Anciinc. Natural History of the Fishes or ‘Massat embracing a practical essay on angling. By Jerome 2 C. Smith. With numerous illustrations. 12mo, newly bound, half calf extra,.emblematical tooling, top edges te Boston, hitb se Liye Ve dd | i Hi r Wry Ne! My ne uti A n oy) Ma INS NEL SELES ELT NESTS NT LSS ESTELLE f a Cane {) \ Vy : y ! if iC 2) P Aneel) F for ipa lefere io have al hese bedis hed Giurenty bokis I-claa in aie es em ; Of Aristotle % his A ted : “if g har tobts ruche orfrdele or re Saute , y in 5 Nation ih al its TT | im Ny } q OH \\ Lua ‘I sili ftasenm Mba a tt Bi i ch QE < € ~~ aa au x << z mountains of ice, and behold them penetrating into the deepest frozen recesses of Hudson’s and Davis’s Straits, while we are looking for them be- neath the Arctic circle, we hear that they have pierced into the opposite region of polar cold, that they are at the Antipodes, and engaged under the frozen serpent of the south. Faulkland isl- and, which seemed too remote and romantic an object for the grasp of national ambition, is but a stage and resting place for their vectortous indus- try. Nor is the equinoctial heat more discourag- ing to them, than the accumulated winter of both poles. We know that while some of them draw the line or strike the harpoon on the coast of Af rica, others run the longitude, and pursue their gigantic game on the coast of Brazil. No sea, but what is vexed with their fisheries. Neither the perseverance of Holland, nor the activity of France, nor the dexterous and firm sagacity of English enterprise, have carried their most perilous mode of hardy industry to the extent to which it has been pursued by this recent people, who are still in the gristle, and not hardened into man- hood.” The war of our independence, however, gave a new direction to the “ victorious industry,” which was carried to an extent which far surpassed “ the sagacity of English enterprise,’ whether in the THE FISHERIES. 11 cabinet or the field. It was the spirit of men trained to such daring pursuits, accustomed to perilous undertakings, which, in the course of eight years, obtained from Great Britain a recog- nition ‘as a right” of that which had been with- held, at the commencement of that period, as a privilege, to be dispensed at the pleasure of par- liament. The restoration of peace revived the fisheries of this country. The state of Massachusetts, alive to its true interests, and desirous of strengthening this essential branch of national industry, made a representation to Congress in 1790, asking some encouragement in the form of bounty, on export- ed fish. ‘This was granted, and a few years after- wards a bounty was allowed to vessels employed in the business for a given length of time. This gave a stimulus to the trade, and up to the period when restrictions were placed upon our commerce, it gradually increased in value and extent. In 1807, 71,000 tons of vessels were employed in the cod fishery alone, and the average value of exports from this country, of the productions of _the sea for that and the four preceding years, was estimated at $3,000,000. From that time, until the close of the last war, all our fisheries .dimin- ished. With the return of peace, they revived, and the very next year 68,000 tons of vessels, 12 THE IMPORTANCE OF employing 10,000 fishermen, were again upon the ocean, — thus exhibiting the sagacity and prompt- ness with which the sons of New England avail themselves of such circumstances as affect individ- ual or public prosperity. This branch of the fisheries has been pursued since that period, with a success somewhat change- able, but within the few last years, BM 5 more sure and increasing. The enterprise with which our fisheries have been prosecuted has attracted the attention and excited the jealousy of our colonial neighbors. A late writer* upon the British dominions of North America, in remarking on their fisheries says, “By encouraging bounties to secure the adven- turer against the serious loss consequent upon an unsuccessful voyage, the number of vessels would soon be considerably increased, and this important branch of trade so effectually carried on by the hardy inhabitants, as to compete in some degree at least, if not rival, that of our American neigh- bors} who are now almost in the exclusive enjoy- ment of it, and carry on their enterprising fisheries at the very mouths of our bays and harbors.” The inhabitants of the British dominions pos- sess very great facilities for the promotion of this * Bouchette. THE FISHERIES. 13 trade. ‘They have a country filled with a heavy growth of the most valuable timber for the build- "ing of vessels, and they derive no inconsiderable advantages from their proximity to the fishing grounds. ‘They can, and frequently do, in some districts, carry on their fisheries in open boats of cheap construction, within a few miles from shore. ‘The bounty allowed by our government to encourage the trade, being, in part, intended as a drawback for duties paid on imported salt, can scarcely be an adequate cause for the supe- rior success of our fisheries over those of the British, even on their own shores. ‘The colonial fishermen derive a similar encouragement from the importation (free of duty) of the salt which they consume. The form in which they receive encouragement is different, but its effect is de- — signed to be the same. ‘The secret of the suc- cess of our fishermen lies in their greater activity and perseverance. THE IMPORTANCE OF the support of no inconsiderable portion of our population, who but for this employment, might be left in destitute circumstances. Perhaps no trade — no pursuit with the same amount of cap- ital, employs so large number of our citizens, and gives more encouraging impulses to enterprise and exertion. 'The employment is not unfriendly to the morals of those who engage in it. It has been remarked, that every person on board a fish- ing vessel, has an interest in common with his as- sociates. "Their reward depends upon their indus- try and enterprise. Much caution is observed in the selection of crews of fishing vessels, and it often happens, that every individual is connected, by blood and the strongest ties of friendship. They are remarkable for thew sobriety and good con- duct, and they rank with the most skilful naviga- tors. The celebrated Talleyrand, in speaking of our fishermen, said, ‘‘ Excepting the whalers, fishing is an idle employment, requiring neither courage nor skill; the fishermen do not venture more than two leagues from the coast, — the fisheries do not fur- nish a nursery for seamen, they have no attach- ment to their homes, they are cosmopolites, and a few codfish more or less determine their country.” These remarks only show how ignorant a learned man may be of facts which fall under the observa- THE FISHERIES. 93 tion of all who have any curiosity to examme the subject. Bouchette says, ‘ The daring enterprise of the fisherman is known on this side the ocean, as well as the other —it would be idle to dwell upon the boldness, the activity, the extreme collectedness and presence of mind, that characterize that class of navigators, who apparently naturalized to the elements, buffet the heavy swell of the Atlantic, in their frail fishing smacks and vessels, and seem to laugh the ocean storms to scorn.” It might be enough to quote one foreign writer against another, to show the absurdity of the alle- gations of the French diplomatist — but who that has seen upon the shores of New England, beau- tiful villages @sprmgmg up under no operating cause but the “silver drawn from the sea,’’ filled with seminaries for learning and temples for the worship of God— abounding with all the means for social improvement and intellectual culture — the wharves laden with the rich productions of the ocean — the harbor whitened by the canvas of the enterprising fishermen, and does not know that the declarations of Talleyrand are the very reverse of the truth! Who does not know, that when _ war swept the barque of the fisherman from the ocean, that he was among the foremost to enrol his name under the flag of his country — and gallant- 94 THE IMPORTANCE OF ly to stake his life upon a contest for what he con- ceived duty to that country required ? Who does not know, that the fishermen of New England, under a Tucker, (himself a fisherman), and a Hull, performed for their country the most brilliant achievements, and displayed at the same time, all the noble qualities of the citizen and the patriot ? Massachusetts, with her intelligent population, her advances in manufactures and the arts, — her enterprising commerce and flourishing fisheries, contains within herself, all the elements of strength and power. A minute examination of the mutual bearing of all these interests, will show how im- portant it is, that each should be sustained by the protection of the others. ‘The inhabitants of the sea-board will exchange with thosefof the interior, the products of the ocean and foreicn climes, for those of our native soil, with mutual advantage and profit. ‘The interior will naturally seek channels for the conveyance of its surplus productions to the sea-board, forthe purposes of exchange, and thus private interests, if not public sentiment, will in obedience to the dictates of a wise and prudent policy, open avenues which will at the same time develope the resources of the State — bind together the various local interests — and quicken the cir- culation of intelligence and good feelings. Small though she is m territory, what State, THE FISHERIES. 25 more than Massachusetts, possesses within herself all that constitutes the moral and physical strength of a Commonwealth? Where is industry more manfully displayed and better rewarded ? We think no where on the face of the earth. It is for us then to examine all the capacities of our ancient Commonwealth — to study well all her interests, —to procure for them all the protection of good laws, — to overlook none of her important, nor in- considerable branches of industry, and above all, to take good precaution to observe the principles and to obey the precepts of that noble generation of men, who appropriated the proceeds of the Cape Cod fishery to found our beautiful system of free schools.* * Some of the uses to which the productions of the sea may be applied, and which are not adverted to in the preceding sketch, appear by the following extract from the Barnstable Journal, of Feb. 7, 1833. “FEEDING CATTLE oN Fisu. The cattle at Province- town feed upon fish with apparently as good relish as upon the best kinds of fodder. It is said that some cows, kept there several years, will, when grain and fish are placed before them at the same time, prefer the latter, eating the whole of the fish before they touch the grain. Like one of old, we were rather incredulous on this subject, till we had the evi- dence of ocular demonstration. We have seen the cows at that place boldly enter the surf, in pursuit of the offals thrown from the fish boats on the shore, and when obtained, masticate and swallow every part except the hardest bones. A Pro- 26 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FISHERIES. vincetown cow will dissect the head of a cod with wonderful celerity. She places one foot upon a part of it, and with her teeth tears off the skin and gristly parts, and in a few mo- ments nothing is left but the bones. ; The inhabitants of Provincetown are not the only people who feed their cattle upon fish. The nations of the Coromian- del coast, as well asin the other parts of the East, practise feeding their flocks and herds with fish. The celebrated tra- veiler, Ibn Batuta, who visited Zafar, the most easterly city in Yemen, in the early part of the fourteenth century, says that the inhabitants of that city carried on a great trade in horses in India, and at that period fed their flocks and herds with fish, a practice which he says, he had no where else ob- served. ‘ [Nore. The preceding article has been obligingly furnish- ed by Sotomon Lincoun, Esq. of Hingham, whose indus- try and research entitles him to our warmest thanks. ] ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF | A OM Tue naturalist, by his observations on the phe- nomena of life, is irresistibly led to the conclusion, that a progressive advancement towards the per- fect organization of man, is discoverable in the whole chain of imferior existences. As it respects the time and order of the crea- tion of animals, we are expressly informed, in the book of Genesis, that on the fifth day after the creation of the world, “‘ God said, ‘ let the waters bring forth abundantly, the moving creatures that hath life, &e.’”” Moreover, the sacred chronicle further says, that ‘‘ God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the wa- ters brought forth abundantly after their kind.” Man was created on the sixth — and the seventh was the first Sabbath —a day of rest. a 28 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY It is therefore implied, that man, being the last in the series of organized beings, surpassed all that had preceded him in the perfection of his organs, —the elements of which were displayed in a eraduated scale of animal mechanism. There is a beautiful simplicity discoverable in the structure of purely aquatic beings, that strengthens the declaration of the sacred historian, that they were the first that were endowed with life ; — and the accurate anatomist discovers, that the machiery of organic life, commencing with the single heart of fishes, becomes more and more complex, as species advance towards the animal perfectability of man.* In IcuTHyotoey, as in all other departments of natural history, it was found necessary to establish an orderly course of examination, in order to as- certain the true characters of the almost endless varieties of animals, which mhabit the ocean and’ its tributary streams. It was discovered in the earliest ages, in relation to the study of ichthyolo- * A certain literary gentleman, in a romantic work on the Deluge, supposes that in the old world, the atmospheric temperature was much greater, than in this modern affair, in which we live, and consequently terrestrial animals had such an exaltation of the passions, that they were destroyed for their crimes ; but fishes, residing in a cooler element, were so much better in their conduct, that they were exempted from the otherwise terrible destruction of the primitive world. OF FISHES. 29 gy, that nature had pursued an undeviating plan, with regard to the shape of the body and the po- sition ‘of the limbs of all such animals as were designed to exist in water. A further discovery in connexion with this, that there was a peculiari- ty in the structure of the gills of fishes, fitting them for different localities, led the way to- wards a systematic arrangement. To Linneus, Artedi, Shaw, and lastly, the lamented Cuvier, who improved upon their labors, modern science is indebted for our limited knowledge of this inter- esting pursuit. Fishes are naturally divided into two great fam- ilies, viz: the spinous and the cartilaginous. In the first division, are included all that have a skel- eton of bones, resembling, in some measure, the compact frame-work of land animals. ‘They have articulations approaching, in structure, the joints of quadrupeds, — and there is, moreover, a firmness of body, in consequence of the peculiar arrange- ment of the asseous textures, and the shortness of the muscles, indicating their peaceable disposition ; in fine, the spmous fishes have not that organiza- tion which presupposes extraordinary speed. On the other hand, cartilaginous fishes are so constructed, that they can be distorted with impu- nity. ‘Their bones possess both elasticity and flexibility. Their swallows (esophagus) as well 30 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY as digestive organs, are capable of supporting a surprising distention, without subjecting the indi- vidual to even a temporary inconvenience. Inthe act of gorging their food, the jaws are thrown so far apart, that with the organization of the spinous fishes, the capsular ligaments would be torn from the bones, and the blood-vessels rent from their connexion with the heart. Such, indeed, is the gristly elasticity of the skeleton of this second natural division, that the bones are separated as often as the stomach is called into vigorous action, and resume their places again, without injuring, or in fact, disturbing the functions of the vital or- gans.™ , These grand divisions are analogous to the two great classes of land animals, the one of which is carnivorous, and the other is sustained by the ve- getable productions of the earth. Spinous fishes may be compared, in general character, to the graminivorous quadrupeds, being timid, not uni- versally provided with weapons of defence, and possessing, to a certain extent, social habits, and are therefore rarely found alone. But the cartila- ginous, like the carnivorous animals, are exceed- ingly voracious ;— they pursue their living ali- * The jaws of serpents are separated in a similar manner, in swallowing food. The distortion of the Boa Constrictor, in the act of gorging, is truly horrible. OF FISHES. 31 ment with untiring speed, and devour their help- less victims, when practicable, at a single mouth- ful. It will be perceived, therefore, that this remark- able difference in organization, adapts these two families, to that peculiar condition of things, exist- ing in the element in which they were designed to live. “‘ Eat or be eaten,’ is the only law known to the inhabitants of the ocean. Each individual, therefore, under the instinctive influence of that immutable ordinance, feeds luxuriously on its nearest neighbor ; and, at last, from the insecurity of its home, is preyed upon in its turn. Another law, no less important and interesting in its operation, explams that prolific attribute, ‘which is characteristic of this race of begs. Sus- tained on food already animalized, its rapid- assim- ilation soon perfects the growth; and were it not for incessant slaughter throughout the seas, the ocean could not contain its own. The putrid ex- halations of the floating dead, if this eterna] war- fare for food were suspended, would corrupt the _ atmosphere of the whole globe, and all life would inevitably be sacrificed to the over-peopling of the world of waters.* * Most fishes seem to give a preference to living food: it is only under the influence of extreme hunger, that they are #y , bs Bs 32 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY Before commencing a particular description of. the fishes, peculiar to the sea-board and interior of this Commonwealth, which is the ultimate object of this essay, it may, perhaps, contribute towards the advancement of such as are desirous of under- standing some of the first principles of the science of ichthyology, to make the following preliminary observations on the anatomy of this great and truly diversified tribe of animals. Avoiding all the jargon of technical language, a plain and con- cise description of the most prominent physical characteristics, is all that is contemplated. willing to feed on putrid aliment. In this respect, they re- semble the frogs, toads, serpents, and indeed, several families of reptiles, that would starve, before they would voluntarily swallow animal matter in a state of decomposition — or, in- deed, deprived of motion. Frogs and serpents, as far as the writer’s observation extends, never dart upon insects or otuer reptiles, unless they first perceive that they possess some power of motion. The toad, whose biography is given in some of the books on natural history, in consequence of the loss of one eye, was not only unable to strike the object regularly, when it darted its tongue, as im former times, but it was also deceived in the character of the object. At any rate, the poor toad became © melancholy, took less exercise than formerly —and, if the above account is true, which there is no reason to doubt, — took less food too, — and being sick of the world, finally dicd of a broken heart! This is a fair specimen of a very clever gentleman’s sympathy for the inferior animals, which was ex- ceedingly excited by his researches in natural history. \ OF FISHES. by) BONES AND ARTICULATIONS. The skulls of fishes, more particularly the por- tion including the brain, is the only compact part of the skeleton. Bones without number seem to penetrate the muscles, floating at one extremity like the ribs of an umbrella. Next to the head, the spine presents regularity and comparative so- lidity. Jomts, necessarily, are numerous, but dif- fer essentially in structure from land animals. SKELETON OF AN OSSEUS FISH. Although serpents have spinal articulations, so flexible that they can be tied into knots, without injury to the spinal marrow, they do not possess that freedom of motion which is so. peculiar and common to jomts in the back-bone of fishes. Each vertebra, entering into the composition of the spine, instead of bemg locked into ‘the next, by hook-like processes of the bone, is excavated at each end. Thus, when two are brought in 3 | 34 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY contact, there will be an oval or spherical space between them, as the case may be, depending on the kind of motion required at any particular place. In this cavity is placed a strong sac, con- taining a gelatinous fluid ; the bones move round it, like a surveyor’s compass with the bali and socket jomt. ‘The sac is more or less convex, according to the necessary mobility of the section where it may be found. Near the tail, the organ of locomotion in propellmg the body forward, they are nearly globular. Towards the chest and head, where less motion is requisite, the sacks assume the appearance of slightly convex lenses. Being incompressible, though yielding, and remarkably, withal, confined to their places by strong elastic ligaments, both symmetry and power are beauty and. effectual- ly combined.* * Between the joints of the spinal column of quadrupeds, as well as man, there are pieces of what the books term in-. tervertebral substance, resembling in shape a common sun- glass, but thicker in the centre. If it were not for the inter- vention of this elastic stuff between every two bones of the spine, which is built up of twenty-four bones, every time we take a step, the meeting of the foot with the ground would produce such a jar in the body, as to destroy the action of many vessels, and perhaps break down the brain. Construct- ed as it is, there is no jerk felt in the syatem — the weight of the body is transmitted so easily, from bone to bone, through these twenty-four cushions, that no sensation whatever is OF FISHES. 35 MUSCLES: That prodigious mass of flesh enveloping the bones, is regularly destributed in a way that is both conducive to the protection of the vital ap- paratus, and to the best mode of exerting muscu- lar power. Like the cordage of a ship, every A DISSECTION OF THE MUSCLES OF THE JAWS, AND THE FIRST TISSUE OF MUSCULAR FIBRES, UNDER THE SKIN. Wp = felt. The fact of this intervertebral substance being elastic, has been taken advantage of by soldiers, who have often en- _ listed themselves under a recruiting officer at night, when, after being on their feet all day, the weight of the body, by pressing down the intervertebral pieces, had made them shorter. Thus, the next morning, after lying in a recum- “bent posture, the pieces recover their former thickness, and _ the individual is an inch or more taller than the night be- fore, when his height was measured. There is scarcely a person that is not an inch taller in the morning than at night, provided he has been exercising much on his feet, through the day. In old age, this substance looses its elasticity, and hence aged people become crooked and unsteady in walking. In fishes and serpents, no such change is ever effected by age. 36 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY rope has its appropriate place ; but, owing to the little obliquity of their direction, the muscles act to very great disadvantage. If the bones were provided with long projecting processes, as in the bones of land animals, they would have retarded the motion of the fish through the water; it was necessary, therefore, in the economy of their na- tures, to sacrifice the mechanical advantage of nu- merous levers, that facility might be afforded to their easy movement in their destined element. Those muscles which control the fins and jaws, are short, well developed and strong in contraction: those on the sides, take a winding direction, and consequently cannot act in producing short curves. The object to be attained, in this conformation, was ample security of the viscera, with a sub- stance that would give power to exert power. CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD. A single heart, an organ containing only two cavities, instead of four, as in mammalia; circu- lating cold blood, which in terrestrial animals is warm, gives additional interest to the natural his- tory of the beings under consideration; in them, the heart does not propel the vital fluid through the system, — which presents another extraordi- nary circumstance in their organization... The OF FISHES. 37 SCHEME OF THE CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD IN FISHES AA. The gills, ‘the fringes of which are the extreme terminations of arteries. B. The ventricle of the heart, or forcing pump, which drives the blood into a single artery, that soon divides into two principal branches, carrying the blood equally to the gills, on each side of the head. C. The oracle of the heart, or receiving organ, into which the veins empty the biood which has been the round of cir- culation. This contracts, and throws its contents into the ventricle, and that, again, forces it onward into the gills. D. The main artery of the heart, or branchial artery, anal- ogous to the pulmonary artery of breathing animals. FE. Refers to the branchial veins, which carry the blood that has been exposed to the action of the water, in the gills, back into the body, and pours it into the great tube lying un- der the back-bone. ' fF. This is the vessel into which all the renewed blood is emptied — which is an artery, acting like the left side of the heart in warm blooded animals; when it contracts, or pulsates, it throws its contents through all the small vessels that branch from it, into and over every portion of the body. heart exerts its muscular force in throwing gru- mous blood, which has been the round of circula- tion, to the gills, and no further. From these, it 38 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY is collected by numerous vessels, which ultimately unite in one single artery, coursing its way down the body, under the protection of the vertebral column. ‘This, unlike the vascular apparatus of any species of warm-blooded creatures, takes up- on itself the action of a heart,— propelling the blood, by successive pulsations, to the remotest parts of the body. It is almost unnecessary to remark, that animals breathing air, have a double heart; indeed man, and not only man, but all animals that breathe at- mospheric air, have two hearts, but for the sake of economising the room — for the purpose of packing the parts to the best advantage, the two are united ;— hence they occupy less space than would otherwise be the case, were they placed at different parts of the body. One heart throws all the blood, which has once been the round of circula- tion, into the lungs ;— here its office ceases. The blood is collected from the lungs, where the first heart left it, and gradually poured into the other, or left heart, which forces the blood through every artery in the body. Both hearts are forcing pumps, and both have valves. ‘The much ad- mired invention of the ship-pump, with three valves, is only an imitation, and a poor one too, of ~ the semilunar valves of the pulmonary artery. Reptiles and fishes, having only one heart, the OF FISHES. 39 heart of the gills, which is equivalent to the heart of the lungs, in mammalia, are cold-blooded ani- mals. On the contrary, those having two hearts, are warm-blooded animals. A whale has no gills, but dungs, and consequently breathes air, — and therefore, necessarily has a double heart. Since it has lungs, and a double heart, it also necessari- ly, has warm blood ; and therefore, a whale, as Dr Mitchell rightly declared, is not a fish. And why? because the fish is without lungs, has but a single heart, and cannot breathe air alone, or wa- ter alone, but a mixture of both. GILLS. In the economy of fishes, the ‘gills fulfill the of- fice of lungs ;— they are so constructed, that there is a free exposure, in their fringes, of the impure venous blood, to the direct action of the water. Deprive the water of its air, by an air-pump, and it will no longer sustain aquatic life. The simple act of soaking the fimbrie of the gills, in this fluid, is not sufficient ; it is necessary to have the water forcibly driven through them by an ac- tion of the jaws. If the operculum, or gill cover, be confined and closed with a ligature, suffocation takes place im- 40 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY mediately. On the other hand, if the gills are forcibly kept open, so that no reaction can be ef- fected upon the column of water on which the mouth is exerting a pressure, death will also ensue. — Most of the lizards possess lungs, which are long cylinders, extending through the whole ex- tent of the body, but if their mouths be propped open, they will assuredly die for want of air, in a little time, as they necessarily breathe through their nostrils. ‘The frog respires precise- ly in the sarne way — drawing the mouth full of air, and when the pouch under the lower jaw is thrust out with it, the reptile forces it into its , lungs, through a slit at the root of the tongue, which is the glottis. Thus, the mouth of the frog, toad, and all the lizards, is a bellows, to force the air into the lungs. Breathmg with them, is an act of volition. This explanation will account to the young reader, for the broad, flat heads of this class of reptiles ;— in this respect, there is a curious analogy between them and the action of the jaws of fishes. ‘The one is a forcing pump, as in the fish, for forcing the water suddenly through the fringes of the gills, — and the other, a bellows for driving the atmospheric air into the Jong slender lungs. The muscular force of the sides and abdomen, soon presses it out again. i OF FISHES. \ ae DIGESTIVE APPARATUS. No contrivance could be more simple, and at the same time more complete, than their digestive apparatus ; the stomach varies in anatomical struc- ture, according to the nature of the substances on which the species are to subsist. Possessing but STOMACH OF THE SALMON, emai | Yi Z A —— slight muscularity, the gastric juice, which is se- creted in rapid abundance, soon dissolves the bones and tissues of smaller animals, and converts them into that condition, which fits them for being assimilated to a living system.* * Instances are without number, which might be cited, il- | lustrative of the active power of the gastric fluid of fishes. Very recently, a master of a vessel informed the writer, that he caught a shark, which the day'before had bitten one of his men in two, who was bathing, along-side, — but there was nothing remaining in the stomach, but the tibia, some of the bones of one foot, and the metallic eyes of some buttons. AD": - ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY AIR BLADDER. Only such fishes as swim with facility, rising and falling, as circumstances require, possess this cu- rious and extraordinary organ. Flounders, and indeed all the flat fish, together with many of the eels, are without it ;— therefore, as scavengers of the ocean, they generally remain at the bottom. In common parlance, this air sac is called the sound. These diagrams are representations of the different forms which the sound or swimming bladders have, in different families of fishes. The short threads at the extremities, are sir ducts which communicate with some organ that is sup- posed to secrete the air, and through them it passes into the sac. In domestic economy, sounds become an article of merchandise, —being sold in barrels, for food. The physiology of this apparently simple bladder of air, is not well understood. The fish undoubt- edly secretes the air in it, and has, also, the pow- er of allowing it to be diminished or increased in quantity, unless taken by surprise. OF FISHES. 43 There are circumstances, in which fishes are buoyed to the surface, in spite of their utmost exer- tions, by the rarifaction of the air within the sound. On George’s Bank, the fishermen not unfre- quently take a cod, that comes to the top of the water with a heavy lead, before it is possible to coil the line, owing to the protrusion and buoy- ancy of the bladder, through the mouth. PROTRUSION OF THE AIR BLADDER THROUGH THE MOUTH. During exceedingly warm weather, fishes in shoal water sometimes die from the bursting of the sound, or by the air forcing it through the mouth. If they were, on the approach of this trouble, to plunge into colder water, the air would be sud- denly condensed, and they would escape ; but, unfortunately, they are apt to loiter in shoal coves, ‘for the worms and insects which the heat of the sun brings into activity. Thus, in turn, they be- come food for the very animals for which they were searching. 44 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY TEETH. Whilst some species of fish are distinguished for the number and peculiarity of their teeth, oth- ers are as remarkable for having none at all. In those in which they are developed, they are cha- racterized by being usually small, in proportion to the bulk of the animal, sharp poimted, and calcu- lated for retainmg a hold of prey, — the articula- tion of the jaws admitting of no side-way motion, as - in mastication. When teeth are found on the margin of the jaws, they generally may be detect- ed also in the fauces and throat, quite down into ~ the gullet. Sharks are without rivals, as it re- spects the number and office of their teeth. Many of them have six and seven rows, spear-pointed, with cutting edges, like lancets, hooking imward towards the throat. Each tooth has its muscles for erecting or depressing it. There is nothing analogous to this, in the whole range of natural history. ‘Their mouths are only humbly imitated in common mouse-traps ; — the admission is easy, but an exit is literally impossible. — Fishes that feed on shell-fish, as clams, oysters, crabs, &c., have no teeth in the gums, as they would be soon broken in seizing such hard sub- stances. But beyond, the palate and_ throat are thickly studded with large bony knobs, re- sembling the double teeth of man, beautifully OF FISHES. 45 enamelled, with which the hardest covering of such marine animals as they are able to get within their grip, are readily crushed. We have various specimens in our cabinet, of this crushmg apparatus, which are as~-difficult to describe as they would be to represent in draw- ings. ‘The entire roof of the mouth, in some of the heads which came from South America, is as hard as the enamel of a molar tooth, yet so rough, as to hold the morsel from sliding, till ground into a proper condition by the opposing jaw, which has no tongue connected with it. EXTERNAL COVERINGS. The scales, which constitute the coverings of most of the edible fish, it has been thoucht, first suggest- ed the idea of tiling or shingling edifices. Scales, in the Levitical law, were the evidences of a clean, or in other words, of an edible fish. The direct influence of that conservatory regulation, in rela- tion to this kind of food, is observable in the mar- kets of all christian countries. Such as have smooth skins, exude an oily secretion, that facili- tates their movements, almost without friction. The first class inhabit the neighborhood of rocky shores, and require a coat of mail to prevent lacer- ations of their bodies ; the second, burrow in filth, and steal unexpectedly upon their unsuspecting prey. 46 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY MOTION AND USE OF FINS. By these appendages, equivalent to arms and feet, the fish performs a variety of motions. The propelling instrument, the exclusive organ of pow- » erful movements, is the candal fluke or tail-fm, which operates on the water precisely like a single oar, in sculling a boat. ‘Those on the sides are only serviceable in balancing, wheeling round, and in making a sudden stop. ‘That upon the back sustains a very interesting office, being, in fact, a keel, which, on boats, is placed on the under side. Had the keel of a fish been on the abdomen, in- stead of the back, it would have destroyed its abil- ity for feeding on the bottom ; moreover, there would have been great danger of grounding in shoal water. Nature, contemplating these objec- tions, wisely placed this important appendage, by which the body is kept upright, on the back, out of the way, as well as out of danger.* *It would be worth the while to ascertain whether Dr Bushnell, the inventor and only successful navigator of the sub-marine boat, which was constructed for attaching kegs of powder to the bottom of British ships, during the Revolution, had the keel on the upper side. As his first object was to sink under water, there would be circumstances in which the under-side keel would fasten the boat in the mud, particularly if he were scudding before a whale, who threatened to swal- low the whole concern, if he did not succeed in reaching a place too shoal for the pursuing enemy. OF FISHES. 