CONGER. I'finger milgdrU. 



This useful fish has, of late years, come into more general use than formerly, and its 

 good qualities are more appreciated. The flesh, though not very palatable if dressed 

 unskilfully, is now held in some estimation, and for the manufacture of soup is thought 

 to be almost unrivalled. The fishermen can now always obtain a ready sale for the 

 Congers ; and those which are not purchased for the table are mostly bought up and 

 made into isinglass. 



Congers are chiefly caught with the line, and it is found that, voracious as they are, 

 they are fully as fastidious as the turbot, and will not touch a bait that is in the 

 least tainted. Small fish, such as young dabs and plaice, are among the favourite baits, 

 but the sand launce affords the most irresistible of lures, its bright glittering surface 

 tempting the voracious fish to its own destruction. The arms of cuttle-fish cut into 

 lengths is another bait used for taking the Conger. 



As the teeth of this fish are sharp, and the muscular power very 'great, the lines 

 are made of proportionate strength, the portion to which the hooks are attached being 

 twisted in such a manner that the Conger's teeth cannot cut through them. The hooks, 

 too, are very strong, and are made of soft iron, so that if the fish has gorged the bait, the 

 hook tan be drawn out by jerking until it straightens, when a few minutes' labour with a 

 hammer suffices to restore its form. The line is generally a long one furnished with 

 " snoods " at regular intervals, as has already been related of the cod-fish. For Conger 

 fisheries the snoods are about nine feet in length, and the principal line rather more than 

 four hundred feet. 



When the Congers are being hauled into the boat, they plunge about with the most 

 desperate efforts to escape ; and should their sharp teeth seize the fishermen, the result 

 is far from agreeable. The men, therefore, always kill the large Congers by a blow 

 on the underside of the body, where they are far more vulnerable than on the head. 

 The sailors will sometimes kill the Conger by squirting the juice of their " quids " into 

 its mouth. In very cold weather the Congers are apt to be seized with a curious 

 malady, which causes them to rise to the surface of the water, and there to float, 

 unable to sink. On dissection, the swimming bladder is found to be enormously swollen 



