JONAH POWLER. 51 



master of the ceremonies proposed, in accordance 

 with this good counsel, that we should haul up a 

 point or two, and have a scrape on the Zostera beds 

 that cover many acres of shallow water in the bight 

 off Preston Valley. But let me introduce my man to 

 you. — A clever fellow is Jone, and though only bred 

 as a fisherman, he is quite an amateur naturalist. 

 There is nobody else in Weymouth harbour that knows 

 anything about dredging (I have it from his own lips, 

 so you may rely on it) ; but Tie is familiar with the 

 feel of almost every yard of bottom from "VVliitenose to 

 Church-Hope, and from Saint Aldhelm's Head to the 

 Bill. He follows dredging with all the zest of a 

 savant ; and it really does one's heart good to hear 

 how he pours you forth the crackjaw, the sesquipeda- 

 lian nomenclatm-e. " Now, Sir, if you do want a 

 Gastrochcena^ I can just put down your dredge upon 

 a lot of 'em ; we'll bring up three and four in a stone." 

 *' I'm in hopes we shall have a good Cribella or two 

 off this bank, if we don't get choked up with them 'ere 

 O^hiocomasy He tells me in confidence that he has 

 been sore puzzled to find a name for his boat, but he 

 has at length determined to appellate her ^^The Tur- 

 riVeZZa," "just to astonish the fishermen, you know. 

 Sir," — with an accompanying wink and chuckle, and 

 a patronising nudge in my ribs. Jone is a proud man 

 when he gets a real savant alone in his boat ; and he 

 talks with delight of the feats he has achieved in the 

 dredging line for ^h. Bowerbank, Mr. Hanley, and 

 Professor Forbes. I will say, I found him no vain 

 boaster, but able to perform his professions ; and can 

 heartily recommend him to any brother naturalist who 



e2 



