THE COD FAMILY AND THE SAND-EELS 251 



the day to sandy ground in the neighbourhood of piers, and 

 there seizing small baits that are allowed to rest a moment 

 on the bottom. When anxious to make a large catch of 

 pout, the fisherman has to drop his hooks, sometimes in 

 1 50 ft. or more of water, exactly among the fish, for these 

 will not move a boat's length to find baits dropped wide of 

 their haunts, or, as the fishermen say, of their " berth." The 

 reason for this is obvious to any one who knows the habits 

 of the pout and the peculiarities of the ground they live 

 on. The fish swim in narrow guUeys or crevices that may 

 measure no more than a foot across, but are many fathoms 

 deep. As pout feed close to the bottom, it is obvious 

 that any bait lying on either ledge above their retreat is 

 unseen by them, and there it may lie for hours, though 

 within a few feet of the unconscious pout. 



This fish, also known as the rock-whiting, or whiting-pout, 

 is a voracious feeder, crustaceans and worms being its chief 

 food. The best baits are mussel and lugworm, and Day is 

 quite in error in saying that pout feed best at night, for the 

 very best time to catch it is in August, when the tide is low 

 and the weather calm, at midday. 



The pout grows to a length of at least a foot, and a weight 

 of 4 or 5 lb., but such a fish would be an unusual specimen. 



Day says that it spawns at the end of winter, and Mcintosh 

 mentions taking a ripe female at St. Andrews on the last day 

 of February. Ripe pout have also been taken in that month 

 at Boulogne. The egg is large ; even in spirit its diameter 

 is over -^ in. Young pout measuring 4 or 5 in. are killed 

 in the Thames in October by the shrimp-trawlers. 



The Haddock {G. aglefinus) is best distinguished from 

 the rest by the large dark blotch on the shoulder, as well as 

 by the strongly marked and curved black lateral line. Other- 

 wise the fish is of a uniform grey above, with bronze 

 reflections, and pure white beneath. This metallic lustre 

 fades immediately after death, and the slime also dries up 



