126 FISHES I HAVE KNOWN 



crabs, mussels, and little yellow-tails, as lures, my 

 chum and I, after descending the face of the cliff 

 in the most dangerous fashion by a series of 

 narrow natural steps, took our places far apart on 

 a ledge close to the water, and flung our lines as 

 well as we could. The least slip and we should 

 have gone over beyond hope of being saved. But 

 what will not enthusiastic fishermen risk ! 



The burley began to take effect, and up came, 

 at the end of my line, a struggling blue groper 

 forty pounds weight at least. To secure it, I had 

 to put my foot on its neck and stun it with a 

 mallet I had with me, or it would at once have 

 rolled off the ledge. 



Then, with a yellow-tail for bait and more 

 burley, I tried for a jew-fish. Making a great 

 fuss and nearly dragging me off, up came a 

 tremendous fellow, nearly sixty pounds in weight, 

 and over four feet long, rich bronze-yellow with 

 golden tints; but, keeping clear of his spiked back, 

 I contrived to disable him. I afterwards caught a 

 small one, and rejoining my friend, who had been 

 equally successful, we fastened our catches to a 

 long line, climbed up the cliff with the other end, 

 and hauled up the fish to terra firma. 



Frank Buckland says that the flesh of a maigre 

 (jew-fish family) caught at Brighton in December, 



