BRITISH ZOOLOGY.
Class III. REPTILES.
IV. FISH.
Ast ego despectis quae census opesque dederunt
Naturae mirabor opus.
AUSONIUS.
VOL. III.
CHESTER, PRINTED BY ELIZ. ADAMS, FOR BENJAMIN WHITE, AT HORACE's HEAD, FLEET-STREET, LONDON. MDCCLXIX.
TO THOMAS FALCONER,
Esq
OF
CHESTER.
IT is but justice, my dear TOM, to address to you a work which was begun with your approbation, carried on under your improving strictures, and has so often amused us during the many pleasing hours we have passed together.
At the same time that I own the many advantages I have reaped from making you confident to the productions of an idle and rural pen; let me not fail in my acknowlegements to our common friend the Hon. DAINES BARRINGTON, who, with unremitting ardor, and with an honest freedom, has favored me with the most instructive hints on the subject of the following sheets.
Would! would to Heaven that I was capable of adding the third to the number! But the grateful tribute of a sigh is all I can give to what is now become only an instructive memory. Simplicity of manners, zealous friendship, the promotion of all liberal arts, universal benevolence, with its amiable attendant charity, characterised the Prelate whose loss I deplore. You I know will excuse these expressions of sensibility, when you recollect it is Dr. LITTLETON, late Bishop of CARLISLE, whom I lament.
May you live long and happy, is the earnest wish of him, who is, with the truest regard,
Your most affectionate kinsman, And faithful humble servant,
Thomas Pennant.
Downing,
March 25, 1769.
ERRATA.
Page 21,
dele
**, and ** xxix.
c.
3.
Page 22, Attingot, Attingat.
Page 51, gives give.
Page 56, those
(the first)
these.
Page 65,
,
Page 66, instrument, instruments.
Page 67, NAPKE, NAPKH.
Page 68, impute, impart.
Page 69, least lest.
Page 83, assunder, asunder.
Page 90, are, is.
Page 94,
Note,
second of second book of.
Page 115, assure, assures.
Page 135, twelve, six.
Page 140, extirminate, exterminate.
Page 171,
Gunnellis, Gunnellus.
Page 173, fins, fin.
Page 213,
le Soup,
le Loup.
Page 251, intercepter, intercepte.
Page 236, abound, abounds.
Page 298,
Note,
on,
moutant, on. montant.
Page 306,
norit,
to be placed under
Quis?
Page 310, ** without beards, to be placed, p. 309, over BREAM.
Page 315
venera, venena.
ADVERTISEMENT. INDIAN ZOOLOGY. PART I.
Consisting of Twelve Plates, 4to. Imperial, with Descriptions.
THIS Work will be continued and completed in Six Numbers, containing Figures of undescribed Birds and Quadrupeds, with some Essays on the
Indian
Animals mentioned by the Antients, obscured by Fable, &c.
Sold by Mr. WHITE, Bookseller, in
Fleet-street,
and Mr. WALTERS, at
Charing-Cross.
CLASS III. REPTILES.
All the works of the LORD are good, and he will
give every needful thing in due season.
So that a man cannot say this is worse than that,
for in time they shall all be well approved.
Ecclesiasticus
xxxix. 33, 34.
REPTILES.
WE are now to consider the class of reptiles, which are, for the most part, objects of detestation; but however the opinion of the world may be, if a writer undertakes a general history of animals, he must include them: they form at lest one link in the chain of beings, and may therefore be viewed with a degree of pleasure by a philosophic eye.
But notwithstanding the prejudice against this class is almost universal, is it founded on reason? In some it may be owned that the outward form is disagreeable, while the noxious qualities of others are justly productive of terror: but are we on that account to reject them? The more fatal they are, the more deeply we should enquire into their effects, that we may be capable of relieving those who are sufferers, and secure others from the same misfortune. But if we duly weigh their noxious qualities, we shall, with our moral poet, find
All partial evil universal good.
The teeth of wild beasts, and of serpents, are not only created as instruments of vengeance, but are salutary in lessening the numbers of those animals which are highly useful in the degree, and only hurtful in their excess; but if their bad qualities are serviceable, we are more indebted to their good ones than we chuse to acknowlege.
But many of the animals that form this class are of immediate benefit to mankind. The Turtle, or Sea-Tortoise, supplies the torrid zone with a wholesome and delicious food, as the epicures of our own country can attest. Frogs are a food in several parts, as Lizards and Serpents are in others.
The medicinal virtues of the Viper are partly exploded by the moderns, but time, the overthrower of systems, as well as empires, may restore it to the rank it held with the antients. The
Lacerta Scincus
is, however, yet esteemed in the
East
for its salubrious qualities, and even Toads have contributed to the ease of patients in the most inveterate of all diseases.
Had I followed
Linnaeus,
and included the Cartilaginous Fish in this class, there would have been ample room for panegyric, for it is very doubtful whether any are pernicious; but the uses of many, either as food or for mechanical purposes, were never questioned.
But if the external figure of the reptile tribe is disgusting, they have one general beauty, an apt configuration of parts for their way of life, nor are they destitute of their peculiar graces: the fine disposition of plates in the shell of the Tortoise, with the elegant symmetry of their colors, must strike even common observers, while the eye of the despised Toad has a lustre denied to more pleasing forms. The frolicsome agility of Lizards enlivens the dried banks in hot climates, and the great affection which some of them shew to mankind, should farther engage our regard and attention.
The wreathing of the Snake, with the vivid die of its skin, are certainly graceful, tho' from the dread of some particular species which are venemous, we have acquired an antipathy for the whole. The antients, who considered the Serpent as an emblem of health, could associate pleasing ideas with this animal. We therefore find it an ornament at every entertainment, and in every scene of mirth, both in painting and in sculpture.
Virgil
adopted this notion, and has accordingly described it with every beauty both of form and color,
Adytis cum lubricus anguis ab imis
Septem ingens gyros, septena volumina traxit;
Amplexus placidé tumulum, lapsusque per aras:
Coeruleae cui terga notae, maculosus et auro
Squamam incendebat fulgor; ceu nubibus arcus
Mille trahit varios adverso sole calores.
V. 84.
From the deep tomb, with many a shining fold,
An azure serpent rose, in scales that flam'd with gold:
Like heaven's bright bow his varying beauties shone
That draws a thousand colors from the sun:
Pleas'd round the altars and the tomb to wind,
His glittering length of volumes trails behind.
Pitt.
But if after all some lively writer should pursue the Naturalists with more wit than argument, and more humor than good-nature, it should be endured with patience. Ridicule is, however, not the test of truth, tho' when joined to satyr, it seldom fails of seducing the many who had rather laugh than think. Should this prove the case in the present instance, let the author be allowed to skreen himself from censure, by saying he writes not to the many, but the few; to those alone who can examine the parts with a view to the
whole,
and who scorn to despise even the most deformed, or the most minute work of an all-wise CREATOR.
GENERA.
I. Tortoise 1
II. Frog 3
III. Lizard 13
IV. Serpent 17
BRITISH ZOOLOGY. Class III. REPTILES.
Genus I.
Body covered either with a shell or strong hide, divided by sutures; four fin-like feet; a short tail.
TORTOISE.
I. The SPINOUS TORTOISE.
Testudo coriacea sive Mercurii
Rondel.
450?
Gesner pisc.
946?
Testudo coriacea? Testudo pedibus pinniformibus muticis, testa coriacea, cauda angulis septem exaratis.
Lin syst.
350.
Turtle.
Borlase Cornwall,
285.
Plate
27.
THIS species (if the
testudo coriacea
) seems common to the
Mediterranean,
and to our southern seas, and is not, as far as we know, discovered in any other.
Two were taken on the coast of
Cornwall
in the mackrel nets, of a vast size, a little after
Midsummer
1756; the largest weighed eight hundred pounds, the lesser near seven hundred.
Doctor
Borlase
first published these animals to the world, and discovered them in our seas.
He describes them as having seven spiny or serrated ridges running from the head to the tail, dividing the upper part of the back into equal parts.
The fore legs, as appear by his figure, are remarkably long and narrow, flat, smooth, and fleshy, being destitute of scales. The color of their upper side bluish, their under side, as well as that of the neck, ruddy, speckled with black.
We suspect an error in the number of the hind legs, the figure being represented with four, an excess we never have met with in any of this genus.
The head is painted extremely small, in proportion to the size of the animal, whose length was six feet nine inches,
Size.
and breadth from the tip of one fore leg to that of the other ten feet four inches.
The covering of this species is compared to that of the
Testudo coriacea
of
Rondeletius,
which has an integument resembling a tough strong hide; and what is very singular, neither that of the
Cornish
species, nor yet that of the
French
naturalist, seem by the figures to be divided into angular compartments by transverse sutures, like the shells of all tortoises we have ever met with. But the history of this kind remains still very obscure: it is therefore to be wished, that particular attention be paid to the next that is taken on our coasts; and that observation be made whether the covering is crustaceous or coriaceous, that we may be assured that these were the
European
kind, not the
American;
it seeming not improbable but they might be a couple that had escaped out of some
West India
ship that had foundered, or been cast away near the
Cornish
coast.
Genus II.
Body naked. Four legs, the feet divided into toes. No tail.
FROGS.
I. The COMMON FROG.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
iv. c. ix.
La Grenoille.
Belon poissons,
48.
Rana fluviorum.
Rondel.
217.
Rana aquatica innoxia.
Gesner quad. ovip.
46.
Aquatil.
805.
Rana aquatica.
Raii syn quad.
447.
Wasser Frosche.
Meyer an.
I.
tab.
52.
Rana temporaria. R. dorso planiusculo subangulato.
Lin. syst.
357.
Groda, Fro, Klassa.
Faun. suec. No.
102.
Rana.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
62.
SO common and well-known an animal requires no description; but some of its properties are so singular that we cannot pass them unnoticed.
Its spring or power of taking large leaps is remarkably great, and it is the best swimmer of all four-footed animals. Nature hath finely adapted its parts for those ends, the fore members of the body being very lightly made, the hind legs and thighs very long, and furnished with very strong muscles.
While in a tadpole state it is entirely a water-animal; the work of generation is performed in that element, as may be seen in every pond during spring; when the female remains oppressed by the male for a number of days.
The work of propagation is extremely singular,
Generation.
it being certain that the frog has not a
penis intrans;
there appears a strong analogy in this case between a certain class of the vegetable kingdom and those animals; for it is well known, that when the female frog deposits its spawn, the male instantaneously impregnates it with what we may call a
farina foecundans,
in the same manner as the male
Palm
tree conveys fructification to the flowers of the female, which would otherwise be barren
Shaw's Travels,
224.
Hasselquist Trav. Engl. Ed.
416.
As soon as the frogs are released from their tadpole state they immediately take to land; and if the weather has been hot, and there fall any refreshing showers, you may see the ground for a considerable space perfectly blackened by Myriads of these animalcules, seeking for some secure lurking places. Some philosophers
Rondeletius,
216.
Wormii Mus.
327.
not giving themselves time to examine into this phaenomenon, imagined them to have been generated in the clouds, and showered on the earth; but had they, like our
Derham,
Ray's Wisdom Creat.
316.
but traced them to the next pool, they would have found a better solution of the difficulty.
As frogs adhere closely to the backs of their own species, so we know they will do the same by fish:
Walton
Complete Angler,
161.
mentions a strange story of their destroying pike; but that they will injure, if not entirely kill carp, is a fact indisputable, from the following relation: a very few years ago on fishing a pond belonging to Mr.
Pit,
of
Encomb, Dorsetshire,
great numbers of the carp were found each with a frog mounted on it, the hind legs clinging to the back, the fore legs fixed in the corner of each eye of the fish, which were thin and greatly wasted, teized by carrying so disagreeable a load. These frogs we imagine to have been males disappointed of a mate.
The croaking of frogs is well known, and from that in fenny countries they are distinguished by ludicrous titles, thus they are stiled
Dutch Nightingales
and
Boston Waites;
even the
Stygian
frogs have not escaped notice, for
Aristophanes
hath gone farther, and formed a chorus of them.
Comedy of the Frogs.
Brekekex, coax, coax,
Brekekex, coax, coax,
The offspring of the pools and fountains.
Yet there is a time of year when they become mute,
Periodical Silence.
neither croaking nor opening their mouths for a whole month: this happens in the hot season, and that is in many places known to the country people by the name of the
Paddock Moon.
Morton
Hist. Northampt.
441.
endeavours to find a reason for their silence, but tho' his facts are true, he is unfortunate in his philosophy. Frogs are certainly endued (as he well observed) with a power of living a good while under water without respiration, which is owing to their lungs being composed of a series of bladders: but he mistakes the nature of air, when he affirms that they receive a quantity of cool air, and dare not open their mouths for a month, from a dread of admitting a warmer into their lungs. It is hardly necessary to say, that in whatever state the air was received, it would assimilate itself to the external atmosphere in a short time. We must leave the fact to be accounted for by farther experiments. But from what we do know, we may partly vindicate
Theophrastus,
and other antients, about the silence of the frogs at
Seriphus.
That philosopher affirms it, but ascribes it to the coldness of the waters in that island: Now when Monsieur
Tournefort
was there, the waters were lukewarm, and the frogs had recovered their voices.
Tournefort's voy.
I. 142.
Is it not probable that
Theophrastus
might be at
Seriphus
at that season when the frogs were mute, and having never observed it elsewhere, might conclude their silence to be general as to the time, but particular as to the place.
Aelian
Aelian lib.
iii.
ch.
35, 37.
, who quotes
Theophrastus
for the last passage, ascribes the same silence to the frogs of the lake
Pierus
in
Thessaly,
and about
Cyrene
in
Africa:
but he is so uncertain a writer, that we cannot affirm whether the species of the
African
frogs is the same with ours.
These,
Food.
as well as all other reptiles, feed but a small space of the year. The food of this genus is flies, insects, and snails. Toads are said to feed also on bees, and to do great injury to those useful insects.
During winter frogs and toads remain in a torpid state: the last of which will dig into the earth and cover themselves with almost the same agility as the mole.
II. The GIBBOUS FROG.
Rana gibbosa.
Gesner pisc.
890.
Rana esculenta.
Lin. syst.
357.
Faun. suec. No.
279.
R. corpore angulato, dorso transversè gibbo, abdomin
marginato.
Ibid.
THIS differs from the former in having a high protuberance in the middle of the back, forming a very sharp angle. Its colors are also more vivid, and its marks more distinct; the ground color being a pale or yellowish green, marked with rows of black spots from the head to the rump.
This and, we think, the former are eaten.
Eatable.
We have seen in the markets and
Paris
whole hampers full, which the venders were preparing for the table by skinning and cutting off the fore parts, the loins and legs only being kept. Our strong dislike to these reptiles, prevented a close examination into the species.
III. The TOAD.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
ix.
c.
I. 40.
Bufo.
Virg. Georg.
I. 184. Rubeta.
Plin. lib.
viii.
c.
31.
Rubeta sc. Phrynum.
Gesner pisc.
807.
Rondel,
222.
Bufo sive Rubeta.
Raii syn. quad.
252.
Bufo rubetarum.
Klein quad.
122.
Rana Bufo. R. corpore ventricoso, verrucoso lurido fuscoque.
Lin. syst.
354.
Padda, Tassa.
Faun. suec. No.
275.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
64.
THE most deformed and hideous of all animals; the body broad, the back flat, and covered with a pimply dusky hide; the belly large, swagging, and swelling out; the legs short, and its pace labored and crawling: its retreat gloomy and filthy: in short, its general appearance is such as to strike one with disgust and horror; yet we have been told by those who have resolution to view it with attention, that its eyes are fine: to this it seems that
Shakespear
alludes, when he makes his
Juliet
remark, Some say the lark and loathed toad change eyes. As if they would have been better bestowed on so charming a songster than on this raucous reptile.
But the hideous appearance of the toad is such as to make this one advantageous feature overlooked, and to have rendered it in all ages an object of horror, and the origin of most tremendous inventions.
Aelian
Hist. an. lib.
ix.
c.
11.
makes its venom so potent, that
Basilisk
-like it conveyed death by its very look and breath; but
Juvenal
is content with making the
Roman
ladies, who were weary of their husbands, form a potion from its entrails,
Sat.
vi. 658. Vide
Aelian Hist. an. lib.
xvii.
c.
12 and 15.
in order to get rid of the good man.
Occurrit Matrona potens, quae molle calenum
Porrectura viro miscet sitiente rubetam.
Sat.
I. 68.
To quench the husband's parching thirst, is brought
By the great Dame, a most deceitful draught;
In rich
Calenian
wine she does infuse,
(To ease his pains) the toad's envenom'd juice.
This opinion begat others of a more dreadful nature; for in after-times superstition gave it preternatural powers, and made it a principal ingredient in the incantations of nocturnal hags:
Toad that under the cold stone,
Days and nights, has thirty-one,
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou,
first
i' th' charmed pot.
We know by the poet that this charm was intended for a design of the first consideration, that of raising the dead from their repose, and bringing before the eyes of
Macbeth
a hateful second-sight of the prosperity of
Banquo
's line.
This shews the mighty powers attributed to this animal by the dealers in the magic art; but the powers our poet indues it with, are far superior to those than
Gesner
ascribes to it:
Shakespear
's witches used it to disturb the dead;
Gesner
's, only to still the living,
Ut vim coeundi ni fallor, in viris tollerent.
Hist. quad. ovip.
72.
We may add here another superstition in respect to this animal:
Toadstone.
it was believed by some old writers to have a stone in its head, fraught with great virtues medical and magical: it was distinguished by the name of the Reptile, and called the
Toad-Stone, Bufonites, Crapaudine, Krottenstein;
Boet. de Boot. de Lap. et Gam.
301.303.
but all its fancied powers vanished on the discovery of its being nothing but the fossil tooth of the
sea wolf,
or of some flattoothed fish, not unfrequent in our island, as well as several other countries; but we may well excuse this tale, since
Shakespear
has extracted from it a simile of uncommon beauty:
Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head.
But these fables have been long exploded: we shall now return to the notion of its being a poisonous animal, and deliver as our opinion, that its excessive deformity, joined to the faculty it has of emitting a juice from its pimples, and a dusky liquid from its hind parts, is the foundation of the report.
That it has any noxious qualities we have been unable to bring proofs in the smallest degree satisfactory, tho' we have heard many strange relations on that point.
On the contrary, we know several of our friends who have taken them in their naked hands, and held them long without receiving the lest injury:
Not poisonous.
It is also well known that quacks have eaten them, and have besides squeezed their juices into a glass, and drank them with impunity.
We may say also, that these reptiles are a common food to many animals; to
buzzards, owls, Norfolk plovers, ducks,
and
snakes,
who would not touch them were they in any degree noxious.
So far from having venomous qualities, they have of late been considered as if they had beneficent ones. We wish, for the benefit of mankind, that we could make a favorable report of the many attempts of late to cure the most terrible of diseases the
cancer,
by the application of live toads; but, alas, they seem only to have rendered a horrible complaint more loathsome.
In a word, we may consider the toad as an animal that has neither good nor harm in it; that being a defenceless creature, nature has furnished it, instead of arms, with a most disgusting deformity, that strikes into almost every Being capable of annoying it, a strong repugnancy to meddle with so hideous and threatening an appearance.
The time of their propagation is very early in the spring:
Generation.
at that season the females are seen crawling about oppressed by the males, who continue on them for some hours, and adhere so fast as to tear the very skin from the Parts they stick to. We are uncertain whether they are viviparous:
Linnoeus
Syst. Nat.
355.
says they are, and diverts us with a report he had heard, that the male acts the midwife to the female in parturition.
To conclude this account with the marvellous, this animal is said to have often been found in the midst of solid rocks, and even in the centre of growing trees, imprisoned in a small hollow, to which there was not the least adit or entrance
Plot'
s
Hist. Staff.
247.
: how the animal breathed, or how it subsisted (supposing the possibility of its confinement) is past our comprehension.
Plot
's
P.
249.
solution of this phaenomenon is far from satisfactory; yet as we have the great
Bacon
's
Nat. Hist. Cent.
vi.
Exp.
570.
authority for the fact, we do not entirely deny our assent to it.
IV. The NATTER JACK.
Rana Rubeta?
Lin. syst.
355.
Faun. suec. No.
101.
R. corpore verrucoso, ano obtuso subtus punctato.
Ibid.
THIS species frequents dry and sandy places: it is found on
Putney Common,
and also near
Revesby Abby, Lincolnshire,
where it is called the
Natter Jack.
It never leaps, neither does it crawl with the slow pace of a toad, but its motion is liker to running. Several are found commonly together, and, like others of this genus, they appear in the evenings.
The upper part of the body is of a dirty yellow, clouded with brown, and covered with porous pimples of unequal sizes: on the back is a yellow line.
The under side of the body is of a paler hue, marked with black spots, which are rather rough.
On the fore feet are four divided toes; on the hind five, a little webbed.
The length of the body is two inches and a quarter; the breadth, one and a quarter: the length of the fore legs one inch one-sixth; of the hind legs, two inches.
We are indebted to
Joseph Banks,
esq
for this account.
BROWN LIZARD.
p. 16.
SCALY LIZARD.
Genus III.
Slender naked body: four legs: divided toes on each: very long tail.
LIZARDS.
I. The SCALY LIZARD.
Lacertus terrestris lutea squamosa anglica.
Raii syn. quad.
264.
Plot
's
Hist. Staff.
252.
tab.
22.
Lacerta agilis? L. cauda verticillata longiuscula squamis acutis, collari subtus squamis constructo.
Lin. syst.
363.
Odla, Fyr
ot.
Faun. suec. No.
284.
Lacerta.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
60.
Little Brown Lizard.
Edw.
225.
Padzher pou.
Borlase Cornwall,
284.
tab.
28.
THOSE we have seen differ in color, but agree in all other respects with the species described by Doctor
Plot.
Their length from the nose to the hind legs was three inches; from thence to the end of the tail three and three quarters.
Along the back was a black list; each side of that a brown one: then succeeded a narrow stripe, spotted alternately yellow and brown; beneath that a broad black one; those ended a little beyond the hind legs. The belly was yellow, and the scales large but even. The scales on the back small; on the tail the ends projected: those on the latter were varied with black and brown.
The legs and feet were dusky; on each foot were five toes, furnished with claws.
This species is extremely nimble: in hot weather it basks on the sides of dry banks, or of old trees; but on being observed immediately retreats to its hole.
The food of this species, as of all the other
English
lizards, is insects: they themselves of birds of prey. Each of our lizards are perfectly harmless; yet their form is what strikes one with disgust, and has occasioned great obscurity in their history.
Related to this species is the
Guernsey
lizard,
Other species.
which we are informed has been propagated in
England
from some originally brought from that island. We have also heard of a green lizard frequent near
Farnbam,
which probably may be of that kind: but the most uncommon species we ever met with any account of, is that which was killed near
Woscot,
in the parish of
Swinford, Worcestershire,
in 1741, which was two feet six inches long, and four inches in girth. The fore legs were placed eight inches from the head; the hind legs five inches beyond those: the legs two inches long: the feet divided into four toes, each furnished with a sharp claw. Another was killed at
Penbury,
in the same county. Whether these are not of exotic descent, and whether the breed continues, is what we are at present uninformed of.
II. The WARTY LIZARD.
Lacertus aquaticus.
Gesner quad. ovip.
31.
Salamandra aquatica.
Raii syn. quad.
273.
Lacerta palustris. L. cauda lanceolata mediocri, pedibus muticis palmis tetradactylis.
Lin. syst.
370.
Skrot-abborre, Gruffgrabbe.
Faun. suec. No.
281.
Lacerta Americana.
Seb. Mus.
I.
tab.
89.
fig.
4, 5.
Salamandra alepidota verrucosa.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
47.
THE length of this species was six inches and an half, of which the tail was three and a quarter.
The irides yellow: the head and beginning of the back flat, and covered with small pimples or warts, of a dark dusky color; the sides with white ones: the belly, and the side of the tail, was of a bright yellow; the first spotted with black.
The tail was compressed sideways, and very thin towards the upper edge, and slender towards the end.
The fore feet divided into four toes; the hind into five; all without nails, dusky spotted with yellow.
Its pace is slow and crawling.
This species we have frequently seen in the state we describe, but are uncertain whether we ever met with it under the form of a
larve.
We have more than once found under stones and old logs, some very minute young lizards that had much the appearance of this kind: they were perfectly formed, and had not the least vestiges of fins; so that circumstance joined to their being found in a dry place, remote from water, makes us imagine them to have never been inhabitants of that element, as it is certain many of our lizards are in their first state.
At that period they have a fin above and below their tail; that on the upper part extends along the back as far as the head, but both drop off as soon as the animal takes to the land, being then no longer of any use.
Besides these circumstances that attend them in form of a
larve,
Mr.
Ellis
Phil. Tran. vol.
LVI.
p.
191.
has remarked certain pennated fins at the gills of one very common in most of our stagnating waters, and which is frequently observed to take a bait like a fish.
III. The BROWN LIZARD.
Lacertus vulg. terrestris ventre nigro maculato.
Raii syn. quad.
264.
L. vulgaris. L. cauda tereti mediocri, pedibus unguiculatis, palmis tetradactylis, dorso linea duplici fusca.
Lin. syst.
370.
Faun. suec. No.
283.
THIS is three inches long: the body slender; the tail long, slightly compressed, small and taper; that and the upper part of the body of a pale brown, marked on each side the back with a narrow black line reaching to the end of the tail: the belly of a pale yellow, marked with small dusky spots; the toes formed like those of the preceding.
IV. The LITTLE BROWN LIZARD.
Lacertus parvus terrestris fuscus oppido rarus.
Raii syn. quad.
264.
THIS species is mentioned by Mr.
Ray
in his list of the
English
lizards, without any other description than is comprehended in the
synonym.
V. The SNAKE-SHAPED LIZARD.
Lacertus terrestris anguiformis in ericetis.
Raii syn. quad.
264.
WE remain also in the same obscurity in respect to this species. It seems to be of that kind which connects the serpent and lizard genus, having a long and very slender body, and very small legs. Such are the
Seps
or
Lacerta Chalcidica
of
Raii syn. quad.
272, the
Lacerta anguina
of
Linnaeus,
371, or that figured by
Seba, tom.
ii.
tab.
68. under the name of
Vermis serpentiformis.
Genus IV.
Long and slender bodies, covered with scaly plates: no feet.
SERPENT.
I. The VIPER.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
iii.
c.
1.
Vipera.
Virg. Georg.
iii. 417.
Plinii, lib.
x.
c.
42.
Vipera.
Gesner Serp.
71.
Viper or Adder.
Raii syn. quad.
285.
Borl. Corn.
282.
tab.
28.
Coluber Berus.
Lin. syst.
377.
Hugg-orm.
Faun. suec. No.
286. C. Berus sçutis abdom. 146. squamis caudae. 39.
Ibid.
Amoen. Acad.
I. 527.
VIPERS are found in many parts of this island, but the dry, stony, and, in particular, the chalky countries abound with them.
They are viviparous, not but that they are hatched from an internal egg; being of that class of animals, of whose generation
Aristotle
De Gen. an. lib.
iii.
c.
2.
says,
,
i. e.
They conceive a perfect egg within, but bring forth their young alive.
Providence is extremely kind in making this species far from being prolific, we having never heard of more than eleven eggs being found in one viper, and those are as if chained together, and each about the size of a blackbird's egg.
The viper grows seldom to a greater length than two feet; tho' once we saw a female (which is nearly a third larger than the male) which was almost three feet long.
The ground-color of this serpent is a dirty yellow;
Descr.
that of the female deeper. Its back is marked the whole length with a series of rhomboid black spots, touching each other at the points; the sides with triangular ones; the belly entirely black.
There is a variety wholly black; but the rhomboid marks are very conspicuous even in this, being of a deeper and more glossy hue than the rest.
Petiver
calls it the
Vipera Anglica Nigricans. Pet. Mus. No.
204.
Coluber Prester.
Lin. syst.
377. Bose.
Faun. suec. No.
287.
The head of the viper is inflanted, which distinguishes it from the common snake. The tongue forked;
Teeth.
the teeth small; the four canine teeth are placed two on each side the upper jaw: these instruments of poison are long, crooked, and moveable, and can be raised and depressed at pleasure; they are hollow from near the point to their base, near which is a gland that secretes, prepares, and lodges the poison; and the same action that gives the wounds, forces from this gland, thro' the tooth, the fatal juice into it.
These islands may be particularly thankful for the blessing they enjoy, in being possessed of only one venomous animal, and that of a kind which encreases so little.
They copulate in
May,
and are supposed to be about three months before they bring forth.
They are said not to arrive at their full growth in less than six or seven years; but that they are capable of engendering at two or three.
We have been often assured by intelligent people of the truth of a fact mentioned by Sir
Thomas Brown,
Vulgar errors,
114.
who was far from a credulous writer, that the young of the viper, when terrified, will run down the throat of the parent, and seek shelter in its belly in the same manner as the young of the
oppossum
retire into the ventral pouch of the old one.
From this some have imagined that the viper is so unnatural as to devour its own young; we disbelieve the fact,
Food.
it being well known the food of these serpents is frogs, toads, lizards, mice, and, according to Doctor
Mead,
even an animal so large as a mole. These they swallow entire; which if we consider the narrowness of their neck, shews it is capable of a distension hardly credible, had we not ocular proofs of the fact.
It is also said, from good authority, that they will prey on young birds; whether on such as nestle on the ground, or whether they climb up trees for them as the
Indian
serpents do, we are quite uncertain; but we are well assured that this discovery is far from a recent one:
Ut assidens implumibus pullis avis
Serpentium allapsus timet
Hor. Epod.
I.
Thus, for its young the anxious bird
The gliding serpent fears.
The viper is capable of supporting very long abstinence, it being known that some have been kept in a box six months without food, yet did not abate of their vivacity. They feed only a small part of the year, but never during their confinement; for if mice, their favorite diet, should at that time be thrown into their box, tho' they will kill, yet they never will eat them.
The poison decreases in violence in proportion to the length of their confinement: it must be also added the virtues of its flesh (whatsoever they be) are at the same time considerably lessened.
These animals, when at liberty, remain torpid throughout the winter; yet when confined have never been observed to take their annual repose.
The method of catching them is by putting a clift stick on or near their head; after which they are seized by the tail, and put instantly into a bag.
The viper-catchers are very frequently bit by them in the pursuit of their business, yet we very rarely hear of the bite being fatal. The remedy, if applied in time, is very certain, and is nothing else but sallad oil, which the viper-catchers seldom go without. The
axungia viperina,
or the fat of vipers, is also another. Doctor
Mead
suspects the efficacy of this last, and substitutes one of his own in its place
Essay on Poisons,
47.
; but we had rather trust to vulgar receipts which perpetual trials have shewn to be infallible.
The symptoms of the venom,
Effects of its bite.
if the wound is neglected, are very terrible: it first causes an acute pain in the place affected, attended with a swelling, first red, afterwards livid, which by degrees spreads to the neighbouring parts; great faintness, and a quick tho' low and interrupted pulse ensue; great sickness at the stomach, bilious convulsive vomitings, cold sweats, and sometimes pains about the navel; and in consequence of these death itself
Lib.
xxix.
c.
3.
. But the violence of the symptoms depends much on the season of the year, the difference of the climate, the size or rage of the animal, or the depth or situation of the wound.
Dreadful as the effects of its bite may be, yet its flesh has been long celebrated as a noble medicine. Doctor
Mead
cites from
Pliny, Galen,
Uses.
and other antients, several proofs of its efficacy in the cure of
ulcers,
the
elephantiasis,
and other bad complaints. He even says he has seen good effects from it in an obstinate
lepra:
it is at present used as a restorative, tho' we think the modern physicians have no great dependence on its virtues. The antients prescribed it boiled, and to be eaten as fish; for when fresh, the medicine was much more likely to take effect than when dried, and given in form of a powder or troche.
The antient
Britons
had a strange superstition in respect to these animals, and of which there still remains in
Wales
a strong tradition. The account
Pliny
gives of it is as follows: we shall not attempt a translation, it being already done to our hands in a spirited manner by the ingenious Mr.
Mason,
which we shall take the liberty of borrowing.
Proeterea est ovorum genus in magna
Galliarum
fama, omissum
Graecis.
Angues innumeri oestate convoluti, salivis faucium corporumque spumis artifici complexu glomerantur;
anguinum
appellatur.
Druidae
sibilis id dicunt in sublime jactari, sagoque oportere intercipi, ne tellurem attingot: profugere raptorem equo: serpentes enim insequi, donec arceantur amnis alicujus interventu
Lib.
xxix.
c
3.
.
But tell me yet
From the grot of charms and spells,
Where our matron sister dwells,
Brennus,
has thy holy hand
Safely brought the Druid wand,
And the potent
Adder-stone,
Gender'd 'fore the autumnal moon?
When in undulating twine,
The foaming snakes prolific join;
When they hiss, and when they bear
Their wond'rous egg aloof in air;
Thence before to earth it fall,
The
Druid
in his hallow'd pall,
Receives the prize,
And instant flies,
Follow'd by the envenom'd brood,
'Till he cross the crystal flood.
Mason
's
Caractacus.
The person speaking is a Druid.
This wondrous egg seems to be nothing more than a bead of glass, used by the
Druids
as a charm to impose on the vulgar, whom they taught to believe, that the possessor would be fortunate in all his attempts, and that it would gain him the favor of the great.
Our modern
Druidesses
give much the same account of the
ovum anguinum, Glain Neidr,
as the
Welch
call it, or the
Adder-Gem,
as the
Roman
philosopher does, but seem not to have so exalted an opinion of its powers, using it only to assist children in cutting their teeth, or to cure the chin-cough, or to drive away an ague.
We have some of these beads in our cabinet: they are made of glass, and of a very rich blue color; some are plain, others streaked: we say nothing of the figure, as the annexed plate will convey a stronger idea of it than words.
Glain Neidr, or Adder Gems.
II. The SNAKE.
.
Arist. Hist. an.
I.
c.
1.
Natrix torquata.
Gesner. Serpent.
63.
Natrix torquata.
Raii syn. quad.
334.
Anguis vulgaris fuscus collo flavescente, ventre albis maculis distinctus.
Pet. Mus.
xvii.
No.
101.
Coluber natrix.
Lin. syst.
380.
Tomt-Orm, Snok, Ring-Orm.
Faun. suec. No.
288.
C. natrix scutis abdom, 170. Squamis caudae, 60.
Ibid.
THE snake is the largest of the
English
serpents, sometimes exceeding four feet in length: the neck is slender; the middle of the body thickest; the back and sides covered with small scales, the belly with oblong, narrow, transverse plates. The first
Linnaeus
distinguishes by the name of
squamae,
the last he calls
scuta,
and from them forms his genera of serpents.
Those that have both
squamae
and
scuta
he calls
Colubri;
those that have only
squamae, Angues.
The viper and snake are comprehended in the first genus, the blind-worm under the second; but we chuse (to avoid multiplying our genera) to take in the few serpents we have by a single genus, their marks being too evident to be confounded.
The color of the back and sides of the snake are dusky or brown;
Descr.
the middle of the back marked with two rows of small black spots running from head to tail; and from them are multitudes of lines of spots crossing the sides; the plates on the belly are dusky, the scales on the sides of a bluish white.
On each side the neck is a spot of pale yellow, and the base of each is a triangular black spot, one angle of which points towards the tail.
The teeth are small and serrated, lying each side the jaw in two rows.
This species is perfectly inoffensive; it frequents and lodges itself among bushes in moist places, and will readily take the water, swimming very well.
It preys on frogs, insects, worms, and mice, and, considering the smallness of the neck, it is amazing how large an animal it will swallow.
The snake is oviparous:
Eggs.
it lays its eggs in dunghills, and in hot-beds, whose heat, aided by that of the sun, promotes the exclusion of the young.
During winter it lies torpid in banks of hedges, and under old trees.
III. The BLIND-WORM.
The blind-worm or slow-worm,
Caecilia Typhline
Graecis.
Raii syn. quad.
289.
Grew's Mus.
48.
Caecilia anglica cinerea squamis parvis mollibus, compactis.
Pet. Mus.
xvii.
No.
102.
Long cripple.
Borlase Cornw.
284.
tab.
28.
Anguis fragilis.
Lin. syst.
392.
Ormsla, Koppar-Orm.
Faun. suec.
289.
A. fragilis squamis abdominis caudaeque, 135.
Ibid.
THE usual length of this species is eleven inches:
Descr.
the irides are red; the head small; the neck still more slender; from that part the body grows suddenly, and continues of an equal bulk to the tail, which ends quite blunt.
The color of the back is cinereous, marked with very small lines composed of minute black specks; the sides are of a reddish cast; the belly dusky, both marked like the back.
The tongue is broad and forky; the teeth minute, but numerous; the scales small.
The motion of this ferpent is slow, from which, and from the smallness of the eyes, are derived its names. Like others of the genus, it lies torpid during winter, and are sometimes found in vast numbers twisted together.
Like the former it is quite innocent. Doctor
Borlase
mentions a variety of this serpent with a pointed tail; and adds, that he was informed that a man lost his life by the bite of one in
Oxfordshire.
We are inclined to think that his informant mistook the black or dusky viper for this kind; for excepting the viper, we never could learn that there was any sort of poisonous serpent in these kingdoms.
CLASS IV. FISH.
Oh Deus ampla tuae, quam sunt miracula dextrae!
O quam solerti singula mente regis!
Divite tu gazâ terras, et messibus imples;
Nec minus est vasti fertilis unda
maris:
Squammiger hunc peragrat populus, prolesque parentum
Stipat, et ingentes turba minuta duces.
JONSTON. PSALMUS civ.
FISH.
Div. I. CETACEOUS FISH.
NO gills, an orifice on the top of the head, thro' which they breathe, and eject water; a flat or horizontal tail; exemplified in the explanatory plate,
fig.
1. by the BEAKED WHALE, borrowed from
Dale
's
Hist. Harw.
411.
tab.
14.
GENERA.
I. WHALE. page 35
II. CACHALOT. 44
III. DOLPHIN. 48
Div. II. CARTILAGINOUS FISH
BREATHING thro' certain apertures, generally placed on each side the neck, but in some instances beneath, in some above, and from one to seven in number on each part, except in the PIPE FISH, which has only one.
The muscles supported by cartilages, instead of bones.
Explan. Pl.
fig.
2. the PICKED DOG FISH.
a.
The lateral apertures.
IV. LAMPREY. page 58
V. SKATE. 62
VI. SHARK. 74
VII. FISHING FROG. 93
VIII. STURGEON. 96
IX. SUN FISH. 100
X. LUMP FISH. 103
XI. PIPE FISH. 106
Div. III. BONY FISH.
THIS division includes those whose muscles are supported by bones or spines, which breathe thro' gills covered or guarded by thin bony plates, open on the side, and dilatable by means of a certain row of bones on their lower part each separated by a thin web, which bones are called the
Radii Branchiostegi,
or the
Gill-covering Rays.
The tails of all the fish that form this division, are placed in a situation perpendicular to the body, and this is an invariable character.
The later Icthyologists have attempted to make the number of the branchiostegous rays a character of the
genera;
but I found (yet too late in some instances, where I yielded an implicit faith) that their rule was very fallible, and had induced me into error; but as I borrowed other definitions, it is to be hoped the explanation of the
genera
will be intelligible. I should be very disingenuous, if I did not own my obligations in this respect to the works of ARTEDI, Dr. GRONOVIUS, and LINNAeUS.
It is from the last I have copied the great sections of the BONY FISH into
APODAL,
THORACIC,
JUGULAR,
ABDOMINAL
Vide Syst. Nat.
422.
He founds this system on a comparison of the ventral fins to the feet of land animals or reptiles, and either from the want of them, or their particular situation in respect to the other fins, establishes his sections.
In order to render them perfectly intelligible, it is necessary to refer to those several organs of movement, and some other parts, in a perfect fish, or one taken out of the three last sections.
The HADOCK. Expl. Pl.
fig.
4.
a.
The pectoral fins.
b.
ventral fins.
c.
anal fins.
d.
caudal fin, or the tail.
e. e. e.
dorsal fins.
f.
bony plates that cover the gills.
g.
branchiostegous rays, and their membranes.
h.
lateral, or side line.
Sect. I. APODAL.
THE most imperfect, wanting the ventral fins; illustrated by the CONGER,
fig.
3. This also expresses the union of the dorsal and anal fins with the tail, as is found in some few fish.
XII. EEL. page 111
XIII. WOLF FISH. 119
XIV. LAUNCE. 123
XV. MORRIS. 125
XVI. SWORD FISH. 126
Sect. II. JUGULAR.
THE ventral fins
b,
placed before the pectoral fins
a,
as in the HADOCK,
fig
4.
XVII. DRAGONET. page 130
XVIII. WEEVER. 134
XIX. CODFISH. 137
XX. BLENNY. 167
Sect. III. THORACIC.
THE ventral fins
a,
placed beneath the pectoral fins
b,
as in the FATHER LASHER,
fig.
5.
XXI. GOBY. page 174
XXII. BULL-HEAD. 177
XXIII. DOREE. 181
XXIV. FLOUNDER. 184
XXV. GILT-HEAD. 197
XXVI. OPAH. 201
XXVII. WRASSE. 203
XXVIII. PERCH. 211
XXIX. STICKLEBACK. 217
XXX. MACKREL. 221
XXXI. SURMULLET. 227
XXXII. GURNARD. 231
Sect. IV. ABDOMINAL.
THE ventral fins placed behind the pectoral fins, as in the MINOW,
fig.
6.
XXXIII. LOCHE. 237
XXXIV. SALMON. 239
XXXV. PIKE 270
XXXVI. ARGENTINE. 276
XXXVII. ATHERINE. 277
XXXVIII. MULLET. 279
XXXIX. FLYING FISH. 282
XL. HERRING. 284
XLI. CARP. 300
EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS.
I
II
III
V
IV
VI.
Div. I. CETACEOUS FISH.
NATURE on this tribe hath bestowed an internal structure in all respects agreeing with that of quadrupeds; and in a few other the external parts in both are similar.
Cetaceous Fish, like land animals, breathe by means of lungs, being destitute of gills. This obliges them to rise frequently to the surface of the water to respire, to sleep on the surface, as well as to perform several other functions.
They have the power of uttering sounds, such as bellowing and making other noises, a faculty denied to genuine fish
Pontop. Hist. Norw.
ii. 123.
Blasius Anat. Animal,
288.
Like land animals they have warm blood, are furnished with organs of generation, copulate, bring forth, and suckle their young, shewing a strong attachment to them.
Their bodies beneath the skin are entirely surrounded with a thick layer of fat (blubber) analogous to the lard on hogs.
The number of their fins never exceeds three,
viz.
two pectoral fins, and one back fin; but in some species the last is wanting.
Their tails are placed horizontally or flat in respect to their bodies; contrary to the direction of those of all other fish, which have them in a perpendicular site. This situation of the tail enables them to force themselves suddenly to the surface of the water to breathe, which they are so frequently constrained to do.
Many of these circumstances induced
Linnoeus
to place this tribe among his
Mammalia,
or what other writers style quadrupeds.
To have preserved the chain of beings entire, he should in this case have made the genus of
Phocoe,
or
Seals,
and that of the
Trichecus
or
Manati,
immediately precede the whale, those being the links that connect the
Mammalia
or quadrupeds with the fish; for the
Seal
is, in respect to its legs, the most imperfect of the former class; and in the
Manati
the hind feet coalesce, assuming the form of a broad horizontal tail.
Notwithstanding the many parts and properties which cetaceous fish have in common with land animals, yet there still remain others, that in a natural arrangement of the animal kingdom, must determine us after the example of the illustrious
Ray
Who makes two divisions of fish.
1
Pulmone respirantes.
2
Branchiis respirantes.
to place them in the rank of fish; and for the same reasons, that first of systematic writers assigns,
That the form of their bodies agrees with that of fish.
They are entirely naked, or covered only with a smooth skin.
They live entirely in the water, and have all the actions of fish.
Genus I. Cetaceous Fish without teeth, with horny laminae in their mouths. WHALE.
I. The COMMON WHALE.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
iii.
c.
12.
Musculus
Plinii lib.
xi.
c.
37.
Balaena.
Rondel.
475.
Gesner Pisc.
114.
Balaena major, laminas corneas in superiore maxillas habens, fistula donata, bipinnis.
Sib. Phaloen.
28.
Balaena vulgaris edentula, dorso non pinnato.
Raii syn. pisc.
6.
Balaena.
Rondel. Wil. Icth.
35.
The Whale.
Martens Spitzberg.
130.
Crantz. Greenl.
1.107.
La Baleine ordinaire.
Brisson Cet.
218.
Balaena fistula in medio capite, dorso caudam versus, acuminato.
Arted syn.
106.
Sp.
106.
Balaena mysticetus.
Lin. syst.
105. Gronlands Walfisk.
Faun. suec. No.
49.
Balaena.
Gronov. Zooph.
29.
THIS species is the largest of all animals:
Size.
it is even at present sometimes found in the northern seas ninety feet in length; but formerly they were taken of a much greater size, when the captures were less frequent, and the fish had time to grow. Such is their bulk within the
arctic
circle, but in those of the
torrid
zone, where they are unmolested, whales are still seen one hundred and sixty feet long
Adanson's voy.
174. From this account we find no reason to disbelieve the vast size of the
Indian
whales, of whose bones and jaws, both
Strabo, lib.
xv. and
Pliny, lib.
ix.
c.
3. relate, that the natives made their houses, using the jaws for door-cases. This method of building was formerly practised by the inhabitants of
Greenland,
as we find from
Frobisher,
in his second voyage, p. 18, published in 1578.
The head is very much disproportioned to the size of the body, being one-third the size of the fish: the under lip is much broader than the upper. The tongue is composed of a soft spongy fat, capable of yielding five or six barrels of oil. The gullet is very small for so vast a fish, not exceeding four inches in width. In the middle of the head are two orifices, thro' which it spouts water to a vast height, and with a great noise, especially when disturbed or wounded.
The eyes are no larger than those of an ox.
On the back there is no fin, but on the sides, beneath each eye, are two large ones.
The penis is eight feet in length, inclosed in a strong sheath. The teats in the female are placed in the lower part of the belly.
The tail is broad and semilunar.
This whale varies in color: the back of some being red, the belly generally white. Others are black, some mottled, others quite white, according to the observations of
Marten,
who says, that their colors in the water are extremely beautiful, and that their skin is very smooth and slippery.
What is called
whalebone
adheres to the upper jaw,
Whalebone.
and is formed of thin parallel laminae, some of the longest four yards in length; of these there are commonly 350 on each side, but in very old fish more; of these about 500 are of a length fit for use, the others being too short. They are surrounded with long strong hair, not only that they may not hurt the tongue, but as strainers to prevent the return of their food when they discharge the water out of their mouths.
It is from these hairs that
Aristotle
gave the name of
, or the
bearded whale,
to this species, which he tells us had in its mouth hairs instead of teeth
. Hist. an lib.
iii.
c.
12.
; and
Pliny
describes the same under the name of
Musculus
Lib.
xi.
c.
37.
. Tho' the antients were acquainted with this animal, yet as far as we recollect, they were ignorant of their uses as well as capture.
Aldrovand
De Cetis.
261.
indeed describes from
Oppian,
what he mistakes for whale fishing: he was deceived by the word
, which is used not only to express whale in general, but any great fish. The
poet
here meant the
shark,
and shews the way of taking it in the very manner practised at present, by a strong hook baited with flesh. He describes too its three-fold row of teeth, a circumstance that at once disproves its being a whale:
Halieut.
v.
lin.
526.
Whose dreadful teeth in triple order stand,
Like spears out of his mouth.
The whale, tho' so bulky an animal, swims with vast swiftness, and generally against the wind.
It brings only two young at a time, as we believe is the case with all other whales.
Its food is a certain sort of small snail,
Food.
and as
Linnoeus
says, the
medusa,
or sea blubber.
The great resort of this species is within the
arctic
circle, but they sometimes visit our coasts. Whether this was the
British
whale of the antients we cannot pretend to say, only we find, from a line in
Juvenal,
that it was of a very large size,
Quanto Delphinis Baloena
Britannica
major.
Sat. x.
As much as
British
whales in size surpass
The dolphin race.
To view these animals in a commercial light, we must add, that the
English
were late before they engaged in the whale-fishery: it appears by a set of queries, proposed by an honest merchant in the year 1575, in order to get information in the business, that we were at that time totally ignorant of it, being obliged to send to
Biskaie for men skilful in the catching of the whale, and ordering of the oil, and one cooper skilful to set up the staved cask
Hackluyt'
s
Col. voy.
I. 414.
This seems very strange; for by the account
Octher
gave of his travels to King
Alfred,
near 700 years
Idem
I. 4.
before that period, it is evident that he made that monarch acquainted with the
Norwegians
practising the whale-fishery; but it seems all memory of that gainful employ, as well as of that able voyager
Octher,
and all his important discoveries in the North were lost for near seven centuries.
It was carried on by the
Biscayeners
long before we attempted the trade, and that for the sake not only of the oil, but also of the whalebone, which they seem to have long trafficked in. The earliest notice we find of that article in our trade is by
Hackluyt
Hackluyt
III. 194.
, who says it was brought from the
Bay of St. Laurence
by an
English
ship that went there for the
barbes
and
fynnes
of whales and train oil, A. D. 1594, and who found there seven or eight hundred
whale
fynnes,
part of the cargo of two great
Biskaine
ships that had been wrecked there three years before. Previous to that, the ladies stays must have been made of split cane or some tough wood, as Mr.
Anderson
observes in his Dictionary of Commerce
Vol.
I. 442.
, it being certain that the whale fishery was carried on, for the sake of the oil, long before the discovery of the use of whalebone.
The great resort of these animals was found to be on the inhospitable shores of
Spitzbergen,
and the
European
ships made that place their principal fishery, and for numbers of years were very successful: the
English
commenced that business about the year 1598, and the town of
Hull
had the honor of first attempting that profitable branch of trade. At present it seems to be on the decline, the quantity of fish being greatly reduced by the constant capture for such a vast length of time: some recent accounts inform us, that the fishers, from a defect of whales, apply themselves to the seal fishery, from which animals they extract an oil. This we fear will not be of any long continuance; for these shy and timid creatures will soon be induced to quit those shores by being perpetually harrassed, as the
morse
or
walrus
has already in a great measure done. We are also told, that the poor natives of
Greenland
begin even now to suffer from the decrease of the seal in their seas, it being their principal subsistence; so that should it totally desert the coast, the whole nation would be in danger of perishing thro' want.
In old times the whale seems never to have been taken on our coasts,
Royal Fish.
but when it was accidentally flung ashore: it was then deemed a royal fish
Item habet warectum maris per totum regnum
Ballenas
et
Sturgiones
captos, &c.
Edwardi
II.
anno 17mo.
, and the king and queen divided the spoil; the king asserting his right to the head, her majesty to the tail
Blackston
's
Com.
I.
c.
4.
II. The PIKE-HEADED WHALE.
Balaena tripinnis nares habens cum rostro acuto, et plicis in ventre.
Sib. Phalain
29,
tab.
1.
Idem.
Raii syn. pisc.
16.
Pike-headed whale.
Dale Harwich,
410.
No. 3.
La Baleine a museau pointu.
Brisson Cet.
224.
Balaena fistula duplici in rostro, dorso extremo protuberantia cornuiformi.
Arted. syn.
107.
Balaena Boops.
Lin. syst.
106.
