132 LIVING CREATURES. 



29. ROMAN FISH FONDS. 



EELS are to the sea what hawks and owls are to the 

 air. They are the terror of most other fish, and they 

 attack their prey by day aiid by night. Hidden in the 

 mud or beneath some overhanging rock, they dart out 

 with open mouths and with great fury. The murry eel 

 abounds in the Mediterranean Sea, and in nearly 

 all warm seas. It does not hesitate, when oppor- 

 tunity offers, to satisfy its appetite by attacking human 

 flesh. This fact shows that the story of Pollio, which 

 is here given nearly in the words of Mr. Houghton, is 

 quite probable. 



Red mullet and murries seem to have been special 

 favorites with the old Romans like Hortensius, "those 

 blessed fish-pond gentlemen," of whom Cicero speaks 

 with contempt. The murry was highly esteemed for 

 the delicacy of its flesh, and for its fine flavor. These 

 murries would become so tame that they would come 

 at their master's call, and take food from his hand. 

 Hortensius actually shed bitter tears when a favorite 

 murry died in his ponds. 



Another celebrated Roman, named Crassus, had an 

 equally tender heart. He could not stop his tears at 

 the death of his fishy darling. But he had a ready 

 wit as well as a soft heart. When his brother-senator, 

 Domitius, called '' Brazen-head, " twitted him in the 

 Senate for having cried as much at the death of an eel 

 as if he had lost a daughter, Crassus replied that it 

 was more than old Brazen-head had done for any one 

 of his deceased wives ! 