47 ORGANS OF SENSE. Hearing and seeing are probably the most per- _ fectly developed of their senses. The machinery of the internal ear is tolerably well understood, it being satisfactorily ascertained that fishes are only susceptible of simple sounds.* A DISSECTION OF THE EAR OF A HADDOCK, WHICH BEARS A STRONG RESEMBLANCE TO THE LABYRINTH OF THE HU- MAN EAR. A. The sacculus vestibuli. B. The bony concretion which lies within, and which, by its vibration, increases the impulse on the acoustic nerve. C. The auditory nerve, passing to be distributed on the sacculus vestibuli, and the extremities of the semicircular canals. DDD. The semicircular canals, three in number, ar- ranged very much as they are in quadrupeds. E. One of the extremities of the semicircular canals, in which a twig of the auditory nerve is seen to be expanded. F. This isa smaller portion of the same nerve. -* Fishes have no external ear, nor is there any visible open- ing, except in the skate. But there have been so many 48 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY The eye, though widely different from the land- seeing organ, is readily explained, in all its rela- tions, by the familiar principles of optics. In the first place, the fish’s eye is nearly glo- bular and the cornea flat; im terrestrial animals, on the other hand, the’cornea is a segment of a small sphere applied to the side of a larger one, which gives the possessor the manifest advantage of having the eye extended further into the field of vision; —it is also kept convex by the aqueous humor. Now in the fish, it requires no aqueous fluid within the eye, because the element in which | it swims is an equivalent. We are supposing that the reader is perfectly acquamted with the laws of refraction and reflection of light, but if he is not, he cannot understand why the lens is placed so far forward in the fish, towards the pupil, nor why the cornea is necessarily nearly flat. quarrels between anatomists on the subject, that all the skates in the ocean would not pay for the paper, which has been wasted about a certain little hole in their head, therefore we shall be careful about getting into,the ring. Fishes have just so much acoustic apparatus as constitutes the central por- tion of the ear in man, viz: the vestibule and semi-circular canals, but the whole is boxed up in the solid bones of the skull, so that sound, propagated through the water, gives a vi- bratory motion or tremor to the whole body, and which, agi- tating the auditory nerve, produces the sensation of hearing. Fishes can easily be taught to feed, in ponds, by the ringing of a bell. THE FISHERIES. 49 The water in which the fish lives will always keep the outer tunics moist, — consequently, na- ture has not lost labor by bestowing a lachrymal sac ; — no tears are required for lubrication. Not being designed for facial expression, the oblique muscles are merely cords in embryo, as it were, showing the chain which establishes a rela- tionship between all races of animals. The pig- mentum nigrum covers only a portion of the pas- terior surface of the retina, — enabling them to see intheday, but the metallic lustre of the remaining surface, becomes a concave mirror in the night, which gives them vision, as distinct, probably, as at noon day. Some fishes are only taken by a hook in the night: those are the owls, that cannot see by day. Others, the voracious kinds, dart at all times, both night and day, at the bait, with precision. Sharks follow vessels, hundreds of miles, and never fail to catch every bone which is thrown overboard, at all times. But there is another contrivance in the consti- tution of the fish’s eye, very wonderful, inas- much as it shows most convincingly, a provision against the pressure of the incumbent column of water. ‘Thus, m the voracious species, principally the sharks, the sclerotic, or outside coat, is perfect- ly hard bone, except on the back, where there is an opening for the entrance ofthe optic nerve. In a 50 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLUGY pursuing their prey, at unfathomable depths, for ‘aught we know, the hydrostatic pressure would crush in the whole globe were it of mem- branous tunics, like thé land-seeing eye; but being of bone, it resists the pressure, and thus saves the organ. Shoal water fishes, possessing the membranous eye, if forced down to a certain depth, would be made blind, and come to the sur- face with the entire loss of the internal humors. A pretty accurate judgment may be formed of the depth to which any species of fish swim, by an examination of the coats of the eye, as in one case there are ribs of bone, asin bird’s and turtle’seyes, . and in others, flat pieces are inserted, merely to offer firmer resistance to the pressure of the water, which is greater there, than on the body. There are no eye-lids, because it is necessary to see, even while they sleep. Fishes undoubtedly sleep, — but necessarily with open and vigilant eyes. There are no eyelids, because they would have been entirely useless, it being necessary for fishes to perceive, even while they sleep. It has been said to us that the vitreous, and other humors resist ‘the external pressure, and therefore our hypothe- sis in regard to the object of an osseous scleroti-— ca, 1s quite objectionable. Ifit were true, that the vitreous humor, and crystalline lens, were OF FISHES. 51 of equal density, the internal resistance would be in proportion to weight placed over it; but as they do not correspond, in that respect, they would be lable to the injuries and destruction, from the cause that has been mentioned. Over the eye, the first investing membrane, the conjunctiva of the human eye, is loose, and wrink- led in fishes brought up from deep water, but smooth and glossy on those at medium depths. Does this not look like compressing the fluids into smaller space? It is certain that some aquatic eyes cannot, by the nature of globular tunics, be condensed, without rupturing them. But it is needless to dwell on a subject, which, perhaps, is already familiar to our readers. As it respects the power of vision under water, we can only infer the principle, by our knowledge of the laws of optics. That fishes see at great dis- tances, is well established, but a turbid condition of the water, renders vision indistinct, and hence they are often deceived, and involved in fearful difficulties. In clear, calm weather, they proba- bly are able to discover objects much farther than would at first be supposed, considering the medi- um through which the light is transmitted. The whale examines a boat one or two miles off, dis- tinctly, and if enraged by the sting of a harpoon, runs or swims with prodigious speed towards the object that has excited its revenge. 52 ANATOMY AND PHYSILOLOGY When fishes are out of water, they see indis- tinctly, as a man descerns things with his head sub- mersed. Pearl divers, on the coast of Brazil, see objects precisely as an aged person does through concave glasses. It has been ascertained that there is an advantage in furnishing the divers with spectacles, whose convexity, on both sides, is just equal to the convexity of their own corneas. The reason is plain :—without them they cannot-judge accurately of distances. In reaching out the hand for an oyster, which appears within reach, it may, perhaps, be at the distance of ten feet; hence there is aloss of time, requiring the Indian to come up for breath, and plunge again, to correct the de- ception of vision. ‘The rationale of this error of vision, is simply this: viz, the aqueous humor of the diver’s eye, is of the samedensity of the water ~ that covers him, therefore, there is no refraction of the rays of light, or at least, only a very little, in passing from the water, to the retina, but the con- vex artificial lenses, remedy the defect, most per- fectly. When the fish is brought into the air, the eye not being defended either by eyelids, brushes of hair, or, indeed, by anything more than the con- junctiva, which is nothing more than a continua- tion of the common skin of the head, carried over the globe, the first glare of light partially paralyses OF FISHES. 53 the optic nerve ; but the organ begins at once to accommodate itself, in some degree, to the exi- gency of the case: the pupil diminishes its diame- ter a trifle, but the fish then sees precisely, as we see under water; in reality, it is near-sighted. Having no aqueous humor, the refraction produces the utmost confusion for the moment. We have no- ticed, that in puttingafish back mto the water, after having been in the air a few seconds, the vision is very considerably deranged ; it swims against what- ever may be in the line of its direction: indeed, there does not appear to be any determinate pur- pose ; but as soon as the visual organs have re-ac- commodated themselves again to the water, and the optic axes are restored from the distortion which they received in the atmosphere, the fortu- nate refugee appears again as it did before the capture. Before leaving this subject, we cannot refrain from making some observations on the structure of the eyes of the Anableps Tetrophthalmus, a scaly fish, from four to ten inches in length, found at Surinam, and, we believe, no where else. By the politeness of Captain James Crosby, of Bos- ton, and the American Consul, at Surinam, we have been provided with several specimens, in a fine state of preservation. As it respects the hab- its of the anableps, we are not informed, but the 54 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY structure of its eyes is such a remarkable deviation from every other living creature, that we hope to be pardoned for the prolixity of these remarks. In the first place, the cornea presents an acute horizontal angle, along its middle, —and on each side, sloping off at angles of forty-five degrees, the corneas, for in reality there are two of them, are flat surfaces, in our specimens, though probably slight- ly convexed in life. ‘Thus, it will be understood, that two sides of acommon prism, represents them. Ona careful dissection we have ascertained that the sclerotica is a cartilaginous box, nearly globu- lar, rolling within a bony orbit, which is entirely elevated above the plane of the cranium. ‘The partition between the two corneas, is membranous, and like the blade of a knife, the further edge be- ing attached to the capsule of the crystalline lens. The iris, therefore, is divided in the middle, so that the pupil resembles a half,moon, either side, or in other words, above and below the horizontal parti- tion. On minute inspection, we cannot discover any difference of shape or structure in the lens, from the same refracting instrument in the eyes of other fishes. Certain it is, that the anableps can perceive objects from above and below, — embra- cing half a circle in the sphere of distinct vision, and that is the only advantage, at first view, we can imagine they derive from the organization of the OF FISHES. 55 prismatic cornea. . On the other hand, the whole globe is so raised upon the top of the head, that without this structure, they would, perhaps, only distinguish objects that were on a level with the base of the orbit; a defect, admitting such to be the fact, completely obviated, by giving the cornea an acute angle across its horizontal centre — al- lowing the rays of light, from the angle subtended by the planes of the two corneas, to reach the re- tina from two directions, nearly perpendicular to the horizon. Some have imagined that the one pupil was long-sighted, for distant views, and the other short-sighted, for minute objects. THE EYE OF THE ANABLEPS TETROPHTHALMUS. Fishes are acutely sensible of touch ;— the sense of smelling, for which appropriate nerves are elaborately distributed, gives them the faculty of detecting the existence of food, or enemies, at immense distances. ‘Taste is undoubtedly the weakest of their senses, —residing, if at all, in ~ 56 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY the esophagus, as everything presented to them, under circumstances of hunger, is swallowed with Tavenous avidity, without regard to quality or flavor. SCHEME OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE VERTEBRAL NERVES OF THE FISH, FOLLOWING THE COURSES OF THE FLOAT= ING OR CILIARY BONES. QI re Uru AGE TO WHICH THEY LIVE. Perhaps there is no subject on which the natu- ralist has labored with less success, than in trying to ascertain the age to which fishes attain. Ad- mitting that an individual of any species were un- disturbed by enemies, or unmolested by its own kindred, and quietly enjoying a circumscribed body of water, amply supplied with appropriate food, there is no reason for doubting that it would live for many centuries. We know of no limits to their longevity, nor can we suppose that the inter- nal machinery would wear itself out, so long as the digestive organs were properly excited. OF FISHES. 57 But the time must ultimately arrive when death will terminate their existence ; though admirably constructed foran uncommonly long life, they are not, nor can they be exempted from the operation of a law, which to intelligent beings, is contempla- ted with the deepest feelings of ,awe and solem- nity. Pike and carp, in artificial ponds, have been re- peatedly found, with gold rings in their fins, and other kinds of labels, on which were also found dates, that proved, conclusively, that one hundred years had elapsed since the inscription was made. Gesner speaks of a pike that was known to be 267 years old. It is affirmed by some of the French writers, that several pike are in a pond, which for- merly belonged to the Duke of Orleans, father of the present king, so very aged, that their original complexion is completely lost : they have become of a dingy hue, and actually give the spectator the idea of extreme old age. Cartilaginous fishes have a still greater prospect of living to an advanced period. Instead of bones, as previously remarked, their skeletons are elastic, having but asmall portion of earthy matter in them. As the vessels secrete but little ossific matter, they do not become rigid, as in the land animal : — the heart is in no danger of being converted into bone, —indeed, we do not know why many of them 58 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY might not live and continue to grow for a thou- sand years. It was at one time thought that the circles dis- coverable on the ends of the vertebre of the osse- ous tribes, indicated the age, —as the rings on the extremity of a log, marked the years of the growth of the tree. ‘Those, unfortunately, are no guides, —and we therefore regret that we know of no mode, at the present day, of solving a problem of the highest interest to the curious. Of the marine fishes, the sharks unquestionably, reach a truly pa- triarchal age. SLEEP. Exposed as these animals must necessarily be, to the voracious jaws of millions of belligerent, as well as hungry associates, — it would seem hardly pos- sible that they should find a safe opportunity for this kind of rest, however much they might at any period require it. Again, being without eye-lids, they would be regarded, at first thought, as organiz- ed to require no suspension of the powers of voli- tion. Impossible as it is to speak with certainty on this point, we are fully persuaded that they not only require sleep, but that they also find safe and convenient times to enjoy that sort of repose. Gold fishes, in vases, repose, regularly through the night, - OF FISHES. 59 after the lights have been extinguished.- This is inferred from their remaining precisely in one posi- tion, six and eight hours at a time. PROCREATION. Fishes are astonishingly prolific : — amajority are oviperous, and some of the condropterygii are vi- viperous. This latter class, however, are less nu- merous than the first. It has been often asserted by credible writers, that the cod produces nine mil- lion of eggs in a season ; — the common flounder a million, and the mackerel, above five hundred thousand. On the other hand, the cartilaginous varieties seldom give birth to more than a few hundreds of living young ata time. If only one in the three hundred arrives at maturity, its power will ensure the continuance of the race, but with the social and andromous, scarcely ten eggs in a thousand are ever developed, — being the necessa- ry aliment of others,— but the continuance of the species is thus insured against all probable contin- gencies. Each egg is filled with a yolk, surrounded by al- bumen, like that of the serpent, the crocodile, and the bird. They are commonly extruded in shal- low water, out of the reach of eddies, where by the glutinous envelope in which the mass is held to- 60 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY gether, they get fastened to some stick or stone, which retains them in a favorable condition for the influence of solar heat. By what combina- tion of circumstances the male is apprised of the desire which the female has for expelling her bur- den, cannot be explained: but it is nevertheless true, that they commonly accompany her, and no sooner are the ova deposited, than he swims over them tocomplete the process. ‘There is no ac- quaintance between the parents : the male, in com- ing in contact with the spawn, is excited by the presence of the appropriate stimulus of the genital organs, and a fluid is emitted over them, which, though greatly diluted in water into which it is infused, exerts a specific action on the egg, which immediately begins to quicken into life. It may so happen, however, that the male of another species accidentally in his wanderings, comes in the region of roes— which excite him to expregnate them, just as readily, as the presence and contact of those of the family to which he be- longs. The excitation effected by the eggs, can- not be withstood, — for there are no moral re- straints in the regions below, and physical necessi- ty, absolutely, in this instance, forces into being, a race partaking of the habits and characteristics of the two progenitors. Sir Humphrey Davy says, “it is a fertile and a OF FISHES. 61 very curious subject for new experiments, — that of crossing the breeds of fishes, and offers a very interesting and untouched field of investigation, which I hope will soon be taken up by some en- lightened country gentleman, who in this way might make not only curious, but useful discove- ries,” | We have stated the fact that the ova are im- pregnated out of the body of the mother, and it may appear somewhat surprising that the mere pouring of the seminal fluid from the milt of the dead male, is equally successful. The vitality of fishes is of an order so low, that the temperature of the air or of the water, is generally equal to the heat of their blood, — hence no vital property is lost, even in the dead fish, if the experiment is per- formed before the commencement of putrefaction. Jacobi, a German experimentalist, on the in- crease of trout, and salmon, has satisfactorily set- tled the question, that this operation can be done very readily. ‘That gentleman raised his own trout, from the egg, which he accomplished in the following manner. He had a box, witha wire gra- ting at one end, for admitting the water, freely, from a lively stream — and holes, at the other end for the same water to pass out: thus there was a running course over small pebbles, placed on the bottom. In November and December, when the 62 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY trout were nearly in a condition for spawning, he ; caught both males and females in a net. By gen- tle pressure of the hands, the ova were received in- to a vessel:of water. He then, by similar contri- vance, forced the seminal liquor of the male into the vessel, and after the two had been in this con- dition only a few minutes, he placed the eggs in his hatching box, to wait the result. At the expi- ration of a few weeks, the parchment-like shells burst — and to his unspeakable delight, the box was swarming with an immense school of infant trout. To each individual, was appended a little sac, which contained the yolk. This was their food for a considerable time — being gradually taken into the stomach, by the absorbing function of the naval string. Here is a very striking analogy to the provision, which is made for the young of birds. The yolk does not in any way become organized in the process of incubation: — it was expressly designed for the first food of the newly created an- imal. Surely, this is an illustration of the honiely saying, ‘‘ that there is never a mouth without some- thing to put into it.’ When the chick is hatch- ed, the yolk is still as perfect, as before, but in- stead of being in the old shell, it is now within the . body. Enclosed in a slightly elastic capsule, there is a duct leading from it, that terminates in the stomach. ‘Through this, it continues flowing, as OF FISHES. 63 fast as the necessities of the system require it, — till the whole is ultimately exhausted. When this is finished, the pipe becomes a binding ligament of the viscera, and the little tottling biped, is ready to pick up something with its bill. A YOUNG SHARK CARRYING THE YOLK OF THE EGG FROM WHICH IT WAS HATCHED, SUSPENDED BY THE UMBILICAL CORD, IN A SAC. Farmers, from their ignorance of the wonderful provision by Divine Providence, for all oviperous animals, destroy a vast deal of young poultry, in their mistaken humanity in trying to make them feed too soon. Let them alone, and they will give seasonable indications of their simple wants. From the box, Jacobi transported his stock, and founded new colonies wherever he chose. Bloch relates, as the result of an experiment, in speaking of the reproductive power of the carp, that in a pond of seven acres, in which were placed four 64 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY males and three females, the increase was 110,000 young carp. Interesting as this inquiry must be to the phys- iologist, we regret the necessity for bringing it to a close ; this we are unwilling to do, without express- ing an earnest hope, that these observations will induce others, more competent than ourselves, to pursue an investigation, fraught with such a high degree of interest. GROWTH. Probably the spinous fishes complete their growth much sooner than terrestrial animals which, at an adult age, arrive to about the same weight. On the other hand, the cartilaginous, as well as some varieties of the flat ones, continue to increase in size, under favorable circumstances, many years. The skate, which in this northern latitude, does not often exceed five feet in breadth, in the West In- dies, has been known to attain the enormous size of twenty-five feet in length, by fourteen in breadth. | The rapid growth of some fishis very extraor- dinary. ‘Three pike were taken out of a pond in Straffordshire, belonging to the present Sir Jervoise Clark Jervoise, two of which weighed thirtysix _ pounds each, and the other thirtyfive pounds. OF FISHES. 65 The pond was fished every seven years, and suppos- ing that store pike of six or seven pound weight were left init, the growth of the pike in question must have beenat the rate of at least four pounds a year. Sal- mon, however, grow much faster. It is now ascer- tained that grilse, or young salmon, of from two and a half, to three pounds weight, which are sent to London markets in the month of May, come from spawn only deposited in the preceding Octo- ber or November, and the ova takes three months of the time to quicken. It has also been ascer- tained by experiment, that a grilse which weighed six pounds in February, after spawning, has, on its return from the sea in September, weighed thirteen pounds ; and a salmon fry of April, will in June weigh four pounds, and in August, six pounds. BRAIN BONES. Contiguous to the lobes of the brain, natural- ists have discovered two peculiar bones, in com- mon parlance, called brain bones. ‘They are ena- melled, like the finest tooth; convexed on one side, concave on the other, and serrated at the edges. By cooks, these bones are termed the fish money. By boiling, they are easily detached. In looking into the cavity in which they are lodged, it is evident that the fibres of the acoustic nerve ran ae ‘ 66 . PHYSIOLOGY OF FISHES. through it: a gelatinous fluid, glairy, of a similar character to the white of an egg, seems both to suspend the bone, and also afford a proper bed for defending thenerves. ‘Though comparative anat- omists are not precisely satisfied as to the office they sustain, it is pretty generally conceded that they are a part of the organ of hearmg. If, how- ever, our readers will examme the diagram we have given of the labyrinth of the fish’s ear, which corresponds very nearly with the vestibule and se- micircular canals of the human ear, he will per- ceive that the brain bones are entirely unnecessary to the perfection of the organ. ‘Their use is not understood.* *Since the compositor completed the preceding pages, in which it is remarked that fishes are without eye-lids, a speci- men has come to hand, ofa small fish, seven inches in length, from Africa, the mounting of whose eyes on the top of the. head, bears some resemblance to the anableps, covered by a regular pair of eye-lids. Thismust be regarded as belonging to an unknown genus. In asmall shark, too, we have detect- ed the nictitating membrane, organized much as it is in the owl, and other night-seeing birds. CLASSIFICATION. ARISTOTLE is supposed to have been the first naturalist who regarded fishes as a distinct class of animals, though he seems not to have understood their very peculiar organization. Pliny was the next writer of antiquity who devoted much atten- tion to them, though from the earliest ages of the world, they were an important article of food, as much as at the present day. Without detailing the classifications of a series of distinguished writers, those of Linneus and Cu- vier are now generally adopted. Had that great and good man, Cuvier, been permitted to live a few more: years, he would probably have completed that splendid work on fishes, which occupied many years of his industrious life — and which, on a dying bed, he spoke of leaving in an unfinished condition, with the deepest interest and regret. Linneus divided these animals into five orders : 1. Apopax,— with bony gillsj#@nd no ventral fins. 2. JuGULAR, — with bony gills, and ventral fins before the pectoral. 3. THORACIC, — with bony gills, and ventral fins under the throat. 68 CLASSIFICATION. 4, ABDOMINAL, — with bony gills, and ventral fins behind the thorax. 5. BRaNcHIosTAGOUS, — with gills destitute of bony rays or concealed gills. 6. CHoNDROPTERYGIOUS, — with cartilaginous gills, and leathery fins, the common skin being continued over them. Cuvier found there was a great deal of difficul- ty and vexation, when an attempt was made to divide them into orders, “‘ established on fixed and precise: characters ; but the two great divisions, founded on the character of their bones, as being cartilaginous or osseous, are natural and well mark- ed. The first series, or chondropterygi, have, as a general character, the palatine bones arranged | so as to supply the place of those of the upper jaws.” He therefore divided them into three or- ders. CHONDROPTERYGII. 1. Cycxuostom1, — The jaws fixed in an immovable ring, but the branchial openings numerous. 2. SELACHTI, — with branchiz as in the preceding, but not their jaws. 3. SrurionEs, —branchie opening as usual, in a cleft, protected by an operculum, or gill cover. OSSEOUS. 4, PLECTOGNATHI,— maxillary bone, and palatine arch, fix- ed to the cranium. 5. LopHoprRANCHII,— with complete jaws, but having the branchiz in small tufts. 6. MALAcoPpTERYGII ABDOMINALES,— ventral fins on the hinder part of the abdomen. CLASSIFICATION. 69 7, MALACOPTERYGII SUBRACHIATI, — ventral fins un- der the pectoral, on the throat. 8. MauacorpreryGi1 ApopEs,—destitute entirely of fins. 9. ACANTHOPTERYGII, — first dorsal fin, or the first por- tion of both, where there are two, having spinous rays. This last order, AcaANTHOPTERYGII, is divided into seven families :— 1. Tenioides, —as Mediterranean Band-fish — having a short snout. 2. Gobioides, — without a swimming bladder, and having slender flexible dorsal spines, as the brenny. 3. Labroides, —a single dorsal fin, as the Wrasse, of Euro- pean seas. . 4. Percoides, — having the dorsal and anal fin supported be- fore, by strong, sharp spines, as the sculpin and perch. 5. Scomberoides, — having small scales, as the mackerel. 6. Squamipennes,—scales encrusting the soft part of the dorsal and anal fins, as the Chetodon. 7. Fistularide,— the mouth at the extremity ofa long tube, which is a prolongation of the ethmoid, and other bones of the head, as the pipe fish. ~ Cia SS 1. CARTILAGINOUS FISHES. ORDER I.—CYCLOSTOMI. GEN. PETROMYZON. = Sea Lamprey. — Petromyzon Marinus. Like the eel family, in general, the lamprey has a long, flexible, slender body, covered with an oily excre- tion, admirably fittmg it to slide into dark, and oftentimes difficult hiding places. It is unsocial in its habits, — timid m the day-time, but voracious, courageous and unyielding in the mght, when it ventures from its lurking place, in search of food. ‘The size to which they grow in the arms of the sea, in the limits of Massachusetts, particu- larly, is not great, nor are they commonly more than two feet in length. As the traveller, howev- | er, follows the southern shore, he not only finds the sea lamprey much thicker, but also much long- er. ‘Three feet may be considered an average length in the southern'States, but the saltness of the water and its coldness, so far to the north, is unfa- vorable to their multiplication, as well as magni- PETROMYZON. 71 tude. To the eastward, at the mouths of some of the rivers, in Maine, the marinus, even when fully grown, does not exceed .seventeen and twenty inches. This fish may be designated, with certainty, by its marbled, brownish skin, — possessing a silvery shade towards the underside of the abdomen, — and one dorsal fin, distinct from the second. In the top of what authors call the maxillary ring, there are two large teeth. 'Though there may be variations in color and size, in following the coast, it may be distinguished by the other marks which have been detailed. Within the inner side of the jaws, and commencement of the fauces, are twen- ty rows of fine teeth, and seven breathing holes on the side of the neck. SALT WATER LAMPREY. Lo qe All the lamprey’s movements, strikingly resem- ble those of the serpent, nor does their muscular apparatus differ essentially from it. 72 PETROMYZON. The manner in which the gills are arranged, un- der the skin, is a subject of deep interest to the anatomist, inasmuch as he discovers at once, a structure of the utmost consequence to the species, since they were expressly designed by nature to occupy a place where no other beings were ‘loca- ted, viz: —the muddy beds of bays, — the ooze which accumulates in estuaries, and in fact, just those places where fishes could not live on account of the foreign matter in the water, which would clog up their gills, and consequently produce death. Between the side of the mouth and the skin, there is a long canal, or pocket, in which the bran- chie, or fringes of the gills are placed in a row. Opposite the space or little apartment, between every two fringes, there is a round hole, tipped with a cartilaginous ring, precisely like a hoop, to keep it always open. When the lamprey is snugly coil- ed up ina bed of loose, dark mud, where it finds a variety of marine worms, putrid remains of vari- ous animals, &c., forced into such basins by the eddying tides, it strains the water through a very small aperture, into which it forms its mouth, till the under side, or gular pouch is considerably distend- ed, when by the action of the muscles about the jaws, it is driven through all the frmges, and comes out at the orifices. By this beautiful, yet simple PETROMYZON. vf} contrivance, no mud can get into the fringes, — or if it does into the side holes, the next exertion of the jaws, throws a stream of water to wash it out again. So far as the gular pouch is concerned, in the respiratory function, the lamprey bears consid- erable analogy to the lizards. Breathing, with those reptiles, is an entirely voluntary act : — the mouth is drawn full of air, through the nostrils, and then, the under jaw being in action like a bel- lows, forces it into the lungs. As an article of food, they have been much priz- ed, but as we do not see them very frequently in the stalls, it is conjectured they are scarce, or there are not purchasers enough to compensate for the trouble of collecting them. FRESH WATER LAMPREY. Fresu Water Lamprey. — Petromyzon Flu- viatilis. ‘There is scarcely a portion of New Eng- land, even in the most elevated regions, in which the river lamprey may not be found. The ety- mology of the name petromyzon, is found in two Greek words, signifying to suck a stone. _ Usually, its color is a dark olive on the back, 74 PETROMYZON. but with a light yellowish tinge on the abdomen. The first dorsal fin, like that of the sea lamprey, is separated from the second. 'To all intents and pur- poses, it is the same fish, — having the character- istic two large teeth, only it is found in ponds and streams so remote from the ocean, that it is next to impossible that it should have had, within cen-. turies, any intercourse with the sea, though that is the original seat of their ancestry. Birds, in their rapid flights from one section of a country to another, have not only distributed the eggs of fishes and the seeds of plants, but even the living animals themselves. Itis in this way, that we are obliged to account, for example, for the ap- pearance of a lamprey ina small pool, hundreds of miles from the ocean, which has no communica- tion, whatever, with running streams. ‘The wad- ing birds, as the heron, might swallow one of these animals, whose vitality is of so low an order, that — it is not necessary for them to breathe a mouthful of water, even for many hours, — and convey it in its intestinal tube, three hundred miles, and if it were voided, where such carnivorous birds would be most disposed to rest, the fish would recover any temporary injury by the journey, — and if it were pregnant, the race would be propagated, and thus the waters of the interior of the country, be- come stocked by a new family of aquatic be- ings. PETROMYZON. 75 Such is the power of life, that it completely re- sists, for a long time, the gastric juice of the stom- ach. Repeated observations are on record, by credible eye-witnesses, who have seen birds of prey, swallow an eel, that escaped, unharmed, in a few minutes. Nor is this so very strange, when it is recollected that the intestine is very short and large, and that the imprisoned fish has prodigious strength, in proportion to its weight, and above all the rest, coated with a mucous, so slippery, that the grip of a strong man’s hand, cannot hold’one fast. On some of the highest points of the green moun- tain, between Massachusetts and New York, in those small basins of water which are formed be- tween different emmences, lobsters are not only numerous, but really and truly formed, precise- ly like those of the ocean, yet they rarely exceed two inches in length. The question at once arises, how came these animals in that locality, if the ova of the lobster were not conveyed there by some bird? ‘The fresh water, together with the climate of those high regions, have prevented the full de- velopment of those miniature lobsters, though in character, habit and anatomical structure, there is the most perfect resemblance :— and were the ova from the family on the mountain, placed under favorable circumstances, in the borders of 76 PETROMYZON. the sea, we have no doubt that the progeny would be as large, in one or two generations, as any spe- cimens which are exhibited from the ocean. Occasionally, this lamprey may be seen in broad day, in a clear spot of still water, in a bend of the river, with its mouth firmly fixed to a stone — while its body gently waves in the water. The mouth, indeed, is surrounded by aring, which they can enlarge or diminish at pleasure. When thus adhering by the lips, by suction, for hours togeth- er, they do not breathe: in order to exercise the gills, they must first let go the hold and close the jaws suddenly, to propel the volume through the lateral apertures. The Montreal Courant says, “On Wednesday last a large sturgeon was observed to leap from the water into a canoe lying at the island in the port, opposite the foot of St. Joseph-street. Im- - mediately means were taken to secure the fish, which, when taken, was found to have two lam- preys, about seven inches in length, sticking to its body, one on the top of the head, and the other on the insertion of the large fm next the gills. There cannot be a doubt but the fish, in its ago- nies and efforts to get rid of the lampreys, sprung out of the water with such violence as to precipi- tate it into the canoe in its descent. ‘The pecu- hiar construction of the mouths of lampreys, show PETROMYZON. V if 6 how powerfully they can attach themselves to any substance, and seem expressly constructed to give them a powerful suction ; nor is the rapacity of these fishes less than their power of laying hold of their prey ; for when kept some time out of the water, and again placed near the sturgeon, they seized it a second time with much eagerness. ‘The sturgeon measured three feet eight inches ;_his lit- tle tormenters not a sixth part of his length, nor a sixteenth of his weight.” These are considered excellent eating, in most places, but on what account, we cannot understand, since,jf possible, their external appearance is more forbidding than many other chondroptery gious fish- es, which are held in utter abhorrence. Stewed lampreys, in England, was a dish once held in high estimation. King Henry I. died of a surfeit, in consequence of eating too heartily of this favorite dainty. Inthe reign of Henry IV.,says a writer in the Conversations Lexicon, so highly were they esteem- ed, “‘ that protection was granted to such vessels as might bring them in; and ‘his successor issued a warrant to William of Nantes, for supplying him and his army with this article of food, wherever they might happen to march.” In severe weather, the lamprey endeavors to hide in deep places among the rocks, — but the 78 PETROMYZON. fishermen, by extending pits, communicating with the ocean, into which blood is thrown, entice them into the spots where they stand in readiness to capture them. Some suppose the lamprey of Rome was of an- other genus, the murenophis.