Whatever the demerits of my volume, written at intervals between war-work and illness, I do trust that of the three counts of the indictment brought against Nicander’s Theriaca, “longa, incondita, et nullius farrago fidei,” the verdict of my readers will, at any rate as regards the last, be “Not Guilty,” for on this head I have stoutly striven to avoid conviction.

Reference to aid from any book or person is usually set forth in my pages; but here and at once I acknowledge with glad gratitude the debt I owe for counsel and help to certain of my friends, whose names I yet hesitate to state, “pour ne point leur donner une part de responsabilité dans les fautes que je suis seul coupable d’avoir laissé subsister.”

They are: Mr. A. B. Cook, Reader in Classical Archæology at Cambridge; Dr. Bernard Grenfell, Professor of Papyrology at Oxford; Dr. A. R. S. Kennedy, Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages at Edinburgh; the late, alas! Dr. Leonard W. King, of the Assyrian Department of the British Museum; Dr. S. Langdon, Professor of Assyriology at Oxford; Dr. J. W. Mackail; Dr. A. Shewan; and last, but very far from least, Mr. H. T. Sheringham.

CONTENTS

page
Preface[vii]
Introduction[ 3]
GREEK AND ROMAN FISHING
chap.
I.Homer. Position of Fishermen[63]
II.Homer. Methods of Fishing[74]
III.Contest between Homer and Hesiod. Homer’s Death[86]
IV.The Dolphin. Herodotus. The Ichthyophagi. The Tunny[90]
V.Plato. Aristotle the First Scale Reader. Senses of Fish[106]
VI.Characteristics of Fishermen in Greece and Rome.
 Deities of Fishing		[116]
VII.Theocritus. The Greek Epigrammatists[133]
VIII.The Two Plinys. Martial. Was the Rod Jointed?[141]
IX.The First Mention of a Fly[152]
X.The Scarus. The First Notice, “Fishing Prohibited”[159]
XI.Plutarch: Charge against Him of contemning Fishing
 False. Cleopatra’s Fishing. Oppian. The Torpedo for
 Gout. Athenæus		[169]
XII.Ælian. The Macedonian Invention, or the First Mention
 of an Artificial Fly		[185]
XIII.Ausonius. Salmo. Salar and Fario. First Mention of
 the Pike in Classical Literature		[194]
XIV.Infatuation for Fish. Extravagant Prices. Costly
 Entertainments. Vitellius. Cleopatra. Apicius.
 Cooks. Sauces		[201]
XV.Fish in Sacrifices. Pickled Fish. Vivaria.
 Oysters. Archimedes		[215]
XVI.Legal Regulations of Rome as regards Fishing[231]
XVII.Tackle. Curious Methods of Fishing for the Sargus,
 the Skate, the Silurus, and the Eel. What was the
 Silurus? Wild Theories as to the Propagation of Eels		[235]
XVIII.The Nine Fish most highly prized[254]
XIX.Fish in Myths, Symbols, Diet, and Medicine[270]
XX.Diocletian’s Edict, 301 a.d. Prices of Fish and
 other Articles Then and Now		[285]
XXI.Difference between Roman and Modern Pisciculture[289]
XXII.The Ring of Helen[295]
EGYPTIAN FISHING
XXIII.“The Nile is Egypt”[301]
XXIV.Tackle[307]
XXV.Abstention from Fish[319]
XXVI.Sacred Fish[327]
XXVII.Fisheries. Attempted Correlation of the Price of
 Fish Then and Now. Spawning		[333]
XXVIII.Fishing with the Hair of the Dead[340]
XXIX.The Ring of Polycrates[344]
ASSYRIAN FISHING
XXX.No Rod, although close intercourse with Egypt[349]
XXXI.Fishing Methods[355]
XXXII.The Earliest Recorded Contract of Fishing[360]
XXXIII.Fish-Gods. Dagon[363]
XXXIV.The Legends of Adapa, and of the Flood[369]
XXXV.Fish. Vivaria. The First Instance of Poaching[373]
XXXVI.Fish in Offerings, Magic Auguries[382]
XXXVII.The Fight between Marduk and Tiāmat[391]
JEWISH FISHING
XXXVIII. Rod not employed in spite of Close Intercourse
 with Egypt. Reasons suggested for Absence		[397]
XXXIX.Fish with and without Scales. Methods of Fishing.
 Vivaria		[414]
XL.Ichthyolatry improbable. Fish not in Sacrifices
 or Auguries		[424]
XLI.The Fish of Tobias. Demonic Possession[431]
XLII.The Fish of Moses. Jonah. Solomon’s Ring[438]
CHINESE FISHING
XLIII.“Plus un pays produit des poissons, plus il produit
 d’hommes”		[449]
INDEX[470]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS