266 FISHES I HAVE KNOWN 



starlets fill the lakes and streams, and sturgeons 

 the larger rivers, which annually yield a valuable 

 harvest, other and cheaper edible fish being caught 

 everywhere throughout the Empire. 



To sum up. The pasturage hidden beneath 

 the sea-waves and the quiet waters of lake and 

 river, supply food for mankind greatly in excess 

 of that produced by the pasturage on land. 



This wonderful harvest of our British seas was 

 practically ungathered for many centuries, and, 

 except near the coast, sea fish was an unobtain- 

 able article of food. 



We read of a banquet in the days ot King 

 Harold, given by one of the Cornish knights, at 

 which roasted porpoise, fried hake, and pilchards 

 were conspicuous, having been caught close by the 

 host's castle.' But when the Bishop of Durham 

 entertained Richard II. in London, in 1386, 

 amongst the abundance of flesh — oxen, sheep, 

 boars, and game — the only fish were twelve dozen 

 of bream (sea-bream, presumably), a fish held in 

 poor estimation even when cooked in the right 



' When William of Wykchani, founder of Winchester 

 College, gave a dinner to the King and Queen on Sep- 

 tember 16, 1394, many kinds offish were served, and no less 

 than seven gallons of minnows, costing lis. 8d., presumably 

 in lieu of whitebait. 



