THE MAIGRE. 67 



shores of Spain, France, and Italy. At Genoa, 

 it is termed fegaro, and at Nice, figou and 

 vanloo. The maigre is gregarious in its habits, 

 swimming in shoals, which utter a purring 

 noise so loud as to be heard from a depth of 

 twenty fathoms ; and from this circumstance, 

 the fishermen are often enabled to take several 

 in their net with certainty, their noise betray- 

 ing their exact locality. Their capture, how- 

 ever, is not a very safe or easy task, for the 

 maigre is from three to six feet and upwards in 

 length, very strong and resolute, and it struggles 

 with the utmost desperation, knocking the men 

 about, till one of them can manage to strike it 

 a heavy blow on the head, and so deprive it of 

 life. " Rondeletius," observes Mr. Yarrell, 

 u calls this species pels rei" * (royal fish.) It 

 appears always to have been in great request 

 with epicures ; and as, on account of its large 

 size, it was always sold in pieces, the fishermen 

 of Rome were in the habit of presenting the 

 head, which was considered as the finest part, as 

 a sort of tribute to the three local magistrates, 

 who acted for the time as conservators of the 

 city." It is the umbrina of the ancient Romans. 

 The umbrina is of a general silvery grey, 

 inclining to brown on the back, and pure silver 

 * It is termed peurey, in Languedoc. 



