motion,  triturating,  and  masticating  the  head  and 
shoulders  of  the  fish  so  preyed  upon,  to  a  pulp,  and 
following  up  the  same  process  with  the  remainder, 
till  it  all  passes  into  the  stomach. 

In  the  manner  of  catching  trout  by  bringing  the 
worm  opposite  to  the  mouth  of  the  fish  whilst  he  is 
lying  in  a  torpid  state,  as  if  asleep  (as  mentioned  a 
little  further  on),  the  moment  a  worm  enters  the  jaws, 
with  the  little  influx  of  water,  the  mouth  begins  to 
move,  apparently  in  the  act  of  rapid  and  self-gratify- 
ing mastication.  This  fact,  proves  that  fish  have  the 
organ  or  sense  of  taste  ;  and  that  in  search  of  truth, 
dependence  is  better  placed  on  practical  knowledge, 
than  on  theoretical  assumption. 

The  most  clear  river,   about  the  same  time  of  the 

H 


98  "     FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

year,  and  as  above,  is  the  Oxley  Mill,  or  Abbey  river, 
near  Chertsey ;  it  comes  out  of  the  Thames,  about  Pen- 
ton  Hook,  near  Staines ;  most  probably  a  cut  made 
artificially  by  the  monks  of  Chertsey  Abbey,  to  give 
motive  power  to  their  mill,  a  little  above  Chertsey 
bridge,  where  this  river  discharges  itself  again  into 
the  Thames;  a  small  stream  arising  at  or  near  Egham 
joins  it.  There  are  few  rivers  better  stocked  with 
pike,  perch,  roach,  dace,  and  chub,  than  this  ;  the 
soil  it  runs  over,  is  partly  a  sandy  loam.  During 
the  heavy  floods'of  winter,  very  deep  holes,  alter- 
nating with  shallows,  have  been  formed,  and  from  the 
light  colour  of  the  bottom,  the  fish  can  be  clearly  seen 
in  them  in  great  depths  during  bright  days.  I  have 
seen  a  dozen  or  more  of  perch  swimming  together, 
not  one  less  than  two  to  three  pounds ;  and  I  saw 
one  about  four  pounds,  seize  a  roach  near  or  quite 
six  ounces,  which  the  perch  pressed  against  the  bank, 
endeavouring  to  turn  the  former,  so  as  to  take  him 
head  foremost ;  when  the  perch  had  accomplished  that 
object,  he  sailed  away  into  deep  water,  with  part  of 
the  tail  end  of  the  roach  projecting  from  his  mouth  ; 
— a  fact  which  proves  what  I  have  just  before  ob- 
served as  to  fish  of  prey. 

This  river  is  encumbered  with  wood,  but  fine  chub 
maybe  taken  by  dibbing  with  a  large  blue-bottle,  a 
moth,  or,  during  the  season,  a  cockchafer. 


FISHES    AND   FISHING.  99 

Having  now  considered  to  what  extent,  according 
to  our  finite  abilities,  the  senses  of  hearing,  tasting, 
and  smelling,  are  conferred  on  fish,  it  is  proper  to 
notice  their  sense  of  sight.  There  can  be  no  doubt, 
but  they  have  that  sense  in  great  perfection,  but 
some  species  have  it  more  acutely  than  others,  ac- 
cording to  their  habits  and  necessities.  As  an  in- 
stance, observe  salmon,  how  they  will  leap  at  a  fly, 
or  large  moth,  hovering  over  the  stream,  in  the 
evening  of  a  summer's  day,  and  secure  it  before  the 
insect  can  touch  the  water.  Trout  also,  will  do  the 
same  in  a  less  degree :  this  evinces  the  great  accu- 
racy of  their  sight.  An  illustration  of  what  was  the 
condition  of  a  trout  deprived  of  that  sense,  must  be 
introduced  by  the  following  little  narrative.  Many 
years  ago,  I,  frequently  during  the  trout  season, 
accompanied  a  friend  to  the  river  Wandle.  I  had 
access  to  some  of  the  preserved  waters,  but  he  had 
not,  consequently  I  angled  only  in  the  free  waters 
when  he  was  with  me.  On  one  occasion,  of  a  beauti- 
ful prospective  day  for  trout  fishing,  when  we  had 
reached  Mitcham  Common,  the  clouds  and  little 
breeze  disappeared,  and  the  sun  shone  in  complete 
effulgence,  so  that  it  seemed  useless  to  attempt  to 
throw  a  fly  with  any  expectation  of  success.  On 
reaching  the  river  we  could  see  plenty  of  trout  lying 
basking,  a  little  below  the  surface,  and  apparently 

h2 


100  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

asleep.  I  directed  my  fly  so  repeatedly  before  one,  that 
at  last  it  awakened  him,  and  he  was  soon  in  my  bag. 
I  tried  the  same  plan  with  several  others  without  suc- 
cess, and  determined  not  to  go  home  without  a  com- 
panion for  the  one  I  had  caught, 'if  I  could  prevent  it. 
I  scratched  up  a  worm  with  the  spear  of  my  rod  from 
the  bank,  shifted  my  fly  for  a  plain  appropriate  hook, 
which  I  baited,  shortened  my  line,  and  gently  drop- 
ping my  bait  into  the  stream,  about  a  yard  before  the 
largest  trout,  guided  it  down  to  his  mouth  j  he  did 
not  notice  it ;  therefore,  cautiously  withdrawing  the 
worm  after  it  had  passed  him  a  yard  or  two,  I  tried 
it  a  second,  and  the  third  time  I  saw  the  worm  dis- 
appear, and  the  trout's  jaws  began  to  move,  as  if  he 
were  masticating,  when  with  a  little  turn  of  the 
wrist,  I  had  him  securely.  I  caught  two  brace  more 
in  the  same  manner,  and  could  have  taken  as  many 
as  I  pleased.  My  companion  tried  to  do  the  same, 
but  could  not  succeed.  After  that,  whenever  I  went 
to  the  free  waters,  I  always  had  a  long  bamboo  rod, 
and  a  few  worms,  so  if  ihe  weather  proved  unfavour- 
able for  fly  angling,  I  could  generally  make  sure  of  a 
brace  or  two,  by  this  mode.  I  do  not  consider  this 
fair  fishing  exactly,  neither  did  I  ever  practise  it  in 
any  but  free  waters,  wherein  all  arts  are  considered 
fair.  About  the  year  1839,  whilst  lantliug  a  trout 
which  I  had  hooked  in  the  river  Test,  Hampshire,  I 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  101 

observed  a  long,  black  fisb,  lying  at  the  bottom.  I 
shewed  it  to  my  friend  to  whom  the  water  belonged, 
who  had  just  joined  me.  He  expressed  a  great  wish 
to  have  this  fish.  I  requested  him  to  send  his  gar- 
dener to  me  with  a  worm  or  two  :  my  friend  brought 
them  himself.  Meantime,  I  had  changed  my  tackle.  I 
then  baited  with  a  worm,  and,  by  the  same  method  as 
I  have  just  mentioned  as  having  tried  in  the  "Wandle, 
in  less  than  five  minutes  after,  I  landed  the  fish,  a 
trout,  quite  black,  and  considerably  longer  than  one 
I  had  previously  caught  in  those  waters,  weighing 
full  two  pounds  and  three  quarters ;  but  this  poor 
fish  was  so  thin,  that  it  weighed  only  one  pound  and 
three  ounces.  On  examination,  we  found  he  had 
lost  one  of  his  eyes  by  some  violence,  and  the  sight 
of  the  other  was  completely  gone,  having  become 
opaque,  and  looked  as  if  there  were  a  cataract  in  it. 
This  unfortunate  fish  not  being  able  to  see,  and  feast 
upon  the  flies  on  the  surface,  whereby  he  would  have 
become  fat,  and  in  good  season, — for  flies  are  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  the  nourishment  and  perfection 
of  trout,  at  the  proper  time  of  the  year — was  obliged 
to  grovel  at  the  bottom,  and  feed  on  such  food  there, 
as  his  smell  and  taste  directed  him  to  adopt. 

I  often  thought  of  this  unfortunate  trout,  and  his 
miserable  state  of  starvation,  which  would  soon  have 
caused  his  death,  but  could  form  no  reasonable  opinion 


1Q2 


FISHES   AND   FISHING. 


how  he  became  deprived  of  sight,  until  reading  the 
*'  Practical  Angler,"  a  very  useful  book,  published  by 
Simpkin  and  Marshall,  1842,  I  formed  a  solution  of 
the  question.  It  is  there  stated,  p.  13,  that  an 
eel  has  been  seen  to  dart  against  a  trout,  striking  it 
so  forcibly  near  the  eye,  with  his  lower  jaw,  which 
protrudes  beyond  the  upper,  that  the  trout  was  stun- 
ned, turned  on  its  back,  and  floated  insensible  down 
the  stream.  In  the  river  Test,  there  are  eels  of  a 
ver  J'-  large  size,  and  one  of  them  probably  had  attacked 
this  trout,  and  blinded  him ;  now  as  the  eel  could 
not  have  eaten  a  fish  of  that  size  whilst  alive,  but 
would  easily  pick  his  bones  after  the  trout  was  dead, 
it  appears  something  like  a  kind  of  intellect  on  the 
part  of  the  eel,  thus  apparently  providing  a  future 
feast  for  himself,  or  some  of  his  species. 

It  is  amusing  to  sit  in  a  punt,  over  a  sand-bank, 
on  a  bright  day,  in  a  quiet  part  of  the  river  Thames, 
where  the  water  is  shallow  and  clear,  and  pick  out 
the  gudgeons  you  wish  to  capture,  by  putting  your 
bait  close  to  their  mouths,  and  to  see  how  they  wiP 
turn  away  from  a  bad  or  mutilated  worm,  but  rapidly 
seize,  and  apparently  masticate,  a  good  one :  this 
must  be  by  either  sight,  smell,  or  taste. 

Mr,  Rennie  is  of  opinion  that  fish  have  not  the  sense 
of  sight  in  perfection  ;  but  this  must  be  quite  erro- 
neous.    Watch  a  trout  stream,  observe  the  fish,  lying 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  103 

floating,  with  their  heads  pointing  up  the  stream,  how 
they  diverge  a  considerable  distance  to  the  right,  or 
left,  to  examine  every  little  object  that  floats  near 
them,  and  ascertain  whether  it  be  fit  for  food  ;  but 
only  let  a  fly  come  jrithin  a  yard,  and  see  how  the 
fish  will  dart  forward,  and  seize  it ;  this  must  be 
through  the  excellence  of  the  trout's  vision,  for  there 
is  nothing  in  this  instance  to  agitate  the  water,  so  as 
to  produce  any  vibratory  effect  on  the  organ  of  hear- 
ing, neither  can  the  fish  be  guided  to  its  prey  by  the 
sense  of  smell,  of  an  object  at  that  distance. 

Again,  watch  a  chub  basking  in  the  sun.  Let  the 
shadow  of  a  bird,  at  a  considerable  distance,  only  pass 
over  the  spot,  and  the  fish  descends  instantly.  If  this 
be  not  acute  sight,  what  induces  that  motion  in  chub? 

Another  exemplification  of  the  acute  power  of 
vision,  will  be  found  in  the  following.  Close  to 
Thames  Lock,  there  was  a  grove  of  trees  which  ex- 
tended a  short  way  up  the  bank  of  the  navigation, 
amongst  them  were  two  or  three  cotton  trees.  When 
the  pods  containing  the  cotton  burst,  on  coming  to 
perfection,  the  flocks  of  cotton  descended,  probably 
half  of  them  into  the  water,  where  there  were  a  shoal 
of  bleak  awaiting  their  descent ;  one  among  their 
number  took  the  flock  of  cotton  in  his  mouth,  pulled 
it  under  water,  extracted  the  seed  which  was  at- 
tached to  the  cotton  and  let  it  go,  when  the  cotton 


104  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

rapidly  rose  to  the  surface,  by  the  buoyancy  of  the 
cotton,  and  the  air  it  contained ;  the  seed  once  ex- 
tracted, no  fish  touched  that  flock  of  cotton  again. 
Every  one  who  has  watched  the  motions  of  the  trout 
OS  above-mentioned,  or  the  bleak  with  the  flocks  of 
cotton,  and  their  discrimination  in  never  taking  one 
that  had  had  the  seed  extracted,  and  hundreds  of 
persons  have  done  so,  have  involuntarily  observed, 
*'  what  excellent  sight Jish  must  have ;'  and  similar  to 
this  may  be  observed  in  the  motions  of  chub,  roach, 
and  dace,  at  the  top  of  the  water,  and  many  other 
fish  at  the  bottom. 

About  four  years  ago  I  revisited  the  scenes  of  my 
childhood ;  alas,  how  changed  !  Vandalism  had  been 
at  work,  not  only  were  these  curious  trees,*  which 
used,  in  the  season,  to  render  the  river  and  land 
around  them  a  complete  sheet  of  cotton  wool,  de- 
stroyed, but  also  the  house  on  the  estate  with  its 
beautiful  painted  staircase  and  ceilings,  the  splendid 
orange  trees  and  pleasure  grounds,  once  the  abode  of 

«  These  cotton  trees,  as  far  as  I  remember,  were  more  lofty 
than  some  large  larch  trees  near  them,  their  trunks  were  from 
twenty-seven  to  thirty-three  inches  in  circumference,  the  leaves 
were  of  a  lively  yellowish  green,  small  heart-shaped,  thin  and 
extremely  smooth.  From  the  report  of  Mr.  Wm.  Franklin,  who 
wrote  on  Persia,  cotton  trees  are  very  common  all  over  that 
country  ;  also  another,  a  small  tree,  which  yields  a  kind  of 
siliien  down,  used  for  quilting  and  stuffing  pillows. 


FISHES   AND   FISHirrG.      '  105 

royalty,  and  of  the  favourite  of  a  king,  James  the 
Second,  serving  him  after  as  a  refuge ;  and  finally, 
by  a  marriage  with  the  king's  mistress,  the  seat  of 
the  Earls  of  Portmore — all,  all  completely  annihilated, 
and  not  one  brick  left  upon  another  to  mark  the  site 
of  its  former  regal  splendour.  The  family  and  title 
of  Portmore  are  also  extinct. 

The  bleak  is  a  small  fish  very  like  a  large  sprat  in 
shape,  scales,  and  colour ;  they  are  very  numerous, 
and  afford  amusement  in  a  summer  evening,  by  whip- 
ping for  them  with  a  very  light  fly  rod,  seven  or 
eight  feet  long,  and  a  fine  taper  line  about  double 
the  length  of  the  rod,  two  or  three  small  artificial 
ant-flies  or  gnats,  each  hook  pointed  with  a  small 
gentle ;  or  fish  with  a  very  small  light  self-balanced 
float,  about  eight  inches  from  the  bait,  of  one  small 
gentle.  The  flesh  of  this  fish  is  sweet,  nutritious, 
and  pleasant ;  I  once  caught  thirty  dozen  of  them, 
had  them  marionated,  and  they  were  excellent. 

These  little  fish  breed  within  them  a  white  worm  ; 
when  they  are  thus  afflicted,  they  cannot  sink,  but 
swim  about  mostly  in  circles,  with  their  heads  even 
with  the  surface  of  the  water ;  they  generally  appear, 
if  the  weather  be  hot,  in  July,  and  are  called  by  the 
watermen  "mad  bleak."  I  have  often  met  with 
them  in  going  by  water  in  a  wherry  from  Westmin- 
ster to  Wandsworth,  and  I  believe  they  are  found  as 


106 


FISHES    A15D    PISHING. 


high  up  as  Teddington — a  blow  with  the  flat  of  the 
scull  kills  them.  I  have  taken  this  worm  out  of  the 
fish  alive  frequently ;  some  have  been  seven  inches 
long,  others  from  that  length  to  ten  inches,  about 
three-tenths  of  an  inch  in  width,  coming  to  a  blunt 
point  at  each  end,  and  one- tenth  of  an  inch,  or  more, 
thick  in  the  middle,  ribbed  across.  There  is  no 
doubt  but  these  worms  must  destroy  the  fish  even- 
tually, but  what  becomes  of  the  worm  afterwards  no 
one  can  tell.  As  the  fish  thus  affected  are  only  found 
where  the  Thames  is  turbid,  I  imagine  these  worms 
are  generated  through  the  foul  state  of  the  water.* 

In  the  first  volume  of  the  Mirror,  published  in  1 826, 
article  '*  Medical  Quackery,"  it  is  stated  that  these 
worms  are  used  by  quack  worm-doctors,  to  exhibit  in 
their  windows,  as  having  been  expelled  *  from  the 
human  body  by  the  efficacy  of  the  empiric's  medicine ; 
and  of  a  verity  the  worms  exhibited  by  these  impos- 
tors are  so  marvellously  like  those  which  torment  the 
poor  bleak,  that  any  person  comparing  them  together 
would  pronounce  them  to  be  the  same. 

The  scales  of  the  bleak  formerly  furnished  the 
means  of  making  artificial  pearls;  it  is  estimated 
that  one  pound  of  scales  cost  the  lives  of  4,000  fish, 
that  a  pound  of  scales  only  produced  four  ounces  of 

*  I  do  not  think  any  naturalist  has  noticed  this  disease  of  the 
bleak. 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  107 

pearly  precipitate,  and  at  one  factory  in  France  ten 
thousand  pearls  were  issued  per  week.  Now  the 
Argentine  or  Tiber  pearl  fish,  very  like  a  smelt,  but 
not  having  its  fragrant  smell,  supplies  the  material 
for  making  these  ornaments  from  their  swimming 
bladders,  which  are  taken  out  and  plunged  into  a 
bottle  of  spirits  of  wine;  when  wanted,  they  are 
macerated  in  a  solution  of  isinglass,  till  all  the  pearly 
particles  are  detached ;  this  is  put  into  glass  beads 
of  the  size  required,  with  a  hole  at  each  end,  and 
equally  ditt'used,  the  holes  being  kept  open,  they  are 
then  filled  with  hot  wax,  and,  when  cold,  strung. 
The  largest  bleak  of  which  I  can  find  any  account 
was  taken  at  Cheshunt,  16th  September,  1832;  it  was 
seven  and  a-half  inches  long,  as  is  recorded  by  Mr. 
Baddeley,  of  Compton  Street,  GosweU  Street. 

Leuwenhoek  satisfied  himself  that  the  age  of  fish 
could  be  discovered  by  the  scales ;  an  annual  fresh 
lamina  forms  over  the  first  scale,  larger  in  every  Wiiy, 
corresponding  with  the  growth  of  the  fish,  therefore 
by  separating  these  laminae,  and  the  aid  of  a  good 
microscope,  the  age  of  the  fish  may  be  ascertained 
pretty  correctly,  for  fish  do  not  shed  their  scales ; 
those  of  the  eel  form  a  very  beautiful  subject  for  a 
microscope  having  a  high  power.  Monro  states  that 
"  the  surface  of  the  bodies  of  fishes,  especially  those 
that  live  in  the  sea,  is  defended  by  a  quantity  of 


108  FISHES   AND    nSHING. 

viscid  slime,  -which  is  supplied  by  ducts  placed  upon 
their  sides;  in  some  fish  this  is  more  abundant  than 
in  others  ;  some  have  these  ducts  placed  pretty  regu- 
larly over  the  surface ;  the  mucus  exuding  from  these 
ducts  is  so  extremely  viscid  that  it  is  difficult  to  squeeze 
it  out."  "Now  as  the  scales  of  fish  must  have  some 
origin,  is  it  not  reasonable  to  think  that  tliis  mucus, 
after  the  more  fluid  portions  have  lubricated  the  sur- 
facp,  the  remainder  may  solidify  and  form  continually 
the  increasing  number  of  laminae  ? 

The  anatomical  formation  of  the  eye  in  fish  is  a 
most  extraordinary  proof  of  the  exquisite  and  won- 
derful adaptation  of  the  parts  of  the  animal  to  the 
medium  in  which  it  is  destined  to  exist,  hence  the 
crj^stalline  lens  is  quite  round,  which  is  not  the  case 
with  terrestrial  beings;  but  from  the  conformation  of 
the  whole  apparatus,  and  the  element  in  which  they 
exist,  fishes  cannot  see  objects  far  distant,  though 
some  species,  such  as  fish  of  pvej,  have  greater  powers 
of  vision  than  others.  As  fish  do  not  require  any 
aqueous  secretion  to  keep  the  surface  of  the  eye  moist, 
they  have  no  lachrymal  gland.  Fish  generally  have 
DO  eyelids,  some  have  a  compensation  for  it,  in  a 
species  of  fijced  covering  at  each  angle,  very  evident 
in  salmon  and  mackerel ;  the  eel  too,  to  protect  his 
eyes  in  working  his  way  through  mud,  has  a  trans- 
parent case  placed  a  little  way  before  the  eyes,  of 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  109 

* 

sufficient  strength  to  protect  them  from  injury,  but 
when  they  grow  large,  eels  very  frequently  are  blind. 

In  Sir  Charles  EelFs  **  Anatomy,"  7th  edition  vol. 
ii.,  p.  447,  it  is  stated,  "fishes  have  the  (optic)  nerve 
arising  from  one  side  of  the  brain  passing  to  the  eye 
of  the  other  side  ;  they  cross,  but  they  do  not  unite." 

"  The  Solitary  Hunter,"  by  John  Palliser,  Esq., 
gives  some  account  of  the  mammoth  caves  of  Kentucky 
Speaking  of  the  subterranean  rivers  of  those  caves, 
*'  We  caught  some  fish  vrith  a  landing  net  in  these 
rivers,  and  found  them,  by  a  wonderful  dispensation 
of  nature,  without  eyes,  or  any  organs  adapted  to  the 
reception  of  light." 

This  excited  my  curiosity,  and  unable  to  obtain 
from  very  talented  naturalists  and  zoologists  any  in- 
formation on  the  subject,  one  of  these  gentlemen  of 
the  very  first  class,  answered,  "  he  had  no  recollection 
of  any  fishes  which  have  no  eyes,  or  their  equivalents ; 
but  I  am  by  no  means  incredulous  as  to  the  fact,  seeing 
that  we  have  so  many  animals,  even  mammals,  simi- 
larly situated."  As  I  do  not  allow  myself  to  be 
easili/  defe-dted,  I  have  written  to  the  proprietor  of 
these  caves  in  Kentucky,  and  hope  to  have  a  specimen 
af  these  curious  fish.  I  mentioned  the  subject  to  the 
same  friend  who  favoured  rae  with  the  particulars  about 
the  first  paper  mill,  and  he  having  great  opportunity 
of  research,  has  still  further  favoured  me  with  most 


110  nSDES   AND    FISHING. 

extensive  information  on  the  subject,  which  I  shall  en- 
deavour to  condense  for  the  information  of  the  world. 

In  Silliman's  '^  American  Journal  of  Science,"  vol. 
xlv.,  1 843,  is  a  full  and  most  minute  account  of  the 
anatomical  structure  of  these  fish,  but  which  would 
be  too  extensive  to  insert  here.  This  investigation 
was  made  by  Dr.  Jeffries  "Wyman,  member  of  the 
Boston  Society  of  Natural  History.  The  specimen 
he  dissected  was  A^-^  inches  long,  it  had  a  large 
quantity  of  teeth,  so  that  it  must  be  a  fish  of  prey ;  the 
nostrils  were  particularly  well  defined,  therefore  the 
sense  of  smelling  is  probably  acute,  although  he  does 
not  make  any  remark  as  to  the  olfactory  nerves.  The 
inferior  optic  lobes  very  small,  not  larger  than  a  pin's 
head,  no  optic  nerve  was  found.  This  gentleman  says, 
**This  fish,  inhabiting  a  dark  cavern,  is  reduced,  as  re- 
gards the  organs  of  vision,  to  a  much  more  imperfect 
state  than  the  Proteus  anguinus  inhabiting  the  subter- 
ranean caverns  of  Illyria,  or  the  common  mole,  in  both 
of  which  eyes  exist,  although  of  a  microscopic  size," 

In  **  Eraser's  Magazine,"  vol.  xlii.,  1850,  some 
observations  are  inserted  from  the  pen  of  an  officer  of 
the  Eoyal  Artillery,  who  visited  these  caves  of  Ken- 
tucky :  he  states  that  these  fish  are  wholly  without 
eyes — not  the  smallest  trace  of  that  organ  can  be  de- 
tected externally ;  the  rudiment  of  an  optic  nerve  is 
its  sole  internal  representative.     They  are  perfectly 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  Ill 

white  or  colourless,  and  when  the  water  is  clear  are 
easily  detected.  He  says  he  had  not  the  good  fortune 
to  see  any  (probably  because,  as  it  appears,  there 
was  a  flood  at  the  time  he  was  there).  He  also  says 
that  an  eyeless  crawfish,  exactly  like  the  common 
brook  crawfish,  only  perfectly  white,  is  found  in 
these  subterraneous  waters. 

In  *•  Silliman's  American  Journal  of  Science,"  vol. 
xvii.,  1854,  Dr.  Wyman  gives,  at  great  length,  fur- 
ther particulars  of  these  fish,  to  which  he  has  added 
observations  on  their  organs  of  hearing,  of  which  I 
will  endeavour  to  give  the  substance.  He  states  that 
Telkampf,  in  company  with  J.  MuUer,  of  Berlin,  for 
the  first  time  (as  it  was  asserted),  detected  rudimen- 
taryeyes,  **New  York  Journal  of  Medicine,"  1845,  vol. 
V.  p.  84.  Also  that  Dr.  Dekay  (see  "  Fauna  of  New 
York")  thought  that  he  had  detected  eyes,  covered 
by  the  skin ;  but  as  the  substance  of  what  he  con  • 
sidered  were  eyes,  had  not  any  of  the  necessary  sepa- 
rate parts  to  form  that  organ,  and  no  nerve  was  con- 
nected with  it,  there  could  be  no  reason  to  think  it 
was  the  organ  of  sight.  Dr.  John  C,  Dalton,  jun., 
also  thought  he  had  detected  eyes,  but  was,  it  is 
believed,  mistaken.  Professor  Owen  has  described 
the  organ  as  a  simple  eye  speck,  **  as  in  the  leech, 
consisting  of  a  minute  tegumentary  follicle,  coated  by 
dark  pigment,  which  receives  the  end  of  a  cerebral 


112  FISHES    AND    FISHIlfG. 

nerve,"  ("  Lectures  on  Comparative  Anatomy,"  vol^ 
,  ii.  p.  202  ;  see  also  his  figure,  p.  175.)  Eutthe  rea- 
soning of  Dr.  Wyman  inclines  one  to  the  helief  that 
Professor  Owen's  statement  is  erroneous.  Dekay  has 
placed  these  fish  amougst  the  Siluridee;  but  Dr. 
Wyman,  who  has  had  great  opportunities  of  judging 
from  dissections  and  close  examination  of  its  osteology 
and  whole  anatomical  structure,  as  compared  with 
specimens  of  Amhlyopsis  spelceus  which  he  also  dis- 
sected, says  that  it  belongs  to  the  latter  genus. 

But  if  Providence  has  been  pleas'ed  to  withhold 
from  these  fishes  the  sense  of  sight,  it  is  probably 
compensated  by  excellence  of  the  sense  of  smelling 
and  of  hearing  ;  for  as  before  observed,  the  olfactory 
organs  are  particularly  well  defined,  and  the  auditory 
apparatus  much  larger  than  in  any  other  fish  of  the 
same  size,  and  the  otolite  of  the  vestibule  (one  of  the 
bones  described,  when  describing  the  organ  of  hear- 
ing) is  very  large  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  fish  : 
and  it  is  asserted  that  the  blind  fish  are  acutely  sen- 
sible of  sounds,  as  well  as  to  undulations  produced  by 
other  causes  in  the  water. 

As  plants  which  in  the  light  grow  up  a  dark  green 
colour,  but  if  allowed  to  do  the  same  in  a  dark  place 

*  Because  the  voice,  or  any  noise  made  in  a  cave,  produces 
vibration  of  the  substance  of  wliich  the  cavity  is  formed,  and 
that  vibration  is  communicated  to  the  water. 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  113 

are  white,  may  not  the  fact  of  these  being  white  be 
accounted  for  upon  the  same  principle  ? 

A  gentleman,  a  patient  of  mine,  who  had  travelled 
very  much,  informed  me  there  was  a  mountain  about 
forty  miles  from  Vienna,  named  the  Semmering,  frt)m 
which  a  considerable  way  up  there  issues  a  stream  of 
w^ter,  and  the  inhabitants  often  catch  fish  of  the 
trout  species,  by  letting  the  water  run  through  a  net ; 
I  should  be  gratified  by  an  opportunity  of  examiniDg 
one  of  these  fish. 

On  bringing  a  trout  to  land  which  you  have  hooked 
with  a  fly  in  the  Test,  suddenly  he  will  be  surrounded 
by  six  to  eight,  or  a  dozen  of  the  same  species,  who 
rush  against  him.  At  first  I  was  inclined  to  think 
this  was  a  type  of  the  conduct  of  too  many  of  the 
human  race,  who,  when  a  man  is  unfortunate,  or 
going  down  in  the  world,  assist  in  crushing  him  ;  but 
after  a  little  reflection,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that 
it  was  still  typical  of  mankind,  for  other  trout  seeing 
the  fly  protruding  from  the  mouth  of  the  one  hooked, 
endeavour  to  wrest  his  prize  from  him  ;  and  so  covet- 
ous men,  seeing  their  neighbour  prosper  by  a  specu- 
lation, will  use  every  endeavour  to  deprive  him  of  the 
advantage,  his  talents  or  industry  have  procured  for 
him.  This  may  be,  however,  practically  illustrated 
in  a  poultry-yard,  where  a  fowl  or  duck,  having  ob- 
tained a  large  piece  of  food,  more  than  he  can  at  once 

I 


11'4  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

swallow,  will  be  pursued  by  his  companions  eager  to 
share  the  spoil,  and  tear  it  from  his  beak."^  The 
voracity  of  the  pike  is  well  known.  When  a  youth, 
I  was  angling  with  a  live  bait,  a  gudgeon ;  I  hooked 
a  small  jack,  about  three  quarters  of  a  pound ;  he  was 
hooked  by  rather  a  large  hook,  by  the  upper  lip,  and 
as  I  was  drawing  him  to  land,  a  pike  of  about  seven 
pounds  dashed  at  him,  and  was  hooked  by  the  hook 
and  gudgeon  which  protruded  from  the  lip  of  the 
small  one,  so  by  a  quick  use  of  a  landing-net  I  had 
two  fish.  In  this  case  I  think  the  large  fish  was  at- 
tracted by  the  gudgeon  hanging  from  the  mouth  of 
the  small  one ;  this  confirms  my  opinion  that  the  trout 
are  attracted  in  like  manner  by  the  fly  hanging  from 
the  hooked  trout. 

In  the  ''  Heading  Mercury,"  an  account  was  in- 
serted, that  a  lad  aged  fifteen,  named  Longhurst,  went 
into  Inglemere  pond,  near  Ascot  Heath,  to  bathe ; 
when  he  hud  walked  in  to  the  depth  of  about  four 
feet,  a  huge  fish,  supposed  to  be  a  pike,  suddenly  rose 
to  the  surface  and  seized  the  boy's  arm  ;  however, 
finding  resistance,  he  abandoned  it,  but  still  followed 
and  caught  hold  of  the  other  hand,  which  he  bit  very 

*  Oppian,  book  iii.,  verse  440  to  450,  attributes  tbis  action  of 
the  fish  to  friendship,  and  commiseration  on  the  part  of  the  fish 
who  are  at  liberty  toward  one  in  trouble.  But  I  think  my  ex- 
planation is  the  most  correct. 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  115 

severely ;  the  lad  clenching  the  hand  which  had  been 
first  bitten,  struck  the  monster  a  heavy  blow  on  the 
head,  when  the  fish  swam  away.  W.  Barr  Brown, 
Esq.,  surgeon,  dressed  seven  wounds,  two  of  which 
were  very  deep,  and  bled  profusely. 

I  wrote  to  W,  Barr  Brown,  Esq.,  who  very  politely 
obtained  and  sent  this  day,  Sept.  18th,  1857,  the 
whole  particulars  in  writing,  from  the  young  man's 
father,  Mr.  George  Longhurst,  of  Sunning  Hill,  which 
I  give  as  I  receive  it. 

**  Particulars  of  an  encounter  with  a  fish,  in  the 
month  of  June,  1850. — One  of  my  sons,  aged  fifteen, 
went  with  three  other  boys  to  bathe  in  Inglemere 
pond,  near  Ascot  Kace  Course  ;  he  walked  gently  in 
the  water  to  about  the  depth  of  four  feet,  when  he 
spread  forth  his  hands  to  attempt  to  swim ;  instantly 
a  large  fish  came  up  and  took  his  hand  into  his  mouth 
as  far  up  as  the  wrist,  but  finding  he  could  not  swal- 
low it  he  immediately  relinquished  his  hold,  and  the 
boy  turning  round  prepared  for  a  hasty  retreat  out 
of  the  pond ;  his  companions  who  saw  it  also,  scram- 
bled out  of  the  pond  as  fast  as  possible.  My  son  had 
scarce  turned  himself  round  when  the  fish  came  round 
behind  him  and  immediately  seized  his  other  hand, 
cross- ways,  inflicting  some  very  deep  wounds  in  the 
back  of  his  hand ;  the  boy  raised  his  first  bitten  and 
still  bleeding  hand,  and  struck  the  monster  a  hard 

I  2 


116  FISHES   AI^D   riSSING. 

blow  on  the  head ;  the  fish  then  turned  his  tail  to  the 
top  of  the  water,  and  went  down  out  of  sight ;  the 
other  boys  assisted  him  to  dress,  bound  up  his  hand 
with  their  handkerchiefs,  and  brought  him  home. 
We  took  him  down  to  Mr.  Brown,  surgeon,  who 
dressed  seven  wounds  in  one  hand,  and  so  great  was 
the  pain  the  next  day,  the  lad  fainted  twice ;  the 
little  finger  was  bitten  through  the  nail,  and  it  was 
more  than  six  weeks  before  it  was  well ;  the  nail  came 
off,  and  the  scar  remains  to  this  day. 

**A  few  days  after  this  occurrence,  one  of  the  wood- 
men was  walking  by  the  side  of  the  pond,  when  he 
saw  something  white  floating  in  the  pond  ;  a  man  on 
horseback  rode  in  and  found  it  to  be  a  large  pike  in  a 
dying  state ;  he  twisted  his  whip  round  him,  and 
brought  him  to  shore.  Me  and  my  son  were  imme- 
diately sent  for  to  look  at  it,  when  the  boy  recognized 
his  antagonist  immediately;  the  fish  appeared  to  have 
been  a  long  time  in  the  agonies  of  death,  as  the  body 
was  very  lean,  and  curved  like  a  bow.  It  measured 
41  inches,  and  died  the  next  day,  and  I  believe  was 
taken  to  the  Castle  at  Windsor." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  but  this  fish  was  in  a  state 
of  complete  starvation  ;  if  some  of  his  scales  had  been 
examined  with  a  microscope,  his  age  might  have  been 
ascertained ;  and  if  he  had  been  well  fed,  it  is  proba- 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  117 

ble,  I  think,  he  might  then  have  weighed  from  thirty 
to  forty  pounds. 

Trout  are  also  voracious  after  their  own  species  ; 
a  gentleman  angling  at  Bakewell,  saw  a  large  trout 
holding  in  his  mouth  another  smaller  than  himself, 
which  he  had  seized  across  the  body,  and  was  so 
much  absorbed  by  his  elfforts  to  secure  and  swallow 
his  prey,  that  the  angler,  by  the  dexterous  use  of  his 
landing  net,  secured  them  both. 

The  next  sense  possessed  by  fish,  which  claims  at- 
tention, is  that  of  feeling ;  externally,  from  the  na- 
ture of  their  scaly  covering,  they  can  have  but  very 
little  about  the  body,  and  taking  the  whole  of  their 
formation  into  consideration,  and  that  they  are 
amongst  the  class  of  cold-blooded  animals,  the  sense 
of  feeling  cannot  be  very  acute,  or  can  pain  inflicted 
upon  them  be  very  lasting  in  duration,  for  if  wounded 
with  a  hook,  or  even  one  remaining  fixed  in  the 
mouth,  the  same  fish  will  attack  a  similar  bait  imme- 
diately, a  fact  well  known  to  anglers  of  any  experi- 
ence ;  at  the  same  time  it  may  be  taken  into  consider- 
ation, that  the  greater  the  proximity  of  a  nerve  to  the 
part  where  the  hook  enters,  the  wound  must  necessa- 
rily inflict  more  pain  than  if  the  instrument  were 
imbedded  in  a  less  sensitive  portion  of  the  mouth ; 
and  this  may  account  for  the  diff'erence  in  the  exer- 


118  FISHES   AN^D    FISHING. 

tions  of  some  fish  from  others,  when  they  are  hooked. 
Boys  living  near  a  trout  stream  are  great  adepts  in 
catching  these  fish  hy  tickling  them.  A  rather  ludi- 
crous circumstance  happened  relative  to  this  mode  of 
taking  fish.  I  was  approaching  Hack  Bridge,  near 
Carshalton,  one  morning,  on  my  way  to  a  private 
water,  when  I  found  there  three  gentlemen,  who  were 
about  to  angle,  with  worms  as  their  bait.  Though 
their  tackle  was  good  for  that  purpose,  I  saw  that  two 
of  them  did  not  know  how  to  use  it,  and  they  made 
no  secret  of  their  incapacity ;  the  third  assumed  an 
oracular  hearing,  and  dictated  to  the  two  neophytes; 
as  they  were  getting  their  rods  put  together,  a  hoy 
who  had  been  lying  on  the  grass  close  to  the  river, 
approached  with  a  trout  struggling  in  his  hands  of 
about  a  pound,  and  asked  the  head  of  the  party  if  he 
would  buy ;  which  he  did  most  eagerly  for  a  shilKng. 
I  left  them,  fished  till  evening,  and  having  taken  a 
place  in  the  coach,  I  found  on  entering  it  the  would- 
be  angler  and  his  two  friends,  whom  I  had  seen  in  the 
morning,  but  it  being  quite  an  en  passant  affair,  he 
did  not  recollect  me ;  he  asked  me  if  I  had  had  any 
sport,  and  I  shewed  him  two  brace  of  beautiful  fish 
which  called  forth  their  admiration.  I,  in  return, 
enquired  what  success  they  had  met  with ;  he  re- 
plied he  had  caught  a  very  fine  trout.  *'  What  !*'  said 
I,  **  beside  the  one  you  bought  ?*'     His  Mends  and 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  119 

two  other  passengers  laughed  at,  and  joked  him  all 
the  way  to  town.  It  appeared  he  had  persuaded  his 
friends  to  buy  tackle  and  go  out  with  him  for  a  day's 
fishing,  he  assuring  them  of  excellent  sport,  whereas 
none  of  the  three  had  the  satisfaction  of  having  had  a 
nibble.  This  mode  he  adopted  of  obtaining  fish  is 
called  jocosely  **  catching  fish  with  a  silver  hook.'* 
A  lady  who  had  probably  heard  this  observation,  but 
did  not  know  its  meaning,  one  evening  in  company, 
was  boasting  of  the  excellence  of  the  rods,  lines,  &c. 
of  a  relative  of  her's,  and  finished  by  asserting,  ''  that 
he  had  amongst  his  unequalled  tackle,  a  number  of 
silver  hoolcSy  which  were  sure  to  catch  fish  when 
nothing  else  would  do  so !" 

Having  endeavoured,  concisely,  to  explain  the  ana- 
tomy of  the  senses  offish,  and  shown  how  acute  those 
senses  are,  it  becomes  necessary  to  consider  and  exa- 
mine how  these  senses,  or  the  organisation  of  the 
brains  of  this  class  of  animals,  contribute  to  give  some 
of  them  apparently  a  species  of  intellect,  or  reasoning 
power.  It  was  believed  from  the  time  of  Aristotle 
up  to  a  recent  period,  that  man  had  the  largest 
brain  of  any  animal,  and  thereby  had  the  vast  su- 
periority over  all  other  created  beings ;  further 
research  has  proved  this  opinion  to  be  erroneous,  for 
the  proportion  of  brain  to  the  body  in  some  birds  ex- 
ceeds that  of  man,  and  several  mammalia,  and  some 


120  riBHES   AND    nSHING. 

animals  of  the  mouse  kind,  equal  the  human  subject. 
Sommering  has  furnished  another  point  of  compari- 
son, which  appears  to  be  correct,  namely,  the  ratio 
■which  the  mass  of  the  brain  bears  to  the  nerves 
issuing  from  it.  Let  the  brain  be  divided  into  two 
parts,  that  which  is  immediately  connected  with  the 
sensorial  extremities  of  the  nerves,  which  receive 
their  impressions,  and  is,  therefore,  devoted  to  the 
purposes  of  animal  existence.  The  second  division 
will  include  the  rest  of  the  brain,  which  may  be 
considered  as  connecting  the  functions  of  the  nerves, 
with  the  faculties  of  the  mind.  In  proportion,  then, 
as  any  animal  possesses  more  of  the  latter  and  more 
noble  part,  that  is,  as  this  intellectual  portion  exceeds 
that  of  the  external  senses,  will  the  powers  of  mind 
be  more  clearly  developed :  thus  man  stands  pre- 
eminent ! 

The  motions  and  habits  of  some  created  beings  are 
regulated  by  certain  innate  feelings,  which  are  gene- 
rally denominated  "instinct;"  this  means  an  inherent 
mode  of  action,  without  choice  or  reason.  From  the 
nature  of  the  medium  which  is  the  natural  habita- 
tion of  fish,  the  most  anxious  and  careful  naturalist 
is  prevented  from  acquiring  more  than  a  very  super- 
ficial knowledge  of  the  habits,  propensities,  modes  of 
life,  communications  with  each  other,  which,  as  some 
live  in  society,  called  gregarious  fish,  it  is  probable 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  121 

they  have  some  mode  of  mutual  communication  ;  why 
should  they  not  ?  Birds  and  insects  have  !  see  the 
article  on  bees,  wasps,  and  ants,  in  that  elaborate 
work  on  Entomology,  by  Kirby  and  Spence.  These 
associations  of  fish  may  arise  from  the  similarity  of 
their  required  food,  and  the  necessity  for  selecting 
particular  parts  of  rivers  congenial  to  their  require- 
ments :  this  instinct  or  necessity  will  direct  them  to 
do.  The  male  and  female  salmon  pair,  they  play 
about  the  part  they  have  selected,  then  jointly  make 
furrows  or  nests  for  their  impregnated  ova,  which 
they  conceal  by  covering  them  carefully,  and  if  dis- 
turbed and  obliged  to  leave  the  spot,  will  return  to  it 
again :  this  is  all  instinct ;  but  when  the  poacher 
speared  and  carried  away  the  male  fish,  and  the 
female  went  to  a  pool  at  some  distance,  and,  im- 
pelled by  sexual  desire,  induced  a  fresh  male  to  re. 
turn  with  her  to  the  same  furrows,  and  eight  or  nine 
male  fish  being  thus  captured  by  poachers,  she 
returned  each  time  to  the  pool  to  obtain  a  fresh  male, 
and  the  last  time  finding  no  male  salmon,  she  brought 
a  large  male  trout :  this  was  proved  before  a  Com- 
mittee of  the  House  of  Commons.  How  she  commu- 
nicated her  amorous  feelings  to  the  male  fish,  by  what 
blandishments,  persuasions,  or  arts  she  induced  him 
to  follow  her,  we  are  totally  ignorant,  but  it  will,  I 
think  be   granted,  this  was  beyond  instinct;    that 


122  FISHES   AND    FISHIXG. 

could  not  provide  a  remedy  if  the  male  fishes  were 
taken  away  by  poachers,  therefore  it  must  be  reflec- 
tive reason  that  dictated  her  visits  to  the  pool,  and 
induced  her,  on  finding  no  more  salmon,  to  select  a 
fish  of  the  same  genus  and  sex,  to  complete  the 
impregnation  of  the  ova. 

Dr.  Pallas,  who  devoted  seven  years  to  travelling 
and  investigating  the  natural  history  and  actwal 
state  of  llussiau  Tartary  and  Siberia,  by  command  of 
the  Empress,  states,  that  during  the  floods  in  the  river 
Volga,  the  rats,  which  are  numerous  on  the  banks  of 
that  river,  ascend  the  small  trees  for  safety ;  the  bel- 
jugas  (a  species  of  sturgeon)  shakes  these  trees  so 
violently  with  his  tail,  that  the  rats  in  consequence 
fall  into  the  water,  and  are  devoured  alive  by  the 
fish,  who  adopts  the  same  methods  to  obtain  the 
unfledged  crows.  Must  this  not  be  considered  as 
reasoning  upon  causes  and  effects }  There  are  the 
rats  or  young  crows  in  the  tree,  the  fish  cannot  get 
up  to  them,  but  be  calculates  if  he  shake  the  tree, 
the  rats  or  birds  will  fall  into  the  water,  and  he 
will  then  obtain  them.  This  is  not  mere  instinct ! 
Dr.  Pallas  also  says,  that  the  shad  will  tear  a  net  to 
rescue  other  fishes  when  they  are  caught ! 

See  the  anecdote  relative  to  the  minnow  and  tench, 
p.  199;  there  appears  something  very  much  like 
reason  in  the  action  of  the  minnow  j  and  it  is  a  well. 


FISHES   AND   PlSHmO.  123 

known  fact  that  fresh-water  fish  of  prey  will  no 
attack  a  tench,  so  in  that  way  they  show  their  gra- 
titude to  the  Esculapius  of  their  race  ;  an  example 
which — if  some  of  our  deceased  nohles  had  followed, 
would  have  enhanced  their  reputation,  by  shewing 
a  sense  of  gratitude  for  benefits  received. 

Eels,  it  is  well  known,  require  mud,  into  which 
they  retire  for  warmth  in  winter,  and  they  wiU  leave 
any  pond,  the  soil  "oi  which  does  not  afi'ord  them  the 
shelter  they  need,  by  any  means,  even  travelling  over 
short  distances  of  land, — but  this  is  instinct. 

Caqj,  according  to  Bluraenbach,  have  the  largest 
brain  of  any  fresh- water  fish  ;  and  it  is  a  well-known 
fact,  that  they  will  force  their  nose  into  the  soft 
bottom  of  a  pond  or  river,  and  not  move  though 
the  leads  of  a  net  sweep  over  them,  and  so  escape. 
They  are  very  difficult  to  catch  by  angling;  but 
whether  they  purposely  cut  the  line  with  the  saw 
on  the  front  of  their  dorsal  fin,  must  be  a  matter 
of  conjecture.* 

Oppian's  Halieuticks,  Book  iv.  verses  60  to  80,  says, 
the  scaro  (see  "Willoughby,  304)  pairs  with  one  mate 
only,  and  if  either  happen  to  be  caught  with  a  hook 

*  Oppian  attributes  the  same  act  to  the  anthies  if  the  line 
be  allowed  to  become  slack.  Book  iii.,  verse  455 — 462.  (An- 
thies, Anthife,  Willoughby,  p.  325.  Plate  x.  figs.  3,  4,  5.)  The 
last  very  like  a  carp. 


124  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

and  line,  the  other  will  gnaw  the  line,  and  set  the 
captive  free.  Or,  if  one  enter  a  weel  and  be  caught, 
the  other  will,  with  companions  of  the  same  genus, 
force  their  tails  between  the  twigs  of  the  weel,  in  the 
manner  of  a  wedge,  and  the  imprisoned  fish  takes 
hold  of  a  tail  thus  thrust  in,  to  cause  the  twigs  to 
diverge  from  each  other,  and  passes  out.  Is  not  this 
a  proof  of  intellectual  reasoning  ?  ^These  fish,  accord- 
ing to  Oppian,  have  strong  feelings  of  friendship  j 
and  the  ancient  fishermen  used  their  knowledge  of 
the  passions  of  fish  to  ensnare  them:  an  amusing 
account  of  one  device  for  the  purpose,  but  too  long 
to  quote,  is  in  book  iv.  verses  90  to  110. 

In  Mr.  Hugh  Miller's  work,  "  Foot-prints  of  the 
Creator,"  an  account  of  the  dog-fish  shews  the  intel- 
ligence they  possess  to  avoid  being  captured.  They 
keep  aloof  from,  but  follow  the  net  of  the  fishermen, 
and  as  soon  as  a  few  herrings  are  shaken  loose  from 
the  meshes,  they  dart  upon  and  devour  them ;  and  in 
the  deep-sea  white  fishing,  a  pack  of  dog-fish  will 
watch  beside  the  boat,  and  will  carry  off  the  lower 
part  of  the  hooked  fish,  so  as  to  avoid  the  swallowed 
hook,  and  thus  deprive  the  fisherman  of  a  great 
portion  of  his  fishing ;  it  is  observed  that  sometimes 
a  fresh  pack  of  these  fish  will  come  to  where  the 
first  have  been  cautiously  waiting,  and  as  soon  as 
that  occurs,  mutually  jealous  of  each  other,  the  whole 


FISHES    AND    FISHIKG.  125 

rush  on  forgetful  of  their  former  caution,  and  eager 
to  secure  a  portion  of  the  prey,  they  swallow  the 
whole  fish,  and  so  become  hooked  themselves. 

The  passions  of  jealousy  and  violent  anger  are 
forcibly  illustrated  by  the  article  relative  to  the 
stickleback,  which  also  shews  the  arrogant  pride  of 
the  conqueror,  and  the  effect  of  grief  of  the  van- 
quished fish  at  his  humiliation. 
;  Oppian  says  the  wruss  is  a  polygamist,  and  so  it 
will  seem  is  the  stickleback.  When  trout  find  them- 
selves encircled  by  a  net,  they  endeavour  to  leap 
over  it ;  to  frighten  them  from  doing  so,  the  fishermen 
beat  the  water  with  poles.  Oppian  says,  barbel  will 
do  the  same;  book  iii.  verses  140  to  150.  Salmon, 
when  hooked,  will  leap  out  of  the  water  and  endea- 
vour to  break  the  line  with  their  tails.  Is  this  action 
of  the  trout  and  salmon  mere  instinct  ?  We  want  a 
second  Oppian  to  investigate  the  natural  character 
and  habits  of  fish ;  something  may  be  learned  by 
placing  them  in  vivariams,  but  very  little  in  a  state 
of  confinement. 

That  fish  form  attachments  of  a  most  lasting  de- 
scription, is  proved  by  the  following : — ''  Fish  that 
are  kept  in  jars,  when  they  have  been  awhile  toge- 
ther, contract  so  great  an  affection  for  each  other, 
that  if  they  are  separated,  they  become  melancholy 


126  PISHES    AND   FISHING. 

and  sullen,  and  are  a  long  time  before  they  forget 
their  loss"— ''Phil.  Transact."  vol.  ix.,  p.  323. 

**  Mr.  Anderson  put  two  ruffs  into  a  jar  of  water 
about  Christmas,  and  in  April  he  gave  one  of  them 
away.  The  fish  that  remained  was  so  affected,  that 
it  would  eat  nothing  for  three  weeks ;  so  that  fearing 
it  would  pine  to  death,  he  sent  it  to  the  gentleman 
on  whom  he  had  bestowed  its  companion.  On  re- 
joining the  other,  it  ate  immediately,-  and  recovered 
its  formeri  briskness." — Ibid. 

There  are  many  examples  which  might  be  adduced. 
The  question  is,  whether  this  was  love  or  friendship  ; 
if  the  fish  were  of  different  sexes,  it  must  be  the 
former  ;  if  of  the  same  sex,  the  latter  passion.  See 
also  Burton's  *'  Anatomy  of  Melancholy, "  vol.  ii., 
p.  125,  13th  ed.,  1827.  ''Fishes  pine  away  for 
love,  and  wax  lean." 

There  are  probably  ninety-nine  persons  out  of  every 
hundred,  who  see  fish  rise  to  the  surface,  or  sink  to 
the  bottom,  in  rivers  or  glass  globes,  without  reflecting 
how  those  movements  are  accomplished.  It  has  been 
supposed  by  some  scientific  men,  that  these  motions 
are  effected  by  the  swimming  bladder  ;  this  viscus  has 
several  coats  possessed  of  great  muscular  power, 
which  enables  the  fish  to  contract,  or  expand  it  at 
pleasure,  and  as  fish  have  about  the  same  specific 
gravity  as  their  native  element,  a  dilation  of  the  air- 


FISHES    AND    FISHINa.  127 

bladder  would  make  them  lighter  than  water,  and  they 
would  rise ;  whilst  a  contraction  of  it  makes  them 
specifically  heavier,  and  they  sink ;  and  fish  have,  as  is 
believed,  this  power  of  dilation  and  contraction.  I 
cannot  consider  this  explanation  as  being  wholly 
correct ;  for  instance,  the  shark,  which  has  no  air- 
bladder,  yet  ascends  and  descends  with  the  greatest 
rapidity,  by  the  aid  of  its  powerful  tail,  and  pectoral 
fins ;  and  in  the  mackerel,  by  its  muscular  formation, 
and  by  the  great  strength  of  its  tail  it  does  the  same; 
Flat-fish  have  the  power  of  locomotion  by  their  side 
fins,  which  work  like  a  species  of  Archimedian  screw, 
for  they  have  no  air  bladder  ;  the  same  is  observable 
in  the  fins  of  eels,  and  was  particularly  evident  in  the 
gymnotus  electricus,  hereafter  noticed. 

A  glandular  substance  exists  at  the  upper  part  of 
the  air-bladder,  containing  blood  of  a  florid  red  colour, 
shewing  it  to  be  highly  oxygenated,  and  from  this 
source  probably  the  oxygen  gas  contained  in  this 
bladder  is  supplied ;  according  as  the  vital  action  of 
the  gills,  and  the  pressure  upon  the  surface  of  the 
fish's  body  is  increased  by  descending  to  great  depths, 
so  the  air-bladder  contains  more  oxygen,  even  to 
being  wholly  of  that  gas ;  or,  it  may  be  from  their 
power  of  decomposing  water  that  the  oxygen  is 
obtained. 

Some  naturalists  think  that  the  quality  and  quantity 


128 


FISHES   AND   FISHING. 


of  the  gaseous  contents  of  this  bladder  are  increased 
or  diminished  by  secretion,  or .  absorption,  according 
to  the  wants  or  desires  of  the  fish. 

According  to  Eiot,  fish  which  inhabit  very  deep 
waters  have,  in  this  bladder,  87  per  cent,  of  oxygen ; 
and  Fourcroy  asserts,  that  in  those  which  are  found 
in  more  shallow  streams,  such  as  carp,  roach,  and 
others  of  that  species,  there  is  an  excess  of  nitrogen. 
The  extended  experiments  of  Humboldt,  and  M. 
Provenzal,  during  many  months  in  hot  climates, 
proved  that  the  composition  of  the  gas  in  this  bladder 
varies  in  the  same  animal,  under  the  circumstances 
I  have  mentioned,  and  that  the  sword-fish  which 
inhabits  the  lower  strata  of  the  sea,  has  been  found 
under  the  tropics  with  its  air-vessel  entirely  filled 
with  oxygen. 

Some  fish  have  two  processes  which  go  from  the 
air-bladder,  and  terminate  in  the  fauces;  salmon  have 
an  opening  from  the  same  vessel  into  the  oesophagus, 
which  is  controlled  by  muscular  fibre ;  trout,  also, 
have  a  similar  conformation,  and  when  they  rise  to 
the  surface  in  a  dull  stream,  they  emit  a  bubble  of 
air.  The  whole  of  this  part  of  the  anatomy  of  fish 
more  fully  and  impressively  illustrates  the  truth, 
that  consummate  wisdom  alone  could  have  devised 
any  arrangement  so  wonderful  in  design,  or  so 
beautifully  useful  in  efiect. 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  129 

Mr.  Parkes  entertained  the  opinion  that  fish  have 
the  same  power  to  decompose,  and  exist  upon  the 
decomposition  of  water,  as  vegetables ;  and  to  prove 
his  position,  he  cites  the  case  of  a  fish  which  was 
kept  in  a  vessel,  and  had  no  food  given  to  it  during 
three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  it  had  in- 
creased in  size  so  much,  as  to  be  too  large  for  its 
domicile.  This  he  considered  a  satisfactory  and 
confirmatory  evidence  of  the  fact.  I^ow  with  every 
respect  for  that  excellent  chemist,  I  cannot  consider 
this  any  proof  of  the  correctness  of  his  theory. 
"Water,  I  admit,  is  decomposed  by  vegetables,  and 
resolves  itself  into  gas,  but  this  sort  of  food  would 
never  fatten  a  fish.  No  !  It  is  the  large  quantity  of 
animalcules  there  are  in  water,  upon  which  fish  in  a 
state  of  confinement  exist ;  and  as  it  could  not  live  in 
that  state  unless  the  water  were  frequently  changed, 
so  there  must  be  a  constant  supply  of  animalcules. 
To  prove  that  my  opinion  is  correct,  place  a  fish  in 
distilled  water,  or  in  filtered  water,  or  spring  water, 
either  of  which  decomposes  as  readily  as  any  other, 
and  he  will  very  soon  die  in  the  first,  and  will  not 
live  long  in  the  two  latter. 

The  utility  of  the  air-bladder  of  fish  to  the  human 
race,  appears  to  be  completely  overlooked  in  many 
parts  of  the  world,  where  it  might  be  prepared  to 
benefit  the  inhabitants.     Fish  glue,  or  isinglass,  is 


130  FISHES    AND    FISHINa. 

made  on  the  banks  of  the  "Volga,  from  the  air-bladders 
of  the  sturgeon,  in  this  manner :  the  bladder  is  cut 
open  lengthwise,  and  exposed  during  a  short  time  in 
the  sun  ;  the  internal  membrane  is  then  separated 
from  the  external,  and  placed  in  a  wet  cloth  or  mat 
a  whole  day,  then  cut  into  pieces,  rolled  up,  and  dried 
in  the  shade.  One  species  of  this  fish  produces  a 
more  valuable  article  than  another ;  the  best  formerlj^ 
obtained  at  Astrachan  £7  17s.  6d.  per  pud  of  thirty- 
six  pounds  English;  the  other  from  £5  12s,  6d.  to 
£6  15s.  An  inferior  sort  of  fish-glue  is  made  from 
the  air-bladders  of  barbel. 

The  shad,  which  was  formerly  very  common  in  the 
Thames,  so  as  to  give  a  name  to  a  portion  of  the 
banks  of  that  river,  **  Shad  Thames,"  and  did  not  ex- 
ceed eighteen  inches  in  length,  attains  in  the  Yolga 
the  great  length  of  six  feet,  and  weight  of  120  pounds. 
The  air-bladders  of  these  fish  are  very  useful  to  the 
naturalist  to  cover  bottles  in  which  animal  prepara- 
tions are  to  be  preserved.  The  skin  of  this  fish  being 
thin  and  smooth,  like  that  of  an  eel,  spread  and  dried 
is  as  transparent  as  horn,  is  sold  to  the  country  people, 
especially  among  the  Tartars,  to  form  their  windows. 
The  air-bladders  of  fish  in  our  part  of  the  world  are 
small,  and  usually  thrown  away ;  but  they  may  be 
worth  saving  and  boiling  down  into  a  glue  useful  for 
many  purposes. 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  131 

The  natives  of  the  part  of  the  Eussian  empire,  near 
the  Volga  use  the  fish  glue  medicinally,  and  in  some 
instances  it  appears  very  successfully.  A  case  is  given 
by  Dr.  Pallas,  in  his  travels,  of  a  vroman  passing 
through  a  wood  with  her  husband,  and  being  taken 
in  labour ;  the  child  was  born,  and  by  the  adminis- 
tration of  fish  glue,  so  restorative  were  its  effects, 
that  she  was  enabled  to  proceed  safely  on  her  journey 
in  a  very  short  space  of  time. 

Few  persons  of  any  age,  station,  or  calling,  or  even 
sex,  can  be  found  who  do  not  feel  great  gratification 
in  seeing  fish  caught,  either  by  angling  or  by  nets, 
although  they  themselves  are  not  anglers,  or  do  not 
take  an  active  part  in  the  sport.  Upon  one  occasion, 
many  years  ago,  when  I  was  a  boy,  the  waters  of  the 
Wey  Navigation  were  about  being  let  off  into  the 
Thames,  in  order  to  perform  some  repairs ;  when  Lord 
Viscount  Milsington,  the  eldest  son  of  the  Earl  of 
Portmore,  part  proprietor  of  the  navigation,  most  of 
the  land  bounding  the  brook,  and  landlord  of  our 
mill,  some  of  his  servants,  my  father,  myself,  and  six 
of  our  workmen,  were  congregated  together  about 
three  o'clock  on  a  fine  sammer's  morning,  to  net  the 
Bourne  Brook,  near  Weybridge  Bridge,  in  which  it 
was  supposed  some  fish  which  had  escaped  from  Vir- 
ginia Water,  when  part  of  the  cascade  gave  way  some 
years  before,  had  found  a  home.     Nets  were  placed 

k2 


132  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

at  the  outlet  of  the  brook,  and  as  the  water  was  re- 
duced, nets  were  drawn  through  the  deep  holes,  and 
the  fish  thus  pressed  endeavoured  to  escape  over  the 
shallows ;  a  large  pike  was  doing  so,  when  one  of  the 
men  who  had  old  shoes  on,  but  no  stockings,  having 
a  basketful  of  fish  in  his  hands,  tried  to  kick  him 
ashore ;  and  whether  the  man  brought  his  leg  against 
the  pike,  or  the  fish  bit  him,  as  he  declared,  I  cannot 
positively  say,  but  certainly  the  man's  leg  was  badly 
wounded ;  seeing  this,  and  the  blood  flowing,  I  ran 
into  the  water,  and  with  a  stick  killed  the  pike, 
which  weighed  nearly  seventeen  pounds.  In  "  Bent- 
ley's  Miscellany  "  for  July,  1851,  it  is  stated  that 
men  wading  in  a  pond  have  been  attacked  by  this 
freshwater  shark.  Lord  Milsington,  seeing  a  large 
carp  coming  over  the  shallow,  also  went  into  the 
water,  borrowing  my  stick,  and  killed  him,  weighing 
above  twelve  pounds,  and  an  immense  quantity  of 
arge  fish  were  taken  by  the  nets. 

