CHAPTER V 
ARISTOTLE—THE FIRST ‘‘SCALE-READER”’ ; THE FIRST 
TO DISCOVER THAT IN THE MUREX ITS YEARLY 
GROWTH IS INDICATED BY THE SHELL—SENSES OF 
FISH : EXPERIMENTS AS TO HEARING 
“ Aristotle hath his Oare in every Water ” 
Ir the passage quoted in my Introduction left any doubt that 
Plato was no admirer of fishing or fishermen, the following, 
from The Laws, VII. 823 (Jowett’s translation), is conclusive 
proof. 
“And, now, let us address young men in the form of a 
prayer for their welfare: O Friends, may no desire of hunting 
in the sea, or of catching the creatures in the waters, ever take 
possession of you, either when you are awake, or when you 
are asleep, by hooks, with weels, which latter is a very lazy 
contrivance, and let no desire of catching men, or piracy by 
sea, enter into your souls.” 
Then Plato adds: ‘“ Only the best of hunting is allowed at 
all, which is carried on by men with horses, dogs, and men’s 
own persons,”’ and is really hard exercise. ‘Fishing is not an 
occupation worthy of a man well born or well brought up, 
because it demands more of address and ruse than force, and 
is not for young people, like hunting, the occasion of healthy 
exercise.” ! 
1 Byron’s view of fishing is not favourable—as his lines in Don Juan, Canto 
XIII. prove: 
“ Angling, too, that solitary vice, 
Whatever Isaak Walton says or sings.’’ 
He bore, possibly from failure to catch his boyish Aberdeenshire trout, a grudge 
against Father Izaak, 
“ The quaint, old, cruel coxcomb in his gullet 
Should have a hook, and a small trout to pull it.” 
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