12 BRITISH FISH AND FISHERIES, 



in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move 

 in the watei's, and of any living thing which is 

 in the Avaters, they shall be an abomination 

 tinto you," Lev. xi. 10. From this we infer 

 that shell-fish, as we term them, and other 

 aquatic mollusks, as well as smooth, slippery, 

 scaleless fishes, were prohibited ; and perhaps 

 the injunction more peculiarly applies to the 

 former than to real fishes, as we now restrict 

 the term. Be this as it may, fishes with scales 

 were decidedly allowed, and evidently constituted 

 a considerable portion of the food of the Israelites. 

 The lakes and rivers of Syria supplied them ; 

 and sea -fish from the Mediterranean were 

 brought to Jerusalem, and other cities and 

 towns of Palestine, by the Phoenician fishermen, 

 who traded even on the Sabbath, to its profana- 

 tion. " There dwelt men of Tj^re also therein, 

 (in Judah,) which brought fish, and all manner 

 of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the 

 children of Judah, and in Jerusalem," Neh. 

 xiii. 16. What was the fate of Tyre, the great 

 and mighty city, " the daughter of Sidon," 

 which eclipsed its parent in splendour? "It 

 shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the 

 midst of the sea," Ezek. xxvi. 5. Tyre was 

 insular, or rather peninsular, being united to 

 the mainland by the causeway of Alexander ; 



