SEA FISHING IN EUROPE 455 



authorities on sea angling, and the pioneer of popularising rod-fishing in the 

 sea, has practised and preached it with equal success. Again, although pollack 

 may undoubtedly be taken close to the surface, particularly soon after sunrise 

 and just before sunset, all my largest pollack — those of ten, twelve, and fifteen 

 pounds in weight — were taken on, or near, the bottom, with a few perhaps at 

 about midway down in a total depth of thirt\' fathoms, or a hundred and 

 eighty feet. 



The third division that may be made is that between the migrator)- and 

 non-migratory fish — the mackerel, herrings, bass, cod, whiting and [)ilchards 

 on the one hand ; and the stationary flat fish, conger, gurnard, 



red mullet and rays on the other. Here again, however, we ^^^ ^ 



,, r •,,,.,- 1 1 and Non- 



must allow ior considerable doubt ui some cases, as the regular 



migratory 



and irregular movements of fish are as yet very imperfectly pjshes 

 understood. All we know, in fact, is that the cod and whiting 

 are with us in the colder weather, but absent from most parts of the coast in 

 summer; that the mackerel, on the contrary, are in greater evidence (partly 

 perhaps through their habit of shoaling at the surface in hot weather) in the 

 months of June and July than at any other time of year; and that the dory 

 and garfish find their way to the fishmonger's chiefly in March. One da)-, 

 no doubt, we shall know a good deal more ; but for the present, an open 

 confession of ignorance seems best in keeping with the state of our knowledge. 

 With these introductory remarks, I shall now briefly notice the sjjort 

 obtainable on the coasts of England and France, as well as in parts of the 

 Baltic and Mediterranean seas, both of which differ widcl\- in their conditions 

 from the more open seas, as well as one from the other. 



