100 NOTES ON FISH AND FISHING. 



than with a hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou 

 lettest down ? Canst thou put an hook into his nose ? 

 or bore his jaw through with a thorn ?" — the last word 

 probably referring to fish-hooks made of tough wood (?). 

 In the prophet Habakkuk we read of fish being taken 

 " with the angle ; " and in Isaiah of " those that cast the 

 hoolc into the river." 



The Greeks and Bomans of later times, as became 

 civilized people, were anglers for diversion's sake, and 

 artistic anglers too, as piscatory writers bear witness. A 

 modern angler cannot fail to enter into the spirit of 

 many of the passages from Oppian, and feel that the 

 fishermen of old were of the same fraternity as " brothers 

 of the angle " now. Here is a specimen of the old poet 

 well rendered into our native tongue : — 



" A bite ! Hurrah ! the length'ning line extends, 

 Above the tugging fish the arch'd reed bends ; 

 He struggles hard, and noble sport will yield, 

 My liege, ere wearied out he quits the field. 

 See how he swims up, down, and now athwart 

 The rapid stream — now pausing as in thought ; 

 And now you force him from the azure deep ; 

 He mounts, he bends, and with resilient leap 

 Bounds into air ! There see the dangler twirl, 

 Convulsive start, hang, curl, again uncurl, 

 Caper once more like young Terpsichore 

 In giddy gyres above the sounding sea, 

 Till near'd, you seize the prize with steady wrist, 

 And grasp at last the bright funambulist ! " 



and another — 



" The fisher, standing from the shallop's head, 

 Projects the length'ning line and plunging lead, 

 Gently retracts, then draws it in apace, 

 While flocking anthias follow and give chase 



