WHITEFISH OF THE LAKE OF GENEVA 



with a serene majesty. And the starry night takes 

 possession as assured sovereign of its empire, marking 

 the quiet interregnum before dawn returns again. A 

 series of tableaux of incomparable sweetness, which 

 speak directly to the soul and move it as scene follows 

 scene, awakening feelings of purest calm, of completest 

 happiness. 



Now this is only an appearance, a lie, a disguise 

 beneath which is hidden a fearsome reality. Under 

 that sparkling enticing surface, that picture of peace 

 and serenity, there is in the deep water a continual 

 struggle, a duel to the death. The search for food, 

 the destruction of some for the maintenance of others, 

 the never-ending sacrifice of the weak and the lasting 

 triumph of the strong, are the guiding principle itself. 

 They set the note of all that goes on. 



As night falls, the fishermen go and spread their 

 nets in the open waters of the lake. These nets are great, 

 mail-like sheets, of considerable extent, and the fisher- 

 men suspend them in the water at different depths, so 

 setting up a series of vertical barriers. During the 

 night, when no light finds its way into the water, the 

 fish, moving in all directions after their prey, do not 

 perceive the traps thus set for them and, in the darkness, 

 carried away by their impetuosity, strike their heads 

 against the meshes, and so are captured. In the 

 morning, the fishermen come out in their boats, pull 

 in the nets loaded with the fish thus caught, take them 

 on board, disentangle their catch, and return to shore. 



During the summer, their catch usually consists of 

 whitefish, char, and trout, excellent species, justly 

 considered among the most delicate. Their exquisite 

 flesh has a well-deserved reputation. In the baskets 

 in which they are set out they delight one who beholds 

 them by their fine shape and glorious colours. Later, 

 they will charm the most delicate palate. They 

 belong to the Salmon family, of which the salmon is 

 the type, and they are distinguished by the soft isolated 



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