202 Rev. W. Houghton on the Silurus 



eaten by the Christians. It is vulgarly called the black fish 

 [Simmah al Asicad) ; but the natives affirm the proper name to 

 be Siloor." (ii. p. 217.) It would be interesting to know 

 whether modern travellers have visited this lake and reported 

 on its fish. The Silurus anguiUarisj Linn., is perhaps the 

 Clarias Orontis mentioned by Dr. Giinther, 



In chapter 25 of Elian's 14th book there is the following 

 account of a curious method of catching siluri, pursued by the 

 ancient Mysian inhabitants of Scythia and the Danubian 

 districts, which is interesting and amusing. The species of 

 fish here referred to is, I presume, the large European Silurus 

 glanis. "An Istrian fisherman drives a pair of oxen down 

 to the river-bank, not, however, for the purpose of ploughing ; 

 for as the proverb says there is nothing in common between 

 an ox and a dolphin, so we may say, what can a fisherman's 

 hands have to do with the plough ? If a pair of horses are at 

 hand, then the fisherman makes use of horses ; and with the 

 yoke on his shoulders down he goes and takes his station at a 

 spot which he thinks will make a convenient seat for himself, 

 and be a good place for sport. He fastens one of the ends of 

 the fishing-rope, which is very strong and suitable, to the 

 middle of the yoke, and supplies either the horses or the oxen, 

 as the case may be, with sufficient fodder, and the beasts take 

 their fill. To the other end of the rope he fastens a very strong 

 and sharp hook baited with the lung of a wild bull ; and this 

 he throws into the water as a lure to the Istrian silurus (a very 

 sweet lure for the fish) , having previously attached a piece of 

 lead of sufficient size to the rope near the place where the hook 

 is bound on, for the purpose of regulating its position in the 

 water. When the fish perceives the bait of bull's flesh, he 

 rushes immediately at the prey, and, meeting with what he so 

 dearly loves, opens wide his great jaws and greedily swallows 

 the dreadful bait ; then the glutton, tui-ning himself round with 

 pleasure, soon finds that he has been pierced unawares with 

 the hook, and being eager to escape from his calamity, shakes 

 the rope with the greatest violence. The fisherman observes 

 this, and is filled with delight ; he jumps from his seat, and — 

 now in the character of a fisherman, now in that of a plough- 

 man (like an actor who changes his mask in a play) — he urges 

 on his oxen or his horses, and a mighty contest takes place 

 between the monster (/ctJto?) and the yoked animals ; for the 

 creature (the foster-child of the Ister) draws downwards with 

 all his might, while the yoked animals pull the rope in the 

 opposite direction. The fish is beaten -by the united eflforts of 

 two, gives in, and is hauled on to the bank." 



The sheatfish, it is well known, still occurs in the Danube, 



