OF FISH. 
267 
face of the water. The great fishery for mackerel is on 
some parts of the west coast of England. This is of 
such an extent, as to employ in the whole a capital of 
near two hundred thousand pounds. The fishermen go 
out to the distance of several leagues from the shore, 
and stretch their nets, which are sometimes several miles 
in extent, across the tide, during the night. The meshes 
of these nets are jilst large enough to admit the heads of 
tolerable large fish, and catch them by the gills. A sin- 
gle boat has been known to bring in, after one night’s 
fishing, a cargo that has sold for near seventy pounds. 
The mackerel is very good eating; but as it is fat, and 
consequently difficult of digestion, it is not fit for weakly 
persons or valetudinarians. 
Rapid and stony rivers, where the water is free from 
mud, are the favourite places of most of the salmon 
tribe, the whole of which is supposed to afford whole- 
some food to mankind. These fish when taken out of 
their natural element, very soon die; to preserve the fla- 
vour they must be killed as soon as they are taken out 
of the water. The fishermen usually pierce them near 
the tail with a knife, when they soon die with loss of 
blood. 
Trout. (PI. 46.) The general shape of the trout is 
rather long than broad; in several of the Scotch and 
Irish rivers, they grow so much thicker than in those of 
England, that a fish from eighteen to twenty-two inches, 
will often weigh from three to five pounds. This is a 
fish of prey, has a short roundish head, blunt nose, wide 
mouth, filled with teeth, not only in the jaws, but on the 
palate and tongue; the scalfs are small, the back ash co- 
lour, the sides yellow, and when in season, is sprinkled 
all over the body and covers of the gills with small beau- 
tiful red and black spots: the tail is broad. 
There are several sorts of trouts differing in their size, 
shape and hue; but the flesh of the best is either red or 
yellow, when drest; the female has a smaller head arid 
deeper body than the male, and its spots vary greatly in 
different waters, and at different seasons. 
This fish, although very delicate, and at present well 
