HALIEUTICA, IV. 629-647 



it perishes thinks to escape. Such foolish device 

 also doth the ^vinged bent-necked beast ^ of Libya 

 practise : but its craft is vain. Even so with vain 

 hopes the tender Sciaena hides, for speedily the fisher 

 pulls it forth with his hand and comes to the surface 

 and shows its foolishness. 



Even so many devices I know of the fishermen's 

 craft in the sea and bitter destruction for so many 

 fishes. And all the others a like fate overtakes, by 

 weels and hooks and deep-woven net and sweeping 

 trident — some in the day-time, but others evening 

 takes and slays, when at earliest dusk of night with 

 hghted torch '' the fishers steer their hollow boat, 

 bringing to the resting fishes a darkling doom. Then 

 do the fishes exulting in the oily flame of pine rush 

 about the boat and, to their sorrow seeing the fire 

 at even, meet the stem blow of the trident. 



There is another manner of fishing practised by 



chase in which the fish is pursued and struck with barbed 

 spears, or a long-shafted trident, called a waster, is much 

 practised at the mouth of the Esk and in the other salmon 

 rivers of Scotland. The sport is followed by day and 

 night, but most commonly in the latter, when the fish are 

 discovered by means of torches or fire-grates, filled with 

 blazing fragments of tar -barrels, which shed a strong 

 though partial light upon the water." Burns, Death and 

 Dr. Hornbook, v. 31 " I there wi' Something did forgither | 

 That pat me in an eerie swither ; | An awfu' scythe, outowre 

 ae shouther, | Clear-dangling, hang ; | A three-taed leister 

 on the ither | Lay large and lang." It furnishes a simile to 

 Q. Smyrn. vii. 569 Si% 5' oKievs Kara irbvTov a.vT)p \(\iri)xfvot 

 iyprji I Tfuxf^" Ix^^'O''- '"'Vf'^ <p^pfi. fxivoi ' H.(pai<rroi.o \ vrjos irji 

 ivToade, SieypofUvr] 5' vr' dirr/xj | fiapfiaipei -wtpi vrja rvpds 

 ffe'Xas, oi 5^ KeXaivrjs \ i^ dXoy aiffffovffi ^e/xaort j vffTaTOv aIy\T)if | 

 ficriS^fiy' tovs yap pa TavvyXoixt-fi- rpuLiprj | Kreivei iTeaavfiivovi, 

 ydrvTai de oi ^op itr' dyprj' | urs kt\. Cf. C. iv. 140; Neilson, 

 Annals of the Solway (1899), p. 52; Introd. p. xlvii. 



451 



