FISHING BY MUSIC—THOR’S OX-HEAD BAIT 243 
forth by Elian (XIV. 25) in words which describe with such 
charming naiveté the perfection of the Silurian palate, eye, and 
possibly nose, enabling it to discriminate instantly between 
“ the lungs of a wild ” and other “ bull,” } that we may venture 
upon quoting the whole passage : 
“ An Istrian fisherman drives a pair of oxen near the river- 
bank, not, however, for the purpose of ploughing... . If a 
pair of horses are at hand, the fisherman makes use of horses ; 
and with the yoke on his shoulders, down he goes and takes his 
station at a spot which he thinks will make a convenient seat 
for himself, and be a good place for sport. He fastens one end 
of the fishing-rope, which is stout and capable of standing a 
good tug, to the middle of the yoke, and supplies the oxen, 
or the horses, as the case may be, with sufficient food, and the 
animals take their fill. 
“To the other end of the rope he fastens a strong and terribly 
sharp hook, baited with the lungs of a wild bull; this he throws 
into the water as a lure—a very sweet lure—to the Istrian 
silurus, having previously fastened a piece of lead of sufficient 
size to the rope above the place where the hook is bound on, 
to serve as a support for the pull.2 
“‘When the fish perceives the bait of bull’s-flesh, he 
immediately rushes at the prey, and, meeting with that he so 
dearly loves, opens wide his great jaws and greedily swallows 
the dreadful bait; then the glutton, at first turning himself 
round with pleasure, soon finds that he has been pierced un- 
awares with the aforesaid hook, and being eager to escape 
from the calamity shakes the rope with the greatest violence. 
: “The fisherman observes this, and is filled with delight ; he 
\ jumps from his seat, and, now in the character of a fisherman, 
now in that of a ploughman, like an actor who changes his 
mask in a play, he urges on his oxen or horses, and a mighty 
1 The head of the ox was Thor’s bait when fishing for the monstrous 
Midhgardh serpent. See D. P. Chantepie de la Saussaye, The Religion of the 
Teutons (Boston, 1902), p.242. C. A. Parker, The Ancient Crosses of Gosforth, 
Cumberland (London, 1896), p. 74 ff., describes and figures a relief representing 
Thor’s fishing. In this we see the line (below the boat) with an ox's head, 
surrounding which are several enormous fishes. 
2 For épua, “support,” perhaps we should read épuua, “ protection,” i.e. 
against erosion. 
