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FRANK BUCKLAND

HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

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NATUEAL HISTOEY

OF

BEITISH FISHES.

NATURAL HISTORY

^

CH^^-'VYVtftAV

OF

BRITISH FISHES;

I'll' f '

THEIR STRUCTURE, EGONOUTC USES, AND
CAPTURE BY NET AND ROD.

CULTIVATION OF FISH-PONDS.

FISH SUITED FOR ACCLIMATISATION.

AETIFICIAL BREEDING OF SALMON.

BY

FEANK BUCKLAND,

INSPECTOR OF FISHERIES.

Corresponding Memhe.^" " JOeiitschcr Fischerei Verem."
Ducore Fisheri/ Exhibitions.
Arcachoti, 1866; Boulogne, 1866; Havre, 1868; Berlin, 1873.
Gold Medallist-^ Wcistminstef, 1877; Berlin, 1880.

PUBLISHED IXnER THE DIUECTIOX OF THE COMMITTEE OF CEXERAr. LITERATTRB AND
tDLCATlOX, APPOINTED BY TUE SOCIETV FOR I'KO.MOTINU OHUIaTIAX IvNl) \V LEDGE.

LONDON :
SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE,

N0ETHU3JCBEELAND AVENUE, CHAEING CliOSS ;
43, QUEEN VICTOEIA STEEET, AND 48, PICCADILLY.

/SSt

r^JNWTX BROTHERS. THE GRESHAM PRESS, CHILWORTH AND LONDON.

PEEFACE.

-♦>-

The fisheries of this country — hoth sea and river — have
now assumed such vast importance, that I have great
pleasure in acceding to the wish of the Committee of
the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, to
bring out a new edition of this book.

The first edition was known under the title of
Familiar History of British Fishes.

Having since the publication of this bo.ok served
Officially on several Government Fishery Commissions,
I have lost no opportunity — -whether on my travels, In-
spections, or at court sittings — -to obtain all possible
information relative to fish and fishing. This, therefore,
is not merely a book on Ichthyology, but is an intro-
ductory guide to the great and important science of
fish- culture.

The general public have not, I am sui'e, an idea of
the vast importance of this science ; let them therefore
for a moment consider from whence must come the
enormous daily supplies to be counted by hundreds of
tons of fish for the great markets such as Billingsgate,
Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glas-
gow, &c., &c.

VI PREFACE.

There are nearly four millions of months in London
to he fed daily, and thirty-three millions of hungry
suhjeets of Her Majesty in England, Wales, Ireland,
and Scotland, demand also a daily supi)ly of fresh fish.
At present this daily supply is forthcoming ; hut hoAV
long this is to continue without falling off is a question
which makes me shudder. It is therefore the more
desirable that public attention should be directed quite
as much to the cultivation of the waters, as it has been
hitherto to the cultivation of the lands. Aquiculture is
quite as important as Agriculture.

Parliament has been most generous and thoughtful
in the matter of fisheries ; wdienever it has been shown
to them (after strict deliberation in Committee) that
legislation is required, legislation has been framed ac-
cordingly. The law has now since 1862 thrown its
protecting shield over our salmon fisheries in England
and Wales, which (despite the carpings and grumblings
of individuals) have most decidedly increased ; that is
to say, that many more salmon have been sent into the
markets to be eaten than w^ere forthcoming eighteen
years ago.

In due course the time arrived when it Avas desirable
that legislation should be made relative to the hitherto
neglected freshwater fisheries of this country.

In 1875, I had the honour of inspecting and report-
ing to Parliament on the rivers and broads of Norfolk,
the fisheries of which from time immemorial had been
treated in the most wasteful manner. This resulted in
the Norfolk and Suffolk Fisheries Act — an Act that has
already done an immense deal of good, and has caused
the greatest satisfaction, not only to the inhabitants of
Norfolk and Suffolk, but also to the angling communities
of most of our great manufacturing towns in the London

PREFACE. VI 1

and the Midland districts of England. While at the
same time the supply of freshwater fish — much esteemed
as food hy the poor in certain parts of England— will
he vastly increased.

In 1878, this Act of Parliament was followed hy
another Freshwater Fisheries Act protecting our Rivers,
Lakes, Ponds, Canals, &c.

To the Right Hon. A. Mundella, M.P. for Sheffield,
the puhlic are indebted for the great pains and trouble
he gave in obtaining this boon for society. (See Ab-
stract of this Act, page 37G.)

Parliament has also legislated upon other matters,
and laws now exist (necessity having been shown)
relative to the preservation of Crabs, Lobsters, and
Oysters.

Our information relative to the habits of Sea Fish is
not as yet quite complete enough to warrant our asking
Parliament for legislation.

It would be in vain for me to attempt to give any
value of the British Fisheries, suffice it to say they are
worth many hundred thousands a year.

Bordering the great North Sea alone, there are
several important fishing ports ; such as Yarmouth,
Lowestoft, Hull, Grimsby, Scarborough, &c. Over 2,000
trawling - smacks and an army of brave fishermen
are incessant^, day and night, all the year round,
fishing with their heavy trawl nets the vast sand
plateaus of the 140,000 square miles of the great
North Sea.

The natural conditions of the bottom of this great
North Sea is in a scientific sense less known than the
deserts of Sahara. Yet this "Great Fish Farm" of
Her Majesty's subjects is practically more impor-
tant than the recent revelations made at a vast ex-

Vlll • PEE FACE.

peuse to the coimtry of the abyssal depths of far distant
oceans.

lu the published sailing charts, some slight descrip-
tions of the fishing grounds of the North Sea are given,
but the information is painfully meagre. Thus we find
the composition of the vast submarine valleys and
plains described as follows : — "■ Fine sand — white shells
— 'brown sand and black specks — coarse sand and red-
dish gravel — white ross — fine whitey-brown sand —
rubbish — oyster shells-^and a substance similar to
grapes — substances resembUng vv^hite plums — sandy
with a mixture of mud — soundings resembling biscuit
dust— coarse gravelly soundings — white muddy sound-
ings— black and grey stones-^yellowish coarse bottom
— greyish coarse sand — red sand}^ soundings — rubbish
and scruff— moor-log from the Texel ground.

These soundings are without doubt of the greatest
service to fishermen in ascertaining their whereabouts
in the North Sea ; but how much more interesting
wouhl it be if the real consistency (in a natural
history sense) of the bottom of the North Sea became
for the first time a subject of investigation and know-
ledge.

This knowledge obtained, i^ractical results to the
fishermen themselves would follow ; for when their
observations have been carefully recorded, consolidated,
and deductions made therefrom, we shall be enabled,
with much greater accuracy than at i)resent, to predi-
cate the times and places at which the shoals of fish
(whether round fish or flat) assemble or disperse,
according to tlie instinct given them by the Great
Creator.

We want also to know more about the balance of
life, or as Professor Oweji so ably called it, the *' Police

PKEFACE. IX

of Nature," going on in the depths of the ocean — that
is to say, what is the exact meaning of the ravages on
sea fish by the " finuer " whales, the grampuses, por-
poises, the carnivorous fishes, and the great army of
sea-birds.

We also want to know the times and places of the
spawning of sea fish. Where do the soles lay their
eggs ? When and how do the plaice, turbot, brill,
halibut, &c., spawn? Do cods' eggs sink or swim?
What is the form and dimensions of the young solo
just hatched from the egg ? We know, moreover, as
yet, but very little of the food of these fishes, of what
it consists, how, when, and where grown, obtained, &c.

The subject of ocean temperature as affecting the
great migratory armies of herrings, co.l, &c., is little
if at all known, but is yet of the utmost commercial
importance.

Again, how are we to devise a mesh of net that shall
let go the small soles and under- sized fry of other fish,
keeping the marketable fish only, allowing the others to
escape and grow.

Thus it will be seen that we have a huGfe field of
inquiry before us, the results of which will not assume
the form of a scientific plaything, but of a key which
we hope may unlock the mysteries of the vast ocean.
The results obtained will also — I trust — bring out facts
which will run counter to certain modern ideas of
Creation, prompted, I fear, by pride of intellect, which
cannot humble itself enough to accept on faith itself
the fact that " The sea is His, and He made it, and
His hand prepared the dry land."

Seeing the necessity of obtaining knowledge on these
points, with the combined assistance of my colleague,

X PREFACE.

Mr. Soencer "Waipole, and some gentlemen residing at
Gre.it Grimsby, especially Mr. 0. T. Olsen, nautical
instrument maker of that town, we have instituted a
*' North Sea Prize Fisheries Committee," and have
issued Log-books to be filled up by the working
masters of the trawlers themselves. The log-books for
1879-80 have already been sent in, and we i)i'opose to
distribute the prizes for the best recorded observations
on December 27, 1880.

I have another object in writing this book ; it is
to endeavour to show the truth of the good old doc-
trines of the Bridgwater Treatises, which have so ably
demonstrated the *' Power, wisdom, and goodness of God,
as manifested in the Creation.''^

Of late years the doctrines of so-called " Evolution"
and " Development," have seemingly gained ground
amongst those interested in natural history ; but, to
put matters Very straight, I steadfastly believe that
the Great Creator, as indeed we are directly told,
made all things perfect and "Very Good" from tlie
beginning ; perfect and Very good every created thing
is now found to be, and will so continue to the end of
time.

I am very willing to prove my case by holding a court
at any time or place, before any number of people of any
class. I w^ould empanel a jury of the most eminent and
skilful railway and mechanical engineers, while the only
witnesses I should call would be the fish fresh from the
deep sea trawler, the City fish market, or the fish-
monger's slab.. I would adduce from them evidence of
" Design, Beauty, and Order," as evinced in such as the
electric organs of the torpedo — ^the gun-lock spine of
the file-fi.^h — the water reservou's aud spectacles of the

PREFACE. XI

eel — the teeth of the gilthead, bream, and throat-teeth
of the carp, bream, &c. — the anchor of the himp-
sucker and remora — the colouring of the perch and
bleak — the icthyoj)hagous teeth of the pike, shark, and
silvery hairtail— -the tail of the fox shark— the pre-
hensile lips of the dory and sprat---the nose of the
barbel and dog-fish — the resplendence of the Arctic
gymnetrus and scabbard-fish — the dagger in the tail of
the sting ray— the nest of the stickleback — the armour
plates of the sturgeon — the nostril, breathing powers,
and store of fat in the salmon-^-migrations of the sal-
mon, herring, pilchard, sprat, and mackerel, &c. — and,
above all, the enormous fertility of fishes useful as
food to the human race.'-'

I am satisfied that I should obtain a verdict in favour
of my view of the case, namely, that in all these wonder-
ful contrivances, there exists evidence of design and fore-
thought and a wondrous adaptation of means to an end.
A full acknowledgment must necessarily follow that
these were due to the immediate creation of " The
Lord and Giver of life."

This is a school open to all ; there is never any
lack of subjects, no fees to pay ; all that is required
is a sharp knife, sharp scissors, and painstaking obser-
vation ; while the mind will reap its reward in the
pleasures of original investigation.

I trust that these observations may lead many of
my fellow countrymen to see how far inferior the so-
called works of human art are to the works of Creation ;
and, finally, let me assure them that they will find in the
structure of animals — whether living in the waters or

* Note. — The aboTe points are mentioued in this book, see
Index.

Xll PEEFACE.

on tlie land — most perfect contrivances and artistic
designs, not made by tlie hands of man, but by tlie
Great Artificer who made man himself.

FKANK BUCKLAND.

37, Alhany Street, BegenVs Parle
nth December, 1880.

,Y,^,[: The lamented death of Mr. Frank Biickland,
two days after the date of the foregoing preface — which
contains nearly, if not quite, the last words he ever
wrote — and a few days before the completion of the
book, renders it j)Ossible that some few errata may
remain uncorrected in the following pages.

28th December, 1880.

BEITISH FISHES.

-♦-♦-

THE ANCHOVY.

Abdominales Malacopterygii. Clupeida,

(Clupea eucrasicholus, Engraulis eucrasicholus.)

German: Der Ancliovis. Norwegian: Brisling. Dutch: Ansjovis.

The Anchovy is a fish of small size, seldom measuring-
above 6^in. in length, the form slender, and tapering to-
wards the tail ; the head long and sharp-pointed, the
upper jaw being considerably the longer, and the mouth

THE ANCHOVY.

very peculiarly formed. It is a most marvellous bit of
machinery for catching the food, which consists of small
crabs, "brett," i.e.y fry and sea insects. The back is
greenish blue, nearly all the other parts silvery white.
I have received several specimens tlu-ough the kindness
of my friend Mr. Charles, Fish Merchant, Lower
Grosvenor Place.
The great commercial fisheries for anchovies are in

o

Z ANCHOVY FISHERIES.

Sicily, the island of Elba, Corsica, Cannes, Martigues,
&c. The season is from April to July ; the times, very
dark nights when there is no moon. The fishing-boats
carry torches (rather a poaching proceeding by the way),
and when the anchovies are assembled (attracted by the
light) the fishermen surround the shoal with small-
meshed nets, splash the water and make as much noise
as possible, and the fish in their terror "gill" them-
selves in the net.

I have discovered that there formerly existed, and
possibly may now exist, in London establishments
where whitebait are converted into anchovy paste and
anclio"v^ sauce.

In November, 1871, Mr. Matthias Dunn, of Meva-
gissey, Cornwall, reported to me that the seines, set in
Mevagissey Bay for pilchards, caught an enormous
number of anchovies, estimated at 150,000. " As they
could not be utilised, they were carted away as manure
to the fields; for nobody seemed to know how to cure
them."

Mr. Dunn writes, "It is seldom anchovies come so
close in shore as these did, though countless quantities
of them hang on to our coast fi'om September till
February, and in some dark nights give a beautiful
phosphorescent light to the dejpths of the ocean." This
letter of Mr. Dunn's led to a very interesting corres-
pondence in Land and Water j vol. xvi., from which it
appears that this is an industry that is quite worth a
capitalist taking up, as Dutch anchovies are worth 56s.
a barrel of 831bs., and a double barrel of Gorgona
anchovies of 201bs. is worth 20s. In fact, the difficulty
was solved in August, 1873, by my secretary, Mr. Searle,
who writes: *'I requested a friend, the proprietor of
the 'Oriental Sauce,' to try his hand at the manufacture

COKNISH ANCHO\TES. 6

of these fish. Mr. Frank Gosden, of Exeter, sent me
about 41bs. of anchovies ; out of this quantity several
bottles of sauce were made, and the result was a perfect
success." All, therefore, that is wanted to start an
anchovy fishery in Cornwall is a fleet of small-meshed
nets, and after the fish are once caught, means could
be soon found to make them into sauce and anchovy
paste.

Thousands of sprats are sold in the form of anchovy
paste. They are prepared in the following way:
''To preserve a peck of sprats, put 21bs. of salt, 3oz.
of bay-salt, lib. of saltpetre, 2oz. of prunella, and a
few grains of cochineal into a mortar, and pound them
well together ; put into a stone jar first a layer of fish,
then a layer of the composition. When the jar is fiill,
press them hard down and cover close for six months,
when they will be fit for use."

We believe the anchovy of commerce as imported is
only salted with coarse salt.

THE ANGLER, FISHING-FROG, OR
POCKET FISH,

Acanthopteri. Lophiidce,

{LiOpliius j^iscatoi'ius.)

French : Baudroie. Dutch : Zee Duivel. German : Der Frosch-

fisch.

In Land and Water , April 27, 1872, I published the
following: — ''Messrs. Gilson and Allen, fishmongers,
of 7, South Colonnade, St. Leonard's-on-Sea, and
19, Haymarket, London, have kindly sent me a
monster Fishing-frog, or Angler Fish {Lophius jnsca-
toriiis). The total length of this fine fellow w^as, fi'om
nose to end of tail, 4 feet 7 inches ; width across

4 ADVENTURE WITH AN ANGLER.

widest part of, 2 feet 10 inches. I put a rope through
his lower jaw, and my boy John and myself tried to
haul him up. The rope broke, and he fell down, a
great flabby mass, on to the stones of the area. I had
no scales to weigh him. I then sent for a new rope,
and hauled him up with great difficulty, the rope which
very nearly broke in two being passed over the open
door of the coal-cellar. In this attitude his mouth was

THE ANGLEE.

something wonderful to behold. It measured across
the widest gape no less than 1 foot 2 inches, and from
one corner of the mouth to the other 1 foot 2 inches.

''Through this monster mouth one looks into an abyss
of throat which, measured by a stick, turns out to be no
less than 1 foot 10 inches deep. Not liking to lose the
preparation altogether, I sent for the pex3per-box, and
gave his throat a good peppering. I then sent for a
sack of sawxlust, and began to fill him with sawdust,
using a broom-handle as a ramrod. I had just finished
charging his stomach, which held a bucketful of saw-
dust, when my operations were suddenly put a stop to.
The large fish was, in fact, rather stinking ; and I had
buried my friend all the previous night in the coals in
order to avoid detection, and I had chosen Mrs. Buck-

FISHING-ROD OF THE ANGLEE-FISH. 5

land's usual morning shopping-time to charge him with
sawdust. Unfortunately I had miscalculated the time.
It appears that she had not gone out, and that the
savoury odour had ascended to the bedroom windows.
As the "viiltm-e smells his prey from afar off, so did
Mrs. B. discover that there was a stinking fish in the
house. She therefore descended upon me and John
with outstretched pinions and raised crest.

'' It was too late to bolt, so I stood it out. Expostu-
lations were in vain. She turned the empty bottles
out of a hamper and put it under the fish. She then
cut the rope with a Idtchen-knife, and the fish fell with
a flop into it. The hamper was then directed to Mr.
Edon, at my museum. I am glad to say they had a
job to get it upstairs, and I would not help. The last
I saw of the hamper was that it was standing on the
loavement outside the Parcels Delivery Office, not in the
shop, and that a dog was sniffing inquiringly through
the cracks in the hamper, and that there were several
blue-bottles flying about over the vicinity."

In October, 1873, I received a very fine angler fish
caught in a trawl in 27 fathoms of water, between Berry
Head and Start Point, on the coast of Devon; this fish
weighed 47lbs., and was 8ft. llin. in length, and 1ft.
6^in. in the widest part. In its stomach I found two
mary-soles, one common sole, one piked dog-fish 1ft.
6in. long, three moderate-sized crabs, fourteen five-
fingers, and one whiting.

This fish is called the angler, or fishing-frog, on ac-
count of a most wonderful provision it has to attract
other fish, by means of two long moveable spines con-
nected with the top of the lieaJ. The mechanism by
which this lure is worked by the fishing-frog is most
interesting : it consists of a ring working within a ring.

6 HOW TO CATCH ATHERINES.

The reader would do well to dissect it out, and see how
beautifully this contrivance works.

ATHERINE. ,„ . .^

Acanthoperi. Atherinida.

German : Der Schrdtzer.

The Atherine, or Sand-smelt {Atlierina presbyter), is a
small handsome fish, from four to five inches long. It

ATHEEiNE {Atlieriiie hoicri).

is very pretty in appearance ; from the fine broad silver
stripe along the side it looks attractive on the fish-stall.
It is a common fish on the southern coasts ; and at
Brighton is considered a delicacy, and sold in large
quantities to visitors during the winter months. As
will be seen from the specimens in the Brighton Aqua-
rium, this is a very graceful and pretty little fish.

I am mformed by my secretary, Mr. Searle, that these
atherines are very x)lentiful on the Hampshire coast,
especially at Lpnington, where they come into the river
in the summer, and are caught by thousands in the
fresh or brackish water. The method of taking them
is in this way : a man from a boat drops a large round
shallow net fastened by a rope to the end of a pole into
the water to the bottom, and then strews crumbs of
bread over it, and by leverage of the pole on the side
of the boat sometimes brings up thousands at a time.
They have the same cucumber scent, but not so
strong, as the sparlings and smelts sold in the London
markets.

I

THE BARBEL.

Abdominales Malacopterijgii. Cyprinida.

{Cijprinus barhiis.)

German : Die Barbe, Barm. French : Le Barheau. Swedish :
Barbjisk. Dutch: Barbeell. Italian: Barbolo.

The Barbel maybe said to be a water-pig, his liabits in
the water are so very Hke those of a pig on the land.

BAEBEL.

His leathery mouth is most admirably formed for routing
about, and he lives principally by feeding upon insects
which live among the plants (I do not call them weeds)
which cover the stones at the bottom of the water.
The poet Flood has recorded the barbel's grubbing pro-
pensities in the following lines :

"In they went, and hunted about,
Open-mouthed, like chub or trout,
And some with upper lip thrust out.
Like that fish for routine: — the barbel."

To the anglers of London and the tovims on the
Thames, as well as to the fishermen of Nottingham, Shef-
field, &c., the barbel is a very important fish, affording
wonderful sport in the season. Barbel delight prin-
cipally in the rapid water below weirs. He is alsc

8 HABITS AND STEUCTURE OF BARBEL.

found in parts of the river where the water runs quickly,
scours, and shallows. The barbel is not good food,
nevertheless the Jews eat him during their holidays.
The eggs of the barbel are said to be poisonous, and to
produce the same symptoms as belladonna. Fisher-
men about Windsor have a horror of barbel's roe, so
there must be something in the story.

When the weeds die off and the winter comes, the
barbel, as it were, hybernates ; he goes into deep holes,
and there remains until the warm weather returns.
I once discovered the winter haunt of these barbel at
Old Windsor; a very large number of them lay perfectly
quiet in a very deep hole under the roots of a willow
tree. They seemed very torpid. I did not disturb them,
nor did I tell anybody of their whereabouts. The head
of the barbel makes a beautiful preparation when dried.
Two heads should be dried, one with the x^ig-like lips
shut, the other with the same expanded. It will be
seen that he has four barbules at the end of his upper
jaw, and two shorter attached to the orifice of the lips.
The use of these, no doubt, is to enable the fish to find
his food at the bottom of the deep holes where he lives,
to which, I expect, very little daylight reaches. I
expect the barbel is very nocturnal in his habits.
Anglers for barbel tell me that the best sport at
barbel catching is after dark, when the mills are stopped,
and the barbel are hunting about in places where they
could not probably get when the stream was running in
full force.

When a barbel is hooked, he always endeavours to
strike at the line with his tail, to break it. Now, if v\'e
examine the back fin of the barbel, we shall find that
the first ray of it is cut out into deep notches, just like
a saw. The use of this fin I imagine to be to steady

THROAT TEETH OF THE BARBEL. 9

and steer liim in the rapid currents and mill-streams in
wliicli lie lives. If we move the serrated ray upwards,
we find the whole fin follows it, and is kept tense by it ;
let it go, and the fin again sinks down. In the mast of
a London barge we find a parallel contrivance. The
barge makes headway by means of this contrivance ;
so does the barbel, only that his sail (so to speak) is
o^Dposed to water, not wind.

Most fish that live in dark places have scales more
or less brilliant. The barbel's scales are of a pale gold
colour edged with black. They are very numerous, and
this will be seen if a portion of the barbel's skin be taken
ofi* and dried on the window-pane. It is not everybody
who can catch barbel. They are very artful, and re-
quire to be collected by means of ground-bait.

A good day's barbel fishing is enjoyable above all
measure, but it is most advisable to employ a profes-
sional fisherman to ground-bait the " swim," arrange
the tackle, &c. The finer the tackle used for barbel the
more sport you get in catching them. The bite of the
barbel is a double knock, a "rat-tat." I myself like to
use a Nottingham reel. The barbel when first caught
has the power of making a very peculiar noise, which is
one of the many problems which I wish my readers to
investigate and, if possible, explain. If the finger be
placed down the throat of a live barbel, it will be found
that it will he nipped very smartly by a set of very
large teeth in the pharynx. These should be taken out,
and the flesh removed either by boiling or scraping, or
both ; it will then be seen they are very strong and
crooked, mounted in three rows.

10

A WOEM FAEM AT NOTTINGHAM.

An enormous quantity of lob -worms are annually
used by the barbel fishers of London and the Midland
counties. The following is my report, published in Land
and Water, No. 602, p. 88,, August 4, 1877, of a visit I
made to a worm farm at Nottingham, the proprietor of
which is wtII known and respected by all the many
anglers, especially barbel fishermen, who deal with him.

When at Nottingham a few days ago, on the Dynamite
inquiry, I was much pleased at the discovery of, to me,
an entirely new industry ; namely, the rearing and
education of worms for the purposes of anglers. My
friend Mr. Jardine first mentioned to me that Mr.
Wells, fishing-tackle maker, of Sussex Street, Notting-
ham, carried on a business and trade in w^orms, and he
advised me to call on him. Mr. Savage, of Nottingham,
kindly accompanied me to Mr. Wells' shop, at which
can be purchased excellent fishing-tackle of all sorts
and kinds, especially that suited to Thames and trout
bottom fishers. Mr. Wells also carries on the occupa-
tion of barber.

Mr. Wells has several people in his employ who
collect worms every favourable night during the year.
He sells the following kinds of worms ; viz., the lob or
dew worm, the cockspur, and the ring-tailed brandling.
In dry weather worms are very scarce ; the men have
to water the ground for them. In wot weather the
worms are better and heavier. They are caught in the
meadows and pasture lands in the neighbourhood ; the
worm supply is not falling off. Mr. Wells complains they
are building over many of the waste lands, and thus
diminishing his hunting-ground for w^orms. Mr. Savage

WORM CATCHERS AT WORK. 11

says it is a very interesting sight to see the lights of the
niimeroiTS wormers when they are out with their lanterns
collecting of a dark night. Unless it was known what
these people were doing, it would be impossible to guess
the cause of this Will-o'-the-Wisp catcher phenomenon.
Men, women, and childi-en are employed in "worming."

The worms are sold by the thousand or the quart.
In a warm, moist night, from two to six thousand
worms are brought in by the collectors. Some people
can collect worms much better than others. The
worms are very cunning, and are apt to pop back into
their holes if the person treads heavily.

" You, sir," said Mr. Wells to a gentleman who
formed one of our party, ^'^ you would make a capital
worm-catcher." You should have seen my friend's face!
(He is a very tall man, and did not quite see why he,
of all the company, would make a good worm-catcher.)
"Why would this gentleman make a good worm-
catcher?"! asked, immediately. Saj^s Wells, "You
see, sir, the gentleman is so long on his pins, and has a
great reach with his arm, so that he could stand still in
one place and catch the worms all round him without
moving about much. A short gentleman, like you, sir
(pointing to me), would never make a worm- catcher ;
you haven't got reach enough in the arm, and you're
too short in the leg. The worms are terrible artful
things. This gentleman I'd back to catch worms
against you any night, and I give j^ou a thousand
worms in to start with."

When the worms are brought in, Mr. Wells at once
begins his training operations by placing them in
properly-selected moss. Stag's horn moss will not do
at all, it is too harsh. Grass is bad. Field moss is the
best. The worms are put into the moss to scour. A

12 EDUCATION OF WORMS.

frosh-caught worm is vorv delicate and tender, and
easily breaks up when put on the hook. "When a worm
is properly educated he is as tough as a bit of india-
rubber, and behaves as a worm should when put on a
hook. The way to test a worm is to take him up and
pass the linger gently down the length of him. If
anything comes out of him he is not lit, and is put back
for further training. The meaning of tliis is, that the
wild worms contain, more or less, food undergoing
digestion. AVhen put into the moss this food disappears.
The moss in some way facilitates this operation, but I
cannot quite see how this is, unless the worms disgorge
all their former food, and practically become very little
else than skin.

The keeping of worms depends ver^' much upon the
weather. They will not keep well above a week. Mr.
AVells has a supply of worms ready for his customers
all the year round. He e:oes over his moss verv fre-
quently. picking out the ** mauled and mashed "worms,
and onlj' sending to market the *' plump and healthy"
ones.

He showed me the handsomest worm he had on
hand. It was a *' maiden dew- worm.'' The peculiarity
of this lovely maiden is that it had a very square tail, a
small head, a long body, and no joints in the midiUe.
This was the best-looking worm out of fourteen or
fifteen thousand that were in the cellar, undergoing a
course of education.

The worms are packed up for market in moss ; the
bairs used are of lii^lit canvas.

The demand for worms is very great, and he sends
qreat numbers to London. In Nottinirham alone there
are tiftv-two andini^ societies, and 1,700 members. The
interests of tliese anglers are ably looked after by Mr.

A WORM NURSERY. 18

Savage. The business of worm-selling has been going
on some ten years, and is gradually increasing. The
worms are not counted out, but are guessed at. Mr.
Wells gives good measure. A member of the Piscatorial
Society told me that he once counted out one of Wells's
*' thousand worm bags." lie found he had 300 worms
over. Nottingham worms are Avell known in all angling
localities. Last year he sent to London alone the large
number of 400,000 worms. The price varies much.
They average 3s. Gd. per 1,000. The worms are
principally used for barbel-fishing.

Not only does Mr. Wells collect w^orms, but he also
breeds them in considerable quantities. In his garden
is a special heap made of vegetable matter, expressly for
the purpose of breeding worms. I shall not, of course,
say what substance for worm-breeding is most favour-
able : this is a professional secret. On turning the
heaj) over where the worms are bred, it was very inte-
resting to see the worms in various stages of growth.
Mr. Wells knows from experience pretty well what the
age of a worm is. I had the pleasure of pointing out
to him the eggs of the worm. These are about three
lines long, and somewhat oval. They have a sort of
lid at each end, which opens when the young are
liberated. I believe that two young are sometimes
produced from the same egg.

I think my readers will agree with me that Mr.
Wells's business in his worm farm is quite unique. I
wish him every success, and the patronage of all
anglers.

14

BLEAK.

Abdominales Malacopterygii. Cyprinidce.

{Alhimiiis luciclus. Leudscus alhurnns. Cyprinus

alhurnus.)

Local names : BlicJc, Bleik, Bids, Blaze, Willoiv Blade. French :
L^Ahlette. German: Weissfisch, Alhe Marienfisch. "Welsh:
Convyniad. Danish: Lq;>r. Swedish: Loja. Italian: Avola.

A VEEY elegant and useful little fisli of great activity.
He frequents the fastest streams, swimming gracefully

BLEAK.

on the surface of the water. This pretty little fish is
particularly active in sunny weather; he is a great eater
of flies, and almost anything, animal or vegetable, that
comes down with the stream.

A good way to catch him is with a fine hair line,
and small hook, baited with a common fly, piece of fat
bacon, or a very small artificial gnat. Bleak are very
common at the mouths of sewers, and when inspecting
the Severn at Shrewsbury, I went to the mouth of a
sewer to see what effect it was having on the river.
The water was ink-black fi-om the waste dye from a
manufactory, and w^as so warm that steam was seen on
the sm'face of the water. The bleak were here in vast
shoals feeding on the midges hatched out by the warm
water. It was satisfactory to find from the presence of
the bleak that this particular pollution could not be veiy
injurious to salmon life.

BLEAK IN PACTOLUS. 15

Immense numbers of bleak can be seen at Oxford, at
the point where the town sewer joins the Thames near
Folly Bridge. This terrible stream goes by the appro-
priate name of " Pactolus." These little fishes do an
immense amount of unpaid laboiu'. I am surprised
that the Oxford authorities allow the Thames to be
polluted to the detriment of the health of the town's
people and members of the University.

I have long known that bleak scales were largely
used in the manufacture of pearls, but had the greatest
difficulty in getting any satisfactory particular's about
this curious manufacture in which the ladies are so
much interested. My friend Mr. Sachs, jeweller, of
22, Hyde Park Place, Marble Ai*ch, with his usual kind-
ness, took a great deal of trouble in the matter, and after
due investigation he sent this valuable and interesting
article, which I published in Land and Water, August
10, 1878, No. 655.

AKTIFICIAL PEAKLS— HOW MADE FEOM THE

SCALES OF BLEAK.

Li a previous number of Land and Water, Mr. Frank
Buckland asked some kind fi'iend to instruct him in the
art of making imitation pearls. I beg to inform him
that in the Exhibition held in Hyde Park in 1862 a
Frenchman made an excellent display of such wares,
also bottles containing liquid fish scales, glass beads,
&c., showing the whole process of manufactm^e; he
very artfully j)laced a row of large real and imitation
pearls alternately, and without close inspection it would
not have been possible for a judge to have selected the
real from the unreal. I herewith send some Roman
made pearls and some of the modern French, which
latter you will see are very fine. The old Roman pearls

16 MANUFACTURE OF BLEAK SCALES INTO PEARLS.

consist of white wax beads covered with nacre, or pearly
lustre. The cheap French pearls are glass balls filled
with white wax; the better and patented sort are opa-
lescent glass beads filled with gum mastic, these being
the finest imitation of the Oriental pearl, almost as
heavy, and always look and wear the same. Not so the
Eoman wax pearls ; they in time lose their nacre, and
in a heated room are apt to stick to the skin.

As it will no doubt interest your readers, the ladies
in particular, to learn how these mock pearls are manu-
factured, I give the following translation from Dieula-
fait's book on diamonds, pearls, and precious stones,
1874:

" False pearls are little hollow spheres of glass
covered internally with a coating imitating the orient
of natural pearls. Their fabrication comprehends two
series of operations — the production of the sphere, and
the introduction of the coating. The spheres are pro-
duced by the glass-blower, who by aid of an enameller's
lamp, solders the extremity of a tube having the proper
diameter, and blows into the tube when the substance
is of the right consistency. In this way very regular
Httle spheres are obtained, that serve for ' the composi-
tion of the ordinary quality of false pearls.

** In pearls of great beauty the tube employed is
slightly opalescent, and the glass-blower, besides, gives
to the little spheres, while they are yet malleable,
certain slight perceptible inequalities of surface, by
gently tapping them with a small iron bar. This gives
them a yet greater resemblance to natural pearls, which
are very seldom absolutely regular.

"No mention is made in ancient writers of artificial
pearls being made, and it is not till we come down to
the beginning of the sixteenth century that we find

ORIENT PEARLS. 17

Venice had tlicn established a reputation for this branch
of industry.

''At first the glass balls were filled with various mate-
rials, generally with a base of mercury. But in the year
1680 a rosary maker, named Jacquin, conceived the
idea of using, in the place of this mercurial mixture, a
harmless substance that produced an infinitely more
perfect colour.

" This substance, the essence of orient, is formed
from the scales of the bleak, or ablette, a little white
fish which abounds in the Seine, the Marne, and the
Loiret.

" The fishes are rubbed rather roughly in pure water
contained in a large basin ; the whole is then strained
through a linen cloth, and left for several days to settle,
when the water is drawn off. The sediment forms the
essence of orient. It requires fi-om 17,000 to 18,000
fish to obtain about a pound of this substance.

*' The scaly substance is liable to decompose quickly,
and numerous chemical agents are employed by dif-
ferent manufacturers to preserve it. These means are
kept a secret, but it is known that liquid ammonia,
or the volatile alkali, is one of the substances most
commonly used.

" The process of colouring the pearl is commenced by
lining the interior of the ball with a delicate layer of
perfectly limpid and colourless parchment glue, and
before it is quite dry the essence of orient is introduced
by means of a slender glass blow-pipe. It is then
allowed to dry ; the pearl is filled w^ith wax, and, if
intended for a necklace, is pierced through the wax with
a red-hot needle."

From a German book on precious stones, &c., by
Kluge (1860), I translate the following :

3

18 OKIGIN AND VALUE OF BLEAK SCALE PEAELS.

"Tlie art of making imitation pearls is ascribed to
one Jacqnin, a cliaplet and rosary manufacturer at
Passy, 1680. Noticing the water after cleaning some
white fish [Leuciscus alburnus), a species of dace, was of
a silvery appearance, he gradually collected the sedi-
ment, and with this substance (to which he gave the
name of essence cV orient), and with a thin glue made of
parchment, he lined the glass beads, and afterwards
filled them with wax. The method of making the
round bead is by heating one end of a glass tube and
blowing into it two or three times, which then expands
into a globular form. The workman then separates the
bead, places the end which has been heated on a wu^e,
and heats the other end. This process is called border-
ing or edging. The best pearls are made in the same
way, the holes of the tubes being gradually reduced by
heat to the size of those of the real pearls, the workman
taking each bead on an inserted wire, and, by con-
tinually turning them round in the flame of the lamp
used, they become so true as to be strung as evenly as
the Oriental pearls. The lamp used is similar to a
glassblower's foot-bellows apparatus, and the work is
always done by lamp-lighf, daylight being unsuitable.
Seven pounds' weight of fish scales give one pound of
essence cV orient.'^

Some fifty years since the French were large pur-
chasers of bleak scales from our Thames fishermen;
they now supply themselves from their own rivers.
The value of their export is over 1,000,000 francs
annually, besides the fabulous quantity used in France.

19
THE BLENNIES.

AcrnxUioptcri. Blenniidce.

Blennies are freq[nently foniid left by tlie retiring tide
in small pools on the rocky p^-ts of the coast, and are
active and vigilant, hiding themselves in small crevices
or under seaweed, and remaining concealed till the
return of the tide.

Blennies possess a curious faculty, which was formerty
attributed solely to the chameleon, the power of moving
their eyes either in unison or independent of each other:
thus, they are seen glancing in one dii*ection with one
eye, while the other remains motionless, or is turned
towards a different point. Blennies, ^Tasses, suckers,
possess this peculiarity in the powers of vision.

The Slianny, or Smooth Blenny (German : Die Meer-
lerche ; French: La Blennie jjlwlis) rarely exceeds 5in.
in length, and is easily distinguished from its con-
geners by having no tentacles on the head. It is
very active and vivacious, and by \ie\j) of its ventral
fins creeps up the rocks with great facility. It will live
for many hours out of water, and is such an adept at

THE SHANNT, OR SMOOTH BLENNY {BleillUUS plloUs).

concealing itself, that though so very common, speci-
mens are procured with difficulty. It takes up its

20

THE EUTTERFLY AND THE BUTTER FISH.

residence nnder a rock or stone, whence it rarely
wanders far. Like others of the genus, it varies much
in colour according to the ground it occupies.

BUTTERFLY FISH.

^' The other species are Montagu's Blenny ; the Ocel-
lated Blenny ; the Butterfly Fish, so called from the
singular appearance of its spotted dorsal fin ; the
Gattoruginous Blenny, not uncommon in Cornwall,
where it is taken in crab-pots, and called by the Cornish
urchins Tompot ; and the Crested Blenny, which has on
the head a small crest, which the fish can erect and
depress at pleasure.

BUTTER GUNNEL {Bleniilus gunellus).

The Spotted Gunnel (German : Der Butterfiscli), also
called the Butter-fish— from the slimy secretion which
covers its sides — is a common small fish on our coast,
of similar habits to those akeady described.

\1VIPAK0US FISH FROM COLUMBIA. 21

Visitors to the seaside are nearly sure to find speci-
mens of this fish among tbe rocks, and if they try to
catch it they will immediately learn why it is called the
" butter-fish."

The Viviparous Blenny (German: Die Aalmntter, or
AaJqiiappe) brings forth its young alive. These seem per-
fectly able to provide for themselves the moment they are

VIVIPAROUS BLENKY {Blcnulus Zoarccs).

produced. These little creatures, when very young and
transparent, form excellent objects for the microscope,
for viewing the circulation of the blood. The length of
this species is from ten to twelve inches. Its habits
resemble those of the other members of the family, and
it is found on various parts of our coast, especially on
the northern and eastern shores.

I have a fine specimen of a mother (viviparous blenny)
and young in my museum. By the side of this specimen
is a most interesting specimen of a viviparous fish
(Dltrciim avfjenteurn) from British Columbia. In this
case the young fish are seen in situ, not yet born,
packed closely together like the quarters in an orange.
It was presented to me by J. E. Lord, Esq. It is
described in his work, " The Naturalist in British
Cohimbia."

Besides these another British blenny is the Yarrell's
Blenuv.

22

THE BERGYLT.

Acanthopteri. Sclerogenidce.

The Bergylt (Sehastes Xorwegicus, Perca marina, La-
cepede), or Norway Haddock. This fish is much hke a
large perch, of a blood-red colour. They are believed to
live together iii considerable numbers on stony ground at
the enormous depth of from one lmndi*ed to one hundi-ed
and fifty fathoms. Mr. Couch states : '' The young are
produced in June, and it is supposed fi'om good evidence
that they proceed fL'om the mother alive, and it is con-
fidently believed by the fishermen that they continue to
accompany the mother for some considerable time."

In May, 18G7, Mr. Grove, of Charing Cross, kindly
forwarded me some specimens of the bergylt. A box of
these fish had been offered for sale in Billingsgate
market, but no one knew anytiiing about them, or fi-om
wiience they were brought.

i;lack fish.

The Black Fish (CoitrolopJuis jjompilus), an inhabitant
of the Mediterranean, has been only four or fi^ve times
seen on our coast. The colour is wholly black — the
fins intensely so, the abdomen being somewhat lighter,

Mr. Matthias Dunn, of Mevagissey, Cornwall, thus
writes in Land and Water, June 29, 1S72, respecting
this fish : " A black fish was landed here this morning ;

THE BLACK FISH, 23

length 12iu., depth Sin. This example differed a little
from the specimen i3late given by Mr. Couch in his
' History of Fishes,' the sides of this fish being slightly
spotted with white, clearly to be seen when fresh.
This is the fourth fish of this kind known to have been
taken here, and all in mackerel nets. In each instance
they seemed to be acting the part of pilot fishes to some
variety of shark, and which had been entangled in the
net close by it. The above-mentioned specimen was
caught near a porbeagle shark."

My fiiend Dr. Francis Day, late Inspector of Fisheries
for India, has kindly sent me the following note : " The
Centrolophus jjomjnlus, or Black Fish, has a very cm^ious
history, which I worked out some months since, but
have not yet published." The first British specimen was
recorded by Jago : it was taken May 26, 1721, on the
Cornish coast. In 1830-31 Couch re-discovered the
fish. I have records of about ten others taken in Great
Britain. I was given a specimen at the Berlin Inter-
national Fishery Exhibition which came from the
Mediterranean.

, , BULLHEAD.

Acantliopteri. Sclerogenidee.

(Cottus gohio.)

Local names : 2Iiller''s Thumb, Bullhead, River Bullhead, Toinmij
Logcje, Tom Culls. French : Chabot commune. German :
Der Kaulkopf, Die Muhlkoppe Rotzkolbe, Groeppe, Gruppe,
Koppe, Der Kautzenkopf.

This little fish is found in rivulets and brooks about old
timber bridges, where they look like mice running up and
down close to the woodwork. He has an enormous head
and mouth and a very sharp-pointed body. On each
side of his head there is a very sharp needle-pointed

2i

TOM CULLS AT WINCHESTER.

Spine. The iris of the ej-e is very brilliant, remintling
us of a toad's eye. The bullliead may be said to be the
chameleon among fishes ; it is very rare to meet many of
the same colour. The colours they assume are yellow,
brown, orange, emerald green, &c. Nobody knows when
or how they spawn.

They arc very common in the Itclien, in Hampshire.
I was educated at Winchester College, and one of the
great sports of myself and other boys was to " spear Tom
Culls." Our mode of proceeding was to fasten an ordinary
dinner fork on the end of a stick, and '^ spear the Tom
Culls'' as they lay among the stones. This required
great dexterity, as the fish was very slippery, and the
fork, not being barbed, was a difficult instrument to
catch them with. Tom Culls are said to be great enemies
to trout eggs, and they w^ould doubtless eat the fry out
of the gravel if they had the chance.

KIVER BULLHEAD.

By the kindness of Lord Eadnor, Longford Castle,
Salisbury, I received iii April, 1880, a grebe {Podicejys
minor), choked by a bulllioad. The fish was fixed so
firmly in the bird's mouth that I found it would go

SHRIMPER AND GREBE CHOKED BY BULLHEADS. 25

neither backwards nor forward, so I could neither press
it down the oesophagus nor pull it out altogether. Mr.
Grebe evidently was not aware that the miller's thumb
was armed with two very sharp spikes on each side of the
gill cover, and when the fish found himself in trouble
he simply expanded these spines, which fixed him so
firmly in the bird's mouth that he died from suffoca-
tion. I have had two or three specimens sent me of
kingfishers destroyed by bullheads sticking in their
throats.

, ^, SEA BULLHEAD.

Acanthoptcri. Sclerogenida.

[Coitus scorpius.)

Local names: Sea scorpions, Sea devils, Sea toads, and Father-
lashers. German : Der seeskorpion. Danish : Ulk. Swedish :
Skraha. French: La Gotte scorpion.

The Father-Lasher, Sting-Fish, or Long-SpinedCottus,
is a very common fish among the rocks upon the British
coast, and is very frequently found left in fishing weirs
when the tide goes down. It is often caught in shrimp
nets, for its principal food consists of shrimps ; its
head and cheeks are armed with spines. The Folkestone
fishermen call it the bull-rout. When taken out of
the water, it always distends its gills as wide as it
possibly can ; the spines on the gill covers are for-
midable weapons. A man who was fishing with a
shrimp -net caught a father-lasher, and without think-
ing, tried to bite its head off ; the fish gave a sudden
kick and slipped down his throat ; it then expanded its
gills, the spines stuck in the man's throat, and he was
shortly suffocated.

2G

THE POGGE.

Aspidopherus (Cottus). Cataphractus.

German : Der StelnpicJcer. French ; Asiyidophore .

This fish is also called the Armed Bullhead, the " hard
head," or " hook nose." He has two sharp curved hooks
at the tip of his snout, and the rising generation o

THE POGGE, OE HOOK 'NOSE {AspidopJiorus EuropcBiis).

shrimpers hook the ''hard head" on the tip of their
noses, and then chuck them with a jerk backwards over
their heads ; here then is a new game for London juve-
niles at the seaside. The shrimp fishermen will readily
" save " some hook-noses if asked so to do.

SEA BREAMS.

Acanthoptcri. Sparida.

The Sea-Breams {Sjmrichr) somewhat resemble the
perches, the body being generally of an ovate form, and
covered w^ith large scales. The chief kinds are the Old
Wife, or Black Sea-Bream [Sjkwus cantharus), the Bogue
{Boops primus), the Becker, Couch's Sea-Bream (Pagrus
orphus of Cuvier, Enjthrimis), Common Sea -Bream
(Spams auratiis), Spanish Bream [Pagellus enjthrimis) ,
Auxiliary Bream (PageUus acarne), Sparus or Dentex
(Dentex vulgaris), Black Sea-Bream [Pagrus Lineaius).

VAKIETIES OF BREAM.

27

The Spams auratus is the most common in British
waters. It is the most brilliant of the breams, and it is
readily distinguished by a large dark spot on the shoulder.
Its colour is flesh-red, with golden yellow reflections ; the

SEA-BEEAM {Sparus ccntrodontus).

usual size is fi'om sixteen to twenty inches. It is most
abundant in summer, when the young approach the
shore in multitudes, and, as they readily seize a bait,
they are taken by anglers from the rocks. In the im-
mature state they are called "chads," and are without
the dark spot on the side.

The Bogue {Box hoops) is a very rare British fish.
In August, 1870, I received a specimen from Mr.
Matthias Dunn, of Mevagissey, Cornwall. It was taken
to the eastward of Chavays Castle, whither it had pro-
bably wandered fi'om the Mediterranean. Mr. Dunn
wiites : "Our oldest fisherman never saw a specimen
like it before." This specimen measm-ed eleven inches,
and was of a most brilliant colom-. It is now in my
museum.

The Braize, or Becker, or King of the Sea-Bream, is
of a beautiful red colour, and is said by Mr. Couch to be
not uncommon on the Cornish coasts in summer and

28

SHELL CRUSHING.

aiitnmn, tliongli it is never abundant, and the young are
rarely seen.

BRAIZE, OR BECKER [Pagrus vulgavls).

THE GILTHEAD.

In hunting over my Museum of Economic Fish
Culture, South Kensington, for what I thought might
be accei^table at the BerKn Exhibition, I came across
two very beautiful jaws of fish, one of wdiich I now^ figure.
They were given me in 1871 by my late friend Mr.
Frederick Lee, the well-known Eoyal Academician,
who kindly brought them from South Africa in his
yacht the Kimjjisher. These teeth are those of the
gilthead bream (Chrysnphrijs aiiratu). They are very
large specimens, considerably larger than any in the
College of Surgeons.

Mr, Lee informed me that the fish to which the jaw
fiGjured belont^ed weicrhed between 501bs. and 601bs.

The gilthead is found in the Mediterranean,. and from
Gibraltar as far south as the Cai3e. They live, I be-
lieve, in the surf among rocks and in very rough water.
They feed upon very hard and thick shells, such as are
found on rocky and storm-washed foreshores.

Could a-iy r.ct of teeth bo possibly bcitcr adapted to
the rTiiuumir ud hard shells tlum those the represents -

TEETH OF GILTEEAD.

CO

tion of which is now given to the reader ? The two
foremost teeth, it will be observed, are ada^oted for
nipping purposes, and by means of these he is enabled

GiLTHEAD {S2Jarus aurata).

either to tear off from, or else crack when still adherent
to the rocks, the hard shells upon which it subsists. In
order that these shells should be tritiu*atedand ground up,
we find at the posterior portion of the jaw four stud-like

TEETH OF THE GILTHEAD.

30 TOAD STONES OR BUFONITES.

teetli ; the largest are mucli the shape and size of an
ordinary broad bean. These, it must be acknowledged,
are admirably adapted for the grinding up of hard
substances, and although I do not know it for a fact,
yet I should consider it more than probable that the
gilthead bream would prey upon corals such as are
found at the Cape of Good Hope.

The reader should examine for himself the teeth of
the common sea-bream, which are also evidently con-
stituted for crushing purposes ; they are not of quite
such a handsome pattern as those of the gilthead bream.
We find a somewhat similar arrangement in the teetli
of the common cat or wolf fish, a fish not unfi-equently
caught by the North Sea trawlers, and exhibited in the
London fishmongers' shops.

This wolf fish lives in the vicinity of wrecks, and
probably tears up the decomposing timbers to get at
the boring worms which live in it. Without doubt, the
wolf fish lives principally upon whelks, and the whelks
are found in the stomachs of the fish in a comminuted
state, showing what great power the teeth have in crack-
ing them up.

The study of the structure of the teetli of recent
fishes is of the greatest service in getting some idea of
the habits of the fossil fishes.

Our readers who may happen to live in the oolite
formation may possibly have had brought to their
notice specimens of what the quarrjTiien call Bufonites,
or toad-stones.

Now, these toad-stones are in reality the teetli of the
fossil fish, figured by my father in his *' Bridgewater
Treatises," Acrodus nohilis.

In his lectures at Oxford the Dean used frequently,
especially when speaking of Stonesfield, near Blenheim,

EVIDENCE OF DESIGN IN FISHES' TEETH. 81

in Oxfordsliire, to give his class a word-picture of the
conditions of things which (according to the evidence
given by the fossil remains of shells, corals, saurians,
and fishes) must necessarily have obtained at the bottom
of the ancient seas when our world was but a chaos.
He has put this idea into the following w^ords, when
speaking of the form and structure of the teeth of
recent fish as compared with those of their fossil
ancestors : — " We thus introduce an additional element
into geological calculation. We bring an engine of
great power, hitherto unapplied, to bear on the field of
our inquiry, and seem almost to add a new sense to our
powers of geological perception."

Ax3ropos to the teeth of fish in general, and especially
those of the Bream, I wrote in Land and Water, June
19, 1880, as follows :

"It is among the teeth of animpJs that we find examples
of the most beautiful mechanical designs, whether for
tearing, crushing, grinding, &c., a subject so eloquently
elucidated by the greatest of modern anatomists. Pro-
fessor Owen. In fact, so wondrous is the variety of
teeth, and so excellent is their adaptation to the work
they have to perform, that I think it must puzzle the
followers of Darwin's doctrines to account for their
beauty of structure as well as the ease and smoothness
of their action.

" Among fishes more especially is the structure of the
teeth most noticeable. In fact.^ hardly any fish can be
examined without our finding that he carries an arma-
ment of teeth either in his jaws or else in his gullet,
the structure and working of which are most worthy
of the attention of all who are willing to believe what
they see, and, above all, recognize creative design in
the most humble of beings."

32

"BRAMA RAII" OR RAVS BREAM.

Acanthopteri. Chcetodontida;.

German : Der Meerhrassen. French : Castagnole.
Swedish : Eddjisk.

'' Brama Kaii/' or Bay's Bream [Spare castagnole). In
September, 1868, the Duke of Nortlmmberlaud sent me,
from Alnwick Castle, a splendid specimen of tins fisli,

" BKAMA EAii," OR kay's beeam [Spare castcignole).

weighing 4^1bs. ; it was 16f inches long, and 8^ inches
in depth. Conch figures it under the name Brama Eaii
[Spare castar/nole), and says : '' It is worthy of notice that
a large proportion of these fish have only been met with
dead on the shore after a storm, or ready to expire, as
if they had been exposed to some uncongenial influence
of weather or temperature."

I notice that beneath each pectoral fin there is, as it
were, a secondary small fin. The tail is deeply cleft.
All the rays of both dorsal, abdommal, and caudal fins
are armed at their posterior aspect with a row (on each
side) of scales. These lie one upon the other like the
scales on the shoulder-straps of a Life Guard's cuirass,

ANGLING FOE BREAM IN NORFOLK. 33

or exactly like the lioru-like gatherings on the edges of
the feet of the capercailzie. In a fresh state they are
resplendent with silvering. Eemains of this colouring
can be seen in a semi-diy state. The teeth are conical,
and very sharp-pointed.

BREAM.

Abdominales Malacopterygii. CyprinUce.

[Cijpriniclcd cyprimiSy or Ahramis hrama.)

Local names : Carp-Bream, Yelloio Bream, Lake Bream. French :
La Breme. German : Brachsen or Blei. Polish : Krainisch,
Dutch: Blei:

BREAM.

My fi'iend Dr. Norman, of Yarmouth, has written the
following capital account of an angler of the village adjoin-
ing the Norfolk Broads (where these fish abound) fish-
ing for Bream : '' The first thing the fisherman looks for
is the worms. They must be worms of the largest size,
not those dug out of the ground. They must be picked
up off the grass at night. The hole he fishes in is as
deep, to use his own words, as two pair of reins and a
plough-line. His ground-bait is made thus : he gets
half a pailful of bullock's blood, a pailful of fresh
grains, half a pailful of very clean cJay, a handful of

34 BREAM FIFTY YEAES OLD.

dog's graves well broken up, three handfuls of meal,
and a little oil-cake. This is all well worked up into a
pudding, and worked into balls not quite so large as a
child's head, and partially baked in the sun. He pro-
ceeds to his hole at daybreak, say three o'clock in the
morning, and fishes with the roughest possible tackle.
Sometimes these louts will catch nearly a hundred-
weight of bream in one morning before breakfast.
This then is a good hint for any of our friends who
j)ropose to try bream-fishing in Norfolk."

Dr. Norman also informs me that great quantities of
bream are taken in the spring months, especially about
April, and sent away for crab and lobster bait. The
fishermen use nets w^ith a very large mesh, allowing all
but good-sized fish to pass through. Bream in Norfolk
were formerly of no value, now they fetch half a crown
a bushel ; large roach and rudd fetch the same price,
and even more during Lent and the Hebrew Passover,
when there is a great demand for these fish at Birming-
ham, Manchester, and other large inland towns.

When at Norwich in August, 1869, my friend Dr.
Norman took me to the shop of Mr. T. E. Gunn, taxi-
dermist, Upper St. Giles Street, to see a bream which
weighed 1 If lbs. and measured 2ffc. 2iu. in length from
the nose to the fork of the tail. It was over lOin. in
depth. This fish was caught in a pond about half an
acre in extent at Beeston Eegis, near Kmg's Lynn.

It is most interesting that the age of this fish is
known. A gentleman who called upon Mr. Gimn
stated that he put it into this pond when very small
about fifty years before. This is, I believe, the largest
bream on record. Besides the Common Bream there are
two other species, viz. , the White Bream or Bream Flat
{Cyprinus blicca), and the Pomeranian Bream.

35

BURBOLT.

Anacanthini. Gadida.

[Lota vuhjaris. Gadiis lota.)

Local names : Blob-kite, Burholt, Comj-Jish, Eel-pout. French :
Lotte. German: Quappaul, Aalquappe. Polish: Mietuz.
Danish: Kvabbe. Italian: Botatrice.

Ix this country the Burbolt is local, being not uncommon
in the Trent, especially about Nottingham and Gains-
borough, and Cambridgeshire. It is found in the rivers
of Yorkshire, Durham, Norfolk, Lincolnshh-e, and Cam-
bridgeshire, and the Swale in Yorkshire.

BURBOLT.

We Londoners very seldom see or hear of a burbolt,
and they are such a stupid and ugly fish that I cannot
advise trouble to be taken with their dissemination,
though doubtless they would thrive in many of our
]ionds and lakes.

Burbolt are very numerous in the Lake of Neuchatel.
They are a noctiu'nal fish, in the day hiding them-
selves under the stones or in the mud. They do
not seem to have many enemies, as they are never
found in the stomachs of carnivorous fish. They
spawn in the deepest holes in the lake — 480 to 540 feet.
Their spawning time is from the end of January to the
beginning of March. During their spawning time the
fishermen are allowed by law to fish for them and catch

3G HABITS OF BURBOLT.

them by means of apparatus called herfoux. The reason
why this is allowed is because the burbolts are so very
destructive to the eggs of all other fish in the lake,
especially perch. Bui'bolt stands frost well, and after
having been frozen quite stiff will revive. They eat an
enormous quantity of fry ; they swim after the fashion
of eels. They leave the lake for the rivers at night.
About ten o'clock they ascend the rivers, and retm-n
again about two o'clock. This has been observed by
the fishermen. No explanation of the fact is known.
Night-lines are laid for burbolts in the lake ; trammel-
nets are also used for them, especially at the time when
they are feeding on young perch. The flesh is said
to be good, especially the liver when fried, but it is
indigestible.

CARP. ^ . .^

Abdominales Malacopterygii. Cyprimda:.

(Cypriims carpio.)

Local names: Common Carp, Seizling. German: Der Karpfen.
Frencli : La Carpe. Danish : Karpe. Swedish : Karp.
Dutch : Be Karper. Italian : Carpa.

CAKP,

In examining a series of the casts of fish it is impos-
sible not to be immediately struck by the architecture,
as it were, of each fish. It is so admirably designed by

MONKS AND CAKP. 37

the Creator, that each fish is perfectly adapted (it does
not adapt itself, mind) to the conditions of life under
which it has to live ; an excellent illustration of this is
the comparison of the salmon with the carp.

A salmon is built to live in very rapid waters, the
carp to live in stagnant waters. The shape of the
salmon may be said to be like that of a racing yacht,
while that of a carp may be likened to a Dutch eel-
scoot. Carp may be said to be water- sheep — herbivo-
rous— gregarious — of a contented mind.

The carp is, most probably, the most widely distributed
fish of all the British species. In former times he was
of great value as food, and hardly the ruins of a monas-
tery in existence remain where the remains of the old
carp pond, or stews, cannot be easily made out. In the
days of the monks there were no railways, deep-sea
trawling was not invented, and I doubt much whether
mackerel drift-nets had come into use; even if they had,
the transport of fish from the sea-coast would not have
done for the monks, as fish could not arrive in an
edible condition by means of pack-horses. That the
monks w^ere in the habit of eating the salted herring
was very probable. Necessltas ingenii inventor » The
monks, therefore, established carp ponds, where they
could get a fislj at any moment, either for a feast or a
fast day. No doubt the monks had some excellent
receipts for cooking carp. They should never be cooked
when first taken out of a pond, but be placed in a box in
running water, if possible ; they will then get rid some-
what of their muddy flavour. The muddy flavoiu* is
13robably produced from the food of the carp, which
consists of young shoots of water-plants, insects, and
worms which live in the pond.

There are generally carp of some size or kind in most

38 NUMBER OF EGGS IN CARP.

ponds and lakes connected with country houses, and it
will be well worth the while of proprietors to have the
water drawn off to see of what their stock may consist ;
and this because it appears that after a certain number
of carp are in a pond they will not multiply at all. In
fact, by a wonderful law of nature, the crop of carp
equalises itself by the quantity of food the pond will
produce. Moreover, I am quite certain that after a
time the carp will eat their own eggs, and very prob-
ably their young.

A remarkable fact about carp is that, according to
my observations, the female sometimes carries two, if
not three, successive layers of eggs. I confess I do not
quite understand the iDhysiology of this. Carp eggs
are excessively numerous. I have a fine cast in my
museum of a cai-p, kindly lent by Mr. Charles, of 2,
Arabella Eow, Pimlico. This fish weighed 21^1bs. I
have since, by carefully weighing the roe, discovered
by average that it contained no less than 1,310,750
eggs. Another smaller fish, which turned the scale
at 16i- lbs., contained roe which weighed S^lbs., giving
the total of 2,059,750 eggs. To be accurate, the weights
and calculations were made by my friend the late Mr.
Thomas, a professional accountant.

Carp live to a very great age. Wheeler, who pre-
ceded Keene, fisherman at Windsor Park, told me that
a carp in a certain stew in the park must be nearly a
hundred years old.

At Fontainbleau, I understand that carp are shown
with a white growth about their heads and bodies, and
this is pointed out as a j)roof of their very great age.
The fact is, that this white growth, sometimes called
moss, is a xmrasitic vegetable fungus {Saprolegnia ferax).
They are also subject to another disease, called the
small-pox.

LADIES ANGLING FOR CARP. 39

Not very long since, the carp in a certain pond at
Windsor were attacked by some mysterious disease
which killed many of them, and magnificent fish they
■were. I fancy I found out the cause, and suggested a
remedy, which was immediately to remove the dead and
dying fish, having put a grating over the sluice-gates,
turning on a current of water so as to completely
change the poisonous atmosj)here in which the carp had
to live. I also suggested that for the future only
one-half the number of carp should be kept in the pond,
the disease being, as in many other cases, caused by
over- stocking.

I will now give a hint which, I trust, will not be
thrown away on owners of country houses, and who
have fishponds attached to their domains. In most of
these fishponds are many carp which have never been
angled for, and about which you will iDrobably get no
information from the gamekeepers, gardeners, or other
];)ersons. I was staying once in a country house in
Hampshire, to which was attached a very carpy-looking
2)ond. The master of the house chaffed me about the
fish in it, at the same time saying lie would come and see
the fishing. I well ground-baited a likely-looking hole,
and took the depth with the plummet the night before.
At early morning I ascertained that fish Avere about.
"When evening came on I asked some ladies staying in
the house to come out to fish. Twenty-four hours'
judicious ground-baiting had acted as a dinner-bell to
these water-foxes. The ladies had tremendous sport,
catching very large carp, which on fine tackle gave
great excitement.

I must say the French anglers are most ingenious as
regards many points connected with fishing, especially in
the matter of baits for fish ; and here is a ground-bait for

40 BAIT FOR AND FOOD OF CARP.

carp which is well worth trying. Take a tuft of turf the
size of a dinner-plate, the grass of which is green and
short ; then with a needle and thread, the thread heing
green, sew on red worms so as almost to cover the turf;
fasten the turf to a hoard and sink it to the bottom.

I will now give the following excellent hint to anglers
for carp, which I have no hesitation in saying is fair
fishing, and will frequently dodge the cai*p when their
manner is defiant towards the angler. In places where
there are water-lilies and other floating broad- leaved
weeds, put one single shot only on the gut, and place
this shot on one of the leaves, allowing the bait, which
should be a nice lively worm, to hang over the leaf.
"When you see the shot slipping off the leaf you may be
pretty certain the carp has got the bait ; give him time
to get the worm and hook well within his leathery
mouth and then strike. The astonishment of that carp
will be great.

The muddy flavour of carp is due to the food which
they eat, namely, the water-plants and the various
insects and larvae ; especially, I believe, the larvae of
midges and gnats, which they find in the mud. Carp
also eat young shoots of water-plants and large water-
beetles, and I recommend that in carp ponds the water
should be let down, and grass seed sown along the
edges and mud. "When the grass has sprouted shut the
hatches, and let the water cover the grass, which will
afford excellent pasture for the carp ; and here let me
tell proprietors of carp ponds that it is very cruel not to
feed their fish (see page 334).

Carp have more than once given origin to fairy
stories. I was told that fairies could be seen dancing
on bright moonlight nights in a certain lake in Ireland.
The water was very still but showed rings innumerable.

FAIRIES AND CARP. 41

These I foimd were caused by large carp coming to the
surface and smacking their hps as they took in great
gulps of air.

PRUSSIAN CARP.

Cijprinid(e.

{Cyprinus fjiheUo.)

Local names : The Croicger, Wanvickshire ; Gihel. French : La
Carpe Gibele. German : Der Giebel.

This fish is often confounded with the common carp.
The common carp, however, has two little harbules at
each corner of the mouth, while in the mouth of the
Prussian carp no beards whatever exist.

The Gibel Carp is thicker, more chub-like than the
common carp ; it very much resembles the rudd. This
fish delights in stagnant water, marshy and cattle
ponds, and the flesh does not assume the taste of the
water in which it lives. It lives a long time out of the
water, possessing in this respect more vitality than the
carp. There are two other kinds of carp, the Crucian
Carp (Carassius vulgaris ; German : Die Karausche ;
French : Le Carassin), and the Bastard Carp {Cyprinus
Kollarii ; German : Die Karpf Karausche ; French :
Le Carpe Kollar).

CAT OR WOLF FISH.

Acanthopteri. Blenniida;.

(Anarhichas hqms.)

German : Ber Seeicolfov Seekatze. French : Le Loup.
Dutch : Be Zeeicolf.

The Wolf Fish, or Sea Cat, is a most powerful brute.
It is not unfrequently met with off the coasts of Scot-
land and Yorkshire ; its food being shell-fish and Crus-
tacea, which it readily crushes by means of its strong
teeth. It is remarkably strong, active, and rapacious ;

42 TREMENDOUS JAWS OF CAT-FISH.

not unfrequently it enters the nets of the fisherman to
pUmder them, and when attacked it fights hke a lion.
The Germans and Danes call it the " Stone-biter ; " and,
indeed, it fiercely bites everything presented to it, not
excepting iron. Notwithstanding the ugly appearance of
this fish, its flesh is said to be of very good flavour. It
is sometimes seen hung up in the shops of London fish-
mongers. In the northern countries it is salted and
preserved, while the skin makes isinglass, cords, bags,
pockets, &c. In the ** Sea Fisheries Eeport, 18G5," a
witness states that the cat-fish is often eaten ; and I
can, for my own x^art, say that it is very good ; I can
compare it to nothing but a nice veal-chop. I would
not recommend any one to try his hand at fishing for
*' cat," as I am told by a North Sea fisherman that
they can snap a broom-handle in two with the greatest

WOLF FISH [Anarhidias lupus).

ease. The following instance, from another authority,
gives a fair notion of the power of a cat-fish's jaws :
" A pair of cat-fish, of different sizes, were caught in a
trawl from a yacht on the North Sea, about half-
way between Grimsby and Norway. One of them, the
smaller of the tw^o, on being brought on deck, bit at a
mop-handle which was held out to it so savagely that
it was swung overboard without letting go its hold.
When it was shaken oif, one of its teeth was left

FOOD OF CAT FISH. 43

beliiiid it fastened in the wood." The other fish was
killed, and the head presented to a museum. The
sailors said that no doubt the net had caught them on
part of a wreck, and that the cat-fish haunted the
remains of a vessel, for they generally are in pairs, and
are very fond of playing at bo-peep among pieces of
timber, &c. They must have only just been caught
when the net was hoisted up, as none of the other fish
were bitten. The sailors say that the jaws of the cat-
fish are so powerful that they can bite off a man's arm ;
at any rate, they look vicious enough for any atrocity.
These fish have very powerful long canine teeth in
front of both upper and lower jaw, which has farther
back a complete pavement of teeth above and below,
which are meant for crushing hard substances. I was
pleased to find a key to the use of these in a specimen
I had presented to me by Messrs. Gibson and Quelch,
of Bond Street. The stomach contained nearly two
pints of the shells and bodies of the " soldier crab," or,
as they are called, "Essex farmers." The fish had
pounded these up to mince-meat. The soldier crabs,
as we all know, inhabit the deserted houses of whelks
and other shell-fish. I have several casts and prepara-
tions of this remarkable fish in mv museum.

THE CHUB.

Abdominales Malacopterygii. Cyprinidce.

{Leiiciscus or Ci/jrrinus cephaliis.)

Local names : Chevin, Loggerhead, Poll, Pollard, Shelley (Eden,
Carlisle), the Headed Dace, Lob or Bottling. French : Le
Chevanne, Dohule, Le Vilain Testard. German : Deckkojjf,
Ber Hitel, Schwppjlsch, D'dhel. Italian: Capitone.

The Chub is remarkable for his hawk-like quickness of
sight ; even the shadow of the rod or a passing cloud

u

CHUB V. DACE.

will make liim" sink instantly. It will be found that he
has a very large air-bladder, which enables him to
ascend and descend in the water at will, with great
rapidity.

The chub is found about mills, piles of bridges, weirs,
in eddies, steep banks overhung with willows. He is a
greedy fish, and will eat almost anything that falls into

CHUB.

the water. When trolling for pike with a gorge bait
below a weir, I had a run, and instead of a jack I
caught a chub. When the chub is not full grown it is
very difficult to know it from a dace [Leiiciscus vuhjaris),
A ^Titer in the Fisherman^s Magazine (No. 10, p. 14)
gives the following diagnostic marks : *' It is not in the
proportions of the two fish, but in their colom*, that the
most ready and convenient mark of identification is to
be looked for. By bearing the following rule in mind no
fisherman can ever be in doubt as to whether the fish
he has in his basket is a chub or a dace. The ventral
(or belly) fins of the dace are greenish with a shght
tinge of red, whilst the anal fin has no red about it
whatever. In the chub both these fins are of a brilliant
pink colom'."

THE CHUB AT HOME. 45

It is quite evident that the French anglers have much
trouble to catch M. Clievin. We read that the '' de-
fiance and experience of the chub are very great. They
have very little api^etite, being j)laced, like .Esop's
animal, in the middle of the cheese. Living in clear
water, they see the fishing-line, and turn up then- nose
at it in a disdainful manner." Another remark: "the
angler wants to catch him with an invisible line ; alas !
one cannot find such an article."

" The chevin common is the grand Seneur, for he
lives at his ease. In the winter in the sun, in the
summer in the shade of big trees ; in hot weather on
the surface of the water, in cold weather at the bottom,
in deep and tranquil water ; hence the wise angler will
recollect when it is possible to fish for him near the top,
and when it is cold, near the bottom."

The chub has the same fault as the Yorkshh-eman's
horse — he is very bad to catch, and is no good when he
is caught. His body contains an enormous quantity of
hair-like bones. These bones are not placed without
symmetry, and a chub, therefore, when made into a skele-
ton, either by gentles or the Dermestes beetle, forms a
very beautiful object. Why a chub has such a remark-
able skeleton I know not ; and I should be much obliged
if any of my readers could find out why the chub re-
quires such a comphcated system of bones. Mr. Chub
is a great insect eater, and one of his objects in waiting
under trees is to catch the caterpillars and other insects
which fall off the leaves. He is especially fond of grass-
hoppers, cockchafers, the large black slug, the large
hairy caterpillar (but the angler should be careful not
to get any of this caterpillar's hairs into his eye) ; he also
likes a bluebottle- fly. He will probably take a black-
beetle, and any one who could find any economic use

46 BAITS FOR CHUB.

for blackbeetles would be a public benefactor. He has
large leathery lips and a great mouth. " He bites so
eagerly that when he takes the bait, his jaws are some-
times heard to chop."

A capital plan to catch chub, where there are not
too many trees, is to cross line for them * that is, one
fisherman walks on one side of the river, the other on the
other. The lines must be joined together in the middle
and the baited hooks suspended therefrom by thin gut,
and then dropped gently on the stream. Besides insects,
the chub is very fond of old Cheshire cheese, and also
the spinal marrow of a sheep or ox, called pith. I have
also a strong notion that caviare made into paste would
fetch him nicely. Although the chub has no teeth in
his mouth, the angler may soon ascertain, by putting
his finger well down into a live fish's throat, that he
has teeth in his gullet ; these are very pretty objects,
they are easily taken out of the fish, and easily cleaned
by scraping.

Chub spawn in April. Little or nothing is known of
their mode of spawning, or where the eggs are de-
posited, whether they sink or float, whether they
are cohesive or not, how long the eggs take to hatch
out ; all of which, I trust, some of my readers will
kindly elucidate by actual observation.

CHIMyCRA, KING OF THE HERRINGS,
OR RABBIT FISH.

IIolocephalL Cliimcercedi .

The Chimaera can certainly not be classed among the
" Court Beauties," but should rather sit for a model to
artists who desh-e to represent nightmares and other
demons of darkness. Its general conformation is not

KING OF THE HERRINGS, OR RABBIT FISH. 47

iiulike that of an elongated carrot with wmgs. The
total length of the largest specimen is thirty-two inches;
the fins are long and wing-like, and when outstretched
they measure h-om point to point fourteen inches ; they
are very thin, almost transparent, and are doubtless
admirably suited to the habits of the animal. The
dorsal fin runs down the whole length of the body, and

KING OF THE HERRINGS, OR RABBIT FISH.

terminates in a tail about the size of a whipcord,
diminishing to that of very fine string, and then to the
size of fishing-gut. Upon his back the chim^era carries
a very sharp and formidable spine, the tip of which is
as pointed as a needle ; it is slightly serrated at its
low^er edge, and gives attachment to a large fin which
probably steadies the fish in the water. This spine
works up and down by means of a complicated joint.

The whole of this dorsal ajDparatus can be lowered so
as to fit in a long and narrow depression in the centre
of the back. The action of this spine in raising and
depressing the fin resembles that of a movable mast
raising and lowering the sail of a barge.

The head has cmious ribbed-like markings upon it,
reminding one somewhat of the pattern of the armour
on the sturgeon's head. The x^eculiar markings over
the mouth and along the nose (which give the idea
of the skin having been sewn up with a needle and
thread) represent elevations on the skin which are

48 CROWN OF THE KING OF THE HERRINGS.

found in pairs. The edges of these XDortions of skin are
serrated, and they fit closely together so as to form a
sort of canopy. Inside each canopy I find some peculiar
white minute bodies. I have no notion of the meaning
of all this.

The eye in life must have had a monstrous and
fierce appearance ; the lens is nearly as large as a
small marble, which, when the fish first arrived, ap-
peared to be of a beautiful sea-green colour. The eyes
are directed well forward, and, together with the hideous
nose, form a figure-head worthy the imagination of the
nost barbarous Chinaman that ever designed a figure-
head for a pu'atical war-junk. Upon the top of the
head, nearly between the eyes, the chimsera carries a
most curious crown of bone ; it is about the size and
shape of a large hook (such as used with ** eyes"
in millinery), and is directed forward towards the tip
of the nose ; its end is rounded, and covered by a
multitude of sharp spiny processes, the largest of which
are in the centre, the smallest on the circumference
of this bone. If the bone be j)i'essed backwards the
spine- covered end will be found to fit into a cavity
of soft skin, which appears to be specially placed there
in order that the spines may not get injured. I have
not the remotest idea what can be the use of this
remarkable appendage. It is found only in the male.
It is somewhat like a crown, and hence the Norwegians
have called the chimaera the "King Fish," and also
"King of the Herrings." In the female this crown is
altogether absent.

