FISHES AND FISHIT^G. 151 



indeed many, bushels of eels were taken, which crept 

 out from behind the wood-work, as the water became 

 low, and, at the mill where a piece of brick-work of 

 the foundation had fallen, and caused the formation 

 of an enclosed space, an eel was taken weighing above 

 six pounds ; he was completely enclosed except in 

 one or two places, where there were small interstices, 

 and probably had existed there during several years, for 

 though small fish and insects could enter the place, and 

 no doubt served him for food, yet there was no place 

 through which an eel of a pound could pass outward. 

 I once caught by sniggling, an eel, through a hole in 

 the planking, called the apron of the mill conduit ; 

 by degrees I drew his head to the hole, which was 

 not large enough to let him through, and I had to 

 take off my shoes and stockings, and making my line 

 tight, get down into about two or three inches of 

 water, and cut the hole large enough to let him pass ; 

 he weighed above three pounds. Eel fishing begins 

 21st of April, and ends 29 th October. 



I had once an eel in the well of my punt, weighing 

 rather over four pounds ; wanting him, and not having 

 my punt net at hand, I took off my coat, stripped up 

 my shirt sleeves, and tried to catch him ; after a con- 

 siderable trial I grasped him, when he turned, bit 

 ray other hand between my forefinger and thumb, as 

 I was endeavouring to secure him, and drew blood. 



