WAR AND HUNTING. 



CHAPTER VI. 



THE HOOK.— DEFENSIVE ARMOUR.— THE FORT. 



Anglers and their Hooks. — Single and double Hooks. — Hook of British Columbia. 

 — Seed of Galium, or Goose-grass, and its Armature of Hooks.— Seed of the 

 Burdock, and its Annoyance to Sheep. — Hooked Sponge-spicules. — " Snatch- 

 ing " Fish. — The Fish-rake of British Columbia. — The " Gaff" and its Uses. 

 — The Jaguar as a Fisher. — Defensive Armour and its Varieties. — Plate and 

 Chain Mail. — The Shield. — Australian and West African Shields. — Fibre 

 Armour. — Seal's-tooth Cuirass. — Joints of Armour. — " Tassets." — Scale 

 Armour in Art and Nature. — The Manis and the Fish. — Feather Armour. — 

 "Madoc in Aztlan." — Quilted Armour of Silk or Cotton. — Terrible Results 

 from the latter. — Mr. Justice Maulstatute. — Natural Quilt Armour. — The 

 Rhinoceros and the Whale. — The Testudo of the ancient Romans, and its 

 Uses. — The common Tortoise. — The Fort. — Curious Transitions in Fort- 

 building ; first Earth, then Stone, then Earth again. — Advantage of Earthen 

 Mounds. — Natural Snow-fort made by the Elk, and its Defensive Powers 

 against the Wolf. 



The Hook. 



HAYINGr now seen that the rod and line of anglers have 

 their prototypes in Nature, we will proceed to the hook, 

 by which the fish are secured. 



The two figures on the right hand of the accompanying 

 illustration represent hooks which are familiar to every angler. 

 The lower is the ordinary fish-hook, which can be used in so 

 many ways. Generally it is employed singly, being fastened 

 to the end of a line, and armed with, a bait, either real or 

 artificial. Sometimes, however, these hooks are whipped 

 together, back to back, three or even four being so employed, 

 and thus forming a combination of the hook and grapnel, and 

 rendering the escape of a fish almost impossible. 



Above it is a double hook, such as is used in " trolling " for 



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