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bone or the hardest wood, exhibiting a striking contrast to the finely-tempered and polished Limerick hooks of the present day. The art of angling, now reduced to perfection, owes much to that amiable enthusiast, Izaak Walton, whose works have made many disciples besides the Walton and Cotton Club, instituted in 1817. Their badge, representing an angler with his attendant, and the motto, "Dum capimus, capimur," is engraved in Mr. Jesse's" Angler's Rambles." The Walton Club of Newcastle have assumed an heraldic device, the arms of that town, impaling argent, three trout naiant counter naiant.

THE SMELT.

The smelt is taken in abundance in the river Humber and on the coast of Lincolnshire, and is in great request from its delicate and peculiar flavour; in colour, the back of the fish is pale green, and the lower part silvery white. Azure, a chevron between three smelts naiant argent, are the arms of the Yorkshire families of Smelt of Kirby Fleetham, near Catterick; and of Beverley.

Spiering, the Dutch name for smelt, nearly approaches that by which this little fish is distinguished in Scotland, the sparling, found in great plenty in the Frith of Forth and the river Tay. Or, three sparlings, or smelts, hauriant, are the arms of the family of Sparling of Felton Hall, in Shropshire. "Westward for Smelts," is the title of a book of tales of different fishwomen, as, "The Fish-wife's Tale of Brentford," &c. printed in 1620. Few, if any, smelts are now found in the Thames.

L

THE GRAYLING.

The Grayling is a species of trout, but it is found that many rivers abounding with trout do not contain grayling. A certain peculiarity of its local distribution in England gave rise to a supposition that the grayling had been introduced by the monks, by whom it was held in esteem. Saint Ambrose named the grayling the flower of fish, from its pleasing colour and agreeable smell. This fish is presumed to be intended in the arms of Cardinal Bentivenga, in which the rose is also introduced and commented upon in these lines to his memory:

Bentivenga sacra est hac purpura amictus; in unda
Ludentem piscem respice et inde rosas.

He was confessor to Pope Nicholas III. and died in 1289. His arms, azure, a fish naiant argent, on a chief or, a chevron sable between two roses, * were surmounted by the cardinal's hat, then a novelty, it having been first worn at the interview between the Pope and Louis IX. of France, at Lyons in 1247.

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The supposition that most of the rivers which contain grayling flow near the remains of monasteries is incorrect; as this fish is not found in the rivers of Kent, Dorsetshire, Devon

⁕ Ciaconius, Hist, of the Popes, 1679.

shire, or Cornwall, where conventual edifices were formerly nuOne of the sources of the river Severn is named the

merous.

Graylin.

A hand holding a fish, the crest of the family of Grayley, or Grelley, of Lancashire, is doubtless a play upon the name; also, the arms of the Kentish family of Graydon, argent, on a chevron azure, between three otters sable, each devouring a fish, as many otter-spears or; the crest, a demi-otter devouring a fish: the motto, "Ad escam et usum," for food and use, alludes, seemingly, to the employment of the otter for the purpose of catching fish.

In heraldry the grayling are termed umber-fish, from their French name ombre; and the punning arms of the family of Umbrell are argent, three umber-fish naiant.

The general colour of this fish is a bright brown, beautifully varied with gold and green reflexions in different lights; its name grayling is supposed to have reference to the gray lines along the body of the fish.

THE OTTER.

Guillim mentions a shield of arms in one of the windows of the hall of New Inn, London, argent, a beaver erect sable, armed gules, devouring a fish; but, from the known habits of the beaver, it is presumed that an otter must have been intended. Beavers feed entirely on vegetables; the otter, on the contrary, lives exclusively on fish, frequenting small streams and lakes, and in search of its prey swims and dives with peculiar ease and elegance :

The amphibious monster ranges all the shores,

Darts through the waves, and every haunt explores.

Three otters passant, in pale, each devouring a fish, the arms of the family of Proude of Canterbury, are sculptured on the arched ceiling of the beautiful cloisters of the cathedral in that city.

The name of Proude may have the same origin with that of the Prud-homme, who among fishermen is chosen to preside over the community.

From the French word loutre, an otter, this animal was assumed in the insignia of the family of Luttrell, argent, a fess between three otters sable, being the arms; and an otter devouring a fish, the crest. They were seated at Irnham in Lincolnshire, and Robert Luttrell of Irnham was summoned to Parliament in the reign of Edward I. One of the branches inherited Dunster Castle, in Somersetshire, from the Mohuns; and another obtained the castle and estate of Luttrells-town in Ireland, from which last branch were descended the Earls of Carhampton. Otters are also borne in arms by the family of Hartopp, baronets.

Sable, a chevron vaire, or and gules, between three otters passant or, are the arms of the family of Lotysham of Somersetshire, which bears for crest an otter's head devouring a fish.

The otter makes incredible havoc among fish, a main inducement to keep up the ancient sport of otter-hunting with hounds bred for the purpose:

Would you preserve a numerous finny race,

Let your fierce dogs the ravenous otter chase.

In this sport the otter-spears are used; and after the chase the animal is borne home in triumph. The crest of the family of Homfray of Wales near Rotherham in Yorkshire, is an otter passant, wounded in the shoulder; and azure, a dexter hand

holding on the point of a sword, argent, an otter's head couped or, are the arms of the family of Fender.

Ermine, a chevron between three otters' heads couped sable, a chief vert, are the arms of the northern family of Otterbourne; a name derived from a stream near Hexham, one of the haunts of the otter, and rendered memorable as the scene of the battle of Chevy Chase.

Argent, a chevron between three otters' heads erased sable, are the original arms of the family of Balfour of Scotland; and a castle argent, having on the battlement a woman attired gules, holding an otter's head, is the crest of Balfour of Grange. Argent, three otters' heads erased gules, are the arms of Fullarton of Ayrshire. In the beautiful stained glass windows of the old manor-house at Ockwells, near Bray, on the banks of the Thames, are the arms of the family of Norreys, with the supporters, two otters collared and chained, each devouring a fish. Two otters argent, were assumed for supporters of the arms of James Brydges, the princely Duke of Chandos.

The Salters' Company, incorporated in the year 1530, obtained subsequently the addition to their arms of supporters, which are two otters sable bezanty, ducally collared and chained or. Two otters are also used as supporters to their arms by the Scottish family of Kinloch, with a mermaid for a crest.⁕

The sea-dog of heraldry is no other than the male or dog otter, being a four-footed animal, but is drawn, according to heraldic fancy, with a broad fin continued down the back from the head to the tail; the feet webbed, and its whole body, legs, and tail covered with scales. In the northern parts of the kingdom the otters frequent the sea, and are known to extend their rambles to a considerable distance from the shore. Three seadogs or marine otters are borne in the arms of Fennor of Sussex, and in the arms of Harry of Cornwall.

Lord Stourton, whose title is derived from a manor watered by a stream abounding with trout, has for supporters to his arms two sea-dogs, or otters; and a sea dog's head is the crest of the ancient family of Broughton.

⁕ Nisbet.

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