THE length of that taken on the coast of
Scotland,
Size.
as remarked by Sir
Robert Sibbald,
was forty-six feet, and its greatest circumference twenty.
The head of an oblong form,
Descr.
sloping down, and growing narrower to the nose; six feet eight inches from the end of which were two spout-holes, separated by a thin division: the eyes small.
The pectoral fins five feet long, and one and an half broad; on the back about eight feet and an half from the tail, in lieu of a back fin, was a hard horny protuberance: the tail was nine feet and an half broad.
The belly was uneven, and formed into folds running lengthways.
The skin extremely smooth and bright; that on the back black; that on the belly white.
This species takes its name from the shape of its nose, which is narrower and sharper pointed than that of other whales.
III. The FIN FISH.
Balaena edentula corpore strictiore, dorso pinnato.
Raii syn. pisc.
9.
Dale Harwich,
410.
No. 2.
Fin Fish.
Marten
's
Spitzberg.
165.
Egede Greenl.
65.
Crantz Greenl.
I. 110.
Le Gibbar.
Brisson Cet.
222.
Balaena fistula in medio capite tubero penniformi in extremo dorso.
Arted. syn.
107.
Balaena Physalus.
Lin. syst.
106.
THIS species is distinguished from the common whale by a fin on the back, placed very low and near the tail.
The length is equal to that of the common kind,
Descr.
but much more slender. It is furnished with whalebone in the upper jaw, mixed with hairs, but short and knotty, and of little value. The blubber also on the body of this kind is very inconsiderable: these circumstances, added to its extreme fierceness and agility, which renders the capture very dangerous, cause the fishers to neglect it. The natives of
Greenland
tho' hold it in great esteem, as it affords a quantity of flesh, which to their palate is very agreeable.
The lips are brown, and like a twisted rope: the spout hole is as it were split in the top of its head, thro' which it blows water with much more violence, and to a greater height, than the common whale. The fishers are not fond of seeing it, for on its appearance the others retire out of those seas.
Some writers conjecture this species to have been the
, and
Physeter,
or blowing whale of
Oppian, Aelian,
and
Pliny
Oppian, Halieut,
I.
Lin,
368.
Aelian Hist. an.
ix.
c.
49.
Plin. lib.
ix.
c.
5.
; but since those writers have not left the lest description of it, it is impossible to judge which kind they meant; for in respect to the faculty of spouting out water, or blowing, it is not peculiar to any one species, but common to all the whale kind.
IV. The ROUND-LIPPED WHALE.
Balaena tripinnis maxillam inferiorem rotundam et superiore multo latiorem habens.
Sib. Phalain.
33.
tab.
T. 3.
Idem.
Raii syn. pisc.
16.
La Baleine a museau rond.
Brisson Cet.
222.
B. fistula duplici in fronte maxilla inferiore multo Latiore.
Arted. syn.
107.
Balaena musculus.
Lin. syst.
106.
THE character of this species is to have the lower lip broader than the upper, and of a semicircular form.
That taken in 1692 near
Abercorn-Castle,
was seventy-eight feet long, the circumference thirtyfive; the
rictus
or gape very wide; the tongue fifteen feet and an half long; the mouth furnished with short whalebone, about three feet in length. On the forehead were two spout holes of a pyramidal form.
The eyes were placed thirteen feet from the end of the nose: the pectoral fins ten feet long: the back fin about three feet high, placed near the tail, which was eighteen feet broad: the belly was full of folds.
This species is said to feed on herrings.
V. The BEAKED WHALE.
Butskopf.
Marten
's
Spitzberg.
124.
Bottle-head, or flounders-head.
Dale Harwich,
411.
tab.
14.
Nebbe-hual, or beaked whale.
Pontop. Norway,
I. 123.
THIS species was taken near
Maldon,
1717, and thus described by
Dale
and
Marten.
The length was fourteen feet, the circumference seven and an half; the body very thick, the forehead high, the nose depressed, and of the same thickness its whole length, not unlike the beak of a bird: in the mouth were no teeth.
The eyes large, the eyelids small, and placed a, little above the line of the mouth. The spout hole was on the top of the head semicircular, with the corners pointed towards the tail.
The pectoral fins were seventeen inches long. The back was placed rather nearer the tail than the head, and was a foot long: the breadth of the tail was three feet two inches.
These fish sometimes grow to the length of twenty feet; they make but little noise in blowing, are very tame, come very near the ships, and will accompany them for a great way.
Belon
describes and figures a fish very much resembling, if not the same with this: he says it furnished whalebone,
Dont les Dames font aujourdhuy leurs bustes, et arrondissent leurs verdugades
Belon de la nat. &c. des Poissons,
1555, p. 6, by which it appears that the
French
were acquainted with that article at lest forty years before we were.
, by which it appears, that this commodity was but newly known at that time in
France.
He adds, that the tongue was very good eating, and both that and the flesh used to be salted for provision.
Genus II.
Cetaceous Fish, with teeth in the lower jaws only.
CACHALOT.
Sp. I. The BLUNT-HEADED CACHALOT.
A Fish of this kind was cast ashore on
Blyth
sand,
January
30, 1762; its length was fifty-four feet,
Size.
the breadth fourteen: the upper jaw was five feet longer than the lower, whose length was ten feet.
The head was of a most enormous size,
Descr.
very thick, and above one-third the size of the fish: the end of the upper jaw was quite blunt, and near eight feet high: the spout hole was placed near the end of it.
II. BLUNT HEADED CACHALOT.
The eyes very small, and remote from the nose.
The pectoral fins placed near the corners of the mouth: it had no other fin, only a large protuberance on the middle of the back.
The tail a little forked, and fifteen feet from tip to tip.
The penis eight feet long.
The figure
plate
ii. we borrowed from a print taken from the fish published by
William Bingham;
after directing the tail to be placed in a horizontal position.
This is one of the species which yield what is improperly called
sperma ceti,
Spermaceti.
that substance being found lodged in the head of the fish that form this genus, which the
French
call
Cachalot,
a name we have adopted, having no generical term for it in our tongue.
II. The GREAT-HEADED CACHALOT.
Trumpa.
Purchas
's
Pilgrimes
iii. 471.
Balaena major in inferiore tantum maxilla dentata dentibus arcuatis falciformibus, pinnam sive spinam in dorso habens.
Sib. Phalain.
13.
tab.
A. 1.
Raii syn. pisc.
15.
Le cachalot a dents en faucilles.
Brisson Cet.
229.
The Parmacitty Whale, or Pot Wal fish.
Dale Harwich,
413.
Physeter microps.
Lin. syst.
107.
Arted. syn.
104.
Cashalot, Catodon, or Pot fish.
Crantz Greenl.
I. 112.
ACCORDING to Sir
Robert Sibbald
's observations on one taken on the coast of
Scotland,
the head was of an oblong form, and of such a bulk as to exceed that of all the rest of the body.
The end of the upper jaw was five feet longer than that of the lower: a little above the middle of the nose was placed the spout hole, divided in the middle, and covered with a lid.
In the lower jaw were forty-two teeth,
Teeth.
bent like a sickle, thick in the middle, and growing smaller towards each end: a specimen of a small one is engraved,
plate
iii.
No.
3.
The eyes were very small, not larger than those of a hadock.
On the middle of the back was a long spine, instead of a fin.
The color of this fish was black, the skin of a silky appearance, and very thin.
The length of this fish was fifty-two feet; above seventy gallons of oil were extracted from it, and a great quantity of
sperma ceti.
Linnaeus
informs us, that this species pursues and terrifies the porpesses so much, as often to drive them on shore.
III. The ROUND-HEADED CACHALOT.
Balaena minor in inferiore maxilla tantum dentata sine spina aut pinna in dorso.
Sib, Phalain.
9.
Raii syn. pisc.
15.
Le petit Cachalot.
Brisson Cet.
228.
Physeter Catodon.
Lin. syst.
107.
Catodon fistula in rostro.
Arted. synon.
108.
THIS species was taken on one of the
Orkney
isles, a hundred and two of different sizes being cast ashore at one time, the largest twenty-four feet in length.
The head was round, the opening of the mouth small:
Sibbald
says it had no spout hole, but only nostrils. We rather think, that the former being placed at the extremity of the nose was mistaken by him for the latter.
The teeth we have in our cabinet of this species (
plate
iii.
No.
4.
Teeth.
) are an inch and three quarters long, and in the largest part, of the thickness of one's thumb. The top is quite flat, and marked with concentric lines; the bottom is more slender than the top, and pierced with a small orifice.
The back fin was wanting; instead was a rough space.
IV. The HIGH-FINNED CACHALOT.
Balaena macrocephala tripinnis, quae in mandibula inferiore dentes habet minus inflexos et in planum desinentes.
Sib. Phalain.
18.
Raii syn, pisc.
16.
Le Cachalot a dents plattes.
Brisson. Cet.
230.
ONE of this species was cast on the
Orkney
isles in 1687. The spout hole was placed in front, and on the middle of the back was a high fin, which
Sibbald
compares to the mizen mast of a ship. The head abounded with
sperma ceti
of the best sort.
The teeth of this kind are very slightly bent;
Teeth.
that which we have figured,
plate
iii.
No.
1. is seven inches three quarters in length; the greatest circumference nine: it is much compressed on the sides; the point rather blunt than flat; the bottom thin, having a very narrow but long orifice, or slit, hollowed to the depth of five inches and a quarter, and the tooth was immersed in the jaw as far as that hollow.
Genus III.
Cetaceous Fish, with teeth in both jaws.
DOLPHIN.
Sp. I. The DOLPHIN.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
vi.
c.
12.
Aelian. lib.
I.
c.
18.
Delphinus
Plinit, lib.
ix.
c.
8. Le Daulphin, ou oye de mor.
Belon Poiss.
7.
Delphinus.
Rondel.
459.
Gesner pisc.
319.
Caii opusc.
113.
Delphinus Antiquorum.
Wil. Icth.
28.
Raii syn. pisc.
12.
Delphinus corpore longo subtereti, rostro longo acuto.
Arted. syn.
105.
Le Dauphin.
Brisson Cet.
233.
Delphinus Delphis.
Lin. syst.
108.
Dolphin.
Borlase Cornwall,
264.
tab.
27.
Crantz Greenl.
I, 115.
HISTORIANS and philosophers seem to have contended who should invent most fables concerning this fish. It was consecrated to the Gods, was celebrated in the earliest time for its fondness of the human race, was honored with the title of the
Sacred Fish
Athenoeus,
281.
, and distinguished by those of
Boyloving,
and
Philanthropist.
It gave rise to a long train of inventions, proofs of the credulity and ignorance of the times.
Aristotle
steers the clearest of all the antients from these fables, and gives in general so faithful a natural history of this animal, as evinces the superior judgment of that great philosopher, in comparison of those who succeeded him. But the elder
Pliny, Aelian,
and others, seem to preserve no bounds in their belief of the tales related of this fish's attachment to mankind.
Pliny
Epist. lib.
ix.
ep.
33.
the younger, (apologizing for what he is going to say) tells the story of the enamoured dolphin of
Hippo
in a most beautiful manner. It is too long to be transcribed, and would be injured by an abridgement; therefore we refer the reader to the original, or to Mr.
Melmouth
's elegant translation.
Scarce an accident could happen at sea but the dolphin offered himself to convey to shore the unfortunate.
Arion,
the musician, when flung into the ocean by the pyrates, is received and saved by this benevolent sish.
Inde (side majus) tergo Delphina recurvo,
Se memorant oneri supposuisse novo.
Ille sedens citharamque tenens, pretiumque vehendi
Cantat, et aequoreas carmine mulcet aquas.
Ovid. Fasti. lib.
ii. 113.
But (past belief) a dolphin's arched back,
Preserved
Arion
from his destined wrack;
Secure he sits, and with harmonious strains,
Requites his bearer for his friendly pains.
We are at a loss to account for the origin of those fables, since it does not appear that the dolphin shews a greater attachment to mankind than the rest of the cetaceous tribe. We know that at present the appearance of this fish, and the porpesse, are far from being esteemed favorable omens by the seamen; for their boundings, springs and frolics in the water, are held to be sure signs of an approaching gale.
It is from their leaps out of that element that they assume a temporary form that is not natural to them, but which the old painters and sculptors have almost always given them. A dolphin is scarce ever exhibited by the antients in a strait shape, but almost always incurvated: such are those on the coin of
Alexander the Great,
which is preserved by
Belon,
as well as on several other pieces of antiquity. The poets describe them much in the same manner, and it is not improbable but that the one had borrowed from the other:
Tumidumque pando transilit dorso mare
Tyrrhenus omni piscis exsultat freto,
Agitatque gyros.
Senec. Trag. Agam.
450.
Upon the swelling waves the dolphins shew
Their bended backs, then swiftly darting go,
And in a thousand wreaths their bodies throw.
The natural shape of the dolphin is almost strait,
Descr.
the back being very slightly incurvated, and the body slender: the nose is long, narrow, and pointed, not much unlike the beak of some birds, for which reason the
French
call it
L' oye de mer.
TEETH OF CETACEOUS FISH.
The spout hole is placed in the middle of the head.
The back fin is high, triangular, and placed rather nearer to the tail than to the head; the pectoral fins situated low.
The tail is semilunar.
The skin is smooth, the color of the back and sides dusky; the belly whitish.
It swims with great swiftness: its prey is fish.
It was formerly reckoned a great delicacy: Doctor
Caius
says, that one which was taken in his time, was thought a present worthy the Duke of
Nor-folk,
who distributed part of it among his friends. It was roasted and dressed with porpesse sauce, made of crumbs of fine white bread, mixed with vinegar and sugar.
This species of dolphin must not be confounded with that to which seamen gives the name, the latter being quite another kind of fish, the
Coryphoena, Hippuris
of
Linnoeus, p.
446. and the
Dorado
of the,
Portuguese,
described by
Willoughby, p.
213.
II. The PORPESSE.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
vi.
c.
12.
Tursio
Plinii. lib.
ix.
c.
9.
Le Marsouin.
Belon.
Tursio.
Rondel.
474.
Gesner pisc.
711.
Porpesse.
Wil. Icth.
31.
Raii syn. pisc.
13.
Crantz Greenl.
I, 114.
Kolben
's
Hist. Cape,
II. 200.
Le Marsouin.
Brisson Cet.
234.
Delphinus corpore fere coniformi, dorso lato, rostro subacuto.
Arted. synon.
104.
Delphinus Phocaena.
Lin. syst.
108.
Marswin, Tumblare.
Faun. suec. No.
51.
THESE fish are found in vast multitudes in all parts of the sea that wash these islands, but in greatest numbers at the time when fish of passage appear, such as mackrel, herrings, and salmon, which they pursue up the bays with the same eagerness as a pack of dogs does a hare. In some places they almost darken the sea as they rise above water to take breath: but propesses not only seek for prey near the surface, but often descend to the bottom in search of sand eels, and sea worms, which they root out of the sand with their noses in the same manner as hogs do in the fields for their food.
Their bodies are very thick towards the head,
Descr.
but grows slender towards the tail, forming the figure of a cone.
The nose projects a little, is much shorter than that of the dolphin, and is furnished with very strong muscles, which enables it the readier to turn up the sand.
In each jaw are forty-eight teeth,
Teeth.
small, sharp pointed, and a little moveable: like those of the dolphin, they are so placed as that the teeth of one jaw locks into those of the other when closed.
The tongue is flat, pectinated at the edges, and fastened down to the bottom of the mouth.
The eyes small; the spout hole on the top of the the head.
On the back is one fin placed rather below the middle; on the breast are two fins. The tail semilunar.
The color of the porpesse is generally black, and the belly whitish, not but they sometimes vary; for in the river
St. Laurence
there is a white kind; and Doctor
Borlase,
in his voyage to the
Scilly
isles, observed a small species of cetaceous fish, which he calls
thornbacks,
from their broad and sharp fin on the back, some of these were brown, some quite white, others spotted: but whether they were only a variety of this fish, or whether they were small
grampuses,
which are also spotted, we cannot determine.
The porpesse is remarkable for the vast quantity of the fat or lard that surrounds the body,
Fat.
which yields a great quantity of excellent oil: from this lard, or from their rooting like swine, they are called in many places
sea hogs;
the
Germans
call them
meerschwein;
the
Swedes, marsuin;
and the
English, porpesse,
from the
Italian, porco pesce.
III. The GRAMPUS.
Orca
Plinii, lib.
ix.
c.
6.
L'oudre ou grand marsouin.
Belon,
13.
Orca.
Rondel.
483.
Gesner pisc.
635. Leper, Springer.
Schonevelde,
53.
Butskopf.
Marten
's
Spitzberg.
124.
Balaena minor utraque maxilla dentata.
Sib. Phaloen.
7, 8.
Wil. Icth.
40.
Raii syn. pisc.
15.
L. Epaulard.
Brisson Cet.
236.
Delphinus orca.
Lin. syst.
108.
Lopare, Delphinus rostro sursum repando, dentibus latis serratis.
Arted. syn.
106.
THIS species is found from the length of fifteen feet to that of twenty-five. It is remarkably thick in proportion to its length, one of eighteen feet being in the thickest place ten feet diameter. With reason then did
Pliny
call this an immense heap of flesh, armed with dreadful teeth
Cujus imago nulla representatione exprimi possit alia, quam carnis immensae dentibus truculentis.
Lib.
ix.
c.
6.
It is extremely voracious, and will not even spare the porpesse, a congenerous fish. It is said to be a great enemy to the whale, and that it will fasten on it like a dog on a bull, till the animal roars with pain.
The nose is flat,
Teeth.
and turns up at the end. There are thirty teeth in each jaw; those before are blunt, round, and slender; the farthest sharp and thick: between each is a space adapted to receive the teeth of the opposite jaw when the mouth is closed.
The spout hole is in the top of the neck. In respect to the number and site of the fins, it agrees with the dolphin.
The color of the back is black,
Color.
but on each shoulder is a large white spot, the sides marbled with black and white, the belly of a snowy whiteness.
These sometimes appear on our coasts, but are found in much greater numbers off the
North Cape
in
Norway,
whence they are called
North Capers.
These and all other whales are observed to swim against the wind, and to be much disturbed, and tumble about with unusual violence at the approach of a storm.
Linnoeus
and
Artedi
say, that this species is furnished with broad serrated teeth, which as far as we have observed, is peculiar to the
shark
tribe. We therefore suspect that those naturalists have had recourse to
Rondeletius,
and copied his erroneous account of the teeth: Sir
Robert Sibbald,
who had opportunity of examining and figuring the teeth of this fish, and from whom we take that part of our description, giving a very different account of them.
It will be but justice to say, that no one of our countrymen ever did so much towards forming a general natural history of this kingdom as Sir
Robert Sibbald:
he sketched out a fine outline of the Zoology of
Scotland,
which comprehends the greatest part of the
English
animals, and, we are told, had actually filled up a considerable part of it: he published a particular history of the county of
Fife,
and has left us a most excellent history of the whales which frequent the coast of
Scotland.
We acknowledge ourselves much indebted to him for information in respect to many of those fish, few of which frequent the southern seas of those kingdoms, and those that are accidentally cast ashore on our coasts, are generally cut up by the country people, before an opportunity can be had of examining them.
Div. II. CARTILAGINOUS FISH.
THIS title is given to all fish whose muscles are supported by cartilages instead of bones, and comprehends the same genera of fish to which
Linnaeus
has given the name of
amphibia nantes:
but the word
amphibia,
ought properly to be confined to such animals who inhabit both elements, and can live without any inconvenience for a considerable space, either on land or under water. This definition therefore excludes all that form this division.
Many of the cartilaginous fish are viviparous, being excluded from an egg, which is hatched within them. The egg consists of a white and a yolk, and is lodged in a case, formed of a thick tough substance, not unlike softened horn: such are the eggs of the Ray and Shark kinds.
Some again differ in this respect, and are oviparous; such is the Sturgeon, and others.
They breathe either thro' certain apertures beneath, as in the Rays; on their sides as in the Sharks, &c. or on the top of the head, as in the Pipe-fish; for they have not covers to their gills like the bony fish.
Genus IV.
Slender Eel-shaped body; Seven apertures on each side; One on the top of the head. No pectoral or ventral fins.
LAMPREY.
Sp. I. The LAMPREY.
La Lamproye de mer.
Belon.
66.
Lampetra.
Rondel.
398.
Lampreda.
Gesner. Paralip.
22.
pisc.
590.
Lamprey, or Lamprey Eel.
Wil. Icth.
105.
Lampetra.
Raii syn. pisc.
35.
Petromyzon maculosus ordinibus dentium circiter viginti.
Arted. synon.
90.
Petromyzon marinus. P. ore intus papilloso, pinna dorsali posteriori a cauda distincta.
Lin. syst.
394.
Faun. suec. No.
292.
LAMPREYS are found at certain seasons of the year in several of our rivers,
Place.
but the
Severn
is the most noted for them
They are also found in the most considerable of the
Scotch
and
Irish
rivers.
They are sea fish, but like salmon, quit the salt waters, and ascend the latter end of the winter, or beginning of spring, and after a stay of a few months return again to the ocean, a very few excepted. The best season for them is the months of
March, April,
and
May;
for they are more firm when just arrived out of the salt water than they are afterwards, being observed to be much wasted, and very flabby at the approach of hot weather.
They are taken in the nets along with salmon and shad, and sometimes in weels laid in the bottom of the river.
It has been an old custom for the city of
Gloucester,
annually, to present his majesty with a
lamprey
pye, covered with a large raised crust. As the gift is made at
Christmas,
it is with great difficulty the corporation can procure any fresh lampreys at that time, tho' they give guinea a-piece for them, so early in the season.
They are reckoned a great delicacy, either when potted or stewed, but are a surfeiting food, as one of our monarchs fatally experienced,
Henry
the First's death being occasioned by a too plentiful meal of these fish.
Lampreys are sometimes found so large as to weigh four or five pounds.
The mouth is round and placed rather obliquely below the end of the nose: the edges are jagged, which enables them to adhere the more strongly to the stones, as their custom is, and which they do so firmly as not to be drawn off without some difficulty.
We have heard of one weighing three pounds, which was taken out of the
Esk,
adhering to a stone of twelve pounds weight, suspended at its mouth, from which it was forced with no small pains.
There are in the mouth twenty rows of small teeth, disposed in circular orders, and placed far within.
The color is dusky, irregularly marked with dirty yellow, which gives the fish a disagreeable look.
We believe that the antients were unacquainted with this fish;
Not the Muraena
so far is certain, that which Doctor
Arbuthnot,
and other learned men, render the word
lamprey,
is a species unknown in our seas, being the
muraena
of
Ovid, Pliny,
and others, for which we want an
English
name.
The words
Lampetra
and
Petromyzon,
are but of modern date, invented from the nature of the fish; the first a
Lambendo petras,
the other from
, and
, because they are supposed to lick, or suck the rocks.
II. The LESSER LAMPREY.
La Lamproye d'eaue doulce.
Belon.
67.
Lampredae alterum genus.
Gesner pisc.
597.
Lampetra medium genus.
Wil. Icth.
106.
Raii syn. pisc.
35.
Neunaugen.
Kram.
282.
Petromyzon fluviatilis.
Lin. syst.
394.
Nein-oga, natting.
Faun. suec. No.
290. Petromyzon pinna dorsali posteriori angulata.
Ibid.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
159.
THIS species sometimes grows to the length of ten inches.
Descr.
The mouth is formed like that of the preceding. On the upper part is a large bifurcated tooth; on each side are three rows of very minute ones: on the lower part are seven teeth, the exterior of which on each side is the largest.
The irides are yellow. As in all the other species between the eyes, on the top of the head, is a small orifice of great use to clear its mouth of the water that remains on adhering to the stones, for thro' that orifice it ejects the water in the same manner as cetaceous fish.
On the lower part of the back is a narrow fin, beneath that rises another, which at the beginning is high and angular, then grows narrow, surrounds the tail, and ends near the anus.
The color of the back is brown or dusky,
Color.
and sometimes mixed with blue; the whole under-side silvery. These are found in the
Thames, Severn,
and
Dee,
are potted with the larger kind, and are by some preferred to it, as being milder tasted. Vast quantiti esare taken about
Mortlake,
and sold to the
Dutch
for bait for their turbot and cod fishery.
III. The PRIDE.
Une Civelle, un Lamproyon.
Belon.
67.
Lampetra parve et fluviatilis.
Rondel. pisc. fl.
202.
Lampreda minima.
Gesner pisc.
598.
Pride.
Plot. Oxf.
182.
plate
x.
Lampern, or Pride of the
Isis. Wil Icth.
104.
Raii syn. pisc.
35.
Petromyzon branchialis.
Lin. syst.
394.
Lin-ahl.
Faun. suec. No.
291. Petromyzon pinna dorsali posteriori lineari, labio oris latere postico lobato.
Ibid.
Uhlen.
Kram.
384.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
160.
WE have seen these of the length of eight inches, and about the thickness of a swan's quil, but they are generally much smaller.
They are frequent in the rivers near
Oxford,
particularly the
Isis,
but not peculiar to that county, being found in others of the
English
rivers, where, instead of concealing themselves under the stones, they lodge themselves in the mud, and never are observed to adhere to any thing like other lampreys.
The body is marked with numbers of transverse lines, that pass cross the sides from the back to the bottom of the belly, which is divided from the mouth to the anus by a strait line.
The back fin is not angular like that of the former, but of an equal breadth, The tail is lanceolated, and sharp at the end.
Genus V.
Body broad, flat, and thin. Five apertures on each side placed beneath: Mouth situated quite below.
RAY.
* With sharp teeth.
I. The SKATE.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
I.
c.
5.
lib.
vi.
c.
10.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 103.
Raia undulata sive cinerea.
Rondel.
346.
Gesner pisc.
791.
The Skate, or Flaire.
Wil. Icth.
69.
Raii syn. pisc.
25.
Raia Batis.
Lin. syst.
395.
Raia varia, dorso medio glabro, unico aculeorum ordine in cauda.
Arted. synon.
102.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
157.
THIS species is the thinnest in proportion to its bulk of any of the genus,
Size.
and also the largest, some weighing near two hundred pounds.
The nose,
Descr.
tho' not long, is sharp pointed; above the eyes is a set of short spines: the whole upper part of that we examined was of a pale brown. Mr.
Ray
says, some he saw were streaked with black: the lower part is white, marked with great numbers of minute black spots. The jaws were covered with small granulated but sharp-pointed teeth.
The tail is of a moderate length: near the end are two fins: along the top of it is one row of spines, and on the edges are irregularly dispersed a few others, which makes us imagine with Mr.
Ray,
that in this respect these fish vary, some having one, others more orders of spines on the tail.
It is remarked that in the males of this species the fins are full of spines.
Skates generate in
March
and
April,
Generation.
at which time they swim near the surface of the water, several of the males pursuing one female. They adhere so fast together in coition, that the fishermen frequently draw up both together, tho' only one has taken the bait. The females begin to cast their
purses,
as the fishermen call them (the bags in which the young are included) in
May,
and continue doing it till
September.
In
October
they are exceedingly poor and thin; but in
November
they begin to improve, and grow gradually better till
May,
when they are in the highest perfection. The males go sooner out of season than the females.
II. The SHARP-NOSED RAY.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
v.
c.
5.
Oppian Halieut.
ii. 141.
Bos
ovidii?
94.
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
24.
Raia oxyrhinchus.
Rondel.
347.
Gesner pisc.
792.
Wil. Icth.
71.
Raii syn. pisc.
26.
Raia oxyrinchus.
Lin. syst.
395.
Raia varia tuberculis decem aculeatis in medis dorso.
Arted. synon.
101.
IN fishing in the
Menai
(the strait that divides
Anglesea
from
Caernarvonshire
)
July
1768,
Size.
we took one of this species whose length was near seven feet, and breadth five feet two inches; when just brought on shore, it made a remarkable snorting noise.
The nose was very long, narrow, and sharp-pointed, not unlike the end of a spontoon.
The body was smooth, and very thin in proportion to the size; the upper part ash-colored, spotted with numerous white spots, and a few black ones.
The tail was thick; towards the end were two small fins, on each side was a row of small spines, with another row in the middle, which run some way up the back.
The lower part of the fish was quite white.
The mouth very large, and furnished with numbers of small sharp teeth bending inwards.
On its body we found the
hirudo muricata,
which adhered very strongly, and when taken off left a black impression.
This fish has been supposed to be the
Bos
of the antients, which was certainly some enormous species of
Ray,
tho' we cannot pretend to determine the particular kind:
Oppian
styles it,
Broadest among fishes.
He adds an account of its fondness of human flesh, and the method it takes of destroying men, by over-laying and keeping them down by its vast weight till they are drowned.
Phile
gives much the same relation
De propriet. Anim.
85.
. We are inclined to afford them credit, since a modern writer
Ulloa
's
voy.
I. 132. 8
vo. edit.
, of undoubted authority, gives the very same account of a fish found in the
South Seas,
the terror of those employed in the pearl fishery. It is a species of
ray,
called there
Manta,
or the
Quilt,
from its surrounding and wrapping up the unhappy divers till they are suffocated; to guard against which, the negroes never go down without a sharp knife to defend themselves against the assaults of this terrible enemy.
III. The ROUGH RAY.
Raia fullonica.
Rondel.
357.
Gesner pisc.
797.
Raia aspera nostras, the white horse.
Wil. Icth.
78.
Raii syn. pisc.
26.
Raia fullonica.
Lin. syst.
Raia dorso toto aculeato, aculeorum ordine simplici ad oculos, duplici in canda.
Arted. syn.
101.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
155.
THIS species derives its
Latin
name from the instruments fullers make use of in smoothing cloth, the back being rough, with small spines like that.
These spines are spread not only over the back, but the upper side of the fins and the head: near each eye is a semicircular order of larger spines, and about the nose are a few others; a row of the same kind go half way down the back: the tail is armed with a double row of still greater spines.
The color of the upper part is ash-color, mixed with yellow; the lower part of the body entirely white.
This species we believe to be rare, having never met with it; therefore are obliged to borrow our description from Mr.
Willoughby.
IV. The CRAMP RAY.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
v.
c.
5. ix.
c.
37.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 104. ii. 56. iii. 149.
Torpedo.
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
42. La Tremble ou Torpille.
Belon.
78, 81.
Torpedo.
Rondel. Gesner pisc.
Torpedo. Cramp Fish.
Wil. Icth.
81.
Raii syn. pisc.
28.
Smith
's
Hist. Waterford,
271.
Raia Torpedo.
Lin. syst.
395.
Raia tota laevis.
Arted. synon.
102.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
153.
tab.
9.
THE narcotic or numbing quality of this fish has been taken notice of in all ages: it is so powerful when the fish is alive, as instantly to deprive the person who touches it of the use of his arm, and even to affect him if he touches it with a stick.
Oppian
goes so far as to say, that it will benumb the astonished fisherman, even thro' the whole length of line and rod.
The hook'd
Torpedo
ne'er forgets its art,
But soon as struck begins to play its part,
And to the line applies its magic sides,
Without delay the subtile power glides
Along the pliant rod, and slender hairs,
Then to the fisher's hand as swift repairs:
Amaz'd he stands; his arm's of sense bereft,
Down drops the idle rod; his prey is left:
Not less benumb'd, than if he had felt the whole
Of frost's severest rage beneath the
arctic
pole.
But great as its powers are when the fish is in vigor, they are impaired as it declines in strength, and totally cease when it expires. They impute no noxious qualities to it as a food, being commonly eat by the
French,
who find them more frequently on their coasts than we do on ours.
This wonderful faculty is occasioned by a most rapid, frequent, and violent contraction and exertion of its muscles, against any object that touches it. The cause is prettily explained by M.
Reaumur
Hist. de l'Academie des Sciences,
1714.
, to whom we refer the inquisitive reader for a farther account.
We may mention a double use in this strange power the
torpedo
is endued with; the one, when it is exerted as a means of defence against voracious fish, who are at a touch deprived of all possibility of seizing their prey.
The other is well explained by
Pliny,
who tells us, it attains by the same powers its end in respect to those fish it wishes to ensnare.
Novit
torpedo
vim suam, ipsa non torpens; mersaque in limo se occultat piscium qui securi supernatantes obtorpuere, corripiens
The
torpedo
is well acquainted with its own powers, tho' itself never affected by them. It conceals itself in the mud, and benumbing the fish that are carelessly swimming about, makes a ready prey of them.
These fish are sometimes found of the weight of fifteen pounds.
Descr.
The body is almost circular, and is thicker than others of the ray kind. The skin is soft, smooth, and of a yellowish color, marked with large annular spots: the eyes very small, and almost covered with the skin; behind each is a semilunar orifice; the mouth is placed below, and furnished with small sharp teeth.
Along each side of the body is a narrow fin; near the vent two others. The tail is thick towards the base, and grows small towards the end: on the upper part are two small fins placed near each other; the end is round.
These fish inhabite hot, or at least warm climates, and are very rarely taken in the
British
seas: the only one we ever heard of on our coasts, being took off the county of
Waterford.
** With blunt teeth.
V. The THORNBACK.
La Raye bouclée.
Belon.
70.
Raia clavata.
Rondel.
353.
Gesner pisc.
795.
Steinroch.
Schonevelde,
59.
Thornback.
Wil. Icth.
74.
Raii syn. pisc.
26.
Raia clavata.
Lin. syst.
297.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
154.
R. aculeata dentibus tuberculosis, cartilagine transversa abdominali.
Arted synon.
94.
Racka.
Faun. suec. No.
293.
THIS common fish is easily distinguished from the others by the rows of strong sharp spines, disposed along the back and tail. In a large one we saw, were three rows on the back, and five on the tail, all inclining towards its end.
On the nose, and on the inner side of the forehead near the eyes, were a few spines, and others were scattered without any order on the upper part of the pectoral fins.
The mouth was small, and filled with granulated teeth.
The upper part of the body was of a pale ashcolor, marked with short streaks of black, and the skin rough, with small tubercles like shagreen.
The belly white, crossed with a strong semilunar cartilage beneath the skin: in general the lower part was smooth, having only a few spines on each side.
The young fish have very few spines on them, and their backs are often spotted with white, and each spot is encircled with black.
This species frequents our sandy shores,
Food.
are very voracious, and feed on all sorts of flat fish, and are particularly fond of herrings and sand eels, and sometimes eat crustaceous animals such as crabs.
These sometimes weigh fourteen of fifteen pounds, but with us seldom exceed that weight.
They begin to generate in
June,
and bring forth their young in
July
and
August,
which (as well as those of the skate) before they are old enough to breed, are called
maids.
The thornback begins to be in season in
November,
and continues so later than skate, but the young of both are good at all times of the year.
VI. The STING RAY.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
viii.
c.
13. ix. 37.
Oppian. Halieut.
I. 104. ii. 462.
Pastinaca
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
42, 38.
La Pastenade de mer, Tourterelle, ou Tareronde.
Belon.
83
Pastinaca.
Rondel.
331.
Gesner pisc.
679.
Steckroche. Grone Tepel.
Schonevelde,
58.
Pastinaca marina laevis.
Wil. pisc.
67.
Fire Flaire.
Raii syn. pisc.
24.
Raia Pastinaca.
Lin. syst.
396.
Raia corpore glabro, aculeo longo anterius serrato, cauda apterygia.
Arted. synom.
100.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
158.
THE weapon with which nature hath armed this fish, hath supplied the antients with many tremendous fables relating to it.
Pliny, Aelian,
Hist. an. lib.
ii.
c.
36.
and
Oppian,
have given it a venom that affects even the inanimate creation: trees that are struck by it instantly lose their verdure and perish, and rocks themselves are incapable of resisting the potent poison.
The enchantress
Circe,
armed her son with a spear headed with the spine of the
Trygon,
as the most irresistible weapon she could furnish him with, and with which he afterwards committed parricide, unintentionally, on his father
Ulysses.
That spears and darts might, in very early times, have been headed with this bone instead of iron, we have no kind of doubt: that of another species of this fish being still used to point the arrows of some of the
South American Indians,
and is, from its hardness, sharpness, and beards, a most dreadful weapon.
But in respect to its venemous qualities there is not the lest credit to be given to the opinion, tho' it was believed (as far as it affected the animal world) by
Rondeletius, Aldrovand,
and others, and even to this day by the fishermen in several parts of the kingdom. It is in fact the weapon of offence belonging to the fish, capable of giving a very bad wound, and which is attended with dangerous symptoms, when it falls on a tendinous part, or on a person in a bad habit of body. As to any fish having a spine charged with actual poison, we must deny our assent to it, tho' the report is sanctified by the name of
Linnoeus
Syst. Nat.
I. 348. He instances the
Pastinaca,
the
Torpedo,
and the
Tetrodon lineatus.
The first is incapable of conveying a greater injury than what results from the meer wound. The second, from the vehemence of its shock: and the third, by imparting a pungent pain like the sting of nettles, occasioned by the minute spines on its abdoment.
This species does not grow to the bulk of the the others:
Descr.
that which we examined was two feet nine inches from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail; to the origin of the tail one foot three inches; the breadth one foot eight.
The body is quite smooth, of a shape almost round, and is of a much greater thickness, and more elevated form in the middle than any other
Rays,
but grows very thin towards the edges.
The nose is very sharp pointed, but short; the mouth small, and filled with granulated teeth.
The irides are of a gold color: behind each eye the orifice is very large.
The tail is very thick at the beginning:
Tail.
the spine is placed about a third the length of the former from the body, is about five inches long, flat on the top and bottom, very hard, sharp pointed, and the two sides thin, and closely and sharply bearded the whole way. The tail extends four inches beyond the end of this spine, and grows very slender at the extremity.
These fish are observed to shed their spine, and to renew them annually; sometimes the new spine appears before the old one drops off, and the
Cornish
call this species
Cardinal Trilost,
or three tailed, when so circumstanced.
The colour of the upper part of the body is a dirty yellow, the middle part of an obscure blue; the lower side white, the tail and spine dusky.
Genus VI.
Slender body growing less towards the tail. Two fins on the back. Rough skin. Five apertures on the sides of the neck. Mouth, generally placed far beneath the end of the nose. The upper part of the tail longer than the lower.
SHARKS.
* Without the anal fin.
I. The ANGEL FISH.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
v.
c.
5, &c.
Athenoeus, lib.
vii.
p.
319.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 388, 742.
Squatina
Plin. lib.
ix.
c.
12. Rhina, sc. Squatus.
lib.
xxxii.
c.
11.
L'Ange, ou Angelot de mer.
Belon.
69.
Squatina.
Rondel.
367.
Gesner. pisc.
899.
Wil. Icth.
79.
Monk, or Angel Fish.
Raii syn. pisc.
26.
Squalus squatina.
Lin. syst.
398. S. pinna ani nulla, caudae duabus, ore terminali, naribus cirrosis.
Ibid.
Sq. pinna ani carens, ore in apice capitis.
Arted. syn.
95.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
151.
THIS is the fish which connects the genus of rays and sharks, partaking something of the character of both; yet in an exception to each in the situation of the mouth, which is placed at the extremity of the head.
It is a fish not unfrequent on most of our coasts, where it prowls about for prey like others of the kind. It is extremely voracious, and, like the ray, feeds on flounders and flat fish, which keep at the bottom of the water, as we have often found on opening them.
Fierceness.
It is extremely fierce and dangerous to be approached. We knew an instance of a fisherman, whose leg was terribly tore by a large one of this species, which lay within his nets in shallow water, and which he went to lay hold of incautiously.
The aspect of these, as well as the rest of the genus, have much malignity in them: their eyes are oblong, and placed lengthways in their head, funk in it, and overhung by the skin, and seem fuller of malevolence than fire.
Their skin is very rough; the antients made use of it to polish wood and ivory
Qua lignum et ebora poliuntur.
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
12.
, as we do at present that of the greater dog-fish. The flesh is now but little esteemed on account of its coarseness and rankness, yet
Archestratus
(as quoted by
Athenaeus,
p. 319) speaking of the fish of
Miletus,
gives this the first place in respect to its delicacy of the whole cartilaginous tribe.
They grow to a great size;
Descr.
we have seen them of near an hundred weight.
The head is large, the teeth broad at their base, but slender and very sharp above, and disposed in five rows all round the jaws. Like those of all sharks, they are capable of being raised or depressed by means of muscles uniting them to the jaws, not being lodged in sockets as the teeth of cetaceous fish are.
The tongue is large; the eyes small; the pupil of a pale green; the irides white, spotted with brown: behind each eye is a semilunar orifice.
The back is of a pale ash-color, and very rough; along the middle is a prickly tuberculated line: the belly is white and smooth.
The pectoral fins are very large, and extend horizontally from the body to a great distance; they have some resemblance to wings, so writers have given this the name it bears in this work.
The ventral fins are placed in the same manner, and the double penis is placed in them, which forms another character of the males in this and the last genus.
The tail is bifurcated, the upper lobe rather the longest: not very remote from the end on the back are two fins.
II. The PICKED DOG FISH.
.
Arish. Hist. an lib.
vi.
c.
10.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 380.
Athenoei lib.
vii.
p.
L'Esguillats.
Belon.
61.
Gaseus acanthias.
Rondel.
373.
Gesner. pisc.
607.
Sperhaye, Dornhundt.
Schonevelde,
29.
Galeus acanthias sive spinax.
Wil. Icth.
56.
The picked dog, or hound fish.
Raii syn. pisc.
21.
Squalus spinax.
Lin. syst.
397. Sq. pinna ani nulla, dorsalibus spinosis, corpore teretiusculo.
Ibid.
Sq. pinna ani nulla, corpore subrotundo.
Arted. synon.
94.
Hai.
Faun. suec. No.
295.
Gronov. Zooph.
149.
THE picked dog fish takes its name from a strong and sharp spine placed just before each of the back fins,
Name.
distinguishing it at once from the rest of the
British
sharks.
The nose is long,
Descr.
and extends greatly beyond the mouth, but is blunt at the end.
The teeth are disposed in two rows, are small and sharp, and bend from the middle of each jaw towards the corners of the mouth.
The first back fin is placed nearer the head than the tail; the other is situated very near the latter.
The tail is finned for a considerable space beneath, and the upper part is much the longest.
The back is of a brownish ash-color; the belly white.
It grows to the weight of about twenty pounds.
III. The BASKING SHARK.
Sun-fish.
Smith
's
Hist. Cork,
ii. 292.
Hist. Waterford,
271.
THIS species has been long known to the inhabitants of the south and west of
Ireland,
and those of
Caernarvonshire
and
Anglesea;
but having never been considered in any other than a commercial view, has till this time remained undescribed, at lest by any
English
writer
Linnaeus, p.
400. mentions a species, which in size, and in some other respects, resembles this; but his differs in having a small anal fin. It is his
Squalus maximus. S. dentibus caninis, pinna dorsali anteriore majore.
He says it inhabites the
arctic
seas, and feeds on
medusae
(sea jellies) that it rivals the whale in size, has no orifice near the eyes, and has a small anal fin.
; and what is worse, mistaken for and confounded with the
luna
of
Rondeletius,
the same that our
English
writers call the
sunfish.
The
Irish
and
Welch
give it the same name, from its lying as if to sun itself on the surface of the water; and for the same reason we have taken the liberty of calling it the basking shark. It was long taken for a species of whale, till we pointed out the branchial orifices on the sides, and the perpendicular site of the tail.
These are migratory fish, or at lest it is but in a certain number of years that they are seen in multitudes on the
Welch
seas, tho' in most summers a single and perhaps strayed fish appears.
They visited the bays of
Caernarvonshire
and
Anglesea
in vast shoals, in the summers of 1756
Some old people say they recollect the same sort of fish visiting these seas in vast numbers about forty years ago.
, and a few succeeding years, continuing there only the hot months, for they quitted the coast about
Michaelmas,
as if cold weather was disagreeable to them.
They had nothing of the fierce and voracious nature of the shark kind, and were so tame as to suffer themselves to be stroked: they generally lay motionless on the surface, commonly on their bellies, but sometimes, like tired swimmers, on their backs.
Their food seemed to consist entirely of sea plants,
Food.
no remains of fish being ever discovered in the stomachs of numbers that were cut up, except some green stuff, the half digested parts of algae, and the like.
At certain times they were seen sporting on the waves, and leaping with vast agility several feet out of the water.
Their length was from three to eleven yards, but the last was a rare size.
Their form was rather slender, like others of the shark kind.
The upper jaw was much longer than the lower,
Teeth.
and blunt at the end. The mouth placed beneath, and each jaw furnished with numbers of small teeth: those before were much bent, those more remote in the jaws, were conic and sharp pointed.
On the sides of the neck were five large transverse apertures to the gills.
On the back were two fins; the first very large, not directly in the middle of the back, but rather nearer the head; the other small, and situated near the tail. On the lower part were four others, viz. two pectoral fins, and two ventral fins; the last placed just beneath the hind fin of the back. Near these the male had two genitals, and between these fins was situated the pudendum of the female.
The tail was very large, and the upper part remarkably longer than the lower.
The color of the upper part of the body was a deep leaden; the belly white.
The skin was rough, like shagreen, but less so on the belly than the back.
Within side the mouth, towards the throat, was a very short sort of whalebone.
The liver was of a great size,
Liver.
but that of the female was the largest; some weighed above a thousand pounds,
Oil.
and yielded a great quantity of pure and sweet oil, fit for lamps, and also much used by the people who took them, to cure bruises, burns, and rheumatic complaints. A large fish has afforded to the captors a profit of twenty pounds. They were viviparous, a young one about a foot in length being found in the belly of a fish of this kind.
They were taken with harpoons with long lines fixed to them in much the same manner as whales are, and when struck go off with vast rapidity, and dart instantly to the bottom, taking with them forty or fifty fathom of line, and are a long time before they are quite subdued.
The fishers observed on them a sort of leech of a reddish color, and about two feet long, but which fell off when the fish was brought to the surface of the water, and left a white mark on the skin.
The same persons assert, that there were two species of this fish; a lesser sort, about two yards in length, which had in the mouth only three rows of teeth, and those larger than in the kind we have described, being an inch and an half long.
This account we digested from materials furnished by the Rev. Mr.
Farrington,
and the Rev. Mr.
Williams,
Rector of
Lanvair yn Hornwy,
in
Anglesea;
for it has not been our fortune to see more of this fish than fragments of the skin, jaws, and what is styled whalebone: they have now in a manner quitted the coasts, scarce one in a summer appearing in those seas.
** With the anal fin.
IV. The WHITE SHARK.
?
Arist. Hist. an lib.
v.
c.
5. ix.
c.
37.
.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 370. v. 36.
.
Athen. lib.
vii.
p.
310.
Lamia?
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
24.
Le chien carcharien ou Perlz fisch de Norvege.
Belon.
52. 87.
Lamia. Tiburo.
Rondel.
489. 390.
Canis Carcharias.
Gesner pisc.
173.
White Shark.
Wil. Icth.
47.
Raii syn. pisc.
18.
Squalus carcharias. Sq. dorso plano dentibus serratis.
Lin. syst.
400.
Arted. synon.
89.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
143.
THIS grows to a very great bulk,
Size.
Gillius
says, to the weight of four thousand pounds; and that in the belly of one was found a human corps entire, which is far from incredible, considering their vast greediness after human flesh.
They are the dread of the sailors in all hot climates, where they constantly attend the ships in expectation of what may drop overboard; a man that has that misfortune perishes without redemption: they have been seen to dart at him, like gudgeons to a worm. A master of a
Guinea
ship informed me, that a rage of suicide prevailed among his new bought slaves, from a notion the unhappy creatures had, that after death they should be restored again to their families, friends, and country. To convince them at lest that they should not re-animate their bodies, he ordered one of their corpses to be tied by the heels to a rope, and lowered into the sea, and tho' it was drawn up again as fast as the united force of the crew could be exerted, yet in that short space the sharks had devoured every part but the feet, which were secured at the end of the cord.
Swimmers very often perish by them; sometimes they lose an arm or leg, and sometimes are bit quite assunder, serving but for two morsels for this ravenous animal: a melancholy tale of this kind is related in a
West India
ballad, preserved in Mr.
Percy
's reliques of ancient
English
poetry
Vol.
I. 331.
The mouth of this fish is furnished with (sometimes) a sixfold row of teeth,
Teeth.
flat, triangular, exceedingly sharp at their edges, and finely serrated. We have one that is rather more than an inch and an half long.
Grew
Rarities.
91.
says, that those in the jaws of a shark two yards in length, are not half an inch, so that the fish to which mine belonged must have been six yards long, provided the teeth and body keep pace in their growth
Fossil teeth of this fish are very frequent in
Malta,
some of which are four inches long.
This dreadful apparatus, when the fish is in a state of repose, lie quite flat in the mouth, but when he seizes his prey, he has power of erecting them, by the help of a set of muscles that join them to the jaw.
The mouth is placed far beneath, for which reason these, as well as the rest of the kind, are said to be obliged to turn on their backs to seize their prey, which is an observation as antient as the days of
Pliny
Omnia qutem carnivora sunt talia et supina vescantur. lib.
ix.
c.
24.
The eyes are large; the back broad, flat, and shorter than that of other sharks. The tail is of a semilunar form, but the upper part is longer than the lower. It has vast strength in the tail, and can strike with great force, so that the sailors instantly cut it off with an axe as soon as they draw one on board.
The pectoral fins are very large, which enables it to swim with great swiftness.
The color of the whole body and fins is a light ash.
The antients were acquainted with this fish; and
Oppian
gives a long and entertaining account of its capture. Their flesh is sometimes eaten, but is esteemed both coarse and rank.
V. The BLUE SHARK.
.
Aelian. an. lib.
I.
c.
16.
Galeus glaucus.
Rondel.
378.
Gesner pisc.
609.
Blew shark.
Wil. Icth.
49.
Raii syn. pisc.
20.
Squalus fossula triangulari in extremo dorso, foraminibus nullis ad oculos,
Arted. syn.
98.
Squalus glaucus.
Lin. syst.
401.
AELIAN
relates strange things of the affection this species bears to its young: among others, he says, that it will permit the small brood, when in danger, to swim down its mouth, and take shelter in its belly. This fact has been since confirmed by the observation of one of our best icthyologists
Rondeletius,
388.
, and is no more incredible, than that the young of the
Opossum
should seek an asylum in the ventral pouch of its parent, a fact too well known to be contested. But this degree of care is not peculiar to the blue shark, but we believe common to the whole genus.
This species frequents many of our coasts, but particularly those of
Cornwall
during the pilchard season, and is at that time taken with great iron hooks made on purpose.
It is of an oblong form:
Descr.
the nose extends far beyond the mouth: it wants the orifices behind the eyes, which are usual in this genus: the nostrils are long, and placed transversely.
Artedi
remarks a triangular dent in the lower part of the back.
The skin is smoother than that of other sharks; the back is of a fine blue color; the belly of a silvery white.
Linnoeus
says, that its teeth are granulated; for our part we must confess it is a fish that has not come under our examination, therefore hope to be favored with an accurate description from some Natulist, who lives on the coast it haunts.
We may add, that
Rondeletius
says he was an eyewitness to its fondness for human flesh; that these fish are less destructive in our seas, is owing to the coolness of the climate, which is well known to abate the fierceness of some, as well as the venom of other animals.
VI. The SEA FOX.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
ix.
c.
37.
Aelian Var. Hist. lib.
I.
c.
5.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 381. iii. 144.
Vulpes
Plinii. lib.
ix.
c.
43.
Singe de mer.
Belon.
88.
Vulpes marina.
Rondel.
337.
Gesner pisc.
