LIFE-HISTORY OF THE POLLACK. 245 



Mullet); and Filaria piscium, discoverable in the cavity of the 

 belly. 



Enemies. — Gulls and Guillemots destroy immense quantities 

 of Pollack when very young— just after being hatched. When a 

 month old they live on the surface of the sea, keeping close to all 

 kinds of floating debris. At such times the sea-birds scarcely 

 everleave]them. Porpoises also often attack them. It is nothing 

 uncommon in clear water close to shore to see the Porpoises dart 

 along the sides of the rocks and devour them. In the summer of 

 1878, when the fishing-boat 'F. H.,' of Mevagissey, was passing 

 over the high ledges off the Gribben Head, Cornwall, the crew 

 saw a shoal of Porpoises attack a circle of large Pollack, killing 

 scores of them. They tacked the boat, and took up quantities of 

 large fish, the Porpoises having destroyed more than they could 

 eat. Sometimes when going at full speed a Porpoise will seize a 

 Pollack, and play with it as a cat will with a mouse, and by some 

 power unknown to me throw it three or four feet out of the water 

 forward, the next instant catching it again in its jaws. I have 

 known this done four or five times in succession with a Pollack 

 of about three pounds weight. A Porpoise will sometimes seize 

 a large Pollack by the middle with his powerful jaws, and other 

 Porpoises will swim around and eat the poor victim alive from 

 the mouth of the holder. 



These savage creatures, no doubt, are the cause of the 

 skulking habits of the Pollack, so annoying to the amateur 

 fisherman ; for this fish when hooked will, if possible, rush away 

 from his enemies in among the large sea-weeds, or into some 

 sheltered hole in the rocky sea-bottom, so that the amateur with 

 his fine gear is often unable to draw him out. Our fishermen, 

 when after large Pollack, go in the day-time where the fish are 

 circling. The crew consists of two men, each provided with sixty 

 fathoms three-quarter pound lines, with snooding six feet long. 

 One of these is used without a sinker, the other with it. The 

 lines used in this way will cover a greater amount of ground than 

 any other from a stationary boat, and thus enable the fishermen 

 to correct any slight error made in anchoring on the circling 

 ground, as it is impossible to be successful in fishing by day 

 unless the baits go right into the circle. The baits should be 

 Mackerel, Pilchards, Cuttles, or young Bream. 



A fisherman can always tell the kind of fish he has to his line 



