THE GUDGEON S EVIDENCE. 103 



when out gudgeon-fishing, many fine specimens of what 

 the bargees call "water-bones," i.e., antlers and other 

 bones of the ancient British red deer and roebuck 

 and where, every now and then, I have procured speci- 

 mens of Koman swords and other antiquities. 



To lawyers the poor innocent gudgeon may be a very 

 serviceable fish, for he may be brought as a witness 

 into court to prove that pollutions are not injurious to 

 salmon or trout fisheries. A live gudgeon is placed, in 

 the presence of the judge and jury, in the polluted 

 water and he does not " turn up," therefore the counsel 

 argues the manufactures or the town sewer is not in 

 fault, as the water allowed to flow into the river is not 

 injurious to fish life. If an expert in fishery matters 

 does not happen to be present, this gudgeon's argument 

 will go down, as the judge and jury probably are not 

 aware that gudgeon are very fond of living in sewer- 

 water as long as it is just running, whereas the same 

 water would be almost immediately fatal to a trout or 

 young salmon. The largest gudgeon I ever caught 

 were in a sewer which ran along the east side of the 

 college meads at Winchester. 



GURNARDS. 



Acanthopteri. Sclerogenida. 



Local name : Grej/ Gurnard. German : Der graue Seehahn. 



Swedish : Knot. Dutch : Poon. French : Trigle Gournan. 

 Local name : Saphirine Gurnard. German : Die Seeschwalbe or 



der Knurrhahn. Dutch : De Groote Eoode Poon. 



The EUeck, Ked Fish, Soldier, Eed Gurnard, Rotchet 

 {Trigla cuculus), is caught on the west coast of 

 England and Ireland at all seasons ; it is usually about 

 a foot in length ; it inhabits moderately deep water, 

 and feeds upon shell-fish, crabs, &c. ; it takes a bait, 

 and is caught in trawls. 



