ON THE ECONOMICAL USES OF FISHES. 203 



which are reared in many places in fish-ponds for 

 the purpose of supplying the London market. The 

 former has been introduced of late years into Scot- 

 land for economical purposes, but we believe the 

 experiment has not succeeded so well as was anti- 

 cipated; the latter, on the contrary, is so easily 

 managed in a state of captivity, that it has been kept 

 for months and years together out of the water, en- 

 veloped in moss or other similar substance, moistened 

 now and then, and placed in a damp cellar. It is 

 fed by the hand, and not only keeps in good health, 

 but is said to " thrive uncommonly well." The 

 roach and dace, as well as the bream and others, 

 are all familiar to anglers, affording, strange to say, 

 more amusement in their capture than satisfaction 

 in eating them afterwards ; for, as we said before, 

 their flesh is insipid, and, moreover, often savours 

 strongly of mud, when taken in a place where that 

 article abounds *. 



* Among the modes of destroying fish not usually men- 

 tioned in books, are two, which may be worthy of notice, 

 though certainly not of imitation. By dissolving in water a 

 substance called cocculus indicus^ the l)erry of a plant used in 

 medicine, the fish in the vicinity become stupified, in a yery 

 short time rising to the surface, and in this state may easily 

 be taken with a landing net. This practice, which is illegal, 

 we have, however, seen on two occasions, and on one of these, 

 a large shoal of roach and dace was completely intoxicated by 

 this drug, and all the larger ones picked out at leisure by two 

 persons in a boat. Lime water is used in some places to destroy 

 fish, especially in deep pools on rapid streams, and it is re- 

 lated, that in the county of Kerry, a kind of spurge is used 

 by the peasantry for the same purpose as cocculus indicus^ 

 which latter is much used in some countries of the east, where 

 the plant grows. 



