NINTH DAY.] MERMAID. 247 



any locomotive powers, would be the prey of other 

 fishes, formed in a manner more suited to their 

 element. I have seen a most absurd fabrication of a 

 mermaid, exposed as a show in London, said to have 

 been found in the Chinese seas, and bought for a 

 large sum of money. The head and bust of two 

 different apes were fastened to the lower part of a 

 kipper salmon, which had the fleshy fin, and all the 

 distinct characters, of the salmo solar. 



ORN. And yet there were people who believed 

 this to be a real animal. 



HAL. It was insisted on, to prove the truth of 

 the Caithness story. But what is there which people 

 will not believe ? 



POIET. In listening to your conversation w r e have 

 forgotten our angling, and have lost some moments of 

 fine cloudy weather. 



HAL. I thought you were tired of catching trouts 

 and graylings, and I therefore did not urge you to 

 continue your fly-fishing ; and this part of the river 

 does not contain so many grayling as the pools above 

 but there are good trout, and it is possible there 

 may be huchos. Let me recommend to you to put on 

 minnow tackle that tackle with the five small hooks ; 

 and, as we have minnows and bleaks, you may 

 perhaps hook trout, or even huchos ; and in half an 

 hour our fish dinner at the inn will be ready. I 