1045.
Cercus
Caii opusc.
110.
Sea Fox, or Ape.
Wil. Icth.
54.
Raii syn. pisc.
20.
Squalus cauda longiore quam ipsum corpus.
Arted. syn.
96.
Sea Fox. Thresher.
Borlase Cornwall.
265.
THIS fish is most remarkable for the great length of the tail:
Tail.
the whole measure of that we had an opportunity of examining, was thirteen feet, of which the tail alone was more than six, the upper part extending greatly beyond the lower, almost in a strait line.
The body was round and short: the nose short but sharp pointed: the eyes large, and placed immediately over the corners of the mouth, which was small, and placed not very distant from the end of the nose.
The teeth are small for the size of the fish, and placed in three rows.
The back was ash-color; the belly white.
The antients styled this fish
and
Vulpes,
from its supposed cunning. They believed, that when it had the misfortune to have taken a bait, it swallowed the hook till it got at the cord, which it bit off, and so escaped.
IV. SEA FOX.
VII. The TOPE.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
vi.
c.
11.
Canicula?
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
46.
Le chien de mer, ou Canicule.
Belon.
65.
Canis galeus.
Rondel.
377.
Gesner pisc.
167.
The Tope.
Wil Icth.
51.
Raii syn. pisc.
20.
Squalus naribus ori vicinis; foraminibus exiguis ad oculos.
Arted. synon.
97.
Squalus galeus.
Lin. syst.
399.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
142.
ONE that was taken on our coast the last year weighed twenty-seven pounds,
Size.
and its length was five feet; but they grow to a greater size, some, according to
Artedius,
weighing an hundred pounds.
The color of the upper part of the body and fins was a light cinereous; the belly white.
The nose was very long, flat, and sharp pointed; beyond the nostrils semitransparent. The nostrils were placed very near the mouth.
Behind each eye was a small orifice. The teeth were numerous, disposed in three rows, small, very sharp, triangular, and serrated on their inner edge.
The first back fin was placed about eighteen inches from the head; the other very near the tail.
The tail finned beneath, the upper part ended in a sharp angle.
This species is said by
Rondeletius
to be very fierce and voracious, even to pursue its prey to the edge of the shore.
Its skin and flesh has an offensive rank smell; therefore we suppose Mr.
Dale
gave it ironically the title of
Sweet William
Hist. Harwich,
420.
VIII. The GREATER DOG FISH.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
v.
c.
10. vi.
c.
10, 11.
?
Oppian Halieut.
I. 381.
La Roussete commune.
Belon.
65.
Canicula
Aristotelis. Rondel.
380.
Gesner pisc.
168.
Catulus major vulgaris.
Wil. Icth.
62.
Greater Cat fish: the Bounce.
Raii syn. pisc.
22.
Squalus ex rufo varius, pinna ani medio inter anum et caudem pinnatum.
Arted syn.
97.
Squalus canicula.
Lin. syst.
399.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
145.
Greater Cat fish.
Edw.
289.
THIS species being remarkably spotted, may be the same known to antients by the names expressed in the synonyms; but they so frequently leave such slight notices of the animals they mention, that we are often obliged to add a doubtful mark (?) to numbers of them.
The weight of one we took was six pounds three ounces,
Descr.
and yet it measured three feet eight inches in length; so light are the cartilaginous fish in respect to their size.
The nose was short, and very blunt, not extending above an inch and an half beyond the mouth. The nostrils were large, placed near the mouth, and covered with a large angular flap: the head very flat.
The eyes were oblong, behind each a large orifice opening to the inside of the mouth.
The teeth small, sharp, smooth at their sides, strait, and disposed in four rows.
Both the back fins were placed much behind, and nearer the tail than in common.
The tail was finned, and below extended into a sharp angle.
The color of the whole upper part of the body, and the fins, was brown, marked with numbers of large distinct black spots: some parts of the skin were tinged with red; the belly was white.
The whole was most remarkably round, and had a strong smell.
We think it is this species which furnishes what anglers call
Indian grass,
being the tendrils that issue from each end of the purse of this fish, which are much more delicate and slender than those of any other.
The female of this species, and we believe of other sharks, is greatly superior in size to the male; so that in this respect there is an agreement between the fish and the birds of prey
Vide
British Zoology, vol.
I. 130.
. They bring about nineteen young at a time: the fishermen believe that they breed at all times of the year, as they scarce ever take any but what are with young.
To this kind may be added, as a meer variety, the
Catulus maximus.
Wil. Icth.
63.
Raii syn. pisc.
22.
Squalus cinereus, pinnis ventralibus discretis.
Arted. syn.
97.
Squalus stellaris.
Lin. syst.
399.
No.
145.
Gronov. Zooph.
The chief difference seeming to be in the color and the size of the spots; the former being grey, the latter fewer but larger than in the other.
IX. The LESSER DOG FISH.
Le muscarol?
Belon.
64.
Catulus minor.
Wil. Icth.
64.
Lesser Rough Hound, or Morgay.
Raii syn. pisc.
22.
Squalus dorso vario, pinnis ventralibus concretis.
Arted. synon.
97.
Squalus catulus.
Lin. syst.
400.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
144.
THE weight of one that was brought to us by a fisherman was only one pound twelve ounces; the length two feet two inches: it is of a slender make in all parts.
The head was flat: the nostrils covered with a long flap: the nose blunt, and marked beneath with numerous small punctures: behind each eye was a small orifice: the back fins like those of the former, placed far behind.
The ventral fins are united, forming as if it were but one, which is a sure mark of this species.
The tail finned like that of the greater dog fish.
The color is cinereous, streaked in some parts with red, and generally marked with numbers of small black spots; but we have observed in some that they are very faint and obscure.
The belly is white.
This species breeds from nine to thirteen young at a time, are very numerous on some of our coasts, and very injurious to the fisheries.
X. The SMOOTH HOUND.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
vi.
c.
10.
Oppian. lib.
I. 380.
Galeus laevis.
Rondel.
375.
Gesner pisc.
608.
Mustelus laevis primus.
Wil. Icth.
60.
Smooth or unprickly hound.
Raii syn. pisc.
22.
Squalus dentibus obtusis seu granulosis.
Arted. syn.
93.
Squalus mustelus.
Lin. syst.
400.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
142.
THIS species is called smooth, not that the skin is really so, but because it wants the spines on the back, which are the character of the second species, the Picked Dog.
The nose extends far beyond the mouth, and the end blunt: the holes behind the eyes are small; the back is less flat than that of others of this genus.
The first back fin is placed midway above the pectoral and ventral fins: the pectoral fins are small.
The tail forked, but the upper part is much the longest.
The teeth resemble those of a Ray, rough and sharp.
The color of the back and sides ash, and free from spots; the belly silvery.
XI. The PORBEAGLE.
The Porbeagle.
Borlase Cornwall,
265.
tab.
26.
THE figure of this fish, engraved after a drawing by the Rev. Mr.
Jago
This gentleman was minister of
Loo,
in
Cornwall,
and appears to have been well acquainted with the History of Fish. He communicated figures of several of the
Cornish
fish, with a brief account of each to
Petiver,
at whose instance, as Doctor
Derham
tells us, in the preface to Mr.
Ray
's Itineraries, p. 69, he added them to the Synopsis
Avium et piscium,
p. 162. A few others of his drawings are also preserved in the Natural History of
Cornwall,
and seem to be executed with skill and accuracy.
, is preserved in Doctor
Borlase
's Natural History of
Cornwall.
As it is not attended with any account farther than that it is a
Cornish
fish, and a small species of shark, we are obliged to form the best description we can from the print.
The nose appears to be very long, slender towards the end, and sharp pointed. The mouth placed far beneath; the body very thick and deep, but extremely slender, just at the setting on of the tail.
The first back fin is placed almost in the middle, the other pretty near the tail.
The belly very deep: the ventral and anal fins small.
The tail bifurcated; the upper fork a little longer than the lower.
Genus VII.
One aperture behind each ventral fin. Large, flat, and circular head and body. Teeth numerous and small in the jaws, roof of the mouth, and on the tongue. Pectoral fins broad and thick.
FISHING FROG.
I. The COMMON FISHING FROG.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
iv.
c.
37.
Oppian Halieut.
ii. 86.
Rana piscatrix.
Ovid. Halieut.
126.
Plimii lib.
ix.
c.
24.
La Grenoille de mer, ou pescheuse. Le Diable de mer, Bauldroy & Pescheteau.
Belon.
77.
Rana piscatrix.
Rondel.
363.
Gesner pisc.
813.
Seheganss, seheteuffel, sehetode.
Schonevelde,
59.
Toad-fish, Frog-fish, or Sea-Devil.
Wil. Icth.
85.
Raii syn. pisc.
29.
Lophius ore cirroso.
Arted. syn.
87.
Lophius piscatorius.
Lyn. syst.
402.
L. p. depressus capite rotundato.
Faun. suec. No.
298.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
207.
THIS singular fish was known to the antients by the name of
,
Name.
and
Rana,
and to us by that of the fishing frog, for it is of a figure resembling that animal in a tadpole state.
Pliny
takes notice of the artifice used by it to take its prey:
Eminentia sub oculis cornicula turbato limo exerit, assultantes pisciculos attrahens, donec tam prope accedant, ut assiliat.
It puts forth the slender horns it has beneath its eyes, enticing by that means the little fish to play round, till they come within reach, when it springs on them
Cicero,
in his second of
De Natura Deorum,
gives much the same account of this fish:
Ranae autem marinae dicuntur obruere sese arena solere, et moveri propè aquam, ad quas, quasi ad escam, pisces cum accesserint, confici a ranis, atque consumi.
.
The fishing frog grows to a large size,
Descr.
some being between four and five feet in length; and we have heard of one taken near
Scarborough,
whose mouth was a yard wide. The fishermen on that coast have a great regard for this fish, from a supposition that it is a great enemy to the dog fish
The bodies of these fierce and voracious fish are often found in the stomach of the
Fishing Frog.
, and whenever they take it with their lines, always set it at liberty.
It is a fish of very great deformity: the head is much bigger than the whole body, is round at the circumference, and flat above: the mouth of a prodigious wideness.
The under jaw is much longer than the upper: the jaws are full of slender sharp teeth: in the roof of the mouth are two or three rows of the same: at the root of the tongue, opposite each other, are two bones of an elliptical form, thick set, with very strong sharp teeth.
The nostrils do not appear externally, but in the upper part of the mouth are two large orifices that serve instead of them.
On each side the upper jaw are two sharp spines, and others are scattered about the upper part of the head.
FISHING FROG.
Along the edges of the head and body are a multitude of short fringed skins, placed at equal distances.
The ventral fins are broad, thick, and fleshy, are jointed like arms, and within side divided into fingers.
The aperture to the gills is placed behind, each of these is very wide, so that some writers have imagined it to be a receptacle for the young in time of danger.
The back fin is placed very low near the beginning of the tail: the anal fin is placed beneath, almost opposite the former.
The body grows slender near the tail, the end of which is quite even.
The color of the upper part of this fish is dusky, the lower part white; the skin smooth.
II. The LONG FISHING FROG.
Fishing Frog of Mount's-Bay.
Borlase Cornwall,
266.
tab.
27.
fig.
6.
Phil. Trans. vol.
liii. 170.
THIS is a species at present unknown to us, except by description.
It is, says Doctor
Borlase,
of a longer form than the common kind: the head more bony, rough, and aculeated. It had no fin like appendages round the head, but on each side the thinner part of the body, beginning beneath the dorsal fin, and reaching within two inches of the tail, was a series of them, each three quarters of an inch in length.
At the end of the pectoral fins were spines an inch and three quarters in length; at the end of the tail others three quarters of an inch long.
Genus VIII.
One narrow aperture on each side. The mouth placed far below, tubular and without teeth. The body long, and often angular.
STURGEON.
I. The STURGEON.
.
Athen. lib.
viii. 315.
?
Athen. p.
294.
Acipenser?
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
17.
Ovidii Halieut?
L'Esturgeon,
Belon.
89.
Acipenser.
Rondel.
410.
Gesner pisc.
2.
Sturio.
Gesner pisc.
Stoer.
Schonevelde.
9.
Sturgeon.
Wil. Icth.
239.
Raii syn. pisc.
112.
Schirk.
Kram.
383.
Acipenser corpore tuberculis spinosis exasperato.
Arted. syn.
91.
Acipenser sturio.
Lin. syst.
403.
Mus. Ad. Fred.
54.
tab.
18.
fig.
2.
Stor.
Faun. suec. No.
299.
Seb. Mus.
iii. 101.
tab.
29.
No.
19.
THAT this is the
of
Dorion,
as quoted by
Athenaeus,
is very probable, as well from the account he gives of its form, as of its nature. He says its mouth is always open, with which it agrees with the sturgeon, and that it conceals itself in the hot months: this shews it to be a fish of a cold nature, which is confirmed by the history of the
European
fish of this species, given by Mr.
Forster
Phil. Trans.
lvii. 352.
, in his Essay on the
Volga,
who relates that they are scarce ever found in that river in spring or summer, but in vast quantities in autumn and winter, when they crowd from the sea under the ice, and are then taken in great numbers.
Whether the
acipenser
is the sturgeon of the moderns, may be doubted, otherwise
Ovid
would never have spoke of it as a foreign fish:
Tuque peregrinis, Acipenser, nobilis undis.
And, thou, a fish in foreign seas renowned.
It being well known that it is not uncommon in the
Mediterranean,
and even in the mouth of the
Tiber,
at certain seasons; but this passage leaves us as much in the dark as to the particular species intended, by the word
acipenser,
as the description
Pliny
has given us; for that philosopher relates, that its scales are placed in a contrary direction to those of other fish, being turned towards the mouth, which disagrees with the character of all that are known at present. Whatever fish it might be, it was certainly the same with the
Elops,
or
Helops,
as appears both from
Pliny,
and another line of the poet before-mentioned:
Et pretiosus Helops nostris incognitus undis.
The pretious
Helops
stranger to our seas.
The sturgeon annually ascends our rivers,
Migratory.
but in no great numbers, and is taken by accident in the salmon nets. It seems a spiritless fish, making no manner of resistance when entangled, but is drawn out of the water like a lifeless lump. It is a fish that is seldom taken far out at sea, but frequents such parts as are not remote from the aestuaries of great rivers. It is admired for the delicacy and firmness of its flesh, which is white as veal, and extremely good when roasted. It is generally pickled. The most we receive comes either from the
Baltic
rivers, or
North America:
those cured at
Pillau
have been, till of late, in the greatest repute; but thro' the encouragement given by the society instituted for promoting trade and manufactures, the sturgeon from our colonies begins to rival those of the
Baltic.
Great numbers are taken during summer in the lakes
Frische-haff,
and
Curisch-haff
near
Pillau,
in large nets made of small cord. The adjacent shores are formed into districts, and farmed out to companies of fishermen, some of which are rented for six thousand guilders, or near three hundred pounds
per annum.
They are found in vast abundance in the
American
rivers in
May, June,
and
July,
at which time they leap some yards out of the water, and falling on their sides, make a noise to be heard in still weather at some miles distance
Catesby Carol. App.
33.
Caviare
is made of the roes of this,
Caviare.
and also of all the other sorts of sturgeons, dried, salted, and packed up close. The best is said to be made of those of the
Sterlet
Strahlenberg's Hist. Russia,
337
, a small species frequent in the
Yaik
and
Volga.
Phil. Trans.
lvii. 354. a very small quantity is made from this species, and that only designed as presents to great men, as Mr.
Forster
assured me.
Icthyocolla,
or ising-glass, is also made of the
sound
of our fish, as well as that of the others, but the
Beluga
affords the best
The antients were acquainted with the fish that afforded this drug.
Pliny lib
xxxii.
c.
7. mentions it under the name of
Icthyocolla,
and says, that the glue that was produced from it had the same title; and afterwards adds, that it was made out of the belly of the fish. The
Mario,
said by
Pliny lib.
ix.
c.
15. to be found in the
Danube
and the
Borysthenes,
was certainly of this genus, a cartilaginous fish
(nullis ossibus spinisve intersitis)
resembling a small porpesse
(Porculo marino simillimus;)
and very probably may be the same with the
Beluga,
which, according to Mr.
Forster, Phil. Trans.
lvii. 354. has a short blunt nose, agreeing in that respect with the porpesse.
The sturgeon grows to a great size,
Descr.
to the length of eighteen feet, and to the weight of five hundred pounds, but it is seldom taken in our rivers of that bulk. The largest we have known caught in those of
Great Britain
weighed four hundred and sixty pounds, which was taken about two years ago in the
Esk,
where they are more frequently found than in our southern waters.
The nose is very long, slender, and ends in a point. The eyes are extremely small; the nostrils placed near them: on the lower part of the nose are four cirri or beards: the mouth is situated far beneath, is small, and unsupported by any jaw bones; neither has it any teeth.
The body is long, pentagonal, and covered with five rows of large bony tubercles: one row of which is placed on the back, and two on each side. The whole under side of the fish, from the end of the nose to the vent, is flat; on the back, not remote from the tail, is a single fin. It has besides two pectoral fins, two ventral and one anal fin. The tail is bifurcated, but the upper part much longer than the lower.
The upper part of the body is of a dirty olive color: the lower part silvery; the middle of the tubercles white.
In the manner of breeding it is an exception among the cartilaginous fish, being like the bony fish oviparous, spawning in winter.
Genus IX.
A very deep body, and as if cut off in the middle. Mouth small. Two teeth only in each jaw.
SUN-FISH.
I. The OBLONG SUN-FISH.
Sun-Fish from Mount's-Bay.
Borlase Cornwall,
268.
tab.
26.
fig.
7.
Ostracion laevis.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
185.
RONDELETIUS
has given this genus the synonym of
Orthragoriscus,
as if it was that which
Pliny
Lib.
xxxii.
c.
2.
intended by the same name; but the account left us by that Naturalist is so brief, that we do not think ourselves authorized to place it as a synonymous creature. He says no more than that it was the greatest of fish, and that it grunted when it was first taken, from which probably rose the name, for according to
Athenaeus,
Lib.
iv.
p.
140.
, was that given to a young pig. We are inclined to believe, that this fish had escaped the notice of
Pliny,
otherwise he must have unavoidably made some remark on its striking figure.
They grow to a very large size:
Size.
one that was taken near
Plymouth
in 1734, weighing five hundred pounds.
In form it resembles a bream,
Descr.
or some deep fish cut off in the middle. The mouth is very small, and contains in each jaw two broad teeth, with sharp edges.
The eyes are little; before each is a small semilunar aperture; the pectoral fins very small, and placed behind them. The dorsal fin, and the anal fin are high, and placed at the extremity of the body: the tail fin is narrow, and fills all the abrupt space between those two fins.
The color of the back is dusky, and dappled; the belly silvery: between the eyes and the pectoral fins are certain streaks pointing downwards. The skin is free from scales.
When boiled, it has been observed to turn into a glutinous jelly, resembling boiled starch when cold, and served the purposes of glue, on being tried on paper and leather.
There seems to be no satisfactory reason for the
English
name, yet to prevent confusion from the multiplication of titles, we chuse to retain that it has been so long known by; but care must be taken not to confound it with the sun-fish of the
Irish,
which differs in all respects from this
Vide p.
78.
II. The SHORT SUN-FISH.
Orthragoriscus sive Luna piscis.
Rondel.
424.
Mola
Salviani,
the Sun-fish.
Wil. Icth.
151.
Raii syn. pisc.
51.
Ostracion cathetoplateus subrotundus inermis asper, pinnis pectoralibus horizontalibus, foraminibus quatuor in capite.
Arted. synon.
83.
Tetraodon mola. T. laevis, compressus, cauda truncata, pinna brevissima dorsali analique annexa.
Lin. syst.
412.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
186.
Sun-fish, from Loo.
Borlase Cornwall.
267.
tab.
26.
fig.
6.
THIS differs from the former in being much shorter and deeper. The back and the anal fins are higher, and the aperture to the gills not semilunar, but oval. The situation of the fins are the same in both.
This species was taken off
Penzance,
and is engraved in Doctor
Borlase
's Natural History of
Cornwall,
from one of Mr.
Jago
's drawings. Both kinds are taken on the western coasts of this kingdom, but in much greater numbers in the warmer parts of
Europe.
Genus X.
Thick body, arched back. Ventral fins united. Four branchiostegous rays.
LUMP FISH.
Lumpus anglorum.
Gesner Paralip.
25.
Seehaess, Haffpodde.
Schonevelde.
41.
Lump, or Sea-Owl,
Scotis
Cock paddle.
Wil. Icth.
208.
Raii syn. pisc.
77.
Cyclopterus.
Arted. synon.
87.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
197.
Cyclopterus Lumpus. C. corpore squamis osseis angulato.
Lin. syst.
414.
Sjurygg-fisk, Stenbit, Quabbsu.
Faun. suec. No.
320.
I. The LUMP FISH.
THIS singular fish encreases to the weight of four pounds, and the length of sixteen inches: the shape of the body is like that of the bream, deep but very thick, and it swims edgeways. The back is sharp and elevated, the belly flat.
The irides are of a cherry color; lips, mouth,
Descr.
and tongue, of a deeper red: the jaws lined with innumerable small teeth; the tongue very thick; along the ridge of the back is a row of large bony tubercles; from above the eye to within a small space of the tail is another row; beneath that a third, commencing at the gills; and on each side the belly a fourth row, consisting of five tubercles like the other: the whole skin is rough, with small tubercles.
On the lower part of the back is a thick knob, improperly called a fin, being destitute of spines; beneath that is the dorsal fin, of a brownish hue, reaching within an inch of the tail: on the belly, just opposite, is another of the same form. The belly is of a bright crimson color: the pectoral fins are large and broad, almost uniting at their base. Beneath these is the part by which it adheres to the rocks, &c. It consists of an oval aperture, surrounded with a fleshy muscular and obtuse soft substance, edged with small threaded appendages, which concur as so many claspers: tail and vent fins purple.
By means of this part it adheres with vast force to any thing it pleases. As a proof of its tenacity we have known, that on flinging a fish of this species just caught, into a pail of water, it fixed itself so firmly to the bottom, that on taking the fish by the tail, the whole pail by that means was lifted, tho' it held some gallons, and that without removing the fish from its hold.
Great numbers of these fish are found in the
Greenland
seas during the months of
April
and
May,
when they resort near the shore to spawn. Their roc is remarkably large, which the
Greenlanders
boil to a pulp, and eat. They are extremely fat, which recommends them the more to the natives, who admire all oily food: they call them
Nipisets,
or
Catfish,
and take quantities of them during the season
Crantz's Hist. Greenland,
I. 96.
This fish is sometimes eaten in
England,
being stewed like carp, but is both flabby and insipid.
II. The SEA SNAIL.
Liparis?
Rondel.
272.
Gesner pisc.
483.
Liparis nostras
Dunelm et Eborac.
Sea Snail.
Wil. Icth. App.
17.
Raii syn. pisc.
74.
Pet. Gaz. tab.
51.
fig.
5.
Liparis.
Arted. synon.
117.
Cyclopterus Liparis. C. corpore nudo, pinnis dorsali anali caudalique units.
Lin. syst.
414.
Cyclogaster.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
198.
THE sea snail takes its name from the soft and unctuous texture of its body, resembling that of the land snail. It is almost transparent, and soon dissolves and melts away.
It is found in the sea near the mouths of great rivers.
The length is five inches:
Descr.
the color when fresh taken a pale brown: the shape of the body round, but near the tail compressed sideways: the belly is white, and very protuberant.
The head is large, thick, and round. There are no teeth in the mouth, but the jaws are very rough: the tongue very large.
The orifice to the gills is very small.
The pectoral fins are very broad, thin, and transparent, and almost unite under the throat. The first ray next the throat is very long, extends far beyond the rest, and is as fine as a hair. Over the base of each is a sort of operculum, or lid, ending in a point: this is capable of being raised or depressed at pleasure.
Behind the head begins the dorsal fin, which extends quite to the end of the tail: the ventral fin begins at the anus, and unites with the other at the tail.
Beneath the throat is a round depression of a whitish color, like the impression of a seal, surrounded by twelve small pale yellow tubera, by which it is probable it adheres to the stones like the other species.
Genus XI.
Nose long and tubular. No orifice to the gills: The breathing aperture on the hind part of the head. No ventral fins. The body covered with a strong crust.
PIPE FISH.
I. The LONGER PIPE FISH.
Acus
Aristotelis
caudâ serpentinâ.
Sib. Scot.
24.
tab.
19.
Typhle altera.
Gesner pisc.
1025.
Syngnathus corpore quadrangulo, pinnâ caudae carens?
Arted. Spec.
3.
Syngnathus barbanus. S. pinnis caudae anique nullis, corpore sexangulato?
Lin. syst.
417.
THIS species, described by Sir
Robert Sibbald,
was two feet in length; that we examined only sixteen inches.
The nose was an inch long, compressed sideways, and the end of the lower mandible turned up: the aperture of the mouth was very small.
VI. PIPE FISH.
The irides were red; behind each eye was a deep brown line.
The body, in the thickest part, was about equal to a swan's quil, and angular; but the angles not being very sharp, they were not easily seen till the fish was dried: the belly was slightly carinated, and marked along the middle with a dusky line.
The general color of the fish was an olive brown: the sides marked with numbers of bluish lines pointing from the back to the belly, which, in dried fish, seemed like the signs of so many joints. Those in a fresh subject ceased beyond the vent; all beyond that was spotted with brown.
The dorsal fin was narrow and thin, consisting of thirty-eight rays, was two inches long, and placed rather nearer to the head than the tail.
The vent was seven inches from the tip of the nose, the body to that orifice was of an equal thickness, but from thence tapered to a very small point, having no mark of a fin.
The pectoral fins were also wanting; in short, all except the back fin.
When this fish and the next species are dried, they appear covered with numbers of angular crusts, finely radiated from their centre.
They are viviparous; for on crushing one that was just taken, hundreds of very minute ones were observed to crawl about.
As we want a generical name in our language for this genus, we call it the
Pipe Fish,
from its slender body.
II. The SHORTER PIPE FISH.
L'Orueul marin.
Belon.
446.
Acus secunda species, sive, acus
Aristotelis. Rondel.
229.
Typhle.
Gesner pisc.
1025.
Trummeter, Meherschlange.
Schonevelde,
11.
Acus
Aristotelis
seu secunda.
Wil. Icth.
158.
Raii syn. pisc.
47.
Syngnathus corpore medio heptagono, caudâ pinnatâ.
Arted. synon.
2.
Syngnathus acus. S. pinnis caudae ani pectoralibusque radiatis, corpore septem-angulato.
Lin. syst.
416.
Kantnahl.
Faun. suec. No.
376.
Syngnathus cauda pinnata.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
172.
Sea-adder.
Borlase Cornw.
267.
THIS is shorter and thicker than the former, not exceeding twelve inches in length. The middle of the body in some is hexangular, in others heptangular.
Linnaeus
constitutes two species of them, his
Syngnathus Typhle,
and his
Syngnathus Acus;
but we join with Doctor
Gronovius,
in thinking them only varieties of the same fish.
The mouth is formed like that of the former: the irides are yellow: close behind the head are the pectoral fins, which are small and short.
On the lower part of the back is one narrow fin; beyond the vent the tail commences, which is long and quadrangular.
At the extremity is a fin round and radiated.
The body is covered with a strong crust, elegantly divided into small compartments.
The belly is white; the other parts brown.
Besides these species of hard-skinned Pipe fish, we have been informed, that the
Syngnathus Hippocampus
of
Linnaeus,
or what the
English
improperly call the sea horse, has been found on the southern shores of this kingdom.
III. The LITTLE PIPE FISH.
Acui
Aristotelis
congener pisciculus, pueris cornubiensibus
Sea Adder,
Acus Lumbriciformis, aut Serpentinus.
Wil. Icth.
160.
Raii syn. pisc.
Syngnathus teres, pinnis pectoralibus caudaque carens.
Arted. synon.
2.
Syngnathus ophidion.
Lin. syst.
417.
Hafsnahl, Tangsnipa.
Faun. suec. No.
375,
THE little pipe fish seldom exceeds five inches in length, is very slender, and tapers off to a point. It wants both the pectoral and tail fins; is covered with a smooth skin, not with a crust as the two former kinds are.
The nose is short and turns a little up; the eyes prominent.
On the back is one narrow fin.
This species is not viviparous: on the belly of the female is a long hollow, to which adhere the eggs, disposed in two or three rows, are large, and not numerous.
Doctor
Gronovius
makes this synonymous with the fish described by Sir
Robert Sibbald,
possibly from not having an opportunity of comparing them. To shew their differences the more strongly, we have caused both species to be engraved in the same plate, and also the two varieties of our second species.
The synonym of
Serpent
is used in several languages to express these fish: the
French
call one species
Orueul,
from a sort of snake not unlike the blindworm: the
Germans
call it
Meherschlange;
and the
Cornish,
the sea adder.
Div. III. BONY FISH.
Sect. I. APODAL.
Genus XII.
Body, long, slender, and slippery. Nostrils tubular. Back, ventral, and tail fins, united. Aperture to the gills small, and placed behind the pectoral fins. Ten branchiostegous rays.
EEL.
I. The EEL.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
iv.
c.
ii. vi. 14. 16.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 516. iv. 450.
Anguilla
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
21.
L'Anguille.
Belon.
291.
Obs.
55.
Anguilla.
Rondel. fluv.
198.
Gesner pisc.
40.
Ael.
Schonevelde,
14.
The Eel.
Wil. pisc.
109.
Raii syn. pisc.
37.
Muraena unicolor maxilla inferiore longiore.
Arted. syn.
39.
Muraena anguilla.
Lin. syst.
426.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
166.
Ahl.
Faun. suec. No.
301. Aal.
Kram.
387.
THE eel is a very singular fish in several things that relate to its natural history, and in some respects borders on the nature of the reptile tribe.
It is known to quit its element, and during night to wander along the meadows, not only for change of habitation, but also that the sake of prey, feeding on the snails it finds in its passage.
During winter it beds itself deep in the mud, and continues in a state of rest like the serpent kind. It is very impatient of cold, and will eagerly take shelter in a whisp of straw flung into a pond in severe weather, which has sometimes been practised as a method of taking them.
Albertus
Gesner pisc.
45.
goes so far as to say, that he has known eels to take shelter in a hay-rick, yet all perished thro' excess of cold.
It has been observed, that in the river
Nyne
Morton
's
Hist. Northampt.
419.
Pliny
observes, that the eels of the lake
Benacus
collect together in the same manner in the month of
October,
possibly to retreat from the winter's cold.
lib.
ix.
c.
22.
there is a variety of small eel, with a lesser head and narrower mouth than the mommon kind, that is found in clus;ters in the bottom of the river, and is called the
Bed-eel:
these are sometimes rouzed up by violent floods, and are never found at that time with meat in their stomachs. This bears such an analogy with the clustering of blindworms in their quiescent state, that we cannot but consider it as a further proof of a partial agreement in the nature of the two genera.
The antients adopted a most wild opinion about the generation of these fish,
Generation.
believing them to be either created from the mud, or that the scrapings of their bodies which they left on the stones, were animated and became young eels. Some moderns gave into these opinions, and into others that were equally extravagant. They could not account for the appearance of these fish in ponds that never were stocked with them, and that were even so remote as to make their being met with in such places a phaenomenon that they could not solve. But there is much reason to believe, that many waters are supplied with these fish by the aquatic fowl of prey, in the same manner as vegetation is spread by many of the land birds, either by being dropped as they carry them to feed their young, or by passing quick thro' their bodies, as is the case with herons; and such may be occasion of the appearance of these fish in places where they were never seen before. As to their immediate generation,
Viviparous.
it has been sufficiently proved to be effected in the ordinary course of nature, and that they are viviparous.
They are extremely voracious, and very destructive to the fry of fish.
No fish lives so long out of water as the eel: it is extremely tenacious of life, as its parts will move a considerable time after they are flayed and cut into pieces.
The eel is placed by
Linnaeus
in the genus of
Muraena,
Descr.
his first of the apodal fish, or such which want the ventral fins.
The eyes are placed not remote from the end of the nose: the irides are tinged with red: the under jaw is longer than the upper: the teeth are small, sharp, and numerous: beneath each eye is a minute orifice: at the end of the nose two others, small and tubular.
This fish is furnished with a pair of pectoral fins, rounded at their ends. Another narrow fin on the back, uniting with that of the tail; and the anal fin joins it in the same manner beneath.
Behind the pectoral fins is the orifice to the gills, which are concealed in the skin.
Eels vary much in their colors,
Silver Eels.
from a sooty hue to a light olive green; and those which are called silver eels, have their bellies white, and a remarkable clearness throughout.
Besides these there is another variety of this fish known in the
Thames
by the name of
Grigs,
Grigs.
and about
Oxford
by that of
Grigs
or
Gluts.
These are scarce ever seen near
Oxford
in the winter, but appear in spring, and bite readily at the hook, which common eels in that neighborhood will not. They have a larger head, a blunter nose, thicker skin, and Jess fat than the common sort; neither are they so much esteemed, nor do they often exceed three or four pounds in weight.
Common eels grow to a large size, sometimes so great as to weigh fifteen or twenty pounds, but that is extremely rare. As to instances brought by
Dale
and others, of these fish encreasing to a superior magnitude, we have much reason to suspect them to have been congers, since the enormous fish they describe, have all been taken at the mouths of the
Thames
or
Medway.
The eel is the most universal of fish, yet is scarce ever found in the
Danube,
tho' it is very common in the lakes and rivers of
Upper Austria.
The
Romans
held this fish very cheap, probably from its likeness to a snake:
Vos anguilla manet longae cognata colubrae
Juvenal. Sat.
v. 103.
Vernula riparum pinguis torrente cloaca.
For you, is kept a sink-fed snake-like eel.
On the contrary, the luxurious
Sybarites
were so fond of these fish, as to exempt from every kind of tribute the persons who sold them
Athenaeus. lib.
xii.
p.
521.
II. The CONGER.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
I. &c.
.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 113.521.
Conger.
Ovidii Halieut.
115.
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
16.20.
Le Congre.
Belon.
159.
Conger.
Rondel.
394.
Gesner pisc.
290.
The Conger, or Conger Eel.
Wil. Icth.
iii.
Raii syn. pisc.
37.
Muraena supremo margine pinnae dorsalis nigro.
Arted. synon.
40.
Muraena Conger. M. rostro tentaculis duobus, linea laterali ex punctis albida.
Lin. syst.
426.
THE conger grows to a vast size.
Size.
Doctor
Borlase,
to whom we are obliged for several informations relating to this species, assure us, that they are sometimes taken near
Mount's-Bay
of one hundred pounds weight
We have heard of some taken near
Scarborough
that were ten feet and a half long, and eighteen inches in circumference in the thickest part.
They differ from the common eel in the following particulars:
Descr.
1. Their color in general is more dark.
2. Their eyes much larger in proportion.
3. The irides of a bright silvery color.
4. The lower jaw is rather shorter than the upper.
5. The side line is broad, whitish, and marked with a row of small spots; Mr.
Ray
says a double row, but we did not observe it in the fish we examined.
6. The edges of the dorsal and anal fins are black.
7. They have more bones than the common eel, especially along the back quite to the head.
8. They grow to a much larger size.
As to the distinction that Mr.
Ray,
and other writers, make of the small beards at the end of the nose, we think it not to be depended on, being sometimes found in both kinds, and sometimes entirely wanting.
We believe they generate like the fresh-water species: innumerable quantities, of what are supposed to be their fry, come up the
Severn
about the month of
April,
preceding the
Shads,
which it is conjectured migrate into that river to feed on them:
Elvers.
they are called
Elvers.
They quite swarm during their season, and are taken in a kind of sieve made of hair-cloth, fixed to a long pole; the fisherman standing on the edge of the water during the tide, puts in his net as far as he can reach, and drawing it out again takes multitudes at every sweep, and will take as many during one tide as will fill a bushel. They are dressed, and reckoned very delicate.
Congers are extremely voracious, preying on other fish, and on crabs at the time they have lost their shell, and are in a soft state. They and eels in general are also particularly fond of carcasses of any kind, being frequently found lodged in such that are accidentally taken up.
These fish are an article of commerce in
Cornwall;
numbers are taken on that coast, and exported to
Spain
and
Portugal,
particularly to
Barcelona.
The quantities that were sent from
Mount's-Bay
for five years, are as follow:
 
Cwt.
qr.
lb.
1756
46
0
13
1757
164
0
21
1758
164
1
3
1759
213
0
3
1760
71
3
0
Some are taken by a single hook and line,
Capture.
but (because that way is tedious, and does not answer the expence of time and labor) they are chiefly caught by
Bulters,
which are strong lines five hundred feet long, with sixty hooks, each eight feet asunder, baited with pilchards or mackrel: the
Bulters
are sunk to the ground by a stone fastened to them: sometimes such a number of these are tied together as to reach a mile.
We have been told that the fishermen are very fearful of a large conger, least it should endanger their legs by clinging round them; they therefore kill them as soon as possible by striking them on the navel.
They are afterwards cured in this manner:
Cur
.
they are slit, and hung on a frame till they dry, having a considerable quantity of fat, which it is necessary should exude before they are fit for use. It is remarkable that a conger of a hundred weight will waste by drying to twenty-four pounds; the people therefore prefer the smallest, possibly because they are soonest cured. During the process there is a considerable stench; and it is said that in the fishing villages the poultry are fed with the maggots that drop from the fish.
The
Portuguese
and
Spaniards
use those dried congers after they have been ground into a powder, to thicken and give a relish to their soups. We think they are sold for about forty shillings the quintal, which weighs one hundred and twenty-six pounds.
VII. SEA WOLF.
Genus XIII.
Blunt head: long body. One dorsal fin reaching almost from the head to tail. Fore teeth, conic and large. Grinders flat and round.
WOLF FISH.
I. The WOLF FISH.
Anarrhichas.
Gesner Paralip.
4.
Lupus marinus
Caii opusc.
113.
Lupus marinus nostras, quem
incolae
Wolff.
Schonevelde
45.
tab.
5.
Cat-Fish.
Sib. Scot.
iii. 25.
tab.
16.
Wolf Fish, Sea Wolf, or Woof.
Wil. Icth.
130.
Raii syn. pisc.
40.
Steen-bider.
Pontop. Norway.
ii. 151.
Kigutilik
i.
.
dentatus.
Crantz. Greenl.
I. 96.
Anarhichas.
Arted. synon.
39.
Anarhichas Lupus.
Lin. syst.
430.
Zee Wolf.
Gronov. Mus. No.
44.
Zooph. No.
400.
THIS fish seems to be confined to the northern parts of the globe.
Place.
We find it in the seas of
Greenland,
in those of
Iceland
Where it is called
Steinbeisser. Schonevelde,
45.
and
Norway,
on the coasts of
Scotland,
and of
Yorkshire,
and lastly, in that part of the
German
ocean, which washes the shores of
Holland,
the most southern of its haunts we can with any certainty mention.
It is a most ravenous and fierce fish, and when taken fastens on any thing within its reach: the fishermen dreading its bite, endeavor as soon as possible to beat out its fore teeth, and then kill it by striking it behind the head.
Schonevelde
relates, that its bite is so hard that it will seize on an anchor, and leave the marks of its teeth in it; and the
Danish
and
German
names of
Steenbider
and
Steinbeisser,
express the sense of its great strength, as if it was capable of crushing even stones with its jaws.
It feeds almost entirely on crustaceous animals,
Food.
and shell fish, such as crabs, lobsters, prawns, muscles, scollops, large whelks, &c. these it grinds to pieces with its teeth, and swallows with the lesser shells. It does not appear they are dissolved in the stomach, but are voided with the foeces, for which purpose the aperture of the anus is wider than in other fish of the same size.
It is full of roe in
February, March,
and
April,
and spawns in
May
and
June.
This fish has so disagreeable and horrid an appearance, that nobody at
Scarborough
except the fishermen will eat it, and they prefer it to holibut. They always before dressing take off the head and skin.
The sea wolf grows to a large size:
Size.
those on the
Yorkshire
coast are sometimes found of the length of four feet, and, according to Doctor
Gronovius,
have been taken near
Hitland
seven feet long, and even more. That which we examined was three feet two inches and an half from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail: the length of the head was eight inches, from the gills to the vent, ten; from thence to the tip of the tail, twenty and one half.
The circumference of the head was seventeen inches, at the shoulders twenty, but near the tail only four and a half.
Its weight was twenty pounds and a quarter.
The head is a little slatted on the top: the nose blunt; the nostrils very small; the eyes small, and placed near the end of the nose.
The teeth are very remarkable,
Teeth.
and finely adapted to its way of life. The fore teeth are strong, conical, diverging a little from each other, stand far out of the jaws, and are commonly six above, and the same below, tho' sometimes there are only five in each jaw: these are supported within-side by a row of lesser teeth, which makes the number in the upper jaw seventeen or eighteen, in the lower eleven or twelve.
The sides of the under jaw are convex inwards, which greatly adds to their strength, and at the same time allows room for the large muscles with which the head of this fish is furnished.
The
dentes molares,
or grinding teeth of the under jaw, are higher on the outer than the inner edges, which inclines their surfaces inward: they join to the canine teeth in that jaw, but in the upper are separate from them.
In the centre are two rows of flat strong teeth, fixed on an oblong basis upon the bones of the palate and nose.
These and the other grinding teeth are often found fossil, and in that state called
Bufonites,
or
Toadstones:
they were formerly much esteemed for their imaginary virtues, and were set in gold, and worn as rings.
The two bones that form the under jaw are united before by a loose cartilage, which mechanism admitting of a motion from side to side, most evidently contributes to the design of the whole,
viz.
a facility of breaking, grinding, and comminuting its testaceous and crustaceous food.
The body is long, and a little compressed sideways; the skin smooth and slippery: it wants the lateral line.
The pectoral fins consist of eighteen rays, are five inches long, and seven and a quarter broad.
The dorsal fin extends from the hind part of the head almost to the tail; the rays in the fresh fish are not visible.
The anal fin extends as far as the dorsal fin.
The tail is round at its end, and consists of thirteen rays.
The sides,
Color.
back, and fins, are of a livid lead color; the two first marked downwards wiith irregular obscure dusky lines; these in different fish have different appearances.
We think ourselves much indebted to Mr.
Travis,
Surgeon, at
Scarborough,
for his ingenious remarks on this fish, as well as on several others that frequent that coast, being a gentleman much skilled in icthyology, and extremely liberal in communicating his knowlege.
VIII. MORRIS. LAUNCE.
Genus XIV.
Head slender.
Body long and square.
Upper lip doubled in.
Dorsal and anal fin reaching almost to the tail.
Seven branchiostegous rays.
LAUNCE.
I. The LAUNCE.
Ammodytes piscis, ut nos vocavimus pro
anglico
Sandilz.
Gesner Paralip.
3.
Tobian, vel Tobias, Sandtspiring.
Schonevelde,
76.
Ammodytes.
Gesneri Wil. Icth.
113.
Sand Eels, or Launces.
Raii syn. pisc
38, 165.
Ammodytes
Arted. synon.
29.
Ammodytes Tobianus.
Lin. syst.
430.
Tobis.
Faun. suec.
302.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
404.
THE launce is found on most of our sandy shores during some of the summer months: it conceals itself on the recess of the tides beneath the sand, in such places where the water is left at the depth of about a foot, and are in some places dug out, in others drawn up by means of a hook contrived for that purpose. They are commonly used for baits for other fish, but they are also very delicate eating.
These fish are found in the stomachs of the
Porpesse,
an argument that the last roots up the sand with its nose as hogs do the ground.
They grow sometimes the length of nine or ten inches:
Size.
the females are longer and slender than the males.
The form of the body is square, the sides are rounded, and the angles not sharp: it is nevertheless long and slender.
The head is small and taper; the under jaw much longer than the upper: the upper jaw is moveable, capable of being protruded, so that when open the gape is very wide.
The irides are silvery.
The dorsal fin runs almost the whole length of the back, is very narrow, and consists of fifty-eight rays: the pectoral fins small, and have twelve: the anus is placed much nearer the tail than the head, is narrow, and extends almost to the former.
The tail is forked, but the lobes rounded at their extremities.
The color of the back is blue, varying with green: on each side the back is a narrow dusky line or two. The sides and belly are silvery; the lateral line strait.
Genus XV.
Small head. Body extremely thin, compressed sideways. No pectoral fins.
MORRIS.
I. The MORRIS.
Leptocephalus.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
409.
tab.
13.
fig.
3.
THIS species was discovered in the sea near
Holyhead
by the late Mr.
William Morris,
and in memory of our worthy friend we have given it his name: on receiving it from Mr.
Morris,
we communicated it to that accurate Icthyologist Doctor
Laurence Theodore Gronovius,
of
Leyden,
who has described it in his
Zoophylacium,
under the title of
Leptocephalus,
or small head.
The length was four inches; the head very small;
Descr.
the body compressed sideways, extremely thin, and almost transparent, about the tenth of an inch thick, and in the deepest part about one-third of an inch; towards the tail it grew more slender, and ended in a point; towards the head it sloped down, the head lying far beneath the level of the back.
The eyes large; the teeth in both jaws very small.
The lateral line strait: the sides marked with oblique strokes, that met at the lateral line.
The aperture to the gills large.
It wanted the pectoral, ventral, and caudal fins: the dorsal fin was extremely low, and thin, extending the whole length of the back very near the tail. The anal fin was of the same delicacy, and extended to the same distance from the anus.
Genus XVI.
The upper jaw extending to a great length, hard, slender, and pointed. No teeth. Eight branchiostegous rays. Slender body.
SWORD FISH.
I. The SWORD FISH.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
ii.
c.
13. viii.
c.
19.
Oppian. Halieut. lib.
ii. 462. iii. 442.
Xiphias.
Ovid. Halieut.
97.
Xiphias,
i. e.
Gladius
Plinii lib.
xxxii.
c.
2.
Athenaeus,
314.
L'Heron de mer, ou grand Espadaz.
Belon.
102,
Xiphias.
Rondel.
251.
Xiphias,
i. e.
Gladius piscis.
Gesner pisc.
1049.
Caii opusc.
104.
Schwert-fische.
Schonevelde,
35.
Sword-fish.
Wil. Icth.
161.
Raii syn. pisc.
52.
Xiphias.
Arted. synon.
47.
Xiphias Gladius.
Lin. syst.
432.
Swerd-fisk.
Faun. suec. No.
303.
THIS fish sometimes frequents our coasts, but is much more common in the
Mediterranean
sea,
Place.
especially in the part that separates
Italy
from
Sicily,
which has been long celebrated for it: the promontory
Pelorus
Athenaeus,
314.
, now
Capo di Faro,
was a place noted for the resort of the
Xiphias,
being possibly the station of the
speculatores,
or the persons who watched and gave notice of the approach of the fish.
The antient method of taking them is particularly described by
Strabo
Lib.
I.
p.
16.
,
Capture.
and agrees exactly with that practised by the moderns.
A man ascends one of the cliffs that overhangs the sea: as soon as he spies the fish, he gives notice either by his voice or by signs of the course it takes. Another, that is stationed in a boat, climbs up the mast, and on seeing the sword fish, directs the rowers towards it. As soon as he thinks they are got within reach, he descends, and taking a spear in his hand, strikes it into the fish, which, after wearying itself with its agitation, is seized and drawn into the boat. It is much esteemed by the
Sicilians,
who buy it up eagerly, and at its first coming into season give about six-pence
English
per pound. The season lasts from
May
till
August
Ray
's
Travels,
I. 271.
. The antients used to cut this fish into pieces, and salt it, whence it was called
Tomus Thurianus
Tomus Thurianus, quem alii
Xiphiam
vocant.
Plinii
lib.
xxxii.
c.
11.
, from
Thurii,
a town in the bay of
Tarentum,
where it was taken and cured.
Kircher,
in his
Musurgia,
has preserved a strange incantation used by the
Sicilian
fishermen, at the capture of the
Pesce Spada,
as they call it, which is expressed in the following unintelligible jargon:
Mamassu di pajanu,
Paletta di pajanu,
Majussu di stignela,
Palettu di paenu pale,
Pale la stagnetta,
Mancuta stigneta,
Pro nastu, vardu, pressu da
Visu & da terra.
But this use of charmed words is not confined to
Sicily;
the
Irish
have their song at the taking of the razor shell; and the
Cornish
theirs, at the taking of the whistle fish.
The sword fish is said to be very voracious, and that it is a great enemy to the Tunny, who (according to
Belon
) are as much terrified with it as sheep are at the sight of a wolf.
Ac durus
Xiphias,
ictu non mitior ensis;
Et pavidi magno fugientes agmine
Thunni.
Ovid. Halieut. 97.
Sharp as a sword the
Xiphias
does appear;
And crowds of flying
Tunnies
struck with fear.
It grows to a very large size;
Size.
the head of one, with the pectoral fins, found on the shore near
Laugharn,
in
Caermarthenshire,
alone weighing seventy-five pounds: the snout was three feet long, rough, and hard, but not hard enough to penetrate ships and sink them, as
Pliny
pretends
Xiphiam,
id est,
Gladium,
rostro mucronato esse, ab hoc naves perfossas mergi in oceano.
Plin.
lib.
xxxii.
c.
11.
The snout is the upper jaw,
Snout.
produced to a great length, and has some resemblance to a sword, from whence the name. It is compressed at the top and bottom, and sharp at the point. The under jaw is four times as short as the upper, but likewise sharp pointed. The mouth is destitute of teeth.
The body is slender, thickest near the head, and growing less and less as it approaches the tail.
The skin is rough, but very thin: the color of the back is dusky, of the belly silvery.
The dorsal fin begins a little above the gills, and extends almost to the tail: it is highest at the beginning and the end, but very low in the middle: a little above the tail, on each side, the skin rises and forms two triangular protuberances, not unlike the spurious fins of the tunny.
The pectoral fins are long, and of a scythe-like form, and their first rays the longest.
The anus is placed at the distance of one-third part of the body from the tail; beneath are two anal fins.
The tail is exactly of the shape of a cresent.
Sect. II. JUGULAR.
Genus XVII.
Upper lip doubled. Eyes near each other. Two breathing apertures on the hind part of the head. First rays of the dorsal fin very long.
DRAGONET.
I. The DRAGONET.
La tierce espece de Exocetus?
Belon.
218.
Dracunculus.
Rondel.
304.
Dracunculus, aranei species altera.
Gesner pisc.
80.
Dragon fish.
Marten's Spitzberg.
123.
Yellow Gurnard.
Phil. Trans. No.
293.
Lyra Harvicensis.
Pet. Gaz. tab.
22.
Dale Harwich.
431.
Callionymus Lyra. C. dorsalis prioris radiis longitudine corporis.
Lin. syst.
433.
Faun. suec. No.
110.
Uranoscopus,
Gronov. Zooph. No.
206.
Floy-fiske.
Pontop. Norway,
ii. iii.
Dracunculus marinus.
Borlase Cornwall.
270.
Seb. Mus.
iii. 92.
tab.
30.
fig.
7.
LINNAEUS
has given this genus the name of
Callionymus,
Name.
fish mentioned by several of the antients; but the notices the have left of it are so very slight, as to render it difficult to determine what species they intended.
Lib.
xxxii.
c.
iii.
Pliny
makes it a synonym to the
Uranoscopus,
a fish frequent in the
Italian
seas, but very different from our
Dragonet,
a name we have taken the liberty of forming, from the diminutive
Dracunculus,
a title given it by
Rondeletius,
and other authors. The
English
writers have called it the Yellow Gurnard, which having no one character of the
Gurnard
genus, we think ourselves obliged to drop that name.
