Part 2

Is the name of a sea fish of the Herring kind; it is also called the Mother of Herrings; by some authors Clupea and Trissa; by the Ancients Trechis, or Trichias; and the Clupea Alosa of Linnæus. In its general form, it very much resembles the Herring; only it is flatter and broader, and grows to a cubit long and four inches broad. The back is convex and rather sharp; the head sloping considerably from it. The body grows gradually less to the tail from thence. The lower jaw is rather longer than the upper; the teeth very minute. The dorsal fin is small, and placed very near the center: the middle rays are the longest. The pectoral and ventral fins are small; the belly very sharp; the tail forked: the body is of a dusky blue. Above the gills is a line of black spots, which mark the upper part of the back on each side. The number of these spots is different in different fish, from four to ten.

It is very common in many of our seas, and in some of our rivers which lie near the sea. They run up there in great numbers, and are then very fat; they afterwards become lean, and go down to the sea again. They usually swim in large shoals together.

The Shad is in higher perfection in the Severn than in any other river in Great Britain. It appears there in May, and in very warm seasons, in April; it continues about two months. At its first appearance, it is esteemed a very delicate fish; especially at Gloucester, where it sells dearer than Salmon. The London fishmongers distinguish it from that of the Thames by the French name of Alose. Whether they spawn in the Severn and Wye, is not determined, as their fry has not yet been ascertained. The old fish come from the sea in full roe.

The fishermen imagine, very erroneously, that the Bleak, which appear in multitudes near Gloucester in the months of July and August, are the fry of the Shad: many of these are taken in those months only; but none of the emaciated Shad are ever caught in their return.

The Thames Shad does not frequent the river till the month of July, and is thought a very coarse, insipid fish. At that time, the Twaite, a variety of Shad which makes its appearance in Gloucester, and is taken in great numbers in the Severn, but held in as great disrepute as the Shad of the Thames. The real Shad weighs sometimes eight pounds; but in general from four to five. The Twaite, on the contrary, weighs from half a pound to two pounds, which it never exceeds. It only differs from the small Shad, by having one or more black spots on its side, which are generally placed one under the other.

_The TENCH_

Is, in Icthyology, the English name of the Tinca of the modern authors; but, according to the Artedian and Linnæan system, a species of the Cyprinus. It is distinguished by Artedi by the name of the blackish, mucous, or slimy Cyprinus, with the end of the tail even.

_The TROUT_

Is a very valuable river-fish; the characters of which are these. It has a long body; its head is short and round, its nose blunt at the end: its tail is very broad; its mouth large, and each jaw furnished with one row of sharp teeth. In its palate there are three parcels of teeth, each of an oblong figure, in the congeries, and all meeting in an angle near the end of the nose; the tongue has also six, eight, or ten teeth on it. It is very beautifully variegated on the sides with red spots. The colour of the Trout, and of its spots, varies greatly in different waters and different seasons; yet you may reduce each to one species.

In Llyndivi (a lake in South Wales), there are Trouts called Coch y Dail, marked with red and black spots about the size of a sixpence; others, not spotted, and of a reddish hue, which sometimes weigh from eight to ten pounds: they are very ill tasted. In Lough Neagh, in Ireland, there are Trouts called Buddagh, many of which weigh thirty pounds; others are taken of a much superior size, in Hulse Water (a lake in Cumberland), the same as those Trouts in the lakes of Geneva.

The stomachs of the common Trouts are very thick and muscular, as they feed on the shell fish of lakes and rivers as well as the small fish; and take gravel or stones into their stomachs to assist in comminuting the testaceous parts of their food. The Trouts of certain lakes in Ireland are remarkable for the great thickness of their stomachs, which, from some resemblance to the digesting organs in birds, are called Gizzards; and the species which have them, are called Gizzard Trouts. These stomachs are frequently served up to the table in Ireland, under the nomination of Gizzards.

Trouts are a very voracious fish, affording the angler great amusement. The under jaw of the Trout is subject to the same curvature as that of the Salmon. There is likewise a species of Trout, which migrates out of the sea into the river Esk in Cumberland, from July to September, and called, from its colour, the Whiting. Its taste is delicious. When they first make their appearance from the salt water, they have a Salmon Louse adhering to them. They have milt and spawn; but no fry has been yet observed. It goes under the appellation of Phinocs, among the Scotch. They are never more than a foot in length; the upper jaw is somewhat longer than the lower; the upper contains two rows of teeth, and the lower one: on the tongue there are six teeth. Its form is truly elegant; the colour dusky, mingled with silver. First dorsal fin spotted with black; the tail quite black, and forked; the first dorsal fin has eleven rays; the pectoral thirteen; the ventral nine; the anal nine.