A  few  days  after  this,  whilst  the  water  was  still 
down,  and  there  was  a  dam  across  the  tumbling  bay 
of  the  Guildford  Canal,  some  of  our  men,  all  work 
being  suspended,  and  some  of  the  navigation  men, 
who  had  finished  their  part  of  the  repairs,  agreed  to 
lave  the  bay-hole  dry,  in  order  to  get  the  fish.  The 
hole  was  like  a  large  inverted  cone,  built  so  with 
large  chalk  stones,  but  not  cemented  together.     The 


FISHES   AND   PISHING.  133 

men  went  to  work  with  great  spirit,  and  as  they  got 
the  water  lower,  the  buckets,  the  contents  of  which 
were  thrown  on  the  nearly  surrounding  sand  bank, 
from  whence  the  water  ran  into  the  river,  were  found 
to  be  half  white  fish,  and  the  place  was  crowded  with 
the  children  of  the  poorer  villagers,  who  obtained  as 
much  fish  as  they  could  carry  home.  When  the 
water  became  more  reduced,  the  men  were  able  to 
get  into  the  hole,  and  caught  a  large  quantity  of 
carp,  perch,  pike,  and  eels,  the  latter  from  two  to 
four  pounds  each,  which  had  left  their  retreats 
amongst  the  chalk  stones  for  want  of  water,  and 
came  rolling  down  into  the  hole.  The  men  were  taking 
off  their  shirts  to  make  bags  to  hold  their  fish,  and 
some  had  done  so,  when  just  at  the  moment  when 
the  excitement  of  the  actors  in  the  scene,  and  that  of 
the  spectators  was  at  its  height,  and  those  who  had 
laboured  so  hard  were  obtaining  their  reward,  some 
lover  of  mischief,  or  some  one  who  was  jealous  of  the 
success  attending  those  who  had  undertaken  the  work, 
broke  the  dam,  and  the  men,  children,  and  all  con- 
cerned, were  obliged  to  scramble  out  of  the  way  of 
the  rushing  water  as  quickly  as  possible.  It  was 
not  known  who  played  off  this  trick,  else  I  think  he 
or  they  would  have  had  a  chance  for  a  swim  in  the 
bay  hole,  for  the  anger  of  the  disappointed  labourers 
was  increased  by  the  laughter  of  the  numerous  spec- 


134  '      FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

tators,  and  formed  such  a  scene  as  could  not  easily  be 
forgotten  by  those  who  witnessed  it,  as  I  did. 

Soon  after  this,  I  became  acquainted  with  the  son 
of  a  farmer,  who  rented  part  of  the  grounds  formerly 
belonging  to  the  ancient  Abbey  of  Chertsey,  and 
went  with  him  occasionally  to  net  the  stews  wherein 
the  monks  formerly  kept  and  fattened  their  fish.  He 
had  three  flue  or  flow  nets  ;  one  he  placed  across  the 
stew,  another  further  on,  and  the  third  about  an 
equal  distance  from  the  second ;  he  had  two  poles 
with  a  round  piece  of  sole  leather,  about  four  inches 
diameter,  nailed  on  the  small  end.  "With  these  poles, 
leather  end  downwards,  repeatedly  plunged  into  the 
water,  we  disturbed  the  fish,  who,  in  trying  to  escape, 
ran  against  the  nets,  and  generally  a  good  basketful 
of  carp,  tench,  and  perch  rewarded  our  trouble. 

The  monks  were  believed  to  be  very  luxurious  in 
their  modes  of  living,  and,  it  is  traditionally  said, 
fatted  their  carp.  A  nobleman  gives  this  as  one  of 
the  recipes  of  these  gentlemen  for  attaining  that  ob- 
ject. It  is  probable  they  did  use  means  to  increase 
the  size  and  flavour  of  the  fish  placed  in  their  stews 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Abbey.  This  might  be  accom- 
plished by  removing  fish  to  a  clear  water,  and  none 
could  be  more  so  than  the  stews  above-mentioned, 
connected  as  they  were  with  the  Abbey  river.  Fish, 
it  is  well  known,  in  a  state  of  moderate  confinement 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  135 

will  feed  freely,  and  the  monks  no  doubt  took  advan- 
tage of  that  knowledge. 

To  fatten  Carp. — "  Barley  meal,  half  a  gallon  ; 
chalk,  in  powder,  one  pound  and  a  half,  very  clean ; 
clay,  a  sufficient  quantity  to  make  a  stiff  paste.  Place 
this  in  the  stew  or  pond,  in  a  net,  not  too  small 
meshes,  suspended  about  a  foot  from  the  bottom.. 
When  all  is  sucked  away  but  the  clay,  place  fresh  in 
the  net,  or  nets." 

Now,  how  the  carp  are  to  suck  away  the  barley- 
meal  and  chalk,  leaving  the  clay  behind,  appears 
difficult  to  understand.  Probably,  barley-meal,  chalk, 
flour,  and  honey,  would  be  a  better  compound,  appor- 
tioning the  quantity  to  the  number  of  fish. 

The  carp  should  be  kept  by  themselves,  or  tench 
may  be  in  the  same  stew,  and  fed  with  the  same 
food.  The  pike,  perch,  and  eels,  should  also  each  be  in 
separate  stews  ;  the  first  fed  with  large  live  gudgeons, 
small  roach,  dace,  or  lampers,  cut  in  pieces;  the 
second  and  third,  with  malt,  soaked  in  sheep's  blood, 
live  minnows,  or  moderate-sized  worms ;  but  the  dead 
articles  of  food  should  not  be  more  than  the  fish  can 
consume,  otherwise  the  water  will  become  putrid, 
and  there  should  be  a  gentle  current  of  water  con- 
stantly passing  through  the  stews. 

In  this  way,  fish  might  be  obtained  far  superior  iu 
point  of  nutriment  and  flavour,  and  so  rival  those 


136 


FISHES   AND    FISHING. 


which  graced  the  tables  of  the  monks  of  olden  times. 
Stews  and  ponds  were  common,  to  enable  those  who 
lived  at  a  distance  from  the  sea,  to  satisfy  their  con- 
sciences by  eating  fish  on  fast  days. 

Carp  were  in  England  when  Dame  Berners  wrote 
on  angling,  published  in  1486 ;  therefore,  it  is  un- 
true that  they  were  introduced  by  Leonard  Mascal, 
temp.  Henry  YIII. 

As  some  persons  may  not  understand  what  a  flue 
or  flow  net  is,  the  following  description  may  be  use- 
ful. It  is  a  fine  net,  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half 
meshes,  double  the  depth  of  the  water  intended  to  be 
fished,  and  a  j^ard  or  two  wider.  On  each  side  of 
this  net  is  one  of  coarser  twine,  and  very  large 
meshes,  about  six  inches  deeper  than  the  water. 
These  three  nets  are  joined  together  to  a  cord  at  top 
and  bottom,  the  former  having  large  perforated 
bungs,  fixed  at  certain  distances,  strung  on  it ;  the 
latter,  oblong,  perforated  bullets,  secured  in  the 
same  way.  By  this,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  middle 
net  hangs  loose,  and  the  moment  fish  are  disturbed 
by  the  poles  being  plunged  into  the  water,  they  try 
to  escape ;  in  doing  so,  they  run  through  the  outside 
large  meshes,  and  striking  against  the  inner  loose 
net,  it  enwraps  them  like  a  bag ;  thus  they  are  caught 
by  the  gills,  and  the  more  they  struggle  the  more 
securely  they  are  held.     These  poles  are  useful  in 


FISHES   AND   PISHING.  137 

taking  up  the  net,  for  the  person  on  one  side  holds 
the  leathern  end  of  the  pole  over  to  his  companion, 
who  fastens  the  top  line  to  it,  when  the  net  is  drawn 
across.  One  net  will  answer  in  a  less  degree  :  place 
the  net  across,  and  go  a  considerahle  distance  from  it 
before  you  begin  to  beat  the  water,  and  beat  up  to 
the  net,  or  two  persons  each  beating  up  to  the  side 
of  the  net  next  to  him ;  the  moment  a  fish  touches 
the  net,  the  bungs  begin  to  dip  under.  This  kind  of 
net  is  calculated  for  narrow,  nearly  still  waters. 

I  was  walking  in  a  field  between  Chertsey  and 
Laleham  Ferry,  before  it  was  inclosed,  one  very  hot 
day,  and  approaching  a  small  pond  covered  with 
broad-leaved  aquatic  plants,  which  pond  was  con- 
nected with  the  Thames  by  a  ditch,  then  almost  dry, 
I  saw  something  moving  amongst  the  leaves,  which 
I  thought  were  large  frogs,  as  I  saw  plenty  of  small 
ones  about  the  place  ;  but  looking  closer,  I  saw  they 
were  good-sized  pike,  which  were  lying  with  their 
snouts  just  even  with  the  surface  of  the  water.  I 
went  home,  heated  and  straitened  a  large  cod  hook, 
made  the  point  very  sharp,  reduced  the  barb,  and 
made  it  a  sort  of  cutting  edge,  made  the  end  of  the 
shank  a  little  taper,  hardened  the  whole  again  suffi- 
ciently, thus  making  a  sort  of  harpoon,  whipped  a 
length  of  strong  line  to  the  middle  of  it,  fitted  a  piece 
of  wood  into  the  top  joint  but  one  of  a  stout  trolling 


138  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

rod,  into  which  piece  of  wood  I  had  bored  a  hole  a 
little  way,  to  receive  the  shank  of  the  hook,  so  that 
it  stood  at  a  right  angle  with  the  rod ;  I  went  back, 
put  up  my  tackle,  and  struck  my  harpoon  as  it  might 
be  called,  into  the  flesh,  just  behind  the  head  of  a 
fine  pike.  The  harpoon  slipped  out  of  the  hole,  as  I 
intended  it  should,  and  I  hauled  out  on  the  grass  my 
prize,  which  weighed  above  five  pounds.  I  caught 
by  the  same  means  two  more  that  day,  not  quite  so 
large ;  the  next  day,  one  of  six  pounds  ;  the  weather 
then  changed,  and  I  got  no  more.  I  believe  these 
fish  went  up  into  this  pond  when  the  water  in  the 
Thames  was  high,  after  the  frogs  ;  the  water  fell,  and 
their  retreat  was  cut  off:  they  must  have  found 
plenty  of  food,  for  they  were  in  very  fine  condition. 

We  had  in  our  waters  about  the  mill,  great  quan- 
tities of  pike,  and  seeing  the  devastation  they  caused 
amongst  other  fish,  I  destroyed  them  whenever  I 
could  by  trimmers,  snaring,  shooting  them  with  a 
rifle,  or  any  other  means  I  could  adopt.  These  fish 
have,  I  am  informed,  committed  great  ravages  in  the 
river  near  Canterbury ;  in  the  Colne,  near  Drayton, 
and  Cowley ;  in  lochs  Caterine  and  Lomond  in  Scot- 
land, and  in  many  other  rivers,  and  waters  where 
there  are  trout.  And  I  advise  all  anglers  to  show 
this  voracious  fish  no  mercy. 

There  was,  and  is  I  believe  still,  outside  Oatlands 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  139 

Park,  in  Walton  Meadows,  near  the  bridge,  a  piece 
of  water,  which,  during  the  floods,  cannot  be  distin- 
guished from  the  Thames,  and  being  a  little  distance 
from  the  impetuous  torrent,  in  the  time  of  the  an- 
nual floods  many  fish  take  shelter  in  that  more  quiet 
water ;  but  when  the  river  retires  within  its  bank?, 
they  cannot  get  back  to  the  stream  from  whence  they 
came.  A  gentleman,  I  am  credibly  informed,  being 
told  there  were  some  pike  in  that  water,  went  with 
plenty  of  gudgeons,  and  absolutely  killed  forty-one 
fish  in  two  days,  some  of  them  from  nine  to  ten 
pounds  weight  each ;  he  used  snap  hooks,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  quantity  of  weeds  in  the  water. 

I  was  at  my  paternal  home  during  about  eighteen 
or  twenty  months,  and  devoted  all  my  leisure  to 
catching  fish  in  every  possible  way,  except  netting  ; 
I  had  eel  pots,  grig  pots,  and  laid  trimmers.  I  had  a 
skifl^,  and  a  punt ;  and  probably  a  few  observations 
upon  these  subjects  may  be  useful  to  those  having 
waters  of  their  own,  who  may  wish  to  entrap  eels  or 
pike.  The  mode  of  preparing  the  bait  for  a  trimmer, 
it  is  not  necessary  to  enlarge  upon,  as  most  know  how 
to  do  that ;  but  as  was  the  case  with  our  waters, 
where  anybody  could  walk  on  one  side  of  the  stream, 
though  they  could  not  fish,  it  was  necessary  to  lay 
trimmers  so  that  no  person  could  see  them.  The 
trimmers  I  used  were  made  of  a  forked  stick  cut 


140  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

from  a  tree,  in  the  shape  of  the  letter  V,  each  arm 
about  four  inches  long ;  at  the  point  of  the  fork,  a 
strong  piece  of  plaited  cord  to  be  made  secure ; 
this  cord  should  be  two  feet  in  length.  Upon  the 
two  arms,  wound  cleet  fashion,  i.e.  in  and  out,  from 
fiXteen  to  twenty  yards  of  stout  hempen  line,  if 
platted  the  better  ;  a  good  sized  round  bullet  with  a 
hole  in  it  should  be  placed  about  ten  inches  from  the 
bait,  and  stopped  by  a  large  knot  from  going  any 
nearer  to  it,  but  there  must  be  no  knot  above  the 
buUet ;  one  of  the  arms  of  the  forked  stick  must  have 
at  the  end  a  shallow  slit,  which  will  fit  the  line  not 
too  tightly.  Attach  the  forked  stick  by  the  cord 
from  the  point  of  it,  firmly  to  a  brick;  unwind  four 
or  five  yards  of  line,  affix  the  bait,  throw  it  in  to  the 
extent  of  the  line  unwound,  the  remainder  being 
retained  by  the  slight  pressure  of  the  slit,  or  cleft  in 
the  arm  of  the  forked  stick,  and  then  gently  drop  in 
the  brick.  This  is  a  method  of  securing  your  trim- 
mer from  any  intruder,  who  would  probably  walk 
off  with  your  tackle,  and  any  fish  it  had  hooked ;  or, 
if  you  are  sure  no  person  can  pass  where  you  have 
placed  your  trimmer,  it  may  be  pegged  to  the  bank. 
The  manner  of  its  action  is  thus : — A  pike  or  eel 
takes  the  bait  across  his  mouth  ;  the  act  of  his  doing 
BO,  disengages  the  line  from  the  cleft  in  the  end  of  the 
forked  stick,  he  runs  off  some  little  distance,  the  line 


PISHES    AND    FISHING.  141 

offers  no  check,  or  the  bullet  either ;  he  turns  the  bait 
and  swallows  it  head  foremost — the  hooks  glide  down 
with  it.  As  soon  as  he  has  done  so,  he  moves  away ; 
the  hooks  then  begin  to  act ;  he  finds  himself  a 
prisoner,  and  he  must  be  a  powerful  fish  indeed  to 
pull  a  brick  far  from  the  place.  In  the  morning, 
having  marked  the  place,  drag  with  a  small  grapnel, 
and  most  probably  you  will  find  either  a  large  eel,  or  a 
pike  on  the  hook  :  it  is  necessary  to  be  cautious  in  lay- 
ing the  trimmer,  that  it  is  not  in  the  vicinity  of  roots 
of  trees,  weeds,  &c. ;  for  if  a  large  eel  take  your  bait, 
he  will  entangle  himself  and  the  lines  so  completely, 
that  he  will  die  there,  and  your  trimmer  is  lost. 

In  attempting  to  take  up  two  trimmers,  I  was  once 
placed  in  a  most  perilous  situation.  I  had  rowed  up 
our  backwater,  to  a  very  deep  hole,  into  which  a 
volume  of  water  descended  over  a  bay.  I  had,  over- 
night, placed  two  trimmers  in  an  eddy  by  the  side  of 
the  deep  hole  which  I  had  pegged  to  the  bank 
securely :  in  the  morning,  between  three  and  four 
o'clock,  I  took  my  gun,  and  accompanied  by  a  spaniel, 
as  I  often  shot  a  wood-pigeon  or  two,  got  into  my 
skiff,  and  rowed  up  to  the  bay  hole ;  there  was  an 
increase  of  water,  and  I  had  to  pull  hard.  Just  as  I 
had  got  near  the  bay,  and  was  guiding  the  boat  to- 
wards the  spot  where  I  saw  my  lines  being  shaken 
violently ;  at  that  moment  I  felt  the  boat  had  struck 


142  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

upon  one  of  the  old  piles  and  it  began  to  spin  round, 
when,  as  the  head  and  stern  came  alternately  near 
the  bay,  the  water,  about  three  or  four  inches  deep 
on  the  bay  piece,  poured  into  my  boat ;  my  dog,  not 
]ili:ing  such  a  shower  bath,  jumped  overboard,  and 
swam  down  to  the  mill.  I  saw  my  danger ;  there 
was  I  in  a  pool  between  thirty  and  forty  feet  deep, 
surrounded  by  precipitous  banks,  and  I,  only  a  novice 
then  in  the  art  of  swimming.  I  stood  up  in  the  bow 
of  the  skiff,  struck  the  point  of  the  hitcher  into  the 
bay  piece,  gave  a  jump,  and  off  glided  the  boat,  but  I 
was  obliged  to  leave  my  hitcher  behind.  I  then  sat 
down  to  the  sculls,  pulled  the  skiff  up  again,  avoiding 
the  pile  this  time  on  which  the  keel  had  before 
rested,  caught  hold  of  my  hitcher  ;  by  shaking,  got  it 
out,  took  up  my  lines,  rowed  down  to  the  mill,  got 
some  dry  things  out  of  the  counting-house,  cleaned 
my  gun,  and  went  home  to  breakfast,  presenting  my 
father  with  the  result  of  my  morning's  adventure, 
without  saying  a  word  about  it,  a  pike  above  eight 
pounds,  which  he  sent  to  our  worthy  rector,  and  an  eel 
of  three  pounds,  which  we  had  fried,  as  part  of  our 
dinner. 

I  was  very  successful  in  taking  grigs  and  eels  by 
pots,  and  any  one  who  takes  the  trouble  may  be  so, 
if  he  bait  and  deposit  them  properly.  First  as  to 
baiting,  take  some  dew  worms,  or  small  pieces  of  raw 
meat,  suspend  them  across  inside   the  pot  by  a  piece 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  [  143 

of  copper  wire,  and  place  the  pot  with  the  mouth  so 
as  to  receive  anything  forcing  its  way  up  stream, 
as  soon  as  the  weather  becomes  warm  in  spring  and 
in  summer,  for  eels  then  run  up  against  the  stream  ; 
but  when  the  weather  becomes  of  a  lower  temperature 
in  autumn,  they  run  down  the  stream,  and  the  posi- 
tion of  the  mouth  of  the  pot  must  be  reversed,  but  in 
places  where  it  cannot  be  choked  up  with  dead  leaves 
floating  down.  If  some  gudgeons  or  small  dace  are 
put  in  the  pot,  a  pike,  or  sometimes  more,  of  one, 
two,  or  even  three  pounds,  will  get  in.  Take  care  to 
have  the  plug  at  the  end  well  secured  by  a  cord  or 
pin,  or  it  may  slip  out,  and  all  your  fish  escape,  as 
happened  to  me  one  morning  when  I  had  full  thirty 
pounds  weight  of  fine  eels  in  the  pot ;  after  that,  I  had 
a  pin  which  went  through  the  plug.  In  spring  the 
pots  should  be  made  of  green  osiers,  and  used  till 
winter,  having  fresh  green  osiers  for  the  next  spring, 
if  you  wish  to  be  successful. 

Eels  of  considerable  size  will  escape  through  com- 
paratively small  orifices :  I  made  a  trunk  to  keep 
eels  alive,  which  I  bored  full  of  moderate-sized  holes 
with  a  centre-bit,  and  attaching  a  chain,  and  locking 
it  with  a  copper-warded  lock,  previously  placing 
therein  about  fifty  pounds  weight  of  small  eels,  but 
all  too  large,  as  I  thought,  to  get  through  the  holes  I 
had  made.     Next  day  I  wanted  to  give  some  away, 


144  FISHES   AND   FISHING, 

but  they  were  all  gone,  and  to  mark  the  places  of 
their  exit  there  were  round  most  of  the  holes  a  coating 
of  slime.  I  immediately  enlarged  all  the  holes,  and 
cross-bradded  them,  after  which  no  eels  escaped. 

This  fish  has  always  been  held  in  high  esteem  as  a 
delicate  nutritious  article  of  food,  from  the  earliest 
periods  to  which  we  can  trace.  ITigel,  who  states 
himself  to  be  the  "first  eonseerated" 'Bishoi^  oi  ISlj, 
appointed  to  that  see  in  1133,  and  who  was  also 
Treasurer  of  England  under  Henry  the  First,  in 
his  Charter  to  the  monks  of  Ely,  amongst  other 
things  gave  them  twenty-three  thousand  eels,  to  be 
taken  in  the  marshes  and  waters  of  the  Manor  of 
Stuntney,  which  he  gave  them,  and  six  fishermen 
with  their  dwelling  houses.  And  the  fisheries  of 
Sion  Abbey,  in  the  time  of  Henry  the  Seventh,  with 
the  adjacent  islands  in  the  Thames,  (given  to  that  reli- 
gious house  by  Henry  the  Fifth),  with  the  breed  of 
hogs  belonging  to  the  abbess  and  her  nuns,  were  of 
considerable  importance  to  those  pious  ladies.  One 
of  these  islands  is  believed  to  be  Eelpie  Island,  and 
there  is  reason  to  think  that  eels  formed  a  great  por- 
tion of  their  fisheries.  (See  the  collector's  account  of 
Sion  Abbey,  in  the  public  records.)  But  when 
Henry  the  Eighth  dissolved  that  abbey,  amongst 
others,  the  abbess  and  nuns  sunk  (?)  the  islands,  for 
there  is  no  account  of  them  amongst  the  possessions 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  145 

of  that  religious  house,  as  stated  to  Henry  the 
Eighth. 

Wigel,  in  his  charter,  stigmatises  the  conduct  of  his 
predecessor  very  strongly :  he  commences  by  saying 
he  is  the  '^ first  consecrated^*  Eishop  of  Ely,  thereby 
leading  to  the  inference  that  there  was  no  former 
bishop  authorised  to  exercise  the  episcopal  functions. 
IS'ow,  there  was  "Hervey,"  who  was  Bishop  of 
Bangor,  from  which  see  he  was  ejected  by  the  Welch, 
and  was  then  appointed  by  the  King  to  take  upon 
himself  the  government  of  the  Abbey  during  the 
vacancy.  The  last  abbot,  who  was  of  royal  parentage, 
had  obtained  a  license  from  the  King  (Henry  First), 
and  the  consent  of  the  Pope,  to  convert  the  abbey 
into  a  bishopric,  but  died  before  the  change  was 
effected;  this  man,  Hervey,  revived  the  proposed 
idea  of  the  change,  and  induced  the  king  to  make 
him  the  first  Bishop  of  Ely ;  he  having  been  Bishop 
of  Bangor,  had  been  as  a  matter  of  necessity  conse- 
crated, and  did  not  require  any  repetition  of  that 
ceremony,  therefore  the  assumption  by  Nigel  of  being 
first  consecrated  Bishop  of  Ely  was  priestly  arrogant 
impertinence. 

By  the  charter  of  Kigel  he  gave  the  monks  one 
measure  of  land  with  five  acres  of  woodland,  and 
eight  acres  of  meadow,  whereon  the  oxen  may  feed, 
which  draw  the  wood,  and  their  vineyard  in  Ely, 

L 


146  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

{i.e.,  in  the  Isle  of  Ely),  as  they  (the  monks)  held  it 
before  it  came  to  the  bishopric :  he  also  gave  them 
thirty-thousand  herrings  of  Dunwich. 

Abbess  Etheldreda,  in  673,  founded  the  church  and 
monastery  of  Ely,  and  was  the  first  abbess.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Anna,  King  of  the  East  Angles  ;  she 
was  first  married  to  Tondberct,  Prince  of  the  South 
Girvii,  and  afterwards  to  Egfrid,  King  of  the  Nor- 
thumbrians. The  second  abbess,  in  679,  was  Sex- 
burga,  her  sister,  married  to  Erconberct,  King  of 
Kent.  The  third  abbess,  in  699,  was  Eormenilda, 
their  daughter,  married  to  Wulphere,  the  first  Chris- 
tian King  of  Mercia.  These  are  mentioned  to  show 
that  celibacy  was  not  necessary  for  an  abbess  of  that 
time.  The  monastery  consisted  of  religious  persons 
of  both  sexes,  and  continued  in  a  flourishing  state 
under  several  abbesses  till  870,  when  it  was  destroyed 
by  the  Danes,  and  lay  in  ruins;  but  was  in  970 
restored  and  filled  with  Benedictine  monks  under 
Brithnoth,  the  first  abbot.  Thurstan,  the  seventh 
abbot,  was  appointed  by  King  Harold,  and  held  tbe 
Isle  of  Ely  seven  years  against  William  the  Norman, 
commonly  called  the  Conqueror. 

In  the  Avon,  near  Bristol,  I  went  with  a  friend  to 
see  a  most  curious  sight — the  appearance  of  myriads  of 
elvers,  at  a  flood-gate  or  lock ;  they  were  so  numerous 
that  the  river  appeared  solid  with  them  for  a  consider- 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  147 

able  distance  around,  and  there  were  a  great  number 
of  persons,  men,  women,  and  children,  dipping  them 
out  by  means  of  fine  sieves,  baskets  covered  with  very 
coarse  bunting  or  muslin,  or  other  contrivances,  and 
depositing  them  in  pails,  pans,  and  washing  tubs ; 
many  large  ones  I  saw  more  than  half  filled. 

I  had  some  put  into  thin  batter,  and  cooked  in  a 
good  quantity  of  boiling  lard,  which  is  then  about 
600  degrees  of  heat,  and  they  were  excellent.  They 
must  be  still  more  delicate  if  cooked  in  the  manner 
white  bait  are,  which  one  of  our  first  luminaries  of 
chemistry  told  me  was  as  follows : — a  deep  vessel  of 
hoiling  lard  is  kept  in  that  state,  in  the  kitchens  of 
houses  which  have  a  great  demand  for  this  luxury, 
the  quantity  required  is  placed  in  a  vessel  of  wire, 
and  let  down  gently  into  the  boiling  lard,  and  the 
fish  come  up  fully  cooked  and  quite  dry.  The  above 
elvers  are  about  two  to  three  inches  long,  from  the 
thickness  of  a  small  straw  to  a  large  one,  and  the 
quantity  of.  these  fish  continued  quite  as  great  during 
three  or  four  days.  In  the  river  Parrot,  Somersetshire, 
which  runs  up  through  Bridgewater,  they  are  found 
in  great  abundance ;  also  in  the  Mersey,  about  War- 
burton,  and  near  Northwich  they  are  in  such  plenty 
that  the  farmers  catch  them  to  feed  their  pigs. 

Dr.  Brookes  states  that  the  young  of  the  conger  eel 
are  taken  in  the  Severn,  about  Gloucester  and  Tewkes- 

l2 


148  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

bury,  on  dark  nights  in  such  swarms,  that  they  are 
caught  in  nets  prepared  on  purpose,  and  made  into 
cakes.* 

That  I  might  try  every  kind  of  fishing,  I  was  in- 
duced one  fine  warm  evening  in  the  middle  of  sum- 
mer, to  accompany  a  person  to  *'  hoh  for  eels.''*  The 
method  of  doing  so  is  hy  a  hollow  leaden  weight  of  a 
conical  shape,  from  half  a  pound  to  a  pound,  accord- 
ing to  the  water,  with  a  hole  through  its  centre,  and 
a  number  of  holes  round  its  base ;  a  quantity  of  brand- 
ling or  other  worms  are  threaded  on  worsted,  and 
hung  in  festoons  from  the  bottom  of  the  lead ;  the 
cord  which  passes  through  the  lead  has  a  large  knot 
to  secure  it  from  slipping,  the  other  end  of  the  cord 
is  fastened  to  a  tolerably  stiff  taper  pole,  seven  or 
eight  feet  long ;  two  **  bobbers  "  are  seated  in  a  boat, 
one  at  the  head,  the  other  at  the  stern  ;  a  grapnel  or 
anchor  is  let  go  in  about  five  feet  of  water,  as  the  tide 
is  running  up.  You  each  let  down  your  lead  and 
bunch  of  worms,  and  in  a  few  minutes  you  pull  up 
gently,  and  when  at  the  surface  of  the  water  rapidly 
bring  the  lead  over  the  boat,  when  two,  three,  or 
more  little  eels  will  fall  off  into  the  boat.  Some 
persons  catch  a  large  quantity  that  way,  but  one  trial 
was  enough  for  me.     It  is  said  the  worsted  catches 

•  In  the  Museum  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  there  is 
a  mass  of  these  elvers  preserved. 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  149 

in  tlie  teeth  of  the  eels,  but  it  is  more  probable,  that 
their  voracity  induces  them  to  hold  on  to  the  worms 
till  out  of  the  water.  This  same  method  may  be 
practised  from  the  shore. 

Sniggling  is  another  method  of  taking  large  eels, 
during  hot  weather,  in  the  middle  of  a  bright 
day,  which  is  thus  performed.  A  stout  needle,  not 
too  long,  the  eye  broken  off  and  ground  to  a  point,  is 
prepared ;  to  the  middle  of  this  needle,  point  up- 
ward, a  piece  of  fine  gimp  about  a  foot  long  is  to  be 
neatly  whipped,  so  as  to  leave  the  greatest  portion  of 
the  needle  free,  the  gimp  to  have  a  loop  at  the  other 
end ;  a  small  bent  pointed  wire  is  to  be  fixed  into  a 
piece  of  wood,  made  to  fit  the  ferule  into  which  the 
top  joint  of  a  light  rod  enters ;  the  gimp  is  to  be  made 
fast,  by  a  water  knot,  to  a  stout  platted  line,  on  a 
bank-runner,  a  maiden  lob-worm  is  then  to  be  drawn 
up  on  the  needle,  beginning  a  little  below  the  head, 
and  leaving  a  porton  of  the  tail  loose ;  the  pointed 
wire  is  then  to  be  inserted  where  the  needle  enters 
near  the  head  of  the  worm,  and  by  adding  or  dimi- 
nishing the  joints  of  the  rod,  the  worm  can  be  guided 
a  very  little  way  into  a  hole  in  the  bank,  or  between 
piles,  or  holes  in  planking,  or  any  place  where  it  is 
likely  an  eel  has  domiciled  himself.  Withdraw  your 
fine  bent  wire  after  j'^ou  have  deposited  your  worm, 
of  which  you  must  not  lose  sight ;  if  an  eel  be  there , 


150  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

the  worm  will  gradually  disappear,  being  sucked  in 
by  the  fish,  and  the  line  will  be  drawn  in ;  when 
you  see  this,  draw  the  line  tight,  the  eel  will  close  his 
mouth,  then  give  a  smart  jerk,  the  point  of  the  needle 
sticks  against  the  side  of  the  throat,  and  as  the  fish 
pulls,  gets  quite  across  it,  and  holds  him  fast ;  he  will 
adhere  firmly  to  his  resting-place  by  the  convolutions 
of  his  tail  and  body;  keep  the  line  tight,  but  do  not 
attempt  to  draw  your  line  in  beyond  that ;  force  the 
point  of  your  bank-runner  into  the  ground,  and  take 
a  turn  over  the  pin  that  is  used  to  wind  it  up,  taking 
in  line  as  the  eel  gives  way ;  by  degrees  he  will  yield 
a  little  at  a  time,  till  at  last  he  is  out  of  his  retreat, 
land  him,  detach  the  gimp  from  the  line,  and  press- 
ing the  eel's  throat,  the  head  part  of  the  needle, 
which  has  been  sharpened  on  purpose,  will  pass 
through  the  skin,  and  may  easily  be  drawn  through. 
The  great  advantage  of  this  mode  of  fishing  for  eels  is, 
that  if  there  be  not  one  in  the  hole,  there  is  no  danger 
of  getting  foul,  as  if  a  hook  had  been  used ;  that  you 
can  use  this  method  at  a  time  of  the  day,  with  the 
sun  out,  when  you  could  not  successfully  angle  for 
other  fish  ;  and  that  your  prize  is  worth  having,  be- 
ing generally  from  one  pound  and  a  half  to  three 
pounds.  When  a  dam  was  made  above  and  another 
below  Thames-lock,  all  the  water  was  pumped  out  of 
the  lock  in  order  to  perform  some  repairs ;  several^ 


FISHES    AND    FISHIT^G.  151 

indeed  many,  bushels  of  eels  were  taken,  which  crept 
out  from  behind  the  wood-work,  as  the  water  became 
low,  and,  at  the  mill  where  a  piece  of  brick-work  of 
the  foundation  had  fallen,  and  caused  the  formation 
of  an  enclosed  space,  an  eel  was  taken  weighing  above 
six  pounds ;  he  was  completely  enclosed  except  in 
one  or  two  places,  where  there  were  small  interstices, 
and  probably  had  existed  there  during  several  years,  for 
though  small  fish  and  insects  could  enter  the  place,  and 
no  doubt  served  him  for  food,  yet  there  was  no  place 
through  which  an  eel  of  a  pound  could  pass  outward. 
I  once  caught  by  sniggling,  an  eel,  through  a  hole  in 
the  planking,  called  the  apron  of  the  mill  conduit ; 
by  degrees  I  drew  his  head  to  the  hole,  which  was 
not  large  enough  to  let  him  through,  and  I  had  to 
take  off  my  shoes  and  stockings,  and  making  my  line 
tight,  get  down  into  about  two  or  three  inches  of 
water,  and  cut  the  hole  large  enough  to  let  him  pass ; 
he  weighed  above  three  pounds.  Eel  fishing  begins 
21st  of  April,  and  ends  29  th  October. 

I  had  once  an  eel  in  the  well  of  my  punt,  weighing 
rather  over  four  pounds ;  wanting  him,  and  not  having 
my  punt  net  at  hand,  I  took  off  my  coat,  stripped  up 
my  shirt  sleeves,  and  tried  to  catch  him ;  after  a  con- 
siderable trial  I  grasped  him,  when  he  turned,  bit 
ray  other  hand  between  my  forefinger  and  thumb,  as 
I  was  endeavouring  to  secure  him,  and  drew  blood. 


152  PISHES   AND   T-ISHING. 

After  that,  I  contrived  eel  tongs,  whereby  an  eel  can 
be  held  with  ease  to  the  fishermen,  enabling  them  to 
pick  out  any  eel  from  the  well  of  a  punt,  or  to  handle 
an  eel  in  any  way ;  they  are  very  useful  to  every 
person  fishing  for  eels,  or  having  ought  to  do  with 
these  unmanageable  fish ;  and  I  have  lent  mine  to 
many  persons  as  a  pattern,  and  also  to  Mr.  Anderson 
the  fishing-tackle  maker,  of  71,  Long  Acre. 

A  method  of  killing  eels  has  been  recently  commu- 
nicated to  me,  by  an  old  sporting  gentleman,  which 
is,  to  make  a  longitudinal  cut  with  a  small  sharp 
knife  immediately  behind  the  head,  direct  through 
the  spine,  which  can  be  easily  effected,  the  eel  being 
held  by  these  tongs. 

The  generation  of  eels  was  considered  by  the 
Greeks,  according  to  Oppian,  to  be  by  the  intertwin- 
ing of  their  folds  together,  which  brought  off  a  kind 
of  slime,  and  that  descending  to  the  bed  of  the  river, 
vivified,  and  became  a  host  of  eelets,  Aristotle  states, 
that  there  is  no  difference  in  the  sexes  of  eels.  Pliny 
asserts  the  same  thing,  and  says  that  they  rub  them- 
selves against  rocks  and  stones,  and  so  detaching 
particles,  or  scales  from  themselves,  these  particles 
vivify,  and  become  young  eels ;  some  modern  natu- 
ralists think  they  are  viviparous,  others  are  of  opinion, 
and  correctly f  that  they  proceed  from  ova,  the  same 
as  other  fish. 


^    WRIGHTS       EELTONCS,  OR   FORCEPS 


TAe.  v^hoi^^.  7  lo  d Im^he-s  lorw. 


FISHES   AND   FXSHING.  153 

Mr.  Young,  of  Invershin,  states,  that  he  has  bred 
eels  from  the  ova  and  milt  of  a  male  and  female  eel. 
And  a  magistrate  of  the  county  of  Salop  declares, 
that  he  has  seen  a  lump  taken  out  of  an  eel  the  size  of 
a  nutmeg,  which  being  placed  in  water,  gradually  sepa- 
rated and  proved  to  be  young  eels,  which  swam  about. 
As  there  are  several  species  of  eels,  and  both  these 
authorities  are  unimpeachable,  may  not  some  eels  be 
oviparous,  and  others  viviparous?  (Walton's  "  Com- 
plete Angler,"  Edited  by  Ephemera,  note,  p.  181.) 

Eels  go  down  rivers  into  brackish  water,  or  proba- 
bly into  the  sea,  in  the  autumnal  months ;  whether 
they  return  to  the  fresh  water  is  a  matter  of  doubt. 
Eels  also  migrate  from  one  pond  or  river  to  another, 
during  rainy  weather,  by  wriggling  amongst  wet 
grass  from  place  to  place. 

Ammod/ytes  Gosnere,  the  sand  eel,  or  launce,  is  a 
small  fish,  seldom  a  foot  in  length ;  the  males  are  the 
largest  in  size ;  they  are  delicate  as  food,  and  excel- 
lent as  bait  for  other  fish  ;  they  lie  from  six  inches  to 
a  foot  in  the  sand  of  the  sea  shore,  and  are  caught  by 
raking  with  a  kind  of  hook  made  on  purpose. 

The  conger  eel  is  found  in  the  sea ;  it  is  often 
caught  of  a  very  large  size ;  it  is  sometimes  taken  by 
the  French  fishermen  eight  to  ten  inches  in  circum- 
ference, and  five  to  six  feet  long,  and  is  so  strong  in 
its  motions,  that  it  is  always  killed  as  soon  as  pos- 


164  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

sible ;  the  poorer  people  eat  it,  and  when  cut  open, 
salted,  dried  and  broiled,  it  is  not  a  bad  adjunct  at 
breakfast. 

At  St.  Helena,  these  fish  attain  an  immense  size, 
and  are  caught  by  the  residents  very  frequently; 
more  than  one  person  has  lost  his  life  through  being 
dragged  into  the  sea  by  these  fish.  I  knew  one  per- 
son who  had  tied  his  line  to  his  arm,  a  practice  not 
uncommon  there,  I  am  told,  amongst  those  who  fish 
for  these  eels  of  a  night ;  his  bait  was  taken  by  one  so 
powerful,  that  if  he  had  not  fortunately  had  a  knife 
with  which  to  cut  the  line,  he  must  have  been  drawn 
into  the  sea. 

According  to  the  "Annual  Eegister,"  1769,  January 
2 1st — A  conger  eel  of  an  enormous  size  was  sold  to  a 
fishmonger  at  Billingsgate,  for  five  shillicgs  ;  it  was 
seven  feet  in  length,  and  to  the  middle  of  the  body 
was  as  large  as  the  thigh  of  a  stout  man,  weighing 
upwards  of  lOOlbs.  This  extraordinary  fish  was 
discovered  by  the  people  of  a  peterboat,  on  the  shore 
somewhere  below  Gravesend,  who  had  the  dexterity 
to  land  and  throw  a  net  over  it,  which  intercepted 
the  eel  from  recovering  the  river.  "Without  this 
method,  or  some  weapons,  it  could  not  have  been 
overcome,  as  the  conger  will,  when  attacked,  bite  his 
assailant  in  as  desperate  a  manner  as  some  dogs. 

Oppian  relates  a  curious  device  the  Grecian  boys 


FISHES   AND    FISHING,  155 

practised,  to  catch  eels,  in  some  of  the  small  inlets  of 
the  Mediterranean.  A  sheep's  gut  was  allowed  to  de- 
scend into  the  water ;  the  eel  sucked  down  the  end, 
and  then  began  to  tug,  which  giving  the  signal  to  the 
boy,  he  immediately  with  the  whole  force  of  his  lungs 
distended  the  gut ;  the  eel's  throat  and  stomach  be- 
came so  oppressed  by  the  expanded  substance,  that 
he  had  no  power  of  resistance,  and  was  drawn  a  cap- 
tive to  the  shore. 

In  the  Appendix,  !N"o.  2,  to  the  '^  Conspectus  of  the 
Pharmacopoeias,"  by  Anthony  Todd  Thomson,  M.D., 
r.L.S.,  &c.,  &c.,  the  conger  is  thus  mentioned 
amongst  the  poisons :  —  "  This  fish,  although  it  is 
frequently  eaten  with  impunity,  yet  has,  in  some 
instances,  produced  all  the  symptoms  of  Cholera 
Morbus,  succeeded  by  paralysis  of  the  lower  extre- 
mities." The  treatment  he  advises,  "  evacuate  the 
contents  of  the  stomach,  and  after  having  allayed  their 
irritability  by  opium,  dilute  freely  with  saccharine 
and  acidulous  liquids  ;  and  bleed,  if  symptoms  of  in- 
flammation of  the  lower  bowels  supervene." 

Dr.  Brookes  says,  "  The  flesh  is  very  white  and 
sweet,  but  not  easy  of  digestion;  it  was  greatly 
esteemed  by  the  ancients,  and  does  not  want  its  ad- 
vocates among  the  moderns,  especially  when  it  is 
fried." 

There  being  so  great  a  variety  of  this  species  of 


156  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

fish,  some  of  them  may,  like  the  common  eel,  be  in- 
jurious to  persons  of  a  delicate  constitution ;  the  dark 
flat-nosed  eel,  imported  from  Holland,  is  of  that  cha- 
racter. As  to  the  conger  commonly  taken,  I  have 
had  in  early  life  much  opportunity  of  observation, 
and  I  never  knew  or  heard  of  any  person  being  seri- 
ously, nay,  even  slightly  affected  from  partaking  of 
this  fish  in  moderation ;  but,  like  all  other  species  of 
fish,  it  should  be  eaten  as  soon  as  possible  after  it  is 
killed ;  or  if  then  salted  and  dried,  is  not  a  bad  ad- 
junct  to  the  breakfast  table. 

Dr.  Pallas  states,  that  in  no  river,  lake,  or  pond  in 
Siberia  are  there  any  eels ;  but  there  are  plenty  of 
quabs.  As  this  was  a  fish  I  had  never  heard  of,  I 
consulted  various  Dictionaries,  but  in  none  of  them 
could  I  find  the  word,  except  in  JBailey,  where  the 
name  is  said  to  be  derived  from  the  Dutch,  quabbe,  a 
fish ;  otherwise  called  a  water  weasel.  At  the  Royal 
College  of  Surgeons  searches  were  made  in  vain,  and 
an  enquiry  published  in  **  BeU's  Life,"  failed  in 
eliciting  the  information  which  I  sought.  I  then 
wrote  to  Mr.  Boccius,  and]  he  immediately  sent  me 
such  explanation  as  enabled  me  to  refer  to  Wil- 
loughby,  p.  125,  plate  H.,  ^N'o.  6.  Yarrell  gives  the 
English  name  of  this  fish,  vol.  i.,  p,  273,  **  eel 
pout." 

Eel  pout  or  burbot  has  a  smooth,  soft,  slippery  body, 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  157 

like  an  eel ;  in  colour  resembles  tlie  tench  ;  the  head 
is  a  little  flat,  and  both  jaws  are  well  furnished  with 
small  teeth.  On  the  lower  jaw  grows  a  barb  about 
half  an  inch  long,  and  there  are,  likewise,  a  short 
pair  between  the  nostrils  and  the  snout;  the  tail 
terminates  in  a  circular  figure.  This  fish  is  found  in 
the  Trent,  Severn,  Ouse,  Esk,  Skern,  Tees,  Cam,  and 
some  of  the  rivers  in  I^orfolk  ;  it  seldom  exceeds 
two  pounds  weight,  but  will  live  in  lakes  as  well  as 
rivers;  in  the  former,  namely,  in  the  Lake  of 
Geneva,  it  has  been  taken  as  large  as  seven  pounds 
weight ;  but  it  is  not  known  to  inhabit  any  of  our 
own  large  standing  waters.  It  is  a  well-flavoured 
fish,  and  is  in  its  nature  extremely  hardy.  It  is  very 
prolific,  so  much  so,  that  one  fish  has  been  known  to 
contain  a  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  ova.  Its 
places  of  resort  are  the  same  as  eels,  and  the  time  to 
take  them  is  after  a  storm  of  thunder,  lightning,  and 
heavy  rain ;  the  best  bait  is  a  small  gudgeon,  and  the 
hook  should  be  tied  on  gimp.  These  fish  lie  pretty 
close  during  the  day,  and  as  the  night  is  the  usual 
feeding  time  of  these  fish,  therefore  they  are  gene- 
rally taken  with  night  lines,  or  trimmers. 

These  observations  are  extracted  from  Dr.  Brookes* 
**  Art  of  Angling,"  and  the  "Practical  Angler,"  re- 
ferred to  in  these  pages. 

As  this  is  a  very  hardy  fish,  and  good  as  food,  it 


158  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

tnight  be  introduced  into  some  of  our  ponds,  or  rivers, 
such  as  the  Mole,  the  Wey,  &c. 

Mr.  Gmelin  states,  that  the  Tschoulyon  Tartar 
women  wear  boots  made  of  the  large  skins  of  the  eel 
pouts.  "  Trusler's  Habitable  World  described," 
vol.  iii.  p.  240. 

The  Gymnotus  Electricus,  or  electric  eel,  which 
was  during  many  years  one  of  the  numerous  attrac- 
tions to  the  Royal  Polytechnic  Institution,  was  a 
most  curious  specimen  of  the  eel  tribe.  This  one 
was  small  when  first  exhibited  to  the  public,  with 
another,  supposed  not  to  be  exactly  of  the  same 
species;  neither  of  them  increased  much  in  size, 
until  one  died ;  since  which  the  survivor  attained 
the  weight  of  nearly  forty  pounds.  It  was  of  a  most 
beautiful  bright  red  colour  about  the  head,  and  part 
of  his  body;  and  his  under  fin,  along  the  whole  body, 
played  like  an  Archimedian  screw.  He  was  supposed 
to  be  blind ;  which  is  not  uncommon  to  eels  when 
they  grow  to  a  large  size,  two  being  caught  weigh- 
ing twelve  pounds  each,  in  Cheshire,  many  years  ago, 
both  of  whom  were  blind.  The  electric  eel  was  fed 
every  day  with  live  fish,  which  he  killed  the  moment 
they  touched  the  water  ;  he  used  to  eat  about  thirty 
roach  and  dace  a-day.  The  man  who  attended  and 
fed  him,  was  of  opinion  the  fish  knew  him  ;  it  used 
to  cost  about  a  pound,  or  a  guinea,  a  week,  to  find 


FISHES    AND   FISHING.  159 

him  in  food ;  his  water  was  changed  once  a  week, 
and  was  kept  at  the  constant  temperature  of  from  76 
to  80  degrees  of  heat. 

Professor  Faraday,  with  several  other  scientific 
gentlemen,  I  was  informed,  caused  him  to  be  irri- 
tated, and  then  tried  his  powers  with  a  galvanometer, 
and  found  he  could  have  killed  a  horse.  He  was,  very 
properly,  placed  out  of  the  reach  of  any  incautious 
visitor. 

This  curious  fish  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
known  to  the  Greeks ;  the  cramp  fish,  known  to  them, 
was  aflat  fish,  of  a  dirty  yellow  colour,  resembling 
sand  or  gravel,  the  body  almost  circular,  with  an  irre- 
gular straight  tail.  This  cramp  fish  of  the  ancients, 
or  torpedo  of  the  moderns,  if  we  are  to  credit  Oppian, 
would  take  a  bait — as  he  gives  this  description  of  the 
efi'ect  upon  the  fisherman,  who  happened  to  hook 
him — 

"  The  cramp-fish,  when  the  pungent  pain  alarms, 
Exerts  his  magic  pow'rs  and  poison'd  charms, 
Clings  round  the  line,  and  bids  th'  embrace  infuse 
From  fertile  cells  comprest  his  subtil  juice. 
Th'  aspiring  tide  its  restless  volumes  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  ev'ry  joint  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." 
Bookiii.  Canto  205  et  seq.  Oxford  University  edition,  1722. 


160  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

''Annual  Eegister/*  1767. — From  the  "  Memoirs  of 
the  Academy  of  Sciences,"  at  Paris,  M.  Muschenbrock, 
a  celebrated  naturalist,  says,  in  a  letter  to  the  Abbe 
I^ollet,  that  a  fish,  or  kind  of  eel,  is  found  in  a  river 
of  Surinam,  which  has  the  singular  property  of  giving 
a  shock  like  that  of  a  Leyden  phial.  Persons  in  a 
boat,  even  eight  or  ten  feet  off  the  fish,  if  they  dip 
their  hands  in  the  water,  receive  a  shock ;  if  it  be 
touched  with  a  stick,  the  person  so  touching  it  feels 
the  sensation,  but  not  so  strongly  as  when  touched 
with  an  iron  rod,  then  the  shock  is  very  severe ; 
but  when  touched  with  a  stick  of  sealing  wax,  no 
shock  is  felt.  Fishes  swimming  past  this  eel,  are 
killed  by  the  exertion  of  the  power  inherent  in  it. 
It  is  called  by  naturalists,  Gymnotus ;  by  the  Dutch, 
Beef-aal ;  by  the  French,  Anguille  be  bceuf.  It  is 
about  four  feet  in  length,  and  nearly  the  size  of  a 
man's  arm. 

M.  Richer,  in  the  account  of  his  voyage  to  Cayenne, 
speaks  of  a  fish  in  size  and  effects  like  the  before- 
mentioned,  and  says  that  by  striking  other  fishes 
with  its  tail  they  are  set  asleep. 

In  the  '*  Annual  Eegister,"  1769,  is  a  quotation  from 
Mr.  Bancroft's  *'  Natural  History  of  Guiana,"  in  which 
is  an  account  of  a  fish  he  calls  the  *'  Torporific  Eel ;" 
he  describes  it  as  being  about  three  feet  long,  and 
twelve  inches  in  circumference,  near  the  middle; 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  161 

covered  with  a  smooth  skin  of  a  bluish  lead  colour, 
and  entirely  destitute  of  scales.  The  head  is  equal  in 
size  to  the  largest  part  of  the  body,  but  somewhat 
flat  on  the  upper  and  lower  sides,  and  its  upper  sur- 
face is  perforated  with  several  holes  like  those  of  a 
lamprey  eel;  the  upper  and  under  jaws  extend  an 
equal  distance,  terminating  in  a  semi- circular  shape, 
and  forming  a  wide  mouth  without  teeth ;  on  the 
back  part  of  the  head  are  two  small  fins,  one  on  each 
side,  which,  like  the  ears  of  a  horse,  are  either  ele- 
vated or  depressed,  as  the  fish  is  pleased  or  displeased. 
From  about  eight  inches  below  the  head,  the  body 
gradually  diminishes  in  size  to  the  tail,  which  ends 
in  a  point  without  a  fin.  Under  the  belly  is  a  fleshy 
fin,  about  half  an  inch  in  thickness,  and  near  three 
inches  wide,  extending  from  the  head  to  the  point  of 
the  tail,  but  diminishing  in  width  as  the  body  dimin- 
ishes in  size ;  this,  with  the  two  fins  on  the  head, 
are  all  that  are  found  on  the  body  of  the  eel, 
which  would  be  nearly  round  if  deprived  of  the  belly 
fin. 

This  fish  frequently  respires,  and  elevates  his  head 
above  the  surface  of  the  water  every  four  or  five 
minutes  for  that  purpose.  When  it  is  touched  with 
the  naked  hand,  or  by  a  rod  of  any  metal,  or  even  a 
stick  of  some  heavy  kind  of  American  wood,  it  com- 
municates a  shock  perfectly  resembling  electricity. 


^ 


162  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

commonly  so  violent,  that  few  are  willing  to  suffer  it 
a  second  time. 

A  similar  kind  of  fish  was  said  to  be  found  in  the 
environs  of  the  city  of  Para,  on  the  southern  shore  of 
the  Amazons.  The  torporific  eel  is  eaten  by  the 
natives.  These  appear  to  be  the  most  early  accounts 
we  have  of  this  genus  of  fish. 

In  the  "  Catalogue  of  Apodal  Fish  of  the  British  Mu- 
seum," pp.  141-2,  there  is  an  account  of  this  genus  of 
eel.  It  is  therein  stated,  that  its  powers  are  so  great, 
that  it  can  slay  both  men  and  horses.  The  organ  of  this 
wondrous  power  is  in  the  fin-like  substance  along  the 
under  part  of  the  tail ;  that  its  powers  are  exhausted 
by  use,  but  its  energies  are  renovated  by  repose,  and 
nourishing  food.  It  is  further  stated,  that  two  were 
brought  to  London  in  1842,  neither  of  them  weighing 
more  than  one  pound  ;  and  in  1848,  one  had  attained 
the  weight  of  40lbs.,  and  the  other  of  501bs. 

A  very  interesting  account  is  given  in  ''  Humboldt's 
Travels ;" — "  The  gymnotus  is  found  in  abundance  in 
the  confluents  of  the  Oroonoko.  It  was  difficult,  how- 
ever, to  procure  the  fish,  as  the  Indians  dread  the 
siiock  which  they  are  liable  to  receive  in  taking  it. 
The  Indians  believe  that  the  gymnoti  may  be  touched 
with  impunity  by  a  man  chewing  tobacco,  but  their 
faith  in  this  precaution  is  not  practical.  The  Indians 
drove  above  tliiity  wild  liorses  and  mules  into  a  stag- 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  163 

rant  pool."  Humboldt  thus  describes  the  struggle 
which  ensued.  **The  extraordinary  noise  caused  by 
the  horses-hoofs,  makes  the  fish  issue  from  the  mud, 
and  excites  them  to  combat.  These  yellowish  and 
livid  eels,  resembling  aquatic  serpents,  swim  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  crowd  under  the  bellies  of 
the  horses  and  mules.  A  contest  between  animals  of 
so  different  an  organization,  furnishes  a  very  striking 
spectacle.  The  Indians,  provided  with  harpoons, 
and  long  slender  reeds,  surround  the  pool  closely,  and 
some  climb  upon  the  trees,  the  branches  of  which 
extend  horizontally  over  the  surface  of  the  water ;  by 
their  wild  cries,  and  the  length  of  the  reeds,  they 
prevent  the  horses  from  running  away,  and  reaching 
the  bank  of  the  pool.  The  eels,  stunned  by  the  noise, 
defend  themselves  by  repeated  discharges  of  their 
electric  batteries.  During  a  long  time,  they  seem  to 
j)rove  victorious ;  several  horses  sink  beneath  the 
violence  of  the  invisible  strokes,  which  they  receive 
from  all  sides,  in  organs  most  essential  to  life,  and 
stunned  by  the  force  and  frequency  of  the  shocks,  dis- 
appear under  the  water.  Others,  panting,  with 
mane  erect,  and  haggard  eyes,  expressing  anguish, 
raise  themselves,  and  endeavour  to  flee  from  the 
storm  by  which  they  are  overtaken.  They  are  driven 
back  by  the  Indians  into  the  middle  of  the  pool ;  but 
a   small   number   succeed   in   eluding  the  vigilance 

M  2 


164  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

of  the  fishermen  ;*  these  regain  the  shore,  stum- 
bling at  every  step,  and  stretch  themselves  on  the 
sand,  exhausted  with  fatigue,  and  their  limbs  be- 
numbed by  the  electric  shocks  of  the  gymnoti.  In 
less  than  five  minutes,  two  horses  were  drowned  ;  the 
eel  being  five  feet  long,  and  pressing  itself  against 
the  bellies  of  the  horses,  makes  a  discharge  along  the 
whole  extent  of  its  electric  organ.  The  horses  are 
probably  not  killed,  but  only  stunned ;  they  are 
drowned  from  the  impossibility  of  rising  amid  the 
prolonged  struggle  of  the  other  horses,  and  the  eels. 
When  the  gymnoti  have  expended  their  electric 
energy,  they  approach  timidly  the  edge  of  the  marsh, 
where  they  are  taken  by  means  of  small  harpoons 
fastened  to  long  cords ;  when  the  cords  are  very  dry, 
the  Indians  feel  no  shock  in  raising  the  fish  into  the 
air.  In  this  manner,  several  were  captured  and  ex- 
amined ;  some  measured  5ft.  Sin.  in  length;  and  the 
Indians  assert,  they  are  sometimes  of  much  greater 
length.  The  gymnotus  is  the  largest  of  electrical  fishes ; 
and  its  electrical  action  is  so  powerful,  that  Humboldt 
says,  that  he  does^not  remember  to  have  ever  received 
from  the  discharge  of  a  large  Ley  den  jar,  a  more 
dreadful  shock  than  that  which  he  experienced  by  im- 
prudently placing  his  feet  on  a  gymnotus  just  taken 
out  of  the  water." 
^       *  This  is  called  by  the  Indians,  "  Fishing  with  Horses." 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  165 

At  a  meeting  of  the  British  Association  in  Dublin, 
(see  *' Athenaeum,"  5th  September,  1857,)  Professor 
G.  Wilson  read  a  paper  on  the  Employment  of  the 
Living  Electric  Pishes  as  Medical  Shock  Machines. 
He  stated  that  the  living  torpedo  was  employed  as  a 
remedial  agent  by  the  ancient  Greek  and  Roman  phy- 
sicians, and  in  proof  that  it  was  so  used  previous  to 
the  Christian  era,  he  quoted  Galen,  Dioscorides,  Scri- 
bonius,  and  Asclepiades  ;  of  the  last  there  were  two  : 
the  first,  fifty  years  before  the  Christian  era;  the  other, 
ninety-eight  years  after ;  but  as  to  the  writings  of 
either  of  these  two,  I  have  in  vain  enquired  for  them. 
Scribonius  flourished  a.d.  10,  and  Dioscorides  a.d.  60. 
Of  Galen,  I  shall  speak  presently. 

In  1843,  at  Eerlin,  was  published  a  dissertation 
entitled  ^'Quae  apud  veteres  de  Piscibus  Electricis 
exstant  Argumenta  :  Auctore  ^milius  du  Bois.'*  This 
is  in  the  British  Museum.  Hippocrates  is  mentioned 
as  the  first  to  describe  the  torpedo,  and  he  speaks 
of  them  as  serviceable  in  certain  diseases,  but  only 
as  articles  of  diet.  Scribonius  says  they  may  be  ap- 
plied in  cases  of  head- ache  and  gout.  Pliny  and 
Dioscorides,  who  were  nearly  contemporaneous,  praise 
the  therapeutic  properties  of  the  torpedo.  Plutarch 
speaks  of  the  properties  of  this  fish,  but  not  of  its 
therapeutic  application.  Galen  speaks  of  the  therapeu- 
tic uses  of  this  fish,  when  applied  externally.    Kow 


166  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

(xulen  was  born  a.d.  131,  and  died  201,  consequently 
flourished  at  Rome  during  the  reign  of  the  Emperor 
Severus,  who  was  born  a.d.  146,  succeeded  to  tbe 
throne  A.p.  192,  and  died  a.d.  211.  Oppian  (men- 
tioned in  the  introduction)  was  born  a.d.  183,  and 
died  a.d.  213  ;  probably  recited  his  Halieuticks,  when 
he  was  about  twenty-five,  before  the  Emperor  and  his 
son  Caracalla,  and  he  mentioned  the  cramp-fish,  in 
Book  i.  verse  151,  as  causing  "numming  pains." 
In  Book  ii.  verses  109  to  152,  in  giving  an  account  of 
the  arts  of  this  fish  to  obtain  its  prey,  says, 

"  One  touch  of  hers  dams  up  the  vital  flood, 
Contracts  the  nerves,  and  clots  the  stagnate  blood." 

And  in  Book  iii.,  verses  201  to  212,  describes  the 
effects  on  the  angler  who  happens  to  hook  this  fish, 
even  through  the  communication  of  the  line  and  rod 
only,  '' as  poisonous,"  as  "binding  up  the  spirits," 
as  ''stiffening  every  joint,"  and  "congealing  the 
blood."!*  It  certainly  appears  very  extraordinary, 
that  Galen,  who  wrote  so  extensively,  and  had  only 
recently  died,  {i  e,  about  seven  years)  should  have 
had  a  ^'  remedial  acjenf^  which  he  patronised,  stigma- 
tized before  the  emperor,  and  with  his  royal  appro- 
bation. 

Sir  J.  Richardson  may  very  probably  be  correct  as 
*Seep.  159. 


FISHKS    AND    FISHIXG.  167 

to  there  being  anumberof  genera  of  electric  fish  ;  look 
at  the  ''  Catalogue  of  Apodal  Fish  in  the  British  Mu- 
senm," — the  article  ''Anguillidse" — the  eel  species; 
no  doubt  these  are  for  the  most  part  hybrids. 

In  the  "  Annual  Eegister,"  of  1796,  referring  to 
Bancroft's  "  Natural  History  of  Guiana,"  then  just 
published,  is  the  observation,  that  these  torporific  fish 
have  no  scales.  I  am  not  aware  whether  they  have 
been  examined  microscopically. 

The  natives  in  those  parts  where  the  gymnoti  are 
found,  avoid  as  much  as  possible  receiving  a  shock 
from  them.  It  must  be  a  curious  scene,  and  concert, 
if  several  of  the  women  of  Calabar  wash  their  chil- 
dren at  the  same  time,  and  in  proximity  to  each  other  ; 
they  must,  in  the  operation  of  the  shocks  the  children 
receive  from  the  malapterurus,  desire  not  only  to 
strengthen  their  limbs,  but  to  expand  their  lungs  by 
the  screaming  to  which  they  would,  no  doubt,  give 
vent. 

