172 FISHES I HAVE KNOWN 



some contrivance that I could not follow, 1 the 

 bottom edges of the circle of nets were pulled 

 together by ropes, forming a kind of cage whence 

 was no escape. Every fish was slaughtered, and 

 the sea was red with blood. 



They were from four to six feet long, and 

 weighed from twenty-five to a hundred pounds ; 

 but there was one huge creature quite ten feet in 

 length, and about six hundred pounds in weight. 

 In fact, tunnies are the largest edible sea fish, 

 having been known to measure as much as fifteen 

 feet. 



The sword-fish and the tunny belong to the 

 same family as the mackerel. Take a mackerel, 

 magnify it enormously, and, with some trifling- 

 difference in the dorsal fin, which is proportionally 

 much longer, you have a tunny. 



Some of the tunny's scales are very large, and 

 form an armour-like sheath at the back, but below 

 they are as small as a trout's. 



Amongst other delicacies in Fortnum and 

 Mason's shop may often be seen tunny preserved 

 in oil, and this is much liked in the south of 

 France. But it is. preferable when perfectly fresh, 

 as we experienced when, having purchased one of 



1 Probably something resembling the Cornish "tuck" net 

 process. 



