The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-28
FISHING sUPERsTITIONs.
Strange Legends and Customs Assoc
ciated with the Gentle Art of
Angling.
From The FISHING Gazette.


From the Fishing Gazette.
The legends. quaint customs and super
stitions connected with FISH and fishing
are many and curious. ASK a Scandina-
Wan why salmon are red and have
such fine tails, You viii be told that the
rudy color Of the flesh is due TO the fact
that when Heaven was on fire the gods
threw the flames into the water. and the
salmon swallowed them. The delicacy of
the salmon's tail is explained by the story
that Loki, when the angry gods pursued
him, turned himself into a salmon He
would have escaped ifThor had not caught
him by the tail, Salmons have bad their
tails fine and thin ever since. Why are
soles place and other fiatfsh brown on
one side and white on the other2 The
Arabs of Upper Egypt give an expiana-
ton which no one can hesitate 10 accept.
one day, they tell you, Moses, the Israeli
itish laWgiVer, was frying a fish-we all
know the Jews ire fond OF fried fish, and
they cook Splendtdly Moses, however, had
only cooked his FISH on one side. when the
fire went out, and so he angrily threw
the half-cooked fish into the sea.
Although half broied, II came to life
again, and its descendants-aH the fiat
fish-have preserved to-day the peculiar
appearance of their half-cooked ancestor.
being white on one side and brown on the
other. why do haddocks carry those pc
culiar black finger marks" near the
head2 Some tell US that they are a me-
menfO oil the pressure OF 81 refer UnKET9
when he went fishing for the tribute
money. On the Yorkshire coast they say
the devil once determined 10 build bridge
at Filey His Satanic majesty did not start
the bridge for the convenience of the peo-
pie but for the destruction of ships and
sailors, and the annoyance Of fishermen in
general. In the progress Of his work Old
Nick dropped his hammer into the sea.
Snatching at IL hastily ne caught a had
dock. and all haddocks carry the imprint
of his black fingers to this day.
Fishermen have queer customs. A few
years ago the fishermen Of Preston. Ian
cashfre used actually TO go fishing on Sun
day 1t seems incredible, but they did.
A clergyman OF the town used TO preach
against this Sabbath dissertation. and
pray that they might catch no fish. And
they did not. But they found out how TO
make his prayers Of no avail The fish
ermen used to make a. little effigy Of the
parson in rags, and put this small guy
up their chimneys. While his reverence
was slowly smoked and consumed, the
fsh bit-like anythingi The fishermen of
the Isle Of Man always feel safe from
storm and disaster II they have a dead
wren on board. They have a tradition
that at one time an evil spirit always
haunted the herring pack and was always
attended by storms. The spirit assumed
many forms, at last IL took the shape
ermen have a dead wren with them
they are certain that all viii be safe
think that feas and FISH come together.
An old fisherman near CrOuer was heard
10 say: Times is that you might look
IN nay flannel shirt and see scarce "A flea
and then there amt but a VERY few
behring's; but times there are when my
shirts alive with en-, ana then there's
sartin 10 be "a sight o. fish, Flannel
shlrted anglers. please notei Shocking it
b 70 be- compelled 10 state that many
fishing superstti0ns ere ungallaDuy d.
rected against the ladies. over against
Ross there d the Island u Lewis. sixty
miles 30 length. IN THIS Isle there n but
one fresh river. oh abound there 10
plenty" bot only iet woman wade in
The stream, and not salmon VIII BE- seen
there for ~ Least iWribf f4euthHi Ihnfe
thaf immortal lyric does MOI explain why
they should frighieB fbe nsh, q believe
she iaaiee qepg ne Allegation % TOTO.
ceeaing % feb declares he viii have 10
IucF IA d. n aFkef aFneFr - a. zoIug ~.
n ~ sees plaRpie. ~ - - is ~ IN
fortunate AZ ~ Mfef 3 woman