218 OBSERVATIONS ON FISHES. 



same fish again in a quarter of an hour, and thus 

 recovered his tackle. 



Pike, even of a fair size, often find their way into 

 the turf-pits ,iri our fens, when the fens are partially 

 flooded. When the waters subside, they remain 

 imprisoned in the pits, and in such situations are 

 occasionally taken by the fen-men, employed in 

 digging turf, in a peculiar manner. They stir up the 

 mud at the bottom of the pits with their tools, till 

 the water, of which there is often not much, becomes 

 so thick that the fish is almost suffocated ; it then 

 floats at the top, and is easily secured. 



SMELT.* 



April 10, 1824. A QUANTITY of smelts were sent 

 us to-day from the Hundred-foot River, where they 

 are annually taken about this period of the spring. 

 At Mepal, and other places higher up, large numbers 

 are caught for the table, from whence they are dis- 

 tributed about the county. It is stated by the per- 

 sons who take them in that neighbourhood, that 

 these fish are then going up the river. f Those we 

 received to-day were finer and larger than any I 



* Osmerus eperlanus, Flem. 



f Smelts are generally supposed to ascend rivers from the sea 

 in August, or during some part of the autumn. On mentioning 

 the above circumstance to Mr. Yarrell, he said it was a new fact 

 to him that they should be only going up the river in March ; but 