_The WHITING_

Is, in Icthyology, the English name of a common fish of the Asellus kind, called by some Asellus Mollis, and by others Asellus Albus, or Merlangus. It is certainly, according to the Artedian system, one of the Gadi; distinguished by that author by the name of Gadus with three fins on the back; without beards, with a white body; the upper jaw longer than the lower.

The Whiting, or Gadus Melangus of Linnæus, has a very elegant form: its eyes are large, its nose sharp; the teeth of the upper jaw are very long, and appear above the lower when closed. The first dorsal fin has fifteen rays, the second eighteen, and the last twenty. The head and back are of a pale brown colour; the lateral line white and crooked; the belly and sides silvery; the sides being marked lengthways with yellow.

They appear in the sea, by large shoals, in the spring, keeping at the distance of about half a mile to that of three miles from the shore. They are the most delicate and wholesome of any of the genus, and seldom grow to more than ten or twelve inches in length.

A DISCOURSE OF FISH AND FISH-PONDS,

BY The Hon. ROGER NORTH.

A DISCOURSE OF FISH AND FISH-PONDS.

_Of the Situation and Disposition of the principal Waters._

One great point in the conduct of fish, is, to have them at command; another is, to have perpetual recruits, to supply your stock as you draw it off. This is not to be done without a certain order and method; and with it, nothing is more practicable and easy.

Your method must be, to have some great waters, which are the head-quarters of the fish, from whence you may take, or wherein you may put, any ordinary quantity of fish. Then to have stews, and other proper auxiliary waters, so as you lead the fish from one to the other, whereby you never shall want, and need not abound; and, which is more, lose no time in the growth of the fish, but employ the water, as you do your land, to the best advantage.

This will appear more distinctly in the sequel of this discourse, which shall begin with the situation and disposition of the principal waters, whereupon you must depend for the raising and feeding the greatest part of the stock.

First, you must examine the grounds, and find some fall betwixt two hills, as near a flat as may be, so as there be a sufficient current for the water. If there be any difficulty in judging of such, take an opportunity after some sudden rain, or the breaking up of a great snow in winter, and you shall see plainly which way the ground casts; for the water will take the true fall, and run accordingly.

The condition of the place must determine the quantity of ground to be covered with water. I should propose in all, fifteen acres in three ponds, or eight acres in two, and not less. And these ponds should be placed one above another, so as the point of the lower may almost reach the head or bank of the upper; which will be very beautiful, as well as profitable, as will appear afterwards.

The head or bank, which, by stopping the water in its current, is to raise the water, and so make a pond, must be built with the clay and earth taken from the pan or hollow dug in the lowest ground above the bank; and that pan should be shaped as half an oval, whereof the flat comes to the bank, and the longer diameter runs square from it.

But were there not need of earth for this purpose, it were better to leave the natural soil for the fish to feed upon. I shall give the reason afterwards, and consider the manner of raising and fortifying the bank particularly.

_Of the Manner of the making and raising Pond-Heads._

It is obvious, that if you make a dam cross a valley or swamp, where at any time after, the water runs, it will produce a pond; and as the bank or dam is higher at the point or center, which is against the lowest ground, so much is the pond deeper; and if the hills on each side rise steep and quick, the water stopped will cover less ground than if they rise slow.

Now first, for making the bank or head, you must be sure it is tight, and that it do not sew or leak, as it will certainly do, if it be composed of mere earth; therefore a bed or wall of clay, the whole length of the bank, must be carried up with good ramming, from a foot or two below the surface of the ground, to such height as you propose the water shall stand.

If you do not give the bed of clay this foundation, the water lying under a great weight from the depth of it, will work itself underneath, so allow a spit or two at least for it. Then, as you ram the clay, you must be sure that earth be brought to carry the bank up with it, or else the sun will search and crack it, which is of pernicious consequence; so when it is come to its full height, close and cover it with earth immediately, lest the inconvenience happens.

You must allow three feet to the breadth of this bed of clay, and raise it to the height you intend the water shall stand, and lay earth three feet higher; two feet would have served, but that the allowance of one at least must be made for the sinking of the bank; for it will do so notwithstanding the pressing of tumbrels, horses, and men working upon it.

If you project many stews, or other ponds to be sunk right down about the same time, you will have great advantage by the clay you take out of them, which will be much more than is necessary for the bed, and that may fortify the bed, by being pressed down by the tumbrels on each side of it; and so the bank will be very much confirmed, and it will also save breaking of ground within the pond, which is a great advantage in the feed of the fish.

