210 WITH BOAT AND GUN IN THE YANGTZE VALLEY. 



the winter months, his numbers in no wise diminish. On the contrary they would rather 

 appear to increase." 



But this in a measure, perhaps only a slight one, may be due to the fact that many 

 fish in China breed more than once a year. For instance you may read in the Compleat 

 Angler on the authority of the Father of Angling, Izaak Walton, that "carp in China 

 breed twice a year." And if carp why not his congeners? This opens up a most interesting 

 question wrapped for the moment in much mystery. Again look at the eels, of all shapes, 

 sizes and' colours, how they swarm ! When a big catch is exposed to view and the writhing 

 mass in its basket prison in all its convolutions and contortions is seen trying to regain 

 freedom it is not difficult to understand than an observer with highly strung nerves might 

 almost reasonably be under the impression that he had "seen snakes." 



As to salt water fish Shanghai, of course, is but an annexe of Ningpo whose fish 

 market is a sight to be seen. If the fresh waters yield many curious things in the shape 

 of fish what shall be said of the numberless extraordinary products of the deep exhibited 

 on the Ningpo fish stalls of all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours, from the dreaded octopus 

 to minute devil fishes of indescribable variety ? But enough. If one would know more of 

 these things he should go to Ningpo and see for himself. Better still if he had as cicerone 

 some friend with a bit of piscatorial knowledge. 



You would be surprised at Ningpo's position among the fish markets of the world, but 

 you will find in Mr. Petersen's great work that Billingsgate is the largest retail market, then 

 Nagasaki, and Ningpo third. Shellfish are eaten very largely by the natives, shrimps, land 

 crabs, mussels, winkles in enormous quantities, but strange to say the bivalve so appreciated 

 by the foreigner, the oyster, by them is comparatively untouched. Curious views the world 

 over are held as to the seasons when shellfish may be safely eaten, but you cannot get over 

 these facts that though the best season for oysters is during all those months wherein 

 occurs the letter "R" yet it is only in the three coldest months of the year, December, 

 January, and February that they are really palatable, while crabs, shrimps, prawns and 

 clams are in their perfection in the three hottest months of the year, June, July and August. 

 Can you explain it away? 



Vegetables and fruits and flowers were next brought up in conversation. 



"One has only to visit this market early in the day, before such time as all the plums 

 are picked out of the cake, to see variety and profusion. The list of vegetables is a long 

 one, but I have remarked a steady and marked improvement in the quality of the 

 cauliflowers, artichokes, spinach, peas and tomatoes, though I cannot say so much for the 

 cabbages, carrots or lettuces which temporarily, anyhow, seem to have reached high water 

 mark. And pity 'tis that our turnip tops are so much lacking in flavour. The complaint is 

 often heard that vegetables in China do not possess anything like the flavour of the home- 

 grown articles. Well, this is not so difficult of explanation. Here the seeds are sown in big 

 open fields without real regard to soil, shelter or situation, whereas in all foreign countries 

 these matters are very carefully attended to. Yet China ought not to be out of the running, 

 for here we have every kind of soil from the stiff clay to whose existence numberless brick 

 fields bear strong testimony, to the light, friable top dressing yielded so bountifully by the 

 creek ooze when exposed to the action of the elements. Though true it be that the sun 