* Pliny informs us that Lucullus had fish ponds in the vicinity of Na- ples, of such vast extent, that after the death of the owner, the fish in them sold for 4,000,000 ses- terces, — equal the sum of $170,000. One Hir- rius had a pond exclusively for his lampreys, — and so ample was his stock, that on a certain occa- sion, when Cesar made a grand entertamment, he furnished him with six thousand. ‘The celebrated orator, Hortensius, owned one, which seems to have been a particular favorite, for it is said ‘‘ that he wept bitterly,’ when it was dead. Antonia, the wife of Drusus, exhibited her affection for one of them, by ornamenting it with jewels, but we are not informed how they were put on. Its bite was, in those days, considered poisonous, but no such opin- ions are entertained in this age; or if they are, they are unfounded. Annually, the city of Gloucester, we are told, | but for what reason, we have not been able to as- * Several writers refer to the Gymmothorax, which was in such estimation with the Romans. History relates the curi- ous circumstance of a Roman lady going into mourning om ac count of the death of a favorite murena. PETROMYZON. 79 certain, at Christmas, used to present a lamprey- eel pie to the king. Much is said by the old wri- ters, of the Roman eel, which nearly resembled _ the species under consideration. Reservoirs were constructed, on a magnificent scale, by the opulent, where the lampreys were made so docile, by reg- ular feeding, as to rise to the surface when called. Pliny relates, as a fact, that one Vedious Pollio, a particular friend of Augustus, took delight in throw- ing his slaves into the eel vats, for the pleasure of seeing them torn to pieces and devoured. On a particular occasion, the emperor honored Pollio with his company, at a brilliant entertainment, at which a slave unfortunately happened to break a costly crystal vase. The unfeeling master, in a paroxysm of fury, exclaimed to the other attend- ants, — “‘ away with him. to the murene.” ‘The poor wretch, all but dead with horror, fell at the feet of the emperor, beseeching that he might be permitted to die some death lest terrible! Aston- ished at the sudden and strange circumstance, Au- gustus made speedy inquiry into this extraordinary mode of punishment, and when he fully understood the savage cruelty, disposition and practice, of Pol- lio, ordered, at once, all the remaining vessels bro- ken before his face : —directed the reservoirs to be filled up, — gave freedom to the pleading slave, and only consented to spare the life of the murder- er, his master, in consideration of his former regard. .80 SQUALIDES. ORDER IL—SELACHII. SQUALIDES. Suarxs have no bones like those of the second class of fishes ; they are elastic, cartilaginous por- ‘tions, embraced by numerous muscles. The bran- chie are pectinated, — the openings quite numer- ous, without gill covers, and the palate and post- mandibulary bones are studded with teeth. ‘They have pectoral and ventral fins, — but the last is placed backwards, on the abdomen. While some are viviparous, others are oviparous, — and all the males may be identified by appendages at the in- ternal margin of the ventral fins. ‘Though these are the indications of the sex, their use is totally unknown. GEN. SCYLLIUM. Sra-Doe, — Scyiuium Canicuna, — le chein de mer, of which we have a well preserved specimen, four feet in length. It follows the perch, when they _first make their appearance in the spring, in the margin of deep water. It has aremarkable metal- lic color, like crude antimony. ‘The teeth are ve- ry small, giving the sensation to the finger ofa coarse rasp; its body is slender, the head flat, — the nose long and pointed: —the eyes much re- SCYLLIUM. 81 sembling the cats, are placed low, towards the snout. Beside the above marks, it will be recog- nised by an anal fin, exactly opposite the space SEA DOG. which is between the two dorsals. When the dead body is handled, it is as flexible as a whip- lash,— tough and leathery. Though we know nothing with certainty of its habits, it probably possesses all the traits of character, peculiar to the order. | Scytyium Catuius, — a little shark, very sim- ilar to the preceding, only about eighteen inches long. Its color is that of ashes— having shades ofa red tinge, when first drawn from the water, on the sides, towards the corners of the mouth. The mouth, in this, is small, and shaped much like a horse-shoe,— but so completely underside the head, further back than the eyes, that it is strange they can apply the jaws at all, to hold their prey. One of these miniature sharks, the past season, was drawn into a pleasure boat, by a gentleman 6 82 SQUALIDES. fishing for cod,that quite frightened his associates by its spiteful snappings. Doc-F isu, — Squalus Canis. A manifest dif- ference is observable between the sea-dog and the true dog-fish, the first, which has been described, more nearly resembles the blue shark, whereas, the latter, so far as it regards anatomical structure, approximates the sea-wolf,— in having a long, stiff, dorsal fin, hard, conical, irregular teeth, a rough skin, which, when dry, is used by cabinet makers for polishing wood, and by surgical instrument ma- kers, for covering cases. It is a spiteful, voracious, cartilagimous shark, — very muscular, and the eternal enemy of the cod, — getting possession of the feedmg ground, some seasons, to the great loss of the fishermen. In 1831, they were so uncommonly numerous, that the cod-fishery was attended with immense loss. The dog-fish is so familiarly known along the en- tire coast of the United States, that it is quite un- necessary to be minute in the description. GEN. CARCHARIAS. Waite SuarKx,— Carcharias Vulgaris. All sharks are a solitary, rapacious, blood-thirsty spe- cies of animal, carrying slaughter and certain de- struction, wherever they go. They are, as respects their own element, precisely what the Bengal CARCHARIAS. ~ 83 tiger is in India,— the most insidious and cruel, of all the inhabitants of the great deep. Of all oth- ers, the white shark is the most terrific, and therefore regarded by mariners with peculiar dread. WHITE SHARK. White sharks cannot be said to be very common on this coast ; vessels, in approaching the land, oc- casionally discover one of these huge devourers, gently gliding through the water, in the wake of the rudder. Usually the color is a light ash, hence its name, though it is -by no means always of that shade. On the back, as with nearly all fishes, the skin is quite dark ; the tail has three lobes; teeth exceedingly numerous,— and the body, when fully grown, from twenty to thirty feetlong. In trop- ical climates, however, it attains its greatest size. Fossil teeth ofa shark, to which family the one under consideration belongs, are found at Malta, measuring ' four and a halfinches from the point tothe base, and 84 SQUALIDES. six inches from the pomt to the angle. All the fossil bones of the antediluvian races, which have been discovered, show that the primitive animals were of far greater magnitude than those of the present time. Perhaps there is no subject of deep- er interest to the naturalist, than this curious fact, sustained by the exhibition of entire skeletons, in the cabinets of this country and Europe. ‘These prove, conclusively, that those which preceded the present occupants of the soil, were truly gigan- tic. The perfect bones of a lizard, sixty feet in length ;—the teeth, skulls, and vertebre of the mastadon, as well as some others, will ever re- main objects of wonder and astonishment. Were those moving mountains of flesh, proportioned to the products of the earth? and ifso, and they were permitted to roam over the globe, what physical change in the constitution of the world, rendered it necessary to drive entire species utter- ly from existence, by a sudden and terrible des- olation? After the deluge, the animals which were distributed over the continent of Asia, seem to have been diminished in form, and though, n process of time, exceedingly numerous, the ag- gregate, apparently, is better proportioned to the amount of sustenance, yielded by the soil. How these observations will apply to the water, we are not prepared to say. ‘Ihe whale CARCHARIAS. 85 is probably as large as the primitive whales, but those animals which were certainly on the dry land once, corresponding in bulk and power to those in the ocean, no longer have a being. - But to return ; — the white shark, in his wide, dilatable jaws, has six rows of sharp, triangular teeth, which can be raised or depressed by appro- priate muscles, at pleasure. Its velocity is such, that nothing seems to be able to escape, and its greediness is never to be satisfied. By one gripe of the jaws, they can cut a man in two. A red hot cannon ball is sometimes lowered over the side to one of these disagreeable followers of a ship, which the seaman has the satisfaction of seemg the shark receive, into his yawning throat. At the pearl fisheries of South America, where white sharks are numerous, visiting the mighty cav- erns in the rocks, the water being so clear, that a small object may be seen at considerable distance, the divers, familiar with the character of the mon- ster, in their descents for the oyster, are obliged to go armed, in self defence. For this purpose, some carry a long sharp knife.. As the shark’s mouth ts placed somewhat under the head, he endeavors to get over his intended victim, and if he discovers no disposition in the Indian to move, gently settles _ down over him with his horrible mouth widely 86 SQUALIDES. extended. With the coolness of a philosopher, the instant he is near enough to be reached, the diver | plunges the knife into his vitals. A very ingenious mode, which is practised, says a writer, from whom these observations have been principally extract- ed, is for the diver to carry down with him four or five hard wood sticks, about two feet long, sharpened at both ends. In case he is likely to be disturbed in his search for the oyster, by the visit of this king of sharks, he thrusts one of the sticks between his jaws, as he isin the act of closing them. This props them asunder, and the force with which they are brought to act on the stick, securely pins both ends into the bones, — and away he goes, without the possibility of a remedy. Instances have been known of an Indian, who was so sharply set upon, that he gave away three sticks in succession, before quitting his dangerous post. At the Marquesas Islands, where this shark abounds, the natives swim in the midst of them quite fearlessly ; and the only reason why more of them are not devoured, must be the peculiar v.se with which they are supplied with. large fish. Whenever, however, a native is so un- happy as to be caught by one of them, his associates never exert themselves in the least, to extricate him, because it is a common matter of belief there, that sharks never seize any CARCHARIAS. 87 but the wicked — or transgressors of law, and therefore the man deserves to die. A gentleman of our acquaintance informed us, that he saw a young girl swimming from a Boston vessel, waiting to receive a cargo of sandal wood, with a heavy bar of iron on her shoulder, which she had contrived to steal from the deck. She swam under water, a considerable distance, before coming up for breath, but the moment she was seen, the boats put off, with the expectation of recovering the bar. Just as the boats were so near that she was fear- ful of being struck with an oar, which was raised by a man in the bow, she plunged a second time — the boats pursued the track, but as she came up to the surface, still holding the iron, a “‘ mighty white shark swallowed her at one effort ; — the veloci- ty towards his object bemg so great, that as he rolled upward, the girl was driven down his throat.”’ 7 He also saw a shark seize a man by the leg, just below the knee, who, at the instant, being just ashore, grasped a projecting stone on t)2 beach. The Shark drew with all its might, but the man held on, screaming most piteously for aid, but, although many of his comrades were near, no one came to his assistance. His leg was dreadfully lacerated, and the bone crushed : — in that con- 88 SQUALIDES. dition he was exhausted by the loss of blood, and the shark gained its object. West India negroes, sometimes show a fearless dexterity in diving in among these sharks, with keen knives, purposely for the pleasure of butch- ering them. On the coast of California, the In- dians, occasionally sustain extraordinary combats with the same species, for the amusement of Eu- ropean spectators. | Notwithstanding the ferocity, and apparently in- satiable appetite of the white shark, it is said they will not touch a fowl having the feathers on. In the history of Barbadoes, and in the relations of voyagers to the South Sea Islands, all that 1s shocking in the history of this creature may be found. In the records of Aix, a seaport of France, in the Mediterranean Sea, is the account of a shark, taken by the fishermen, twentytwo feet long, in whose stomach, among other undigested remains, was the headless body of a man, encased in com- plete armor. A friend has sent us the following note — for the truth of which he is ready to pledge his repu- tation. “Some years ago,a young gentleman going passenger to the Island of Jamaica, when near the port of destination, was drowned. A short time \ C ARCHARIAS. 89 after, the uncle of the gentleman was on board a vessel in that region, the crew of which caught a large shark. On opening him, a common prac- tice of sailors, in the stomach they found, among other things, a gold watch, chain and seals, which being examined, were at once recognised by the uncle as the very same he had given his nephew, at the time of sailing.” The esophagus of this despot of the sea, is so capacious, that a full sized man can readily be ta- ken down whole. We possess, in acollection, the dried jaws, which, opened, like the clasp ofa purse, will admit the shoulders of an adult person. This fact, of the width and extensibility of the throat, has given rise to an opinion that this was the fish that swallowed Jonah. But we neither believe, nor infer from the de- claration in the sacred narrative, any such ridicu- lous supposition. ‘The words are these, viz :— “‘ Now the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.” Such is the anatomical structure of the teeth, in all the larger varieties of shark, with which naturalists are conversant, that nothing can be very conveniently extracted from the stomach, through the esophagus, which has once been ad- mitted there. Like the entrance of a mouse-trap, there is free admission, but no possible retreat. ‘This mechan- 90 SQUALIDES. ism is particularly necessary in the economy of the shark, — obliged by the law of its nature to sub- sist on living animals, — which, were it not for the singular provision in pointing all the teeth backward, and the prickly spmes in the gullet, di- rected the same way, would escape almost as soon as swallowed. The same mechanical arrangement is noticeable in the throats of all the serpents: the teeth are not for mastication, but solely for holding and pre- venting the escape of the prey. We therefore place implicit confidence in the biblical account, that God created a fish, expressly to accom- plish the miracle of swallowing, and subsequent- ly ejecting the undutiful prophet upon the dry land. . Pliny’s close observation may be inferred, from a statement he makes, that the shark turns on its back to bite, unless it settles over the ob- ject, — an observation corroborated by succeeding writers. | The tail being a powerful organ of destruction, as soon as the animal iS drawn on the deck of a ves- sel, the seamen usually cut it off immediately, with an axe. , ‘ When the skin is nicely manufactured, a kind of leather is made, called shagreen, used in covering mathematical and surgical instrument cases. CARCHARIAS. 91 Buve Swarx,— Carcharias Glaucus. Blue sharks seem to be universally distributed over the world : navigators have never penetrated a sea in which they were not seen. ‘They have a some- what slender body, of a deep slate blue, on the back and sides, but the color is considerably light- er under the pectoral fins and abdomen. ‘They have, beside, a long, pointed snout, a bilobed tail, of which the lower one is the longest. Usually, they average from seven to fourteen feet in length. Vessels are followed by this shark, sometimes, hundreds of leagues, without cessation. Seamen af- firm that it is exceedingly greedy of human flesh. This opinion has arisen, probably, from the circum- stance that the species is so widely diffused, that a body is scarcely lowered into the water, in any latitude, before some of these voracious Bedouins of the sea make their appearance. : . /Elian assures us that when their young are in danger, they rush down the throat of the mother for security. The young of this species are hatch- ed from the egg, in the coiled oviducts of the fe- male, and therefore, when expelled, are not only alive, but exhibit, instantly, their natural character, by seizing with their tiny mandibles, anything _ that comes in their way. To each young one, is suspended, by the um- bilical cord, a sack, in which is enclosed the yolk 92 SQUALIDES. of the egg from which they had their being. This highly nutritious substance is slowly absorbed through the duct, into the stomach, and finally, the cord shrinks and drops off. By the time this curious process is completed, adverted to in the physiological proem, the teeth are sufficiently developed to hold the prey they may overcome. ‘To those who often witness this appendage to young sharks, in calms, at sea, this explanation, we trust, will be satisfactory. During the excessive heat of summer, attracted by the odor of the floating offals from a port, it is no uncommon circumstance for them to penetrate into the docks. ‘Their sense of smell is admitted to be exceedingly acute, or they never would pursue vessels for such long periods together, when per- sons on board are laboring under putrid diseases. When they have attained the object of pursuit, by unceasing perseverance, the chase is at once given up. Bathing, therefore, in the warm season at low tide, in the vicinity of wharves, is certainly an ex- posure, though it may so happen that a series of years may elapse without any unpleasant occur- rence from such a source. ‘A year since, while a lad was fishing in a small boat, in the outer harbor of Newport, R. I., his CARCHARIAS. ; 93 boat was attacked in a most ferocious manner by a shark. After the first attack, the shark leaped from the ocean into the boat, which, from his flouncing he would have sunk, had not another boat, near at hand, come to the relief of the boy. With great difficulty the monster was killed. He measured eight feet in length, was of the most ferocious kind of sharks, called by marmers man- eater. He weighed between three and four hun- dred. The Newburyport Herald relates an occurrence which happened in Rowley, not long since. Mr. David Pickard, who was on the marshes, by a nar- row creek, near the mouth of Rowley river, saw a large fish —a shark, as he supposed — making up the creek, with his back above water. Being pro- vided with a gun, he discharged it at the creature, when it made a monstrous leap, and deposited its huge bulk high and dry upon the land. It meas- ured nine feet in length. The following fact, published in 1831, on the au- thority of Captam Clark, of the brig Stranger, from St Bartholomews, will corroborate the testi- mony of- naturalists, in relation to what has been said of the mode of bringing forth its young, —so different from most other aquatic tribes. «¢ Having caught a shark, nine feet long, it was opened on deck, and found to contain fiftytwo 94 SQUALIDES. young ones — each of which measured seventeen inches in length, and all were very exactly of the same size.” During the year 1831, a man was attacked in his boat by a shark, overcome and devoured ; in the Bay of Boston. . In “The Life of a Sailor,” is a narrative of the wreck of a vessel off the Havana. The crew took to the boat, which upset ; they succeeded in right- ing it, and while two men were bailing with their hats, a shark was seen toapproach. Nolan- guage can convey an idea of the panic which seiz- ed the struggling seamen. Every man now strove the more to obtain a moment’s safety. Well they knew that one drop of blood would be scented by the everlasting pilot fish, the jackall of the shark ; and that their destruction was inevit- able, if one only of these monsters should discover the rich repast, or be led to its food by the little rapid hunter of its prey. A few minutes after, about fifteen sharks came right among them. The boat was again upset . by the simultaneous endeavor to escape danger, and the twentytwo sailors were again devoted to destruction. At first, the sharks did not seem in- clined to seize their prey, but swam in among the men, playing in the water, sometimes leaping about and rubbing against their victims. This was 7 CARCHARIAS. 95 of short duration. A loud shriek from one of the men announced his sudden pain ; a shark had seiz- ed him by the leg, and severed it entirely from the body. No sooner had the blood been tasted, than the dreaded attack took place: another and another shriek proclaimed the loss of limbs. Some »vere ’ torn from the boat, to which they vainly endeav- ored to cling — some, it was supposed, sunk from fear alone. ‘The sharks had tasted the blood, and were not to be driven from their feast. By great exertion, again the boat was righted, and two men were in her; the rest had all perished. The two survivors resolved, with gallant hearts, to redouble their exertions. ‘They lightened the boat suff- ciently not to be overset. The voracious monsters endeavored to upset the boat; they swam by its side, in seeming anxiety for their prey ; but after waiting some time, they separated. ‘The two rescued seamen, in spite of the horrors they had witnessed, soon fell asleep, _ and were the next day fortunately picked up by a Wessel , a ae Fox Suark, or Turasner, — Carcharias Vul- pes. Perhaps no class of sea stories are more common than accounts of combats between the thrasher and the whale, — the latter of which, is always said 8 be beaten most cruelly by the 96 SQUALIDES. thrasher. We apprehend, however, that there is some mistake in these supposed battles. The thrasher may always be known from all other varieties, by the upper lobe of the tail, which is as long as the entire body. Generally, the thrasher averages from nine to fourteen feet. They are seen on our coast very often, in the summer, running with great swiftness, — the tip of the long tail fin cutting the water. GEN. ZYGEHNA. Hammer-Heapep Suarx, — Zygena Vulgaris. Shovel-headed shark, is another name, by which this remarkably constructed fish is known to American HAMMER-HEADED SHARE. seamen. But little time since, a sailor offered one, recently caught, for sale, which he wheeled through the streets of Boston, on a barrow, attracting crowds of people, who gazed upon it in perfect wonder. ‘i z ZYGANA. 07 The head, from which particular part it obtains its vulgar name, is comparatively thin — and re- sembles, in relation to the body, a brick, laid across the head of afish. Such, indeed, is the structure, that the eyes are ten, twenty, and twentyfive inch- es apart, according to the size of the body, — pre- cisely as itrespects each other, as it would be if an eye were placed in each end of the brick. Without a drawing, however, it is utterly impossi- ble to form a right conception of its curious form. The body is brown on the back, —though gene- rally partaking of the leaden, the prevailing color ofall the sharks. The species under examination, in writing this article, has a falcate first dorsal fin, on the rise of the back, and a second, quite small, near the end. of the tail: — the entire length is short of nme feet. Surely, if anything in animal organization, seems like the result of some sport of nature, the hammer-headed shark is an instance of it. If the body of a large flounder, deprived of its head and tail, were laid across the head of a blue shark, it would somewhat resemble the gluing on of the head to the body. ‘The eyes are at such a distance, that at first view, one is led to suppose it a mon- strous production. It has been conjectured that the eyes, from being 7 % 98 SQUALIDES. lodged at the extremities of the cartilazmous wings, as it were, of the skull, can be approximated on the under side, so that the fish may look into its own mouth, far back, on the under side, even un- der the thick substance of the neck. Careful ex- amination, however, on a recently caught, flexible shark, convinces us satisfactorily, that no such ef- fect can be produced. By some authors, it is called the balance-fish ; because it is said to balance in the water; as though the centre of the body were supported on a pivot, while the head and tail, alternately, as- cend and descend. Others give the appellation of sea-mallet, from the resemblance which the body has to the handle ofa mallet, inserted into the trans- versely laid head. ‘This mallet head is gently curved in front, and brought quite to an edge, so that it will cut its way with ease through the water. The eye very much resembles that of the horse, being nearly of the same dimensions. In a dried specimen of a young one, four feet long, the eyes present a hard shell, showig that they were calculated for deep water. In the mouth is found a liberal supply of four rows of teeth, lancet-shap- ed, and serrated on their edges. scarcely a season passes by, in which fine spe- cimens are not taken in the vicinity of Nahant, about the Cape, &c. ZYGANA. ‘ 99 In 1805, three powerful shovel-nosed sharks, were taken in a net, at Sagharbor. The largest was eleven feet in length. On open- mg him, many detached parts of a man were found in the abdomen, which were collected and buried. A striped shirt, patched, was also taken from the stomach. Very opportunely, while writing, Captain Knott Martin, on a return voyage from Cape Hayti, has presented us with a fine specimen of a young one of this species, only two feet and one inch in length ; one inch and a half in diameter: —the eyes are . five inches apart, and in the flexible jaws is a den- tal apparatus, truly frightful. There can be no doubt, from the exhibition of muscular strength, this shark makes prodigious slaughter in appeasing its voracious appetite. Mr Fitzwilliam, an English gentleman, recent- ly from Malta, has politely forwarded us the fol- lowing note, with other interesting matter on natu- ral history, illustrative of the character and habits of the shovel-nosed shark. “¢ While lyimg at anchor near the Bell Buoy, in the Isle of France, we were surrounded with nu- merous sharks, of the shovel-nosed species, — two of which appeared of so enormous a size, that we determined, if possible, to catch them. Our hooks were baited with four-pound pieces of pork, but 100 SQUALIDES. these appeared too small morsels for our voracious customers, — and for two days we were unsuc- cessful. “A young goat happening to die at this time, it was immediately fastened on a hook for a bait ; it had not been overboard many seconds, when one of the sharks was seen to approach, smell of it, turn on his back, and in a trice, swallow it. After considerable difficulty, we hoisted this monster on board, in domg which, with a stroke of his tail, he shivered the bulwarks near him, into a thousand splinters ; and it was, indeed, with great difficulty we despatched him, even though the tail was imme- diately chopped off to prevent further damage to the property on deck. He measured eighteen feet in length. “‘ Tt was now suggested, it would be worth while to bait another hook, with the entrails of the first captive. Ina few minutes the hook was in readi- ness, and a second shark was taken, which was longer and larger than the other, to appearance ; but it was so violent in its struggles, that it suc- ceeded in snapping off the chain, attached to the hook, and escaped. -“'The jaws of the one we saved, when cleaned, were so large as to be slipped over the body of a man. From the liver, alone, were procured more than ten gallons of oil.” SELACHE 101 Zygena Tiburo, belonging to this family, hav- ing warty spots, is also occasionally taken by the fishermen, — dried specimens of which may be found in the museums. The color is much like the one in the preceding article, though, if any- thing, the head is sharper—and the skin, be- tween the pectoral fins, near the region of the branchie, is of a clear white, — shading into a yellowish tinge towards the tail. GEN. SELACHE. Basxine SHarx,— Selache Maximus. Be- tween the head and body, there is not a good proportion, —the first being comparatively small and snake like. When the branchial openings are thrown asunder, from running almost round the neck, they give the animal the appearance of having its throat cut by several deep incisions. The color of the skin is nearly that of sheet lead ; — one large dorsal fin, shaped like a ploughshare, rises on the back ; —the teeth are small and sharp, and in vast numbers. On _ this coast, they have been captured, measuring thirty feet, usually the harpoon is the surest method of securing them. A few years since, at the time the appearance of the sea-serpent produced so much excitement in the vicinity of Gloucester, a party of gentlemen from Boston, armed for successful combat, with 102 SQUALIDES. that emperor of serpents, fell in, we have been informed, in the course of their excursion, with one of these harmless, lazy fishes. Its dimensions were so colossal, as to induce some to believe, by the aid of a little imagination, that this was the mighty leviathan, which had been magnified into a tremendous snake, one hundred feet long. The existence, however, of such a creature as the ser- pent has been described to be, by the most unob- jectionable evidence, is proved as clearly and con- clusively, as human testimony can establish any truth. From a careful examination of the digestive or- gans, there bemg an unusually long mtestinal tube, it is conceded by naturalists, that the basking shark feeds on vegetable food entirely, and therefore, unless unreasonably excited, is a peaceably dispos- ed, harmless, inoffensive being. Beside the track of intestine, within its calibre, there is curious provision for retaming the con- tents, till all the nutritious matter is completely extracted. ‘This consists of a valve,—or to make it more clearly understood, the inner plate is precisely like a winding stair-case, or the twist of a screw-auger ; thus, instead of passing down freely, and unobstructed ; by this arrangement of the screw, the food is kept rolling over a vast surface of absorbent vessels. SELACHE. 103 Because this shark seems to delight in lying upon the surface, basking in the hot sunshine, the mame of basking shark has been given it, by common consent. ‘Though really formidable in appearance, by the concurrent testimony of mari- ners, it is allowed to be a dull, unsuspecting, harm- less creature. INTESTINE OF THE BASKING SHARK.* This disposition must depend, to some extent, on the quality of its aliment, which is altogether marine plants. How far the habits of this animal * Stomach of the basking shark laid open, and the coats of the intestine dissected entirély away, inorder to exhibit the valvular structure within. A. The cardiac orifice of the stomach. BB. The converging muscular fibres about the pylorus, or lower opening of the organ. C. The commencement of the winding valve, as it is term- ed, — which is a continuous shelf, like a flight of winding stairs, jutting from the inner circumference towards the cen- tre. D. refers to the width of the valvule conniventes. 104 ' ~SQUALIDES. will warrant a comparison with the description that is given in the book of Job, of the Behe- moth, we leave to others to judge. “ Behold now the Behemoth, which I made with thee ; he eateth grass as an ox.” _ That the structure within, is upon the simple plan of the digestive organs of herbiverous quad- rupeds, must be admitted by those who study com- parative anatomy. Beza, and others, learned in the history of the sacred writings, contend that the Leviathan, was a crocodile, which was the opinion of Bochart ; but we can discover nothing in the description of that formidable monster, that bears any more re- semblance to itthan the basking shark ; which an- swers the precise figure of the Behemoth ; in the whole Bible the word crocodile does not once occur. | Pennant informs us that they swim with such rapidity and violence, that there has been an in- stance of a vessel of seventy tons having been towed away by one of them, against the wind, by the irons lodged in its body. It is further said of the Behemoth, ‘‘ His bones are as strong pieces of brass ; his bones are like bars of iron.” As far south as New Jersey, they have been taken, of greater dimensions, than at the north. By good authority, we have been told of one or ‘ PLATYSOMI. 105 two, that measured not far from forty feet in length. Within the mouth a kind of whalebone is peal- ed out, which has also given it the name of the whalebone shark. On the best authori- ty, itis said they are viviparous,—, the young, a foot long having been taken out of the bodies of the females. Simply the liver, has weighed a thousand pounds, in some of the large ones, caught on the northern coasts of Europe, — yielding a profitable quantity of oil, for which purpose they are sought. Not appearing to be very timid or susceptible, they will lie perfectly quiet, till the intrepid har- pooneer, who has approached him cautiously, drives the instrument of death into the vital regions, before he begins to move with the warp. GEN. TORPEDO. Torpepo —Tue “Noumspine Fisu,”— Torpedo Vulgaris. That a variety of this remarkable fish has been taken on these northern shores cannot be questioned, though we frankly confess our ina- bility to procure one. Individuals who have ac- companied fishing parties, corroborate the testimo- ny of those who assert that they have drawn up a strange creature, something like a skate, which they not caring to preserve, or even handle, in at- 106 - PLATYSOMI. tempting to cut out the hook with a knife, imstant- ly felt a strange sensation in the arm, as though a cord had been suddenly drawn round it. As there is a fish known to those who habitu- ally fish, inshore, fora living, the whole year round, as the ‘‘ numbing-fish,” or benumbing, it is very conclusive that it has been seen : — resembling, somewhat, the skate, it would not be strange if those who accidentally drew them up, should suppose it one of them, particularly if it was jerked from the hook,—a common mode of disengaging the skate. THE TORPEDO. a z —<——" The Electric-Ray, or Topedo, is found in most of the European seas, but in Torbay, England,’ particularly, they are often drawn up im a traul net, with others;—sometimes they catch the hook, and then it is, in handling them, that. they exhibit that curious electrical property, which has given them the name of torpedo. Icthyologists describe about twenty species of - TORPEDO. — 107 the ray, but this, alone, possesses to a consider- able degree, the electrical property. In structure, the torpedo does not seem to differ essentially from the family of rays in general. The electrical or- gans are lodged each side of the gills, — reaching to the cartilages of the great fins. Each lateral battery is about five inches long — being constituted by plates of membrano-cartilaginous substance, the interstices of which are filled with a gelatinous fluid. ‘Their coloris a dusky brown, — the skin is smooth, the tail short, and the mouth small, with five breathing apertures. The apparatus of the torpedo, is analagous, in character, to that of the gymnotus, or electrical eel of Surinam. In the summer of 1827, ‘Thomas Trask, Esq. American Consul at Surinam, suc- ceeded in bringing a live one to Boston, ina barrel of water. Although we had the best oppor- tunity, two days in succession, for experiment, with extreme regret, we were completely un- successful in getting an electric shock. It was irritated, — roused with iron as well as wood, but there was no exhibition of that power which we hoped to have experienced. Hither the new climate, the different kind of water in which it was kept, its being changed daily, or the influence of other causes, deprived it of the faculty of secreting electricity, or its spirit was so subdued, that it was indifferent to stimuli. 