TAME FISHES. 305 



" I told you it was funny at Port Logan to see the tame 

 cods, head and shoulders. A large pond has been quar- 

 ried out of the rock at the head of a narrow creek. The 

 sea-water rushes up the creek every tide, and falls away 

 from it at ebb-tide ; but the excavation beino; below high- 

 water mark, eight or ten feet in depth of fine sea-water is 

 always left within it. There is a cottage and an old 

 woman alongside. She descended with us down a flight 

 of steps to the side of the pond, with a basin of limpets 

 and sand-eels in her hand. The moment the cod-fish saw 

 her, they flocked to her feet, raised their great heads 

 above water, opened their enormous mouths, laid their 

 heads over each other's shoulders, and wambled about 

 like a set of puppy dogs. I took the basin and fed 

 them. The moment one of them found a sand-eel in 

 its mouth, it gave a great plunge, seeming unable to 

 swallow till it got its head under water. One of them 

 became very much attached to me, and I think would 

 fain have gone on board the cutter with me. I never 

 saw such a set of lazy, good-natured fellows as these fish 

 in my life. They are as happy as the day is long, but, of 

 course, are picked out now and then and carried to the 

 kitchen. 



"Went to the Free Church yesterday and had a good 

 discourse from a Mr M'Neill, originally from Isla ; a large 

 and respectable congregation. Read our good books all 



