OLD-FASHIONED ANGLING 31 



fish, no directions are given for fishing, but merely 

 descriptions of them, and very curious some of these 

 are. We are told of dolphins, that " they sleep 

 with their snouts out of water," and that " some 

 have affirmed that they have heard them snore ; 

 they will live three days out of water, during which 

 time they sigh in so mournful a manner as to 

 affect those with concern, who are not used to hear 

 them." 



Another fish, the " sea-wolf, taken off Heligoland, 

 is a very voracious animal, and well furnished with 

 dreadful teeth. They are so hard that if he bites 

 the fluke of an anchor you may hear the sound and 

 see the impression of his teeth." Certainly the 

 engraving of it makes it an awful-looking thing, 

 with a body like a codfish and an enormous head, 

 with a huge mouth full of teeth like spikes. When 

 the herring fisliery is mentioned, it is curious that 

 the author gives a full account of the Dutch fishery 

 but passes over the English with a very brief notice. 

 The account of the former is remarkable. Their 

 vessels were a kind of barque called a buss, from 

 forty-five to sixty tons burden, carrying two or three 

 small cannon ; none were allowed to steer out of port 

 without a convoy unless they carried twenty pieces 

 of cannon am oncost them all. What can have been 

 the use of this regulation I cannot imagine. A 