The  common  eel  is  variously  estimated  as  an  article 
of  food,  and  anciently  there  were  supposed  to  be  onlj'- 
four  difi'erent  species  of  them,  viz.,  the  silver  eel,  the 
greenish  or  grig,  or  greg  eel,  the  red-finned  eel,  and 
the  blackish  eel ;  this  last  has  a  broader,  larger,  and 
flatter  head,  and  is  considered  the  worst.  The  Dutch 
eels  are  of  this  last  class.  Eels  out  of  clear  rivers  are 
most  esteemed,  and  those  from  Salisbury  are  parti- 


168  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

cularly  line.  In  the  Highlands,  Hofland  says, 
they  are  looked  upon  with  aversion.  The  varieties 
of  the  Anguillidae,  or  true  eel  family,  are  far  be- 
yond the  ideas  of  former  naturalists.  In  the  ac- 
count of  Apodal  Pish,  published  December  1856, 
by  order  of  the  trustees  of  the  British  Museum,  there 
are  about  forty-five  different  species.  And  of 
Congeridae,  or  the  Conger  family,  there  are  an  im- 
mense variety ;  not  including  in  either  of  these  the 
gymnotus,  in  which  tribe  there  are  probably  several, 
differing  one  from  the  other.  I  was  at  a  place  some 
little  distance  from  London,  a'few  years  ago,  and  was 
shown  two  large  tanks  in  a  clear  river,  where  I  was 
informed  eels  were  kept ;  and  the  story  related  to  me 
was,  that  the  proprietor  of  them,  when  a  poor  itine- 
rant dealer  in  eels,  used  to  purchase  Dutch  eels  for 
about  three  pence  a  pound,  and  sell  them  about  the 
country,  as  coming  from  that  beautiful  stream,  at  a 
shilling  or  eighteen-pence  a  pound  ;  he  then  put  his 
Dutch  eels  into  tanks,  and  kept  them  in  the  river  ;  so 
that  he  truly  declared  they  came  out  of  that  river, 
and  he  made  a  good  fortune  by  the  plan.  Many 
tricks  of  the  kind  are  played  off  on  the  banks  of  rivers 
at  houses  famous  for  stewed,  or  spitchcocked  eels. 
Dutch  eels  placed  for  some  time  in  a  tank  or  trunk, 
in  a  clear  river,  and  fed  with  small  live  fish,  will 
lose  much  of  their  noxious  qualities.     The  monks  of 


FISHES    AND    FISHINO.  169 

old,  as  before-mentioned,  no  doubt  knew  and  prac- 
tised these  arts. 

On  the  subject  of  eels,  rather  a  ludicrous   anec- 
dote is  related.     The  Eight  Honourable  Lady , 

whose  mean,  penurious  habits  were  well  known, 
which  induced  her  to  neglect  no  opportunity  of 
making  what  she  considered  a  good  bargain,  in  one 
of  her  walks  saw  a  man  selling  live  eels,  at  a  price 
which  she  considered  very  cheap,  in  comparison  with 
the  price  she  usually  paid  for  them  at  her  fish- 
monger's ;  as  she  was  not  known,  she  bought  some, 
which  the  seller  tied  up,  as  he  told  the  lady,  securely, 
in  her  pocket  handkerchief,  and  she  put  them  into 
her  pocket.  As  she  returned  home,  she  paid  a 
morning  visit  to  a  female  friend,  but  had  not  been 
long  seated,  before  the  eels,  disliking  their  confine- 
ment, crept  out  of  the  handkerchief  into  the  lady's 
pocket,  and  thence,  to  the  dismay  and  confusion  of 
one'  lady,  and  the  horror  and  astonishment  of  the 
other,  upon  the  carpet,  where  their  evolutions  soon 
caused  the  lady  of  the  house  to  run  screaming  out  of 
the  room ;  the  servants  rushed  at  the  alarm  to  the 
assistance  of  their  mistress,  the  eels  were  secured,  and 
the  visitor  offered  her  apologies  and  explanation  f  but 
whether  they  were  satisfactory  or  not  is  unknown, — 
at  any  rate,  the  lady  who  had  been  visited,  and  her 
servants  told  the  story. 


170  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

Lamprtea.  Majoe. — The  lamprey  eel  is  sometimes 
taken  in  eel  pots ;  I  have  seen  them  taken  from 
one  to  three  pounds  weight,  in  the  river  Lea.  In 
the  Severn  they  are  much  larger,  having  heen  taken, 
it  is  said,  three  feet  in  length,  and  five  inches  in 
diameter ;  this  fish  has  no  bones,  but  a  gristle  down 
the  back,  full  of  marrow,  which  should  be  taken  out 
before  it  is  cooked  ;  they  are  not  considered  whok - 
some  food.  They  chiefly  live  in  the  sea,  but  come 
into  the  rivers  in  March,  and  spawn  in  April,  leaving 
their  brood  in  holes  in  the  sand,  where  they  are  soon 
endued  with  life,  and  in  three  months  after  become 
from  three  to  five  inches  long.  Those  which  I  have 
seen  were  speckled  very  much  like  many  of  tlie  snake 
tribe,  and  from  their  appearance,  I  should  never  be 
tempted  to  eat  part  of  one.  They  are  sometimes 
caught  with  a  worm,  when  angling  for  other  fish. 

At  Rodley,  in  Gloucestershire,  there  is  a  rent  paid 
to  the  Lord  of  the  Manor,  called  "Pride- Gavel," 
by  some  tenants,  for  the  liberty  of  fishing  for  lam- 
preys, in  the  river  Severn. 

The  ancient  philosophers  asserted  that  the  sea  lam- 
prey formed  a  sexual  union  with  the  land  serpent ;  a 
curious  description  of  which  is  given  by  Oppian,  and 
also  of  the  animosity  which  exists  between  the  lam- 
prey and  the  lobster,  and  of  the  battles  which  take 
place  between  them  when  they  meet. 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  171 

Lampetea  paeya,  et  fiuviatilis,  the  river  lamprey 
or  lampern,  moves  about  very  rapidly  in  the  latter 
end  of  Autumn,  in  the  Thames ;  they  do  not  exceed 
ten  or  twelve  inches  in  length,  are  dark  grey  on  the 
back,  the  belly  being  a  bright  silver.  They  are 
caught  in  pots  in  very  great  numbers,  and  are  excel- 
lent baits  for  night-hooks  ;  they  have  no  bone  ;  they 
may  be  seen  in  shallow  places  in  the  Mersey,  in 
actual  sexual  intercourse.  I  have  been  informed  that 
in  the  Thames  the  regular-bred  fisherman  is  obliged  to 
take  out  an  annual  license  to  catch  these  fish,  from  some 
officer  of  the  Lord  Mayor,  for  which  each  person  has  to 
pay  a  certain  ammat  sum  for  a  license  to  catch  them. 
It  is  a  matter  of  doubt,  in  my  opinion,  whether  this 
be  or  be  not  an  authorised  demand,  from  men  who 
have  served  their  time,  and  are  legally  qualified  to 
fish  ;  and  whether  his  lordship  knows  of  any  such 
charge.  These  lamperns  are  sent  to  Holland  to  be  used 
as  baits  ;  the  usual  price  is  twenty  shillings  per  thou- 
sand, and  a  successful  fisherman  will  sometimes  take 
in  a  season  ten  thousand.  The  season  is  said  to  com- 
mence on  the  24th  of  August,  and  end  on  the  30th  of 
March. 

The  Lepidosirem,  vulgarly  known  as  the  mud  fish, 
approximates  nearer  to  the  eel  tribe  than  any  other, 
therefore  I  introduce  it  in  this  place.  There  are  at 
present  only  two  species  known.     The  one  found  in 


172  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

the  river  Gambia,  in  Africa,  Lapidosiren  annecteus, 
which  is  the  one  that  has  reached  Europe,  a  living 
specimen  of  which  was  at  the  Crystal  Palace.  Perfect 
unanimity  does  not  prevail  amongst  naturalists  as  to 
whether  this  animal  should  be  classed  with  reptiles, 
or  fishes.  Professor  Owen  includes  it  with  the  latter. 
Those  of  the  river  Gambia,  which  do  not  retire  with 
the  overflowing  waters,  burrow  in  the  mud,  which  is 
soon  baked  hard  by  the  scorching  sun ;  there  they 
remain,  in  a  torpid  state,  until  the  return  of  the 
rainy  season  again  awakes  them  to  activity  (Patter- 
son's *'  Introduction  to  Zoology.") 

In  Dr.  W.  B.  Carpenter's  ^'Zoology,"  it  is  stated  that 
this  animal  from  the  river  Gambia  is  about  a  foot  long, 
but  those  from  the  large  rivers  of  South  America  are 
from  two  to  three  feet  in  length.  It  was  discovered, 
1837,  in  South  America,  in  the  river  Amazon.  Some 
zoologists  place  this  animal  in  the  class  of  Ichthyoidal 
reptiles,  whilst  others  place  it  with  the  Anguilliform 
fishes.  M.  I^atterer  places  the  lepidosiren  by  the 
side  of  the  group  of  sirens,  the  class  of  amphibious 
reptiles ;  Professor  Owen  makes  it  a  group  of  the 
class  of  fishes ;  Desmarest  thinks  its  proper  place  is 
near  the  Caeciliadse,  in  the  division  of  amphibious 
reptiles,  and  that  it  thus  forms  the  transition  between 
tlie  class  of  reptiles  and  that  of  fishes.  See  Lepidosiren, 
in  D'Orbigny's  ''Diet.  d'Hist.  Kat.,"  by  E.  Desmarest. 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  173 

Plates  of  this  animal  and  its  anatomy  have  been  pub- 
lished by  I^atterer,  of  Vienna ;  Professor  Owen,  in 
the  **Linn8ean  Transactions,"  vol.xviii.,p.  327, 1839  ; 
and  by  Dr.  J.  Hyrtl,  1845,  of  Prague. 

In  the  account  published  by  the  Crystal  Palace 
Company,  this  animal  is  said  to  possess  both  lungs 
and  gills,  and  that  it  was  forwarded  from  Africa  by 
Captain  Chamberlayne. 

At  the  Eoyal  College  of  Surgeons  there  have 
been  two  dissected  by  J.  T.  Quekett,  Esq.,  His- 
tological Professor  and  Kesident  Conservator  of  the 
Museum. 

The  peace  of  Amiens  having  opened  the  Continent 
to  the  traveller,  and  I  being  on  a  visit  at  Folkestone, 
was  persuaded  to  go  over  in  an  open  lugger  to  Bou- 
logne, where  I  remained  some  little  time,  and  in- 
tended to  go  up  to  Paris,  but  unfortunately  met  with 
two  English  persons  where  I  landed,  of  apparent  great 
respectability  and  plausibility,  who  induced  me  to 
enter  into  a  speculation  with  them,  in  which  they 
robbed  me  very  considerably  ;  and  I  withdrew  from 
the  concern  suffering  much  pecuniary  loss,  and  found, 
when  too  late,  that  neither  of  them  could  safely  show 
their  faces  in  England.  But,  as  I  have  seen,  during 
the  course  of  a  long  life,  villainy  generally  receives 
punishment,  even  in  this  world,  and  they  had  theirs. 

One  afternoon,  I  went  with  an  Englishman,  who 


174  FISHES    AXB    ^1SHI^^G. 

liad  resided  and  remained  in  that  place  some  time 
previous  to,and  during  the  revolution,  over  the  upper 
})art  of  the  harbour,  to  find  a  place  to  angle,  but  we 
w  ere  not  successful.  At  low  water  there  were  such 
plenty  of  mussels  near  the  town,  that  a  cart-load 
might  have  been  gathered  there,  and  then  they  would 
not  have  been  missed.  There  were  few  large  crabs 
in  the  market,  but  as  I  saw  on  the  sands,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  harbour,  several  large  pieces  of  rock, 
around  which  the  flux  and  reflux  of  the  sea  had 
made  basins  of  water  ;  I  pulled  off  my  shoes  and 
stockings,  drew  up  my  trousers,  and  as  soon  as  the 
tide  would  allow,  crossed  the  harbour;  and  having  a 
large  landing-net,  to  the  staff"  of  which  I  caused  to 
be  added  two  or  three  joints,  I  pushed  my  net  under 
the  hollow  of  the  rock.  I  soon  captured  a  fine  lively 
crab,  nearly  eight  inches  lengthways  of  the  shell, 
which  was  quite  blue — this,  with  some  difficulty,  I 
transferred  into  a  bag  ;  shortly  after,  I  took  another 
nearly  as  large.  Whilst  untying  my  bag  the  first 
escaped,  and  made  for  the  water ;  when  he  saw  me 
approach,  he  opened  his  claws,  and  set  up  to  fight ; 
by  the  aid  of  my  net  I  placed  him  also  in  the  bag. 
On  arriving  at  home,  I  had  some  sea-water  boiled, 
and  plunged  them  into  it  in  the  bag,  w^here  I  let  them 
boil  during  twenty  minutes.  When  I  took  them  out 
it  was  evident  tlity  must  have  fought  as  I  brought 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  175 

tliem  home,  for  they  had  each  torn  one  of  the  large 
claws  off  the  other.  I  often,  during  the  time  I  re- 
mained at  Boulogne,  when  the  weather  would  allow, 
caught  a  crab  or  two  in  a  similar  way. 

When  I  first  went  to  France,  provisions  were  very 
cheap,  but  the  English  soon  increased  the  prices,  by 
giving  whatever  was  demanded ;  and  the  French 
traders  of  all  classes,  even  shopkeepers,  were  at  that 
time  in  the  practice  of  asking  very  much  more  than 
they  intended  to  take.  A  trifling  instance  occurred 
which  shows  the  fact,  and  to  M-hat  extent  even  the 
hawkers  of  little  articles  carried  their  impositions. 
A  girl  was  carrying  about  some  fine  lettuces,  the  first 
I  had  seen  that  season  :  I  asked  her  the  price  of  one  : 
"  four  sous,"  (two  pence)  was  the  reply;  this  hap- 
pened at  the  door  of  our  lodging  :  the  mistress  of  the 
house  came  to  the  door,  and  in  broken  English  told 
me  to  go  in ;  she  then  dealt  with  the  girl  herself,  and 
bought  a  dozen  of  the  same  lettuces,  and  picked  out 
the  best,  for  four  sous  the  whole  twelve. 

T  shall  not  enter  into  a  long  detail,  but  merely  notice 
the  following : — a  turkey,  weighing  twelve  to  fourteen 
pounds,  fifteen  pence ;  a  couple  of  fowls,  ready  for 
cooking,  nine-pence ;  a  couple  of  ducks,  seven-pence ; 
a  hare,  eight-pence ;  partridges,  four-pence  each ; 
rabbits,  three-pence  to  four- pence ;  tench  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  pound,  from  a  penny  to  three  halfpence 


176  PISHES    AND    FISHING. 

each ;  trout,  same  weight,  same  price,  or  if  not  many 
at  market,  probably  two-pence  each  ;  a  pike,  weigh- 
ing eight  pounds,  I  bought  for  fourpence  on  one  occa- 
sion, and  sixpence  on  another;  and  sea  fish  much 
cheaper  than  these,  particularly  at  Boulogne,  to  which 
port  a  great  number  of  fishing  boats  belong, 

I  removed  to  Calais,  and  shortly  after  entered  into 
an  arrangement  of  a  nautical  character,  with  a  Swedish 
naval  captain,  who  resided  there,  in  which  we  em- 
barked our  money,  our  time,  and  exertions  ;  he  being 
a  cripple,  could  perform  but  little  personally.  It 
turned  out  very  successful,  until  there  were  rumours 
of  a  renewal  of  hostilities.  The  English  residents  at 
Calais  were  in  a  state  of  the  greatest  possible  anxiety 
as  to  the  prospect  of  the  continuance  of  peace :  our 
ambassador  passed  through  on  his  return  to  England. 
Carriages  were  continually  arriving  with  families  who 
had  been  residing  in,  or  were  passing  through  France, 
whose  passports  were  taken  as  usual  on  entering  the 
town,  and  they  were  told  they  would  find  them  at 
the  office  of  M.  Mengaud,  the  Commissary-General  of 
Police.  This  man  was  said  to  be  an  Irishman ;  if  so, 
he  was  certainly  not  an  Irish  gentleman,  but  was  a 
low,  tyrannical  monster,  quite  fit  company  for  such  as 
Robespierre,  with  whom  it  was  said  he  had  been  in- 
timate. The  English,  whose  numbers  in  Calais  kept 
daily  increasing,  could  not  return  even  to  whence  they 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  177 

came,  without  this  official's  signature  on  their  pass- 
ports, and  he  was  invisible  during  several  days :  thus 
all  who  had  arrived  in  the  town  were  entrapped. 
Early  one  morning,  the  beginning  of  May,  1803,  the 
Town  Sergeant,  accompanied  by  a  drummer,  went 
round  the  town,  beating  the  drum  at  certain  places, 
then  the  usual  way  of  notifying  anything  in  France, 
and  commanded  all  Englishmen  to  attend  at  the 
house  of  the  Commandant  of  Calais,  at  a  time  speci- 
fied, that  morning.  "When  they  went  there,  they 
were  told  that,  **As  the  English  government  had 
made  prizes  of  many  French  vessels,  previous  to  their 
having  declared  war  against  the  republic,  the  French 
government  had  decreed  that  all  Englishmen,  between 
the  ages  of  eighteen  and  sixty,  were  prisoners  of  war ; 
that  at  present  Calais  was  their  prison,  but  they  must 
not  presume  to  pass  any  of  its  gates,  or  they  would 
be  made  close  prisoners."  As  the  General  did  not 
speak  English,  through  the  interest  of  my  partner,  I 
was  appointed  his  interpreter,  and  a  very  unpleasant 
position  it  was,  (though  it  eventually  enabled  me  to 
escape,)  for  I  was  placed  by  the  General  in  communi- 
cation with  any  of  the  rich  detenues  who  petitioned 
him  for  leave  to  go  through  the  Netherlands  to  Eng- 
land, or  any  other  concession  they  might  require; 
and  was  instructed  to  intimate  to  them  that  the  only 
way  to  obtain  the  favour  of  the  General,  was  to  gain 


178  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

the  good  offices  of  a  certain  friend  of  his  in  the  town. 
Large  sums  were,  I  understood,  paid  to  that  person  in 
order  to  propitiate  the  General  •  but  in  every  case  as 
soon  as  all  the  money,  that  it  was  possible  to  extract 
from  these  persons,  had  been  obtained,  the  drum  was 
beaten  round  the  town,  the  English  were  summoned 
to  the  General,  as  imperative  orders  had  arrived  from 
Paris,  "  to  send  all  th&  English  up  the  country  f^  a  ras- 
eally  pretence  to  get  rid  of  those  who  had  thus  been 
(as  they  considered)  plundered.  The  poorer  order 
had  long  before  been  sent,  or  rather  commanded  to 
go  to  Yalenoiennes.  All  were  obliged  to  take  Men- 
gaud's  passport,  at  the  price  of  three  shillings  and 
fourpence  each ;  and  some  after  that  ,had  only  two 
shillings  to  find  them  with  every  necessary  for  a  jour- 
ney of  nearly  one  hundred  miles.  "Workmen  and 
artificers,  who  had  been  induced  to  settle  in  France, 
were  obliged  to  sell  their  clothes  and  tools  for  a  mere 
trifle ;  and  other  instances  of  horrible  misery  were 
daily  presenting  themselves. 

An  opportunity  ofi'ered  of  sending  my  family  to 
England,  for  females  and  children  were  then  allowed 
to  depart.  Accordingly,  I  agreed  with  the  captain  of 
a  neutral  trading  vessel,  for  a  heavy  price,  to  take 
my  family,  with  their  luggage,  to^  London,  where  he 
said  he  was  going.  "When  they  had  got  about  raid- 
channel,  this  captain  told  them  he  should  land  them 


riSEES    AND    FISHING.  179 

at  Dover,  or  wherever  he  pleased,  and  evinced  such 
villanous  intentions,  as  caused  them  to  entertain  great 
fears  for  their  safety  ;  so  that  a  lady,  who  with  her 
son  formed  part  of  my  family,  waved  her  handker- 
chief, and  made  signs  so  effectually  to  an  English 
cruiser,  that  the  captain  sent  a  boat  with  an  officer 
on  board  the  trader,  the  explanation  given  of  the 
conduct  of  the  skipper,  that  the  lady  was  allied 
to  some  of  the  first  families  in  Dover,  and  was  then, 
as  it  might  be  called,  escaping  from  a  hostile  shore ; 
that  she  had  a  brother-in-law  commanding  a  gun 
brig  in  the  channel ;  the  captain  of  the  cruiser,  who 
was  going  into  the  Dover  roads,  ordered  the  trading 
skipper  to  land  them  at  Dover,  and  to  refund  a  rea- 
sonable proportion  of  the  sum  he  had  extorted,  to  pay 
the  difference  it  made  between  their  being  taken  to 
London,  as  the  scoundrel  of  a  skipper  had  undertaken 
to  do,  and  their  having  to  travel  thither  by  land.  It 
was  in  vain  the  skipper  said  he  would  take  them  to 
London ;  the  captain  of  the  cruiser,  who  had  caused 
the  former  to  come  on  board  the  king's  ship,  told 
him  plainly  he  would  not  trust  him,  as  he  looked 
upon  him  as  little  better  than  a  pirate  or  robber. 

The  intention  of  Bonaparte  to  inspect  different  parts 
of  the  French  coast,  was  made  known  by  the  entry 
into  Calais  of  about  250  cavalry,  on  fine  horses,  well- 
proportioned  men,  who,  to  obtain  admission  into  the 

k2 


180  FrSHES   AND    FISHING. 

regiment,  each  must  be  six  feet  English  measure,  and 
have  served  six  years  in  some  other  regiment,  without 
the  slightest  blemish  on  his  character ;  these  were 
accompanied  by  nine  Mamelukes,  on  splendid  horses, 
who  were  armed  with  a  scymeter,  a  dagger,  a  brace 
of  pistols  in  their  sash,  a  larger  brace  in  their  saddle, 
and  a  short  fusee ;  these  together  formed  the  ad- 
vanced guard  of  the  escort  of  the  Chief  Consul.  I 
became  acquainted  with  some  of  the  officers  of  the 
first  corps,  most  gentlemanly  men,  from  whom  I  had 
the  particulars  as  to  their  regiment. 

Whilst  Bonaparte  was  at  Boulogne,  an  English 
frigate  fired  amongst  the  workmen  then  constructing 
the  pier,  and  drove  them  from  their  work.  Shot 
were  fired,  by  his  orders,  in  return  ;  but  not  reaching 
much  beyond  half  way,  he  caused  an  examination  to 
be  made  as  to  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  pow- 
der, and  finding  it  defective  in  the  first,  and  deficient 
in  the  last,  which  act  of  peculation  and  villany  so 
enraged  him,  that  he  tore  the  epaulet  from  the 
shoulder  of  the  head  responsible  officer,  and  ordered 
him,  and  every  one  in  that  department,  to  be  placed 
in  confinement ;  and  finding  the  works  of  the  port 
had  not  progressed  according  to  his  orders,  he  broke 
all  the  officers,  and  suspended  the  operations  till  he 
should  send  persons  on  whom  he  could  depend. 

During  all  the  time  I  had  been  engaged  in  the 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  181 

nautical  concern  before-named,  I  had  had  a  passport, 
which  enabled  me  to  pass  through  the  gates  of  Calais 
either  way,  with  any  number  of  persons  in  my  com- 
pany, at  any  hour  of  the  night ;  and  as  the  Com- 
mandant often  wanted  me  to  go  out  of  the  port,  or 
into  the  Bas  Ville,  he  redated  the  parchment  docu- 
ment, and  stated  thereon  that  I  was  to  fpass  free. 
This  was  the  advantage  I  derived  from  being  his  in- 
terpreter, as  thereby  I  could  go  out  on  the  port. 

Any  remittance  from  England  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, whilst  matters  were  in  this  unsettled  state  as 
regarded  the  English  detenues,  and  as  all  I  possessed 
nearly  was  vested  in  the  vessel  before  named,  upon 
which  the  French  government  first  laid  an  embargo, 
and  then  confiscated :  whether  the  Swedish  captain 
obtained  any  compensation  I  do  not  know,  I  did  not ; 
so  that  I  was  obliged  to  be  very  careful  of  every  sous. 
There  was  a  large  canal  of  fresh  water,  part  of  the 
moat  of  the  fort  at  Calais ;  seeing  some  Erench  boys 
catch  small  fish  close  to  the  edge,  I  considered  I  might 
obtain  larger  ones  by  fishing  farther  out,  and  having 
a  very  long  rod,  I  tried  the  experiment,  and  caught 
many  roach  and  perch  of  half  a  pound  each  ;  and  by 
laying  eel  lines,  whilst  I  was  angling,  I  often  added 
a  good-sized  eel  or  two,  making  very  acceptable  din- 
ners and  suppers,  which  my  knowledge  of  angling 
•fortunately  afforded  me. 


182 


FISHES    AND    FISHING. 


The  inhabitants  of  Calais,  anticipating  the  ruin  of 
their  town,  were  not  disposed  to  lay  out  their  ready 
money,  except  for  absolute  necessaries,  and  I  had  great 
difficulty  in  finding  purchasers  for  some  philosophical, 
surgical,  and  sporting  apparatus  which  I  had,  except 
at  most  trifling  prices  :  I  kept  my  fishing  tackle  till  the 
last,  and  only  sold  it  the  day  before  I  escaped.  My 
books  I  could  find  no  purchaser  for,  so  I  left  them  in 
the  care  of  a  Frenchman,  who,  on  my  re-visitiugCalais, 
in  1824,  gave  them  to  me,  and  would  neither  accept 
any  recompense  himself,  or  allow  anj  of  his  family 
to  do  so ;  he  was,  like  those  hereunder,  also  a  Mason. 

At  length  the  General,  having  no  further  occasion 
for  me,  informed  me  I  must  also  go  up  the  country, 
to  the  same  place  as  the  rest ;  I  therefore  made  up 
my  mind  to  escape,  but  how  to  accomplish  this  de- 
sirable object  was  the  difficulty.  A  variety  of  plans 
were  discussed  by  me  with  the  other  prisoners  ;  but  I 
found  they  did  not  possess  the  necessary  cool  deter- 
mination to  ensure  success,  and  therefore  I  resolved 
to  attempt  my  own  emancipation  in  my  own  way. 
Accordingly,  I  laid  myself  on  a  mattrass,  and  marked 
upon  that,  with  a  red  pencil,  the  exact  size  into 
which  I  could  compress  myself ;  I  then  went,  with  a 
brother  Freemason,  to  dealers  in  furniture,  boxes,  &c., 
and  found  an  old  trunk,  with  two  locks,  the  exact 
size  I  required  ;  this  I  purchased,  and  only  awaited 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  1B3 

the  arrival  of  a  neutral  vessel,  which  was  expected  to 
convey  a  number  of  females,  children,  and  English- 
men, who  passed  as  subjects  of  neutral  states,  and  had 
corresponding  passports.  Curiously,  whilst  we  were 
dealing  for  the  trunk  that  I  bought,  we  were  shown 
one  in  which  some  person,  for  whose  capture  a  great 
price  had  been  offered,  escaped  from  England.  In 
about  a  week  or  ten  days,  the  Danish  brig  the  St. 
Anna,  Hans  Hussen,  master,  arrived,  in  ballast,  and 
was  to  sail  for  Dover  on  the  10th  of  July,  1803.  I 
therefore  threw  a  few  things  into  the  trunk,  together 
with  a  large  bag,  passed  the  trunk  at  the  Custom 
House,  and,  dressed  as  a  sailor,  I  placed  it  very  care- 
fully, along  with  other  luggage,  in  the  cabin.  My 
friend  went  on  board,  and  just  before  the  mustering 
of  the  crew  by  the  Deputy  Commissary  of  Police, 
attended  by  a  guard  and  the  Town  Sergeants ;  the 
minute  examination  by  the  Custom  House  officers 
having  taken  place,  my  friend,  after  I  had  tumbled 
everything  into  the  bag,  and  stripped  off  my  jacket, 
locked  me  up  in  the  trunk.  I  had  not  calculated  the 
expansion  of  the  human  body  by  heat,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  place  his  whole  weight  on  the  lid  to  force 
it  down  ;  he  gave  the  key  to  an  Englishman  who  had 
a  neutral  passport,  another  brother  Mason.  There 
being  but  very  little  wind,  and  the  tide  running  to 
the  eastward  three  hours  after  high  water,  the  skipper 


184  FISHFS    AND    FISniNG. 

cast  anchor  in  Calais  Roads.     I  had  been  three  hours 
and  a -half  thus  compressed,  I  suffered  dreadfully  from 
cramp,  but  dared  not  breathe  too  hard.     My  friend 
on  board,  who  had  the  key,  fearing  I  should  be  suffo- 
cated, let  me  out ;  I  washed,   dressed  myself,  and 
came  upon  deck.     There  was  another  Englishman, 
who  had  been  brought  off  by  a  Erenchman  in  a  sail- 
ing boat,  which  proved  the  total  ruin  of  the  latter, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  fly  over  to  England.     Thankful 
to  the  great  '^Supreme  Being  who  had  listened  to  my 
supplications,  and  assisted  me  so  far,  and  entertaining 
the  opinion  that  were  I  taken,  my  life  would  not  be 
very  safe  if  I  were  in  the  power  of  the  Commandant,  I 
induced  the  passengers  to  believe  that  the  vessel  would 
speedily,  by  the  efflux  of  the  tide,  be  aground ;  and  as 
several  on  board  knew  I  was  well  acquainted  with  that 
part  of  the  coast,  and  all  were  most  anxious  to  get  under 
w^eigh  for  their  native  land,  we  made  a  determined  at- 
tack on  the  skipper  by  gesticulations,  for  we  did  not 
know  Danish,  or  he  English,  and  very  little  French  ;  I 
seized  an  axe,  and  made  signs  I  would  cut  away  the 
cable,  when  he  allowed  his  men  to  weigh  anchor,  and 
trim  the  sails,  and  to  our  great  joy  got  under  weigh  for 
Dover,  where  we  safely  arrived.    As  we  departed  from 
the  French  coast,  we  saw  an  English  man-of-war  brig 
attacking  three  or  four  gun -boats,  which  had  crept 
out  of  Boulogne,  and  endeavoured  to  get  into  Calais ; 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  185 

and  another  of  our  cruisers,  of  the  same  class,  spread- 
ing every  stitch  of  canvass,  bearing  down  to  assist  in 
the  destruction  of  these  craft.  I  made  our  skipper 
hoist  Danish  colours,  as  I  was  fearful  the  man-of-war 
brig,  as  she  neared  us,  might  cause  some  delay  by 
overhauliog  us.  We  had  to  land  at  Dover  in  boats, 
and  the  boatmen,  many  of  whom  knew  me,  expressed 
80  much  pleasure,  not  for  me  personally,  but  as  a 
principle,  that  one  had  escaped  from  the  unjust  im- 
prisonment, more  particularly  in  such  an  extraordinary 
manner,  that  they  almost  disputed  who  should  carry 
me  ashore. 

Mrs.  Putland,  a  widow  lady,  who,  with  her  family 
of  several  children,  came  passengers  in  the  St.  Anna, 
being  disappointed  of  her  eldest  son's  protection  to 
town,  through  his  being  on  active  service,  as  an  officer 
in  the  navy,  asked  me  to  take  his  place.  I,  therefore, 
remained  the  next  day  at  Dover,  as  her  coach  and 
luggage  had  to  be  landed  and  cleared;  and  I  had 
enough  to  do  to  answer  inquiries  made  by  friends  of 
numerous  persons  who  had  been  so  villanously  en- 
trapped. At  six  in  the  morning  of  the  12th  of  July 
we  left  Dover,  with  four  good  horses,  and  travelling 
post.  About  three  miles  before  we  reached  Dart- 
ford,  owing  to  neglect  of  proper  greasing  of  the 
wheels  on  the  continent,  one  of  the  front  wheels 
took  fire,  which  by  water  from  a  road- side  cottage  I 


186  PrSHES    AND    FISHING. 

extinguished.  I  sent  the  family  on  to  Dartford  in  a 
carriage  which  I  desired  the  postilions  to  fetch;  also 
a  new  wheel,  and  a  smith,  all  which  caused  a  con- 
siderable delay,  so  that  when  we  arrived  at  New 
Cross,  it  was  near  half-past  nine,  and  we  were  attacked 
by  a  gang  of  luggage-stealers.  By  good  management, 
and  showing  a  bold  front,  I  saw  the  whole  family  safe 
to  their  residence  in  Manchester  Street.  To  gratify 
the  anxiety  of  the  public,  on  the  interesting  subject 
of  the  detenues,  I  sat  down  one  night  about  ten 
o'clock  and  wrote  a  little  narrative  on  the  subject, 
which  by  eleven  next  morning  was  in  the  hands  of  a 
publisher:  the  newspapers  copied  it,  and  had  actions 
commenced  against  them  by  him. 

During  about  twenty-five  years  after  my  confine- 
ment in  the  trunk,  I  suffered  from  a  recurrence  of 
cramp  of  a  most  curious  character;  after  getting 
damp,  unusual  exertion  in  walking,  &c.,  the  sensation 
was  most  painful,  and  appeared  mostly  as  if  the  pain 
were  in  the  marrow  of  the  bone  ;  but  I  have  during 
many  years  found  an  instant  remedy,  and  now  seldom 
feel  any  symptoms  of  the  affection.  As  it  may  benefit 
those  afflicted,  I  give  the  recipe.  Compound  cam- 
phor liniment,  and  compound  soap  liniment,  of  each 
one  ounce ;  tincture  of  Spanish  flies,  two  drachms ; 
tincture  of  iodine,  one  drachm :  mix,  keep  in  a  glass 
stoppered  bottle.      Eub  some  on  the   affected  part 


FrSFlES    AND    FISHING.  187 

when  pain  supervenes.  My  situation  in  the  trunk 
was  of  a  nature  most  painful  hoth  to  mind  and  body. 
First,  as  the  brig  was  swinging  round,  in  order  to  go 
out  of  harbour  the  proper  way,  those  in  charge  of  the 
warp  did  not  ease  it  so  soon  as  they  ought  to  have 
done,  consequently  her  stern  caught  the  side  of  the 
pier,  and  tore  away  some  of  her  taffrail,  which  gave 
the  vessel  a  little  shake ;  but  to  me,  who  was  lying 
confined  close  to  the  spot,  it  appeared  something  of 
considerable  importance,  and,  joined  with  the  Babel- 
like confusion  of  voices  constantly  attendant  upon  the 
departure  of  a  vessel  of  a  commercial  description  out 
of  a  French  port,  made  the  first  period  of  my  position 
not  enviable.  There  were  originally  two  locks  to  the 
trunk  (my  temporary  domicile) ;  the  one  nearest  my 
head  I  took  off,  and  cut  the  inner  lining  away,  so  that 
I  had  all  the  air  that  could  enter  through  that  orifice. 
Fancy  the  situation  I  was  placed  in,  my  knees  drawn 
up  as  high  as  possible,  the  lid  forcibly  pressing  against 
them,  my  neck  bent,  and  my  chin  cousequently 
pressed  towards  my  chest,  in  a  close  cabin,  in  the 
middle  of  the  hottest  of  all  hot  days  in  the  month  of 
July.  I  once  felt  an  inclination  to  sleep,  but  I  re- 
solved not  to  give  way  to  it ;  independently  of  all 
this,  the  fear  of  any  accidental  cause  preventing  the 
gentleman  who  had  the  key  from  getting  on  board, 
and  the  whole  chain  of  natural  mental  anxieties,  I  was 


188  nSHES    AND   FISHING. 

blessed  with  courage  to  endure,  by  a  merciful  Provi- 
dence, whereby  I  was  saved  also  from  suifocation. 

Bonaparte  had  not  the  full  command  then,  as  he 
had  afterwards,  and  therefore  the  whole  odium  of 
this  most  atrocious  act,  a  disgrace  to .  any  civilized 
nation,  should  not  justly  be  attributed  solely  to  him  ; 
that  he  felt  great  animosity  toward  the  English  na- 
tion there  can  be  no  doubt ;  and  this  was  not  to  us, 
who  resided  in  Prance,  a  matter  of  any  surprise. 
Although  the  peace  of  Amiens  had  placed  the  two 
nations  ostensibly  upon  friendly  terms,  the  press 
Avas  continually  lavishing  abuse  and  insults  upon  the 
Chief  Consul,  and  this  he  considered  as  the  general 
feeling  of  the  English  people.  To  a  man  like  him, 
it  must  have  been,  and  was,  very  annoying ;  our  press 
had  no  more  right  to  interfere,  or  make  observations 
relating  to  him,  or  his  government,  than  one  person 
has  to  do  so,  respecting  another's  domestic  arrange- 
ments. The  residents  in  France  saw  one  paper  after 
another  interdicted,  till  at  last  they  all  became  so ; 
and  it  was  the  general  opinion  at  that  time,  there, 
that  his  rude  conduct  to  Lord  Whitworth  was  chiefly 
induced  by  the  virulence  of  the  English  press :  if 
Buch  were  the  fact,  the  authors  of  all  the  insults  on 
that  man,  are  morally  the  cause  of  the  deaths  of  those 
who  perished  in  the  war,  from  that  time  till  the  bat- 
tle of  Waterloo ;  and  after  all,  for  what  ?     Merely  to 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  189 

gratify  the  morbid  taste  of  those,  who  are  desirous  of 
bringing  down  every  human  being  to  their  own  low 
standard  of  moral  worth.  There  are,  unfortunately,  too 
many  hireling  scribes,  and  would-be  wits,  on  both 
sides  of  the  channel,  ready  to  pander  to  such  propen- 
sities, I  believe  there  are  some  English  periodical 
publications  now  interdicted  in  France,  I  know  there 
were.     Let  meddlers  beware  ! 

The  conduct  of  the  French  government  was  inex- 
cusable as  to  the  detenues.  Had  the  English  been 
taken  whilst  fighting  against  the  French,  it  would 
have  been  a  different  affair :  but  in  this  case,  the 
visitors  were  guests  of  the  French  nation,  they  in- 
creased the  trade  of  the  places  they  frequented,  by 
spending  their  money  freely ;  the  residents  embarked 
capital  in  .business,  and  complied  with  their  laws,  by 
paying  for  a  species  of  patent  of  naturalization  :  and 
then,  in  defiance  of  every  rule  and  custom  of  civilized 
nations,  all  were  made  prisoners.  Such  were  the 
feelings  excited  amongst  the  detenues,  and  such  their 
desire  of  liberty,  that  few,  if  any,  would  have  hesi- 
tated to  emancipate  themselves,  though  in  so  doing 
they  were  obliged  to  sacrifice  the  lives  of  any  of  the 
opposing  employes  of  the  then  French  government. 

When  Bonaparte  was  at  Calais,  he  crossed  over 
in  a  boat,  and  inspected  Fort  Eouge,  at  the  entrance 
of  the  harbour,  which  then  mounted  eight  or  ten 


190  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

24-poimders ;  the  soldiers  placed  tli^re  are  relieved 
when  the  tide  is  out,  as  they  then  march  to  it  on  the 
land  side,  and  ascend  a  flight  of  stairs  or  steps. 

Shortly  after  my  return  to  London,  I  was  sent  for 
to  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  was  intro- 
duced to  Admiral  Sir  Home  Popham.  I  was  re- 
quested to  give  the  whole  particulars  relative  to  this 
fort,  which,  for  some  reason,  the  English  government 
wished  to  have  destroyed ;  I  gave  him  the  width  of 
the  openings  between  the  piles  upon  which  it  is  erect- 
ed, and  this  I  could  do  most  correctly,  as  I  had  often 
been  under  it  in  a  boat,  after  wild  ducks  I  had  shot, 
which  had  drifted  there.  My  animosity  against  the 
French  was  then  so  strong,  through  the  loss  I  had  been 
subject  to,  and  the  treatment  I  had  experienced,  that 
I  offered,  if  the  means  were  supplied  me,  to  destroy 
it  entirely.  I  knew  the  risk,  but  would  then^have 
been  gratified  to  have  taken  the  hazard  ;  I  am  now 
happy  I  had  not  the  lives  of  so  many  men  to  answer 
for.  The  Admiral  attempted  to  destroy  it  j  but  em- 
ployed such  very  inefficient  means  that  he  merely  dis- 
placed a  plank  or  two,  which  alarmed  the  garrison  so 
as  to  render  any  future  attempt  useless. 

I  had  enough  to  occupy  my  energies  to  repair  my 
losses  ;  and  for  some  time  had  neither  tackle  or  time 
to  angle.  After  a  short  period,  by  my  brother's 
death,  I  having  become  the  only  son,  my  father  and 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  191 

mother,  who  had  been  estranged  from  rae  by  misre- 
presentation, sent  me  an  invitation,  and  I  frequently- 
visited  them  :  when  the  season  for  angling  came  on, 
I  bought  a  general  rod,  &c.,  and  there  being  a  great 
many  perch,  at  that  time,  in  some  of  my  old  fishing 
places  I  renewed  my  acquaintance  with  angling  by 
very  good  sport  in  taking  perch. 

My  orthography  of  the  name  Bonaparte  may,  to 
some,  appear  erroneous  ;  but  I  think  it  is  the  correct 
way.  In  the  "  Biographie  Universelle  ,'*  it  is  said, 
that  T^apoleon  the  First  left  out  the  *'  u,"  which  had 
been  used  by  his  father,  as  he  wished  it  to  be  thought 
he  was  more  of  French  origin.  Of  this  there  can  be 
little  doubt. 

When  Edward  the  Third  obtained  a  grant,  or  pro- 
bably forced  from  the  clergy  a  ninth  of  their  incomes 
for  two  years,  to  enable  him  to  prosecute  his  wars, 
he  did  not  consider  that  the  clergy  had  acted  honestly 
by  him,  and  therefore,  on  a  reimposition  of  the  tax, 
in  1340,  the  king  would  nat  accept  the  returns 
of  income  made  by  the  clergy  themselves,  but  caused 
assessors  and  venditors  to  be  appointed,  who  were 
to  cause  the  principal  parishioners  in  eveiy  parish, 
on  their  oaths,  to  deliver  an  account  af  the  annual 
value,  and  sources  of  the  income  of  their  respec- 
tive churches ;  the  records  of  those  valuations,  with, 
in  most  instances,  the  names  of  the  jurors^  for  twenty- 


192  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

seven  counties,  are  in  existence,  and  were  printed 
many  years  ago,  by  order  of  Parliament,  a  copy  of 
which  I  have.  In  the  parish  of  Maiden  ITewton, 
in  the  county  of  Dorset,  one  of  the  jurors  was  William 
Boneparte.  In  other  of  the  parishes,  in  the  same 
county,  Thomas  Bonevyle,  Robert  Bonefeld,  Law- 
rence Bonefaz.  In  Suffolk,  Simon  Boneye.  In  Hamp- 
shire, Badulphus  Bonebrock.  In  Wiltshire,  William 
Boneteste,  Radulphi  Bienacr'.  In  Cambridgeshire, 
Walter  Bonebrok.  In  Bedfordshire,  Richard  Bone- 
brok,  Nicholas  Bonebrok,  Richard  Bonebrok,  Junior, 
Nigel  Bonegent.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the 
ancestors  of  these  persons  came  over  with  William 
the  Norman,  when  he  invaded  this  country,  or  after 
he  had  gained  it ;  and  affords  a  fair  presumption  that 
the  family  of  Bonaparte,  was  of  Norman  extraction. 
Prince  Lucien  ^^  Bona/parte  "  presented  a  curious  spe- 
cimen of  eel  to  the  British  Museum  ;  and  Napoleon 
the  Pirst,  when  appointed  Chief  Consul  for  life,  was 
so  invested  as  "Napoleon  Bonaparte^  See  **  Histoire 
du  Consulat  et  de  TEmpire,"  par  Monsieur  A.  Thiers, 
The  above  records  are  in  abbreviated  Latin  ;  they 
are  very  curiouSy  for  they  shew  the  origin  of  a  vast 
number  of  surnames  ;  and  are  most  iw^portant  to  the 
clergy,  as  they  shew  in  many  counties  what  tithes, 
glebe  land,  belonged  then  to  the  church,  and  must 
still  be  its  property.  These  rolls  are  very  little  known, 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  193 

and  very  few  can  read  them  in  the  original,  and  those 
who  can  read  the  printed  copy  are  not  numerous ;  they 
have,  in  some  instances,  been  brought  forward,   ad- 
vantageously, in  support  of  the  rights  of  the  church. 
Perch  are  a  very  voracious  fish,  and  afford  excellent 
sport  to  the  angler.     The  season  for  perch  and  pike 
is  from  the  first  of  July  till  the  twenty-eighth  of  Fe- 
bruary.    Angle  for  the  middle   sized   ones  with  a 
worm,  and  where  they  run  larger,  with  a  minnow, 
or  small  gudgeon;  put  your  hook  through  just  by 
the  back  fin,  use  a  cork  float.     Perch,  like  the  pike, 
take  their  prey  by  the  middle,  and,  in  this  case,  strike 
as  soon  as  there  is  a  bite  ;  if  the  hook  be  placed  in 
the  lip  of  the  bait,  give  a  little  time  to  allow  the  perch 
to  turn  the  minnow,  and  swallow  it  head  first.     If 
you  intend  to  fish  with  worms,    a  little  while  before 
you  begin,  throw  in  balls  of  clay,    in   which   some 
worms  are  embedded,  with  their  tails  just  protruding, 
and  bait  with  rich  brandlings,  smelling  very  strongly, 
and  exuding  a  yellow  liquid,  or  red  worms  with  a 
yellow  tail ;  do  not  give  too  much  time  on  having 
e.  bite,  or  the  hook  must  be  cut  out  of  the  fish's  gul- 
let ;  if  you  take  one,  you  are  almost  certain  of  several 
others,  of  which  this  is  an  example. 

A  fortunate  tradesman,  who  had  retired  into 
the  country  from  the  fatigues  of  business,  invited, 
most   pressiugly,    a    London    friend,     upon    several 

0 


194  FISHES    AND    PISHING. 

occasions   of   their    meeting,   to  visit    him    at    his 
sylvan  residence  ;  and,  amongst  other  inducements, 
promised,    though   he   was    no    angler   himself,    to 
afford  his  friend  the  sport  of  angling  in  his  water. 
This  attracted  the  Londoner ;  a  day  was  fixed,  and  our 
angler  arrived  with  a  full  complement  of  rods,  lines, 
baits,  &c.,  and  was  anxious  to  commence  ; — hut  no  ! 
luncheon  was  first  to  be  disposed  of;  after  which  the 
host  introduced  his  friend  to  his  water,  which  proved 
to  be  a  little  round  basin,  not  wider  than  the  length 
of  one  of  the  rods  the  angler  had  brought  with  him. 
As  must  be  naturally  imagined,  the  visitor  was  disap- 
pointed and  vexed,  though  he  did  not  choose  to  shew 
his  vexation;  and,  on  the  assurance  that  there  were 
perch  in  the  pond,  he  put  his  tackle  together,  and  the 
moment  he  dropped  his  bait  into  the  water,  he  hooked 
a  fine  perch ;  another,   and  another,   followed ;  and 
when  his  friend  came  to  tell  him  dinner  was  ready, 
and  enquired  as  to  the  success  he  had  had,  the  angler 
showed  him  thirty-five  perch.      **  Well  !'*  said  the 
good-hearted  host,  **  I  am  glad  you  have  had  such 
sport ;  I  caused  three  dozen  to  be  put  in  the  day  be- 
fore yesterday.*'     **  Oh !"  replied  the  angler,  "  I  will 
take  the  other,  and  then  I  shall  have  nothing  to  do  in 
that  way,  after  dinner." 

Another  anecdote,  arising  through  perch  fishing 
may  be  introduced  here.     A  tanner  at  Esher,  haviug 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  195 

premises  abutting  on  the  river  Mole,  a  stout,  good- 
tempered  old  bachelor,  in  easy  circumstances,  ani 
fond  of  practical  jokes,  was  asked  by  the  village  sur- 
geon, with  whom  he  was  on  intimate  terms,  to  have 
some  proper  ground-bait  thrown  into  the  river,  in  a 
hole  adjoining  his  (the  tanner's)  grounds,  as  he  (the 
surgeon)  had  a  friend  coming  from  London  to  have 
some  perch  fishing;  the  tanner  said,  **  he  would  bait 
the  hole.**  The  anglers  arrived  at  the  spot,  and  begun ; 
eaoh,  on  the  first  swim  had  an  apparent  bite,  and  each 
lost  a  hook ;  this  occurring  again  and  again,  the  sur- 
geon went  home  without  being  observed  by  the  tan- 
ner's people,  and  brought  a  grapnel,  with  which  he 
pulled  up  one  or  two  small  faggots,  in  which  were 
tied  up  pieces  of  old  iron  to  sink  them.  He  and  his 
friend  left  the  place,  and  meeting  the  tanner,  thanked 
him  for  allowing  them  to  fish,  and  for  the  trouble  he 
had  taken  in  baiting  the  place,  but  said  the  perch 
would  not  feed,  the  wind  or  sun  was  not  favourable, 
or  some  excuse  of  the  kind,  which  disappointed  the 
tanner  of  his  laugh  at  them.  Some  time  after,  on  a 
very  hot  day  in  July,  the  tanner  had  to  ride  to  Lon- 
don on  some  business,  and  returning  in  the  evening, 
he  found  it  necessary  to  send  his  old  maid  servant  for 
some  plaister.  The  village  Esculapius  wormed  ( uc 
for  what  purpose  it  was  required,  and  persuaded  h*  r 
to   take   plaisters  which  he  prepared.     The  tanner 

0  3 


196  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

applied  them  on  going  to  bed,  but  was  soon  awakened 
by  intense  pain.  At  an  early  hour  poor  old  Nanny 
was  called  by  her  master ;  she  put  on  her  spectacles, 
and  exclaimed,  "  La,  sir !  why  they  be  two  as  fine 
blisters  as  1  ever  did  see."  The  surgeon  boldly  de- 
clared, that  Nanny  explained  herself  so  very  imper- 
fectly, that  he  thought  he  did  quite  right  in  sending 
what  he  had  done,  and  so  availing  himself  of  the  old 
maid's  delicacy,  he  avenged  himself  for  the  trick 
the  tanner  had  played  him,  who  discovered  that  he 
had  had  the  worst  of  the  joke,  and  that  it  is  dange- 
rous to  play  with  edged  tools.  The  story  became 
known,  and  the  tanner,  instead  of  laughing,  as  he  ex- 
pected, at  his  angling  friends,  was  laughed  at  himself. 
In  1813, 1  joined  my  family  with  that  of  a  friend, 
who  had  obtained  a  large  house  and  pleasure  grounds, 
and  land,  upon  very  reasonable  terms,  on  the  borders 
of  Henhault  Forest.  Outside  our  gates,  upon  the 
waste,  there  was  a  large  pond,  the  water  of  which 
was  very  clear,  and  the  bottom  a  loamy  gravel ;  a 
one  end  there  was  a  clear  space,  about  twenty  feet 
out, — the  rest  of  the  pond  was  full  of  a  wiry  weed. 
My  friend's  sons,  and  a  young  gentleman  of  my 
family,  though  we  had  two  fish  ponds  in  our  own 
grounds,  went  outside  to  this  pond  to  fish ;  in  about 
an  hour  they  caught  a  large  dish  full  of  fine  perch  ; 
but  they  lost  several  hooks,  which  I  attributed  to 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  197 

their  inexperience.  Next  evening  I  went  with  them, 
and  my  gut  line  was  broken  by  a  large  fish  ;  these  I 
thought  must  be  eels,  who  had  entangled  themselves 
in  the  weeds,  and  so  broken  the  line  ;  I  therefore  laid 
an  eel  line  across  a  clear  part  of  the  pond.  I  obtained 
some  minnows  from  London,  with  which  I  baited  a 
few  of  the  hooks,  but  they  remained  untouched, 
whilst  those  baited  with  worms,  were  picked  clean. 
My  groom,  and  our  gardener,  proposed  to  get  in  and 
mow  the  weeds,  it  being  very  hot  weather,  and  the 
pond  not  being  deep,  if  I  would  hire  or  borrow  a  net 
in  London.  They  cut  the  weeds,  and  tying  ropes  to 
the  two  ends  of  a  long  heavy  chain,  they  thought  to 
pull  out  the  weeds;  but  the  chain  began  to  roll, 
gathering  up  the  weeds,  until,  when  about  one-third 
of  the  length  of  the  pond  from  the  end  they  were 
proceeding  to,  the  mass  of  weeds  became  high  above, 
the  water,  and  immoveable.  Two  teams  of  horses 
were  at  work,  drawing  timber;  I  boiTowed  their 
assistance,  and  drew  the  weeds  out.  We  then  put 
the  net  through,  and  took  as  many  tench,  from  three 
to  seven  pounds  each,  as  filled  a  large  clothes  basket, 
which  two  men  with  difficulty  carried  up  to  the 
house ;  we  threw  in  all  that  appeared  under  three 
pounds,  and  all  the  perch.  Just  as  we  had  finished, 
Long  John,  one  of  the  foresters,  upon  his  white 
horse,  with  his  gun  across  the  pommel  of  the  saddle. 


198  FISHES    AND    FISHIJSG. 

came  and  questioned  us.  I  said,  we  were  upon  the 
waste,  and  not  on  the  forest ;  however,  a  glass  or  two 
of  strong  ale,  and  a  similar  quantum  of  brandy,  made 
all  right  with  him,  and  he  advised  us  to  go  to  Hog- 
hill  pond,  where  he  said  there  were  immense  carp 
and  tench — but  we  never  tried  it. 

I  was  induced  upon  one  occasion  to  angle  in  a  large 
pond  for  tench.  I  caught  several  about  three-quar- 
ters of  a  pound  each,  but  then,  on  having  a  bite,  I 
found  a  large  eft,  or  newt,  or  asker,  on  my  hook, 
which  had  taken  my  worm.  The  gardener  who 
owned  the  pond,  said,  **  Ah  !  when  these  varmint 
begins  to  bite,  the  tench  leaves  off;  **  and  this  opinion 
is  confirmed  by  old  authors,  whose  works  I  have. 

I  have  generally  caught  tench  by  baiting  with  a 
worm,  but  it  is  said  a  sweet  paste  is  very  excellent, 
and  I  have  found  it  so  in  the  Serpentine  river ;  some 
advise  a  little  tar  in  the  paste,  but  I  never  tried  it. 
One  of  these  fish  from  a  river  is  much  superior  to 
any  irom  a  pond,  unless  it  have  a  marly  gravel  bot- 
tom ;  they  do  not,  commonly,  as  it  is  said,  exceed 
five  or  six  pounds  weight,  but  one  was  taken  at 
Thorn ville  Royal,  Yorkshire,  which  weighed  twelve 
pounds.  In  the  lake  at  Apse  Court,  Moulsey,  Surrey, 
I  know  one  was  taken  above  eight  pounds ;  several 
of  those  taken  near  Henhault  Forest,  as  before-men- 
tioned, were  full  seven  pounds. 


F1SHK8    AND    FISHING.  1£9 

A  tench  is  said  to  be  the  physician  of  other  fish  ; 
and  it  is  a  well-known  fact,  that  no  pike  or  perch 
will  take  a  small  tench,  if  offered  as  a  bait ;  the  slime 
there  is  on  a  tench,  possesses  a  healing  property,  and 
instinct  teaches  other  fish  when  wounded,  to  avail 
themselves  of  it,  as  this  instance  will  demonstrate 
Minnows  and  gold  fish,  in  a  state  of  confinement, 
impelled  by  hunger,  eagerly  seize  a  small  common 
fly.  A  gentleman,  who  was  unfortunately  unable  to 
leave  the  house  for  some  time,  through  an  accident, 
on  whom  I  often  called,  amused  himself  by  making 
small  artificial  flies,  which  he  did  very  neatly  ;  he 
kept  some  minnows,  and  a  tench  about  two  inches 
and  a  quarter  long,  in  a  very  large  wide-mouthed 
bottle;  all  the  minnows  had  died,  except  one;  my 
friend  was  just  finishing  a  fly  as  I  went  into  his  room, 
and  he  held  it  upon  the  surface  of  the  water  in  the 
bottle,  as  he  was  often  in  the  habit  of  doing ;  the 
minnow  darted  at  it  so  rapidly,  that  he  could  not 
withdraw  the  fly  in  time  to  prevent  the  hook  from 
pricking  the  minnow  ;  the  little  fish  descended  three 
parts  of  the  way  down  the  bottle,  poised  himself  for  a 
moment,  with  his  nose  pointing  downwards,  then 
swiftly  went  the  remainder  of  the  way,  rubbed  his 
nose  during  a  few  seconds  against  the  side  of  the 
tench,  who  remained  perfectly  quiet,  and  then  the 
minnow  swam  about  as  lively  as  before.     We  both 


200  FISnKS    AND    FISHING. 

joined  in  the  opinion  that  it  is  really  no  fable,  as  to 
tench  being  the  Esculapius  of  fish  ;  for  here  was  an 
example  before  our  eyes,  of  a  fish  being  wounded, 
and  immediately  instinct  directed  him  to  seek  a  re- 
medj-. 

As  a  lad,  I  thought  myself  fully  acquainted  with 
angling,  for  I  had  seen  little  or  nothing  of  fly-fishing ; 
beyond  dibbing,  my  success  was  so  great  as  a  bottom 
fisher,  that  my  father's  pocket  suffered  very  consider- 
ably, as  I  caught  much  more  fish  than  could  be  con- 
sumed by  our  family  ;  and  my  father  sent,  as  presents 
to  our  numerous  friends  in  London ;  to  one  a  bagful  of 
eels,  to  another  a  brace  of  carp,  to  a  third  a  large  pike, 
to  a  fourth  a  dish  of  perch,  to  a  fifth  six  or  eight 
dozen  of  gudgeons,  and  these  presents  were  often 
varied,  and  repeated ;  and  he  always  paid  the  car- 
riage, and  seldom  had  his  baskets,  &c.,  returned.  I 
had  several  trunks  for  keeping  fish  alive,  so  that  I 
could  make  up  a  handsome  present  of  fish  at  almost 
any  time.  In  conversation  with  a  lady  of  rank,  to 
whomi  had  been  introducedononeofmy  visits  to  town, 
the  subject  of  angling  was  mentioned  by  her,  and  she 
said  there  were  many  river  fish  that  she  had  never 
seen  ;  I  replied,  that  I  would  send  her  a  brace  of  every 
fish  that  inhabited  our  waters,  with  their  respective 
names  marked  on  them  ;  which  I  did,  with  a  dish  of 
gudgeons  and  a  bagful  of  eels. 


nSHES    AND    FISHING.  901 

But  a  change  came  over  the  spirit  of  my  dream  ; 
I  was  to  see  a  new  phase  in  the  art  of  angling.     A 
physician  who  had  married  a  lady  of  large  fortune, 
several  years  previously,  came  on  a  visit  of  a  few  days 
to  our  house;  this  gentleman  was  a  fly-fisher,  and 
almost  thought  any  other  way  of  angling  derogatory^ 
to  him,  though  he   did  condescend,   on  one  or  two 
mornings,  to  go  out  in  a  punt,  gudgeon  fishing.     In 
the  evening,  the  fisherman  took  him  nearly  down  to 
an  ait  on  the  opposite  or  Middlesex  side  of  the  river, 
about  two-thirds  of  the  way  across ;  a  square  stone 
with  a  ring  in  it  was  then  dropped,  attached  by  a 
rope,  from  the  stern  of  the  punt,  which  caused  the 
punt  to  move  slowly  down  stream,  and  enabled  the 
angler  to  throw  his  fly  near  the  osiers ;  he  caught  a 
great  number  of  chub,  from  one  to  four  pounds,  and 
one  trout  of  three  pounds.     I  was  delighted  with  this 
mode  of  angling,  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  that  fascinating 
art,  but  I  had  neither  tackle,  or    knowledge  suffi- 
cient ;  and  other  busy  scenes  of  life  awaited  me,  dis- 
tant from  my  peaceful,  paternal  home,  which  I  never 
again  inhabited,  except  upon  a  visit  of  a  few  days 
at  a  time. 

In  1805,  I  became  acquainted  with  a  Welsh  gen- 
tleman,  Mr.  L.,  whose  description  of  fly-fishing  for 
trout  and  sewin,  fired  again  my  imagination ;  and  I 
determined  to  become  a  fly-fisher.     I  bought  a  rod, 


202  FISHKS    AND    FISHING. 

winch,*  line,  and  flies  for  the  purpose,  and  went  out 
with  him  several  times  to  the  "Wandle,  and  by  degrees, 
learned  to  throw  a  line  sufficiently  well  to  take 
some  trout ;  I  then  went  up  the  Thames  to  my  well- 
known  locality.  Many  a  poor  little  dace  did  I  as- 
tonish, by  sending  him  over  my  head  as  many  yards 
behind  me,  as  he  had  been,  a  minute  previously,  before 
me ;  and  frequently  a  large  fish  had  the  advantage  of 
carrying  off  my  fly,  with  the  gut  attached,  through 
my  striking  too  forcibly.  In  trying  to  get  out  a  long 
line,  I  was  often  annoyed  by  hearing  a  crack  behind 
me,  something  like  a  coachman's  whip,  denoting 
that  my  fly  was  gone  upon  a  voyage  in  the  air,  of 
which  I  had  lost  all  control ;  and  as  I  was  totally 
ignorant  of  fly-making,  I  became  a  very  good  cus- 
tomer to  the  fly -dresser.  With  all  these  disadvan- 
tages, I  succeeded  in  taking  some  large  chub ;  and 
oue   evening,  upon    a  shallow,   then   existing  near 

*  Never  use  a  multiplying  winch  ;  it  has  no  power  to  con- 
trol a  large  fish.  By  long  experience  I  have  found  that  a  well- 
made  plain  check  winch  is  much  superior.  I  have  one,  the 
interior  of  which  was  taken  out  by  a  clock-Tnaker,  and  replaced 
by  a  well-hammered  wheel  and  check,  so  regulated,  under  my 
direction,  as  to  require  four  ounces  to  cause  the  handle  to  move ; 
therefore  I  never  fish  with  the  hand  upon  my  line.  In  strik- 
ing, the  resistance  is  quite  sufficient  to  fix  the  hook  in  a  fish, 
but  not  suflicient  to  break  the  tackle ;  if  you  hook  a  small  fish, 
he  is  not  liable  to  be  pulled  out  of  the  water  ;  and  if  a  large 
one.  the  line  runs  out  under  the  slight  resistance  ofifered  by  a 
retaining  power  of  four  ounces. 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  203 

Thames  Lock,  I  hooked  and  killed  a  trout  about  two 
pounds. 

