172 WILD LIFE ON A NORFOLK ESTUARY 



who greedily ate the eels fattened at his expense. Eels are 

 extremely sensitive to the cleanliness and freshness of their 

 food. No sane babber would dream of using a last night's 

 bab if the worms be but the slightest bit tainted. They are 

 sometimes by no means particular in what they devour, pro- 

 vided it be fresh. Shrimps, gobies, young herrings, and small 

 shore-crabs are diligently pursued, and even the young eels 

 are greedily devoured at times. 



Many are caught in summer on night-lines baited with 

 sections of viviparous blennies, to which they are extremely 

 partial. Others are caught in wicker eel-pots baited with live 

 shrimps. They are exceedingly fond of the spawn of other 

 fishes, and will greedily pursue the spawning roach and 

 bream for that purpose. A large dead eel has been found 

 with a water-vole fast in its gullet. Frogs and young water- 

 fowl often fall victims to its voracity. I have seen the 

 stomach of an eel, captured in a marsh ditch in a " lamb- 

 net," distended with the ova of the sticklebacks whose nests 

 it had been robbing. 



LADY BREYDONERS 



In the old days the Breydoners' wives had to do their 

 share towards the family's earnings. " Pintail " Thomas' 

 mother used to hawk round " at gentlemen's housen," offer- 

 ing for sale wildfowl, smelts, and eels captured by her lord 

 and master ; and various hotel-keepers were amongst her 

 regular customers. " Snicker " Larn mentioned others who 

 did so, and remembered old "Poker" Lamb's and Cooper's 

 " missuses " not only doing that, but helping their husbands 

 to do the catching. He could remember when half a dozen 

 of these queer women " regularly set the market " on Satur- 

 days with various " game," including numbers of eels. One 

 queer character was " Eeley " Bowles, a wrinkled old lady 

 who " ripped off eel-skins as easy as shedding a glove." One 

 morning a sympathetic customer pitied the victims and 

 remarked to " Eeley " : 



" How those poor creatures must suffer ! " 



"Oh, good gracious! no, ma'am," said "Eeley" Bowles, with 

 an air of real surprise " Law bliss yer, missus, they don't 

 mind bein' skun ; they're used to it ! " 



