386 THE KEEPERS BOOK 



all round these islands, but the saithe is most plentiful 

 in Scotch waters, and dwindles in numbers as we go 

 south, whereas the pollack is as plentiful in the English 

 Channel as anywhere. Three other members of the cod 

 family call for passing mention. Of these, the hake and 

 ling grow to a great size, while the pout, or " rock whit- 

 ing," rarely exceeds 5 Ib. The hake is a long grey fish, 

 with formidable teeth and no beard. It grows to a 

 weight of 25 Ib., and is found in pursuit of the herring. 

 The ling, which is still more elongated, and not unlike 

 a conger with a beard, grows to a 100 Ib. weight, and 

 has probably the heartiest and most accommodating 

 appetite of all our British fishes, and even swallows such 

 dainty morsels as halibuts and sharks. Nor is there 

 any immediate fear of the species dying out, for a full- 

 grown female has been found to contain 100,000,000 

 eggs! 



The mackerel is one of the gamest fish in our seas. 

 Only its small size is against it. If it grew as big as 

 ling or lythe, there would be no need to go to California 

 for tuna. But as it rarely exceeds 4 Ib., only the 

 lightest of rods and tackle should be used when 

 mackerel are to be caught for sport. Catching them for 

 the market is another matter, and either drift-nets or 

 handlines must be employed. It is for sport that the use 

 of light tackle is advocated, and not, as for bass and grey 

 mullet, because it is more likely to deceive the fish, for 

 mackerel will take almost any bait, and, when in the 

 mood to feed, almost any tackle. As they do not like 