Considering the formidable appearance of this fish, the
teeth are ludicrously harmless. They project out from
under fleshy lips, and resemble at first sight the teeth
of a rnbbit ; hence the fish is sometimes called the

CHIM.ERA OF OUR FOREFATHERS. 49

" Eabbit Fish." The lower teeth seem to fit into the
upper teeth, and they would almost appear to be rodent
in action. They are very simple in structure — in fact
they are scarcely teeth at all, but dental plates of
triangular form ; their structure seems to be tubular.
When moist they are semi-transparent, and more horn-
like than of the usual hard dental structure.

I fancy the chimcera must be herbivorous, for the
teeth remind me more of the cutting edge of the jaws
of the turtle than of any fish. Most unfortunately, the
fishermen had removed the viscera of my specimen, so
that it was impossible to tell what the fish had been
eating.

Its native home is in the icy waters of the northern
seas. I feel convinced, fi'om its shape and structiu-e,
that we may conclude that it lives in very deep water,
probably in the sub-aqueous caverns and grottos amid
the rocky cliffs of the Polar seas. Its form doubtless
enables it to glide with a quick and snake-like motion
in and out the rocks in semi-darkness. I argue this,
latter point on account of the structure of the eye,
which is decidedly that of a deep-sea fish, and also its.
bright and silvery lustre when first caught. The
chimaera was, I believe, once the synonym of a fabulous,
animal, and was made the theme for a skit upon the
Eoyal Society in its younger days. We read of a thesis
being set in ridicule of its proceeding. The thesis ran
as follows : — ** An chimaera bombinans in vacuo possit
producere causas secundarias ? " C' Whether a chima)ra
buzzing in a vacuum can produce secondary causes ?")
— a question which I believe has not been settled even
by the present generation of philosophers.

5

50

COD.

Anacanthini Thoracici. Gaaula'.

(^Morrhua vuJjaris. Gadus harhatus.)
German: Der Kabljau. French: La Morue.

The family of the Cod-fisli is very numerous, it coir
tains no fewer than sixteen " recognised species of our
native fishes (all of which, with the exception of one,
are salt-water fish), besides four or five questionably
admitted, or very rare.

Of these the Common Cod is a fish almost universally
known in cold and temperate climates, being very gener-
ally distributed and extensively captured. It ranges
from Iceland very nearly as far south as Gibraltar, but
does not enter the Mediterranean. While the herring
and mackerel families (coming in great shoals into

COMMON COD.

the shallow waters) are usually taken by nets, the cod
is caught singly by hook and line. This fish rarely
enters the shallows, but haunts the deep waters ; feeding
at or near the ground where it prowls about, rather
than actively pursues any prey. ' It is a most voracious
eater, and not at all particular as to the quality or nature
of its food. Marine worms, Crustacea, and shelled mol-

* They are, the common cod, haddock, bib, or pout, the jjower
cod, whiting, coal fish, pollack, hake, ling, burbot, the three-
bearded and five-bearded rocking, mackei-el midge, torsk, common
fork beard, and tadpole fish, Couch's whiting and silvery gade.

MONSTER COD. 51

lusca form its most usual supply. I Lave several remark-
able specimens of substances found in the stomachs of cod.

Mr. Grove, of Charing Cross, found in the stomach of
a cod (which had been taken by hook and line), a piece
of tallow candle — now in my museum — about seven
inches long, and of unusual thickness. This piece of
candle was shown to Captain Hill, of the North Sea
trawler Hurricane, and he tells me cod-fish are not
over nice in their taste. On one occasion he lost a
bunch of keys overboard when off Cape "Wrath. Some
days afterwards the bunch of keys was found in the
stomach of a cod caught ** miles away" from the place
where they were lost. He has also seen a guillemot
taken, " feathers and all," out of a cod. He supposes
the cod nipped the guillemot when it was diving.

In 1867, Messrs Gilson and Co., of Bond Street, fish-
mongers, lent me a splendid cod, which weighed 481bs.,
and measured four feet four inches in length. I took a
cast of it. The stomach contained four whitings, weigh-
ing in all eight pounds. He must have had a good ap-
X^etite, for he had attempted to take a bait which had a
hook in it in addition.

In March, 1872, Mr. Eeed, of Wick, writes in Land
and Water : —

There was landed at our harbour (Port Knockie) last week one
of the largest cod, I believe, ever caught on our coast. Although
this fish had neither roe nor milt, and was in rather poor condition,
and not a particle of food in its stomach, it weighed 601bs. Had
it been taken a week or two before, full of roe or milt, I believe it
would have been the heaviest cod recorded as having been taken in
British waters. The length was four and a-half feet ; girth round
thickest part, three feet. The head was enormous, being one and
a-half feet from nose to gill-cover, and weighed lolbs.

The tame cod-fish pond at Port Logan is now cele-
brated as a sight most dear to naturalists. In Septem-

62 TAME COD POND.

ber, 18G9, I visited this pond, and was most hospitably
received by General McDouall, of Port Logan House,
near Stranraer, Wigtonshire.

After we had transacted our salmon business, the
General took me down to see his tame cod. Near the
bottom of the garden the sea has hollowed out of the
solid rock a kind of amphitheatre about 100 feet in
diameter. Formerly there was an iron grating to pre-
vent the cod from going out ; but now the passage is
barred by a simple wall of loose stones, through which
the water can come in, but the cod cannot get out.
The tide comes into this remarkable chamber through
a chasm in the rock about six feet in width. The water
in the chamber is a considerable depth, and the tide
ebbs and flows through the chasm, thus changing the
water regularly.

The tide was out at the time of my arrival, but the
pond was full of the most beautiful emerald clear sea
water. The General has built some steps so as to get
down to the pond from the level of the ground above,
and he has also made a path round the edge of the pond.

Standing on the top of the steps, I could perceive
some dark-looking bodies deep down in the water below.
As we descended these bodies began to move, and on
arriving at the edge of the pond I saw a sight which
was worth while coming all the way from London to
behold. From almost every side of the pond, and from
its deepest bottom, came darting towards us great open-
mouthed cod-fish. They seemed really to know per-
sonally Mrs. Towdie, the woman who is appointed as
curator of the pond. She threw a mussel without its
shell into the middle of the pond, and in a moment the
surface seemed literally boiling with struggling fish.
Gradually she threw the mussels nearer and nearer to

BLIND TOM. 53

the path where we were standing, and the fish followed
them. So anxious were the cod to obtain the mussels
that they came to the very edge of the pond, fighting
for the food. I asked the General to send the woman
away, but to leave her mussel-basket, in order that I
might make my observations quietly ; and this I did
under great difficulties, as it was blowing a gale of wind,
and raining cold rain in torrents.

I feel convinced that fish — at least General McDouall's
cod-fish — have an intelligence for which we never give
them credit. A cod's head and shoulders, boiled and
put on the table, with its forlorn and woe-begone
features, is a very different thing from the head of a
hungry cod in perfect health looking for his dinner.
The eye has great power of motion, great quickness, and
I should say an almost telescopic vision — in water this
of course. Again, the cod carries his three barbels or
feeders on his lower jaw, stiffly protruded in front of his
jaw, like the antennae of an ant. They are exceedingly
sensitive, for the moment I attempted to pinch one of
them the cod drew back smartly. Among the other
fish is a cod who has only one eye, but that is a piercer;
they call him "Blind Tom." This old fellow came
sailing round and round, with his blind eye away from
me ; but I managed, as he was passing with his blind
eye towards me, to touch one of his feelers ; it was a case
of " threes about " in a moment ; and when he turned
round again, the old boy's solemn, half- frightened face
and indignant glance of his one eye were most absurd.

Having plenty of mussels, and keeping very quiet, I
made fi-iends with these dear cod-fish. They all came
quite up to the edge, just like chickens, to be fed. In
their anxiety to get the food, they thrust their heads
quite out of the water, and occasionally an energetic

54 POWER OF cod's jaws.

fish actually scrambled up the sloping side of the rock
for a mussel ; but he never came so far but that his tail
was in the water. They took the mussels with a tre-
mendous gulp, making a gulping noise like the last sighs
of a pail of water as it retires down a sink-hole ; and
here, for the first time, I found out that a fish has po^ver,
by means of his gills, to create an indraught of w^ater
towards his stomach, so that he does not depend entirely
on his lips to seize his food.

After a time the cod and I became such friends that
they took the mussels freely out of my hand, and then
I got another lesson as to the power of a fish's jaw^s. I
held the mussel in my fingers and let them swallow my
hand; their mouths were plenty big enough to take it in
up to the wrist. Nobody can have anj^ idea, unless they
have tried it, of the tremendous power of a cod's jaw^s.

The rascals can nip uncommonly hard : their little
rough, file-like teeth can hurt considerably ; the bite
amounts to a good sharp pinch, with a decided touch of
saw-like motion : the pinching muscles are the part of
the cod's head so good to eat. I fed my friends for
about half-an-hour, and had my fingers nipped almost
to bleeding by most of them ; they were uncommonly
sore for a week afterwards ; and at one time I thought I
was going to get a poisoned hand, but luckily the
threatened danger passed oft'.

I am afraid selfishness prevails among cod-fish as.
among men, as I am sorry to find from experience :
when a mussel was presented to the fish, there was a
rush at it ; and it was a decided case of " first come,
first served."

A very curious thing occurred ; when the mussels
were all gone, I fed the cod with bits of paper, pieces of
tobacco, ofiicial red-tape, bits of my mackintosh, &c. ;

COD AND VIPER. 55

but tliey only came up to these things and then refused
them. Suddenly I recollected that I had a dead viper
in my pocket, which I had picked up that morning in
the middle of the carriage road, with his back broken
by a wheel. I took the viper out of my pocket and
waved it about with a snake-like motion in the water.
To my great astonishment, the cod all sivam away from
it ! I even tried the hungry little cod, who had been
jostled out of the " soup kitchen " by the bigger fish ;
but no ! even they turned up their tails at the viper. I
tried them two or three times ; always with the same
result. At last one big fellow came up from the bottom
like a rocket and swallowed at a gulp about half of the
viper. I pulled at the viper's tail and the cod pulled
at his head ; he was a tough viper or he would have
come in two. At last the cod let go, as though he had
found out that this was not his proper food. I confess
I am unable to explain how it was that all the cod
except this one swam away from the viper. Have cod,
like New Zealanders, a horror of snakes ?

I look upon a salmon as a highly intellectual animal
—an aristocrat and a gentleman. The cod-fish is a
common, vulgar creature, with a big mouth and rush-
ing manners. When caught in the crowd in the Lord
Mayor's show, I saw one of these London wide-mouthed,
lead' n- eyed blackguards, as like a cod-fish as a man
can be like a fish. But yet I must not abuse the poor
cod. They certainly have, when alive, an expression of
their own, possibly also a language. Would that I knew
how to speak it !

There seems also to be among fish, as among men,
what the people in India call " caste ; " that is to say, a
meeting of class A with class Z strikes a note of discord,
which no amount of the so much vaunted education of

56 MRS. TOWDIE AND THE COD.

modern days will create into a concord. In the General's
pond was one salmon, who had not even the civility to
come and shake a fin with me as a sincere friend of his
family. He kept far away at the other end of the pond,
and I never saw him hut once. He seemed as black as
a rook, and as thin as a starved- out inhabitant of Metz.
No, it won't do to keep salmon in captivity. They are
wild animals, and must be as fi-ee as the red deer or the
eagle, or they will not prosper. The more I see of the
salmon, the more I acknowledge he is my master.
There is a certain divine afflatus about him, which
naturally leads men to do a great deal for his benefit, and
the more of this sort the better. No fish has ever had
more laws made about him than the salmon. I hope I
shall never hear a lawyer abuse a salmon ; this would
be base ingratitude.

And now for a sad end to my tale. The General
kindly waited a very, very long time, while I was watch-
ing his fish. At last it began to get dark. He said :
" Buckland, we must go to dinner, but we will take a
cod-fish with us." Down the steps again came Mrs.
Towdie, with more mussels, and a great white iron cod
hook attached to the end of a line. As the General
supplies his table regularly from the pond, and as the
fish had to be slain as a matter of necessity, I was
obliged to stand by and see the execution. Mrs. Towdie
then artfully hooked out one of the biggest cod; the
poor thing took the mussel with a gulp. Alas ! for
feminine temptations ; who among us men has not been
treated like this poor cod ? His former protectress
pulled him out of the water in a moment, and he heaved
a heavy sigh as he flapped his tail for the last time.
We had this fish for dinner — I regret to say, without
shedding tears — and a splendid cod it was.

LIVE COD BOXES AT GEIMBSY. 57

Cod are very prolific. I received from Mr. Smitliers,
fishmonger, of Duke Street, Loudon Bridge, in Feb-
ruary, 1868 (see Land and Water, No. 108), a cod's roe
weighing seven and three quarter pounds. Having cut
off a portion and weighed it, and the eggs counted over
twice to make sure, it proved on careful calculation to
contain no less than 6,867,000 eggs, or more than
double the population of London. A cast of this is now
in my museum.

I strongly advise my readers, who wish to see what
the fishery wealth of England is, to pay a visit to Great
Grimsby. Of this wonderful fishery port I have pub-
lished the following description in my ''Log-book of a
Fisherman and Zoologist " : " The most noticeable fea-
tm^e in Great Grimsby is an immense shed, called the
Pontoon. It is about 300 yards long, and the floor of
it is frequently covered the whole distance with freshly-
caught sea-fish, these are sold by auction on the spot to
dealers. Kailway vans are brought ux3 close to the
Pontoon, and the fish are sent oft' daily by tons upon
tons to London, Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford, Leeds,
Birmingham, AVakefield, and other large towns. Passing
through the Pontoon we get a good view of the docks.

"Floating in the water are a great number of immense
boxes, looking like gigantic dice. They measm-e about
ten feet long, five feet wide, and four feet deep. In one
place the boxes were so thick that the water could not
be seen. These boxes contain live cod, and they get
renewed water as the tide goes in and out, through the
holes bored in the sides of the boxes. There are so
many of these boxes floating about that men and boys
are fi-equently seen walking about on the top of them,
and jumping fi-om one to the other, over a great extent
of the dock.

58 COD TETHERED IN GRIMBSY DOCK.

" One of these boxes was hauled up alongside a barge,
and the lid opened for my inspection. The sight was
most interesting and curious ; there appeared one solid
mass of living cod, all struggling and gaping with their
immense mouths. This is a sight worth going all the
way to Grimsby to witness.

"According to the supply wanted for the market, the
cod are taken out of the boxes and ' felled ' by a blow
on the head with a heavy mallet. This is the best way
of killino: cod.

" In another of these boxes there was a large number
of great halibuts. I had never seen a live halibut before.
He is a curious looking fellow, one side brown, the other
a creamy white. The cod will live in the boxes eight
weeks ; they have no food given them. The halibuts
will also live from eight to nine weeks. A cod weighing
fifty pounds is considered to be a large fish, one was
sold last year weighing fifty-two. A seventy-pound cod
is the largest ever known. The largest cod are caught
off Cromer Knowle.

''When walking round the dock I saw some men
hauling at a rope ; evidently the rope was made fast to
something very heavy. When this body came to the
surface, to my astonishment it consisted of a solid mass
of live cod, each individual fish being tied by the tail to
the rope. "When the fish were in the water they spread
themselves out in a circle, looking like a large cart-
wheel without the tire, only the spokes much more
numerous. When the cod were hauled up into the air
they looked like a rope of gigantic onions ; the poor
cods' tails seemed very sore and lacerated by the string
which fastened them to the rope. These cod, poor
beasts ! must lead a miserable life, and I think this
practice of tying them up very cruel.

COD WELLS.

59

" Walking about the docks I saw some Dutch fisher-
mon, very hardy fine-looking men. I understand they
are very clever fishermen, and can catch fish when nobody
else can. The Dutchmen bait with limpets, the English-

EXTRANCE OF THE HARBOUR OF ST. JOHN S, NEWFOUNDLAND, WITH

THE FISH STAGES.

men use lamperns, and in the cod season a great num-
ber of boys are employed putting lamperns (which are
cut into little pieces) on to the hooks.

'* The cod when caught are put alive into a well inside
the hold of the trawler. They are taken out by landing
nets. The cod will not live long in these wells when the
vessels are in the docks. A very ingenious device for
picking out any dead cod that might possibly remain in
the corners of the well is a kind of gaff, consisting of
two cod hooks hammered quite straight, with the barbs
facinf? each other.

60

THE CONGER. ^ .,

Malacopteri Apodes. Congerida.

(Conger vulgaris. AnguUla conger.)

German : Seeal. French : Congre. Danish ; Havaal.

Italian: Grongo.

Congers are eels which are found in Cornwall, Devon-
shire, Jersey, and Guernsey, in Ii-eland, and in parts
of France, washed hy the Gulf Stream. They are
also found in considerable numbers among the great
chalk rocks at the bottom of the sea in the neigh-
bourhood of Dover; probably also in the Channel,
right across to Boulogne, as I have seen some huge
congers in the Boulogne market. These were destined
for the Paris markets, where, no doubt, the French
cooks formed them into " stock" for all sorts of dishes.
The congers are very voracious fish. The power of
the jaws is tremendous. They will eat almost any kind
of fish, and are specially fond of crabs and lobsters.
In the " Sea Fisheries Keport, 1879," I have given
tables showing the food of sea fish. The various sub-
stances found in the stomachs of congers may be thus
enumerated — pilchards, dabs, soles, plaice, weevers,
mackerel, herrings, etc. The best bait to catch them is
cuttle-fish. When the cold frosty weather comes congers
retire into very deep water and there remain in a state
of semi-torpidity till the warm weather comes. The
best time for congers is from March to October. The
congers carry an enormous number of eggs. Mr. Jack-
son made out that his large conger contained between
fourteen and fifteen million eggs. What becomes of
this enormous number of eggs is unknown to mortal
man. They probably form the food of many small sea
creatm^es, especially crabs. The eggs of the conger are
exceedingly minute, and very like the eggs of the fresh-

A MONSTER CONGER. 61

water eel, wliicli are known to most persons as the "fat
of the eel."

In March 1880,1 received the following most interest-
ing account from my friend Mr. C. L. Jackson, manag-
ing director of the Aquarium, Southport : —

" I forward you one of our congers which has just
died, and as its size entitles it to be enrolled among the
distinguished members of the finny tribe, as represented
by their plaster busts in your piscatorial museum at
South Kensington, I thought a short account of its life
would be interesting to you. The fish is one of a num-
ber procured when we were first stocking the aquarium
five and a-half years since. Some of them were caught
at Fleetwood by Mr. Long and myself, while others were
bought. They were all very small, not exceeding 21bs or
3lbs. weight. The deep sea fishermen always said they
could not keep the large ones alive, so we had none but
little ones caught inshore. The fish now forwarded is
undoubtedly a female, and has died full of ova unable to
part with it. Its length when taken out of the tank was
6ft. 6in., girth 2ft. 6in., and weight 901bs. This enor-
mous weight has been obtained in five and a-half years,
and as it only weighed two or three pounds when just
caught, if we may take its subsequent growth as any
criterion of its former progress, w^e must conclude it
could not have been more than about a year old when
caught, ergo, from being hatched to attaining such
gigantic proportions only takes six and a-half to seven
years.

*' There is something very curious about our shoal of
congers. One of oiu' lot died when we had them about
two years; it weighed 211bs., and was enormously dis-
tended with ova. I counted the ova and sent you par-
ticulars, which you have referred to on several occasions.

62 FOOD OF CONGEES.

No others showed any signs of being in spawn until
about a year and a-half after, when the largest specimen
began to swell very much ; in about six months it died,
weighing G91bs. About six months since the present
specimen, which had much outgrown its companions,
began to show signs of being in the same condition, and
it has succumbed also, weighing 901bs. We find these
congers are the most voracious creatures we keep ; they
attack and devour even dogfish, and these of a size that
one would think beyond their i)Owers of swallowing.
We have quite given up keeping the piked dogfish with
them, and even the topers must be big ones, or down
they go. The only safe things are our big sturgeons,
monk-fish, skate, and the huge turbot we have reared
from little ones (these latter continue to grow). Congers
swallow their prey head first, as a rule, but w^hen com-
mitting an act of cannibalism they swallow their small
brother often, if not always, tail first. If the youngster
is a bit too big, you may often see him three parts
swallowed, and when the big one is quite exhausted the
other will wriggle out none the worse, except tnat it is
scratched by the big one's teeth. We have had this
happen so often with the same fish that at last it has got
as ragged and full of scratches as it could hold ; some
day, however, one of the big ones has given a mighty
gulp, and once let its jaws close over the head of the
little one, and we see it no more."

In the Appendix to the Sea Fishery Report, which has
just been published, I have given the weights of the
largest congers that have come under my notice. In
1878 Mr. Jackson, of Southport, sent me a conger 691bs.
weight, 6ft. 5in. in length, and 2ft. 5in. in girth. Mr.
Dunn, of Mevagissey, informs me that the largest con-
ger ever taken at Mevagissey was caught by Maxwell

CASTS OF LARGE CONGERS. G3

Dimn and James Hicks, and -weighed 1121bs. On the
same night that they caught this extraordinary fish these
fishermen caught another of 701bs. and another over
601bs. I heard of a large conger being hmded at Fal-
mouth whose length was 7ft. 4in. ; girth 2ft. ; and weight

CONGEE EEL.

721bs. In November, 1868, I received from Folkestone
a conger which measured Gf t. 4in. , and weighed 501bs.
A cast is now in my museum. There are also casts in
the museum of a conger from the Lower Shannon,
which measured 6ft. 9in. ; girth 20in.

In November, 1868, I received from Mr. Ledger, of
Folkestone, a very large conger. It measured 6 feet
4 inches, and weighed 50lbs. within a few ounces ;
girth, 21 inches. Three casts of this magnificent fish
are in my museum. I have given my reasons in Land
and Water for thinking that monster congers may
sometimes — nay, often — be the origm of the stories
about the " Sea-snake."

I also receivedfrom Mr. Joseph Eobinson, of Limerick,
in June, 1869, a conger caught in the Lower Shannon.
It measured 6 feet 9 inches ; greatest girth 20 inches ;
it was nearly black. The Folkestone congers are of a
grey-slate colour. In Land and Water, No. 178, I have
attemx:)ted to show that Virgil's sea-snakes, which de-
voured Laocoon, might have been suggested to him by
having seen some monster congers swimming.

64 CONGERS AT FOLKESTONE.

The following notes on congers I have published in
my Curiosities of Natural History , second series, Bentley,
1875 : — The first sight I got of the congers at Folke-
stone was in a "lug sail boat," which ran in at high
tide in company with a fleet of trawl-boats, laden with
congers, or rather marine boa-constrictors. When the
boat stranded, the men threw them out on the shore
one by one, and there they lay, just able to wriggle,
and to gasp with their formidable mouths. Some of
them were of a pale white colour, but the majority were
sprinkled here and there with nut-brown markings,
making them look much more snake -like than when
hung up in Billingsgate. The crowd gathered round.
'' Who will buy this parcel of congers ? " said the fisher-
man, picking up a stone, and standing wdth the congers
all placed before him. The biddings went on fast.
£1 5s. was bid for the lot, in number twenty-one, large
and small ; down went the stone, and the purchaser
hastily pitched the great brutes into " kittens," as they
call the fish-baskets, and in twenty minutes the congers
passed me in the open luggage -van of the train on their
road to London. These w^ere " Ness congers," and were
caught on a " long line."

When the long line is hauled the hooked congers
sometimes (if they are big ones) '' yawls on the lines ; "
sometimes ''they comes up quietly;" at other times
"they hangs like a log of wood;" but they nearly
always " makes a cmd with their tail, so as to hang
back in the water ; " when in the boat they try to get
out by "clinging their tails over the side." (I have
observed this same fact w4th fresh-w^ater ells.) To get
them into the boat the fishermen have an enormous
"heal," or " prule," i.e., a gaff-hook. When in the
boat " the congers are terrible things to bite, sure-ly."

FRENCH FISHERMEN. 65

To kill them, "it's no use knocking them on their great
heads, no more than a great hull ; just hit 'em a sharp
smack on the belly, and that turns 'em up directly,
because all their blood lays there."

One of the fishermen, George Smith, caught a
" ^Yhacker " last year. "When he hauled the line he
thoug]it " he had got hold of a "\^Teck," but he managed
to pull him up gently to the side of the boat, and whip
the *' heaf " into him. He "kicked up Mag's diversion"
in the boat, and nearly got out again ; so Smith tied
him by the *' beckett " to the thwart of the boat with a
new French whiting line, which Master Conger broke
three times. Smith himself, who is a very powerful
man, tried afterwards to break the same whiting line,
but could not. This conger measured 8 feet within an
inch, and was 26 mches in girth at his fins. He was
sent off to London directly in a "kitten," or fish-
hamper, all to himself.

One day a French fishing-boat came into Folkestone
from Portelle, near Boulogne, the weather being too
rough for them ; they had a few small congers on
board, and I observed that they had been baitmg their
" snoods " with the arms of cuttle-fish cut into bits.
They called all Englishmen " John," and when I went
to talk to them a red-nightcapped fellow held up a dog-
fish, and said in broken English, " Vil you buy a dog,
John ? " I did not buy the dog, but I got a conger's
head for threepence. The Frenchmen turned out of
their boats in the afternoon, and boiled the conger's
body on the beach, putting sundiy odd scra]3S of fish
into their pot as well. As a bystander said, " There's^
very little fish as them chaps heaves away ; they eats
a'most anything."

Congers are exceedingly sensitive to fi-ost. Dr.

6

GG CONGEES NIPPED BY FROST.

Turner, of Hastings, informed me, "In January, 1855,
thousands of congers were found floating upon the
water. They could progress readily in any direction,
but could not descend, and consequently fell an easy
prey to the boatmen. The Folkestone fishermen also
took an enormous quantity of congers at this time. One
man brought home 800 in his boat. The same cause
acted on the Folkestone as upon the Hastings congers,
viz., the action of the frost caused the air in their
swimming-bladders to expand so much that the ordi-
nary muscle could not expel it at will.

The Folkestone fishermen explained this phenome-
non thus : " You see, sir, the conger comes up to the
top of a frosty night to look at the moon, gets nipped by
the cold, and can't get downagain.'^ Barring the moon
part of the story, their theory is correct.

My friend Mr. Koberts, of Dover, sent me the follow-
ing note on this subject : '' After a sharp snow-storm I
saw picked up behind the cob at Lyme Eegis, Dorset,
several hundi-ed red rock, or sea perch, called locally
' conners,' small * bliDs/ i.e., whiting poults, and conger
eels. The people came to pick up the fisli blinded by
the snow on Christmas-day. They were lying stranded
among the sea-weed. There may have been five
hundred fish at least of eatable size, and about three
hundred smaller ones.''

DACE.

Aidoviinalcs Malacojiterygii. Cyprinida.

{Leuciscus viih/aris.)

Local names: Dace, Dare, Dart. French: YaudoUc, or Dard.
German :' Dcr Hasling, or Die Ilasel.

Depth of body, about the same as length of head;
back fin commencing half-way between point of nose

DACE IN THE THAMES. 67

and end of fleshy portion of tail ; tail fin small, and a
good deal forked ; scales smaller than those of the
chill), fifty on lateral line. The dace has the vivacity
of the bleak and the swagger of the chub, therefore it
requires some little attention to catch him. He is in
full season from October to January. Unfortunately
for himself, he has such bright scales that he makes a
si)lendid live bait for pike.

Considerable discussion has lately taken place in
angling circles as to the use of live bait in angling for
pike. In India, when they set a trap for a tiger, it is
stated that they tie up a kid, and to make him cry they
put a stone in his ear.

A gentleman wiio was a great hand at crocodile
catching with the hook, told me the best bait was a
sucking pig, and to attract the attention of the croco-
dile the angler walked along the bank pinching the
sucking pig to make him squeak. Both the pig and
the goat when used for bait exhibit considerable fear.
The poor dace used as a live bait is probably also in
trepidation, if he knows the pm-pose for which he is
made captive with hook run through his back. His
Grace the Duke of Wellington, a great angler, has there-
fore invented an ingenious apparatus by which the bait
is held secure to the hook by means of india rubber
bands.

At certain times of the year the dace assemble in
vast numbers at the lower side of the Thames Navi-
gation Weir. The fish are then certainly heading up to
spawn. Passes should be made for them to ascend, and
I hope shortly to suggest a plan for fish passes, either
through or round all the weirs on the Thames which
are found to obstruct the fish.

68
SQUALID/E. DOG-FISH.

Plaglostomi Squall. ScyllUda.

The following is a list of the Dog-Fisli most common in
British seas : —

THE PIKED-DOG.

{Squahis acanthias. Galeiis acanthias. Acanthias vulgaris.)

Local names : Bone-dog, Common-dog, Dog-Fish, Hoc, SMtile-dog,
Spear-dog, Spar-dog, Doggar. German : DerDornhai. Danish :
Haa, Pig-hay. Dutch : Doornhaii. French : UAiguellat.

This fish is oviparous.

TOPE, OR TOPER.
{Squalus galeus. Galeus vulgaris. Canis galeus.)

Local names : Common Tope, Penny-dog, Miller'' s-dog, Rig, Sweet-
william, Tomhay, White-hound. German : Der Schweinshai,
Milander, Meersaw. Danish : Blaahaj. French : Le Mi-
landre Chien.

This fish is viviparous.

SMOOTH HOUND.

[Squalus imistelus. Mustelus Iccvis. Mustela vul/jaris.)

Local names : The Bay-mouthed dog, the Skate-toothed Shark, the
Bastard Rig, the Hull Cock, and the Stinkard.

This fish is viviparous.

LARGE SPOTTED DOG-FISH, OR NURSE

HOUND.

(Scyllium catulus. Scylliurn stellaris.)

Local names : The Larger Spotted Dog-fish, Nurse-dog, Ness-
hound. Bounce, Bull-huss, Hohrin. German : Katzenhai.
Danish : Rodhaj. Swedish : Katthaj. French : Rousettc
Italian : Scillio.

Tliis fish is oviparous.

69

SMALL SPOTTED DOG-FISH, OB EOUGH

HOUND.

(Squalus catalus. Catulus minor. Scyllium canicida.

Scyllium catulus.)

Local names : Huss, Robin Huss, Rough-hound, Roiv-liound,
Spotted Shark, Morgay, Lesser Spotted Bog -fish. German :
Der Hundshai, Seehundchen. Dutch : Hondshai. French :
Rousette.

This fish is oviparous.

BLACK-MOUTHED DOG-FISH.

{^Scyllium melanostomum.)

DOG-FISH IN GENEBAL.

When at Folkestone I learned much about Dog-fish, and
now quote from my "■ Curiosities of Natural History " : —

Most of the fishermen's houses in Folkestone har-
bour are adorned with festoons of fish hung out to dr}?.
There was no head, tail, or fins to them, and I could not
make out their nature. The rough skin on their reverse
side told me at once that they were a species of dog-fish.
I asked what they were? "Folkestone beef," was the
reply. What sort of fish is this ? "That's a Big ; "
and this ? " that's a Huss ; " and this other ? " that ! a
' Bull Huss ; ' " " that's a ' Fiddler ; ' " and this bone ?
"' that's the 'jaw of Uncle Owl,' " &c., &c.

Here then was a new nomenclature, which I cleared
up with the following result : —

A " rig"' is the " common tope " (Yarrell) ; a " bastard

rig" is the "smooth hound" (Yarrell); the " huss, or

obin huss," is the small spotted dog-fish ; the " bull

70 RIGS ON THE HUNGRY GROUND.

huss," the large spotted dog-fisli ; the *' fiddler," is tlie
angel, or shark ray; '^ imcle owl's jaw," belonged to a
species of skate.

Nearly all these various kinds of dog-fish are canght
by the men who" go out after rigs" to the '• hungry
ground," over the Warne sands; and they catch them
with '' long lines," laid down all night.

Some of the large rigs are nothing more nor less than
sharks of the English waters. They have teeth of a
triangular shape, exceedingly sharp, and so arranged
that if one is broken off another comes up into its place.
'' You see, sir, they has jaws as tears ye like a bramble-
bush." The skin is not covered with scales, but with an
exceeding^ tough armour, which sets the teeth on edge
when felt, and is " a terrible thing to dull your knife."
When the rigs, &c., are caught out at sea they are
thrown down to the bottom of the boat, and as they
jump about there, they can be heard "grating one
against the other." A rig lives longer than any fish in
warm weather, but dies soonest in cold. When the
lines are hauled, and there are a lot of freshly- caught
savage rigs at the bottom of the boat, the men are
obliged to be careful not to get bitten. " They all goes
mad, sir, and it's like being among a lot of wild beasts."
They have been known to catch hold of the men's
"barbel," or fishing petticoat, and shake it. They are
vagabond curs of the ocean, that go prowling and snap-
ping about anywhere and anyhow for food. The fisher-
men hate them because they do so much damage to the
herring-nets, eating the fish actually out of the net, and
often rolling themselves right up in it. Ten minutes
after the arrival of the boats the small fish-dealers may
be seen cutting off their heads, tails, and fins, and split-
ting them into halves ; they are then salted and hung

STKUCTUKE OF THE SHOVEL- NOSE DOG. 71

out to diy, and taste, when broiled, " like veal chops."
They are eaten by the -poorer class, "as a relish for
breakfast." The great heads, and the intestines, &c.,
are left in the harbour till picked up by the owners of
crab-pots or stalkers for baits. The livers are cleaned
and boiled for oil for the boats in winter. There is an
immense deal of gelatine in these heads and fins, and I
tried in vain to persuade the men to boil them up, quot-
ing the example of the Chinese, who esteem shark's-fin
SOU}) as a great delicacy.

The rigs have a long projecting nose (one species of
shark is called "old shovel-nose," by the sailors), and
this nose is of the same service .to the rig as the snout
is to a pig, for with it he routs about among the sand for
small fish. The plaice, sole, &c., are essentially hiders
in the sand, and the dog-fish comes and routs them up
with his nose, and then snaps them up as they attempt
to escape. I found several of these small fish in their
stomachs, and in one monster the skin and the dorsal
spikes of his cousin, the " pike dog-fish," called by the
men, the " spur-fish." In Dorsetshire they call them
" spur-dogs." In order to see how this nose acted, I
pressed a rig's head into a heap of w^et sand and shingle.
It was quite marvellous to remark how beautifully the
nose was fitted to its work ; man, curiously enough,
copies its shape exactly in the instrument used for par-
ing turf. On making a section of the nose I was much
struck at its internal anatomy ; it is not solid, for that
would be too heavj^ ; the outer skin forms a framework,
and from side to side firm white strings are stretched
across so as to make a series of chambers, which are
filled wdth a beautiful white gelatinous fluid. The organ
of smell is highly developed, and the delicate membrane
on which the nerves are spread (answering to the

72 DOG-FISH PUPPIES.

Scbneiderian membrane in our own bodies) is defended
by a fold of skin to keej) tbe sand out of it, answering to
our nostril. The eye, when fresh, can be compared to
nothing but a cup hollowed out of a large pearl, contain-
ing a diamond as its lens, and powerful muscles move it
in all directions. On sinking the head in clear sea-
water, the eye glares like a cat's eye in the dark. I can
fancy nothing more horrible than the glare and terrible
rolling of this merciless, ravenous sea-tiger, deep down
under water, and can well understand the piercing cry of
horror which a human being naturally utters when he
sees the murderous glance of the pursuing and man-
eating shark.

In July, 18G8, two dog-fish were sent me by Com-
mander Whyte, of Instow, Devon ; the larger, which
was 51 inches long, was the common Toper (Squahis
galeus), or White Hound; the female fish was Sqnalus
viitstelus, or the Smooth Hound — the ray-mouthed dog,
skate-toothed shark of Coucli. The number of young
ones was eleven, all the very image of their dear
mamma. Ten of them were loose and free from any
covering ; but I found an eleventh still in situ. It was
wrapped round with an exceedingly fine and delicate
membrane, as transparent and fragile as a gossamer veil.
This membrane formed a loose bag, w^hich, when spread
out, would have been as large as a pig's bladder.
Doubtless, the other young ones also had each private
apartments in the form of a ])ag, but it had been torn ofi".
It appears extraordinary that among the family of dog-
fish, which apparently lead very similar lives in the sea,
some should be oviparous, and some viviparous ; it is
also interesting to remark, that whereas non-predacious
fish multiply at an exceeding rate — their eggs counting
by thousands, more often by millions — that predatory

PACKS OF DOG-FISH. 73

and carnivorous fish should have but few young ones at
a time. Tlie obvious meaning of this arrangement,
which Nature has evidently inserted as a " protective
clause " in her bill for '' the due balancing of life among
sea-fish," is that the oppressors should not overbalance
the oppressed. We find the same arrangements among
land animals — carnivorous animals have few at a birth,
herbivorous animals have many.

The name " dog-fish " is a happy one, for this class
of fish seem to have the habits in the sea somewhat
similar to dogs on land. Wild dogs on the sand deserts
of Africa hunt antelopes in packs; the ''sea-dogs"
hunt herrings, whiting, &c., on the submarine sand
deserts of the North Sea, also in packs ; and old
Neptune doubtless has fine sport — mackerel hunting on
the Warne Bank off Folkestone, w^ith his " spotted dog "
pack. Dogs on land have an acute sense of smell and
hearing ; look at the olfactory organs or dissect the ear
of the " sea dog," and you will find that he also would
be good at hitting off a scent, or hearing the noise of
*' priming herrings" from afar. Fox and greyhounds
have long tails, and they can turn quickly ; the sea
hounds have also long tails, and doubtless in the water
-would score points and " turn the hare " as well as the
best greyhound that ever ran at Hampton Court.

In the case of the Kough Hound (Squahis catulus) the
young are not born alive ; the parent fish deposits an
egg, of which I have two specimens now before me,
thrown ashore near Heme Bay. They consist of a thick
horny substance, which when dry exactly resembles
amber. Each egg is fastened to the sea-weed by means
of two long string-like tendons.

These curious strings exactly resemble the tendrils
of a vine, and it is a very curious circumstance that

74 EGGS OF DOG-FISH.

Nature seems to have used the same kind of hgature to
fasten up the branches of a plant and to anchor the
egg of a fish. The tendrils of the egg of the nurse
hound are, \Yhen only slight^ stretched, ten inches long.

Mr. Henry Lee was the first to discover, at the
Brighton Aquarium, the mode in which these dog-fish
managed to fix their eggs.

The Piked Dog-fish is the most common of all the
sharks, and found everywhere in the British and Irish
seas. It is at once distinguished from all others by a
single spine, placed in advance of each of the two dorsal
fins; whence its name " pick," being synonj'mous with
pike or spike. It measures from three to four feet, and
is of a blue slate on the upper parts, the under being
yellowish white. The wounds it inflict are severe and
bad to heal.

PIKED DOG-FISH {Squalus acaittJiiai^), common dog-fish
{Acanthias viiJ(jaris).

These fishes often make their appearance in vast
numbers, and among the Western Isles and Orkneys
they are salted and dried for food. The livers yield a
quantity of oil, and the offal makes manure. The
Scotch call this fish hoe ; while on the southern coast
it goes b}' the name of bone-dog. It is ovo-viviparous,
and produces many young at a time.

The Common Tope (SguaJus (/aleus, Canis f/aleus^
GaleuH vidgaris), known by the names of Penny Dog, or
Miller's Dog, is not unfrequent along the southern coast
of England and Ireland, but is less plentiful in the

THE PIKED DOG, THE TOPE, AND THE SMOOTH HOUND. 75

north. It is not unlike tlie dog-fish, but the number
and position of the fins are the same as those of the
bhie and white sharks. It is a rapacious species, but
not so destructive as they are. Tlie largest specimens
are about six feet long, and abound, in summer, on the
Cornish coasts.

COMMON TOrE.

In August, 1867, my friend Mr. Cecil Martyn sent
me a remarkably fine specimen of the Toper — Penny
Dog (Hastings), Miller's Dog (Cornwall) ; it weighed
about 30lbs., and measured 4 feet 11 inches. I have
made a cast of it, which is now in my museum.

The Smooth Hound, or Skate- toothed Shark (Squalas
mustelus), is rather a common species on most parts of
the coast. Its teeth are fiat and blunt, forming a closely-
compacted pavement on each jaw, and greatly resem-
bling those of the skate. Its skin is much smoother
and softer than that of the sharks in general. It is

SMOOTH HOUND.

from three to four feet in length. It keeps close to the
bottom on clear ground, where it feeds on crustaceous
animals, which it readily crushes with its tesselated
teeth. The young are produced alive.

76
DORY.

Acatithopteri. Zeidm.

[Zeus faher.)

German: Sojinevfisch, S\ Peterfisch. Sweden -.[Silfverog a. Dutch:
Zonnevisch. French: La Doree. Italian: Pesce San Pietro.

This fish, in Sicily, is called Gallo — the Cock — from
the crest on its back ; and in many towns of the Medi-
terranean it goes by the name of St. Peter's fish, because

DOKY [Ziiis fahcr).

of the mark on its sides, supposed to be the print of the
Apostle's fingers— an honour shared vdth it by the had-
dock, which bears similar insignia.

The prevailing colour of the body is an olive brown,
with yellow tinge, reflecting in different lights blue, gold,
and white. AVhen the fish is first taken out of the water
these varying hues are seen in rapid succession. As a
delicious luxury this fish has obtained high repute- The
dorys of the London market are chiefly sux)plied from
the Devonshire coast. They are better for being kept
two or three days.

HABITS AND FOOD OF DOKY. 77

There is one habit of this fish, Mr. Conch says, well
known to the hook and line fishermen. The dory will
frequently retire to the rough ground, or make a slight
depression in the sand. Thus, half-hidden, the tendi-ils
of the dorsal fin are allowed to float about like so many
worms, to the temptation of all hungry passers. When
a small fish — cuttle, or in fact anything — has laid hold
of the tendrils, the powerful ventral fins are brought into
play ; up starts the fish, and opens its capacious mouth
to receive the unwary victim. It also pursues its prey
by a rapid succession of jerks. Mr. Quelcli, of Bond
Street, informs me that he took from the stomach of a
dory, weighing lib. loz., eighteen sprats, two sand-
smelts, and one cuttle-fish, besides a number of smaller
ones in a partially decomposed state. The total length,
when placed in a line, of the twenty- one fish the dory
had swallowed, was 5ft. 8in., the length of the dory
itself was 14^in.

' Dorys are subject to very curious excrescences which
grow from various parts of the body ; for instance, one
specimen sent me had in its nose a mass of white sub-
stance, which, when opened, disclosed a vast number of
round white bodies exactly like eggs. I have since re-
ceived another specimen with a lump on its back, also
containing these egg-like bodies. If you look in the
gills, you will often find most cmious parasites.

BOAR-FISH.

Acanthopteri. Zeida.

[Capros aper. Zeus aper. Capros sangUer.)

In December, 1870, Mr. Charles, of Arabella Eow, Gros-
venor Place, was kind enough to send me "a curious
fish ; " the dimensions were, four inches long and three

78 RECORDS OF BOAR-FISH.

de€£;. It was the boar-fisli {Capros sanrjlier). I have
received several specimens since.

■ In Land and Water, 1880, my friend Dr. Day has
pubhshed the following remarks : —

*' I happened to be present when sixteen examples
arrived at Westminster Aquarium, from Mr. Dunn, of
Mevagissey. They were all of a rich red hue, while
most of them had a dark band over the base of the tail
just before the origin of the caudal fin ; the outer edge
of the ventrals was also dark-tipped. One had faint
traces of vertical bands, and another had a row of
black spots along the base of the dorsal fin.

" The captures recorded in the British Isles are in
Mounts Bay, October, 1825 ; at Bridgwater in 1833 ;
Teignmouth about the same time ; Lossiemouth in
1839 ; on March 6, 1812, on the beach at Brighton.

"At Falmouth in 1811, and on August 12, 1813, the
shore on the western side of Plymouth was strewn with
numbers captured by trawlers, who threw them over-
board when turning out their nets. The fishermen
stated that within a few years these fish have swarmed
to such an extent as to have become a perfect pest, and
that in many instances the travrlers have actually been
obliged to change their fishing ground in order to be
out of their way.

" One from the Scilly Isles in 1870 ; one from Tor-
cross in 1875 ; and a shoal of fifteen taken on the south-
west coast of Cornwall. In 1879 a number were washed
ashore at Poole, during the night of March 30, some of
them contained spawn, which Mr. Penney considered
were delicious, their flesh possessing a creamy white-
ness and a delicate flavour. April the same year
two were recorded from Exmouth ; two from Torquay
in February ; in May one was picked up on the beach

DISTRIBUTION OF EELS. 79

at Eastbourue; and another brought alive into Grimsby
from the mouth of the Humber."

Mr. Dunn, of Mevagissey, in his very interesting re-
marks upon the fishes of that locality, written in
October, 1878, observes: — "Common here from the
Start to the Lizard ; these past five years they seem to
be on the increase, thousands are yearly caught by
Plymouth trawlers off Deadman headland, and thou-
sands more are brought to land by our drift fishermen.
In June and July last year I had over 150 alive in my
tanks at one time."

EELS.

Malacopteri Apodes. Anguillidte.

German: Der Aal. Swedish: AI. Duteli : Be Paling. French:

Anguille.

Theee are three or four distinct species of the fresh-
water eel inhabiting this country.

The Common or Sharp-nosed Eel, inhabits all our
fresh waters, abounds throughout Europe, except in the
Arctic regions, and in some of those rivers which have
their source in very cold districts ; it is found in Asia
also, and, in short, in almost every part of the world.
The eels in New Zealand are very large.

COMMON EEL.

The Broad-nosed Eel [Angilla latirostris) is almost as
common a species as the preceding. It difters in the
shape of the head, which is much broader, the nose
blunter, and the skin thicker than the common sort. It

80 THE HAMPSHIRE SXIG.

is probably the "Frog-mouthed eel" of the Severn, so
called by the fishermen from the width of the mouth.
It exists in many of the waters wiiich produce the sharp-
nosed eel, and is much thicker in the body in proportion
to its length.

The Snig Eel [Anguilla medlorostris) is another species
which occurs chiefly in the Avon, in Hampshire, where
this eel, rather remarkable for its yellow colour, is con-
sidered distinct from the common sorts. There are
some differences in its external formation and habits, as
well as in the size and character of the bones. The
Hampshire snig differs from the others in roving and
feeding during the day-time, the other species being
nocturnal. It is considered excellent as food, but does
not attain a large size, seldom exceeding more than half
a pound in weight.

The fishermen make a certain difference in the mode
of placing their eel-pots when they are desirous of catch-
ing " snigs," finding by long experience that the snigs
get into those pots the mouths of which are set in the
opposite direction, in reference to the stream, to those
in which the common eels are taken. In the compara-
tive breadths of the nose, the snig holds an intermediate
position between the sharp and broad-nosed eels, rather
more resembling the former. It has a slight but
elongated depression, extending from the anterior edge
of the upper jaw to the upper and back part of the head.

Eels are sometimes found of a lovely golden colour ;
and I have also seen two specimens of albino eels, the
skins being nearly white.

Various methods are resorted to to intercept eels while
they are on their autumnal migrations. The apparatus
used on the Thames, called an eel-buck (of which a
figure is here given), consists of a number of wicker-

CRUELTY IN PACKING EELS.

81

baskets supported on a wootleu framework. The lar^^e
open end of each basket is opposed to the stream, and,
by the pecnliar construction of the inside, which is like
a mouse trap, a fish," having once entered, cannot escape
again. A set of these eel-bucks can be seen from the
bridge over the Thames to the east of Maidenhead

EEL-BUCK.

station, on the Great Western Eailway. Li Land and
Water, No. 383, May 24, 1873, have published diagrams
and descriptions of eel-nets as used in the Severn betw^een
Gloucester and Worcester.

The eel fisheries in Ireland are exceedingly valuable ;
very large numbers are caught in the autumn months,
as they are descending from the lakes to the sea — they
generally run on nights when thunder is about — and are
put into boxes and screwed tightly down when alive. I
consider this to be a most cruel proceeding ; the poor
things must suffer very much screwed down in those
dreadfully narrow quarters. This is a subject well
worthy of the attention of the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals.

I have heard of an old Irish fisherman who used to

7

82 CASTS OF LARGE EELS.

set his eel-nets and then heat a drum. His reason was
this : " Bedad, sir, it's just to make the eels run ; they
think it's a thundery night."

I have heard that the eel fishery at Ballisodare, in
Ireland, has been greatly improved and increased in
annual value by making a pass for elvers over a natural
obstruction. This is done by placing ropes of straw
loosely plaited, up which the elvers climb. This is a
hint that may be useful to other proprietors of eel
fisheries. I have much more to write about elvers, but
have not space.

The London market is principally supplied from
Holland, the eels being brought over in Dutch vessels.
A free mooring was given to these Dutch skoots by
Queen Elizabeth, and boats have taken advantage of
this privilege up to the present day.

In various localities eels run to a large size, some of
the weights of which are recorded in various numbers
of Land and Water. Thus, one was taken at Tewkesbury
weighing Tilbs. ; at Stag Park, Petworth, one of 5lbs. ;
in the Arun, one of 4ilbs., and another of 91b s. ; in
the Kichmond Eound Pond one of 51bs. 14oz. ; at
Bulford Mill, one of 41bs., which had been seen to draw
the young ducks down into the water. In one of the
broads near Great Yarmouth an eel was taken in a
tench bow-net of 7lbs., and in the same broad one of
61bs. and G^lbs. ; another near the New Mills, Norwich,
turned the scale at T^lbs. ; another on 13tli January,
1869, in the very same spot, of 8^1bs. Eels of 5lbs.
and 81bs. are not uncommon in Norfolk. An eel was
taken in 1869 in the Ouse (Hunts), at St. Ives Staunch,
7lbs. ; and two of 61bs. each about the same time at
Hemingford Grey Mills, on the same river.

In the year 1850 an eel of 8flbs. was taken from the

THE LARGEST FRESHWATER EEL. 83

pond of Dutford Mill, and twenty-one eels were taken
out of the eel-trap at the same place, whose united
weight amounted to 84lbs., and one of the eels was not
6oz. in weight.

The largest fresh-water eel I ever examined and cast
was a magnificent specimen sent in May, 1878, by Mr.
John Welch, eel salesmen, Billingsgate. It measured
4ft. 4in. in length, lOin. round and weighed just upon
lOlbs. It w^as taken in the river Mole.

STRUCTURAL BEAUTIES OF THE EEL.

I am happy to find that among anglers there is gradu-
ally spreading a desire to know much more of the actual
structure and physiology of fishes than heretofore, and
it always gives me great pleasure, when I have an oppor-
tunity, of pointing out any structural peculiarity which
exemplifies Paley's argument of the wonderful adapta-
tion of means to ends. In the common eel we have an
excellent example of this. The eel, as is well known,
will live a long time out of water. This habit is of the
greatest service to him, as sometimes it is necessary for
him to migrate from place to place by an overland route.
To enable him to live out of the water the eel has a
most elaborate yet simple form of mechanism, by means
of which he is enabled to keep his gills moist even
though he is not in the w\ater. It will be observed
that immediately, or if not very soon after, an eel is
taken out of the water, two great swellings will take
place each side of the head, and that if the eel is placed
back in the water this swelling will immediately dis-
appear. Let us now take a dead eel; we shall, find
close to the pectoral fins a slit in the skin w^hich acts
as a valve. If we take a probe and pass it through

84 WATER POUCHES OF THE EEL.

this slit we find that it enters a large cavity ; next, take
a pair of scissors and cut open this cavity, inside we
shall find the gills proper. It is this cavity which the
eel has the marvellous power of filling with water, and
keeping a supply which shall not allow the gill fibres
to adhere together, and thence of necessity stop respira-
tion. This cavity is of course made of a large and
loose skin-like membrane, which holds the required
quantity of water ; but in order to enable him to fill
and empty this cavity, an elastic yet firm mechanism
of some kind is absolutely necessary.

See for yourselves what a beautiful piece of machinery
is provided by the Creator. A framework of very
delicate bones, each bone connected with its neighbour
by an elastic membrane of the consistency of gold-
beaters'-skin, forms a fan-shaped covering over the
gills ; its action is very like, if not exactly the same as,
the action of an umbrella. When the eel wishes to
take in his water-supply he, as it were, opens the
umbrella-shaped framework and fills his reservoir ; when
he wishes to expel the water he, as it were, closes his
umbrella, as his reservoir is no longer required to come
into action.

If an eel be taken out of the water and placed on the
floor of a room, and left there for some time, it will be
seen that he will very soon expand his reservoir. After
a time he will be desirous to refill his reservoir ; take
him up and put his head into a basin, you will see that
he will immediately take two or three great gulps so as
to restock his breathing bags. It is by this beautiful
piece of mechanism that the eel is enabled to live so
much longer out of water than any other fish ; and
also, as I have stated before, to shift his quarters when
it is desirable to do so.

THE eel's spectacles AND SCALES. 85

There is another point in his structure well worthy of
observation — it is the spectacles of the eel. The eel
has to live amongst mud, stone, &c., and if his eyes
were not protected, it is reasonable to suppose that its
delicate structure would occasionally get wounded.

Over the eye, therefore, we find a wonderful eyeglass.
This is formed by the ordinary scale-covered skin of
the head, just at the point where it passes over the eye,
taking the form of a thin but strong transparent mem-
brane, which affords an admirable guard against any
injury occurring to the organs of sight. The eye itself
is a very beautiful round ball, the iris black pencilled
with tints of a golden hue. If the eyeball be cut in
two the lens will immediately pop out, the most lovely
little crystal ball, in brilliancy equal, if not superior to,
a diamond. The reader should dissect off for himself
these curious spectacles of the eel ; by di-ying the skin
of the head on a piece of window-glass their structure
will at once be seen.

The common snake has a somewhat similar provision,
only, whereas he lives on dry land, his spectacles have
a firmer and horny consistency. Tlie structure of the
snakes' eye-glasses may be easily seen in the shed skin
of the snake (and snakes shedding their skin frequently
during the year). When the snake sheds his skin it is
found turned inside out. Thus the transparent eye-
protectors easily become discernible.

A question has often arisen as to whether eels have or
have not scales. Again look for yourself. Place a por-
tion of an eelskin on a microscope slide or window-glass
and as it dries you will see quite plainly the scales come
into view as the slimy membrane in which they are
imbedded gradually dries uj). These scales are of an
oval shape, somewhat resembling carraway seeds.

86 THE SECOND HEART OF THE EEL.

Tliey are arranged in very pretty patternri, mucli re-
sembling the so-called herring-bone pattern in which
ornamental titles are sometimes placed.

The eel also has, strange to say, a heart in his tail.
If it is desired to ascertain this fact it is only necessary
to observe, that eels which are so frequently sold in the
streets are covered with sand. When the eel becomes
faint and exhausted he will begin to play up the lymphatic
heart in his tail, the pulsations of which can be seen.

THE MUR/ENA.

Malacopteri. Muriznidez.

Belonging to the eel family is one of the rarest visitors
to om' shores ; only one specimen is knoT^n to have been
taken in Britain. This is the Murasna, common in
almost every x)art of the Mediterranean. The ordinary
length is between three and four feet ; it is strong and
difficult to capture, being fished for with lines. The

MUR.ENA {Muroiia helena).

.flesh is said to be delicately white and of very good
flavom-. It is exceedingly voracious, bites severely, and
can live a long time out of water.

In 1809 I received a fine specimen of the muraena.
At first sight it appears much more like an elongated
lizard than a fish. Its colour is by no roeans fish-like,

ANGLESEA MORRIS. 67

inasmuch as the skin shows no scales whatever, and i
marked out with round circles touching each other, like
the pattern on an oilcloth. The centre of these circles is
a dirty yellow, and they are defined one from the other
by markings of a chocolate colour ; there are also choco-
late spots in the middle of the circles. The circles
nearest the head are just the size of a tw^o-shilling piece ;
about the middle of the body they are of the size of a
shilling; and about the tail of the size of a six,pence.
The whole appearance of the fish at a distance reminds
one somewhat of a zebra. Strange to say, there is no
pectoral fin at all; the entrance to the gill is very small,
and surrounded by a black marking ; the head, long and
narrow, is very like the head of a lizard, especially the
head of the iguana ; the teeth are numerous, set back-
wards, transparent, and as sharp as needles, like the
dragon's teeth in old statues ; a few" of them are set in
the middle of the palate of the upper jaw.

The specimen w^eighed 31bs. 6oz., and measured
three feet six inches. It was sent me in salt from Gib-
raltar by Mr. Walker, steward of a steamer, and is now
in my museum.

The remaining species of the eel family are, the
Anglesea Morris (Leptocephalus morrisii), a small riband-
shaped fish, of extremely delicate textm-e, being semi-

Helmichthyi. Leptocephalidte.

ANGLESEA MOKEIS.

transparent. It is about five or six inches long, and in
thickness does not exceed the sixteenth part of an inch.
It is regarded as a rare visitor; but Mr. Couch says, that

88

OPHIDIUM LANCELET.

off the Cornish coast it is taken so frequently that it
cannot be uncommon in deep water. It is usually found
entangled among sea- weed. The illustration on previous
the page is a copy of the figure given of it.

A very rare fish is the Beardless Ophidium in shape
not unlike the red-band fish ; the length about three
inches.

Apodes.

Ophididce^

BEARDLESS OPHIDIUM {OpMdium itribcrhe).
Dermopterj. Amphioxidf^

LANCELET {Atjipliioxus lauceolatus, Branchiostoma lane eolation).

It has occurred several times in the British seas, and
also in the Mediterranean. At first sight it a good deal
resembles the Anglesea Morris, -particularly in the
arrangement of the striated lines on the flattened side.
But that animal has a perfect head, though a small one,
with jaw, eyes, and gill-covers ; while the lancelet has no
proper head, nor eye, nor gills, neither has it any fins
except one along the back.

FILE-FISH.

Plectognathi. Ballstida,

A SINGLE individual of the European File-fish is re-
corded to have been captm-ed (on the Sussex coast) in
1827. It belongs to a very numerous and important
family in the tropical seas, the Balistida. The fishes
belonging to this group are called file-fish, in conse-
quence of the first dorsal fin being studded up the front

GUN LOCK ACTION OF FIN EAY, 89

with numerous small ^projections, which give it a rough,
denticulated appearance. The term Balistes refers to
another peculiarity in the structure of this and the
second spine. The hones or rays of the first dorsal

riLE-FiSH [Balistes capriscus).

fin are so contrived as to act in concert, with con-
siderable force, in suddenly elevating the fin at the
pleasure of the animal. Though the foremost or largest
be pressed ever so hard, it will not stir; but if the
last or smallest ray of all be pressed but very slightly,
the other two immediately fall down with it, as a
cross-bow is let off by pulling down the trigger. For
this reason the fish is called at Rome '' pesce balcstra,''
the latter name having been used by the Romans for an
engine of war, constructed on a somewhat similar
principle, for throwing dar:s and arrows. I have
shown this wonderful structure to my fi'iend Mr. W. R.
Pape, the well-known gun and rifle maker of Newcastle-
on-Tyne. He was much struck with (I was going to
write) the ingenuity of its conformation, and has promised
he will see if he cannot adopt its principle for some of
his safety rifle locks.

90

GAR-FISH, OR SEA PIKE.

Pharyngognaihi. Scombercsocidoi.

[Belone rostrata. Belone vulgaris.)

Local Names : Longnose, Gorehill, Greenback, Greenhone, Guard-
Jish, Gar-pike, Faap, Mackerel, Hornheak, Hornfish, Mackerel-
guide, Sea-needle, Old Wife, WJmup fish. German : Der
Hornheclit. Danish : Hornfish. Dutch : Be Geep. French :
L' Orphie.

Gar-fish, or Sea Pike, alias Mackerel-guide, Green-
bone, Sea-needle, or Garrick, appears in shoals about
April, and remains till late in autumn. Its length is
from eighteen inches to two feet; the jaws are very long,
slender, and sharp pointed, with numbers of small teeth;

GAR-FISH [Esox belone).

and the body is very slender. On account of its leaving
deep water in spring, to spawn near the shore, preceding
the mackerel, it has received the name of "mackerel-
guide." Daring winter it retires into the unknown
depths of the ocean. On many occasions these gorebills
are very serviceable as bait.

The late Mr. Couch, writing in Land and Water of
December 8, 1866, makes the following valuable re-
marks : —

" The protruded jaws of the gar-fish (commonly called
by fishermen gore -fish) bear some scarcely distant like-
ness to, at least, the upper jaw of the sword-fish, but
being armed with teeth, they are, for the most part, used
for laying hold of its prey, until it has an opportunity

HABITS OF GAR -FISH. 91

of swallowing it at its leisure ; for when an imitative bait
is attacliecT to a liook, with the boat under sail, the
grasp becomes so firm as to drag the tempting morsel
away without the necessity of biting it through. There
are instances, however, where something beyond the
impulse of appetite moves the fish. In the middle of the
summer I received from a skilful and obliging fisherman
a mackerel, "which, among others, had been taken in a
drift-net, and which had a conspicuous wound which
XDenetrated the body near the pectoral fin, clearly show-
ing that it had been inflicted a few days before its cap-
ture. This fish was not visibly emaciated, although
from the size of the wound and the important parts
through which it had penetrated, the injury might be
judged to have been of a most formidable nature, and
the instrument by which it had been inflicted was still
remaining where it was pierced. This was the upper
jaw^ of the gar-fish, which had entered on the one side ;
it projected on the other side for about the fourth of an
mch, at which part the wound was larger, more torn,
and bore a much more morbid apj)earance. The lower
jaw^ of the gar-fish was not in the wound, and there is
little doubt it had been withdi-awn b}'' the gar-fish ; the
broken jaw had been broken oft' close to the forehead.
I made the inquiry among the fishermen whether such
a case as this was known, and I w^as informed that a
short time previously one of them had caught with a
line a gar-fish, in which both the protruded jaws had
been broken off close to the head, the cause of which
may now be guessed at."

In my museum can be seen a series of gar-pike from
the egg up to the adult fish. I have discovered that
the eggs are covered with spiculcc, which have the eftect
of making them to adhere to weeds, &c.

92 GLOBE-FISH.

The bones of the gar-pike are of a beautiful green
colour, but they are not poisonous. I do not know
what the colouring matter is, it is not copper. Tliese
fish are often plentiful in the London markets ; they
are very good eating.

Eesembling the preceding sj)ecies in general appear-
ance, but very much smaller (from a foot to eighteen
inches) is the Saury Pike, or Skipper.

SAURY PIKE {Esox saiirus).

In Britain it is a migratory fish, appearing usually in
the autumn, in abundance at one time and sparingly or
not at all at another. These fish do not swim in deep
water ; they are rapid in their movements, and in their
manners resemble the flying-fish.

GLOBE-FISH.

Plectognathi, Diodontida:,

{Tetrodon pennantil.)

Tms s]3ecies are remarkable for being provided with tbe
means of suddenly assuming a globular form, by swal-
lowing air, which, passing into the crop, or first
stomach, blows up the whole animal like a balloon.
The abdominal region being thus rendered the lightest,
the body is said to turn over," and the fish to float upon
its back without having the power of directicg itself
during this state of forced distention. The body is

* I should like to Lave this statement coufirmcd.

GOBIKS.

93

usually oblong, and it is only when alarmed tliat the
fish has recourse to this admirable mode of self-defence.

GLOBE-FISH [Tetrodou stellatus).

I hear that in the warm seas, where these fish are
found, the local boys, ever up to mischief, make these
fellows blow themselves up, and when they are quite
tight, they hit them smartly with a stick, and the poor
fish explodes with a crack. This may be said to be the
pouter pigeon among fish.

GOBIES.

Acantlwpteri. Gobioida;

Couch figm-es eleven kinds of gobies : the Paganellus,
the yellow goby, the little goby, the two- spotted goby,
the broad-finned goby, the spotted goby, the one- spotted
goby, the speckled goby, the transparent goby, the
slender goby. I would refer my reader to his admu-able
figiu'es and descriptions.

The Gobies proper, or Sea Gudgeons (German : Meer-
{jrimdel), are apparently of little value, beyond supply-
ing food for other fishes. They are easily recognised by
the peculiar form of the ventral fins, which are united on
each side, so as to form a circular funnel-shaped cavity.

94

THE CORXISH SUCKER.

The speckled or spotted goby is not only common
on all om: sandy shores, where it is constantly taken by
the sln-impers, but is also plentiful in the Thames, where
it is know by the name of Polewig, or Polly-bait. They
delight to bask in shallow pools, where, when motionless,
it is difficult to detect them, their backs being precisely
the colour of the sand on which tbey rest.

BLACK GOBY, ROCK GOBY [Gobius nigcr).

In Land and Watn-, March 20, 1875, Mr. Henry Lee
thus describes the Cornish Sucker : —

" I have to note this week the arrival at the Brighton
Aquarium, from St. Austell, of twenty-four ' sucking

CORNISH SUCKER {Lepadogostcr cornuhiensis).

fish ' of the species known as the ' Cornish sucker '
(Lepadogaster gouanii). It is one of the family named
by Cuvier the ' Discoboli,' because in some members
of it, on the under surface of the body, the united rays
of the ventral fins form a flattened disc like the ancient
quoit. The middle portion of the disc is flexible, and
capable of retraction or the contrary ; so that when the

HABITS OF THE SUCKER. 9 ^*'

soft leathery margin is ai^plied to a flat surface, and the
cientral pad di'awn inward, a vacuum is produced, and
by the * sucker ' the fish adheres to rocks and stones,
(generally . near to low water mark, amidst the dash
and foam of the breakers) and there holds on so firmly
that it is not easily dislodged, even by the roughest
waves."

Gouan named this species " Le Barbier " and " Le
porte Ecuelle."

His simile refers to the resemblance between the
sucker and a barber's brass or copper shaving basin.

The Cornish sucker attains to a length of between
three and four inches. It is without scales and has a
soft though tough skin. The posterior portion of the
head is very broad, but it suddenly becomes nan-ower
before the eyes, and is produced into a long-depressed
snout, something like a duck's bill. In front of the inner
corner of each eye are two flattened cirrhi or filaments,
the longest about one-tenth of an inch in length, and
both of a bright crimson colour, looking very much
like the first growth of a young red sea-weed. The
sucker differs much in structure from that of the Lump-
fish [Cyclopteriis Inmpus). It consists not of a complete
single disc, but of two parts separated from each other,
the one being in connection with the ventral, and the
other with the pectoral fins.

The specimens which I have received varied very
much in colomration.

But in all, on the back of the head or nape of the neck,
are two conspicuous marks, like a pair of eyes. Each
of these consists of a large, rather oval spot of deep
purple, enclosed within a pale brown ring, and having
in the centre a dot or purple of most intense blue, more
brilliant than the tiu-quoise.

96 VAKIOUS SPECIES OF SUCKEKS.

The Cornish sucker has been found in the Mediter-
ranean, the Black Sea, and at Madeira, as well as on
the south-west coast of England. It deposits its eggs
within the shells of oysters, scallops, and other bivalves.

The Unctuous Sucker, or Sea- snail [Cijclopterns
liparis), is so called from the soft and slimy texture of
its body. It is almost transparent. It is common on
many parts of the coast, and especially near the mouths
of rivers. The length is fi'om four to six inches ; it
is of a pale brown colour, irregularly striped with lines
of a darker shade, giving it a variegated appearance.

Montagu's Sucker, or the Diminutive Sucking Fish, is a
very small species, inhabiting the rocky parts of the coast.

Montagu's sucker [Cyclopterus montagul).

It seldom exceeds three inches in length, and is of a dull
orange colour, varied with bluish tints. It is often
found under stones. When adhering to any object, it
has the habit of curving the tail forward towards the
head.

The Bimaculated Sucker [Lepadogaster himacidatus)
resembles the former, but is smaller, and the head more
depressed, and the body more tapering. It is so called
from two marks on the sides, which, however, are not
always obvious. The prevailing colom- is a fine red ;
the under side flesh-coloured. It is obtained in deep
dredging, and adheres to stones and old shells.

Allied to the Gobies, and classed with them, are the
Dragonets, of which we have two species. The Gemmeous
Dragonet, so called~_from its brilliant gem-like coloui's.

THE DRAGONET. 97

The second name, Dragonet, probably originated from
its large wing-like fins, and speckled appearance, which
induced some naturalists to think the species allied to
the flying fishes. It is a handsome fish, with a smooth
skin, and having the head singularly striped with blue,
on yellowish ground. When just taken its appearance
is most beautiful. The first ray of the first dorsal fin

GEMMEOUS DRAGONET {" Call 1071 yvuis hjra,'^ or Yellow Shul;pin).

is very extraordinarily elongated, so as to suggest the
resemblance to the strings of a musical instrument.
Hence its classical name Lyra. It is not a common
fish on our coasts ; it frequents deep waters, and keeps
close to the bottom. The length is from ten to twelve
inches. Two specimens of this curious little fish were
washed ashore at Wick during a gale ; one of them
being newly killed was very brilliant in its varied colours
on being first observed. I have a specimen in my
museum caught off Hastings, and kindly presented by
Dr. Bowerbank.

The Sordid or Dusky Dragonet {CaUiovymus dracun-
cuius) is probably so called from its dingy hues, com-
pared with its congener.

8

98

GOLD-FISH.

Ahdominales Malacopterygii. Cijprinidm.

{Cijprinus auratus.)

Local names : Golden Carp. French : Cyprin dore de la chine.
German : Gold-fisch and Silver-fisch. Chinese : Kin-gso-
Japanese : Kin-jun.

This fish originally came from some lakes near the
mountains of Tchanghou-the-Kiang. It is said to have
been introduced into England in 1611, in the ninth year
of the reign of James I. Another story is that it was
introduced from China to St. Helena, and thence
brought to England in 1728, the second j^ear of the
reign of George 11. I have searched in vain to find
any authority for any of these statements, and should
be very much obliged for the information.

I was highly amused, not very long ago, to observe
that an artist had painted a scene supposed to have
taken i^lace at Pompeii, in which gold - fish were re-
presented as swimming about in a glass globe. How
could the inhabitants of Pomx>eii, in the year a.d. 79,
have possibly known anything about China ? Gold-fish,
as we all know, are now become very common, and I may
say that they are the only fish that may be really called
domesticated. Through ignorance I am afraid these
poor gold-fish are often very cruelly treated b}" being
put in the hot sun, or else allowed to suffer from the cold
in winter, and by starvation. Gold-fish should have,
if possible, on the top of the water, a layer of duckweed,
which should be frequently changed ; also a few sprigs
of valesneria should be kept at the bottom bv being
fastened on to a stone. Do not give them bread, as it
only fouls the water, but give them scalded vermicelli,
and little red worms found in rain-water butts and

GOLD-FISH BREEDING. 99

liorse-ponds.''' These fish vary much in colour. When
young they are black or brown ; they afterwards be-
come gradually red, also yellow, or spotted with yellow
and black, or even white.

Little or no attention has been paid to crossing fish
in this country, nor have experiments been made as to
the reason of the alteration of their colour. Much has
been done with various coloured mice, pigeons, canaries,
&c. Here, then, is a grand field open for experiments
with gold-fish. Gold-fish will live and thrive very well
in warm water, and would do very well in the reservoirs
of water in ordinary greenhouses and vineries.

In Land and Water, May 3, 1879, No. 693, is a most in-
teresting and important account of two gold-fish breed-
ing establishments in Germany and in Austria — the one
being conducted by Frei Herr Max von Washington, at
Schloss Poels, near Werndorf, in Styria ; and the other
by Mr. C. Wagner, in the neighbourhood of Oldenburg,
and 67, Leipzig Street, Berlin. At Oldenburg there
are 120 ponds, covering some 7| acres of wet peat land,
bordering on the river Hunte. Some of the water is
obtained from a hemp- spinning factory. The tempera-
ture is sometimes very high, as high as 100° Farenheit.
The temperature is kept up by means of steam-pipes
from the factory. I commend this idea to many gentle-
men who have ponds connected with factories, into
which waste steam may be carried. The temperatm^e can
be kept up to a high degree by means of an inexpensive
arrangement of escape pipes from the engine. The first
brood of fish is obtained in March or April, and the
second, or even third, between July' and September.
The stock consists of about 3,000 head. It is much im-
proved by the introduction of Italian and Portuguese

* See also Tench.

100 VAEIETIES OF GOLD-FISH.

blood. Mr. Wagner feeds them on an insect dietary,
such as blood worms, insect larvae, and ants' eggs, with
clotted blood and barley, also finely-chopped meat,
either cooked or raw. The fry born in the spring grow
to the size of an inch to two or more inches by the
autumn, and are then sold as globe fish. By means of
judicious crossing he has obtained many varieties, such as
the '^ telescope fish," the " dolphin head," the " double-
tail," and the " Narwhal." They are transported in an
oval cask with a j)erforated bung on the side. The cask is
not filled ; the splashing of the water aerates it. They
are sent long distances, such as to Denmark, Kussia,
Italy, England, &c. My friend Mr. Jamrach, the well-
known animal dealer, of 180, St. George's Street, E.,
often has large consignments of these fish, which, though
small, are very handsome and good coloured.

GUDGEON.

Abdominales Malacopterygii. Cyprinidcs,

[Gohco jiuviatilis, Cyprinus goheo.)

Local name : Googen, Gogone. German : Grundling, GressUng,
Krehsfi.scli. French : Le Goujon. Dutch : Grondell. Italian :
Gohione.

To the fishermen living on the banks of the Thames
the Gudgeon is one of the most valuable of our British
fishes, inasmuch as fishing for the brave little fellow,
which gives such excellent sport, is an excuse for many
a pleasant outing.

When in the 2nd Life Guards at Windsor I used to
devote much of my spare time to gudgeon-fishing in
the Thames, and have now in my room a water-colour
drawing of the two brothers Eeid, the Eiding-master
and the Adjutant, who were my constant companions in

ANGLING FOR GUDGEON. 101

gudgeon-fishing. Gudgeon are a true bottom fish, and
always swim in shoals. They feed among the weed at
the bottom of the river, and more especially on the
worms and other insects that lay among the gravel. If
good sport is desired in gudgeon-fishing, it is necessary,
as old Finmore, the fisherman, used to say, to " keep
scratching their back," that is to say, a heavy iron rake
is thrown out of the punt and the bottom of the river
below the swim is well raked. If there are any gudgeons
about, they will soon be brought up to the swim by the
clouds of mud which float down the river. It fi-equently

GUDGEON.

happens that one catches all the gudgeons which arrive
in answer to the first raking operation. It is therefore
necessary, then, to *' scratch their backs" again, which,
being continued, brings up fresh arrivals. The gudgeon's
bite, as shown by the float, is a merry one. All on a
sudden you see the float dance again and then dis-
appear under water. At that moment strike, and you
are nearly sure of your fish. You must be very careful
to strike very smartly every time the float arrives at
the end of the swim, as sometimes the gudgeon coquettes
with the bait, and if you are not quick enough when he
is making up his mind you lose him altogether. The
gudgeon fisherman has to serve an ax)prenticeship as to
taking the proper depth with the plummet. Unless the
worm, which is the best bait, swims exactly right, and

102 HABITS OF THE GUDGEON.

the line is shot into the exact depth, you will catch no
gudgeons, although there may be thousands in the
swim. The fisherman who goes out in the punt must
not be deprived of his glass of ale for his instructions
in these matters.

When out gudgeon-fishing on the Thames, be sure
and take a frying-pan, as gudgeons taken out of the
water and immediately fried are delicious. Clean, wipe,
and flour, then well fiy in boiling fat, or, better, in oil,
till they are crisp and of a light brown colom\ Such a
fish dinner is always a great feature in a pic-nic on a
fine day.

