BOAT-FISHING. 187 
a twist and the eel stowed away for’ard out of the 
way, so that it gives no trouble when, as is pre- 
sently the case, it comes to its senses. Large eels 
are better killed, which is easiest effected by stabbing 
them in the back of the neck with a long pointed 
knife, and thus severing the spinal cord. 
Like the pollack, and some other fish, the conger 
will occasionally blow the bait, apparently un- 
touched, a foot or two up the line ; but this should 
be removed after each fish is unhooked, and a fresh 
bait cut for the next. It should be unnecessary to 
give any warning against the conger’s teeth, for the 
great mouth will be forbidding enough for most 
tastes, and a “gag,” such as the Jardine pattern 
mentioned on a previous page, should always be 
employed in extracting the hook from all but the 
smallest ; a conger of but 3 or 4 lbs., than which 
it is unusual to hook smaller, can bite very smartly. 
Small congers of this weight can, however, in the 
absence ‘of any handy weapon, be quieted by in- 
serting the forefinger and thumb of the right hand 
in the gills, and, having got a firm grip, dashing 
the tail once or twice against the thwart or gun- 
wale. Anything is preferable to the use of a blunt 
knife, as the blood of the conger, though lacking 
the nauseous smell of that in sharks, is yet suffi- 
ciently copious and sticky to be exceedingly 
unpleasant in the boat. In addition to this, a 
slime, thicker even than that from the fresh-water 
eel, adheres in thick films to everything with which 
the conger comes in contact. The necessity for 
having conger-baits perfectly fresh has already 
been stated; and there is every reason to believe 
that, its large eyes notwithstanding, the sea-eel 
secks its food by scent rather than with their aid, 
