SOME FISH NOTES 313 



A few days later a letter appeared signed " Triton," who 

 wrote : 



"SIR, No explanation on the problem of the dead eels 

 referred to by Mr. Patterson appears to be forthcoming, and 

 as the subject has an interest for a great many, and has 

 certainly been much speculated about, may I observe as 

 follows : Like Mr. Patterson, I was recently at St. Olaves, 

 and noticed a lot of 'corpses' of eels travelling up and down 

 on the tides, and the same phenomenon appeared at 

 Cantley on moving my boat thither ; a few fish also were 

 * turned up ' at the latter place. Sailing up to Bramerton, I 

 was told that many dead fish had been floating about the 

 river. The fish give, I think, the clue to the mystery (if it 

 ever was one), for an old eel-catcher, whom I consulted, at 

 once observed, ' I consate 'tis the sewage.' Those who saw 

 no dead fish reasonably enough would not concede that sew- 

 age caused the mischief, but advanced ingenious theories of 

 electricity, the eels getting into hot water, etc. 



" Probably the Norwich authorities have been employing 

 that grand natural drain, the River Yare, once more. If it is 

 not so, let the negative be given to the suggestion. Cannot 

 Mr. Patterson co-operate with the responsible authority at 

 Norwich to gradually accustom our fish and eels to a scien- 

 tific diet of sewage ? Surely this should not be impossible 

 to the intelligence which of late years has choked the Nor- 

 wich river with weeds." 



" Holiday Maker," referring to this subject in the Angler's 

 NewS) said : 



" DEAR SIRS, I have just returned from a yachting 

 cruise on the Broadland waters, and whilst away I noticed 

 in the Norfolk papers some remarks respecting the large 

 number of eels which have died in the River Yare, etc. Now 

 I think the cause as put forth by a Norwich writer, that the 

 sewage matter entering the river poisons the eels, is wrong, 

 although this is corroborated by a well-known naturalist. 

 Firstly, because, although the eels are lying dead in the 

 reeds in hundreds, there is no marked mortality among 

 other fish roach, bream, etc. just an occasional fish being 

 turned up here and there. Secondly, it is well known that 

 eels thrive near sewers and filth, and that they do not get 

 poisoned. I think the writer really meant refuse from 

 chemical works, or something of the kind. But I want to 

 let you know what I have seen. My trip has been to Way- 

 ford Bridge, up the Ant, a tributary of the Bure. Well, 

 there are no chemical works, no sewers, or anything else of 