The habits of the gudgeon are little understood, as
some years they are very abundant and other years
very scarce ; and it not unfrequently happens that they
disappear from localities where they have been plentiful
for years. The cause of this is unknown, and I leave
it for our friends, to whom we fish cultm'ists would be
exceedingly obliged if the cause of these appearances
and disappearances of the gudgeon can be explained.
The gudgeons are said to spawn in the months of April
and May, and the French authorities say they require
a month to hatch out.

The best months for gudgeon-fishing are August,
September, October, and even November. The angler
will observe that among his catch some may be very
little fish, while others are of three times the size.
Here, then, is another difiiculty. What is the age of
these fish, and to which hatchings do they belong ?
in. the winter the gudgeons go into very deep holes.
Favourite spots for them when in the biting humour
about Windsor are the deep holes di-edged out of the bed
of the Thames by the dredging, locally called ballast,
barges, from which, by the way, I have often procured.

THE gudgeon's EVIDENCE. 103

when out giidgeon-fisliing, many fine specimens of what
the bargees call "water-bones," i.e., antlers and other
bones of the ancient British red deer and roebuck
and where, every now and then, I have procured speci-
mens of Roman swords and other antiquities.

To lawyers the poor innocent gudgeon may be a very
serviceable fish, for he may be brought as a witness
into court to prove that pollutions are not injurious to
salmon or trout fisheries. A live gudgeon is placed, in
the presence of the judge and jury, in the polluted
water and he does not " turn up," therefore the counsel
argues the manufactures or the town sewer is not in
fault, as the water allowed to flow into the river is not
injurious to fish life. If an expert in fishery matters
does not happen to be present, this gudgeon's argument
will go down, as the judge and jury probably are not
aware that gudgeon are very fond of living in sewer-
water as long as it is just running, whereas the same
water would be almost immediately fatal to a trout or
young salmon. The largest gudgeon I ever caught
were in a sewer which ran along the east side of the
college meads at "Winchester.

GURNARDS.

AcanthopterL Sclerogenida.

Local name : Grey Gurnard. German : Ber graue Seehahn.

Swedish : Knot. Dutch : Boon. French : Trigle Gonrnan.
Local name : Saphiririe Gurnard. German : Die Seescliwalhe or

der Knurrhahn. Dutch : De Groote Roode Poon.

The Elleck, Red Fish, Soldier, Red Gurnard, Rotchet
{TrUjla cucidus), is caught on the west coast of
England and Ireland at all seasons ; it is usually about
a foot in length ; it inhabits moderately deep water,
and feeds upon shell-fish, crabs, &c. ; it takes a bait,
and is caught in trawls.

101

THE TUB-FISH AND THE PIPER.

TheSappliirine Gurnard, or Tab-Fish (Trigla Idrundo),
or Swallow Gurnard. The name " tub " is derived from
a word which signifies short and thick, and of which
the word " tubbot," frequently used in the west of
England, is the adjective. The fins of the fish are of a
most lovely blue ; it grows to a large size — as much as
lllbs. In June, 1869, I received from Dr. Norman, of
Yarmouth, a very fine specimen of this fish ; it was two
feet and one inch in length, said to be the largest ever
caught on that coast.

The Piper {Trigla hjra). In November, 1871, Mr.
Frank Gosden, of Exeter, presented me with a very
handsome specimen of the piper, which is now in my

RED GURNARD [Trigla cuculus).

museum. Mr. Couch says the piper is little known in
the north of England, and is not numbered among the
fishes of Scotland. It is far from rare on the west
coast, except in winter, when it seeks deep water ; it
resembles the tub-fish, but is held in greater estimation
for the table. The colours are very brilliant ; the
head, back, and sides of a pink or scarlet, and nearly
white on the belly ; the fins more or less red. It is
said to obtain its name from being somewhat the shape
of an ancient musical instrument, or from the peculiar
noise it makes when taken out of the water.

VARIETIES OF GURNARDS. 105

The Streaked Gurnard, or the Unbearded Mullet
{Micllus imhehris, Trigla lineata). It is a rare fish, and
has its pectoral fins coloured like the end of the tail of
a peacock.

The Grey Gurnard, Gowdie, Hardhead (CztcitZHS grisens,
Trigla gurnardus), Crooner, Croonack. To "croon" mean-
ing in Scotland to make a dull croaking noise. It is a
common fish in the British markets, and is caught on
the northern coasts of Scotland and Ireland, as well as
in the south and west of England. It generally lives
at the bottom of the sea, but often ascends to the
surface in fine weather in large numbers.

Bloch's Gurnard [Trigla blocJdi) : so called after the
naturalist Bloch.

Langthorn Gurnard, Shining Gurnard, Long-finned
Csi'pi3im(T?'iglahicer)U(, Trigla ohscura, Trigla milan). The
langthorn gurnard is more slender than others of this
genus ; it was first discovered by Dr. Parnell, who ob-
tained it from the Brixham trawlers : they called it the
*' long-finned captain," on account of the length of the
two or three first rays of the first dorsal fin. It scarcely
reaches a foot in length.

The Little Gurnard (Trigla p(Xciloptera). I have
never seen a specimen ; it is said to be taken at Wey-
mouth.

The head of the gurnard is so armed with bones as
to remind one of the appearance of knights in armour.
They are also furnished with three rays at the base of
each pectoral fin, which help the fish, as organs of touch,
to find its food at the bottom.

These three rays are used in a very peculiar manner.
In June, 1843, my father, the late Dean of Westminster,
read a paper on this subject before the Ashmolean
Society at Oxford, which I now quote, as it has never

106 GURNARDS WALKING ON SEA BOTTOM.

yet been made public, except in the proceedings of the
Society.

Dr. Buckland made a commmiication on other modes
of locomotion than swimming in the family of fishes,
and showed that the fins in certain genera perform the
functions of feet and wings. Several fishes of the
Lopliiid(B family, or " Fishing frogs," have the fins con-
verted into feet or paddles, by means of which some
species have the power of crawling and hopping on sand
and mud. The Climbing Perch ( Perca or Anabas scandeus)
of the Indian rivers is known to live a long time in the
air, and to climb up the stems of palm-trees in pursuit
of flies by means of spinous projections on its gill-
covers. Fishes of the Silnrus family have a bony en-
largement of the first ray of the pectoral fin, which is
also armed with spines, and this organ is not only an
offensive and defensive weapon, but may also give am-
bulatory movements along the bottom of the waters
which these fish inhabit. The flying-fish are notorious
examples of the conversion of fins into an organ of
movement in the air.

M. Deslongchamps has published, in the '' Transac-
tions of the Linnffian Society of Normandy, 1842," an
account of his observations on the ambulatory move,
ments of the gurnard {Trigla) at the bottom of the sea.
In 1839 he had an opportunity of observing these move-
ments in one of the artificial sea-ponds or fishing-traps
surrounded by nets on the shore of Normandy. He
saw a score of gurnards closing their fins against their
sides like the wings of a fly in repose, and without any
movement of their tails walking along the bottom by
means of six free rays, three on each pectoral fin,
which they placed successively on the ground. They
moved rapidly forwards and backwards, to the right and

ICHTHYOPATOLITES, OK FOSSIL FISH TRACKS. 107

left, groping in all directions with these rays as
if in search of small crabs ; their great heads and
bodies seem to throw hardly any weight on these slender
rays or feet, being suspended in water, and having their
weight further diminished by their swimming-bladder.
During these movements the gurnards resembled insects
rmming along the sand. When M. Deslongchamps
moved in the water the fish swam away rapidly to the
extremity of the pond ; when he stood still they re-
sumed their ambulatory movement and came between
his legs. On dissection we find these three anterior
rays on each pectoral fin to be supported each with
strong muscular apparatus to direct their movements,
apart from the muscles that are connected with the
smaller rays of the pectoral fin.

Dr. Buckland then stated that Miss Potts, of Chester,
had sent him a large flagstone from a coal-shaft at
Mostyn, bearing impressions which he supposed to be
the trackway of some fish crawling along the bottom by
means of the anterior rays of its pectoral fins. There
were no indications of feet, but only scratches sym-
metrically dis]3osed on each side of a space that may
have been covered by the body of the fish whilst making
progress by pressing its fin-bones on the bottom. As
yet no footsteps of reptiles or of any animals more
highly organised than fishes have been found in strata
older than those which belong to the triassic or new red
sandstone series, of which the cheirotherium of
Germany and Cheshire, and the ornithicnites of Con-
necticut, are notorious examples. The abundant remains
of fossil fishes armed with strong bony spines, and of
other fishes allied to the gurnard, in strata of carboni-
ferous and old red sandstone series, would lead us to
expect the frequent occurrence of impressions made by

108 HABITS OF THE HADDOCK.

tlie locomotive organs on the bottom of tlie ancient
waters in which they Hved. Dr. Buckland proposes to
designate these petrified traces or trackways of ancient
fishes by the term ichthyopatolites or fish-tracks.

HADDOCK.

Anacanthini Thoracici. Gadida.

[Gadus cpglejinus.)

GermsLii : Der Schellfisch. Bsinish : Kuller. Iceland : Ise. Dutch:
Schelvisch, French : L' Eglefin.

The Haddock is a very valuable commercial fish. It
frequents our coasts, from the extreme north to the
Land's End, swimming in immense shoals, which seem
very uncertain as to their re-appearance in places they
have formerly visited. In stormy weather these fish
refuse to take any bait, and seek refuge among the sea-
weeds, in deep waters, until calm be restored. Their
food are small fish, herrings' eggs, crabs, brittle stars,
&c.

HADDOCK {Morrhua, Gadus ceglefinus).

Haddocks are cured by smoking in saw-dust or burn-
ing fir branches ; and the farfamed Scotch "baddies"
come principally from Findon, near Aberdeen.

The common weight of the haddock is from two to
four pounds.

The curing of haddock for the London market is

CURING HADDOCKS. 109

chiefly carried on by the costermongers on the Surrey
side of the river Thames, in the neighbourhood of
Camberwell. Mr. J. K. Lord thus writes in Land and
Water : — '* The tenements generally have a yard at the
back, and the description of one will suffice for the
majority. Emerging from the passage, I find myself
in a small railed enclosure redolent of fish-like perfumes,
and ranged around close to the rails are tubs, pans, and
I may say vessels of all descriptions, filled with a fluid
of a 3'ellow colour and of an oily consistence. This,
I am informed, is the ' pickle,' a solution of salt and
water. Occupying one corner stands a sort of sentry-
box or curing-house. It is composed of scraps of plank,
staves of casks, fragments of oil-cloth, and old rags for
caulking ; numerous ledges are nailed along two of the
sides. The haddocks are brought into the enclosure,
and girls and boys at once commence removing the
heads from the fish, split them open, scrape off all the
dirt, and plunge them into the pickling-tubs according
to size. The fish soak in the pickle for about three
hours, and then the * skewering up' process commences.
The larger haddocks are first, one by one, taken from
the tubs, and a peeled rod is passed through each fish
until they are as many as the rod will contain ; the ends
are laid upon the lowermost ledges in rows until filled
up, and so on until the smallest are on the top ledges.
A fire is kindled upon the ground, which is kept
smouldering by the judicious application of sawdust
underneath the haddocks. The * curing-house ' is closely
shut up, and when the haddocks are sufficiently tinged
of a yellow colour they are considered to be cured.
From six to eight hours is quite sufficient time to
enable a skilled ' curer to split, salt, and smoke a load
of haddocks fit for sale.' "

110

HAKE.

Anaeanthini Thoracici. Gadida.

(Merlucius vulgaris.)

German • Meerhecht, merlan. Danish : Kulmule, Norwegian :
Berglax. French : Merluche.

It has an extensive range, being found in the northern
seas and in the Mediterranean. It commonly measures
nearly two feet in length, but not unfrequently exceed-
ing three. It is of a slender, elongated form ; the head
large, broad, and flat ; the mouth very wide, and
armed with very long and sharp teeth, the lower jaw
being the longest. Off the Cornish coast, this fish is a
constant attendant on the shoals of pilchards. They
are a coarse fish ; large quantities are annually pre-
served by salting and drying, part of w^hich are ex-
ported to Spain. We frequently see the soundings
marked in sea-charts as consisting of '' Hake's teeth."
I am investigating this subject, and it appears that
the ''Hake's teeth " are really a shell. (See Appendix,
p. 383.)

HAKE {Gadus merlucius, Mcrhicius vulgaris).

An uncommon fish is the Great Forked Beard, or
Forked Hake. It is found sometimes off the Cornish
shores, where it keeps in deep w^aters. But little is
known of the natural history of this fish. Its appear-
ance is well marked by the long bi-forked cirri on the

FORKED BEARDS.

Ill

lower part of the head, as well as by the sharp tri-
angular fin on the back, which precedes a second,
resembling that of the torsk. Its length is from

GREAT FORKED HAKE {Phijsis furcatus, Ble7inius pJiTjsis).

eighteen inches to two feet. It is known among fisher-
men by the name of •* Hake's Dame."

The Lesser Forked Beard, called the Tadpole Fish
(Baniceps jago, RanicejJS trifurcatus, Barhus minor). Its

TADPOLE FISH.

singular appearance is well expressed by its name, which
refers to the broad, depressed, fi'og-like head, which,
being attached to a rapidly-tapering and compressed
body, gives its general form much resemblance to a tad-
pole. The likeness is still further increased by the colour,
which is either very dark brown or black, the folding of
the lips only being snow-white. It is one of the rarest
British species, and previously known only as an inhabi-
tant of the shores of Cornwall.

112

THE HERRING.

Abdominales Malacopterygii. Clupeidce.

(Cliipea harengus.)

German : Der Haring. Danish : Sild. Norwegian : Straalsild.
Swedish : Sill. Dutch : Haring. French : Le Rareng.

On the 1st March, 1879, the Commissioners appointed
to inquire into the Herring Fisheries of Scotland pre-
sented their report to Parliament through the Home
Secretary.

The Commissioners were Frank Buckland, Esq.,
Spencer Walpole, Esq., and Ai'chibald Young, Esq.

As the Parliamentary Blue Book has not probably
been read by the general public, I shall now give an
abstract of it : —

"In pursuance of our instructions we held inquiries
at the following places, viz. : — On the east coast at
Eyemouth, Anstruther, Montrose, Aberdeen, Peter-
head, Fraserburgh, Banff, Buckie, Lossiemouth, Burg-
head, Inverness, Helmsdale, Lybster, and Wick ; in
the Orkney and Shetland Islands, at Kirkwall and Ler-
wick ; on the west coast and in the western islands, at
Stornoway, Tarbert (Harris), Ullapool, Balmacarra,
Fort "William, Inverary, Crerae, Loch Gair, Ardris-
haig, Tarbert (Argyllshire), Campbeltown, Girvan, and
Ballantrae. We also sat at Edinburgh, and at
Glasgow.

" We received much valuable information and assist-
ance from numerous gentlemen, fishery officers, fish-
curers, fish-salesmen, fishermen, and others. We are
bound especially to acknowledge the assistance readily
afforded to us by the Hon. Bouverie F. Primrose, the

SCOTCH HERRING COMMISSION. 113

Secretary to the Scotch AVhite Herring Fishery Board
and his inspectors and officers, to aid us in every way
in their power.

'* Herrings are caught off ahnost every portion of the
coasts of Scotland. But the herring fisheries in Scot-
land do not everywhere commence at the same ]3eriod.

*'The shoals or armies of hei-rings '•' appear on the
north-west coast of Scotland in the beginning or middle
of May, The great fishery in the Minch, the sea
between the Long Island and the mainland, is prose-
cuted from about the middle of May to the beginning of
July.

" The fishery on the east coast commences about the
middle or the end of July, and continues till the begin-
ning or middle of September.

" On the south-west of Scotland, and in Loch Fyne,
the period of the fishery partially coincides with that on
east coast.

" On the Ballantrae bank, off the coast off Ayrshire,
the great fishery is in February and March.

*' The herrings taken in the Minch in May and June
are technically known as ' matties.' They are imma-
ture fish, with the milt and roe undeveloped. They are
principally sold in theEassian markets, where they are
regarded as a delicacy, and the great Kussian families
are in the habit of obtaining for their own use an early
barrel of Scotch matties.

"The great majority of the herrings caught on the east
are, on the contrary, spawning or breeding fish. Dur-
ing latter end of July and the greater part of August
they are full of milt and roe. In that condition they
command the highest brand given by the White

* The word herring is derived from the Dutch word " Herr," an
army.

9

114 SCOTCH HERRING FISHERIES.

Herring Board, and are classed as ' Crown Fulls.' Late
in August the fish deposit their spawn, and are after-
wards known as ' spent ' or ' shotten ' herrings. All
these brands are purchased by fish curers, and exported
via Hamburg and Stettin to the great continental mar-
kets of Eussia, the whole of Germany, and even as far
as the Turkish frontier.

*' The fish caught in Loch Fyne, like the fish caught
on the east coast, are chiefly ' mature ' and 'full' fish.
They are superior in quality to any other Scotch
herrings, and command a market of their own as 'Loch
Fyne herrings.' The majority of them are sold fresh,
either in Glasgow or some of the great English towns,
where, from their size and their flavour, they are held
in high estimation.

" The fish taken on the Ballantrae Bank, off the Ayr-
shire coast, in February and March, are also spawning
or spawned fish, and are chiefly sold in a fresh state.
The Ayrshire fishery is the only instance of an exten-
sive fishery for full and spent herrings at that time of
the year ; the fishery for spawning fish at all other
parts of the coast is conducted in the summer or
autumn, and not in the winter or spring.

" The west coast fishery for matties in May and June,
the east coast fishery in July and August, the Loch
Fyne fishery in the summer and autumn, and the
winter fishery on the coast of Ayrshire, form the four
most important fisheries for herrings in Scotland at the
present time. But herrings are caught in other parts
of Scotland, and in most of those parts at all times of
the year. They are largely used as bait for cod and
ling, and for the long lines generally ; and their use in
this respect is of especial importance."

Those w^lio are interested in the herring fisheries

CONCLUSIONS OF HERRING COMMISSIONERS. 115

sliould study the evidence given to our Commission, and
also our report an analysis of which, as well as the con-
clusions at which we arrived, is now given.

Conclusions of the Herring Commissioners : —

" 1. The herring fishery on the coast of Scotland, as
a whole, has increased and is increasing.

" 2. Legislation in past periods has had no appreci-
able effect.

'' 3. Nothing that man has yet done, and nothing that
man is likely to do, has diminished, or is likely to
diminish, the general stock of herrings in the sea.

" 4. Either from the operations of man, however, or
from some other cause, the herrings have been de-
terred from entering the firths and sea-lochs of Scot-
land in the same numbers as formerly.

'' 5. The fishery for herrings has in consequence
been gradually prosecuted farther and farther fi'om the
land, especially on the east coast.

"6. The supply of herrings to the public market
has not been injuriously affected by this circumstance.

" 7. It is, therefore, inexpedient either to impose or
to continue any restriction on the free action of fisher-
men with the view of increasing the stock of herrings-
in the sea.

"8. It is, consequently, desirable to repeal the sec-
tions which nominally impose an annual close season
and a law of mesh on the Scotch hemng fishermen.

" 9. "We think it desirable, however, to continue the
prohibition of the use of movable nets fishing for her-
rings in Scotland on the Sabbath, but such prohibition
should not be accompanied by the heavy penalty which
now attaches its infraction.

" 10. As a mere matter of police it is desirable to
prohibit the use of trawl nets (seine nets) in the Loch

116 HABITS OF THE HEEKING.

Fyne above Otter Spit, and to give the Secretary of
State the power to prohibit the use of trawl nets in
othernarrow waters less than one mile wide.

" 11. It is also desirable to prohibit the shooting of
any movable net between sunrise and sunset.

*' 12. We think it likewise desirable to empower tlie
Secretary of State to prohibit the use of a beam-trawl
in certain places, though the necessity for such a pro-
hibition has in no particular case been fully established
to our satisfaction.

'' 13. The Sea Birds Preservation Act, protecting
gannets and other predaceous birds which cause a vast
annual destruction of herrings, should be repealed in so
far as it applies to Scotland."

In the appendix to this report I have written a
chapter on the natural history of the herring, in which
I have attempted to embody the information given in
the evidence as well as my own personal observations
relative to the anatomy and physiology, enemies, food,
migrations, shoals, spawning, growth, &c., of this most
valuable commercial fish. I have only space for one or
two of my remarks.

THE SHOALS OF HERKINGS.

It seems a special adaptation of Providence that the
herrings should be gregarious, and that they should go
intuitively and voluntarily in large herds, as we should
say in writing about land animals. A herring weighs
on an average a little over five ounces ; if they were
not a gregarious fish they would not be available for the
food of man, and the capture of them would be difficult
and expensive ; but as they are gregarious, vast quanti-
ties of good and nutritous food can be captured readily.

FIVE THOUSAND MILES OF HERRING NETS. 117

The masses of herrings are sometimes so very great
that the nets often sink to the hottom with the immense
weight. It is impossible, of course, to tell the exact
disposal of the battalions, regiments, companies, and
rear and advanced guard of an army of herrings on the
march through the waters of the vast ocean." I have
come to the conclusion that the progress of an army
of herrings through the water may be illustrated by the
observation of a flock of rooks or starlings flying
through the air ; supposing a net were floated hap-
hazard in the air, on the chance of catching a flock
of rooks, the birds might strike the net in a body at
the middle of the net, while the portions of the net to
the right and left of it would catch only comparatively
few birds. So it is with the herrings. If there is no
indication of their whereabouts in the sea by the
appearance of birds, whales, &c.,f a fleet of nets is
floated haphazard. These fleets of nets vary, according
to circumstances, from 1,500 fathoms to 1,800 fathoms,
or over two miles in length, from a single boat. In my
report on the Norfolk fisheries I give the following
statement : — " During the months of September,
October, and November, it would be well within the
mark to state that there are fishing for herrings every
favourable night in the North Sea, between five and
six thousand miles of netting."

* These shoals of herrings are called Bouillons (Boilers) or
Eadeaux (Eafts) by the French fishers. In Loch Fyne a shoal is
sometimes called an "Eye." In Norway a shoal is designated
" Sillglotta."

t A fisherman of Yarmouth had been three weeks at sea without
a fish, and was anxiously watching his fleet of nets, when suddenly
he saw a gull make a sweep at them and fly away with a herring.
In almost a minute the whole fleet of nets were floating on the
water full of herrings : twelve lasts were caught.

118 ENORMOUS SHOxVL OF HEKRINGS.

The nets now used by the Scotch fishermen are made
of cotton, which is much more kilhng than hemp,
inasmuch as the herrings cannot see the nets so easily.

Many of the larger herrings are killed by the net, but
yet are not brought into the market at all. As the net
meets the '' shoal " of herrings, the fish that are suitable
to the dimensions of the net are masked (a very ex-
pressive word) and caught ; the larger herrings swim-
ming against the net put their noses into the mesh of
the net, and continue to fight so much that they will
sometimes push the net on to the surface of the water
forward, commit suicide as it were, and then fall out.
Thus many herrings fall out that are not used at all.
Sometimes half, or even more, get caught by the nose
and are di'owned, but not masked or gilled. These fish
fall out of the net and are lost. A mesh with thii'ty-
three rows to the yard would catch these fish and
would allow the young fish . to go through. These
herrings are caught by a boy in a landmg-net, and
they become his perquisite. A boy with a skim net
will catch one cran out of twenty.

These shoals of herrings are often of enormous
extent. Captain McDonald, of the cruiser Vigilant,
informed us that, at the end of August, 1877, he
fell in with a shoal of herrings in 18 fathoms of water,
or 108ft. deep. This shoal extended for four miles
in length along the coast and was two miles broad.
In order to get some idea of this shoal of herrings I
have scaled out its dimensions on the map of London.
Supposing one end of the shoal to be at the Marble
Arch on the west, the other end on the east, extending
in a straight line, would reach the London Docks
beyond the Tower. The width would be from the
House of Commons to Euston Square Station. Captain

CRAN, BAHREL, LAST, AND MAIZE OF HERRINGS. 119

McDonald states that the shoal was a solid mass of
herrings. There were far more herrings in this shoal
alone than are taken in a year throughout Scotland.

The method of salting herrings, as practised by the
Dutch, is said to have been invented, about 1486, by
"William Beuckel or Beukels, a native of Biervliet, in
Flanders, hence the word '^pickled" herring. This
great benefactor to mankind, a humble but very
observant fisherman, may be said to have laid the
foundation of the Dutch herring fishery, which after-
wards proved to these people a source of great wealth.

MEASUREMENTS OF HERRINGS.

A Cran contains 37^ imperial gallons, or 800 to 1,000
herrings, according to condition.

A cran of immature herrings would contain about
1,000 fish.

A cran full of herrings would contain about 800 fish.

A Barrel contains 700 to 1,000 herrings, according to
condition.

A Last nominallv contains 10,000 fish, and 132
herrings are given for every ] 00 ; therefore at Yar-
mouth a last representing 10,000 herrings contains in
reality 13,200 fish.

A Maize or mease contains 500 herrings.

A cran of garvies contains 4,000 fish. A cran of
fresh herrings yields a barrel of cured fish : the cran
holds more than a barrel, as it contains the herrings
afterwards rejected as too small for curing.

During the course of our Herring Inquiry in Scot-
land my friend and colleague, Mr. Spencer Walpole, made
the original observation, that nearly if not quite all the

120 THE SEA LAMPREY.

herrings taken in the Scotch fisheries were exported to
Protestant countries (see p. 114), whereas the take of
Cornish pilchards were exported to Eoman Catholic
countries (see p. 165). There must he some good
physiological reason for this curious fact.

THE SEA LAMPREY.

Dermopteri. Petromyzomda.

[Petromyzon marimis.)

Local names : Sea Lamprey, Lamhereel, Eainper-eel, Spotted Lam-
prey, Spanker-eel, Say-nay. German : Die Lamprete, See
Lamprete, Meerpricke, Wasseriinke. Danish : Havlamprete.
French : La Lamproie de Mer. Italian : Lamprea marina.

My friend Mr. J. K. Lord has embodied in an article
in Land and Water, July 13, 1867, the following inform-

LAMPREY [Petromyzon marinus).

ation on lampreys, and I shall therefore quote it in
its integrity.

*' The Lamprey belongs to the second order of fishes
{Ci/clostomata), or in other words, round-mouthed fishes.
This order contains only two families — firstly the lam-
preys, and secondly the group Myxinida:. ; the Myxine
glutmosa is well known to fishermen as the ' hag.' The
lamprey (Petromyzon, which means stone-sucker) is
decidedly an ugly fish and very reptilian in look. It
has a tough, scaleless, mottled skin, and is perfectly

STRUCTURE OF LAMPREY. 121

devoid of both pectoral and ventral fins. A long
fleshy fold of the skin rims round the hinder end of the
body, but having no true rays it can hardly be called a
fin. The skeleton is entirely cartilaginous ; there are
no ribs or other appendages, and the skull is quite rudi-
mentary. The mouth is a singular affair, not unlike
the large end of a funnel, dotted all over with small
hook-like teeth. Any living thing caught in this for-
midable trap would stand but a sorry chance of ever
getting out again. The breathing apparatus is ex-
tremely curious, and wonderfully adapted to fulfil the
purposes for which it is intended. Instead of gills, as
in ordinary fishes, the breathing organs in lampreys
are in the shape of tiny sacs, the inner surfaces of
which are thickly covered with a perfect network of
blood-vessels. There are seven of these sacs on each
side of the fish's body placed near the head, and each
sac communicates externally with the water by a
separate orifice. In describing these curious breathing-
holes. Professor Owen says : ' When the lamprey is
firmly attached, as is commonly the case, to foreign
bodies by means of its suctorial mouth, it is obvious
that no water can pass by that aperture fi-om the
pharynx to the gills ; it is therefore alternately re-
ceived and expelled by the external aperture.' The
water, besides gaining admission by these seven canals
to the bronchial sacs, is let in by the mouth, if the
animal so wills it, or by a round hole observable on the
top of the head. This aperture has a direct communica-
tion with the jpharnyx. The habit of the lamprey is to
fasten itself firmly to large stones or rocks by its sucker-
like mouth, and it is said by some WTiters that they like-
wise fix themselves on to the bodies of other fish, and
devom- them whilst they are alive. This statement Ave

122 MIGRATIONS OF LAMPKEY.

must be permitted to doubt ; tlie food of the lamprey is
generally believed to consist of aquatic larvas and
molluscs.

" This fish is clearly not held in such high repute in
these days as it was in bygone times, for there are
several curious traditions relating to civic feasts in
which the lamprey constituted an important dish, as
bearing: reference to some ancient customs connected
with river fisheries^ We also learn that King Henry I.
came to an untimely end by a too full repast of lam-
prey ; this in no way proves the fish to be unwhole-
some ; the king probably ate too much. In Germany
lampreys are cooked in earthenware jars with vinegar
and spices, just in the same manner as pilchards are
* marinated ' or ' potted' in Cornwall, and thus preserved
lamprey constitutes an article of export.^'

Lampreys are considered great delicacies in the
London market, and during the London season they
may be frequently seen on the slabs of om* i^i'incipal
fish merchants. Mr. Fitch, the ever-willmg and
obliging foreman of my friend Mr. Thos. Grove, fish
merchant. Charing Cross, tells me that the season
begins soon after the salmon, about March, and ends in
July. They principally come from the Severn, Thames,
also from Scotland. Now (June) they are getting in
roe ; the average size is from one-and-a-half pounds to
three pounds ; they prefer the middle size of two pounds'
weight. They are not in the market in winter.

The lamprey, although he looks a slow mover, yet
is a very quick swimmer, and there are a good many in
the Loire and Ehone. On the Loire, as at Gloucester,
they make them into pies, and are said to be exceedingly
good. Lampreys have an extraordinary vitahty when
taken out of the water.

WORCESTER LAMPERNS. 123

Tlie head and breathing apparatus is well worthy
the stud}'' of comx3arative anatomists. The teeth will be
found to be simply cones of a horn-like substance, not
very firmly attached to a fleshy basis.

By the kindness of a lady living near Worcester, I
am enabled to give an excellent receipt for cooking
lam23reys. " After the lampreys have been cleaned
thoroughly in salt and water, rub them over gently
with mixed white spices, and let them be twenty-four
hours. Then put them to stew quite gently till tender
with the moisture that has run from them, and if not
sufficient to cover them, add a Httle beef gravy without
seasoning and a glass of port wine when nearly done.
The small lamperns are stewed in the same way, after
being cleaned in salt and boiling water."

THE LAMPERN.

{Petromyzon jluvia tills . )

Local names : Lampern, Lampron, Nine-eyes, JuJieha, Seven-eyes,
Stone-grig. German : Nennauge. Northern German : Negen-
Og. French : La Lamproie de Biviere.

Although this fish is very abundant in our rivers, it
is not much used as food, yet there is no finer dish than
Lamperns.

LAMPERN.

The inhabitants of Worcester often complain to me
that they cannot get lamperns to stew ; the fact is they

121 LAMPEENS AS COD BAIT.

are mucli more valuable as bait, and a considerable
number are exported from the Severn to the fishing
ports on the east coast of England. They are the best
possible bait for cod. Large quantities of lamperns are
also caught in the Trent. In my Salmon Fishery
Report, 1878, I give the following information relative
to the lampern fishery in the Trent : *' A considerable
trade exists on the Trent in the supply of lamperns,
which are used as bait for the deep-sea fishermen ; as
many as 3,000 have been taken in one night at Newark,
and 6,000 have been taken at the same place in three
days. The lampern fishery begins at the end of August
and goes on till March. The fish are sent alive in wicker
baskets to Great Grimsby and other parts, but it is neces-
sary that a man should go with them and keep stirring
them all the time." The Dutch fishermen are much
more clever in handling these baits than the English-
men. The greatest proportion of Thames lampern are
usually consigned to them. I strongly urge all river
fishery proprietors to catch all the lamperns they can,
and dispose of them as bait for the deep-sea fishing.
The merchants at Grimsby, Hull, Scarborough, &c.,
will be glad to take them.

SAND PRIDE.

[Fetromyzon hrancldalis. Ammoccctes hranchialis.)

Local names : Pride, Sand-pride, Sand prey. Blue Lamprey,
Mud-Lamprey, Sand-lurker, Stone-grig. German: Lie Uhle.
French : Le Lamprillon.

This little fish is very like the lampern, and seldom
exceeds eight inches long, and girth about the size of a
tobacco pipe ; by some it is said to be the young of
Petromyzon iilaneri, planer's lamprey.

125

LUMP SUCKER.

Acanthopteri. Gobiesocidce.

( Cyclopterus lump us.)

Local names : Cock-paddle, Blue Lump, Pattle-hush, Red-lump,
Sea Owl, Stojie-clagger. German : Der SeebuUe, Der Seehase.
French : Le gras Mollet. Dutch : Snotdolf. Danish : Hav-
paddle, Steenhider.

The Lump-fish is common on our own coasts during
the spring, when it approaches the shore to deposit its
spawn. The male fish is smaller than the female, and
at the breeding season, in March and April, becomes
very gaudy in hue, the colours combining various shades
of blue, purple, and rich orange-red. It is often seen
at this time in the shops of the London fishmongers,
swinging in the wind by means of a string, attracting
attention from its form and brilliant tints. In March,
1870, my friend Mr. John Keast Lord tells me he lately
saw a specimen hanging in a shop at Billingsgate.
Upon it was the following inscription, written in gi'eat
letters, "King-fish from Japan." He asked the owner
why he put up such an absurd label, and the man told
him he was so bothered by persons asking the name of
the fish, and that one name was as good as another to
nine out of ten who wanted to know. He must call it
something, so he named it *' King-fish from Japan;"
but he knew perfectly well it was only a " jolly old lump
sucker." So great is the difl'erence between specimens,
that our fishermen consider them to be different species,
and call them the Eed Lump and the Blue Lump ; but
the difference in colour and flavour is only the effect of
the season.

In February, 1880, 1 received from Mr. E. B. Norman,
of Collingwood House, Yarmouth, a specimen of the
largest lump-fish I ever saw. He weighed lllbs.,

126 EGGS OF LUMP SUCKER.

total length 20in., and greatest depth 12m. The
eggs were considerably developed, and arranged in
curious fimbriated masses, not unlike the disposition of
the ova under the tail of the lobster. The entire mass
weighed l^lbs., and the total number of eggs by cal-
culation was 191,112. I have made casts of both the
lump-fish and her eggs, and they form a valuable ad-
dition to my museum. Though an awkward -built
fish, it is a good swimmer. The tail is the pro-
pelHng power, and the fish moves it with great velocity,
and an action not unlike a clumsy woman running.
The apparatus for holding on to the rocks, which is
fashioned somewhat like a boy's leathern sucker, is a
most curious provision of nature, and shows a wonderful
design. The lump-fish carries his anchor close under
his chin. The clusters of eggs are generally deposited
around a stick or pole, and there are holes in the mass,
but whether these holes always represent the places
where the piles fitted in I am not quite certain.

Mr. Bowerbank, of St. Leonard's, kindly sent me
a still larger lump-fish, weighing ll^lbs. ; the sucker
in this specimen was two to three-quarter inches in
diameter, and had most delicate fringe-like edgings.
Even after death this sucker retained its powers ; for
after casting the fish and having cut out the sucker,
leaving the thick side bones under the gills, as it were
for handles, and having wetted the window-sill, I
placed the sucker flat on it ; and it was just as much
as I could do to pull it off, but with any side move-
ment there was not the slightest resistance.

127

, , THE LING.

Acanthini. Gadidce.

(Lota molva.)

German : Der Leng. Danish : Lnnge. Dutch : De Lewj. French :

Molve.

In March, 1857, I received a Ling weighing 4Glhs.,
and measuring 4ft. lOin. in length. A cast of this
fish is in my museum. As an article of commerce the
ling is well known, especially in Scotland, where, in
some parts, it forms the staple trade of the inhabitants
residing near the sea. It appears, by that most valuable
volume, the ''Sea Fisheries Keport, 1861," that the best
cod and ling fishing in Scotland is at Shetland. The
fishing for ling is carried out in open boats, a somewhat
remarkable circumstance, as from this cause the fishing
cannot be carried on in bad weather, and hence a great

LING {Lota molva, Gadus molva, Molva vulgaris).

loss to the poor fishermen. One witness states it to be
the fact that a great deal more of this valuable food
might be obtained if more money were spent in procur-
ing better boats. There is also another cause which
prevents at times the fishing for ling, viz., the want of
bait, which is composed of pieces of haddock, herring,
and mackerel, and when these are not prociurable fi'om
close seasons, and other unavoidable causes, the fishing
of necessity suffers.

There are more men employed in this fishery than in
fishing for cod, both of which fishing are carried on by

128 LING FISHERIES.

liand-lines and long lines, and the time of the year is
from May until August ; some are, however, caught in
"winter, as witness the specimen referred to above. The
ling is generally treated in the same way as the cod
w^ien caught, being split from head to tail, salted in
brine, washed and dried, after which it is sent to
London, Liverpool, and elsewhere, for home consump-
tion, and a great quantity — which always appears to be
the case with cheap valuable food — is exported, some to
Spain, and some even as far as Australia. If this fish
is so much thought of as an article of food, 16,000 miles
from home, my readers must think with me that it is
worth knowing more about in its native parts, especially
among the labouring classes.

The ling is very little seen in London, being confined
mostly to such places as the New Cut, Lambeth, where
it is sold out at threepence per pound to the poor
(chiefly L-ish) who abound in that neighbourhood. It
is surprising the prejudice there is entertained by the
English respecting anything cheap ; bat in the case of
the ling cheapness is really combined with goodness.

The ling is met with in a fresh state in the northern
counties of England ; there it is much esteemed as an
article of food. I have frequently met with it in York-
shire, where it is generally sold at from fom'pence to
sixpence per pound. The liver of this fish is remark-
able for several reasons — the weight being generally
large ; in my specimen, which weighed 461bs., the liver
weighed 31b. 7oz. Mr. Couch tells us that quantities
of oil extracted fi'om the liver " are used by the poor to
burn in their lamps, and has been found efi'ectual in
severe cases of rheumatics when taken in small beer, in
doses of from half-an-once to an ounce and a half.
Formerly from fifty to sixty gallons of this oil and that

USE OF LING. 129

of the cod were used at one establishment for this
piu'pose."

The hver is also considered by some persons as a
great dainty, and a piece is always, where ling is sold
fresh, given to the purchaser for the purpose of frying
the fish with, thus being a great desideratum in house-
hold economy. The flesh of this fish is remarkably
nice eating, resembling much in its firm texture the
flesh of the turbot. When used in its salted state some
time is required for it to soak in cold water before it
becomes palatable. At Stornaway, in the Hebrides, we
find as much as 800 tons to be taken in one season ;
and the price per ton being £20, gives at this place
alone £16,000.

The fishing appears to have increased of late years
owing to better tackle being used ; and after a time,
when' the boats are improved also, and the men are
able to follow the fishing to greater advantage, com-
bined with the facilities which the railways now offer
for the carriage of fish, I hope to welcome this most
valuable fish frequently in London.

Mr. Eeed, of Wick, writes in March, 1872: "I saw
landed at our harbour a large take of cod and ling ; one
of the latter, measuring about six feet, could not have
weighed less than sixty pounds. After it was opened
to be cured, it was found to contain a salmon measur-
ing two feet three inches, and in pretty good preservation
at the same time showing that salmon go far out to sea,
the fishing being about eight miles from land."

10

130

LOACH.

Ahdominales Malacopterygii. AcanthoimdcE.

Local names: Beardie, Bearded Loach, Loche, Groundling, Lee
Jjoach, Spined Loche, Ground Gudgeon, Loach, Loch Loche-
Stone Loach, Tommy Loach, Tommy Loych, Tommy Lurcher,
French: Loche, Tranche . German: Steinheisser, Schmerlein,
GrundUng. Italian : Barhatello.

It is not uncommon in our rivers and brooks. From
its slimy smoothness and activity it is' very'difficult to

LOACH.

catcli. We Winchester boys used to spear this fish
on the Itchen with an ordinary fork tied on to the end
of a stick, and then pickle him with the minnows. It
forms an excellent bait for eels, and Mr. Thames Trout
will sometimes take him, if he is properly and artisti-
cally spun.

The loach is a veritable hermit ; he lives in brooks
and smaU streams, and always under the stones. If
the loach risks the end of his nose beyond his hiding-
place, it is only immediately to go back again, or to
seek another place. The loach is j)robably nocturnal
in its habits. He grows to be about as big as a
gudgeon. He is very quick in his movements when
frightened, and lives probably on little insects and
other creatures found among the moss and weeds
of the brooks. Their great enemy is probably eels.

KATUKAL HISTORY OF MACKEREL. 131

Nothing whatever is known of their si)awning time.
I should be too iDleased to have any remarks on this
subject.

MACKEREL.

AcanUiupUri. Scombrtdcc.

(Scomber sconiher.)

German: Makrelc. Danish: Makrel. Norwegian: Splr. Dutch:
Jlakrell. French: 21aquereau.

I NOW give an abstract of my natural history of the
Mackerel, published in the "Appendix to the Sea
Fisheries Report, 1879 " :—

MACKEREL.

*' The mackerel first appear in deep water, south and
south-west of the British Islands, and are sometimes
caught as early as January at the west of Scilly, but
the general Cornish fishery does not usually begin till
towards the end of February, and extends into June.
May, June, and July are the months when drift-net
fishing is carried on further up the channel. In July
mackerel are generally plentiful. They go on through
August and September.

"There is a considerable mackerel fishery at Brighton
where they are caught in seines and diift-nets. The
fishery generally begins about May. In former times
the Brighton mackerel and other fish were sent to
London by express fish vans. There is a sale for
mackerel all the year round at Brighton ; the seine-

132 MACKEREL FISHERIES.

nets are, however, blamed for destroying many small
mackerel. These seines are used from Shoreham har-
bour on the west to Seaford on the east, about fifteen
miles.

''At Eye, in Sussex, there is a very large mackerel
fishery. The mackerel here are caught in large fixed
nets, called kettle nets ; hence, probably, the phrase,
' What a pretty kettle of fish ! ' Each net is a little
over half a mile long. The poles on which the nets are
fixed are twelve feet high. There are three chambers
or bights connected with eacli straight piece of net.
The kettle nets are set on the 14th April, and taken up
at the end of November.

" The catch of mackerel varies much. Sometimes as
much as 1,000 boxes (50 mackerel to each box) are
caught in one net at one tide. The railway authorities
give every facility for running expresses to London
when a large catch of mackerel is taken. One hundi-ed
tons of mackerel were sent to London from Eye Station
in one night in June, 1877.

"There are also mackerel fisheries at Weymouth, and
many other places on the south coast.

"For some reason or other the mackerel are said to
have forsaken the neighbourhood of Yarmouth and
Lowestoft, where they were formerly so abundant in the
months of May, June, and July."

Mr. Matthias Dunn remarks, " That mackerel spawn
in May and June ; when first shed it floats on the water.
I have taken it from the parent fish when alive. Young
ones are about four inches long in August, and about a
quarter of an ounce in weight ; their rate of growth
varies from summer to summer as they find food, or as
some summers are more abundant in food than others.
In the past August, September, and October they in-

HABITS OF SCAD OK HORSE MACKEREL.

133

creased in size at the rate of one inch in length and one
ounce and a half in weight per month."

SCAD, OR HORSE MACKEREL.

[Scomber trachurus.)
German: Der Stocker. Danish: Hestmakrel. French: LeSaurel.

The Scad, or Horse Mackerel, is rather smaller in size
than the common mackerel. Its name, therefore, is

SCAD, OR HORSE MACKEREL. ~ '

not derived from its size, but from the supposed coarse-
ness of its flesh. It is occasionally abundant on various
parts of the English coasts, particularly Cornwall and

MACKEREL BOATS.

Devon. The usual habit of this fish is to keep near tlie
ground ; but when they are in shoals, and pursuing
some favourite food, they are said sometimes to become
so eager as to thrust each other in heaps on the land.

134 MACKEKEL MIDGE.

A very beautiful specimen was sent me of this fish
by Alexander Miller, Esq., of Chepstow Salmon Fishery.
It was full of roe. For a considerable distance along
the lateral line from the tail it is remarkable as having
on each side a row of spines, of a dagger shape, and
which fall backwards, each of which forms a sharp
lancet of a very hard transparent horn-like substance.

Belonging to the same genus is the Mackerel Midge
(Ciliata glauca, Motella glaiica, Concilia glauca), so called
among the fishermen, as descriptive of its colour and
very minute size. It is the smallest fish with which I
am acquainted.

In June, 1872, I received from Mr. Matthias Dunn,
of Mevagissey, specimens of this interesting little fish.
He writes : —

"It is many years ago since such quantities of
mackerel midges (Conchia minon) were known to be on
our coasts as are now to be seen there. They may be
easily discovered on any calm morning, rippling the sur-
face of the sea like grains of sand scattered from the
hand. Bass and mackerel are making short work with
these little innocents. The recovery of mackerel, after
spawning, to their usual plump and firm condition, when
feeding on this diet, is marvellous."

MAIGRE.

Acanihopteri, Scianml^e.

[Sci(Fna aguUa.)

The Maigre is a rare fish. I have been fortunate
enough, nevertheless, to have had the opportunity of
examining nine specimens. During 1866 I recorded
the capture of no less than six specimens. In fact, I
generally get one a-year. The Latin names of this fish

HABITS OF MAIGRE. 135

are Scicena aquila and Scicena umhra. Probably the
former^ word is derived from skia, a ghost or shadow, an
idea which its second name, umhra, seems to confirm ;
but why this should be I cannot understand. It is also
called the Ovls marina, or Sea-sheep.

I now give my notes of the colouring of this fish from
a specimen examined at Mr. Grove's, in Bond Street :
colour of the body generally of a rich bronzed yellow,
vrith tints of gold ; light green in front of first dorsal

MAI GEE.

fin, and part of the head ; also over the eye light tints
of gold, verging into silver on the cheeks ; first dorsal
fin, pink-red, pectoral, purple ; second dorsal, pink ;
purple ventrals ; and anal a neutral tint ; caudal, dark,
vdth red tint.

In the head are found (so the old authors say) two
stones of great medicinal virtue as a cure for colic. It
is said to live among rocks covered with weeds, a kind
of sea-wolf in a submarine forest. Its shape and swim-
ming tail would adapt it to swim with grace and ease
in and out of the gigantic sea-weeds. Its body is
formed on very graceful lines, like those of fast ocean
steamers.

In August, 1867, a fine specimen of the Sciana aquila
was taken at Hastings, measuring 3 feet.* In Sep-

* See Land and Water, vol. vi. p. 121,

136

PUKKING OF MAIGRE.

tember, 1868, my colleague, Spencer Walpole, Esq.,
sent me a splendid specimen, caught by the coxswain
of the Ipswich hfeboat off Thorpe, in Suffolk. Mr.
AValpole wrote : *' The fish, I think you will allow, is a
fine example, and its colour, I am told, was on its first
appearance so brilliant as to justify all that has been
written of the splendour of the appearance of the
maigre. Its weight was 84lbs., or 28lbs. more than
the example described by Mr. Couch, and 121bs. more
than the one described by Nilsson, and also referred to
by Couch." The maigre is a tolerably frequent visitor
to the channel, but a much rarer visitor to the North
Sea. Two fine casts of this wanderer from the Medi-
terranean are in my museum at the Horticultural
Gardens.

In December, 1868, a maigre was taken at Brighton,
measuring 5ft., and weighing 701bs. It was bought by
Kichard Peek, Esq., M.P., from a man who had found
it floundering about in the shallow water. Mr. Peek
had it divided, and sent portions to his friends. It
resembled tlie flavour of something between a sturgeon
and salmon.

The maigi-e is said to be able to make a noise under
water. This has been described as grunting, or pmTing.
On placing my hand and arm down the throat of a
maigre, I discovered that the inner side of every gill-
arch was studded with little pyi'amid- shaped projections,
placed alternately, so that they would lock into each
other, like two combs. On drjang and examining a
specimen of these imder a glass, I find that this rough-
ness is caused by a vast number of very minute needle-
pointed teeth, set as close together as the hooks on a
teazle-head. There are also two sets of teeth (very
much in the shape of a sheep's kidney) on the upper

CHOLIC-STONES FROM MAIGRE. 137

surface of the cesoiihagus. This pLateau of oesophagal
weapons is composed of teeth, some long and pointed,
otliers very minute, feehng hke sand-paper to the touch.
The idea struck me that these teeth in the gullet might
possibly be the instruments by which the fish produces
his purring noise. Upon causing the room to be kept
perfectly quiet, and grating them together, a noise was
produced, reminding one forcibly of a mouse gnawing
at a board ; but most probably the fish in life could
sing his own song better than we could, and I believe
his teeth are musical instruments.

By chiselling away the lower portion of the brain-
cavity, the ear-bones — the cholic- stones of the ancients
— can be discovered. "When these ear-bones are held
up to the light, they are a lovely wjiite mixed with an
opal tint. In outline they are very much like the head
of the Egyptian Sphinx, and a few touches of the pencil
will make them exactly like the Sphinx.

MINNOW.

Abdominales Malacopterygii. Cyprinida.

(Ci/pnnus pJioxinus. Leuciscus phoxinus.)

Local names: Baggie, Bagglt Banmj, Jack-barrel, Jack-Sharp,
Meaker, Meugy, Mennam, Mennad, Jlennard, Mennot, Men-
nous, Menuse, Minim, Minnis, 21innon, Minnoic, Minm, Peer,
Peuk, Pink, Shadbrid. French : Veron. German : Die
EIritze Pfrille 21aigrase, Rumpfen, and no less than twenty-
five other names. Danish : Elritse. Italian : Sanguinerola.

The Minnow, though small, is a regular dandy, and
during his courting season is got up in the most gorgeous
style of uniform. Ladies who are clever with the paint
brush will find a novel and most resplendent model in
the minnow, but he will not keep his beautiful colours
very long.

138 WILLIAM OF WYKEHAM AND MINNOWS.

The minnow is a very particular fish about the water
in which he hves ; it must be clear and rapid. He is a
vegetable feeder, and also eats insects and worms. The
minnows in the Itchen, at and about Winchester College,
are very handsome fish, and thrive very well in this
chalk w^ater. The abundance of minnows is one reason
why the trout arc so good We boys at Winchester
never fished for minnows with rod and hue, but a net
called a minnow net. This net may be thus described :
a fine-meshed net is fastened nearly flat to an iron
hoop about 2 feet in diameter, in the middle is fastened
a perforated bullet and a piece of red cloth ; three strings
run off from the ring and join together about 2 feet
away from the hoop ; a longer line is attached to this and
also to a pole, say 8 feet long. The net is dropped into
the river, the minnows are attracted by the red cloth
and the net is raised quickly by means of the pole.
Glass bottles used as traps for catching minnows have
been invented, and are to be bought at the fishing-tackle
shops. This mode of gz/asi-incipient sport is a capital
jdan to enter, as masters of foxhounds have it in speak-
ing of their young hounds, the noble sport of fishing.
Minnows are not at all bad eating ; they are very good
simply fried as whitebait, or else pickled.

It appears that William of Wykeham, founder of
Winchester College, was accustomed to have minnows
served at his table. Thus at a dinner which the bishop
gave on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 1394, to the King and Queen,
210 guests were j^resent, the dinner costing £385 of our
present money. Many kinds of fish were served, and
no less than 7 gallons of minnows, costing eleven shil-
lings and eightpence. I should not be surprised if these
minnows acted as the whitebait of the period.

In the report of the Imperial Society of Acclimatisa-

HABITS OF MINNOW. 139

tioii, 1867, vol. iv. p. 719, is a very able paper on the
minnow by M. Saubadon, who breeds large quantities of
them for lood crevette, trout, and young salmon. M.
Saubadon breeds them artificially thus. The inmnows
spawn on fine days at the end of April or in May, and
always on the same piece of ground. They assemble on
the spawning ground in vast numbers. The minnows,
having been caught quickly with the net, must be taken,
the female in one hand and the male in the other. By a
slight pressure the eggs and the milt will then come
out of the fish ; the water then must be gently stirred
with a feather. In fact, the operation of impregnating
the minnow's egg artificially is the same as that for sal-
mon eggs. The eggs when properly fertilised should be
hatched out in boxes, as used for salmon eggs, or
else placed in a box perforated with holes, and placed
in a running stream, so that the w^ater should flow
gently through the box. M. Saubadon tells us that a
more simple way of getting mmnows' eggs is to search
the spawning beds of the minnov/s after they have done
spaT\aiing. It is a mistake to suppose that these eggs are
disseminated and washed away by the current among
the gravel and stones.

He says that the eggs, which are very small, will be
found stickincf adherent one to the other in the inter-

o

stices of the stones, and that sometimes one finds
masses from about 2 inches m width and 8 inches m
length.

On May oOth he collected from oft' the minnows'
spawning beds at least six pounds of minnow^s' eggs.
He has no hesitation in robbing the minnows' nests, as
these eggs have many enemies, especially eels, ducks,
and shore-rats, who quickly find out the minnows' nests,
and clear out all the eggs. This process of breeding

140 A PRESENT FROM YARMOUTH.

minnows artificially will be of the greatest possible
service to onr friends who are rearing salmon and trout
fry, as the young minnows, as they are hatched out,
will form a most valuable and nutritious food to the
young salmonidfe.

MONK-FISH.

Plagiostomi Squalo'. SquatiiuecUe.

[Squatina aiigelus.)

Local names : Angel-fish, Monk-fish, Shark-rai/, Kingston. Ger-
man : Der Engelhai, or Meerangel. French : Pange. Italian :
Squadrolino pellencra.
Mr. de Caux, fish salesman, Great' Yarmouth, waskiod
enough, in August, 1880, to send me a magnificent

MOKK-FISH, OB ANGEL FISH.

si^ecimen of a monk-fish, trawled up by a fishing smack
in the North Sea. The fishermen wanted it for an
exhibition, but Mr. de Caux was good enough to send
it up without having the intestines removed. This fish
measured five feet from nose to end of tail, his width
at the widest part three feet, and its weight between
fifty and sixty pounds. This is the largest specimen I
have ever seen.

HABITS OF MONK-FISH. 141

The stoinacli contained nothing, but in the abdomen
were several eggs with soft skin like crocodiles' eggs.
In former times these eggs were dried and used medi-
cinally in the pharmacopoeia. The skin was powdered
and given in cases of itch and psoriasis.

The most extraordinary fact about this sea monster
is a very strong and peculiar smell of ammonia. I do not
know of any fish that has this strong odour so strongly
marked.

In 1875 there was a very fine monk-fish alive at the
Southport Aquarium, and I wrote the following ac-
count : —

" The jolly old monk-fish that our friend Parry
Evans caught in his royal weir at Llandudno, is in the
tank with the sturgeon ; this sulky monk-fish always
sits at the bottom of the tank, looking like the plaintiff.
As the sturgeon swam over the monk-fish he hit him
across the face with his tail ; this made the old monk-
fish jump up and scuttle about."

The angel-fish is found in the North Sea, the British
Channel, the Mediterranean, and smaller specimens
than the above are not uncommon. It is taken on the
" long lines " which are set for ray, &c. It is not good
eating, but the rough skin is used in the arts for sword-
handles ancl instrument cases. It is a great enemy of
all kinds of flat-fish, and buries itself in ambuscade
in the sand, of which it has the power of taking the
exact hue. It is said to stir up the sand with its wings,
and when the sand-worms are disturbed, and the
smaller fishes come to eat them, the monk-fish suddenly
jumps from his ambuscade and devours them. It is
common on the bays of Arcachon, and, I believe, on
the sandy banks all along the Bay of Biscay. They are
frequently seen in the markets of Dieppe, and are not

142 OEIGIN OF TEEM ANGliL Fli-U.

uncommon at Brighton and Hastings. The name angel-
fish is given them on account of the fins on each side
of the body, which are very large and very flexible. I
expect the name angel was given in old Roman Catholic
times, as its wings somewhat resemble the wings of an
angel, as we see rexu*esented by old masters in pictm-es
or glass windows of foreign cathedrals and churches.
Mr. Searle made a cast of this grand fish for the museum,
where I have also another specimen, but not so big.

MULLET RED AND GRAY-

AeanthopterL Mugilidee.

(Mugilidce and Gobioida.)

Mullets [Mu/jil capito). These fish are not fre-
quently captm'ed in the deep sea, but are fishes of the
shore, seeking shallow creeks, where they have been cap-
tm'ed in vast quantities. They have scarcely any ofien-
sive weapons : their teeth being small and delicate, often
almost imperceptible ; and hence, notv/ithstanding their
size, they can scarcely attack any other fish, though

GREY MULLET {Mugil caplto).

m

liable to the assaults of many enemies. They are, how-
ever, gifted with a remarkable instinct, whichaids them
in their efforts to escape danger.

Only three species are known as British , of which the
Grey Mullet is the most common. Tiie usual size of

HAEITS OF MULLLT. liO

the gi'cy miillet is about fifteen inches, but it sometimes
readies two feet in length. The colour of the back is
steel grey, with bluish-yellow reflections. The belly is
silvery white, and on the sides there are six or eight
lines of a rosy brown. It never goes far away from
land, but delights in shallow water. In the summer-
time it may be seen prowling about on the muddy bot-
toms of rivers and harbours, with its mouth close to the
gromid, in search of food. It selects what is soft and
fat — is the only fish, which usually takes nothing
that has life, although occasionally it may swallow
worms. Instead of devouring anything, it sucks it
away in fragments ; hence it is very rarely taken with
the hook. It ventures to some distance up rivers, re-
turning with the tide. The mullet is taken in consider-
able numbers more especially on the Hampshire, Sussex,
and Devonshire coasts, and is held in great esteem as a
delicacy. The best method of taking them with a bait
is by rod and line, baited wdtli a red worm called the
rag- worm ; they may be also taken in any number by
the artificial fly. As regards the bait for mullet, a
gentleman at Margate wiites me : —

"I have been to Grove Ferry, and seen Stephen Brown.
He again said the slimy stuff which rises more fi-eely
after di'ought fi-om the bed of the river will stick to the
hook, and that there is no other bait equal to it for
mullet in the Stour. Mr. Buig, the landlord of the inn,
also states the mullet caught in the Stour are generally
full of this brown slime."

Both this and the Thick-Lipped-Mullet (which is gre-
garious and smaller than the other) have a remarkable
habit of escaping from capture by leaping over the net.
Mr. Couch has described very strikingly their mode of
proceeding : " The usual way of taking the mullets is by

144 MYXINE, OR COD BORER.

enclosing them in a seine, and "then di*awing tliem on
slaore. As soon, however, as they find themselves en-
closed, they seem confused, and wander from one part
of the net to another, seeking a means of escape. Order
is, as if by mutual consent, very soon established, and
the largest of the shoal generally takes the lead in every
subsequent j^roceeding. Thus gi ided, every portion of
the net is carefully examined, and if a hole be found,
thi'ough it they all make then- escape. If unsuccessful
in this, they attempt to lift the foot of the net, but the
trial always fails, and many are meshed m the attempt.
They retire to the centre of the space enclosed by the
net, and, after a short time, the leader rises swiftly to
the corks, and, followed by all the others, throws itself
into the water beyond, and thus they effect their escape.
The fishermen have had recourse to a stratagem which
usually succeeds. They scatter straw along the inner
margin of the buoys, and the fish, deceived by this,
throw themselves over the edge of the straw, but fall
into the enclosure again ; and having once failed in their
jump they never renew the effort.

MYXINE.

[GasteohrancJius ccccus.)

Local names: Blind-fish, Borer, Glutinous Hog, Hog-fish, Poison
Ramper, Hamper Eel. German : Sclileimfisch, Blindfisch,
Wurmfisch.

The Mj^xine, Glutinous Hog, or Borer, so much resem-
bles a worm that it was placed by Linnseus in the class
Vermes ; and it was not till after examination by dis-
section and accurate descriptions, that it was recognised
as related to the lampreys.

The skeleton is very imperfect, and in place of a series

STRUCTURE OF MYXINE.

145

of bones for the spinal column^ there is simply a soft
and pliant cartilaginous tube.

MYXINE {Myxine glutinosa, Gastrohranchiis cacus).

INTEKNAL ORGANS OF THE MTXINE.

The eight barbules or cirri about the mouth are
doubtless delicate organs of touch, which assist it in
discerning the nature of the substances with which it
comes in contact, and the single hooked tooth upon the
palate enables it to retain its hold until its prey be
brought within the reach of the double rows of teeth
upon the tongue.

The Borers do much harm to the cod-line fishermen,
they get into the cod when caught by the hook, and
almost eat him up. Mr. Baily, fisherman of Flam-
borough Head, tells me that the fishermen in that part
of England call the myxine the " Devourer," and that
very often the cod, coal-fish, ling, whiting, and had-
dock caught on the long lines are eaten away by the
"devourer " until nothing but the skin and skeleton is
left.

Little or nothing is known as to the habits of this
most remarkable fish, and I should be very glad if any
of my readers would make it an object of study, and
report the results.

11

UG

OPAH.

Acantliopteri. Zeidcs

[Zeus huia, Lampril guttalus, or Luna.)
Local names: King-fish, Sea-pert, Carf, Jerusalem Haddock.

This is one of the most brilliantly coloured of British fish.
I have never seen a fresh specimen, hut from the figure

OPAH.

in Couch it must be of perfect beauty. Its colourings,
according to Couch, are as follow :—" The general
colours are splendid red and green, with tints of purple
and gold, dotted over with round silver- white spots ; but
in one instance, described by Nilsson, the spots of yellow
and white were only below the lateral line. Iris of the
eye scarlet, and fins a lively red."

His Grace the Duke of Argyll has a very fine model
at Inverary Castle of an opah ; it is made in paper, and
beautifully coloured to life.

This fish is very rare in England. The Norwegians
call it the Laxetoye, or the "large salmon." The
Scandinavians call it the Glans fisk. Zeus lima are two
pretty names for it. It is rather an inhabitant of the
northern than the southern seas, but it has occurred at

VALUE AND BEAUTY OF PERCH.

147

Queensferry (Cornwall), near Conway (North Wales),
and in Norfolk. I understand that specimens of opah
have been obtained on the east coast, viz., Yarmouth,
Hunstanton, and Eccles. It lives in very deep water,
and is seldom seen. I am exceedingly anxious to get a
specimen of this rare and beautiful fish for my museum.

Acanthopteri.

THE PERCH.

(Perca fluviatilu.)

Pere idee.

Local names: The Perch, Crutchet, FrasUng, Hurling, Stitchling.
German : Der Flussbarch, Frauling, Barsch. French : La
Perche. Italian : Pesce persico.

Our friend the Perch is one of the most beautiful fish
which it has j)leased Providence to place in our waters.

PERCH [Perca fiuviatilis).

Not only does he afford to the angler excellent sport,
but to the professed cook his arrival in time for the
m^iii* is most welcome, as witness "water souche," as
served at Ministerial dinners, City banquets, or private
parties at Kichmond, Greenwich, &c.

No lady's dress was ever made so beautiful as that of
the perch's when he is in full season. His cuirass of
scales is formed of a lovely bronze, with transverse bars

148 WEAPONS OF PERCH.

of dark green bronze, while the whole is shaded with a
lovely peacock iridescence. His fins are coloured with
a lovely tinge of red, such as we may sometimes see in
the glass of very old church windows, or occasionally
in Salviati's beautiful glass. Artists would do well to
study the colouring of the perch. They will not find
such brilliancy of colour or such a combination of tints
in any flower.

Whoever has studied Bell's " Anatomy of Expression "
cannot fail to have observed the various emotions of
animals as represented by their physiognomy. Witness
the difference between the hair of the fox terrier, when
sniffing at a fox's earth, and when sitting up on his
hind legs begging a bit at his master's dinner-table.
Witness also the expression of the fox as he meditates
an attack on the coiled-up hedgehog so beautifully de-
scribed by the author of ** Comment I'E sprit vient aux
Betes" as follows :

*' Une sorte de rictus relive sa levre, un sourire me-
phistophelique illumine sa face d'Escobar, et lui donne
une vague ressemblance avec ces satyres si fort en vogue
ches les enlumineurs du moyen age."

As his tail is to be the index of the dog's mind, so
the armament of spines on the back of the perch may
be said to be the index of the perch's mind. When
quiet and enjoying himself, the perch sheathes, as it
were, his back fin — a case of '' slope swords ; " when, on
the contrary, he rushes forth from his concealment,
his bristles are all erect, as though he had heard the
quick, rattling word of command, '' Carry swords ! "
These perch spines are very sharp pointed, so sharp
that, as the French author has smartly put it, ''II fait
penser au chat."

He is a carnivorous gentleman is the perch ; his hon

HABITS OF PERCH. 149

louche is a lively worm. In the matter of worms, how-
ever, he has a choice ; he likes a middle-size worm, the
tail of which, by his movements, attracts his quick eye.
The worm when on the hook should be moved gently
up and down in the water, and it is generally on the
ascent of the worm that the perch takes it. He is also
especially fond of a small frog, of which specimens may be
here and there found along the banks by the fishermen.
Perca fiuviatilis is particularly fond of minnows, and
where minnows abound perch are always in fine con-
dition. Those, therefore, who have perch in their ponds
or lakes would increase the quality of their perch very
much for the table by breeding or catching minnows
for them. The fry of roach or dace would also be
acceptable.

The young roach and dace that may be observed on
hot days sunning themselves after their recent escape
from the eg^ form a favourite food for the perch. I
have heard of a plan of placing several minnows in a
common fish globe, with muslin tied over the top, so
that the minnows shall not escape. The captive min-
nows form, when sunk in the water, a very attractive
lure for the perch. Perch, if you may judge fi-om their
biting, are very sensitive to electric changes in the
atmosphere. During the hot days of summer, when
the south wind blows, the perch is on the feed the
whole day. During other days he feeds much in the
morning, little in the evening, not at all in the day.
Perch differ very much in quality in respect to the soil.
They do not like water which is too swift. Their con-
formation and mode of catching food leads them to
delight in eddies under the piles of bridges, back streams
of rivers, and in quiet water at the sides below weirs.
They are very common in ornamental waters in private

150 HOW TO COOK PhrtCH BY ^VA■i^h;n SIDE.

parks ; and, under such circumstauces, if not properly
netted, percli are very apt to degenerate and become very
small. The reason of this is that they are over-stocked ;
and, whereas they breed very fast, they starve one
another. The remedy is, of course, to shift to another
place or destroy at least one-third of these young perch,
and to feed the remainder regularly.

The gardener and the gardener's boys, therefore,
should have orders to collect all the worms they possibly
can, and durinsr the summer a tub half filled with bran

7 O

should be instituted wherein to breed gentles in the
same manner as is done by the gamekeeper for young
pheasants. The perch should always be fed at or near
the same place in the pond ; and I know no better
amusement for a country house than an afternoon's
perch-fishing.

When out on fishing expeditions nothing adds so much
to the enjoyment of the day as to cook for luncheon the
fish which have been caught by the party. I therefore
beg to quote tlie following excellent receipt, which is
given by a writer who signs himself Caerdyaa. Quaere
— what language is this ? Is it Welsh ? The gentleman
with the fimny name WTites as follows : " Fish may be
most perfectly cooked by the river side. Take the fish
as caught, not di'awn or otherwise cleaned, procure
some stiff clay, and with it give the fish a thin coating
about the sixteenth of an inch thick ; failing the clay^
lightly envelope it in several coatings of paper — news-
paper will answer admirably ; thoroughly saturate the
paper by holding it in the water, having previously
lighted a fire of wood or sticks so as to produce a
quantity of hot fire-holding embers. Give the fish in the
case of clay twenty minutes therein ; if the fish is in
newspaper give them twenty minutes longer ; time must

CASTS OF LAr.Gi; FEllCU. 151

be allowed aceording to size. Fish done in tins way are
perfection."

If the angler goes out frequently fishing, lie should
get a charcoal stove, which has a grating on top like a
gridiron ; this can be kept in the punt, and the fish can
be easil}" cooked on the bars of this portable stove.

Perch, I tijink, have more intelligence than most
other fish. The best way to test a fish's intelligence, like
that of other animals, is by appealing to their appetite.
At the aquarium at the Zoological Gardens, Tennant,
the keeper, was accustomed to frequently feed the perch
with live minnov\'s. After a while the perch, ascertained
by a process very like reasoning that the minnows were
kept in another portion of the fish-house. "Whenever
they saw Tennant go near the place ivhere the niinrtoics
were hept, they began to rush about as if in anticipation
of the welcome feed which, somehow or other, they had
ascertained was forthcoming for their benefit.

I now give the list of the largest perch that have come
under my notice during the last few years.

Dr. Norman sent me two fine perch in April, 1868,
caught in the Norfolk Broad ; they weighed respectively
31bs. 2oz., and 21bs. lloz. Wishing to know the
number of Qgg^ they contained, they were counted by
myself and secretary. We found that they amounted in
the larger one to 155,620, in the smaller, 127,240.

Dr. Norman also informed me that a fine perch,
weighing 4^1bs., was taken on a trinner in the Wroxham
Broad, Norfolk ; and that another was taken in the
Bure in March, 1868, which weighed also -i^lbs.

152

SEA PERCH, OR BASS.

{Ferca labrax.)

The Bass, or Sea Perch, is a handsome, well- shaped fish,
though it is destitute of the strongly contrasted colouring
and zebra-like bars of the fresh-water perch, from
which it is also distinguished by an abundance of small
teeth upon the tongue. It is common in many parts of
England, and is of migratory habits, generally coming
in towards shore at its proper time. The upper parts
are grey, with bluish reflections, which gradually shade
into a silvery-white on the lower parts ; the fins are
grey, the pectoral ones slightly tinged with red. At
some periods they appear to be marked with spots or
clouds ; when young they are as bright as a new shil-
ling, and very beautiful. In Kent they are called the
White Salmon, or Salmon Dace. These fish arrive
from the deep sea in the month of June and remain till
October. When they are on the feed, a basket of 15lbs.
or 161bs. is not uncommon : they are caught by the rod
to the weight of 91bs., but one has been taken 221bs.,
close to the pier at Heme Bay, with a net. The mode
of fishing is with an ordinary trolling rod, and the bait
used is the sand-eel. An excellent artificial bait of
india-rubber fo'r bass is made by Mr. Hearder, fishing-
tackle maker, of Plymouth.

Casts of bass can be seen at my museum, the largest
being ISflbs. This fine fish was caught at Poole,
Dorset, and presented to me by Mr. Penry of that
place. When taking a bass ofl:' a hook mind his back
fin.

158

PIKE.

Ahdoviinales Malacopterygii. Esocida.

[Esox Indus.)

Local names : Jack Luce, Gedd, Pickeral, Haked, Lid, Pod.
Welsh: PenJnctjad. French: Lc Brocket. German: Der
Hecht, Hak, Schnock, Wasserwolf. Dutch: Greepvisch,
Snoek. Norwegian : Gedde. Italian : Luzzio, Lucio, and
Brochette. Danish : Gjedde. Swedish : Gadda, Gadda
Snipa.

The best name of all the above applied to the Pike is
the Waterwolf.

From the days of Gesner downwards, more lies — to
put it in very plain language — have been told about the
pike than any other fish in the world ; and the greater
the improbability of the story, the more particularly is it
sure to be quoted. Among these stories there can be no
greater fabrication than that of the pike that is recorded
to have lived two hundi-ed and sixty odd years. An ac-
count of this precious fish can be found in almost every

PIKE.

angling book published. We are now in 1880, and
supposing the fish to have been caught in this year, it
follows he must have been put into the lake in 1630,
the sixth year of the reign of Charles I. This story
might have done very well years ago, but will not do
now.

I now proceed to put on record the largest pike tliat
has come under my own personal knowledge.

154 ROYAL PIKE FROM WINDSOR.

In Oct., 1874, His Koyal Highness Prince Christian
was kind enough to send up Keene, the head fisherman
of Windsor Park, with the most splendid pike I ever
behekl. Having understood that Kapley Lake near
Bagshot Park, which belongs to the Eoyal domain, had
not been dragged for upwards of fifty years, Mr. Keene
put in the nets in order to report to the Prince what
stock of fish he had there. The net brought out a
number of carp, tench, &c. Keene thought from the
jump of something in the net that he had caught an
unusually large fish. When the net shoaled, he w^as
delighted to find a monster pike in it ; the fish ran
between his legs, and nearly upset him. He took
his prize at once to Cumberland Lodge to the Prince,
wdio was good enough to send it on to me immediately.
This magnificent fish weighed no less than thirty-fvs
pounds ; length 3ft. lO^in. , girth 2ft. I never saw a fish in
such perfect condition before. The eye was exceedingly
beautiful, the head shone like smoked mother-o'-pearl,
every scale was perfect, and fins as red as a perch ;
four black bars extended from some distance from the
tail upwards, giving the fish a zebra-like appearance.
Mr. Keene asked me what I thought the age of the
fish. I guessed offhand from twelve to fifteen years ;
and it really appears I was not far wrong, for about
twelve years before, Sir James Clark's butler put six or
eight jack weighing about a pound a half each into
Eapley Lake.

This fish w^as a female, and contained over forty- three
thousand eggs.

I regretted much that this freshwater shark was ]iot
kept alive, and sent either to Westminster or Brighton
Aquarium.

I made a cast of this fish, which was afterwards

DUKE OF Edinburgh's pike. 155

painted by Mr. Searle, and exhibited at the Berlin
Fishery Exhibition of 1880.

In February, 1879, I was favoured by receiving from
CoL W. G. Colville, CLarence House, St. James's, a
magnificent pike which H.E.H. the Duke of Edinburgh
had himself caught at Eastwell, his country seat, near
iVshford. This pike was a very handsome female ; she
weighed twenty-four pounds, and measured more than
3ft. Mr. Searle and myself cast the fish, and Mr. Searle
aftervrards painted it. I had the honour of presenting
it to the Duke, and it is now fixed in a prominent posi-
tion in the entrance hall of Clarence House. This pike,
I found, contained a great many eggs ; these were in
two lobes side by side like the hard row of the herring.
The eggs were the size of turnip seed ; they weighed
altogether 21bs. 4oz.

Mr. Searle, my secretary, weighed several grams,
counted them, and averaged them, and thus got at the
contents of the whole mass, which numbered no less than
224,640 eggs.

When we consider this enormous number of eggs in
one fish, it seems wonderful to imagine what becomes of
them all. The number of eggs in this one fish was
equal nearly three times the population of Brighton ;
nine times the population of Windsor ; or nearly half the
population of Liverpool. Jacks' eggs no doubt afford
food for numerous water insects, as well as to roach and
fishes of the carp tribe, which, I know from experience,
are great eaters of eggs. It is quite as well for the
economv of the fish world in the Duke's lake that this
large pike should be destroyed, as without doubt this
monster kept all the fish in the pond in a state of terror.

The most successful angler for pike in modern times
is Mr. A. Jardine. In November, 1879, Mr. Jardine

156 MR. jardine's monster pike.

caught ill fair angling, b}^ means of a dace, snap-tackle,
and a cane rod, a grand pike, which, after having been
out of the water twelve hours, scaled 34flbs., so that it
was a good 351bs. fish. It measm-ed 46^in. in length.
This fish was taken to Mr. Kolfe, and its portrait was
put on canvas to form the centrepiece of the picture
which was presented to the Eight Hon. Anthony Mun-
della, M.P., in 1880, in acknowledgment of his great
public service in getting the Freshwater Fisheries Act
through Parliament.