Soon  after  my  return  to  town,  I  took  my  fly-rod, 
&c.,  and  went  to  the  Horse  and  Groom,  at  Lea 
Bridge,  and  caught  a  chub  or  two  in  the  water  at  the 
tail  of  the  mill.  I  went  round  to  the  mill  head,  and 
saw  a  neat  little  man  on  the  Barge  Walk,  dropping 
his  fly  very  cleverly  under  sofne  willows,  and  taking 
several  chub,  a  pound  or  more  each;  his  rod  was 
shorter  than  mine,  and  he  threw  a  greater  length  of 
line  than  I,  at  that  time,  could  have  accomplished ; 
but  which  I  afterwards  did  easily.  I  entered  into 
conversation  with  him ;  invited  him  to  take  tea  with 
me  in  the  house;  we  afterwards  went  to  the  mill 
tail,  and  he,  in  the  most  unassuming  manner,  pointed 
out  my  defect  in  fly-fishing,  which  was  too  much  im- 
petuosity. He  was  rather  astonished  when  he  found 
I  could  not  make  a  fly,  and  giving  me  his  address, 
(Mr.  H.)  said,  if  I  would  call  upon  him,  he  would 
have  great  pleasure  in  teaching  me.  He  was  highly 
respectable,  and  I  invited  him  to  my  house ;  he  came 
and  taught  me  how  to  dress  a  fly ;  explained  the  differ-  J 
ence  and  advantages  of  hackles  out  of  a  live  cock,  | 
over  those  taken  after  the  fowl  is  dead — which  is, 
that  the  former  keep  their  elasticity  in  the  water, 
and  the  latter  collapse,  and  become  like  a  rag.  This 
is    well   understood   in   France,   in  regard  to   beds; 


204  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

one  made  of  live  feathers,  if  you  press  your  hand  down 
into  it,  rises  again,  and  shows  no  mark  of  the  inden- 
tation ;  whereas  one  made  of  dead  feathers,  leaves  the 
full  mark  of  the  indentation;  and  if  the  price  of  the 
latter  be  forty  francs,  the  price  of  the  former  would 
be  eighty  or  a  hundred  francs.  I  am  not  the  apologist 
of  the  persons  who  obtain  these  feathers  for  live  beds, 
or  of  the  methods  they  fise,  which  I  am  told  are  cruel ; 
not  so,  however,  is  the  method  of  obtaining  live 
hackles,  they  are  carefully  plucked  out,  one  at  a  time, 
and  are  no  more  than  pulling  a  hair  at  a  time  out  of 
a  man's  or  woman's  head ;  they  are  in  perfection  the 
latter  end  of  September,  or  all  the  month  of  October. 
The  hackles  from  some  cocks  are  most  beautiful,  light 
or  dark  duns,  speckled  with  gold-coloured  spots; 
some  of  these  spots  are  so  minute  as  to  be  seen  only 
with  a  magnifying  glass;  these  from  the  necks  of 
hens,  which  make  up  cloak  fashion  as  it  is  called,  are 
also  highly  prized.  Live  hackles  of  all  descriptions 
Mr.  H.  had  in  great  numbers,  and  I  believe  he  crossed 
the  breed  of  fowls,  to  obtain  many  of  them  ;  and  on 
any  angling  excursion  he  made  into  the  country,  he 
invariably  purchased,  if  to  be  sold,  even  at  a  high 
price,  any  curious  bird  which  would  yield  feathers  of 
that  description.  He  was  very  liberal  in  his  gifts  of 
feathers  to  me,  many  of  which  I  still  have  ;  and  after 
his  death,  which  I  shall  presently  mention,  his  sou 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  205 

kindly  added  from  his  father's  stock  to  mine.  Mr. 
H.  proved  to  me  that  most  fly  rods  were  too  weak  in 
the  middle ;  that  when  held  out  horizontally  they 
drooped  too  much ;  he  could  not  find  a  rod  that  suited 
his  ideas,  so  he  obtained  tools  and  made  his  own ;  he 
pointed  out  to  me  the  necessity  of  having  the  ferrules 
well  hammered  upon  triblets,  (round  pieces  of  steel, ) 
and  to  protect  his  rod  from  the  effects  of  rain,  he 
varnished  it  with  copal  varnish.  At  my  request  he 
introduced  me  to  an  old  Welshman,  named  David 
Williams,  whom  Mr.  H.  had  drilled  into  making 
rods  according  to  his  plan ;  this  Williams  was  ac-  *^..,^ 
quainted  with  Clark,  the  unrivalled  maker  of  glued-  |  ^ 
up  bamboo  fly-rods ;  the  most  excellent  of  all  rods,  i  ^ 
I  obtained  about  ten  sticks  of  the  proper  cane,  and 
Williams  induced  Clark  to  make  one  for  me,  and 
anotlier  for  my  friend,  Mr  L. 

Williams  was  a  very  good  angler,  but  an  eccentric 
character ;  he  always  went  out  fishing  by  himself ; 
would  never  tell  any  one  where  he  was  going,  or  on 
his  return  say  where  he  had  been ;  or  acknowledge 
to  having  caught  more  than  a  brace.  One  day  the 
landlord  of  the  Duke's  Head,  Waliington,  named 
Webster,  a  house  well  known,  at  that  time,  to  all  an- 
glers on  the  Wandle,  was  passing  a  part  of  the  fre 
water,  and  seeing  Williams,  whom  he  knew,  he 
enquired  if  he  had  had  any  sport.     *'  l^a  !  na  !"  said 


206  FISHES    A3^D    FISHING. 

the  old  man,  "  the  fish  wont  tuche."  No  sooner  had 
he  uttered  these  words,  than  the  linen  strap  of  his  bag 
broke,  which  he  had  concealed  under  his  great  coat, 
for  it  was  misty  weather,  and  out  tumbled  upon  the 
grass  twenty-two  trout  !  The  landlord,  to  annoy 
Williams  for  telling  such  a  falsehood,  insisted  upon 
holding  the  bag  whilst  the  old  sinner  replaced  his 
fish,  which  done,  "Webster  said,  "  Do  you  call  these 
nothing  ?  Why,  if  the  fish  had  tucked^  you  would  not 
have  been  able  to  carry  them  home.'* 

I  continued  my  friendly  intercourse  with  Mr.  H. 
during  many  years,  and  never  had  cause  to  regret 
having  formed  his  acquaintance.  I  was  most  deeply 
grieved  when  he  was  deprived  of  his  life  at  the  age 
of  seventy-five,  but  healthy,  and  not  seeming  sixty, 
through  two  conductors  of  omnibuses  each  pulling 
him  to  obtain  him  as  a  passenger,  when  a  third  om- 
nibus drove  furiously  up  between  the  first  two ;  to  save 
themselves,  the  conductors  hastily  let  go  their  hold  of 
my  poor  friend,  who  fell  down  in  consequence,  and 
the  wheels  of  the  third  omnibus  went  over  him.  His 
leg  and  thigh  were  broken,  and  he  was  otherwise  so 
injured,  that  he  died  very  soon  after  he  was  conveyed 
home.  Peace  to  his  manes!  I  have  never,  in  my 
passage  through  life,  met  with  a  more  kind,  unobtru- 
sive, upright,  and  generous  man,  as  far  as  his  means 
would  allow  :    he  was,  in  fact,  a  complete  personifi- 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  207 

cation  of  what  we  suppose  Izaak  "Walton   to  have 
been. 

I  quite  agree  with  Mr.  Rennie,  and  other  authors 
of  celebrity,  that  the  amazing  diversity  of  artificial 
flies  is  not  necessary.     I  used  generally  to  find  it  the 
most  successful  mode,  to  observe  what  fly  was  on  the 
water,  and  to  use  a  fly  or  palmer  of  the  same  colour 
as  near  as  possible  ;  and  if  I  had  not  one,  to  sit  down 
and  make  it.     Palmers  made  of  live  hackles  are  very 
successful,  for  they  resemble  a  fly  in  rapid  motion 
which  has  fallen  into  the  water,  and  is  using  its  wings 
to  extricate  itself,  and  the  action  the  angler  gives  it, 
by  the  tremulous  motion  of  his  rod,  completes  the 
deception.     Palmers,  it  is  supposed  by  some  persons, 
are  intended  to  represent  the  long-haired  and  varie- 
gated caterpillars ;     but  I  think  the  above  explana- 
tion is  more  reasonable.     Throw  into  a  river  one  of 
these  last-mentioned  insects,  it  floats  down  with  the 
current  an  inert,  unattractive  mass;    throw  into  a 
stream  a  fly  of  any  kind,  and  a  caterpillar,  the  former 
will  be  immediately  and  eagerly  caught  by  a  fish, 
while  the  latter  will  be  allowed  to  pass  unnoticed  for 
a  considerable   time,    and  probably  be  wholly  neg- 
lected. 

Mr.  L.  and  myself,  in  coming  home  one  evening 
from  the  Wandle,  I  having  a  proper  fishing  basket, 
were  annoyed  by  observations  and  low  witticisms  on 


208  FISHK.S    AND    FISHING. 

fishermen,  as  we  passed,  wbich  I  determined  to  avoid 
in  future,  if  possible.  I  had,  therefore,  a  kind  of 
pouch-bag  made,  the  pattern  of  which  I  had  from  my 
old  friend  Mr.  H. ;  this  being  carried  in  the  pocket, 
was  only  called  into  requisition  if  fish  were  caught ; 
whereas  a  basket  is  an  incumbrance  going,  and  also  a 
still  greater  nuisance  in  returning,  particularly  if  you 
have  no  fish  in  it.  Next,  to  prevent  the  rod  being 
seen  as  such,  I  obtained  a  dark  bamboo  cane  with  a 
root  to  it,  such  as  is  often  used  for  the  stick  of  an 
umbrella ;  I  had  a  ferule  at  the  small  end,  with  a 
cap  screwed  on,  into  the  ferule  fitted  the  screw  of  an 
Irish  landing-net  of  silk,  the  rim  being  in  four  pieces 
of  wood  and  brass  ;  I  had  a  partition  bag  for  the  rod, 
made  of  some  light  material,  and  when  this  was 
wrapped  round  the  centre  stick,  which  projected  at 
top  and  bottom,  even  a  very  close  observer  woiild 
have  considered  it  was  an  umbrella.  At  the  top  of 
this  centre  stick  I  had  a  female  brass  screw  inserted, 
to  receive  a  small  spear,  for  the  purpose  of  placing 
my  landing  net  upright  from  the  ground,  to  prevent 
it  being  trodden  on,  and  also  to  enable  me  in  trout 
fishing  to  see  in  a  moment  whereabouts  it  was.  With 
these  arrangements,  I  could  go  out  or  come  home 
without  any  one  supposing  I  had  been  angling ;  but 
this  led  to  two  or  three  rather  ludicrous  mistakes. 
One   day  I    was    caught   in   a   heavy   shower   on 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  209 

MitcTiam  Common,  and  hastened  to  the  shelter  of  a 
cottage  ;  two  young  ladies,  who  had  also  availed 
themselves  of  the  same  accommodation,  were  standing 
just  within  the  door,  when  one  said  to  the  other,  not 
intending  I  should  hear  it,  "  See  this  gentleman,  I 
suppose  he  has  a  new  umbrella,  and  is  afraid  the  rain 
will  spoil  it."  Another  time,  I  had  been  angling  in 
the  Test,  and  on  leaving,  with  my  host  and  his  wife, 
in  a  post  chaise,  for  the  train,  I  asked  my  friend's 
butler  if  he  had  put  my  fishing-rod  into  the  carriage, 
when  he  replied,  "  'No,  Sir ;  but  I  have  put  your  um- 
brella in ;"  and  was  running  away  to  find  the  fishing- 
rod,  till  I  stopped  him  by  saying,  "  it  was  all  right." 
I  had  a  few  weeks'  leisure  time,  and  having  an 
introduction  to,  and  invitation  by,  a  gentleman  in 
Somersetshire,  I  made  his  house  in  the  way  of  ray 
tour.  Mr.  H.  was  most  hospitable ;  he  had  been  a 
surgeon,  but  had  retired  from  practice  several  years, 
having  found  a  method  of  making  a  fortune  more 
rapidly.  He  was  a  highly  talented  and  educated 
man,  and  we  became  so  well  pleased  with  each  other, 
that  he  would  not  hear  of  my  departure ;  in  fact, 
whenever  I  seriously  talked  of  leaving,  he  would  send 
a  servant  down  to  the  outer  great  gate  of  his  demesne 
to  lock  it,  and  then,  laughing,  toll  me  if  I  were  deter- 
mined to  go  I  must  teach  my  horse  to  leap  his  high 
gate,   with  the  chaise  at  his  heels.     A    day  or  two 


210  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

after  I  and  my  wife  arrived  at  his  house,  I  went  with 
his  nephew  to  a  river  about  a  mile  and  a-half  off, 
where  I  was  told  there  were  trout,  and  I  took  my 
disguised  fly  rod  in  my  hand.  The  river  appeared  a 
deep,  sluggish  stream,  by  no  means  the  heau  ideal  of 
a  trout  stream,  but  I  was  assured  there  were  plenty 
of  that  fish  in  it.  We  came  to  a  bridge,  and  there 
was  a  country  lad,  with  a  hazel  rod,  sometliing  like  a 
cart  whip,  and  a  line  about  half  as  long  again  as  the 
rod,  trying  to  throw  a  great  nondescript  fly  to  a 
bubble,  that  every  now  and  then  was  caused  by  the 
lazy  rising  of  a  trout,  but  beyond  his  reach.  This 
Izaak  Walton  of  the  village,  when  we  arrived,  was 
just  giving  it  up  as  a  futile  attempt :  I  said,  *'  What, 
are  you  going  away,  leaving  that  fellow  to  laugh 
at  you.'"'  *' Noa,  noa,  zur,  I'll  ha'un  to-morrow.'* 
♦'  Oh,"  said  I,  "  I'll  have  him  to-night."  ''  Ho,  ho  !" 
shouted  the  rustic.  *'  What,  we'  thic  thing,  thee's 
breUa  ?"  *'  Yes,"  I  said,  and  proceeded  to  set  up  my 
rod,  placed  on  my  winch,  and  prepare  for  action.  I 
put  on  a  red  palmer  with  a  yellowish  body,  then  gra- 
dually got  my  line  out  to  a  level  with  where  the  fish 
had  risen  ;  he  made  another  bubble,  and  by  a  quick 
turn  of  my  wrist  my  fly  was  on  the  spot,  and  he  was 
hooked  in  a  moment,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  all 
the  yokels  who  were  looking  on.  He  weighed  about 
a  pound  and  a  half. 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  211 

N'ext  day,  Mrs.  M.,  who,  from  her  nephew's  account 
of  what  he  saw  the  over  night,  began  to  think  highly 
of  my  piscatorial  skill,  proposed  that  we  should  make 
a  party  to  go  and  angle  in  the  same  river.  I  was 
informed  we  should  require  worms,  and  lines  with 
floats.  We  went,  but  defend  me  from  such  trout 
fishing  :  we  killed  about  eight  brace,  of  a  pound  to  a 
pound  and  a-half  a  fish.  When  we  arrived  at  home, 
Mr.  M.,  who  occasionally  imitated  the  Somersetshire 
dialect,  began  to  jeer  us,  saying,  "  What,  do'e  call 
thic  things  trout  ?  come  along  we'  me,  and  111  show 
thee  trout,  and  what's  more,  I'll  gi'  thee  leave  to 
catch  them  if  thee  can,  by  any  mode  thee  art  master 
of,  except  netting;  and  thee  may'st  begin  after 
dinner."  Sure  enough,  he  showed  me,  in  an  artificial 
canal,  two  hundred  yards  long,  ten  feet  wide,  about 
six  feet  deep,  and  the  water  so  clear  that  a  pin 
thrown  in  would  be  seen  at  the  bottom,  some,  but 
not  many,  very  large  trout. 

During  dinner  and  dessert,  Mr.  M.  laughed,  and 
said  he  had  shewed  me  trout,  but  defied  me  to  catch 
them ;  if  I  could,  he  would  acknowledge  I  was  an 
angler,  but  not  without.  After  dinner,  I  found  some 
worms,  and  as  I  was  going  out,  Mrs.  M.  said,  "  Catch 
some  of  his  trout,  if  you  can,  by  any  means,  but  do 
not  let  him  laugh  at  us  and  our  angling."  He  and  I 
went  to  the  canal,  I  taking  with  me  a  strong  trolling 

p2 


212  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

rod.  I  put  on  a  large  hook,  baited  it,  and  presented 
my  worm  to  a  fine  large  trout,  who  turned  away, 
having  plenty  of  food.  Mr.  M.  said,  "  There  he  be, 
why  doesn't  giv'um  thy  bait?"  At  last  he  went 
away,  laughing ;  as  soon  as  he  was  gone,  I  took  ojff 
the  worm,  whipped  on  two  more  large  hooks  in  the 
manner  of  a  grapnel,  wound  a  small  piece  of  lead  off  a 
plummet  round  the  shanks,  and  dropped  them  very 
gently  a  couple  of  yards  ahead  of  a  large  trout, 
brought  it  gradually  underneath  his  gills,  struck 
suddenly  and  strongly  upwards,  caught  him  fast,  and 
knowing  my  tackle  to  be  strong,  gave  him  no  play, 
but  landed  him  directly  ;  and  as  soon  as  I  had  taken 
off  my  grapnel  hooks,  and  put  a  single  one  on,  I 
carried  up  my  fish,  which  weighed  above  six  pounds, 
to  the  house,  and  shewing  it  to  Mr.  M.,  asked  him  if 
he  thought  it  would  be  enough  for  that  portion  of  to- 
morrow's dinner.  Mrs.  M.  laughed  ;  but  he  stared 
with  astonishment,  and  for  some  moments  could  not 
speak.  At  length  he  said,  "  Thee  art  the  devil !  thee 
sha'n't  fish  in  my  canal  any  more."  ''  Oh !"  said  T, 
''I'll  take  every  fish  in  it,  if  you  desire  them." 
"  No,  no  !  I  revoke  my  license  to  fish  in  my  canal," 
rejoined  he.  Mrs.  M,  was  much  pleased,  for  she  had 
told  him  not  to  be  so  sure  that  I  did  not  catch  some 
of  his  overgrown  fish,  l^ext  day,  there  were  two 
iriends  of  Mr.  M.'s  to  dinner,  and  whilst  we  were  at 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  213 

our  dessert,  I  stated  that  Mr.  M.  had  defied  me,  by 
whatever  art  I  was  master  of,  to  catch  any  of  the  fish 
in  his  canal.  I  then  said,  I  had  found  them  too  well 
fed  to  take  the  bait  I  offered  them,  and  therefore 
resorted  to  another  species  of  art ;  and  producing  my 
triangular  hooks,  showed  how  I  had  beaten  Mr.  M. 
He  laughed  as  heartily  as  any  of  the  rest;  and  I 
advised  him,  if  ever  he  defied  another  angler  to  catch 
his  trout,  to  make  a  stipulation  that  it  should  be  by 
fair  fishing, 

Mr.  M.  introduced  me  to  a  Mr.  W.,  who  had-  a 
legitimate  trout  stream,  very  much  over-stocked,  for 
he  seldom  took  any  out  for  his  own  use,  or  as  presents, 
and  never  invited  any  one  to  angle,  unless  he  was 
quite  sure  they  either  were  not  anglers,  or  that  they 
had  no  tackle.  I  went  to  his  house  and  grounds  one 
day  with  Mr.  M.,  who  was  resolved,  with  my  assist- 
ance, to  play  off  a  practical  joke  upon  Mr.  W,  I 
took  with  me  my  disguised  fly  rod,  and  whilst  Mr. 
W.  was  regretting  that  he  had  no  tackle,  or  he  should 
have  been  delighted  to  have  seen  me  catch  some  of 
his  trout,  I  turned  to  my  friend  M.,  and  said,  "Well, 
we  can  go  another  day  angling  to  where  you  pro- 
posed taking  me,  and  for  which  I  brought  my  tackle ; 
and  as  Mr.  W.  says  it  will  give  him  such  pleasure  to 
see  me  catch  some  trout,  I  will,  with  his  leave,  begin." 
Mr.  M.  could  with  difficulty  restrain  his  laughter,  and 


214  riSHES   AND    FISHING. 

Mr.  W.  his  mortification.  I  caught  several  brace 
which  I  laid  upon  the  lawn,  and  then  said,  "  I  hoped 
I  had  gratified  him  (Mr.  W.)  by  complying  with  his 
wishes ;  that  I  would  take  one  brace  for  Mrs.  M.'s 
supper,  and  leave  the  rest."  On  our  road  home,  Mr. 
M.  enjoyed  the  fun,  and  said  he  thought  Mr.  W. 
would  never  press  any  one  to  angle  again,  if  he  saw 
an  umbrella  in  the  hand  of  the  person,  lest  it  should 
turn  out  to  be  a  fly  rod. 

In  corroboration  of  Mr.  Ronnie's  observation  before 
referred  to,  as  to  the  uselessness  of  the  multiplicity 
of  artificial  flies,  the  following  may  be  confirmatory  of 
his  opinion,  and  I  believe  of  most  experienced  fly- 
fishers. 

*'  The  inexperienced  trout  fisher  generally  encum- 
bers himself  with  a  large  book,  containing  a  whole 
host  of  flies,  for  the  dressing  of  which,  he  has  resorted 
to  the  fur  of  every  animal  under  the  sun,  and  the 
feathers  of  every  bird  that  cleaves  the  air !  He  has 
materials  without  end,  flies  without  number,  with  as 
many  names  as  would  puzzle  and  confound  the  most 
skilful  entomologist. 

"  This  is  all  useless.  The  genuine  trout  fisher,  on 
the  contrary,  takes  with  him  very  few  flies,  and  kills 
as  many  fish  as  he  pleases.  But  he  is  by  no  means 
an  inattentive  observer  of  every  thing, — every  indi- 
cation of  weather, — every  change  in  the  state  of  the 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  215 

atmosphere, — every  ripple  that  marks  the  whereabout 
of  the  fish.  The  yellow  dun  for  the  tail  fly,  and  the 
red  palmer  for  the  bob,  are  generally  sufficient  for 
most  streams,  with  a  white  moth  for  the  approaching 
darkness.  A  few  flies  of  this  description,  and  an 
extra  line  or  gut-length,  wound  around  the  hat  for 
readiness,  and  the  saving  of  time,  are  far  better  than 
a  heavy  and  useless  book  of  flies.  On  some  occasions, 
however,  it  is  necessary  to  be  provided  with  a  few 
materials  more  closely  resembling  the  flies  upon  which 
the  fish  may  be  feeding." — ("Sporting  Scenes  and 
Country  Characters,  by  Martingale.*'  Longman  and 
Company.) 

There  are,  nevertheless,  peculiar  artificial  flies 
which  are  very  attractive  on  some  rivers  ;  for  instance, 
the  river  Wandle;  no  May-fly  is  ever  seen  on  it, 
neither  do  its  waters  become  thick  by  storms  of  rain, 
like  the  Mole  and  the  Wey,  but  it  has  a  small  fly, 
which  all  the  London  fly-dressers  know  as  the  cock- 
tail. I  have  departed  from  the  usual  shop  fly,  bearing 
this  name,  with, great  advantage  to  my  sport,  by 
making  the  two  little  hairs  of  the  tail,  of  fibres  of  the 
golden  pheasants'  topping,  or  blue  fibres  of  the  king- 
fisher ;  also,  by  having  some  of  the  extreme  ends  of  the 
bodies  of  a  corresponding  blue,  or  bright  yellow. 

In  the  Dartford  river,  a  very  dark  red  palmer,  with 
peacocks'  herle,  and  a  little  bright  yellow  at  the  end 


216  FrSFIES    AND    FISHING. 

of  the  body,  either  finely  ribbed,  or  not,  with  silver, 
is,  I  am  told,  very  killiag ;  but  natural  hackles,  so 
dark  a  red,  are  scarce. 

In  the  Thames,  palmers  of  a  tolerable  good  size,  of 
any  description,  will  take  chub  and  dace ;  but  the 
fly  with  which  Mr.  Brand,  a  legal  gentleman,  of 
Staples  Inn,  a  most  successful  fly  angler,  killed  trout 
and  salmon  in  the  Thames,  was.  a  palmer  made  of  a 
deep  red  and  black  live  hackle,  body  of  bright  green 
floi^s  silk,  ribbed  with  gold,  and  not  too  small. 

I  have  not  had  the  advantage  of  enjoying  the  noble 
sport  of  fly-fishing  for  salmon,  but  I  have  often  thought 
of  the  straijge-looking  things  salmon  flies  are.  I  am 
told  they  are  intended  to  imitate  the  dragon-fly — if  so, 
they  are  very  poor  imitations ;  however,  as  I  belie"ve 
the  best  salmon  fishing  occurs  some  time  before  the 
dragon-fly  makes  its  appearance,  any  nondescript 
substance  moving  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  like  a 
thing  of  liie,  probably  proves  attractive  to  the  hungry 
fish. 

An  angler's  weight  of  fish  is  often  very  erroneous ; 
there  are  small  neat  steelyards  to  be  found  at  most 
tackle  shops,  very  useful  for  deciding  any  diflerence 
of  opinion  on  that  point.  Sir  Humphrey  Davy  had 
the  butt  of  his  rod  marked  with  a  scale  of  feet  and 
inches,  and  he  said  that  a  trout  seventeen  inches  in 
length,  and  nine  inches  in  breadth,  would  weigh  two 


FISHES    AND   PISHING.  217 

pounds;  this  method  of  estimating  the  weight  of 
trout  must  be  erroneous,  as  much  depends  upon  the 
superior  food  to  be  found  in  some  rivers,  beyond  what 
is  in  others,  whereby  the  flesh  of  the  fish  becomes 
more  or  less  compact  and  solid. 

In  1846  many  most  eulogistic  observations  were 
made  in  a  sporting  journal,  stating  that  a  certain 
tackle-maker  had  made  some  flies  of  an  improved 
description,  which  proved  eminently  successful  in  the 
Thames.  I  knew  the  person  referred  to,  and  thinking 
he  might  have  found  some  novelty,  which  had  proved 
as  attractive  as  was  represented,  I  went  to  his  shop, 
to  purchase  some  of  these  killing  flies.  The  proprie- 
tor was  out,  but  his  wife,  who  knew  me  well,  showed 
me  some  palmers,  made  of  red  and  black  hackles, 
with  dark  bodies  ribbed  with  gold,  similar  to  many 
I  had  already.  I  was  disappointed,  as  there  was 
nothing  new  about  them,  being  similar,  only  not  so 
good,  in  my  opinion,  as  some  given  to  me  between 
thirty  and  forty  years  before,  by  Mr.  Brand,  before- 
mentioned.  However,  as  I  had  caused  trouble,  I 
proceeded  to  look  out  a  few;  meantime,  the  good 
lady  assured  me  that,  "  The  hooks  were  not  common 
hooks,  but  were  made  purposely,  and  peculiarly  well 
hammered  and  tempered,  and  that  the  bodies  of  the 
flies  were  ribbed  with  real  gold'^  I  saw  the  fallacy 
of  these  attempts  to  impose  upon  me,  and  impress 


218  FISHKS    AND    FISHING. 

me  with  a  high  opinion  of  these  flies,  and  to  enhance 
the  price,  so  I  cautiously  selected  half-a-dozen.  She 
divided  them  into  two  parcels,  three  being  rather 
larger  than  the  other  three,  but  all,  as  she  assured  me, 
were  the  real  Thames  Jlies,  The  larger  three,  she 
said,  **  I  shall  only  charge  you  one  shilling  each,  and 
the  other  three  ninepence  each."  I  suppose  it  was 
intended  I  should  consider  my  self /<:^t;owr^^;  but  I  did 
not,  for  I  could  have  bought  as  good  flies,  on  as  sound 
hooks,  and  with  as  much  gold  (?)  on  them,  at  any  of 
the  tackle  shops  for  one  shilling  and  sixpence,  whereas 
these  six  real  Thames  flies,  so  improperly  puffed,  cost 
me  five  shillings  and  threepence.  But  I  have  never 
troubled  this  lady's  shop  with  another  visit.  I  con- 
sider myself,  and  am  thought  by  others,  a  good  fly- 
fisher,  but  I  never  caught  one  fish,  even  a  chub,  with 
any  of  these  flies. 

I  must  here  remark  that  there  is,  in  point  of  fact,  no 
such  thing  as  real  gold  lace,  or  gold  thread  ;  it  is  silver 
gilt  with  such  a  fine  film  of  gold,  that  it  would  take  four- 
teen millions  of  such  films  of  gold  to  make  the  thickness 
of  one  inch ;  whereas  if  fourteen  millions  of  leaves  of 
common  printingpaper  could  be  placed  one  on  the  other, 
they  would  make  a  pillar  three  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  sixty  feet  high,  (Dr.  Black,)  or  above  nine- 
teen times  as  high  as  the  Monument.  And  the 
ductility  of  gold  is  such,  that  one  ounce  of  it  is  suf- 


FISHES    ANB    FISHING.  219 

ficient  to  gild  a  silver  wire  more  than  thirteen  hun- 
dred miles  long.     (Fourcroy.) 

There  are  so  many  excellent  descriptions  of  rivers, 
lakes,  &c.,  published,  with  an  account  of  the  fish  they 
contain,  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  attempt  to  give 
directions  to  anglers  relative  to  them,  when  that  part 
of  the  subject  has  been  previously  so  well  explained  ; 
1  shall  therefore  merely  make  observations  on  those 
rivers  or  waters  which  appear  to  have  escaped  the 
observation  of  former  authors,  and  of  which  I  can 
give  some  account,  or  have  had  personal  acquaintance 
with. 

Serpentine  River,  in  Hyde  Park,  so  denominated 
from  its  shape,  which  was  different  from  the  usual 
custom  at  the  time  it  was  formed,  as  then  all  pieces 
of  ornamental  water  were  made  straight.  It  was 
undertaken  by  command  of  Caroline,  Queen  Consort 
to  George  the  Second,  in  1730 ;  a  string  of  ponds  and 
gravel  pits  being  drained  and  converted  into  this  . 
piece  of  water,  at  an  expense  to  the  country  of  ■/ 
£6000. 

It  was  formerly  supplied  by  a  little  rivulet  called 
Bays  Water,  one  branch  of  which  arose  at  Kensall 
Green,  in  the  Harrow  Road,  another  about  Kilburn 
Wells,  a  third  near  Fortune  Green,  a  fourth  at  West 
End,  Hampstead,  and  a  fifth  in  Belsize  Park,  behind 
Primrose  Hill.     These  all  united,  and  passing  under 


220  FISHES    AND    TISniNG. 

the  Paddington  Canal,  by  an  arch  near  Westbourne 
Green,  went  through  some  tea  gardens  at  Bayswater, 
so  called  from  the  name  of  the  above  rivulet,  thence 
the  stream  passed  partly  under  a  bridge  across  the 
Uxbridge  E-oad,  and  entered  the  upper  end  of  the 
Serpentine  Eiver,  in  Kensington  Gardens.  Sixty 
years  ago,  and  I  do  not  know  how  recently,  young  anglers 
found  amusement  at  these  tea  gardens  in  catching 
roach,  paying  sixpence  for  the  afternoon,  or  nothing  if 
they  had  tea  there.  I  am  informed  that  this  brook, 
having  become  exceedingly  filthy,  through  the  large 
increase  of  buildings  in  that  locality,  had  been 
arched  over  by  the  Commissioners  of  Sewers,  and  its 
course  diverted  to  a  large  sewer  leading  to  the 
Thames.  Where  the  supply  of  water  now  comes 
from  to  preserve  that  of  the  Serpentine  in  anything 
like  a  healthy  state,  I  do  not  know ;  but  any  super- 
abundance of  the  water  from  the  Serpentine,  passes 
under  some  of  the  houses  at  Knightsbridge,  into  the 
Ranelagb  common  sewer,  and  thence  to  the  Thames, 
close  to  which  a  water  company  drew  their  supplies 
in  1827;  a  shameful  proceeding,  properly  exposed, 
and  I  think  now  prevented  by  the  Acts  of  the  legis- 
lature ;  the  guilty  parties,  directors  and  officers, 
ought  to  have  been  condemned  to  have  no  other 
beverage  than  that  taken  from  the  very  spot  which 
tliey  chose  as  fit  for  their  customers.  In  former 
pages  I  have  spoken  of  the  fishing  in  this  water. 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  221 

Dagenham  Ereach  was  caused  by  the  breaking  of 
the  sea  bank,  through  a  very  high  tide  and  a  heavy 
storm  of  wind,  on  or  about  1703.  One  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  were  swept  away,  the  whole 
marshes  drowned,  and  not  drained  till  1714.  Par- 
liament made  a  grant  of  £40,000  or  £45,000;  I 
believe  12th  Anne,  cap.  17,  refers  to  this  grant.  Mr. 
Perry  undertook  to  repair  the  sea  bank,  and  to  do 
what  was  required,  for  the  above  sum ;  but  it  was 
said  he  lost  £3,000  by  the  undertaking.  At  the  spot 
where  the  breach  took  place  were  found  exposed  to 
view  the  trunks  of  many  large  trees,  that  must  have 
been  buried  for  ages.  This  gulf  could  not  be  drained 
in  consequence  of  its  immense  depth,  and,  as  it  is 
thought,  the  bottom  being  a  quicksand,  which  has  led 
to  the  belief,  amongst  some  persons,  that  it  is  bot- 
tomless. There  are  large  bream  here  in  abundance, 
roach,  perch,  pike,  carp,  tench,  and  eels.  When  Mr. 
Fry,  the  banker,  had  this  water,  at  considerable  ex- 
pense, he  had  cod,  soles,  and  turbot,  placed  in  it 
alive,  but  they  were  never  seen  afterwards,  the  most 
probable  conclusion  is  that  they  died,  and  that  the 
other  fish  devoured  their  remains.  It  appears,  from 
measurement  on  a  large  map,  to  be  half  a  mile  long, 
and  at  its  widest  part  three-quarters  of  a  furlong 
broad. 

I  never  fished  in  this  water,  but  several  persons 


222  FISHKS    AND    PISHJNa. 

who  have  done  so,  report  that  the  fish  caught  there 
must  be  cooked  as  soon  as  taken ;  and  from  the 
description  given,  I  imagine  that  they  contain  too 
much  albumen  in  their  composition,  therefore  im- 
mersing them  in  boiling  lard,  or  oil  would  be  the  best 
means  of  converting  them  into  wholesome  food ;  and 
those  fish  that  are  usually  boiled,  the  water  should 
be  boiling  when  they  are  put  in,  with  a  good  fire 
under  the  kettle.   (See  observations  on  cooking  fish.) 

Formerly,  several  gentlemen,  some  from  London, 
others  from  the  neighbourhood,  had  boats  on  this 
water  for  the  purpose  of  angling ;  and  the  resort  of 
company  to  it,  was  of  great  service  to  the  village  of 
Dagenham. 

There  is  great  depth  of  water  close  to  the  edge, 
therefore  anglers  should  be  cautious  not  to  go  too  near, 
unless  they  are  good  swimmers  ;  an  example  of  the 
most  providential  escape  of  Mr.  James  Briscoe,  of 
Barking,  is  recorded  in  the  "Morning Post,'*  of  Sep- 
tember 27th,  1841.  He  was  trolling  for  pike,  and 
hooked  a  large  fish,  which  soon  ran  all  the  line  off 
his  winch,  and  had  not  the  fish  taken  a  course  paral- 
lel with  the  shore  of  the  Grulf  he  must  have  broken 
the  tackle.  Mr.  B.  kept  him  in  play,  but  unfortu- 
nately getting  too  near  the  water,  he  fell  in,  where 
the  water  was  twenty  feet  deep,  and  not  being  able 
to  swim,  he  cried  loudly  for  help,  which  attracted 


FISIIKS   AND   nsuiNG.  223 

tlie  notice  of  some  men  who  were  at  work  in  the 
marshes,  and  with  considerable  difficulty  Mr.  B.  was 
rescued.  Seeing  the?  rod  moving  about  on  the  watei*, 
one  of  the  men  who  could  swim  well,  stripped,  swam 
after,  and  seized  the  rod ;  after  many  struggles,  the  fish 
was  landed  and  proved  to  be  a  pike  which  weighed 
sixteen  pounds  and  a  half,  and  measured  nearly  three 
feet  in  length. 

I  wrote  to  the  keeper  of  this  water,  relative  to  the 
terms  for  angling  therein,  and  on  the  31st  of  August, 
1854,  received  a  reply  from  him  (W.  Clapham)  that 
by  paying  one  shilling  for  a  day,  the  person  may  take 
what  fish  he  can.  It  appears  by  the  map  that,  by 
railway,  stopping  at  the  Eainham  station,  the  angler 
could  reach  the  water  in  a  walk  of  about  two  miles ; 
or  one  mile  one  furlong  to  the  smallest  end  of  the 
gulf ;  and  one  mile  five  furlongs  to  the  Breach  House, 
both  from  the  village  of  Dagenham. 

In  May,  1835, 1  was  told  by  an  experienced  angler, 
that  there  are  plenty  of  rudd  in  this  water,  and  very 
good  sport  may  be  had  by  throwing  an  artificial 
fly  for  them ;  I  do  not  know  if  this  be  so.  Rudd  are 
found  in  the  Rhine ;  in  the  Lakes  of  Holderness,  in 
Yorkshire  ;  in  those  not  far  from  Lincoln ;  the  river 
Yare  in  Norfolk,  which  runs  to  Norwich,  and  to  the 
sea  near  Yarmouth ;  and  the  river  Charwell,  which 
passes  near  Banbury,  Oxfordshire.     The  true  rudd  is 


224  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

considered  one  of  the  first  class  of  fishes ;  it  is  broader 
than  a  carp,  with  scales  as  large  and  thicker  than  a 
bream,  usually  twelve  to  fourteen  inches  long,  of  a 
dusky  yellow  colour  ;  the  largest  are  about  two 
pounds.  They  bite  freely,  feeding  near  the  top  of 
the  water ;  baits,  red  worms  and  flies. 

At  Godstone,  in  Surrey,  according  to  Salter,  there 
is  a  pond  or  ponds,  containing  abundance  of  carp, 
from  three  to  five  pounds  each;  he  says,  at  the 
White  Hart  Inn,  there,  all  particulars  can  be  learned — 
the  price  charged  is  thirteen  pence  per  pound  for  all 
you  catch.  He  relates  that  an  angler,  in  one  day, 
took  sixty-six  pounds  and  a  half  of  these  fish,  for 
which  he  had  to  pay  three  pounds  twelve  shillings  ! 

Six  to  eight  dozen  of  trout  have  been  taken  in  an 
afternoon,  in  a  water  belonging  (in  1800)  to  Mr. 
Brown,  four  or  five  miles  above  Dorchester. 

Durham,  Stockton,  &c.,  salmon  and  trout. — In  the 
river  Wear,  and  its  tributaries,  salmon  fishing  is  to 
cease  on  the  16th  of  September,  and  recommence  the 
12th  of  February.  This  was  settled  at  Quarter  Ses- 
sions, in  October,  1 849,  through  the  interference  of 
the  Anglers'  Association. 

Hampshire,  about  Christchurch,  salmon  and  trout. 
Indeed  there  are  abundance  of  the  latter  fish  in  al- 
most every  river  in  this  county ;  particularly  the  Test, 
at  Whitchurch,  Long  Parish,  Chilbolton,  and  Stock- 


FISHES   AND    FISHINO.  225 

bridge ;  above  E-edbridge,  there  are  salmon,  salmons- 
trout,  and  mullet.  In  the  Itcben,  wbicb  was  formerly 
a  most  excellent  trout  stream,  these  fish  are  compa* 
ratively  scarce ;  but  the  grayling  are  abundant. 

Herefordshire,  in  the  Wye  and  the  Lug.  It  is 
said  the  salmon  are  always  good,  but  this,  I  believe, 
is  not  true ;  they  have  their  proper  seasons  as  well 
as  trout.  In  the  Teme,  near  Presteign,  I  am  informed 
by  a  resident  of  the  highest  respectability,  is  uncom^ 
mon  fine  angling  for  trout  in  its  season ;  and  about 
the  second  week  in  September,  for  large  graylings. 

Hertfordshire  has  most  of  its  rivers  well  stocked 
with  fish,  particularly  trout.  Mr.  L.  and  myself 
went,  on  one  occasion,  to  Watford,  and  by  throwing 
a  very  long  line,  we  caught  four  brace  of  trout ;  I 
have  been  there  several  times  since,  but  the  sport  is 
uncertain. 

Kent. — At  all  the  Grays  there  are  trout ;  also  at 
Bexley,  Cray  ford,  and  Dartford  ;  but  they  are  mostly 
white  trout.  A  famous  fly-fishing  match  took  place 
in  the  waters  of  LuUingstone  Castle,  some  years  ago,  be- 
tween two  gentlemen  named  Pocknell  and  D' Almaine, 
both  of  the  Stock  Exchange,  in  consequence  of  a  bet 
between  a  miller  (A  No.  1)  of  Dartford  and  a  sport* 
ing  gentleman  of  Blackheath  ;  which  was  decided  in 
favour  of  D' Almaine,  who  had  caught  thirty-six 
brace  and  a  half,  whereas  Pocknell  had  only  caught 


226  FISUES   AND   FISHING. 

thirty-five  brace.  The  then  Sir  Thomas  Dyke  be- 
haved most  hospitably  and  kindly  to  these  gentle- 
men, and  was  much  interested  in  the  result  of  the 
match,  which  took  place  a  short  time  previous  to  the 
decease  of  the  baronet ;  therefore,  I  presume,  must 
have  been  about  1846. 

Virginia  Water,  the  most  beautiful  lake  near 
London,  is  only  a  short  distance  from  "Windsor.  It 
is  well  stocked  with  fish ;  and  his  Majesty  George 
the  Fourth  used  often  to  amuse  himself  there,  with 
angling.  This  water  has  one  source,  from  a  spring 
in  a  large  pond  in  Cranbourn  Wood,  near  Ascot 
Heath,  which  supplies  four  or  five  ponds  in  Sunning 
Hill  Park.  From  Sunning  Hill  wells  a  stream  runs, 
which  joins  that  from  Sunning  Hill  Park,  about 
Bucket  Hill  ;  from  thence  it  expands,  and  runs 
through  Windsor  Great  Park,  into  the  east  end  of 
Virginia  Water,  In  Windsor  Great  Park,  near  the 
Lodge,  is  a  large  lake,  which,  after  forming  three  or 
four  long  ponds,  also  passes  into  Virginia  Water,  on 
its  northern  side,  near  where  the  waters  from  Sun- 
ning Hill  enter.  To  the  west  of  the  Great  Lodge  is 
a  loDg  pond,  communicating  with  one  much  larger, 
from  whence  there  is  a  narrow  cut  to  the  extreme 
north  point  of  the  other  end  of  Virginia  Water. 
The  superfluity  of  the  whole  falls  over  a  cascade,  and 
passes  under  the  Bagshot  Koad,  this  side  the  twenty- 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  227 

one  mile  stone,  and  runs  into  the  Trumps'  Mill  River, 
to  which  mill  it  assists  in  giving  a  head  of  water. 
Many  years  ago,  the  cascade  gave  way,  and  consider- 
able damage  was  done  in  the  neighbourhood.  An 
immense  quantity  of  fish  were  taken  in  all  the  brooks 
with  which  Trumps'  Mill  River  communicates ;  one 
runs  by  the  upper  part  of  Chertsey  town,  into  the 
Thames ;  another  branch  runs  to  Woburn  Park,  and 
there  dividing  this  park  from  Ham  Haw,  one  part 
falls  into  the  Thames,  in  Chertsey  mead  ;  the  other 
continuation,  called  the  Bourne  Brook  (before  men- 
tioned), passes  into  the  Wey  navigation,  by  Wey- 
bridge  Bridge,  and  so  into  the  Thames,  at  Thames 
Lock. 

How  permission  to  angle  in  Virginia  Water  can  be 
obtained,  or  whether  obtainable  at  all,  I  am  unable 
to  say. 

There  are  many  ponds  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
London,  but  having  never  taken  the  trouble  to  go  to 
them,  I  can  give  no  information.  Salter,  however, 
in  one  of  his  works  on  angling,  to  the  best  of  my 
recollection,  gives  fuU  information  on  that  head. 

As  connected  with  pond  fishing,  I  will  mention 
a  ludicrous  incident  : — I  passed  over  Clapham 
Common,  on  my  way  to  dine  with  my  friend,  Mr.  L., 
who  then  lived  near  that  locality ;  and  having  ob- 
served, as  I  drove  past,  on  the  surface  of  the  water  of 

Q-2 


228  FISHES    AND    FISHING, 

a  pond,  with  an  island  in  it,  innumerable  gnats,  and 
some  small  fish  rising  at  them ;  I  mentioned  it  to 
him,  and  in  the  evening  we  walked  to  the  pond ;  he 
taking  with  him  a  fly-rod,  &c.  He  put  on  a  small 
fly,  but  could  not  catch  one  to  satisfy  our  curiosity 
as  to  what  fish  they  were.  Two  or  three  young 
gentlemen,  the  water  being  low,  had  jumped  across 
to  the  island ;  they  had  with  them  a  fine  large  brown 
water-dog,  who  was  swimming  about,  snapping  at 
the  gnats;  as  he  approached  nearly  within  the 
length  of  Mr.  L/s  line,  I  said,  *'  Perhaps  the  dog 
would  like  the  fly."  Mr.  L.  replied,  "  I'll  try  him  !" 
and  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  dropped  the  fly 
before  the  dog ;  swift  as  a  trout  could  have  done,  he 
took  the  fly,  and  was  hooked ;  the  poor  animal  feel- 
ing the  hook,  swam  rapidly  to  the  shore ;  away  went 
the  line  off  the  winch,  the  dog  ran  out  upon  the  com- 
mon, and  my  friend  following  him  at  his  utmost 
speed,  who  being  stout,  and  having  had  the  advan- 
tage of  a  good  dinner,  found  it  no  easy  task  to  run, 
and  jump  over  brake,  furze,  and  briar,  playing  the 
^og>  yet  laughing  most  heartily,  though  anxious  to 
save  his  ,  excellent  tackle.  The  young  gentlemen, 
myself,  and  several  other  persons  were  unable  to 
speak  for  laughing.  At  length  I  begged  the  owners 
of  the  dog  to  call  him,  or  the  hook  might  injure  the 
animal ;  the  dog,  thoroughly  frightened  at  seeing  a 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  229 

person  following  him  about,  with  what  must  have 
appeared  to  him  a  long  whip,  and  feeling  something 
pulling  at  his  mouth,  approached  his  masters,  trem- 
bling all  over ;  as  soon  as  the  line  was  slackened,  the 
fly,  which  had  merely  stuck  in  the  lip,  dropped  out, 
and  no  injury  was  done  to  either  rod,  line,  or  dog. 

About  Soutbgate  there  are  many  rivulets;  one 
near  East  Barnet,  called  Salmon  Brook !  Why,  I 
know  not,  as  that  fish  could  never  have  visited  it. 

About  six  miles  and  a  half  on  the  Edgware  Road, 
at  a  place  called  the  Hyde,  is  a  piece  of  water,  at  the 
"Welsh  Harp,  where,  I  have  been  told,  there  is  very 
good  pond  angling,  by  paying  a  moderate  sum. 

I  was  once  induced,  a  very  few  years  ago,  to  go 
by  railway  to  Stratford,  and  walk  thence  to  a  hamlet 
called  Philihrooky  near  two  miles  to  the  left  from  the 
station,  towards  Leyton,  where,  in  a  large  pond, 
called  Rockholts  Point,  I  was  informed  I  should  find 
plenty  of  fish ;  but  the  person  who  obtained  the  per- 
mission as  a  favour,  it  being  private  property,  could 
not  tell  me  of  what  species  they  were.  I  therefore 
burthened  myself  with  a  long  rod,  artificial  minnows, 
gudgeons,  worms,  and  paste,  and  went  to  the  water, 
which  was,  I  think,  nearly  or  quite  a  furlong  and  a 
half,  or  more,  long — probably  forty  yards  wide,  about 
two  feet  deep,  free  of  weeds,  and  so  clear  that  I 
could  see  all  over  it — but  no  fish  of  any  kind  appeared. 


230  FISHES   AND    FISHING.   ' 

However,  I  put  my  rod  together,  baited  my  hook, 
and  threw  in  some  pellets  of  paste — but  they  re- 
mained untouched.  Presently  three  or  four  genteel 
boys  approached  me ;  and  one,  respectfully,  asked  if 
I  had  had  any  sport  ?  I  replied  in  the  negative ;  when 
judge  of  the  disappointment  of  an  angler,  not  very 
fond  of  bottom  fishing,  even  in  a  river,  after  being  a 
fly-fisher,  and'still  less  of  it  in  a  pond,  to  be  told, — 
"  I  do  not  think  you  will  have  any  sport.  Sir ;  for 
the  pond  was  netted,  and  every  fish  that  could  be 
caught  was  taken  out,  about  three  or  four  days  ago  ; 
and  here  are  the  places  where  the  nets  were  dragged 
on  shore,"  shewing  me  evident  marks  on  the  bank. 
I  therefore  put  up  my  tackle,  returned  home,  and 
never  since  have  wetted  a  line  in  a  pond. 

There  were  in  ancient  times,  as  chronicles  tell, 
"  abundance  of  choice  fish  in  this  pond,  also  in  a  pond 
above,  with  an  island  in  it.'*  These  waters  belonged 
to,  and  formed  part  of  the  ornaments  attached  to  a 
large  house  and  grounds  adjoining,  whose  owners 
lived  in  great  splendour,  had  boats  on  the  two  ponds, 
and  with  music  and  fireworks,  &c.,  on  the  island,  and 
dancing  on  the  lawns,  enlivened  the  whole  neigh- 
bourhood. Now  the  island  pond  is  nearly  dried  up, 
serving  only  as  a  passage  for  the  water  to  the  large 
pond  from  a  rivulet,  which  is  formed_by  a  spring  in  a 
pond  above  Buryfield  Farm,  about  a  mile  to  the  north. 


FTSHF8    AND    FISHING.  23 1 

by  the  side  of  the  road  leading  from  Leyton  to  As- 
sembly Row.  In  the  island  pond  there  were,  and 
probably  are,  a  great  quantity  of  mussels  of  an  im- 
mense size ;  and  in  a  pond  near,  the  neighbours  say, 
was  found  an  oyster  alive !  The  surplus  of  water 
from  the  great  pond  runs  into  a  convenient  receptacle, 
on  the  right  side  of  the  road  to  Leyton,  which  supplies 
the  neighbourhood  with  water ;  thence  the  super- 
abundance passes  across  the  road,  under  an  arch,  to 
an  immense  water-cress  bed,  and  thence  into  a  branch 
of  the  River  Lea.  It  is  probable  there  are  fine  eels 
in  these  ponds.  - 

Curious  circumstances  occur  to  anglers,  or  are  seen 
by  them.  Dr.  Gillespie  relates,  that  he  saw  a  swallow 
from  above,  and  a  trout  from  below,  both  pounce 
upon  the  same  June  fly ;  down  came  the  swallow, 
and  up  came  the  open  mouth  of  the  trout,  into  which 
in  pursuit  of  his  prey,  the  swallow  pitched  his  head  : 
the  struggle  was  not  long,  but  severe ;  the  swallow 
was  once  or  twice  nearly  immersed  in  the  water, 
wingk^and  all,  before  he  disentangled  himself  from 
the  sharp  teeth  of  the  trout.  Both  bird  and  fish  must 
have  been  much  frightened  at  the  encounter. 
(Scrope's  *'  Tweed.") 

A  gentleman,  fishing  with  live  May-flies  in  the 
Wye,  and  having  one  on  his  hook,  went  into  an  inn 
on  the  roadside,  leaving  his  rod  on  the  outside ;  a 


? 


232  FTSHK9    AND   FISHING. 

fine  dimgliill  cock  took  a  fancy  to  the  fly,  and  became 
hooked  in  the  soft  part  of  his  beak ;  feeling  the  hook, 
the  cock  moved  from  the  spot ;  in  doing  so  he  pulled 
the  rod  down,  with  which  he  was  running  away  in 
great  alarm ;  the  angler,  seeing  his  rod  departing, 
gave  chase,  regained  the  hold  of  his  rod,  when  the 
cock  mounted  into  the  air,  and  was  with  great  diffi- 
culty brought  down  and  secured. 

At  Hampton  Ait,  on  which  ducks  are  generally 
kept,  I  have  seen  them  take  a  gudgeon  with  the 
hooks  which  had  been  left  outside  by  some  angler, 
who  had  been  spinning  or  trolling ;  in  most  cases 
the  duck  was  killed  by  it,  and  often  the  tackle  much 
injured,  through  the  carelessness  of  the  angler. 

A  boy  named  Donaldson,  belonging  to  Coldstream, 
while  fishing  very  lately  fur  trout,  in  the  Chapel 
stream,  below  Tweed  Mill,  with  a  worm  as  a  bait, 
caught  a  mussel  four  inches  long,  and  two  broad, 
which  was  found  to  contain  no  less  than  forty  fine 
pearls  of  different  sizes ;  some  of  the  pearls  are  thought 
to  be  worth  ten  shillings  each.  The  day  before,  the 
same  boy  hooked  and  landed  a  fine  clean  salmon, 
eight  pounds  weight,  with  trout  tackle. — "Border 
Advertiser." 

Oppian  speaks  of  the  nacre ;  this  shell  fish  is  a 
species  of  mussel,  and  furnishes  mother-of-pearl.  A 
little  fish  of  the  crab  genus  resides  within  the  sh.ell 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  233 

of  the  nacre,  and  the  above  Greek  poet  treats  the 
connexion  as  a  sort  of  partnership  for  obtaining  food. 
These  mussels  were  called  by  the  Greeks  pinnae,  and 
the  small  fish  that  lived  in  the  same  domicile  pin- 
natores   and  pinnophylax.       The  nacre,  to  prevent 
itself  from  being  driven  about  by  the  motion  of  the 
sea,  spins  a  quantity  of  long  silken  fibres,  which  it 
attaches  to  rocks,   or  any  substance,  even  the  sand. 
These  fish  are  about  a  foot  long,  but  have  sometimes 
attained  the  length  of  two  feet ;  they  were  formerly 
much  sought  after,  in  order  to  obtain  the  silky  fibres, 
which  being  spun  into  threads,   were  manufactured 
into  a  variety  of  articles  of  dress.    The  common  mussel 
sends  out  a  number  of  filaments,  and  by  the  observa- 
tions of  Eeaumur,  those  filaments  are  for  the  same 
purpose  of  fixing  itself  to  some  solid  substance.     On 
opening  mussels  a  little  bunch  of  green  fibres  are 
discovered,  these  are  the  parts  produced  by  the  fish, 
whereby  it  keeps  itself  upright ;  and  these  fibres,  if 
not  extracted  before  the  fish  be  eaten,  are  very  dan- 
gerous to  the  health,  because  the  other  portions  of  the 
fish  easily  digest,  leaving  a  mass  of  these  fibrous  sub- 
stances, being  indigestible,  to  accumulate  together  by 
the  motion  of  the  stomach,  producing  in  a  strong  con- 
stitution considerable  disturbance,  and  in  a  person  of 
very  delicate  habit  of  body,  dangerous  and  even  fatal 
conse(juencee.      For  some  of  this  information  I  aui 


234  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

obliged  to  the  "  Pennj^  Cyclopaedia,"  the  "  Penny 
Magazine,"  the  researches  of  a  friend  visiting  the 
British  Museum,  and  my  own  references  to  Oppian's 
"  Halieuticks.'* 

At  Uxhridge,  by  putting  up  at  the  Crown  and 
Cushion,  or  at  the  White  Horse,  and  taking  your 
refreshment  there,  you  could,  a  few  years  ago,  angle 
in  the  Colne  ;  but  you  had  to  pay  for  the  trout  you 
took  away,  fish  ten  to  twelve  inches,  two  shillings  a 
pound;  twelve  to  eighteen  inches,  half-a-crown  a 
pound. 

About  two  miles  from  Uxbridge  is  a  small  village, 
called  Yewsly,  and  I  am  told  that  the  landlord  of 
the  "  Tkout  "  there  can  give  his  customers  permission 
to  angle.  I  think  this  must  be  the  village,  a  little 
to  the  right  of  the  West  Drayton  Station,  where  there 
is  a  very  comfortable  house  bearing  that  sign,  with 
good  accommodation  and  moderate  charges;  the 
angler  pays  one  shilling  for  his  day's  angling.  I  am 
told  there  is  good  angling  at  the  place  you  are  taken 
to,  some  little  distance  across  the  railroad,  if  the 
weather  be  appropriate ;  but  I  was  not  fortunate  in 
having  a  favourable  day,  and  I  have  not  been  there 
since. 

The  Rivee  Brent  runs  at  the  back  of  the  Coach 
and  Horses,  at  Han  well,  and  there  are,  it  is  said,  very 
deep  holes,  containing  large  bream. 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  235 

The  Riyer  Mole  has  innumerable  sources,  derived 
from  small  springs,  which  form  rivulets,  that  by  ac- 
cumulation swell  into  a  river.  One  of  these  rivulets 
rises  on  Colley  Moor,  not  far  from  Cole  Harbour,  and 
meandering  in  its  course,  swells  into  a  large  pond, 
near  the  Evelyn  Arms,  at  Wotton,  which  pond  for- 
merly belonged  to  the  monks  of  Chertsey  Abbey,  and 
is  believed  to  have  been  one  of  their  reservoirs  for 
fish,  probably  for  carp,  because  that  fish  was,  it 
is  believed,  introduced  into  England  not  more  than 
fifty  years  before  the  suppression  of  this  Abbey,  and 
being  considered  a  luxury,  there  can  be  little  doubt 
but  these  monks  took  care  to  enjoy  it.  This  pond  is 
above  a  mile  in  length,  but  full  of  weeds ;  it  com- 
municates with  another  large  pond,  by  a  continuation 
of  the  rivulet,  which  last  pond  forms  a  mill-head  for 
Wescot  Mill.  All  the  different  little  streams  I  men- 
tion unite  into  a  considerable  river,  and  approach 
Boxhill,  where  it  sinks  into  clefts  of  chalk,  like  as 
through  a  sieve ;  this  river  was  formerly  called  the 
Biver  Swallow.  In  1670,  by  the  highway  side,  a 
great  quantity  of  earth  fell  down  from  the  side  of  the 
hill,  and  discovered  a  pit  thirty  feet  deep,  and  at 
the  bottom  the  water  could  be  seen  running.  On  the 
other  side  of  Boxhill,  next  to  Leatherhead,  the  river 
appears  to  spring  out  of  the  ground,  in  a  greater  or  less 
quantity,  according  to  the  wetness  or  dryness  of  the 
season. 


238  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

The  EivER  Wandle  has,  or  formerly  had,  several 
(lifFerent  species  of  trout.  There  was  at  Hackbridge 
a  small  kind,  which  never  grew  to  a  large  size  ; 
they  were  very  numerous,  and  rose  at  any  small  fly. 
The  trout  in  the  whole  of  the  Croydon  branch  are 
dark  in  colour,  the  flesh  white,  and  not  well  fla- 
voured ;  whilst  those  from  the  other,  the  Carshalton 
branch,  are  larger  in  size,  thicker,  and  broader  in 
proportion  to  length,  beautiful  in  appearance,  seeming 
as  if  covered  with  a  thick  coat  of  yellow  varnish,  show 
great  sport  when  hooked ;  their  flesh  is  red,  and  I  was 
told  by  a  distinguished  personage,  to  whom  I  had  the 
honour  of  presenting  a  leash,  weighing  above  seven 
pounds,  that  he  had  seen  and  tasted  trout  in  every 
part  of  England,  and  in  many  places  on  the  conti- 
nent, but  never  saw  any  so  handsome,  or  tasted  any 
so  good  before.  I  certainly  adopted  the  means  to 
keep  them  good.  I  killed  them  as  soon  as  taken,  and 
packed  them  in  nettles.  The  same  eulogy  was  passed 
on  these  fish  by  the  late  Duke  of  Wellington,  to 
whom  I  had  the  pleasure  of  presenting  some  of  these 
fish,  on  several  of  the  anniversaries  of  his  birth. 

I  have  always  found  the  proprietors  of  the  private 
waters  on  this  river,  with  one  or  two  exceptions, 
very  kindly  disposed  to  anglers  of  respectability.  One 
of  the  exceptions  was  Mr.  William  Gee,  who  resided 
at  Beddington  Park,  as   the  steward  of  his  brother. 


FISHES   AND    flSHING.  239 

and  ostensibly  the  owner  of  it.  An  anecdote  is  told> 
and  I  believe  it  of  him,  that  Mr.  Scott,  when  Attor- 
ney-General, wrote  a  note  to  Mr.  Gee  : — "  Mr.  Attor- 
ney-General presents  his  compliments  to  Mr.  Gee, 
and  will  feel  obliged  to  Mr.  Gee,  if  he  will  gire  Mr. 
Attorney-General  a  day's  fishing  in  Beddington 
Park.'*  To  which  the  following  answer  was  re- 
turned :  "  Mr.  Gee's  compliments  to  Mr.  Attorney- 
General,  and  if  he  was  Lord  Chancellor,  he  would 
not  give  him  a  day's  fishing  in  Beddington  Park." 

It  is  singular  that  this,  and  other  immense  property 
formerly  belonging  to  the  monks,  was  obtained  by  a 
courtier  from  Henry  VIII. ;  that  this  courtier  then 
was  detected  in  conspiring  with  Cardinal  Pole  to  re- 
establish the  Catholic  religion,  was  punished  by 
decapitation,  and  forfeiture  of  his  estates.  His  son 
proved  himself  to  Mary  so  good  a  Catholic,  who  had 
not  only  lost  his  father  by  that  father's  attachment 
to  the  "  true  religion,"  but  also  had  been  reduced  to 
beggary  in  consequence,  that  she  granted  to  him 
above  thirty  manors  in  Surrey,  and  other  counties, 
together  with  advowsons,  &c.,  a  copy  of  which  grant 
I  have.  When  Elizabeth  became  queen,  he  professed 
himself  to  her  a  most  zealous  protestant^  and  by  his 
courtly,  insinuating  manners,  and  good  personal 
appearance,  induced  the  virgin  queen  to  honour  him 
with  a  visit  at  Beddington,  during  a  day  or  two  at  a 


240  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

time.  When  James  came  to  the  throne,  this  man 
shuffled  off,  and  finally  and  totally  evaded  the  pay- 
ment of  a  fee-farm  rent  for  part  of  his  estate.  Having 
no  heirs,  he  contrived  to  get  his  nephew  into  the 
property  at  his  death ;  the  line  failed  again  in  the 
person  of  a  descendant  of  this  nephew,  who  left  it  by 
will  to  many  reversioners  in  succession,  provided  that 
the  park,  gardens,  house,  furniture,  paintings,  plate, 
&c.,  should  be  preserved  as  heir  looms  for  ever ;  the 
second  of  these  reversioners  was  the  brother  of  Wil- 
liam Gee,  whose  wife  managed  to  induce  the  next 
reversioner,  but  who  was  led  to  believe  he  was  very 
distant,  to  sell  his  birthright  for,  comparatively,  a 
mess  of  pottage.  Mrs.  W.  Gee  obtained  a  will  in  her 
favour,  from  her  brother-in-law,  who  devised  to  her 
all  his  real  and  personal  estate,  under  which,  amongst 
other  things,  she  took  this  park,  &c. ;  and  it  would 
have  been  a  curious  coincidence  if  the  crown  had 
asserted  a  right  to  the  property  (in  consequence  of 
failure  of  heirs  male,  to  whom  it  was  limited)  and  the 
subject  had  gone  before  John  Scott,  Lord  High 
Chancellor,  formerly  Mr.  Attorney- General,  to  whom 
Gee  would  not  give  a  day's  fishing. 

