92 FISH. 



the water ; they were supposed to have been on the 

 feed, and were going along at a good pace. This 

 fish is very good for the table. One way of cooking 

 it is to stuff it with veal stuffing and then bake it, 

 when I am sure any gourmand would be satisfied 

 with so admirable a " bonne bouche." Another 

 mode is to split it open, dry it in the sun, and 

 sprinkle it with pepper and salt ; when dry, either 

 grill or fry it ; or you may wipe it quite dry after 

 cleaning, but without removing the scales; it 

 should then be broiled, turning it often, and if 

 the skin cracks flour it a little to keep the outer 

 case entire ; when on table, the whole skin and 

 scales turn off without any difficulty, and the 

 muscle beneath, saturated with its own natural 

 juices, which the outside covering has retained, 

 will be found of good flavour. 



There are some other varieties of this fish, but 

 the one mostly taken on our coasts is the " black 

 sea bream." These fish take the baits commonly 

 used, but feed much on marine vegetables, on 

 which it becomes exceedingly fat ; it enters har- 

 bours, and is to be caught with rod and line from 

 rocks and pier heads ; the finest are taken by sail- 

 ing boats, towing long lines after them, at several 