In February, 1877, Mr. Jardine was fortunate enough
to take with rod and line another pike weighing thirty-
six pounds, measuring 46in. in length, and 25in. in
girth. Immediately the fish was captured Mr. Jardine
brought her up on the top of a four-wheel cab, and while
Mr. Searle and I were casting the fish Mr. Jardine gave
us the following most interesting account of its capture,
which I took down at the time :

For some days jpreviously to Mr. Jardine's arrival the
water where the pike lived had been very thick and
muddy ; in fact, like pea- soup. During this state of
things the pike had been short of food. With the clean
water arrived Mr. Jardine, who happened to find my
lady in the middle of her dinner. Previously to takmg
Mr. Jardine's baits she had swallowed no less than
fourteen roach and one perch, which were all, more or
less, in a state of semi-digestion. When Mr. Jardine
first felt the tug upon his line, he fancied ihat he had
hooked only a small fish, as the fish came along towards
him without much pulling. When, however, the fish
was struck smartly, she began to show fight — first of all
tried to make a bolt of it, and then rushed violently
through the water, with open mouth, towards Jardine,
the tightened line still in her jaws.

FAIR ROD AND LINE BATTLE WITH PIKE. 157

Coming along the side of the hoat, she ''grinned a
ghastly grin," and two pairs of eyes met — the man's
and the fish's — with dire defiance of each other. The
pike then shook her head severely, after the manner of
a dog worrying a rat ; all in vain, the hooks were too
firmly fastened into her tongue, and they could not he
shaken out. Off went the pike again for another waltz
round the pool, and then came a deal of manoeuvring
on the part of the fisherman. The skiff — not a flat-
bottomed boat — was anchored in deej) water by a rope
and chain, and Jardine's fear was that the fish would
manage to twist the line round the rope, in which case
the line would, in all probability, give way. He there-
fore tried all he could to get up the anchor. Kneeling
on one knee, he pulled hard at the anchor-rope, while
he played the pike with the other hand ;■ but no, the
anchor would not come up, so he devoted his entire
attention to the fish. After dancing a 2)as de deux with
his partner for a long time, the fish began to give way,
and to roll herself languidly about several times. Jardine
brought her near the side of the boat, and several times
did she again plunge into the depths below, making
great swirls with her tail.

' ' Illam ter fluctus ibidem
Torquet agens circum, et rapido vorat cequore vortex."

Still, the difficulty remained how to get the fish into
the boat. Piscator, however, was ready for any emer-
gency— when is he not ? Slipping the gaff, without
the fish seeing it, gently into the water, with a swift
jerk he chucked her under the chin. Having felt the
hold was firm, he dropped his rod, and put the finger
of his other hand into the pike's eyes. Another moment,
and the pike was in the skiff. Then came the tug of

158 AVON (hants) pike.

war between man and fisli. The pike, feeling for the
first time herself out of water, began to lash about most
furiously. Jardine stopped this little game with a slight
blow on the head, which had only a slight effect in
felliug the fish.

The fish, however, was determined to do as much
mischief as she could. Lashing her tail about like a
crocodile, she first upset the large bait -can, which con-
tained the live baits, so that there was a merry morris
dance in the boat, the big fish surjounded by the little
ones. She then made a charge upon Jardine's com-
missariat. Smash went the bottle of sherry, then a
tumbler, then the sandwiches and a tobacco-box.

Aff'airs were becoming very serious, for the pike had
rolled up all the loose lines; Jardine then tried to get
her head into a sack. No sooner was her head into
the sack than it popped out again, the fish seeming to
be aware that if Mr. Jardine "gave her the sack" it
was all up with her, as is the case with the Sultan's
wives, who, when disobedient, are put in a sack and
tumbled into the sea. This, I believe, is the origin of
the term, *' giving the sack."

At last Jardine managed to get towards shore, when
the keeper at last — gone to his dinner, of course — came
to his assistance. The two of them contrived to bag
the pike eft'ectualty, and they carried her a long way
inshore before they gave her the final coup-de-grace.

The Avon, Christchurch, Hampshire, is not only
celebrated for large salmon, but also for large pike.
My friend Mr. Payne, of Avon Tyrrell, Hants, tells me
that he formerly possessed outlines of a pike cut out in
wood which weighed 37^1bs. He has also a peculiarly
short pike caught by himself, which weighed 321bs.

Lord Normington, who lives on the banks of this river,

PIIvE FllOM BLENHEIM PALACE, 159

was kind enougli to show me a cast of a pike wliicli had
attemi)ted to swallow a salmon. In May, 1880, 1 received
a call duck from Lord Nelson, of Trafalgar House, Down-
ton, which had been attacked by a pike and was so
much lacerated that it died of its wounds. This must
have been a very big pike. He is not caught yet. Pike
will also eat young ducks, and I understand that in the
Stour, which joins the Avon at Christcharch, the pike
make considerable inroads into Lord Normington's
young wild ducks. They will also take water rats.

In October, 1869, my fi'iend Mr. George Kooper sent
me a very fine pike, Vv4]icli he caught when spinning in
a gale of wind (best time for pike-fishing) in Loch Awe.
This grand game fish gave splendid sport. When she
arrived at Albany Street purposely to have her likeness
taken in plaster, we found that she weighed 281bs., and
measured 3 feet 7 inches in length. She contained 21oz .
of roe, the number of eggs being 292,320.

On April 2, 1870, I received a pike which weighed
321bs., and measured 3 feet 8 inches ; it was caught
with rod and line in the Broads of Norfolk. Upon open-
ing the abdomen, the roe was seen almost filling the
whole of the cavity; it weighed 5lbs., and contained
no less than 595,200 eggs. This fish I cast, and after-
wards presented it to the Eoyal College of Surgeons,
where the skeleton is now placed in the museum.

The lake at Blenheim Park was made in Queen
Anne's time, when the palace was built by Bamburgh.
This architect, or his landscape gardener, blocked U23 a
stream and made a splendid lake ; but although this
lake was left for many years without being touched, yet
when it was properly netted for the Duke of Marlborough
by a professional fisherman from Oxford, no very large
pike were found in it. The Duke kindly sent me on

160 PIKE SWALLOWING PIKE.

the 12tli May, 1872, a pike weighing 24ilbs. This fish
did not give one the idea of being of great antiquity ;
in fact, he could not have been very old.

Two cases of a curious accident to pike have occurred
of late years. In April, 1870, Mr. Cramp sent me from
Killin, a wtII known salmon rod-fishing station at the
head of Loch Tay, two pike fastened firmly together by
the impaction of the head of one within the mouth and
jaws of the other. Mr. Cramp writes : "■ These two
pike w^hich weighed lOlbs. the two, are exactly in the
same position as when gaffed by my boatman on Loch
Tay. We saw a considerable movement on the surface^
of the water, and upon our approaching to discover the
cause, the fish appeared to be fighting, and mereh^ sank
a short distance below the surface. The gaff penetrated
both then* heads. You will observe that the head of the
one fish (weighing, perhaps, 91b.) is tightly inserted up
to the termination of its gill, and part of the first lower
fin, in the mouth and throat of the larger one.

A cast of this curious case of Pike v Pike is now in
my Fish Museum.

A second case of pike swallowing a pike occurred
in April, 1880, when Dr. Burton, of Kelso, sent me a
drawing with the following account :

*' Two pike, the larger S^lbs., the lesser 2^1bs., were
this day taken by the hand by a lad out of the Tweed
at Kelso^ the one nearly half swallowed by the other.
They were both alive, and when with difiiculty separated
and put into a water-tub, the larger made tw^o attempts
again to gorge his neighbour. The lad who took 'em
wondered to see ' a muckle fish wi' twa tails.' "

The cause of this curious accident in both cases was
caused probably that both fish charged simultaneously
at a roach or other small bait. The roacli slipped out

pike's mouth — calves' tail, bait. 161

of the way, and tlie pike having got np stream, had too
much way on them to avoid a collision ; the head of
the smallest becoming thus impacted in the open mouth
of the larger one.

I strongly advise my readers to make a preparation
of a pike's head. This is very easily done by cutting it
off, steeping it in spirits of wine or diluted carbolic acid,
then hanging it up to dry, the mouth being blocked
open with a stick. It will then be seen that there are
three plates of teeth in the back of the upper jaw, all of
which are as sharp-pointed as needles, and are set
directly backwards. The lower jaw is also armed with
a formidable set of lancet pointed teeth, so that it is
almost impossible for any object once impacted in a
pike's mouth ever to get back again.

When in the 2nd Life Guards, my much-lamented
friend the late Colonel Martyn took the lease of Euislip
Reservoir, near Uxbridge; many happy days have I
spent there fishing for pike from a punt. Colonel
Martyn was particularly fond of what he called the
^' calves'-tail " bait for pike, a description of which I
have never before published.

Procure the tip of the tail of a brown calf ; remove
the bone and substitute a slip of cork ; make a head
with a champagne cork ; put into it boot buttons for
eyes ; attach a piece of leather boot-lace for a tail, and
dress with ordinary hooks. These big lake pike, who
are very artful fellows, will not be up to this calves'-tail
bait — they mil take it for a swimming water-rat, and
the chances are that they will snap at it, especially on
a windy day.

12

1G2

THE PILCHARD.

Abdominales Malacopterygii. Clupeidm.

[Clupea pilchardus.)

The Pilchard is easily distinguished from the herring
by its dorsal fin being placed at the centre of gravity,
i.e., when you hold the i^ilchard up by the back fin,
the fish will be horizontal ; whereas the herring will
dip downwards his head or tail. The average length of
a pilchard is nine and a half inches ; depth one and
three -quarters to two inches ; the maximum length ever
liuown being fourteen inches.

PILCHARD.

The chief pilchard fisheries are in Cornwall. There
are three districts fi-om which pilchards are caught — the
north coast from Hartland Point to the Land's End, in
the centre of which is St. Ives ; the Mount's Bay
district, from the Land's End to the Lizard ; the East
Lizard, extending to the Start. The fishery is very un-
certain. In fine weather the rate of the swim of a
shoal of pilchards is from one to two miles an hour, in
stormy weather from five to seven miles an hour.

My friend, Mr. Howard Fox, of Falmouth, who is very
much interested in the pilchard fishery, has kindly
pubHshed at my request three articles in the columns
of Laud and Water, and I have no hesitation in repro-

CORNISH PILCHAED FISHERIES. 163

diicing, ill the form of an abstract, liis valuable infor-
mation.

He thus writes :

*' One drawback to the complete success of the pilchard
fishery is the absence of any market for the cured fish
other than the Italian, in which there is a great demand
both before and during Lent. An experiment was once
made to smoke them in the same manner as herrings.
It was found that the weight of the body broke the neck,
and the fish fell into the fires.

" The approved method of cooking them is to split and
pepper, i)lace one fish flat on another, backs outside, and
roast on a gridii'on. This is the process provincially
termed ' scrowling.' An admirable way of curing them
is that of ' marinating.'

' ' The mode of cmdug pilchards into ' fumados,' or
^fermade,' is as follows : Women arrange them; first
putting a layer of salt, then a layer of pilchards, and so
on till the ' bulk ' is fi-om three to five feet high ; the
outside row of fish are laid with their heads out and
slightly turned up, and the inner rows at right angles to
them. French and Spanish salt, being a larger grain,
is much preferred to English for this pm-pose. The fish
remain in the bulk thirty days, during which time brine
and oil drain from them into pits specially arranged for
the purpose. They are then taken out, sifted free from
the di-y salt, washed in another sieve, and placed in
regular order in casks of fifty gallons, called hogsheads ;
the tails of the fish pointing to the centre and heads
out. Pressure is next applied by means of levers to
which weights are hung, and the casks are refilled and
pressed three times during the space of nine days ; when
the weight of the hogshead should be 4761bs., and the
fish in each cask will vary fi-om 2,500 to 3,000, accord-

164 PILCHARD NETS.

ing to size ; all under eight inches in length being
usually excluded and packed separately in other casks to
be sold as small fish, chiefly for home consumption. The
oil expressed from the pilchards is used for making
paints."

Pilchards are caught by driving nets and seines.
Boats, with nets complete, cost a considerable amount.
They are manned by from three to eight men. Each
boat has from fifteen to thirty nets.

As pilchards only enter the nets during twilight, un-
less they are passing in large " schools," when they often
carry the nets away bodily, the general custom is for the
boats to start from home in time to reach their fishing-
ground about sunset, when they set their nets, and haul
them in in about two hours, and unless they are full of
fish do not set them again till dawn. In the interval
they sail about to discover the whereabouts of "fish,"
which they do by knocking the bottom of the boat with
a hammer, or stamping on it, the concussion arising
therefrom causing any pilchards in the neighbourhood
to jump and discover themselves by " briming," that is
to say, causing a brilliant phosphorescent appearance in
the water, when the nets will again be cast overboard.
As many as 80,000 pilchards have been captured by a
single beat in one night, and 40,000, though a very good^
is not an uncommon catch at certain seasons. The fish
when landed are sold fresh, at prices ranging from Is. 3d.
to 2s. 3d. per 126.

The seine fishery commences about the end of July.
The more general and successful method of enclosing
fish is for the seine boats to receive their signals from a
man called a " huer," stationed on the top of the nearest
cliff, who, from this vantage ground, can have a much
clearer sight of the fish. The huer has a furze bush or

MEASUREMENT AND EXPORT OF PILCHARDS. 165

other signal iu each hajid, and by preconcerted move-
ments can acciu'ately guide the boats below. When
''■ iish " are passing, the inhabitants rush about shouting,
"Hev'ah, hevah, hev'ah!"

The seiners have various difficulties to encounter
when trying to enclose a shoal of pilchards, and it is
more common to miss than to have a successful " shoot."
The tide has to be carefully considered, for it runs with
great force off all the headlands, and often carries a seine
on to a rock and splits it. After a shoal is fairly en-
closed and the seine moored, there are still many dangers
and perils ; for instance, the Eashleigh seine at Port
Gavern, near Tintagel, enclosed a fine shoal, but next
day a ground sea came on which lifted the foot-ropes,
and enabled the fish to escape.

The fish being duly secured, the next thing is to take
them ashore. This is accomplished by means of the
" tuck net," which is passed inside the main seine. The
ends of the tuck net are then draT\ai together, and the
fish are lifted in the bunt from the bottom.

The following is the correct mode of measm-ing
pilchards : — A hogshead is 3761bs. gross, and about
840lbs. nett. Summer fish ran 3,000 to 3,600 per
hogshead ; winter fish, 2,400 to 2,800 per hogshead.

Through the kindness of Mr. Howard Fox, of Fal-
mouth, I have received the following returns, giving
the shipments from Penzance and Falmouth of pil-
chards in 1879 :— To Genoa, 7,855^ hgds. ; Leghorn,
l,157i hgds.; Naples, 2,698i hgds.; Venice, 2261 hgds.
As nearly all the Cornish pilchards go to Koman Catholic
countries the fishermen have a favourite toast, " The
Pope and Pilchards."

166

PILOT FISH.

Acanthopteri. Scombridte.

{Naucrates ductor.)

French : Pilote.

Me. Ledger, of Folkestone, in October, 1868, kindly
sent me a pilot fish, which had been taken off Folke-
stone in the mackerel nets. It was about the size and
shape of a small mackerel ; its lines are evidently made
for going at great speed through the water ; it was 9
inches in length, and weighed 8oz. Its colours when first
received were very beautiful — an emerald green, show-
ing different shades, like a lady's shot-silk di-ess, the
sides being striped with broad bands of ultramarine
colour. I made out three distinct ''par marks'^ on
the body ; the head and the caudal portion of the same
colour as the bands. Upon the tail there was also an
nidication of the same blue colour ; the tail much
bifurcated, and each point tipped with a snow-white
cap. The tongue is peculiar fi'om having roimd its
external margin a white leather - like fringe loosely
attached. One mii^ht almost conceive that this was as a
fiinge of " tasting " tongue fastened on the edge of the
'' prehensile " tongue ; doubtless it is of great use to
the fish in his economy. The mystache is small, grace-
ful, salmonoid in appearance.

Everybody knows the story of the pilot fish acting as
"guide, philosopher, and friend " to the shark. My
own faith, however, is that pilot fish follow the shark
to eat the parasitic insects ofi' his body.

In Land and Water, December 18, Mr. H. Lee
writes : —

"I received, in the third week of September, from
Messrs. Mussared and Doughty, fishmongers, Margate,

PIPE -FISHES.

167

a fine specimen of the pilot fish (Naucrates diictor),
then just captured in Eamsgate harbour. A fisherman
saw it basking on the surface of the water, struck it
with one of his boat's stretchers, and brought it ashore.
Mr. Mussared fortunately saw it exhibited as a curiosity
and purchased it on my account, for a rather * con-
siderable consideration.' I need hardly say that Tery
soon after its arrival it was on its way to Mr. Buckland,
for immortalisation in plaster effigy. It is now in the
Fish Museum."

Many well-authenticated instances have been pub-
lished of the pilot fish following ships for long distances.
This specimen had probably followed some ''over the
sea" inward-bound ship, and had lost her when she
took a steam-tug at Eamsgate.

THE PIPE-FISHES.

Lophobranchii. Syngnathidm.

These fish have a remarkable appearance : the body
being long and slender, and the jaws united, and form-
ing a cylindrical tube, the whole covered with bony
l)lates, like a coat of mail. The arrangement of these
plates is such as to render the body angular, but they
do not interfere with its flexibilitv. The reader should
boil one of these fish till it falls to pieces, the pecu-
liar pattern of the armour ecales can be then well
observed. The most remarkable peculiarity is the
existence, in one genus, of a marsupial pouch, in which
the young are contained. This receptacle is found only
in the male pipe-fish, which is furnished with two soft
flaps, that fold together and form a bag or apron, in
which the eggs are placed and matured, and the young
hatched.

168 HABITS OF PIPE-FISH.

Tlie Great Pipe-fish, or Needle-fish [Sf/nguathiis acus ;
German: Grosse Meernadel ; French: UAiijuille de
Mer), is found at low water, among sea- weeds, and at
other times in deep water. It attains a length of be-
tween 12in. and 16in. in this country. It swims about
slowly, in a singular manner, horizontally or perpendi-
cularly, with the head downwards or upwards, and in
every attitude of contortion, in search of its food, w^liich
seems to consist chiefly of marine insects.

It is believed these fish are able, by dilating their
throats at pleasure, to draw their food up their long,
cylindi'ical, beak-like mouths, as water is drawn up the
pipe of a syringe. In common with all the others
belonging to this family, this fish is of no use either
as food or bait, its dry rigid body being much like
a piece of wood.

The Deep-nosed, or Lesser Pipe-fish (Sjjiifjnathus
typhle; German: Kleine Meernadel; French: Le Ti/phle),
is almost as abundant as the preceding species.

DEEP-NOSED PIPE-FISH {Sjjnuiuitlius typhJc).

The species next to be noticed belong to a different
group in the same family, and differ from the former
in having a dorsal fin only — no pectoral, ventral, or
anal fin, and no abdominal pouch in either sex. They are
much more slender and w^orm-like in shape. There is
a great difference in the motions and changes of jiosi-
tion observable in this genus. The marsupials, which
(as we have seen) possess a stiff', short tail, provided

PREHENSILE TAILS OF PIPE-FISH.

1G9

with a fin, swim like other fish, chiefly by the help of
strokes of the tail ; while the ophidial pipe-fish, as they
are called, have a long, roundish, tapering, and very
flexible tail, which is generally kept still when swimming,
and may be regarded as a helm rather than an oar. The
creature entwines this supple tail with great dexterity
around any object that may be at hand, and may be
seen holding fast in this manner whenever any con-
venient thing presents itself ; but when no such support
is near to serve the purpose, several individuals placed
in the same vessel will entwine their tails together, and
thus form concatenated groups. The grasp of this fish's
tail reminds one somewhat of the spider-monkey.

The iEquoreal Pipe-fish [Sijngnatlms aquoreus) appears
to be very rare. The Cornish fishermen report that they
have seen it far out at sea, swimming at the surface,
over a great depth.

The Snake 'Pi'pe-fish {SynguatJnis Oplddion ; German:
Meerschlange) is much rounder and more slender than
the former ; its body scarcely exceeding the thickness
of a goose- quill, and it has a remarkably long, narrow
tail.

SNAKE PIPE-FISH [Syngnatlius ophidian).

Although destitute of the abdominal pouch, there is
provision made in this genus for the performance of a
function similar to that which is executed by the mar-
supial fishes. It appears that the eggs are carried, for
a time, by the male parent fish, in small cells or

170 PIPE-FISHES REJECTED AS FOOD IN AQUARIA.

depressions which exist on the sm-face of the abdomen.
Mr. Yarrell says that he found specimens, taken in
August, which contained one egg, of the size and colour
of a mustard-seed, lodged in each cup-like cell. The
females were not provided with these receptacles.

The snake pipe-fish is often taken in the whitebait
nets in the Thames, and is also found in the Severn, as
far as NeTvniham. The young of this fish is often eaten
among ordinarj^ whitebait. I have often found them
in my plate at dinner-parties and at clubs. They are
very good eating. A plate of whitebait often forms an
ichthyological study.

The Worm Pipe-fish (Sijngnathus lumhriciformis) is
the smallest of the British species, and is taken on
various parts of the coast. It does not exceed five or
five and a half inches in length. It has no fin, except
a small one on the back. The nose is very short, and
tm-ned upwards. The colour of the body, like that of
the preceding species, is olive-green. . ''It seems to pass
through a kind of metamorphosis when young ; the
whole of the tail, w^hen it escapes from the egg, being
enveloped in a thin membrane, and small pectoral fins
are visible ; both of which, after a time, disappear."
Hence, it would seem that these fish undergo something
of the same process as tadpoles.

In his "Dictionnaire des Peches," M. De La Blanchere
remarks : " That it is probable that these fish possess
a peculiar smell or taste inappreciable to our senses,
but discovered immediately by fishes. When chopped
up with other fishes, and given as food to aquarium
fishes, such as tm-bots, gurnards, &c., if by chance the
bits are swallowed, they are immediate^ rejected with
apparent disgust."

171

HIPPOCAMPUS.

Lophobranchii. Syngathidce.

There is only one British species, the Short-nosed
Hippocampus (Sea Horse, or Hippocampus brevirostris ;
German : Seepferdchen ; French : Hippocampe). Speci-
mens have been foimd, chiefly in the sonth of England ;
at Guernsey, and the other Channel Islands.

■3£=ri" M « oj*«_zr

HIPPOCAMPUS.

Mr. John Keast Lord, when reporting on two speci-
mens of hippocampus sent to the office, thus writes in
Land and Water : —

" Onl}' one species of hippocampus [H. brevirostris)
has been taken on our British coasts. The hippo-
campus is best known in its di'ied condition, exliibited
in cabinets, as a ' wonderful sea-horse,' the head bear-
ing some fanciful resemblance to that of a horse, and
the tail to that of the fabled dragon. Seen in its native
element, however, this horse-like appearance vanishes,
and the di-agon-like tail is found to be an admirable

172 FLAT, OR TRAWL-FISHES — PLEUROXECTID.^.

contrivance, witli which the hippocampus moors itself
to any floating object.

" "Whilst swimming, the bod}- is maintained in a
vertical i)osition, and the grotesque-looking creatures
seem to be walking upon their tails rather than rowing
themselves througli the water. The jn-ehensile tail
twists and turns about, ready at the shortest notice to
coil round the drifting sea plants or a piece of floating
wood ; and thus, as it were, lashing itself to a spar, the
sea-horse floats idly along as the breeze or the current
directs its course.

"The hippocampus possesses the power of moving
either of its yellow-coloured eyes independently of the
other. When watching their comic faces as they drift
about, one can hardl}^ help thinking that they are
* making eyes ' at you, so strangely do they roll and
twist them about in opposite directions. The male, as
in all the marsupial pipe-fishes, is provided with an egg
pouch, which is sitaated underneath the tail, and
formed by a doubling in of the thick skin."

PLEURONECTID/E.

PLEURONECTiDiE, of coursc. Signifies side swimmers ; in
common ^^ai'l^i^ce, Flat-fish ; in my language, as In-
spector of Fisheries, Trawl-fish. There are so many of
these fishes that I can only mention some of them.

The following is the catalogue of the Flat-fishes found
along the British coasts.

Brill {Pleiironectes rJiomhits).

Dab, common [Pleiironectes limauda, Platessa limanda).

Dab, long rough {Platessa Uinandoidcs).

Dab, smooth [Platessa microcepJiaJus).

Flounder, common [Platessa jlesus).

LEMON SOLE. 173

Flounder, long [Phdcssa elongata).

Fluke, sail [Zcuijiijitcni.s celivolans).

Fluke, pole or craig (Platessa cynoglossus).

Halibut [HipjJOfjlossiis mil gar i^).

Plaice [Platessa vuhjaris).

Sole, common (Solea vulgaris).

Sole, carter, lantern, or wliiff (Zeugo'pteras nicgas-

tonuis).
Sole, lemon [Solea pegusa) .
Sole, variegated (Solea varicgata).
Solenette [Solea lingula).
Sole, smooth or meqrim [Arnoglossus lccvis\.
Turbot [pLliomhus raaximus).
Topknot, Muller's [Pleuronectcs pimctatus).
Topknot, Block's (Zeugopterus pimctatus).
Topknot, Ekstroms [PJiomhus norvegicus) ,

The Lemon, or French Sole [Solea pegusa, aurantiaca),
is a pretty fish, with colours of orange and light brown,
and freckled over with numerous small round brown
spots ; on the under side of the head some very pretty
blue spots appear. The pectoral fin presents somewhat
a remarkable appearance, for on being spread out a
black patch appears, looking very like the wing of a
butterfly. It is wider in proportion than the common
sole, but is much smaller, its length not exceeding ten
or twelve inches. The under surface white, and the
head without the papillae. It is said to be occasionally
taken at Brighton with the common sole, when trawl-
ing over a clear bottom of soft sand ; and as this
happens most frequently in the direction of the French
coast, the fishermen sometimes call it the French sole ;
others call it the lemon sole, in reference to its yellow
colour.

174

THE SOLENETTE.

r received a pair of these soles in February, 1867,
measuring respectively thirteen and fourteen inches.
Mr. Thomas tells me that the skipper of his trawler, the
Hurricane, often catches them in the North Sea, but
they are not often sent to market.

VARIEGATED SOLE [Pleuronectes variegatus).

■ This variety very much resembles the common sole,
but is distinguished by the small size of the pectoral
fins. It is a small fish, scarcely attaining half a foot
in length ; one bought in Plymouth market measured
9in. in length. But little is known of the habits of this
species ; it appears about Plymouth in the spring. The
colour of the surface is a very light brown, tinged with
red, clouded with darker shades ; the scales large and
rough to the touch. It is a rare species, but I have a
specimen.

The Solenette, or Little Sole [Solea jmnm, Solea
linguld), seldom exceeds the length of Sin. It is taken
in the trawl nets on the Devonshire coast, where it is
called the red sole ; but on account of its diminutive
size is seldom brought on shore. It has been con-
founded with the variegated ; but may at once be dis-
tinguished by the tapering of the body towards the tail,
and more particularly by the union of the dorsal and

BKILL, TOPKNOT, CAKTER, AND SCALD FISH. 175

anal fins to the base of the tail, while the variegated
sole has the tail separated from them by a considerable
interval.

The Brill, Pearl, Kite, or Bonnet-Fleuk (Rhonihus .
vulgaris, Pleuronectes rhombus ; German : Der Glatthutt ;
Dutch : Griet), is very similar to the tui'bot, but smaller,
and of a more oval form. It is considered as inferior
to the sole, but much superior to the x^laice. It is a
poor people's fish.

The two species of Topknot (Bhombus lintus, Pleuro-
nectes pwictatiis) , called " Muller's Topknot " and
^'Bloch's Topknot," are- both somewhat rare; and
seldom exceeding Tin. or Sin. in length. They resemble
the brill in their roundish oval form ; they prefer low
shelving rocks, covered with sea-weed, w^here they are
not easily perceived.

Muller's Topknot is not an uncommon fish in the
west of England. The largest examples seldom ex-
ceeding 7in. or Sin. in length.

The Carter, or Whiif [Pleuronectes i:)seudopalus, PJiom-
bus tnegastoma), is also called Mary Sole, Queen Sole,
and Lanthorn-fish. These fish are rather difficult to
diagnose ; and I have been unable to get recent speci-
mens to make them out perfectly.

The Scald-fish (PJwmbus armoglossus, Arnoglossus la-
terna) is one of the smallest of the British flat-fishes, its
length not exceeding 5in. or 6in. It is exclusively con-
fined to the southern coast, and is called there Megrim.
It has obtained the name of scald-fish, because, when
caught with the least possible amount of injury, it is
found to have lost the greater portion of its scales, and it
only requii'es a slightly rougher handling for it to suffer
the loss of its skin also ; so that the surface usually
appears as if the fish had been di^Dped in boiling water.

17G THE DAB THE FLOUNDER.

The Dab, Gray Flounder, Eock Fluke, or Sand Dab
[Pleuronectes limanda ; German: Die Kliesclie ; French:
La Limande), is readily distinguished from either by
jts paler (light brown) colour, the abrupt and high arch
of the dorsal line over the pectoral fins, and the rough-
ness of its scaly surface, from which it has been called,
in Latin, limanda (from lima, a file). It is also much
smaller, averaging from Gin. to 9in. in length.

THE FLOUNDER.

German: Die Flunder, Sandbutt. Danish: Skruhhe. Dutcli :

Bot. French :' Le Flet.

It inhabits every part of the British seas, and often fi-e-
quents our rivers beyond the reach of the tide, thriving

FLOUNDER (Platessa Jicsus, Pleuronectes Jiesus).

in salt, brackish, or fresh water. Now that the Thames
is getting purer, the flounders are, I am glad to say,
returning to the river above London Bridge. The
flounder is much smaller than the plaice, it is also more
elongated in form, and has a row of sharp, denticulated
tubercles, which surround its sides, and are placed
along the base of the dorsal and anal fins. There are
specimens without any colour on either side, specimens
coloured on both sides, and specimens with both eyes

HALIBUT. . 177

aud the whole of the colour on the left side, instead of
the rii?ht : while white or Albino vai'ieties, are not
uncorfimon.

HALIBUT.

Anacanthini Anisomeri. Pleuronectida.

{Hippoglossus vulgaris.)

GeTm.a.n : Die Heiligbutt. Pferde Zunge. Dutch: Heilbot. Ice-
landic : Uejlagfiski Flydra. Norwegian : Legekveite. Swedish :
Helgjlundra. French : Fletan.

The Halibut is decidedly a northern fish, being found on
the coast of Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Scotland, and the

HALIBUT.

British shores of the North Sea ; it lives and thrives on
on the immense sand plains between the west coast of Scot-
land and Norway. These fish gi'ow to an enormous size.
In February, 1874, Mr. Dearsley, of 1, Eussell Street,
Covent Garden, sent for me to inspect a monster
halibut. The dimensions of this fine fellow were —
length, 6ft. 3in., width, 3ft. lin., length of head, 1ft. 9in.
Not being able to afford plaster to cast this magnificent
fish, I took the outline in unbleached calico and a car-
I)enter's pencil (a capital plan by the way), Mr. Searle
then cut it out in wood and painted it to life, and it
is now hanging up in my museum. This fish was caught
off Montrose, Scotland.

13

178 HALIBUT FISHERIES.

In March, 1869, Mr. Eeid, of Wick, reported to me a
halibut measuring 5ft. 10m. in length, 2ft. lOin. wide,
and 7m. thick. At the end of February, 1877, a
halibut was landed at Wick weighing 2cwt. 71b s., or
two hundi'ed and thirty-one pounds, length 7ft. lin.
The Jews are excessively fond of halibuts ; they mostly
come to the London markets in the spring months. "'■'

There is a great halibut fishery in British Columbia ;
of this fishery the following interesting account is
given in " Scenes and Studies of Savage Life," j). 225.
The mode of fishing for halibut is " long lining." For
some reason or other the natives will not use a steel
hook in fishing for halibut.

Their own halibut hook is curiously shaped, and is
made of a stringy tough part of the Douglas pine, or the
yew, which is steamed until it is flexible, when it re-
ceives its proper shape. The hook is of bone and has
no barb. The sides of the hook must be kept tightly
bound together until the time of using.

The lines are made of seaweed, except for six or eight
feet from the hook, where they are of twisted twigs or
deer sinew. To make seaweed into a line, it is soaked
in fresh steam, and the water being afterwards squeezed
out with the hands, the line is rubbed with an oily cloth,
and afterwards dried in the sun. Clams or small
fishes are us6d for bait in fishing halibut. The fishing
season is March, April, May, and June.

Thousands of halibut, some of them weighing more
than two hundred pounds are caught by the natives and
are exchanged for potatoes, gammass, rush mats, and
other articles. The best fishing grounds are about
twelves miles off the land ; but the halibut is also

* Much valuable evidence relative to Halibuts is to be found in
our " Eeport on Deep Sea Fisheries, 1879."'

PLAICE. 179

caught near the shore. The fishing tribes on both sides
of the straits of Fuca \Y0uld drive away any other tribes
which had not been accustomed to fish on the halibut
banks. The mode of fishing is to trail the line slowly
after the canoe, the hook being sunk in deep water.
Hundi'eds of canoes, with two or three men in each,
start at midnight for the fishing-ground, so as to arrive
there in the morning. x\fter half-a-day's work, if the
sea is moderate, the canoes are quite laden, and the
fishermen return. If the sea should rise during their
progress to the shore, rather than throw any of their
fish overboard, the natives tie large inflated sealskins to
both sides of the canoe to increase its buoyancy. The
hairy side of these skins is tm'ned inside and the skinny
side outside, and various rude devices are painted on
the outside, such as the sinking of a canoe, or the
capture of a great fish. To get so large a fish as a
halibut into a canoe at sea is rather a difficult matter.
Accidents, however, rarely hai)pen, and the fish seldom
gets away after being hooked. By using bladders at-
tached to the line, and spearing the halibut when he
appears on the surface, the largest fish is finally towed
alongside the canoe, where he is killed by being struck
on the head with a club.

THE PLAICE.

[Platessa vulgaris,)

German: Die SchoUe. Danish: Roddspritte. Swedish: Tunga.
Dutch : Be Schol. French : La Plie Franche.

My friend Mr. Thomas informs me that there are two
kinds of x)laice — the ordinary plaice, which has no
spots ; and the diamond plaice, with spots. The latter
is caught in May and June on the Brown Bank and the

180 HABITS OF PLAICE.

Well Bank, on the Dutch coast, and are superior to
those caught in the earlier season of the year on the
Doggerhank. The plaice is ver}^ prolific. In a plaice I
had sent me by Messrs. Gilson and Quelch, of Bond
Street, the fish weighed 41bs. looz., the roe weighed

PLAICE [Platessa vulgaris, PIeuro)iectes platcssa).

lib. 9oz., and contained 144,600 eggs, but the eggs were
• of a large size compared with those of the turbot.

In October, 1869, I witnessed the drawing of a seine
net opposite our oyster fishery at Eeculvers, near Heme
Bay, Kent, when a considerable number of xolaice were
caught ; but just as the net arrived at the edge of the
waves it "rolled," and nearly all the plaice escaped. A
fisherman crie'd, " Look out, they'll sand ! " a capital
expression, for I found that the fish sunk into the sand
with such rapidity that the operation must be seen to be
believed. The plaice lifts up its head and the upper
third of its body and then brings it down on the sand
three or four times with sharp, quick raps ; a small
cavity is thus made in the soft, wet sand, which at once
fills with water ; the fish then works its fins on each
tiide of its body with such a rapid motion that they seem

FALLING OFF OF PLAICE IN THE NORTH SEA. 181

almost to vibrate. These combined efforts enable the
fish to conce?.l itself almost quicker than the eye can
follow, and nothing can be seen but its eye, which is of
a lovely emerald colour.

I now publish a very important letter I have received
from an experienced North Sea trawler, which gives us
very alarming nevrs.

'' To give you my opinion as to why there is a falling off
in the supply of plaice and soles — and it is well known
among fishermen that it is so to an alarming extent —
when we first went to fish off the Sylt about ten years
ago, very near all the ground from Horn Keef to Heligo-
land was covered, as it were, with shoals of small plaice,
and intermixed with these plaice a good many soles,
both large and small. We have got as many as eighty
baskets of small plaice and ten baskets of soles for one
night when we first went there, and very near all the:
plaice would be thrown overboard, and you may be
aware that they always die after they have been hove on
board by a trawler. These fish are so small, that I have
counted 250 in one basket, such as we use at Grimsby.
The small plaice that are brought to London market are
the largest picked out, and then the others are thrown
away, and I would have you to remember they all die.
Now, we have fished there every summer, heaving big
bags of small plaice on board and throwing them away
for the sake of the soles, till by destroying the young
brood, full-grown plaice have grown very scarce, so that
at the present time very small plaice will sell well.
As the soles have grown scarce off the Sylt, the
small plaice, being saleable, makes up ; so you see they
are bound to be caught unless stringent measures are
taken for their preservation. Twenty baskets is the
most you would get for a night now. My opinion is that

182 TURBOT.

as the ground from Horn Eeef to Langeroog, within a
less depth tlian twelve fathoms, is a natural nursery
for young brood, and that if the wanton destruction of
it continues to go on as it has done, w^e shall soon find
it extremely dif&cult to find even a moderate supply of
full-grown plaice, but I have no doubt that if it were
stopped soles would be more plentiful too. It is to the
interest and benefit of every one in the fish trade that
no trawlers should fish within the above depth and
limits."

THE TURBOT.

{Fihomhus maximtis.)

German Die Steinhutt. Dsimsb.: Pighvarre. Norwegian : /Sa?icZ^'-
vero. Swedish: Butta. French: Le Turbot.

A LARGE portion of the Turbots sold in the various En-
glish markets is taken on or near the various sand-banks

TUKBOT {Ehomhus maximus, Pleuronectes maximus.)
between the long line of our eastern shores and the coast
of Holland ; the finest are taken upon the Flemish
banks. At the beginning of the season the trawl-net is
used, which, being drawn along the banks, brings up
various kinds of flat-fish, as soles, plaice, thornbacks,

TURBOT FISHERIES NUMBER OF EGGS. 183

aud turbots ; but when the weather has driven the fish
into deeper water, the fishermen then have recourse
to their many-hooked lines. All along our eastern coast
turbot are caught by trawling and long-line fishing,
and at i)articular seasons, on the Varne and on the
Ridge— two extensive banks of sand (the first about
sevon miles, and the second about twelve miles from
Dover) towards the French coast. The Folkestone and
Boulogne passenger steam-boats go near these banks.
Magnificent turbots are also caught at the back of the
" Falls," near Margate ; there are sands near the Good-
win which, however, the turbot do not frequent.

The turbot is particular as to the quality of his food :
the bait used for him should be very fresh — if it happen
to be in the least degi-ee tainted, the turbot will not
touch it. The most enticing baits are those small
fishes very bright in colour. The Thames lampern
was formerly used in large quantities by the Dutch, as
they could be easily kept alive at sea, combining bright
silvery colour with great power of resisting the usual
efi'ect of mutilation.

Large quantities of lamperns are now sent from the
Severn and Trent to Great Grimsby and Hull for turbot
bait.

The most common size of this fish varies from 5lbs.
to lOlbs. weight ; occasionally it attains to 20lbs., and
sometimes 30lbs.

I have a coloured cast of a turbot in my museum
which weighed 321bs.

The turbot is one of the most prolific fish known :
one, which turned the scales at 23lbs., carried, I found,
a roe weighing 51bs. 9oz., and contained no less than
fom-teen million three hundred and eleven thousand two
hundred eggs (14,311,200).

181

THE SOLE.

(Solea vulgaris.)

German: Bie Seezunge. Danish: Tunge. Swedish: Tuiiga.
French : La Sole. ItaKan : Sogliola.

Having in my appendix to the *' Eeport on the Sea
Fisheries of England and Wales, 1879" (c. 2449), given
the result of mj investigations on the natural history
of the sole, I now give an abstract thereof : —

"To the London market, and to the British public in
general, soles are the most important of sea fish. They
are required by all classes of society ; the higher classes
get those of the best quality, the poorer classes get the
smaller fish.

"Very little is definitely known of the habits of the
sole. During the spring, soles resort to banks and
estuaries to seek their food and deposit their eggs, to
the well-being of which the heat of the sun is abso-
lutely necessary. In the winter they retire to great
depths in the ocean.

" These two facts are of exceeding importance to the
fishermen in the North Sea ; for in the spring time of
the year a great migration of the soles in the North
Sea takes place towards the shallower water, which is
undoubtedly their spawning place.

" The fishing ground for soles on the Dutch coast may
be said to be about 278 miles long and 35 miles wide,
and the season when the fleet is working on this ground
may be generally said to be the spring and early
summer.

"In April there would be 1,000 sail of smack fishing
from the Hook of Holland to the coast of Jutland.

"Along the Dutch coast there are several rocky

SOLE FISHERIES IX NORTH SEA. 185

places, and there is also a good deal of rough ground
in the North Sea where the fish breed.

"This rough ground, vs^here the trawlerS cannot go
without danger of breaking their nets, affords a ' sanc-
tuary,' as the Scotch deer-stalkers have it, for the
soles.

" Soles also resort to the Dogger Bank probably for
the purpose of spawning. They are caught there in
large numbers in May, June, and July. That they
probably spawn here may be concluded from the fact
that very large quantities of little soles an inch or two
long get jammed and killed in the ground ropes of the
trawl net.

"When the winter season comes on, the soles in the
North Sea take up their winter quarters (probably for
hybernating purposes) in very deep water. The chief
resort of soles in the winter months is the Silver Pits, a
very extensive piece of deep water situated between the
Dogger Bank and the Well Bank. The greatest depth
is to be found at the west end, where there is fifty- six
fathoms of water, i.e., 134 feet higher than the Monu-
ment.

" The soundings brought up from here resemble
biscuit dust.

" The Silver Pits (first discovered, I believe, in 1843)
are so called on account of the large quantity of fish
which were caught when the pits were first discovered.
Soles massed themselves together in these pits in a
wondrous way, and fabulous stories are told of the sole
fishery there.

" In the winter time the soles also resort to a locality
called California, a small tract of coarse ground first
discovered in 1847. The north end is about five miles
from Flamborough.

186 TORBAY SOLES FOOD OF SOLES.

" Soles are also caught in considerable quantities on
tlie south-east of the Brown Bank.

" The supply of soles is very fluctuating. One reason
of this may be their migratory habits. Hence the
great importance of keeping regular registers of tempe-
ratures both of air and water at times both of success
and of failure. As an instance of the fluctuations of
the catch of soles, P. Harman, a fisherman of Brighton,
informed us that forty years ago he caught a quarter of
a ton of soles in a night. A great body of soles came
along off the coast which lasted for two months. There
were never so many known before.

"A considerable sole fishery is also carried on from
Brixham, in Devonshire, where there are now about
120 trawlers, fi-om thirty to sixty tons each. The Brix-
ham soles are know by the name of ' Torbay soles,'
and are considered good. Sometimes large specimens
are taken. I have a cast of a pair of soles from Torbay
22in. by ll|in. and 21^in. by 8^in. respectively. The
largest soles I have in my museum as casts are a i)air
from Ireland, weighing altogether 121bs.

" Dover soles are also in great repute in some of the
Midland markets.

" The sole has very fine and very pointed teeth on the
lower jaw, and a number of very short and delicate bar-
bules on the white side of the body around the mouth.

'' On account of the difiiculty I have had in obtaining
the viscera I have not been enabled to obtain many
specimens of the food of the sole. I have, however,
received good evidence that it feeds on the worm which
forms the sandv material called ross. This ross is
secreted by a worm called Terehella. It also decidedly
preys upon rag worms, lug worms, the animals of
serpulcB, and any minute shells it can pick up."

EGGS OF SOLE YOUNG SOLES SWIM ON ONE SIDE. 187

The eggs of the sole are very minute, smaller than
turnip seed. According to my observations a sole of
lib. weight carries eggs to the number of 134,000.

When giving his evidence before my colleague, Mr.
"Walpole, and myself during the Sea Fisheries Inquiry,
at Mevagissey, Cornwall, Mr. Matthias Dunn (who for
knowledge and observation of deep-sea fish may be said
to be the successor of the late Mr. Jonathan Couch) told
us in evidence that young plaice and soles ivhen Jij'st
hatched out always swam, on their edge for about a week,
and that in this condition they had their eyes upon different
sides of the head.

In the spring of 1879 Mr. Dunn most kindly sent
me living specimens, that I might verify his statement.
An ordinary sole, as everybody knows, has a white side
and a dark side. He always swims at the bottom, the
white side down and the dark side up. He has two
eyes ; these eyes are both on the dark side, and both
look upwards. The plaice is also the same. The hving
specimens which Mr. Dunn has sent me are about the
size of a rice grain, only very thin and transparent ;
and, sure enough, instead of having both eyes (bright
opalescent specks) on one side, they have one on the
lower or white side, and one on the upper or dark side.

What is also most curious is that when the little
fellows swim in mid- water, as they sometimes do, they
do not progress with a waving serpentine motion, as do
their fathers and mothers, but swim on one side moving
their fins very rapidly ; their mouth is then in the
middle, and there is one eye on each side, just as in a
^' round " fish, such as the salmon, perch, &c. I have
gone fully into this curious point in the Deep Sea
-Fisheries Keport, where I have also made the following
remarks : —

188 DESTRUCTION OF SEA-FISH FRY BY TEAWLS.

** DESTRUCTION OF SMALL FISH BY THE MESH OF TRAWLS.

" It must be obvious to any person who examines the
slabs of the fishmongers' shops that large quantities of
small soles and small flat-fish are daily sent to market.
This destruction of small fish, at first sight, seems a
great waste of good food, and we cannot help regretting
that these little creatures should not be allowed to grow
up into fish of ordinary marketa;ble size.

" The question will immediately be asked, Where do
these small flat-fish come from ? The answer is, Mostly
from the nets of the deep-sea trawlers. "Why, then, are
not immediate steps taken to prevent the destruction of
young fry ? This is one of the most difficult problems
my colleague and myself have had to face during the
inquiry, and my personal attention has been directed to
it incessantly both out of doors and indoors since the
inquiry began.

" In the first j)lace, the very small fish which are
captured — smaller than the smallest exposed for sale —
are no good to anybody. The captains of the trawlers
do not want them ; the fish merchants at the fishiug
ports do not want them ; the wholesale merchant at
Billingsgate does not want them ; the retail fish mer-
chants do not want them ; they are a nuisance to the
small fishmongers and costermongers ; and, lastly, the
fish- eating public do not want them.

" The obvious remedy for aU these difiiculties is to
alter the mesh of net. Yet, simple as this may seem, it
is a most difficult problem.

*' Arriving at the fishing ground, the smack lets go her
trawd, which, sinking to the bottom of the sea, begins
to work the moment the vessel has any way on her.
The trawl net is attached to the beam : the beam at

TERRIBLE DESTRUCTION OF SMALL SOLES. 189

each end is fastened to a heavy iron runner, called the
trawl heads ; between the trawl heads is fixed a rope or
chain, called the gi'ound rope. As the vessel above
pulls this great net along the bottom of the sea the
ground rope stirs up the flat-fish from the mud or sand
and they are immediately caught in the funnel-shaped
net behind them. The meshes of the net of a trawl
net vary : the largest are close to the beam, the smallest
at the ' cod end.' Into this cod end is swept every-
thing that enters the mouth of the net. The trawl net
is working at the bottom of the sea on the average six
hours, and during' this time it naturally collects not
only fish, but sea- weed, stones, mud, etc.

" When the net is hauled on to the deck and the cod
end opened to let the fish out, the little flat-fish are dis-
covered jammed up tight among their larger comrades
and the rubbish.

" The captain of the smack is unwilling to put them
overboard, because they are dead ; they are therefore
packed w^ith the other soles and sent off to London or
other markets.

"The fish merchant buys a 'pad of soles' without
examminor the contents. He afterwards finds little and

O

undersized fish mixed with the marketable soles ; he
cannot sell them — they therefore are passed from one
to the other, till at last they are sold to the poor people
in penny or twopenny lots.

" The same thing occurs with other kinds of flat-
fish."

The question of inventing a mesh of net that will let
go the small soles, while it will retain the larger ones
(and in my opinion no sole should be taken mider 7in. in
length) is the greatest problem that we have to consider
in dealing with the future Sea Fishery question. This

190 POLLACK.

problem, I am sorry to say, is as yet far from being
solved; whoever will solve it will be one of the greatest
of benefactors to the English peo^^le, and would most
assuredly deserve a reward not only from the smack
owners, fish merchants, and trawlers, but from the
public in general.

THE POLLACK.

[Merlangus poUacJiius.)

Local names : Laith, Leeat, Lijthe Sheet, Whiting Pollack. Ger-
man : Der Pollack Tangioittling. Danish : Luhhe. Dutch :
De Polak. French : La Merlan Jaime.

The Pollack, or Lythe i^Merlangus j^ollachius, Gadiis
poUachius), is a very strong fish : the colour is dusky
brown, inclining to green in the upper parts ; the sides
and belly whitish; the under jaw projecting much be-
yond the ux3per.

The pollack is one of the commonest fish, and is
found on all our coasts where the nature of the ground
is suitable to its habits. Its haunts are upon rocky
ground, and at no great distance from the land.

POPE, OR RUFF.

Acanthopteri. Percida:.

(^Acerina vulgaris. Acer ma cernua.)

Local names: Jack Buff, Pope, Ruff, Tommy Bar. German:
Dei' Kaulbarsch Steinschwert. Danish : Horke. Swedish :
Girs. French: Gremille.

This fish is well known to Thames anglers, by whom
it is often caught while gudgeon-fishing. A cruel
habit, which probably originated in some idea con-
nected with Eoman Catholic persecution, is practised

SHEFFIELD ANGLER'S MATCHES. 191

up and down the Thames, and, I beheve, almost all
over England. A wine cork is pressed tightly on to
the spine of the dorsal fin, and the fish turned loose ;
this is what is called '' plugging a pope." There are,

Kurr.

I believe, a great number of these fish in the Yare and
Wensum. Mr. Searle tells me that they are plentiful
in canal cuts in Berkshire, where there is a gravelly
bottom, but not much stream.

Mr. Edon, the attendant at my fish museum, informs
me that the Sheffield people, especially the artisans, are
very great anglers, and that angling matches are often
instituted, for which prizes are offered. These prizes
are generally exhibited the night before the match, and
consist of the funniest things possible, such as a sack
of soot, a child's pair of shoes, a hay-fork. The next
morning a special train is run to " fish off the match "
in the Keadley canal, Lincolnshire, the station being
Crewel Bridge, where competitors for the match, from
Leeds, York, &c., meet and join the excursion. Pegs are
placed along the side of the canal 10 yards apart, each
peg being numbered, and the angler who di-aws the
number on a ticket drawn from a big beer -jug must fish
at the post corresponding to the number. Sometimes
there are as many as five or six hundred competitors.

192 POUT OR BIB.

I understand it is a common sight to see a forest of
rods at the drawing of tickets, and also when tlie fish-
ing commences, the row of rods extending sometimes
three miles or more. On these occasions a great many
popes are caught, and it is the invariable custom of
anglers to carry bits of cork in their pocket, which they
fix on to the back S2)ines of the fish, which they let
loose again into the water both during and after the
match. It is a very funny sight to see the surface of
the canal for so many miles covered by these unfor-
tunate popes.

THE POUT.

This little fish is also called the Bib Whiting Pout, or
Bragay, also the Stink alive, as it so soon looses its
freshness. The pouts come in shore in June, and go
away in September. The whitings come in November
and go away in January. "When first caught pouts are
of a most lovely iridescent colour ; they soon assume
a dull brown-paper colour. By an ingenious process,
pouts are frequently made to do duty for whiting. If a
pout be taken out of the water and put in again, he
" gets blowed " and can't swim, but floats on the sur-
face till a ^' sea maw " gull whaffles him down.

Excellent fishing can be obtained near Portsmouth.

In my " Curiosities of Natural History Series," 1866,
I give my experiences of pout fishing with my old friend
Eobinson Crusoe, a retired man-of-war's man. Here is
a bit of the fine old sailor's yarn :

"It's the pouts as likes the wracks (wrecks); they
eats the little teeny long-pinchered crabs no bigger than
my thumb-nail, and the sea wodlice, and suchlike ; but
a pout arn't particular like a conger or a whiting ; and

ROBINSON Crusoe's experience of pouts. 193

them heavy whiting do bite ' logie ' dull like ; but it's
a curious thing as any fish will eat boiled cabbage or
boiled onions, and they comes about the ships at Spit-
head for it. I knows of seven or eight wracks hereabouts
where I fishes. The Boijne is about as good as any
of them. She was a fine ship was the Boijne. She
catched fire at Spithead (I think it was in 1798), and
all her arms was shotted ; they went off one after the
other right among the fleet. Her magazines was full
of powder, so they set her adrift, and she took the ground
in five fathom of water, just at the edge of the Horse
Bank, and there she fired away 'till she blowed herself
up, and she is now the wonderfullest ^vrack about here.
There's a wonderful sight of timber, and a wonderful
sight of fish about her, and they always runs good. I
fishes at her all the year round, and yet there's always
fish, though sometimes you can't get a smell out of them
much less a bite. I once catched a hundred dozen of
pouts in three bits of tide, and some of them was very
fine pouts. The young flood is the time to catch 'em.
Then they stops nearly an hour, and then comes in the
whole body of the tide, but there ain't half so many
pouts about as there used to be : it's the town gas as-
kills the fish. If a porpoise was to swallow one bladder
of gas as big as a halfpenny as it comes out of Ports-
mouth harbom% he'd turn the turtle in a minute ; it's-
real poison is gas."

^. .^_ REMORA.

Anacanthini Colades. Echeneida,

In the Eemora Suckers, the sucking apparatus is placed
on the crown of the head, in the form of a large
oval shield, by means of which the fish are able to
attach themselves firmly alongside of other fishes, or

14

194 REMOKA, OR SUCKING FISH.

to tlie bottoms of vessels ; but wlietlier for protection,
or conveyance, or both, is a question wliich has not been
satisfactorily ascertained.

EEMORA {Common remora, Echineis r.mora).

The sucking apparatus is thus described in the

catalogue of the Eoyal College of Surgeons, specimen

2081a:

" The suctorial disk, removed from the head of a

larger species of remora (Echineis uaucrates Linnaiiis).

The disk is an oval flattened surface, composed of a

series of transverse laminas directed backwards, and

denticulated or spinous at their posterior margin ; the

laminae are movable, and when recumbent are raised

and fixed on a foreign substance, a vacuum is produced

in their interspaces, and the fish adheres firmly to the

body to which the disk is attached, until it voluntarily

retracts the circumference of the disk, destroys the

vacuum, and depresses the laminas, which then, from

their peculiar arrangement, present little or no obstacle

to the progress of the fish through the water/'

Many of my readers are not probably aware that

the remora has been used as the symbol of prudence.

The great west window of New College Chapel, Oxford,

contained seven allegorical pictures, after designs by

Sir J. Eeynolds, representing the four cardinal and

three Christian virtues, namely. Temperance — with

water and a bridle at her feet ; Fortitude — in armour ;

Foith — with a cross; Charity — with poor children;

EEMORA EMBLEM OF PRUDENCE RIBAND FISHES. 195

Hope — with an anchor; Justice — with a steelyard and
sword; Prudence carries " upon her right arm an arrow
joined with a Kemora, a fish that fixes itself to the
bottom of ships and retards their motion." The arrow
and the Eemora are the respective emblems of quick-
ness and slowness, Prudence being the medium between
them.

RIBAND FISHES.

This family contains some of the most singular fishes
in existence — those of the riband-shaped form. Covered
with the richest silver, and of great length, the undula-
ting motions of these creatures in the sea must be re-
splendent and beautiful beyond measure. But these
wonders of the mighty ocean are almost hidden from the
sight of man, since they appear to live only in the
greatest depths, and it is but rarely, at long intervals,
and after a succession of tempests, that specimens are
cast upon the shore. No more than six species have
been obtained on the British shores, and those but
rarely. They are the Scabbard Fish, the Silvery Hair-
tail, Hawkin's Gymnetrus, and the Eed Band Fish.

hawkin's gtmnetrus.

In April, 1872, Mr. Provost Barclay, of Montrose,
kindly forwarded me the following interesting informa-
tion :

19G VAAGMAER THE THURSO RIBAND FISH.

" An unusual visitor to our shores was captured
this morning in Messrs. Johnstone's stake nets on the
beach here, proving to he the Yaagmaer, or deal-fish
{Gymnetrus arcticus) of the northern seas. The length
of this splendid specimen is 6 feet ; breadth, 12f inches ;
dorsal fin, which runs from the back of the head to the
tail, 4^ inches ; greatest thickness of the fish, 2^ inches.
The caudal fin has seven rays, which spread from a
small centre like a fan, and the colour of the fins and
tail are blood red ; colour of fish silver-grey, and with-
out scales ; eyes golden and very large, being two inches
diameter. This fish is described in Yarrell, but seems
to be but little known, and therefore inaccurately figured.
Yarrell shows two spots on the sides which are not found
in the specimen just captured, and speaks of ventral
fins, but this has none."

At the end of July, 1877, I received, through the
kindness of Mr. J. C. Traill, of Castle Hill, Thurso,
N.B., a magnificent specimen of one of the rarest
British fishes. Mr. Traill wrote me ; —

** I send up by train from Thurso a box containing a
large fish, unknown here, which was washed on shore
late on Sunday night. I only heard of it on Monday
morning, and at once took possession of it, but not
before some mischievous people had cut off the tentacles,
or long feelers, which I am told stood up from the head
to the height of about thirty-six inches. You will see
where they have been taken or broken off. The fish
was also broken in three pieces near the tail, in the at-
tempt to roll it up before I got it. When the fish came
ashore it was alive, but must, I expect, have been in a
dying state, as the weather was quite calm and the sea
quite smooth. The beauty of the fish consists in its
colour. I don't know how it will appear when it gets

GYMNETRUS ARCTICUS FROM THURSO. 197

to you, but you can form uo idea of the brilliancy of its
appearance when it first came ashore. It was all over
exactly like the reverse side of a looking-glass, and for a
quarter of a mile off could be seen shining on the sands
like a mirror. The men's fingers, in handling it, were
covered over with what was exactly like prepared silver
paint, manufactured like Bessemer's gold paint, which
artists' colourmen sell. I think I see signs of ten-
tacles below the head, as well as above, and there
is a fracture at the end of the tail, which almost
looks as if that portion of the tail, which was furnished
with spines, as in the drawing, had been broken off, or
eaten off, before the fish came to land, and may, in fact,
account for its being cast ashore, as it would be like a
boat without its rudder or powers of sailing from the
stern. My house is distant about five miles due east of
Thurso, and is on the shore of the Bay of Dunnet,
which you will see marked in Black's maps. It is a
beautiful bay, with a fine sandy bottom, about three
miles across, with bold, rocky coast on the other side,
but a smooth, sandy shore shelving out to sea very
gradually, until you get to the opposite headland. I
have no doubt, if I had the proper appliances, many
rare and beautiful fish could be taken in this bay.
These must be frequently carried across the Atlantic,
and take refuge here from the racing tide of the Pent-
land Firth."

On removing the lid of the box, there appeared a
most magnificent specimen of Gymnetrus arcticiis, other-
wise Ileijalacus hanksii. It had been packed in ice, and
was in good condition. ** When spread out it measures
12ft. 4in., and is much in the shape of an enormous
sword tapering off at the tail. The head is unfortu-
nately considerably smashed, but still the outlines are

198 RIBBON FISH AT OEKNEYS.

sufficiently apparent to enable us in some manner to
restore it. The back is studded with sharp webbed
spines forming a continuous back fin. The belly is
covered with little ivory studs ; the body is excessively
fragile, and breaks up into small portions like over-
cooked meat."

Mr. Searle and myself made two casts of it, which
are now in my museum at South Kensington. To
preserve this huge fish in spirits would be impossible.

Mr. Bartlett tells me that he has seen in the Bergen
Museum, Norway, a specimen of the same species, but
of smaller size than that sent me by Mr. Traill.

A correspondence took place on this subject in Land
and Water (vol. xvii., Jan. to June, 1874).

My friend Mr. W. Eeid, of Wick, gives the following
valuable information : — " Mr. Buckland mentions that
only one vaagmaer is recorded as having been found in
Orkney. While I resided in these islands I procured no
less than three specimens, two of them in perfect condi-
tion (a thing very rare, I admit), the other sadly mutilated
by sea-gulls. The two specimens — one measuring 4|-
feet, the other about a foot less — I preserved for a local
museum, which we had started some twenty-five years
since in Kirkwall. I made a drawing of one of the fish
at the time on tracing-paper over the body of the fish,
and it gave an excellent idea of the size and outline of
this very curious-looking species. Couch had com-
menced publishing his ' British Fishes ' about the
time, and I sent the drawing to him, and I believe that
it was from it that he fii^ured the deal-fish in his
excellent work. I enclose a diminished copy of the
same drawing, which, I believe, will correspond with
Couch's, although I have not the work to refer to.
Knowing that the deal-fish had been picked up in some

SEA-SEEPENT EXHIBITED IN REGENT STREET. 199

of the north isles of Norway, I wrote to several parties
to be on the look-out for specimens to send me, and
the three mentioned above were the resnlt. Along
stretches of sandy bays, where these fishes are found
occasionally after stoims, it is difficult to get hold of a
good specimen. The lesser black-backed gulls, being
ever on the watch at such places, seeking what they
can devour, are always in at the death ; and as the
fish is as thin as a deal — hence its Orkney name, deal-
fish — and are very tender, they are soon mutilated."

I well recollect going with my Father and Sir Kobert
Peel to inspect a so-called ''sea-serpent" which was
exhibited in Eegent Street. This creature was figured
in the Illustrated Xens, June 2, 1849. By tlie courtesy
of the proprietors of that journal, I have hunted up the
number in which the figure and description is given,
as follows: — "Annexed is the 'presentment' of the
rare fish caught off Cullercoats on March 26, and ex-
hibited for a short time at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It
proves to be a fine specimen of the Regalacus tjlesne, of
the family of ribbon fishes, so named from their flat
form. The fish when taken was as bright and shining
as the newest silver ; but after its death the beautiful
iridescence left it. It was stated that the length of this
specimen was 12 feet 3 inches ; immediately behind the
gills 8^ inches in depth; greatest depth, 11| inches;
greatest thickness, 3|- inches."

HAIRTAIL.

Silvery Hair tail {Tridiiurus lepturus). This beautiful
fish used to be considered very rare, and only two im-
perfect specimens are mentioned by Couch. Neverthe-
less, on the 7th of December, 1870, I had no less than

200

SILVERY HAIRTAIL.

four silvery liaii'tails at one time in my dissecting-room
in Albany Street. They were presented by Mr. Clegg,
of Looe ; Mr. Matthias Dunn, of Mevagissey ; Mr.
Charles, fishmonger, of Arabella Eow ; and Mr. Frank
Gosden, fishmonger, of Exeter. These fish averaged
2ft. or 2ft. Sin in length. I have fully described the
Silvery Hairtail, in Land and Water, Dec. 17, 1870.

SILVERY HAIRTAIL.

In general appearance the hairtail is not unlike the
common gorebill or gar-pike, if the reader can imagine
this fish to be flattened out at the broadest part. It is
2 inches in width. The total length is 2 feet 4 inches.
There is a fin like a perch's crest running down the
whole of the back. This is 1 foot 5 inches in length,
and about an inch wide at the broadest part. The
colour is a beautiful silver, and there do not appear
to be any scales. At about two-thirds from the head
the body begins to taper, and gradually runs off until
it becomes almost as fine as a horsehair, hence its
name, trichiurus, from two Greek words signifying
"hair" and "tail." The mouth, in general appearance,
is not unlike that of a mackerel. The lower jaw pro-
jects considerably beyond the upper jaw, and the upper

TEETH OF HAIRTAIL. 201

jaw fits into a niche in the lower jaw, so that when the
fish is going through the water the pecuhar shape of
the two jaws will not obstruct its progress. Upon the
extreme end of the upper jaw are four teeth, recurved
and not unlike a snake's fangs in general appearance.
The tips of these teeth are transparent, and, what is
exceedingly curious, I find these tips are barbed on their
posterior aspect like a fish-hook. When the mouth is
shut, these teeth fit into a cavity in the lower jaw,
and the tongue is prevented from being injured by
their shai-p points by means of a valve of skin, which
is stretched across from side to side of the lower jaw,
and then runs upwards ; so that the top of the tongue is
really encased in a convenient guard, not at all unlike
a finger-stall made of an old glove, as applied to the
finger of a human hand. On the mystache, or superior
maxillary, there are a considerable number of very
sharp lancet-like teeth on each side. They remind me
very much of the shape of the teeth of the leech.

The lower jaw also contains similar [teeth which are
larger towards the angle of the mouth than towards
the symphasis or junctions of the arms of the lower
jaw. In fact the whole of the dental api)aratus of this
fish is of a most formidable character.

These terrible cutting (and I might almost say pre-
hensile) teeth are about a quarter of an inch long ; the
general form of the teeth would give it great swimming
velocity. I cannot, therefore, hel^o thinking this fish is
one of the enemies of some small kinds of migratory fish,
such as anchovies, for a more beautiful living machinery
for catching these small and active fish could not pos-
sibly be devised.

202
SCABBARD FISH.

(Lepidopus tetradens, argyreiis, or caudatus).

The Scabbard Fish is a large fish. A specimen pre-
served in the museum at Penzance, caught twelve
miles from land, measured 5 feet 4 inches. The colour
above was greenish, with a tint of blue ; but it is pro-
bably also iridescent when first caught. It is called
the scabbard fish fi*om its sword-like form and fom*
elongated teeth in front.

I have a very fine specimen (dried) in my museum,
also a cast length 4 feet 1 inch, and 2;^ at the widest
part. Teeth in lower jaw lancet shaped, and very
pointed; four teeth in anterior portion of upper jaw,
each barbed at the end like a fish-hook. It was pre-
sented to me with a number of other Mediterranean fishes
by Mr. Stacey Watson, of Great Yarmouth. See Land
and Water, Sept. 6, 1879.

ROCKLINGS.

There are three species of Eockling (genus Motella).
The Three-bearded, sometimes called Whistle-fish, bears
some resemblance, in its bearded mouth and general
appearance, to the common loach, or beardie, and is
therefore sometimes called Sea-loach ; but it is much
larger, averaging from a foot to eighteen inches in
length. The colour is a rich yellowish brown, marked
with large dark spots. It keeps in shallow waters,
frequenting rocky ground, well furnished with seaweed,
among which it threads its way with great ease and
rapidity. It will take a bait, but is rarely eaten.
" It is not easy to explain the use of the fringed mem-

ROCKLINGS ST. MAEY's TROUT. ^ ' 203

brane behind the head and before the dorsal fin ; it has
nothing in common with the fins; hut when the'fish is

THREE-BEARDED ROCKLiNG [Mustela vulgaris, Motella vulgaris).

lying perfectly still, and all the fins are at rest, it is
often in ra^oid motion. The barbnles on the upper jaw
are always extended in front."

In August, 1867, a specimen was taken off Folkestone
in thirty fathoms of water, w^hich is said to be a very
great depth for this fish. It measured eighteen inches.
It is called a " goss " by the Folkestone fishermen. The
specimen is in my museum. Another example w^as sent
me from Penrhyn, Bangor, in December of the same
year. The local name there is " the St. Mary's trout."
Yarrell mentions 19in. as the length of the largest he
ever saw. Strange to say, this specimen measured
19in. I cannot understand why it should be called
*' St. Mary's trout," except that the 8th of December
is the Feast of the Conception, and the monks of old
living near the sea generally had a " fishing weir," and
** fixed engines " without end to supply fish for the fast
days. Possibly these fish came from the deep sea
about December 8th, and were hence called "St Mary's
trout " by the monks of Bangor Cathedral, founded a.d.
525.

The Five-bearded Eockling {Gadus mustela, Motella
mustela) is much more common than the preceding one,
and is met with on most parts of the British coasts.

204 NEST OF ROCKLING.

It closely resembles it, but has two additional barbules
on the upper lip. The general colour is dark brown,
sometimes with a bronze lustre, the belly whitish, and
generally it is without spots.

Mr. Couch gives an interesting account of the nest
made by this fish : *' The nest is invariably formed of
the common coralline [CorralHna officinalis), put together
without skill or arrangement, thrust into some cavity
of a rock close to the low- water mark, and the materials
are maintained there by no other bond than that of
compression. This coralline is sometimes not found
without one to two hundred feet of the selected spot ; it
must be gradually collected and brought with a great
degree of perseverance. The eggs are not contained in
the cavity like those of the stickleback, but scattered
through the mass of coralline." I am very anxious to
get one of these nests.

The Fom'-bearded Eockling (Gadus cimhrius, Motella
cimhria) is perfectly distinct from the two others, having
three barbules on the upper lip, and another on the
chin, and a long projecting filament in front of the first
dorsal ray, which has a striking appearance. Its length
is nine or ten inches, and it is found in the Fh'th of
Forth and the neighbourhood.

ROACH.

Ahdominales Malacopterygii. Cyprinida^

(Leuciscus rutihis.)

German : DiePlotze, Die Bothauge. French : Le Gardon hlanc,

La Eosse. Swedish : Sai'f.

Here is a French angler's opinion of the Eoach : " The
roach is by character inclined to controversy and is in-

ART OF ANGLING FOR ROACH. 205

decisive in his conclusions. Sometimes he will bite,
sometimes he will not bite; one never knows the reason
why. To catch him the fisherman must have a subtle
eye and a steady hand. One should take all sorts of
precautions, for if he is curious he is also at the same
time excessively suspicious. He is afraid of every float
that is the least bit too big, so that to catch him one
must use the finest possible tackle."

It is for this reason that roach fishing is such a fa-
vourite sport among anglers. When Assistant- Surgeon
in the 2nd Life Guards at Windsor, I was taught the
art of roach fishing by Mr. Pace, then Kegimental Mess-
master, than whom a better roach fisherman never
existed. Our best sport was obtained in the autumn
months, fi'om September to Christmas.

There is a science in everything connected with roach
fishing, from the making of the *' ground bait " to the
cooking the fish. The best ground bait was prepared
for us by the mess cook ; it was made of bread and
bran, well mixed together, pounded in a mortar, and
then boiled to a certain consistency. Sand was then
mixed up with it, the quantity requisite being adjusted
to the rapidity of the v*^ater in the " swim " we were
about to fish. It was necessary the ground bait should
collect the fish at an exact distance fi'om the top of the
rod, for if it was too near or too far from this point the
" swim " would be spoilt.

Gentles are without exception the best bait for roach,
but any kind of gentle will not do, it must be the gentle
of the butcher's blue-bottle fly, and must be grown and
fattened upon sheep's liver, nothing else will do. It is
very difiicult to keep these gentles throughout the
winter, when they are most wanted, as they are very
apt to convert themselves, if kept too warm, into

206

BAITS FOR ROACH.

chrjsalicls, and it lias happened to me more than once
to find all my gentles had become blue-bottles, which
of course were useless. The only way to keep gentles
from turning is to bury them in pickle bottles in the
ground. When there are no gentles to be had I recom-
mend boiled wheat. Gently boil the wheat over a slow
fire until it gives out a jelly, the kernels will have
cracked down one side ; into the top of this crack insert
the hook.'''

The tackle we used was of the very finest. A single
hair is very much better than the finest drawn gut ; the
best hair for roach fishing known is the long peculiar
coloured hair fi'om the tails of Her Majesty's cream-
coloured state coach horses.

There are many works written especially on roach
and roach fishing, and I especially recommend the
work of Mr. Greville Fennell, the well-known authority
on angling matters, published by Longman, Green, and
Co., London, " The Book of the Eoach." The largest
roach seldom exceeds 21bs. : I have had roach brought
to me heavier than this. In some cases they were
hybrids; in one case, certainly, the fish was simply a
bream.

The roach is subject to a curious disease which shows
itself in numerous black moss-like spots growing on its
scales. ]\Ir. Henry Lee has examined these micro-
scopically, and reports that this appearance is caused
by an abnormal condition of the pigment cells, and the
formation of a melanoid cancerous growth.

* See able article, " The Old Eoach Hole," by A. K. R., Fishing
Gazette.

207
THE AZURINE, OR BLUE ROACH.

{Cijprinus acruleus.)

This is a very rare fish. I have never had the hick to
see this fish. It is not however uncommon abroad, I be-
lieve, and is mentioned by German writers on anghng.

RUDD.

[Scardinius erytropthahnus.)

Local names : Finscale, Red-eye, Eoud, Rudd, Sliallow. German :
Das Rothauge. French : La Rotengle.

The Eudd {Leuciscus, or Cyprinus erythropthalmus), or
Eoud, as it is known in the Norfolk vernacular, is very
plentiful in the Norfolk broads, and especially those
north-west of Yarmouth. Their colour varies much.
In some shallow broads they are of a bright golden
hue ; in others, where the water is deep, their scales
are like those of a roach or dace. A small red worm,
gentles, and a paste made with honey and flour, will
sometimes be taken freely when all others fail.

In Land and Water, vol. xviii., August 8, 1874, my
friend. Dr. Norman, gives the foUowing valuable ex-
periences relative to Eudd fishing in Norfolk: ''The
best bait is a nice red worm, but the finest fish are
taken with a salmon gut foot line and three hooks, a
large float, and at least forty yards of strong light line.
I have had a brace weighing nearly five pounds several
times on my paternoster, and many years ago caught
twenty-nine in a few hours, scaling over four stone.
The ground should be very carefully baited for two days
at least, and a long willow wand stuck in the mud in
the middle of it. Anchor the boat very quietly tvrent}*-

208 RUDD FISHING IN NORFOLK.

five or thirty yards off, throw your float near the willow,
and you will have such sport as few will imagine. It
is really a case of no sooner in than under; and, as an
old piscatorial fi-iend said, after an hour's hard work,
* Even in my wildest dreams, doctor, I never had such
splendid fishing.' I once took three at a single cast of
the line that weighed over five pounds, and a very
pretty commotion they made in the water. Another
evening, after a very early tea, we landed no less than
194. Sunrise and sunset suit these fish best, but I
have had capital sport on a hot autumn day, although
that is rather rare."

For the most part the rudd frequents the same
districts as the roach. One diagnostic point between
these two fish is as follows : In the dorsal fin of the
roach it will be found that the front ray stands almost
even with the front ray of the central fin, but in the
rudd the dorsal fin stands evenly between the anal and
ventral fins. The eye in the rudd is of a much brighter
red than the roach.

SAND-EEL, OR SAND LAUNCE.

Apodes. AmmodytidfB.

German : Der Sandaal, Der Tobias fisch. French : UEqidlle.

There are two species of the Sand-Eel, or Launce, the
one much rarer than the other; this is the Wide-mouthed
Launce, Horn Eel, or Sand-Eel (Animodytes tobianus),
which is much the larger of the two, measuring fi-om
ten to fifteen inches. The head is also much longer,
and particularly the lower jaw. The habits of the two
species are very similar. By means of the horn-like
elongation of the under-jaw they are enabled to scoop

HABITS OF SAND EELS. 209

their way into the wet sand of the sea-shore, where they
take refuge from the fishes which pursue them. The
generic term (Aniinodytes) refers to this power of digging
into the sand.

