FISHES AND FISHING, 



355 



Anthony says, '* Whenever the rigid contractions of 

 death have not taken place, this process may be 

 practised with success. The sea-fish destined for 

 crimping are usually struck on the head when caught, 

 which, it is said, protracts the term of the contracti- 

 bility, and the muscles which retain the property' 

 longest are those about the head. Many transverse 

 sections of the muscles being made, and the fish being 

 immersed in cold spring water, the contractions called 

 crimping take place in about five minutes ; but if the 

 mass be large, it often requires thirty minutes to 

 complete the process, by which means the flesh both 

 acquires the desired firmness, and keeps longer." 



Salmon caught by a net are not so fine in flavour 

 as those caught by angling ; and the latter are con- 

 sidered best for crimping. ** Wild Sports of the 

 West." 



By this it appears to be supposed that the blow on 

 the head renders the fish insensible to pain ; and that 

 the transverse divisions of the muscular fibre must 

 take place to be of any utility, whilst they have the 

 contractile power of remaining life. 



Take a fiounder, and kill it by the method I have 

 before mentioned ; it dies instantly, and you will see 

 the whole muscular fibre of its body swell, and be- 

 come firm. Cook one thus killed, and one left to die 

 the lingering death occasioned by removal from the 



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