It is found as far north as
Spitzbergen,
Place.
and as far south as the
Mediterranean
sea, and is not unfrequent on the
Scarborough
coasts. We have also received it from
Norway,
among several other curiosities which that honest well-meaning prelate,
Erich Pontoppidan
Bishop of
Bergen.
He was also vice-chancellor of the university of
Copenhagen,
in which station he died,
December
20, 1764, aged 66, much respected by his countrymen.
, made us a present of.
This species grows to the length of ten or twelve inches:
Descr.
the body is slender, round, and smooth.
The head is large, and flat at the top; in the hind part are two orifices, thro' which it breathes, and also forces out the water it takes in at the mouth, in the same manner as the cetaceous fish.
The apertures to the gills are closed: on the end of the bones that cover them is a very singular trifurcated spine.
The eyes are large, and placed very near each other on the upper part of the head, so that they look upwards; for which reason it has been ranked among the
Uranoscopi:
the pupils are of a rich sappharine blue, the irides of a fine yellow.
The upper jaw projects much farther than the lower: the mouth is very wide: the teeth are small.
The pectoral fins are round, and of a light-brown color; the ventral placed before them, are very broad, and consist of five branched rays.
The first dorsal fin is very singular, the first ray being setaceous, and so long as to extend almost to the tail: those of the second dorsal fins are of a moderate length, except the last, which is produced far beyond the others.
The anus is placed about the middle of the belly; the anal fin is broad, and the last ray the longest.
Pontoppidan
calls this species the flying fish: whether it makes use of any of its fins to raise itself out of the water, as he was informed they did, we cannot pretend to say.
The tail is rounded and long, and consists of ten rays.
The side line is strait:
Colors.
the colors are yellow, blue, and white, and make a beautiful appearance when the fish has been just taken.
II. The LESSER DRAGONET.
Dracunculus.
Wil. Icth.
136.
Raii syn. pisc,
79.
Cottus pinna secunda dorsi alba.
Arted. synon.
77.
Callionymus Dracunculus. C. dorsalis prioris radiis corpore brevioribus.
Lin. syst.
434.
THIS species we received from Mr.
Travis.
Its length was only six inches and an half. The head was compressed; the forehead sloped down to the nose, being not so level as that of the preceding.
The eyes large, and almost contiguous.
The mouth small; the teeth very minute.
Over the gills was a strong trifurcated broad spine.
The first dorsal fin had four rays; the first setaceous, extending a little higher than the others, the last very short: the two first rays and webs were yellow, the others black.
The second had ten soft rays, their ends extending beyond the webs, which were pellucid.
The pectoral fins consisted of twenty rays, and were ferruginous, spotted with a deeper cast of the same: the ventral fins consisted of five broad and much branched rays, like those of the first species.
The anal fin was white, and had ten rays; the tail had ten rays. In both species they are bifurcated at their ends, and the ray next the anal fin in both is very short.
In colors this is far inferior to the former, being of a dirty yellow, mixed with white and dusky spots; the belly is entirely white.
Genus XVIII.
Lower jaw sloping down. Gill covers aculeated. Six branchiostegous rays. Two dorsal fins. Anus near the breast.
WEEVER.
I. The WEEVER.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
viii.
c.
13.
Aelian. Hist an. lib.
ii.
c.
50.
Oppian. Halieut.
ii. 459.
Draco marinus
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
27. Draco, Dracunculus.
lib.
xxxii.
c.
11. Araneus.
lib.
ix.
c.
48.
La vive.
Belon.
209.
Draco.
Rondel.
300.
Gesner pisc.
77. 78.
Peter-manniken, Schwertfische.
Schonevelde.
16.
The Weever.
Wil. Icth.
238.
Raii syn. pisc.
91.
Trachinus maxilla inferiore longiore, cirris destituta.
Arted. syn.
71.
Trachinus Draco.
Lin. syst.
453.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
274.
Farsing, Fiassing.
Faun. suec. No.
305.
THE qualities of this fish were well known to the antients, who take notice of them without any exaggeration: the wounds inflicted by its spines are exceedingly painful, attended with a violent burning, and most pungent shooting, and sometimes with an inflammation that will extend from the arm to the shoulder
It is probable that the malignity of the symptoms arises from the habit of body the person is in, or the part in which the wound is given.
It is a common notion that these symptoms proceed from something more than the small wound this fish is capable of inflicting; and that there is a venom infused into it, at lest into such as is made by the spines that form the first dorsal fin, which is dyed with black, and has a most suspicious aspect. The remedy used by a fisherman in our neighbourhood is the sea sand, with which he rubs the place affected for a considerable time
In the
Universal Museum
for
November
1765, is an instance of a person who was reduced to great danger by a wound from this fish, and who was cured by the application of sweet oil, and taking
opium
and
venice treacle.
This fish buries itself in the sands, leaving only its nose out, and if trod on immediately strikes with great force; and we have seen them direct their blows with as much judgment as fighting cocks. Notwithstanding this noxious property of the spines, it is exceeding good meat.
The
English
name seems to have no meaning,
Name.
being corrupted from the
French, la vive,
so called as being capable of living long out of the water, according to the interpretation of
Belon.
It grows to the length of twelve inches,
Descr.
but is commonly found much less.
The irides are yellow: the under jaw is longer than the upper, and slopes very much towards the belly: the teeth are small.
The back is strait, the sides flat, the belly prominent, the lateral line strait: the covers of the gills are armed with a very strong sharp spine.
The first dorsal fin consists of five very strong sharp spines, which, as well as the intervening membranes are tinged with black; this fin, when quiescent, is lodged in a small hollow.
The second consists of several soft rays, commences just at the end of the first, and continues almost to the tail. The pectoral fins are pretty broad and angular; the ventral fins small.
The vent is placed remarkably forward, very near the throat: the anal fin extends from it to a small distance from the tail, is a little hollowed in the middle, but not so much as to be called forked.
The sides of this fish are marked lengthways with two or three dirty yellow lines, and transversely by numbers of small ones: the belly is silvery.
II. The LESSER WEEVER.
Araneus minor, septentrionalibus
Anglis,
an Otter Pike.
Raii syn. pisc.
92.
Wil. Icth.
289.
THIS is a species which Mr.
Ray
says he heard was found in the north of
England,
but that he was acquainted with it only by name.
Genus XIX.
Head smooth. Seven slender branchiostegous rays. Body oblong; scales deciduous. All the fins covered with a common skin. Ventral fins slender, and ending in a point. Teeth in the jaws; and in the palate a series of minute teeth closely set together.
COD FISH.
With three dorsal fins; the chin bearded.
I. The COMMON COD FISH.
La Morue.
Belon.
121.
Molva.
Rondel.
280.
Molva sive morhua altera.
Gesner pisc.
88.
Kablauw.
Schonevelde.
18.
Asellus major vulgaris.
Wil. Icth.
165.
Cod-fish, or Keeling.
Raii syn. pisc.
53.
Gadus dorso tripterygio, ore cirrato, cauda aequali fere cum radio primo spinoso.
Arted. synon.
35.
Gadus morhua.
Lin. syst.
436.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
319.
Cabblia.
Faun. suec. No.
398.
THIS fish is found only in the northern part of the world; it is, as
Rondeletius
calls it, an ocean fish, and never met with in the
Mediterranean
sea.
None (says Captain
Armstrong
in his History of
Minorca
) of the
Aselli
or cod fish kind, frequent our shores,
p.
163.
. It affects cold climates, and seems confined between the latitudes 66 and 50: what are caught north and south of those degrees being either few in quantity, or bad in quality. The
Greenland
fish are small and emaciated thro' want of food, being very voracious, and having in those seas a dearth of provision.
This locality of situation is common to many other species of this genus, most of them being inhabitants of the cold seas, or such that lie within zones that can just clame the title of temperate. There are nevertheless certain species found near the
Ganary Islands,
called
Cherny
Hist. Canary Islands,
198.
, of which we know no more than the name; but according to the unfortunate Captain
Glas,
are better tasted than the
Newfoundland
kind.
The great rendezvouz of the cod fish is on the Banks of
Newfoundland,
and the other sand banks that lie off the coasts of
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia,
and
New England.
They prefer those situations, by reason of the quantity of worms produced in those sandy bottoms, which tempt them to resort there for food: but another cause of the particular attachment the fish have to these spots, is their vicinity to the polar seas, where they return to spawn; there they depose their roes in full security, but want of food forces them, as soon as the first more southern seas are open, to repair thither for subsistence.
Few are taken north of
Iceland,
but on the south and west coasts they abound: they are again found to swarm on the coasts of
Norway,
in the
Baltic,
off the
Orkney
and the
Western Isles;
after which their numbers decrease, in proportion as they advance towards the south, when they seem quite to cease before they reach the mouth of the Straits of
Gibraltar.
Before the discovery of
Newfoundland,
the greater fisheries of cod were in the seas of
Iceland,
and of our
Western Isles,
which were the grand resort of ships of all the commercial nations; but it seems that the greatest plenty was met with near
Iceland;
for we find Queen
Elizabeth
condescending to ask permission to fish in those seas from
Christian
the IVth. of
Denmark,
yet afterwards she so far repented her request, as to instruct her embassadors to that court, to insist on the right of a free and universal fishery
Rymer
's
Foed.
xvi. 275, 425.
But the
Spanish,
the
French,
and the
Britons,
had much the advantage of us in all fisheries at the beginning, as appears by the state of that in the seas of
Newfoundland
in the year 1578
Hackluyt
's
Coll. Voy.
iii. 132.
, when the number of ships belonging to each nation stood thus:
Spaniards,
100, besides 20 or 30 that came from
Biscaie,
to take whale for train, being about five or six thousand tons.
Portuguese,
50, or three thousand tons.
French
and
Britons,
150, or seven thousand tons.
English,
from 30 to 50.
But Mr.
Anderson,
in his Dictionary of Commerce, I. 363, says, that the
French
began to fish there so early as 1536; and we think we have somewhere read, that their first pretence for fishing for cod in those seas, was only to supply an
English
convent with that article.
The encrease of shipping that resort to those fertile banks, are now unspeakable: our own country still enjoys the greatest share, which ought to be esteemed our chiefest treasure, as it brings wealth to individuals, and strength to the state.
All this immense fishery is carried on by the hook and line only
We have been informed that they fish in the depth of from fifteen to sixty fathoms, according to the inequality of the
Bank,
which is represented as a vast mountain under water above five hundred miles long, and near three hundred broad, and that seamen knew when they approach it by the great swell of the sea, and the thick mists that impend over it.
; the bait is herring, a small fish called a
Capelin,
a shell fish called
Clams,
and bits of sea fowl; and with these are caught fish sufficient to find employ for near fifteen thousand
British
seamen, and to afford subsistence to a much more numerous body of people at home, who are engaged in the various manufactures which so vast a fishery demands.
The food of the cod is either small fish,
Food.
worms, testaceous, or crustaceous animals, such as crabs, large whelks, &c. and their digestion is so powerful, as to dissolve the greatest part of the shells they swallow. They are very voracious, and catch at any small body they perceive moved by the water, even stones and pebbles, which are often found in their stomachs.
Providence hath kindly ordained that this fish,
Vastly prolific.
so useful to mankind, should be so very prolific as to supply more than the deficiencies of the multitudes annually taken.
Leuwenhoek
counted nine millions three hundred and eighty-four thousand eggs in a cod fish of a middling size, a number sure that will baffle all the efforts of man, or the voracity of the inhabitants of the ocean to exterminate, and which will secure to all ages an inexhaustible supply of grateful provision.
In our seas they begin to spawn in
January,
and deposite their eggs in rough ground, among rocks. Some continue in roe till the beginning of
April.
The cod fish in general recover quicker after spawning than any other fish, therefore it is common to take some good ones all the summer. When they are out of s;eason they are thin tailed and lousy, and the lice chiefly fix themselves on the inside of their mouths.
The fish of a middling size are most esteemed for the table, and are chosen by their plumpness and roundness, especially near the tail, by the depth of the sulcus or pit behind the head, and by the regular undulated appearance of the sides, as if they were ribbed. The glutinous parts about the head lose their delicate flavor after it has been twenty-four hours out of the water, even in winter, in which these and other fish of this genus are in highest season.
The largest that we ever heard of taken on our coasts weighed sixty-nine pounds,
Size.
but the general weight on the
Yorkshire
seas is from fourteen to forty.
This species is short in proportion to its bulk,
Descr.
the belly being very large and prominent.
The jaws are of an equal length, at the end of the lower is a small beard; the teeth are disposed in the palate as well as jaws.
The eyes are large.
On the back are three soft fins; the first has fourteen, the two last nineteen rays a-piece. The ventral fins are very slender, and consist but of six rays; the two first extending far beyond the others. It has two anal fins; the first consisting of twenty, the last of sixteen rays.
The tail is almost even at the end: the first ray on each side is short, and composed of a strong bone.
The color of this fish is cinereous on the back and sides, and commonly spotted with yellow: the belly is white, but they vary much, not only in color
Codlings are often taken of a yellow, orange, and even red color, while they remain among the rocks, but on changing their place assume the color of other cod fish.
but in shape, particularly that of the head.
The side line is white and broad,
Side line
strait, till it reaches opposite the vent, when it bends towards the tail.
II. The TORSK.
Asellus varius vel striatus, Dorsch, Pamuchelen.
Schonevelde,
19.
Wil. Icth.
172.
Raii syn. pisc.
54.
Gadus dorso tripterygio, ore cirrato, colore vario, maxilla superiore longiore, cauda aequali.
Arted. synon.
35.
Gadus callarias. G. tripterygius, cirratus varius, cauda integra, maxilla superiore longiore.
Linisyst.
436.
Torsk.
Faun. suec. No.
307.
THESE fish are found in great quantities in the
Baltic,
and the northern seas, particularly in
Brassa Sound
Where it is called
Tusk. Martin
's
West. Isles.
385.
, and about the
Orkney Isles,
and are supposed never to wander into the more southern seas.
It is a fish much esteemed for its delicacy; the meat divides into flakes on being boiled, like that of a salmon: for which reason, as
Schonevelde
tells us, the
Germans
call it
Scheibendorsch.
It never grows to a large size, the greatest not exceeding thirty inches
We find this account of its length in the M. S. Journal of the late Bishop of
Meath,
Doctor
Richard Pocock;
but we believe it is very seldom they are found so large.
The head is small: the upper jaw is a little longer than the lower: in the first the teeth are disposed in a single row; in the upper in several. In the roof of the mouth is a rough triangular bone: at the end of the lower jaw is a small beard.
Between the head and the first dorsal fin is a deep groove.
The belly is a little prominent; the side line white, broad, placed nearer the back than the belly, and a little incurvated.
The dorsal fins are dusky, the two first spotted: the back, head, and sides of a deep olive color, in some whitish, and marked with numerous yellow spots: the belly white.
The tail even at the end, and its rays soft.
III. The HADOCK.
Aigrefin, ou aiglefin.
Belon.
118.
Tertia asellorum species.
Rondel.
277.
Tertia asel. Sp. Eglefinus.
Gesner pisc.
86.
Onos five asinus veterum.
Turner epist. ad Gesner.
Asellus minor, Schelfisch.
Schonevelde.
18.
Hadock.
Wil. Icth. 170. Raii syn. pisc.
55.
Gadus dorso tripterygio, ore cirrato, max. sup. longiore, corpore albicante, cauda parum bifurca.
Arted. synon.
36.
Gadus Aeglefinus. G. tripterygius cirratus albicans, cauda biloba.
Lin. syst.
435.
Kolja.
Faun. suec. No.
306.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
321.
OUR countryman
Turner
conjectured this species to have been the
,
Name.
or
Asinus,
of the antients, and
Belon,
that it was the
, and the
of
Oppian.
We have carefully consulted most of the antient naturalists, but cannot discover any marks by which we can determine the species they intended. The words
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
viii.
c.
15.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 151. iii. 191.
,
Ovidii Halieut. lin.
131.
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
16.17.
Asinus, Asellus,
Lib. c.
17.
Callarias,
and
Bacchus,
are familiarly applied to several of our species of cod fish by the more modern writers; yet the antients from whom they are borrowed, have not authorized the application to any particular kind, either by description or any other method.
Different reasons have been assigned for giving the name of
, or
Asinus
to this genus, some imagining it to be from the color of the fish, others because it used to be carried on the backs of asses to market; but we shall drop this uncertain subject, and proceed to what we have fuller assurance of.
Large hadocks begin to be in roe the middle of
November,
Season.
and continue so till the end of
January;
from that time till
May
they are very thin tailed, and much out of season. In
May
they begin to recover, and some of the middling-sized fish are then very good, and continue improving till the time of their greatest perfection. The small ones are extremely good from
May
till
February,
and some even in
February, March,
and
April,
viz. those which are not old enough to breed.
The fishermen assert, that in rough weather hadocks sink down into the sand, and ooze in the bottom of the sea, and shelter themselves there till the storm is over, because in stormy weather they take none, and those that are taken immediately after a storm are covered with mud on their backs.
In summer they live on young herrings and other small fish;
Food.
in winter on the stone-coated worms
A species of
Serpula.
, which the fishermen call
hadock meat.
The grand shoal of hadocks comes periodically on the
Yorkshire
coasts.
Vast shoals.
It is remarkable that they appeared in 1766 on the 10th of
December,
and exactly on the same day in 1767: these shoals extended from the shore near three miles in breadth, and in length from
Flamborough
head to
Tinmouth
castle, and perhaps much farther northwards. An idea may be given of their numbers by the following fact: three fishermen, within the distance of a mile from
Scarborough
harbour, frequently loaded their
coble
or boat with them twice a-day, taking each time about a ton of fish: when they put down their lines beyond the distance of three miles from the shore, they caught nothing but dog fish, which shows how exactly these fish keep their limits.
The best hadocks were sold from eightpence to a shilling per score, and the poor had the smaller sort at a penny, and sometimes a halfpenny per score
Here Mr.
Travis,
to whom I am much obliged for a most accurate account of the
Yorkshire
fish, with great humanity projects an inland navigation, to convey at a cheap and easy method, those gifts of Providence to the thousands of poor manufacturers who inhabit the distant parts of that vast county.
The large hadocks quit the coast as soon as they go out of season, and leave behind great plenty of small ones. It is said that the large ones visit the coasts of
Hamburgh
and
Jutland
in the summer.
It is no less remarkable than providential, that all kinds of fish (except mackrel) which frequent the
Yorkshire
coast, approach the shore, and as if it were offer themselves to us, generally remaining there as long as they are in high season, and retire from us when they become unfit for use.
It is the commonest species in the
London
markets.
They do not grow to a great bulk,
Descr.
one of fourteen pounds being of an uncommon size, but those are extremely coarse; the best for the table weighing from two to three pounds.
The body is long, and rather more slender than those of the preceding kinds: the head slopes down to the nose: the space between the hind part of the first dorsal fin is ridged: on the chin is a short beard.
On the back are three fins resembling those of the common cod fish: on each side beyond the gills is a large black spot. Superstition assigns this mark to the impression St.
Peter
left with his finger and thumb when he took the tribute out of the mouth of a fish of this species, which has been continued to the whole race of hadocks ever since that miracle.
The lateral line is black: the tail is forked.
The color of the upper part of this species is dusky or brown; the belly and lower part of the sides silvery.
IV. The WHITING POUT.
Asellus mollis latus. Mr.
Lister apud Wil. Ieth. Appl.
22.
Whiting Pout,
Londinensibus. Raii syn. pisc.
55.
Gadus dorso tripterygio, ore cirrato, longitudine ad latitudinem tripla, pinna ani prima ossiculorum triginta.
Arted. synon.
37.
Gadus barbatus. G. tripterygius cirratus maxilla inferiore punctis utrinque septem.
Lin syst.
437.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
320.
Sma-Torsk.
Faun. suec. No.
311.
THIS species nevers grows to a large size, seldom exceeding a foot in length.
It is distinguished from all others by its great depth; one of the size abovementioned being near four inches deep in the broadest part.
The back is very much arched; the mouth small; the beard short.
The first dorsal fin is triangular, and terminates in a long fibre: the color of the fins and tail black: at the bottom of the pectoral fins is a black spot.
The lateral line is white, broad, and crooked.
The tail is even at the end.
The color of the body is white, but more obscure on the back than the belly.
This fish was first discovered by Doctor
Lister,
and communicated by him, with several other species, to Mr.
Ray.
V. The BIB.
Asellus nanus, Dwergdorsch, Krumstert?
Schonevelde,
20.
Bib & Blinds
Cornubiensibus. Wil. Icth
169.
Asellus luscus.
Raii syn pisc.
54.
Gadus dorso tripterygio, ore cirrato, ossiculo pinnarum ventralium primo in longam setam producto.
Arted. synon.
35.
Gadus luscus.
Lin. syst.
437.
THIS species is supposed by
Artedius
to be the same with the former; but since it does not appear that he had an opportunity of examining it, we shall depend on the judgment of Mr.
Ray,
who had seen both, and shall form a separate article of it from his description, as it has not yet fell in our way.
It grows to the length of one foot: the body is deep, and the sides compressed: the scales larger than those of the cod fish, and adhere to the skin: the eyes are covered with a loose membrane, which it is said the fish can at pleasure blow up like a bladder. The mouth small; the teeth disposed like others of the kind: on the chin is a beard, which in grown fish is an inch long.
On the back are three fins; the first has twelve rays; the middle fin, which is the longest, has twenty-three; the last twenty.
The pectoral fins have about sixteen rays; the ventral fins seven or eight, the first of which is very long and slender.
The vent is placed at the distance of only one-third the length of the whole fish from the tip of the nose; behind the vent are two fins.
The tail is almost even at the end.
The color of the back is light olive,
Color.
or dirty yellow; the belly silvery.
It is esteemed a good eating fish, not unlike the whiting in taste.
VI. The POOR.
Le Merlan?
Belon.
120.
Anthiae secunda species.
Rondel.
191.
Gesner pisc.
56.
Asellus mollis minor, seu asellus omnium minimus. MOLLO
Venetiis.
CAPELAN
Massiliae. Wil. Icth.
171.
Poor or Power
Cornub.
Mr.
Jago. Raii syn. pisc.
163.
fig.
6.
Gadus dorso tripterygio, ore cirrato, corpore sescunciali, ano in medio corporis.
Arted. synon.
36.
Gadus minutus.
Lin. syst.
438.
IX POOR BIB.
It is the smallest species yet discovered,
Descr.
being little more than six inches long.
On the chin is a small beard: the eyes are covered with a loose membrane: on the gill-covers, and the jaws are on each side, nine punctures.
The first dorsal fin has twelve rays; the second nineteen; the third seventeen.
The pectoral fins thirteen; the ventral fins six: the first anal fin twenty-seven; the second seventeen.
The color on the back is a light brown; on the belly a dirty white.
We owe the discovery of this kind in our seas to the Rev. Mr.
Jago.
Three dorsal fins: chin beardless.
VII. The COAL FISH.
Colfisch.
Belon.
128.
Colfisch
Anglorum. Gesner pisc.
89.
Asellus niger. Kolfisch, Koler.
Schonevelde,
19.
Cole fish
Septentrionalium anglorum.
Rawlin Pollack
Cornubiensium. Wil. pisc.
168.
Raii syn. pisc.
54.
Gadus dorso tripterygio, ore imberbi, maxilla inferiore longiore et linea laterali recta.
Arted. synon.
34.
Gadus carbonarius.
Lin. syst.
438.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
317.
THE coal fish takes its name from the black color that it sometimes assumes.
Belon
calls it the
Colfisch,
imagining it was so named by the
English,
from its producing the
Icthyocolla,
but
Gesner
gives the true etimology.
These fish are common on most of our rocky and deep coasts, but particularly those of the north of
Great Britain.
The young begin to appear on the
Yorkshire
coast the beginning of
July
in vast shoals,
Young.
and are at that time about an inch and an half long. In
August
they are from three to five inches in length, and are taken in great numbers with the angling rod, and are then esteemed a very delicate fish, but grow so coarse when they are a year old that few people will eat them. Fish of that age are from eight to fifteen inches long, and begin to have a little blackness near the gills, and on the back, and the blackness encreases as they grow older.
The fry is known by different names in different places: they are called at
Scarborough Parrs,
and when a year old,
Billets.
About nine or ten years ago such a glut of
Parrs
visited that part, that for several weeks it was impossible to dip a pail into the sea without taking some.
Tho' this fish is so little esteemed when fresh, yet it is salted and dried for sale; a person last year having cured above a thousand at
Scarborough.
The coal fish is of more elegant form than the cod fish:
Descr.
they generally grow to the length of two feet and an half, and weigh about twenty-eight or thirty pounds at most. The head is small; the under jaw a little longer than the upper: the irides silvery, marked on one side with a black spot.
It has three dorsal fins, the first consists of fourteen, the next of twenty, the last of twenty-two rays.
The pectoral fins of eighteen; the ventral of six: the first anal fin of twenty-two, the second of nineteen.
The tail is broad and forked.
These fish vary in color. We have seen some whose back, nose, dorsal fins and tail were of a deep black: the gill covers silver and black: the ventral and anal fins white; the belly of the same color.
We have seen others dusky, others brown, but in all the lateral line was strait and white, and the lower part of the ventral and anal fins white.
VIII. The POLLACK.
Asellus virescens, Schwartres Kolmulen.
Schonevelde,
20.
Asellus flavescens; Gelbe Kolmulen.
Ibid.
Asellus Huitingo-Pollachius.
Wil. Icth.
167.
Whiting Pollack.
Raii syn. pisc.
53.
Gadus dorso tripterygio, ore imberbi, max. inf. longiore, linea laterali curva.
Arted. synon.
35.
Gadus Pollachius.
Lin. syst.
439.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
318.
Norwegis
Scy.
Bahusiis
Grasik?
Faun. suec. No.
309.
THIS species is common on many of our rocky coasts: during summer they are seen in great shoals frolicking on the surface of the water, and flinging themselves into a thousand forms. They are at that time so wanton as to bite at any thing that appears on the top of the waves, and are often taken with a goose's feather fixed to the hook. They are a very strong fish, being observed to keep their station at the feet of the rocks in the most turbulent and rapid sea.
They are a good eating fish: they do not grow to a very large size; at lest the biggest we have seen not exceeding six or seven pounds: but we have heard of some that were taken in the sea near
Scarborough,
which they frequent during winter, that weighted near twenty-eight pounds.
The under jaw is longer than the upper; the head and body rises pretty high, as far as the first dorsal fin.
The side line is incurvated, rising towards the middle of the back, then sinking and running strait to the tail; it is broad, and a brown color.
The first dorsal fin has eleven rays, the middle nineteen, the last sixteen: the tail is a little forked.
The color of the back is dusky, of some inclining to green: the sides beneath the lateral line marked with lines of yellow; the belly white.
IX. The WHITING.
Secunda asellorum species.
Rondel.
276.
Merlanus.
Rondel. Gesner pisc.
85.
Asellus candidus primus, Witling.
Schonevelde,
17.
Asellus mollis major, seu albus.
Wil. Icth.
170.
Whiting.
Raii syn. pisc.
55.
Gadus dorso tripterygio, ore imberbi corpore albo, maxilla superiore longiore.
Arted. synon.
34.
Gadus merlangus.
Lin. syst.
438.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
316.
Hwitling, Widding.
Faun suec. No.
310.
WHITINGS appear in vast shoals on our seas in the spring, keeping at the distance of about half a mile to that of three from the shore. They are caught in vast numbers by the line, and afford excellent diversion.
They are the most delicate as well as the most wholesome of any of the genus, but do not grow to a large size; the biggest we ever saw
We have been informed that whitings, from four to eight pounds in weight, have been taken in the deep water at the edge of the
Dogger-Bank.
not exceeding twenty inches, but that is very uncommon, the usual length being ten or twelve.
It is a fish of an elegant make: the upper jaw is the longest; the eyes large, the nose sharp, the teeth of the upper jaw long, and appear over the lower when closed.
The first dorsal fin has fifteen rays, the second eighteen, the last twenty.
The color of the head and back is a pale brown; the lateral line white, and is crooked; the belly and sides silvery; the last streaked lengthways with yellow.
With only two dorsal fins.
X. The HAKE.
Le Merluz.
Belon.
115.
Asellus,
.
Rondel.
272.
Merlucius.
Gesner pisc.
84.
Asellus primus sive Merlucius.
Wil. Icth.
174.
The Hake.
Raii syn. pise.
Gadus dorso dipterygio, maxilla inferiore longiore.
Arted. synon.
36.
Gadus Merlucius.
Lin. syst.
439.
Faun. suec. No.
314.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
315.
A FISH that is found in vast abundance on many of our coasts, and of those of
Ireland.
There was formerly a vast stationary fishery of
Hake
on the
Nymph Bank
off the coast of
Waterford,
immense quantities appearing there twice a year; the first shoal coming in
June,
during the
Mackrel
season, the other in
September,
at the beginning of the
Herring
season, probably in pursuit of those fish: it was no unusual thing for six men with hooks and lines to take a thousand
Hake
in one night, besides a considerable quantity of other fish. These were salted and sent to
Spain,
particularly to
Bilboa.
Smith's Hist, Waterford,
261.
We are at this time uninformed of the state of this fishery, but find that Mr.
Smith,
who wrote the History of the County of
Waterford,
complain even in his time (1746) of its decline. Many of the gregarious fish are subject to change their situations, and desert their haunts for numbers of years, and then return again. We see p. 78, how unsettled the
Basking Shark
appears to be: Mr.
Smith
instances the loss of the
Hadock
on the
Waterford
shores, where they used to swarm; and to our own knowledge we can bring the capriciousness of the herrings, which so frequently quit their stations, as another example.
Sometimes the irregular migration of fish is owing to their being followed and harassed by an unusual number of fish of prey, such as the shark kind.
Sometimes to deficiency of the smaller fish, which served them as food.
And lastly, in many places to the custom of trawling, which not only demolishes a quantity of their spawn, which is deposited in the sand, but also destroys or drives into deeper waters numberless worms and insects, the repast of many fish.
The hake is in
England
esteemed a very coarse fish, and is seldom admitted to table either fresh or salted
When cured it is known by the name of
Poor John.
These fish are from a foot and an half to near twice that length:
Descr.
they are of a slender make, of a pale ash color on their backs, and of a dirty white on their bellies.
Their head is flat and broad; the mouth very wide; the teeth very long and sharp, particularly those of the lower jaw.
The first dorsal fin is small, consisting of nine rays; the second reaches from the base of the former almost to the tail, and is composed of forty rays, of which the last are the highest: the pectoral fins have about twelve, the ventral seven: the anal thirtynine.
The tail is almost even at the end.
XI. The LESSER HAKE.
Galee, claria marina.
Belon.
126.
Phycis.
Rondel.
186.
Gesner pisc.
718.
Tinca marina.
Aldr. Wil. Icth.
205.
Raii syn. pisc.
75.
Phycis.
Arted. synon. App.
iii.
Blennius Phycis.
Lin. syst.
442.
THIS is the fish to which
Rondeletius
gives the name of
Phycis,
borrowing it from
Aristotle
and
Pliny,
who have not so sufficiently characterized it, as to enable us to judge what species they intended. It is found in the
Mediterranean
more frequently than in our seas, and we believe is the fish mentioned by Mr.
Armstrong,
and Doctor
Cleghorn
Armstrong,
161.
Cleghorn,
43.
, in their Histories of
Minorca,
under the name of
Molio, Mollera,
and
Molle.
It is known on the coast of
Cornwall
by the name of the greater forked beard
Barbus major
Cornubiensis
cirris bifurcatis:
the great forked beard. Mr.
Jago. Raii syn. pisc.
163.
fig.
7.
, where it was first discovered by Mr.
Jago.
We place it in this genus, as it has more the appearance of the cod-fish kind, the hake especially, than of the
Blenny,
into which genus
Linnaeus
has flung it; we therefore have given this species the name of the
Lesser Hake.
The length of one that was taken on the
Flintshire
shores was eleven inches and an half, its greatest depth three inches; but according to Doctor
Borlase,
some grow to be above eighteen inches long.
The head sloped down to the nose in the same easy manner with others of this genus: the mouth large: besides the teeth in the jaws was a triangular congeries of small teeth in the roof of the mouth.
At the end of the lower jaw was a small beard. The first dorsal fin was triangular; the first ray extended far beyond the rest, and was very slender: the second fin began just behind the first, and extended almost to the tail: the ventral fins were three inches long, and consisted of only two rays, joined at the bottom, and separated or bifurcated towards the end: the vent was in the middle of the body: the anal fin extended from thence just to the tail: the lateral line was incurvated: the tail was rounded.
The color was a cinereous brown.
XII. The LEST HAKE.
Barbus minor
Cornubiensis
cirris bifurcis. The lesser forked beard. Mr.
Jago. Raii syn. pisc.
164.
fig.
8.
WE never saw this species, and having but very imperfect descriptions of it, cannot with any certainty pronounce it to be of this genus, but are unwilling to separate them, as we found them united by that judicious Icthyologist Mr.
Jago.
It is said not to exceed five inches in length: the first dorsal fin (in the print) is shorter than that of the preceding; the second resembles that of the other kind: the ventral fins bifurcated. It has a small beard, and a rounded tail, but the head is shorter and more steep; the color black, the skin smooth, and the appearance disagreeable.
XIII. The LING.
Ling, Lingfische.
Belon.
130.
Gesner pisc.
95.
Molva major
Charletonex. pisc.
3.
Asellus longus, eine Lenge.
Schonevelde,
18.
Ling.
Wil. Icth.
175.
Raii syn. pisc.
56.
Gadus dorso dipterygio, ore serrato, maxilla superiore longiore.
Arted. synon.
36.
Gadus molva.
Lin. syst.
439.
Langa.
Faun. suec. No.
313.
THE ling takes its name from its length, being corrupted from the word
long.
It abounds about the
Scilly Isles,
on the coasts of
Scarborough,
and those of
Scotland
and
Ireland,
and forms a considerable article of commerce
This branch of trade was considerable so long ago as the reign of
Edward
III. an act for regulating the price of
Lob, Ling,
and
Cod,
being made in his 31st year.
In the
Yorkshire
seas they are in perfection from the beginning of
February
to the beginning of
May,
and some till the end of that month. In
June
they spawn, depositing their eggs in the soft oozy ground of the mouth of the
Tees:
at that time the males separate from the females, and resort to some rocky ground near
Flamborough Head,
where the fishermen take great numbers without ever finding any of the female or roed fish among them.
While a ling is in season its liver is very white,
Oil.
and abounds with a fine flavored oil; but as soon as the fish goes out of season, the liver becomes red as that of a bullock, and affords no oil. The same happens to the cod and other fish in a certain degree, but not so remarkably as in the ling. When the fish is in perfection, a very large quantity of oil may be melted out of the liver by a slow fire, but if a violent sudden heat be used for that purpose, they yield very little. This oil, which nature hoards up in the cellular membranes of fishes, returns into their blood, and supports them in the engendring season, when they pursue the business of generation with so much eagerness as to neglect their food.
Vast quantities of ling is salted for exportation, as well as for home consumption. When it is cut or split for curing, it must measure twenty-six inches or upwards from the shoulder to the tail; if less than that it is not reckoned a sizeable fish, and consequently not entitled to the bounty on exportation; such are called
Drizzles,
and are in season all summer.
The ufual size of a ling is from three to four feet;
Descr.
but we have heard of one that was seven feet long.
The body is very slender; the head flat; the upper jaw the longest; the teeth in that jaw small and very numerous; in the lower, few, slender, and sharp: on the chin is a small beard.
The first dorsal fin is small, placed near the head, and consists of fifteen rays: the second is very long, reaching almost to the tail, and consists of sixty-five rays: the pectoral fins have fifteen radiated rays, the ventral fins six; the anal sixty-two: the tail is rounded at the end.
These fish vary in color,
Color.
some being of an olive hue on the sides and back, others cinereous; the belly white.
XIV. The BURBOT.
Strinsias, ou Botatrissa.
Belon.
300.
Lota.
Rondel. fluviat.
165.
Gesner pisc.
599.
Quappen, Elff-quappen, Tider-quappen, Truschen?
Schonevelde,
49.
Burbot, or Bird-bolt.
Plot. Staff.
241.
tab.
22.
fig.
4.
Mustela fluviatilis nostratibus Eel-pout.
Wil. Icth.
125.
Raii syn. pisc.
67.
Aal-rutte, Rutte.
Kram.
388.
Gadus dorso dipterygio, ore cirrato, maxillis aequalibus.
Arted. synon.
38.
Gadus Lota.
Lin. syst.
440.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
97.
Lake.
Faun. suec. No.
113.
THIS fish is found in the
Trent,
Pla
e.
but in greater plenty in the river
Witham,
and in the great
East Fen
in
Lincolnshire.
It is a very delicate fish for the table, tho' of a disgusting appearance when alive. It is very voracious, and preys on the fry and lesser fish. It does not often take a bait, but is generally caught in weels.
It abounds in the lake of
Geneva,
where it is called
Lota,
and it is also met with in the
Lago Maggiore,
and
Lugano.
The largest that we ever heard was taken in our waters weighed between two and three pounds,
Descr.
but abroad they are sometimes found of double that weight.
Their body has some resemblance to that of an eel, only shorter and thicker, and its motions also resemble those of that fish: they are besides very smooth, slippery, and slimy.
The head is very ugly, being flat, and shaped like that of a toad: the teeth are very small, but numerous: the irides yellow.
On the end of the nose are two small beards; on the chin another: the number of its branchiostegous rays are seven.
The first dorsal fin is short: the second is placed immediately behind it, and extends almost to the tail: the pectoral fins are rounded: the ventral fins consist of six rays, of which the two first are divided near their ends from each other: the vent is placed in the middle of the belly, and the anal fin reaches almost to the tail: the tail is rounded at the end.
The color of this species varies;
Color.
some are dusky, others of a dirty green, spotted with black, and oftentimes with yellow, and the belly in some is white; but the real colors are frequently concealed by the slime.
XV. The SPOTTED WHISTLE FISH.
Mustella vulgaris.
Rondel.
281.
Gesner pisc.
89.
Sea Loche
Cestriae,
Whistle Fish
Cornubiae. Wil. Icth.
121.
Raii syn. pisc.
67. Rockling, Mr.
Jago. Raii syn. pisc.
164.
fig.
9.
THIS species commonly frequents the rocky shores of these islands, and is sometimes taken with a bait.
It grows to the length of one foot: the head is large and flat: the eyes not remote from the end of the nose: the body is long, slender, and compressed sideways, especially towards the tail: at the end of the upper jaw are two beards; on the chin one.
The teeth are numerous and small, disposed along the jaws in form of a broad plate: in the roof of the mouth is a set of small teeth, disposed in a triangular form.
The number of branchiostegous rays is seven.
The first dorsal fin is lodged in a deep furrow just beyond the head, and consist of a number of short unconnected rays: the second rises just behind it, and reaches very near the tail: the pectoral fins are broad and roud: the ventral fins small; the second ray the longest: the anal fin reaches almost to the tail: the tail rounded at the end.
The scales are very small: the color of the body and head a reddish yellow, marked above the lateral line with large black spots: the back fin and tail are darker; the vent fin of a brighter red, but all are spotted. The lateral line bends in the middle, then passes strait to the tail.
XVI. The BROWN WHISTLE FISH.
Gadus dorso dipterygio, sulco magno ad pinnam dorsi primam, ore cirrato?
Arted. synon.
37.
Gadus mustela. G. dipterygius cirris 5, pinna dorsali priore exoleta.
Lin. syst.
440.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
314.
MR.
Willoughby
makes this species with five beards, a variety only of the former; but having opportunity of examining several specimens, we must dissent from his opinion, having always observed the number of beards in the spotted kind not to exceed three, nor the number in the brown kind to be less than five. The first ray of the first dorsal fin is very long. There is also some difference in the form as well as color, this species being rather thicker in proportion than the former.
Excepting these particulars, and the number of beards, there is a general agreement in the parts of both. The beards on the upper jaw are four, viz. Two at the very end of the nose, and two a little above them: on the end of the lower jaw is a single one.
These fish are of a deep olive brown, their belly whitish. They grow to the same size as the former.
The
Cornish
fishermen are said to whistle, and make use of the words
Bod, Bod vean,
when they are desirous of taking this fish, as if by that they facilitated the capture. In the same manner the
Sicilian
fishermen repeat their
Mamassu di pajanu,
&c. when they are in pursuit of the
Sword Fish
Vide p.
127.
Genus XX.
Head blunt at the end, and very steep. Body smooth and slippery. Teeth slender. Body compressed sideways. Ventral fins consisting generally of only two united rays. One dorsal fin. Six branchiostegous rays.
BLENNY
There being no
English
name for this genus,
Blenny
is given it, derived from the word
Blennius,
the generical term used by
Artedius,
who forms it from
mucus,
it being of a slimy nature.
With a crested head.
I. The CRESTED BLENNY.
Adonis, ou exocetus.
Belon.
219.
Galerita.
Rondel.
204.
Gesner pisc.
14, 17, 18.
Alauda cristata, sive Galerita.
Wil. Icth.
134.
Raii syn. pisc.
73.
Blennius crista capitis transversa cutacea.
Arted. synon.
44.
Blennius Galerita.
Lin. syst.
441.
THIS species is found, tho' not frequently, on our rocky shores, and is commonly about four or five inches long.
On the head is a small crest-like fin, which it can erect or depress at pleasure. On the top of the head between the eyes is a triangular lump pointing backwards, and red about its edges.
The skin at the corner of the upper jaw is loose, and projects.
From the hind part of the head almost to the tail extends the dorsal fin: the ventral fin is small: the vent is placed under the ends of the pectoral fins.
The body is smooth and slippery: the color brown, and spotted.
II. The GATTORUGINE.
Scorpioides.
Rondel.
204.
Gesner pisc.
847.
Gattorugine
Venetiis. Wil. Icth.
132.
Raii syn. pisc.
72.
Blennius pinnulis duabus ad ad oculos, pinna ani ossiculorum viginti trium.
Arted. synon.
44.
Blennius Gattorugine.
Lin. syst.
442.
THIS curious kind was discovered to be a
British
fish,
Place.
by the Rev. Mr.
Williams,
who found it on the
Anglesea
coast, and favored us with it.
Its length was seven inches and an half:
Descr.
the body was smooth, and compressed on the sides: the belly a little prominent: the vent situated as in the preceding fish.
The teeth slender, almost setaceous, and very close set: between the eyes was a small hollow, and above each just on the summit was a narrow loose membrane, trifurcated at the top, which distinguishes this from all other species.
The pectoral fins broad and rounded, consisting of fourteen rays, which extend beyond the webs, making the edges appear scalloped.
The ventral fins like those of others of the genus: the dorsal fin consisted of fourteen strong spiny rays, and nineteen soft rays; the last of which were higher than the spiny rays.
The anal fin had twenty-one rays: the ends in every fin extended beyond their webs.
The tail was rounded at the end, and consisted of twelve rays, divided towards their extremities.
This fish in general was of a dusky hue, marked across with wavy lines: the belly of a light-ash color.
The lower part of the pectoral fins, and the ends of the ventral fins, of an orange color.
With a smooth head.
III. The SMOOTH BLENNY.
La tierce espece de Exocetus?
Belon.
219.
Alauda non cristata.
Rondel.
205.
Gesner pisc.
18.
Mulgranoc, & Bulcard
Cornubiae. Wil. Icth.
133.
Raii syn. pisc.
73.
Cataphractus laevis
Cornubiensis,
Smooth Shan.
Mr. Jago apud Raii syn. pisc.
164.
fig.
10.
Blennius maxilla superiore longiore, capite summo acuminato.
Arted. synon.
45.
Blennius Pholis.
Lin. syst.
443.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
259.
WE discovered this species in plenty lying under the stones among the tang on the rocky coasts of
Anglesea,
Place.
at the lower water-mark. It was very active and vivacious, and would by the help of its ventral fins creep up between the stones with great facility. It bit extremely hard, and would hang at ones finger for a considerable time. It was very tenacious of life, and would live for near a day out of water.
It feeds on shells and small crabs, whose remains we found in its stomach.
The length in general was five inches:
Descr.
the head large, and sloping suddenly to the mouth: the irides red.
The teeth slender, very sharp, and close set: there were twenty-four in the upper, and nineteen in the lower jaw.
The pectoral fins broad and rounded, consisting of thirteen rays: the ventral fins of only two thick rays, separated near their ends.
The dorsal fin consisted of thirty-two soft rays, and reached from the hind part of the head almost to the tail.
The vent was in the middle of the body: the anal fin extended almost to the tail, and consisted of nineteen rays, tipt with white.
The tail rounded at the end, and composed of twelve branched rays.
The color varied, some were quite black, but generally they were of a deep olive, prettily marbled with a deeper color; others spotted with white: the last often disposed in rows above and beneath the lateral line.
IV. The SPOTTED BLENNY.
Gunnellus
Cornubiensium,
nonnullis
Butter-fish,
q. d. Liparis.
Wil. Icth.
115.
Raii syn. pisc.
144.
Blennius maculis circiter decem nigris limbo albicante utrinque ad pinnam dorsalem.
Arted. synon.
45.
Blennius Gunnellis. B. pinna dorsali ocellis X nigris.
Lin. syst.
443.
Faun. suec. No.
318.
Seb. Mus.
iii. p. 91.
tab.
30.
fig.
6.
Pholis maculis annulatis ad pinnam dorsalem, pinnis ventralibus obsoletis.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
267.
THIS species is found in the same place with the preceding, lurking like it under stones, is equally vivacious, and is used as a bait for larger fish.
Its length is six inches: the depth only half an inch: the sides very much compressed, and extremely thin.
The head and mouth is small; the last points upwards, and the lower jaw slopes considerably towards the throat.
The teeth are very small; the irides whitish.
The pectoral fins rounded, and of a yellow color: instead of the ventral fins are two minute spines.
The dorsal fin consist of seventy-eight short spiny rays, and runs the length of the back almost to the tail: on the top of the back are eleven round spots, which reach the lower half of the dorsal fin; they are black, half encircled with white.
The vent is in the middle of the body; the anal fin extends from it almost to the tail.
The tail is rounded, and of a yellow color.
The back and sides are of a deep olive: the belly whitish.
V. The VIVIPAROUS BLENNY.
Mustela marina vivipara, Aelquappe, Ael-pute, Ael-moder.
Schonevelde.
50.
tab.
4.
Guffer, Eelpout.
Sib. Scot.
iii. 25.
Mustela vivipara
Schoneveldii. Wil. Icth.
122.
Raii syn. pisc.
69.
Blennius capite dorsoque fusco flavescente lituris nigris, pinna ani flava.
Arted. synon.
45.
Blennius viviparus, B. ore tentaculis duobus.
Lin. syst.
443.
Tanglake.
Faun. suec. No.
317.
Mus. Ad. Fr.
I. 69.
tab.
32.
Enchelyopus corpore lituris variegato; pinna dorsi ad caudam sinuata.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
265.
SCHONEVELDE
first discovered this species; Sir
Robert Sibbald
afterwards found it on the
Scotch
coasts; and
Linnaeus
has described it in his account of his
Swedish
majesty's
Museum.
We are unacquainted with this fish; but on the authority of Sir
Robert Sibbald,
give it a place in this work, borrowing our description from
Schonevelde
and
Linnaeus.
They are viviparous, bringing forth two or three hundred young at a time. Their season of parturition is a little after the depth of winter. Before
Midsummer
they quit the bays and shores, and retire into the deep, where they are commonly taken. They are a very coarse fish, and eat only by the poor.
X. VIVIPAROUS BLENNY.
SPOTTED BLENNY.
SPOTTED GOBY.
They are commonly about a foot in length, and of an eel-like form:
Descr.
their skin smooth and slippery.
At the nostrils are two small beards: the jaws are very rough: the covers of the gills open.
The dorsal fin commences at the hind part of the head, and reaches almost to the tail; it consists of eighty rays.
The pectoral fins are rounded, and are composed of nineteen rays: the ventral fins of only four very short ones.
The anal fins extends to and unites with the tail, which is small, and ends in a sharp point.
The color of the back and head is a yellowish brown, stained with black strokes: the sides a little lighter: the belly of a dirty white: the dorsal fin marked in the same manner as the back.
Sect. III. THORACIC FISH.
Genus XXI.
Eyes placed near each other. Four branchiostegous rays. Ventral fins united.
GOBY
Formed from
Gobius,
the generic name bestowed by Natuturalists on these fish.
I. The BLACK GOBY.
Gobio niger.
Rondel.
200.
Gesner pisc.
395.
Schwartzer Goeb.
Schonevelde.
36.
Sea Gudgeon. Rock-fish.
Wil. Icth.
206.
Raii syn. pisc.
76.
Gobius ex nigricante varius, pinna dorsi secunda ossiculorum quatuor decim.
Arted. synon.
46.
Gobius niger.
Lin. syst.
449.
Eleotris capite cathetoplateo, pinnis ventralibus concretis.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
281.
IT is to this fish that Naturalists have given the synonym of
and
Gobio,
names of certain species mentioned by
Aristotle, Pliny,
and
Oppian.
The two first have not left any characters for us to distinguish them by; and
Oppian
at once shews that he never intended this kind, as he has placed it, among those which are armed with a poisonous spine.
Aristotle
was acquainted with two species; one a sea fish that frequented the rocks, another that was gregarious, and an inhabitant of rivers, which last seems to have been our common gudgeon.
This species grows to the length of six inches:
Descr.
the body is soft, slippery, and of a slender form: the head is rather large; the cheeks inflated; the teeth small, and disposed in two rows: from the head to the first dorsal fin is a small sulcus.
The first dorsal fin consists of six rays; the second of fourteen; the pectoral fins of sixteen or seventeen, closely set together, and the middlemost the longest; the others on each side gradually shorter.
The ventral fins coalesce and form a sort of funnel, by which these fish affix themselves immoveably to the rocks, for which reason they are called
Rockfish.
The tail is rounded at the end.
The color is brown, or deep olive, mixed with dark streaks, and spotted with black: the dorsal and anal fins are of a pale blue, the rays marked with minute black spots.
II. The SPOTTED GOBY.
Athen. lib.
vii.
p.
284.
Aphia.
Belon.
207.
Aphya cobites.
Rondel.
210.
Gesner pisc.
67.
Wil. pisc.
207.
Raii syn. pisc.
76.
Gobius Aphya et marsio dictus.
Arted. synon.
47.
Gobius Aphya. G. fasciis etiam pinnarum fuscis.
Lin. syst.
450.
WE saw several of this species taken last summer on our sandy shores in the shrimp nets. The length of the largest was not three inches: the nose was blunt: the eyes large and prominent, standing far out of the head: the irides sappharine; the head flat; the tongue large; teeth in both jaws.
The first dorsal fin consisted of six rays, the second of eleven, and placed at some distance from the other.
The ventral fins are united: the anal consist of eleven rays: the tail is even at the end.
The body is of a whitish color, obscurely spotted with ferruginous: the rays of the dorsal fins, and the tail, barred with the same color.
Genus XXII.
Large flat head, armed with sharp spines. Six branchiostegous rays.
BULL-HEAD.
I. The BULL-HEAD.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
iv.
c.
8.
Chabot.
Belon.
213.
Cottus.
Rondel. Fluviat.
202.
Gobio capitatus.