108 PLATYSOMI. This eel was a little more than three feet in length, considerably larger than a man’s wrist, and ofa deep slate color. While confined in a vat, on the eve of sailing, Mr Trask ordered four ne- groes to go and put it into the barrel, in which we afterwards saw it, but they were repeatedly pros- trated to the ground in the attempt, declaring that their elbows were broken. General Verveer, a gentleman of great respect- ability, who resided many years in Surinam, as- sured us that he once had an electrical eel, of such extraordinary dimensions, that it was placed im a trough where the cattle were in the habit of go- ing to drink, with reference to sending it abroad ; but some mules being turned loose, went directly to the spot to drik —and four of them were kill- ed in succession, the moment their noses touched the water. This electricity both in the torpedo and the gymnotus, is entirely under their control, — and was probably bestowed on them for the purpose of overcoming their prey. The eel has no teeth,— therefore it has a compensation in the wonderful machine within its own body, by which it can re- peat the benumbing influence tll it has gorged the victim on which the power has been exerted. Otherwise, in their habits, they may be considered - in the water what the anaconda is on the land. RAIA. 109 GEN. RAIA. TrHornspack,— Raia Clavata. Notwithstand- ing the assertions of some to the contrary, others who have seen the thornback in England, contend that it has been taken on this coast. THE THORNBACK. The body is cineritious, rough, with bony tuber- cles, — each of which is furnished with a hooked spine, —the dorsal row being the longest; the tail is longer than the body, loaded with three rows of spines. Usually, they are from two to three feet long, when fully grown. We cannot assert positively that we have seen one, yet we have an indistinct * recollection of such a circumstance, in the deep- water near Scituate, about eight years ago. Skate, — Raia Batis. All the borders of Massachusetts are visited by the skate, some of which are in breadth as much as four or five feet, with a brown body, rough skin, — hay- 110 PLATYSOMI. ing a dirty crust of mucus and mud — anda long tail: it may always be known to those who seek it for cabinets. THE SKATE. It has five branchial openings on each side, partly concealed by ‘being underneath; two dorsal fins near the root of the tail; small teeth, of a conical form, with broad bases. Males may be known from the females by crooked or hooked spines on the pectoral fins. ‘The ova are brown, cariaceous, and square, having four long arms, giving the ege-shell, which washes upon the beach, the appearance of a hand-barrow. Let it be remembered, that the skate is a broad, thin, flat fish, terrific and disgusting to look upon, — possessing the voracity of the shark, with out its rapidity. ‘Their home is-at the bottom, from which, with singularly constructed optics, RAIA. 111 they can look upwards on all that passes over. ) Cased in a partially bony shell, its edges seem to be eked out by broad gelatinous wings, with which they flap through the water, as a bird uses its wings, in aerial progression. In shoal, calm water, we have often seen them lying at ease on the mud of inlets, varying in size from an inch to five feet. During the months of March and April, the fe males cast their purses, or spawn; from three to five hundred eggs, have been extruded from one of them, at atime. In the Spring, several males | may be seen pursuing one female for hours to- gether. Directly before our dwelling, on a warm day in July, as the tide was receding, an unusual splash- ing of water attracted attention, and resulted in the capture of a skate, whose diameter was equal to that of a wagon wheel. When thrown upon a wheel-barrow, a strong man could scarcely push the load before him, to the house. Skates are in less danger of being destroyed, than most other fishes, excepting when young. After having grown to a certain extent, even sharks appear unwilling to attack them ;— hence they are exceedingly numerous. Lobster-men * spear the skate, for bait, by boat loads, and ees 112 PLATYSOMI. England, the skirts or wing are considered excel- lent eating.* Another reason why sharks do not disturb them, when they become large ; arises, it would seem, from a conscious inability to swallow the morsel. Prowling, says a writer, at the bottom of the ocean, in the dark caverns beyond the ken of human vision, and in cavities, dark and horrible beyond what the imagination has- ever conceived, they, perhaps, continue to grow, till they become mon- sters indeed. As we have no exact knowledge of the period to which the lives of fishes are pro- * No city in the world, is better and more plentifully sup- piied with fish, than London. Turbot and brill are carried there from the coast of Holland; Salmon from the rivers in Scotland and Ireland, —a few however are caught in the Thames, — at the mouth of which mackerel and cod fish are taken. In 1828,the following calculation was made of the quantity of fish sold at Billingsgate. Plaise and skates - - - 50,754 bushels. - Turbot a SRLS nes Te Cees ee Fresh Cod - - - 447,130 “ Herrings . - se ge ls 3,936,407 a Haddocks - - - - 482,493 me Mackerel - - - - 3,076,700 “ Fresh Salmon - - - - - 45,446 4 Lobsters), % +=). = : : 1,954,600 “ To supply the actual demands of the people with this food, it required 3,827 vessels; the number of fishermen, there- fore, exclusively devoted to this particular business, and sub- servient to that metropolis alone, is truly immense. TRYGON. 113 longed, it is fair to conclude, from the vast dimen- sions of some individuals of this species, that they may live from one century to another. A skate was killed in the vicinity of Guada- loupe, measuring nearly twentyfive feet in length by fourteen in breadth. This fact leads to the ‘suppo- sition that others may yet be discovered, by the side of which this would be a mere pigmy. Time, perhaps, may yet reveal the secret, that the kra- ken, now considered an imaginary being, so viv- idly pictured by bishop Pontoppidan, whose back, rising above the surface, resembles an island, is nothing more nor less, than one of these mon- strous productions. TRYGON. Stine Ray,— Trygon Pastinaca. Occasion- ally, but by no means very frequently, the sting- THE STING RAY. ray is taken with a hook, in fishing in about thirty 8 ! 114 STURIONES. fathoms of water. ‘The body is of an oval form, of an olive color, and smooth. It has a sharp nose, a small, slender tail, armed with a long ser- rated bone towards its root. Usually, on these shores, it averages from one to two feet in length, and is denominated the saw-tailed skate. | ORDER IIIL—STURIONES. GEN. ACCIPENSER. The fishes of this genus, have the general form of the sharks; but their body, remarks Mr Park, ‘is more or less covered by long prominences, in longitudinal rows. Their eyes and nostrils are on the side of the head, the dorsal fin behind the ventrals, and the anal under it. Sturgeons ascend the rivers from the northern seas, at certain sea- sons, in vast numbers, and. their fishery, therefore, becomes an object of peculiar importance. Sturcron, — Accipenser Sturio, isan anadro- mous, subtle fish, solitary in its habits, voracious, and when fully grown, of prodigious size and pow- er. On this coast, the sturgeon is often seen, leap- ing from the water, but is not often taken. ACCIPENSER. 115 It seems to delight, particularly, in lying about the estuaries of rivers, into which it frequently pen- etrates, hundreds of miles, returning to the ocean again, as the supply of food fails, or the formation of ice commences, in northern latitudes. Its abid-- ing place is not at sea, but always on the border of the ocean, where muddy bottoms predomi- nate. Without teeth, it snaps at its prey most vigor- ously, and rarely fails of overcoming the object of its choice, either by artifice, or dint of extraordi- THE STURGEON. ~ nary strength. Between the end of the snout and mouth are four cirri, resembling the tendrils of a ‘vine, or earth worms, which the sturgeon exhibits to other fishes, much to its own advantage. Belonging to the cabinet of the Boston Society of Natural History, is the bill or spatula of the spoon-bill sturgeon, of the Ohio River, which is really a curiosity. Being divested of the skin, it presents an osseous blade, three and a half inches wide, at the further extremity, and two feet and one 116 STURIONES. inch long, including some portion of the head, — gently curved at the end, like a spoon handle. It is a complete web of bony fibres, running in every direction, apparently in the wildest confu- sion, yet its strength and elasticity entirely depend on this peculiar structure. Dr Hildreth, of Marietta, says that this is also called the paddle-nosed sturgeon, — the Polyodon Fewillé of Lacipede, and the Spatularia of some other writers. The sturgeon from which this spatula was taken, was speared at Letart’s Falls, in June, 1830, a few miles above Pomeroy’s coal bank, Meig’s county, 260 miles below Pittsburg, and weighed forty pounds. At the great falls of Lawrenceville, the same fish is called the Ozd/-fish. For particulars, see Silliman’s Journal, Vol. xu, No 2. Settling itself into the soft ooze, with its head towards the current,—the sturgeon allows the cirri to float, just above its nose, —and there it patiently waits, till some fish, allured by the sight of the buoyant tendrils, — dives to pick them up, when the crafty deceiver pounces on its unsuspect- ing prey, with unfailing success. In summer only, the sturgeon is seen in Boston harbor, from six to nine feet in length, leaping from the water. The force with which it propels itself towards an object on the surface, carries it ACCIPENSER. 117 completely out. Itis said, but with how much truth, is not easy to determine, that it does not hesitate to leap out in order to fall on other marine animals, for the purpose of overcoming them by its weight. In this way we are continually hearing of their fallmg into boats, when the weather is calm. In the Middletown Conn. Gazette, of July, 1831, 1s an interesting acccunt of a_ sturgeon, weighing one hundred and eighty six pounds, which unceremoniously sprang into a small boat, bound from that place to Rocky Hill, and in the fall broke an oar and one of the seats. / Says the Hartford Courant, in the summer of 1830,—“‘ Last Saturday afternoon, as sundry per- sons were employed in painting the hull of the schooner Exact, now lying at our wharf, they were suddenly interrupted in their labor by an ab- rupt and unceremonious visit from one of the in- habitants of the river. ‘They were standing in a scow which was drawn along side the schooner, surrounded with their paint-pots, and busily plying their brushes, when a sturgeon about seven feet long and three feet in circumference, making his way between the scow and the schooner, where there was just room enough to afford a passage, dashed in among the astonished painters, overturn- ed the pots, mixed their various contents in.one mass, and having thus formed a new combination * 118 STURIONES of colors, took the business into his own hands. Substituting his tail for a brush, he commenced operations on a large scale, and as he flounced — about in his new quarters, scattered the paint in every direction, spreading it over the side of the vessel and scow, and not omitting to bestow a lib- eral coat on the painters themselves. He was not long permitted, however, to display his skill in his new line of business, for the painters not relishing this species of monopoly, commenced a united as- sault on their new competitor, and despatched him without mercy.” No account is made of them, as food, owing, perhaps, in some measure, to their scarcity, in this vicinity ; but at New York, and particularly at Albany, they were once esteemed. In Europe, the sturgeon is much prized, being variously pre- pared by smoking, pickling and drying. In this country, the sturgeon fishery appears to be wholly neglected, though formerly, vast quan- tities were taken in Virginia. In the cold regions of Russia, the sturgeon is considered delicious; thousands upon thousands of tons are salted in bar- rels for exportation. The Danube, Volga and Don, are among the most famous sturgeon localities in the world. We are assured by a traveller, that a grand dinner can- not be given in Russia, without sterlet, accypenser ACUIPENSER. 119 ruthemus, a small species of sturgeon. ‘ When brought alive in summer, from Archangel to Mos- cow and St Petersburg, they have been known to _ cost from five hundred to a thousand roubles each. A soup prepared from the sturgeon, commingled with the most expensive wines, according to the same narrator, has cost three thousand roubles.” In the time of the Emperor Severus, the stur- geon was considered so much of a royal dish, that it was carried to the table by servants adorned with coronets, and escorted by musicians. ‘Thismay have been the origin of a ceremony once practised in Lon- don, on lord-mayor’s day, — the mayor elect be- ing obliged to present the king or his proxy with a platter of sturgeon. In English Law it is still considered as exclu- sively belonging to the king,— who also is enti- tled by an ancient, grave, parliamentary conces- sion, to all whales which may be cast on the sea- shore of the realm, — to be equally divided be- tween his majesty and his royal spouse ;— the head, as the most noble part, beimg for the king, and the tail for the queen; out of which she was to be supplied with whalebone for making her stays. ‘This was particularly an unfortunate divis- ion for her majesty, as the whole of the article in question is found in the jaws. The Indians of America used their bones, or 120 STURIONES. scales, which are exceedingly hard, for rasps and eraters.* Caviare, an excellently flavored, though, perhaps, rather indigestible food, is made of the roes, pressed into hard cakes, about one inch thick, by four square. During the long Lent ofthe Greek church, and the weekly fast days, exceeding in the aggregate, four months, sturgeon is the principal food of all European Russia. It was calculated in 1794, that 1,750,500, yielded 4,366,800 pounds of ca- viare. Its value as a wholesome food may be in- ferred from this statement. The estimated value of the sturgeons caught in Astrakhan and the Cas- pian Sea, alone, is 1,760,405 roubles annually ; - which sum is realized from England, by the sale of isinglass and caviare, now getting into common use. lg The Persians will not eat sturgeon, but rent the grounds of the Sallian to the Russians, who in the spawning time, have taken with a hook and line,. fifteen thousand large sturgeons in one day. These facts are introduced in this place, with a hope that they may resuscitate the long neglected, but pinfit; able sturgeon fishery at the south. In our collection, is a small fish, evidently very * The sturgeon is the largest fish in the Lakes. The stur- geon of Lake Erie has no dorsal fin, — otherwise it resembles the sturgeon of the rivers and ocean, and has the same habit of leaping or vaulting out of water, ) ACCIPENSER. 121 young, that exhibits a relationship to the stur- geon, and yet, is altogether different. From the - central part of the plates which characterize the tribe, are strong, short knobs; a large head, similarly armed ; prominent eyes, slender fins, and jaws destitute of teeth. What is most interesting, between the pectoral fins is an oval surface, rather prominent, by which it appears that the fish has the power of adhering to surfaces, like the remora and lump-fish. This was taken in a lobster-pot, by the keeper of the Boston light-house. At a future period it will be investigated. CU A Si ay OSSEOUS FISHES. IN THIS DIVISION THE SCULL 18 UNITED BY SUTURES. a ORDER IV.—PLECTOGNATHIL. GEN- ALUTERES. Fite Fisa.— Aluteres Monoceros, the file fish . of Linneus, is scooped up in nets, in calms, about fifty miles at sea, but under circumstances, however, which render it doubtful whether it THE FILE FISH. can safely be denominated a native fish. It may be recognised by a bony spine, as one of the boundaries, anteriorly, of the dorsal fin, and eight teeth in each jaw. OSTRACION. 123 Our specimens were obligingly forwarded by Captain Couthuoy, of Boston, a gentleman to whom our naturalists are under peculiar obli- gations. GEN. OSTRACION, All the individuals of the genus ostracion, seem to be boxed up in a tri-cornered chest, for their shell is constructed of plates, which unite to form a perfect shield, — in which there are openings to allow the exit of the tail. The tail, fins, mouth, and the branchiz, are the only parts that will ad- mit of motion. Trunx-F isu. — Ostracion Triqueter, inhabits the vicinity of Long Island, New York, but rarely makes its appearance so far to the north as Mas- sachusetts, unless driven on shore by the violence of storms, — and then it is presented as an empty shell, three sided, about one foot long, with a white dot near the centre of the hexagonal divisions or lines which define the original sutures. of the plates. Boys cleanse the inside, and use them for lantherns, which are very comical contriv- ances. Ostracion Bicaudalis. A beautiful specimen of this fish was thrown on the beach at Holmes’s Hole, within a few months, and forwarded by Dr +p fo er 124 PLECTOGNATHI. Yates, of that place, to the Boston Society of Natural History, in whose cabinet it has been de- posited. OSTRACION BICAUDALIS. The body is marbled, and dotted, as it were, with black. Near the vent, two spines, are sent directly backward, on the plane of the abdomen, whose points approximate a very little; these are sharp, stiff, and hooked, much like a canine tooth. Writers place the locality of this ge- nus in the Indian seas; but it is now morally certain that it also exists in this northern latitude, as all the specimens which have been cast on land, could not have been lost by collectors of curiosi- ties, from homeward-bound vessels. Besides, the cutaneo-elastic substance which unites the fins, tail, lips, &c., to parts within the tri-cornered shell, shows most convincingly that it had not been long dead. We possess various smaller specimens, from Trinidad, but this, compared with them, is vastly more interesting. It measures not far from four- DIODON. 125 teen inches, and from one ridge or angle, to the other, three inches, — giving the highest arch of the back a circumference of nine inches. They are in their own element, what the armadil- lo, of South America, is on land. GEN. DIODON. Swe..-Fisu, Battoon-Fisn, BLower, Purr- ER, — T'etraodon Turgidus. It is not common to meet with the swell-fish at any other season, than the heat of summer. Whenever caught with the hook, it is in fishing for cod and haddock ; hence it is inferred that they feed upon similar food, and swim at about the same depth. The back has a tawny saffron color, the skin rough, — giving the sensation to the finger of sand paper. ‘The only apology we can make for not having dissected one of them, with reference to explaining their internal organization, is the poor one, that there has not been time since the com- mencement of this essay. Relying, however, upon the assertions of comparative anatomists, the followimg seems to be the peculiarity of its struc- ture. | A valve is so constructed in the fauces, over the orifice of a tube, communicating with an ex- tensive series of air-cells, opening downwards, - that by drawing the atmospheric air in at the 126 PLECTOGNATHI.’ mouth, it presses the valve down, and thus distends the cells, but the pressure from behind throws it back,.so that none of it can escape through the external orifice. Just as it comes to the surface, it seems to inhale a prodigious volume of air, that at once swells the whole body into the shape of a balloon. Before this, the body is comparatively slender. As the fish may be rolled about like a foot-ball, bounding and rebounding, when thrown, precisely in the same manner; it evidently has not the pow- er of allowing the air to escape. If stamped upon, the bursting causes a loud report. Inthe sun, the swelling increases so rap- idly, by the expansive force of the pent up air, that the skin gives way with a sudden rent, accom- panied with a loud noise. ‘Thrown upon the wa- ter, it floats away partly on one side, resembling at a distance, (the belly bemg delicately white,) a white foam. However, after a while the size begins to oe till finally the fish succeeds in getting under wa- ter again, and survives the trial. Probably the temperature of the water has some agency in con- densing the air, till the valve, or epiglottis, by its own elasticity, re-acts, and by the openings, per- mits the confined air to escape. The swell-fish varies from eight inches to one LOPHOBRANCHIIL. Wi foot in length. It appears, in consequence of a vertical cleft through the middle of the jaws, to have two large upper and lower front teeth. ORDER V.—LOPHOBRANCHII. The branchiz of this order are of a peculiar character, and well worth the minute examination of those who desire an accurate knowledge of the anatomy of fishes. Instead of being pectinated, they are disposed in tufted pairs on the margins of the branchial curves. Above these, is the operculum ; covering and attached all round, but having a for- amen for the water to pass out through the tufts, from the mouth. Such as are found in this section of the country, are small, four-sided, and harmless. Their eggs are floated onward through the oviducts, to be lodged in a little sac, constituted of the common skin, put upon the stretch, by their presence, un- der the tail in some, and under the belly in others — out of which the young escape, when they are hatched. GEN. SYNGNATHUS. Lirtrus-Pier Fisu, — Symgnathus Typhle. As _ we have in no instance seen two of these fishes 128 PLECTOGNATHI. together it is inferred that they are solitary in their habits, somewhat like the sturgeon —being in some respects sturgeons in miniature. THE PIPE FISH. The tube of the mouth is long and slender, at the extremity of which, is the minute opening of the mouth. Eighteen plates enter into the com- position of a hexagonal body, a little larger than a goose-quill, and thirtysix in the tail, which is square, but quite flexible. Their ordinary length is from six to ten inches. Among the rocks at Nahant, after a storm, at Cohasset, and at Boston light-house, all our specimens have been procured. For preserva- tion, the best mode is to dry them, as they loose nothing by it, if brushed over by a varnish, in which there is a mixture of aloes, to Bo the depredations of insects. MALACOPTERYGII. 129 ORDER VI.—MALACOPTERYGII ABDOMINALES. All the fishes of this order possess bony skele- tons ; the jaws are in one piece, and the branchie pectinated. All the rays of the fins are soft, except in some instances, the first of the dorsal or pec- torals, and the ventrals are posterior to the abdo- men. The order includes nearly all the fresh water fishes, as well as those which migrate periodically from the ocean to the rivers. It may be said, with propriety, that most of the edible fishes also belong to this order. It is divided into five natural families. FRESH WATER FISHES. Thus far we have been considering the fishes, which are either entirely confined to the ocean, or are only occasional visitants of the fresh water. ‘But in the river, there is a race which could not subsist in the compound element where the great- est proportion of all the varieties of aquatic animals known to naturalists, have their residence. After the most careful examination of the ana- tomical structure of this class, there is noth- 9 130 FRESH WATER FISHES. ing discoverable in their external configuration, nor in the internal organization of the viscera, which can explain why it is necessary to reside in the one place or the other, or what obliges them to alternate from the salt to the fresh water. Physiology, as yet, has thrown no light on this subject, which is only another evidence of the lim- ited knowledge we possess of the wonderful ope- ration of the laws that govern animal life. ‘The rationale of the effect of the two kinds of water, must be sought for in the influence exerted by certain salts, in solution, on the atmospheric air with which they. are commingled. i In the commencement of this essay, the fact has been adverted to, that fishes do not breathe either water or air, exclusively, but a mixture of both. By the examination of a map of the United States, or Massachsuetts in particular, it will be ob- served that the origin of the water-courses in the country, are such, that by passing over different soils, in which various ores and other mineral pro- ductions are directly exposed to the action of the stream, they become impregnated or altered in‘ quality, according to the distance they run to- wards the sea. Particular families are fitted by the All-Wise Creator, to exist in particular regions, and at par- ticular localities ;— and they are endowed with a FRESH WATER FISHES. 131 kind of vitality to resist the noxious qualities of the fluid in which they swim, that would be fatal to others. This curious arrangement in the plan of creation is most admirable, — contributing to the universal diffusion of animals over the whole globe. There is not a spot of land on earth, nor a pool on the face of it, that is not teeming with its count- less millions of organized beings, possessing al] the necessary apparatus for supplying their physical wants, and for propagating their species. But the boundaries by which the animal creation is re- strained, are not so arbitrary that no deviations are allowable :— the fish, or the quadruped, like man, can change its residence, —and by being eradually climated, the function of the vital organs become accommodated to the condition of a mod- ified element. Here then, we can find the origin of the crea- tion of new genera ; — in the meeting of strangers, and in the aerial and aqueous influences effected on the offspring. We have long entertained the opinion, that the sea 1s the natural habitation of all fishes. By the wandering habits of some, the fleeing of others from their enemies, and the operation of physical causes, they became gradually dis- persed in the tributary waters of the great reser- voir of the world. 132 FRESH WATER FISHES. To the same causes are also to be attributed the annihilation of species, now only found in a fossil state. Even the hardest rocks present the most perfect forms of extinct fishes — under the name of ichthyolites. Nor can it be doubted that chang- es are continually going on in the constitution of inorganic matter, which, while it blots wholly from existence distinct tribes, will also eventuate in the production of entirely new species. To settle down in the iron-bound notion that the laws of nature are thoroughly understood, and that there cannot be anything new presented un- der the sun, is to confess our perfect ignorance of phenomena of the most astonishing character. Like the inexhaustible capacity of the human mind for knowledge, are the resources of nature, yet men too often complain that all the avenues to the study of Natural History have been travelled, all countries surveyed, and all the animal creation minutely pictured and anatomised, and that noth- ing remains to excite them to study, or compen- sate for the labor of investigation. Alas! this is only an excuse for indolence — and thus thousands live, only to occupy space, without interesting others, or being enlightened themselves, and die at last, as they lived, without contributing one valuable idea to the storehouse of useful knowledge. FRESH WATER FISHES. 133 Ifone new fact can be added to the common stock of truth, it matters not whether it regards the one kind of science or another : — the accumulation, the increase of the capital, is what concerns every indi- vidual in the community. These remarks are made with a view to exciting particular attention to the study ofthe aquatic animals in the northern states. Every man, whose eyes are constructed upon com- mon principles, has discovered something in the habits and character of the class of vertebrated an- imals we are considering, which is of real conse- quence, but unless more disposition is manifested to concentrate observations, it will be a long while _ before we shall have embodied, any correct views of the reptiles or fishes of the New England States. ; Strange as it may appear, the first land settled by our European ancestors, as profusely peopled with these tribes as any section of the American Continent, is the least known to men of sci- ence. * FAMILY I. — SALMONIDES. In this family, the body has scales ;— there are two dorsal fins, but the second is flexible, in consequence of being destitute of bony spines. 1384 SALMONIDES. | GEN. SALMO. Satmon, — Salmo Salar. ‘The upper jaw is larger than the lower, and in the males the under jaw is curved upward. ‘The back has a bluish shade, the sides are silvery white below; and above the lateral line, are irregular, dark spots. On the tongue, which is white and cartilaginous, are teeth ; and the scales are striated. So perfectly well known is the salmon, that it is quite needless to enter into any further details than those which relate to the salmon fishery, or tend to illustrate the character of this highly valua- ble tribe. Probably the Connecticut has been more distin- guished for this fish, than any other river in Mas- sachusetts, but they are becoming more and more scarce, from year to year. Locks, steamboats, the common business of navigation, and above all, increasing settlements, conspire to interrupt the’ progress of the salmon towards the head waters. Still, however, they overcome great artificial ob- stacles, such as dams, &c. by their muscular dex- terity, which would almost discourage the eos vering industry of man. Formerly, in the month of April, they passed up the Connecticut toits highest branches, leap- SALMO 135 ing cataracts, where the weight and velocity of the water was to be overcome by the instantaneous exertions of the muscles of the tail. They have been sometimes seen to make several attempts, before they succeeded in ascending the fall. While running up rivers, they are fat and delicious food, from May till the last of June; af- ter that period, having deposited their spawn, they return to the sea, lean and emaciated.* The St Lawrence has yielded immense supplies, but they are decreasing, gradually, in a ratio cor- responding with the increase of population. In very hot weather, they are extremely annoyed, while in salt water, by an insect, burrowing in the skin, called the salmon-louse. On old salmon they have been so numerous as to kill them. The fact is well established, that sol- itary salmon run up rivers, as the seine-men say, * Wm. Ladd, Esq. of Minot, Me. addressed the author the following note. ** Some years ago, Governor King, of Maine, showed mea phial containing the roes which had been taken out of a salm- on, caught at sea, late inthe autumn. They were about as large as peas. He informed me that a fisherman had brought him the spawn to convince him that the salmon did not spawn in our fresh water rivers, but followed the fishes that did, for the sake of their spawn. The Governor, and all the rest of the company, appeared to be convinced that the salmon do not spawn until after they leave our rivers.” 136 SALMONIDES. out of season; that is, come back the last of Sep- tember and October, and for the purpose, it is thought, torid themselves of their troublesome as- sociates, which are known to die as soon as the fish has been a few days im fresh water. In the rivers of Kamschatka, they are numer- ous beyond all example, — even blocking up the small rivulets into which they wedge themselves, in trying to pass by the untold thousands on the route. Such multitudes are ‘thrown upon the banks, by the pressure of the moving armies, and left to die, that were it not for bears and dogs, their bodies would create a pestilence. Such is their antipathy to, or fear of everything red, that before they can be caught successfully, in the rivers of this country, the fishermen are said to di- vest themselves of their red caps and shirts. Captain Charles Kendall, a respectable and in- telligent navigator of Boston, assured us that when on the northwest coast of America, within a few years, he stood in a small stream which came leap- ing down the crags of a mountain, in which these delightful fishes were urging their way in such as- tonishing crowds, with hardly water enough to cover ‘their backs, that he stood with an axe, and killed hundreds of them as they passed between his feet. He saw birds of prey dive down from the long SALMO. 137 branches of trees that waved over the waterfalls, and pick out the eyes of several at a time, before they flew back to their resting place. Jewett’s travels confirm his statement. To those who are not particularly conversant with the natural history of the northwest coast, as given us by veritable travellers, the foregoing ac- count may appear overcharged, but it is substanti- ated by all the voyagers who have remained there any length of time. The salmon is found on the coasts of Europe, from Spitzbergen, quite to Western France, says a writer in the Conversations Lexicon, but is nev- er seen in the Mediterranean. On the western shores of the Atlantic, it is found from Greenland to the Hudson, but is exceedingly rare in the lat- ter river, and never penetrates farther south. They also abound in Eastern Asia, where, as well as in the United States, they grow to the weight of ten or fifteen pounds, and often four feet in length, in the clear, cold rivers of the north. As the ice melts away in the spring, they rush to the rivers, from the ocean, and it is an undenia- ble fact, confirmed by successful experiments, that they visit as far as possible, the very streams in which they were born. Usually, when undisturb- ed, they swim slowly in immense bodies, near the 138 SALMONIDES. surface, yet they are so timid, that if suddenly frightened by a great splashing in the water, the whole column will turn directly back towards the sea. It has also been proved, by actual calculation, that a salmon can scud at the surprising velocity of thirty miles an hour. The young are about - twelve inches in length, when: they visit the sea for the first time. After the parent fish have passed up the rivers, the spring following, the young ones follow at a respectable distance, hav- ing grown about six inches. At the end of two years, they weigh five, six and seven pounds ; and at the expiration of six years they have attamed their ordinary dimen- sions. A few of these fishes are carried to’ Phila- delphia, but the Boston and New York markets are supplied, principally, by the packet-men from the State of Maine. The Salmon Fishery of Newburgh, on the river Tay, in Scotland, once produced a net rental of seven thousand pounds sterling perannum. Very numerous small fisheries on the same river, belong- ing to small proprietors, pay three hundred pounds annually. On the river Ness, in Scotland, the Salmon Fishery has risen im value, in eleven years, from two hundred to twelve hundred pounds a year. SALMO. 139 Salmon are known to change their haunts; in many rivers in which they were formerly so abun- dant, that “ farmer’s servants stipulated to have them only twice a week as food,’ not one is now to be found. THE SALMON. They were formerly abundant in the Thames, and caught in great numbers, but since the in- troduction of steam-boats on this river, they are rarely to be found. In some rivers of England and Wales, at the season when the salmon and their fry return to the sea, the quantity taken in one week has ex- ceeded thousands in a day, and in some instances in such quantities that they were given to the swine. At Leixlip, in Ireland, is a very high cataract, called the Salmon-leap, from the number of these fish which are to be seen leaping it, in the season when they return up the river to spawn. In fine weather, says a friend, “ I have 4 140 SALMONIDES. seen them springing up these falls by scores, and rarely have seen one miss its aim.” The otter is a great destroyer of these fish, and is a perfect epicure, after catching one, — he only - bites out a piece between the head and the shoul- ders, and leaves the remainder. ‘I have seen,” “says the same gentleman, ‘ten or twelve dead salmon floating down the river Tay, in the highlands of Scotland, in one morning, all of which had been bitten in this way by the otter, and what is very remarkable, these fish are always fat and in prime condition. “Many of the poor cotters residing near the streams and rivers of the highlands of Scotland and Wales, subsist, in a great measure, in the sea- son, upon these fish, which they pick up early m the morning, as they float down the stream from the otters’ haunts.” Satmon Trout, — Salmo Trutta. As we have particularly devoted a considerable number of pa- ges to the subject of angling, in which a reference is made to all the varieties of the fresh and salt water trout, known to the naturalist or the scien- tific angler, in New England, it is our apology in this place, for not being more minute and elabo- rate in the following description. Nothing, therefore can be more perplexing than attempting a classification: they have one com- SALMO. 141 mon origin,—are all descendants of the same parents, but by living in different places, the one is ‘large, another small,— another spotted, and an- other tinged with gold. This fish has brown spots, some of which, on ‘the upper portions of the body, are surrounded by a beautiful bright halo, of a semi-metallic lustre. On the sides and abdomen, a silvery hue predomi- nates. Even when cooked they may be known from the exclusively fresh water trout, by the red- ness of the flesh. It is caught at the mouths of rivers and small streams communicating with the ocean, but as it cannot endure the extremely salt water, there are few good localities for them on the line of this state. ‘The salmon trout has so much the appear- ance of the salmon, and so much resembles it in character, that the description which has been given of one, very nearly describes the other. Allusion is made to this fish in the Sal- monia, as affording considerable sport, but we do not possess the faculty of interesting the mere sportsman, an attempt at which, after a man sO eminently distinguished as the author, would be downright absurdity. Common Trout. — Salmo Farto. There is ‘not a river, nor running stream in the northern ' 142 SALMONIDES. states, which has not the common trout, as it is called, by every body, and yet, on examination, the external characteristics are as different as pos- sible ; but the difference consists in the arrange- ment of spots and color, rather than in the organ- ization of the branchie or disposition of the fins. If we go to the lakes, still farther to the north, they also have the common trout, which, compared with the river trout, are codfish by the side of minnows. This difference in complexion and size, is brought about in the opinion of the learned author just quo- ted, by the quality and quantity of food, the wa- ter, &c.;— these developments, whatever they may be, ‘‘ are transmitted to the offspring, and produce varieties which retain their characters as long as they are exposed to the same circumstan- ces, and only slowly lose them.” FRESH WATER TROUT. on rele nN es OD Nm ME See | 22 re ; bi Pee eK ) ) 2 STS LD Dy) Nyt)))\'8)) 1) Hs Wy Wy YU | Ss Plenty of good food gives a silvery color and round form to fish, and the offspring retains these characters. Feeding much on larve, and on shell- fish, thickens the stomach, and gives a brighter SALMO. 143 yellow to the belly and fins, which become hered- itary characters.” Like the adult children of one family, one is- tall, another is a dwarf, a third is fat, a fourth has a dark complexion, a fifth has red hair, a sixth blue eyes, —the seventh excellent front teeth, — the eighth good grinders, but imperfect incissors, the ninth is lean, and the tenth differs from all the rest —and yet they sprang from the same parents, — the same blood circulates in their veins, at one ta- ble they subsist on the same food, — and still no two present the same external character, but why they do not, is a mystery wholly beyond elucida- tion ; such is precisely the case with the fresh wa- ter or semi-marine trouts. England is famous for its trout, and for the va- riety too, but after all, we have in the United States an equally imposing catalogue, under differ- ent names. But to the point ;— the common trout of Mas- sachusetts is from eight to twelve inches long, — dotted on the back, with brownish spots, — shaded by a paler circle. On the gill covers is a broad spot ; the under jaw is the longest ; the soft rayed fins tinged with yellow, and on the sides of the body are red spots. Houncuen Trout, — Salmo Hucho. Resem- 144 SALMONIDES. bling very much the sea-trout, it is found, on care- ful inspection, to be more slender, and to have a greater number of red spots. ‘The back is dusky ; the ventral fin has a yellow tinge; all the others are of a palish purple. The tail is forked, and the fish measures some- times four feet, though, ordinarily, it is only about two, and caught by the hook. This trout certain- ly exists in the large rivers and ponds in the inte- rior, but deteriorated in size. They are brought from - New Hampshire, in the winter, frozen for the mar- kets ; and from the northern parts of Maine, where specimens have been taken, large as any produced in the great rivers of Europe. We subjoin an extract from the Salmonia, touching the hunchen or huco trout, with the be- lief that it will lead to further investigation. “The hucho is,the most predatory fish of the salmo genus, and is made like an ill-made trout, but longer and thicker. He has larger teeth, more spines in the pectoral fins, a thicker skin, a silvery belly, and dark spots only on the back and sides. I have never seen any on the fins. ‘The ratio of. his length to his girth, is as 8 to 18, or, m well-fed fish, as 9 to 20; anda fish, eighteen inches long, by eight in girth, weighed 16,215 grains. Anoth- er, two feet long, and eleven inches in girth, and three inches thick, weighed four pounds two oun- SALMO. 145 ces and a quarter. Another twenty six inches long, weighed five pounds and five ounces. “‘ Of the spines in the fins, the anal has nine, the caudal twenty, the ventral nine, the dorsal twelve, the pectoral seventeen: having numbered the spines. in many, I give this ascorrect. ‘The fleshy fin belonging to the genus is, I think, larger in this species, than in any I have seen. ‘“¢ Block, in his work on fishes, states that there are black spots on all the fins, with the exception of the anal, as acharacter of this fish: and Profes- sor Wagener informs me he has seen huchos with this peculiarity ; but, as I said before, I never saw any fish with spotted fins, yet I have examined those of the Danube, Save, Drave, Mur and-Izar ; perhaps this is peculiar to some stream in Bava- ria, yet the huchos in the collection at Munich have it not. The hucho is found in most rivers, tributary to the Danube, — in the Save and Lay- bach rivers, always; yet the general opinion is that they run from the Danube, twice a year, in spring and autumn. ‘¢ J can answer for their migration in spring, hav- ing caught several in April, in streams connected ' with the Save and Laybach rivers, which had ev- idently come from still, dead water, into the clear running streams, for they had the winter leech, or louse of the trout upon them; and I have seen . 10 146 SALMONIDES. them of all sizes, in April, in the market, at Lay- bach, from six inches, to two feet long ; but they are much larger, and reach thirty or forty ' pounds. ‘Tt is the opinion of some naturalists, that it is only a fresh water fish, yet this I doubt, because it is never found beyond certain falls —as in the Traun, the Drave and the Save ; and there can be no doubt it comes into these rivers from the Dan- ube; and probably, in its largest state, is a fish of the Black Sea. ‘‘Vet, it can winter in fresh water, and does not seem, like the salmon, obliged to haunt the sea, but falls back into the warmer waters of the great rivers, from which it migrates in spring, to seek a cooler temperature and to breed. ‘The fishermen at Gratz, say they spawn in the Mur, between March and May. In those I have caught at Lay- bach, which, however, were small ones, the ova were not sufficiently developed to admit of their spawning in spring.” We think there cannot remain a shadow of doubt, after comparing these notes, with the great trout of the cold ponds in Maine and New Hamp- shire, as well as with the degenerated representa- tive of the family im the rivers and ponds of Mas- sachusetts, that they approximate the true hucho of the Danube. It is very certain, too, that by be- OSMERUS. 147 ing kept entirely from the ocean, it improves both in flavor and magnitude ; this, however, seconda- rily, depends on the extent of the ponds. We cannot but express our astonishment that gentlemen owning estates on which there are fine basins of water, do not stock them with trout, which can be as easily done, as they can stock their lands with cattle and horses, and they can be as choice, too, in the quality; Surely, in this country, it is yet an untried source of domestic economy. GEN. OSMERUS. ‘Smet, — Osmerus Eperlanus, called also Spar- ling. Were not every body familiar with this beautiful little fish, it would be worth while to dwell on its character and biography, more particu- larly than will be attempted. Under the microscope, the skin is so exceedingly delicate, that the circu- lation of the blood may be seen, coursing its way through the cutaneous vessels. There have been writers who consider the smelt as the fry of the sea-trout, and others, the young of some other fish of greater size; but after all, the smelt very certainly remains the same from year to year. The smelt of Massachusetts resem- bles that of Europe, but still, there is a variation in the number of rays in the fins. 148 SALMONIDES. At the south, there is a variety, called menidea, which has twentyfour rays in the anal fin. In the month of Marchand April they cast their spawn, after which they seem to stretch out into the ocean, till the approach of autumn, when the har- bors swarm with them. They pass into rivers and creeks, but the borders of the salt water is their peculiar residence, and where they are caught through the winter, or indeed, in all inlets, where the sea-water sets at high tide, in immense quanti- tress An attempt has been made to climate the smelts i a fresh water pond, but they have soon degene- rated, becoming at first emaciated, and disappear- ed, by degrees, till they probably all died. FAMILY Il. CLUPEA. One of the distinguishing characters of this fam- ily is, that they are destitute of an adipose fin; the upper. jaw is formed in the middle by intermaxilla- ries, without pedicles. ‘The body is scaly — and they have besides, the air-bladder and cecums ; the branchial arteries are furnished on the side next to * Weare inclined to the opinion that smelts shed their scales annually, in the month of March. C LUPEA. 149 the mouth, with comb-like teeth ; on the under edge of the body the scales form a serrated ridge. Common Herrine, —Clupea Harengus. Head and mouth compressed, — the latter, rough, with- in; jaws short and unequal ;— the upper one having serrated mystaces, short tongue, quite rough: —inverted teeth, eyes round, gills setaceous ;_ gill covers sometimes of three, and sometimes four plates ; gillmembrane eight rays ;—— body some- what compressed, and covered with small sized scales ; ventral fins commonly with nine rays ; the tail forked. The name herring, is derived from the Ger- man word heer and army, in reference to the mi- gration of herring, in such astonishing numbers, as to excite the wonder of both ancient and mod- ern naturalists. In the United States, herring are taken in large quantities, but the kind peculiar to Massachusetts particularly, seems to be the clupea harengus, (pseudo), — though most of the varieties found in Europe, are also recognised on the atlantic shore of North America. The common edible herring of this state, haren gus, is of an ash color, — approximating a green- ish blue: the belly and sides have a silvery hue ; 150 SALMONIDES. under jaw a trifle the longest ; — head quite small. When cured, they are unfortunately considered inferior to the European. But this is a ‘mistake, founded on prejudice. The herring of this country, carefully preserv- ed, is no wise inferior to those of other countries. They are caught in variously constructed nets, in most of the rivers and fresh water streams, which are so connected with the sea that the tide wa- ter sets several miles up their channels. This tribe of fishes, so far as regards number, if we credit the assertions of writers, very much exceeds all others put together. In the northern seas, maccessible to many other beings, they have an oceanic metropolis of their own, where they multiply beyond all human computation.* _ Nature seems to have created them expressly to become the food of the many monsters of the deep ; as bread is the staff of life for man, so are herring the food on which the unnumbered crea- tures of the sea mainly depend. It has been com- puted, that ifa single herring were permitted to * Pennant’s idea of the migration of herring, to the Polar Sea, is generally questioned by writers since his day; but circumstances to which it is unnecessary to allude here, in conjunction with the testimony of navigators, in our humble opinion, amply sustain his assertions. CLUPEA. 151 multiply in its characteristic manner, together with its offspring, for twenty years, their united bodies would ten times exceed the bulk of our globe ! Although this may be considered a wild calcu- lation, resting, however, on the authority of a for- eign calculator, there is probably a nearer approx- imation to truth, than we are ready, at first view, _ to admit. Herring are certainly anadromous, though their migrations may have been over-rated. ‘Their taking, it is said, the regular circuit of the sea, gives * additional interest to their history. One immense army leaves the polar regions, in the spring, equal- ling in extent the whole surface of Great Britain. As they advance, squadrons begin to separate from the main body ; these average from four to six miles in breadth,—and in length, cannot be measured by the eye. An astonishing representa- tion arrives at the Shetland Islands, in June. By September, England, Ireland and Scotland, are surrounded by them. From these parts, the forces move southwest, — cross the atlantic, and make their appearance on the coast of Georgia, about the last of January ; detachments then begin to move eastward, till, ultimately, the whole North American seaboard is lined with them. When the length of sea-coast bordering the Unit- ed States is recollected, about three thousand 152 SALMONIDES. miles ;——and it is also considered -that millions and millions are annually taken by the fishermen ; — and in connexion with these facts, it is admit- ted that thousands are swallowed at a mouthful by whales, — several species of which follow the herring in all its migrations, to destroy it ;— the havoc made on their phalanxes by“ other fishes and marine monsters, —and yet their numbers appearing. undiminished ; — with all these facts, can any man in his senses, doubt for a moment, the relations of naturalists. | In direct opposition to the foregoing remarks, the migratory character of the herring is ques- tioned by some very late writers, who suppose it remains through the winter at no great distance from the shore, or plunges into the deepest parts of the ocean, or burrows in the mud, to rise at the spawning season. All this appears both unphilo- sophic and irrational. In the first place, herring are rarely caught at sea, unless a shoal, pursued by a whale, drives them out of their course. Moreover, it has been asserted, that wherever found, they invariably keep at a certain distance from the sun. Secondly, they have not the organization for living in mud or filth of any kind. Thirdly, they are physically prevented from sinking into very deep water, by the structure and development of COLUPEA. 158 the air-bladder. Their very form, viz.—sharp body, flat head, broad fins, and large air-sack, shows most clearly that they were designed to run near the surface, and to be always in mo- tion. We have therefore, much more confidence in the relations of the old writers, on this subject, than in modern upstart theorists. Herring are supposed to feed on sea-worms, and the young fry of such fishes as come in their way. When taken from the water, they die in- stantly, hence the vulgar proverb —‘“‘ dead as a herring.” The herring fishery, as a source of industry and wealth, has long since, in various kingdoms of Ku- rope, been considered of national importance. From the last of June till late in November, they contain roe ; but after that period, begin to deposit their spawn, and are then considered less whole- some, and less valuable. This fish, variously prepared, has been esteem- ed, as am article of food, from the remotest anti- quity. Holland, particularly, was the country in which they most excelled in this fishery. Many years since, it was supposed that rising of 150,000 persons, were devoted solely to the trade of tak- ing and curing of herring. One Guillaume Beuchel, a native of Brabant, in 154 SALMONIDES. \ the fourteenth century, discovered a mode of pick- ling them, which was considered so remarkable, and of so much importance, that the Emperor Charles V., one hundred and fifty years after- wards, honored his grave with his royal person, and ate pickled herring on the green grass that waved above his bones ! Some idea may be formed of this branch of in- dustry, abroad, by the following relations, viz.— Yarmouth,’in England, is the herring mart of Great Britain, at which place, upwards of sixty thousand barrels are annually caught and cured.* Weare credibly informed, that eighty years ago, four hundred thousand barrels were annually ex- ported from different parts of Norway. Sweden exports the oz] of herring, to the quantity of sixty or seventy thousand barrels yearly. ‘This fishery has .been often called the Dutch Gold * By the corporation charter of the city of Norwich, Eng- land, the Mayor has to present to the King annually a herring pie. This custom is necessarily practised up to the present day. The pie has a standing crust, modeled in exact repre- sentation of Norwich Castle, and filled with herring. The origin of this clause in the charter, arose from the fact, that the city, many centuries ago, now many miles inland, was the port to which the fishermen bronght their her- ring, caughton the coast, but in consequence of the sea reced- ing and new land forming, Yarmouth has grown into existence, and now become the port to which the fish are brought and cured, and Norwich has become an inland city. CLUPEA. 155 Mine, in allusion to the riches that nation has drawn from it. The law has been so well observed, as it re- spects the curing and packing, in that country, that their reputation has given them almost the complete control of foreign markets. The late Dr Mease, of Philadelphia, consider- ed the subject of the herring fishery of such na- tional interest, many years since, that he abridged a pamphlet written by the Earl of Dundonald on the subject, with a hope of awakening the people of the United States to a realizing sense of the in- exhaustible source of wealth the ocean presented in the herring fishery. The Dutch law obliges the fishermen to sepa- rate the herring caught in one night, from those taken in another. None are allowed to be ship- ped after the 15th of July. No herring are to be sold on any consideration, till they have re- mained ten days in pickle: — and the law also compels the fishermen to complete the curing pro- cess within three weeks after they arrive in port, - and lastly, to repack them. Salted in barrels — four barrels of salt are to be put to every twelve of fish. The law even says they shall be packed alter- nately, lengthwise and crosswise; and lastly, no salt but such as actually comes from St Ubes, shall be used. 156 SALMONIDES, The laws both n England and Scotland, as they regard the packing and sale, are exceedingly strict, and even vexatious.* Massachusetts has enacted many laws, from time to time, on ‘the same account; but the Legislature has been par- ticularly distinguished, in imitation of the , moth- er country, for enactments for the preservation of species, as though the race were in danger of beg exterminated, unless immediately pro- tected by the conservatory powers of the General Court. In Portugal, in order to encourage the rearing of cattle, the law forbids the killing of calves — or the sale of veal; and further declares that eating eggs, is really detrimental to the raising of poultry! With a degree of wisdom, worthy of Portugal, the English Parliament ordains that a ship of war shall cruise among the fishermen on the coast of Scotland, to preserve the breed of herrme! The duty of the officers is specially to inspect the nets, and to seize such as have meshes less than one inch square, — the object of the law being intended to allow the little young ones to make their escape! In the “ Philosophical Trans- actions” for 1767, it is clearly stated, that the average number of eggs ina herring, is 36,969.. * Appetits are half-cured herrings, prepared in France. They are alsocalled bouffees, or swelled herrings. CLUPEA. 157 It is needless to advert to the many laws enact- ed by the Legislature of this Commonwealth, for the protection of the alewives in ‘Taunton Great River ; as well as other species of edible fish, pecu- liar to the rivers directly communicating with the sea-board. Such laws have never been, nor can they be, of _ the least possible advantage ; the combined forces of the United States, in battle array, could not les- sen their apparent numbers, — and it would be ut- terly impossible to exterminate the species. Therefore, all such protecting laws are perfect- ly useless, unphilosophical, and at variance with that grand scheme of nature which provides for the necessities of all organized beings, and sustains the existence of their species, under all changes, incidents and circumstances.* Such portions of the fishery laws as immediately affect the process of curing, and punishes frauds m the weight and sale, are both reasonable and righteous. Dams, He eaters. ide across rivers, are the results of civilization, and fishes may forsake the ‘streams where they once instinctively deposited their roes : —but their loss is trifling, at any par- ticular locality, when compared with the advanta- * Du Cange mentions aquatia, the right of fishing three _ days in the year, in the middle ages. 158 SALMONIDES., ges arising from the improvenents of their solita -ry haunts. As animals recede before the inroads of civil life, so do the fishes, and no human laws can restrain them. Menuaven, Bony-Fisu, Harp-Heap, Mars- BANKER, or PavuHacen, — Clupea Menhaden. All these mean the same fish. Perhaps the best history of the menhaden, is that by Latrobe, in the fifth volume of the Philadelphia Transactions. The great whale, Balena Mysticetus make them a favorite food. THE MENHADEN. Dr Mitchell was informed by whalemen, that when this monster gets into a shoal of menhaden, his under jaw being spread, he gathers in several hogsheads at a mouthful, which can only enter the small swallow of the whale, one by one. In the various bays and inlets of Massachusetts, such vast shoals of the menhaden are taken, that besides be- ‘ing smoked for food, far greater numbers are dis- tributed over the fields for manure. CLUPEA. . 159 From July to the last of August, the borders of the sea swarm with them. Lynn Bay, partic- ularly, is said to bea favorite place of their resort. The usual length of the menhaden, is from ten to fourteen inches; gill cover large; one black- ish spot on the neck, quite near the operculum ; tail forked; belly serrated; back arched ; mouth and tongue destitute of teeth; color dusky, hay- ing a slight shade of green; gill membrane eight rayed.* : As before remarked, the menhaden, amongst the older class of fishermen, towards New Hamp- * On a fine sunny sabbath, in 1831, a servant picked up a very large pauhagan, in a gravel walk, at the top of a hill, near the author’s house, which was actively thrashing about the smail stones with its tail. He brought it into the kitchen — but in the course of his own examination, however, before he arrived, it appeared to be dead. It was severely wounded in the side, as though it had been stabbed through and through with a bodkin. Being putin a pan of water, to be washed, it so happened that our attention was called another way, for an hour or two, but to the great surprise of the house, the fish was swimming about as well as the dimensions of the ves- sel would allow. Thesame fish is now in our collection. In the course of an hour, the servant discovered that a fish-hawk was perched on a signal staff over the very spot where he picked it up, with another inits talons. This explained the mystery of its visit on dry land. Probably the hawk inadver- tently dropped it, only a few moments after it was caught. They are commonly used for bait in the inshore cod-fishery and not for food. when fresh. ‘ 160 SALMONIDES. shire and Maine, bears the Indian name of Pauha- gen, which it has been suggested in the notes upon “¢ gadus tom-codus,” is the aboriginal appellation. - Yet the New York icthyologist expressly says that menhaden is the name by which the aborigmes called “him.” Notwithstanding this declaration, we have good reasons for supposing that menhaden is a corruption of pauhagen. However, the ori- gin of the name is of little consequence, and there- fore, we resign the field to those who may have more leisure for the vestigation. Suap, — Clupea Alosa. This has a sloping head ; body tapering towards the tail; under jaw longer than its fellow ; teeth small and sharp ; dor- sal fin nearly in the centre, — the middle rays the longest ; pectoral and ventral fins quite small ; ab- domen sharp and serrated; tail forked; back a dusky blue ; — has a line of dark spots on each side ; varying from four to ten. Another, called the American shad, clupea capadissima, is without spots ; — has large scales ; snout not cloven. The shad is a valuable fish, always commanding a ready market in New England. It bears so much resemblance, in general conformation, to the her- ring, as to be called by the fishermen the mother of herring. They are taken in surprising quanti- ties, in most of the rivers visited by the herring. CLUPEA. 161 Though strongly resembling that fish in outward appearance, it grows very much larger, — being generally more than a foot in length, but flat and broad. On the northwest coast of America they are inconceivably numerous. The average weight is from five to eight pounds, in the true fishing season. From the last of April to the early part of July, they are ascending the rivers for the purpose of depositing their spawn. - Among epicures the roes are considered a deli- cacy, far superior to the fish itself. ‘The price they sometimes bear in the market, before they begin to run, 1s truly enormous. This fish, as well as many others of the family to which it belongs, is organized for breathing either fresh or salt water, though it seems it cannot propagate if confined exclusively to either. In most of the rivers visited by the herring, the shad is successfully taken, in large nets, supported on the surface by a series of buoys. The shad fishery of the Connecticut river, has been a source of great wealth and prosperity to the proprietors on its banks, from Saybrook far into the interior of Massachusetts. Many years since two hundred and nimetysix seines were counted, between Saybrook and Hartford ;— it is probable there were a number farther up. One man remarked that he once caught thir- ll 162 SALMONIDES. tysix barrels of shad, at his locality, at one haul. Some idea may be formed, from these statements, of the incredible number which were annually ta- ken in the Connecticut in former times. All the smaller rivers have their quota, in the fishing sea- son. The Merrimac, Medford, Connecticut, Nepon- set, &c., are amongst the principal rivers in Mas- sachusetts, in which this fish was taken im such quantities as to make the fishery a decidedly pecu- niary object. Avewire, — Clupea Vernalis. 'This fish seems to hold a place between the shad and herring, having the general characteristics of both. Its habits bear a striking similarity to those two fish- es, inasmuch as it ascends rivers to deposit its spawn, and retires again to the ocean. Although caught in vast abundance at many | places in the Commonwealth, Taunton river has been the most distinguished for the alewife fishery. Judge Davis informs us, in an obliging note, that _the ‘“‘alewife,’ or, as our laws very carefully ex- press it— ‘‘ fish called the alewife,” is doubtless of the genus clupea. In the list of New England fishes, in the third volume of Dr Belknap’s History of New Hamp- shire, it is denominated clupea serrata. In the CLUPEA. 163 ' preparation of that list, the late Rev. Dr Cutler was consulted, and we believe Professor Peck, al- so. ‘he specific names of three of the genus THE ALEWIFE. elupea, are inserted in a different character from those, whose specific names had been previously established: Serrata is one of the new names. The common name is so universal, and of such long standing, that the usual adjunct, ‘“‘so called,” may well be omitted. ‘ It is derived, probably, from -Alosa, the specific name of its congener, the shad.” ) | “‘T have been led to think that the term ale- wife, applied to this fish, was framed by our an- cestors, — having reference to the shad; espe- cially as the Plymouth Pilgrims had heard of it in Holland, and by the old English term, oldwife. It is, I believe, a fish peculiar to our country : the streams in and about Plymouth, are full of them, in their season.” There is no inlet of fresh water, to the sea, vis- 164 SALMONIDES. ited by the shad and herring, that is not also the re- sort of the alewife. Vast quantities are pickled, smoked, &c.both for home and foreign consump- tion. It has been suggested, that alewife is derived ~ from the “ Indian word aloof — signifying a bony fish. Bret, or Brrr, — Clupea Minima. Probably this is the fish mentioned by Dr Belknap. It is very small and delicate, seldom exceeding more than one inch anda half, having a black back, and silvery scales on the sides. ‘The median line is straight, and near the spine. The pectoral fins are large, made up of ten rays, — flexible, like a brush, and near the gills. Ventral fins three — two posterior to the vent, anda single one near the tail. There is but one dorsal fin, directly opposite the posterior ventral: the caudal contains from fourteen to eighteen soft rays; gill cover in one broad plate, having a line that, at first sight, ap- pears to divide it into two pieces. The eye is full, and the under jaw a little the longest. Although this appears like a fish in min- iature, it is very beautiful. Prepared as the an-— chovies are, there is every reason to suppose they would be equally prized for the table. Shoals ESOXx. 165 of them are driven about by the mackerel in July and August. FAMILY III. — ESOCES. GEN. ESOX. Common Pixe, — Pickerel, Esox Lucius.* With a few exceptions the body has an olive shade, considerably dark on the back; but the sides, in particular positions, show waving lines, delicately mottled with dark spots. The under jaw is a trifle the longest. All the intermaxillary bones, palate and tongue, are studded with minute teeth; some of them, however, bordering the edges, are considerably developed. THE PIKE. It has but one dorsal fin, directly opposite the anal, and both have thirteen rays. In this country, as in Europe, it varies from six inches *In England young pike are called Pickers, when half grown Jack, and at full growth, Pike. 166 ESOCES. % to several feet in length, and is taken in the rivers, lakes, &c, throughout the United States. In Mas- sachusetts it rarely exceeds two feet. Their digestive machinery is quite curious- ly constructed. When young, in England, meas- uring about one foot, they are called Jacks. When of this size they are splendidly shaded with green and yellow spots; as they grow older, how- ever, ‘the brilliancy of the coloring is lost, and they even have a dingy hue— and in extreme age, become of a metallic complexion. Young water-fowls, frogs, and indeed every living creature which they can master, they never hesitate to selze upon. They are usually caught with a bait made of a small fish. The flesh is white and nutritious, and on the whole, it is one of the best table fishes in New-England, but only a comparatively small number find their way to the Boston market. In the western part of the state they occasionally at- tain the length of two feet and a half. Dr Williams, author of the History of Vermont, informs us that the pike in that state bears the name of muschilonge. Lake Champlain abounds with them, of immense size and length. The Doctor says they are easily speared, a common mode of taking them all over New England. ESOX. 167 From the lakes, specimens are produced, weigh- ing forty pounds —and six feet long. The pike of this country does not differ, essen- tially, from the pike of Europe. If there is any difference, it is solely referable to the color, which we have remarked, varies with the age, and probably too, with the quality of the water in which they reside. This fish, when well grown, seems to delight in clear water, near some stone or root, where it will remain hours together, if not frightened; in this situation, it is a common sport to shoot them with a rifle. In illustration of their voracious character, we have selected the following facts from different authors. | In Germany, a mule, in the act of drinking, at a river, was seized by a huge pike, which fastened on its nose, and nearly succeeded in drowning the poor beast. ‘Though the mule, by struggling, aid- ed by the driver, got its nose out of the water, the pike kept its hold and was drawn on shore and killed. A little girl, not many years since, in dip- ping water from a pond, was attacked by one of - these violent creatures, which dreadfully lacera- ‘ted her arm.. They not only become extremely despotic in. 168 ESOCES. ponds, destroying all other fishes, frogs, &c. — but under circumstances of hunger, swallow each oth- er. Pennant mentions an instance of one that was actually choked to death, in trying to swallow one of its own species. This is an unnatural trait of character, it being an exceedingly rare occurrence that any family of animals feed upon its kindred. Male crocodiles destroy the young ones when they are first hatch- ed, and so do sharks and ‘swine, but such an act seems to depend upon constitutional cir- cumstances which we are unable to explain. Even water rats, are driven away from the pike waters. According to Block, it increases more rapidly than any other fish with which we are acquaint- ed. In the first year, it grows, i Europe, from eight to ten inches; in the second, from twelve to fourteen; and the third year, to eighteen or twenty. It is inferred that they are very aged, when they arrive at the amazing length of six “feet, a circumstance by no means uncommon, in the northern lakes, in England, Germany and Po- land. , Rzaczynshi mentions a pike that was ninety years of age; and Gesner relates, that one was taken near Hailbrun, in Suabia, in 1479, with a ESOX. 169 broken ring attached to it, importing that it was placed in the lake in 1230 — giving it the wonder- ful longevity of two hundred and fortynine years. The very ring is still kept at Manheim. Many years since an old pike siezed the head of a swan, in Lord Gower’s canal, and gorged so much of it, that both the fish and the majestic bird were killed. Combats have been witnessed be- tween two of them. | In a well stocked pond on a gentleman’s estate, in England, one single pike, in about one year, became sole lord of the water, having completely devoured every fish. The pike-ponds of Poland have been sources of immense profit, in former times, to the proprie- tors, and might be so in the vicinity of any of our large towns. One acre of poor land, turned into a pond, and stocked with pickerel, would yield more income to the owner, than the produce of six acres of cultivated land. We entertain the hope that some attention will be paid to this sure source of domestic economy, by the Horticultural Society of Boston, — who by offering premiums, might bring this delightful fish in considerable plenty, into our markets. There have been several laws enacted, from time to time, by the Legislature of Massachusetts, for protecting pickerel, and specifying the time 170 ESOCES. when it may legally be fished for. Nothingcan be more absurd than the whole course of legisla- tion on this subject. Look at the statute book, and the reader will find as many unphilosophical and absurd restrictions, on man’s natural propen- sity for angling, as ever were printed; and man- ifestly at variance with the design of our Creator. No other confirmation of this remark is necessary, beside the total disregard in which the edicts are held by all classes of citizens. The money which has been actually expended in legislating on the “‘ Alewivesin Taunton Great River,” would have constructed a monument of their bones, as high as the incipient granite me- mento on Bunker Hill, which would have been more marvellous, and decidedly of as much utility as anything the operation of the laws have effect- ed for the Taunton Great River alewives. The fisheries in China are free to all; there are no restrictions on any of the great rivers, lakes or canals. ‘The subject of the protection of the fish- erles is not once mentioned in the Leu-lee, but the heavy duties on salt, renders the use of salt fish, nm China, an article of food almost unknown: beside nets, the line, and spear, the ingenious peo- ple of that country have a peculiar method of fish- ing with the Cormorant, pelicanus piscator, which extends all over the empire. The bird is taught ESOX 171 while young, to dive for the fish, which it would greedily swallow, were it not for a metallic ring slipped over the neck, which holds the fish in the throat, so that the man in the boat, pulls it out and suffers the bird to dive again.