CRIMPING. 119 



boiling water, the albumen is coagulated, and 

 the curdiness preserved. The crimping, by 

 preventing the irritability of the fibre from 

 being gradually exhausted, seems to preserve 

 it so hard and crisp, that it breaks under the 

 teeth ; and a fresh fish not crimped is generally 

 tough. A friend of mine, an excellent angler, 

 has made some experiments on the fat of fish; 

 and he considers the red colour of trout, sal- 

 mon, and char, as owing to a peculiar-colour- 

 ed oil, which may be extracted by alcohol ; 

 and this accounts for the want of it in fish 

 that have fed ill, and after spawning. In 

 general, the depth of the red colour and the 

 quantity of curd are proportional. 



PoiET. — Would not the fish be still better, 

 or at least possess more curd, if caught in a 

 net and killed immediately ? In the operation 

 of tiring by the reel there must be considerable 

 muscular exertion, and I should suppose ex- 

 penditure of oily matter. 



Hal. — There can be no doubt but the fish 



would be in a more perfect state for the table 



from the nets ; yet a fish in high season does 



not lose so much fat during: the short time he 



I 4 