Gesner pisc.
401.
Een Miiller.
Schwenckfelt. Siles.
431.
Bull-head, Miller's Thumb.
Wil. Icth.
137.
Raii syn. pisc.
76.
Cottus alepedotus glaber, capite diacantho.
Arted. synon.
76.
Cottus Gobio. C. laevis, capite spinis duabus.
Lin. syst.
452.
Sten-simpa, Slagg-simpa.
Faun. suec. No.
323.
Koppe.
Kram.
384.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
270.
THIS species is very common in all our clear brooks; it lies almost always at the bottom, either on the gravel or under a stone: it deposits its spawn in a hole it forms in the gravel, and quits it with great reluctance. It feeds on water insects; and we found in the stomach of one the remains of the fresh water shrimp, the
pulex aquatilis
of
Ray.
This fish seldom exceeds the length of three inches and an half: the head large, broad, flat, and thin at its circumference, being well adapted for insinuating itself under stones: on the middle part of the covers of the gills is a small crooked spine turning inwards.
The eyes are very small: the irides yellow: the teeth very minute, placed in the jaws and the roof of the mouth.
The body grows slender towards the tail, and is very smooth.
The first dorsal fin consists of six rays, the second of seventeen: the pectoral fins are round, and prettily scalloped at their edges, and are composed of thirteen rays; the ventral of only four; the anal of thirteen; the tail of twelve, and is rounded at the end.
The color of this fish is as disagreeable as its form, being dusky, mixed with a dirty yellow: the belly whitish.
II. The POGGE.
Cataphractus, Stein-bicker, Miiller, Turss-bull.
Schonevelde.
30.
tab.
3.
Cataphractus
Schoneveldii
Septentr.
Anglis
a Pogge.
Wil. Icth.
211.
Raii syn. pisc.
77.
Cottus cirris plurimis corpore octagono.
Arted. synon.
77.
Cottus Cataphractus. C. loricatus, rostro verrucoso 2 bifidis, capite subtus cirroso.
Lin. syst.
451.
Botn-mus.
Faun. suec. No.
324.
Seb. Mus.
iii.
tab.
28.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
271.
THE pogge is very common on most of the
British
coasts.
It seldom exceeds five inches and an half in length, and even seldom arrives at that size.
The head is large, bony, and very rugged: the end of the nose is armed with four short upright spines. on the throat are a number of short white beards.
XI. POGGE. BULL-HEAD.
The teeth are very minute, situated in the jaws.
The body is octagonal, and covered with a number of strong bony crusts, divided into several compartments, the ends of which project into a sharp point, and form several echinated lines along the back and sides from the head to the tail.
The first dorsal fin consists of six spiny rays: the second is placed just behind the first, and consists of seven soft rays.
The pectoral fins are broad and rounded, and are composed of fifteen rays.
III. The FATHER-LASHER.
Scorpios.
Ovid. Halieut.
116.
La Scorpene.
Belon.
242.
Scorpius marinus, Waelkuke, Buloffe, Schorp-fische.
Schonevelde.
67.
tab.
6.
Scorpaenae
Belonii
similis
Cornub.
Father-lasher.
Wil. Icth.
138.
Raii syn. pisc.
145. Scorpius virginianus.
Idem.
142.
Wil. Icth. App.
25.
Cottus scorpius. C. capite spinis pluribus, maxilla superiore paulo longiore.
Lin. syst.
452.
Rot-simpa, Skrabba, Skialryta.
Faun. suec. No.
323.
Ulke.
Crantz. Greenl.
I. 95.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
268.
Sea Scorpion.
Edw.
284.
THIS fish is not uncommon on the rocky coasts of this island: it lurks under stones, and will take a bait.
It does not grow to a large size,
Descr.
seldom exceeding (as far as we have seen in the specimens that are taken on our shores) eight or nine inches.
The head is very large, and has a most formidable appearance, being armed with vast spines, which it can oppose to any enemy that attacks it, by swelling out its cheeks and gill covers to a large size.
Et capitis duro nociturus
Scorpios
ictu.
The hurtful
Scorpion
wounding with its head.
The nose and space contiguous to the eyes are furnished with short sharp spines:
Spines.
the covers of the gills are terminated by exceeding long ones, which are both strong and very sharp pointed.
The mouth is large: the jaws covered with rows of very small teeth: the roof of the mouth is furnished with a triangular spot of minute teeth.
The back is more elevated than that of others of this genus: the belly prominent: the side-line rough, the rest of the body very smooth, and grows slender towards the tail.
The first dorsal fin consists of eight spiny rays; the second of eleven high soft rays: the pectoral fins are large, and have sixteen; the ventral three; the anal eight: the tail is rounded at the end, and is composed of twelve bifurcated rays.
The color of the body is brown, or dusky and white marbled, and sometimes is found also stained with red: the fins and tail are transparent, sometimes clouded, but the rays barred regularly with brown: the belly is of a silvery white.
This kind is very frequent in the
Newfoundland
seas,
American.
where it is called
Scolping:
it is also as common on the coast of
Greenland
in deep water near shore. It is a principal food of the natives, and the soup made of it is said to be agreeable as well as wholesome.
Genus XXIII.
Body very deep, and compressed sideways. Very long filaments issuing from the first dorsal fin. Seven branchiostegous rays.
DOREE.
I. The DOREE.
.
Athen. lib.
vii. 328.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 133.
Faber?
Ovid Halieut.
110. Zeus idem Faber
Gadibus. Plin. lib.
ix.
c.
18.
La Dorèe.
Belon.
146.
Faber sive Gallus marinus.
Rondel.
328.
Gesner pisc.
369.
A Doree.
Wil. Icth.
294.
Raii syn pisc.
99.
Zeus ventre aculeato, cauda in extremo circinato.
Arted. synon.
78.
Zeus Faber. Z. cauda rotundata, lateribus mediis ocello fusco, pinnis analibus duabus.
Lin. syst.
454.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
311.
Zeus spinosus.
Mus. Fred. Ad.
67.
tab.
xxxi.
SUPERSTITION hath made the
Doree
rival to the
Hadock,
for the honor of having been the fish out of whose mouth St.
Peter
took the tribute-mony, leaving on its sides those incontestible proofs of the identity of the fish, the marks of his finger and thumb.
It is rather difficult at this time to determine on which part to decide the dispute; for the
Doree
likewise asserts an origin of its spots of a similar nature, but of a much earlier date than the former. St.
Christopher
Belon. Rondel.
also
Aldrovand de pisc.
40. St.
Christopher
was of a
Colossal
stature, as is evident from his image in the church of
Notre Dame
at
Paris,
and a still larger at
Auxerre:
the last we think is near seventy feet high. His history is expressed in his name,
, being said to have carried our Saviour, when a child, over an arm of the sea.
, in wading thro' an arm of the sea, having caught a fish of this kind
en passant,
as an eternal memorial of the fact, left the impressions on its sides to be transmitted to all posterity. Could this but be established, we should not hesitate to pronounce in favor of the hadock.
In our own country it was very long before this fish attracted our notice, at left as an edible one. We are indebted to that judicious actor and
bon vivant
the late Mr.
Quin,
for adding a most delicious fish to our table, who overcoming all the vulgar prejudices on account of its deformity, has effectually established its reputation.
This fish was supposed to be found only in the southern seas of this kingdom,
Place.
but it has been discovered last year on the coast of
Anglesea.
Those of the greatest size are taken in the
Bay
of
Biscay
off the
French
coasts: they are also very common in the
Mediterranean; Ovid
must therefore have styled it
rarus Faber,
on account of its excellency not its scarcity.
The form of this fish is hideous:
Descr.
its body is oval, and greatly compressed on the sides: the head large: the snout vastly projecting: the mouth very wide: the teeth very small.
The eyes great: the irides yellow.
The lateral line oddly distorted, sinking at each end, and rising near the back in the middle: beneath it on each side is a round black spot.
The first dorsal fin consists of ten strong spiny rays, with long filaments, reaching far beyond their ends: the second is placed near the tail, and consists of twenty-four soft rays, the middlemost of which are the longest.
The pectoral fins have fourteen rays, the ventral seven; the first spiny, the others soft: it has two anal fins; the first consists of four sharp spines, the second of twenty-two soft ones, and reaches very near the tail.
The tail is round at the end, and consists of fifteen branched rays.
The color of the sides are olive, varied with light blue and white, and while living is very resplendent, and as if gilt, for which reason it is called the
Doree.
The largest fish we have heard of weighed twelve pounds.
Size.
Genus XXIV.
Body quite flat, and very thin. Eyes, both on the same side the head. Branchiostegous rays from four to seven.
FLOUNDER.
With the eyes on the right side.
I. The HOLIBUT.
Hippoglossus.
Rondel.
325.
Gesner pisc.
669.
Heglbutte, Hilligbutte.
Schonevelde.
62.
Holibut,
Septentr. Anglis
Turbot.
Wil. Icth.
99.
Raii syn. pisc.
33.
Pleuronectes oculis a dextris, totus glaber.
Arted. synon.
31.
Pleuronectes Hippoglossus.
Lin. syst.
456.
Halg-flundra.
Faun. suec. No.
329.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
247.
THIS is the largest of the genus;
Size.
some have been taken in our seas weighing from one to three hundred pounds; but much larger are found in those of
Newfoundland, Greenland,
and
Iceland,
where they are taken with a hook and line in very deep water. They are part of the food of the
Greenlanders
Crantz. Hist. Greenl.
I. 98.
, who cut them into large slips, and dry them in the sun.
They are common in the
London
markets, where they are exposed to sale cut into large pieces. They are very coarse eating, excepting the part which adheres to the side fins, which is extremely fat and delicious, but surfeiting.
They are the most voracious of all flat fish. The last year there were two instances of their swallowing the lead weight at the end of a line, with which the seamen were sounding the bottom from on board a ship, one off
Flamborough Head,
the other going into
Tinmouth Haven:
the latter was taken, the other disengaged itself.
The holibut,
Descr.
in respect to its length, is the narrowest of any of this genus except the sole.
It is perfectly smooth, and free from spines either above or below. The color of the upper part is dusky; beneath of a pure white. We do not count the rays of the fins in this genus, not only because they are so numerous, but because nature hath given to each species characters sufficient to distinguish them by.
These flat fish swim sideways; for which reason
Linnaeus
hath styled them
Pleuronectes.
II. The WHIFF.
Passer
Cornubiensis
asper, magno oris hiatu. Mr.
Jago. Raii syn. pisc.
163.
fig.
2.
BY the figure Mr.
Jago
has left of this species, it bears a great resemblance to the holibut. He calls it the
Whiff,
and says its mouth is large, its skin hard and rough, its color a dirty ash, and its flesh coarse and good for nothing. The skin appears to be much spotted, and the lateral line greatly incurvated at the beginning, and afterwards proceeding in a strait direction to the tail.
III. The PLAISE.
Platessa?
Ausonii Epist. ad. Theon.
62.
Le Quarlet.
Belon.
139.
Quadratulus.
Rondel.
318.
Gesner pisc.
665.
Scholle, Pladise.
Schonevelde.
61.
Plaise.
Wil. Icth.
96.
Raii syn. pisc.
31.
Pleuronectes oculis et tuberculis sex a dextra capitis, lateribus glabris, spina ad anum.
Arted. synon.
30.
Pleuronectes Platessa.
Lin. syst.
456.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
246.
Skalla, Rodsputta.
Faun. suec. No.
328.
THESE fish are very common on most of our coasts, and sometimes taken of the weight of fifteen pounds; but they seldom reach that size, one of eight or nine pounds being reckoned a large fish.
The best and largest are taken off
Rye,
on the coast of
Sussex,
and also off the
Dutch
coasts. They spawn in the beginning of
February.
They are very flat, and much more square than the preceding. Behind the left eye is a row of six tubercles, that reaches to the commencement of the lateral line.
The upper part of the body and fins is of a clear brown, marked with large bright orange-colored spots: the belly is white.
IV. The FLOUNDER.
Le Flez.
Belon.
141.
Passeris tertia species.
Rondel.
319.
Gesner pisc.
666, 670.
Struff-butte.
Schonevelde.
62.
Flounder, Fluke, or But.
Wil. Icth.
980.
Raii syn. pisc.
32.
Pleuronectes oculis a dextris, linea laterali aspera, spinulis supiné ad radices pinnarum, dentibus obtusis.
Arted. synon.
31.
Pleuronectes Flesus.
Lin. syst.
457.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
248.
Flundra, Slatt-skadda.
Faun. suec. No.
327.
THE flounder inhabits every part of the
British
sea, and even frequents our rivers at a great distance from the salt waters; and for this reason some writers call it the
Passer fluviatilis.
It never grows large in our rivers, but is reckoned sweeter than those that live in the sea. It is inferior in size to the plaise, for we never heard of any that weighed more than six pounds.
It may very easily be distinguished from the plaise,
Descr.
or any other fish of this genus, by a row of sharp small spines that surround its upper sides, and are placed just at the junction of the fins with the body. Another row marks the side-line, and runs half way down the back.
The color of the upper part of the body is a pale brown, sometimes marked with a few obscure spots of dirty yellow: the belly is white.
We have met with a variety of this fish with the eyes and lateral line on the left side.
Linnaeus
makes a distinct species of it under the name of
Pleuronectes Passer,
p. 459; but since it differs in no other respect from the common kind, we agree with Doctor
Gronovius
in not separating them.
V. The DAB.
La Limande.
Belon.
142.
Passer asper, sive squamosus.
Rondel.
319.
Gesner pisc.
665.
Dab.
Wil. Icth.
97.
Raii syn. pisc.
32.
Pleuronectes oculis a dextra, squamis asperis, spina ad anum, dentibus obtusis.
Arted. synon.
33.
Pleuronectes Limanda. Pl. oculis dextris, squamis ciliatis, spinulis ad radicem pinnarum dorsi, anique.
Lin. syst.
457.
THE dab is found with the other species, but is less common. It is in best season during
February, March,
and
April:
they spawn in
May
and
June,
and become flabby and watery the rest of the summer. They are superior in goodness to the plaise and flounder, but far inferior in size.
It is generally of an uniform brown color on the upper side,
Descr.
tho' sometimes clouded with a darker. The scales are small and rough, which is a character of this species. The lateral line is extremely incurvated at the beginning, then goes quite strait to the tail. The lower part of the body is white.
VI. The SMEAR-DAB.
Rhombus laevis
Cornubiensis
maculis nigris, a Kit. Mr.
Jago. Raii syn. pisc.
162.
fig.
1.
WE found one of this species at a fishmonger's in
London
last winter, where it is known by the name of the smear-dab.
It was a foot and an half long, and eleven inches broad between fin and fin on the widest part.
The head appeared very small, as the dorsal fin began very near its mouth, and extended very near to the tail. It consisted of seventy nine rays.
The eyes were pretty near each other. The mouth full of small teeth.
The lateral line was much incurvated for the first two inches from its origin, then continued strait to the tail.
The back was covered with small smooth scales, was of a light brown color, spotted obscurely with yellow. The belly white, and marked with five large dusky spots.
It was a fish of goodness equal to the common dab.
VII. The SOLE.
.
Athen. lib.
viii.
p.
288.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 99.
La Sole.
Belon.
142.
Buglossus.
Rondel.
320.
Gesner pisc.
666.
Tungen.
Schonevelde.
63.
Pleuronectes oculis a sinistra corpore oblongo, maxilla superiore longiore, squamis utrinque asperis.
Arted. syn.
32.
Pleuronectes Solea
Lin. syst.
457.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
251.
Tunga, Sola.
Faun. suee. No.
326.
THE sole is found on all our coasts, but those on the western shores are much superior in size to those of the north. On the former they are sometimes taken of the weight of six or seven pounds, but towards
Scarborough
they rarely exceed one pound; if they reach two, it is extremely uncommon.
They are usually taken in the trawl-net: they keep much at the bottom, and feed on small shell fish.
It is of a form much more narrow and oblong than any other of the genus.
Descr.
The irides are yellow; the pupils of a bright sappharine color: the scales are small, and very rough: the upper part of the body is of a deep brown: the tip of one of the pectoral fins black: the under part of the body is white: the lateral line strait: the tail rounded at the end.
It is a fish of a very delicate flavor; but the small soles are much superior in goodness to large ones
By the antient laws of the
Cinque
ports, no one was to take soles from the 1st of
November
to the 15th of
March;
neither was any body to fish from sun-setting to sun-rising, that the fish might enjoy their night-food.
The chief fishery for them is at
Blixham,
and in
Torbay.
VIII. The SMOOTH SOLE.
Solea?
Ovid. Halieut.
124.
Arnoglossus seu Solea laevis.
Wil. Icth.
102.
Raii syn. pisc.
34.
THIS, as described by Mr.
Ray,
(for we have not seen it) is extremely thin, pellucid, and white, and covered with such minute scales, and those instantly deciduous, as to merit the epithet smooth.
It is a scarce species, but is found in
Cornwall,
where, from its transparency, it is called the
Lantern Fish.
It is probable that
Ovid
intended this species, by his
Solea;
for the common kind does by no means merit his description.
Fulgentes
SOLEAe
candore.
And
Soles
with white resplendent.
With the eyes on the left side.
IX. The TURBOT.
Rhombus.
Ovid. Halieut.
Le Turbot.
Belon.
134.
Rhombus, aculeatus.
Rondel.
310.
Gesner pisc.
661.
Steinbutt, Torbutt, Treenbutt, Dornbutt.
Schonevelde.
60.
Turbot. in the
north
a Bret.
Wil. Icth.
94.
Rhombus maximus asper non squamosus.
Raii syn. pisc.
31.
Pleuronectes oculis a sinistra, corpore aspero.
Arted. synon.
32.
Pleuronectes maximus.
Lin. syst.
459.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
254.
Butta.
Faun. suec. No.
325.
TURBOTS grow to a very large size;
Size.
we have seen them of three and twenty pounds weight, but have heard of some that weighed thirty. They are taken chiefly off the north coast of
England,
and others off the
Dutch
coast; but we believe the last has, in many instances, more credit than it deserves for the abundance of its fish.
The large turbots, and several other kinds of flat fish,
Fishery.
are taken by the hook and line, for they lye in deep water: the method of taking them in wares, or staked nets, is too precarious to be depended on for the supply of our great markets, because it is by meer accident that the great fish stray into them.
It is a misfortune to the inhabitants of many of our fishing coasts, especially those of the north part of
North Wales,
that they are unacquainted with the most successful means of capture: for their benefit, and perhaps that of other parts of our island, we shall lay before them the method practised by the fishermen of
Scarborough,
as it was communicated to us by Mr.
Travis.
When they go out to fish, each person is provided with three lines.
Lines.
Each man's lines are fairly coiled upon a flat oblong piece of wicker-work; the hooks being baited, and placed very regularly in the centre of the coil. Each line is furnished with 14 score of hooks, at the distance of six feet two inches from each other. The hooks are fastened to the lines upon sneads of twisted horse-hair, 27 inches in length.
When fishing there are always three men in each coble, and consequently nine of these lines are fastened together, and used as one line, extending in length near three miles, and furnished with 2520 hooks. An anchor and a buoy are fixed at the first end of the line, and one more of each at the end of each man's lines; in all four anchors, which are commonly perforated stones, and four buoys made of leather or cork. The line is always laid across the current. The tides of flood and ebb continue an equal time upon our coast, and when undisturbed by winds run each way about six hours. They are so rapid that the fishermen can only shoot and haul their lines at the turn of tide; and therefore the lines always remain upon the ground about six hours
In this space the
myxine glutinosa
of
Linnaeus,
will frequently penetrate the fish that are on the hooks, and entirely devour them, leaving only the skin and bones.
. The same rapidity of tide prevents their using handlines; and therefore two of the people commonly wrap themselves in the sail, and sleep while the other keeps a strict look-out, for fear of being run down by ships, and to observe the weather. For storms often rise so suddenly, that it is with extreme difticulty they can sometimes escape to the shore, leaving their lines behind.
The coble is 20 feet 6 inches long,
Coble.
and 5 feet extreme breadth. It is about one ton burthen, rowed with three pair of oars, and admirably constructed for the purpose of encountering a mountanous sea: they hoist sail when the wind suits.
The five-men boat is 40 feet long and 15 broad, and of 25 tons burthen: it is so called, tho' navigated by six men and a boy, because one of the men is commonly hired to cook, &c. and does not share in the profits with the other five. All our able fishermen go in these boats to the herring fishery at
Yarmouth
the latter end of
September,
and return about the middle of
November.
The boats are then laid up until the beginning of
Lent,
at which time they go off in them to the edge of the
Dogger,
and other places, to fish for turbot, cod, ling, skates, &c. They always take two cobles on board, and when they come upon their ground, anchor the boat, throw out the cobles, and fish in the same manner as those do who go from the shore in a coble, with this difference only; that here each man is provided with double the quantity of lines, and instead of waiting the return of tide in the coble, return to the boat and bait their other lines; thus hawling one set, and shooting another every turn of tide. They commonly run into harbour twice a week to deliver their fish. The five-men boat is decked at each end, but open in the middle, and has two large lug-sails.
The best bait for all kinds of fish is fresh herring cut in pieces of a proper size;
Bait.
and notwithstanding what has been said to the contrary, they are taken here at any time in the winter, and all the spring, whenever the fishermen put down their nets for that purpose. The five-men boats always take some nets for that end. Next to herrings are the lesser lampreys
The
Dutch
also use these fish as baits in the turbot fishery, and purchase annually from the
Thames
fishermen as much as amounts to 700
l.
worth, for that purpose.
, which come all winter by land-carriage from
Tadcaster.
The next baits in esteem are small hadocks cut in pieces, sand worms, muscles, and limpets (called here
Flidders;
) and lastly, when none of these can be had they use bullock's liver. The hooks used here are much smaller than those employed at
Iceland
and
Newfoundland.
Experience has shewn that the larger fish will take a living small one upon the hook, sooner than any bait that can be put on; therefore they use such as the small fish can swallow. The hooks are two inches and an half long in the shank, and near an inch wide between the shank and the point. The line is made of small cording, and is always tanned before it is used.
Turbots, and all the rays, are extremely delicate in their choice of baits. If a piece of herring or hadock has been twelve hours out of the sea, and then used as bait, they will not touch it.
This and the pearl are of a remarkable square form:
Descr.
the color of the upper part of the body is cinereous, marked with numbers of black spots of different sizes: the belly is white: the skin is without scales, but greatly wrinkled, and mixed with small short spines, dispersed without any order.
X. The PEARL.
La Barbue.
Belon.
137.
Rhombus laevis.
Rondel.
312.
Gesner pisc.
662.
Schlichtbutt.
Schonevelde.
60.
Rhombus non aculeatus squamosus
the Pearl. Londinens. Cornub. Lug-aleaf. Wil. Icth.
95.
Raii syn. pisc.
31.
Pleuronectes oculis a sinistris, corpore glabro.
Arted. syn.
31.
Pleuronectes Rhombus.
Lin. syst.
458.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
249.
Pigghvarf.
It wgoth.
178.
IT is frequently found in the
London
markets, but is inferior to the turbot in goodness as well as size.
The irides are yellow: the skin is covered with small scales, but is quite free from any spines or inequalities.
The upper side of the body is of a deep brown, marked with spots of dirty yellow: the under side is of a pure white.
Genus XXV.
Covers of the gills scaly. Five branchiostegous rays. Fore teeth sharp. Grinders flat. One dorsal fin, reaching the whole length of the back. Forked tail.
GILT-HEAD.
I. The GILT-HEAD.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 169.
Chrysophrys.
Ovid. Halieut.
iii.
Aurata
Plinii. lib.
ix.
c.
16.
La Dorade.
Belon.
186. Chrysophry
Caii opus.
112.
Aurata.
Rondel.
115.
Gesner pisc.
110. 112.
Gilt-head or Gilt-poll.
Wil. Icth.
307.
Raii syn. pisc.
131.
Sparus dorso acutissimo, linea arcuata inter oculos.
Arted. synon.
63.
Sparus lunula aurea inter oculos.
Lin. syst.
467.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
220.
THIS is one of the
pisces saxatiles,
or fish that haunt deep waters on bold rocky shores: those that form this genus, as well as the following, feed chiefly on shell fish, which they comminute with their teeth before they swallow; the teeth of this genus in particular being extremely well adapted for that purpose, the grinders being flat and strong, like those of certain quadrupeds: besides those are certain bones in the lower part of the mouth, which assist in grinding their food.
They are but a coarse fish; nor did the
Romans
hold them in any esteem, except they had fed on the
Lucrine
oyster.
Non omnis laudem pretiumque
AURATA
meretur,
Sed cui solus erit concha
LUCRINA
cibus.
Martial. lib.
xiii.
ep.
90.
No praise, no price a
Gilt-head
e'er will take,
Unfed with oysters of the
Lucrine
lake.
They grow to the weight of ten pounds:
Descr.
the form of the body is deep, not unlike that of a bream: the back is very sharp and of a dusky green color: the irides of a silvery hue: between the eyes is a semilunar gold color'd spot, the horns of which point towards the head: on the upper part of the gills is a black spot, beneath that another of purple.
The dorsal fin extends almost the whole length of the back, and consists of twenty-four rays, the eleven first spiny, the others soft: the pectoral fins consist of seventeen soft rays; the ventral of six rays, the first of which is very strong and spiny: the anal fin of fourteen; the three first spiny.
The tail is much forked.
It takes its name from its predominant color; that of the forehead and sides being as if gilt,
Color.
but the last is tinged with brown.
II. The SEA BREAM.
Pagur?
Ovid. Halieut.
107.
Le Pagrus.
Belon.
245.
Pagrus.
Rondel.
142.
Gesner. pisc.
656.
Sea Bream.
Wil. Icth.
312.
Raii syn. pisc.
131.
Sparus rubescens, cute ad radicem pinnarm dorsi et ani in sinum producta.
Arted. synon.
64.
Sparus Pagrus.
Lyn. syst.
469.
THIS species grows to a size equal with that of the former:
Descr.
its shape and the figure of the teeth are much the same.
The irides are silvery: the inside of the covers of the gills, the mouth, and the tongue, are of a fine red.
At the base of the pectoral fins is a ferruginous spot.
What is peculiar to this species is, that the skin at the end of the dorsal and anal fins is gathered up, and hides the last rays.
The scales are large: the tail forked.
The color of the whole body is red.
Color.
III. The LESSER SEA BREAM.
Brama marina cauda forcipata D.
Jonston. Raii syn. pisc.
115.
THIS species was communicated to Mr.
Ray
by his friend Mr.
Jonston,
a
Yorkshire
gentleman, who informed him it was found on the sands near the mouth of the
Tees, Sept.
18, 1681.
It was a deep fish, formed like a roch, twentysix inches long, ten broad, and grew very slender towards the tail.
The eyes large, like those of quadrupeds. In the lower jaw were two rows of teeth, in the upper a single row of small ones. The aperture of the gills very large, and like those of a salmon: the body scaly.
In the middle of the back was one fin extending almost to the tail; behind the vent another.
The back black; the sides of a brighter color: the belly quite of a silvery brightness.
Genus XXVI.
Deep body. Very minute scales. Setaceous teeth on the tongue only. One long dorsal fin.
OPAH.
I. The OPAH.
Opah, or King-Fish.
Phil. Trans. Abridg. vol.
xi. 879.
tab.
v.
WE have only four instances of this fish being taken in our seas, each of them in the
North,
viz. twice off
Scotland
The fish engraved by Sir
Robert Sibbald, Hist. Scot. tab.
6. and thus described, is of this kind.
Piscis maculis aureis aspersus non scriptus, pollices
42
longus.
, once off
Northumberland,
and once in
Filey-Bay, Yorkshire.
This last was caught about two years ago, and exhibited as a shew at
Scarborough.
It is of that genus which
Linnaeus
distinguishes by the name of
Chaetodon,
from its bristly teeth, and is said to be very common on the coast of
Guinea.
It is well described by an anonymous writer in the
London Magazine
for
October,
1767, which we shall borrow, as the account is confirmed to us by Mr.
Travis,
who had an opportunity of examining one of the same species.
Newcastle, Sept.
12. On
Saturday
last was thrown upon the sands at
Blyth,
a very rare and beautiful fish, weighing between seventy and eighty pounds
That described in the
Philosophical Transactions
weighed eighty-two pounds.
, shaped like the sea bream. The length was three feet and an half; the breadth from back to belly almost two feet; but the thickness from side to side not above six inches.
The mouth small for the size of the fish, forming a square opening, and without any teeth in the jaws. The tongue thick, resembling that of a man, but rough and thick set with beards or prickles, pointing backwards, so that any thing might easily pass down, but could not easily return back, therefore these might serve instead of teeth to retain its prey
The writer omitted the description of the tongue and its setaceous teeth, which we supply from the
Transactions.
. The eyes remarkably large, covered with a membrane, and shining with a glare of gold. The cover of the gills like the salmon.
The body diminishes very small to the tail, which is forked, and expands twelve inches: the gill fins are broad, about eight inches long, and play horizontally: a little behind their insertion the back fin takes its original, where it is about seven inches high, but slopes away very suddenly, running down very near the tail, and at its termination becomes a little broader: the belly fins are very strong, and placed near the middle of the body: a narrow fin also runs from the anus to the tail.
All the fins, and also the tail, are of a fine scarlet; but the colours and beauty of the rest of the body, which is smooth and covered with almost impercepticle scales, beggars all description; the upper part being a kind of bright green, variegated with whitish spots, and enriched with a shining golden hue, much resembling the splendor of the peacock's feathers; this by degrees vanishes in a bright silver; and near the belly the gold begins again to predominate in a lighter ground than on the back.
Genus XXVII.
Covers of the gills scaly. Branchiostegous rays unequal in number
Linnaeus
says six: this species had only four; the second, six; the third and fourth, five. We also find the same variation in the rays of the fins, the numbers being different in fish of the same species, not only of this but of other
genera.
Teeth conic, long and blunt at their ends. One tuberculated bone in the bottom of the throat: two above opposite to the other.
One dorsal fin reaching the whole length of the back: a slender skin extending beyond the end of each ray. Rounded tail.
WRASSE.
I. The WRASSE.
Vieille, Poule de mer, Gallot, une Rosse.
Belon.
248.
Turdorum undecimum genus.
Rondel.
179.
Gesner pisc.
1019.
Turdus vulgatissimus.
Wil. Icth.
319.
Wrasse, or Old Wife.
Raii syn. pisc.
136.
Labrus rostro sursum reflexo cauda in extremo circulari.
Arted. synon.
56.
Labrus Tinca.
Lin. syst.
477.
THIS species is found in deep water adjacent to the rocks. It will take a bait, tho' its usual food is shell-fish, and small crustacea.
It grows to the weight of four or five pounds: it bears some resemblance to a carp in the form of the body, and is covered with large scales.
The nose projects; the lips are large and fleshy, and the one turns up, the other hangs down: the mouth is capable of being drawn in or protruded.
The irides are red:
Teeth.
the teeth are disposed in two rows; the first are conic, the second very minute, and as if supporters to the others: in the throat just before the gullet are three bones, two above of an oblong form, and one below of a triangular shape; the surface of each rising into roundish protuberances: these are of singular use to the fish, to grind its shelly food before it arrives at the stomach.
The dorsal fin consists of sixteen sharp and spiny rays, and nine soft ones, which are much longer than the others.
The pectoral fins large and round, and are composed of fifteen rays.
The ventral of six; the first sharp and strong: the anal of three sharp spines, and nine flexible.
The tail is rounded at the end, and is formed of fourteen soft branching rays.
The lateral line much incurvated near the tail.
XII BALLAN.
The
Welch
call this fish
Gwrach,
Name.
or the old woman; the
French, la Vieille;
and the
English
give it the name of
Old Wife.
Why they all agree in these synonyms it is difficult to assign a reason, except one too ill-bred and malignant to pollute our page.
II. The BIMACULATED WRASSE.
Labrus bimaculata. L. pinna dorsali ramentacea, macula fusca in latere medio, et ad caudam.
Lin. syst.
477.
Sciaena bimaculata.
Mus. Ad. Fred.
I. 66.
tab.
xxxi.
fig.
66.
MR.
Brunnich
observed this species at
Penzance,
and referred me to
Linnaeus
's description of it in the
Museum Ad. Fred.
where it is described under the name of
Sciaena Bimaculata.
The body is pretty deep,
Descr
and of a light color, marked in the middle on each side with a round brown spot; on the upper part of the base of the tail is another: the lateral line is incurvated.
The branchiostegous rays are six in number
Linnaeus,
in his last edition, has removed this species from the genus of
Sciaena,
to that of
Labrus,
tho' it does not agree with the last in
his
number of branchiostegous rays.
: the first fifteen rays of the dorsal fin are spiny; the other eleven soft, and lengthened by a skinny appendage: the pectoral fins consist of fifteen rays; the ventral of six; the first spiny; the second and third ending in a slender bristle: the anal fin is pointed; the four first rays being short and spiny; the rest long and soft.
III. The TRIMACULATED WRASSE.
THE species we examined was taken on the coast of
Anglesea;
its length was eight inches. It was of an oblong form; the nose long; the teeth slender; the fore teeth much longer than the others.
The eyes large: branchiostegous rays, five.
The back fin consisted of seventeen spiny rays, and thirteen soft ones; beyond each extended a long nerve.
The pectoral fins were round, and consisted of fifteen branched rays.
The ventral fins consisted of six rays; the first spiny.
The anal fin of twelve; the three first short, very strong, and spiny; the others soft and branched.
The tail was rounded.
The lateral line was strait at the beginning of the back, but grew incurvated towards the tail.
The body covered with large red scales; the covers of the gills with small ones.
On each side of the lower part of the back fin were two large spots, and between the fin and the tail another.
IV. The STRIPED WRASSE.
THIS was taken off the
Skerry Isles,
on the coast of
Anglesea;
its length was ten inches. The form was oblong,
Descr
but the beginning of the back a little arched: the lips large, double, and much turned up: the teeth like those of the preceding: branchiostegous rays, five.
The number of rays in the back, pectoral, and ventral fins, the same as in those of the former.
In the anal fin were fifteen rays; the three first strong and spiny.
The tail almost even at the end, being very little rounded: the covers of the gills cinereous, striped with fine yellow.
The sides marked with four parallel lines of greenish olive,
Color.
and the same of most elegant blue.
The back and belly red; but the last of a much paler hue, and under the throat almost yellow.
Along the beginning of the back fin was a broad bed of rich blue; the middle part white; the rest red.
At the base of the pectoral fins was a dark olive spot.
The ends of the anal fin, and ventral fins, a fine blue.
The upper half of the tail blue; the lower part of its rays yellow.
V. The GIBBOUS WRASSE.
THIS species was taken off
Anglesea:
its length was eight inches; the greatest depth three: it was of a very deep and elevated form, the back being vastly arched, and very sharp or ridged.
From the beginning of the head to the nose, was a steep declivity.
The teeth like those of the others.
The eyes of a middling size; above each a dusky semilunar spot.
The nearest cover of the gills finely serrated.
The sixteen first rays of the back strong and spiny; the other nine soft and branched.
The pectoral fins consisted of thirteen, the ventral of six rays; the first ray of the ventral fin was strong and sharp.
The anal fin consisted of fourteen rays, of which the three first were strongly aculeated.
The tail was large, rounded at the end, and the rays branched; the ends of the rays extending beyond the webs.
The lateral line was incurvated towards the tail.
The gill covers and body covered with large scales.
The first were most elegantly spotted,
Color.
and striped with blue and orange, and the sides spotted in the same manner; but nearest the back the orange was disposed in stripes: the back fin and anal fin were of a sea green, spotted with black.
The ventral fins and tail a fine pea green.
The pectoral fins yellow, marked at their base with transverse stripes of red.
VI. The GOLDSINNY.
Goldfinny
Cornubiensium.
Mr.
Jago. Raii syn. pisc.
163.
fig.
3.
THIS and the two following species were discovered by Mr.
Jago
on the coast of
Cornwall:
we never had an opportunity of examining them, therefore are obliged to have recourse to his descriptions, retaining their local names.
In the whole form of the body, lips, teeth, and fins, it resembles the
Wrasse:
it is said never to exceed a palm in length: near the tail is a remarkable black spot: the first rays of the dorsal fin are tinged with black.
The
Melanurus
of
Rondeletius
(adds he) takes its name from the black spot near the tail; but in many instances it differs widely from this species, the tail of the first is forked, that of the
Goldsinny
is even at the end.
VII. The COMBER.
Comber
Cornub. Raii syn. pisc.
163.
fig.
5.
THE comber is a small scaly fish, with the skin of a vermilion color. By the figure it is of an oblong form, and the tail rounded.
VIII. The COOK.
Cook (
i. e.
coquus)
Cornubiensium. Raii syn. pisc.
163.
fig.
4.
THIS species, Mr.
Jago
says, is sometimes taken in great plenty on the
Cornish
coasts. It is a scaly fish, and does not grow to any great size. The back is purple and dark blue; the belly yellow. By the figure it seems of the same shape as the comber, and the tail rounded.
Besides these species we recollect seeing taken at the
Giants Causeway
in
Ireland,
a most beautiful kind of a vivid green, spotted with scarlet; and others at
Bandooran,
in the county of
Sligo,
of a pale green. We were at that time inattentive to this branch of natural history, and can only say they were of a species we have never since seen.
Genus XXVIII.
The edges of the gill-covers serrated. Seven branchiostegous rays. Body covered with rough scales. First dorsal fin spiny; the second soft
The
Ruffe
is an exception, having only one dorsal fin, but the fourteen first rays of it are spiny.
PERCH.
I. The PERCH.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
vi.
c.
14.
Perca
Ausonii Mosella.
115.
Une Perche de riviere.
Belon.
291.
Perca fluviatilis.
Rondel. fluviat.
196.
Gesner. pisc.
698.
Ein Barss.
Schonevelde.
55.
A Perch.
Wil. Icth.
291.
Raii syn. pisc.
97.
Perca lineis utrinque sex transversis nigris, pinnis ventralibus rubris.
Arted. synon.
66.
Perca fluviatilis. P. pinnis dorsalibus distinctis, secunda radiis sedecim.
Lin. syst.
481.
Gronov. Zoopb. No.
301.
Abborre.
Faun. suec. No.
332.
Perschling, Barschieger.
Kram.
384.
Wulff Boruss. No.
27.
THE perch of
Aristotle
and
Ausonius
is the same with that of the moderns. That mentioned by
Oppian, Pliny,
and
Athenaeus
Oppian Halieut.
I. 124.
Plinii. lib.
ix.
c.
16.
Athenaeus lib.
vii.
p.
319.
, is a seafish probably of the
Labrus
or
Sparus
kind, being enumerated by them among some congenerous species. Our perch was much esteemed by the
Romans:
Nec te delicias mensarum
Perca,
silebo
Amnigenos inter pisces dignande marinis.
AUSONIUS.
It is not less admired at present as a firm and delicate fish; and the
Dutch
are particularly fond of it when made into a dish called
Water Souchy.
It is a gregarious fish, and loves deep holes and gentle streams. It is a most voracious fish, and eager biter: if the angler meets with a shoal of them, he is sure of taking every one.
It is a common notion that the pike will not attack this fish, being fearful of the spiny fins which the perch erects on the approach of the former. This may be true in respect to large fish; but it is well known the small ones are the most tempting bait that can be laid for the pike.
The perch is a fish very tenacious of life: we have known them carried near sixty miles in dry straw, and yet survive the journey.
These fish seldom grow to a large size:
Size.
we once heard of one that was taken in the
Serpentine
river,
Hyde-Park,
that weighed nine pounds, but that is very uncommon.
The body is deep:
Descr.
the scales very rough: the back much arched.
The irides golden: the teeth small, disposed in the jaws and on the roof of the mouth: the edges of the covers of the gills serrated: on the lower end of the largest is a sharp spine.
The first dorsal fin consists of fourteen strong spiny rays; the second of sixteen soft ones: the pectoral fins are transparent, and consist of fourteen rays; the ventral of six; the anal of eleven.
The tail is a little forked.
The colors are beautiful:
Color.
the back and part of the sides being of a deep green, marked with five broad black bars pointing downwards: the belly is white, tinged with red: the ventral fins of a rich scarlet; the anal fins and tail of the same color, but rather paler.
In a lake called
Llyn Raithlyn,
Crooked Perch.
in
Merionethshire,
is a very singular variety of perch: the back is quite hunched, and the lower part of the back bone, next the tail, strangely distorted: in color, and in other respects, it resembles the common kind, which are as numerous in the lake as these deformed fish. They are not peculiar to this water, for
Linnaeus
takes notice of a similar variety found at
Fahlun,
in his own country.
II. The BASSE.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
iv.
c.
10. &c.
Lupus?
Ovid. Halieut.
112.
Le Bar, le Soup.
Belon.
113.
Lupus.
Rondel.
268.
Gesner pisc.
506.
A Basse.
Wil. Icth.
271.
Raii syn. pisc.
83.
Perca radiis pinnae dorsalis secundae tredecim, ani quatuordecim.
Arted. synon.
69.
Perca Labrax.
Lin. syst.
482.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
300.
THE basse is a strong, active, and voracious fish:
Ovid
calls them
rapidi lupi,
a name continued to them by after-writers.
That which we had an opportunity of examining was small;
Size.
but they are said to grow to the weight of fifteen pounds.
The irides are silvery: the mouth large: the teeth are situated in the jaws, and are very small: in the roof of the mouth is a triangular rough space, and just at the gullet are two others of a roundish form.
The scales are of a middling size, are very thick set, and adhere closely.
The first dorsal fin has nine strong spiny rays, of which the first is the shortest, the middlemost the highest; the second dorsal fin consists of thirteen rays, the first spiny, the others soft.
The pectoral fins have fifteen soft rays; the ventral six rays, the first spiny: the anal fourten rays, the three first spiny, the others soft: the tail is a little forked.
The body is formed somewhat like that of a salmon.
The color of the back is dusky, tinged with blue.
The belly white. In young fish the space above the side line is marked with small black spots.
It is esteemed a very delicate fish.
III. The RUFFE.
Cernua.
Belon.
186.
Percae fluviatilis genus minus.
Gesner pisc.
701.
Aspredo
Caii opusc.
107.
Ein stuer, stuerbarss.
Schonevelde.
56.
Cernua fluviatilis.
Wil. Icth.
334.
Ruffe.
Raii syn. pisc.
143.
Perca dorso monopterygio, capite cavernoso.
Arted. syn.
68.
Perca cernua. P. pinnis dorsalibus unitis radiis 27. spinis 15. cauda bifida.
Lin. syst.
487.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
Giers, Snorgers.
Faun. suec. No.
119.
Schroll, Pfaffenlaus.
Schaeff. pisc.
37.
tab.
ii.
Wulff Boruss. No.
35.
THIS fish is found in several of the
English
streams: it is gregarious, assembling in large shoals, and keeping in the deepest part of the water.
It is of a much more slender form than the perch, and seldom exceeds six inches in length.
The teeth are very small, and disposed in rows.
It has only one dorsal fin extending along the greatest part of the back: the first rays like those of the perch are strong, sharp, and spiny; the others soft.
The pectoral fins consist of fifteen rays; the ventral of six; the anal of eight; the two first strong and spiny: the tail a little bifurcated.
The body is covered with rough compact scales.
The back and sides are of a dirty green, the last Inclining to yellow, but both spotted with black.
The dorsal fin is spotted with black: the tail marked with transverse bars.
IV. The BLACK RUFFE.
The Black Fish. Mr.
Jago. Borlase Cornwall.
271,
tab.
xxv.
fig.
8.
MR.
Jago
has left so brief a description of this fish, that we find difficulty in giving it a proper class: it agrees with the
Ruffe
in the form of the body, and the smallness of the teeth, in having a single extensive fin on the back, a forked tail, and being of that section of bony fish, termed
Thoracic:
these appear by the figure, the teeth excepted. The other characters must be borrowed from the description.
It is smooth, with very small thin scales, fifteen inches long, three quarters of an inch broad; head and nose like a peal or trout; little mouth; very small teeth, beginning from the nose four inches and three quarters, near six inches long; a forked tail; a large double nostril. Two taken at
Loo, May
26, 1721, in the
Sean,
near the shore, in sandy ground with small ore weed.
Genus XXIX.
Three branchiostegous rays. The belly covered with bony plates. One dorsal fin, with several sharp spines between it and the head.
STICKLEBACK.
I. The THREE SPINED S. BACK.
La Grande Espinoche, un Epinard, une Artiere.
Belon.
328.
Pisciculi aculeati prius genus.
Rondel. fluviat.
206.
Gesner pisc.
8.
Stickleblack, Banstickle, or Sharpling.
Wil. Icth.
341.
Raii syn. pisc.
145.
Gasterosteus aculeis in dorso tribus.
Arted. synon.
80.
Gasterosteus aculeatus.
Lin. syst.
489.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
406.
Spigg, Horn-fisk.
Faun. suec. No.
336.
Stichling, Stachel-fisch.
Wulff. Boruss. No.
37.
THESE are common in many of our rivers, but no where in greater quantities than in the
Fens
of
Lincolnshire,
and some of the rivers that creep out of them. At
Spalding
there are, once in seven or eight years, amazing shoals that appear in the
Welland,
and come up the river in form of a vast column. They are supposed to be the multitudes that have been washed out of the fens by the floods of several years, and collected in some deep hole, 'till overcharged with numbers, they are periodically obliged to attempt a change of place. The quantity is so great, that they are used to manure the land, and trials have been made to get oil from them. A notion may be had of this vast shoal, by saying that a man employed by the farmer to take them, has got for a considerable time four shillings a day by selling them at a halfpenny per bushel.
This species seldom reaches the length of two inches:
Descr.
the eyes are large: the belly prominent: the body near the tail square: the sides are covered with large bony plates, placed transversely.
On the back are three sharp spines, that can be raised or depressed at pleasure: the dorsal fin is placed near the tail: the pectoral fins are broad: the ventral fins consist each of one spine, or rather plate, of unequal lengths, one being large, the other small; between both is a flat bony plate, reaching almost to the vent: beneath the vent is a short spine, and then succeeds the anal fin.
The tail consists of twelve rays, and is even at the end.
The color of the back and sides is an olive green; the belly white; but in some the lower jaws and belly are of a bright crimson.
II. The TEN SPINED S. BACK.
La petite Espinoche.
Belon.
328.
Pisciculi aculeati alterum genus.
Rondel. fluviat.
206.
Gesner pisc.
8.
Lesser Stickleback.
Wil. Icth.
342.
Raii syn. pisc.
145.
Gasterosteus aculeis in dorso decem.
Arted. synon.
80.
Gasterosteus pungitius.
Lin. syst.
491.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
405.
Benunge, Gaddsur, Gorquad.
Faun. suec. No.
337.
THIS species is much smaller than the former, and of a more slender make.
The back is armed with ten short sharp spines, which do not incline the same way, but cross each other.
The sides are smooth, not plated like those of the preceding: in other particulars it resembles the former.
The color of the back is olive: the belly silvery.
III. The FIFTEEN SPINED S. BACK.
Aculeatus, sive Pungitius marinus longus, Stein-bicker, Ersskruper.
Schonevelde.
10.
tab.
iv.
Sib. S
t.
iii. 24.
tab.
19.
Aculeatus marinus major.
Wil. Icth.
340.
App.
23.
Raii syn. pisc.
145.
Gasterosteus aculeis in dorso quindecim.
Arted. synon.
81.
Gasterosteus spinachia.
Lin. syst.
492.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
407.
Faun. suec. No.
338.
THIS species inhabits the sea, and is never found in fresh water.
Its length is above six inches: the nose is long and slender: the mouth tubular: teeth small.
The fore part of the body is covered on each side with a row of bony plates, forming a ridge; the body afterwards grows very slender, and is quadrangular.
Between the head and the dorsal fin are fifteen small spines: the dorsal fin is placed opposite the anal fin: the ventral fins are wanting.
The tail is even at the end.
The color of the upper part is a deep brown: the belly white.
Genus XXX.
Seven branchiostegous rays. Several small fins between the dorsal fin and the tail.
MACKREL.
I. The MACKREL.
.
Arist. Hist. an lib.
vi.
c.
17. ix.
c.
2,
Athenaeus. lib.
iii. 121. vii. 321.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 142.
Scomber.
Ovid. Halieut.
94.
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
15, xxxi.
c.
8.
Macarello, Scombro.
Salvian.
241.
This is the first opportunity we have had of looking into
Salvianus,
whose
Italian
synonyms we make use of.
Le Macreau.
Belon.
197.
Scomber.
Rondel.
233.
Gesner pisc.
841. (pro 861.)
Makerel.
Schonevelde.
66.
Mackrell, or Macarel.
Wil. Icth.
181.
Raii syn. pisc.
58.
Scomber pinnulis quinque in extremo dorso, polypterygio, aculeo brevi ad anum.
Arted. synon.
48.
Scomber Scomber.
Lin. syst.
492.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
304.
Mackrill.
Faun. suec. No.
339.
THE mackrel is a summer fish of passage that visits our shores in vast shoals. It is less useful than other species of gregarious fish, being very tender, and unfit for carriage; not but that it may be preserved by pickling and salting, a method, we believe, practised only in
Cornwall
Borlase Cornwall.
269.
, where it proves a great relief to the poor during winter.
It was a fish greatly esteemed by the
Romans,
Garum.
because it furnished the pretious
Garum,
a sort of pickle that gave a high relish to their sauces, and was besides used medicinally. It was drawn from different kinds of fish, but that made from the mackrel had the preference: the best was made at
Carthagena,
vast quantities of mackrel being taken near an adjacentisle, called from that circumstance,
Scombraria
Strabo lib.
iii. 109.
, and the
Garum,
prepared by a certain company in that city, bore a high price, and was distinguished by the title of
Garum Sociorum
Plinii lib.
xxxi.
c.
8.
This fish is easily taken by a bait, but the best time is during a fresh gale of wind, which is thence called a
mackrel
gale.
It is not often that it exceeds two pounds in weight,
Size.
yet we heard that there was one sold last summer in
London
that weighed five and a quarter.
The nose is taper and sharp pointed:
Descr.
the eyes large: the jaws of an equal length: the teeth small, but numerous.
The form of this fish is very elegant.
The body is a little compressed on the sides: towards the tail it grows very slender, and a little angular.
The first dorsal fin is placed a little behind the pectoral fin, is triangular, and consists of nine or ten stiff rays; the second lies at a distance from the other, and has twelve soft rays; the pectoral twenty; the ventral six: at the base of the anal fin is a strong spine.
Between the last dorsal fin and the tail, are five small fins, and the same number between the anal fin and the tail.
The tail is broad and semilunar:
Color.
The color of the back and sides above the lateral line, is a fine green, varied with blue, marked with black lines, pointing downwards; beneath the line the sides and belly are of a silvery color.
It is a most beautiful fish when alive; for nothing can equal the brilliancy of its color, which death impairs, but does not wholly obliterate.
II. The TUNNY.
.
Arist. Hist, an. lib.
ii.
c.
13. &c.
Athenaeus. lib.
vii. 301.
Oppian Halieut.
iii. 620.
Thunnus.
Ovid. Halieut.
95. 95.
Plinii. lib.
ix.
c.
15.
Tonno.
Salvian.
123.
Le Thon.
Belon.
99.
Thunnus.
Rondel.
241.
Gesner pisc.
957.
Thunnus vel orcynus.
Schonevelde.
75.
Tunny fish, or Spanish Mackrell.