* The cormorant will catch bushels a day, in this manner, being taught to swim towards its master, to deliver the burden. In other parts, it is a very common practice, to take fish by torch light, as is practised in spearing eels, suckers, &c. in the in- terior of New England. But they have one more curious and successful mode, which does not seem to have been copied anywhere, which is this: —a white painted board, highly varnished, is fixed along the outside edge of the boat, with another inside, so that both are like the roof of a house. In moon-light, the board reflects the rays into the water, in such a manner, as to induce the fish to spring toward it, supposing it a sheet of moving water, and thus they fairly leap over the ridgepole into the boat. The boldness and voracity of the pike are so extraordinary, that it may with propriety be term- * Oviedo Gomaro, as well as other writers, have testified to the fact, that the Indians of the Antilles, had the art of taming a species of sea-fish, and employed them in pursuing others. _ Its size was small, and in their dialect, called guaican, and by the Spaniards, reverso. Mr Clinton says Oviedo explains the manner in which they conducted the process. 172 | _ ESOCES. ed the river shark. Instances have been known of its seizing the hands of people who attempted to grasp them while in the water ; — of their devour- ing fish whose size was nearly equal to their own ; —and shortly after yielding to the temptation of the angler; and that, even while their intestines were lacerated and corroded by hooks and wires, which they had previously broken and _ swal- lowed. A single large pike has sometimes lect in a very brief space, a well stocked pond, where it was permitted to commit its ravages with im- punity ; — and not confining its attacks to the in- habitants of its native element, has drawn ducks, - and other water-fowls under, which had incautious- ly ventured within reach. This fish is no less remarkable for its tenacity of life, after being removed from the water, than its vigor while in it —snapping at objects presented to it fora long time after it is caught, with as much eagerness as if it were still at liberty. A gentleman was once angling for pike, and succeeded in taking a very large one, at which time he was encountered by a shepherd and his dog; he made the man a present of the fish, and while engaged in clearing his tackle, he saw the dog, who had for some time been expressing his satisfaction by the most unequivocal signs, seat ESOX. 173 himself unsuspectingly with his tail at a tempting proximity to the jaws of the pike, which suddenly caught at it. - Jt would be impossible to express the terror of the dog, on finding such an appendage thus en-tatled upon him — he ran in every direction to free himself, but in vain, and at last plunged into the stream as a last resource,— but this was equal- ly fruitless. The hair had become so entangled in the fish’s teeth, that it could not release its hold; accordingly, he struggled over to the opposite side, now above, and now below the surface. Having landed, the dog made for his master’s cottage with all haste, where he was at length freed from his unwilling persecutor ; yet, notwith- standing the fatigue the latter had endured, he ac- tually seized and sunk its teeth into a stick which was used to force open its jaws. The pike lives to a great age, and attains an uncommon size, if unmolested. One ofthe largest probably ever taken, was found on drawing a pool near Newport, England, that had not been fished in for many years; its weight was over one hun- dred and seventy pounds. Another was taken in Lough-Carrib, Ireland, weighing over seventy pounds. In Persia, they attain a greater size than in any other country. 174 ESOCES. Pike spawn in March or April. During the height of the season their colors are extremely brilliant, being green diversified with bright yellow spots ; at the close of the season the green fades to a greyish hue; and the yellow spots become faint and indistinct. In the sultry hours of sum- mer they are frequently to be seen dormant near the surface ; in which situation they are some- times taken by means of a noose of wire fastened toa pole, ten or twelve feet long; the wire is slowly passed over the head and branchial fins, when the fish is landed by a sudden, strong jerk. The pike is partial to still, shaded water, where it is not liable to be disturbed, and thrives better in still water than running streams. ‘Towards winter it retires under banks which are over- shadowed by bushes, stumps of trees, old roots, and other objects which afford shelter and a bask- ing place. Its appearance in ponds where none were ever placed, has been thought by some extraordi- ’ nary ; but we may easily account for this, by well known data respecting the generation of fishes. In these cases it is probable the ova were swal- lowed by some aquatic fowl, and subsequently ejected into those ponds, as plants are known to have been produced, from a similar dissemina- tion. ESOX. 175 A gentleman in the north of England, who was as enthusiastic in regard to the ‘“ gentle craft,” old Izaak Walton himself; on reading an account of some species of sea-birds being trained to bring home to their masters the fish caught during the day, was struck with the idea of trying a similar plan with the domestic water-fowl. Having a considerable sheet of water near his residence, he procured a large goose, and having attached a line about three fathoms in length, with a hook suitably baited, to one of its legs ; he placed itin the water, to swim round at its pleasure, while he remained on the bank anxiously watch- ing the success of his experiment. After half an hour or more of expectation, he was gratified by hearing a loud cry from his feath- ered assistant, which in great alarm at the part it was so suddenly made to perform, was wheeling, diving, and screaming at a ludicrous rate ; now making an involuntary sub-marine excursion, and anon striving in vain to abandon the megions of wa- ter for those of air. The contest between the fish and its captor, lasted a considerable time, the latter using every exertion to gain the shore, and the former mani- festing an invincible repugnance to accompany him. The issue seemed long doubtful, but finally, after a severe struggle, during which every inch of ' 176 ESOCES. ground, (or rather water,) was bravely lost and won, victory declared in favor of the goose, who triumphantly landed with an uncommon large pike in his train. After this, the gentleman was in the habit of taking his basket and book, and reclining on the bank, amused himself with reading, while he sent his novel purveyor upon the lake to catch, or be caught, as might happen. The goose, after a capture, apprised him ee its cries, and made straight for the bank, where he stood ready to assist in securing it. In this curious manner, he seldom failed of replenishing his bas- ket and enjoying additional sport, with far less trouble than required by the usual method. GEN. BELONE. Sea-Pixe, — Esox Belone. ‘This is known by the name of spit-fish, and gar-fish, but in New England, particularly, as the bill-fish, in allusion to its long snout. Occasionally, sea-pike have been found on the beaches two feet and a half in length. The un- der jaw is the longest by about half an inch, and both are bordered by a single row of sharp, nee- dle-like teeth. On the back are two dorsal fins, with a furcated tail ; the genera color is a bright green, except the be which are tingéd with a faint BELONE. 177 red. Specimens are frequently brought from the West Indies, called the Barracauda pike, having all the external appearances of the one living on this coast, with this difference, —that it varies THE SEA PIKE. from five to eight feet in length —and the bones, in preparing it for a natural skeleton, be- come green. ‘There is another, spoken of by Basc, esox viridis, but it is not the Barracauda, nor the bill-fish of Massachusetts, — though the bones of the latter become greenish on exposure to the sun. The head of a young sea-pike from ‘Trinidad, presented the writer by a seaman, the jaws of which are seven inches from the tip to the articu- lation, had a body six feet long. Though vora- cious and active, itis much esteemed by some for food. ‘The sea-pike, however, may be consider- ed scarce in these waters. , We are assured by foreign writers, many of 12 | 178 ESOCES. whom have figured them, that the becuna, and aureo-viridis, are natives of this country. GEN. MESOGASTER. Fiyrne-Fisu, — Exocetus Mesogaster. The body has a bright, silvery, metallic lustre ; the pec- toral fins, or wings, are narrower and larger than those of the Mediterranean. In the middle ofthe abdomen are the ventral fins. In length, they vary from three to eight inches, but are rarely seen, except in the heat of sum- mer. We have various specimens, which flew on board a vessel about six hours sail from land, on the coast of Massachusetts. THE FLYING FISH. Such is the length and fan-like breadth of the pectoral fins, that the fishes of this genus have the power of rising out of the water, and flying seve- ral hundred feet in aright line. This, however, itis supposed, they seldom attempt, unless to es- CYPRINIDS. 179 cape from a pursuing enemy. Within the tropics they are numerous ; on this coast inward-bound vessels frequently find them on deck in the night. Sea-birds prey upon the flying fish, and the dolphin, it is reported, when it rises from its natural element, to escape the jaws of the pursuing adver- sary, keeps onward, well knowing that it will soon strike the water again. ‘This is the hzrando of the ancients. FAMILY IV. — CYPRINIDE. The family of carps, is distinguished by not pos- sessing an adipose fin; by a small mouth and weak jaws, — destitute of teeth. The pharyngeal. bones perform the office of teeth. The branchial rays are few; the body scaly ; the intestines short, and without cecums. ‘They have a swim- ming bladder divided into two sacks, somewhat like an hour-glass, and live in fresh water, being harmless, inoffensive, and quiet inhabitants. In the United States we have not yet discover- ed the true carp of Europe, which is so extensive- ly bred in pleasure grounds. Usually it grows to twelve and eighteen inches, but in the stagnant waters of Persia still larger. It is generally sup- posed to have been carried to England about 1514. The quantity of roes extruded by the fe- 180 CYPRINIDA. male, far exceeds the weight of her body. It is also believed that they may live to more than two hundred years. ‘Though denominated the wise, on account of its sagacity, yet in the spawning season it will allow the angler to tickle its sides, and is thus easily captured by hand. ‘The sale of carp has constituted a part of the revenues of the nobility and gentry in Prussia, Pomerania, Brandenburg, Saxony, Bohemia, Mechlenburg and Holstein, — in all of which places, the rearmg of this fish is re- garded with peculiar interest. Wedo not know why carp inay not be introduced and naturalized here, and become as great a source of profit. There are basins of water in every direction, m the immediate vicinity of Boston, of no kind of use whatever, at present, that might become most valuable appendages to an estate, by stock- ing them with pickerel or carp. GEN. CYPRINUS. Gotpen Carp,— Cyprinus Auratus. ‘The gold fish was introduced into this country, many years since, from England, especially for orna- ment. Itis a native of China, in the province of Chekyang ; and persons of distinction, all over the Celestial Empire, rear them in vases, some of which are very costly. CYPRINUS. 18] The gold-fish has become climated in the north ern states, and may be found in various places in Massachusetts.* There is a pond in Brookline, in which beautiful specimens may be seen, cours- ing along the margin. As it is customary in towns to keep gold-fish in glass vessels, as parlor ornaments, it may be use- ful to remark, that the water should be changed daily, without failure. If tar, or the staves of tar- barrels are burned in the room, it is very danger- ous to the fish ; the lighting of a brimstone match is also very liable to kill them. The best kind of food, extensively prepared in Canton, and sold in the shops, is a mixture of flour paste, mixed with the yolks of hard boiled eggs. * In Venezuela, there is a curiously formed little fish, call- ed carribi, extremely annoying to bathers. These are never more than three or four inches in length, and are shaped like a gold-fish, which they also resemble in the brilliant orange hue of their scales. ‘Although they are so small, their ex- ceeding voracity, and the incalculable numbers in which they swarm, render them very dangerous. They are, indeed, to the full as much dreaded, if not more so, by a Banero, than the cayman. Their mouth is very large in proportion to their size, and opens much in the same manner as a bullet- mould. It is furnished with broad sharp teeth, like those of a shark in miniature ; so that wherever they bite, they take away apiece of flesh. When once either man or beast is at- tacked by them, they will strip the limb of flesh in a surpris- ingly short time; for the taste of the blood spreading in the water collects them in myriads.— Campaigns and Cruises in Venezuela. 182 CYPRINIDZ. The Chinese Jugglers teach them to rise and fall in the water, at their bidding. The silver-fish, or stlver-carp, is found in the same waters with the red; indeed, im stocking the pond with the true gold-fish, in the course of a few generations silver-colored individuals make their appearance. ‘To what circumstance this is owing we are not able to explain. SHINER, — Cyprinus Crysolencas. Among the . fresh water fishes, this is one of the smallest. Though we have seen individuals two inches in length, they are oftener less than one. ‘They are a beautifully proportioned, shining little fish — the prey of their larger neighbors, and the sport of school-boys, who angle for them with a crooked pin. Minow, — Cyprinus Atronasus. This is an- other of the lilliputian fishes, scarcely exceeding an inch in length. It may be seen in shoals in all the little brooks over New England. Cuvus, — Cyprinus Obiongus— [Philadelphica, of Belknap.] In the clear rivers and rivulets in the western sections of Massachusetts, this beauti- ful fish is quite common. It is taken with a hook baited with the angle-worm. In winter, it may be COBITIS. 183 caught through the ice, by baiting with cheese and Venice turpentine. The head is large, the back of a dusky green, the sides silvery, the abdomen white, the pectoral fins yellowish, and the ventrals and anals tinged with red. ‘This fish seems to be very timid, and the angler therefore, in fixing himself in a good po- sition, over some deep hole, where the chub con- ceals itself under the projecting long roots of trees, is obliged to move very cautiously, or he will fright- en it away. For the table, the chub would be considered very excellent, were it not for the mil- lions of little bones. They are frequently eight and ten inches long. GEN. COBITIS. Suckxer,— Cyprinus Teres. [ Catastomus]. From the earliest period of boyhood, we have been fa- miliar with the fresh water sucker, a lazy, still fish of a dingy color, with mouth very like that of the lamprey eel, being constituted of a semi-cartilagi- nous ring, at the extremity of a short elastic sack, as it were, under the jaws; it appears, on close examination, as though the skin from the tip of the snout, was drawn down under the tip of the under jaw, and a hoop set in the thus elongated tube. It basks in the hot sun, fastened by the mouth 184 CYPRINIDS. to a stone or root, along a muddy bottom, heading towards the stream. Is this not similar to the loche of Europe? Where it is not often disturb- ed it attains the length of a foot and a half, weighing one or two pounds. It is a favorite sport of country lads to follow a rivulet and spear them by torch-light. As food, they are not very much prized. Mr Bruce, the keeper of the Boston light-house, has politely forwarded a strange fish which he found in a lobster pot, that was unknown to him or any of the fishermen in his service, which has a mouth precisely like the fish above described ; but the body, instead of being round, is quite thin and wide, back of the gills. The color is silvery, mottled with dark waving lines. It is in length about ten inches, and appropriately denomina- ted the sea-sucker. GEN. ABRAMIS. Bream, — Abrams Chrysoptera. Commonly the bream in this part of the country is small, not exceeding seven or eight inches. ‘The body is slender, sides silvery, the abdomen tinged with red; and the anal fin has fortyone rays. LEUCISCUS. 185 GEN. LEUCISCUS. ~Roacu, — Leuciscus Rutilus. This fish nhab- its the larger class of rivers, and is very excellent for the table. The body seems to be compressed ; —the scales are of considerable size, — the fins tinged with red; the dorsal opposite the ventrals, and the tail slightly forked. Occasionally they weigh a pound. Dace, or Dare, — Leuciscus Vulgaris. ‘This little fish is known wherever the others are. Elev- en rays are found in the anal fin, and ten in the dorsal ;— the length is from six to eight inches. These are the usual kinds of fish taken in the rivers in the interior of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts, this side of Connecticut river. Prof. Hitchcock, of Amherst College, has polite- ly forwarded to us, specimens of the whzte and red dace, which appear to be very common in that vicinity. ; We have not been able to procure any that ex- ceed eight inches. Small as they are, they are exceedingly delicate and well tasted. We enter- tain the hope of having an opportunity of investi- gating the fresh water fishes of the interior, ma more particular essay, hereafter. Burax, — Leuciscus Alburnus. This, too, is 186 . SILURIDE. a small fish, rarely exceeding six inches. ‘The eyes are large with a blood-red spot on the lower side; the body is broad and flat ; the color of the back is an olive green ; fins pale ; the lower jawa little longer than the upper. In the anal fin are twentyone rays. Suort-Cuvus, — Leuciscus Cephalus. In the western and northwestern part of the state the chub is quitecommon. The body is plump and silvery with a tinge of blue; the head is chubby, and the - snout rounded ; the scales pretty large and angular ; fins a kind of iron rust color, the tail slightly blue ; the anal fin has fourteen rays. FAMILY V.— SILURIDE. Yn this family there is a want of scales, the body being covered with a leathery skin which se- cretes an unctuous slime. ‘The swimming bladder is attached to a particular bony contrivance, quite eurious in its functions. There are cirri, or long feelers as they are termed by anglers, on the margin of the lips ;—— and there is one ray like a thorn on the anterior edge of the pectoral fins. This family is widely spread in the rivers of America. Pout, horn-pout, bull-head, si- lurus felto, &c., are the vulgar names by whic SILURUS. 187 the individuals of the genus silurus are known in New England. In the great western rivers the cat-fish, often eight feet in length, is nothing more nor less than a mammoth horn-pout. Writers speak of them as the largest fresh water fishes of Europe. They are slow, sluggish, and seem to have a predilection for dark, muddy waters, in which vermin abound. Few exceed a foot in length, in the northern states; oftener they are much short of that. In bays where, by the rise of rivers, they get intro- duced, they breed very fast, and bushels of them: are sometimes raked out of very small pools. They are exceedingly tenacious of life ; — their vitality is so low, and their constitution so pecu- har, that they may be partially frozen without de- struction. The past winter the writer, by acci- dent, left two pouts in a small tin pail, in an upper apartment of the City Hall, in the month of De- cember, during a severely cold night; and in the mornmg they were found frozen closely in the ice. | After bemg exposed to the warmth of a stove with reference to emptying the vessel, to our utter amazement the fishes revived, and are now the tenants of a cistern in Battery March Street. It was suggested by Bloch that the loche, placed in a vessel of water, would be a very good 188 | SILURIDE. barometer, as it becomes uneasy when stormy weather approaches, —putting its lips above the surface, as though gasping for air. We are in doubt, whether the pout should be placed in the genus cobitis, or in the place now assigned. At all events, the same uneasiness may be observed in the pout, on the approach of a change of weather. GEN. SILURUS. At the moment of writing this article, Saturday evening, February 22d, we have before us, in a tumbler of water, a little fish of the genus szlurus, only an inch and a half in length, taken this morn- ing from the nose of an aqueduct pump, in Blos- som Street ; it must, therefore, have come from Jamaica Pond, in Roxbury, about six miles through the logs. The mouth is somewhat like the broad jaws of the frog ; the eye is large and bright, the body thick, through the pectoral fms; the abdomen whitish ; the back and sides a dark olive, and from the lips eight cirri, or feelers shoot out ; four un- der the mouth, two over the rim of the upper lip, and one at each angle of the mouth, larger and longer than the others. With these it is enabled to catch small fishes that dart towards them, mis- taking them for worms, as the pout lies quietly eyeing its game. SILURUS. 189 In this respect its habits bear a striking resem- blance to the sturgeon. There are two species in this vicinity ; the one having but one dorsal fin and the other an adipose, or second high feathery dor- sal, quite near the tail. The one before us has this second soft fin and two more cirri; the other has but six of those appendages. THE HORN POUT. aT y i) These fishes are not much admired for the ta- ble; still they are very tolerable food. Some- times they are sought particularly for the sick, it being supposed the flesh is remarkably easy of di- gestion. In taking them from the hook, which they very readily seize with almost any kind of bait, there is danger of being wounded by the pectoral thorn, which is kept at a right angle with the bo- dy, as a weapon of defence. The truly enormous size to which they attain in the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, may well excite the astonishment of travellers. Dr Joshua B. Flint, of Boston, an accurate naturalist, remarked 190 - GADITES. to us, that during his passage up the Mississippi he had seen them six, seven and eight feet in length. The farther south we examine the rivers, the larger they appear to grow. ORDER VII.—MALACOPTERYGII SUBRACHIATI. FAMILY I. — GADITES. In this family, the ventral fins are fixed under the throat, and considerably pointed ; the body is cov- ered with soft scales, the head, however, being without them ; all the fins are soft ; teethin many unequal rows, like a rasp,—dand the branchial openings have seven rays. Usually, all the fam- ily have two, and sometimes three dorsal fins, and a distinct caudal. The air-bladder is large. GEN. MORRHUA. Common Cop, — Gadus Morrhua. In the gill membrane are seven flexible rays; the head tol- erably smooth ; body covered with loose scales ; generally, in all the species found at the north; ventral fins very soft and slender. We consider it unnecessary to enter into a mi- MORRHUA. 191 nute description of a fish so universally known as the most valuable production of the sea to man. The cod abounds on the whole coast of Massachu- setts, but flourishes in the greatest vigor and abun- dance still further north. Indeed, the cod-fishery, as adverted to in the preliminary essay on the importance of the fishe- ries, in the commencement of this volume, has be- come a business of national importance not only to this, but in fact to many other countries, contrib- uting alike to the support and prosperity of mil- lions of people. Several towns in Massachusetts are wholly indebted to this interesting branch of industry for their wealth and increasing commer- cial importance. The cod is gregarious, going In immense armies from place to place, but remaining certain parts of the season at particular localities, which afford its appropriate food in greatest abundance; sea worms, small muscles and marine plants, are com- mon on clear, sandy or rocky bottoms, and there the cod is caught. It is wonderfully prolific ; Leuwenhoek announ- ced the discovery of nine millions of eggs in a sin- ele cod! thirtysix thousand have been counted in modern times. A French writer, in commenting on this curious provision for maintaining the exist- ence of the species, says that we have the assur- 192 GADITES. ance of an inexhaustible supply of wholesome food, secured to all succeeding generations. The inshore cod, as on the great banks, are caught with a line, in two, six and eight fathoms - of water, where the tide ebbs and flows with con- siderable force, over rocky soundings. Pleasure boats are often successful in hauling one or two hundred in a day, weighing from one to fifteen pounds. ‘Those huge specimens seen occasionally in the stalls, are procured farther out at sea. Those boats which supply the market, sammer and winter, go about six miles, where, after hav- ing procured a quantity, they run up in the night to deliver them fresh the next morning to their regular customers. Many have their smacks so constructed that the fish are kept alive in the hold till the hour of sale. This is certainly much bet- ter than the old mode of keeping them till the next day, as they have a tendency to become putrid much sooner than the flesh of land animals. The New York market is decidedly superior to Boston in this respect, viz : — the fish are actual- ly swimming in the car when sold. In the spring the cod seems uncommonly vora- cious ; for however unsuccessful it may have been in snatching the bait from the hook, and notwith- _ standing the mouth may have been severely lace- rated, it seizes with avidity the very next it dis- MORRHAUA. 193 covers. Wounds heal in ‘a few days, so that however badly the skin is torn, the gelatine of the blood is poured in so copiously as to close the breach much sooner than the healing process is completed in warm-blooded animals. Two or three years since the keeper of Rains- ford island caught a cod which had suspended to about a yard of line, a lead weight of several pounds, the other end being secured to a hook which was deeply imbedded in the bones and in- teguments of the upper jaw. How long the poor fish had been dragging about the inconvenient bur- den, it was difficult to decide. , The best bait for pleasure-party cod-fishing, is the common mud clam ; by some, however, the menhaden is thought preferable. Many kinds of fish may be successfully caught by the flesh of their own species, but this is not the case with the cod. That the odor of some kinds of bait is particularly agreeable is well established, but the smell of pu- trid matter, to this fish is so offensive, that instead of playing about the hook they generally at once go beyond its influence. We extract the follow- ing remarks upon this species of fish from the Con- versations Lexicon. . “ Cod (gadus, L., Bloch.); a genus of fishes be- longing to the order jugulares (soft-finned, sub- brachial, of Cuvier), distinguished by the following 18 194 : GADITES. characters : —a smooth, oblong or fusiform body, covered with small, soft, duciduous scales; ven- trals attached beneath the throat, covered by thick skin, and drawn out to a point; head scaleless ; eyes lateral; opercle not dentated ; jaws and an- terior part of the vomer furnished with several ranges of moderate-sized, unequal, pointed teeth, forming a card or rasp-like surface; the gills are large, seven-rayed, and opening laterally ; a small beard at the tip of the lower jaw ; almost all the species have two or three dorsal fins, one or two anal, and one distinct caudal fin; the stomach is sacciform and powerful, the cceca very numerous, and the intestines of considerable length ; they have a large, strong swimming-bladder, frequently dentated or lobed at its borders. “'The most interesting of all the species is the common or bank cod (G. morrhua, Li.). Regard- ed as a supply of food, a source of national indus- try and commercial wealth, or as a wonder of na- ture in its continuance and multiplication, this fish may justly challenge the admiration of every. intel- ligent observer. ‘Though found in considerable numbers on the coasts of other northern regions, an extent of about four hundred and fifty miles of - ocean, laving the chill and rugged shores of New- foundland, is the favorite annual resort of count- less multitudes of cod, which visit the submarine MORRHUA. 195 mountain known as the Grand Banks, to feed upon the crustaceous and molluscous animals abun- dant in such situations. Hither, also, fleets of fish- ermen regularly adventure, sure of winning a rich freight in return for their toils and exposure, and of conveying plenty and profit to their homes and employers. ‘* Myriads of cod are thus yearly destroyed by human diligence; myriads‘of millions, in the egg state, are prevented from coming into existence, not only by the fishermen, who take the parents before they have spawned, but by hosts of raven- ous fishes, and an immense concourse of other ani- mals, which attend upon their migrations to feed upon their spawn: yet, in despite of the unceasing activity of all these destructive causes, year after year finds the abundance still undiminished, inex- haustible by human skill and avidity, irrepressible by the combined voracity of all the tribes of ocean. This, however, is by no means the sum of destruc- tion to which the species is hable. After the spawn is hatched, while the fry are too young and feeble to save themselves by flight or resistance, they are pursued and devoured in shoals by numer- ous greedy tyrants of the deep, and, still worse, by their own gluttonous progenitors, clearly showing that without some extraordinary exertion of crea- tive energy, the existence of the species could not have been protracted beyond a few years. 196 GADITES. “‘ Such, however, is the fecundity with which the All-wise has endowed this race, that ifbut one female annually escaped, and her eggs were safely hatched, the species would be effectually presery- ed. Thisis not so surprismg when we recollect that the ovaries of each female contain not fewer than 9,344,000 eggs, as has been ascertained by careful and repeated observation. Few members of the animal creation contribute a greater mass of subsistence to the human race; still fewer are more universally serviceable then the cod-fish, of _which every part is applied to some useful pur- pose. ‘When fresh, its beautifully white, firm and flaky muscles furnish our tables with one of the most delicious dainties ; salted, dried, or otherwise conserved for future use, it affords a substantial and wholesome article of diet, for which a _substi- tute could not readily be found. The tongue, which is always separated from the head when the fish is first caught, even epicures consider a delicacy ; and tongues, salted or pickled along with the swimming-bladders, which are highly nu- tritious, bemmg almost entirely pure gelatine, are held in much estimation by house-keepers, under the title of tongues and sounds. ‘“‘'The sound or swimming bladder of codfish, if rightly prepared, supplies an isinglass equal to the MORRHUA. 197 best Russian, and applicable to all the uses for which the imported is employed. The liver of the cod, when fresh, is eaten by many with satis- faction, but it is more generally reserved by fish- ermen, for the sake of the large quantity of fine limpid oil which it contains. This is extracted by heat and pressure, and forms the well known cod- liver oil of commerce, which, in many respects, and for most uses, is superior to the commonly- used fish-oil. The heads of cod-fish, after the tongues are cut out, and the gills are saved for bait, are thrown overboard, on account of want of room, and because salting would not preserve them to any advantage. Yet the head, being almost en- tirely composed of gelatine, is, when fresh, the richest, and perhaps the most nutritive part of the fish. ‘The fishermen, it is true, make use of it for thei. own nourishment, but the great mass is thrown into the sea—a circumstance we can scarce reflect upon without regret, when we re- member how many poor, mm various charitable in- stitutions, and through the country generally, might be luxuriously fed with this waste. If vessels were provided with the requisite implements and fuel, these heads would furnish a large amount of strong and valuable fish-glue or isinglass, that would well repay the trouble and expense of its preparation. | 198 GADITES. ‘The intestines of the cod-fish also yield a tri- bute to the table ; the French fishermen, especial- ly, prepare from them a dish somewhat similar, and not far inferior to the sounds. Finally, the ovaries or roes of the females are separated from their membranes, and the eggs, nicely pickled, afford an agreeable and gustful relish, far more delicate andinviting to the palate than the cele- brated Russian caviare.”’ ; The Barnstable Journal gives a statement of the cod-fishery in that district in the year 1831, from which it appears that licenses were granted to one hundred and eightyeight vessels, averaging 58 to 100 tons each. These vessels were manned by about fifteen hundred men and boys, averaging eight persons to each. The gross proceeds from — the fishery is estimated at $319,060; averaging about $12,000 a share to those employed, after deducting the proportion to the owners of the ves- sels and incidental expenses. # Rocx-Cop, — Gadus Rupestris, is a beautiful hard fish, taken near projecting rocks and hard bottoms, but differs in no respect, whatever from the common cod, except in color, and that is pro- bably purety accidental, varying according to its food or locality. When the rock-cod is first drawn from the water, it has a bronze hue, but assumes BROSMUS. 199 the color of tarnished brass, after having been in the air a little time; finally, when fairly dead, the skin has an iron rust complexion. ‘The fins, too, when first drawn up, are tinged with a lively red, as though injected with arterial blood. As it respects its quality, as an article of food, it is in high estimation, but after all, the superiority over the grey cod, is merely imaginary. Wecon- sider it the same fish. SHoat-Cop, — Gadus Arenosus. ‘This is no- thing more than the common cod, notwithstanding it is thought to have a browner color and less dis- tinct spots. GEN. BROSMUS. Cus x,Torsx, — Brosmus Vulgaris. After much trouble in procuring proper representatives of this genus, we have come to the conclusion that it is not well enough known in this section of the country, to be sufficiently prized. It is the fish occasionally seen suspended in the stalls of the Quincy market, under the name of Cusk. The essential external characteristics are a gray- ish color, mottled with brown spots, in warm sea- sons, but nearly black m winter; a lateral line, both broad and spotted, a cirrus on the chin, — and upper jaw longer than the under, with thick 200 GADITES. gelatinous lips; the dorsal and anal fins extending almost to the tail, which terminates in a rounded form. In fact, it resembles the common cod, with its caudal extremity sharpened into the form of a lancet. ; Some are exhibited three feet long, weighing from eight to ten pounds, but they are not pur- chased eagerly, — and the reason is, no one seems to know their real value. This is the dorsch of Germany ; the torsk of Sweden; the sma-torst of Denmark, and the tare-tosk of Lapland, — in each country, taking the first place among dishes at all fashionable tables. It is the richest fish ever brought into the Bos- ton market, and yet they lie on the dealer’s hands till almost spoiled, before they are sold. For boil- ing it has not its equal; the head, particularly, is so purely a tremulous jelly, that for the debilitated stomach, no food can be more grateful or more appropriate. We indulge the hope that gentlemen who take an interest in encouraging the best market in New England, will no longer neglect fostermg the cusk fishery. GEN. MERLUCCIUS. Haxr, — Gadus Merluccius. 'The first dorsal fin has nine rays; the second thirtyeight ; the pec MERLUCCIUS 201 toral fifteen, ventral eight ; anal thirtysix, and cau- _dal eighteen. On the whole, the hake is a well- proportioned and handsome fish, from one to two feet long, though as an article of food, undervalued in this country, notwithstanding the encomiums bestowed upon it in Europe. . It is taken in baiting other fish, particularly the mackerel, which the hake pursues from one point of compass to another, followed by a variety of smaller fry in its track, that feed on the mangled remains of the mackerel, which are floating in the train. Hake are not taken in any quantity in Massachu- setts, though exceedingly common. ‘The coast of France is the most distinguished hake fishery in the known world. A writer of that country re- marks, that since the great naval engagements be- tween the English and French fleets, in 1759, the hake, which before visited the sea, on the shores of Bellisle, now remain through the whole year; and he supposes they were first attracted to the present haking-ground, by the multitude of dead bodies which were sunk there after that awfully bloody action. When very hungry, the hake exhibits consid- erable voracity, and does not hesitate to seize a erab, which, in self-defence, sometimes fixes its shears in the retractile lips of the enemy, who 202 GADITES. _ whirls it through the water with surprising veloci- ty, tll it is finally obliged to let go its hold. Its teeth are small, sharp, and curved inwardly, giving it a decidedly mechanical advantage over many osseous fishes of its own size. Specimens of the hake have been exhibited abroad, measuring several feet. The largest caught here seldom ex- ceed two feet. ‘They are denominated, when pre- pared for market, poor-Johns. 'The best hake are taken off Cape Cod, and sold under the name of stock-fish.