166 THB BASSE, 



The Basse. 



The basse is something like a perch in form, (though not quite 

 so hog backed,) as also in the position and form of the fins, whilst 

 in colour he resembles the salmon ; from which latter cause he is 

 often styled in the fish markets, a " salmon basse," the connection 

 to that noble family, to which he has not the slightest pretensions, 

 being merely used as a pretext for screwing up the price. The 

 basse is however a very well tasted and wholesome fish, and may 

 be eaten to advantage either boiled, baked, fried, stewed, or when 

 put into a pie ; the latter being his inevitable fate whenever he 

 falls into the hands of a Cornishman. 



Like the salmon, when the fish is in the highest condition, the 

 upper part of the back is of a dusky hue, which assumes a grey 

 tint as the fish declines in health. The fry till they attain two 

 ounces weight, are marked with dusky spots on the upper part of 

 the body and sides, but which wholly disappear as the fish 

 increases in size, and are rarely if ever seen in one of a quarter of 

 a pound weight. 



The basse grows to a large size, sometimes exceeding twenty 

 pounds. The largest that ever came under my observation was 

 taken on a bolter* I laid down baited with cuttle fish ; it weighed 

 nearly eighteen pounds ; but the more common weight is eight 

 or nine ; and though I have taken several fine fish of the kind in 

 the course of a season, I seldom met with one that reached twelve 

 pounds weight. 



The basse is a very general fish on all parts of our coast, wan- 

 dering also up most of our creeks and rivers as far as the water 

 continues salt, or only becomes slightly brackish. They will 



* A bolter is a long line of stout cord, with hooks attached to it by sneads 

 at intervals of about six feet distance from each other. These being baited 

 the line is sunk by means of heavy weights to the bottom, a buoy being 

 fixed to the line to mark the spot. 