The Small-mouthed, or Sand Launce (Amniodijtes
laiicea), is a well-known fish, very abundant on almost
all the shores of Great Britain and Ireland. It is much
smaller than the other species, seldom exceeding seven
or eight inches. On account of its silvery brightness, it
is in great estimation and constant use with fishermen
as bait for their lines. With the projecting under-jaw%
aided by the muscular power of the fish, and its slender
form, it is enabled to bury itself very rapidly, five or six
inches deep, in the soft sand as the sea retires, and
then releases itself again on the return of the flood-tide,
apparently quite uninjm*ed, although it has been out of
the water for some hom"s. When it is discovered that a
shoal of sand-eels have hidden themselves in the sand,
sea- side visitors should sally out, armed with spades,
shovels, rakes, and forks, and dig them out. When
extricated from the sand-beds, the fish leap about with
singular agility, and afford much sport. Perhaps the
fun in catching them has originated the saying, " As
jolly as a sand-boy." When taken, they are fi-equently
used as food, and are well-flavoured. Immense numbers
of them are caught in the seine nets at the mouth of the
Teign, Devonshire. They are much used as bait for
basse-fishing with the rod. Mr. Hearder, of Plymouth,
has made a very excellent artificial sand-eel of spiral
india-rubber.

15

210

SHAD. ^, .,

Abdominales Malacopterygii. Clupciaa.

Me. Couch figures three kinds of Shcad — Allice sliad,
{Cliqjea alosa, Alosa vulgaris), Alewife, Damin herring
{Scadina).

Twaite shad or Maid (Clupea alosa, c. Jinta, Alosa
fvta).

Scalefinned shad (Alosa sqnamopinnata).

The Twaite shad (German : Der Finte Laclistaparre :
Danish: Stamsild ; Dutch: Fini) is a migratory
species, ascending large rivers in the month of May, or
earUer, and returning to the sea ahout the end of
July. The shad are said to thrash the water with
their tails, and on a calm still evening, or night, the

TWAITE SHAD [Clujjea cilosa, Alosa Jinta).

noise they make may be heard at some distance. The
twaite is distinguished from the other native si^ecies by
its having distinct teeth in both jaws, and by a row of
dusky spots along each side of the body, while in the
allice shad there is only one, and that close on the side
by the upper part of the gill cover.

The Allice shad [Clupea alosa, Alosa vulgaris ; Ger-
man : Ber Maijisch, Alsc, Else ; French : UAlose) is very
local, abounding in the Severn and Wye, but much less
known elsewhere. The flesh of this species is said to

SHAD FISHEKIES OF SEVERN SH.\EK3. 211

be of superior flavour to the former, and to improve the
higher the fish ascends the river.

Mr. D. Miller, who has an extensive shad fishery at
Newnham, near Gloucester, in the Severn, has given me
the following interesting particulars : —

'' The shad fish season begins late in April, about the
15tli to the 20th, according to the heat of the season.
If cold winds blow it begins later on. They are
changeable, but the small cocks come first, so small
that two are only equal to one hen. I know of only
one sort of shad fish. The young cock is smaller than
the hen, and comes rather earlier, but the big cock,
or real shad fish, is this season later in coming, by a
week, viz., June 20 or thereabouts. The wholesale price
is changeable. In the spring the price is six shillings
per dozen, owing to the smallness of the cocks ; later on
four shillings per dozen, as one hen counts for two
cocks, and thirteen to the dozen. Our market is in the
locality of Gloucester and Dean Forest, east and west ;
also a few have been sent to London this year, and other
local markets nearer home. I think they spawn on the
sands in the Severn, at least I have heard old fishermen
say so. The young are seen in great numbers in the
shallow and easy waters, at or near the close of the
season, in a warm time. I think the large shad is gene-
rally an old cock in the Severn ; but I have seen the
same species occasionally in the river Tay forty years

ago or more."

SHARKS.

The White Shark {Squalus carcharias) is a powerful
fish, most numerous in the tropical seas, but also abun-
dant in the Mediterranean. As it is a great wanderer, it

212 BLUE SHAEK.

is not surprising tliat a straggler is now and then seen
off the British shores ; but the instances of its capture
are few. It reaches the length of twenty-five feet, and is
of an ash colour above, and whitish beneath. It swims
with great ease and swiftness, from the size of its
pectoral fins, and the strength and expansiveness of its
tail. The nostrils are large, and it scents its prey at a
great distance.

The Blue Shark (Sgnalus glaucus ; German : Per
Blaue Hai ; Dutch : Toonhai ; French : Squale bleu)
arrives in English seas about the middle of June. He
feeds upon sardines, herrings, and mackerel, and often
does terrible mischief to the nets. He passes up and
down the nets, and often when tearing the fish out of
the net cuts out great pieces of it with his sharp scissor-
like teeth. Sometimes he rolls himself u^ tightly in
the nets ; on such occasions the fishermen bless him.

The pectorals are long and pointed, the back is slate
blue, as also are the superior surfaces of the pectorals
and ventrals. The rest of the body and fins are wdiite.

In September, 1868, Mr. Climo, of Fowey, informed
me that a blue shark, 8ft. Sin. long, and supposed to
v/eigh 2 cwi., had been caught with hook and line by
some pilchard fishermen.

The Greenland Shark (Squaliis borealis, Scymnus
horealis, Dalatiasviicrocephaliis), a native of the northern
seas, has been observed on our coasts ; the oak kettle of
Iceland cod-men. An account is given of it in Dr.
Scoresby's " Arctic Kegions.'' It is 12ft. or 14fc. in
length, sometimes more ; and its colour is ash-grey.
This shark is a great foe to the whale, wdiich it bites
and annoys while living, and devom's wdien dead. In-
sensible to pain and tenacious of life, as are all the
larger sharks, this si^ecies is pre-eminently so. An

HABITS OF GREENLAND SHAEK. 213

external wound seems to have no effect on it. The
Greenlanders eat its flesh, both fresh and dried, and
make ropes of its rough skin. Its e3^es are often in-
fested by a parasitical insect.

GREENLAND SHAUK.

Captain Gray, of the whaler Eclipse, tells me these
fellows soon assemble when he is cutting up a whale
alongside the ship. They will eat quantities of whales'
blubber, but on these occasions never attempt to snap
at the men at work on the whale's body.

On the coast of Norway there are regular fisheries for
these sharks, carried on for the sake of the livers, out
of which oil is made. They are caught on lines mounted
on very large reels with a double-handed handle, the
line running over a pulley ; the hook is of x^eculiar con-
struction, and mounted on chain ; the bait is a bit of
rancid bacon or of porpoise or whale fat.

Not very long ago a shark was caught at Elgin,. in
Scotland. A correspondent there kindly sent me a
note as follows : " From the description given, this fish
is the Greenland shark (Scymnus horealis) ; it belongs
to the family Lamnidcc, and is the Scymims microcepJiahis
of som^ authors. It is not confined to Greenland, as
the name would imply, but possibly so named from
being familiar to whalers in those seas. It is widely
distributed in all the Polar seas, but is seldom seen so
far south as the northern islands of Scotland. On the
British coast its maximum length has been given as

214 SHAKE FISHEKIES IN ICELAND.

13ft., SO that tlie Lossiemouth fishermen have captured
an unusually large one. It is exceedingly common on
the north and east coasts of Iceland, and is known there
as the hakare. In the Iceland seas its average length
is from 17ft. to 19ft., hut attains at times a length of
24ft. Its liver yields ahout seventy gallons of oil. Un-
like the other northern sharks, who feed principally
on small fish, crustaceans, and jellyfish (Medusae) the
Scymnns attack and tear all sorts of cetaceans and pho-
ciedians, and devour the dead floating carcases of every
sort of animal that may come in their way — horseflesh
proving a very attractive hait wherewith to catch them.
They even consider one of their own species a ' dainty
dish.' The body of the fish, besides being eaten by the
Icelanders, yields oil, but small in quantity to that pro-
duced by its liver, and far inferior to the same in
marketable value. Shark fishing is prosecuted to a
considerable extent in Iceland in small-decked fore-and-
aft rigged schooners, the oil being exported to the
Em'opean continent. The shark fishing stations in
Iceland where the oil is prepared are a novel sight to
tourists, but on a visit I found them far from inviting.
They were redolent of questionable scents, the putrid
flesh or fish of the sharks lying scattered about in all
directions." Our correspondent adds, " the writer in
the Elgin paper clearly indicates the species, but it is
much to be regretted writers in local papers do not
endeavour to give the scientific name of any rare find.
Popular names frequently dift'er in difterent localities,
while not uufrequently the name given in one locality
to a particular species is in another applied to a diife-
rent species, or to a different fish altogether."

The Basking Shark (Squalus viaxinius) — named Bask-
ing from its remaining at the surface of the water

MONSTER BASKING SHARK. 215

almost motionless — is by far the largest of our native
fishes. It is the *' sun-fish " of the west coast of Ii-eland
fishermen.

In September, 1868, a gentleman wrote me, saying,
'' A basking shark has been washed ashore on the
north-west side of Achill Island ; length, 27ft. ; 12ft.
round at largest part ; pointed snout, and gills in slits;
teeth half an inch long, set in six rows. Inside the
mouth were several rows of short black bristles ; the
skin coarse and rough. The liver contained a quantity
of oil."

BASKING SHARK.

Li March, 1875, I received intelligence from Mr.
H. Hadfield, of Highcliff, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, that
an exceedingly large shark was ashore on the ledge,
about half a mile to the westward of Shanklin Chine.
The dimensions of this fish were — length from snout to
end of tail, 28ft. lOin. ; circumference of body, 15ft. ;
head, 6ft. lOin. in length; upper jaw, 3ft. 2in. ; lower
jaw, 2ft. 4in. I was very anxious to make a cast of
this fish, but the expense was too heavy for me.

The British Museum, however, being possessed of
more money than myself, bought this shark, and on its
arrival Mr. Gerrard, the Ai-ticulator to the Museum,
kindly invited me to examine the skin. This skin
weighed 1 ton 1^ cwt., and we calculated that the fish,

216 STRUCTURE OF BASKING SHARK.

before it was skinned, weighed about 8 tons. I regret that
no record was taken of the size of the stomach, state of
the viscera, &c. The eye, when taken out of the orbit,
was as large as the two fists put together ; the nose was
composed of a gelatinous substance, as may be seen in
common sharks and ordinary dog-fish. The sclerotic
coat was as hard as though it was made of iron ; the
use of this is to prevent the soft structures of the eye
being crushed by a superincumbent weight of water
pressure, which at great depths in the ocean must be
very great. Lying about among the cut oft' flesh of
the shark I discovered two gills, which present a
structure entirely new to me ; instead of presenting the
ordinary appearance of fishes' gills, they are exactly
like fine fibres of spht whalebone, only very brittle.
These fibres also very much resemble bass, of which
brooms are made. The length of these is Sin. to 6in.,
and have a very pretty comb-like appearance. I can-
not conceive how this structure can be adopted for
oxygenating the blood. The teeth are remarkably
small ; they do not in the least resemble the sharp-
cutting, triangular- shaped teeth of ordinary sharks, but
consist, on the contrary, of six rows of little spikes.
Mr. Searle and myself cut out the dimensions of this
monster shark in board, and the same can be seen at
my museum at South Kensington.

Mr. Brabazon states : "If the sun of April is hot, the
Sun-Fish (locally so called) are certain to show above
the water, and they remain on the Clew bank imtil
the middle of May. A large shoal of sharks pass
annually at this season along the west coast on their
way from the southern to the northern seas. They are
taken on the sun-fish bank, situated about a hundred
miles west of Clew Bay, and extending many miles

POEBEAGLE SHAKE. 217

nortli and sonth. The fishermen there reckon it a
day's sail out of sight of land. They are found on the
bank in great numbers, and the large dorsal-fin is seen
at a great distance, as it rises three or four feet out of
the water while they lie motionless basking in the
sun/'

The Porbeagle [Lamna cornuhica ; German : Der
HfirhK/shai ; Danish: Sildehaa ; French : L« Lamie

PORBEAGLE SHARK.

Xez) has a very pointed nose ; teeth lancet shaped,
not dentules. He has a keel-shaped ridge each side of
the tail, the lobes of the caudal fin are nearly equal.
His head-quarters seem to be the Gulf of Gascony
and the north coast of Spain. He is a common visitor
on the western coast in summer, and not unfrequently
it wanders along the eastern borders of England and
Scotland. Mr. Couch writes: *'It usually proceeds
in small scattered companies, preying on pilchards and
herrings, and other small fishes that abound. The
teeth, which present a formidable array of spears, are
less formed for cutting than for seizing and holding its
prey ; which, therefore, it appears to swallow whole. I
have found the remains of cartilaginous fishes and
cuttles (Sepi(p,) in their stomachs ; and in one instance
three full-grown hakes."

As they are caught in salmon nets I think it very

218 THRESHER SHARK, OR SEA FOX.

probable that they hunt the salmon also, and the
wounds we often see upon the salmon may be the
marks of this shark's teeth.

In March, 1880, a porbeagle was taken at Wick, and
Mr. Eeid wrote me: " Our fishermen caught a fine
specimen of this shark last week in their nets ; it
measured T^ft. in length ; there was nothing in its
stomach of notice. It was carted away for manure after
the liver was taken out."

In September, 1867, Mr. Gerrard, Articulator to the
British Museum, informed me he had a porbeagle, mea-

Fox-snAu:i.

suring 8ft. 6in., which was caught off Margate in a
mackerel net. The stomach did not contain anything.

About the middle of October, 1867, there were a
great many sharks off our coast, and it is strange we
did not find that any of them attacked bathers. In a few
days I had records of no less than seven sharks appear-
ing on the English coast, between the Isle of Wight and
the North Foreland. I have a fine cast of the Beaumaris
shark in my museum.

The Sea-Fox, or Thresher [Carcharias viilpes, Squalus
viilpes, Sqwile renard), is frequently caught on the
British coast : it is called Sea-fox from the form of
the tail, which is very remarkable, the lower lobe being
very small, and tlie upper exceedingly long, curving up-
wards, and resembling the blade of a scythe.

SIZE AND STKUCTUKE OF THRESHER SHARK. 219

In Land ami Water, vol. iii., p. G08, No. 76, July 6,
18G9, 1 record a line specimen captured by the crew of a
Yarmouth mackerel-boat : it was 14ft. 5in. long, 5ft. 9in.
in circumference, and weighed 5001bs. In October, 18G7,
I received a very fine thresher from Mr. Ledger ; it had
been caught about eight miles off Folkestone in some
mackerel-nets, in which he had completely wound him-
self like a caterpillar in his chrysalis. He was too
large to be taken into the boat, so the fishermen fastened
a rope round his tail and towed him, stern foremost,
into the harbour, whence he was sent up to me.

As we came out of the railway station I stopped the
van at the weighing-machine, and ascertained that his
weight was 3f cwt. The total length of the body, with
tail, was 13ft. 6in., the tail alone measuring Gft. lOin.
With the assistance of H. Lee, Esq., C. Hambro, Esq.,
and 'other friends, and b}^ working late at night, I
made a very good cast of this fish. The stomach con-
tained no less than twenty-seven mackerel, some freshly
caught, others partly digested. The liver was in two
lobes and very large. The stomach, I found, when
held out, would contain about a bucket and a half of
Waaler. The inner surface was covered with longitu-
dinal rii^fic of uniform diameter. The lower end of
the stomach ended in apparently a second stomach ;
but upon opening this a most peculiar structure was
visible. The small intestines, instead of being pro-
longed to a considerable length (as in the sheep, &c.)
is coiled round upon itself, as in a corkscrew. Paley,
in his chapter upon Mechanical Contrivances in the
Structure of Animals, writes of this as follows: — ^'lu
the fox-shark the intestine is apparently straight from
one end to the other ; but in this straight and con-
sequently short intestine is a winding, corkscrew, spiral

220 USE OF TAIL OF THRESHER SHARK.

passage, throngli wliicii the food— not without several
circumvohitions, and, in fact, by a long route — is con-
ducted to its exit. Here the shortness of the gut is
compensated by the obliquity of the perforation." This
structure can be seen in any of the common dog-fishes
or skates.

In his Bridgwater Treatise my father applies this fact to the
elucidation of the intestinal structure of the monster Ichthyosauri
and Plesiosauri, which formerly existed in large numbers m the
British seas, and whose skeletons are so fiequently found fossil.
His argument was that, according to the structure of the teeth of
an animal, so would be the structure of the stomach ; and when
he found that the coprolites were marked externally with spiral
grooves, he concluded that the structure of the intestines of the
Ichthijosaiiri were spiral in form, as is the case with modern sharks.
He even found out what fish these ancient "sea dragons" had
been eating, inasmuch as scales of a fish called the Dajjedium
poUtwn were found in the coprohtes. In the same way, if my fox-
shark had become fossil, remains of mackerel might have been
found, giving evidence of what this creature had eaten.

The Fox-shark is, I believe, more an Arctic animal
than the Beaumaris, porbeagle, or blue sharks, the kinds
generally found in the British seas. From the small size
of the teeth of the fox-shark, I conclude that it is more
formidable to small fish than to the larger inhabitants of
the sea. No one has yet been able to ascertain why the
tail is so remarkably prolonged. It is sometimes called
the "thresher shark," because it is said to inflict chas-
tisement on the whale though I can find no real autho-
rity for this being the case ; nor can I see why the
shark should flo^? the whale. The tail of the skate can
as I know to my cost, inflict severe wounds, and the
tail of the sting-ray contains a dagger which is even
more formidable still; I fancy, therefore, that the tail
of the fox- shark is used by the owner as a weapon of
defence, for if he chooses to use it, it would act like a

LAKGE THRESHER FOOD AND STRUCTURE. 221

■waggoner's whip. Again ; I think it just possible that,
whereas we all know we can drive fish by long poles
dashed suddenly into and about in the water, so the
fox-shark may use his tail to splash about and drive the
frightened herrings or mackerel into the position where
they will be most handy for him to catch and swallow.
I should imagine an 2m-friglitened mackerel to be a dif-
ficult thing to catch when swimming at liberty in the
sea. If, however, the fox-shark comes lashing about
with his tail, he and his comrades would become con-
fused, and while making up their minds what to do and
where to go, they would suddenly find themselves going
down the shark's throat. One thing is quite certain,
his long tail would enable him to turn smartly round
the corners and astonish unsuspecting natives.

In August I received a very handsome specimen of a
thresher from Mr. Henry Lee. It was caught off Hast-
ings. I imagine it to be about two years old. I made
a cast and placed it alongside of the big thresher. It
measured 2ft. 4in. from nose to end of body, the tail
2ft. 9in. ; total length 5ft. liu.

In October, 1869, 1 had information from Mr. Ledger,
of Folkestone, that a very fine fox-shark had been sent
up to London. Messrs. Gilson and Quelch, of Bond
Street, sent to me and kindly informed me of the arrival
of this same fish. I immediately examined it, and
found it to measure 14ft. lOin. total length. It had
been caught in the herring nets. The viscera was sent
me by Messrs. Gilson and Quelch, and the stomach
contained nineteen mackerel and two herrings. I made
a cast of the ovaries, in the oviduct of wdiich I was for-
tunate enough to discover an egg on its downward
journey. It is similar to the egg of the dog-fish : an
amber-coloured bag, and much like the shelless egg

222 WHALE AND THRESHER FIGHT.

sometimes laid by common fowls, about 3iii. long by
2^in. wide. At the to^^ of the oviduct I found a mass
of ova united together in a sponge-like material ; they
varied in size from a hazel nut to the size of the head
of a pin, and lay close together; each was perfect in
itself, and contained yellow albuminous fluid. There
must have been many thousands. This one fact shows
how little we know of the habits of sea-fish. I should
certainly have expected to find the egg of a 15ft. shark
more than Sin. long : the egg, probably, from the ap-
pearance of the specimen, was in a growing and unde-
veloped state.

I have taken down, in his own words, the following
evidence as to the fights between the threshers and the
whales in the northern seas, given by Mr. Hill, captain
of the North Sea trawler Hurricane.

" The thresher sharks just do serve out the whales.
The sea sometimes is all blood. A whale once got
under our vessel (the Hurricane) to get away from these
threshers, and when she was there we were afraid to
throw a rope overboard, almost to walk about, for fear
she should chuck her tail, and punch a hole in our
vessel. She was full length in water as clear as gin,
right under our bottom, and laid as quiet as a lamb for
an hour and a half, and never moved a fin. Where
they had been a-thrashing of her the sea was just like
blood. I have seen these ere threshers fly out of the
water as high as the mast-head and down upon the
whale, while tlie sword-fish was a-pricking of un up
from underneath. There is always two of 'em, one up
and one under ; and I think they hunts together ; and
you can see the poor whale blow up in great agitation ;
and I be bound the pair on 'em don't leave him until
they have their penn'orth out of him. It's just for

HAjMMER- HEADED SHARK. 223

wengcance they does it. Whether Master Whale has
offended them or not, it's hard to telL If they eats him
they must have a tidy blow out off of him, hut I don't
think they like the oil. I saw one engagement off the
Staples ; it was all two or three hours they was at it.
I don't think they leave him till they kill him."

This story was told me in all good faith, but it will
not, I think, bear cross examination. Both species of
sword-fish — both the fellow that charges ships, the
Histiopherus, and the flat beaken sword-fish — do not
live in the cold water of the Arctic Seas. They are
both inhabitants of warm tropical or semi-tropical seas.
Nor, again, can I understand why the thresher-sharks
should attack the whale. All this requires investiga-
tion, but I fancy I have been able to explain the storj^
(See Appendix, p. 384).

The Hammer-headed Shark [Squalus zygana, Zygcena
malleus, Sqiiale marteau ; French : Martcan commun)

'<!^

HAMMER-HEADED SHARK.

is a very rare British fish. The singular form of the
head, from which this genus obtains its name, at once
distinguishes it most unmistakably from all other fishes.
The head is truncated, and the sides extended horizon-
tally into a kind of branch, the eyes being placed at
each extremity ; they thus look as if they were planted
on two thick peduncles. The head of the shark, as

224

HABITS OF COAL FISH, OR SILLOCK.

represented below, shows the position of the mouth.
The eyes are furnished with eyeHds ; the iris is golden
yellow ; the nostrils are placed close behind the notch
over each eye.

HEAD OF HAMMER SHARK.

THE SILLOCK, OR COAL FISH.

(Merlanr/us carbonarius.)

German : Der Kohler. Danish: Sej. Norwegian: Sniaapalc. French :
Le Charhonnier. Swedish : Grasida Sej.

The Sillock, or Coal Fish, so called from the black
colour it sometimes partially assumes, is decidedly
a northern fish, and abounds in all the northern
seas, and in the Biiltic ; it swarms in the Orkneys,
where the young are, during the summer and autumn
months, the great support of the poor. It is a fish

COAL FISH [Merlavgus carbonarius).

of rather handsome form and small, tapering head ;
the general outline and forked tail reminding one of
the elegant proportions of the salmon. Not only does

TORPEDO, OR ELECTRIC RAY. 225

it yield a wholesome and substantial food, but also
isinglass ; and as it is a very sharp biter, and swims at
no great depth, it is readily taken with the line. The
coal fish is called in Scotland the sillock, i^itlock,
harbin, setlie, and grey lord ; in Edinburgh they are
called ''j)odleys;" in Ireland they are called glosong
or glassan ; in the Galway markets they are known as
''black nuns." They run to a large size, and frequent
deep water. The}' are great enemies to all fish, es-
pecially to the herring-fry, and do immense mischief to
the salmon smolt. The late Mr. Ffennell, Inspector of
Salmon Fisheries, saw twenty-six salmon fry taken
fi'om the stomach of one black sillock.

SKATES, OR RAYS.

We have some four or five British genera, including in
all about fifteen species. Of these the famed Torpedo is
one. The Common Torpedo, or Electric Ray, has been
known as existing in the English seas.

TORPEDO, CEAMP EAY, TURPAENA, NUMBFISH, ELECTRIC RAY.

On the 3rd of October, 1868, when at Falmouth, I
received a telegram from Mr. Matthias Dunn, of Meva-

16

226 DISSECTION OF ELECTRIC BATTERY OF TORPEDO.

gissey, Cornwall, stating that lie had in his possession
a torpedo, which had just heen caught. On my road
home I picked up (at the station of Mevagissey) the hox
containiDg the fish, and brought it up to London. The
general shape of the torpedo is that of a ray or skate ;
it lias no spines whatever about it, and the skin is soft
and flabby to the touch, very like wetted wash-leather.
The general colour is a dark chocolate. The specimen
weighed 3olbs., and measured at its broadest part 2ft.
7in., and from end of tail to tip of nose 3ft. 9in.
The first thing observable on laying the fish on the
table were a number of peculiar lines upon the back.
These radiate from a central line and distribute them-
selves all over the body. I suppose these are nerves,
forming the outpost sentries on guard over the great
electric fortress of this marvellous fish. Round the
anterior portion of the body could be seen and felt
under the skin a number of round, hard nerves, bound
loosely together by a membrane, and in section not
unlike a submarine telegraph wire. I have no idea
what is the function of these ; of course they have their
duty, but no investigators seem to have noticed them.
On each side of the eyes of the fish, as it lay on the
table, could be seen a deep depression, occuiDving the
major part of the anterior part of the body. I dissected
ofi" the skin on one side and exposed to view the w^on-
derful electric apparatus. This consists of a mass of
soft structure, reminding us somewhat of " size." It
w^as covered with a dense fascia-like membrane, and on
dissecting it off can be seen a series of white pliant
columns, in a close and, for the most part, hexagonal
arrangement, like an unbroken honeycomb just removed
from the hive; or, if we wish for another comparison,
like a street pavement made of pillars of basalt, as often

CELLS TO SECRETE ELECTRICITY. 227

seen in German towns. John Hunter, who puhHshed
an exhaustive paper on the anatomy of the torpedo, in
" Philosophical Transactions for 1773," gives the num-
ber of these columns to be about 470 in each conglome-
rate mass — the longest column being about liin., the
shortest about the fourth of an inch, and in diameter
about two -tenths of an inch. The ultimate structure
of these columns can be seen in the wax models of
the structure of the torpedo at the Koyal College of
Surgeons ; these magnificent demonstrations of struc-
ture were made by Professor Calamai of Florence, and
presented by His Imperial and Koyal Highness the
Grand Duke of Tuscany to Professor Owen, and by hiin
to the Eoyal College of Surgeons, January, 1850.

If we can imagine one of the series of the cells
broken off and held up to the light, we should have the
appearance of a single cell of a honeycomb — the wax
walls being represented by a gelatinous membrane,
thinner than goldbeater's skin ; inside the cell may be
seen, not honey, but a jelly-like transparent fluid. Wo
shall also see that a membrane, thinner still than that
which composes the walls, divides the contents of the
cell into a series of chambers. Upon these transverse
septa, or partitions, the microscope would show the
most marvellous ramifications of the blood- carrying
capillaries ; and the ultimate meshes of the great
electric nerves will be found to have spun themselves,
as it were, into a network, with complicated meshes,
far exceeding any cobweb in tenuity and minuteness.
The interval between the transverse plates. Professor
Wyman states, is occupied by a fluid, consisting of
about ninety per cent, of water, containing albumen
and common salt.

Next will be observed four enormous cord-like nerves;

228 NER\"ES TO DISSEMINATE ELECTRIC SHOCKS.

these, as they pass into the skull, are carefully bridged
over with bone, to prevent any undue pressure upon
them from above; running under these bone bridges
we find them directly connected with the brain : they
start directly from the brain and begin their course at
once, just as do the electric w^ires from a telegraph
office through a hole bored in the wall of a house. The
brain itself is absurdly small, and is lodged in a cavity
apparently much too large for it.

In order to j)reserve the parts in their proper posi-
tion, I made a cast of the torpedo, with its electric
battery, the moment I had finished the dissection. I
also made a cast of the fish before it was dissected.
These casts are at my museum, and will, I think, give
the visitor a good idea of the general appearance, as
well as the outward structure of this very wonderful
fish. I cannot determine in my own mind the exact
economy and mode of action of the complicated elec-
trical machinery of the torpedo. Does the brain create
the electricity and transmit it to the cells for storage —
as in a Leyden jar — or do the cells both secrete the
electricity and store it ? If this latter be the case, why
do we find such large nerves going to the brain ? This
may appear at first sight a trivial point, but the human
brain and nervous system being tlie most complicated of
all mammalia, we are tempted to reason as to the mode
of their operations, by comparing them with the same
machinery of nerves and brain as found developed in
lower forms of animal life. I do not know of any
mammal which has the power of secreting electricity.
This power is confined to this class of fish alone. These
fish are enabled to emit a certain number of shocks
only ; they then require rest for the accumulation of
more electricity.

USES OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS OF TORPEDO. 2^9

My own idea is that the electric power is given to
the fish to kill its prey. I can see no other way that
the poor thing has to procure its living. The teeth of
the torpedo are exceedmgly small, and certainly not
suited to the capture of any vigorous or lively prey ; the
appearance of the fish is that of a skuli^ing rascal ; his
coat is almost mud colour. He is ]3robably too lazy to
hunt after his own food, and doubtless remains half
asleep in the mud till something worth eating walks
upon him or swims over him, he then "lets fly," and
gets his dinner without much difficulty.

Finally, it is a most interesting and curious thought,
that the marvellous fluid electricity, which we human
beings call into existence by means of complicated
arrangements of acids and metals, should be generated
by an animal structure composed of the most delicate
nerve fibres and tissue ; this arrangement, moreover,
being found in the back of a fish which lives in the
depths of the sea. We j)ride ourselves much upon our
telegraph across the bottom of the Atlantic, little think-
ing that living and moving electric batteries have been
in existence for hundreds of years before electricity was
ever discovered, much less applied to purposes of social
economy.

The structure of the torpedo is an answer to those
who dispute the wisdom and design exhibited in created
things. How is it possible that any number of years,
or any other causes, could have produced an electrical
apparatus so exceedingly perfect and so complicated in
itself that, although man may investigate its ultimate
structure, yet he is perfectly ignorant of its operations?
No ! the same great Power that orders the lightning to
shine from east to west in the wide heavens, or the
aurora borealis to illuminate the sky of the ice-bound

230 STRUCTURE OF TORPEDO UPSETS EVOLUTION THEORIES.

regions of the Arctic circle, lias thought fit to apply
this same mysterious agency to the use and benefit of
a humble fish. The lesson we should learn from the
torpedo is that we men, with all our boasted intellect,
stand but on the shores of an ocean of knowledge, the
profound depths of which human understanding in its
present condition will never be able to fathom.

In Land and Water, vol. vii., p. 26, Jan. 9, 1869,
Mr. Jeremiah Wilson, of Stockton-on-Tees, ^vi"ites : " I
have taken two torpedoes in the estuary of the Tees.
You say the one you dissected had nothing in its
stomach. I was curious enough to see what those
that I caught were living upon ; so I put my knife into
one, and took from him an eel 21bs. in weight, and a
flounder nearly a i^ound. The next one I opened
also, and was astonished to find in him a salmon
between 41b. and 51b. weight ; and what I was more
astonished at was that none of the fish had a blemish
of any description, showing that your idea of the fish
killing his prey with his electrical force is quite correct."

The genus Baia, or Skate, is of great extent, and in-
cludes many well-known fishes. The form of the body
is flat and broad, and of a rhomboidal shape. The skate
may almost be said to have no true head or neck, the
sides of both being surrounded, and thus protected, by
the wide-spreading margin of the pectoral fins. Their
mode of progression is very peculiar, being performed
with a quick flapping motion of the pectoral fins, some-
thing between a glide and a swim. Skates are very
voracious: their food consists of any fish they can catch,
with molluscs and Crustacea. So powerful are their
muscles and jaws that they are able to crush the strong
shell of a crab with ease. The young are produced to-
wards the end of spring, or during summer.

STRUCTUEE OF SKATE S EGG.

231

In April, 18G9, Mr. Thomas forwarded to mc two
speciraeiis of eggs of the skate. There were altogether
twelve of these eggs ; two only were fully develoxDed.
They were enclosed in a membrane. The eggs which
were not developed had no coats on them, but resembled
the yolk of liens' eggs. The ]3arent fish weighed about
SOlbs. , and is described as a *' Bashaw skate.'' (Query :
why Bashaw ?) It had no thorns on its back, but on its
wings only. It was probably Raia oxijrhijnchus. Each
egg is of an oblong shape, and may be likened to a hand-
barrow, for fi-om each corner there projects two horn-like
processes. The total length, not including the horns,
is eight inches; breadth, three inches. The shell of the
egg consists of a horn-like substance, feeling to the
touch like a sheet of moistened leather. This horny
substance is called keitene. It is analogous to the sub-
stance which forms the horny wings of beetles. Th§
two ends of the egg difier in appearance : one end is
permanently soldered up ; at the other the two sheets of
horn-like material are so arranged that when the young
fish inside is about to be born they will give way and
allow the young fish to struggle out. One of the eggs,
at the end where the young one's hall door is situated,
presents a feature not observable in the other — a string
or rope is attached to each side of the egg just above
the origin of the horns. This rope is made in the form
of a string composed of the same material as the shelL
After running the length of about five inches, these
strings join and form an entangled mass like a small
bunch of tow. There can be no doubt but that the fish
anchors her egg, and these ropes act as "guy ropes " to
keep it steady when floating in the water.

On opening one of these eggs, and turning away one
side like a trai3-door, I find the contents consist of a mass

232

SHEPHERD S PUKsES.

of pure albnmeu, wrapped up in a most delicate mem-
brane ; this would eventually have become the young
fish. It is comparatively rare to find one of these eggs
with young fish alive in them, although they are occa-
sionally thrown up after severe storms. The moment
the young fish is hatched the empty shells float away,
and visitors at the sea- side are jierfectty familiar with
them, as they are thrown up on the shore by the waves.
These are generally black : brown ones are very scarce.
They are known by the name of " Shepherd's Parses,"
or ''Skate h?.nd-barrows."

EGG OF SKATE, SHOWING YOUNG.

In May, 1872, I received two very large skate eggs
from Mr. Matthias Dunn, of Mevagissey ; they measured
16in. in length, and 5^in. in width. They were taken
from a monster j)iper-skate {Uaia lintea). Strange to
say they contained no young ; the young must have
been born when they were still in utero. This is very
curious.

There are nine or ten species of true Kays found on
our coasts, and they have been arranged in two
divisions : those having the snout more or less sharp.

TUE BLUE, OR GEAY SKATE.

233

and those with bhmt noses ; the latter arc furnished
with numerous sharp spines on various parts of the
body.

The Bhie Skate, Flair-Tinlier, Grey Skate {liaia hatis ;
German : Der Glattroclien ; Danish : Bokke ; Dutch :
De Vleet; French : Bae Batis), or, as it is frequently
called, the Skate — to distinguish it from the Thornback
and Homelyn — is not uncommon. The ordinary size is
from two to four feet. The nose is sharp, lengthened,
and conical, the colour of the surface greyish brown, and

BLUE, OR GEET SKATE [Rata Vulgaris, Eaia hatis).

beneath, greyish white with black specks ; the whole
surface is more or less granulated. The females are
larger and more numerous than the males, and the
latter have several rows of sharp hooked spines towards
the sides of the pectoral fins. They are very voracious,
feeding on other fish and Crustacea.

In November, 1866, I received a monster skate that
had been caught at Southwold, on the coast of Suffolk.
When laid on the slate it looked like a big mourning
hatchment, with a tail to it. It measured from nose to

2U

MONSTEK SKATE.

tail 6ft. lOin., across the wings 5ft. 3iu. ; its weight
was found to be 901bs. If the intestines had not been
remcved, it would have weighed over a hundredweight.
AVith greatest difficulty I made a cast of this monster
fish ; the fish itself is now in the British Museum, and
the cast at my fish museum. I believe blue skates even
larger than this have been sometimes caught.

The Long-nosed Skate, or Shagreen Eay (Bma
mucronata, liaia nxyrhyncJnis ; German: Bee Spitznase),
is distinguished by the great length of the nose, which is
narrow and sharp. The upper part of the body is of a
cinerous brown, covered closely with minute shagreen-
like tubercles resembling the skin of the dog-fish. The
under side is white, and the teeth are slender and sharp
as needles. It grows to a considerable size, and is said
to feed on sand-eels and the sand-launce. It frequents
deep water, and is not caught in the winter.

The Sharp-nosed Eay, has the snout sharp, slender,
and very much elongated. It may be recognised by
this, and by the waved line of the margin of the body,
from the nose to the centre, and by its pure white
colour underneath. It is the largest of the British rays,
and is also thicker in proportion than the others ; the
tail is armed with three rows of spines. This skate is
known by various names in different places, such as
White Skate, Burton and May Skate. It has been
taken on many parts of the coast, and in some places is
by no means rare.

The Bordered Eay {riala marginata) is so called on
account of having a broad dusky border on the under
side, the other parts of the surface being white. The
skin is smooth, and the snout sharp, slender, and mode-
rately long : a few specimens only have been taken in
England.

J

VARIOUS SPECIES OF SKATE. 235

The Flapper Skate (Eaia intermedia') is another sharp-
nosed species, which seems to be a connecting link be-
tween the sharp-nosed and the blue skate.

Of the Blunt-nosed Rays, the Homelyn and the Thorn-
back are the two species most common in the London
market. They are not very dissimilar in shape, though
distinct. The former is called the Sand Eay and
Spotted Ray, It is subject to great variety in colour
and marking — sometimes the upper surface is
numerously spotted, at other times sparingly so, or not
at all; and occasionally it has only one eye-spot on

THORNBACK.

each side. These varieties have given rise to different
names. The nose is short and rather obtuse ; the teeth,
in the adult fish, are sharp-pointed, the skin smooth,
and generally there are three rows of spines on the back.
It is from two to three feet long. The colour is brown
or reddish brown, marked wdth distinct roundish dusky
spots. This fish is most frequent along the southern
coast.

The Thornback (German: Der gemeine Dornrochen ;

236

THOKNBACK STING EAY.

Dutch : Bog; French : Fude houcUe) is dispersed through-
out the British seas, and almost everywhere caught in
numbers. There is no difficulty in distinguishing it, as
it is known at once by being studded at intervals all over
the surface with rounded nail-like tubercles, which ter-
minate in strong cm'ved spines. The tail is armed with
several rows of s^^ines, and a single row runs up the
dorsal ridge. The prevailing colour is brown, with
numerous lighter spots ; the colour beneath is xoiure
white, with a few spines only.

The Small-eyed, or Painted Eay {Kaia microceUatajy
and the Starry Eay are both very rare and little
known.

The Sting Eay, Fire Flare, or Fiery Flaw (German :
Dei' Stechrochen ; Danish : Pilrokke), is frequent on the

STING EAY {Eaia pastinaca, Trygon pastinaca).

southern coasts, from Sussex as far west as the county of
Cork in Ireland. The manner in which it defends itself
is by twisting its long, slender, and flexible tail round
the object of attack, and tearing the surface with the
serrated spine, lacerating it in a manner calculated to
produce violent inflammation. I have dissected and

EAGLE KAY. 237

cast two specimens of this fish caught at Heme Bay.
The spines on the tail are very formidable weapons
indeed, and inflict severe womids. The fishermen
generally chop his tail off with an axe du'ectly he is out
of the water.

The Eagle, or Whip Eay (German : Der Meeradler ;
French : llaie Airjle), is also called the Miller, on

EAGLE KAY (Myliobatis aquila, Rala aquila).

account of the form of its teeth. Each jaw forms
part of a circle, and from a particular rolling motion,
added to the crushing power of these teeth, the genus
has obtained the name of MyUobatis, i.e., Mill Skate.
It is extensively distributed, and attains a large size,
sometimes measuring fifteen feet in length, and w^eigh-
ing SOOlbs. " It swims pretty rapidly, with a kind
of sailing motion, and little action of the pectoral
fins, and when taken vibrates its tail violently; the
first care of the fishermen is, therefore, to cut off the
caudal spine, which in a large specimen is a very
formidable implement."

In November, 1871, Mr. Frank Gorden, fishmonger,
of Exeter, obtained a specimen from Brixham. The

238 HORNED EAY, OR MANTA FISH.

colour was a magnificent bronze green, and it measured
from the eyes to the tip of the tail three feet ten inches,
the tail measuring two feet four inches. The tail re-
sembled a rat's, and was about the same thickness, and
when dry resembled one of those penny gutta-percha
whips sold in the London streets. This specimen is
now in the Exeter Museum.

In December, 1867, my friend H. Lee obtained an
egg of the eagle ray from Margate. He writes : —

"When first brought to me, wet from the sea, the
purse or sac which had contained the embryo measured
eight inches in length by five inches in width, and the
length of the long tendrils, which are flat and thin, was
lOin." The eggs of the eagle ray differ much from
those of the skate, which, under the name of "Devil's
purses," are known amongst the common objects of the
sea-shore. Mr. Couch describes its surface as being
" curious and beautiful, thickly set with raised longitu-
dinal lines, closely crossed with dots or raised lines,
each longitudinal line being thickly studded with raised
markings, points, or short lines, which, however, do
not pass from one line to another, although they appear
to sink into the minute channel between them." This
description, however, only applies to the middle of the
case ; for towards the ends and sides the longitudinal
lines are joined in this manner, and the reticulations
form beautiful squares, which grow finer towards the
border, and disappear at the margin. Colour, approach-
ing to black.

Of the Horned Kay or Manta Fish, a single specimen
was found in 1835 on the southern coast of Ireland.
This species belongs to a genus {Cephaloptera) which
differs most conspicuously from the other spiny- tailed
rays in the form of the head, which is cut short in

SPRAT FISHERIES. 239

front ; Avliile the pectoral fins, instead of siirroundicg it,
are each prolonged considerably in front, so as to
present the appearance of two horns. The species are
also very remarkable for the enormous size they some-
times attain.

'*E. D. P." in Land and Water thus writes i "Its
name is derived from the Spanish word manta, signify-
ing mantle, indicating at once its shape and the facility
it has of enclosing its prey within its folds. They some-
times frequent the pearl oyster banks, and are much
dreaded by the divers.

THE SPRAT.

Ahdominales Malacopterygii. Cbipcidce.

{Cliiper sprattus.)

German: Die Sprotte, Der BreitUng. Dutch: Sprot. Swedish:
SkarpsiU. Danish : Brislhifj. French : Menuise, Le Melet,
Esprot, Harenguet, La Sardine. Scotch: Garvie, Herring.

This fish comes into the market during the winter
months, and generally appears in London on Lord
Mayor's Day (November 9th).

Sprats are taken on many parts of the coast both by
the seine and drift net ; but, like the rest of the genus,
they are w^anderers ; the shoals are capricious in their
movements, and exceedingly variable in their numbers,
as well as in the time of their appearance. The chief
fisheries for sprats are the large estuaries in the North
Sea, fronting especially the Firth of Tay, Firth of Forth,
Beauty Forth, and the Moray Forth, and the estuary
of the Thames. The fishing season continues through
the winter months, and the largest catches are taken
when the nights are dark and foggy. Not unfrequently
they are so abundant as to be used for manure, and

240 LANTHEEN JACK SPRATS.

many tliousand tons are annually disposed of in tins
manner." The length of the sprat is from 5in. to Gin.

Its food is similar to that of the herring. In my
" Cmiosities of Natural History" I have thus de-
scribed the sprat's mouth : "It looks a little tiny
moutlv not large enough to admit a pin's head ; but
just push down the lower jaw, and what do you see ?
Why, one of the most beautiful insect nets it is possible
to conceive. A net into which you can get the top of your
little finger, and of necessity terribly destructive among
the minute sea creatures which the sprat feeds on — those
pretty little animals which cause the sea to be luminous
at night, forming, doubtless, part of the bill of fare."

As the salmon has parasites on his scales, the Ler-
neonema, and in his gills, so we find that the sprat has
a parasite called LerncBa spratti.

These parasites fix themselves on to the eye of the
fish and there anchor themselves, a portion of the body,
and the ovaries, which are like two long green threads
hanging loose to the length of 2^in. They sometimes
enter the body of the fish near the dorsal fin, and pierce
to the depth of ^in., the head coming down from the
back of the sprat, through the flesh, nearly to the belly.
They are of a beautiful green colour. The fishermen
call them " Lantern Jacks." The story is that the fish
which carries these "Lantern Jacks" is the pilot fish
of the shoal, and that the lantern is luminous at night,
and the shoal steers itself on the course indicated by
the bearer of the " Lantern Jack."

There is confusion in the minds of those concerned
as regards names. Some designate a sprat a " garvie ;"
some call a young herring a " garvie ; " some call both
si)rats and herrings alike " garvies."

* See " Deep Sea Fisheries Report, 1879."

SPRATS NOT YOUNG HERRINGS. 241

Having investigated, both by dissection and other-
wise, this moot point, I have come to the conchision
that the sprat is a distinct species of fish. The follow-
ing are the chief points by means of which it may be
distinguished from a young herring : —

1st. The shape is different from that of the young
herring, the depth of the body being greater in propor-
tion to its length than in the case of the young herring.

2nd. The belly of the sprat is serrated or edged with
sharp spines ; the belly of the herring is carinated.

3rd. The formula of the fins is difterent.

4th. The dorsal fin in the sprat is placed further
back than in the herring. If the sprat be cut in two
with a sharp knife, drawn directly in front of the dorsal
fin and vertically to the belly, the section will cut
through a portion of the ventral fins on the belly ;
whereas, if a young herring be cut through in the same
manner, the section will pass in front of the ventral fins.

5th. In the ventral fins of the sprat there are no
axillary rays, whereas these are found in the herring.

6th. The operculum, or gill cover, the bone imme-
diately behind the eye, is narrower in the sprat than in
the herring, running up in the former nearly to a point
near the eye.

7th. If a young herring be held up to the light, the
tail having been moistened, and the rays drawn together
with the finger and thumb, it will be observed that a
black line will appear in the middle of the fin, whereas
in the sprat no such line will be visible.

8tli. In the herring the lower jaw is prominent, so
that when the mouth is closed a slight projection of the
snout will be observed; in the sprat the jaw runs
smoothly off; to use the fishermen's term, the sprat is
" snugger in the nose " than the herring.

17

242 DIAGNOSIS OF SPKAT FROM HERRING.

9tli. In the sprat the teeth in the lower jaw are so
small as to be hardly apparent to the touch, whereas in
the youiig herring the teeth are easily distinguished.

10th. In the herring there are 56 vertebrae, in the
sprat 48.

The foregoing are the structural differences between
the sprat and the herring. Besides this, the difference
may be readily distinguished by the senses of smell
and taste.

Thus there are three senses by which the sprat may
be diagnosed from a young herring, viz., touch, smell,
and taste.

1st, Touch. — As already stated, if the belly of a sprat
be gently tested by the finger, the direction of the
movement being from the tail towards the head, it will
be found that the forward progress of the finger is
arrested by spines projecting from the belly. These
spines are so sharp that if the test be made with the
tongue they will lacerate it. If this row of spines be
cut oft' and dried, it will be perceived that they are 29
in number. Commencing under the gills they are
short and overlap each other. They become more
prominent towards the ventral fin, and are largest im-
mediately behind that fin. If the row of spines just
cut oft" be gently boiled, it will be perceived that this
armature of spines is formed of separate plates, each
spine being fixed in the centre of a thin plate of bone ;
these plates may be said to resemble flies with their
wings open, the head of the fly being represented bj^ a
sharp needle-like point.

2nd, Smell. — The sense of smell is one of the most
serviceable of all the senses to a human being ; par-
ticularly is it useful as regards matters of food. When
a sprat is placed on the fire, the smell of the flesh of
the sprat burning is much more savoury and api^etising

SEA AND FRESHWATER STICKLEBACKS. 243

than that of the herring, and can he discerned at a
much loncfer distance. This is on account of there
heing naturally so much more oil in the sprat than in
the herring.

3rd, Taste. — The taste of the sprat is quite distinct
from that of the herring.

STICKLEBACK.

Acanthopteri. Sclerogenidce.

[Gasterosteus tracliurus.)

Local names: Banestichle, Bannis Bamiistickle, Banstickle, Barce,
Barmy, Banticle, BoncticJde, Hackle, Harry -banning, Jack
Sharpling, Jack Sharpnails, Minnis Pricklehack, Prickle-Jish
Pricky, Pricky-back, Rough-tailed three-spined Stickleback,
Bough-tailed Stickleback, Shaftling, Sharpling, Staiid, Stan-
stickle, Stekelynge, Stickling, Styckelyng, Tanticle, Thre£-
spined Stickleback, Tittle-bat, Tommy-parsy Titler, Tinker.
German : Der Stickling, Stickelstarpe. Danish : Hundstag.
Swedish: Stigg Benbuk. Dutch: Stekelbaars. French:
L'Espinoche. Itahan : Spinarello.

Many anglers will confess that they were first "entered"
to the nohle sport by fishing for Sticklebacks, which
abound in all the ponds and ditches in the neighbourhood
of London. These fish are also ver}'- common in canals,
especially in the Eegent's Park Canal. In the summer
time, thousands of little boys go out fishing for "tittlers,"
their apparatus consisting of a stick, a piece of thread,
and a short piece of worm tied in the midled without any
hook ; if expert, they sometimes pull out tw^o at a time
in this way. The fashion is to take them home in
pickle-bottles ; and the boys generally sell them, some-
times getting as much as sixpence a bottleful. I always
encourage these boys, as the little m-chins are thus taken
out of the London streets, and have a chance of learning

244 STICKLEBACK MAKING ITS NEST.

a little natural history. There are many species of
sticklebacks.

The Three-spined, or Kough-tailed Stickleback [Gaste-
rosteus sjnmdosus), is one of the largest and most power-
ful of the family ; it ranges in size from 2in. to Sin.

The stickleback is to be specially admired among
fishes, as being a nest-builder ; and I would advise my
readers to get some sticklebacks, and themselves observe
the process of nidification. They spawn in warm

THKEE-SPIXED STICKLEBACK.

weather, fi-om April to June. The following facts
occurred in 1857 under the notice of the curator of the
Norwich Museum :

Two glass troughs filled with aquatic plants and
animals were provided, into which a solitary individual
of either species was inducted. Each made himself
quite at ease ; and a female companion being introduced
into the domicile, he was not long in commencing the
work of nidification.

Tbe appearance of the three-spined stickleback was
exceedingly beautiful. The little creature's throat and
belly were of a bright red colour, and his eyes of a
brilliant bluish-green, having a perfectly metallic lustre,
not unlike the green feathers of a humming-bird ; and
the whole fish seemed somewhat translucent, and glow-
ing with an internal brightness.

He selected a spot nearly in the centre of the trough,

CARE OF EGGS AND YOUNG. 245

and busily set to woi'k to make a collection of delicate
fibrous materials, resting on the ground, and matted
into an irregular circular mass, somewhat depressed,
and upwards of an inch in diameter, the top being
covered with similar materials, and having in the centre
a rather large hole. His work was commenced at noon-
day, and was completed and the eggs deposited by half-
past six in the afternoon. Nothing could exceed the
attention from this time evinced by the male fish. He
kept constant watch over the nest, every now and then
sliakmg up the materials and dragging out the eggs, and
then x^ushing them into their receptacles again and tuck-
ing them up with his snout, arranging the whole to his
mind, and again and agam adjusting it until he was
satisfied ; after which he hung or hovered over the
surface of the nest, his head close to the orifice, the body
inclined upwards at an angle of about 45°, fanning it
with the pectoral fins, aide.d by a side motion of the
tail. This curious manoeuvre was apparently for the
pm'pose of ventilating the spawn; at least by this means
a cm-rent of water was made to set in towards the nest,
as was evident by the agitation of particles of matter
attached to it. This fanning, or ventilation, was fre-
quently repeated every day till the young were hatched ;
and sometimes the little fellow would dive head foremost
into his nursery and bring out a mouthful of sand, which
he would carry to some distance and discharge with a
puft\ At the end of a month the young ones were first
perceived. The nest was built on the 23rd Aj)ril ; the
young appeared first. May 21st.

Unremitting as had been the attention of this exem-
plary parent up to the time of the hatching of the eggs,
he now redoubled his assiduity. He never left the spot
either by night or by day; and during the daytime he

246 ME. smee's observations.

guarded it most pertinaciously; allowing nothing to
approach. If any of the water- animals chanced to come
near, he would instantly pounce upon them, and uncere-
moniously shove or tumble them over. If a stick or
quill were passed down from the top of the vessel, he
struck it fiercely, and with such smartness, that the
blow was distinctly felt by the hand.

The fry were at first so minute and transparent, that
they were scarcely perceptible, and it was only by a
slight fluttering motion their position could be
occasionally discovered ; otherwise it was impossible
to detect them. They were for a time confined to the
meshes of the nest, and its near neighbourhood, but by
degrees were allowed greater space ; and the parent fish
hollowed out a sort of small basin for them, in which
they disported themselves, until they were strong
enough to take a wider range.

In consequence of there being no other fish in the
vessel, we did not see the battles and stratagems which
are carried on between companions and. rival fishes
when engaged in similar parental duties. The en-
counters on such occasions are said to be fearful and
prolonged, and it is not without reason the young nest-
lings are so carefully guarded, as acts of cannibalism are
not unfrequent.

I strongly advise my readers to repeat for themselves
the above interesting observations.

As regards the nestling of sticklebacks, my late
lamented friend Mr. Smee writes, in his admirable
book ''My Garden":—

" Throughout the Wandle there are plenty of stickle-
backs of the species called by the learned the haK-armed
stickleback, or Gasterosteus semiarmitus. They are very
pugnacious and amusing creatures. They build a nest,

STICKLEBACK XESTS IN THE WANDLE. 2i7

and puotect it. In tlie middle of May I observed a
stickleback evidently guarding a circle of about 2 in.
in diameter, and chasing away every other fish which
came within his domain. On closer examination, I saw
at the bottom of the water a small circular place about
2 in. in diameter made of fibre, bat arranged level with
the bottom of the stream. Suspecting a nest, I carefully
raised this material, when it proved to contain two
parcels of eggS; which were about the size of a large
pin's head. I immediately replaced the material as well
as I could in its former place, but Mr. Stickleback was
not at all satisfied with my arrangement, and set to work
diligently to adjust it himself. He brought little bits of
fibre and thrust them into the mass, and. re-arranged
the larger fibres. One parcel of eggs protruded ; these
he dragged away and began to devour ; but I took
possession of this mass and placed them in a jar with
water-plants, W'here they soon after hatched into beauti-
ful little fish. However, the stickleback continued his
work at the nest : sometimes he would bring a piece of
fibre in his mouth, and with violence thrust it into the
mass ; then at other times he would drag his body with
all his strensfth over the mass to smooth it down.
When he was perfectly satisfied with what he had done,
he mounted guard and rushed at any other fish which
came near him.

'■ Afterward, I found these nests by scores, each pro-
tected by its guardian stickleback ; and in the month
of May I can always delight ni}'- visitors by showing
them a nest presided over by the pugnacious little
fish."

A large number of sticklebacks are caught in the
deeper portions of the Eiver Thames by men engaged
in fishing for whitebait. "When caught with the white^

248 STICKLEBACK IN THE MILK.

bait these fish are of an exceedingly beautiful colour,
as bright as a new shilling, and the diner-out at clubs
will discover sticklebacks on his plate if he will look
for them ; they are very good eating.

The Ten-spined Stickleback {Gasterosteus pimgitius)
is one of the smallest of the fishes that occur on our
coast, as well as many of our rivers and creeks, up
which they migrate in shoals in the spring. It is from
an inch and a half to two inches in size, and is dis-
tinguished from all the rest by having nine or ten
spines on the back, and by the sides being perfectly
smooth, without any lateral plates. It can be found
in almost all the marshes along the estuary of the
Thames. This fish also builds a nest.

TEN-SPINED STICKLEBACK {Gastevostcus puugitius).

Sticklebacks are a very great nuisance by getting
into reservoirs, when, notwithstanding the filters, they
get sometimes pumped up from the mains which supply
the houses.

I lately heard a story from my friend Mr. Bartlett, of a
milkwoman not very far from Albany Street ; she served
out at the door a pennyworth of milk, and in the milk
jug the servant girl found a live stickleback swimming
about. AVhen the fish, all alive oh ! in the cow's milk,
was shown to the old woman, she turned round to
her boy and boxed his ears. "Jimmy, oh! Jimmy,
you lazy rascal," she said; "you never strained the
water!"

NESTS OF FIFTEEN-SPINED STICKLEBACK. 249

Sticklebacks in Prussia are used for feeding ducks and
pigs. I do not see why they should not be utilised in
this country.

The Fifteen- spined Stickleback — Cornwall; Bismore,
Orkney {Gasterosteus spinacliia ; German : Dornjisch)
— will at once be recognised by its many spines, pro-
longed tail, and elongated snout, the under jaw pro-
jecting. The nest was first noticed by Mr. Couch, on
the Cornish coast, 1842, and has since been observed
by other naturalists. It is composed of pendant sea-
weeds, bound together by a silk-like thread into pear-
shaped masses, in the centre of which the spawn is
deposited. One of these nests was visited every day for
three weeks by Mr. Couch, and the old fish was in-
variably found guarding it. When any part of the nest
was removed, the creatm^e immediately set about re-
pairing the damage, by drawing together the sides of
the opening, so as again to conceal the eggs, which had
been exposed to view. As great force was necessary to
effect this, the fish would thrust its snout into the nest,
as far as the eyes, and then jerk backwards, till its
object was effected. While thus engaged, it would
suffer itself to be taken in the hand, but repelled any
attack made on the nest.

In Land and Water, No. 39, October 20, 1866, is an
engraving of the nest of this stickleback, which was
found on the coast of Northumberland, and was kindly
forwarded to me by Mr. Robert Embleton, of Chathill.
It consists of fronds of sea-weed, fastened together by
means of threads ; how the fish managed to secrete
these threads, and subsequently to bind up the weeds
with them, is beyond my comprehension. The nest
itself can be seen in my museum.

I am very much indebted to our fi'iend Mr. Eeid, of

250 ARCHITECTURE OF SEA STICKLEBACK'S NEST.

Wick, for a stickleback's nest. It was found near the
celebrated Wick Harbour by liis youngest daughter and
himself on the Queen's birthday, 1880. Of this beau-
tiful nest I thus wrote in Land and Water : —

"I now present to my readers a drawing of one of the
most wonderful curiosities that exists in the waters of
the great Ocean. Man in his boasted wisdom often
produces works of art which would seem almost to be
the result, to use an Homeric expression, of God-like
inspiration, and yet behold now before you a work of
art which far exceeds in beauty and complexity any-
thing that ever was thought of by the human mind.

" This object is the nest of a stickleback. It has
pleased the Creator to ordain that a poor, humble sea-
fish should be the architect of this wonderful nest.
These little fish have but feeble tools wherewith to
execute this work, combining in itself the highest
problems of Science and Art.

"Underneath or at the edge of a secluded rock, and
generally at a point out of the reach of the violent wash
of the tideway, the stickleback selects an overhanging
branch of sea-plants which shall act as a foundation for
its nest. It is not, I believe, known whether the stickle-
back collects or carries together (as does a bird) the
materials wherewith to make its nest, or whether the
stickleback simx3ly utilises the branches of the plants
which happen to be near each other. On examining
the actual structure of the nest, I am inclined to think
that the stickleback takes both these courses ; certainly
the foundation of the stronger ropes, as it were, of the
scaffold which forms the outside of the nest, have been
carefully selected by design on the part of the builder.

" The main body of the nest is formed of very soft
weed — in fact, as soft as sponge — and, strange to say,

SILK-LIKE THREADS TO ANCHOR. 251

as though for the sake of ornament, our Httle architect
has placed at the j)oint where the nest is thickest a bit
of brilhant blood-red weed. Nay, more, it appears as
though the builder of the nest, fearing the risk of dis-
covery, had worked in great broad portions of brown
ribbon weed, which should act, firstly, as a covering, or
band, to keep the whole structure together ; and,
secondly, to serve the purposes of concealment. So
. beautifulty, indeed, is this nest constructed for the con-
cealment of the eggs, that unless the naturalist to
whom the nest was sent had been previously aware
what the structure meant, he might easily have been
pardoned if he had not seen the eggs at all. After a
careful dissection of the outer coatings of the nest, the
eggs themselves came into view. These eggs are round
little bodies about the size and colour of mustard seed.
They are in bunches like grap.es, and we try whether
they are to be separated from the bunch with ease.
Another marvel ; the body of eggs are all sewed into a
compact mass by a very thin, delicate fibre, which in
the sun glistens like a cobweb or the very finest floss
silk. The filaments which hold the eggs are worked
through, over, and round them, so as to form a com-
plete network. Here there is another mystery. How
is it possible that a fish can secrete or otherwise obtain
a silk-like thread, and having secreted the thread, how
does it manage to work up the material composing the
nest and to fasten the eggs in such a position that they
are safe ? "

The Half-armed, Smooth-tailed, Short-spined, and the
Ten-spined Sticklebacks are the remaining British species.
They are very similar in appearance, and probably in
habits, to their brethren.

252

^ .,. STURGEON.

Ganoidei. Acipenserida.

{Acipenser sturio.)

German : Der Oemeine Stor. Norwegian : Storje. Dutch : De Steur.
French : L'Esturgeon commun. Italian : Storione.

There are two kinds of Sturgeons which make their
aj)pearance in the fishmongers' shops : the common
&im:geoii,Acipenser sturio ; and the broad-nosed sturgeon,
Acipenser huso — the former being the most common.

Of the natural history and habits of the sturgeon
really very little is known. They are wandering fish,
but yet seem to frequent the mouths of nearly all big
European rivers, such as the Thames, Severn, Tay,
Ehine, Elbe, Seine, Garonne, Loire, &c.

STURGEON.

These fish are of considerable commercial import-
ance to many nations. The sturgeon is most admir-
ably fitted to his mode of life, about which, however,
we know little or nothing. He has a snout like the
nose of a mole [that in the engraving is much too long],
and he probably uses it in a similar manner as does the
mole — that is, for routing up the mud at the bottom of
the water and catching the worms.

Sturgeon do not require any teeth to eat worms, so
he has none, but instead a most wonderful mouth, the
action of which is telescopic, so that he can shut it
quite close, or protrude it to a considerable length.
The mechanism by means of wdiich this is done is

MONSTER STURGEON FROM HELIGOLAND.

253

■worthy the examination of those who like to see and
admire the beautiful pieces of machinery as exhibited
in the animal creation ; in fact, in some respects, the
sturgeon's mouth may be compared to the trunk of the
elephant.

MOUTH OF STUKGEON.

I have in my museum at South Kensington several
good casts of both species of sturgeons, the largest
beinsr nme feet lono;. This was a most difficult cast to
make. I have, however, in my possession the mould
of the largest sturgeon, I think, ever known.

In 1879, I received a letter from my friend Mr.
H. Smethurst, jun., fish merchant. Great Grimsby,
stating that his smack Kittn had just brought in a
tremendously large sturgeon, caught in a deep-sea
trawl net off Heligoland ; a few minutes after came
a letter from Mr. John Charles, fish merchant, of Gros-
venor Place, Buckingham Palace Koad, informing me
that he had got this fish. It certainly was a most
splendid specimen. He weighed 44^ stone, 141b. to
the stone, which makes him no less than 5 cwt. 2 qrs.
and Tibs. His total length was lift. 4in. ; the head
2ft. Sin. ; girth, largest part, 4ft, 9in.; his shackles or
armour-plates on the back were ten in number, some as
large as saucers.

Mr. Charles most kindly offered to let me cast the

254' DUKE OF Beaufort's sturgeon.

fish for my museum. I confess at first I hesitated, as
the expense of casting such a huge fish would he very
considerahle. Mr. Charles, however, settled the diffi-
culty hy kindly offering to pay the expenses. For this
act of kindness I am really most obliged.

At the time this sturgeon arrived I was not well
enough to attend the casting, which was done hy Mr.
Searle at the stabling of Mr. Charles's ice-houses at
Chepie Walk, Chelsea, where the mould still remains,
as the casting of such an immense fish requires much
time and preparation which as yet I have never been
able to give it. I have, however, in the museum the
cast of the head of another very large broad-nosed
sturgeon, a grand specimen.

"When inspecting the salmon fisheries on the "Wye
in June, 1877, I was fortunate to arrive at the house
of Mr. A. Miller, the lessee of the Duke of Beaufort's
fishery at Chepstow, just at the same time that a cart
arrived at the door containing a very large sturgeon
that had been caught in the salmon draft net at
Llandogo a few miles above Chepstow.

This noble fish measured 9ft. Oin. and 3ft. lin. in
girth. His weight was 3|cwt.

Mr. Miller was about to deliver over this sturgeon
to his Grace the Duke of Beaufort, as lord of the
manor, the duke also claiming all wreckage, jetsam
and flotsam. By a great piece of good luck the duke
happened to come into the yard, and gave me leave
to make a iwst mortem, at which work it is needless to
say I went with a will. I found the fish was a female,
containing two immense masses of caviare, or eggs.
These we turned out into a basket and found that they
weighed about 27lbs.

As regards the duke's claiming the sturgeon, a friend

now TO RECORD SIZES OF STURGEONS. 255

of iniDe, a distinguished lawyer, informs me that by the
law of England a stm-geon is a royal fish, and should
be handed over to her Majesty. By an unrepealed Act
of Edward II. it is enacted that "the king shall have
the wreck of the sea throughout the realm, whales, and
great stm-geon," taken in the sea or elsewhere in the
realm, except in certain places privileged by the king.

The flesh of the sturgeon differs much both in colour
and taste. It is said that a good cook can obtain beef
or mutton, pork or poultry out of a sturgeon ; in other
words, fish, flesh, and fowl

Sturgeons live a long time out of the water. I have
more than once seen them quite alive, flaj)ping about in
the gutter in the street opposite the shop of my friend
Mr. Davies, Gloucester ; these fish having generally
been caught in the salmon nets close by in the Severn.
Stm-geons being so easy to transport, and being an
interesting fish in an aquarium, are frequently seen in
those establishments.

The first captive sturgeon that I know of was a fish
presented by Mr. Charles, of Grosvenor Place, on July
26, 1863, to the Zoological Gardens. He then measured
about 3ft, He lived in the Gardens till June, 1870,
seven years. When he died he weighed 141bs. and
measured 4ft. 2in. This fish is now in my museum.
I would advise my readers never to attempt to have a
sturgeon stuffed. Stuffed sturgeons are hideous mon-
strosities.

If a record is required of the sturgeon, mark out his
dimensions on a piece of board, then cut out his shape
and have tlie board painted to life. If properly done,
the sturgeons thus represented make handsome orna-
ments for entrance halls to country houses.

In fishmongers' shops all over the country may be

256 sturgeon's shackles — caviabe.

seen the hard stud-like bones inserted into the skin of
the sturgeon's back and sides. These are cut out in
shps, left on the head, and allowed to dry in the shape
of the fish. These preparations are known as shackles.
If my readers have a chance, they should obtain a
sample of these shackles, never mind how" old or dry
they may be. They should be soaked for three or four
days in water, and then boiled till all the flesh comes
off. It will be found that the stud-like bones are most
beautiful objects, being as hard or harder than ivory,
with the outer surface indented and marked as though
they had been carved by a Japanese artist.

When set in silver, selected samples of these shackles
form very beautiful ornaments for ladies' dresses, and I
certainly would advise my lady readers who are always
looking out for something new" and pretty to try the
effect of sturgeons' " shackles " when worn as ornaments.

As is well known, caviare is composed of the roe of
sturgeon ; and here is a good story about caviare — it
is told of a certain well-known learned professor.
A friend about to travel in Kussia called upon the
professor to know if he could collect anything specially
for him in those distant parts ; the traveller was
requested to collect specimens of the Eussian fishes.
After the lapse of some months a barrel was received
by the professor at the College of Surgeons ; no letter
or description came with it. The professor, forgetting
all about his Eussian fi'iend, opened the barrel, and
found a greasy-looking mass, not unlike soft soap ; he
carefully examined it, but could not make much of it,
so he placed it in a huge bottle, which was filled up with
methylated spirits of wine, and corked down. It was
labelled, *'Eoe of fish, locality and species unknown."
After a while the traveller returned, and, calling on the

TUE SUN-FISH.

207

profes3or, askccl if ho liked tlio specimen of Eassinn
caviare lie liad sent from St. Petersburg ; it was the
very best that could be obtained, and was grand eating.
It then suddenly struck the savant that the bottle con-
taining the "roe of a fish, localit}^ and species unknown,"
must bo this very caviare, and so it proved to be ; of
course, bemg saturated with spirits of vrine, it was quite
spoiled for the table.

SUN-FISH.

[Orthagoriscus moJa.)

Through the kindness of Thomas Ledger, Esq., of
Folkestone Harbour, I received, in December, 18G8, a
fine specimen of the Sun-fish [Ortha^orisciis viola). Mr.

/J

y

sux-nsH.

Ledger received it from the chief boatman of the coast-
guard station at Sandgate. In shape, as my [readers

18

258 STKUCTURE AND FOOD OF SUN-FISH.

will perceive, the siin-fisli is sun-like. If they wish to
make a portrait of him they have only to utilize the inner
surface of their own hand, imagine all the fingers taken
clean away from the palm of the hand, draw a fish's eye
on the skin at the base of the fore-finger, and a pectoral
.fin in the centre of the palm, erect the thumb as high as
possible, and imagine another thumb to match affixed
o^jposite the upper one to the lower part of the palm
directly, and you have a fancy portrait of this curious
sun-fish, fins and all.

The sun-fish has an exceedingly small mouth, and the
jaws, when cut out, resemble the jaws of a turtle.
He has no teeth ; instead of teeth I find simple pro-
minences like coarse sand-paper ; the edges are covered
with a hard cutting enamel, and the lower jaw is shaped
like the beak of a turtle ; the stomach is rather large,
the intestines very long and much convoluted, the
liver not very large in proportion to the fish. All
curious and rare fish seem to make a point of being
caught before their dinner, as it is very rare indeed to
find anything in their stomachs, and this was the case,
as usual, with the sun-fish. 1 cannot, however, help
fancvin^ that from the structure of his teeth and in-
testines he is a vegetable feeder. The eye is very large,
and from the size of the muscles attached to it, it must
be capable of quick motion. I fancy he must live amongst
the dense forests of seaweeds that grow in the submarine
valleys in the tropical seas — a kind of subaqueous
hippopotamus. He may also eat corallines. Mr. Couch
mentions a case of a fragment of coralline being found
in the mouth of a specimen caught off the Scilly
Islands. In September, 18(57, I found the claw of a
minute lobster in the stomach of a sun-fish. Sun-fish
generally appear upon our coast in the summer months ;

A FEAST FOR THE PIGS. 259

it is tlierefore rare to find tliem so late as the moiitli of
December. I suppose this Folkestone specimen missed
the last train and came by the carrier's carL The skin
is exceedingly hard, like shagreen : in fact, all the bony
matter seems to be concentrated in the skin. On dis-
secting the fish I found it was composed almost entirely
of a hard fatty substance, in section very like a
flitch of bacon ; the muscular substance was very white,
and there was a very little of it. I do not wonder that
this fish is so much sought after for its oil. I am told
that when seen at sea he is generally asleep, or pre-
tending to be asleep, but when the harpoon is suddenly
thrust into him he is awake in a moment and can swim
off at a tremendous pace. When casting this fish I was
in rather a difficulty. The fish itself being soft, I was
enabled to tumble him down the stairs into the casting
room easy enough, and we could bend him to get him
round the corner. The mould, however, with the fins ex-
tended, was so long, so heavy, and of course so inelastic,
that with the help of the dustmen I had the greatest
difficulty to get the cast out of the dissecting-room. The
total measurements of the fish were, fi'om tip of fin on
the back, to tip of fin on belly, four feet eight. From
nose to stern, three feet five and a half, and four feet two
in circumference. I could get no scales to weigh him, so
(deferring the task till late at night) we cut him up into
junks and weighed them separately. We calculate, that
altogether, he weighed close on a hundredweight. I
packed off the junks of his flesh in sacks to a friend.
This gentleman's pigs are among my best friends, as
they are particularly fond of fish, and eat up many of
my specimens when I have done with them.

In my museum is a magnificent photograph of a
sun-fish, taken August, 1870, in Swanage Bay; extreme

260

SURMULLET.

length six feet ten inches, extreme depth four feet five
inches, girth nine feet. He was covered with parasites.
During the week ending August 18, 1870, I received
records of no less than four sun-fish visitini^ the south
coast of Enf3:land within a few davs of each other.

The cast of this Folkestone fish is in mv museum, and
also a harpoon as used for spearing '■'■ sun-fish." It must
be remembered that the " sun-fish " of the west coast of
Ireland is the basking shark. (See page 214.)

The Oblong: Sun-fish is much more rare than the former.
It resembles it closely, excepting in its much more
elongated shape, the entire length being nearly three
times the depth of the body. It grows to a great size,
and the flesh is very rank. It feeds on shell-fish.

THE SURMULLET. RED MULLET.

AcantluqAeri.

{Mull

us su7inu

letus.)

Mullidce.

German : Die Ileerharle, Die Seeharbc. Swedish : Eodfisk.
Dutch: Harder. French: Surmulet, Evget.

The Surmullet, or Sea "Woodcock, is of frequent occur-
rence on our southern coast, and are caught by the

EED MULLET {Mullus viiuor, MuUus larhatus).

Brixham trawlers. It is migratory, and is principally
found in the markets in May and June, when its

SWORD-FISH. 2G1

colours arc most vivid and the fish in finest order.
Eed Mullets seldom or ever come into market with their
scales on. Mr. H. Lee informs me that the fishermen
scrape off the scales with the thumb nail directly
the fish are caught. The bare skin then becomes a
brilliant red. The average size is from twelve to
fifteen inches in length. Sometimes they are caught
in great profusion, and at others are very scarce. In
August, 1819, 5,000 were taken in one night in Wey-
mouth Ba3^ The flesh is firm and of good flavour,
somewhat resembling the meat of the lobster, and
is reckoned easy of digestion. These fish are destitute
of an air-bladder. Their food appears to be selected
from among the crustaceous and molluscous animals.
They are furnished with two long barbules or feelers
hanging from the under jaw, appendages not uncommon
in other fishes. These cirri, as they are called, are
organs of touch.

SWORD-FISH.

Acanthoptcri. Xiphicedee.

(Xiphias gladius.)

Oerman : Der Schwertfisch, Der Hornfiscli. French : UEspadon.
Dutch: De Zicaardvisch. Danish: Svardfisk. Italian:
Pesce Spada.

A FINE specimen of the Sword-fish w^as caught at Leigh,
near Southend, in November, 1866, the well-known
<iuarters of the Thames shunting boats. Mr. Towell,
fishmonger, 33, Strand, allow^ed me to make a cast of
it. The fish had been seen about in the river for some
days. The dimensions of this fish were — length, includ-
ing sword, 8 feet 8|- inches ; depth, 1 foot 7i inches ;
length of head, 1 foot 3 inches ; eye, 3 inches ; dorsal

2G2 SWOED-FISH FISHERIES.

fin, 1 foot 3 iuclies ; lobe of tail, 1 foot 5 inches ; sword,
2 feet 9 inches, very sharp, pointed, with cutting edges,
and not unlike a Scotch claymore. When dry the skin
upon it feels like velvet to the touch. The use of this
sword is by no means certain. An ancient Latin author
tells us this sword is used by the fish to get his dinner,
as he feeds on fish which he kills by charging with his
beak ; but how does he rid himself of his prey thus
transfixed like larks on a skewer? The sword-fish is
not a very uncommon visitor to the British shores in
the summer and autumn ; its home proper is in the
Mediterranean, and there is a regular fishery off the

SWORD-FISH.

coast of Sicily, lasting from May to August. The flesh
is considered a great delicacy by the Sicilians. I am
anxious to know more about the fishery for this Fesce
VEspada, as they call the sw^ord-fish.