Mrs.  Gee  died,  and  left  this  park  and  estate  to  an 
alien  in  blood,  and  name.  What  has  become  of  the 
plate,  paintings,  and  other  heir-looms  I  do  not  know, 
but  suppose  they  must  be  where  they  ought  to  be. 


PISHES    AND   FISHING.  241 

By  law  I  learn,  they  are  not  liable  to  the  debts  of  the 
tenant  for  life. 

In  the  canal  whose  end  faces  Beddington  House, 
I  have  seen  trout  as  long  as  a  small  hedge  stake,  and 
almost  as  thin ;  this  arises  from  the  want  of  more 
water  running  through  it,  which  could  be  easily 
effected,  and  would  bring  more  food  for  the  half- 
starved  fish  ;  another  evil  is,  the  quantity  of  decaying 
vegetable  matter  constantly  falling  into  it  from  the 
leaves  of  the  surrounding  trees,  (which  should  be 
carefully  swept  up,  and  burned) ;  every  alternate  tree 
ought  to  be  cut  down,  the  fish  taken  out  of  the  canal, 
and  preserved,  whilst  it  was  emptied  and  completely 
cleansed,  then  there  might  be  trout  in  it  as  large  as 
in  the  upper  pool  at  Carshalton ;  but  they  would 
never  be  as  good,  being  altogether  a  different  species 
of  fish. 

I  once  caught  a  trout,  just  by  the  arch  which  lets 
the  water  from  the  upper  to  the  lower  pool  in  Car- 
shalton town,  by  letting  down  a  hook  baited  with  a 
worm.  I  had  great  difficulty  in  keeping  him  out  of 
the  arch,  but  landed  him  where  horses  and  carriages 
used  to  pass  through  the  pool,  and  he  weighed  six 
pounds.  And  I  saw  one  at  Mr.  Curtis' s,  Paper- 
roaker,  lower  down  that  branch  of  the  river,  in  a 
sort  of  pound,  where  he  was  constantly  fed,  and 
weighed  twelve  pounds.     It  was  intended  that  he 

E 


242  FISHES    AND    FiSHING. 

should  grace  the  dinner  table  on  the  day  the  son 
attained  his  majority. 

The  regular  season  for  angling  with  a  fly,  and  that 
is  the  only  bait  allowed  in  the  private  waters  of  the 
Wandle,  is,  from  the  first  of  May  to  the  fifteenth  of 
September ;  the  same  as  in  the  Hampshire  and  other 
trout  rivers.  And,  upon  one  card  of  admission  sent  to 
me,  for  the  then  Mr.  Ansell's  Printing  Ground,  it  is 
requested,  that  no  fish  be  killed  under  half  a  pound 
weight.  Now  this  I  consider  is  too  small ;  and  it 
would  be  better  to  permit  none  to  be  taken  under  the 
size  directed  by  1  Eliz.,  cap.  17,  viz.  not  less  than 
eight  inches  from  the  eye  to  the  end  of  the  flesh,  in 
the  middle  of  the  tail ;  and  a  well-fed  fish  of  that 
size  wiU  weigh  three  quarters  of  a  pound. 

Some  of  the  trout  in  this  river  come  into  season 
the  latter  end  of  March  or  the  beginning  of  April ; 
the  late  Sir  Anthony  Carlisle  shewed  me  two  or  three 
brace,  which  he  had  then,  the  middle  of  March,  taken 
in  Mr.  AnselPs  water,  and  they  appeared,  to  the  eye, 
in  very  good  condition. 

Trout  fishing  in  Wales,  Cumberland,  and  West- 
moreland, begins  two  months  before  it  does  in  Kent, 
Surrey,  Middlesex,  and  Hampshire ;  in  these  latter 
four  counties,  the  season  is  from  the  first  of  May  to 
the  first  of  September,  in  some  streams,  and  to  the 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  243 

tenth  or  fifteenth,  in  others.      In  the  Test  to  the 
last-mentioned  day. 

Trout  are  taken  in  the  Thames  in  March ;  but  they 
are  valueless  as  food,  and  no  person  ought  to  he  al- 
lowed, either  with  fly,  or  spinning  a  gudgeon,  dace,  or 
bleak,  to  take  them  until  the  Ist  of  May;  and  it  is 
illegal  to  take  them  after  the  13th  of  September.  In 
the  Tweed,  the  salmon  fishing  ends  the  15th,  and  in 
the  Severn,  the  17th  of  September. 

In  the  "Globe"  of  12th  Sept.,  1854,  it  is  stated 
under  the  head  "  Severn  fish,  Mr.  Lloyd  took  between 
Cound  lane  and  Coppice  head,  last  week,  two  salmon, 
one  six  pounds,  and  the  other  twenty-two  pounds,  in 
prime  condition ;  nine  and  a  half  brace  of  perch ;  four 
and  a  half  brace  of  trout ;  and  six  and  a  half  brace  of 
greyling.'* — Copied  from  the^'ShrewsburyChronicle." 

Near  Shrewsbury j  Ludlow,  Cundover,  and  Wem, 
there  are  salmon,  salmon  trout,  trout,  grayling,  sal- 
mon fry,  gravlings,  or  gravel  last  springs,  or  samp- 
sons  ;  these  last  being  young  salmon,  should  not  be 
taken  under  a  heavy  penalty,  being,  no  doubt,  identi- 
cal with  the  skegger  of  the  Thames,  and  the  scegger 
of  the  Mersey.  In  the  Clun  Water  there  are  some 
barren  trout,  which  are  in  season  all  the  year,  accord- 
ing to  Taylor.  Have  these  barren  trout  ever  been 
examined  by  a  competent  naturalist,  as  to  their 
sexual  character  ? 

E  2 


244  FISHES   AKD    T■1SHI^-G. 

SoMEESETSHiRE. — At  Glastonburj,  in  the  Brent, 
where  it  forms  a  large  lake,  the  Yeovil,  the  Brue,  the 
Parrat,  the  Tone,  the  Axe,  and  many  other  rivulets, 
there  are  trout,  particularly  near  Ilchester,  Prome, 
Pethorton,  Langport,  Taunton,  Dunster,  also  at  Mit- 
ford,  three  or  four  miles  above  Bath.  In  most  parts 
of  this  county  the  trout  are  small,  but  plentiful,  and 
of  good  flavour;  but  at  Milton,  near  Bruton,  the 
stream  is  slow,  and  the  mode  of  fishing  will  not  suit 
a  fly-fisher,  as  I  before  mentioned,  being  float-fish- 
ing; and  the  fish  are  dark,  and  not  pleasant  as 
food. 

Surrey. — The  Wandle,  the  Mole,  and  the  Thames, 
contain  trout  in  abundance. 

Yorkshire. — Its  rivers  and  waters  are  well  stocked 
with  fish.  In  the  East  Riding,  a  small  but  rapid 
stream,  called  Duffield,  or  Drielfid  Beck,  has  trout, 
few  less  than  two  pounds,  and  frequently  they  are 
taken  five  to  six  pounds  each.  About  six  miles 
from  Sheffield,  there  are  abundance  of  trout.  I  have 
never  had  the  advantage  of  angling  in  North,  or 
South  Wales ;  but  I  am  assured  by  several  of  my 
friends,  natives  of  that  part  of  the  kingdom,  that  a 
trout  angler  cannot  fail  of  finding  sport  in  every  stream 
of  that  principality.  A  few  observations  on  the  fish 
of  some  of  its  waters  may  be  acceptable : — 

The    Dee,    in    Merionethshire,   passes   through 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  245 

Pemble  Mere ;  and  it  is  a  curious  fact,  that  though 
the  Dee  abounds  with  salmon,  and  the  lake  with  a 
much-esteemed  fish  called  guiniad,  yet  no  salmon  are 
taken  in  the  lake,  nor  any  guiniad  in  the  river.     A 
description  of  this  rare  fish,  and  its  habits,  from  an 
old  author,  may  not  prove  uninteresting.     It  is  be- 
lieved to  be  the  Ferra  of  Rondelatius ;  the  Alhula 
Salmonisimilis  oi^i\\o\i^\ihY  \  called  by  the  Welsh, 
from  the  whiteness  of  its  body,  guiniad,   signifying 
something  like  whiting  in  English.      Its  shape  is  not 
much  unlike  that  of  a   salmon  ;  length  twelve  or 
thirteen  inches  ;  back  of  a  dusky  colour,  belly  white  ; 
tlie  scales  of  a  middle  size ;  upper  jaw  a  little  longer 
than  the  lower,  the  mouth  like  that  of  a  herring.     It 
generally  lies  at  the  bottom,  amongst  water  gladiol ;  a 
plant  peculiar  to  these  mountain  lakes.     It  is  in  sea- 
son in  summer ;  the  flesh  is  white,  the  taste  like  that 
of  trout ;  it  is  esteemed  because  it  is  a  rarity.     It  is 
also  found  in  Lake  Leman,  near  Geneva,  among  the 
Alps.     Another  old  author  says,  they  are  found  in 
the  same  lakes  and  waters  as  the  gilt  char ;  also  in 
some  northern  rivers.     They  spawn  in  December, 
previous  to  which  they  force  themselves  up  the  most 
rapid  streams,  advancing  in  two  ranges  and  forming 
in  front  an  acute  angle,  led  by  a  single  fish.     This 
author  says  their  flesh  is  insipid,  and  must  be  eaten 
as  soon  as  caught ;  same  baits  as  for  trout.     From 


246  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

this  it  may  be  inferred,  that  the  guiniad  does  not  take 
a  bait  in  the  river,  or  the  salmon  in  the  lake ;  and 
probably  this  may  account  for  the  vulgar  error  of  the 
river  Dee  passing  through  the  lake,  without  any  ad- 
mixture of  the  two  waters.  Eut  it  is  evident  that 
the  water  of  the  river  is  not  inimical  to  them,  but 
the  contrary,  as  they  go  up  the  river  to  spawn.  The 
difference  of  opinion,  as  to  their  flavour,  may  be  ac- 
counted for  by  one  person  having  anticipated  tasting 
a  fish  of  superlative  delicacy,  and  finding  that,  like 
most  anticipations  of  pleasure  in  this  world,  it  was 
not  carried  out  by  the  reality.  "Whereas,  another 
person  tastes  them  as  being  a  rarity,  having  fallen  in 
his  way,  without  thinking  previously  about  them ; 
and  to  him  they  are  palatable  and  pleasant. 

Beecknockshiee. — About  the  middle  of  the  county, 
I  think,  near  Brecknock,  there  is  a  large  piece  of 
water,  which  was  formerly,  and  may  be  now,  so 
overstocked,  that  people  about  there  say,  there  are 
two-thirds  water,  and  one-third  fish ;  but  of  what 
species,  I  am  ignorant ;  they  may  be  worthless  Cru- 
cian carp,  or  the  useless  hybrid  that  swarm  in  the 
Serpentine. 

Caemaethenshiee. — In  the  Gwili,  down  to  Aber- 
gwilly,  and  thence  to  its  junction  with  the  Toway, 
there  is,  I  am  informed,  plenty  of  trout ;  and  in  the 
latter  river  there  are  fish   of  the  trout  genus,  called 


FISHES    AND    FISHING,  247 

sewen  or  seuen.  Hofland  thinks  these  are  the  sea 
trout,  or  whitling  of  Scotland ;  and  the  white  trout 
of  England  and  Ireland.  They  are  taken  with  a 
gaudy  fly ;  weiglit  from  two  to  six  pounds.  He  says 
they  are  more  round  and  thicker  than  the  salmon ; 
and  is  of  opinion,  that  the  Fordwich  trout,  of  the 
Stour,  near  Canterbury,  are  the  same  species ;  but 
these  latter  trout  seldom,  if  indeed  ever,  it  is  said, 
take  a  bait. 

In  June,  1823,  I  arrived  with  a  friend,  late  one 
Sunday  evening,  at  the  chief  inn  of  Wells  by  the 
Sea,  Norfolk ;  it  was  a  damp,  chilly  evening,  we  had 
been  travelling  all  day  through  the  most  wild  part 
of  the  county;  so  much  so,  indeed  was  it,  that  on  a 
heath  or  common,  where  there  were  many  tracks,  our 
post-boy  stopped  the  chaise,  and  absolutely  mounted 
its  roof  to  look  out  for  a  steeple;  so  it  might  be  really 
and  truly  said  we  were  steepU  chasing.  In  such  a 
part  of  the  county,  as  might  naturally  be  supposed, 
we  had  obtained  only  very  meagre  refreshment ; 
and  on  arriving  at  our  hostelry,  we  enquired  what  we 
could  have  for  supper.  Amongst  other  things,  we 
were  told,  they  had  poultry,  and  some  sea  trout,  said 
to  be  just  caught,  which  were  brought  to  us ;  they 
looked  fresh,  and  like  small  salmon ;  they  were 
cooked  and  brought  to  table  ;  but  on  tasting,  we  si- 
multaneously  sent  away  our  plates — for  of  all  the 


248  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

Specimens  of  the  finny  tribe  I  ever  lasted,  these  were 
the  very  worst ;  if  herrings,  sprats,  and  bad  trout 
had  been  mixed  to  compose  them,  they  could  not 
have  been  more  disgusting. 

I  enquired  how  they  were  caught,  and  found  it  was 
by  a  long  net,  to  each  end  of  which  a  horse  with  a 
rider  was  attached.  In  some  parts  near  the  beacli, 
where  the  sand  was  low,  near  the  shore,  the  tide 
flowed  in  round  it  more  rapidly  than  on  the  high 
bank  further  out,  and  the  fish  came  with  the  water 
into  that  low  part.  When  the  persons  accustomed  to 
the  sport  saw  it  was  the  proper  time,  the  horses 
separated,  one  on  each  side  of  the  flowing  tide,  with 
the  net  swiftly  sweeping  the  water  of  all  the  fish  that 
had  come  in,  the  horses  being  put  to  a  gallop.  The 
reason  was,  that  these  sands  are  something  like  those 
of  the  Goodwin,  and  those  on  the  Somersetshire  side 
of  tlie  Bristol  Channel,  and  many  other  places  ;  they 
become  a  species  of  quicksand  as  soon  as  the  tide 
flows. 

Referring  again  to  the  river  "Wandle,  myself  and 
several  of  my  friends  used  to  go,  in  the  middle  of 
summer,  in  the  afternoon,  to  this  river,  have  the 
evening  fishing  till  late,  go  to  the  Duke's  Head,  Wal- 
lington,  where  we  always  found,  by  sending  a  letter 
beforehand,  a  comfortable  supper  and  bed ;  and  could 
leave  our  rod  and  line,  with  the  fly  on  which  we 


FISHES   AND    FISHIKG.  249 

intended  to  use  in  the  morning,  in  a  large  room,  and 
let  ourselves  out  at  any  hour  we  pleased ;  as  there 
were  several  parts  of  the  river  which,  to  be  successful, 
must  be  fished  before,  or  as  soon  as  break  of  day.  I 
had  acquired  a  habit  of  always  awaking  at  any  hour 
I  pleased.  I  was  to  have  accompanied  a  friend  of 
mine  one  afternoon,  but  was  prevented  by  some  cause 
which  I  forget,  and  he  went  by  himself.  The  fol- 
lowing morning  was  cloudy,  yet  there  was  a  moon, 
not  visible.  He  awoke,  thought  it  was  the  day 
breaking,  could  not  see  the  hour  by  his  watch,  hur- 
ried on  his  clothes,  and  walked  quickly  up  to  a  piece 
of  water  above  Beddington  Park.  As  he  was  going 
round  Beddington  churchyard  wall,  he  heard  a  slight 
rustling  noise,  and  at  the  same  moment  saw  some- 
thing moving,  of  a  light  colour,  upon  the  top  of  a 
tombstone  ;  just  then  the  church  clock  struck  one,  a 
horrible  unearthly  scream  sounded  from  the  spot 
where  the  moving  figure  was,  and  away  flew  the 
screamer — a  screech  owl!  My  friend  had  to  walk 
about  for  an  hour  and  a-half,  before  there  was  a 
chance  for  him  to  use  his  fly  with  advantage,  as 
he  had  shut  himself  out  of  his  inn  by  the  spring 
lock.  Some  timid  persons  in  that  neighbourhood 
have  believed  this  churchyard  to  be  haunted ;  but  my 
friend  most  certainly  saw  the  substantial  gh^st  which 
had  frightened  many. 


250  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

About  half  way  between  Chertsey  Bridge  and 
Lalebam,  in  the  Thames,  there  is  a  spot  called  the 
Kocks  J  they  appear  as  if  large  masses  of  the  bank  had 
been  excavated,  and  fallen  over  into  very  deep  water, 
some  of  the  irregular  parts  being,  when  the  water  is 
low,  only  a  foot,  or  even  less,  under  the  surface, 
whilst  around  probably  the  water  is  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet  deep.  With  a  long  light  rod,  a  fresh 
wind  at  the  angler's  back,  a  long  blow  line,  and  the 
hook  baited  with  a  natural  stone  or  other  fly,  or  a 
grasshopper,  often  from  the  Surrey  side,  many  large 
chub  were  taken  ;  but  of  late  years  that  part  called 
Laleham  borough  is  enclosed,  and  I  do  not  know  if 
the  Thames  can  now  be  reached  in  that  part,  at  least 
certainly  not  without  permission  of  the  owner  of  the 
land. 

My  family  had  lodgings  at  Chertsey  in  the  autumn 
of  1826,  and  I  went  on  a  Saturday,  and  returned  on 
the  Monday  evening,  or  Tuesday  morning.  I  had 
taken  an  acquaintance  with  me  on  one  occasion,  and 
on  the  Sunday  night  I  told  him  that  the  fisherman 
whom  I  employed  was  going  with  me  to  net  a  piece 
of  backwater,  where  we  expected  to  find  some  pike. 
At  six  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  went  to  the  scene 
of  action.  1  gave  my  visitor  the  cork  line  to  pay 
over  the  side  of  the  punt,  and  I  did  the  same  with 
the  lead  line,  whilst  the  fisherman  made  the  circuit 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  251 

with  the  boat :  my  companion  begged  me  to  stop  a 
moment,  till  he  put  on  his  gloves,  and,  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  fisherman  and  myself,  he  put  on  a  pair 
of  kid  gloves,  but  little  soiled  ;  they  soon,  however, 
became  too  dirty  ever  to  be  cleaned,  so  he  left  them 
in  the  punt ;  and  when  we  had  finished  our  sport, 
went  to  the  inn,  washed  his  hands,  had  some  rum  or 
brandy  and  milk,  put  on  a  clean  pair  of  kid  gloves  to 
walk  home  to  breakfast.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  taking 
with  me  a  leash  of  good  pike,  or  rather  jack,  for  nei- 
ther of  them  attained  four  pounds,  therefore  were  not 
pike.  The  fisherman,  who  did  not  know  the  gentle- 
man's name,  used  often  to  inquire  after  him,  as  the 
gentleman  who  wore  gloves  when  he  went  netting  ; 
and  we  often  laughed  at  the  occurrence,  till  the  death 
of  the  poor  young  man  stayed  any  mirthful  recollec- 
tions of  him. 

The  navigation  of  the  Thames  is,  as  I  before  ob- 
served, most  materially  altered  for  the  better,  as  to 
the  traffic,  and,  I  presume,  also  for  the  increase  of 
the  City  funds,  but  to  the  complete  destruction  of  the 
Thames  fishery  for  salmon,  by  the  ill-judged  forma- 
tion of  the  weirs.  Formerly,  within  my  recollection, 
there  was  no  lock  before  you  reached  Boulter's  Lock, 
near  Taplow,  about  fifty-four  miles  by  water  from 
London  Bridge ;  and  in  very  dry  summers  the  pas- 
sage of  barges,  particularly  those  called  west  country 


252  FISHES   A2?D    FISHING. 

barges,  which  were  of  double  the  tonnage  of  the 
others,  was  very  difficult ;  I  have  seen  eighteen  horses 
or  more  employed  to  draw  one  up  against  the  then 
rapid  stream.  The  number  of  locks  and  weirs  since 
then  erected  by  the  City  are  five  or  six ;  but  what  the 
tolls  taken  by  the  corporation  amount  to,  is  probably 
only  known  to  their  own  officers. 

It  is  not  much  above,  if  so  much  as  an  hundred 
years  ago,  since  men  were  employed  to  tow  barges 
up  the  river  Thames ;  amongst  the  cosmoramic  views 
at  the  Polytechnic,  there  used  to  be  one  of  Windsor 
Castle,  with  several  men  towing  a  barge.  How  they 
managed  in  flood  time  I  cannot  imagine  ;  the  barges 
frequently  could  not  work  before  the  erection  of  the 
locks ;  sometimes  there  was  too  much  water,  and 
sometimes  too  little ;  during  floods,  many  horses  and 
some  of  their  drivers  were  occasionally  drowned  ;  and 
in  summer  barges  were  often  aground,  and  could  not 
move  before  a  quantity  of  water,  which  was  penned 
back  at  Boulter's  Lock,  was  suddenly  let  down,  and 
this  was  called  a  ^^  fiashP  It  always  came  down  of 
a  Sunday  afternoon,  and  sometimes  also  on  a  Thurs- 
day, when  the  craft  that  were  aground  floated,  and 
all  was  bustle  and  hurry  to  get  down  or  up  the  river. 
I  have,  when  a  boy,  walked  down  to  Sunbury,  on 
purpose  to  have  a  ride  home  in  the  barge  belonging 
to  a  relative :  the  burthen  of  the  barge  was  stated  as 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  253 

being  forty-five  tons,  and  with  only  thirty-five  tons 
in,  and  ten  horses  to  draw  the  barge,  I  have  felt  her 
grate  on  the  gravel  in  going  over  the  site  of  Coway 
stakes,  just  above  Walton  Bridge,  where  it  is  asserted 
Julius  Caesar  crossed  the  Thames,  when  he  left  his 
camp  on  St.  George's  hills,  the  trenches  of  which  were 
quite  visible  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago. 

Dr.  Battie  was  the  person  who  caused  horses  to  be 
used  instead  of  men,  to  tow  barges  on  the  Thames, 
which  so  offended  the  men  who  were  thus  employed, 
that  they  attempted  once  to  throw  him  over  Marlow 
Bridge ;  but  he  placed  his  wig  wrong  side  in  front, 
and  acted  Punch  to  them  so  irresistibly  and  hu- 
morously, that  they  let  him  escape;  after  which,  he 
always  carried  pistols.  He  lost  £1,500  by  the  spe- 
culation, j 

A  horse  can  draw  horizontally,  770lbs ;  a  man  can 
draw  llOlbs. ;  therefore,  it  requires  seven  men  to 
produce  a  tractile  power  equal  to  one  horse ;  now,  as 
that  time  fifteen  to  twenty  horses  were  necessary  to 
tow  a  large  barge  up  against  the  stream  then  existing, 
it  would  take  from  105  to  140  men  to  tow  a  barge  up, 
and  then  they  could  only  work  whilst  the  river  was 
confined  within  its  banks. 

He  cured  a  young  gentleman  of  quinsey  by  acting 
Punch  in  the  same  way,  which  gave  rise  to  the  fol- 
lowing lines : — 


254  FISHES    AND    FISHING.  ^ 

'*  And  he  who  lately  in  a  learned  freak, 
Poached  every  lexicon,  and  published  Greek, 
Still  madly  emulous  of  vulgar  praise, 
From  Punch's  forehead  wrings  the  dirty  bays."* 

William  Battie,  M.D.,  bora  1704.  Intended  for 
the  law,  settled  at  TJxbridge,  in  a  medical  capacity. 
After,  was  physician  to  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  which 
he  resigned  in  1764:  died,  in  June,  1776.  Buried, 
Kingston-on-Thames. — "  Kugae  Chirurgicae."  By 
W.  Wadd,  F.R.C.S.L.  Nichols  and  Son,  25,  Parlia- 
ment Street,  1824. 

Towage  on  the  Thames  by  horses  is  very  expensive ; 
and  I  suggested  the  idea,  about  ten  years  ago,  of 
towing  two  or  more  barges  at  once,  by  means  of 
steam ;  but  for  this  purpose,  I  was  aware  that  com- 
mon steam  tugs  would  be  objectionable,  as  the  great 
disturbance  of  the  water  by  the  paddle  wheels  on 
their  sides,  would  injure  the  banks  in  the   upper 
portions  of  the  river,  and  I  was  informed  that  though 
the  screw  had  great  propelling  power,  its  tractile  power 
was  found  insufficient.     I  therefore  made  drawings 
of  a  steam  tug  with  a  large  wheel  in  the  centre,  and 
made  a  model  of  a  vessel  of  the  description,   with 
great  power,  which  would  answer  the  purpose,  with- 
out any  lateral  wash  affecting  the  banks,  whereby 
two  or  more  barges  could  be  towed  up  the  river  with 
greater  celerity,  and  at  less  than  half  the  expense.    I 
'  Professional  Anecdotes.     Knight  and  Lacey,  1825. 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  255 

entered  a  caveat  preparatory  to  taking  out  a  patent ; 
but,  owing  to  my  professional  engagements,  I  did  not 
proceed  with  it.  I  think  the  plan  would  answer 
well  for  the  Thames,  and  if  modified  in  point  of  size, 
for  canals  also. 

Since  the  construction  of  this  model,  a  company 
started  steam  tugs  on  the  Thames  with,  as  it  was 
said,  improved  paddles  at  the  sides ;  but  they  occa- 
sioned very  great  damage  to  the  banks  above  Ted- 
dington,  and  from  that  cause,  I  believe,  this  method 
of  drawing  barges  against  the  stream  has  been  some 
time  discontinued. 

I  said  that  the  construction  of  the  weirs,  as  directed 
by  the  City  of  London,  were  ill-judged ;  a  legal  friend 
tells  me  that  by  17th  Eichard  II.,  cap.  9,  the  jus- 
tices of  the  peace  are  to  make  diligent  search,  and 
see  that  the  weirs  of  rivers  are  not  very  straight  for 
the  destruction  of  fry  and  brood,  but  after  the  old 
assize,  used  and  accustomed  ;  so  that,  these  weirs  in 
the  Thames  are  illegal,  as  well  as  ill-judged. 

At  the  Horse  and  Groom,  Lea  Bridge,  there  were 
some  of  the  best  roach  anglers  I  ever  met  with  ;  for 
goodness  of  tackle,  skill,  patience,  and  respectability, 
they  had  no  superiors.  The  accommodation  was 
excellent ;  the  place  quiet  and  retired ;  and  I  have 
no  doubt,  from  what  I  have  heard,  that  it  still  pre- 
serves the  character. 


256  FISHES    AND   FISHING. 

Ground  baiting  was  practised  more  than  1650 
years  ago.  Oppian  describes  that  the  paste  was  made 
of  odorous  cheese  and  flour  ;  and  being  divided  into 
pills,  the  fishermen  threw  a  shower  of  them  in,  to 
attract  the  fish  ;  so  that  fish  must  have  had  a  pen- 
chant for  cheese,  from  very  early  periods  of  the 
world.  Another  ground  bait  from  the  same  author 
is,  goat's  flesh  and  fat,  incorporated  with  flour,  and 
scattered  into  the  water  in  small  pieces,  for  one  kind 
offish,  the  scare.  (See  Willoughby.) 

I  was  recently  told  by  a  very  old  angler,  of  pro- 
verbial veracity,  and  elevated  rank  in  society,  that  a 
small  piece  of  clean-scraped  rind  of  strong  cheese  put 
on  the  hook  whereon  the  fly  is  dressed,  will  attract 
chub  very  much  ;  this  also  proves  how  acute  must  be 
the  sense  of  smell  in  fish.  Probably,  flies  that  are 
intended  for  chub  fishing,  would  be  rendered  more 
attractive,  if  they  were  rubbed  with  strong  cheese,  or 
enclosed  in  a  box  with  some. 

In  angling  with  a  ledger  for  barbel,  from  a  punt, 
have  some  well-worked  clay,  let  it  be  made  into 
hollow  balls,  four  or  five  inches  diameter ;  fill  these 
balls  with  lob  worms,  close  them  up  well,  leaving  a 
tail  or  two  of  them  a  little  projecting  ;  put  one  now 
and  then  gently  into  the  water  over  the  side  of  the 
boat,  it  will  descend  gradually  to  about  the  place 
where  your  bait  is  placed,  which  should  be  a  good 


PISHES   AND  FISHIlfG.  257 

maiden  lob  worm,  well  scoured,  in  a  piece  of  damp, 
old  greasy  net,  taking  care  there  is  no  salt  in  the 
greasy  water  in  which  the  net  has  been  moistened, 
or  wash  it  in  some  fat  mutton  broth,  which  has 
neither  spice,  salt,  or  pepper  in  it. 

Another  ground  bait  for  barbel  is  hollow  balls  of  clay 
with  a  little  pounded  greaves  mixed  up  in  them ;  the 
balls  to  be  filled  with  boiled  greaves,  and  liver  gentles. 

Another  for  roach  and  dace :  a  smaller  hollow  ball 
filled  with  liver  gentles,  sticking  a  few  outside. 

The  rationale  of  this  is,  that  the  fish  being  attracted 
to  the  balls  by  that  which  is  outside,  and  probably 
smelling  something  in  the  interior,  which  they  desire 
to  appropriate  to  themselves,  will  knock  and  rub 
themselves  against  it,  till  with  that,  and  the  action 
of  the  water,  the  ball  breaks,  and  the  contents  attract 
numbers  of  fish  to  the  place  ;  if  now  you  give  them 
a  superior  bait  on  your  hook,  you  will  be  certain  to 
have  the  largest  fish ;  if  you  ground  bait  with  worms, 
use  a  fine  scoured  worm,  as  before  observed,  on  your 
hook ;  if  the  ball  contain  greaves  and  liver  gentles, 
use  on  your  hook  a  picked  piece  of  scalded  greaves, 
and  on  the  point  a  fine  gentle ;  and  so  with  roach 
and  dace,  bait  with  fine  gentles. 

That  the  above  rationale  is  tlie  true  one,  may  be 
proved  by  watching  the  motions  of  the  fish  in  clear 
water. 


258  FISHES    AND   FISHING. 

These  balls  do  not  answer  so  well  to  throw  off  a 
bank ;  but  if  the  clay  be  well  tempered,  and  the  balls 
made  small,  they  may  be  placed  in  the  swim  by  the 
contrivance  of  a  piece  of  board,  or  a  small  imitation 
of  a  bakfer's  peel.  In  still  water  they  answer  very 
well.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  alarming  the  fish ;  such  is 
their  Eve-like  propensity,  that  if  a  stone  be  thrown 
in,  a  congregation  of  fish  will  soon  assemble  around 
it,  an  irrefragable  proof  of  the  acuteness  of  their  sense 
of  hearing ;  and  I  do  not  advise  placing  the  balls  of 
ground  bait  gently  in  the  water  from  fear  of  frighten- 
ing the  fish,  but  to  prevent  the  balls  from  breaking 
by  throwing  them  into  the  water. 

Ealls  made  with  clay  and  finely  ground  malt,  or 
clay  and  fresh  grains,  or  clay  and  boiled  rice,  or  clay 
and  liver  gentles,  or  in  a  still  place  chewed  bread,  or 
a  spoonful  of  common  gentles,  or  for  chub,  bran, 
scalded  bread,  and  very  strong-smelling  cheese  ;  bait 
with  honey  paste  mixed  with  cheese.  In  a  quiet 
eddy,  small  pellets  of  paste  made  with  bread,  and  a 
little  moist  sugar ;   bait  with  honey  paste. 

Most  of  the  ground  baits  will  not  keep  over  twenty- 
four  hours. 

An  old  work  on  angling  advises  paste  made  by 
dipping  the  bread  in  liquor  in  which  greaves  have 
been  boiled,  as  an  excellent  bait  for  barbel.  Is  this 
taste  or  smell  that  prompts  barbel,  chub,  and  carp  to 
prefer  greaves,  cheese,  and  honey  ? 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  259 

I  have  always  found  it  advantageous  to  ground  bait 
over  night,  for  the  morning's  fishing  ;  and  on  leaving 
off,  to  throw  in  the  remainder  of  my  ground  bait  and 
paste,  gentles,  or  worms,  particularly  if  I  intended  to 
angle  the  next  day. 

Some  authors  advise  boiled  potatoes,  to  be  mixed 
with  bread,  bran,  and  barley-meal.  Depend  upon 
this  as  a  fact,  that  judicious  ground-baiting  is  the 
most  sure  method  of  obtaining  sport  in  bottom- 
fishing. 

A  good  paste  for  chub,  in  the  cold  months,  when 
they  lie  at  the  bottom,  is  the  crumb  of  a  roll,  honey, 
and  the  strongest-smelling  cheese  [you  can  obtain ; 
work  these  well  together  with  saffron,  to  colour,  or 
without  it;  make  small  balls  of  scalded  bread,  a  little 
clay,  and  strongest  cheese ;  fish  in  an  eddy,  and  throw 
in  small  balls,  or  rather  pellets,  occasionally. 

Or  a  very  killing  bait  for  chub  is,  sheeps'  or  bul- 
locks' brains  boiled,  and  made  into  a  paste,  with  a 
little  strong  cheese,  and  bread  just  dipped  into  water, 
throwing  in  little  pellets  of  the  same  continually. 

Gudgeons  are  in  season  in  the  spring,  as  soon  as 
the  weather  becomes  warm.  They  are  not  allowed 
to  be  angled  for  in  the  Thames  before  the  first  of 
June,  and  they  will  bite  from  an  hour  after  sunrise 
until  an  hour  after  sunset.  The  small  ones  of  this 
fish  are  used  either  as  spinning  baits  for  trout,  or  alive 

B  2 


260  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

for  them  and  perch,  and  on  trimmers  or  night  lines 
for  large  eels,  and  the  larger  size  for  pike ;  they  are 
sold  at  the  fishing-tackle  shops.  By  a  work  published 
one  hundred  years  ago,  gudgeons  were  then  very 
plentiful  in  the  Mersey;  they  are,  however,  common 
in  most  rivers,  if  the  bed  of  it  be  sand  and  gravel ;  but 
of  late  years  there  have  not  been  so  many  in  the 
Thames  as  there  were  formerly. 

The  blood- worm,  found  in  large  quantities  on  the 
surface  of  mud,  appears  as  if  it  were  formed  of  ten  or 
twelve  little  globes,  connected  with  each  other, 
diminishing  rapidly  in  size  near  the  tail ;  the  head  is 
the  largest  part  of  it,  and  seems  as  if  there  were  a 
mouth  always  open,  with  three  little  forks  protruding; 
it  is  of  a  bright  crimson  colour,  and  a  most  disgusting 
thing  to  handle ;  the  myriads  of  gnats  that  fly  about 
on  summer  evenings  spring  from  this  worm.  E'ear 
Whitehall  Stairs  the  surface  of  the  mud  generally 
looks  red,  and  the  vulgar  opinion  is,  that  this  appear- 
ance was  never  seen  before  the  decapitation  of  Charles 
the  First;  the  plain  fact  is,  the  blood-like  colour 
arises  from  the  immense  quantity  of  blood-worms 
about  that  spot,  probably  existing  as  long  as  the  sub- 
stance in  which  they  live  and  breed  was  deposited 
there;  more  recently  they  may  be  observed,  when 
the  tide  is  out,  in  the  mud  oif  Temple  Gardens. 

Gudgeons  in  the  Thames  are  usually  angled  for 


ITSHES   AND    FISHING.  261 

from  a  'punt ;  three  persons  can  very  conveniently 
occupy  one,  with  the  fisherman.     It  is  not  uncommon 
to  see  ladies  and  gentlemen  enjoying  this  sport ;  the 
anglers  sit  in  chairs,  the  fisherman  plumbs  the  depth, 
arranges  the  floats,  baits  the  hooks,  rakes  the  grave], 
takes  ofi^,  and  puts  the  fish  into  the  well  of  the  punt, 
and  if  sport  become  dull  in  one  spot,  moves  the  boat 
to  another :  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  the  anglers 
with  gloves  on.     Most  persons  cause  refreshments  to 
be  conveyed  on  board,  and  it  is  a  very  pleasant  way 
of  passing  a  summer's  morning.     The  hours  of  angling 
are  generally  from  ten  or  eleven  till  four  or  five  ;  and 
the  take  with  three  rods  varies,  according  to  the 
judgment  displayed  by  the  boatman,  the  goodness  of 
the  tackle,  and  the  degree  of  skill  of  the  anglers,  and 
will  be  from  eight  to  twenty  dozen  of  fish,  which  the 
fisherman  takes  out  of  the  well,  counts,  and  conveys 
to  your  inn  or  lodgings.     The  season  is  from  the  first 
of  June  till  the  twenty- eighth  of  February,  the  same 
as  the  season  for  roach  and  dace  in  the  Thames,  but  is 
different  in  the  Lea. 

In  the  Thames  small  short  red  worms  with  a  yellow 
tail  are  the  best  bait ;  the  hook  should  be  tied  on  very 
fine  gut,  because  perch  sometimes  visit  the  spot  to 
pick  up  a  young  gudgeon,  and  wiU  in  most  instances 
take  your  worm,  and  would  probably  break  away  if 
hair  were  used.     It  is  also  very  necessary  to  have 


262  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

proper  tackle  for  pike,  as  they  are  sometimes  attracted 
by  the  shoal  of  gudgeons ;  and  if  your  sport  for  those 
small  fish  fail,  it  is  probable  one  of  those  fresh- water 
sharks  has  intruded  on  your  fishing  ground. 

Some  persons  prefer  angling  from  the  bank,  so  as 
to  be  able  to  move  about,  or  do  not  choose  to  be  at 
the  expense  of  a  punt  and  fisherman.  It  is  useless 
to  expect  sport  unless  the  gravel  be  raked ;  I,  there- 
fore, invented,  many  years  ago,  a  portalle  gudgeon- 
rake,  with  bayonet  joints,  it  being  nearly  impossible 
for  an  angler  to  convey  one  of  those  in  general  use 
to  any  distance.  My  first  rake  of  this  kind  was  sold 
with  my  other  fishing  tackle,  when  obliged  to  sell  it, 
as  I  before-mentioned,  in  France ;  that  one  had  a 
large  jointed  iron  landing-net  ring,  with  net  complete, 
which  by  removing  the  rake  fitted  the  screw,  and 
which  I  found  useful,  as  I  have  said,  in  fishing  for 
crabs ;  the  rake  and  ring  of  the  net  should  be  coated 
with  black  varnish,  and  I  had  a  hole  through  the 
rake,  and  a  small  brass  staple  on  each  joint,  through 
which  a  piece  of  plaited  cord  passed,  to  prevent  losing 
any  part  of  it.  Mr.  Anderson,  of  Long  Acre,  a  year 
or  two  ago,  carried  out  my  original  plan ;  but  since  he 
has  made  the  folding  rods,  I  think  the  plan  would  be 
advantageously  adopted  for  this  indispensable  adjunct 
to  a  gudgeon-fisher's  apparatus. 

The  gudgeons  in  the  Lea  are  more  fastidious  than 


eight's    PORTABLE  GUDGEON    RAKE 


PAGE 


A  •  B .  EiJJi^  form,  for  tht-B^oM- 
JWIron.  Work  cnaJ:edy  w/jAikoyk  varmjh. 


.U 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  263 

their  brothers  and  sisters  of  the  Thames  :  the  former 
must  be  angled  for  with  a  very  fine  hook  of  thin  wire, 
tied  on  single  hair ;  the  bait  must  be  blood  worms  ; 
the  angling  is  from  the  bank,  and  the  occasional  angler 
must  either  hire  or  borrow  a  rake  to  take  into  the 
marshes  with  him,  a  load  for  a  donkey ;  and  he  must 
rake,  bait,  and  unhook  his  fish.  The  gudgeons  in  the 
Lea  are  not  so  numerous  as  those  in  the  Thames,  but 
they  are  mostly  of  a  good  size. 

This  species  of  fish  do  not  generally  weigh  more 
than  four  ounces,  or  exceed  nine  inches  in  length  ; 
but  one  was,  it  is  said,  taken  at  TJxbridge,  which 
weighed  half  a  pound. 

A  village  on  the  Loire,  between  Orleans  and  Blois, 
in  Prance,  is  celebrated  for  the  quality,  size,  and 
cooking  of  its  gudgeons. 

Eoach  fishing  is  also  practised  from  punts,  in  the 
Thames,  at  all  the  stations  from  Richmond  upwards  ; 
and  an  immense  quantity  of  roach  are  taken,  very 
much  under  the  size  allowed  by  Act  of  Parliament ; 
if  many  of  those  who  angle  would  but  adhere  to  the 
law  on  the  subject,  and  set  at  liberty  again  all  roach 
under  eight  inches  from  the  eye  to  the  end  of  the 
flesh  at  the  middle  of  the  tail,  this  species  of  fish , 
of  a  size  good  for  something  when  caught,  would 
be  plentiful.  At  Richmond,  a  gentleman  with  whom 
I  am  acquainted,  about  four  years  ago,  caught  a 


264  PISHES   AND   FISHING. 

roach  weighing  four  pounds,  which  was  preserved, 
and  shown  to  numbers  of  persons. 

Many  anglers  fish  in  the  Thames  off  the  banks,  for 
roach ;  and  at  the  Island,  or  Ait,  just  above  Hampton 
Court  Bridge,  called  the  "  Angler's  Ee treat,"  is  a  very 
quiet  retired  place ;  from  its  banks  many  roach  are 
taken.     In  the  "Weir  hole,  at  the  end  of  the  Ait, 
large  trout,  chub,  pike,  and  barbel  are  caught ;   also 
in  the  Tumbling  Bay  Hole ; — in  fact,  I  do  not  know 
any  portion  of  the  ITiames  having  a  more  extensive 
range  for  an  angler.     Haevet,  the  tenant  of  this 
island,  and  his  family,  are  most  civil,  accommodating 
persons ;  he  is  licensed  to  sell  beer,  and  furnishes  din- 
ners, tea,  &c. ;  the  charges  are  very  moderate.     If  he 
would  constantly  ground-bait  the  waters  around  the 
Island,  he  might  have  the  majority  of  the  fish  in  that 
large  expanse  of  water  from  Teddington  Lock  up  to  the 
Tumbling  Bay,  on  one  side  of  the  island ;  and  from 
Moulsey  Lock  to  Sunbury  Lock  on  the  upper  side,  con- 
stantly about  it ;  and  no  angler  would  go  thither,  if 
at  all  competent,  without  finding  sport.     His  incli- 
nation is   good  to  carry  out  the  advice  of  his  friends, 
but  his  means  are  not  equal  to  the  performance  of 
this  necessary,  and  advantageous  duty  to  himself,  and 
family,   who  would  be  so  much  benefitted  by  the 
number   of   anglers,  which    the  certainty  of   sport 
would  attract  to  his  domicile.  The  railway  to  Hamp- 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  265 

ton  Court  has  its  terminus  close  to  the  Ait;  and 
there  are  some  excellent  fishermen  at  Moulsey,  close 
to  Hampton  Court  Bridge. 

Sunbury,  Walton,  Weybridge,  and  Chertsey  Bridge 
Fisheries  are  all  at  considerable  distances  from  the 
respective  railway  stations ;  though  there  are  always 
conveyances  to  be  had  on  very  reasonable  terms. 
The  landlord  of  the  inn  at  Chertsey  Bridge  has 
generally  a  fly  ready  to  convey  anglers  from  the 
station  of  the  railway  to  the  river,  and  to  take  them 
back. 

Punts,  fishermen,  baits,  and  every  accommodation 
can  be  obtained  at  all  the  principal  villages  and 
towns  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames ;  and  it  is  more 
pleasant  to  have  a  companion  for  barbel  fishing, 
which  is  a  great  source  of  amusement  [at  the  proper 
season.  Por  gudgeon  fishing,  a  punt  will  very  con- 
veniently accommodate  two  gentlemen  and  a  lady, 
or  two  ladies^and  a  gentleman.  The  panoramic  map 
of  the  Thames,  by  Eeynolds,  174,  Strand ;  and  the  two 
maps,  for  anglers,  from  Richmond  to  Henley,  and 
from  Henley  to  Oxford,  by  ITetherclift, — will  be  found 
most  valuable  guides  for  sportsmen  on  our  noble 
river. 

I  have  been  informed,  that  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Ashton  Keynes,  a  little  above  Cricklade,  there  are 
trout  from  six  to  eight  pounds  each ;  the  water  is 


266  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

very  strictly  preserved  ;  but  gentlemen  properly  in- 
troduced are  allowed  to  angle  with  a  fly. 

At  Pangbourne,  also,  it  is  said,  there  are  large 
trout  in  the  Thames. 

I  was'  out  in  a  punt, 'at  Maidenhead,  with  an  ex- 
perienced fisherman,  and  tried  spinning,  and  fly-fish- 
ing during  a  whole  day;  I  had  .not  a  run  with  the 
former,  and  only  took  some  chub  with  the  latter.  I 
was  afterwards  told,  there  was  too  much  netting 
going  forward  in  that  neighbourhood. 

The  river  Loddon,  which  enters  the  Thames  op- 
posite Shiplake,  has  the  reputation  of  producing  large 
pike,  and  they  are  said  to  be  numerous. 

In  the  Kew  Eiver,  above  Hornsey,  at  a  bend 
where  the  water  is  wide,  I  have  been  informed  dace 
of  three-quarters  of  a  pound  each  are  frequently 
caught  with  a  fly,  similar  to  the  cock-tail  of  the 
Wandle ;  and  that  in  flavour  they  are  equal,  if  not 
superior,  to  many  trout.  In  the  preserved  parts  of 
this  river,  about  Southgate,  Enfield,  Winchmore  Hill, 
&c.,  there  are  carp,  pike,  chub,  dace,  large  gudgeons, 
and  eels,  all  of  a  peculiar  excellence. 

In  the  river  Rib,  where  the  road  crosses  it,  at 
Wade's  Mill,  about  two  miles  from  Ware,  near  Thun- 
dridge,  there  used  to  be  abundance  of  trout ;  but  I 
cannot  tell  what  there  may  be  now.  Also,  at  a  flour 
mill,  about  two  miles  beyond  St.  Albans. 


PISHES   AND    FISHING.  267 

The  laws  regulating  the  size  of  fish  allowed  to  be 
killed,  it  is  proper  to  notice. 

By  1st  of  Elizabeth,  cap.  xvii.,  no  pike  to  be  taken 
under  ten  inches,  from  the  eye  to  the  end  of  the  flesh 
in  the  middle  of  the  tail :  salmon,  sixteen  inches : 
trout,  eight  inches :  and  barbel,  twelve  inches ;  all 
measured  in  the  above  manner. 

By  3d  George  II.,  cap.  xxi.,  roach  not  to  be 
taken  in  the  Thames  under  eight  inches;  or  dace 
under  six  inches,  measured  in  the  above  manner. 
Where  there  is  one  taken  of  the  legal  size,  there  are 
tens  of  thousands  taken  under  four  or  five  inches, 
which  are  useless  as  articles  of  food,  but  are  thought 
much  of  by  Cockney  anglers. 

By  33d  George  II.,  cap.  xxvii.,  no  person  shall 
take,  or  have  in  his  possession,  on  water  or  on  shore, 
or  sell,  or  expose  for  sale,  any  unsizable  fish,  or  fish 
out  of  season ;  nor  any  smelt  less  than  five  inches  long, 
measured  as  above :  and  any  person  may  seize  all 
such  unsizable  fish,  or  fish  out  of  season,  with  the 
baskets  and  package,  and  charge  a  constable  with  the 
offender,  and  the  fish,  basket,  and  package  to  be 
taken  before  a  justice  of  the  peace ;  and  on  convic- 
tion, the  whole  goods  to  be  delivered  to  the  prose- 
cutor, and  the  offender  shall,  besides,  forfeit  twenty 
shillings,  half  to  the  poor  of  the  parish,  and  the  other 
half  to  the  prosecutor ;  and  in  default  of  payment, 


268  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

the  offender  may  be  committed  to  prison,  and  hard 
labour,  for  any  time  not  exceeding  three  months. 
The  penalty  may,  at  the  option  of  the  magistrate,  be 
reduced  to  one  half. 

Any  person  catching,  and  offering  salmon  for  sale, 
of  less  than  six  pounds  weight,  forfeits  £5  ;  and  the 
same  penalty  attaches  to  the  buyer  and  the  seller, 
with  forfeiture  of  the  fish.  The  £5,  half  to  the  poor, 
and  half  to  the  informer;  distress  upon  goods  for 
penalty ;  if  no  goods,  commitment  for  three  months, 
unless  the  penalty  be  paid.  1st  George  I.,  cap.  xviii. 
sect.  15. 

A  few  observations  on  the  laws  regulating  angling 
may  be  useful.  In  navigable  rivers,  the  proprietors 
of  the  land  have  no  exclusive  right,  that  is,  no  one 
can  prevent  a  person  from  angling  from  the  towing 
path  ;  or  in  a  boat  close  to  the  private  grounds  of  an 
individual  having  such  on  the  bank  of  a  navigable 
river. 

Navigable  canals  having  a  towing  path,  or  foot- 
way, by  the  side  of  them,  become,  in  fact,  the  King's 
highway;  but  I  cannot  find  that  the  question  has 
been  mooted  as  to  the  right  of  angling  in  a  canal 
made  by  a  company  of  persons,  who  have  purchased 
the  land  through  which  they  have  cut  the  same ;  it 
is  reasonable  to  think  that  the  company  could  pre- 
vent any  person   from  angling  therein,  unless  they 


PISHES   AND   PISHING.  269 

have  waived  the  right  for  thirty  years,  as  the  law  now 
stands. 

The  7th  and  8th  of  George  lY.,  cap.  xxix.  sect. 
34,  enacts  that  any  person  unlawfully  and 'wilfully 
taking  or  destroying  any  fish,  in  any  water  running 
through,  or  being  in  any  land  adjoining  or  belonging 
to  the  house  of  any  person,  being  the  owner  of  such 
water,  or  having  a  right  of  fishery  therein,  shall  be 
guilty  of  a  misdemeanour,  and  being  convicted  there- 
of, shall  be  punished  accordingly  :  And  any  person 
unlawfully  and  wilfully  taking  and  destroying,  or 
attempting  to  take  and  destroy  any  fish  in  any  water 
not  being  such  as  aforesaid,  but  which  shall  be  pri- 
vate property,  or  in  which  there  shall  be  any  private 
right  of  fishery,  every  such  offender  being  convicted 
thereof  before  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  shall  forfeit  and 
pay,  over  and  above  the  value  of  the  fish  taken  or 
destroyed,  (if  any)  such  sum  of  money,  not  exceeding 
five  pounds,  as  to  the  Justice  shall  seem  meet :  Pro- 
vided always,  that  nothing  herein  before  contained 
shall  extend  to  any  person  angling  in  the  day-time ; 
but  if  any  person  shall,  by  angling  in  the  day-time, 
unlawfully  and  wilfully  take  or  destroy,  or  attempt 
to  take  or  destroy  any  fish  in  any  such  water  as  first 
mentioned,  he  shall,  on  conviction  before  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  forfeit  and  pay  any  sum  not  exceeding  five 
pounds  ;  and  if  in  any  such  water  as  last  mentioned, 


270  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

he  shall,  on  the  like  conviction,  forfeit  and  pay  a  sum 
not  exceeding  two  pounds,  as  to  the  justice  shall 
seem  fit." 

Section  35  enacts,  *'  That  if  any  person  shall  at 
any  time  be  found  fishing  against  the  provisions  of 
this  Act,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  owner  of  the 
ground,  water,  or  fishery,  where  such  offender  shall 
be  found,  his  servants,  or  any  person  authorized  by 
him  to  demand  from  such  offender,  any  rods,  lines, 
hooks,  nets,  or  other  implements  for  taking  or  destroy, 
ing  fish,  which  shall  then  be  in  his  possession :  and 
in  case  such  offender  shall  not  immediately  deliver 
up  the  same,  to  seize  and  take  the  same  from  him  for 
the  use  of  such  owner  :  Provided  always,  that  any 
person  angling  in  the  day-time  against  the  provisions 
of  this  Act,  from  whom  any  implements  used  by  an- 
glers shall  be  taken,  or  by  whom  the  same  shall  be 
delivered  up  as  aforesaid,  shall,  by  the  taking  or  de- 
livering thereof,  be  exempted  from  the  payment  of 
any  damages  or  penalty  for  such  angling." 

How  far  this  act  may  operate  against  the  former 
laws  and  judicial  decisions  still  in  force,  must  be  left 
to  the  sages  of  the  law  to  determine.  I  merely  give 
these  sections  of  the  Act  from  the  Act  itself,  with  all 
its  tautology,  &c.,  &c. 

Ko  respectable  angler  will  attempt  to  angle  in  a 
private  water  without  the  permission  of  the  owner. 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  271 

and  any  unprincipled  'person  who  does  so,  deserves 
every  punishment  the  law  may  award  to  him. 

On  the  25th  of  October,  1785,  the  Lord  Mayor 
(Eichard  Clarke)  and  the  Court  of  Aldermen  made  a 
law,  that  no  person  should  angle  in  the  Thames  on 
Sundays,  under  a  penalty  of  forty  shillings.  Anglers 
therefore  sought  other  streams ;  and  it  was  observed, 
I  remember  at  the  time,  that  there  were  as  many,  if 
not  more  anglers,  than  before  that  civic  law  was  pro- 
mulgated. His  Eoyal  Highness  the  Duke  of  York, 
Bishop  of  Osnaburgh,  went  to  live  at  Oatlands  soon 
after,  and  it  was  a  regular  practice  for  him  and  his 
company  on  most  Sundays,  in  fine  weather,  to  be  out 
in  punts,  as  I  have  often  seen  them  angling  in  the 
Thames.  The  example  of  his  Royal  Highness,  as  may 
be  well  supposed,  rendered  this  most  unpopular  law  of 
the  Lord  Mayor  and  Aldermen  perfectly  unavailing  j 
for  they  were  afraid  to  attack  ROYALxr  and  episcopacy, 
and  could  not  reasonably  attack  the  poorer  orders. 
It  was  a  law.  which  they  had,  in  point  of  fact,  it 
was  said  by  legal  men,  no  power  to  make.  This  ob- 
noxious attempt  to  interfere  with  the  liberties  of  the 
subject  remained  in  a  state  of  abeyance  till  Septem- 
ber, 1840,  when  John  Tagg,  of  Thames  Ditton, 
fisherman,  was  summoned  before  the  magistrates,  at 
the  Town  Hall,  Kingston,  for  angling  in  the  Thames 
on  Sunday,  the  6th  inst.      Mr.  Guy,  for  the  defend- 


272  PISHES    AND    FISHING. 

ant,  contended  that  the  Lord  Mayor  and  Aldermen 
had  no  power  to  make  any  such  law ;  the  justices 
thinking  such  power  was  given  by  an  Act  of  Geo.  II., 
fined  him  in  the  lowest  penalty,  twenty  shillings. 
The  only  power  the  Lord  Mayor  and  Aldermen  ever 
had  by  that  or  any  other  Act  as  to  fishing  in  the 
Thames,  was  to  punish  persons  for  using  unlawful  nets 
or  engines  for  taking  fish,  or,  becoming  public  prosecu- 
tors, proceeding  against  persons  for  taking  them 
under  the -specified  sizes  mentioned  in  Acts  of  Par- 
liament ;  but  neither  the  Corporation  or  its  officers 
do  this  duty.  The  persecution  of  John  Tagg,  who  is 
esteemed  as  a  most  quiet,  industrious,  and  respectable 
man,  it  was  ascertained,  originated  with  a  confede- 
racy of  Puritans,  of  whom  the  general  opinion  was, 
that  they  would  have  been  better  employed  in  attend- 
ng  to  their  own  duties. 

Many  very  severe  observations  were  made  in  the 
public  journals  upon  this  transaction,  which  it  is  not 
necessary  to  repeat^  and  it  brought  to  light  another 
insane,  but  abortive  attempt,  to  involve  the  chief 
magistrate  of  the  city,  in  a  still  more  extensive  inter- 
ference with  the  pleasures,  the  comforts,  and  the 
commerce  of  the  river  Thames  ;  fortunately  the  Lord 
Mayor  possessed  too  much  good  sense,  to  aid  or  abet 
the  scheme  of  putting  a  stop  to  all  traffic  on  the 
Thames  on  Sundays,  and  probably  it  was  fortunate 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  273 

for  the  proposers  of  it,  that  he  acted  with  such  cau- 
tion, and  thereby  saved  them  from  the  consequences 
which  might  have  ensued. 

I  am  not  about  to  enter  into  a  discussion  whether 
angling  on  Sundays,  not  in  the  Thames  alone,  but 
in  every  other  water  should  be  prohibited ;  but  I  will 
mention  a  few  of  the  persons  who  would  be  injured 
most  seriously  by  any  such  prohibition.  The  owners 
of  fishing-tackle  shops  in  London  would  lose  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  that  trade  which  they  have  en- 
gaged in  for  the  support  of  their  families.  The 
fishermen  on  the  Thames  would  lose  probably  one 
fifth  or  more  of  their  present  incomes.  The  proprie- 
tors of  houses  of  entertainment  frequented  by  anglers, 
who  have  paid  large  sums  in  the  way  of  good- will, 
fittings-up,  &c.,  would,  many  of  them,  become 
insolvent. 

The  fascination  which  exists  in  seeing  fish  caught, 
pervades  all  classes  of  society ;  and  if  to  a  passive 
spectator  it  is  so  attractive,  how  much  more  so  is 
that  of  being  the  active  agent,  by  whose  skill 
in  adapting  baits  and  tackle  the  most  cunning  of  the 
finny  tribe  are  captured ;  and  if  anglers  of  the  middle 
and  poorer  classes  could  have  their  amusement  inter- 
fered with  by  a  legislative  prevention  of  Sunday 
angling,  such  is  the  paramount  inflaence  of  this  sport, 
that  many  artizans  and  others  would  neglect  their 


274  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

work  at  a  great  loss  to  their  employers,  and  their 
own  families,  in  order  to  have  a  day's  angling.  A 
scene  that  actually  occurred  in  the  Homerton 
Marshes,  may  illustrate  this  fact. 

A  man  was  at  the  above  spot^  angling,  when  a 
gentlemanly  person  approached,  and  the  following 
colloquy  ensued : — 

Gentleman.  Good  afternoon,  friend.  Have  you 
had  any  sport  ? 

Angler.  Kot  much,  sir.. .  Only  these. 

Gent.  How  long  have  you  been  at  it  ? 

AngL  Ever  since  four  this  morning. 

Gent,  "What  are  you  ?     Any  trade  ? 

Angl.  Yes.     A  weaver,  sir. 

Gent.  What  can  you  earn  a  day  at  your  trade  ? 

Angl.  About  seven  shillings.         2,. 

Gent.  Have  you  no  work  at  home  ? 

Angl.  Yes,  sir;  plenty. 

Gent.  What  are  these  fish  worth  ? 

AngL  I  cannot  say,  sir ;  no  great  deal. 

Gent.  Eut  suppose  when  you  go  home,  if  you 
were  to  offer  these  fish  for  sale,  what  would  they 
fetch  ? 

Angl.  (Laughing.)  Oh,  I  do  not  think  they  would 
sell  for  sixpence. 

Gent.  Indeed ;  do  you  see  yonder  house  ?  That 
is  a  mad-house ;  put  up  your  tackle  as  fast  as  you 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  275 

can,  for  if  the  master,  or  any  of  the  keepers  see  you, 
they  will  lock  you  up  as  a  madman. 

The  gentleman  then  walked  rapidly  away. 

Yery  soon  after,  the  angler  was  rather  startled  by 
seeing  two  men  issue  from  the  house,  and  approach 
him  hastily  ;  they  inquired  if  he  had  seen  a  gentleman 
pass,  describing  him,  and  if  so,  which  way,  and  told 
him  that  the  gentleman  was  a  lunatic  who  had  escaped. 
The  angler  pointed  out  the  way  the  gentleman  had 
gone,  and  he  was  soon  captured.  The  master  of  the 
establishment  went  out  and  thanked  the  angler  for 
the  information  he  had  given,  which  led  to  the  cap- 
ture of  his  patient,  and  seeing  the  angler  was  poor, 
made  him  a  present  for  the  assistance  he  had  rendered, 
when  the  angler  repeated  the  conversation  that  had 
taken  place,  and  it  found  its  way  into  ^*  Examples  of 
the  lucid  intervals  of  insane  per  sons. ^^ 

Another  anecdote,  though  not  relating  to  angling, 
showing  the  acute  reasoning  of  insane  persons  during 
their  lucid  intervals,  may  probably  be  admitted  here, 
M.  Baron,  who  was,  previous  to  the  Reign  of  Terror 
in  France,  during  the  first  Revolution,  the  most  cele- 
brated harlequin  of  the  French  stage,  was  obliged  to 
fly  to  this  country  for  safety,  and  first  became  head 
waiter,  and  afterwards  proprietor  of  the  Cafe  de 
quatre  Nations,  at  the  corner  of  Nassau  and  Gerrard 
Streets,  Soho.     About  1807-8  I  frequently  dined  at 

T  2 


276  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

the  house,  and  heard  the  following  related  as  having 
actually  occurred  there.  A  poor  man  stationed  him- 
self so  as  to  enjoy  the  savoury  smell  emanating  from 
the  kitchen,  and  ate  a  piece  of  dry  bread ;  no  doubt 
knowing  that  M.  B.  was  a  humourist  and  a  kind- 
hearted  man,  and  that  he  was  then  within  hearing, 
said,  "  "Well,  I  have  now  enjoyed  my  dry  bread  under 
the  smell  of  this  cookery,  as  well  as  if  I  had  gone 
inside  and  had  my  dinner."  M.  B.  told  the  man, 
that  as  he  was  so  satisfied,  he  (M.  B.)  thought  he  ought 
to  receive  some  payment  for  the  advantage  derived  ; 
to  which  the  man  demurred,  saying  he  had  had  no 
property  of  M.  B.'s;  that  which  he  enjoyed  cost  M. 
B.  nothing,  and  he  had  no  power  over  it.  M.  B., 
seeing  a  gentleman  coming  down  Nassau  Street,  pro- 
posed to  refer  the  case  to  him.  The  gentleman,  on 
being  addressed,  stopped,  very  civilly  heard  the  state- 
ment of  both  parties ;  he  then  asked  M.  B.  for  two 
clean  plates,  and  the  poor  man  for  a  piece  of  money ; 
he  turned  one  plate  over  the  other,  placing  the  money 
between,  and  holding  them  near  M.  B.'s  ear,  caused 
the  money  to  rattle  between  the  plates,  asking  if  he 
heard  that ;  on  M.  B.  replying  in  the  affirmative,  he 
returned  the  money  to  the  poor  man,  and  the  plates 
to  M.  B.,  saying,  "  This  case  having  been  referred 
to  me,  I  decide,  that  as  the  poor  man  has  been  satis- 
fied with  the  smell  of  your  meat,  you  must  be  satisfied 


FISHES   AlsD   PISHING.  277 

with  the  sound  of  his  money ;"  the  gentleman  then 
walked  away^along  Gerrard  Street.  M.  B.  called 
one  of  his  waiters  to  give  the  poor  man  some  cold 
meat,  but  before  it  could  be  brought,  a  person  came 
in  haste  to  M.  B.,  describing  the  gentleman  who  had 
acted  as  judge ;  and  being  informed  the  route  he  took, 
followed,  arrested  his  further  progress,  and  brought 
him  back  past  the  cafe.  He  proved  to  be  a  lunatic 
who  had  escaped  from  his  private  keeper ."^ 

I  was  walking  in  the  meadow  by  the  Horse  and 
Groom,  Lea  Bridge,  on  the  Essex  side,  one  Sunday 
afternoon,  having  gone  thither  merely  for  the  advan- 
tage of  the  fresh  air,  but  not  to  angle.  On  the  oppo- 
site side  sat  an  angler,  patiently  watching  the  motion 
of  his  float ;  a  person  who  appeared  to  be  an  acquaint- 
ance, and  who  was  near  me,  called  to  the  angler,  and 
asked  how  long  he  had  been  there ;  the  angler  replied, 
"Ever  since  one  this  morning ;  I  came  down  last  night 
to  bait  this  place,  and  I  was  here  so  early  for  fear  any 
one  else  should  take  it."  On  being  asked  by  his  friend 
what  sport  he  had  had,  he  stooped  down,  pulled  up 
a  piece  of  twine,  attached  to  which  was  a  carp,  ap- 
parently about  five  pounds  weight,  by  one  end  of  the 
twine  being  passed  through  the  fish's  mouth  and 
brought  out  at  his  gills,  in  order  to  keep  it  alive ; 

*  There  have  been  several  versions  of  this  occurrence  pub- 
lished, but  this  I  believe  to  be  the  true  one. 


