THE PERCH OF STILL WATERS 257 







not only when yachting, but when living near a lake 

 or river. A good new hamper should be used. The 

 fish live in it far longer, and keep in much better 

 condition than in the well of a punt or in the slimy, 

 old, waterlogged, wooden fish-box. 



Half an hour before breakfast the hamper would 

 be lifted on to the yacht's deck, a couple of plump 

 fish selected, and their necks rapidly broken. This 

 was done by inserting the thumb in the mouth of the 

 fish, placing the forefinger on its neck, and bending 

 the head back, which is by far the best way of killing 

 a perch. Removing the scales is a matter of consider- 

 able toil and the scales fly everywhere, so I did not 

 encourage it either on the yacht or in the yacht's 

 boats. Our perch, therefore, had to be skinned, which 

 was promptly done, and cut in half down the middle, 

 the backbone extracted, and the two fillets thrown into 

 a pan of boiling butter. I could write much in praise 

 of this sportsman's method of treating newly caught 

 perch, but must not trespass on the province of 

 Mr. Innes Shand, who deals with the whole subject of 

 perch cooking elevated to a fine art in the following 

 chapter. 