Wil. Icth.
176.
Raii syn. pisc.
57.
Scomber pinnulis octo vel novem in extremo dorso, ex sulco ad pinnas ventrales,
Arted. synon.
49.
Scomber Thunnus. Sc. pinnulis utrinque octo.
Lin. syst.
493.
Gronov. Zooph.
No. 305.
THE tunny was a fish well known to the antients, it made a considerable branch of commerce; the time of its arrival into the
Mediterranean
from the ocean was observed, and stations for taking them established in places it most frequented; the eminencies above the fishery were styled
Strabo. lib.
v. 156.
, and the watchmen that gave notice to those below of the motions of the fish,
Oppian Halieut.
iii. 638. This person answers to what the
Cornish
call a
Huer,
who watches the arrival of the pilchards.
. From one of the former the lover in
Theocritus
threatened to take a desperate leap, on account of his mistress's cruelty.
Do you not hear? then, rue your Goat-herd's fate,
For, from the rock where
Olpis
doth descry
The numerous
Thunny,
I will plunge and die.
The very same station, in all probability, is at this time made use of, as there are very considerable thunny fisheries on the coast of
Sicily,
as well as several other parts of the
Mediterranean
Many of them are the same that were used by the antients, as we learn from
Oppian
and others.
, where they are cured, and make a great article of provision in the adjacent kingdoms. They are caught in nets, and amazing quantities are taken, for they come in vast shoals, keeping along the shores.
They grow to a large size,
Size.
sometimes being found of above a hundred weight.
They are not common in our seas, but are sometimes taken off the west of
England.
Its form is less elegant than that of the mackrel,
Descr.
being rather thicker in the middle: the jaws are of an equal length; the mouth black within: besides the teeth of the jaws, are others in the roof of the mouth.
The first dorsal fin is placed not remote from the head, and consists of fourteen rays, and is lodged in a small channel; the second is almost contiguous to the other, and has the same number of rays.
The pectoral fin consists of thirty-four rays; the ventral fins are small, and have six rays; the anal, thirteen: between the last dorsal fin and the tail, are from eight to ten small ones, and between the anal fin and the tail eight.
The body near the tail is slender, and almost quadrangular; the tail is in the form of a crescent.
The color of the upper part of the body is dusky,
Color.
varied with blue and green: the sides and the belly silvery.
III. The SCAD.
Sauro.
Salvian.
79.
Un Sou, Macreau bastard.
Belon.
186.
Trachurus.
Rondel.
233.
Lacertus
Bellonii. Gesner pisc.
467.
Museken, Stocker.
Schonovelde.
75.
Scad, Horse-mackrell.
Wil. Icth.
290.
Raii syn. pisc.
92.
Scomber linea laterali aculeata, pinna ani ossiculorum 30.
Arted. synon.
50.
Scomber Trachurus. Sc. pinnis unitis, spina dorsali recumbente, linea laterali loricata.
Lin. syst.
494.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
308.
THAT which we examined was sixteen inches long: the nose sharp; the eyes very large; the irides silvery: the lower jaw a little longer than the upper: the edges of the jaws were rough, but without teeth.
On the upper part of the covers of the gills was a large black spot.
The scales were large and very thin: the lower half of the body quadrangular, and marked each side with a row of thick strong scales, prominent in the middle, extending to the tail.
The first dorsal fin consisted of eight strong spines: the second lay just behind it, and consisted of thirty-four soft rays, and reached almost to the tail: the pectoral fins narrow and long, and composed of twenty rays: the ventral of six branched rays.
The vent was in the middle of the belly; the anal fin extended from it to the tail, which was greatly forked.
The head and upper part of the body varied with green and blue: the belly silvery.
This fish was taken in the month of
October,
was very firm and well tasted, having the flavor of mackrel.
Genus XXXI.
Head compressed, steep, and covered with scales. Two branchiostegous rays. Body covered with large scales, easily dropping off.
SURMULLET.
I. The RED SURMULLET.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
ii.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 590.
Athenaeus. lib.
vii. 325.
Mullus.
Ovid. Halieut.
123.
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
17.
Triglia.
Salvian.
235.
Le Rouget barbé, Surmurlet.
Belon.
170.
Mullus barbatus.
Rondel.
290.
Gesner pisc.
565.
Petermanneken, Goldeken.
Schonevelde.
47.
Mullus
Bellonii. Wil. Icth.
285.
Raii syn. pisc.
90.
Trigla capite glabro, cirris geminis in maxilla inferiore.
Arted. synon.
71.
Mullus cirris geminis, corpore rubro.
Lin. syst.
495.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
286.
THIS fish was highly esteemed by the
Romans,
and bore an exceeding high price. The capricious epicures of
Horace
's
Sat. lib.
ii.
s.
ii. 33.
days, valued it in proportion to its size, not that the larger were more delicious, but that they were more difficult to be got. The price that was given for one in the time of
Juvenal,
and
Pliny,
is a striking evidence of the luxury and extravagance of the age:
Mullum
sex millibus emit
Aequantem sane paribus sestertia libris
Juvenal. Sat.
iv. 48 l. 8 s. 9 d.
The lavish slave
Six thousand pieces for a Mullet gave,
A sesterce for each pound.
DRYDEN.
But
Asinius Celer
Plin. lib.
ix,
c.
17.
, a man of consular dignity, gave a still more unconscionable sum, for he did not scruple bestowing eight thousand nummi, or sixty-four pounds eleven shillings and eight-pence, for a fish of so small a size as the mullet; for according to
Horace,
a
Mullus trilibris,
or one of three pounds, was a great rarity; so that
Juvenal
's spark must have had a great bargain in comparison of what
Celer
had.
But
Seneca
says that it was not worth a farthing, except it died in the very hand of your guest: that such was the luxury of the times, that there were stews even in the eating rooms, so that the fish could at once be brought from under the table, and placed on it: that they put the mullets in transparent vases, that they might be entertained with the various changes of its rich color while it lay expiring
In cubili natant pisces: et sub ipsa mensa capitur, qui statim transferitur in mensam: parum videtur recens
mullus
nisi qui in convivae manu moritur. Vitreis ollis inclusi offeruntur, et observatur morientium color, quem in multas mutationes luctante spiritu vertit.
Seneca. Nat. Quaest. lib. iii. c. 16.
.
Apicius
Ad omne luxus ingenium mirus.
, a wonderful genius for luxurious inventions, first hit upon the method of suffocating them in the exquisite
Carthaginian
Garum Sociorum,
vide p. 222.
pickle, and afterwards procured a rich sauce from their livers. This is the same gentleman whom
Pliny,
in another place, honors with the title of
Nepotum omnium altissimus gurges
Lib.
x. c. 48.
, an expression too forcible to be rendered in our language
XIII. SURMULLET.
We have heard of this species being taken on the coast of
Scotland,
but had no opportunity of examining it; and whether it is found in the west of
England
with the other species, or variety, we are not at this time informed.
Salvianus
makes it a distinct species, and says, that it is of a purple color, striped with golden lines, and that it did not commonly exceed a palm in length: no wonder then that such a prodigy as one of six pounds should so captivate the fancy of the
Roman
epicure.
Mr.
Ray
establishes some other distinctions, such as the first dorsal sin having nine rays, and the color of that fin, the tail, and the pectoral fins, being of a very pale purple.
On these authorities we form different species of these fish, having only examined what
Salvianus
and Mr.
Ray
call the
Mullus major,
which we describe under the title of
II. The STRIPED SURMULLET.
Mullus major.
Salvian.
236.
Mullus major noster et
Salviani.
95.
Cornubiensibus.
A Surmullet.
Wil. Icth.
285.
Raii syn. pisc.
91.
Trigla capite glabro, lineis utrinque quatuor luteis, longitudinalibus, parallelis.
Arted. synon.
72.
Mullus cirris geminis lineis luteis longitudinalibus.
Lin. syst.
496.
THIS species was communicated to us by Mr.
Pitfield
of
Exeter;
its weight was two pounds and an half; its length was fourteen inches; the thickest circumference eleven. It appears on the coast of
Devonshire
in
May,
and retires about
November.
The head steep: the nose blunt: the body thick: the mouth small: the lower jaw furnished with very small teeth: in the roof of the mouth is a rough hard space: at the entrance of the gullet above is a single bone, and beneath are a pair, each with echinated surfaces, that help to comminute the food before it passes down.
From the chin hung two beards, two inches and an half long.
The eyes large: the irides purple: the head and covers of the gills very scaly.
The first dorsal fin was lodged in a deep furrow, and consisted of six strong, but flexible rays; the second of eight; the pectoral fins of sixteen; the ventral of six branched rays; the anal of seven: the tail is much forked.
The body very thick, and covered with large scales; beneath them the color was a most beautiful rosyred;
This color is most vivid during summer.
the changes of which, under the thin scales, gave that entertainment to the
Roman
epicures as above mentioned: the scales on the back and sides were of a dirty orange; those on the nose a bright yellow: the tail a reddish yellow.
The sides were marked lengthways with two lines of a light yellow color: these with the red color of the dorsal fins, and the number of their rays, Mr.
Ray
makes the character of the
Cornish Surmullet:
these are notes so liable to vary by accident, that till we receive further informations from the inhabitants of our
Western
coasts, where these fish are found, we shall remain doubtful whether we have done right in separating this from the former, especially as
Doctor Gronovius
has pronounced them to be only varieties.
Genus XXXII.
Nose sloping. Head covered with strong bony plates. Seven branchiostegous rays. Three slender appendages at the base of the pectoral fins.
GURNARD.
I. The GREY GURNARD.
Gurnatus seu Gurnardus griseus, the Grey Gurnard.
Wil. Icth.
279.
Raii syn. pisc.
88.
Trigla vario roftro diacantho, aculeis geminis ad utrumque oculum.
Arted. synon.
74.
Trigla Gurnardus, Tr. digitis ternis dorso maculis nigris rubrisque.
Lin. syst.
497.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
283.
THE nose pretty long, and sloping: the end bifurcated, and each side armed with three short spines.
The eyes very large; above each were two short spines: the forehead and covers of the gills silvery; the last finely radiated.
The teeth small, placed in the lower and upper jaws, in the roof of the mouth, and base of the tongue.
Nostrils minute, and placed on the sides of the nose.
On the extremity of the gill covers was a strong, sharp, and long spine: beneath that, just above the pectoral fins, another.
The first dorsal fin consisted of eight spiny rays; the sides of the three first tuberculated.
The second dorsal fin of nineteen soft rays: both fins lodged in a groove, rough on each side, but not serrated.
The pectoral fins transparent, and supported by ten rays, bifurcated from their middle: the three beards at their base as usual.
The ventral fins had six rays, the first spiny, and the shortest of all.
The anal fin nineteen, each soft.
The tail bifurcated.
The lateral line very prominent, and strongly serrated.
The back, tail, and a small space beneath the side line, were of a deep grey, covered with small scales, and in parts spotted with white; the belly silvery. We could not perceive any yellow spots, as Mr.
Ray
mentions, but possibly they vary.
II. The RED GURNARD.
?
Arist. Hist. an lib.
iv.
c.
9.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 97.
.
Athenaeus lib.
vii. 309.
Pesce capone, Cocco, Organo.
Salvian.
191.
Le Rouget.
Belon.
199.
Cuculus.
Rondel.
287.
Gesner pisc.
305.
Smiedecknecht, Kurre-fische.
Schonevelde.
32.
Red Gurnard, or Rotchet.
Wil. Icth.
281.
Raii syn. pisc.
89.
Trigla tota rubens, rostro parum bicorni, operculis branchiarum striatis.
Arted. synon.
74.
Trigla cuculus. Tr. digitis ternis, linea laterali mutica.
Lin. syst.
497.
THIS species agrees in its general appearance with the tub fish; but in these particulars differs.
The covers of the gills are radiated: the spines are less and shorter in those of the red gurnard.
The fins and body are of a fuller red: the scales are larger: the head less: the pectoral fins are shorter, and edged with purple, not with blue.
III. The PIPER.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
iv.
c.
9.
Lyra.
Rondel.
298.
Gesner pisc.
516.
The Piper.
Wil. Icth.
282.
Raii syn. pisc.
89.
Trigla rostro longo diacantho, naribus tubulosis.
Arted. syn.
74.
Trigla Lyra. Tr. digitis ternis, naribus tubulosis.
Lin. syst.
496.
THIS species is frequently taken on the western coasts of this kingdom, and esteemed an excellent fish.
The weight of one which was communicated to us by Mr.
Pitfield
We have been informed that this fish is found at all times of the year on the western coasts, and is taken in nets.
was three pounds and an half; the thickest circumference thirteen inches, the lest, which was next the tail, only three: the length near two feet.
The head was very large, and that part of the body next to it very thick: the nose divided into two broad plates, each terminated with three spines: on the inner corner of each eye is a strong spine: the bony plates of the head terminate on each side with another.
The covers of the gills are armed with one very sharp and strong spine, and are prettily striated: immediately over the pectoral fin is another spine very large and sharp pointed.
The nostrils very minute: the eyes large.
The lower jaw much shorter than the upper: the teeth in both very minute.
XIV. PIPER.
The first dorsal fin consisted of nine very strong sharp spines, the second of which is the longest; the second fin begins just behind the first, and consists of eighteen soft rays: the pectoral fins were long, and had twelve branched rays; the ventral fins six, very strong and thick: the anal eighteen, the first spiny: the tail small, in proportion to the size of the fish, and forked.
The back on each side the dorsal fin was armed with a set of strong and very large spines, pointing towards the tail like the teeth of a saw.
The scales were small, but very hard and rough: the lateral line bent a little at its beginning, that went strait to the tail, and was almost smooth.
IV. The TUB FISH.
Hirundo
Aldrov.
the Tub-fish,
Cornub. Wil. Icth.
280.
Raii syn. pisc.
88.
Trigla capite aculeato, appendicibus utrinque tribus ad pinnas pectorales.
Arted. synon.
73.
Trigla hirundo. Tr. digitis ternis, linea laterali aculeata.
Lin. syst.
497.
Knorrhane, Knoding, Knot, Smed.
Faun. suec. No.
340.
THIS species is of a more slender form than the preceding.
The pupil of the eye is green: on the inner corner of each are two small spines. But what at once distinguishes this from the other species is the breadth and colors of the pectoral fins, which are very broad, of a pale green, most beautifully edged, and spotted with rich deep blue.
The dorsal fins are lodged between two rows of spines, of a serrated form: the back is of a greenish cast: the side line is rough: the sides are tinged with red; the belly white.
These fish are found on the coast of
Cornwall.
We have also taken them off
Anglesea.
V. The STREAKED GURNARD.
Cuculus lineatus, the Streaked Gurnard.
Raii syn. pisc.
165.
fig.
11.
THIS is one of the
Cornish
fish communicated to Mr.
Petiver
by Mr.
Jago.
He says the head is large, and distinguished with stellated marks; the eyes great; the covering of the gills thorny; the mouth small, and without teeth. By the figure the nose seems not to be bifurcated. The pectoral fins large, and spotted, beneath them three filaments: the color of the body red: the belly white, marked with many streaks, pointing downwards, from the back.
Mr.
Jago
imagines it to be the
Mullis imberbis
of
Rondeletius. Wil. Icth.
278.
Sect. IV. ABDOMINAL.
Genus XXXIII.
Eyes in the upper part of the head. Aperture to the gills closed below. Several beards on the end of the upper jaw. Body of almost an equal thickness. One dorsal fin.
LOCHE.
I. The LOCHE.
La Loche franche.
Belon.
321.
Cobitis barbatula.
Rondel. fluviat.
204.
Cobitis fluviatilis barbatula.
Gesner pisc.
404.
Smerling, Smerle.
Schonevelde.
31.
Loche, or Groundling.
Wil. Icth.
265.
Raii syn. pisc.
124.
Cobitis tota glabra maculosa, corpore subtereti.
Arted. synon.
2.
Cobitis Barbatula. C. cirris sex capite inermi compresso.
Lin. syst.
499.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
202.
Gronling.
Faun. suec. No.
341.
Grundel.
Kram.
396.
Wulff. Boruss. No.
40.
THE loche is found in several of our small rivers, keeping at the bottom on the gravel, and is on that account, in some places, called the
Groundling:
it is frequent on the stream near
Amesbury,
in
Wiltshire,
where the sportsmen, thro' frolick, swallow it down alive in a glass of white wine.
The largest we ever heard of was four inches and three quarters in length,
Descr.
but they seldom arrive to that size.
The mouth is small, placed beneath, and has no teeth: on the upper mandible are six small beards, one at each corner of the mouth, and four at the end of the nose.
The dorsal fin consists of eight rays; the pectoral of eleven; the ventral of seven; the anal of six: the tail is broad, and has sixteen or seventeen rays.
The body is smooth and slippery,
Color.
and almost of the same thickness: the color of the head, back, and sides, is in some white, in others of a dirty yellow, very elegantly marked with large spots, consisting of numberless minute black specks: the pectoral, dorsal, and caudal fins are also spotted: the belly and ventral fins of a pure white: the tail broad, and a little rounded.
Genus XXXIV.
Branchiostegous rays unequal in number. Two dorsal fins; the second thick, and without rays.
SALMON.
With teeth.
I. The SALMON.
Salmo
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
18.
Ausonius. Mosel.
97.
Salmone.
Salvian.
100.
Le Saulmon.
Belon.
271.
Salmo.
Rondel. fluviat.
167.
Gesner pisc.
824.
Schonevelde.
64.
Salmon.
Wil. Icth.
189.
Raii syn. pisc.
63.
Salmo rostro ultra inferiorem maxillam saepe prominente.
Arted. synon.
22.
Salmo Salar.
Lin. syst.
509.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
369.
Lax.
Faun. suec. No.
122.
Lachss.
Wulff. Boruss. No.
42.
THE salmon is a northern fish, being unknown in the
Mediterranean
sea, and other warm climates: it is found in
France
in some of the rivers that empty themselves into the ocean
Rondel. fluviat.
167.
, and north as far as
Greenland;
whether it reaches
America
we are not at this time assured:
Charlevoix, Lauson,
and
Catesby
do not mention it; nor have we any authority for its being found there, except that of the romantic
Lahontan.
Salmons are taken in the rivers of
Kamtschatka,
Hist. Kamtsch.
143.
but whether they are of the same species with the
European
kind is not very certain.
They are in several countries a great article of commerce, being cured different ways, by salting, pickling, and drying: there are stationary fisheries in
Iceland, Norway
There was about the year 1578 a pretty considerable salmon fishery at
Cola,
in
Russian Lapland. Hackluyt. voy.
I. 416.
, and the
Baltic,
but we believe no where greater than those at
Colraine
in
Ireland;
and in
Great-Britain
at
Berwick,
and in some of the rivers of
Scotland.
The salmon was known to the
Romans
but not to the
Greeks: Pliny
speaks of it as a fish found in the rivers of
Aquitaine: Ausonius
enumerates it among those of the
Mosel.
Nec te puniceo rutilantem viscere
Salmo
Transierem, latoe cujus vaga verbera caudoe
Gurgite de medio summas referuntur in undas,
Occultus placido cum proditur oequore pulsus.
Tu loricato squamosus pectore, frontem
Lubricus, et dubiae facturus fercula caenae,
Tempora longarum fers incorrupta morarum,
Praesignis maculis capitis, cui prodiga nutat
Alvus, opimatoque fluens abdomine venter.
Nor I thy scarlet belly will omit,
O Salmon, whose broad tail with whisking strokes
Bears thee up from the bottom of the stream
Quick to the surface; and the secret lash
Below, betrays thee in the placid deep.
Arm'd in thy flaky mail, thy glossy snout
Slippery escapes the fisher's fingers; else
Thou makest a feast for nicest judging palates:
And yet long uncorrupted thou remainest:
With spotted head remarked, and wavy spread,
Of paunch immense o'erflowing wide with fat.
ANONYMOUS.
The salmon is a fish that lives both in the salt and fresh waters,
Ascends rivers.
quitting the sea at certain seasons for the sake of depositing its spawn in security, in the gravelly beds of rivers remote from their mouths. There are scarce any difficulties but what they will overcome, in order to arrive at places fit for their purpose: they will ascend rivers hundreds of miles, force themselves against the most rapid streams, and spring with amazing agility over cataracts of several feet in height. Salmon are frequently taken in the
Rhine
as high up as
Basil;
Salmon leaps.
they gain the sources of the
Lapland
rivers
Scheff. Lap.
139.
in spite of their torrent-like currents, and surpass the perpendicular falls of
Leixslip
Near
Dublin.
,
Kennerth
On the
Tivy
in
South Wales,
which
Michael Drayton
celebrates in his
Polyolbion
on this account.
, and
Pont aberglastyn
Amidst
Snowdon
hills, a wild scene in the style of
Salvator Rosa.
; these last feats we have been witness to, and seen the efforts of scores of fish, some of which succeeded, others miscarried during the time of our stay.
It may here be proper to contradict the vulgar error of their taking their tail in their mouth when they attempt to leap; such as we saw, sprung up quite strait, and with a strong tremulous motion.
Other particulars relating to the natural history of this fish, we shall relate in our accounts of the fisheries, either from our own observations, or from such as have been communicated to us from different places: the fullest we have been favored with is from Mr.
Potts,
of
Berwick,
Tweed
fishery.
to whom the publick is indebted for the following very curious history of the salmon fishery on the
Tweed.
At the latter end of the year, or in the month of
November,
the salmon begin to press up the rivers as far as they can reach, in order to spawn; when that time approaches they search for a place fit for the purpose:
Spawning.
the male and female unite in forming a proper receptacle for it in the sand or gravel, about the depth of eighteen inches; in this the female deposits her spawn, the male his milt, which they cover carefully, as it is said, with their tails, for after spawning they are observed to have no skin on that part.
The spawn lies buried till spring, if not disturbed by violent floods; but the salmon hasten to sea as soon as they are able, to purify and cleanse themselves, and to recover their strength; for after spawning they become very poor and lean, and then are called
Kipper.
About the latter end of
March
the spawn begins to exclude the young, which gradually increase to the length of four or five inches, and are then termed
Smelts
or
Smouts:
about the beginning of
May
the river is full of them; it seems to be all alive; there is no having an idea of the numbers without seeing them; but a seasonable flood then hurries them all to the sea, scarce any or very few being left in the river.
About the middle of
June
the earliest of the fry begin to drop, as it were, into the river again from the sea, at that time about twelve, fourteen, or sixteen inches, and by a gradual progress, increase in number and size till about the end of
July,
which is at
Berwick
termed the height of
Gilse
time, the name given to the fish at that age: the end of
July,
or beginning of
August
they lessen in number, but encrease in size, some being six, seven, eight, or nine pounds in weight; this appears to be a surprising quick growth,
Quick growth.
yet we have received from a gentleman at
Warrington,
an instance still more so: a kipper salmon weighing 7lb. three quarters, taken on the 7th of
February,
being marked with a scissars on the back, fin, and tail, and turned into the river, was again taken the 17th of
March
following, and then was found to weigh 17lb. and a half.
The capture in the
Tweed,
Capture.
about the month of
July,
is prodigious; in a good fishery, often a boat load, and sometimes near two, are taken in a tide: some few years ago there were above seven hundred fish taken at one hawl, but from fifty to a hundred is very frequent: the coopers in
Berwick
then begin to salt both
Salmon
and
Gilses
in pipes, and other large vessels, and afterwards barrel
The salmon barrel holds above forty-two gallons, wine measure.
them to send abroad, having then far more than the
London
markets can take off their hands.
Most of the salmon taken before
April,
or to the setting in of the warm weather, is sent fresh to
London
in baskets, unless now and then the vessel is disappointed by contrary winds, of sailing immediately; in that case the fish is brought ashore again to the coopers offices, and boiled, pickled, and kitted, and sent to the
London
markets by the same ship, and fresh salmon put in the baskets in lieu of the stale ones. At the beginning of the season, when a ship is on the point of sailing, a fresh clean salmon will sell from a shilling to eighteen pence a pound,
Price.
and most of the time that this part of the trade is carried on, the prices are from five to nine shillings per stone,
A stone of salmon weighs 18lb. 100z. ½, or in other terms, four stones, or fifty-six pounds avoirdupoise, is only three stones, or forty-two pounds, fish weight at
Berwick.
the value rising and falling according to the value rising and falling according to the plenty of fish, or the prospect of a fair or foul wind. Some fish are sent in this manner to
London
the latter end of
September,
when the weather grows cool, but then the fish are full of large roes, grow very thin bellied, and are not esteemed either palatable or wholesome.
The price of fresh fish in the month of
July,
when they are most plentiful, has been known to be as low as 8
d.
per stone, but last year never less than 16
d.
and from that to 2
s.
6
d.
The season for fishing in the
Tweed
begins
November
the 30th,
Season.
but the fishermen work very little till after
Christmas;
it ends on
Michaelmas-Day;
yet the corporation of
Berwick
(who are conservators of the river) indulge the fishermen with a fornight past that time, on account of the change of the style.
There are on the river forty-one considerable fisheries extending upwards, about fourteen miles from the mouth (the others above being of no great value) which are rented for near 5400
l.
per annum. The expences attending the servants wages, nets, boats, &c. amount to 5000
l.
more, which together makes up the sum 10400
l.
Now in consequence the produce must defray all, and no less than twenty times that sum of fish will effect it, so that 208000 salmon must be caught there one year with another.
There is a misfortune attending the river
Tweed,
which is worthy a parlementary remedy; for there is no law for preserving the fish in it during the fence months, as there is in the case of many other
British
rivers. This being the boundary between the two kingdoms, part of it belongs to the city of
Berwick,
and the whole north side (beginning about two miles from the town) is entirely
Scotch
property. From some disagreement between the parties they will not unite for the preservation of the fish, so that in some fisheries on the north side they continue killing salmon the whole winter, when the death of one fish is the destruction of thousands.
The legislature began very early to pay attention to this important article: by the 13th
Edward
Ist. there is an act which prohibits the capture of the salmon from the Nativity of our Lady to St.
Martin
's Day, in the waters of the
Humber, Owse, Trent, Done, Arre, Derwent, Wharfe, Nid, Yore, Swale,
and
Tees;
and other monarchs in after-times, provided in like manner for the security of the fish in other rivers.
Scotland
possesses great numbers of fine fisheries on both sides of that kingdom.
Scotland.
The salmon are cured in the same manner as at
Berwick,
and a great quantity is sent to
London
in the spring; but after that time the adventurers begin to barrel and export them to foreign countries: but we believe that commerce is far less lucrative than it was in former times, partly owing to the great encrease of the
Newfoundland
fishery, and partly to the general relaxation of the discipline of abstinence in the
Romish
church.
Ireland
(particularly the north) abounds with this fish:
Ireland.
the most considerable fishery is at
Cranna,
on the river
Ban,
about a mile and an half from
Coleraine.
When I made the tour of that hospitable kingdom in 1754, it was rented by a neighboring gentleman for 620
l.
a year, who assured me that the tenant, his predecessor, gave 1600
l.
per ann. and was a much greater gainer by the bargain for the reasons before-mentioned, and on account of the number of poachers who destroy the fish in the fence months.
The mouth of this river faces the north, and is finely situated to receive the fish that roam along the coast, in search of an inlet into some fresh water, as they do all along that end of the kingdom which opposes itself to the northern ocean. We have seen near
Ballicastle,
nets placed in the sea at the foot of the promontories that jut into it, which the salmon strike into as they are wandering close to shore, and numbers are taken by that method.
In the
Ban
they fish with nets eighteen score yards long, and are continually drawing night and day the whole season, which we think lasts about four months, two sets of sixteen men each alternately relieving one another. The best drawing is when the tide is coming in: we were told that at a single draught there were once eight hundred and forty fish taken.
A few miles higher up the river is a ware, where a considerable number of fish that escape the nets are taken. We were lately informed, that in the year 1760 about 320 tons were taken in the
Cranna
fishery.
The salmon are cured in this manner: they are first split, and rubbed with fine salt; and after lying in pickle in great tubs, or reservoirs, for six weeks, are packed up with layers of coarse brown
Spanish
salt in casks, six of which make a ton. These are exported to
Leghorn
and
Venice
at the price of twelve or thirteen pounds per ton, but formerly from sixteen to twenty-four pounds each.
The salmon is a fish so generally known,
Descr.
that a very brief description will serve. The largest we ever heard of weighed seventy-four pounds. The color of the back and sides are grey, sometimes spotted with black, sometimes plain: the covers of the gills are subject to the same variety: the belly silvery: the nose sharp pointed: the end of the under jaw in the males often turns up in form of a hook; sometimes this curvature is very considerable: it is said that they lose this hook when they return to the sea.
The teeth are lodged in the jaws and on the tongue, and are slender, but very sharp.
The tail is a little forked.
II. The GREY.
The Grey, i. e. cinereus seu Griseus.
Wil. Icth.
193.
Raii syn. pisc.
63.
Salmo maculis cinereis, caudae extremo aequali.
Arted. synon.
23.
Salmo eriox.
Lin. syst.
509.
Gralax.
Faun. suec. No.
346.
Lachss-forellen mit Schwarzgrauen flecken oder punktchens.
Wulff. Boruss. No.
43.
WE are uncertain whether this is not a meer variety of the salmon; but on the authority of Mr.
Ray,
we describe them separate. He says it is a very strong fish, that it does not ascend the fresh waters till
August,
when it rushes up with great violence, that it is rarely taken, and not much known.
We saw one last summer caught near
Gloddaeth,
in
Caernarvonshire,
which weighed twenty-two pounds: the body was much deeper than that of the salmon; the head larger: the irides were silvery: the back, first dorsal fin, the sides above the lateral line, were of a deep grey, spotted with numbers of dark purplish spots: the belly silvery: the tail quite even at the end. The fishermen called it a she salmon.
Mr.
Ray
describes it among the fish of the trout kind, communicated to him by Mr.
Johnson,
who made his observations in the north of
England:
but it is not peculiar to that part, for we have heard of its being taken in the river
Wye,
where it is known by the name of
Sewin,
or
Shewin.
III. The BULL TROUT.
Trutta taurina, apud nos in
Northumbria
a Bull-trout.
Charlton. ex. pisc.
36.
Trutta Salmonata, the Salmon Trout, Bull-trout, or Scurf.
Raii syn. pisc.
63.
Wil. Icth.
193. 198.
Salmo latus, maculis rubris nigrisque, cauda aequali.
Arted. synon.
24.
Salmo trutta. S. ocellis nigris, iridibus brunneis, pinna pectorali punctis sex.
Lin. syst.
509.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
367.
Orlax, Borting.
Faun. suec. No.
347.
THIS species is in some places called the bull trout, from the thickness and shortness of its head. Its flesh is white, and less delicate than that of others of this genus.
It seldom exceeds twenty inches in length: the back is ash-colored: the head and sides are marked with large black spots, encircled with brown.
The first dorsal fin is spotted with black: the pectoral fin marked with oblong spots: the belly white.
The tail is even at the end.
IV. The TROUT.
Salar.
Ausonius Mosel.
88.
Salar et varius, Trotta.
Salvian.
96.
La Truitte.
Belon.
274.
Trutta fluviatilis.
Rondel. fluviat.
169.
Gesner pisc.
1002.
Foren, Forellen.
Schonevelde.
77.
A Trout.
Wil. Icth.
199.
Raii syn. pisc.
65.
S. maculis rubris, maxilla inferiore longiore.
Arted. synon.
23.
Salmo Fario.
Lin. syst.
509.
Laxoring, Forell, Stenbit.
Faun. suec. No.
348.
IT is matter of surprize that this common fish has escaped the notice of all the antients, except
Ausonius:
it is also singular, that so delicate a species should be neglected at a time when the folly of the table was at its height; and that the epicures should overlook a fish that is found in such quantities in the lakes of their neighborhood, when they ransacted the universe for dainties. The milts of
Muraenae
were brought from one place; the livers of
Scari
from another;
Suetonius, vita
Vitellii.
and
Oysters
even from so remote a spot as our
Sandwich:
Juvenal Sat.
iv. 141.
but there was, and is a fashion in the article of good living. The
Romans
seem to have despised the trout, the piper, and the doree; and we believe Mr.
Quin
himself would have resigned the rich paps of a pregnant sow
Martial. lib.
xiii.
epig.
44.
the heels of camels,
Lamprid. vit. Heliogab.
and the tongues of
Flamingos,
Martial. lib.
xii.
epig.
71.
tho' dressed by
Heliogabalus
's cooks, for a good jowl of salmon with lobster sauce.
When
Ausonius
speaks of this fish, he makes no euloge on its goodness, but celebrates it only for its beauty.
Purpureisque
SALAR
stellatus Tergore guttis.
With purple spots the
Salar's
back is stained.
These marks point out the species he intended: what he meant by his
Fario
is not so easy to determine: whether any species of trout, of a size between the
salar
and the salmon; or whether the salmon itself, at a certain age, is not very evident.
Teque inter geminos species, neutrumque et utrumque,
Qui nec dum
SALMO,
nec
SALAR
ambiguusque.
Amborum medio Fario intercepter sub avo.
Salmon or
salar,
I'll pronounce thee neither;
A doubtful kind, that may be none, or either,
Fario,
when stopt in middle growth.
In fact the colors of the trout, and its spots, vary greatly in different waters, and in different seasons; yet each may be reduced to one species. In
Llyndivi,
a lake in
South Wales,
are trouts called
Coch y dail,
marked with red and black spots as big as sixpences; others unspotted, and of a reddish hue, that sometimes weigh near ten pounds, but are bad tasted.
In
Lough Neagh
in
Ireland,
are trouts called there
Buddaghs,
which I was told sometimes weighed thirty pounds, but it was not my fortune to see any during my stay in the neighbourhood of that vast water.
Trouts (probably of the same species) are also taken in
Hulsewater,
a lake in
Cumberland,
of a much superior size to those of
Lough Neagh.
These are supposed to be the same with the trout of the lake of of
Geneva,
a fish I have eaten more than once, and think but a very indifferent one.
In the river
Eynion,
Crooked trouts.
not far from
Machyntleth,
in
Merionethshire,
and in one of the
Snowdon
lakes, are found a variety of trout, which are naturally deformed, having a strange crookedness near the tail, resembling that of the perch before described. We dwell the less on these monstrous productions, as our friend the Hon.
Daines Barrington,
has already given an account of them in an ingenious differtation on some of the
Cambrian
fish, published in the
Philosophical Transactions
of the year 1767.
Trouts are most voracious fish, and afford excellent diversion to the angler: the passion for the sport of angling is so strong in the neighborhood of
London,
that the liberty of fishing in some of the streams in the adjacent counties, is purchased at the rate of ten pounds per annum.
These fish shift their quarters to spawn, and, like salmon, make up towards the heads of rivers to deposit their roes. The under jaw of the trout is subject, at certain times, to the same curvature as that of the salmon.
A trout taken in
Llynallet,
Descr.
in
Denbighshire,
which is famous for an excellent kind, measured seventeen inches, its depth three and three quarters, its weight one pound ten ounces: the head thick, the nose rather sharp: the upper jaw a little longer than the lower; both jaws, as well as the head, were of a pale brown, blotched with black: the teeth sharp and strong, disposed in the jaws, roof of the mouth and tongue, as is the case with the whole genus, except the
Gwyniad,
which is toothless, and the
Grayling,
which has none on its tongue.
The back was dusky; the sides tinged with a purplish bloom, marked with deep purple spots, mixed with black, above and below the side line which was strait: the belly white.
The first dorsal fin was spotted; the spurious fin brown, tipped with red; the pectoral, ventral, and anal fins, of a pale brown; the edges of the anal fin white: the tail very little forked when extended.
V. The SAMLET.
Le Tacon?
Belon.
275.
Salmulus,
Herefordiae
Samlet dictus.
Wil. Icth.
192.
Salmulus, the Samlet
Herefordiensibus,
Branlin et Fingerin
Eboracensibus. Raii syn. Pisc.
63.
Salmoneta, a Branlin.
Ray
's
Letters,
199.
THE samlet is the lest of the trout kind, is frequent in the
Wye,
in the upper part of the
Severn,
and the rivers that run into it, in the north of
England,
and in
Wales.
It is by several imagined to be the fry of the salmon; but our reasons for dissenting from that opinion are these:
First, It is well known that the salmon fry never continue in the fresh waters the whole year; but as numerous as they appear on their first escape from the spawn, all vanish on the first vernal flood that happens, which sweeps them into the sea, and leaves scarce one behind.
Secondly, The growth of the salmon fry is so quick and so considerable, as suddenly to exceed the bulk of the largest samlet: for example, the fry that have quitted the fresh water in the spring, not larger than gudgeons, return into it again a foot or more in length.
Thirdly, The salmon attain a considerable bulk before they begin to breed: the samlets, on the contrary, are found male and female
It has been vulgarly imagined, that there were no other than males of this species.
, (dstinguished by the milt and roe) of their common size.
Fourthly, They are found in the fresh waters in all times of the year, and even at seasons when the salmon fry have gained a considerable size. It is well known, that near
Shrewsbury
(where they are called
Samsons
) they are found in such quantities in the month of
September,
that a skilful angler, in a coracle, will take with a fly from twelve to sixteen dozen in a day.
They spawn in
November
and
December,
at which time those of the
Severn
push up towards the head of that fair river, quitting the lesser brooks, and return into them again when they have done.
They have a general resemblance to the trout, therefore must be described comparatively.
First, The head is proportionably narrower, and the mouth less than that of the trout.
Secondly, Their body is deeper.
Thirdly, They seldom exceed six or seven inches in length.
Fourthly, The pectoral fins have generally but one large black spot, tho' sometimes a single small one attends it; whereas the pectoral fins of the trout are more numerously marked.
Fifthly, The spurious or fat fin on the back is never tipped with red; nor is the edge of the anal fin white.
Sixthly, The spots on the body are fewer, and not so bright. It is also marked from the back to the sides with six or seven large bluish bars; but this is not a certain character, as the same is sometimes found in young trouts.
Seventhly, The tail of the samlet is much more forked than that of the trout.
VI. The CHARR.
L'Omble, ou Humble.
Belon.
281.
Umbla seu Humble
Belonii. Gesner pisc.
1005.
Umbla minor.
Gesner pisc.
1013.
Torgoch
Wallis. Westmorlandis
Red Charre
Lacus Winander mere. Wil. Icth.
196.
Raii syn. pisc.
65.
Salmo vix pedalis, pinnis ventralibus rubris, maxilla inferiore longiore.
Arted. syn.
25.
Salmo Alpinus.
Lin. syst.
510.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
372.
Roding,
Lapponibus
Raud.
Faun. suec. No.
124.
Charr-fish.
Phil. Trans.
1755. 210.
THE charr is an inhabitant of the lakes of the north, and of those of the mountanous parts of
Europe.
It affects clear and pure waters, and is very rarely known to wander into running streams, except into such whose bottom is similar to the neighboring lake.
XV. CHARR.
In such excursions those vacant people find a luxurious and ready repast in these fish, which they dress and eat without the addition
Arted. Sp. pisc.
52.
of sauces; for exercise and temperance render useless the inventions of epicurism.
There are but few lakes in our island that produce this fish, and even those not in any abundance. It is found in
Winander Mere
in
Westmorland;
in
Llyn Quellyn,
near the foot of
Snowdon;
and before the discovery of the copper-mines, in those of
Llynberris,
but the mineral streams have entirely destroyed the fish in the last lakes
They are also found in certain lakes in
Merionethshire.
Whether the waters of
Ireland
afford the charr, we are uncertain, but imagine not, except it has been overlooked by their writers on the natural history of that kingdom. In
Scotland
it is found in
Loch Inch,
and other neighboring lakes, and is said to go into the
Spey
to spawn.
The largest and most beautiful we ever received were taken in
Winander Mere,
and were communicated to us by the Rev. Mr.
Farrish,
of
Carlisle,
with an account of their natural history. He favored me with five specimens, two under the name of the
Case Charr,
male and female; another he called the
Gelt Charr,
i. e. a charr which had not spawned the preceding season, and on that account is reckoned to be in the greatest perfection. The two others were inscribed, the
Red Charr, the Silver or Gilt Charr,
the
Carpio Lacus
BENACI,
Raii syn. pisc.
66, which last are in
Westmorland
distinguished by the epithet
red,
by reason of the flesh assuming a higher color than the other when dressed.
On the closest examination,
Varieties.
we could not discover any specific differences in these specimens, therefore must describe them as the same fish, subject only to a slight variation in their form, hereafter to be noted. But there is in another respect an essential difference, we mean in their oeconomy, which is in all beings invariable; the particulars we shall deliver in the very words of our obliging informant.
The
Umbla minor,
Spawning of the case aharr.
or case charr, spawns about
Michaelmas,
and chiefly in the river
Brathy,
which uniting with another called the
Rowthay,
about a quarter of a mile above the lake, they both fall into it together. The
Brathy
has a black rocky bottom; the bottom of the
Rowthay
is a bright sand, and into this the charr are never observed to enter. Some of them however spawn in the lake, but always in such parts of it which are stony, and resemble the channel of the
Brathy.
They are supposed to be in the highest perfection about
May,
and continue so all the summer, yet are rarely caught after
April.
When they are spawning in the river they will take a bait, but at no other time, being commonly taken, as well as the other species, in what they call
breast nets,
which are in length about twenty-four fathoms, and about five, where broadest.
The season which the other species spawns in is from the beginning of
January
to the end of
March.
Gilt charr.
They are never known to ascend the rivers, but always in those parts of the lake which are springy, where the bottom is smooth and sandy, and the water warmest. The fishermen judge of this warmth, by observing that the water seldom freezes in the places where they spawn, except in intense frosts, and then the ice is thinner than in other parts of the lake. They are taken in greatest plenty from the end of
September
to the end of
November:
at other times they are hardly to be met with. This species is much more esteemed for the table than the other, and is very delicate when potted.
We must observe, that this account of the spawning season of the
Westmorland
charrs, agrees very nearly with that of those of
Wales,
the last appearing about a month later, keep moving from side to side of the pool, and then retire into the deep water, where they are sometimes but rarely taken.
This remarkable circumstance of the different season of spawning in fish, apparently the same (for the red charr of
Winander,
is certainly not the
Carpio Lacus
BENACI
A fish well described by
Salvianus, p.
99, which bears no kind of resemblance to our fish, except the generical one.
) puzzles us greatly, and makes us wish that the curious, who border on that lake, would pay farther attention to the natural history of these fish, and favor us with some further lights on the subject.
We shall now describe the varieties by the names ascribed to them in the north.
The length of the red charr to the division in its tail,
Red charr.
was twelve inches; its biggest circumference almost seven. The first dorsal fin five inches and three quarters from the tip of its nose, and consisted of twelve branched rays; the first of which was short, the fifth the longest: the fat fin was very small.
Each of the five fish had double nostrils, and small teeth in the jaws, roof of the mouth, and on the tongue.
The head, back, dorsal fin, and tail of each, was of a dusky blue; the sides rather paler, marked with numbers of bright red spots: the bellies of the
Red Charr
were of a full and rich red; those of the
Case Charr
rather paler; from this particular the
Welch
call these fish
Torgoch,
or red belly.
The first rays of the anal and ventral fins of each, were of a pure white; the rest of each fin on the lower part of the body, tinged with red.
The lateral line strait, dividing the fish in two equal parts, or nearly so.
The jaws in the
Case Charr
are perfectly even; on the contrary, those of the
Red Charr
were unequal, the upper jaw being the broadest, and the teeth hung over the lower, as might be perceived on passing the finger over them.
The branchiostegous rays were, on different sides of the same fish, unequal in number, viz. 12,—11, 11,—10, 10—9, except in one, where they were 11,—11.
The
Gelt,
or
Barren Charr,
Gelt charr.
was rather more slender than the others, as being without spawn. The back of a glossy dusky blue: the sides filvery, mixed with blue, spotted with pale red: the sides of the belly were of a pale red, the bottom white.
The tails of each bifurcated.
The charrs we have seen, brought from the
Snowdon
lakes, were rather smaller than those of
Westmorland:
their colors paler. The supposed males very much resemble the
Gelt Charr;
but that is not a certain distinction of sex, for the Rev. Mr.
Farrington,
Who favored the Royal Society with a paper on the
Welch
charr.
Vide Phil. Trans.
1755.
has told me that the fishermen do not make that distinction.
VII. The GRAYLING.
Aelian. de an. lib.
xiv.
c.
22. Umbra
Ausonii Mosella.
90.
Thymalus, Thymus.
Salvian.
81.
Belon.
276.
Thymus, Umbra fluviatilis.
Rondel. fluv.
187, 172.
Gesner pisc.
132.
A Grayling, or Umber.
Wil. Icth.
187.
Raii syn. pisc.
62, Coregonus maxilla superiore longiore, pinna dorsi ossiculorum viginti trium.
Arted. synon.
20.
Salmo Thymallus.
Lin. syst.
512.
Gronov. Zoopb. No.
375. Asch.
Kram.
390.
THE grayling haunts clear and rapid streams, and particularly such that flow thro' mountanous countries. It is found in the rivers of
Derbyshire;
in some of those of the north; in the
Tame
near
Ludlow;
and in the
Lug,
and other streams near
Leominster:
it is also very common in
Lapland;
the inhabitants make use of the guts of this fish instead of rennet, to make the cheese which they get from the milk of the rein deer.
Flora Lap.
109.
It is a voracious fish, rises freely to the fly, and will very eagerly take a bait. It is a very swift swimmer, and disappears like the transient passage of a shadow, from whence we believe is derived the name of
Umbra.
Effugiensque oculos celeri levis
UMBRA
natatu.
Aemaen. Acad.
iv. 159.
The
Umbra
swift escapes the quickest eye.
Thymalus
and
Thymus,
are names bestowed on it on account of the imaginary scent, compared by some to that of thyme; but we never could perceive any particular smell.
It is a fish of an elegant form;
Descr.
less deep than that of a trout: the largest we ever heard of was taken near
Ludlow,
which was above half a yard long, and weighed four pounds six ounces, but this was a very rare instance.
The irides are silvery, tinged with yellow: the teeth very minute, seated in the jaws and the roof of the mouth, but none on the tongue: the head is dusky: the covers of the gills of a glossy green: the back and sides of a fine silvery grey, but when the fish is just taken, varied slightly with blue and gold: the side-line is strait.
The scales large, and the lower edges dusky, forming strait rows from head to tail.
The first dorsal fin has twenty-one rays; the three or four first are the shortest, the others almost of equal lengths; this fin is spotted, all the others are plain.
The tail is much forked.
VIII. The SMELT.
Epelan de mer.
Belon.
282.
Eperlanus.
Rondel. fluviat.
196.
Gesner pisc.
362.
Spirincus et Stincus.
Gesner Paralip.
29.
A Spyrling a Sprote.
Turner epist. ad. Gesn.
Stindt, et Stinckfisch.
Schonevelde.
70.
A Smelt.
Wil Icth.
202.
Raii syu. pisc.
66.
Osmerus radiis pinnae ani septendecim.
Arted. synon.
21.
Salmo eperlanus. S. capite diaphano, radiis pinnae ani septendecim.
Lin. syst.
511.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
Nors, Slom.
Faun suec. No.
350.
THE smelt inhabits the seas of the northern parts of
Europe,
and we believe never is found as far south as the
Mediterranean:
the
Seine
is one of the
French
rivers which receive it, but whether it is found south of that, we have not at present authority to say. If we can depend on the observations of navigators, who generally have too much to think of to attend to the
minutiae
of natural history, these fish are taken in the straits of
Magellan,
Narborough's Voy.
123.
and of a most surprising size, some measuring twenty inches in length, and eight in circumference.
They inhabit the seas that wash these islands the whole year, and never go very remote from shore, except when they ascend the rivers. It is remarked in certain rivers that they appear a long time before they spawn, being taken in great abundance in
November, December,
and
January,
in the
Thames
and
Dee,
but in others not till
February,
and in
March
and
April
they spawn; after which
In the river
Conway,
near
Llanrwst,
and in the
Mersey
they never continue above three or four weeks.
they all return to the salt water, and are not seen in the rivers till the next season. It has been observed, that they never come into the
Mersey
as long as there is any snow water in the river.
These fish vary greatly in size, but the largest we ever heard of was thirteen inches long, and weighed half a pound.
They have a very particular scent, from whence is derived one of their
English
names
Smelt,
i. e. smell it. That of
Sparling,
which is used in
Wales,
and the north of
England,
is taken from the
French Eperlan.
There is a wonderful disagreement in the opinion of people in respect to the scent of this fish; some assert it flavors of the violet; the
Germans,
for a very different reason, distinguish it by the elegant title of
Stinckfisch.
And not without reason, if we may depend on
Linnaeus,
who says there are in the
Baltic
two varieties, the one, which is called
Nors, faetidissimus, stercoris instar,
which in the early spring, when the peasants come to buy it, fills all the streets of
Upsal
with the smell. He adds, that at this season agues reign there.
Faun. suec. p.
125.
It is a fish of a very beautiful form and color: the head is transparent, and the skin in general so thin, that with a good microscope the blood may be observed to circulate.
The irides are silvery: the pupil of a full black:
Descr.
the under jaw is the longest: in the front of the upper jaw are four large teeth; those in the sides of both are small; in the roof of the mouth are two rows of teeth; on the tongue two others of large teeth.
The first dorsal fin has eleven rays; the pectoral fins the same number; the ventral eight; the anal fourteen.
The scales are small, and readily drop off: the tail consists of nineteen rays, and is forked.
The color of the back is whitish, with a cast of green, beneath which it is varied with blue, and then succeeds a beautiful gloss of a silvery hue.
Besides this species is another,
Southampton
smelt.
which was communicated to us by the Hon.
Daines Barrington,
who describes it in these words:
The
Southampton
smelt agrees with the common kind in having two back fins, but both of them are radiated; the first with eight radii, the second with twelve; the belly fins have only five or six radii: the upper jaw is longer than the lower, and has a few teeth, whereas the lower has none: in color, transparency of the back and head, silver stripes on the sides, forked tail, &c. it agrees nearly with the former, but has nothing of the violet smell or taste. It swarms in that sea, and is the common bait for whiting, mackrell, flat-fish, &c. It is eaten fried, is tender and sweet, and without any small bones, but must be gutted before it is dressed. It grows to three or four inches in length, but is commonly much less.
IX. The GWINIAD.
Le Lavaret.
Belon.
278.
Lavaretus; Piscis
Lemani
lacus
Bezola
vulgo nuncupatus. Alius Piscis proprius
Lemani
lacus.
Rondel. fluviat.
162, 163, 164.
Gesner pisc.
29, 30, 31.
Albula nobilis, Snepel, Helte?
Schonevelde
12.
Vandesius et Gevandesius.
Sib. Scot.
26.
Guiniad
Wallis
piscis lacus
Balensis, Ferrae
(uc puto) idem.
Wil Icth.
183.
Raii syn. pisc.
61.
Lavaretus
Allobrogum,
Schelley
Cumberlandis. Wil. Icth.
183.
Raii syn. pisc.
61.
Albula caerulea.
Scheuchzer it. Alp.
ii. 481.
Coregonus maxilla superiore longiore plana, pinna dorsi ossiculorum 14.
Arted. synon.
19.
Salmo Lavaretus.
Lin. syst.
512.
Sijk, Stor-sijk.
Faun. suec. No.
352.
Gwiniad.
Phil. Trans.
1767. 211.
Adelfisch, Gangfisch, Weissfisch, Weisser Blauling, Schnapel.
Wulff Boruss,
37.
Reinankl.
