SALMON. 109 



POIET. This salmon is a good fish, and 

 fresh, as you said, from the sea. You see 

 the salt-water louse adheres to his sides, and 

 he is bright and silvery, and a thick fish ; I 

 dare say his weight is not less than 14lbs., 

 and I know of no better fish for the table 

 than one of that size. 



PHYS. It appears to me that so powerful 

 a fish ought to have struggled much longer : 

 yet, without great exertions on your part, in 

 ten minutes he appeared quite exhausted, and 

 lay on his side as if dying : this induces me 

 to suppose, that there must be some truth in 

 the vulgar opinion of anglers, that fish are, as 

 it were, drowned by the play of the rod and 

 reel. 



HAL. The vulgar opinion of anglers on 

 this subject I believe to be perfectly correct : 

 though, to apply the word drowning to an 

 animal that lives in the water is not quite 

 a fit use of language. Fish, as you ought to 

 know, respire by passing water, which always 

 holds common air in solution, through their 

 gills or bronchial membrane, by the use of a 

 system of muscles surrounding the fauces, 