278  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

whilst  holding  his  prize,  with  great  exultation  at  his 
good  fortune,  the  fish  gave  a  caper,  the  knot  slipped, 
and  the  carp  descended  into  his  native  element,  to  the 
great  vexation  of  the  poor  angler,  whom  I  think 
e\rery  one  who  saw  it  pitied  very  sincerely.— A  type 
of  this  world,  when  we  think  our  labonrs  have  been 
crowned  with  success,  it  all  dissolves,  and  ''like  the 
baseless  fabric  of  a  vision,  leaves  not  a  rack  behind." 
Anglers  form  a  most  numerous  and  influential 
class  of  the  community ;  but  for  every  respectable  one 
who  can  afford  to  fish  any  day  in  the  week  he  may 
think  proper,  there  are  probably  fifty  respectable 
individuals  who  cannot  devote  any  other  time  than  a 
portion  of  Sunday  to  their  favourite  sport,  which  in- 
duces them  to  go  into  the  country,  whereby  they 
cleanse  their  lungs  from  the  foul  air  they  have 
breathed  for  the  previous  six  days  ;  and  there  are  an 
equal  number  of  the  inferior  class  who  are  attached 
to  this  amusement.  Now  taking  the  whole  of  the 
disciples  of  Izaak  "Walton,  there  cannot  be  found  a 
more  quiet,  orderly,  and  temperate  set  of  men  than 
they  are ;  and  though  I  am  not  a  Sunday  angler  my- 
self,'yet  I  know  many  most  moral  worthy  men  whoare ; 
and  feeling  as  I  do  that  angling  is  truly  the  contempla- 
tive man's  recreation,  and  that  the  wisest  and  best  of 
men  in  all  ages,  distinguished  for  amenity  of  temper, 
scientific  attainment?,  and  unaffected  piety  of  life, 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  279 

have  been  lovers  of  the  art  which  requires  quiet  and 
solitude.  "No  man  surrounded  as  he  must  he,  thus 
situated,  with  the  wonders  of  creation,  can  fail  to  look 
up  with  veneration  and  gratitude  to  the  great  and 
glorious  Architect  of  the  universe,  for  the  benefits 
bestowed  upon  him ;  whilst  the  invigoration  of  mind 
and  body,  resulting  from  exercise  in  the  open  air,  the 
change  of  scene,  reanimates  the  health  and  spirits, 
and  renders  the  angler  more  capable  of  exertion  on 
his  return  to  the  active  duties  of  life. 

The  antiquity  of  angling  can  be  proved  by  reference 
to  the  Eook  of  Job,  who  died  3407  years  ago ;  by 
Isaiah,  who  was  put  to  death  2550  years  ago ;  by 
Plutarch,  who  gives  the  scene  between  Cleopatra  and 
Marc  Antony :  besides,  did  not  Christ  order  a  hook 
and  line  to  be  cast  into  the  sea,  and  the  fish  to 
be  taken  ?  and  did  he  not  choose  the  greater  number 
of  the  apostles  from  amongst  fishermen  ?  According 
to  Oppian,  the  Emperor  Severus  practised  the  art  of 
angling,  out  of  a  boat  in  an  artificially  made  lake, 
wherein  dainty  fish  were  bred  and  fed,  of  a  species 
fit  for  the  royal  table.  It  was  the  favourite  sport  of 
the  Emperor  Trajan,  and  in  more  modern  times  it 
has  been  that  of  ]S"elson,  Paley,  Davy,  Chantry,  and 
a  host  of  celebrated  characters. 

God  gave  to  man  the  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the 
sea,  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  over  every  living  thing 


280  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

that  moveth  upon  the  earth.  Man  is  by  nature  a 
carnivorous  animal,  hence  in  the  rude  and  unculti- 
vated state  of  the  human  race,  the  support  of  their 
lives  and  that  of  their  families  depended  upon  their 
skill  in  the  chase,  their  dexterity  and  ingenuity  in 
subjecting  the  feathered  and  finny  tribes  to  their 
control  and  use.  Examples  of  this  state  of  natural 
liberty  have  been  of  late  years  found  to  exist,  and 
even  at  this  day  there  may  be  undiscovered  hordes 
of  uncivilized  beings,  who  individually  endure  what 
to  civilized  man  appear  hardships,  but  to  the  savage 
is  indescribable  pleasure,  and  the  chief  business  of 
his  life. 

"  Coarse  are  his  meals,  the  fortune  of  the  chase, 
Amidst  the  running  stream  he  slakes  his  thirst : 
Toils  all  the  day,  and  at  th'  approach  of  night, 
On  the  first  friendly  bank  he  throws  him  down, 
Or  rests  his  head  upon  a  rock  till  morn ; 
Then  rises  fresh,  pursues  his  wonted  game, 
And  if  the  following  day  he  chance  to  find 
A  new  repast,  or  an  untasted  spring. 
Blesses  his  stars,  and  thinks  it  luxury." — Addison, 

This  yearning  after  the  delights  of  the  chase,  the 
excitement  of  the  dog  and  gun,  and  the  amusement 
of  angling,  in  all  its  branches,  derived  from  our  ab- 
original ancestors,  is  still  so  strong  upon  us,  in  our 
civilized  state,  that  few  persons  can  be  found  who  do 
not  feel  an  almost  uncontrollable  desire  to  participate 


FISHES    AND    FISHING. 


281 


in  one  or  the  other  of  these  rural,  health-giving 
sports. 

My  own  experience  is,  that  when  I  have  had  an 
an  opportunity  of  enjoying  a  few  hours'  fly-fishing* 
on  the  bank  of  a  trout  stream,  I  have  found  my  whole 
system  revivified  for  some  time  after.  By  the  inhala- 
tion of  air,  containing  a  large  proportion  of  pure 
oxygen,  the  blood,  consequently,  becomes  oxygenated 
in  a  greater  degree ;  the  circulation  of  all  the  fluids  of 
the  body  is  increased,  and  healthily  improved,  for  it  is 
scarcely  necessary,  at  the  present  day,  to  explain  this, 
when  even  the  more  humble  classes  know  the  import- 
ance of  pure  air  to  ensure  the  health  of  the  body, 
through  the  lungs  receiving  a  larger  portion  of  oxygen. 
The  artisan  who  is  confined  in  an  unwholesome  atmo- 
sphere during  six  days,  requires  fresh  air  to  renovate 
his  constitution ;  and  those  who  desire  to  abridge  his 
comforts  in  this  respect,  are  no  friends  to  their  fellow 
beings.  They  who  thus  attempt  to  injure  the  health 
of  the  poorer  part  of  the  community,  if  the  Pythago- 
rean system  were  to  be  the  true  one,  should  be  con- 

*  Fly-fishing  is  more  conducive  to'health  than  bottom  fishing ; 
for  in  the  former  there  is  considerable  exercise  for  the  muscles  of 
the  arms,  in  throwing  the  line,  and  for  the  legs  in  moving  about. 
Spinning  a  minnow,  and  trolUng  are  next  in  point  of  advan- 
tageous results  to  the  health  :  another  superior  advantage  of  fly- 
fishing is,  that  it  is  practised  by  the  side  of  rapid  and  aerated 


282  FISHES    AKD    FISHING. 

demned  to  the  same  labour,  privations,  and  want  'of 
fresh  air,  to  which  they  would  condemn  the  labour- 
ing population  ;  the  miseries  of  which  they  never 
knew.  IS'o !  no !  They  enjoy  the  luxuries  of  life  ; 
they  take  their  pleasure  in  riding,  walking,  or  sport- 
ing, six  days  of  the  week,  and  have  nothing  to  think 
of  but  their  pleasures  and  comforts. 

It  cannot  be  supposed,  in  this  enlightened  age,  that 
any  attempt  could  be  entertained  by  the  Houses  of 
Parliament  to  interfere  with  the  innocent  amuse- 
ments of  a  large  proportion  of  the  community.  Mo- 
nomaniacs may  propose  very  unwise  laws,  and  have 
done  so :  but  the  good  sense  of  our  legislators  have 
hitherto  repelled  the^propositions.  The  human  mind 
cannot  be  coerced,  as  to  its  religious  feelings ;  and  the 
endeavour  to  do  so,  by  the  hand  of  power,  is  sure  to 
prove  abortive.  Puritans  have  subverted  the  throne, 
and  killed  their  king  in  this  island ;  beware  of  ever 
letting  them  be  in  the  ascendant  again.  Are  not  the 
horrible  scenes  now  progressing  in  India,  attribut- 
able, whatever  may  be  said  to  the  contrary,  to  the 
well-intentioned  endeavours  to  make  proselytes  to  the 
Christian  religion  ? 

I  overheard  a  short  time  ago,  a  boy  of  a  respect- 
able family  of  the  middle  class,  about  ten  years  old, 
talking  to  another,  about  how  his  Sunday  was  spent ; 
he  said,  he  "  went  three  times  in  the  day  to  chapel. 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  283 

(for  his  parents  were  dissenters  of  some  sort)  and 
twice  to  a  Sunday  school  ;**  and  said  he,  "  Let  me  get 
a  little  older,  and  1*11  have  less  praying,  and  some 
pleasure,  for  I  have  none  now.  God  never  intended, 
I  think,  that  we  should  worry  him  with  prayers, 
and  hymn- singing,  and  neglect  the  exercise  good  for 
one's  health," 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  I  advocate  any  neglect 
of  religious  duties,  but  I  do  reprobate  causing  chil- 
dren, who  are  naturally  volatile,  to  regard  religious 
duties,  by  their  excess,  as  distasteful  j  and  thereby 
lay  the  foundation  of  irreligion  in  the  adult.  iNTo  ! 
let  children  be  taught  that  it  is  degrading  to  themselves 
to  act  improperly ;  and  not  that  punishment  awaits 
them  if  they  do  so,  and  they  will  grow  up  to  be 
honourable  beings,  above  committing  an  action  which 
the  inward  monitor,  their  consciences,  warns  them,  is 
contrary  to  the  true  principles  of  moral  integrity. 

In  the  Court  of  Queen's  Bench,  on  14th  iN'ovember, 
1854,  in  a  case  of  trespass.  Bland  v.  Lipscombe, 
the  question  involved  was,  the  right  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Leatherhead  to  angle,  with  rods  and  lines, 
from  a  certain  towing  path,  on  [the  bank  of  the  river 
Mole  :  they  pleaded  immemorial  custom  to  angle  for 
recreation  and  not  for  profit.  The  plea  of  the  inhabit- 
ants was  demurred  to,  on  the  ground  that  such  an- 
gling must  be  for  profit.    The  counsel  supporting  the 


284  PISHES   iLND    FISHING. 

plea  said  such  angling  was  for  recreation,  and  not  for 
profit. 

Lord  Campbell  decided,  that  as  the  plea  was,  that 
such  angling  was  not  for  profit,  it  was  bad.  So  that 
the  demurrer  stands  good  against  the  plea.  Kow 
without  knowing  any  thing  of  this  case,  or  pretend- 
ing to  give  a  dictum  as  to  the  law,  the  common-sense 
of  the  matter  appears  to  be,  that  the  inhabitants  of 
Leatherhead  should  have  pleaded  a  prescriptive  right, 
by  immemorial  custom,  to  angle  with  rods  and  lines 
from  that  towing  path,  and  there  have  stopped  :  no 
person  goes  out  to  angle  without  expecting  and  hop- 
ing to  take  fish  ;  and  if  any  parties  have,  by  imme- 
morial custom,  a  right  to  angle  in  a  particular  spot, 
they  are  not  accountable  to  any  person  whatsoever  as  to 
what  they  do  with  the  fish  they  may  catch,  whether 
they  give  them  away,  sell  them,  or  cook  them.  If 
they  be  entitled  to  angle,  they  are  also  entitled  to  do 
what  they  will  with  the  results  of  their  sport.  The 
fish  were  in  a  state  of  fercB  naturae,  and  become 
the  absolute  acquired  property  of  him  who  can  catch 
them  ;  and  every  angler  does  fish  for  the  acquirement 
of  that  which  he  has  not,  and  therefore  fishes  for 
jprojit. 

A  result  of  this  case  was,  that  Charles  Lipscomb, 
a  labourer  at  Leatherhead,  applied  to  be  discharged 
from  prison  j  he  was  opposed  by  'N.  Bland,  Esq.,  of 


1 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  285 

Randall* 8  Park,  Leatherhead.  The  jury,  on  the  trial 
in  the  Queen's  Bench,  gave  a  verdict  for  the  plaintiff 
(Mr.  Bland),  with  £10  damages ;  and  the  costs 
amounted  to  £154.  The  insolvent,  who  was  heard 
on  2l8t  of  July,  1855,  maintained  that  he  had  aright 
to  fish,  and  that  the  fish  belonged  to  Mr.  Ladbroke, 
the  Lord  of  the  Manor ;  it  appeared  that  there  is  a 
public  /oo^-path  along  the  side  of  the  river.  Mr. 
Commissioner  Murphy  adjourned  the  case  for  enquiry 
whether  the  inhabitants  believed  they  had  a  right  to 
fish.  If  so,  he  would  not  keep  the  insolvent  in  pri- 
son ;  but  if  the  insolvent  had  persisted,  well  knowing 
he  had  no  right,  then  he  should  feel  it  his  duty  to 
give  a  very  serious  judgment.  The  Commissioner 
has  since  been  satisfied  upon  that  point ;  and  Lips- 
combe  was  discharged  on  24th  July. 

In  the  case  previously,  as  stated  by  the  newspa- 
pers, of  this  action,  it  was  then  said  that  there  was  a 
towing  path  by  the  side  of  the  river  Mole,  from  whence 
the  inhabitants  of  Leatherhead  were,  by  immemorial 
custom,  entitled  to  angle  with  rods  and  lines ;  now  a 
towing  path  would  indicate  that  the  [river  was  navi- 
gable, which,  according  to  legal  authorities  on  aquatic 
rights,  would  alter  the  case  very  materially ;  for  all 
rivers  which  maintain  a  perpetual  stream,  and  are 
capable  of  being  navigated,  are  public  rivers.  But  a 
public  foot-path  hj  the  side  of  a  river,  bounded  by 


286  nSHES   AND   FISHING. 

the  ground  of  any  person,  does  not  give  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  town  or  village  in  which  such  ground  is 
situated  any  right  to  fish  in  that  river,  unless  the 
said  inhabitants  can  prove  that  the  pathway  has  been 
used  without  interruption ;  also,  that  they  have  an- 
gled therefrom  during  thirty  years.  If  they  cannot 
prove  this,  any  of  them  who  angle  from  the  pathway 
in  question  commit  a  trespass  upon  the  property  of 
the  owner  of  the  soil,  who  has  a  right  to  the  fishery 
half  way  across  the  river  ;  or  the  whole,  if  he  be  the 
proprietor  of  the  land  on  both  sides  ;  and  the  Lord  of 
the  Manor,  as  such,  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  fishery 
or  fish. 

Mr.  Commissioner  Murphy  made  a  very  sensible 
and  judicious  observation,  as  to  sending  this  case  for 
trial  to  the  Court  of  Queen's  Bench  ;  the  matter  ought 
to  have  gone  before  a  justice  of  the  peace.  Mr.  Eland 
should,  I  think,  have  proceeded  under  the  7th  and  8th 
George  IV.,  cap.  xxix.,  sect.  34  :  however,  as  that  gen- 
tleman thought  proper  to  employ  lawyers  upon  the 
subject,  he  wiU  now  probably  have  to  pay  them. 
Bnt  if  any  of  the  inhabitants  of  Leatherhead  had  been 
taken  before  a  magistrate  for  angling,  at  the  place 
where  Lipscombe  angled,  and  proved  his  right  to  do 
80,  as  before  observed,  no  magistrate  could  legally 
convict  him  under  this,  or  any  other  act,  because  the 
right  accrued  to  such  inhabitant  by  previous  laws  of 


FISHES   AND   TISHING.  287 

the  realm.  The  inhabitants  of  Leatherhead  will  not 
perforin  the  duty  they  owe  to  their  children,  and 
children's  children,  if  they  do  not  defend  this  right  of 
angling,  if  it  be  their  right.  There  are  too  many 
instances  of  persons  dressed  in  a  little  brief  authority, 
or  who  have  in  some  way  acquired  wealth,  using  or 
abusing  their  power,  to  circumscribe  the  recreations 
of  the  more  humble  of  their  fellow  mortals,  particu- 
larly in  that  of  angling ;  but  it  must  be  admitted 
there  are  a  great  number  of  truly  noble  and  wealthy 
individuals,  who  act  with  every  possible  urbanity 
and  consideration  towards  those  more  humbly  cir- 
cumstanced. 

A  most  destructive  method  of  catching  trout  is,  I 
am  informed,  practised  at,  and  near  Leatherhead, 
when  the  May-fly  is  on  the  water ;  it  is  by  a  line 
stretched  across  the  river,  to  which  is  affixed  a  num- 
ber of  hooks,  baited  with  the  natural  fly.  A  man  on 
each  side  of  the  river  lets  these  baits  drop  from  time 
to  time,  and  as  soon  as  a  fish  is  hooked,  the  one 
poacher,  for  I  can  no  otherwise  denominate  them, 
gives  out  line,  and  the  other  draws  it  in,  and  baskets 
the  fish.  N"o  one  under  the  title  of  an  inhabitant  of 
Leatherhead,  should  be  allowed  to  plunder  and  injure 
the  river  in  that  disgraceful  manner.  Fellows  of 
that  class  fish  for  profit  only. 

Should  the  inhabitants  of  Leatherhead  establish 


288  riSHES   AND    FISHING. 

their  right  to  angle  from  this  foot-path,  it  will  not 
authorize  any  visitor  to  angle  there,  neither  can  an 
inhabitant  of  that  town  delegate  his  authority  to 
another  person,  who  is  not  an  estallished  inhabitant. 

In  the  case  of  Eawlins  v.  Jenkins  and  others,  really 
versus  the  mayor,  burgesses,  and  freeholders  of  "Whit- 
church, in  Hampshire,  for  trespass,  by  angling  in  the 
river  Test,  which  they  could  only  do  by  entering  a 
close  belonging  to  the  plaintiff,  the  defendants 
pleaded  a  prescriptive  right  by  immemorial  custom. 
The  case  was  tried  before  Mr.  Justice  Coleridge,  at 
the  spring  assizes,  held  at  Winchester,  in  1842;  and 
the  verdict  was,  after  a  long  trial,  in  favour  of  the 
defendants.  A  new  trial  was  granted,  and  owing  to 
some  misconception,  the  verdict  was  for  the  plaintiff. 
Another  trial  was  applied  for  on  account  of  the 
alleged  misdirection  of  the  judge;  but  it  was  not 
obtained,  so  the  parties  are  much  as  they  were, 
except  a  little  lighter  in  pocket. 

In  the  navigation  from  Weybridge  Eridge  to 
Thames  Lock,  it  is  the  old  river  Wey,  and  above  the 
lock  at  "Weybridge  Bridge,  to  Godalming,  it  is  an 
artificially  made  canal ;  now,  the  proprietors  of  the 
whole  navigation  to  Godalming  have  very  inju- 
diciously placed  boards  forbidding  persons  to  angle  : 
but  from  Thames  Lock  to  Weybridge  Bridge,  it  is  the 
original  river,  and  probably  was  originally,  ages  ago, 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  289 

navigable  up  to  Byfleet ;  over  that,  the  Wey  naviga- 
tion proprietors  never  had  any  exclusive  right,  and  if, 
by  the  purchase  of  the  land  through  which  the  cut  was 
made  above  Wey bridge  Bridge,  they  in  the  commence- 
ment had  any  such  right  over  the  canal  so  cut  above 
that  Bridge,  they  have  never  exercised  it,  as  I  can 
prove,  for  seventy-five  years ;  and  as  the  best  part 
for  angling  is  in  the  parish  of  Chertsey,  the  au- 
thorities of  that  parish  should  take  immediate  steps 
to  prevent  the  rights  of  the  parishioners  from  being 
deteriorated. 

In  1509,  in  an  Act  passed  for  repealing  a  former 
Act,  which  was  supposed  to  have  an  injurious  ten- 
dency to  the  interests  of  fishermen,  it  is  stated, 
**  that  fish  are  much  behoveful,  and  necessary  to  the  com- 
mon weal  of  this  realms 

First  of  Henry  VIII.  states,  *'That  days  and 
meats  are  indiiferent  according  to  the  gospel,  but  that 
abstinence  from  flesh  meat  is  a  mean  to  virtue,  and 
to  subdue  men's  bodies  to  their  soul  and  spirit." 

The  2nd  and  3rd  of  Edward  VI.  imposed  penal- 
ties on  persons  eating  flesh  on  fish  days ;  for  the  first 
offence  a  fine  of  ten  shillings,  and  ten  days'  imprison- 
ment, and  abstinence  from  flesh  during  the  whole  of 
that  period ;  for  the  second  offence  the  penalty  and 
other  punishments  were  double.  The  sick  and  aged 
could  obtain  licenses  to  eat  meat.     In  1562  the  penal- 


290  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

ties  were  increased  to  £3,  and  £2  upon  any  house- 
holder who  was  cognizant  of  the  offence,  if  he  did  not 
inform  against  the  offender.  A  nobleman  might  eat 
meat  whenever  he  pleased,  if  he  paid  £1  6s.  8c?.  per 
year.  A  knight  might  do  so  for  ISs.  4d.,  and  a  com- 
moner, 65.  8c?.  The  money  was  paid  into  the  parish 
poor-box,  under  control  of  the  Priesthood. 

Fish  of  various  species  could  very  profitably  be 
bred  in  ponds  in  the  inland  parts  of  this  country, 
independently  of  the  supply  from  the  sea,  and  it 
would  be  the  means  of  giving  nutriment  to  many 
families,  if  the  breeding  of  fish  were  more  encouraged. 
Eels,  for  instance,  are  extremely  prolific,  and  would 
afford  to  those  who  bred  them  for  sale,  a  most  ample 
return,  whilst  the  outlay  would  be  trifling  ;  they  are 
very  nourishing,  and  persons  who  feed  much  on  them, 
as  is  the  case,  Mr.  Dickens  says,  of  the  inhabitants 
around  Lake  Como,  who  are  robust  and  long-lived ; 
whilst  sickly  neighbours  resort  to  the  same  locality, 
and  find  restoration  of  their  health,  through  partaking 
of  the  same  food. 

From  the  same  author,  in  "  Household  Words," 
vol.  iii.  p.  423,  we  learn  the  following  was  a  gentle- 
man's directions  for  a  Saturday's  dinner,  in  the  seven- 
teenth year  of  the  reign  of  Harry  the  Eighth. 

**  First,  leich  brayne.  Item,  frommetye  pottage. 
Item,  whole  ling.     Item,  great  jowls  of  salt  sammon. 


FISHES   AND    FISHING,  291 

Item,  great  salt  eels.  Item,  great  salt  sturgeon  jowls. 
Item,  fresh  ling.  Item,  fresh  turbot.  Item,  great 
pike.  Item,  great  jowls  of  fresh  sammon.  Item, 
great  ruds.     Item,  great  turbots.     Item,  tarts. 

**  Second  course.  Martens  to  pottage.  Item,  a  great 
fresh  sturgeon  jowl.  Item,  fresh  eel,  roasted.  Item, 
great  brett.  Item,  sammon  chines,  broiled.  Item, 
roasted  eels.  Item,  roasted  lampreys.  Item,  roasted 
lamperns.  Item,  great burbutts.  Item,  sammon,  baken. 
Item,  fresh  eel,  baken.  Item,  fresh  lampreys,  baken. 
Item,  clear  jilly.     Item,  gingerbread." 

This  could  not  surely  be  all  served  at  one  dinner, 
but  must  be  a  dietary  for  Saturdays,  when  probably 
one,  two,  or  three  of  these  dishes  were  indispensable 
at  table,  on  that  day  of  the  week. 

Thus  our  ancestors  promulgated  laws  and  orders, 
relative  to  the  eating  of  fish,  with  a  view  to  render 
persons  more  chaste,  as  they  did  not  consider  fish 
conveyed  so  much  nutriment  to  the  human  system, 
or  was  so  exciting  to  the  passions  as  flesh  ;  in  respect 
to  nutriment,  their  ideas  were  very  erroneous,  and 
also  as  to  "subduing  men's  bodies." 

An  opinion  has  been  entertained  by  some  authois 
on  medical  subjects,  that  eels,  salmon,  herrings,  lam- 
preys,,mussels  and  lobsters  prove  injurious  to  some 
constitutions;  this  is  quite  true ;  the  first  four  dis- 
agree with  many,  in  consequence  of  the  large  propoi- 

u  2 


292  PISHES    AND    FISHIVG. 

tion  of  fatty  matter  which  enter  into  their  compo- 
sition, the  fifth  I  have  before  explained,  and  the  last 
from  the  indigestible  nature  of  its  flesh  ;  the  effects 
of  the  former,  are  nausea,  and  probably  bilious  head- 
ache; and  the  latter,  efflorescence  of  the  skin,  partially 
or  wholly,  with  some  fever. 

In  the  eastern  parts  of  the  world  there  are  poison- 
<)U8  fi-sh,  such  as  the  Tetradon  Ocellatus  of  Linnseus, 
round  in  Japan,  where  it  is  prohibited  to  be  eaten  by 
the  officers  and  soldiers  ;  so  in  the  western  there  are 
many  of  that  description,  some  that  will  destroy  life 
in  half  an  hour,  by  exciting  the  most  frightful  con- 
vulsions ;    the   yellow- bill  sprat  has   this   property. 
Many  of  the  other  fishes  in  the  "West  Indies,  which 
have  the  character  of  being  poisonous,  may  be  safely 
eaten  if  the  precaution  be  adopted  to  take  out  every 
portion  of  the  entrails  immediately  the  fish  is  cap- 
tured ;  if  it  remain  long  before  this  be  done,   the 
whole  fish  becomes  unfit  for  food,  which  appears  as 
if  its  aliment  were  of  a  deleterious  nature,  and  the 
same   thing  occurs   with   the  above  fish  of  Japan. 
This  gives  a  strong  reason  for  adopting  the  method 
of  taking  out  the   entrails  of  all  fish,  as  soon  as 
possible  after  they  are  caught.     And  much  of  the 
injurious  properties  ascribed  to  the  six  species  of  fish 
which  I  have  named,  may  be  traced  to  the  length  of 
time  they  are  kept  in  a  state  apparently  fit  for  food, 


FISHES   AND    FISHIIfG.  293 

after  they  are  dead,  by  means  of  ice,   and  chemical 
preparations. 

Dr.  Davy  says,    "  He  has  made  some  experiments 
on  the  degree  of  nutriment  there  is  in  fish,  and  the 
results  go  far  to  prove  that  there  is  much  nourishment 
in  them,  little  less  than  in  butchers*  meat,   weight 
for  weight ;  and  in  effect  it  may  be  more  nourishing, 
considering  how,  from  its  softer  fibre,  fish  is  more 
easily  digested.     Moreover,  there  is,  I  ^find,  in  fish 
(in  sea  fish)  a  substance  which  does  not  exist  in  the 
flesh  of  land  animals,  viz.,  iodine — a  substance  which 
may  have  a  beneficial  effect  on  the  health,  and  tend 
to  prevent  the  production  of  scrofulous  and  tubercular 
disease — the  latter  in  the  form  of  pulmonary  con- 
sumption, one  of  the  most  cruel  and  fatal  with  which 
civilized  society,  and  the  highly  educated  and  refined 
are  afflicted.     Comparative  trials  prove  that  in  the 
majority  of  fish  the  proportion  of  solid  matter — that 
is,  the  matter  which  remains  after  perfect  desiccation, 
or  the  expulsion  of  the  aqueous  part — is  little  inferior 
to  that  of  the  several  kinds  of  butchers'  meat,  game, 
or  poultry.     And  if  we  give  our  attention  to  classes 
of  people,  classed  as  to  quality  of  food  they  princi- 
pally subsist  on,  we  find  that  the  ichthyophagous 
class  are  especially  strong,  healthy,  and  prolific.     In 
no  other  class  than  that  of  fishers  do  we  see  larger 
families,  handsomer  women,  or  more  robust  and  active 


294  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

men,  or  a  greater  exemption  from  the  maladies  just 
alluded  to.  Other  circumstances  maj^  contribute  to 
the  beneficial  effect,  but  are  not,  I  think,  by  them- 
selves sufficient  to  account  for  the  effect.  There  are 
facts  of  a  corroborative  kind ;  such  as  the  well-ascer- 
tained efficacy  of  cod-liver  oil — an  oil  containing 
iodine — in  arresting  the  progress  of  consumption  ; 
the  efficacy  of  the  same  substance  in  relieving  or  curing 
some  chronic  aliments,  especially  bronchocele  ;  and 
the  virtue  of  fish  diet,  of  raw  fish,  as  employed  in 
Siberia  and  Holland,  in  the  treatment  of  many  chronic 
complaints  resisting  ordinary  medical  treatment,  of 
which  there  are  well- authenticated  accounts.'* 

Dr.  Armstrong,  in  the  "  Art  of  Preserving  Health," 
wrote,  about  1747,  thus  of  the  inhabitants  of  some  of 
the  frozen  regions  of  the  globe. 

"  Far  in  the  horrid  realms  of  winter,  where 
Th'  established  ocean  heaps  a  monstrous  waste 
Of  shining  rocks  and  mountains  to  the  pole, 
There  lives  a  hardy  race,  whose  plainest  wants 
Relentless  earth,  their  cruel  stepmother, 
Regards  not.     On  the  waste  of  iron  fields, 
Untam'd,  untractable,  no  harvests  wave, 
Pomona  hates  them,  and  the  clownish  god 
Who  tends  the  garden.     In  this  frozen  world 
Such  cooling  gifts  were  vain  ;  a  fitter  meal 
Is  earned  with  ease  ;  for  here  the  fruitful  spawn 
Of  ocean  swarms,  and  heaps  their  genial  board 
With  generous  fare,  and  luxury  profuse. 
These  are  their  bread,  the  only  bread  they  know.*' 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  295 

Recent  authors  confirm  the  fact,  that  there  are 
tribes  of  human  beings  who  live  mostly  on  fish,  and 
some  who  seldom  partake  of  other  food,  yet  they  are 
strong,  healthy,  and  active. 

The  savage  aborigines  of  a  portion  of  New  England 
were  formerly  entirely  supported  during  a  great  por- 
tion of  the  year,  by  the  immense  quantity  of  herrings 
they  took  at  the  mouth  of  one  of  their  large  rivers, 
which  they  dried  in  the  sun,  and  used  instead  of 
bread.  So  numerous  are  the  salmon,  and  its  varieties, 
in  the  rivers  of  Kamschafcka,  that  they  provide  an 
abundant  supply  of  food  for  the  inhabitants,  and  the 
elegantly  -  formed,  resplendent  silver  -  scaled  keta, 
which  forms  the  toukola  or  household  bread  of  the 
inhabitant's,  with  all  the  others,  ascend  their  rivers 
in  summer,  and  diffuse  plenty  in  these  dreary  parts 
of  the  world.  The  natives  have,  during  many  months, 
a  variety  of  different  species  of  fish,  which  not  only 
swarm  in  different  rivers,  each  choosing  its  own,  but 
they  penetrate  to  the  inland  lakes,  &c. ;  and  Provi- 
dence has  kindly  provided  most  abundantly,  upon  the 
sea  shore,  two  plants  of  most  excellent  anti-scorbutic 
properties,  as  necessary  correctives  of  constitutions 
feeding  so  entirely  on  fish,  much  of  it  dried  and 
salted. 

Siberia  and  Greenland  owe  much  of  their  food  to 
the  salmon,  which  in  one  instance  force  their  way  up 


296  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

a  river  thirteen  hundred  miles,  then  across  a  lake, 
and  ascend  another  river ;  and  in  a  second  instance 
pass  up  a  river  two  thousand  miles  long.  I  might 
enlarge  very  much  on  this  subject,  but  I  think  what 
I  have  stated  is  enough  to  prove  that  fish  afford  a 
great  proportion  of  nutriment,  and  every  protection 
should  be  extended  to  them  in  all  countries,  by  pre- 
venting their  being  taken  when  full  of  spawn,  and 
also  in  these  kingdoms  under  the  size  fixed  by  law. 
This  year''^  all  fish  were  very  late  in  depositing  their 
ova ;  and  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Hampton  Court, 
there  were  a  very  large  number  of  roach,  dace,  and 
chub  taken  during  the  fence  months,  whereby  mil- 
lions of  fish  were  destroyed.  A  most  unsportsman- 
like plan  was  also  resorted  to,  by  drawing  a  cluster 
of  naked  hooks  across  little  channels,  which  the  fish 
were  endeavouring  to  get  up  to  spawn,  whereby 
hundreds  were  caught,  and  double  the  number  injured. 
"Where  was  the  society's  water  bailiff?  or  the  Con- 
servators (?)  of  the  Thames  and  their  officers  ? 

It  would  assist  the  naturalist,  as  well  as  the  angler, 
most  essentially,  if  they  could  see  fish  in  their  native 
element  at  considerable  depths.  Some  time  ago  there 
appeared  in  the  *'  Northern  Warder,"  observations  to 
the  following  effect,  under  the  head  "  Norwegian 
Water  Telescopes. — This  appears  to  be  a  tube  three 

*  1856. 


FISHES   AND    FISHING. 


297 


to  four  feet  long ;  the  fishermen  immerse  one  end  in 
the  water,  and  leaning  over  the  gunwale  of  their  boat, 
and  allowing  no  light  to  come  to  their  eye,  they  look 
through  the  glass,  whereby  they  can  see  objects  per- 
fectly clear,  ten  to  fifteen  fathoms  deep,  or  sixty  to 
ninety  feet.  'Navy  and  coasting  vessels  of  Norway 
carry  them  to  examine  if  their  anchors  be  foul. 
They  have  been  introduced  and  used  on  the  Tay, 
whereby  in  twelve  feet  water  everything  is  seen  as  if 
at  the  surface.  The  meanest  fisherman  can  make 
them.'*  I  should  think  our  Baltic  fleet  availed  them- 
selves of  this  invention  to  aid  their  navigation,  or  to 
detect  any  dangerous  snare  laid  for  them.  I  wrote  to 
Admiral  Dimdas  on  the  subject,  when  he  commanded 
in  the  Baltic,  knowing  him  from  his  having  been  my 
patient :  he  called  and  thanked  me  on  his  return. 

Mr.  Leslie,  of  Lausenburgh,  U.S.,  has  constructed 
an  instrument  for  examining  the  beds  of  rivers,  or 
other  situations  under  water,  to  facilitate  excavation, 
speedy  discovery  of  drowned  bodies,  or  of  lost  pro- 
perty. It  is  by  the  addition  of  lamps  useful  at  night. 
I  have  not  seen  any  instrument  of  the  kind  in  this 
country ;  and  if  it  be  useful  as  stated,  it  should  be 
brought  into  notice.  A  tolerably  clear  explanation 
of  it  is  given  in  the  **  Journal  of  Science,  Literature, 
and  the  Arts,"  No.  xxxv.,  1824;  John  Murray, 
Albemarle  Street,  London. 


1 


298  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 


I  think  tills  instrument  may  be  very  much  im- 
proved, and  intend  endeavouring  to  do  so. 

Fly-fishing  in  ihe  Ganges. 

*'  The  science  of  fly-fishing  is  completely  set  at 
defiance,  and  rendered  comparatively  futile,  in  many 
parts  of  the  Ganges:  for  instance,  at  the  junction  of 
the  Soane.  Pancy  a  noble  river  like  the  Ganges,  fed 
by  the  everlasting  snows  of  the  Himalaya,  and  the 
countless  streams  which  add  their  silvery  tribute  from 
every  glen  and  ravine  along  its  course.  Picture  this 
impetuous  torrent,  after  being  fretted  into  foam 
amongst  the  rocky  chasms  of  its  native  mountains, 
leaping  joyously  into  liberty  and  light,  and  roaring 
triumphantly  as  it  bursts  from  its  long  confinement, 
and  flings  its  glittering  spray  through  its  romantic 
gorge  of  Tapabund,  hurrying  along  tumultuously  to 
the  open  sea  !  Fancy  a  twenty-eight  pound  marseer 
at  the  end  of  your  line,  where  the  Soane  (itself  also 
a  river)  mingles  its  waters  with  the  heavy  billows  of 
the  Ganges.  The  fish  makes  directly  across  to  the 
rapid,  where  the  best  boat  that  ever  stemmed  a  tide 
would  be  shattered  into  a  thousand  splinters ;  there 
is  a  sweeping  bay  to  the  right,  which  totally  prevents 
your  moving  from  the  spot. 

**  The  marseer  is  a  gallant  fish ;  and  an  active  one 
in  prime  condition.  Rebellious  at  the  trick  you  played 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  299 

him,  and  determined  to  go  headlong  down  yon  foam- 
ing rapid,  he  springs  away,  making  the  water  fly 
from'  your  line  like  smoke ;  and  now  he  has  caught 
the  additional  impetus  of  the  roaring  stream  as  it 
hurries  to  the  fall.  Place  your  finger  on  the  line. 
What !  it  cuts  you,  does  it }  I  defy  you  to  feel  your 
fish,  as  a  skilful  rider  does  his  horse ;  the  fish  will  go, 
and  you  must  let  him  ;  he  has  only  been  two  minutes 
hooked ;  your  line  is  all  out  (200  yards)  and  you  are 
up  to  your  chin  in  the  water.  And  now,  hold  hard, 
science  is  vain.  All  you  can  do  is,  to  give  him  the 
butt,  trusting  alone  to  the  strength  of  your  treble  gut 
bottom,  and  the  elasticity  of  your  rod  and  line. 

''  If  any  sportsman  should  affect  to  drop  the  cor- 
ners of  his  mouth  at  the  sport  I  have  described — 
but  faintly,  I  should  delight  to  see  him  with  *  a  go-a- 
head varmint '  on  the  hook,  at  the  above  sport ;  and 
if  he  were  able  to  manage  him  in  the  known  rules  of 
angling  science,  all  I  can  say  is,  tliat  I  would  *  hide 
my  diminished  head.'  " 

A  gentleman  to  whom  I  shewed  this,  which  I  cu^ 
out  of  a  periodical,  enabled  me  to  correct  the  printed 
statement ;  and  informed  me  that  he  had  angled  in 
the  river  Soane  ;  that  he  had  always  from  200  to  250 
yards  of  line  on  his  winch,  which  frequently  would 
be  all  run  out ;  that  he  was  obliged  to  wade,  but  not 
up  to  his  chin  ;  that  the  sand  of  the  river  is  very  fine, 


300  FISHKS    AND    FISHING. 

and  shines  like  gold,  and  that  the  shores  abound 
with  beautiful  agate  pebbles. 

^*  Hints  for  Anglers. — Never  mind  what  they  of 
the  old  school  say  about  '  playing  him  till  he  is 
tired.*  Much  valuable  time,  and  many  a  good  fish, 
may  be  lost  by  this  antiquated  proceeding.  Put  him 
into  your  basket  as  soon  as  you  can.  Everything  de- 
pends on  the  manner  in  which  you  commence  your 
acquaintance  with  him.  If  you  can  at  first  prevail 
upon  him  to  walk  a  little  way  down  the  stream  with 
you,  you  will  have  no  difficulty  afterwards,  in  per- 
suading him  to  let  you  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
him  at  dinner. 

*'  Do  not  leave  ofi'  fishing  early  in  the  evening,  be- 
cause your  friends  are  tired.  After  a  bright  day,  the 
largest  fish  are  to  be  caught  by  whipping  between 
sunset  and  dark.  Even,  however,  in  these  precious 
moments  you  will  not  have  good  sport,  if  you  con- 
tinue throwing  after  you  have  whipped  your  fly  off. 
Pay  attention  to  this;  and  if  you  have  any  doubt 
after  dusk,  you  may  easily  ascertain  the  point,  by 
drawing  the  end  of  your  line,  quickly,  through  your 
hand,  particularly  if  you  do  not  wear  gloves. 

"  When  you  have  got  hold  of  a  good  fish,  which 
is  not  very  tractable — if  you  are  married,  gentle 
reader,  think  of  your  wife,  who,  like  the  fish,  is 
united  to  you  by  very  tender  ties,  which   can  only 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  301 

end  with  her  death,  or  her  going  into  weeds.  If  you 
are  single,  the  loss  of  the  fish,  when  you  thought  the 
prize  your  own,  may  remind  you  of  some  more  serious 
disappointment." — Jesse's  **  Natural  History.'* 

I  have  mentioned  the  antiquity  of  angling ;  the 
noble,  good,  pious,  and  learned  men  who  have  prac- 
tised and  patronized  this  recreation ;  but  it  has  also 
had  some  well-known  opponents ;  for  instance,  the 
float-fisher,  drew  from  the  prejudiced  and  surly  Dr. 
Johnson,  the  very  amiable  and  agreeable  expression 
of  his  opinion — that  it  was  an  amusement  carried  on 
by  "  a  stick  and  a  string,  with  a  worm  at  one  end, 
and  a  fool  at  the  other."  And  he,  in  the  plenitude  of 
his  self-conceit  and  ill-nature,  fancied  himself  a  wit, 
in  uttering  this  sarcasm.  The  fact  was,  he  was  so 
near-sighted  he  could  not  see  a  float ;  and,  therefore, 
never  could  know  what  the  sport  was :  and  as  to  fly- 
fishing, it  was  totally  beyond  his  comprehension. 

Lord  Byron  also  wished  to  be  considered  witty  on 
the  subject : 

"  And  angling  too,  that  solitary  vice, 
Whatever  Isaac  Walton  sings,  or  says, 
The  quaint  old  cruel  coxcomb  in  his  gullet 
Should  have  a  hook,  and  a  small  trout  to  pull  it." 

The  noble  (?)  lord  was  lame,  and  could  not  enjoy  the 
amusement  latterly ,  though  he  did  when  young,  ac- 
cording to  Hofland,  in  the  large  ponds  at  New  stead 


302  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

Abbey.     So  he  was  like  many  others  in  this  world  of 
ours,  who 

"  Compound  for  sins  they  are  inclined  to, 
,,   By  damning  those  they  have  no  mind  to." 

Note. — Izaak  Walton  died  14th  December,  1683, 
get.  90  years. 

Peter  Pindar  too,  in  taking  the  part  of  the  fish 
against  the  angler,  says — 

*'  And  when  he  tries  to  pull  thee  out, 
God  give  thee  strength,  thou  little  trout, 
To  pull  old  Izaalf  in." 

Dr.  Walcot  was  a  professed  cynic,  who  lashed, 
or  flattered  himself  he  did  lash,  everybody,  poor  old 
King  George  the  Third  not  excepted ;  but  in  the  ma- 
jority of  instances,  though  his  satirical  poetry  might 
produce  a  momentary  laugh,  the  shaft  which  he  at- 
tempted to  point  with  wit,  very  often  fell  harmless  to 
the  ground,  through  the  ill-nature  displayed  towards 
worthy  and  estimable  characters. 

**  For  his  censure  was  praise,  the  enlightened  allow, 

And  not  laurels,  but  thistles  oft  adorned  his  poor  brow." 

There  are  many  accounts  of  fish  which  have  the 
power  of  traversing  the  land  as  well  as  the  water,  or 
of  climbing  trees.  Mr.  Yarrell  very  kindly  lont  me 
Dr.  Francis  Hamilton's  (formerly  Buchanan)  account 


riSHKS    AND    FISHING.  303 

of  the  fishes  of  the  river  Ganges  and  its  branches  ; 
from  which  I  make  the  following  abridged  extract. 

The  fish  to  which  this  faculty  of  ascending  trees  is 
attributed,  is  called  the  Coius  Cobojcus,  or  the  climbing 
perch ;  the  fin  of  its  tail  is  nearly  rounded ;  it  has 
seventeen  prickles,  and  eight  soft  rays  in  the  united 
fins  of  the  back,  with  ten  prickles  and  ten  soft  rays 
in  the  fin  behind  the  vent,  with  faint  black  belts 
traversing  the  sides. 

Captain  Dal dorf,  a  Dane,  "  Linnsean  Transactions," 
vol.  iii.  p.  62,  states,  that  he  saw  one  of  these  fish 
climbing  up  a  palm  tree. 

This  fish  is  found  ever)- where  in  the  marshes, 
ponds,  and  ditches  of  India ;  although  it  abounds  in 
sharp  bones,  the  natives  of  Calcutta  use  it  much  in 
diet;  the  women  believing  that  it  increases  their 
milk,  and  the  men  that  it  possesses  great  invigorating 
'powers ;  it  seldom  exceeds  six  inches  in  length.  It 
has  beneath  each  eye  a  horny  process,  indented  on 
the  lower  edge,  and  ending  before  in  a  sharp  point, 
which  the  animal  can,  at  pleasure,  turn  out. 

Each  gill- cover  consists  of  three  plates — the  two 
hindermost  of  which  are  indented  with  numerous 
strong  parallel  spines ;  all  these  are  powerful  organs 
of  locomotion,  when  the  fish  is  on  land. 

A  climbing  fish  was  known  to  the  Greeks;  but 
though  mentioned  by  Oppian,  in  about  twenty  difier- 


304  FISHES    AND    FISHING.  ^ 

ent  parts  of  his  *'  Halieuticks,*'  and  most  curious 
qualities  attributed  to  it,  we  do  not  correctly  know 
this  fish,  the^r^^^:  *'he  has  eight  long  legs  or  fibres, 
four  on  each  side  of  his  head,  which  serve  him  to 
crawl,  cling  to  the  rocks,  and  entangle  his  prey." 
The  above  poet  says,  book  iv.,  verse  335, 

"  With  all  the  transports  of  an  eager  spouse, 
Th'  enamored  preke  gallants  Minerva's  boughs. 
Surprizing  singularity  of  love  ! 
That  brutal  souls  a  leafy  fair  should  move, 
And  fishes  court  the  daughter  of  the  grove." 

In  the  following  lines  it  is  stated,  that  where  near 
the  shore  an  olive  tree  is  found,  with  swelling  berries 
and  luxuriant  boughs,  the  preke  will  ascend  it  and 
remain. 

'*  But  when  remiss  exhausted  nature  lies, 
Back  to  the  sea  the  languid  crawler  hies, 
Satiate  with  love  and  vegetable  joys." 

The  Grecian  fishermen  avail  themselves  of  the 
propensities  and  passions  of  fish,  for  loading  a  bough 
of  the  olive-tree  with  lead,  they  drag  it  along  deeply 
depressed,  at  the  stern  of  their  boat.  The  preke  en- 
twines himself  amongst  the  branches,  allows  himself 
to  be  drawn  into  the  boat,  and  only  relinquishes  his 
hold  of  the  bough  with  his  life. 

Another  curious  passion  in  fish  is,  that  of  the  sargo. 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  '  305 

(see  Willougliby,  p.  260  and  309.  tab.  v.  4,)  for  goats; 
which,  when  the  animals  are  driven  into  to  refresh 
and  cool  them,  these  fish  tumultuously  throng  and 
gambol  amongst  the  goats. 

The  fishermen  of  that  period,  clothed  in  a  goat 
skin,  with  the  horns  on  their  heads,  walked  into  the 
water ;  the  fish  crowded  around,  they  baited  with 
goat's  fat  and  flesh  incorporated  with  flour,  and  the 
fishermen  endeavour  to  take  every  one  of  the  shoal ; 
but  should  they  not  have  sufficient  rapidity  of  motion, 
and  dexterity  to  jerk  the  fish  up  and  instantly  cast  it 
ashore,  the  other  fish  discover  the  cheat,  and  instantly 
leave  the  spot,  nor  will  even  real  goats  tempt  them  to 
return.  The  fish  are  large,  and  the  rods  and  lines 
must  be  stout.  Does  not  this  caution  of  the  fish 
appear  very  like  a  reasoning  faculty  ? 

This  fish,  it  appears,  has  the  power  of  moving  about 
when  out  of  its  native  element,  and  might  possibly 
get  on  the  branches  of  trees  hanging  into  the  water. 
There  is  no  known  fish  which  can  exist  so  long  with- 
out water,  as  they  are  brought  to  Calcutta  market, 
and  are  alive  in  dry  earthen  pots  at  the  end  of  five  or 
six  days. 

This  is  one  of  the  fishes  supposed  to  fall  with  rain 
from  the  clouds,  which  is  no  doubt  erroneous,  for 
during  the  dry  season  the  waters  it  inhabits  are  re- 
duced by  evaporation,  and  it  exhausts  its  food,  when 

X 


306  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

the  rainy  season  commences,  like  a  larger  Indian 
fish,  it  moves  from  its  uncomfortable  position,  and  is 
found  wriggling  and  leaping  amongst  the  wet  grass. 

Dr.  Hamilton  mentions  several  other  curious  ani- 
mals of  the  fish  species,  of  which  I  shall  give  a  con- 
cise account.  A  fish  at  Bengal  called  by  the  English 
the  Sable  fish,  said  to  be  the  highest-flavoured  fish 
known,  being  like  a  compound  of  salmon  and  her- 
ring.    IS'ot,  I  imagine,  a  very  delicate  flavour. 

Cypkintjs  Eoba,  one  of  the  carp  tribe,  about  two 
feet  long,  very  few  bones. 

Cypkinus  Catla,  three  to  four  feet  long,  fat  and 
delicious  when  not  too  large,  those  which  are  become 
so  are  rank  tasted ;  this  fish  is  free  from  bones. 

Cypkintjs  Cuesa,  two  to  three  feet  long,  very  like 
the  English  tench ;  the  natives  entertain  the  opinion 
that  if  this  fish  be  eaten  on  the  same  day  that  milk  is 
drank,  the  person  so  doing  will  be  afflicted  with  the 
disease  called  Mephantiasis. 

Cyprinus  Eohita  grows  to  three  feet  long,  much 
propagated  in  ponds,  a  most  excellent  and  valuable 
fish ;  but  like  our  own  carp,  those  from  rivers  are 
much  superior  in  flavour. 

Cyprinus  Putitora,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Eengal  ; 
they  are  found  sometimes  nine  feet  long,  and  their 
scales  so  large  as  to  be  made  into  gambling  cardb ; 
these*  also  are  fiee  from  bones. 


FISHES    AND    FISBING.  307 

Pliny,  "Hist.  Mundi,"  L.  IX.  c.  iii.,  says  eels 
are  found  in  the  Ganges  three  hundred  feet  long  !  but 
Dr.  H.  says  he  never  saw  or  heard  of  any  larger  than 
those  of  Europe. 

Another  species  of  eel  found  in  the  estuaries  of  the 
Ganges  are  said  to  grow  to  seven  cubits  and  a-half 
long,  or  about  thirteen  feet ;  but  Dr.  H.  says  he  never 
saw  one  that  measured  half  that  length.  As  the  tide 
comes  up  into  these  inlets,  the  eels  taken  there  are 
most  probably  congers,  and  many  of  that  tribe  may 
be  much  longer  than  the  above  dimensions. 

A  genus  called  Ophiocephalus  has  a  great  number 
of  species ;  these  all  afford  a  light  and  wholesome, 
though  rather  insipid  diet.  They  are  very  tenacious 
of  life,  indeed  so  much  so,  that  in  China  they  are 
often  carried  in  vessels  of  water,  and  slices  are  cut 
for  sale  as  wanted ;  these  slices  selling  dear  whilst 
the  fish  retains  life,  but  that  portion  which  remains 
after  the  tortured  fish  has  ceased  to  live,  is  considered 
valueless.  Some  of  this  species  are  from  two  to  three 
feet  in  length.  Our  gastronomists  probably  learned 
the  art  of  crimping  fish  from  the  Chinese;  but  ashamed 
to  act  as  the  Chinese  do  in  this  respect,  they  give  the 
fish  a  tap  on  the  head  to  stun  it  a  little,  and  then 
make  their  cuts,  which,  according  to  Sir  Anthony 
Carlisle  and  others,  is  useless,  if  the  muscular  fibres 
do  not  contract,  that  is,  in  truth,  unless  the  fish  is 

s2 


308  PISHES    AND    PISHING. 

killed  by  the  transverse  cuts ;  or  more  plainly,  unless 
the  exquisite  gourmand  sees  or  believes  the  poor  fish 
evinces,  or  has  evinced  excruciating  suffering,  by  the 
quivering  of  every  portion  of  his  mutilated  body,  his 
fastidiously  pampered  appetite  is  not  gratified.  Nine 
times  out  of  ten  the  improvement  is  imaginary  ;  for, 
as  I  have  elsewhere  observed,  the  fish  vrhich  it  is 
pretended  by  fishmongers  to  be  in  reality  crimpedy  has 
been  deprived  of  vitality  for  many  hours  before  the 
transverse  incisions  are  made. 

One  species  of  this  last- mentioned  genus  inhabits 
holes  in  the  perpendicular  banks  of  some  rivers,  where 
they  lie  with  their  heads  out,  watching  for  their 
prey. 

Another  species  of  this  genus  is  frequently  found 
amongst  wet  grass,  after  heavy  rain,  erroneously  sup- 
posed to  come  down  with  it,  an  explanation  of  which 
is  before  given. 

BoLA  CoiBOK  is  a  very  beautiful  fish,  four  feet  long 
and  upwards. 

BoLA  Pama,  four  to  five  feet  long,  only  goes  up  as 
high  in  the  river  as  the  tide  reaches. 

SiLUEFS  has  a  prickle,  barbed,  and  a  defensive 
weapon  against  any  enemy  except  man ;  it  has  also 
apparently  two  vents. 

I  have  looked  carefully  over  the  work  of  Dr. 
Hamilton  for  the  fish  mentioned  in  the  article  on  fly- 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  309 

fishing  in  the  Ganges,  by  the  name  of  marseer,  but 
do  not  find  one  which  bears  that  name,  and  I  omitted 
to  ask  the  gentleman  with  whom  I  conversed  on  the 
subject,  the  generic  name  of  the  fish. 

A  gentleman  gave  some  curious  particulars  of  a  fish 
called  the  Cower  fish  of  Bengal,  in  a  newspaper  ;  but 
it  requires  authentication. 

Salmon  are  not  known  in  the  southern  parts  of  the 
world,  being  for  the  most  part  natives  of  northern 
climes. 

Mr.  Dickens  states  that  near  the  Indian  Archipelago, 
the  waters  are  said  to  contain  a  species  of  sea-snake, 
which  it  is  certain  death  to  handle. 

"William  Ghislin,  Esq.,  proprietor,  editor,  printer, 
and  publisher  of  the  "  Cape  Monitor,"  has  favoured 
me  with  the  following — 

SYI^OPSIS  OP  THE  EDIBLE  FISHES  AT  THE 

CAPE  OE  GOOD  HOPE.* 

TRIGLlDiE. 

1.  Tkigla  Capensis.  Cuvier  and  Valenciennes.  (?) 

{Hoode  Knorhaan,  red   Gurnard  of  the    Colonists.) 

Head,  back,  upper  part  of  body,  and  fins  rose  red. 

Belly,  silvery  white,  shaded  by  rosy  patches.     Scales, 

very  small ;   lateral  line,   nearly  parallel.     Interior 

*  The  author  of  the  account  of  these  fish  was  Dr.  Pappe. 


310  PISHES    AND    FISHING. 

surface  of  the  pectoral  fins,  dark  yellowish  green, 
with  large  black  marks  towards  their  bases,  speckled 
with  a  number  of  pure  white  irregular  spots.  Iris, 
red.    Length,  twelve  inches. 

Baron  Cuvier,  in  giving  a  very  short  diagnosis  of 
this  species,  specimens  of  which  were  sent  him  from 
the  Cape  by  Delalande,  remarks,  that  "  the  dark  spots 
at  the  inner  surface  of  the  pectoral  fins  were 
wanting ;"  but  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  his 
specimens  had  faded,  and  that,  through  the  eifect  of 
the  spirits  in  which  they  were  preserved,  the  natural 
colours  had  been  more  or  less  obliterated.  Experience, 
and  the  accounts  of  the  fishermen  here,  convince  me 
that  this  and  the  following  species  are  the  only  ones 
of  the  genus  caught  in  our  bays. 

Cuvier's  observation,  that  the  fish  bears  a  great 
resemblance  to  the  Trigla  Kumu  of  New  Zealand,  is 
perfectly  correct.  Flesh  firm,  but  palatable.  Caught 
in  summer  with  the  hook,  but  not  very  common  in 
Table  Bay. 

2.  Tkigla.  Peeonii.  Cuv.  and  Yal.  {Graanwe 
or  hruine  Knorhaan^  Grey  Gurnard.)  Head,  large ; 
forehead,  sloping  ;  body,  declining  in  breadth  towards 
the  tail;  muzzle,  projecting;  teeth,  small,  but 
numerous ;  upper  mandible  longest,  divided  into  two 
lobes,  and  beset  at  its  margin  with  five  denticles. 
Two  spines,  unequal  in  length,  are  placed  above  each 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  311 

eye,  and  a  strong  spine  at  each  side  of  the  occiput ; 
opercular  and  scapular  spines,  pointed  sharp.  Anterior 
side  of  the  first  ray  of  the  first  dorsal  fin,  slightly  ser- 
rated ;  the  second  and  third  rays  of  that  fin  longer 
than  the  remaining  seven.  Eidges  of  dorsal  groove, 
armed  with  a  row  of  twenty-four  blunt  denticulations. 
Pectoral  fins,  large,  reaching  beyond  the  vent ;  tail, 
lunated.  Lateral  line,  smooth;  scales, 'small,  oval. 
Head,  back,  and  side  brownish  grey,  mottled  with 
white  spots ;  belly,  pure  white,  mixed  with  purple  ; 
pectoral  fins,  olive  green  on  the  inner  surface,  edged 
with  azure,  and  embellished  by  a  large  black  mark, 
sprinkled  with  white  and  sky-blue  dots;  lower  jaw, 
and  part  of  the  pectoral  and  caudal  fins,  pale  red, 
tinged  with  yellow;  iris,  white,  with  aurora-red. 
Length,  from  seven  to  fourteen  inches. 

This  species  appears  to  be  nearly  related  to  T. 
lAjra,  of  Europe  ;  and  although  it  does  not  correspond 
in  every  particular  with  Cuvier's  description,  yet  I 
think  that  it  is  the  same  fish  which  was  anatomized 
by  that  prince  of  naturalists. 

^ot  often  caught  in  Table  Bay ;  flesh  equal  to  that 
of  the  preceding  species. 

SCORPCENIDCE. 

3.  Sebastes  Capensis.  Cuv.  and  Val. — {Jacob 
Evertsen.)    Body,  oblong,  robust.    Head,  large,  bony, 


312  JBTSHES   AND    FISHING. 

channelled  above  and  between  the  eyes,  and  armed 
with  spiny  processes;  gill  covers  and  properculum 
strongly  toothed  at  the  margins.  Eyes,  very  large, 
protruding  from  their  sockets.  Mouth,  wide,  gaping ; 
lips,  fleshy ;  teeth,  crowded,  paved  small,  sharp,  and 
curved  in  both  jaws.  Soft  rays  of  dorsal  fin  longest. 
Liver,  unequally  three-lobed ;  gall-bladder,  of  an  oval 
form,  and  the  pylorus  provided  with  numerous  ccecal 
appendages.  Air-bladder,  large.  Tile-red,  with 
shades  of  orange,  white  and  yellowish-green ;  marked 
on  the  sides  with  a  few  flesh-coloured  spots.  Belly, 
white,  tinged  with  orange.  Palate  and  peritonaeum, 
greyish  white.  Length,  twelve  to  fifteen  inches. 
Called  Jacoh  Evertsen,  after  a  Dutch  captain,  remark- 
able for  a  red  face,  and  large  projecting  eyes. 

This  fish,  though  common  to  Table  Bay  almost  at 
all  seasons,  is  highly  prized  for  its  flesh  by  most 
colonists. 