Kram.
389.
THIS fish is an inhabitant of several of the lakes of the
Alpine
parts of
Europe.
It is found in those of
Suitzerland, Savoy,
and
Italy;
of
Norway, Sueden, Lapland
Schaeffer,
in his History of
Lapland,
p. 140. says, that these fish are caught there of the weight of ten or twelve pounds. We wish
Linnaeus
had executed his intention of favoring the world with his
Lachesis Lapponica,
in which he promised a complete history of that country. I once reminded him of it, and it is with true regret, that I give his answer:—
Nunc nimis seré inciperem,
Me quoque debilitat series immensa laborum,
Ante meum tempus cogor et esse senem:
Firma sit illa licet solvetur in aequore navis,
Quae nunquam liquidis sicca carebit aquis.
, and
Scotland;
in those of
Ireland,
and of
Cumberland;
and in
Wales,
in that of
Llyntegid,
near
Bala,
in
Merionethshire.
It is the same with the
Ferra
of the lake of
Geneva,
the
Schelly
The inhabitants of
Cumberland
give this name also to the chub, from its being a scaly fish.
, of
Hulse-water,
the
Pollen
of
Lough Neagh,
and the
Vangis
and
Juvangis
of
Loch Mabon.
The
Scotch
have a tradition that it was first introduced there by the beauteous queen, their unhappy
Mary Stuart;
and as in her time the
Scotch
court was much frenchified, it seems likely that the name was derived from the
French, vendoise,
a dace; to which a slight observer might be tempted to compare it from the whiteness of its scales. The
British
name
Gwiniad,
or whiting, was bestowed on it for the same reason.
It is a gregarious fish, and approaches the shores in vast shoals in spring and in summer, which prove in many places a blessed relief to the poor of inland countries, in the same degree as the annual return of the herring is to those who inhabit the coasts. The Rev. Mr.
Farrish,
of
Carlisle,
wrote me word, that he was assured by a
Hulse-water
fisherman, that last summer he took between seven and eight thousand at one draught. I must not pass by that gentleman without acknowleging my obligations to him for an account of the
Charrs
and the
Schelly;
he being one of the valuable embellishers of this work, for whom I am indebted to the friendship of his late worthy prelate.
The
Gwiniad
is a fish of an insipid taste, and must be eaten soon, for it will not keep long; those that choose to preserve them do it with salt. They die very soon after they are taken. Their spawning season in
Llyntegid
is in
December.
XVI GWINIAD.
It has long ago been observed in
Cambden
Vol.
ii. 790.
, that these fish never wander into the
Dee,
nor the salmon never ventures into the lake: this must be allowed to be generally the case; but by accident the first have been known to stray as far as
Llandrillo,
six miles down the river, and a salmon has now and then been found trespassing in the lake
Hon. Mr.
D. Barrington'
s Letter to Dr.
Watson. Phil. Tranf. 1767.
The largest
Gwiniad
we ever heard of weighed between three and four pounds: we have a
Ferre
we brought with us out of
Suitzerland,
that is fifteen inches long; but these are uncommon sizes: the fish which we describe was eleven inches long, its greatest depth three.
The head small, smooth, and of a dusky hue: the eyes very large: the pupil of a deep blue: the nose blunt at the end: the jaws of equal length: the mouth small and toothless: the branchiostegous rays nine: the covers of the gills silvery, powdered with black.
The back is a little arched, and slightly carinated: the color, as far as the lateral line, glossed with deep blue and purple, but towards the lines assumes a silvery cast, tinged with gold, beneath which those colors entirely prevale.
The side line is quite strait, and consists of a series of distinct spots of a dusky hue: the belly is a little prominent, and quite flat on the bottom.
The first dorsal fin is placed almost in the middle, and consists of fourteen branched rays; the second is thin, transparent, and not distant from the tail.
The pectoral fins had eighteen rays, the first the longest, the others gradually shortening; the ventral fins were composed of twelve, and the anal of fifteen, all branched at their ends; the ventral fins in some are of a fine sky blue, in others as if powdered with blue specks; the ends of the other lower fins are tinged with the same color.
The tail is very much forked: the scales large, and adhere close to the body.
Genus XXXV.
Upper jaw shorter than the lower. Body long, slender, compressed sideways. One dorsal fin placed near the tail.
PIKE.
I. The PIKE.
Lucius.
Ausonii Mosella,
122.
Luccio.
Salvian.
94.
Le Brochet.
Belon.
292.
Itin.
104.
Lucius.
Rondel. fluviat.
188.
Gesner pisc.
500.
Heket, Hecht.
Schonevelde.
44.
Pike, or Pickerel.
Wil. Icth.
236.
Raii syn. pisc.
112.
Esox rostro plagioplateo.
Arted. synon.
26.
Esox Lucius.
Lin. syst.
516.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
361.
Gjadda.
Faun. suec. No.
355.
Hecht.
Kram.
388.
THE pike is common in most of the lakes of
Europe,
but the largest are those taken in
Lapland,
which, according to
Schaeffer,
are sometimes eight feet long. They are taken there in great abundance, dried, and exported for sale. The largest fish of this kind which we ever heard of in
England,
weighed thirty-five pounds.
All writers who treat of this species bring instances of its vast voraciousness. We have known one that was choaked by attempting to swallow one of its own species that proved too large a morsel. It does not confine itself to feed on fish and frogs; it will devour the water rat, and draw down the young ducks as they are swimming about. In a manuscript note which we found, p. 244, of our copy of
Plott
's History of
Staffordshire,
is the following extraordinary fact:
At Lord
Gower
's canal at
Trentham,
a pike seized the head of a swan as she was feeding under water, and gorged so much of it as killed them both. The servants perceiving the swan with its head under water for a longer time than usual, took the boat, and found both swan and pike dead
This note we afterwards discovered was wrote by Mr.
Plott,
of
Oxford,
who assured me he inserted it on good authority.
But there are instances of its fierceness still more surprizing, and which indeed border a little on the marvellous.
Gesner
Gesner pisc.
503.
relates, that a famished pike in the
Rhone
seized on the lips of a mule that was brought to water, and that the beast drew the fish out before it could disengage itself. That people have been bit by these voracious creatures while they were washing their legs, and that they will even contend with the otter for its prey, and endeavour to force it out of its mouth
Walton.
157.
Small fish shew the same uneasiness and detestation at the presence of this tyrant, as the little birds do at the sight of the hawk or owl. When the pike lies dormant near the surface (as is frequently the case) the lesser fish are often observed to swim around it in vast numbers, and in great anxiety. Pike are often haltered in a noose, and taken while they lie thus asleep, as they are often found in the ditches near the
Thames
in the month of
May.
In the shallow water of the
Lincolnshire
fens they are frequently taken in a manner peculiar, we believe, to that county, and the isle of
Ceylon
Knox'
s
Hist. Ceylon,
28.
. The fishermen makes use of what is called a crown-net, which is no more than a hemispherical basket, open at top and bottom. He stands at the end of one of the little fen-boats, and frequently puts his basket down to the bottom of the water, then poking a stick into it, discovers whether he has any booty by the striking of the fish; and vast numbers of pike are taken in this manner.
The longevity of this fish is very remarkable,
Longevity.
if we may credit the accounts given of it.
Rzaczynski
Hist. Nat. Poloniae,
152.
tells us of one that was ninety years old; but
Gesner
Iconos piscium,
316, where a print of the ring is given.
relates, that in the year 1497, a pike was taken near
Hailbrun,
in
Suabia,
with a brazen ring affixed to it, on which were those words in
Greek
characters:
I am the fish which was first of all put into this lake by the hands of the governor of the universe,
FREDERICK
the Second, the 5th of
October, 1230:" so that the former must have been an infant to this
Methusalem
of a fish.
Pikes spawn in
March
or
April,
according to the coldness or warmth of the weather. When they are in high season their colors are very fine, being green, spotted with bright yellow; and the gills are of a most vivid and full red. When out of season, the green changes to grey, and the yellow spots turn pale.
The head is very flat; the upper jaw broad,
Descr.
and is shorter than the lower: the under jaw turns up a little at the end, and is marked with minute punctures.
The teeth are very sharp, disposed only in the front of the upper jaw, but in both sides of the lower, in the roof of the mouth, and often the tongue. The slit of the mouth, or the gape, is very wide; the eyes small.
The dorsal fin is placed very low on the back, and consists of twenty-one rays; the pectoral of fifteen; the ventral of eleven; the anal of eighteen.
The tail is bifurcated.
II. The SEA PIKE.
.
Arist. Hist. an.
ii.
c.
15. &c.
?
Athenaeus. lib.
vii. 319.
Acus, five Belone
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
51.
Acuchia.
Salvian.
68.
L'Aguille, ou Orphie.
Belon.
161.
Acus prima species.
Rondel.
227.
Gesner pisc.
9.
Horn-fisck.
Schonevelde.
11.
Horn-fish, or Gar-fish.
Wil. Icth.
231.
Raii syn. pisc.
109.
Esox rostro cuspidato gracili subtereti, et spithamali,
Arted. synon.
27.
Esox Belone. E. rostro utraque maxilla dentata.
Lin. syst.
517.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
362.
Nabbgjadda, Horngiall.
Faun. suec. No.
156.
See-naadel, Sack-nadel.
Wulff Boruss. No.
70.
THIS fish which is known in many places, is known by the name of the
Sea Needle.
It comes in shoals on our coasts in the beginning of summer, and precedes the mackrel: it has a resemblance to it in taste, but the light green, which stains the back bone of this fish when boiled, gives many people a disgust to it.
Mr.
Ray
tells us, that when he was in
Cornwall,
the fishermen gave him the names of two species of this fish, one they called
Girrocks,
the other
Skippers;
these we may suppose to be the common kind, the other (according to Mr.
Jago
's conjecture) is probably the same with the
Saurus
of
Rondeletius,
Saurus.
p. 232, which both those icthyologists agree has a shorter nose than the common species. We have no other description of this fish than what is left us by
Rondeletius,
who says, that it is shorter and thicker than the other; that the nose is shorter and turns up; that the edges of the jaws are serrated; and that between the anal fin and the tail it has several spurious fins like the mackrel. We do not venture to make a distinct article of this fish, because Mr.
Jago
has not pointed out the specific difference; but we thought it necessary to give this brief description of it from
Rondeletius,
to supply that defect in case the
Saurus
should prove a
British
fish.
The common sea pike, or sea needle,
Descr.
sometimes grows to the length of three feet, or more.
The jaws are very long, slender, and sharp pointed; the under extends much farther than the upper, and the edges of both are armed with numbers of short slender teeth: the inside of the mouth is purple: the tongue small: the eyes large: the irides silvery: the nostrils wide and round.
The body is slender: the belly quite flat, bounded on both sides by a rough line.
The pectoral fins consist of twelve rays; the ventral fins small, and placed very remote from the head, consists of six rays, the first spiny.
The dorsal fin lies on the very lower part of the back, consists of eighteen rays; the first are high, the others lower as they approach the tail; the anal fin is of the same form, and placed opposite the other: the tail is forked.
The colors are extremely beautiful when the fish is in the water: the back of a fine green, beneath that appears a rich changeable blue and purple: the sides and belly are of a fine silvery hue.
Genus XXXVI.
Teeth in the jaws and tongue. Eight branchiostegous rays. Vent near the tail. The ventral fins composed of many rays.
ARGENTINE.
I. The ARGENTINE.
Sphyraena parva, sive sphyraena secunda species.
Rondel.
227.
Gesner pisc.
883.
Pisciculus
Romae,
Argentina dictus.
Wil. Icth.
229.
Raii syn. pisc.
108.
Argentina.
Arted. synon.
17.
Argentina
Sphyraena. Lin. syst.
518.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
349.
THIS species was communicated to us by Mr.
Brunnich,
who saw it taken off the isle of
Sheppy,
and is, according to Doctor
Gronovius,
common in the mouth of the
Schelde
during autumn.
It is a small fish of a slender form: the nose is sharp pointed: the teeth very minute: the eyes large.
On the back is one small fin, consisting of ten soft rays; the pectoral of about fourteen; the ventral of eleven; the anal of nine: the tail is forked.
The back is green: the sides beneath the lateral line silvery.
Mr.
Willoughby,
from whom we borrow this description, says, that the outside of the air bladder of this fish consists of a foliaceous silvery skin, which was made use of in the manufacture of artificial pearl.
Genus XXXVII.
The upper jaw a little flat. Six branchiostegous rays. A silvery stripe along the side.
ATHERINE.
I. The ATHERINE.
Epsetus?
Belon.
209.
, Atherina.
Rondel.
215, 216.
Bossuet Epig.
66. 67.
Gesner pisc.
71, 72.
Pisciculus
Anguella Venetiis
dictus; forte Hepsetus
Rondeletii,
vel
Atherina
ejusdem.
Wil. Icth.
209.
Raii syn. pisc.
79.
Atherina.
Arted. synon. App.
116.
Atherina Hepsetus. A. pinna ani radiis fere duodecim.
Lin. syst.
519.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
399.
IT is also to the same gentleman that we are indebted for our knowledge of this being a
British
fish, it having been seen by him at the same place with the former.
Mr.
Willoughby
describes it as not exceeding three inches and a quarter in length: its form is slender: the body covered with scales, and entirely pellucid, except where the back bone and intestines lie: the back is spotted with black: the sides are silvery: when the scales are taken off it appears that every four spots form a rhombic figure.
On the back are two fins; the first consists of seven, the second of eleven rays; the pectoral of fourteen; the ventral of six; the anal of fourteen.
The tail, according to Doctor
Gronovius,
bifurcated
Mus. Icthyol.
I.
No.
66.
Genus XXXVIII.
Body and covers of the gills clothed with large scales. Six incurvated branchiostegous rays. Teeth on the tongue and in the palate only.
MULLET.
I. The MULLET.
.
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
v.
c.
11, &c.
.
Oppian Halieut.
iii. 98.
Athenaeus lib.
vii. 306.
Mugil
Ovid Halieut.
37.
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
8.17.
Cephalo.
Salvian.
75.
Le Mulet.
Belon.
205.
Cephalus.
Rondel.
260.
Gesner pisc.
549.
Mullet.
Wil. Icth.
274.
Raii syn. pisc.
84.
Mugil.
Arted. synon.
52.
Mugil cephalus. M. pinna dorsali anteriore quinque radiate.
Lin. syst.
520.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
397.
THE mullet is justly ranked by
Aristotle
among the
Pisces Littorales,
or those that prefer the shores to the full sea: they are found in great plenty on several of the sandy coasts of our island, and haunt in particular those small bays that have influxes of fresh water. They come in great shoals, and keep rooting like hogs in the sand or mud, leaving their traces in form of large round holes. They are very cunning, and when surrounded with a net, the whole shoal frequently escapes by leaping over it, for when one takes the lead, the others are sure to follow: this circumstance is taken notice of by
Oppian;
whether the latter part of his observation is true, is what we are uncertain.
The
Mullet
Mr.
Jones,
by mistake, translates it, the
Barbel.
, when encircling seines inclose,
The fatal threads and treach'rous bosom knows.
Instant he rallies all his vig'rous powers,
And faithful aid of every nerve implores;
O'er battlements of cork up-darting flies,
And finds from air th' escape that sea denies.
But should the first attempt his hopes deceive,
And fatal space th'imprison'd fall receive,
Exhausted strength no second leap supplies;
Self-doom'd to death the prostrate victim lies,
Resign'd with painful expectation waits,
'Till thinner elements compleat his fates.
JONES.
Oppian
had good opportunity of examining these fish, for they swarm during some seasons on the coasts of the
Mediterranean.
Near
Martegues,
in the south of
France,
abundance of mullets are taken in weres made of reeds placed in the shallows. Of the milts of the males, which are there called
Alletants,
and of the roes of the females, which are called
Botar,
is made
Botargo.
The materials are taken out entire, covered with salt for four or five hours, then pressed a little between two boards or stones, washed, and at last dried in the sun for thirteen or fourteen days
Mr.
Willoughby
's notes during his travels.
Vide Harris's Col. Voy.
II. 721.
This fish was sometimes made the instrument of a horrible punishment for unfortunate gallants. It was in use both at
Athens
Legibus
Atheniensium
adulteri
deprehensi paena suit
. Raphani loco utebantur nonnunquam mugile pisce, interdum scorpione.
Causauboni
animadvers: in
Athenaeum,
lib.
I.
c.
5.
tom.
ii.
edit.
Lugd. 1621.
and at
Rome;
but we doubt much whether it was a legal one: for we rather suspect it was inflicted instantaneously by the injured and enraged husband, at a season when
Furor arma ministrat.
Juvenal
seems to speak of it in that light as well as
Horace:
the former, relating the revenge taken by the exasperated spouse, describes it as very various;
Necat hic ferro, secat ille cruentis
Verberibus, quosdam maechos et
MUGILIS
intrat
Satyr.
x. 316.
The passage in
Horace
seems not to have been attended to by the critics; but when he mentions the distresses that the invader of another's bed underwent, he most certainly alludes to this penalty:
Discinctâ tunicâ fugiendum est, ac pede nudo;
Ne nummi pereant, aut
PYGA,
aut denique fama
Satyr.
ii.
lib.
I. 132.
The mullet is an excellent fish for the table, but at present not a fashionable one.
The head is almost square,
Descr.
and is flat on the top: the nose blunt: lips thick. It has no teeth, only in the upper lip is a small roughness: between the eyes and the mouth is a hard callus.
The pupil of the eye is black, encircled with a small silvery line: the upper part of the iris is hazel; the lower silvery.
The form of the body is pretty thick, but the back not greatly elevated. The scales are large and deciduous.
The first dorsal fin is placed near the middle of the back, and consists of four strong spines; the second of nine soft branching rays; the pectoral has sixteen, the ventral six; the first a strong spine, the others soft.
The tail is much forked.
The color of the back is dusky, varied with blue and green: the sides silvery, marked with broad dusky parallel lines, reaching from head to tail: the belly is silvery.
Genus XXXIX.
Head covered with scales, Pectoral fins almost as long as the body.
FLYING FISH.
I. The FLYING FISH.
Hirundo
Plinii lib.
ix.
c.
26.
Pliny
mentions it under the same name,
lib.
ix.
c.
19.
Albenae
s lib.
viii. 332.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 157.
Oppian
ii. 459.
Ron
ine.
Salvian.
186.
Hirondelle de mer.
Belon.
189.
Mugil alatus.
Rondel.
267.
Gesner pisc.
553.
Wil. Icth.
233.
Exocaetus.
Arted. synon.
18
Exocaetus volitans. E. abdomine utrinque carinato.
Lin. syst.
520.
Amaen. Acad.
I. 603.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
359.
WE can produce but a single instance of this species
This fish was seen by
John Strange,
Esq
at
Caermarthen,
who was so obliging as to communicate to me the account of i
▪
being taken on the
British
coasts. In
June
1765, one was caught at a small distance below
Caermarthen,
in the river
Towy,
being brought up by the tide which flows as far as the town. It is a fish frequent enough in the
Mediterranean,
and also in the ocean, where it leads a most miserable life. In its own element it is perpetually harassed by the
Dorados,
and other fish of prey. If it endeavors to avoid them by having recourse to the air, it either meets its fate from the
Gulls,
or the
Albatross,
or is forced down again into the mouth of the inhabitants of water, who below keep pace with its aerial excursion. Neither is it unfrequent that whole shoals of them fall on board of ships that navigate the seas of warm climates: it is therefore apparent, that nature in this creature hath supplied it with instruments that frequently bring it into that destruction it strives to avoid, by having recourse to an element unnatural to it.
The antients were acquainted with this species:
Pliny
mentions it under the name of
Hirundo,
and speaks of its flying faculty. It is probable that
Oppian
intended the same by his
or the
swift swallow
fish. What
Athenaeus
and the last cited author mean by the
and
is not so evident: they assert it quitted the water and slept on the rocks, from whence it tumbled with precipitation when disturbed by the unfriendly birds: on these accounts Icthyologists seem to have made it synonymous with the
flying fish.
It resembles the herring in form of the body,
Descr.
but the back is flat: the scales large and silvery: the dorsal fin is small, and placed near the tail: the pectoral fins, the instruments of flight, are almost as long as the body: the tail is bifurcated.
Genus XL.
Eight branchiostegous rays. The belly extremely sharp, and often serrated.
HERRING.
I. The HERRING.
Aringha ex
cimbricis
littoribus.
Jovius.
143.
Hareng, espece de Chalcis.
Belon.
169.
Harengus.
Rondel.
222.
Gesner pisc.
410.
Heringk.
Schonevelde.
37.
Herring.
Wil. Icth.
219.
Raii syn. pisc.
103.
Clupea maxilla inferiore longiore maculis carens.
Arted. synon.
14. α. β.
Clupea Harengus. Cl. immaculata, maxilla inferiore longiore.
Lin. syst.
522.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
348.
Sill.
Faun. suec. No.
357. α. Stromming.
Faun. suec. No.
357. β.
Stromling
The herring of the
Baltic,
in all respects is like ours, but smaller.
Wulff. Boruss. No.
50.
THE herring was unknown to the antients,
Name.
notwithstanding the words
and
are by translators rendered
Helec
Which word, in spite of all
lexicographers,
never signisied any thing but the
garum
or pickle.
Vide p.
221.
. The characters given of those fish are common to such numbers of different species, as render it impossible to say which they intended.
Herrings are found from the highest northern latitudes yet known,
Place.
as low as the northern coasts of
France;
and excepting one instance brought by
Dod
Natural Hist. of the Herring, p. 27.
, of a few being once taken in the Bay of
Tangier,
are never found more southerly.
They are met with in vast shoals on the coast of
America,
as low as
Carolina.
In
Chesapeak
Bay is an annual inundation of those fish, which cover the shores in such quantities as to become a nusance
Catesby Carol.
ii. xxxiii.
We find them again in the seas of
Kamtzchatka,
and possibly they reach
Japan;
for
Kaempfer
mentions, in his account of the fish of that country, some that are congenerous.
The great winter rendezvous of the herring is within the
Arctic
circle: there they continue for many months in order to recruit themselves after the fatigue of spawning, the seas within that space swarming with insect food, in a degree far greater than in our warmer latitudes.
This mighty army begins to put itself in motion in the spring;
Migrations.
we distinguish this vast body by that name, for the word herring is derived from the
German, Heer,
an army, to express their numbers.
They begin to appear off the
Shetland
isles in
April
and
May;
these are only forerunners of the grand shoal which comes in
June,
and their appearance is marked by certain signs by the numbers of birds, such as gannets, and others which follow to prey on them: but when the main body approaches, its breadth and its depth is such as to alter the appearance of the very ocean. It is divided into distinct columns of five or six miles in length, and three or four in breadth, and they drive the water before them with a kind of rippling: sometimes they slink for the space of ten or fifteen minutes, then rise again to the surface, and in bright weather reflect a variety of splendid colors, like a field of the most pretious gems, in which, or rather in a much more valuable light, should this stupendous gift of Providence be considered by the inhabitants of the
British
isles.
The first check this army meets in its march southward,
Separation.
is from the
Shetland
isles, which divide it into two parts; one wing takes to the east, the other to the western shores of
Great-Britain,
and fill every bay and creek with their numbers; others pass on towards
Yarmouth,
the great and antient mart of herrings; they then pass thro' the
British
channel, and after that in a manner disappear. Those which take to the west, after offering themselves to the
Hebrides,
where the great stationary fishery is, proceed towards the north of
Ireland,
where they meet with a second interruption, and are obliged to make a second division; the one takes to the western side, and is scarce perceived, being soon lost in the immensity of the
Atlantic;
but the other, which passes into the
Irish
sea, rejoices and feeds the inhabitants of most of the coasts that border on it.
These brigades, as we may call them, which are thus separated from the greater columns, are often capricious in their motions, and do not shew an invariable attachment to their haunts. We have had in our time instances of their entirely quitting the coasts of
Cardiganshire,
and visiting those of
Caernarvonshire
and
Flintshire,
where they continued for a few years, but in the present year have quite deserted our sea, and returned to their old seats. The season of their appearance among us was very late, never before the latter end of
November:
their continuance till
February.
Were we inclined to consider this partial migration of the herring in a moral light,
Providential instinct.
we might reflect with veneration and awe on the mighty Power which originally impressed on this most useful body of his creatures, the instinct that directs and points out the course, that blesses and enriches these islands, which causes them at certain and invariable times to quit the vast polar deeps, and offer themselves to our expecting fleets. That benevolent Being has never, from the earliest records, been once known to withdraw this blessing from the whole, tho' he often thinks proper to deny it to particulars; yet this partial failure (for which we see no natural reason) should fill us with the most exalted and grareful sense of his Providence, for impressing so invariable and general instinct on these fish towards a southward migration, when the whole is to be benefited, and to withdraw it only when a minute part is to suffer.
This instinct was given them,
Spawaing.
that they might remove for the sake of depositing their spawn in warmer seas, that would mature and vivify it more assuredly than those of the frigid zone. It is not from defect of food that they set themselves in motion, for they come to us full and fat, and on their return are almost universally observed to be lean and miserable. What their food is near the pole, we are not yet informed; but in our seas they feed much on the
Oniscus Marinus,
a crustaceous insect,
Food.
and sometimes on their own fry.
They are in full roe the end of
June,
and continue in perfection till the beginning of winter, when they begin to deposit their spawn. The young herrings begin to approach the shores in
July
and
August,
and are then from half an inch to two inches long: those in
Yorkshire
are called
Herring Sile
The
Sueaes
and
Danes
call the old herring
Sill;
but the people of
Slesw
from whence the
Anglo-Saxons
came call the fry
Sylen.
. Tho' we have no particular authority for it,
Return.
yet as very few young herrings are found in our seas during winter, it seems most certain that they must return to their parental haunts beneath the ice, to repair the vast destruction of their race during summer, by men, fowl and fish. Some of the old herrings eontinue on our coasts the whole year: the
Scarborough
fishermen never put down their nets but they catch a few; but the numbers that remain are not worth mention in comparison to the numbers that return.
Herrings vary greatly in size.
Descr.
Mr.
Travis
communicated to me the information of an experienced fisher, who informed him that there is sometimes taken near
Yarmouth,
a herring distinguished by a black spot above the nose; and that he once saw one that was twenty-one inches and an half long. He insisted that it was a different species, and varied as much from the common herring as that does from the pilchard. This we mention in order to incite some curious person on that coast to a farther enquiry.
The eye is very large: the edges of the upper jaw and the tongue are very rough, but the whole mouth is void of teeth: the gill covers are very loose, and open very wide; which occasions the almost instant death of the herring when taken out of the water, which is well known, even to a proverb.
The dorsal fin consists of about seventeen rays, and is placed beyond the centre of gravity, so that when the fish is suspended by it, the head immediately dips down: the two ventral fins have nine rays; the pectoral seventeen; the anal fourteen: the tail is much forked.
The lateral line is not apparent, unless the scales are taken off: the sides are compressed: the belly sharply carinated, but the ridge quite smooth, and not in the lest serrated.
The scales are large, thin, and fall off with a slight touch.
The color of the back and sides green,
Color.
varied with blue: the belly silvery.
The herring fishery is of great antiquity:
Fishery.
the industrious
Dutch
first engaged in it about the year 1164: they were in possession of it for several centuries, but at length its value become so justly to be known, that it gave rise to most obstinate and well-disputed wars between the
English
and them; but still their diligence and skill gives them a superiority over us in that branch of trade.
Our great stations are off the
Shetland
and
Western Isles,
and off the coast of
Norfolk,
in which the
Dutch
also share.
Yarmouth
has long been famous for its herring fair
This fair was regulated by an act, commonly called the
Statute of Herrings,
in the 31st year of
Edward
III.
; that town is obliged, by its charter, to send to the sheriffs of
Norwich
one hundred herrings, to be made into twenty-four pies, by them to be delivered to the lord of the manor of
East Carleton,
who is to convey them to the king
Cambden Britan.
I. 458.
The facetious Doctor
Fuller
British Worthies.
238.
takes notice of the great repute the county of
Norfolk
was in for this fish, and, with his usual archness, calls a red herring a
Norfolk Capon.
The
Dutch
are most extravagantly fond of this fish when it is pickled. A premium is given to the first buss that arrives in
Holland
with a lading of this their
ambrosia,
and a vast price given for each keg. We have been in the country at that happy minute, and observed as much joy among the inhabitants on its arrival, as the
Aegyptians
shew on the first overflowing of the
Nile. Flanders
had the honor of inventing the art of pickling herrings. One
William Beukelen,
of
Biervlet,
near
Sluys,
hit on this useful expedient: from him was derived the name
pickle,
which we borrow from the
Dutch
and
German.
It is very singular that most nations give the name of their favorite dish to the facetious attendant on every mountebank. Thus the
Dutch
call him PICKLE HERRING; the
Italians,
MACARONI; the
French,
JEAN POTTAGE; the
Germans,
HANS WURST
That is,
Jack Sausage.
; and we dignify him with the title of JACK PUDDING.
II. The PILCHARD.
Pilchard.
Fuller's Brit. Worthies.
194.
Peltzer.
Schonevelde.
40
The Pilchard.
Wil. Icth.
223.
Raii syn. pisc.
104.
Clupea δ.
Arted. synon.
16.
Pilchard.
Borlase Cornwall.
272.
THE pilchard appears in vast shoals off the
Cornish
coasts, about the middle of
July,
disappear the beginning of winter, yet sometimes a few return again after
Christmas.
Their winter retreat is the same with that of the herring, and their motives for migrating the same. They affect, during summer, a warmer latitude, for they are not found in any quantities on any of our coasts except those of
Cornwall,
that is to say, from
Fowey
harbor to the
Scilly
isles, between which places the shoals keep shifting for some weeks.
The approach of the pilchard is known by much the same signs as those that indicate the arrival of the herring. Persons, called in
Cornwall Huers,
are placed on the cliffs, to point to the boats stationed off the land the course of the fish. By the 1st of
James
1. c. 23. fishermen are empowered to go on the grounds of others to
bue,
without being liable to actions of trespass, which before occasioned frequent lawsuits.
The emoluments that accrue to the inhabitants of that county are great, and are best expressed in the words of Doctor
W. Borlase,
in his account of the
Pilchard
fishery.
It employs a great number of men on the sea, training them thereby to naval affairs; employs men, women, and children, at land, in salting, pressing, washing, and cleaning, in making boats, nets, ropes, casks, and all the trades depending on their construction and sale. The poor is fed with the offals of the captures, the land with the refuse of the fish and salt, the merchant finds the gains of commission and honest commerce, the fisherman the gains of the fish. Ships are often freighted hither with salt, and into foreign countries with the fish, carrying off at the same time part of our tin. The usual produce of the number of hogsheads exported each year, for ten years, from 1747 to 1756 inclusive, from the four ports of
Fawy, Falmouth, Penzance,
and
St. Ives,
it appears that
Fawy
has exported yearly 1732 hogsheads;
Falmouth,
14631 hogsheads and two-thirds;
Penzance
and
Mounts-Bay,
12149 hogsheads and one-third;
St. Ives,
1282 hogsheads: in all amounting to 29795 hogsheads. Every hogshead for ten years last past, together with the bounty allowed for each hogshead exported, and the oil made out of each hogshead, has amounted, one year with another at an average, to the price of one pound thirteen shillings and three-pence; so that the cash paid for pilchards exported has, at a medium, annually amounted to the sum of forty-nine thousand five hundred and thirty-two pounds ten shillings.
XVII PILCHARD HERRING.
The numbers that are taken at one shooting out of the nets, is amazingly great. Doctor
Borlase
assured me, that on the 5th of
October,
1767, there were at one time inclosed in
St. Ives's Bay
7000 hogsheads, each hogshead containing 35000 fish, in all 245000000.
This fish has a general likeness to the herring,
Descr.
but differs in some particulars very essentially; we therefore describe it comparatively with the other, having one of each species before us, both of them of the same length,
viz.
nine inches and an half.
The body of the pilchard is less compressed than that of the herring, being thicker and rounder: the nose is shorter in proportion, and turns up: the under jaw is shorter.
The back is more elevated: the belly less sharp: the dorsal fin of the pilchard is placed exactly in the centre of gravity, so that when taken up by it, the body preserves an equilibrium, whereas that of the herring dips at the head: the dorsal fin of the pilchard we examined, being placed only three inches eight tenths from the tip of the nose; that of the herring four inches one tenth.
The scales of the pilchard adhere very closely, whereas those of the herring very easily drop off.
The pilchard is in general less than the herring; the specimen we describe being a very large one. The pilchard is fatter, or more full of oil.
III. The SPRAT.
Spratti.
Wil. Icth.
221.
Raii syn. pisc.
105.
Clupea quadriuncialis, maxilla inferiore longiore, ventre acutissimo.
Arted. synon.
17.
Clupea Sprattus. Cl. pinna dorsali radiis tredecim.
Lin. syst.
523.
Hwussbuk.
Faun. suec. No.
358.
MR.
Willoughby
and Mr.
Ray
were of opinion, that these fish were the fry of the herring: we are induced to dissent from them, not only because on comparing a sprat and young herring of equal size, we discovered some specific differences, but likewise for another reason: the former visits our coasts, and continue with us in shoals innumerable, when the others in general have retired to the great northern deeps.
They come into the river
Thames,
below bridge, the beginning of
November,
and leave it in
March,
and are, during their season, a great relief to the poor of the capital.
At
Gravesend,
and at
Yarmouth,
they are cured like red herrings; they are sometimes pickled, and are little inferior in flavor to the
Anchovy,
but the bones will not dissolve like those of the latter. Mr.
Forster
tells me, that in the
Baltic
they preserve them in the same manner, and call them
Breitling,
i. e. the little deep fish, as being deeper than the
Stromling,
or
Baltic
herring.
The sprat grows to about the length of five inches:
Descr.
the body is much deeper than that of a young herring of equal length: the back fin is placed more remote from the nose than that of the herring, and we think had sixteen rays. But the great distinction between this fish, the herring and pilchard, is the belly: that of the two first being quite smooth, that of the last most strongly serrated.
IV. The ANCHOVY.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
vi.
c.
15.
?
Athenaeus. lib.
vii.
c.
285.
L'Anchoy?
Belon.
165.
Encrasicholus?
Rondel.
211.
Gesner pisc.
68.
Lycostomus, sehe mareneken?
Schonevelde.
46.
tab.
5.
Anchovy.
Wil. Icth.
225.
Raii syn. pisc.
107.
Clupea maxilla superiore longiore.
Arted. synon.
17.
Clupea encrasicolus.
Lin. syst.
523.
THE true anchovies are taken in vast quantities in the
Mediterranean,
and are brought over here pickled. The great fishery is at
Gorgona,
a small isle west of
Leghorn.
Mr.
Ray
discovered what he suspected to be the same fish in the sea near
Chester
Ray'
s
letters,
47.
, where he described them. Notwithstanding I live near that city, and have been assured by my fisherman that they are found in our aestuary, it never has been my fortune to procure one.
The
English
anchovy (according to Mr.
Ray
) is a palm in length, and thicker than a thumb: the body more slender, but less compressed than that of the herring, has no scales
Schonevelde
says, the scales of his
Lycostomos
fall off very readily; perhaps Mr.
Ray
might see them after they had been carried some distance, when they had lost their scales.
, and is pellucid, except where the back bone runs.
It is almost of the color of a sprat: the nose is sharp: the upper mandible longer than the lower: the mouth very large for the size of the fish: the eyes large.
V. The SHAD.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
ix.
c.
37.
Strabo lib.
xv. 486. xvii. 566.
Athenaeus. lib.
iv. 131. vii. 328.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 244.
Alausa?
Ausonii Mosella.
128.
Laccia, chiepa.
Salvian.
104.
L'Alose.
Belon.
307.
Thrissa.
Rondel.
220.
Gesner pisc.
20.
Bayeke, Meyfisch.
Schonevelde.
13.
Shad, or Mother of Herrings.
Wil. Icth.
227.
Raii syn. pisc.
105.
Clupea apice maxilla superiore bifido, maculis nigris utrinque.
Arted. synon.
15.
Clupea alsa. Cl. lateribus nigro maculatis, rostro bifido.
Lin. syst.
523.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
347.
NEITHER
Aristotle, Athenaeus,
nor
Oppian,
have described their
with such precision, as to induce us to translate it the
Shad,
without affixing to it our sceptic mark.
Ausonius
has been equally negligent in respect to his
Alausa:
all he tells us is, that it was a very bad fish:
Stridentesque focis obsonia plebis
ALAUSAS.
Alausae
crackling on the embers are
Of wretched poverty, th'insipid fare.
But commentators have agreed to render the
of the first, and the
Alausa
of the last, by the word
Shad.
Perhaps they were directed by the authority of
Strabo,
who mentions the
the supposed
Shad,
and the
, or
Mullet,
as fish that ascend the
Nile
at certain seasons, which, with the
Dolphin
This is the
Dolphin
of the
Nile,
a fish now unknown to us.
Pliny lib.
viii.
c.
25. says, it had a sharp sin on its back, with which it destroyed the crocodile, by thrusting it into the belly of that animal, the only penetrable place.
of that river, he says, are the only kinds that venture up from the sea for fear of the crocodile. That the two first are fish of passage in the
Nile,
is confirmed to us by
Belonius
Belon. Itin.
98.
, and by
Hasselquist
P.
385. 388.
Suedish
edition.
. The last says it is found in the
Mediterranean
near
Smyrna,
and on the coast of
Aegypt,
near
Rosetto;
and that in the months of
December
and
January
it ascends the
Nile,
as high as
Cairo:
that it is stuffed with pot marjoram, and when dressed in that manner will very nearly intoxicate the eater.
In
Great Britain
the
Severn
affords this fish in higher perfection than any other river. It makes its first appearance there in
May,
but in very warm seasons in
April;
for its arrival, sooner or later, depends much on the temper of the air. It continues in the river about two months, and then is succeeded by a variety which we shall have occasion to mention hereafter.
The
Severn
shad is esteemed a very delicate fish about the time of its first appearance, especially in that part of the river that flows by
Gloucester,
where they are taken in nets, and usually sell dearer than salmon: some are sent to
London,
where the fishmongers distinguish them from those of the
Thames,
by the
French
name of
Alose.
Whether they spawn in this river and the
Wye
is not determined, for their fry has not yet been ascertained. The old fish come from the sea into the river in full roe. In the months of
July
and
August,
multitudes of bleak frequent the river near
Gloucester;
some of them are as big as a small herring, and these the fishermen erroneously suspect to be the fry of the shad. Numbers of these are taken near
Gloucester
in those months only, but none of the emaciated shad are ever caught in their return
Belon
also observes, that none are taken in their return on
tes prend en moutant contre les rivieres, et jamais en descendant.
The
Thames
shad does not frequent that river till the month of
July,
Twaite.
and is esteemed a very insipid coarse fish. About the same time, and rather earlier, the variety called near
Gloucester
the
Twaite,
makes its appearance, and is taken in great numbers in the
Severn,
and is held in as great disrepute as the shad of the
Thames.
The differences between each variety are as follow: The true
Shad
weighs sometimes eight pounds, but their general size is from four to five.
The
Twaite,
on the contrary, weighs from half a pound to two pounds, which it never exceeds.
The twaite differs from a small shad only in having one or more round black spots on the sides; if only one, it is always near the gill, but commonly there are three or four, placed one under the other
I must here acknowlege my obligations to Doctor
Lysons,
of
Gloucester,
for his communications relating to this fish, as well as to several other articles relating to those of the
Severn.
The other particulars agree in each so exactly,
Descr.
that the same description will serve for both.
The head slopes down considerably from the back, which at the beginning is very convex, and rather sharp: the body from thence grows gradually less to the tail.
The under jaw is rather longer than the upper: the teeth very minute.
The dorsal fin is placed very near the centre, is small, and the middle rays are the longest: the pectoral and ventral fins are small: the tail vastly forked: the belly extremely sharp, and most strongly serrated.
The back is of a dusky blue:
Color.
above the gills begins a line of dark spots, which mark the upper part of the back on each side; the number of these spots is uncertain in different fish, from four to ten.
The sides and belly are silvery.
Genus XLI.
The mouth without teeth. Three branchiostegous rays. One dorsal fin.
CARP.
With bearded mouths.
I. The CARP.
?
Arist. Hist. an. lib.
iv. 8. vi. 40. viii. 20. ii. 30.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 101. 592.
Raina Burbara.
Salvian.
92.
La Carpe.
Belon.
267.
Cyprinus.
Rondel. fluviat.
150.
Gesner pisc.
309.
Cyprinus nobilis, edle Karpe, Karpffe.
Schonevelde.
32.
Carp.
Wil. Icth.
162.
Raii syn. pisc.
115.
Cyprinus cirris quatuor, ossiculo tertio pinnarum dorsi, ac ani uncinulis armato.
Arted. synon.
3.
Cyprinus Carpio. C. pinna ani radiis 9. cirris 4. pinna dorsalis radio secunao postice serrato.
Lin. syst.
525.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
330.
Karp.
Faun. suec. No.
359.
THIS is one of the naturalized fish of our country, having been introduced here by
Leonard Mascal,
about the year 1514
Fuller's British Worthies, Sussex.
113.
, to whom we were also indebted for that excellent apple the
pepin.
The many good things that our island wanted before that period, are enumerated in this old distich:
Turkies, carps, hops, pickerel, and beer,
Came into
England
all in one year.
As to the two last articles we have some doubts, the others we believe to be true.
Russia
wants these fish at this day;
Sueden
has them only in the ponds of the people of fashion;
Polish Prussia
is the chief seat of the carp; they abound in the rivers and lakes of that country, particularly in the
Frisch
and
Curisch-haff,
where they are taken of a vast size. They are there a great article of commerce, and sent in well-boats to
Sueden
and
Russia.
The merchants purchase them out of the waters of the
noblesse
of the country, who draw a good revenue from this article. Neither are there wanting among our gentry, instances of some who make good profit of their ponds.
The antients do not separate the carp from the sea fish. We are credibly informed that they are sometimes found in the harbor of
Dantzick,
between the town and a small place called
Hela.
Carp are very long lived.
Gesner
Gesner pisc.
312.
brings an instance of one that was an hundred years old. They also grow to a very great size. On our own knowlege we can speak of none that exceeded twenty pounds in weight; but
Jovius
De piscibus Romanis.
131.
says, that they were sometimes taken in the
Lacus Larius
(the
Lago di Como)
of two hundred pounds weight; and
Rzaczynski
Hist. Nat. Poloniae.
142.
, mentions others taken in the
Dniester
that were five feet in length.
They are also extremely tenacious of life, and will live for a most remarkable time out of water.
An experiment has been made by placing a carp in a net, well wrapped up in wet moss, the mouth only remaining out, and then hung up in a cellar, or some cool place: the fish is frequently fed with white bread and milk, and is besides often plunged into water. Carp thus managed have been known, not only to have lived above a fortnight, but to grow exceedingly fat, and far superior in taste to those that are immediately killed from the pond
This was told me by a gentleman of the utmost veracity, who had twice made the experiment. The same fact is related by that pious Philosopher Doctor
Derham,
in his
Physico-Theology,
edit. 9th. 1737.
ch.
i.
p.
7.
n. e.
The carp is a prodigious breeder:
Foecundity.
its quantity of roe has been sometimes found so great, that when taken out and weighed against the fish itself, the former has been found to preponderate. We have forbore in this work to enter into minute calculations of the numbers each fish may produce. It has already been most skilfully performed by Mr.
Harmer,
and printed in the
Philosophical Transactions
of the year 1767. We shall, in our Appendix, take the liberty of borrowing such part of his tables of the foecundity of fish, as will demonstrate the kind attention of Providence, towards the preserving so useful a class of animals for the service of its other creatures.
These fish are extremely cunning, and on that account are by some styled the
river fox.
They will sometimes leap over the nets, and escape that way; at others, will immerse themselves so deep in the mud, as to let the net pass over them. They are also very shy of taking a bait; yet at the spawning time they are so simple, as to suffer themselves to be tickled, handled, and caught by any body that will attempt it.
This fish is apt to mix its milt with the roe of other fish,
Spurious breed.
from which is produced a spurious breed: we have seen the offspring of the carp and tench, which bore the greatest resemblance to the first: we have also heard of the same mixture between the carp and bream.
The carp is of a thick shape: the scales very large,
Descr.
and when in best season of a fine gilded hue.
The jaws are of equal length; there are two teeth in the jaws, or on the tongue; but at the entrance of the gullet, above and below, are certain bones that act on each other, and comminute the food before it passes down.
On each side of the mouth is a single beard; above those on each side another, but shorter: the dorsal fin extends far towards the tail, which is a little bifurcated; the third ray of the dorsal fin is very strong, and armed with sharp teeth, pointing downwards; the third ray of the anal fin is constructed in the same manner.
II. The BARBEL.
Barbus.
Ausonius Mosella.
94.
Barbeau.
Belon.
299.
Barbus, Barbo.
Salvian.
86.
Barbus.
Rondel. fluviat.
194.
Gesner pisc.
123.
Barbe, Barble.
Schonevelde.
29.
Barbel.
Wil. Icth.
259.
Raii syn. pisc.
121.
Cyprinus oblongus, maxilla superiore longiore, cirris quatuor, pinna ani ossiculorum septem.
Arted. synon.
8.
Cyprinus Barbus. C. pinna ani radiis 7. cirris 4. pinnae dorsi radio secundo utrinque serrato.
Lin. syst.
525.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
331.
Barbe, Barble.
Wulff Borusi. No.
52.
THIS fish was so extremely coarse, as to be overlooked by the antients till the time of
Ausanius,
and what he says is no panegyric on it; for he lets us know it loves deep waters, and that when it is grown old it was not absolutely bad.
Laxos exerces
BARBE
natatus,
Tu melior pejore aevo, tibi contigit uni
Spirantum ex numero non inlaudata senectus.
It frequents the still and deep parts of rivers, and lives in society, rooting like swine with their noses in the soft banks. It is so tame as to suffer itself to be taken with the hand; and people have been known to take numbers by diving for them. In the summer they move about during night in search of food, but towards autumn, and during winter, confine themselves to the deepest holes.
They are the worst and coarsest of fresh water fish, and seldom eat but by the poorer sort of people, who sometime boil them with a bit of bacon to give them a relish. The roe is very noxious, affecting those who unwarily eat of it with a nausea, vomiting, purging, and a slight swelling.
It is sometimes found of the length of three feet,
Descr.
and eighteen pounds in weight: it is of a long and rounded form: the scales not large.
Its head is smooth: the nostrils placed near the eyes: the mouth is placed below: on each corner is a single beard, and another on each side the nose.
The dorsal fin is armed with a remarkable strong spine, sharply serrated, with which it can inflict a very severe wound on the incautious handler, and even do much damage to the nets.
The pectoral fins are of a pale brown color; the ventral and anal tipped with yellow: the tail a little bifurcated, and of a deep purple: the side line is strait.
The scales are of a pale gold color, edged with black: the belly is white.
III. The TENCH.
Tinca.
Ausonius Mosella.
123.
Tinca.
Jovius.
124.
Tinca, Tenca.
Salvian.
90.
La Tanche.
Belon.
325,
Tinca.
Rondel. fluviat.
157.
Gesner pisc.
984.
Schley, Slye.
Schonevelde.
76.
Tench.
Wil. Icth.
251.
Raii syn. pisc.
117.
Cyprinus mucosus totus nigrescens, extremitate caudae aequali.
Arted. synon.
5.
Cyprinus pinna ani radiis 25, cauda integra, corpore mucoso, cirris 2.
Lin. syst.
526.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
328.
Suture, Linnare, Skomakare.
Faun. suec. No.
363.
Schleihe, Schlegen.
Wulff Boruss. No.
55.
THE tench underwent the same fate with the barbel, in respect to the notice taken of it by the early writers; and even
Ausonius,
who first mentions it, treats it with such disrespect, as evinces the great capriciousness of taste; for that fish, which at present is held in such good repute, was in his days the repast only of the
Canaille.
Quis non et virides vulgi solatia
Tincas
norit?
It has been by some called the
Physician
of the fish, and that the slime is so healing, that the wounded apply it as a styptic. The ingenious Mr.
Diaper,
in his
piscatory
ecloges, says, that even the voracious pike will spare the tench on account of its healing powers
The
Tench
he spares a medicinal kind:
For when by wounds distrest, or sore disease,
He courts the salutary fish for ease;
Close to his scales the kind physician glides,
And sweats a healing balsam from his sides
Ecl.
ii.
Whatever virtue its slime may have to the inhabitants of the water, we will not vouch for, but its flesh is a wholesome and delicious food to those of the earth.
It does not commonly exceed four or five pounds in weight, but we have heard of one that weighed ten pounds;
Salvianus
speaks of some that arrived at twenty pounds.
The love still waters, and are rarely found in rivers: they are very foolish, and easily caught.
The tench is thick and short in proportion to its length:
Descr.
the scales are very small, and covered with slime.
The irides are red: there is sometimes, but not always, a small beard at each corner of the mouth.
The color of the back is dusky; the dorsal and ventral fins of the same color: the head, sides, and belly, of a greenish cast, most beautifully mixed with gold, which is in its greatest splendor when the fish is in the highest season.
The tail is quite even at the end, and very broad.
IV. The GUDGEON.
Gobio.
Ausonius Mosella.
132.
Gobio fluviatilis.
Salvian,
214.
Goujon de riviere.
Belon.
322.
Gobio fluviatilis.
Rondel. fluviat.
206.
Gesner pisc.
399.
Gudgeon.
Wil. Icth.
264.
Raii syn. pisc.
123.
Cyprinus quincuncialis maculosus, maxilla superiore longiore cirris duobus ad os.
Arted. syn
n.
2.
Cyprinus pinna ani radiis 2.
Lin. syst. Nat.
526.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
329.
ARISTOTLE
mentions the gudgeon in two places; once as a river fish, and again as a species that was gregarious: in a third place he describes it as a sea fish; we must therefore consider the
he mentions,
lib.
ix.
c.
2. and
lib.
viii.
c.
19. as the same with our species
The gudgeon is enumerated among the
Syrian
fish, by Dr.
Russel. p.
75.
This fish is generally found in gentle streams, and is of a small size: those few, however, that are caught in the
Kennet,
and
Cole,
are three times the weight of those taken elsewhere. The largest we ever heard of was taken near
Uxbridge,
and weighed half a pound.
They bite eagerly, and are assembled by raking the bed of the river; to this spot they immediately crowd in shoals, expecting food from this disturbance.
The shape of the body is thick and round:
Descr.
the irides tinged with red: the gill covers with green and silver: the lower jaw is shorter than the upper: at each corner of the mouth is a single beard: the back olive, spotted with black: the side line strait; the sides beneath that silvery: the belly white.
The tail is forked; that, as well as the dorsal fin, is spotted with black.
V. The BREAM.
La Bremme.
Belon.
318.
Cyprinus latus sive Brama.
Rondel. fluviat.
154.
Gesner pisc.
316, 317.
Brassem, Brachsem.
Schonevelde
33.
Bream.
Wil. Icth.
248.
Raii syn. picsc.
116.
Cyprinus pinnis omnibus nigrescentibus, pinna ani ossiculorum viginti septem.
Arted synon.
4.
Cyprinus Brama.
Lin. syst.
531.
Gronov. Zooph. No,
345.
Braxen.
Faun. suec. No.
360.
Gareikl.
Kram.
391. Brekmen.
Wulff Boruss. No.
66.
