CUJVJJ)M. 317 



from the coasts of Crete, were ever freighted with a 

 cargo of high-smoked ' Dutch reds/ or a consignment of 

 ' Yarmouth bloaters.' It seems equally certain that the 

 ancient Romans were unacquainted with our ichthyolo- 

 gic 'London pride/ the clupea alba (white bite, or bait), 

 with which no degree of familiarity seems ever likely to 

 breed contempt. Had the Roman epicures indeed been 

 aware how dainty a little clupean inhabited our remote 

 shores, all means would no doubt have been taken to 

 transport it safe and sound to the Tiber : failing in 

 which (as white-bait will, not bear even a short journey) 

 they would certainly have adopted Mahomet's method 

 with the refractory mountain, and have embarked to 

 make acquaintance with it on the banks of the Thames. 

 As a set-off against this double deficit, the rivers of both 

 Greece and Italy teemed with the fresh-water herring 

 (alosa), whilst the Mediterranean everywhere yielded a 

 superfcetation of both sardines and anchovies : on each 

 of these we purpose presently to offer some remarks; but 

 before doing so, feel called upon, as an Englishman and 

 a herring-eater, to preface such brief notice, by a notice 

 as brief, of clupea harengus, the illustrious head and 

 representative of the family ; an acquaintance with which 

 suggests to those so privileged, the sentiment expressed 

 in the French epitaph : 



Tu fus de ses amis peut-6tre P 

 Pleure ton sort, et le sien. 

 Til n'en fus pasP pleure le tien, 

 Passant, d'avoir manqud de I'etre. 



Everything connected with this fish, according to M. 

 Lacepede, is ennobling or interesting : ' le hareng est une 

 de ces productions dont I'emploi decide de la destinee 

 des empires ;' nor can it be denied that all men who tar 

 their fingers in the clupean service, unlike those often 

 employed in maritime expeditions, are public benefac- 

 tors, and the agents of unmixed good. By them the 