* | Happock, — Morrhua Aiglefinus. In Cath- olic countries, there is a strange notion entertained that this is the fish, out of whose mouth St Peter took the tribute money. ‘Two dark spots behind the gills, continued to the countless generations of haddock, indicate the impression of the Apos- tle’s thumb and finger. Its upper jaw is the longest; the tail is forked, and the mouth small, compared with the magni- tude of the fish ; the eyes are large, with a black pupil ; — general color of the body a pale gray, * Though the Church of England, gives no particular di- rections concerning fasts, — Parliament has pursued a very strange course, by prohibiting meat on fast days, — which is for the purpose of encouraging the fisheries and naviga- tion. MERLANGUS. 203 tinged with brown towards the back; there is a silvery hue on the abdomen ; the medial or late- ral line, in this case, quite near the back, and very dark; three fins on the back ;—the first having fourteen, the second twentysix, and third eighteen rays. The first two anal fins have twentytwo, the second twenty, and the tail about forty rays. The haddock is an every-day fish of the mar- ket, easily taken, with the line, almost any time of year, but in the winter season bears the best price, being considered superior for boiling ; the flesh is compact, and of excellent flavor. GEN. MERLANGUS. Wurtine, — Merlangus Vulgaris. After con- siderable inquiry, we are fully satisfied that the true whiting of the books, as described in Dono- van, exists on our shores, but is rather smaller than the English whiting, which is greatly esteemed in England. ‘This circumstance may be explained by recollecting that the temperature of the water is probably colder here, than in the latitudes in which they are more numerous, and more perfect- ly developed. © There are three dorsal fins, —the first having fifteen rays, the second twenty, and the third 204 | GADITES twentyone ; the pectoral fins have seventeen, but the ventral only ‘six. The whiting is a small neat fish, only measuring from six to twelve inches, depending, in this par- ticular, on its age; of a whitish dun color, some- what approaching the complexion of the pollock. They are taken sparingly in the autumn, in most of the bays at the north of Cape Cod. At the Cape, particularly, we are informed, the whiting is caught in considerable plenty. In England, the whiting fishery is one of manifest importance, pro- tected by special acts of parliament. When dried, they are called, in the shops, spauldings. One before us, taken near Scituate, measures eighteen inches in length. Potiock, — Merlangus Pollachius — This is an elegant little fish, when in good _ condi- tion and well grown. Good specimens some- times measure from ten to fourteen inches. . The head is narrow; the eyes are large and full ;. the color approaching an olive on the back, but silvery white on the sides and abdomen; the fins are smoky ; the tail slightly forked; the un- der jaw somewhat the longest. As an article of food, they do not rank remarkably high. Tom-Cov, — Gadus Taucaud. We are fully MERLANGUS. 205 aware of the objections that will probably be made against the following remarks on this perplexing variety of the cod,—so far as it respects the place assigned it in the classification. Very erroneously, the tom-cod has been suppo- sed to be peculiar to this section of the United States, and a stranger, therefore, to other seas. After a careful examination of the plates and de- scriptions of foreign writers, together with the live fish before us at the moment of making these ob- servations, it is apparent that the tom-cod is well known in some parts of Europe. From a note in a French work on icthyology; it is pretty evident that by ‘acau:d, 1s indicated the fish known to us by the appellation of tom-cod, — though the writer was probably wholly in- debted to some American for the description of it. | _ The Hon. John Davis, a gentleman ably quali- fied to examine and determine correctly, informs us that tom-cod is probably a corruption of tau- caud, and if this is the fish indicated by Cuvier, then “ Gadus Taucaud,’ would seem preferable to the name which has been given it by Dr Mitch- i ell, of New York, gadus tomcodus! Judge Da- vis says the doctor’s scientific name generally ex- cites a smile, when pronounced, but in defence, he can plead, if necessary, the Felis catus, and mus- rattus of Linneus ! 206 | GADITES. Judging, however, from analogy, we are deci- dedly of the opinion that tom-cod is a corruption of an Indian name, tacaud, plenty fish, and we are confirmed in this theory, from a belief that this fish was undoubtedly very familiar to the aborigi- nes of this section of the country, and therefore known to our ancestors only by its Indian name, which in process of time degenerated from tacaud into tom-cod ; or in other words underwent a cor- ruption, which finally settled into tom-cod,—a very natural sort of vulgarism with men who were never ambitious to be particularly exact in the pronunciation of Indian terms. In support of this view of the subject, respect- ing the origin of the present appellation, there are several edible fishes which still retain their Indian names, and which bear a striking relation to ta- caud, viz: — sca-paug, shortened by the fisher- men into scup; tataug,— the tautog ; and lastly, pau-haug, also murdered by piscatory vandals, till in these times, the fish assumes the formidable cognomen of pau-ha-gen, and finally, becoming still more improved, it turns out to. be the menha- den, the latest comed word of their vocabulary. The tom-cod may be recognised by three dor- sal fins, two anal, three abdominal, and two pecto- ral. ‘The abdominal are small and slender, being before the pectoral, as it respects the head; un- MERLANGUS. 207 der the tip of the underlip is one short stump-like eirrus. ‘The caudal fin is broad and rounded at the extremity. Teeth fine, both in the throat and jaws; white, small and plump tongue; the lateral line waving upward. Its color varies at differ- ent seasons of the year, from arich orange toa light greenish yellow, shaded by a dark brown on the back, and gradually becoming a light yellow between the vent and gills. It varies in length, from six inches to fifteen, and weighs from a quarter to nearly two pounds, depending, of course, on the ‘age, sex and season. In the north of Europe, admitting this to be the fish, _ which cannot at present be doubted, they have been occasionally known to exceed eight pounds. The spawning season appears to be in February, in this climate ; about the last of May they begin to take the hook. From that period till the last of October, they are in the greatest perfection, and in the greatest abundance also. Although Dr Mitchell furnishes a catalogue of six varieties of the tom-cod, (“‘ gadus tomcodus ; G. tomcodus fuscus ; G. tomcodus luteus ; G. tom- codus luteo-pallidus ; G. tomcodus pluinosus ; and G. tomcodus maxtus,) we are fully convinced, after a series of critical observations, that these are all imaginary distinctions. In Massachusetts, the first species is only famil- 4 208 GADITES. iarly known. The variations of color and size depends on the age of the individual, and the qual- ity imparted to the water by the character of the bottem on which they feed. Frost fish, Gadus Luscus, of New Hampshire, and the G. tomcodus pluinosus of New Y ork, present no external characteristic differences. In fact, these too, we conceive are imaginary varieties, assuming perhaps, a more chubby appearance, and a darker skin in the winter than in the summer. They are de- nominated frost-fish, simply because they are taken in scoop-nets through the ice, in places only where the tide rises very high; hence, the farther we go to the northeast, the more common the fish. At Eastport they are very plenty in the heart of winter, the very time when few or none are seen in our harbors in this region.* ~The following are the characteristic differences of the supposed varieties. ~ Brown Tom-Cod, — Tomcodus Fuscus, — mot- tled with brown olive on the back and sides. _*A gentleman of observation remarks, that although the tom-cod is scarce in the harbors in the winter, they may be taken plentifully in the ponds and }asins of streams, in Med- ford and other neighboring towns, which have a communica- tion with the tide water. He further observes, that in the winter it is a charming exercise to search for them through the transparentice. When the fish is at rest, the ice directly over it is struck with an axe, which brings it up instanter. A hole is then made 4nd the fish collected in baskets. RANICEPS. 209 Yellow Tom-Cod, — Tomcodus Luteus — hav- ing the sides yellowish, as well as the margin of the abdomen. Yellow-white Tom-Cod, — Tomcodus Luteo- Pallidus —a mixture of white and yellow, with shades also of brown and olive. Frost-Fish, — Tomcodus, Pruinosus — so called because more abundant inshore at the setting in of frosts in November, but it is only then seeking a retreat in bays, &c., for the coming winter. Mixed Tom-Cod,— Tomcodus Mixtus. This too is altogether an imaginary variety — age, sex, and the season, are constantly modifying the ap- pearance. GEN. RANICEPS,. Burenny, — Blennius Viviparus, — | Raniceps Trifurcatus, Cuv.| Ifthe specimen before us, the true viviparous blenny, is not an eel, it is very certain that it does not belong to the gadus family, where, in this dilemma, we have unluckily placed it. Limneus has a distinct genus, blennius, but the individual now being described, a well marked representative of the family, as they are found in this state, does not precisely accord with the de- scriptions of the blenny by English writers. On looking over that splendid series of German lithographic plates of fishes, by Dr Strach, 1828, 14 210 -GADITES. an exact figure even to the coloring, was noticed, which truly exhibits the blenny of the harbors of Massachusetts, and must, therefore, we strongly suspect, have been drawn from the American blenny. Its length is from one to two feet; the head is thick and broad, projecting teeth, white, retractile lips, and a second row of fine, sharp, small teeth or holders, on the margins of the jaws just within the first arch. ‘The second dorsal fin reaches near- - ly to the tail ; the ventral fins are rather slender, trifurcate, with a lateral line tuberculated above the pectoral fins. THE BLENRNY. The shape of the blenny is lanceolate, from the pectoral fins to the tail, which ends in a point or soft brush of flexible caudal rays. ‘The dorsal, anal and caudal fins are all united into one, ex- -cepting at one place near the tail, encircling the back and belly, with this one exception, and terminating at the vent. The pectoral fins have seventeen rays. Its RANICEPS. Q11 color is smoky, spotted with faint yellow dots, be- side broad cloudy spots extending from the sides quite into the dorsal fins. With the fishermen north of the Cape, this is called the mutton-fish. In Germany the same fish is called mother of eels. Though snake-like and disgusting to the eye, it is said to be excellent eating. No doubt, varieties of the blenny may yet be found on this sea-board, of which we have at pres- ent no particular knowledge. We cannot always © rely upon the descriptions of the fishermen, who in their anxiety to preserve the specimens designa- ted on the catalogues they are furnished with by us, are too apt to imagine that they unfortunately lost the very fish that was most wanted. “ The very one, in fact, mentioned on the list.” The bay of New York furnishes two varieties of the blenny unknown in Massachusetts, viz : —~Blen- nius Pholis, and B. Cilratus. Raniceps Blennioides. We have been present- ed with a cream-colored fish truly disgusting in appearance, which appears, with the exception of the color, to be the blenny in miniature. ‘To some boys who accidentally captured it in the outer basin of Boston harbor at low tide, it seemed to be known as the garter-fish,—rather from its / 212 PLEURONECTES. color, it is conjectured, than from its supposed re- semblance toa garter. It is twelve inches long. FAMILY If. —- PLEURONECTES. No family of aquatic beings is characterized by so many strange circumstances. The eyes are both on one side, but so arranged as to look up- ward at an angle of about eighty degrees. ‘The side on which the eyes are fixed is always colored, but the opposite one is quite light or whitish. In fact, their anatomy demonstrates the greatest want of symmetry. Writers remark, among other things, that the two sides of the mouth are unequal, and it is very rare to find the pectoral fins resembling each other. Inthe branchial membrane are five rays; the body seems to be compressed, as though pressed between two stones ;— the dorsal fin en- circles the fish like a ribbon, so that the back is on one side! ‘The venter, or inside cavity, is quite small, but prolonged into a canal in the side of the tail: there is no air-bladder ; and the skull is the oddest of all crania, in consequence of the arrange- ment for accommodating both eyes on one side. Notwithstanding the confused manner in which the skeleton is apparently put together, distorted and twisted into the queerest form, there is only ' . PLATESSA. | 213 about the ordinary number of bones, entering into the composition of other fishes. Sometimes we find one with the eyes reversed.* The flat fish ofthis family appear to be univer- sally spread over the globe, in all seas and in all climates, affording an excellent, nutritious and wholesome food. Linneus gathered the whole family into one genus, but the celebrated Cuvier subdivided it into several sub-genera. GEN. PLATESSA. FLounper, — Platessa Vulgaris. Being with- out the swimming-bladder, they naturally keep near the bottom. Indeed, organized as they obvi- *At St Petersburg, it was formerly customary for the bish- ops to bless the fishes annually, and in France it was onee gravely told, that when a certain St Christopher blessed the inhabitants of the deep, the fishes came round the holy man to listen, but the flounder, in derision, made wry faces ; upon which the speaker feeling highly insulted, condemned the whole race thereafter to be screwed into their present distort- ed condition. In Constantinople, says Mr Goodell, a missionary, now re- siding in that celebrated city, isa Greek Church, or the ruins ofone, called the fish-church. It is outside the Silivria gate, where the Turks entered on taking Constantinople. At that moment, some priests were frying fish for dinner, which were so frightened, when the priests were killed, that they jumped out of the pan, ‘ not into the fire,” but into a pond under the present ruins, where, if common report be true, they are still seen swimming about completely cooked on one side. 214 PLEURONECTES. ously are, for looking upward, rather than down- ward, their food as well as the objects they are to avoid, are to be sought for above. ‘They bear a strong resemblance to the flat fishes that swim on one edge, as it were, but the flounder has not the power of maintaining that position. Almost the entire circumference of the body is fringed with a stiff, prickly rayed fin, which, when expanded, gives the flounder a waving, easy movement in the water. It is quite rapid in its movements, but prefers to remain on the surface of the mud, into which it nestles for concealment, in case of fright. Under favorable circumstances, they grow to a great size. Asan article of food they do not ap- pear to be sufficiently prized. THE FLOUNDER. The flounder is generally known, and its character well understood. ‘The eyes are some- times on the left side, but not often. It is one of the most common fish in Massachusetts Bay, vary- HYPOGLOSSUS. 215 ing in size from the palm of the hand to fifteen inches in length by ten im breadth. The floun- ‘der delights in the soft mud about docks, the mouths of rivers, and salt marshes, where itis ta- ken about seven months in the year. In warm weather the flesh is soft, and much less palatable than in the spring or autumn. Its food appears to be marine insects, the spawn of other fishes, and small muscles. About the Boston light-house, at low tide, flounders are taken by spears, of all sizes, for baiting lobster-pots. GEN. HYPOGLOSSUS, Hoursut, — Hypoglossus Vulgaris. In this genus, the holibut is the most conspicuous. It is a voracious fish, pursuing crabs, small lobsters, &c. but feeds principally, it is supposed, on shell-fish, THE HOLIBUT. mM which are so common on soundings, as the coast of New England is approached. In the vicinity Q16 PLEURONECTES. of Cape Cod, the largest brought to market are successfully taken with the line. They are some- times really enormous in size, weighing five hun- dred pounds. Puatse,— Platessa Vulgaris. The plaise, much resembling the flounder, is not recognised, generally, as a different fish. It may be known TAE PLAISE. by small yellowish spots dotted over the back. This fish is uncommonly thin and broad, and has small tubercles, six in number, near the left eye. On the authority of Mr Simon E. Green, an ic- thyologist, we are inclined to suppose a fish called the pearl, of Boston, which he assures us he has inspected, and compared with a plate, is that which is named the American turbot, or plaise. Having, however, never seen the pearl, we are unable to decide how much they differ from the European. A gentleman whose observations are 1 HYPOGLOSSUS. 217 to be credited, assures us that he cannot per- ceive the least possible difference between the turbot of this country and that taken on the Brit- ish shores; and the testimony of an intelligent fisherman, residing on Lovell’s Island, fully cor- roborates the statement of the gentleman refer- red to. William Ladd, Esq. of Maine, the distinguish+ ed advocate of the Peace society, informed us that when the English fleet visited Boston, and held possession of the town, in the year 1775-6, the officers were bountifully supplied with turbot, which were caught in the neighborhood of the outer harbor. He further remarked, that about all they did, while here, was to eat them! Mr Parker, the conductor of the Marine Tele- graph, mentioned, in the course of conversation, that many years ago, Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin brought out to this country a ¢raul net, suchas are used on the coast of Holland for taking sole for the London markets, with which he succeeded in capturing that delightful fish, m Ipswich Bay, which was not before supposed to exist here. Be- ing a flat fish, destitute of an air-bladder, they swim close to the bottom, and rarely bite at the hook. Another gentleman, however, thinks this is a mistake — for he assures us that a traul net was dragged by the frigate Constitution, along a 218 PLEURONECTES. \ considerable extent of our coast, without bringing up asingle turbot orsole. Still, although there is something contradictory in these statements, we are fully inclined to believe that both of them are in our harbors. GEN. SOLEA. Sote, — Solea Vulgaris, is thought to be an inhabitant of our harbors, bordering on the deep water, nearly two feet in length. Its scales are rough and small, and are covered with spines. The habits of the sole are much like the flounder. The mouth is on the side opposite to the eyes, and the jaws are without teeth on the side on which the organs of vision are placed. GEN. RHOMBUS. Tursot, — Rhombus Maximus. Probably this is the most valuable of the flat-fish, being of a firmer texture, and growing much larger than either of the others, with the exception of the hol- ibut. Sometimes it weighs thirty pounds, though, in this region the coldness of the water, it may be supposed, would keep it below size. It may be known from the flounder by having its eyes on the opposite side; by its brownish or dirty shade of yellow ; rough, tuberculous skin, mottled with dark spots. In England the turbot sustains the CYCLOPTERUS. 219 first place on the table. The turbot fishery is exceedingly profitable in that country, but at- tended with heavy expenses. Sometimes the line is a mile in length, from which short lines drop into the water, supported by buoys. When the fishermen perceive that a sufficient number of fish are fast, to compensate for drawing the warp, the two extremities of the rope are carried by strongly rowed boats to the shore, where, inch by inch, the multitude are brought to land. ‘This fish is taken occasionally on the holibut fishing-ground, near the Cape. FAMILY III. ——- DISCOBOLI. GEN. CYCLOPTERUS. Lump-Fisu,— Cyclopterus Lumpus. A mark- ed character of the fishes of this genus, is the ar- rangement of the ventral fins, the rays of which surrounding the pelvis and connected by a curious membrane, form an oval and concave organ, by which they are able to fix themselves firmly when- ever they choose. Mr Pennant relates that, “‘ on throwing one into a pail of water, it adhered so firmly to the bottom, that on taking the fish by the tail the whole was lifted, though it contained some gallons.” 220 DISCOBOLI. When the ocean becomes severely turbulent, it is supposed they fasten on stones, to keep from being driven suddenly on the rocky shores, which they seem fond of frequenting. We have found them on Long Island, in Boston harbor, after a long continued northeast storm, weighing about six pounds. It is barely possible that the anchor on which they fixed for security, was torn from the bottom, and both washed on the beach together. The sucking surface acts upon the same princi- ple of that upon the head of the remora, though differently constructed, both being air-pumps. Frogs adhere to trees by fleshy pads on their toes, which are very similar to the lump-sucker’s oval cushion ; and either of them will sometimes allow the body to be drawn in halves, before they let go their hold. THE LUMP FISH. Lump-fish and lump-sucker, are names indiffer- ently applied to the same fish. From the middle of June till September, they are often drawn up in fishing for cod and haddock. Being short and ECHENEIS. ; 221 thick, and of a bluish purple color, together with rigid fins, they are rather uncouth in appearance. Some attain the length of a foot and a half, but we have not been fortunate in procuring a specimen of more than twelve incheslong. ‘The head is ob- tuse ; the tongue short ; teeth small and sharp; the gill membrane has four rays; the operculum is constituted of one piece only; the body thick and totally destitute of scales; the ventral fins united. On the sides are dark, prominent spots, but bordering on the abdomen they become lighter ; the belly is of a bright red, in midsummer ; pec- toral fins orange, shaded with a redish tinge, and the eyes are sparkling red. We are assured they are a very tolerable article of food, but of the truth of the remark, we have had no experience. SmaLu-Lump-Sucker, — Cyclopterus Minutus. In one bottle we have several specimens of this little fish, not exceeding three quarters of an inch in length. ‘They have the same holding appara- tus in a miniature form, and may be known from the young of the dumpus, by two white tubercles on the sides. GEN. ECHENEIS. Sucxine-Fisu, — Echenets Remora. Two species of the remora are occasionally taken on 292 DISCOBOLI. this coast, but in no other way than on the bodies of sharks or the bottoms of vessels. The one un- der consideration usually measures from four to twelve inches, and is of a leaden color; the body is long and slender, covered by minute scales, and on the back is one dorsal fin without spines. On the top of the head is an oval spot which looks, at first view, as though a slice of the cranium had been cut off nearly on alevel with the eyes. This oval place is termed a disk, constituted of two rows of transverse plates like the bars of a gridiron. Perhaps to compare the bars with a Venetian window blind, will convey a better idea of the ap- pearance than anything else. Each plate stands at THE SUCKING FISH. about the same angle as the slats of the blind, and there is a space between every two ofthem. If the edges were turned towards the snout, they would be thrown up, and thus retard the motion of the fish ; but by being directed backward, the greater the velocity the closer do the edges of the plates fold down over the spaces. There are eighteen in this species, nine in each ECHENEIS. 223 row. It is no uncommon circumstance to find them adhering to vessels, and to sharks, for which latter they seem to have a predilection. ‘This disk is upon the principle of an air-pump, precisely in office like the adhering surface on the breast of the lump-fish. All the fins of the remora are small, so that it cannot swim with much speed, but it makes up the defect by fastening itself to any other fish it chooses, out of the reach of its jaws, and thus, without effort, glides through the ocean with prodi- gious velocity, increasing or diminishing the rate, it is supposed, according to its own particular fan- cy, by the irritation it causes with the disk. The ancients entertamed a notion that this fish had the power of arresting the motion of a vessel at sea. The poets propagated the error, which still has believers among the vulgar. ‘The sucking-fish, beneath, with secret chains, Clings to the keel, — the swiftest ship detains; — And though the canvass bellie with the blast, And boisterous winds bend down the cracking mast, The bark stands firmly rooted in the sea.”’ Aristotle’s admiration was excited by the or- ganization of the remora, nearly two thousand years ago. ‘The fate of the famous battle of Ac- tium was imagined to have been decided in favor of Augustus, in consequence of the powerful Q24 DISCOBOLI. agency of a sucking-fish, that stopped Anthony’s ship. Wherever sharks exist, there the remora may be expected ; when once fastened on, they seem unwilling to let go their hold, and like the old man of the sea, on the shoulders of Sindbad the sailor, they ride their enemies till they die. Weare inclined to the opinion that most of the specimens procured in this latitude have been voy- agers from the neighborhood of the tropics. Inp1an Remora, — Echeneis Naucrates. We have a specimen of this species over two feet long, the proportions of which are truly elegant. The color has a greenish tint, but the sucking surface in shape precisely like the last described, has twentyfour plates. With this, the natives of Cuba formerly carried on a very singular sort of angling, which was in the following manner. A strong, small twine was made fast round the tail of the fish, which, by the way, was kept in a vat, and carried in a vessel of water, wherever its services were required, and then thrown overboard. It ran instinctively to- ward the first fish which the length of line would permit it to reach, and instantly made itself fast. ‘The moment the fisherman felt that such was the case, he gently drew in the line, drawing ECHENEIS. 225 both near the surface. He then carefully reached his hands under the water, and thrust a finger un- der the edge of the disk, which at once broke the connexion. When he had secured the game he then permitted the remora to run again, and in that simple, though ingenious manner, it was the most successful mode of fishing of which there is any account, unless it be the cormorant fishing of China, alluded to in another part of this volume.* Interesting remarks on the remora will be found in Capt. Couthuoy’s letter to the author, under the article mackerel. *Sir George Staunton, when the embassy was pro- ceeding on the great southern branch of the canal in China, saw the Chinese fishing on a large scale,on a lake, with the cormorant. There were thousands of small boats and rafts built expressly for this species of fishing. On board of each were ten or a dozen of those birds, which, at a given signal from the owner, plunged into the water, and it much aston- ished Sir George to see the enormous size of the fish which they returned with in their bill. At that place, they were so well trained, that it did not appear necessary to place a ring on the neck to keep them from swallowing the prey. The master occasionally gave them a portion, by way of encour- agement. 15 226 APODES. ORDER VIII.—MALACOPTERYGII APODES. In this order, we are presented with a family distinguished by their long, serpent-like bodies ; a thick, remarkably tough skin, and though it is generally conceded that they have swimming- bladders, they are either too small to be of much service, or answer some other purpose in their economy, as nearly all of them prefer concealment on a muddy bottom, rather than clear water. The spine usually contains one hundred and six- teen vertebrez, so slightly attached that they are exceedingly flexible. Lastly, most of the fishes of the auguilliform structure are viviparous. Gen- erally the head is smooth; the eyes defended by the skin, (conjunctiva,) as in serpents; the body nearly round and slippery, im consequence of a slimy excretion; in the gill membrane are com- monly ten rays; the branchial openings are near the head, and usually close to the pectoral fins; the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins are united into one like a border. ‘The color seems to vary accord- ing to the character of the water they inhabit. GEN. AUGUILLA. The Common Ext,— Auguilla Vulgaris. AUGUILLA. 207 The eel is most certainly the intermediate link be- tween serpentsand fishes, possessing not only a sim- ilar form to the first, but many of their peculiar traits of character. Eels can live alternately in fresh or salt water, or abandon both, with impunity, and subsist for a short time on land. They leave their aquatic hiding-places, in warm summer evenings, having the power of closing up their gills, to crawl over marshes in search of snails, and putrid animal remains, — evidently exhibiting an exquisite sense of smell. Oppian, who flourished many centuries ago, was familiar with the habits of the eel, which are ad- verted to in the Halieuticon, in the following lines. «Thus the mailed tortoise, and the wandering eel, Oft to the neighboring beach will silent steal.” Dr Hancock, a distinguished icthyologist, says of the Doras Costata, or Hassar, ‘ 'This species is one of those fishes which possess the singular property of deserting the water and travelling over land. In those terrestrial excursions, large droves of the species are frequently met with during very dry seasons, for it is only at such periods that they are compelled to this dangerous march, which exposes them as a prey to so many and_ such various enemies. When the water is leaving the pools in which they commonly reside, the yarrows, (a spe- 228 APODES. cies of Esox Lin.) as well as the second species of chassar, to which I shall presently refer, bury themselves in the mud, while all the other fishes perish for want of the natural element, or are pick- ed up by rapacious birds, &c. The flat headed hassars, on the contrary, simultaneously quit the place and march over land in search of water, trav- elling for a whole night, as is asserted by the Indians, in search of their object. Ihave ascertained, by trial, that they will live many hours out of water, even when exposed to the sun’s rays. “Their motion over land is described to be somewhat like that of the two-footed lizard. They project themselves forward on their bony arm, by the elastic spring of the tail exerted sidewise. Their progress is nearly as fast as a man will lei- surely walk. ‘The strong scuta, or bands, which envelope their body, must greatly facilitate their march, in the manner of plates under the belly of serpents, which are raised and depressed by a vol- untary power, in some measure performing the of- fice of feet. It is said that the other species, the round head, has not been known to attempt such excursions, although it is capable of living a long time out of its element ; but as I before observed, it buries itself in the mud in the manner. of the yarrows, when the water is drying up. “The Indians say that these fishes carry water a — AUGUILLA. 929 with them for a supply on their journey. There appears to be some truth in this statement ; for I have observed that the bodies of the hassars do not get dry like those of other fishes when taken out of the water ; and if the moisture be absorbed, or they are wiped dry with a cloth, they have such a power of secretion, that they become instantly moist again. Indeed it is scarcely possible to dry the surface while the fish is living. “On inspecting an old journal which was kept during a tour to the Parmia, in 1810, I find that another species of these mailed fish inhabit the rapids of the Essequibo (interior of Guiana) one of which was caught by the Indians while employ- ed in hauling our canoes over the falls of that river, and attracted my attention by its curious structure and vivid coloring. It is remarked in the note alluded to, that this fish is not only fur- nished with the common appendages for swim- ming, but also with four strong bony supports, one attached to each of the pectoral and belly fins, (i. e. constituting the first ray of each) by which the animal creeps on the bottom of the river, and perhaps where there is little or no water also, be- ing, as it seems, partly amphibious ; for although - it had received asevere wound on the head, it did not expire till it had been many hours out of the water. It has no proper teeth, but short, flexible, 230 _ APODES. op. curved spines (or sete) on the lips; one row on the upper, and two on the under lip, (the up- per jaw short and moveable.) The pectoral fin has six radit, besides the leg, if I may so term it, or ambulatory spine. The head and the whole body, except the thorax, are guarded by a coat of mail, consisting of strong bony plates, supporting four longitudinal rows of curved spines on each side ; color of the body bright reddish yellow, ele- gantly variegated with black spots; the fin red at the extremities. It grows to about a foot in length. THE COMMON EEL. Eels, when kept in fresh water ponds, grow very large, and are very voracious ; they are known to swallow frogs and lizards whole, which have been found in opening large ones. A gentleman at Twickenam, England, had a large pond, on which he bred a number of ducks and geese. He was * much astonished by the disappearance of large iy ig AUGUILLA. 231 numbers of goslings and ducklings, as soon as they took to the water. Having occasion, about this time, to draw his pond, he found a number of eels, and on opening them, the undigested remains of many of the lost birds were found. Eels have been caught in fresh water ponds, weighing eighteen and twenty pounds. : They are supposed to be more universally spread over the globe than any other tribe of animals, with the exception of man. It is said that none are seen above the Falls of Niagara, or in Lake Erie. Some one supposes that all the eels in the inte- rior visit the sea, annually, and then return from their pilgrimage to the old spot ; — and it is more- over asserted, but certainly on doubtful authority, that if an eel remain habitually in fresh water, it becomes’ barren. We do not credit a word of this ; there is some want of accuracy in the exam- ination. ! Though they have been repeatedly seen fifty and sixty feet high on the rocks of the cataract, wending their way up, they never yet succeeded in the enterprise. Mr Clinton supposes the rea- son why eels do not exist in Lake Erie, if any were left there on the subsiding of the waters of the flood, is because their communication was cut off from the ocean, and in illustration of his theo- ry, relates that the Passaic river is formed by the 232 APODES. union of three considerable streams, Rockaway, Long-Pond, and Ramapough creeks, until a canal, some years ago, was cut around the great falls at Peterson, no eel was ever seen in the wa- ters above. Since that work was completed, the water abounds with them, distiguished for size and quality. He further remarks, that in the spring, elvers or young eels are seen in immense numbers, ascending these streams. Eels, in olden times, were believed to be either hermaphrodites, impregnating themselves, or else they sprung spontaneously from the mud, by solar influence. Oppian describes the generation thus : ‘* Not thus conchs, eels and polypi embrace, Nor purple lampreys rear their embryo race, — In selfish coils, hermaphrodite they sit, And their own power, the vital spume emit, — Which, gradual dropp’d on sands or slimy mud, A silver offering renders to the flood.” Mr Jesse says that he has been informed, upon the authority of a nobleman, that if an eel is found on land, its head is invariably turned towards the sea, for which it is always observed to make in the most direct line possible. If this information is correct, and there seems to be no reason to doubt it, it shows that the eel, like the swallow, is pos- sessed of a strong migratory instinct. We can ourselves partly confirm this statement, AUGUILLA. 