98 FISHING OFF THE BRAMBLES. [PART I. 
Besides Herrings however we were plentifully 
supplied with other bait, in the shape of small 
Herring-fry about the size of White Bait, with 
which many (most I may say) of the Whiting 
were perfectly gorged. The number of fish we 
brought home was (exclusive of those used as bait) 
three hundred and seven, weighing a hundred and 
sixty-one pounds, chiefly Whiting, but comprising, 
amongst a few other varieties, a Cod of sixteen, 
and a Skate of about seven or eight pounds. The 
Cod was caught on a Whiting which had taken 
the bait, and came up alive in his mouth. The 
feeling of relief, when we found we might dispense 
with our first unsavoury lot of Herrings, to which 
we had resigned ourselves as our only chance of 
success, and got them well overboard, was, it may 
be conceived, not inconsiderable. 
The best day’s sea-fishing that I ever had in the 
South of England was towards the end of August, 
near the West buoy of the Brambles, not far from 
the mouth of the Southampton river, when, in one 
tide, or, (to speak more correctly, part of two tides), 
two other lines and my own, assisted occasionally 
by those of a couple of boatmen, caught twenty- 
five dozen and eight Whiting (singularly enough, 
the same number within one as that mentioned 
