" Athenseus called by Suidas ' a literary man ' who wrote in 

 the middle of the third century, cites in his writings no less than 

 1,200 separate works and 800 authors, and of the latter the names 

 of a very large number are given in his ' Banquet of the Learned ' 

 as those of authors who had written on fish and fishing. " Rev. J. 

 J. Mariley. 



11 A huge fish takes the bait fallacious, suspended from the rod." 

 Theocritus (270 B.C.). 



" I have heard of a Macedonian way of catching fish, and it is 

 this : They fasten red wool round a hoolc, and jit on to the wool two 

 feathers which grow under a cock's wattles, and which in color are 

 like wax. Their rod is six feet long and the line is of the same 

 length. Then they throw their snare, and the fish, attracted and 

 maddened by the color, comes up, thinking from the pretty sight 

 to get a dainty mouthful ; when, however, it opens its jaws, it is 

 caught by the hook and enjoys a bitter repast, a captive." ^Elian 

 (second century). 



"While the other, stooping over the rocks toward the waters 

 below, lowers the bending top of his limber rod, casting his hooks 

 laden with killing baits. Upon these the vagrant crowd of fishes, 

 unskilled in snares, rush, and their gaping jaws feel too late the 

 wounds inflicted by the hidden steel." Ausonius (fourth cen- 

 tury). 



' ' Nor shall I leave thee unhonored in my discourse, O Thymal- 

 lus (grayling), whose name is given thee by a flower ; whether the 

 waters of the Ticino produce thee or those of the pleasant Atesis, 

 a flower thou art. In fine, the common saying attests it ; for it is 

 pleasantly said of one who gives out an agreeable sweetness, he 

 smells either of fish or flower : thus the fragrance of the fish is 

 asserted to be the same as that of the flowers. What is more pleas- 

 ing than thy form ? More delightful than thy sweetness ? More 

 fragrant than thy smell ? "St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. 