_The Dimensions of Pond-Heads._

The dimensions of these banks are governed by the manner of the hills rising; for if it be quick, then, to cover a competent quantity of ground, you must raise the bank higher, and consequently it must be made stronger, than when the ground riseth slow, so as a moderate height shall cast the water upon ground enough. And of this there will be great difference; for in some places, ten feet high shall cover as much as twenty feet in others. And this will be easily discovered by the water-level, used according to art, whereby you may stake the water-line upon the ground to any height; and so you will fix the determinate height of the bank.

I will suppose a medium, and that a bank, fourteen feet high at the center, will cover the quantity of ground. Then you must make your bank at the foot at least fifty feet wide, and so straitening by equal degrees on either side, bring it to sixteen at the top; and so you will have a sufficient slope, and the bank will stand firm and durable, scarce to be destroyed without as much pains and industry as made it.

By this proportion, pond heads of any dimension may be projected; the matter is not so nicely circumstanced, that a little more or less should signify. But it must be noted, that to make them too slight, is the greatest error, and most to be avoided; let them be rather made too strong, for then you have not only a more secure bank, but a more beautiful walk, and more room for wheel-carriage, besides a capacity of some wood; all which compensate the charge of what is superfluous.

_Of securing your Banks._

If the bank be well made, and in sufficient dimension, nothing can hurt it, but great land-floods, or water-shots, which, if suffered to run over the bank, will carry away the fish, which in a warm flood will rise, and go with it to seek adventures, but also gurry holes in the back of the bank, and weaken it so much, that if the flood continues, it shall carry all away together.

For preventing of this mischief, there are two ways; 1. Grates at each end of the bank, planted upon the level that is to be the highest of the water. 2. Channels of diversion, which being taken so high in the current as may lead the water upon the side of either hill above the bank, you have the power to turn out all the water when you please, so that none shall come upon the bank.

1. As to grates, the way of them is well known; however observe, that if they be made of wood, the banks must be set diagonally, like window-bars; for so rubbish stops least against them, and the water passeth freely. And in regard you cannot allow any great distance between them for keeping in the fish, you must help out the room by extending the grate from each side of the cut in the bank where the water is to vent, some considerable space from the bank, and there to meet in a point, forming a triangle upon the bank. Here are many more slits for the water to vent at, than if the grate lay flat upon the bank, covering the passage only. And if need be, there may be doors to slide up and down, made in the grate, to let the water pass more freely; but this endangereth losing the fish. If you will afford iron for these grates, you need only cover the passage of the bank; for the bars need not be so thick, but there will be space enough for the water to vent at.

2. The channels for diverting the water are very useful in this and many other respects; for they give you a perfect command of the water, and you may turn it which way you please, so as to fill or keep dry any of the ponds, and in a wet season are a perfect security. These should be made four feet wide, and on each side of the ponds the loss of ground is not considerable; for wood growing there will make amends for it.

The string of ponds in Hyde-Park are admirably disposed in this respect; for the current of the valley is carried along by the side of all the ponds, and may be let into any of them, or any may be emptied into it; than which, there is not a greater command of water.

However carefully a bank is made, it is probable it will sew a little at first; but this should be no discouragement; for by the settling of the earth, it will continually grow higher, and in a few years, if made with tolerable care, be as firm as a rock.

_Of Sluices._

These are very requisite to the good command of a water, and though very ordinarily used, yet require an experienced carpenter to make and fix them as should be, especially in great waters; and such as have not experience, shall err most grossly in this work. They must be framed so as to stand firm, that the force of any thrust, or a boat’s running against them, may do no prejudice to them: for if they are any thing strained, they are apt to prove leaky; and in so great an height as is needful for deep waters, a small matter will do it, unless they are extraordinarily well abutted.

The timber-work must be heart of oak, especially the top, and that all of one piece, how long soever it be; and the vent hole must be guarded with large boxes perforated so as the water, but no fish, may pass. And all this well framed, and what is under ground extraordinarily rammed with clay, else it will be apt to leak.

The use of these is very great: for if a great water must be emptied, you must either apply engines, cut the bank, or draw a sluice. As for engines, they are too chargeable, and puzzling to fix; however, I may propose to them that are lovers of art, some facile ways of lifting great quantities of water. Then, if you cut the bank, the passage is interrupted and made troublesome by the earth, and you shall scarce ram it up so well again, but it will perpetually leak about the place where the fissure was; but sluices vent the water certainly, though slowly, without any labour, charge, or inconvenience.