4.  Sebastes  Mactlatus.  Cuv.  and  Yal.  {San- 
cord.)  Similar  to  the  former,  but  shorter, — of  a  more 
slender  form,  and  with  eyes,  neither  projecting,  nor 
mouth  much  gaping.  Liver,  rather  large,  three- 
lobed  ;  gall  bladder,  narrow,  and  club-shaped ;  pylo- 
rus, without  regular  coecal  appendices,  but  surrounded 
by  a  glandular  greasy  mass.  Natatory  bladder  want- 
ing ;  palate  and  peritonoeum,  black.  Snout,  obtuse  ; 
teeth,  criniform,  arranged  in  a  band  around  the  inner 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  313 

edge  of  both  jaws.  Upper  part  of  body,  tile-red, 
mingled  with  orange,  and  shaded  with  brown.  Scales, 
with  greenish -brown  edges.  Belly,  white,  clouded 
with  orange,  and  tinged  with  yellow.  Length,  eight 
to  twelve  inches.  Dorsal  fin,  dim  tile-red,  sprinkled 
with  yellowish  green  irregular  marks,  and  with 
darker  chestnut  brown  spots  at  the  base  of  the 
membranous  portion  of  its  first  spiny  rays.  Hue  of 
pectoral,  anal,  ventral,  and  caudal  fins,  orange,  with 
carmine- red :  the  eight  lower  rays  of  the  pectoral 
fins  detached  at  top  from  their  connecting  membrane. 
Iris,  yellow. 

A  very  delicious  fish,  but  not  very  common. 
Caught  chiefly  in  winter.  Dr.  A.  Smith,  in  his 
illustrated  work  on  South  African  Zoology,  has  con- 
founded this  species  with  the  former.  Though  in 
their  general  outlines  closely  related,  both  fishes  are, 
however,  easily  discerned,  not  only  byoutward  appear- 
ance, but  yet  more  by  their  anatomical  difi'erences  ; 
the  one  having  a  swim-bladder,  and  the  other  not ; 
and  from  the  colour  of  the  palate  and  peritonoeum, 
which  are  white  in  the  first  species,  but  black  in  the 
second. 

SCLiENINiE. 

5.  ScL^NiNiE  HoLOLEPiDOTA.  Cuv.  and  Val . ' ( JTa- 
helfauw.)  Body,  elongated,  stout.  Head,  large, 
rounded,  bony  ;  mouth,  moderately  large ;  both  man- 


314  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

dibles  armed  infrontVith  a  row  of  strong,  short  pointed, 
cylindrical,  hooked  teeth  ;  none  on  the  palate.  Dorsal 
fin  divided  by  a  deep  notch ;  its  soft  rays  longer  than 
the  spiny ;  caudal  fin,  truncate.  Head,  purplish  blue, 
with  aurora-red,  mottled  with  yellow  and  green 
shades.  Back  and  sides,  above  the  lateral  line, 
greenish  blue,  marbled  with  faint  orange  and  purple  ; 
fins,  often  rose-red ;  lower  part  of  the  body,  pale  flesh- 
red,  mixed  with  green,  purple,  and  white. 

A  large  fish,  from  two  to  three  feet  long.  Com- 
mon on  the  coast ;  caught  with  the  hook  and  drag 
net.  Is  one  of  the  staple  fishes  on  the  market,  dried 
and  salted  like  cod,  and  exported  to  the  Mauritius 
and  elsewhere.  Its  flesh,  when  young,  is  good,  but 
firm  and  diy  in  adult  individuals. 

6.  Otolithxjs  ^quidens.  Cuv.  and  Val.  (Geel- 
beck.)  'Body,  oblong;  head,  conical;  mouth,  middle- 
sized;  lower  jaw,  pointed,  longest.  Teeth  in  both 
mandibles  nearly  alike,  numerous,  sharp,  crooked, 
the  anterior  ones  of  the  upper  jaw  largest.  Eirst 
dorsal  fin,  low,  spiny ;  caudal,  semilunated.  Back  and 
sides  above  thel  ateral  line,  dull,  bluish  purple,  inter- 
mixed with  green  and  orange ;  upper  surface  of  head, 
flushed  with  aurora-red  ;  lower  parts,  silvery  white, 
tinted  with  purple-grey ;  inside  of  mouth,  gamboge- 
yellow.  Hence  the  vernacular  name  Geelbeck  (yel- 
low mouth).  Iris,  orange.  Clumsy,  attaining  a  length 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  315 

of  three  feet  or  more.  Flesh  dry,  but  fit  for  saltiDg. 
Common  along  the  whole  coast,  where  it  is  caught 
abundantly  with  the  hook  or  net.  It  forms  an 
article  of  food  for  the  poor  and  lazy,  and  it  is  also 
prepared  for  exportation. 

7.  TJmbkinka.  Capensis.  Mihi.  N.  SP.  (Baard- 
mannetje.)  Snout,  obtuse,  thick,  truncate  ;  lower  jaw, 
shortest  with  a  barbel ;  dorsal  fins,  distinct.  Head, 
reddish  brown,  tinged  with  gold.  Back  and  sides, 
asji-coloured  on  a  silvery  base.  Lower  jaw  and  belly, 
white,  sprinkled  with  minute  dark  spots.  Scales, 
large.  Iris  silvery.  Measures  from  two  to  two  and 
a  half  feet,  and  is  reputed  for  its  delicious  flesh. 
Chiefly  caught  in  False  Bay,  during  summer. 

8.  Cheilodacttlus  Fasciatus.  Cuv.  and  Val. 
(Steenvisch.)  Body,  oblong,  spindle-sbaped ;  head, 
small ;  lips,  fleshy  retractile,  the  upper  one  longest. 
Eyes,  middle-sized,  placed  near  the  crown ;  mouth, 
small ;  teeth,  velvety.  The  five  last  rays  of  the  pec- 
toral fins  extended  beyond  their  membrane,  cartila- 
ginous ;  second  ray  largest,  being  three  inches  long ; 
the  other  three,  shorter  and  shorter.  Caudal  fin, 
forked,  scales  large,  almost  quandrangular ;  seven  lon- 
gitudinal stripes  covered  with  smaller  scales,  along  the 
whole  extent  of  the  dorsal  fin.  Head,  olive  green, 
intermixed  with  orange ;  upper  part  of  side,  brim- 
stone yellow,  tinged  with  green,  purple,  and  orange 


316  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

Body,  crossed  by  five  or  six  irregular  vertical,  pur- 
plish brown  bands.  Belly,  yellowish  white,  mottled 
with  olive  green.  Mouth  and  pectoral  fins,  deep 
orange ;  the  lengthened  rays  of  the  latter  rose  red, 
upper  ones  and  tail  variegated  with  purplish  lines. 
All  other  fins  yellowish  green,  with  purplish  brown 
stripes  or  blots.  Iris,  yellow.  Length,  thirteen, 
breadth,  four  and  a  half  inches. 

A  good  table  fish,  caught  with  the  hook ;  not  very 
abundant  in  Table  Bay. 

SPARIDiE. 
9.  Sargijs  Hottentottus.  A.  Smith.  {Hangherger  ) 
Body,  broad,  nearly  ovate.  Head,  small,  projecting 
in  front;  incisors,  firm,  trenchant,  similar  to  the 
human.  Colour,  blackish  brown,  tinted  with  purple  ; 
back  and  sides,  crossed  by  five  broad  black  vertical 
bands ;  belly,  silvery  white.  Length,  about  eighteen 
inches. 

Common  to  Table  Bay  from  June  to  August,  and 
much  in  request,  particularly  at  the  time  when  it  is 
with  roe.  It  is  also  cured  and  pickled  for  economi- 
cal purposes.  Erom  the  circumstance  of  its  being 
chiefly  taken  in  deep  water,  near  a  place  called  Hang- 
berg  (over  a  hanging  rock),  it  has  received  its  present 
colonial  name.  It  feeds  on  shell-fish,  and  is  caught 
with  the  hook. 

10.  Sabqus  Capensis.  A.Smith.  {Hottentot Fish.) 


PISHES   AND    FISHING.  317 

Eody,  much  resembliDg  that  of  the  former,  but  more 
attenuated  at  base,  and  destitute  of  any  bands  or 
vertical  stripes.  Head,  purplish  ;  back,  dull,  bluish 
green,  with  a  metallic  gloss ;  sides,  beneath  the  lon- 
gitudinal line,  silvery,  with  a  reddish  tint.  Iris, 
white. 

Caught  at  all  seasons  with  the  hook,  and  is  not 
only  a  superior  table  fish,  but  forms,  when  salted  and 
dried,  an  article  of  exportation.  Mostly  confined  to 
Table  Eay  and  the  West  Coast,  where  it  is  found  abun- 
dantly.    Length,  from  twelve  to  fourteen  inches. 

11.  Chrtsophrys  Globiceps.  Cuv.  and  Yal. 
{Stompneus.)  Muzzle  obtuse,  body  broad;  teeth 
thick,  firm,  numerous.  Back,  bluish  grey,  with 
aurora  red ;  belly,  white,  silvery.  The  younger 
individuals  have  three  or  four  transversal  bands, 
which  disappear  in  the  adults. 

A  favourite  fish,  and  often  caught  in  great  abund- 
ance during  summer,  with  the  drag-net ;  it  also  makes 
an  excellent  pickle  fish. 

12.  Chrtsophrys  Laticeps.  Cuv.  and  Val. —  {Roode 
Steenhrassem.) — Head,  very  large,  gibbous ;  crown, 
elevated,  broad,  convex,  tapering  towards  the  snout  ; 
eyes,  almost  vertical ;  mouth,  of  a  moderate  size ; 
muzzle  pointed,  but  blunt;  lips,  tieshy;  upper  man- 
dible armed  in  front  with  four  large,  strong,  coaical 
teeth,  and  ihe  lower  one  with  six,  corresponding  with 


318  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

those  of  the  upper ;  middle  teeth  smaller  than  t^  e 
lateral.  Eows  of  sharp-pointed  teeth  inside  the 
mouth,  followed  by  bands  of  round,  granular  molars. 
Soft  rays  of  dorsal  fin  higher  than  the  spiny ;  caudal 
nearly  truncate.  Scales,  large.  Liver,  divided  into 
two  unequal  lobes  of  an  ochreous  hue,  and  with  the 
gall-bladder  proportionally  small :  gullet,  dilated  into 
a  big,  strong,  muscular  stomach,  of  an  oblong  shape  ; 
pylorus,  supplied  with  four  short  coecums  of  difierent 
lengths.  Swim-bladder,  large,  simple,  and  firm.  In- 
testines a  little  longer  than  the  whole  fish.  Head, 
faint  purple  with  aurora  red;  back,  dull  greyish  green; 
sides  and  belly,  slightly  flesh-red,  on  silvery  ground. 
Groove  between  the  maxillary  and  inter-maxillary 
bones,  saff'ron  yellow.     Fins,  reddish. 

This  bulky  fish  often  exceeds  8J  feet  in  length, 
and  fourteen  inches  in  breadth.  It  is  very  voracious, 
and  feeds  generally  on  crabs  and  cuttle-fish.  (Sepia 
and  loligo.)  As  food  it  is  much  prized,  and  it  is 
also  cured  for  exportation.  I^Tot  very  common  in 
Table  Bay,  but  caught  abundantly  in  False  Bay,  and 
on  the  shores  of  Hottentots'  Holland. 

13.  Chrysophey's  Cristiceps.  Cuv.  and  Val.  (?) 
{Roman.) — Body,  of  a  beautiful  orange  colour,  shaded 
by  silver.  Head  and  jaws,  a  deep  orange  hue.  Be- 
tween the  eyes  a  falcated  band  of  pure  indigo  blue, 
and  a  narrow  stripe  of  the  same  colour  running  along 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  319 

each  side  of  the  dorsal ;  a  broad  silvery  line  extends 
from  the  dorsal  nearly  to  the  anal  fin.  All  fins  crim- 
son, with  a  shade  of  silver ;  iris,  red.  One  of  the 
prettiest  and  most  delicious  fishes  on  our  markets. 
Its  flesh  is  generally  acknowledged  to  be  a  superior 
dish.  It  is  common  in  the  waters  east  of  Table  Bay, 
and  especially  near  the  Roman  Rock;  where  it  is 
caught  with  the  hook  and  drag-net  in  great  numbers. 
A  strayed  individual,  caught  in  Table  Bay,  on  the 
14th  of  June,  1849,  measured  sixteen  inches  in 
length,  and  seven  in  breadth. 

14.  Chetsoblephus  Gibbiceps.  Swains.  {Baauche 
RoodeStompneus  ;  Poeskop.) — Head,  very  large,  broader 
than  the  body.  Front,  obtuse,  truncate;  the  profile 
almost  vertical.  Eyes,  near  the  crown,  which  is  ele- 
vated and  gibbous ;  lateral  line  terminating  at  the 
lower  side  of  the  tail  (Swainson).  Mouth,  middle- 
sized  ;  teeth,  strong.  Back  and  sides,  rose-red ;  lower 
parts,  silvery.  Length,  one  and  a  half  to  two  feet. 
A  large  snow-white  spot  in  front  of  the  forehead 
enhances  the  beauty  of  this  singular  fish,  which 
ranks  amongst  the  choicest  in  this  colony.  It  is  rare 
in  Table  Bay,  but  frequently  caught  with  the  hook  in 
False  Bay,  Mostert  Bay,  Fishoek,  and  in  similar  lo- 
calities.    It  is  also  exported. 

Pagktjs  Laniakiub.  Cuv.  and  Val.  {Baggerath.) 
Front,  higher  than  in   Chrysophrys.     Strong  conical 


320  FISHES    AND    PISHING. 

teeth  in  the  upper  jaw,  which  are  directed  forwards, 
and  projected  from  the  mouth  ;  the  two  outer  teeth 
being  longer  and  thicker  than  the  rest,  and  those  of  the 
lower  jaw  much  smaller.  The  whole  of  the  fish  is  of 
a  dark  rose-colour,  with  a  black  spot  at  the  insertion 
of  the  pectorals,  and  with  another  on  the  extremity 
of  the  dorsal  fin.  Lower  jaw,  white ;  iris,  silvery ; 
length,  twelve  inches.  Highly  priaed  for  its  delicious 
flesh.  Not  found  in  Table  Bay;  but  frequently 
caught  with  the  hook  in  the  waters  towards  the  east 
and  south  of  Cape  Town.  This  handsome  fish  owns 
its  surname  of  Laniarius  (butcher)  both  to  its  colour 
and  to  its  sharp  teeth  and  voracity. 

16.  LiTHOGNATHus  Capensis.  SwaiHS.  {BUauwe 
Kaapsche  Steenbrassem.) — Body,  elongated,  fusiform; 
head,  lengthened,  projecting;  mouth,  small,  terminal; 
the  maxillaries  thick,  enlarged,  very  hard ;  tail, 
slightly  forked  (Swainson).  Back,  dark  marine-blue; 
belly,  white,  tinged  with  purple.  Length,  two  and  a 
half  feet  and  upwards. 

An  excellent  table  fish,  and  very  fit  for  pickling 
and  salting.  Caught  with  baited  hooks,  during  sum- 
mer ;  especially  in  Hout's  Bay. 

17.  Pagellijs  Afek.  MiHi.  N.  SP.  {Roode  Kaapsche 
Stompneus)  Body,  ovate,  broad,  somewhat  com- 
pressed. Lower  jaw,  a  little  shorter  than  the  upper 
one.     Mouth,  obtu?e  ;    front  teeth,  conical,  stronger 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  321 

and  larger  than  those  within,  both  jaws  paved  inter- 
nally with  two  rows  of  round  molars.  Lateral  line, 
well  marked.  Head  and  back,  aurora-red,  mottled 
with  blue  and  gold,  on  a  silvery  ground.  Sides  of 
the  body  crossed  by  j&ve  or  six  sky-blue  broken  lon- 
gitudinal stripes.  Lower  mandible  and  belly,  white. 
All  fins  faintly  rose-red;  apex  of  the  tail,'orange. 
Iris,  purplish.  Length,  twelve  to  fourteen  inches. 
Dorsal,^.  Anal,-|.  Caudal,  11.  Pectoral,  15.  Ventral,i. 
One  of  the  best  fishes  in  the  market.  Its  flesh  is 
white  and  delicious.  Superficially  examined,  it  bears 
some  resemblance  to  the  Cape  silver-fish  {dentex  argy- 
rozona),  from  which  it  is  easily  distinguished,  not  only 
by  its  broajler  form,  and  less  vivid  hue ;  but  also,  by 
the  absence  of  the  six  rose-red  longitudinal  bands, 
and  by  the  formation  of  its  teeth.  Caught  with  the 
hook  during  winter,  and  pretty  common  on  the 
market. 

18.  Dentex  Rupesteis.  Cuv.  and  Val.  {Bastard 
Siherfisk;  seventy-four.)  Eody,  large,  bulky;  teeth 
of  the  outer  row,  large,  cylindrical,  curved  and 
pointed;  the  four  front  ones  of  its  jaws  strongest. 
Scales,  large ;  lateral  line,  broken.  Back  and  sides, 
above  the  lateral  line,  aurora-red,  clouded  by  ultra- 
marine, blue,  green,  and  faint  purple,  with  an  orange 
tint  towards  the  tail.      Lower  parts  of  the  body, 

Y 


322  FISHES    AND   FISHING. 

aurora-red  tinged  with  orange,  and  shaded  with  ultra- 
marine blue.  (A.  Smith.)  Length,  about  three  feet. 
Rarely  found  in  Table  Bay ;  but  considered  one  of 
the  very  finest  fishes  in  the  colony.  It  is  chiefly 
confined  to  the  east  of  the  Cape,  where  it  is  caught 
with  the  hook,  or  net,  in  great  abundance.  It  is 
also  cured  for  foreign  markets. 

19.  Dentex  Abgtkozona.  Cuv.  and  Val. — {Silver- 
fish.) — Body,  oblong ;  eyes,  large  ;  mouth  of  a  mode- 
rate size ;  teeth,  like  those  of  the  preceding  species. 
Head,  back,  and  sides,  above  the  lateral  line,  aurora- 
red  on  a  silvery  base ;  hue,  below  that  line,  faint 
flesh-red,  striped  with  five  or  six  narrow,  longitudi- 
nal pale,  rose-red  bands.  Belly,  white,  silvery;  fins, 
purplish-red ;  iris,  scarlet.  Length,  from  sixteen  to 
twenty  inches.  This  very  voracious  fish  feeds  prin- 
cipally on  small  fish  and  crabs.  It  is  common  on  the 
Cape  market  throughout  the  year,  and  forms  also  an 
article  of  export. 

20.  Canthaeus  Blochii.  Cuv,  and  Val.  (?) — 
( Windtoy.) — Body,  broad,  oval;  head  tapering  towards 
the  muzzle,  and  forming  a  curvature  above  the  eyes. 
Jaws,  free,  somewhat  protractile.  Anterior  teeth, 
small,  but  sharp  ;  inner  rows,  velvetty.  Spines  of 
dorsal  fin,  strong,  spiny  ;  pectoral  fins,  round  at  base 
and  pointed  at  the  apex ;  scales,  middle-sized.  Tail, 
unequal,  upper  side  longest.     Length,  twelve  inches ; 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  323^ 

breadth,  nearly  fi^e  inches.  D.,y|;  A.,yV'  P.,  V.,  -|-;  C. 
1 7.  Head  and  back,  olive-green  ;  sides  silvery,  with  a 
faint  rosy  gloss ;  fins  pale  rose-red.  Pectoral  fins 
with  a  black  spot  at  their  insertion.     Iris,  silvery. 

A  delicious  table-fish ;  more  commonly  caught  in 
winter,  and  often  put  up  in  bundles  along  wit .  sargus 
capensis  (Hottentot  fish),  from  which  it  is  easily  dis- 
tinguished by  a  very  superficial  examination. 

21.  Canthaexts  EMAKGiifATUs.  Cuv.  and  Yal. 
(Dasje.)  Body,  lanzeolate ;  front  roundish,  with  a 
curvature  hardly  perceptible ;  muzzle  pointed,  and 
partly  concealed  beneath  the  suberbital  bone,  which 
has  a  deep  emargination  in  front  of  the  eyes ;  front 
teeth  small,  but  crowded,  pointed,  and  sharp  ;  scales, 
minute ;  lateral  line,  moderately  bent  and  well 
marked.  D.,  ^ ;  ^'>  Toi  ^-^  5;  P.,  15;  C,  17. 
Head,  back,  and  sides  faint  brown,  on  a  silvery 
ground ;  a  greenish  blue  metallic  lustre  above  and  in 
front  of  the  eyes  ;  body,  striped  with  some  narrow 
yellowish,  longitudinal  bands;  pectoral  fins,  with  a 
dark  spot  at  their  base ;  abdomen,  white,  tinged  with 
light  brown.     Length,  twelve  to  fourteen  inches. 

Rare  in  Table  Bay,  but  more  frequently  caught  in 
the  several  bays  to  the  east  of  the  Cape.  Its  flesh  is 
highly  esteemed  as  food. 

22.  Boops  Salpa.  Cuv.  andVal.  {Bamloesvisch, 
Stinkvisch.)      Body,    subovate,    attenuated    at    both 

Y   2 


324  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

ends;  month,  small,  obtuse,  not  protractile  ;  external 
teeth,  broad,  trenchant ;  scales,  minute.  Head,  olive 
green,  with  a  flash  of  gold ;  body,  silvery,  with  eight 
to  ten  longitudinal  golden  stripes ;  iris,  yellow ;  a 
black  speek  at  the  base  of  the  pectoral  fin.  Length, 
twelve  inches  or  more. 

The  fish  feeds  only  on  alg(E,  and  is  caught  prin- 
cipally in  localities  where  there  is  an  abundance  of 
sea-weed.  Amongst  the  latter,  the  Ecklonia  Buc- 
cinalis  {Leebamhoes},  and  our  large  Sargassa  {S.  longi- 
folium  and  S.  integrifolium),  are  its  usual  haunts,  and 
hence  the  vernacular  name  of  hamhoo-fish.  On 
account  of  its  vegetable  nourishment,  it  exhibits  at 
times  a  particular  smell,  when  embowelled,  and  is  for 
that  reason  called  siink-fish  by  some  of  the  fishermen. 
It  is  a  rich  and  delicate  fish,  and  though  scarce  on  the 
Cape  Town  market,  is  common  in  Saldanha  Bay, 
where  it  is  salted  and  dried  for  home  consumption. 

SQUAMIPENNES. 

23.  Pjmeleptehtjs  Fusctts.  Cuv.  and  Yal.  (Basta/rd 
Jacob  Evertson.)  Body,  oblong,  bulky;  head,  small; 
snout,  obtuse ;  teeth,  strong,  cutting,  singularly 
ranged  in  one  row ;  eyes,  large,  protruding ;  fins, 
thick,  covered  by  scales,  whence  the  scientific  name 
(fat-fin).  Two  dorsal  fins,  united  at  base.  Length, 
two  feet. 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  325 

This  fish  is  of  an  uniform  dusky  brown  colour. 
Its  flesh  is  well  flavoared,  and  very  nice.  Caught 
chiefly  in  Simon's  Bay,  and  along  the  east  coast 
Feeds  on  shell-fish. 

24.  DiPTERODON  Capensis.  Cuv.  andYal.  {Gal- 
joen-vischy  Galleon-fish.)  Body,  oval ;  outer  teeth, 
strong,  large,  trenchant,  resembling  those  of  Sargus  ; 
lips,  fleshy  ;  mouth,  proportionally  small.  Two  dorsal 
fins,  the  second,  as  well  as  the  anal,  and  part  of  the 
caudal,  thick,  covered  by  very  minute  scales.  Head, 
back,  and  fins,  ash-coloured  grey,  or  faint  brown ; 
sides,  with  six  silvery  vertical  bands  reaching  the 
middle  of  the  belly,  which  is  silvery  white,  and 
tinged  with  purplish  red.  Length,  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  inches. 

This  fish,  more  plentiful  in  the  western  division  of 
the  colony,  is  highly  esteemed  as  food,  and  always 
fetches  a  good  price.  It  is,  however,  disliked  by 
some,  on  account  of  the  many  black  veins  traversing 
its  flesh,  and  is  at  times  rather  unwholesome,  from 
being  too  rich,  and  requiring  good  digestive  organs. 
It  is  caught  with  the  drag-net  during  summer. 

SC0MBER1D.E, 

25.  ScoMBEB  Capensis.  Cuv.  andVal.  {Salfeord.) 
Body,  oblong,  adipose ;  muzzle,  obtuse ;  lower  jaw, 
somewhat  projecting;    teeth,  numerous,  small,  veU 


326  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

vety.  First  dorsal  fin,  spiny,  connected  by  a  mem- 
brane ;  second  dorsal,  longer  than  the  anal ;  pectoral 
and  ventral  fins  equally  long ;  caudal,  forked.  The 
lateral  line  is  bent  at  the  upper  part  of  the  body,  but 
becomes  straight  towards  its  end.  Head,  back,  and 
sides  dark  marine  blue,  with  a  broad  greenish  yellow 
streak,  running  from  eye  to  tail,  which  latter  is 
crested;  abdomen,  white,  silvery;  fins,  yellowish 
green  ;  iris,  white. 

A  large  fish,  measuring  from  two  to  three  feet.  It 
is  rather  uncommon  in  Table  Bay,  but  taken  with 
the  hook  occasionally.  Its  flesh  being  very  rich,  and 
deemed  unwholesome,  it  is  not  in  much  request,  and 
is  therefore  chiefly  used  as  pickle  fish. 

26.  Scomber  Guex.  Mitchill,  {Mackerel.)  Body, 
oblong,  rounded,  fat,  smooth,  covered  with  minute 
scales  ;  teeth,  small ;  dorsal  fins,  two ;  caudal  fin, 
deeply  forked;  tail,  bearing  finlets;  its  sides  not 
carinated  at  base.  Form  and  colour  much  like  that 
of  the  common  mackerel.  Body  and  sides,  light  green, 
with  darker  stripes  of  the  same  hue.  Length,  about 
eigliteen  inches  and  upwards. 

This  species,  which  is  caught  with  the  line,  is  little 
liked,  on  account  of  its  greasiness.  It  is  common  in 
Table  Bay  during  winter,  and  is  chiefly  pickled. 

27.  Thyrsites  Atuk.  Cuv.  and  Val.  {Snook,  Snoek.) 
Body,  cylindrical,  elongated  ;  jaws,  protracted,   the- 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  327 

lower  one  longest ;  mouth,  wide ;  teeth,  large,  coni- 
cal, trenchant,  sharp,  the  palate  set  with  smaller  ones. 
First  dorsal  fin  very  long,  tail  without  a  lateral  keel  ; 
skin,  rather  naked.  Back,  blackish  blue,  with  me- 
tallic lustre  ;  sides  and  belly,  silvery.  Length,  often 
exceeding  three  feet. 

This  voracious  fish  is  caught  with  the  hook  in  im- 
mense numbers  almost  all  the  year  round,  but  more 
frequently  during  summer.  It  is  very  strong  and 
ferocious,  and  is  despatched,  after  being  pulled  on 
board,  by  blows  on  the  head,  with  a  kind  of  knob- 
kierie.  Its  flesh  is  highly  prized  by  the  majority  of 
the  colonists,  who  also  salt  and  dry  it  for  home  con- 
sumption, and  as  an  article  of  trade. 

28.  LicHiA  Amia.  Cuv.  and  Val.  (Leervisch.) 
Body,  compressed,  oval,  nearly  rhomboid:  broadest 
in  the  middle,  and  attenuated  at  both  ends;  mouth, 
moderately  large;  jaws,  of  equal  length;  front  teeth 
in  a  number  of  rows,  small,  but  sharply  pointed,  and 
closely  set;  a  line  of  large  teeth  on  each  side  of  the 
palate.  Dorsal  fins,  two,  first  one  with  eight  de- 
tached prickles,  the  foremost  of  which  is  turned  for- 
ward ;  anal  fin  shorter  than  the  dorsal ;  tail  without 
lateral  keels.  Head,  back,  and  upper  parts  of  the 
sides,  steel  blue,  lower  parts  silvery,  shaded  with 
faint  brown ;  fins,  yellowish ;  belly,  pure  white, 
Length,  from  two  to  three  feet. 


328  FI8HE8   AND    FISHING. 

Taken  occasionally  in  Table  Bay,  but  not  in  great 
repute,  its  flesh  being  deemed  dry  and  rather  insipid. 

29.  Tkmnodon  Saltatoe.  Cuv.  (Jilftvisch.)  Body, 
oblong,  slightly  compressed ;  mouth,  large ;  lower 
jaw  longest ;  both  mandibles  armed  in  front  with 
detached  trenchant,  pointed,  sharp  teeth,  and  within 
and  behind  with  smaller  ones.  Dorsal  fins,  two? 
first  smaller  and  lower  than  the  second,  its  rays 
jointed  by  a  delicate  membrane;  tail,  destitute  of  a 
lateral  keel  and  spurious  fins.  Length,  about  two 
feet. 

This  fish  is  uniformly  lead-coloured,  shaded  with 
dark  green  on  its  back.  From  leaping  now  and  then 
out  of  the^water,  it  has  obtained  its  name  of  Saltator 
(jumper).  It  is  held  in  great  esteem  as  a  table  fish, 
and  the  younger  individuals  are  truly  deemed  a 
dainty.  It  is  often  caught  in  Table  Bay,  particularly 
in  summer. 

30.  Cakanx  Tkachurtjs  Lacep.  {MaashanJcer ;  Bas- 
tard Mackerel.)  Body,  spindle-shaped,  broad,  com- 
pressed; each  jaw  with  a  row  of  straight  minute 
teeth;  lateral  line  armed  with  scaly,  carinated, 
prickly  bands ;  dorsal  fins,  two ;  first,  low  and  small ; 
pectoral  fins,  long,  falcated;  two  detached  spines 
before  the  anal  fin ;  scales,  minute.  Upper  part  of  the 
body  of  a  bluish  lead -coloured  hue;  lower  parts,  silvery 
white ;  iris,  gilt.     Length,  twelve  to  eighteen  inches. 


FISHES   AUB    nSHLNQ.  329 

Caught  in  winter  at  both  ends  of  the  colony ;  its 
flesh  is  well  flavoured  and  wholesome. 

31.  Stromateus  Capensis.  Mihi.  N.  Sp.  {Katun- 
kar.)  Body,  compressed,  oblong  rhomboid;  head, 
obtuse;  mouth,  small,  not  projectile;  teeth,  velvety. 
One  dorsal  only,  covered  with  epidermis ;  no  ventral 
fin ;  caudal  nearly  as  long  as  the  dorsal ;  tail,  forked 
scales,  small;  longitudinal  line  almost  straight. 
Head,  olive  green;  upper  part  of  the  body  light  blue, 
with  some  faint  yellow  longitudinal  stripes ;  belly, 
silvery,  with  a  red  tint ;  iris,  white.  The  specimen 
from  which  this  description  is  drawn,  measured  thir- 
teen inches  long,  and  five  and  a-half  inches  broad. 

A  good  table  fish,  but  not  common.  It  is  caught 
with  the  hook  and  net,  chiefly  east  of  Table  Bay. 

32.  Lepidopus  Aegyretjs.  Cuv.  and  Vat. — {Kalk- 
visch,  Scabhard-fish.) — Body,  compressed,  lengthened, 
narrow,  riband-like  ;  skin  smooth.  Head  pointed, 
bearing  a  great  resemblance  to  that  of  the  snook. 
Mouth,  gaping,  large,  armed  with  ^rows  of  strong 
trenchant  teeth,  and  four  larger  ones  in  front ;  under- 
jaw  projecting  beyond  the  upper.  Dorsal  fin,  low 
and  equal,  nearly  as  long  as  the  back  ;  pectoral  fins, 
small,  hooked ;  two  round  scales  as  rudiments  of  a 
ventral  fin.  Anal  fin,  short ;  caudal,  small,  forked. 
Lateral  line,  straight.  Colour  of  back  faint  steel  blue 
on  a  silvery  ground ;  the  whole  surface  of  the  body 

t2 


330  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

clothed   with   a   silvery   dust.     Length,    five   feet  ; 
breadth,  from  three  to  four  inches. 

This  curious  fish  swims  in  undulating  motions  and 
with  astounding  velocity.  It  is  but  very  rarely 
caught  in  the  net.  In  the  course  of  six  years,  not 
more  than  three  individuals,  to  my  knowledge,  were 
taken  in  Table  Bay.  I  found  its  flesh  fine  and 
delicious. 

MUGILLIDiE. 

33.  MuGiL  Capensis.  Cuv.  and  Val.  —  {Ha/rder ; 
Mullet.)  Body,  oblong,  nearly  cjdindrical,  robust. 
Head,  small,  broad,  flat ;  muzzle,  short,  blunt:  lower 
jaw  with  a  depression,  corresponding  to  a  promi- 
nence in  the  upper  one.  Superior  mandible  provided 
with  a  row  of  fine  diminutive  teeth.  Scales  rather 
large.  Dorsal  fins,  two,  remote  from  each  other ;  first 
with  four  spiny  rays ;  pectoral  fins  pointed ;  caudal, 
forked.  Surface  of  head  and  back,  dark  steel  blue, 
mingled  with  oil  green ;  sides,  beneath  the  lateral 
line,  greyish  white,  on  silvery  ground ;  cheeks, 
lower  jaw,  belly,  and  ventral  fin,  white.  Fins,  grey- 
ish green.  Body,  crossed  by  nine  narrow  longitudinal 
lines.  Interior  of  the  mouth,  pure  white ;  iris,  silvery. 
Length,  fourteen  inches;  breadth,  nearly  four  inches. 

This  species,  as  well  as  the  following,  enters  the 
mouths  of  several  rivers.     Nursed  in  ponds,  it  grows 


FISHES    AND    FISHOfG.  331 

extremely  fat,    and  attains  an  uncommon  size.     A 
specimen  so  fed  measured  nineteen  inches. 

34.  MuGiL  MuTiLiNEATUS.  A.  Smith.  (?)  {Springer; 
Leaping  Mullet.)  Grreatly  resembling  the  former,  but 
easily  distinguishable  ;  its  head  being  neither  so 
broad  nor  flat,  but  rather  a  little  convex  on  its  top. 
Lower  jaw  more  rounded ;  and  body  traversed  by 
thirteen  longitudinal  narrow  stripes.  Colour  of 
back  and  upper  side,  greenish  brown  ;  crown  of  head 
faint  purple  with  oil  green.  Gill  covers,  tinted  with 
gold ;  ventral  fin,  purplish.  Lower  part  of  belly, 
greyish  white  on  a  silvery  base.  Length,  twelve 
inches.  It  is  in  the  habit  of  leaping  constantly,  and 
with  considerable  velocity,  when  it  finds  itself  en- 
tangled in  a  net ;  and  hence  its  name. 

Besides  the  two  kinds  of  mullet  here  described, 
there  are  three  or  four  more  species  recorded  as  inhabit- 
ants of  the  bays  and  rivers  of  the  colony.  All  of 
them  are  caught  with  the  net.  They  make  good 
table  fish,  but  are  more  frequently  salted  or  smoke- 
dried  (Bokkours)  like  the  herring;  and  thus  pre- 
served, form  a  very  considerable  article  of  home 
consumption  as  well  as  of  export. 

BLENNID^. 

35.  Blennius  Versicolob.  Mihi.  N".  Sp. — {Rlip' 
visch.)  —  Body,  elongated,   smooth,    slimy,  •  spindle- 


332  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

shaped ;  head,  thick,  obtuse ;  forehead,  tapering  to- 
wards the  snout.  Muzzle,  short,  truncate;  mouth 
small ;  lips,  fleshy ;  teeth  in  several  rows ;  those  of 
the  first,  strong-  pointed,  conic,  hooked ;  inner  ones, 
small  payed.  Dorsal  fin  nearly  as  long  as  the  body, 
commencing  right  over  the  crown  of  the  head ;  its 
first  three  rays  longest,  spiny,  separated  from  the 
soft  ones  by  a  deep  emargination.  Yentral,  placed 
before  the  pectoral  fins,  and  consist  of  only  two  rays. 
A  small  tentaculary,  three-fid  appendage  above  each 
eye-brow;  and  a  tubercular  excrescence  near  the 
anus,  in  both  sexes.  It  is  ovo viviparous.  No  fish 
perhaps  displays  a  greater  diversity  of  hues  than 
this  ;  and  to  make  out  any  specific  difference  amongst 
its  many  varieties,  is  next  to  impossible.  I  am  thus 
inclined  to  unite  them  under  one  common  denomina- 
tion, expressive  at  once  of  the  changeable  character 
of  their  colours.  The  following  are  the  chief  varieties 
observed  by  rae  in  fresh  specimens. 

1.  Prevailing  colour,  blood  red,  mottled  with  grey- 
ish white  irregular  blots ;  abdomen,  purplish  on  a 
white  ground;  fins,  deep  red,  tinged  with  greyish 
green.  Iris,  purple.  Length,  twelve  inches.  Caught 
principally  amongst  the  rocks  of  Eobben  Island. 

2.  Head,  back,  and  sides,  dark  purple,  marbled 
with  reddish  brown,  flesh-red,  orange,  and  pale  yel- 
low   marks.      Belly,    white,   shaded    with    purple. 


FISHKS    AND    FISHING.  333 

Pectoral  rays  striped  with  purplish  brown  bands  j 
dorsal,  caudal,  and  anal  fins,  dull  brown,  spotted  with 
yellowish  green  dots.  Iris,  purple.  Length,  ten  to 
twelve  inches.  Blennius  Rubescens.  Lichtenst.  (?) 
Extremely  pretty ;  caught  along  with  the  former. 

3.  Upper  part  of  the  body,  pale  yellowish  brown  ; 
head,  olive  green ;  sides  and  belly,  gamboge  yellow, 
sprinkled  with  irregular  greenish  white  marks  ;  pec- 
toral and  caudal  fins,  without  bands;  dorsal  and 
anal,  with  faint  green  spots.  Iris,  yellow.  Length, 
eight  to  ten  inches. 

4.  The  whole  of  back,  sides,  and  fins,  olive  green  ; 
belly,  of  a  deeper  yellow  tint,  with  some  white  blots 
along  the  lateral  line.  Iris,  yellow.  Length,  six  to 
eight  inches. 

The  klipfish  is  greatly  reputed  for  its  flesh,  which 
is  nice,  well-flavoured,  and  wholesome, 

SILURINiE. 

36.  Bagrus  Capensis.  A.  Smith.  {Bagger.) — Body 
oblong,  thick,  smooth,  slimy;  head,  large,  broad, 
nearly  flat  above  ;  muzzle,  round,  blunt ;  upper  lip 
fleshy,  with  a  barbel  on  both  sides ;  teeth,  crowded, 
velvetty ;  chin,  supplied  with  four  barbels,  which  are 
shorter  than  those  of  the  upper  jaw.  Dorsal  fins 
two  ;  second  flat,  fleshy,  smaller  than  the  first :  pec- 
toral fins,   moderate ;    anal  large ;     caudal,   deeply 


334  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

forked.  Upper  part  of  head,  back,  and  sides,  dark 
greenish  brown  ;  lower  parts,  shaded  irregularly  with 
blue,  yellow,  and  silver,  and  flashed  with  a  bronzy 
lustre.  Belly,  dull  greyish -white,  speckled  with 
small  brqwn  dots,  and  clouded  with  purple.  Base  of 
tail,  red  ;  fins,  faintly  flesh-coloured.  Iris,  yellow. 
Length,  twelve  to  sixteen  inches. 

Owing  to  its  ugliness,  this  curious  fish,  which 
hides  itself  amongst  stones  in  muddy  water,  the 
better  to  entrap  its  unsuspecting  prey,  is,  from  popu- 
lar prejudice,  less  prized  than  it  deserves.  Its  flesh 
is  extremely  delicate  and  bears  a  greater  resemblance 
to  that  of  the  eel  than  that  of  any  other  sea-fish 
caught  in  the  colony. 

CLUPEID^. 

37  Cltjpea  Ocellata.  Mihi.  N. Sp.  ( Shad;  Sardyn. ) 
— ^Body,  compressed,  elongated;  head,  flattened  at  top ; 
muzzle,  obtuse;  upper  jaw,  with  a  central  notch, 
and  a  little  projecting.  No  teeth  in  eitlier  mandible ; 
eyes  and  scales,  large.  One  dorsal  only ;  tail,  deeply 
forked.  Length,  six  to  seven  inches.  Head  and 
back,  blue,  changeable  to  green,  and  shaded  with 
purple,  yellow,  and  gold.  Lower  jaw  and  gill 
covers,  silvery,  with  a  reflecting  golden  lustre ; 
sides,  above  the  lateral  line,  crossed  by  a  sky-blue 
longitudinal  stripe.     A  line  of  eight  to  fifteen  round. 


FISHES    AND    FI3HING.  335 

black,  eye-like  spots,  extends  from  the  upper  edge  f 
the  operculum,  along  the  whole  body.  Belly,  silvery  ; 
iris,  gilt. 

It  would  appear  that  this  species  stands  interme- 
diate between  the  common  shad  {clupea  alosa)  and 
the  Twaite  shad  {clupea  finta),  possessing  the  tooth- 
less mouth  of  the  former,  but  the  size  and  colouring 
of  the  latter.  Its  natural  length  never  exceeds  six 
to  seven  inches.  It  is  caught  with  a  net,  and  used 
occasionally  as  pickle-fish. 

38.  Engkaulus  Encbasiolus.  Flem.  {Ansjovis  : 
Anchovy.) — Body,  slender ;  head  and  snout,  pointed  ; 
upper  jaw  projecting  considerably.  Mouth,  deeply 
and^horizontally  cleft  far  behind  the  eyes.  Maxilla- 
ries  and  palate,  armed  with  small,  but  sharp  numer- 
ous teeth.  Scales,  large  and  deciduous  ;  tail,  deeply 
forked.  Top  of  head  and  back,  blue,  with  a  tinge  of 
green;  flanks  and  belly,  silvery.  Fins,  greenish 
white.    Length,  four  to  five  inches. ' 

Caught  sometimes  abundantly,  with  the  net,  in 
summer,  but  little  used  in  the  colony ;  the  Cape  salt 
being  found  unfit  for  its  preservation  as  a  condiment. 

GADIDiE. 

39.  Gadus  Merluccius.  Linn.  {Stokvisch :  Hake.) 
— Body,  elongated,  slender ;  head,  broad,  depressed. 
Lower  mandible  protruding  beyond  the  upper  one ; 


336  FI8HE8   AND    FISHING. 

mouth,  very  wide  ;  teeth,  long,  sharp,  in  a  single  row 
in  each  jaw.  Two  dorsal  fins,  first  three  angular  ; 
caudal  fin,  lunate;  ventral,  ovate,  with  five  rays. 
No  barbel  under  the  chin.  Scales,  large.  Upper  part 
of  the  body,  dusky  brown,  with  a  bluish,  steel- 
coloured  gloss ;  belly,  dirty  white.  Iris,  yellow. 
Inside  of  mouth,  black.  Length,  from  two  to  three 
feet.  • 

It  is  remarkable  that  this  fish,  a  notorious  deni- 
zen of  the  European  seas,  was  utterly  unknown  at 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  before  the  earthquake  of 
1809  (4th  December).  At  first  it  was  scarce,  and 
sold  at  exorbitant  prices,  4«.  6c?.  Since  that  period, 
it  has  yearly  increased  in  numbers,  and  is  now  a 
standard  fish  on  the  market,  being  caught  in  great 
abundance. 

English  writers  on  Ichthyology  comment  very  un- 
favourably on  its  merits,  and  call  it  a  coarse  fish, 
scarcely  fit  for  the  dinner  table.  At  the  Cape,  its 
qualities  are  generally  and  fully  appreciated  ;  in  fact, 
its  flesh  is  highly  delicate,  and  but  little  inferior  to 
that  of  the  Hadok  {Gadus  ^glejinus).  At  times,  it 
makes  its  appearance  in  large  shoals;  it  is  then 
abundantly  caught,  salted,  and  dried  for  exportation. 
The  cured,  or  dried  Cape  Stock- visch,  is  an  excel- 
lent dish,  far  superior  to  that  insipid  stuff  introduced 
from  Holland  or  other  countries. 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  ^S^T 

XIPHIURIDiE. 

40.  XiPHiTTRUS  Capensis.  A.  Smith.  {KoningUip- 
visch:  King' s  Rock  Fish)  Body  almost  cylindrical, 
moderately  robust.  Head,  large ;  two  rows  of  larger 
teeth  in  the  upper,  one  of  smaller  ones  in  the  lower, 
jaw ;  vomer,  armed  with  teeth  of  the  same  description. 
Two  barbels  pending  from  the  under  surface  of  the 
lower  mandible.  Pectoral  fins  of  an  oval  form ;  dor- 
sal, caudal,  and  anal  fins,  united.  Tail,  narrow, 
tapering,  compressed,  sword- shaped.  Ventral  fins, 
none.  Scales,  very  small  (A.  Smith).  Has  a  large, 
and  very  firm  air  bladder,  flesh  coloured,  and  clouded 
by  a  variety  and  intermixture  of  hues,  difficult  to  de- 
scribe. Lower  surface,  belly,  and  point  of  tail,  tinted, 
with  pale  purple. 

This  fish,  in  some  respects,  seems  closely  allied  to 
the  family  of  the  Gadidae,  while  on  the  other  hand 
it  somewhat  resembles  the  Muraenidae.  Although  its 
habitat  is  deep  water,  and  not  (as  its  name  implies) 
amongst  cliff's  and  rocks,  yet  it  justly  deserves  the  title 
of  King's  Fish,  being,  without  exception,  the  most 
desirable  fish  obtainable  in  our  bays.  It  is  rather 
scarce,  is  an  expert  swimmer,  appears  on  the  coast  as 
a  harbinger  of  rough,  stormy  weather  during  winter  ; 
and  commonly  sells  at  very  remunerating  prices. 

Dr.  Andrew  Smith,  the  intelligent  South  African 
traveller,  gave  the  first  description  of  this  fish  in  his 

z 


338  FISHES    AI^D    FISHING. 

admirable  "Illustrations  of  the  Zoology  of  South 
Africa."  It  was,  however,  known  previously  to  Bar- 
row, 1797,  who,  in  his  Travels  (page  30),  mentions  it 
in  the  following  terms  ;  "  Another  Blennius,  called 
King's  Eock  Fish,  is  sometimes  caught  in  Table  Bay, 
to  which,  from  its  resemblance  to  the  Mursense  of  the 
ancients,  naturalists  have  given  the  specific  name  of 
Muraenoides.'* 

I  quote  this  passage  for  the  purpose  of  contra- 
dicting Dr.  Smith,  who  says,  that  during  one  of  the 
several  earthquakes  which  occurred  many  years  ago, 
at  the  Cape,  one  or  more  sand  banks  were  formed  near 
the  entrance  of  Table  Bay,  and  that  not  long  after, 
the  first  specimens  of  this  fish  were  obtained."  It  is 
evident  that  by  some  mistake  or  other,  he  attributed 
to  the  Xiphiurus  what  applies  to  the  Stock-visch. 
jPLEURONECTIDiE. 

41.  SoLEA  VuLGAKTJS.  Cuv.  {Tofig ;  SoU.)  Body 
oblong,  flat,  pointing  towards  the  tail ;  snout,  arcu- 
ated, projecting  beyond  the  mouth,  which  is  fringed 
below  with  small  ciliated  scales.  Jaws  unequal,  armed, 
on  the  under  or  white  side  only,  with  very  minute, 
crowded  teeth;  eyes,  small,  spherical,  placed  near 
each  other,  on  the  upper  or  coloured  side.  Dorsal 
and  anal  fins  extending  as  far  as  the  tail ;  ventral 
fins  nrar  the  head  ;  tail  slightly  rounded  ;  lateral  line 
straight.      Length,    ten   or  fifteen   inches.      Upper 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  339 

surface,  olivaceous  brown,  obscurely  spotted  with 
patches  of  a  deeper  hue.  Scales,  small,  roundish, 
ciliated,  rough  to  the  touch;  the  upper  side,  appa- 
rently reticulated.  Fins,  tipped  with  purplish  brown 
stripes.  Lower  side,  dull  white,  mixed  with  faint 
purple.     Iris,  yellow. 

It  is  hardly  required  to  say  much  of  this  almost 
cosmopolitical  fish,  which  is,  for  its  delicacy,  prized 
as  well  at  the  Cape  as  elsewhere.  It  is  not  common, 
however,  in  the  colony,  and  it  rarely  surpasses  the 
length  of  twelve  inches,  although  there  are  instances 
known  of  individuals  measuring  a  foot  and  a  half. 
EAIDiE. 

42.  Ehinobattjs  Annalatijs.  A.  Smith.  {Zaud- 
hruiper.)  Body  convex  above,  level  below,  tapering 
from  head  to  tail.  Head,  flat,  nearly  three-sided ; 
eyes  small;  teeth,  crowded,  paved,  blunt;  clusters 
of  small  thorns  between  the  eyes,  and  minute  spines 
along  the  dorsal  line.  Dorsal  fins,  two  close  to  the 
caudal,  which  is  oval;  ventral  fins,  small;  skin,  rough, 
like  shagreen.  Length,  two  feet  and  upwards.  Up- 
per side,  yellowish  grey,  with  a  greenish  shade, 
sprinkled  all  over  with  white  eye-like  spots ;  under- 
surface,  faint  flesh-red,  bordered  with  white.  This 
fish,  which  always  dwells  in  localities  where  the 
bottom  of  the  sea  is  level  and  sandy,  is  rather  scarce 
in  Table  Bay.     Its  flesh  is  tender  and  delicate. 

z  2 


340  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

43.  Raia  Maculata.  Montag.  {Rog ;  Scale  ;  Spot- 
ted Ray.)  Body,  rhomboid,  horizontally  flat  on  both 
sides;"  snout  narrow,  pointed,  blunt ;  mouth,  nostrils, 
and  gills  on  the  under  surface  of  the  body.  Teeth, 
in  many  rows  in  both  jaws,  sharp,  pointed,  conical, 
and  curved  in  the  male ;  paved,  broad,  and  flat  in  the 
female.  Tail  long,  thin,  three-sided,  furnished  all 
along  its  edges  with  three  lines  of  strong,  hooked, 
but  irregular  spines,  and  with  two  small  dorsal  fins 
towards  its  end.  Both  surfaces  more  or  less  smooth, 
but  snout  and  upper  margin  of  the  large  pectoral  fins 
armed  with  clusters  of  hooked  spines  in  the  male, 
and  with  curved,  tubercular  denticles  in  the  female. 
Male,  provided  with  cylindrical,  cartilaginous  appen- 
dages (claspers)  to  its  ventural  fin.  Female  larger 
than  the  male.  Length,  two  and  a  half  feet  and 
more.  Colour  above,  pale  yellowish  brown,  sprinkled 
with  numerous  irregular,  faint,  bluish  grey  spots. 
Under-surface,  somewhat  rough,  greyish  white,  tinged 
with  purple. 

A  good  table  fish,  and  a  forerunner  of  bad  weather. 
It  is  caught  with  the  net. 

To  the  number  of  edible  fishes  enumerated  here,  I 
feel  bound  to  add  one  which  I  never  saw,  but  which 
I  introduce  on  the  incontestable  authority  of  Dr.  A. 
Smith,  who  has  given  the  following  description  of  it 
in  the  first  volume  of  the  "  South  African  Quarterly 


FISHES   AND    FISHIXG.  341 

Journal,"  (1830);   a  publication  full  of  interesting 
and  useful  information  respecting  the  Cape  Colony. 

44.  Serantjs  Cuvierii.  A.  Smith.  {Roch  Cod.) 
Colour  of  the  back  and  sides,  brownish  yellow  with 
blotches,  streaks  of  irregular  bands  of  dusky,  greenish 
black ;  lower  part  of  sides  and  belly,  reddish  yellow, 
with  slight  mixture  of  brown.  Dorsal  fins,  deep, 
dusky  brown,  with  the  extremities  of  the  spinous  rays 
reddish ;  ventral  fins  towards  apices,  brown ;  towards 
bases,  yellow ;  bases  of  pectoral  fins  bluish  white, 
finely  spotted  with  orange;  rest,  reddish  brown. 
Tail  even,  or  only  very  slightly  rounded,  with  the 
hinder  edge  narrowly  marginated  with  white.  Eyes, 
orange. 

A  full-grown  specimen  of  this  fish  measures  about 
two  and  a  half  feet.  It  inhabits  the  ocean  along  the 
east  coast  of  Africa,  particularly  about  Algoa  Bay, 
where  it  is  frequently  caught,  and  highly  esteemed 
as  an  article  of  food. 

This  synopsis  appeared  at  different  days  in  the 
Cape  Monitor.  The  fish  here  described,  are  no  doubt 
very  beautiful ;  and  coloured  plates  of  them  would, 
if  equally  well  performed,  serve  as  a  companion  to 
the  "  Pishes  of  Ceylon,"  by  the  late  John  "Whitchurch 
Bennett,  Esq. 

EisHES  OF  Algekia. — The   coast  of  Algeria   pro- 


342  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

duces  an  abundance  of  fishes,  viz.,  the  fljdng-fish,  the 
hammer-headed  shark,  and  phoca,  or  sea  wolf,  similar 
to  those  on  the  other  side  of  the  Mediterranean.  Bar- 
bel and  eels  are  the  most  common  river-fish.  In  the 
warm  spirings  of  Capsa,  are  beautiful  small  perch,  with 
chequered  fins,  and  turn-up  nose.  Large  shoals  of  cir- 
cular flat  polypi,  with  a  semicircular  ridge  obliquely 
across  the  back,  frequent  the  coast.  Lamping  relates, 
that  many  soldiers  were  lost  in  bathing  at  Dschidgeli, 
through  being  sucked  under  by  these  monsters. 
They  are  quite  surrounded  by  small  suckers,  and 
are  eagerly  pursued  by  tunnies  and  porpoises, — 
"  Algeria,"  by  John  Eeynel.      Morell,  1854,  p.  485. 

The  lakes  and  rivers  of  North  America  yield  an 
abundant  supply  of  excellent  fish,  as  well  as  aquatic 
wild  fowl.  The  only  lake,  in  the  great  chain  of  lakes, 
in  which  fish  are  found  that  migrate  to  the  sea,  such 
as  salmon,  is  Lake  Ontario ;  the  Falls  of  Niagara 
proving  an  insurmountable  obstacle  to  these  fish 
visiting  the  other  lakes.  The  fish  of  these  lakes  are 
of  numerous  species  ;  amongst  them,  particularly  in 
the  Detroit  River,  there  is  the  grey  or  salmon-trout, 
black  and  rock  bass,  a  few  white  and  striped  bass, 
pickerel,  pike,  and  fresh-water  herrings  ;  some  of  the 
outlets  of  the  lake  have  many  sturgeon,  but  in  general 
the  flesh  of  it  is  but  little  esteemed. 

There  is  also  a  species  of  pike,  called  the  muskan- 
UDger,  which  grows  to  a  large  size,  and  is  considered 


FlSaES   AND    FISHING.  343 

by  many  an  excellent  fish.  In  the  very  small  lakes, 
the  grey  or  salmon-trout  does  not  exceed  four  or  five 
pounds ;  but  in  the  large  lakes  it  is  sometimes  found 
of  the  weight  of  thirty,  or  even  forty  pounds. 

I  have,  within  this  day  or  two,  purchased  *'  Adven- 
tures of  an  Angler  in  Canada,  Nova  Scotia,  and  the 
United  States,'*  by  Charles  |Lanman.  I  have  not 
time  to  make  extracts  from  this  work ;  but  it  tells  of 
taking  one  hundred  and  sixty  trout  in  an  afternoon, 
single-handed,  and  of  himself  and  two  others  taking 
seven  hundred  of  the  same  kind  of  fish  in  one  day  ; 
such  great  sport  in  salmon  fishing,  spearing  pike,  and 
other  sporting  adventures,  that  it  is  enough  to  induce 
a  sportsman  to  take  the  voyage,  in  the  hope  of  enjoy- 
ing the  same  kind  of  exciting,  healthful  amusement. 

I  did  not  set  out  with  the  intention  or  promise  of 
giving  minute  instructions  as  to  the  manner  of  angling 
generally,  because  there  are  so  many  excellent  works 
already  upon  the  subject ;  all  I  proposed  to  perform 
in  that  way  is,  to  communicate  the  observations  I 
have  made  during  the  course  of  a  long,  and  healthy 
life,  with  which  a  beneficent  Providence  has  blessed 
me.  And  I  trust  the  brief  anatomical,  and  physiolo- 
gical observations  I  have  made,  and  referred  to,  may 
stimulate  others  to  follow  up  the  very  interesting 
subject,  and  further  enlighten  the  world  as  to  the 
wonderful  arrangement  of  the  organisation,  habits, 
and  probable  reasoning  powers  of  aqueous  animals. 


344  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

It  is  useless  to  catch  fish,  unless  they  can  be  cooked 
properly,  so  as  to  make  them  palatable  and  wholesome 
food ;  therefore,  as  cookery  is  only  domestic  chemistry, 
I  shall  not  feel  it  derogatory,  to  give  a  few  directions 
for  the  proper  preparation  of  several  kinds  of  fish  for 
the  table,  probably  some  of  them  different  from 
methods  before  known. 

All  fish  should  be  killed  the  moment  they  are  taken 
out  of  the  water,  not  only  on  account  of  the  inhu- 
manity of  allowing  them  to  linger  in  an  element  un- 
congenial to  their  nature,  but  also  allowing  them  to 
die  by  slow  degrees,  renders  them  less  valuable,  nou- 
rishing, and  conducive  to  health  as  food.  E.  Jesse, 
Esq.,  in  his  work,  **  Anglers*  Eambles,"  says  he 
always  has  a  large  knife,  with  a  hammer  at  the  end  to 
kill  fish  as  soon  as  they  are  taken.  He  was  so  polite,  at 
my  request,  as  to  refer  me  to  the  cutler  who  made  it . 
but  the  knife  was  large,  consequently  heavy,  and  the 
price  high.  I  have  had  one  made  very  neat,  and 
lighter,  at  less  than  a  quarter  the  price,  and  the  blow 
of  the  hammer  on  the  skull  of  the  fish  kills  it  in- 
stantly. Eels,  I  am  informed,  can  be  instantly  killed 
by  a  longitudinal  division  of  the  spine,  at  the  back  of 
the  head ;  my  knife  will  perform  that,  yet  I  think  a 
blow  of  the  hammer  on  the  middle  of  the  head,  as 
with  other  fish,  would  accelerate  the  object. 

Pike  are  said  to  be  best  flavoured  when  from  eight 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  345 

to  twelve  pounds  weight,  but  I  once  partook  of  one, 
which  a  friend  of  mine  had  caught,  weighing  twenty 
pounds ;  it  was  roasted,  with  rich  gravy  for  sauce, 
and  was  excellent. 

Pike  are  called  jack  until  they  attain  the  weight  of 
four  pounds.  They  are  said  to  increase  in  weight 
four  pounds  a  year,  till  they  attain  about  eight  pounds, 
when  they  gradually  decrease  in  growth  to  two  pounds 
a-year  ;  when  five  years  old,  they  will  eat  their  own 
weight  in  gudgeons.  One  was  taken  in  1497,  near 
Mainheim,  which  was  proved  to  be  two  hundred  and 
thirty-five  years  old,  by  a  plate  attached  to  him  ;  he 
weighed  three  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  mea- 
sured nineteen  feet.     His  skeleton  was  long  preserved. 

To  Boil  a  Pike. — Open  and  cleanse  him,  rub  the 
inside  with  a  little  salt,  dissolved  in  port  or  claret 
wine,  save  the  blood  if  you  can,  cut  him  across  into 
two  or  three  pieces ;  place  in  the  fish  kettle  as  much 
cold  water  as  you  require,  over  a  very  goodfirey  and, 
say  for  a  twelve-pound  fish,  a  large  handful  of  salt,  a 
good  quantity  of  sweet  marjoram,  savory,  and  thyme ; 
let  these  boil,  and  whilst  in  a  state  of  extreme  ebul- 
lition, put  in  the  smallest  piece  of  the  fish,  and  make 
the  water  boil  up  again  before  you  put  in  the  next 
smallest  piece,  and  so  progressively  of  the  rest ;  boil 
half  an  hour.  Sauce,  fresh  butter  melted  in  the  usual 
way,  anchovies,  claret,  or  port  wine,  a  little  of  the 


346  FISHES   AJSD    FISHING. 

blood,  if  any  saved,  eschalot,  and  lemon  juioe,  beaten 
well  together ;  serve  all  hot ;  garnish  with  scraped 
horse-radish. 

To  Boil  a  Salmon. — Let  it  be  crimped  as  soon  after 
all  sensation  is  destroyed  as  possible,  by  a  blow  on  the 
head ;  or  if  cut  into  slices,  and  cooked  the  same  way 
as  the  pike,  it  is  excellent.  In  every  case  of  boiling 
fish  there  should  be  plenty  of  salt  in  the  water,  as  it 
enables  the  liquid  to  attain  a  higher  degree  of  heat, 
and  the  albuminous  particles  are  instantly  solidified. 

To  Roast  a  Pike, — Let  the  fish  soak,  so  that  the 
scales  will  come  off  easily,  wash  and  wipe  the  inside 
quite  dry ;  take  beef  suet,  shred  and  chopped  fine, 
grated  bread,  of  each  a  pound,  if  it  be  a  good- sized 
fish,  or  in  proportion  accordingly ;  season  with  pepper, 
salt,  grated  nutmeg,  fresh  lemon  peel,  thyme,  winter 
savory,  the  flesh  of  three  or  four  anchovies,  all 
chopped  very  fine,  and  mixed  with  the  bread  and 
suet,  and  made  into  a  pudding  with  the  yolks  of  three 
or  four  eggs ;  fill  the  belly  of  the  fish,  sew  it  up, 
roast  in  a  cradle  spit  before  a  clear  fire,  not  too  near, 
keep  it  well  basted  with  fresh  butter ;  when  the  skin 
cracks  it  is  done. 

Scmce. — Kich  gravy,  one  pint ;  stewed  oysters,  cut 
small,  one  pint ;  picked  shrimps,  and  small  pickled 
mushrooms  cut  small,  of  each  half  a  pint ;  quarter  of 
a  pound  of  fresh  butter,  melted  ;  half  a  pint  of  white 


FISHES   ASB    FISHUTG.  "       347 

wine ;  mix  all  well,  place  the  pike  in  a  dish,  pour 
tibe  flsuee  oyer,  serve  it  up  hot,  gamiahed  with  small 
pickled  mushrooius. 

A  barbel  may  be  cooked  the  same  ¥ray ;  or  eithar 
fish  may  be  baked. 