In 1868 I received from a friend two fine specimens
of swords. When at Constantinople he saw a large
number of sword-fish exposed for sale in the public
market ; as many as thirty fish had been caught in one
day in the Sea of Marmora. The fish in the market
ranged from three to five hundi'edweight. They are
good eating, and realise about Is. 9d. a pound. The
swords sent were respectively 22^ inches and 24

rSE AND STRUCTUKE OF THE SWORD. 2G3

iiicliGs in length, 2 inclics in width at the banc, and 1^
inch at the point. Doubtless this sword is nseful to
the owner. The fish cannot be always fightnig, and
probably its proper use is that, as the fish lives upon
minute sea-creatures, he turns up the sand, &c., witli
his sword to hunt for them. By breaking off a small
portion of one of the swords I discovered two minute
holes in the substance of the bone, and by blowing down
the smoke of a cigar, I found that the holes ran com-
pletely through h-oni one end of the sword to the other.
Besides these two holes, there is also a cavity in the 3^
centre. I believe that when the fish is alive this cavity
contains nerves. At the lower end I discovered remains
of the cellular bone, known to anatomists as the
sethmoid . bone, and upon which large nerves ramify
themselves. These, I believe, are the nerves of sensa-
tion which assist the operations of the fish when he
uses the sword to rout up the mud and sand for his
food. The teeth of the sword-fish are very minute, and
not suited for grinding or prehension.

Mr. H. Dearsley, of Salutation-court, Billingsgate, was
kind enough to inform me that in July, 1879, he had
received a sw^ord-fish from Brighton, and that he had
sold it to Mr. Mills, the w^ell-known fish merchant,
whose place of business is immediately opposite the
Great Eastern Railway Station, Liverpool- street. The
following were its dimensions : from the front of the
eye to the end of the beak, 2 feet 11 inches ; from front
of the eye to end of tail, 5 feet 8 inches ; and total
length, 8 feet 7 inches. The intestines had unfortunately
been removed, which I regret, as I was anxious to see
wdiat this creature had been feeding on.

Another species of sword-fish {Hiatiujjhorus''' gladitts) is

* The Spear-Bcarer.

2G4 HISTIOPHCEUS, OK CEESTED G\YOED-FISH.

found in the Indian Ocean. This fish has a round
sohd sword, and not unfrequently attacks ships, charg-
ing them with wonderful velocity ; hut, fortunately, the
ship generally comes off hest in the fight, as the fish
usually manages to leave his weapon hehind, sticking
fast in the ship. There is a specimen of this fish
in the British Museum, with a fin running down its
hack like a horse's mane, hence the name of " crested."
At the College of Surgeons there is a section of a how
of a South Sea whaler, once H.M.S. Faicn. In it is
^een the end of the sw^ord of a sword-fish, measuring one
foot in length and five inches in circumference. At one
single hlow the fish had lunged his sword through and
completely transfixed 13^ inches of solid timher. The
sword had, of course, hroken off in the hole, and thus
prevented a dangerous leak in the ship.

In the British Museum is a specimen of a ship's side
with the sword of a sword-fish fixed in it — thisformidahic
weapon has penetrated no less than 1 foot 10 inches
into the timher. "When His Majestj^'s ship Leopard was
repairing, in 1725, after her return from the coast of
Guinea, a sword of the sword-fish was found to have
gone through the sheathing, 1 inch, next through a
3 inch plank, and heyond that 4^ inches into the firm
timher, solid oak. It was the opinion of the mechanics
that it would require nine strokes of a 25lhs. hammer to
drive a holt of similar size and form to the same depth
in the same hull ; yet this was accomplished hy a single
thrust hy the fish. Sword-fish are said to attack whales ;
hut we want further information on this point. (Sec
Appendix No. 5.)

In Decemher, 1870, Mr. Thomas Johnson informed
me that when the ship Manj Ann Moore, of Dundee,
just recently arrived from Bomhay, was in dry dock at

ATTACKS OX SHIPS BY SWOED-FISH. 2G5

South Sliiclds, tlio workmen vrere surprised to discover
a portion of the spear of a sword-fish. The spear had
gone completely through the 4^ inch elm plank and had
penetrated two inches iuto the solid oak timbers behind.
I had hoped to have obtained this specimen, but was
disappointed. I have, however, in my museum a very
fair specimen of a sword-fish's spear cut out of a ship's
timber.

SWOKD-FISH IN COURT.

In the Court of Common Pleas, in December, 1878,
a verv interestinsr case of De Garis v. The Mercantile
Marine Insm^ance Company, was tried before Lord
Chief Justice Bovill.

The plaintiffs, Messrs. De Garis and Arthur, in July,
1863, insured their ship Dreadnought for £3,000 with
the defendants. On the lOtli of March, 18G4, she set
sail from Colombo for London with cofiee. On the
afternoon of the 13th they hooked a fish which broke
the line, and a moment after threw several feet of its
body out of the water, and was seen with the line
attached. It was a sword-fish, and at foiu* the next
morning, the mate av\'oke the captain, and told him
that the ship had sprung a leak. The water was
pumped out two or three times, for it was found that
she made from nine to ten inches an hour. The cap-
tain took the ship back to Colombo, and thence to
Cochin, where the ship was hove dovrn. On her being
turned over, the surve3'ors discovered a nearly round
hole, about an inch in diameter, and it went completely
thi'ough the copper sheathing and the planking, but not
through the lining of the ship. The captain brought home
the perforated plate, which is now in my fish museum.

The case for the plaintiffs was, that the sword-

2GG EVIDENCE AND VERDICT OF SHIP "DREADNOUGHT.

5>

fish did the damage ; and their learned counsel stated
that sword-fish attacked whales ; and, not imfre-
qnently, they mistook ships for vdiales, and attacked
them. The damage in this instance was within a foot
or two of the keel, and the smii claimed by the plaintiffs
was £584 5s.

The defence was, that the plaintiffs had failed to
show how the injury to the ship had been caused. The
hole which had been spoken of, it appeared, pointed
somewhat upwards and towards the stern of the ship,
and it passed diagonally through a three-inch oak
plank. No doubt sword-fish sometimes pierced ships;
but when they did so, the sword broke off and remained
in the ship. It could hardly be imagined that the fish
could withdi-aw his sword from the pinch of the oak
plank, and especially so as, in this instance, the onward
motion of the ship would tend to force the fish against
the ship, and not fi-om it. Under the policy, the
l^laintiffs could recover only for injury "caused by
contact with some substance other than water." The
verdict was to this effect. To my mind a most unsatis-
factory solution of the difficulty.

_ . TENCH.

Abdominales Malacopterygii. Cyprinidee.

{Tinea vulgaris.)

German: Die Schleilie, Schleicrkarpfen. Frencli: La Tanche.
Dutch : Zeelt. Italian : Tinea.

It is a remarkable fact how the human mind seems to
delight in fallacies. There are certain stories, many of
them of great antiquity, which are continually cropping
up, and to which vitality is imparted by modern books,
which again are copied one from the other. One of these

TEXCH BAIT FOE PIKE.

267

is the story started by Isaac Walton, that the Tench is
the X)h3'sician of the pike.

Brown, in his piscatorial eclogues, has put Isaac
"Walton's words into verse as follows :

" The tencli he spares ;
For when by wounds distressed, or sore disease,
He courts the salutary fish for ease ;
• Close to his scales the land physician glides,

And sweats the healing balsam from his sides."

This is a regular case of poetical license, and carries
out the idea so well formularised by Horace as follows:

" Pictoribus atque poetis
Quidhbet audendi semper fuit aqua potestas."

This old story that pike will not eat tench is a
delusion. Mr. Higford Burr, of Aldermaston Park, teUs

TENCH.

me, " You cannot put a better bait on a trimmer than a
young tench. Trout w^ill also eat tench. When draw-
ing my pond, I caught a trout betw^een two and three
pounds. Out of its stomach I took twenty- two little
tench the size of minnows."

Tench are found in great numbers in Norfolk and
Suffolk, in deep, sluggish, muddy waters.

As regards the food of the tencli, my late friend Mr.

2G8

FOOD FOR TENCH AND GOLD-FISH TOESK.

Gillbanlvs, who was a great botanist, writes me : " The
natural food both of cai'XD and tench is the hirvas of
insects, small worms, and the soft parts of yarious
aquatic plants." When I was at Cambridge, the men
who went wildfowl-shootin": with me called some of
the weed that abounded thereabouts " tench weed." It
was one of the Potamageton tribe, on the broad leaves
of which tench deposit their eggs, which hatch out in a
very few days.

As regards keeping common tench, golden tench, and
especially gold-fish, Mr. Gillbanks writes : " The water
in which they are placed cannot be too soft. I give my
gold fish rianuncalus aquatilis and Fianunciiliis hedcrecea
— the ivy-leaf sort. The small flowers of these are
very pretty, and they take up little room, as the foliage
and flowers are at the top, affording shade and harbour
for delicate moUusks such as Limneus ijereger, the
planorhis, the fresh-water limpet, which feed on cou-
fervae and keep the water clear."

TORSK.

Anacanthlni Tkoracici. GodidcB.

The Torsk, or Tusk, is a northern fish, seldom found
much further south than the 68tli degree. It is only

.TORSIC.

occasionally caught in the Forth, but more frequently
in the Oriaiey Isles, and is plentiful among the Shet-

USE OF TKUMPET OF TKUMPET FISH.

209

lands, where it forms a consiclci-ablc article in the fish-
ing-trade. When on the Herring Inquiry, 1878, at
Lerwick, I obtained much valuahle information about
this fish. From Lerwick I have received a specimen,
a cast of which is now in my museum : it weighed
27lbs. Li external form it somewhat resembles the
burbolt of the Trent.

THE TRUMPET FISH, OR SEA SNIPE

Belongs to the pipe-mouthed family, Avhich is charac-
terised by a long tube, formed by the elongation of the
jaw-bones, at the extremity of which is placed the
mouth, which is small and without teeth. Its ordinary
size is from four to five inches in length. A few
specimens only of this singular-looking fish have been
taken in our seas. I have never seen a fresh specimen.

TRUMPET OR SNIPE FISH {Ccntrlsciis scolojjhax) .

It is common in the Mediterranean. The beak-like
mouth is admirably adapted for detaching minute
animals from the various sorts of sea-w^eeds, and the
form of the apparatus renders it probable that, by
dilating the throat, it can suck up food, as water is
drawn up through a syringe. This fish has a formidable

270

LARGE TUNNY FROM DAV/LISH.

weapon of defence in the first spine of the first dorsal
fin, which is very long and powerful, pointed, movable,
and toothed like a saw on the under part. The general
colour is a golden-red hue.

TUNNY.

Acanthopteri. Scomberidee.

(Scomber thyninis. Tliynmis vulgaris.)
German: Der Thunfisch. French: Le Thon. Italian: Tonno.

This is a very rare British fish. A splendid specimen
was sent me by Mr. George Lamsey, Brunswick Place,
Dawlish, September, 1868, which weighed between
three and four hundredweight. It measured — length,
8ft. 7in. ; greatest circumference, 5ft. 2in ; circumfer-
ence behind great dorsal fin, 3ft. 4in. ; s^n-ead of tail,
2ft. 4in. ; eyes, 2in. in diameter ; pectoral fin, 15in. long.

TUNNY.

witirSB spines; dorsal fin, 14in. long, with 13 spines;
lower dorsal, also 14in., with no perceptible spines; 10
minor dorsal fins between lower dorsal and caudal fin ;
spines in caudal fin very numerous, gradual^ decreas-
ing in size from the outer rays to centre ; enlargement
alono: lateral line close to caudal fin, Tin. lone: and lin.

TUNNY FISHEEIES. 271

high, composed of muscle, evicleiitly to strengthen the
connection (which tapers very fine) of tail to hody. The
tunny is one of the Scomherida, or mackerel family ; in
fact, it is very like an ordinary mackerel put under the
microscope. The dorsal fin, with its iron-like spines,
fits into a depression in the back, just as in the mackerel.
The tunny has two kinds of scales, some as large as
half-crowns : these are very compactly fitted one to the
other, so as to form a skin almost approaching armour
in thickness. Toward the lower portion of the body
the scales become very small, almost the size of trout
scales. My cast of this fine fish is in my museum ; the
skeleton is in the British Museum. The tunny is very
plentiful in the Mediterranean, especially along the
coast of Sicily, where the fishery takes place in May
and June. The tunny fishery is thus practised in the
Mediterranean : A man is stationed on the look-out for
the school ; when the direction they are heading is
ascertained, every effort is made to get the nets across
their path, the neighbouring boats rush to the rescue,
and at length the drove is surrounded, and the fish
appear to lose presence of mind from the first coming
in contact with the obstacle. The size to which these
fish sometimes grow is enormous ; three-quarters of a
ton, or even larger, have been taken ; but these giants
do not seem to agree with their smaller brethren, and
lead a solitary life. These large fish are not so very
rare, but about lOOlbs. is the usual size. It is generally
credited that they annually assemble in the summer in
the Atlantic, and, as the season advances, pass through
the gut of Gibraltar, up the Mediterranean, through
the Dardanelles, Bosphorus, and up the Black Sea in
immense shoals. As an article of food; the belly por-
tion when fresh is extremely good ; the rest of the

272

THE BOXITO.

carcase, wliicli looks like beef, is to be found exposed
for sale, salted, in almost all Mediterranean towns.

In my museum I have a cast of a small tunny, which
measures 4ft. 3in., and weighed about SOlbs. It was
given me by Mr. Grove, of Charing Cross, September
80, 18GS, and, when eaten, it was agreed by all to
resemble very fine veal cutlet. I am very anxious to
obtain a specimen of the hard roe of the tunny, to see
what size the eggs of this monster fish may be. In
May, 1880, Mr. Henry Lee brought me a bone which
had been trawled up by the Margate smack, Blanche,
when fishing on the Foreland Ground. The bone
certainly was a puzzler, but Mr. Lee and myself
diagnosed it as being the skull of a very large tunny,
an opinion which was confirmed by Professor Flower,
of the Eoyal College of Surgeons. This tunny had
probably floated after some accident or natural death,
and as the skin decayed, the bones, especially the heavy
skull bone, had dropped to the bottom of the sea.

THE BONITO.

Acanthcpteri- Scomheridce.

(^Scomber pclamis.)

I HAVE almost invariably remarked when reading books
on foreign travel that the author manages to get across
the ocean with a very few words of description. Thus
the events and the objects seen in the vast Athantic be-
tAveen Liverpool and New York, or in the great waters
sailed over by our friend Mr. Wigram's big ships be-
tween London and Australia, are summed un in, sav,
half a page. That this is a mistake I am quite certain,
as in all seas there must be abundance of surface fish,

BONITO FROM THE SOLWAY. 273

and other marine forms life of some kind or other, which
must surely be worth notice.

Amongst surface fish certainly must be included the
bonito. I have (thanks to numerous friends and cor-
respondents) now casts in my Museum at South Ken-
sington of two tunnys and two pelamids, but hitherto
no bonito. I was therefore highly delighted when Mr.
Searle appeared in my room (August 12, 1880) with a
bundle containing a true bonito.

This rare fish was caught at Hawgill, on the Solway,
in the estuary of the Eden, in a haaf-net, and sent me

BONITO (Tkynnuspelainis, Scomber bonito).

by Mr. E. Aitchinson, of Annan. The fish is very
tunny-like in appearance ; total length, 2ft. ; weight,
6|lbs.

The peculiarity of the colouring is that it has four
dark blue stripes on either side.

Scomber bonito {Tliynnus pelamis) is abundant in the
Mediterranean and Atlantic. They catch large num-
bers of them when fishing for tunny ; they also fish for
them trailing as for mackerel.

The best time for bonito fishing is from May to the
end of September, and the best bait the tail of an eel.
Bonitos are great enemies of sardines and flying-fish,

19

274

PELAMID FROM MEVAGISSEY.

and an artificial representation of one of these fish is
frequently used. One sees these artificial flying-fish,
the wings being generally composed of long stiff bristles
or hairs, very frequently in the marine-store shops in
the neighbourhood of the docks. Bonitos go in shoals
of fi'om ten to twenty individuals. They like very deep
water, but always swim on the surface.

PELAMID.

I RECEIVED in 1877, through the kindness of Mr. M.
Dunn, of Mevagissey, two specimens of the Pelamid.
One was caught in August near the Deadman, the other
in September near Gorrau Haven. The first specimen
measured 17in., and weighed 21bs. The second speci-
men weighed 2|lb. and measured 1ft. Sin. The pelamid
is very mackerel like in appearance, and has band-like
markings extending from the back to the belly. The
lateral line is very croolied. The pelamid is a very rare
British fish.

GREAT WEEVER, OR STING-BULL.

Acantlwpteri. Uranoscopidtc.

{Trachbius draco.)

German: Das Petermannchcn, Der Drachenjisch. French: La
Vive Vipere. Dutch : De Pietermann.

In the accompanying plate it will be seen that there
is a formidable crest or spine just at the back of the
head. These are actually poisonous weapons, so that
it has been truly called the " Viper," or " Weever "
fish.

In September, 1873, I published in Land and Water
the following account from a fi'iend living at Nairn, in

POISON DAGGER OF WE EVER FISH. 275

Scotlaiitl : *' A lady was batliing in the sea near here,
Murray Firth, and placed her hand upon the sand
beneatli the water. Instantly she felt her finger
sharply punctured, and found blood oozing from a little
hole. In a minute the wound became a dark purple
colour, the linger and back of the hand swelled up and
turned scarlet, and pain of a most agonizing character
extended along the arm. The symptoms lasted three
days, leaving soreness and pain. This, of course, was
the sting of the weever fish."

I earnestly entreat ladies and children, in fact every
one, when bathing in sandy places, to be sure to wear
slippers, as the weever fish live in the sand, and, keep-

GEEAT WEEVER.

ing their sharp poisonous back fins erect, are very likely
to wound the foot. The weevers have also a dagger in
the sides of the cheek. I have experimented upon them,
and I find they certainly have the power of jerking
themselves backwards, so as to infiict wounds with these
spines. It is worth while to take out one of these spines
and examine it. It will be seen that it is connected
with the bone of the head by a joint which gives it
great mobility. The spine itself is dagger-shaped,
the point as sharp as a very pointed needle, the sides
fluted somewhat like a bayonet. I cannot quite make
out whether it is or is not perforated like the tooth of a
poisonous snake. The fishermen say that the moment

270 POISON DAGGER OF WEEVER FISH.

a person is stung, he sliould apply to the part the
fish's hrer. There is another impression prevalent, that
the pain in its greatest intensity occurs at the same
time of the tide as that when the original injury was
inflicted.

As regards the poisonous properties of the spines in
the weever fish, my friend Mr. H. Lee has puhlished
in Land and Water, August 7, 1870, the following inte-
resting remarks : —

" The dorsal sinnes are not intentionally used by the fish as means
of injury or offence. Its most dangerous weapons are the strong,
sharp spines at the upj^er part of the gill-covers. They point
backward when at rest, but can be directed almost at right angles
with the body when the animal desires to use them ; and it is
astonishing with what precision it can bring these sj)ikes into
action when touched on any part of its body.

" These spines were formerly supposed capable of conveying
poison into the wounds made by them, in the same manner as
do the fangs of the venomous snakes. Professor Allman, in the
A)in. and 2Iag. Nat. Hist., writes: —

" ' The spines of the oj)ercula will be found to be deeply grooved
along the edges, each groove terminating at the base of the spine
in a conical cavity excavated in the posterior edge of the bony j)art
of the operculum. In the sides of these excavations the edges of
the grooves lose themselves, so that there is a perfect continuity
between each groove and the corresi^onding cavity. From the
jjosteiior edge of the operculum the integument is continued over
the spine to within a very short distance of the point, by which
means the spine is enclosed in a complete sheath for nearly its
entire length, and tlie groove at each side is converted into a
perfect tube, extending from the conical cavity at the base almost
to the point of the spine. I have not as j-et been able to detect
any specific gland connected with this apparatus. There is, indeed,
in each of the conical cavities above-mentioned a small puljjy
mass, which may j)0ssibly be of a glandular nature ; but in ascrib-
ing to it the property of secreting the virus I do nothing more
than hazard a distant conjecture. It seems, indeed, to be chiefly
composed of fatty matter. The proi:)erty of secreting the virus
may probably with more truth be ascribed to the pulpy sheath of
the spine ; but this, too, is nothing more than conjecture.

WHITEBAIT WUERE CAUGHT. 277

" 'It is quite possible that a fluid or mucus of an irritating or
poisonous nature may collect in the longitudinal groove of the
spine, and may he introduced into the wound hy contact; but
there is nothing in the structure of the spine itself or of its basal
attachments to justify the supjsosition that a venomous fluid can
be iujected by it. ^Yhateyer may be the nature of the virus, it is
certain that a puncture by one of these spines sufficiently deep to
draw blood is generally followed by much pain and inflammation,
as I know from exiaerience.' "

Sliould any of my readers inifji-tunately be wounded
by a viper fish, I recommend fomentations of hot poppy
decoction, followed by poultices, with laudanum. Sal-
volatile in di-am doses should be taken every two hours.

WHITEBAIT.

The following account of "Whitebait is given fi-om the
Appendix to the " Eeport on the Sea Fisheries of
England and Wales, 1879," (1. 2-U9), in which I give a
short history of each of the fish mentioned in the
Report : —

The whitebait which comes to the London market is
caught principally at the following places : — Gravesend,

WniTEBAIT.

Queenborough, Leigh, Southend, Shoeburyness, and
Baruham (Essex). The nets used for catching white-
bait are stowboat nets, peterboat nets, and seines.

The money expended in the actual capture of white-
bait is altogether of very considerable amount. There

278 ANNUAL QUANTITY AND VALUE OF WHITEBAIT.

is hardly a fislimoDf^er iu London wlio does not sell
wlxitebait when in season.

The principal whitebait merchant in Billingsgate is
Mr. John Welch, who has 12 boats at Southend, 6 at
Gravesend, 5 at Leigh, and 5 at Greenwich. The
share of wages which he pays is £60 to £70 per w^eek,
and the firm pay about £100 per week in wages. The
total amount spent in the catching of whitebait is from
£1,500 to £1,800 a year.

At Queenborough we were informed that about £40
per week, or £2,000 a year is coming into Queenborough
as wages for the fishermen catching whitebait.

Whitebait being par e.veellence the rich man's fish, we
were told at Queenborough by William Hoskins, fisher-
man of that place, that whitebait fishing " begins w^ien
Parliament meets, and finishes when Parliament is
adjourned." The general season for whitebait may be
stated to be from February to August. Whitebait
fetches from Is. to 2s. a quart wholesale. The average
number of whitebait cauj^ht durino: the season is about
half a ton a day.

On the 4tli June, I saw at the Fenchurch Street
station no less than 28 flat baskets full of whitebait.
The baskets were shallow and open, and fish were
spread on the baskets to the depth of about 2in. I
made a calculation as to the number of whitebait in
these 28 baskets, and estimated that they contained
between G00,000 and 700,000 young fish.

I bought a shilling's worth of whitebait in a London
shop, and found 204 fish weighing altogether 18oz.

This, therefore, shows that whitebait is rather cheaper
than butchers' meat at Is. per pound.

Mr. James Henry Cannon, an old man who had been
fishing for sixty years, gave us some very interesting

ANTIQUITY OF WHITEBMT. 279

iuformation relative to the first introduction of white-
bait as a general food. An ancestor of his, Robert
Cannon, " invented" whitebait in 1780, and for many-
years had been the only fisherman in the trade. The
following is Mr. J. H. Cannon's account, which is now
historical :

"It may be interesting to know who really was the
originator of the now extensive ' Whitebait Fisheries ' ;
I therefore, in justice^^to the memory of my predecessors,
deem it my duty to assert, and can incontrovertibly
prove, that my grandfather, Mr. Eichard Cannon, Thames
fisherman, of Blackwall, was the first and only man
who, in the year 1780, brought that delicate fish (to which
he gave the name of whitebait), before the notice of the
hotel and tavern keepers at Blackwall and Greenwich,
at which places the first whitebait dinners were served.

" For some years he was the only one in the trade,
as he had serious obstacles to overcome, from the inter-
ference of the Thames Conservancy, who forbade the
fish to be caught, under the impression that it was the
fry of herrings, shad, &c., until, eventually, my father,
Mr. Eichard Thomas Cannon, only son of the above,
attended before the then Lord Mayor, and proved to the
complete satisfaction of his Lordship ' whitebait ' to be
a distinct species of fish, and not the fry of any other,
however similar in appearance. '■'

* I am reminded by Dr. Day, late Inspector of Fisheries in
India, that Pennant in his British Zoology, 1776, mentions white-
bait as follows : " During the month of July there apjDear in the
Thames near Blackwall and Greenwich innumerable multitudes of
small fish which are known to the Londoners by the name of
whitebait. They are esteemed very delicious when fried with fine
flour, and occasion, during the season, a vast resort of the lower
order of epicures to the taverns contiguous to the places they are
taken at."

280 ORIGIN OF THE NA:\tE WHITEBAIT.

"In the year 1798 my father, Eichard Thoraas
Camion, succeeded my grandfather in the business, and
suppHed the whole of the hotels and taverns at the
above-named places, and all the leading fishmongers in
London.

" He had the honour of supplying His Koyal High-
ness the Prince Eegent, at Carlton House, and from the
year 1820 (when His Majesty King George the Fourth
ascended the throne, until 1830 ; during the ten years'
reign of that monarch), my father supplied the royal
table with whitebait every day throughout each succes-
sive season. He had also the honour of supplying His
Eoyal Highness the Prince Leopold (His Majesty the
late King of the Belgians), the Foreign Ambassadors,
and most of the nobility in London. I had the honour
of taking the fish to Carlton House, St. James's Palace,
&c.

" I have succeeded my father in the business nearly
forty years, and have supplied the hotels and taverns
at Greenwich and Blackwall, up to the present time.

'* I have supplied the Brunsw^ick Hotel, Blackwall,
for thirty-five years successively.

" 1878. '' James Henry Cannon.''

The use of these fish as bait (before utilized as food)
directly affected the fisheries of the North Sea in the
following curious manner. The whitebait were used as
bait in crab pots for catching the common shore crabs.
These crabs were used for catching whelks in the
estuary of the Thames by the process called "trotting,"
and finally the whelks were (and still are) of very great
importance for catching cod in the North Sea.

When used as '' bait " these fish — as now^ — were
bright and silvery, and were called u-hite-hait, in contra-
distinction to other baits that were not white. "When

WHAT WHITEBAIT IS. 281

they became fiisliiouable as food for Londoners tliey
still retained their name " whitebait," by which appel-
Lation they will probably bo still known at ministerial
dinners, city feasts, and private dinner parties, for years
to come.

The origin of the word whitebait having been thus
accounted for, I now proceed to state of what kind of
fish whitebait consists. The evidence of the different
witnesses may be classified as follows : —

1st. That they are a fish of a distinct species.

2nd. That they are young sprats.

3rd. That they are young herrings.

4tli. That they are "whitebait" without further
definition.

Having for many seasons past X3aid serious attention
to the subject of whitebait, I now beg to give the results
of my investigations. In the whitebait nets, according
to the season, may be found the following eleven kinds
of fish all more or less in the fry state :— 1, herrings ;
2, sprats ; 8, gobies ; 4, weevers ; 5, sand-eels ; 6,
smelts ; 7, i)ipe-fish ; 8, sticklebacks ; 9, buntings or
brown shrimps ; 10, red shrimps ; 11, gorebills or gar-
pike.

According to the season these fish are found in
various proportions. As I stated before, the fishing
commences in February, and goes on to the end of
August. It then stops because there is no sale for the
fish. If a basket of whitebait be examined in April
there will be found a large number of minute fish from
lin. to l^in. long, perfectly transparent, with a large
eye and no scales visible, the body being covered with
a few black spots. These are called *' smig herring."

Towards the end of the month the scales begin to
appear on some of these young fish in the form of a
baud of silver along the edge of the abdomen.

282 " YAWLINGS " AND " SPRATTY STUFF.

'>

To\yards the middle or end of May the young her-
rings will " take scale," and the warmer the weather
the quicker they will grow. The herrings are of various
sizes, the smallest being like a minute thread or small
slip of isinglass. The largest herrings are from 4 to
5 inches long, and weigh four to the ounce. The larger
ones are caught in the early part of the season, more
particularl}" in February or March, and are called
'^ yawlings," a corruption of the word yearlings, signify-
ing that the fish are one year old — a theory in which I

agree.

Yawlings go in March or April to the sea, and are
again heard of about June the same year as " spring
henings." In the autumn of the same year (or more
probably in the next year) they will lay then* eggs.

I believe that none or very few of these *' yawlings "
are sent to the London market when caught with the
*' bait " at the early part of the season. They die when
caught in the net and are thrown again into the water.
The reason assigned is that they are not marketable like
the small " spratty stuff.'' This destruction of yawlings
is certainly a great waste of food. If yawlings are in-
quired for and purchased by the public, the fishermen
will not throw them overboard, but sell them to the
fishmongers, and thus the food supply of Londoners
may be considerably increased by the sale of yawlings.

Among the whitebait, as I have said, there are a
great many sprats. This is called "spratty stuff." The
spratty stuff and the "smig" bait comes up the river
first. The run of fish varies very much according to
the temperature and the state of the river and sea out-
side. The sprat in the fisherman's language is " snug-
ger in the head " than the herring, and its body is
rounder, but the difference between the minute sprat

FISH FOUND WITH WHITEBAIT. 283

and minute herring is not easily explained unless witli
fresli specimens to liand for illustration. The young
sprats will keep much longer than the young herrings.
The herrings break, that is, they burst open much
sooner than the sprat.

The " Eooshians " which come into the river about
May are the young of the weever fish ; they have little
colouring and are very jelly like. They are called
Eooshians because they were caught in great abund-
ance in the river in the time of the Eussiau war.

In the spring of the year a great many sticklebacks
are caught ; they are generally of a beautiful silver
colour, and sometimes* 'golden sticklebacks" are taken.

Among the whitebait many small shrimps are also
taken ; some of these are buntings or brown shrimps,
some are red shrimps. The red shrimp "carries a
sword in his head " and boils almost the colour of a
prawn ; the bunting does not carry a sword, and boils
brown.

The young of the spotted goby are also found amongst
whitebait, and are called " polwigs ; " and various kinds
of minute fish, just hatched out, are caught, which are
difficult to identify, and are called " heads and eyes."

The pollutions of the Thames have a great effect upon
the progress of the whitebait up the river. A witness
at Gravesend informed us that whitebait used to be
caught at Blackwall, but that they have dropped gra-
dually from Blackwall to Woolwich, from Woolwich to
Eritli, from Erith to Grays, from Grays to Gravesend,
and from Gravesend to Southend. They are now ])vm-
cipally caught in the Lower Hope and the Medway.

The warmer the season the better the whitebait. The
little fish are surface swimmers and swim high in warm
weather, lower in cold weather.

284 SHOULD WHITEBAIT FISHING BE STOPPED ?

I liave thus endeavoiired to describe some of the dif-
ferent kinds of fish that are sokl as whitebait. If they
are sprats there is no reason for stopping their capture,
as sometimes sprats are caught in such large numbers
in the mouth of the Thames as to be useless, and many
barrels of " garvies" or sprats are sent to London from
the Firth of Forth, and other parts of Scotland.
' Sprats, again, are worth 9d. a bushel, and are often
sold as manure at even a less price, while whitebait is
sold for food at £3 per bushel.

If they are herrings it is not necessary to prevents
their capture, as there are no herring fisheries nearer
the mouth of the Thames than Lowestoft to the North,
and Folkestone and Eamsgate to the south, and herrings
are not shown to have fallen off anywhere with the ex-
ception of in the Pont. Even if a decrease of herrings
w^as found, it is exceedingly doubtful wdiether the spar-
ing of the whitebait would increase the quantity.

I am of opinion, therefore, that the whitebait fishing
should not be interfered with, as considerable number
of fisbermen are employed in the business — large sums
of money are expended in boats, tackle, &c., for its
capture — and wiiitebait has now become almost a
necessary food for the people of London.

WHITING.

Anacanthini Thoracici. GadiJce.

(Gad lis merlaiujus.)

German: Ber WUtlinrj, French: Le Merlan. Dutcli : Die
Welting. Norwegian : Ilvitting. Danish : Hvidliiig.

The Whiting is the most delicate in flavour of the
cod tribe. It is caught in great abundance almost all
round our coasts, and ranges from the Orkneys to Cape
Clear, swimming in large shoals a few miles from the

BUCKHOEN WHITING AND WRASS. 285

shore. The usual weight is about Hlbs. In its habits
it is a very shy fish.

The whiting is taken in greatest quantities on the
southern coast of England, x^articularly off Plymouth;
and the market at that place was sometimes formerly
completely glutted. Of late years they are packed off to
London as soon as landed. With the single exception
of the mackerel, he suffers more than any salt-water
fish from packing and carriage ; and is, indeed, a more
delicate fish than the mackerel, and should be eaten as
soon as possible after being caught. Off the coast at
Dartmouth very fine whiting are taken, from 21bs. to
8lbs. in weight ; the fishermen then dry them in the

WHITING {2Ierlangus vulgaris, Gadus vierlangus).

sun, and they are then called " buckhorn," and by
many considered superior to the fresh-caught fish.

The eye of the whiting is very large, and on opening
it with a scalpel before cooking, the lens will be found
to consist of the most beautiful crystal-like material it

possible to conceive ; the lining membrane of the
sclerotic coats of the eyeball is also exceedingly
beautiful.

WRASS.

The following are the various species of British
Wrasses : —

Lahnis : — Ballan Wrass [Turdiis, Lahrus maculatus) ;

28G HOW TO FISH FOR WKASS.

Green Streaked Wrass (Lahrus lineatus) ; Comber
Wrass; Cook, Cuckoo Wrass, Blue-striped Wrass
[Lahrus varwjatus, Lahrus coguus, Lnhrusmixtus) ; Three-
spotted Wrass (Labnis tdmaculatus) ; Sea AVife (Acantho-
lahnis Y(iyrclUi).

Acantholahrus : — Scale-rayed Wrass (Acantholahrus
Couchii, Lahrus luscus) ; Kock Cook {Acantholahrus cxo-
letuf., Lahrus exoletus) ; Corkwing (Lahrus cornuhicus,
Crenilahrus cornuhicus) ; Baillons Wrass [Crenilahrus
BaiUonii) ; Jagos Goldsinny (Crenilahrus rupestris).

Julis : — KainboAV Wrass (Julis vulgaris, Lahrus juUs).

Wrass raay be found along our coast in rocky places,
especially where there is much sea-weed. I first learned
to fish for -wi'ass at Guernsey, where they abound. Take
a long piece of string, unravel about a couple of yards
of the end, so that there is a single strand only. To
this tie a common beach pebble, attach the hooks to
the string, so that when in the water they shall stand
a.t right angles to it. Coil up the string neatly on to
the rock ; swing the stone round three or four times,
let it go suddenly, and it will carry the string, hooks,
and all well in among the rocks and weed. When you
have a bite, strike smartly. As you are fishing among
rocks, the probability is that the stone will get jammed
among the rocks ; pull smartly, and break the single
strand, leaving the stone in the sea. In this way ex-
cellent sport can be obtained.

When you have caught your wTass examine his
mouth ; he has wonderful prehensile lips, reminding us
of the lips of the giraffe. His mouth is a wonderful
piece of mechanism, sliding backwards and forwards
like a telescope ; the use of this is to enable him to pick
up from the crevices of the rocks the periwinkles and
other shells on which he subsists. His teeth arc

GILTHEAD AND RAINBOW WRASS.

287

wonderfully strong aud admirably adapted for their
w^ork. In the gullet there is a pavement of lovely white
teeth, in shape like the dome of St. Paul's, and their
use is to grind up the shells. The wrasses wear a Jacob's
coat of many colours, and form an excellent subject for
those who can handle the paint-brush, whether in oil or
water colours.

The Gilthead (Lahrus rupestris) is not an uncommon
species, and is often taken in lobster and prawn-pots ; as
is also the Goldsinny (German : Seekaraiische), which is
readily distinguished by a conspicuous black spot on each
side of the tail ; it is sometimes called the Corkwing, as it
is a minute fish, not exceeding two inches in length. It
haunts the sea-weed on all part of the British coast. It
is always in motion, and puts itself into very pretty atti-
tudes, as it perseveringly hunts among the sea-weeds
for its insect prey. It makes a nice aquarium fish.

As regards the Blue-striped Wrass, Mr. Reed, of
"Wick, writes, June 4. 1870 : "No less than five speci-

PvAlNBOW WRASS.

mens of the blue wrass w^ere taken on haddock lines in
one day, in June, 1870, at Wick, by a fisherman ; the
fish was quite new to this coast, and had never been
observed before ; one specimen measured upwards of
fifteen inches. The colours of the wrass soon fade
away after exposure to the atmosphere."

SALMONID^.

THE SALMON.

(Salmo salar.)

German: Der Lachs, Der Salin ; Spawning male — IlalienlacJis.
Danish: Lax. Norwegian: Laexing. Swedish: HafsJax,
Blanhlax. 'Dwich: Be Zalm. French.: Le Saumon.

For many years past I have scarcely done anything
else, either officially or privately, except to attend to,
and carefully watch, the interests of the King of fish,
the Salmon, the great Saluio salar.

I find, therefore, the greatest difficulty in selecting
from the mountain of information ^Yllicll exists on the
subject of salmon fisheries and salmon legislation.

SALMON.

The history of the salmon should be properly writ-
ten as follows : — 1st. Its Natural History ; 2ndly. Its
Economic Value ; Srdly. Legislation, Loth past and
prospective.

In order to do this thoroughly would require a
volume of itself, but as this book is meant as a fainiliar
history of fishes, I think it would be best not to attempt
any classification of the various subjects, but to divide
what I have to say into little treatises, as it were, each

LIFE AND NUMBER OF EGGS OF SALMON. 289

of wliicb I have made as complete as I can. I hope
one of tliese days to write a separate memoir of my
good friend the Salmon.

I must, however, here give a short outline of tbe
history of the salmon. I consider the salmon to be a
sea-fish proper ; nevertheless, this sea-fish ascends the
rivers and streams in order to deposit its eggs, for unlike
other sea-fish it does not breed in the sea. Secondly.
Having ascended to fresh water, it deposits its eggs on
gravel, where in due course they hatch out and become
young fish. Thirdly. These young fish, after a certain
time, descend to the sea as smolts in the months of
May and June ; some of them migrate the first year,
some the second, and some the third. These small fish,
having arrived at the sea, remain there a certain time
— some a few months, some a year ; they then begin to
return to the river as grilse. The parent salmon,
having spawned, descend to the sea in a wretched and
miserable condition, many dying on the road. These
are called " kelts " or "slats." They then recover
their condition and return again to the rivers. In every
stage of their existence, salmon are surrounded by
enemies innumerable, and it is really wonderful that
they do not become extinct. They are, however, so pro-
lific, that wlien care is bestowed upon them, and their
enemies kept under as much as possible, they will in-
crease in numbers and size in a most wonderful manner.
Every female salmon, as a rule, carries about 900
eggs (the hard roe is the eggs) to a pound of her
weight; thus a 361bs. fish would contain 32,400 eggs,
a number exceeding the population of Beading, i.e.,
32,313. A great many casts of salmon containing eggs
can be seen at my museum. In all cases the weight of
the fish and the number of eggs are given.

20

20O EVIDENCE OF DESIGN IN MIGRATION OF SALMON.

It will be perfectly impossible to understand aright
tlie natural habits of the salmon unless we regard
them from the proper point of view, viz., that the
goings and comings of these curious migratory crea-
tures are independent of human interference, and that
they simply obey the Divine laws which have been laid
down for them from the beginning of time.

In the whole history of the salmon we may discern
a wonderful order and foresight on the part of the
Creator. The parent fish run up tlie rivers when the
floods are coming down. These floods enable them to
reach the only places which are fit for the hatching
out of their ova. Floods also cover over entirely, or
else reduce to a minimum, the height of the weirs,
and dilute the pollutions from town sewage, from
paper and other manufactories. Cold water is neces-
sary for the development of the ova when dex^osited
(the temperature should be from 44° to 48°), and this
low temperatm^e occurs only in the winter months, at
which time the fish deposit their eggs. The young fish
come out of the egg with their food provided for them
ill their umbilical vesicle. The albuminous contents
of this provision bag being gradually absorbed, lasts
them till they are grown large enough to catch their
own food. In the spring of the year this food appears
abundantly in the form of insect life. The parent fish,
which have risked their own lives for the benefit of
their young, drop back to the sea to recruit their
exhausted strength,''' and both they and the smolts (their

* In this state a large number of fish are annually found dead ;
having examined a large number of them, I can find no cause of
deo.th except an anasmic condition and a laxity of fibre in the
muscular tissue. I conclude, therefore, that the natural cause of
death is (except in cases of violence or wounds from fighting)
simple exhaustion ; most of these fish found dead are males. It

MONSTER SAL'MON.

291

yoimg) arrive in the sea just about the very time that
there is most food for them. The sea-fish mostly
spawn during the spring months, and from this source,
therefore, both the kelts and the smolts derive abun-
dance of nutritious food. These provisions show an
admirable "police of Nature," by means of which
various kinds of fish feed on each other, and are kept
in check, while all are made to reach a high state of
development.

MONSTER SALMON.

For several years past I have, by the kindness of
London fishmongers — especially Mr. Thomas Grove, of
Charing Cross; Mr. Charles of Lower Grosveuor Place,
Pimlico ; Messrs. Gilson and Quelch, Bond Street ;
Messrs. Grove, Bond Street; Messrs. Smithers, London
Bridge Kailway Station ; Mr. Towell, Strand, &c. — been
enabled to cast nearly all the monster salmon that have
come to the London market. I generall}'' have the fish
sent up to Albany Street in the evening, and I can now
(having had so much practice) cast a mould and return
the fish uninjui'ed in about two hours ; the process of
casting does not injure the fish in the least, sometimes
not a scale is rubbed off.

The following is a catalogue of the largest salmon I

is very possible that the law of Nature is that the large raales
shall die in certain numbers, and thus leave room for the smaller
males to keep up the breed. The females are found dead much
more rarely than the males ; these facts may also have some
bearing on the interpretation of the male smolt having its milt
fully developed, and capable, as I myself have proved by experi-
ment, of fecundating the ova of adult fish. The female smolt has
the ova developed in a very minute degree at the time that the
male smolt contains ripe milt.

292 LIST OF CELEBRATED SALMON.

have in my museum, and I am liappy to say the largest
is a British fish : —

Weight. Length.

1. Tay Salmon ... 70 4ft. 5in.

2. Khine do. ... 69 4ft. Sin.

3. Shannon do. ... 54 —

^■'^\. , ^"-l... 53 4ft.

iiiniauns J

5. Ehme do. ... 5H 4ft. Sin.

6. Tay do. ... 51 4ft. Sin.

7. AVye do. ... 50 4ft. 2in.

8. Tay do. ... 49t 4ft.

9. Shannon do. ... 46 4ft. Sin.

10. Wye do. ... 44^ Sft. lO^in.

11. Tay do. )

T-^. „ > ... 42 Sit. 8m.

Ainiauns J

The King of the collection is certainly the TOlbs.
salmon from the Tay ; it has been marvellously painted
to life by my friend H. L. Eolfe, Esq., of Nicholas Lane,
City, and the reader has only to examine it to see the
high pitch of art to which Mr. Eolfe has attained in
painting fish, and he, I think, well deserves the title
he has so justly earned, " The Landseer among
Fishes."

In La7ul and Wafer, June 25, 1870, I wrote tbe fol-
lowing account of this big fish, the

MONSTER SALMON FROM THE TAY.

Mr. Charles, of Arabella Eow, has kindly sent me
word (June, 1870), that he had purchased at Billingsgate
a very large salmon, and that he wished me to examine
it. I have seen many big salmon, but never saw such
a fine ''boast" — as the Scotch fi.shermen call a salmon

GIANT SALMON FROM THE TAY. 293

— as our friend from the Tay. He Lad been caught in
the nets of my friend, Mr. Alexander Speedie, the
energetic and well-known tacksman, of Perth. Mr.
Speedie writes me that his men caught the fish on the
Haggis fishiug-bank, about two miles below Newburg,
on the Tay. Wishing to be certain of the weight of
this Tay fish, Mr. Charles was good enough to put him
in the scales in my presence. He was within an ounce
or two of seventy pounds, and he would have turned the
scale at this weight, only from exposure on the slab he
had become somewhat dry, and therefore lost a little of
his weight. I measured him carefully. His total length
from tip of nose to edge of tail was 4ft. Sin. ; his girth,
2ft. T^in. ; and length of head, 12in. Keader, chalk or
pencil out these measurements, and you will see what a
wonderful fish this was, and he was as handsome as he
was bulky. The wholesale price was over £9. I took up
the fish to Albany Street. I soon had him under the
plaster, and before dark I got a very fair mould of this
king of fishes. I then took him back again to sleep in
the ice in Mr. Charles' shop. I did not injure a scale with
the casting ^Drocess, and he tumbled out of his mould
like a great bullock. Mr. Charles gave me his head and
his inside ; of the head I have made moulds with fins
expanded, as it will make a capital ''gurgoyle." I have
filled up his intestines with plaster ; their total length
is 4ft. 3in., his oesophagus and stomach together. His
pyloric appendages were covered with fat, and there was
also much fat about his intestines — this latter fat alone
weighed 3 ounces. There was, of course, nothing in
his stomach, as he had all his fat on board for his summer
expedition up the river. The greater portion of my big
Tay salmon was bought by my friend the eminent salmon
angler, M. Bass, Esq[., M.P. I have often been asked

294 LARGE SALMON FROM THE SHANNON.

what was the age of this fish. I calculate it must have
been somewhere between twelve and fifteen years old. I
have called this grand fish, " King of Scots."

" THE SHANNON FISH."

The fish killed with a fly in the Shannon by Mr. J.
L. Phelps, October, 23, 1869, weighed 44lbs. (see Land
and Water, No. 198), measured 4ft. 2|in. in length, and
2ft. 4in. in circumference at the thickest part just above
the dorsal fin." This fish was going up the river near
spawning time, and his milt was very large, whereas in
our seventy-pounder the milt was small.

It might have been possible that if Mr. Phelps' fish
had spawned, gone down to sea, and come up again, he
would have approached to the weight of our big Tay
fish. I have stated in the Times that this fish probably
Avent doAMi to sea in February, 1868 ; my reasons for
this statement are that I do not believe that a kelt of
such gigantic frame as this fish must have been, would
have had time to recover in condition and lay up, in the
time intervening between February, 1869, and June,
1870, the enormous store of fat which I found in his body.
I do not think that sufficient time is allowed hj salmon
observers for fish to recover their condition. Kelts hang
about in fresh water — at least I know they do in the
Spey for weeks and weeks, and will not take the sea
water even when there is no obstruction between them
and the sea. The physiological conditions of the kelt
are so different from that of a fresh-ran fish, that I feel
convinced the change from the one constitution of the
body to the body to the other must require considerable
time, and Nature does not work in a hurry.

* A coloured cast of this fish is now ahove that of the
seventy-pounder.

LARGE SALMON FROM THE TAY AND AVON, 295

In August, 1879, Mr. To well of the Strand sent for
me to examine a very large salmon from the Tay ; it
weighed 65lbs., and measured from the tip of the nose
to the end of the tail along the curve of the body, 4ft.
5fin. ; the girth, 2ft. Ifin. During the last few weeks
of the net fishery season of 1879, there were an un-
usually large number of big salmon on the market :
namely, one of Gl^lbs., from Mr. Dennis of Messrs.
Groves, Bond Street, and also fom- others weighing
respectively 531bs., 5 libs., 491bs., and 461bs. ; this
makes a total of 325^ lbs. for six salmon, viz. : no less
than the weight of four sheep and a half (average sized
sheep) as dressed for the butcher's shop.

Other casts of large salmon (Poissoiis celehres) are
in my Museum of Economic Fish Culture, South
Kensington.

A LARGE AVON (hANTs) SALMON.

On Friday, April 2, 1880, a magnificent salmon was
caught in the run of the river Avon (Hants) at Christ -
church. It weighed 531bs., and measured 4ft. 4|^in. in
length, by 2^ft. in girth, and was in most perfect condi-
tion. Mr. Tucker of Christchurch tells me that there is
no record of any Christchurch salmon hitherto having
been taken over 47lbs. ; this fish I cast for Mr. Moss.
I have also in my museum a cast painted by Mr. Searle,
of a kelt salmon, 421bs., also caught in the neighbouring
river, Frome.

" BLUE GOWN."

Instead of going to the Derby in 1868, I stayed at
home to cast this fish, for I hate racing and I love fish.
While casting this fish the news arrived that the winner

29G ANATOMY OF SALMON.

of the Derby was Blue Gown, therefore I called my big
fish ''Blue Gown."

I cannot say how exceedingly obliged I am to the fish
merchants, not only in England but in Scotland, for
their great kindness in letting me know of the arrival
of remarkable fish, be they salmon or any other kind.

ANATOMY OF THE SALMON.

Anxious to learn something about the anatomy of the
salmon, I took for the subject of dissection a fine speci-
men of a Ehine salmon. Of course I could not afl'ord
to buy the whole fish, so I onty had the viscera.

The fish was four feet five inches long, twenty-seven
inches in girth, and weighed 48 pounds. The scales
were unusually large and prominent. Strange to say, I
could not find any sea-lice upon it, and I have never yet
seen one of these parasites on a Ehine fish. The milt
was about the size of a common cedar pencil, and
weighed (the two milts) half-an-ounce only. From these
viscera I have made a very interesting preparation.
Supporting the gills and gullet so as to make a funnel-
shaped opening, I poured plaster of Paris down into it.
It was most interesting to see the stomach gradually
extend as the plaster went downwards ; it then gradually
filled up the duodenum, the ileum, the pyloric appen-
dages, and the lower gut. The whole ^preparation has
since been dried, and exhibits many interesting points
in the anatomy of the salmon. First, the oesophagal
teeth ; these are situated at the entrance of the gullet,
and are attached to one of the bones which support the
gills ; there are nine oesox^hagal teeth on the right side,
and five on the left, and they w^ork against little islands
of teeth on the opposite side of the oesophagus. The
stomach (which is in fact nothing but a prolongation of

PYLORIC APPENDAGES. 297

tlie oesopliagus) measures one foot two inches, and is of
uniform circumference, nowhere more than four inches
and one-eighth in circumference, and reminds one of a
mop handle. The duodenum is six inches long ; then
come the pyloric appendages, which occui)y the space of
seven inches, and the lower gut, measuring one foot
seven inches ; so that the digestive organs of this forty-
eight pound salmon, when extended their full length,
measure three feet nine inches. There are no less than
fifty pyloric appendages. Upon these appendages I
found firmly adherent a dense mass of white fat ; this
weighed no less than five ounces, and goes strongly to
strengthen my idea that one use of the pyloric appen-
dages is to act as a storehouse for the fat which is
gradually absorbed while the fish is in fresh water (see
pp. 304-306). I have also discovered another very in-
teresting fact about these appendages. Upon coming
down to breakfast the next morning, I fancied I smelt
a strong scent of violets in the room; I found it proceeded
from the preparation of the salmon's viscera which were
drying near the fire. The scent came from the pylorics
only ; it reminds me of the scent of a salmon fresh caught,
and is not unlike the smell of new-mown hay with a
dash of violet. Here, then, is a new fact which I am
totally unable to explain.

The structure of the lower end of the gut is remark-
able, inasmuch as the plaster within brings out very
distinctly the fact that the internal mucous membrane
is arranged after the manner of an Archimedes screw,
admirably adapted to increase the extent of internal
surface for the absorption of nutriment from the food
during its passage through a tube containing within it
a continuous spiral fold, coiled as to afford the greatest
possible extent of surface in the smallest space.

298 FOOD OF SALMON.

I fear that these anatomical facts may be uninterest-
ing to some of my readers, and although the teleologists
of the present day rather deny the doctrines of the
''Bridgwater Treatises," and are slow at recognising
the adaptation of structures and organs to the economy
of the animals who possessed them ; yet I think they
cannot deny the fact that the structure of teeth, stomach,
and intestines, have '' some " relation to the food of the
animal; and when I have time, I hope to enlarge con-
siderably on this subject, the main object of com'se being
to reason out the lessons derivable from the internal
anatomy of the salmon as compared to that of other
vertebrata, whether terrestrial or aquatic.

FOOD OF SALMON.

It may be asked w^hat is the food of the salmon ? I
answer, sand-eels, shrimps, lug-worms, and fry of sea
fish of all kinds. I think the one "great fact in the
natural history of the salmon (which I have learnt
during my visits to Scotland), is the reason for the great
abundance of salmon in that favoured country, viz., that
the spawning grounds are of great extent, and the feed-
ing grounds illimitable. From the Frith of Forth up to
Nairn, I neither saw nor heard of a single oyster ; the
reason is that the east coast of Scotland is the land
boundary of a vast submarine plateau of sand, and this
sand abounds with the food of the Salmo salar : hence
the abundance and fatness of Scotch salmon.

It is a law of Nature that the more space and better
food animals have, the larger size they attain. Thus we
find the biggest heads of deer in open and extended
parts of the world, whether those ranges be in Canada
for Wapiti, the Himalayas for Barasinga, as compared
with heads of Scotch deer. Tlie heads from the old

FATTENING FOR SALMON. 21)9

German forests, or of fossil deer from the Thames bed,
are large when x^laced alongside the heads from Eng-
lish parks and Scotch forests.

The same rule holds good with rivers, " The larger
the river the bigger the fish," and the Tay and Khine
are about equal in their products of very large salmon.
The reason of this, of course, is, that the big kelts, after
spawning, do not so readily succumb to the diseases
which usually kill them. In both instances the Khine
and the Tay are kept going with a perpetual flow of
water from lakes. The kelts get washed down into the
sea very soon after spawning, and therefore recover
their condition quickly. Much also de23ends on the food
of the kelts to make them grow. The estuary of the
Tay is composed of, for the most part, sand, which sand
contains an immense number of sand-eels and smelts.
Feeding on these, the salmon quicklypick up in condition.

Cattle dealers know quite well wdiat pasturage will
feed up cattle quickly. Fatting ground for lean cattle
is principally land which was once an estuary of a river.
I give three examples of this. The beef of Norfolk is
splendid, the animals having fed up well on the grasses
growing on the alluvial soil of the neighboiu-hood.
Splendid beasts can be seen from the railway between
Yarmouth and Norwich. The Essex marshes also fat
up cattle well ; and as the express runs across the great
Bridgwater flats, the passenger will see that the fatting
gromids for the cattle of the w^est of England lie in this
locality.

By the same rule, the fatting grounds for the salmon
of the Tay and Rhine are of very first-class quality.
Next to these come the salmon pasturages of the Severn.
Those terribly destructive nets, the "hose nets," in
Bridgwater Bay, that annually destroy myriads of the

300 VALUE OF SALMON AND SHEEP.

fry of sea-fish, tell us plainly of the vast quantities of
salmon food that is bred in the great mud and sand flats
which form the estuary of the Severn, and upon which
not only the Severn, hut also the Wye and the Usk,
*' water sheep " j^asture.

This big 641bs. salmon from the Tay was sold at three
shillings a pound. The total value, therefore, of the
"beast" was £d 12s., or about the cost of three ordinary
sheep.

To bring sheep into a proper condition a certain
amount of capital must be laid out for attendance,
shelter, and food. The salmon requires nothing at all
from the hands of men except to be protected at certain
times of the year.

Thus it will be seen that " salmon farms " may be
made quite as profitable, if not more so, than sheep
farms, provided always the farmer knows his business ;
which, like many important matters, is often exceedingly
simple, but requires constant care, special powers of
observation y and, above all, the understanding of the
unspoken language of the salmon themselves.

POWER OF SMELL IN SALMON,

Instinct, of com'se, has much to do in guiding salmon
back to their OAvn rivers, but, at the same time, I think
that their power of smell is of great service to them in
finding their way in the ocean. There is a part of the
physical organism of a salmon which, I think, has not
as yet been sufficiently noticed by those who study its
habits, periods of migration, &c. In many terrestrial
animals the organs of smell perform most important
duties ; why should these organs not be equally im-
portant in fishes ? Upon the front part of the snout of
the salmon will be seen on each side an opening,

ORGANS OF SMELL IN SALMON. 301

divided into two by means of a diaphragm of skin wliicli
runs across from side to side. This is the nostril, and
a beautiful bit of mechanism it is. If the valve at its
entrance, formed by the slnn (as above described), be
removed with a knife or a pair of scissors, it will be seen
that the bottom of the opening consists of a flooring of
a delicate red substance. If the fish's head be then
placed in water, the red substance will be seen to
consist of numerous folds lying side by side, and all
diver^inc: from a common centre. These folds float
about free in the water, and receive the impressions of
the smell of the water by means of the delicate nerve-
fibres which are spread out upon them. The fish has,
in fact, a nose made for smelling in the water, not a
nose for smelling in the air. A dog cannot smell in
the water, and I am certain a fish could not smell in
the air, as the folds of his smelling organism would
clog together, just as his gill-fibres clog together when
he is out of his native element.

In a largo salmon, I find that the flooring of the
nostril is as large as a big pea in section ; there can,
therefore, be no doubt whatever that the power of
smell is very important to the beast himself, or it
would not be so large. It has been objected to my
argument that water has no smell — has it not ? In
hot weather town sewers and offensive water courses
demand, in a language not to be misunderstood, the
attention of the sanitary authorities. Water is, in fact,
a great absorbent of stinks ; and lucky it is so, as one
great use of water is to clean things, and it keeps its
cleaning properties for a long time, i.e., if the old
proverb be true —

" 'Tis the greatest blessing that God hath geen,
That dirty water "will wash clean."

302 SALMON KEPT BACK BY POLLUTIONS.

We will now apply our theory of smell iu the salmon
to practice. Doubtless, to the fish, each river has got its
own smell ; taste or flavour it has hitherto been called,
but this, I think, is a wrong expression, as a salmon's
tongue has hooks upon it and is not so sensitive as the
tongue of land animals ; in fact, it is more an organ of
prehension than of taste. When the salmon is coming
in fi'om the sea he smells about till he scents the water
of his own river. This guides him in the right direc-
tion, and he has only to follow up the scent, in other
words, to ''follow his nose," to get up into fresh water,
i.e., if he is in a travelling humour. Thus a salmon
coming up from the sea into the Bristol Channel would
get a smell of water meeting him. '* I am a Wye sal-
mon," he would say to himself. " This is not the Wye
water : it's the wrong tap, it's the Usk. I must go a
few miles further on," and he gets up steam again.

We may learn another useful lesson from the presence
of the power of smell in a salmon. I feel more and more
certain every day that purity of water is the principal
element of a good salmon fishery; if, therefore, stinking
water is allowed to go into the river, the fish will per-
ceive the fact when he may be possibly miles down the
river. A foxhound can smell the scent of a fox on the
ground, even although the fox might have passed over
the ground a considerable time before. We ourselves
can smell weeds or turf burning in fields at a very great
distance ; just so the salmon may receive cognisance of
a town sewer, or tar water, or the dirty water from sheep
washing, for a long distance down the river. His in-
stinct will teach him that there is danger ahead, and he
is very likely to fall back again, and small blame to him.
Net fisherman should take particular notice of this
argument ; it is of commercial interest to them.

UNCLEAN AND UNSEASONABLE SALMON. 303

How very important, then, is it to keep pollutions
out of salmon rivers ; tliey may not be actually strong
enough to poison or kill the fish, yet it is very likely
they will deter many from ascending the river. •

I think diiferent fish must have different powers of
smell ; thus gudgeon, roach, &c., assemble at the
mouths of drains — the largest I ever caught was in the
drain that carries the abominations of the town of
Winchester down into the river. Scavenger fish, there-
fore, I dare say, would not care much about stinking
water, but the lordly salmon will not put in an appear-
ance in localities where his regal nose is likely to be
offended by unsavoury smells.

UNCLEAN AND UNSEASONABLE SALMON.

I find there is a great difficulty throughout the country
in interpreting section 14 of the Act of 1861, which
reads as follows : —

"No person shall do any of the following things;
that is to say, —

" (1) Wilfully take any unclean or unseasonable sal-
mon ;

" (2) Buy, sell, or expose for sale, or have in his pos-
session, any unclean or unseasonable salmon, or an}^
part thereof."

I have, therefore, with a view of throwing some light
on the question of unclean and unseasonable salmon,
adopted the only means which are likely to be conclu-
sive, namely, the anatomical dissection and examina-
tion of the viscera and physical condition of the salmon
themselves. With this view I have examined and
dissected the viscera of several hundred salmon,
from all parts of England, Wales, and Scotland, at
various seasons of the year. My conclusions are

304 FAT STORED ON PYLOEICS.

as follows : firstly, that the external colouriDg of
the scales of a salmon is by no means invariably a
safe guide to its real condition ; secondly, that the ap-
pearance of the pyloric appendages are most valuable
in the diagnosis; and, thirdly, that the actual state of
the development of the ova or milt is a point to which
the strictest attention should be paid.

In order fully to explain what follows, I must premise
by the statement that a salmon is more a sea-water (or
rather estuary) fish than a fresh- water or river fish. Al-
though it occasionally, as we know, feeds in fresh water,
yet the greatest part of its food is obtained in the sea.

I believe the salmon takes the fly of the angler for a
shrimp. Any one who has observed the action of a
salmon fly, as worked in the water by means of the rod,
will see how very shrimp-like it is. A favourite bait for
salmon at Gal way, in Ireland, is a real shrimp ; but,
strange to say, the shrimps must be boiled, or the sal-
mon will not touch them. Boiled prawns — which, by
the way, will keep well in glycerine — are successfully
used to catch salmon in Scotland and on the North
Tyne ; and salmon will often take a prawn when they
will not look at an artificial fly.

The salmon, therefore, feeding in the sea, gradually
accumulates quantities of fat. Upon the pylorics of a
481bs. Ehine fish I found no less than five ounces of
fat. It is necessary that this fat should be deposited in
some reservoir in the creature's body, from whence it
may be gradually absorbed during its sojourn in fresh
water. A certain portion of the fat is, I find, deposited
in the cellular tissue between the skin and the muscular
system ; but an admirable arrangement for the storing
up of the main bulk of this winter food is found in the
presence of the pyloric appendages: these are long,

USE OF PYLORIC FAT. 805

worm-like, fleshy offshoots from the intestine, situated
immediately helow the true stomach. In the salmon
there are forty-five to sixty-five pyloric apx^endages.
Although they may be subservient in secreting a fluid
connected with digestion, yet there can be no doubt in
my mind (and I venture to claim this as a discovery of
my own) that they act as a convenient depository for fat,
even if this be not their princii3al function. Analogous
cases may be found in the hump of the camel, in bears,
marmots, &c.

The process of developing the ova and milt is a great
tax upon the system of the salmon ; thus, in a Tweed
fish (January 14, 1869) just ready to spawn, the ova
in weight amounted to a little over one-fifth of the entire
weight of the fish itself ; and in a Tay fish (December
11, 1868) the weight of the eggs amounted to a little
over one-quarter the weight of the entire fish. The oily
matter in the eggs and milt of a salmon is very great.
I believe it, therefore, sound physiology to say that the
use of the fat stored up in the pyloric appendages and
under the skin is : first, to supply nutrition to the fish
during its sojourn in fresh water; and, second, to
afford materials for the development of the milt and
ova.

The blocks, which I have caused to be engraved, will
illustrate what I have endeavoured to explain above : —
a', the oesophagus ; i, the intestines ; p, the i)ylorics ; W7,
the milt. In the case of the "clean rmi" sahnon the
2)ylorics can hardly be distinguished, on account of
the mass of fat which envelopes them, while it will be
remarked that the milt is very small. This specimen
is from a clean " fi-esh-run " salmon from the Avon,
Hants; it weighed 35lbs., and was caught March 14,
1871. It was, in fact, an '♦ up " fish.

21

308

PYLORIC APPENDAGES OF SALMON.

The other block represents the same structures from
a "spawning" fish; they were taken from a 131b.
salmon, which was caught on the 19th January, 1871.
It will here be seen that the fat has now entirely been
absorbed fi-om the pyloric appendages, while the milt is

MILT AKD PYLOEICS OF AN
" UNCLEAN " SALMON.

milt and pylorics of a
"clean run "salmon.

very large, the fish having been taken on or near the
spawning-beds. Spawning operations being over, the
fish would at once descend as a kelt or unclean fish to
the sea to get on his pylorics a fresh store of fat.

TIME WHEN FEESH-EUN FISH .VKE CAUGHT. 307

SPUING OR EAELYRUN SALMON

Ai'e a class of ux3-ranniug salmon, the natural liistory of:
which has hitherto been a great puzzle to all observers.
I mean the clean-scaled, well-developed, fat fish, tliat
run up some rivers in the months of February and
March ; and I believe that if some of our large rivers
were fairly tested, this class of fish would be found to be
present even as early as December and January. The
large Dutch fish which come to the London markets are
good examples of these early fish ; so early as the end
of November every year, fresh-run fine fish, from SOlbs.
in weight downwards, are to be seen in the London fish-
mongers' shops, and they continue to be sent for many
weeks. Casts of the milt and ova of many of these fish
are in my museum, and they form curious contrasts, as
regards size and development, to the milts and roes of
English fish at the same period of the year.

Li England these fresh-run fish are caught in February
and March, and in their upward progress they cross the
paths of the great majority of their brethren who are
coming down as kelts.

I have heard of an instance where, at one haul of the
net in the tideway, a fisherman caught a female salmon
full of ova, secondly, a fresh-run fish, and, thirdly, a kelt.
My explanation of this fact is, that the female fish was
a very late spawner, that the fresh-run fish was a
specimen of the class I am about to describe, and that
the kelt was going down stream in the proper course of
things.

Having examined the anatomical conditions of

several of these clean-run spring fish, and at the same

ime carefully considered this most difficult subject in

308 FRESH-KUN RHINE SALMON IN NO\TEMBER.

all its bearings, I now venture to propose a solution to
the question.

These clean-run fish are a Secondary Migration of
salmon — a spnng migration, in contradistinction to
an autumn mis^i-ation. I have shown above that the
amount of fat upon the pyloric appendages will be a safe
guide to ascertain the real history, travels, and position
of a given fish. I therefore apply it as a key to help to
unlock the mystery of the spring fish.

These clean-run fish, therefore, in my opinion, are
those who have laid up a sufficient amount of fat during
the time they have remained in the sea (dating from the
kelt stage) to last them dm-ing their stay in fi'esh water;
and I fancy (although I have no direct grounds as yet
to prove it) that they are the early kelts of the previous
year, who having reached the sea, say in January, 1868,
now reappear as clean-run fish in February, 1869, or,
may be, even as very large fresh-run fish in 1870 ; much,
however, depends upon the quantity and quaUty of food
they find in the estuary ; there are, I understand,
enormous numbers of smelts in the estuaries of the
Dutch rivers, and the food afforded by these, combined
with other causes, goes a long way to make the Ehine
fish to lay up its stock of fat quickly, and therefore
renders it ready to proceed all the earlier on its upward
pilgrimage. I believe large numbers of smelts are also
found in the estuary of the Tay. The early fish, there-
fore, having laid up a sufficient quantity of fat for their
inland sojourn, do not wait till the descent of the autumn
floods ; but they avail themselves of the spring floods,
being tempted by the state of the temperature and the
great body of descending water, which informs them
their road is clear, and also by the non-necessity of their
remaining longer in the sea. This theory, I think, may

SPRING AND AUTUMN MIGRATIONS OF SALMON. 309

be strengthened by tlie fact that the fat upon the pyloric
appendages of most of the *' fresh-run " British fish which
I liave examined is not nearly so abundant as on those
of tlie fi*esh fish later in the season ; these very fish, if
there had been no floods m the spring, would probably
]iave remained in the sea, and would have appeared in
the river either in the first floods in July or August, or
if there were no floods in these months, they would have
come up in'November and December, as the large fish
which (as experience shows) are generally the latest to
come into the river, and which, for the most part, spawn
in the lower portions of the river.

These fresh-run fish, which form the " secondary mi-
gration," are certainly not, as some suppose, barren fish ;
they will, I believe, spawn in the following winter : thus
a fish ascending the river in the month of February,
1880, will, if not caught, deposit her eggs about Christ-
mas, 1880, or even earlier ; these fish do not, as a rule,
come in large numbers, they are caught here and there
singly.

Both to the angler and the owners of commercial
fisheries they are of greatest importance, — to the one as
afibrding excellent sport, and to the other as fetching
large prices in the market. It becomes, therefore, a
problem of the greatest importance, severely taxing the
resources of science, to multiply their number.

CATHEDRALS AND SALMON.

Among the many facts that have come under my
observation during my official jom-neys in the inspection
of salmon rivers, there is one that has struck me veiy
forcibly, viz., that there is almost invariably a cathedi-al
town or tow^ns upon the chief of our salmon rivers.
This is to my mind by no means a coincidence, but a

yiO CATHEDRALS AND SALMON.

fact which I now wish to bring forward to the notice of
the piibHc, as I do not think the idea has ever yet been
worked out.

I find that at the present moment there are in Eng-
land twenty-five Bishoprics and two Archbishoprics. I
will now proceed to state the rivers upon which the
various cathedi^al towns are situated. The See of York
(fomided a.d. 622) is situated upon the Ouse ; Dm-ham
(founded about 1040) upon the Wear ; Exeter (founded
A.D. 636), upon the Exe ; St. Asaph (a.d. 560), on the
Elwy; Hereford (a.d. 676), on the Wye; Llandaff (be-
ginning 6th century), upon the Taff ; Salisbury, on the
Avon ; Carlisle (a.d. 686), upon the Eden ; W^orcester
(a.d. 680), upon the Severn ; Gloucester (a.d. 657), upon
the Severn ; Chester, upon the Dee ; Eipon, upon the
Ure : so that no less than twelve cathedral towns out of
twenty-five are built upon rivers in which salmon are
caught in more or less quantities at the present time.

The following cathedral towns stand upon rivers from
which salmon have been exterminated : — Canterbury
(founded a.d. 597), upon the Stom' ; London (1st
Bishop Mellitus, 610), on the Thames ; Oxford (distinct
Bishopric from Lincoln, 1545), on the Thames ; Win-
chester (founded a.d. 634), on the Itchen ; Bath (now
with Wells) (founded a.d. 607), on the Avon ; Eochester
(founded a.d. 604), on the Medway. Six more cathedral
towns may, therefore, be added to our list of cathedi'als
on salmon rivers, only that the fish have been extermi-
nated from them by human agency. These agencies
are as follows : — In the case of the Stour, mill weirs and
• pollutions ; Thames," weirs and pollutions ; Itchen, mill
weirs ; Avon, weirs and manufactories ; Medway, weirs.

■ * I trust, however, that the exertions we are makiDg to restock
his river will cause it to become a salmon river again in our time.

MONKS AND SALMON. 311

It appears, therefore, that no less than eighteen bishops,
out of twenty- seven, preside over dioceses that either do
produce salmon, or ought to produce salmon.

The following cathedrals are built upon rivers that
were never salmon rivers, and never will be, because
they are not naturally adapted for that fish — viz., Lin-
coln, Norwich, Ely, and Peterborough ; still, if there
are no salmon, there is a good supply of fish of a coai'ser
kind. St. David's, Chichester, and Bangor are near the
sea-coast ; and Lichfield, as far as I know, is not in a
fish-producing country at all. Manchester, Liverpool,
&c., have been founded of late years only.

These facts, of the connection of cathedi-als with sal-
mon rivers, I think can be easily accounted for, inas-
much aswhenmonasterieswere first established, previous
to cathedrals themselves being built, the founders
selected sheltered localities where, for the most part,
they could get a good water-carriage, and, at the same
time, a plentiful supply of freshwater fish, especially
salmon, for the use of the table on fast-days.

It sometimes, moreover, happens that in the neigh-
bourhood of old abbeys we now find remains of the weirs
which had been erected by the monks to ''facilitate the
catching of fish," and which, by the Salmon Act of 1861,
would now properly be described as "fishing weirs" —
often, " fishing mill dams." This is especially the case
on the Wye. Within a few hundi-ed yards of Tintern
Abbey can be seen a ripple in the river, indicating the
existence of an old weir, which I was informed by Mr.
Alex. Miller, lessee of the fishery, was the remains of a
fishing weir belonging to the monks of Tintern. I was
anxious on entering Tintern Abbey to find other traces
of salmon, and with this idea examined all the old tomb-
stones. In the south aisle, about the fourth or fifth

312 TINTEKN AND WHAIiLEY ABBEYS.

pillar from the doorway, I was much delighted to find
there was an old tombstone, overgrown with moss, with
the figure of a salmon cut deeply into the stone ; it is
not the figure of a fresh-run fish, but an old kelt, with
a big beak. On the same tombstone there is a device
of three salmon, with their tails interlocked together.
I am sorry to say I could not make out the name of the
person buried under this tombstone, and would feel
most obliged if any antiquarian would kindly help me.
My friend, the Yicar of Whalley, near Clitheroe, in
Lancashire, showed me his official seal ; it is three sal-
mon twisted together, nearly the same as the device on
the tombstone at Tintern. This device is also carved
over the schoolhouse door. The vicar's house is close
to the magnificent ruins of Whalley Abbey. As we are
on the antiquities of salmon the following will possibly
be interesting : —

SALMON AND APPKENTICES.

In nearly all the cathedral towns, as well as in many
other parts of the country, I have heard the story of a
clause being placed, in olden times, in the indentures of
an apprentice, that '' he should not be bound to eat sal-
mon more than a certain number of days in the week."
I am quite tired of hearing this story, and almost weary
of hunting for an actual copy of an apprentice's inden-
ture containing this clause. I once was very near get-
ting it. Stopping to bait the horses at a little road-side
inn near Exeter, the landlady told me this old, old, story;
and, moreover, said she knew an old woman who had a
copy of an indenture, only she lived *' a bit ofi"," and it
was too far for her to walk to fetch it. I stopped the
driver from taking the horses out of the carriage, and
made " mine hostess " jump in, and drive instantly to

APPRENTICES AND SALMON. 813

the old woman's cottage. She was a long time gone,
and I hoped that she and the old woman were looking
for the indenture. At last the messenger returned.
'* The old woman had burnt the papers last week ; " so
I must go on with my hunting for this precious docu-
ment.

The idea generally prevails that this clause signifies
great plenty of salmon available for food in the various
rivers, I do not, by any means, jDut this interpretation
on the story. My theory is that, in the spring months,
the good folks used to go out and catch the kelts which
come helpless and emaciated down the river after spawn-
ing operations.

Salmon in this condition are easily captured; many
were, doubtless, as now, picked up dead in the river,
and dreadfully nasty, tough, unwholesome food they
invariably afford. Now, provident citizens who had
apprentices to feed would buy large numbers of these
kelts, salt them down, hang them up in a dry place to
dry, and use them as food, upon which the unfortunate
apprentices might be fed at a cheap rate for many months
to come. A few dozen salted kelts were doubtless, in
the eyes of the domestic economists of those days, a
grand saving to the yearly bills, and quite good enough
for apprentices ; hence the protest to this kind of food
on the part of these misused individuals.

In my Eeport for 1878 (dated 1879), I have given a
general view of the salmon-bearing capabilities of all
the rivers in England and Wales which my colleague,
Mr. Spencer Walpole, and myself have to examine and
report upon to the Home Secretary.

