264 FISHING GOSSIP. 
corporating it with lime, and throwing detached 
pellets into the sea, one of which was no sooner swal- 
lowed than the fish, immediately turning over, floated 
up dead.” But the most interesting of these poisons 
is unquestionably prepared from the cyclamen, or 
sow-bread, two species of which possess the property 
of drugging fish in a remarkable degree, the C. Hedere- 
folium and the C. Neapolitanum. The lazzaroni, 
from whom we first learned the qualities of this plant, 
stated that they were in the habit of mixing it with 
other ingredients, in a paste they called lateragna, 
which is either thrown in lumps from a boat, or en- 
closed in a bag, and thrust by means of a long pole 
among the rocks, when, if any fish are within smell, 
the crew are sure of'a good haul; it was found, they 
said, particularly successful in the capture of Cephalli, 
and generally of low-swimming fish, whose nostrils 
come in more immediate contact with it on the 
ground. 
A paragraph in Cavaliere Tenore’s Neapolitan 
Flora quite confirms the correctness of the above 
statements. 
The ancient anglers never appeared to entertain a 
doubt but that fish were as particular in their.diet, 
and would be as much charmed by its variety, as any 
other class of animated nature. One of the oldest 
works upon the subject of angling has this passage— 
a passage for its atmosphere of gott equal to anything 