Another  method  to  cooh  a  Pike  {caUed  Bnxismg). — 
Take  a  lai^  pike,  scale  and  cle^inse  it  thoroughly, 
raise  the  skin  on  one  side  without  spoiling  the  flesh, 
lard  it  with  equal  quantities  of  anchovies,  pickled 
gherkins,  carrots,  and  truffles,  stuff  it  with  the  same 
ingredients,  or  the  stuffing  for  fowls  or  veal ;  put  it 
into  a  braising  stew-pan,  with  a  pint  of  rich  gravy ; 
baste  it  often  whilst  over  a  very  slow  fire,  and  when 
more  than  half  done,  put  on  the  cover,  and  fire  on  it ; 
serve  witii  this  sauoe — mince  some  ham  wiUi  the 
same  quantity  of  truffles,  put  them  into  a  stew-pan 
with  a  piece  of  butter,  over  a  slow  fire,  let  them  sim- 
mer a  quarter  of  an  hour,  add  quarter  of  a  pint  of 
white  wine  and  a  pint  of  calves*  foot  jelly,  the  whites 
of  two  eggs  boiled  hard  and  minced  small,  and  the 
yolks  of  four  eggs  boiled  hard  and  rubbed  down 
smooth  with  the  wine  as  above,  and  a  quantity  of 
small  pickled  mushrooms  equal  to  the  ham  and  truf- 
fles, and  one  lobster's  tail,  all  minced  small,  with  the 
spawn ;  take  up  the  fish,  pour  the  sauce  hot  ovar  it, 
garnish  with  scraped  horse-radish. 

A  barbel  or  lai^  eel  may  be  cooked  in  the 


348  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

way ;  but  be  very  particular  to  eradicate  from  the 
inside  of  the  former  fish  every  particle  of  the  roe,  or 
it  will  produce  alarming  illness.  I  never  have  the 
roe  of  pike  cooked. 

To  Collar  large  Mis. — Skin  and  bone  two  large 
ones,  put  inside  of  them  powdered  mace,  grated  nut- 
meg, eschalots  chopped  fine,  parsley,  thyme,  sweet 
marjoram,  salt,  and  pepper,  roll  all  up  together  so  as 
to  make  a  round  ball,  flat  at  the  ends  or  collars,  sew 
each  eel  in  a  separate  cloth,  put  them  into  a  stew- 
pan  with  a  pint  of  veal  stock,  half  a  pint  of  white 
wine,  and  quarter  of  a  pint  of  vinegar ;  let  them  sim- 
mer three-quarters  of  an  hour,  place  them  in  a  dish 
till  perfectly  cold.  Next  take  the  liquor  they  were 
simmered  in,  strain  it  through  a  fine  cloth,  put  by  till 
cold,  then  take  off  all  the  fat,  simmer  it  with  the 
whites  of  two  eggs  to  clarify  it,  strain  again,  and 
boil  until  it  is  a  thick  jelly ;  remove  the  cloth  from 
the  eels,  place  them  in  a  deep  dish,  and  when  the 
jelly  is  nearly  cold  pour  it  over  them. 
'f.  All  eels  are  more  wholesome,  if  skinned  before  being 
cooked. 

The  three  methods  of  cooking  pike  were  commu- 
nicated to  me  when  I  resided  in  France,  by  a  French 
lady,  who  had  cod  and  other  fish  cooked  in  the  same 
way,  as  the  first  and  third,  and  mackerel  the  same  as 
the  second. 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  349 

Mr.  Frederick  Accura,  the  well-known  scientific 
chemist,  gave  the  following  recipe  for  potting  lob- 
ster.— Let  the  lobster  be  properly  boiled,  pick  out 
the  meat  and  eggs  from  the  shell,  season  with  pow- 
dered mace,  cloves,  nutmeg,  pepper,  and  salt,  he  says 
anchovy  liquor,  I  say,  three  picked  anchovies  to  each 
lobster  J  pound  all  together  in  a  marble  mortar,  add 
one  quarter  of  a  pound  oi  fresh  butter,  mix  all  very 
well,  press  it  into  pots,  cover  with,  he  says,  melted 
butter,  I  say,  with  clarified  melted  mutton  suet,  cover 
with  paper  when  the  suet  is  cold,  and  keep  in  a  dry 
place,  or  put  it  into  pots  with  a  cover  ;  keep  out  the 
air  by  placing  a  stripof  gummed  paper  round  the  joint." 

Crayfish,  crabs,  prawns,  shrimps,  and  bloater  her- 
rings, may  all  be  prepared  in  the  same  way  ;  and  I 
am  told  cold  boiled  salmon  is  also  excellent,  when 
prepared  in  this  manner. 

The  Jews  eat  much  fish  ;  but  we  are  very  little 
acquainted  with  their  methods  of  cookery.  The  fol- 
lowing recipe  for  cooking  large  plaice,  was  given  to 
me  by  a  very  superior  female  of  that  creed. 

Boil  three  or  four  large  onions  until  they  are  done, 
but  not  so  much  as  to  be  too  soft ;  strain  off  the  water 
and  slice  the  onions.  Cut  the  fish  into  pieces,  being 
first  well  cleansed;  put  at  the  bottom  of  a  stew  pan  a 
little  ginger  in  powder,  pepper,  salt,  and  hay-saffron, 
dried  and  powdered ;  place  the  fish  on  these,  pour  in 


350  FISHES    AND    PISHING.    • 

fresh  water  enough  barely  to  cover  the  fish ;  place  the 
sliced  onions  over  the  fish,  put  on  the  lid  and  let  it 
simmer  very  gently  till  the  fish  is  done ;  meantime 
take  the  yolks  of  four  eggs,  beat  up,  a  good  quantity  of 
parsley  chopped  very  fine,  add  to  these  a  little  of  the 
liquor  the  fish  was  simmered  in,  beat  all  well  toge- 
ther ;  and  as  the  mixing  goes  on,  add  the  juice  of  two 
lemons,  previously  squeezed  out  and  strained  very 
gradually,  or  it  will  cause  the  egg  to  curdle.  Take 
up  the  fish  with  the  onions  upon  it,  in  a  deep  dish, 
and  pour  the  mixture  of  e^g,  lemon-juice,  &c.,  over 
it;  this  they  eat  cold  for  breakfast — it  will  keep 
good  a  week.  The  quantities  here  are  for  two  mo- 
derate-sized diamond  plaice. 

To  dress  a  hrace  of  Carp. — Kill  the  carp,  scale  and 
cleanse  them  immediately ;  save  the  blood,  and  if 
they  are  tolerably  large,  take  a  quart  of  claret  or 
port  wine,  a  pint  of  veal  or  beef  stock,  six  cloves,  one 
nutmeg  sliced,  a  piece  of  cinnamon  broken-up,  a 
small  quantity  of  pepper  and  salt,  a  good-sized  sprig 
of  thyme,  and  sweet  marjoram,  one  onion,  two  or 
three  pieces  of  fresh  lemon -peel ;  put  these,  with  the 
blood,  all  into  a  stew-pan,  without  the  fish;  cover  close, 
and  as  soon  as  it  simmers  put  in  the  carp  and  cover 
again ;  place  the  stew-pan  on  a  very  clear  slow  fire,  so 
as  only  to  simmer  ;  when  the  skin  of  the  carp  begins 
to  crack,  take  out  the  fish,  and  keep  it  hot.     Then 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  351 

strain  the  liquor,  and  have  ready  half  a  pint  of  stewed 
oysters,  half  a  pint  of  picked  shrimps,  half  a  pint  of 
very  small  white  pickled  mushrooms,  strained  from 
the  vinegar ;  add  these  to  the  wine,  &c.,  in  which  the 
fish  was  boiled ;  let  them  stew  a  little  while,  serve 
the  whole  quite  hot  in  a  proper  dish.  A  little  Chili 
vinegar  may  be  added  by  those  who  like  it. 

Tench  are  cooked  advantageously  by  the  same 
process. 

Eels  may  be  stewed  in  the  same  way ;  only  that 
you  require  less  liquid,  and  the  oysters  and  shrimps 
may  be  left  out,  and  two,  three,  or  four  anchovies 
added  instead. 

Large  eels  are  excellent  prepared  as  follows :  cut 
in  pieces,  the  bones  taken  out,  take  grated  bread 
crumbs,  nutmeg  in  powder,  pepper,  salt,  thyme, 
parsley,  and  lemon-peel  shred  fine,  roll  in  egg  beaten 
up,  and  then  in  the  bread,  &c. ;  have  a  deep  pan  with 
the  lard,  or  what  is  better,  clarified  beef  fat,  boiling y 
as  you  should  for  all  fish,  which  is  to  be  thus  cooked, 
and  from  the  great  heat,  is  done  very  rapidly,  of  a 
fine  brown  colour.* 

Flounders  should  be  killed  by  dividing  the  spine, 
just  where  the  tail  begins ;  they  will  bleed  consider- 

«  The  bone  and  pieces  of  flesh  adhering  may  assist  in  mak- 
ing the  stock  for  stewing  eels. 


352  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

ably,  and  if  cooked  in  this  manner,  are  very  good  and 
nutritious  food.  Gudgeons,  small  trout,  roach,  and 
dace,  may  also  be  cooked  with,  or  without  the  bread 
crumbs,  &c.,  provided  the  fat  be  boiling,  being  then 
600  degreesof  heat,  which  solidifies  the  albumen  of  the 
fish  instantly  ;  with  the  same  intention  although  you 
can  only  get  212  degrees  of  heat  in  w^ater,  without 
salt,  fish  should  always  be  put  into  it  when  boiling, 
as  in  the  first  recipe  for  boiling  pike. 

Barbel,  which  is  considered  by  some  not  worth 
cooking,  may  be  found  very  good  food  thus  : — Scale 
and  cleanse  one  or  two  large  barbel,  take  a  very  sharp 
knife,  cut  the  flesh  off  in  collops,  dip  these  in  egg, 
then  in  bread  crumbs,  herbs,  &c.,  as  before  directed, 
and  cook  same  as  eels ;  the  remainder  of  the  fish 
boiled,  will  feed  fowls  advantageously. 

The  packing  fish  in  ice  to  bring  it  from  distant 
parts  is  a  great  advantage  ;  and  you  will  be  told  by 
fishmongers  that  salmon  is  all  the  better  for  keeping : 
— do  not  believe  a  word  of  it — no  one  who  ever  tasted 
a  fresh-caught  salmon  or  trout,  will  be  of  that  opinion. 
If,  indeed,  you  could  get  it  as  soon  as  it  arrived  in 
the  ice,  it  would  be  all  very  well  for  a  London  table, 
but  would  not  be  eaten  by  any  one  living  on  the  bank 
of  a  salmon  stream.  Some  of  the  second-rate  fish- 
mongers replace  in  ice,  what  they  do  not  sell  the  first 


PISHES   AND    PISHING.  353 

day,  it  becomes,  therefore,  deteriorated  in  its  sanative 
qualities.  The  fat  of  the  salmon  between  the  flakes 
is  mixed  with  much  albumen  and  gelatine,  which 
very  speedily  decomposes,  and  no  mode  of  cooking 
will  prevent  its  injurious  effects  on  a  delicate  human 
constitution.  I  am  confirmed  in  this  opinion  by  every 
scientific  man  with  whom  I  have  conversed,  or  who 
has  ever  written  on  the  subject. 

The  quantity  of  fish  of  different  species  taken  away 
and  destroyed  from  Billingsgate  in  a  year,  as  unfit  for 
food,  is  enormous ;  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  same 
supervision  does  not  extend  throughout  the  metropo- 
litan district,  and  be  extended  to  meat  and  vegetables ; 
to  the  sale  of  which  in  an  improper  state  for  the  nou- 
rishment of  man,  is  to  be  attributed  as  much  as  to  the 
want  of  cleanliness,  and  to  foul  air,  the  ravages  of 
the  periodical  epidemic,  the  cholera  ! 

Eoach  of  not  more  than  half  a  pound  each,  small 
trout,  dace,  smelts,  gudgeons,  and  bleak,  are  excellent 
at  the  breakfast-table,  when  marionated  according  to 
the  Italian  method.  Thus,  scale  and  cleanse  the  fish, 
flour  and  cook  in  boiling  oil  till  crisp,  place  them  on 
sticks  to  drain ;  when  cold,  put  them  into  stone  jars, 
they  not  being  glazed  with  lead,  which  would  be 
injurious;  between  each  layer  of  fish  put  leaves  of 
sage,  a  little  rosemary,  ginger,  cloves,  mace,  and  pep- 
per in  fine  powder,  and  some  salt,  when  the  pot  or  jar 


354  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

is  filled  if  to  eat  presently,  one  part  white  wine  and 
three  parts  vinegar,  sufficient  to  cover  the  fish.  If  to 
keep,  take  vinegar,  a  little  garlic,  or  eschalots,  cloves, 
mace,  whole  pepper,  rosemary,  sage,  and  salt ;  let 
these  boil  quarter  of  an  hour,  pour  it  boiling  on  the 
fish ;  when  cold,  cover  them  close  from  the  air  with 
bladders;  in  removing  any  for  use,  let  it  be  with  an 
ivory  or  wooden  fork  or  spoon;  they  will  keep  all  the 
year. 

Many  other  species  of  fish  from  the  sea,  or  rivers, 
may  be  prepared  in  the  same  way.  Or  a  more  cheap 
mode  to  prepare  any  small  fish,  is  to  scale  and  cleanse, 
place  them  in  a  deep  stone  jar  with  spice,  &c.,  and 
herbs  as  above  ;  cover  the  fish  with  two-thirds  vinegar 
and  one-third  water,  tie  stout  white  paper  over  the 
jar,  and  send  them  to  the  bakehouse. 

Under  the  head  *'  Crimping  of  rish["  are  to  be 
found  in  the  observations  of  the  late  Sir  Anthony 
Carlisle,  as  communicated  by  Mr.  Accum,  some  very 
useful  information.  He  says,  *'  Both  sea  and  river 
fish  cannot  be  eaten  too  fresh.  The  gills  should  be  of 
a  fine  red  colour,  the  eyes  glistening,  the  scales  bril- 
liant, and  the  whole  fish  should  feel  stiff"  and  firm ;  if 
soft  or  flabby,  the  fish  is  old.*'  I  presume  he  means 
stale, 

"  To  improve  the  quality  of  fish,  they  are  some- 
times subject  to  tlie  process  called  crimping.*'     Sir 


FISHES    AND    FISHING, 


355 


Anthony  says,  '*  Whenever  the  rigid  contractions  of 
death  have  not  taken  place,  this  process  may  be 
practised  with  success.  The  sea-fish  destined  for 
crimping  are  usually  struck  on  the  head  when  caught, 
which,  it  is  said,  protracts  the  term  of  the  contracti- 
bility,  and  the  muscles  which  retain  the  property' 
longest  are  those  about  the  head.  Many  transverse 
sections  of  the  muscles  being  made,  and  the  fish  being 
immersed  in  cold  spring  water,  the  contractions  called 
crimping  take  place  in  about  five  minutes  ;  but  if  the 
mass  be  large,  it  often  requires  thirty  minutes  to 
complete  the  process,  by  which  means  the  flesh  both 
acquires  the  desired  firmness,  and  keeps  longer." 

Salmon  caught  by  a  net  are  not  so  fine  in  flavour 
as  those  caught  by  angling  ;  and  the  latter  are  con- 
sidered best  for  crimping.  **  Wild  Sports  of  the 
West." 

By  this  it  appears  to  be  supposed  that  the  blow  on 
the  head  renders  the  fish  insensible  to  pain ;  and  that 
the  transverse  divisions  of  the  muscular  fibre  must 
take  place  to  be  of  any  utility,  whilst  they  have  the 
contractile  power  of  remaining  life. 

Take  a  fiounder,  and  kill  it  by  the  method  I  have 
before  mentioned ;  it  dies  instantly,  and  you  will  see 
the  whole  muscular  fibre  of  its  body  swell,  and  be- 
come firm.  Cook  one  thus  killed,  and  one  left  to  die 
the   lingering  death  occasioned  by  removal  from  the 

A  A  2 


356  FISHES    AND    FISHING. 

water,  and  "you  would  not  believe  them  to  be  tbe 
same  species  of  fish. 

Look  at  our  fishmongers'  shops ;  crimped  cod  and 
salmon  are  frequently  seen,  whose  muscular  contrac- 
tile power  had  been  lost  for  twenty-four  hours,  or 
much  longer  before  that  then  useless  process  was 
practised  upon  them. 

Mr.  Accura  gave  a  very  excellent  recipe  for  pick- 
ling salmon;  and  those  who  have  once  tasted  it,  would 
never  condescend  to  eat  any  of  the  common  pickled 
salmon  of  the  shops,  consistently  with  health,  deli- 
cacy of  preparation,  and  flavour. 

**  Split  the  fish  down  the  middle,  divide  each  half 
into  six  pieces ;  make  a  brine  of  salt  sufficient  to  cover 
the  fish  when  placed  in  a  fish  kettle.  Season  with 
bruised  pepper,  mace,  allspice,  and  simmer  the  whole 
till  the  fish  is  done,  taking  care  not  to  boil  the  fish 
more  than  is  barely  sufficient.  Then  take  out  the 
pieces  to  cool,  and  put  into  a  jar  of  stone  ware. 
Strain  off  the  spice  from  the  liquor  in  which  the  fish 
has  been  boiled,  and  add  to  it  a  like  quantity,  by 
measure,  of  vinegar,  and  pour  it  over  the  fish  ;  when 
cold,^'*  tie  it  over  with  paper,  and  keep  the  fish  sub- 
merged in  the  liquor  by  placing  a  weight  on  it." 

*  Suppose  the  quantity  of  the  liquor  in  which  the  fish  has 
been  boiled  be  a  quart,  it  will  require  the  same  quantity  of  good 
vinegar,  and  a  pint  of  good  port  wine  may  be  added  with  great 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  357 

On  trial,  it  is  found  that  the  brine  to  boil  the  fish 
in,  should  be  about  fifteen  parts  salt,  and  eighty- 
five  parts  of  water  ;  and  when  the  fish  is  put  into  the 
jar,  it  should  be  ascertained  how  much  liquid  will 
cover  the  fish  sufficiently,  and  then  that  the  vinegar, 
&c.,  should  not  be  less  than  the  half  of  the  whole 
quantity  of  liquid ;  also,  that  the  spice  should  be 
tolerably  large ;  some  add  a  little  powdered  coriander 


Mackerel,  by  taking  off  their  heads,  and  part  of  the 
skin  of  the  belly,  make  an  excellent  dish  prepared  in 
the  same  way,  but  you  must  be  careful  not  to  over- 
boil them. 

To  cure  Salmon  dry. — Take  three  to  four  pounds 
of  fresh  salmon  ;  divide  it  longitudinally,  and  take 
out  the  bone.  Mix  intimately  together,  one  table- 
spoonful  of  salt,,  one  dessert  spoonful  of  moist  sugar, 
and  a  piece  of  saltpetre,  the  size  of  a  nutmeg,  finely 
powdered;  let  a  man  or  boy,  with  very  clean  hands 
and  nails,  rub  this  well  over  the  fish  ;  turn  the  fish, 
and  rub  it  once  a  day  during  seven  days  ;  then  wipe 
dry  with  a  clean  cloth,  and  hang  it  up,  so  as  not  to 
touch  anything,   in  a  warm  place.     When  required 

advantage.  When  the  fish  is  all  used,  this  liquor,  with  the 
addition  of  a  little  more  vinegar,  will  be  excellent  to  pour  boil- 
ing over  smelts  or  gudgeons  in  marianating  them. 


358  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

for  use,  broil  a  piece  over  a  slow  fire  ;  rub  fresh  butter 
upon  it,  and  serve. 

Many  other  species  of  fish  from  fresh  and  salt  water 
may  be  prepared,  and  dried  in  this  way,  apportioning 
the  period  of  salting  to  the  size,  and  thickness  of  the 
fish,  always  cutting  off  the  heads  ;  but  the  back-bone 
may  be  left  in.  If  you  have  the  convenience  of  a 
wood  fire,  they  can  be  smoked.  They  should  be 
hung  up  by  a  string,  passed  through  part  of  the  flap 
which  covered  the  belly,  so  as,  like  the  salmon,  to  have 
a  current  of  air  around  them. 

Dr.  Mc  Culloch,  of  Edinburgh,  states  that  the  anti- 
septic property  of  sugar  will  preserve  salmon,  whiting, 
and  cod,  fresh  for  several  days  ;  or  if  kept  dry,  there 
is  no  limit  to  their  preservation.  Open  a  salmon,  say 
of  seven  or  eight  pounds,  put  in  a  large  table- spoonful 
of  brown  sugar,  let  it  remain  in  a  horizontal  position 
for  three  days,  wipe,  and  hang  it  up,  wiping  and 
ventilating  it  occasionally ;  if  flavour  be  desired,  add 
to  the  sugar  a  jteaspoonful  of  salt ;  if  wished  to  be 
very  firm,  add  the  same  quantity  of  saltpetre. 

Water  Souchy. — Place  a  dozen  perch  or  flounders, 
or  as  many  as  are  required,  well  scaled  and  cleaned, 
in  a  stewpan  with  two  quarts,  or  a  proportionate 
quantity  of  water,  parsley  roots,  bruised,  and  leaves 
chopped  coarsely,  an  eschalot  or  two,  and  a  little 
lemon  peel ;  boil  till  the  whole  flesh  of  the  fish  can 


FISHES    AND    FISHING.  359 

be  pulped  through  a  coarse  sieve,  with  the  liquor  they 
were  boiled  in ;  place  an  equal  quantity  of  cleansed 
fish  in  a  stewpan,  with  finely  chopped  parslej',  a  very 
small  quantity  of  powdered  cloves,  nutmeg,  cinnamon, 
pepper  and  salt,  a  few  small  bearded  oysters,  minced, 
a  few  pickled  mushrooms  without  the  vinegar,  quarter 
of  a  pint  of  white  wine,  and  the  pulp  and  gravy  of  the 
first  quantity  of  fish ;  simmer  very  gently,  till  the  fish 
are  done,  and  serve. 

Eels  may  be  prepared  the  same  way. 

Having  now  given  a  few  recipes  for  cooking  fish  of 
various  kinds,  it  is  proper  to  add  directions  for  a  sauce 
which,  mixed  with  melted  butter,  will  be  found  ex- 
cellent as  an  adjunct  to  fried,  or  boiled  fish,  or  to 
flavour  the  gravy  of  a  hash,  or  stew. 

Take  claret  or  port  wine,  and  mushroom  catsup, 
of  each  one  pint ;  walnut  pickle  half  a  pint,  ancho- 
vies four  ounces,  fresh  thin  pared  lemon  peel,  escha- 
lots peeled,  scraped  horse-radish,  of  each  one  ounce 
celery  seed,  one  drachm ;  let  these  be  all  well  pounded 
separately,  and  then  intimately  mixed,  having  first 
added  allspice,  and  black  pepper  in  fine  powder,  of  each 
half  an  ounce,  cayenne  pepper  and  curry  powder,  of 
each  two  drachms ;  place  altogether  with  the  above 
liquids  in  a  wide-mouthed,  well-stopped  bottle,  for 
fourteen  days,  shaking  it  frequently ;  strain  and  press 
out  the  liquid,  and  add  to  the  clear  portion,  quarter 
of  a  pint  of  real  good  soy :  keep  it  well  stopped. 


360  FISHES   AND   FISHING. 

Some  persons  add  cinnamon  to  the  spices  pre- 
viously mentioned,  others  dislike  it. 

This  sauce  will  he  found  superior  to  that  of  the 
famed  Hervey,  who,  more  than  fifty  years  ago,  kept 
an  inn  at  ^edfont,  commanding  a  view  of  the  church- 
yard, where,  it  is  said,  the  Rev.  James  Hervey,  who 
wrote  '^Meditations  on  the  Tomhs,''^  was  buried. 

Colman,  in  his  "  Random  Readings,"  has  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  Hervey,  whose  Inn  commands  a  view 
Of  Bedfont's  church  and  churchyard  too, 
Where  yew  trees  into  peacocks  shorn. 
In  vegetable  torture  mourn, — 
Is  hable  no  doubt  to  glooms. 
From  '  Meditations  on  the  Tombs : ' 
But  while  he  meditates,  he  cooks ; 
Thus  both  to  quick  and  dead  he  looks ; 
Turning  his  mind  to  nothing,  save 
Thoughts  on  man's  gravy,  and  his  grave. 
Long  may  he  keep  from  churchyard  holes 
Our  bodies  with  his  sauce  for  soles  ! 
liOng  may  he  hinder  Death  from  beckoning 
His  guests  to  settle  their  last  reckoning." 

Another,  from  an  unknown  hand,  appeared  more 
recently  in  a  periodical. 

"  Two  Herveys  had  a  mutual  wish 
To  shine  in  different  stations  ; 
The  one  invented  sauce  for  fish, 
The  other  Meditations  ! 


FISHES   AND    FISHING,  361 

Each  had  his  pungent  power  applied 

To  save  the  dead  and  dying ; 
This  relishes  a  sole  that's  fried, 

That  saves  a  soul  from  frying." 

A  curious  opinion  was  entertained  as  to  the  nature 
of  fish,  by  Phillip  of  Spain,  the  consort  of  our  Queen 
Mary,  who  did  not  eat  them,  giving  as  his  reason  for 
not  doing  so,  'Uhat  they  were  only  element  con- 
gealed, or  a  jelly  of  water." 

In  contrast  to  this,  may  be  cited  the  conduct  of 
Aterbates,  Queen  of  Scythia,  who  interdicted  her 
subjects  from  eating  fish,  "because  there  would  not 
be  enough  to  regale  their  sovereign." 

In  the  "iN'orthuraberland  Family  Book,"  the  break- 
fast for  the  earl  and  countess  during  four  days  of  the 
week  in  Lent,  was  a  loaf  of  bread  in  trenches,  two 
manchets,  i.  e.  two  loaves  of  the  finest  flour,  weigh- 
ing six  ounces  each,  a  quart  of  beer,  a  quart  of  wine, 
two  pieces  of  salt  fish,  six  baconed  herrings,  four 
white  herrings,  or  a  dish  of  sproits  (sprats).  A 
tolerable  commencement  of  a  day  of  mortification  in 
Lent, 

The  Keoeo's  tkansformation  of  flesh  into  fish, 

A  missionary  of  the  Catholic  Church  induced  a  sly 
old  negro,  whom  he  found  in  India,  to  embrace  his 
creed,  and  believing  him  to  be  a  sincere  convert,  admit- 


362  TISHES   AND    FISHING. 

ted  him  to  the  sacrament  of  baptism,  and  gave  him  the 
name  of  James  instead  of  Washee,  which  he  had  borne 
above  forty  years  ;  this  the  negro  thought  was  a  most 
extraordinary  proceeding.  The  priest  insisted  on 
James  keeping  the  regular  fast  days,  under  the 
penalty  of  eternal  misery  ;  but  the  prohibition  did 
not  suit  Washee's  gastronomic  propensity,  and  he 
adopted  his  own  peculiar  method  of  indulging  his 
appetite,  and  yet  avoiding  the  threatened  punish- 
ment. The  priest  went  into  Washee' s  house  on  a 
Piiday,  and  to  his  horror,  found  Washee  regaling 
himself  with  a  dish  of  beef  steaks.  The  missionary 
in  strong  terms  reprobated  Washee' s  conduct ;  but  the 
negro  stoutly  declared  he  was  eating  fish  only,  and 
thus  endeavoured  to  prove  it.  *'  You  took  my  hand, 
you  put  water  on  my  face,  and  speakee  fine  words. 
I  no  understand,  and  den  you  say  my  name  no  more 
Washee,  but  now  be  James ;  well,  dis  morning,  I 
takee  de  beef  steak,  and  putting  water  over  dem, 
make  talkee,  and  say,  '  No  more  beef  steah,  but  now  be 


FISHES   AND   FISHING.  363 


STJSPEN'DED  AmMATION. 

It  may  be  useful  to  give  the  rules  published  by  the 
Royal  Humane  Society  for  restoring  those  apparently 
drowned,  to  which  I  have  made  some  explanatory, 
and  I  hope  useful  additions.  First  send  for  a  medical 
man  immediately. 

Cautions. — Lose  no  time ;  avoid  all  rough  usage ; 
never  hold  the  body  up  by  the  feet ;  nor  roll  the  body 
on  a  cask ;  nor  rub  the  body  with  salt  or  spirits ;  nor 
inject  tobacco  smoke,  or  infusion  of  tobacco. 

Convey  the  body  carefully  (and  quickly)  with  the 
head  and  shoulders  supported  in  a  raised  position, 
to  the  nearest  house,  where  the  following  methods  of 
treatment  can  be  adopted.  Strip  the  body  as  soon 
as  possible,  and  rub  it  dry  with  hot  cloths,  then  wrap 
it  in  hot  blankets,  and  place  it  in  a  warm  bed,  in  a 
warm  chamber,  free  from  smoke. 

In  order  to  restore  the  natural  warmth  of  the  body» 
move  a  moderately-heated,  covered  (with  flannel) 
warming-pan  over  the  back  and  spine. 

Put  bladders  or  bottles  of  hot  water,  or  heated 
bricks,  all  covered  with  flannel,  to  the  pit  of  the 
stomach,  the  arm  pits,  between  the  thighs,  to  the  soles 
of  the  feet,  and  each  side  of  the  neck.  Foment  the 
body  with  hot  flannels. 


364  PISHES    AND    PISHIKG. 

Bub  the  body  briskly  with  the  hand  ;  do  not,  how- 
ever, suspend  the  use  of  the  other  means  at  the  same 
time ;  but  if  possible  immerse  the  body  in  a  warm 
bath  at  blood  heat,  98°  or  lOQo  of  the  thermometer, 
as  this  is  preferable  to  the  other  means  for  restoring 
warmth. 

Volatile  salts  or  hartshorn,  or  liquor  ammonia,  to 
be  passed  occasionally  to  and  fro  under  the  nostrils. 

No  more  persons  to  be  admitted  into  the  room 
than  are  absolutely  necessary,  as  they  will  consume 
the  oxygen  of  the  atmosphere. 

Electricity  was  formerly  found  of  great  use  in  these 
cases  when  it  could  be  applied ;  but,  except  at  the 
Eoyal  Humane  Society's  establishment,  in  Hyde  Park, 
it  was  seldom  available.  Now  the  application  of 
electro-magnetism  is,  or  ought  to  be,  in  the  power  of 
every  general  practitioner,  and  no  one  ought  to  be 
without  such  an  useful  apparatus,  which  can  be 
transported  without  the  least  delay  or  difficulty,  to 
the  spot  where  the  body  is  lying,  and  by  the  adoption 
of  the  improvements  which  I  have  made  in  the  ap- 
paratus, and  modes  of  applying  it,  whereby  it  is  ren- 
dered more  effective,  useful,  and  always  ready  for 
immediate  service  by  following  these  directions. 

First,  have  two  pieces  of  German  silver  or  copper 
wire,  gauge  No.    14,   form   them, into  this  shape — 
These  are  to  be  placed  in  the  orifices 


PISHES    AND    FISHING.  365 

of  the  standards  of  the  two  poles,  and  fixed  by  the 
screws  in  the  standards.  Next  have  two  pieces  of 
brass  spring  wire,  a  little  less  than  a  yard  and  a  half 
each,  and  two  lengths  of  stout  narrow  black  ribbon, 
each  a  yard  and  a-half ;  let  the  edges  be  sewn  to- 
gether, pass  the  spring  wire  through  them,  press  the 
ribbon  tube  back  from  the  ends,  draw  three  or  four 
coils  of  the  spring  wire  out,  and  anneal  them  in  a 
spirit  lamp,  straighten  these  ends,  then  have  ready 
four  hooks  made  of  the  same  size  and  kind  of  wire  as 
tlie  above,  of  this  shape  C^^^^  Pass  the  an- 
nealed part  of  the  spring  wire  two  or  three  times 
through  the  ring  of  the  hook,  and  return  the  end  into 
the  hollow  of  the  spring  wire,  then  draw  down  the 
ribbon  close  to  the  hook,  pass  two  or  three  stitches 
of  stout  black  silk  througli  the  loop,  from  one  side  of 
the  ribbon  case  to  the  other,  bind  the  end  of  the  rib- 
bon case  with  silk,  and  finish  all  neatly,  so  as  to  leave 
no  end  of  wire  or  silk  protruding.  Obtain  two  tubes 
of  glass,  each  six  inches  long,  a  full  half  an  inch 
diameter,  with  a  bore  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch  ;  let  these 
be  ground  and  polished  round  at  each  end ;  then  have 
tw^o  wires  seven  inches  long,  of  German  silver,  guage 
No.  13,  these  to  have  a  ring  at  one  end,  and  a  male 
screw  at  the  other,  whereon  can  be  screwed  a  well- 
polished  ball  of  German  silver,  half  an  inch  diameter. 
The  wires  are  to  be  passed  through  the  glass  tube, 


366  FISHES   AND    FISHING. 

the  ball  screwed  on,  and  if  the  ball  be  placed  on  the 
flesh,  and  a  person  holding  the  tube  move  it  about, 
the  ball  will  roll  wherever  it  is  directed,  Now  to 
apply  the  electric  current :  [hook  one  end  of  the 
covered  spring  wire  to  the  ring  of  wire  at  one  pole, 
and  the  other  end  to  the  ring  of  one  wire  in  the  glass 
tube,  as  the  same  with  the  other  spring  wire  and  con- 
tents of  the  other  glass  tube;  it  will  be  obvious  tbat 
a  person  holding  the  gUiss  tubes,  one  in  each  hand,  he 
being  thus  insulated,  will  be  able  to  pass  the  electric 
current  in  any  direction,  as  whatever  intervened  be- 
tween those  two  balls  would  receive  it,  and  by  the 
balls  having  a  rotary  motion,  this  agent  can  be  applied 
more  extensively  and  with  less  of  pain.  The  part 
being  moistened  with  a  little  compound  soap  liniment 
will  render  the  application  more  powerful. 

The  liquid  I  use  is  in  the  proportion  of  one  ounce 
of  strong  sulphuric  acid  to  thirty  ounces  of  distilled 
water,  and  the  necessary  quantity  can  be  kept  always 
ready  for  use  in  a  well-stoppered  bottle.  The  metals, 
as  soon  as  used,  should  be  washed  in  clean,  tolerably 
warm  water,  the  reason  of  which  is,  because  they  dry 
sooner,  particularly  if  placed  before  the  fire,  and 
when  dry  they  should  be  protected  from  the  air. 

In  cases  of  suspended  animation  the  current  of 
electricity  can  be  applied  by  this  mode  up  and  down 
the  spine,  and  in  every  direction. 


FISHES   AND    FISHING.  367 

This  apparatus  is  far  superior  to  any  I  have  ever 
seen,  and  can  be  adapted  to  most  machines  for  apply- 
ing electro-magnetism,  or  indeed  for  frictional  elec- 
tricity in  some  of  its  modifications. 

There  are  machines  of  a  powerful  character  which 
give  an  interrupted  current,  used  at  some  of  our  hos- 
pitals to  overcome  the  effect  of  narcotics. 

All  general  practitioners  should  have  a  proper 
machine  and  apparatus  for  applyingelectro-magnetism, 
particularly  those  residing  near  rivers,  lakes,  or  on 
the  sea  coast.  The  expense  is  trifling,  and  the  utility 
very  great. 

I  will  with  pleasure  show  any  professional  gentle- 
man, or  manufacturer  of  these  machines  my  improve- 
ments. 


/ 


APPENDIX. 


'No.    1. — {See  Frontispiece,) 

Callorhynchus  Antartica. — Southern  Chimaera. 
(Elephant  Fish.) 

This  fish  is  a  native  of  the  Southern  Ocean,  where 
it  generally  inhabits  the  deepest  recesses,  and  seldom 
approaches  the  shore,  except  during  the  breeding 
s'eason.  It  is  said  to  swim  chiefly  by  night,  and  to 
prey  upon  the  young  of  herrings,  cod,  and  other 
smaller  fishes ;  also  on  various  sorts  of  mollusca  and 
testacea. 

Its  general  length  is  from  two  and  a  half  to  four 
feet. 

Each  jaw  is  furnished  with  a  pair  of  broad,  bony, 
laminae,  notched  at  the  margin  into  a  resemblance  of 
numerous  teeth,  while  in  front,  both  above  and  be- 
low, stand  two  large  semicircular,  flattisb,  cutting 
teeth.  The  upper  lip  is  extended  into  a  lengthened 
cartilaginous  flap,  or  appendage,  bending  downwards 

B  B 


370  APPENDIX. 

in  a  reversed  direction  ;  hence  its  name  of  ^'  Elephant 
fish." 

An  indented  line  runs  across  the  forehead,  and  is 
continued  in  a  serpentine  course  into  the  lateral  line  ; 
this  hollow  is  filled  with  numerous  distinct  pores. 

The  ej'cs  are  ver}^  large,  and  in  the  living  fish,  at 
night,  shine  with  phosphorescent  splendour. 

The  dorsal  fin  is  very  large,  of  triangular  shape, 
furnished  with  a  strong  sharp  spine,  projecting  beyond 
the  finny  part.  This  spine  has  a  saw  in  front,  like 
that  part  in  a  carp. 

The  pectoral  fins  are  very  large,  and  of  a  triangular 
sliape;  they  are  situate  beneath  the  first  dorsal. 
The  ventral  are  of  a  similar  shape,  but  much  smaller, 
and  placed  at  middle  distance  from  the  head  to  the 
middle  of  the  tail,  which  is  curved,  the  longest  ex- 
tremity on  the  upper  side.  At  the  base  of  each  fin 
in  the  males,  is  a  lengthened  sub-cylindrical  process, 
roughened  by  numerous  sharp  prominences  in  a  re- 
versed direction. 

The  female  fish  could  not  be  thought  to  be  of  the 
same  genera,  were  it  not  for  the  elongation  of  the 
upper  lip. 

Many  naturalists,  both  English  and  foreign,  have 
written  on  these  fish.  This  account  I  partly  con- 
densed from  "  Shaw's  Zoology,"  and  partly  from 
specimens  in  the  British  Museum,  where  a  very  ta- 


APPENDIX.  371 

lented  young  artist  was  allowed,  at  ray  solicitation, 
to  make  the  drawing  for  me  of  this  curious  fish,  lately 
added  to  that  valuable  collection. 

No.  II.— (See  p.  110.) 
The  Blind  Fish  of  the  Mammoth  Caves  of  Kentucky. 

A  gentleman,  a  patient  of  mine,  informed  me,  a 
few  days  ago,  that  there  were  also  blind  fish  in  the 
waters  of  the  Speedwell  Mine,  near  the  Peak,  Derby- 
shire. I  therefore  wrote  to  the  proprietor  of  the 
mine,  and  have  been  favoured  with  his  reply,  which 
is  to  the  effect,  that  he  has  heard  blind  fish  have  been 
caught  in  those  waters,  and  also  the  same  report  from 
the  Guide  of  the  Peake  Cavern,  through  which  the 
waters  of  the  Speedwell  Mine  subsequently  pass. 

Should  this  gentleman  obtain  further  information, 
in  answer  to  enquiries  he  is  so  obliging  as  to  promise 
he  will  make,  and  he  learn  anything  authentic,  he 
will  communicate  it  to  me. 

At  the  British  Museum,  I  have  been  fiivoured  with 
an  inspection  of  the  blind  fish,  and  cray  fish,  from 
the  rivers  of  the  caves  of  Kentucky. 

No.  III.— (See  p.  252,  and  plate.) 
The  portable  Gudgeon  Hake. 
The  rake  itself,  A  or  B,  being  placed  on  the  small 


372  APPENDIX. 

end  of  the  pole,  is  to  be  fixed  there  by  the  screw  (c) 
passed  through  the  hole  {b). 

The  pole  I  have,  is  put  together  by  bayonet 
Joints.  A  patent  cord  with  a  loop  at  the  end  is  at- 
tached to  the  eye  of  the  screw  (c) ;  the  other  end  of 
the  cord,  properly  stopped,  is  passed  through  the 
hole  (a) ;  the  staples  on  each  joint,  and  is  made  fast 
through  the  hole  in  the  butt  of  the  pole,  so  that  no 
part  can  be  lost. 

I  am  of  the  opinion,  that  the  parasol  joint  invented 
by  Mr.  Anderson,  71,  Long  Acre,  for  folding  fly  rods, 
made  proportionably  stouter,  and  to  slide  on  brass 
ferules,  is  more  simple,  and  the  rake  may  be  fixed  to 
the  pole  by  a  stout  spring  pin,  which  is  more  conve- 
nient for  carriage  than  having  the  pin  attached  to 
the  rake. 

The  whole  may  be  made  lighter  than  mine,,  the 
dimensions  of  which  I  have  here  given. 


373 


INDEX. 


Angling,  infantile,  25 

for  Carp,  first  time,  26 
second  time,  31 

to  do  successfully,  32,  33 

for  a  dinner,  &c.,  181 

antiquity  of,  279 

opponents  of,  301,  302 

for  Barbel,  33 

directions  for,  36,  37 

for  Gudgeons.  92,  102,  239  to  263 

for  Roach,  263 

for  Flounders,  9 

at  Leatherliead,Case  on,  283  to  287 

on  Sundays,  271  to  279 

at  Whitchurch,  Hants,  288 

Wey  Navigation  to  be  seen  to,  288,  289 
Anglers,  celebrated,  279 

erroneous  weight  offish,  216 
Angler  of  first  class,  his  visit,  and  results,  30 
Artificial  breeding  of  fish,  63  to  67 

in  ponds,  290 

flies,  multiplicity  unnecessary,  224 
Authors  on  the  sense  of  hearing  in  fish,  80,  81 
Aural  Surgeons,  two  new  aspirants,  87 

books  and  practice,  87 
Air  undulates  by  sound,  85 

bladder  of  Fish,  126  to  131 

uses  of,  121  to  129 

gases  therein,  126 
Africa,  fishes  of  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  309  to  341 
Algeria,  fishes  of,  341,  342 
America  (North),  fishes  of,  342,  343 


Bargemen,  how  to  make  honest,  23 


374  INDEX. 

Bull,  attack  by,  27 

taught  civility,  28 
Barbel,  angling  for,  33,  36,  37 
^    number  and  weight  taken,  35 

baits  for,  256,  257,  258 

ground  bait  for,  257 

size  of  in  the  Lea,  34 
in  the  Volga,  ib. 

diflference  between  one  from  the  Wey  and  one  from  the 
Thames,  35 

price  at  Astrachan,  ib. 

air  bladder,  use  of,  347 

to  roast,  347 

to  braise,  347 

coUops  of,  352 

roe  not  to  be  eaten,  347 
Beljuga  Sturgeon,  how  caught,  51,  52 
how  sold,  34 

Stone,  52 
Books  on  artificial  breeding  of  fish,  5& 
Breeding,  general  physiology  of,  74,  75 
Brain  requires  education.  91 

of  man  and  fish,  119,  120,  123 
Bishop  of  Ely,  his  gifts  to  the  monks,  145 

his  arrogant  impertinence,  ib. 
Bonaparte  visits  the  French  coasts,  180 

detects  peculation,  and  punishes  it,  ib» 

his  Mamelukes  and  guard,  ib. 

he  visits  Fort  Rouge,  189 

English  attempt  to  destroy  it,  190 

this  orthography  of  his  name  correct,  191 
BouEpart,  at  Maiden  Newton,  Dorset,  192 
Beds  of  live  and  dead  feathers,  203,  204 
Beddington,  Surrey,  account  of  estate,  239  to  241 

starved  Trout  there,  ib, 

church -yard  ghost,  249 
Bleak,  mad  through  Tape  Worm,  105 
Blind  Fish  of  Mammoth  Caves,  Kentucky,  110 
Battie,  Dr.,  account  of,  253,  254 
Blood  worms,  vulgar  error  respecting,  260 

Change  of  locality,  from  comfort  to  the  reverse,  21 

Coxheath  Camp,  11 

Custom  House  Officer  outwitted,  13 


INDEX.  375 

Carp,  bad  speculation  in,  22 

Chub,  formerly  plentiful  in  the  Thames,  37 

Celibacy  of  fish,  what  would  be  the  result,  46  to  48 

Caviar,  how  made,  and  price,  51,  52 

Crucian  Carp,  a  hybrid,  74 

Catching  Trout  with  a  silver  hook,  119 

Carp,  fattened  by  the  Monks,  134,  135,  136 

when  introduced  to  England,  136 
Conger  Eel,  153,  154,  155,  156 
Catching  Crabs,  174 
Cock  caught  with  a  May  fly,  231 
Carshalton,  Surrey,  Upper  Pool,  large  Trout,  241 
Cheese,  useful  in  fly-fishing  for  Chub,  256 
Ceylon,  fishes  of,  341 
Cooking  of  fish,  344 
Carp  to  stew,  350 
Climbing  Fish  of  the  Ganges,  302,  303 

Ancient  Greeks,  303,  304,  305 
Crimping  fish,  307,  354,  355,  356 
Cotton  trees,  103,  104,  and  Note 

Dartford,  Kent,  ancient  posting  town,  1 

Water  Lane  there,  ib. 

Creek,  2 

Paper  Mill  there,  3 

River,  flies  for,  215,  216 
Deaf  and  dumb,  difficulty  of  teaching  after  the  sense  of  hearing 

has  been  given,  91 
Dublin  British  Association,  paper  read,  164 
Detenues  in  France,  treatment  of,  177 
Death  by  Omnibus  of  Mr.  H.,   a   most  worthy  fly    angler, 

206,  207 
Dagenhain  Breach  or  Gulf,  221 

accident  to  an  Angler  there,  222 

price  of  angling,  223 

Rudd  there,  ib. 
Ducks,  caught  with  Gudgeon  on  spinning  tackle,  132 
Dibbing  with  blow  line,  250 
Disappointed  angler,  277,  278 
Dinner,  directions  for  Saturdays,  temp.  Hen.  VIII.,  290,  291. 

Existence,  no  knowledge  of  commencement,  6 
Eels,  night  lines  for,  9 

destructive  of  the  spawn  of  other  fish,  54 

pots  and  grig  pots,  to  place,  143 


376 


INDEX. 


Eels  will  escape  through  small  orifices,  144 
given  by  Bishop  of  Ely  to  the  monks,  ib, 
bobbing  for,  how  performed,  148 
sniggling:  for,  149,  150 
large,  157 
bitten  by  one,  ib. 
tongs  or  forceps  for  holding,  152 
how  to  kill,  ib. 
generation  of,  ib.  and  153 
will  pass  over  land,  iu. 
Electric,  158  to  167 
variously  estimated  as  food,  167 
trickery  respecting,  168 
varieties  of  the  Anguillidae,  ib. 
adventure  of  a  countess  with,  169 
to  braise,  347 
to  collar,  348 
to  stew,  351 
coll  ops  of,  35 
Elvers,  in  the  Avon,  Parrot,  Mersey,  and  Severn,  146, 147  148 
specimens  in  the  Museum  of  Koyal  College  "of  Surgeons 
England,  148.  &        » 

how  to  cook,  147 
Excise  Commissioners  seize  all  the  scenery  in  theatres    and 
panoramic  paintings,  15  ' 

tyrannical  conduct,  16 
completely  defeated  by  the  Author,  17 
falsehood  of  the  public  statement  made  afterwards  in  their 
favour,  19 
Englishmen  entrapped  in  France,  177 
Escape  of  Author,  planned,  183 

completion  of,  184,  185 
Electricity,  wonders  of,  the  effect  upon  an  infantile  mind  21 
Echo,  described,  89  '  ** 

Examples  of  intellect  in  Fish,  121  to  126 
Ely  Cathedral  and  Abbey,  foundress  of,  146 

Flounders,  fishing  for,  9 

improved  by  killing,  351  and  355 
Footpad  shot,  20 
Fecundity  of  fish  generally,  50,  51,  54 

of  Oysters,  55 
French    Government,   judicious    encouragement  of   artificial 
breeding  of  fish,  69,  70. 


INDEX. 


377 


French  Government,  atrocious  conduct  of,  in  1803,  183 
"^  "'ice,  after  Peace  of  Amiens,  173 
Fly-fishing  amongst  the  ancient  Greeks,  57 
Flies  necessary  for  the  health  of  Trout,  101 
Fly  dressing.  Author  learns  to  perform,  203 

live  and  dead  hackles,  ib. 
Flies,  Mr.  Eennie  on  unnecessary  multiplicity  of,  207 
confirmed  by  Martingale,  214,  215 
imposition  as  to,  217 
for  the  Wandle,  215 

the  Darent,  (Dartford),  215,  216 
the  Thames,  216 

Salmon,  strange-looking  things,  ib. 
Fish,  anatomy  and  physiology  of  their  senses,  80  to  92 
coming  to  be  fed  on  ringing  a  bell,  fabulous,  94 
Blumenbach,  his  error  as  to  their  swallowing  their  prey, 

97 
their  sense  of  sight,  99,  103 
Mr.  Rennie  in  error  as  to  their  sense  of  sight,  102 
age  of,  ascertained  by  their  scales,  107 
scales,  how  formed,  108 
brain  of,  119,  120 
intellect  of,  93,  119  to  126,  305 
gratitude  of,  123 
jealousy  of,  125 
anger  of,  68,  125 

enormous   quantity   seized  annually   at   Billingsgate,   as 
unfit  for  food,  353 
Fishes,  grief  of,  65,  126 
arrogant  pride  of,  ib. 
friendship  of,  124,  125,  126 
loves  of,  40,  41,  121,  123 
pugnacity  of,  67,  68 
Fish,  large  quantity  caught,  expensive,  200 
Fly-fishing,  stimulus  to  learn,  202,  201 

further  by  acquaintance  with  Mr.  L.  and  Mr.  H.,  ^202, 

203,  204 
for  a  dog,  fine  sport,  227,  228 
on  the  Ganges,  208  to  300 
Fly.fisher,  Williams  the  Solitary,  205,  206 

hints  to,  by  Jesse,  300 
Fly-fishing  match,  225.  226 

rod  in  disguise,  208,  209,  210, 213 


378  INDEX. 

Fly-fishing  Tod,  proper  formation  and  protection  of,  208 

Fishing  pouch,  or  bag,  208 

Freemasonry,  advantage  of,  182,  183 

?'ishermen  and  Fisheries  on  the  Thames,  265,  266 

Fish,  some  unwholesome,  291 

some  poisonous,  222 

all  should  have  entrails  extracted  as  soon  as  caught,  293 

healthy  and  nutritious  food,  293,  294 

nearly  the  only  food  in  some  parts,  294,  295,  296 

at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  309  to  341 

of  Algeria,  341,  342 

of  ]N"orth  America,  &c.,  342,  343 

of  Ceylon,  341 

of  Ganges,  303  to  309 
Fascination  of  angling  or  seeing  fish  caught,  273,  274,  275 
Fish,  to  marionate,  Italian  method,  353 

Phillip  of  Spain,  dislike  of,  361 

a  Queen  interdicts  her  subjects  from  eating,  ib. 

breakfast.  Earl  and  Countess  of  Northumberland,  ib. 

a  negro's  method  of  transmuting  flesh  into,  362 


Garden,  how  to  make  out  of  a  waste,  22,  23 
Ground  bait  by  ancient  Greeks  (note),  31 

attracts  fish,  92 

for  Barbel,  257 

Roach  and  Dace,  258 

Chub,  259 
Generation  of  fish,  45 

plants,    47 

fruits,  ib. 
Gurney,  Esq.,  bred  trout  artificially,  66 
Gudgeons,  fishing  for,  see  Angling. 
Gudgeon  rake,  portable,    262 
Gold,  its  ductility,  218 

Gee,  Mr.  Wm.,  and  Mr.  Attorney  General,  239 
Guiniad,  the,  245 


H-—  shoots  a  footpad,  20 

his  courage  subsequently,  ib. 

Hermaphrodite  fish,  16 

Hybrids  in  Serpentine,  50,  78,  79 
how  to  destroy,  50 


INDEX. 


379 


Hybrids  of  trout  and  salmon,  to  restock  the  river  Thames,  76, 77 

the  Crucian  Carp,  74 

the  Rufif,  or  Pope,  77 

of  birds  which  breed,  78,  70 

of  fish,  see  "VVilloughby's  plates,  ib. 

„     see  Apodal  fish  in  the  British  Museum,  ib. 
Hearing,  sense  of  in  man  and  terrestrial  animals,  is,  in  point 

of  fact,  feeling,  85 
Hampton  Ait,  264 
Health  benefited  by  angling,  281 

India,  homeward  bound  ships,  visits  to,  12 

the  horrible  scenes  there  attributable  to  the  unwise  attempts 
to  alter  the  religion  of  the  natives,  282 
Inclosures  got  up  by  country  attorneys,  24 
Injurious  treatment  of  deafness,  86,  87 
Isinglass,  how  made,  130 

Journey  to  London  after  escape  from  France,  185,  186 

Kentucky,  mammoth  caves  of,  and  blind  fish,  109 
Killing  fish,  304 

Lime  trees,  the  first  in  England,  3 

Lea  River  could  be  re-stocked  with  salmon  and  trout,  61 

salmon  caught  there  by  J".  B.,  Esq.,  ib. 
„     another,  by  a  young  man,  62 
„     a  third  by  the  author,  63 
Laving  a  deep  hole,  132,  133,  134 

and  disappointment  of  those  employed,  ib. 
Lamprey,  170 
Lampern,  171 

Lepedosiren  (or  Mud  Fish),  ib. 
Landing  net.  208 
Lakes,  Virginia  Water,  226,  227 

Pemble  Moor,  245 

Brecknockshire,  246 
Laws,  relating  to  angling,  and  size  of  fish,  267  to  270 

made  by  Lord  Mayor  against  angling  on  Sundays,  271,  2, 3 

ancient,  as  to  eating  fish,  289,  290 
Lunatics,  lucid  intervals  of,  274  to  277 
Lobster,  to  pot,  349 

Mansion  House  and  grounds,  1 
Mill-pond  and  Mill,  3 


880  INDEX. 

Mutations  in  this  life,  14 

Munro  on  the  organ  of  hearing  in  the  "Whale  and  some  other 

fish,  81 
Music  not  heard  by  fish,  95 
Music  improved  to  human  ears  if  over  water,  95 
Medical  quackery,  worms  in  the  Bleak,  106 
Mountain  Sommering,  fish  from,  115 
Monks  of  Chertsey,  luxurious  as  to  fish,  134 

their  stews,  ib. 

fattening  their  t;arp,  ib. 

their  pond  at  Wotton,  Surrey,  235 
Malapterurus  (electric  fish),  167 
Mud  Fish  (Lepidosiren),  171 
Mengaud  (Commissary  of  Police,  Calais),  176 
Mussel  caught  with  a  worm,  432 
Mussels,  quantity  at  Boiogne,  174 

why  injurious  as  food,  233,  292 

Nacre,  a  silk  spinning  mussel,  232,  233 
Nosts  of  fish,  and  note,  43 
Nottingham,  errors  of,  82 
Neophyte  anglers,  118 
Nutriment  of  confined  fish,  129 
Netting  for  fish,  excitement  of,  132 
Nets,  flue  or  flow,  what,  136,  137 
Netting  old  stews  of  Chertsey  Abbey,  134 

in  kid  gloves,  251 
Nona  Rolls,  Inquisitiones  Nonarum,  191,  192 

shew  the  origin  of  many  surnames,  ib, 

of  great  importance  to  the  clergy,  193 
Neglect  of  water  bailiff,  296 

Oppian  on  the  Cramp-fish,  the  Torpedo,  166 

Paper  mills,  the  first,  3  and  4 

Panoramas  (see  Theatres). 

Poor  injured  by  iiiclosures,  24 

Popery,  riots  about, '27 

Pulled'  into  the  river  by  a  fish,  29 

Pike,  large,  from  the  Serpentine,  49 

two  taken  at  once,  114 

encounter  with,  114  to  117 

biting  a  man's  leg,  132 

curious  plan  for  taking,  137,  138, 


INDT-X.  381 

Pike,  destructive  of  other  fish,  138 

large  number  in  Walton  meadow,  139 

when  so  called,  345 

growth  of,  ib. 

to  boil,  ib. 

to  roast,  ih. 

to  braise,  347 

Pope  (see  Rufit). 
Physiology  of  the  sense  of  hearing  in  man,  85,  86 

of  that  sense  in  fish,  88 
Perilous  adventure  taking  up  trimmers,  141 
Price  of  provisions  in  France,  175,  176 
Publication  of  narrative  of  escape,  186 
Position,  fearful  in  trunk,  and  effects,  186,  187,  188 
Press,  its  observations  the  cause  of  war,  188,  189 
Perch,  voracity  of,  192 

fishing  for,  ib. 

anecdote  arising,  193,  194 

another,  194,  195,  196 
Ponds,  Godston,  expensive  sport,  224 

at  the  Hyde,  229 

Rockholts,  disappointment,  229,  230 
Puritans  should  never  again  have  the  ascendancy  in  England,  282 
Poaching  for  Trout  in  Eiver  Mole,  287 

general  in  the  Thames,  296 
Plaice,  to  cook,  Jews'  fashion,  349 

Quab,  what,  156,  157 

boots  made  af  its  skin,  158 

Relationship  very  distant,  a  pretence  for  intrusion,  13 
Removal,  discomfort  of,  21 
Roe  of  Salmon  improperly  used  as  a  bait,  55 
Rivers,  Oxley  or  Abbey  Mill,  98 

Serpentine,  219 
good  angling  fifty  years  ago,  not  now,  48,  50 

"Wear,  214 

Test,  ib. 

Brent,  234  * 

Mole,  235 

Dee,  244 

Wandle,  238 

New  River,  266 

Rib,  ih. 


382  INDEX. 

Kivers  of  Hampshire,  224 

Herefordshire,  225 

Hertfordshire,  243 

Kent,  243 

Somersetshire,  224 

Surrey,  ib. 

Yorkshire,  ih. 

Carmartlienshire,  246 
Richardson,  Sir  J.,  166 
Rupture  of  peace  of  Amiens,  176 
Rascality  of  a  skipper,  178 
Residence  in  Henhault  forest,  196 
Rudd,  where  found,  223 
Roach,  angh'ng  for,  263 
Religion,  attempt  at  coercion  useless,  283 
Rain  fish,  305 

Spielman,  Sir  John,  his  tomb,  3 
Salmon  leaping  into  the  mill,  8 

taken,  trying  to  get  into  fresh  water,  8,  39 

classification  of,  38 

manner  of  breeding,  39 

female  seeks  fresh  male  if  the  first  or  others  taken,  40 

time  for  vivification  of  ova,  41 

loves  of  the,  ih. 

why  obliged  to  migrate  alternately,  from  salt  to  fresh- water, 
and  vice  versa,  'i5 

formerly  plentiful  in  the  Thames,  65,  66,  57 

Soyer's  error  as  to,  57 

season  for,  in  Scotland,  50 

the  grey,  42,  43 

ditto,  in  the  Severn,  58 

flies,  nondescripts,  216 

to  boil,  346 

deteriorates  by  keeping,  352,  353 

to  pickle,  356,  357 

to  cure  dry,  357 

Dr.  M'Cuilock's  mode  to  preserve,  3-58 
Salmon  fisheries,  Committee  of  House  of  Commons  on,  38 
Stickleback  devours  spaAvn  of  fish,  54 

pugnucity  of,  67,  68 
Skegger  of  the  Thames,  and  skegger  of  the  Mersey,  70,  71,  72, 

73,74 
Silver  hook  never  fails  to  obtain  fish,  119 


INDEX.  383 

Sbad,  small,  in  Thames  ;  large  in  Volga,  130 
Sion  Abbey  Islands,  given  by  Henry  V.,  144 

iu  collector's  account  temp.  Henry  VII.;    Henry  VIII. 
cheated  out  of  them  when  he  dissolved  the  Abbey,  145 

Fisheries  of,  144 

breed  of  hogs  of,  ib. 
Sand  Eel,  153 
Sea-fish  in  fresh  water,  221 
Sea  Trout,  247,  248 
Sunday  angling  in  Thames,  271  to  279 
Sporting,  love  of,  inherent,  280 
Sea  snakes,  309 
Sauces,  346 

superior  to  Harvey's,  359,  360 

lines  on,  360 

Trout  river,  2 

assorting  of,  6 

netting  for,  7 

quantity  taken,  8 

method  of  taking,  98 

their  sense  of  taste,  ib. 

one  blind,  101 

probable  cause,  102 

when  hooked,  surrounded  by  others,  113 

reasons  for,  114 

by  Oppian,  note,  ib. 

voracity  of,  117 

fishing  at  bottom,  211 

anew  way,  211,  212,  213 

taken  to  please  a  gentleman,  to  his  mortification,  213,  214 

seasons  for,  242,  243 

aTid  swallow,  catching  each  other,  231 

barren,  243 

near  Cricklade,  265 
Theatres.  pant>riimiis,  &c.,  painted  canvas,  the  scenery  seized, 
first  time,  1 5 

second  seizure,  16 

defeat  of  the  excise,  17 
Thames  improved  navigation,  the  deterioration  in  its  supply  of 

fish,  37 
Thames  can  be  re-stocked  with  salmon,  59 
mportance  of,  60 

anij-er's  guide>  ^65 


384  INDEX. 

Tench,  the  physician  of  fish,  122,  123 

proved  to  be  a  fact,  199,  200 
I        large  quantity  caught,  197 

angling  for,  198 

to  stew,  351 
Trimmers,  how  to  make  and  place,  139  to  141 
Torpedo,  159,  165,  166 
Towage  on  Thames,  by  men,  252,  253 

by  horses,  254 

by  steam,  255 

improved  plan  proposed,  ib 
Trial  as  to  angling,  Leatherhead,  283,  284,  285,  286,  287 

at  Whitchurch,  287 
Telescope  to  see  under  water,  296,  297 

Unsportsmanlike  to  take  fish  with  spawn  in  them,  54 
Uses  of  air-bladder  of  fish,  129  to  131 
Uxbridge,  angling  there,  234 

Vestry  squabble  and  fight,  1 1 

Vineyard  in  the  Isle  of  Ely,  a.d.  1133,  145 

Virginia  water,  226,  227 

"Workmen,  to  cure  of  drunkenness,  23,  24 

Water,  the  undulations  of,  convey  sensations  to  fish,  80,  90 

Worms  in  bleak,  and  quack- worm  doctors,  106 

White-bait,  to  cook,  147 

Winch,  advice  as  to  (note),  201,  202 

Weight  offish,  correction  of  angler's  estimate,  216 

Water  company,  filthy  supply,  220 

Weirs  of  the  Thames,  the  extinction  of  salmon,  251 ,  252 

illegal  as  well  as  badly  constructed,  255 
Whitchurch  (Hants),  trials  relative  to  angling,  288 
Wey  navigation  (Surrev),  usurpation  as  to  angling,  288,  289 
Water  Bailiff,  neglect  of,  296 
Water  Souchy,  a  superior  kind,  to  make,  358 

Yewsley,  234 


J.  Billing,  Printer  and  Stereotyper,  Guildford,  Surrey.  ^ 


14  DAY  VSF 

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