_Of the Manner of working to raise a Pond-Head._

Now, as for the manner of raising this bank, which I think is the only chargeable work you have, I shall give some light into the way of working, so as to abridge the expence as much as may be. The advantage of trades, is, that by continual experience, they find nearer ways of doing things, spending fewer strokes, and less time, than others can. And in the conduct of this work, there is much to be saved; every man’s reason leads him to contrive compendiums of business, as I have done in the disposition of my waters; which experience of mine may save others the thought, as well as loss by making their own experiments.

When you have projected your work, for which the latter end of June, or the beginning of May, is the best time, take the assistance of your neighbours, and provide yourself with six tumbrels, four good horses, and two stout labourers, besides the driver to each pair of tumbrels. I call them pairs, because they work alternately with the same horses; so that one is filling, while the other is moving, and your labourers, as well as horses, are always at work.

The first work to be done, is, the taking up the first spit of earth where the bank is to be, and from the pan of the pond, and to lay it by for the uses I shall declare hereafter.

Then lay down your sluice, with trunks sufficient to convey the water through the head or bank. This must be done at the deepest part of the ground, which probably will fall in the center of the bank. This will employ two pair of tumbrels and four labourers, for digging and fetching of clay, besides four labourers to ram it, which must be, as was said, very well done. And the carpenter, who beforehand hath fitted his work, must attend also one whole day to help in the laying it down, and to see it well rammed.

The next day’s work may be the employment of two pair of tumbrels in fetching of clay, and four or five good labourers to ram the foundation of the bed of clay. And I suppose this may rise a foot in one whole day’s work, more or less, as the length of the head is. Clay riseth stiff, and for that, if it riseth near, as in the pan of the pond, three labourers to a pair of tumbrels, are requisite to dig and fill, otherwise the horses will be idle, and want work as well as the rammers.

The day after employ four pair of tumbrels more, to fetch earth out of the pan of the pond to lay along the bank on each side of the bed of clay, the whole length of the head; and to this work, two labourers for a pair of tumbrels are enough.

Here you must lay on six labourers at least, to ram the bed of clay, and spread earth upon the bank, so that it may be done as fast as the six tumbrels supply it; and by this means the bank and bed of clay will rise together.

Thus you proceed till the bank is finished, which will rise faster as you come nearer the top, and so will somewhat alter the employment of the tumbrels and men, which you must conform in proportion accordingly. And observing these directions, you may make two ponds in one month (supposing the weather propitious), which shall be three, four, or five acres apiece, as the ground gives, and not expend in money above eighty pounds, although you pay for every hour’s work of man and horse.

But considering that a gentleman is supposed to intend this business, not only as a care, but an entertainment, he will not suffer his own servants and horses to be without a share of it; and then I cannot imagine which way he can expend above sixty pounds, supposing labourers work for twelve pence per day, which I cannot say they will do in all countries.

The third pond may be a work of another year; and if the ground lies fair for it, that is, much upon a level, I would not be without it; for it will add much to the ornament of your estate, because it will fill up a range or string of waters, which two do not; and besides contribute vastly to the increase of fish, as I shall shew; and I press this thing the rather, because without it, in the method I propose, you will have the use of but one pond as to water every year. Nay, were not œconomy, and saving charge, one great branch of my design, I should recommend more of these waters, if the place will receive them.

And to demonstrate the charge is not so very great, compared with the other expences gentlemen are at for their diversion, without any return of profit, as to deter any from undertaking this particular work; I must remember, that once, at the command of my Lord North, I did, as I have directed, proceed to the making one great pond, and one stew, at Catledge, which are still to be seen, but neglected; and besides, the regard to profit by the fish they would maintain and supply, the very ornament of them was worth the charge. I was limited to ten pounds, besides the work of his lordship’s horses, which I compute to be four pounds more; so the whole did not cost fifteen pounds, and yet a full acre of ground lay under water, and all was completed in twelve days. His lordship would not allow the laying down a sluice, else that water was a specimen of my proposition, as well for the conduct, as the charge of the work.

_Of Auxiliary Waters._

As a great garrison must have many subservient forts and redoubts dispersed about the place, for securing the country, and collecting the contributions, which are to maintain the head-quarters; so the great ponds, which are the head-quarters of the fish, must be accommodated with many other subservient waters, which I call auxiliary, because they serve to relieve the greater when over stocked, to supply them when under stocked, and to rear up and maintain fry and young stores, as well as to render the fish easy to be taken; without which conveniences, you will have but a sorry account of the fish.

There are stews, moats, and ordinary ponds dispersed about in your estate and neighbourhood; the employment of which being very considerable in the well ordering of fish, I will consider each apart; and first, of stews.

_Of Stews._