In my Report for 1879, dated 1880 (C 2587), I have
made a catalogue of all the names I could ascertain,
which are given to the various kinds of salmon in

314 OFFICL\L REPORTS ON SALMON FISHEKIES.

England and Wales, and also the names given to " the
young of salmon ; " to each name, whether adult or fry
fish, there is a short description. Other results of my
observations as to the structure, migration, and habits
of the salmon are also given in this report.

Those interested in salmon should consult the last
Eeport issued by Mr. Walpole^ A. Young, and myself,
October, 1880 (0 2860), on the " Disease which has
recently prevailed among the Salmon in the Tweed,
Eden, and other rivers in England and Scotland."

Mr. Walpole and myself have now published, as
Inspectors of Fisheries, fourteen annual reports on the
Salmon Fisheries. Since the Eeport for 1872, dated
1873 (C 725), these reports have been published in 8vo
— a convenient and portable size ; and the reports can
be obtained through any bookseller from Eyre and
Spottiswoode, Queen's Printers, East Harding Street,
Fetter Lane.

COMMON TROUT.

[Salmo fario.)

German: Die Forelle ; also — Wald Forelle, Stein Forelle, Schwarz
Forelle, Gold Forelle, Teich Forelle. Bohemian : Pstruh.
Danish : Bakorred. Norwegian : Kra Kro Kjo, Fjeldgoret.
Swedish : Oerlax. French : La Truite.

Salmo faori deserves a volume to himself. One half
of this volume might treat of his natural history, cultiva-
tion, habitat, structure, &c. ; the other half might be
devoted to the noble science of fly-fishing.

I shall therefore content myself with giving the latest
information I can about Trout, especially those of a re-
markable size. In February, 1868, I received, through
the kindness of Octavius Morgan, Esq., M.P., and the
late Eev. Augustus Morgan, of Machen Eectory, New-

MONSTER TEOUT FROM ALRESFORD. 315

port, Monmouth, a monster trout. The Eev. Mr.
Morgan wrote : —

" Sir, — I have by this day's tram sent you, as a New
Year's gift, one of the finest specimens of river trout it
has ever been by good fortune to meet with; you will see
it is partly full of spawn. It was taken in the act of
sxmwning on the gravel in the little stream which flows
through the shrubberies at Alresford, after it has crossed
the road by the water-dam leading from a large piece of
water, the property of the Dowager Lady Kodney, and
well known as ' The Alresford Pond,' adjoining the
town of Ah-esford, Hants. It was said to have weighed,
when first taken, 141bs., but as it had evidently de-
posited a large portion of its spawn, it doubtless
exceeded that weight previously to the operation. As
this piece of water has no direct communication with
the sea, I consider it to be a true specimen of the river
trout. — Augustus Morgan."

I was indeed most grateful to Lady Eodney and the
Rev. A. Morgan, for their kindness in allowmg this
marvellous fish to pass through my hands. It is a trea-
sure that is not trove every day : a sort of " Wandering
Jew," that comes once in a hundred years. With the
greatest care, I handled this queen of trout ; she weighed
141bs. exactly. The measurements were — length, 30^in. ;
girth behind shoulders, lO^in. ; middle of abdomen,
19in.; wrist of tail, 7im.; expanse of tail, S^-in. I cleaned
the slime off her great prize-pig-like back, and then cast
her, and I am happy to say I never- made a better
model of a fish in my life. This model is now in my
fish museum in South Kensington. I have heard of
enormous trout being fatted for the table by Mr. Popham,

316

THAMES TROUT.

of Littlecote, who used to send the late Duke of Welling-
tou a brace of very large fish every year.

The oldpost-boy of the "White Hart," at Whitchurch,
one " Bones/' told me that he once tasted a piece of one
of these trout that weighed 131bs.

Lord Dorchester also Avrote from Greywell Hill,
Winchfield :— " A trout was taken in the mill-head here
that weighed 141bs. Not being in condition it w^as put
below the mill, and thence stolen. It must have in
flood time come over a grate placed above the head to
keep the jack from ascending. Our best fish feed upon
a species of fresh-water shrimp."

The trout in the Thames occasionally attain a very
large size. My friend Mr. Forbes, of Chertsey, has a
cast of a magnificent trout which he caught spinning at
Chertsey weir. This cast, which I made, was afterw^ards
painted by Mr. Eolfe, and magnificently mounted in an
appropriate case. This splendid fish weighed 161bs.

On the 19tli of April, 1880, a grand specimen of
Thames trout was caught spinning by a local fisherman
at Messrs. Ayres' wharf, Eeading. The lion. sec. of tlie
Eeading Angling Association, Mr. A. C. Butler, kindly
brought up the fish to me directly to cast. The weight
was 161bs. 15 oz.

After the fish was cast it was conveyed to Windsor
Castle and presented to Her Majesty through Sii' Henry
Ponsonby, Comptroller of the Household.

TROUT LICENSES.

I am glad to say that common trout are now being
protected by Act of Parliament.

By the Freshwater Fisheries Act, 1878, the Board of
Conservators is empowered to issue licenses for trout
fishing. There many rivers and portions of rivers, or

TROUT AT THE ANTIPODES. 317

tributaries thereof, which do not afford good angling for
salmon, but which, nevertheless, are well suited for the
breeding and nurture of non-migratory trout. These
trout streams when preserved will doubtless afford
excellent angling for those who have not opportunity of
trying with the rod and line for the larger game fish,
the salmon.

It is therefore very satisfactory to learn that so many
anglers have taken out trout licenses. There have
been issued during the season of 1879 : —

In the Severn, 4,000; Towy, 1,754; Usk, 1,746;
Fowey, 570; Dart, 398; Teign, 324; Cleddy, 238;
Khymne}^ 73.

Common trout are now plentiful in Australia and
New Zealand, and I believe I may fairly say that these
colonies owe the existence and almost abundance of
trout at the Antipodes to myself. In Jan., 1864, when
my friend Mr. Youl was packing salmon eggs in the ice
on board the ship Norfolk, I asked him to allow me
to pack a box of common trout eggs in the ice among
the salmon boxes. Mr. Youl now often laughingly
remarks, '* I was then nearly pitching them over-
board into the dirty water of the docks." Luckily he
did not do so, as I have every reason to believe that
the trout born from these very eggs are the origin of
all the trout now in New Zealand and Australia. I
was only able to supply the ova (from twelve to fifteen
hundred) of one pair of fish. I caught the fish myself,
after a very careful arrangement of the nets (for the
fish were very shy), in a branch of the Itchen which
runs through the garden of Admiral Keppel, at Bishop-
stoke, near Winchester.

Mr. Francis Francis at the same time sent Mr. Youl
some eggs ; these were, I believe, those of the Bovge

318 TROUT A SUCCESS IN AUSTRALIA.

or migratory sea-trout, and of the common trout
from Hungerford. At all events, trout now exist at the
Antipodes — the greatest feat of Pisciculture of modern
times, and entirely due to the energy and perseverance
of my friend Mr. Youl. Whether it will he possible to
establish salmon at the Antipodes is as yet an open
question. The difficulty is to prevent the destruction
of the fry by then' numerous enemies when they descend
to the sea. The common trout, not being migratory,
have not this perilous gauntlet to run.

Although the introduction of trout into Australia
has proved such a great success, and in some sense is
almost as important to the colonies as the introduction
of sheep (and I have had great difficulty in finding out
who first introduced sheep into Australia), yet neither
Mr. Francis nor myself have as yet received any public
acknowledgment except that printed below.

Being sure that in a few years it will be forgotten
by the Australians who it was first sent over trout
eggs from England, my friend, Dr. Stirling, brought
the subject before the Melbourne Government, and in
September, 1879, I received the following :

** Chief Secretary's Office, Melbourne,

''JimelQ, 1879.
*' The successful acclimatization of the English trout
in the streams of the colony having been now tho-
roughly established, I think the time has arrived when
it should be placed on official record that the honour of
initiating such acclimatization in Australia is certainly
due in the largest degree to yourself and Mr. Francis
Francis, who jointly j)i"esented to the Tasmanian Go-
vernment the boxes of trout ova in 1864, for the pur-
pose of introducing that fish into Tasmanian Waters.

NEW ZEALAND TROUT. 319

... *

Tlie feasibility of their acclimatization having been
proved, a supply was thence obtained at a later period
for this colony, and some of its rivers may be said to
be now fairly stocked.

"The aid you thus gave in demonstrating the practi-
cability of conveying the fish indigenous to one hemi-
sphere to another, and thus establishing a supply for
the inhabitants of the latter of food and sport, is one
of such eminent practical utihty, that it gives me the
greatest pleasure to be instrumental in conveying to
you the deep sense of the obligation under which you
have ]3laced this colony by your thoughtful donation
fifteen years ago.

" Bryan O'Loghlen.
'' Frank Buckland, Esq."

The authorities of New Zealand have most gene-
rously sent me a silver claret jug, with the following
inscription : —

" To Frank Buckland, M.A., M.E.C.S. (late 2nd Life
Guards), Her Majesty's Inspector of Salmon Fisheries.

" From the Superintendent and Provincial Council
qf the Province of Ofcago, New Zealand, in acknow-
ledgment of the able and valuable ser\T.ces most kindly
rendered by him on the occasion of the first trans-
mission of salmon ova to the province in January,
1868."

Those who are interested in sending salmon and
trout to the Antipodes will find the whole story most
admirably recorded in a book entitled, '' Salmon and the
Antipodes ; being an account of the Successful Introduc-
tion of Salmon and Trout into Australian waters." By

320 BULL TROUT.

Sir Samuel Wilson. Published by Edward Stanford,
^5, Charing Cross, London, 1879.

BULL TROUT.

(^Salmo eroLv.)

Local names : Grej/ Trout, Round-tail, Coquet Bull Trout of the
Tyne, Scurf of the Tees. Welsh: Brech-ij-dail, or '^ Fall of
the leaf.'" German : Meerforelle. French : Trinte de Mer.

The Bull Trout is most abundant in the rivers on
the north-east coast of England, more especially in the
Coquet, Tweed, Tyne, Tees, and Wear.

The bull trout is certainly greatly inferior in flavour
to the salmon, his flesh being white and comparatively
tasteless. In the Newcastle market it is w^orth some
threepence a pound less than the salmon proper.

I am told that the fishwives occasionally clip the
round tail of the bull trout quite square, and sell it for
true salmon. French people seem to prefer bull trout to
salmon.

The Paris markets will take any number of bull
trout, especially at the back end of the year, and after
the English close time commences. «

Hard facts and diligent observation, carried on for a
series of years, especially by my friend, Mr. W. R.
Pape, lessee of the Duke of Northumberland's fisheries
at Warkworth on the Coquet, proved indubitably that
the best run of bull trout is late in the year, when the
nets are off; the same thing happens yearly on the
Tweed and on the Tyne, and the consequence is that
in these rivers, I am sorry to say, the bull trout have,
and still are obtaining, much too great a pre-eminence
over the salmon proper. In my late ofiicial reports, I

TYXE SPLASH NETS— GILLAROO TROUT. 321

have gone most fully into this very important ques-
tion, and feel convinced that the time is not far distant
when serious steps must be taken to counteract the
great predominance of bull trout. This must be
done by lengthening the netting season, allowing
" splash nets" at the mouths of the rivers, especially of
the Tyne ; and by altering the mesh of nets at certain
seasons, all of which matters must be left to the con-
sideration of local Boards of Conservators, subject to
the a]3proval of the Home Office.

The superabundance of bull trout in the Tweed is,
in my opinion, one of the great causes of the salmon
disease in that river. See Official Eeport on the
Salmon Disease, September, 1880.

GILLAROO TROUT.

[Salmo stoviatichus.)

This trout is remarkable as having a stomach so thick
and firm that it has been by some called a gizzard. I
have some fine specimens of these stomachs taken from
Gillaroo trout, caught by my fiiend Mr. T. E. Sachs, in
Lough Derg, Ireland.

The great anatomist, John Hunter, examined into
this curious form of stomach. He did not consider it a
true gizzard, but simply a thickened stomach, endued
with sufficient strength to break the shells upon which
it lives. It has no grinding powers like the gizzard of
a bird, say a chicken. This curious stomach of the
Gillaroo trout is most worthy of the attention on the
part of anatomists and physiologists, and it remains to
be seen by experiment whether or not the stomach of
the Gillaroo trout would or would not alter if the
character of the food was changed.

22

322
THE SEWEN.

[Sahno camhricus.)

The Sewen is simply a local variety of the Sea-Trout,
and called locally Scdmo camhricus. It is a Welsli fish,
and well known in all the rivers of Wales, Devonshire,
and Cornwall.

In certain of these rivers the mesh of net has heen
altered to a smaller size, in order to enable the fisher-
men to catch the sewens ; which, being much smaller
fish than the salmon, had hitherto escaped the larger
salmon mesh, namely, two inches from knot to knot.

SEA TROUT.

{^Salmo trntta.)

A COMMON fish in most of our salmon rivers, distinct
from the salmon and bull trout. It is the same as the
white trout of Ireland, and the peal of Cornwall and
Devonshire.

THE GREAT LAKE TROUT.

(^Sahno ferox.)

The Great Lake Trout is found in some Lochs in
Argyleshire, and also Loch Kannoch, and Loch Ericht,
also in Loch Shin and Assynt in Sutherlandshire ; for
further particulars I would refer to that excellent book,
" The Angler's Guide to the Rivers and Lochs of Scot-
land." By Mr. Thomas Tod Stoddart.

LOCH LEVEN TROUT.

[Sabno leveneuses.)

This excellent and beautiful fish is found only in Loch
LGven,'and gives excellent sport to anglers. Not only

CUMBEKLAND AND WESTMOKELAND CHAER. . 323

are tlie fish in Locli Leven most carefully protected, but
large numbers are bred artificially and turned down by
Sir James Eamsay Maitland, of Craigend, Stirling, who
in October, 1879, had 12,000 of these fish in ponds to be
turned out when the proper time arrived. These w^ere
hatched in 187o-G-7, and weighed from half-a-pound to
five pounds.

CHARR.

Public attention having been called to the great
destruction of a valuable indigenous fish which has been
going on fi'om time immemoriable in the Lake district,
namely, the Charr. In February, 1878, my colleague,
Mr. Walpole, and myself were instructed by the Home
Secretary to institute an inquiry into the whole matter,
and in that year we presented to Parliament our Pieport
on the English Lake district. '■'

As our report has probably not been generally
accessible, I now give an abstract of the valuable evi-
dence which was given to us. S. H. Jackson, Esq.,
the clerk to the Eden Board of Conservators, stated —

" The area of the English lakes is 35,420 acres. The
lake district may be said to be bounded by the Lanca-
shire and Carlisle Railway from Carnforth to Penrith ;
by the high road from Penrith to Workington ; by the
Derwent from Workington to the sea ; and by the sea
shore from the mouth of the Derwent to Carnforth.

'* The produce of these lakes, excepting Windermere,
is small, both as to food and sport. ^

" Windermere is very productive, but very hard
netted, and the fish are decreasing in size.

'' In Couiston the fish have been poisoned by mines.

* Eyre and Spottiswoode, Printers to the Queen (e. 2004).
Price 2d. 1878.

324 SPAWNING SEASONS OF CH.ARR.

The mining industry is now very much reduced.
Coniston contains about 3,000 acres of water, and ought
to be very productive."

Mr. John Fell, chairman of the Kent Board of Con-
servators, stated —

*' The lakes and tarns, Windermere, Coniston,
Esthwaite, Grasmere, and Kydal — Esthwaite and Gras-
mere are too shallow for charr — are in the Kent
district.

" The close season for trout and charr should be fi*om
the 20th October to the 28th February inclusive."
Other witnesses stated —

*' In Windermere the charr are in the deep w£iter,
the trout on the shingly and rocky shores, the pike and
perch in the weedy bays and about the shallow rocks in
the middle of the lake.

'' The charr spawn at two different times in the river
Brathay, and at about ten places by the shore of the
lake. The trout spawn in the river Kothay. There are
two sets of charr, one spawning now (February), the
other in the autumn. Believes that all charr that have
not spawned are bright, and that after spawning they
are red bellied. The larger charr are not red bellied
all the year. The charr go up the Brathay on the 13 th
October — Ambleside sheep fair."

A writer in Land and Water states : " Charr run out
of Windermere to spawn in the Brathay. Although two
rivers fall into Windermere at its head, forming a
junction above the lake, the charr never go up the
Kothay, they turn off at the fork into the Brathay — the
reason for this has never been explained.

"Some charr spawn in November, some in February.
The trout spawn in Consey, Troutbeck, and Rothay.
The Brathay is almost entirely occupied by charr.

CULTIVATION OF TROUT AND CHARE IN THE LAKES. 325

The cliaiT come on to the banks at the end of October.
The red charr are spawnmg now (February). The 14th
of February is the height of the spawning season for
red charr. The close season for them must extend to
the 1st of March.

'* The net fisheries of Windermere are divided into
three cubbies (cobles), and there are twelve fisheries.
The fisheries in each cubble are common to the different
proprietors, except the charr rights, which are clearly
set out.

*' A skelly, near Carlisle, means a chub ; in Ullswater
it means a freshwater herring.

*' The largest charr he ever saw was 21bs. weight ;
an average charr is fi-om a :^lb. to ^Ib."

The following are the conclusions to which Mr.
Walpole and myself arrived. We reported to Mr.
Cross as follows : —

" We recommend therefore : —

" 1. That the provisions of the Salmon Fishery Acts,
1861 to 1876, relating to trout and charr, should be
extended to the entire Euglish Lake district, i.e., to the
counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland, and to that
part of Lancashire which is situated toi the north-west
of Morecambe Bay.

"2. That within these limits it should be illegal to
fish for trout and charr between the 2nd day of October
and the 28th day of February, both inclusive ; but that
the conservators of any fishery district situate within
such limits should have power to alter this close season
for trout and charr (not trout only) with the approval of
the Secretary of State.

" 3. That within the limits it should be illegal to use
a net having a mesh of " &c., &c.

326 DIAGNOSIS BETWEEN POLLAN AND GRAYLING.

By tlie Freshwater Fisheries Acts, 41 and 42 Yict.
cap. 39, it is illegal —

"1. To fish for, catch, or attempt to catch or kill,
trout or cliarr cluriug the close season hetween 2nd
October and 1st February following, or during any close
season which by bye-law may be substituted for the
same.

"Note. — It is already illegal to buy, sell, or expose for
sale, or lia,ve in possession for sale, trout or charr, be-
tween 2nd October and 1st of February following (36
and 37 Vict., c. 71, s. 20)."

An abstract of the Freshwater Fisheries Act, which
the Home Office has widely circulated, is found in
p. 376 of this book.

POLLAN.

[Corc(jonus jiollan.)

German: Die Bodenrenke, Sandfelchen, Blailling.

At a meeting of the Manchester Angling Association
held in March, 1879, an interesting paper was read by
Dr. Simpson on a comparison between the Pollan of
Ireland and th^ Grayling, of which the following is an
abstract : "In the spring of the year there are usually
in the market a large number of bright silvery fish
which the fishmongers call grayling, or freshwater
herrings. These are principally taken from Lough
Neagh, in Ireland, and known there as pollan. These
fish bear a strong likeness to the grayling, but there
are many points of difference. First, the scales of the
pollan have not the glistening nacreous sheen of the
grayling, being browaier, as if sprinkled over with dust.
Second, the pattern formed by the coalescing of the
adjoining scales is different in the two, and the line

POWAN AND GWYNIAD. 327

along the side is more distinct in the grayling than in
the pollan. Thirdly, the pollan has not the pear or
lozenge-shaped eye of the grajding, nor the large and
very remarkable fin which distinguishes the grayling. •
Both possess the adipose fin ; the grayling belongs to
the genus Salmo, the other to the Coregoniis. The x^ollan
does not take a bait."

This fish is also found in Loughs Erne, Derg, and
Corrib.

In the spring of the year pollan are often mistaken
for young salmon, and have been reported to Mr.
Walpole and myself as such.

I am told they are found in most of the lakes of
Austria and Bavaria.

POWAN.

[CoTegonus /era. Coregomis acronius.)

Local names: Freshtcater Herring, German: Der Kilcli, Das
Kropffelchen, Sanciffelchen. French : La Gravenche.

This fish is found in the Lake Constance and other
lakes of Southern Germany and Switzerland.

It is also found in Loch Lomond, the fishery lasting
from March to September. They are considered best in
August and September. The consumption of these fish
is veiy local.

THE GWYNIAD.

(Salmo wartmanni. Coregonus clupeoides.)

German : Die Eenke, Das Blaiifelclien. French : La Lavaret.

Swedish : Sik.

This fish inhabits the lakes of Switzerland, Austria,
and Bavaria.

In Land and Water, No. 13, April 21, 1866, is an
able paper by J. H. C. on the Gwyniad.

328 VARIETIES OF CHARR — VENDACE.

The only place where it is found in this country is
Bala Lake and Lynn Tegid in Wales.

The gwyniad resembles the common trout in shape,
but is thicker in proportion ; his length, ten to twelve
inches ; head, small and very taper ; the upper lip
extends considerably beyond the lower, so that the
mouth appears placed beneath ; the general colour is a
silvery grey, the scales large, the base of each scale
marked with a dusky speck ; the fins are pale brown.

The gwyniad is not found in Windermere, or any
fish at all resembling it. There is a fish found at Ulls-
water and its tributaries, known by the name of the
Skelly, which bears a considerable resemblance. His
skin is almost of a pearly whiteness.

THE VENDACE,

[Coregonus alhula. Coreiionus wUliKjhbii.)

German : Die Kleine Mardne. French : La petite Maraene
Marenken, Danish : Mariner. Norwegian : Laagsild. Swedish :
Siklqja.

This fish is found in the lakes of Germany, Western
Prussia, Poland, and Pomerania.

There is only one place in Scotland, I believe, where
this fish is found, and that is Loch Maben, Dumfrieshire.
It is said to have been imported here by Mary Queen
of Scots.

The family of Coregonus are exceedingly puzzling.

Mons. de la Blanchere, in his *' Dictionnaire des
Peches," writes : "After a special study made at the im-
perial establishment at Hunuique, where I have had
fishes of all ages under my eyes, I have arrived at this
conclusion : one of two things, either the genus Coregonus

DR. GUNTER ON CHARR. 329

ought to be composed of a dozen species, distinct, but
based on characters which are fugitive and little
marked ; or there is but one species, which is endowed
with great variability. This is not without i)recedent
among the inhabitants of the w^ater."

Sufficient attention has not yet been given by the
proprietors and fishermen living in the Lake district to
the diagnosis of the various species of charr.

I would recommend those who wdsh to study this
subject to study a series of papers written by Dr. Gunter,
of the British Museum, published in the proceedings of
the Zoological Society of London for the years 1862,
1863, and 1865.

Dr. Gunter sums up the result of his investigations
with respect to the British charr as follows. He shows
that

(1) Three very distinct species of charr are found in
Great Britain, namely : S. Willughbii, in the Lake of
Windermere and in Loch Bruiach ; S. Perisii, in Wales ;
and S. Alpinus, in certain parts of Scotland.

(2) That those three species differ by most constant
characters from the S. Umbla and S. Salvelinus of the
Continent ; but that S. Alpinus in Scotland is closely
related to S. Alpinus of Lapland, differing merely by
its smaller size when first attaining to maturity, and
by the number of vertebrae, there being sixty-two in
tlie Scandinavian variety and fifty-nine in the Scottish.

(3) That Iceland is inhabited by a distinct species —
S. Nivalis.

(4) That the charr of Ireland form a separate group
by themselves, distinguished by the feeble development
of their dentition ; and that the charr of Lough Llelvin
(S. Grayi) is a distinct species from that of Lough Eoke
and Lough Dan (S. Colli).

330 WHEKE GRAYLING ARE FOUND.

To those who cannot get specimens of the charr them-
selves I have the greatest pleasure in recommending a
most heautifully illastratecl hooh, "British Freshwater
Fishes," by the Eev. W. Houghton. Illustrated by
a coloured figure of each species drawn from nature.
(W. Mackenzie, 69, Ludgate Hill, E.C.) Most of the
charr family in this book are beautifully figured.

THE GRAYLING, OR UMBER.

(Sahno thymallus. Coi'egonus tliymallus. Thijmallus

vexillifer.)

German : Die Aesche. Der Asch. Polish : Lipien. Danish :
Stalling. French : L'omhre commune. Norwegian : Harren.
Swedish : Harr.

In the Fishing Gazette, No. 127., Sept. 27, 1879, Mr.
W. H. Bullock has published some admirable chapters
on the habits, homes, food, and modes of capture of the
Grayling. With his permission I will now give an
abstract of these valuable papers.

'' The queenly Grayling worthily occupies the place
of honour vacated by the trout for the months of Sep-
tember, October, November, and December ; that is to
say, angling for grayling is best during these months.
His name, Thymallus, is derived from the word thyme,
the grayling having a somewhat thyme-like smell. He
thrives best in streams where there is a happy mixtm-e
of deep holes and streams, and where the bed is com-
XDOsed of marl, granite, gravel, and no mud. When he
rises at the fly he ascends like an arrow in the air.
They do not rise well until October comes in and after
there has been some sharp frosts. The graylings'
paradise is in the rivers of Shropshire, Herefordshire,
Derbyshire, Hampshii-e, Yorkshire, and Wiltshire. The

HABITS OF GRAYLING SMELTS. B'U

very best stream in the world for graj^ling is the Tcme,
and Lintwardiue is the choicest spot of all.''

In the south of England tlie best rivers are the
Test, Avon, and Itchen. In the north, the Wharfe,
Derwent, Wye, and Dove. The Dee contains a few in
its upper waters. The food of the grayling consists of
all kinds of flies, and the May fly is the special favourite.
The grasshopper is also a great bait for him ; gentles,
worms, insects, and grubs of all kinds, especially wasp
and cabbage grubs, are all used, and, as a rule, this fish
takes his bait when in motion. Mr. Bullock, in his
subsequent chapters, gives some valuable hints as to
grayling fishing, which are quite worthy of being re-
produced in a difterent form.

Grayling were introduced into the Glasgow Clyde in
quite recent years. I understand that there is a large
space of water in the Clyde which is open to anglers.
The best grayling water in the Clyde is about Laming-
ton — a mile or two above, or a few miles below. I have
this upon the authority of Mr. W. Haig, IG, Hanover
Street, Glasgow.

The introduction of grayling into trout rivers should
not be undertaken without due consideration. Grayling,
I have observed in my museum at South Kensington,
are great bullies, and are continually hunting the trout
about.

SMELTS, OR SPARLINGS.

[Osmerus eperlaiius.)

German : Der Stint. Hanoverian : Spierlimj. Danish : Smelt.
Norwegian : Slommcn. Swedish : Nors Slovi. Dutch : Da
Spier in(). French : UEperlan.

«

A VERY favourite dish on the London dinner-tables is
the Sparling or Smelt. There are smelt fisheries at

332 SMELTS OR SPARLING FISHERIES.

the following places : Boston (Lincolnsliire), Briglitoii,
Lynn, Norwich, Ulverstone. The smelts come along
the Brighton coast about March. They are caught
with seine nets. They do not stay long on the Brighton
coast. The proper mesh for smelts at Brighton is
about fifty meshes to the yard.

There is also a smelt fishery at Boston ; the smelt
fishing here commences in September and goes on to
May. In September they get smaller and are of not
much use. They are caught in the upper -pavt of the
estuary ; the net is an ordinary seine, w^ith wings and a
cod end. There is one smelting boat at Boston, but
there are three smelting boats at Lynn. The smelts
at Boston are full of roe in the end of April.

At Ulverstone a considerable number of sparlings are
caught. Mr. Jackson Lee of the Kent Salmon Board
of Conservators informs us that in February the spar-
lings are heavy with spaw^n ; they begin spawning about
the middle of March, and the spawning is all over by
the middle of April. They come up into the bay in
early autumn, and follow the way of the salmon.

Much valuable information as to the habits and food
of smelts, kindly given me b}^ Mr. Wanking of Ulver-
stone, will be found in my appendix to the " Sea
Fisheries Eeport, 1879,"' p. 201.

There is a sparling fishery in the estuaries of many
of the rivers running into the Sol way, especially at
Wigtown Bay and the mouth of the Nith. They come
up in March and April to spaw^n ; they are very small
in June and July. From the end of July to the end of
August they get larger. In September they are at their
prime. Sparlings spawn at the head of the tidew^ay ; they
never go further up the river than the brackish w^ater.
They assemble in considerable quantities at the head of

AKGENTINE.

833

tlie tideway near Norwich, and I hope in tlie course of
next spring to be able to make some experiments in
hatching their eggs artifically. The eggs are of a
yellowish colour, but smaller than salmon eggs.

ARGENTINE.

[Scopelus horealis. Scopelus jjennantil.)

Tms fish appears to be limited to the northern portion
of the Atlantic. No instance is recorded on the coasts

AEGKNTINE.

of Devon or Cornwall. It has been obtained in the
Orkneys, Wick (Sutherlandshire), and Banff. They are
generally found in the cold months of the year thrown
ashore, entangled by sea-weed in stormy weather. It
is a very small fish, measuring about two inches in
length, and half an inch at its greatest depth. There
is an able paper on the argentine by D. W. B. Clarke,
in the Magazine of Natural History , p. 32, January,
1838.

ON THE CULTIVATION OF
FISH-PONDS.

There are hundreds of acres of lakes and ponds about
in this country which might be readily made to grow
fish, if the owners of these waters only knew w^hat to
do and how to do it.

To many manor houses, and to almost all the ruins
of monasteries of England, fish-ponds were formerly
attached — in most instances they might be brought into
work again. The obvious use of these ponds was to
supply fish to the monks and others durinpf fast days,
for it must be recollected that sea fish could seldom, at
this period of English history (owing to the slow^ness of
conveyance and the ignorance of the preservative
qualities of ice), be transported from the coast so as to
be in fit state for the table on arrival at inland
localities.

The monks of old knew a great deal about the culti-
vation of fish-ponds, and I am informed that this ]3ond
cultivation is still carried on to a great extent in
Western, Central, and Southern Europe ; in fact, in
the very localities where the same conditions of things
which formerly jorc vailed in England — viz., fast days
and no sea fish — are still to be found.

There is a special treatise on the cultivation of fish-
ponds, written by an Austrian bishop. It is printed in
Latin, and with a black letter, and is a very rare book.

DUBRAVIUS DE PISCINIS AND J. TAVERNER. 335

There is a copy in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. The
title is " Dubravins de Piscinis." For many years I kept
a sharp look out for this book, and was at last fortunate
enough to buy one at a bookstall for eighteen-pence ;
it is a little book, six inches by four inches. It is
beautifully printed, and the ink blacker than any inks
used now. The date of it is 1559, therefore it was pub-
lished 321 years ago, in the second year of the reign of
Queen Elizabeth. This is a copy of the title-page:
'' Jani Dubravii qui postea Olomucensis Episcopus
creatus est De Piscinis et Piscibus qui in eis aluntur,
naturis libri quiuque, vi doctissimi, ita ad rem famili-
arem augendam utilissimi, ad illustrem virum Antonium
Fuggerum. 1559."

Dubravius was a high church dignitary, Bishop of
Olmutz in Moravia. Bishop or no bishop, he knev*^
more about fish-ponds than we do at the present day.

After him came another writer on fish-ponds, to wit,
John Taverner, gentleman, who in 1600 (the 42nd year
of the reign of Queen Elizabeth), published a companion
treatise, of which the following is the title : " Certaine
Experiments concerning Fish and Fruite practised by
John Taverner, and by him published for the benefit of
others." (Small 4to. London : printed for AVilliam
Ponsonby, IGOO. 38 pp.) This tract is in black letter,
and a very rare book.

The following is an abstract of the advice Dubravius
gives us as to the cultivation of fish-ponds : —

'' Experience has shown that the proper treatment of
fish-ponds is to alternate a crop of fish with a crop of
vegetables.

" Each pond should be so arranged that it can run
perfectly dry at will.

*' We will suppose three ponds to be in existence —

336 PONDS SHOULD BE DRIED NOT MUDDED.

" 1. Let the water be run off from pond a completely,
and as it empties catch the fish and place them in
pond B.

*' 2. Having let a run completely dry, plant the mud
with oats, barley, cabbages, or rye grass. The crops
having been in due time reaped, re-fill it in the winter
and stock it with fry.

** 3. Then dry and plant b. At the same time dis-
pose of all the larger marketable fish, and put the half
and three-parts-grown fish into pond c, which now for
the first time is taken into the regular round of cultiva-
tion. Thus with three ponds worked upon this system
the proprietor will always have a crop of vegetables
growing in one pond, yearling fry in another pond, and
breeders, with the fish fattening for the market in the
third."

I feel convinced that this system should have a good
trial in England, for thus the heavy and expensive work
of clearing out or, as it is called, mudding ponds, would
be entirely obviated, and a pond might be set to work,
first to grow a crop of vegetables and then a crop offish.
If ponds are not emptied for some time, fish will not
thrive in them, or rather they come to a standstill both
in number and size, while the stock altogether deterio-
rates. If a pond, however, as I know from experience,
be left dry, even without planting, for a year or more,
the fish knmed into it will grow and fatten in a most
extraordinary manner. The reason, probably, is that
the ground is sweetened and the food becomes abun-
dant.

One hundi-ed and sixty-seven years ago, namely in
1718, the eleventh year of the reign of Queen Anne,
was published another excellent book on fish-ponds,
the original edition of which, through the kindness of

OSIERS AND OATS TO BE PLANTED IN MUD OF PONDS. 337

my friend Mr. George Rooper, I have been able to
examine; here is the title, *'ADiscom-se of Fish and
Fish-ponds. B}' the Honourable Roger North, Sept.
14, 1713.'' His advice is to the following effect: **In
October di-aw the sluice and dry the i^ond. As the
pond falls catch the fish by degrees, cut channels to
keep off the land water. "When your pond is dry, keep
it so all the summer, and you may make a profit of the
soil by ploughing or feeding.

'' The following Michaelmas, or a little sooner, turn
111 all the water you can that the pond may fill, and
when it is nearly full, it is ready to receive stock again.
At the same time lay diy another pond proceeding as
before. This you may do alternately during your whole
life.

"If you have but two j)onds this is the best course,
and will turn most to the profit and feed of the fish.
You may let your ponds stand full two or three years,
not longer, unless you delight to see starved lean fish.
The oftener the ponds are laid dry, the better the feed
of fish shall be."

" Mr. North recommends that the mud should not
be removed unless with great care as the banks of the
pond may thus be injured; he rather recommends in-
stead to plant a crop of osiers in the mud ; oats also
wull grow in the mud. He also advises that facilities
should be afforded for cattle to come and drink and
stand in the X3oiid, " as it conduces much to the thrift
of the cattle as well as the feed of the fish."

" Great waters should be dried and sowed with oats
once in three, or at most four, years, and that at the end
of January or the beginning of March. After Michael-
mas following, you may put in a very great stock, and
thin them in the following years as feed will decline."

23

338 THE ART OF STOCKING PONDS.

He then warns proprietors against overstocking their
ponds, for fish bred in great numbers in bad waters,
overstocked and ahnost starved, may in process of time
degenerate, and both lose a good shape and be less apt
to grow up to greatness than others that have been
better descended of a cultivated stock ; and, on the other
side, it is possible that by coming into good quarters
fish may improve and mend.

This is most important to breeders of carp, and the
remedy of course is to net fi-equently, and to sort the
fish.

" I have found a great analogy between the stocking
waters with fish and pastures with -cattle, and that the
same conduct and discretion belongs to both. Waters
may be overstocked, as pastures often are : so both may
be understocked. The latter is the less error, for if
you overstock you lose the whole summer's feed, if you
understock jow lose onl}" the rest of your profit ; what
you do feed is much better, and turns to account by
more ready sale. So also of beasts, some of the same
age and feeding will not thrive so well as others." One
thing is quite certain, that the more numerous the fish
are the smaller they get. Nobody ever j^et saw a fat
charity boy. Charity boys and girls are generally
about the same size, and run thin ; the reason is, that
they have just enough food to keep them in health, but
not enough to make them fat — ^the guardians take good
care of that.

The same rule that applies to charity children applies
to fish. When the ponds are drained, a number of
small fish that are from six to eight inches long are
found, and this is what you a*re to do with them : ''Of
these bred fry you may put a hundred into four rods
square of water, or near that proportion, these then

BEET-ROOT, BARLEY, AND FISH CROPS. 339

can be fed up like cLickens and in time turn to great
profit ; because, considering a pond will, though but
four acres, feed up 1,600 carp in two, and perhaps,
one year, from ten to eighteen inches, fit for your table,
present, or sale."

As regards the number of fish that water will carry,
Mr. North confesses he can lay down no actual rule,
experience must be the guide in stocking the waters.
He, however, gives the following hints : *' When laying
the pond dry in every year, you must observe whether
th*e fish be well fed or else thin and lean, and accordingly
you judge whether the stock was too little or too much
for the water."

In January, 1870, I received the following valuable
information from a gentleman residing in Austria,
who at the i)resent time cultivates his fish-ponds. The
water in the pond is drained off towards the end of
October. In the ensuing spring the dry pond is
ploughed up or harrowed for cropping like any other
field ; after this, beetroot or barley is sown. The latter
crop (barley) is particularly good for fish.

Directly after harvest the pond is again filled with
water, the fish put in, and allow^ed three, or at all
events two, years. Care must be taken to stock the
pond with such fish as the quality of the water and
soil are found to suit.

If the bottom is too slimy the pond must be drained
off, and the slime dug out in the winter.

This slime should be thrown into heaps and allowed
to remain for a year, when it forms excellent manure.

My fi'iend Captain Salvin, having read my observa-
tions on fish-ponds, kindly sent me the following
valuable note: — "About the same time (namely, the
reign of Queen Anne), when the Honourable Eoger

340 POND CULTURE IN QUEEN ANNe's TIME.

North, wliom you liave quoted, imblishccl liis book, my
great grandfather employed Kennedy, a noted landscape
gardener, to lay out the grounds at Croxdale, in the
county of Durham. In the garden itself there are
three ponds. These ponds are fed by a stream, which
is not allowed to run through them, but is let in by
sluices at pleasure. The stream is conveyed by au
artificial watercourse outside, which is clearly a wise
precaution against their filling up with sediment during
floods, thus preventing an awful amount of trouble and
expense hereafter. No. 1 is a small pond used as a
stew, in which fat fish are kept which are ready for
the table and which have been netted from Nos. 2 and
S, or from the many other ponds on the property. It
is in this stew that there is a capital contrivance for
taking out the fish which I have not met with else-
vrherc, and which I will try to describe. The deepest
part of this little j)ond is at the sluice, where it is
-emptied into No. 2, near which is a strong square
wooden box, say four feet deep by five square, and this
is sunk flush with the bottom of the pond, having two
posts let in on each side at the middle of each end of
the box. To these posts are fixed the ordinary gear of
a draw-well, the chain being, I think, divided to hook
upon rings on the sides of an inner box, which has
holes at the bottom. When the fish are required, the
sluice is opened and the fish of course retire into the
deejiest water, which is the inner box. The box is then
wound up, fish and all : this is easily done since the
water runs out through the holes in the bottom."

Ponds which have laid dry for one summer are the
best for breeding. There should be rushes and water-
plants about for fish to deposit their eggs. I also
strongly recommend that when fish, such as carp, are

HOW TO FEED POND FISH DUCKS. 341

about to breed, whicli will be from May to July, that
common wattled hurdles should be placed on the top of
the water and fixed there by posts. These will not only
afford places for the fish to attach their spawn, but will
also answer as hides, and nothing is more important in
fish cultivation than to give them hides. On the whole, I
think that fish-ponds are generally made a great deal too
deep. There should be a deep hole or two where the fish
may run for protection, but the general depth of the pond
should be shallow, as fish like shallows, and it is more
favourable for the multiplication of insect life. One
often wonders where all the mud comes from. "With-
out doubt it is mostly formed by dead leaves. These
leaves, therefore, should be collected and burnt, or other
means employed to prevent them being blo^\^i by the
wind into the water. The American weed is a great
nuisance in fish-ponds. I am sorry to say I do not
know how to destroy it. The process therefore of
drying the ponds will be, I think, the surest mode of
getting rid of it, A dose of common salt may also be
tried.

It must be remembered, that the more you feed your
fish in ponds the quicker they will grow and the larger
they will become. To feed fish in a pond I strongly
recommend that a dead cat or rabbit, miskinned, should
be hung up in a tree over the pond. The gentles
resulting from the blow-flies will fall into the pond and
afford excellent food for the fish. Care should also be
taken to collect after a shower at night, by the aid of a
lantern, the large lobvv^orms that are then plentiful.
The fish should be always fed at the same place.

A curious fact has come to my knowledge relative to
the cultivation of fish-ponds. A gentleman in Glouces-
tershire had some roach, dace, eels, carp, &c., in a pond,

342 OLD FISH-PONDS SHOULD BE RESTORED.

but they did not increase in size or numbers. Some
ducks were then allowed to have the run of the pond,
since that time the fish grew to a larger size and also
bred more than before.

When working the oyster experimental ponds at
Eeculvers, near Heme Bay, Kent, Mr. Port, who has
charge of the marshes, informed me that he could tell
if he handled the eels in the dark from which stream
they came. In a particular stream the eels were small
and poor, whereas in another stream not far off the eels
were fat and large. He and his father before him could
never account for this, except, from the fact that ducks
and geese are kept on the marsh stream where the eels
were good, whereas they are not kept where the eels
and other fish are thin.

I fancy the meaning of this is that the ducks are
continually disturbing the mud in the pond with their
bills, and that thereby the mud is loosened, and the
fish, whose organs of taste are better than those of the
ducks,, follow up the ducks and eat the minute creatures
which they have left ; while the mud being loosened,
gives facilities to the water creatures to breed. The
ducks should be kept away when the fish are spawning,
as they will eat the fish-eggs.

Should these observations on the cultivation of fish-
ponds be taken up in practice, I should be very glad
indeed, as throughout the country there are so many
ponds now doing nothing at all which our forefathers
went to great trouble and expense in making as orna-
ments and recreation places to the family mansion.

Finally, to those who wish really to take up the
important subject of pond cultivation, I most strongly
recommend a very able book published this year, which
gives not only information about sluices, banks, nets,

GERMAN TREATISE ON FISH-PONDS. 343

&c., but also a short outline of plants and insects living
in ponds, as well as of pond-fisli as cultivated at the
present time m Germany. The title of this book is
'' Lerbuch der Teichwirthschaft. Ein illustrirter Eath-
geber fur angehende sowie erfahrene Teichwirthe fur
Gutsbesitzer und Fischereifi-eunde. Von Carl Nicklas
herrschaftlicher Kenten- Verwalter und Guter Inspector.
Mit 84 Holzschnitten." Stettin : Druck und Verlag von
Herrcke and Lebehno:. 1880.

FISH FOE ACCLIMATISATION.

This book would not be complete if I did not take tlie
opportunity of giving the public the results of my ex-
perience as to the acclimatisation of fish, and at the
same time stating what prospects we have of succeed-
ing in the future in this desirable object.

By the acclimatisation of fish I mean that, not only
is it possible to obtain from other countries fish not as
yet known as British fish, but whereas we have already
in our waters some of the best fish in the world, that it
would be desirable to improve their breed by trans-
ferring them from places where they are already found
in abundance to other places having a similarity of
soil and climate.

I will now give a short description of each of these
fish.

SALMONID/E.
SALMO SALAR.

I AM of opinion that the strain of British salmon might
be very much improved by crossing the breeds indi-
genous in the various English rivers. I have stated
this more than once before Committees in the House of
Commons. The eggs should be taken from spawning
fish, hatched out artificially, and the young ones turned
down into the upper waters of the rivers. I am sure^

SALMO SALAR, HUCHO, AND FONTINALIS. 345

also, that the breed of English sahnon Vv-ould be greatly
improved by obtainiDg ova of the Ehine salmon — the
finest salmon in the world — as infusion of the blood of
these would, I am convinced, have very beneficial effects
upon the stock of many rivers which I could mention.

As regards the Californian salmon, I do not know
yet sufficiently about him, and what I have seen of liim
I do not like.

SALMO HUCHO.

i^Salmo Huclio, or Paiiuhe Sahnon.)

Of this fish much has been said and written as being a
desirable fish for this country. This fish spawns in
the tributaries of the Danube. It is said to spawn in
the months of April and May in swift-running water.
My friend, Max von dem Borne, says he is a good rod-
fish, but very shy. He has the habit of lying quite
still like the pike. I have the head of a Hucho. The
teeth are very formidable, not unlike the teeth of the
pike-perch. He is said to attain the weight of from
601bs. to lOOlbs. On the whole, I give my vote against
introduction into this countrv.

SALMO FONTINALIS.

(The Brook Trout — The Seiv York Charr.)

The next fish for acclimatisation which I strongly re-
commend is the Salmo Fontinalis, or Brook Trout of
America. The first specimens ever seen in this countrj'
were sent to me, beautifully packed with moss in tin
boxes, by some friends in America. The parent fish
were obtained from Lake Hm-on in Canada. Since
that time the import of eggs of Fontinalis has become a

346 HABITS OF FONTINALIS.

regular business, and they are advertised by English
agents every winter.

Salmo fontinalis is a most lovely fisli. Its dominant
colours are green, dusky green of various hues mottled
with yellow spots, the spots having a beautiful blue or
carmine speck in the centre ; the belly is silvery white,
with a roseate tinge ; the pectoral fins have a beautiful
margin of a cream-white colour. I cordially recom-
mend it for such places as ornamental fountains in
gardens and small ponds. It requires regular feeding
and looking after. They would do well on gentlemen's
estates where there are small brooks and trout streams.
They should be fenced in, or they may possibly escape.

I have some splendid specimens at my museum,
South Kensington, one, two, and three years old. I
have also bred from them in captivity for the last three
or four years. These fish will breed in the third year;
some however will give eggs in the second 3'ear.

Of this fish Rooswelt writes: "Brook Trout are in
season from the 1st of February to 1st of September in
the Long Island streams, from May to September in
the middle and eastern States." "

Frank Forrester, in his "Fish and Fishing,"! tells us
that his manners, haunts, mode of feeding, &c., closely
resemble those of the European trout ; and the flies,
baits, and general style of tackle are the same in both
instances.

These fish are found along the shores of Lake
Superior, the lakelets of New York, Maine, New
Hampshire, and the Canadas, Lake Nipissiguit in New
Brunswick, the tributaries of St. John, Merrimac, &c.

* "The Game Fish of the Northern States." Carlton, 430,
Broadway, New Ycrk.

t Towusend, publisher, New York.

347

NON-MIGEATOEY TEOUT.

It is among the non-migratory Salnnmidcc that we may
expect, and, in fact, have ah-eady gained, the greatest
success.

GREAT LAKE TROUT.

In the great lakes of Switzerland, especially Neuchatel
and Geneva, there exists that splendid fish, the Great
Lake Trout. For many years past I have yearly re-
ceived some splendid eggs of the Great Lake trout from
the late Dr. Vouga."

These Great Lake trout, when the spawning time
arrives, are compelled to run up the tributaries to lay
their eggs. At this time they are caught by those who
have permission from the Government authorities ; the
eggs are taken from them, and a certain proportion of
the young turned back into the lake. I have a very
high opinion of these Great Lake trout. Both as eggs
and fry they are very hardy, and they are most suitable
to turn down into lakes where, of course, there are no
pike.

More especially are they suitable for large pieces of
water, such as reservoirs which supply towns, &c. At
the request of Mr. Alderman Smith, of Manchester, I
turned down a large number of these fish in Thirlmere
Lake, where in future years they will doubtless afford
excellent angling to tourists and the Manchester people.

Every year I grow a new generation of these fish at
my Museum of Economic Fish Culture, South Ken-
smgton. Specimens in the tanks have become very
tame, and I have grown them up to the heavy weight

* Dr. Vouga was Professor of Natural History at Neuchatel. He
•was one of the most learned pisciculturists I ever met. I regret
much to say he lately died of heart disease.

348 TRANSFERENCE OF COMMON TROUT VENDACE.

of 21b. 2oz. The ■wild mother-fisli in the Swiss Lakes,
from which these eggs are taken, average 121bs. to 141bs.,
the father-fish are sometimes as heavy as 201bs. Those
who require eggs of the Great Lake trout should order
them from my Secretary, Mr. Searle, who is in direct
communication with the official authorities who have
the disposal of them in Switzerland.

COMMON TROUT.

Many of my friends who have trout fisheries and also
hatching apparatus are now in the habit of catching
their own fish and breeding from them.

Eggs of the common trout can also be obtained from
Germany, through English dealers in trout eggs.

TRANSFER OF TROUT.

Many readers of this book may have pond^, but yet
no breeding apparatus. To these I would recommend
the plan of catching tlie small trout in the brooks and
putting them into the ponds. Fish thus transported
should be yearling fish, i.e., from 4in. to Gin. long.

They should be turned down in the shallowest part of
the pond, and it would be all the better for them if a
portion of the pond be hurdled off so as to keep them
from the pike. They must be fed in their new homes.

VENDACE.

There is a fish that exists, so far as I know, only in
Loch Maben, in Scotland, where it is said to have been
introduced by Mary Queen of Scots. There must be
many ponds and lakes in Scotland that are similarly
situated to Loch Maben, and I strongly advise gentle-
men possessing such opportunities to obtain permission
of the proprietor to transport living Loch Maben vendace

LOCH LEVEN TROUT CHARR VENDACE. 349

for experiment. The fish themselves must be trans-
ferred in carrying cans as it would be impossible to
breed them by artificial means.

LOCH LEVEN TROUT.

There is another trout with which sufficient experiments
have not been attempted in large lakes and ponds. This
fish is well known to anglers as affording excellent sport
and being very good to eat. Sir James R. Gibson
Maitland, Bart., Craigend, Stirling, N.B., breeds a very
large number of them artificially every year.

I should say Loch Leven trout would do well for the
Broads of Norfolk and Suffolk, where the water is not
too sluggish and weedy.

CHARR.

A GREAT deal has yet to be done in Charr cultivation.
The eggs of the charr are obtainable from dealers under
the name of " Fera." Some years these eggs hatch out
well, sometimes badly.

At my suggestion, my friend Mr. Fell, chairman of
the Kent and Westmoreland district, fitted up an ad-
mirable nursery for young fish close under his drawing-
room windows. I sent him up some young Swiss charr,
which became quite tame and thrived admirably.

Charr are only found in deep mountain lakes. Pro-
prietors of mountain lakes in AVales should look to
their charr which sadly require cultivation and pro-
tection.

SMELT.

Among the Salmonida, the smelt, or sparling, requires
more attention than he has hitherto received. There
are so many instances on record of smelts doing well in
purely freshwater localities that whenever opportunity

350 SMELT FLOUNDEK PIKE PERCH.

serves smelts should be captured from the head of the
tideway and turned down. I do not say whether they
will breed in fresh water, for that I do not know.

FLOUNDER.

Now that we are talking of estuary fish, I see no reason
why experiments should not be made with common
flounders. They are by no means difficult to transport.

PIKE PERCH, OR ZANDER.

{Perca lucioperca.)

German: Zandr, Sandra, Sayidharsch, Seebarsch, ScJiilJ, Fogasch.
Danish : Standart. Norwegian : Gjors. Swedish : Gos.
French : Les Sandre. American : The Glass-eyed Pike.

Many attempts have been made to transport this fish
alive to England. My friend Mr. T. K. Sachs has taken
immense pains in this matter, and the following is his
report to me of successful experiments to bring this fish
over alive for his Grace the Duke of Bedford.

Mr. Sachs WTote the following interesting article in
La?id and Water, No. 644, p. 476, May 25, 1878 : " Mr.
Dallmer, chief fishing master of Schleswig-Holstein, re-
lates in the '' German Fishery Circular " of April, 1878,
that he had the honour of being requested by the Presi-
dent of the German Fishery Association to supply his
Grace the Duke of Bedford with about one hundred
small Zander, he having many opportunities of observ-
ing the peculiarities of these fish in Schleswig-Holstein.
It is well known that these fish are not plentiful in the
Elbe and Oder, abound in the Danube, but are not known
in the Rhine or Weser, although these two last are
equally well suited for this species. In many Schleswig
lakes Zander are plentiful, in others not, although con-

PIKE PEKCH, OR ZANDER. 351

nected with one another, and to all appearance the same
kind of water. A fishing master placed some Zander
in a neighbom'ing lake, which had no communication
with the one the fish were taken from. But a flood
came and the whole of the Zander returned to their
original home. Sand, stone, and clay ground they must
have ; they never thrive on a muddy bottom. Brackish
water suits them also, as they are frequently caught in
the arms of the Baltic Sea. The fishermen at Eendsburg
and Nortorf say that in deep lakes the Zander come to
the top. In less dee-p lakes they are more frequent at the
bottom. They are a very shy fish. Mr. Dallmer came
to the conclusion to get the Zander from shallow lakes,
as he knew such fish were better to transport, and in
winter they lived long in a fish box. He therefore wrote
to the President that he would select fish of a larger
sort : first, because small fish were weak ; second, they
would more easily fall a prey to larger fish ; ' third,
larger fish would soon after their arrival in England
produce a family of English Zander. The President
agreed with the plan proposed, and suggested keeping
the fish a few days in the boxes, so as to use them
to confinement, and thus travel better. Mr. Dallmer
selected a trustworthy fisherman, Nielsky by name, and
sent him to several neighbouring lakes. Some had been
netted, and others were not fishable. He then went to
Bordesholm ; two German miles fi-om there is the
Bothkamper lake. The fisherman told Nielsky he had
netted his water six weeks ago, and kept them alive for
three weeks before he sold them in Kiel. He arranged
to net once more and let Mr. Dallmer know when to
fetch the fish, for at this time of the year (the end of
January) the water is seldom in a condition to net,
owino- to the ice. However, notice was sent on the 27th

352 DIFFICULTY OF BRINGING PIKE PERCH FROM GERMANY.

that the water had heen netted, and seventy Zander
caught. Meanwhile Mr. Dalhner had travelled to
Hamburg to arrange about the fish carriers and transit
wdtli Messrs. Kuhnert, w^io send live fish to all parts of
the world. They have sent live carp in a boat filled and
hoisted with water to San Francisco and South America.
Carp and tench can bear a deal of knocking about, but
not the delicate Zander. Messrs. Kuhnert once sent
about a thousand small Zander in a hoisted boat to
London, and only three arrived alive, and what became
of them no one knows. Messrs. Kuhnert j)rovided four
barrels of oval form, 4ft. long, 3ft. broad, and l^ft. high
each, with handles attached, so that four men could easily
carry one. "When they arrived at the w^ater the fish were
in a box facing a stream, and as lively as possible. Mr.
Dallmer selected 24 fish, each about two pounds' weight
— twelve male, twelve female, so as to procure as many
marria"ges as possible. The fish had a rough two Ger-
man miles over a frozen road to reach the railway to
Altona ; on arrival at Hamburg, Messrs. Kuhnert placed
the fish in one of their large boxes in the Alster Lake.
This was Wednesday. The next ship to London was
the steamer Capella, and to depart on Thursday night
January 31, from Hamburg. The Capella frequently
carries live fish for zoological and aquaria j)urposes,
and the sailors are used to the care of them. The fish
w^ere transported in five carriers — four fish in one, and
five fish in each of the other four. There were also three
extra barrels of fresh water for the use of the fish. The
carriers were full up to the top, so as to prevent any
injury to the fish from the rolling of the ship. At twelve
midnight the Capella started. The waves ran veiy high,
a stiff north wind being out, the sea w^ashing the decks
of the large ship. Half-way across it became foggy,

PIKE-PERCH AT WOBURN ABBEY. 353

and, ship going at half- speed, the voyage lasted sixty
instead of forty-eight hours (air being pumped into the
carriers by the fishermen and sailors every half-hour),
arriving in London on Sunday midday. There they
were met by servants of his Grace the Duke, who took
charge of the carriers, and conveyed them to the railway
station, about three English miles distant. The fish
were there again supplied with fresh water, and started
on the two-and-a-half hours' journey to Bedford. On
arrival, carriages were in waiting to convey the fish to
the estate, four English miles more, where his Grace
received them in person at the door of his mansion.
'* Are the fish alive ? " he called out. " Alle lebendig,"
answered Nielsky, the fisherman. It had now become
night, and the fishermen had to transfer the fish to the
lake by lantern light ; twenty-three were very lively, the
twenty-fourth being rather doubtful. His Grace had
him cooked for dinner ; four fish, two male, two female,
were placed in one sheet of water, the others in a lake
of about twenty to thirty acres, which was full of small
fish but no pike, the gravelly bottom being eminently
suited for Zander.

" This excellent result has succeeded — first, through
the initiative of the much-esteemed President ; second,
there v/as no lack of money at the disposal of Mr. Dall-
mer ; third, Mr. Dallmer's thorough knowledge of the
habits of the fish ; fourth, having a trustworthy i)i"actical
fisherman as conductor ; fifth, the great assistance
afforded by the railway and ship officials ; sixth, the
very friendly assistance of Messrs. Kuhnert, without
whom the expedition would not have succeeded so well ;
and, seventh, good luck. The fish were taken from the
Schleswig Lake on the 25th January, and arrived at
their destination on the 3rd February, thus being nine

24

354 PIKE-PERCH FROM RUSSIA.

days on their journey. After this who will say Zander
will not hear transporting ? Henceforth England pos-
sesses the celebrated aristocratic choice eating fish,
Lucio perca zanclra, or pike-perch, thanks to his Grace
the Duke of Bedford.

" Three previous attempts were made by my friend
Alexander Seydell, of Stettin, and self, to procure the
Zander from Stettin by sea to London. On the first
voyage all the fish died ; the second produced three live
small five-inch Zander. They died in Mr. Frank Buck-
land's museum at South Kensington, and are now there
preserved in spirits. The third voyage nearly proved
a shipwreck, as the steamer was thrown on her beam
ends, and all the gear on deck, the large Brighton
Aquarium iron carrier included, were tossed into the
North Sea.— T. E. Sachs." -

PIKE-PERCH FROM RUSSIA.

In May, 1880, Mr. Charles, of 9, Lower Grosvenor
Place (late Arabella Eow), kindly sent me a fish bought
at BilliDgsgate, under the name of *' shaddick," from
Russia. I at once saw it was a pike-perch (Perca lucio,
Perca). It weighed 81bs.

I found nine specimens on the slab, and he has
been kind enough to give me the heads of all of them.
Mr. Pike-perch has a formidable back fin, which, on being
dried, I find consists of fourteen rays, the longest of which
is nearly three inches. The point of each ray is as sharp
as a needle, and the membrane which covers each spine
seems to make a retractible sheath for the point.

The teeth of the pike-perch are indeed most formidable.

At the tip of the upper and at the tip of the lower jaw

there are two teeth, conical and exceedingly sharp.

* Note. — Should another experiment be tried, it should be with
fry, not half or full-grown fish.

TEETH AND ANATOMY OF THE ZANDER. 3r5

The teeth in the lower jaw fit into cavities in the upper
jaw. Both sides of the upper and lower jaw are armed
with trenchant teeth. They look more like dragons'
teeth than fishes' teeth.

The roof of the mouth is also armed with two rows of
teeth, the two anterior teeth being much the longest.
I have in my collection many specimens of fishes' teeth,
but none, I think, so terrible as those of the pike-perch.
The teeth of an animal indicate the food on which it
subsists. I should say, therefore, that the pike-perch
is a most voracious and carnivorous fish, but still I
think he must have different habits from the pike, as his
teeth are differently arranged. Mr. Searle, on dissect-
ing this fish, found that the stomach was thin, but very
capacious ; in it were the remains of a fish, which
appeared to be very like that of another pike -perch.
When examining the stomach the oesophagus felt very
rough ; I therefore dried the soft parts and found that
the pike-perch had a pavement of teeth on each side of
the gullet, as well as a set to correspond on the floor of
the pharynx. The edges of the bones which carry the
gills are also covered with tufts, which tufts are com-
posed of very minute needle-pointed spikes of bone ;
these, when dried, look exceedingly pretty.

The subject dissected was a female full of roe. The
eggs are very minute, smaller than perch ; in fact, the
zander, or pike-perch, is a voracious form of perch.
Our friends Mr. T. K. Sachs and Max von dem Borne
state that he is a free biter. I should certainly say his
teeth indicate that he would snap at anything, and I
should say very strong tackle would be required to catch
him at all. I should say these fish frequent very large
lakes, such as exist in Kussia, and where roach and
other white fish abound.

356 LOCALITIES m ENGLAND SUITED FOR PIKE-PERCH.

I uuderstand from those who have eaten the xDike-
percli in continental cities, such as Hamburg, Berhii,
Leipzig, &c., that it is exceedingly good for the table.
It is just possible, therefore, that a new business may be
opened up of importing pike-perch to the English
markets as an article of food from Eussia.*

I have been frequently asked my opinion as to en-
couraging this fish in England. My opinion is that iu
certain places the pike-perch would be a most valuable
addition to our indigenous fishes, both as a source of
sport and food. They would not do any more harm
than the common pike, and as long as roach and dace
are allowed an annual close time in their breeding
season there will always be plenty of food for them. I
would not advise that they should be turned out in
public waters, such as the Norfolk Broads, but I know
many lakes and ponds not connected with any river
where they would thrive admirably and be kept under
proper control.

* The Sandra lucio, Perca sandra is found in nearly all the lakes
and rivers of Eussia. It likes clear and deep waters. In tlie
lower Volga they are taken in the spring in very large numbers,
and dried. It is calculated that 45,000,000 are taken every year ;
and in the Delta of Couban they take annually 7,000,000 of these
fish. There is a large export of the roe of this fish, which is
sent to Greece and Turkey. This preparation, which is principally
made in the Sea of Azov, and, above all, by the Cossacks of
Couban, is said to amount annually from fifteen to twenty thousand
pounds. The roes are simply taken out, placed in barrels, and
salted. A considerable quantity of fat is found in the intestines
of sandras. This is collected and washed, and the oil derived
from it is used as a substitute for vegetable oil during fast days.
This oil is also used to a considerable extent in the preparation of
caviare, i.e., the roe of sturgeon. I have this on the authority of
a writer in the proceedings of the Acclimatisation Society of
Pari?.

857

THE SILURUS. THE WELS, OR
SHEAT-FISH.

(Sihirus glanis. Miistela harhatula.)

Gennau : Ber Vels, Weller, Harm. Danish : Malle. SweJisli :

Mai. French : Le Silure.

My friend Mr. T. R Sachs has taken a very great deal
of pains to ohtain all the information he can relative to
this fish. In Land and Water, January 20, 1875, he
gives an abstract from Herr Max von dem Bonie's
" Handbuch der Angelfischerei Herapel and Barey,
Berlin," as follows : —

" This fish is called the ' Vels,' and also the ' Waller
Schaiden!' He feeds on fish, worms, and small fry,
and especially frogs. During the day he hides himself
in holes, weeds, under banks, &c.

*' He is seldom netted, but caught with night lines,
baited with gudgeon. In hot weather he basks on the
surface and then is caught by a harpoon or fish spear.
They spawn in June and July near the banks. The eggs
are of a greenish colour, not numerous in proportion to
the size of the fish. It has been ascertained they hatch
out in about 18 days. As a pond fish he does very
well, and quantities are bred for the fish market, one of
8lbs. to lOlbs. being considered the best for the table."

The silurus grows to a very large size, and is said to
take sometimes a goose, or a wild or tame duck (in this
respect he is not worse than a pike). There are
several casts of silurus in my museum. South Kensing-
ton. The first I received from Mr. Sachs, in January,
1875. Herr Max von dem Borne was kind enough to
catch this fish for us at Witsterwitz, near Berlin. He
weighed 181bs., and measured 8ft. lOin. in length. In

358 SILURUS AT ALDEBMASTON PARK.

general shape he is very hke the Burbolt of the Trent ;
his eyes are tiny little specks ; on each side of his nose
he has two long feelers, tapering to a fine point ; under
the lower jaw there are several barbules ; his teeth are
very minute, hardly teeth at all. In each pectoral fin
there is a formidable serrated spine which, by a most
intricate mechanism, he can lock and unlock, in fact,
acting like a trigger.

In February, 1876, Lord Odo Kussell, ambassador at
Berlin, kindly sent me, through Lord Arthur Kussell,
a magnificent specimen of the silurus. It measured
5ft. 6in. long, and weighed about lOOlbs. A cast of this
monster fish is in my museum.

In 1862, or 1863, Sir Stephen Lakeman, who has an
estate at Kopacheni, on the banks of the Argisch, a
tributary of the Danube a,bout ten miles from Bucharest,
brought over with him 36 specimens of silurus. Of these
only fourteen were alive. I took down ten of them to
my friend, Higford Burr, Esq., Aldermaston Park,
Beading, and turned them out into the large pond in
front cf the house. Some three years afterwards this
pond was let dry — the silurus had entirelj^ disappeared.

On the 27th October, 1880, Lord Odo Eussell brought
to Wpburn Abbey, from Berlin, seventy of the Silurus
(jJanis in their second year. These Siluri were bred at
Berneuchen, near Custrin, by Herr Max von dem
Borne.

THUNDER-FISH.

( Cohites fossilis.)

About the same time that I took the silurus down to
Aldermaston, I also took some Thunder-fish. These
fish also disappeared in an unaccountable manner.

359

GOLDEN TENCH, OR GOLD SCHLEI.

I AM happy to be able to report that through the efforts
of Higford Burr, Esq., Aldermaston Park, these fish
are now thoroughly acclimatised in this country. Ee-
lative to this successful act of introducing a German
fish into Berkshire, Mr. Burr wi'ites me in October,
1880, as follows : —

" My Dear Buckland, — Do you recollect being here
when I di'agged the pond and gave a dejeuner to the
Volunteers in September, 1862. It was shortly after
that that you sent me three gold tench, which, if I re-
collect right, you told me were given you by Sir Stephen
Lakeman. I put those three tench into a pond by
themselves; only two lived, but the smwivors were
luckily male and female. In November, 1864, I let the
water off the pond in which they were, and I sent you
several fish of Sin. or 3|^in. long, the fry of 1864, evidently
of the fry of 1863, and a number the size of minnows.

" The first time I ever saw gold tench was in Bohemia,
between Eger and Carlsbad, in the year 1856. AVhilst
the horses of the eilwagen were changing I walked
roimd the garden of the post, and there I saw two or
three shoals on the surface. I saw they were not cai-p, and
never before having seen or heard of gold tench, could
not make them out ; but subsequently talking of them
to some fi-iend, I discovered that they were gold tench.

** It was fortunate you gave those two gold tench to me,
for being quite by themselves they bred much faster
than if mixed with other fish ; at least, so it seems to
me, for I do not hear fi'om the many friends and others
to whom I have liberally distributed them, that they
have met with the results that have risen from the one
pair that you gave me. I have now two large ponds

3G0 ACCLIMATISATION OF THE ORFE.

full of them, too full, in fact, for them to grow to a large
size ; but I have had them, from a small pond where
there were but few, of 41bs. weight. — Higford Burr."

Golden tench have also bred freely at Woburn Abbey
and also in Norfolk. I trust eventually they will be
established in the Norfolk Broads.

The gold schlei is a very beautiful variety of the
ordinary tench, of a most lovely yellow colour mixed
with the gleam of gold — as the Germans have it, gold
(iJajizende. His beautiful court di'ess is spotted with black
spots which, like the patches as worn by ladies in
George the Third's reign, tend very much to set off the
hues in his magnificent colouring.

CYPRINUS ORFUS.

Local names : Ci/prinus Orfiis, Leuciscus Orfiis, Idns Melanotun.
German : Der Goldnerjiing, Die Goldgelbe, Gose, Botheorfe,
Orfus Germanorum.

In March, 1874, Lord Ai-thur Kussell WTote me as
follows: "Ever since I first saw these splendid fish,
Cyprinus Orfus, in the ponds of the Imperial Palace,
Laxenbm'g, near Vienna, I determined to introduce
them if possible into England, and I was encouraged
by your successful introduction of the golden tench.
My fii'st attempt a year ago was unsuccessful, two gold
orfes only survived of the batch my brother had ob-
tained at Berlin. They are still living in a pond at
Woburn Abbey. My second and successful attempt has
been accomplished with the assistance of Mr. Kirsch,
Director of the Association for Pisciculture at Wiesbaden ;
he sent me one hundi'ed and fourteen golden orfes of
last year's breed, about 2in. long each, and two large speci-
mens. They travelled from Wiesbaden in two tin cans

THE LOOKING-GLASS, OR SPEIGEL CARP. 361

in charge of one of the clerks of the association, and,
favoured by the cold weather, they were all deposited,
without a single loss, in one of the Duke of Bedford's
ponds at Woburn Abbey."

This beautiful fish grows to the weight of 31bs. There
is a fine coloured figure of the golden orfe in " Blochs,"
vol. iii. p. 96.

In former times, before the arrival in Europe, to-
wards the end of the last century, of the Chinese gold-
fish, the gardens and fountains of the little princes of
the Holy Eoman Empire were enlivened by golden
tench and the red variety of Cyprinus Orfas, called by
the Germans grold orfe.

t5"

SPEIGEL CARP.

Local names : Cyprimis Specularis, Cyprinus rex Cj/prinorum,
Speigel Karpsen. German : Der Leder Karpfen. French :
Carpe anniroir ; also Eene de Carpe, Carpe Acuir, Carpe a
Grand EcaiUes.

In March, 1873, Lord Arthur Eussell was kind enough
to bring me up three grand specimens of the looking-
glass carp, most worthily called Cijprinus rex Cyjwinoruni.
Sixteen Speigel Carp had been sent ali\etoliis brother,
Lord Odo Eussell, by Count Maltzan, who lives in
Silesia. The three fish which had died in transit
weighed 61bs., 5^1bs., and 5lbs. 2oz., and measured from
19in. to 22in. The greater part of the body of this fish
is of the usual carp colour and is quite soft like wash-
leather, there being no scales whatever upon it ; along
the central line on each side of the fish there is a row
of very large scales, some being two inches across, some
not larger than a sixpence. These are of a golden
colom', tinted with opal. Altogether they are not unlike
the peacock feather.

362 INTRODUCTION OF BLACK AMERICAN BASS.

The leather carp is the name given to this fish when
the hig hright scales are absent, which is sometimes
the case.

Li May, 1873, Lord Arthur Eussell kindly presented
to me four living sxDccimens of the Speigel or looking-
glass carp. They were presented to Lord Odo Kussell,
ambassador at Berlin, by Count Munster.

Of these four fish two are now alive and well at my
museum. South Kensington.

In October, 1880, Lord Odo Kussell brought to
Woburn Abbey from Berlin, six Cyprinus rex Cijprinorum
bred at Trachenfels, near Breslau, by Prince Herman
Hatzfeldt.

PERCH ES.
BLACK BASS.

(Gri/stes nigricans.)

Among the perches that promise well for acclimatisation,
the fish which seems to me to be the most suitable of
all is the Black Bass of Canada (Grystes nigricans).

Li December, 1878, Mr. Begg, a Scotch gentleman
who has a residence at Orillia, not far from Lake Huron,
brought to England some living specimens of black bass.
These fish he caught in Lake Eosseau. They were the
black bass of the St. La"\\Tence, the Huro nigricans,
Grystes nigricans. Most of these bass were sent to Mr.
Mason of Eynsham Hall, Oxford, and Mr. Begg him-
self took a number of them to Dunrobin Castle, the seat
of His Grace the Duke of Sutherland.

It is to the Marquis of Exeter, of Burleigh House,
Stamford, that English fish culturists owe the present
acclimatisation of black bass into this country.

Mr. Silk, the able and successful pisciculturist to the
marquis, has been twice to America at his lordship's

BLACK BASS AT THE MARQUIS OF EXETEr's. 3G3

expense to fetch these bass. Mr. Silk kindly gives me

the following report of his expeditions, the pains he

took to obtain success does him the greatest credit.

He writes : —

All of the black bass that I brought in 1878 from the United
States of America were taken from the Delaware River. I placed
them in boxes floating in the stream ready to be taken away. On
the day preceding the sailing of the steamer for England they were
placed in the tanks I had prepared for them by the river side. We
got them to the train without any loss, and on arriving in New
York had them placed on the main deck of the steamer ; it was then
11 p.m., we having left the Delaware Eiver at 3 p.m. Up to this
time I had no loss ; my greatest trouble was the high temperature
it stood at — 78 deg. all night. I kept the water as cool as possible
with ice. I stayed by the tanks all night pumping air every few
minutes, and keeping people from meddling with them. When
daylight came I examined the tanks and found five dead fish, which
I removed at once. It was now 5 a.m., and the ship was to sail
at 6 a.m. I got some men to assist me in changing the water in
the tanks. I had one spare tank, which I filled fir«t, then reduced
the temperature from 75 deg. as it came out of the hydrant to 58
deg., then placed the bass in it, and so on until I had given them
all fresh water. We sailed at 6 a.m. sharp. When we got out to
sea a few miles, I made arrangements with two of the steerage
passengers to assist me on the voyage. It was then 9 a.m. I gave
them both instructions what to do. After this I arranged with my
men to keep watch two hours each, and to relieve each other at
meal times. I always took four hours' watch in the night. I then
roused one of the men and gave over the fish in good order. If
there were any dead I always took them out at once. I made it a
point never to go to my cabin at night. We got on very well the
first day, as it was cooler, but after this we got into the Gulf
Stream ; both the air and sea was very hot, the atmosphere 85 deg.,
and the water in the sea 78 deg. It was during these five days we
lost the most fish. We cleared the water every day by straining
it through flannel, all thick and dirty water we threw away and
added some fresh water made by melting ice. The sixth day out
we got into cooler weather, and the fish commenced to do better.
The temperature of the atmosphere dropped to 57 deg. We used
very little ice unless to make fresh water with. We kept on like
this until we reached Liverpool, after ten days' passage. I now

3Gi MURRAY COD OF AUSTRALIA. -

got fresh water and changed all the tanks. The fish did not object
in the least, but were quite lively. It did not hurt them changing
the water from American to British. I got them conveyed to the
railway station and placed on a truck. We arrived in Stamford in
due course, and on counting the fish I found we had 153. I left
the Delaware with 250, so that I had lost 97 fish in twelve days.

In 1879 I went again, and started from America with 1,200 black
bass, and on arriving home I had 812, having done better than I
did on the previous occasion. All of the black bass were for the
Marquis of Exeter, he having borne all the expense of the experi-
ment. Most of the fish were placed in a lake belonging to his
lordship called Whitewater, near Stamford. Not any of them have
been caught yet. From what I could learn they would be about
half-a-pound each in weight, so that they had done very well. The
first lot that were put in will be three years old in April, when they
are expected to commence breeding. — October, 1880.

Mr. Forrester says the black bass is one of the finest
American freshwater fishes, surpassed by none in the
boldness of biting and by few in excellence upon the
board. It attains the weight of Gibs, or 81bs. It is
taken abundantly in Lake Champlain ; but in the St.
Lawrence and amongst the Thousand Islands it affords
the greatest sport to the angler. It is also found in all
the Canadian lakes.

American authorities state that the difference between
this and the Oswego Bass arises merely from condition
and feeding grounds.

THE MUEEAY COD.

(Grystes macquariensis.)