233 for we have seen an eel more than twenty yards from a river, making its way to it like a snake through the grass of a moist meadow ; and what is perhaps more uncommon, we have watched an eel rising repeatedly to the surface of a stream to bite off and feed upon the duck-weed floating at the top. An amazing number of eels are bred in the two large ponds in Richmond Park, which 1s suffi- eiently evident from the very great quantity of young ones which migrate from those ponds every year. We are assured that at nearly thé same day, in the month of May, vast numbers of young eels, about two inches in length, contrived to get through the pen-stock of the upper pond, and then through the channel which led into the low- er pond, from whence they ot through another pen-stock into a water course, which led them eventually into the river Thames. ‘They migra- ted in one connected shoal, and in such prodigious numbers, that no guess could be given as to their probable amount. An annual migration of young eels also takes place in the river Thames in the month of May ; and they have generally made their appearance at Kingston, in their way upwards, about the sec- ond week in that month, and accident has so de- termined it, that for several years together it was 234 APODES. remarked that the tenth of May was the day of what the fishermen call eel fair; but they have been more irregular in their proceedings since the interruption of the lock at Teddington. These young eels are about two inches in length, and they make their approach in one regular and un- deviating column of about five inches in breadth, and as thick together as it is possible for them to be. As the procession generally lasts two or three days, and as they appear to move at the rate of nearly two miles and a half an hour, some idea may be formed of their. enormous number. The line of march is almost universally confined to one bank of the river, and not on both sides at the same time; but, from some instinctive or capri- cious impulse, they will cross the river, and change the side without any apparent reason for doing so. When the column arrives at the entrance of a tributary stream which empties itself into the riv- er, a certain portion of the column will continue to progress up the tributary stream, and the main phalanx either cross the river to the opposite bank, or will, after a stiff struggle to oppose the force of the tributary branch in its emptying process, cross the mouth of this estuary, and regain its original line of march on the same side of the river. In consequence of the young eels dispersing them- AUGUILLA. 235 selves from time to time, as occasion offers, in the _manner above described, the shoal must impercep- tibly lessen until the whole have disposed of them- selves in different places. I have not yet been able to ascertain at what distance from Kingston the shoal has been seen. The locks at Hampton, Sunbury, &c., must, how- ever, retard their progress upwards. ‘These young eels are easily taken: and persons who want to stock their ponds with them have only to lower a bucket into the midst of the shoal, which many persons do, who reside in the neighborhood of the river, and a sufficient number is immediately taken to answer their purpose. There is no doubt but that many of these little animals perish during their progress; but the numbers which are annually taken in our rivers show that a sufficient quantity escape to stock them abundantly. * * * The most speedy meth- ed of killing an eel is by putting it into tepid water. On the marshy borders of the ocean, and at the entrance of large, shallow bays, and the mouths of rivers, where there is a deep soft mud, eels abound beyond all human calculation. Three varieties of the eel, only, are familiarly known in Massachusetts ; yet it is very probable several others exist, of which we have, at present, 236 APODES. no knowledge. ‘The mud-eel is exceedingly com- mon. Perhaps there is no one fish, the genera- tive process of which has given naturalists more _ vexation than this; hence the old and vulgar no- tion that there was no distinction of sex, and that they originated spontaneously from the mud. Let it be understood, however, that modern persever- ance has settled the question, as the males can readily be distinguished from the females. ‘They are viviparous, and are impregnatedias all carti- laginous fishes are. * That the eel is wonderfully tenacious of life, has become a proverb, — live as long as an eel. Hours after being deprived of the skin, as may be daily noticed in the market, they continue to ex- hibit violent and rapid contortions. In the year 1803, the water from an overflown quick-silver mine, at Idua, in Austria, having been * Male crabs may be distinguished from the females by the organization of the flap or apron, on the breast of both, and yet this has been a long disputed point, like the quarrel about the sex ofeels. That on the female is large, louse, broad and easily opened when the animal is alive. On the male, it is smaller, firmer, and less easily opened ; under it are two thread-like organs, but in the female there are two orifices, tipped with cartilaginous rings. EnVunion sexuelle, les fé- melles couchées sur leurs dos récoivent ces excroissances fili- formes dans les deux ouvertures ou ’vulve. This is the only example within our knowledge, of a double procreative appa- ratus, i AUGUILLA. 237 pumped out and carried into the river Idua, that river became so impregnated with vitriolic acid, mercury, and iron ochre, that all the fish were de- stroyed, save the eels, which were found uninjured, and seemed to bid defiance to every thing but ac- tual roasting or boiling. So well known is the eel, that it is unnecessary to give a more minute account of its external ap- pearance. A gentleman of veracity, residing on Cape Cod, informs us that in the spring an eel makes it ap- pearance in that section of the country, which from its peculiar locality is called the sand-eel. This fish is found at different places in the sand, at a distance from the water. Probably, from his remarks, this fish resembles, both in conformation and habits, the Aassar. He has not been success- ful in obtaining a specimen, as at the time of wri- ting, they were not to be found. It is also very possible it may be the ammodytes tobianus, or sand lance, of Europe. Aqueducts, which have their origin in still wa- ter, as ponds, for example, should be carefully guarded by metallic stramers, otherwise eels will course through the pipes to the other extremity. They seem to have a predilection for such hid- ing places, but as they cannot turn round in the iog, nor make their exit the other way, vast ex- 238 APODES. pense may be incurred in searching for the ob struction, — the eel sliding along, from point to point, as the workmen proceed. Such is their tenacity of life, that they could live years togeth- er, in this way, — therefore there is no hope that death and dissolution of the body, will speedily remedy the evil. A few years since, in taking up a joint of the aqueduct in Boston, which conducts -the water from Jamaica Pond, in Roxbury, an eel nearly two feet in length was taken from the log, that quite filled its calibre. Prof. Hitchcock has furnished us with a speci- men of the sélver-eel, so called, in the vicinity of Amherst College, which, though a little smaller than the common mud-eel, precisely resembles it, and therefore we are inclined to the opinion that the shining color on the sides, which has given it the name, is an accidental circumstance. In the salt ponds of Martha’s Vineyard, where the tide water flows in, an eel is taken, called the meshaw-eel which has been supposed to be pecu- liar to that region. ‘David Eckley, Esq. of Boston, who has a better and more practical knowledge of scientific angling, than any gentleman in the cir- cle of our acquaintance, has given it as his opinion that this is a new species. Not having it in our power to procure a specimen, at this particular juncture, —— when the compositor is constantly re- AUEGUELLA. - 239 quiring manuscript, we hope to collect the facts for a future period. In the neighborhood of Montreal, in Canada, the eel fishery is conducted on an immense scale ; thousands upon thousands may be seen in the pens on the banks of the river, writhing and twisting hike so many anacondas, waiting their turn to be slaughtered. ‘They are packed in barrels, well salted; and great quantities are also smoked, &c. not only for home consumption, but for exporta- tion. This part of the trade is the most intolera- bly disgusting process a person of any sensibility can witness. ‘The St Lawrence eel is the conger, some of which are several feet in length, and near- ly as large as a man’s arm. The Conversations Lexicon says, that there are numerous instances on record of eels having attacked and overpowered boys in the water. In their native element, they can certainly exert prodigious streneth. An oil is tried out of them, which burns as well as the best whale oil. A vulgar notion exists in this country, very gen- erally, that the skins, tied round the body of an individual, are powerful anti-spasmodics. Indeed, it is quite common to see persons bathing, with one of them twisted round the leg to keep off the cramp. 3 Eels are the boa-constrictors of the ocean, 240 APODES. oftentimes overpowering their prey by suddenly coiling round the bodies of fishes, whose bones and flesh are bruised instantly into jelly. On the whole, we view the eel in the light of a water-serpent, bemg the connecting link be- tween purely aquatic and amphibious reptiles. That the flesh is nutritious cannot be denied, and so is the rattle-snake, and eaten too, by the abo- rigines with as good a relish as the epicurian swallows his potted eels. ‘Though we are unwill- ing to eat them ourselves, simply from the influence of unpleasant associations, yet, as the toper said of the flies, when he put them back into the tum- bler, though we don’t like to swallow them, we do not know but others may.* After the formation of ice, in the autumn, eels bury themselves two and three feet deep in the mud, where they remain in a partially torpid state till the returning warmth of spring ; they are so easily affected by cold that individuals rarely leave their quarters, unless forced to by the fishermen. At the commencement of winter, multitudes of * «¢ Up jumped the Bacchanalian crew, on this, Taking it very much amiss, Swearing, and in the attitude to smite — ‘ Lord,’ cries the man, with gravely lifted eyes, ‘ Though I dont like to swallow flies, I did not know but others might.’ ” Peter Pindar. ~ ANGUILGA. Weget 241 people may be seen spearing eels through holes cut in the ice. The occasional appearance of them in pools, and inland basins, is referable to their migratory propensity, which satisfactorily explains what the farmers have sometimes considered a phenomenon. We are assured that in ex- tremely cold weather, they exhibit an electrical property. It has been affirmed that the gastric juice of several fishing birds has no solvent power on the living eel, when swallowed ; and it has moreover been asserted; on good authority, that it has been seen to make its escape uninjured, from the her- on, after having been swallowed. Admitting this to be true, it will account, to some extent, for the universal distribution of this species of eel, not only over the New England States, but over the interior of this vast country. ‘hat birds convey ' the spawn of fishes, as they carry the seeds of plants, over the whole continent, is as certain as any fact in the range of natural history. In the bay of New York, this eel has been known to weigh twelve pounds. The largest on record in this country, was caught in a bay of Long Island, and weighed sixteen and a half _pounds. In Boston harbor they rarely exceed five pounds, though specimens are occasionally : exhibited, a yard in length. 16 242 oem Eel fisheries are conducted on a surprising scale in some parts of Europe. In the Baltic, such vast numbers are taken, that they are salted for expor- tation. ‘Two thousand have been caught in Jut- land at one sweep of the net. Sixty thousand are said to have been collected from the Garonne, with one net, inasimele day. With us, they are usually taken with a spear, or in an eel-pot, con- structed something like a rat-trap. Being well baited with garbage, the eel squeezes through the door, but cannot return again. In this man- ner, bushels may be secured in a night. It is not uncommon to have them take the hook, though few are thus caught. Usually, they are sold in the market, and neighboring towns, fresh, for immediate consumption. While in a state of infancy, the dog-fish de- stroys immense numbers; even the skate, which is truly voracious, seems to form an alliance with the dull, anchorite lobster, for the mutual purpose of destroying the young fry of their worst enemy. This strongly borders on a spirit of revenge. _ As soon as the eel is fully grown, it seems to search instinctively and unremittingly for young skates, often not larger than a cent, and very gelatinous. The lobster, however, even in adult age, is par- ticularly unfortunate once a year, when its shell comes off, in being exposed to the irresistible at- tacks of the eel’s teeth. CONGER. 243 When the lobster has the premonition that this process of shedding his coat of mail is about to take place, he endeavors to conceal himself in the dark recesses of the rocks, beyond the discov- ery of those who, like the ass in the fable, take pleasure in kicking the dead lion. Thousands upon thousands, however, are torn to pieces during the few days that they are withouta shell. In about seven days another one is elaborated, and he again sallies forth in the majesty of his strength, putting to flight, by his very appearance, the rabble mob that sought his life. GEN. CONGER. Concer Een, Murena Conger. Only occa- sionally found in the harbors, though the mackerel fishermen get them in deep water. One specimen only has been obtained -by the writer, and that was unfortunately lost, by breaking the glass which contained it. ‘Though pronounced fine eating, its color and shape are certainly forbidding. Some have been scooped up, weighing a hundred weight. The color is a yellowish white, mottled with dirty spots. ‘The mouth and throat large, the neck thick, but soon becomes slender and snake-like. Teeth in both jaws. In the united dorsal, caudal and anal fin, there are said to be one hundred and thirtynine rays. 244 - APODES. The specimen of which we are speaking was only about eighteen inches long, taken in the sea- grass, and very spiteful and active. Its lips were thick, and somewhat cartilaginous. On the whole, it resembled the blenny. Sir Humphrey Davy speaks of having seen the conger ten feet long. Conger eels are occasionally obtained by the fishermen, six and seven feet in length, as large asaman’sarm. However, on the coast of Mas- sachusetts, such specimens are not so frequent as farther south. A bill was reported in the Massachusetts Legis- lature, on Wednesday, March 13th, 1833, — (we have been particular as to the exact period, be- cause it may hereafter be celebrated as an era in legislation) ‘‘ to preserve the eel-fishery at Mus- keeket Island, in Nantucket.” Surely, this must be considered the ne plus ultra of parliamentary wisdom, — enacting laws to prevent the extermin- ation of a fish, infinitely more numerous than any other species, and which it would be utterly im- possible to exterminate. : The City of Boston, with this precedent, ought at once to pass an ordinance in behalf, and for the preservation of the cod on the banks of Newfoundland,— and another, forbidding all good and orderly disposed people from supping on fe- male lobsters, lest it should ultimately diminish CONGER. 245 the number required in the literary emporium, by destroying the genuine breeders of this princi- pal ingredient of a salad. But here follow some of the cogent reasons for this enlightened effort, which is destined to become so renowned in the subsequent history of our ancient Common- wealth. It was stated, we understand, in the House, that fishermen from Cape Cod went over and caught a great many barrels of these fish for exporta- tion. Mr Cole, a representative from O ; Barnstable county, remarked, says a gentleman present, that some ten or fifteen years since, an immense number of eels were caught in the coves at Orleans, and that he has known a thousand bushels to be taken, often, ina day. ‘The practice was, after the toil of acquiring, to score the skins and hang the eels in the air till they were dried hard ; then to take them down and split and salt them ; after this, they were commonly roasted for fanuly consumption, as occasion required. Apprehension being entertained that these fish would be annihilated, at that place, if such great catches were allowed, an act was obtained to au- thorize the selectmen of the town to regulate the fishery, and now the permits range from three doz- en to two bushels, for an individual, in a day, the proper season. Some of the eels taken there, — 246 APODES. measure two and a half inches in diameter. So much for the notes of our obliging correspondent. The witty editor of the Boston Evening ‘Tran- script, however, the day after the ever memora- ble piscatorial triumph, goes on to say : — “ A bill has passed the Senate, ‘ to preserve the Hel fishe- ry at Muskeeket Island, within the town of Nan- tucket.? We like this. We are glad the Mus- keeket interest is carefully looked after. Why should not eels enjoy protection as well as ale- wives and herrings? ‘There are some provisions in the bill, which may be thought arbitrary, and perhaps be resisted by the Muskeeket democrats, if any of those odd fish are there resident. ‘No person shall take,’ says the act, ‘from any creek, cove or harbor, on the Island, more than three doz- en eels at one time, without permit of the select- men, under penalty of fifty cents for each and ev- ery additional dozen so taken.’ ‘The Muskeekets and their neighbors are a shrewd and slippery race, and we venture to wager a skin, that no man, wo- man or child will take less than three dozen and eleven, provided they can catch so many. Be- sides, as they may take as many eels as they can, and skin and behead them as fast as they are taken, a question might arise whether having only the decapitated and skinless bodies in their pos- session, the law would hold them guilty of hav- CONGER | 247 ing entire fishes, contrary to the statute. This may be a painful subject of consideration for the whole Court.” . Mr Ruggles, of Barre, was one of those inde- pendent legislators, who conceived that there were too many ornithological and icthyological laws al- ready passed. When the bill to restrain the tak- ing of eels at Nantucket was under consideration in the House of Representatives, he concluded a speech, touching the momentous subject, with the following original doggerel : *« Mankind have grown so wise of late, And rule so strict their wishes, — That legislators, short of work, Make laws for birds and fishes.” The poor pickerel, alewives, and ‘Taunton her- ring, have undoubtedly felt a deep solicitude and sympathy for the long neglected eels, on which such a vast population have been feeding since the landing of the pilgrims, — but thanks to a humane General Court, virt graves et docti, of sad and learned men, those unfeeling Cape Coders are now restrained by the majesty of the law, to three dozen in a day ; enough, in all conscience, for a common man; yes, the appetites of those monsters will now be regulated by the conserva- tory regulations of the conscript fathers of the town, — the selectmen! © 248 ACANTHOPTERYGII. It is to be regretted that the happy eels cannot be made thoroughly acquainted with the delight- ful intelligence, which gives them the privilege of multiplying ad libitum, — some convenient months in the year, perhaps the exact time when the honorable gentleman who originated the brilliant project, (probably un connoisseur en anguilles,) is from home, engaged in mantifacturing statutes. There is nothing in this intellectual age, (amicus curve, the delighted eels may exclaim,) like hav- ing a friend at Court. ~ORDER 1X.—ACANTHOPTERYGII. In this order are included several distinct fami- lies, the first of which, Tenioides, have long, thin bodies, with a dorsal fin the entire length ; but at present are not known to exist on this coast. In the second, Gobioides, the fishes are distin- guished by slender, flexible dorsal spines ; an in- testinal canal of uniform calibre, and totally desti- tute of swimming bladders. ‘The characteristics of each will be noticed as we progress. ANARCHICAS. 249 FAMILY II. —GOBIOIDES. GEN. ANARCHICAS. Wotr-Fisu, or Sea-Woir — Anarchicas Lu- pus. In character, the wolf-fish is a voracious shark, being violent, and in proportion to its size, exceedingly powerful and quarrelsome. ‘The av- erage length is three feet, though there is nota season passing by, that individuals are not discov- ered over four feet. The skin is smooth, glassy, and of the color of sheet lead ; but further south, the color is a light kind of gray, bordering upon a yellowish hue under the abdomen. In July and August, when the water is so warm that they venture into the channels between the islands, there is a clearer whiteness of the skin on the belly than when drawn from deep water. ‘Two large pectoral fins, strongly marked, close to the gills, and sharp, conical front teeth, projecting beyond the lips, will first attract the notice of the observer. Within the first, is a second row of still smaller teeth, but they are rather irregularly placed, mak- ing about eighteen in the upper, and two thirds as many in the under jaw. By another prominent appendage, the wolf-fish may be readily distinguished, viz; an upright, 250 GOBIOIDES. broad, stiff and sharp dorsal fin, running the entire length of the back; and on the under side, the anal frmge reaches to the tail. In the tail are thirteen rays, and six in the branchial membrane. Within the mouth, the roof is mottled with dark, ferruginous patches; and the palate bones, far- ther inward towards the margin of the esophagus, are set with molar blocks, approximating, some- what, m configuration and structure, double teeth. With these the sea-wolf crushes clams, crabs, oys- | ters, lobsters, and the bones of other fishes. ‘These palatine enamelled blocks are sometimes found in a fossil state, and are called toad-stones, or bufo- nites. THE SEA WOLF. Usually, the wolf-fish is found in deep water, from a quarter to ten miles from the shore, princi- pally on the feeding ground of the cod. When brought on deck, they erect the spines of all their fins, thrash violently with the tail, and bite what- ever may be within theirreach. Even in the wa- ANARCHICAS. 251 / ter they will snap most spitefully at an anchor, which they are passing, and when enraged, they manifest their ferocious disposition by repeat- ed attacks on a chain cable. We have uni- formly remarked that the fishermen call this the cat-fish, at the north, and even in this section of Massachusetts. No use seems to be made of them, notwith- standing that vast numbers are taken. Even in baiting lobsters, which are so voracious that they feed upon almost any animal substance with which the trap may be loaded, this fish does not seem to be used. Yet it is reputed to be very good food. ‘The Greenlanders eat it fresh, and also prepare it by drying ;— smoked, they have the flavor of salmon. When the population of the country is about ten times its present amount, a vast number of an- imals, now discarded from the catalogue of edibles, will necessarily be considered in the light of lux- uries and indispensable necessaries. ‘The skate . is rejected here, altogether, on account of its hid- eous form, but in foreign countries it is regarded as a wholesome dish. In the Levant, the cuttle fish, (squd,) is an article of extensive trade, variously prepared ; and yet it is a horrible object, when fully grown, ex- tending its flexible, worm-like arms in all direc- 252 GOBIOIDES. tions, to grasp everything within its reach. In the marsh ponds before alluded to, in speaking of the neshaw-eel, at Martha’s Vineyard, it is said there are an abundance of oysters, but of a quality that totally forbids their use. Necessity will pro- bably hereafter compel people to eat them, and it is worth the while to institute some experi- ments with reference to that object. Were they transplanted to the mouths of rivers, and suffered to remain one or two seasons, it is altogether pro- bable that they would increase in size, and become so totally changed in quality, as to be tender, nutritious and perfectly wholesome. All the sources of profit and economy arising from the fisheries, are not yet developed, in this country, nor will they be, till absolute necessity obliges individuals to investigate these rich and unexplored resources of our country. From the squid, cartloads of which may be raked up in a day, at some particular places, the Chinese pro- _ cure the material for manufacturing india ink ; and the Sicilians, from the same liquor, prepare a rich valuable kind of soup. When this creature is closely pursued, and there is no other way of escape, it spirts this black fluid into the water, which in a moment is so generally diffused, as to resemble a dark cloud, through which the pursuer cannot see, and thus the cuttle- ANARCHICAS. 253 fish makes its escape. From the gall of several voracious families, a valuable water color might be prepared, in quantity equal to the requirements of the paper stainers. Isinglass, which is nothing more than the swimming bladder of the sturgeon, might be easily made from the cod, haddock and whiting, to answer the demands of the mar- ket. Even. the stomachs, well washed, and neatly dried, are no way inferior. And finally, the of- fals, as well as all the varieties of un-edible tribes, spread over barren land, either sandy, or cold, on account of their excessive humidity, are more ben- eficial, used as manure, than any other substance. The oily matter unites the particles of sand, and constitutes a kind of flooring to build vegetation upon; and in the other case, the heat evolved in the course of rapid decomposition, promotes the growth of whatever may be rooted in the soil. FAMILY III. — LABROIDES. An oblong body, covered with scales, is a type of this family ; there is a single dorsal fin, consid- erably wide on some individuals, maintained in an erect position, by strong, bony spines; the lips are 954 LABROIDES. fleshy, and the pharynx, set with either broad or sharp teeth. i GEN. TAUTOGA. Tauroe,— Labrus Tautoga. Within the re- collection of gentlemen now living, the tautog was unknown in the harbor of Boston. A subscrip- tion was successfully undertaken for “bringing several of them alive in cars, from Newport, Rhode Island, which were supposed the first of the species which had ever been to the eastward of the Cape. Itis very certain that the water in Boston har- bor is altogether too salt for a variety of fishes, which are known to be very common on the south side of the Cape, in Long Island sound, and the waters contiguous to New York. The greatest variety is invariably found, where the largest bodies of fresh water are emptied into the sea. The mingling of the river and the ocean modifies the qualities of both, so that it is found, on careful observation, to be particularly favorable to the ex- istence of classes that could not long endure the constitutional effects of either alone. Oysters are to be ranked among the orders that require a mix- ture of these two kinds of water. No fact is better established than this, — that oysters do not propagate on a major part of the TAUTOGA. 255 coast of Massachusetts, though when brought from New Jersey, and thrown into the mud of the bays, they crease in size remarkably fast. In some rivers, a few miles from the ocean, the Med- ford, for example, in the neighborhood of Boston, oysters once abounded in considerable plenty, but circumstances have finally conspired to reduce them so much, that they are at present hardly con- sidered to exist there at all. The tautog is one of the fish constituted for that mixture of salt and fresh water, and hence it will never flourish, where there are so few rivers as in the neighborhood of Bos- ton. Tautogs are highly prized, but the Boston mar- ket, allowed to be the first in New England, is but poorly supphed with them ; whenever they are for sale, it seems to be the result of accident, as no particular effort is made to search for them exclu- sively. Before us lies a specimen, weighing seven pounds, washed on shore after a severe storm. Tautog,isa Mohegan Indian word, meaning black, and it is familiarly called dlack-fish, and black- bass. Several species are known in the southern market, viz: E. T. fusca, L. TY. rubens, and L. T. alia. To a lover of good fish, the exhibition of the tautog, as we have observed them in the New 256 LABROIDES. York market, swimming at the moment of sale, must be particularly interesting. As it respects color, the tautog, though denom- inated black, is in reality, a dusky, smoky brown, only really black on the back. The lips, lower jaw and abdomen, are ofa dingy white ; the mouth is small, and the lips thick, retractile, and expos- ing the front teeth, which project from the upper jaw; the two middle ones are large, but the re- maining, as they run back, are graduated in size, becoming quite small. The tongue is white, pret- ty smooth, and closely embedded between the THE TAUTOG. ——— SS = bones of the jaw; the tail is entire, the middle ray being strong and stiff; gill cover smooth, with- out scales, and not serrated on the margin. Deep in the fauces is a cluster of broad teeth, for the obvious purpose of crushing shells; the back is considerably arched, and the belly promiment. There are in the dorsal fin seventeen naked TAUTOGA. 257 spines, projecting their points above the web, and two spinous rays behind the vent. Those who are best acquainted with the quali- ties of the tautog, will acknowledge that it is far from being handsomely formed. ‘The projecting teeth, the narrow head, rolling lips and dorsal spears, are somewhat forbidding pomts; but the various ways in which the cook presents it, does away the first unfavorable impressions. It has long been esteemed a delicate, nutritious, finely flavored food, superior to most of the edible species in this section of the country. Baking and boil- ing are said to be the preferable modes of cook- ing it. The tautog abounds in the vicinity of Long island, near New York, and probably rarely leaves the salt water; like the sturgeon, and other ana- dromous fishes, it has not been detected in any of the rivers emptying into Long Island sound. In the vicinity of rocks, reefs jutting into the ocean, ‘and over rocky bottoms, are the localities where the fishermen seek it. It is said, that in cars, the tautog may be fattened, and much improved in flavor. After severe cold weather commences, it is a curious fact in the history of this fish, that a mem- brane forms over the vent, entirely closing it, and food is no longer required, — indeed they refuse 17 258 LABROIDES. it, till the returning warmth of spring. When the dog-wood blossoms, (cornus florida,) in April, it is a sign that the tautog has a returning appetite ; at least, this is the vulgar opinion. The New York fishermen, says the late Dr Mitchell, are governed in this respect by the chesnut leaves, when there are no dog-wood bushes in their neighborhoods. «« When chesnut leaves are as big as a thumb nail, Then bite the black-fish without fail ; But when the leaves are as long asa span, Then catch black-fish if you can.” A thunder shower, accompanied with lightning, is said invariably to disperse them from their ac- customed places of resort, and a northeast wind is a sure indication of poor success in the sport of fishing for them. A In the New York market, we are informed that several varieties are exhibited, viz: The labrus tautoga fusca, having bands and zones of a brown color; labrus tautoga rubens, with reddish hues, giving the fish a changeable color; and lastly, the labrus tautoga alia, mot- tled and clouded. We are fully of the opinion, from our own ex- amination in the market at New York, where all these varieties are sold, that the difference of com- plexion is altogether an accidental affair, depend- CORICUS. 259 ing on the age, or influence which the water, at particular localities, has on the skin, and that only one species exists in this orthat portion of the country. GEN. CORICUS, — CHOGSET. Buve Percu, Cunner, Nirrer, Bercatu, Buve-F isu, and Cuoesetr, — Labrus Coricus, vel. Chogset. Since the commencement of this little volume, no one species has given us more trouble and perplexity in the classification than this. It is admitted that it is wholly unknown in Europe, at least so far as respects the color. Chogset is an Indian name, Bergall is the New York, Perch the Boston, and Cunner, its univer- sal cognomen the further we go to the east. Sometimes it is ten inches in length, but usually varies from three inches to eight. | On this coast, it may always be recognised by its bluish color, approaching a dark green, varying however, by the manner in which the scales re- ceive the rays of light. When drawn from deep water, the green evidently predominates. About the wharves, they are not as large as on the cod ground, weighing from three ounces, to about one pound. The fish is probably better developed here than at the south of the Cape, the water be- ing both colder and salter, qualities which are con- ducive to its growth. 260 LABROIDES. The mouth is small, lips readily turn back from the teeth, which are sharp, small and rounded at the base, being not far from sixteen in each jaw, projecting at different angles. On ihe back is one long, stiff rayed fin, which 1s erected or laid back at the pleasure of the fish, often troublesome, on that account, in disengaging it from the hook, as the fingers are sometimes severely wounded by — the points of the spines, of which there are eighteen. ‘The lateral line is not always distinct; gill cover in three pieces ; caudal fin nearly square at the end, pectorals broad, strong, and armed with naked spines ; and the skin covered with small, hard scales. This fish is one of the most common on the at- lantic coast of New England, taken in all weather and at all places, where the tide ebbs and flows freely, from spring till autumn. This fish is the vexation of anglers, being always at hand to nibble the bait, and too ingenious and active in picking the hook, to be caught, un- less the apparatus is well prepared for it. A small, twisted hook, well covered with the mus- cular part of a clam, is the most successful bait, and the fishermen should begin his operations on the first of the flood. Millions on millions are scooped up in nets, — very similar in construction to the metallic hoop- _ CORICUS. 261 ed'purses. Being lowered in @ still cove, where they are moving about in prodigious shoals, they rush mto the bag to snatch at the floating food ; as the manraises it he shuts the clasps, and thus draws a bushel into the boat at once. To prepare these fish for the table it is custom- ary to strip the skin off entirely, leaving the flesh white and delicate. For frying they are excellent. Boys are everywhere seen at the docks and on the bridges, about Boston, in the season, enjoying the delightful sport of drawing up the never fail- ing perch. One cause of this great plenty, we apprehend, arises from the circumstance that other fishes are unwilling to molest them, on ac- count of the dangerous effects of the spines. It is pretended that there is aremarkable varie- ty of the blue-perch, — having a reddish shade allover the body. For ourselves, we do not eredit it; there seems to be a strange ambition influencing some of our naturalists, to discover new species, which never existed except in their own distempered imaginations. To all appear- ance, the perch or cunner is the tautog in minia- ture, and if it were black it would be supposed the young of that fish. Weak-Fisu, SQUETEAGUE, Or SQUETEE, — Labrus Squeteague. Unpoetical asthe name is, 262 LABROIDES. the fish is much valued, though few seem to be ta- ken to the north of Holmes’ Hole. The teeth are tolerably strong, — the pharyngeal patches resem- bling grinders ; the lips are thick and doubled ; operculum without spines or scales ; mouth wide, accompanied with fine labial teeth ; two dorsal fins, in the first of which are eight rays; sixteen in the pectoral and seventeen in the caudal fin. ‘The lateral line is continued quite into the inter-spi- nous web ; nostrils double, and the lowest jaw the longest. Another name. for the squeteague, is “¢ checout,”’ of aboriginal origin. We know of nothing particularly interesting in the character of this fish. It appears by the ob- servations of fishermen, that it never visits rivers, but resembles in habits the tautog, being partial to similar grounds. Vast quantities are carried to the city of New York, where it is considered val- uable, as a common small fish, though, like the blue-perch or bergall, it is presented of all inter- mediate sizes, from three inches to twelve. It is taken both by lining and seining, and because it makes such feeble exertion and resistance, in be- ing drawn by a hook, it has received the appella- tion of weak-fish. SPOTTED-SQUETEE, — Labrus Sque. Macu- latus. ‘This is nearly the same; if there are oth- CRENILABRUS. | 263 er varieties we have not succeeded in procuring them. The fins are somewhat brownish, and dark spots are indistinctly seen on the sides. GEN. CRENILABRUS. Buve-Bacx, — Crenilabrus Merula. This ap- pears to be the perca varia of Dr Mitchell, which is an abundant and savory article at New York, and usually caught at Sandy Hook. It is only occasionally found in Massachusetts, under the name of the blue-back, in reference, probably, to its color. The length varies from ten inches to sixteen, having large scales, and undivided cau- dal fin. In the branchial membrane are eight rays; pectoral fin eighteen, ventral six, dorsal twenty one, anal eleven, and caudal seventeen rays. A fish very similar, crenitlabrus lapina, of the Mediterranean, is spotted in three rows, on the side, and at Sandy Hook, it is speckled with black and white, from the head to the tail. ) > ae —