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. 