THE bream is an inhabitant of lakes, or the deep parts of still rivers. It is a fish that is very little esteemed, being extremely insipid.
It is extremely deep, and thin in proportion to its length. The back rises very much, and is very sharp at the top. The head and mouth are small: on some we examined in the spring, were abundance of minute whitish tubercles; an accident which
Pliny
seems to have observed befals the fish of the
Lago Maggiore,
and
Lago di Como
Duo Lacus
ITALIAe
in radicibus Alpium.
LARIUS
et
VERBANUS
appellantur, in quibus pisces omnibus annis
VERGILIARUM
ortu existunt, squamis consicui crebris atque praeacutis, clavorum caligarium effigi
: nec amplius quam circa cum mensem, visuntur.
lib. ix.
c.
18.
. The scales are very large: the sides flat and thin.
The dorsal fin has eleven rays, the second of which is the longest: that fin, as well as all the rest, are of a dusky color; the back of the same hue: the sides yellowish.
The tail is very large, and of the form of a crescent.
Without beards.
VI. The RUD.
Athenaeus. lib.
viii. 355.
Oppian Halieut.
I. 174.
La Plestia?
Belon.
309. La Rosse, 319.
Finscale.
Plot
's
Oxf.
184.
Rutilus latior, seu Rubellio fluviatilis à Rud, Roud, or Finscale.
Wil. Icth.
252.
Raii syn. pisc.
118.
Cyprinus.
Arted. synon.
6.
No.
8.
Cyprinus pinna ani radiis 15. pinnis rubris.
Lin. syst. Nat.
530.
Ruda, Carussa.
Faun. suec. No.
364.
THIS fish is found in the
Charwell,
near
Oxford,
and in the
Witham
in
Lincolnshire.
Its body is extremely deep, like that of the bream, but much thicker.
The head is small:
Descr.
the irides yellow, varying in some almost to redness: the nostrils large: the back vastly arched, and sloping off suddenly to the head and tail: the scales very large: the side line very slightly incurvated.
The dorsal fin consists of twenty-one rays; the first very short, the second very strong, and serrated on each side.
The tail a little forked.
The back is of an olive color: the sides and belly of a gold color, with certain marks of red: the ventral and anal fins, and the tail, generally of a deep red: the tail forked.
VII. The ROACH.
La Gardon, Roschie 2. en
Angleterre. Belon.
316.
Leuciscus.
Rondel. fluviat.
191.
Rutilus sive Rubellus fluviatilis.
Gesner pisc.
820.
Rottauge.
Schonevelde.
63.
Roche.
Wil. Icth.
262. Leuciscus prior.
Rondel.
260.
Raii syn. pisc.
122, 121.
Cyprinus
sargus
dictus. Cyp. iride pinhis ventralibus ac ani plerumque rubentibus.
Arted. synon.
9, 10.
Cyprinus Rutilus Cyp. pinna ani radiis 12. rubicunda.
Lin. syst.
529. Mort.
Faun. suec. No.
372.
Zert.
Wulff Boruss. No.
59. Altl.
Kram.
395.
SOUND as a roach,
is a proverb that appears to be but indifferently founded, that fish being not more distinguished for its vivacity than many others; yet it is used by the
French
as well as us, who compare people of strong health to their
Gardon,
our rocah.
It is a common fish, found in many of our deep still rivers, affecting, like the others of this genus, quiet waters. It is gregarious, keeping in large shoals. We have never seen them very large. Old
Walton
speaks of some that weighed two pounds. In a list of fish sold in the
London
markets, with the greatest weight of each, communicated to us by an intelligent fishmonger, is mention of one whose weight was five pounds.
The roach is deep, but thin, and the back is much elevated, and sharply ridged: the scales large, and fall off very easily.
VIII. The DACE.
Une vandoise, ou Dard.
Belon.
313.
Leucisci secunda species.
Rondel.
192.
Gesner pisc.
26.
Dace, or Dare.
Wil. Icth.
260.
Raii syn. pisc.
121.
Cyprinus decem digitorum, rutilo longior, et angustior, pinna ani radiorum decem.
Arted. synon.
9.
Cyprinus leuciscus. Cyp. pinna ani radiis 10. dorsali 9.
Lin. syst.
528.
Laugele.
Meyer
's
Ann.
ii.
tab.
97.
THIS, like the roach, is gregarious, haunts the same places, is a great breeder, very lively, and during summer is very fond of frolicking near the surface of the water. This fish and the roche are coarse and insipid meat.
Its head is small: the irides of a pale yellow: the body long and slender: its length seldom above ten inches, tho' in the abovementioned list is an account of one that weighed a pound and an half: the scales smaller than those of the roach.
The back is varied with dusky and blue: the sides and belly silvery: the dorsal fin dusky: the ventral, anal, and caudal fins red, but less so than those of the former: the tail is very much forked.
IX. The CHUB.
Capito.
Auson. Mosella.
85.
Squalus, Squaglio.
Salvian
84.
Le chevesne, Testard, Vilain.
Belon.
315.
Cephalus fluviatilis.
Rondel. fluviat.
190.
Capito sive Cephalus fluviatilis.
Gesner. pisc.
182.
Chub, or Chevin.
Wil. Icth.
255.
Raii syn. pisc.
119.
Cyprinus oblongus macrolepidotus, pinna ani ossiculorum undecim,
Arted. synon.
7.
Cyprinus cephalus. Cyp. pinna ani radiis undecim, cauda integra, corpore subcylindrico.
Lin. syst.
527.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
339.
Alte.
Meyer
's
An.
ii.
tab.
92.
Rapen.
Wulff. Boruss. No.
56.
SALVIANUS
imagines this fish to have been the
Squalus
A cartilaginous fish, a shark.
Vide. Plin. lib. ix. c.
24.
Ovid
also ranks his
Squalus
with the sea fish.
Et
SQUALUS,
et tenui suffusus sanguine
MULLUS.
Halieut.
147.
of the antients, and grounds his opinion on a supposed error in a certain passage in
Columella
and
Varro,
where he would substitute the word
Squalus
instead of
Scarus: Columella
says no more than that the old
Romans
payed much attention to their stews, and kept even the sea fish in fresh water, paying as much respect to the
Mullet
and
Scarus
as those of his days did to the
Muraene
and
Bass.
That the
Scarus
was not our
Chub,
is very evident; not only because the
Chub
is entirely an inhabitant of fresh waters, but likewise it seems improbable that the
Romans
would give themselves any trouble about the worst of river fish, when they neglected the most delicious kinds; all their attention was directed towards those of the sea: the difficulty of procuring them seems to have been the criterion of their value, as is ever the case with effete luxury.
The chub is a very coarse fish and full of bones: it frequents the deep holes of rivers, and during summer commonly lies on the surface, beneath the shade of some tree or bush. It is a very timid fish, sinking to the bottom on the lest alarm, even at the passing of a shadow, but they will soon resume their situation. It feeds on worms, caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles, and other coleopterous insects that happen to fall into the water; and it will even feed on cray-fish. It is the only fish of this genus that will rife to a fly.
This fish takes its name from its head, not only in our own, but in other languages; we call it
Chub,
according to
Skinner,
from the old
English, Cop,
a head; the
French, Testard;
the
Italians, Capitone.
It does not grow to a large size; we have known some that weighed above five pounds, but
Salvianus
speaks of others that were eight or nine pounds in weight.
The body is oblong, rather round, and of a pretty equal thickness the greatest part of the way: the scales are large.
The irides silvery; the cheeks of the same color: the head and back of a deep dusky green: the sides silvery, but in the summer yellow: the belly white: the pectoral fins of a pale yellow: the ventral and anal fins red: the tail a little forked, of a brownish hue, but tinged with blue at the end.
X. The BLEAK.
Alburnus.
Auson. Mosella.
126.
Able ou Ablette.
Belon.
319.
Alburnus.
Rondel. fluviat.
208.
Gesner. pisc.
23.
Albula minor. Witinck, Witek and Blike.
Schonevelde.
ii.
tab.
1.
Bleak.
Wil. Icth.
263.
Raii syn. pisc.
123.
Cyprinus quincuncialis, pinna ani ossiculorum viginti.
Arted. synon.
10.
Cyprinus alburnus.
Lin. syst.
531.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
336.
Loja.
Faun. suec. No.
373.
Spitslauben, schneiderfischl.
Kram.
395.
Ukeleyen.
Wulff. Boruss. No.
64.
THE taking of these,
Ausonius
lets us know, was the sport of children, ALBURNOS
praedam puerilibus hamis.
They are very common in many of our rivers, and keep together in large shoals. These fish seem at certain seasons to be affected with the vertigo; they tumble about near the surface of the water, and are incapable of swimming far from the place, but in about two hours recover, and disappear. Fish thus affected the
Thames
fishermen call
mad bleaks.
Artificial pearls are made with scales of this fish,
Artificial pearls.
and we think of the dace. They are beat into a fine powder, then diluted with water, and introduced into a thin glass bubble, which is afterwards filled with wax. The
French
were the inventors of this art. Doctor
Lister
Journey to
Paris,
142.
tells us, that when he was at
Paris,
a certain artist used in one winter thirty hampers full of fish in this manufacture.
The bleak seldom exceeds five or six inches in length:
Descr.
their body is slender, greatly compressed sideways, not unlike that of the sprat.
The eyes are large: the irides of a pale yellow: the under jaw the longest: the lateral line crooked: the gills silvery: the back green: the sides and belly silvery: the fins pellucid: the scales fall off very easily: the tail much forked.
During the month of
July
those appear in the
Thames,
White bait.
near
Blackwall
and
Greenwich,
innumerable multitudes of small fish, which are known to the
Londoners
by the name of
White Bait.
They are esteemed very delicious when fried with fine flour, and occasion, during the season, a vast resort of the lower order of epicures to the taverns contiguous to the places they are taken at.
There are various conjectures about this species, but all terminate in a supposition that they are the fry of some fish, but few agree to which kind they owe their origin. Some attribute it to the shad, others to the sprat, the smelt, and the bleak. That they neither belong to the shad, nor the sprat, is evident from the number of branchiostegous rays, which in those are eight, in this only three. That they are not the young of smelts is as clear, because they want the
pinna adiposa,
or rayless fin; and that they are not the offspring of the bleak is extremely probable, since we never heard of the white bait being found in any other river, notwithstanding the bleak is very common in several of the
British
streams: but as the white bait bears a greater similarity to this fish than to any other we have mentioned, we give it a place here as an appendage to the bleak, rather than form a distinct article of a fish which it is impossible to class with certainty.
It is evident that it is of the carp or
Cyprinus
genus: it has only three branchiostegous rays, and only one dorsal fin; and in respect to the form of the body is compressed like that of the bleak.
Its usual length is two inches: the under jaw is the longest: the irides silvery, the pupil black: the dorsal fin is placed nearer to the head than to the tail, and consists of about fourteen rays: the side line is strait: the tail forked, the tips black.
The head, sides, and belly are silvery; the back tinged with green.
XI. The MINOW.
?
Arist. Hist. an.
vi.
c.
13.
Le Veron.
Belon.
324.
Pisciculus varius.
Rondel. fluviat.
205.
Phoscium qui vulgo
veronus
(quari varius) dicitur,
Bellonius. Gesner pisc.
715.
Elritze, Elderitze.
Schonevelde.
57.
Pink, minim, or minow.
Wil. Icth.
268.
Raii syn. pisc.
125.
Cyprinus tridactylus varius oblongus teretiusculus, pinna ani ossiculorum octo.
Arted. synon.
12.
Cyprinus Phoxinus. Cyp. pinna ani radiis 8. macula fusca ad caudam, corpore pellucido.
Lin. syst.
528.
THIS beautiful fish is frequent in many of our small gravelly streams, where they keep in shoals.
The body is slender and smooth, the scales being extremely small. It seldom exceeds three inches in length.
The lateral line is of a golden color: the back flat, and of a deep olive: the sides and belly vary greatly in different fish;
Descr.
in a few are of a rich crimson, in others bluish, in others white. The tail is forked, and marked near the base with a dusky spot.
XII. The GOLD FISH.
Kingo, the Gold Fish.
Kaempfer Hist. Japan.
I. 137.
Kin-yu.
Du Halde Hist. China.
I. 19. 315.
Cyprinus auratus. Cyp. pinna ani gemina, cauda transversa bifurca.
Lin. syst.
527.
Faun. suec. tab.
2.
Gronov. Zooph. No.
342.
Gold Fish.
Edw.
209.
Kin-yu, sive carpio auratus.
Baster. subsec.
II. 78.
THESE fish are now quite naturalized in this country, and breed as freely in the open waters as the common carp.
They were first introduced into
England
about the year 1691, but were not generally known till 1728, when a great number were brought over, and presented first to Sir
Mathew Dekker,
and by him circulated round the neighborhood of
London,
from whence they have been distributed to most parts of the country.
In
China
the most beautiful kinds are taken in a small lake in the province of
Che-Kyang.
Every person of fashion keeps them for amusement, either in porcellane vessels, or in the small basons that decorate the courts of the
Chinese
houses. The beauty of their colors, and their lively motions, give great entertainment, especially to the ladies, whose pleasures, by reason of the cruel policy of that country, are extremely limited.
In form of the body they bear a great resemblance to a carp.
Descr.
They have been known in this island to arrive at the length of eight inches; in their native place they are said
Du Halde,
316.
to grow to the size of our largest herring.
The nostrils are tubular, and form sort of appendages above the nose: the dorsal fin and the tail vary greatly in shape: the tail is naturally bifid, but in many is trifid, and in some even quadrifid: the anal fins are the strongest characters of this species, being placed not behind one another like those of other fish, but opposite each other like the ventral fins.
The colors vary greatly; some are marked with a fine blue, with brown, with bright silver; but the general and predominant color is gold of a most amazing splendor; but their colors and form need not be dwelt on, since those who want opportunity of seeing the living fish, may survey them expressed in the most animated manner, in the works of our ingenious and honest friend Mr.
George Edwards.
APPENDIX.
The late Bishop of
Carlisle
informed me that a tortoise was taken off the coast of
Scarborough
in 1748 or 1749.
Tortoise, page
1.
It was purchased by a family at that time there, and a good deal of company invited to partake of it. A gentleman, who was one of the guests, told them it was a
Mediterranean
turtle, and not wholesome: only one of the company eat of it, and it almost killed him, being seized with a dreadful vomiting and purging.
Since the printing of that article I have been favored with some very curious accounts of this reptile,
Toad,
7.
which will give greater light into its natural history than I am capable of, from a most unphilosophical but invincible aversion to the whole genus. The facts that will appear in the following lines serve to confirm my opinion of its being an innoxious animal, and, I hope, will serve to free numbers from a panic that is carried to a degree of infelicity, and also to redeem it from a persecution which the unmerited illopinion the world has conceived, perpetually exposes it to.
The gentlemen I am principally indebted to for my informations are
J. Arscott,
Esq
of
Tehott,
in
Devonshire,
and Mr.
Pitfield,
of
Exeter.
Some of these accounts were addressed to Doctor
Milles,
Dean of
Exeter;
others to the worthy Prelate abovementioned, to whom I owe these and many other agreeable correspondencies; others again to myself.
Mr.
Arscott
's letters give a very ample history of the nature of the toad: they were both addressed to Doctor
Milles,
and both were the result of certain queries I proposed, which the former was so obliging as to give himself the trouble of answering in a most satisfactory manner.
I shall first take the liberty of citing Mr.
Arscott
's letter of
September
the 23d, 1768, which mentions some very curious particulars of this innocent reptile, which, for such a number of years found an asylum, from the good sense of a family which soared above all vulgar prejudices.
It would give me the greatest pleasure to be able to inform you of any particulars worthy Mr.
Pennant
's notice, concerning the toad who lived so many years with us, and was so great a favorite. The greatest curiosity in it was its becoming so remarkably tame. It had frequented some steps before the hall-door some years before my acquaintance commenced with it, and had been admired by my father for its size (which was of the largest I ever met with) who constantly payed it a visit every evening. I knew it myself above thirty years, and by constantly feeding it, brought it to be so tame that it always came to the candle, and looked up as if expecting to be taken up and brought upon the table, where I always fed it with insects of all sorts: it was fondest of flesh maggots, which I kept in bran; it would follow them, and when within a proper distance, would fix its eye, and remain motionless for near a quarter of a minute, as if preparing for the stroke, which was an instantaneous throwing its tongue at a great distance upon the insect, which stuck to the tip by a glutinous matter: the motion is quicker than the eye can follow
This rapid capture of its prey might give occasion to the report of its fascinating powers.
Linnaeus
says,
Insecta in sauces fascine revocat.
I always imagined that the root of its tongue was placed in the fore part of its under jaw, and the tip towards its throat, by which the motion must be a half circle; by which, when its tongue recovered its situation, the insect at the tip would be brought to the place of deglutition. I was confirmed in this by never observing any internal motion in its mouth, excepting one swallow the instant its tongue returned. Possibly I might be mistaken, for I never dissected one, but contented myself with opening its mouth, and slightly inspecting it.
You may imagine that a toad generally detested (altho' one of the most inoffensive of all animals) so much taken notice of and befriended, excited the curiosity of all comers to the house, who all desired to see it fed, so that even ladies so far conquered the horrors instilled into them by nurfes, as to desire to see it. This produced innumerable and improbable reports, making it as large as the crown of a hat, &c. &c. This I hope will account for my not giving you particulars more worth your notice. When I first read the account in the papers of toads sucking cancerous breasts, I did not believe a word of it, not thinking it possible for them to suck, having no lips to embrace the part, and a tongue so oddly formed; but as the fact is thoroughly verified, I most impatiently long to be fully informed of all particulars relating to it
Notwithstanding these accounts will serve to point out some errors I had adopted, in respect to this reptile in my first sheet, yet it is with much pleasure I lay before the public a more authentic history, collected from Mr.
Arscott
's second favor; the answer points out my queries, which it is needless to repeat.
Tehott, Nov.
1, 1768.
In respect to the queries I shall here give the most satisfactory answers I am capable of.
First, I cannot say how long my father had been acquainted with the toad before I knew it; but when I first was acquainted with it, he used to mention it as the old toad I've known so many years; I can answer for thirtysix years.
Secondly, No toads that I ever saw appeared in the winter season. The old toad made its appearance as soon as the warm weather came, and I always concluded it retired to some dry bank to repose till the spring. When we new-lay'd the steps I had two holes made in the third step on each, with a hollow of more than a yard long for it, in which I imagine it slept, as it came from thence at its first appearance.
Thirdly, It was seldom provoked: neither that toad (nor the multitudes I have seen tormented with great cruelty) ever shewed the lest desire of revenge, by spitting or emitting any juice from their pimples. Sometimes upon taking it up it would let out a great quantity of clear water, which, as I have often seen it do the same upon the steps when quite quict, was certainly its urine, and no more than a natural evacuation.
Fourthly, A toad has no particular enmity for the spider; he used to eat five or six with his millepides (which I take to be its chief food) that I generally provided for it, before I found out that flesh maggots, by their continual motion, was the most tempting bait; but when offered it eat blowing flies and humble bees that come from the rattailed maggot in gutters, or in short any insect that moved. I imagine if a bee was to be put before a toad, it would certainly eat it to its cost; but as bees are seldom stirring at the same time that toads are, they can seldom come in their way, as they seldom appear after sun-rising, or before sun-set. In the heat of the day they will come to the mouth of their hole, I believe, for air. I once from my parlour window observed a large toad I had in the bank of a bowling-green, about twelve at noon, a very hot day, very busy and active upon the grass; so uncommon an appearance made me go out to see what it was, when I found an innumerable swarm of winged ants had dropped round his hole, which temptation was as irresistible as a turtle would be to a luxurious alderman.
Fifthly, Whether our toad ever propagated its species I know not, rather think not, as it always appeared well, and not lessened in bulk, which it must have done, I should think, if it had discharged so large a quantity of spawn as toads generally do. The females that are to propagate in the spring, I imagine, instead of retiring to dry holes, go into the bottom of ponds, and lay torpid amongst the weeds; for to my great surprize in the middle of the winter, having for amusement put a long pole into my pond, and twisted it till it had gathered a large volume of weed, on taking it off I found many toads, and having cut some asunder with my knife, by accident, to get off the weed, found them full of spawn not thoroughly formed. I am not positive, but think there were a few males in
March:
I know there are thirty males
Mr.
John Hunter
has assured me that during his residence at
Belleisle,
he dissected some hundreds of toads, yet never met with a single female among them.
to one female, twelve or fourteen of whom I have seen clinging round a female: I have often disengaged her, and put her into a solitary male, to see with what eagerness he would seize her. They impregnate the spawn as it is drawn
I was incredulous as to the
obstetrical
offices of the male toad, but since the end is so well accounted for, and the fact established by such good authority, belief must take place.
Mr.
Demours,
in the Memoirs of the
French
Academy, as translated by Dr.
Templeman, vol.
I. 371. has been very particular in respect to the male toad, as acting the part of an
Accoucheur;
his account is curious, and clames a place here:
In the evening of one of the long days in summer, Mr.
Demours
being in the king's garden perceived two toads
coupled together
at the edge of an hole, which was formed in part by a great stone at the top.
Curiosity drew him to see what was the occasion of the motions he observed, when two facts equally new surprized him; the
first
was the extreme difficulty the female had in laying her eggs, insomuch that she did not seem capable of being delivered of them without some assistance. The
second
was, that the male was mounted on the back of the female, and exerted all his strength with his hinder feet in pulling out the eggs, whilst his fore-feet embraced her breast.
In order to apprehend the manner of his working in the delivery of the female, the reader must observe that the paws of these animals, as well those of the fore-feet as of the hinder, are divided into several toes, which can perform the office of fingers.
It must be remarked likewise, that the eggs of this species of toads are included each in a membranous coat that is very firm, in which is contained the embryo; and that these eggs, which are oblong and about two lines in length, being fastened one to another by a short but very strong cord form a kind of chaplet, the beads of which are distant from each other about the half of their length. It is by drawing this cord with his paw that the male performs the function of a midwife, and acquits himself in it with a dexterity that one would not expect from so lumpish an animal.
The presence of the observer did not a little discompose the male; for some time he stopped short, and threw on the
curious impertinent
a fixed look that marked his disquietness and fear; but he soon returned to his work with more precipitation than before, and a moment
after
he appeared undetermined whether he should continue it or not. The female likewise discovered her uneasiness at the sight of the stranger, by motions that interrupted sometimes the male in his operation. At length, whether the silence and steady posture of the spectator had dissipated their fear, or that the
cas
was urgent, the male resumed his work with the same vigour, and successfully performed his function.
out in long strings, like a necklace, many yards long, not in a large, quantity of jelly, like frogs spawn.
N. B.
After having held a female some time in my hand, I have, to try if there was any smell, put my finger a foot under water to a male, who has immediately seized it, and stuck to as firmly as if it was a female.
Quere,
Would they seize a finger or rag that had touched a cancerous ulcer?
Sixthly, Insects being their food, I never saw any toad shew any liking or dislike to any plant
This question arose from an assertion of
Linnoeus,
that the toad delighted in filthy herbs.
Delectatur Cotula, Actoea, Stachyde foetidis.
The unhappy deformity of the animal seems to be the only ground of this as well as another misrepresentation, of its conveying a poison from its pimples, its touch, and even its breath.
Verrucae lactejcentes venenatoe infusoe tactu, anhelitu.
Seventhly, I hardly remember any persons taking it up except my father and myself: I do not know whether it had any particular attachment to us.
Eighhtly, In respect to its end, I answer this last quere. Had it not been for a tame raven, I make no doubt but it would have been now living; who one day seeing it at the mouth of its hole, pulled it out, and although I rescued it, pulled out one eye, and hurt it so, that notwithstanding its living a twelvemonth it never enjoyed itself, and had a difficulty of taking its food, missing the mark for want of its eye: before that accident had all the appearance of perfect health.
What Mr.
Pitfield
communicated to me serves farther to evince the patient and pacific disposition of this poor animal. If I am thought to dwell too long on the subject, let it be considered, that those who have most unprovoked enemies, and fewest friends, clame the greatest pity, and warmest vindication. This reptile has undergone all sorts of scandal; one author makes it the companion of an atheist
A great toad was said to have been found in the lodgings of
Vanini,
at
Toulouse. Vide. Johnson
's Shakespear.
; and
Milton
Paradise lost.
makes the devil itself its inmate; in a word, all kind of evil passions have been bestowed on it: It is but justice therefore to say something in behalf of an animal that has of late had so many tryals of its temper, from experiments occasioned by the new discovery of its cancer-sucking qualities. It has born all the handling, teizing, bagging, &c. &c. without the lest sign of a vindictive disposition; but has even made itself a sacrifice to the discharge of its office: this I know from the result of much enquiry; would I could contradict what is asserted, p. 10, of the inefficacy of the tryals made of them in the most horrible of diseases; for at this time I myself cannot bring one proof of the success. But I would not have any one discouraged from the pursuit of the remedy. Heaven opens to us gradually its favors: the
loadstone
was for ages a meer matter of ignorant amaze at its attractive qualities:
mercury
was a supposed poison, and the terror of physicians: we now wonder at the powers of electricity, and are still but partially acquainted with its uses: the toad, the object of horror even in the most enlightened times, is found to be perfectly innocent; it has certainly contributed to the ease (and as has been said to the cure) of the unhappy cancered; let the following facts speak for themselves; they come from persons of undoubted veracity, and will sufficiently establish the truth of the beneficent qualities of this animal.
The first paper relating to it is very ingeniously draw up by Mr.
Pitfield,
for the information of Doctor
Littleton,
Bishop of
Carlisle,
(now happy) who immediately honored me with the copy.
Exon, Aug.
29, 1768.
Your lordship must have taken notice of a paragraph in the papers, with regard to the application of toads to a cancered breast. A patient of mine has sent to the neighborhood of
Hungerford,
and brought down the very woman on whom the cure was done. I have, with all the attention I am capable of, attended the operation for eighteen or twenty days, and am surprized at the phaenomenon. I am in no expectation of any great service from the application: the age, constitution, and thoroughly cancerous condition of the person, being unconquerable barriers to it. How an ail of that kind, absolutely local, in an otherwise sound habit, and of a likely age, might be relieved, I cannot say. But as to the operation, thus much I can assert, that there is neither pain nor nauseousness in it. The animal is put into a linen bag, all but its head, and that is held to the part. It has generally instantly laid hold of the foulest part of the sore, and sucked with greediness until it dropped off dead. It has frequently happened that the creature has swolen immensely, and from its agonies appeared to be in great pain. I have weighed them for several days together, before and after the application, and found their increase of weight, in the different degrees, from a drachm to near an ounce. They frequently sweat exceedingly, and turn quite pale: sometimes they disgorge, recover, and become lively again. I think the whole scene is surprising, and a very remarkable piece of natural history. From the constant inoffensiveness which I have observed in them, I almost question the truth of their poisonous spitting. Many people here expect no great good from the application of toads to cancers; and where the disorder is not absolutely local, none is to be expected; where it is, and seated in any part, not to be well come at for extirpation, I think it is hardly to be imagined, but that the having it sucked clean as often as you please, must give great relief. Every body knows, that dogs licking of sores cures them, which is, I suppose, chiefly by keeping them clean. If there is any credit to be given to history, poisons have been sucked out, —
Pallentia Vulnera lambit Ore Venera trahens.
are the words of
Lucan
on the occasion: if the people to whom these words are applied, did their cure by immediately following the injection of the poison, the local confinement of another poison brings the case to a great degree of similarity.
I hope I have not tired your lordship with my long tale, as it is a true one, and in my apprehension a curious piece of natural history, I could not forbear communicating it to you. I own I thought the story in the papers to be an invention, and when I considered the instinctive principle in all animals of self preservation, I was confirmed in my disbelief; but what I have related I saw, and all theory must yield to fact. It is only the
Rubeta,
the land toad, which has the property of sucking; I cannot find any the lest mention of the property in any one of the old naturalists. My patient can bear to have but one applied in twenty-four hours: the woman who was cured had them on day and night, without intermission, for five weeks. Their time of hanging at the breast has been from one to six hours.
The other account is of a woman now under the experiment, which I give, as delivered to me from undoubted authority. If the event is prosperous, an early opportunity shall be taken of informing the public of it in some of the news-papers, with all circumstances of place, name, &c. which at present it is needless to mention.
About six years ago a poor woman received a crush on her breast by the fall of a pail; a cancerous complaint was the result.
Last year her disorder increased to an alarming degree; she had five wounds on her breasts, one exceeding large, from which fragments of bone worked out, giving her vast pain; and at the same time there was a great discharge of thin yellow matter: she was likewise reduced to a meer skeleton.
All her left side and stomach was much swelled; her fingers doughy and discolored.
On the 25th of
September,
1768, the first toad was applied; between that and the 29th she used seven, and had that night better rest. She swallowed with greater ease, for before that time there was some appearance of humor in her neck, and a difficulty of getting any thing down.
October
16th, the patient better. It was thought proper as winter was coming on, and of course it would be very difficult to procure a number of toads, to apply more at a time, so three were put on at once. the swelling in the arm abated, and the woman's rest was good.
During these tryals she took an infusion of
Water Parsnep
with
Pulvis Cornacchini.
December
18th, continued to look ill, but finds herself better: two of the wounds were now healed.
She was always most easy when the toads were sucking, of which she killed vast numbers in the operation.
January
1769. The last account that was received, informing that the patient was better.
The remarks made on the animals, are these: Some toads died very soon after they had sucked; others lived about a quarter of an hour, but some lived much longer: for example, one that was applied about seven o'clock sucked till ten, and died as soon as it was taken from the breast; another that immediately succeeded continued till three o'clock, but dropped dead from the wound, each swelled exceedingly, and turned of a pale color.
These toads did not seem to suck greedily, and would often turn their heads away; but during the time of sucking were heard to smack their lips like a young child.
As those reptiles are apt by their struggles to get out of the bag, the open end ought to be made with an open hem, that the string may run the more readily, and fasten tightly about the neck.
It would be improper to quit the subject without mentioning the origin of this strange discovery, which was owing to a woman near
Hungerford,
who labored under a cancerous complaint in her breast, which had long baffled all applications.
The account she gives of the manner in which she came by her knowlege is very singular, and I may say apocryphal. She says of herself, that in the height of her disorder she went to some church where there was a vast crowd: on going into a pew, she was accosted by a strange clergyman, who, after expressing compassion for her situation, told her that if she would make such an application of living toads
I have been told that she not only made use of living toads, but permitted the dead ones to remain at her breast, by way of cataplasms, for some weeks.
as abovementioned, she would be well.
This dark story is all we can collect relating to the affair. It is our opinion that she stumbled upon the discovery by accident, and that having set up for a cancer doctress, she thought it necessary to amuse the world with this mysterious relation
Mr.
Valentine Greatraks,
who about the year 1664, persuaded himself that he could cure diseases, by stroking them out of the parts affected with his hand; and the famous
Bridget Bostock,
of
Cheshire,
who worked cures by virtue of her fasting spittle, both came by their art in a manner supernatural, but by
faith many were made whole.
For it seems very unaccountable, that this unknown gentleman should express so much tenderness for this single sufferer, and not feel any for the many thousands that daily languish under this terrible disorder: would he not have made use of this invaluable nostrum for his own emolument, or at lest, by some other means have found a method of making it public for the good of mankind.
Here I take leave of the subject, which I could not do without expressing my doubts, as to the method of the woman's obtaining her information; but in respect to the authenticity of this new-discovered property of the toad, facts establish it beyond dispute. Let the humane wish for speedy proofs of the efficacy; and for the satisfaction of the world, let those who are capable of giving indisputable proofs of the success, take the earliest opportunity of making the public acquainted with so interesting an affair.
Keysler,
Viper,
21.
vol.
III. 237, relates, that Sir
Kenelm Digby
used to feed his wife, who was a most beautiful woman, with capons fattened with the flesh of vipets.
The traveller does not quote his authority; but the lady did not long survive this strange regimen.
In
Sueden
is a small reddish serpent,
Blind worm,
26.
called there the
Asping,
the
Coluber Chersea,
of
Linnoeus:
it is small, and of a reddish color, and its bite is said to be mortal.
May it not have been from a serpent of this species, that the man in
Oxfordshire
received his death?
This reminds me of another
Welch
word that is explanatory of the customs of the antients,
Glain Neidr,
23.
shewing their intent in the use of the plant
Vervaine
in their lustrations; and why it was called by
Dioscorides Hierobotane,
or the sacred plant, and esteemed proper to be hung up in their rooms.
The
British
name
Cas gan Cythrawl,
or the Devil's aversion, may be a modern appellation, but is likewise called
Y Dderwen fendigaid,
the holy oak, which evidently refers to the
Druids
groves.
Pliny
informs us, that the
Gauls
used it in their incantations, as the
Romans
and
Greeks
did in their lustrations.
Terence,
in his
Andria,
shews us the
Verbena
was placed on altars before the doors of private houses in
Athens;
and from the same passage in
Pliny
Lib.
xxv.
cap.
9.
, we find the
Magi
were guilty of the most extravagant superstition about this herb. Strange it is that such a veneration should arise for a plant endued with no perceptible qualities; and stranger still it should spread from the farthest north to the boundaries of
India.
So general a consent, however, proves the custom arose before the different nations had lost all communication with each other.
This species,
Basking Shark,
78.
on comparing a rude sketch of one taken in the
Caernarvonshire
seas, with an engraving of the
Squalus Maximus
in Bishop
Gunner
's
Acta Nidrosiana,
we find them to be the same, and that it has a small anal fin, which probably was overlooked by the
Welch
fishermen.
The mouth of the sturgeon when dead is always open;
Sturgeon,
96.
when alive it can close or open it at pleasure, by means of certain muscles, which also assist it in protruding or drawing it in.
Pliny
speaking of his
Acipenser,
makes it synonymous with the
Elops, Quidam eum
ELOPEM
vocant.
This is a kind of
Wrasse
Vide p.
203.
,
Ballan.
sent from
Scarborough
by Mr.
Travis,
differing from the other species. They appear during summer in great shoals off
Filey-Bridge:
the largest weigh about five pounds.
It was of the form of the common
wrasse,
only between the dorsal fin and the tail was a considerable sinking: above the nose was a deep sulcus: on the farthest cover of the gills was a depression radiated from the center.
It had only four branchiostegous rays.
The dorsal fin had thirty-one rays, twenty spiny, eleven soft; the last branched, and much longer than the spiny rays.
The pectoral fins had fourteen; the ventral six; the first of which was short and spiny: the anal twelve; the three first spiny, the nine others branched and soft.
The tail was rounded at the end; at the bottom, for about a third part of the way, between each ray was a row of scales.
The color in general was yellow, spotted with orange.
The plate of this fish is placed at p. 204.
Foecundity of fish,
p. 302.
Fish.
Weight.
Weight of spawn.
Foecundity.
Time.
 
oz.
dr.
grains.
 
 
Carp
25
5
2571
203109
April
4.
Codfish
 
 
12540
3686760
Dec.
23.
Flounder
24
4
2200
1357400
March
14.
Herring
5
10
480
36960
Oct.
25.
Mackrel
18
0
1223½
546681
June
18.
Perch
8
9
765½
28323
April
5.
Pike
56
4
5100½
49304
April
25.
Roach
10
6½
361
81586
May
2.
Smelt
2
0
149½
38278
March
21.
Sole
14
8
542½
100362
June
13.
Tench
40
0
 
383252
Some part of the spawn of this fish was by accident lost, so that the account here is below the reality.
Vide Phil. Trans.
1767.
May
28.
CATALOGUE OF THE Animals described in this Volume.
With their BRITISH Names.
REPTILES.
1 SPINOUS Tortoise, Melwioges.
2 Common Frog, Llyffant melyn.
3 Gibbous Frog, Llyffant melyn cefn grwm.
4 Toad, Llyffant du, Llyffant dafadenog.
5 Natter Jack,
6 Scaly Lizard,
7 Warty Lizard, Genau goeg ddafadenog.
8 Brown Lizard, frech.
9 Little Brown Lizard, leiaf.
10 Snake-shaped Lizard, naredig.
11 Viper, Neidr, Neidr du, Gwiber
12 Snake, Neidr fraith, Neidr y tomenyd.
13 Blindworm, or Slowworm, Pwl dall.
It is to
Richard Morris,
Esq
that the public is indebted for the
British
names.
FISH.
14 Common Whale, Morfil Cyffredin.
15 Pike-headed Whale, Penhwyad.
16 Fin-fish, Barfog.
17 Round-lipped Whale, Trwngrwn.
18 Beaked Whale,
19 Blunt-headed Cachalot
20 Great-headed Penfawr.
21 Round-headed Pengrwn.
22 High-finned Uchel aden.
23 Dolphin, Dolffyn.
24 Grampus, Morhwch, Morfochyn.
25 Porpesse, Llamhydydd.
26 Lamprey, Llysowen bendol, Llamprai.
27 Lesser Lamprey, Lleprog.
28 Pride,
29 Skate, Cath fôr, morcath, Rhaien.
30 Sharp-nosed Ray, Morcath drwynfain.
31 Rough Ray,
32 Cramp Ray, Swithbysg.
33 Thornback, Morcath bigog.
34 Sting Ray, Morcath cefn.
35 Angel-fish, Maelgi.
36 Picked Dog-fish, Ci Pegod, Picewd.
37 Basking Shark,
38 White Shark, Morgi gwin.
39 Blue Shark, Morgi glas, y Sierc.
40 Sea Fox, Llwynog mor.
41 Tope, Ci glas.
42 Greater Dog-fish, Ci ysgarmes, morgi mawr
43 Lesser Dog-fish,
44 Smooth Hound, Ci Llyfn.
45 Porbeagle,
46 Common Fishing Frog, Morlyffant, Llyffanbysg.
47 Long Fishing Frog, Morlyffant hir.
48 Sturgeon, Istwrsion.
49 Oblong Sun-fish, Heulbysg.
50 Short Sun-fish,
51 Lump-fish, Jar-fôr.
52 Sea Snail, Môr falwen.
53 Longer Pipe-fish,
54 Shorter
55 Little Sea Adder, or Mor Neidr.
56 Eel, Llysowen.
57 Conger, Mor Llysowen, Cyngyren
58 Sea Wolf, Morflaidd.
59 Sand Eel, Llamrhiaid, Pysgod bychain.
60 Morris, Morys.
61 Sword-fish, Cleddytbysg.
62 Dragonet,
63 Lesser Dragonet,
64 Weever, Mor wiber, Pigyn astrus.
65 Lesser Weever,
66 Common Codfish, Codsyn.
67 Torsk,
68 Hadock, Hadoc.
69 Whiting Pout, Cod lwyd.
70 Bib, Deillion.
71 Poor, Cwdyn ebrill.
72 Coal-fish, Chwetlyn glas.
73 Pollack, Morlas.
74 Whiting, Chwitlyn gwyn.
75 Hake, Cegddu.
76 Lesser Hake,
77 Lest Hake,
78 Ling, Honos.
79 Burbot, Llefen, Llefenan.
80 Spotted Whistle-fish,
81 Brown Whistle-fish,
82 Crested Blenny,
83 Gattorugine,
84 Smooth Blenny,
85 Spotted Blenny,
86 Viviparous Blenny,
87 Black Goby,
88 Spotted Goby,
89 Bull Head, Pentarw, Bawd y melinydd.
90 Pogge, Penbwl.
91 Father Lasher,
92 Doree, Sion dori.
93 Holibut, Lleden ffreinig.
91 Whiff,
95 Plaise, Lleden frech.
96 Flounder, Lleden 'ddu.
97 Dab, Lleden gennog, Lleden dwfr croyw.
98 Smear Dab,
99 Sole, Tafod yr hydd, Tafod yr ych.
100 Smooth Sole,
101 Turbot, Lleden chwith, Torbwt.
102 Pearl, Perl.
103 Gilt Head, Peneuryn, Eurben.
104 Sea Bream, Brôm y môr.
105 Lesser Sea Bream,
106 Opah,
107 Wrasse, Gwrach.
108 Bimaculated
109 Trimaculated
110 Striped
111 Gibbous
112 Goldsinny,
113 Comber.
114 Cook,
115 Ballan,
116 Perch, Perc.
117 Basse, Draenog, Gannog.
118 Ruffe,
119 Black Ruffe,
120 Threespined Stickleback, Sil y dom, Pysgod y gath.
121 Ten spined Pigowgbysg.
122 Fifteen spined Silod y môr.
123 Mackrel, Macrell.
124 Tunny, Macrell Sopaen.
125 Scad,
126 Red Surmullet, Hyrddyn coch.
127 Striped
128 Grey Gurnard, Penhaiarn llwyd, Penhaiernyn.
129 Red Gurnard, Penhaiarn coch.
130 Piper, Pibyd.
131 Tub Fish, Ysgyfarnog y môr.
132 Streaked Gurnard,
133 Loche, Crothell yr afon.
134 Salmon, Gleisiedyn, Eog, Maran
Taliesin.
135 Grey, Penllwyd, Adfwlch.
136 Bull Trout,
137 Trout, Brithyll.
138 Samlet, Brith y gro, Silod brithion.
139 Charr, Torgoch.
140 Grayling, Brithyll rhestrog, Glasgangen.
141 Smelt, Brwyniaid.
142 Gwiniad, Gwiniedyn.
143 Pike, Penhwyad.
144 Sea Pike, Môr nodwydd, Corn big.
145 Argentine,
146 Atherine,
147 Mullet, Hyrddyn, Mingrwn.
148 Flying Fish.
149 Herring, Pennog ysgaden.
150 Pilchard, Pennog mair.
151 Sprat, Coeg Bennog, Sil penwaig.
152 Anchovy,
153 Shad, Herlyn, Herling.
154 Carp, Carp, Cerpyn.
155 Barbel, Barfbysg, y Barfog.
156 Tench, Gwrachen, Isgretten.
157 Gudgeon, Crothel,
158 Bream, Brêm.
159 Rud, Rhuddgoch.
160 Roach, Rhyfell.
161 Dace, Darsen, Golenbysg.
162 Chub, Penci, Cochgangen.
163 Bleak, Gorwynbysg.
164 Minow, Crothel y dom, Bychan bysg.
165 Gold Fish,
INDEX.
A.
ABDOMINAL fish 237
Adder, sea 109
Adder,
vide
Viper.
Adder-gems, their supposed virtues 22, 23
Anchovy 295
Angel-fish 74
Apicius,
the chief of epicures 228
APODAL fish 111
Ape, sea 86
Argentine 276
Aristophanes,
his chorus of frogs 5
Asinus Celer,
the vast price he gave for a surmullet 228
Atherine 277
B.
Barbel 304
— its roe noxious 305
Basking shark, the largest species 78, 342
— migratory 79
— yields great plenty of oil 80
Basse 213
Bib, or Blinds, a kind of cod-fish 149
Billets, young coal-fish 153
Birdbolt 163
Biscayeners
early engaged in the whale-fishery 38
Bleak 315
Blenny, the crested 167
— smooth 169
Blenny, spotted 171
— viviparous 172
Blind-worm, or Slow-worm, a harmless serpent 25, 26
Boat, the five-men, what 194
BONY fish 30, 111
Botargo,
what 279
Bottle-head, a sort of whale 43
Branlins,
vide
Samlet.
Bream 309
— sea-bream 199
— lesser 200
Bret 192
British
names 345
Bufonites,
what 9, 121
Bulcard 169
Bull-head 177
Bull-trout 249
Burbot 163
Butter-fish 171
But, a name for the flounder 187
C.
Cachalot,
a genus of whales producing sperma-ceti 44
— the blunt-headed ib.
— great-headed 46
— round-headed 47
— high-finned ibid.
Cancers, attempts to cure by the application of toads 10
Carp 300
— its longevity 301
— very tenacious of life 302
CARTILAGINOUS fish, their characters 57
CETACEOUS fish, their characters 33
Charr 256
—, gilt and red, probably the same fish 258
Chub 313
Coal-fish 152
Coble, a sort of boat 194
Cod-fish, the common 137
— fish affecting cold climates ibid
—, vast fishery off
Newfoundland
138, 139
— very prolific 140
Conger, how differing from the eel 115
—, an article of commerce in
Cornwall
117
Cook 210
Comber ibid
D.
Dab 188
— smear-dab 189
Dace, or Dare 312
Digby,
Sir
Kenelm,
singular experiment of 341
Dog-fish, the picked 77
— greater, produces what is called
Indian
grass 89
— lesser 90
Dolphin 48
— venerated by the antients 49
— falsely represented by painters 50
Doree 181
Dragonet 130
—, the lesser 133
E.
Eel, will quit its element 111
Eel, impatient of cold 112
—, their generation 113
—, the most universal of fish 114
— despised by the
Romans
115
Eel-pout 163
—, viviparous 172
Eft,
vide
Lizard.
Elvers 116
F.
Father-lasher 179
Finscale,
vide
Rud.
Fire-flaire,
vide
Sting Ray.
Fishing frog, its artifice to take its prey 93
Flounder, or Fluke 187
Flying fish 282
Forked beards, the greater and the less 158, 160
Fox, sea 86
Frog, common 3
—, generation 4
—, periodical silence 5
—, gibbous 7
G.
Garum,
a sort of pickle much esteemed by the antients 221
Gattorugine 168
Gilt-head, or Gilt-poll 197
Girrock, or Skipper 274
Glain neidr
in high esteem with the old
Britons
23
Gloucester
city presents the King annually with a lamprey pye 59
Goby, the black 174
—, spotted 176
Gold-fish 319
Goldsinny 209
Grampus 54
Grayling 262
Grey 248
Grigs 114
Gudgeon 308
Gudgeon, sea 174
Guffer 172
Gurnard, the yellow,
vide
Dragonet.
Gurnard, grey 231
—, red 233
—, streaked 236
Gwiniad 267
H.
Hadock 144
— vast shoals of 146
— said to be the fish out of whose mouth St.
Peter
took the tribute-money 147
Hake 156
— lesser, or forked beard 158
— lest, or lesser ditto 160
Henry
I. killed by a surfeit of lampreys 59
Herring 284
— its migrations 285
— fishery 289
Hierobotane,
account of that plant 342
Hippo,
the dolphin of 49
Holibut, its vast size 184
— voraciousness 185
Hull,
the town of, early in the whale fishery 39
I.
Indian
grass, what 89
JUGULAR fish 130
K.
King-fish 201
Kit, a sort of dab 189
L.
Lamprey, not the
muraena
of the antients 58
— its vast tenaciousness 59
— the lesser ibid
Lampern,
vide
Pride.
Lantern-fish, or smooth sole 191
Lark, sea 167
Launce 123
Ling 160
Ling, a great article of commerce 161
Lizard, scaly 13
— warty 15
— brown 16
— little brown 17
— snake-shaped ibid
— green 14
— a large kind, probably exotic ibid
— larves of lizards, mostly inhabitants of water 15
Loche 237
— sea 164
Lump-fish 103
— much admired by the
Greenlanders
104
M.
Mackrel 221
— the horse 225
Mason,
Mr. his spirited translation of
Pliny
's account of the
ovum anguinum
22
Miller's thumb 177
Minow 318
Morris, the 125
Mulgranoc 169
Mullet 279
— the punishment of adulterers 280
Muraena,
not our lamprey 59
of
Aristotle,
our whale 36
Musculus
of
Pliny,
the same 37
Myxine 193
N.
Natter-jack, a species of toad 12
Newt,
vide
Lizard.
Newfoundland,
its bank 140
North capers,
vide
Grampus.
O.
Octher,
an able navigator in King
Alfred
's days 38
Opah 201
Otter-pike,
vide
Lesser Weever.
Ovum anguinum,
a druidical bead 22, 23
P.
Paddock-moon, what 5
Parrs, or young coal-fish 153
Pearl 196
Pearls, artificial, what made of 315
Perch, much admired by the antients 211
— a crooked variety found in
Wales
213
Physeter,
or blowing whale 42
Pike 270
— its longevity 272
— sea, or sea-needle 274
Pilchard 291
— its important fishery 292
Pipe-fish, longer and shorter 106, 108
— little, or sea-adder 109
Piper 234
Plaise 186
Pliny,
his account of the
ovum anguinum
22
Pogge 178
Pollack, the whiting 155
Poor, or power, a kind of cod-fish 150
Porpesse 52
Pride 61
Q.
Quin,
Mr. the actor, first recommended the eating of the
Doree
in
England
181
R.
Rays 62
— sharp nosed 64
— rough 66
— cramp, its numbing quality 67, 68
— sting, the
Trygon
of the antients 71
— fables relating to it ib.
Roach 311
Rud 310
Ruffe 215
— the black, or black fish of Mr.
Jago
216
S.
Salmon 239
— leaps 241
— fishery ibid
— trout,
vide
Bull-trout.
Samlet 253
Sand-eel,
vide
Launce.
Scad 225
Schelly,
vide
Gwiniad.
Scombraria,
an isle, why so called 222
Scorpion, sea 179
Seneca,
his account of the luxury of the
Romans
in respect to fish 228
Shad 297
Shakespear,
his fine comparison of adversity to a toadstone 10
Sharks 74
— white, their voraciousness 82
— basking, its vast size 78
— blue 84
Skate, its method of engendering 63
Slow-worm, a harmless serpent 25, 26
Smelt 264
Smear-dab 189
Smooth-shan 169
Snail, sea 105
Snake, inoffensive 25
Sole 190
Sparling,
vide
Smelt.
Sprat 294
Sperma ceti,
what 45
Sperma ceti
whale,
vide
Cachalot.
Stickleback, three spined 217
—, vast shoals of in the
Welland
ibid
—, ten spined 219
—, fifteen spined 220
Sting-ray, its dangerous spine 71
Sturgeon 342
Surmullet, the red 227
—, extravagantly prized by the
Romans
228
—, the striped 229
Sword-fish 126
—, manner of taking 127
—, fishermens song previous to the capture ibid
T.
Tench 306
—, the physician of the fish ibid
THORACIC fish 174
Thornback 69
Thresher, its combat with the grampus 86
Toad, its deformity 7
—, used in incantations 9
—, its poison, a vulgar error 10
—, attempts to cure cancers by means of live toads ibid
—, said to be found in the midst of trees and rocks 11
Toad, a farther account of this animal 321
Toadstone, what 9
Tomus Thurianus,
what 127
Torgoch, vide
Charr.
Torsk, or Tusk 143
Tortoise, spinous 1
—, farther account of 321
Trout 250
—, crooked 252
Tub-fish 235
Tunny, the fishery, very antient 223
—, taken notice of by
Theocritus
224
Turbot 192
— fishery 193
Twaite, a variety of shad 298
U.
Ulysses
said to have been killed with the spine of the
Trygon,
or sting-ray 71
V.
Vipers, not prolific 18
—, their teeth ibid
—, effects of the bite, and its cure 21
—, uses 18
Viper, the black ibid
W.
Weever 134
—, its stroke supposed to be poisonous ibid
—, the lesser 136
Whales, the common 35
—, vast size ibid
—, place 39
—, fishery 38
—, the
English
engaged late in it ibid
Whale, pike-headed 40
—, round lipped 42
—, beaked 43
Whalebone, what 36
Whiff, a sort of flounder 186
Whiting 155
Whiting-pout 148
Whiting-pollack,
vide
Pollack.
Whistle-fish, the spotted 164
—, the brown 165
White horse 66
Wolf-fish 119
—, curious structure of its teeth 121
Wrasse, or Old Wife 203
—, bimaculated 205
—, trimaculated 206
—, striped 207
—, gibbous 208