Chap. 28.] PISHES. 399 



noble fish of all ; it is the only one that has the scales turned 

 towards the head, and in a contrary direction to that in which 

 it swims. At the present day, however, it is held in no esteem, 

 which I am the more surprised at, it being so very rarely found. 

 Some writers call this fish the elops. 



CHAP. 28. THE LUPUS, ASELLUS. 



At a later period, they set the highest value on the lupus 7 

 and the asellus, 8 as we learn from Cornelius Nepos, and the 

 poet, Laberius, the author of the Mimes. The most approved 

 kinds of the lupus are those which have the name of " lanati," 

 or " woolly," in consequence of the extreme whiteness and 

 softness of the flesh. Of the asellus there are two sorts, the 

 callarias, which is the smallest, and the bacchus, 9 which is only 

 taken in deep water, and is hence much preferred to the former. 

 On the other hand, among the varieties of the lupus, those are 

 the most esteemed which are taken in rivers. 



conclude that the two were not synonymous. Indeed, we find that Varro, 

 De Re Rustica, B. ii. c. 6, and Pliny in c. 54 of the present Book, speak 

 of the elops as being most excellent at Rhodes, while we find Archestratus 

 in Athenseus, B. vii., speaking of the same as being the locality of the 

 acipenser ; and Columella, B. viii. c. 16, and JElian, B. viii. c. 28, place 

 it in the Pamphylian Sea, which is not far distant from Rhodes. Pliny, 

 B. xxxii. c. 11, states, that the palm of fine flavour was by many accorded 

 to the elops ; while Matron Parodus, in Athenaeus, calls it the " most noble 

 of all fishes, food worthy of the gods." From the immense sums that 

 were given for it, as we learn from Yarro, quoted by Nonius Marcellus, it 

 was called the "multum munus," or "multinummus," the "much-money 

 fish." JElian says, B. viii. c. 28, that the fishermen who were fortunate 

 enough to take an elops, were in the habit of crowning themselves and 

 their vessel with garlands, and announcing it, on entering harbour, by the 

 sound of the trumpet. Professor Pallas, in his work on the Russian Zoo- 

 graphy, takes the elops to be a kind of sturgeon, more spiny than the rest, 

 which is represented by Marsigli under the name of " HUSG sextus." He 

 does not, however, give his reason for fixing on this as the elops of the 

 ancients. It has been also suggested that the elops was the same as. the 

 sword-fish . 



7 The wolf-fish. Generally supposed to be the basse, or lubin of the 

 French, much esteemed for their delicacy. 



8 See N. 97 above. 



9 Cuvier remarks, that we find this name in Euthydemus, as quoted by 

 Athena3us, B. vii., used synonymously with that of " onos." We also find 

 the names Callarias, Galerias, and Galerides ; but none of the characteristics 

 are given, by which to distinguish them. 



