94 ANGLING 



sorrow at the loss of so many of their clan. I say " real," for 

 there is the old saying " Very many shed tears merely for 

 show ; and have perfectly dry eyes when no one is looking on." 

 This sentiment coming to mind brings also a recollection of the 

 following lines on the same subject : 



Jane weeps not for her dad when none is by ; 

 When some one enters she begins to cry. 

 Not by its wish for praise is trueness shown ; 

 He mourns indeed who mourns when he's alone. 



During the week those two anglers (Mr. Hopper and Witch- 

 dorter) did not confine themselves to trying for big fish but laid 

 themselves out on several occasions when the sun was hot for 

 small fry, such as roach, perch, white bream, and willow blades, 

 and met with a fair measure of success. The capture of small 

 fry will not however interest the readers of these notes so Mr. 

 Hopper will not weary them with details of this kind of angling. 

 In the matter of barbel Mr. Hopper had landed seven of the 

 aggregate weight of 305 Ibs. Not far short of an average of 

 4^ Ibs. per fish which, to say the least, was a result gratifying 

 to Mr. Hopper, who brought four of his fish to Grimsby for the 

 inspection of several of the angling fraternity. With the excep- 

 tion of Bobbingmoon, another gentleman, an old Trentsider 

 living in Ainslie-road near the Park, who shall be nameless, 

 and one or two others, Mr. Hopper is not aware of any anglers 

 in Grimsby who have seen barbel, and accordingly Mr. 

 Hopper's five and seven pounder respectively created a good 

 deal of interest when submitted for inspection to a select coterie on 

 his return to Grimsby that Saturday evening. 



Mr. Hopper had three days previously despatched from Trent- 

 side by parcel post two barbel of 5lbs. and sJlbs. to some friends 

 but they discreetly gave them away for some one else to make a 

 meal of. In order to make barbel at all palatable at the dinner 

 table they require to be cooked the same as a pike that is, with 

 some very good stuffing and equally good thick gravy. Mr. 

 Hopper's friends, to whom he had consigned the barbel in 

 question, enquired of their friends, to whom they had given the 

 barbel, how they had cooked them, and in reply received the 

 assurance that they had either boiled or steamed them and 



