14 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



to employ, as the Greeks do, boats built in the shape of a sword-fish, 

 with a long projecting point representing the sword of the fish's upper 

 jaw, and painted with a dark color like that peculiar to this fish. The 

 sword-fish, imagining he sees a comrade, confidingly approaches these 

 boats, when the fishermen, profiting by the mistake, plunge their spears 

 into its side. The animal, although surprised, nevertheless vigorously 

 defends itself, and by plunging its sword into the sides of the treacher- 

 ous boat often exposes it to imminent danger. This moment is seized 

 by the fishermen to cleave its head, and if possible to chop off its upper 

 jaw. After thus overcoming its resistance, they tie their victim to the 

 boat, and so drag it ashore. 



Oppianus has preserved an amusing characteristic of this fish, which 

 seems to contradict the statement made concerning its courage. He 

 says that if accidentally, or in the too eager pursuit of mackerel or tun- 

 nies, it finds itself in a stationary net, it retreats, suspecting some snare, 

 although it could easily tear the net. This timidity, however, proves 

 disastrous, for, at last remaining quite still, the fishermen come, drag it 

 ashore in their nets, and kill it. 



SALTING. 



Tiiis branch of industry was carried on in the earliest times by the 

 Phenicians on the western coast of Spain, and was afterward continued 

 by the Greeks ; but it was reserved for the Roman empire to raise it to 

 the highest degree of perfection. It was applied to many different 

 kinds of fish. By the term " salt-fish," we must not understand exclu- 

 sively fish laid in brine, but also those that were pickled with spices 

 and odoriferous herbs. According to Koel de la Moriniere's learned re- 

 searches, fish were preserved both in a raw and in a cooked state, and 

 in the latter case they were prepared with precious herbs only. He 

 adds, that ii would really seem difficult to suppose that the Roman 

 Sybarites, who had the most costly fowl and fish brought from Persia, 

 Colchis, and India, at such great cost, could find in salted tunnies, 

 and mormyri anything to gratify their spoiled palates. 



The art of preserving fish in different ways made rapid progress. 

 Care was taken not only to preserve such kinds as would retain a deli- 

 cate flavor, but, also, to bring new articles into the market, that thus a 

 brisk intercourse might be kept up between the cities of Italy and the 

 colonies on the coasts of the Mediterranean. In those days the mullet 

 was frequently salted, at which people in these times, at least with us, 

 would sneer ; and its roe formed a favorite dish with all classes. From 

 a passage in Athemeus, where he quotes Archestratus, we learn that 

 the sword-fish was then salted in exactly the same manner as is now 

 done on the coast of Sicily. " When yon c^me to Byzantium," he says, 

 " take a piece of salt sword-fish, and choose a slice of the back nearest 

 to the tail." Large fish were cut into pieces and underwent different 