This is an Australian Perch, which I am convinced woulcl
do well in this country. Mr. E. Wilson, whose name is
so well known in connection with acclimatisation, was
desirous to bring the Mm-ray Cod over to England, and
on May 21, 1864, some of these fish, of course small
specimens, actually arrived alive in the London Docks

HABITS OF MURRAY COD. 3G5

on board the Li ncohi shire. I went to the Docks to
receive the fish. Mr. Thatcher, the steward of the
vessel, reported to me that he had received on board
the Lincolmhire, on Saturday, February 20th, 130 fish
measuring from 2 in. to 2^m. long. They were placed
on board in excellent condition by Mr. Spragg, Secretary
of the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria, and had
been caught by the fishermen of the Murray Fishing
Company at the junction of the Edward and Murray
liiver ; floated down the river to Echren, and thence
forwarded to Melbourne by the Victoria Eailway Com-
pany. The vessel used to transport them was a cask
containing 50 gallons, measuring 3ft. Sin. at the mouth,
and 4ft. deep, the vessel being slung on gimbols. These
fish all died suddenly on February 28th, in consequence,
it is supposed, that clean water had not been given
them. I give these details in case the experiment is
tried again. The following is Mr. Wilson's character
of the Murray cod in abstract : — He is idle, he moves
but slowly, and in consequence he cannot do injury to
the young fish, which are generally so alert. He is
solitary in his habits, he swims up little currents of
water, and above all he easily accommodates himself to
live in a water-hole — -a water-hole being a large hole
in the bed of the river always fiUl of water, fi-equently
found in the rivers of Victoria, when the great heat of
the summer has di'ied up their course.

Kivers which refuse to carry the salmon would be
favourable to the Murray cod. It is essentially a fish of
fresh water. The Murray cod is said to grow in his own
country to a great weight, such as 601b s.

The flesh of the Murray cod is reported to be excellent
eating, and it is better than that of a good mullet.

In May, 1880, I received, through the kindness of Dr.

366 PARADISE -FISH OF CHINA.

Inglis and Mr. Foord, of Melbom-ne, three preserved
specimens of this fish, which I am about to have set uj)
as additions to my fish museum at South Kensington.

The Murray cod is also called the " growler;" he is
able to make a curious noise in the water (see an account
of the oesophageal teeth under the head of Maigre,
p. 136).

PARADISE-FISH.

On July 8, 1869, Mr. Simon, French Consul at
Ningpo, arrived in Paris, bringing with him some fish
hitherto unknown to naturalists. These were little
fish which he had brought over alive from a brook in
the neighbourhood of the rice-fields of Canton. They
are small fish. The scales present all the colours of
the rainbow, with vertical bands of yellow, red, and
blue, and lines of changing colours running from head
to tail ; the form graceful and softly rounded ; the
caudal fin long-forked and fan-shaped ; the dorsal and
anal fins very long. On July 21st they began to spawn,
and Mons. Carbonnier, who had charge of them, dis-
covered, to his astonishment, that the male began to
swallow the eggs. Previously to swallowing the eggs
the male had ejected bubbles, which did not burst on
the surface of the water. The male deposited the eggs
from out of his mouth and underneath the shelter of
these bubbles, which formed a kind of nest. The parent
fish both kept watch in the neighbourhood of the eggs.
After a while the young fish were hatched out. Their
mouths being so small it was difficult to procure food for
them. M. Carbonnier solved the question by cutting up
aquatic plants, and breeding monads and other animal-
culoe which thej^oung fish found suitable to their wants.
Monads are minute crustaceans called Cyclo/is. Here,

368 SUN-FISH OF AMEKICA.

then, we have an excellent hint for those who wish to
rear young fish which otherwise it is difficult to nourish.

On the beauty of these Chinese fish M. Carbonnier
called them the Paradise-fish. He was kind enough
to present me with a j)air of them, and they lived some
time in my museum, where they eventually died, I
think, on account of its being too cold. They were cer-
tainly the most beautiful little fish I ever saw. They
would, I feel convinced, do exceedingly well in this
countr}^, not, of course, as fisli to turn out, but as
aquarium or, to coin a phrase, a hot-house fish.
Should any lady take a fancy to looking after these fish,
keeping them in a warm room, feeding them regularly,
and seeing that the water is properly managed, they
would, I am convinced, become acclimatised in this
country. It has been proved they will breed in France,
why not, therefore, in England ? M. Carbonnier has
shown us how to feed the young ones, and I have no
hesitation in saying that with proper care and attention
they would thrive in England.

Should an opportunity occur, of course I should spare
no pains to get these fish over from Canton and other
parts of China.

SUN-FISH.

There has been alive in one of the aquaria at my
museum, South Kensington, for some months past, a
very beautiful little American fish brought me over by
Mr. Begg when he brought the black bass ; this is the
Sun-fish or Sunny {Poniotis viihjaris), a small species of
Centrachus. Extreme length is eight inches. It is

o o

ovoidal in shape, and is of most lovely colours— green,
brown, and pale blue.

It is common in the middle and southern States,

AMERICAN CAT-FISH GOURAMI. 3G9

where they are caught by boys with worm bait, and who
call them punkin seeds or kivers.

That smi-fish would do very well in any of our
ordinaiy ponds I feel convinced, and I trust that some
of om- countrymen returning from America may be kind
enough to bring some over. Small specimens should be
chosen, and they should be carried in a large glass
carboy and air repeatedly pumped into them with a
pair of bellows ; if the weather is hot add ice frequently.

CAT-FISH.

Another fish that would do well in this country is the
Cat-fish [Pimeludus). It is a species of Silurus, also
called the Bullhead and Bull-pout, They are found in
all the waters of North America. In some places it is
esteemed a great delicacy, equal to an eel.

He is a greedy biter at a bait ; he cannot be very
difficult to carry, and the transport should be managed
in the same way as the sun-fish.

GOURAMI.

[Osphromeniis olfax.)

The Gourami is a freshwater fish, whose origin is in
Cochin China, whence it has been imported successively
to Penang, Malacca, Mauritius, Eeunion, Cayenne.
It belongs to the family of Lahjrinthides. It has a
labyrinthiform apparatus connected with the gills,
which allows it to keep in a reservoir a certain quantity
of water.

In warmish water, and with proper food and space,
it grows quickly; thus a fish atone year old, being 4in.,
would grow to Sin. in the third year.

Gouramis inhabit the lakes and ponds of Cochin

25

870 HABITS OF GOUKAMIS WHEN IN CHINA.

China. They Hke water that is clear, and a little muddy
at the bottom, with plenty of vegetation growing. Tlie
temperature which suits this fish best is 24 to 26 Centi-
grade— i.e., 75 to 79 Farenheit, and the temperature in
winter must not get below 19 degrees — that is, %Q>
Earenheit.

These fish are herbivorous, as the length of their in-
testines indicates. In their native place their favourite
food is plants which grow in the water of these countries,
and besides these the gourami eats cabbage, lettuce,
leaves of turnips, beet-root, maize, potatoes, arrowroot,
carrots, biscuits, manioc ; in fact, almost any vegetable
farinaceous substances.

At the time of spawning the males and females
choose a convenient place to make their nest and de-
posit their eggs ; this nest is made of aquatic plants.
They are about 14 centimetres long, and is built by the
male and the female in about a week. The female de-
posits from 800 to 1,000 eggs ; during the hatching out
the parent fish attend upon the young ones. When
the fi"y are hatched out, they eat the vegetable portions
of the nest which are softened by maceration. Gouramis
begin to breed at three years old ; it is at this time
their flesh is best, and possesses an excellent taste.

Having published a portrait of the Gourami in Land
and Water, October, 1880, I received a letter from my
friend Mr. Jamrach, 180, St. George' s-street. East,
stating that he had two gouramis alive. The poor
things kept sailing around and around their new abode
as if looking for food. I tried them with a dozen different
sorts of food, but with no success. At last I hit off the
right food. When I placed it in the globe they rushed
at it and devoured it most greedily.

Having fed voraciously they both wriggled up into the

LIVING GOURAMI FROM MR. JAMRACH. 371

anacliaris weed, and there remained with their heads
uppermost and perfectly motionless for hours. I am
convinced they were fast asleep.

These fish measure three inches long, and an inch
deep at the shoulder.

The healthy fish of this pair is a regular beauty. He
carries band marks down his sides of a lovely blue
colour ; his head also is silvery, and tinted with the
sheen of the peacock-blue. Along his lower side he
carries a keel of a very long fin. Each ray of this fin is
tipped with a lovely spot of carmine red. As he swims
about in the sun he is a very beautiful object.

Each fish has attached to the skin, near the lower
aperture of the gills, two long feelers very nearly the
length of the body. These feelers are continually
moving about in the water, reminding me of a lobster
in an aquarium playing his horns.

The gourami seems to use these feelers more as
balancing poles than anything else.

Although they have plenty of water, both these fish
come up very frequently with a rush, like a trout rising
at a fly to the top of the water; here, with an exceedingly
quick motion, they make a bubble of air, but whether
they emit the air or take it in, I cannot decide. When
the room is quiet, the noise made by these fish in this
operation is like a drop of water falling with a noise that
sounds like the word '* pit " sharply pronounced.

I find that he has teeth at the tip of his very prehen-
sile jaws. These teeth are so small that I can hardly
make them out ; they feel with the tip of the finger to
be rough like sandpaper.

Thus it will be seen that there exists a fish which
promises extremely well to thrive in this country, and,
so far as 1 am personally concerned, I shall lose no oppor-

372 WHERE TO BREED GOURAMI.

tunity in endeavouring to procure more living specimens.
Should I be successful, the places where they ought to
be turned out should be ponds where the water is warm,
such as those in Yorkshire, where the water, being
heated by the waste steam from cloth factories, is so
favourable to the breeding of Gold-fish. Still better
places than these would be the ponds or reservoirs
constructed and already existing in large green-houses
or establishments for forcing grapes, &c. Of these so
many exist attached to country mansions as well as
town houses, the heat of which has not been suffi-
ciently devoted to experiments on animal life, though
the success with vegetable life has proved indubitable.

FISH CULTUEE IN CHINA.

In June, 1877, his Excellency the Chinese Minister
having heard that we English were considerably ad-
vanced in the science of fish culture, expressed his wish,
through Dr. McCartney, to visit my Museum of Eco-
nomic Fish Culture at South Kensington. My friends
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Murray kindly made arrange-
ments, and I had the honour of giving them and his
Excellency a lecture in the museum itself.

Of course I could not understand a word in Chinese,
the conversation being carried on by means of Dr.
McCartney, who speaks that language quite fluently.

Before I could give any advice, it was necessary to
know what were the natural fish of China. I therefore
placed in the hands of his Excellency a light fishing-
rod, with a request that he would point out to me, from
the casts on the walls, the kinds of fish like those in
China. It was soon evident that salmon and trout, if
found at all in China, are a rare fish. I conclude from
what the Ambassador demonstrated, that the fish which

FISHERIES OF CHINA. 373

are prolaably abundant there are all stagnant-water
fish, such as are found in the lake districts of Norfolk
and Suffolk. The fish which his Excellency pointed
were bream (Li-yu), carp (Neen-yu), perch, eels, roach,
and silurus. As regards salt-water fish, a species of cod
called shek-pan, and a flat fish called Tsang-yu.

I was informed that fish were very much esteemed in
China, and formed a large proportion of the food of the
people, especially the poor. The price of them was one
and a quarter li for twelve cash, but I cannot reduce
this to an English standard. There is no legislation,
no close-time, mesh of nets, or any other restrictions
ux)on fishing in China. As far as I could make out, the
principal mode of catching fish was by fixed engines,
and if I understood right, stake-nets were greatly em-
ployed. These were often many miles in length, and
the fish entrapped in them were kept alive till required
for the markets.

Fish culture is much carried on in private ponds and
lakes, and Dr. McCartney told me he had heard in
China that an acre of water, properly cultivated with
fish, was worth more than an acre of land, cultivated in
the ordinaiy manner. His Excellency informed me that,
although there was no close- time for fish in China, he
thought they were more or less protected by natural
causes in the months of May and June, when they are
spawning; that is to say, by floods and inundations.
The principal fishings are carried on in the winter
time.

Having placed a map of China before his Excel-
lency, he pointed out to me the big river called
Yang-tse-kiang, or Ta-king, which has a catchment basin
(or drainage area) of 742,000 square miles, whereas the
catchment basin of the Thames is 5,500 square miles.

374 FRESHWATER EDIBLE FISH OF CHINA.

He also pointed out a large lake called Tooing-ting, also
some tributaries running into this lake — viz., the Siang,
Yuen, and the Soo. This province of Hoonang, as well
as the province of Quang-tung, the province of Fokien,
and Kiangsi, were also great fish producers.

When we consider that there are more than
450,000,000 of men, women, and children in China that
have to he fed, the subject offish culture becomes most
important to China.

Soon after his visit to my museum, his Excellency
most kindly dictated to one of his staff an outline of
fish culture as at present carried on in China. This
valuable document was written in Chinese, but Dr.
McCartney kindly got it translated for me.

The following is an abstract of the paper. The
following are the principal fish in China : Lee, frequently
weighs 401bs., caught in winter — probably a large
silm'us ; Chi, delicate and well-flavoured, do not exceed
a pound and a half ; Lein or Yung, a large-headed fish
of delicate flavour ; Chao, greatly esteemed ; T'sao, or
grass-fish, kept in little ponds in the gardens of country
houses, and Han-tse, or the red-eyed fish ; Plen, called
the contracted neck fish, said to be excellent for the
table, and one of the best in China ; Poa-tino very
palatable ; Ching, a fish of a green colour ; Lee, black
and spotted like stars : on this account it is called the
seven-star Jish ; Chan, a very slimy fish, possibly a kind
of tench ; Feh-toh, a well-flavoured fish ; Hwang-sang,
has a dorsal fin as shai*p as a knife ; Shah, a small fish
called also Mo wah ; Tao, or knife-fish ; Han, known
as the yellow han ; Chin-tsu, or needle-mouthed fish,
taste very fine ; Yin, silver fish, taste most delicious.

For further particulars as to this interesting and
promising subject I beg to refer to that most valuable

FISH FOR ACCLIMAT1S\TI0N. 375

book, '' The Special Catalogue of the Ningpo Collec-
tion of Exhibits for the International Fishery Exhibi-
tion. Berlin, 1880." Pabhshed by order of the Inspector
General of Customs, Shanghai Statistical Department,
1880.

1 am quite certain that many of the fish mentioned
by the Chinese Ambassador would do quite well in this
country, and now that the transport of fish for long
voyages is thoroughly understood, I am in great hopes
that I shall be able to induce the owners of our fast-
sailing tea- ships who come to the ports of London from
China, to bring home samples of living fish. If gold
fish were brought from China years ago, surely with our
improved mode of transport we could get over speci-
mens of the carp tribe.

KESUME OF FISH FIT FOR ACCLIMATISATION.

Thus it will be seen that the fish which we may
expect to do well in this country are as follows : —

FROM EUEOPF.

Rhine Salmon, Great Lake Trout, Common Trout,
Fera, Golden Tench, Cyprinus Orfus, Looking-glass
or Spiegel Carp, Pike Perch, Silurus,

Total, 9 in number.

FROM AMERICA.

Salmo Fontinalis, Black Bass, Cat-fish, Sun-fish.
Total, -i in number.

FROM AUSTRALIA.

Murray Cod.

FROM CHINA.

Paradise-fish, Gourami, and I trust several others.

37G AN ABSTRACT OF FEESHWATER FISHERIES ACT.

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APPENDIX.

No. 1.

WATER TELESCOPES.

To those of my readers who spend their time at the
seaside and are fond of observing living fish and other
forms of subaqueous animal life in their wild state, I
commend the use of the water telescope.

This efficacious and cheaply-made instrument is not
used so much in this country as its merits deserve. The
Norwegian fishermen are constantly in the habit of
employing it in their herring and cod fisheries, and
often thereby discover shoals of fish that would other-
wise escape their nets. On the surface of the water in
the sea and also in most rivers there is generally a
ripple, which prevents the bottom being seen ; it is to
get rid of this ripple that the water-glass is so useful.
There are three forms of water-glass, namely, an ordi-
nary bucket or barrel with the bottom knocked out ;
secondly, a piece of tin of a funnel shape, about three
feet long and nine inches diameter at the broad (or
bottom) end, and large enough at the top to accommo-
date the observer's eyes — into the broad end should be
inserted a plate of strong glass and some lead to weigh
it down ; thirdly, the simplest way is to get a tin or
zinc tube like a map case. This should be about three
and a half feet long and three inches in diameter. The
bottom of this also should have glass and be weighted.
When the water is clear this instrument will enable the

380 USES OF WATER TELESCOPES.

observer to see from three to twenty fathoms on cahn
bright days. Of course when the water is thick the
glass is useless. The Cornishmen, especially at the
Lands End, use these instruments for looking for nets,
lost crab and lobster pots, &c.

In the Museum of the Eoyal Artillery, Woolwich, is
a model of a water-glass consisting of a square box of
wood, six inches each way ; a round piece of glass
somewhat larger than a watch-glass is let into the top
and the bottom of the box is foi-med by a square of
glass let into the wood about one foot square ; the inside
of the box is blackened.

This model is exhibited by Captain Fred. Kobertson,
E.A., who, upon a label close to the model, has placed
the following information : —

" At Halifax, Nova Scotia, I was ordered to weigh a
241b. gun, which had fallen into six fathoms of water.
By means of a water-glass, I v/as enabled to see its
exact position at the bottom. I then got a gunner to
dive, with an iron bar, which, with a rope attached, he
inserted into the muzzle of the gun. I then passed a
ranning-noose over the rope attached to the iron bar
fixed in the bore. The diver then passed the rope under
the gun until the noose was before one trunnion and
behind the other. The gun was then brought to the
surfa(^ by means of a capstan."

To t^he naturalist water telescopes will be invaluable,
as by means of them the actions of the fishes and other
inhabitants of the ocean can be observed better than in
any aquaria. The beauties and luxurious growth of
the submarine forests of sea plants will also to many
be a most novel and interesting spectacle. To Avater
parties who picnic on rivers or near lakes the water
telescope will be found a great adjunct to the day's en-

MUSEUM OF ECONOMIC FISH CULTURE. 381

jovmeufc, as by means of it subaqueous scenery may,
possibly for the first time, be brought into view, and
many a beautiful panorama opened up to the human
eye. This glass would be most useful for roach-fishing
parties. When a deep x^l^ce in the river has been
baited up for the afternoon and evening fishing, the
swim may be interviewed with the water telescope, and
if there are n'o fish there another spot may be chosen.

The j^unt fishermen of the Thames when they are
angling for gudgeon and other bottom fish w^ould also
derive great amusement in watching the actions of the
fish they are endeavouring to catch.

An idea has been suggested to me that it would not
be a bad plan to insert in the bottom of the "w^ells"
of punts a piece of strong plate glass — of course this
must be protected.

No. 2.

MUSEUM OF ECONOMIC FISH CULTURE,
SOUTH KENSINGTON.

In the foregoing pages I have made frequent reference
to casts and other preparations of fish in my museum.

Under the auspices of the authorities of the Science
and Art Department of the South Kensington Museum
I have been allowed to exhibit my collection in their
galleries. The collection of this Fish Museum has
occupied me since 1863, seventeen years. The museum
is my own property, but the cases are lent by the
Department.

I trust the time will come when fish culture, as demon-
strated by my collection, maybe considered a w^orthy sub-
ject of education as increasing the fish food of the people.

My establishment has, I am hapj^y to say, become
the consulting and reference room, not only for my

882

USES OF THE FISH MUSEUM.

fellow countrymen, whether interested in sea or river
fisheries, but also for gentlemen officially concerned
with fish culture in other countries such as Germany,
France, Eussia, Australia, America, New Zealand, &c.

Hoping that this book may be the means of recruit-
ing many to the good cause of fish culture, I now take
the opportunity of giving an abbreviated catalogue of
my museum's contents, trusting that mf readers may
be induced to pay it a visit, and learn practically the
lessons which I have endeavoured to teach, whether
in my official or private capacity.

Where not otherwise indicated, the numbers denote
casts in plaster, every one of which I have made with
my own hands, assisted by my secretary, Mr. Searle,
and Mr. Edon, the curator of the Museum. In support
of my Museum I receive a small annual grant from the
Department.

CETACEA.

\Mnte Whale : Bottle-nosed Whales, Porpoises, &c.

Heads of Whale . .

Cast of Blow hole of Whale

0(3cLio •• •« «• ••

Large Moulds of Cetacea not east yet
Narwhal horns
Harpoons, Seal, and "Wliale
Skulls of Caing Whale . .

7
2
1
3
2

a

8
5

Monster Salmon in Cases
Kelt Salmon
Heads of Salmon . .
Casts of Salmon (Single)

SALMON.

4
14

8
67

Casts in Cases
Groups
Single Casts

TEOUT.

7
45

CASTS AND SPECIMENS IX FISH MUSEUM.

883

Sturgeons, Large .
Mould (not cast).
Heads of Sturgeons

STURGEONS.

"Weight of Fish 5^cwt.

SEA FISH.

Sharks

Jaws of Sharks

Large Sword-fish . .

Large Tunny

I^arge Skates

]\Ionster Halibuts . .

Snn-fish

^Monk-fish . .

Ijarge Congers

Other Sea Fish of various sizes,

3
1
2

12

11
3
1
3
2
1
2
4

77

FEESHWATER FISH.
Pike, Perch, Eels, Roach, Carja, &c. . .

52

MODELS.

Salmon ladders . .

Diagrams and Photographs

Large Glass Case containing Models of Salmon passes, Weirs,

CVOa •• •• •• •• •• •> •• ••

Pughley's Patent to keep tin plate pollutions out of rivers . .
Cp.tch-pits for lead ore pollution

FISH BREEDING ESTABLISHMENTS.

Photographs
Models

28
84

7
1
1

10

a

HATCHING APPARATUS.

Hatching-Troughs, various
Rearing Ponds, Young Salmon. .
Aquaria, various . .

CUTTLE FISHES.

Monster Newfoundland (Wood Model) . .
Octopus and others

Fish Spears, various

Cases of Crabs and Lobsters (Illustrating Crab and Lobster

x\l^ Ll«* •• •• •• «• •• •« ««

Crab and Lobster, Pots

21

3

14

1
3

32

3
6

3
1

*2

0
1
1

97

884 hakes' teeth.

FISHING TACKLE.

Bartlett and Son, Kedditch, Show Cases

Alfred and Son, do

Farlow, Charles, Strand do

Salmon and Trout Rods, Farlow

Sea Tackle, Hearder of Ph'mouth

Hounsell, Herbert, Bridport, Ropes, Nets, &g.

Sundries, Photographs, Nets, Carriers, Skins, Skulls, &c.

CASES OF BIRDS.

Cases of Birds lent by Miss Dann
Do. do lent by Mr. Aitken
Large Case of Flamingoes

PHOTOGRAPHS OF AMERICAN FISHES.
Photographs of American Fishes . . . . . . . . 62

CASES CONTAINING OYSTER PREPARATIONS.

Glass Boxes Illustrating Natural History of Oysters (about) 150

Groups of Oysters, tt'c, separate . . . . . . . . 30

Case of Roman Pottery . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Photographs, Oyster Culture, and Legislation . . . . . . 21

FISH PREPARATION.

Bottles Containing Fish Preparations . . . . . . . . 120

Do. do. Development of Salmon, Single Case . . 1

Total Number of Preparations . . . . . . . . . . 1061

No. 3.
HAKES' TEETH.

(See 2)0 ge 110.)

Mr. Matthias Dunn lias kindly followed up this subject
for me. He writes as follows :

'^ I, like you, have seen marked on various Sea Charts
the soundings as '* Hakes' teeth," and have wondered
what it could mean.

"In the summer, 18G8, this matter was cleared up
by my brother. He w^s becalmed one night about
twelve miles S.W. from the Bishop's Lighthouse, Scilly
Isles, near where ''Hakes' teeth" are reported in Charts.

WHALE AND THRESHER-SHARK. 385

" With a long line lie let down to the sea hottom a
common galvanised iron pail, which in a short time got
filled with debris. The common objects in it were sprays
of white coral and some hundreds of what appeared to
be the spines or hair from the backs of the Sea Mouse
[AphrocUt aculeata), sparkling and iridescent, as when
giving beauty to the living animal. No doubt these
were the reputed hakes' teeth as reported by sailors."

Another correspondent, my friend Mr. John Woodhall,
of Scarborough, whites to me : " Your hakes' teeth as
marked in soundings are small shells, either a dentaliinn
or a ditrypa, most frequently the former."

I should be pleased to have more information on this
point.

No. 4.

WHALE AND THRESHER.

In September, 1880, Lord A. Campbell sent a letter to
the Scotsman, describing a battle that he witnessed oft'
Bellisle, from the deck of the s.s. Peruvian. This fight
as usual was supposed to be between a thresher and a
whale.

His lordship was kind enough to send me a drawing,
which, though rough, was quite sufficient to throw great
light, if not a full explanation of the phenomenon which
he and the passengers of the Peruvian certainly saw.

His lordship says that he did not himself see the
swordfisli, and I still am of opinion that there was no
swordfish there.

We now have to account for the thresher. In ordinary
parlance, when we talk of a thresher-shark, it is gene-
rally understood that we mean the fox- shark (Carcharias
vulpes), the fellow with the long tail, of which there are

26

380 THE whale's enemy.

several casts in 1113^ Museum of Economical Fish
Culture.

I am still of opinion that the fox-shark was not the
animal that attacked this whale. The drawing gives
me sufficient evidence of this, as the tail, &c., is not that
of the thresher.

What animal, therefore, could it have been that we
see depicted in the sketch attacking the whale ? I think
I have discovered it. It was the gladiator dolphin, or
sword grampus {Delphinus r/ladiator).

This grampus has very strong and sharp-pointed teeth,
and is an animal of great boldness and strength.

These beasts are really great enemies of the whale,
and they often hunt the whale in couples. They prin-
cipally attack the young whales, but they are not above
making an onslaught on an adult animal. There is,
moreover, an excellent reason why the "sword grampus"
attacks a whale. He is a very carnivorous fellow, and
there is plenty of testimony extant that, having killed
the whale, he and his friends will eat him. These
grampuses are so carnivorous that they will also hunt
seals, and catching them when they are swimming
about the ice-floes, or else (as my friend Captain David
Gray, of the Eclijjse, Peterhead, whaler, told me) thrust-
ing themselves up on to the edges of the ice, they will
seize the seals off it, kill, and devour them. Nay more,
when specimens of this whale killer have been cut open,
the contents of the stomach, viz., portions of whales,
porpoises, or of seal's flesh, show that he is accustomed
to devour his fellow cetacea.

Thus, then, I beg to offer a further sohation of the
fight that Lord A. Campbell observed, and that many
others also have recorded.

ARTIFICIAL BREEDING OF SALMONID.T:.

387

No. 5.

NUMBERS OF EGGS IN VARIOUS KINDS
OF BRITISH FISH.

EGGS
> ..• ... .•• ••• ^Oo f i ( O

oe 23oz. ...

Brill of 41bs. ...
Carp of 14|^lbs. ...
Codof201bs. ...
Cod, roe 7flbs. ...
Conger Eel, 281bs., r

Herriiif? of ilb.

Jack or Pike, 321bs., roe 5lbs.

Jack or Pike, 281bs., roe 21oz

Lamprey of 2:^ lbs.

Lump Fish of 21b3.

Mackerel of lib.

Perch of 31bs. 2oz.

Plaice, 41b. 15oz.

Eoacb, 281bs. ...

Salmon contains on an average 800 to

900 eggs to the pound of the fish's

weight. — A Salmon of 121bs. about

Smelt of 2oz

Sole of lib.

Trout of lib

Turbot of 23lbs., roe 51b. 9oz

Crab From 1,500,000 to 2,000,000

Lobster 24,960

Oyster (spats) 300,000 to 800,000

No. 6.
ARTIFICIAL BREEDING OF SALMONID^.

In order to render this book as useful as possible to the
public, I now give short instructions how to breed
salmon, trout, charr, and other Salmonidcns, by artificial

633,350

4,872,000

6,867,840

15,191,040

From 20,000 to 50,000

595,200

292,320

136,800

116,640

86,120

155,620

144,600

480,480

10,000

36,652

134,466

1,000

14,311,200

388 WHERE TO PLACE HATCHING APPARATUS.

means; a most instructive and useful occupation, to the
study of whicli I have given much time and attention
since 1862.

Throughout the country there are streams as well as
lakes and ponds suited for trout which are now trout-
less. Trout are becoming so important, not only as
food, but also for trout fishing, that wherever it is
possible, I earnestly recommend that they should be
bred artificially, and the waters thereby stocked.

The process of breeding artificially is so very in-
expensive and so easily carried out, that with ordinary
care it will probably turn out a success in most cases.

In the first place, then, it is perfectly useless to
waste time and money in attempting to hatch fish in
boxes out of doors by the side of rivulets, &c., it must
be done in-doors, or in a sheltered, easily accessible
house or shed of some kind.

As regards water supply, there is hardly any house
in the country, or even in town, that has not a cistern
from which a sufficient supply of water cannot be
obtained, say from the beginning of December to the
end of March. Connected with stable yards, green-
houses, or other out-door buildings, there is generally
water laid on for household purposes, and a tap in
existence all ready to be utilized. The quantity of
water required to hatch fish is about as much as would
fill a half-inch pipe. It must be arranged to run day
and night.''''

The next thing to be considered is the boxes ; these
can be made either of wood or slate. The proper
dimensions are three feet (inside) long, seven inches

* In case sufficient water cannot be spared from the house
cistern, rig up an iron cistern or ordinary water-butt, to keep up
the supply.

00
00
CO

<5j

o
»

o

H

CO

o

o

O
O

o

SI

390 MANAGEMENT OF HATCHING-TEOUGHS.

(inside) wide, and three inclies and a quarter (clear)
deep.''' Each box of the above dimensions will carry
from two to three thousand eggs. As will be perceived
from the engraving (which represents the hatching appa-
ratus at my museum), the boxes are placed one above the
other, in such a manner that the water runs from the
tap the whole length of box number one, then falling
into number two, runs the whole length of that (only
of course in the reverse direction). These boxes may
be multiplied to any extent one above the other, but I
do not like more than six, as when there are many fish
in the troughs above, the fish in the lower troughs do
not get sufficient oxygen. The water running from
the lowest box should be utilised for the nursery as
afterwards explained.

I am not at all an advocate for hatching eggs on
glass bars, the parent fish do not find glass bars at the
bottom of the river, but they do find gravel. Gravel
therefore should be used for the hatching boxes. Gravel
must not be taken from an iron soil ; it should be well
washed and even boiled before using ; each piece of
gravel should be about the size of a pea. It does not
matter whether the gravel is angular or round. Its use
m the box is to keep the eggs steady, and assist the
young fish in hatching out. Half an inch of gravel
in each box is quite sufficient.

It is advisable to divide off about two inches at the

end of the box (where the water comes in) with a piece

of perforated zinc, as this acts as a kind of catch-pit to

stop any impurities that may happen to be floating

down the stream. Partitions can also be made in the

boxes with perforated zinc, so as to pen off the eggs of

different dates or different species.

* Hatching-boxes made of slate in sets of three fitted to frame
can be obtained from Mr. Edon, Fish Musemn, South Kensington.

MANAGEMENT OF TROUT AND SALMON EGGS. 391

To each box must be fitted a wooden lid with a hole
cut for the entrance of the water ; by means of the lid
the eggs are kept in darkness, for eggs will never do
well if exposed to the light.

Put in your eggs, then turn on the water, and now
comes the most difficult part of the whole operation.

Having on one occasion a valuable lot of eggs which
I was particularly anxious to hatch out well, I sent for
my attendant, and made him promise faithfully to obey
any instructions I gave. " Well then," I said, " will
you be kind enough to do notliing at all, simply leave the
eggs alone." By this I mean that it does not hurt the
eggs to look at them, but it does hurt them to be
continually pulling them about. Nevertheless, the lids
of the boxes should be removed every morning, and
the dead eggs carefully picked out. Dead eggs can be
easily told from live ones. They turn a marble white
and are quite opaque.

To show the elasticity as well as toughness of the
liorn-like shells of the eggs, drop one on the ground — it
will bounce up like an india-rubber ball. It will also
stand a considerable weight upon it. This is a beau-
tiful provision to prevent the egg and its delicate con-
tents being crushed in the gravel nest in which the
13arent fish deposit their eggs. Should a very heavy
fi'ost come on, place a covering of straw, hay, or sack-
ing over the boxes and the supply pipe ; the cold will
not hurt the eggs, but if the water ceases to run, they
will all be in great peril.

When I first began fish breeding, the great difficulty
i^^as fo obtain eggs. Those who wanted them had to
go out to collect them. Salmon and trout eggs are not
^picked up out of the bed of the river like hen's eggs off
their nests.

392 GLASS CATCHERS TO HANDLE EGGS.

The fisli must be caught in a proper net, the eggs
taken from them and manipulated, the fish themselves
being returned uninjured to the water. All this re-
quires skill, and above all, if you do it yourself — and if
you want it done i^ropcrly you must do it yourself
— a knowledge of the habits of the fish, and con-
siderable strength to manage the wet nets, as well as
power to endure very gi-eat cold when wading in the
water, and operating on the fish. I have frequently
taken eggs when the weather has been so cold that
the nets have become stiff as wire fireguards.

All these difficulties are now obviated by the fact that
those who wish to breed young salmonid^e can obtain eggs
all ready for hatching out from the various dealers in
eggs, a list of whom is given at the end of this chapter.

Many failures and many experiments have now taught
us the proper time at which it is safe to move the eggs,
and has also shown the proper mode of packing them
so they will travel safely.

When a consignment of eggs is first received from

the dealer, the bottles or bags in which the eggs have

been packed should be placed in cold water and the

moss cleaned away from them, the eggs will sink to

the bottom while the moss will float. They should

then be carefully removed to the troughs by means of a

glass catcher.'''

* A "catcher" consists of a portion of glass tube about nine
inches long, slightly curved in the middle.
To use the catcher properly, you must

(1) apply the thumb to the one end, while the other end is
placed opposite the eggs you wish to catch.

(2) Kemove the thumb, and the eggs will instantly run up^into
the catcher.

(3) Place the thumb on the end of the catcher again. If this, is
properly performed, the eggs will be found in the catcher, and can.
then be transferred to the troughs.

INFANT FISH HATCHING OUT OF THE EGG. 39B

When the eggs are first received the eyes of the
young fish are just visible as two small black specks.
Oil globules can also be perceived, and the tail of the
fish moving from side to side with rapid vibratory
movement. It does not hurt the eggs when in this
state to examine them, and if an egg be held up to the
light, the young fish will be seen inside packed away in
a most beautiful manner. The eggs themselves do not
grow, that is they do not increase in circumference or
diameter, but the fish inside certainly increases in bulk,
till at last it becomes so large that the shell suddenly
bursts, and out comes the young fish.

It is most interesting to watch the egg at the moment
of hatching.

If you have luck you may happen to be gazing on a
particular egg when of a sudden you will see it split in
twain at the part corresponding to the back of the fish ;
you will then see a tiny head with black eyes and a long
tail pop out, and you will see the newly born creature
give several convulsive shudders at his attempts to quit
himself from the now useless egg shell (fig. 4 ). Poor little
fellow, he can't manage to get out, the shell is too tight
for him (see engraving) ; take therefore a soft hair peucit
press lightly on the egg shell — he seems to know you are
his friend — he gives another vigorous kick or two, and
presto ! he is free and has commenced life. If we judge
from his motions he must enjoy life, for away he swims
as fast as his tiny fins and wriggling tail will carry him,
round and round in a circle, and then plump down he
goes to the bottom of the tank and reclines upon his
side, breathing freely by his gills for the first time in
his life (for w^hen in the egg he does not and cannot
breathe).

They cannot travel very far, their bag (their umbilical

YOUXG SALMON JUST HATCHED OUT— AS SEEN UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.

EXPLANATION OF THE FIGUEES OPPOSITE.

Fig. 1.
Shoics the left side of the fish {magnified 120 diameters).

A. The heart.

B. JMaiu trunk artery.

C. Large vein.

D. Oil globules, only two of which are introduced, for the

sake of" distinctness.

Fig. 2.

Showing the right side of the fish.

a. The heart.

/;. Main trunk artery.

c. The liver.

d. Oil globules.

e. Large vein from liver to heart.

/. Branch from main artery to hver.

Fig. 3. — Salmon Egg.

Fig. 4. — Young Salmon hatching out.

Note. — The bag attached to the fish contains the nourishment,
"which is gradually absorbed into the body. As the fish gets
larger the bag gets smaller, and the fish does not feed till the bag
is quite gone, which is about six weeks or two months after it is
horn.

396 CIRCULATION OF BLOOD IN FISH JUST HATCHED.

vesicle) (see engraving) is too heavy for them, and soon
brings them to the bottom, Hke a bullet at the end of a
** X^aternoster " fishing-line. So far so good, but cannot
we see and learn more about these young fish ? Get out
the microscope, and x:)lace a new born salmon under a
low i)ower, and you shall see one of the most beautiful
sights ever beheld by human eyes (see engraving). You
shall see the tiny heart (a), which is situated just un-
derneath the lower jaw, going pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat; you
shall see the blood at one instant in one cavity of the
heart (where it appears like a red speck), at the next
instant it is at the other side of the heart, and so it goes
on day and night, never ceasing, never tired — a great
forcing pump propelling the blood to all parts of the
body, and gradually building up the frame of a future
King of fishes.

I counted the pulse of the salmon when it was under
the glass, and ascertained that it averaged about sixty
in the minute ; I wonder how much it increases as he gets
older ? Just below the heart can be seen in the umbili-
cal vesicle (when the fish is in the water), a bright red
streak ; examine this under the microscope, and you
will see that this red streak is in fact a great blood
vessel ; with a high power you can see plainly the minute
blood-discs coursing along between the walls of the
elastic tube.

The minor red streaks upon the umbilical vesicle can
in the same way be made out also to be blood vessels,
containing blood- discs, running along at a great pace.

Again, down the centre of the transparent body of
the fish can be seen, with the unassisted eye, two streaks
(b B b) ; the microscope shows that these also are blood-
vessels, and that the blood in the one is running towards
the head, in the other toward the tail. A more complete

PKOGRESSIYE WEIGHT OF SALMON. 397

.find beautiful demonstration of the circulation of the
blood never was yet placed under the microscope.

The average weight of a young salmon just hatched
is nearly two grams, forage bag and all ; he has therefore
& good deal to make up before he is fit to lie on Mr.
•Groves' marble slab.

The rate of increase of w^eight in the young salmon
according to my late lamented friend Mr. Ashworth is
.as follows :

*' At three days old it is nearly 2 grains in weight ;
iit 16 months old he has increased to 2 ounces, or 480
times its first weight ; at 20 months old, after the smolt
has been a few months in the sea it becomes a grilse of
8|^lbs., having increased 68 times in three or four months ;
iit 2f years old it becomes a salmon of 121bs. to 15lbs.
weight ; after which its increased rate of growth has not
been ascertained, but by the time it becomes 301bs. in
weight it has increased 115,200 times the weight it was
at first."

I do not suppose there is any other animal that in-
creases so rapidly and at so little cost, and that becomes
•such a valuable article of food.

In various creatures the progress of development is
uilifferent ; thus, for instance, in the human baby, the
first portion of the body developed is the lower jaw and
;this for an obvious reason, that is, because the most
material want of the baby is to obtain the mother's
milk by suction. Now if the lower jaw were not solid
.and firm in vain would it try to suck.

But in the case of the fish, nature has kindly packed
up all the nourishment that it will want for some six or
eight weeks in a neat little bag or parcel, which she has
affixed to the body of the fish in such a manner that it
shall be gradually absorbed into the general system ;

398 MANAGEMENT OF FISH JUST HATCHED.

the fisli does not suck milk like a warm-blooded animal^
so its lower jaw is not quite so soon ossified.

What is, then, the most important organ to the young-
fish ? He has lots of enemies, and it is his first object
to get out of their way. The eyes therefore are the
organs which first arrive at perfection ; and they are
indeed perfection in this minute jelly-like creature.

The eye is in perfect working order at the moment of
birth, though the rest of the body is far from perfection.
The lens of the eye is amply developed, as can be proved
by placing a dead fish in s^^irits of wine and observing
that the lens turned white instantly it touched the
spirit. Thus I was enabled to see, and accurately to
judge of its size and shape.

The lining coats of the eye, moreover, are already at
birth painted with a beautiful silver-and-gold lining
which the angler will see if he cuts open the eye of the
next fish he kills. It is especially well seen in the eye
of the cod ; and the reader may easily get one of these
and examine for himself.

THE MANAGEMENT OF THE FISH JUST

HATCHED.

When first hatched out the young fish remain quita
quiescent at the bottom of their troughs, looking like
barley-sugar drops. When the light is admitted on to
them, they simultaneously ■\\Tiggle about like tadpoles.

Leave them alone. They do not require feeding.
They live by absorption of the contents of their um-
bilical sac. After a while the little fellows begin " to
scale" — z. 6"., scales to grow — giving their bodies a darkened
appearance, and to move about more actively.

The moment the fish begin to hatch out, j^ou must
increase the flow of water.

TEEATMENT OF FRY IX TROUGHS. SOO'

The quantity of water sufficient — say for three
thousand eggs which do not breathe, is not sufficient for
three thousand fish which do breathe ; their Httle pant-
ing gills being at work incessantly day and night
absorbing oxygen from the water.

At this time it is most important to keep a daily
register of the temperature of the water. For young
fish, though very tolerant of cold, are very intolerant to
heat. Look also to your supply cistern. For when the
spring suns begin to come out, the iron or slate of the
cisterns is apt to absorb heat, and send up the tempera-
ture of the water used for breeding. This is often an
unsuspected cause of mishap.

Once for all remember, that, when young fish are un-
well, the almost only remedy you can give them is
cooler water. The water may always be cooled by
lumps of ice floated in the top trough.

You will find that as the young fish get able to swim
about, they will all crowd up into the corner of the
trough. This is not a healthy state of things ; it may
be remedied by causing the water instead of falling into
the box in one stream at one end, to pour into it by
many jets throughout its whole extent. This may be
done either by making a pipe in the shape of a "f and
boring holes in it (as may be seen in the pipe of an
ordinary water-cart), or by a zinc or wooden gutter with
holes bored in the bottom adapted in size to the stream
of water that is required to run through.

In spite of all that you can do, after a while you will
find the young fish will begin to die — this is a sure sign
that they are too thick in the trough ; you must'there-
fore take out half of them and place them in another
trough.

I cannot go into details, but the only remedy for

400 GILL FEVER HIDES.

stopping fisli fii-om dying is to decrease their numbers,
and at the same time to increase the flow of water ;
every morning and eveningthedeadfish must be carefully
picked out. If they are not picked out they will become
covered with a white fungus, material resembling
cotton wool. This terrible fungus sprouts and grows at an
extraordinary rapid rate, and is very apt to kill the fish
by giving them '' gill fever." Gill fever is simply a growth
of fungus upon the gills, which im^Dedes the breathing
^f the fish, and, as you will see, the fish will die w^itli his
mouth wide open gasping for breath. This fungus is
the Saproler/nia ferax, the terrible vegetable parasite,
which has been the cause of the destruction of so many
full grown salmonidas in the Tweed, Sol way, and other
rivers, i.e., the " Salmon Disease."

The young fish soon after birth, being intolerant of
light, it is advisable to place in the troughs some
" hides." These are best made b}'' supporting upon four
pieces of wood or stone, a slab of slate the size of an
ordinary envelope ; you will find the young fish will
delight greatly in these " hides," going under them for
concealment. Their instinct telling them that in their
■tender young days they have many enemies, among
which ducks are not the least.

ON FEEDING THE YOUNG FISH.

When the umbilical bag is about half absorbed, the
young fish will require some food. Here there arises a
very difficult problem. In former days — and even now
sometimes — the trout and salmon breeder is told to feed
his fish on grated liver. Grated liver to me is an
ab(»mination, it is not, I think, very palatable to the fish ;
.the particles that the fish do not catch falls down among

RED WORMS TO FEED YOUNG FISH. 401

the stones and fouls the water to a great injur}^ of the
inhabitants of the troughs.

Another substance often used for feeding young fish,
and which is not at all objectionable, j)rovided the
troughs be kept thoroughly clean, is the roe of soles. This
is a discovery of the Marquis of Exeter, and he kindly-
told me about it. Here is a riddle. '' What is smaller
than a mite's mouth ? " Answer : ''That which goes into
it." The mouth of the baby trout or salmon is exceedingly
small. The roe of the sole is exceediDgly small, small
enough for the young fish to get it into his mouth and
swallow it. The sole's roe of course must be boiled and
broken up by the fingers.

I have of late years been fortunate enough to discover
w^hat is the very best possible food for young fry ; this
food consists of red mud- worms from the bed of the
Thames. These worms being placed in saucers in the
troughs, have the happy knack of twisting their tails
together into a ball, while they move their heads about,
giving very much the appearance of a ball of red plush.
The wriggling motion of these worms attracts the attention
of the young fish, and they will feed upon them greedily.
The discovery of these worms as food for young fry is
one of the greatest in modern fish breeding. These red
worms, though plentiful in nature, cannot be obtained
anywhere in London except from one man, whose name
and address is Mr. Newman, 32, Thanet Street, Burton
Crescent, Euston Eoad.

He will send the worms in a wet cloth. When not
wanted for use, they will keep very well in a basin under
a dripxnng water tap.

27

402

ON TURNING OUT YOUNG FISH.

As the spring comes on and the weather gets warmer, it
wall be absolutely necessary that your fry should be
turned out. There are two ways of doing this. First,
either turn them out direct into the streams which you
intend to stock ; or secondly, keep them in nurseries until
they are " yearlings," or even two or three years old.

If you have a large number of fry, I certainly advise
that the greater part of them should be turned out at
once in the open stream. This is so important an
operation that you must not trust it to anybody. Find
some tributaries — either brooks, rivulets, &c. — con-
nected with the stream you wish to stock ; place your
fry in a carrier, and w^alk doioi the stream, sowing it
(as it were) with five to twelve living fish every ten or
twelve yards.

Before you let your fish loose in the stream, con-
struct with the pebbles at the bottom of the stream, or
with a couple of bricks and a roof slate, hides for the
fish. The fish should be caught out of the can by
means of a small net made of cap netting and w^ire ;
sink the net with the fish very quietly into the water
below the hide which you have built, and if you do
this without hurry and with care, the chances are that
the fish will immediately dart under the hide, which
they will at once take to as a comfortable and secure
home. The water in the brooks or rivulets where you
turn out the fish should not be too raj)id, and should
have quiet eddies here and there. The little fish wdll
soon make themselves at home in the brooks, espe-
cially if the water is not more than from three to
six inches deep. About six inches is the depth which
I prefer to turn out my fry. If bushes and trees over-

REARING YOUNG FISH IN OUT-DOOR NURSERIES. 403

hang the waters where you turn out the fish so much
the better, as they will entice insects, on which the fish
will feed.

The very best places to turn out fish are watercress
beds, where the water is clear and shallow, the water-
cresses growing on either side, and a stream running
in the middle.

FISH NURSERIES.

Although I advise that the majority of the fish should
be turned out into the open, yet it is most advisable to
establish a fish nursery. Firstly, to enable you to have
some idea how your turned-out fish are getting on ; and
secondly, that you may have the pleasure of taming
the fish of your own rearing — and fish so reared soon
become tame, almost as tame as chickens. For this
purpose dig a hole in the ground, have a large box,
about eighteen inches deep made to fit into the hole ;
be sure the box is water-tight, or it will give you ever-
btsting trouble ; they may be of any size — the size I
like best is about six feet long by three feet wide. The
water in it must not be anywhere deeper than six
inclies, the little fry from the troughs will not thrive in
deeper water, but as the fish get larger, the water may
he deepened ; this is easily arranged by altering the
position higher or lower by the outlet pipe. If you have
space enough, a succession of two or three of these
boxes may be placed end on to each other, and j)retty
little waterfalls instituted where the water runs over
wLile the edges may be ornamented with water plants
according to the gardener's taste. In this manner fish
nurseries may be made very ornamental adjuncts to
gardens and pleasure grounds. (See previous page.)
The supply of these nurseries is readily obtained, as

404 RECEIPT FOE BUCKLAND's FISH FOOD.

may be seen from the drawing, from the same tap as
that used for the troughs. In this case I strongly
recommend the water to be let in by the "[" water-cart
pipe, as above described. The more water you give the
better for the fish.

Into your box you must put several hides ; again,
nothing is better than roof slate. In very hot weather
an awning must be placed over the nursery to protect
it from the sun, and throughout the whole year the
lower half of the box should be covered with boards,
under which the fish will retreat, and come out with a
rush at feeding-time. In hot weather common duck-
weed placed in the nursery forms an excellent refuge
for the fish. I do not in the least object to leaves accu-
mulating in the nursery, they breed insects upon which
the young fish feed. It is advantageous to turn in some
common water snails, as the delicate young snails
when first hatched out form a capital provender for the
growing hy. Gnats and midges should also be en-
couraged, and it is a very beautiful sight to see the
young fish in the evening time jumping clean out of
the water, and catching the midges with the same
grace and velocity as their fathers and mothers in the
open river.

In the nurseries the young fish should be fed with
the red worms placed in saucers, and as they get larger
with fish food, the preparation of which has been
hitherto more or less of a technical secret, but I now
nevertheless publish it, in the hopes that it may be
of service to many of my readers.

It consists of — •

1. Raw beef without fat ;

2. ArroAvroot biscuit powder ;

3. Egg, both yolk and white.

TKANSPORT OF FISH GLASS CARBOYS, 405

Pound well together in a mortar till of the consistency
of ordinary dough ; break into small pieces according
to the size of the fish you have to feed.

If you feed your fish regularly — morning and even-
ing is the best time — you will find that they will
shortly get exceedingly tame, and cause by their gam-
bols much instruction, and amusement to yourself and
friends.

ON THE TRANSPORT OF FISH AND FRY.

Nothing is so difficult as the transport of fish when
you do not know how to do it. Nothing is so easy
when you do know how to do it.

In the transport of fish you must recollect that you
cannot give them continual change of w^ater. First,
because when on a railway jom-ney it is difficult to
obtain water ; and secondly, because the water when so
obtained may possibly contain iron or some other sub-
substance injurious to the fish.

It is therefore necessary to add fresh oxygen to the
water as you go along. This is done, firstly, by allow-
ing the water to splash about as much as possible with
the movement of the railway carriage ; and secondly,
by pumping fresh air into it ; thirdly, by the use of
lumps of ice. For the transport of fish to long distances,
nothing is so good, when you cannot yourself ac-
company the fish, as the large glass bottles x^^-cked
tightly into baskets with straw, and known as sul-
phuric acid carboys ; yom* chemist will probably tell
you where to get these. When the fish are put into
them they must not be more than three parts full of
water, so that there may be plenty of splashing m
transitu.

406

FISH CARKIERS.

After trying many forms of liand carriers for young
fish, I have come to the conckision that nothing can
possibly be better than that depicted in the di'awing
below.

It is a German invention, and the first I ever knew
about it was from Lord Arthur Eussell, who brought
one over from Berlin, and kindly presented it to me.
It will be seen in the figure of the section that it has a
false bottom made of perforated zinc, below which is
a bent pipe traversing round inside the bottom of the
can. This pipe is perforated. To the outside end of the

FISH CAKRIEK.

pipe is attached an india-rubber tube and ball a, b ; by
simply squeezing the ball, fresh air can easily be j^umped
into the can in a continuous stream. If you have no
ball, a pair of bellows will do equally well. The advan-

DEALERS IN FISH EGGS. 407

tage of this can is that you can take it into the rail-
way carriage with you, and by working the ball with
your foot can keep up a continuous supply of air to the
iisli in the can.

This can will also be found exceedingly useful to
jack fishers to carry their baits. Wishing that this
new form of carrying can should be known as wide as
possible among those interested in fish breeding, I
instructed Mr. Edon, at my Fish Museum, South Ken-
sington, to look out for a tinsmith who would under-
take to construct these cans ux)on the plans which I
had given him. This has now been done, and the can
may be obtained at a reasonable cost, of any size from
the small ones to carry fry or jack bait, up to large
ones suitable for the transfer of two and three jeav old
trout or fontinalis, perch, carp, golden tench, &c.

Finally, I give the names and addresses of the prin-
cipal dealers from whom fish eggs may be obtained,
and who will be always willing to forward their price
lists :

Armistead, I., Troutdale Fishery, Keswick.

Andrews, T., Westgate House, Guildford.

Capel, C, The Fishery, Foot's Cray, Kent.

Guy, J. E., Howietown Fishery, Stirling.

Searle, E. W., 73, Arlington-road, Mornington
Crescent, N.W.

Should beginners at fish-breeding find any hitch or
difficulty in their first attempts, they should go down
to my Museum of Economic Fish Culture, South Ken-
sington, where the attendant, Mr. Edon, has my orders
to supply any information required.

THE END.

INDEX.

-♦-♦-

A.

Abbey Tintern (Walley)
Salmon, 311

Acclimatisation, Fisli fit
for, 344

Africa Giltliead Bream, 28

American Black Bass, 362

American Cat-fish, 369

Anatomy of Salmon, 296

Anchovies, 2

Anchovy, 1

Angel-fish, 140, 141

Anglesea Morris, 87

Angler-fish, Large Devon-
shire, 5

Angler-fish, Food of, 5

Angler, 3

Angling for Bream in
Norfolk, 33

Angling for Carp, 39

Angling for Gudgeon, 101

Apprentices and Salmon,
312

Artificial breeding of Sal-
mon, 387

Argentine, 333

Architecture of fish, 36

Atherine, 6

Azurine, 207

B.

Ballantrae Herring Fish-
eries, 113, 114

Barbel, 7

Barrel of Herrings, 119

Bass, 152

Basking Shark, Structure,
216

Basking Shark, British
Museum, 215

Basking Shark, Irish Fish-
eries, 216

Basking Shark, Isle of
Wight, 215

Beardless Ophidium, 88

Becker, 27

Bergylt, 22

Bergen, Kibbon-fish at, 198

Beuckel, Inventor of salted
Herrings, 119

Bimaculated Sucker, 96

Black Fish, 22

Black Bass, American Na-
turalisation of, 362

Bleak, 14

Scales made into
Pearls, 15

Blenheim, Lake Pike in,
159

>>

410

INDEX.

5)

5>

J>

)>

J>

5>

?>

Blennies, 19
Blue Gown, 295
^ Blue Wrasse, 287
Boar-fish, 77
Bone-clog, 74
Bonito, 272
Borer, 144
Braize, 27
Bream, Aged, 34

Sea, 26

Freshwater, 83

Gilthead, 28

Bays, 32

Monster Norwich,
34
Breeding of Minnows, 139
of Gold Fish, 99
Troughs for Sal-
monidge, 388
Brighton, Mackerel at, 131
Brill, 175
Bufonites, 30
Bull Head, Sea, 25
Bull Head, 23
Bull Head, choking Grebe,

24
Bull rout, 25
Bull Trout, 320
Buntings, 283
Burbolt, 35
Butter-fish, 20
Butterfly Fish, 20

C.

Calves' tail Bait for Pike,

161
California Pits, 185
Captain, Long fin, 105
Carter, 175
Carp, 36

Carp Bait for, 40

Number of Eggs in,38-

>»

Angling for, 39
,, Ponds, 37

j>

5>

Golden, 98

„ Food of, 40 .

,, Prussian, 41

,, Spiegel, 361
Cat-fish, 41

Food of, 43
Habits of, 43

,, American, 369

Cathedrals and Salmon,,

309
Caviare, 256
Chads, 27
Charr, 323, 349
Charr, Present law con-
cerning, 326
Charr, Summaryof Species,

329
ChimEera, Northern, 46
China, Fish culture in, 372
Chub, 43

Habits of, 45
Bait for, 46

,, Difference from

Dace, 44
Cock-paddle, 125
Cod, 50
Cod, Contents of Stomach

of, 51
Cod, Keys found in Sto-
mach of, 51
Cod Destroyed by Piam-

per Eel, 145
Cod, Lamperns bait for,

124
Cod, Destroyed by Borers,

145
Cod, Tethered by Tafl, 58
Cod alive at Grimsby, 57

55

5>

Index.

411

Cod, Bait for, 59

Cod Pond at Port Lcgan,

51
Cod and Viper, 55
Cod, Monster, 51
Cod and Salmon, 56
Cod, Number of Eggs in,

57
Cod, Australian Murray,

364
Colic Stones, 135
Columbia Viviparous Fish

from, 21
Common Trout, 314
Conger, 60
Conger, Habits of, 62
Conger, Monster South-
port, 61
Conger, Eecord of large,

62
Conger at Folkestone, 64
Conger, Weight of largest,

62
Conger, Number of Eggs,

60
Conger nipped by Frost, 65
Cooking Lampreys, Re-
ceipt for, 123
Coquet, Bull Trout in, 320
Cork wing, 287
Cornish Sucker, 94
Cornish Anchovy Fishery,

2
Cornish PilchardFisheries,

162
Cornwall, Anchovies

caught in, 3
Country, Carp Angling in

the, 39
Cran of Herrings, 119
Crooner, 105

Cross lining for Chub, 46

Crucian Carp, 41

Crown of Kincj of the
Herrings, 48

Crown fulls, 114

Cumberland Lake, preser-
vation of, 324

D.
Dab, 176
Dace, 66

Dace in Thames, 67
Dace, Live, Baiting with,

67
Deal-fish, 196
Design in Teeth of Bream,

31
Destruction of Sea Fish

Fry by Trawl Nets, 188
Devourer, 145
Disease in Salmon, Eeport

of,

(:!'

Dog-fish, 68

Dog-fish, Varieties of, 68

Dog-fish Puppies, 72

Dog - fish. Fisherman's
names for, 69

Dog-fish, Viviparous, 72

Dog-fish at Folkestone, 69

Dory, John, 76

Dragonets, 96

Ducks good for Ponds, 341

Dubravius on Fishponds ,^
335

Duke of Edinburgh's Pike,
155

Dutch Coast, Soles on.
184

Dunn, Matthias, Observa-
tions on Young Soles,
187

412

INDEX,

E.

Ear bones of Maigre, 137

Early-run Salmon, 307

Economic Fish Culture,
Museum of, 381

Eels, 79

E^ls, Structural beauties
of, 83

Eels, Eecords of large, 82

Eels, Monster, 82

Eels, Cruelty to, in pack-
ing, 81

Eels and Thunder, 81

Eels, Gills of, 84

Eels, Scales of, 85

Eels, Varieties of, 79

Eels, Nets in Severn, 81

Eggs in Cod, 57

Eggs, Number in Carp, 38

Eggs in fish, Number of,
387

Eggs, Number in Pike,
155

Eggs of Barbel, 8

Eggs of Lump Fish, 126

Eggs of Conger, 60

Eggs of Trout and Salmon,
where to j)rocure, 407

Elleck, 103

Elvers, Passes for, 82

Enquiry, Herring Fish-
eries, 112

Exeter, Lord, Introduction
of Black Bass by, 362

Eye Guard of Eels, 85

"Eye" of Herring, 117

F.

Fairy Stories and Carp,

40, 41
Father-lasher, 25

Fat on Pyloric Appendages

of Salmon, 297, 304
Fattening Grounds for Sal-
mon, 299
Feeding times of Perch,

149
Fiddler- fish, 140
File-fish, 88
Findon Haddies, 108
Fish, Number of Eggs in,

387
Fish Track, Fossil, 107
Fish fit for Acclimatisation,

344
Fishing for Gudgeon, 101
Fish, How to Cook out of

doors, 150
Fishing Frog, 3
Fish culture in China, 372
Fish culture, Museum of

Economic, 381
Fish for Acclimatisation,

344
Fish-ponds, Cultivation of

in Queen Anne's time,

339
Fish-ponds, Cultivation of,

334
Fisheries, Freshwater Act,

376
Flounder, 176, 350
Folkestone, Conger at, 64
Folkestone, Dog-fish at, 69
Fontinalis, 345
Four large Salmon from

Tay, Weight of, 295
Food of Salmon, 298
Forkbeard, Varieties of, 111

,, Lesser, 111

Freshwater Fisheries Act,

376

INDEX.

418^

French Fishermen and

Dog-fish, 65
Frost, Effect on Fish, GG
Fry of young Sahnon and

Trout, Proper Food for,

400
Fry of j^ouug Sahnon and

Trout, When to turn

out, 402
Frys of Young Salmon

and Trout, Management

of, 398
■Fungus on Carp, 38

G.

Gar-pike, 90

,, Hahits of, 91

Garvies, Cran of, 119

Gentles, To keep during
winter, 206

GiUaroo Trout, 321

Gilthead, 28-29, 287

Glass Catchers, 392

Glutinous Hag, 144

Globe-fish, 92

Gobies, 93, 283

Golden Eels, 80

Gold-fish, 98

Varieties of, 100
Care of, 98
Food for, 268
,, Breeding of, 99

Golden Tench Naturalised
at Aldermaston Park,
359

Goldsinny, 287

Gorebill, 90

Gom*ami, 369

Great Lake Trout, 322

Great Lake Trout, Artifi-
cial breeding of, 347

) J

J5

5)

Grayling, 330

Grebe choked by a Bull-
head, 24

Greenland Shark, Habits
of, 213

Greenbone, 90

Grimsby, Cod boxes at,.
57

Gudgeon, 100

Evidence by, 103
Fishing, 101

Gurnards, 103

,, Varieties of, 105.

Gurnards, Walking on
sand, 106

G^\^'niad, 327

Gymnetrus Arcticus, 196

H.

Habits, Curious of Gud-
geon, 102
Haddock, 108

,, Curing, 109

Hag Glutinous, 144
Hair-tails, 199
Hair of Queen's Horses for

Roach Fishing, 206
Hake, 110

Hakes' teeth, 110, 384
Halibut, 177

,, Fisheries, 178
Hardliead, 26, 105
Habits of Herrings, 116
Heart in Eel's tail, 86
Herring, 112
Herring Export to Con-

tinent, 114
Herring Commissioners,

112
Herring Commissioners'

conclusions, 115

4U

INDEX.

•}>

•J}

J J

it

Herring, Scotch Fisheries,

113 '
Herrings, large fall out of

net, 118
Herrings, Shoal length
and width of, 118

Measurements, 119
Nets, 117
Sahed, 119
Shoals of, 116
King of the, 47
Hippocampus, 171
Hoe Dogs, 74
Hooknose, 26
Horse Mackerel, 183
Hose nets, Bridgwater,
299

I. AND J.

Ichthj^opatolites, 107
Ireland, Net fisheries of,

81
Jardine's Monster Pike,

156
Jerusalem Haddock, 146

Kettle Nets, Eye, 132
King of the Herrings, 46
King-fish or Opah, 146

L.

Lamprey, 120

Lamprey, Structure of, 121

Lamprey, Severn season

for, 122
Lamprey, Fatal to Henry

L, 122
Lamprey, Season for, 122
Xamprey, Pieceipt how to

cook, 123

Lamprey, Sea, 120

Lampern, 124

Lampern, Bait for Cod, 59,

124
Lampern, Bait for Tnrbot,

124
Lampern, Fishery on

Trent, 124
Lancelet, 88
Last of Herrings, 119
Launce Sand, 208
Lawyers and Gudgeon,

103
Lemon Sole, 173
Lesser Fork Beard, 111
Licenses, Trout, 316
Ling, 127

,, As food, 128

,, Large, at Wick, 129

,, Stornoway, 129
Lines attached to Cod, 58
Loach, 130

Loch Fyne Herrings, 114
Loch Leven Trout, 322,

349

Locking fin of File-fish,

89
Lost Herrings, 118
Lump -sucker, 125
Lump-fish, Large, 126
Lythe, 190

M.
Mackerel, 131
Mackerel and Gorebill, 90
Mackerel, Spaw^ning and

Growth, 132
Mackerel, Express trains

with, 131
Mackerel Midore, 134
Mackerel, Horse, 133

INDEX.

415

Maigre, 134

Maigre, Earbones of, 137

Maigre, Gullet teeth of,136

Maigre, Monster, 136

Maize of Herrings, 119

Mary Sole, 175

Marc:ate, Tunny Skull at

272
Matties, 113
McDonald, Capt. , Herrings

Evidence, 118
Measurements of Herrings,

119
Melbourne, Trout at, 318
Microscope, Young Salmon

under, 396
Midge Mackerel, 134
Migration of Salmon,

Spring and Autumn,

309
Miller's Thumb, 25
Minnow, 137
Minnow, Spawning dress,

137
Minnow, Eggs how to pro-
cure, 139
Minnow, Served to William

of Wykeham, 138
Minnow, Valuable as fish

food, 138
Monk-fish at "Yarmouth,

140
Monk-fish at Southport,

141
Monks and Carp, 37
Monks and Salmon, 311
Monster Cod, 51

Trout, 315
Conger, 61
Sturgeon, 253
Morris Anglesea, 87

j>

55

55

Mullet, 142

„ Bait for, 143
Habits of, 143
Mullet, Escaping from net,

143
Murtena, 86
Murray Cod, Australia,

364
Myxine, 144

N.
Names of Salmon, Various,

314
Nest, Five Bearded Eock-

ling, 204
Nets, Length of Herring,

117
Nets, Pilchards, 164
Nets, Tuck, 165
Nets, Fleet of Herring,

117
Neuchatel, Burbot in Lake

at, 35
New Zealand, Salmon sent

to, 319
Norfolk, Angling for Bream

in, 33
North Sea, Sole Fisheries

in, 185
Nostril of Salmon, 301
Nose of Dog-fish, 71
Nottingham, Worm Farm

at, 10
Number of Eggs in Fish,

387
Nursery for Y^oung Trout,

389

0.

Oats for mud in Cleansing
Ponds, 337

416

INDEX.

(Esophageal Teeth of Sal-
mon, 296

Opah, 146

Opliidiiim, Beardless, 88

Orient Pearls of Bleak
Scales, 15

Orfe, The Golden, 360

Orkney, Eibbon-fish at,
198

Osiers for Mud of Drying
Ponds, 837

Oxford, Bleak at, 15

P.

Packs of Dog-fish, 73
Paradise-hsh, 366
Pearls of Bleak Scales, 15
Pelamid, 274
Perch, 147

Large, 151
To Cook, 150
Weapons of, 148
Intelligence of, 151
Habits of, 149

,, Sea, 152
Pike, 153
Pike, Prince Christian's

from "Windsor, 154
Pike, Duke of Edinbm-gh's,

155
Pike at Blenheim, 159
Pike, Mr. G. Eooper's, 159
Pike, Mr. Jardine's, 155
Pike in the Avon, Hants,

159
Pike, Eggs in, 154, 155,

159
Pike swallowing Pike, 160
Pike, Teeth of, 161
Pike-Perch, 350
Piked-dog, 74, 75

>)

31

»>

91

J>

Pilot-fish, Stnictnre of,
166

Pilchard, 162

Pilchard Nets, 164

Pilchard Fisheries, Corn-
wall, 162

Pilchard, How to tell from
a Herring, 162

Pilchard, Cming, 163

Pipe-fishes, 167

Piper, 104

Pocket-fish, 3

Pogge, 26

Poison Ramper, 144

Poison Pamper or Weever-
Fish, 275, 276

Pollan, 326

Pollack, 190

Polwigs, 283

Ponds and Ducks, 341

Pond-fish, Proper treat-
ment of, 386

Pope, 190

Porbeagle Shark, 217

Port Logan, Cod-fish at,.
51

Pout or Bib, 192

Powan, 327

Protestant Countries Ln-
port Herrings, 119

Prussian Carp 41

Pylorics, Fat Sto^ .d on
'Salmon, 304

Pyloric, Appendages of
Salmon, 297

E.

Eabbit-fish, 46
Bay's Bream, 31
Beading, Large Trout at^
316

INDEX.

417

Regaleciis Banksii, 197

Re mora, 193

Remora, Emblem of Pru-
dence, 194

Rei)ort, Herring Commis-
sioners', 115 [314

Report, Salmon Fisheries,

Rhine Salmon clean in
November, 308

Ribbon-fishes, 195

Rigs at Folkstoue, 70

Roach, 204

Roach, Art of Anglii;g for,
205

Roach, Baits for, 206

Roach, Disease of, 206

Roach, How to tell from
Rucld, 208

Robinson Crusoe's Expe-
riences of Pout Fishmg,
193

Rocldings, 202

Roman Catholic Countnes
Import Pilchards, J 19

Rooshians, 283

Rooper's, G"., Large Pike,
159

Rough Hound, 73

Eggs of, 73

Rudd, 207

Rude r To tell from Roach,
208 [207

Rudd Fishing in Norfolk,

Rufl", 190 [354

Russia, Pike Perch from,

Rye, Kettle Nets at, 132

S.
Sachs on Pearl Making, 15
Sachs on Transport of
Living Pike Perch, 850

Salmonidae, Artificial
breeding of, 387

Salmon, Young, 394

Anatomy of, 394

Salmon, 289

Salmon, Stomach of, 29G

Salmon and Dace, 152

Saln:j.on and Cod, b()

Salmon and Apprentices,
312 [295

Sahnon from Avon, Hants,

Salmon, Monster, 291

(Salmon, List of Monster,
292

Salmon Giant, From the
Tay, 293

Salmon Large, From the
Shannon, 294

Salmon, and Cathedrals,
309

Salmon and Monks, 311

Sainton v. Sheep Value,
300

Sahnon, Number of Eggs
in, 289

Salmon, Migrations of,
290

Salmon, Police of Nature,
291

Salmon, Anatomy of, 296

Salmon kept back by Pol-
lutions, 302

Salmon, Life of, 289

Salmon, Smelling Powers
of, 301

Salmon, Evidence and De-
sign, 290

Salmon, Unclean and Un-
seasonable, 303

Salmon, Various Names
of, 314

28

418

INDEX.

y>

y?

Salmon Txreerl slionld be

Excliaiuged, 344
Salmon to l^ew Zealand,

319
Salmon Fisheries Eeport,

814
Salmon Elvers, General

Eeport on, 313
Salmon Disease Eeport^

814
Salmon Law, Maniisl of,

377
Salmo Hnclio, 845
Sand Eel, 208
Smelt, 6
Pride, 124
Eels, Habits of, 209f
Sandra, 350

Sapphirine Gurnard, 104
Saury Pike, 92
Saw in Barbel's fin, 8
Scabbard-fish, 202
Scad, 133

Scales, Pearls of Bleak, 15
Scald-fish, 175
Schlei, Golden, 359
Sea Bream, 26
Sea Fox, Shark, 218
Sea Gudgeons, 93
Sea Needle, 90
Sea Perch, 152
Sea Horses, Hippocampi,

171
Sea Sheep, 135
Sea Snipe, 269
Sea Serpent Exhibited in

Ee,?ent Street, 199 ,
Sea Voyages, Observations

Eequh-ed on, 272
Sea Trout, 322
Sewen, 322

Shad, 210

Shad Fisheries of Severn,

211
Shanny, 19
Sharks, 211

Sharkfisheries,Iceland,214
Shark, Blue, 212
Sheat-fish, 357
Sheffield Angling Matches,

191
Shoals, Enormous of Her-
rings, 118
Shovel Nosed-dog, 71
Shrimps, Eed, 283
Silurus Glanis, 357
Silunis to Mr. H. Burrs,

358
Silvery Haii-tails, 200
Silver Pits, Soles in, 1B5-
Skipper, 92
Smelts, 331, 349
Smelt Fisheries, 332
Smellinc: Powers of Sal-

mon, 301
Smig Bait, 282
Smooth-hound, 75
Snake Pipe-fish, 169
Snig Eels, 80 -
Sole, 184

,, Variegated, 174
Soles, Migrations of, 185
Monster, 186
on D'ogoerbank, 185
Torbay^ 186
Food of, 186
Swim on Side, 187
Eggs of, 187
Solos, Young, Eemarkable
Mode of Swimming, 187
Soles, Small, Wanton De-
struction of, 189

55

n

J»

S>

>)

?'

INDEX.

419

Soles, Small, Destroyed by

Trawl Net, 188
Solenette, 174
Soimdiiigs, Hakes' Teetli^

110, 884
Sounds made by Maigre,

136
Sparlings, 381
Spectacles of Eel, 85
Spiegel Carp, 361
Spotted Gnnnel, 20
Sprats used for Anchovies,

3
Spratty Stuff, 282
Spring Salmon, 397
St. Mary's Trout, 203
St. Peter's Fish, 76
Sting Bull, 274
Stonebiter,- 35
Stone dagger, 125
Stocking Ponds with Cai-p,

838
Structural Beauties of the

Eel, 88
Sturgeons, 252

,, Shackles of, 256

Suckers, Varieties of, 96
Sucker, Cornish, 94
Sucker, Unctuous, 96
Sucking-fish (Remora),

194
Sun-fiyh, America, 868
Sun-fish, 257

T.

Tadpole Fish, 111

Tails, Prehensile of Pipe-
fish, 169

Tame Cod-fish, 53

Tasmanian Establishment
of Trout, 318

Taverner on Fish-ponds,'

335
Tay, Large Salmon from,

295
Teeth, Gilthead Bream, 29

„ Hakes', 384

,, Throat of Barbel , 9
Telescopes, Water, 379
Thresher Shark, 218
Thresher Shark, Size and

Structure of, 219, 220
Thresher Shark Fighting a

Whale, 385
Throat, Teeth of Barbel, 9
Tlmrso, Ptibbon-fish from,

196
T'oad-stones, 30
Tom Culls, 24
Toin, the Blind Cod, 53
Tope, or Toper Dog-fish,

75
Top Knot, 175
Trawl Fish, 172
Trawl Net, Problem eis to

Mesh of, 189
Treatment of Golden Carp,

98
Trout, Common, 314
Trout Common, Breediug

of, 348
Trout, Nursery for Young,

389
Trout Monster at Alresford,

315
Trout Salmon at Pleading,

316
Trout, Loch Leven, 322,

349
Trout Transfer of, 848
Trout, Bull, 320
Trout at Melbourne, 318

420

INDEX.

Trout Licenses, 317
Trout for fish breeding,

888
Trumpet.fish, 2G0
Tub-fislj, lOi
Turbot, 182
Turbot Number of Eggs

in, J88
Turbot Fisheries for, 183
Tunny, 270

U.

Umbpr, 330
Unctuous Sucker, 90
Ujicleaii and Unseasonable

Salmon, 303
Ujispasonable and Unclean

galmon, 303
Use of Pyloric Fat in Sal-

ji;on, 305

V.

Vaagmaer, 196
Value of Whitebait, 279
Vendace, 328, 348
Viviparous Blenny, 21
Viviparous Dog-fisb, 7^

W.

Walpole's Manual of Sal-
mon Law, 377

Warm Water, Gold-fish
Breeding iii, 99

Water Pouches of Eels, 84

Water Bones, 103

Water Telescopes, 379

Weever, 274

William of Wykeham and

Minnows, 138
AVinchestgr Tom Culls at

24
Windsor, Carp at, 38
Windsor, IJapley Lake

Pike, 154
Whale and Thresher, 385
Whitebait, 277
Whitebait, Where Caught,

277
Wbitebait, Antiquity of,

278
Whitebait, Origin of Name,

280
Whitebait, what is it, 281
Whitebait Fishing should

not be stopped, 284
Wliite S'lhnon, 152
Whifi", 175
Whiting, §84
Woburn Abbey, Golden

Orfe at, 360
Woburn Abbey, gander at,

354
Wolf Fish, 41
Worm Cii'tching, 11
Worm Farm at Notting-
ham, 10 [12
Worms for Barbel Fishing,
W^rasse, 285
Wrasse, Ho\y to Fish for,

286

Y.

Yawlings, 282

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